With ice-cream and a dog this cute, it's hard for it not to be! I started on this layout last weekend, but ended up leaving it on my desk half-done because i felt too ill to scrap after the full effects of my stomach flu kicked in. Now it's finally done!
So which would you pick? The dog or the dessert? :) Loving the Pink Paislee Sweet Treats papers andSassafras Lass felties. They go perfectly together!
More details...
I also made a cup-cake card with the scraps!
It's been some time since i created a card and it felt great! I should do this more :)
Today is the seventh day since i came down with stomach flu, and i finally feel like i have regained almost all of my strength. I'd been feeling nauseous, faint and dehydrated for the entire week, really hope the virus leaves me alone from now on!
It's November already! Can this be true? I can't believe it's gonna be Christmas again in a month's time. Almost time to start planning for a brand new year...new calendar, new diary, new resolutions...gosh!
Next month, I'm hoping to set up a stall at the Tanglin Mall weekend flea bazaar with my sister/cousins. We'll be making a trip down next week to register our names for balloting, wish us luck! I've already cleaned out my wardrobe in preparation, and look what my little darling did when i was busy doing so...
She not only sat on my most expensive dress and refused to budge, she also made herself a little nest right in the middle of my dress, and lay there happily whilst i threw more clothes on her! She looked so cute that i didn't even bear to scold her. Sigh.
Last week, we celebrated the last 21st birthday in the family for the year :) After the scare in the previous week, the weekend chalet was a welcome break for us. I took lots of pictures of Fluffie and the celebration, and those will go into another album later, but for now, just two cute ones to share...
My sister snapped this shot of Fluffie giving me morning kisses on the second day at the chalet. I love the lighting, caused by the sunshine bouncing off our faces. Love the fact that Fluffie loves me enough to kiss me every morning :)
Party girl! We made Fluffie wear my cousin's mini party-hat for a picture after the guests left...check out how mad she looks...practically glaring at me! Haha!
Last weekend, barely a week after Grandma celebrated her 86th birthday, all of us gathered together around her once more, in the ICU ward at SGH. She had been feeling unwell for a few days, and my aunt admitted her to the hospital through A & E on Saturday. However, even before the doctors were able to diagnose her condition properly, the situation took a turn for the worse. Before we knew it, we were all at the hospital. When one of the doctors told us to be prepared for the worst, we were stunned beyond words.
Grandma looked so frail and tiny on the hospital bed, and even though no one spoke much in the ward, i knew that the thought that she could possibly die frightened all of us. Yes, she has not been in the best of health for many years now. Yes, she is old, and death is a natural process, part and parcel of life. But. Just but.
Fortunately, the doctors and nurses eventually managed to stabilise her and rectify their earlier mistake(s). Everything happened so quickly and suddenly - the blood transfusion, the deterioration of Grandma's condition, the admission to ICU, even her recovery. I can't even describe what exactly happened because the whole weekend went by in a blur. All i remember now is that there was a whole lot of panic, fear and anger.
I believe that Grandma survived this ordeal mainly through the power of her will, and i do hope that she will be with us for more years to come. We are definitely not ready to lose her yet. So everyone, if you can and will, please keep my grandmother in your prayers.
Do me a favour, don't make me out to be some crazy, jealous girlfriend. I'm upset because I'm losing my best friend. You keep pushing me away. I've been trying to give you more space but I don't know how long more I can stand feeling so lonely. And for the record, I'm not mad at you. I'm mad at myself, because I'm falling in love with you and I have to figure out how to get out of it.
I'm a total CSI freak. I've been following all three series - Vegas, Miami and New York - on AXN and Channel 5, and i can watch the same episodes over and over again. Hehe. Lindsey's one of my favourite CSI characters and i really admire her guts and gusto. Wish i could be more like her :)
This is Fluffie, a little furball of perfection in my imperfect life :) She is absolutely Perfect In Each & Every Way and I love having her in my life!
Today, we celebrated Grandma's 86th birthday at her home. I realised that with us all grown up, the place is getting a little too small for us now. In 2011/2012, when the new apartments at Havelock are ready and it's time to demolish the old Silat Walk blocks, Grandma will have to move. I wonder if the new house will be big enough to take us all.
