Love. Life.

New place, new companion

2010-11-07T23:58:00.001Z

I have recently moved to a new place, a lot has happened, mainly sad things unfortunately, but I've managed to pull through. I'm really happy to report about the new companions at my new place: my landlady's three adorable cats.

There are always cats in my room, on my bed, under my bed, at my new place.

Socks loves sleeping on my bed. He's an old cat. He doesn't ask for much attention (as long as he gets his beauty sleep) so he's quite a pleasant cat.

Beanie likes to stay on my lap, whenever I'm in front of the computer. She demands more attention than any other cats.

These cats snore too, just like human beings.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Gloomy

2010-11-07T18:44:00.001Z

Forecast for this week's weather. Thank god that I work in an office, not outside. Still, more sunshine please. I'm really missing Egypt's sunny weather.

This is where I need to be. I don't like cold weather anymore, or spending money on winter clothing.

Fluffy

2010-05-10T22:18:00.001+01:00

I saw a cute kitty on my way home today. I'm always looking out for cats by the windows. I shall call him/her Fluffy. I tried to get a better shot at Fluffy but failed as he/she got too excited when I kept making 'Meow' noises to get Fluffy's attention.

I miss Jelly. How is she doing?

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Unshakeable

2010-05-09T23:06:00.000+01:00

I've been feeling down & disappointed lately, as much as I want to be a happy person, things will not always be the way I want them to be.

Recently, I have had a conversation with my mother. I asked her to send something to me & before she could hang up, I reminded her whether she still has my new address (I moved to a new place at the end of Feb) & I found out that she could memorise my new address but she has never used my new address before. Then she told me that she has been praying for me everyday & mentioned my location (address) in her prayer. I am touched.

From now on, there's more reason for me to be positive and that will mean that my mom's prayer has been answered. Thanks & Happy (belated) Mother's Day. :)

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

New Header - Red Glitter Flat Shoes

2010-01-11T02:12:00.003Z

I took this photo on one morning days ago, before going to work & decided to make it into the header as above. I'm not really proud of showing the spider veins, but I'm proud of the shoes that I got at the kids department at Zara, even though I can't really walk in them for more than half an hour or they will hurt like hell...

It's 2:16 a.m. in a Monday early morning. I should be sleeping, but I'll have something sweet to wake up to, the Glee cast soundtrack on my Iphone :)

This weekend

2010-01-10T00:39:00.000Z

Another post with bad quality photos. Anyway, I'm at my friend's place for the weekend & also for her house warming party. I really dig her place, a brand new apartment with a 47' plasma tv. I've been watching music channels & listening to sappy old love songs which I've always enjoyed & missed since I left my tv in Leeds.

I gave her the bad cat desk calendar & a set of Russian dolls for her coming soon birthday / house-warming:

The last little Russian one reminds me of one of the ghostly character from Spirited Away, I couldn't get a close up from either of my functioning cameras...

At the moment, I'm so mad about the musical comedy Glee! I've watched 12 episodes straight on Thursday night after coming home from work. It's like high school musical & sister act 2 but only better, in my opinion. A Glee badge & Glee soundtrack are on my most wanted list. Ok, I'm gonna continue watching sappy love music videos on Magic channel.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

New year, new bag

2010-01-04T23:23:00.002Z

Miky bought me this bag when we went on a short trip to York on the 2nd January. I was really really happy to have stepped in a Cath Kidston store for the very first time, like a kid to the candy store, even tough everything is so expensive there! This carry-all-bag is on sale, even though it looks a bit like mum's bag or I sometimes feel like carrying a piece of curtain / bed linen.....it's still pretty & I like red, better than the grey one which is on sale too!

I just updated the software on iPhone which I should have done ages ago hence I get to post this thru my iPhone from some free apps that I have downloaded since yesterday! The photos for these posts will obviously be a bit blurry & crappy (only 2 mega pixels) but saves quite a lot of time from uploading photos from camera to my slow pc.

So here it is, first post from year 2010! New year resolutions?! Spend less & hand made more crafty stuff!

-Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Tori Amos Birmingham Concert 7 September 2009

2009-10-13T00:50:00.001+01:00

Tori Amos in concert, Birmingham UK, 7th September 09

I made a last minute decision to go to Tori Amos concert in Birmingham on the day before I started work. I won the bid for the ticket for a very centered 7th row seat on Ebay. I have been very lucky to be able to see Tori in concert for the 3rd time in these 6 years time living in the UK.

I have always loved Tori Amos, her music, her piano playing style...she's like a piano aficionado's dream come true. But I've never really listened to her albums after The Beekeeper album. I just preferred the songs from her earlier albums. She played quite a few songs from the album, From The Choir Girl Hotel... if I'm not mistaken, she had some miscarriages while making that album. It was a sad time for her and yet the songs she created are so powerful.

I'm way behind with updates here after I started work last month here, in Derby. It has been very tiring and I can hardly find any time after work and while I have spent most of the past weekends at Miky's place in Leeds.

I'm still trying to adjust my life here, at a new home, new city, new work place. I'm happy to have some income now. I'm still feeling content, even though I may complain from time to time, that I finally get to work again.

Blythe Doll - Prima Dolly Violet (SOLD)

2009-08-28T15:24:00.005+01:00

Blythe Doll Prima Dolly Violet (Sold)

She is in the UK. I am her second owner. Customisation done: bang/fringe is trimmed by her first owner, apple & red diamond pull charm is included. Original pull ring, shoes and outfits as shown on photos, original box & shipper box are included. White strawberry hair clip on her hair is included too. For shipping details, please visit Royal Mail Price Finder and choose your destination country and type in 700 gram. I would prefer International Signed For Small Packet for sending overseas. She's my first Blythe Doll, again, I'll be really sad to part with her but I'm going to downsize my Blythe Doll collection to two.

Sorry for quite a vague introduction as I just found out that I will have to move next weekend and start my new job on 8th September, which is a good news for me but I'm never an organised person and packing & moving are always stressful for me.

Red Thai Curry

2009-08-24T02:15:00.002+01:00

Red Thai Curry with Cauldron marinated tofu pieces

I got this recipe from the carton that comes with Cauldron marinated tofu pieces. It was originally called 'Jungle Curry' and I added coconut milk to it and twisted the recipe a bit. It was my first time cooking curry dishes with coconut milk and it turns out to be edible. I'm never a cooking person. To most of my friends, whenever we are in the kitchen, the best job for me will be cutting up vegetables. Even Miky thinks I'm trying to murder garlic cloves, as I always try to crush the garlic with the side of a knife really loudly and it scares him.

I'm trying to include lots of brocolli and carrots into my diet as they are the classic food that can help prevent cancer and also food that contain high anti-oxidant such as blueberries. I saw photos of this 27 year old girl having tumour in her breasts on Flickr and it worries me. It was really sad to read that she tried to go to a cancer support group and she found no one there at about her age. I've been reading some articles online on cancer prevention and been telling about it to my aunt (who's a nose cancer survivor) and my mother. I will try and stay as healthy as possible and eat less junk food, fried food, food containing sugar, salt and dairy products.

Cotton Time Magazine July 09

2009-08-24T01:35:00.003+01:00

Cover of Cotton Time Magazine Issue July 09

I've received my first every issue of Cotton Time magazine about two weeks ago on a Friday. I was over the moon, even though it cost about £26 including postage from US, which is a bit ridiculous as it's a Japanese sewing / craft magazine published in Japan and I had to get it from US. I think the price is fair enough considering that if I had bought it from someone in Japan, it will cost almost the same with longer waiting time for the post to arrive. The following pages are some of my favourites craft projects featured in the magazine:

I felt amazed to see this cutie cat being featured in a craft / sewing magazine. It just reminds me of Jelly, the cat I used to have. She likes cat grass as well and will go crazy for cat nip toys.

It brings back a mixed feelings that I have for Jelly. She's a darling and a hard work too. I didn't have the energy, patience and ability to take care of her by myself. It was my first time living by myself, the bills and rent had eaten away half of my monthly salary. I felt so lonely, even with the companion of Jelly. I could tell that she's lonely and desperately in need of the attention that I couldn't give her most of the time when I'm at work. I had trouble litter-train her and most of the time I end up coming back from work having to pick up poops under the bath room sink. She wasn't like that when I was living in a shared house. There's no cat flap for her to roam outside whenever she wanted. I know there are people who can keep indoor cats perfectly fine but I really didn't anticipate that I am not that type of person who can do it and have it all. I keep hoping that one day, when I have a home of my own and a family to come home too, maybe I'll be able to have pets again.

