Sundaze 225

Ooh it’s been a little while since I posted on here. And, it feels good to pop my head in to say ‘hello’.

Something really lovely happens when you pull away from the constant hum of the online world. It’s like a breath of fresh air after being stuck indoors for a smidgen too long, or the effect of a cool washcloth pressed to your head during a balmy summer’s day. For me, I feel somewhat incredulous at the thought that I’ve been able to get all of my work and life bits done, and find time to tend to those deliciously soul-soothing hobbies of mine. I’ve read four books so far this year, gotten past another mini boss in Atelier Ryza 2, seen friends and felt fully present. My goodness, I feel like a different person.

I’m glad that I’ve already reaping the benefits of taking this half-step back.

Back to the gym!

Like a complete January cliché, I joined the gym again last week and am thoroughly enjoying it. For those newer to Daisybutter, I was a committed gym-goer pre-pandemic, enjoying five workouts a week and seriously lapping up both the mental and physical benefits. Now that I feel safer in community spaces, I’m ready to start building up my overall fitness and wellness again. I managed three sessions this week, and that feels manageable to me for now. Yay! One of my sessions includes a Les Mills BodyBalance class, where part of the routine is set to a Taylor Swift song, so I am oh so happy!

Some book news

With all of this extra time and headspace, I’m really pleased to share that I’ve finally begun to tackle my first manuscript revision.

Long bodies of writing work are odd; you hit a dedicated word count goal and it feels done. If you’re not familiar with the publishing world, typically non-fiction authors will pitch a proposal and sample chapters to literary agents. I’ve already done a round of semi-successful querying, and felt it necessary to revise my manuscript again before attempting another query session.

It’s been nice to delve back into my personal writing again and see how far my writing style has come. I began this piece in summer 2020, and my style has really moved and developed. Already, I feel prouder of this work than ever before!

Our latest & Chai drop

Something else I’ve been working on is our new collection at & Chai. It’s just a micro-collection, for Lunar New Year, but we’re so proud of it. It’s already sold better than expectation, keeping us far busier than anticipated! I can hardly believe we’re in year two of small biz ownership, most days, it’s SO fun working alongside my sister and getting to create things every day.

Links I’ve Loved

With a fresh 365 days to complete my yearly reading challenge, I’ve been searching for more great books to read. These 5 Asian short stories sound right up my street.
Allie’s back to blogging! And she’s sharing 5 ways that she’s taking self-care more seriously in 2022.
I loved these sustainability resolutions to make in 2022, something we’d all benefit from.
Fellow vegans, bookmark this post for 15 vegan cookie recipes!
Another incredible read from Sade – she talks about the problem with validation and attaching your worth to arbitrary, intangible things.
My own organisation is already in good standing, but Anika’s post about the 4 tools she’s using to stay organised this year was a great read.
Finally, The Book Satchel’s 15 best books from 2021. Add all of these titles to your TBR!