For some time now, i've been pondering upon the significance of family values in people's lives. Some months back, my colleagues and i took part in a couple of simple online psychological tests for fun, and my results for every test came back the same - family ranks the top priority in my life, above money, career, and even love. Of course, in everyone's lives, there will always be times when love and family are inter-twined; when we grow so attached to our partners that they become a part of our hearts and homes, but that's another issue altogether.
I often wonder why i am like that. Why do i feel the need to be at home with my mother on weekends? Why do i feel that i am responsible for the household whenever she is away? Why am i seemingly the only one who cares about having the chores done when she is unwell? Maybe it's the way my mother brought me up. Maybe it's just the way i am wired. Maybe these are characteristics typical of an eldest child. I have no answers.
Recently, i've observed that my father and mother have slowed down a lot. My dad can no longer keep late nights, and injures himself much more easily playing badminton than in the past. My mum, on the other hand, experiences numbness in her arms and hands when she carries heavy groceries. She can also no longer stand at the ironing board for longer than half an hour at a go, wash two toilets in a row, or hang the laundry out to dry without experiencing back pains after that.
I don't know if anyone else sees these signs that my parents are ageing, and i'm starting to worry about whether i will be able to cope with all the remaining chores when my mum is no longer able to do them, as well as how i will be able to afford to sustain this household if my parents fall ill. Just ten days ago, i wrote in my journal that i seem to have grown a lot more grey hairs since Joseph and i split up. It was then that i realised how much of my burdens he had helped me carry in the past, and i am grateful for that.
For now, i just hope that life will be kinder to my parents, that they will be healthy and well till i am ready and able to take up more.
Life's been pretty mundane around here recently, with me working 12-hour days half the time over the past two weeks...but i had a mini crop session at Pooi's place last weekend, and managed to churn out a few layouts! Finally found the time and energy to upload the pictures today...
The first layout i did was this...Me Likey!
A cheery pear-y layout, using Sassafras papers! Then, i de-constructed some Pink Paislee to make up the next layout...
Tick Tock...Why Am I Waiting?
I love the girly feel of this layout...love the cut-out roses and the soothing colours :)
The third layout was a very simple one, just white cardstock, pink mist, a flower and some lace to showcase photos of Fluffie in her bright red strawberry house...
My House And Refuge...
The misting didn't quite turn out the way i'd wanted, but i decided to leave it as it is because i didn't quite know what to do to 'repair' the look!
Next...one on Fluffie's little booties, using Websters' Pages. This is a slightly different piece of work from what i would normally produce. I like it very much! And the American Craft flocked thickers match the pictures perfectly. Hehe!
My final layout of the weekend was also my favourite of the lot...You Make My Heart Sing! I absolutely adore everything about this...from the scalloped heart white base to the colours of the glimmer mists...from the music notes to the misted Prima bloom...from the pretty pink pearl swirls to the Melissa Frances keyhole...and of course, the American Craft fabric thickers!
The mini crop got me all inspired and raring to scrap, so when i got home, during the Hari Raya holiday on Monday, i worked on one more layout, scraplifted from Pooi's idea here!
Little Fluffie Is A Rainbow Girl!
I use up two packs of embellishments for this...something i do not usually do! Colours make me happy :) So do glimmer mists and Sassafras Lass!
It's my mum's birthday this coming Monday, and we're going for dinner at Beach Culturetomorrow. I'm very excited, because when i called for a reservation and asked if dogs were allowed at their al fresco dining area, the guy on the phone not only said YES, he said that they would arrange a seat for Fluffie too!
Not sure if i'd be back with another post any time soon, but i promise to share more when i'm free. Thanks for popping by this weekend :) I'm off for some precious Fluffie-time!
Fluffie and i were at The Regent Singapore for a short weekend getaway!The Regentis one of the rare few pet-friendly hotels in Singapore. There was a promotion on, and my sister was away in Bangkok, so on a whim, i booked a one-night stay and whisked my mum and Fluffie there for the weekend!
This is us in the long mirror in our room!
