Being Thankful

First of all, Happy Thanksgiving to my American readers! I hope you all had a wonderful holiday with your loved ones. 

I love the Thanksgiving culture, the day where people reflect on things to be thankful for. It would be nice of all the people in the world celebrate this lovely tradition. One of the best holidays people ever invented, don't you agree? But please remember to be thankful not just on Thanksgiving day, be thankful everyday so you won't take anything for granted. 

In this spirit of gratitude, I want to share some of the many many things I am thankful for everyday in my life: my darling husband, my precious family, my adorable huskies, my wonderful friends and of course you, my readers. God is great. (: 

via Kerry's Kronicles

I read an interesting article on Reader's Digest a couple days ago, about being thankful. According to the article, people with a strong sense of gratitude don't necessarily have more than others but they recognize and see the beauty in their lives. Moreover, people who count their blessings are generally happier and healthier than people who don't. WORD! I do count my blessings every day and I do feel happier and realize how good what I have after all.

Some tips to be thankful: 

1. Try to be more relax, don't stress out too much. It's hard to be thankful if you're in a bad mood (angry, anxious, etc). 

2. Live in the moment. DON'T DWELL IN THE PAST. It's probably a nice place to visit but not a great place to stay.

3. Live a healthy lifestyle! Good health is expensive. Don't wait until you get sick and have to pay a fortune to get your health back. 

4. Cherish the small things. Never underestimate the power of small things in life. 

5. Take a vacation once in a while to rejuvenate your spirit and mind. Remember this, to travel is to live.

6. Keep a gratitude journal. Write the things you're thankful for everyday and read them again in the future. You'll see how much you are blessed every single day so (ideally) you will complain less.

Thank you for reading this post! (: God bless you. 

via Pinterest

A Sip of Soda

Have you ever wondered what soda in general, does to your body? Take a look at below image. Thank God I don't do soda! (: Drink water! See the benefits here. Choose to be healthy!

                                         Source: momandwife.com via Rachel on Pinterest

Letting God

This morning I made a serious move towards one of my long time dreams. Why? Because I don't want to spend the rest of my life wondering and asking myself this dreaded question of all time, "What If". And based on my husband's personal experience and those old wise sayings, it is never too late to reach for your dream. I have done my (probably) best and I will let God do the rest. If I succeed, it is only by God's grace.

via pinterest

I don't have control over all the events of my live, but upon reflection, I do realize that I have the power of choice. Every choice I made matters, they take me to where I am today. I may not where I intended to go but I believe that I am where I needed to be and in the right direction where I'm going to be at. I have no regrets, I actually happy that I have gone through all those good and bad experiences. They make me a stronger person and appreciate life more.

But if there's one thing that I learned over the years, my Lord Jesus always gives me what I need instead of what I want. He has greater plans for me in store and in full control of my life. So just like any other day in my life, I surrender my life to Him. Because I know that faith in Jesus includes faith in his timing. I just need to be strong and brave!

Proverbs 31:25

via etsy.com

Chewy & Lowy on Instagram!

Two days ago, I submitted a photo of Chewy & Lowy to Dogs of Instagram account. To my surprise, they uploaded the photo last night on their instagram account!!! 

Here are my iPhone's screenshots from that night... 

This notification from @dogsintagram made me jumped out of the bed and screamed happily!

Dogs of Instagram profile on instagram.

201 people liked the photo within 15 minutes.

Then Chewy & Lowy's pic made it to the popular page!

The Popular Page!

When I woke up this morning and checked the instagram, Chewy & Lowy's pic was still on popular page! Yay!

My computer's printscreen 5 minutes ago. 1900 people liked the photo and around 60 people left lovely comments! Those small things they did, take up the most room in my heart.

I'm making a big deal out of this, I know. But I have my reasons.

First, I love Chewy and Lowy very much. They're my pride and joy. And the world needs to know that these two amazing huskies exist! I'm a proud mama, what can I say?

Second, This started of as me showing off my beautiful and expressive-in-front-of-the-camera huskies. But then... someone who saw their pic on dogsofinstagram account left me a comment on my instagram account that touched my heart. This is what she wrote:

This insignificant / silly thing I did apparently managed to give other people something money can't buy. To be able giving people strength / happiness / comfort they need is priceless! This is something that I want to do constantly. But of course I will find another way that does not involve me showing off my huskies' pics (;

It's great if you are always striving to find the way to make your mark, to make a difference and to leave the greatest impact on other people, animals and the environment.  By doing great efforts and accomplishments, because you have been trained to believe that only the bigness of effort and outcome is what is important.

