Alcy's Hobby Room

Magic Bottle

2012-01-21T18:27:00.065+08:00

Niece, H, got this bottle for my mum last Sunday:

There's something swimming in there...Can you see them?

2 little shrimp!!!

Here's a close-up pic of the cute little shrimp...

We're having steamboat for our CNY reunion dinner...No, no, I'm not hinting anything. These 2 fellas will never end up in the pot, that's for sure...they're mum's pets & much too tiny...
...

Happy Lunar New Year!

That's What Friends Are For...?

2011-07-17T10:09:00.009+08:00

Hello! I am Monkee, Alcy's best friend.

Alcy's been extremely busy with work and have neglected her blog badly. As her good friend, I thought I should give her a helping hand so that she may finish work early and hopefully have more time to craft & blog often.

Today's Sunday. While Alcy's doing her weekly groceries shopping, I shall quietly pop by her office to help clear all her outstanding work.

I am on my way to Alcy's office now...

What a beautiful Sunday!

Okay, here we are. Since this is Alcy's office, I thought I should put on a tie. I am a professional Consultant, you know.

Right, let's get started!

Hmm...let's see...this should go here...

...and that one goes there...

................ 10 minutes later ................

I'm done! Easy peasy!

I'm sure Alcy would be very pleased when she comes back to office on Monday and see what I have secretly done for her...

Dear readers, if you need help like Alcy, just let me know and I'll be most glad to offer you my assistance too.

Here's my business card, call me anytime:

See you soon!

Transformation

2011-05-08T13:47:00.013+08:00

Hello, I'm still here.

It's been a loooooong while since I last blogged as I've been busy working. Duh.

The General Elections has come & gone (yesterday was Polling Day in case you're not aware). Will we see a different Singapore henceforth?

I don't know but maybe this little chick does...let's ask her:

Chick says: * * ** ** *** **** * ************???!!

Wait a minute...this is not a chick, it's Hello Kitty masquerading as one!

The hood on this chicken suit is removable, do you like it?

Exodus

2011-02-25T16:34:00.005+08:00

A belated Happy 'Rabbit Year' everyone!

So many colleagues have resigned and left after the Lunar New Year break, with a few more leaving in the next couple of months, some of whom I work/mingle closely with. It's especially difficult to do the exit process with this group, so hard to say goodbye to friends...

"WHERE SHALL I GO?

(1) To the left where nothing's right?
or
(2) To the right where nothing's left?"

Infestation

2011-01-09T16:12:00.001+08:00

I've got a pressing problem.

The bananas I bought this morning are now infested with...

Bananas are one of my favourite fruits but now I'm facing stiff competition from these fellas!

Help, do something!

Gotta be quick before they're done feasting & make their escape...

1-1-11

2011-01-01T17:38:00.020+08:00

Happy New Year!

Blog post #1 on 1-1-11.

A good start, isn't it? :D

This doll was made last year, in December (only a couple of weeks back). I believe she is sitting on my friend, Carol's office desk right now...

My Trip To Taipei

2010-12-29T23:00:00.000+08:00

I was in Taipei from 9-13 Dec 10.

To tell the truth, it was never on my priority list to visit Taiwan. I went there this time as it was an ideal destination to travel free & easy for 5 short days - no language barrier and excellent public transport system, hence easy to travel around on our own.

Surprisingly, food in Taipei is quite cheap (as compared to Singapore) & tasty too. Same goes for clothes & shoes - cheap, nice & trendy.

So cheap & nice that on my trip back, I had about 6kg of excess baggage - extra 4kg of check-in luggage + extra 2kg of personal baggage (spare tyre around my waist).

I'm quite tired of trying to upload photos to Blogger. Took me days just to upload these pictures, can you believe that!?

Happy New Year, everyone!

Fear

2010-11-07T10:46:00.000+08:00

I love horror movies. So can you imagine how excited I was when I found out that horror movies would be screened on Okto channel every Sunday at 10pm in the month of October? Unfortunately it turned out that none of them was horrifying though. How disappointing.

And it was this disappointment that made me want to re-watch some old horror movies that I had enjoyed in the past - The Shining & The Exorcist. Though I still find the movies quite scary, I thought nothing beats this greatest fear of mine. This thing makes me so petrified with fear that I swear I often imagine I could see it from the corner of my eye only to turn my head around & find there's nothing there.

Before you start thinking I'm a nut, let me introduce you to one of my greatest fears - The Thing:

I don't know if you've heard of this Chinese (Teochew) saying that goes something like, "the more you're afraid of something, the more likely you'll face it". Of course being a typical 黑仔, I was not spared. I remember this incident that happened one night a couple of years back...I came home late from work & as I was walking out from the lift, one of these Things landed exactly on the back of my right hand with a thud, right side up! My immediate reaction was of course to fling my hand vigorously & luckily The Thing was flung off. But I was scared stiff, hair standing.

I wonder how many of you have had the same experience? Exactly, I believe the answer is NONE! Isn't this suppose to be like one in a million chance of a lifetime kind of thing? Yet it had to happen to me, to someone who's absolutely terrified of The Thing! Don't mean to complain but you know, I really think life's unfair sometimes.

Recently I was even forced to confront this fear by exterminating them whenever I see them around in my home. In the past, I used to let them off by pretending to be oblivious to their existence but I could no longer do so as they seem to be making themselves more & more at home these days without my permission (well, not that I would have approved even if they asked). I understand that they, too, have their right to live on this earth but definitely not in my home! I'm sorry & please forgive me, you absolutely have to leave.

Now, now what was I thinking? I absolutely abhor these things but now I have immortalised them! Ugh, what am I supposed to do with these two? Anyone want some felt lizards? These 'darlings' are looking for a nice family who's willing to adopt & care for them...

Sky Watch

2010-11-01T20:50:00.002+08:00

Took this photo in the morning on my way to work.

I like the lone contrail in the sky, the aircraft nowhere in sight...

Another One Bites The Dust

2010-10-17T15:16:00.002+08:00

Do you know what I normally have for lunch? Yes, it's got something to do with these, i.e. if you can figure out what they are...

I eat fish soup noodles for lunch quite frequently, at least 3 to 4 times a week, & would normally order the fried fish version, without milk. In case some of you might be wondering what's the milk about. Well, I'm not sure why but milk is usually added to the noodles/soup unless you request them not to do so. I prefer mine without milk as I like my soup 'clean'.

Sad to say the stall I like to patronise has closed recently. I like their fish soup noodles cos the soup is tasty & they serve them with bitter gourd slices instead of 'Chye Sim' like most other stalls.

To commemorate those many happy lunch hours I had from eating those yummy noodles, I sewed this:

Yum...

Singapore Flyer

2010-10-06T21:40:00.002+08:00

Have you been on the Singapore Flyer yet?

Took a ride on the Flyer, with compliments from my Bro #1, on 4 Sep 10.

These pictures are posted one month late as they were taken using my handphone & I only transferred them to my laptop recently.

Hmm...But why do the pictures look so grey? ...

To Market, To Market...

2010-10-03T19:11:00.000+08:00

Spent this morning at the Giant hypermart with my mum, sis-in-law #2 & niece H. As usual, we bought alot of groceries. I don't cook, my mum does but I enjoy these weekend trips to the supermarket cos I enjoy shopping. :)

Sewed a couple of peas (pods) when I got home... inspiration from my supermart trip? :P

Seems like a short post today but you know I can't leave you just like that without sharing a small interlude from a day in the life of the clumsy me, can I? Well, what happened was I bought 3 big cups of drinks but 2 decided to slide off the food tray I was holding, causing a sticky mess, not on me but on the hypermart food court floor. Sorry to the Uncle who had to clean up the mess for me. 真系黑仔, 鸡手鸭脚嘅我唔只系茶煲,仲白白浪费咗$4.20添. 心痛. 当黑!

Today's Lunch

2010-09-26T13:15:00.073+08:00

Guess what I had for lunch today?

This -

Can you guess what this blob is? Here, have a closer look...

All right never mind, no need to stress yourself. This was my lunch:

Japanese Curry Rice (カレーライス)!

I used this ready-made curry sauce pack. All I did was to cook some rice, heat up this sauce pack in boiling water for 3 minutes & pour the contents over my cooked rice. Ta da!

By the way, making the inedible felt version took much longer (about 1 hour) than the edible one (about 20 minutes). Thought you'd like to know...

The Bakery

2010-09-10T11:00:00.212+08:00

Hello, I'm back! It's been almost 3 weeks since I last blogged. Yes, it's the usual boring excuse - I've been busy with work.

I've also been busy 'baking' lately...Perhaps you'd like to savour some of these yummy baked goods while we chat?

What do you normally have for breakfast? As I'm always rushing for time in the morning, mine would usually be cakes, breads or any snacks that I can eat without much fuss. My favourites are pandan cakes, swiss rolls & Chwee Kueh (水粿).

Croissant
Length: 3.6cm

I like to eat these with tuna, tomato & lettuce.

Anpan
Diameter: 2.2cm

Don't eat much of these but my favourite Anpan would be this burnt one - "Kogepan". :)

Star Bun
Diameter: 2.2cm

Chocolate or custard?

Bunny Bun
Diameter: 2.2cm

Not sure if they have such buns in real bakeries but they sure exist in my virtual one...

Notice that Star Bun on top row 2nd from left in photo below?

I believe it's a tad over-stuffed. But if it's a real bun, I'll definitely pick this one as it's bursting with custard, filled with all those yummy goodness. :9...

There's no coffee & tea served at this moment as it's only a bakery now. Will try to get that ready so you may enjoy these freshly baked goods at my Cafe then.

Till then, enjoy!

Happy Birthday, Bro #3!

2010-08-22T15:03:00.034+08:00

Greetings to another birthday boy in this month of August. Happy Birthday to you, Bro #3!

