How do I begin to purge... my beloved shoes?!!!

They say, "Thing don't matter".  I refuse to agree.  Simply because they do matter!  I'd be the first to admit that ALL my things matter a great deal to me.  But of course, that is just my opinion... and my opinion is what matters here.  =)

Years after I moved out of my parents' house, my sister who still lives with them decided to box up all my stuff that was taking up space and tossed them (needless to say, not carefully but carelessly) into the garage.  Over time, more stuff got stacked on top of those flimsy boxes and my prized possessions got crushed and damaged from moisture, dust and mainly filth.  When I saw what had happened, I was furious!  I felt a part of my childhood was destroyed...  Yes!  That's how serious it was.  I screamed so loud and got so very angry all because anything I had ever acquired, I respected it.  No matter what the item is, I cherish it.  Perhaps it is the process of acquiring what I own that makes it that much more important for me to also take very good care of these "things".  Either that, or I might have OCD.  Haha.  So, bottom line is that I respect my belongings and I often have a difficult time parting with them.  (No, I'm not a hoarder).  I just really love my things (not clutter)!

Back to how "things matter" to me... Well, shoes matter a lot to me.  I don't know why would a new pair of shoes make me so happy.  This high doesn't last for a long time, I understand.  But making myself smile just for a brief moment is quite enough.  It's sort of like giving a little girl a piece of candy to brighten up her mood.  Just like every other girl, there have been times that I've purchased a pair of heels on impulse, quite a few times as a matter of fact and later regretted it.  Instead of returning them though, I kept them.  I suppose that is how I ended up with over 200 pairs of shoes.  BUT, yet I still find it a bit difficult to part with them... thinking, eventually I'll find somewhere to wear them to.  I've become a shoe collector, I realize!  So, perhaps it's time to suck it up and purge what I won't be wearing now or ever!  After all, how many pair of heels does a girl need??  Don't answer that.

Ok, so I've finally decided to purge at least 50% of my shoes, clothes and handbags since I'm running out of storage space.  So far, little process has come from the "shoe" side but I've been working on it mentally~ trying to convince myself that I've owned the item, enjoyed it and now I can let it go.  These are the words from an ex-boyfriend... and somehow I tend to still remember them...hmmm.  I do wish I had an incentive to part with things that do matter!

These brand new pairs are the newest in my collection and naturally I will not part with them just yet.  I just need to find an occasion to break them in. =)  I love them!  They made me very happy on a very sad day.

(Steve Madden P-Woww in Pewter) so pretty!

(Enzo Angiolini Eastarlite in Gold Multi) Gorgeous!

I think I feel the same way about nice shoes as some gals feel about jewelry.  I love jewelry too... but I think I adore shoes much more.

Part of the "shoe closet"

I must make a point in saying that I do take extra care with my things, especially my beloved shoes.  The way I look at it is if I decide to take something home and own it, I should respect it and continue to love it.  These are of course the material things that some say do not bring the satisfaction of happiness (and I do not beg to differ) but for me, if something I love brings a smile to my face... even if it's just for a few short moments, they then of course make a whole world of difference to me.  If I didn't love what I own, I wouldn't be having such a difficult time purging. Having said all that... I still have to PURGE, and remind myself how I owned and "enjoyed it" so I can feel good about letting it (whatever it is) go. Maybe someone else will enjoy owning it too.

The Sky

I'm really loving the way the sky looks these days (after weeks of heavy rain over the holidays). The clouds look like soft cotton and the fresh clear blue sky certainly makes it more pleasurable driving to work in the morning!











I am going to try to get up earlier on weekends to enjoy the beautiful crisp air and the view of the clear blue sky with puffy clouds!

So grand

Snapped a few photos on the way home from work a few weeks back...





The sky is so grand, isn't it? It's almost scary...



Takes my breath away.

Weekend movie w/ bratz babyz Cloe

The apartment has been in a big mess for quite a few weeks now. Originally I wanted to use Labor Day weekend to get uncluttered, however there just never seem to be enough time to do what I plan. Normally, I wouldn't let the place get so messy... actually, I have no idea how all the rooms became so disorganized... after all, I am sort of a neat freak, but now I don't feel so good looking at the mess I've managed to create. Oh well... I suppose one can allow some slack once in a while. And, I really need good rest instead of stressing over getting organized again.

So... I end up bumming around all weekend and watched a movie on DVD. And, I watched it twice! It was the move " Valentine's Day". These days, I rarely go watch movies in the theater unless it's a movie that requires the larger than life "movie-going experience" such as the epic movie AVATAR. Anyhow, I never did see Valentine's Day. So, with a bag of chips by my side, I watched it Saturday night and again today, Sunday. That was how much I loved the movie. I just thought each of the stories intertwined in the movie were so well played out. It was so charming and definitely would have made me more emotional if I had watched on Valentine's Day this year. Well, I just enjoyed it very much.



