Journey of Happiness

Happy

2009-11-10T11:02:00.005Z

Since the crazy rain, it has been extremely cold here in Liverpool. It is just the perfect weather for snuggle and snooze under the blanket. Man, you would not want to go outside on this cold weather. Yesterday, to attend my weekly meeting with my supervisors, I was wearing full 'armors'! Thick gloves, hat, wind-proof jacket, two layers of pants and so many layers of tops! And it was still so COLD! It's like going into a freezer, except this is a huge outdoor freezer!
Anyhow, I am still thankful for yesterday! After quite a long discussion of my research (well mostly, me talking about what I've done and my founding!), my supervisors gave me positive feedback. They said that I've progressed much quicker than I was in June & July - when I was sort of in a depressing and discouraging time of life! (read here) They are very happy with my progress and the 'TLC tableau rules' that I've proposed looks promising. Of course that makes me super duper happy! Praise The Lord for that! My confidence is boosted and, most importantly, I feel happy about myself, about what I am doing. And I am happy that Lan is happy for me. :)

Lan was sick with a cold yesterday and running fever every now and then. I ended going home after the meeting and be with him. At night I gave him our Chinese-Indonesian traditional treatment for cold: KEROKAN (in Chinese Gua Sha). And, as a result, I can feel pain along my right arm up to my right shoulder. Argh!
The good thing is that Lan is much better today! He's healthy and energetic, but his back feels sore! LOL!

Anyhow... somehow, I ended up catching his cold now :( Not good!

Oh... want to know why I scrap?

Credits:
press plate template No. 19 by Paislee Press Designs.
Beautiful Life by Tracie Stroud.

Crazy rain!

2009-11-05T23:30:00.003Z

Today, for one WHOLE day, it's been raining crazily! Gosh, I've never seen so much rain like that! Thank God, the drainage system here is good. No doubt, it will cause a flood if it were in Indonesia! LOL!

Rain always makes me dream of snuggles and cozy sleep! Hot chocolate sounds blissful... Mmm... That sounds much better than being stuck in the cold office or out and drench in the rain! Uh oh! That reminds me, when we walked back home for lunch, I was like a drenched cat, all wet! Wet socks and wet bag!

I wish Liverpool would not rain so much... I wish there is a good balance of sunshine and rain. And I know, I can only wish...

Spoiled

2009-11-03T10:49:00.002Z

All of us what to be spoiled (dimanja), don't we? Each of us have different preferences on how we want people to spoiled us. Some feel they are spoiled when they are given gifts, some when they are given attention, some prefers going out for a dinner and many others.
Well, yesterday, I just found out a new thing about Lan. As a single child, I know that his parents spoil him a lot. You can say that, in some ways, he is the EXACT opposite of me. As the first child, I get to step back for my siblings. My parents taught me strictly and I don't get spoiled so much. Hence, I am really not good at spoiling somebody, including my hubby... And, it created troubles!
He became somewhat depressed due to me not spoiling him the way he wants it to be. He likes to 'buy' things, just for the sake that he likes it, which most of the time it's either so expensive or not quite useful! I tend to say 'no' to those things! "We are students, after all! We are saving for the future.", that's what I always say to him.
In the marriage, when one of us becomes unhappy, everybody is unhappy. It was like a bomb with a timer ticking away ready to explode soon! And it did... It was a hard two days in the weekend, but we came out strong at the end. We learnt more about each other. Now, I make effort to pay attention to spoil him a bit more than before. Of course, it's still under the condition that it is acceptable and reasonable requests. We try to balance each other, make us both happy. That's how our marriage works.
As for me, he knows what I want. Attention and quality time. More than that is a plus. :)

So, what will make you feel you're spoiled by your spouse?

Thanks!

2009-10-30T13:00:00.005Z

Dearest friends,
Thank you very much for your positive encouragements regarding living in Beijing. It makes me, somewhat, feel rest-assured... In addition, I will still have to wait until I finish my PhD to move there and I am hoping that I can finish it early, so that Lan would not have to 'wait' too long in the UK with me. I notice that living costs are getting higher here and jobs are getting harder to get. But, I appreciate it very much that Lan has decided he will stay here until I finish my study.
We don't really want to be apart from each other for too long... It's too awkward and being alone paralysed me. I get used to living with a hubby by my side all the time!

Dear Noni (and all of my dear friends), off course, I will accompany you to go around Beijing and I hope, by then, we can offer our place for you to stay! :) I just hope I won't get you all lost! LOL!

Just a few minutes ago, I heard a song at Nafiri FM online streaming... I wrote below the part that touches me. It makes me say to myself: This is so true! He's the only One I can depend on all the years of my life. He never fails me.

Apapun yang terjadi di hidupku, tak pernah di luar perhitunganMu.
Sampai kapanpun kudapat selalu mengandalkanMu di tiap langkahku.

English:
Whatever happens in my life, nothing is ever outside Your calculations.
Until forever, I know I can always count on you in every step I take.

