My permed hair... you asked for it!

I was going to tell everyone.... that I am not prepared to show my new hair yet. But since today, I am wearing some makeup and styled my hair ...hehe, and I was bored at home, I decided to take a few self portaits. So you are in for a "treat".... bwahahahaha....... (can't believe I just said that)



If you are observant, you'd probably noticed I said these were self portraits. And I was all alone in the house.... you wonder how I could laugh like that.

What am I blogging today.... let's see .....

We (Ruey and I) did an online spree at Blue Bazaar. I spent an OBSCENE amount of money on flowers..... and I was under semi-control. Can you imagine if I wasn't???!!!!! I have never owned ANY Prima flowers. I guess I was never attracted to them. I love the jars..... but I have never felt the urge to buy them. But when I saw the new CHA range on BB, I was drooling all the way from Melbourne to Singapore. I messaged Ruey (who was at work) to check out BB the first thing when she gets home. I posted on M4M for the girls to drool on them too. They are to die for!!!!!! The Candies, the Crown Jewels, the Renaissance Silk ...... OMG! I have never bought so few items and paid so much for them! I'll have to wait for some free vouchers to buy the French Can-ection, Floozy Flowers, Flower Powers, .... etc etc etc. Luckily there was a free postage offer on BB for this month. Michelle W...... if you are reading this.... now I am SERIOUSLY envious of your DT position. Now I am aiming for their next DT call .... bwahahaha.....

Oh.... and BB's online newsletter picked my LO (Believe in Love) as LO of the Week. So happy. I didn't even know they did until I opened the newsletter.

Lastly, just sharing my latest layouts .....



Journaling :
- There was this phase when you love pulling this face. All we had to say was “Monkey face!” and you will scrunch your face into this, on cue every time! It always amused everyone and anyone who saw it.

- Sometimes you say the funniest thing for a three and a half year old. Once you came to me and said, “Mommy, when I grow up, I want to be a mommy, I want to have a baby. Look at my tummy, Mommy, I have a baby inside.” ……You had me lost for words

- I know you listen to Daddy and Papou’s phone conversations. One day, you shocked me by speaking to me in Greek and went “Ti kanis?”, which means “how are you?” in English. You burst out laughing when you saw the look on my face.

- You love the song JUMP by Girls Aloud. We always have a fun time dancing together, wiggling our bums and shaking it all out.

- You are a big farter. All kinds. And you always let them rip while sitting on our laps, and laugh out loud about it. How can a girly princess like you, behave like such a man??!!

And another....

Journaling : I wonder all the time. [wonder] what to cook for dinner; [wonder] what my life would be like if I never came to Australia with Peter; [wonder] if my friends are thinking of me like I am thinking of them; [wonder] what it would be like to be on a Design Team …. And of all my wonders, the strangest one would have to be how molluscs reproduce, breed, and grow? A nutcase you may call me, but it takes an inquisitive mind to achieve great things.

That's all for today.

Had my hair permed!

I had my hair permed yesterday. Why?!?!?! Because I am a woman.

Most women are always wanting the kind of hair they don't have. Women with straight hair (that's me) want luscious wavy curls; women with curls straighten their hair; women with fine or thin hair will do anything to get volume; women with thick and lots of hair want to lose them.

I have had my hair permed many times in the early 90s. Then I kept my hair straight for the next 10 years. The last time I had it permed was in 2001 and THAT baffled my husband. I permed it just to give it "body" - meaning I still blow wave it out most of the time. Then I bought a ceramic straightener, just in case on certain days I want those straight hair back. Crazy huh? Months later, I totally straightened it out while I was overseas cos I forgot my own hairdryer, and the hairdryer in the hotel room just about toasted my hair that I look like a boofhead. I kept it straight for the next 5 years until yesterday. I decided to get it permed again.... except this time... I will wear it with the wavy curls. Mind you, in my bathroom cupboards, I still have a hair straightener, and a set of curling tongs. Bwahahaha.....

I did a layout on Friday night. It's for one of the Amazing Race challenges - to scrap about my favourite item in my favourite colours. I don't have favourite colours. I like all colours, and at the moment, I'm crazy over white and these particular shades of blue and green.

Journaling : I could never live without them. They keep you occupied and entertained, whilst I scrap and keep sane. It's the best of both worlds, don't you think?

I also altered a magazine holder for yet another challenge (surprise, surprise) - What is your scrapbooking mantra?

My mantras - Think outside the square you are in and No Rules. I am actually so proud of myself for coming up with that idea - THINK being outside the square frame; and U inside. I'm such a dag sometimes. kekekeke....

2 more weeks before I go to Singapore for Calvin and Hsu-Yi's wedding. I'm so excited. Ideally I would like to lose a few kilos .... so I don't have those unsightly love handles showing through my dress. But I am not the kind of person to go on diet, never disciplined enough, never cared enough. My level of satisfaction for taste is set at a very high level. I need to get satisfaction out of everything I eat. I don't like to settle. I guess between food and figure, I choose food.

