Year of the Dragon

KONG HEI FATT CHOI....Happy Chinese New Year to all family, friends and readers.
May the year of Dragon brings you abundance of everything - success, prosperity, fortune, luck, love, joy, happiness, health, friendships, opportunities, peace, pleasure and fun.

2012

Two Thousand and Twelve.
Happy NEW YEAR 2012
All the best wishes.
I am tired and shall be going to zzzz land.
Enjoy your count down and see in 2012.
Be happy, be safe.

Fruits and Weekends Gateaway

Here's an off wire jewelry ramble.
Some pictures taken last two weekends during our outings to Serian, Hot Spring and Serikin Market.
I have posted about Serikin Market several times here, here, here and here, about Hot Spring here and maybe several other posts but I don't think I have ever posted anything on Serian, a small town (population about 90k+), an hour drive from the city.
Serian is famous for its durians.
That is why you will be greeted by this Giant Durian as you enter the town.

As usual, our favorite place to visit is the market.
At the time of our arrival, late morning, the whole town was really busy.
Lots of people around especially at the market and shops around it.
It was a Sunday and most likely people were doing their early Christmas shopping.
Can't tell as I've only visited this town on a Sunday, so it may be the usual crowd on a weekend :)....

Here are the highlights of the trip, mostly taken at the market.

Fruits everywhere...rambutans (the hairy one, top left), mangostene, durians and guavas.

All kind of vegetables as well. Ops! the one at top left is not vegetable, its breadfruit, top right is Terung Dayak (sour brinjal) while bottom left is buah petai (petai beans).
Bottom right are the many types of shrimp paste (belacan).

This one is an interesting fruit - buah tarap.
Looks a bit like jackfruit and buah cempedak, they should be cousins...hehehe....
I didn't know there are two types of buah tarap.
The hairy and non-hairy :)
Something new for me.
Which one do you prefer?

Feels like having all of them.
Colorful kuih-muih (pastries, cakes, cookies, biscuits, etc. etc.)

Handcrafted colorful baskets from colorful binders or packing straps.
Used to be made from rattan and other natural resources but these are scarce and hard to find due to forest clearing. Sad! Sad!
Next we had our lunch at a nearby eatery (forgot the name...).

Not to be missed is this fat and juicy sayur midin...a wild forest fern, grow mostly in disturbed swampy forest. We had other dishes but I stopped taking picture after this midin, as I am too busy eating :)
After lunch, off to the river. These are some of the pictures taken along the way.

Hill paddy planted by the locals.
Very common view along the roads in Sarawak.

The region is quite mountainous with winding roads like this.

Pepper vines, planted by the locals on small plot of land. Another common view.
Don't be surprise if the pepper you are having is from here. Sarawak pepper is world renowned :)

Swamp or wet paddy, planted on low lying area, unlike hill paddy.

The kids having fun at the back of the pickup - just for a short distance.

Finally, the river.....nice clear water but its kind of neglected since our last visit.

Tall bushes on the way down...Argh! Geli!

Getting ready with the net....

Here's the catches....Borneo Sucker and a tiny crab.

We were at Pasar Serikin yesterday. Not much to say about Pasar Serikin (as I have posted about it several times). I think this are the more interesting parts of the trip.....

Large Geckos for sale at RM50 each.

Pitcher plant!

......with sticky rice cooked in it :) Yummy!

Look, with sambal belacan (shrimp paste).
Henry loves it!

Next will be a fruit related ring post....

Jewelry or Handbags?

Are you a jewelry or a handbags person?
No! This is not a quiz and there are no correct or wrong answers :)
Me?
When it comes to jewelry and handbags, I admit I am both a jewelry and handbags person.
Of course, not forgetting shoes, apparel, accessories, etc. etc. but these would be for another day.

Now, back to jewelry and handbags, I am sure you'd agree they are women's best friends.
Erm...What am I rambling about this time?
Well, its mid-November now and December is coming.
So many holidays around the corner - Christmas, New Year and Chinese New Year....
Now you know what I am getting at? :)
It is the time of the year again......where you see sales sign everywhere, 70% less, 50% less, 20% less, etc.
Yeah! It is shopping time!
Too much temptation, its hard not to shop.

