.... but take a look at what I have been doing.
I have not been posting here much lately, but this is something that I feel so good about, I want to share it.
If you had read my earlier postings, you'd know about my passion for tatting. Well,.. that is what I have been doing a lot of this past few months. And I am happy to share that it has attracted comments from all over. Just take a look at
this . Without being too much of a peacock (he.. he...), all that you see are my own creations and not taken off any pattern somewhere.
I am not going to say much more about this. Just click the link above and see for yourself.
Tuesday, October 17, 2006
Friday, September 08, 2006
Bali Hai
I went for another Teambuilding trip organised by the Company early September. This year, the location was Bali. If you remember from a previous post, the trip last year was to Kota Kinabalu. My, has it been a year already?
The Company seems to have a thing for Whitewater Rafting. Last year it was the Kiulu River in Sabah, and this year its the Ayung River in Bali. Afraid I don't have pictures of the rafting this time because I opted to stay on dry land, due to my knees. The sheer climb to and from the starting and finishing point to the basecamp was totally killing, so I was told. Apparently the number of steps was much higher and steeper than Batu Caves! Besides, I didn't fancy risking injuring my ligaments again, especially when they are still recovering.
Fortunately, the one or so hour spent waiting for the rest of the team to arrive at the finishing point was rather pleasant. The air was cool and the breeze was deliciously chilly. I was told by a Balinese that we had come during their musim dingin. It wasn't too cold, of course. Just pleasantly cool.
Of course you couldn't go to Bali without going to a Spa! In fact when I arrived together with the first group, some of the ladies and I went spa hunting almost immediately. The merry group of women found a quaint Spa and due to time constraints, could only opt for the 1 hour Balinese massage. Being used mainly to the Malay and Thai traditional massages, we found the Bali massage pretty "gentle" It was good though. Just not as "brutal" as those we were used to! The oils used at the Spa was made in-house and comprised 3 flowers ... jasmine, ylang-ylang and something else. Not as fragrant as my usual aromatherapy oil made by Dr Jariah (formerly of UKM). I wanted to do the full works ... lulur, massage, flower bath, steam and all, so I made a mental note to go Spa hunting again in the next few days.
I didn't do much shopping though, because it was more teambuilding than shopping, and time was limited. Its a shame really, since I was actually looking forward to some Balinese paintings and wood carvings. And by the time our daily programmes ended, the shops were already closed. So, after dinner, I hovered around the hotel and since I have pretty much distanced myself from the nightlife scene, I didn't join the colleagues on their clubhopping rounds.
Security was still rather tight, since after the bombing. Luckily nothing happened. The tourism industry was badly affected, though. Wanted to share some photos here but I seem to be having some problems uploading the photos. Next time perhaps.
The Company seems to have a thing for Whitewater Rafting. Last year it was the Kiulu River in Sabah, and this year its the Ayung River in Bali. Afraid I don't have pictures of the rafting this time because I opted to stay on dry land, due to my knees. The sheer climb to and from the starting and finishing point to the basecamp was totally killing, so I was told. Apparently the number of steps was much higher and steeper than Batu Caves! Besides, I didn't fancy risking injuring my ligaments again, especially when they are still recovering.
Fortunately, the one or so hour spent waiting for the rest of the team to arrive at the finishing point was rather pleasant. The air was cool and the breeze was deliciously chilly. I was told by a Balinese that we had come during their musim dingin. It wasn't too cold, of course. Just pleasantly cool.
Of course you couldn't go to Bali without going to a Spa! In fact when I arrived together with the first group, some of the ladies and I went spa hunting almost immediately. The merry group of women found a quaint Spa and due to time constraints, could only opt for the 1 hour Balinese massage. Being used mainly to the Malay and Thai traditional massages, we found the Bali massage pretty "gentle" It was good though. Just not as "brutal" as those we were used to! The oils used at the Spa was made in-house and comprised 3 flowers ... jasmine, ylang-ylang and something else. Not as fragrant as my usual aromatherapy oil made by Dr Jariah (formerly of UKM). I wanted to do the full works ... lulur, massage, flower bath, steam and all, so I made a mental note to go Spa hunting again in the next few days.
