Are any of you a morning person? I haven't been for a while. There was this semester in Uni that I go to bed around 11 pm every night, and wake up and hit the gym around 7. I still don't know how I did it, but I do remember how good it felt to have that extra few hours before class. So, one of my 2018 resolutions is to become a morning person again. I challenged myself for the past 2 weeks to wake up before 10 am in the morning and to not work my ass off all the way till 5 am at night. I did some research for tips, and here are the ones I experimented. Keep scrolling!

你們是早起之人嗎？老實說，我完全不是。大學曾經有個學期，我幾乎天天十二點以前上床睡覺，然後七點出門運動。這曇花一現的健康時光，回想起來實在難以相信，也不知道到底是如何辦到的（笑）唯一有印象是這習慣帶來的正面能量，精神體力都極好，做起事來也頗有效率。或著是現階段工作型態的關係，不像大部分人有固定時間與行程，早的時候很早，當然寫稿寫到隔天天亮也是常有的事。所以呢，今年我給自己唯一的「新年新希望」就是能養成更有規律的生活作息。上網搜尋了些方法，給自己兩週挑戰，記錄了些心得，一起來看看吧。

1. Turn off the phone, light up a candle & read

When I was reading articles about waking up early, one of the most mentioned tips is to have a digital detox an hour before your actual bedtime. So I turned off my phone and laptop, committing an entire hour to quietness. With social media playing such a big part of our work & personal life, keeping my hands off Instagram was harder than I expected. For that hour, I decided to do a bit reading. I’m currently finishing Her Again, a fascinating series of stories about Meryl Streep! The book provides insights on how she became the inspiring and powerful woman she is now.

在所有關於早起的文章中，都會提到睡前一小時盡量不要用任何電子產品。這對現代人來說，的確有難度。我自己也是重度手機使用者之一，不管是在工作還是私人生活，它都佔了很大一部分。為了更有效率的執行，這十多天爬上床鋪前，我都直接將收訊功能調至飛航模式，接著把電腦收進明天的包包裡。窩進被單，點了蠟燭，好好看本書。

最近在讀的「永遠的最佳女主角」是在說梅莉史翠普的故事；不過，作者著墨的重點不是在於她的巨星身份，而是探討幾十年前的年輕女子如何在眾目睽睽下，歷經一次次的失敗與挑戰找出定位、自我認同並勇於發聲。推薦給大家。

→ Current favourite reading companion: Miller Harris

I love lighting up candles during my reading time. I've been a Miller Harris perfume fan for years (And I love their shop in Covent Garden!). However, I only discovered their scented candle when Samantha Cameron had chosen the East London brand as her gift to Michele Obama. The founder, Lyn Harris, is famous for keeping it's materials in their most natural scent, keeping their delicacy. Respecting tradition and pushing boundaries at the same time.

閱讀時光怎麼能少了香氛呢？我很喜歡收集香氛蠟燭，如果是早期的讀者應該很常聽我講（笑）。最近的新歡是來自東倫敦的 Miller Harris，是他們香水的愛好者有段時間了，但一直到前些年英國首相將品牌的贈送給歐巴馬夫婦才發現原來他們也有在經營這蠟燭一塊。創辦人 Lyn Harris，有著約十五年的經驗，以大自然為靈感，四處收集珍貴的花草植物，以細膩的技巧與工藝，在不改變材料本身的調性與味道的前提下，孕育出適合不同人、事與季節的香氛。這樣的手法，是對大自然最有誠意的詮釋。

My Scent for the Night: Rêve De Verger 屬於太陽下山後的時光，薄暮甜梨。

I like something sweet & calming like the Rêve De Verger for my night candles. With the scent of pear orchard, it instantly provides a warm feeling to the atmosphere. I also love its subtle woody notes that comes from Agastache and cedar, making the entire scent slightly more muscular. Just as the website indicates, its the smell of a beautiful sun-setting evening, with a bonfire!

晚上的時候，我偏好帶有點甜味的香氛。如同此款黃色瓶身的薄暮甜梨蠟燭，那恰恰好的梨香與菊香特別有撫慰作用。後調的白松，替整體增添了些溫暖的木質氣息，腦海不禁浮現了營火的畫面；將果香、花香與木香拿捏得令人著迷。如同閱讀一樣，是款能靜下人心的香氛蠟燭，在這樣的冬天夜晚，極其合適。

2. Get ready the night before

The best thing about being a morning person is to have some quality time before you start the day. And I decided to push in a little extra by planning my outfit the night before so that I don't spend so much time wondering which knit to go for and ended up still rushing out the door (I'm sure you can relate!). It gave me a considerable amount of time to have breakfast, read more AND got to work earlier.

