3rd October marks the first time that I ran the SBS half marathon with my dear other half. It was hard going at the end of the second half, and I was walking slowly at that stage. We did well, with a time like 3 hr 48 minutes and 12 seconds and almost no training at all, my hubby said that I am definitely a runner. My intention is to prove to myself that I can do it, and it is an achievement in itself.
My legs hurt at the moment, but that's not all the surprising. Every bit of movement is a struggle, and I wonder why I put myself through the hard yards sometimes. Looking back at my life, I've never done anything physically impossible or amazing. I was never any good at PE, but I like walking around the streets and roads around my house. It is relaxing and a good way to be healthier. It is certainly a cost effective way to exercise, and you can do it at any age with any fitness level. I'd like to think that from now on, I can train to be fitter. I'd also like to continue my exercise regime for the long term because I always seems to slack off after a while.
The weather is going to be nice for the next few days. Vegetables are going into the ground for the summer/autumn harvest now. I am looking forward to a good season and this is also the first time that I can put vegetables into my own back yard garden! Isn't that something to cheer about?
10/04/2010
9/25/2010
Another season altogether
I can hear loud noises coming from the mall today. It's been raining a lot these few weeks, but I enjoy being inside. The news is still filled with disasters: earthquake, dead lambs, dead whales, and I don't know when this will stop. Have we angered the Gods, or have we brought this on ourselves?
Dad's been working on an earthquake early warning system, basing his theory on low frequency waves just before the main event. However, there's no reliable earthquake warning systems in place anywhere in the world just yet. This theory, along with other theories such as "animals acting strangely", are not deemed scientifically enough for the general geological community. My opinion on this is that we shouldn't rely on these signs as the only measure to major earthquake events, but we should take these signs as what they are called: warnings, and act accordingly. Sometimes, being slightly paranoid is okay if that means saving lives. I also think that New Zealand general public has been well educated (like dad said), and there was no casualty from this earthquake.
Christchurch is rebuilding. There's no doubt that it will take some time, but sometimes it is good to change the scene a bit. People worry that their houses are sitting on liquefied land. If you can afford to buy another piece of land and move onto it, I am sure this problem will go away. For most people, though, this is not possible, and being told that your house cannot be rebuilt, or the opposite, can both be stressful. How much money will it take to rebuild the whole city? That's the houses that are uninhabitable. How much money will it take to purchase new land? People can't stay in hotels indefinitely. The situation is dire. I am just watching them on TV, and even I feel helpless watching them.
One thing that will be helpful is to ensure that they can still work somewhere so they can help themselves. The other thing that can be done is create shelters that can accommodate people long term. These people needs houses, a roof over their heads so they don't have to worry about not being able to wash their clothes or have a shower.
The shop is doing well, even though it doesn't look like I am going to sell any shoes today. I guess I had a great day yesterday and can't really wish that everyday will be like the last. Although, it will be pretty cool if I can sell two pairs of shoes everyday, but it will be good if we average one pair each day.
The Chinese lady is (finally) gone, and I hope that she will take her antics with her elsewhere and not come back and haunt me anymore. I am so tired of her! She ordered so many shoes that I've already lost a lot of money by doing that, and she wants me to return the shoes that she doesn't want. I had to write to Susie D and apologize profusely. Does she care that I went through so much trouble? No, I am sure she doesn't, and she had the gull to say that it's between me and Susie? If you want to order shoes, then pay the deposit for them! She didn't even want to pay the deposit in full, and now she wants to return the shoes? There's no logic in that, and I will never do this again. My shop is not the charity shop, nor is it a golden hall. She needs to change her mindset, and this is no ordinary shoe shop. It's a wedding and evening shoe shop that is a boutique high end establishment. She was trying to get discount from one pair of shoes, and I gave her two heel stopper to stop her asking more questions. No loss for me there, and if I can't sell the shoes that she ordered then it's my own loss, she's not going to get her paws on those beautiful shoes and tell me that they are worth only 80% of their original price!
I am so angry about that, felt so tired after talking to her and her fiance. What an idiot! I told her in the end to just buy one pair of wedding shoes, and no discount whatsoever! I have to recover my losses from her, and it starts there.
I am glad that my other customer was easier to deal with, even though her mother asked for a discount, she didn't. I managed to sell the jandals to her without too much trouble. It was the right colour and size. Kudos to me that I "guessed" right.
If I can sell one pair of shoes today then I can go home and say this week has been a success. If I don't, I can still say it was an okay week because I worked very hard on every sale I've made.
The weather is still crap. I haven't put in the spring onions yet, better do it some time today, though. I don't want to waste them!
My garden is still in a bit of a disarray, but that's understandable with this horrible stormy weather. I am going to Auckland tomorrow, then meet up with friends for tea, and watch belly dancing in the evening. Great Sunday I have planned. Tonight, I will run with G and maybe with the husband. I am feeling alright after yesterday, not worried about the shop anymore. It will just come right itself.
It is supposed to be spring, but as far as spring go, it is not my favourite one.
Dad's been working on an earthquake early warning system, basing his theory on low frequency waves just before the main event. However, there's no reliable earthquake warning systems in place anywhere in the world just yet. This theory, along with other theories such as "animals acting strangely", are not deemed scientifically enough for the general geological community. My opinion on this is that we shouldn't rely on these signs as the only measure to major earthquake events, but we should take these signs as what they are called: warnings, and act accordingly. Sometimes, being slightly paranoid is okay if that means saving lives. I also think that New Zealand general public has been well educated (like dad said), and there was no casualty from this earthquake.
Christchurch is rebuilding. There's no doubt that it will take some time, but sometimes it is good to change the scene a bit. People worry that their houses are sitting on liquefied land. If you can afford to buy another piece of land and move onto it, I am sure this problem will go away. For most people, though, this is not possible, and being told that your house cannot be rebuilt, or the opposite, can both be stressful. How much money will it take to rebuild the whole city? That's the houses that are uninhabitable. How much money will it take to purchase new land? People can't stay in hotels indefinitely. The situation is dire. I am just watching them on TV, and even I feel helpless watching them.
One thing that will be helpful is to ensure that they can still work somewhere so they can help themselves. The other thing that can be done is create shelters that can accommodate people long term. These people needs houses, a roof over their heads so they don't have to worry about not being able to wash their clothes or have a shower.
The shop is doing well, even though it doesn't look like I am going to sell any shoes today. I guess I had a great day yesterday and can't really wish that everyday will be like the last. Although, it will be pretty cool if I can sell two pairs of shoes everyday, but it will be good if we average one pair each day.
The Chinese lady is (finally) gone, and I hope that she will take her antics with her elsewhere and not come back and haunt me anymore. I am so tired of her! She ordered so many shoes that I've already lost a lot of money by doing that, and she wants me to return the shoes that she doesn't want. I had to write to Susie D and apologize profusely. Does she care that I went through so much trouble? No, I am sure she doesn't, and she had the gull to say that it's between me and Susie? If you want to order shoes, then pay the deposit for them! She didn't even want to pay the deposit in full, and now she wants to return the shoes? There's no logic in that, and I will never do this again. My shop is not the charity shop, nor is it a golden hall. She needs to change her mindset, and this is no ordinary shoe shop. It's a wedding and evening shoe shop that is a boutique high end establishment. She was trying to get discount from one pair of shoes, and I gave her two heel stopper to stop her asking more questions. No loss for me there, and if I can't sell the shoes that she ordered then it's my own loss, she's not going to get her paws on those beautiful shoes and tell me that they are worth only 80% of their original price!
