catching up with moi

i have been so busy. so tired the last few days that i miss updating my blog.

university is back again (full on! essays and projects, grrrr!!).

work is going manic. can you imagine, a hospital calling itself on "black alert". it means OT's are on overdrive to get patients out of hospitals. i was asked to do some overtime work but i just couldnt because i need a good work-life balance (hello? im a married woman!). so i opted to do extra hour or two during the days, instead of working on weekends. (i am a student, i need time for research and time for rest). my weekends are spent to nurturing my spirit and my soul. as much as i love a fat bank account, i need a "me-time" (its part of my new year rewards for myself. plus, photography work comes on weekends so id rather have that,hehe.

and rest too. adrian and i are busy working people, we need the night time to catch up how one's day went, and talk in bed until we both fall asleep. on the weekends, we catch up on "date"moments if we were up to it.

just after university, i look this tired and weathered...the very reason why i know i need my rest and "nurture-self"time ...


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today being a weekend, i cooked adrian a nice breakfast. while he opted to do his OU work in the afternoon, my afternoon was spent with my friend E who broke up with her boyfriend (of 18 months), just this week. we had the afternoon time to go shopping, and giving her a "getting over a break-up make-over".

it was a big pressure on my part to be asked to be her personal shopper and style guru for the day, because i for one know that style is inherent and quite personal.

i have been out with two friends before to give them advice to give pizzazz to their wardrobe, i was hesitant to give advice to E because she does not mince her words and always was very opinionated to other people's sense of style.

but having been asked out of all our friends to go with her to give her a make-over was so flattering and pressuring at the same time. what if she doesnt like my choices for her?

in the car, i already asked her, what she had in mind. as i know E now, for more than 5 years, i know what her style is (she goes for classic simple tailored cuts, which can get boring if one is not too careful). she asked me to give her some oomphe and jazz her up without changing her personality. most of all, she had a budget in mind.

i got excited. at the same time scared. i knew she was stick-in-the-mud type of personality. and she was a hard person to convince to overexperiment so i avoided a big jump. i just made sure she was going still for simple, classic cuts but with more impact with colour and accessories.

in the end, we ended up buying her some statement scarves (they are in season but can be recycled with different outfits), and a waistcoat to go to pubs and wear over simple white tees, and bought her some statement jewelry (fashion rings and bangles), as well as the ultimate LBD, which can be worn 20x in a different look with different belts, two wide belts (she has small hips and wants to widen it a bit to give her some shape), and a nice patterned tights.

she treated me to coffee and cakes afterwards as a thank you for doing it for her and she couldnt wait to wear her new finds. (which made me smiling from ear to ear).

i never knew cheering up a broken-hearted friend could be this fun. it wasnt just about talking about the relationship over and over again, it was looking forward to a new self, reinventing oneself,and being creative with one's wardrobe.

and she already booked me for the next two months with her daughters. now, i wonder if i still accept cake as payment for my personal shopping services. i will be the one who'd end up with nothing to wear in the end.