I Have A Flat Chest & Not A Lot Of Money: Tips and Tricks for Fashion (Esp. Flat Fashion) On A Budget

Credit: Hannah Morgan @ Unsplash.com

Hello, beautiful people!

Sorry this post is so late this month – I was dealing with some personal issues which set back my health a little bit, and thus my focus was on ‘get back to striving again’ and that took a lot of energy and time. Not to mention that I had 2 books set to release this month (Book4 of the espionage romance Corpus Agency series, and the French translation of Book3 of The Daimsbury Chronicles series). So yeah, March kinda flew by.

Now, back on track. Let’s talk fashion, and style. Most of you know I had breast cancer in 2005 and 2010 – both times resulted in mastectomies (aka surgical removal of the breast tissue), and I opted not to have breast reconstruction done after both (frankly, I didn’t have the money, and even when I found out the government hospitals would do it for free and that my insurance would cover the costs even in a private clinic, I was so not going to go under the knife again. Nope!) Anyway, so what this means is that, since 2010, it looks like I swapped my chest with an ironing board, because I am now flatter than a pre-pubescent boy. My chest is literally skin on the bones of my ribs … and I wouldn’t have it any other way – less chance of a lump developing on that surface and me missing it under my fingers.

Which brings us to fashion. Ever seen a man in a skinny T-shirt?

Salads Make Me Fat … My Journey Into ‘Dieting’ & How That Didn’t Work For Me

Credits: Taylor Kiser @ Unsplash.com

Hello, beautiful people!

I first have to apologize because this blog post was supposed to reach you last Sunday … but I was with a huge cold last Sunday after I had overhauled my entire wardrobe using Marie Kondo’s KonMari method (I’ll tell you more on that in another post as I’m still applying those techniques to my entire house).

So, we’re back on track – fingers crossed this now lasts! You know me and plans, LOL.

You might be wondering, after reading my title, what on Earth I’m rambling about. Because everyone knows that when you want to lose weight, you opt for a salad, dressing on the side or even no dressing at all!

I thought the same, too. But I was wrong!

Let me take you back to sometime around September 2017. I had this maxi-length shirtdress that I loved to wear when going out – it had a drawstring waist that I kept pretty loose because I hate belted clothes as they just make my arse pop out too much. So, this dress wasn’t tight by any means … but one day when I was going out with my mother and I’d worn that dress, it was tight on my hips and midsection. Cue me going ‘Gaaaahhhh!’ and vowing to do everything to lose that weight (I did know how it had settled into place, though. Almost no exercise and worse, no movement in the past couple of months because I’d been at my desk almost 24/7).

Living (& writing) with #BreastCancer...& why I haven't published anything yet this year #Sorry

Hello beautiful people!

I hope you're all doing well. I'm okay, just battling the stupendously cold weather that slammed down on Mauritius this week.

Anywho, by now, you all prolly know I have been diagnosed with cancer. Twice. It's been 5 years since the second diagnosis. I don't really talk about it (it's boring, and there are way more informative and funnier blogs from cancer survivors out there) but I think the time might have come to speak out a little more about what it is to live once you've been diagnosed with cancer.

From Couch Potato To Exercise Freak: My #Fitness Journey Amid #Cancer Struggles

Origin: Rebel Dieticians.us

Hey beautiful people!

Post didn't manage to come in on Wednesday; I hope you won't mind that I moved the day a little as it seems Fridays are/will be a bit less mad in the big scheme of things.

So it was my birthday last week, and when I turned 32 a year ago, I took a long, good look at myself and my lifestyle and I knew something had to give. The thirties were creeping up on me (slow metabolism, finding carbs to be almost toxic to my waistline, sugar making me balloon up, loss of energy, listlessness) and this was all not helped by the fact that I also take Tamoxifen, the estrogen blocker hormone therapy that is a fixture of post-estrogen-receptive cancer diagnosis. It was my fourth year on the drug, and though I'd been originally told on 2010 when I came down with breast cancer for the second time that I would need to take the drug for 5 years, in the meantime, the consensus had changed that the drug should now be taken for 10 years (!!!), to be switched after those 10 years with another drug that caters to post-menopausal women. But in my case, I had come down with this cancer at the age of 27, so 10 years onwards would make me only 37, not at all even close to 'real' menopause and certainly not post-menopausal...

It's October aka Breast Cancer Awareness Month!

Hey guys!

Had a hectic start of the week what with having to drag my husband to the ER when he complained of chest pains (thank goodness it was only bad heartburn!) and all this left me wiped (and hence why there've been no postings so far this week).

But today I'm doing something special that's very close to my heart, and I hope you will share it with me.

