Hardanger is in!

ok....I think I have gotten into another craze.....this time it's hardanger! I put the blame on Ee Koon *wink* for getting me into this 'mess'! LOL!

Ever since that one lesson at a corner of Starbucks, Bangsar Village, I am smitten by the hardanger bug! I just can't seem to think of anything else..eh..work is the office is only slightly affected! *wink* LOL!....I even dreamt about it last nite! LOL!

Such is my craze that I actually braved the lunch hour bumper to bumper jam to get to Haby's at Ampang Park! Well, actually, hubby drove! *wink* Thanks, Dear! Love you for braving the bad traffic just for me! muaahhhh!

You see, I just had to get some more perle cottons to satisfy my hunger for more hardanger! LOL! I was running out of the ecru perle I bought at QG the other day. I have even put down my "FROGGING NOT ALLOWED" project for this latest craze!

I wanted to finish my frog project by the 1st of July so that I dn't have any other pending projects, except for the BUZZ RR, when I start the JE SAL. Well, looks like my plans just went down the drain! Opps! *grin*

Did I just started another craze? *gulp*

I met up with Ee Koon, later Linda joined us, at Starbucks, Bangsar Village today. I had a quick lesson on hardanger! Yipee! *jumping up and down in happiness!* *LOL!

Margaret did not joined us though she met up Linda at MPH MV. However she smsed me asking how much damage did I do shopping at QG (they are having a sale). LOL! Well, Margaret, not much, really. I was being a good girl coz I had teacher Ee Koon with me..eerrr....Ee Koon wud not make a good example when it comes to trying not to shop! LOL! BUt, today, she behaved! LOL! *wink*

I only bought a piece of 22ct pink/rose coloured evenweave (really lovely!), one ecru perle no. 5, one light green perle no. 8. That's it! Honest! *grin* They are all meant 4 my hardanger class with Ee Koon!

We sat at a corner of Starbucks and the class began! I think we kinda `disturbed' d lady seated at d next table with our excitement, well, at least, my excitement! LOL! coz she got up and left! LOL!

I did not manage to complete doing everything while at BV coz my son was getting restless, so, Ee Koon gave me 'strict' *wink* intructions on what to do and what NOT to do! LOL! Yeah, like do not cut the fabric until I have completed all the kloister blocks, and she will teach me d rest in the next class, which is when? Next week? Gosh! I have to wait that long! LOL! *wink* My hands are itching! LOL!

Anyway, for teacher Ee Koon's info, I have completed what is required and awaiting 4 the next class. What do you think? Am I a good student or what? LOL! *wink*

An artistic talent in the making?

My son loves to draw, especially of dinosaurs and animals. I want to encourage this interest, considering both my hubby and I are both artistic/in the creative line, but seeing that his drawings are sometimes hard to understand, we decided to enroll him in an art class.

He has attended 3 classes so far, and it looks promising. Athough he was apprehensive the first time I sent him there, seeing so many unfamilar faces, but he seems more relaxed now, though he is still shy....ehem..like the mom! LOL!

I hope to post progress of his works here, hopefully, something for him to read in the future, when we are long gone.

The Trellis is done!

I finally completed it on Saturday, 17 June, 2006, after putting it down temporarily to work on the Nature's Alphabet. I am now ready to start on the Joan Elliot Friendships Sampler Stitch-A-Long (SAL) with Barbara, scheduled for commencement on July 1st, 2006.

Can I last that long without stitching anything? Definitely not! LOL! I am just itching to work on something! So, guess what? I started on yet another new project! LOL!

Linda said that this is my secret project. *wink* It's not, actually. *grin* I just wasn't ready to tell yet, coz I wanted to work on it some more 1st before I start blowing the horns! LOL! *wink* Anyway, this is what I have done so far. I am mixing a few different types of flosses. The frog is done using DMC, the circle around the frog is using Wildflowers by Caron, and the writing/wording will be done using Six Strand Sweets.

