Tag Archives: Design

Relish the Break

10 Oct

I think we have too many public holidays. While it’s nice to have a break now and then, having it too frequently disrupts the momentum and routine. Today is a replacement public holiday, and as such, it is a four-day work week ahead.

This month alone, there are two three-day weekends – this week and another in two weeks. I shouldn’t complain and instead should relish the four-day work weeks. We are more productive when there’s a shorter time to get work done – house chores or design work because then we are left with more time to play!

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Another Public Holiday

19 Apr

Today is a public holiday, yet another one. Malaysia has lots of public holidays, and sometimes it is a disruption. Typically we do not appreciate it because it disrupts the work schedule.

But of late, work is sporadic, so a public holiday is perfect for golf. What this means is that the DIY project is untouched yet again! Oh well.

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Let the Felting Begin

4 Mar

So I had a little bit of time despite being busy with office work, a new design project that cropped up. But to work on my miniature would take too much of my time, and I needed some creative inspiration – I started felting a new character.

Look at all that wool!

I opened up the latest wool purchase to use and was amazed at the quantity. My eyes bugged out, and my heart soared! So much wool, I’m in seventh heaven because now, I don’t have to worry about not having enough of the base color. I can even use all this off-white wool as the innards of a shape and add color to the outer layer. Cool!

And so, as planned with this approach, my latest character, a tortoise, was felted with the off-white wool for the overall shape, and the green color wool added for the shell. It’s another cutie pie to my growing list of cutie pies.

My latest creation

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Holiday No More

7 Feb

Somehow I don’t feel the holiday spirits of the Lunar New Year even though we are at Day Seven of the 15 days-long celebrations. We are not visiting anyone, nor are we having guests over.

Better to stay safe at this point because yesterday, the Covid-19 cases spiked up to 10,089, a five digits figure again after a few months below this threshold. Not a good sign.

It is back to work today for all three of us, although I have to admit it’s slow for us. I most likely will spend time working on my miniatures to pass the time.

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The Year That Wasn’t Again

31 Dec

The never-ending year 2021 finally concludes today. I look back, and what a year it has been! I feel history has repeated itself, with the year being another year that fell short of expectations like 2020 because the pandemic has dragged on.

When the nation went into lockdown again in May, we were short-changed for several months to have a good year. And the lockdowns implemented under the Movement Control Orders (MCO) had so many versions, I lost track of it all.

But life goes on. With what we had experienced in 2020, we handled 2021 a little better. We became more accepting of the situation and were more productive, and the hobbies picked up in the year before continued. We also got vaccinated against the Covid-19 virus, and it was our passport to venture out (if needed) without hassle.

Towards the end of the year, I picked up another new hobby – felting. What fun this turned out to be! Felting is immensely enjoyable and therapeutic when I am not carving or crafting miniatures as it is a short and fast activity to complete.

Looking back, being home this time around wasn’t so bad because there’s so much to do at home, and I love it. There is no rush or fear but simply comfort and ease. As long as there is good time management, the days go by quickly.

M2 came back for her Summer holidays, and it was great to have her home. My cooking skills improved from last year, and there were many great mealtimes together at home as a family since we couldn’t go out at all.

Then M1 came home for good after completing her Master’s degree, and both of us are very blessed to have the family as a complete unit. But soon after, M2 returned to Ireland, and M1 started working. By the third quarter, we were juggling work, albeit not much, and playing golf when the country reopened to more activities.

But just when we thought things were improving with vaccination and economies opening everywhere, the world saw a new virus variant! The Omicron. The pandemic management globally was sucker-punched with this new development. Travels, activities, and economies were restricted once more, and many countries faced fresh lockdowns. When will this onslaught of the unknown ever end?

So we start 2022 with uncertainty again. I see no point in toasting the New Year for better fortune and goodness. Just brace yourselves to stay negative (Covid-wise) in a positive way, stay healthy, and stay safe. Goodbye 2021, I wouldn’t say it was the best, but we survived. Happy New Year, folks!

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Painful Moments

14 Dec

What is worse than stabbing yourself with felting needles or carving tools? It’s slicing your finger with a blade. Shudder, ouch, and cry!

Yesterday I was at the office cutting some paper with a blade, and the accident happened. It was a bloody moment, literally. Stab pains by both my activity tools pale in comparison to this!

Snoopy to my rescue! 🥰

I am much better today, thank goodness. However, I cannot use my thumb to type on my iPhone as I usually use both hands. I hope this temporary disability is short-lived.

But I will stop the paper cutting for the time being and go about with pure design work on the Mac. As for felting, no stab pains will stop me from continuing this newfound enjoyable activity.

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A New Hobby

29 Nov

M1 recently gifted me a new hobby kit – a complete felting kit. I talked about wanting to try felting but never followed through because I was obsessed with crafting DIY miniatures. She must have remembered and bought the kit for me to try. Of course, I was thrilled when I received it.

The latest activity to try

But I was also afraid to even start on it. What if I don’t like this new hobby? What if I do like it? Then, how do I plan my schedule? As it is, I have so many things to do to keep me busy.

There’s the crafting of DIY miniatures. Currently, I am at the tail-end of DIY project number 22. And there’s carving on balsa and meranti wood to make my Citizens of Gigglesville and gnomes of all shapes and sizes.

Let’s not even delve into painting, which I have my easel and several canvases sitting there collecting dust. Throw in the cooking, cleaning, golf, and occasionally, some design work – there’s hardly any time left. And now, with a new hobby venture, how do I divide my time? Tough.

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Breaking 90

18 May

The past year I played so much golf, I improved by leaps and bounds. It was during the CMCO phase that I spent more time on the golf course than ever before. And that was because there was hardly any design work in the office, and outdoor activities, like golf, were allowed.

Towards the end of last year, my handicap came down, and there was a sense of achievement. I was also breaking 100 for the gross scores now and then. At least something good came out from the lockdown phases last year.

This year, there is further improvement! I have almost broken 90 as far as the gross score is concerned. I had two excellent games recently, returning with a score of 92 and 91 at two different golf courses, respectively. But this was before our latest MCO lockdown. While I am thrilled about my vast improvement, I wonder if I can reach this level again when the MCO is over. Only time can tell.

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I Think It’s Jinxed, Part 2

3 May

I figured out why progress has stalled for DIY project number 13 or 12A – it’s my time management. I have been going to the office daily as well as playing a little bit more golf. As a result, there’s hardly any time to sit down to work on the project.

However, it is also procrastination to get going because of the stage where I am. I’m supposed to put stems for all the fruits and vegetables from the itty bitty beads. And it’s not easy, so I have been putting it off.

Look at the itty bitty pieces! Twirling the paper to make a long stem, then cutting it to make tiny stems. Crazy.

I keep telling myself it is not the superstitious jinx of the project number but simply my time management. As of now, I have set a new target for myself to get the job done. The other DIY sets have collected too much dust already.

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The Perfect Cuppa

12 Apr

Two years ago, after months of serious searching, I finally found the perfect teacup to use with my Nessie and the Deep Tea Diver tea gadgets. And coincidentally, the glass cup is a whale-themed one, perfect for me who, once upon a time, carved Whales (besides my Gnomes and Citizens of Gigglesville). These days, there is hardly any carving done because I ran out of wood.

Anyway, the teacup comes with a ceramic lid and spoon and just nice to keep my tea hot. However, these days I hardly go into the office because of the pandemic and MCO restrictions. The glass cup and the two tea gadgets are left unused. Pity.

Nessie and the whale glass cup

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