Wanderlust Wednesday - Langkawi Lagoon, Malaysia

Run away with me!

I've decided to start a Wanderlust theme on Wednesdays. Since traveling and exploring are my most favorite thing, I want to share my discoveries & experiences with you. It delights me to capture memories onto film and it would feel wrong and rather unsatisfying if these photos go unseen. So pls enjoy.

First on my list is a resort called Langkawi Lagoon Resort that we stayed at. On their web site it says that it is a "5 star jewl of Langkawi, Malaysia". Langkawi is a cluster of 99 islands in the NW side of Malaysia & as we would find out soon enough, that it is a place of secrets and legends. As a birthday gift me and my darling sister decided to bring our papa here for his birthday.

When we first arrived at the resort we were greeted with these tropical drinks. It was perfectly refreshing considering how hot and humid it was that day. What are some of your favorite summer-time drinks? I still love my mojitos. Gin gin gin...cin. wait. Mojitos have rum. Not gin....

The rooms were traditional, clean and quite roomy. I thought it was rather cute how they incorporated a bit of modern into their decor, yet still remained true to the culture. Going somewhere exotic wouldnt be the same if the places you stayed at looked like a Hilton. Take me away....I laid on the bed so I could enjoy the air-con but only for a moment. There was something else I wanted to enjoy more. To the beach we go!

The Sea Villas are not attached to the main resort. These suites are what I call honey moon suites. They seem romantically alluring as they stand in these stunning, vibrant waters. Everytime I go somewhere so beautiful I always want my imaginary soul mate to come with me. Now its more than imaginary ♥

As we walked along the path we noticed on the outside of a suite were a fragrant arrangement of flowers. Taking a look closer, it was an entrance to Embunspa. Shall we walk thru the door that leads to bliss? Unfortunately we didnt get a chance to try any of the many services they offer. Perhaps next time? When I come back for my honeymoon? hehe. Asia is definitely one of the best places to go for massages.

She sells seashells by the seashore. She sells seashells by the seashore.

One of my simple pleasures is collecting seashells. Its interesting what kind of treasures you come across. I would like to stumble upon a seacomb adorned with pearls. that's what mermaids use.

This place is so photogenic. Wouldnt you agree? I didnt have to change the settings on my camera or position myself to get good lighting. It was just perfectly and naturally ready for its close up. These photos are obviously photoshopped for my own amusement but the originals didnt need to be retouched at all.

This resort was definitely a jewl and very pleasing to all my senses. Everything is so peaceful during the day and also at night. You can hear the stars twinkle as the waves gently arrive at shore....the slight breeze makes the leaves of the palm trees dance - expressing itself thru them. Stars, waves, breeze and leaves gather nightly to tell stories of the legends of this Island.

Gym Bunnie

I am a gym bunnie. I can't imagine what my life would be like not to be active, workout and practice yoga. I have gone some days without and it already makes me feel like a lethargic couch potato. My motive for hitting the gym used to be to shed some pounds but over the years it has become a different kind of animal. I notice the shape of my body has changed and I feel that my life force (prana, chi...) is more dynamic. I feel stronger not just physically but mentally as well. Before I would have to force myself to show up at the gym but now its become something i want to do and love to do. Passion or obsession? lol*

I like finding ways to creatively motivate myself when I have days that are a little lacking but I've also learned when to back off and rest. There's a difference between laziness and exhaustion but its a very fine line.

Challenge yourself and try to be more active. When you take big bites its hard to digest so start off with small bites and savor the flavors that come with it. Make sure your intention(this will be different for everyone) is set and just have fun.

Read one of my previous posts to get started:
Building the right foundation

Journal Scribbling

I found this piece I wrote in 2005 & I wanted to share it with you guys:

Dec 09 2005

" i*ve often struggled with my own sense of identity. who am i in this big world & where do i fit in? My appearence has changed & will continue to. Each day I experience moods, emotions & inner states that sometimes are so contrasting that I seem to be different ppl with each different circumstance that i come across. All these external changes can effect me inwardly just as inner change can alter you externally. But is there something that always remains the same? how do we know who we are?

well...i believe in a soul.I guess its not really who u are as an individual but how we experience IT (or God, to some) in us. We are all connected bcos we all share that essence inside. We CAN define ourselves as individuals but that doesnt explain who we really are esp since so much can change within & outside of us. Ultimately, who i am is who you are, who you are is who i am.

