Time for a happy dance!

Yeap! It's been quite a productive weekend, stitching wise, well, rather, crocheting wise. I managed to complete both pieces of the crochet pieces, and I am happy to say that both turned out quite nice, even though with different effects.


The one in pink variegated is kind of sweet. My only wish is that the variegated could have been more subtly instead of in blotches. It won't be my last attempt at using variagated though. I can't, I have 4 balls to finish! LOL!

This second piece is a combination of pink and off-white, though I think the colour in the photo does not show it up too well. I used DMC Traditions size 10, colour 5746 combined with WINA, colour 902. I really like the feel of the DMC thread. Really nice and soft to work with, making your end product very nice to the touch. The WINA is rather rough, but, combined it with DMC, the end result is really nice. I am going to try more of this combination with other patterns in the future.

BTW, the variegated is MINLON POLLY colour 288, for those interested to try out the thread, to see fo ryourself the effects.

On another note, here is a photo of the crochet pieces Usha did for me which she sent with the Garden Card Swap. I now have matching crochet pieces, 3 lovely pieces in all, all crocheted by Usha. Thanks, Usha!

He's got my vote! *wink*

heheh.....after watching last night's concert, Ebi's got my vote (yeah! Like as if I am voting! LOL!)!

Wow, that was a great performance by Ebi! I really enjoyed it, especially when he jumped off the stage and landed beautifully in front of Ogy! LOL! I did not notice him before this except for last week, like I said, I was impressed with his rendition of Mawi's Al-Jannah. Not an easy song to sing, that one, but he carried it well in his own style.

I saw that his ratings went up tremendously (43% was it?) after his performance and his placing went straight up to number one, pushing even the crowd favourite Dafi aside with only a 10% vote! I think the young girls are smitten by the fact that he won 1st runner up in a manhunt competition or something like that! *wink* I was smiten, not by his looks, but definitely, by his good performance last night. I will be looking out for him in the next concert and the next and the next! *wink* Hopefully he will have the holding power to last till the finals.

I was kind of surprised though with those who got eliminated last night. I had thought that Fatin and Noni would last at least another 2 or 3 concerts before being eliminated. But, because last night, 3 students were eliminated all at once, it would have been difficult to actually predict who's going out. Only I thought it would have been either Mila or Dekna, since there were nothing really outstanding about both of them, not that the others, with the exception of Ebi, has got anything outstanding to show off anyway.

Well, that's reality TV for you. You get shocked by the results, and these young Malaysians can sometimes shock you by whom they vote for, and this is not necessarily for their talent.

Have you seen him?

My heart cries for the little boy Yin that has gone missing while accompanying his dad shopping at Sogo, Jalan Tuanku Abdul Rahman, Kuala Lumpur, a week ago. He is only 5-years old. I am most certain that his family, especially his mom and dad, are having sleepless nights thinking about him, wondering where he is, and praying for his save return. I am most certain 1001 things are running through their minds, wondering if he is okay, if someone had taken him, if he is somewhere wandering in the streets, hungry and helpless, wondering why mom and dad has not come for him.

The Weekend Mail today showed a clipping of the video footage of him walking confidently out of the shopping complex, and it has reduced his mom to tears. It has reduced me to tears. His mom had said that Yin is a quiet, reserved child and does not talk much, so it was shocking to see him stroll out of the shopping complex confidently. It was out of character for him, she said.

I pray that Yin is safe, and I pray that he will soon be reunited with his family. May he be protected from any harm. May a kind soul find him and return him to his family who cries for him. Amin.

If anyone out there have seen him, do contact the numbers listed above with his photo which was taken from the poster Malay Mail is distributing in their efforts to help find Yin.

Say what?

He is the current principal of Akademi Fantasia Season 5. He just called Mawi a fluke. He is labelled by some in the entertainment industry as a perfectionist. I am talking about Roslan Aziz. He was featured in today’s Weekend Mail because of his recent remark of Mawi.

A perfectionist, you say? Hmmm…….if he is so much a pecfectionist, how come this season I have yet to see any real talents in any of the AF5 kids? He said that he has personally chosen each and every kid that made it into the Akademi. So, now we know what his standards of perfections are, huh?

Tonight is already going to be the 4th concert. I have yet to see who among the 13 left can actually make the cut to be in the finals, what more the winner. So far, all the kids have only mediocre talents.

Dafi? He’s cute, no doubt *wink*, but…….. hmm…., sorry folks, I don’t believe he can sing. He’s been lucky so far, his songs have been pretty easy ones. Fatin? Maybe. It depends on the songs that she gets.

Candy? A maybe too. So far, she’s been one of those who have been getting good comment from the critics, including from over-dramatizing queen, Ogy. Shawal? He’s okay. Too full of himself, though.

Ebi’s okay. If there is someone that I want to vote for (not that I am voting! LOL!), he’s getting my vote after his good rendition of Mawi’s (I am not even a fan of Mawi! Oops! My mom’s gonna get mad with me! LOL! *wink*) song last week.

Dekna? Mediocre talent too. So are the rest, although I see some talents in Heliza. I really can’t say who can make it to the finals, or who I hope can make it, because sometimes the young voters’ tastes can shock you! LOL!

In the previous seasons, I can pretty much guess who will make it to the finals, or, at least I have a favourite who I cheer on weekly, and this is not necessarily because of their looks. I think they have genuine talents.

In Season 1, although I am no fan of Vince, but I could see that he’s got talent, and definitely, he’s got strong female fans, my sister included. LOL! I was cheering on for Rosmah, Khai & Sahri. In Season 2, I was cheering on for Bob, Kaer, Zahid, Farah, and Adam, who all made it to the finals.

