Ah kong

My ah kong has left to be with the Lord. He was sick for a long time, and the cancer had spread to his bones.

He lived to a ripe age of 91 :)

Earlier this year during Chinese New Year he was still looking healthy. He had short term memory loss, so most of our conversations in limited teochew (on my part) would consist of him asking me the same questions every five minutes:

"Are you working in KL now?"
"Is Jontzen still in Shanghai?"

His long term memory of me is up til around 2005 when I graduated from uni and started work in KL, and that was also when my brother was already working in Shanghai. So to him, I was still the fresh grad who just moved to KL, just rented a room, with new surroundings to adapt to.

I never got tired of answering his questions though. "Yes I am working in KL, this is Sen Kiat my husband, we got married last year.." It was kinda cute yet sad at the same time.

His wife, my grandmother, had passed away many years ago. I always asked my parents if he would remember that she was no longer around, or would he wake up in the mornings startled at the disappearance of his wife from his side.

He got really sick a few months back. From the healthy man I saw during Chinese New Year, he had suddenly become so frail that it hurt to recognize him. Skin to the bones and cheeks sunken in, he was admitted to hospital a few times.

Ah kong. I wished I spoke more teochew. I told you I love you in English and I think you understand that right? Every moment spent with you then onwards was more precious than gold. Feeding you porridge at the hospital, wiping your eyes, putting on your socks for you, massaging your ankles and shoulders... Will it ever be enough to show you that I love you dearly?

I didn't cry that much when I found out that he had left. I guess we all saw it coming and it was just a matter of time. But as I write this my tears are rolling down.

Ah kong. I wished I was there to send you off to the Lord. Still, it would never compare to the welcome of the angels above.

Love you, ah kong :)

Priorities

Looking at the way my Monday to-do list was written, clearly I've got my priorities lined up right from the get go. I had written all the non-important but fun stuff at the top of the list and the really important one right at the end. Upon realizing that I had to furiously mark in red to draw my attention to the most important item.

I suppose linear thinking is not my thing haha :)

Dear Malaysians

Let's forget about being good Malaysians for a while, and just try to focus on being good people, on trying to have a good heart, and on trying to do the right thing. 

That's how Malaysia is going to be a better country in the future.

You may be a school teacher, a stay at home mom, a student, a janitor, a politician, a rockstar-- it doesn't matter. Let's just start with this small seed in our heart. You want a better Malaysia, right? 

p/s: I'm so, so, so, SO proud of my husband because he came up with this idea and together with the awesome team of creatives (in the agency, the client, and the production side), they came up with this viral video. You will see him in the video, holding a sign about apologizing for not returning a stranger's wallet he found in a taxi-- that incident happened to him when he was 14 years old. So yes, true story! :-p

Tutorial: Recording your own vocals on GarageBand with the built-in mic


I wrote this for Jodi because she wanted to record her own vocals on GarageBand. She's a really awesome singer and I always love her performances! She is gonna be a megastar one day :D

This tutorial is a very simple one, using the built-in microphone on your Macbook. If you have a USB mic, it would be better, but the point of this tutorial is to show you that you can achieve pretty decent quality with the built-in mic by taking control of a few settings. Here is one song that I recorded with the built-in mic:

KSD by chiiiiing

On to the tute......... take it away, tute!

Setting up your recording area

1. Try to record in a small room so that there’s not so much echo
   (Note: Apparently one of Kelly Clarkson’s songs, “Irvine”, that was on her album was recorded by herself with her macbook in her closet. The vocals were so emotionally charged that the producers decided to use it instead of trying to replicate it at the studio.)
2. Thick curtains and carpets are good because they help dampen some high frequency waves and also reduce echoes. (If you record in a bathroom, there will be a lot of echoes because the sound waves will be bouncing crazily against the bathroom tiles :D)
3. You can also try covering yourself and your laptop with a thick blanket/quilt but it might be a bit hot hehe
4. Turn off any electronics that might be adding noise to your environment (ie ceiling fans, CPU fans, mobile phone vibrating, etc)
5. Close any windows to reduce sounds of car honking noises, cats fighting, etc
6. Adjust your distance from the laptop microphone, ie if your song requires you to throw your voice loudly, place yourself further away from the mic. If your song requires a more personal and intimate delivery of the vocals, go nearer to the mic so that it’ll pick up the emotional nuances in your voice.
   (Note: The built-in mic on the macbook is usually located behind the keyboard, under the left speaker grille)
7. Stand up if you feel it works better for your vocals; you can also sit down. Whatever works best for you :D

Setting up your macbook’s System Preferences

1. Click on the Apple icon on the top left of your computer
2. System Preferences > Sound > Input
3. See image below:

Setting up your garageband’s Sound Settings to record vocals

1. See image below:
2. You may then proceed to record your vocals

Enhancing your vocal recording on garageband

1. After recording your vocals, you can add filters to enhance the quality.
   See image below:

That's about it for now. If this tute helped you, let me know. Have fun!!

