Slowcatchupkuan

Being Outdated

I think I’m so afraid of growing irrelevant and outdated that I’m even more stressed out now than when i’m holding a full time job.

It’s becoming a constant struggle to keep myself on par and abreast with everything that is going on around me that i force myself to read and research and not grow stupid. I’m really afraid of growing stupid. Have I (grown stupid)? That question i ask myself every night before i slip into slumber.

How is that there are people just satisfied being idle most of the time?

178 days ago PERMALINK 0 like 0 Comments

New Sewing Project

My latest sewing fad. I’m not saying what it is just yet but i’m very excited.

I’ve used this print before for the elephant plushie but it was such a waste because the elephant was too small and it didn’t do the fabric justice. Here you can actually see the mushrooms, the caterpillar, the snails, the birds and butterflies. Super adorable. I only wish it wasn’t so pricey.

It’s taking forever for me to finish this because one, i have my ahem, day job to attend to and two, i’m barely done setting up my sewing table and everything is so inconvenient. I’m planning on building my on DIY ironing board using a spare piece of plywood. It would be so much easier to iron small sewing items like this.

Did i mention that there are no lights in the room? Well there is but it’s so dim i think i’m going to go blind if i continue to work under this condition. I need all the lights i could get because i’m sewing everything by hand; i do not own a sewing machine and not planning to own one anytime soon – phobia = long story.

I guess i’ll have to find something else to pacify my impatience and excitement for the time being. Another plus point of sewing; mother god of all patience.

418 days ago PERMALINK 0 like 0 Comments

Sewing, sewing, sewing away…

It all started when the sister downloaded a free teddy sewing template from the net and started to sew it for her baby. I was bored and thought i’ll make one as well just for the fun of it and well the rest is sewing history.

Oh, i’m no sewing goddess to start with, i had my fair share of disasters and when we had to make a tissue case for econ’s class during secondary school i almost cried in despair because i was hopeless and hated it so much. I went to the class with a piece of blank fabric and tried to imitate what my friends did but mostly i pretended to sew, just mindlessly poking the needle here and there without a purpose.

When the teacher wasn’t watching i just stared at the stupid piece of fabric praying for the class to end. I think that’s what most of my classmates did too because when it was time to hand up each of our tissue cases, everyone had their masterpieces done by the tailors or their super moms – mom did mine. I suspected the teacher knew as much but didn’t say a word. I got an A by the way *smugness.

I don’t recall doing any sewing since then besides a few buttons i fixed on my working shirts.

But who knew sewing could be so therapeutic this time. At first it was misery because i have a patience level of a big fat zero. I was very gungho and couldn’t be bothered reading through the instructions properly hence i had to restitch everything a few times. God i almost tear off my hair when the thread gets tangled each time when i’m about to end the stitching which means i have to snip off the stitches and start all over again! Agony!

End result? A teddy that looks like a teddy but with atrociously patchy thread work. But the satisfaction of having created something was worth every minute of it.

Having moved on to a second project, i am less rushed and more meticulous when it comes to sewing, i learnt that if i sew slowly the thread tangle less. I learned to be careful when cutting out the fabrics and to plan off hand the usage of fabrics to prevent waste – fabrics are expensive alright.

Ps:// Did you know you have to snip the curved sides of the fabric to prevent it from pulling and being to snug? I had no idea.

Once i get the hang of it, sewing is absolutely de-stressing because it needs all the concentration and attention that it takes my mind off all the clutter in my life.

But this new hobby is utterly expensive too. Sewing materials and tools are not easily available here. And what is available is rather pricey especially quality print. Can you believe that 1/2 yard of designer fabrics cost a hefty RM22 in Malaysia?

There’s no haberdashery at my place so we went all the way to Petaling Street to look for one plus to check out the many fabric stores there. Urgh… the fabrics in KL are just so bland, even the colors spells boring, the reason why my pocket now has a big hole because i ordered a few designer fabric i’m so excited for it to arrive next week.

Anyways, i almost passed by this particular sewing materials shop without even noticing it if not for the outdated banner advertising their tailoring services. Like the banner, Syarikat Fa is amazingly old fashion occupying a vintage shop lot at Jalan Tan Cheng Lock (it is the same row as Shin Kee Beef Noodle Specialist). I’ve never seen so many sewing supplies for ages. The old sewing supplies that my mom has including the brands are available here. Brilliant!

I bought a few sewing tools and a few pieces of felt fabrics which i later found out is much, much cheaper at Daiso fml. Daiso is not my new favorite hang out.

Here are the few sewing projects i’ve done in leisure. Aren’t they cute max especially the turtle pin cushion? Am thinking of selling some of the stuff i’m going to make in the future just to subsidize my new if short sewing madness else my place is going to be flooded like an animal farm.

Do you think anyone is going to buy LOL?