I am so angry about that, felt so tired after talking to her and her fiance. What an idiot! I told her in the end to just buy one pair of wedding shoes, and no discount whatsoever! I have to recover my losses from her, and it starts there.
I am glad that my other customer was easier to deal with, even though her mother asked for a discount, she didn't. I managed to sell the jandals to her without too much trouble. It was the right colour and size. Kudos to me that I "guessed" right.
If I can sell one pair of shoes today then I can go home and say this week has been a success. If I don't, I can still say it was an okay week because I worked very hard on every sale I've made.
The weather is still crap. I haven't put in the spring onions yet, better do it some time today, though. I don't want to waste them!
My garden is still in a bit of a disarray, but that's understandable with this horrible stormy weather. I am going to Auckland tomorrow, then meet up with friends for tea, and watch belly dancing in the evening. Great Sunday I have planned. Tonight, I will run with G and maybe with the husband. I am feeling alright after yesterday, not worried about the shop anymore. It will just come right itself.
It is supposed to be spring, but as far as spring go, it is not my favourite one.
9/22/2010
When dreams come true
Mum wrote to me last night about making dreams come true. I've had a talk with husband and now it looks that one of my plan has fallen flat. I've planned to go to Fashion Week for months, and when there was some funds before for that, now there is none.
I don't expect anyone to understand this, but I did have a plan. I planned originally to go up as a buyer, but I know I don't have much money. Right now the shop is holding on precariously, I don't think I am going up to Auckland. The main reason is shopping anyway, and we don't need to buy anything at the moment. We can't afford to buy things.
Today has been a good day, though. I did sell a pair of shoes. It was a bit strange to charge one more dollar than the marked price. I think I will have to change the price to $299.99, or have to pay the lady back. I guess I won't give her money back, but I will put the price up? It's funny how I don't put price down in this shop, but it is necessary. I've put the price up for Tiger and Tanza today since Susie mentioned that they are charged $269 in her shop. I am not sure if this is the right move, but the young girl came yesterday to say that these shoes aren't that expensive for this price, is it? No, I replied. I am not selling expensive shoes, I sell affordable good quality shoes.
I don't know why I have to give myself so much pressure. I am going to stop now, but of course, I will long to go to Auckland this weekend. I will want to go next year, this weekend, next year's weekend, and the one after. It is like going skiing. It is like going to Europe. It's like finding the right guy. It's like getting married.
Sometimes, I think I work so hard to make my dreams come true that I have been forced into a corner so I can't be happy when my dreams come true! How sad.
I don't expect anyone to understand this, but I did have a plan. I planned originally to go up as a buyer, but I know I don't have much money. Right now the shop is holding on precariously, I don't think I am going up to Auckland. The main reason is shopping anyway, and we don't need to buy anything at the moment. We can't afford to buy things.
Today has been a good day, though. I did sell a pair of shoes. It was a bit strange to charge one more dollar than the marked price. I think I will have to change the price to $299.99, or have to pay the lady back. I guess I won't give her money back, but I will put the price up? It's funny how I don't put price down in this shop, but it is necessary. I've put the price up for Tiger and Tanza today since Susie mentioned that they are charged $269 in her shop. I am not sure if this is the right move, but the young girl came yesterday to say that these shoes aren't that expensive for this price, is it? No, I replied. I am not selling expensive shoes, I sell affordable good quality shoes.
I don't know why I have to give myself so much pressure. I am going to stop now, but of course, I will long to go to Auckland this weekend. I will want to go next year, this weekend, next year's weekend, and the one after. It is like going skiing. It is like going to Europe. It's like finding the right guy. It's like getting married.
Sometimes, I think I work so hard to make my dreams come true that I have been forced into a corner so I can't be happy when my dreams come true! How sad.
7/19/2010
Shop update
I've been really busy setting up my shoe shop lately. I've got the key last Thursday, and vacuumed the shop and wiped the ledge clean on Friday. I went to see my friend who is leaving New Zealand to go to London this Tuesday. She gave me some knives, a very nice lamp, and a crystal plate. I paid her some cash today, and said goodbye to her. I will miss her a lot. She is one of my friend who is probably leaving New Zealand for good, and good on her as well. There are not a lot of opportunities for people in New Zealand, and when you are young, you should go out and find what you really want to do and enjoy your life instead of being miserable.
Enjoying life and being happy is exactly what I am working towards to. I think I am more generous to myself now, spending some money on getting some stamps and card making material, and also some little things such as rings and necklaces to wear. They will become useful when I open my shop, and you can't really live without them.
I've contacted the hosiery factory and the person will send me a catalog soon. I can order the hosiery with wholesale price and don't have to spend so much money buying them any more. I also got a sign writer in today. I have got his quote, and right now, I am thinking about what sign is necessary and what is not necessary. Should I spend all the money on making signs? Or, should I save more money and get other things sorted out instead, and just have a footpath veranda sign? I think the footpath sign is absolutely necessary, and I will write an email to tell him that. This will definitely save money and time. By doing this, I will have more money to get stock, and there are a few things that I may have to get such as the rug and the food and drinks for the opening day. I also have to make flyers and send them out, and send email or call the brides to tell them that my shop is going to be opened on 30 July. I may have to take out a newspaper ad as well.
I got the key to the Women toilets today. It just won't work! I hope I will be able to open the door better when I really need to use it. I will probably get more water from the toilet to do cleaning from now on, though. I don't need to walk so far to the other toilets anymore.
There are still lots of things to do. I have to find cheaper bags to buy, or just buy cheaper bags in Hamilton. I will have to call Eftpos people again to ask why they didn't call me back or when they are coming to install the machine in the shop. I will need to get a telephone for the shop.
I am so busy, and I am so excited about my new shop. I am very happy about what I am doing right now. I hope that I will make some money soon.
Enjoying life and being happy is exactly what I am working towards to. I think I am more generous to myself now, spending some money on getting some stamps and card making material, and also some little things such as rings and necklaces to wear. They will become useful when I open my shop, and you can't really live without them.
I've contacted the hosiery factory and the person will send me a catalog soon. I can order the hosiery with wholesale price and don't have to spend so much money buying them any more. I also got a sign writer in today. I have got his quote, and right now, I am thinking about what sign is necessary and what is not necessary. Should I spend all the money on making signs? Or, should I save more money and get other things sorted out instead, and just have a footpath veranda sign? I think the footpath sign is absolutely necessary, and I will write an email to tell him that. This will definitely save money and time. By doing this, I will have more money to get stock, and there are a few things that I may have to get such as the rug and the food and drinks for the opening day. I also have to make flyers and send them out, and send email or call the brides to tell them that my shop is going to be opened on 30 July. I may have to take out a newspaper ad as well.
I got the key to the Women toilets today. It just won't work! I hope I will be able to open the door better when I really need to use it. I will probably get more water from the toilet to do cleaning from now on, though. I don't need to walk so far to the other toilets anymore.