Handbags! Purses!
1, 2, 3, 4, or 5, they are never enough.
I...lurv!..lurv!..lurv!....handbags and purses.
I am always in search for the perfect handbags and purses, which is not easy.
Maybe that is why we women always ended up with more (handbags and purses) than we can use.
If you are like me, still searching for the perfect one, how about shop handbags here.
The perfect one might be here :)

As for jewelry, I don't really shop for them as I made them myself....a bit of self promotion here..hehe
Anyway, if you are looking for jewelry, shop jewelry might just have what you're looking for. There is a handmade category if you prefer handmade. 

Until the next time, happy shopping!

Birthday Boy and his Sketches

Henry celebrated his 6th birthday 4 days ago. How time flies....
It was his happiest day because he got his birthday cake with Ben 10 theme (he's been thinking about this cake for the last few months), he got some presents for his kindy friends and got a huge red heart drawing in return, he got his favorite beach ball, he got to eat at one of his favorite places, he got his Ben 10 comic book and two more story books.
Glad he decided to have books instead of toys.
Here is the birthday boy and his brother :)

Henry and William love to sketch and draw.
Guess all kids are the same. Now, I am going to bring a bit of smile to your face with his sketches of the family .......

From left to right, that's me with my favorite green blouse (that's according to him... ermm maybe I wear it too often), followed by the daddy, William and himself the smallest with his favorite color, blue.

That is me again on the left and him on the right. He missed out his nose.
Notice my necklace and pendant? Very nice, so sweet of him.
Then, I asked him to draw a close up of me...curious on how I look like in his eyes................

Tada!!!! How about that? Can't help but LOL....I gave him an A+++ for this.
But why is it my eyes always looking downward?
Maybe I am busy with wirework all the time...LOL...
Anyway, I love that all his sketches of us are with smiling faces.

Finally, a self-portrait of himself...smile :)
So, what do you think of this sketches?
I think they are very cute...

Something wrong with my site

Phew! Its back to normal :)
Will be posting soon.
Oh no......Something is wrong with my blog..
Getting some help....

Wire Work How To and Matang Wildlife Centre

How nice to start the day with a message that reads "Congrats! One or more of your items has been featured in a new collection titled: "Wire Work How To", curated by BonniesPlace; Great job!".
If you have the time, do take a peek at some of the talented wire artists listed.
Who knows you'll get hook, like me.
Here is the link - Wire Work How To.
The following pictures are not related to wire jewelry but shots taken during Raya cum Independent day - last 31st August 2011.
A bit late but nevertheless....off wire rambles.

We took the boys to Matang Wildlife Centre, about 30 minutes drive from the city.

The Information Board is a bit confusing.
Maybe we got the orientation wrong cause we ended up on the wrong side of the trail....lol...

Dear hubby and William way ahead.

It looks bright here but actually its quite dark...the little one got scared and we got left behind a bit.

Catching up and manage to look at the signboard indicating the tree species - Kayu Malam (Night Wood - direct translation :))

Here's the Hornbill - can't see much here as the camera keep focusing on the wire mesh.

Any suggestion on  how to take clear picture of caged animals?

Here's the crocs...sleeping.
The boys got all excited...but that's about all the wildlife we saw :)

Most cages are empty!

No Orangutans...disappointed!

Here's, the stream.

Clear water but the rocks are mossy and slippery.

There was only one other group of people there so we kind of have the whole place to our self.

I think it's because of the entrance fee - RM10/adult, RM5/child.....expensive? Erm...kind off...considering...rather not say...

I don't know why but they don't want to dip or sit in the water  - maybe its the moss...

As usual, I am busy looking at the rocks hoping to find some interesting ones.
Look! Bit of love from this rock I found.

Snack time! Here's the Lemang!

Glutinous rice cooked in bamboo + coconut milk.

We purchased this on the way to the centre.

Look how much is cooking. He is making lots of them because it's Raya and his Lemang is very popular.

RM9.00/piece

Ready to eat? :) Peeling the bamboo...and...

Yummy! well....its sticky rice...and its filling...

Time to go home, exit...

A bit of fun over the sunroof....

The sun was setting by the time we hit the highway...

