Scent Diary: 12.11 – 18.11.2018

/ AustralianPerfumeJunkies

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Portia

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Hey there APJ Crew,

So much going on this week. Fragrance galore (buying, arriving and wearing), hanging with friends, food, exercise and the lovely Jin. What a wonderful week.

Scent Diary: 12.11 – 18.11.2018

Monday 12:

Good morning APJ. I jumped out of bed a bit late so Jin ands I hustled the dogs around the park and jumped on our motor bikes to get to Aquarobics in time. We arrived about 2 minutes before class started and it was FULL! So I went and did 800m of laps and Jin worked on his treading water for the Dive Master course he is doing. Here we are after doing our various exercises and feeling a bit pooped.

We rode home and I am happy to report a loss of 400g this week. To be fair to myself we went really hard on the Chinese food on Saturday night and I had a few drinks. Also late last night I did snack a bit on nuts, wholemeal rice crackers and some dip. Still, slow progress is better than no progress. Having had a very decent splurge I can go back to my fairly strict regime happily.

Val the Cookie Queen is wearing a vintage CHANEL No 5 extrait I sent her. It inspired me to wear some of mine.

Cleaning day. EXCEPT bloody Jin is home and in front of the TV all day so can’t vacuum. I’m waiting till he goes to bed early. He starts at 5am so VERY early sleep and wake up.

I BROKE THE FECKING VACUUM CLEANER! Well a bit of it snapped. I finished vacuuming and when Jin came back in the house (he’s ousted for cleaning) I made him fix it. We’ll see next week if he did a good job.

TRIVIA Q&A.

Hanging with Jin a bit as I wandered in and out of the kitchen making coffees or waters.

SOTEvening: Pour un Homme de Caron

TRIVIA Q&A Finished by 11.48pm WOO HOO!

SOTBed: Pluie de Soleil by Phaedon. The best pineapple fragrance of them all. Forget the rest, this has it nailed to the floor. I have the ugly old bottle but the juice is EXCELLENT!

Tuesday 13:

Phaedon’s Pluie de Soleil (burst of sunshine) is still rocking it this morning. After sleeping 7 solid hours, walking the dogs and breakfasting I’m still awash with pineapple and fruit salad. The sandalwood is so muted it only gives the lightest grounding touch to the fragrance. Perfect warm spring morning scent.

Yesterday the First In Fragrance order arrived so today will be spent packing them up, making some interesting samples from my collection and sending them all out to the lucky orderers.

That took most of the morning, into the afternoon. Everyone who is expecting prizes from me will have to wait another week. Sorry gang.

Lunch was some Penne Bolognese. Bloody delicious.

Got a call from Jin. He’s been working on a new and more efficient roster for the NSW Train Depot for 6+ months. It’s been an unpaid labour of love. Taken up countless hours and involved some major headaches and frustration. Finally all OKd by the crew, the management and taking to the very last meeting to sign off on it and the top boss has told them no. Jin is gutted. Poor guy.

SOTDay: Ombre de Hyacinth by Tom Ford. Perfect desiccated green for a warm spring day. Sadly it kinda implodes about 2 hours in and becomes a winsome sheer nothing.

Work was fun, as it always is on Tuesday nights.

Home and watching some Season 2 Iron Fist. A bit sad to know it’s been axed and there’ll be no third season.

SOTBed: Divine EdP

Wednesday 14:

This morning dawned much cooler, cloudy and a little rainy. the dogs LOVED it.

Instead of gymming today I did 150 crunches and 80 prone leg stretches as well as walking the dogs this morning.

An Anniversary card arrived from Aunty Tracey. YAY!

The Melbourne Tea Towel from Lyndall got its first outing today too.

Did some blogging. Wearing a few fragrances now. Quite well scented, HA! Like a three meter cloud I reckon.

Watched some more Iron Fist.

SOTBed: Ambre Céruléen by Huitième Art

Thursday 15:

WARM MORNING! Woke up with Jin gone to work and the ceiling fan on. He must have put it on in the night. Beautiful wake up.

SOTMorning: Mohur by Neela Vermeire Creations. ROSES!! and stuff

Opened one of my birthday soaps from Susan today. This one is called Mielle which is French for honeyed. YUMMY!

Then my girlfriend Penny picked me up and whisked me away to lunch with our buddy Pam at a fabulous little cafe/nursery in Dural called The House Of Herbs And Roses. So much catching up to do.

When I got home I took Jin’s SCUBA air tanks up for refilling. GOSH! $15 per tank seems pricey.

