In the middle...

Don't know how many people are like me an extremely restless soul, when you are stuck in the middle, you are desperately looking for a way out!

Its really hard to feel content when you find some flaws in your life. I am happy with everything I have, except my JOB! My boring work and pessimistic working environment and soft management, I WANT A WAY OUT PLEASE!

A lot of my colleagues, surprisingly happy with what they're doing (at least look like) for years and love to get stuck, but I definitely do not want to join the team. I love challenges and a job gives me motive to go to work early each day, a job excites me every morning to get up. This one, I wish I can sleep in all the time and just avoid it. Do I hate it? To be honest, not, its just annoying that nothing hasn't happened for nearly a year, is that just me or every others feel the same? After a while, I start disliking what I'm doing, which actually I'm quite good at.

Having said that, I am very happy with my life, I have a great hubby who cares about me 24/7, loving families which never give me a hard time, our little home that we can grow whatever we like, a little puppy that brings a bit noise in this house, and a big PLUS, a baby on the way, just makes no sense if I feel upset about anything!

I think right now I have too much to think and get myself stuck in the middle.....and I'm looking forward to whatever challenges in front of me!

When there's no motives, find one! When there's no challenge, create one!!

HAVING EVERYTHING...

Can anyone define "having everything"?

A friend of mine, Lady W was having a discussion with me, or you can say gossiping about how girlfriends think about each other. Basically, we were a bit bitchy and didn't really give any space for us to be impartial.

"I realised C girl (lets be a little considerate, so not mention any name) became a bit envy, or I can say 'jealous' about other friends" she said.

"What do you mean?" I can see where the conversation go, since I've been having this feeling for a while, just need to wait till someone confirm that I'm not paranoid.

"Say, she starts having hard feeling about friends who used to be at the same starting point, and then move on her life without any hesitation, however, she's still parking at the same place, especially her personal life." 

I smiled, and I understood exactly what she was saying. "So I was not thinking too much huh? and I know that's how she thinks about.....ME." 

 W looked at me, surprised that I made the right guess. "Com'on, we've known each other for years, not hard."I laughed. "I'm not offended, but I sometime just slightly wish we can think more positively about ourselves. Why you always have to compare?" 

"Because you have EVERYTHING!" W said out loud. 

I actually had nothing to say, because I felt a bit flattered as well as puzzled. 

How do you define " having everything"? And eventually think someone fit that box. I'm happy someone in my life ticked that box for me, while I'm still unknowing about my own life. 

Just because you think someone has things you want, you can say that person has everything? And is it really necessary to feel jealous, and try to hide yourself from expressing how you truly think about friends, so you can feel better.....for now? Maybe friends can't genuinely feel happy for each other, but TRUE friends can.  

All I want to say is don't be stupid, just stop for a second and rethink what you have at the moment, cherish them and you'll realise how much you have in your life. If jealousy hits, just move on your life, and don't look back, you'll be amazed how far you can go.

That moment, you have everything!

NEW YEAR RESOLUTIONS

2013!!!!! NEW YEAR!!!!!! And of course resolutions!

Haven't got much time list all my greedy wishes but I do have couple of them lined up in my mind 24/7. It was a hectic and restless year for me in 2012. Changing job, choosing a different career, hunting house, slowing down my old business.......many many such stuff makes my life pretty busy and starts forgetting writing.

The reason I named my blog Black and White unknown, is because this is the way I think about everyday life. Its like a puzzle with many faces, can be two extreme color, or else, nobody knows. And that makes life interesting.

I haven't realized that its been a few weeks since  I blogged last time. Now, it's in the middle of Jan already, and I think about my New year resolutions, restlessness starts working in my heart again. When you have a plan, you just want to get into it and see the result. You're afraid of wasting time and challenging the patience. I feel that another year begins and there's not much happening yet, how come? I have two minds talking in my head at the moment. One says " you have to hurry up and speed up!" while another calmly correcting "what's the rush? Clear your mind and move forward step by step."

Ok, one of my very important resolutions: BE MORE PATIENT!

Its all about ideas...

House hunting is a very tricky thing to do. I have so many ideas of how to dress up our first home, but I still have to go through all the hazzle to get one first.

Well, I became quite addicted to Pinterest recently, which give me quite a few creative minds, I pin them and drag them into my borad, mix and match all the small ideas I have in my brain.

My smart hubby was happy that I found a new hobby and annoyed at the same time that I check out my phone 24/7. I find myself getting so interested in looking into these pictures and imagine how our new home will be looking like.

