My-SECRET-Corner

Oct. 18,2012 ~ It's been 2 days since I had seen a video of a young pretty 15 yr old ~ Amanda Todd , from Vancouver, Canada, who was found hanged in her home on October 10,2012.

I actually saw her face picture on yahoo news and wondered what her story was all about. Until I saw the word "Bullying" so I got more interested to dig deeper into her story . I have a daughter about her age as well and I'm sure Amanda's story would be a good wake up call for girls her age.

As I continued on the news article that led me to her self made silent video, I start  having a creeping  pain in my heart.  Everytime she flashes a note about the events she had been through , each and every note card is a sharp dagger, like a thorn hitting me to the core. Dear heavens, this girl is just 15y/o and she has a long future ahead of her. But due to the fact she didn't have any help when she was calling out for one, her precious life was cut short. People who had bullied her are cold hearted animals with no sense of mercy at all. They're nothing but vicious sharks lurking in the open sea for an innocent helpless prey.





 All she wanted is to be accepted and be a friend . Is that too much to ask ?  Is it that hard to give her a chance to be a friend ? And to those who had "befriended" her but just took advantage of her trust & friendship ... shame on you !





I just wondered why there was no one there to guide her and give her the support she had asked for during the time she had uploaded her silent video. This really bothered me . I even wondered where her parents were when she wrote she needed someone. Where's everybody ?

Are people these days just don't care for what's happening around us ? Just taking people for granted and do their own business instead ? I would have been there for her if only I had seen her video the moment she had uploaded it. I know what she was going thru .. her agony, her pain coz I was also a victim of bullying . I was even younger than her age that time I got victimized but I luckily managed to push through. I fought my way through it all. All i had that time was a strong belief that their bullying will come to an end one day. Keeping to myself and forever telling myself that Time will come when a lamb would become a lion and chase them all away. 

“Some people won't be happy until they've pushed you to the ground. What you have to do is have the courage to stand your ground and not give them the time of day. Hold on to your power and never give it away.”
― Donna Schoenrock 

Just have to keep strong ...and have trust within yourself that  nothing can put you down... noone can ...





 Being bullied infront of a lot of people with those even taking videos of it while laughing and even provoking more physical abuse be inflicted to the poor victim infront of everyone in a school ground is no big joke. This is way too much to be ignored . Poor Amanda ... she badly needed someone for help but noone was there. What a Pity !



All I can say is ... it's too late now to put a precious life back. She had lost her battle for belonging and simple happiness because of a cruel society. Yeah, true she had committed some mistakes but she doesn't have to loose her life in return. 

As a parent concerned about the welfare of my kids and others' ,  I advice other parents with kids getting online most of the time to monitor their activities. Be there for your kids no matter what ...  parental guidance is the most powerful tool that would keep our kids away from being harmed in this modern awful society. Being there can change the outlook and prediction and steer them clear from self infliction.




This is in memory of Amanda Todd  ... R.I.P...My heart goes to all your loved ones , family and friends ~ this is not where your inspiring story ends.

1st October 2012 ~ Time had been running fast . I need to keep up with the times ... ugghhhh.. I had just realized around noon today it was already the 1st of October. OOh gosh ... that only proves I'd been very busy indeed !

I was so concentrated on teaching my new students in the comfort of my home and in their homes privately as well. I love even the views I passed along the way as I drive to their place when I come to bead in their homes !

A river view by Applecross, Perth WA

 My students were all so talented and I enjoy every single moment I was beading with them. But during the times I wasn't teaching, I was creating new cuff bracelets and keep myself busy creating the flat spiral bracelets in several color combinations and adding more colors to a previous design I had created before with a different stitch.



 I am running out of box clasps especially in 2 stranded gold tone color as pictured on the photo above.. I had desperately checked  Pandahall , Fire Mountain Gems and a few other beading shops online but I couldn't find what I really particularly need . Waaahhhhhh I hate when this happens !  How can that be that my bead stuffs are not available anywhere ?

The only good news I have for the moment is that my 15 y/o daughter would be travelling as unaccompanied minor to Singapore tomorrow for a week holiday and she can pick up some of my crystals and other beading materials I would easily & conveniently order online from my favorite beading shop in China Town in Singapore. Isn't that awesome ? I just hope she doesn't loose my items them during her travel back to Perth. You know what I mean with teenagers ... fingers crossed !




Oh, She can even go get and grab me some pashminas I need to take to the school next week when the school starts again too. Just Perfect ! Hurray, Hurray ...Yehheeeyyyy !

Wish I could come with her to Singapore but oh well... I still have my 13 y/o son to look after here in Perth and I've got so many things to do and finish. Got a few more videos to upload to YouTube ( check this one out as I had just loaded it few hours ago :  " My Beaders in Singapore " )  and create more necklaces for my upcoming bazaar set for the 28th of October.





Note it down if you're from Perth so you can pop at my stall no. #162 just right by the main entrance 1 in Hackett Drive. I'll be putting all my latest creations there so don't miss it ! Most items are just 1 piece or 1 set.  So you are in for a real original only piece treat !







Thanks For Visiting My Blog 
I wish you all a very pleasant day !

~ October Birth Flower ~  Marigolds are often given as a sign of warm or fierce, undying love, or as a way of saying that you're content with being with the recipient. The other October flower is cosmo, a symbol of order, peace, and serenity.

17th Sept 2012 ~ I was very excited last week and you know why ? last Friday was the very 1st time I started beading again .Ever since I moved out of Singapore 2 yrs ago and live here in erth Western Australia, I never had the time to teach again. I was so pre occuppied by errands and housechores after losing my ever wnderful helper who was always there to assist me when we were still in Singapore. So being in Perth doing everything had taken so much of my time that my beading had slowed down.

I had people asking me since last year to teach them how to bead and I keep promising them that soon i will start again once I have the time. Time had gone better these days since kids had grown up and able to manage a few things here and there. So now I'm happy i can sneak in some beading lessons in between during the weekdays when they are off to school.

Last Friday ,9th of Sept was the very 1st day of my beading lesson in Perth held inside my home. I was so excited I even had the beads set up the night before just to make sure all is well prepared for the following day. I had improvised the venue by converting our dining area as the beading area where I had placed 2 extra tables covered nicely with a woolen cloth. I had arranged the pearls, crystals and metal findings in bead boxes for easy selection on the projects they would make for the 1st time.

Assorted Glass Pearls

Metal Findings

Selection of Seed Beads

 It's been over 2 years since I moved here in Perth and been so long time since I last had any beading student.  So to be able to share my knowledge of beading to some people once again is for me another new beginning and a new hope , a new door opening to greater opportunity  here in Australia.




My first 3 Perth Students came from 3 different nationalities.  Karen an American and Wanne from Holland & Fiona also another European. They never had any beading lesson prior to our lesson so they were very excited to bead for the 1st time too. They are familiar faces to me because I knew them from the international school where all our kids go.

It was funny on how we started the morning by going up to my beadroom to look at some raw materials on the 2nd floor of our house.The main purpose of going up there was to simply have a quick look of what I have stored in there.  Karen & Wanne were so amazed upon seeing my range of beads as well as the finished projects I'm about to put on display in my upcoming Gifts Fair event in October 28th, 2012. Their eyes were in circles like kids in a candy store. Well, that happens all the time when I have visitors in my beadroom ha ha .

Beading Books Shelving beside a Beads Rack

The Beadroom

But anyways, I can say that wandering and looking at beads in my beadroom took a much longer time than the beading session itself. Oh well , but we all had fun giggling in there all the time.
 

So, the beads were finally handpicked & sorted out. They had chosen their preferred style and design and the beading started with some coffee and a bit of pastries on the side.  They were able to learn the use and importance of having a beadboard at 1st and a little introduction to the tools and the metal findings needed to start a project with stringing.

 

Beading in fact is a good form of relaxation where a person's concentration flows freely within their minds gradually replacing any negative emotions or bad moods building up within themselves. It draws the mind out of those negative energies and replaces it with positive thinking and personal suppot whether mentally or physically.

 

Talkin about beading as a form of  personal support, this applies to the case of one of my beaders in Singapore ~ Bheng. She's a lady suffering from kidney falure thus having dialysis at home. She spent at least 10 hrs of dialysis in a day in her own bed . Laying down there looking at the TV all day long didn't make her happy at all. Until she met me and asked if I can teach her to bead so she can do something while her dialysis is on going. I immediately said yes to her request. She's one beader with great hopes and full of life despite of the fact that her physical condition didn't allow her tolive much longer. It was heartbreaking to see someone suffering the way she did but she had tried her very best to be positive and be an inspiration for everyone around her. 

 

 

She created several pieces she had given to friends, sold some of the pieces as well and earned a bit for herself. Bheng , sad to say had succumbed to her illness  recently. She's now resting in peace.

 

 

For me , she's an inspiration I will nurture in my heart forever. Her story is the greatest gift I could ever had as her teacher aside from the bronze statue she had given me when I visited her in her home for the last time

 

 

 

Teaching doesn't only come from me alone. My students also were also able to teach me certain things in life. It's through them I saw and learned new ways on how to deal with life and its problems as well  ... 

 

 

 

 Now I really found my reason to teach .. & to bead !

 

 



 
Hip hip ... Hoorraayyyyyyy!

Sea Princess Necklace

Time to celebrate again my dear readers and followers.  My work ( photo above)  is now again voted  as the most liked " Design of The Week " for September at Fire Mountain Gems facebook page.




This is now the 3rd time that my design had been voted as such. My 2 other previous designs ( pictured below ) were also able to gather the most Liked design before.

#CD250 = CRYSTAL SAPPHIRE Earrings Price: AUD$45

Pearl Garden Necklace 16"

To all those who had voted and supported... a big big thank you !
 

Sept. 1, 2012 ~ Oh wow,. a new beginning of the month had just arrived and I'm so busy until these wee hours of the night writing this blog while at the same time finishing an earring by wire wrapping technique.. My fingers are now getting numb after the twisting and bending of the 22 gauge non tarnish Antique Bronze Artistic beading wire for several hours.. I had just discovered I had ran out of the 22 gauge in non tarnish silver so I better stick to the antique color for the meantime.

Anyways, I'm here to welcome the month of September and try to find several things with reagrds to this interesting month.

 

Giving a piece of jewelry containing a birthstone gem will bring the wearer with good luck and protection. Monthly birthstones symbolize the month of birth according to the Gregorian Calendar. What is the Birth stone for September?

 

 

 

 

An old poem below provides the answer! some information about the meaning of the September gem stone, the color, symbolism and significance of this lovely birth stone can be read even more thru this link  ~ Click here for the link to the said page !

 

"A maiden born when autumn leaves
Are rustling in September's breeze,
A Sapphire on her brow should bind;
To bring her joy and peace of mind."

 

 

 

The September birthstone poem reflects some of the properties with which the Sapphire is associated - truth, sincerity and constancy. The Traditional Metaphysical Properties for the September Birthstone Sapphire are clairvoyance, insight and interpretation.

 

 

The healing properties of the September birthstone are reputed to be effective for health problems relating to lowering fevers and inflammation, hearing problems, cancer and burns. The Sapphire is also used to enhance the influences of Venus and and banish evil thoughts.

 

 

The word Sapphire is derived from the Greek word "sappheiros" which means "precious stone". Sapphires are the blue transparent variety of corundum, highly prized as a gem. The Sapphire is a member of the Corundum (aluminum oxide) family. Crystal structure of the Sapphire, the September birthstone, is hexagonal (trigonal), dipyramidal. One of the four precious gemstones. The other three are diamonds, rubies, and emeralds.

 

 

The traditional color associated with the Sapphire is the deep blue color and was strongly favored as a popular gem in jewelry. The meaning of colors through the ages represented many aspects of life. Social, religious, biblical and Christian symbolism were all reflected in the color blue. The symbolic meaning of the color blue has a Biblical meaning symbolizing heavenly grace. Sapphires can be found in a variety of colors, not just different shades of blue, these include yellow, pink and white. Sapphires with colors other than blue are generally referred to as fancy sapphires. The distinctive blue of the sapphire is due to minute amounts of oxide of iron and titanium in the stone.