I thought the room was rather clean and comfortable, and there was more than enough room for the three of us :) I was pleasantly surprised to find that they had included a little bed, bowls, water, treats and a free toy for Fluffie too!
My mum, on the other hand, loved the L'Occitane En Provence toiletries provided. Before we left, i asked if we could have complimentary bottles of shampoo, conditioner and shower foam, and the hotel sent a complete set of toiletries up to us!
Here's a video of Fluffie sniffing out the room...
She settled in real fast and very quickly claimed one of the beds for herself. I was so proud of her too, because she knew exactly where to pee and poo(on the newspapers we placed in the bathroom), and did not dirty the carpet at all!
This mosaic shows evidence of Fluffie's love for the beds in the room...
After unpacking and registering our satisfaction with the room, i grabbed Fluffie's leash and we set off for The Botanic Gardens! The hotel's proximity to the Botanic Gardens was one of the reasons that helped me to decide that we should book with them. It was Fluffie's first walk down the Tanglin/Orchard area. I was slightly apprehensive before, worried about the busy traffic, but on the way, we met many friendly humans and dogs, which helped put me at ease. Fluffie, on the other hand, behaved like she had lived there all her life!
Some shots taken at the gardens...
We'd visited the place a few times before, but it was our first time in this part of the gardens...we ended up having dinner at the open-air food court (before we realised that dogs were not allowed there...) Fortunately, there was barely anyone around!
On our way back to the hotel, we met a golden retriever, Trista who looked exactly like Chloe, except for a little white patch of fur on her forehead. She's as sweet as Chloe too, and i think she liked me, because she lay down beside me for tummy rubs and refused to get up! For some reason, Fluffie took to her as well...see, it's true! Fluffie only befriends dogs that look like Chloe!!! It's a pity i didn't manage to take a photo of Trista because my hands were tied with handling Fluffie and giving out tummy rubs!
At night, i gave Fluffie her very first 'hotel bath' in the tub of the bathroom :)
The holiday must have left her in a good mood, because she wasn't as angry with me as she usually is after a bath, hehe. After she was all clean and dry, we ran around till she was tired, then cuddled in bed and watched some television before falling asleep together :)
Check out this video of Fluffie calling for me to get off the bed and play with her!
The next morning, all three of us lazed around in the room for a bit, then i took a stroll to Tanglin Mall to get some breakfast. My mum spent the rest of the time relaxing, while i watched CSI on the AXN channel and chased Fluffie round the room.
Finally, it was time to check out, and we left the hotel happy and satisfied :) Gosh, i wish all weekends could be like that!
I've finally recovered fully from the flu and starting to get things done around here. I know i promised to share photos of Fluffie and i on holiday together, i'll do it soon, okay! For now, just popping by to say HELLO and to share some of my recent, but long overdue creations...
A Mini Journal...
I was inspired to make this when i felt really down one day. It didn't take very long, but i felt happier once it was done!
In School...
These pictures were taken using my mobile camera, more than a year back, when i brought Fluffie to school with me one day, during the June 2008 school holidays :) She settled down quickly on my table, and looked bored the whole time!
Tonight's scrapping night! I'm finally going to start work on my sister's 21st birthday album. Next weekend will be a long weekend because of the Hari Raya Puasa holiday, and i'm totally looking forward to it! Fluffie and i are going over to Pooi'shouse to crop and play on Saturday, and if the weather is fine, to Sentosa on Sunday! Yayyy!
Jo-ann Kuek, Sally Neo and Sherlyn Goh, COME JOIN US on Saturday! :) :) :)
Moments may fade, but some memories are forever. I've never forgotten the fear i felt then, and every single day of my life, i thank God for keeping you safe and sound.
I scrapped this layout about half a year after Chloe and Fluffie recovered fully from their injuries, and every now and then, when i flip through their album, i still linger on this page a little longer than the rest.
There's a chinese saying that means anyone who survives a catastrophe will lead a blessed life thereafter. The accident may not have been a catastrophe for me, considering the magnitude of my injuries, but i think it was so for Chloe and Fluffie. And so i hope that they will lead a life of peace, love and happiness from now on...
