My Fab Weekend - 29/30 August 2009

Had a very packed - yet fulfilling - weekend.
Look at my checklist:

- Spent a farewell afternoon with my colleague-turned-friend before she leaves for a plum new job in New York. You go, girl! We had a lovely japanese lunch and an overdue chat-fest. I will miss her so much.

- Got myself bush-whacked.

- Tried the lymphatic drainage massage I've been drawn to since forever. Painful! But hey, it (supposed to) drains out all your toxins, water retention, puffiness etc. And the lady runs her private salon very privately indeed - by appointment only. And zero ads - every customer is either a regular or a referral. Unique business model. Anyway, she's fab. I've already signed up for another one next week!

- Finished the great big book i've been itching to read every nite, if not for Marco's incessant play-clay-with-me pleas. Booked myself into a cafe just opposite my place, and sat there reading for nearly 3 hours. Just me, coffee and the company of an amazing book. BLISS!

- Scored 2 neat vintage frocks from Granny's Day Out, a sweet lil store run by a former ST journo. She was great to chat with, and of cos, quick to offer ideas. I tried on the first dress and felt a lil off - despite my wardrobe prowess, I've never tried vintage. But never say never! The 2 I bought were great finds! What I like about them most is - no one else will have it, and no one else will know where i got it from.

(A short aside: i'm getting tired of clothes from the chain stores. Y'know, the MANGOs, Zaras, Topshops of the world... you think you bought something nice, wear it out and within an hour, someone yells out: "Hey, i saw that in Zara last week!" -- ultimate mood-buster! Now, i appreciate and will pay for unique pieces. It's the same for the other side of the fence - I've got a colleague who's pretty well-dressed and makes the effort everyday to look good. But.... I cringe everytime I see her. It's so obvious (to me, at least) that her ENTIRE WARDROBE comes from Mango. Every dress, every nice top, everything. Where's the imagination? The creativity?!! The individual style??! )


- Sorted out some thoughts. This is perhaps the most important thing i've done.

- Sorted out my Perth trip in October. Yeah, we are finally going. Hello Witchery, Sportsgirl, Supre, Myers & David Jones!

going mad

Since returning to work, I have been shopping with a vengeance.
It's almost like -- i work to shop.
It's true that this is a vicious cycle.
I didn't have this stupid shopping compulsion when i was working part-time, cos the days were slower, there was zero stress and i was perhaps, calmer.
But now that life is frentic, and I need outfits everyday, i am shopping like crazy.

Look at the damage:

Amazing Vacuum cleaner - $2400
Mango cream silk top - $75
Topshop tee - $39
Banana Republic tank - $59
Seaweed Scrub - $60
Facial - $105
Marco's toy - $30
Hair styler - $270

Can someone pls hide my bills this month?
And i haven't even received my first fulltime pay of 2009 yet!

One week in and I'm happy to declare : all is fine!
I have changed my work style to suit my new role as working mum.
Instead of sashaying in leisurely at 7.30-7.45AM, i start at about 7AM.
And most importantly, i leave by 2.30PM-2.45PM.

My predecessor used to stay till like 4-5PM, which was crazy.
Then again, she spent half the time in office facebooking, having long lunches, engaged in long personal phone calls... so really, i'm just cutting a lot of that time wasting.

And i'm home before marco wakes from his afternoon naps, so it's really luxurious to be there to see him when he wakes up.
And we even have time to go out for afternoon playdates, dinners etc or just hang ard the playground.
Of cos i'm more tired than before -- try waking up at 6am every day!
But i guess this is a good work-family balance and I should thank my lucky stars i have such a good work arrangement.


In fact, when people see me out and about with Marco in the evenings, it's easy to assume i'm a stay-home mum. As if!

Winds of Change

I was watching Marco sleep, and thought...

When it comes to this lil boy, I have honestly, hand-to-heart, gone flat out.
I can seriously say I HAVE DONE MY BEST.
He's not perfect, but I have tried all i can to have him as healthy and happy as I possibly, mortally can.
And i'm happy about it.
There is a kind of quiet, exhausting, fulfilled joy to this.

I wish I can say this about more things in my life, but I think this is probably the only thing i can say outright to God & myself.

Now that i'm going back to full-time work in a week, i can feel the stirrings of a new chapter.
Winds of change, if you will.
There will be a new momentum in our lives, new order/disorder to get used to, habits and lifestyle adjustments, priorities to rethink, divided focus.
But i am so proud of myself the last year.
For sticking to my decision and seeing Marco turn out so well.
For living so well despite a 50% reduction in pay.
For adjusting & adapting -- not my greatest strengths in my younger days.

Lots of new vibes in the air.
New home, new lifestyle, full-time work.....
Should be an exciting last 5 months to the year.