My New Etsy Banner

With my very limited Illustrator skills, this is what I whipped up. My new banner for my aruricards@etsy shop.



I drew the birds! Free-hand! Using my MOUSE! CAN! Selamat Hari Raya!

Etsy oh etsy, what can I say about etsy. It changed my life. I'm hooked on it whether I want to or not. It's the greatest online shopping site I've ever found, and now my colleagues are hooked on it too. I spend more money than I make there. Sales have been slow for me these weeks but I still enjoy listing them everyday. It's just too fun.

By the way, hubbie is off golfing, and Daniel is home with TitaJosie! Everything I prayed for is answered, one by one. Next up, is re-introducing him to school. Please no more emotional trauma.

Housechores-Free

Quote of the day:There are two major experiences that change a woman's life; motherhood and getting a good maid.

For the past few mornings, I wake up feeling like I just had a wonderful dream. Then I pinch myself. Ouch. I get out of bed and climb down the stairs. The living room is neat. All his toys that were scattered the night before are now tucked away in his toy corner. The cushions smell fresh. The curtains are tied. The glass door is almost invisible. My dining table is CLEAR. My laundry basket is empty. The clothes are washed and hung. The clean ones are folded. The kitchen is spotless. Food is prepared.

OH MY GODdess of domestic housechores-that-kill-me-sometimes.

Should I go on? The front porch is swept. Today's paper is on the lazy chair. The yesterday's paper is in the recycling basket. Shoes and little bicycles are arranged in a row. Plants are watered. Weeds are pulled.

Some more? My toilets are eye-blindingly sparkling. Mirrors are polished. Sink is WHITE. Everything is arranged. Toilet roll replenished. Bin emptied. Toilet bowl smells like flowers. My fallen hair GONE from the floors. Bathmats dry.

It's surreal. I couldn't believe how much time I have now to actually live my life. I couldn't believe how the chores controlled my life before. They are endless!

The best part of all is coming home to a nice home-cooked dinner.

The only challenge now is getting DC to be willing to stay home with her alone. PC and I are on this mission to lure him hehheh. We are going to get more and more exciting stuff home as a pull factor, and get the maid to 'bodek' him. What to do, he has been the little emperor back at his nanny's place. This deserves a whole story-telling some other time.

PS2 in our living room now. Next, a koochie woochie little puppy!

Old Wood Old Friends

I'm back at work after one year of .... not one year? No? 4 days? Only? Jeesh, it feels like an eternity. That's how long weekends feels to me.

SO, we went back to Seremban. We reached, unpacked, and had to dress up for a wedding reception up in KL, at Banker's Club. Apparently, it is a sophisticated private club primarily for business execs, community leaders and their international associates to meet and entertain in an atmosphere of exclusivity.

If you're getting married and looking a place that spells and smells high-society-serious-business, this is the place. The pink rose petals on the tables didn't help. Nyaha.

It is an elegant traditional English-style setting. Lots of red wood, equestrian oil paintings, chandeliers and professional waiters who dressed better than some of the guests.







And there's my little man who attracted the cameraman throughout the reception, like flies to dirty diaper.
Next up, Josie my new Filipina helper!

Roots and Shoots

I came across this wonderful piece of philosophical analogy of life.

In the life of trees, one key to survival is having more roots than shoots. In his book Oak: The Frame of Civilization,, author William Bryant Logan says, “If a tree puts on a lot of top growth and few roots, it is liable to be weak-wooded and short-lived. . . . If a tree puts down a great deal of roots and adds shoots more slowly, however, it is liable to be long-lived and more resistant to stress and strain.”

People and organizations can be like trees. The rise to prominence is exhilarating, but anything that puts up shoots faster than it puts down roots is fragile and in danger of breaking, falling, or dying.

Start rooting mates.

Yam Sengs and Maam

These days, my mind gets cluttered like Wall-E's collection of garbage. By the way, Wall-E is a must-watch family movie. Any monstrous 3 year-old will sit quietly for the whole 2 hours and laugh. So do any monstrous 30 year-olds.

Pixar, as always, is genius.

This weekend, we'll be in Seremban and KL, and KLIA to pick up our new domestic helper! During the process of hiring her, I've learnt a lot, and faced many hiccups on the way too, up to one point when I almost say "Fuck this, I give up". The Philippines government are really making it difficult for their people to feed their families, aren't they. Everything tax. Everything fees. Even before they can earn their first paycheck, they have to fork out money to get work overseas and be in debt for the first 6 months or so. Poor thing or not.

And 3 weddings to attend this month and next. One same dress. Value for money.


