Phew…. I can finally relax after a very hectic month.

August 2011 has been a very busy month for me.  I think my blog missed me too (^_^)

Building Our Family Kampung House

It started with a trip back to my village or ‘kampung’ as we called it here for the purpose of looking at the cleared land that my sister planned to build her house.  It was long overdue and it was what my late mother had wished for.   My cousin’s wife (Mailin) told us that as soon as the land was cleared, she dreamt of my late mother who looked really happy and told her how excited ‘she’ was that a house would finally be built on that piece of land.  Hmm…. It seems that the spirit world is still connected to our world after all.

Anyway, here you can see my nephew Jonathan parading comically with his red umbrella on that cleared land. Hehehe….. so cute.

The appointed contractor, Jay (in the middle) and his nephew.

At first, my sisters (as usual) were reluctant to disclose any details with me.  I don’t know why but they usually end up telling me when things got bad and needed help to bail them out.  Maybe they were scared of me because I’m the oldest sister and a very strict person. But they still come to me because I am the only sibling with a good sense of judgement.  Same thing here, i.e. they didn’t have any plan, just the money to build the house and tons of impatience coming from my younger sister.    

This is the house plan that I designed.  Thanks so much to this wonderful site:  floorplanner.com

Hmm.. not too shabby right? The website's great.  Anyone can use it for free for your first plan.  The best part is you can see your plan in 3-D.  Really cool.   

For the front slopping side of the family house, I have found this gorgeous picture as sample.  I think I can create this.  Fingers crossed ^ ^

Money Plant

One morning, I was surprised to see this weird looking thing sticking out from the “Money Plant” that I bought many years ago so I took a picture of it.  The “thing” was actually its flower.  I googled the plant’s real name and came to know that its real name is Zamioculcas Zamiifolia or simply ZZ, a plant from Eastern Africa.  Heyyy.. wait-tha-minute... All the while I thought it was from our Borneo jungle!  How come? Hmm… Anyway, it is a poisonous plant ~ so no chewing on leaves heheh.

Three Gorgeous Island Castaways ~ -Mabul -Island, -Semporna

Well..err not really castaway hikhik… Just went for a look see over at -Mabul -Island from 5th August 2011 with my girlfriends.    So much has changed since my last visit back in 1997.  I was scuba -diving in -Sipadan then and accepted an invitation to go on a speedboat ride to -Mabul.  Back then it was only populated by a small fishing village and many coconut trees.  I remembered always looking up ‘em coconut trees fearing that a nut will suddenly fall down hitting my head.  Heheh.. crazy.  Niways, there was only one –resort there and a very very long jetty.  Waaa.. the island has changed completely. Nowadays, the fishermen communities have quadrupled and so were the number of –resorts and –tourists.  It feels more like a small town now.   We visited almost all the –resorts.  The most beautiful thing I found about this island is how abundant and close-by were its live corals to the shore.  The sea was crystal clear with visibility up to the bottom of its seabed.  Sadly, I was unable to join my girlfriends snorkeling because of my 'period'. 

There was one strange experience I encountered on the island though.  On the last day of our stay, at about 3 am, I was awaken because of a sudden strong wind that hit the island.  I was feeling a bit uneasy.  Then, I heard a very strange very sharp whistling sound.  It was really weird.  To me it sounded not like a whistle that one blows.  It was more like a voice.  Sea Sirens e.g. Mermaid definitely came to mind.  I was glad that one of my girlfriend, Angel heard it too.  She told me that at first, she thought that I was whistling because she saw me walk to and fro the chalet window that early morning still in the dark.  Hmm.. this one I will never forget.  

A view of Mount Kinabalu from our plane.

 Fishing ships in -Semporna.

One of the -resort in -Mabul.

My girlfriends ~Angel & Sue 

Me : -P

I just love these lights at the Spa.

Sea Snake sleeping.

Going back.

Ha... my pretty blue toenails hehehe.

This island looked interesting.  But I don't know its name.

Arrived in -Semporna.

Non-stop Sewing

I’m actually a lazy seamstress but this time around I did pushed myself to complete incoming projects and I’m really proud of myself.    I’ve managed to design, cut and sew five pieces of clothing for my workmate’s  flower girls dresses as well as Otromen’s, Brenda’s and her daughter’s Baju Raya for the Hari Raya Aidilfitri 2011 celebration.    It was a great personal achievement record for me.  Mind you, no one has paid me any money yet... Heheh except for Otromen who brought me to see the musical fountain at Perdana Park.  So  I consider his due paid ^__^ 

To be honest, I don’t really want to be paid for these projects as I was sewing for friends and loved the learning process along the way.  Unfortunately when the sewing ‘marathon’ ended, I ended being sick myself.  Caught the flu.  Darn the warm weather! Heheh.  Thankfully I’ve recovered.  Unfortunately, my sewing enthusiasm has receded too.  

