Eat flowers, stress, carving, orange

Important note!
Thanks for everyone's recent orders but due to a crazy busy week of tests, assignments and projects, I can only make a postal run on Saturday morning. I'm pretty much packed 9-9 everyday which isn't really good for post. Everything's packed and ready to go so no worries. To know when I've mailed your package, check for records on etsy or you'll receive a shipping notice from me with the tracking number. My sincere apologies and I promise it'll get better! Though, if your order is urgent, let me know asap so I can do something.



Ok, with the important note out of the way, I was supposed to write this last night or monday night. I realised my situation just got really bad so I thought I'd better update everyone. Its been a really bad time for me, with very very little sleep and its made me super cranky! I'm really lucky to have mum helping me with sewing. There's very little time to sew these few days and I'll prolly not get to do that for a while. I'm dreaming a lot about the needle of my machine going up and down. LOL I'm still secretly caressing and sniffing my fabrics, just to curb the addiction. sigh. So.very.tired. I miss eating wafer flowers in the night.



I was bored the other night so I carved these at 4am coz I was too hyped up to sleep after doing a project report. They don't look fantastic coz I'm still very much a novice at stamp carving but really hope I'll get better with practice! DH got me a whole load of rubber stamp carving things from his trip the last time and snail mailed it to me as a birthday pressie! Oh and he included a simpsons DVD pack too. I can't remember which season it is but its got maggie on it. It'll add to my collection. Woo-hoo! New Simpsons DVD to spice up my old re-runs! I wanna take a pic of the pressie but you know, work and all. I'm hardly ever home in the day and its the best time to take pics. Night pics are forever crummy!



FAA orange parcel swap package received! Last weekend I made a patchwork out of the materials in the packages hoping to have time to turn them into a bag this weekend. Here's hoping! Thanks everyone who sent my such fabulous things. Oh, one of the packages included a round tin of lifesavers. My classmates had a swell time over the design of the push tin. They thought it was a twisty top but turns out its a press top and puff sides for closure. We had a good laugh over people who didn't get it. Suffice to say the yummies inside didn't last long either!

Oh wait, I'm in blogging in class. Gotta go!

400

Happy mid-autumn, mooncake festival chinese people. I had my mooncake with the folks and watched primetime local crap on tv. The mooncake was good, though it wasn't the snow skin types I preferred. I had to resist walking past Haagen Dazs coz I know I would jump in for the ice cream version. Dang those chocolate birthday cakes! (OK, I admit I loved them) :P The moon looked great tonight though. I stopped to stare for a while during my evening walk.



Celebrating meaningless milestones again. I have reached 400 feedbacks! I know, I sold more than that, but I guess we don't always get feedbacks from everyone. Nonetheless, I never reached this much in my ebay accounts ever since 1995. LOL I think etsy's almost the best thing since sliced bread and chocolate milk. I guess I can live with those hiccups at their site earlier. One etsyer asked me a while ago about why do I not hang around the etsy forum to gain exposure. I told her, if I did that, I'll never leave the computer and get sewing done and actually have stuff in my shop! But yeah, you win some, you lose some I guess. I'm more about the sewing than the talking. Thanks SO much, from the bottomless bottom of my little heart to everyone who has contributed to that number. It really means so much to me and I smile everytime I read your feedbacks. Sometimes its the only time I smile all day. :+)

I saw the skin doc today. Despite my snooze button being pressed twice (its my mortal enemy now!), I managed to keep the 9.25am appointment at the skin centre. The morning traffic however wasn't so nice. I decided to walk the distance. 2 bus-stops didn't seem that daunting til I actually walked it. LOL Turns out I have eczema like I predicted. And according to the doc, I've always had it. The environment was the trigger for the outbreak. I had fever and shingles when I first came back for good from Sydney 2 years ago. No angry skin in Sydney. The environment and stress in Singapore makes my skin hypersensitive and angry. Kinda like the Sensory Disorder I also have. I think thats 2 more good reasons to stay home and bolt my door and switch on the AC. LOL I did get a new set of skincare from the pharmacy though. Hopefully it goes away and I stop feeling and looking like Ronald McDonalds. :P



Just to share this gorgeous gorgeous box I received from Clarice. She kindly swapped with me after we did a smaller swap before coz she wanted a MiniZ from me and I wanted some stuff from her shop. We proceeded to have a bigger swap so here it is! She sent me all the good stuff, especially that super cute luggage I've been craving for, forever.