Here's your birthday treat but I don't know how you like your hotdog so I prepared all 4 types. Take your pick:

Plain:

With mustard only:

With chilli only:

With chilli & mustard:

I like mine plain or with chilli only. What's your pick?

Happy Birthday!

*This mini hotdog is about 3cm long.*

Happy Birthday, Bro #2!

2010-08-14T00:11:00.076+08:00

生日快乐!!

Rather than sing you the English birthday song, how do you like this Cantonese version?

"祝寿歌"
恭祝你　福寿与天齐　庆贺你生辰快乐
年年都有今日岁岁都有今朝
恭喜你恭喜你

(粤)系唔系觉得好'老饼'啊? 哈哈...

Anyway, not forgetting your present - a handmade dog charm for you:

Food For Thought / Calico Bunny

2010-07-26T22:48:00.002+08:00

A few weeks back I was asked to prepare a guide & if possible, conduct training to share with the supervisors & line managers on how to counsel & discipline problematic employees in the workplace.

This evening when my eldest brother came to visit, he asked if my car pool problem was resolved (see my previous post, "A Chicken's Dilemma"). I told him that I had spoken to that colleague & she had also agreed to keep to our schedule from now on. I then told my brother that I shall observe her for a period of time & if there's no improvement shown, I shall proceed to arrange my own transport thereafter.

This conversation with my brother just made me realised that talking to that colleague about her tardiness problem, making her see the problem she had caused me, getting her to agree to make an effort to keep to the schedule & taking the decision to observe her over a period of time to ensure that the problem is not repeated - by doing all these, haven't I just conducted some kind of counselling/disciplinary procedure though on a personal front? Haha...I have always believed that things happen for a reason. Now I can finally see the link - perhaps the work assignment was given to indirectly help me deal with this personal problem I was facing? A very good opportunity for me to put theory into practice, isn't it?

This calico bunny has got nothing to do with what I wrote about today. I sewed this over the weekend & just wanted to show it to you....Or maybe there's a link somewhere afterall, waiting for me to discover?...:D

A Chicken's Dilemma

2010-07-18T20:26:00.004+08:00

Which category do you fall into? Are you normally:

(i) early or on-time for appointments; or
(ii) late for appointments?

I'm in category (i). Unfortunately, most of the people I'm supposed to meet fall into category (ii).

I have never been late for work, not until recently...

My colleague (who's staying a few blocks away) & I share a cab to work every morning. We're supposed to meet at 8am & will normally reach the office in about 10 mins, leaving us 20 mins to settle in before work starts officially at 8.30am. This arrangement had worked well so far until problems began surfacing a few weeks ago.

Recently this colleague's son started to take lifts from us as his new school's located somewhere near our office. I do not mind giving him a lift except that they have caused me to be late for work 3 times in the past few weeks already! Not only do they show up at our meeting point as late as 8.20am, they took their time to stroll down with absolutely no sense of urgency knowing very well that by the time we detour to drop her son off, we will be at least 15-20 mins late for work!

What would you have done if you were in my shoes? Would you tell her frankly about how you feel & risk causing unhappiness or adopt the mentality that 'if you can't beat them, join them' & be late for work as well?

I don't like to be late and really don't like being passively forced into making it a habit. I guess it's time to have a talk with her & if need be, stop sharing a cab if our schedules & habits no longer jive but I would have to tell her tactfully so as not to jeopardise our working relationship...

Whatever it is, I will not be a chicken...

Have Been Busy...

2010-07-05T20:15:00.000+08:00

...Reading...

I noticed that whatever I do depends very much on my mood. On days when the bookworm pays me a visit, I could read book after book for days & weeks. But sometimes when I'm not in the mood for reading, I will leave my books & not touch them for months. Same goes for crafting. Are you like that too?

...Searching...

Recently I've lost both my dentist & hairdresser. No no, not lost forever as I believe they are very much alive (thank heavens) but that they have both left their respective practices. My favourite dentist has decided to be a stay-at-home mum while the hairdresser, well I don't know what happened to her as her colleagues & boss at the salon did not say much except that she'll not be back anytime soon in the near future :(.

Now, I have to go scout around for a new dentist & hairdresser which is absolutely distressing for me! While I understand that change is a constant thing, the problem is, I am a person of habits. After I got comfortable with say, patronising a certain store or following a certain routine which I think works for me, I am quite reluctant to change. Moreover, it takes time (& possibly luck) to find another whose skills & presence I can trust & enjoy. Are you like that too?

To all those who provide services to the public, you have absolutely no idea how important you are to this habitual creature...

Meanwhile, though distressed, I'm still in the mood for reading...

A Little Girl - Nicole

2010-06-28T21:31:00.000+08:00

Meet Nicole.

This poor girl's suffering from a bad hair year and had to hold down her unruly mob of hair with a red hair band.

But I'm trying my best to rectify the situation for her...

...Shall I cut it into a bob? Perhaps layer it? Or maybe rebonding will do the trick?...

Fabric Doll - Mandy

2010-06-20T20:12:00.002+08:00

This is my first fabric doll. I named her Mandy, which means "Lovable". Hope it's befitting!?

Mandy's sewn from the patchwork fabric scraps I bought from Daiso recently.

Here's Mandy sitting on the tiny sofa I made sometime back:

Sewing this fabric doll can be quite enjoyable & addictive! Can't wait to make some more friends for Mandy...

It's Just My Imagination

2010-06-13T21:28:00.072+08:00

What's this?...

Have I just entered the Twilight Zone?

Is this an E.T.?

......
...........
...................
......

Nah...it's only a snail...

Happy Birthday, Brother #1

2010-06-04T00:13:00.000+08:00

♫♪ Happy Birthday to you ♫♪ Happy Birthday to you ♫♪ Happy Birthday to Bro#1 ♫♪ Happy Birthday to you! ♫♪

It's your big day today!

I didn't 'bake' you a cake this time. Thought I'd make you something else this year...

How about a crocheted slice of birthday pizza? Hope you like it.

生日快乐! Here's wishing you good health & happiness always!

Daiso

2010-05-28T15:52:00.109+08:00

Hello! I'm feeling much better already after being sick for almost 4 weeks.

So, to celebrate my almost full recovery, I decided to go shopping. My friend, Helen, brought me to Daiso located at the Rivervale Mall a couple of weeks back. And yesterday afternoon, I made my way back there once more, all by myself this time.

I took the MRT - travelled on the East-West line (in green), Circle line (in yellow), followed by the North-East line (in purple) & then transferred on to the LRT at the Sengkang station.

But I got "lost" along the way as I boarded the wrong LRT (took the West instead of East Loop service) headed in the opposite direction instead. As a result, I got to tour the entire Sengkang estate before finally reaching my destination.

The whole MRT + LRT journey lasted 1.5 hours!

Here are some of the stuff I bought at Daiso - some craft supplies & some non-craft items including the wooden monkey above....:)

I love Daiso & will definitely go back again but I need to find a faster/shorter way to get there...any suggestions?

I'm Craving For...

2010-05-16T16:12:00.006+08:00

I've met my match. After 2 weeks & 3 visits to the doctor, I'm still battling this stubborn cold virus that shows no sign of retreating. Not even a teeny weeny bit of improvement after swallowing bags of pills, bottles of cough syrup and buckets of herbal teas & tonics. Sigh, the battle of the 2 stubborn mules continues...

Not sure about you but everytime when I'm sick and had to abstain from certain food, I start to crave for them. Right now, I have this strange craving for burgers. And it certainly didn't help when I found this in my mailbox a couple of days ago:

There are some discount coupons in the flyer that I'm dying to use:

Ok, for the sake of my Portobello Mushroom Thickburger, I MUST get well soon. Till then, I'll just have to make-do & eye feast on this mini felt hamburger for the time-being:

This mini felt hamburger is approximately 2cm in diameter.

Mini burger posing next to a local 10 cents coin:

Mini burger posing next to an USA one dime coin:

Argh, but I don't think it's working...I need a REAL burger...SOON!...

Still Sick

2010-05-09T21:28:00.000+08:00

Hello. It's been a week and I'm still sick. I'm down with a cold now - throat is still sore and nose is terribly congested but the good thing is fever's gone.

Needless to say, I've not been able to craft lately but would like to share these pictures I took with you.

This was what I saw last Sunday evening when I looked out of my window:

Last Thursday morning on my way to work, I spotted a rainbow in the sky again:

The weather's been so unbearably hot lately but the flowers are all blooming brightly:

Hope I'll get back on track soon. Have a good week ahead.

Needles And Pain

2010-05-03T20:47:00.002+08:00

Woke up this morning with my throat feeling painful & tight. This makes eating & drinking extremely painful, as if I'm swallowing needles! Went to the doctor & was told that my tonsils are inflamed. The total medical fees came up to S$61.10! And what did I get? Some antibiotics, 8 lozenges, a tiny bottle of mouth gargle and 5 minutes' consultation with the doctor. All these for S$61.10!

To all kids out there, next time when you're asked to write an essay on "我的志愿" in class, you may want to consider the medical profession.

All right, mum's herbal teas are calling. I gotta get some rest & nurse my sick tonsils as well as the now inflamed pocket.

A Walk In The Woods

2010-05-02T20:54:00.000+08:00

The sun is shining brightly and it looks like a good day to take a walk in the woods and maybe gather some pretty flowers too.

So with her basket in hand, little Squirrel sets off for the Buttons Woods.

"What pretty flowers! I should bring some home."

"Wait...what's this?"

"Oh, look! I found a nut!"

But it's not just any ordinary nut, it's the special Monkey Nut!

"Yippee! Such wonderful luck to chance upon this rare find."

Little Squirrel quickly picked up the Monkey Nut and put it in her basket.

"I'm so excited! I must get home quickly and squirrel this away."

"It is indeed a good day to take a walk in the woods. I'm so happy."

