Valentines

This is what happens when you do not want to support the commercialisation surrounding Valentine's Day and yet feel like you ought to do something special for that someone.

Find scrap yarn you have lying around and make little hearts.


D had been overseas for work for the last eight days, so I decided to make eight little hearts to represent every day he was away.

Attached little notes, ala fortune cookie style, for each day.


And then strung them all up and hung them by his bedroom window.


What did the notes say, you wonder?

You will never know....

Heart pattern from here (only available as a Ravelry download).

Fortune cookie template from here.

Victorian bushfire appeal

The craft community has banded together to raise funds for the Victorian bushfire appeal.

They've donated (really gorgeous) items for you to purchase.

Free shipping. And sales from all items will be donated to the Australian Red Cross every Friday.

Have a look.

Quote

The big lie, the glamorous career. By the time we hit our thirties we find out that a job, even when it is fun, is just a job. Terribly useful when it comes to paying for holidays, shoes, the rent, food, that sort of thing, but it's not really the stuff of soul. In the back of our minds is this nagging question: when we decided to throw our lot in with careers and to hell with everything else, did we lose something?

It's my party and I'll knit if I want to! by Sharon Aris

Is it a worry then, that I realised this about my job before I turned 27?

Victoria bushfires

I suppose I'm pretty lucky to be living in Sydney, away from the devastating bushfires in Sydney. It's been raining here for the last three days, for crying out loud.

But you can't live in Australia and not be somewhat impacted by the bushfires.

I don't have family or friends immediately affected, but you really cannot escape watching, reading or even hearing about it from somewhere or someone.

It's bad. It's really bad.

Almost 200 people dead so far, and more than 700 homes destroyed. Whole towns/suburbs wiped out.

What really baffles me is the realisation that some of these fires were actually deliberately lit.

Yes, arson. An entire town population decimated because some idiot decided it may be fun to light a fire. I mean, honestly? What were they thinking?

It feels to me that committing arson like this is far worse than being a serial killer.

I cannot understand it. I simply can't.

And I suppose all those affected by the bushfires cannot even understand why them. Why such a terrible thing could happen to them.

Is this a time to start blaming God?

As a Christian, the natural answer is "no", but it's normal for people to start wondering, "Why God? Where were you?".

I don't have the answers, but things like these are true indications to me that there has got to be something better, something more than this life.

I have had my own personal tragedies, deaths of loved ones that I've had to handle, so I'm not trying to be flippant about the issue.

All I'm trying to say is that the Bible teaches me that this is not a perfect world, and it isn't so not because God allowed it so, but because we made it so.

And despite it all, there is still a saving grace. It's not only about the fact that Jesus died to save us from all our sins - having a faith in God does make things better.

During times of despair, it's the knowledge that God is still looking after me, the knowledge that there is something better in store for me, knowing that my purpose in life is not about me but about serving others, these are the things that help.

It's not about asking "why me?", it's about continuing to stay focused on God.

Perhaps it doesn't really help when you're in the midst of tragedy, but that's when others come in. Others who are similarly touched by the beauty of God (Christian or not), who will be there to help, support and rebuild.

I can only imagine how terrible it is to lose everything you own, have, love. And even in my imagination, I can feel how horrible that would be. But when you have lost everything, at the end of the day, the only thing you can do is trust.

Grieve, but also trust.

NZ prisoners escape

Those living in Oz will probably have watched this ad nauseum but others may not have been quite so lucky to have had the pleasure.

So here's a look at what's happening in New Zealand.



And in the words of those at my favourite TV show, "because they fell into each other, they will be rewarded for foiling an escape attempt" (or something along those lines).

Experiments in dyeing

It had to happen. I had to attempt dyeing my own yarn. And to my pleasant surprise, hand-dyeing is a really easy process. Squirt colours here and there, pop it in the microwave, rinse, dry and viola! Custom-made yarn!

I really enjoyed hand-dyeing the yarn. This could possibly be a new addiction...

Vanguard

I can't say enough just how much I love this colourway. It's just so bright and fruity. It's probably a little too loud for some, but I simply adore this colour. The yarn was originally white, so no wonder it turned out almost neon.

Whimsical

This was originally a dark grey yarn. I wasn't quite sure what kind of colours I would get and to be honest, I'm not quite happy with the colours I've got. They're a bit brown/burnt orange and it's not really my kind of colour. But I like how there are faded and darker areas.