Thank you, Jesus!

Just a bit on scrapping... Yesterday, I stayed at home feeling dizzy. My Mum guessed it might be the low blood pressure (Yep, I do tend to have a very low blood pressure!). So, I decided to fill my time with scrapping our newest family photos...

Credits:
The good earth, a collab by Scrap Orchard Designers and Sweet Shoppe Designs Designers.
Mask from So Useful Masks Watercolor from Designs by Sine
Word art from So Useful Fade outs Vol 2 from Designs by Sine
Just a bit brassy alpha by Michelle Batton Designs.
Font: Pea Jordan

Someday in Beijing...

2009-10-27T23:54:00.003Z

I will be!
I have mixed feelings about this 'absolute' future of mine. There are fears, happiness, excitements and many others. All in all they all cannot be described as purely bad nor purely good! However, above all, I know it's for good reason. :)
Being the only child, Lan wishes to take care of his parents in their old times and to be close to them (physically). I am glad that he has such a kind and beautiful heart... because I know these days, there is a crisis in the society, where the kids/the young ones cannot wait to put their parents in the nursing homes! So, I completely agree with his reasons of coming back to Beijing and settle down there for awhile.

Let's talk about my fear first. The obvious one will be LANGUAGE! Even after 2 years of marriage, I am still considering myself dumb on Mandarin. I try *probably NOT my hardest* to learn the language. Listening to Mama, Papa, and Lan having conversation every Saturday, trying to talk to Mama Papa and even to Lan. But, gosh, I find it hard to remember words. LOL! I keep telling myself to relax, maybe the only thing I need to learn Mandarin is to BE there in Beijing, where I shall force myself to speak it. Ummm... I might have a damaged brain afterward though! LOL!
The not-so-obvious one is whether I will be comfortable living there... I am not a big-city girl. I lived in Denpasar, Shepparton (Australia) and Liverpool, which are all not huge cities. So unlike Beijing, which is the capital city of the most populated country in the world! I wonder how will I get the hang of going around without getting lost myself there in Beijing... *thinking that one day, Lan will have to go to work and I'll be a stay-at-home-mother*
I really pray that The Lord will give me enough patience to cope and get comfortable living in Beijing.

What's excited about Beijing? I'd say FAMILY! I am so blessed that Lan's family loves me very much *Yeah! I am that confident! ;p* Mama Papa loves me like they love their very own daughter. And I can't wait to spend more time with them and, (hopefully, by then, I'd be able) to have conversations with them too!
Family also means the new additions! Yeah, I am such a bad baby-fever! I am sure Papa Mama will be thrilled to have grandchildren! I can already picture how they gonna love their grandchildren to bits.
Second reason why it's exciting is new places! Being in Liverpool from 2002 makes me feel a bit bored of it... It's good, but, as a developed country, the development, the changes are so slow! It's not as dynamic as Denpasar, where they have new things every now and then.
Thirdly, our OWN flat. I am praying hard on this. We are planning to buy a 3-bedrooms flat in Beijing, when we settle down there. We know that the prices are expensive and it is hard to get reasonable price if we want good location. But, we ALSO know that nothing is impossible with God. So, we persevere! In addition to that, Lan is letting me decorate our home to our likings! Yay!!! I love decoration-shopping... there will be a trip to IKEA, B&Q, and many other furniture shops. Woo hoo!
Last but not least, good food and cheap prices! Yay!! Can't beat good food, indeed!

Oh well... this post more-or-less was to get things off my chest. It will be interesting to read this again in a few years, when I finally live in Beijing. I wonder whether most of points are really true and whether my fears are merely nothing but my own animated fears. We'll see...

Some of my very meaningful LOs.

2009-10-23T00:00:00.000+01:00

Lately, I have been making some LOs that are quite dear to me... I'd like to share them with you. :) First of all, is the LO I made with the photos we took when we went to the pumpkin patch in Warrington. (Since, I'm to lazy to upload one by one to FB, I thought, the easiest way of doing it would be putting the best ones together and scrap them in a layout!) Here it is:

Credits:
SO Topped Template, Designs by Sine.
Harvest Spice, October Mega by Scrap Orchard Designers.

I have made this one using Designs by Sine's SO Topped Template pack! Oh, I forgot to say that, the lovely Sine had invited me to join her fun Creative Team (CT)! I feel so honored to be joining her team! I love her templates!
I have to say, I love how the LO turns out! Those photos hubby took are stunning! Love the striking orange of the pumpkins in each and every photo! :D

Another one that is very lovely to me is... dedicated to our not-yet-here little baby. Yep, this is the very first LO for our Zhang junior!

Credits:
Template from when... template pack by Digiland Designs.
Everything from Good Night by Amy Stoffel.
Artsy Edges from Michelle Batton's Designs.
Fonts: La Pointe's Road, Certain Tea.

My journal in this page is about Lan buying the very first toy for our dear junior. Something that I really want to keep as a memory, so that, one day, our junior can read this and know what his/her first toy is!
Another one that is not as recent as the other two would be one I made for Lan... It simply says it all...