He said " its a cute thing but a girly thing to pin." I responded " yes it is but I am having so much fun doing it and its always nice to have options, especially for women." He smiled and compromised, Pin the sweet images might be a bit girly, but absorbing from the intelligence all over the world can be quite enjoyable. It doesn't matter whether you have a purpose or not.

A cute door with bright color is always what I have wanted...prefer either red or blue though :)

Growing my own herb garden in my future home is one of my little dreams...probably find somewhere bigger than the egg shell :P

Oh my, I love these tiny but mighty ideas, and life is all about mixture of ideas.....

So before I have something new to tell, ciao! 

xx

BW

Enjoy the peace...

Not everyone loves coffee, but if you do, it won't be hard to choose your favorite cafe. Mine is called the Banff, a sweet cozy place where I treat as my living room.

Saturday morning, sunny, the clock was pointing at 11:30am. After a busy week, I deserve some sleep-in. Hunger woke me up and my smart hubby was away, thought about what's for brekkie and the Banff was for sure my first choice.

I couldn't remember when was last time I sat in a cafe in the morning enjoying my meal and eavesdropping the conversations.

"Can I take the order?" a red hair waitress approached me.

" Sure. A long black and a French toast, with syrup on the top. That'a all." My phone only had 4% of battery, so I had nothing to entertain myself expect observing what's happening around me, which is another of my favorite things.

A lady in her early 70 near the window was talking to a young girl sitting opposite to her, guess she's her daughter; next to them, a mid-age guy was having his peaceful morning drinking a large latte and enjoying a full plate of egg on toast, plus reading the newspaper. That young girl went out and left her mom sitting by herself finishing her coffee.

" Must be something in today's news, you look quite concerned. " She smiled at that guy while she was talking to him. " Oh, sorry. Yes, it was something, but that's news, always too serious and negative, I didn't notice I was concerning about it though, haha." He replied, politely, then got back to his paper.

The music in the cafe was getting loud, I start having difficulty to hear how the conversation go, ironically. But, I was having fun watching two strangers talking to each other, and feeling at ease. It seems like she was telling her reason why she was in the coffee shop this morning, and something to do with her family; then she passed a piece of paper to him to read, looks like that paper is quite important. He read that letter and started discussing with her, he began telling her about his story.

I was pleased to see how friendly and unguarded people can be when there's nothing to be taken advantage of but relaxation.

The weather outside was still great, sunlight hit the glass, which lighted up the whole coffee house. My late morning breakfast was great, I just love the combination of bitter and sweet; however, what attracted me even more was that peaceful vibe of the place.

While so many things happen in every corner all around the world, I love my sunny morning, and I enjoy the peace.

What a funny day

Today's melbournian weather is just too odd, clouds all over the sky, but not a single drop, humid like crazy, " just rain! Please!!" I wanna say.

Sitting in my fluffy couch back home today, unlike last year, we went to the race, the famously known " Melbourne cup". Its a great feeling to have a day off, don't really have any plan this year, enjoy doing nothing, as many others said:" this is how a holiday suppose to be like."

I was thinking of talking about something interesting, which popped out my mind 30 mins ago; ironically, I forgot how to log in my blog, and it took about 30mins till I finally figured this out with the help of my smart hubby. Grumpiness and moody were all over my face in a second. At that moment, I completely had no idea what I wanted to write about.

Honestly speaking, its challenging to find another person who is as impatient as me, I know that but still am always amazed by it, in a bad way though. Reading my last post, I realized that haven't been blogged for over 3 months might be the reason why I forgot the password. " Just calm down a bit you!" I told myself.

Funny memory and stubborn impatience make me count myself lucky that I have my beloved and very sweet hubby.

Anyway, most of the time, I would feel uncomfortable if I forget what I wanted to say, but today, its a holiday for god sake, don't bother. What a funny day, I just want to have some fun and relaxation with my smart hubby.

Happy Melbourne cup day!

The end and the beginning.....

Monday, a new day for the new week, and almost the end of this month. Time flies so fast that when you realize there's actually 31days in this month, you feel that 31st day is like a bonus.

I remember colleagues were all asking me what's my plan for the weekend, and now its the next week already. I didn't do much on weekend, which was quite nice. Peacefully and quietly spending the relaxation time with my smart hubby, then went for a mid-night Batman movie in IMAX. Arrived home at 3am on Sunday morning, slept till 11 without feeling guilty, then jogged to the city, caught up with some book reading sitting in a cafe in the park with him. These 48 precious hours were filled with those trifle staff in life, all I can say is "How wonderful!"