50 Random Things...

2009-08-06T15:38:00.000+01:00

Once you've been tagged, you have to answer this and tag 15 people, including the person who tagged you.

I got tagged so here goes:

1. What color is your toothbrush?
Blue & Pink

2. Name one person who made you smile today:
Miky & Sabrina

3. What were you doing at 8am this morning?
Still sleeping.

4. What were you doing 45 minutes ago?
Surfing on the internet

5. What is your favorite candy bar?
Kinder Bueno

6. Have you ever been to a strip club?
Not yet, maybe someday...

7. What is the last thing you said aloud?
"Miky, you better buy me the potato wedges from Morrisons on your way here!"

8. What is your favorite ice cream flavor?
Coconut Dream & Chocolate

9. What was the last thing you had to drink?
Vitamin Water - Power C

10. Do you like your wallet?
Yes, not too heavy.

11. What was the last thing you ate?
Olives!

12. Have you bought any new clothing items this week?
No, not yet, but I really want to buy dresses from ASOS.com & Mina UK.

13. The last sporting event you watched?
Wimbledon 2009 - Andy Roddick vs. Roger Federer

14. What is your favorite flavor of popcorn?
honey?

15. Who is the last person you sent a text message to?
Miky, asking him to buy me potato wedges.

16. Ever go camping?
Never been to, would love to someday!

17. Do you take vitamins daily?
Not really

18. Do you go to church every Sunday?
no, once in a while when my friend invite me to.

19. Do you have a tan?
A bit, since it's summer at the moment.

20. Would you choose Chinese food over pizza?
Yes, definitely!!!

21. Do you drink your soda with a straw?
Sometimes

22. What did your last text message say?
"Honey, r u going pass Morrisons later on? If yes, can u help me buy 1 portion of potato wedges at the deli / hot food counter in Morrisons? Not frozen one, they r next to the hot roast chicken, it costs 75p per portion n ask for garlic sauce which is included, thanks! xxx"

23. What are you doing tomorrow?
Not sure yet, stay at home or go to town to pay my credit card bills.

25. Look to your left, what do you see?
A box & a pink place mat.

26. What color is your watch?
light blue.

27. What do you think of when you hear Australia?
A magical place that I would like to visit someday.

29. Do you go in at a fast food place or just hit the drive thru?
Go in.

30. What is your favorite number?
Number 3

31. Who's the last person you talked to on the phone?
Sabrina Wong

32. Any plans today?
Do laundry and eat potato wedges!

33. How many states have you lived in?
as in USA?

34. Biggest annoyance right now?
When can I start work? credit card bills...

35. Last song listened to?
Celine Dion's 'A New Day Has Come'

36. Can you say the alphabet backwards?
Not really, will need longer time

37. Do you have a maid service clean your house?
No, but I do feel like a maid sometimes when my housemates don't help with cleaning the kitchen and toilet.

38. Favorite pair of shoes you wear all the time?
These red polka dot with bow flat shoes from Office, they are called the Ely Bow shoes. They look more like Minnie Bow shoes!

39. Are you jealous of anyone?
Hate to admit this but yes. I'm human, can't help it.

40. Is anyone jealous of you?
I don't think so.

41. Do you love anyone?
I love my family, Miky & my friends.

42. Do any of your friends have children?
Yes. I think they are really brave!

43. What do you usually do during the day?
Surf the internet, watch movies, read magazines...

44. Do you hate anyone that you know right now?
Yes, but I know I shouldn't hate anyone.

45. Do you use the word 'hello' daily?
Yes, on the phone!

46. What color is your car?
Don't have a car.

47. Do you like cats?
Yes, think about cats most of the time, miss having a cat.

48. Are you thinking of something right now?
Food, i'm hungry.

49. Have you ever been to Six Flags?
No, but Miky just went there two weeks ago!!

50. How did you get your worst scar?
Acne!

Blythe Doll (Sold) & a page from my Moleskine

2009-08-04T20:37:00.005+01:00

Blythe Doll Enchanted Petal (Sold)

I'm selling one of my girls (Blythe Doll), Enchanted Petal as I'm trying to downsize my blythe doll collection and gain extra money while waiting for my work permit to get processed. She has been neglected, unfortunately. I still love her a lot and this is quite a hard decision for me. I'm her first owner and she's in the UK. All her original stuff are included...original box, shipping box, all clothes, boots, stand, blythe doll trading card, original pull ring. I've included a light green frog pull ring for her which I think will suit her well with her hair colour. Her hair has been washed with fabric conditioner once and no other customisation has been done on her. Her right foot is slightly bent when she came to me in her box. She's a lovely girl, but I've never brought her outside my home before and I hope that she will go to a lovely home soon.

I did some drawing in my Moleskine last night before catching up with my sleep. Miky has returned from his New Jersey, New York & Niagara Falls trip and bought me some souvenirs. The Niagara Falls snow globe is one of the souvenirs. I hope to visit it one day. I re-watched Spirit: The Stallion of Cimarron as the scenery of the cartoon movie reminds me of water falls, grand canyon and most of the landmarks in the US. Maybe one day, I'll get the chance to actually step on American soil.

Purse for my aunt & documentaries

2009-07-27T15:50:00.003+01:00

Front view of the purse for my aunt

Back view of purse for my aunt

I finally get to finish this purse for my aunt. I am going to make another one for my mother. For this purse, it's big enough to put notes, cards, phone and anything else in. I'm thinking of adding a felt flower brooch to the purse as planned before.

I've managed to mop the kitchen floor and bathroom floor on Friday as I thought I'm going to ask my friend to come here for a sleep over, but I got caught up watching lots of documentaries on animals. I wonder why I used to think documentaries on are boring, probably too absorbed being living my own life. Now I have new found respect for those who worked so hard together to come up with all these magnificent and heart warming documentaries.

I seriously think that watching documentaries are beneficial for people who feel down from time to time. You'll realise that there are lives around you and they are struggling to live on just like anyone else and that they probably cope better with less resources than us. I really recommend watching The March of the Penguins, Artic Tales and BBC's Nature's Most Amazing Events Series with superb soundtrack!

47 Questions Tagged by Carly on Facebook

2009-07-19T00:39:00.004+01:00

I have been tagged by Carly. I don't know who else to tag so if you see this, feel free to join in & tag along!

