Glimmers 003

week 12: spring has (officially) arrived

embracing slow mornings

It’s the Spring Equinox this week - and that means that spring has (officially) begun! Call me old school, but I do like keeping track of the equinoxes and solstices, marking them in my planner, counting down the days to each one.

In one of the reviews of Michael Morpurgo’s newest book, Spring (which I am excited so to read), one insinuated that there is comfort in the certainty of seasons changing¹. And I agree. Honestly, when I saw the cherry blossoms (clearly for the first time, and knowing it was the day after the equinox) illuminated by the soft morning sunshine on the way to work, it felt like hope. It gave me an additional spring (pun intended) in my step.

I’ve written about how Spring has saved me before, and I honestly can’t wait to document it again. To read in parks, wear lighter dresses, enjoy longer days — it’s endless, and I’ll probably need to make a personal bucket list for this season as well. I suppose what I wanted to say is that it feels nice to be excited again.

Anyway, here’s to my second favorite season! 💐

Dublin, in transit

✧˖° Spent St. Paddy’s day in pajamas, drinking tea/coffee while catching up on Substack posts and my books. Wouldn’t have it any other way. It was actual chilling, and I’m glad I took the day off.

✧˖° Finally popped open one of the premium teas I got from Taiwan during our Jiufen tour. Relived that wonderful experience by brewing my own, and also used the tea cup I got from Maokong for the first time. The Alishan High Mountain Tea, smelling like buttered corn, still feels like sorcery to me.

✧˖° Made this brie cheese pasta for the first time in a long while, and it was heaven — just as I remembered it.

✧˖° That (extra) hot Hong Kong milk tea from Same Happy was divine.

✧˖° One of the highlights of my week: attending a women-focused leadership training in Dublin, c/o of our firm. It was so nice being surrounded by like-minded ladies and having my concerns validated, realizing that it’s not just me. There are so many learnings that day and I’ll treasure them close to my heart. Looking forward to the next in-person session!

✧˖° Did a values exercise during the training and one of the values that I identified is creativity. I put a 10/10 beside it and it feels so nice to be so sure that I am honoring it (almost) every day in things that I do.

✧˖° Just in before the soup season ends: that broccoli cheddar soup (at least, I think that’s what it is since it was my first time having it) at Camden Court Hotel was so good! I didn’t know broccoli could taste that good.

✧˖° Sunny Dublin, during one of my rare visits down south. Cold but sunny. I probably wore a coat that was too thin for the weather, but it was still perfect.

✧˖° Spring blossoms on the way to work. 🌸

✧˖° Treasuring my reading moments lately: (1) early morning bus rides to the office, reading In Search of Perfumes, and (2) night-time wind down, reading How Kyoto Breaks Your Heart. I’ve talked about these books before (yep, I’m still reading them), but they really feel God-sent in calming my mind.

✧˖° Found a new show to obsess over: The Residence from Netflix. It centers an eccentric detective trying to solve a murder at the White House — during a state dinner. It’s so cool and fresh. Lovely scoring as well. First episode in and it was so much better than the second Knives Out movie.

✧˖° Had a weekend reading session at Brew and Bake, and the oat milk latte that I got was so good. Love an actually good coffee on the weekend.

✧˖° Finally tried the Living Cleansing Balm + Bong² Bounce Cream from the brand Then I Met You and it was so good?! The cleansing balm wasn’t stripping at all but was so effective at removing makeup, and the moisturizer has a lovely gel-like, refreshing consistency. I normally don’t like scented skin care, but the smell of tangerines (I think) here is so charming and so relaxing, comforting. And can we talk about that brand name? 🥹 I find myself looking forward to using it again right after my first try.

✧˖° This version of Olivia Dean’s Dive (my obsession for a couple of week’s now). Bottle this version and inject it in my veins.

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1. I was scanning it and I don’t know where I got it from. But anyway, that’s what I understood from it. 😅