Bouille Template 14
A la Croisee des coeurs by Kalina
Wordart from Elegant Wordart by Bethany.

Rawr-o-Saurus & blog train...

2009-10-22T01:00:00.002+01:00

Today, Michelle Batton is releasing a brand new fantabulous kit at The DigiChick, it's Rawr-o-Saurus!!!! The dinosaurs on Michelle had made are so cute! This kit is so gorgeous and versatile! It can be used both to scrap a boyish and girly LO! It's even great to make a non-dinosaur LO! On top of that, who can resist such a cute alpha?! I LOVE the alpha in this kit!
Check my non-dinosaur LO here...

Love it? What are you waiting for? Get shopping! This kit is on sale for 20% for today and tomorrow ONLY!
Ah, also, we, Michelle's team has prepared some gifts for you! It's a blog freebie train! Apparently, you are at stop #7 (last stop)! And here is what you get at this stop:

Click on the preview above to download or you can go HERE. And, if you somewhat missed the other 6 freebies (there are 7 freebies including the one above), hop on Michelle's blog to get you back on track! Here is what's waiting for you at Michelle's blog. You'll be sorry to miss it!

Well, have fun!!

UPDATE: If you are having trouble with BOX.net, try downloading the QP HERE.

Weekend in Warrington

2009-10-19T11:42:00.002+01:00

After so much contemplation and googling, I decided to tow Lan along to Warrington. There was a 'pumpkin day' at Kenyon Hall Farm, and I'd love to go and see what it looks like. Lan was hesitant, he didn't really buy the idea of going to a farm just to see a pumpkin patch! Not interesting, as he said, but he still went for me... Bless him for that!
So, Saturday morning, we headed to Lime Street Station at around 10.10am, to catch the 10.22am train to Warrington. Guess what? We missed it just by seconds! Thank God the train passing Warrington runs every several minutes or so, we did not have to wait long.

The journey on the train between Liverpool and Warrington is around 20-30 minutes. As soon as we got to Warrington, we got on a 15-minutes journey to the farm by taxi. Well, the farm is actually at the outskirts of Warrington. The taxi driver was very kind to give us his mobile number, so we can ring him when we are done... I can't imagine getting a taxi there. It's sort of in the middle of nowhere!
First impression of the farm: Smelly! Yep, there is this strong farm-ey smell in the air, not so pleasant, but we got used to the smell quite quickly. Kenyon Hall Farm is a family business of a nice couple of middle-aged. They sell fresh produce of their farm; onions, carrots, some berries, pumpkins, squashes and many others!
I was a bit disappointed to see the pumpkin patch though... Most of the pumpkins were already harvested and put in the shop, instead of being left on the patch. So, in the end, I just chose a pumpkin out of the shop-shelf. The good thing about it is the country-side air. It was different from the city air. It was fresh and crispy! And we were very blessed with a DRY weather! It was not sunny, but it was dry! :)
We picked a small-medium sized pumpkin, which were suggested by the lady owner, in the hope of making pumpkin soup! I got some home-made strawberry jam, which looks very very yummy! Oh, of course, we took some pictures there... which are still nesting in our camera's memory card right now. LOL!

Then, we headed to IKEA! I was super excited and we spent hours there!
First thing first was LUNCH! Ikea's Swedish meatballs are yummy! And we were so full and satisfied of our lunch. Then we started our little 'adventure'.
Well, the aim of our tour in IKEA is to get some idea for home interior designs. We both agreed that we have our own styles and preferences of how our future home will look like. So, it's a good exercise to go to such a shop where we can point out to each other 'this is what I like!', 'this is what I don't like'. We knew each other better for that sense!
From the long tour, we picked up some designs/ideas that we both agreed upon. Some sketches on how our future home will look like! And I love the experience! It was very fun indeed! Believe me, I am very excited upon getting a flat of our own, so I can start 'designing' our home! LOL! (the word 'design' always makes me excited somehow!)
It's not going to be very soon, but it is still in the near future (say within 2-3 years). We are hoping to settle down in Beijing after we both graduated from PhD. Woohoo! And, by that time, I will picture myself as a Stay-at-Home-Mother and having our juniors!

I feel so blessed! I am so thankful and grateful to see and realise that The Lord really provides and take a great care of us. I hope you, my friends, see and realise the same thing in your lives too!

God bless and have a great week!

Psalm 91

2009-10-15T10:47:00.002+01:00

This week has been a strange week for me. For two nights in a row, I got a series of similar dreams; scary dreams, dreams that woke me up with no peace to return back to sleep. Dreams of someone - a black silhouette - that came through our window like a thief. It scared the hell of me! I am really NOT keen of nightmares!
The second night was the worst... I woke up panicking for who-knows-what. I tried anything on top of my mind to calm myself, but nothing worked until I prayed. Prayers are really powerful, incredible!
Never ever underestimate the power of prayers! It works, believe me!

