Preparing for my second body-profile shoot while unwell

This is a personal record from the original publication date. Food, exercise, weight, and procedure experiences describe one person’s circumstances, rather than current treatment recommendations or guaranteed outcomes.

I feel worn out. A proper, nourishing rice meal today.

An IKEA lamp (the precise model named in the source is unconfirmed). A gentle pull adjusts the brightness.

The main bathroom. I like the masonry partition.

I put a lot of thought into this cabinet. It looks lovely. I had not realized that the ceiling would be higher than in our previous 30-pyeong-range home, so I placed the clothes rail right at the top. It was too high, and we lowered it a little later.

Folding doors keep things warm in winter and make the space feel open and extended in spring and summer.

I do not want salad. Another filling rice meal. When I feel ill, I do not feel like eating greens.

The real-estate agent sent abalone to celebrate our move. Our helper found a recipe and made butter-grilled abalone. It was delicious. I love seafood; this was a tasty way to eat protein and regain some energy.

Pork and braised kimchi—so delicious. While I am unwell, I just want to eat properly.

Fortunately, my weight has not been climbing. Eating plenty of protein seems to have helped me avoid further gain.

With so many patients, moving, renovations, headaches, and positional vertigo, I was so dizzy I could hardly walk. I was exhausted and had sores throughout my mouth; I felt run down.

It was too cold to go out in only a workout top, so I bought a long-sleeved top and corduroy-style leggings. They were lovely. I bought the matching set at Danskin on discount.

Two days before the shoot, the dizziness had eased a little, and I went to Pilates just to practice poses.

My Pilates instructor checked my positions before the shoot.

The important thing was pointing the toes. It makes the legs look longer, rather like wearing heels. Even with a leg raised in the air, fully extending the foot changes the line.

I had pointed my feet so much that the muscles on top cramped. My instructor suggested extending as if drawing the foot out long, rather than simply curling the toes in. That looked better and felt a little easier.

Placing the supporting foot slightly toward the camera also makes the leg appear longer. Engage the abdomen, draw the rib cage in, keep the shoulders away from the ears, and draw the chin back. Contracting the gluteal muscles clearly lifts and fills out the upper hip line.

Perhaps posing counts as exercise: my muscles felt tight, and the measured muscle mass rose slightly.

My morning protein drink felt too rich, so I ordered chamomile tea at Starbucks. It tasted wonderful and gave me a lift. Interesting.

The morning of the shoot: measured muscle mass had risen slightly. Even without intense exercise, about two light Pilates sessions a week, walking up to the 12th floor, and protein-focused meals had helped me maintain things for three months without regain. A relief.

Breakfast was konjac-and-oat rice with salted squid. I had heard salted squid or octopus made muscles look fuller, so that is what I ate on shoot day. At the time I also sharply reduced fluids: from my usual 2–3 liters to 1L yesterday and half a cup today.

I took a bus to Flynn Studio and found a beautiful café while walking. The shoot was at 1 p.m., and they asked me to arrive by 11:40. I arrived at 10 to allow plenty of time. I had not tidied my nails, but no nail salon was open then. While looking for a café instead, a vacuum-tube audio system drew me inside.

A grand piano, a vacuum-tube radio, and books I love!

This place was my idea of heaven. I love this kind of café—Book Café Sanchaek. The owner asked what I wanted to hear. I requested cello music, then pop songs, and they played both.

It was my first time listening to vacuum-tube audio, and it felt like discovering a new world. The speakers sounded wonderful. They must be expensive!

I had been told to wash my hair but leave it untied. Wearing only sunscreen on my pale face, I read and spent time alone in the café until 11:20, then walked to Flynn Studio.

Then a problem: my phone malfunctioned, suddenly fell to 0% battery, and shut down. The story of the shoot will come next.