Here are pictures taken during and after the projects.

Yeayy.. I finally bought a mannequin from Iron-Nique (KK) in Bundusan.  The store manager was a very kind man and sold this mannequin for only RM 100.  God bless him :-)

Bride's Flower Girls Dresses

Colour ...................  Olive Green

Material ................  Japanese Cotton

Sewing Notes ........  El needed them to be slightly longer i.e. the waist and length of dress.  Also the girls were skinny 10 year-olds so needed to cover their shoulder blades at the back.

Skill Learned ......... First time sewing little girls dresses and attaching tulle netting.  Also, learned making cute flowers from pieces of cloths from -Youtube crash course heheh.

Final Vote ............... Customer satisfied.  I attended El's wedding reception and saw the girls.  Their dresses  fitted perfectly.  

Yep.. I make my own pattern.  It's still a learning process.

The many pieces that I wonder how long it'll take to sew together..

I broke two needles doing this project.  Luckily the dress didn't got hurt hehe.

The finished dresses.  I just loved them.  

The flower I made. ~Love love

Otromen's Baju Raya

Colour  ............   Black

Material ..........  Japanese Satin

Sewing Notes ..  I've already made his last year's baju raya so I have a ready pattern.  But I added another inch on his collar and sleeves and reduced the width of his cuffs.  He has a cute belly now so have to add a few inches to his waist err.. note the chalk drawing on the cloth heheh.  

Final Vote .......  Satisfied.  He can't wait for Hari Raya to come heheh.

Otromen's pants.  Note the addition made on his waistline.  

He requested a smaller back pocket and add cover so that his wallet won't fall off during prayer.  

I added gold patterned ribbon to make the Baju Raya interesting.  This gold pattern was chosen as it  matched his Kain Samping's pattern.

Otromen trying out his baju hehe  ^_^

Mother & Daughter Baju Raya
Colour  ................   Lime Green
Material ..............   Chiffon and Satin Lining
Sewing Notes ......   Reminder to self ~ never ever take last minute sewing project (bad for health) hehe. 
Skilled Learned ..   I used bias cut for the daughter's skirt i.e. maximum bias at the knee so the skirt turned out like a mermaid cut.  As for the mom's, it's the first time I made a strapless dress (Very important note to self; since it is a strapless dress, aside from around the breasts area, I must also take chest measurement above the nipple i.e. around the armpit area to ensure that the dress will fit perfectly after it is zipped.  Make it tight babe!).  
Final Vote ...........  The daughter was trilled that she has a nice and different looking dress to go round celebrating Raya with her friends.  The mother's happy with her dress too.

Girlie trying out her dress.

She said, "Thanks auntie".  Heheh.. Can't believe she's a young lady now ^_^

This is her mother's dress.

I've sewn boning on the neckline of the strapless dress to keep it from gaping.

Owkayy.. that's about it for August 2011.  Really really tired.  I think I am taking vacation from sewing for a year heheh.. Just kidding.  Anyway, good night everyone.  Stay safe and God bless.

A Prayer to Guide an Unborn Breech Baby

Dearest Lord, Father

Please help my friend Roy and his wife.

Their excitement in welcoming a second child in their life

is now overshadowed by a discovery that the little unborn one

is in breech position.

The little one does not know that his mum and dad is

really really worried and stressed.

Please Father, guide the little one to turn as soon as possible.

Please send your angels to whisper in the baby's ear to turn

to downward position before the little one's birthday.

With a natural birth, the little one can be welcomed by

the mother with great joy, steady arms to hold and

immediate nourishment.

Please dear Father spare this lovely couple yet another

period of hardship and despair.

They need you Father. Please bless them with your grace.

Amen.

P/s: I found the website that you have guided me to by Brenda Lane ~ God bless her.

(http://www.suite101.com/content/turning-a-breech-baby-a7421). 
It'll definitely help a lot. Thank you Father so much :)

~ ~ ~* Update * ~ ~ ~

14 September 2011.  I am happy to report that our Heavenly Father has granted our prayer.  Roy's wife has given birth to a healthy and beautiful 2.95 kg baby boy naturally. He's named Mohd Raycarlson.  I am so happy for them Father. Words cannot express what I feel inside.  Simply joy.  Thank you so much ~ Amen.