...stopped by our favorite stall for dinner...:)

Hope your weekend would be fun.
Happy Weekend :)

Back to School and Peace Pendant

When the boys start school earlier this week after a week long holiday, it means back to busy time for me.
Besides work, basically its back to the routine of dropping and picking up the boys from schools.
Morning is not so much of a problem as I drop Henry at his kindy on the way to work.
At noon time, I have to rush to pick him up and drop him off at home by 12:30pm. As he gets out of the car, William gets in and off we go as he is in the afternoon session which starts at 12:45pm. After dropping him off, normally just on the dot, I'll drive straight to office, grab a quick lunch (normally tapao / take away) and back to work - all within 1 hour, provided there is no traffic jam.
That's basically my day on week days.
Now you know why I am always looking forward to weekends and holidays....hehehe.
I am sure there are many parents in similar situations as I am but that is part of life over here.
Not sure about other places though....maybe you can share.
Enough rambling, here is what we really need - PEACE - at home or outside home.
This wire wrapped Swarovski Crystal peace pendant was completed a while back but it got pushed back and back till now.

Its quite large, about 5cm in diameter but it is meant to grab attention :D
Have a PEACEful day!

I Almost Got Fooled....LOL

I just got to post this....LOL...I almost got fooled by this...thinking I will do it later at home.
Watch and enjoy the YouTube!
Happy April Fool's Day to all :))

By the way, I love this one - Dynamic Views for Blogs, this one is no April FOol's.

Valentines Day Gifts

First there is New Year 2011, then Chinese New Year and now its almost Valentine's Day.
Do you have plan for Valentine's Day? Have you gotten that special someone that special Valentine's day gifts? Maybe you are someone who don't have to crack your head on what to get. Lucky you! Or, are you still cracking your head on what gifts to get?

If you can’t think of what to do or get, are bored with the usual romantic candlelight dinner, flowers or taking long walk at the waterfront, why not try this type of Valentines day gifts. If you are after adrenaline rush, this will definitely make it one of a kind Valentine's gift. At the moment there are special buy one get one free offer. Check these out which I think will make great Valentine's day presents for men. There are many activities to chose from. Psst!....I think this is a good way to check out how man is your man.....mean yeah! Flying a jet fighter is really something....its extreme but who knows it might just be his extreme dream.

For me, so far there is no plan besides spending time with the boys and dear hubby.
Guess that’s what happened when you have kids.
Otherwise, I'll go for the extreme :)
Happy Valentine's Day!

Gong Xi Fa Chai 2011 - Year of the Rabbit

I would like to wish everyone a happy and prosperous Chinese New Year of the Rabbit.
May all your dreams come true this year and be blessed with good health, abundance of joy and abundance of wealth.
Happy holidays and best wishes!

Paua Shell Earrings and the Eyes

This pair of Paua earrings was completed few weeks back.
Came across these pictures while clearing some files from the laptop.
They are large, about 5cm across but lightweight.
(Paua shell is gift from SIL who came back for holiday recently - thanks Jee Chee)
Hmmm....I have not wire wrap anything since the last two weeks. Now that Chinese New Year is just around the corner, I doubt I'd be able to hold my pliers and wires just yet.

Besides, William just started his swimming lessons 3 weekends ago. So now, Saturday is full - Taekwando in the morning and swimming in the afternoon. There goes my weekend! Look here...

He was enjoying it in the beginning. After about half an hour he complained his eyes being uncomfortable. Actually they were red. My fault! I didn't get him his goggle. So, off we went in search of his goggle, online and offline. You wouldn't know until you experience them yourself, how time consuming it is to search for their swimming trunk and goggle, etc. etc..well at least here in Kuching....or maybe we got too distracted by these popular sunglasses and these wholesale kids sunglasses. Keep reminding myself that I am not looking for sunglasses for myself :)
Yes, we got William his goggle. He's so happy with them that he wanted to bring them to bed with him..duh!
Still on eyes and eyeglasses, Hubby got his reading glasses last night!
Yeah! he needs them earlier than me...hehe...but I can use them too...which means I am going to need them very very soon :( Not something I am looking forward to though.
Look at this...

 Happy Sunday and take very good care of your eyes.