2 Weeks In: Water Only Hair Washing

VLeave a comment

We’re currently in the middle of COVID-19, so I’m trying to embrace the minimalist side of myself again, along with that has come trying out no poo/water only for my hair care. I actually learn that no-poo and water only are different techniques/methods. For those doing no-poo they may still use natural products like baking soda or apple cider vinegar to rinse their hair.

For me, I was more attracted to the water only method since the idea is to rebalance your scalp (which is supposed to be capable of taking care of itself). I am however sceptical as I love my skincare, although your skin is able to clean and manage itself, what’s the harm in giving it some extra self-care to speed up exfoliation, give it protection or help balance it?

So all of that in mind, I embarked once again on the water-only trial.

I have done a version of no-poo in the past, twice, ranging from 2 weeks to 2 months. The first time I gave up, my hair was a disgusting greasy smelly mess after 2 months and I saw no end to the “transition period”. This time I have done minimal reading up on it, but liked the idea of cutting down in one area of my life.

I can say – things are looking up! 2 weeks in and my hair is feeling good, good enough to head out without wondering if everyone is giving me a bit of a sniff or feeling like a up-do is the only-do I can trek outside with.

I think a few things made a difference this time,

  1. I’ve been giving myself regular scalp massages, 2-3 times a day for a few minutes I massage my scalp all over. This seems to really shake up the dead skin cells and speed up the balancing part.
  2. Mason Pearson brush – I am a mason pearson brush devotee. Love love love it. Crazy expensive, but crazy worth it. Funny when this whole experiment is supposed to be about pairing back, being at one, being simple and here I go tote-ing around a 60+ euro hair brush (pocket-sized, not even full sized, omg)
  3. I’m washing with water. Previously I thought you had to let your hair soak in all its goodness to allow it to turnover, however I realised I probably got it wrong before. Washing with water not too frequently, but maybe once or twice a week is goood for your scalp. With the two steps above it really seems to distribute the oils well and not make me feel like a jelly pot with a sticky top and a jiggly fluffy end.

I will be continuing on for another week to see if there is improvement and seeing from there how long I decide to keep up this experiment (if whether permanently or I go back to my beloved beauty products!)

My only other concern is how to keep up with my coloured hair, however I think if my scalp has transitioned that a every 6 week hairwash and colour might not undo all that good work.

Sitting possibly better than it was pre-water only! I did give it a water wash yesterday so this is “day 1” of fresh water only hair
You can see that the top of my head is not pinned down (where normally it usually is after a few days, the oil naturally is much fuller at the top vs the bleached bottoms)
A visual of how it sits
Close up of the scalp. It seems like it’s starting to turn that nice “white” they refer to for healthy scalps. Prior to water only I was facing a little bit of buildup, not sure if due to the dry shampoo or dandruff. Regardless it seemed my scalp was a little itchy and irritated. I was expecting the itchiness to get worse with WO, but it hasn’t!
You can see a bit of that scalp build up I was talking about, but it’s fairly minimal compared to how it was pre-WO.
You can see it’s not looking like a greaseball but sitting fluffy. Excuse the colour, COVID-19 has had me not able to visit the hairdresser.

Day 18 in Self-Isolation: Thoughts On COVID-19

VLeave a comment

We’ve now been officially at home for a little over 2 weeks. The only leaving of the apartment we’ve done is to pick up deliveries from the lobby or drop the rubbish to the bin. Even the building’s pool and gym is closed so there’s no movement to other areas – or distractions from your everyday space.

It’s a strange feeling, the world is revolving around Corona Virus – you wake up, read the news. Go to sleep, read the news. All of us are fixated on the number of the cases, the global changes and the local changes the government implements.

Living here in Bangkok, Thailand – but having roots in Belgium and Australia – there is even more to consume. It’s not just keeping up to date with your own surroundings but also the ones where we have family and friends.

Life definitely doesn’t feel normal. It’s hard to say whether this situation improves or decreases my sense of focus and living in the moment. In one way we are forced to live in the moment by staying at home. In another way there is this complete feeling of lack of control and inability to plan. Immediate plans for travel are gone, future plans for travel are unknown. It’s a mess.

The best way I’ve found mentally to categorise it is with benefits and negatives pre and during-COVID-19. The strange thing and the one that I’ve heard those close to me say is it feels like I don’t have any more time than usual. This may come down to I haven’t had to remove social interactions, so quarantining, seeing people less hasn’t been a part of my life change.