But always remember to consider the small things. They will not necessarily make you as one of those admirable CNN heroes finalists, but they will make a big difference in other people's life - not to mention yours. Let us do the small loving things daily in a conscious way, as I'm sure they will certainly add up to greatness overall.

Just like Vincent van Gogh once said, "Great things are not done by impulse but by a series of small things brought together."

via heima

via pinterest

The Rescuing Hug

This picture is from an article called "The Rescuing Hug". The article details the first week of life of a set of twins. Each were in their respective incubators and one was not expected to live. A hospital nurse fought against the hospital rules and placed the babies in one incubator. When they were placed together, the healthier of the two, threw an arm over her sister in an endearing embrace. The smaller baby's heart stabilized and temperature rose to normal. 

via tumblr.

Admirable Kiernan Shipka

"I love organization, so I split my clothes into two closets according to seasons. Though  have to go to the guestroom to pull my fall and winter items, it’s still much easier than cramming all my clothes together in my one closet.  I love ‘space’ in between hanging clothes." - Kiernan Shipka (Mad Men's Sally Draper) told The Coveteur. 

I can't believe she's only eleven years old! Kiernan, if you aren’t busy filming could you come by and organize my closet and design some vintage style dresses for me? I, too, love peter pan collar, vintage dresses and Ikat fabric!

source: The Coveteur

Written by Bob Marley

"Only once in your life, I truly believe, you find someone who can completely turn your world around. You tell them things that you've never shared with another soul and they absorb everything you say and actually want to hear more. You share hopes for the future, dreams that will never come true, goals that were never achieved and the many disappointments life has thrown at you.

When something wonderful happens, you can't wait to tell them about it, knowing they will share in your excitement. They are not embarrassed to cry with you when you are hurting or laugh with you when you make a fool of yourself. Never do they hurt your feelings or make you feel like you are not good enough, but rather they build you up and show you the things about yourself that make you special and even beautiful. There is never any pressure, jealousy or competition but only a quite calmness when they are around. You can be yourself and not worry about what they will think of you because they love you for who you are. 

The things that seem insignificant to most people such as a note, song or walk become invaluable treasures kept safe in your heart to cherish forever. Memories of your childhood come back and are so clear and vivid it's like being young again. Colors seem brighter and more brilliant. Laughter seems part of daily life where before it was infrequent or didn't exist at all. A phone call or two during the day helps to get you through a long day's work and always brings a smile to your face. In their presence, there's no need for continuous conversation, but you find you're quite content in just having them nearby. 

Things that never interested you before become fascinating because you know they are important to this person who is so special to you. You think of this person on every occasion and in everything you do. Simple things bring them to mind like a pale blue sky, gentle wind or even a storm cloud on the horizon. You open your heart knowing that there's a chance it may be broken one day and in opening your heart, you experience a love and joy that you never dreamed possible. You find that being vulnerable is the only way to allow your heart to feel true pleasure that's so real it scares you. You find strength in knowing you have a true friend and possibly a soul mate who will remain loyal to the end. Life seems completely different, exciting and worthwhile. Your only hope and security is in knowing that they are a part of your life."

Fabo Links

Once a week I shift through the millions of Etsy listings to find unique/artsy/vintage items. Etsy is a craft website and not a commercial, mass-market dealer, items are almost always one-of-a-kind or in very limited availability. So when I see something I like, buying them is a must (in my mind - heart - and soul). Because those items may not be there the next time I surf round. (Yes, it’s a very dangerous site for my credit card.) Also, since most items are created individually, many sellers are willing to customize something specifically to suit my needs... and of course, some pretty things that I really want but just don't need. *sigh*

Want examples?

• This beautiful beyond words engagement ring. I want one!!! This is my kind of engagement ring. 
• These cute iPad and iPhone covers, would go perfectly with my iPad and iPhone. 

One more confession to make, I'm a sucker for online stores. So here are my other dream items that I found on 

• French Bull : Aaacckk supercute nylon handbag, Harlequin Lady Jane.  
• Madewell : Chic tote bag, by the quality mending co. and cute pair of silverlake sandal!
• Nood : Hoot vase! 
• Anthropologie : These Henry Dining Chairs are just perfect! 

