Back to Favorite Things on Saturday

I can't believe it’s been over eight months since I last updated this journal. I just don't get enough sewing lately and it's really too bad since my sewing time is directly related to mood. I have been busy with work, grand children and their school activities and running errands around the house. I'm always hoping to have plenty more time to sew when I'm retiring soon, hopefully. Well, hopefully if our retirement age is not yet put into effect to be 60 years of age by May 2014. I look forward to retire at age 55 years old and I would think it'll be great to work myself into a better schedule too by then, hopefully.

Well, I've been working on a couple of wall hangings (mostly UFOs) and currently I'm striving to complete those exchange-friendship blocks for our ladies' group Autumn House wall hanging (see picture).

I managed to make a small wall hanging quilt top for my kitchen door and I can't wait to share here. Then again I will have to find time to complete it, though. My bookcase wall hanging quilt has been left unattended on top of my sewing table and every time I looked at it, my heart just sank. Alas, I must work on that quilt too before starting any new ones. I'm keeping my greed on making new quilt tops on hold for now and better start working in finishing those which are already pieced, batted and to be quilted. Wish me luck and I do hope to come back to posting more here again!! Happy Labor Day (celebrated on every May 1 in Malaysia).

Back to Favorite Things on Saturday - Part 2

Our ladies met up as planned that Saturday night and as usual, we always started up with food, food and more food in mind! So, we had our Dim-Sum Dinner at Lotus Restaurant. Dishes that we all picked were very very tasty especially when one is hungry. LOL!

While enjoying dinner we talked about our sewing and quilting and everyone is talking at once; offering advices and listening to your personal problems until at the end our new lady friend finds it not as easy as it seems to learn quilting after all. So, naturally she declined to join our group! Well, we nevertheless hope she will change her mind in due time; fingers crossed.

Our new project in mind is trying our hands on "Japanese Quilting". One of our lady friend had hers completed and gave the quilt to her brother for him to hang in his new home.

The next day we made a visit to our lady tutor to buy new fabrics (mostly batik) for our Japanese quilt. I've started mine with a very small block piece and I find it very easy to do the running stitches, however the applique pieces are quite challenging.

I will include the quilt picture here once I finished the quilt top. So, happy quilting and stay happy.

Back to Favorite Things on Sunday - Part 1

My oh my! After another long break, it's back to do a little posting again. How time passed and as usual; so much to do with so little time.

Well, just a little update on my quilting progress; it's slow but surely. Our quilters are into Japanese quiltings and that's another WIP.

And just today I started a new project (a wall hanging) for my sister who is coming from KL this end August. It's a simple quilt and I hope I can get it completed before she comes. LOL!

Happy Quilting to all quilters and have fun!

Back to Favorite Things on Saturday

It has been a while since I last update my blog and I think my readers are beginning to lost interest in it. Well, I wont' be surprised by their reaction. After all, who want to visit a "stagnant and boring" blog! Anyway, today my mood is back to normal gear (fingers crossed) and here is a short post about our quilting event.

Tomorrow is another quilting-cum-birthday dinner meet of our ladies and we are expecting a newbie joining us. This newbie was so impressed by the wall hanging quilt that we gave her for her business premise the other day and she got inspired and want to try her skill in quilting too.

Like what I said before, the more the merrier and I am already excited having her with us. Adding to this excitment is that one of our friends is going to show-off her new interest in oriental quilting and I have a feeling that that will be our next friendship project. Well, definitely and surely our next outing will be enjoyable and fun.

Nevertheless, here are also some of the quilts that we did during the "MIA" period. A "Fruit Basket" and "Welcome" wall hangings.

Tagged

I was tagged by "Anonymous" and here's the quest.

What’s your first job?Sales Clerk

What are your likes?

Challenges, family life, gardening and meeting people.

What are your dislikes?Negativity, arguments, arrogant and bad mannered people.

What do you believes in?
Jesus, motherhood and there are still good people out there.