We are really not as seperate as we make ourselves to be bcos when you really touch on that essence inside it activates something we cant define. We start connecting with each other instead of setting ourselves apart...we see the innocence in others that we also recognize in ourselves. Sometimes we are brought to tears when someone has done something out of the kindness of their heart for us bcos their soul literally touched ours.

We always look up when we pray to God...thinking that he is somewhere up there or outside of us but what we dont realize is that God is IN us & when he speaks he speaks thru us from inside ur heart or in the actions & words of another person. If only we stop and take time to listen we would see lil signs that there is more than meets the eye. And if we paid more attention to ourselves inwardly, we can begin to open our eyes and that makes a world of a difference."

The art of Bento Box

When you create, you share yourself with others

When I saw the shape of these loaves of bread, it got my creative juices flowing. I remember seeing some images floating around on the internet before of cute little bento boxes and pulled some inspiration from there.

This is what I came up with up...

This was my first time making it so I still have room for improvement. Its so fun to make esp when you are creating it for someone else. I made this for my sister and her hubby when they were going on a road trip to Fernie. They were delightfully surprised =)

So what is Bento Box art anyways?
In Japan, it is a trend for making cute lunch boxes for children. This form of art is also called "charaben" which means character bento. Instead of the plain paper bag or ziplog container that comes to mind when you think of a packed lunch, ur lunch is packed in bento boxes which contain different compartments for you to place your food. There are different techniques and even kitchen tools you can buy specifically for this. There's even molds to make your eggs heart shaped, star shaped...u name it(you can buy it on . I love japanese pop culture. They always have a way of making everything so cute and pretty.

How can you make your own?

You can start off with whatever containers you have at home. If you wanna dive in right away & invest in some bento boxes, there are so many cute ones you can buy online. Or if you have a DAISO (japanese $2 store. LOVE IT!!!) near you, u can search for one there. They also sell cute toothpicks, chopsticks, napkins....etc.

Some other things you'll need would be cookie cutters so you can cut shapes out of things like bread, cheese, veggies, fruits. Circle or face shaped hole punchers to make the eyes and faces out of Nori seaweed or you can just be like me and use sissors to do it. It takes too much time tho and as u can see in my photo, its not quite even. heh heh

Think of a theme or an idea you want to tie ur box around. "Under the sea", a heart theme, an animal...? Search the internet for examples. There are tons of photos out there. It usually containts 3 parts carbs, 1 part protein & 2 parts fruits, veggies and sometimes a small treat so keep that in mind when building your box.

When its time to pack ur boxes, make sure to fill it completely and tightly so everything will stay where it belongs. You dont want any room for your food to shift around after you close the lid.

So there you have it. I hope someday I can open up my lunch box and be surprised by a cute arrangement staring back at me °(• ᴥ •)° I would gobble it all up in a few seconds....of course after admiring it and take a few photos of it first. You know how asians are. We take pictures of everything - especially of food.

Unicorn love

Everyone that knows me, knows I have a love for unicorns. I am a dreamer, I believe in magic and I believe that every story that begins with Once Upon a Time always ends with Happily Ever After. " The greatest secrets are always hidden in the most unlikely places. Those that don't believe in magic will never find it. "

Is it possible to be so intune with the Universe?
The more I live in the present moment, the more my sense of awareness is hightened.

What I know for sure....

