Feelin' Colorful

Here is the latest addition to our entrance.

Felt like going for the pop colors.

There was an inquiry from one of you kind readers the other day about how much I usually spend on the flowers, and here's the answer: not much. What you see in my vase as a whole is probably costing less than your sandwich-and-salad lunch.

There was another inquiry about the photo of T and myself on the entrance shelf that usually shows up in my flower photos. I'm being protective T's privacy so this is the closest shot of that photo I will ever post on my blog. But since our first wedding anniversary has passed, I am thinking of replacing the photo with something else now anyway. We are now officially non newly-weds. But thank you, for those of you who were curious, for your interest in taking a better look at my husband and myself on our wedding day.

Until next time,

Sak

Lillies For Entrance

Lilies are one of the most sweet-scented kind of flowers that I know of. Put just one stalk (with four in full bloom and three buds) and the entrance will fume with the smell so strongly that you can almost see the aroma in the air.

On a personal note, lilies remind me of my good friend K and how beautifle she looked in her wedding dress and a huge lily in her hair two years ago. They always will.

Until next time,

Sak

Purrrr for Purple

Do freshly-cut flowers usually die before they see the 5th day light? It's either I'm horrible at keeping the flowers alive, or our entrance is not the perfect candidate location in the house to have them displayed, 'cause it seems whatever goes into the vase comes out dead third or fourth day in.

Maybe I should get one of those vegetation vitalizer liquid thing-y at the florist the next time. Perhaps they are sold right by the flowers for a good reason after all.

The lovely orchid looked better in my bright yellow Pottle than my usual white and simple vase.

The entrance is pretty but the kitchen is short of a kettle. T had to boil water for his cup noodles in a regular pot, and didn't like it.

Until next time,

Sak

Man At Work

Passed out on the couch in the Sunday afternoon while watching Princess Toyotomi on bluray. Seeing my exhaustion, T offered to make Sunday dinner all by himself. Refused that I come along to the super market, too.

My personal favorite was this lovely salad with cucumbers and carrots cut up in all sorts of sizes.

Love you, T!

Until next time,

Sak

Calla Lilies For September

The sunflowers that I arranged the other day (and blogged about, too, on Aug 31st) died after, like, two days and a half. Guess the flowers were on sale for a reason.

I recently discovered that the duo of white and purple makes me happy for no apparent reason. Autumn is near, and I wanted to go for the chic-and-subtle.

Love calla lilies. I used them for my wedding bouquet.

Until next time,

Sak

Bread, Breakfast And A Baby

Was totally hooked on freshly-baked bread that I had every morning for breakfast while I was at parents'. Mom baked a loaf every morning with a bread baking machine, and even T, not a big bread eater, tried it when he was staying over, loved it, and thought it was nice to wake up to that warm softness.

So, we were at an electronics shop for printer ink the other day, ended up in the kitchen appliances corner, checked out the baking machines and decided to use a piece of T's summer bonus to buy one.

I ran the first trial last Sunday for breakfast, and here's the aftermath.

The bread could use more "moisture AND fluffiness". T's words. Moist and fluffy? Two adjectives that normally don't go together. But I saw his point. Will work on it, buddy.

Bye the way, it was the first time since A was born that T and I were able to have breakfast together. She has grown less needy of our attention when she is awake. She is able to lay on her back by herself happily enough not to cry her guts out when we leave out of her sight. Mommy's proud.

Until next time,

Sak

15 Mins of Hillary A Day

During pregnancy going to the city library became my religious. Walking between shelves of books and skimming through pages of whatever that would catch my eye was a great pastime. And coming home with a bunch of books to read felt pretty great, too. And to think that it's all free of money! Libraries are so underrated these days, I tell you.

Since A's arrival, however, it's virtually impossible to find the time to sit and read a book to finish. Either she starts crying for attention or to be fed, or I have unfinished work - and I always do! - around the house that I must attend to while my hands are free of a baby. Or, if I do have, say, a half hour to spare, I'd rather do something that's brainless like browsing Internet or writing a new post for my blog as I am doing right now.

