The mind has been working extra hard since I started to push Dawnut's Factory into full steam.
The brain keeps trying to churn out ideas when I am in the bathroom, standing on the train, jumping around in the gym and even as I try to lay down to sleep. If only I had more time in a day!
For those of you who didnt know, I have revamped the Dawnut's Factory blog: dawnutsfactory.blogspot.com and got a facebook page started too www.facebook.com/dawnutsfactory. So I have been crazily busy working on the new stuff that will be launched in Jun/Jul.
I think the year has been great so far, with many frens being supportive of my craftworks and stuff. Even the wedding biz, slowly and surely we have biz and enquiry coming in here and there thanks to frens introducing their frens to us.
Jas even asked if i needed funding to open a shop for my craft works. It was totally sweet of her to even ask. I hope her new interior design biz will take off and then she can hire me ;p
But for the last few mths, i m getting the feeling that all the action came from me and ms lim. Maybe i m a perfectionist, whatever I do, it's always more than 100%. And i m also very impatient, i like to do things fast esp dealing with clients. My pet peeve is people who sound like they really want something but all talk no action. Okie maybe not no action but not much action. Perhaps i m reaching my threshold, i m getting quite fatigue and thus gonna wake up somebody's idea soon. Bcos whatever she says doesnt quite seem to carry weight anymore.
After somewhat neglecting Dawnut's Factory for the last few mths, have decided to get the engine goin again :) Just got the blogskin changed and did some updates to the blog (dawnutsfactory.blogspot.com). You can expect to see handmade bears for sale in the comin wks and hope to add in other stuff too in time to come.
Gonna take up clay flower making classes in june. Totally looking forward so I can add in more interesting stuff in my works!
And just 2 days ago i heard a good news from a good fren. She is finally quitting her job to run her baking biz with her gf full time. Really really happy for her! Still waiting for the day I can do that. So it's gonna be buying toto every wk fr now on :p My fren and her gf makes the loveliest stuff. Their works says it all http://www.facebook.com/Cloud9.bake.
And also noticed that another good pal who has moved to aussie has started her own little baking biz there as well :) www.cakepopstar.com I personally like the wedding themed ones! super cute~~
MBS is a dangerous place to go to :p The plan was to have tea at TWG and then visit the Andy Warhol exhibition at the Art Science Museum.
I have to blame Angie for choosing the particular TWG outlet to have tea. There were 2 outlets and she chose the one right below YSL and left me the seat facing YSL.
The end result?
Since the day I saw someone at a fren's wedding dinner carrying a YSL clutch, I kinda kiv YSL as a possible choice for my clutch purchase when I head to europe in sep. I have decided to get a clutch instead of a bag this year.
So after tea, I thot since we were there, to go check out the price tag for the clutch. So i fell in love with the vintage designed clutch in china blue and not any other colour. It was love at first sight! I have to confess that I was sold the moment I saw it and when the price announced by the sales lady was well within budget. Also, it is a Spring-Summer seasonal collection colour. Which means i will not be able to find it in Europe in Sep.
So in order not to be impulsive, I told Angie we shall head to the museum first. But after the museum tour, it was automatically back to the shop and it was a deal. I was not impulsive okay, just that i am a fast and decisive shopper :)
To prove that we did visit the Andy Warhol Exhibition ;p
There was a bit of frenzy the last few days after my colleague sent me a weblink of new condo which had investment potential. So i got a little excited and the fact that I had totally NO clue abt all these property stuff, i fwd the link to my dad for evaluation.
Then I had Mond who was patiently educating me about how to calculate stamp duty and what is the psf average for condos blah blah. My brain was totally saturated by the end of the wk.
And so last nite, the family had a discussion for 1.5hrs. With my dad giving my mum and I a lecture + tutorial session on buying a property. But all we wanted was a conclusion whether that was a feasible investment and if yes should we go down to the launch. hahhahah.. After much deliberation, we decided not to go for it cos my dad felt that the price is still a bit steep for a 1 rm studio.
And thru this exercise my dad called it, i realised that my parents are very generous. Dad wanted to sponsor a 6digit sum and mum a 5 digit sum. It was totally unexpected. What can I say, I LOVE my parents!
