What We Did Today

Nothing much! We went out for a ride up country looking for buah langsat (a local fruit), but ended up with bananas instead. Henry really loves bananas, wall up two at one go. William is not a fruit person so he didn't touch the bananas. He'd rather pretend to be sleeping................... Comfortably napping on grandma's lap after the two bananas.... and very happy after that..........................

Two Little Bicycles for the Boys & Durians

Today I only managed to make these two little bicycles, one each for William and Henry. It was like a "commercial break" for me before getting into more "serious" wire wrapping. But when they were done, headache decided to pay a visit again. So, I went to lie down (because I feel weak and its better to lie down) till almost 4pm when hubby said he wants to go find some durians. Since I am only required to sit down in the car (and continue with my sleep), I decided to tag along. 

Scroll further down for durian pictures.

Here are pictures of the durians. If you are wondering how durian taste like, look at the last picture :D - Henry said it all.

Random 6 Things

I've been tagged by Corra, and I supposed I'm gonna tell you 6 things about me. Here are the rules: 

1. Link to the person who tagged you 
2. Post the rules on your blog (this is what you are now reading) 
3. Write 6 random things about yourself (see below) 
4. Tag 6 people at the end of your post and link to them 
5. Let each person know they have been tagged and leave a comment on their blog.
6. Let the tagger know when your entry is up. 

Here's the random 6 things about me: 

1. I collect pens, expensive or cheap, branded or unbranded. 
2. I keep very short hair to save time, contrary to what some people think – to save shampoo! Lol but that’s what I tell people. 
3. I love carpentry work (woodwork). 
4. I am a very patient person (extreme), that it can be annoying sometimes. 
5. I prefer comfort to fashion but don’t mind if I can get both. 
6. I love to laugh out loud. 

Now here's the list of unfortunate six. 

1. Henry from Borneo Pitstop (Henry introduced me to the world of blogging) 
2. Mei Mei from Story of My Life (William’s favorite Cece) 
3. Bell from Forever Warm, Forever Autumn 
4. Adam from Ah Ok-lah 
5. Putty from Make Up and Beauty Tips 
6. Szarka from AskSzarka

My Dream of Becoming a Jewellery Maker

Well, I should have posted earlier but my internet access at home was not so good for the last few nights. And now its lunch time so I steal some time to tell you what happened yesterday.

First of all, I thought my dream is really turning into reality when I saw a position vacant for a Jewellery Maker in the paper last Friday. Interesting right? Without wasting time, I called the number and arranged for the interview. The voice on the other side said that it is ok if I don't have the qualification as training will be provided and I can bring some of my pieces as proof of my creativity or ability in making jewelry....No problem there.

Packed all my pretties (remaining ones) and yesterday, at 2pm I showed up at the place for interview. Nice place and jewellery on display and for sale. Salivating already...:). I introduced myself and apologize that I didn't bring my resume as it will be irrelevant with the post I am interested with....yeah! an environmental management and social study background wouldn't help me in this application...I think...hoho. And it was proven when I showed him my pretties. To make the story short, after some chit chatting (yeah the interview is very informal), I am hired on the spot! WOW! What a great feeling...feels like jumping up and down really.

THEN, we came to discussing the wage, a very important part as you know the current economic condition is not that good...fuel price increase, followed by others, etc. etc. at the end of the day, our pay is just enough to pay off loans and other basic necessities of life.

My shocked when I heard what he will be paying/month must have shown very clearly on my face as he did say "By the look on your face, I think you will not accept this offer" (Note: must try to hide my true feelings better next time). Oh well, this is the first time where I am hired on the spot in an interview, so its such a waste that I really really! really! really!need to reconsider the offer. To pursue my dream or........I did not tell him this but what he is offering is just enough to pay for my monthly car loan. So, you can imagine roughly how much it is.

I didn't know jewellery maker is being paid this low (less than RM1000k/month). Maybe its fair as he said, he hires inexperience people and they will provide all the training needed. Do you have any idea how much is a jewellery maker being paid? Leave me a comment...

All in all the interview went smoothly and I am happy to know this young man. He is a gemologist and the owner of the jewellery outlet/s. He is hiring 7 jewellery makers this time around for his business expansion.

Finally last night I decided to decline this offer (must call him tomorrow), although with a heavy heart. I don't think I can survive with that salary. If I don't have to consider the pay, I would have accepted on the spot. But that is life. We need to weigh between reality and dream.

Drawings by William & Henry

These are drawings by my two little boys. This top one is by William, 5+. Mummy looks like a duck or is it a chick? :) The black dots are navels according to him while I am holding the wires with my left hand. Wow! My wire working left some marks on him.....hmmmm! is that bad or good I wonder? This one at the bottom is drawn by Henry, 2+. These are mommy, daddy, William, Henry, mama (grandma) and dada (grandpa). We all looks like potatoes! :D

Blooming Orchid

Planting orchids is hubby's hobby. This is one of his orchids currently in full bloom. Not sure of the name of this species - hubby gone fishing so can't reach him to ask...:) Anyway, this is just too pretty to ignore. So, I want to share the bloom with you here.

At Work Today

Here are some pictures taken on my trip to Bintulu this weekend. Am still here and will only be back to Kuching tomorrow evening.

