Edit Your Wardrobe

I really think I need this do this editing stuff on my life, particularly "wardrobe editing". Guess what I found..I found that wardrobe editing can be one of those zen habits of making your life less clutter. It's looks like making less clutter on your wardrobe is an easy task but let's be honest here..it's not! Why? because I do feel sometimes it's hard to throw away some clothes while we have this thought in our mind that maybe someday we're going to need to use those clothes again, right? I bet many of us have felt that once or twice or maybe always =) Editing your wardrobe here doesn't necessarily make your a neat person but it's more into your inner peace. It often helps you feeling less complex, simpler and it can also feels like you have some burdens lifted up from your shoulder. Here are steps to help you edit your wardrobe from ZenHabits.

My closet is simpler, and my mind is more at ease.

To edit your wardrobe, here are some simple steps:

• Pull out all the clothes from your closet. Put them on your bed. Now go through this pile, one item at a time, deciding what stays and what goes. Follow these rules:

• If you haven’t worn an item in months, put it in the donate pile. There’s a reason you don’t wear that item — you’re probably not going to wear it again for a long while, if ever.
• If you no longer fit an item, donate it. Yes, you plan to lose 10 pounds to fit into that outfit. Well, when you do, go to the thrift shop and get some better-fitting items. Until then, they’re taking up space in your closet.
• If an item is stained or torn beyond repair, donate it. If you can repair it, put it in a bag and take it to be sewn tomorrow (or do it yourself). If that bag sits in your house or car for more than a week, you’ll probably never do it, so donate it or toss it. For myself, I often keep stained or torn clothing, if I really love an item, but I only wear it around the house. I save the good clothes for company. :)
• If an item is out of style or doesn’t match anything else you own, consider donating it. OK, if you really love it and still wear it, go ahead and keep it. Butterfly bell-bottoms? You’re still cool.
• When in doubt, put it in a storage container, label it with today’s date, and put it out of sight for a few months. If you ever really want to wear it, it’s still there. But if you open it in a few months, and you never needed it, donate it.
• For seasonal clothes, such as winter or summer clothing, put it in a container and label it. When the season comes, break out that container. No use keeping it in your closet the whole year round. Where I live, there’s always tropical goodness year round, so this isn’t an issue.

• If you still have a lot of clothes left, consider the following:

• Keep clothes that are of the same color scheme, and toss the rest. This way, everything matches, and you don’t have to worry about what goes with your chartreuse blouse. Neutral colors like tan and white are great, with some color tossed in. I avoid bright colors, especially those that bleed in the wash. I don’t like to worry about that.
• Keep clothes that are simple in design, and can be paired with anything. Jeans are a great example (not the kinds with bells and whistles, the simple kinds). You can put just about any shirt with jeans, and you’re good to go. Shoot for this kind of philosophy. Don’t have pants or a skirt that can only go with one or two other items. Be able to mix and match with ease and without some kind of complicated chart.
• Make comfort a priority. Looks are important, but comfort is more important. You want to be at ease in whatever you wear, so keep that in the forefront as you edit your clothing.

(article source: zenhabits.net - image source: favim.com)

Basic Make Up..

How good can you do make up? I'm average, in fact I guess I'm more into the natural kind of make up lover. Why? Because that's all I can do haha. I often feel like taking make up class so that I will be able to do make up for any occasion such as a wedding party. It's sometimes not easy to do such a great and proper make up to attend formal party. Although now and then we have to look amazing and stunning, right? And I think make up is the main thing that we can create to look amazing. But don't forget that it all also depends on your inner beauty too. So, here are some tips to do basic make up I found on Our Vanity. I have to attend a wedding this Sunday so I guess I'll have to practice my make up now =) Have a great weekend everyone...xx

Basic Makeup Tips Every Woman Should Know

• Makeup Foundation Tips

The basis of any makeup look is no doubt a perfect and even complexion to create which you are to use a proper makeup foundation paying a special attention to its application. First of all I recommend you to opt for liquid foundation as it is the easiest one to apply. Shake the bottle to ration all the pigment particles and apply it to your face paying attention to hairline, ear lobes, jaw line, and the area under the eyes.