Watching Iron Fist.

Jin and I met at the gym for back, biceps and abs. Jin’s guns are getting bigger! WOO HOO! Sexy beast.

Home and Jin went straight to bed. I had some dinner (chicken breast, roast pumpkin, raw onion rings and beetroot slices with garlic hummus) and watched some more Iron Fist.

Late bathtime.

SOTEvening: Suede Osmanthe by Parfumerie Generale. I bought a bottle but am still finishing my press sample.

Friday 16:

OMG! What a day.

Up early with the dogs.

SOTDay: Vintage Miss Dior EdT

Caught bus & train to town and met up with Michael for brunch near his work in a skyscraper on the harbour. We had an excellent catch up. So much to talk about.

Then I wandered up the hill a bit towards the CBD and met Phil and sat with him while he ate lunch in Wynyard Park.  It was so easy and uncomplicated, chatter and laughs. Good for the soul.

Them walked into the CBD and went looking in Cartier to see if they had Les Heures XI. It’s bloody sold out in Australia. GRRR! Funny thing, they have a brand new store and the light going down the stairwell is a very swish crystal reproduction off Jin’s glass Hogwarts light above the dining room table (left). HA! We did it in 2014, they did it 2018! Style leaders.

Met Alice at DIOR flagship store in Castlereagh St where we spent a lovely half hour going through the new Cruise Collection with Jolanta. I love the tiger toile fabric and the feminine silhouettes. Ultra wearable ready to wear couture. Grabbed some bottles of DIOR Privee perfumes while there too.

Alice and I then met Tim for lunch on the top floor Westfield City Food Court. Catching up with some food and friends is the best. I love it. We all have so many stories and adventures to relate. Heaven!

Tim and I wandered off to Tiffany & Co to grab a gift for my girlfriend Eve. I can’t wait for her to open it.

Then I had to hit Haig’s for some gifting chocolates too.

Then back home on train & bus. It is fun having DIOR, Tiffany & Co and Haig’s bags on public transport. So incongruous.

Once home I sat down for a cuppa and Jin rang asking me to meet him up at our favourite Vietnamese Restaurant for dinner. I wandered back to the bus and met him there. Dinner was delicious and then he drove us home.

SOTEvening: Myrrhiad by Huitieme Art

Walked the dogs and now I’m BUSHED!

It doesn’t look much to most of you but 14,940 steps is double what I push myself to do most days.

SOTBed: Liberté by Cacharel

Saturday 17:

MORNING! SOTDay: Methaldone by Aether Parfums.

I jumped out of bed to walk the dogs through a cool, ready to rain morning.

Popped down to the Post Office to send some VIP packages out.

Marcella asked for a photo of Pierre Guillaume so here’s one he sent me. My favourite line from him is the Huitieme Art collection. They are utterly beautiful. Not one of them less than superb.

Hyun came over for lunch. I cooked Chicken Mignon with Herb Butter, Mashed Potato and Broccoli. SO GOOD! We finished off with fresh Mango and Rockmelon.

Then we had a super sniff session that you’ll see on Thursday on the New Sniffs post. I am QUITE FRAGRANT right now. He He He. Some of these brands I’d never even heard of.

Jin called and we met at the Sydney Olympic Park Pool Complex. I did 800m, Freestyle up and Breaststroke back. My recovery time between is getting shorter and my general ease of swimming has started to become enjoyable again. Starting to concentrate on my form as well as the rest. My back, arms, shoulders and pecs already feel beat and floppy. I pushed them hard today.

Home and Jin is absolutely bushed. He has done five 12 hour days. By the time I fed the dogs he was already asleep on the couch.

Walking the boys was filled with drama because there was a fireworks display only three streets away and Jinx went crazy. He was whining, panting, jumping and generally incredibly upset. I could not walk with him, at all. So I sat down on the ground and talked to him the whole 15 minutes it went on for. Poor little guy. My dog Paris couldn’t have cared less.

Now we are all home. Jin snoring in bed, the dogs whiffling on their balcony beds and me tapping out todays instalment. My life is nice. I’m content right now.

SOTBed: Vintage Hermès Caleche. LOADS of it.

Sunday 18:

LAZY!

I am so lazy.

SOTDay: Adjatay by The Different Company

Clipped, coloured and shaved my beard. Had a gorgeous bath in Penhaligon’s Blenheim Bouquet Bath Oil. It has left me softly fragrant so I’ll stick with it till work tonight.

SOTEvening: Mahora by Guerlain. So fabulously and ridiculously over the top white floral, tropical ylang and vanilla. Heaven.

