Travelling again...

Have I told you that I'll be travelling yet again...? This time to my hometown, Jakarta. Yes, it's in Indonesia. And yes, I think it's safe to go there. I'll be there for my dad's 60th birthday celebration. Well, the birthday is definite, but the celebration... that'll have to be discussed with my sister first. So Rin, if you're reading this, try to come up with some ideas please... I'm not very keen on yet another birthday staring at each other on a round table, at a chinese restaurant surrounded by its waitresses, with the only form of entertainment being my little daughter. Let's get some action this time round...

Btw, I've just found another interesting blog, print & pattern. It's full of cute and beautiful patterns which really opens up your mind to endless ideas and imagination.

My sister just gave me the encouragement that I needed today. She said I should keep drawing and develop my talent. Thanks so much Rin! But gosh... It just feels funny that she described it as a 'talent', coz I'm not sure if I'm talented or not. But whatever it is, as long as I enjoy doing it, I should keep at it and one day, I'll think that I'm good enough to be called 'talented'. So now I'm going to 'develop' my talent and sign up for an Adobe Illustrator course. The clock is ticking and I have my goals to achieve.

Bag #1

I spent the whole of Friday sewing this little number and I am so happy with the result! I'm thinking of doing a flower brooch to go with it. Will show you the picture once that's done. The fabric was from Ici et La.


On the kid front, my daughter has developed a really sweet habit these past few days. She sleeps in her own bedroom and I usually read a book and pray with her before she sleeps and I leave the bedroom. Now she adds a new step to the ritual. To give me a hug and a kiss. I guess it works both ways, but whatever it is, it feels reeaaally good.

More sketches

Apart from owning and living a shophouse, I've also been dreaming about something else. And that is to print my own fabric. Okay, I have a lot of dreams, but lately these are the ones that have been occupying my mind a lot. My dear dad would be so disappointed if he knew that none of those dreams involve banking, finance or anything in between, but it's better to have a dream than to have none at all, don't you think?

I've been fantasizing about printing my own fabric ever since I caught a glimpse of marimekko fabrics a few years ago. I just love the beautiful designs and colours on the fabrics. I don't really know why I'm obsessed with fabrics, since I don't really sew, I just love them. I've acquired a modest collection of fabrics ever since. Most of them remnants, since I can't justify paying the usual price per metre, given my lack of sewing skill. I've collected a variety of fabrics, from Designers Guild's velvets, some pvc, Lara Cameron's printed cotton drill, some bits and pieces from Spotlight, and my latest acquisitions from Sydney (see below pictures to share my excitement), Cloth's printed hemp and Ici et La's colourful deckchair cotton.


I'm going to dedicate the whole of tomorrow to stitch up a sling bag for my darling sister using one of the fabrics. So please keep your fingers crossed for me. Ha!

Now back to printing my own fabric. I've been thinking, since I'm so obsessed with fabrics, I should try printing my own designs. This dream was further reinforced after I came across Lara Cameron's Kirin & Co fabric, which then led to Kristen Doran's fabric, which then led to more inspiring designers who print their own fabrics. The difference between them and me are, they have a background in design. I have a background in Finance and Marketing (I've always been more of a number person than a drawing person). That means I have a lot of catching up to do.

Therefore I've been sketching things other than shophouses too.




What do you think?

First sketch

Who do they say is behind a successful woman? Everybody knows that behind a successful man is a woman, but what about a successful woman? Who's behind her? I'm starting to suspect that behind a successful woman is herself.

I've known for quite some time now that my dear husband isn't exactly who to go to for encouragement. Don't get me wrong, he IS the man when it comes to a dose of patience and understanding, and I do love him and am thankful to God for that. It's just that sometimes, I wish he'd be more encouraging in areas other than cooking and taking care of the kid. For example, in developing the creative side of me.

You see, I've never really had a hobby and it's been bothering me for who-knows-how-long. I love the idea of making things, but I've never really made anything. I love the idea of drawing, but I've never really drawn since secondary school. I know I don't really have much time for anything now that I am a mom, but I dislike the idea that one should let go of one's personal dreams and interests just because the young 'un came along. My daughter still comes first, but wouldn't she be happier if her mom has an interest in something other than her and is happy pursuing it? I wished my mom had a career or something she's deeply involved in while I was growing up, so she could be happy about it and share her excitement, skills and knowledge with me. Sadly, most of my memory about my mom during my childhood was that of her scolding after scolding after scolding. I absolutely do not wish to be remembered as such by my own daughter.

So, I've decided that I should start developing my creative side and I've been practising my drawing skill and starting projects (or at least planning) for making things with my sewing machine. After some drawing attempts, I remembered that I had drawn a blueprint of a house interior during my secondary school and I was really proud of the result. I guess it was because I was obsessed with precision and blueprints are nothing but that. I also remembered that I absolutely loved and adored conservation shophouses or terrace houses, and I still do. So before long, I started drawing these shophouses. Here are some sketches.

