The Happy Peach

Brewing

2012-01-31T09:46:00.002+08:00

Waiting to be filled

I've been kind of restless since yesterday, though yesterday was mixed with an odd kind of lethargy that made me feel a little lost and not quite up to the things I usually do. I realized this morning though, before I went for a nice, comforting run, that I might have been unusually lethargic because I really wanted to be someplace else.

That "someplace" is a stage or phase where I have yet to be, but I feel that some things have already been brewing inside me, things which are starting to give way to that feeling of needing to do something and make things happen.

At this point, though, I am not quite sure of the exact How of it all, but all the ideas are already there, waiting to be released, for me to recognize them and sort them out so that they make sense, and I would know what to do.

So right now I kind of feel like I'm moving about as quietly as I could, so that I would hear when something rings or calls out from inside me, and I am keeping my eyes peeled for something that might show up and point me to the right direction, though I am not sure what I'm supposed to hear or see. But I know that I will know when I hear or see it.

It's kind of exciting, because I feel like something great is about to take place, but I am also kind of holding my breath so that I won't miss the thing that will unlock the next level I am headed to.

Dreamsome

2012-01-30T14:03:00.003+08:00

Someone Like You is one of those films that my sister and I often make references to whether as part of a serious conversation or as a source of funny remarks. During one of our chat conversations, "Dreamsome" started playing in my iTunes, and since Someone Like You, I have always associated it with evening baths and getting an unexpected call from a guy you like, who will ask you out for a bite until you end up walking and talking all night and having cereals in the morning, as what happened in the movie. So I told her that the song was playing.

The Dreamsome Daya Train of Thought

Been Like Forever

2012-01-29T22:17:00.001+08:00

It feels like it's been AGES.

I so miss my bed and my computer and my bathroom and folding my clothes. I'd been sleeping over at my sister's place since Sunday of last week, due to a couple of projects. Tonight I get to sleep in my own bed again so yay. And I get to actually SLEEP :D (I worked all night last night after kendo, until I started hallucinating about severed cat's paws and women dressed in Victorian dresses walking outside the window, and slept at 6 am this morning.)

It's still good though because that means I earn extra, especially with my expenses for next month's trip. It also means though that I did not get to craft all week and I missed making pretty things.

I missed our Crafting Corner!

There's another project coming soon which I will need to do right before or right after the trip, and although I know I will be quite tired, I like to think of it as a good source of money for paying my bills and taking care of trips. (^_^) Until then, I will be doing regular work stuff and blogging and crafting.

The week was quite busy, but a part of me still enjoyed it. I got to spend plenty of time with my sister and her cat Mogget, and these occasional jobs for me can be refreshing sometimes as it requires me to get out of the house and my routine.

Yesterday was kendo and in kendo I realized that it's been quite a long time since I last saw a person's face Totally Light Up at the Sight of Me. I don't want to think on it too much, but it is quite refreshing and it somehow makes me happy too. It makes me happy remembering it now. (I'm not sure if it's me talking or I am just too tired.)

Cats Talking

2012-01-21T10:56:00.003+08:00

Some cats I found one morning:

I just had to XD

Okay now I shall move on and have a normal, grown-up day XD

(Of course I didn't mean that XD)

This is dedicated to Crowley Tuna, the stray cat whom I used to feed, who was recently run over by a car. He is now in kitty heaven where there is always a Fancy Feast and Friskies buffet.

Futile It Is XD

2012-01-20T14:08:00.004+08:00

So this is one of Those Conversations my sister and I have.

I was organizing some Evernote content, particularly my notebooks on home design ideas. I categorized them according to different areas in the house, but I suddenly couldn't place "Utilities" in my head. All I could think of was the Petville store and its different departments, with the "Utilities" being blank in my mind.

So I asked my sister:

We both used to play Petville so she knows what I was talking about.

To which she replied:

Yay it was "Utilities" :D

Suddenly recalling that it was the right word, I realize that it does NOT start with an F, and if it did, it would mean something totally different:

Suddenly, Thoughts about "Futilities" :D

And then it was just:

A Beauty Board Evolution

2012-01-19T13:57:00.001+08:00

For a certain project, I was asked to create a couple of Beauty Boards or Beauty Mood Boards - basically these boards should show how I perceive beauty, what represents beauty for me, what factors enhance it, and what associations I have with it. I was supposed to create two because one should represent a Beauty Board I would have made over 10 years ago, and one should be my current Beauty Board. If they were just the same thing then I only needed to do one.

However, I realized as I thought about the contents of my current Beauty Board that my associations with beauty from 10 years ago have changed so much, and that my previous Beauty Board showed things that put a lot of pressure on me before. Of course, up to a certain extent, they inspired me to look great, but they were not very realistic and only showed me what I am not or cannot be. And most of them were focused on how a girl should look on the outside.

On the other hand, my current Beauty Board contained images that went beyond the physical and were more inspiring. Generally, the Beauty Board of my current self showed more aspects of happiness and health which in turn allow beauty to radiate from a person.

I cannot post the Beauty Boards here as I just grabbed the images from everywhere (^^U) But in a nutshell, here are some basic points I noticed as I filled each board with images of my beauty associations and perceptions from over 10 years ago, and beauty associations and perceptions now.

Beauty Associations from Over 10 Years Ago:

Being thin or skinny
Having long, flowing hair which make a woman look 500x amazing when she flips it
Because one is thin or skinny, she can wear even the tiniest of clothes and get away with it because her thinness or skinniness IS beautiful
Swimwear, tiny skirts, and tube tops on Hed Kandi images
Going to the gym to reach a state of perfect thinness
Dieting - oatmeal and smoothies - to prevent weight gain

I was never skinny so it was such a struggle. I also had a boyfriend back then who made me enroll at the gym and told me what I could and could not eat. I tried to follow everything because being a young, needy girl, I wanted to be like all the skinny models he dated. (Plus, prior to that relationship, I had a boyfriend who broke up with me because for him I was too fat.)

The clothes I owned back then were mostly short or small, so it was a problem when it was cold. Those occasions were rare though because I was always at the beach tanning myself away. (I always made it a point to stay or hang out in places where I could feel as close to my goals as I could.)

I'm not saying that it is not beautiful to be thin or that I have anything against long flowing hair now (my hair is actually at its longest, ever, and the natural waves are coming out, and I love it :D), or that wearing tiny clothes is far from charming. I actually still watch my weight, though I have never gone back to the gym. I sometimes wear short skirts and still love buying swimwear. I don't diet, but I make it a point to make more healthy choices when eating. So the points above are not all wrong; it's just that they are no longer my associations with beauty at my age now. And when I exercise or watch what I eat, I have intentions other than trying to be skinny. I just grew out of it. And when I did, I somehow set myself free from the constant depression about never achieving the perfect skinniness or being unable to wear the extremely small sizes of clothes in some stores.

I have small wrists, and that's about the only thing I was happy about myself over a decade ago. Now, I'm just happy about how the whole me can do so many things regardless of my size.

So after putting together the Beauty Board that represented my associations before, I made the one for Now:

Being smart and knowing it
Caring for one's skin and body through natural and safe ways
Wearing pretty dresses that enhance one's natural shape or figure; the dresses do not have to be tiny or tight
Running or exercising to be fit and healthy, not just to be skinny
Dressing up for the style, not to show skin
Enjoying the right kinds of food, and not fussing about calories or that they would go to one's hips
Being able to laugh out loud and enjoy life with others
Seeing the humor in little things
Wearing the right kind of makeup for one's skin color and type
Being able to step out of the house without any makeup on without feeling embarrassed about it
Finding acceptance or being at peace with one's body type
Generally feeling happy and healthy, which reflects on how a woman carries and presents herself

My current beauty associations still have a lot to do with a person's physical appearance, but they have extended to her mental, emotional, and spiritual aspects as well. In a nutshell, beauty for me isn't anymore about being skinny and wearing clothes that show it off; it also has so much to do with inner happiness, confidence, acceptance of one's natural / genetic body type, healthy habits, and being able to use one's brains in dealing with various situations. It is not about trying to be beautiful-like-someone-else, but finding one's own beauty and letting it shine.

Reboot Needed

2012-01-17T22:24:00.000+08:00

つかれた〜！！！！！(>.<)

I worked last Sunday (not craft-related though T.T but good enough to pay for this month's bills) until tonight (under the same job/project source) and I feel really tired and needing a full night's sleep to be able to fully recharge for another day tomorrow.

A cold piece of dragonfruit totally wakes me up in the morning after a nice long sleep (^_^)

Tomorrow of course I still need to work but they will be the usual jobs I work on everyday. Sunday til tonight's work was mostly for projects with time constraints so we had to work on a specific schedule. However, what made a huge chunk of it tiresome was the nightmare I had Sunday night :T

Wait... come to think of it, work started Sunday night, which started the whole domino effect of tight schedules :D We were supposed to start work Sunday noon, but ended up going to the mall to shop for some stuff, then we had dinner out, so we only started work late in the evening. My sister slept over because it got too late, and we went to bed around 1:30 am.

Big Centipedes: Stuff some nightmares are made of *kilabot* (I found this one in our backyard though :D)

We were supposed to get up around sunrise (6:30). However, I woke up a few minutes after 2:30 am, my heart feeling like it was going to burst, because I had a really disturbing nightmare.

My sister slept in my room, and about a few minutes after I was able to struggle out of my nightmare, I heard her make muffled sounds as though she was being tormented in her dream, so I nudged her until she quieted down. After about an hour though, I was still fully awake because I felt kind of afraid to get back to sleep, so for the whole hour I shifted from listening to music to making my To Do list for the day to reading my book. After a while my sister woke up, and I told her about my nightmare, and as it turned out, she also had some kind of emotionally draining dream that was on loop. We talked about our nightmares and entertained ourselves with other topics, until we fell asleep again around 5 am (>.<) We woke up at 8:30 am, and since then we had to squeeze in more things into tighter schedules.

So yesterday morning we rushed some tasks until late morning, after which she worked on something else back at her place, and I worked on mine. At noon she came to the house again and we worked together until my student came for tutorials in the afternoon. After he left early in the evening, we proceeded to work again until late in the evening. Then, this morning until early evening, we went over to my cousin's place to work with her. We dropped by our grandma's house before getting back home to work on a few more things until after dinner time. Now, she is back to her place to work on more things, so it is likely for her to pull an all-nighter. I get to sleep for now because my next sets of tasks will come later this week.

That is why for now, I need to reboot and work on other things tomorrow.

Wait... I just received a message that there's something I still need to do tonight, but it shouldn't take a couple of hours, so I will be doing it after this post (^^U) Then, it has to be reboot time for me.

Cleaning Up

2012-01-15T12:15:00.004+08:00

The first thing I did when I woke up this morning was to clean up my room (I always clean, but I mean really cuh-llllleeeeeean it *Rachel Green tone about cappuccino machine*) because it looked as though Crowley played bad games in it while I slept.

I decided to do it this way because I woke up feeling a little dead and remembered that I had a rare case of insomnia last night (>.<) I have a sneaking suspicion what it was about (which is also kind of the same reason why I felt somewhat dead when I woke up) but I choose to just ignore it for now :D

So I thought it should do well to really clean up and put some things in order and tidy up my mind in the process too and get rid of some bothersome thoughts looming over me. This really works for me because when I see and feel that everything around me is extra clean and organized I somehow feel more in touch with things and far from dead. (My friend Jen sweeps the floor when she feels stressed or preoccupied because Sweeping Soothes Her :D) I remember one time I was kind of depressed, and I couldn't sleep, so I decided to get up early the next day no matter what time I fall asleep, and do a major general cleaning. After that my mood totally changed and somehow many other things fell into place too (^^,)

Kon needed some washing too. (I didn't do this though, I was surprised to find him suddenly drowned and dead by the backyard sink.)

So now my area is super clean and I just took a really nice shower, and will hope for things to fall in place (and bothersome thoughts to dissipate gradually). I will just keep in mind that every little thing I do now should be in line with things I want to accomplish, and that I should not bother myself with things I cannot control, and instead focus on what I can do with the time that is given to me.

First Wednesday

2012-01-12T10:01:00.003+08:00

Last night was the first Wednesday kendo practice of the year, and as with most Wednesdays, it was very intense, especially now that some of us are taking dan exams next month. Many people practiced, and among these were four of us girls (^_^)

One piece dress origami pieces that I made ~ one for each girl (^_^)

I was quite exhausted, but it was so much fun! After practice we talked about hotel bookings for Hong Kong, and since only three girls will be taking the exams and there are usually only two people to a room, they will see if they can arrange for us to stay in one room. It sounded like fun (^_^)

Yukata origami ~ Hopefully we can have a room arranged for the three of us (^_^)

Some of my other friends are going to Hong Kong too so it seems it's going to be fun (^^,) A huge chunk of me is anxious about the exam though, but I can't do anything but practice and do my best (^^U) *tense* がんばります！

Book Love

2012-01-11T08:51:00.002+08:00

Even though there are reliable companions like Kindle and Nook, many book readers still choose to keep printed copies of specific books - books they will always love and read again and again.

