2011 January | a life worth living

5 happy things

Posted by Sharon Pakir on Jan 24, 2011 in Lifestyle | 2 comments

This last week I’ve been battling with a lot on a personal level – difficult news that reminds me of my family being so far away, as well as pushing through pain barriers to train adequately for my dancing comeback, and sheer busy-ness as we prepare to travel next week. I thought I’d have a think about some happy things instead, and as always, if you want to identify them, they are plentiful, and all around us.

1. Our neighbours have the most gorgeous, massive tree in their backyard, and it hangs over ours too. On a beautiful day in Melbourne, as today was, all I need to do for some peace and solace is wander out into our back garden and gaze upon the blue calm sky. I’m lucky to have a wonderful thinking spot just 5 seconds from my back door.

2. On weekends, S and I like to head up to the strip of shops and cafes and have breakfast together. It’s one of the few meals we get to have together (and at the appropriate time) most weeks, due to our schedules! This last week we found a lovely cafe called Fuel, and the food was good, coffee great, and even better, we bumped into a couple of my old students there! As we went to pay, this sign made me smile, and I knew I’d found a cafe with spunk, and worth our patronage.

3. I performed! For the first time in 6 months. 6 months ago there was a possibility I may not dance again. I’ve been crushed, despondent, and fearful. On Saturday night, after a long period of impatient recovery, and still not quite 100% yet, I performed. Not a routine that was horrifically difficult for me (that’s next weekend!) but still crazy scary as I was in heels, shaky legged, not as strong or flexible as I used to be, and hadn’t been training for very long. It was nice waking up 2 mornings later, trying to shake the soreness lurking, to see these babies lying on the coffee table, reminding me of the triumph from the other night. (Well, and how I’d staggered home, peeled them off and flung them on the coffee table).

4. Speaking of heels. I’ve now managed 2 occasions in heels – first to Kat & Leigh’s engagement, and then to drinks on Friday night with my girls. Like I said, I’ve spent much of the last 6 months in trackies and laying about the house, so getting dressed up and wearing heels was a tiny slice of heaven. The bonus? Seeing the look on S’s face when he saw me. (He said he was going to disallow the outing, I looked too nice. Gotta love the man.) It may sound crazy, but feeling like a woman again goes a long way to confidence boosting when you haven’t left the house much in months.

5. S’s parents and family have made me feel so incredibly welcomed into their arms. They visited this Sunday and the afternoon was filled with warmth and laughter. They’re so caring, brightened my day when I was sore, tired, in pain and apprehensive about next week’s performances, and I’m so grateful that I’ve not only got the most perfect man, but that he comes with wonderful relations too.

There’s my 5 happy things this week. What are yours?

identify the plant!

Posted by Sharon Pakir on Jan 24, 2011 in Home & Decor | 2 comments

So I found this growing on the side of my house. It’s pretty, but my question is, weed or plant? I need help, all your avid green thumbed people out there!

My questions:

- What is it?

- Do I need to care for it, or rip it out?

- When does it flower?

- Does it like me?

(and now I’ve degenerated from bad gardener to anxious laydee.)

Please comment if you have the answers!

horse sense

Posted by Sharon Pakir on Jan 23, 2011 in Home & Decor | 0 comments

So. I do love horses – I think when they canter, it’s poetry in motion, they have beautiful form, and they seem like they would be such lovely animals. Everytime I’ve gone near a horse though, I’ve felt inexplicable terror – I don’t know if it’s their huge larger than life size, or their massive chomping teeth, or just my insanity. It could well be the latter.

I tried to get over the fear last year, I really did. We were in India, and I actually touched a horse – not a well bred, trained, locked in a stable horse that couldn’t hurt me, but a wild (albeit skinny) horse that was just roaming a field. I didn’t want to touch it. Sonia made me.

"hey guys, let's make sharon touch the horse!"

I didn’t cope very well.

SO ANYWAY, I’ve decided I must stop being scared of horses this year, so I’m going to make Lys take me to see Murphy, and when back is better, I may even ask for a riding lesson. But to start with I thought I’d surround myself with some reminders of this resolution.

I picked these babies up at the antique store the other day. Ugly as sin, yes, cheap as chips, also. In fact so ugly that S saw them sitting on the sideboard and recoiled. But I loved their shape, and remembered this post by the lovely Young House Love people, and got inspired.

mmm. puke coloured.

