Syawal

It's been so so so long since I last blogged here. Never seem to have the time to do so and of course one of the main reason is because I don't get to come online as often as I would like to since my computer is still down. Once in a while whenever I borrow my aunt's laptop for work I would take a short break and blog a bit and right now it's blogging time at my personal blog. :)

Ramadhan has left us and now it's the month of Syawal. We celebrated our Eidul Fitri about a week ago......even so we are still in our raya mood till today. I still feel like holidaying but I know that is not possible. I have to start work tomorrow whether I like it or not.

Since I have not been online for quite sometime, I haven't been checking my Nuffnang for over a week. What a shock I got tonight when I check the analytics! I didn't realise the number of visitors has increased tremendously! Way up to over 5800 page views and over 2000 unique visitors a day! Wow! I've never seen so many numbers at my card blog before! I got a shock! I couldn't believe my eyes! I was wondering how that happened. And where are all this visitors coming from? Amazingly.........these days, 70% of my visitors are from India! And they were googling about Teacher's Day Cards and my blog post regarding Teacher's Day cards was a hit! Who knew! :D I'm so happy about it.....because all this time the visitors were quite low at my card blog and now all of a sudden....it's has increased so much. Alhamdulillah :). I think currently they are celebrating Teacher's Day there in India..... :).

Not only has the number of visitors as increased....but my weight has increased as well during the Eid.......I ate a lot of the ketupat palas.....way to many. Now I need to lose the weight I gained. Starting tomorrow I would have to increase my workout and control my diet. No more excuses. :I

A lot has happened over the past month. So many events. So many issues unresolved......

Lots of emails to reply.....lots of cards to make......lots of things to do.............feeling dizzy just thinking about it. Step by step.......will get them done....insyaAllah :)

Keeping the spirits high

Still feeling sad about the death of my computer. I sent it to the computer shop for repairs a few days ago but there was nothing much they could do to help.....it's officially dead.... :( .But I'm keeping my spirits high. I guess from now onwards, I'll be depending a lot on my handphone and my aunt's laptop to do my work. But I know I can't keep borrowing her laptop all the time....it wouldn't be fair on her.

Keep telling myself that it's not the end of the world............................I'll find a way to work things out somehow. Life goes on................................................................................. :(

Welcome Ramadhan

That time of the year is now here.....Ramadhan oh Ramadhan, you are finally here........alhamdulillah......insyaAllah I will be able to do my duties as a Muslim as well as I possibly can in this beautiful month.

I've been so busy these past few weeks, I haven't been able to update my personal blog as often as I should but today I'm taking a few minutes to do so....miss blogging here I must admit :). I still find it hard to believe that tomorrow is already 1st of August. How time flies.......been reflecting what I've been up to these past few months and I'm a little disappointed at times with my progress. But looking on the bright side and the positive side, there are improvements......a lot of improvements in some areas. Of course, I always wished that I can do better. Trying my best not to compare myself with others.......that way I won't feel so bad about myself. I can only do what I can, the best of my ability.

Problems comes and goes......some stayed over ;P......hopefully not for long. Decisions decisions......everyday there is something that I have to decide especially in business and hopefully the decisions I make are good one s that won't get me into trouble. Feel a little lost sometimes because I'm in this on my own......got no one to go to ask for help. Just following my instincts and of course a lot of research on my own helps too.

I'm on a new medication now and alhamdulillah it seems to be working well for me. There isn't any bad side effects so far and I'm very happy with it. For the first time in so many months, I get to eat chicken and eggs again and not get allergies from it. I've forgotten how great they taste hehe! But I must not get carried away and overdose myself. InsyaAllah I won't. :).

I really hope this month Allah will grant me peace of mind and bless me with good health and more "rezeki" insyaAllah hehe......the more I get, the more I can give.....true? ;)

So goodbye July.......welcome August.....goodbye Syaaban.....welcome Ramadhan.....and happy fasting to all my Muslim readers :).

Hello July bye bye June...

It's July already?? Yes Lin....yes it's already July.....I just keep telling myself that over and over again because it's simply not getting into my head yet....not yet registered. Gosh time flies so darn fast before I know it, bye bye 2011. Yes, that's how it is these days. Don't even have the time to day dream anymore. That's how precious time is now.

