when it was just the two of us...

Sept 2006 193
Originally uploaded by Asliee

and now three is better!

ahhh - it's Friday

bring me a cold beer, so I can doze off in front of the TV...

time to break the silence

Which significant event should I start with?  The birth of baby Ada, the exciting move back home to Istanbul, the end of an era so far away now, the corporate life that died as I know it, the love that grows inside me everyday that is like no other, and how one learns to look forward to sleepless nights, just so she can see another glimpse of the prettiest face in the universe...  Now, I am a mother.  My life will never, ever, be the same, and yet I wonder everyday how I lived 30 years in vain without her.


No words are enough to describe the way I feel.  Only moms can relate to me, my virtual friends, and I hope deep in my heart that everyone can experience this wonderful feeling when the time is right...


We are now back home. Back in Istanbul, with family, where apartments are HUGE, where help is always present, where someone irons your shirts, and scrubs your floors everyday. Breakfasts are served with freshly brewed tea, and life allows you to be engaged in your baby.  Wondrous how I have taken things over from where I left them off 5 years ago - as if this was a life I have been living in parallel to the one in New York - a life of many of struggles and challenges, as well as excitements and frustrations.  

I feel more at home now, my current system in here allows me to spend time only with Ada, and not worry about so many of the chores I had to do in New York.  I feel so lucky I have this ecosystem surrounding me.  At this point in my life, this is exactly what I need.


I will be in touch, from another part of the world, with my other self, with stories and babbles of my baby girl :)

third (year) is the charm :)

Today marks the day of our 3rd anniversary... Time flies and we stay afloat... This year is very special in so many ways - I am so grateful to be married to you and to be sharing life's little moments with you... The best is yet to come... Love, always.

I'm back and with some great news :)

Ok, I'll go right ahead and say this. I'm about 4 months pregnant with a baby girl!!!

Sorry it took me so long to put this out here, but with all that happened last year, we have been trying to be real careful and cautious :) So I cannot say I lived the first 3 months, merely surviving, except for the lovely time I spent in Turkey, being fed and then being fed again!

This is a very exciting time for both me and Memo (hubby) as we have been looking forward to this for more than a year now...

I promise not to turn this blog to a pregnancy forum, but please do share my joy, and with the 1st trimester being old news, the fact that I finally have my energy back!

Wahoo :)

ps - oh and please someone tell me a bit about Capricorn girls?

flying high

Friday is the day I fly - fly high to Istanbul to visit family and friends after almost a year... and what a year that was...

I can already smell the oven warm morning simits and the fragrant tea, I am craving some homemade sea bean salad, some cabbage pickles, and ah, just the thought of being home is - exhilarating.

See you all in August. Happy 4th and happy rest of July.

*Image courtesy of lovely heliothrope via flickr

Drumroll here please

so the first ever baby in our extended family made her appearance yesterday, around 11 am TST (Turkish Standard Time).

She happens to have inherited my name, making me so proud and so happy.

Let's say she was a little bigger than planned (@4.110 kg), thus giving her poor mom (my sweet cousin) a not so easy c-section experience, but we are all so happy that she is finally here. The timing of her birth is especially meaningful to me for reasons I will not share here.

Welcome to the world little Asli, you and I will always have a special namesake bond. I can't wait to see you in person in July.

and... here comes summer

so it looks like I missed a whole season. did I?
I might have - the spring was surprisingly long and delightful this year, leaving its way to summer as thermometers hit 90 degrees today... I guess that's a good thing, if you find yourself on a beach - but in a corporate office on Park Avenue - I seriously doubt it. We'll see.

So where have I been? What have I been upto? It's still early to say anything, but I promise, soon, all shall be revealed.

Today, I am so happy. It's a good day, it's a long weekend, and my tummy is full. What else could I ask for?

Oh, and I'm spending July at home in Turkey - hurray :)

Happy summer everyone, and of course, happy happy friday.

* photo courtesy of rougerouge on flickr

tulips are the first sign of spring...

Yesterday was the first serious day of spring. It was an unbelievable 74 degrees outside, with sunshine in your face, and the ice cream truck by the Pierrepont Playground in Brooklyn Heights.

