My-SECRET-Corner

July 2013 ~ I'm again back to my hometown here in the Philippines. I arrived here last June and I already had encountered some hot humid, sticky days as well as stormy weathers in just a matter of 2 weeks not even mentioning several financial and neighbor problems that greeted me as the days passed by( what else to expect , it happens all the time anyways ? ) . Lucky my house was built good enough to stand the disasters although some licking on the walls brought by the extended roof of my next door neighbour created a big mess in my kitchen walls everytime it rains hard. My kitchen is just being built and the design has to be revised again to avoid building the built-in cabinets connected to the affected walls. I had tried to talk it over with the next door neighbour so we can rectify the problem before it damages even more but they replied stupidly to just leave the leaks as it is. Excuse me ? Stupid uneducated, inconsiderate morons ! So soon I'll be going to the village association to deal with the problem with them.

 

So, it's one problem waiting to be resolved. I have a few more brought by other neighbors too. Most of my neighbors around me have dogs. As early as 6-7am, these dogs have a way of waking up everyone of all ages. These animals serve as alarm clocks each and everyday, rain or shine. Bloody hell ! I'm on holidays and I just couldn't even sleep until 9am here. I have to wake up and get up as early as 6;30am just like everyone else in the village. If not the dogs barking all around, my neighbors would start yelling and screaming at the top of their voices as if everyone is deaf when they talk to each other even when they're just half a meter apart ! I dunno why these people have no common sense to realize they are such nuisance to people sleeping . They wake up so early just to make noises just like their dogs. Aside from them, here comes the peddling vendors with their vegetables, fishes and meat. It's like the wet market had come to your doorstep !

 

 

 I know it's convenient to just buy from them and avoid the hassles of commuting to the wet market that's about half a kilometre away from my house. But the noise they make and the cats surrounding them as they clean the fresh live fishes is such a scene too ! Mind you, I have to block my front door with a piece of 2x3 wood so cats won't get into my house. Imagine waking up in the morning to see your garbage bin ransacked and paw prints of cats all over your furnitures inside the house ? These stray cats wander around in the neighbourhood and they're just all over the village trying to find food and would stretch their skinny bodies into small openings just to get into your house ! Aggghhhhhhhh now I'm starting to think I had lived in a hell village !

 

Some of my neighbors are very quiet and reserved. They hardly come out to talk to anyone and I like that a lot coz they keep their business to themselves and safe from trouble with others. I try to do the same but I can't help noticing some problems I can't stand to see especially if it's infront of me everyday.

 

My neighbour infront of my 2nd floor terrace has a young puppy probably about 4-5 months old. I called the puppy "WHITEY" coz it's all white. Not sure if it's male or female tho coz I can't see from afar.

 

 

Poor puppy is left all day in its cage with a padlock.The owner would go to work at 7:30am without walking the dog out first and he and his family would only come back at nightime around 7-8pm leaving the poor puppy on its own doing its business in its cage all day.

 

 

Today as soon as the owner left for work, I came near its cage for the 1st time coz it's crying and going around and around like crazy trying to send message that it wants to go out maybe to pee or poo. As soon as I came near, I saw its feces all around the cage and only has a bit of water in its food container. Poor dog ...so heartbreaking to see the condition it was in. I just wonder why some people could own pets and can't be responsible owners.

 

Compared to the other neighbors with pets on the western side of my house, the old couple living there had a female dog with 2 puppies in a cage placed on their front yard .

 

 

 

The elderly man would allow the puppies to come out of the cage and run around to play a bit with its mother dog from time to time. The cage is always being washed cleaned and well covered from the rain. His cemented front yard is well kept and his wife would always sweep the floor. All is good with them and their pets except for the clothesline full of clothes to dry which is a common scene in the whole village. I don't mind seeing it coz I hardly looked out of my windows from that side of the house anyways.