• Eyeliner Tips

Eyeliner is the irreplaceable beauty device with the help of which you can make a perfect eye makeup. The only thing I recommend you is to opt for liquid eyeliner as it never better fills the space between lashes that makes the lashes seem thicker.

• Lipstick Tips

Don’t skip the exfoliation of your lips. It will provide your lips with smoother lipstick application. If you have small lips then it is better to avoid dark red or brown lipstick hues, it is better to opt for flirty shimmery lip-gloss colors.

• Eyeshadow Tips

To add the vivid sparkle to your glimpse you are to apply a bit of shimmering eyeshadow in the middle of your eyelids over your base eyeshadow tone. Try this makeup tips and it will definitely make your eyes pop.

(article source: ourvanity.com - image source: modelmayhem.com)

Outdoor Chandelier

I have to admit that I am one of those who just can't get enough seeing pretty chandelier! Luckily, I have two pretty chandeliers in my place..the small one and the big one. Here are more pretty chandeliers, this time people use it outdoor as a party decorations, especially wedding. I found all of these images via Style Me Pretty. And yes, those outdoor chandeliers make an outstanding decoration for the party...absolutely pretty =)

(all images via stylemepretty.com)

Glass and Rubber Ball..

I came across this speech (via) delivered by Brian Dyson (CEO of Coca Cola) about viewing life as a ball - glass and rubber ball. It's always good to read something that we can ponder in the beginning of the week. For me, it's like starting something fresh and give us a chance to think back and plan what we're gonna do next. So, here's the great speech..

Imagine life as a game in which you are juggling some five balls in the air. You name them – work, family, health, friends and spirit … and you’re keeping all of these in the air.

You will soon understand that work is a rubber ball. If you drop it, it will bounce back. But the other four balls – family, health, friends and spirit – are made of glass. If you drop one of these, they will be irrevocably scuffed, marked, nicked, damaged or evenshattered. They will never be the same. You must understand that and strive for Balance in your life.

How?

• Don’t undermine your worth by comparing yourself with others. It is because we are different that each of us is special.
• Don’t set your goals by what other people deem important. Only you know what is best for you.
• Don’t take for granted the things closest to your heart. Cling to them as you would your life, for without them, life is meaningless.
• Don’t let your life slip through your fingers by living in the past or for the future. By living your life one day at a time, you live all the days of your life.
• Don’t give up when you still have something to give. Nothing is really over until the moment you stop trying.
• Don’t be afraid to admit that you are less than perfect. It is this fragile thread that binds us to each together.
• Don’t be afraid to encounter risks. It is by taking chances that we learn how to be pave.
• Don’t shut love out of your life by saying it’s impossible to find time. The quickest way to receive love is to give; the fastest way to lose love is to hold it too tightly; and the best way to keep love is to give it wings!
• Don’t run through life so fast that you forget not only where you’ve been, but also where you are going.
• Don’t forget, a person’s greatest emotional need is to feel appreciated.
• Don’t be afraid to learn. Knowledge is weightless, a treasure you can always carry easily.
• Don’t use time or words carelessly. Neither can be retrieved. Life is not a race, but a journey to be savoured each step of the way…

–Brian G. Dyson

President and CEO, Coca-Cola Enterprises during his speech at the Georgia Tech 172nd Commencement Address Sept. 6, 1996

(speech source: dankind.com - image source: favim.com)

Strawberry Milk..

Have any plans for this weekend? How about starting your weekend with this simple recipe I found on The Pastry Affair. It's a recipe of Strawberry Milk. Look at the photo below...looks so yummy =) Perfect for the whole weekend...from breakfast to dinner...Have a good weekend everyone.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup strawberries (fresh or frozen), sliced
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 cups milk (I used 2%, but I imagine you could substitute soy or almond milk)

Directions:

1. In a medium saucepan, boil the strawberries, sugar, water, and vanilla extract for 10-12 minutes, or until the strawberries release all their juices and the mixture is slightly thickened.
2. Remove from heat and run the mixture through a fine mesh sieve (save the cooked strawberries to put on yogurt, ice cream, or pancakes). Refrigerate the syrup until cool.
3. Stir together the syrup and milk (if too sweet, you could add 1/2 cup more milk to dilute the flavor) and serve in chilled glasses. Enjoy!