"I certainly hope that you have enjoyed this walk in the Buttons Woods with me too."

With the rare Monkey Nut safely tucked in her basket, little Squirrel happily skipped towards home.

Junk? No More

2010-04-28T20:38:00.012+08:00

What do you do with these promotional pamphlets/catalogues that you receive in the mail from credit card companies/shopping malls? For me, I would normally dispose them immediately without second thoughts.

But recently I found a way of putting these junk mails to good use - turn them into mini Sudoku puzzle books!

You see, I have been collecting quite alot of Sudoku puzzles from newspapers & magazines but over time, these loose pieces of cut-outs are getting a little out of hand and are becoming quite a mess, lying all over the place. So what I did was to paste all these puzzle cut-outs in a pamphlet.

For a sturdier 'book' cover, I taped a thicker piece of cardboard over it (I used one of those thick shopping catalogue covers).

So now I have a mini Suduko puzzle book which I can carry with me wherever I go! :)

Black.White

2010-04-25T13:37:00.032+08:00

The blue's almost gone as mum's on the mend & her bruises are slowly receding.

As promised, I'd like to introduce you to this black & white dog.

The dog was sewn from this pair of gloves I bought from Daiso.

I did tweak it a bit by re-sewing the nose a little higher and now I think it looks more like a dog as opposed to that weasel-like look in the previous post's photo, don't you think?

Ah, this dog likes to goof around with his pair of over-sized gloves.

Anyway, remember if you have any gloves/socks (clean ones, that is) that you no longer wish to wear or if the colours don't fit, please don't throw them away. You can always turn them into cute little glove/sock dolls! :)

Blue . Black . White

2010-04-19T20:32:00.037+08:00

These are the colours of the past week.

Blue.Black
Mum fell down last Thursday. She tripped on her loosely fold-up pants edge, fell and hit her forehead against a chair. She got a bump on her forehead almost immediately. A day later, the area around her eyes were bruised. Poor mum. Thank goodness there was no serious damage. But now she looks a little like this:

Black
I was not too well either, kept getting gastric pains on & off throughout the early week. The only consolation was that this time round, the gastric attacks were not as intense & I did not curl up in bed like a shrimp.

Black.White
On a happier note, I got to watch some of my favourite 粵語長片.

By the way, I'll introduce the dog featured above in my next post when I have a little more time to write and take pictures. Also wanted to tweak it a little as I don't quite like how it looks now. In the meantime, I hope to have a more cheerful & peaceful week ahead.

Kitty

2010-04-11T20:01:00.000+08:00

This morning a white kitten ended up outside my home, hiding between 2 empty flower pots.

Ha ha...It's quite amazing actually cos in order to end up outside my doorstep (I live quite high up in a block), the kitten would have either climbed many flights of stairs or taken the lift! Anyway it was there for only about 5 minutes before my neighbour chased it away since it was meowing quite loudly.

Just a little 'excitement' on an otherwise normal Sunday morning.

Clam

2010-04-04T19:20:00.000+08:00

From Wikipedia: "Introversion is "the state of or tendency toward being wholly or predominantly concerned with and interested in one's own mental life".[3] Introverts tend to be more reserved and less outspoken in large groups. They often take pleasure in solitary activities such as reading, writing, drawing, and using computers."

Clam speaks:

That's me. I am an introvert.

I prefer less social activities & enjoy spending time at home alone engaged in solo activities like reading, crafting or daydreaming.

So, if at times I did not accept your invitations to dinner, gathering, or whatsoever, it's not because I do not enjoy your company.

It's just this clam in me that's acting up again.

Clam has spoken and is now off to enjoy its solitude.

Less Than Perfect - Pink Piglet

2010-03-28T14:30:00.001+08:00

I must admit that little pink piggy here is not very well crocheted. There are big gaps here and there that would make any expert crocheter cringe. However, despite all the imperfections, I didn't throw it away cos I like how this piglet looks - it's big ears & smiling eyes. I call this 缺陷美!

Oh, and this lucky piggy does not have weight problems too.

Look, it's a long-legged slim beauty! Ha!

Come to think of it, I've never thrown away any of the things I made including those crafting mishaps. Yes, of course there are crafting mishaps - like everything else in life, sometimes the crafts turn out in forms other than those I envisaged. But I still keep them just because I made them with love - my passion for crafting. Maybe someday I'll show them to you but are you strong enough to stomach them, I wonder... :D

Remember my trip to Daiso a couple of months back? Well, little pink piggy here was crocheted with the S$2 yarn I bought there. I still have a big ball of that pink yarn left, wonder what I should make next...

Wanted!

2010-03-22T19:56:00.000+08:00

Have you seen this guy?

His name is "Warumono" aka "The Bad Guy", wanted by the authorities for committing this crime:

Any member of the public who has information about this fugitive should contact Inspector Alcy of The Craft Precinct immediately.

Warumono is extremely adorable *ahem* I mean abominable.

Do not, I repeat DO NOT, attempt to confront him directly as he's crafty and highly capable of stealing your ♥heart♥ away...

For more doses of cuteness *ahem* er I mean information, please read "The Bad Book".

INSPECTOR ALCY
- THE CRAFT PRECINCT

Er...You looking for me?...

Socks & Whatnots

2010-03-14T13:41:00.000+08:00

Many weeks back, I bought 2 pairs of socks (pink & grey) from this lady who sells them on some weekends at the central market. She does not have a proper shop but just sets up some tables outside other shops along the walkway, not a legal operation I guess. I asked for long grey socks & she found me an ugly pair which I bought anyway as I could not find other nicer ones. Anyway, the socks cost only S$1 a pair, so can't complain.

I didn't buy those socks for wearing but for crafting purposes. I wanted to experiment making a sock animal...this:

A Schnauzer!

*Hi, I'm Schnauzie*

I thought Schnauzie turned out pretty nicely. Really, I hadn't thought so while I was sewing it though, probably because I disliked the ugly grey socks in the first place & didn't think it'll work out.

In the meantime, I also made a bone bracelet & 2 rings. But as you can see above, Schnauzie has claimed the bone bracelet & is happily wearing it as a collar now. :)

Well, now that I'm left with one pink sock, I need more grey ones to make another Schnauzer...

...Even Schnauzie here thinks so too & is urging me to get started...

...& so I headed back to the central market in search of the sock lady but alas, no luck. She was not there the past few weekends. Hmm...when will you be back sock lady? I can't very well use those worn ones with toe jam on them, can I (oh, gross!)? Dear Schnauzie would never agree, you know...

Spring!

2010-02-21T12:19:00.066+08:00

February is such a short month but eventful though. Before I yak on, just want to remember these important dates:

20 Feb 2010 - In memory of Pa Pa who has left us for 3 years already.
16 Feb 2010 - My 1st blog anniversary!

The Lunar New Year has come and (almost) gone but Spring is in the air as you can see birds busily procreating during this period.

Read in my Bro #1's blog that 2 pairs of crows (!) made their nests near his flat, one of which is only about 5m away from his balcony! Dear readers, you know how I feel about crows from my close encounter with them years back. Though my Bro #1 (who heard from his pastor) mentioned that crows (ravens) are actually a very misunderstood bird of blessing, I have yet to be converted :).

Anyway since we are on this topic about birds, last week while looking for some blank CDs to copy songs for my brothers, I found this DVD with this interesting long-forgotten video:

I believe this is a Sun Bird (do correct me if I am wrong as I am not familiar with them)? This bird actually built its nest on an almost dead pomegranate plant abandoned by my neighbour outside my house. The initial part of the video shows the mother bird feeding its baby. But did you notice after the feeding, the mother bird did not leave immediately but instead waited for the baby bird to turn around & poop & then caught the poop with its beak before flying off? You can see this around the 00:55 ~ 00:56 mark. Talking about good service! :D

So before I leave, here's a big black bird of blessing which I sewed using a T-shirt I've never worn (thought I should emphasize this in case you think the doll smells!):

Happy Lunar New Year!

2010-02-14T00:01:00.001+08:00

恭喜, 恭喜!

It's Year of the Tiger!

Does this look like a totem pole? :)

Day Off

2010-02-01T20:19:00.008+08:00

I didn't go to work today; had to start clearing leaves that I had accumulated from last year, else they'll be forfeited. Went to the supermarket to buy some stuff but along the way, I stopped by at the ATM booth to withdraw some money & update my passbook. This ATM booth is one of those stand-alone kind located in the open air.

While I was queuing up to withdraw cash, I saw this young lady standing near the updating/depositing machine. My first thought was that she was queuing up for her turn but it turned out that she was not...When an aunty went over to that machine to deposit some money, this young lady told her that the machine was unable to accept cash deposits today and could only be used to update passbooks. Then that aunty asked why doesn't she just stick a notice near the machine to inform users instead of standing there physically to do so, the young lady replied: "My job is to do this - to stand here and inform users that the machine cannot accept cash deposits today".

!!!!!!

Oh my, poor girl. If you are from this part of the world, you would know how hot the weather can be. Can you imagine standing under the hot sun the whole day, just to wait for people to come along & inform them that the machine can't be used? What kind of job is that? What was her company thinking?

Anyway, while I was updating my passbook something dropped on my arm. Not cash (I wish!) but a teeny-weeny green worm. Eeeeekk! I get squeamish over such things. Wish I had this bird with me to peck it away for me.

Eggy Piggy

2010-01-24T13:25:00.001+08:00

A belated Happy 2010! A little late, I know but better late than never, right? :D

Oh, I finally made a trip to Spotlight and Daiso the other day. There were so, so many things that I had wanted to buy but couldn't carry them all home. I bought some craft supplies and also this:

I like stuff made of wood and so I had to buy this wooden box even though I didn't know what I shall use it for (not to mention it only costs S$2!). But I'm sure I'll be able to find some use for it...trust me, I'm very good at that (especially when I wanted something desperately) :)

Now, I use it to house my crochet needles! Mum bought me these crochet needles many, many years ago...probably more than 15 years ago?