 

I had not been beading nor painting these days but I had been to Quiapo the 1st day I arrived and bought some wires, crimps and some angel charms to take back to Perth for my students.

 

 

 Lucky I found the wires for wirewrapping here in Quiapo coz in Singapore , they don't have it .

One funny thing while I was shopping for my supplies, my 3 year old grandson was also snooping around the shop as I move around. He found these items and took them to me and told me to buy them. I asked him why and he said cutely " they look nice and they would be great on your  wrists grandma " . I just laughed coz they are sparkling rhinestone bangles and at his age, he could choose something nice to put on as accessories. So I said ok then I would buy them. He was so happy  .

 

 

 

So I bought these bangles for myself . LOL!

 

Ok, truthfully,  life's good if grandson is around to cheer me up here in my village. Everything else is so and so ... so typical to be surrounded by a mix of joy and laughter when there are too many relatives.

 

So, life here in my local village is quite a downside from places I had lived in abroad. Australia especially Perth is paradise for me. Nice people, nice views, relaxing places to chill out during the day . Convenience wise... it's the place to be if you wanna be free and relaxed in your body and mind. I love Perth !

 

Singapore not too bad too. But for me the merlion city is just ok for the convenience especially with technology and health care.

 

But no matter where I go... I would always be myself . Whether good or bad surroundings, I would always be in between to balance everything .

 

 

Instead of clothes lines , I have flowers blooming on my side yards and even in my potted plants by my front door.

 

 

 

Better than a view of clothes hanging everywhere LOL!

 

It's been past midnite last night and I just couldn't sleep. Tossing here n there after watching a string of different movies all night long. I got so uneasy up to a point when I finally decided to check my emails. It's been days I had not opened my email accounts. Even my ebay accounts had been neglected for a while having no inspiration that would trigger my interest to open any of them.  Emails had always been bombarded by spam and junk mails while ebay had been so very quiet and boring lately.

Browsing thru, I saw a passage that said clearly :" Rest In Peace" . Knowing the sender very well, I immediately got tears flowing out of my eyes without even reading the whole message yet. My Singaporean friend Beeling had sent me a message indicating my poor dog "ZUMA" had died in her home yesterday morning between 5-6am. Zuma had just been discharged from the hospital last week due to kidney failure. Browsing more to Beeling's earlier messages sent last Friday, she had attached Zuma's pictures telling me how worried she is with the dog's condition deteriorating so fast after te hospital.


Zuma had lost a staggering weight due to the sickness as compared to her normal weight of 22-25 kg 2 years ago. She had lost her battle without me by her side. I'm so devastated by the fact I was not able to make it on time before her last breathe. It's so heart breaking.

Sept, 2009

We have a bond the moment she came to my life. For her, I'm her mother who offered her warm and a motheryly cuddle the 1st night she arrived in our home while she was crying all night.Her puppy cries pinched my heart that I came out of my bedroom and took her in my arms as she was shaking in the cold of the night. She fell asleep on my belly while wrapped around by a towel while I fell asleep on the sofa. From that moment on, she never left my side .She follows me everywhere I go and kept me company whenever I'm alone concentrating in my beadroom most of the time to keep my mind away from depression and problems I had during those awful time of my married life.




She was my constant companion whenever I needed somebody. She watches over me and listens to what I say even if I sing out of tune sometimes..




 I would know when she's scared coz she would hide under my chair and rub her body on my feet to get my attention. For me, she's one of my kids looking for my attention and care.





Whenever I'm out for errands, she would patiently wait for me while she guards my beadroom. I love the moments whenever I come home being approached by her s she wiggles her tail in joy everytime I open the front door. Then she would slowly give my hand a small bite punishing me for leaving her at home .

For my kids, she's a good guardian together with her partner Cortez. She watches over them in and out of home anytime of the day .





Joining a pictorial for Harley Davidson Calendar ....