Happy spring everyone.

May this season be authentic for a change.

what is your visual dna?

Maryam really inspired me for this... Is this really who I am? Maybe...
Who are you?

Read my VisualDNA™ Get your own VisualDNA™

friday wahoo

to be a kid again - and play all you like. happy friday :)

*photo courtesy of kikij

I'm so pysched :)

No need to state AT is by far the best home design site out there. It is a great go to site for tiny apartment inhabitants like us, but also is a great promoter of liveable design and real spaces and everyday challenges.

To my surprise, today, they featured my living room, a room I have been working on for a while, and just LOVE how it's coming together. It is an honor for me to be mentioned. Thanks AT! [and I guess also the Nikon D80 for photography magic and wide-angle shots]

Also featured is a a slideshow of my apartment. Enjoy!

friday wahoo

happy, happy friday :)

drumroll here please...

happy first birthday to SALT&PEPPER! many, many happy - virtual - returns in blogland :)

*photo courtesy of gizzypooh. God bless the founders of Flickr.

friday wahoo :)

Photo courtesy of troeth

my new toy !

After months of serious consideration and late night reading, I have zeroed in on this sweet baby. I'm excited as a kid in a playground today! One other thing to put on my gratitude list :)

Happy almost Friday everyone.


photo courtesy of poohbah.

to cherish the connection

Someone very wise once said that "a marriage is two people connected by a thin thread." A thread that can be either loose, or stretched as two opposing forces wonder in different directions... A thread, that should never be allowed to rip, and must always keep intact for the marriage to survive. Sometimes it will be loose, but other times, probably as tight as hell.

Hoping all threads out there to relax a bit today as we celebrate our love for one another, and remember the reasons why we were honored this unique bond in the first place.

My reason is right here, right now, and I would never be the same person had I not been granted this honor to be connected to him. I love you bebek, I always have, I always will. You are my guide and my guardian, and I am wildly happy that we share what we share today.

Happy 12th Valentine.

PS. photo courtesy of Camila Bibas on Flickr.

thou shalt have what thou shalt want

I swear, Victoria of sfgirlbybay reads my mind sometimes... I have been thinking about credenzas for a while now, trying to picture what kind would fit in my apartment, and here she is today with her lovely post. And as always, she's done her research and they all look fantastic!

So I decided to take a twist from it, and identify all things I want for my apartment. Some realistic and some, well, not so much...

Here goes ~~~~~

• Obviously, a credenza (and this below is my fave):

• A dresser for the bathroom... Possibly vintage wooden (and this below of Victoria's is the coolest), BUT likely an IKEA Malm in white:

• The adorable West Elm white desk, to be used as a vanity in the bedroom (bedroom crisis post yet to come):
  

have to get back to work, to be continued...

**photos courtesy of bird in the hand, sfgirlbybay, and westelm respectively...

I'm a new person

Seriously, I advise anyone who feels they're ready to take on the next adventure to watch this movie/documentary. Is it a groundbreaking discovery? No. Can it turn your life around? Yes, absolutely. If that's what you wish for yourself.

The secret to "the secret" is simply positive thinking and applying the laws of attraction. How many times have we heard phrases such as "if you want something really bad, it'll come true". Well, most of us will nod at this point and say, "yes." What this movie does is to restate all these things we've heard, but is packaged so well and flows so nicely that you feel drawn to it and just listen. Attracted, I would say. It is a combination of metaphysics, religion, and energy flow. Nothing we haven't learned, but maybe now is the time to start to listen.

So go ahead, download it, or purchase it from Amazon like I did, and keep it in your library. Start changing the way you think, and see how it all unfolds before your eyes.

Me, I'm going to make list this afternoon. Of things I'm grateful for. That's where I'll start.

so what is the secret?

I can hardly wait! I just ordered the movie from Amazon (which I didn't need to as they also show it online at the website) and am now in waiting mood.

I haven't been this excited in a long time, and it is so funny how this movie has found its way into my life, and the people it's bringing me in contact with... I am in a "watch and see" mood, but in high spirits indeed, as I feel this is truly the right time in my life that I need to unveil the secret to life...

Has anyone seen it yet?