I haven't crocheted for a long time as I couldn't find any nice patterns in diagram format. You see, I have problem reading those crochet instructions in written form.

But last Christmas, with nothing better to do, I decided to try crocheting again but this time using a written pattern and these were what I made:

*Hello, I'm little Eggy Piggy*

*I like to eat apples*

*This weird yellow apple, like me, was born on Christmas day*

*Well, I'm off now...to market, to market...to buy more apples...Ta ta!*

Little Eggy Piggy and weird yellow apple turned out a little wonky but I like them :). Now I have no more fear, will continue to try to crochet some other stuff using written patterns!

Fish Head Curry

2009-12-28T22:21:00.002+08:00

I have a weakness for curries. Any kind of curries - chicken, fish, vegetable, you name it, I love them all!

I could resist my other favourites like durians, mangoes, but never curries. It's my "nemesis". Don't you have some kind of food that you simply can't resist? If you do, then you'd know what I mean.

This is the fish head curry that mum cooked:

Ingredients:
- Fish Head (mum used white snapper)
- Ladies Fingers (1 packet)
- 1 Brinjal
- 2 Tomatoes

Method:
(1)

Oh, I had really wanted to write down the recipe here but it's just too long (!) and I gave up trying. Guess I will just concentrate on eating :D... Sorry!

Merry Christmas!

2009-12-24T17:45:00.000+08:00

Manipulation

2009-12-09T20:25:00.001+08:00

I love old Cantonese movies but this is not a scene from some 粵語長片. It's actually a photo I took on the Ngong Ping Plateau during my trip to Hong Kong in June this year! Yup, I had aged the photo with help from this interesting site.

For comparison, here's the original photo I took:

Also found another interesting site here which allows you to manipulate your photos to make them look like model photographs. I used a photo taken at a theme park in Korea to show you the before & after effect:

Before

After

Isn't it neat? Go try them out, it's fun!

X'mas Countdown

2009-12-02T23:01:00.013+08:00

Only 3 weeks more to Christmas! Are you counting down already? Have you put up your Christmas tree yet?

Well, I don't have a tree this year, not a big one that is, but I do have a tiny one hidden somewhere in my messy storeroom :D. I shall have to go look for it this weekend. I like to set up and hang ornaments on the Christmas tree though I can't say the same about taking it down after Christmas.

I haven't got time to craft recently but I would like to share with you some of the Christmas ornaments I sewed in the past.

*X'mas Tree*

*Reindeers*

*Santa Bears*

*Snowmen*
Oh, I wonder if anyone still sends Christmas cards via snail mail these days or is everyone sending e-cards for convenience? For me, I decided to send you a felt X'mas card instead. Here it is, hope you don't mind receiving it a little early:

Happy weekend to you!

Not A Very Good Day...

2009-11-13T20:19:00.000+08:00

I had to fire a staff today. Though it's not the first time I'm doing this, it was particularly tough this time round as this employee I had to terminate was one of my regular lunch partners. :(

It was not a good day for me today...

Busy Bee

2009-11-11T20:09:00.000+08:00

Just pop by to say hello as I've been missing in action for a while. Have been pretty busy with my day job, so no crafting done at all during the past few weeks. Whatever little free time I have was spent idling around :).

Anyway, I always take the same route to work every day and this morning I was thinking perhaps I should show you some of my 'favourite things' - things that I like seeing on my way to work each day.

This is my favourite tree:

My favourite pebble path:

Also saw this purple plant on my way home from work one day. Though messy, I thought it looked pretty swaying in the breeze. It's grown wild, outside an office building which is still under construction. I believe once the building is completed, this plant will probably be removed.

Is it silly to show you these ordinary things? :)

What do you see on your way to work/school each morning? Do you notice your surroundings or like most people, would just hurry along to wherever you're heading?

Keroppi Alarm Clock

2009-10-19T22:00:00.000+08:00

Hmm...The alarm on my little clock has decided to take a break and does not sound anymore these days. So now I had to rely on my handphone alarm to wake me up in the morning. This is the second alarm clock I broke.

But nothing's wasted, when the first one went dead, I removed the hour & minute hands and sewed this felt alarm clock with a Keroppi face on it!

How I wish this Keroppi alarm clock would actually work...

Keroppi is my favourite Sanrio character, though I like Minna No Tabo & Hello Kitty too. Do you have a favourite Sanrio character?

Hedgehog Blues

2009-10-11T09:17:00.000+08:00

Sewed this blue hedgie a while back which I've not shown you. Guess this shall be the last hedgie I'm making, for the time-being that is :).

Which do you prefer? The yellow, pink or this blue one?

I love hedgehogs (did I mention that before?), so I took a group photo of the 3 hedgies I made & use it as the header for my blog. Looks like they are not leaving my blog anytime yet... :D

Bye for now and Happy Sunday to you!

Happy Mid-Autumn Festival

2009-10-03T19:18:00.004+08:00

It's the 15th day of the eighth month in the Chinese calendar (八月十五) and today, we celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival (中秋節), also known as the Lantern Festival or Mooncake Festival.

Besides admiring the mid-autumn harvest moon...

Oops, sorry folks, my picture of the full moon didn't turn out too well...
...eating pomelos...

What is Mooncake Festival without...mooncakes!

What kind of mooncakes do you like? The baked or snow-skin ones? I prefer the baked ones (without salted egg yolk please) :D...

As you may have noticed, sometimes I like to make a felt version of the food I eat. So to celebrate this special day, I sewed this felt mooncake specially for YOU. Hope you like it.

Well, looks like we've got everything ready - the moon, the pomelos & the mooncakes. Now, why don't you grab your favourite cup of tea or coffee & join me to celebrate this 中秋節?

Jingle Mouse

2009-09-13T15:11:00.006+08:00

Woohoo! Despite a busy work week, I managed to sew something on Thursday & Friday night after work (*v*). Well, it's not Christmas yet but I couldn't wait till then to make these cuties... :)

Mmmmm...We love cheese!...

Let's see who's taller?

*Squeak* I'm the shorter one. Need more calcium...More cheese, please?

Took me about 1.5~2 hrs to sew one Jingle Mouse. Since these don't take very long to make, think I can sew a few more in the evenings after work. :)

Found the lovely pattern here if you're interested.

Have a wonderful week ahead! :D

Random - From Macarons To Embroidery

2009-08-30T11:31:00.001+08:00

Hello...Hello...Yes, it's me, hope I'm not forgotten :). I have not been blogging much lately as my day job is keeping me busy, sapping away all my energy. Sad to say I also have not got much time to craft either. Hope things will settle down soon at work so that I can find some time (& my mojo) to craft again.

Oh, I finally managed to try some macarons lately. I have always enjoyed looking at macarons as they are so colourful & pretty. But sad to say I didn't really like eating them as I found them a tad too sweet for my liking. Also didn't like the biscuit-y texture. So, I guess I shall continue to admire them from afar instead. :)

I know I'm getting quite random in this post but anyway, I found an embroidery book that's really cute & thought I'd share it here as well.

"365-Design Collection For Kids":

So, do you like it? It's cute, isn't it? If you are interested, the book's ISBN No. is 978-4529042048.

I tried doing embroidery once. Yes, just once. I embroidered a sweet corn on a handsewn bag. I remember it took me sooo long (weeks!) just to embroider the little corn that I never tried embroidery thereafter again. I think I am a lazy crafter as I prefer to sew/make things quickly. But after looking at the above embroidery book, my fingers are itching to try embroidery again. If only I have some time to craft...

Well, that's all from me for now. Hope you all have a good week ahead! :D

Happy Birthday, Brother #3!

2009-08-22T08:22:00.006+08:00

Happy Birthday to You!!!

This miniature felt cake measures 5cm from tip to the other end.

Happy Birthday, Brother #2!

2009-08-14T08:28:00.000+08:00

It's my brother #2's birthday!!

Have a wonderful birthday, Brother #2!

Happy National Day!

2009-08-09T08:02:00.001+08:00

Singapore celebrates its 44th birthday today, on 9th August 2009.

During this period, you'll see proud Singaporeans displaying the national flag outside their homes.

Today is a gazetted Public Holiday. However, since it falls on a Sunday, tomorrow shall be a Public Holiday in-lieu. :)

There'll be a "live" telecast of the National Day parade on TV tonight. Interested viewers in Asia will be able to watch it "live" on Channel NewsAsia International from 6.30pm to 8.30pm Singapore/Hong Kong time. If you want to know more, you may also visit the official National Day Parade 09 website.

Happy holidays, fellow Singaporeans!

Oyster Sauce Chicken Wings

2009-08-02T21:23:00.001+08:00

I can never get tired of this:

This may not look appealing because of the dark colour but I assure you it's delicious! It's one of my favourite dishes. It's quite easy to make, so why don't you give it a try & see if you like it too? Here's the recipe from my mum :

Serving for 1-2 persons

Ingredients:
- 6 Chicken Wings (you can use other chicken parts if you like)
- Oyster Sauce (1 - 1.5 teaspoon)
- Dark Soya Sauce (1/2 teaspoon)
- Sugar (1/3 teaspoon)
- Sesame Oil (1 teaspoon)
- Ginger (a few slices)
- Chinese Wine - "Hua Diao" (1 teaspoon)
- Water (1/3 cup)
- Black Fungus (a few pieces; soaked in water to soften them first)
- Mushroom (a few pieces)
- Chilli Padi (1 piece - Optional to you but a must for me)

Method:
(1) Add sesame oil & ginger. Stir-fry.
(2) Add chicken wings, black fungus, mushrooms & chilli padi. Stir-fry till fragrant.
(3) Add dark soya sauce, oyster sauce, sugar, Chinese wine & water. Stir to mix well.
(4) Cover frying pan & simmer for about 10 minutes over medium heat.
(5) Stir the chicken wings one last time to mix them well.
(6) Turn off fire & serve with rice.