There are still lots of things to do. I have to find cheaper bags to buy, or just buy cheaper bags in Hamilton. I will have to call Eftpos people again to ask why they didn't call me back or when they are coming to install the machine in the shop. I will need to get a telephone for the shop.
I am so busy, and I am so excited about my new shop. I am very happy about what I am doing right now. I hope that I will make some money soon.
6/18/2010
Momentous day: Fairytale is born!
Good progress today. I've decided to set up a company on the Companies Office website. I've reserved the name for the week, and will have to fill out the rest of the information and pay $150.
I've talked with Kelly in Centre Place. She drew up the lease agreement today so I can pick it up tomorrow at the Information desk tomorrow. I will go to Sukdeep's house and ask for her legal advice.
Amandeep is very excited and she said that I should set up a marketing plan with her. I will have to get together with her, though. It may be difficult, but I guess I will manage.
I may also ask Lauren to come into the shop to help out in the weekend, however, I cannot really afford to pay her a wage so I think I will make her position commision-based. I haven't talked to her yet, but I am not sure whether she's interested in this kind of job.
Jeanie is excited and liked my announcement on Facebook. Everyone thought my good news is that I am pregnant, but I am not.
This will be a bumpy ride, and I can't find any money in my bank account. Richard is wanting to buy a new speaker, go to Papua New Guinea, and I am going to spend another $150 this month. How are we going to survive? Next pay day: please come quick!
I have so many ideas about my little shop. I think the window display can have some nice pillows (can we rent this from somewhere?), and put the shoes on top of it. And I will need to get some shoe racks/wooden boxes. I will have to get a really nice antique looking chair (for next to nothing since I don't have any money). A mirror is needed as well, Eftpos machine, and a cash register.
On top of that, I will need to pay the Customs people to get an import permit, pay insurance company, find and pay lawyer, and pay accountant (probably not going to pay her that much anymore since I've already paid her $250).
I am considering whether I should buy MYOB basic package. It's $1000, but it's going to automatically register the shoes that I sell. Is it going to help me? If I don't sell any shoes in a day, maybe this is not the package for me? I will just use Excel for the time being, and keep all the dockets.
This is so much fun. I am so excited! I am so scared! I am so pumped! I am very happy about my progress, and hope I won't fail.
I've talked with Kelly in Centre Place. She drew up the lease agreement today so I can pick it up tomorrow at the Information desk tomorrow. I will go to Sukdeep's house and ask for her legal advice.
Amandeep is very excited and she said that I should set up a marketing plan with her. I will have to get together with her, though. It may be difficult, but I guess I will manage.
I may also ask Lauren to come into the shop to help out in the weekend, however, I cannot really afford to pay her a wage so I think I will make her position commision-based. I haven't talked to her yet, but I am not sure whether she's interested in this kind of job.
Jeanie is excited and liked my announcement on Facebook. Everyone thought my good news is that I am pregnant, but I am not.
This will be a bumpy ride, and I can't find any money in my bank account. Richard is wanting to buy a new speaker, go to Papua New Guinea, and I am going to spend another $150 this month. How are we going to survive? Next pay day: please come quick!
I have so many ideas about my little shop. I think the window display can have some nice pillows (can we rent this from somewhere?), and put the shoes on top of it. And I will need to get some shoe racks/wooden boxes. I will have to get a really nice antique looking chair (for next to nothing since I don't have any money). A mirror is needed as well, Eftpos machine, and a cash register.
On top of that, I will need to pay the Customs people to get an import permit, pay insurance company, find and pay lawyer, and pay accountant (probably not going to pay her that much anymore since I've already paid her $250).
I am considering whether I should buy MYOB basic package. It's $1000, but it's going to automatically register the shoes that I sell. Is it going to help me? If I don't sell any shoes in a day, maybe this is not the package for me? I will just use Excel for the time being, and keep all the dockets.
This is so much fun. I am so excited! I am so scared! I am so pumped! I am very happy about my progress, and hope I won't fail.
Cute, and my shop will be called Fairytale
I was trying to find some cheap white wedding shoes from Taiwan, but I came across this picture on the Taiwan Yahoo auction site. I like this model! I hope it sells clothes, which is the original intention of the photo. I've decided to rent one of the Ward Street shop on the shady side of the street. It will be a good start point, and the rent is $350 per week. It will officially start on 1 August, and I can get into the shop two weeks before that to renovate the place.
Here's my plan. I will buy a bucket of white paint that looks similar to the paint used in the shop. (This will require some research on my part, and buying the wrong paint is futile.) I will touch the whole shop up, and hope to God that it is the right white. I will look for old racks from Salvation Army and other Op Shop, clean up the racks and repaint them. Put the racks into the shop for shoes. I will put a counter inside myself, probably the one in the spare room since we don't really use that desk anyway.
Items to purchase is a very nice chair for the person to sit on. This will be the main piece of furniture that I need to invest big money in. It can be either a huge sofa with no back, or an antique chair with high back. I think I will try to find an antique chair that's not too expensive. Maybe more Op shopping.
The second item is a shoe mirror. This can be a short and stout one, which will not cost very much. It needs to be able to stand on its own.
The third item is a cash register. Then there's the Eftpos machine. I will need to get some curtains in to hide my stock at the back of the shop.
Apart from these items, I don't really need to purchase anything except the stock.
I will have to get public liability insurance, an import permit for my shoes, set up my company (already did a name search and the name I want is not taken.), talk to a lawyer, talk to my accountant and decide which accounting package I am going to use, sign up for a GST number, keep good record, connect electricity and pay the bills. Away I go!
I've found a shoe supplier from US. However, I am still not sure how much it will take to ship the shoes here. It is really hard to say, but I will have to prepare a quote. Of course, I can just order some shoes and see how that goes! Big risk there.
All in all, I feel that I've accomplished something today. I feel that I am one step closer in starting my new business.
6/17/2010
No I didn't say that and I am very busy today
Did I say The Pacific is a bad series? No. I liked it! I just miss the movies and the dramas from Taiwan!
I haven't been very organised lately, or should I say, I am reasonably organized that things are being done just before their due dates? It was very cold this morning, but I managed to get up with K and had a shower first. The duvet cover, the cover sheet and the pillows are in the washing machine, and my breakfast was eaten before nine. I did pretty well making a shopping list after reading Cuisine magazine. This week's objective is to cook soup, a lot of soup.
I just can't find any watercress from supermarket, though. I don't even know what it looks like, but I imagine it looks like the above picture or something like parsley. I've decided to get a mint plant so I can plant it into the ground when summer comes after September.
I haven't bought any leek after I married K, that's a first. It's very cheap at the moment as well, less than one dollar a leek. I got two kumara since I've been thinking about roasting some beef in the oven. I managed to get everything into the car with some difficulty, and get everything out as well.
Lunch was a great affair. I made hot and sour prawn chicken noodle soup. It was so yummy! However, I think I can improve it further by not adding to much fish sauce. It was too salty.
K got to Chartwell after getting off work by two o'clock in the afternoon. I coerced him to buy a blue jersey from the shop. It wasn't going so well when we were in Hallenstein, but I managed to get him to get one from Farmers. I feel very good and we went home together to find Fuzzy at the door.
Fuzzy just came back from Auckland. She went there for a visit to the starch factory. She was so tired that after talking to me only for one minute that she was already lying flat on the bed.
We talked about moving out when I sent her home. I hope she is going to be able to move out soon.