422 days ago PERMALINK 0 like 0 Comments

Dr. Seuss’ The Lorax

Totally love Dr. Suess so i absolutely had to watch the movie. Had to drag the boyfriend with me though, thank god without any screaming or kicking. He’s so stressed nowadays, i’m getting bored and stressed out myself just looking at him, and i thought the movie will be good for him as well.

The trailer looked very promising and i even watched the “making” of the movie. Uber cool granny character with high piles of white curls did it for me.

The story is simple 90 minutes wrap, adapted from the original classical tale. It’s about the journey of a boy in a land where trees and forest has long cease to exist, trying to find the one thing that will enable him to impress the girl of his dreams. Searching for the remaining seedling left, he discovers the story of the Lorax, a grumpy creature who speaks for the tree.

It’s a feel good, cheery movie with lots of super adorable and fuzzy characters running around the screen; singing gold fish trio, marshmallow munching bears (and a real fat one so cute can die), and grumpy creature named Lorax that looks like a furry peanut. I enjoyed the movie, yes even the too often musical interludes. The colors were amazing; i wish i live in the Lorax’s world. Why can’t our trees look as gorgeous and as woolly as the Truffala trees? Why oh why?!

Alright, i admit this is more for kids than adults – yup it’s no brain teaser, and the story is simple and a little too short but it carries an important message about the importance of preserving the trees plus who cares when everything is so lovable!

429 days ago PERMALINK 0 like 0 Comments

Cycling… Finally

Once upon a time i asked my mom “Mi, how come i don’t know how to swim and cycle?”, when all my friends in school was going for swimming classes and i see kids in the park balancing on their striking bicycles. All mom mom said was “What for?” and that was the end of it.

Fast forward today, i’m 29 and i finally albeit a little late, mastered the bicycle for the first time in my life. It was only 2 years back that i learned how to swim but having succeeded at last; i am exhilarated and felt an impossible sense of achievement. Call me silly but to me it’s a great feat.

I had no idea how fun it was to ride a bicycle and to paddle breathlessly uphill and roll uncontrollably downhill is really fabulous. To have learnt how to ride at an age when i’m the most afraid of falling and gashing my leg or hand (oh the horror of having permanent scars) is something i’m proud of. But all doubts aside i manage to ride within day 3 and the only serious injury i obtained is a scratch on my right calf.

I find it strange that i would veer off-track all the time, hitting the bushes but each time when i hum an out of the ordinary tune i would be able to ride straight on without a hitch. It’s even more bizarre that i should have hummed the Pokemon Jiggly Puff tune the very first time i rode straight! I had no idea why but it just came into my mind. The second day, when even that tune failed, i began humming the Indiana Jones tune which miraculously helped me through.

Now i can ride straight (without humming like a mad woman although sometimes it helps a little) with only an occasional lapse in my pace but i need more practice with U-turns. I’m even thinking of getting a bike soon if it’s on tax-rebate that is. Our May trip to Yogyakarta is going to be fantastic if we are able to secure some bicycles to cycle around the heritage sites.

Fingers crossed.

When i came home with light scratches on my arm and leg, my mom took one look at me and asked what i was up to. It was almost comical when i told her i had been learning to cycle and the only thing she said to me was “What for?”, the same answer she gave me many, many years ago.

436 days ago PERMALINK 0 like 1 Comment

Time

Oh how quickly they fly by…

Stress is a funny thing. It’s there all the time, gnawing at your soul and if you’re not careful or is foolishly and completely oblivious then it hits you like a train.

I’m growing utterly tired of this. Have been thinking of shutting down this worthless blog for quite some time now but i couldn’t bring myelf to do it just yet.

I’m going to have to find myself to find another hobby to occupy my interest else i’ll go mad.

What do you suggest?

Sewing perhaps?

I made this the other day.

Took me half a day from scratch with no pins available and i had to redo most of my sewing because i had no idea what the instruction was telling me. Not perfect but satisfactory i guess. Had me pulling at my hair a few times because i’m so, so impatient. Perhaps sewing is not for me.

Idle mind is a devil’s workshop.

438 days ago PERMALINK 0 like 0 Comments

Happy Valentine’s Day

After a long, long hiatus i’m back for a short post. I think i lost my blogging mojo. I think i lost my mojo period. I hope i’ll find it back soon because the cob webs here is in need of a good cleaning.

By the way, today is Valentine’s Day. So i’m wishing everyone a nice and sweet Valentine’s Day. I’ll be spending the day like usual because Valentine’s Day is our Black Friday. Yeah pretty mundane.

You know yesterday while i was taking Kobe for a walk at the park, i saw a teenage boy holding a single stalk of rose, walking very fast and smiling serenely to himself. No doubt he was heading towards his girlfriend or future-girlfriend’s place to deliver his token of love. It was really sweet. Teenage love is so innocent and is always the sweetest.

I miss those days :)

And speaking of V-Day, there’s some hilarious memes circulating on facebook. Uber funny!