Come Season 3, I was all out cheering for Kefli! Yup, he’s cute! *wink* But, that boy has got lots to polish on his talent. I have seen him sing live the song 'RATU’, popularized by Awie of Wings, and I was impressed! That boy can actually sing! Remember his great rendition of BERHENTI BERHARAP? He was clearly a winner that night, for sure! I was also cheering on for Marsha, Amylea, Akma and Zarina, although only Marsha and Amylea made it to the finals.

In Season 4, I was impressed with Haziq’s unique vocals, and was strongly hoping that besides him, Farhan would walk away with the car. Alas, they both lost out to Faizal’s mediocre talent because he (Faizal) has got strong voters from the young females who was charmed by his simple and humble ways.

Tonite, again, I hope to be shocked with some great talents. *wink* Shall we see just how a perfectionist Roslan Aziz really is tonight?

*Note: all photos were taken from Akademi Fantasia's official website at http://www.astro.com.my/akademi_fantasia/v5/

An experiment................

I know I should be going back to work on my Star Project, but, somehow today, I just wanted to try out the variagated crochet thread I bought at Haby's when I met up with Linda & Lillie 2 weeks ago.

I actually started on it last nite, but after doing 12 rows, I felt that the I did not achieve the effect I expected. I thought it would turn out something like the effect Faizon had on her tatting pieces. You know, the way the colours kind of subtly change? I like that but, unfortunately I could not achieve that effect with crochet, although the piece looks nice, sweet, in fact! *wink*

It could be either because the colour variations in the thread that I bought is not as nice as the ones Faizon bought, or, my expectations was simply too high! But, actually, by looking at the thread on its own, the colour variations are really sweet! It goes from off-white to light pink to dark. I thought that my doily would have the same effect. Unfortunately, it turned out in patches of off-white, dark pink, and light pink. The colours does not change subtly, but rather abruptly. Nevertheless, it is still a nice piece, if I can say so myself! LOL!

Anyway, not satisfied, I stopped at the 12th row, and this morning I started the same pattern, but using two different colours of thread - off white & pink. I stopped at the 12th row too just to see the effects to compare. I think this 2nd piece still does not exactly have what I had in mind, but, I still like the way it turned out.

I took photos of both pieces, but, I think the photos do not do justice to the nice colour variations of the threads. You can't quite compare the different effects the different threads give. I will snap more photos when I finish both pieces. Hopefully the next time, the photos will look better.

Almost there...........

aaahhhh! The pincushion for the PCE organised at NNC is finally done! Phew! I almost thought that I might not be able to complete it on time. I have been doing too much travelling this month, with the days passing by without me putting in a single stitch on my PCE for days! I am glad that I have got that out of the way. It was beginning to stress me out! LOL!

I still have the handmade card to be done up for the Garden Card Swap (GCS) organised by Ying at NNC. I actually did one already about two weeks back, but I am unsure if that is the one I want to mail out. It is a different style from the one that I am used to doing. I got inspirations from one of the many card magazines I have in my ever-expending stash. It looks OK, only, because the style is different, I felt that it does not have my signature style in it. My partner is Ying, and she might just think that that style is my original style. Hmm....I don't want her to have misinterpretations of me, do I? LOL!

I like the card though *wink*. It's different! Maybe I could make that style a part of my style too, but with some changes? Hmmmmm.......

I can't put up photos of any the items I just mentioned above until they have both been mailed out. My partners might just be taking a peek at my blog! LOL! *wink*

I will definitely put up photos as soon as they have been safely mailed out and received by my partners. I can't wait! I get anxious each time I mail out something to my friends, knowing the services rendered by Pos Malaysia hasn't always been smooth sailing, but, I have been lucky on most occassions, so, I am hoping that luck will always be on my side.

I am feeling.....

a little restless today.....

Don't ask me why because I don't know either, but, I have a feeling it has got to do with the fact that I have not been doing much stitching the whole of last week, and I have loads of housework still to do.

It's been a very hectic week for me last week, with the 2-day meeting in Langkawi from Monday to Tuesady (I left for Langkawi on Sunday, and only got back to KL on Wednesday after taking a one day break), followed by a trip to Labuan on Thursday for a site visit and project discussion, coming back to Kuala Lumpur only on Friday.

I did not feel tired at all, at least not until I got home on Friday afternoon after picking up my son from my mother-in-law's house. That's when I felt really bonked out tired that I slept for two whole hours without actually intending to.

I stitched a little, working on my Pincushion Exchange (PCE) organised at NNC , as I waited for my son who was having his art class. The PCE is due to be mailed out on 2nd April, and I still have much to do, but, I could not pick up the momentum to finish the piece this weekend, despite it being only a small piece. I still feel tired from the trips, and last nite, I did not sleep well, because my son climbed into bed in the middle of the night and he kept moving about that it kept me awake for most part of the night.

The laundry needs to be done, the meals to be cooked, the rooms to be tidied up, I am feeling restless because there is much to do, but so little time. School is back on tomorrow, and I still have not gotten all of my son's school things ready - his snacks for his break, his schoolbag, his uniform......I am glad that at least I made him do all of his homework before we headed on to Langkawi, so that is out of the way. Phew!

Just to get my stitching mood back into the swing, I am putting up photo of the partially completed PCE. I have also put up photos of my granny squares which so far I have completed 10, including 6 from the previous batch which I did some time back. I managed to do some crocheting while at the airport in Langkawi while waiting for my flight back to Kuala Lumpur.

I hope to get back into the swing of thinsg this coming week. I need to, if not, I will be lagging even further in my chores........