I hope to complete this before the 1st of July, if only I can work more often on it. We'll just have to see, won't we? *wink*

Think before you speak.........

There is so much that I want to write, but I have so little time on my hands. *sigh* So, what's new, huh? LOL!

There has been a lot of hype lately at the MYS board, and some members are starting to shy away from posting messages at the board, afraid that they might say the wrong thing and get 'apprehended'. *sigh* I believe critism and comments are good, but it is the way the messages are worded that sometimes it hurts the person being critisized/commented.

The members at the MYS board joined the group for the passion that we share, at the same time, to be able to make new friends and learn new things along the way. In order to learn, we ask questions, and opinions and ideas are put forward, to be shared together. Not everyone think alike. We come from different backgrounds and we think differently for our mentalities are different. We are, after all, unique human beings, an individual with a mind of our own.

We cannot expect everyone to think in one straight line for it will only make the world a boring place to be. Our thoughts are like branches of a tree. Complicated, but not necessarily difficult to climb onto. We just need to know how to tackle the branches in order not to break it. We thread carefully and with caution.

Same goes with the way you want to make comments to opinions and thoughts or ideas of others. Thread gently, or someone might get hurt, even if it was well intended. Yeah, some might say that why beat around the bush when you can just get straight to the point? Tak payah la bahasa bunga bunga. Sheer waste of time. Afterall, the message is the same, might as well say it directly. So some people say. Yes, like it or not, it does make a differnce to how the person being critisized or others too, might take affect to what you just said.

There is nothing wrong in putting words nicely so as not to offend anybody, even if the end purpose is to just explain or clarify. The person is not hurt, the relationship is preserved. Everyone is happy, a win win situation, right? *smile*

Kita orang yang beradap. Kita harus pandai cakap berlapik. It is not always what you think is right for you will be right to others. One man's meat is another man's poison. So, never assume tht when U make a comment or critisize, that the other person will not get hurt by what U say, for U think that they will know tht you are just being an open and direct person. No matter how happy-go-lucky a person you are, there is still a part of you that is sensitive and can be easily hurt by the smallest action of others.

I always believe that never do onto others what you do not want others to do onto you. Meaning, if you do not want to get hurt, don't do things tht will hurt others first. Thread carefully, for you will never know when the branch will break. The wheel is always turning. Today you might be at the top, one day, the wheel will turn and you will be at the bottom. Think b4 you utter a word, for words cannot be taken back once said. Terlajak perahu boleh ditarik, terlajak kata, buruk padahnya......

Help!

heheh.....sorry to get you all panicking! *wink* Actually, I am the one who is in a panic state! LOL!

I am suddenly swarmed with work, I feel like sometimes I am not breathing! LOL! I am way over my head with work! I am like running from one meeting to the other, grabbing a quick bite 4 lunch, before rushing off to the afternoon meeting, and then continuing with another one after that one, ending till past 7 pm!

At the rate things are going, I think I need more than 7 days in a week! LOL! I am so mentally and physically exhausted, I can't watch programs on TV from start to end, without falling asleep midway through the program! LOL!

I miss spending time with my son, cuddling him, hugging him, playing with him. I am too exhausted to entertain him, so he is left playing very much on his own these last few days. *sad* You have to remember that I am still without a maid. There are the household chores that still needs to be done when I get home, regardless of my state of mind and body. Dinner has got to be served (bought whenever possible), cleared and cleaned up. My son's homework still needs to be looked at. His school things needs to be ready for tommorow's school day. *sigh* Those are responsibilities I cannot afford to shirk, no matter what.

I also I miss my stitching (ok, I miss my hubby too, but he is also busy with work! *grin*). If only I could just put in a few stitches a nite, it would make me feel so much more less stressed out! LOL! *wink*

Anyway, I am glad that last weekend, before my week started getting hectic and `out of hand', I managed to complete Linda's BUZZ RR, in record time! Well, ok, MY RECORD time! LOL! Yipee! It took me from weekend to weekend! I can't remember ever doing a piece of this size that I got done in less than a week! Wow! I am overjoyed! *grin*

I have since gone back to working on my Trellis, and hope to get as much done b4 the end of month as I had promised Barbara that I will start a SAL with her on the Joan Elliot Friendship Sampler. Can't wait!