Sarawak has LOTS of rivers. These pictures show tributaries of Batang Rajang (Rajang River), the longest river in Sarawak. Pix on the left shows Sibu Town, at the banks of Rajang River.

View of sunset from my hotel room. We attended the Makan Tahun, an annual fest at one of the villages north of Bintulu. Today is the preparation day and tomorrow we will be there again for the feast :)

Local kueh known as "Kelupis" (left) will be given away to the guests tomorrow.

Poor buffalo. Buffalo Horns anyone?

Prepared for the Ancestors

These dishes were prepared by mom in law this morning for the annual prayer. Do they look familiar? Yummy! Yummy! Have a prosperous and healthy Chinese New Year! Gong Xi! Gong Xi! Angpow gia lai! :P More yummy stuff tonight - the reunion dinner.......

Chinese New Year Preparation-Sort of

Yeh! Weekend is here again and it is going to be a busy weekend. First, Chinese New Year is just around the corner and I shall be on leave beginning Monday. Tomorrow, first thing first, shopping at Beaulevard....oh well not that I have not been looking but I still need to find and buy few more clothes for the new year. Been to the Spring, but didn't see anything I like. Maybe I should just check out Kenyalang Market :)....Ahmi's favorite place. Bought two pairs of new pants few nights ago after "hundreds" of fittings. Funny that my tummy is getting fatter and fatter by the day...*sigh*. I have "spare tyres" around my waist......*sigh*. Need to look for loose fitting clothing to cover up the tummy....:(.
Anyway, I will be working hard on my wire jewelry in the next two days as I need to get few commissioned pieces done before the Chinese New Year. Can't wait to get my hands on those pliers and wire after few days of inactivity........off I go....better get some of the things ready tonight.

The Princesses Left

The princesses left for Singapore about two hours ago. They should be in the safe hands of their parents by now. The parents left for Singapore early this morning. These two girls are really brave to be travelling by themselves at this young age. Here are some pictures taken of them with the cousin brothers and grandma. These earrings, pendants and bracelet are pieces of the wire wrap jewelry that I made for them but didn't manage to take photos of yesterday.

Last Post for 2007 & Happy New Year 2008

Two pairs of earrings I made today. The first one with the green beads is to be paired with the ethnic ring I made for myself few days ago and the second one is my first attempt with of hoops earrings......opps! I think that is what they are called ....correct me if I am wrong! :) On the side, while busy making earrings, the little one was busy playing with Ultraman stickers. He was sticking them on his face and I can't resist taking some shots of him at play. Then he cried (big brother William disturbed him) but still managed a smile for the camera......he likes to be photographed....:) Here are some new year messages I would like to share with all of you readers:

I wish you a Fantastic January, Lovable February, Marvelous March, Luckiest April, Enjoyable May, Successful June, Wonderful July, Independent August, Tastiest October, Beautiful November and Happiest December. Have a Blessed and Victorious year. HAPPY NEW YEAR. God Blessed 2008. Mr Chung family will visit me later. I'll ask them to visit you too! The Chung family members are: Chung Ma Piu (Hit Jackpot), Chung Tai Choi (Hit Big Luck), Chung Toto (Hit Toto) & Chung 4D (Hit 4D). They will be there to wish you Good Luck for 2008. Don't worry! One of them will not visit you the whole year - Chung Sam Man is out of town this year. (Words in bracket are literal translation of the Chinese words/terms). Let 2008 be a new beginning for renewed hopes, dreams, ambitions, affirmations, commitments, sacrifice and love. Have a blessed year ahead. Love, peace and tolerance.

HAPPY NEW YEAR 2008 to all.

"Special Gifts" from Special Someone

I received two pairs of earrings today from that special someone. That special someone is William, my little boy. He will be 5 next March and I can't believe he made them all by himself this afternoon. Normally I don't let him play with my tools and wire but today is a special treat as he has been a good boy whole morning. He asked for some of my left over wire and said " I will make mommy something to hook on the ears" and I left him with the tools and wire and the two black beads. The result is the "S" shaped earrings. He made the second one a bit later but not as well done as the first pair. Looks like he managed to learn something even though I don't let him play with the pliers and wires.

Pearl & Rose Quartz Necklace/Earring Set

Finally I managed to finish this piece for Mui Mui. Otherwise, she will be going back empty handed. They left this afternoon for home and the boys were sad to see them go. William actually didn't want them to go back yet and asked the two ceces (cousin sisters) to stay back in Kuching. Look at the picture below. William didn't want to let her go......LOL. See you all next year....maybe.

Another Rose Quartz Rosary

Ah well, another rose quartz rosary and this time it is for Swee Lin, my niece. This picture here is however not Swee Lin. She is her younger sister, Mui Mui, turned 10 today. Swee Lin is too camera shy so Mui Mui posed with this rosary on her behalf. Both nieces are here for a short holiday with their mom and grandma. So, its a busy weekend for me. Managed to squeeze some time this morning and evening to get this rosary done. Another one on the way as well for the mom. The close up pic of the rosary is not so good. The color turned up too pale against the orange background. Must remind myself to change the background with lighter color for future photo taking. And for tonight's post, let me introduce you to my little boy - Henry, the younger one. He is two and very "ngiau"........LOL.