I was having some fun on the computer when she was sleeping. Now it's time for me to roast that beef with the pumpkin. Hopefully, this hearty meal will warm us up tonight. It's time to crank up the heater and keep warm under the blanket.
The To Do list is still long, but at least I've done the shopping and folded all the clothes now. I feel that I've accomplished something today.
The temperature is so low today that when I was printing out the document from the printer, it was smoking.
6/16/2010
Our country our duty
I watched the last episode of The Pacific this Monday. The mini series reminds me of the movie I saw in Taiwan. War is never pretty and glorious. I remember a girl being raped in Vietnam in the movie, and the soldier was trying to save her. I remember a girl who shaved her hair off because being a woman means that you don't have the right to live as a human being, you will be raped and you will be killed in another movie. I remember the man who fought the Japanese soldier in an arena because of pride and love of his country. China was invaded in Second World War, but even though most of the land had been taken over by the Japanese, people continue to fight back and resist the Japanese soldiers. They won't take Japanese names, they won't speak Japanese, they will fight the Japanese because it is our country.
My grandfather went to the war as a soldier. He seldom talked about his family, but he said that he was taken care of by a servant girl, a nanny. He went to the military school and trained to become an artillery man. He told us about the Clydesdale horses that pulled the cannons. He talked about how difficult the war became and they had to shoot the horses and eat them. Dad told us about how grandma escaped from China with her two young children, how granddad was still fighting with the troops, she's already back in Taiwan. They met again and had dad in Taiwan. What a joyous time!
The Pacific portrayed three main characters in the Second World War. The first one died in Iwo Jima, and he fought valiantly in Guan Canal, Papua New Guinea, and made a huge effort getting people to buy War Bond back in United States. The second one was a writer, he fought in Papua New Guinea as well, and got really sick in the jungle. He kept writing, reading, and the drama looked at the war philosophically as well. Is it right to send men forward when you know that they are crazy? What is the human limit? The Americans came into war from a different angle, it's patriotism that motivated them. They were attacked last by the Japanese in Pearl Harbour. However, the Chinese, the Korean, and the people of South East Asia are all invaded by the Japanese. Your home is torched, your belongings are taken away from you, and your relatives and friends are killed. People in these countries are perhaps motivated differently from the American. They are motivated by necessity, they are motivated because if they don't do anything, no one else will. I am sure that many people felt despair, sadness, anger, and wanted to get out of the war, but they couldn't. There was no food, no water, and you had to go on. You learn to live without.
What shapes us, as human, today? Our forefathers have fought in the war, either out of necessity, or out of patriotism, or for the greater good. We have to learn to prevent it from happening, we have to think that we are better at this now. We can do without killing one another, taking what's not ours, and live in peace. There are still so many wars going on in this war, if we can learn something from this series, it is this: stop fighting, and start living life again. War is ugly and wrong no matter how glorious people paint it. Soldiers who fought in the war should be taken care of when they come back home, and the people should work on reconstructing the war-torn countries. We can be friends. We can love one another.
My grandfather went to the war as a soldier. He seldom talked about his family, but he said that he was taken care of by a servant girl, a nanny. He went to the military school and trained to become an artillery man. He told us about the Clydesdale horses that pulled the cannons. He talked about how difficult the war became and they had to shoot the horses and eat them. Dad told us about how grandma escaped from China with her two young children, how granddad was still fighting with the troops, she's already back in Taiwan. They met again and had dad in Taiwan. What a joyous time!
The Pacific portrayed three main characters in the Second World War. The first one died in Iwo Jima, and he fought valiantly in Guan Canal, Papua New Guinea, and made a huge effort getting people to buy War Bond back in United States. The second one was a writer, he fought in Papua New Guinea as well, and got really sick in the jungle. He kept writing, reading, and the drama looked at the war philosophically as well. Is it right to send men forward when you know that they are crazy? What is the human limit? The Americans came into war from a different angle, it's patriotism that motivated them. They were attacked last by the Japanese in Pearl Harbour. However, the Chinese, the Korean, and the people of South East Asia are all invaded by the Japanese. Your home is torched, your belongings are taken away from you, and your relatives and friends are killed. People in these countries are perhaps motivated differently from the American. They are motivated by necessity, they are motivated because if they don't do anything, no one else will. I am sure that many people felt despair, sadness, anger, and wanted to get out of the war, but they couldn't. There was no food, no water, and you had to go on. You learn to live without.
What shapes us, as human, today? Our forefathers have fought in the war, either out of necessity, or out of patriotism, or for the greater good. We have to learn to prevent it from happening, we have to think that we are better at this now. We can do without killing one another, taking what's not ours, and live in peace. There are still so many wars going on in this war, if we can learn something from this series, it is this: stop fighting, and start living life again. War is ugly and wrong no matter how glorious people paint it. Soldiers who fought in the war should be taken care of when they come back home, and the people should work on reconstructing the war-torn countries. We can be friends. We can love one another.
6/15/2010
Real low
I've been feeling real low lately, hence no blog posts for a while. This is possibly brought on the high created by wanting to set up a business by myself, and that plan didn't go so well.
I've contacted a second-hand cloth shop and got some information from the owner about her business. She was going overseas and closing up shop at that time. I came along and went around town to look at several shops. Looking back, I think it was not the right time to get into retail.
I had a second idea of getting into partnership with a lady in Auckland who sells wedding shoes. However, after some number crunching, it doesn't look like it's going to work out, either.
I also went up to Auckland to the Small Business Expo set up by Bizzone. The Expo was a success and I did get a lot of contacts from there. One of the important thing that I lack is the capital, and the second thing is experience.
This retail adventure is now on hold, and I've been sleeping in the morning and not getting up until noon for the last week. I've decided to get earlier and think about some things that I can do to cheer myself up. There are also a lot of constructive things to do apart from setting up my own business.
I've always wanted to make some clothes for my Barbie. Yes, it is childish, but I think it is a good exercise to practice sewing. It is fun, and I can make some clothes for myself as well. Existing Barbie outfits are either tacky, or too formal. I think I may make some track pants or jeans for Barbie.
I also came up with an idea of making some science T-Shirts. There are some around that you can get online, but I've never seen one here in New Zealand. Maybe they are too geeky for people to wear? I am not sure how big the market is, but I am sure some people will be interested in acquiring certain shirts featuring huge dinosaurs, beakers, periodic tables or math equations.
I can also take some photos of my clothes and accessories to upload onto Pupe. You can get free outfit if you do that, and it's fun to dress up your little doll everyday.
I also want to read more novels, but I haven't decided which ones I am going to read. I should take all the books back to the library. They are due on the 22nd of June.
Fielddays is on this week, but I am not going. The weather is well today so I managed to put out the washing. It will be fine again tomorrow, maybe the clothes will be dry in this weather? There's me hoping.
I also want to look at some crafting tools and materials from Spotlight and compare their prices with the ones that you can get from StampUp (Australia). I am not sure which ones will be more expensive. I am also not sure whether I should keep going to the card making classes. They are really fun, and I can give the cards to relatives and friends.
There are also some projects around the house that I can do. I can mend the seat cover. I can make scones and try out recipes on the internet and the recipe books that I've never done before. It will be an adventure!