Thank you, dear Pengarah!

Remember I posted here earlier that I was busy a couple of weeks back doing the script and voice over for the Power Point presentation for my Director's farewell?

Well, I thought, I would put it in record the Pantun that I did for her. I wish I could put up the Power Point presentation too, but that would take up some juggling on my part to understand how to do it, and I am simply naive sometimes, or shall I say, duh! LOL! *wink* when it comes to figuring out this computer thingy! *grin*

Anyway, here it is. BTW, my Director's name is Nur Haizi. I wish her all the best at her new place. Her star seems to always shine brightly. She went up the promotion ladder quite fast in her carrier despite being still quite young. I hope my stars would shine as bright, if not brighter, as hers someday.

Orangnya berasal dari negori
Disebuah tempat bernama Lengging
1954, 28 April
Berbapakan Abdul Hai beribukan Azizah
Cantuman nama, lahirlah Haizi
Seorang puteri yang dinanti-nanti

Bertemu Wahab cinta bersemi
Restu keluarga membawa bahagia
Dikurniakan putera dan seorang puteri
Melengkapkan istana keluarga bahagia

Sudah banyak tempat berkhidmat
Dari pendidikan ke projek turnkey
Di Bangunan am singgah sebentar
Sebelum melangkah kecawangan terkini

Dari sekecil projek tandas
Sehingga projek serata dunia
Khidmat diberi penuh dedikasi
Pastikan projek lancar sempurna
Tepati janji kata dikota
Pastikan pelanggan berpuas hati

Pengalaman diperolehi sumbangan diberi
Menambahkan ilmu menyakinkan diri
Dihormati, disenangi, mudah didampingi
Bergurau senda mencuit hati
Itukan adat kita berkawan
Namun, tetap tegas arahan diberikan

Sungguh cerah masa depan puan
Dilantik pengarah cawangan bangunan AM
Menyusul pula Presiden lembaga
Kini menanti Cawangan Arkitek

Seberat–berat mata memandang
Berat lagi bahu memikul
Demi tugas ditempuhi jua
Meniti tangga menuju kejayaan

Selamat maju jaya kami ucapkan
Salah silap harap maafkan
Terima kasih kami hulurkan
Semoga kami tidak puan lupakan

Walaupun sudah dipuncak yang tinggi
Segala ingatan simpan dihati
Panjang umur ketemu lagi
Dilain tempat dilain hari

Thank you, Puan Haizi, and all the best!

Linda's BUZZ RR

I started on Linda's BUZZ RR on Saturday, 3rd June. I was happily stitching it, and was almost 1/3 done, when, oh my gosh! I suddenly realised that I stitch the opposite of Linda! I do my X with this stitch / first, and then \, but Linda does it the other way! *cheeks burning hot and turning beet root in frustration!*

I contemplated frogging. Hmmm..it will set me back by a few hours to frog, and then, it will take me a few hours more to stitch them again. Hmm....I am no longer in the mood to stitch........ I took a break. I had Kit Kat..well...not really! *wink* But, I did take a snap in frustration! LOL!

When I woke up 1/2 hour later, I decided to sms Linda to ask her if I shud frog or go ahead. She sms me back that it is ok. Phew! Thanks, Linda! I really appreciate that. I hope Linda honestly didn't mind.

If she had asked me to frog, of course I would have to, *grin* but I think I wouldn't stitch on it again, at least not for another week! LOL! *wink* You know, the feeling when you are frustrated or not satisfied with yourself or ashamed of your mistakes? You just want to 4get about it for a while! *grin*

Anyway, after the sms reply, I was on it again and stitched all evening, until it was time for me to prepare dinner. I am about 1/2 done with the stitching. There are plenty of back stitching to do, which I hope will bring out the design nicely. Can't wait to get done on this so that I can work again on my Trellis, b4 proceeding with the Joan Elliot SAL which I will be doing with Barbara at the end of the month.