The fever is back.....

or has it really?

I watched the first concert of Akademi Fantasia 5 (AF5) last night, hoping to see something different. There were some changes made, but, I am sorry to say that the changes made did not impress me the least bit. In fact, I think I got annoyed to a certain extent with some of the changes that were made.

For one, the introduction of the AF5 kids look more like a fashion show. The kids changed clothes THREE times last night - one for the opening intro, another one for their individual performance, and again for the MENUJU PUNCAK song. I wished they had stuck to wearing their intro clothes because they were better then the ones they wore for their individual performances. It was okay to change clothes for the MENUJU PUNCAK song since this song required some dancing steps which some of the clothes worn were not suitable for dancing, but to change clothes 3 times? Is this a talent contest, or a fashion show? *scratching my head, trying to think of a logical answer to my own question*

I hated, or shall I say, I just wanted to puke, when, during the previous seasons, when some of the kids came up with taglines to introduce themselves, but because only a few had tagline intros, they were bearable. But this season, Aznil made every kid come up with a tagline which, to me, was really ridiculous, especially those that never thought of one, but, because it was an `instruction' to have one, one kid actually came up with just a 'CAK' tagline and got everyone laughing in amusement. I pity that girl. She must have felt pretty embarassed by the response from the audience in the hall.

For some reason last night, none of the songs performed had any 'umph' to it. It was either the kids just simply did not give their all, were too nervous, this being their first concert, or the choice of songs were simply bad, or worst still, the music arrangement was terrible! It did not bring out the best (if they had any) in any of the kids. Whichever it was, I hope this week, the choice of songs would be better. And please, do something about the music arrangement, Astro. I am no music expert, but last night, somehow, the music simply sounded odd, even for someone like me who is tone deaf! LOL!

I remember the first concert last season where already I could tell who's got the voice, who didn't. Farhan and Haziq were outstanding even in their first concert with Farhan's strong vocals, and Haziq's unique voice (even my hubby who is not into AF has an opinion on Haziq, saying that the first time he heard Haziq, it made him stop doing what he was doing to appreciate the voice and song that Haziq was singing) just perfect for singing traditional malay songs. Too bad Farhan's strong vocals lost out to Faizal's mediocre talent just because young girls were charmed by Faisal's 'humble' background and simplicity as opposed to Farhan's powerful vocals. Again, I ask, are we judging people for their talent or their background to win a talent contest? *sigh*

Anyway, back to the present AF season, another change made by Astro was to have 3 permanent panel of critics, instead of one. Why? So that the critics can see if the kids improve over the weeks? Okay, granted that that might be the reason why Astro decided on 3 permanent panel of critics instead of one, so this means that I have to listen to Ogy's long winded and over-emotional, over-dramatizing comments every week should I decide to watch the concert every Saturday? *sigh* I might just end up flipping the channels each time she opens her mouth to comment.

But, to a certain extent, I do agree with some of the chatters at Channel@15 that the kids need critics of that nature (very direct and blunt) so that they don't fool around too much. I felt that the kids last season did not show any improvement even in their 8th concert because they were either over-confident of themselves, or, simply, they were playing around, especially Amirul. They know that the Akademi is just a stepping stone to being famous, so, whatever the critics say does not really matter for they are already famous just by being admitted to the Akademi.

I have yet to know all the kids of this season for I do not follow the Diaries. I wanted to puke when I took a peek at the diary on Wednesday, 15 minutes into the program, that I had to switch off the TV, when the kids started crying. Do the kids think that by crying will get them sympathy and more votes? Really! Farhan, Haziq, Velvet & Diddy of season 4 upheld their tears for as long as they could, and, with the exception of Diddy, they all got into the finals. There were no dramatising on their parts.

This season, it's only the first week, but already the kids are playing up to the camera. It was okay when Farah did it in season 2. It was already getting annoying when Amylea tried the same trick too in season 3. I think a few played up to the camera too in season 4, but, please, not in season 5 too! Enough is enough! They all look so pretencious!

I think AF1 was the best because all the kids were oblivious to the camera surrounding them. Whatever they did, they were just being themselves, no make-up and all. They were sincere in their actions, whether good or bad. There were no pretence about them because being the first batch, they never knew the number of cameras that were focusing on them. Their relationship with each other were close.

Last season, I felt that some of kids are too full of themselves, and only care about themselves. Their tears during some of the concerts when one of them had to part ways did not look real. When Farhan tried to put up a brave front by holding back her tears, she was rediculed, saying that she had no heart, and no feelings for those that had to leave, She was just interested in getting to the finals. From what I could see, she cared for all of them, though she lack the emotions to show it, maybe because she is the eldest in her family and have been taught to always be strong and look strong for the benefit of others. Even though she was just 22, she was matured, and carried herself well.

Heheh...I bet by now, those reading this would know by now that I am pro-Farhan and Haziq! LOL! But, I also like Diddy, Velvet and Zila. I am hoping that if Maestro fails to promote Farhan & Haziq well, that other recording companies would come forward to produce good albums for them for I see strong potentials in both of them. Farhan can carry most songs well, but I think she would do very well singing songs that brings out the best of her strong vocals. Haziq definitely would be a sure win singing "Irama Malaysia" songs.

Okay, I have side-tracked again! LOL! Back to AF5, I hope next concert (if I feel like watching) will see some vast improvements in the performances by the kids. I hope they would be given the right songs, and I hope that Astro will bring back Sham Kamikaze to do the music arrangement because he has done a good job for the past seasons.

