Oct 17

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21 weeks

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The human body is a miraculous thing. To have a life grow inside of you, a person-to-be, your own flesh-and-blood — I cannot wrap my head around it. When the midwife asked during the 16 week ultrasound if I had already felt the baby kick, I answered negative. I had felt some movement, but I wasn’t sure to qualify them as baby movements yet. Then, around the 19 week mark, those movements started coming more frequently and sometimes pretty hard too. I was sure then — these were no random bowel movements but unmistakably the movements of a feisty little athlete (genes definitely not coming from me by the way). Nowadays I feel it mornings, evenings, after I eat, when I’m reading on the couch — it’s a party in there.

From week 16 my belly was still dismissible as a food belly but now at 21 weeks, it is really starting to take shape. My body is starting to show rounder curves, which I love, and very gradually I’m starting to gain more weight. I’m protecting my belly like a precious hub, with infinite layers of warmth and love.

Last week we had our 20 week ultrasound, which was another milestone for us on this journey. The baby has longer legs than average (also genes not coming from me) but everything else looked healthy and sound. Seeing miniature feet, tiny hands waving at us, the outline of the baby’s face — there’s not a single day that goes by that we don’t feel extremely blessed to be granted this miracle.

Oct 24

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The Launch of N°Surreal

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Two years ago I decided to start a magazine. In a landscape already filled with dozens of magazines, about anything you can imagine, the advice everywhere was not to do it. But even in an already saturated market, I felt there was space uninhibited.

I started Currant to represent storytelling with (visual) art. To provide a curated space for fashion photography, poetry and conversations with artists. In a format that isn’t read or thrown away after flipping through a couple of editorials — but one that would feel lasting and away from the distractions of our fast paced lives.

We sell in limited numbers only but are growing steadily with an organic readership base. Generally, when magazines aren’t sold in stores, they are taken back by distributors and destroyed — mostly by enormously large numbers. When I learned this, I knew I didn’t want a part in it. Living in a climate of so much waste already, this is just hurtful. So we only print as we grow and no more.

Currant is a labor of love. A independently curated space, untouched by third parties and stakeholders and I want it to remain that way. The idea isn’t to push consumerism but to make a change through storytelling.

Today we’re starting pre-orders for Currant N°Surreal. There’s nothing like feeling the fruits of your labour in your hands. The smell of freshly pressed paper, stroking the different types of papers and flipping through the amazing spreads.

I have to thank the amazing artists who have contributed to this issue. Who have taken the time to create extraordinary stories and share their visions. We’re only in our second year since the launch but the stories we’ve published so far are one by one gems in fashion photography.

There’s so much on Currant’s roadmap that we’ll be unfolding the coming years. I believe in taking small but dedicated steps. All in good time.

Today I present Currant Magazine — issue N°Surreal. Now available on pre-order in The Currant Shop!

7 Nov

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One Flew over the Baby's Nest

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These days the only thing occupying my mind is the baby. I have become the person I had always feared of becoming — slightly obsessed with anything baby related. I say slightly because I daresay I’m still in control of things. But when I hear my fellow mother friends talk about their children, I know this is just the start of motherhood. That faint gleam in a mother’s eyes when they talk about their pregnancy, that indelible smile on their faces when they look at their children. I’m ready for it.

I realise I haven’t shared the baby’s gender here yet. We’ve been sitting on the news for months now, but wanted to take the time to share it with our family and friends personally first. We found out during our 13 week ultrasound. The sonographer asked us if we wanted to know the baby’s gender. I looked at K, stunned and couldn’t utter a word. The baby’s gender wasn’t even on our minds at that stage. After all we had been through, all we could think of was the baby’s health and if we would pass the 16 week mark. The last thing we expected was to find out that day. I asked the sonographer how certain she was of the gender, knowing at this stage, it was still premature to definitively determine the sex. But she was certain, she said, very certain.

For years now, every time I have dreamt about our first child, it was always this one image, in every dream. Dreams of me holding our child in my arms, of us walking along the seaside with our child running in front of us, of our child looking back at us, smiling, ever so radiant. I can’t believe a couple of months from now, if all goes well, I will finally get to meet her.

18 Nov

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A visit to the Nxt Museum in Amsterdam

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When the Nxt Museum opened a couple of years ago, I remember thinking — how is it something like this hadn't opened before in Amsterdam? There's numerous of new media art museums around the world we've visited over the years, so when Nxt opened in Amsterdam, I was excited to have our very own in the city.

The current exhibition runs until April 2023, themed 'Unidentified Fluid Other'. With large scale multi-sensory exhibitions from artists: Harriet Davey, Oseanworld, Julius Horsthuis, The Fabricant, Audrey Large, Jacolby Satterwhite, Lu Yang, and Ksawery Kirklewski, collectively telling the story of crossing the boundaries between the physical and virtual world. The art installations are immersive and play with themes like journeying through life, feeling nostalgia, navigating new landscapes and searching for our identity.