I'm talking about Breast Cancer and Breast Cancer Awareness over at the Noble Romance Authors' blog. Please drop by and take a read, and forward the information to the women in your life. This is information that could save a life, so please heed it and drop by.

I address some common perceptions and misconceptions about the disease, such as:

• It happens after you turn 40.
• It happens after menopause.
• If there is a history of breast cancer in your family, get yourself checked.
• If you're on the pill, the risk for breast cancer increases.
• Have a mammogram every 3 years after 30, yearly after 40.
• To have breast cancer, there needs to have a family history of it.
• The more excess weight you carry, the higher your risk of getting breast cancer (especially after 40 and/or menopause)

Here's the link - come on over and please help me share the info about breast cancer. And side note - commentors will be entered for a draw where one of them will win a copy of Walking The Edge.

Looking forward to seeing you over there!

From Mauritius with love,

Zee

Progress Friday

Hey peeps

I know - this slot has been awol for the past 2 weeks. Reason? Let me stop being a total chicken and tell you the whole truth: I hadn't written a word in the past 2 weeks, and since I had no progress to show when I was supposed to be on deadline, I was ashamed of myself.

There you have it. Yes - I've heard it all (cut yourself some slack, take a breather, writers run into a funk sometimes), but none of that really helps when you're contemplating the fact that you are accountable for what is, inherently, your job. I'm an author and my job is to produce books, full stop.

I could try to explain my position the past 2 weeks. Week 1, my son was home on school break (plus there were 2 public holidays - whole family at home - and one of them was a personal celebration for us). In this case, forget about writing, unless you want to be downing Paracetamol tablets by the handful come tea time because writing and looking after a rambunctious 8-year-old equals the headache of the century.
So there, I had already lost my writing pace and groove, and that's the worst thing that can happen to me. When I lose my groove, it's hard to get back in, because I will be questioning myself and whether or not if what I'm writing is good, and will I ever be able to find the same pace and flow as before I was interrupted? That's my biggest Damocles' sword.

Week 2 saw me having a hospital appointment on Wednesday. And so what happens to me whenever I need to go meet my care team, I start getting worried... What if something has happened and I'm no longer in okay health? What if the doctors will have bad news? I'm a nervous wreck whenever I need to meet my doctors (and in case you didn't know, I'm a two-time breast cancer survivor. My second brush with the disease was less than a year ago). So there went the other week, and by the time the appointment came and went (with a clean bill of health for the past 4 months, thank goodness!), I was wiped and it took me the rest of the week to recover. So a cancer scare is my second Damocles sword.

Pair the two swords together, and you get me totally out of commission.

Until something happened to kick my arse and get me back in gear - my lovely publisher, Jill Noble, posted something on Facebook that had me glowing and basking with pride. It was this amazing , 5-star review by Just Erotic Romance Reviews for Walking The Edge.

This gave me faith, in myself and my ability to weave a story that would have readers (hopefully!) enthralled. I sat down and started writing again...

...and let me say the word count has been none too shabby this current week. About 8.4K added to the draft of Before The Morning, and this takes me across the half-way mark to end this week on the 55% line on the expected total word count! Woot!

Oh, and something else I wanted to share with you - my bestie (and she is like a sister to me!), author Angela Guillaume, kickstarted her writing blog this week. After a rev-up post on Monday, she hosted author Hope Tarr on Wednesday for the first of her Wednesday Interview slots. And today, she posts her own progress report. I'm curious to know what she's been up to writing-wise - join me to check out her Progress Friday post, over at her blog, angelaguillaume.blogspot.com

So that's it from me this week, beautiful people! Looking forward to a quiet weekend where I'll catch up on some (very late) crits for my CPs.

Oh, and if you're on Facebook, join me later today for the Friday/Weekend TideOver photo (hunky, yummy men... need I say more? *grin*)

From Mauritius with love,

Zee

Random Thoughts Monday: A Kitchen Slave In The Making!

Posting late today as I'm just coming over from my kitchen. Yup, these blokes have turned me into a cooking slave! Today I made Spanish Rice, Refried Beans, and Salsa. Now if anyone comes up and asks for dessert, I'm gonna blow my top off! :)
Kinda getting into this whole cooking deal. Over the weekend I made pitta bread twice, chicken shawarma, garlic sauce, Chow Mein (or what we call here Fried Noodles!) with chilli-lemon sauce, and homemade Mediterranean/Greek yoghurt. Didn't really 'get' what the whole fuss over Greek yoghurt was until I made it and tasted it. Lots, lots smoother than regular yoghurt. I'm a die-hard Greek yoghurt convert now!
Cooking isn't really that bad really - I was losing a lot of time in the preparation phase. Now since I came across a video on cutting skills, I have to say things are much faster and more efficient. Almost makes you want to cook!
Not to mention the money I'm getting to save. Taking 4 people, of that 2 growing boys who eat exactly like their dad (ie ginorminous portions that they burn off without putting an ounce on! Grrrr!) - let's just say this total adds up. For a third of the cost, I got us all this food at home and we also knew what we were eating, know what I mean?