 

It’s YOUR turn. What’s happening in your world?

Did you do anything Fragrant, Fun, Friends, Family or even had some less than Fabulous news you want to share? Now’s the time, in the comments below.
We love to read what’s happening to YOU.
Portia xx

81 thoughts on “Scent Diary: 12.11 – 18.11.2018”

  1. Are you me? I too could not vacuum round the husband, and then it broke so had to get him to fix it!
    Last week I went to yoga for the first time since knee fracture, I got through the whole class! Yay! So it was a different teacher, and she went round the class with an essential oil blend for us to rub betweem our palms and inhale…lots of sandalwood and patchouli, ylang ylang, lime. It was so lovely.

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  3. what a fabulous week you have had again, P! Yay to losing more weight and sticking to your healthy lifestyle…I am impressed!

    I bet Marcella will be happy when she sees that photo of Pierre!

    Not much happening in my world except we had a very bad snowstorm two days ago and my arms are killing me from all the shoveling. More snow is expected this afternoon. I think we are going to have a brutal winter.

    Did lots of sampling this week at home (since I now have a perfume grinch at work). Nice stuff but nothing moving me to reach for the credit card.

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  4. Jin’s boss SUCKS. He was working on that when I was there. It would have been so much better for everyone.

    Good to hear swimming is getting easier for you Portia. You’re doing so well.

    Lunch with all the family yesterday and a shuffle round Hamley’s with the hordes. Mia was happy with her slime purchase though 🙂

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  5. Portia, you dear heart! Congratulations on keeping up with weight loss and fitness. In the beginning it’s very tedious but as you see the scale give continued good news and you find yourself with more energy and endurance, the successes becomes their own reward.

    We had our first (very early) snow of the season mid-week; 3.6 inches. It made me so happy!

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  6. 😂 Thanks for the picture of Pierre, Portia!!! Next time get him to hold up a sign that says ‘Je t’aime Marcella’ with a big old heart on it😂
    Cursed vacuum cleaners seem to be on theme this week. Mr. Laurelhardy likes to use mine as a shopvac. He sucked a $hitload of grease and gawd-only-knows-what-else off the tops of the kitchen cabinets in my daughter’s apartment. It does nothing but push stuff around now 😡 He’ll have to buy me a new one if he can’t fix it.
    Great progress on the diet/exercise routine! No worries if some weeks the weight loss is small or non-existent. It’s the overall trend that you need to focus on. Jin’s got some pretty impressive arms going there. Nice!
    I’ve been fighting an almost overwhelming urge to buy Russian Tea this week. It’s too spendy for my less-than-deep pockets. Coach Marzipan has been working her magic with me and has pulled me off the edge. Ordered some Raw Shea butter with frankinscence and myrrh as a consolation prize, also recommended by Coach. I think I’m safe, for now.

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    • Well hello greedy Marcella! He He He. When Pierre did me that Thank You shot I swooned for weeks. He’s fun. I’ve only met him properly a couple of times but I like him.
      When I broke the vac Jin thought I was going to be happy to get a new one but I’ve become quite attached to this one and its various foibles.
      HA! Good on Brigitte. Keeping that money in your wallet at Xmas time is HARD!
      Portia xx

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    • DO NOT BUY THAT RUSSIAN TEA
      DO NOT BUY THAT RUSSIAN TEA

      btw, I am sorry that I made you buy the shea butter!!! but technically it ISN’T perfume 🙂

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  8. Glad to hear that healthier eating and fitness pay off. Jin’s boss, on a different note, seems like a total tool 😦

    I can’t remember if you’ve watched Marvel’s Jessica Jones and Defenders. Jessica’s first season is a masterpiece, IMO.

    I had another quiet week: it’s getting so damn cold that I don’t really want to go out. I went to see Fantastic Beasts 2 and I liked it a lot. People complain about multiple subplots but I’m okay with them.

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    • I am with you on the not wanting to go out and I also enjoyed Jessica Jones…I don’t think I watched the Defenders…will have to look for it on Netflix…or maybe I did? Is that the series with ALL the various characters? If so then I did…oh, lordy, my middle aged brain 🙂

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    • Also, Diana, did you know that there is a new perfume by a female Russian perfumer called Rudolf Nureyev? I actually met him in the late 1970s when I was a child ballet dancer and he performed in the same ballet as I did with London Festival Ballet touring at the Met. He was such a lovely man. Don’t know if the fragrance is any good but the name intrigues me. I think Barishnikov also had a perfume or two named after him (he was NOT a nice man, by the way).