It has been a busy mth since i got back from my trip to Taipei with Ruu. Ate and ate ALOT there :) So glad that I got to try all the famous 小吃 that I didnt get to eat the last round I was there. And i agree with Ruu, i think the best nite mkt for food is Raohe. The variety is slightly diff compared to the other nite mkts.
Jiu Fen is still my all time fav place :) although it totally froze the shit out of us! We encountered the cold wave and it rained the 1 night we stayed in Jiu Fen. The place we stayed had no heater, i was wrapped up with FIVE layers of clothing and i m not kidding!
Got to know a new fren, Ruu's fren who brought us to eat an AWESOME mala hotpot. It was the best thing ever. Nth like the over spicy ones you get here and it was extremely flavourful :)
Another highlight of the trip was the Partyworld Ktv which was housed in one whole building! When you enter the lobby, a long row of reception awaits you. And each room has an en suite toilet! And the decor is not sleazy looking like the ones here.
The cold/cool weather was excellent for the skin. Didnt have to put on make up and still look decent in photographs :) If only we have this kinda weather in Singapore. Forgot to mention that each of us spent abt 600bucks each on skincare products =X But i must say it is realllyyyy good. Anyone goin to taiwan must let me know!! So i can stock up.. hee..
Now looking fwd to 3wks work/play trip to Korea! First official work trip in 6yrs :) 2wks work and 1 wk play. This will be the first time I will be flying alone. I think it will be an exciting experience to look fwd to!
Ed told me last nite that my ex-best fren is getting married at the end of this month. Not that I really care cos I haven been in touch with her for some years.
She sent him an invite not too long ago for the wedding at the end of the mth. Goes to show how much a 15yr friendship means to her.
Anyway as far as I know, she made no attempt to catch up with the peepz the last few years. But still, I wish her all the best.
Like I have said before, friends come and go. Looking back, I think I must have been really patient with her for a good 10yrs. And taken for granted too. So it's good that I moved on and allowed more worthy friends to come into my life :)
For your reading pleasure, a topic that my bimbo club has shared
Our office pantry is very special, there are two microwaves; one for halal food and the other for non halal. Not sure if this is really necessary.
Anyway, there was one afternoon I went to the pantry to heat up my Old Chang Kee curry puff. Knowing that the non halal machine was cranky at times and it neva gets fixed, I decided to use the halal one since the curry puff was halal (lucky me). I opened the door and put my bag of curry puff inside, closed it and stared at the buttons for awhile wondering where was the 'start' button.
Nope, the button wasn't missing, just that the main text on the button was in malay with english subs below. So I went to look at the non halal microwave. It had english as the main text with chinese subs. This has to be the first time I noticed that two microwaves of the same brand and model actually comes in diff languages! Actually, all I wanna do is to heat up my food in one machine that speaks english :)
Went with the mum and sis to the Art Science Museum today to visit the TITANIC exhibition. Love it! It was very interesting and both visual and audio experience was very good :) Worth the money~~ 20% off for Singaporeans, remember to bring your ic..heh.. Do watch the 1hr documentary at $5, don't be a miser! Hope they will have more exciting exhibitions to come~
It has been a busy, crazy, fun, fulfilling year that whizzed pass! The first 3/4 of this year esp the 1st Q was madness. Had 3 events; 2 big 1 small. I don't know how I got through that! Altho my frens will say "pls.. when are you not busy" =p First half of the year was pretty much busy with work and second half with weddings.
Summary of the year:
1. Sang 甜蜜蜜 duet in front of a large audience for the first time with uncle and the rec club chinese orchestra provided the live music
2. Met the biggest 'cockroach' ever
3. Coordinated 7 events
4. Went out with a dentist
5. Had the most awesome trip to Seoul with the sis
6. Celebrated Songkran in bkk with Di, Li and Chang
7. Took up basic waltz
8. Went out with a pilot
9. Learnt to let go at work so I don't accumulate more white hair
10. Completed a 4.5km trek in the forest of phuket
11. Bought 2 pairs of ferragamo shoes.
12. Bought a Marc by Marc Jacobs sling bag. The excuse? I need it for Taiwan trip in feb.
13. Got my first promotion after 5yrs
14. I wanted to say that i didn't buy a bag this year (Marc one doesn't count, it is under $500) but then I suddenly recalled I got me a Chanel. Promise to myself 5yrs ago. A gift to myself when I get my promotion. Promises should be kept right?