So Close

I've been wanting to hear this song since last night. It's a song called So Close by Jon Mclaughlin (Enchanted OST). Have you seen the movie Enchanted? It's about a fairy tale love story. I am not a really big fan of the movie but since it has this song as the soundtrack...ooh I'm melted everytime I hear the song. I don't know why but I love the lyrics and the melody. Here's the song and the movie I've been talking about. Some people might find this song so overly romantic or maybe too cheesy but I care nothing...I love this song =) Such a beautiful song that you can hear a thousand times over..

You’re in my arms

And all the world is calm

The music playing on for only two

So close together

And when I’m with you

So close to feeling alive

A life goes by

Romantic dreams will stop

So I bid mine goodbye and never knew

So close was waiting, waiting here with you

And now forever I know

All that I wanted to hold you

So close

So close to reaching that famous happy end

Almost believing this was not pretend

And now you’re beside me and look how far we’ve come

So far we are so close

How could I face the faceless days

If I should lose you now?

We’re so close

To reaching that famous happy end

And almost believing this was not pretend

Let’s go on dreaming for we know we are

So close

So close

And still so far

The right wrong person

I found this quote amazing. This quote is about finding someone, instead of finding someone who's prefect..in fact we're looking for someone who has mistakes just like we did out mistake. And that mistakes lead two people to live in the same direction, to find each other's mate. Love how Galway Kinnell, an American Poet, expressed the words in a different way about having someone. Love all the words, especially the last line..."Let our scars fall in love"

“We’re all seeking that special person who is right for us. But if you’ve been through enough relationships, you begin to suspect there’s no right person, just different flavors of wrong.

Why is this? Because you yourself are wrong in some way, and you seek out partners who are wrong in some complementary way. But it takes a lot of living to grow fully into your own wrongness. And it isn’t until you finally run up against your deepest demons, your unsolvable problems—the ones that make you truly who you are—that we’re ready to find a lifelong mate.

Only then do you finally know what you’re looking for. You’re looking for the wrong person. But not just any wrong person: the right wrong person—someone you lovingly gaze upon and think, “This is the problem I want to have.”

I will find that special person who is wrong for me in just the right way.

Let our scars fall in love.”

― Galway Kinnell

(image source: favim.com)

French Manor House

I found this French manor house via House To Home. By that I guess it was supposed to be a country house that used to be the biggest house on the area. Look at the image below...isn't beautiful. What makes it more beautiful is the big bright blue sky as the background. Oh what a lovely life =) Why do I love it, because most parts of the house are rustic (in a good way of course)...rustic decor has been one of my passions. And the other thing is the way the modern decor mixed with the rustic country home decor. Just perfect!

(all images via housetohome.co.uk)

English..

Monday is here again =) I had a blast week, well...a blast Sunday to be precised. I had a family gathering on Sunday, my family and my husband's family...it was so much fun. How was your weekend by the way? So, for this first day of the week, thinking about posting something funny for you..for us. I came across this poster from Busy Teacher. It's about English being such a funny language. Why is that so? You should read the poster below, have a great Monday.

(image via busyteacher.org)

Like A Water

I am in love with this quote from Bruce Lee about considering yourself of being like a water. The quote teaches us to be able to adapt to every situation, don't be too stiff and sometimes all we can do is to enable ourselves to be in the right position at the current condition. Just like a water, it'll always become the shape of its place. Nonetheless, we become like a water so we won't be stuck in a certain place we don't want to be at. Here's the complete quote:

Be like water making its way through cracks. Do not be assertive, but adjust to the object, and you shall find a way around or through it. If nothing within you stays rigid, outward things will disclose themselves.

Empty your mind, be formless. Shapeless, like water. If you put water into a cup, it becomes the cup. You put water into a bottle and it becomes the bottle. You put it in a teapot, it becomes the teapot. Now, water can flow or it can crash. Be water, my friend.”