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      • Brigitte, I think I’ve seen a mention of this perfume but can’t find any details. If I do, I’ll let you know. I’m glad to know RN was a nice person to talk to, and I’m not surprised to hear that Baryshnikov wasn’t. I’ve heard his perfumes, on the other hand, were interesting but they cost so much on eBay, we might never know (and we don’t really care about that, do we?).

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        • Nureyev was kind and sweet and readily took pictures with the younger ballet dancers who asked. Baryshnikov was a huge snob. Funny, but his perfumes would show up so inexpensive online many years ago..heavily discounted..now they must be rare, hence the high prices on ebay….no we don’t care so we won’t go there!!

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    • Jessica Jones is my SPIRIT ANIMAL Diana. Actually, she is Tara from A Bottled Rose spirit animal too. I love the Marvel universe, the only character I thought badly cast was Iron Fist.
      Yeah, Jin is still putting in personal time to make this new time schedule work. The weird thing is the guys are going to lose 2-3% of their pay by doing this roster but it makes so much more sense that they’re all behind it.
      Can’t wait to see the new Fantasic Beasts.
      Portia xx

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      • I’m a Marvel Fan, too! And DC Comics’, but their efforts aren’t always successful. I sometimes ask the kids I teach: “Have you seen Antman/Thor etc.”, and some of them reply that they haven’t. That really bums me out.

        I hope Jin’s work situation will take a turn for the better.

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        • I shouldn’t be in such a hurry when I type a comment! What I meant to say is that I seem to have more in common with people from English-speaking countries than with my own compatriots.

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  9. Oh, lovely week! And doesn’t it feel *amazing* when swimming starts to come together, and just flow again? Having restarted again recently after several years break I was huffing and puffing and sploshing around horribly to start with, and then just last week found myself gliding down a lane smoothly. BLISS. I only get to do little 15 minute swims though with my mutant sidestroke. Captain Coachypants is worried I’ll revert to “oh, just one more hour won’t kill me” and muck up my shoulders. So, short swims only after lifting.

    I’ve been pushing hard on the walking to try and drop weight faster–I broke 20k steps five days in a row which is unheard of for me. Ten MILES one day. And, when I stop to remember, it’s practically a miracle. I keep catching myself grinning as I stride down Leith Walk, remembering my surgeon’s serious face during the “there’s a real possibility you won’t walk again after this” conversation. Every step is a gift.

    Sorry about Jin’s news. That’s rotten.

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    • Delighted to hear of your walking improvements, Crikey! Improvements? Heck, it really is a miracle. I’ve got to step up
      my walking game for different reasons. I tend to whine about it a bit cuz it’s indoor treadmill stuff, but I’ll think of you and just be glad that I am able to do it. Great news.

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    • Of course you had a fab week, Portia. And your regime is going so well. Every week will get easier and you’ll get more determined as you see results. Wow on your swimming. I’m totally crap at it- and me a Pisces and all. You’re quite the posho, shopping Dior and Cartier. Doubt I’d be allowed over the threshold, the alarms would go off😃. Love your Jin-design light. That was forward thinking, eh? The Cartier shopfitting dew must have been spying in your window. My own week was ultra-glamour. Not. Busy busy, a couple of new acquisitions, a backup of Shalimar Soufflé arrived. And last night I was a tad naughty, bought unsniffed, but going on great reviews, a bottle of Cacao Dreams. Chocolate! Maybe some spice. Will see in couple of days when it arrives. But a seller in THIS country, and he’s got a very interesting leather. Rasasi la Yukawam. Anyone familiar? He says it’s excellent. I also purchased TF Ombré Leather decant.
      Today was a beautiful late autumn day, so sunny and verging on warm. Went for a great long walk with Miss four-legs and lots of others were out doing likewise. Then I came home and had some sort of brain fart. . . I started up the lawn mower and attacked the lawn, and kept at it till the sun went down😳 I went inside and sat for a few minutes to get over that shock and then went and got ready to go out for dinner. Hubby doing a college assignment all day so we deserved it!

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      • I hope the lawn survived!
        I am familiar with the Ombre Leather and will say that I liked it very much when I last sampled it in Sephora! I have heard of Rasasi La Yukawam…isn’t it supposed to be a dupe for a high end fragrance? Can’t remember which one though.

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        • Remembered!!! It’s a dupe of Tom Ford’s Tuscan Leather…or so many reviewers have said (I have never sniffed either of the two).