I think it would be nice if these books we love were marked by hearts, so I made some origami Heart Bookmarks ~ perfect for Books We Love (*^_^*)

Some nice paper

A Big Heart Bookmark for the Bigger Books....

... and a few smaller Heart Bookmarks (=^_^=)

A Heart Bookmark in Use (^^,)

I will make more of these Heart Bookmarks using paper in other pretty designs (^___^)

Happy Steps

2012-01-10T16:10:00.000+08:00

Last Sunday, my mom, my sister, and I paid my grandma a visit. We got there in the morning, and then she made us stay for lunch. She said she wants to prepare us something nice, and despite her aching joints and feet, she happily and excitedly went to the kitchen and told us to Stay Away :D

Grandma singing something cheerfully as she walked with her cane towards her kitchen :D

Our grandma enjoys cooking and preparing food for family so she was cheered up that we decided to stay for lunch. It was also her break from making Valentine-themed decor made from recycled plastic bottles. She showed us the vintage-looking dolls which she intends to put on her handmade decor.

I used to play with these kinds of dolls when I was a kid :3

She'll get some for my sister next time, and my sister will give me one, which I intend to make into something I can use, or perhaps I can use it to decorate something I can use. Anyway I have yet to figure that out :D Speaking of making something, I spent the earlier part of this afternoon turning plain shoes into a nice pair which can be worn on a Valentine date (*^_^*)

Nice, everyday pair of shoes turns into...

Nice, lovely pair of shoes which you can wear everyday AND on a Valentine date (^_^*)

Just find a pretty dress to match ~ (*^_^*) Or maybe a ruffled top and a skirt! (^___^)

Mr. Music

2012-01-10T08:47:00.004+08:00

My iTunes library is perpetually loaded with songs I love and songs which I just never managed to clean up / remove. As I listened to one of the tracks that I love (The Empress by Ancient Future, from Putumayo: Music from the Tea Lands), I happened to scroll down (the tracks were sorted by Name) and I came across four titles that sounded like a roll call of odd personalities, one after the other.

The Men of the Universe

Odd connections also formed in my head. Maker takes bones and covers them with clay and man was formed. Maker adds moustache to complete the picture....

I also thought about an odd group of friends where each character has a very distinct personality that corresponds to his name...

Anyway, how about Mr. Mogget?

Mr. Mogget is the Ultimate Mister Cat!

Narrowing Down My Color Scheme

2012-01-09T11:02:00.003+08:00

I used to have all sorts of colors in my closet, until I kind of narrowed down the color palette in my wardrobe to a mix of just 25 colors (25 because there were different shades of pink and purple and turquoise and green which are the 4 main colors I love) over a year ago.

However other colors still managed to sneak in until many pieces just did not go together anymore, which led to taking forever to get dressed.

So I decided to narrow down my color palette some more.

With the help of the wonderful color schemer, I picked five palettes I love most, and told myself to just choose one and stick to it.

Here were my top five choices (all are screenshots from colorschemer.com):

These are cheerful colors and I LOVE them! I'm just kind of missing the purple.

This palette is totally lovely.

Wearing these colors everyday will make anyone HAPPY!

All these colors are actually part of my previous color scheme of 25 colors.

This will totally narrow down my color palette, but each color is absolutely adorable for clothes and bags and shoes.

Because I cannot HOARD all the beautiful colors into my color palette, I picked the Mystic Color Scheme and will bring it with me all the time so it will be easier to shop for anything. This will also be my guide when sewing and making anything for myself. (Uhm, people can also choose from the Mystic Color Scheme when they want to give me anything.) :D

I will also be re-organizing my Evernote notebooks - I will transform many of them into actual doable projects and targets instead of a keeping them Notebooks Of Nice Things To Look At And Dream Of or Imagine Having :D I will also be transferring some of the images and content into mood boards which I can use not just for visualization, but as reference for various things. (For example, my clothes mood board will also serve as my reference for dresses or skirts which I will order in the future - this is great especially for pieces I might not be able to sew anytime soon.)

So... mystic it is.

My Chosen Color Scheme. (Actually, it goes with my current blog design too! ^_^)

Fried Brain Gives Way to Some Sidebar Changes :D

2012-01-06T21:53:00.006+08:00

Yesterday, I managed to finish just seven articles (^^U)

I know I said I was going to write after I finished the blog post, but after a while my friend Jowi (who flew back to Indonesia this morning) called to say she was finished with her errand and could meet me for coffee. I had not seen her in over a couple of years so I was quite excited to meet with her. Time flew and next thing I knew it was almost noon. She came by the house to look at some of our merchandise and bought some (^_^)

So I started writing in the afternoon, and for some reason I became so sleepy again. But I tried my best to write and finish the articles due at 6 pm, after which I rested my wilted brain by doing some laundry.

I wrote until dinnertime, during which my sister came by and as usual, we ended up spending a long time at the dining table talking about stuff :D

Anyway today, so far, I've written 13 (=^_^=)

I was planning to write again after dinner but my brain feels like it's been chewed by zombies, so I made some changes to my blog's sidebar instead :D Check them out!! (*^_^*)

I added a more colorful and attractive link to my sister's blog - my sister = my partner-in-.... craft! (Well oftentimes my partner-in-crime too :D At least mind crimes...)

You can now subscribe to this blog! Feel free to check out too those I subscribe to under The Happy Peach Likes :)

I made my tumblr accounts more visible so I took out the old links and made them into images instead. Finding Pretty is just my secondary tumblr account, and it is where I curate everything pretty (*^_^*)

The Happy Peach at tumblr is my primary tumblr account. The images I curate here are more varied, but basically they all trigger happy feelings and inspiring ideas (^_^)

Lastly, you can now stalk, I mean search this blog. (Oh yeah there's an option to subscribe so stalking is much easier there :D)

Now I feel tired and want to listen to music so maybe I will just write the six articles I was supposed to write tonight tomorrow morning. They're due in the afternoon but since I am going to kendo (first kendo class for 2012 yeiy) I have to turn in all the articles before noon. (>.<)

Been working so hard to save up! But when I think about traveling I start to feel happy so it makes me work harder than ever.

More than that, I trust that things will go well this year - many of them will. Things will fall into place and what's lost will be found and old connections will be restrengthened again. (And the Universe will provide me with the things I need ~ it always has!)

Corn-sama = Abundance (I remember my witchy days when I strongly associated corns and grains with Prosperity :D) The Universe knows what I need.

(O di ba biglang may corn :D ~ They will throw butter at the zombies trying to eat my brains.)

Anyway, some things have been quite tough lately, some of the things carried over from last year. But I trust that this year will take care of those things too. Maybe I am also just a bit too tired from writing that's why the Other Things are surfacing in my head (^^U)

Write First, Read Later, Travel Much Later On

2012-01-05T09:04:00.002+08:00

*yawns* -_-

Today was supposed to be my Book Day or Reading Day. Meaning, I will devote the whole day to just reading my books instead of just reading in between tasks or work...

... until I realized yesterday afternoon how much I need to save up for my trip on February (>.<)

So a huge chunk of my Reading Day has been chunked off and allocated to writing a targeted amount of articles before I can get lost in reading :|

However I am beginning to get a bit sleepy T_T

But! I will not NAP!

FIGHTING MODE!!!!!! ~ My first Dragon Age II character (I had to restart my DA II game because the Pride Demons killed me about 5 million times, so I chose to just restart and shake the demons right off my head.)

I WILL LOOK SLEEPINESS IN THE FACE with non-sleepy eyes and FIGHT BACK! XD

And then I will write until I am free to read! *will keep the books waiting to be read in mind to motivate myself*

So now I shall go and begin writing my articles. Perhaps later if I am still willing to look at a computer, I will update on how many I was able to write and if I made it to my set target :3

PS. I am no longer sleepy yay.

New Large Eco Bags

2012-01-04T09:31:00.003+08:00

A huge chunk of yesterday was spent redesigning our new eco bags - this time large ones (^_^)

Redesigned eco bags fresh from the craft table :D (I like the one with leaves)

I made another pineapple design as with the one we gave to our aunt, but as with all other bags, it is still unique since we always use a different color or fabric for each shape/image and bag.

It's great to have them especially now that the supermarket near our place has already required the use of paper bags or eco bags - they have stopped using plastic! I was so happy to hear about it and felt that this better way of carrying your groceries and purchases is spreading and becoming a common practice for many people (^___^) When my sister and I were in Hong Kong last October, we noticed that all the stores we went to discouraged the use of plastics so it was good we brought eco bags with us all the time, or just stored small purchases in our bags. We were thinking it would be nice if the same thing was done here, and now it's happening! (^____^)

Early Start

2012-01-03T06:56:00.002+08:00

Start, meaning, surprise, not just start-beginning.

(>.<)

I woke up from a really disturbing nightmare (think Giant nails and screaming people in agony). I woke up looking and feeling like this:

*nervous breathing*

When I could finally move from total dead weight (hence the slight prolonging of the nightmare), I reach out for my phone to check the time - it was 4:08. I could feel the nightmare pulling me back, but I started looking at my world clock and tried to picture what it's like being in Japan or Mexico or Madrid at that moment, in their time zones. The thought kind of excited me so I was fully awake in a few minutes :D

I put on my glasses and looked out at the super empty and super quiet streets, and the idea that I could have an earlier start than yesterday (5:15 am ~ I was doing yoga stretches before 6) and can do More Things made me feel even more excited (^_^)

Now, I shall go to the craft area and redesign eco bags! (^_^)

Flowers are for Moms not Mogget

2012-01-02T10:47:00.000+08:00

Today, my mom and my sister are going over to my grandma's house to visit her. Before my mom left she showed off her redesigned shirt :D

Recognize that shirt??? :3

It was the shirt I sewed a handmade flower patch onto :D So now, I am thinking of making more flowers, smaller ones, to attach onto a collar and put around Mogget's neck. Or maybe an entire collar covered in small marigolds! However I asked Mogget one time how he would feel if I made him collars with frills and flowers and he gave me this look:

He was on top of the shelf and looked down at me this way.

What do you think? Do you think he liked the idea??????? Does he seem excited??????????

Of course I will not make him anything to put around his neck because I don't want to die by his claws :D

A Productive Year (=^_^=)

2012-01-01T10:31:00.000+08:00

I intend to make each day of 2012 PRODUCTIVE. XD

Not that I was never productive before, but I mean productive Each Day (literally, not just Some or Most days) of the year. That basically means no more asking:

"Where did time go????" *while in a state of shock*

Time does fly when you're having fun, but even then, you would always KNOW where time went - to a PS3 game, to a project you are so excited about, to crafting, or to shopping. But for a long time I've had days when I felt that Mr. Time ran off without telling me, and sometimes I would suspect he did not come by at all for an entire day.

The thing is, Mr. Time is always beside me except that it was me who was not making the most out of his presence (^^U)

And so, as with the last few days of my 2011, I intend to make All Days of my 2012 productive, i.e. I know exactly where my time went and I can go to sleep at night without thinking "I could've allotted more time doing this and that" or "I shouldn't have spent/wasted time on this and that." :D

My mom's request: I created a hand sewn flower design for her plain shirt yesterday - my last craft for the year and it was for my mom (^_^)

All these came to my head the moment I opened my eyes this morning. The thoughts pushed me out of bed and while still in tangled braids I was writing in my new planner - I know I said I would start using it on January 9th (since my previous one ends on January 8th) but starting a new planner felt more appropriate this time especially with my intentions and goals for this year (^_^)

Fruitful Friday

2011-12-31T18:17:00.001+08:00

Actually, both Thursday and Friday were very productive, but Thursday was really just all about writing articles all day, so there's nothing much to write about that, except that my brain felt fried after. Late in the evening my sister bought us ShareTea (I got the Ice Blended Taro with Pudding - it's good, but it tastes exactly like Quickly's, so if I'm in the mood for iced taro I'd choose Quickly over ShareTea. So far I totally love the Rock Salt Cheese with Oolong Tea and Rock Salt Cheese with Cocoa.)

I was having about a gazilion typos by midnight, so I decided to rest and just finish the last two articles on Friday morning.