...that there will always be Mondays, no matter how hard u wish for it not to arrive
...that you fall in love when you least expect it
...that calgary will never have more than 3 months of summer weather
...that i am a free spirit
...that animals and the planet have a lot to teach us
...that angels and unicorns exist
...that ur girlfriends are your best allies
...that everything in ur world is created by ur thoughts
...that you write ur own fairytale. Thought by thought, choice by choice
...that I am enthusiastic at best, unpredictable at worst
...that imagination is a powerful thing
...that i feel better after expressing my thoughts in writing
...that "everything is interesting. Look closer"

Creating a beautiful bedroom & the art of Damask, Cindee style

Hello hello lovelies. Today I am going to talk about creating a beautiful space for yourself. A place where you can daydream, relax and unwind from the day. I love being surrounded by beautiful things...things that inspire me and lift me up so I've always tried to include items, photos and colors into my space that have a positive affect on me. I've gone thru a lot of chapters in my life that have prevented me from fully creating an authentic space...whether it be not enough time or money but i've always managed to express that need regardless.

Like this one time i painted writing and pictures on the walls of my rented bachelor suite. Scrubbing it off when I moved out was such a pain but also a good memory to look back on and laugh at. lol* Right Rosa??

♥Here are a few photos of the rooms I've had ♥

This prob'ly looks like a little girl's room to you. But to tell you the truth I decorated this when I was 18. LOL*
It was the princess in me. I even had sparkles on the ceiling. It was a very magical space to be in especially when I lit up my candles.

This was when I first moved out to Vancouver on Richards St, downtown. I stubbornly insisted that I was to live in the heart of the city and even tho rent was pricey the experience was priceless. What a contrast to my previous room hey? I made myself some new satin sheets to go with the more "grown up" me.

This was the 2nd place I lived in Vancouver. I had to down grade. I was going to fashion school at the time and my place was always a mess bcos of the many projects I had on the go. Even tho this place wasn't my ideal place I made interesting memories. Like when the girls came to visit me in the summer, it felt like we were inside an oven. Couldnt open the balcony bcos there was a beehive sitting right outside.

Here's a post I wrote during this time: READ HERE

3rd apartment was by Joyce station. Pretty good location and a lot more SPACE!! I loved the view. I could watch the fireworks from my balcony.

And this is my room when I lived in Kits. How would I describe the style?
Well I was inspired by Hawaii. Had interesting patterns, exotic colors and brown furniture to ground it all.

And what does my room look like now?? I had more time to put effort into this one. If I could describe it in 3 words it would be: Modern, arabian, eclectic. I used a lot of dark colors esp grey. I damasked one wall to give it texture and interest to the eye and against the grey canvas I decided to add pops of color. It almost looks like a merging of my first two rooms. Sorry for the quality of the next photo. I had taken it on my phone.

♥How to Damask your wall♥

What you'll need:

*stencil paper
*a pad to put underneath to cut the pattern
*felt tip pen
*exacto knife
*paint
*sponges

-I bought some stencil paper from the craft store and searched online for a pattern that I liked.
-I traced it with a felt tip pen and cut it out with an exacto knife. A bit time consuming.
-It's probly a lot easier if you find one instead of making one.

-I had to stencil my wall one pattern at a time. Not the most efficient way to go about it but I couldn't find a damask stencil in calgary and I was too impatient to order one online
-You can create a lot of diff looks with damask....different colors, different textures like gold or silver. Its really up to you what you like. For me I used glossy black paint
-So when you have your paint picked out you can start by taping the stencil to your wall. Then dip your sponge in the paint and dab at the stencil.
-You'll discover your own technique as you go along. But make sure to keep the stencil pressed up against the wall
-The first few that I did looked messy bcos I picked up too much paint on my sponge so add a little bit at a time

-Here's my progress. Dont ask me how I got them all level. I had no strategy. I just eyeballed it. I dont think I'd want to ever do this again unless I was paid a ridiculous high amount of money lol*
-If you were to do this right, I think the best way would be to use a measuring stick and drawn lines to act as guides on where to place your stencil

All done - after a few days. I think it was definitely worth it. Now for the fun part...putting everything together.

♥It's all about the details...♥

This is my prince charming frog where I keep my rings. You can open him up.

My jewlery drawer

And my lantern to go along with the arabian theme