1. WERE YOU NAMED AFTER ANYONE?
No, not really.
2. WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU CRIED?
While watching the trailer on earthlings.com It's really gruesome but at the same time heart breaking, I don't know how to describe it, just be warned that it contains brutal & violent footage
3. DO YOU LIKE YOUR HANDWRITING?
Yes, I think so.
4. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE LUNCH MEAT?
mock meat, made from tofu and vegetables (Quorn)
5. DO YOU HAVE KIDS?
No, not at the moment.
6. IF YOU WERE ANOTHER PERSON, WOULD YOU BE FRIENDS WITH YOU?
I'm not sure, maybe.
7. DO YOU USE SARCASM?
yes, sometimes, when I'm fed up.
8. DO YOU STILL HAVE YOUR TONSILS?
Yes, I think so.
9. WOULD YOU BUNGEE JUMP?
Yes, will definitely want to try it in this life. I was once told that it will build my confidence, I should definitely try it then.
10. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE CEREAL?
Special K with chocolate & berries
11. DO YOU UNTIE YOUR SHOES WHEN YOU TAKE THEM OFF?
Yes, most of the time
13. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE ICE CREAM?
chocolate & coconut
14. WHAT IS THE FIRST THING YOU NOTICE ABOUT PEOPLE?
Face, hair...
15. RED OR PINK?
Pink (most of the time), I like red too.
16. WHAT IS YOUR LEAST FAVORITE THING ABOUT YOURSELF?
laziness
17. WHO DO YOU MISS THE MOST?
bf, at the moment.
18. DO YOU WANT EVERYONE TO COMPLETE THIS LIST?
Yes and no. It's up to them whether they want to complete it or not.
19. WHAT COLOR PANTS AND SHOES ARE YOU WEARING?
light blue
21. WHAT ARE YOU LISTENING TO RIGHT NOW?
Just now, Nickelback's "If Today Was Your Last Day"
22. IF YOU WERE A CRAYON, WHAT COLOR WOULD YOU BE?
Pink!
23. FAVORITE SMELLS?
Lavender & grapefruit
24. WHO WAS THE LAST PERSON YOU TALKED TO ON THE PHONE?
Sabrina wong
25. HOW DO YOU KNOW THE PERSON WHO SENT THIS TO YOU?
Swap-bot
26. FAVORITE SPORTS TO WATCH?
gymnastics
27. HAIR COLOR?
black
28. EYE COLOR?
dark brown
29. DO YOU WEAR CONTACTS?
yes
30. FAVORITE FOODS?
Chinese, vegetarian
31. SCARY MOVIES OR HAPPY ENDINGS?
Happy Endings
32. LAST MOVIE YOU WATCHED?
How To Lose Friends & Alienate People
33. WHAT COLOR SHIRT ARE YOU WEARING?
Light blue
34. SUMMER OR WINTER?
summer without the hayfever, eczema & allergy rash!
35. HUGS OR KISS
both
37. DESCRIBE YOUR PENCIL CUP.
It used to be a water bottle with Miffy print & straw for kids from £1 shop
38. FAVORITE ARTIST(s)?
Sarah McLachlan, Tori Amos, Paula Cole, Fiona Apple, Jewel, The Carpenters, Michael Jackson...
39. WHAT BOOK ARE YOU READING NOW?
Alan Carr's Biography & The Mind Gym:Give Me Time.
40. WHAT IS ON YOUR MOUSE PAD?
This thing that's been given the name 'mouse'.
41. WHAT DID YOU WATCH ON TV LAST NIGHT?
Friday Night with Jonathan Ross on BBC 1.
42. FAVORITE SOUND(S).
At the moment, 'Human Nature' by MJ.
43. ROLLING STONES OR BEATLES?
Beatles
44. What is the farthest you have been from home?
England
45. DO YOU HAVE A SPECIAL TALENT?
Can't think of any at the moment.
46 WHERE WERE U BORN?
Malaysia (truly asia)
47. FAVORITE PIECE OF JEWELRY?
anything with Eiffel tower, apple, strawberry...

One Pretty Thing feature & roasted balsamic tomatoes

2009-07-18T23:32:00.005+01:00

This happened last Saturday. My 'Ciao' coin purse was featured on last week's Flickr Friends Roundup on One Pretty Thing. I was over the moon. I always love One Pretty Thing, a really clever website that gathers inspirations and tutorials from other crafty blogs without having us to do the hard work! I'm very grateful that I found this website. I also found out that it was featured on Le Blog Friendstitch under the tutorial section, although I have only shown some photos of work on progress of that purse. I did think about doing a tutorial of this and maybe I will. On other note, Miky, my boy friend told me that his mother loves the coin purse that I've made for her. Again, I felt happy and content!

My (slightly burnt) Roasted Balsamic Tomatoes

This was my lunch today. I got the recipes from Essential magazine (UK June 09 issue). I've never felt that tomatoes can taste this good on their own.

Recipes (my own version):
8 salad tomatoes
balsamic vinegar, olive oil, salt to taste
I also add some soy sauce after getting them out of the oven.

They are supposed to be slow-roast for 1 to 2 hours in the oven on gas mark 2 but I thought I didn't have the patient to wait that long so I put them on gas mark 8 instead and forgot to take them out of the oven after almost an hour hence with a few of them slightly burnt...

Wish List: Summer Dresses from Asos

2009-07-17T15:36:00.007+01:00

1. Jojo And Malou for Asos Necklace Print Colour Block Dress (£19 on sale)
2. Asos Umbrella Print Dress (£24 on sale)
3. Rainbeaux Cat Print Bow Front Layered Dress (£39 on sale)
4. Dahlia Vintage Floral Belted Dress (£55.00)

One thing that I love about summer is all those lovely flower print dresses in the shops. They all look so much fun, colourful and feminine and I can't help myself feeling happier when I see them. I love the umbrella print dress the most and there are lots of items on sale on Asos website at the moment. I realise that summer is coming to an end soon but I'm hoping to wear them when I get back to Malaysia next year for the Chinese New Year!

Food Craving & Shopping Again

2009-07-15T19:29:00.007+01:00

Food Craving

For the last few days, I stayed over at Miky's place and I had an enormous craving for food. We went to Tong Palace (a Chinese restaurant in Leeds) for dinner on Sunday & I ordered vegetable hot & sour soup and vegetable platter, then coconut ice cream for dessert. The food was lovely and I still crave for it when I'm typing at the moment! The Chinese style dessert came with the bill which we didn't order. Then on Monday, we went to Wagamama and I ordered Yasai Chahan (I think it meant Vegetable Fried Rice in Japanese) for lunch. Miky paid for all my food consumptions and I'm really grateful for that. I hope to repay him somehow when I'm back into the work force again. I wish I know how to prepare them whenever I want.

(Above) Heart Sunglasses from New Look. Sale price: £1.50 (original price:£6)
(Below) Heart Sunglasses from Primark. Actual price: £1.00 (no kidding!)

I have this thing for heart shaped sunglasses. I think they are really cute, even though the pointy shapes of the hearts make my cheeks look squashed when I smile. Mentioning about Primark, I had watched the documentary about the store using manufacturers in India which exploit child labour... For sometime, I didn't step into a Primark store because of that but for now, it's one of the place that I can afford to buy stuff from since I have been jobless for more than 7 months. It's a long story...I never really want to mention this as I want to make this a happy place for me & others to visit...as it is those lovely blogs out there which inspires and enlightens my spirit.

Sale Goodies from Claire.

(Clockwise from top) Piggy mobile holder, Fabric Flower hair pin / brooch, brown hair clip, pink bunny hair accessories, Pink mobile sock cozy with rainbow print. All five for £5.

You can just tell that pink colour dominates my world, but the pink bunny hair accessories will be for my Blythe dolls or else I'll look pretty silly wearing them and I plan to give the pink mobile sock cozy for my 13 year old niece. I hope she'll like it as I heard from my aunt that she texts all day long.

Books: Alan Carr Biography and The Mind Gym: Give Me Time

I love Alan Carr and I think he has been one of the first British comedians that I can understand their jokes for. It took me sometime to learn the lingo here and understand the British humour and having a TV really helps with the process. At the moment, I'm reading half way through the book...my attention span for books without picture is really short and that is why I prefer reading magazines, less word and more pictures. So I must say, this is a good progress.

The other book that I bought is The Mind Gym series book. Lately I feel so overwhelmed of the things that I want to accomplish. Even the blog list on the right make me feel overwhelmed. So many things to see and do while so little time. I've read a few pages, mainly on the speed reading section but that hasn't work for me yet. I guess I need to trust the process more and that it will work. Hopefully, this book will help.

Essentials magazine (August 09 issue)

This is the second magazine that I've bought this month (Boots' Health & Beauty mag doesn't count as it's free to Boots advantage card holders). I have always like reading magazines since I was a kid and I used to dream that I'll be able to work for magazines company in the future. I think that blogs are quite similar to magazines too.

I should refrain myself from going to town and have unneccessary spendings...until next weekend. :) I felt happy that I've finished writing this post because lately, blogging seems a bit tedious to me but at the moment, I felt quite content.

Current Project: Coin purse / pouch & a kawaii Scheduler

2009-07-11T17:50:00.004+01:00

Work In Progress...

Here's a sneak peak of what I've been up to lately... a pouch / coin purse for my aunt. I have had a lot of ideas on how to design it and hence I still haven't finish crafting it even though I've started weeks ago. I want it to be a multi-purpose pouch with a little sarubobo plush (filled with dried lavender) hugging the pouch, a detachable felt rose brooch and a ribbon as a handle. Perhaps I'm too ambitious or just lazy to try out new things: sewing the sarubobo plush & felt rose.