See? Good stuff doesn't need to be in numbers. Its always in the quality. ;+) Thanks Clarice, you made my whole swap year! LOL

Oh, one swap ethic I really wanna share coz its been bugging me. Its really not about the stuff you can receive from a swap, but the stuff you can share with someone and make that person smile. Choose a swap that you can provide the best stuff to your partner!

Crazy week, vintage find, blog mentions + new wristlets

Jez louise! Is time running like the water at my tap these days or is it just me?! I'm not kidding, life has been very brisk for me these days! Tons of mail to send, tons of purses to make, tons of email to answer and school to go. But I do really enjoy what I'm doing (even the lecturers are better than the acca ones imo, no judgment!) so I can't believe I'm actually saying this, but this is like I've never lived before! At least I now know I'm gonna die happy.
Look at the bag of packages there! I've been going to the PO with 2 bags full each time (Baa Baa yellow sheep? heh heh). The nice PO lady has been putting up with me! Oh and she even ordered a purse from me yesterday!
I'm glad I have dad to take me there and back recently. He's been really nice when I request for transport. Taking public transport with these packages laden bags invite loads of curious stares, not to mention I look like a bag lady. I'm not a fan of stares & unfortunately, its like that here. I was happier in Sydney when people left you alone, even when I was wearing a girl's dress (Lolita syndrome, courtesy of Japan's EGL wave!). I'm still a big fan of those uber adorable lolita dresses (Baby SSB esp!) but I think I had one too many Reece's so I can't fit into them right now, not to mention I look ridiculous among the tees & berms clad Singaporeans becoz they're gonna stare & its freakin hot. Sigh.

Oh, and I threw my neck out. I think it was my sleeping position but its been bad since Friday. I can't move my neck much and it hurts quite a bit. I hope it goes away soon. The weather has been unforgiving too. :+( I heard the summer's been horrible to people in Europe and the torrential rains around the world. Take care and drink loads of liquids, friends. Oh and your pets too! And, take care of the earth. Seems like the theory of Day After Tomorrow's true? I hope its not too late to save the earth. This young and very pompous girl I came across while grocery shopping this evening exclaimed loudly that its "a waste of money buying groceries on Wednesday" coz its the day when we have to pay for plastic bags. Isn't that appalling? I always bring my own bags when grocery shopping, all shopping actually. I've been refusing plastic bags. Let's all try to do that? (Yeah, I'm a tree hugger. *shrug*)



I couldn't resist taking a pic! Its a super cute package going out to a big fan of my purses. I'm not gonna say who coz it'll spoil the surprise! Hope she likes... I miss wrapping things like that. Don't get me wrong, all your packages are painstakingly wrapped and noted, not to mention they take up loads of time to! I guess I just miss making the bigger totes & sets and really wrapping them up nicely. People who are waiting for my larger bags & wallets, please be a tiny bit more patient with me! They are coming, I promise. But since we're not a faceless company-type-factory, its takes more time to insert love and care in the creations. I don't create shabby things for money because I want you guys to really use the stuff I make! They're better in action. ;+) So just a bit longer! a bit a bit a bit........loooooooonger........ *sweat*



An awaited package from Melissa Michael came today! I made her a bag for the bag swap on flickr so she sent me these 2 clutches. I wanted something classy to bring out at night. I love these, perfect for my 101 black dresses I own. She wants me to alter it a bit so when I get to do that, I'll take a pic again. :+) Thanks Melissa! I love the cute flower fabric inside! And the Reece's! You really spoil me! And I'm gonna frame the cupcake card. Its got such cute sentiments! "Heaven is a cupcake with vanilla icing." YUM...



