Today, I took myself out on a date.

It's been unseasonably warm here these past few days, and since this is my last week before starting to work (gulp), it's been busy. Trying to tend to a million little details of life that have sort of been neglected over the past few weeks/months. New light bulbs? Check. Haramaki pick-up? Check. Bank? Check. Drs. appointments? Vacuuming under the bed? Check, check.

There are still many things on the list, but today, it was all about dating myself. Which was really nice, I must say. The day-long excursion included a haircut, lunch (outside! on a terrace!), some window shopping (Les Touilleurs), and then meeting up with friends for coffee. Good times.

On my way home, I stopped into Renaud Bray, where I firstly browsed the latest Dwell, and then somehow ended up reading Anxiety for Dummies that got me so worked up I managed to fumble with the thing, and then drop it, sending it flying a good 10 feet from where I was standing. Yes, my friends, it's as though the thing had wings. And the lovely employee leapt to pick it up in record time, only to see the title of the book, expose a very Ohhhhh smile, and hand it back to me, ever so awkwardly.

Whatever, I'm an anxious one these days, what can I tell you?
As the desperate housewives of NY once said, Say la wee.

On dressing up for Halloween, and being PC about it.

Last Friday night we were invited to a very big Halloween party. One of our friends was thoughtful enough to let us know beforehand that some people would be dressed up as Hasidic Jewish folk, so naturally we chose not to attend. I mean, let's face it, we're Jewish, it's Friday and we are celebrating Shabbat with our family, and then heading to a party where people are 'dressing up' as religious Jews? Not so much, thanks. Our non-Jewish friends ended up being practically more offended than we were, and instead we drank champagne and ate tiramisu until the wee hours of the morning. Which was the best.

But this whole thing got me thinking. In discussing it with a few people, and doing a little googling, I came across Ohio University's "We’re a Culture Not a Costume Campaign”. And I have to say, I appreciate the effort, especially in light of the hate crimes and discrimination that are rampant in this world of ours. I believe in using Halloween to inject whimsy, creativity, and even a bit of spookiness into our daily lives. But it's not a time to polarize or alienate others.

Do you agree? I would love to hear your thoughts on the matter.

ps. Happy Halloween!

Love

A curious thing, love is.
Platonic, romantic, steady, hearty, familial, love.
The way you can get lost in it, and allow it to move in a single direction for years on end.
A unique and delicate pattern, flow, that sometimes, and very suddenly, breaks down.
And then from the blissful feelings arise the deepest moments of despair, disconnect, questioning and guilt.
As we are told, communication is the key here. But what we're not really thinking of talking about, especially as they occur, are those patterns that arise naturally. It may feel like we have no control over them, or we simply accept despite them not always being healthy.
And so, as it happens in life, often enough I might add, the love breaks down.
And you lose a friend, a partner, a family member, along with a small little piece of yourself.
And it's sad. And kind of bewildering too.
But you do learn.
To be a better observer of your patterns. To take better care of yourself, with a more profound understanding of your needs. You become intimately aware of your thresholds.
Your limits.
And ultimately, this allows you to choose who and how to love, and maybe even do it a little bit better this time.

Seriously

{via}

And, happy week-end.

heat wave

It's extremely hot in Montreal right now and all I want is to sit on a lawn chair and eat Popsicles all day. Preferably by a pool. But since this isn't very realistic, the frozen treats alone will have to do. Lately, I've been picking up these generic ones from the corner store:

{via}

But let's be honest here- they're just not quite doing it for me.


What I really want is to get creative and make my own, preferably in some nice-looking stainless steel molds such as these beauties:

{via}

And if you're thinking, 'hey, those look an awful lot like ...' - I am aware.

Or in a pinch, one of these will do:

{via}

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In the meantime, I can be found loitering at the local A/C haven also known as the grocery store searching for other alternatives.

my name is julia and i am a bad blogger

I happen to be one of those people who tends to be inconsistent with some things and overly consistent with others. My days are like snowflakes, no two are alike, and yet there are things that I prioritize as much as possible: family, friends, favorite TV shows, and housework. However, when it comes to exercising, reading, blogging, tweeting, cooking, eating well, having a schedule, I am a little all over the place. And my business falls someplace in the middle.

So, at most times, my house will be pretty clean with everything in it's place, but my fridge might be completely empty and you'll find me eating toast all day. Or I will have caught up on every single possible TV show at the expense of exercise and getting to bed at a decent hour.

So apologies for being absent, and right now, I'm back. In recent news:

- wrapping up my master's project cooking group, which has been fun


- planning our honeymoon, at last!
- enjoying country time and lots of fun summer times with friends
- our nephew's birthday present by the super talented Bess of English Muffin


- some house tweaking, as always
- celebrated our 1-year anniversary, notice the we-are-weary-but-survived-a-year-crazy-look in our eyes?

Professional procrastinator

If you're anything like me, you might very much enjoy this little video.
Especially if you have, say, an imminent deadline or something of that nature.

Urges.

I have urges, being here in Africa, to give away all my stuff. Everything. Even my sunglasses. (although that would probably be a bad idea. It's very bright here.)
I find myself observing everyone that I see and trying to make out what they might need that I have. A towel? Flip flops? Shampoo? I know it sounds strange, but whenever I travel, I do this. Particularly because I recognize that I have so damn much. So much. It's amazing how much we need to feel well and satisfied as compared to people in other parts of the world.
Last time I was here, our professor talked about monetary versus personal poverty. He explained how poverty to us is different than to the Kenyans we were working with. Although we could physically survive with far less than we have, we would feel emotionally empty due to all the associations we have with the objects around us.

So we'll see. But I'm definitely giving away most of my stuff away the week before I leave. I just have to figure out the who and the how.