Manual prints

Experimenting with printing patterns on fabric tonight! Let's see how lasting this paint is.... :p

Well, what?

I feel like I'm kinda equipped for something, but I don't know what that is yet.

Smartypants

Smartypants

While we were in Bangkok, the husband bought me this book because I was reading the summary on the back cover and burst out laughing at the reviews (one of them said "Totally worth it." --TREES). I also really love Liz Lemon btw.

With every book he gives me, I always insist he write a note in there, so I'll have an aid to remember the occasion or reason for the gift. I'm a sucker for books with messages.

So after paying for it he borrowed a pen from the cashier and wrote this:

Yes. I married a smartypants.

Better choices

Better choices

Ever since I found out that I had cysts, I've been trying to be more conscious of trying to make better choices when it comes to the quality of life.

Sure, everyone makes their resolutions at the beginning of the year. Me, I'm a rebel you see, always living life on the edge, making resolutions in JULY. :o)

I'm trying to eat healthier. Less of eating outside food. Less of deep fried food fried in reused oil. Less MSG. Less processed meat. Less starchy carbs. Less sugar. When we cook at home, we try to keep it simple too, and I do like simple food where you can taste the ingredients. We never use MSG at home because we never found the need to. 

I'm trying to not drink too much of coffee either. I started with 1 cup a day and last year I was getting used to 2 cups a day.. and I've now cut it back to 1 cup a day again. I do get sleepy after lunch but I have to consciously force myself to reach for green tea instead.

For the past 2 days, I've been taking a small breakfast in the morning (cereal and milk, my favourite!), followed by a juice of green apple, Sabah snake grass and lemon. My parents got the Sabah snake grass for me last week after I told them about the cysts. I know, what a weird name for a plant heheh. I'm supposed to take it every morning after breakfast.

I'm also trying to be a better person. Spend time with the people that matter. Be generous with encouragement. Trying not to fight over stupid things. 

My grandpa is in the hospital now and I try to make it a point to see him on weekends just to try and feed him a meal or massage his legs or shoulders or something... anything! He has short term memory loss, but it seems that over the past few weeks while he was in the hospital, he seems to remember more than the usual. Apparently it's because he's now constantly being in the company of a lot of his family members, so it helps trigger and motivate his memory to work harder than usual (this is something Chak told me yesterday).

I'm trying to make better choices for leading this life of mine somewhere. 

It's no mind-blowing manifesto. 

First look at my first shorts

First look at my first shorts

I finally finished my first pair of shorts on Sunday!

Unfortunately it was dark by then, and weekdays it's always dark when I get off work, so I haven't gotten the chance to take any nice photos of it.

Here's a dodgy first look: sits at the natural waist, two mid-sized pockets, slim waistband, and fitted without elastic gathers. As previously mentioned, it took me 2 rounds of muslin tests to get the fit right. I still think it can be improved, but at the same time I'm also glad it wasn't a disaster.

And it really turns out that sewing shorts isn't that difficult after all! I'm looking forward to sewing more.

Right now, I'd like to get started on drafting a bodice block on the computer.. If only I could sew day and night!

Dup dup... dup dup...

After skimming through Winifred Aldrich's patternmaking book, I decided it was time I start drafting them for real. I had always wanted to make shorts, but there were barely any shorts pattern available online for download (most of them were elastic shorts anyway, which were ok, but I guess I am looking for a zippered one).

Buying a good pair of shorts has always been a problem for me because my ass doesn't seem to want to fit in nicely into any shorts without looking weird (and bordering on camel toe offense). I suppose it's because of my child-bearing hips hehe.

Anyway.

So I tried drafting my own shorts using the book's instruction on developing a basic trouser block. Instead of using mahjong paper, pencil, the French curve and the other long tailor ruler I have, I thought hmm why not try using a program like Illustrator instead?

Unfortunately drafting a pattern on the computer doesnt necessarily make the whole process easier like you're using a patternmaking software where you'd input the measurements and wallllllla! Basically it's just manually drafting the pattern according to instructions but doing it on the computer with some aid from computer brains.

What it does make easier (to me at least) is:
1. Able to construct lines in exact measurement required (just click to create a line, specify how many cm you want it to be, and at what angle)
2. Able to draw and adjust curves without a French curve (or a round saucer)
3. Able to make adjustments on the same pattern after muslin test, erase old lines and reprint it as a clean new pattern
4. Able to keep backups of each version of the pattern, ie I have a basic shorts block saved with different dates denoting alterations, in case I want to rollback to a previous version.

After doing 2 muslin tests (which, embarrassingly, is the first instance I'm doing a muslin test despite sewing for a long time because I've always been too lazy), I've gotten the fit I want, and am sewing the actual shorts now.

Now, fingers crossed.................

Back to school

Let's see.

I hated studying. I hated memorizing. I hated maths. I hated textbooks. After high school, despite scoring A's for maths and add maths (not really sure how THAT happened), I swore off at maths and was certain I'd never have to use it again. I mean, come on, do I really think I'd want to be an accountant?? Pffft.

