is wearing bikini the only way to look cool by the pool?

are you seriously writing about swimwear in september? 

well. parts of the world are swimwear season all year round, parts are just turning summer, hong kong is still boiling hot and most people love traveling to hotter countries in winter. so why not? 

i love summer- i love the water, the beaches the sand and the sun, but there are years i haven't been visiting the pool nor the beach. why? you probably got it right, it's the body issues. 

since i don't know when, beaches and pools are packed with people who wear bikini ONLY. and since it became such a norm, some people might feel like it is a must to wear them. no. don't get me wrong. bikinis are fine. they are beautiful and there is nothing wrong in wearing them. but since we are in the era of people raving about having the "perfect" bikini body, it might feel wrong for some people to wear them with the "wrong" body. 

so what do we do? we go to the beach or pool with bikini on, covering ourselves with a big tee shirt. or we still wear them feeling super uncomfortable inside. or we just simply not go to places like that anymore. but honey, you don't have to do that anymore, you don't have to force yourself in wearing bikini if you don't want to. nowadays, there are tons of beautiful one piece swimsuits out there for you . they are cute, elegant; and when styled right, they can look extremely chic on. 

so today i've put together some really beautiful one piece i've found in different online stores, from more expensive ones to more affordable ones, so everyone could have the chance to wear something they love while enjoying themselves by the pool. 

the transformation

instagram@pu1pui

i started this blog hoping to share my experiences, my thoughts and my interests with the outer world, then i became so concern about the interest of others i got anxious writing; worrying that people will not like what i shared | i got tired. i gave up. i gave up that one little platform that i've created to tell the world who i am. i spent too much time looking outward instead of seeking what's inward, i forgot who i am and what i truly stood up for. 

however i missed. i missed recording my life, sharing my interests and writing down my thoughts. sitting in front of the computer writing is when i get to connect with my heart, feel what i feel and express who i am. 

writing is a beautiful thing. and since i've got to witness my bestie from high school getting into a beautiful marriage few days ago, i figured this would be a beautiful timing to start writing again. 

I've decided to make today a PHONE OFF DAY!

Living in the city I realized that people are spending way too much time indoor than outdoor. And even so they are indoor they hardly connect with people around them anymore as everyone are always too busy with their cellphones. In Findhorn I realized, people around me, even the young ones are never with their cellphones. They would either be reading books, admiring the nature or connecting with friends. And there I learnt to abandon my phone to spend time with myself. The minute I stopped worrying about searching for wifi everywhere I go was a total relief, I now no longer need my phone to keep me company because I know I am my own best company. And I was happy.

Back in hong kong when you are not surrounded by such people and energy, we know we need some extra help to keep ourselves off the phone. So I've decided to make today a phone off day so I can sit down and spend some time with myself.

So what have I done on a phone off day?

I started off by listening to some of my favorite music. Sat down with my eyes close and listened with my heart. It was only when your phone was off where you can listen to songs like this without the interference of any notifications. Had a yummy lunch, read then I head out to my garden for some sun and meditation. I meditate everyday when I was in scotland, but now that I've stopped for a week, I almost forgot how good I feel meditating in nature. I feel complete.

We are too busy dealing with the outside world we forgot about the world inside us. It's important to take some time off everyday to visit that inner world of yours to give it some love and attention. And it's the best to do it with your phone off. If turning your phone off for the entire day is a luxury for you, start with an hour. Sit down and just be with yourself. If you are not a fan of meditation, do something you love! Read your favorite book, listen to your favorite song, watch a movie or even eat some ice cream! Pamper yourself. Your body and soul will thank you for doing this.

Now can you do it? Can you live without your phone?

baking soda magic | does brand matter?

When you don't know what's going to work, use baking soda, well at least that's what I thought. Baking soda are like magic, they work almost on anything, but I especially like it in the beauty department.

To some people, putting baking soda on your face would sound like a terrifying thing to do. I know because up until now, people would still scream when they saw me using them. I've been using baking soda as my exfoliator for almost a year now, and I didn't really feel it up until now. FYI, I have super sensitive skin so they get irritated and red very easily. When I first started out with the baking soda remedy, I was worried because they burnt and leave my face really red. But since everyone were saying how great the result is, I seriously don't want to just give up. But to be honest, for the first half year, except for the fact that my face turned bright red after the exfoliation, nothing magical had happened, at all.

I got tired of the bottle of baking soda sitting in my bathtub, so I went ahead and bought a new box thinking that it will give me a new experience with the whole magical journey. Ended up pretty accurately because it really did gave me a totally different experience. My face didn't burnt nor get red at all after the exfoliation, and they also leave my skin feeling very clean and refresh afterwards.

This whole new experience leave me thinking whether the brand has anything to do with the result.

I was using baking soda from a well known supermarket brand here in Hong Kong. The new one that I bought is from Arm & Hammer which is probably the most common brand of baking soda one would use. Just by feeling the texture, you can tell that the latter one came out finer, which maybe the reason why it is not as harsh on my skin. But except for the texture, they are both 100% baking soda now why would it make such a great different? I don't want to make false assumption but from my experience you know, even the most basic thing can come out impure.

When you go into the supermarket, you will find baking soda selling in various price. I know the effects of branding, but doesn't it make you wonder why some brand can sell their stuff in such a low price? I am not encouraging everyone to buy only the expensive here, but I would definitely be more careful when it comes to products which we will eat or put on our face (which would be absorb into our bloodstream too guys).

Have you ever thought that pure things can also come out impure?

A Green Home Shop - one stop shopping for green lovers

you've got one week, one week to feel the green in Hong Kong in one shop.
thanks to A GREEN HOME SHOP, bringing together international and hong kong based sustainable brands, for us to feel the green shopping concept in hong kong.

when we say green living, we want to cover everything. from the environment, furnitures, homeware, beauty products, the fashion and the food we are going to put in our stomach. A GREEN HOME SHOP covers everything. I am pretty upset by the fact that they are only opening for one week. but it's okay, because after this, we will have all the access to places where we will find things that protect the environment and our health.

I missed out the opening party today, but I will definitely find time to go visit this week. hopefully will be able to join the closing party on the 11th for some yummy desserts.

Where: Fuk Sau Lane (off Third Street), in Sai Ying Pun, Hong Kong

http://agreenhomeshop.com/

hope to see you there xx