But something else is nagging at me today. It's just 'one of these days', you know... The thing is, I had set January 31st as a personal deadline for my current writing project. Instead of Done, I'm looking at the gauge being slightly past the halfway mark. Not at all pleased.

Now I know life happens. Sh*t happens too, and I also know a brush with cancer definitely falls in that S category. But then I also think - everyone is dealing with his/her own type of S material. What qualifies me above the lot that I can evoke excuses? I know that since I started this story (start of November 2010), I've had surgery, post-op recovery, daily radiation therapy sessions for 5 consecutive weeks. Still... I don't know. I'm annoyed at myself, because I should've been able to make it, you know?

Oh well... Tomorrow's another day, innit?

Speaking of, yikes - let me tell you what my week will be like!
Monday - Normal (kiddo in school from 8am-3pm, hubby at work 8am-5pm)
Tuesday - Public Holiday (everyone at home, and of course, on my back!)
Wednesday - Normal
Thursday - Public Holiday again *me making a face, coz I'm in one of those rare professions that don't do well with 'impromptu' days off for everyone else*
Friday - Normal

Can anyone hope to get anything 'normal' done in such a setup? I wonder... Wish me luck!

From Mauritius with love,

Zee

Random Thoughts' Monday: ..is back and kickin'!

Hello beautiful people!

Yeah, it's been awhile... A month, actually, Monday to Monday. Yes, I was away, but today I'll tell you the reason why I pulled a disappearing act on my blog (and Internet life in general).

If anyone of you remembers the last week of active posting on this space, you'll recall I had a Tuesday Tidbit post about breast cancer awareness. The day after, I struck a blank as to my usual Writing Wednesday post. At the time I had told you that I was studying and neck deep in exam preparation.

While this was true, there was another reason why I struck a blank that day, and why I've been away. It's name is "breast lump". Towards the end of September, I found, completely by chance, a lump the size of a kidney bean in my other, not-cancer-affected breast. Since that day it's been a barrage of tests and hospital and doctor visits. Needless to say, this completely sapped at my energy. Add to it that I was also taking uni exams, and as usual (bad student that I am!), I had left the bulk of the study to the last few weeks.

After the last exam, I just crashed and burned, no longer able to keep up appearances that all was well. I was also getting ready to go in for surgery. There was no way I was allowing cancer back in my life again! Said intervention happened on Wednesday November 17. I stayed a total of 6 days in hospital, and returned home the following Monday. I was in functioning order, but still not allowed to do much. Drove me nuts, actually! I gradually got back into the Internet life (about died from not having a connection while at the hospital!), but then the 'joys' of recovery caught up with me. I start the day all eager to tackle some stuff, but boom! 11 am and all I feel like is going to sleep. :) Doesn't make for a very productive life, innit?

Still, that now out of the way, I hope you peeps will understand why I've been away. But I'm back, and here for good now, lol!

And oh yeah, I've also started a new story while in the hospital (I wrote on my qwerty phone. I know, everyone thought I was a freak there too!). I'm updating the meter to look forward to the progress on this new WIP, which is a little something I'm doing after being fired up by the events of the SYTYCW Harlequin event.

So I hope I'm welcome once more... Missed ya all, and looking forward to catching up!

From Mauritius with love,

Zee

Tidbit Tuesday: Breast Cancer Awareness!

Common stuff most women (usually over 30) know about breast cancer:

• It happens after you turn 40.
• It happens after menopause.
• If there is a history of breast cancer in your family, get yourself checked.
• If you're on the pill, the risk for breast cancer increases.
• Have a mammogram every 3 years after 30, yearly after 40.
• To have breast cancer, there needs to have a family history of it.

All of this is true, to a certain extent, but this is just the tip of the iceberg where breast cancer is really concerned!

I knew all about these aspects of breast cancer. Hadn't heard about them but read about them online (thanks to newsletters of women-oriented sites like iVillage.com and sofeminine.co.uk). I'm also one of those anal 'patients' who reads all the literature about any drug I take, thus I knew there was a risk when taking the pill because I read that small sheet with the kill-your-eyes small font.

I thought I knew. I thought I was covered. I thought I had time (I was in my early twenties).

How wrong I had been! It took me finding a solid, golf-ball sized lump in my left breast to drive it all home. I had celebrated my 22nd birthday a week earlier. That's when I fell on any information about breast cancer I could find, and helped along by my terrific oncologist answering my every nit-picky question, I found a picture that is most of the time hidden.