I hope that I won't want to stay in bed next week. There are a lot of things that I can do, and not all of those things need to involve making money. I think I may have a serious case of burn-out.
I've contacted a second-hand cloth shop and got some information from the owner about her business. She was going overseas and closing up shop at that time. I came along and went around town to look at several shops. Looking back, I think it was not the right time to get into retail.
I had a second idea of getting into partnership with a lady in Auckland who sells wedding shoes. However, after some number crunching, it doesn't look like it's going to work out, either.
I also went up to Auckland to the Small Business Expo set up by Bizzone. The Expo was a success and I did get a lot of contacts from there. One of the important thing that I lack is the capital, and the second thing is experience.
This retail adventure is now on hold, and I've been sleeping in the morning and not getting up until noon for the last week. I've decided to get earlier and think about some things that I can do to cheer myself up. There are also a lot of constructive things to do apart from setting up my own business.
I've always wanted to make some clothes for my Barbie. Yes, it is childish, but I think it is a good exercise to practice sewing. It is fun, and I can make some clothes for myself as well. Existing Barbie outfits are either tacky, or too formal. I think I may make some track pants or jeans for Barbie.
I also came up with an idea of making some science T-Shirts. There are some around that you can get online, but I've never seen one here in New Zealand. Maybe they are too geeky for people to wear? I am not sure how big the market is, but I am sure some people will be interested in acquiring certain shirts featuring huge dinosaurs, beakers, periodic tables or math equations.
I can also take some photos of my clothes and accessories to upload onto Pupe. You can get free outfit if you do that, and it's fun to dress up your little doll everyday.
I also want to read more novels, but I haven't decided which ones I am going to read. I should take all the books back to the library. They are due on the 22nd of June.
Fielddays is on this week, but I am not going. The weather is well today so I managed to put out the washing. It will be fine again tomorrow, maybe the clothes will be dry in this weather? There's me hoping.
I also want to look at some crafting tools and materials from Spotlight and compare their prices with the ones that you can get from StampUp (Australia). I am not sure which ones will be more expensive. I am also not sure whether I should keep going to the card making classes. They are really fun, and I can give the cards to relatives and friends.
There are also some projects around the house that I can do. I can mend the seat cover. I can make scones and try out recipes on the internet and the recipe books that I've never done before. It will be an adventure!
I hope that I won't want to stay in bed next week. There are a lot of things that I can do, and not all of those things need to involve making money. I think I may have a serious case of burn-out.
5/18/2010
Something to look forward to
I still haven't received my full driver's license yet, it is a bit frustrating. I have decided not to go to Auckland to watch Sex and the City 2. It's too far, and I don't think it's worth it to drive up. I also don't have a place to stay up there.
However, there are some interesting things coming up at the end of the month. Erin is moving away this weekend so she's having a drinkie at her place. Emma is turning 3 so we are celebrating her birthday at TA. I've wrapped up her present today, a book and an eraser. I've made her an animal farm so she can play with them and act out little plays if she wants to. I made it myself so I don't have to spend too much money.
There's Roy's birthday party to go to as well, and it's going to be dad's birthday on that same day as well. I've got him a jersey so I can wrap it up or just give it to him. Hope he likes it.
I've also been looking at flights to Port Moresby. It looks like it's going to cost less on Virgin Blues, but we are still looking for more flights.
It is very cold today. Winter is truly here.
There's not much development on my business, but I am sure something good will come up. Hopefully, I can get some merchandise soon.
However, there are some interesting things coming up at the end of the month. Erin is moving away this weekend so she's having a drinkie at her place. Emma is turning 3 so we are celebrating her birthday at TA. I've wrapped up her present today, a book and an eraser. I've made her an animal farm so she can play with them and act out little plays if she wants to. I made it myself so I don't have to spend too much money.
There's Roy's birthday party to go to as well, and it's going to be dad's birthday on that same day as well. I've got him a jersey so I can wrap it up or just give it to him. Hope he likes it.
I've also been looking at flights to Port Moresby. It looks like it's going to cost less on Virgin Blues, but we are still looking for more flights.
It is very cold today. Winter is truly here.
There's not much development on my business, but I am sure something good will come up. Hopefully, I can get some merchandise soon.
5/16/2010
New business
This is the only place where I can say everything, I guess it's nice to have a private blog, it's like having an electronic diary.
I've called the guy from Bayleys and talked to him about the places where I want to rent. I will see him on Monday morning, and find out more about each place. I think he's Brent's dad, but I am not so sure. I guess it will become very obvious when I see him. I wonder how Brent is doing in Auckland, maybe I will ask him if he is Brent's dad.
It is difficult to find clothes to sell, though. I've called several shops in New Zealand, and no one is talking to me about the important stuff. They are all on holiday in the weekend! I guess I will have to talk to them on Monday. I prefer not to leave a message on the answering machine. What's that going to accomplish? Nothing.
I went and saw the shop yesterday. They all look quite nice, but I think certain ones have potential, other ones require a lot of money to renovate and that's money I don't have.
I found an idea on the internet to ask friends to paint the shop as a paint party. I don't know we even need to paint the wall a different colour, but if it is needed, it can certainly become a working bee party.
Everything is going well. I am motivated to work after getting my driver's license done. I've also received the new FlyBuys cards from mail. There's still the new OneCard to come for him as well. It will be better for him to have his own one so I won't lose my one! I feel exasperated when he loses my stuff. It's not that I can't forgive him, just feel helpless to change the situation.
It is getting really cold now. I hope my vegetables will still grow and we can have some free broccoli and cauliflowers. It will be so nice to have our own harvest!
Maybe I will have to meet some people in Auckland to talk about merchandising and buying clothes from them. It will be fun!
I've called the guy from Bayleys and talked to him about the places where I want to rent. I will see him on Monday morning, and find out more about each place. I think he's Brent's dad, but I am not so sure. I guess it will become very obvious when I see him. I wonder how Brent is doing in Auckland, maybe I will ask him if he is Brent's dad.
It is difficult to find clothes to sell, though. I've called several shops in New Zealand, and no one is talking to me about the important stuff. They are all on holiday in the weekend! I guess I will have to talk to them on Monday. I prefer not to leave a message on the answering machine. What's that going to accomplish? Nothing.
I went and saw the shop yesterday. They all look quite nice, but I think certain ones have potential, other ones require a lot of money to renovate and that's money I don't have.
I found an idea on the internet to ask friends to paint the shop as a paint party. I don't know we even need to paint the wall a different colour, but if it is needed, it can certainly become a working bee party.
Everything is going well. I am motivated to work after getting my driver's license done. I've also received the new FlyBuys cards from mail. There's still the new OneCard to come for him as well. It will be better for him to have his own one so I won't lose my one! I feel exasperated when he loses my stuff. It's not that I can't forgive him, just feel helpless to change the situation.
It is getting really cold now. I hope my vegetables will still grow and we can have some free broccoli and cauliflowers. It will be so nice to have our own harvest!
Maybe I will have to meet some people in Auckland to talk about merchandising and buying clothes from them. It will be fun!
5/12/2010
Barbie Doll House is my dream toy
I've been feeling quite tired lately. The reason for this may be that I've been losing weight and not eating very much food. I had an afternoon nap today and felt really refreshed after it.