The process:
Colour recipe:

Red - 5mls dye, 20 mls water
Yellow - 5mls dye, 10mls water
Orange - 5mls red dye, 20mls yellow dye, 50mls water

I love the brilliance the dyes had on the white yarn, not so much the grey one.

Instructions from Pea Soup and the ladies of From the Dyepot on Ravelry.

Differences

How tolerant are you of someone who doesn't share your likes in colour, clothes or food?

What about someone who doesn't agree with you?

How about a person who puts demands, requests on you or makes suggestions that you simply cannot comprehend?

We like to think of ourselves as tolerant and understanding people with a wide variety of friends. And most of the times, it's true. I mean, I have friends who don't like spicy food, I have friends who don't believe in the Christian God, I have friends who even don't agree with how I do certain things.

But are we really that different from our friends?

I've recently had the privilege of associating with people of completely different economic and social backgrounds. People whom I would probably never have met in ordinary circumstances. But for some reason, our paths crossed. We started conversations.

And that was when I realised, birds of a feather really do flock together.

My friends may be different from me, but essentially, we agree on more things than we disagree on.

These other group of people however, have a completely different outlook to life and a totally different way of understanding things.

In all honesty, I don't see them as friends, more than people I have to associate with.

And they come up with things I would often label "ridiculous", "silly", "strange", "weird" and perhaps even "stupid".

But are they really?

Just because they're different, does it make them any of the above words?

I don't really have the answer to this, besides the fact that I've often pondered it. I mean, I may think they're so wrong in seeing things a certain way, but to them, they're right.

Does it make them right? Or wrong?

I know they frustrate me. But is it simply because I lack patience and understanding? And even Christian love for them?

Because in all honesty, I don't think Jesus would dismiss them as easily as I would and do.

And yet, I remain thankful for the friends that I have. Friends that can agree with me. Friends that share the same outlook as I. Friends that are, in my view, on the right side of sanity.

It takes all kinds to make up this world.

2009 calendar

What happens when your work/daily task calendar runs out and you just cannot find one in the stores that suit your needs?

Make your own.


Calendar template from Home Life Weekly.

Background graphics from aprintaday and LollyChops.

Dyslexia

Why is the word for someone with a reading/writing disability so difficult to spell even for people who don't usually have any spelling issues?

Felted hair clips

What do you do when you have these?


Perhaps you could wrap the ribbon around the hair clip and come up with something like this?

But the flowers are oh so pretty too!


Managed to indulge in a little craft project that had nothing to do with knitting on Sunday.

These cute little hair clips are making their way to a friend soon.

Now to make some for myself.

Project was based on this tutorial.

Pink scarflette

I never blogged about this did I?

This was a quick little knit that I whipped up for a dear friend for Christmas.

Since it was meant to be a surprise, it had to be a stealth job. But she's received the present now, so it's time for all to be revealed!


Real fun, real quick knit.

I have the same yarn, but in orange. I want to make one for myself. I've even bought extra black buttons already! I love those buttons. They're really plan and simple, but it just looks gorgeous to me.

I'm beginning to fall in love more with scarflettes nowadays. They don't have the extra peripherals that scarves have, that may cause your scarf to soak up your soup or dinner.

Pattern here.

Art attack - photo play

This art attack from X facta actually had a deadline, which explains why I got my act together so quickly.

We were meant to choose a photo and alter it, and since I'm not so much a print and canvas kind of girl, I decided to go with the good old fashioned Photoshop way.

This photo was taken late last year, when we took D's brand new (to him, it was a second hand Ebay steal) catamaran on her maiden voyage. This was just after we finally set her up, ready to sail.

Before

After

Added a red tinge because I always think there's something magical about a red sky. Also gave the photo a kind of grainy wash so that it looked like an old photo, but the effect may not be picked up because the photo on the site is too small. But trust me, it's there, and it's cool.

And also gave us a bit of a highlight so that we won't hidden in the shadows too much.

A simple alteration I suppose, but I had fun nonetheless. I wish I could spend all day digitally altering photos...

Tennis

The Australian Open has been happening in Australia for the last few weeks.

Watched a very exciting match between Jelena Dokic and Dinara Safina last night.

But if there is one thing I don't understand about tennis, it is the scoring system.

Follow my logic for a moment:

When you win the first game, you score 15.

When you win the second, your score increases to 30.

(That kind of makes sense, since it's an increase in multiples of 15.)

But when you win the third, your score then increases to 40. (What happened to the multiples of 15?)

And finally, when you win the fourth, your score becomes 45.

(Now it utterly and completely does not make sense. How does a score increase by 15 twice, then 10, then 5? And why?)