Yaaaaaam Seeennnnggg!

browhaus

Hi, I'm 31 and I had my eyebrow waxed for the first time. Suddenly I feel as beautiful as Monica Belluci.

Here Car There Car Everywhere Car Car

My whole morning was like this. Everywhere I go. Pasir Gudang highway, Permas bridge, town, causeway, customs, BKE, PIE, AYE. I almost spent 3 hours in my car!! And I didn't bring my sewing project. Of all days!!

I was fidgeting, restless and PMS-ing. Everything irritated me. Everything but the thoughts of my little koochie brat*awwwwwyoupoochiekoochiekoo*

On days like these, I wished I was a stay-home mom.

Daniel is Stubborn as a Mule

Things you should know about me:

1. I am tall. I'm up to mummy's hipbones.
2. I connot pronounte S, F, L, X and Z. When I shout UTTER! UTTER! I mean FASTER! FASTER!
3. I am whiny.
4. I can count pretty well.
5. I don't really know colour yet. Mummy thinks I'm colour-blind. So far, I know purple, orange and black. And the colour of my poo.
6. I love to pretend I'm a crocodile, dinosaur or a puppy, who eats from the floor.
7. I absolutely LOVE bathtime.
8. I just learnt how to cycle. With training wheels. WithOUT my shoes... and clothes.
9. I can swing my own mini golf club.
10. I always say Thank You and Sorry, when I accidently whack mummy's leg/arm/face/nose/chest/belly/back.

Coffee or Tea?

Do you believe that certain clothes you wear affects your day and your luck/aura?

While driving this morning, TWO, not one, not none, but TWO gentlemen gave way to me!

I gotta wear this more often.

Inbox (Zero)

It's weird, but maybe it's not. It's just me. These few days, I am the person whom others don't reply to. Maybe this is a very normal thing. But ever since I joined the seller community at etsy, I have learnt a thing or two about people's behaviour, and to accept it.

I used to get excited when I receive a conversation from people who ask about customizing this and that, and about bulk order. They sound genuinely interested. And I usually oblige. Then. No reply.

Then this seller-to-be from KL chatted with me. All nice, hahaha, wow wow, yah yah. Just 3 conversation back and forth. Then. No reply.

S was supposed to meet me to pass me some goods. Few smses. Call you later. Then. No reply.

I sent some commissioned design work via email. No response.

Old friend. Smses. No reply.

Perhaps, I myself, have been guilty of not replying people sometimes. Eeek.

Queen of Laziness

I think therefore I am.

My day started with a SHITWHAT"SHAPPENINGHEREANDWHYISEVERYBODYSUCHANIDIOTTIUNIASENGYOUFRYINHELL!
I wore my black silk cheongsam top today, for the first time after it's been sitting in my wardrobe for ages. I think it attracts dark aura and bad luck.

First thing in the morning, I found my car blocked by PC's car in the driveway. So, to get out, I had to reverse his car out, park it a while at the side, reverse my car out, park it in front of a neighbour's gate, because all the spaces are taken up, drive his car back into the driveway, then, get my car.

Just when I was opening my car door, my neighbour's auto gate FLUNG OPEN!!! And it's no the soft open type of gate, it's the speedracer swiftster type.

Yes, kena my bumper.

I now add 2 more microscopic insignificant scratches onto my ol' faithful City.

Then my blouse stopped attracting the dark auras.

Another day at work...

Yeah Yeah

I'm exhausted, numb, dazed and care-less.

I realized I can't change the fact that after all these years in my life so far, no matter how I tried, I AM a private person. Crowds, noise, movements, going places, talking and laughing perpetually, AND keeping a watchful eye on DC all at the same time, results in today's mood and probably for the rest of the week. It's age, it's my character, whatever.

Bleh. That's the word.

I feel like I just came back from the Olympics in the sport of entertaining. Battered, bruised and lost.

The actual reasons are :
1. DC is a bag of bricks. These days, I can't carry him for long. But I had to, yesterday. In a mall. Up. Down. To see fish. To play at the modern mall playground. To yank him out of the playground. To sooth him. To bear with his crankiness due to skipping naptime. Cook. Clean. Laundry. Here. There. Everywhere.
2. The mental energy draining love-hate relationship with my mother. She's so kanchiong and gabra, she made my blood pressure up in 2 minutes! On the phone! No, no, I don't blame her. It's not her fault. She is the way she is and I accept that. But I also accept that she makes me feel like I want to kill myself sometimes. Everyone, at some point experience this love-hate thingy with their mothers/fathers... right?