Psalm 91
Safety of Abiding in the Presence of God
1 He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High
Shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.
2 I will say of the LORD, “He is my refuge and my fortress;
My God, in Him I will trust.”

3 Surely He shall deliver you from the snare of the fowler
And from the perilous pestilence.
4 He shall cover you with His feathers,
And under His wings you shall take refuge;
His truth shall be your shield and buckler.
5 You shall not be afraid of the terror by night,
Nor of the arrow that flies by day,
6 Nor of the pestilence that walks in darkness,
Nor of the destruction that lays waste at noonday.

7 A thousand may fall at your side,
And ten thousand at your right hand;
But it shall not come near you.
8 Only with your eyes shall you look,
And see the reward of the wicked.

9 Because you have made the LORD, who is my refuge,
Even the Most High, your dwelling place,
10 No evil shall befall you,
Nor shall any plague come near your dwelling;
11 For He shall give His angels charge over you,
To keep you in all your ways.
12 In their hands they shall bear you up,
Lest you dash your foot against a stone.
13 You shall tread upon the lion and the cobra,
The young lion and the serpent you shall trample underfoot.

14 “Because he has set his love upon Me, therefore I will deliver him;
I will set him on high, because he has known My name.
15 He shall call upon Me, and I will answer him;
I will be with him in trouble;
I will deliver him and honor him.
16 With long life I will satisfy him,
And show him My salvation.”

About birthdays

2009-10-12T13:36:00.005+01:00

Uh Oh! I'm so sleepy right now. Last night I took a sore-throat medicine that always successfully knocks me out to sleep even when the sun has risen! I tend to be blurred and it's difficult to concentrate when I'm so out of space like this. My brain and body are in different paces; brain says do A, body does D! Anyhow, let's get back to the topic I'd like to discuss today: *drum rolls* BIRTHDAYS! (This is a response to MJ's Mummy's comment about my brothers' birthdays being so close to each other)

In my family there is this weird pattern of birthdays, an order, shall we say? One set of birthdays in the early months of the year and another set in the end of it.
The first set is started with my Mum's birthday, which is on January 3rd, followed by Papa Mama's birthday both in February, separated by one day! Mama on 21st and Papa on 23rd. Then comes March, 1st is my little sister, Grace's birthday and 3rd is my Dad. April, which is also the end of this first set of birthday is Lan, on the 13th.
So, there..., we have 4 months in a row of 6 birthdays!

Then, the set for the ending of the year starts on September 15th, which is my little brother, Han-Han's birthday! Continuing on October 6th is my first brother (It's so hard to explain this... first brother meaning my first younger brother; I have 2 brothers both younger.), Erwin's birthday. At last, it's mine on November 18th.
So, the latter one is not so bad, it's only 3 of us really. However, if I consider my Mum's big family, in November there are 3 days in a row of birthdays for 4 people. 17, 18, 19 November are birthdays for my uncle (17), me and a cousin (18) and my auntie (19). LOL! That's too big to be a coincidence isn't it? :p

And this year comes to mark my age as a quarter of a century. To say that time slips by me, it's not wholly true! I have to say to myself that I've done a lot of things that I wanted to do all these years! I've got to see the world through my own eyes and made my own views on how things are. I have achieved *All praises and honours only to my dear Lord, Jesus!* beyond my imaginations. And I am content.
From now, I will teach myself to do things not only for myself, my future, my achievements. Instead, it will be for my hubby, my family, my dear children, and above all, for my Jesus. They are my priorities. The reasons I live.
I am viewing my first quarter of a century as a chapter titled "ME". I'm entitling the second quarter as "FAMILY", which will soon start. And it sounds good... :)

God bless your week, my friends! And thanks for reading my babbles! LOL!

Ps. Thanks ya Arman for correcting me! Hehehe it was supposed to be 'century' not decade! LOL! Thanks to my sleepy head of mine, I just made very silly mistake :P

Big retirement SALE!

2009-10-11T13:21:00.003+01:00

Scrap Orchard is having a huge retirement SALE!!!! They are cutting the prices up to 65% off!!! Isn't that a massive saving?! So, what are you waiting for? Go to Scrap Orchard now and have a shopping spree!!
Hurry, this sale is only on from today until Wednesday, 14 October 2009!

La Cucina, Gimme Candy and October Nights.

2009-10-08T21:06:00.003+01:00

I have been busy with my scrapbooking activities lately. And today, it seems that all the designers decided to release their kits! LOL! So, here we go...

First, I am enjoying my time very much guesting at LCC by Amy Stoffel! The girls are fun and Amy designs gorgeously! She released 2 new kits this week at the Scrap Orchard! The first one is perfect for scrapping all your cooking/dining photos: La Cucina.

Isn't that cute? Here is what I made with it:

Next is the Halloween-y kit, Gimme Candy

My LO:

This month I am also joining Michelle Batton's Creative Team. Her team is also fun. Thank you, Michelle, for inviting me to be in your CT!! Your designs are awesome!
This week, she's releasing a paper pack, October Nights and an alpha, tag! You're It.
I especially LOVEEEE the alpha!!