Isn't it better to simply score 1, 2, 3 and then 4?

I don't understand.

Ash & raisin

After the long and tedious task of knitting with fingering weight yarn, I needed some instant gratification.


This cowl/beanie certainly fit in the category, and I ended up not only with one item, but two!

And the yarn, oh my goodness, the softness and warmth and cosiness of the yarn...not particularly suitable for wearing right now since we're getting like 40 degrees heat lately, but come winter, I know I'm going to be real snug.

I initially was going to knit this for a friend, but even though I like it, the funnel/chimney thing at the top of the beanie may make it a little weird/funky for some. So I'm keeping it for myself.

Pattern here.

Stick to a reward program

D and I love drinking from Boost Juice.

Unfortunately, after the kerfuffle involving their reward programs, I'm not sure if we'll be visiting again any time soon.

The management of Boost Juice just cannot seem to be able to decide on the reward program that they want, and constantly change it, much to the chagrin of their customers.

Reward program 1

A simple cardboard card and stamp system. You buy one drink, you get a stamp on the card. When you get ten stamps, you get a free drink.

That worked well until one day, without seemingly any forewarning, they moved on to Reward program 2.

This pretty much meant that any stamps that you might have accumulated prior to the move was null and void. Tough if you had nine stamps and was waiting for that one stamp to qualify for a free drink.

Boost Juice has moved on.

Reward program 2

A little key ring sized card that you show whenever you purchase a drink and you immediately get a 10% discount.

This worked well for a few months until suddenly, Boost Juice decided to move on yet again.

Suddenly customers are left hanging on to their now useless key ring decoration, and instead given a cardboard card that looked remarkably like that in Reward program 1, and worked suspiciously like it too.

Oh wait, the reward program has indeed changed back to the old buy one drink, get one stamp, collect 10 stamps, get a free drink system.

Woohoo.

And then on Monday, D and I were at Boost Juice again. As D was about to pay for the drink, he hands over his card, that already has eight stamps, thinking that he was two drinks closer to a free drink.

Surprise surprise.

Reward program 3 or is it 4, considering, there was a 3, but it just looked like 1.

The cashier explained, quite patiently and nicely, that Boost Juice has changed reward programs and no longer accept the cards. Instead, "here's a new plastic card that gives you so much more benefits".

I'm not sure what the benefits were, I tuned out by then.

She also very briskly made the cardboard card disappear (no, it wasn't returned to us, not even as a keepsake). It was as if she wanted to make sure the previous reward program never existed.

D looks at cashier with tears in his eyes, exclaiming, "Nooooooooooo! My free drink!!!!!!!"

Ok, he didn't do that, that was just for dramatic purposes. But I'm sure he thought it. I did.

So now, Boost Juice has moved on again. Frustrated by the fact that Boost Juice just cannot seem to make up their minds, D writes them:

Hi there,

I've been enjoying Boost juices and smoothies for a number of years now but have a little gripe with my visit to the Hornsby store today.

I'm not sure when I last got a Boost juice - possibly in November 2008, but I don't recall seeing any signs warning of the discontinuation of the Frequent stamp card, so it was a bit of a surprise when I presented my card today I was informed that the Frequent stamp card had been discontinued - the program where after each juice you buy you get a stamp on a little circular card, and then after 10 stamps you get a free juice.

The sales assistant explained it well, saying that a new program was starting and gave me the plastic eftpos type card, and gave me a discount of 45c on the original sized Janine's Favourite from $5.75 to $5.30 - however, I had 8 stamps in my card, and as I had not seen any warnings about the closing of this program, I was a little disappointed as in my mind I was 8/10ths of the way to a free juice, not a mere 8% discount. Anyhow - that's just my gripe of the day.

To their credit, a reply came rather quickly:

Thanks for your email.

We launched a new VIBE hard card on the 5th of November 2008, with the same benefits as the stamp card (buy 10 and get the 11th free). Customers were given until the 31st of December 2008 to use their stamp cards and this was communicated via flyers in-store, emails sent out to the Boost database and in the terms & conditions on the website.

Franchisees are not obligated to honour stamp cards after the 31st of December 2008 given the 2 month grace period awarded to customers. However, I do understand your frustration as I know you have collected a fair few stamps. If you post your stamp card to the following address as proof of this along with the details on your new hard card (Boostie number, verification code, full name, birthday and email address) I can certainly credit your hard card with the stamps on your old card so that you don’t lose out on the change in procedure.