Front cover of scheduler

I bought this really cute scheduler from Artbox at Topshop in London when I went down there for the Australia Needs Skills Expo weeks ago. It costed £10 which is quite expensive for me but I just wanted to get my hands on it! It's made in Korea and contains lots of cute pages as you can see below:

This will be my third diary/scheduler for this year... I always have a weakness in diaries but I never get to fill in every page of them. I hope this scheduler will inspire me to do my travel journal.

paris coin purse, magazines ( Katherine Heigl ), pig in kimono, pink bow

2009-07-10T23:21:00.001+01:00

Goods from Accessorize

I went to watch Ice Age 3 with Miky on Wednesday and went shopping yesterday. Accessorize is having a sale and I couldn't help myself buying something. I bought the hair elastic band with a pink bow, a piggy in kimono key chain and a Paris coin purse, all at half price. I had my eyes on the elastic band for a while and even imagined wearing it when I start my new job. I like the Paris coin purse best, with an Eiffel tower chain. I keep their tags on as I'm still not sure whether I will return this impulse purchase.

Front view of Paris coin purse

Back view of Paris coin purse, with lovely heart prints

Piggy in Kimono key chain

I think I might return this sweet piggy...I wouldn't be so interested in buying it if it's other animal. She's really cute!

Boots' Health & Beauty magazine & Marie Claire Magazine

Another of my impulse purchase yesterday, with my Boots advantage card points. I thought I'll be able to get the free Aveda shampoo for buying the Marie Claire magazine but they are all gone when I try to redeem it from Harvey Nichols, Leeds. I prefer reading other magazines such as Prima, Essentials and Red, but Marie Claire always include the best free gift with their magazine.

Sketch Emmy Rossum

2009-06-30T19:58:00.000+01:00

I just finished this sketch on Emmy Rossum's album cover in around 2 hours' time. I couldn't finish drawing her upper lip as I don't know how and I tried drawing her thumb but it looked weird so i erased it off. I'm still quite please with the result as I was worried half way through sketching that it will turn out to be a completely different person or it already is?

Celia Birtwell Fabric Swatches

2009-06-23T15:12:00.000+01:00

Look what came in the post today! I requested for the Celia Birtwell fabric samples on Sunday and it arrived today! This will add to the collection of fabric swatches that I've collected & also used my friends' & relatives address to get them. I'll probably buy some fabrics soon for real after I start work. In the mean time, I'm just drooling over the surprise I received. These Celia Birtwell fabrics don't come cheap either & even though some of the sizes of the swatches are quite small, but I'm sure I can make some use out of them. A Celia B. catalogue/poster(as shown as the back ground of this photo) is also included. I've always loved her work ever since I started knowing her collaboration with Topshop.

This Celia Birtwell shoulder bag is a free gift with one of issues of Elle (UK) magazine more than a year ago. I'm glad that I didn't donate this away as I only used it twice or so and I managed to find it again to show it here!

While googling her name, I just found this link on Make Your Own Celia Birtwell Stencil Print Bag with free Celia Birtwell print to download from guardian's website.

I've been wanting to start this sewing project for the past few days but I end up surfing the internet looking for more inspiration and updating my blog.

Road Sign

2009-06-22T14:40:00.001+01:00

One thing that I really like about my neighbourhood in Leeds is the road sign shown above which features kids' drawings. Maybe people will pay more attention to road signs if they are all as cute as this one.

I have all the free time at the moment that most people will like to have and I'm trying to savour every moment by doing something productive. I need to make that promise. Hence, the sudden update of my long neglected dear blog.

Miky took me to dinner last Saturday at Ho's Restaurant. I ordered watermelon juice, vegetable hot & sour soup and vegetable fried rice while he ordered seafood. I always tell him that he must have been a fish in his past life. After that we went to watch Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen. I'm not a big fan of action movie but it was interesting and quite funny. Shia LaBeouf is still worth watching!

My hay fever has been getting to me for the past 2 weeks and I didn't expect it to have a come back this year. I'm thinking of buying that organic hay fever balm, since my hay fever meds from last year isn't that effective. I have been in the UK for more than 5 years and I only start getting hay fever since last year. I wonder if there's some explanation to this.

Handmade Coin Purse /Pouch

2009-06-17T23:45:00.001+01:00

Front view of coin purse

I have had fun sewing my first craft using a zipper. I've made this coin purse for Miky's mother, who is an Italian, hence the bird on the purse said 'Ciao'. I got the fabric from John Lewis curtain swatch sample, which is free. This time, I used backstitch to stitch the words & birdie's wing on which showed better result and appeared neater.

Back view of coin purse

Dragonfly in Chinese knotting

I thought I could add some Chinese touch to it by adding a dragonfly which is crafted in chinese knotting to the zipper. I did this craft when I was in primary school and have since forgotten about the method. Thanks to the tutorial on youtube, I was able to relive my childhood memories again.

Inner lining of coin purse with a felt pocket decorated with a felt heart

Work in progress: Inner lining of purse

Work in progress: cover of coin purse

Work in progress: Sewing felt onto the cover of purse

Finished product: closer view

Well, I'm quite pleased with it and I hope Miky's mother will like it. I'm in the progress of making another one for my aunt & my mother too. I made this for Miky's mom first as he's going to New York in a few weeks' time and his mom is going to be there too.

Vegetable burger at The Alamo Restaurant, Dublin

2009-06-06T15:07:00.000+01:00

I really like the vegetable burger at The Alamo, a Mexican restaurant at Templar Bar, Dublin. I went to Dublin last year in November for my Results NLP course. During the course, I went to the restaurant a few time ordering the same food: The vegetable burger. I never knew that Portobello mushrooms with cheese & beef tomatoes, served with rocket salad in balsamic vinegar dressing are simply mouth watering. This time I managed to take a photo on my phone while been in Dublin for my master NLP course. I forgot that there's also serving of roasted peppers and paprika powder that comes with it. As you can see below, my own version of Alamo's vegetable burger:
I have to use the whole packet of rocket salad as I always forgot to finish them if I left some in the fridge. I have grown to like the taste of peppery rocket salad (washed one) and it tastes really nice with balsamic vinegar & salt. For preparing this dish, it's best to use portobello mushrooms instead of the normal big mushrooms as the taste varies between them. As for the cheese, the restaurant uses Smoked Applewood Cheese but I have no idea where to get it or even smoke it myself so I just use mozzarella cheese. I like their ideas of staking the portobello mushrooms, beef tomatoes & cheese together with a barbeque skewer. Just around 10 minutes in the oven of Gas Mark 8 and the food is ready to be served. I have been salivating as I am typing this. :)

Miky's Birthday Present

2009-04-25T15:56:00.000+01:00

Front View of Miky's Birthday Monster

I made this felt monster for Miky's 26th Birthday. Last year I made a tiny one and he had it as a key chain guarding his keys. Now this monster is guarding Miky's room as he's a bit too big to get into Miky's trouser pocket. I glued the eyes and mouth using fabric glue because I stuffed it first before adding the face details. Next time I'll do the stuffing last, as the fabric glue is not that pleasant to smell at.

Back View of Miky's Birthday Monster

I never really know how to stitch words onto felt and this one doesn't come out as I wanted it to be. In case you are wondering, it reads, "Mic Menn Bday 09". I think using back stitch will do the wordings more justice. Anyway, I'm still quite pleased with the end results as I normally have ideas in my head and rarely get to take action and execute them. My inspiration for this is from the photo below, a photo that I took of shop's window displayment full of little cute monsters in Leeds city centre:

The shop is opposite Leeds market. I don't really remember the shop name as it's not really a kawaii gift shop but they do happen to have these adorable felt monsters. They look simple but I think I took almost 10 hours to finish making one while catching up with episodes of Lost.

It's Nice To See You Smile Again

2009-04-19T16:59:00.000+01:00

Found this heart warming graffiti on the wall of Zara clothing shop in Leeds. I don't think it's commissioned by the shop. I'm guessing this graffiti creator must be a female. This will be one of the things that I like about Leeds city centre.