Friday was even more fruitful - I wrote articles, made myself a necklace (a variety of what we will be selling in our shop), and hand designed plain notebooks which we will give to a friend as a Christmas present (^_^) In the evening I made a long blog post, and I mean Long Blog Post, about my old blogs which I have said goodbye to. (This is apart from my blog posts / page updates in the morning.)

Our Lady of Guadalupe

I've always been drawn to the Lady of Guadalupe (I have an image of her over my bedroom door which is also where my travel corner is.) and when we found trinkets with her on it, we bought them both for selling and for personal use.

I also organized the materials we have just bought into their new containers, then I proceeded to designing plain notebooks which we will give to a friend of ours as a Christmas gift. She is crazy about notebooks so we always give her at least one whenever there's an occasion.

Plain notebooks about to have some character

We have not seen her in a while so we will just drop by her place anytime soon to give her the gift.

Playing with Magenta Ribbons

Which reminds me, she has not been to our bazaar yet and we have not checked out her store in a while. Maybe it's time to check out her merchandise too when we give her our gift (^_^)

Lace and Layers of Sequins

I totally enjoyed designing the notebooks especially when I was layering the sequins :3 It was so relaxing (^_^)

I put some decorations on the back too! (^_^)

I just had an early dinner and will log off now to prepare to go to church. For some reason, despite some things we've had to deal with this year, and despite some ongoing concerns within our family, I think this is the most relaxed holiday season I have had so far. Of course I got really tired with all the pre-bazaar work and preparing our handmade gifts, but things are not as tense and exhausting as the previous ones. I think this is also the calmest I have ever been in welcoming the New Year. I still feel excited, especially since I told my friend Lia that I can feel 2012 having So Much, and I mean SO MUCH, in store for me, but somehow I do not feel the anxiety that normally goes with welcoming the New Year and saying goodbye to the previous one. It's like I just feel that I am finally ready for the coming of the New Year, hence no feelings of having to rush and put things in order, unlike all the New Year's Eves that I've gone through since I became an adult. For once, I am just quietly and peacefully waiting for the New Year to arrive, as the arrival of an expected friend.

Choco & Mint

2011-12-31T10:51:00.001+08:00

As I mentioned in my Goodbye Old Blogs post, I will be transferring the contents of an old Choco & Mint blog into its own page (click on Choco & Mint tab above!) in this blog. As of now I've just put the previous blog's title image in the Choco & Mint page, and I intend to post one "episode" each day until I finish all 42 of them. (42!)

Choco and Mint

Tomorrow I will probably post a portion of the old blog in the page, then on Monday I can start posting one "episode" per day. If I start on January 2nd, all the posts will be complete just a couple of days before Valentine's Day :3

McHappiness

2011-12-31T10:04:00.002+08:00

Finally, there's McDonald's closer to home, as in walking-distance-kind of close. :D

It opened last Wednesday, and since they were giving away freebies from morning til afternoon, there was already a long line of people at 6:30 am. My sister and I just got out of bed at that time (I slept over at her place Tuesday night) and we looked out the window (she lives much closer to McDonald's than I do - it's practically her neighbor) to see how the opening was doing.

View from above: There's Ronald shaking hands with a seemingly puzzled kid.

The air was so festive that we thought about riding down in a parachute. We couldn't join the festivities though, because we had plans for the day and we had to get to our house, then run at the park. (I know that with Running Vs. McDonald's Breakfast, McDonald's Breakfast has more points, but we had to stick to our plans :3)

Ronald was totally in character. He was waving at everyone, even at the cars passing by in the street. (For some reason, cars did slow down when Ronald waved.)

My sister and I though, being a bit uncomfortable around clowns, realize that it's nice to look at Ronald just right from where we were - from a safe distance :D

Nope, the priest isn't doing some weird dance. He is just trying to hurriedly make his way between the cars and into the store. I guess they will hold the blessing before letting everyone else in.

After a while the priest came, and hurriedly made his way to the store. The line had grown longer by that time, and we could feel everyone's excitement for the free Big Mac (they gave out free Big Macs for every purchase from 7 to 7:30 am).

A zigzag of hungry people :D Oh i love McDonald's :D

The excitement of the festivity was so great that they rose up like smoke towards us. We were thinking parachutes, giant umbrellas, and pulleys :D However, we left by car around 7 am and headed to our house to stick to our schedule. McDonald's will just be there anyway whenever we feel like going for burgers or sundaes (^_^)

Goodbye, Old Blogs

2011-12-30T20:53:00.003+08:00

I have been blogging since 2003.

In the process I have created, revised, deleted, emptied, restarted, and abandoned blogs. After the workshop I attended last September though, I realized and decided that I need to gather all these selves up, and not leave behind me a trail of scattered pieces of my self, especially when it does not contribute to my being Whole.

But then it was not just all about gathering my selves up, but weeding out those that I thought were mine, but are not after all. So there came the weeding out of blogs (since I used to have different ones for different topics/interests) and the incorporation of the remaining few into this blog (still in progress, since there is Further Weeding Out of posts within each blog).

I did not realize how many of them were out there, both emptied ones and those which still had content for until last year - until I heard the other day that i.ph will be closing in half a year or so.

Many of my blogs were created in blogspot or i.ph, but most were in i.ph. Eventually though, it had way too many glitches so I stopped blogging with it and went back to blogspot. Still, now that they are closing down, I checked back to see how many i.ph blogs I have created and how many still had content, and to see how much work I have yet to do in reviewing, deleting, and incorporating posts (^^U) (Note: Blog templates, backgrounds, and title images in the screen shots below were also from i.ph, except for a few title and background images which my sister designed or put together for me.)

cerealkiller: One of my earlier blogs (The title image was designed by my sister, but the template and background were from i.ph.)

My cerealkiller blog was one of my earlier blogs. It was my "regular" or "daily" blog where I wrote practically everything. Right now though, it has been emptied. Most of its contents have been deleted, and the remaining posts were transferred here. (Or is it still in progress? I have to check ^^U Anyway, I temporarily transferred them to another blogspot account where I will "review" them again before posting here. I need to "review" because some may be deleted and not make it here :D) I only left behind one post which was an inspirational quote about being thankful for everything.

Colors of Chaos: A Collection of Old Doodles and Paintings (Template and images from i.ph)

I started a blog that was supposed to contain old paintings, collages, and drawings. I never got around to uploading everything though. And until now some of those "artwork" are still sleeping in my bookshelf. Very few though have been uploaded in my Doodles page. One of them, Mr. Pebbleman, made it to my sister's home. So as of now this blog has also been empty for quite some time. (I never actually deleted blog accounts from i.ph because I tried that one time and it was a long process which created too much of a hassle. Besides, I thought I might as well keep the domain name.)

The Story of Choco and Mint: A Love Story (Template and image from i.ph)

I created a blog for a one-time love story, between the characters Choco and Mint. Although this story has ended a long time ago, I still think it's nice to look at every now and then, and to share it with others. So I created a page here in this blog just for Choco and Mint. Images from this blog were generated from stripgenerator.com.

The Other Chokomochi (Does not have buttons for eyes like Coraline's Other Mother; template and images from i.ph)

Obviously, this chokomochi blog was the blog from which many of this blog's content has been transferred. After cerealkiller, I created chokomochi under i.ph, but moved eventually for reasons stated earlier :3

Food Mania was taken so I settled for Food... Maniac :D (Title image and background put together by my sister)

I created a food blog in i.ph, which I eventually transferred to another blogspot account, which will then also be incorporated into this blog. This is also a work in progress, as I am just incorporating selected posts, instead of all of them.

The health blog that says it all :D (Template and images from i.ph.)

In one of my previous jobs as a ghost writer, I wrote an ebook about meditation and what it can do for one's health. During my research I ended up reading so many materials about health which I learned so much from. I was so happy to have learned them that I created a blog which talks mostly about being healthy and happy. I did not cover topics which require people to eat practically nothing or to spend a lifetime in the gym, and instead I wrote about keeping a balanced lifestyle, focusing on the bright side of life, eating right (not Not Eating) and managing stress - basically being healthy by being happy and taking things in moderation. Eventually though, I got way too busy and was not able to update the blog regularly, plus I started focusing on practicing the health tips instead of just writing about them. So one day, I emptied the blog and changed the title to a one-liner that basically sums up what one should do to keep healthy: Take everything in moderation.

I know it's kind of weird to come across an empty blog with the title suddenly telling you to take everything in moderation :D But as I said, I did not delete the blogs anymore. Besides, they will be gone in a few months after i.ph closes down.

Old writings which should just remain old... and forgotten :D (Template and images from i.ph)

This old blog which I believe should be forgotten has actually been forgotten, until I started digging up my i.ph blogs. :D This blog was a collection of selected diary (diary ~ how.... new :D) entries from way back in college when I used to write them in notebooks. It has been emptied a long time ago, but it was an unpleasant process because I had to re-read through all my teenage drama and so-called poetry before deleting them, and I even found an old "confession" letter I wrote for someone and at that moment I re-read it I wanted to be anyone else who has nothing to do with me :D Anyway they're all gone now and this "old chest" of a blog can start rotting into nothingness.

A Horoscope! Would you believe this? :D (Template and images from i.ph)

I also had a job a couple of years back as a horoscope ghost writer :D My boss told me to just invent them, but I did not feel comfortable with it and what I did was really take my time and think about what I was going to write, then I shared the link with some friends. Suddenly, many of them messaged me back telling me how I was able to write horoscopes that were so timely and practically answered questions in their minds :D Feeling like some kind of Glowing Girl of Greatness, I made my own horoscope blog which my friends regularly visited. Sometimes they even followed up when it was horoscope day and I had not posted yet :D

When I started taking my Japanese classes though, I got busy with homework and studying, and wrote less and less often. So what I just did was delete the old (expired) posts, and left behind a general advice/reminder for whoever comes across it.

My Wish List (Template and images from i.ph)

This colorful blog was a collection of things I wanted - basically like a pin board of things in my wish list. It had clothes, bags, makeup, plush characters from the games I played, shoes, and home stuff. I kept adding to the list, but when something comes to my possession already or I just didn't want something anymore, I became too lazy to go back through all the posts to look for them. So I just decided to delete all the posts. Besides, I found a more efficient way of acquiring the things I want, instead of just curating them.

By the way, it may seem like I create a blog, post for a while, then decide one day to just delete all the posts :D These things took place over a long period - it's just the way I talk about them now that makes me seem like The Flakiest Blogger Ever, but I'm not, honest! :D (Especially after my sister's effective workshop, and I am now blogging about more specific topics, not just about anything that comes spilling out of my mind :3)

Now, just five more to go, I promise!

A blog of tiny worlds (Template and images from i.ph - excluding Mihara of course :3)

My pink flamingo was a collection of photos with Reina (the girl in the yukata), the toki doki cactus pups, the Catherine Mare cats, and Mihara-san. Their photos were taken in such a way that they appeared to have a smaller world of their own, or create their own little world within our big one. As with my old food blog, only selected posts from the pink flamingo will be incorporated into this blog (another work in progress).

Unlike the contents of the Choco & Mint blog, the contents of the food and pink flamingo (What a weird phrase - Food and Pink Flamingo - like, what do you want to eat? Food and Pink Flamingo.) blogs will not be in separate pages anymore, that's why I will only select some posts to incorporate here.

Game Quirks (Template and images from i.ph)

The quirky side of my game play is what I wrote about in my quirky gaming blog. Me & My Katamari collection lists, weird screen shots from the Sims, and Elder Scrolls loot and strange observations, were just among the topics in my posts, apart from updates on my progress in the games.

The thing is, even though I diligently took photos and listed down the status of each game I would be playing, I would not be as diligent in posting them. By the time I can post, I have again moved on to another part of the game and I would end up having to make a looooong update (with pictures) on my game progress (on top of the quirky comments).

One day I woke up buried in delayed updates and I hacked my way through it. When I got to my feet I started rolling them up into a katamari. So, there were my supposed game blog posts. (^^U)

I have yet to go through this neglected blog and see if there is anything I can make some revisions to and incorporate here (another work in progress ^^U)

See, that's why I just need to stick to one blog!!! XD

A Sticker Blog (Template and images from i.ph)

I collect stickers, and since I had a mountain of them (now it's just a small hill, since I sold some of them, and decided to use many of them instead of just keeping them), I decided to "document" them using a sticker blog. I was able to upload only some of them, since they were really overwhelmingly plenty. Just looking at them back then made me too tired to lift a finger already :D

Neko (Template and images from i.ph)

Years ago I wrote part-time for a blog specializing in anything Japanese. I never got paid for it though, so I used my own articles to build my own blog on various Japanese topics. However it was not sustained because I think that was the time I was working in an office where I did the work of four people and hardly slept anymore. (Good thing those days are over :D)

All about dreams, inspired by the game Yume Nikki

This was a blog I did not share with anyone I know (this and the blog which should be forgotten) because I only used it as a venue for me to record my dreams and easily refer back to them later on. Sometimes I see patterns in them that's why I wanted to keep track of certain dreams, but on other occasions I use them as basis for some of my doodles, plus I think some of my dreams sound like those really weird but interesting stories that I read which were written by other people, so it makes me feel like I am writing one of them, except that mine was just pulled out from the strange scenarios that surfaced in my head as I slept.