I know they're far from excellent (they're lacking precision!) but it's a start and I am pleased with it. I even thought of selling them! I'm jumping ahead of myself here, but I like to think that someone might like it too and like it enough to want one.

So out of curiosity, I asked my husband how much he'd pay for something like that. His answer was quick, "I'd never pay for it." Oookaay.... Then I tried rephrasing, how much would he think was fair for me to buy it. So he said, "Three dollars." THREE DOLLARS?! I couldn't get a plate of chicken rice for three dollars! His justification was, it was a fair price for a 'postcard'. He likened my artwork for a postcard that has been mass printed in China.

I suddenly found myself losing interest in anything. I must've been sitting on the sofa looking like a blank sheet for a few minutes. I was so disappointed and demoralised. But I quickly convinced myself that he was probably not a good representation of my 'target market' and besides, what does he know about 'art'? So it looks like I have only myself to rely on and I am so glad I have this blog to at least clear my thoughts and convince myself to persevere in whatever I'm doing. And if you happen to read it, thank you for reading it this far. I hope you'll give your loved ones some encouragement whenever they need one, even if you think their work is nothing better than a lousy postcard.

Gocco system found!

It is with great pleasure and relief that I announce my eagerly-awaited gocco system has been found and is now in the safe hands of my dear mum. As much as I am disappointed with Australia Post in their 'efficient operation', I am happy that I'm gonna get my hands on it very soon.

Still, I have to warn everyone out there to please please please... keep this in mind whenever you order something to be posted within Australia. Try to be at home the whole day on the day the parcel's supposed to be delivered. If you can't, get the sender to give you the reference number of the parcel for Australia Post to identify it and go to your nearest post office, give them the number and collect it yourself. Don't wait for the collection notice to arrive in your mailbox unless you don't mind waiting a few weeks for your parcel to arrive.

I have sent my feedback to Australia Post on this matter and hopefully they'll take it seriously and start doing something about their delivery system. Now what would the world be without righteous people like me?

Sigh...

I've finally received a reply from the company who I purchased the gocco system from. Apparently, they don't know where the parcel is either. They've checked with Australia Post about it and was advised that the parcel has been delivered, yet Aus Post can't produce a signature receipt!

I'm starting to suspect that my sister's address is responsible for this mess. At the gate of her apartment, the address is indicated as 108 Blablabla Rd, but a lot of places (like the banks and RTA) recognize it as 104 Blablabla Rd. So there's gotta be some discrepancy somewhere and I think this is probably the cause of the confusion.

In the end, I can only blame myself for sticking to 108 and not 104 as my delivery address. Sigh...

Back!

So.... we're back. Unfortunately, without the gocco system. Much to my dismay, I still haven't received the package yet, and I have just realized that I haven't even received the order confirmation, which I was supposed to have received a day after I paid for it. This has been almost two weeks since I transferred the money to the seller. I'm both angry and disappointed. I'm going to give that company until the end of the week to reply to my email before I report it to the NSW Office of Fair Trading.

I have also not received the toilet training mat I ordered over the phone and paid for using a credit card. Does everything really take a long time in Australia or have I been cheated twice in a row? Somebody please help me!

From Sydney, with love

I can't believe how much travelling I've done this year. It seems that I always talk about "my last trip to..."or "I'm going to..." or "I'm now in..." somewhere other than Singapore. No wonder I never felt like I belong in anywhere. Guess that's probably because I'm never in one place long enough! And here I am, in Sydney, thinking that I've stayed in Singapore long enough that I should move to Hong Kong.

Anyway, yes, I'm in Sydney, Australia, on a trip that's long overdue, in my opinion. I was here two years ago to give birth to my daughter. I've always loved the thought of being in Sydney. I'm not sure if I can say the same of actually being here, but whenever I am here, I wish I could stay a bit longer, and whenever I am not, I long for the next time I come back. Does that mean I love it here? Maybe... if my husband liked it here, if things weren't so expensive, if the tax rates weren't so high...

The funny thing is, whenever I'm here, I always find something new and interesting to consider taking up as a hobby. The last time I was here, I discovered glass beadmaking. I tried my hands on it for a while, but I've given it up because it's not a very safe hobby with a little girl running around the house (not to mention how hot it gets playing with fire in a tropical country like Singapore).

This time, I discovered gocco printing. It's a home printing system that originated from Japan. The original manufacturer decided to stop producing the system due to declining demand in its home country, but one can still get the machines and supplies from certain places in US and, thankfully, Australia. In short, it's a dying art, and that's what makes it so enticing (at least to me). Just imagine, everything I make with it is "limited edition", soon to be one-of-a-kind, and dare I say, vintage! How cool is that!

I have a great idea in my mind which I will work on as soon as I go back to Singapore. Just keep your fingers crossed for me and pray that it won't be as short-lived as my glass beadmaking venture.