Ever since I got back from my vacation, I never got the chance to rest. Duuuhhhhhhhhh.....wake up Lin, your vacation is over, it's now back to work. :P Yes, how lovely that week long vacation was. I wonder when I'll get that long rest again. Perhaps during the Eid I suppose. Yes, that's when I'll get some rest. :I

I really had fun during the vacation. Especially because I get to meet my friends there :). Had nice long chats....eating good food......and of course not forgetting the shopping! Shopped for so many things but my favourite of all was shopping for craft supplies hehe. Nothing can beat that! Visiting those craft shops really inspired me. Motivated me as well. Going through craft magazines and craft books have the same effect too. I just get so excited going through them page by page and see the projects they have in it. So much fun! :) I think my most memorable moment during the vacation was when I met little Emir. He is so adorable! Getting more and more adorable! Miss this little fella!

It's my second day of fasting today. Started to fast yesterday. It's not that bad. I seem to be handling it very well I must say. :) Hope to be able to fast till Ramadhan......or until nearing Ramadhan. At least, my body will get adjusted before the fasting month. Work is affected a bit when I'm fasting....coz I get tired easily etc....but I'm not that worried about it.....as I know soon enough when the body is well adjusted to the fasting, it will be a breeze to fast insyaallah.

All I am thinking about now is when I can play. Play with my new toys and also read those books I bought and do all those projects. Must be patient and get all my work done first, then PLAY!! hehe! I want to experiment more, learn new things....be adventurous. Be spontaneous. Be flexible. Be....just be! ;)

Spring cleaning

I am in no mood at all to do any work right now, I just want a break from work for a while but looking at my working table I can see that there are some work left to finish up before I can take a week long vacation next week. Sigh. It's just a few more things left for me to do and then I can leave my studio behind and take that week long break I've been needing so badly for the past 2 months. 

A lot has happened the past few days. The rambutan trees are filled with bright red rambutans.....all good to eat and giveaway. We've given away a lot already and there are plenty more on the trees. I had a hard time taking the fruits from the trees because of the weaver ants on the trees. They are thousands of them! If not hundreds all over the trees. It's no fun picking the fruits from the trees anymore, not like how it used to be years ago. Not sure where did those weaver ants came from but they sure are a pest! They will bite you any chance they get! haha! I sure did got bitten many times. :) Hopefully before I go on that vacation we get to clean all the fruits from the trees and give them away before it gets too ripe and start rotting. They all have to go.

I did some spring cleaning in the house as well recently, especially in my studio. Gosh, I gotta admit, I am a hoarder. I keep too many things in my room. Things I don't even need or use anymore. I always get the feeling that I will use them one day......yes, one day.....when will that day come, I don't know, but yes......one fine day, I'll find a use for them. But that day don't come that often. So when that happens, they just stay there and fills up they room. Overcrowded. So overcrowded.......so much so that I just can't stand it anymore. I finally threw some things away and of course, I don't just throw them without thinking. Some of them I will give away to people who I feel will find them useful. Because there are stuff that are still  in good condition and can benefit others. I'm also giving away some of my old clothes. Some of them I don't even wear for years. All kept inside the cupboard just screaming to be set free. hahaha. Yes, I'll soon be setting them free.......free to live in somebody else's cupboard :D. May they be happier there. :D

Less is definitely more. I am happy with the new feel in my studio. It's less crowded. Less things to trip on. Less things to bang on. :P I have more space! Yay! Finally.....I can breathe. It was so stuffy before. But I still think I need to get rid of a lot more. There's definitely a lot more to let go. Years of hoarding can't be settled in just a few days. It needs time. 30% gone......will get rid 30% more soon. Bit by bit......they will go. Said a lot of goodbyes this week. And will find the courage to say a few more soon. It's all for the best. :)

Grateful

This week was like a roller coaster ride with so many things going on and so many problems that came up and gave me a splitting headache. But today it all came to an end and I feel so grateful and relieved that these problem finally resolved. Phew! 

A quick update on the rambutan trees.....the fruits are ripe and ready to consume! I've been eating them every day now....but not too much coz it's heaty. So every now and then I would stop by the garden and pick some to eat. Nothing is better in my opinion than getting to eat the fruits straight from the tree. So fresh!  It's such a wonderful feeling. A blessing :).