Koala

2009-07-28T22:50:00.001+08:00

These poor koalas look kinda dull. Didn't want to use grey felt, so I chose brown instead but I think that didn't help either. Anyway, I thought the little koala looks quite cute with those tiny eyes. :D

Hedgehog Again

2009-07-21T14:31:00.001+08:00

I've made another hedgehog - with pink 'spikes' this time. The hedgehog craze continues... :)

Pink Crab

2009-07-12T14:49:00.003+08:00

This is my zodiac sign ("HORRERscope").

Sewed this to depict my current mood: Crabby. Blogger is NOT being co-operative at all these days. First it does not allow my blog readers to leave comments, then it bans me from uploading pictures, & then I keep getting error message pop-ups, etc. I guess it's hinting that I should stop blogging. :(

Trip: Macau (3) - Casinos, Cobblestone Paths & Buildings

2009-07-05T21:56:00.000+08:00

CASINOS

There are so many casinos in Macau. Wonder what Singapore would be like when our own casinos are ready. Shudder...

See that shimmering gold building? That's the new Casino Lisboa owned by tycoon Stanley Ho.

The round, birdcage-like building in the foreground is the old Casino Lisboa.

Another Casino - Venetian.

This mall is inside the Venetian. Wonder why they make it so dark...Makes me feel sleepy walking in there.

You can even take a ride on the gondola if you don't feel like walking.

COBBLESTONE PATHS

I bought my almond biscuits at this shop. The tour guide said this shop sells the best almond biscuits in Macau. Well, I just have to take his words for it.

BUILDINGS

Well, that's it. This is the last batch of photos fom my trip. Hope you've enjoyed them.

Trip: Macau (2) - Macau Tower

2009-07-04T22:15:00.003+08:00

Looking at the Macau Tower from afar on a cloudy & rainy day.

Panning to the right - this was what I saw.

Panning to the left, there's Macau cityscape.

On Macau Tower.

Looking down at the street below from the Macau Tower. Legs getting a bit wobbly...

Visitors who are brave enough may want to do the bungee jump or "Skywalk" (walk along the beams on the exterior of the tower). Please remember this tower is very high & windy!

As it was raining that day, this brave lady staff was busy mopping up outside so that it's not too slippery to walk on. I admire her for her bravery (you'll never find me standing on that ledge!). Would you dare to take up this job even with the safety harness on?

Here you can see they are actually preparing for a bungee jump. The person doing the jump is a brave lady from a Malaysian TV Crew. She was smiling before & even after the jump (we met her downstairs after her jump). Brave gal!

Trip: Macau (1) - The Ruins of St. Paul's, Senado Square & A-Ma Temple

2009-07-03T20:45:00.000+08:00

THE RUINS OF ST. PAUL'S

The Ruins of St. Paul's are regarded as the symbol of Macau, making it one of the must-see sites there. It's actually the remains of what was originally the Cathedral of St. Paul, a 17th century Portuguese cathedral dedicated to Saint Paul the Apostle. After restoration work (from 1990 to 1995), the back side of the Ruins of St. Paul's was turned into a museum.

You'll see this area when you look down from the Ruins. You can get some yummy almond biscuits there (see shop with the red signboard at bottom right of photo).

Saw this lotus plant by the side of the Ruins. Can't resist taking some pictures. I thought the flower & leaf look pretty in the rain.

SENADO SQUARE

The Senado Square is paved with a wave-patterned mosaic of coloured stones, created by Portuguese experts. Die-hard shoppers can browse around the many shops here.

A church.

A-MA TEMPLE (妈阁庙)

Macau's name is derived from A-Ma-Gau or Place of A-Ma. The A-Ma Temple, built in 1488, is dedicated to the goddess of seafarers and fishermen, Mazu (妈祖). It's one of the oldest and most famous temples in Macau.

Trip: Hong Kong (3) - Wong Tai Sin Temple

2009-07-02T20:18:00.001+08:00

We visited the Wong Tai Sin Temple (黃大仙祠), one of the most famous shrines in HK, famed for the many prayers answered. To get there, we took the MTR to Wong Tai Sin station. Once out of the MTR, you need not worry about which direction to go as the smell of burnt incense will lead you to the temple. :)

These shops, located outside the temple, sell incense sticks/papers & everything that devotees need for praying.

Behind the temple, there is a garden.

Have you seen a loquat (枇杷) tree before? I've only eaten the fruits before and this is the first time I see the actual tree.

Trip: Hong Kong (2) - Avenue of Stars

2009-07-01T19:49:00.001+08:00

The Avenue of Stars (星光大道), a salute to eminent HK film workers, is located along the Victoria Harbour Waterfront in Tsim Sha Tsui East, Kowloon. This is also a popular viewing place for the Symphony of Lights display at night.

This place is like the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Here, you can find a series of floor plaques with HK celebrities' hand prints on them.

This is a 4.5-metre-tall replica of the statuette given to winners at the Hong Kong Film Awards.

There is also a statue of the famous Bruce Lee.

Over here, you can also enjoy a panoramic view across Victoria Harbour.

Trip: Hong Kong (1) - Tian Tan Buddha

2009-06-30T20:42:00.004+08:00

Went to Lantau Island to see the Tian Tan Buddha (天坛大佛), a large seated bronze statue of Buddha, located on the Ngong Ping Plateau. To get there, we took the MTR to Tung Chung station & rode the Ngong Ping Cable Car up the mountains. The price for an adult round trip ticket is HK$96.

This is the special 360° cable car - the base of the cabin is glass-panelled which means you not only can look out sideways from the cabin but also downwards, thus offering a 360° view of the outside scenery. Perhaps this is not so suitable for the faint-hearted.

It was a cloudy day, windy & drizzling, so the ride up was rather rocky. The cable car we rode in was like swaying left & right and my worried niece was asking if we would actually hit against this tower as we passed by it. Er, no one dared to answer her question :)

Ngong Ping Village - there are many restaurants & gift shops along this street.

Of course, we could not resist stopping by at "Honeymoon Dessert" for their yummy desserts. I had the mango-beancurd dessert - very nice, the beancurd's very tender & smooth. Great stuff!

After desserts, we continued on our walk towards the Tian Tan Buddha statue. Here, you can see the Buddha statue in a distance, buried in the clouds.

We gotta climb this long flight of stairs to have a closer look at the Buddha statue. Huff puff...

As it was a cloudy day, this is the only clear photo I took of the statue just when the clouds happened to disperse for a minute. Immediately after taking this photo, the statue was once again clouded over...

Next, we proceeded to have our vegetarian lunch at the Po Lin Monastery, which surprisingly turned out to be quite delicious. Price: HK$100 per person.

Psst...Those interested in shopping may want to visit the mall located just next to the Tung Chung MTR station. They have many branded goods factory outlets there & you can find some nice stuff at discounted prices. :)

Home Sweet Home

2009-06-29T16:02:00.002+08:00

I'm back from my trip! Well, even though there's nothing wrong with me, I decided to 'quarantine' myself for a few days just to be safe, given the current H1N1 flu outbreak situation (as at now there are already 599 cases here). In HK, all the airport immigration staff & hotel staff wore masks. When I was checking-in to the hotel, I even had my temperature taken by the masked front desk staff and for a moment I really had this sense of déjà vu - like I was at a clinic! :)

About the trip...I didn't really do much (this was my 3rd time there) except to shop & eat. Did quite a bit of walking everyday which was fine with me as I had to burn off the extra calories I gained from all the eating. :) I love the food in Hong Kong; I think they make very delicious Dim Sums, congees, soups & roast meat/geese/pigeons. Yummmm! The only gripe I have is the lack of chilli. They do serve chilli oil but I didn't like it & it's just not the same (I'm sure chilli fans will understand what I mean). Their version of 'dry noodles' is just plain noodles tossed in soy sauce with no chilli. :( As such, I had to eat soup noodles instead, which is really not my favourite. But the congees are really good, very smooth & tasty. Not forgetting the delicious Dim Sums, especially my favourite 'Har Gao' (prawn dumpling) - the prawns are big & succulent. I also love the roast meat, geese & pigeons - the skin is crispy but the meat's tender & juicy, simply excellent! Hmm, so after 8 days of gorging, I came home 1kg heavier. Not much? Well, thanks to all the walking I did everyday, or else I would definitely have put on more weight than that.

Oh yes, I did go to Macau! My brother #2 flew in from Shanghai to join us for a day trip there. Macau is a really small place. I like it's Portuguese-inspired architecture, cobblestone paths & of course, the Portuguese egg tarts. As you know, there are also many casinos there and I visited one of them just to take a look around as I'm not a gambler. We also caught a glimpse of a HK starlet, Fiona Sit Hoi-Kei, who was there for a photo shoot, much to the delight of my niece who is very much into HK artistes.

The weather was generally great for most part of the trip. Some days were sunny but not as hot as Singapore, while some days were cloudy with drizzles except for the last 2 days which was rainy due to a passing typhoon (signal level 3). As a result, take-off for our return flight home was also delayed by about 25 minutes due to the bad weather but yet, we somehow managed to touch down Singapore as per the original schedule!! Wow, I guess the pilot must be speeding up in the sky to make up for lost time?? If yes, he's lucky that there's no traffic police up there to book him for speeding. Heehee... :P

Just to side-track a little, you know I seem to attract typhoons when I travel! I remember visiting Hang Zhou (China) some time back & was also greeted with typhoon Code Black (the highest level!). Yikes! In the end, though I had visited Hang Zhou, I have absolutely no idea what the beautiful West Lake looks like. Sigh. Shoo-shoo, stop following me, typhoons!

