Sugarcake

[boujeegemini]

[driflloon]

ballet rebel : karmay ngai for vogue china october 2013

[dumbbrunette0x]

[t-h-e-flower-girl]

[nerd--vana]

[natalinaofficial]

www.instagram.com/officialnatalina

[lizzthedolll]

[kissthebunni]

♡ ˖⋆˙

[04k96]

Via

[humans-of-seoul]

[3/3] “목숨을 걸고 동대문으로 돌아간 이유는 집에 묻어둔 쌀 때문이었어. 피난을 떠나기 전에 부엌 흙바닥을 파고 큰 독을 묻었어. 그 안에 쌀을 넣고 흙을 다시 덮어두었지. 피난을 다니는 동안 제대로 된 밥을 먹지 못했어. 남의 집 방 하나를 얻어 지내는데 먹을 것이 어디 있겠어. ‘집에 돌아가면 쌀이 있다.’, ‘조금만 더 참으면 배불리 밥을 먹을 수 있다.’ 그 생각 하나로 버틴 거야. 그렇게 겨우 집에 도착했는데 쓸 만한 물건이 하나도 남아 있지 않았어. 누군가 뒤쪽의 진흙 담을 뚫고 집 안으로 들어온 거야. 부엌 바닥에 묻어두었던 쌀도 모두 가져갔어. 말로 다 못할 만큼 허탈했지. 쌀을 가져간 사람을 원망할 수는 없었어. 피난을 가지 못해 서울에 남은 사람들도 먹을 것이 없었을 테니까. 어머니는 가족을 먹여 살리려고 장사를 시작했어. 동대문 시장에 나가 떡도 팔고, 입던 옷도 가져다 팔았어. 보리를 사다가 맷돌에 갈고, 물을 많이 부어 죽처럼 묽게 끓여 먹었어. 조금이라도 오래 먹으려고 밥보다 물이 더 많은 것을 끓였지. 그렇게 한 끼씩 버티면서 살아냈어. 사람들은 어떻게 그 시간을 버텼느냐고 물어. 글쎄. 먹을 것이 없으면 없는 대로 버텼어. 추우면 추운 대로 견뎠고, 걸어야 하면 걸었어. 살아야 한다는 생각조차 제대로 하지 못했던 것 같아. 그냥 죽지 않았으니까 다음 날도 살았던 거지. 나는 지금 마포에 살아. 한강에 올 때마다 그때 생각이 나. 얼음이 깨질까 봐 수많은 사람이 밤새 강 앞에서 기다리던 모습도 생각나고, 다섯 살짜리 동생과 얼음 위를 걸었던 일도 생각나. 우리를 재워준 할아버지도 생각나고, 정말 돌아와 우리를 배에 태워준 아들도 생각나. 강을 반쯤 건넜을 때 날이 밝아오던 순간도, 허리까지 물에 들어가던 순간도 잊히지 않아. 지금 생각하면 꿈같기도 해. 누군가에게 이 이야기를 해주면 어떤 사람은 울고, 어떤 사람은 그게 가능한 일이냐고 물어. 나도 가끔은 내가 겪은 일이 맞나 싶을 때가 있어. 하지만 여기 한강에 오면 알아. 내가 정말 이 강을 건넜구나. 그렇게 우리는 살아냈구나.”

[3/3] “The reason we risked our lives to return to Dongdaemun was the rice hidden at home. Before we fled, we buried a large jar beneath the dirt floor of our kitchen. We put rice inside and covered it with dirt again. During our time as refugees, we couldn’t eat proper food. We could get a room in a stranger’s house, but where were we supposed to get something to eat? ‘There’s rice at home.’ ‘Hold on a little longer, and we’ll eat our fill.’ Those thoughts alone sustained us. We’d only just gotten home when we found there wasn’t a single usable thing left. Someone had gone through the earthen wall at the back and entered the house. They took everything, even the rice buried under the kitchen floor. I don’t have words to describe how hollow this made us feel. We couldn’t blame the person who took the rice. Those who couldn’t flee Seoul would’ve had nothing to eat. My mother started a business to earn a living to feed the family. She went to Dongdaemun market to sell rice cakes, and she took worn clothing to sell, too. She bought barley, ground it with a millstone, added a lot of water, and boiled it into a porridge for us to eat. She cooked with more water than solids so the food would stretch further. We survived by living life one meal at a time. People ask how we survived that time. Hard to say. If there was nothing to eat, there was nothing to eat. If it was cold, you put up with it. And if you had to walk, you walked. I don’t think I really even thought about having to survive. Simply because I hadn’t died, I lived another day. I live in Mapo now. Every time I come to the Han River, it reminds me of that time. I remember the many people waiting all night by the river, afraid that the ice would break, and I remember walking on that ice with my five-year-old sibling, too. I think of the elderly man who let us stay with him, and his son who actually came back and gave us a ride in his boat. I haven’t forgotten the moment when we were about halfway across the river and day started breaking, and I went into the waist-high water. It almost feels like a dream when I think of it now. Some people cry when I tell them this story, and others ask if it really happened. There are times even I wonder if I really experienced all of this. But I know for sure that I did when I come here to the Han River. I really crossed this river. This is really how we survived.”

[boujeegemini]

[candybisous]

Thierry Mugler

[nocuer]

“Why aren’t you married?” I need to get the Porsche GT3 first

[sweet----lie]

Alexandra Saint Mleux

[coquette-club]

[luxoffux]

[theposhsworld]

Beauty isn’t just genetics. It’s maintenance. And maintenance has a price.

People love to pretend beauty is effortless, but the reality is much less glamorous. Looking soft, rested, feminine, and put together usually comes from having the time, resources, and peace of mind to make it happen.

Stress shows. Financial instability shows. Exhaustion shows. Constant survival mode leaves its mark no matter how naturally pretty someone is.

Beauty thrives in the right environment. It needs stability. It needs a calm mind. It needs access to good food, quality skincare, healthcare, rest, and the freedom to invest in yourself instead of constantly putting out fires.

That’s why beauty is so fragile. Almost anyone can maintain it for a season, but sustaining it year after year is another story. It takes consistency, and consistency becomes much easier when your life is supported instead of stretched thin.

That’s why I believe choosing a life that protects your peace isn’t superficial. It’s one of the smartest investments you can make. A woman flourishes when she’s well cared for, financially secure, emotionally at ease, and able to pour back into herself.

Protect your beauty the same way you protect your future. They’re more connected than most people are willing to admit.