My 8th One Little Word...

2010 was a year of "Coming Home"… Coming Home to God. Coming Home to the ones who love me. Coming Home to where I belong. Coming Home to my own.

2011 was a year of “Preparation”... a year of building foundations. A year of preparing to grow up, preparing to fly, preparing to take big steps, preparing for big changes, preparing to be a wife, preparing to speak out, preparing to capture my dreams with two hands. 

2012 was a grand year of “Exploring” new places, a new relationship as a married person, exploring feelings, exploring ideas and so much more.

2013 was a year to “Create”. Creating memories, creating a business, creating a home, creating an improved DW, creating handmade, creating ways to help others who are less fortunate, creating new and lasting friendships and creating new adventures.

2014 was all about challenging myself to have a life filled with “Joy” and we had the best gift of our very own Sophia Joy.

2015 was a year to “Grow” all areas of my life, growing relationships with God, my husband, my family and friends , growing Hearts & Crafts, watching SJ grow, and growing my collection of happy moments.

2016 was when I needed to “Balance” – an even distribution of weight enabling someone to remain upright and steady. Balance all aspects of my life, relationships with God, family, husband, daughter, pet, friends, colleagues and community, my passions and myself.

For my 8^th year, 2017, participating in Ali Edwards #OLW movement [don't quite know how to catagorise this}, the word came so easily and naturally to me. In fact, when I was in Melbourne, Australia walking and browsing alone, I wondered to what word I would choose for the coming year. And I thought about what I wanted from the coming year, I wondered what it had in store for me and then the word came to me “Thrive”. I saw it a few more times in books, on cards, on posters…

To “Thrive” is to bloom, abound, flourish, develop, shine, grow, radiate, arrive, succeed, prosper, increase, bear fruit, get ahead, blossom, boom, progress… Such a rich word with so much meaning and depth.

So 2017 will be this, a year to “Thrive”. #OLW2017

I am already looking forward to it!

*smile smile*  *grin grin* 

Image from Live.Thrive.Love

pen on paper

Before I left for my year abroad on a student exchange program {you can read about it here}, my aunty Lillian gave me a box of very pretty stationery from Marks & Spencer. I  loved it to bits and I deemed it too precious for me to bring to Australia {that and the fact that my luggage was overweight}. Well, my year in Australia came and went but my love for writing, putting pen to paper, never diminished. Of course these were the days when not everyone had internet connection and there was no such thing as smart phones and wifi. I did get emails, don't get me wrong and I remember fondly the days spent camping out at the high school's computer corner to check my emails everyday but honestly, nothing beats getting and sending out old fashioned handwritten letters ~ true story. 

I remember clearly the days and nights I spent writing letters to my parents, my then boyfriend {who sadly doesn't talk to me any more}, my best friend Catherine and a host of other friends from back home. I remember too the joy of going to the post office {the post offices in Australia rock cos they sell more than just stamps} and queuing up to buy stamps and asking for  stamps that were different from the ones I got before {stamps in Australia rocked - they had a whole variety of different stamps for different seasons and occasions, and one set of stamps was even scented}. I would feel such joy in sending out a handwritten letter complete with a pretty stamp and an airmail sticker on the left hand corner of the envelope ~ yes I get simple thrills like these every so often.

Then there was the anticipation of getting a response. Of going to the post office box and enquiring with the post office folk if I had gotten any mail. They came to know me by name and they would let me know when I got a letter or a parcel. Those were happy days to say the least *smiles* I would go home, shower, have my dinner, chat with my host family and then before bed time, I would snuggle up in my bed, turn on some music and reverently open the envelope or parcel. There were times when I laughed at the contents and there were times when I would cry over it {'cos I missed home and my loved ones} but most times it was just a good feeling to be remembered and to have a piece of home with me *snickers* 

Anyways, I left Australia and I came back to Malaysia and I still wrote to my friends who were overseas but with the evolution and rise of technology, the art of writing faded away. After all, it was easier to just type out the message {like what I am doing now} and clicking send and the person would get it in an instant. Now writing, pen on paper is something that happens so very rarely. Even my journal which I wrote in religiously when I was a teen and young adult is abandoned. I take it out every blue moon or so and just vent my thoughts but mostly I take to blogging or writing obscure poetry that never sees the light of day.

So last week when I received some snail mail from my Swiss friend whom I met in Australia and who now is living in Brazil {talk about globe trotter}, I decided to use the box of stationery and write him and my host family some handwritten letters. It was honestly so good. So good and refreshing to see the words form from the nib of my pen on to the pretty paper. It was good to see  my hands stained black from the smears of the blotted ink. It was good to hold the pen and construct my thoughts. I missed this feeling and never realised it until then.

Putting pen on paper was therapeutic to say the least and along with it I remembered so many things, so many memories, so many little joys. I recall the stacks of letters received over the years, some kept so meticulously, others sadly recycled, lost words now. I know one thing for sure would be that this feeling, this remembrance of putting pen on paper, will not be forgotten but instead would be practised more often... Anyone want to be penpals? Leave me an email at j2kc19@yahoo.com or weheartcrafts@gmail.com
Here's to writing, beautiful letter sets and stationery, post offices, stamps and putting pen on paper.

Seen @ My Instagram Photos on Ink361

I would like "Blog Inc." please

Seen @ Oh Joy!

Joy Cho’s newest book is called Blog, Inc., and it gives 

the 411 on how to create and grow a successful blog. 

Joy has given hundreds of consulting sessions and dozens 

workshops on the topic, and this book summarizes 

everything about blogging...from coming up with a name and

concept, to creating unique content to monetizing, and more. 

The book is also filled with interviews from more than 15 

of her favorite fashion, craft, design, and personal bloggers 

as well as from companies who work with bloggers. 

You can order your book on Amazon.

Would love to get my hands on a copy of this book as this 

blog sure needs some work *snickers* 

Perhaps new content, a new layout, or a new way

of writing and presenting my thoughts...

Perhaps I just need more time to write each day...

Hmmm...Anyways, enjoy this trailer of the book by 

Joy – the animation is pretty cool.