Oh, BTW, it is sad that the kids `kicked' out this season don't get to go back to watch the weekly concerts and give moral support to their friends. I wonder why Astro decided on that move. I can't say that it is a good move. Whatever the reason may be, I hope to see better improvements in the coming concerts.

Note: all photos were taken from Akademi Fantasia's official website at http://www.astro.com.my/akademi_fantasia/v5/

Work cum holiday in Langkawi

My husband and I had a meeting in Langkawi recently. Since it was the school holidays, we decided to take leave and extend our stay there and brought along our son and my mum. We stayed at Bella Vista Langkawi for the first two nights where the meeting was held.

My verdict on the hotel? I won't be staying there a second time. As you approach the hotel, you will be impressed with the architecture of the building as it reminded you of a castle where the disney princesses live. You would still be impressed as you get into the lobby to check-in, but that is where your good impression of the hotel stops. The room is rather small (nothing like what you see in the photos shown at it's website), and so is the bathroom, which is OK actually for a 3-star hotel, but what is most disappointing is that the hotel is not very well maintained. The shower curtain is dirty and the air-conditioning does not function properly, causing the room to get really hot sometimes. A friend got trapped in the elevator with his son for 15 minutes before the maintenance could get to him. The television in our room was very grainy, making watching any program like a guessing game trying to figure out the who the characters were.

If we hadn't decided to change hotel on the last day of our stay there (after the meeting was over), I think we wouldn't have enjoyed our stay in Langkawi (the holiday portion of it) that much, except for the shopping part where my mum had a whale of a time shopping and going around town with my son in tow, as we rented a car throughout our stay there, as the hotel (Bella Vista) was very close to town. The only plus point of the hotel, in my opinion.

We contemplated whether we should stay on at Bella Vista for the last night of our stay in Langkawi, but, at the last minute, we decided to pack up and head on to Pantai Cenang and check-in into Awana Porto Malai. Luckily there were still rooms available. I am glad we did. The hotel is beautiful, plus it has a swimming pool, so that was heaven for my son! LOL!

They had no beach since it is a marina, but the beautiful view of the sea and the lovely room very much made up for the lack of a beach. I highly recommend anybody going to Langkawi to stay there, although you would need to rent a car since the hotel is very far from town and very far from any `civilisation'! LOL! Just the way a holiday should be!

Oh, BTW, while I stayed in Bella Vista, who did I meet up? Radha! Yup! Radha also came for a meeting organised by her ministry, though a day later. She recognized me from photos put up at NNC by BJ during our recent meet-up and introduced herself. Fancy meeting her there of all places! LOL! Glad we met, Radha, though we could not chat up for long since we were there on business. *grin* Maybe another time we could spent more time chatting about our stitching, ok? *smile*

When the stroke strikes........

Yesterday I visited a close uncle (my mum's cousin) at Subang Jaya Medical Center (SJMC) who suffered a stroke on Wednesday. When he was first admitted, he lost all abilities to control his voluntary actions, like the movement of his arms, legs, eyes, and even the control of his bladder.

When I saw him yesterday, he was already to move all his limbs and he was alert. We were told that the immediate action by family members to bring him into hospital prevented the brain from further damage due to the lack of oxygen brought about by the stroke. However, it would probably take him a year to fully recover, and he would have to undergo physio-therapies and other forms of therapies to get his movemnets back to normal. We thank God that there is still hope for him to fully recover.

He was warded at Cardiovascular Care Unit (CCU) and only two visitors were allowed each time. My mum went in first while I sat with my son at the lounge waiting for my hubby, who had gone to park the car, to join us. As soon as my hubby arrived, I went in. The minute my uncle saw me, he let out a sob (although there was a tube attached to his throat for breathing purposes). It was heart-breaking to see my uncle this way because my uncle is a big size man, and when he talks (when he was well), the room would be filled with his voice and laughter. He has always been a joyful man, but always a responsible and caring person , especially to those close to him.

When I went to further my studies in the United States, by coincidence, I got a place to study Architecture at the same university where he was doing his Masters. He took it upon himself to be responsible for my well-being throughout my stay there, so much so that many of our colleagues dare not date me for they `fear' him (LOL! *wink*) because they would have to go through an `interview' with him first, only then can they take me out. Hmm.....no wonder I had no boyfriends during those days! LOL!

I remember one time when I sprained my ankle, but didn't know, (I thought that the swelling was due to my falling and it was just a mild bruise) while learning to play tennis (now you know why I do not know how to play tennis? LOL!), he came looking for me when my room-mate told him that I have missed classes for two days because I was unable to walk. He scolded me for not telling him about the fall, but I did not want to trouble him. Further more, I thought that the swelling was nothing serious and it would go down in a couple of days. He took me to the hospital and practically had to carry me down the 3 flight of stairs from my apartment to get to his car.

Having an uncle studying at the same university sure does have its advantages.....and disadvantages! LOL!

I do pray that my uncle will recover quickly and fully from the stroke. To see him immobile would be something hard to accept for someone who has been active all his life, but, only God knows what lies in the future for him...and us.

GET WELL, Ayah Li. We love you!

The cards are back!

It's been a long time, a very long time since I did any cards. What inspired me to start making cards again was a result of my son wanting to pay a visit to Papier, The Curve at Mutiara Damansara.

I was on leave on Wednesday and took my son to join my hubby, who was working, for lunch at the Curve. I never intended to drop by Papier because I know that if I do, I will tend to spend unnecessarily.

But, after lunch, my son insisted that we drop by there because he simply loves to play with the dinosaur toys there (like as if there aren't enough dino toys already at home! LOL!). It was a mistake. A BIG MISTAKE! LOL! Spent I did, not a little, but a lot and my purse is currently suffering a shock from the amount spent! LOL!