Boost Juice Bars - Customer Relations Department (Stamp Card)
Level 1, 173 Burke Road, Glen Iris, VIC 3146

Please note that you will have to register your hard card as per instructions on the card before you are able to redeem your free drink, and that we will need 5 working days from when we receive your stamp card for the points to be credited. We cannot take any responsibility for missing stamp cards, so we strongly encourage you to use en express post or registered post envelope when sending this through.

Hope this helps, thanks and have a great weekend!

It all sounds nice and everything, until you consider.

1. D and I walked past the Boost Juice stall several times between November and 31 December. Not once did either of us see any "flyer or poster". Maybe we were blind and simply missed it. Perhaps.

2. Buying the stamps to send something via express or registered post will probably negate the cost of a free drink.

3. The lady at the Boost Juice place confiscated our stamp card!!!

Why, oh why, can't Boost Juice just make up their minds regarding a reward program?

Twisty optimist

So, I've just finished knitting something for her.

But because I know she reads this blog, the only thing I will reveal about the project is this.


She knows it's a pair of fingerless gloves, and she's already seen a photo of the yarn that I was going to use, but how does it actually look when worn?

You'll just have to be patient, Faith.

As much as I love making gifts for people, I am never going to knit with fingering weight yarn again. So thin, so small, just so difficult to knit and so time-consuming! I love the gloves and the pattern, I just didn't appreciate the slow going-ness of the project. It nearly drove me insane.

Only 8-ply weight or above yarn for me in future!

Oh, I'll reveal this too. A sweet label design from aprintaday that I managed to adapt for my own use. You can download the template for yourself too.

Update: She got them!

Thankful

Just read in the papers that some 44,000 full-time jobs were lost last year.

All I can say is that I'm thankful that I'm still employed.

Considering I'm in Australia on a work visa, I am extra thankful that I have not lost my job, since that would essentially mean that I'll have to leave the country.

And despite the drought, despite the bush-fires, despite the shark attacks, despite the sometimes crazy rainy weather, I really really do like Australia.

Top of the foodchain

Those living in Australia will surely have noticed the increase in news reports on shark sightings/attacks over the last few days.

Then there's the story about how dogs have killed a child and mauled her younger sister.

Now, I agree that it's horrific and terrible that people should be attacked/killed that way.

However, I also cannot help but ponder the arrogance of the human race, simply because we're at the top of the food chain.

What I'm talking about are the typical cries that we need to "put the rouge animal down" after it attacks someone.

Shark bites human? Kill the shark!

Dog mauls children? Kill the dog!

Snake attacks locals? Kill the snake!

Kill! Kill! Kill! Kill anything that harms us!

I just have a simple question - do humans get the death penalty when they abuse an animal, maim it, starve it, hurt it, kill it?

I'm just not quite sure it's fair...just because we have the power to decide an animal's life and death doesn't mean we should use it so frivolously.

Christianity and politics

Let's start 2009 with a rant.

I simply cannot tolerate people who label themselves Christians, but who do not want to stand up for social justice issues.

I'm not talking about complacency or being apathetic.

I'm talking about those who know that human rights atrocities happen but fail to take action simply because they think it's being "too political".

They don't make a statement about a government, because they believe one should "Give to Caesar what is Caesar's and to God what is God's".

These pseudo-Christians choose to bury their heads into the sand and pretend there is no war, no genocide and that people are not suffering because of their inaction.

And the worse thing? They berate other Christians for taking part in activism, for standing up against the wrongs in the world, and even for simply stating that Robert Mugabe is a less than desirable ruler of a country.

It is one thing to stir the hornet's nest and manipulate state of affairs by being too involved in politics. But it is quite another to simply ignore the slave trade, evil dictatorship and mass genocide because that would mean being "involved in politics".

Aren't we Christians called "to act justly and to love mercy"?

So why do we immediately cower in fear and become cowards when someone in church declares that the world needs to take action because dictators like Robert Mugabe is bringing Zimbabwe to ruins?

Why do we choose not to write letters to governments and sign petitions, pressuring the government to be accountable for human rights issues and even environmental issues?

It's like one of the pre-requisites of being Christian is to live in bubble wrap, pretending that the world is made up of rainbows, blue skies and sunflowers and that we all live in perfect harmony.

I say wake up and smell the reality.

This world stinks. People are suffering.

And Christians are the very group of people who are meant to stand up for the poor and suffering, help the widows and orphans, take care of the environment and reflect Christ to the world.

When you show people you care, that's when you become a true Christian.