That's all for today. I hope your weekend was great.

Layout - Believe in Love

I'm inspired by Jamie Waters' segment on CK (Aussie version) - 12 layouts in 3 hours. All the materials are so simple, and the best thing was... I could make use of my scraps! LOL....

I lifted this layout from that segment. I mucked up the HS fuzzy rubons cos it didn't stick very well on the part that went over the ribbon. I rubbed and rubbed and rubbed till the backing disintegrated! kekeke...... note to self : only use the fuzzy rubons on a smooth paper surface.

I've made a hair appointment for Saturday.... to perm my hair. {insert shock emoticon here} I know it's probably not the coolest thing to do but I'm sick of my flat and limp mop. I need to see some drastic changes, and I'm prepared to look uncool for a while. I've also enquired for a toddler dance class for Ellen. They take 3-6 yo kids. I'm not one for pushing my kids to do a million things but I think she might have fun cos she always enjoys music and rhythm. We are taking her to the lesson this Saturday to have a look-see. If she's not keen, we won't enrol her. If she is, we'll let her try it out.

Sorry.... not much to talk about today. I really should go to bed, catch up on some sleep.

Later.

Sorry, I've been MIA

WOW! It has been 12 days from the last time I blogged! I'm so sorry if you've been coming in to find nothing is updated. It has been a helluva week or so.

My SIL (BIL's wife) has gone back to full-time work and her parents are usually the ones to look after my nephew. But lately, there has been some bad accidents at home (one in the garden and the other in the kitchen) so both the grandparents are out of action. So I offered to help out with my nephew while they are at work. So last week, I had my nephew for 4 days, together with my 2 terrors. I stressed out even before it started, wondering how I was going to cope with the stress I might be getting. You see, that's what I'm like. I worry myself mindless about things that haven't happened?

And knowing that I have 2 Amazing Races to run, with 3 kids at home, I swore I was never going to survive.

Fortunately, they were very well-behaved. All 3 kids got along very well. Played together most of the time... went down for their naps the same time... so I still had time to tackle my AR challenges. Phew!

Here the few I've done over the past 10 days.....


This is a scraplift of Elsie Flannigan's layout.


An altered item... from this green jumper to this .. tissue box cover.



Photo swap with Ruey.


A 6-photos-minimum challenge that represents my family. And I have a story to tell about this too.... just keep reading. :)


A layout that required stars and notebook paper.


Photo is by Sri Sams.



Mother's Day challenge. I decided to be really honest about the journaling because I see too many women glorifying the "mother" title like they have never had a bad day. It makes me feel like I'm so abnormal cos I always complain about being a mother. So I told it like it is.

I don't always enjoy being a mother. My daily routine involves keeping you guys fed (all the time), laundry and ironing are done so you are clothed, splitting up fights, resolving squabbles, time outs .... and the list goes on. But I wouldn't want my life any other way because all it takes is your happiness to make me happy.



This is a song challenge, to be inspired by the lyrics of a song, and we have to scrap about our partner. I picked.... "How Do I Live?" by Trisha Yearwood.

OK. The "Love My Way" layout. I really didn't enjoy doing it at all cos when I stuck the photos down, they really suck. Right up until I started doodling the edges of the photos did I start feeling better about it. Then the flowers, then the title.. and it finally grew on me. A couple of days later, I received a peamail from a Garden Girl - Anne Heyen. I was completely stunned because she asked me for my permission to scraplift this layout for their fortnightly submission in User Inspiration. I didn't know what User Inspiration was about, and couldn't care less what the purpose was, I just said YES! YES! YES!! Someone actually asking me for my permission to lift my LO, and a Garden Girl for that matter. After that, when I found out from Sri what UI is all about, I was like grinning from right to left ear. It normally isn't too bad to grin except this was like 1am in the morning. LOL.... Well, there you go.....

THIS IS IT

Phew ... I actually survived this long post and not being interrupted by my kids (not very much anyway cos A Bug's Life is entertaining them). Looking forward to see you all coming back again, and once again, I'm sorry for having gone MIA.

Today's Observation

I don't know many friends in Australia who are not married. I also don't know many friends who have yet to celebrate their 30th, let alone 21st.

But I received my friend's wedding invitation today. A very good friend from Singapore. I've known Calvin for 23 years, since high school. Great guy. Always mischievous, great sense of humour, likes to have fun, but is always sensible. He had a previous marriage which ended sourly, and he was utterly devastated by that. He took a while to explore life, re-establish his career, went through one other relationship that I know of (thank goodness it didn't work out otherwise I wouldn't be writing about this), and finally met Hsu-Yi.