Now let's look at what I'm doing now on a Saturday afternoon.

I'm reading a textbook.
On pattern drafting.
Which requires maths and accurate measurements.
I've been using rulers--huge ones, small ones, curved ones.
I've been whipping out my calculator.
It took me weeks to decide if I wanted to go with the Imperial measurement system or the Metric system.
After deciding on Imperial, at the very last minute I went back to the good ol metric system I learnt in school.
I'm bookmarking the pages with colorful marklets I "splurged" on at Jaseema's.
I'm having coffee and im focused (I hope).

Ok, you sonnuvagun named Sewing. You've got me.

I'll do whatever it takes to win you over.

Awkward.


Omar: Hey... Ching... is it true...?
Me: .........that I have a third nipple?
Omar: What!?
Me: Wahahhahahaha!
Omar: ... coz I'll be jumping for joy!
Me: hahah--...ew, WHAT?!

Work in Progress: In the Midnight I saw Blue

Saw this vintage dress a few weeks back and couldn't resist it because I've always wanted a blue polkadots dress! It was rather long and baggy with a full circle skirt that reached to the ankles (I'm not a maxi kinda lady), so I shaved off the length of the skirt (which took me forever to hem since I've never hemmed a circle skirt before). I also adjusted the bodice slightly (didn't want to adjust it too much because I liked how the bodice was slightly baggy without any major shaping darts), added an elastic to the waist to give it a bit more shape, and also replaced the buttons with gold textured ones from my stash. The material is slightly sheer as it's probably chiffon, and I guess with chiffon you just need to cinch it at certain parts to accentuate the shape, otherwise it flows really nicely.

I was lazy to wash it before working on it so now I got to wash it hahahaha... :p

Her Treasure

The husband and I live alone in his family home, a place that is filled with quite a number of treasures left behind by his late mother when she passed away when he was a teenager. It was a sudden passing, something I imagine would be really difficult to live with. Because of that, the house still has furniture, dining ware, and decorative items that were handpicked by her.

These items all form a little window that allows me to sort of "get to know her". I know she has a soft spot for ducks, she's good at sewing, she's a bit of an English Rose and she loved cooking. Kinda think she and my mom would've got along well together :)
I found a beautiful deer ornament (very solid, fell in love with it at first glance), and also six brand new spice jars (the latter at the perfect timing when the husband and I started buying spices to make curry pastes).

I always wonder whether she would like me if she were still alive and we got to meet...

The husband's diorama


HEART!

He made a diorama for his 1:18 cars and mechanic station tools, and I totally love it! It was so fun going to Jasima to get the corrugated plastic boards, car brand stickers, and at the same time I also got some sewing supplies there heheh.

I made a simple large checkered floor on Illustrator and we printed it out on glossy sticker paper. He designed his own workshop logo and put the whole thing together. Even though the diorama isn't dramatically complicated with caves and moss and smoke machines, I am so proud that he finished the project :D Told him that next time he can help our son build his.

Here are some pictures taken with Sen Hon's camera (thank you for letting us use it!!). I love shallow DOF-- guess I'm just shallow like that. HAH!

Meatballz

Meatballz

We both finished work at around 8-ish today, I popped by Presto to pick up some groceries and we made meatball Tagliatalle. The meatballs were huge and smelled amazing even before they were cooked hahaha... A real yummy recipe by Jamie Oliver (the only thing we changed was to add one yellow onion into it).
This recipe would probably make a great burger patty too. Mmmm. When I told the husband "Hmm, must learn how to make the Ikea meatballs too", he looked at me like I was loco and said "What??! This is WAY better than the Ikea meatballs lar!"
Awwww. Monkey.

Whitest King Alive

Spotted Adrian high up on the VIP balcony area at The Whitest Boy Alive's gig and the next morning I finally got to ask him the burning question that bugged me all night.

You can be sweet, sweet, sweet



Last week my bff Jean had her pre-wedding photoshoot, and Lobak was the photographer! So excited because he's also shooting them on film... can't wait to see the photos :D I took some shots for fun on my iphone... trying to learn how to do video composition and editing. Originally I had a cute song by My Little Airport on it, but then upon consultation with Jo and Lobak separately, it turned out that song was about teenage heartbreak (Lobak said it was very badly written too hahahah), so erm, not suitable. So I ended up writing a song for the video.

Jean and Tung are like a TVB couple, and I find them cute in an unexpected way (they never show affection in public). I absolutely love them hehehehhehee :D

Tutorial: Big floppy hairband

Tutorial: Big floppy hairband

While watching reruns today, I made this big floppy bow hairband. It's huge, floppy, and er, kinda huge. And it cost me about a hairband I had lying around, some jersey scrap, and some time.

Super easy and you can make shitloads. You can make them in any size, any colour, and for anyone. Perhaps Jiggles might like one..... hehehehe.

Pin it

I got this little leopard at Koh Samui, and the pretty bow brooch from eBay. It belonged to someone's grandma's massive collection.