I have discontinued this blog because most of my dreams are waaaaaay too long (as in my mom is so amazed and sometimes thinks I am merely inventing the stories in my dreams) and after I started this blog, I would always be in a hurry in the mornings to get to work. Sometimes I would get to write them in the evening but most of the details have been lost in my mind along with loads of work stuff (>.<)

And so I bid these blogs goodbye *wave* From now on it's just gonna be The Happy Peach (^_^)

It "Seals Your Sandwich" :D

2011-12-30T18:44:00.000+08:00

I eat the crusts of breads so I never take them out, nor asked to have them taken out, even when I was a kid. But somehow I've had this odd fixation on having a sandwich sealer ever since I first came across it, realizing there was such a thing, more especially when I read that it "seals your sandwich."

Japanese Sealed Sandwich Maker (Photo from J-List)

And then! :D My mom gave me one the other day as an additional gift for Christmas XD (Her "actual" Christmas gifts were stuff from the Echo Store since she knows I love that store ^_^) It's not the actual sandwich sealer from Japan - we found one at Howards (^_^)

Sandwich Sealer - It SEALS YOUR SANDWICH :D

So this morning I had a Sealed Ham Sandwich for breakfast :D But of course I ate the crusts ahead :3 *no crust issues* :D (Memory flash: When I was a kid, and we would eat in a Chinese restaurant, my parents would order siopao, and then I'd eat a layer of the soft white part because I wanted only the "bready" part and not the meat inside :3)

The Happy Peach: With More Colors, and Brighter

2011-12-30T10:24:00.002+08:00

I really liked my blog's previous look and color, but I realize it is too dim and not quite living up to its name of The Happy Peach.

The Happy Peach, belonging to the Purple family with a bit of Turquoise

I think it's a nice color and I like the Japanese style background, but it does not look as bright and happy and uplifting as the blog actually is for me. Plus I saw how bright and sunny-morning-like my sister's blog is, and I wanted mine to look sunnier too.

A Happier Happy Peach

I took screenshots because if I change the look of the blog again in the future and come across this post I will not be quite sure what I'd be referring to :D

My Purple Green Planner

2011-12-29T10:39:00.001+08:00

It's a Green planner in purple, that's what I meant :3

My sister gave it to me as a Christmas and New Year present, among the many many other gifts she gave me :)

Eco Things Planner (the flap that seals the planner shut is purple that's why I said it was purple :3)

My current planner (which was also a gift to me by one of my other friends, Precious) ends with January 8th (these planners have no specific dates so I can start using them at any time) so this new eco-friendly planner came just in time for January 9th (^_^)

Plenty of writing space for daily To Dos and other accomplishments :3

This is one of the perfect gifts I have received because I have just been coming up with a new way to mark dates, map out plans, set goals, and get things done. This thoughtfully gifted planner is now one of my companions as I move forward with fulfilling my plans and goals :)

A Slice of Christmas

2011-12-26T11:53:00.002+08:00

So yesterday was a slice from all the Christmases I've had and will have in my entire lifetime. Yesterday was one of the thicker, richer, and yummier slices (^_^) And I hope and feel that the next ones will keep getting even more so :)

After midnight I opened plenty of really nice, useful, and pretty presents. (^_^) Despite some difficulties we've been having, I received plenty of presents from my family and each of them is very much appreciated and treasured. (^_^)

We all slept quite late, but I had to get up early the next day to wrap some presents which we will give to our grandma and our cousins.

Mr. Christmas Bear waiting for people to arrive

Sometime before noon, we went over to my grandma's house for lunch. We were the first family to arrive so my sister and I helped our grandma a bit around the kitchen in bringing out the food and putting things in place.

Cherry tomatoes for garnishing the dishes

She asked us to eat ahead, since people basically eat in batches at her dining table. We were hungry and looking forward to enjoying her cooking, so we ate ahead :D

Colorful plates which we always use in my grandma's house for parties (^_^)

Since our grandma had not fixed herself up yet, we placed her gift on the bed first. She said she wants her picture taken while she opens her gift XD That means she only opens her presents when she's been dressed and made up :D

Gift on Grandma's Bed ~ She is the one who usually sews her bedsheets, pillow cases, pillows, and stuffed toys. These days though our aunt helps her out since her hands are all arthritic. (Note: the cat was a gift; she did not make this one XD)

She likes everything red so we wrapped her present in red cloth-like material. (This also explains why almost everything in her bedroom is red ^^U)

Dressed up and ready to open her gift

Our grandma is one of those old people who no longer acquired the habit of using a computer and a digicam. On rare occasions, she takes out her camera (with film) when she remembers to. But otherwise, she gets her picture taken by family and rarely gets to see them or have her own copies.

Surprised and happy about her own photos - seeing them for the first time! (^_^)

So we gave her a huge album with most of her photos - those taken in reunions, her birthday parties, and other family gatherings, especially those times when she really dressed up, whether formally or in a costume. We wrapped the album in a nice, dark red fabric with flowers, and we posted first her most recent photos (from the latest reunion) where she happily posed for my sister in her handcrafted Christmas hat. She was so happy and pleased to see the photos, especially those which she happened to have never seen before from previous parties.

Towards the middle of the afternoon, my sister and I gathered with some cousins and our aunt C (the one who has helped us a lot with our sewing) for coffee, snacks, and some catching up. Later on my mom called on us to visit our grandaunts who lived within the same compound - they are the ones who practically live surrounded by all sorts of old things which they chose to Never Let Go. As my sister put it, it's like anything that goes inside never comes out again. The household just continues to acquire things, and sets aside anything that Might Come In Handy JUST IN CASE (That means EVERYTHING).

An Antique Home that continues to acquire more and more things each season (that's my mom Literally Looking For Our Grandaunt, because she can hear her but does not know Where The Voice Is Coming From)

So for every visit I make to this house, it gets more and more crowded and stuffy. It all feels kind of exciting though, because I like going through the old house, surrounded by ancient energies, with its walls and windows still the same ones from the time of the war, and all the corners as I remember them from the time I was a child, only with More Things. Going through the house's "secret passages" always feels like a movie or a game or being in a book, that it all feels almost magical instead of ghostly.

The same corner I visited over a year ago, but this time, I could not go near the antique Japanese-made air cooler anymore. Last year I was able to look at it closely and touch it, but now, so many things keep us apart. Such is the fate of myself and Japanese.... stuff. Fine, and maybe men. Hahaha.

We toured ourselves around the rest of the house, looking at each piece of decor or furniture as though we were in a museum, then started heading downstairs where their kitchen is.

I passed this carving on my way out, and for a while I stepped back.

My mom decided to check out the old kitchen too, and I found the exact same dining set which we all used when we were kids. I passed by their fridge and found really old magnets on them, and then we went further inside to a huge kitchen filled with Even More Things.

Old Fridge Magnets

We then found several old wooden cabinets and wardrobes in some dark dusty musty corridor. My mom opened some and we found huge bags of clothes no longer worn. We found rows after rows of old glass jars and jugs. We found things we can't even recognize. We found old books and magazines, ready to fall apart if pulled out. We found cabinets after cabinets of dinnerware and tea sets and party tools, thick with dust. I could not resist touching the pretty cups even though my fingers turned dark sticky gray after I did. These were really old, pretty stuff.

Pretty Cups, though thick with sticky dust and their cabinets smelling like death

After getting lost in time and remembering I am still alive and there is a world of life and new things out there, we stepped out into the sun.

A tree with mini-orange-like berries growing from them

We headed back to my grandma's house and spent more time with our cousins, then went home for naps.

Crafting on Christmas Eve

2011-12-24T19:59:00.001+08:00

I spent the whole day crafting! (^_^)

But before that, lemme give a quick update about the week. Actually, apart from posting about the week-long update from the previous week, this week is mostly about running Christmas errands and doing a bit of work on the side. Only today was I able to sit down and really do some crafting. (^^,)

I went with my sister to the mall last Wednesday to buy some materials for some handmade gifts and to look for additional Christmas tokens for certain people. We had some leisurely breakfast in Seattle's Best until the mall opened, and we went around and shopped until we decided to have some late lunch at Teriyaki Boy.

Meltykiss on my Teriyaki Boy placemat

I had chirashi and I really liked it, but because we were so hungry already we ate some Meltykiss Green Tea Chocolate (^_^) She gave them to me and I shared some :)

Green Tea Chocolate (Received Version as opposed to Given Version XD)

Thursday afternoon, we stepped out again to buy some things from the supermarket, and then came back home with the intention of getting started on our handmade gifts. However, there was an impromptu dinner with our friend PW, and since the thought of Eating Out was quite attractive to us, we dropped what we were doing and checked out the new ramen place nearby, Ramen Cool.

My sister checking out the Ramen Cool menu

The place looks really bright and cozy and interesting, and its colors and design were very pretty. It was only a soft opening perhaps that's why they served the house tea in Thermos tumblers (I assume it's only temporary since it does not go with the whole pretty-Japanese-put-together style of the place ^^U) But otherwise the place is really cozy and their food, with their generous servings, is really good. My sister thinks so too (=^_^=)

Spicy Alaskan Duo

PW ordered Sukiyaki, plus the Spicy Alaskan Duo for sharing, and although it was not spicy at all, I would say it tastes really great for Just Alaskan Duo. (The wasabi did not help much because it seemed like it was an old-stock wasabi because it crumbled and was not wasabi-hot anymore. I hope though they serve better or a "fresher" stock of wasabi next time.)

Shoyu Ramen

I really enjoyed my Shoyu Ramen though. The noodles, the pork, and the soup were all really really good and tasty, not salty. The texture was perfect and all the flavors perfectly blended together. I loved it (^_^)

We were supposed to check out ShareTea after dinner but it closes early (10 pm) and we were quite full from the dinner XD

Friday was mostly work. I dropped off gifts in the morning for my sister's clients, then in the afternoon I had my English tutorials for my student. I was planning to sleep late and do a lot of crafting, but for some reason, this season makes me really sleepy early in the evening (like now, and it's only 7:20) and wakes me up automatically after 6 hours (as opposed to the usual 8 hours which my body is conditioned to). So I just went to bed early.

I woke really early though but was too sleepy to get up so I went back to sleep. I got up around 8 am after a horrible dream, so I just practiced a bit of kendo to shake it off then had breakfast with my mom.

After we ate I proceeded to working on our handmade gifts. First I cleared up the working area since I could not work when it's too messy, then soaked and hung our new fabrics outside to dry while I worked.

Some new fabrics

I finished adding the eyes and mouth to a stuffed cat which my sister made for our niece, then proceeded to redesigning some hair clips for some of our cousins, whom we will see tomorrow for Christmas lunch (^_^)

Some materials for prettifying (looks like petrifying haha) plain hair clips

They were originally plain black or brown clips, and we first thought about adding a button or a flower or a ribbon to make it unique for each of them, but as I worked on them I thought it would be more interesting to add a layer of fabric or ribbon, Then add the button or any other design.

Hand designed clips made by yours truly (Why do I always remember the King of All Cosmos whenever I say "by yours truly"?)

As I made the clips my mind gave birth to more ideas about my OWN clips (>:D) and making my own hair accessories XD (Which reminds me, my hair is currently at its longest, like seriously, the longest in my whole life, ever. It means I have grown patient enough to wait for it to grow, plus I have not been having any desire recently to cut it short nor trim it or anything :D)

Six sets of hand designed hair clips ~ (^___^)

When I finished the clips, I took all the hanging fabrics from outside and kept them in their container, then soaked and hung out the next batch of fabrics. Last on the list was the gift bag for one of the dearest people who helped us with our sewing, buying of materials, and learning many other things related to them. We were planning to give her a bunch of goods to be placed in our small eco bag, but I realized they won't fit, so I took one of the bigger ones we will be selling next month. This batch of bigger eco bags have no designs yet so I designed the first one which I took. I was thinking a pineapple would be nice against its orange color, plus we've never done that design before.