Let's take some of those common knowledge stuff listed above.

It happens after 40.
Not necessarily. It depends what type of cancer - estrogen-receptor positive or estrogen-receptor negative (more on that in a minute). Most women are more at risk of the estrogen-linked cancer than the rest.

It happens after menopause.
Again, largely due to the estrogen receptor. A big catalyst of the 'after menopause' debate is the use of Hormone-Replacement Therapy.

If there's a history of breast cancer in your family, get yourself checked.
Only too true! Breast cancer in the family is the genetic type of cancer, the one that gets passed on through genes. A mutation in specific genes, BRCA-1 and BRCA-2, is responsible for the cancer triggering. And these don't heed age - they won't wait until you're over 40 to strike! (as it was the case with me).

If you're on the pill, the risk for breast cancer increases.
True - but again this is the estrogen-receptor positive type of breast cancer that comes into play.

Have a mammogram every 3 years after 30, yearly after 40.
True - prevention is better than cure. But a mammogram is not prevention enough, not even yearly, at any age! I'll tell you why shortly.

To have breast cancer, there needs to be a family history of it.
Yes, and no. Furthermore, do you know your whole family history?

Let me explain some more.
So there is a difference between breast cancer brought on by hormonal changes (estrogen. No need for me to tell you estrogen and progesterone are the main female hormones. Pills and hormone-replacement therapy work on altering the level of these hormones in the body to get the desired outcome, ex prevent pregnancy in the former's case), and breast cancer brought on by genetic mutation.

A cancer is basically cells growing too quickly especially where they shouldn't. The difference between breast cancer brought on by estrogen (thus which has estrogen-receptors positive) and one brought on by genes (estrogen-receptor negative) is the development and proliferation rate of the abnormal cells. A genetic-type cancer is many times more rapid and more aggressive than one brought on by hormones.

So then we know that hormone-type cancer's risk increases the minute you go over 40 (your body preparing to go into menopause, even if that if still a decade away). Genes do not wait for you to turn 40.
Which is why having a mammogram every 3 years after 30 and yearly after 40 is not prevention enough if it happens that a genetic-type cancer hits you. With a gene-mutation cancer, a lump can develop overnight, and double or even treble in size over 1-2 weeks (it was the case for me. Between the day the lump was noticed and the 5 days after which it was removed, it had nearly doubled in size!). You can thus have your mammogram in January, the cancer declares itself in February, and in March it has already hit your lymph nodes and spread.

Then what do you do, if mammograms are not prevention enough? Simple - you take matters into your own hand, literally! No one knows your body as well as you do.
Breast self-exam is your biggest pro-active shield towards recognizing breast cancer!
Ideally, this exam should be done 10 days or so into your cycle. But it has become painfully aware, to me, that a lump will not wait for Day 10 of the cycle to happen. Carry out the exam more often than just once a month, if you can.

Now you can tell me I'm blowing hot air over genetic-type breast cancer and there is no history of breast cancer in your family. Fine - but do you know your full family history? Maybe someone had it but didn't advertise it. Maybe one of your ancestors had breast cancer in the 1800s or in the 1900s - the gene might be there, silent for generations, and then bingo, it decides you're the lucky winner for it to become activated!

The final line - better be safe than sorry! Be aware of your own health, and take your well-being into your own hands, whatever your age! A breast self-exam takes 15 minutes tops, and the more you do it, the more attuned you become to your body. 15 minutes now and then, regularly, is not a heavy price to pay compared to cancer, the hours of worry, the agony of surgery and recovery, the hell of chemotherapy treatment and the torture of radiation therapy!

Do your self-exam. Get a mammogram yearly. Get regular check-ups with your gynecologist. Breast cancer caught early has an almost 100% survival rate.

I wrote today's post as part of the WOW-Women on Writing Blanket Tour for Healing with Words: A Writer's Cancer Journey by Diana M. Raab, MFA, RN
(www.dianaraab.com).
The book includes Diana's experiences, reflections, poetry and journal entries, in addition to writing prompts for readers to express their own personal stories. A survivor of both breast cancer and multiple myeloma, Raab views journaling to be like a daily vitamin--in that it heals, detoxifies and is essential for optimal health.
Diana, the author of eight books, spent 25 years as a medical and self-help writer before turning to poetry and memoir. She teaches creative journaling and memoir in UCLA Extension Writers' Program.

If you comment on today's post you'll be entered to win a copy of Healing with Words: A Writer's Cancer Journey. To read Diana's post about breast cancer and a list of other blogs participating in Diana's Blanket Tour visit The Muffin.
http://muffin.wow-womenonwriting.com/2010/09/blanket-tour-for-diana-raab.html

From Mauritius with love,

Zee