在我看來，早起最大的好處，就是讓我們再開始一整天的忙碌行程前，多了點與自己相處的時光。有人會運動、看報紙或是為自己準備一份豐富的早餐。但，我又再更貪心一點，想把這時間拉更長，所以在前晚睡前都會把隔天要穿的衣服、鞋子甚至是包包的預備好。畢竟，已經有太多次明明很早起，卻因為在想要穿什麼衣服上花了太多時間，導致依舊匆匆忙忙的出門。這週下來，不只時間上更充裕，我還能比預計抵達工作地點的時刻早更多，好有成就感！

3. Have a morning routine to look forward to.

Here comes my favourite part of this challenge. Having an extra hour or two to do anything I want. Recently, I've been loving this routine that I drink yoghurt, read the new, and break down my schedule on my daily planner. Not only I get to receive info, but it also gives me a heads up on how my day would look like. I always feel soooo productive and motivated if I get to finish this entire routine, and it is that good feeling that prevents the snoozing!

以前，起床的時間總是剛剛好，洗好澡換了衣服，就得三步併成兩步趕快出門。不過這兩週試著更早起後，便得以放慢步調。好好讀報紙，是我一直以想做卻很少實現的事，而自從在週刊編輯開始撰稿後，這份慾望也就更強烈。於是，在這充裕的兩小時，變成了我用來吸收資訊的時光，一邊喝最近很喜歡的優格、仔細咀嚼不同專欄裡的文字，那感受遠超過手機裡的新聞APP。接著，會花五到十分鐘把一整天的行程分成一個個時段寫下來，在腦海裡跑一遍，心也跟著踏實。這兩項看似平凡的靜態活動，卻足以讓我充足電，更有動力迎接接下來的挑戰，而正是這樣的好心情，讓我忘記賴床這件事呢！

The Morning Scent:Cassie en Feuille

Surprise, surprise...I light up another candle when I'm sitting in front of the desk enjoying my morning routine! Cassie en Feuille is my go-to scent candle for the morning, it comes with a refreshing smell, which I personally think is perfect for daytime. The bursting smell of leaves & vines, as if you're sitting in the middle of a garden; topped with a slight sweetness of blackcurrant, bringing the warmness of nature into your room.

If Rêve de Verger is meant to calm your mind, then this one is here to boost your mood, giving you just enough energy to kick start the day. Recommending this to anyone who loves leafy green scents!

白天都點什麼樣的香氛蠟燭呢？Miller Harris 的綠意花徑，如其名，點燃後彷彿自己正盤腿坐在草葉翠綠中。味道很清新、清爽，與水果味偏重的前一款截然不同。當然，這也不是大家腦腦海既定、刻板的綠意盎然，前調中的佛手柑和黑醋栗帶出了很細微的甜，十分平衡。若說，夜晚的薄暮甜梨會讓人的身心靈達到放鬆，做好休息的準備；那麼，有著沈著藍色外觀的綠意花徑就是屬於即將出門奮鬥的早晨。

當然，不只味道令人印象深刻，Miller Harris 在整體的設計上也同樣令人難忘。飽和的色澤與霧面的材質，一擺出來就知道不一樣。它，不只是香氛蠟燭，還是一款很令人傾心的家飾。關於這點，我可是在一拆開盒子就著實感到讚嘆，太美！果然，產品的外觀是我最大的弱點（笑）

There you go, my tips on becoming a morning person! I've only been doing this for the past two weeks, and though so far it works pretty well, I'm still adapting this brand new lifestyle. Do you guys wake up early? Share your tips and routine below! I'd love to know x

好的，這就是我歷經兩週早起挑戰後的心得！也期許自己能繼續執行下去，如果成功了，再去入手一款香氛蠟燭犒賞自己吧（遮臉）你們有什麼可以讓自己保持早起習慣的方法嗎？還是大家如果可以的話，也都會一不小心睡到中午？在留言處一塊兒分享吧！

IN COLLABORATION WITH 10 /10 APOTHECARY FOR MILLER HARRIS - PHOTOGRAPHY BY ROSA PRODUCTIONS

ARE YOU A MORNING PERSON?