Pineapple Eco Bag! It was fun doing the pineapple (^_^)

Actually, I made a booboo so what you see in the photo is actually The Second Pineapple. The first one (without the lines and the beads yet) was accidentally cut (a.k.a. destroyed) as I cut out the "leaves" - I didn't know the "fruit" was trapped under the cloth (>.<) For a while I stared blankly at my Slightly Smithereened Still-Smooth Pineapple, then decided to Keep Calm and Make Another Pineapple.

Pleased with the finished eco bag with a Whole Pineapple, I placed all the goodies inside and set it aside for my sister to see later tonight when she comes by before we all go to church. (^_^)

Speaking of church, I need to take a shower in a while then get dressed. I might do some reading later tonight, so maybe I'll post again by tomorrow.

Enjoy your Christmas Eve and your Christmas, everyone!!!! (^___^)

Six-Day Summary

2011-12-23T21:15:00.002+08:00

As mentioned, I will list down the six late posts for the six days of Wednesday last week til Monday of this week XD Here is a quick guide to each of the posts :D

Wednesday: A Day of Decorating

Thursday: Walk with Pretty Shoes

Friday: Shopping and Sharing

Saturday: A Morning of Baking and An Afternoon of Gifting

Sunday: (Big) Family Day

Monday: Our Last Bazaar for 2011

Our Last Bazaar for 2011

2011-12-23T13:11:00.001+08:00

And this is the last from the week of late posts XD This last one is about last Monday, which was our last bazaar for the year of 2011 (too many Lasts there).

The morning was pretty slow, compared to the previous Friday's bazaar, but it picked up as the day went along. I think it helped that we lined up some of our matching items throughout the place to create more color and inspire buying on the matching ideas.

Dresses and Tops with matching bags and accessories (=^_^=)

Towards late afternoon, more people flocked in - it's because my sister bought an old turntable from a seller of secondhand and old items from Japan, and had it set up so we can all listen to the records we are selling.

There's something so soothing and pleasant about listening to old music *lola mode*

I had to step inside the house for a couple of hours because I had to take care of my student, while his mom shopped outside and spent some restful time listening to the music (^_^)

Effortlessly created magic dragon :D

In the evening we packed up, and since it was the last day of our bazaar for the year, we took down all the existing buntings. As I pulled on the string attached to the wall, the crumpled buntings bunched up, and next thing I know I was holding an instant dragon XD I just gathered the string at the ends so the dragon looks curved, but the body, the face, and the ears really did look like that after I pulled against the string and caused all the paper to bunch up - I did not make it that way nor tried to shape it to look like a dragon. It just did!

Magic Dragon ~ (^_^)

Sunday = (Big) Family Day

2011-12-22T09:24:00.004+08:00

Sunday afternoon until evening was spent in a family reunion - family from my mother's side. Sometime towards the evening, I met one of the cutest, sweetest, softest creatures in the world XD

Chopper - my cousins brought him, and half the time he was in my arms XD

His name is Chopper, and he's the puppy of four of my cousins. I carried him like a baby half the time and he liked resting his head on my shoulder. (*^_^*) So while my other cousins carried their babies in their arms, I carried a different kind of baby in mine.

Women and babies :D

Soon enough the reunion came to and end, and everyone loaded cars with gifts and plenty of take home food.

Saying goodbye to my grandma before getting in the car

My sister and I ate cake in the car on the way home (as in cake on a plate, using forks, as though we were seated at the dining table), and talked about the handmade gifts we will make for our cousins and give them on Christmas, when we all go over to my grandma's house to eat (^_^)

A Morning of Baking and An Afternoon of Gifting

2011-12-21T22:57:00.003+08:00

As I mentioned in yesterday's post, Saturday was some kind of bake day and was the last day of our kendo practice for the year.

Freshly baked bread pudding all lined up (^_^)

I went to my sister's house in the morning to help her out with the baking. The homemade bread pudding was our yearend gift to people whom we get to interact with in the dojo. Only a few people came so we had some leftovers, so we gave them to people who knocked at the door of our home.

Adding some mixed fruit and cranberry to the bigger pieces - these we gave to the couples and the board members of the club.

Some of our friends brought gifts for us too so we just exchanged gifts. The others will bring their gifts when we meet up at some time before or after Christmas.

Adding P and M flags (to stand for our names)

A pleasant surprise came along with the other gifts (^_^) To say his thanks, one of them gave me a really nice and new shinai bag (*^_^*) It was a completely pleasant surprise (=^_^=) Kamsahamnida! (*^_^*)

Shopping and Sharing

2011-12-20T21:06:00.004+08:00

It is only 8:20 pm as I type this away, but this will be my last post for the day - so far I have posted updates about Wednesday, Thursday, and in this post, Friday. Hopefully I can update about the weekend and yesterday by tomorrow, although the reason why I am logging out early tonight is that I need to wake up early tomorrow, because I will be going out with my sister to buy some things. In any case, I am also feeling Too Sleepy despite today being a light, not-so-busy one (>.<) So after this I shall prepare tomorrow's To Do list then get ready to sleep.

So last Friday was a bazaar day. I got up really early and set up everything, although it took a longer time because I had to rearrange the grouping of the clothes. My mom helped me out and warmed up some rice cakes so I could eat while working (^_^) I only got to make and enjoy my coffee after I have taken a bath and seated myself at the shop counter.

Enjoying some coffee ~ my necklace is among those redesigned by my sister (^_^)

Later on my sister arrived; she had to go to the bank first so she came in a bit late. She immediately settled though, because she wanted to cut out some pictures for her collage/journal.

Her color scheme blends in with that of the store (^^,)

As I mentioned, there were some changes regarding how the clothes were grouped, so this time we had more bargain boxes for people to check out.

More Bargain Boxes

In the process we were able to sell so much more - much more than the previous days we opened our bazaar. I guess the physical arrangement of things also made it more conducive to trying on things and buying them (^_^)

This was also the first time we put up the repurposed frame/shinai with our handmade envelopes and gift tags on them :) We have more handmade items and we also made sure we put signs and mentioned them to the shoppers.

Handcrafted pouches / purses (^^,)

We were very tired in the evening; we had to extend hours because so many people came to check our merchandise out, and many also bought something, from 1 to 2 pieces to as many as 6 to 7 pieces in one go. But of course, even if we were tired, we were happy to be able to sell, to display things we made, and to have provided very affordable, unique, pretty items to interested people (=^_^=)

To unwind, and to celebrate a busy and successful day, we went to Share Tea. It was their store opening and their teas were offered at Buy 1 Take 1 (^^,) I tried out their Rock Salt Cheese with Oolong Tea and it was yummy - I should've gotten a Large glass instead of the Regular one XD It's a new taste pattern for me but I immediately liked it. With only 30% of the regular sugar amount, and with the rock salt cheese fully mixed in with the oolong, the drink creates a unique taste that is so good that it is also quite soothing in its own way. And somehow I feel like I couldn't stop drinking it (^^U)

Clockwise from Top Left: Waiting for her milk tea; my Rock Salt Cheese with Oolong Tea; ShareTea's colorful corner (I like their colors!)

So those are my updates for today; next in line:

Saturday's Bake Time and Last Day of Kendo Practice
Sunday's Reunion - where everyone carried babies and I carried a puppy
Monday's bazaar - our last bazaar for 2011

Catch you again tomorrow! Good night (^_^)

Walk with Pretty Shoes

2011-12-20T19:05:00.001+08:00

Thursday was the day before our Friday bazaar and there were still a number of things not quite done yet, but we managed to remain calm since we were over the first opening. So I spent the day redesigning some plain pairs of shoes.

Plain shoes about to be prettified :D Was measuring a nice designed ribbon against the green pair.

I worked in the living room while my sister worked on the craft table near the sewing machine and my mom cooked us some spaghetti in the kitchen. I brought the materials I needed since I would be away from the sewing machine for a while.

Colorful Thread

As I worked on the shoes, my sister worked on redesigning some pearly necklaces. I asked her to redesign mine too XD (The one at the bottom is mine XD)

Pearly necklaces made even prettier with hand crafted designs ~ lovely (^^,)

I was tired but I was happy, because I really enjoy making pretty things (^_^) As I worked on the last pair of shoes (the purple one) in the evening, I gratefully looked forward to lining all the shoes and bags up and preparing them for the next day's bazaar, and then taking a bath and going to sleep.

Sewing on a nice pink ribbon, sequins, and beads onto plain purple shoes = makes me think of the lovely colors of lovely Indian cloths and accessories (^_^)

HOWEVER! Because my eyes and hands were tried, I accidentally.... actually I am not quite sure what happened; I just know there was an accident, which led to the whole tray of sequins and beads (sorted by color and type) spilling onto the floor T_T

Suddenly, our floor looked so crafty and shiny! It was practically a Rain of Color.

Thank goodness I'm not like a leprechaun who has the compulsion to count every little bit of sugar (in this case sequins) on the floor XD So I took the tray and began picking up and sorting the glittery flood.

Tiny items mixed up, but I have to admit they look pretty with their Accidental Color Combinations :D

Eventually though, I got too tired and my sister suggested I gather everything up in a separate container, then we can sort them as we look after our shop the next day.

Nope the black ones weren't trying to escape.

After cleaning up my colorful mess, I cheerfully looked at the pretty pairs of shoes I finished (^^,)

Pretty (and very comfortable) pairs of shoes. I like the purple and the red ones the most *love*

Now I want to buy a few more pairs for redesigning, but not for selling ~ for myself XD

A Day of Decorating

2011-12-20T14:49:00.000+08:00

Last Wednesday was bag decorating day (^_^) I decorated a new batch of eco / gift bags since our previous one was sold out :D Most of the designs were similar to the first ones, but some were new, and no exact color combination was used for the bags and designs.

Eco bags with unique, handcrafted designs

My sister took care of our bayong bags.

Plain bayong made pretty and unique :)

During one of our breaks, we had coffee and ate mocha bread, with an odd code XD

Mini-mocha code XD

So it has been a week of hardly any blog updates (>.<) But this is only Day 1 of a series of catching up - the next posts will be about Thursday (another decorating day) until yesterday, the last of our bazaar days for this year. After that I will create another post summarizing everything since Wednesday of last week. (^_^) Then, tomorrow is another Wednesday (for some odd reason my weeks seem to start on a Wednesday or Thursday ^^U) Tomorrow I will be out with my sister to buy some things, and then I would probably be writing articles if not crafting. No kendo for the rest of the year since we're all on a holiday break. See you in the next posts! (^^,)

Handmade Cards on a Repurposed.... Shinai XD

2011-12-14T09:33:00.005+08:00

Before I run off and proceed with hand sewing patches for redesigned eco bags (yup we're making MORE eco bags because the last batch was SOLD OUT :D), I will just post a very quick update on the past couple of very, very busy and happily full days (^_^)

Green Flowers picked from a vintage pile of lace, ric rac, and fabric ribbons

The thought of making gift tags for selling got me out of bed on Monday morning. I had English tutorials with my student that afternoon so I needed to get started early so I could finish plenty before teaching.

I'm into gray stuff but this gray lace is quite pretty!

So early Monday morning... well, not too early because I took the time to exercise, do yoga, practice what my sempai taught me last Saturday, and have a leisurely breakfast (=^_^=)... okay after all that, I took out one of our small vintage tables (how apt XD) to the backyard with a small stool to make the most out of the nice weather and the natural day light. Then I took out rolls of ribbons, ric rac, and special paper, along with a jar of buttons and a tray of beads and sequins, and continued working on what I started Sunday night ~ handmade gift tags!

Some of our handmade gift tags (^_^)

As I worked the turtles kept me company, until I finished a total of 25 tags. I decided to stop at 25 so I could work on other items too. If we have more time later on, I can make small gift cards (those you can flip open) as another option to choose from apart from just the gift tags. I finished at exactly noon, and before I went in for lunch I pre-cut some ribbons and ric rac for the next pieces of tags when we work on them later on.

Pre cut ribbons - most of these pretty stuff were from a Japanese Surplus store at the bazaar in Rockwell Business Center

After lunch, as I waited for my student to arrive, and then again after he left, I disassembled, cleaned, and wrapped an old size 36 shinai (now I'm using 38, but for women's ~ it's actually among the items in my Christmas wish list so I will love you if I don't already if you gave me one hahaha) in pretty pieces of fabric...

Pre-loved shinai made lovely with fabric

... repurposing it into a frame from which we can hang our handmade tags, cards, and redesigned gift envelopes (=^_^=)

I like the feel of the fabrics on them (^_^) By the way one of the fabrics I used looks like one of my tenugui but it's not :D Mine has blue dots and this one has purple, smaller ones (^^,)

I tied the ends of the staves with nice blue string to form a frame, and then used the same kind of string to tie on top for hanging the whole thing onto a wall, and then I tied rows of string across the frame from which the paper merchandise can hang.