Exhibitions like these are always good to zoom out a bit from life and to give a new perspective on things.

21 Nov

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Bargain hunting at Designer Outlet Roermond

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I love a good bargain (but then, who doesn't). Half of my closet is the result of hours and hours spent searching for the best finds (in this case, always relative to the price) in the world of designer goods. My YSL Uptown clutch from last year I bought at almost 60% off from MyTheresa, simply by adding it to my wish list and clicking on the newsletter the minute it went into sale. Or my Khaite knit dress I got from Net-a-Porter at almost 50% off this year (pure luck!). Or my red Jimmy Choo heels I bought at MyTheresa at an almost 60% discount.

Whatever the item, sometimes I catch myself enjoying the hunt more than the item. I guess it's in my Asian DNA — no sale is good unless you've won at both price and item.

Visiting the Designer Outlet Roermond, I didn't have anything particular in mind to hunt for. It always comes down to choosing the shop that carries the collection you know and love and striking when you see a good deal. I try to frequent the outlet twice a year and this time around, unfortunately for me, a lot of items weren't available in my size (damn my petite sizing!). There was an oversized blue Burberry trench that I liked; only available from sizes M and up. There was a Gucci ballerina I absolutely adored, which would have went perfect with my Christmas dinner outfits for this year; but it was only available from sizes 38 and up. And then there was this stunning Prada winter coat, which I would have bought, had it not been in the smallest size possible (Italian sizes, what can you do about it).

In the end my eye caught a lovely Burberry cashmere shawl. Soft, to keep me and my belly warm during the holidays and at a price I simply could not let it forego.

22 Nov

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Celebrating 100 years with Huize van Wely

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If there's one craving I've had all pregnancy long, it's anything sweet. It wasn't that bad during the first trimester, but as soon as the second trimester kicked in, all I wanted to eat was whipped cream, macarons, madeleines and all sorts of cakes. It's a miracle I haven't gained too much yet, but looking back at some of those craving-heavy days, I'm amazed I haven't exploded yet.

And so when the invite came for the 100-year anniversary of Dutch patisserie Huize van Wely, I obviously couldn't resist. Huize van Wely has been a constant in our household for as long as I can remember. We have a cake (or two) with every birthday celebration and dinner when we can. I've gone through a long list of favourites from the patisserie. The Number One cake remains one of my favourite — there's something about the beautiful balance of chocolate and hints of fruity and nutty notes I love. The Pierrot is my personal favourite of recent years — I like to have it on my birthday (and, had I not already booked a patisserie for our wedding, we may have chosen the Pierrot then!). And then there's the matcha cake that my family knows and loves.

For the 100-year celebration, organised by &KHO Agency and IT Agency, we had a tasting of various classics from the patisserie, led by head patissier Robin Hoedjes. From a light and fresh lemon merengue pie, to the infamous chocolate bomb — the classics of Huize van Wely are, as always, outstanding and add to the legacy that the patisserie remains to this day.

23 Nov

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A moment of zen at the Weleda City Spa

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'No pregnant woman should go without a massage,' my friend uttered the other day. I couldn't agree with her more. I may have enjoyed the comforts of the second trimester exceedingly too much, now entering the third trimester, I am starting to feel the discomforts of having a growing belly, carrying extra weight in the front, sleep deprivation at night and overall just feeling tired, even after two hours behind the desk.

I had an appointment at the Weleda City Spa this week. If you're familiar with the brand, you'll know that they carry natural body-care products only in their collections. We have a standard tube of the Weleda Skin Food moisturiser in our bathroom cabinet always and use it for nearly every rash or dryness on the skin during the winter. Now with the pregnancy, I am trying out their maternity & baby line, consisting of the maternity oil among others. I've been using it twice a day for the past two weeks to prevent stretch marks and so far so good (and it has the loveliest scent).

At the spa, I was treated to a pregnancy massage. Starting with a warm foot bath, which was so comforting I have now including it in my daily routine at home. From there on, the massage started with me lying on my sides (as the best lying down position for pregnant women). My muscles in my upper leg, lower leg, back area and arms were loosened and treated with the softest of Weleda oils. For the last part, I lay down on my back and the muscles in my neck, shoulders, chest and belly were relieved from all the tension from a whole week's work.

When you're growing a tiny human inside you, there's a lot of processes your body goes through. And with your ongoing life (and work, mind you), it is no luxury to have a moment of peace and zen like this. The massage lasted for an hour but the rest of the week I felt as relaxed as a baby.