I think most people know by now, I'm a big fan of vintage! I've been looking for these red Kromex canisters forever. I finally found them recently and they're enroute to me! I'm not gonna say when or how or where I got them coz then you'll get to things before I do! :P Yeah, I'm bad. Anyways, a kitchen's not a kitchen without pretty canisters. It'll be an early b'day pressie for myself! Still a pity I couldn't find the whole set. These are the 2 smaller ones only. Oh well.



Mentioned in HandmadeCrafts!



Mentioned by J! I love the picture! It means so much to me that my MiniZ is pictured in action being useful! (instead of lazing around. heh heh)



2 new wristlet pouches! They are slightly bit different from each other but both fabulous. I scored some really cute clips so I decided to use them here. Japanese quilt cotton fabrics with Japanese zakka-style linen. I think I'm too affected by the Japanese magazines. LOL

Go look!

Play catch-up, Diet Suicide, Going Blue

I played catch-up with 2 of my friends on Friday, had Sushi and a great time chatting away. Glad to see them doing fine and apparently, ahm~, they read my blog too! So hey Angela & Annie!, you guys always turn my bad days into good ones. Let's do dinner again next month!

Saturday, morning swim with mum again. 2 teenage guys were being gay in the pool, 5 kids in the swim class watched and played with delight. I tried my best to make my time worthwhile by swimming a couple more laps. But it was fun to watch what peeps do on Saturday mornings. :+) I came back and had a quiet hour with Craft Cafe + some knitting. Annie brought her knitting on Friday for some help. She was so modest about it but I'm so in love with the creamy color of her yarn on the wooden knit sticks. I can't help but wanna join the club. I rummage through my craft bags for those forgotten wooden needles and started reminiscing about my knitting days. Boy am I rusty! Annie, you're waaaay better than me now! I got a few rows so we'll see.



Gorgeous yet simple string of blue beads from Ana, Flickr FAA Parcel swap, Blue. Its funny coz I'm not usually a blue person but it seemed like a good idea then to join in. Then I received some fabulous goodies from Warm n Fuzzy & Ana, and those little blue things they sent me really got my inspiration growing! Blue might be the new pink for me....Can't believe I just said that! *gasp!*

DH would be so mad at me if he sees these. I lost a couple of pounds when I was in Sydney. He didn't liked me snacking so I quit choco & chips for 2 months. It was unbelieveable but it looks like quitting snacking can make you lose pounds. Then I came back here and started ravaging potato chips, Caramel Corn and Marks & Spencer's "extremely chocolately milk chocolate rounds". Not good. But how can a girl live without her chocolate? But I'm trying to be good and have Zaru Soba for lunches.

Thats my girl with her new shroom cap. I'm not sure if she likes it but it kinda looks cute on her anyways. ;+) It was just a random crochet thing and it turned out perfect on her head. Oh well.
I know some of you guys want some instructions for the Origami Tama. I'm a bit busy with family + school stuff but I promise I'll sit down soon to make one. :+)

Everywhere Internet isn't everywhere....

Hey girls and boys...

here I am again! LOL I'd just came back from another mini battle with the Everywhere Internet guys. I had a username and password at the Chatswood outlet but apparently the city outlet doesn't recognise it. :+( I jumped from computer to computer thinking its the comp not working and in the end, had to waste another $5 to get a new account. Funny how things work here. I should've known though. Singapore's waaaaaaaay too efficient and we get so spoilt that everything should be working all the time. People here shrug when things don't work or when they simply have to go without. I remember the time when DH and I was at the Blue Mountains. It was winter, sun sets at 4 but we decided to be explorers and walked all over the mountain town. By the time we got to the train station, Katoomba, the trains had stopped. Excuses, tons of them were made by the train drivers that this train was going back and that train was ..... suffice to say that none of them wanted to take a train back to the city with a handful of passengers stranded at the quiet station. We were upset, tried to call and cab but none would come so basically we either had to wait and beg a driver to take a train to the city or find a motel for the night. Eventually we were taken back to the city, on the train. This would obviously not happen in Singapore but it is a very cosmopolitain city with cabs anywhere and everywhere anytime. I told DH, if we have to migrate, get a car already. Funny how we take for granted things for ourselves all the time.... especially being in Singapore when our asses get covered for us and um, even wiped. LOL