Here is what I did with these two awesome packs:

So, what are you waiting for? Go and shop! They are ALL on SALE for 20% off, this week! Don't miss the bargain. :)

Autumn Gold and a freebie

2009-10-08T11:41:00.000+01:00

Well, we went to the dentist yesterday and had successfully pulled Lan's tooth out with no major problems! In fact, I think he is getting the hang of it better and better! I'm very much blessed that he is improving so much about this dentist thing.
And, for now, he can sit out for 3 months to let the wound heal and the gum reshape, before he gets his replacement. So we have arranged his next appointment on 07th January 2010!
Gosh... can't believe it's almost the new year again! Time just sprints right through me these days!

I do look forward to next year though, because we are planning to have a junior next year. I am having baby fever real bad lately and really excited that soon Lan will finish his study and will be working. I pray that The Lord has provided him the right job as soon as he finishes study.

Onto digi-scrapping, today, Rena has released a new 'Autumn' kit, called Autumn Gold. It's loaded with beautiful golden yellow-colored elements, which I really love. Here is the preview of the kit:

Here is some LOs I made with it.
The first one is for my parents with the Tiramisu cake, Lan and I bought for their anniversary. It was a yummy cake from IXORA! Thanks a lot, Tante Julia for such an awesome cake!

This one I used the photo of my cousin, Chelsea. Since she's staying with my parents, she became the perfect candidate for my photography exercise, hehehe...

And, last but not least, I also have prepared a little freebie for you. I made my second LO to a QP. If you like it, please do leave some love for me. Thanks!

Click the picture above, to download the freebie, or you can download it HERE.

Have a blessed day! I am so happy it's sunny today :)

Vacay 09 (5): Dentist!

2009-10-06T11:17:00.001+01:00

First thing first: Happy birthday, dear Erwin! May The Lord be your blessings, your shield, your guidance, your Father and best Friend! Amen!
Until we see you again!

Every time I go home, I always pay a visit to the dentist to check my teeth. I am proud to say that in my family, I've got the healthiest teeth among us the adults (Papi, Mami, Erwin and I). Although they are not genetically white, but my teeth are healthy and rarely have holes. That's the most important thing above all, whitening is not necessary and so d*mn expensive anyway! So, I'll just live with the way they are.

Well, this holiday, I went again, literally, dragging Lan along with me. He hates dentists! He is scared of them! But, he promised me. A promise is a promise, he knew that! He's been having bad-smell-breath problems for quite a long time and I make a LOT of fuss about it! Simply because my nose is very very sensitive, way too sensitive compared to his. And this bad-breath is bugging me so much!
So, whether he liked it or not, I had to drag him to dentist!

The first time we went, Mami & Erwin came along. Oh gosh! It was nerve-wrecking! He was so nervous that his face was so white so pale as if he just saw ghosts! He was sweating insanely, freaking out and panicking. I was head over heel trying to calm him down, he wouldn't even talk to me. And that was when we were actually still sitting at the waiting room!
Then, in we went. Since Erwin wanted a check-up, too, we decided that Lan should have his go first, before he breaks into pieces.
As he sat on the dental-chair, he held the hand-rest so tightly. I could see he was so panicky. He became touchy even talking to me! Well, the dentist said, as I expected, his teeth are BAD! Two of them must be pulled out and some have to put tooth-filling. As I told him that, he grew berserk! But, at the end, he agreed for some tooth-filling; 2 majors and a few minors. The doctor, seeing him so nervous, even prescribed him some painkillers! That's how bad he was... Then, she let him think it through about getting rid of his bad teeth, since we had to return the next week to finish of the tooth-filling process.

That whole week was madness! I tried to talk to him that those teeth are real BAD! They are infected and in bad shapes. He said he would think about it, but, he showed it that he already made his decision: NO! Argh... I persuaded, I talked through him, we fought, we cried, we were angry to each other... And, thank God, he agreed to pull ONE tooth! Bless him! That was under the condition that I will always be with him, translate for him, and finally that we paid the expense, not Papi and Mami.

The second visit to the dentist was better. He was in a better shape, much more cheerful. And I fulfilled the condition of our trade. And, there he was... saying "It wasn't as painful as I imagined it would be." -Gee.- But, I am so glad, so relieved that the experience actually gives him confidence to conquer his fear of dentists!
Then... - some of you might know that I'm BAD at giving up! - I tried for the second time, for the second tooth! LOL! I'm so cheeky aren't I? Oh well, it's for his goodness, not mine (well, it's also for my comfort :p). It was a straight NO at first, but my effort became fruitful: Another promise. He wants it done in UK.
Oh well, that's better than nothing. Yeah it will be expensive, but, it will be done. Coz, when it's a promise, I'll hunt until it's fulfilled! LOL!