Okay enough with online stores... made my heart ache! Instead, let's go travel to some beautiful place;

just chill and enjoy the view while staying at this lovely villa in Mykonos. Then we could go to Santorini just to find this boat book shop and take pictures! 

While at the beach, what's your favorite beach accessory? Mine: Chic Floppy hats are elegant and protect my face from sun damage. 

and oh, Switzerland is always a great idea! The alps so gorgeous! We could pretend to be Heidi for a while (; 

or we could go to London to see The Audrey Hepburn Collection by Bob Willoughby exhibit at  Proud's Chelsea gallery, 161 King's Road, London from 12th May – 26th June 2011 to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Breakfast at Tiffany’s. 

Eventhough the Royal Wedding is way over, I'm happy that I stumbled upon this article. Billy and Baby? Willy and Hazza? (': Good to know that they were having a blast at the private party!

Lastly, I hope my brother get to see this and would want his wedding reception to look like this, because I can and I will make it happen for him and future bride! Simply beautiful, romantic and magical. What do you think, adek? 

'til next time! Toodles! (;

The Seven Ghosts

I stumbled upon this extraordinary article yesterday and really think that this is really worth sharing. I am not a surfer but, this looks like so much fun. Makes me want to learn how to surf. Indonesia has a lot of mad rad waves, so in order not to waste them I'm going to learn how to surf one day. For now, let's just enjoy this article! Awesome discovery, Rip Curl!

As discoveries of secret surf spots go, the incredible find by Rip Curl team members during a recent "Search" expedition in the jungles of Indonesia may be unrivaled.

What makes this latest wave discovery so fascinating is that it was made not on a coastline or island shore, but on a remote jungle river that gets pounded by a powerful tidal bore. But unlike other tidal bores that produce relatively small, mushy waves, this remarkable phenomenon pushes swells upstream in dream-like fashion at heights of 8 to 10 feet.

"This was our biggest score in twenty years of exploring," says Tom Curren, a former three-time world surfing champion who has been roaming the world's coastlines scouring for the proverbial perfect wave ever since winning his last world title in 1990. Because the soft-spoken champ has never been one to boast, his stories of this new spot called Seven Ghosts (named after the nearest jungle village) has his fans reeling. Interest surrounding the expedition is hitting a fever pitch as rumors of their score leaked out.

What's so stunning about this find is the wave's coffee-colored walls break from top to bottom, similar to the hollow powerful waves that peel over coral reefs. But the riverbank refraction of the primary wave sends rebound wedges perpendicular across the river, carving the secondary wave into a line of spinning peaks with cookie-cutter perfection. These mirror-reflection spinners appear choreographed, with all the symmetry of a Rockettes' leg kick, the likes of which has never be found in the ocean...at least not yet.

These are some of the first stunning images of this amazing discovery. Rip Curl will surely be releasing more in the days ahead as they ramp up for the 50th Anniversary of the Rip Curl Pro, the world's longest running professional surfing contest, set for later this month.

Bruno Santos watches as Tom Curren settles into a perfect left while Dean Brady sets up for the right. Photo: Lachlan McKinnon

River lines. Photo: Nate Lawrence

Bruno Santos. Photo: Nate Lawrence

Dream right. Photo: Nate Lawrence

Dean Brady. Photo: Nate Lawrence

Dream left. Photo: Nate Lawrence

Bruno Santos, catching up with the first set. Photo: Ted Grambeau

Bruno Santos, watching the horizon. Photo: Ted Grambeau

Feeling out one of the first pulses. Bruno Santos. Photo: Ted Grambeau

River bore waves have never looked this hollow before. Photo: Ted Grambeau

Oney Anwar on a right-hand slope. Photo: Ted Grambeau

Dean Brady drawing a long line and settling in for an even longer ride. Photo: Ted Grambeau

The original Searcher, Tom Curren, finds the ghost. Photo: Ted Grambeau

 via Grind TV and Rip Curl.

Keep Calm and Carry On

Original Keep Calm and Carry On poster published in 1939.

I first saw this Keep Calm and Carry On posters when I first joined tumblr back in 2009. Exactly 70 years after those posters first produced. In 2009, people started to get creative with this poster, I must admit, I'm hooked! Nice additional decoration for home. I just have to print some of the posters, - the traditional phrase 'Keep Calm and Carry On' you can find many versions and parodies of it - frame them and put them on my wall. What do you think? Aren't they lovely!

 

 

all images via google.com