Why bother to call yourself a Christian when all you want to do is live in your comfortable world, pretending that nobody is in pain or suffering, sometimes because of the government, and criticise others for actually trying to make a difference in the world?

So long, farewell!

Aussie Adventures is now officially on a break till I return from holidays next year.

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year everybody!

Thanks so much for reading and for being a part of the Aussie Adventures community!

How well do you know the Bible?

A friend sent me this little game that I thought I should share with all of you who believe they are fairly familiar with the Bible.

There are names of 16 books of the Bible mentioned in the paragraph below. See how many you can find. A minister found 15 books in 20 minutes. But it took him weeks to find the sixteenth one. Let’s see how much time it takes you.

“I once made a remark about the hidden books of the Bible. It was a lulu: kept people looking so hard for facts … and for others it was a revelation. Some were in a jam, especially since the names of the books were not capitalised. But the truth finally struck home to numbers of our readers. To others it was real job. We want it to be a most fascinating few moments for you. Yes, there will be some really easy ones to spot. Others may require judges to help them. I will quickly admit it usually takes a minister to find one of them, and there will be loud lamentations when it is found. A little lady says she brews a cup of herbal tea so she can concentrate better. See how well you can compete. Relax now, for there really are sixteen names of books of the Bible in this paragraph.”

So far, I've only found seven eight, but then again, I've got no patience and only spent about five minutes on it.

How many more can you find? Leave a comment and let me know!

Paper Flower CD Case

More Christmas presents being packaged!

Seriously, I think I give presents just so that I can gift wrap stuff.

Anyway, this is a present for D's mum and what better way to spice up the packaging than with a Paper Flower CD case, courtesy of Nick and Norah?


It was pretty easy going once I actually found a protractor, which I had to borrow from my workmate.

I felt like I was back in primary school though, working with angles and using a ruler and pencil and what not.

If I were to do it again, I would use slightly stiffer paper - gift wrapping paper is simply too flimsy.

However, I had fun, and once I find some big enough heavier card stock, I'm going to make a template so that I don't have to borrow that protractor all the time.

Solo necklace

Simple, understated, classic.

A real breeze to make, once I found a bead actually big enough for the rope thing to thread through!

I had to throw away another bead because I tried to thread the rope thing with a needle and it got stuck in the hole of the bead. It refused to go through completely and was not coming back out as well. So I ended up with a bead that had a needle sticking out the middle. Probably not too pleasant to wear.

Had fun making up the gift pack though.


The gift bag was made from an envelope that was lying around. (Tutorial here.)

And the gift tag was printed on my computer using alongthedottedline's free template I got ages ago.

Christmas gifts

As with most people, I've been thinking alot about Christmas presents these last few days.

I'm making a list, checking it twice...

But the thing is, I don't want to simply go out to the shops and buy someone something.

I just don't like the consumeristic nature of it (K-Rudd may differ in opinion since my way is technically slowing down the economy...).

You go out there, you buy something without much thought, you give it to the person, the person says thanks and it just sits in the person's cupboard growing mildew or something. Perhaps it'll get recycled as a present for someone else, but then it will just sit in that someone else's cupboard or so on and so forth.

Unless of course the present was honestly bought with much thought for the person, and is actually something that person would love and use. Now that's another story.

But if you really want to give someone a present, why did you have to wait till Christmas to give it?

I like giving gifts, and I may wait for birthdays and such to give them, but that hasn't stopped me from also randomly giving presents to people just because, well, I want to.

And that's why I like making my gifts from scratch.

I like to think I'm creating a unique gift and am having little impact on the environment if I use recycled materials. But best of all, I'm not supporting blind and/or mass consumerism.

The only problem? Hand made gifts take far too much time. If I start making presents now, I think I'll have them in time for Christmas 2009.

But then there are these gift ideas from the Tree Hugging Family.

Giving the gift of experience or a gift of necessity is not only more useful than giving a product gift, but both use fewer resources and thus, are eco-friendly.

Gifts of experience:

• Tickets to a play, the ballet, a concert, or art show.
• Season sports team tickets.
• A trip to the zoo, beach, art museum, or national park for a child.
• Movie tickets.
• Enrollment in a class - places like community colleges offer low-cost art, craft, and computer classes that people may enjoy.
• iTunes gift certificate.
• A gingerbread house making day.

Gifts of necessity:

• Pay someone’s mobile phone bill for two months.
• Offer to change someone’s oil, breaks, or other car issue.
• Give babysitting certificates.
• Organize someone’s garage.

What are you giving for Christmas this year?

Link.

101 reasons to buy handmade.