100 Happy Thoughts on Swap Bot

2009-03-19T19:29:00.000Z

1. "Optimists have twice as many good days as pessimists; so be an optimist."
2. "So what if some of the crayons are missing; use the ones still in the box. Maybe the world needs a purple horse."
3. "When feeling down, buy expensive soap."
4. "If you're bored, plant a garden. It will keep you busy for the next eight months."
5. "When you come to the edge of the forest & find no path, make one that others will follow."
6. "Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, but today is a gift." (from Kung Fu Panda)
7. "Early in the morning, let someone go ahead of you; it will make your day."
8. "If a miracle can happen at any time, then why not today."
9. "When driving in the country, wave to couples sitting together on their front porch."
10. "Never speak negatively about yourself; your enemies will do that for you."
11. "Love today. Squeeze all the sunshine and beauty from it, for you will never see the likes of it again."
12. "Surprise a friend at work with a morning cup of coffee and an apple fritter."
13. "At a family reunion, be the one who takes the most photographs."
14. "Don't be discouraged. Remember, to begin anything is usually to begin it badly."
15. "This is the question to ask that makes anyone smile: "Would you like a bowl of homemade peach ice cream?"
16. "Prepare for good luck, for it's often seen where it's unexpected.
17. "On Christmas Eve deliver a tray of baked goodies and fruit to the waiting room of your local hospital."
18. "Nothing exceptional was ever done on the first try."
19. "This next year donate extra time and resources to a cause you believe in."
20. "For every minute you are angry, you lose sixty seconds of happiness."
21. "It's never too late to have a happy childhood."
22. "Swallow your pride occasionally; it's non-fattening!"
23. "If you're headed in the wrong direction, God allows U-turns."
24. "Have a very good reason for everything you do."
25. "No one is perfect...that's why pencils have eraser."
26. "When your dreams turn to dust, vacuum."
27. "It doesn't hurt to be optimistic, you can always cry later."
28. "There's nothing good or bad, but thinking makes it so."
29. "Even a clock that does not work is right twice a day."
30. "Everyone smiles in the same language."
31. "Keep smiling - it makes people wonder what you've been up to."
32. "A smile is a powerful weapon; you can even break ice with it."
33. "Don't wait for people to be friendly, show them how."
34. "Be kind. Everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle."
35. "Get mad, then get over it."
36. "I rather be optimistic than have misty optics."
37. "It takes 36 muscles to frown and 28 to smile. So why waste the energy?"
38. "A smile is a frown turned upside down."
39. "In this world of vast communications there is still a lot to be said for the smile."
40. ...seeing baby and cat sleeping next to each other
41. "Happiness is...your first ever hot chocolate on one of your first ever snowy days!"
42. ...seeing red shoes/ruby shoes (There's no place like home.)
43. ...seeing anything that reminds me of the movie 'The Wizard of Oz'
44. Flickr group: Bento Boxes
45. Flickr group: Traveling Toys
46. Flickr group: Japanese Craft Books
47. Plushies!
48. Website: www.flickr.com
49. Website: www.oneprettything.com
50. Website: We Love Crafts Magazine
51. Website: Lovely Design
52. Website: Geninne's Art Blog
53. Website: Flea Market Studio
54. Website: Heart Handmade
55. Website: Pikaland
56. Website: Indie Fixx
57. Website: Craft Zine
58. Website: Inspired Ideas
59. Website: The Unicorn Diaries
60. Lula Magazines
61. Buying new toiletries, using new shower gel, shampoo, conditioner...
62. Receiving snail mail
63. My Minnie head band that I bought from Disneyland Paris
64. When my virtual dogs won the first prize in competition on Nintendogs
65. When my virtual pet on Pet Society on Facebook scores some really nice stuff from the mystery boxes.
66. Movie: Amelie
67. Movie/cartoon: Spirit, The Stallion of Cimarron
68. Family Guy. It never fails to make me laugh everytime I watch it.
69. Romantic comedy movies
70. When I've got a real bargain from the one pound shop / discount store.
71. When the sales girls give me beauty samples when I walk pass their counters.
72. Song: Top of the World by The Carpenters
73. Song: What a Wonderful World by Louis Armstrong
74. Song: Singin' In The Rain, Doris Day's version
75. Song: Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer, Jewel Kilcher & Nedra's version
76. Song: You Jerk by Kim Stockwood
(This is a really good song to sing inside your head when 'someone makes you feel little'.)
77. Song: Only Time by Enya
78. Song: The Rainbow Connection by Sarah McLachlan
79. Song: Sing A Rainbow by Delta Goodrem
80. Music Video: I Rather Dance With You by Kings of Convenience
81. Any Weird Al Yankovic song, he just cracks me up. At the moment, the song 'Ebay' is my favourite.
82. Putting a smiley face and a ribbon on my little cactus plant.
83. Eating blueberries.
84. Collecting stamps.
85. Seeing horses running in the field.
86. Donna Wilson's Make Your Own Monster kit.
87. Betsy McCall!
88. Sampler package: The Sampler
89. Sampler package: PikaPackage & free online Pika Zines
90.Sampler package: Get Eurofied
91. Discovering Postcrossing.com
92. Discovering Swapbot.com
93. Finding bargains and hard to find stuff on Ebay.
94. Sales
95. Craft Shops
96. Watching cats flushing toilets on YouTube. They are so smart!
97. Free online games with cute design
98. Seeing foxes in the car park, some even jumped on cars and nap on them!
99. Visiting museums.
100. Paris. I love the city, the museums...

A Song That Makes You... (e-swap) on Swap Bot

2009-03-18T17:44:00.000Z

1 - A song that makes you want to dance.

'I rather dance with you' by Kings of Convenience

I quite like the video too.

2 - A song that makes you laugh.

'Ebay ' by Weird Al Yankovic

I think he's quite a genius and the fact that he imitated Backstreet Boys way of singing on the original song is even funnier.

3 - A song that reminds you of an old friend.

'Last Kiss' by Pearl Jam

My high school classmate used to lend me this cassette tape, a compilation of songs for the war in Kosovo during 1998-1999 and this song is in that album.

4 - A song that makes you sing out loud.

'Pocketful of Rainbows' by Elvis Presley

5 - A song that makes you cry.

'Sincerely' by The Mcguire Sister

I first heard this song around year 1999 on a jazz radio channel and I never knew what was the title of the song and I found out about the title today while trying to get this swap done, after almost 10 years later...

6 - A song that reminds you of a book.

'Can't Take My Eyes Off You' by Lauryn Hill

This song is from the movie 'Conspiracy Theory' ( Mel Gibson,Julia Roberts) and in this movie, the main character always buy any copies of book 'Catcher in the Rye' whenever he saw them on the bookshelves in bookshops...That's what I can recall of, although I've never read the book before, hopefully in the future.

7 - A song that reminds you of another.

'Sunrise' by Norah Jones & 'Sunrise' by Simply Red

8 - A song that reminds you of your dear one.

'Sacrifice' by Elton John

I first heard this song when I was in primary school, around 9 or 10 years old and I didn't like Elton John's voice at first as I was just a kid without much appreciation of music. I was making a compilation of songs that I recorded on to a cassette tape from TV and I always saw the video of this song and I asked my aunt what she thought of Elton John's voice. She thought his voice is sweet. I couldn't understand it at that time and never really liked it until more than a decade later.

9 - A song that makes you want to learn how to play an intrument.

'Cornflake Girl' by Tori Amos

Any song by Tori Amos makes me want to play piano and makes me wish that I've taken my piano lessons more seriously and have practiced more.

10 - A song that has taught you something.

'I am So Ordinary' by Paula Cole

In the lyrics, it said, 'Love is truly giving...' It's a real honest song.

11 - A song that I can never get sick of:

'Amazing' by George Michael

12. - A song that I can relax to:

'Only Time' by Enya

13 - A song that always makes me happy:

'Top of The World' by The Carpenters

14 - A song that reminds me of year 1998

'Believe' by Cher

I didn't like it when it first came out during 1998 and I only start liking it after a few years later and when it get less air play.

15 - A song that makes me feel like I should embrace more colours and cartoons again:

'Happy Ending' by Mika

Drawing at the near by park

2009-03-10T16:26:00.000Z

I went to the near by park to clear my mind. Look what I've drawn and I base it on this tree trunk I saw in front of me while sitting on park bench.