Today, the first of August, had a chance catching up with a friend for some window shopping. She's worked all her life till now. I was listening to this interesting friends nagging about her charity work and worries of starting full time job some day. "You worry too much my dear. "I said. "Well, yes I am a bit afraid, but after a year doing charity job,  you might wonder whether you can be as tough as before." She answered and smiled. I know she was not completely joking. "I quit wondering, you never know, you just have to keep looking."I said whatever in my mind.

"Are you lost?"She suddenly asked me.
I paused, and in that second, the only response was saying:"Yes, I guess."

But I believe everyone has the moment that you feel confused and lost, not anyone was born with strong sense of direction. We're all learning on the way. Challenging, but that makes life more fun, because it creates stories. Do not lose the patience and belief, just like there is the end of the month, so does the new beginning.

Belief in Happiness

When was the last time you pop in the library and randomly choose a pile of books, and quietly digest the contents of the articles?

I'm doing that now, and no doubt of myself that I need some positive thinking, so picked a bundle of books based on the title and started seeking the words I think I need.

Here's a magazine called "The new Republic". I was attracted by the title of one article named "Happyism". Maybe, as in mostly, you're in need of what you read, or subconsciously, you're what you read.Not that my life is not happy, just the obstacles in life stopped me from feeling the happiness. So if there's even tiny bit theory I can learn regarding happiness, I am going for it!

"Pleasure is a brain wave right now. Happiness is a good story of your life."Quote one sentence from the article. I guess I  found what I am in need of. What I am waiting for at the moment is not a brain wave pleasure but a good story. I've many good stories to tell, however, I always...always desire another one so I won't feel restless. But, experience tells me, for that , patience is a very essential ingredient, and it's definitely not tasty.

I learnt a great saying from a feel-good movie "The best exotic marigold hotel". "Everything will be all right in the end... if it's not all right then it's not the end."I am looking forward to a good ending, now not everything is falling into place, unhappy feeling is floating in my mind, so it's not end yet.

When you have your belief back, you smile and relief.....

Note: There's no formula of happiness but creating your own. 

WALK YOUR LIFE!

Sunday is suppose to be relaxing, the last day before a long week starts; of course, it’s not the perfect time to watch something so serious like 1911.

Turned on the TV and took the DVD out, somewhere around 11pm, I didn’t feel sleepy at all. My smart hubby and me sat on the couch, it was a lovely and busy weekend; we deserve some relaxation and being domesticated. It was a program (more like a documentary) on ABC, a middle age lady (Michelle) travelled to a small and remote village in Mexico and lived there with the family for a month, truly experienced how their daily life was and learnt a brand new perspective of enjoying the life.

The family she was living with had a tough life; some times they don’t even have food to eat as the only well-off family in the village. However, the reason Michelle did this was to get over her own past life, which filled with sad memories and negativities. From the first moment she dislike the cold and hard bed, till the night she was having a cozy chat with the mom of the family in the cave, she realized the life should be simplified. Sometime, as in most of the time, people tend to think too much in life and make it so complicated, and no wonder their lives are full of frustration and sadness.

Like that mom said, just walk your life, be strong, and get over with whatever happened in the past, and get on with your life. These words are so simple but represent such a valuable and positive spirit. After a whole month living in the village witnessing what’s going on around her, Michelle felt so lucky knowing what she has.

When you have more, you start thinking more and want more; however, what’s more precious in life is that positiveness people begin to ignore. As a result, it’s so much more difficult for the modern generations to feel happy and strong, instead, we always feel weak and restless. There’re obstacles and barriers in life, how you confront and deal with them will lead you to a completely different life path.

Here’s the question for myself, when was the last time you think about what you have?

Note: Let go and walk your life with no fear! Be patient and positive!

S & P

I didn't know about the story of Salt andPepper until me and my smart hubby got married. My sis-in-law gave us a pair ofSalt and Pepper shakers wishing us being together forever. Sounds a bit lame,but behind these two little things, a big story was told. In the westerncountries, this is kinda big deal, and as an Asian, I learnt a cultural lesson,which opens another door of exploring the world.

Unlike its popularity, not many peoplereally know how and why Salt and Pepper were paired up. As I dig a bit deeper (asin google), the story behind it is actually not as romantic as it represents. Theymet each other in a romantic country France, and King Louis XIV was their matchmaker. Because French created the salt-sweet divide, and he proclaimed pepper was thesuperior spice to any others, as a result, these two spices were put together eversince.