Just a note, after stitching Nature's Alphabet on 28ct evenweave where progress is slow, I felt like I was practically zooming on Linda's piece since it was done on 14ct aida! LOL!

It's finally here!

huh? What's finally here?

Heheh....my L*K Stamp-it! That's what's finally here! LOL! *grin* Yup! I sent it for framing all the way in Penang when I was there on holiday..well, only my son and I were on holiday..my hubby came to work! *grin*

Ina brought it to KL when she was here last week on holiday with her kids and hubby. I am sorry I had kept her and her family waiting. We had promised to meet at Sunway Lagoon Theme Park Ticket Counter on Sunday, 28 May, since they were planning a day out there. Little did I know it was going to cause so much trouble for Ina.

The Lagoon was under massive renovation and there was no direct route to the ticket counter. I didn't know that I had to enter the parking lot in Sunway Pyramid in order to get to the ticket counter. Usually it would not take me more than 10 minutes to get from my house to the theme park, but 20 minutes had already passed, but I still could find the way to the ticket counter.

I had to make 2 U-turns b4 I finally found the way to get in! By then, I had already passed the entrance to the parking lot again. Another U-turn would have caused more delays, and Ina had smsed me saying that her kids were already getting anxious to get into the theme park. I felt really bad. I started feeling anxious too! LOL!

The only way is either to make another U-turn to get into the parking lot or give the car to the car jockey. The parking fee for jockey service is RM8! I knew that I was only going to be there for hardly 10 minutes! I contemplated, but I had to decide, and I had to decided fast! Another U-turn would cause a further 5-10 minutes delay. The phone rang again! Oh no! That's it! The jockey it is! LOL!

I made the necessary payments and, with my son in tow, ran all the way to the end of the shopping mall to teh lift lobby. Did I tell you that the girl at the information counter told me to take the lift UP at the end of the shopping mall, and not DOWN?

Well, I got into the lift after making my 100m run, LOL! and in panic, just pressed the next 3 floors going UP, only realising that there were no 3rd floor! LOL! I was supposed to go DOWN 3 floors, not UP 3 floors! LOL!

OK, down came the lift, and another dash across the parking lot, the temporary metal bridge, before I finally saw Ina with my precious framed piece in hand and her kids already in an anxious mood! *gulp*

Like another Touch-n-Go episode, as alwyas, like it never ends whenever I meet Ina, LOL! *wink* I got my framed piece, she handed me some goodies from Penang, thanks, Ina, a quick hi, salam and apologies, and she was off into the park, and my son and I, back to the car! LOL!

I honestly wish to apologize to Ina and her family for keeping them waiting way beyond the time that I promised. I truly am sorry. I thought it wud be easier to meet at the theme park since it was so near, but alas, it became so far, at least in terms of time.

However, I wish to thank Ina so very much for bringing down my framed piece. I really do appreciate it and can't thank you enough. Hugs!

Hope U and your kids had great fun at the park!

If only not for the buttons.......

I would have finished this piece completely! *sigh*

Yup! It's done! Well, ok, about 98% done! *grin* I am missing the Mill Hill Tulip and Hare buttons, which I have no idea yet how to go about getting my hands on them! LOL! So unlike me not to plan ahead! *wink*

This piece is special in more ways than one. This is my 1st piece worked on evenweave. This is also a Stitch-A-long (SAL) with Ina. It is also the 1st piece that I have done which has so many specialty stitches in one design, and also the 1st piece using my newly bought superframe.

I had enjoyed working this piece, although I must say that I had my frustrations sometimes when I couldn't get the specialty stitches to look as nice as they should have been. I dare say that this will definitely not be my 1st and last work using evenweaves, although it would not be so soon! *wink*

I hope to get hold of the buttons very soon so that I can have it finished completely and sent out to Ina for framing.

the Fickle Minded one....

