first things first, any emails or messages that are important
NERP
I know this isn't the best thing to do first thing in the morning..
but it's what I've been doing..
and ahh ~ it's such a beautiful day
did a little bit of reflection..
I'm very very proud of myself for cleaning like a madwoman last weekend
so I can actually enjoy this weekend
~ pat on the head Rowena ~
~ proud of you dude ~
now let's mentally map out the day ahead
New Year's resolution #1 for me this year was to do nothing at least a once a week
and by doing nothing.. I mean not working
we get so caught up with working, studying, stressing for the sake of stressing..
living in our heads and just existing in general..
that we forget we're human
and that we need to recharge every once in a while
because I'm quite the extreme one..
I've been taking this recharging thing a little too seriously
as you can see, I've been staying up later which means I'm sleeping in later
there's also a reason why I've mostly been making sitting and talking videos
as they're far less labor-intensive compared to these getting my life together vlogs
they're obviously not as fun but you know..
gotta do what you gotta do
so I believe that there are seasons in life
and while it felt so awesome for me to just sleep in on the weekends..
work less, be more present, and take better care of myself
I feel that I'm starting to come out of the season where..
I've been hibernating like a little brown bear
hence the birth of this video
the first thing I do every morning is hit snooze..
then I get up and wash my face
I've been loving this enzyme powder wash I got from Japan
it does wonders for zee pores
and I got this toner Sioris mist
after hearing Liah rave about it in her best of beauty 2018 video
and I am in love ~
this is so hydrating and leaves my skin so supple, juicy, and glowing
I also haven't been using vitamin C in my skincare for a while
but I feel like it's time as my freckles are coming out in full force
and here is some eye cream from First Aid Beauty
alrighty so for those of you who have asked for an updated skincare routine
or anything about skincare in general..
you can check out Beauty Within
it is a skincare and beauty channel that I'm also hosting on
so all things skincare will be there
this is the First Aid Beauty Ultra Repair Face Moisturizer
~ oh yeah ~
nice and *bing bing* ☆(❁‿❁)☆
just how I like it
but wait ☝️
don't forget to SPF and sunscreen
even if I'm just gonna be lounging around at home
it's very important ✌️✌️
protect zee skin
now that my face is so fresh and so clean..
changing into real clothes so I feel like a real productive human being
and making my bed because if you make your bed every morning..
you will have accomplished the first task of the day
it will give you a small sense of pride
and it'll encourage you to do another task and another and another
and by the end of the day..
that one task completed will have turned into many tasks completed
time for breakfast or brunch
resolution #8 this year was to grocery shop at least once a week
to be completely honest I've grocery shopped maybe twice since the start of the year
so I'm going to count this Thrive Market haul as half of a trip
I got ingredients to make this caramelized oatmeal I've been craving
so rolled oats, granola, chia seeds, and dates
oat milk because Oatly is perpetually sold out at Whole Foods
I also got tea and boxed bone broth
if you're not familiar with Thrive.. it's an online market where you can shop for
thousands of organic foods and natural products up to 30% below retail prices
I love the UX / UI of how you can filter the catalog of products by dietary preferences or values
there really is no more excuse for me to not eat cleaner and cook more..
since I can literally get healthy staples and snacks delivered straight to my door
so for the oatmeal recipe I'm using 1/4 cup of rolled oats..
2 pitted dates and it helps to tear them up so it's easier to smooth when cooking
and I'm adding a cup of oat milk
compared to Oatly.. it isn't as creamy but it is good
and it's not sweetened.. it's just naturally sweetened
it's like very naturally sweet
first bring the oats and dates to a boil
let simmer as you smooth out the dates
let it simmer for a couple more minutes
and voila ~
I got a little too overly ambitious..
and added chia seeds, matcha, and collagen powder
I should have just stopped at chia seeds
the matcha and collagen made it a little too bitter
sad face ~ (╥_╥)
but anyway if you're new to Thrive Market and want to give them a try..
you can get an extra 25% off your first purchase and a free 30-day trial
use the link in the description box to get started
a membership is about $5 a month or $60 a year
but thrive donates a free membership for every paid membership
so you can do good while also eating well and good and great
soaking in some vitamin D as I'm enjoying breakfast
but it got too bright so I pulled down the blinds
and I watched Howl's Moving Castle with Japanese audio and English subtitles last night
and I really.. like I really love it
it's kind of weird and abstract
but it's.. like I really appreciated it
that I wanted to watch it again with Batman's voice with English dub
so here I am
and this is me full-blown potato mode
just giving myself permission to be myself and do what I want to do
and after doing it for about 30 minutes..
I decided it was probably time to get up.. vacuum..
be a little productive before I need to head out to get a haircut
let me just say since getting this wireless vacuum..
my life's been changed and I'm a changed woman
it's made me look forward to vacuuming..
and I get so excited when something spills because..
I can vacuum it which honestly I made it sound kind of crazy
but dude, it's so fun ~
it's like a game.. you're holding a toy gun
and the objective of the game is to suck up all the evil dust bunnies
anyway in all honesty..
this is less about how awesome the vacuum is and more about how making small adjustments
to your life or even investments can sometimes lead to big changes and major happiness
✌️
🖐
*waves*
and let's head out to the city!
it's so beautiful in New York this particular day
other days have been very like biting cold
the "b" might have been really loud but anyway..
getting my hair cut with my girl friend
~ haircut date ~
didn't know they were a thing but now it is
I usually cut my hair maybe once or twice a year because..
I want to save money and I cannot be bothered
*whispers* .. or I'm lazy
but I've forgotten how relaxing and therapeutic getting your hair cut can be
my friend was just telling me about how chopping off your hair or even trimming it..
can be very symbolic of cutting off the extra unnecessary emotional baggage in your life
and I definitely feel 10x lighter
maybe it is because my hair is lighter but I also feel..
you know changing up your appearance, doing things, trying something new..
is a very very awesome form of self-care
ya ~
continuing the day of doing nothing..
and just living and breathing and allowing myself to live and breathe a little
this is probably the first time I ate out in the year
maybe not.. but like probably within the past a month
aaand..
yeah it goes along.. you know doing less work..
doing more things that brings me joy
and sparks joy in my eyes
this hen.. wood of the hen.. hen of the woods mushroom dish was so good
chicken enchiladas.. pork belly tacos..
so bomb ~
look how excited I am
(≧◡≦)
and I'm heading home
on the way home I started reflecting on what the past couple of weeks have been like..
and how differently they were compared to how I lived my life last year
in terms of just really trying to make more time for myself
posting less on social media
even though that means I'm not communicating with you guys as much
I think it's something that I had to do for myself
and just really listening to my body and not doing things when I physically cannot
so if you guys are curious about what I've been up to..
this is what I've been up to
*sings* da na na naaa na naa ~
are like green apples still fresh on the vine
huh
*laughs* did I say apples
*laughing at self*
senk yuuu ~
*struggling Rowena*
imagine our cells are like green apples
*laughs again*
I just really want an apple
imagine our cells are like green grapes
*dying*
绿葡萄 (green grapes)
葡萄 (says grapes in taiwanese)
葡萄 (grapes)
for those with really dry or eczema skin..
you can use the wet wap (???)..
~ wet.. whap.. ~
*enters DJ Rowena*
ahh ~ home sweet home at last
I made a warm cup of rooibos latte
hope I said that right..
~ roy bose.. roEEbose ~
I know for sure it's not that
all right and then with that..
thank you guys so much for joining me
this is uhh..
I just thought this clip was really cool with my hair
and I end it
~ Rowena style ~
baiii ~