I've changed the format of my blogs and have started writing my novel about The Plague again. It's my fun project. I don't really know where this will take me, and if it takes me to the end, I will try to publish this book. I have some time on my hand to write anyway.
I went to the supermarket to get bread and also got some meat for dinner. Then I went to Farmers to get the Barbie Doll House. It was on sale for $70, it was originally $119. I think it was a bargain for so much stuff, and had fun putting everything together in the living room in the afternoon. I can finally call this toy mine, and I remember giving the Doll House away after my cousin came back. It was so sad.
I made beef curry in the evening, and also cooked some Chinese cabbage for the side. It is very cold and rainy today. A hearty meal is certainly going to make us warm.
I will take the driving test tomorrow. It looks like that it is going to rain, but if I get my license, I will be able to drive any time anywhere! It's very exciting.
I've changed the format of my blogs and have started writing my novel about The Plague again. It's my fun project. I don't really know where this will take me, and if it takes me to the end, I will try to publish this book. I have some time on my hand to write anyway.
I went to the supermarket to get bread and also got some meat for dinner. Then I went to Farmers to get the Barbie Doll House. It was on sale for $70, it was originally $119. I think it was a bargain for so much stuff, and had fun putting everything together in the living room in the afternoon. I can finally call this toy mine, and I remember giving the Doll House away after my cousin came back. It was so sad.
I made beef curry in the evening, and also cooked some Chinese cabbage for the side. It is very cold and rainy today. A hearty meal is certainly going to make us warm.
I will take the driving test tomorrow. It looks like that it is going to rain, but if I get my license, I will be able to drive any time anywhere! It's very exciting.
5/10/2010
Driver license
I got up super early today and spent some time with my husband before he left for work. I've decided to book my full driver license test in AA and that took almost all morning. I've changed my maiden name to my married name on the license, and she took a new picture and signature of me in the end. I also joined AA roadside rescue. We are also thinking about getting the third party insurance with AA for our car, but because dad owns the car, that will not be that easy.
I met dad's friend's wife and her son today in front of Red Cross. She's been shopping around Five Cross Road and got a very nice and cheap pair of jeans from that shop. Why would you pay sixty dollars for a new pair of jeans and not get it from Red Cross just for six bucks? I think she has got it right and there's nothing wrong with op shopping. In fact, op shops in New Zealand have a lot of treasures that you can discover. Just last Saturday I got three plates from Vinnies and they all have beautiful blue patterns on them. Two of them are dishwasherble as well.
I've put on two loads of washing and hung them on the line and watered the vegetable patch. I think I will put some newspaper there to prevent weed growth, it's getting out of control now. I've solved the pest problem for now as the weather is too cold for the butterfly to lay eggs on the vegetable now. Thank God for that!
I've also started a Poupee account. This website is made by Japanese for girls/boys who likes to dress up their dolls online. You collect ribbons and buy jewels to dress your avatar up, you can talk to your friends or look at fashion photographs online. It's well designed and everything is cute there. No wonder it attracts little girls and old girls alike.
I am looking forward to the release of Robin Hood. Russel Crowe is oddly old in the movie. I guess the director is looking for an older and more mature Robin this time? Kevin Costner in the old Robin Hood was certainly young and delicious. I am not saying the Russel Crowe is not going to be good, but he does look a bit old and rugged. Maybe that's what Robin Hood should look like anyway, living rough in the forest.
Kate Blanchet is going to be Lady Marion, they are portraying her as a strong woman again. I remember her from The Aviator with Leonardo Di Caprio. I imagine Marion will be a cross between Arwyn from Lord of the Ring and Geneviere from Camelot. There will certainly be a lot of medieval actions, archery, fighting, horse riding and general countryside to see.
The second half of May will be busy for us. There's a party in Auckland to go to at the end of the month, and there's another party in Hamilton to go to at the end of next week. I will have to take the driver license test as well. I am hoping that I will get it the first time around and finally be able to use my Full license and not worry about driving after 10 p.m. It will be great to have a Full License!
My to-do list is getting ticked off very quickly this week, guess that I will have to find something else to occupy myself next week.
I met dad's friend's wife and her son today in front of Red Cross. She's been shopping around Five Cross Road and got a very nice and cheap pair of jeans from that shop. Why would you pay sixty dollars for a new pair of jeans and not get it from Red Cross just for six bucks? I think she has got it right and there's nothing wrong with op shopping. In fact, op shops in New Zealand have a lot of treasures that you can discover. Just last Saturday I got three plates from Vinnies and they all have beautiful blue patterns on them. Two of them are dishwasherble as well.
I've put on two loads of washing and hung them on the line and watered the vegetable patch. I think I will put some newspaper there to prevent weed growth, it's getting out of control now. I've solved the pest problem for now as the weather is too cold for the butterfly to lay eggs on the vegetable now. Thank God for that!
I've also started a Poupee account. This website is made by Japanese for girls/boys who likes to dress up their dolls online. You collect ribbons and buy jewels to dress your avatar up, you can talk to your friends or look at fashion photographs online. It's well designed and everything is cute there. No wonder it attracts little girls and old girls alike.
I am looking forward to the release of Robin Hood. Russel Crowe is oddly old in the movie. I guess the director is looking for an older and more mature Robin this time? Kevin Costner in the old Robin Hood was certainly young and delicious. I am not saying the Russel Crowe is not going to be good, but he does look a bit old and rugged. Maybe that's what Robin Hood should look like anyway, living rough in the forest.
Kate Blanchet is going to be Lady Marion, they are portraying her as a strong woman again. I remember her from The Aviator with Leonardo Di Caprio. I imagine Marion will be a cross between Arwyn from Lord of the Ring and Geneviere from Camelot. There will certainly be a lot of medieval actions, archery, fighting, horse riding and general countryside to see.
The second half of May will be busy for us. There's a party in Auckland to go to at the end of the month, and there's another party in Hamilton to go to at the end of next week. I will have to take the driver license test as well. I am hoping that I will get it the first time around and finally be able to use my Full license and not worry about driving after 10 p.m. It will be great to have a Full License!
My to-do list is getting ticked off very quickly this week, guess that I will have to find something else to occupy myself next week.
5/05/2010
Recovered and motivated
It is getting colder and colder every day. I've filled up the new drawers with winter clothes. It makes me feel so happy that maybe I don't have to keep my winter/summer clothes in the closet anymore since there's a lot of space in the new drawers now. I felt very motivated today since yesterday was a bit slow. I managed to hang up the washing on the line, taking advantage of the nice weather, and took all the clothes in from the garage. Theo and I put them on the line before leaving for the holiday in Whitianga on Friday, and now it's definitely dry.
There was no milk in the fridge yesterday, but now there are two bottles. It's always good to open the fridge after going to the supermarket. The berry cereal is almost finished today, thankfully I've got two bags of new muesli cereal.
I've made some progress in reading EVE. The book is about eveonline the game. Considering it's based on a game, the book is pretty interesting to read. Space is the final frontier of humanity, and you find humanity in the space. What will the future be like? It looks pretty grim from the book's point of view. However, it is a game where you become a capsueller, clones from a human lord/god/powerful people. I guess this is where you get your 2nd/3rd/nth life from? Can you choose to be the one who gets beaten up in the beginning of the book? Can you choose to be the Queen? I don't know, but that's not the important point. The point of the book is to entertain, and dramatise the situation.