I bought a set of clear alphabet stamps and acrylic block to go with it, which, mind you, cost a bomb, ColorBox stamp pads, 3 card magazines and 3 12"x12" scrapbook papers. The cost? My purse is crying in pain! LOL!

I went home and did up 2 cards. On Thursday nite I made 2 more cards, and today, I made another one. I am on a roll! LOL!

Some progress and other things

With my cough improving a bit, yesterday I managed to put in some stitches on my Star Project. Even though I felt like I spent close to four hours on it (with many breaks in between), I felt that I made little progress. It seems to take me ages to see any progress. Maybe because the piece is a big one.

I feel like giving up on it, but, yet, I want to see it done. Maybe if I have a friend stitching along with me it might help me progress more? *wink*

BTW, while I was doing some light spring cleaning, I came across this piece I bought when I visited Graz some 3 years ago. I bought this piece at a small shop that sells only finished pieces, and no charts. I would have certainly bought some charts had they sold any.

Don't you think this is such a lovely piece?

On another note, I thought I would put up photos of the small things I sent to my partner for the VSE which was recently completed.

Thank you to all members who had participated in the Valentine Stash Exchange.

The 100 day cough?

I have been sick, very sick in fact, in the last week or so. I had a bad cough and cold that does not seem to want to go away despite taking two different types of antibiotics and a quite a few cough and cold medicines. There are times when the coughing fit gets so bad that I feel like swallowing a whole bottle of the cough medicine! LOL!

The cough gets so bad especially during the night that it has affected my sleep so much that I get up feeling like a zombie in the morning, but yet, I still have to go the work because I have lined up so many meetings for the week and postphoning some of them would make me go off schedule on so many of my projects. Added to that, I had a meeting Kuching on Monday, 12 February, which I had to fly there on Sunday because the meeting was early in the morning. Came back to a full day meeting on Tuesday and flew to Penang on Wednesday. All that travelling just did not do well for my flu and made it worst. I was at my worst on Thursday morning when I had to drive to Putrajaya for a meeting, and almsot fell asleep at the wheel due to the lack of sleep and fatigue.

After the meeting, I drove to the clinic, but a journey which would usually take only 40 minutes took me close to 1 1/2 hours to get there because I practically went round Putrajaya twice. Must be because I was too sick, I simply could not find my way out of Putrajaya to get back to Subang Jaya to go to the clinic! LOL!

The doctor insisted that I take the medical leave and go home and sleep so that the medication can take effect better. I was still contemplating of going back to the office in the afternoon because I had a meeting to chair and another one on Friday morning. But, I relented when I realised that I wouldn't be able to chair the meeting anyway with the bad cough. After making some calls to have the meetings postphoned, I took my medication and went to bed.

It has been 2 days since I finished the last dose of medicine, but the cough and cold is still there though not as bad. I am able to get up and prepare some simple meals for the family. Before this, my hubby has had to buy all meals since I was simply not up to doing anything. The coughing fit has left me weak most days.

It gets so irritating at times when the coughing fit kicks in, and my sleep is still interupted by the coughing fit that kicks in a couple of time each night, but my mood has imprived. I am not as easily irritated, but I am just frustrated why the cough and cold would not go away despite all the medication that I took. Some call it the 100 day cough. Gosh! Is that how long I still have to suffer? *sigh*

NNC's inaugural meet-up!

Yup! We had fun!

Our first inaugural meet-up for the group was held on 10th February, 2007 at Seri Melaka, Amcorp Mall, Petaling Jaya, Selangor.

I was late getting there for I made the mistake of taking the LRT (Light Rail Transit) instead of driving there because I thought that going by LRT would get me there quicker considering that it was Saturday when most roads leading to town would be jammed up. I also wanted to avoid the jam coming back because I had a dinner to attend the same day.

It is one of those days when you just miscalculate your timing. When I got there, most of the members were already there - Angie, Faizon, June, Janet, BJ, Emily and Diyana. Rose arrived slightly later since she also took the LRT. Soon after, Shanny arrived with her mum, followed by Jo and later Wendy. I think Wendy surprised everyone with her presence because I never told anyone that she was coming, but we were having a guess the mystery member game where Emily said that she was bringing along a member, but she was not telling who is is, and Wendy wasn't the mystery member! LOL!

Much later, Azie arrived with Linda with all her wares of cross stitch things to sell and we were like going goo goo ga ga over them! LOL!

Thanks, Emily, for injecting some fun into the meet when days before the meet-up, we were like listing down almost every member of the group, and mind you, we don't have that many members, and yet we did not get it right! LOL! Well, I almost did! I had already guessed it was Janet, by said that she was from Kedah, when she is actually from Ipoh! Duh! Emily said that we were 99.9% wrong! LOL!

Anyway, we had fun getting to know everyone with the little time that we had. Three hours was still not enough time when we have so much to talk about and show off what we have done and been doing! There was so much that we wanted to learn from one another, but time was simply not with us. I also had to leave early to get ready for my dinner, so that made time flew even faster.

I had fun, and I am almost certain many had fun too. I must thank Emily for making the booking for the place and for treating us the `sago pudding'. I thank June for her lovely rose pins, Rose for her lovely pincushion, and Shanny for her lovely heart shape hanging ornament.

I thank each and every member that made it to the meet up and made it a great one! Hopefully we will have many more great meet-ups in the future too!

Out of this world.....

and into space! LOL!