Pensionbook

Facebook for pensioners...


Note: I didn't actually create this. It was sent to me by a friend.

'Tis the season...

...to be a bit strange.

Mildly amusing happenings around the world, being this close to Christmas.

In London, angry people are beating up Santa Claus.

And in Germany, a real baby is found in the manger of a nativity scene.

Funnier that the baby is then named Christian.

On the Melody front?

Not much really, other than....10 days to Christmas holidays (not counting weekends!!)

One pretty thing

I love crafting. I cannot draw for nuts, but I love being able to get random scraps of materials, putting them together and ending up with something pretty.

That's why I love knitting.

I don't do it for the relaxation properties other knitters claim it has. I do it because I get to create. I get to take raw materials and transform it into something that is more or less useful.

But yarn and knitting aren't my only vice. I just love hand-making all sorts of different things.

And this website has my absolutely hooked.

Everyday, it comes up with a list of things that you can potentially make. And like its name, every single thing is pretty.

The only problem is that I can't seem to find the time to do all those things!

Between working, knitting, writing, reading, sleeping and going out, how does one find the time to fit in more things?

I don't think I have a busy life. At least I don't feel like I'm stressed or overwhelmed or anything. I just cannot seem to find the time to pursue everything in life that I want to.

Perhaps during retirement?

Noodle generator

What do you do when you are someone who often struggles when it comes to making a decision for dinner?

Cue the Noodle generator that will give you oh so delicious sounding options. It even has a vegetarian option!

If only it also dispenses the dish out of the CD-drive...

Link via Craft Magazine.

Shonky awards

Perhaps I am simply too idealistic, but it always saddens me to realise that there are evil companies out there selling dodgy products that are made simply to make a profit without care of the consumer.

I mean, I'm not that naive to know it exists. I just get sad when I hear about it.

Why can't we all live in peace and harmony without wanting to take advantage of each other for our own selfish gain?

Anyway, despite the unscrupulous methods of some businesspeople, there are also people out there protecting the interests of consumers.

Introducing the Choice Shonky Awards - a list of the dodgiest of dodgy products out there.

The one I found most concerning?

If you’re concerned about animal welfare, you may have been buying free-range eggs in the hope they come from more cheerful chooks than their cramped cage cousins. After all, some of the cartons show happy hens roaming in lush, green paddocks. But don’t be fooled. The term “free-range” has no legal definition in Australia, found a CHOICE report.

There are voluntary standards, such as FREPAA’s, the Free Range Egg and Poultry Association of Australia. However, the vast majority of free-range eggs are certified by the Australian Egg Corporation, the national industry body representing about 90% of producers. Conveniently, its Egg Corp Assured scheme has a more relaxed definition of free-range than the voluntary standards, making it easier for members to use the free-range label and access the shopping dollar from concerned consumers.

Even true free-range chooks spend more time in a shed than outdoors. But while FREPAA restricts the number of hens to seven per square metre of shed area, Egg Corp Assured allows 14 – not much less than the 18 /m² in cage systems. Unlike FREPAA, Egg Corp allows beak trimming and shed sizes on a scale that means many chooks will never find their way outdoors.

More Shonkiness here.

Lelah the debutante

My first ever knitted top!

No, I did not name my top Lelah. The pattern for the top was called Lelah and so I pretty much just ran with it.

It was an incredibly easy knit for a top - I suppose not having to worry about collar and sleeves do that. It took a while (about six weeks of on and off knitting), but it was fun to see it turn out in the end and add the pretty ribbons and finally wear it.

I was rather worried that it wouldn't fit me, but it fits fine. The only thing I might have changed would be to make it slightly longer so that it was kind of like a half-dress. But I like it like this too.

I knitted this with a wool/alpaca yarn, making it rather heavy and warm. So it's nice to actually wear it like a vest over a shirt. May consider knitting it with cotton or something one day, so that it will actually be some sort of summer wear.

Christmas tree, oh Christmas tree

I don't really see the point of spending money on a Christmas tree that will be displayed for only a few weeks in a year. And it's not just the cost of the Christmas tree. The many ornaments that go on to the Christmas tree is enough to send someone broke.

But I liked the idea of a Christmas tree. And so one day, while walking the dog with D at the back of my flats, I stumbled upon what would become my Christmas tree.


Yes, that piece of branch.

I stuck it into an old juice glass bottle and bought some red pebbles for some Christmas cheer.


Then I gathered the raw materials.


Some photos printed on normal paper, using some pretty pictures from A Print a Day as background. Simply used a needle and some unwanted yarn and poked a hole through the top of the paper and tied it to the branch.