I didn't do much shopping though, because it was more teambuilding than shopping, and time was limited. Its a shame really, since I was actually looking forward to some Balinese paintings and wood carvings. And by the time our daily programmes ended, the shops were already closed. So, after dinner, I hovered around the hotel and since I have pretty much distanced myself from the nightlife scene, I didn't join the colleagues on their clubhopping rounds.
Security was still rather tight, since after the bombing. Luckily nothing happened. The tourism industry was badly affected, though. Wanted to share some photos here but I seem to be having some problems uploading the photos. Next time perhaps.
Tuesday, July 04, 2006
Took Another Step Towards My Dream
I gave my first lessons on tatting last Saturday to a class of 4 pupils.
Before going into details, let me explain first. I am part of an online group of Malaysian stitchers, i.e. those interested in all kind of needlecraft. There are about 90+ members in the group who dabble in cross-stitch, crochet, patchwork, quilting, hardanger, applique and macam2 lagi la. And the pupils of my class are from this group who had expressed their interest to learn tatting.
Okay, back about the class. Out of the four, only one has attempted tatting before but has forgotten about it. So it was practically starting form basics and the two hour spent was just trying to make the doublestitch, the basic stitch in tatting.
I will be documenting the progress of the class which I will be using as part of my plan to write the book that I wrote about earlier. And the ladies in my class will be working through as part of the plan. They don't know about what I planned to do yet - wonder what they'd think if they ever find out about it!
That's all for now, more updates later.
Before going into details, let me explain first. I am part of an online group of Malaysian stitchers, i.e. those interested in all kind of needlecraft. There are about 90+ members in the group who dabble in cross-stitch, crochet, patchwork, quilting, hardanger, applique and macam2 lagi la. And the pupils of my class are from this group who had expressed their interest to learn tatting.
Okay, back about the class. Out of the four, only one has attempted tatting before but has forgotten about it. So it was practically starting form basics and the two hour spent was just trying to make the doublestitch, the basic stitch in tatting.
I will be documenting the progress of the class which I will be using as part of my plan to write the book that I wrote about earlier. And the ladies in my class will be working through as part of the plan. They don't know about what I planned to do yet - wonder what they'd think if they ever find out about it!
That's all for now, more updates later.
Wednesday, June 14, 2006
I have a dream too ..
Actually this is a comment on Kasma's post below. But I have a feeling that it will be a long comment, so I decided to put it in as a separate post
After reading about Kasma's dream (wonder if dream is the right word to use) of making a mark as a writer, I want to share mine as well. I have been contemplating about coming out with a book as well. Except that it has nothing to do with pieces pf poetry, stories, anecdotes, etc.
If you have been reading my blogs you would have noticed that I enjoy doing tatting. I have even posted pictures of some of the pieces that I have made. Problem is, locally, susah sangat nak dapatkan buku on tatting designs. Di kedai-kedai buku memang jarang-jarang jumpa, and di needlecraft shops, kalau ada pun harganya punya la mahal. Ada satu written in Japanese, harganya lebih dari RM100. Thank goodness for the internet. I managed to get lots of pattern from there. Rupa-rupanya ramai betul orang yang minat tatting all over the world, and yet people still think of it as a 'dead art'. Some of the beautiful pieces shown on the various websites are made by men - imagine that.
Okay, back to the point. Since there are not many tatting books locally, I have been toying with the idea of coming out with one. Something simple to begin with, starting with basic instructions and some easy-to-do patterns for practice.
I have not really finished trying to learn all the different techniques in tatting - a DIY kind of learning from information obtained from the various tatting websites.
Also, since it's so difficult to get tatting books, I have started to design my own patterns. For those who attended the OGA Dinner - remember the small tatted heart that I gave out to every one that night? Well, that was one of my own design - clap .. clap. In fact I have quite a number completed already. I have photographed each one of them and am now writing up the instructions on how to make them. Right now, some are still in the PC and some are printed and nicely filed.
Another interesting development - I have received request to teach tatting. I joined a local online group of people interested in all kinds of needlecraft. The others in the group have seen my tatted pieces and a few has shown interest to learn this art. If everything goes okay, I'll be starting a class in July. Wow - that will be one big event in my life.....
So .... I have a dream too. Right now it is slowly taking shape, until that time when I will make that big decision to bring it all out to the open.
Will I do it ... or will it remain just a dream?