The reason of me talking about this isbecause two of my very good friends Mini and Max, were just engaged and I havewitnessed the growth of their relationship from the very beginning. Many years of our friendship, we were sort of waiting for the day Max popping out the question. The moment Igot the news, I was shocked in a good way…for about 24 hours. Now I amdedicating this blog to them.

Mini and Max, wish you two have a lovely anddelicious life together ahead, just like Salt and Pepper.

Love,

S xx

IN THE MIDDLE...

Got a friend, someone I know quite well...maybe not, she's been thinking of doing something for a long while, however, when something else she's interested in pop out in her life, she's confused. Now, it comes to the place where she has to make a decision and focus, she needs a clue.In short, she's IN THE MIDDLE......and this friend is ME.

Have you ever had a feeling that you are so certain about what you are passionate and ready to contribute the rest of your life to it, and suddenly the feeling is gone because of the side effect of the bad experience? I did, actually I'm still having it at this very moment. However, people always say "Love is blind", so maybe my love for this certainty is not as strong as I supposed. 

I don't blame anyone for the bad experience but I do believe everything happen with reason.  So all I have to consider is that whether I am going to be stubborn about it and try even harder until my head is bleeding, then, I can finallytell myself I find out this passion is just not my main dish of the life, OR I can say to myself NOW already. Will people call me a quitter or a smart ass? Either way, I'm sort of scared. When you admit and pick up a dream is brave, but, the moment you let it go also take lots of courage, which surprised me a big time. 

Some time, you tend to mess up the definition of passion and hobby, I used to tell myself, I hate doing something I'm passionate about for a living, and when I was on the way to do that, I conquered myself once more. Yes, women are always right, but we just love making mistakes and then gain the wisdom :)

When the writing is done, the thoughts are clear. 

xx

S

My flavorful weekend :)

Its the new month slash new season! First Monday of the winter, I seriously didn't want to get up. But, doing so many things you like and dislike, which is exactly how life suppose to be huh?




Don't know about you but I had a a lovely weekend. A little surprise from my smart hubby, we went to the Good food and wine Show in Melbourne exhibition center. I don't think I'm good at cooking but I do love great food, so for me, its was a wonderful experience for the mind and particularly the tummy.

Apart from lots of sample eating and drinking, loads of inspiring presentations were held as well. We were lucky to get the last 2 tickets for George Calombaris's last show of the event. I love the yummy smell during the presentation and the creativeness of the chef, however what impressed me the most was his thought of :"what's the most important in life is not wealth but health and happiness."

It is just such an easy thing to say but hard to realize especially in nowadays when everyone is rushing in their lives focusing on earning the wealth. 


Short sentence, So simple but so wise, just like the good cooking, belongs to everyday life and full with beautiful flavors. 

Warming up the lovely Fall :)

A friend of mine shared this photo with me, nicely taken in this sunny windy typical Melbournian day.


I have to say, no matter how much you hate the temperature, autumn is the most beautiful season of this city in the whole year. Clean streets (thanks to the wind) and colourful leafs which make the whole town like a Disney land. 


People start greeting each other more often with the sentence:" Sooo cold! but the weather is nice! What a lovely day!"   


The entire city became brighter because of colourful scarfs, warm cuddly knitted hats and leather bags which are everywhere, seems like this season is the time to show off your wardrobe :) 


Let's welcome the cold by warming up the city with our favourite colors then!

Just something nice to share...

Waking up naturally, taking a nice walk along the beach. Then driving to another suburb to get a strong cap to refresh while ordering a beautiful plate of ricotta pancake, can Sunday be better than this? 

Her name is Proud Mary, a nice place to go for yummy brekki in Collingwood, but just be patient, because obviously its quite a popular place and you should count yourself lucky if you only need to wait for 20mins :) 

Anyway, for a person crazy about great food (like me), it's worth it!

Once upon a time.....

When I was 11, my teacher told my parents that I have IQ above 11 but EQ way under that age. In which means, I was a naive little girl who was strongly believing in fairytale and living in the bubble.

However, in these years I grew up, maybe the development of my EQ (thanks to my parents who didn’t try their best to kill my naivety), as my teacher predicted, way under, but instead of thinking I’m naive, I tend to characterize myself as a positive spirit. 

I'm not a strong believer of happy endings in the fairytale, because they’re too perfect, and that is not how lives suppose to be. But, I do love fairytale very much, and I admire the positiveness in these stories, thinking it’s no harm to bring these precious life spirits into the reality.