In the other news, I'm experiencing serious withdrawl symptons of not sewing, creating, packing, posting and all the other shop knick knacks. Jez louise, I am going nuts pretty soon! I keep hallucinating and um, thinking about sewing in my sleep. Before this, I spent everyday running around doing stuff so not being able to move as often feels "itchy". I am slightly agoraphobic as well so going out alone without some purpose feels pointless and um, naked. And, DH is kinda busy with his presentations and classes, I chose to mostly sit at home watching daytime TV like Dr. Phil and Oprah, Judge Judy even. Don't know if I should post about this. I'm kinda worried about my taste recently. LOL Yesterday I spent 4 hours uploading couple of sydney pics and food pics on my flickr. I might have more so keep checking! :+)

And the very very nice Ella sent me my Bag of Treats April swap which I received 2 days ago which really really cheered me up! Thanks Ella! She's a fabulous swapper! ^___^

Anyways, to keep sane and my more money from flying out my wallet, I bought some yarn to keep busy. I'm not entirely sure what will come out of them yet but I'll let you guys know! If anyone's doing fund raising, I'll be happy to donate my works. I'm pretty good at crochet. ;+) Though I prolly won't be selling any. I know you people prefer the cute fabrics. hehe

Ok, I'm gonna go before I start sprouting nonsense. (I had a creme brulee espresso)

I love you all! FREE HUGS! *hugs*

p/s: I just got a message from mum - her colon cancer check thing is CLEAR. *phew!* woohoo!

Helluva start to week

So, I found copies of my mini zippereds on etsy and I've received both nice and reality checks feedback from you people. I don't feel bad about the reality checks comments even though they do hurt initially, I do recognize facts so instead of sitting and whining, I'm going to focus on the good sides, like what Jill said, I sold a lot and am thankful esp when Martina convo-ed me on etsy telling me my stuff looks better than others even though they may use similar fabrics. She bought 3 minis from me that very day! So so so...instead of wrecking myself with negative thoughts (which I'm used to doing for most of my childhood), I'm going to continue creating more fabulous things for you people who love my stuff!

Very soon, I'll be launching a "Private Reserve Collection", already seen as a section at my etsy shop, containing all the most fabulous fabrics I have in my collection. Full of the cutest and most coveted Japanese imports! :+) Still at affordable prices, I promise. Not revealing too much yet so keep your eyes peeled!

I'm still struggling with my very naughty throat who still refuses to behave, annoying me every 5 minutes, causing my head to go into convulsions and hurt. :+( Custom orders will still be worked on so not to worry, they are coming. Doctor's medicine didn't help. Big sighs.

I'm also having a bad swap week, receiving not-so-nice things and people not bothering to say thanks for my package. I guess I shouldn't say too much but I do appreciate enormously people who read my preferences and send things put together with an effort. Or maybe that was already effort to them. Oh well, at least I got something. I know I'm picky but at least I am proud to say I make efforts to send people things they want and thank people when they send me stuff. I think I'll be more careful with my swaps in future.

I'm still not figured out in my course thing. Its mighty confusing, mind boggling and thoroughly boring. I would choose to do a BA in Fine Arts if I had the choice. My Financial Management & Control lecturer says we should sleep 4 hours in order not to "waste" our lives away. I can't decide if he's being smart or plain crazy. I do agree its his choice, his life to do a lot before he turns to dust. But unfortunately, I don't function well with 4 hours. I prefer to have more functional hours than a lot of half-ass work in my day. Besides, the best things happen when I sleep. Dream, rest and egyption cotton sheets. I won't regret even if I was to be dead because I did what I really want to do. Since when did you let your heart lead you?