When I bought my latest issue of Cross Stitcher last month (issue 182), my son saw a chart of a space man. He asked that I stitch it for him. In fact, my son has always been asking me to stitch something for him each time I bring home the latest issue of any cross stitch magazine, but I kept putting it off. Even his birth sampler I have yet to start on it and he is going to be seven this year! LOL! Poor him! I have stitched so many name plates and birth samplers for my nieces and nephews, and I have yet to stitch either one of them for him. So, so, sooo terible of me! *shaking my head*

Anyway, since this is a small piece, I thought I'd stitch this piece for him. I thought it would be a real quick one. It did, only, I did not have the flurescent and glow-in-the dark floss called for in the chart. I have smsed Wendy and she said she will get it more me since she is the distributor for DMC threads. So, until the threads arrive safely in my hands, this is as far as I got.

A little something different compared to what I have been stitching lately, which is mostly very sweet and matured designs. It's a nice break, and I hope to get it done real soon and have it framed up to put it up in his room.

An envelope of goodies!

The envelope looked very deceiving. It was the usual brown envelope you buy at the stores. You could never tell from the envelope that it contained so many lovely goodies. When I ripped open the envie (notice that I said `ripped'? Goes to show how excited I was to receive the envelope! LOL!), out came packets and packets of goodies! There were punched images, stamped images, embellishments, the list is almost endless!

But, the best of the lot is a red and white crocheted doily, painstakingly crocheted by Usha! It's really lovely! Thanks, Usha, for all the goodies, and the time and effort you took to crochet the doily. Valentine's Day has started already for me! LOL! Shall I tell my hubby that I got a valentine present already from someone else? LOL! *wink*

The goodies I got are actually the Valentine Stash Exchange (VSE), one of the many activities organised at NNC. You are assigned a partner to whom you send some valentine goodies. You can send anything, but part of it must be craft related, and in the colours of love. You, in return, will receive some goodies, but you do not know who your partner is until the day you receive the goodies.

Sounds fun? It is, especially when the innocent looking envelope lands in your hands!

Time to grab the towel!

First, I have to thank BJ for taking her time to do up the tutorial for making up the towel topper. It looked easy enough. Shouldn't be much of a problem for me who have dabbled with the sewing machine since my craddle days, right? WRONG! LOL!

It started easy enough, until I got to the part where I put the back and the front together, with the binding already in place. I think I missed a step in BJ's instruction. Trust me for not printing a copy of the tutorial and hoping to rely on memory to get me through the steps. Have I forgotten that I am not as young as I thought I am or want to believe? LOL!

Anyway, when I turned over my towel topper to the front, I could not figure out how to seal the ends of the binding tape. I sewed it to the back but, somehow, it just did not look right. It looked even worse when fully completed with the towel in place. It looked bulky and awful to me. I just did not like the way it turned out. Not any fault of BJ, of course. She did a swell job of doing up the tutorial. It was just the way I did it up, or my sewing.

After much contemplation, I decided to turn this interchangeable towel topper into a fixed towel topper. By doing this, one thing for sure, I could hide the flawed binding tape permanently into the topper. The second thing is, the topper does not look bulky like when the interchangeable towel is folded into it. Just the way I prefer it!

So, teacher BJ, how does it look? Sorry I did not follow your intructions to the T, but instead, used the intructions and made some slight changes to get it to the way I like it to be. Hope you don't mind.

I still learnt something new from BJ's tutorial. Before this, I have never used binding tape the way she showed me how. I gave a go at making an interchangeable topper, but just did not like the bulky part. I think it's the towel I used. Yeah, right! Blame it on the towel! LOL!

Crazy for pincushions?

Yesterday, while at Bangsar Village to send my son for his art class, there was a charity drive in aid of the flood victims that lost almost everything during the flood that kept most of the southern part of Malaysia in waters for almost 3 weeks.

There were lots of lovely things sold. Besides the books, colour pencils, crayons and other school things which you can either buy and keep which, 100% of the sale will go to buying school things for the kids, or, you can donate back the school things you bought to be given to the school kids.

Apart from that, there were quite a number of stalls selling crafts and handmade items like beaded necklaces, bracelets, earring, bags, cards, cushion covers, placemats and many more handmade household items. I can't say how much of the sale for these items will go to the flood victims, but, I hope more then 50% will, if not more or all of it. It is, afterall, a charity drive officiated by Datuk Seri Sharizat Abdul Jalil, Women, Family and Community Development Minister.

I bought a couple of things, which, among others is this cute little turtle pincushion! Isn't it so adorable? I just had to buy it! Yeah, like as if I don't have enough pincushions already! LOL! And, guess what? I also dropped by QG to pick up some interfacing for my towel topper, and, hee hee, as I was paying for the interfacing, I saw this cute little crazy patch pincushion! Heheh..what else! I bought that one too! Goodness! I don't believe I just bought two things without giving much thought to it! LOL!

As if that was not enough, last night, I finally made up my 4-patch pincushion! LOL! This is my first 4-patch pincushion, and definitely not going to be my last! It was difficult at first trying to figure out how to do it, but, once you get the concept, it was a breeze! *wink* I love the way the green matched the pink fabric, like as if it was meant to be! *wink*


The only thing about the pincushion which I wasn't fully satisfied is that I did not pad it more, because I thought it might make it bulge too much. But, now, when completed, it felt too soft, like a squashed up pillow after being used for a long time. Get the picture?

Anyway, just to `show' you that I DON'T actually need anymore pincushions, here are my collection thus far. Some made by me, some given to me by some lovely stitching friends. Will this make me stop buying or making more pincushions in the future? I think you can guess what the answer will be, right? LOL! *wink*

Isn't this loaf of bread a beauty?