I have only heard Calvin mentioning his seeing someone. Knowing Calvin, he usually doesn't breath a word about his love life until he is quite certain where it's going. When he first mentioned this "someone", I had to probe, and probe, and probe. And I could get from him was, she is independent, matured, sense of humour and well-spoken. And they kind of work together. Seeing his reluctance to reveal too much, I thought I'll leave it to him to tell us when "something" happens with this "someone".

I had complete forgotten about this "someone" until my recent trip to Singapore in February. When I caught up with our gang from high school, he announced that they are getting married on June 10tih. We were so happy to hear that from him. And we were also chiding him for not bringing her along so we can all meet. So he made arrangements to pick her up and met us for dinner that night. We were all really excited to meet her. Hsu-Yi is gorgeous. Like he said, she is independent, matured, educated, articulated, carries herself well, sense of humour and there is absolutely no air about this girl. She is Destiny Child's Independent Woman, and yet so easy to warm up to. We got along so well like a house on fire. We could talk about anything. I love a woman who can get along with her man's female friends. It shows confidence, it shows security - no complex. I feel so happy for him. I'm glad I made the decision to fly to Singapore to attend their wedding. I'm sure it's going to be a lovely ceremony. And I'm even more sure, that they are going to lead a happy life together.

I'm soooooo looking forward to it. I can foresee myself crying at their exchanging of vows ceremony. I'm a sooky person when it comes to emotional occasions. I choked when I said my wedding vows, and that's just repeating after the celebrant! We brought Ellen to a school's opening day just to see how they run their classes, even though Ellen is not going to school for another 2 years. I got teary just walking into classrooms, imagining Ellen sitting there in a uniform and doing things with the teacher. Everytime I walk past a choir or any children performing in shopping malls, I will cry just seeing their happy faces. They are so eager and happy to do things like that. So innocent. So full of life. So hopeful. I love it.

These are my observations for today.

Little trivia for you.... did you know that if you have a set of hand-made drinking glasses, and weigh every single glass on a scale, chances are, they will vary in weight? (I must be so bored that I weighed every glass, just out of curiosity. bwahahaha.....)

New layout using BG!! **SHOCK HORROR**

I bought just about 1 of every piece of the Urban Couture papers but I've always had trouble using them. I'm just not used to playing with a pp that doesn't have repeated pattern in it. They are soooo beautiful, like it is an artwork in itself. It almost feels like a sin to cut it up.... I'm beginning to think like Ruey.

Anyway, this is my attempt.

Journaling reads

• if you want something DONE, do it yourself
• never say never... nothing is impossible
• attempt everything - what's the worst that can happen? You fail?
• it takes all kinds. Just be yourself and never waste a day getting upset over someone else's behaviour
• live everyday like there is no tomorrow

Have a great day!

6 years

Yesterday, Monday 1st May 2006, was our 6th wedding anniversary. And I had the longest day... enjoyable but not so sure about the credit cards though.... hehehe.... This started from Sunday.

Plans for Monday - take kids to daycare, Chiropractor appointment, meet Ruey for lunch and scrapbook shopping, pick up kids from daycare, then home. So I thought since my Monday was going to be full on, I will make Monday's dinner on Sunday night so I don't have to worry about cooking. I started making my Navarin of Lamb at 11pm (ungodly hour, I know), it finished cooking at 1am!!! Very happy with myself, we went to bed after a cuppa.

Set my alarm clock for 7.30am. I woke up, and suddenly remembered.... that Peter and I had already planned to go out for dinner tonight ... with the kids!!!!! Smacked my forehead for going to all that trouble making the stew at 11pm at night! But never mind, we can always keep it for Tuesday.

The day went quite as planned. Ruey and I had lunch at KFC (Kentucky Fried Chicken except it's called KFC in Australia). As I watched Jeromel picking on his Popcorn Chicken (it's basically chicken in tiny bite size pieces), I remembered that 6 years ago on my wedding day, I had popcorn chicken in the car on our way to the registry cos I was starving. I couldn't eat anything or I'll lose my lipstick. At that time, Popcorn chicken was just newly introduced into the menu and it was the smallest thing I could eat without messing up my makeup.

So a little trivia for you, KFC's Popcord Chicken is 6 years old. Bwahahaha......

Then we had loads of fun scrapbook shopping, did a LOT of damage to my pocket. Rushed home to meet with Peter, then we drove out to pick up the kids from daycare, then out to dinner. We had Malaysian food at our favourite Rasa Malaysia Cafe. It was just delicious! Although the kids were really tired and grumpy, they still had some of those yummy food. But I think all they care about was the scoop of vanilla ice cream they have for dessert everytime we go there. By the time we got home, I was exhausted. Happy, but exhausted.

Anyway, I did a quickie this morning.

A layout that is .... this is an Amazing Race page.



Have a great day, everyone.