After reading about Kasma's dream (wonder if dream is the right word to use) of making a mark as a writer, I want to share mine as well. I have been contemplating about coming out with a book as well. Except that it has nothing to do with pieces pf poetry, stories, anecdotes, etc.
If you have been reading my blogs you would have noticed that I enjoy doing tatting. I have even posted pictures of some of the pieces that I have made. Problem is, locally, susah sangat nak dapatkan buku on tatting designs. Di kedai-kedai buku memang jarang-jarang jumpa, and di needlecraft shops, kalau ada pun harganya punya la mahal. Ada satu written in Japanese, harganya lebih dari RM100. Thank goodness for the internet. I managed to get lots of pattern from there. Rupa-rupanya ramai betul orang yang minat tatting all over the world, and yet people still think of it as a 'dead art'. Some of the beautiful pieces shown on the various websites are made by men - imagine that.
Okay, back to the point. Since there are not many tatting books locally, I have been toying with the idea of coming out with one. Something simple to begin with, starting with basic instructions and some easy-to-do patterns for practice.
I have not really finished trying to learn all the different techniques in tatting - a DIY kind of learning from information obtained from the various tatting websites.
Also, since it's so difficult to get tatting books, I have started to design my own patterns. For those who attended the OGA Dinner - remember the small tatted heart that I gave out to every one that night? Well, that was one of my own design - clap .. clap. In fact I have quite a number completed already. I have photographed each one of them and am now writing up the instructions on how to make them. Right now, some are still in the PC and some are printed and nicely filed.
Another interesting development - I have received request to teach tatting. I joined a local online group of people interested in all kinds of needlecraft. The others in the group have seen my tatted pieces and a few has shown interest to learn this art. If everything goes okay, I'll be starting a class in July. Wow - that will be one big event in my life.....
So .... I have a dream too. Right now it is slowly taking shape, until that time when I will make that big decision to bring it all out to the open.
Will I do it ... or will it remain just a dream?
Its June Already .....
How time flies! I can't believe that the last time I posted anything on this blog was almost 6 months ago! If not for Jon, there wouldn't have been much of anything here. Thanks, Jon. But now that you have your own blog, I hope you can still post here.
Before I forget, Happy Birthday to Sherry, Noshi and all the June babies. 13th June is kind of difficult to miss because its also my brother's birthday. (Yes, Baby Danial's dad). Last I met Noshi was at one function for women in IT. Not that I am an IT trained woman. Just happen to work in that space! It been too long, Nosh. Must meet for lunch soon.
Some of us attended the OGA Dinner last month. It was really wonderful catching up again. Especially with the ever mirthful Ani Che Dan! Theme for the dinner was the 70s. Not too easy dressing up according to the theme at this age and size! So, we came in whatever was appropriate or possible. The best I could manage was a Kurta style long blouse and hoop earrings. (And with my knee injury, I couldn't even attempt one of those platform shoes!) Anything else would look too ridiculous on me! Noriah, as usual was her ultra slim, elegant and ever youthful self. Hard to imagine she is a mum-in-law already. She stopped aging at thirty, I think! What's the secret, Noriah? ;-)
Norlian was sooo ... excited about Bob Tutupoly, that I thought if he ever came over to our table to sing for her, she'd probably swoon! Hehehe ... sorry Lian, but it was so amusing to see you like that. Reminds me of the time we were 17! The show by the old girls were pretty good too. They sure had guts, doing the Saturday Night Fever dance, complete with John Travolta white suit, topped with a mop of Afro! And Puan Sri Fauzah and gang were cute too! Really polished, I should say.
When I looked around, I noticed that not too many came to the dinner dressed ala 70s, except some brave ones. I was rather glad I didn't go along with my daughter's suggestion of donning an Afro wig or a Pin or Blue Bob-style wig. Actually I had a broad, bright colored headband tucked in my handbag, just in case, but luckily the situation didn't call for it.
On another note, I'll be 49 next month. Back when I was 21, I had planned to write a book someday. I used to scribble bits and pieces of poetry, stories, anecdotes, etc then, and my late husband had actually encouraged me to write. That hasn't materialised and I wonder whether that too will be buried together with my cartoons and all the dreams that never happened. Well, blogging has helped a bit with the writing. Mrs Lee, our English teacher will be rather pleased I am sure; if she knew. Mr Karu probably horrified that I never took up Chemistry or Science again after Form 5. I can't remember our Art teacher, though. Oh, that's right, we never had one! Being in Science Stream, Art was not an option for us, but Faiz and I took it anyway and we had to learn it ourselves! What a bunch of crazies we were, Faiz and I. Resident artists for Class of 74, konon. Just for that, our principal, Puan Rahmah, made me do the Hall of Fame in the College Hall!
