rosy outlook

I've finally moved!!! Into my own space, thank the Lord. 

I still have to touch up trim and finish painting my bathrooms, but luckily we moved the big stuff over and I was able to finally enjoy a hot soak. The tub seems a bit smaller in the new home, but I don't mind. I'm going to make it my own. 

There is a bittersweet feeling. I'm going to miss my room in my family house. A new chapter has begun for me. I need to be even more responsible now. It's funny how growing up elicits feelings of nostalgia for the older days. I think I need to become stronger. 

Clueless

Raihan suffered from sleeping issues and spent many nights scrolling through his Rotom phone, wasting the hours away. This never happened when they were together. He always slept soundly in her company, her small frame pressed against his body, silky hair tickling his face. The warmth was extremely comforting. 

Even Flygon knew right away that Raihan was taken with the dark haired Trainer.

O_O

 Ughhhh it seems like I've been packing all month, and I have been, slowly packing things daily to try and prepare for the move that is happening soon. I need to kick it up a notch if I am wanting to move everything over efficiently. 

Meanwhile all I can manage are shitposts here and there. Don't really have a lot of energy or motivation to document things like I used to. 

Dining Room Inspo

 I want a live edge dining table and... a bench and elegant chairs

Rove Concepts Wishbone chair

Auberon dining bench

Static Waves

Sitting before a blank screen is intimidating. I am literally forcing myself to write, why? Because this is good, journalling is good, and it's supposed to be fun. 

Since when did I start becoming so critical of myself?

...Since when was I not? That's a better question.

Well, you know exercises take time to get used to. As the year draws to a close, I'd better start getting used to the swing of things.

So, asides from moving next month and sitting like a duck while Christmas descends upon us, what else is new? I adopted a bunch of new fish. Hehe, funny story with that one...

Anyway, I am already scheming up Christmas presents... Can't wait to see how well received they are...

Paint Selection

 

Shoji White

Evergreen Fog + Shoji White

Accessible Beige

Sashay Sand

Black Fox

Pure White - Trim

October Begins

Happy October, happy fall! The weather has been lovely, not too hot and not too cold. It's the perfect weather for walking dogs in a floral dress and denim jacket. Although I am still pining for the warm comforts of summer, I am glad that the air is still relatively warm and not gotten too chilly.

This season, many new changes have occurred in my life: a new home, a new dog, and a fresh chapter. We are to be homeowners! Our possession date in December of this year and in two weeks we will be boarding a flight to Barcelona to start our Europe trip! Exciting stuff as I've never had the opportunity to visit Europe, and now I am spreading my wings to cover several popular cities.

Oct 15 Barcelona 

Oct 16 Marseille

Oct 17 Florence/Pisa 

Oct 18 At Sea

Oct 19 Valletta 

Oct 20 At Sea

Oct 21 Kotor

Oct 22 Corfu

Oct 23 At Sea

Oct 24 Messina 

Oct 25 Naples 

Oct 26 Rome (Civitavecchia) 

Once in Rome we will stay four more days, then depart on Oct 31st. It will be a hectic fall/winter season for our family. I hope I can find the energy to write about the memories we will experience!

"Everytime I hear someone say those words 'it cannot last' it makes me so mad. Through the days I worry, through the days I tremble, but no matter how much I try, I cannot deny that love can exist, that miles do not cross within a person's heart. They have to believe something unimaginable can be possible. If you are not a believer, then your dreams can be nothing but dust but if you believe they can be real."

Reflections

I knew it wasn't love
But still I fell
It was a want, like any other
Craving for an iced white mocha
Or a steak, fried medium rare

I didn't see a future
But I saw your eyes
A mirror reflecting my heart
Your touch, sinful ecstasy

I chose to fall 

New laptop!

Hewwo! I bit the bullet and finally got a new laptop for my online appointments. And, although this may be bold and coming prematurely, perhaps I could actually start writing my story ideas again?! Who knows, but the sky is the limit here. (Too bad I don't have wings...!!!)

I got the Microsoft Surface Go 2 256GB in the Sage colour, which is supposed to be tinted green. In reality it's very, very subtle and looks more like a dark grey. Bonus: Light solid build, and has touch screen capabilities!

I'm thrilled to put my gangsta Chikorita sticker on my laptop! She looks super cute and ready to kick ass and take names. Fun fact, Chikorita was my very first starter in Pokemon Silver! Yes, kiddo K picked her starter based on which looked the cutest and friendliest. I think she made a fine choice!

I also picked up the Arc mouse, which is curved and kinda gimmicky imo hahaha but a wireless mouse seems v convenient to have. Let's hope I have more of an online presence going forward with my new tech!

Life with Joshua was perfect, wasn't it?

