Simplicity at its best is snuggling up in my crochet slip-ons, indulging in Ahmedabad’s best strawberry ice cream (straight from the tub, no less), and reading the latest issue of Travel + Leisure.
Photo credit: Juxxtapose
P.S the leftie is not as pretty as its right counterpart because it was part of my learning process.
I’ve never been the new year resolution-making type mainly because I know I never have the persistence to keep up with them. I am, however, not averse to the concept of resolutions themselves because, to me, making resolutions is just like making goals to better yourself. And everyone could do with some self-improvement.
The problem, though, is how to keep working at it to reach the goals you have set for yourself. NBC’s TV series The Office mentions that most resolutions are given up on by February. Mine definitely fall in the ‘most’ part of that statement. While I did not employ this acronym in what I am about to share, thinking about goal-setting brings to mind the S.M.A.R.T of goal-making – Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time-bound. And for some reason the plan I am about to share bears these 5 characteristics. (I’m hoping that’s a good sign.)
But first, some background. I was feeling rather lazy this December and so I was particularly convinced that I needed to draw up a plan to reorganise my life. I already knew that if I made resolutions (like everyone else), I would forget about them in a week or two. So the hubs came up with a plan to have pre-assigned rewards for each item we achieved. After a few rounds of discussion, this is the result:
Credits: Juxxtapose
Credits: Juxxtapose
The first idea was inspired by loyalty cards shops give to you. Like maybe every $20 spent gives you a stamp, and 10 stamps give you a free meal.
We took time to think specifically about what we wanted to do – in this case, hitting the gym (or any pre-approved substitute like a set amount of exercise at home) 3 times a week. If we take each month to have 4 weeks, that’s 12 times a month. So for every 12 times (or a month’s worth) we hit the gym, we were entitled to a reward. We didn’t want to be constrained by having to work-out 12 times a month either (what if we go on holiday or something). We basically just wanted to make sure we worked out 12 times x 12 months = 144 times in 2015. So we designed it such that we could do the work outs anytime we wanted as long as we eventually hit the total number of times. So for every one month’s worth of exercise (i.e 12 times, 12 stamps), we get something we really want. We also catered boxes for 12 more sessions just in case we exceeds our own expectations (optimistic, I know). And the reward for that last one will be a big one!
The rewards have to be something to really want and would work for. The catch is, obviously, that if you don’t achieve it, you cannot get it, period. So for example, if a day at the spa was the reward after the 24th time at the gym, you have to know that you cannot under any circumstances, let yourself enjoy a day at the spa between now and the 24th time. And even if you make something as simple as a meal at McDonald’s a reward treat, you cannot have McDonald’s until you hit the mark. That’s what makes it a reward. I’m still in the process of choosing wisely.
Credits: Juxxtapose
The second idea was inspired by the Young Scientist Cards we used to have in Primary School. Apparently, after doing a quick online search, the programme is still in existence. The gist of the programme is this: to encourage students to do science projects in a particular field, let’s say zoology, the student is given a Young Zoologist Card. In it, are a variety of zoology-related projects of varying difficulties, that are assigned star-values based on said difficulty. So maybe, ‘Visit the zoo and draw 5 animals from different classes’ is worth one star, while ‘Make a life-sized model of a cobra’ is worth 3 stars (I don’t know, I’m just making up projects here). The student can choose to do any of the projects listed, but ultimately has to collect 20 stars to get the Young Zoologist Badge (which I can proudly say I have).
We employed this concept to the goals we had that were applicable. I wanted to complete more crochet projects (which would be of varying difficulties), and the hubs wanted to learn to cook a wider variety of dishes. The projects we chose could be decided on along the way, hence the boxes were left blank. For me, perhaps, wooly socks for the hubs would be worth one star, and maybe crochet vest or bag would be worth three. Every 6 stars collected would entitled me to one of the 6 rewards up for grabs.
We left a lot of the details flexible. For example, I could rush 5 projects in the 1st month and laze around for the next 2 months if I wanted to. Basically, we decided on what we wanted to do within the next year, and left the ‘which part of the year we do it’ up to our future selves. We know that we need the flexibility. We once tried the 7 minute exercise app where we had to log in and exercise with the app’s fitness trainer voice everyday without fail. The app only gives you 3 chances to miss ‘training’ before it declares that you did not make it consistently for a month or 3 months or something. Needless to say, once you miss a day or 2, it becomes disheartening because your in-app track record of exercising XX days in a row is reset to zero. Nobody likes a big fat ZERO staring you down. We, or maybe I, abandoned it. The flexibility we factored in created room for slipping up once in a while (as all humans do), and made it seem more achievable on a whole.
Of course, resolutions like being a better friend or wife do not get reward cards drawn up. Firstly, how do you measure these things? Counting the number of times you say ‘I love you’? Secondly, you don’t get to buy yourself a new dress just because you remembered the birthdays of all your family members. You’re already supposed to. Also, I wanted to read more in 2015, but reading in itself is pleasurable for me, so no rewards for doing something I already like doing.
After rationalising why we did all this, I still cannot tell you whether it will work (I’ll let you know at the end of next year). All I know is that we looked at the reasons for our past failures, we asked ourselves want we really wanted to do, and we tried to create a system that we would work for us (and that we couldn’t cheat our way through). I would love to hear how you’re planning to stick with your resolutions, and if you’ve tried something similar, I would like to hear about how it has worked out for you. And if you spot any loopholes, please do tell, because if my future self finds a way to cheat the system, she will.