I tried making a wreath as well using some junk mail that was lying around.

However, it was really heavy card stock and made it slightly harder to fold and stuff. Looked good though, and cost nothing. If more junk mail appear in my letterbox in the next few days, I may embark on more wreath making.

Behold, my "Christmas" tree.


Total cost: $2 - for the red pebbles.

Yellow fever

Disclaimer: I am not dismissing the seriousness of body-trafficking and prostitution. It is an atrocity and believe me, happens not only in Thailand, but in your neighbourhood as well. Up to four million people are victims of human trafficking each year - that's the equivalent of exploiting the entire population of Singapore every year and forcing them into slavery, sweatshop labour or prostitution. It is terrible and it must end.

That was the reason why I was researching this article, but then I came across a few remarks that made me smile. And I quote:

Some men - a lot of men - prefer Asians. What lies at the heart of Thailand's sex tourism industry is the way we sexually stereotype Asians; about the way Asian women perform in the bedroom and act in a relationship.

I asked my ex-girlfriend, Viv - brought up in England by parents from Hong Kong - about it. Her words detonated off the screen:"Oh my God, I have so much to say about this." In her opinion, there is "a hell of a lot" of sexual stereotyping. She told me: "We call it 'yellow fever', which I find hilarious, or 'Asian fetish', which is more common. I get it all the time at certain clubs, and you know that guys are only talking to you because you look Asian.

Viv had a number of theories about why Caucasian men are attracted to Asian females. First, there is the physical difference. "Perhaps it's the hairlessness of our bodies and the different feel of our skin due to the extremely healthy diet and the blackness and straightness of the hair," she said. "Everything is completely different."

Cultural differences serve to heighten the attraction. "Girls are taught to bring up a family and to know their place; to take all sorts of shit and still be courteous and long-suffering without a word of complaint.

"Western guys who look ugly as hell and don't stand a chance with strong-minded, selfish, feminist, materialistic, status-driven Western girls can have beautiful Asian girls falling over themselves to be with them."

After reading this, I can't help but feel that I'm a failed Asian.

1. * I have naturally wavy hair that become quite curly if I don't brush it.
2. * I started going grey when I was about 14. I have to colour my hair at least once every three months to ensure I don't get mistaken for a grandma (perhaps the fact that I knit doesn't help matters).
3. * I have no intention of having children at the moment and certainly do not have plans of bringing up a family.
4. * I know my place - it involves being assertive and not being trodden over.
5. * And alas, I am somewhat feminist.
6. * Oh, and I do know a lot of Western girls who are not selfish, feminist, materialistic or status-driven. So much so that they put me to shame.

But the beauty of this is that it proves to me that D loves me for me and not simply because he's suffering from some sort of yellow fever.

Ah, the beauty of stereotyping...how I love it.

The closet activist

I preached a sermon at church about two months ago and it was filmed.

But before I show you the video, I need to say this - man, the camera really does add 10 pounds.

No, not really. I mean, the statement is true, but that was not the point I wanted to make. What I want to say is that there are two breaks in the video where I run off and sit down. It's not because I got tired or got stage-fright. I was showing two different videos.

The first video, I'll embed just below the video of my sermon.

The second video, well, it's actually a powerpoint + music slideshow thing. I can put the powerpoint presentation up, but I don't know how to put music up. So you'll just have to use your imagination as to when the music presentation starts and how it all fits in.

Constant trouble

I was recently reminded of this quote by a friend:

Jesus promised those who would follow him only three things - that they would be absurdly happy, entirely fearless, and always in trouble.

The problem is that I'm not sure if I should attribute the quote to Gregg Levoy or G K Chesterton, but that's not the point of this post.

It's a quote that I really like because it says so much about my life as a Christian.

It's not that I'm an anarchist, or consistently finding myself in trouble. But I have discovered that since becoming Christian, I do often inadvertently find myself in some sort of "trouble".

Whether it's challenging the way things are done because I believe it is going against God's moral law and principles, or simply following God's leading and finding oneself in an environment completely unfamiliar with only God to lean on, I have had my fair share of trouble.

But the beauty of it all is the peace you get with the faith you have.

When you trust that God is there for you, looking out for you, you have a sense of peace and the feeling that you can conquer anything.

And that's when you get the feeling of absurd happiness.

And although fear will still exist, it will not be crippling.

Knitted graffiti

I don't know how people can have that much time in their hands to knit frivolous things.

