On Change & Turning 26.

Hello. Remember me? I have been a little MIA lately, both on the blog and other forms of social media. Though unintentional, I am really glad I took a brief break. Do not worry, I am okay. Oh, and I turned 26 yesterday. This year came and went by so quickly. It was also a year of many changes. You know that cliché-ish saying, change is the only constant? The one that most of us resonate with deep down inside? This quote, cliché or not, felt extra relevant this year. Around the same time last year I was finishing my last course for my Master’s degree. At that time I was pursuing something completely different than what I am doing now. I was happy then but deep down I knew it was not the right fit. I decided to not continue with my PhD despite not having a back up plan. I had no idea what I wanted to do and to some extent, one year later, I still feel like I am trying to figure out what it is that I truly want to do. Relationships also change. It can happen passively in indifference. It was not intentional but you start to care a little less and less, day by day. It is not as though you meant to, as if you’re hoping to bring something to a close. Things run their course whether or not we’re done with them. Roads bend and sometimes they end. And sometimes what we thought in absolutes turn out to be conditional.

Change definitely happens. Have happened. Will happen. Changes start slowly, the way things often do. It will not feel slow though. In fact, it will seem sudden. You wake up, fix your gaze across the room, and think that something must have snapped in the night. But you refuse to believe that it happened there. It could not have. The thought of anything happening that rapidly while you were asleep is a thought you have long abandoned.

One of the changes I have appreciated the most is the growing ability to appreciate beauty in the mundane and the prosaic. Finding joy in early ink-stained mornings spent writing and reading in a cafe. Finding solace in a failed cake recipe. And finding unparalleled happiness when coming across the perfect rose to top a layered cake.

The luck I have been having in meeting people who are genuinely passionate about creating is one thing I hope never changes. Kelsey is someone that embodies that. Just over a week ago, Kelsey drove to Vancouver to celebrate my 26th birthday early with me. She baked a cake, made the perfect swiss meringue buttercream, and brought it all over to my home. We decorated the cake together with the most perfect stems from Celsia Florist and Victor was there to capture all the moments. I have always struggled to take my own photos when I am around Victor and Kelsey. They are both such talented photographers that I often feel quite intimidated when I am around them. But this time I made a promise to myself that I will at least snap a couple of photos myself – for practice and because the more photos the merrier. Besides, this was such a lovely set up that I knew I would have regretted it if I did not take photos to preserve the memories. This change in self-confidence is also something I hope I will be able to keep up.

Here are my photos from our lovely weekend. Kelsey will be sharing the recipe for the cake and buttercream on her blog soon and I will share some tips and tricks on decorating a cake with fresh flowers real soon along with Victor’s beautiful photos. Until then, happy baking and do not be afraid to embrace change.