an afternoon Tea Party

there's something about Tea Theme Party that is very appealing to me. the kind of get together that encompasses the semblance of calmness, comfort, light-mood and tradition. tea party as reminiscent of Victorian era can set the mood of women to put-on some unassuming gesture of being a lady.

i grew up surrounded with girl stuffs being the only lass of five brood. my mother took pleasure in pampering me with dolls, stuffed toys, cookware toys, sanrio knickknacks and dresses... this is how i started my relationship with girly things! ... and i still do!... no wonder i find it comforting to watch the movies that inspired by Jane Austen's novel. it depicts women in a feminine yet highly principled way, stimulating discussion either in group or between lady friends were always accompanied with a cup of freshly brewed tea and tiny pastries... oh! lovely.

what draws me to Tea Party? ... well... the hat, the dress, the china wares and of course the fine sandwiches and pastries often serve with tea. i wouldn't mind to have a ravishing petite sandwiches made of pumpernickel or wheat bread, a sumptuous slice of pound cake or strawberry shortcake, an inviting scones and tarts or a delectable blueberry and banana walnut muffin... the inviting presentation of these bite-size sandwiches and pastries in a stack-up trays and colorful china teaware that is set in the garden, patio or simply in the comfort of your living room... that is what i call a simple yet grand comfort.

tea and the tiny bits of delicacies are the best companion of conversation, the tradition that passed vastly from Chinese as early as 2737 BC to Japanese then Europe in 1652 then in America in 1690... presently, Tea Party is widely used as a simple way of entertaining guests at home, hotels and some restaurants.

i recommend for you to experience the Tea Room of Huntington Botanical Garden located in San Marino, California. it's a very awesome place and the room is in the amidst of the luscious garden.

i hope one day i could host a tea party for my dear friends or i hope to receive an invite for this theme... i will gladly attend and enjoy my cup of tea!

in the comfort of an Old Friend

i recently got visited by my old friend of mine, on the 4th of July weekend, with her wonderful husband and two adorable kids. friendship that started when we're sixteen, freshman in college... when the age of innocence and naive laughter are the sole air that soars around.

in life, we continue to meet friends along the journey, may it be at work or community we live but what i love about the company of an old friends is they see the person i was in the past and a person i am now and still the acceptance and a comfortable company are there. no pretension, no trying to be cool nor act smart, no competition and most of all the sound of old laughter and familiar humor just reminds me of the almost forgotten past, the kind of me in the past... how simple life was and how grounded we were.

a simple talk is enough to comfort the gloomy and fickle hormones that constitute women ... what is better than reminiscing the past that blissfully make us young and insouciant again.

the other night my friend and i were talking and she just reminded me how shallow we were in terms of being happy... for as long as we laugh it was enough!

life gets complicated as we age. having a friend to share the best moments in the past is a driving factor to look back the simple me then and be reminded that i love that kind of me better.

embracing "green living"

we started to embrace green living at home..."green living" by using recycling system, environmentally cleaning agents and energy-efficient lighting system.

this is a matter of choice that my husband and i decided. this is not a fad nor temporary exploration rather embarking to a better way of living that benefit our household and the environment.

if this is decided by heart and willingness is genuine, as how we adapt it... it's easy and yes! it feels good!... doing something for the environment and the ecology is priceless.

the way we did it...

• we put two trash bins in the kitchen. one for recyclables like plastics, papers and bottles and the rest of the trashes are put on the other bin.
• then we replaced all the existing bulbs with energy-efficient bulbs which we purchased in Ikea, but you can definitely buy these in other retail stores.
  
• for cleaning aids, we opted to have the brand called Seventh Generation, the ingredients are environmentally friendly and very effective. they carry products for dish washing liquids, tile cleaner, multi-purpose cleaner, glass cleaner & laundry soap. i used everything except the laundry soap in which i'm planning to try soon. what i love with all the cleaning aids we bought is it does not have a pungent smell that can cause head ache and most importantly it works!... much better that the usual products we used before. no worry for price because it's very competitive with other cleaning products and if you want to try it go to Target.

a clean house for a healthier environment... what is better than this?! it would really be nice if everyone could take part to better the environment.

three things i vouch for green living... saves money, saves environment and feels good!

"my super sweet 16" show

i was browsing on cable channels recently, out of boredom obviously and I came across the show called "my super sweet 16"... oh, i finished the show, by the way... to summarized it in one word!--- it's "crazy!"

you could see how bratty and demanding the celebrant was, well of course with the willing and tolerating parents, i may say. her sweet 16 is far way more than an average wedding celebration. from expensive gown, tiara, favors, reception and of course a brand new BMW sweet 16 present, friends were howling with envy and eye popping moment from the teenagers when the car was presented to the sweet sixteen celebrant. every teenager yearns to drive their own wheels and it doesn't hurt if it's a beamer or benz. i've never seen a sweet 16 celebration as grand as this with an easy total damage of $200,000.00!

given this money, would you dare throw it on something like this? I surely know... I wont!

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