Now, there’s a lot of purists out there who say you shouldn’t spray paint things willy-nilly because they could be secretly valuable, etc etc etc. But I’m of the opinion that if I can make something un-ugly, then it’s probably worth it. And whilst we’re at it, can we just have a moment about how fabulous the phrase “willy-nilly” is?

So, whilst S was out in the garden doing manly things like painting, wielding a pick-axe, chainsawing and more, I took a damp cloth and gave them a bit of a clean. I didn’t use any cleaning product because I wanted a clean surface with no residue. Then I got out my can of black gloss spray paint, and off I went. It needed 2 coats (the first coat didn’t cover all the little nooks and crannies), and the finished result is quite gorgeous indeed!

mmm. handsome horsies!

nayyy!

MUCH better! And I’ve decided to pop these black beauties into the office. They look magnificent in front of their backdrop of floral paper.

as a bookend!

pretty!

What do you think? Vast improvement, I say, and cost almost nothing. The spray painting took about 10 minutes per coat, and I let them dry for 2 hours each time. After the 2nd coat dried, I handled them gently, and let them sit inside (it’s cooler so I figured they’d dry better) overnight. And ta-da! This wasn’t a weekend job, it was a breakfast job. Quick and dirty awesomeness.

antique wonders

Posted by Sharon Pakir on Jan 21, 2011 in Lifestyle | 2 comments

Yayy! I have found a local antique shop in my new ‘hood which is just phenomenal! I happened to drive past it, noticed it’s quaint hand painted signage, and hastily found a parking spot so I could take a wander through it. A large shed filled to the brim with treasures – ranging from tiny crystal cruet sets to dusty books, from large velvet lounge suites and mahogany dining tables, to dozens of old chandeliers hanging from its rafters.

regal ice bucket

I managed to walk out with just a few items. A gorgeous silver and gilded ice bucket, complete with regal emblem. Perfect for entertaining, and goes perfectly with:

gorgeous!

Matching set of gold rimmed wine glasses! The ice bucket & glasses combo will be perfect for serving copious amounts of Rosemount O – my latest favourite tipple (and seemingly universally liked by guests), which is meant to be poured over ice to be enjoyed. I also acquired the gorgeous plate above, which I was originally going to use on my coffee table as a receptacle to hold the remote controls and coasters that litter it. Even though the plate matches our decor perfectly though, it wasn’t right on the coffee table and it’s currently being used as a super fancy fruit bowl.

Smug as anything, I am, with my all new, all cheap, all gorgeous new purchases for the house. Ahhhh.

cute lil’ carry bags

Posted by Sharon Pakir on Jan 20, 2011 in Fashion, Shopping | 0 comments

I, like most women I know, used to have to carry just about the entire contents of my house in my handbag around with me, day after day. It’s incredible what a resourceful woman can fit in her handbag, and even more the random items that can accumulate in there after days of use! Sunglasses, over the counter meds, tissues, makeup, eye drops, every card for every store known to mankind – ask me for it, and I’d usually have it!

Yes, I used to be one of those women, but since my back injury, I’ve had to rethink this model and how useful it is. When I started venturing out of the house again, the single biggest factor to my fatigue was that heavy, dastardly thing dragging my shoulder down and bumping into my hips. I wondered just how I would fare with the basic necessities, and here’s what I carry now:

1. Phone

2. Keys

3. Lipbalm (just ONE)

4. Small card holder – contains ID, credit card, cash

(I have another small card holder with all my store cards, and I only carry it if going to the shops).

Surprisingly, i have ADORED the liberation from fishing through my bag for things. I no longer lose small (or large) items in there. No more fumbling for my phone when it rings. No more wondering if I’ve got everything on me. I always know whatever I’m carrying at any given time – if my sunglasses aren’t hanging from my collar, then I don’t have them. There is no chance they’re hiding in my little 6inchx4inch handbag I’ve been toting around. I haven’t missed anything I used to carry around – anytime I’ve needed a Panadol, a mint, or a tissue pack, I’ve simply bought one – we do after all, live in a modern city with stores everywhere.

I think I’m a convert.

I’ve been carrying around a little handbag with a long shoulder strap – an LV one that my gorgeous mummy loaned me – I love it, but it’s a tiny bit small. When I’ve got both my phone and my card holder in there, it’s a bit snug, and I’m terrified that my keys will fall out everytime I gently manoeuvre anything out of it. I’ve been err, perusing these others too. Just for inspiration, of course. Pretty, no?