30 Questions email swap +5 of my own questions on Swap Bot

2009-03-09T18:25:00.000Z

Dogs or cats? Both as they are all equally cute and funny in their own way.
Do you mind if your pets sleep in bed with you? No, unless they have fleas & they keep me awake in the middle of the night.
Are you or anyone you know worried about losing their job? I was and I am jobless at the moment.
Extend your left arm all the way out, what do you touch if anything? A blue plastic box with miscellenous stuff. I'm never really organised, I wish I could be tidier.
Are you a saver or spender? I think I'm more of a spender. I used to save more when I was younger.
Do you believe in kids having chores? Yes, or else it will be hard for them when they need to go to college or something.
When writing a letter, do you prefer to hand write or type? Hand write. I love hand written mail, I always prefer snail mail more than email.
Ellen/Oprah or Regis and Kelly? Ellen. She's funny.
Do you watch The Bachelor? If so, is this the best season? you’ve seen? I've never really seen it before.
With postage going up soon, will that change your swapping habits? Not really, as that happens every year I think.
Have gas prices gone up a lot where you live? Yes, especially the bus fare, it has gone up twice since last year when there's huge demand on it during August last year.
Can you touch your toes, without bending your legs? Yes, I guess I'm lucky to be blessed with long hands even though I don't exercise much at all.
What’s the temperature there? I have the heater on, so it's nice and warm at the moment in my room
Do you prefer to walk around barefoot in your home? Socks? Shoes? I prefer walking around barefoot in my room. Since I live in a shared house with my other housemates, I tend to wear slippers when I'm in communal areas such as the kitchen, toilet, anywhere outside my room
Are you a night owl? Yes, I have always been a night owl and unfortunately, I always have more inspiration late at night and I wish I can change that habit instead.
On how many hours of sleep can you function? It varies, normally at least 8 hours. When I was studying, I used to just sleep for 3 hours or so the night before the exam and cram my studies. I always do things last minute which is another habit I really ought to change as well.
Do you own or rent? I rent a room. I don't think I'll ever rent or own the whole house anytime soon, hopefully in the future.
Which was your best birthday ever? How old were you? Probably when I was younger and still in primary school and my aunt always bring me and my cousins to fast food shop to have a nice meal there. They didn't really let me have cakes as their reason for that was I always never finish the cake and waste it.
Do you prefer baths to showers? The other way around? Both? I like both although I only have shower at the moment. Once in a while, I like to buy some bath salts and soak myself in the tub, which is quite relaxing and good for the skin too.
Finish the sentence-on my last vacation I went to _____. I went to Paris, It was a week vacation and seeing Paris for the first time and I loved it even though I went there by myself and I lived in a really seedy hostel and a bad area in Paris but I get to visit all the lovely museum especially the Picasso museum which is a real eye opener. I hope I'll get to visit Paris again. I never really understand how so many people love it there and now I understand, having to visit the city of light myself.
If you have a great day who is the first person you tell? Currently, it would be my boyfriend, we always ask each other how our day is.
If you’re a Mom which is the best part of being one? If you’re a Dad, answer the same way? I'm non of them at the moment but I do hope to be a mom in the future.
Humidity or heat? Probably humidity, I came from a tropical country and I don't like too much heat but if i had to choose, I'll choose humidity, at least you have rain once in a while.
When you were a bride did everything go the right way on your special day? I haven't been a bride yet, not even a bride's maid.
Which are/is your favorite magazine(s)? At the moment, Lula Magazine, Prima magazine, Essential Magazine & other woman magazine. One of the big advantage of living in the UK at the moment is that you always have free gift with the purchase of a magazine, be it a beauty sample, tote...
Are you reading a book right now? If so, what’s the name of the book and the author? I'm not reading any book at the moment, unfortunately. But I'm reading www.oneprettything.com and also Geninne's Art Blog which are both really inspiring and other craft blogs as well and of course swap bot blog too.
Am I boring you with these random questions? No, I find this fun and this can be another blog entry of mine as well and also you get to know the other participants too.
How much time would you say you spend on Swap-Bot daily? At least 15 minutes or more daily.
Do you prefer e-mail swaps to mailing swaps? Or both? I prefer both, of course snail mail swaps are the best as I love receiving snail mail although it invovles more hard work.
Do you clean your house or have someone come in to do it? I don't have someone else to clean my room. I seldom clean my room, depending on my room. I have always been mess and a hoarder. I wish I'm someone who is tidier and still get to keep lots of stuff in place.
Tea or coffee? I always prefer tea as I never like the taste of coffee much. I like red bush tea, jasmine tea and green tea.
Do you buy much toiletries? Yes, I always buy new ones even though I haven't finish the old ones and I have tons of them, which is quite a bad habit.
Do you prefer the libraries or the book shops? I prefer the libraries if I want to read chick lit or something, but I normally buy magazines from the bookshops.
What is your favourite food? My favourite food will be anything vegetarian. At the moment it's olives and italian marinated chargrilled mushrooms.
What is your favourite movie? Amelie. I can watch it over and over again.

Picasso's Exhibition at The National Gallery

2009-03-04T03:05:00.000Z

I bought the Calepin notebook from the Picasso's museum in Paris last August.

Today, I went to the Picasso's Exhibition at the National Gallery in London. I've come to London since yesterday and will go back to Leeds tomorrow. I've got the ticket at half price as I brought my redundancy letter with me and still unemployed. I have always love Picasso's work ever since I first saw his works in Peggy Guggenheim Musuem in Venice during year 2004. His arts are sometimes simple which make it easier for your eyes to look at. I did a few sketches in front of his arts during my visit this time:

Study on Picasso's Sleeping Nude With Blonde Hair, 1932

Study on Picasso's Reclining Nude, 1969

Study on Picasso's Minotaur, 1958

Study on Picasso's Large Bather, 1921 (Face Part)

Study on Picasso's Nude Woman in Red Armchair, 1932

Study on Picasso's The Artist In Front Of His Canvas, 1938

25 Random Things About Me on Swap-Bot

2009-02-26T00:27:00.000Z

1. I was born in East Malaysia (Borneo Island) on 5th October, 1983. I am half Chinese, half Nepalese and I am an only child. I used to always regard myself as a Chinese, and i was raised by my Chinese mother's side. I did that because I didn't like people questioning me about my father and that I haven't seen him since I was 12.

2. I'm a vegetarian. I became a vegetarian overnight when I first learned that Darren Hayes of Savage Garden was a vegetarian during the end of October 1997. I was 14 years old & was crazy about the singer. I've been a vegetarian for more than 10 years. In between that time, I tried to be a vegan for 2-3 years but started to consume dairy products and eggs again. I will be a vegetarian for the rest of my life, it's one of the things that I'm proud about myself & my will power for it.

3. By the age of 4, I was raised up by my aunt and my grandparents while my mother worked in Brunei to earn more money to provide for me. It has always been hard for me to express my feelings and I missed my mother a lot when I was in primary school and I used to wander around the house crying on my own as I didn't know who to talk to about it and I felt embarrassed about my feelings.

4. During kindergarten, the cartoons that I obsessed most are My Little Ponies and Care Bears. I think it was the fact that the cartoons are mostly in pastel color which grabbed the attention. I remembered my mom sent me a My Little Ponies colouring book which i loved dearly and the bed sheet that me and my aunt slept on had the prints of Care Bears. I remember the cartoon 'Jem' as well. When my aunt was driving me to kindergarten school on her scooter, I'd look at the sky and imagine the Care Bears sitting on the clouds. I guess that's how I start to day dream and I day dream a lot at school & was been caught out by various teachers & been embarrassed in the class. I still day dreamed when I was at work & was been caught out when my ex-colleague saw me staring on my computer screen displaying a folder containing a few files.

5. I used to have a yellow back pack that I use to store my precious things in it when I was in kindergarten. I remembered the stuff that i put in it was a mini stamp book & a coin box. I used to carry it around the house and imagine that i'd be carrying it safely with me if something happen to my house. It was my escape back pack.

6. I will never want to smoke in my life as I've seen what kind of damage the cigarettes have done to my aunt for just been a second hand smoker. She had nose cancer as she worked in her husband's bar for a few years where smoking is allowed and the situation worsened when she doesn't smoke herself. I'm glad that she has overcome it now but the chemo treatment she has taken has some side effects.

