Being yourself

functional analysis of my wardrobe

i know i just posted an entry saying that my life has been taken over; so how in the world do i have the time to do a functional analysis of my wardrobe? well, when you are still 10 lbs over your pre-pregnancy weight and feel dejected every time you walk into your closet, it is time to take a hard look at what's hanging in there. my PM tendencies from MS days took over and i did a little functional analysis of my wardrobe, putting into categories the clothes i need for the various occassions in my life. in the process, i pulled out piles of stuff i have not used in a year or more and made a list of what i need to get. now, i can shop guilt-free knowing i will use what i get. i am also back into instituting my item-in, item-out rule so every time i get something, i need to take out something else. vamshi suggested i take it a step further and hang everything in my closet and then not allow any new hangers to come in. that way, when i buy something new, i have to take something out so i can hang what i just got. i think that's taking it too far. like, doing a functional analysis was not far enough :)!

facebooking!

i got pinged by a friend telling me that he has a facebook profile. to see his profile, i had to create an account and viola, i have a presence on facebook! now, i am being poked, pinged and wallpapered all day long. i am yet to understand the fascination with facebook. i might be naive in this regard and definitely outdated but i don't get why something that seems like delayed IMing, spiked with voyeurism should be so compeling?! someone tell me what i am missing here?

taken over!

my life has been taken over, by a 17 lb, 27 inch long little fellow! spending time with him, planning a new education program, keeping healthy and running a household leave little time for writing on my blog. i am amazed by my friend shannon who continued to write regularly even after having her little girl. she continues to inspire me. this taking over, all of which has been consciously chosen by me, makes me think of how significant a life transformation, a baby brings with it. it is impossible to capture the change in words so i'll let it be.

a book a week

I am a slow reader but I like to read, or atleast, I like the idea of reading. Whenever I do sit down to read, I do really enjoy it. One of the 1000 things I want to do before I die is to get to a point where I can read a book a week. I am always reading something but often not what I really want to be or need to be reading. So, I have decided to get a book a week and make an attempt at reading it as quickly as I can. This week I am reading Five Minds Of The Future by Howard Gardner.

ditto!

I had a new mommy date yesterday with Kristen, mother to Japhy who was born on the exact same day as Vehd, 7 hours apart, 4 doors down at the same hospital; AND, we were both trying to have home births; AND, we were due 3 weeks apart! Okay, now that is not just a coincidence!

The two times that Kristen and I have managed to speak have been energizing for me. It is so rewarding to be able to speak to someone who is going through what you are going through and here we are going through it all in lockstep. When we were together yesterday, there were so many times when one of us would be saying something and the other would have a big smile on her face.

We were "dittoing" the whole time! I am looking forward to seeing Kristen again soon.

1000 things

Several times, have I sat down to make a list of the things I want to do before I die. This week, in preparing for a class, I got serious with the exercise. I was convinced that a book by the name existed so I went online to search for it. I found the website for 1000 Things To Do Before You Die. The book is being created. Once out, it along with the website will be a complete package for people to get the best experiences in life. The book comes out in time for Christmas 2007. I figured I would make my own list before the book influences my ideas. I am at #55, having listed ...

...free falling over Victoria Falls
...making time for a date with Vehd each week
...taking a youth group to India
...staying silent for a week

amongst others. What would you have on your list?

bowl and cup

While in Whistler, my mother and I, two wannabe potters, made our way to Expressions, a ceramics studio, where you can pick out pre-made ceramic ware to paint and fire. We made a set for Vehd -- a bowl and mug. The central design elements were Vehd's hands and feet. His feet in the bowl and his hands around the mug. Needless to say, it was a lot of fun!

the 'hunt' has ended

I am a part-minimalist. I say part because my minimalism is conditional -- it depends on whether I can find the perfect 'something' that I am looking for, then I don't need many somethings. I have for a long time now wanted the one bag that I can use for work, casual outings, triple as a travel purse and/or diaper bag for short outings and of course, be able to carry into more formal settings. This is not the first time I have wanted the perfect 'something' and often when this happens to me, when this need driven desire takes over me, I end up designing my perfect 'something'. Then, begins the hunt. The hunt for the thing I have designed. I know I am not creative enough to have been the first to design the perfect 'something'. Someone else, somewhere got to it before me and made it. I just need to find it.

So, with this bag. I have hunted it for 11 months now. Of those 11 months, I hunted actively for about 2 months and then let the bag fade to the back of my mind. About a month ago, when my mother arrived and declared that she was going to gift the bag to me, I was moved to start the hunt again. Then, I realized that in reality, this bag was going to find me. I know that sounds cooky, heck, even I think it sounds cooky, but really, I belived I would come upon the bag unexpectedly and know it was the perfect one.

The one wrinkle in all of this was that I had started to reconcile myself to buying a leather bag. I wanted leather because of its durability but then again, I did not want it. I have sort of tried giving up using leather since the time I tried being vegan 4 years ago.

Wandering along the Village Stroll in Whistler this morning, I walked into Roots and thought I had found my bag - a stylish messenger having all the features I was looking for. Then I checked the price -- a whooping $248 plus tax -- and that closed my eyes on dreams of getting that bag. As we sauntered along, we went into Ruby Tuesday, a chic boutique in the Upper Village.

Lo, behold, I had seen it, AGAIN! This was the bag -- stylish, messenger-like but not really, big enough but not too big and/but made of leather. As I held it and admired it, I asked what leather it was made of. I was more than thrilled to hear then that it was not leather at all but instead, it is all vegan pleather -- a synthetic leather that is not only less cruel to animals but also more environmentally friendly than leather. Geez, this was more than perfect. And, the price -- $138! The line is Matt & Nat, based out of Montreal and sold all over Canada, the US and UK.

The 'hunt' has indeed ended!

a blog about Vehd

I have been dabbling around to find a way to document Vehd's life as I know it. Finally, I decided to create a blog about him. We have so much family and so many friends that don't get to see him often enough, I am hoping this blog will allow us to share Vehd with them.

first trip

We are heading out for our first family vacation since Vehd's birth. He is 3 months old now and we've come a long way since the days of postpartum fog. Sometimes, the fog reappears but that's becoming rare. So, we are packing the boy and ourselves off to Whistler, BC. It's a 5 hour drive and my brain has been trying to schedule our start time and stops to suit Vehd's feeding schedule. I am also packing altogether too much but I'd rather have more than less on the boy's first trip away from home. Needless to say, we are all very excited!