- Bruce Lee -

(image source: tumblr)

For the love of bread...

It's cooking time =) It's a recipe of Garlic Rosemary Crouton Toast I found from Coupon Clipping Book. I love anything to do with bread!!! I am completely in love with bread, you can do anything about it, I will still loving it. In my country, we eat rice daily instead of bread, but I can stand not eating rice for months but bread...I have to have bread =) So, I have an urge to post this recipe...

Garlic Rosemary Crouton Toast

Serves 16

Ingredients:

• 1 loaf French bread
• 8 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 teaspoon diced garlic
• 1 teaspoon dried parsley
• 1 teaspoon dried rosemary – chopped
• ¼ teaspoon pepper
• 2 dashes salt

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees F.
2. Cut the French bread in half lengthwise.
3. Then slice the bread into pieces about ½ of an inch thick.
4. Lay the pieces flat on to a cookie sheet. Set aside.
5. Add the olive oil in a small bowl.
6. Then, add the pepper, parsley, garlic, rosemary, and salt.
7. Mix all of the ingredients together.
8. Spread the oil mixture over one side of the bread.
9. Then, spread the oil mixture over the other side of the bread.
10. Bake in the preheated over for about 20 minutes until the bread is a golden color.
11. Serve with a salad or topped with your favorite ingredients.
    

(image and recipe from couponclippingcook.com)

Simplicity

Monday morning is here =) Hello everyone, sorry for the lack of posts last week. I wasn't doing well. It's funny because everytime I see a computer screen a bit too long, I had this nausea and dizzy feeling. Probably it's because of pregnancy =) Have I told you that I'm pregnant with my first baby? I am now..feel so blessed ans happy. Feels like I have to do anything to make the baby healthy and happy always inside my tummy. I am now entering week 14 in which I have passed the first trimester of my pregnancy...really was the hardest time but yet, it's worthwhile =) Hope that everything will always be fine...

So, today I'm going to talk a little bit about how to simplify our life. I sometimes feel like I make my life complicated by doing many things I wasn't supposed to do but I thought those things were important. But then again, those things that I did or I bought turn out to be unimportant. Have you ever felt or did something like that? Well, maybe these tips from Learn This can help us simplify our life =) Have a good day...

Simplify Your Life

1. Ignore distractions and take advantage of how they often go away on their own.
2. Don’t answer your phone every time it rings, stay in the moment of whatever you are doing and wait for a message
3. Turn off your computer, your internet access on your computer or at least your popup notifiers (like email / IM) whenever you can
4. Turn off your cell phone, don’t carry it constantly or even better, don’t have one! (This is my favorite way to simplify, I don’t have one myself)
5. Move or buy a house close to work, to avoid driving
6. Ride your bike or walk to commute and get around
7. Give away things you no longer use or need
8. Just buy less stuff
9. Buy a smaller house than what you think you need (less space is more)
10. Spend time reading, its a wonderful way to escape the complexities of each day
11. De-clutter your living space
12. Get out into nature
13. Don’t rely on technology gadgets for everything, pen and paper work fine for more than people dare admit nowadays!
14. Take up a creative hobby. Music, art, writing and building things helps you focus on just one thing.
15. Finish what you start before switching tasks. One thing at a time
16. Smile at and say hello to strangers
17. Do some simple generous deed

(article source: learnthis - image source: favim)

Rest In Peace Mr. Steve Jobs...

I'm dedicating my blog post today for the honorable and legendary Steve Jobs who has died today of his battle with pancreatic cancer. It's been a sad news to hear early in the morning on the TV when I'm having my breakfast. At first I couldn't believe it until I read many tweets about his death. I am sure he has been able to touch the life of many people with his genius invention...Thank you for the Apple..Thank you for the Pixar. I have here 11 of the best quotes of Steve Jobs that I found on Huffington Post. Hoping that there will be more people like him in the future...those younger generation who will be able to replace his place, following his creativity and his vision.