I had now lived in Perth for almost 3 years from Aug. 2010 to the present .The fact she and Cortez were both left in Singapore and got adopted by Beeling during my moving out in 2010 had been such a heartbreaking event I had to deal with till this day. My heart bleeds everynow and then just by thinkin of them. My constant thoughts of both of them wiggling their tails when I come to visit Singapore is always a positive scenario and giving me something to look forward to with joy and excitement in my lonely heart.

 But the clock had been ticking and I had been stucked here in Perth due to some other problems hindering my travel to Singapore. I had been worried sick about the time passing by knwing Zuma is not gonna last very long due to her poor health. Now my fear of loosing her had come... unfortunately, I was not there to give her my last pat on her head, caress her soft cheeks and whisper to her " Zuma, mommy is here... go to sleep and rest peacefully now ".

 I was just way too late to let her know I have always been thinkin about her. ...




I'm so sorry Zuma for not being there during your last moments....
I know you had been constantly waiting for my return.
 You know that I will return one day. You know me  that well ...

You'll never give up on me,  I know you wouldn't...
but unfortunately. Time had been so cruel. between us
I had failed you ... I'm so very sorry .

I Love You ...



 Rest In Peace !

 

 

 

 

 

June Birth Flower
The June Birth Flower is the Rose, as shown below.

 

 

 

 

 

The Meaning of the June Birth Flower, the Rose
The general meaning of the June Birth Flower, the Rose are symbols of love and beauty.

 

 

 

 

The History and traditions surrounding the June Birth Flower, the Rose is fascinating. There are many myths and legends about the origins of this tradition. It is believed that birthday celebrations originated in the Roman Empire and the origins of birth month flowers, such as the Rose,  could be said to date back to these times. During Roman birthday celebrations family and friends offered congratulations and brought gifts. The gifts included gemstone jewelry, such as the Pearl, and also flowers - the first traditions and origins of the June Birth Flower.

 

 

 

 

 

The Hidden message of June Birth Flower, the Rose
The hidden message of the Birth Flower, the Rose, so favored during the Victorian era varied according to color:

 

 

• Color Red - I Love You
• Color White -  I am worthy of you
• Color Orange -  You are my secret love
• Color White -  You are Heavenly
• Color Yellow - I am not worthy of your love
• Color White & Red - We are inseparable
• Color Pink - Please Believe Me

 

 

 

 

 



 
April 22, 2013 ~Weather wasn't so sunny during the month of April here in Perth this year. Partly cloudy with some drizzles and  cold wind. Kids are starting to complain that it's too cold and they miss the sunny hot days. Oh well... winter is coming soon so what to expect ? Lucky we are not that near the beach anymore or else .. it would be much colder and windy!

Anyways, I'm not so bothered of the weather outside our home coz I tend to be pretty busy myself with a new found activity that's keeping me much more pre occuppied than beading. Yep ... you heard me right. Someting had beaten my beading passion these days. You know what it is ?

It's my Acrylic painting activity morphing into some kind of addiction! Once I had started putting something on a stretched canvas , I just couldn't leave the canvas unless the image is finished !
 OMG!


My very 1st big canvas acrylic painting. It was my 1st commissioned painting as well of a farm Shed in Tasmania.
Painted on a 24 x 30" stretched canvas.



- Term 1 Claremont School of Art 8 weeks
- Contemporary Realism Thursdays 9.30am-12.30pm
- Beginners Acrylic Thursdays 1.00pm to 4.00pm

Orna during the workshop as she demonstrates the varnish application on our finished painted teapots. My 5 painting sessions with her had been great and fun together with all the other ladies learning folk art painting with me. How I love the strawberries designed on the teapots !

Thanks to the guidance of Orna. She had shown me so many different hints / techniques regarding painting and the use of brushes as well as the mixing of colors. She's absolutely a great teacher !

By the way, Orna teaches only on every 2nd Sunday ( 2 Sundays in a month ) between 2pm to 4:30pm. So be fast to grab a seat in her class coz it would get filled fast !