how do you want to live your life?

i've been away for too long wow! how time flies. many things have happened which contributed to my long absence. well, it started with one evening after driving Llara home from school. upon returning home, i felt light headed and realized that i was walking towards the left side even if i intended to walk straight. then i felt pins and needles on my left arm. man ... i panicked! i thought i was about to go into a stroke or a heart attack or something like that!! Jason took me to the doctor's and the dr did a couple of tests including blood pressure, blood sugar and the tandem walk on me. everything turned out alright and i was diagnosed with either being overly tired or having an anxiety attack. but that scare was enough for me to do a full body check up the next couple of days. results came back and i had really high cholesterol levels!! to cut the story short, in the next week a treadmill arrived, and a total change in diet and lifestyle. 


it's now about 2.5 weeks since i made this change. i have been walking on the treadmill 30-40 minutes a day, everyday and eating a lot more greens and oats, whilst cutting down meat. i've dropped 4kgs in weight (have about 11kgs more to go) and feeling a lot more energetic. i hope i'm doing it right. in 3 months i will go for another check up and see if i have managed to cut my cholesterol levels. i have refused medication for now, becos i wanted to do it the natural way ... eating and living right.


in the midst of all this, my Muse deserted me. i was in a creative drought for about 2 weeks. 2 WEEKS!!! but good thing she returned ... i think she was stressed up too. so i forgave her :) 

when she returned, we mused about Spring (i know it's not here yet, but i'm in anticipation!) ... and it occurred to me that Spring was befitting my current situation ... it's a time to renew, regrow and rejuvenate. time to make a change, and be born again, hopefully healthier and more conscious of how i want to live.

... first blooms ...

... young love ...

 ... youth ...

... how do you want to live your life ...

 ... restoring balance ...

Promise ...

She continued to love him deeply everyday, although he will never return to her. She knew that if she were the one who went to war, he would have done the same for her. It was a promise they made to each other …

 

Many years pass and it came her time to leave too. She looked at the book one last time, and closed it. She locked it, and kept it in a safe place. 

For within those pages, 

lie her memories of him, and her heart ...

Perhaps one day, when another finds it, she and her love one would find 'happily ever after' … and the heart within would start to beat once again …

... Promise ...

timeless ...

“I have Loved you for a Thousand Years …

 And I will Love you for a Thousand more”

this song sung by Christina Perry is not only beautiful and haunting, it has the power to transport one to a different place and time where love is Forever … Eternal. and age-old love stories are written in books that are stained with the elements of time, but never forgotten.

inspired by this thought and vision, i made TIMELESS ...

the intense surge of different emotions i felt during the creative process was ... one of a kind. i am SO in love with this piece ... so in love. 

this piece took me many hours to construct as each page was lovingly burned by incense and fashioned in a way that the burned hole in the middle of the page tapers towards a blood red heart. i have also included little features like miniature music notes, miniature love letters and miniature dictionary excerpts in between the stained blank pages. 

here is what i call 'the Progression' towards the core ...

i have however, left many untainted and unfilled pages behind this heart for the love stories of the next Thousand years.

i wonder who would write in them ...

juggling

of late i have been feeling a little tired. after rushing out so many commissions in such a short time and then prepping for Chinese New Year, it really did take a toll on me... more mentally than anything else actually. made me think that perhaps i should stop taking commissions for a bit and just go back to making some ... well, thingamajigs ... or, whatever-i-wanted-to-make-without-any-sort-of-expectations. 

taking the 2 weeks or so break during this CNY, gave me a window to kinda mess around. the results were a couple of necklaces and 2 pairs of earrings which you saw a couple of posts ago. also, after 2 frantic days of CNY, i was able to create this chunky cuff, which i really enjoyed making ... which also made me think ... yea ... i want to just make whatever.

this piece i named "I AM" ... even stamped the letter "i" on the key (if you can see it) ...  guess that says it all ... i want to find back the 'artist' in me.

not that my commission pieces are not me ... they definitely are. but they also come with a lot of expectations. tho like Louise of Bibliographica reminded me, sometimes commissions can spark new ideas, which i totally agree. my Palm Size Quidditch Handbook would never have materialized if it was not for a client asking if i could make a Harry Potter inspired journal for her after seeing my HP inspired book necklaces. tho it took me a long time to come up with the design, but in the end, i was delighted with the result. it then morphed into this little baby below.

this little baby must be one of my cutest design :) it even got about 22,000 hits on tumblr... YAY!!!

let's face it, we have bills to pay and commissions do just that ... which i am so grateful for honestly. if i stop doing made-to-orders and commissions, who is gonna pay my bills? that's the dilemma. so the question is ... how do you juggle? any advise?


..............

p/s ... thank you for all the Chinese New Year wishes!! :) another year older ... and hopefully a little wiser ;)

Gong Xi Fa Chai !!!

that's the Mandarin way of saying ...  

Happy Chinese New Year!!

here's little Maia wishing all who celebrate this Lunar festival, a happy and prosperous Dragon year with much abundance, good health, shining luck and delightful dreams come true :)

why ... is it 2012 already?

the beginning of 2012 felt like a whirlwind to me ... it still feels like one! Llara started "big girl school" this year and i now have to drive her to and fro school. no longer just hoping into the lift from our condo to the kindie on the 2nd floor ... that, was pretty neat! now i have one more day job added to my resume ... driver + bodyguard! you cannot believe how normally-docile-little-parents can turn into lean-mean-maniacal-driving-machines during dropoffs and pickups at school!! it's totally crazy i can tell you! 

amidst all the happenings, i was still able to complete 12 commissions in 2 weeks (pats oneself on the shoulder) ... i am still amazed at what deadlines can do to you!! ((O_O)) this week tho ... i allowed myself to just chill, let myself wander and create whatever that came to mind ... 

i took out Barry's stash, and again, the copper half capsule-like rod caught my attention. it was quite perfect to begin with, but i thought i wanted to ruffle it up just a bit, and then use it as some sort of time capsule or vessel. and this was the result of it ... 

 i coffee stained a piece of linen and then imprinted a mail stamp using archival black ink and then ironed over it on high heat to set. it's now permanent and would not wash off :) whoot!! you learn a new trick every day! i really rather liked how it turned out ... :)

i liked the mail stamp thingy so much that i made another necklace with the same technique. i think you can see it better on this one :)

these necklaces reminded me of old love letters ... those that were written beautifully and extravagantly, and in impeccable handwriting ... in a time when letters began with "My dearest darling" instead of "yo!" or "hiya!"

it's been a long time since i made earrings, cos i never have the right box for earrings!! anyway i made a pair, with little books hanging off of them :)  will think of the box later when it sells ;)

before i go, let me just show you how 1st day of school looked like ...

Don't the amount of parents frighten you? ((O_O))

and that's my baby girl getting ready for "big girl school" :)