Money / Gift Envelopes Hanging Across a Repurposed Shinai/Frame :D

For the rest of the evening I filled up the rest of the frame with the 25 gift tags I made (the upper half being occupied by the money/gift envelopes), so that all are displayed and can be easily seen by shoppers :3 I was so pleased because our sewing and crafting corner suddenly looked like an actual store XD Anyway after working and chatting a bit with my mom, I went to sleep early because yesterday morning my sister and I went to the market to buy some fabric and other materials. Before leaving the house I had Omurice from Outer Space.

This omurice makes me think of an ALIEN. It must be an Outer Space Omurice.

I think it's the eyes that did it. And that smile. That alieny smile. And, is that a tear drop?

Anyway back to earth, after we came from the market, I took a photo of our new bazaar poster outside our gate.

Bazaar this coming Friday and Monday! (*^_^*)

For the rest of the day, I worked on improving the display of the gift tags on the shinai-made frame, then proceeded to work on the new batch of eco bags (by the way this time we added eco bags in Large size, apart from the current Regular one). Will get back to them now, then redesign some shoes, this time for selling! XD So many people last time asked if our shoes were for sale, or if we will sell any like them XD So we got plain pairs and will redesign them, turning them into pretty pairs which we will also sell (^^,) Updates and photos next time~ :-*

Only Tuesday

2011-12-13T23:01:00.002+08:00

It's only Tuesday and I feel like I have already done so much and as though I have not sat in front of my computer for days! (That's a good thing by the way, because it means I have been so into my offline To-Dos, particularly crafting and preparing for this Friday's bazaar. Photos of the poster and recent handmade stuff to follow. I just thought I'd say hi (^_^) Hi! :D

On Expressing Joy

2011-12-11T18:04:00.001+08:00

I have recently made some notes to myself which I think would be fine to share with you. Just a few things to consider or remember when you are bursting with happiness and feeling festive about something great that happened in your life:

Let your joy radiate through you and share it with those who wish to bask in your radiance.
Don't allow a person who cannot be happy for you dampen your mood or prevent you from expressing your joy and your gratitude to those who share your joy.
Be grateful to the people who sincerely expressed their happiness for you. Try to focus on everything you are grateful for.
Surround yourself with people you can be happy with; avoid being around the person who makes you feel bad about being too festive or having accomplished something.
If it cannot be helped and a person openly ignores you or snaps at you because you seem Too Happy, just move on and resort to number 2.

I made these notes to myself because I have gotten so tired from trying to adjust for a really long time. By adjusting I mean preventing myself from expressing joy and excitement when there are people who feel bad about the reason I am happy. I either just express the joy to myself when I am alone in my room, or until the time I get to see my friends again. I have also been tired with trying to express just a tiny amount of glee, and then someone shoots it down by highlighting something I either do not have or lack. I just got fed up. That's why I think it's never a good idea for you or anyone to keep all the joy bottled up inside (sounds wrong, usually it's anger or resentment that gets bottled up) just because someone else feels he or she should have gotten more than you do. You see, life is not about competing or comparing. ESPECIALLY when there is no competition going on and comparing just makes you feel bad about yourself. It will make you miss out on all the great, wonderful things you already have.

Kendo Surprise (^______^)

2011-12-11T17:18:00.001+08:00

As mentioned in a previous post, I finished making the gift envelopes we will be selling this Friday LAST Friday (^_^) After that I still had to check on a few other things so I slept a little late, meaning I had very little time on Saturday morning to do more crafting or even write a few articles.

Gift / Money Envelopes with fabric, printed paper, buttons, and beads

Time was short on Saturday morning because apart from waking up late (around 9 am), I had to prepare much earlier for kendo because it was going to be our yearend tournament, plus the usual time has been moved to half an hour earlier.

MKC's giveaway for this year (^_^) どうもありがとうございました！

There were two sets of individual tournament - one for kyu and one for dan level. During the tournament for the kyu level I volunteered to assist in tying the white cloth at the back of each participant to get my mind off my own match later on (^^U)

Kawaiiiii~ He's even carrying a tiny shinai XD *ready for the match*

When it was time for the dan level tournament, I waited a while since I was yet to be on the 10th match. Surprisingly I was quite calm during the entire set until I fought. Maybe it had something to do with the white cloth taking my mind off things XD Anyway I lost in my match, but it mattered to me that I did not panic especially when the guy against me is very good, and was quite calm and composed as well XD After the entire competition, we still had time for keiko (yeiy) so it was great (^_^)

Before everything ended the awards were given out, and I am tingling with joy whenever I remember I received one too (^_______________^) I got a special award for my waza during the shiai *kilig* When the president called out my name I thought for a few seconds I was hallucinating but when I realized that everyone was looking at me then I knew I had to stand up and receive my token (*^_^*)

A bag and a phone strap ~ yeiy I've always wanted a kendoka to keep me company and now I have one hanging from my phone XD

I felt so bursty with disbelief and giddy with glee and realized that all my home practice this week helped me a lot (^^,) This means I really need to keep attending and practicing on my own, which I don't get to do (>.<) But anyway, still, this totally cheered me up (not that I am sad, but I mean it made me More Cheerful :D) because it was skill-related and not like my usual attendance-related awards XD Moving forward, I will keep doing my best ~ がんばります！

Mr. Pebbleman, in Color :D

2011-12-11T11:38:00.001+08:00

In September 17th of last year, I drew Mr. Pebbleman and my sister immediately took a liking to him.

Mr. Pebbleman protecting something important

Since she is now redecorating her home, she requested for her own Mr. Pebbleman, in color, and preferably drinking coffee. She intends to frame it and hang it on the wall. I chose colors that will match her color scheme.

Holding up Mr. Pebbleman ~ will just need to cut out the left side of the paper :D

Peachie's Pear Purse... Soon XD

2011-12-10T08:48:00.001+08:00

In one my of my previous posts, I mentioned receiving a package from Joanne of Craft Passion. (Check out the blog list on my side bar; Craft Passion is one of those I follow/subscribe to ^_^) It was a kit for sewing a pear-shaped purse - and she gave a number of kits away to people for free!

DIY Sewing Kit from Craft Passion ~ Thanks Joanne! (^_^)

I am still practicing on sewing along a straight line, sewing with even and correct spacing from the edges of fabrics, and sewing not too tightly, so I want to touch this precious pear kit when I am able to sew more properly (^^U) My aunt also gave me some patterns to sew and wear but I will touch all these nice freebies and presents when I am sure I can make a proper finished product XD I am excited to make them though, and I promise to post a photo of this really nice pear when it's finished. For the meantime, I will be practicing, in between preparing for our next two Holiday Bazaars. Last night I finished designing all the gift envelopes we will sell on the 16th (^^,)

The DIY Sewing Kit sent by Joanne is complete and carefully put together ~ lovely (^_^)

Vintagey Pieces

2011-12-09T21:24:00.001+08:00

More and more bazaars are sprouting here and there especially during this season, including ours XD However, everyone in our family also loves checking out what other shops have to offer, and we usually find and buy something we really like.

When we went to my cousin's birthday last Sunday after our morning bazaar, it was the last day of Acacia Estates' (in Taguig City) weekend bazaar. After having sold some of our merchandise to our cousins and their friends in the party at the second floor of the clubhouse, my sister and I went downstairs where the shops were. I got myself a pair of really pretty earrings; they reminded me of the Black Apple. *love*

Pretty Earrings with a Girl and Her Owl

Afterward we went to check out another bazaar at the Rockwell Business Center across the Medical City. My dad bought me a really pretty ring. It goes well with my new earrings (*^_^*)

Yup that's a ring beside my new earrings XD

Later on we came across a Japanese Surplus stall, and we found a jar of assorted vintage buttons! So perfect for our crafting! (^_^)

A jar of hand picked buttons

My sister stayed over until after dinner, at which time we decided to go through all the buttons while having coffee. We found various odd and cute shapes, and I grouped some of them according to their colors because they were so pretty (^^U)

Clockwise from Top Left: Blue and brown buttons, Greens, Pink and Red, and the Whites and Colorless

Earlier today I designed some gift envelopes and already used some of the buttons (=^_^=)

Cleaning Up the Craft Corner

2011-12-07T15:30:00.001+08:00

Because the past few weeks have been quite busy, our craft corner has somewhat gone awry (^^U) especially when we shopped for more supplies and materials and just dumped most of them, still in their packaging, wherever there was space available. Last night (after writing 20 short articles) I was going to design some cards and envelopes, but the craft corner practically Threatened me against approaching it. So I just stuck to cutting and punching holes into over 300 price tags, and decided to clean up the corner today and organize things.

The craft corner was threatening but not as threatening as The Threatening Cat (^^U)

So earlier this afternoon I cleaned up the whole area and found containers for most items, though I also made a list in the process of other things we will need to keep all the supplies and materials organized and easy to find. For the meantime, I placed "homeless" items with the fewer supplies until we are able to make or buy containers for them in the right sizes.

Now that everything is in order, tomorrow, or perhaps tonight after kendo, I intend to proceed to designing more envelopes and gift cards (^_^) *excited*

A set of gift cards I made before (*^_^*)

Having a clean and organized space really sets the right mood for working! (^_^) Actually I think the same thing goes for studying or doing anything else. It's important to clean up the working space and make sure everything is in place so there are no distractions and it would set the mood for "there is nothing else to do but work/study now." :)

Moshi Koshi + More Sales = Nice Weekend

2011-12-06T11:22:00.001+08:00

I went back to practicing kendo last Saturday. As it turns out the girls being mixed with the boys was not a permanent thing, so I guess I will really have to try to make it to Wednesday practice sessions no matter what if I want to be able to practice with various opponents. Anyway the brighter side of Saturday was that I was able to finally do keiko with a sensei who had visited here before and whom I came across with in Hong Kong but never managed to practiced with. He will only be here for a few days though, so he won't be around again next Saturday. However Yamanishi sensei will be here at that time for the Yamanishi tournament so yeiy! (^_^)

After kendo practice we (I, my sister, and kendo friends mostly from our batch) went over to Moshi Koshi, a new Japanese restaurant along Shaw Boulevard, across Pure Gold. We were invited by LV (another kendo friend) and her husband because I think they partly own the restaurant and they really invited people to visit prior to their actual opening (which I think was yesterday).

Moshi Koshi - Having tasted their Shoyu Ramen makes them THE Noodle Boss XD

Some of the sensei were there as well as a few other classmates. The place was pretty cozy and nice and I am already thinking of going back there to eat (^_^) Most of my friends ordered Yakisoba while I picked the Shoyu ramen which I really liked (^_^) Afterwards, since I have not been to kendo for three weeks, and LV even longer, we updated each other about things and it led to a super fun girl talk (^^,)

Happy women with noodles in their bellies :D

It was really nice to be among friends who are fun and comfortable to be with. You hardly notice the time passing by and there is just so much laughter. It was just like spending time with Jen and Peter at their home, being among close relatives, or enjoying desserts and coffee with certain kendo friends.

Chocolate Pudding, Cranberry Pudding, and Blueberry Cheesecake with Coffee and Tea, enjoyed by my sister and I with PW, Shad, Cliff, Em, and Lae a few months back (^_^)

We were the last to leave Moshi Koshi along with the other kendo classmates who showed up, and after we have said our goodbyes, my sister, PW, and I went to have coffee and Red Velvet cake over at Poco Deli. I LOVE their Red Velvet cake. It was PERFECT with coffee - the sweetness was just right and the cake texture was just how I like it (^^,)

The next day was our second time to open our Holiday Bazaar. It was such a cold morning, and after I dressed up and stepped out to take care of our shop, my sister bought us super warm taho (^_^) ~Gomawo!

Taho (^_^) I didn't finish mine though because I also had a slice of toast and jam so I shared the rest with Em, who came to help us for a while.

Because it was a really rainy morning, and we were only open til noon, only a few shoppers stopped by and purchased something. Before Em left though, he bought one of our eco shopping bags for his niece (^_^)

Oh look, a nice man bought the bag with the apple on it! :D

After closing shop at noon, we quickly put away things and drove off to a cousin's birthday party, where we also brought a number of clothes and bags for selling. They loved the pieces we brought and we sold a number of dresses and bags. One of my cousins who would have bought all the dresses was not around though, so we will just see her in the next family gathering. It was good to be able to sell even though the morning rained on our bazaar XD (Those of you are selling items this season - take advantage of get-togethers and bring some of your merchandise which people can buy right away. This can also help you invite more people to your shops! :) Choose the pieces which are likely to attract the kind of people you are meeting up with!)