7. I have never been good at babysitting and I never have much experience on babysittting but I'm able to dog-sit or cat-sit. I would love to learn to be good with kids and I think it's an important trait to have.

8. I have always been a pessimist in my life and I wish I were not. I always believe in karma and I have this belief since I was a kid that if something good happens to me, something bad will happen & vice versa. I know that I've missed lots of opportunities in my life if only I had been more optimistic.

9. I studied Civil & Structural Engineering for my degree. I wanted to study psychology at first but my family urged me to study something that I can make a living out of it. I think I love & hate it at same time; love it when it's in the skill shortage list & it's easier if you want to work abroad, it pays a bit better, it sounds quite technical & people generally think you must be a smart person, it creates the very fabric of a society & you're part of it; hate it when it requires lots of mind boggling moment to solve something out when I just want to go home & play with my Blythe dolls; it is still quite a sexist industry where there are more opportunities for male engineers.

10. I have been in England for more than 5 years. I first came to Bradford, West Yorkshire during September 2003 to continue my degree. So far, I have gained 5 years (instead of losing 5 years) here and I am really grateful for the opportunities and experiences that I have had.

11. I love eating olives. I have never eaten olives before when I was in Malaysia. My first encounter of eating olives was when my Greek classmates invited me to have dinner at their hall and they prepared greek salad for me. I didn't like olives at first but after a while I start to miss the taste of it and I have been addicted since. Greek salad has also become one of my favourite dishes.

12. I have recently been made redundant and I think have reached the lowest point of my life at the moment. I'm ever so grateful for all the supports that I have from my family, my friends and my boy friend. I'm glad to have found pet society, swap-bot & postcrossing at the moment to keep me occupied while waiting for the outcome of the interviews I've been to.

13. I love traveling. I'm hoping to visit some more European countries in the near future, also north & south america. I hope that I would have the patient to write about my travel in a journal. I love reading travel journal & I remember the travel journals featured in The Motorcycle Diaries & Seven Years In Tibet which are very inspiring.

14. I wish I had been more serious about learning to play piano when I used to have a piano at home & when I had piano lessons until grade 7. I really envy those people who can play by ear as I won't be able to play any song if I have a piano in front of me without looking at piano books.

15. I love animals. I really can't imagine a world without animals. It's also one of the reasons that I become a vegetarian. I also like watching Dog Whisperer, I never really know that animals can sense our energy and how our energy can also effect them.

16. I love going to seminars on personal development. I think that it will be useful for me and change the way I look at my life. I have been to a few Tony Robbins & Christopher Howard seminars & although they sometimes cost an arm & a leg, I'm glad of all the information & experiences that I've gained from them. Using the information is still a different thing than knowing the information though.

17. I wish I am more organised & tidier in my life. Most of my friends who know me well know that I have always been a messy person and that my room is always messy. I'm also a hoarder and I don't like to throw stuff away. I am also a magazine junkie and like to keep them thinking that one day I'll have time to do some magazine clippings. I always envy people who can still be tidy and keep lots of stuff.

18. I love receiving snail mail. Even though e-mail is quicker, I prefer snail mail which is more personal. I miss the time when I was in high school and we used to pass notes around in the class until text messages on phone are made popular now. I still keep some of those notes that my friend wrote to me. It brings a lot of fun memory back.

19. I am a shy person. I'll get a bit uneasy if I'm in a group of people and I'm always the quietest person. I find this quite a bad trait of mine as I've been seen as a person who doesn't communicate much at work, contribute in meetings and should have been more proactive. I guess that's why I've been laid off from work.

20. I love listening to a variety of music, mostly easy listening at the moment. I guess I'm getting older. My favourite singers are Sarah McLachlan, Tori Amos, Paula Cole, Fiona Apple, Jewel, The Carpenters, Doris Day, Norah Jones... I love the music during 1997 & 1998 the most, that's when Sarah McLachlan, Paula Cole, Fiona Apple, Jewel, Matchbox 20 ruled the charts. There are still some good music on the current charts as well. I also love music from 20s to 70s, they are quite different than the music we listen to nowadays.

21. When I first started my job after I graduated, I became a spendaholic. I spent a lot of money on clothes which I never wear, lots of toiletries, magazines... It might be the imbalance that I've created while I was at university and not being able to spend a lot at that time as my mother provided my living expenses and school fees.

22. Whenever I had a fight with one of my close friends, I have never really been the one who apologised first and made up with the other. I guess it's hard for me to swallow my own pride and I would try to be the first one who apologise when it's really straining the best friendships I have ever had in my life.

23. I used to be quite independent as I didn't grow up around my parents and had to stand on my own feet. Ever since I have my current boy friend, I feel that I've become less independent.

24. I want to live my life to the fullest. I want to be inspiring to my kids in the future, if not for myself. I always admire those really crafty mothers who encourage their kids to be creative and confident about themselves.

25. I wish I can cook better and be more creative about cooking and never have to run out of ideas on what to cook. Until now, I still think my grandma is the best cook ever because I grew up eating her cooking.

'I Made This Postcard' Swap on Swap Bot

2009-02-25T16:18:00.000Z

These are the postcards that I've made for the swap:
I didn't think that they will turn out like this. They took me a few good hours to complete and I have had mind blocks and decided to stick to what I normally draw. I should pratise to draw more. I've been experimenting with Photoshop the first time, hence, the different ways of smudging the addresses as I always use Paint before.

15 Totally Random Questions E-Swap on Swap Bot

2009-02-22T17:22:00.000Z

Just preparing for myself for the following e-swap. I just start getting this addiction with Swap Bot since last night. I might have to wait ages for someone to tag me on facebook for this so, this will be fun, I hope:

15 Totally Random Questions E-Swap

1. Who or what inspires you the most in your life?
Probably my family & my upbringing. I'm very grateful for that, although it is not always a bed of roses but they value my education a lot and they sent me to tuition school, art class, music lessons whenever they can afford to, which shaped my life a lot.
Women who write, do craft, music & arts inspire me too.

2. What song would you like played at your funeral and why?
I would think that a sad song will be more appropriate, but I would prefer a happy song, probably 'On Top of the World' by the Carpenters as the song will remind me that I have lived my life to the fullest and I want the people around me to feel the same.

3. If you could be ANYWHERE right now where would it be & why?
I would say Paris but at the moment, I miss my home at Malaysia more. I want to see my family especially my grandparents, my mother & my aunt. Also, I miss all my sticker & cute stuff collection and I want to find them back again.

4. Do you have any pets? Tell about them:)
I used to have a cat named Jelly. She was a real mischief but still adorable and had her own cute ways of getting attention. She liked sitting by the window sill & looking out of window. She liked to claim her space on the couch & she's quite picky on her food. I had to give her away last year as I couldn't handle renting the whole house to myself and paying the bills. Jelly was normally all by herself during day time while I was at work and it wasn't fair for her. So I gave her away to a loving family and moved into a shared house. I still miss her whenever I saw photos of someone's cat on their blogs or Flikr, I felt that a part of me has gone & miss the cuteness of a cat...that fluffy paw.

5. What is your city most commonly known for?
The current city that I'm living in at the moment which is Leeds in UK, is probably known as a great place to shop. Besides that, I can't really think of any, as I don't think it's really a tourist attraction, but maybe it's quite a good place to study at. My fondest memory of it:
-there are always promoters handling free samples at the Leeds train station.
-I queued up in front of Topshop in Leeds city centre since 6:30am to buy that poppy dress which was designed by Kate Moss on the day it was launched. Leeds is probably considered one of the major city in the UK to have special items stocked in the stores.
-There used to be an exhibition on a few sketches done by Leonardo Davinci in the gallery next to Leeds city library. I just thought this kind of stuff only happens in bigger city, probably in British Museum maybe.

6. Have you ever been on tv? If yes, for what? If no, would you want to be?
No, I don't think so. But they did film us queueing up in front of Topshop at 6:30am to get our hands on the clothes designed by Kate Moss. Yes, I would definately want to be, it will become a great story to tell (or brag about, to be more honest) to grandchildren in the future. I hope that won't do too much harm about wanting to be on tv, why not? Hopefully in good events too!