Ah, but again, I am rambling. See you all again in a nother post. Yang lain tu, cuba cuba lah tulis.
Till then, salams to all.
N/B by the way, I still have some CDs of the 3o year PD reunion. If anyone is interested, contact me. RM10 each. Collectors' item. Next one will be the Reunion for next year, when majority of us will hit 50!
Before I forget, Happy Birthday to Sherry, Noshi and all the June babies. 13th June is kind of difficult to miss because its also my brother's birthday. (Yes, Baby Danial's dad). Last I met Noshi was at one function for women in IT. Not that I am an IT trained woman. Just happen to work in that space! It been too long, Nosh. Must meet for lunch soon.
Some of us attended the OGA Dinner last month. It was really wonderful catching up again. Especially with the ever mirthful Ani Che Dan! Theme for the dinner was the 70s. Not too easy dressing up according to the theme at this age and size! So, we came in whatever was appropriate or possible. The best I could manage was a Kurta style long blouse and hoop earrings. (And with my knee injury, I couldn't even attempt one of those platform shoes!) Anything else would look too ridiculous on me! Noriah, as usual was her ultra slim, elegant and ever youthful self. Hard to imagine she is a mum-in-law already. She stopped aging at thirty, I think! What's the secret, Noriah? ;-)
Norlian was sooo ... excited about Bob Tutupoly, that I thought if he ever came over to our table to sing for her, she'd probably swoon! Hehehe ... sorry Lian, but it was so amusing to see you like that. Reminds me of the time we were 17! The show by the old girls were pretty good too. They sure had guts, doing the Saturday Night Fever dance, complete with John Travolta white suit, topped with a mop of Afro! And Puan Sri Fauzah and gang were cute too! Really polished, I should say.
When I looked around, I noticed that not too many came to the dinner dressed ala 70s, except some brave ones. I was rather glad I didn't go along with my daughter's suggestion of donning an Afro wig or a Pin or Blue Bob-style wig. Actually I had a broad, bright colored headband tucked in my handbag, just in case, but luckily the situation didn't call for it.
On another note, I'll be 49 next month. Back when I was 21, I had planned to write a book someday. I used to scribble bits and pieces of poetry, stories, anecdotes, etc then, and my late husband had actually encouraged me to write. That hasn't materialised and I wonder whether that too will be buried together with my cartoons and all the dreams that never happened. Well, blogging has helped a bit with the writing. Mrs Lee, our English teacher will be rather pleased I am sure; if she knew. Mr Karu probably horrified that I never took up Chemistry or Science again after Form 5. I can't remember our Art teacher, though. Oh, that's right, we never had one! Being in Science Stream, Art was not an option for us, but Faiz and I took it anyway and we had to learn it ourselves! What a bunch of crazies we were, Faiz and I. Resident artists for Class of 74, konon. Just for that, our principal, Puan Rahmah, made me do the Hall of Fame in the College Hall!
Ah, but again, I am rambling. See you all again in a nother post. Yang lain tu, cuba cuba lah tulis.
Till then, salams to all.
N/B by the way, I still have some CDs of the 3o year PD reunion. If anyone is interested, contact me. RM10 each. Collectors' item. Next one will be the Reunion for next year, when majority of us will hit 50!
Monday, March 27, 2006
I must.. I must .. I must increase my ......
I wonder if any of the old gang remember that mantra from the college days. I am not elaborating on that but I thought that would be a catchy title (for those who know it, it might bring them a smile or two).
Anyway, I went for a morning walk early this morning after dropping my daughter off at school. Dah lama dah tak pergi. Dulu ada juga buat, and I managed to drop a few kilos, to the point longgar juga la kain baju kurung I tu. Lepas tu berhenti kejap sebab pagi-pagi selalu hujan, Then the lutut mula rasa sakit-sakit, maybe because I banyak dok squatting masa buat weeding in the garden. After that the excuses not to go is more frequent that the motivation to continue. So dah lama la tak pergi padang for the morning walk.