Yet, it's been a while since the last time I actually finished a book. I walk A in a stroller every day now, so I decided to start going to the library with her like I used to before. She likes the outside better (floor's too smooth and the atmosphere's too dim-lit and quiet in the public building) so I had to hurry through the shelves to find what to bring home, but got something that I had been meaning to read for a long time... and a magazine that I can skim through while holding A.

I think I can manage to spare 15 minutes a day for it. The presidential election might have been done by the time I finish reading this. We'll see.

Until next time,

Sak

Summer Remains

Haven't put any flowers around the apartment but wanted to for the longest time. Saw the sunflowers at the store that made me think "hey, it's still viable to have a sense of summer," though it's near the end. I haven't done anything summer-y this year except for sweating like a pig as I nursed A, so it was liberating to find the bright yellow petals.

Surrounded in accumulating baby diapers and clothes in this never-ending feeding and changing life, I found it easy to get caught up in what goes on inside the house and to sort of isolate myself from the rest of the world, if I don't make a point in going out whether I like it or not. So, since we made A's stroller debut last Sunday, I go out every day running small errands, like buying a carton of milk or going to the post office, in hope of not becoming a maroon. And it's pretty gratifying when strangers seem nicer to interact with when  you are with a baby.

I have had rather harsh opinions in the past about the way Japanese people interact with each other, especially with strangers, but now that I am a mother of an infant, they don't seem as bad. It seems people look at me, a nursing mother of a two-month-old, in a way that's more readily welcoming and forgiving than, say, when I was single and striding the outside world in pin-heels. Like, another stoller-pushing mother would smile at me. An old ladies would approach me and tell me how cute my baby is. And I have met a disgruntled-faced old man open and hold an ATM booth door for me, and a cashier at a market carry my basket. Both in the same day. These people know kindness goes a long way for a mother with a baby out on the street. And this very idea makes it easier for me to go out again the next day, knowing that there are people out there that "understand".

Until next time,

Sak

Late and Full Bloom

I cannot believe this stalk was 50% off just because, as the clerk said when I questioned if there was something wrong with it, it wasn't "blooming as quickly as others". It had four buds that weren't even colored white yet when I brought it home last week.

Look at them now!

Late bloomers may just be being patient, not procrastinating. Right?

Until next time,

Sak

Pretty in Yellow

Found yellow tulips at Ikuta Food and had to get them for the living room.

Now that's a look of spring!

Until next time,

Sak

Pop!

There is something about the brightness of yellow that I find extremely uplifting.

After the blossoms on cherry twigs pretty much died, I needed something pretty for the entrance to replace them, and here they are: canary lilies!



And, lilies are the kind of flowers that smell sugar-y. The entrance is fuming with sweetness now. Love it!

Until next time,

Sak

Much Like March

March is here! What's not to like about it? It brings spring, though still chilly in the morning and in the evening, and it's my birth month! So why shouldn't I deck the flat in the spirit of March-ness that I longed for the whole winter long?

Twigs of cherry tree, for the apartment entrance, yet to bloom in pink.


Going in and out of the apartment will be of an exciting event for a few weeks. I don't mind so much now the act of putting on shoes that are hard to put on at the entrance now.

And some gold gerberas of to let in a little sun shine, too.



Pink and cream roses for the living room. Love the colors!


Thank Ikuta Food for freshly cut flower selections like actual florists! Little luxuries in life such as these go a long way.

Until next time,

Sak

A Little Pottle Acquittal

The kettle I had been using for as long as I can remember was, in the nicest way possible for me to put, pretty fucked up. It had dents and soda stains that I couldn't for the life of me get off. and it wasn't even very convenient to begin with, with nothing but its spout to pour water in (and out, of course), and when the water boiled it whistled like a really bad teenaged soprano singer wanna-be that I could hear from the outside of the apartment.

Regardless of all that, it did make thousands of cups of tea and coffee for me the past years, it's become an item of sentiment for me. After all, anything that makes or keeps one warm is hard to let go. Right, ladies?

But I had to move on, especially now that I am retired and the afternoon tea - or coffee, has become my favorite time of the day. Onto a Pottle, that is. A Pottle, ladies and getlemen, is a kettle & a pot put together that a Japanese designer came up with. You can boil water on stove, or use it as a tea pot, or both at the same time. And it's frigging adorable (and quiet)!