It may be a geographical location thing, but its my personal opinion that people here could learn how not to shove their own ideas of life and personal preferences down others' throats. We are different. Can't stress that enough. "You should do this to get this", "do this and you will get this result" etc. Don't wanna hear that anymore. My life is the way it is because I like it. I like working through the night and sleeping in the day. I hate corporate high flyers and corner offices because I've been there and I wasn't happy. Even though my office was on a high tower with spectacular views and beautiful surrounds, I never had time to appreciate anything. Because I was working, just plain working. When I had money, I spent more, waiting for my next paycheck became a painful routine. At the end of the day, the fact that I could be replaced simply allude to the fact that I wasn't working for anything, not for myself, but for an organisation that I felt nothing for. I had to ask myself that painful question that when I'm on my deathbed, could I go knowing I had done what I wanted to or did I wait and waited and never got the chance to do what I actually wanted to? Parents here would tell their kids, study hard and you'll get a good job, good pay and that usually equates to good life. But they never did realise that this path is never the only one, nor is it the right formula for everyone. They would tell us, you can do what you want when you have money. Yes, corporate high flying pays well but do we really have the time to do what we want outside of the job? People here work 12-14 hours on a standard basis. I want no part of that unfortunately. My life is not about spending my days in a box working for something I don't care for. I'd much prefer to bake cookies and make stuff for people who appreciates them. To me, its much more meaningful to actually make someone's life better than to be rich and never have enough of time and money to actually be happy.

But that's just me.

Surprises are so nice....

I was working hard at my machine today when the door came a-knocking. A package came with no return address. The smoke from the postman was annoying but a surprise package! I wreck my brains for recent purchases. None. And this one seems to be mailed locally. My trusy blade opened the box and I was so surprised and happy to find that its from Joseph! We were supposed to do a collaboration project which I sent him some fabrics for. The note on the very cute box of cookies said he was in Japan and couldn't work on it. You shouldn't have Joseph! Though I'm a huge fan of Japan-anything and with memories of the delectable cookies from Osaka-Universal Studios, I know this one's gonna be just as great! I love the cute tin box too! I was actually going to buy a vintage tin robot and seeing a cute print of it on the box just totally clicked! LOL I was delirious coz I'd always had the impression that anything this fab has to be bought myself and missing a trip myself to Japan this year is heart-breaking.
Anyways, its Yum City. Population: ME!

Yup, socks. From my fav Muji Store in my suburb. They were closing, though these socks weren't on sale. I realised it only after I grabbed them and skipped over to the counter. They were too cute and soft to miss. I think I had a long day. They seem to scream comfort to me at that time. I'm going to miss them. Now I'd have to make a longer trip to the city for Muji.

Beads and Button Matchbox fill swap on swapbot. I'm joining a ton of swap over there coz some of them are really meaningful to me. This one's too cute to miss. Its my first matchbox swap and its going to Ella. Hope she likes it. Loads of beads & buttons. Mostly pink, as usual!

Its been raining rather heavily these 2 days. I'm going to the PO tomorrow. Have to send DH's Hinamatsuri package too. Its a girl's day thing but I couldn't not send him those goodies I found from the supermarket. They were flown in for the event, pink and cute! I'm not taking a picture coz its a surprise. ;+) Off to read for now. Classes start tomorrow + more enquiries for other degree. I hate to even think about that one. Hope you guys are having a better time!

Oh Lord, its March!

Time is flying. Still nothing.


"A caterpillar
this deep in fall--
still not a butterfly"

--Basho


This pretty much sums up how I feel right now. I'm gonna come clean. I failed my accountancy papers I sat for last Dec. There, I said it. As usual, my mum's bugging me about my path again. That course means absolutely nothing to me. Its just an avenue to get migrated to Australia more easily, better job, higher pay, the whole nine yards. Thing is, I've tried the high power jobs, having high pay and a view from where I sit. Did I feel better then? Nope. I was pretty much braindead, everything in my head I used to have went to mush and stuff that got my interest was consumerism. The new bag, the Hello Kitty bazaar at the office block.... Yeap, I earned more, I spent more. I was still left in debt, waiting for my next paycheck. Plus, I had a job that was scarily black and white. They yelled at me when I tried to inject some colors in the Excel spreadsheet. Thinking of the prospect of bedoing this for the next couple of decades rock my socks....in a scary way, very scary. I need mind stimulation and creativity. I have ADHD and can't sit still for long. I wriggled in my seat far more times than DH's brother who watched Epic Movie with me today. I think they tried too hard; it wasn't funny anymore. Just sad. :P
Truth time? I do get jealous of high power executives every once in a while, clad in silk/wool suits, crisp white shirts, designer totes, patent leather shoes. But looking back at what I faced and what they are still facing makes me heave a sigh of relief. I suspect I was a hippie in my last life. I'm born to create and live life as a tree hugger. Ok, maybe not that sacrelicious, but I fear commitments. Having a job is like having a kid. No wait, a kid is worse. 24/7 for 18 years at least. Thats no kidding matter, pun intended. I'm thoroughly enjoying my extended adolescence, though I know that can't last for long. I leech too much on my parents even though I work very hard on my shop. I'm not complaining because I love what I do and thats priceless. To me. Still, I do get stuck. And people hounding for my blood makes it worse. sigh.