Credit: Juxxtapose
Majestic peaks, bright blue waters, trees dressed for autumn. Especially the trees – I loved the trees. (You can see that I put in more effort while drawing the tree.) They were a brilliant display of greens, yellows, oranges, and a tinge of red.
Photo credit: Juxxtapose
Just as flaws make each person unique, imperfect photographs tell their own story.
I know you can hardly see anything in this photo. You may be able to make out the faint outline of the coast, and a little blob of land off the said coast. But it wasn’t the camera that got it wrong. In fact, this might have been even more than what we could see with our naked eyes at that time. We still took this shot anyway. Because of the story behind the shot.
It was a typical summer day in Cork, the wet kind, not the sunny kind. We went on the trip out to the Ring of Kerry, and in the morning, the weather was still dry despite the gathering dark clouds. After lunch though, the rain started coming down. Our driver could barely see the road in front of him, although he claimed it wasn’t the worst weather he had driven in. We were on a coastal road without the luxury of the coastal views. Many people in the tour group started to nod off because there was just nothing to see. The road was narrow, only allowing for the width of 2 vehicles, one in each direction. We came to a part of the road where it widened into what looked like a parking lot at the edge of the slope. Our driver pulled his bus into the lot, stopped, and asked if anyone wanted to go down for a look. I’m guessing that was a planned viewpoint as part of the tour we were on. Nobody moved. ‘No, nobody?’, he asked again. I scrambled to get up. It was raining, and the views are mostly occluded by the mist from the rain. But wasn’t that part of the experience?
The hubs and I prepared our jackets and scarfs, positioned our cameras so that it would get as little rain as possible, and bravely stepped off the bus. When the rain hit me, it felt light and cool, like the face mist you spray on your faces to refresh yourself. My initial thought was, ‘Hey it isn’t really raining, it’s just mist!’ Okay, but I was wrong. It was raining and it was cold. Against the strong wind, we trudged toward the edge of the parking lot (where we took the photo above) and we stared down at what looked like nothing but mist. The wind was so strong that we were careful not to stand too near the edge in case we got blown off. When we eventually turned back, we saw that a few other ‘brave souls’ had decided to venture off the bus too. And despite being wet and cold, we all had silly grins on our faces, as though we were doing something cheeky and novel.
I’m glad we decided to just go for it, even though, logically, there was no point because there were no grand views (which was probably what the other passengers thought). Because now we get to keep this little experience and memory with us.
And this is the story this ‘flawed’ photograph tells.
We woke up a little while after the sunlight hit our sheets. You made me breakfast and we gobbled it down hungrily. We sat down separately to do our individual tasks. Separately, yet together. It always still feels like we’re doing things together. We took a break for lunch and enjoyed some laughs. You wanted to make plans for our trip together and I wanted to do it with you. You don’t know, but I would want to do anything with you, as long as you wanted to do it. You tried and failed to beat my high score in our latest game obsession, and I showed you my favourite view from the apartment, happy to finally remember to share that with you. And we talked a bit about the huge bird that always lands outside our window. Then, it was time to cook dinner together. I only like cooking when I’m cooking with you.
As we went to bed again, yet another day passed, I thanked you for another best day. Because it truly was.
I recently stumbled upon this idea of art journaling. It’s like journaling, except instead of jotting down notes about things, you draw or paint or stick stuff on the pages. Afterall, ‘art’ is just a broad term.
I was also looking up markets in London that I would like to visit, so I decided to give this art journaling a spin.
Credits: Juxxtapose
I’m liking this idea of art journaling because I’ve never been much of a writer. This opens journaling up to a world of possibilities, and I’m looking forward to experimenting and exploring with it.
Photo Credit: Juxxtapose
I’m glad I managed to complete this, it took a little longer than I thought it would.
It turned out exactly like how I had envisioned it though, so I’m mighty pleased about that!
Photo Credit: Juxxtapose
Rows and rows of double crochet.
I wasn’t too efficient at first, but after doing rows and rows of it, it really did get me more proficient in handling the needle and yarn, and tension too. If you want to crochet well, practising a lot really does wonders.
If you wait till your work is perfect before putting it out, you never will.
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Photo Credit: Juxxtapose
Having recently moved to a rented apartment in a foreign land, I felt the need to personalise the place, like IMMEDIATELY, so that we would feel more comfortable. I could have gone to great extents like painting the walls, and buying loads and loads of decorative items (which I would have LOOVEEED to do), but I soon realised that I didn’t have to.
Here’s why (and how):
Nothing personalises a place like photographs can. And it’s sooo simple too! You don’t even need bulky frames. Stick them on the wall, hang them on a string, put them up on the fridge. The possibilities are endless!
I’ll be the first to say that I hate my handwriting. I strongly believe that I destroy cards because I write in them. But you know what, your handwriting (or actually, anybody’s handwriting) can make a space more personal. Little notes on sticky post-its or a written grocery list will do the trick. Little cards from friends will do as well (the pretty ones will add colour to the room too).
I don’t know about finding order in chaos, but you can definitely find the individual in her mess. I am reputed to have a ‘messy’ workstation. Well, they say ‘messy’, I say ‘personality’. Besides, I’m always able to find my thing in my heaps of stuff, so no harm done there! Still not convinced? Picture a showroom flat – beautifully designed and furnished, clean tabletops, immaculately-made beds, spotless (and food-less) kitchens. Picture perfect! Except, it lacks the personal touch. Yeah, so allow yourself a little mess. Now, it looks like home!
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It really doesn’t matter that your space never looks like a picture you find on Pinterest or that showroom you stepped into when you bought your house. Because it’s the imperfections that make your place ooze with your individuality. And it’s your own ideas that eventually make a place your own.
Juxxtapose 