A Keris Made for Me

I think one of the the most wonderful gift one can ever receive is when someone thought about you, handmade it and surprised you with it. That's what Otromen did. He made this Keris just for me. I didn't know he has this hidden talent. Mind you he does not make Keris by request. He only did it when he feels like it. He did mine in just a day ^__^

I just love this little Keris so much. Wood is my favorite thing because I connect with wood through touch. There's a feel I can't describe.

The Keris he made for me fits perfectly in my hand. I'm really in awe how he figured this one out because he never sized my hand.

It's really comfortable and the length and weight is just right.

Sorry, I can't let anyone see the blade because it's really special and can only be admired by me heheh ^ ^

Mmuahh!! Thanks so much Otromen :)

24 June 2011 ~ Shaving Otromen's Head

Dunno what came over him that day, he suddenly asked me to shave his head. He said his friend told him that shaving ones head can reduce stress. I told him I've never shaved anyone's head before and I was a bit hesitant but he convinced me that it doesn't matter because he only wants me to do it. I felt honored that he chose me instead of a proper barber heheh :D

As you can see, it's not as easy as I thought. The hair must first be cut really really short then shaved.

Shaving's not easy either. After dulling 3 shavers with my short strokes, he finally told me that I actually need to execute longer strokes to achieve smoother result. Aiyaaa.... lucky I still have 2 new shavers left. (Otromen was busy watching reruns of "Titanic" on TV).

Tadaa.... all done. Otromen said his newly bald head itches. Guess he has to bear it for a while :P

Credit Cards ~ One Down, Two to Go.

Yeayy.... after so many years, one of my credit card statements finally showed a statement balance of.. Tadaaa.. 0.00.


Big thanks to the Snowball debt repayment strategy I found at creditshack.org/calc/snowball-calculator.php

I'm actually relieved that I finally finished off this debt but at the same time why do I feel uncomfortable.. err.. like having no debt is like it is almost time to die? (palis palis) Heheh.. weird. Maybe I felt most alive when I struggle to follow a strict budget every month. Yup, that could be the reason.

Divide and Conquer ~ My New Brassieres

Unlike many women out there, I don't like shopping. Maybe because I don't have much money to splurge on myself or perhaps I feel that I already have so many stuffs at home, one more item will make my room spill out it's content. Whatever it is, I dread shopping.

But yesterday I convinced myself that I needed a new bra. The present bras I owned were already quite worn out. They've lost elasticity. So I went to a shop called Tong's Departmental Store and went to the Audrey Brand bra section. The saleslady there was a nice person. She let me select a few bras to try on in the fitting room. I don't really know what is my current size as my weight fluctuates, so I tried quite a few. It was a sale month for Tong's and the ones that I liked no longer has my size. But finally after what seemed like hours, I finally found the perfect fit; a 80B/36B. Pheww... what a relief! But then the saleslady told me that if I select two more, I could get all three for only RM 78.00 instead of RM 41.00 a piece. Darnit... means that I have to look for another two.

Hours passed and I lost count. I'd probably tried almost all the bras they have that was on sale. But with perseverance, I found them. I say I'm quite pleased with my bras heheh ヘ(^_^ヘ)(ノ^_^)ノ

This was the first bra I selected and I fits me very well.

This the second one. I don't really like the feel of the material but it still fits.

This one looked fun heheh. What the heck, I wanted out of

my comfort zone (^_−)☆

Well guess there'd be no shopping for me for quite a while (fingers crossed). (=^_^=)

Troublesome Door Finally Fixed

After so many years living with a door that won't shut properly and nobody was able to figure out what's wrong with it, I finally met a brilliant man who fixed it.

This brilliant man I nicknamed "Otroman" studied the door, took measurements and told me that the middle part of the door frame was narrower than the top and bottom. He advised that the only solution was to get a new door with new measurement and that he would be planing a bit of wood from the middle of the door frame to adjust it.

On 12th April 2011, my sister Nancy and I bought a solid new door from Superwood Industries located in Jalan Tuaran. After looking at so many doors, I decided on a 13 paneled solid door with foggy glass windows. Cost me a bomb ~ RM 350.00 but it was worth it heheh. I was unsure about the door's window at first but after the door was properly installed at home, I found that my small living room looked brighter as it let in sun light.

Otroman affixed the door with three hinges instead of two to make it sturdier. He then glazed it twice. I on the other hand had a fun time helping him as well as enjoying the 'view' if you know what I mean hahahaha...

I just love the wood grain of my new door. The wood was naturally pinkish color but I have to glaze it to protect it from the weather.

Thanks Otroman. xoxo ^_^

I Have Two Religions

Frankly speaking I have two religions. Say whaatt...? (Heheh. I just wanted to say that like baby Stewie in the "Family Guy"). But seriously come to think of it I really do have two religions. It just happened that way. I'm born a Catholic Christian but I also grew up with Islam because I am a citizen of an Islamic country. During primary school years, I went to St Francis Xavier where I came to learn and love Jesus. Then later, when the whole family moved to Lahad Datu, I went to a government school SK Pekan where I used to stay back and listen to the Ustaz tell stories about Nabi Muhammad.