I hardly have time to finish knitting a scarf, what more spend time knitting fruit cosies or stuffed guitars.

But maybe it's simply because I knit far too slowly?

Knitted graffiti is one of those frivolous things that fascinate me though - it's like graffiti-ing a public object, only not with spray paint, but yarn.

Check out this tree:

And this:


Essentially frivolous, but oh so funny. And somewhat akin to random sculptures/art pieces in the city. Imagine walking past something like that, in such bright happy colours - I can't help but think it'll brighten your day. And I suppose the damage is not as permanent as spray paint.

Not that I would ever have time to do something like this. I'm still trying to finish a top I started about two months ago.

More about Urban Knitting.

Rainbow cowl

I had a lot of fun knitting up this cowl, and it wasn't because it was such an easy knit or because the colours are just oh so pretty! Those reasons are all valid, but the real reason for all the fun is because the yarn came from a magic yarn ball.

See the little lollipop stick peeking out? The entire ball of yarn not only had hidden lollies, but a whole bunch of different surprises. I found a pair of earrings, some lovely beads, hair ties and of course, lollies.

These were hidden at random stages of the yarn ball, so after knitting for a length, a surprise would pop out. It was most fun to discover what the next goodie would be!

Unfortunately, I still have half a ball of yarn left after finishing the cowl, so I'll have to look for a new project to embark on to reveal all the other goodness.

The yarn was initially meant to be used to knit up a pair of socks, but a quarter way through, I came to the realisation that I am not a sock knitter. Too fiddly, too slow and I just simply cannot see the point of knitting socks. It's not as if I would be bear to wear what I've painfully hand knitted on my feet anyway.

As for the cowl, I simply love the colour. It was a rather quick knit and is really lightweight as well, which means...perfect for summer!

Photo challenge - wash

I actually quite enjoy xfacta's photo challenges, so here goes another one on the theme of wash.

This time, I couldn't quite decide, so I ended up with two photos.

After wash

The cat on the top of the photo is Checkers, and the other is Domino. I was pet-sitting them last week and they are such adorable and affectionate little kittens/cats. Well, Domino more than Checkers, who is a bit of a scaredy-cat.

But this photo opportunity came up while I was reading in bed. First Checkers came and snuggled next to my legs (which are under the blanket), and then Domino joined us in bed. Checkers started licking Domino on the head, which prompted some rather loud purring. Then Domino proceeded to do the same to Checkers, which caused even more purring.

For the next ten minutes or so, these two cats were licking each other (even in the ear, which grossed me out a bit) and giving each other a wash and purring away. It became a wash/snuggle/purr party. It was the cutest thing.

Then they fell asleep. Domino actually had her arm around Checkers initially, kind of like she was hugging her, but by the time I got the camera and took the photo, they had somewhat changed positions.

Needs a wash

This is Louis. A rather unfortunate looking French bulldog who sounds more pig than dog. I had to turn up the volume while watching TV just so that I can hear it over his snorting.

Despite not being your typical cute puppy, this pig/dog is quite charming in his own little way. He likes company, but doesn't like being petted. He loves going for walks, but only lasts for about a block. He especially loves it when you play frisbee with him, not in the throw and catch way, more of the "I'll grab it with my teeth and we'll see how good you are at prying it off me" kind of way.

I took this photo before the photo challenge came up. But I just had to use it because it's just so appropriate since when the photo was taken, the dog badly needed a wash.

We washed him that very afternoon, but it needed two people. One to hold him down, the other to scrub.

Oh, and if you look closely, you may be able to see my reflection in Louis' eye.

Role models

There was great media attention and debate in Singapore this month, when a primary school teacher decided to join an international competition where contestants had to send in photos of them wearing extremely skimpy bikinis.

The photos are then posted on a website for the whole world, including the teacher’s students, to view.

The controversy wasn’t the fact that she joined the contest, but because she was a teacher.

The Singapore public did not like the fact that someone who taught pre-teens was parading around in barely there, if at all, outfits.

As Faith mentioned on her blog in an interview with a teacher, teachers have no private life. There is a code of conduct that must be adhered to, and permeates all aspects of their public image. Their image and actions are more important than what is taught to students in class.

But this public image is not just something teachers possess.

We have a very public image as well by the fact that we call ourselves Christians.

We are role models to the world in everything we do and say. Do Christians have a private life? Not really. Because by the very virtue of being Christians, people are judging us.

A teacher may affect her influence on her students, but a Christian affects their influence on the salvation of others, and people’s view of God.

So how have you interacted with others and behaved today?