15. Crazy bitch colleague who shouted at me over the phone. That was the first time i spoke to her. Hoping it will be the last
16. Received an offer to be match made to an indo tycoon's son. One step closer to tai tai dom but i turned down the offer cos the guy is not base in Singapore.
17. Attended the most fun wedding ever!
18. Did a flash mob for the first time :)
19. Made new friends, got much closer to some, distant myself from some and dropped some
20. Given the opportunity to be in Korea for 2wks next yr for the mini world expo
21. Didn't have farmer's holiday this year
22. Motivated to be a 'chao ah lian' at work like my boss. She is awesome~~
23. My pri/sec sch friend joined my company
24. I am now a happy Blackberry user
25. Scholars still attempt to drive me nuts
26. 3rd year of doing Body Attack and lovin' it!
27. Received a $400+ pillow from mum to relieve my stiff shoulders
28. Did an interview with RazorTV
29. Had the worst diarrhoea in my entire life. No less than 10 times
30. STILL single
My wish for next year? Kick start my partnership with Mrs Hoi!
Here's wishing everyone good health and a great 2012 =)
Been awhile since i baked. Went with Sophie for a baking class at ToTT on Saturday. Surprised to find a baking and cooking heaven in an inconspicuous part of Bukit Timah.
We learnt how to make choc fondant, truffles and ice cream :)
All ready to start~~
The ice-cream was really awesome using Valrhona choc! Chocolatey! But I dont think i will attempt it at home w/o an ice cream machine. Cos i will need to whisk the mixture every hr =p
My choc fondant! You gotta cook and serve immediately else it will continue cooking even though out of the oven and there will not be any oozing choc but a choc cake
The baking and cooking hardware shop is AWESOME! And yes you guessed it, I bought stuff ;p
Happened to my colleague this morn. He snapped, went berserk in the office compound. Although I wasn't there to witness the drama this morn, I am feeling kinda sad for him after hearing accounts from bystander colleagues who were caught in the saga.
He is my age, oxford scholar with a very bright future ahead and got married a few months back. Life seems almost perfect.
Not too sure what caused him to snap but i think it didnt happen overnight. Must have been brewing for some time already. Fingers are pointing at his boss who has been tekan-ing him for the past few mths. How he was tekan? We don't know either. But the recent mths of constant tekan from the boss due to a less than satisfactory perf could have pushed him to the corner and he 'exploded' today.
I don't think it is fair to push all the blame to the boss. Bosses are known to be capable of being mean right? Just like nasty colleagues or people we meet, sometimes it is good to just take what they say with a pinch of salt and don't let it affect you. But I guess some ppl tend to be a bit more sensitive and take things to heart.
Whatever it is, i think it is always good to rant out your unhappiness. Maybe some ppl think i am full of complains or blabber too much when something comes up. I will fb, tweet, blog and complain to my family and all my gfs and bfs who i can get hold of until i m tired, i will stop. That is my way of letting it out i suppose. Better than keeping it inside; a time bomb waiting to explode.
A really sad day.. Life is full of unexpected surprises - both good and bad.
9:39PM - WHAT IS THE OLDEST PIECE OF CLOTHING IN UR WARDROBE?
I was steaming a few wks worth of clothes and realised that my wardrobe is so stuffed that i have no choice but to clear out some stuff.
For the years that I cleared out my wardrobe, there is one piece of clothing that has stayed with me since my sec sch days. A good 15years! And I am still wearing it to work :p I remember it was from the defunct This Fashion and it was $20 or less :)
The last time I was there was probably a good 10yrs ago! A short getaway before the madness at work. Then again my frens will say "when are you not busy!?!" Aiya but seriously the coming 1yr is gonna be quite jam packed..
Stayed at Indigo Pearl resort which is abt 5-10min drive from the airport. But getting to phuket town and patong took us an average of 45min. The decor of the resort is very interesting. It centers around tin mining. My fav place in the room is the bathroom! Okay I have a thing for big bathrooms. And the outdoor bathtub was equally shiok; soaking in bath salt and bath oil.. ahhh
The highlight of the trip for me would have to be the 4.5km trek into the forest. Had a few National Geographic moments seeing really big millipedes, army of ants walking alongside etc. It was a real test of physical fitness and i muz say the regular Body Attack sessions the last 3yrs did help build up my stamina and strength :)
SHIOKKKKsss.... i just washed my hair! Did a dye job on thur and was reminded by the stylist's assistant not to wash my hair for 2 days O.O. So i said friday night? She said thur not included..zzzz.. I negotiated, sat afternoon. Seriously, I don't know how some people can wash their hair every few days! The hair will get greasy, dusty, dirty and with the humidity here...eeeksss...
