update on my diet...

In May my bf and I decided to stop eating meat (including fish and gelatine). This was merely for health benefits rather than a love for animals. I never really liked meat, I ate it because it was there.

On top of that I have decided to cut the following things from my diet due to intolerances:

• all dairy
• eggs
• wheat gluten
• artificial additives (like MSG, coluorants, flavours,...)

So, effectively I went from being vegetarian right to being vegan. Just to make this clear, though - while I eat vegan, I do not live vegan.

I care about animals and nature, but that is not the reason why I chose to become vegetarian/vegan.

healthy eating?!

The bf and I have decided to go vegetarian. Not that we had been eating all that badly before. I don't miss meat at all, it had been a habit more than a taste for it. I am semi-vegan anyways as I'm lactose intolerant. 

So here is what I pay attention to in terms of food and drink:

no meat

no caffeine

no artificial additives (especially glutamate)

low soy

low lactose

low gluten

When it comes to beverages I have always been rather good. I don't like overly sweet carbonated drinks anyway. At home I would drink fruit juice, water or herbal teas (unsweetened).

Right now I'm going a month without alcohol and after that I am going to do a month without Starbucks. Sugar is the only thing I should cut down on, but can't make myself do it, because it's my comfort food and stress relief.

Bf and I are looking into buying a vitamix for making smoothies :) Also I'm on the hunt for some decent kitchen knives and pots. 

filofax

Ever since my school days I've used a planner. I started off with a ringbound faux black patent filofax-wannabe and then upgraded to an original 80s filofax in dark brown leather (personal size, windsor). Then I switched to book-bound planners until I got a smart phone a few years back- thinking I might not need a planner anymore. Now I'm back to using a filofax (personal size purple domino). I really want a personal size purple malden, but they are hard to come by.

I have seen so many youtube videos on how to organise your life using a planner and it still boggles my mind how some people need several different ones. Here's how I do it:

My filofax has six dividers. I tried making my own, but as I'm as yet unsatisfied with the outcome I am simply using the cream-white numbered filofax ones that came with my domino.

#1

birthdays, anniversaries, important dates throughout the year

#2

calendar (week on two pages, white filofax inserts)

#3

important stuff (to do, to buy, work info)

#4

ideas (for my blogs and for writing)

#5

addresses

#6

A-Z (this is where I keep all my bits and pieces neatly sorted)

I use two kinds of colour coding. The first is using different coloured dots to mark days that are birthdays (then I refer back to #1), on which I have been writing/crafting or posting on my blog,...

The second system are different coloured friction pens for work appointments, private appointments, my bf's appointments and appointments I might go to but am unsure about.

Then in pencil I mark on each day what I mustn't forget doing, for example prepare stuff for a class.

At the bottom of each day I put in a nice glitter pen the things that made me happy/thankful that day for my happiness project.

Other than that I have a LiveJournal where on Sundays I will put the past week's happiness things, I have a goodreads where I keep track of books I've read and I have another blog for keeping track of my progress in writing. As those are things I wish to share it is better to have them online instead of on paper.

NOTE: I might add photos to this post once my camera is fixed.

SO many ways to be creative

once my creativity was sparked thanks to my healer it has known no bounds. not only have i finished writing a novel within a matter of months, i'm also currently working on a young adult novel and a children's book that i hope might be illustrated. also i'm compiling a collection of short stories.

but it doesn't stop there! i'm also doing crafts to counterbalance working creatively with my mind. i've gotten into filofaxing which is basically getting back into having a good-old paper organiser and decorating it. for me this is part of my "portable office" (more on that later). i'm also getting back into crochet and origami.

as i have decided to cut down on the hours i teach, i have created a "portable office" for myself so i can work (aka write) from anywhere. this consists of my fabulous new back pack, my filofax (which has replaced all my non-decorative calendars and notebooks), my ipad mini with an added keyboard (still some minor technical issues there that i need to work on) and my smart phone (soon to be upgraded to an iphone).

here are a few pics (sorry about the poor quality - had to use my phone):

"portable office"

general "what's in my bag"

non-essentials that i'll just take if i might need them

shoes to give away

size 38 low heels:

size 38 high heels:

size 39:

size 40: