Friday, November 19, 2010

A Birthday Wish ...




Today, Nov. 19th marks another special day for my son Meier.
He's a year older !



I can't be there to celebrate it with you ... too sad. But I wish you all the happiness and enjoy the fun of being surrounded by friends and loved ones back there in the Philippines.


 Just don't forget, we're oceans apart but you 'll be always in my heart . You're my son and I Love You dearly .



Happy Birthday From Us all here in Perth, Australia !!!

Sunday, October 31, 2010

Making a Difference ...



Why some people do beading ?

Beading is not just an act of doing simple crafts or considered a simple hobby to a few. For some people, it's a way of expressing how & what they feel and think. Beading is also the end result of an acquired knowledge or on the other hand the by-product based on the blessed natural talent of the lucky ones . It's a form of career as well and can be a person's stepping stone to a dedicated journey & personal ambitions in life.


Photo taken in Changi Heights during an advance wiring tutorial last  June 2, 2010

Some may get into it with reasons to relax their troubled minds in a quiet corner as a therapy . Just like I do until now. A craft that can also lead to soul & self-searching . Where we can find out what each and every one of us is capable of doing when given the chance or opportunity to create something in our own space & time. A simple means to meet and connect to more people around us. As a way to share ideas with each other and be a part of a social community or merely as a way to support one's self financially . For home based mothers like most of us, the earnings from sales of the end products like women accessories / jewelries is always a good source of extra income while in the comfort of our home . It gives us the flexibility to manage time between family life and work without leaving home at all.



Just like beads, the ideas how to make something out of them and the purposes connected to them have unlimited possiblities. So no matter what the real reason behind each person's mind is, one thing is for sure ~ Beading helps a lot in so many unimaginable ways ... it helps in making a difference in our lives !

A Beading Party for Carly's Birthday !

I had been teaching simple / advance beading techniques while I was in Singapore before my big move to Perth 2 months ago. My students are mostly Expatriate wives , local Singaporean women & kids from various International schools. Almost all had started as beginners with no knowledge of how to bead at all. How I enjoyed sharing with them what I had learned myself through the years. From the basic simple ways of stringing beads, secret tips on how to manage with the projects plus the experiences I had acquired during my self-taught beading . Keeping my tutorials simple and easy to understand and the availability of basic materials made their time with me more enjoyable and stress free. Although I must say, they all got addicted to acquiring more beads after my sessions ha-ha !

Lorraine & Armida doing the Weaving technique with Pearls !

Beading is not just an art. It's a passion for some people including my students and myself . Life without beads would mean a sudden death for me ... no kidding and I'm sure I won't be alone to feel that way !  I had seen from my previous students the seriousness and their goal to polish ther creating skills to a more advance level . Upon seeing what they're up to, I'm happy to be with them every step of the way. Beading with them made me happy so much that the happy feeling gave me more energy and boost to teach as much as I can do.


Undeniably,  now that I had relocated here in Perth, Australia. I do miss my students a lot. They're a unique set of individuals and I love teaching each and everyone of them. To see them progress each and every time gave me enormous feeling of satisfaction. How I love hearing their own stories of what they'd made the way they're interested with mine too. My life is always an open book for my students anyway ... they all know what I'm up to most of the time... if not , go and find a few minutes of your time to check my Facebook wall ha-ha !

I just hope they'll continue their journey to the beading path even without my physical presence and wherever they go. But hey ladies, don't you worry ! I'm still here ... you'll be in my mind and heart always. Facebook is just around the corner. So if you need me , just poke me there ok ?
More power to your beading, expats and non expats ladies! 
Many thanks for the time you had spent with me ... hoping it won't be the last !

 
A farewell present given to me by Ms. Cynthia Wilson
Please visit her blog at :

 
A Bronze Statue given by Ms. Beng Javier

~ Thanks a lot for your lovely gifts ! ~

Monday, October 11, 2010

What's October's Birth Flower ?