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          • Oh, really? I would have to sample first before I’d dream of buying. But the reviews on fragrantica are positive.
            My lawn is looking well, only because I used the push mower. So I got extra exercise today. It’s only half finished so I hope the weather tomorrow is as good. I might even do the windows. The sun seems to give me an energy burst. How’re your poor arms?

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      • Thanks Cassieflower,
        This year ALL the high end shops are doing it a bit hard I think. They are overjoyed to have any custom. I was the ONLY person in Cartier with 6 staff.
        You seem to be happily shopping up a fragrant storm yourself.
        Dinner was well earned indeed. I do not miss having lawns to mow.
        Portia xx

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      • aw, thanks, Portia! Starting to feel fitter again is pretty awesome positive reinforcement, isn’t it?
        (my bloody weight’s sticky though… won’t let go. Grr! You’re doing better on that than I am!)

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  10. You have such a busy and fun life Portia, filled with good friends. I am still limping around while my knee is recovering from surgery, walking my dog much farther and longer than I know is good for me. However; while sitting and icing my knee afterwards, I’ve been enjoying perfume sampling and reading. I’ve been on a bit of a budget, and decided to have some good fun and explore the discounter perfume sites. Amazing how good prices are on many decent perfumes. A few mentionables are Guerlain Insolence EDP; Jean Patoe Sira Des Indes; Boucheron Vanille de Zanzibar; Van Cleef & Arpels Amber Imperiale; Ellie Saab Essence No 3 Ambre; My Burberry Black; and Nina Ricci Extase. I’ve enjoyed sniffing some successful perfumers older creations. I’m going to start sampling some Etro perfumes this evening!

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    • I love Etro! Haven’t tried them all but Palais Jamais, Paisley and Gomma are full-bottle worthy, to me, anyway. Messe de Minuit and Shaal Nur are also outstanding.

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      • Etro has been on my radar for a while..they sound interesting and often come up discounted online. Have you ever tried Heliotrope? That was the one I was looking at about a year ago.

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      • The Etro samples I purchased (the ones available at Fragrancenet.com) include Royal Pavilion; Shaal Nur; Sandalo; Etra Etro; and Heliotrope. I’m super excited to sniff after Portia mentioned an Etro fragrance recently (I hadn’t heard of the line), and now your endorsement. I just have the manufacturer’s carded samples; however, the bottles are very pretty.

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      • I quite enjoy Sira des Indes, a hidden gem and so reasonably priced! It’s amazing how many wonderful fragrances are forgotten, but when discovered are such a great deal! I’ve made a point recently to spend time discovering older gems. I love the new and niche, but I can’t afford the $200 plus much more price tags for each bottle I desire. Today I was researching older creations by Francis Kurkdijan and Francios Demachy.

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        • I’m totally with you on rediscovering old loves. And on the aspirational pricing that’s becoming more prevalent lately

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    • Hey Kathleen,
      Yeah, I love this life. We are so lucky in myriad ways.
      Won’t all that walking hurt the outcome of your surgery? It worries me.
      Woo Hoo! Perfume sampling though, that sounds totally fabulous. I have a couple of ETRO bottles here. Shall Nur and Relent. Both gorgeous.
      Portia xx

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      • Etro Shaal Nur is wonderful, slightly Shalimar- Esque!
        I also just received my ordered samples of Mx, Ma Bette, and Night Flower!
        Good sniffing in my future!
        No worries, I can’t damage my knee; just had meniscus trimmed and under knee cap debrided. I am only prolonging the post-op swelling and discomfort, but so worth it to get out and walk. Walking with my pup is my meditation and medication!
        And yes, you are rich with blessings and a fab life Portia !

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  11. So sorry to hear about Jin’s rejection by the big boss. Hopefully he can be brought round.

    Good on you for the continued exercise habits and weight loss! Slow steady progress is the best way to bring about permanent change.

    I’ve been doing a bunch of sniffing of old samples, new decants and old favourites. And it’s been another sweet wonderful week with my puppy.

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    • Hiya TaraC,
      Poor old Jin, he’s gone of Gold Fossicking with his boss from three jobs ago to feel better. He’s tough.
      Thanks, fingers crossed for permanent change.
      Having pets makes everything special. We love ours to bits too.
      Portia xx

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  13. Portia, I did a double take on your scales picture trying to figure out how can it be that you weigh just 112 pounds 😉
    Good luck with your efforts and give Jin a hug: with all us wishing him well and sending bad vibes to the boss, somewhere something in the Universe just must turn to the right direction – even if it’s not visible yet!

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