I was in a good mood. That was why I didn't explode. I would've burst into tears, and made a scene in front of my relatives. I would've snapped. At my mom, at my husband, at my son. But I didn't. I couldn't care anymore. I just sat back, smiled and said,"Yeah yeah".

I should start looking for an island on sale.

I want eyelashes like that.


NO. I want to close my eyes like that and sleep until I feel like I can take on the world!

Your Fate and Prayers

What if you just found out that you were paving a career in the wrong direction all these years when you could've been a successful multimillionaire right now if you chose the right path back then.

What if you starting to find out bits and pieces of heaven's little secret about your life's fate and state of luck.

What if you could control your future.

I think people who seek astrological consultations are people who feels strongly that something is just not right about their life. They KNOW they could be bigger, but yet they're just not getting there... Or time after time, things after things, events after events keep happening that prevents them from getting there.

I'm a coward. I never dared to find out about my fate. Because I believe God already has a plan for me, and I shall accept it in true faith. Yes, I can say I'm happy now, I feel I have everything, and yes, my biggest fear is also losing what I have now. But when the days comes when I do lose something I treasure, I will pray for strength and acceptance.

There are things that friends and even my family don't know about me. That I pray often.
In my car during the jams, in the mornings when I reach my office, at night before I go to bed, or even while playing with my little boy.

Short prayers. Whenever I just feel like it. And I feel at peace after it. Relieved. God listened and that is all that matters.

There was one of the surveys in America, that the number one thing that people do when they have health problems is... believe it or not... PRAY!

The power of prayers is beyond comfort. It's as if you are confiding, and it feels good after that.

I believe it's the greatest skill in this fast-paced troubled world.

Say Thank You

Things Daniel say these days: "Say thank you Daniel" whenever he thinks he deserves it.

The maid thingy, is really starting to pinch me. Visa has been granted. The frustrating thing that is dingdong-ing back and forth is the agent. Malaysia agent, Philippine agent, how come no one seems to know ANY f***ing definite answers? Seriously, the websites are unreliable and useless, the agent here I am depending on to complete the process, is clueless himself. Everyone has to ask everyone, and no one is sure about anything! Why are they making this so hard? Stupid procedures!

This better be worth it.

More card projects coming. I'm doing a few commissioned digital pieces for a wedding videography company for their DVD cover, labels and menus ( quite lost on this one, because I'm a Photoshop retard! ), and 100 wedding invites for a colleague (mega project), 100 thank you tags for a childhood friend (rather mega, if you consider cutting 100 leaf shaped tags!) and a few potential etsy customers who had genuine interest in customizing a batch order, and who never replied. Maybe it's a blessing.

***
Update on the maid topic: FINALLY. What I need to do now, is send the contract forms to a Philippines agent, so that they can process it and collect the visa from the Malaysia embassy in Manila. I also need to fork out RM2900 for the agent fees. By right, this is deductible from the maid's pay. I may help her out on this a little.

***
I made some pouches out of natural calico, and the cute little birdie is doodle-stitched! I was never into embroidery and this is the furthest I can go. One-liners. These pouches are actually rather easy to make.




I sound like a stay-home-wife-mom-oh-what-a-sunshine-life here...hmm.

Nature Inspired Tags

Here's a few samples I made! Nature-inspired!
All motifs and wordings are stamped. The tags are approx. 3.5" x 2". I used a regular tealight as a gauge. My intention is that the tags fit into the glass tealight holder and just sits in there, it is a simple and beautiful presentation.
The tags can be tied with jute rope, the natural rough fibrous rope that gives the rustic nature look, or the green organza ribbon tied into a bow ( very elegant!), or the dark green slim satin ribbon. Any combo will do. Have fun!

I hope these are what you had in mind :) Let me know if you feel something is 'missing' or not right at all. No worries!

Omigod

Quote of the day: It's ok to forget.

PC pinches his pimple in the mirror. Daniel peers intently. Blood oozes. Daniel gasps in horror and mutters his first...

OMIGOD!

It's the drama-bitchy-horror-sampat OMIGOD.

In a little child's baby voice.

Priceless.

***
I don't know how and why, but things happen all at once for me. Phonecalls, emails, events. For a stretch, there's be zero activity. Then boom, SEVERAL things will come at once. I HATE that. And the lethal combo is with PMS.

Who dat?

Quote of the day: Everything shocks me. I'm a scientist.