When I first organised this RR, little did I realise that the the initials of the participants, Azie or Lilo, as she is known to some people, and Zalita, or Cheeze, as she is known at the MYS board, when put together would make up the initials to my name - NAZ.

The RR was organised because all 3 of us were born in the month of June and we are all Geminians. Geminians are known to be fickle minded, which we sometimes are! LOL! and we thought it would nice to do an RR together as a token of our friendship.

It was only later that Azie noted that our initials would make up my initials! Talk about coincidences! LOL! Thus, the RR was arranged such that it would show up my initials even more prominently! *grin*

I love working on this piece, and hope that Azie and Cheeze had also enjoyed working on my piece as I had on theirs.

BTW, Happy Birthday Azie, who celebrated her birthday on Saturday, 3rd June, and Cheeze, who will be celebrating her birthday on 12th June!

The fever is back!

Or is it really?

I watched the Konsert Prelude on Sunday, 28 May, (wondered why they had it on a Sunday and not Saturday? Since it ends so late, makes getting up for work at 5.15 am the next day quite a task! LOL!) and feel that there isn't going to be much to look forward to this season.

For one, last season, at the Prelude Concert, I already had my `eyes' on Aidil, who I think is kind of good looking, though does not have much of a singing talent. I was already set to watch the diaries, if not for anything else, but to just see how this guy is doing, and if he had a chance. My hubby had his vote (not that he voted! LOL!) for Akma. That's good enough to keep us glued to the TV from 8.30 - 9.00 pm each day, though my hubby only watches the diaries if the camera focuses on Akma. Hmmmm......should I be jealous? LOL! *wink*

This year, after the Konsert Prelude, I still couldn't decide if I liked any of the kids, and whether it would be worth my time watching the diaries. Although, I must say that Haziq, though the 1st time I saw him, I was not impressed, but, after his performance that night, I hoped that he would be one of the chosen ones. Hooray! He is, but still, I wasn't impressed enough to make me want to watch the diaries. I'll watch it if there is nothing else better to watch on TV. *grin*

I had hoped that Shaz and Lynn be included in the 12, but, I guess, my judgment is wrong when it comes to understanding the world of entertainment. *sigh* I am surprised that Amirul, who I think fumbled with his songs during the prelude concert, got in. I am also surprised that Nora got in, but not Lynn, who I felt fared better in delivering her song. Oh well, it is, after all, Akademi Fantasia, and so, we have to be prepared with more surprises and disappoinments.

I wasn't too imprssed with Farhan too. First, I thought the name is kind of odd for a girl, and two, she looked a little bit `mengada-ngada' when the astro crew delivered her the good news as being one of the 20 to perform at the Konsert Prelude. But the night of the prelude concert, her rendition of Route 66 got me impressed, but she was at the bottom of the popularity chart and would only get be able to get into the academy via the judges, and she did! Congratulations to her! But, I think she has a lot of things/hurdles stacked up against her.

She is not a favourite among the general voters. She is constantly at the bottom two of the chart since entering the Akademi. She does not have the looks that will attract the voters to want to vote for her. She has only her good vocals to keep her in. It has been proven last year that good vocals will not necessarily make you a favourite among the voters. The majority of voters lack maturity to judge the kids for their talents, rather going for the 'looks' and so called 'aura', which still amazes me to this day.

Last year, I felt that Idayu had good vocals, and would at least make it to the finals, but, alas, she does not have the looks nor the aura to attract voters to vote for her. She was kicked out at the 4th concert. A pity really, but, she has proven that she still has the talent to make it. Her song is currently being played at Radio Era more often than Amylea's (2nd place) or Yazer's (5th) songs. I really like the song and love the way she uses her vocals to the fullest. I hope that her star will shine brighter.

Ok, back to the current AF4 kids, since there are none (currently *wink*) that I am really impressed with, I think I will just keep a look out for Haziq, Diddy and Farhan for this coming concert.