I always look forward to the lunch in Grillers in town. They make great burgers. I try to change my choice every time I go there, trying out different beef burgers from the menu or the burger on the blackboard, in another word, anything that's on offer in Grillers.
After the feed, I finally managed to drop off the books that Fuzzy wanted and took a walk with Fuzzy and mum in town. It's nice to talk and shop together. I gave mum her Mother's Day card first. It's a card that I made with Patrice. I really like the card even though there's some discoloration on the envelope. We went to the Fabric warehouse and looked at wedding fabrics there. Mum reckoned that she will go back to Taiwan when granddad is 100 years old, or when he pass away, whichever comes first. It's a fact of life that old people die, and granddad is 94 years old. Mum is probably going to take her satin fabric back so she can make a dress out of it.
We then went to Salvation Army to look for a jersey for dad, but no luck there. Abode is closing down and I got a nice bangle from there. Things are still quite expensive, and most nice stuff are already gone. I guess they have been bought already. The Abode shop has been in Hamilton for years, it was there when we came, which must mean that it's more than 13 years old.
I got feijoas, red bean cake, and some meatballs from mum. We still haven't eaten dinner now, guess I should put something out.
I went to Ironman 2 the other day. The beginning of the movie is focused on Stark Expo that lasts for the whole year. Ironman flies onto the stage and was accompanied by a bunch of beautiful girls. It's outrageous. It's flash. It's something that you would expect Ironman to do, and the villain Whiplash is great, too. Tall, check. Strong, check. Russian, check (the non-translated Russian in the movie are great, but the accent wasn't so convincing). Messy hair, check. Whips charged by electricity, check. Revenge, check. Black Widow is impressive as well, although I hope that Scarlett is in this movie longer than just a few action sequences, though. She has so much potential! It was too short!
There was no milk in the fridge yesterday, but now there are two bottles. It's always good to open the fridge after going to the supermarket. The berry cereal is almost finished today, thankfully I've got two bags of new muesli cereal.
I've made some progress in reading EVE. The book is about eveonline the game. Considering it's based on a game, the book is pretty interesting to read. Space is the final frontier of humanity, and you find humanity in the space. What will the future be like? It looks pretty grim from the book's point of view. However, it is a game where you become a capsueller, clones from a human lord/god/powerful people. I guess this is where you get your 2nd/3rd/nth life from? Can you choose to be the one who gets beaten up in the beginning of the book? Can you choose to be the Queen? I don't know, but that's not the important point. The point of the book is to entertain, and dramatise the situation.
I always look forward to the lunch in Grillers in town. They make great burgers. I try to change my choice every time I go there, trying out different beef burgers from the menu or the burger on the blackboard, in another word, anything that's on offer in Grillers.
After the feed, I finally managed to drop off the books that Fuzzy wanted and took a walk with Fuzzy and mum in town. It's nice to talk and shop together. I gave mum her Mother's Day card first. It's a card that I made with Patrice. I really like the card even though there's some discoloration on the envelope. We went to the Fabric warehouse and looked at wedding fabrics there. Mum reckoned that she will go back to Taiwan when granddad is 100 years old, or when he pass away, whichever comes first. It's a fact of life that old people die, and granddad is 94 years old. Mum is probably going to take her satin fabric back so she can make a dress out of it.
We then went to Salvation Army to look for a jersey for dad, but no luck there. Abode is closing down and I got a nice bangle from there. Things are still quite expensive, and most nice stuff are already gone. I guess they have been bought already. The Abode shop has been in Hamilton for years, it was there when we came, which must mean that it's more than 13 years old.
I got feijoas, red bean cake, and some meatballs from mum. We still haven't eaten dinner now, guess I should put something out.
I went to Ironman 2 the other day. The beginning of the movie is focused on Stark Expo that lasts for the whole year. Ironman flies onto the stage and was accompanied by a bunch of beautiful girls. It's outrageous. It's flash. It's something that you would expect Ironman to do, and the villain Whiplash is great, too. Tall, check. Strong, check. Russian, check (the non-translated Russian in the movie are great, but the accent wasn't so convincing). Messy hair, check. Whips charged by electricity, check. Revenge, check. Black Widow is impressive as well, although I hope that Scarlett is in this movie longer than just a few action sequences, though. She has so much potential! It was too short!
3/30/2010
Alice in the Wonderland tea party
My Alice in the Wonderland party went fine in the weekend. I made cheesecake the previous day, and made scones and sandwiches in the morning. Theo helped me vacuum the house. We moved the table and chairs out into the back garden. The weather was extremely good. Our friends turned up and I made tea. We took lots of photos and had a happy afternoon together. There were plenty of "Drink Me" and "Eat me" labels made by my friend, and we had poker cards, chess, and various hats as decoration and props.
Theo didn't want to go to the balloon festival in the evening so I set out by myself, however, when I got there, my friends were nowhere to be seen. I waited and phoned them, none of them replied. The last thing I did was to call Theo and he rode the bike out to be with me. It took another hour for me to drive home, and what a disaster it was. I felt really tired after that. The day was certainly happy and sad.
I went to the card making activity on Monday night. It was so much fun, and I really like the card and the bag I made. I wonder whether I will go to another session or not.
Mum and dad are both doing well at home. Dad wrote a poem and he asked me and Theo to help his grammar. He will publish his article online soon. Mum gave me some daffodils and tulips to plant for the spring.
It's M's birthday next Monday. I've already made a card for her so that's sorted. I saw a really nice lip balm today and that's her present. I am going to watch Law Abiding Citizen tonight with Theo. I am looking forward to that.
Theo didn't want to go to the balloon festival in the evening so I set out by myself, however, when I got there, my friends were nowhere to be seen. I waited and phoned them, none of them replied. The last thing I did was to call Theo and he rode the bike out to be with me. It took another hour for me to drive home, and what a disaster it was. I felt really tired after that. The day was certainly happy and sad.
I went to the card making activity on Monday night. It was so much fun, and I really like the card and the bag I made. I wonder whether I will go to another session or not.
Mum and dad are both doing well at home. Dad wrote a poem and he asked me and Theo to help his grammar. He will publish his article online soon. Mum gave me some daffodils and tulips to plant for the spring.
It's M's birthday next Monday. I've already made a card for her so that's sorted. I saw a really nice lip balm today and that's her present. I am going to watch Law Abiding Citizen tonight with Theo. I am looking forward to that.
3/23/2010
Alice in the wonderland preparation
I am preparing an "Alice in the Wonderland" themed party for this weekend. The time has been changed from Sunday afternoon to Saturday afternoon due to people moving. Hopefully, they will notice the change on my event calendar.
I have poker cards and chessboard ready for decoration. I also have some peonies from my wedding that I can put in a vase as centrepiece. I have a yellow rabbit that I can use as decoration as well.
I am going to make cheesecake and make a drink that can be put into the "Drink me" bottle. It will be fun. I have also acquired a red wig which is not very expensive. Now it's time to make my hat looks crazier with ribbons and a piece of paper that says 6/10.
Fuzzy is coming as the caterpillar, Sky is coming as the Red Queen, Theo is coming as the rabbit, and I think our friends are coming as Alice. It will be fun.