LOL! I can't believe that I just called a loaf of bread a beauty! I must be going nuts! LOL! But, I just love the way this bread turned out! *grin*

Yum! It was a delicious breakfast I had this morning! All because of something so simple as a freshly baked homemade whole meal bread! Yup! Baked my own bread last night using my bread machine which was almost becoming a white elephant in the last one year for being under utilised!

With just butter and a spread of fresh strawberry jam bought in Cameron Highlands recently all completes the meal. Yum! I must thank my mum for giving me the bread machine for a birthday present some 4 years ago. Thanks, Mum!

A little of this and that............

Work in the office has been hectic lately. When has it been otherwise? LOL!

So, while my hubby goes to the gym to release HIS stress, you guessed it, where else would I be but in MY stitching room! Yup! That's the best place to release MY stress! LOL!

So, what have I been up to? Not much, really. Just a little bit of this and that.....

I worked a little on my star project. I am about 50% done on the hardanger part, which I can now do quite fast, especially since I made lots changes to the specialty stitches which I am unfamilar with to those that I know I can do and know will look nice. Once the hardanger part is done, which is quite fun, actually, than comes the more difficult part - the cross stitch part because there are quite a number of fractional stitches. Doing them on evenweave should be easier, but, the counting part when it comes evenweave sometimes has its challenges. It is ever so easy to miscount! So, wish me luck!

Moving on to another project, the next one is a small one. I commited myself to doing a Stitch-A-Long (SAL) with Rose for a towel topper which BJ has been kind enough to do up a tutorial for these two amateurs....well, OK, I speak only for myself. Rose might be an expert, only she's not admitting it! *wink* ! LOL! Thanks, BJ, for the tutorial!

This piece if taken from Cross Stitcher Issue 180. It is a design by Lesley Teare, one of my favourite designers. The metal case you see featured next to the half completed stitching is a freebie Stitch Tin I got from Cross Stitcher Issue 183. I love it! I can use it for all my small projects. Very convenient to carry it around.

A pinkeep with a difference!

When I did up my pinkeep, I knew the way I was doing it was not the usual way that it should be done. I could not recall the link that BJ gave at NNC earlier that showed how to do up a pinkeep. So, using my own imagination, I did mine in a way that was different, but not that far off! LOL! The link which BJ eventually gave again (thanks, BJ!) needed some sewing to be done. Mine is sew-free! Just used craft glue. LOL!

It does not look too bad *grin*, although it does look kind of bulky. One thing for sure, since I used compressed polystrene in place of the should be batting, my pinkeep can actually be poked with pins even on the front, not just the sides. *grin*

Just in case someone should be interested *wink* to do one in the way I did mine, here are the materials, although I missed out the ribbons when I took this photo.

I wrapped felt material over the polystyrene board because I am uncertain as to whether polystyrene is acid free or not. By wrapping with felt material, I hope to protect my stitching from having direct contact with the board. Next, I wrapped my stitching over the felt material. After wrapping the cotton fabric over the backing board, I glued both front and back pieces together.

When that is done, the ribbon goes next around the almost completed pinkeep, using double sided tape. This is, of course, followed by the pins around all four sides of the pinkeep, and taa daaa! The finished pinkeep.....with a difference! See! No sewing needed! LOL!

Thank you so much, Faizon!

I got a pleasant surprise in the mail yesterday. I came home on Friday to a red card in the mailbox informing me that I have a registered mail to be picked up. For the life of me, I never expected to receive anything from a stitching friend, least of all, anything in return for my very small gift I sent to a friend.

I initially thought it was the Valentine Stash Exchange (VSE), but then, I realised that it was much too early to be receiving it, since mailing out date is only on the 5th of February 2007. I thought it must be one of those bills again! LOL!

Faizon, thank you so much for the lovely tatted bookmark! It sure was a pleasant surprise! I am flattered by the compliments! *blush* I might still tat one day, you know, only if I can just find the time to squeeze in another hobby! LOL!

Another finishing idea

I got this handphone bag/purse/caddy/ whatchamacolic from a non-stitching friend when she went on holiday to Bukit Tinggi, Indonesia. She knows I am into cross stitching and would appreciate the gift. Actually, any gift from friends are always appreciated! *smile*

This gift just gave me another idea on how to finish up a stitched piece. I might also try crocheting one too! Now, what I need to do is to find just the right pattern, and of course, the time to stitch or crochet it! LOL!

Errrr.....didn't I just committed myself to doing a pinkeep and towel topper with Rose? Opps! Heheh........

Stitching and beading update

It has been quite some time since I did any stitching, actually. It's been hectic since my son started Primary One, what with him coming home each day with something missing! I think I am more streesed out than he is! LOL! Or, was he stressed out at all?

Added to that, there were a few projects that needed to be tendered out by January, 2007, so I was way above my head with work. I have found myself falling asleep even as I try to watch the television to catch up on some news! LOL!

Today, I managed a little bit of stitching on my christmas star. Soon I might have to change the name of the piece at the rate I am making changes to the piece to suit my level of expertise! Mind you, it is not high *LOL!*, rather, I am struggling with some of the specialty stitches. I hope the original designer would not mind. LOL! But, before someone points out to me that I might be infringing some copyright law, no, I am not claiming authorship to the design. It still remains a design by Cross N Patch. *grin*

On another hobby, when I went back home to Kota Bharu recently for the festivities, my sister, who is also into beading, took me shopping to buy beads. Boy, I went crazy with the beads sold! It was lucky that I did not carry that much cash with me at that time, but, stash I still did! LOL!