Jambo from paradise

Greetings from the land of Zanzibar!
All is well here, the people are welcoming, the streets are confusing, the kids are cute, and the air is hot. Very, very hot.
We have been here a week, and managed to find an apartment, take the local minibuses to the hospital, find a mobile phone, score free wireless internet, go on a spice tour (pictured above), and get ourselves invited to a local wedding. (More on those last two later.)
Hope that all is well with everyone and that the start of 2011 has been sweet.
xox

off, off and away

I am on my way to Zanzibar for the next few months.
Haramaki Love will continue to be run by my one and only.
Hopefully I'll get to share bits and pieces of my adventures along the way!

In the meantime, here's to wishing everyone a very sweet 2011.
2010 was pretty awesome, what with jah wedding and all.

I'll be thinking of (+ missing) you.
xx

Letter of the week: access and egress, people

{photo courtesy of Travel Logger}

Dear persons who come on to a metro or bus but do not wait for those who are attempting to disembark to, well, actually disembark:

I really don't get it. And while it's annoying and rude, it's even more perplexing. As in, it makes perfect sense to let people get off before you get on. Don't you think? It should be part of our intrinsic knowledge and sense of space, never mind social norms.

And when you really stop to think about it and weigh the pros and cons, you'll notice that it really is all positive to wait for people to get off before you get on. You certainly aren't getting to your destination any faster, but you're participating in urban logic. And peace.

Thanks in advance for your consideration and looking forward to seeing something happen about this.

Best,

J

I chopped off my hair for locks of love

Last Thursday evening, I took a yoga class with my friend Christy. And during this class, in between the downward dogs and twisty warrior poses, lying down and jumping back up, the bun in my hair came undone about 12 times. And 12 times, I proceeded to re-do my hair. In the middle of a yoga class. Making me miss half of it and get all screwed up through the sequences.

So. Friday morning, I woke up, and made the call. To Henri from Noir, my stylist whom I adore (and adore even more now). I googled Locks of Love, and found out that they required a minimum of 10 inches. Damn. Upon meeting with Henri, and him straightening and tape measuring my hair, I decided I might as well bite the bullet and just do it. And so, my hair is a little shorter than I would have liked, but I'm totally fine with it. In fact, the entire team at Noir seemed to be more emotional about the whole scene than I was. Go figure.

Here is Henri measuring:



Half-way mark!


And the final product:

The art of punctuality

Do you ever get nervous when you are running late? I do. I think it was yet another thing that was ingrained in me during my time living in Japan. Also influenced by my family's chronic lateness for all important things: school, meetings, parties.
Today, being late MAKES ME NERVOUS. Like my heart jumps a little. And Mr. D, also known as my husband, is just sitting there so damned relaxed, driving along at 20 km/h, like nothing is happening at all. He's acting like all is well on the Earth and that really, no one will be hurt or even care that we are late. But I care! And I think that I take that caring for the both of us. &^%$.

Maybe I just need to relax a little bit. How do you feel about punctuality?

I heart Cary Tennis

Have you heard of this guy?
Hands-down best advice columnist - ever.
Check him out.

the latest

you know spring is officially on it's way when it's a mere 4 degrees above zero and you witness women walking around almost naked - really, I almost feel like throwing haramaki at them as a plea to get dressed! it's still march! but all madness aside, it has been beautiful here in chilly montreal. the birds are out, the snow is melting, the months of littering is surfacing..

in the news,
*decided not to attend TO FASHION WEEK but to rather go in next season.
*am currently testing out luscious mouth-watering new fabrics, and the Paris Textile Show this year says it's all about RAYON, which, in case you didn't know, is neither a synthetic fiber nor a perfectly natural one, but rather, a manufactured fiber made out of regenerated cellulose. (Cellulose is the structural component of the primary cell wall of green plants.) So there you go.
*looking into maybe being a vendor at a girl's roller derby contest!

all for now.
hope you're enjoying an early spring, too.

Restored Faith in Humanity

On the metro this morning, early. We're talking 7:15 am early, which happens maybe four times a year for me. I'm usually one to work very late and rise later than most on weekdays, say around 9.

I'm going to a breakfast meeting, and I am loaded with bags, among them, a shopping bag with a brand new pair of trousers with the tags attached and the bill in the bag. I get off at my stop, only to realise that the bag is left sitting on the metro that's buzzing on by. Argh. Very annoying, especially how easily that bag can be exchanged for cash!
Later on in the afternoon, I take a huge chance and call Lost & Found. Well guess what? Someone had returned my bag! Couldn't believe it, still can't, probably why the tone of this blog post is quite odd.
What I'd like to say to the kind person who returned it? Thank you. You've restored my faith in humanity, reminded me that there are still some good, honest people out there, and that karma rocks. Good night.

back to blogging

I had a blog for the two years I spent in Japan. I am going to somewhat merge the two here, and import a few of the old posts that I wrote while living there, which makes for a nice transition into the world of Haramaki Love.

Last week, a lovely gal interviewed me on Haramaki Love in which I explain the roots of the business and other things, you can have a look at it here:

Haramaki -- Warm to the Core!

It's good to be back
x

things i'm on the fence about.. part I

i realise that there needs to be another category. things that i am going to simultaneously miss and not miss. there are a few of such things.

1. the kids in my building. ok, again not things, but whatever. they are really cute, and they make me smile. but they are also incredibly irritating, and have scared the shit out of me on numerous occasions. either by throwing dead cockroaches at me, or by literally jumping in front of my car as i attempted to enter or exit the parking lot. (thank goodness for quick reflexes). at the same time though, they are pretty strange and pretty hilarious. and they let me pet their tiny kittens and puppies that seem to pop out of nowhere.