The party was held on the second floor of a huge clubhouse, and on the ground floor were various stalls - bazaar everywhere! We bought some accessories for ourselves and some materials for our own shop :) Before heading home, we dropped by another bazaar closer to home, where we bought more craft materials from a Japanese store, some personal accessories, and snow cones (Mine was rootbeer flavored! XD) Photos of these pretty things to follow (^^,)

Our First Holiday Bazaar

2011-12-04T18:36:00.001+08:00

Last Thursday, we had our first bazaar for our pretty, vintage, and handmade merchandise. As I mentioned in my previous post, the couple of weeks prior to the bazaar day have been so busy and almost sleepless. Anyway it was mostly fun because for the first time in my life I was able to work for several hours just crafting or sewing without having to worry about work because the same thing I enjoy doing is also my work (^_^)

Holiday Bazaar Poster

While my sister took care of inventory, schedule, purchase of materials, planning, price tags, and clothes selection, I did the paper crafting, the sewing and redesigning of clothes and bags, and helped out in pricing the merchandise.

An apple pattern for one of the eco bags

Among the things I redesigned are eco bags - each bag has a unique design. The shapes were drawn by my sister since my drawings tend to be asymmetrical and the shapes might not be easily recognizable (^^U) Then I just used the shapes as my guide for cutting out the fabric :)

L-R: The apple (a favorite by my sister and our friend Em), the cupcake and coffee, the cat, the eggplant, and the flower

L-R: The layered heart, the carrot (another favorite by my sister, and also mine ^_^), and the two hearts

L-R: The strawberry (another favorite by my sister XD) and another flower design

We also redesigned some native bags - these we decided on and designed together. Here are a couple of designs we did and put up for sale in our bazaar:

Flower patches and lace patterns (^_^)

Apart from the vintage and handmade items, there were Bargain Bins set up front for some garage sale regulars.

Bargain Bins: 10, 30, 50, and 60 bucks for a good find!

One section of the bazaar that was frequented by many male shoppers was the area where we placed boxes of vintage records.

Vintage Records (We only put out a number of boxes but there is definitely more where these came from!)

Female shoppers of course frequented the racks of pretty clothes - dresses, tops, and beautiful skirts!

So many pretty clothes!

So we spent all of Thursday selling (and buying food from vendors passing by XD) and cheerfully waving at passers by, inviting them to come visit our mini bazaar :D

Our bazaar poster, inviting more people to come in (^_^)

During the slower hours, my sister crocheted, while I took a pair of her brown shoes and started sewing something on them, like what I did to my own floral pair (^_^)

Sewing on a blue silk flower on my sister's brown shoe (My beautiful necklace is from Rose Citron, a store I absolutely love.) Please ignore the huge eye bags from almost sleepless nights.

Blue, orange, and green designs on otherwise super plain brown shoes. I used these colors because they are all in my sister's personal color scheme.

While I sewed on the shoes, buyers kept asking if we were selling them (^^U) Maybe it would be a great idea to make more for selling (^_^) Anyway after I finished the now pretty pair of shoes, my sister was so excited to wear them. I was wearing my own pair of customized shoes so we took a photo of them (^_^)

Pretty Pairs of Shoes (^_^)

Our second bazaar opening was this morning, from 9 am to 12 noon. We had to close shop by noon time because we had to attend a birthday party for one of my cousins. We also brought some of the merchandise to the party and a number of people bought some bags and dresses :) Some photos from this morning's bazaar will be shared in the next post/s.

10 Things I Love About The Past Week

2011-11-28T22:59:00.001+08:00

Since coming back from Jen and Peter's place last week, I have obviously been away from the computer and hence have not been able to post in my blog (^^U) Been so busy preparing for this week's Christmas bazaar - getting used to sewing (yes we already bought our sewing machine yay! XD), buying supplies and materials, redesigning clothes, paper crafting, and getting things organized, among other things.

That means I am still quite in the middle of things but I wanted to post some updates before I go to bed (have to sleep early because we're running tomorrow a little after sunrise) - it's been a week! So here are the top 10 things since my last post, and I love each one of them, even the ones that seem so ordinary (^_^)

1. First, I received a package from Malaysia! (^_^)

Sent by Joanne of Craft Passion (*^_^*) ~ Thanks Joanne!!!

Joanne of Craft Passion gave away Pear Purse sewing project kits over a month ago, and I was lucky enough to receive one (^_^) Photos to follow, as I have gushed over this really nice freebie but have had not taken proper photos yet (^^U) Moreover, I have yet to improve my sewing skills before I even dare touch this kit and begin creating my own pear purse. I promise to share photos though, whether my purse turns out like a pear or something sort of like it :D

2. We bought our sewing machine (=^_^=)

We picked the vintage-looking Singer sewing machine and just had the sewing motor attached to it.

I got the Pear Purse giveaway came just in time - right before we picked up the sewing machine (^_^) Our aunt (the one who makes nice dresses for all of us girls) came with us and gave us a crash course. Photos of my sewing attempts to follow (^^U)

3. I planted some seeds.

Patola seeds :D

The same aunt brought us patola seeds to plant. Actually I rarely eat this vegetable but she told us how easy it is to grow them (she has plenty in her backyard) and since everyone in my family loves it, then it would be great if we grew our own (^_^) I was also inspired by Jen's homegrown vegetables :) I want my own garden of arugula though XD

4. I soaked and hung the cotton fabrics out to dry.

Lovely fabrics (^_^)

I took out the fabrics we bought and soaked them in some water one at a time for a few seconds then hung them out to dry. The weather has been great - very sunny and windy - so everything was dry in about a couple of hours.

5. I took care of some clothes and other merchandise.

Cute buttons on a lovely top

I made some repairs on a few pieces of clothes and redesigned some - making sure that the buttons are sewed on firmly, there are no holes or damages, and adding some character to very plain pieces.

6. I figured out how to make and sew on flowers on certain pieces of clothing.

The black flower adds more charm to this lovely yellow tank :)

I was eventually able to create a flower from nice fabrics and sew them onto pieces that could do some livening up (^_^)

7. I enjoyed sewing on flowers that I did the same to my shoes.

My shoes, made even more Peachie by yours truly.

I got this cute pair of shoes but have never worn them because I wanted to add something but was not yet sure what exactly. After redesigning some clothes and discovering some fabric with lovely colors, I decided to add some flowers that will stand out from the prints (^_^)

8. Had tea with friends.

An attempt (which failed) by my friend PW to take my picture - I think my ring looks nice though XD

Again, I did not attend kendo last Saturday (^^U) I heard great news though that they have finally, finally, mixed the girls in with the boys, both in practice and in shiai. I seriously hope and wish it stays that way *contains excitement* Anyway after their kendo practice, my sister and I met up with some friends for dinner and tea. (I hardly ate though because prior to meeting up with them I wolfed down Caramel Krispy Kreme and totally enjoyed their coffee.)

9. I get to hug Arthur again *love*

I love you Arthur!!!!! *hearts* (Face looks swollen but I think I can deal with it ^^U It was the lack of sleep!)

After a long time, I got to hug Arthur again (we used to date). XD I also got to pet his daughter Eva, but I can't hug her because she tries to pounce on me whenever I get near her.

10. I designed / decorated some envelopes.

Envelope with an origami yukata which I made months ago (*^_^*)

Apart from taking care of the clothes, I also began working on some paper crafts. Each envelope comes with a unique design so they were all so much fun to do (^_^)

Today I did more sewing and redesigning, hence a super busy day. Tomorrow after running we will pick up more clothes (^_^) Good night and promise to post more next time~

A Shower of Pleasant Surprises

2011-11-22T11:46:00.001+08:00

After the sunny humid days comes a cold, rainy day. While many people I know dislike the rainy weather, I happen to like it (^_^) (It's true though, that I like the weather whatever it is XD) It started raining last night, while my sister, our dear friend Jen, and I were so engrossed in our conversation about our childhood and the thoughts we had growing up about being poor, getting to college, and working in an office. It was the last of our long series of conversations since Sunday morning, when we went to the home she shares with Peter, for a sleepover that turned out to be totally fun and inspiring. So last night, we sat in the living room and talked some more while we waited for our dad to pick us up, as it rained outside.

Even before it had started raining though, a shower of pleasant surprises has already begun for me. They're snippets of surprises which, put together, make up a wonderful couple of days (^_^)

Receiving Kit Kat (Green Tea Flavor) from a kendo classmate = Pleasant Surprise (^_^)

A pleasant surprise can just be a tiny fraction of your day but it can wipe away a huge chunk of events that can make a day seem miserable, or it can turn any ordinary day into a really great one.

Leaves (one of my mom's plants) Wet from the Rain - Even the rain was a pleasant surprise (^_^)

If I look back, even before last Sunday and Monday's sleepover, I will realize that snippets of nice surprises have always colored otherwise seemingly blah days, or made great days even greater. From a green tea chocolate given by a classmate, to a pleasant change in the weather, to being brought a box of 6 donuts when I only wanted one, any pleasant surprise can totally change my day ~ especially if I let it. This is why it is always good to take each pleasant surprise as a reminder or an assurance that there is always, always something good in anything at any day. Look back at any recent incident when an unexpected nice thing seemed to change your entire day, or even your outlook on life.

Seems this dino-friend has switched to being donut-saur

The past couple of days was already so much fun and was a perfect break from everything, and both days were made even better than sprinkles of tiny surprises.

Sunday morning, we drove to Alabang to the home of Jen and Peter, stopping by McDonald's to grab some breakfast. Since I have not gone out for quite some time and we often just had McDonald's food delivered to our home (plus I rarely watch TV and local channels), I was surprised to find miniature McDonald's burger, fries, and coffee available for just 39 bucks (^_^) I've always wanted them since I saw then in Danny Choo's blog, although the freebies here are much, much bigger and are meant more for decorating than for attaching onto mobile phones. I bought one (the coffee) anyway, because it is so cute XD

Mini McCafes next to the real thing :D

While we ate, my phone rang and it was quite an unexpected call from someone at kendo, asking if I was okay, probably because it was the first time I was absent from kendo for two consecutive Saturdays (^^U) I just told her I've been busy with work-stuff and that I was feeling tired, since I was not prepared to answer the question (^^U) (Actually I have not been feeling up to it, more because I have not been mentally prepared for it, but that is another story altogether and I just like to let it sit in my head for now instead of here ^^U) She also informed me of next month's tournament, as well as our previous sensei coming over to visit from Japan on that day XD It was a really pleasant surprise, because many of us have been missing practice with him and his method of practice, where everyone gets to practice together, meaning the women are mixed in with the males, and we do rounds at keiko, instead of lining up for a sensei or motodachi and only ending up with 2 to 3 keiko sets, or 4 if one is very, very lucky. *sigh* Anyway moving on XD He will be here for the yearend tournament so there would be no keiko on that day, but it is still a great thing to hear. Actually, the call itself was also a nice surprise, though I have yet to wait for the day or the right time to be able to speak up about Those Things Currently Sitting In My Head. The important thing now is that the call and the news cheered me up. (^_^)

Eventually we finished eating and headed to Jen and Peter's home, where Peter welcomed us since Jen had to go back to sleep for a while. The entire morning was spent catching up with Peter in their backyard, until we moved to their super cozy living room when it became too warm outside. Later on Jen woke up, and Peter stepped out to buy food while we caught up with her.

After not seeing them for what seemed like ages, especially since I felt at some point that we might have grown apart, it was a great surprise to find that when we started talking to Jen, it just felt like we picked up from the last time we were together. (^_^)

Towards the evening, my sister and I gave Jen's new foosball table a try, and though I ended up helping myself lose the game, we still ended up bent over from laughing so hard. Jen and Peter cheered us on between laughters. (The following evening, Monday, we played it again while Jen worked upstairs in their study room and Peter toiled in the office, and the game still seemed like a comedy show.) After one round we all went up to the study room where we bought some clothes and accessories from Jen's store merchandise. She also have me some Japanese tea cups and jelly soaps which she herself just made. The soap I got totally smells like fresh watermelon and I love it (^_^)

Neatly hair brushed men who can only move sideways and always kick the ball with both feet at the same time :D

From late dinner to around 2 am, we sat around the dining table with food and wine and even more laughter. Even when we talked about family issues and relationship matters, it was surprising to find that everything still felt light and fun, and each one of us always managed to find something funny in any topic, so we always found a reason to make light of everything, while providing each other with helpful insights and inspiring reminders.