I've just finished up a load of orders for this month and I just have one more big order to finish up before I go on a vacation. Seriously I'm so looking forward to it as I haven't gotten a break for more than a month now. Been working non stop since May. So today I  have a little time off from work to write something here and give this blog a little update on what's been happening. :).

Honestly I wish I can just stay in my studio and play play play with my "toys" and do experiments with new paper craft techniques but with all the orders coming in it's a rare occasion for me to do so. Most of the time, I will be working although sometimes it does on certain occasion feels like playing and sometimes it feels a little forced especially if it's not my favourite design that I have to remake. Some designs, I can just do ALL DAY and not feel forced doing so at all. I guess I can say that I do get bored with certain techniques and will keep looking for new ideas. It helps keep me going and motivated to work. I know it may sound selfish to some to hear me say this but I know that most designers or artist feels the same way. We just don't like to end up like machines in the factory. It's just not us. We don't function well that way. We do what we love and do it well. If we don't love it, it will show in our work when it's done. So, it's very important to be motivated at all times. :)

Gosh I still can't believe that it's June now which means that 6 months has passed by me so fast and soon it'll be July. Kept thinking of what I've accomplished during these past few months. I realised that I've still a lot that I want to do and I know I have to do them before the year ends. I've gotta reach those targets. It will be really disappointing if I don't get them this year.....and I really really want them really bad. I can't just hope for it to happen.....I have to challenge myself. Usually when I'm being challenged that's when I know I can actually do it. If I don't try it, I'll never know. 

I'm so grateful to find out that even though I haven't the time to update my blog everyday, I still get visitors here who drops by to read my blog or listen to the songs I've uploaded here. I hope those who visited had fun listening to the music and enjoyed reading my posts hehe. I believe that most bloggers wish they have the time to update often but we don't usually have the luxury to do so. So thank you so much to those who visited.....and do drop by again whenever you have the time. See you again soon! ;)

Green, yellow and red

I took these photos this morning :). So happy to see the rambutan tree at my Mom's house with all the fruits on it that's starting to change colors from green to yellow and red. I haven't tasted the red ones yet coz I know it's not yet fully ripe enough to eat......so I will wait till it's really really ripe :)

We have two rambutan trees at the house and both have fruits on them. I think by Ramadhan they'll be ready for us to eat. :). Just a few more months to go! Woohoo!

All is well

I have so much to tell, yet so limited time to write. Well for starters, I am grateful that I am feeling so much better now. No more flu, very minimal coughing.....almost gone in fact. Alhamdulillah.

I did something I hadn't done in months today.......which was cycling to the post office for an early morning delivery! hehe! Loved it! Been so long since I last did that. One of the postal clerks was so happy to see me there with my blue bike.....she loved the fact that I can cycle there. Not having to drive all the way there like others do and to her that seems like fun. She thought I lived close by...well, she didn't know that I don't live right next door to the post office.....my house is quite far away from that place.....it took me about 15 minutes to cycle there and another 15 minutes to reach home. I cycled quite fast too. If I were to cycle at a slow pace it would have taken me a much longer time. It's a good workout for me :).

I was shocked last night after watching "Dining With Death" on AFC channel. From now onwards, I'm never going to eat cashew nuts again. No sir! Never! I'm never eating it again. It's not just because it can give me severe allergy attack but also because I was so disgusted with the way the cashews were processed. Who knew it would be so bad. Also found out that people with kidney problem should stay away from eating starfruit....it could kill ya! Yikes!

Am making cards like non stop since God knows when and it doesn't seem to show any signs of stopping any time soon. It's good....I love it......I just wish I have more time in my hands....more ideas and more doe to buy toys for my card making hehehehe. As if I don't have enough already. The ones I have in my studio are enough for 3 years of play and yet still untouched. :P Feel bad about it but I know I'll get around to play with them soon enough. :) Will make sure I will have the time to do so! hehe!

My crochet bag is almost done! I'm so excited about it....but, I can't take all the credit because........here it comes..................................................I didn't do it!!! LOL! My aunt made it for me. She's so sweet! She knew I am busy and need that bag desperately and so she made one for me just the way I like it. Hope to be able to use it soon. I'll be doing the finishing touches to it soon enough. I want to embellish it with some beads to make it look fancy hehe! So happy about that! ;) Will share photos of it here soon!