What are your wishes?
Get over my debts, learned more languages (since now my grandchildren are beginning to speak in Mandarin) and have a soul mate to be with.

What are your greatest regrets?
I

never have regrets and I don’t believe on dwelling in the past. I prefer to learn from my mistake and move on.

What were your hardest hurdles to overcome?

Raising and educating the children as a single mother at quite a young age was a challenge. Death of my father is something I’ve yet to come to term with; I miss him every single moment of my life. Daddy is a buddy and a true friend. We shared each other’s secret.

What do you think of today’s women?Many are successful people. However some are lacking good personality and having ill-graced attitudes probably because they think they are rich and have everything the world could offer. It’s a pity that beauty is only skin-deep for these kinds of people.

How do you see your children?I liken them to a rainbow. They’re all individuals, but together they are something outstanding.

What do you see in the future?The world will be in peace and harmony through the love of Jesus Christ, our Savior.

The Pride of Your Heart

Obadia Chapter 1 verse 3 - 4

Literature Network>The Holy Bible>Obadiah

1:3 The pride of thine heart hath deceived thee, thou that dwellest in the clefts of the rock, whose habitation is high; that saith in his heart, Who shall bring me down to the ground? 1:4 Though thou exalt thyself as the eagle, and though thou set thy nest among the stars, thence will I bring thee down, saith the LORD.

Rainstorms

We experienced a heavy rainstorm last night and the strong wind caused a lot of damages in and around Miri City. My grand kids and I were downtown to see a good friend who works at the Other Office Pub. When we arrived there near 8 pm, the evening was just fine: warm and a little breezy. My intention to be there was not for the usual “beer-socializing" thing but to pick up the tobacco leaves packages from the bar that my friend reserved for my son. Once at the entrance, the kids were a little surprise to encounter a different kind of atmosphere compared to other places they had been to, however as the minutes passed, they began to monopolize the place. So, I said we must be on the road home by 9 p.m. At this time it was already raining and very windy outside.

Driving along the Miri-Pujut road, we met with massive traffic jam and it was caused by fallen trees and blocked the highways.

We made a detour as we arrived along the Permyjaya roundabout and drove all the way to DPS supermarket before making a turn back to Lutong, where we live. It took us more than an hour to reach our house! Usually it's within a 10 minutes drive for me from Lutong to Miri City!

My! I couldn’t believe what I saw as we arrived home. Branches, zinc slabs, shoes and slippers and flowerpots were strewn every way and the sight scare Nigel and Nicole! Both of them huddled each other inside the car and dare not come out! After much coaxing, only then they got out of the car. Nicole started crying again when she saw one of her blue slippers on the grass at the yard instead of at its usual place, the doorstep. So I have to brave the rain and collect the slippers for her.

It comes to my mind that we were only experiencing a small impact of the stormy weather. Just imagine what thoses people in Myanmar were going through when cyclone Nargis hit their home. It saddened me when I think about those unfortunate people out there. Silently, I said a little prayer asking God to forgive us for our sins and to protect us in our every undertakings, to comfort and console those people who are affected by nature’s wrath. I thank God for keeping my family safe on our journey home last night and also protecting my DIL and youngest grandson safe from danger too.

This afternoon I drove to town and I saw many fallen trees and broken branches along the Miri – Pujut Road. The workers from Miri Municipal Council are seen cleaning up those areas affected by last night’s rainstorms. It would be nice to have a clean-look Miri City again later.

Borneo Tropical Rainforest Resorts

Sometime in September 2007, our department organized a team’s meeting day away from the office environment.

We went to Borneo Tropical Rainforest Resort, where at that time it was still undergoing it’s hotel blocks construction. However, its chalet rooms were already ready for occupancy and the Belian Spa Chalets have a Jacuzzi bathtub!

This trip was my first and I find it very interesting and awesome then.

Early this year, our team’s Family Day was also held at the same resort and this time the resort is completed with hotel rooms. It’s a pity I didn’t manage to take pictures during our eventful day's trip because I forget to grab my camera with me. Also, I noticed that not many of my colleagues are carrying theirs too! I just wonder why. However, here are a few pictures I took during my first trip to Borneo Tropical Rainforest Resort.