When I am older, when people start to talk about which religion is the right one, to me, they forgot that both religion are from one God. Isn't everything is from God? It really really is don't matter because both religions gave us guidelines on how to live to grow up to be a good person. So why are there people pitting these two religions? Is it because someone wants to win? Why there's a need to win? What for?

I like both religions. I love Jesus because he's kind, forgiving and he doesn't care about earthly possessions. Nabi Muhammad is a good, strong leader, a fair businessman and will do everything in his power to protect his people from oppression of that time he lived. With these traits, I live a balanced life. Because of something in my heart, I never hurt people. I will try to save every little ants from dying in the sink. I like quotes from both the Bible and the Quran. Sometimes I stay tuned to the Musabaqah and the Azans and I respect all places of prayers.

It really saddens me when there are people for whatever reasons keep on highlighting points in religion just to invoke emotions. People have to pass these and live life for themselves and not for other people.

I am blessed to have come to know and learned about these two religions and ultimately become a believer of our creator and planner ~ God. He is whatever you call him but he is there in my heart and my belief. Without Him, I’m certain that my soul would be lost.

My Second Blood Donation ~ 15th April 2011

Another 350ml of blood donated this time for Hospital Likas on 15th April 2011. The first time I donated blood was for Queen Elizabeth Hospital blood bank on 1st July 2009. Yep, I keep track in case they ask me. Looks like I've lost fear of needles. Maybe because I've gotten used to being stabbed by my sewing needles hahahaha.. Actually, the nurse who pierced my left arm was good at it. I didn't feel anything but a little pinch like an ant's bite. Could she be using local anesthetic? Probably. The location was a shopping centre and I don't think they would want their donors to scream heheh. I managed a glimpse at the big needle they were using and the streaming blood flowing from my arm yaiks...

I always thought that blood was needed for women giving birth and surgeries but the officer who was in-charge of the blood bank informed me that Thalassemia patients needed blood transfusions daily. Oh my God... that's terrible. What kinda quality of life can one have if they have to constantly undergo blood transfusion? I feel really sad for them. Makes me wish that I can donate more.

My friends are scared of donating blood. I was such a show-off after heheh just trying to encourage them to do it. But I guess your heart and mind must be open to it. In other words, you have to be sincere. Afterall, your body is your home :)

I don't remember having this much bruising last year. But thankfully after 9 days, it's healed and no more visible discoloration.

Portrait Sketch Memories

Recently I have been adding some nice artists people that I don't quite know in my friends list. By adding them, I can infiltrate their site and check-out their paintings and sketches heheh... ^_^ I just love looking at their work; they make me feel happy and amused. Talented people - wish I was one of them.

When I was in primary school, my classmates begged me to draw an image of a mermaid just because I drew one and brought to class one fine day. Papers were suddenly torn off from their exercise books and piled in front of me to be taken home and was expected to be brought back again to them with the mermaid the next day. Hahaha.. maybe that was the first time I felt deadline pressure. Thankfully, my late mom ignored all the 'pretty ladies' I drew in all the back of my school books. I guess she understood my interest.

Anyway, my prime subject of interest back then (and still are) people, specifically females. Brooke Sheilds was my first portrait sketch when I was maybe 17 years old. Wish I still have it with me but it was lost when we moved. Then a portrait of Cleopatra through my imagination which my sister told me looked a lot like me hehe.

I stopped sketching since I started working. I guess I was too busy with work and couldn't find anything that could inspire me to sketch. Now, looking at these wonderful artists' portrait sketches, made me remembered that I use to love sketching too. Here are a few of my sketches when I was studying at MARA Institute of Technology in 1991. I sketched two of my classmates which I found to have very interesting features:

The singer Miss Venitha

The lovely Miss Khatijah

I didn't realized that Khatijah had typed a message for me at the back of the photocopied sketch that I kept until recently when I decided to scan these sketches and put in my blog. The originals are with them. Her message:

Apparently the sketch meant a lot to her.

Here is a sketch of my ex-housemate, Mrs Heneritta when she was still single. Hmm... wonder how many kids she has now. I don't think I would recognize her if I ever saw her again because she would probably wear a 'tudung' since she converted Islam. But, then again I would because of those lips ^_^

Gosh.. those were the days. Not many people know about my hidden 'talent'. I am giving portrait sketching a shot again just to see if I still have it in me. Already I have received a few requests from friends.