T E E T H
Brush with zeal.
T E E T H
1. One of the many things you do when starting off the day besides making a bed and check your phones comes down to the routine of cleaning your teeth to get it ready for the day. For some, teeth brushing may seem like a confusing journey, but it is much seamless than you may think. Since it is part of you, there is no need to feel intimidated or to skip right to shower. Dirty teeth are probably wouldn’t be fun for your day right? So now, as you are hurrying yourself to the bathroom, worrying that you are going to be late to catch the subway. Maybe we shall start at a slower pace. No worries about the subway yet, you can always catch another one right? It is important that start your day slow in the morning routine will smoothen the flow of energy as the day pick up its pace. At this point in time, you are probably looking at yourself in the mirror; eyes are gazing the surroundings the early morning bathroom scene, perhaps murmuring to yourself, “oh wow this is how I actually look like in the morning, it has been a while that I make a closer look.” Breathe...relax.
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Maybe look at yourself again. But this time, as you are reaching out your hand to turn on the faucet, it is best to start out by clearing your mind. No subway, meetings or your boss. Those tend to make your thoughts pile up like dark gray clouds. It feels heavy right? At this very moment, I would like to have your focus similarity to a crystal clear water. Push out those clouds. You want to feel light, as if not having any weight on yourself. The feeling would not just be beautiful, but it is also empowerment for yourself that is just so easy to do. A clear mind that is. Then you may gently lift up the faucet handle.
T E E T H
2. As the water streaming down the faucet, gather both of your hand in a bowl shape and gently rub on your face. This is just to help you freshen up before we start the journey and so that if you happen to get lost along the way, it much easier to pull back. When you felt ready, take a toothbrush and rinse it well with the running water. We would like to make sure that the brush is actually clean with no particles from the previous use. On the one hand, have your toothbrush ready lift up while the other hand, gently pressed with your thumb, to let out the paste onto the toothbrush. The brush fibers are the vessel that holds the paste, you want to make sure that it is not too much that it drips down or too little that it looks skinny. Now, before the brushing procedure, let’s wash the mouth first to create a slick surface on your teeth that helps you brush around easier. With one hand holding a toothbrush, take your other hand to make a bowl shape that holds the water, gently zip in the water, hold it for a few seconds, then spit it out and to get ready for the brush. Now, the brushing part, an exciting one. Starting from the bottom section of your teeth, can be either left or right side, place the brush in the deepest part and turn the brush up and down. If it helps, change the grip as if you are holding a screwdriver. This motion will allow you to clean the surface easier and cleaner. Keep working your way around the circumference of your mouth to the other side. Make sure you reach in all the way as well, as it might be easy to forget that a tiny tooth also lies inside. Now, take a pause. You are half way of the journey. Should you wish to wash your mouth to refresh, you may do so. To the other half of the task, we are moving to the upper section of the teeth now. Repeat the same step that was mentioned before by placing the brush in the deepest part along with the screwdriver grip. Turn the brush up and down in a gentle motion. Then work your way out and around the mouth towards the other side. As you are reaching in the finish line, be patient. Make sure you clean all the way and ready to move into the final phase of cleaning.
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Then, the final wash. Reach for the faucet to turn on the water. As the water running, first clean the brush inside out and leave to dry on the side. Have both of your hands hold up in a bowl shape to catch the running water, zip in and spit out as you clean out all the paste. You may repeat as desired. Then take a towel and gently pat dry your face. Take a deep breath. You now have a beautifully clean tooth that makes you feel light, but also empowering as you move on towards the next activities of the day.
S H O E S
Tie with love.
S H O E S
1. For many of you, tying a shoe may seem as complicated as going through a giant maze that fills with confusions and terror, even from the first look of it. It is not, let me tell you. There is no need to be afraid of the technicality that people generally tends to avoid. Shoes love you. Not just your feet, but it spiritually chooses you. Ever wonder why, once you wear it feels fit to you and elevates you? Not so much about the comfort, but beyond, more about how you feel confident with every step you take as you intervene around the civilization. Isn’t that why sometimes we wanted to avoid stepping on a mud, dropping a juice or even jump over a puddle?
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Beautiful shoe lacing itself is a work of art to behold. Despite how your laces come in different color, cleanliness or fabric textures, a perfect symmetry of complications that waves throughout the silhouette that makes such practice appealing. To me, shoe lacing is somewhat of meditation, an ideal way to start your routine, similar to removing the laces out of your shoes when you come home is an excellent piece of a moment to calm yourselves from the craziness of your day. Think of it as a meditation right? A form of meditation doesn’t have to be like sitting quietly and close your eyes, it can also be in this journey of lacing your shoes, one by one with patience. As you going through this journey of curving from one loop to another, you will become focused as the laces slip in each loop.