The Cosmos is October's Birth Flower

October: Cosmos Alternate: Calendula


Photo I had taken along a bushy sideroad on my way to a surfing area in Busselton, Western Australia ~ Oct 9, 2010


The Cosmos ( Greek word for harmony or ordered universe ) includes 20-26 species of annual plants native to scrub and meadow areas in Mexico, the southern United States (Arizona, Florida), Central America and northern South America south to Paraguay.

This lovely flowers are abundant here in Perth Australia as well. They are a pest free plant which helps keep bugs at a minimum in gardens and green houses, and grow very well in dry, hot climates . If planted in rich, fertile soil, tall plants will grow.  Because it is one of the easiest plants to grow it can be planted at various time including the spring for summer blooming or mid-summer for early fall blooming.

There are so many beautiful flowers growing in the wild here in Australia. So I make sure I have my camera with me wherever I go all the time just in case I spot some real nice colorful ones.


Another Photo I had taken with the view of flowers growing before the surfing area in Busselton, Western Australia ~ Oct 9, 2010
 
 
Flowers just give me the inspirations I need inorder to create something unique. Their colors , their shapes , are simply fascinating.  The way they're formed gives a strong influence in what I do as well . What can I do without them ?


Crocheted Necklace was created with the flower design ( flower inset above) embedded in my mind on the last week of Sept. The single flower which caught my eye while I was walking was found on a sidewalk near the entrance to our service apartment on Sept 25, 2010 . Necklace Item was finished on Oct 11, 2010 after I came back from a family holiday on the South of Perth visiting the Margaret River.

Wednesday, September 22, 2010

Simply Getting There ...




Experiences in Perth so far are not that special especially when the cold wind blows on my face which I hate so much. I'm not the winter loving human being but my complains about being cold is getting better now that I see the sun blaring during the daytime and I can now wear short sleeves without any pullovers unlike a few weeks ago. I could now start to see the magnificent sunset I managed to take snapshots of, from the service apartment's terrrace.




The amazing sunset colors including the waves of the sea are always an awesome view from where I stand.


Panoramic views are aboundant here but, life in general for me is quite very basic around here . Compared to the fast moving , ever busy Singapore , here is very slow with things & time to do things outside home is very limited . Shops and offices close at 5pm some even as early as 4pm and nightlife party for me is super duper doomed here. Time to set aside my dancing stilletos and get some knee lenght boots to keep my feet warm. Boots are quite cheap around here ( thank God ! ) and I managed to find a good place for it in Carrillon City, Perth.

Talking more about shopping around here, not all is cheap and not all is available unfortunately. I just can't buy / get everything I need for the kitchen in one place , no matter how I try . What a pity ... How I miss the real wet markets to buy fresh fish / seafoods too. I had been to Subiaco weekend market but not impressed at all .They only have fruits & vegetables and some asian spices. Today I was in Innaloo ( Kingkong Market ) to check the seafoods place but still not impressed as well but I would say, the seafoods ( at last I had found some real fresh fish ) are better than in Coles and Woolworths which carry mostly frozen ones or already cooked prawns / shrimps. I had once tried the cooked shrimps from Coles but they're not good tasting at all. Things around here ere expensive too. Oh well , I better get used to it with a never ending sigh ...   hhhaaaayyyyy !

 Also, I'm Getting used to driving a speed of 40km/hr ( makes me fall asleep behind the wheels ... so pinch me real hard please ! ) in designated school areas and 60 to 70km/hr on normal roads. The only time I can drive 80kms to 100kms for a change is when I come from Perth CBD and passing the freeway to go back home.

Lucky I can drive around and navigate the area. Of course , big thanks to the GPRS included with our rented AVIS car. What a relief during the 1st week I was driving around Scarborough to take the kids to school and hubby to office. Although the said GPRS had failed to take me to the right places a few times ( IKEA most especially ! ) , I had then decided to buy myself a Road map for a whooping AUD$29.95 in the nearest convenience shop I found beside the Coles supermarket in Scarborough Beach Road . It's a must to have a road map in the car at all times. I should say so I can really see all the streets and check where I'll be going before I step in the car & hit the roads.