Well, sorry folks, for the lengthy text & lack of photos as Blogger is not being co-operative today. Despite repeated tries, it just refused to upload any photos for me. Sigh. Guess I just have to try again later.

I'm On Vacation!

2009-06-20T08:30:00.003+08:00

Yippie! I'm flying off to Hong Kong soon for my vacation. Will be away from 20~27 June 09. Hope to go to Macau too, i.e. if I can manage to find my way there. This is a free & easy trip...Sounds good?...Er, the only problem is, I'm not a very independent traveller! I'm more of a packaged tour kind of person. This time, I'm going there armed with only a little guide book. :) Heehee, hope I can find my way around.

Guess I'll be doing nothing for the next 7 days or so except to - Eat, shop, eat, shop, eat, shop....

See you next week!

Craft Book - "Cute Dolls" by Aranzi Aronzo

2009-06-17T10:27:00.003+08:00

This is a craft book, "Let's Make Cute Stuff - Cute Dolls", by Aranzi Aronzo. I actually stumbled upon it in the library, when I was walking past the craft books section while on my way to 'check-out' some other books that I wanted to borrow. I'm very happy to find this book cos it featured some very cute dolls that I just have to make! The book comes with ready patterns that you can use, it's so convenient! By the way, if you look at the 2nd photo on the top right, it says this book is 'Manufactured in Singapore'! Well, not that it matters but I just have to highlight it cos the book was printed here! Haha... :)

In case you're wondering - don't be fooled, Aranzi & Aronzo are not guys but actually 2 Japanese ladies! If you have time, you may want to check out their online website - very kawaii!! Also, don't forget to hop over to Lyn's Belle And Rose blog, she has an interesting post on them too.

I love all those dolls featured in the book (don't you?). If only I could make them all but there're just too many! Hmm...which one shall I make first?

Hedgehog

2009-06-14T12:56:00.002+08:00

I love hedgehogs. I think they look very cute!

This yellow hedgie I made is now 'adopted' by my friend, Carol. Hope she likes it as much as I do! :)

If you are interested, I found this lovely hedgie pattern here while I was blog-hopping one day. Try making one!

Salmon Sushi Flavoured Chips

2009-06-10T09:07:00.000+08:00

Look what I found - Salmon sushi flavoured potato chips!

The packaging looks so nice but I'm more curious about the taste, that's why I bought a packet to try. It costs S$1.50 (52.5g). Each pack comes with a wasabi powder sachet - you are supposed to pour this powder into the packet of chips (the pack is resealable) & shake it up before eating them.

Verdict: You MUST add the wasabi powder cos without it, the chips tasted ordinary, can't even tell its sushi flavoured! Sigh, sometimes I wonder why did they even bother to R&D anything when all you have to do is to re-package existing stuff in a nice wrapper, slap on a fanciful name & you'll get silly people like me (aka suckers) buying them (even if it's only just once). And I always get conned by nice packagings...

Old Cantonese Movie - 如来神掌

2009-06-08T08:11:00.004+08:00

You gotta watch these clips - the original series of "如来神掌" movies. Watch out for the special effects too (thought it's cool considering these are movies from the 60's)!

1st Clip:
Starring 檸檬 (Lemon!) as the 'Sifu' & 曹達華 as his disciple.
Note: Initially there were only 8 stages in the 如来神掌 Kung Fu.

2nd clip:
Here you can see 如来神掌 Kung Fu upgraded to Stage 9 - 萬佛朝宗. So, Kung Fu also must upgrade, not only HDB flats! Haha...

The male lead is 曹達華 (the chubby swordsman) & the female lead is 于素秋 . The 2nd female lead is 林鳳 (died very young - suicide). Can you recognise the 2nd male lead?...

...That's 關海山! Wow, so young then!

The Music 萬佛朝宗 ~ 純音樂 - 闖將令. Once you hear this piece of music, you'll know it's a 如来神掌 movie:

I love old Cantonese movies!

Happy Birthday, Brother #1!

2009-06-04T07:49:00.002+08:00

OK, birthday boy, please grab your cyber fork & enjoy the cake!!!

Happy Birthday to you!

The Toy Society

2009-06-01T09:06:00.000+08:00

I first read about The Toy Society from a blog that I came across some weeks back. I think this society originally started in Australia with volunteers pledging handmade toys for the children affected by the bushfires. It has since spread around the world & now they have volunteers who make little handmade toys & then secretly drop them somewhere in their own home countries, hoping some children will find them & give the toys new homes. The toy maker is supposed to attach to the toy, a tag with a message like "Take Me Home, I'm Yours" + a request for the finder to send an email to The Toy Society informing that the toy has been safely 'rescued'!

I thought the idea is quite neat & wondered whether I should participate in this 'secret' society but I'm not sure if it'll work here, in this country...You see, when we travel in MRTs, don't we often hear messages alerting passengers to report suspicious looking person(s) or package(s) found on trains? Well, even though I'm not leaving the toy package in the train, I guess people must be quite sceptical about picking up a package that's left unattended, right? Do you think people would dare to pick up a toy that is left in the open? Most of all, would anyone here treasure a handmade toy these days? I certainly don't want my poor doll to get thrown away nor myself hauled to the police station for depositing a 'suspicious-looking package'!

What do you think? Would you pick up the toy if you see one?

Hello Kitty Pouch

2009-05-28T09:01:00.000+08:00

This is the first Hello Kitty pouch I sewed. The pouch is made using calico + pink gingham fabrics while the Hello Kitty & flowers are felt. This pouch, like all my other fabric projects, is hand sewn as I do not know how to operate a sewing machine (I don't own one either). Would love to learn how to use a sewing machine though, so that I can sew more fabric crafts & say goodbye to all those painstaking needlework!

Hornbill?

2009-05-26T08:37:00.000+08:00

What interesting neighbours I've got!

Looked out of my window one morning & saw this big bird resting on the swing. I think it looks like a hornbill??

Sorry, I know I take very lousy photographs as they almost always turn out blur (I don't know why)! Not to mention my tiny camera has extremely limited zooming capabilities as well. So, maybe with a little imagination, you can perhaps figure out what bird this is?

Mangosteens

2009-05-23T20:29:00.002+08:00

Got some mangosteens from the supermarket the other day. I bought 2kg for S$5, thought that was quite cheap*! Not the cheapest, of course, as I remember the Giant Megamart at Tampines was selling them at S$1.90 per kg.

The mangosteens were sweet + a little tangy (just a little) = very nice & refreshing! As I got down to the last two, I decided to sew a felt mangosteen to remember these wonderful fruits that I had enjoyed tremendously.

I can't share the real fruits with you, but here's the felt version. Enjoy!

The felt colours I have are really limited, so I chose this dark purple-pink piece, the closest colour I could get. But somehow it turned out so pinkish in the photos & I'm afraid it now looks like a tomato passing off as a mangosteen! But can you just imagine that it's a mangosteen?

* Just came back from NTUC Fairprice & guess what - they are selling the mangosteens at only S$2.20 per kg! :(

Crocs Sale

2009-05-22T14:32:00.087+08:00

Went to the Crocs shoes sale this morning (Thanks Carol, for the 'tip-off'). The sale was supposed to start at 10am. I alighted at the Expo bus stop at around 9.30am & was telling myself that I was too early. But when I arrived at the Expo Hall, a VERY long queue had already formed - starting from outside the sale hall entrance, all the way into the adjacent hall, forming a very long snake-like line. Wonder what time did those people arrive? After I joined the queue, the line continued to stretch from inside the adjacent hall to outside the other Expo halls & all the way to where the outdoor Burger King is & beyond. Scary! I didn't know Crocs shoes are THAT popular! I took a photo of us queuing inside the adjacent hall. Oh, I'm too shy to raise my camera too high up when taking the photo, that's why you only see a small part of the queue.

Anyway, when the sale was about to start, there was a countdown from 10 to 1 over the PA system, as if they were launching some kind of space craft. Haha...of course many of us were laughing away & some even clapped their hands when the count was down to 1. Funny!

When I finally got inside the sale hall, there were people everywhere! Most shoes were gone as soon as they were placed on the table, some didn't even get to touch the table as they were quickly grabbed by all those very hungry shoppers! The shoes were practically gone in 60 secs, just like Nicholas Cage's movie by the same title! Only those big sized shoes were left on the table which I guess were so big that no one could wear them.

Sigh, all the queuing for nothing as I didn't see what I wanted. But I can't leave without buying anything, that's not me! So I bought a pair of clogs for S$35 & a pair of 'Alice' shoes (only realised this is the shoes' name when I saw the receipt) for S$25. The guy at the counter gave me some free charms for the shoes (I just need to complete a very short & easy survey).

On my trip home, I decided to take the MRT instead of the bus, so that I could pick up some groceries on my way back & I saw this in the MRT:

An empty area with NO SEATS!? I didn't know there's this empty area with no seats in MRTs! I thought only buses are like that. My, I feel like a 'mountain tortoise'. It must have been ages since I've travelled in the MRT. Haha... =D

Oh, by the way, this will be my first & also the last time I'm going to a Crocs Sale. I'd rather queue at the books sale instead.

Bug? Virus? What Is It This Time?

2009-05-21T22:18:00.039+08:00

Don't know what's happening to my blog today. I've been experiencing problems since this morning - either the blog skin is missing (the background appears all white), or some of the contents are missing, or there's problem connecting to it! But the greatest problem is, I don't know what's wrong with it!?!? Sigh, it was still working fine yesterday...

Hmm, since there's noone to seek help from, I tried deleting some stuff away. It seemed to work initially but when I tried accessing the blog later in the afternoon, the same problems popped up again. Sigh...What's happening here? Anyone knows?

Anyway, can you please do me a favour? If you don't see my usual blog appearing, e.g. if the blog skin is missing, etc, can you please let me know? I just want to know if it's only me having the problem or my visitors also encounter the same. Thank you!