Tapi lately ni badan rasa on the heavy side, ikut kan the weighing scale memang betul la tu, cos it has been showing a reading of high 50s. And my daughter also commented that my body shape has changed at the inapppropriate places. I think that is motivation enough.
So I pergi la pagi tadi. I still saw the same group of people from whence, young and old. I have to admire their perseverance. I even saw an old lady leaning on her walking stick, slowly ambling along followed by her maid (I think) not far behind. The group of elderly Chinese ladies were still there doing their tai-chi. Well, I did not do too bad this morning. I managed to make four laps round the padang in about 30 mins in a casual walk. I think one lap is about 300m. Tak nak attempt the brisk walking lagi sebab dah lama tak buat. Managed to break some sweat and really felt great after that. Kalau dapat continue about 3 - 4 times a week pun bagus la kan?
Okay, we'll see how it goes from here.
Anyway, I went for a morning walk early this morning after dropping my daughter off at school. Dah lama dah tak pergi. Dulu ada juga buat, and I managed to drop a few kilos, to the point longgar juga la kain baju kurung I tu. Lepas tu berhenti kejap sebab pagi-pagi selalu hujan, Then the lutut mula rasa sakit-sakit, maybe because I banyak dok squatting masa buat weeding in the garden. After that the excuses not to go is more frequent that the motivation to continue. So dah lama la tak pergi padang for the morning walk.
Tapi lately ni badan rasa on the heavy side, ikut kan the weighing scale memang betul la tu, cos it has been showing a reading of high 50s. And my daughter also commented that my body shape has changed at the inapppropriate places. I think that is motivation enough.
So I pergi la pagi tadi. I still saw the same group of people from whence, young and old. I have to admire their perseverance. I even saw an old lady leaning on her walking stick, slowly ambling along followed by her maid (I think) not far behind. The group of elderly Chinese ladies were still there doing their tai-chi. Well, I did not do too bad this morning. I managed to make four laps round the padang in about 30 mins in a casual walk. I think one lap is about 300m. Tak nak attempt the brisk walking lagi sebab dah lama tak buat. Managed to break some sweat and really felt great after that. Kalau dapat continue about 3 - 4 times a week pun bagus la kan?
Okay, we'll see how it goes from here.
Saturday, February 18, 2006
Tatting is not dead .......
Been a bit late for my monthly posting. Don't have much to write cos I have not been doing much this February. But I don't mind sharing with you my creative side, if there is any.
Well ..... one of my favorite thing is doing needlework, and for the past year or so I have rediscovered tatting. I said 'rediscovered' cos I was into it a long time ago (definitely more than 30 years ago) when I was still in school. But other things came along, and I forgot about it.
Then I found a book on tatting when I was browsing at a book store (which is another one of my favorite activities .....) and that brought it all back to me again. Before that I thought it is a dead art, maybe because I don't find many books about it compared to other needlecrafts such as cross-stitch or crochet. So I started to browse the internet and I realise it is not dead at all. There are so many sites on tatting and the designs in the sites are really beatiful. And I began learning new techniques in producing tatting works. But I still have a long way to go to produce anything close to those beatiful designs that I find on the numerous tatting sites.
But I managed to produce some samplers of my original designs, 'samplers' cos they are just small samples of the design. I haven't come up with ideas on what to use them for. Anyway, here are some of them....
This is a sample of an edging, which can be used to decorate the edges of a table linen, or pillowcases or similar things.
This is another edging pattern.
This design can be completed into a circle and used as an edging for a circular piece, of if left unconnected it can be used to dress the collar of a blouse.
I may share more of my designs in future postings when I have new ones and some complete pieces as well. I hope you find the designs interesting.
Well ..... one of my favorite thing is doing needlework, and for the past year or so I have rediscovered tatting. I said 'rediscovered' cos I was into it a long time ago (definitely more than 30 years ago) when I was still in school. But other things came along, and I forgot about it.
Then I found a book on tatting when I was browsing at a book store (which is another one of my favorite activities .....) and that brought it all back to me again. Before that I thought it is a dead art, maybe because I don't find many books about it compared to other needlecrafts such as cross-stitch or crochet. So I started to browse the internet and I realise it is not dead at all. There are so many sites on tatting and the designs in the sites are really beatiful. And I began learning new techniques in producing tatting works. But I still have a long way to go to produce anything close to those beatiful designs that I find on the numerous tatting sites.