Cotton Friend and Cotton Time is my 2 best friends right now. I just wanna chill out so bad. DH was here the last 3 months and I never had enough sleep. Yes, I sleep too much, 9 hours, but I need that much to function. And 3 months of that was bad enough. I did appreciate DH being here though. Its hard not to miss his snores. Now its plain cold and quiet.

Ribbon swap on swapbot! I received my 1st package from swapbot ever! LOL Its a pack of real gorgeous ribbons from someone coz someone threw out the package, together with the name and address so.... yeah, it can be silly sometimes. I loved the ribbons though. Can't wait to use them! :+)

Next up! Lotus's birthday package. This girl is amazingly nice! She bought the tote from me for her own birthday so that I could have a flickr pro account. Its like 2 birds with one stone! So, since its for her birthday and she did something so nice for me, I decided to return by making her tote more fun - add loads of nice things! There was also a pencil set, sent to me by the lovely Christine but I'm not making use so I passed it on and a handmade birthday card. Hope she likes it! ^___^

Last but not least, before I have to rest my fingers (!!), my 1st summer tote! I made this in winter (eye roll) coz I couldn't resist the utterly adorable french fabric. I was contemplating keeping it but my bag collection can form mountains! Hope someone grabs it and help my horrible financial state. Here!

(I heard my dad say he wants me out soon.)

Its tradition for asian kids to live with their parents til they get married. hee

Ok, I have to go.

I like Vintage & Shrooms

DH is listening to Japanese oldies, very old indeed. We just watched The Great Yokai War on VCD, coz it was cheap. Now he's in the weird mood. :P Anyways, I wanted to do a photo post coz I've received 2 fabulous swaps, made some stuff & had some discoveries....

I received my spanking old/new necklace by PetitOiseau & totally love it! Its a very very adorable vintage Pink thimble on a delicate chain with a tiny clear bead. Now I'm officially a sewer, like it or not....

I'm a big fan of Vintage everything.... and have recently made a discovery! Etsy has a huge untapped source of super designers with an eye for gorgeous jewellery pieces made even better with add-ons! luxedeluxe has a big collection of really pretty pieces I can't keep my eyes off of, I'm totally in love with this & don't know why, & recently bought this after much much contemplation but had to have it (sleepless nights! esp after her pieces started flying off!). I'm cleaned out for the month! Jordan from OpulentOddities is really really special. I liked them all with one visit to her shop. Doesn't happen very often! Gorgeous pieces with stories behind! I can't wait for my Wonderland necklace to arrive....

My swaps received from Isabella, France! She sent me a huge box of goodies! Unfortunately the box of choco has been cleaned out by me. :PI'm 5 pounds heavier and 10 pimples uglier. sigh! She really made a ginourmous effort for me! I've also gotten my really cute package from Kellie in USA! & my really beautiful swap from the equally beautiful Hazel! Gotta love the cute fabric, precious bag of great buttons, that cute squirrel & pretty ribbon! Thanks you guys! ;+)

Can you guess what this is?! Yeap! THE Au Jardin necessity pouch! I'll be listing it after the ginormous tote & the matching pouch gets grabbed so go ahead, grab them! Though, I'm seriously gonna miss them...I love the Au Jardin series coz its really one gorgeous fabric! From Japan, its printed with garden silhouettes, french sentiments & its unbelievably soft for denim! Oops....too much advertisement! I'll let the owners of the series speak for me then! hee