• "We've never worried about numbers. In the market place, Apple is trying to focus the spotlight on products, because products really make a difference. [...] Ad campaigns are necessary for competition; IBM's ads are everywhere. But good PR educates people; that's all it is. You can't con people in this business. The products speak for themselves." -- Playboy interview, 1985

• "That's been one of my mantras -- focus and simplicity. Simple can be harder than complex: You have to work hard to get your thinking clean to make it simple. But it's worth it in the end because once you get there, you can move mountains."-- BusinessWeek interview, May 1998

• "The most compelling reason for most people to buy a computer for the home will be to link it into a nationwide communications network. We're just in the beginning stages of what will be a truly remarkable breakthrough for most people--as remarkable as the telephone."-- Playboy interview, 1985

• "We've kept our marriage secret for over a decade." -- Jobs' answer to Kara Swisher asking about the "greatest misunderstanding" in Jobs' relationship with Bill Gates. (May 2007)

• "It's really hard to design products by focus groups. A lot of times, people don't know what they want until you show it to them."-- BusinessWeek interview, May 1998

• "Picasso had a saying: 'Good artists copy, great artists steal.' We have always been shameless about stealing great ideas...I think part of what made the Macintosh great was that the people working on it were musicians, poets, artists, zoologists and historians who also happened to be the best computer scientists in the world."-- 1994

• "[Y]ou can't connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards. So you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future. You have to trust in something -- your gut, destiny, life, karma, whatever. This approach has never let me down, and it has made all the difference in my life."-- Stanford University commencement address, June 2005.

• "My sex life is pretty good these days, Walt. How's yours?" -- Jobs's response to a question from Walt Mossberg about how Jobs feels about Google and if he feels "betrayed." (June, 2010)

• "Remembering that I'll be dead soon is the most important tool I've ever encountered to help me make the big choices in life. Because almost everything -- all external expectations, all pride, all fear of embarrassment or failure - these things just fall away in the face of death, leaving only what is truly important. Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose. You are already naked. There is no reason not to follow your heart. ... Stay hungry. Stay foolish."-- Stanford University commencement address, June 2005.

• "I read a study that measured the efficiency of locomotion for various species on the planet. The condor used the least energy to move a kilometer. Humans came in with a rather unimpressive showing about a third of the way down the list....That didn't look so good, but then someone at Scientific American had the insight to test the efficiency of lomotion for a man on a bicycle and a man on a bicycle blew the condor away.That's what a computer is to me: the computer is the most remarkable tool that we've ever come up with. It's the equivalent of a bicycle for our minds."-- Interview for the documentary "Memory and Imagination," 1990

• "My model for business is The Beatles. They were four guys who kept each other's kind of negative tendencies in check. They balanced each other and the total was greater than the sum of the parts. That's how I see business: great things in business are never done by one person, they're done by a team of people." -- Interview with 60 Minutes, 2003

(quotes via huffingtonpost.com - signature via wikipedia)

Inspiration Board...

These last few days I was in love with this "inspiration-board-making" features that I found on Style Me Pretty, a useful and pretty site about all you need for wedding and stuffs. I've had my dream wedding, but this is so much fun to do when you have free time. It's as if you're acting as someone's wedding planer =) Here are some of my board that I made earlier..so easy, you only need to choose a board template and drag the images that you love...while browsing for the perfect theme you're having in your mind...

Being YOU

Do you love the idea of being able to know what you want, not being afraid of what you think and just say what you wanna say? Last night before going to bed I was thinking about it, about how good it feels like when we can control our own thoughts. I guess it's the difference being a immature and mature. I remember when I was a teenager, it felt like every thought I had was not necessarily mine. I remembered that it was right to be in the majority of my friends, their thoughts were my thoughts.

But now, as I'm getting older (and more mature I hope), I'm not afraid to speak my thoughts, to say what and how I feel. I can freely say it without being afraid that I will be not in the majority. Now, every thought is my own thought, every word I say is how I express my feelings. I love the idea of being in control of yourself, don't you think so? Well, I guess that's what life is about. It's all about learning to do what you think is right...from time to time. And most importantly, not being afraid of being what you really are =)

(image via favim.com)