But I managed to produce some samplers of my original designs, 'samplers' cos they are just small samples of the design. I haven't come up with ideas on what to use them for. Anyway, here are some of them....
This is a sample of an edging, which can be used to decorate the edges of a table linen, or pillowcases or similar things.
This is another edging pattern.
This design can be completed into a circle and used as an edging for a circular piece, of if left unconnected it can be used to dress the collar of a blouse.
I may share more of my designs in future postings when I have new ones and some complete pieces as well. I hope you find the designs interesting.
Thursday, January 12, 2006
Hooked on Tolkien
I wonder if anybody is also like me. Somehow I am now hooked on JRR Tolkien, in particular about the hobbits and the Ring trilogy. I know this is not a particularly new thing to most (.... or to all?), but there is something in his style of writing that I find attractive. He made it look so believable, as if there really is a Middle Earth, with hobbits and elves and wizards and all else.
Well.. I haven't heard of JRR Tolkien until the first film came out. But when it did, I watched all three and enjoyed it very much. Until now I have watched them over and over again and still enjoyed each one as if I'm watching for the first time. If there ever is a poll for the movie classics from the 21st Century, it will be for these.
Then I thought, why not read the books. If a 3-hr movie can evoke so much feeling, the book must have more. So I read the book, except that I read it out of sequence. You see, I already have the 2nd and 3rd books, The Two Towers and The Return of the King, in my house ( my daughter had brought it back from my sister's house but didn't get round to reading it). So I started with them first, and I realised that I just couldn't put it down. On a few nights I was reading it till way past midnight, even when I already know how it is going to end. And I couldn't wait to continue with The Return of the King, which again cost me some more late nights.
Reading these books out of sequence made me curious about the beginning, about how it all started, so I went round looking for the first book, The Fellowship of the Ring. Lucky for me I got it cheap at a shop selling used books.
So I read that first book, but it didn't stop there. After finishing it, I straightaway continued with the second book and the third, even though I have read it earlier. Altogether I must have read them three times in a row. In between, I would watch the movies and started to pick out the differences between the books and the movies.
Still that did not quench my appetite and made me want to know more about the beginning of the elves, hobbits, dwarves and men. So I went out looking for The Hobbit and The Silmarillion. This time I wasn't so lucky at the used book store, they don't have any in stock. But I managed to find them elsewhere, and the cycle started again.
After reading The Silmarillion and The Hobbit, I continued straight into the Ring trilogy and have just finished it for the fourth time.
Well... what do you think about that? Crazy huh?
Well.. I haven't heard of JRR Tolkien until the first film came out. But when it did, I watched all three and enjoyed it very much. Until now I have watched them over and over again and still enjoyed each one as if I'm watching for the first time. If there ever is a poll for the movie classics from the 21st Century, it will be for these.
Then I thought, why not read the books. If a 3-hr movie can evoke so much feeling, the book must have more. So I read the book, except that I read it out of sequence. You see, I already have the 2nd and 3rd books, The Two Towers and The Return of the King, in my house ( my daughter had brought it back from my sister's house but didn't get round to reading it). So I started with them first, and I realised that I just couldn't put it down. On a few nights I was reading it till way past midnight, even when I already know how it is going to end. And I couldn't wait to continue with The Return of the King, which again cost me some more late nights.
Reading these books out of sequence made me curious about the beginning, about how it all started, so I went round looking for the first book, The Fellowship of the Ring. Lucky for me I got it cheap at a shop selling used books.
So I read that first book, but it didn't stop there. After finishing it, I straightaway continued with the second book and the third, even though I have read it earlier. Altogether I must have read them three times in a row. In between, I would watch the movies and started to pick out the differences between the books and the movies.
Still that did not quench my appetite and made me want to know more about the beginning of the elves, hobbits, dwarves and men. So I went out looking for The Hobbit and The Silmarillion. This time I wasn't so lucky at the used book store, they don't have any in stock. But I managed to find them elsewhere, and the cycle started again.
After reading The Silmarillion and The Hobbit, I continued straight into the Ring trilogy and have just finished it for the fourth time.
Well... what do you think about that? Crazy huh?
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