So, we are very very blessed that we found an NHS dentist straight a way and not too far from our flat. Having an NHS dentist means that some of the treatment costs will be subsidised by the government, i.e., yeah it is expensive, but it is still affordable in a way...
Last Tuesday was his very first appointment, where the doctor checked his whole mouth and agreed that there is a tooth that needs to be pulled. Lan is still nervous going to dentist, but he is in a much better shape about it now. And, I think, his confidence grew on him. =)
This Wednesday, we are going back to pull the tooth and to have his teeth cleaned. He's deciding to get bridges as replacement of those 2 teeth that are pulled out, instead of dentures. Isn't he a brave boy now? He decides! Yay! That's more important and precious than the price we are paying for those treatments.
In total it will be around £500 to get those treatments done. But, boy, it's worth it!

Thank you, Jesus, for softening Lan's heart, for guiding him to grow brave and to overcome his fear.

How do I describe You, O Lord...
You are the gentle Sun-rays through the icy cold winter.
The blooming Buds of spring flowers.
The cool Breeze through the scorching-hot summer.
And the beautiful golden Leaves of fall that bring warmth.
You are always here with me, through the seasons.

- nie, Mon 05 Oct 2009.

Ps. No photos for this one. Lan will be grumpy if I take his photo while he's nervous. And, although there are some photos of his teeth (mouth opened up), I don't think it's appropriate to show you those! LOL!

About the weather + Freebie...

2009-10-05T09:55:00.003+01:00

I just got to the office a few minutes ago. Ugh... here comes Monday plus all the businesses that it brings! Today, as we walked from home to the office, we cringed at the cold weather. It's Fall/Autumn here. Yes, the air is crispier and the scenery looks so beautiful with all the leaves turning golden brown, some blown by the wind. But, somehow, it feels more like WINTER already! It's too cold for Autumn.

Gosh, I've been in Liverpool from 2002 and, yet, I can never get used to this extreme weather. It's as if from Summer, we just go straight to Winter. That-is-not-nice! Or could it be because I just came back from our tropical weathered vacation, that I feel it's extremely cold? I am already wearing two layers of pants and 3 layers of tops, but I am still feeling the cold. Geez... is that something wrong with me? Or the weather?
I just hope this winter will not be as bad as last winter, where I got my eczema really bad. Oh, I don't really want to remember that... it was a dark season for me. This year, Lan and I are having more preparation to 'combat' this eczema! This weekend, he just bought me an electric under blanket, which makes my bed real warm at night. It makes my bed very comfortable (Thanks Honey!). I also anticipate it by wearing more clothes. Because, somehow, as the doctor said, it's the cold weather that my skin is not happy with... It makes my skin becomes very dry, thus, cracks and wounds easily. Hence, the eczema.
So, please pray, as the winter comes nearer, for me so that eczema will not get near me! Amen!

Onto, digi-scrapping, which I am madly involved in, right now...
Rena Designs have just released a new kit today, it is named In Turquoise. And as the name suggested, this kit is full of gorgeous turquoise-colored elements. Check out the preview:

It's on SALE for 15% off now. So, go grab it while it's HOT! Here are the LOs I made with it...

I actually really liked how they both turned out. And since I am in the mood of giving a freebie, I have turned my second LO to a quick-page. Feel free to download and use it. And please leave some love if you really like it, it will certainly encourage me to give out more freebies in the future.

Get the quickpage (QP) freebie HERE.

My Belief

2009-10-04T22:48:00.004+01:00

There is this nice challenge in Scrap Orchard today. It's a challenge to scrap a page without any photo on it. And it suddenly popped into my mind that I haven't scrapped about my beloved Jesus yet. So there came my inspiration. I really love how it turned out, so I thought of putting it on my blog.

Credits:
Everything from Rainy Afternoon from LCC by Amy Stoffel.
WA from Elegant Wordarts by Bethany.

Both are selling at Scrap Orchard.

Ps. Click on the image for a larger version.

Vacay 09 (4): Fun with Yulia!!!

2009-10-02T18:29:00.001+01:00

I've been wanting to continue writing about my holiday, but gosh... I've been in limbo! My body feels like it's not mine and keeps giving me this weird unhealthy feeling. Well, luckily, I found this medicine that really helps me to rest, it knocks me out to sleep soundly (and it gives me hard time to open my eyes in the morning!) It's like a drug, but a good drug! LOL!

Anyway, I insist to write about the important things that happen during our vacation this year, although it's been gone far, because I don't want to forget any bits of it... It's too precious to me!
If I remember correctly, Yulia arrived at my home on 27th August 2009 by BMW Travel Bus from Surabaya. She had been on TNI-AL ship for 3 weeks by then on a diving mission. Forgive me for making you wait for me to get up, sist! I was so tired that I did not even hear that you've arrived!
I was so happy to see you! I even could not wait to give you the gifts Lan and I had for you; one very special gift I made myself upon your request, I knitted a little cushion with two dolphins on it - as your birthday gift, and another is a little souvenir from Dubai. I really hope you like them!
Also, thanks for the crackers that you brought from Makasar! Hehehe, yummy!