Did someone say Mushroom!? LOL I'm a big fan...I like smelling them, looking at them, eating them, designing with them, making up utterly cute purses from Shrooms! I've been hoarding this fabric forever! It was soooooo expensive I can't bear to use it! Its a Japanese retro production, gorgeous print on canvas, no less! Its vibrant, catchy & irresistible! I made it into an oversized wristlet, 8" by 5", with card pockets inside so you can use it as a wallet if you like. Just throw in one of those Mini Zippereds and you're ready! Will go on etsy soon. Check back or bug me for it. ;+)

Currently still busy with everything! Packing/posting, shopping, eating, designing, sewing, blog-bitching, etsy-listing....the list is endless! I totally love my life, no 4x4 feet box with boring paperwork for me! LOL We're going to Sentosa for a bit of a break & some fun on Thursday so more til then! ;+)

Photos!

I'm so bored of costing (paper on wed) so I thought I'd be good and actually post something about stuff that happened in my life. There was a good sunset the other day so I took a picture. I live in an apartment block but there's this private apartment thing in front of my building that came up couple of years back. I've always hated that it blocked the view. The scarcity of land here has made us little more than chickens in a chicken coop. I'm constantly jealous of Christine and Hazel's homes. :P

Oh and I was in this Etsy Secret X'mas swap thing and a lovely box came for me last week. I forgot all about it untill I opened it! There was a very very lovely brooch from brokenplates in all green packaging! It was so lovely and the whole thing was sweeten up futher when I discovered a big box of choco dipped pretzels~! I ate the whole thing in a couple of days and I swear something about the salt and choco that goes so well together! I was hooked but then I was down to the last pieces. I promise I'm going to learn the recipe and make some myself. Here's a pic of the brooch though. Isn't it classic yet quirky?

Speaking of Christmas, I have an early gift! DH bought it for me after he caught me staring at it for days. He swore I was drooling. I denied it. Anyways, I'm a total sucker for transport so i really couldn't pass up this one although I didn't want to spend on toys since I needed the money for fabric & supplies. Its a very adorable bus with candies inside. Its the yearly Candy Cabinet thing Sanrio comes up with. It was such a great day! I got it like a day before my 1st nightmare paper. I wished I could say its a motivation but after those 2 killer paper days, I don't think its right to use that word anymore. Don't ask. Pictures!

The exams. Held at Expo, a freaking huge convention centre, far east of Singapore. It takes me a whole hour just to get there. And we all have to make this very long walk to the hall. All the time I was thinking to myself over and over, Dead Woman Walking. It wasn't nice. Maybe a bit like the Jews. I watched Schindler. No offence to real Jews though. The stress was so great I couldn't produce during most of the exams. I'm just not the exams kind. I prefer essays & projects, where people do the sane thing by taking time to read, analyze, and come up with a fabulous solution. Not trying to cram a phonebook in a couple of months, hoping to remember as much as one brain can, culminating in a 3 hour paper where one prays that the stuff we can't remember won't appear in it. Its utter crap and inhuman. Who really benefits from such an examination and actually prepare one for work life? I think not. Let's look at the gloom anyways...

In the other news, I got really stressed and started shopping a lot. Apart from my load of fabric last Sunday, I got 2 new Decole stamps and they came really quick, although I got overcharged on shipping. Its a pet peeve of mine but I really hate it when I'm overcharged. I guess I'm going to have to live with it until I can find someway to swim to Japan and beg them to take me in as an asylum seeker. :P The white guy on the left is actually new year sticky rice cake for new years and the red guy is a daruma. But we already know that. Decole made is so much cuter so its impossible to resist. Sigh. They made friends with Santa Decole so I took this new family shot on the cute mini chair I bought at Daiso on Saturday. I should be banned from that store. The next shot shows a fraction of my goodies. I have more at my Daiso group on flickr. ;+)

Last but not least! My stumpie, new best friend, confidante, yoga/meditation teacher. Came from LOF, my fav store in the world! He's posing here with sheep who loved him the moment he came out of the box. "To hell with my owner!", he said. Lousy guy. I sent this pic to Lynda at LOF and she loved it.

New minis coming up! All lovely delectable designs, hand selected, designed and made one by one lovingly! Grab one today!