Sundaze 305: February, so far
Happy Sundaze, my loves!
I come to you from a place of extreme burnout and fatigue, yet what better way to soothe my brain than with a little blog post? These weekend-ly posts have always been a comfort to me. It’s been a busy ol’ fortnight in our household: two family birthdays, Valentine’s Day, two separate types of Lunar New Year celebrations…! It’s no wonder all I can muster in my spare time is sitting and disassociating in a dark room for three hours. (But really, that’s my evening until I remember I need to eat, so then I cook, eat, read, then sleep.) It’s time to take a leaf out of my own book and slow things down juuust a touch.
On that note, I’ve decided to spend a little more time focusing on my novel draft, so please excuse my quietness if I show up slightly less than usual in the coming months. I feel like I’ve been really non-commital on here recently, but I also think I need to knuckle down and focus my time a little better.
Early Chinese New Year yum cha
Last weekend, we gathered as a family to celebrate Chinese New Year early with dim sum. For some reason, this time it felt distinctly nostalgic. Perhaps it was because it’d only been days since marking 10 years since we lost Granny, but all of us ‘kids’ ordered Granny’s favourite yum cha dishes and reminisced on so many childhood memories. Such is life as an adult that us siblings and cousins don’t gather together enough as a five, but when we do it always feels distinctly special. Plus, now that I’m in a much better place with my diet, it was even more nostalgic to tuck in to decades-old favourite foods.
Galentine’s Day
On Friday night, Louise and I celebrated Galentine’s Day with an evening at a local independent pizzeria and a comedy show! It reminded me how fun it is to have plans that aren’t endless ‘make dinner together’ and ‘catch-ups’, even though Louise and I are very much ‘doing things’ people. Most of our time together these days involves & Chai making, sorting or planning of some sort, so it was great to do something together.
Wed-min evenings begin!
I had not one, not two, but three wed-min evenings this week! Granted, two were for a friend, but it’s suddenly feeling very wedding-heavy around here and I don’t mind at all. It’s been such a delight to help Charlotte with some odds and ends for their wedding, and even just to indulge in wedding talk with somebody that is doing the same milestones as us. In return, she piled me with books for my Little Free Library! I love this village we’re creating amongst us girls.
Am I… burned out? Again?
On Thursday, I woke up tired to the bone. And, immediately, I knew that I’m burned out. I’m somebody that used to run in this cycle a little more often. I wouldn’t take time off (since I was a freelancer and IYKYK), I’d get exhausted, I’d burn myself out and require extended rest. I’d like to think I’ve gotten better at this and I genuinely have been better at looking after myself. But, this time, I simply didn’t plan my annual leave (PTO, for my American readers!) well enough and I haven’t any proper rest time away from my desk. So, on Thursday evening, I self-prescribed myself an evening of a comfort dinner, Animal Crossing: New Horizons time, and reading in my cosy armchair. It was just what I needed. While I’m still burned out, I’m proud of myself for listening to what I needed.
Tết hot pot
This afternoon, we celebrated Tết (Vietnamese New Year) early! Eddie’s parents hosted hot pot for all of us, and invited my family over as well. It was so much fun to gather everyone together, and the food was delicious for a snowy, chilly afternoon. Just a few more days until we get together for Chinese New Year proper!