My bratz babyz, Cloe kept me company while vegged out. Sometimes, just really need to relax and do nothing... even if my apartment is a big mess! I had a really stressful work week. I guess I'll plan to clean up next weekend (again).

Rediscovering David Garrett, the Violin Virtuoso

A few years ago, somehow I saw David Garrett playing the violin on TV. I also saw him on Oprah a while back as he played "The flight of the Bumble Bee", showing he is the fastest violinist in the world. Sure I enjoyed watching him a few time but didn't really become a fan... that is...not until almost just 2 weeks ago... Now I can't stop playing his music!

One Saturday evening, about 2 weeks ago, I fell asleep with the TV on. It was supposed to be a nap... so I guess my mind did not want to really go into the rest mode completely, (also being the light sleeper that I am). My eyes were nonetheless tired and so was my body on that particular night. I knew the TV was still on and the TV remote control was right next to me so somehow, I clicked a few buttons on the remote control by accident and changed the channel to KOCE (PBS) and closed my droopy eyes to dozed off again. Next thing I hear was...David Garrett's violin playing! It was the most beautiful music I woke up to. Rock Symphonies~a PBS concert special where David played in Berlin just a few month ago was on! I wanted to watch the entire show, but I couldn't even keep my eyes open, so I listened to the music and opened my eyes here and there to take a glimpse of the show. Ever since that night, I've watched the show on PBS at least 5-6 times, every time it was on again! I cannot get enough of the wonderful, beautiful and passionate sound of David Garrett's violin playing, especially his rendition of Albinoni's Adagio. It is so moving.



So glad that he will tour L.A. next year. I will be at the Wishire Ebell Theatre next February to watch David Garrett live in action! I feel like a teenager all over again... getting so excited and anticipating seeing him play in person!! I just can't wait.

Traffic on Sat. night~ again!

I don't mind traffic when expected, but on a Saturday night, midnight?! Come on! Just my luck... every time when I am exhausted and want to get home in a jiffy, I always end up in a jam. It took forever! The I-10 has been worked on for quite a while now. When will it end?! I hate getting on the I-10 now, both east-bound and west-bound!!


Traffic came to a stand still past midnight!!



So glad when traffic finally eased up!! Cool lights! I just love taking photos while driving (but of course I am very careful). Love the look of lights with longer exposure and the wiggles of the lighting on the images. You never know what you will get!



A Corvette swooshed right past me!!

A "quiet" Birthday (some celebrations here and there).

I had a pretty quiet birthday this year. Quiet and calm... is the way I like things to be. Not that I've ever had a massive, crazy party for my b-day, but I just kind of wanted to forget I ever had a birthday starting this year. It's the age thing, I suppose or it's just that time passes us by too fast.

Anyhow, I did get to attribute many meals and little celebrations for an entire month towards this birthday, which was kind of cool and special in its own way.

My B-day is on the 29th of May, usually around Memorial weekend. This year it landed on Sat. The day before my birthday (Friday), my new bosses actually surprised me with a little celebration with a yummy cake during lunch! I was touched. It has been quite a while since I've gotten this kind of treatment at a job. The singing and cake-eating was short and sweet, but nonetheless... a wonderful gesture. I was happy and it started off my month of celebrating. For someone who wanted to forget having another birthday, it sure is funny that I'm using it to eat many meals and feel special! What can I say... I'm vain.


Chocolate/Mocha cake. Pretty yummy!


I look like a goldfish!! After my little b-day celebration at work, the same Friday night I had a birthday meal with just Mommy and me. I ate too much cake earlier and didn't really finish all the food we ordered. We decided to go casual and headed over to Stonefire Grill. I like how nice all the servers are there. All the food is so tasty and the atmosphere is warm, cozy and so very casual. We hung out there until closing!


Another lovely gift that came in the mail from my dear friend.



Just what I needed! Can't ever get enough of knitting needles.


More YUMMY meals to celebrate my BIG (quiet) Birthday...


On the way to Little Tokyo for another din din...








I decided to get myself something. Lorac is one of the better brands I like. The texture of their products are amazing.

Lastly, a free burger meal from Ruby Tuesday. Not great, but free. =)



Until next year....

Traffic on Sat. night!!

Saturday @ 6PM, traffic jam!


The I-10 IS A PAIN TO BE ON!



There's always traffic when I need to get somewhere!! I'm beginning to hate driving!