About Me

Tuesday, March 12, 2024

BLOG HIATUS

I am well and busy. Just lost my mojo to blog these days. However, I don't want to close my blog yet. I may want to go back to blogging.

I am still around and reading your blogs. Not on a daily basis though.

I have been focusing on my health lately and am busy with eating healthy and working out. 

My 2024 focus is "MYSELF"

Wishing you all the best while I am away. Live Long and Prosper!




Thursday, February 8, 2024

All Good

I have been in the US since January 10th. I have been helping my friend and we are also having a good time. She was gonna be busy Monday and Tuesday so, I took the opportunity to go downtown both days. I walked and walked and walked. It was cold but, sunny so, I took the opportunity. I love New York City. Each time I'm there, I wonder if I will be able to back in the future and each time I do go back, I feel joy.

Not much to report so, here is another song by one of my Stray Kids for you to enjoy:





Sunday, January 7, 2024

Getting Ready

I am flying to the US on Wednesday. The weather channel was predicting snow that day but, they revised the forecast today. The new airport is too far from me. I wanted to fly out of the one closer to me but, could not find a good ticket. Turkish Airlines have 3 direct flights to NY every day but, they do not have Premium Economy or Comfort Class. Business is too expensive. Therefore, I am flying British Airways. I have a 3 hour stopover at Heathrow which is fine. Gives me a break to stretch my legs.

I have packed one suitcase and I do not expect to shop a lot this time.  SIS, BIL and uncle are all set with everything they need. I still have enough to wear till I lose at least 20-25 pounds or so. After that, I will need a new wardrobe but by then, I will be able to find my then size here in Turkiye too. Will still be a plus size but, much better than what I have been all these years. I can't believe how I let myself go so badly. 

My bestie and I will be sorting tons of collections of coins, stamps, artwork and jewelry, getting them appraised and selling them. M is completely overwhelmed by it and she is taking a break till my arrival. Her late BIL had collected so much stuff. Her husband is now too old to deal with it so, this falls all on her. We need a system and a strategic plan to deal with all of them. We may not be able to finish everything before I leave by the end of February but, I hope we can make the biggest dent possible. 

Today, it is butt-freezing cold here and is going to be like this for the next 5 days. M says it is the same in NY too. 

Gotta go and check my packing list once more.

Stay warm and healthy...

Here is a sad/romantic song from Felix(23) of Stray Kids suitable for this cold and rainy day over here. He is one of the two Aussies in the group. His vocal range is unbelievable. One might think 3 different guys are singing this one but, it is just him. 





Monday, January 1, 2024

Happy New Year! Welcome 2024! Please don't disappoint us

I have been feeling out of words to write recently. Thinking about closing the blog sometimes but, I have been blogging for so long that, I cannot bring myself to do it.

Anyway, here is what has been happening in my neck of the woods.

My SIS and BIL were supposed to come to Istanbul for celebrating the New Year but, SIS got COVID and they could not come. My uncle is visiting so, we had a nice dinner and did our own thing the rest of the night.

My bestie in the US is a bit overwhelmed these days with so much going on in her life, her husband, her daughter and other things, she asked me if I could go help her a bit. So, I am going to the US next week and will return late February. I am still planning to go in late Spring again because, my SIS wants to go too. We will see how it all plays out.

SIS is ready to pull the trigger on her retirement but, she just doesn't know when to do it. She is determined to not be working at the bank by her birthday this year, which is in April. Not a long time to go.

I have been concentrating on my health, fitness and weight loss for the last 4 months and for the first time in my life, I have been consistent. I found my inspiration in K-Pop believe it or not. Who knew?

It is a long story so, I will leave that out but, I am doing rather well. Just had a recent check-up and found out that my insulin resistance is getting better and the doc told me, it may be possible to get off the med if I continue this path. Also, my cholesterol is at a normal level due to tons of exercise. Fatty liver is getting better too. I have been pleasantly surprised to see so many positive gains in my medical report. Now, I know I can do this. 

I am at a point in my life that I only want to be happy and content so, I will keep on doing things that keep me happy. 

No new year resolutions because, I have set goals before the year end and doing well so, all is good. 