My recent addiction is the TV show called “Once upon a Time”. Adore the name, which is one of the reasons I want to watch it. Based on the fact that it has over 1.4million facebook fans in its 1^st season, I can assure it’s not a bad show.  All the fairytale characters come to alive and trap into the real world, this just make the perfect infect however, more interesting!

This is not just telling an adult version of fairytale, but more like how the little hope and positiveness can make a big difference in our lives.

That 11 year old deep inside of me is highly recommending this show! 

Enjoy the Storybrooke! 

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!

Mother's day is a few hours away, be honest, I love my mum, but kinda run out of gift ideas! Every time when something pop out in my mind, I can even hear myself saying:"Tick!”

Panic!

However, it's always the case that you get inspired at the last minute and amazed how things can still get sorted.

This year, wild animal pattern is coming back and I can't remember when was the last time she had something with leopard pattern. Time for a change then!

I spotted this pair of beautiful leather flats at Milu's online shop; this leopard loafer has its sexy and fashion-forward look, which goes with everything, either casual or formal. It won't go out of style and I'm so sure my fashionable mama will love them! DONE!! 


Well, if you have a tight budget and limited time, maybe  hand make a card for her, with some sweet word, I believe as long as she knows you always have her in your mind, she will love it too.

What matters is the thought :)
Some ideas from JiaJia Greetings (my new love of artworks) may give you some nice inspirations. Check out http://jiajiagreetings.com.au/shop

Anyway, just enjoy some quality time with your mum, eventually, that's the most priceless treasure.

My dear ballerina flat and loafer

It’s another freezing rainy day in Melbourne, the winter hasn't even started yet, and I already miss summer! OK, stop the negativity! 

In the cold days, girls still deserve some classy feelings though. A good thing about this city is that no matter how cold it is during the day, there’s always some sunshine coming out, it’s like a huge daylight lamp got a switch somewhere and someone just turn it on and off like a game.  However, it does make me feel like showing off my legs and doing some walking in the rain.
In terms of comfort, ballerina flat and loafer are second to none. 


With two layers of wool stockings, I can even brave enough to put on my favourite flats, get a bunch of lilies at the market and walk home.   Ballerina flat is perfect for casual formal office ladies, and loafer with some bright color is just a great match for any relaxing outfit. 


What’s next? Of course, after a long day, all you want is kicking off the shoes, then jumping in the soft couch, and enjoy the day with a cup of hot coco in your hand..... Maybe some nice and warm Vietnamese Pho for dinner! :)

Keep warm in STYLE :)

The part of the earth I am living in is getting colder and colder. Many people I know are either travelling to the upper north, or even getting out of the country. 


I love Melbourne, but the weather is an issue for me to love it even more, and I think it’s not hard to understand if you have ever stayed here for a while.  However, I prefer to be a bottle-half-full, so I figure out my own way to cope with this challenging weather. 

Whoever I know come down to Melbourne in these cool months, I always stress to them how important a scarf is. This is not a huge city but it’s so close to the southern coast and when the wind comes, everything on you can go crazy.  Almost everyone here has extra items in their bag, just in case. 


You wanna be well-prepared, but not go out of style. A piece of cashmere wool scarf is a great investment; it goes pretty much everything throughout the cold days. Of course, a pair of light sheds will be perfect for protecting eyes from warm sunshine and crazily strong wind. Hat! Please do not forget a hat, it brings some cosiness to your outfit and makes you a perfect fashionable cutie!  

Here my fluffy duck – little P, will give a demonstration. 


And now, let’s just enjoy the season and keep warm in style! 

What's the weather like?

Since I moved down to Melbourne, every old friend tends to ask me "What's the weather like?" all the time. Well.....Melbourne is famous for its changeable weather, without doubt. I can't say its great even I've got used to it. 

Getting closer and closer to the winter, this city is just no where near comfy sunny days. Maybe you'll see one hour of sunshine, once you come back from the kitchen, the sky will draw a totally different picture...amazingly quick and speechlessly horrible!


Its Monday, lucky me, I don't have to go to work today, staying dry in my little cozy home keeps me away from the cold rain and strong wind, also, makes me a bit lazy. I put on my Peter Alexander goast PJ and sit on my fluffy chair, all I want at this moment is just cuddle inside of my loose PJ and enjoy the warmth with a cuppa. Maybe I will pop in the gym for a little while, I mean MAYBE.....