Come in five different colors.

I went for the yellow one, 'cause, of course, it's the cutest.


Love my tea time now.

Until next time,

Sak

A New Find

Still have a lot more exploring to do about the new city I live in, but last week, I hit the jack spot.

Found during my afternoon strol was this store, Ikuta Food, a Trader's-Joe-slash-Bristol-Farms-ish organic-slash-import supermarket and deli. Only 10 minute away from my flat on foot!


Gonna start going for a walk more now that I found this.

Until next time,

Sak

Viva Primavera!

Was at the supermarket and about to check out at the cashier when I spotted them, and I couldn't possibly pass up!

Tulips are in the top 5 list of my favorite flowers. And I'm telling you, there is something particularly delightful about finding the first tulips in the stores. You can't stop smiling at the notion that spring actually is right around the corner. And the notion is probably the best thing about winter. It is for me, at least.

And for the first tulips this season, I went for breezy pink.

Love how spring-ful the flowers make my living room!

Until next time,

Sak

Autumn Fun

You know what's great about the colder weather? I can knit and have a big cup of coffee!

I am not a big all-year-round coffee person, but enjoy a good cup when the wind starts to feel chilly.


Yum.

And I have loved knitting since high school. A surprising amount of people are dumbfounded at the thought that I knit for fun, the same way they are astonished at that I cook and bake. I guess I don't easily give off the I-can-do-something-homey vibe, but I guess it's a good thing. The unexpected goes a long way in a reltionship, I can tell you.

I am trying to figure out what to knit for my little nephew for the first time, and in the mean time, making my own scarf.


Until next time,

Sak

Another Friday Morning

I love Friday mornings. It feels like the week is ending, and I love the notion that it's only a day and a half more till Saturday evening.

I've posted a similar entry before, but I also love my breakfast-and-the-weekly ritual, too. I love the unwinding time, catching up with what's happening in the world and getting inspired by the word choices of the good writers.

Pancakes and tea! Most likely my favorite combo for a breakfast.

And look! They unearthed another new dinosaur species, closely related to Triceratops!


I'm haveing a great day already. Have a nice weekend, everyone!

Until next time,

Sak

Shove It, Mr. Winter!

Woke up this morning to the glorious sunshine that I had missed oh so much.


Come hither, warmth. Thy name ist spring. I want no more of the 3-degrees-celcius living room to drag myself out of the bed to. And it's a good feeling when my regular morning oatmeal seems a little too warm and I'm not in dire need of a very hot cup of tea.

Until next time,

Sak

Thinking Simple

Had been feeling like simplifying my life, and this morning I decided to start my mission with getting rid of things that I do not need. Stuff is just stuff. I want to own less and look more for value and quality and worth in what remains.

So I let myself start with things in the boudoir. First ones to bid my farewell to? Makeups.

How did I accumulate so much? I did a ballpark calculation in my head and got totally and utterly depressed at how much money I've spent on things that I don't even use any more; things that I used for the first time and the last time billion months ago, as well as things with the colors that just plain don't "do it" for me anymore. Which turns out to be more than a half of what I owned.

Preposterous!


Above are the executed. Bye! All of you!

And into the wastebasket, they went. I'm going to go through my closet eventually.

Until next time,

Sak

Saturday Night

Had a semi-date dinner plan but since my nose is running Niagara style and my occasional coughing makes people imagine that I'm dying, I came home like a good girl. Recovery from a cold is in high order, seeing that it's my 6th day in. Should probably go to bed soon but since it's Saturday night I've decided to enjoy the time alone at flat.

Starting with re-decorating the space with a lovely bunch of fuchsia carnations that I picked up at the grocery store after work tonight.


A girl space complete. And of course...

...The Big Ban Theory!!!


My favorite sitcom of all (simply because I love nerds and geeks)! They started playing the show on TV in Japan a few months ago every Saturday, and I'm in awe. Whenever I don't have a dinner plan or girls' night out, I have something to look forward to after work. I'm a Howard fan all the way.

And strawberries to go with my TV time!!


The yumminess is beyond words.

Wish it was Saturday night every night.

Until next time,

Sak