Benefits:

  1. No thoughts of travel of going away for the weekend
  2. Minimalism has become a focus again – how much of my material things can I use up and how important are these material things to my life. As a result of COVID-19 my addiction to online shopping has greatly reduced (seeing less people has made me less conscious of buying new things). I’m instead focusing on decluttering, “hitting pan” on as many products as I can and trying you “water only” washing for my hair. 1 week in and so far so good.
  3. More time with my partner. Jens and I now spend 24/7 together – I can’t say whether it’s been a good thing for our relationship yet. Maybe more than before I realise we have been fortunate to spend a lot of time together.
  4. Adjusting back to not relying on Asia conveniences. We stopped our maid and I was worried I wasn’t going to be able to adjust back to doing everything ourselves at home, but actually the change has been nice. (Although I do feel like I go through ups and downs where I feel I’m doing all the housework with very little help)

Negatives

  1. Being with your partner 24/7 also doesn’t allow you to fully appreciate being with them since their is no time spent apart. After 2.5 weeks, I’m now starting to crave being able to pop out for few hours of shopping, get my nails done or a massage or something without being in each others spaces so heavily.
  2. Stockpiling, whilst being aware of limiting outside movement and also that the infrastructure could breakdown at any point (online groceries no longer available). It’s meant more planning and less planning all at the same time. The mental ease has not changed significantly.

Here are some photos of life from the last 18 days in quarantine.

One of the first things we did when the crisis started was stock up on wine. After all could you imagine being day in, day out at home and not able to have a glass of wine at the end of the day?
Long before the panic truly hit Thailand, there were reports in Australia of people going crazy over hoarding toilet paper. I bought a couple of extras – ‘just in case’.
Our last grocery shop to Villa Market. This was the day they announced the malls were closing and we expected that people would be racing to the supermarket, we were right. The store was chaos.
Week 1 of being indoors, I just like this photo because my skin looks surprisingly clear 😉
The crazy at home stock pile
We set a background on our TV screen at this time. I hadn’t seen this photo before and it’s turned into one of my favourites!
More time for cooking at home, replicating some okinawa taco rice at home.
Trends taking over Australia

On Living Through COVID-19

VLeave a comment

2020, we were so excited for it. Oh, how it’s turned us completely upside down. This is year that Corona Virus arrived, and in a space of 3 months have over 400,000 cases around the world. Countries in panic, lockdowns, state of emergency announcements and much more.

There is an overwhelming feeling of unsure-ness. It’s not panic, but every day is another day of living in a world where the entire world is focused on the latest news with Corona Virus.

This is a novel virus, which means it transmitted from animal to human and as of right now, has no cure. It has exponential growth – meaning if 1 person is infected they can infect 3 – which can grow to 9 and so forth.

This rapid growth means economies are breaking down, whilst governments are struggling to move fast.

We however have chosen to completely self-isolate. We have enough food for a month, enough water for 4 months and enough toilet paper for 2 months.

We no longer need to leave the house – and that in itself a strange and terrifying feeling.

Sunday’s with peach Bellini’s

VLeave a comment

With our champagne stock now empty (*cries tears of sadness*), we’ve had to find other ways to fulfill our vino/champagne requirements.

Enter the Bellini.

If you know much about Thailand, the one downside of living here is that they have a crazy high import tax on pretty much everything. That includes alcohol. That means a bottle of wine, say in the US/Australia/Europe…. that may cost $10, is going to cost you $30 here. A bottle of Champagne that is $45, well that’s likely going to set you back $150 (unless you have some very good suppliers or connections).

Hence after craving some sparkles, we decided to try our hand at making home made bellini’s.

First challenge, white peaches in Bangkok – a rarity, and if you do find them, be willing to pay at least $7-$10 a peach. So, we substituted. We were able to find some frozen peach slices and spoiler: the Bellini’s were a winner!

Our recipe:

(makes approximately 2 very large Bellini’s)

  • 1 whole peach or 7 frozen peach slices
  • squeeze of 1/4 quarter fresh lemon
  • 375ml of Martini Gold Prosecco (or half the bottle)
  • 20ml of sugar syrup
  • Icecubes

Method:

Blend the peaches, lemon and sugar syrup to make a puree.

Put 6-7 large icecubes into the glass with puree.

Slowly pour your prosecco, and stir until combined.

Strain and serve into a Champagne or White Wine Glass.

Enjoy! and drink far too many Bellini’s than necessary.

Side Tip: The idea to make Bellini’s came from the idea that we could perhaps stretch out the wine, and drink less (ie pay less) to drink longer.

These bellini’s are so delicious that unfortunately this does not work and you drink just as fast (whilst maybe not so delicately) as a glass of fine Champagne.

Served stirred not Shaken
Sunday Bellini’s
Enjoying the sun with a large glass of Bellini
Overlooking the Bangkok traffic
Sante! I love you, and making and drinking Bellini’s together with you!

A Valentines Getaway to Cha-am Thailand

VLeave a comment

A beautiful weekend to escape the busy-ness of Bangkok. One thing about Bangkok is the constant noise pollution, it’s very hard to find a quiet spot in the skyscraper city.

So when Jens said ‘pack a bag and leave work at 6pm’, the excitement kicked in. What a wonderful surprise, we ended up three and a half hours drive from Bangkok, it calm and peaceful Cha-am. Even better our favourite activities – a quiet, secluded villa (with BBQ) and a few bottles of great wine (cough-champagne) to enjoy.

The boy did well!