Oh....almost forgot....for those who have never seen the movie, "Letters To Juliet" before.......WATCH IT!! I saw it a couple of days ago on Star Movies and love love loved it so much. Mostly because Vanessa Redgrave starred in it.....hehe. Love her in all of the movies she's acted in before. Something about her that makes it so pleasant to watch.....she definitely has the charisma. :)

Ok....time to go and get some work done. Tomorrow is going to be another wonderful day. That is my prayer. :)

Busy bee me

Yup that's me these days.....a busy bee..... no time at all to feel bored coz there's always something to do and somewhere to go. I've been so sick for the past few weeks and am still not 100% AOK......still coughing and the flu keeps coming and going whenever it pleases. Why can't it just go away and leave my lungs and nose alone..... :P

I must say.....it's a luxury for me to be able to blog here these days......and it feels good to be able to do so right now....I love writing here....honestly...

I found out something really shocking this week on my Mom and Dad's wedding anniversary.......something that answered all the questions I had been wondering about all these years......finally it's answered. Now it all makes perfect sense. Now I know why I'm so sick and why no medicine actually works on me. These past few days have been so emotional for me.....feel so sad when I think about it. Thought of my Dad a lot too.  Imagined what he went through. I wished he knew. He must have wished he knew about it too. And he will never know.....coz he's gone. :(

The next few months will be difficult for us.......I don't know how we are going to face this terrible thing..... :( I just pray to God that he will give us guidance.....give us the strength to deal with this. I gotta admit....it has affected my work a little....coz I keep thinking about it all the time....worried I am, worrying all the time.....I hate having this feeling....just hate it. :(

But having something to do is good......work related to art is good....it keeps me happy.....at least I have something that helps keep me happy. Something that no one can give me now. When I'm in the zone......that's when I'm most happiest. When I'm at the park working out.....I get another kind of happiness.....another kind of feeling....a feeling that calms the soul too..... :). I was really surprise that someone actually realised I was missing for the past few months from cycling around our neighbourhood.....I have to admit I haven't been cycling there for a while coz I had been so sick. And it's kinda funny when people miss seeing you pass by their house each morning. Really funny. Whatever it is.....I'm glad I can do it now.... :) Woohoo!

Sweet memories

How long has it been? Pretty long.....the last time I blogged here was sometime in April.....miss blogging here actually. Miss expressing myself here more like it hehe. :D

What have I been up to all this time? Well, a lot has happened since my last post here. I attended an engagement ceremony of a close friend, Azilah.....as you can see from the photo below.....finally she is going to get married! Yay! So happy for her :). I didn't even know that the engagement ceremony's  theme color is pink.....I went there not knowing about it and just wore whatever fits me! haha! It was a really beautiful ceremony. She looked gorgeous! :)

I also took a short vacation to KL. Got to meet my dearest friend, Mango! Yup! I never knew that one day I would get the chance to meet her in person. I thought that I would have to go to Sabah in order to do that but it just so happen that she was in KL at the time so I got the opportunity to meet up with her and we spend  some time hanging out together. I feel so blessed to be able to meet her. It's like a dream come true! We did took photos together but I'm not allowed to publish them here...huhuhu....too bad. I wish I could. 

During my stay in KL I was invited by my friend Mango to go to Yusof Gajah's studio in Gombak. I never thought that I would get a chance to meet him in person and also his lovely wife, Puan Zakiah. I've been a fan of Pak Yusof's art work for a long time now.....ever since I was studying at ITM. Been to his exhibition and art gallery before too but never got the guts to talk to him hehehe. And for the first time ever I got the chance to talk to him in his studio and I was as nervous as hell! Maybe he noticed it too! LOL! I had a great time there....lots of ideas came up in my head.....inspired by looking at all those wonderful artworks and also inspired by our random chit chats on arts and crafts. :) It's something I'll never forget! :)

I had a great time in KL although the trip was pretty short.....short but sweet. Lots of sweet memories hehe! I came back and life was hectic again. Lots of orders to get done and lots of future projects to think about and proceed. It's hectic still.....till this date hehe.....and I can feel my body is suffering from all this. But that's life laa......you'll never get anything done if you think you can't make it.....just have to have a positive mind and go for it! ;) Mind over matter!