Closed the books on last year and financially, I have done well. Budgeting carefully always helps and some unexpected expenses did not really hurt because I made some money through my part-time consulting although, I am not going to be taking more projects this year due to planned travel. I still need to tweak 2024 budget a bit though.

With my travel date approaching fast, I looked through my clothes and purged some items which no longer fit well. This way, I also know what to get from the US. I need mostly tops and some exercise gear. When I come back, I am going to work with a Personal Trainer at a Gym close by. Cardio is easy on my own but, I want to strengthen my back and arms. As we get older, we need a stronger upper body. It is easy to hurt oneself without proper instruction.

I hope 2024 brings much joy, contentment, health and happiness to you all. 

I am leaving you with a wonderful romantic song of my favorite band. It is a bit softer than their normal vibe but, they are experimenting with a lot of genres. There are English captions for Korean parts.





Sunday, December 17, 2023

HAPPY HOLIDAYS!

I cannot write much these days but, I am here and well. Will probably post more after the New Year's.

Wishing you a wonderful, happy, healthy and prosperous 2024 with all your loved ones...

Here is a fun Christmas Song Video by another Korean Group: Stray Kids 



They write and produce all their songs and this one below pretty much sums up what they had to sacrifice to make a future for themselves. The youngest is 22 and the oldest is 26. They debuted in 2018. This much cuteness and talent should be illegal. Lol!



They collaborated with a well known singer and song writer LiSA of Japan.





Monday, November 27, 2023

Just when thinking there is nothing happening...

On Sunday, I felt that my left arm was aching and there was also a tingling sensation. On top of that I was feeling as if something was squeezing my heart. For a while, I decided to ignore it but, then all sorts of weird thoughts started filling my mind.

SIS is retiring come next year. This means we will be able to see each other more, travel and have tons of fun. If I die due to a heart attack, that would be such a bummer. I will not know what the heck happened to me but, SIS will be heartbroken and sad. Also, there are so much I want to do. New songs to listen to, new destinations to travel to and all sorts of fun things to do.

Besides, I have been improving my health lately and I couldn't understand why I was feeling what I felt? 

Then I think, I started feeling a slight panic attack as well. 

I took a shower, packed a small backpack with a couple of underwear, nightgowns and my daily meds and drove to the ER. I was relieved when I checked in. After all, it is much safer to have a heart attack at a hospital right?

I reached out to a High School friend who lives 15 minutes from where I live. Gave her my sister's phone numbers just in case and promised to update her. She wanted to come to the hospital right away but, I stopped her before I learned what was going on. 

Anyhow, they gave me an EKG, took my BP and drew some blood. The doctor told me not to worry because the EKG was fine and my BP was lower than usual. Then, the blood tests came and the doctor assured me there was no indication that I could be having a heart problem. My CRP was elevated and he thinks may be I was having a slight infection but there was no need to do anything just yet. He also encouraged me to keep exercising.

I was relieved and came back home. 

I am still thinking of seeing a cardiologist soon. 

And I was thinking there was nothing new or interesting going on in my life. They say to be careful what we wish for. I think, we need to be careful about all our thoughts too.


Wednesday, November 22, 2023

Lost Mojo

Lately, I have lost my mojo to blog. Don't know why but, perhaps due to lack of interesting things to write about.

The headhunting project started and then, the customer decided to put it on hold for the time being. Honestly, I am not surprised because, the position is somewhat vague. It feels like the position was created for someone whom the company did not want to lose at one point. Now that he has left, they probably thought he needed to be replaced and then started having second thoughts. The company also seems to be going through some form of re-organization. I think it is better for them to think thoroughly about this.

My days are pretty much the same. I am exercising regularly lately and listening to tons of new music I was not familiar with. K-Pop is my new interest and I started following and loving many young Korean artists. 

I have also watched a few Korean rom-coms and they are hilarious. They are as good as cheesy Hallmark movies.

Here is a sample of what I have been listening. These young men are so talented. I am thinking they are making their parents proud. This tiny concert was during COVID. They are already famous internationally but, I recently became aware of them. 3 of the members are now in the military for the 18 month compulsory military service in South Korea. The rest will soon be enlisting too. So, we will not be seeing their new work until the end of 2025. I hope, they continue to make music together after serving. They have solo careers too.