I will have to pack up my sewing machine and tidy up the table. It will have to be moved out into the garden, and I have to move the chairs into the garden as well. There are some candles and some candle holders that I got from Stevens that can be put on the table as well.
2/24/2010
Againstworld's horde adventure
I was really busy today. The washing basket is full so I separate the white and the dark colors and put them on before having breakfast. Put away the washed dishes and put on another load of dirty dishes. I have spent the rest of my morning downloading and shrinking the honeymoon photos.
Theo invited me to Grillers for lunch today. I think I need to get out of the house for a while. However, I didn't even have time to have a shower yet. Fortunately, I can rush through it and by the time he got there, I was almost ready.
I put the washing outside after I came home. Facebook is not behaving so it's a chore to upload the photos. It was very easy before. I don't know why I can't upload more than five photos and see the photos that I am uploading. I may have to do it tomorrow.
Dad is fixing Little Gray at the moment. He's changed a part of the exhaust pipe this morning. It was difficult to take the old exhaust pipe off, but that's expected, otherwise when you are driving the car, the exhaust pipe may fall off and that's not a good thing. We still need to put on new wheels.
I've leveled my first Horde character on Bonechewer, Againstworld, up to level 13 yesterday. I also joined a guild recommended by my friend. It's a very lively guild, always people on and hopefully they can help me when I level up a bit more. The starting area feels very tribal, and I guess this align with Tauren heritage. The quests aren't too hard, and it's easier to kill NPCs and PVP on a Tauren warrior. The 5% health regeneration has saved me from dying many times. I am looking forward to the future as a tank.
I have been on blimp.fm for a few days and putting up some nice songs for myself and other people on the internet. The response is pretty good. I really enjoy using this site, but have to look out for downloading too much youtube videos and using up the band with.
Theo is going to a bachelor's party in the weekend. I will probably have to stay home, not even sure whether dad will be able to fix the car by then or not. Cousin is coming to visit next month. I haven't seen him for years! It will be good to catch up with him and see how his adventure in Australia went.
Theo invited me to Grillers for lunch today. I think I need to get out of the house for a while. However, I didn't even have time to have a shower yet. Fortunately, I can rush through it and by the time he got there, I was almost ready.
I put the washing outside after I came home. Facebook is not behaving so it's a chore to upload the photos. It was very easy before. I don't know why I can't upload more than five photos and see the photos that I am uploading. I may have to do it tomorrow.
Dad is fixing Little Gray at the moment. He's changed a part of the exhaust pipe this morning. It was difficult to take the old exhaust pipe off, but that's expected, otherwise when you are driving the car, the exhaust pipe may fall off and that's not a good thing. We still need to put on new wheels.
I've leveled my first Horde character on Bonechewer, Againstworld, up to level 13 yesterday. I also joined a guild recommended by my friend. It's a very lively guild, always people on and hopefully they can help me when I level up a bit more. The starting area feels very tribal, and I guess this align with Tauren heritage. The quests aren't too hard, and it's easier to kill NPCs and PVP on a Tauren warrior. The 5% health regeneration has saved me from dying many times. I am looking forward to the future as a tank.
I have been on blimp.fm for a few days and putting up some nice songs for myself and other people on the internet. The response is pretty good. I really enjoy using this site, but have to look out for downloading too much youtube videos and using up the band with.
Theo is going to a bachelor's party in the weekend. I will probably have to stay home, not even sure whether dad will be able to fix the car by then or not. Cousin is coming to visit next month. I haven't seen him for years! It will be good to catch up with him and see how his adventure in Australia went.
2/19/2010
Progress on the steampunk dress
I went to Spotlight yesterday to get materials for the steampunk costume. It took a while to find the appropriate fabric, and I couldn't even find a hook for the skirt. There were simply too many things there in the shop. The salesperson was very nice, she picked out less expensive material and cut them for me. She exchanged the satin with polyester, The fabric I got for the top was slightly stretchy so it was difficult to cut to size. I discovered that it was too small after I cut it. However, I've decided to fuse the fabric onto the interfacing first, then add more fabric to the interfacing if the fabric is too small. Since the fabric is quite dark, I don't think it will matter very much. The main colour scheme is blue, and I've chosen blue button with golden crown for the jacket. Mum gave me white lace and hook for the skirt. Fuzzy gave me the interfacing material. These will definitely help saving money on the project.
I watched Project Runway in the evening. They went to the beach and did a beachwear design in team of two. The person who was eliminated wasn't focused on his work, and he didn't put his design concept forward even though he was the leader. His partner ended up designing the winning piece and made both garments by himself. I really liked how they made macrame back and top. Macrame is knotting fabric instead of knitting and weaving. That's how you make a friendship bracelet!
Theodotus's rogue got to level 80 last night. Congratulation to him. We can take his rogue and my mage to heroic instances now! It's so exciting. His night elf druid is also level 80, and getting better gear for healing now. I was not very happy about his healing before, but now my confidence is gaining. It takes time to get better gear for everyone, and I guess I have forgotten about that. Everyone was a newbie in the beginning and had bad gear.
There's a toy run on motorcycle next weekend. We are going to enter it because you may win Jet leather jacket, Shoei helmet and boots! Theo's old boots and helmet need replacing, and I think he won't mind getting new jacket, either.
I am looking forward to the engagement party and steampunk party in March.
I watched Project Runway in the evening. They went to the beach and did a beachwear design in team of two. The person who was eliminated wasn't focused on his work, and he didn't put his design concept forward even though he was the leader. His partner ended up designing the winning piece and made both garments by himself. I really liked how they made macrame back and top. Macrame is knotting fabric instead of knitting and weaving. That's how you make a friendship bracelet!
Theodotus's rogue got to level 80 last night. Congratulation to him. We can take his rogue and my mage to heroic instances now! It's so exciting. His night elf druid is also level 80, and getting better gear for healing now. I was not very happy about his healing before, but now my confidence is gaining. It takes time to get better gear for everyone, and I guess I have forgotten about that. Everyone was a newbie in the beginning and had bad gear.
There's a toy run on motorcycle next weekend. We are going to enter it because you may win Jet leather jacket, Shoei helmet and boots! Theo's old boots and helmet need replacing, and I think he won't mind getting new jacket, either.
I am looking forward to the engagement party and steampunk party in March.
2/03/2010
Two parties
I have been invited to two parties in 2010. The first one is a Japanese themed party. I am going to wear my tartan skirt (found this picture on www.cuticode.com). I am not very good at making sushi so tomorrow I will enlist mum's help. I will bring noni (seaweed), carrots, cucumber and a can of fish to her place. She has some chicken drumstick, rice and cans of fish that I can use. My sister is going to make sashimi, raw fish pieces. That should be fun.
The second party is steampunk themed. I've bought a pattern from Spotlight as shown (from Butterick).
I am very excited since this will be the first time that I make a dress myself, and I am also very excited about this COS party. I am going to make some steampunk trinkets as well, but I haven't thought about what I am going to make yet. The lady who sold me this pattern really liked it. I haven't decided what colour fabric I will buy, maybe purple as the pattern suggested, or brown. There's a pile of clothes to wash today since it's been raining in the long weekend. However, there's no guarantee that it won't rain again today. Meanwhile, I am going to upload some wedding photos to Facebook and watch the movie, Hotel Rwanda. I am not sure whether he wants to watch it or not.
It is going to be a warm day again.
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