364th day of being 32

33. i turn 33 tomorrow. what did i do while being 32?

actually a lot.

planned our wedding, got married, became a new member of his extended family. traveled to bali, yogyakarta, manado, lombok, (bangkok and bangka were last year but i wasn't 32 yet i think.. hongkong? last year or the year before? forgot...). set up Tea for Two with my best friend. as for daily life, living with my husband definitely taught me a thing or two (or 2 hundred) about him, us and myself, our priorities, responsibilities.. and we decided to purchase a house!

it's been quite a busy year, an abundant one filled with joy and laughter. for that i'm endlessly grateful. Alhamdulillah for our health and family's, for the streaming luck and wealth of material and mind. Thank you God for the chance of living this life and having it overflowing with love.


ps. thank you God for sending to me my husband, he's a good, good man.

baby is born!

One of the resolutions this year, besides the lombok trip with the girls (that i totally scored!) is setting up this accessories line with my best friend, called Tea for Two. We actually kind of stumbled upon this project, well, we don't really know how it started, but i think we were both making hair bands and adis' piece especially was getting a lot of great feedback. they were in demand! she taught me how to make them, we made many as souvenirs for family and besties for my wedding. that was last year. As things were moving along slowly, and we both had busy lives, this project was put on hold, on and off.

To cut things short, we took it step by step, made small goals for ourselves, and we made our Tea for Two available for public last week! So far, our items have gotten good reviews, hopefully we get things going... it's tough since we're doing all the handwork ourselves, but it's so exciting and rewarding to see an item being sold, and the person receiving it happy.

here's where you can see our treats :)

http://teafortwo.asia/
http://www.facebook.com/teafortwo.xoxo
http://www.facebook.com/photos.php?id=266408231404

or follow us on twitter:
http://twitter.com/TeaforTwo_xoxo

35 Simple Ways to Be Beautiful

by Lori Deschene


“Beauty is how you feel inside, and it reflects in your eyes. It is not something physical.” ~Sophia Loren



It seems like such a cliche to say pretty is as pretty does, but the truth is physical beauty is subjective. And no matter how closely someone matches your ideal of physical perfection, that will eventually fade. What endures are the qualities, passions, and habits we nurture.That’s what makes us beautiful–and believe me when I say there is something beautiful in everyone. If you’ve done any of the following lately, you are absolutely beautiful:


1. Smile. As the quote goes, “I’ve never seen a smiling face that was not beautiful.”


2. Be there for someone who needs you even if there’s nothing in it for you–give without expectations.


3. Make a sacrifice for someone you love.


4. Admit a mistake, even if it’s hard to say you’re wrong, and work to make amends.


5. Share your struggles, putting your ego aside, to make someone else feel less alone.


6. Create something that helps people. A song, a blog, a support group, a non-profit–anything that inspires.


7. Help a child feel good about him or herself.


8. Tell someone what you appreciate about them, even if you feel vulnerable.


9. Forgive someone without needing to hear the words, “I’m sorry.”


10. Give someone an uncomfortably long hug when they need it.


10. Create positive energy around you by thinking positive thoughts and acting with positive intentions.


11. Sit with reality without judging anyone or anything.


12. Accept someone for who they are instead of trying to change them to who you want them to be.


13. Treat people like you want to be treated.


14. Notice something simple but beautiful in the world around you.


15. Acknowledge the beauty in others, instead of feeling threatened or competing with other people.


16. Be the change you want to see in the world, as per Gandhi’s suggestion.


17. Tap into your personal power and do something that makes a difference in the world.


18. Find strength in a challenging moment. It’s not easy to do, and you deserve credit for it.


19. Talk kindly about the world around you instead of gossiping or complaining.


20. Forget yourself for a minute and do nothing but listen to someone who needs it.


21. Measure a person by their best moments, not their worst.


22. Give yourself the same courtesy–focus on the good you’ve done, not the mistakes you’ve made.


23. Take the high road when someone hurts you instead if being cruel or catty.


24. Make someone laugh. A smile can literally melt stress and pain away. How beautiful of you to do that for someone else!


25. Make someone cry–tears of joy that is. People want to feel moved, inspired, motivated. Never underestimate the power of touching someone’s heart.


26. Keep an open mind instead of sticking with a judgment or assumption.


27. Love what you’re tempted to fear.


28. Be the voice of optimism when the people around you need it badly.


29. Show humility when your accomplishments would make it easy to stand above people.


30. Handle rejection or failure with grace. It’s far more easily said than done–and it sounds so cheesy and cliche–but accepting loss gracefully makes you a true winner.


31. Show unbridled enthusiasm for something that excites you. All children are beautiful, and I think their unadulterated joy has a lot to do with it.


32. Hear what someone means, not just what they say. Anyone can nitpick. Not everyone actively works to be understanding.


33. Imagine a world where people know peace, and do one small thing to create it.


34. Honor the values that matter to you. Showing integrity is the first step to feeling good about yourself.


35. Accept and love yourself–or as Ben Folds sings, “Learn to live with what you are.”


And now a disclaimer: some days you may not do anything written above–in fact, you might do the exact opposite. On those days you are still beautiful.


There are times when, like Alexander, I’m having a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day. Times when it seems like I might get swept into the tornado of chaos around me. Times when the voice in my head is unkind, and I interpret everything that happens through a negative filter. When I think the worst of people and complain about it; when I expect the worst of my day and lament it.


This admission might seem like the biggest possible acknowledgment of hypocrisy, but I have nothing to give if not my honesty. And the reality is I am imperfect. We all are. We all have moments of weakness–but they’ll only define us if they far surpass moments of kindness, compassion, love, and strength.


Being beautiful doesn’t mean adhering to some picture-perfect fantasy, or living every moment that way. It means realizing this moment is a new opportunity to be who you want to be, and making the effort to seize it.


How will you be beautiful today?


copied from adis' email. just thought it'd be good to share and to remind myself, that everyone is beautiful and perfect, just the way they are.

missing

i've been missing my grandma immensely since the lombok trip, and my husband said "try to remember that she'd like you to be happy, and that she's in a better place now." i couldn't begin to imagine what he went through when he lost his father when he was just 9 years old, then losing his mother to cancer 10 years later. just thinking about the possibility of my parents dying makes my heart ache.