So, we spent days together. In my family, you are another daughter, another sister! We love you!
We rent Toyota Avanza for 2 days - the first day, it was a Saturday, 29 August. We, Lan, you & I, picked Hans and Grace from school and then we rushed to Waterbom! We had so much fun there and did not go home until we were sort-of the last person to be there! LOL! Too bad that Lan is not as brave as us on the wild-rides! However, that made it perfect! We went together, the two of us on the ride, our own bonding time! =) We screamed and laughed together! Tiring, but absolutely fun!
Then, in the lazy-river pool, the 5 of us played together for hours! Hehehe... So sweet is the memory! Even Lan was enjoying himself that he just could not be bothered to get the camera from the locker room! LOL! (Psst... do you still remember when he screamed on the first ride?! "Honey... I'm a chicken!" LOL! It made us laugh so hard!)

The second day, it was Monday, 31st August. We went to buy a surprise present from you for my parents - The Orchid, my mum's favorite! I still remember the time when we were gift-wrapping it, fearing that my parents might come too soon! LOL! Even you, who is quite experienced at helping your mum to be a florist, were nervously shaking. Hihihi! But, we should be proud of ourselves! We made it on time! :)

We then went to Dreamland Beach! It was our second time going together there, the first time we went there was after my wedding, 2 years ago!
This time, many has changed in Dreamland, but we refused to NOT have fun! In fact, we ended up having fun picking seaweed (for your mum) while watching so that the waves won't wet us. We spotted some sea snails (which I was disgusted of!), sea urchin and a wild-looking crab. We watched sunset too! Then we were rushed to the car by the heavy rain!
After so much fun, it was time to fill our hungry stomaches! Our one and only destination was JIMBARAN! We did get lost though hehehe... but we made it there safely! We ate like crazy, didn't we, sist? The food was so delicious and with such great companion, it became even more delicious. :) We went home bloated! LOL! But, that's not all! You felt like moon-light cake (terang bulan/martabak manis)... Hihihi I still remember Lan's face when you 'tortured' him with the delicious smell of moon-light cake! He wanted it, but he's wayyyy to full!

Our journey continued in Jakarta for several hours... It was in between our arrival from Denpasar and departure to Dubai. Thanks for picking us up, sist! And for the treat at Chez Inggrid! Too bad we didn't get to taste the cheesecake, but those cakes you ordered were yummy! Ummm... Can you send some of those here? LOL! Thanks also for letting us 'borrow' your bathroom for shower before we go. It is always a fun time when you are around! OH, there's more, thanks for the anniversary gift and the diary! I had great time reading your diary. Hehehe... Thanks for the honesty and the opened heart you have towards me! You are truly my bestest friend! I love you with all my heart, sincerely!

Urban Dreamer by Amy Stoffel

2009-10-02T11:16:00.003+01:00

This month, I am so happy that I can be a guest in Amy's Creative Team (CT). Her CT is so fun and I am enjoying myself there, the girls are so awesome and Amy herself is incredible. I really wish I could stay in the CT permanently for forever!!! It's just too fun there!

So, anyway, this week, Amy has this funky, cool and totally gorgeous kit called Urban Dreamer

What's more is that when you buy this kit, you'll get a set of matching cool frames for free! How cool is that?

It wasn't enough to make just one LO with this funky kit! I made TWO! Believe me, it's so fun to scrap with!

And since Amy is such an awesome person (I've told you that before, right??), she's made this freebie alpha to coordinate with Urban Dreamer, which you can snag it at her BLOG

Cool isn't it??? Then, what are you waiting for? Go and get shopping! :)

Rena Designs Birthday Sale!

2009-09-30T18:25:00.003+01:00

It's Renata's birthday tomorrow, so she is having a sale at both of her shops from 1st to 3rd October!!! All her stuffs are discounted from 35% to 45%! What a great opportunity to get beautiful kits at cheaper price?! So, what are you waiting for? Get over her shops at Sunflower Scraps and CU for you, now!

Magical Violet

2009-09-27T23:06:00.002+01:00

Back from holiday also means back to my responsibility of scrapbooking for some designers I have contract with. Well, today is the new release of Rena Designs' Magical Violet. It is now available at Sunflower Scrap for CAD5.09, which is 15% off! The kit looks like below:

I love this kit, it's stunning! Majority of white colors and some hints of violet! Truly lovely!!! Here is the LOs I made with it:

So, isn't that lovely? What you're waiting for then? Go and grab it while it's on SALE @ Sunflower Scrap!