Didn't he always say the words she wanted, needed to hear?

something profound

I share my weight with the world

And the world knows me

June Updates

Hello! Not much to report these days. I've pretty much abandoned a lot of my daily blogging and journaling. I'm looking to change this in the coming days, although finding time and energy to write about my day or my feelings can be hard.

As a fishkeeping hobbyist, I am currently at 3 running tanks. A lot, I know... for most people. I have my main community tank, which is a modest 20 gallon, and two smaller ~5 gallon tanks (one is the rimless tank that I got from April's Aquarium). Today I am planning to pick up a free new tank from someone with Lan's help. 

Honestly, I rescued almost all my fish and I am looking forward to the future where I can purchase the breeds of fish I want. Some notable species that I am a fan of are harlequin rasboras, cardinal tetras, and... IDK yet, but I'm keeping my options open.

For my friend's birthday in May, we went out to Salt Spring Island and stayed at a lovely beachfront cabin: Mineral Springs Resort. I had quite a relaxing time seeing the sights on the Gulf Islands and I must say that island life definitely seems enlightening. We even got the chance to visit Qualicum Beach, which is where my first doggo Jacks was born! I still remember the day we drove to pick him up in 2010 like it was yesterday. :)

I am also going camping up at Lac Le Jeune this weekend with a couple close friends. I have felt the need to be close to nature recently, to recharge my mental batteries. Although I consider myself a city girl at heart, I much lament humanity's disconnect from Mother Nature. Hopefully this camping experiencing will aid me in my heart's search for contentedness. 

Salt Cures All

After more research on melafix, we decided to use aquarium salt and keep up with water changes instead. Happy to report that the tetra have all grown back their fins and are fighting fit!

We have one oto catfish left, and decided to grab some pygmy cories to keep him company. I hope there's enough algae in there for the oto!

Melafix Day 2

Some of my adopted buenos aires tetra have developed fin rot. We picked up some Melafix to treat with, roughly 2ml yesterday and 2ml today.

So far nothing has improved. Will continue to report back.

I know water quality is a huge factor in the healing process, and we've tested the water parameters and asides from a little bit of nitrites and nitrates. My poor babies. Seems like out of the 6, only Neptune and Cece look okay.

My First Betta

I started my fishkeeping hobby roughly 2 months ago, when the idea occurred that gazing at an aquarium would help lower my stress levels. 

I've always loved the ocean and was fascinated by sea creatures since I was a young child. Growing up, my parents kept a wide variety of fish, so naturally this choice seemed a perfect fit.

Since I am new to the hobby, I decided the best course of action was to adopt a fish in need. I scoured the internet and happened upon this intriguing ad for a female betta fish:

The person seemed genuinely concerned for the well-being of the betta, and so I, neither a child nor someone who shuns the responsibility of owning a pet, sent a message expressing my interest. Lucky enough, I was chosen to adopt the fish, who was named Moonstone, and even got the 5 gallon tank for free!

When I got her, Moonstone's tank was filthy. The only contents were multicoloured blue gravel that was covered in icky black waste. I wasted (haha) no time in sprucing up her tank, choosing Fluval stratum as the substrate and placing live plants inside. I prefer living plants and organic matter to plastic ones, both in my home and my aquariums. They offer such a comforting, natural vibe, and they benefit the tank's ecosystem too.

Being ever the indecisive one, the lucky betta got 2 different betta hammocks because I could not decide which colour was better, although she really only uses the green one in the right corner. I also got a cute tree decor with a heart shaped hole, and a charming crescent moon sticker to represent her name.

As Moonstone is a betta fish, she prefers to live without the company of other fish, but that doesn't mean she is alone in the tank. An rather large onion nerite snail by the name of Snorlax and a batman nerite inhabit the tank with her.

It's been roughly 2 months since we adopted Moonstone and she appears well. She eats a diet of betta crumbles with a weekly treat of a couple bloodworms or boiled peas. I've never owned a betta fish before, and after this experience I do agree that they are a lovely and easy fish to care for. Perhaps I'll adopt another once Moonstone has lived out the rest of her days.

Name: Moonstone

Species: Betta 

Gotcha day: March 6th, 2022

Spring It On!

 Hello, all! Happy Spring!!!

I finally got around to uploading some new images to the blog. It's been a dead zone here. I have been doing more journaling in a physical book these days. That doesn't mean I should neglect my online blog for my thoughts, though!

What's new with me? Well, my plants have been thriving, I got 2 fish tanks set up, and I'm still working from home in my comfy Shawffice. 

Data

I feel like a princess living in a cage

Existing in a world that I can't change 

My heart filling up with sorrow and rage 

Then you came in my life and nothing is the same 

Hold me

Look in my eyes and tell me that I'm

The only

One that understands your heart whenever you're lonely

Let's fall in a dream

Take me by the hand 

Show me

A place in this world where we could be safe

I'll break out from this cage

And learn to love again alongside you