Hold Your Breath!

2009-05-20T08:55:00.002+08:00

Watch this amazing micro sculptor (no, not this guy you see in the icon)!

click on this icon

Did you find yourself holding your breath while watching this? Haha...I almost did! I was afraid I'd blow all those lovely creations away if I breathe a little too hard.

My Teddies

2009-05-18T08:14:00.001+08:00

These are my teddies. Sewed the body using gingham fabric and felt for the head & paws.

Do they look like they are exercising?

Golden Number

2009-05-16T11:36:00.000+08:00

A few months ago, I applied for the Mio plan so that I could have internet access at home but also got a new handphone line which came along with it. During registration, I was told to go over to a board located at the entrance of the shop to select a handphone number. There were little pieces of paper, with handphone numbers printed on them, stuck on both sides of the board. I looked through all the numbers & reluctantly selected one on the back of the board which I thought was slightly easier to remember than the rest. When I handed the piece of paper with my selected number to the Customer Service staff, I was told that I had selected a -

Wow, sounds so prestigious, right? Ever since the number was activated, I had received countless "wrong number calls"! Just last week alone, there were at least 6 calls from people I don't know (& they were looking for a different person each time!). Yesterday, there's this uncle who started chatting away in Hokkien, "Eh, you just came home only, meh?....", without even saying "Hello" or ascertaining whether I am the person he's looking for! I had no choice but to cut his conversation short by telling him, "Sorry, you've got the wrong number!".

At the time of registration, when the Customer Service staff told me that I am not allowed to continue using this golden number after my 2-year Mio contract expires, I was still fretting, "Huh, so troublesome, you mean I have to change my handphone number again then?". But NOW, I'm thankful that I can look forward to change that (stupid) number in about 1.5 years' time!

Gosh, GOLDEN NUMBER - my foot! It's just a recycled number that gave me nothing but inconvenience...

What Is This?

2009-05-14T08:33:00.000+08:00

It's a bird!...It's a chicken!...No, it's a penguin! Oh, I don't know what is it. What do you think?

Cloud

2009-05-11T12:15:00.000+08:00

Look at this cloud. What does it resemble?

Does it look like a furry dog sitting on its bottom? Or do you see something else?

Anime - "Monster"

2009-05-08T12:05:00.002+08:00

Two Fridays ago, I accidentally came across this anime TV series, Monster, when I was channel-hopping. This is a 74-episode (!) anime series shown on Okto Channel every Friday at 11pm. Well, the thing is I'm not into anime (at least not until now) & will normally switch channel if I see one. However, this time what caught my eye & got me interested to watch further was this character, Inspector Lunge, who has this habit of "entering data" into his memory by making typing gestures with his hands. You see, this reminded me of the character "Morning Sir" (also a detective) played by 郭晋安 in the HK drama, "隔世追凶", who also has this same habit! I liked the detective drama 隔世追凶 (especially the first half of it) & since I'm a sucker for thrillers, naturally I also got hooked to the "Monster" anime. At the same time, it also got me wondering who's the copycat here & so I checked it up on Wikipedia - The "Monster" manga was published between 1994 and 2001 & the anime TV series was aired from April 2004 to September 2005 while 隔世追凶 was broadcasted in 2004 - so (as expected) the answer is quite clear isn't it?

Anyway, when I stumbled upon the "Monster" 2 weeks ago, it was already halfway through episode 3. Thank goodness for the internet, I was able to catch the first few episodes that I had missed on YouTube. Do watch it if you also like thrillers, like me. I'm sure you'll find this interesting.

Here's a summary of the storyline:
Monster is about the nightmare of realizing your best intentions can sometimes have the most disastrous consequences. For Dr. Tenma, a brilliant neurosurgeon, this occurs when he chooses to save the life of a little boy over the life of the mayor of Düsseldorf, against the wishes of the Head Surgeon of Eisler Memorial Hospital. This story chronicles the lengths that Dr. Tenma will go to in order to make reparations for that one mistake as he travels a winding and seldom-used road. (resource: anime-planet.com)

Here's Episode 3-Part 1:

Hanging Mobile

2009-05-06T09:38:00.002+08:00

I was contemplating whether to post this given the current swine flu scare but I thought it's not the pigs' fault, right? Well, so here you go...

I like pigs, so I made this hanging mobile with 4 of them! Taking this picture of the hanging mobile was quite a challenge cos the subject was - MOBILE! I had to take several shots before I could finally have all the pigs facing the camera (well, almost!).

Which is your favourite pig? Don't be afraid, these are healthy & flu-free!

I Have Some Issues To Attend To...

2009-05-05T09:01:00.001+08:00

Ahh...why do 'problems' keep popping up? Well, they're not really serious problems but just matters that need to be addressed but unfortunately, are not entirely within my control. Such matters are most difficult because I cannot solve them immediately once & for all (cos they're not within my control!) & so my mind keeps drifting back to them every now & then until such time when the issues are finally resolved. Oh well, that's it, I prefer not to write about any unhappy stuff, be it in my blog or anywhere else. C'mon, why would I want to record such things & be reminded of them constantly, like every time I read my blog? I only want to remember the good & pleasant things, as I believe that way, I will attract more good vibes my way (heehee, that's what I think!). I don't even dare to pray for strength/courage to help me overcome my problems, as I once read somewhere that by doing that is like inviting more challenges to come my way! Eek, that's the last thing I want! Rather, I am learning to accept whatever 'challenges' that come my way & try to handle them as the situation calls for. I prefer to think that whether a thing, an event or a person is termed good or bad is only a mental label we put on it & may change depending on the situation, which side of the coin you're looking at & perhaps, over time. So there's no absolute good or bad about anything, a seeming loss may actually turn out to be a gain...Make sense?

사랑스러워 (Sarang Surowo)

2009-05-04T09:07:00.001+08:00

It's Monday (& it's raining) - the start of a long week ahead. Are you already waiting impatiently for the next weekends to arrive?
How about listening to a song today? Thought I should perhaps share with you some of the songs that I like. However, the songs that I will gradually feature in my blog are not necessarily new but are songs that I liked in the past & perhaps still do to this day. So, first up, a catchy Korean tune - 사랑스러워 (Sarang Surowo / Lovely) by 김종국 (Kim Jong Kook). Hope you'll like it.

P.S. Remember to give the Gibb brothers & ABBA a rest by turning off my blog playlist (found at the bottom of this page) before playing this music video.

P.P.S. Please do not adjust your system, there's nothing wrong with the sound function. Kim Jong Kook is known to be the muscle man with a mosquito voice.

Well, did the song help to chase your Monday blues away?

Dinosaur

2009-05-02T09:37:00.000+08:00

My version of the dinosaur. Looks rather benign, doesn't it? Toothless even...How can it ever bite anything? No wonder it's extinct! So it was all my fault!? Aaaaaahhhhhhhhhh...

How Do You Spend A Lazy Afternoon?

2009-04-30T13:01:00.002+08:00

...Why don't you take a cat nap!

Saw this sleeping cat today when I was about to enter the lift & thought why not take a picture of it (I haven't figured out the cat's gender, so I shall refer to cat as 'it'). OK, before I continue, I shall divert a little here to explain why the interest in kitty. You see, I met this kitty before...sometime last week. It was sitting outside the lift at that time but when it saw me standing next to my letter box at a little distance away, it actually walked over to sit next to me instead! I guess it wanted to keep me company while I fished out the pile of mail from my letter box! Heehee, how considerate! But the ungrateful me didn't stop to take a picture of it at that time. So this time when I met (sleeping) kitty again, I thought I should take a picture of it.

Anyway coming back to where I left off...The kitty seemed to be sound asleep, so I walked quietly towards it, fiddled with my handphone camera trying to get ready to take the picture, and when I looked back at the kitty, I was surprised to find it staring at me with its big yellow eyes! It caught me by surprise because I thought it was sound asleep! Anyway, its stare lasted for only about 2 seconds before kitty went back to sleep (or pretended to be asleep) again.

Later when I got home & settled down to continue reading my book (Eckhart Tolle's "A New Earth - Awakening to Your Life's Purpose"), the paragraph (on page 149) I turned to read:

"If you have ever lived with a cat, you will know that even when the cat seems to be asleep, it still knows what is going on, because at the slightest unusual noise, its ears will move toward it, and its eyes may open slightly...."

Well, well, another surprise...this book is not about cats, so the last thing I expected was to read that! What coincidence! Guess if I had read this first before my encounter with the cat, perhaps I would not have been surprised by its stare...??

Keroppi Card Holder

2009-04-28T08:23:00.000+08:00

I don't know if I can call this a card holder but all I cared was that my favourite Keroppi was sewn on it! I used calico & green gingham fabric for the holder & felt for Keroppi.

HOT, HOT, HOT!

2009-04-25T12:45:00.113+08:00

Looking at the post title, you may be expecting to see some hot babes' photos posted here but well, you won't get any! Gotcha!

Would you believe me if I told you this video was shot only just last week, on 15 Apr 09? Last Wednesday, I was still enjoying this kind of cool, windy weather but all of a sudden it became so HOT, HOT, HOT...only in a matter of few days!

The weather is now unbelievably HOT & has been like this for the past week. Today's temperature was supposed to be around 33°C but it really felt like 40°C! When I came home from the supermarket this morning, I was literally bathing in sweat. By the way, on my way back from the supermarket, I saw this tree with full of mangoes! So tempting...I love mangoes, yummy. Mango trees thrive in hot weather (I don't!) & will bear plenty of fruits during such times. So I guess if I want to eat my favourite mangoes, I'll have to bear with this terribly hot weather, right? Hmm, fair enough.