I bumped into a dude's car, and now he wants to be friends. I SOOOOO feel like Khairy! Just that I'm not a scheming master of deception on a wooing frenzy for political reason. And he doesn't look like Daniel Henney. Anyone watched his korean romantic comedy Seducing Mr. Perfect? *tongue rolls out 10 meters long*



There was love in the exhaust fume-polluted air at the Spore customs yesterday. Now, every cars get checked even outgoing. You get down, lift your blouse.. I mean booth, the officer looks for 2 seconds, and then it's done. Sometimes they implement this little system where they pass you a small sheet of paper, written on it, the number of passengers in the car, which you are suppose to give it to the immigration officer when you get your passports checked. The number must tally you see.

Yesterday I was given that sheet of paper, folded into a heart origami. On it written '1'. I laughed ( I perasan also) while looking at his creation. He said ," Pass to officer". I got back into my car, waited in the queue as usual, until it's my turn. The officer was a lady. I passed the origami heart to her. She gave the apa-ni look, then giggled.

Wah seh, use people to pass lovenotes... They must've been feeling sexy in their uniforms.

Karma?

Right after the day I taught some inconsiderate drivers a lesson on his blinding xenon head lights, I kissed someone's ass during a jam at the customs. LIGHT one. Microscopic scratch on a black Mitsubishi.

For men, scratches of any microscopic size are usually seen in double digit inches. It's the same for women when we see a microscopic scar/spot on our face.

I apologized genuinely and gave my numbers. I hope it's polishable.

Any accidents are scary to an extent.

But I was rewarded at the end of the day with something that tickled me.

Nowadays, our bedtimes are chilling out on the bed and reading storybooks. But no storybooks last night. I narrated the story of Goldilocks and the Three Bears instead while he lay beside me. He is no stranger to that story, in fact he is so familiar with the sequence that he created something different last night.

I got to the part when the three bears came home and Baby Bear is angry and sad that someone finished his bowl of porridge.

He interrupted, and very enthusiastically...

"Baby Bear angry? Baby Bear ...scold Mummy Bear... ah, Mummy Bear ah.. scold Papa Bear... then ah ah... PAPA BEAR GO OUT WORKING!"

I didn't see that coming AT ALL.

Ahh, I love bedtimes with my koochie koo.

King of JunkFood, Ruler of the Refrigerator.

Blind izit?

Yesterday, while I was driving home in JB, a Honda Civic, old version, had this blinding xenon lights behind me.

Why are some people living in their own DARK world.

Anyways, I let him overtake me. Then I went behind him and switched on my high-lights and tailed him. I even kept at a distance where the lights would be extra blinding.. buahahahaha. That oughta teach him something. CHANGE YOUR BLOODY F@#%ING STADIUM LIGHTS!

I'm into civic and social sensibility education. And tit for a tat.

And I find back the peace when I sit at my craft station and start getting dirty with my hands.
*bliss*

Ma'am

"Why is everything so.... difficult?"
Prince Edward of Andalasia asked this, in the movie Enchanted. If you have not seen it, it's about characters in a typical Walt Disney's fairytale being transported into the real world, and experiencing REALITY. Not nice. No singing, no dancing, no true love, no happily ever afters. And everything in the real world is... difficult.

I am getting frustrated with the maid application process. Am engaging an agent to proceed from where I started off.

Once upon a time, I met my colleague's Filipino maid, and a great one too. She has a sister back in the Philippines who also needs a job, but was rejected by a Singapore agent due to her age. She is 44, and the cut-off age for maids to work is 45, and Sporeans generally prefer younger maids. So, one day, they casually asked me if I want her sister. You know human nature, we associate things right. Good maid, good sisters. So, a casual thought became a serious one.

And so I did some pretty extensive research on how to apply for a foreign domestic helper without going through agents. I obtained some forms from the Immigration Dept in JB, filled them up, bought stamps for bonding ( I didn't know that they are different from postage stamps!), 'matikan' the stamps at the Jabatan Hasil Dalam Negeri, submit all the documents and waited.

And waited.

And waited.

Then a nice officer told me I actually have to come down to the Immigration office personally to 'speed things up'. And so I did.

And I finally obtained her employment visa for 12 months.

Now, I had to handle the Philippines law of employment. I had all the forms and documents. Signed by her and myself.
I called the Phil embassy to ask if I could send by post or do I need to go up to the embassy in Kl myself.

Filipino officer "Are you a Royalty?"

Me " No"

Filipino officer "Are you diplomat?"

Me " No"

Filipino officer "Are you Filipino expat?"

Me " No"

Filipino officer " Then sorry ma'am, you cannot apply on your own. You have to contact our office accredited agents"

What the F is that?

I'm stuck now. So I have to negotiate with an agent in KL to contact the whatever accredited agent in the Philippines.

Damn, it's all a conspiracy network thingy.

Sigh... my bank account is going to be dry.