Monday morning, Jen made us breakfast since Peter has gone off to work, and won't be back home until the wee hours. Jen was worried for a while if we would find her cooking palatable since she usually just cooked invented dishes for herself XD However, as it turned out, and probably to her surprise, we both loved everything she cooked and prepared for us (^_^) I actually find Jen food delicious and comforting XD

Breakfast was great, but drinking from Mickey's lower body was superb :D

Breakfast extended to another long conversation until early afternoon, during which I did my nails while my sister wrote part of her blog post and Jen cleaned around the house. Later on, Jen sat with us, bringing out her nail care set, and did her nails while I did my sister's, while she read me and Jen an inspiration book by Jack Canfield. Soon after that we were talking about having another workshop which will now include the three of us, as well as forming a support group wherein we would keep each other inspired, motivated, and able to Get Things Done.

Later on, Jen had to retreat to the study room to work on her online job, while my sister and I did tons of other stuff. Anywhere in the house was cozy and relaxing, time just flew by. Actually I was always surprised to find that a couple of hours had passed whenever I happened to look at the clock, because everything was just so much fun.

Around 7, my sister and I had some dinner ahead and washed the dishes quietly so that Jen wouldn't come out and insist that we don't do them XD Then we stayed at the living room with just the lamps on and it all felt so perfect that we started talking about how the sleepover, their home, and Jen and Peter themselves, helped make things lighter, clearer, and better.

After about one and a half hour, Jen came out and made us her own version of toast pastries, and we totally loved it. (^_^) We then talked some more, until our dad came to pick us up. Jen showed him around the house and he was very impressed at how big and beautiful their home was. :)

Since Peter was not home, I just sent him a thank you text message mixed some funny remarks which were borne from our conversations, so he almost spat out the coffee he was drinking in the office XD

I am so happy we spent time with them ~ I felt like tons were lifted off my shoulders and some burnt out lights inside me are lit up again. It is also great to see them and talk to them after a really long time. It reminded me how we were like before, and this time, it's even better (^_^)

It pays to focus on pleasant surprises and see how their effect can expand - take note when they happen to you and let them inspire you and remind you that something good is always bound to happen wherever you are.

Christmas Wish List

2011-11-19T09:49:00.001+08:00

When I was a kid my parents made me write letters to Santa where I would list down things I wanted to receive for Christmas. They made me write them early on so that they could have enough time to look for whichever they decide to pick from the list. :D I remember wishing for a sewing kit one time, with all the colorful threads and tiny scissors and everything ~ talk about simple joys XD So it would be the highlight of the season when it was time for me to write those "Santa letters."

Origami cards, or money/check/handmade coupon holder, which I made ~ One can write her Christmas wish list in it and pin it onto a vision board or mood board

Ever since Santa stopped coming by though, I still made lists, though not in letter form anymore (^^U) Sometimes my parents would ask me to still make a list they can choose from, so that they are sure they are getting me what I would really want :D On top of that, my mom often adds a little surprise on the side that is not on the list, and they are often things I find very very useful (^^,)

My sister told me about her own Christmas wish list for this year, and wrote about it in her weekly blog feature called The Baker's Dozen. I realize that while I feel like I want so many things, it can be quite tough to name 13 Things I Actually Want. I realize that some are just Things That Would Be Nice To Have, but not necessarily things I want :)

Now, inspired by Inspired-Everyday's wish list preparation (which also took some time because she realized the same thing XD), I now proceed to make my own XD

1. An Amazon gift certificate

2. The new Kindle XD

3. A trip to any place I want

4. Continuation of my Japanese classes

5. Plenty of Moleskine sketchpads XD

6. PSP-3000 to replace the (really old) one I have XD

7. An e-course (or two) that I want to take

8. The new iPod Shuffle to replace my current faulty one :T

Any color would do *hearts*

9. An Appetime watch (^__^)

Sweet Time (^_^)

10. An order of three to five (or even more! XD) A-Line dresses sewn by my aunt, so that it also helps her out (^^,)

11. Two or three extra pieces of women's practice shinai (size 38) (=^_^=)

12. A selection of craft and sewing materials ~ think fabrics, notions, patches, trimmings, and paper materials (among other things) which I choose and pick - for free! XD

13. A Popcorn Hour media player :D

That did take time! XD Anyway it was fun :) No more letters to Santa, but consider this a letter or list for the Universe XD

Going Through the... Notions XD

2011-11-18T10:30:00.001+08:00

Notions, fabrics, and our childhood hometown ~ that was what most of yesterday was all about (^_^)

As I mentioned the other day, Thursday was scheduled for visiting the local market in our childhood hometown. In the morning, my sister and I met up with our aunt in our grandma's house (where she fed us champorado and dried fish ^____^), because she said we might get hungry on the way (as though we were going someplace really far XD)

Chicken Town - Our home town is not like this though (^_^) It just reminded me of the local market.

The local market totally looked different from how I remember it..... uhm, 23 years or so ago (^^U) It was more spacious, brighter, cleaner, and friendlier. Way back it was dark, muddy, and borderline scary depending on the crowd. Everything was also more organized and the stores were more inviting to shoppers.

First off we headed for the section on notions, laces, and trimmings. The fabric section was scheduled for after lunch. We were totally stunned at the numerous varieties of buttons, laces, patches, ric rac, trimmings, ribbons, and velvet materials available to us, all at crazy affordable prices.

Stunned. The lady said the buttons are sold by the dozen ~ at 5 pesos per dozen.

The man who sold us plenty of lace and other materials also threw in a lot of freebies for us, including those large vintage diaper pins with animal heads. XD As we bagged our purchases we couldn't stop thinking about the designs we will make on the clothes hanging in our dress rack back home.

Origami One Piece Dresses that I made - all lined up, just like the lineup of redesigned items in our heads.

Next stop was the fabric section. We selected various designs and bought some lining too for the other items we will create. My hands are itching to sew and make pretty things.

After buying all our dry goods we went to the wet market so our aunt can buy some things which our grandma asked her to buy. Seeing all the butchers and all the fresh meat, vegetables, grains, and fruits, brought a flood of childhood memories, and for some odd reason I felt hungry.

To further overwhelm us with vivid images of our childhood, our aunt brought us to the section where they sold party sweets and snacks, the kinds that I only see now in small stores within old neighborhoods or provincial areas. We tried to look for the powdered candy in small plastic containers with soda labels, which you take through a tiny straw, but there were none (^^U) We saw loads of sweet breads though, as well as colorful hard candies, cookies with iced gems, bags of rainbow sprinkles, and plastic miniatures of dinner and cooking ware.

Rainbow Sprinkles in my Planner, to make the months sweeter

Before heading back to our grandma's house, we stopped to buy some watermelon, mangoes, and Japanese corn. With our eco bags bursting with purchased goods, we took a jeep.

Stairs going up to our grandma's home; those are our grandpa's paintings.

In our grandma's house, we found our mom suddenly there XD She was having a really late lunch which was prepared for her by our grandma. We left them and our aunt to catch up, while we stepped out again (after dropping off our bags) to check out the nearby ukay stores.

A Nice Skirt from an ukay shop

We were only able to buy a few pieces, since most of the other items were not very interesting, so we headed back to our grandma's house. The whole house smelled like dinner, so we realized it was already late in the afternoon. We were exhausted but it was all so much fun.

Back home the first thing I did was take a bath XD I thought I needed a nap but I was more cheered than drained by the whole trip, so I proceeded to reviewing some Japanese notes while eating the chocolate I mentioned in the last part of my other blog post - and it was GOOD (^_^) I really like it. It's a burst of different tastes and textures and it's the kind of unusual taste that I will seek out later on XD

The pleasant combination of melty bittersweetness, "rough" sourness, and grainy saltiness XD (Chocolate from Echo Market!)

Today, we are not going out, but instead we will have a meeting about everything in our inventory so far and what we will need to do (and make) the whole of next week (after a weekend sleepover with our friends). I think we are also getting our sewing machine next week!! XD That means next week will be Very Busy but Very Fun (^___^)

Thrift Trips

2011-11-16T20:59:00.001+08:00

Today was all about visiting Thrift Shops :)

We decided to have our parents come along so we could also spend some family time. In the car on our way to the shops, I reviewed my Japanese notes while eating some gummy bears.

Gummy Bears

We also dropped by home decor stores, but most of them sold Christmas items, so we were not able to buy as much for what we actually need at the moment. The trips to various thrift stores were more interesting. We found vintage typewriters, cameras, radios, records, and soda products. Some of them cost a lot so we just took note of what to save up and come back for. These items may either go to my sister's personal vintage collection, or to our shop when it grows, so it's good to know where we can get them.

There was a bookstore that we checked out, but we didn't stay too long because our parents were starting to want to go and see some other place, so my sister and I will just go back next time, when we can stay for as long as we want with all those old books. I managed to find and buy two though.

I know I totally judged this book by its cover.

The first one is a children's book, and it caught my eye because it looked pretty and interesting, and I am an Asia-lover. It was also one of those books that I felt I had to buy, not just because it was pretty, but also because I felt it stored an interesting world inside it. I browsed through the pages and I liked it even more, with all its pretty artwork.

Pretty Asian Themes

The second book is by Truman Capote, whom I've heard of about a hundred times but whose books I have never read.

A Penguin Book, with the "k" torn (or bitten) off XD

It was wrapped in plastic and no one was allowed to unwrap those in sealed plastic packs, maybe because they are the really much older books and they might just fall to pieces when constantly browsed through (^^U) When I got home, I unwrapped it, and found that it was a gift from someone to someone else, in January of 1972.

The message read: Happy Three Kings (made me think of Happy Tree Friends)

I know I said to myself that I will refrain from buying too many new books because I have a number which I have bought before but have not read yet until now, but it is nice to find really old books like these, so it's okay to buy them (^_^)

Tomorrow, we will go back to our old hometown and scour the area for shops where we can buy sewing materials and supplies. Our aunt will come with us, and we might eat in the food stall of one of our cousins (^^,)

Banns and Boys, Basically The Same

2011-11-16T19:13:00.001+08:00

In Dragon Age: Origins, many thought that the momentary flirting of Bann Teagan would lead to something else, but after all the challenges and success of the heroine, Bann Teagan had not budged. (Translation: Despite the flirty remark, Bann Teagan had Absolutely No Intentions of taking things to the next level. Level up all you want, but Bann Teagan stays where he is XD)

This kinda looks intense, but don't be fooled - Bann Teagan just LOOKS intense. And that's it XD

As I mentioned in my Cold and Sweet blog post, the talk of relationships has been kind of springing up here and there. Around the same time, as I passed the bookshelf outside my room, the spine of He's Just Not That Into You sort of jumped out at me, so I took it and re-read some of the pages, highlighting sections that seem more relevant now, not just for me but for those whose stories have been brought up lately to me.

Yesterday, before my sister and I went on our material-shopping-trip, we dropped by her old office and got to talking (after a long time) with her old friends, most of whom are also known to me. Two of them, who are really great women and are in very happy relationships (one is very happily married and the other has just been engaged last month), apparently just summed up and reinforced what I too have been discussing with those whom I have been speaking to recently about relationships. Talking to them further encouraged our resolve about dealing with and handling these relationship issues. Although what they said were not very different from what we have been discussed and analyzed and learned, they were still quite refreshing and very much enlightening. (In a nutshell, it was about the roles men take, from the pursuing to the providing.) To add to that, their cheerfulness and positive demeanor were energizing, and they looked even prettier because of the happiness that radiated from them. It was all inspiring, really. When we stepped out of the building, I actually felt glad that we got to spend time with them. Even when we talked about someone else's relationship or history, I still found them all relevant to me too in one way or another.

So just to make sense of why this post has that title - how are Banns and boys the same? Basically, even if they flirt, or become extra nice, or seem to be very interested, it does not mean anything as long as they have not actually taken steps to pursue. If they are already in the relationship with you, there is the question of Where Things Will Go if they do not show any signs of heading in any specific direction after a few years.

Around 2 pm, we had a (super) late lunch of chicken, potatoes, and pizza, then bought loads of materials for our crafting. It was so exciting to look at (and pick, and buy~) all the pretty, colorful things. We were dead tired as we rode the cab home late in the afternoon, but we felt like we have accomplished So Much. We actually failed to visit some stores due to the prolonged conversations in her old office, but we strongly felt that all happened at the perfect time, which is also why we felt we accomplished more than we intended to.

After getting back home, we just dropped off our purchases then stepped out again for some coffee and More Conversations, though it was just the two of us. I was exhausted but it was really pleasant to just sit down and have coffee and a totally interesting conversation which allowed us to process our thoughts and think out loud.

I slept not too late but I guess due to the over fatigue, I had bad dreams about a girl I really admire totally hating me and preventing me from even looking at her pictures, and was furious when she found out I had one with me (>.<) Anyway it was all just a horrible, horrible nightmare, and I woke up this morning excited for today's scheduled scanning and shopping (^_^) See you in the next post for what today was all about!