Can you spot the mangoes?
Here they are!
So, how do you beat the heat then? Well, for me, I just take more showers, drink more water, eat ice-creams & this:

This is frozen crepe with durian fillings. I guess you either hate it or love it depending on whether you like durian or not. I love durians, so needless to say I absolutely love these durian crepes. Mum made these yummy desserts herself but you can also buy similar ones at cake shops. Just hope that I don't put on too much weight from all these fattening stuff I consumed. But how can I resist???

Do You See The Similarity?

2009-04-24T09:53:00.004+08:00

This is my favourite chair. I bought it from IKEA many years ago. But one morning it just dawned on me that this chair looked vaguely familiar...But what does it remind me of? ... ... ...

... ... ... Oh, I know what it is! I ran to my study & started rummaging through the drawers & finally found what I was looking for - this:

This is "The Chair & Pipe" painting by Vincent Van Gogh. The chair frame is different but take a look at the seat! See the similarity? So, this is what my chair reminded me of - my favourite artist's painting! Hahaha...you may not see the similarity like I do but you know how the mind works sometimes? Yeah, like sometimes you may think a certain person resembles someone but others don't feel the same way? Perhaps this may be one of those instances.

Oh, by the way here's a picture I took at the "Teddy Bear Museum" in Jeju, Korea last June:

It's the Vincent Van Gogh Bear! How cute!

I am trying out something I read from the ebook titled "Blogging in Pink: A Woman's Guide" by Michelle Mitchell from Scribbit. Chapter 19 (page 140) addressed the problem of how photographs and video footages lengthen the time it takes our blog to download and suggested optimising our photos for a faster download. According to the ebook, just upload your photo into your post draft in Blogger, preview the post, right click on the preview photo and save the photo as a smaller image by clicking "Save Image As" (this saves it as a smaller file automatically without having to resize it yourself). Then re-upload this smaller file and delete the old photo. So, I did that & guess what - take for example the photo of my favourite chair posted above, the original file size was 775KB but the re-sized one is only 13.5KB! Try it and you may also want to read the ebook for other blogging tips.

Well, enough of my rambling. Have an enjoyable

Bull's Eye!?

2009-04-22T09:07:00.002+08:00

Tried air pistol shooting once & here's my result:

We were given 5 pellets (not sure if they're called pellets, but they're definitely not bullets!) each. Though I was nowhere near the bull's eye, at least I got them all on the target...Wondering why there are only 4 holes when I said we were given 5 pellets to shoot? Noooo, I didn't shoot outside the target! It's just that 2 of my shots landed in the same spot (the one on the bottom left)!
Move over, Clint Eastwood, I don't need a Magnum to do this! Yee-ha!

Crow

2009-04-19T15:42:00.002+08:00

I don't like crows. I still remember this incident from years ago - I was enjoying a piece of curry puff while walking in a park when suddenly I felt something swept through my hair. No, it wasn't the evening breeze caressing my hair but a crow swooping down on my head, trying to snatch my curry puff away! Oh no, not my favourite curry puff, you bad crow! Arrrrgh...

Somehow, the incident reminded me of Alfred Hitchcock's 1963 suspense film, "The Birds". Eeks! I think I watch too many suspense & horror films...

Hmm...but I guess this cute crow I sewed could be an exception??

P.S. There's "Harper's Island" tonight on Channel 5 at 10.30pm. It's one of those Agatha Christie-style whodunits. You bet I'll be catching this 2nd episode tonight. Hope there are no crows starring in the show though...

Strip Your Ego Now!

2009-04-18T10:39:00.026+08:00

Sometimes, don't we find ourselves guilty of reacting or thinking based only on what we see on the surface of things? Watch these videos, be totally humbled & you'll NEVER want to judge a book by its cover ever again!

There's no embedded code for this video, so you got to click this link to view it on YouTube:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d-KiGva9dV4

Video #2:

Take Two

2009-04-16T19:16:00.035+08:00

Woohoo! Nature is good to me this year! I have discovered a second flower bud in my beloved plant while watering it today. The flowers that you saw earlier have since withered & then I discovered this, how apt. I attribute this 'bloom boom' to the brown rice water that I feed the plant daily (since Nov 08), i.e. the water that I collected from rinsing the brown rice before cooking them for my meals. So I guess all the vitamins & minerals from the brown rice must somehow have benefitted the plant as well, right? Well, I choose to believe so. Hehe...so do you have the urge to rush to the supermarket to get your own bag of brown rice now?

As I am writing this entry, I smell something real good coming from one of my neighbours' kitchen. Smells like chicken, very fragrant! Hmm... if only I could 'record' this smell & upload it here, the same way like I could take a picture or record a sound, then you would be able to smell this aroma & salivate with me! Ha ha...

"The Daffodils"

2009-04-15T12:05:00.004+08:00

I WANDERED LONELY AS A CLOUD

I wandered lonely as a cloud
That floats on high o'er vales and hills,
When all at once I saw a crowd,
A host, of golden daffodils;
Beside the lake, beneath the trees,
Fluttering and dancing in the breeze.

Continuous as the stars that shine
And twinkle on the milky way,
They stretched in never-ending line
Along the margin of a bay:
Ten thousand saw I at a glance,
Tossing their heads in sprightly dance.

The waves beside them danced; but they
Out-did the sparkling waves in glee:
A poet could not but be gay,
In such a jocund company:
I gazed -- and gazed -- but little thought
What wealth the show to me had brought:

For oft, when on my couch I lie
In vacant or in pensive mood,
They flash upon that inward eye
Which is the bliss of solitude;
And then my heart with pleasure fills,
And dances with the daffodils.

- by William Wordsworth

Note:

From Wikipedia - "I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud" (erroneously known as "The Daffodils") is an 1804 poem by William Wordsworth. It was inspired by an April 15, 1802 event in which Wordsworth and his sister, Dorothy, came across a "long belt" of daffodils. It was first published in 1807, and a revised version was released in 1815.

From Me - I first read this poem during literature class when I was in Sec 1. I liked it & can still vaguely remember & recite the first paragraph from memory today (which is a great feat given my failing memory these days!). Today's April 15th; 207 years ago on this day, William Wordsworth saw the daffodils that inspired this poem! Wow!

Here are some beautiful pictures of the daffodil from one of my favourite blogs:
A Picture Each Day - "Another Mistake"
A Picture Each Day - "Just A Flower"

Egg Hunt

2009-04-14T10:27:00.099+08:00

What have I been doing? Well, I was busy hunting Easter Eggs on Facebook's (fluff)Friends (I adopted a virtual pet there). The hunt lasted from 3 - 13 April 09 (ended this morning at 8am) but I only joined the fun on 11 Apr 09 night (don't ask me why cos I have no idea either).

Basically, every (fluff)Book was equipped with its very own patch of pretty grass, which may or may not be hiding an egg, like this:
So, when you click on the grass patch & if there's nothing there, it'll be like this: But, if there's an egg hidden there, you'll see this:

Anyway, so you go around clicking on other people's (fluff)Book & when you finally found an egg, it's not happily ever after kinda thing because you'll need to give a token of goodwill before sneaking across to take the egg - either by giving a gift or feeding their pets some (fluff)Food. Only once this is completed, then you'll be free and clear to go for the egg. Of course in some (rare) cases, you can simply pick up the egg and be on your merry way!

Here's part of my loot (only put some of my finds in my pet's habitat) - a few pretty decorated eggs, plenty of plain-coloured eggs, Easter grass patches & even rotten eggs (the green polka dot one with a crack at the top)!

Pssst...Some of the plain-coloured eggs contained these Easter goodies!
Yum...

Some of the gifts I received from the other (fluff)Book owners (when they found something in my garden) include:

Someone even fed my pet this 'Raggedy Old Boot' Arghh...Yucks!

Overall, it was quite fun...especially for people with nothing better to do, like me!

P.S. Brother 'R' - I sent your pet 'Giffi" some of the Easter goodies, including a rotten egg!

Bunny

2009-04-12T10:22:00.003+08:00

I have some fabric scraps leftover from wrapping one of my lamp shades. As you know, I'm not fond of throwing things away, so I kept the scraps, waiting for a chance to use them some day.

Finally, I got rid of my lazy bone a couple of days ago & used the scraps to make this bunny. I know it's not really nice as I made it without much planning.

Bunny's Front: Bunny's Back:
After that, I thought the bunny looked kind of 'empty', so I added a little orange bow to it's ear. On hind sight, wonder if it's a bit 'over-done'? Well, which do you prefer - this or the 'without ribbon' version? Or neither!?

Happy Easter!

Finally!

2009-04-10T22:17:00.008+08:00

Since discovering the flower buds on 30 March 09, I've been watching over my plant to ensure that I get to see the flowers this time.

Well, they've finally arrived! Safe & sound. Instead of just showing you how the flowers look like, I thought I should perhaps show you its growing phase from the day I blogged about it on 30 Mar 09. By the way, there are 3 blooms in the single stalk!

OK, are you ready? Here we go...

30 Mar 09 (18:22 hrs):

1 Apr 09 (08:36 hrs):

3 Apr 09 (07:30 hrs) & 5 Apr 09 (17:29 hrs):

6 Apr 09 (12:15 hrs):

7 Apr 09(08:33hrs) & 8 Apr 09(07:48hrs):

8 Apr 09 (15:34 ~ 15:36 hrs):

8 Apr 09(15:35hrs ~ 15:36 hrs):

9 Apr 09(07:38hrs):

9 Apr 09 (07:35 hrs):

10 Apr 09 (08:26 ~ 08:27 hrs):

10 Apr 09(08:27 ~ 08:28 hrs):

Tamagotchi

2009-04-08T19:49:00.001+08:00

Do you still remember the Tamagotchi toy? Yes, the egg-shaped handheld digital pet that allows you to:
- Feed the Tamagotchi a piece of food or snack
- Play games with the Tamagotchi
- Clean up the Tamagotchi's poop
- Check its age, hunger & happiness statistics

I made these 3 felt Tamagotchis when I was also part of the digital pet craze!