S H O E S
2. Lets clear your mind, before we begin. You are looking at your gorgeous shoes laid out on the floor next to each other with both laces placed in parallel next to it. Having this neat set up not only helps you organize yourself but also relaxes your mind, as getting ready for a journey easier. Once you are ready, pick one of your shoes, whether it is left or right, slip your foot in it. Take on of the laces that you prepared and stretch it out nicely. We would like to find the center part of the lace here. You could also lay the lace out on the floor if it helps. Now we will start tying our shoes. Take one of an end of the string and go through the first loop of your shoes, then take the other end of the lace goes through the loop next to it. Now, find the center once again and adjust as you do. Take one end of the lace and weave across to the second loop, then take the other side of the lace and cross it in a similar route. Repeat these steps slowly until you have reached the top lapel of the shoe. Now to the tying. You are now heading towards the end of this journey. The lace is symmetrically woven around and display a beautiful cross-hatch orientation. We want to make this tie to look like a butterfly shape, or a bow tie if you insist. You may pause should you need to reflect before we begin. Now, take both ends of the lace to cross each other and make the first knot. You may tighten it as desired or a loose fit would also work well. With your index finger, create a loop for the lace to wrap around in each side. Take both loops and cross each other to make another knot. Gently pull so that it rests neatly on the bottom knot. Take a quick look, now you have, two loops and two lace ends that tie each other to create this beautiful completed knot. If for some reason, both laces end is extra long, you may re-adjust by making the loop larger or tie both loops together to create a third knot. This will help bring balance to the composition and to get you ready to go for the next endeavors. Well then, I congratulate you on completing your journey but don’t forget about the other side of your shoes. There is no need to be worried as the tying process is similar to what you just did.
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Breathe out and reflects. Take a good look at your feet. You just completed something that you felt to be extremely complicated that you would need an engineer to help figure it out. It was not so bad at all right? Well, before you get up to do anything else, clear your mind once again. There is no need to close your eyes as I would love to have your eyes to take notice of what you just have done and enjoyed this very moment for a little bit. Running your eyes down through each strand of the lace, see the fibrous texture of it, and its colors. It is a moment that is lovely to remember and even set questions on why you do what you do. Shoe tying can be more than just weaving a string around, but its essence is allowing us to take a chunk of the moment and focus deeply into it with passion.
T E A
Pour through spirit.
T E A
1. For those who are unfamiliar with a cup of tea, it resembles with a culture of fine art. It is sophisticated, yet one of the purest form in extracted beverages. It seems hard to tell how much effort actually takes to brew one perfect cup of tea. If you go ask a seasoned brewer, they would proudly explain in a similar fashion that; there are tons of hidden details throughout the process from the type of water, temperature and endless choices of tea leaves. Despite the complications, a perfect art of tea making, if you haven’t seen one, is still a fascinating scene to witness. In essence, what makes tea an intriguing experience is in its magical ability to stop the time. I truly believe that. Just imagine that for a second. You walk yourself away from the chaoticness of your day to an empty table with a cup of tea. Your mind is starting to get a hint that there is nothing around, just you and the cup. And just by looking over it, you can almost feel that things around you start to slows down, blurring away. Your eyes are locked in around this circular form of the white ceramic. As you gaze towards the center, there lies a pure transparent liquid, with a light hue of green that gives a reflection of your face. That is where the moment that everything really pauses. Just by looking at a fresh cup of tea, that can already become a powerful experience for you to soak in. Getting there is also simple and doable at home, maybe before you head out to work. Let’s slow down the moment and start brewing a good cup of tea that will help start out your day. 8
T E A
2. It all starts with water. The purity of life. Clean-Filtered water can make a huge difference without having you to search for artisans-made tea leaf tirelessly. Simply pour filtered water into a kettle. You want to leave a one-third gap from the top of the pot. This will help to prevent over splashing when the water is boiling, and also keeping the consistency in terms of portion. We want to look for balance. Not too much water as the leftovers will get cold and too little would not be enough to refresh you. Gently place the kettle on top of the stove. Take a moment of break. Look around and see if everything is safe before we operate the heat. We like the clean kitchen area, as one used to say that “a clean workspace is a clear mind.” Turn on the stove at medium-high heat. Because we are making green tea, the boiling point is lower than other varietals. If it is too hot then it will be bitter, you probably would not like that. This would take a bit patience as you wait for the water to get up to temperature--a perfect moment to relax. There is no need to rush. Allow the heat to do its job, and enjoy seeing the ripples as a sign of water is getting warmer. Once there are continuous ripples surround the edges of the kettle like a group of pearls, it is ready. Now we are going to pre-heat the teapot, making sure that it stays nice and warm. Making sure that the kettle has a lid on and gently pour in hot water for about one second. Stop. Lift up the teapot and swirl around. This will help to distribute the heat evenly, and also cleans out any leftover dirt. Once you are happy with it, pour out those water into the sink. After that, pour the remaining water from the kettle into the teapot. We are now ready for the infusion part. To the decision making. You may enjoy just by looking at its beautifully designed package, but then scan through choose one an aroma you desired. You then, open up the box, take one bag out and close the lid. Before we move on to the water, I would like to considered store the tea in a cool and dark place. This will help maintain the quality for future brewing. Now, place the chosen bag inside the teapot and at the same time, lets read the instructions because there is a significant flavor change if you leave it in the pot for several seconds long. But then it is not to feel worried, but rather to take a slow breathe as you wait for the infusion to complete itself. Once the bag is in, gently close the lid. Breathe. And smell the risen aromas, as senses the transformation happening in this very moment.
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Before we get too relaxed, it is about time and let’s finish up the tea. Carefully open up the lid of the teapot. As you lift up, rotate it sideways to avoid any spilling and smell the aromas again, as a reward of the previous effort you take. Pull out the tea bag up by the string and away in the trash can. Lift the teapot and pour it over the cup. Before you sip it, smell its aroma for a second. Then, enjoy.