I made myself these necklaces. I wanted to make a set containing a necklace, a bracelet and an earring to match, but, I simply never got down to it. However, I did managed to make at least a bracelet to match the purple set. Hopefully I can find time to make the earrings soon.

Basket of Smalls

We were talking about it at NNC. It is supposed to be a basket filled up with all the small and mini projects that you have stitched or intend to stitch this coming year. It all started with the 5 Mini Challenge that Margaret had initially organised at MYS. It got everyone excited because many projects could be completed in speed time compared to the usual medium to large size projects many of us, stitchers, are used to doing up. It gave us a great sense of accomplishment with each project completed.

I, for one, find the size of the mini projects easy to bring around on my frequent travels for work. It fits so easily in my briefcase in between the serious stuffs! LOL! I also find doing mini projects such fun! It was fun scouring through my never ending stash of books and magazine for just that right design for the next mini project.

So, when the group started talking about having a basket of smalls, I thought I would start with my basket of smalls filled up with gifts given to me by my great crafting friends. Just a `show off'! LOL! *wink*

I will soon make myself a basket of smalls filled up with the things I made. For now, I just want to admire the things I got!

BTW, the basket used to be a wedding basket I made which was filled with flower petals for my brother's wedding reception last year.

My very first Bircornu!

Now that BJ has safely received the FRE biscornu I made for her, I can now upload the photo and update my blog.

Boy, I have been containing the excitement to tell you all about it here because I wanted to surprise my partner. The reason for my excitement? The biscornu I made for BJ is my first ever attempt at making up a biscornu!

When I completed the biscornu, I almost did not want to give it away! LOL! I just simply love the way the shades of DMC 115 works on the piece. I might just do another piece! *wink* Same exact piece? I am uncertain just yet, but, one thing I am certain is that it won't be the first time that I'll be using DMC115 and it also won't be the first time I'll be doing a biscornu. It looked difficult at first, but, once you know how to do it, it was fun doing it up as the shape appears when you go around the edges putting it together.

A piece of art

Goodness, the packaging for the FRE I got from June has put my packaging... errrr....if you can call it packaging, that is, for my FRE to my partner *grin*, to shame! *blush*

A guy from June's workplace dropped it off all wrapped up in an innocent brown school book wrapping paper, but, goodness, the inside just made me breathless in excitement! LOL! The FRE was put in a very nice box, which I have a feeling June or her daughter made it up herself. It was quite a big box that I never expected it to contain the FRE (read: the FRE to my partner is SMALL. Sorry, partner! *wink*) When I opened the box, I could not help saying, "Oh my gosh! Oh my gosh! Oh my gosh! It is so lovely!" LOL!

Explaining the way June had finished the FRE and packed it wouldn't do justice to it, and, a picture paints a thousand words, so here is the photo of the piece of art. Did I get all my stitching friends envious? *wink*

Finally! The 5 ...errrr.....6 minis are done!

Okay! Okay! Okay! I know I am late, in fact really late, in putting up my report for the 5 Mini Challenge, but, it has been one hectic week! Well, for starters, my baby, yup, he is still my baby despite being already 6 years old! *wink* has started Primary One! I never thought it could get me all stressed out tired! LOL! I will tell all about it in a later posting. For now, the priority is to report on the 5 Mini Challenge which I was supposed to have reported on January 1, 2007. Apologise, Margaret!

OK, let's see......

I had actually completed all my 5 Minis before Christmas, or the weekend of the christmas holidays. I would have updated my blog then, but I could only do it after my son has gone to bed. Lately he has gotten addicted to Dragon Boosters and I have to `fight' to use the computer with him! LOL! So, the best is when he has gone to bed. But, then again, after I had put him to bed and done all the household chores, I start yawning! So, what else is new? LOL!

Anyway, here they are........

First, is my Needlebook. This is actually not part of my 5 minis initially, so, I actually have 6 minis! *wink*

It is a freebie design by Ellen Maurer Stroh. Where I find the biscornu I did earlier, also a design by EMS, a little on the BIG side, I find this needlebook to be a little too small. It is only 2 1/2" x 3" when closed. It was a little fiddly trying to sew it up because of it's tiny size, or are my hands too big? LOL! I am not that happy with the finishing work. I could have done better, but I do like the design. I am thinking of also stitching up the big needlebook too.

Next is a pincushion. This design was taken from Mary Hickmott's New Stitches magazine. I am also not too happy with the way I did the finishing. I think I did the finishing too much in a rush. I also spent a lot of time being undecided in what I wanted to turn this piece into. Initially I wanted to turn it into a pinkeep, but decided against it when I could not find a more practical use for it besides it being an ornamental piece. But, after I turned it into a pincusion, I wished that I had went ahead and did it into a pinkeep instead. It would have looked better.... I think.

This next piece, I am really happy with! *grin* I think it is soooo cute! *wink* This altoid tin piece is a first for me. Though the size does not actually fit exactly, I managed to do it up satisfactorily. I actually glued and reglued and repositioned it 3 times before I could get it right! LOL! I am glad at the way it had turned out. One of my favourites for the Mini projects.

My 4th piece is a kitchen towel. This, I think I could also have done a better job of finishing it. I was just so excited to get it done, that I just rushed through it! See what happens when you keep everything till the last minute? LOL!

My 5th and 6th piece are actually ones that I have already reported on earlier, and they are my "BLESS OUR HOME" and the EMS biscornu. These two pieces I am very happy with because I had plenty of time to do them during my less hectic times. For one, I did not do the framing for the "BLESS OUR HOME" piece myself, and I did the finishing for the biscornu during one of the times when my hubby was outstation, so I had no outside 'distraction'. *wink*

So, that is it for now, until I report on progress of my other works!