Villa and barbeque
Private pool in Cha-am, Thailand
Moet & Chandon 2003 Rose / G.H.Martel Blanc De Blancs Millesime 2002, Henri Giraud Brut Nature Champagne, Henri Giraud Grand Cru
Enjoying our Moet & Chandon rose on night one (arriving at 10pm)
Giant Tomahawk Angus Steak, ready to be grilled
Enjoying our grill & bubbles
The giant tomahawk on the BBQ
A red lip for Valentines

Planning a trip to Champagne

VLeave a comment

I’m so excited and I just caaan’t hide it. I didn’t think we would make it back to Champagne again this year, but here we go! We just booked our flights from Bangkok to Belgium, and lucky us – are squeezing in a 3 day trip to my favourite place on earth.

This will be my second trip to Champagne, and I’m excited to dive even deeper into the terroir, the makers and the history. Champagne is something that seems simple on the surface, but is full of nuances and complexity when you start your tasting journey.

Here are my observations and learnings from my first trip last year in April 2019. I’m still a Champagne novice, so read on:

  1. Book your Champagne Houses

Whilst I do love a go-with-the-flow type of trip, Champagne is NOT the place to do it. Especially if you are flying internationally to visit the region of sparkles. Some places take limited bookings, or unavailable for a cellar door visit. Some (like Krug) can’t even be visited without an invite. Champagne is a place, you must plan!

2. Prepare to be in bed by 8pm

Line your stomach, if you start cave tours at 10am (like we did), you’ll be drinking for a decent 8-9 hours. That makes for a dizzy-ing day!

Fill your stomach for a full day of Champagne drinking

3. Sip like a somm

Champagne is very subtle. My favourite part of visiting Champagne was learning just how much the sparkling can vary from style to style. They say Champagne is not just about the bubbles, but it, itself a a great wine. Make sure to drink from the right glasses (not a shortage in Champagne), swirl, sniff (right, left, nose), take a big gulp and really taste the flavours in the back of your throat. I highly suggest watching Richard Julin’s Champagne Masterclass to deepen your knowledge of the wonderful wine.

4. You will hear the Methode Champenoise multiple times

We visited at least 10 champagne houses, that was one after another of hearing the champagne method in slightly different variations. Prepare to feel like a champagne maker by the 4th house!

5. Spend more time in Epernay than Reims

We split our time between Reims and Epernay, but going back this time we plan to spend the majority of our time near Epernay. It’s more laid back, more french (dare-i-say), and more magnifique. Given this is where Avenue De Champagne is located, it makes sense you really feel the place in the home place of the bubbles.

6. Bring back some good vintages

This is the place you will find the small houses, the grower champagnes, the sister who makes champagne who does not sell it except to a few friends and family. Fill your bags, do your research and take home a few delicious bottles to savour.

7. Learn how to Sabre

If I have time I plan to try to take a Sabre class. A unique party trick that who else can say they learn the birthplace of Champagne.

8. Buy Champagne stoppers and more

I am not a souvenir collector. In fact I hate hoarding. But the one place I can recommend to buy souvenir’s is Champagne. Buy Champagne stoppers, glasses and more. The quality is high and you will bring the gift of a reminder of Champagne (the region) back with you.

Some photos from our trip:

The city of Epernay
Champagne Tasting
Meeting family of champagne makers and learning their stories
Drinking in Champagne courtyards
The perfect glass to drink your Champagne from
Avenue De Champagne, simply breathtaking

Thoughts on living in Bangkok

VLeave a comment

We moved to Bangkok in September 2016, and officially decided to make it our home base in December 2016. The first few months of living here were strange, we had moved into a condo (apartment) in an area called Sathorn.

I had made the switch from “Digital Nomad” living to expat life. I remember my first few months was figuring things out, adapting to the city, a lot of massages, a lot of grocery trips. To be honest, things haven’t changed much.

Fast forward 3 years later and my feelings towards the city have deepened. I now work at executive level in an office, but a love for Thailand never developed.

In fact, a love for Thailand, left. My once warm feelings for the land of smiles, disappeared. Instead a feeling of resentment has built.

It’s hard for me to differentiate whether it has come about from getting older and a changing of priorities, a lack of perspective – or truly a dislike for the Thai city.

The priorities I never realised I had, healthy living, slow life, quiet nature escapes grew much louder.

Everything is much more expensive (at least if you want to live any semblance of western living – food, wine, beauty products and more)

It’s hard to see whether Thailand has just made me fussy.

It wears on you as well, feeling resentful to a country that has not done much wrong.

It might be getting older, it might be being an expat that doesn’t settle well. Maybe it’s the traveler’s curse.

It might be having too high expectations of a place that is never meant to be a replica of the west. I’m not sure what it is, I just know that Thailand does not feel home, and in fact a large resistance grows every day to place that seems culturally opposite, dirty, hierarchical and unaware of its shortcomings.

welcome world

VLeave a comment

Hello and welcome to my new place on the web. For the longest time, I started and stopped many sites. Today I start again, capturing a love for life, food and champagne.

This site is about nothing in particular besides the daily wanderings of life, accompanied by the people I meet, the food discovered and the wine drunk.

I’m excited to start writing and sharing again! – Victoria