7. Where is the farthest you have been from home--where were you and why were you there?
Here, England. I'm from Malaysia. I came here to finish my degree in civil & structural engineering since 5 years ago. I always want to go to somewhere else besides my hometown, it's more like a mission for most teenage hearts. I wanted to come here to see snow for the first time, to experience all four seasons, to see the egyptian mummies in British Museum, to visit art galleries, to see europe, travelling on my own, going to Tori Amos & Sarah McLachlan concerts as they never have concerts like that in my hometown.

8. If you could travel back in time to any period in history when would it be and why?
I want to travel back to my childhood years. I want to treat my family better and with respect. I want to be more helpful to my grandparents, help with the chores, learn how to cook properly from grandma, learn to draw more, practice playing piano more, study more, take back all the hurtful things I said to my family, just being a better daughter, niece, grand-daughter, classmate and friend. Lastly, be kinder to the animals & appreaciating nature more.

9. If you could turn any tv show into 'real life' and be a part of it, what show would it be and why?
I can only think of 'Desperate Housewives' at the moment. I was hoping that my mother would be able to have the supports that she needed from the neighbours and wouldn't have sent me to live with my grandparents and my aunt and worked in another country on her own to earn more. I'm really proud of her still for raising me up as a single mother.

10. Name 3 books that you could read over and over again & tell why.
The 1st book: The Diary of Anne Frank
I was really surprised to find this book in the library of my high school around year 1999. It was quite hard to find a book in english like this in a chinese school in East Malaysia, i think. I seldom finish reading books without pictures but I finished reading it. It just remind me of how lucky I was at that moment, being able to go out and breath fresh air.

The 2nd book: Chasing Down the Dawn by Jewel Kilcher
It's a collection of journals & sketches of the singer Jewel. I like the childhood memories she wrote, about growing up in Alaska, riding horses, living in her own cabin when she was sixteen and the battle of her parents' divorce. It'd make me cry whenever i read the page about how she bid goodbye to her mother and went to live with her father after the divorce.

The 3rd book: Song Bird (A biography of Eva Cassidy by her parents)
It also includes all the cute sketches and drawings of hers. She loved expressing her gratitudes in the letters/notes she wrote to the people she was close with. She was really creative as a kid and her cute sketches are very inspiring.

11. If you could become famous, what would you want to be famous for and why?
I want to be famous for my voice, I think I can sing but I'm too shy to even sing in karaoke...and maybe for my arts & craft. I was more creative when I was a kid but I still have my creative side, even though I've pursued a totally different career.

12. What movie no matter how many times you see it always makes you cry? And what part really does?
Amelie. It's the part where Amelie was too shy to approach Nino and she was in the kitchen preparing for food & dreaming about how Nino will come home to her soon with the food that she was preparing and then it was just her cat coming to her kitchen and she burst into tears. I find that kind of longing for someone really hard to bear. But I'm glad that the movie has a happy ending anyway. :D

13. What one thing do you ALWAYS do before you leave the house & why do you do it?
I ALWAYS check that I've got my keys to my room & front door in my pocket as I can't imagine myself being locked inside of the house I'm renting and we have to unlock the front door with a key and then I'll be stuck in the kitchen as the place I rent is like a bed-sit. Or else I have to scream for help from the kitchen window hoping that the neighbours might hear me or even jump from the first floor to the garden shared by our neighbours & knock on their doors for help!

14. Did you ever 'run away' as a child/teen, if so where did you go?
No, I never run away. I guess I was never brave enough to do that and I probably wouldn't want my family to worry & post a missing person ad on the newspaper. My grandma used to worry once when I went to my classmate's place after school and didn't come home until late noon & I was surprised to see my grandma half way on my journey home. She told my aunt & my aunt phoned the school to look for me. I was mortified. The next day at school, my teacher asked me where I went & I told her that my grandma was quite forgetful instead of telling her that I didn't tell grandma about it. I still feel bad about what I've said. I have never seen my grandma looking so worried as she always keep her feeling so well & is never good at expressing her feelings. I think my whole family is the same too.

15. How do you calm yourself when things in life are stressful?
During my recent redundancy, I was so stressed I couldn't sleep for the first few days after I've got the news. So I watched The Secret again & it made me felt much better and calmer. For the past few months, I went to a lot of seminars of Chris Howard & Anthony Robbins and there is this saying," When you are in fear, just be grateful." So I wrote on this gratitude page from The Secret website on what I'm thankful for in my life and kept reminding myself about how I'm still luckier than most of the people around the world.
When I watch horror/thriller movies, I will feel less stressful as someone on the tv was been chased by a psycho which is even worse, compared to my current situation.
When I was younger, the song 'My Favourite Things' from The Sound of Music cheered me up.

Back again.

2009-02-22T00:26:00.000Z

It was windy but sunny this morning. I went to town with my main mission: get the lastest issue (no. 8) of Lula magazine at Borders.

Here's my favourite page from the mag:

Today I have also received stamps pack which included two lovely first day cover on jersey cows (since it's the year of cow) & some exotic loose used stamps that I've never seen in my life before.

Bunny Cactus

2009-02-10T17:08:00.000Z

This little cactus is originally from Ikea. I got it from Sabrina's close friend Jim who is going back to China. I wanted to have it as it reminds me of bunny ears. After seeing a really creative crafter on flickr who made a felt cactus with smiley face, I thought I might as well dress this bunny cactus up with a smiley face and a girly ribbon. She has been rocking my world ever since.

Christmas Eve

2008-12-25T01:16:00.000Z

I stayed at Mic(my boyfriend)'s place on Christmas eve. He gave me the necklace that I had been nagging to him about weeks ago, a Swarovski crystal red apple necklace. I didn't give him anything as I returned his gifts to the shop the same week after I've got the bad news He and his housemate Ciro cooked us dinner. Dinner involves my usual salad, with sweet corn, olives, marinated mushroom, apetina feta and I learnt to like eating babybel cheese from him. They also prepared some italian dishes that consist of cheese & tomato, I couldn't remember the name of that dish, but it was all well.

They have an old lady living downstairs of their flat and I came out with this idea of writing her a christmas card since it seemed like she was spending the day alone. I drew a cartoon cat in a dress and wearing a pearl necklace in the card. We put the card, a few ferrero rochers and a napkin with The Snowman cartoon on it (which I bought from the one pound shop) on her door knob.

Not the news that I have expected

2008-12-09T01:05:00.000Z

The day after I created this new blog, I was been told I'll be made redundant in two weeks time. I didn't bring my phone with me, and I braved myself to stay at work until I finish my normal 7.5 working hours. I completely broke down when I got home and was crying to everyone I called at night. I was simply shocked to the core, something that I had feared while been surrounded by the news. I couldn't sleep at night. Everything I've learnt from the past few months, from The Secret, from the seminars of staying positive, was thrown out of the window instantly and there's nothing else in my mind that I could think of.

Hello. Kitty.

2008-12-07T15:24:00.001Z

Yesterday, I saw this huge hello kitty in the shop again. Only this time, she's on the shop floor, since she's white, she looked a bit dirty. I tried to look for her price tag but couldn't find it, I guess she's just a mascot. I never really like hello kitty, I used to prefer my little ponies and care bears. I like her now.

My first hello kitty purchase since for as long as I can remember:

She used to stand proud on my desktop until one day, when the VIPs of the company decided to come for a visit, I was told to hide her just until the VIPs have left and then I can continue to parade about the kid in me. She has been staying in my drawer since.

Moving...

2008-11-26T00:07:00.001Z

I'm moving to blogspot... I'm lonely at Tabulas. Besides being lonely at there, I feel that there are too much negativity that I've dwell on my old blog but I still treasure the stories that I've noted down through my life so far, I wish I could have kept blogging after I got my first job 2 years ago. I wish my friend who started out blogging with me will be encouraged to blog regularly. I still prefer the layout there, as I will be needing sometime to figure out how to amend the layout here.

Life is meant to be about celebrations. I felt more inspired, relaxed and happy while reading other blogs which are about crafting/fashion/those little things to be treasured. I think a change will do me good. I hope I'll keep up with the posting at here. To whoever you are, wherever you're at, welcome. I do hope that this place will keep you acompanied. :D