Slowly, I'm getting familiar of the places around me and what I can get from there. Spotlight is one of my favorite places here in Scarborough . Why ? It's full of arts and crafts materials that I need to keep me busy and entertained during the day. I love the collection of yarns & threads they have in stock. I already had created 2 sling bags for phones / camera just like this one from the yarn I had bought from Spotlight and still making a crocheted wool scarf I'm hoping would be finished before this weekend .


Only Set Available !
Retail Price = AUD$25.00
( pair of Earrings included + free shipping within Australia only )

Today, I was lucky to get AUD$40 Off from my AUD$100 purchase entitled only to VIP members. I became a VIP member only last week during my 2nd visit there. Great savings I got today and thanks a lot to an Italian lady who tipped me off about the VIP savings I didn't know about when I went in the shop this morning. The nice lady Eena, even gave me an address of a bead shop named the Bead Co. located in 12 Howe St. , Osborne Park which is only a few blocks away from Spotlight. She was so helpful and looking forward to seeing her again knowing she is also beading as a hobby. I found the shop she told me and checked what the shop have in stock. Quite a lot but beads / parts are sold by piece & weight mostly ! I just bought some seed beads to try then I went home with a big smile on my face knowing I had discovered some good places today. Yiipppeeee !

More positive news is, I found some new friends from the kid's school . For the moment, I only hang around with them for a few minutes when I pick up the kids in the afternoon. They're from mixed nationalities ~ Filipinos, Thais, Singaporeans, Dutch, Scottish, Americans , etc. They're all nice and friendly and the Australians are very warm people as well. In the end, I'm happy here in Perth.


Thursday, September 02, 2010

SEPTEMBER ...





Sapphire is the official birthstone for the month of September as adopted by the American National Association of Jewelers in 1912. It is also one of the birth stones for the Zodiac signs of Pisces, Taurus, Virgo and Sagittarius. This stone symbolizes prosperity and sincerity




Blue is by far the most popular color for sapphires, but they can be almost any color, including yellow, green, white, colorless, pink, orange, brown, and purple. Padparadscha is the name for a rare orange-pink variety of sapphire and has a higher value than blue sapphires.


Folklore, Legend, and Healing Properties:

Its powers include spiritual enlightenment and inner peace. Sapphire is believed to offer healing properties for rheumatism, colic, and mental illness. It is also considered an antidepressant and an aid to psychokinesis, telepathy, clairvoyance and astral projection.





My move here in Perth, Australia had stopped me from touching my beads for a while. Thus, I'm not able to make any jewelry during my spare time ( If ever I get lucky to have any spare time at all after all the housework I'm facing these days as a fulltime mom . Remember that I was not able to bring my ever helpful helper from Singapore ,,, sigh ! ). Although somewhere , somehow, the nice sapphire blue waters I see each and everyday infront of my service apartment's terrace here in Scarborough is soothing to my weary and tired mind . 





There are several spectacular views surrounding me here. But sad to say, they're still not enough to stop me from wishing that I can make at least a piece of jewelry to start with my new life here soon ... my hands are dying to touch my beading stuffs really . Few more days and I'll start taking out the few boxes I had put in my check in luggage.


It's about time to start anew ,



 it's about time to create ... time to make me happy even for just a bit after all !

Saturday, August 21, 2010

AUGUST Updates ...

I'll Be Missing My Friends, The good Food, The Nightlife and My Beads !!!

All my websties and online stores are now temporarily closed until mid of October . All my beading stuffs that used to fill up all corners of my Beadroom are now getting boxed and ready for Allied Pickfords to settle in their respective boxes / containers for proper inventory.

Photo of my Beadroom Before the move to Perth ...



August photos during the move ....

Photos of my Beading table before the move ...



Photo of my Beading table during the move ...


All my tutorials had come to a final halt and my students are all dismayed, I know it's a big miss for them as well as for me ! 