Yesterday, while i was in the office, 3 of my female colleagues were having a conversation behind me...
Gal 1: Hey xx, did you do something to your hair? It looks different.
Gal xx: Yeah i washed it~
(me: *gasp*)
Gal 2: Yea, xx only washes her hair once in a few days.
oh gawdddd... seriouslyyyy how can anyone living on this sunny island with such high humidity wash their hair once in a few days!! And she has a young kid to look after, just running around with the kid i think will set one drenched in perspiration. Not to mention hygiene.
Just started a new wedding design/craftwork blog to chronicle some of my works.. help me spread the word!
dawnutsfactory.blogspot.com
Been really busy doing stuff for 2 weddings coming up in Nov. So i haven really been updating this blog. Will try to put up stuff from the recent Phuket trip when I have time
11:41AM - HELLO MR TAILOR, MAKE ME MY DREAM DRESS!
Will be heading to Phuket this coming week for a short break before all hell breaks lose at work :p
Was browsing trip advisor to see what stuff Angie and i could do in phuket and came across a post on tailoring clothes at this shop called Instyle Fashion.
I have heard lotsa raves about tailoring clothes in the land of smiles so I thot why not give it a try :) This shop received quite a lot of good reviews so i decided to drop them an email to make an appt. They were very prompt in their response so far and i m totally looking forward!
So then I was thinking what should i tailor? I don't really wear shirt and pants these days, so i decided that i should make a dress or dresses if budget permits.. heh thinking of making some vintage / mod dresses too.
Work dress sounds boring, so I decided to make an evening chiffon flowy like dress. I sorta have something in mind, so went to google some images to bring with me to Phuket. Now this is what i want. The feel like the pic on top left; I like the design of the V-neck front but maybe not so low cut lah cos got nothing much to show :p Must ask tailor to put alot alot of padding.. ahahhaha.. And i like the straight empire waistline of the pic on top right and the back of the green one. Not sure how this combination will turn out heh.
I know, next you all will ask me when I am goin to wear that dress right? I always lived by my "buy first think later" motto. Surely will come into use one day ;p That's why I seldom have problems of not having the right outfits for different occasions. I think my mum has learnt to embrace this clever logic ..haaa
My wish? is perhaps to do a waltz in this dream dress ^^ I still have an unfulfilled dream of competing in a dance competition.
Check back next wk to see how the dress turns out ;)
Friends come and go. That was what I realised abt 3 years ago when my best fren of 10+ years fell out with me over sth really trivial. It was at that point that it occurred to me that perhaps i didnt quite know this best fren that well.. Or maybe it was just me treating her as my best fren and not the other way round.. i dunno?
Friends you know for donkey years or friends you know for mths, i think we need to accept the fact that people come in and out of our lives. Doesnt mean that you know them for all your life, they will stay forever. People change, situation change, lotsa factors can make or break a friendship. Maybe there will be a few that will really be there for you. But the rest, you shouldnt be too alarm if they suddenly disappear on you. This is the reality of things unfortunately.
Yest a fren told me that his close fren of 20yrs let him down. I didnt have much difficulty guessing. Usually when men have a prob, it's either women or money. In this case it was the former. He told me that his fren went out with a gal he was seeing. But technically, he aint officially together with the gal so I guess the fren has the right to go after her too? But the part the fren did wrong I think was he didnt come clean to say he is interested in the gal too. The guys tell me it is an unspoken brotherhood rule that if you like a bro's target u need to say. Sounds reasonable, good to be honest.
So I asked him what does the gal think. And guess what? She said she likes both of them but closer to my fren. Got such thing? It is probably just casting the net wide. So told my fren that if he is really interested in the gal, then go for it no? But he is still bogged down with how his fren is treating their friendship and has decided to leave them both alone. Sounds kinda 'heroic'. But i think the situation is not that complicated. If he can let go, he is prob not that into the gal. As for the fren of 20yrs? I say ditch the gal or the fren. If the friendship cant withstand this, then ditch both? We got to learn how to accept disappointments and move on, a trainer told me this.