P/S: If you have any plans to visit Malaysia, make Miri City as one of your stopovers! Miri City is located in the 4th Division of the state of Sarawak and it’s popular for its tropical resorts like Mulu and Niah Caves and many other attractions. Wish you enjoyed your stay in Miri City and in general, Malaysia!

A beautiful sight of the oil palm tress planted by the Sarawak Oil Palm Berhad (SOPB) at the Miri Oil Palms Plantation located at around the vicinity of KM41 Miri-Bintulu Road, Lambir District.

A signage is erected just close to the reception lobby and its message is quite clear. Mind your manners!

Depending on what you want to do while there, if you are to do jungle trekking, then you'd have to go by foot, however for a tour of the resort this "tough guy" is used to transport you around. :)

Chinese Lunar Year of the Rat

It's now just a little past midnight and those who celebrate the Chinese lunar year will usher in the Year of the Rat with family gathering, dining together and not forgetting lighting up loads of firecrackers as the clock strike 12 midnight.

Around my neighborhood, fireworks started as early as 10 pm this evening. At this very moment as I am typing away, the sounds of firecrackers are blasting away! The noises sounded just outside my bedroom windows and in the far distance. The sounds are loud and very deafening. It's like the sound of gun-shots, bombardments and cracking storms and would surely be frightening to any young little boys and girls who hear it.

My grandchildren are very afraid of any loud sounds like thunderstorms and heavy downpours and so too are they afraid of fire crackers. Like in previous years, instead of enjoying the beautiful display of fireworks, they would instead be crying and holding on tight to dear life! Poor little thing!

Today, I want them to stay away from my home and be with their other grandparents because many of my neighbors are mostly Chinese who celebrate the Lunar Year. I am sure there is also some Chinese living near to where their grandparent's house so not much to escape from for them both though. However, I do hope they are okay and be already being in bed at this time of the night.

As for myself, I always enjoy this time of the year celebration. In my younger days, I played a lot with firecrackers. I wasn't at all afraid of firecrackers and I would say it was because I was a little tomboy! What boys can do, I could do the same too! I even enjoyed doing boxing with some of them! Tee..he...he..., isn't that outrageous! Whatever, that type of sport had passed. :)

When my two sons were young teenage boys, we lighted up the firecrackers together and enjoyed the fun with our neighbors. It's just so wonderful to live with a community of different ethnics and cultures, especially at where I live and I have the privilege to participate in much kind of festivals all year round!

To every one born in the Year of the Rat

Here is wishing you prosperity, happiness and good health.

To dear little mouse, watch out for the cat. It's open mouse season for sniper kitty. Ha..ha.ha...

Gong Xi Fatt Chai!

Happy New Year 2008

Christmas joy is still sounding in the air and soon gone will be the year 2007. We gladly welcomed the new year which is just round the corner.

What is your new year's resolution? For me, nothing is better than leading a good and simple life where in every acts I do, it is pleasing to God. At this very moment as I am composing this blog, the prayer of St. Francis of Assisi rings in my head.

I got sentimental whenever our church choirs sang this hymn on Sunday Mass or any Holy Obligation days. My whole being will be filled with emotion and silent tears rolled down my cheeks. To say I am sad, I am not. It's just that the words written in the prayer touched my heart.

My new year wish to you and yours is have a Blessed and Happy moments all year round!

The Prayer of St. Francis of Assisi

Lord, make me an instrument of your peace.
Where there is hatred, let me sow love;
Where there is injury, pardon;
Where there is doubt, faith;
Where there is despair, hope;
Where there is darkness, light;
Where there is sadness, joy.

O, Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled, as to console;
To be understood as to understand;
To be loved as to love.
For it is in giving that we receive;
It is in pardoning that we are pardoned;
And it is in dying (to the self) that we are born to eternal life.

Amen