 I'm also trying to sort out the Pearls and Shells ( raw materials / finished items ) that I need to declare when they enter Perth, Australia for whatever purposes. Geeee !

Our sudden and rush move to Perth is kicking hard this August. I don't really want to go and leave my paradise here in Singapore but things had gone really far even for family matters. Getting resolved with iron hand though and looking forward to more solutions to all the grievances I have had the last few months . Just by being far, far away from everything would give me more space to move around at my own space and time . As far away from everything that could lead me even more serious undertakings ! Not easy to mend a broken marriage but I just stick to the fact that life has to go on for the sake of my kids.



Boxes of my beads are all getting full from top to bottom and sad to see all my full drawers now getting emptied as well as my cabinets.

Below is a photo of one of my cabinets when all things are still inside before the move.
How I keep them tidy and things arranged by category, color and shapes.


It took me and my helper more time to spend boxing these enormous amount of beads ( never ending I tell you ! )  and sorting out before getting the vials filled with tiny seed beads than sorting out which personal stuffs to take for the whole family. Lots of work for so many little bead stuffs ... oh dear !

Moving out after 11 years of stay here in Singapore was such one big mess ... but I'm looking forward to a brighter life ahead of me . New place , new beginning , new goal !

Perth, Australia ~ Here I come !



Friday, July 09, 2010

I'm Just Passing By ...



I had travelled in a rush last week to Philippines so I can attend to my sole grandson's baptismal party. Staying a night over at the posh Shangri-la hotel in Makati to meet up with hubby who was there on a business trip. I travelled to my province in Laguna the day after via local bus transport costing Php150 from Manila to Sta. Cruz, Laguna. Since I had 3 baggages with me, I paid for 2 spaces ~ 1 seat for me and 1 seat for my bags so I can secure all of them in one place. While the bus was moving out of the terminal in Buendia , Taft Ave., a teenager handed over a piece of paper to me . I thought it was my bus tickets ... he's too young to work as bus conductor I said to myself. I read the note on it and it says :


Here's the English translation of this note :

Excuse me for a while ...
I'm an out of school youth selling special sweet coconut candies to earn money so I can go back to my schooling next semester and so I can support my daily needs and myself financially.
Thanks so much for your understanding.
Php15 per pack of candies
2 Packs for Php25
If you don't like to buy, would you be so kind to just give me a donation ?
Pls. Don't fold my letter ... Thanks !


My heart sank and I turned around to look for him. He was at the end of the bus giving out the pieces of papers to as much people as he can and selling his candies . When he came back by my side, holding the packs of candies, I quickly took the opportunity to touch his arm and raise a few questions .

I asked : " How old are you ? "  He politely replied in a low toned well mannered voice " Mam, I'm 17 years old."
I asked: " Where do you go to school ? "
He said with the sad look in his eyes : " Mam, I used to attend the University of Rizal in Binangonan, Rizal . I was taking Hotel & Restaurant management. "

 Ok, I told myself, this kid is not joking at all. He's very sincere and very serious I just didn't want to ask him anymore questions and waste much of his time, although I'm so curious about him. One thing is for sure, I really admired his guts. Going out in public places away from his home just like that and asking help directly to people he has no idea at all who they are ... just amazed me. He was surely that desperate !

I forked out a 100 peso bill from my pocket and handed it to him. He tried to give me a few packets of candies for that amount. I simply gestured to him, not to bother. I don't need any of the candies. I'm happy just to give the money to him.


 I advised him to sell the candies to other people instead so he can gain more money for his fund. He was so grateful. It seems like, noone had ever given him that amount. It was not that much for me but for him ... it was such a big deal. I'm happy to see him so happy. I felt something different when he moved away to attend to other passengers. I just sighed ... I just hope he gets lucky with the other passengers too.


Good Luck Kid ! 
Your parents must be very proud of you ...
You deserved to reach your goal and hoping you're not the only one with that kind of guts ... he's really one amazing young person I had never encountered all these years.

 
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