Vacay 09 (3): Silver Anniversary Celebrations

2009-09-25T17:42:00.006+01:00

This year my family celebrates the Silver Wedding anniversary of my parents. Well, it's the first time we ever celebrated their wedding anniversary at all! From the us, the kids, Papi and Mami only wished that the whole family can gather together for them. It means a lot for them to have us the kids gather up together... ever since I landed in UK, it was hard to have my brother Erwin and I going home for holiday at the same time, so the family was sort-of never been whole for awhile.
So, this year, we made efforts and, thank Jesus that He planned everything according to His will, my parents' wish was fulfilled! It was fun to be together again, 7 of us make us a big family, but my parents are so happy to have their children gathered up together at home. And, honestly, even that I am married and have my own family, it still feels a lot like home to be with my parents. I do like to have the time to be the little girl of my Papi Mami every now and then. :)

Well, let's briefly talk about the celebrations aka dinners.
We (Lan & I) arrived in Indonesia on 20th August (in Jakarta around 3pm, then in Denpasar around 11pm! Air Asia sucks! *Delays* is their second name!). Then, as scheduled, we (the whole family) flew to Surabaya on the 22nd August by Lion Air (Wings air -crappy- plane to be exact). And so, the culinary journey begun...
1. Surabaya Suki with Papi's family
22.08.09 In Nie's family, this year there are 3 couples celebrating their silver anniversary together (of course on different dates!). So they were my parents, Papi's oldest sister and Papi's oldest brother. (My dad is the fourth child of six children)
I think one of my aunties booked the private function, consisting of 4 round tables. She also made it like a real celebration, by having a cake and getting all of us singing some songs. The food was OK, I'd say. It was a standard Chinese hotpot kind of thing, and we were already so starving when it was the time to eat, so we didn't bother to take pictures!

2. Mango Terrace Restaurant with parents' friends
23.08.09 It's the same number of people (around 30-40). There are closed friends of the family there; Om Kim Tjeng & Tante Audrey's family, Om Tikno & Tante Lies's family, Brother Wilson, Om Wenas and many others. It was a delicious dinner too! I have to say that whoever organised and chose the menu, did a very good job!
And, special thanks to Tante Lies, for the anniversary cake! Those chocolate cupcakes were yummy; not too sweet and just right!
Here, actually, I got the time to 'trick' my parents hehe... After blowing the '25' candles, it was time to eat the cupcake. So the naughty me suggested they eat one cake at the same time. Tee-hee... I love those shy smiles on my parents' faces. I am sure they had fun!
Thanks to all the uncles and aunties for coming and celebrating my parents' anniversary together with us! It was a privilege to see how beloved my parents are to all of you! Thanks also for Brother Wilson, for coming and blessing us with a wonderful prayer!

3. Bima Restaurant with Mami's family
24.08.09 I can tell you that by this night, we were sort-of sick of crowds! LOL! But hey, it was still fun! The dinner this time was more relaxing, more a family reunion than a celebration. We got to see the new additions of Gunadi's family (aka my little baby cousins), to catch up with my uncles and aunties and cousins. We enjoyed and took our time. The food was good, too! Too bad that my second uncle's family and my fifth uncle's family could not come... (My mum is the 3rd child of 7 children consisting of 5 sons and 2 daughters). It was good to see my cousins growing up and starting University too. It's like we have more in common to talk about.

That's 3-days-in-a-row of dinners! On 25th, we just had family time - just the 7 of us - relaxing and, also, window-shopping at Galaxy Mall. We left for Bali, with Lion Air (and the crappy Wings Air plane) AGAIN, on 26th August. It's not until many days later that we had the FOURTH (and the last) dinner...

4. Telaga Naga Restaurant - Special Celebration
03.09.09 Why I call it special? Because it mainly focused on our family and because we invited very few people; people who we held dear to our family, those who are very important.
Thanks to Daddy Arifin and Mum Fifi, Daddy Philip (who specially flew down from KL for us!), Kong & Mak Gani, Kong Frans and Ko Raymond (for taking photographs for us!), and Yulia (my dear sister, who is a daughter to my parents too!). - This is the actual complete guest list!
We are so humbled that they spared their time to come and celebrate with us. Thank you for their prayers, their blessings and their presences!
The food was fabulous! Well, it has to be, since it's Hyatt Hotel's restaurant, so I did expect it to be fabulous! Totally worth the price, I'd say. After dinner, Lan and Erwin said some speech to congratulate and to thank our parents for being our parents and gave our gifts. This time, I am so proud of Erwin. As a representative of the four siblings (although I am the oldest), he said many great and true things out of his heart that I agreed I'd say to my parents. I am so proud of you, my brother! You've grown to be a great man. *Luv ya!*
And I am glad that my parents were actually surprised by our gifts; The gold coin from Lan (and his parents), the cards that the 5 of us (Lan, I, Erwin, Hans & Grace) written on and 'best Dad' 'best Mum' pins.
And, since, most of them are elderly/diabetic, we decided that it is wiser to enjoy the cake (Tiramisu that Lan & I ordered for my parents) at home. Yummy!

Well, overall, it was a very meaningful vacation for, not just for Lan & I, but also for my whole family. I do hope my parents are happy that their wish came true. And I pray that their marriage lasts forever, that we will celebrate their golden, diamond, platinum and whatever else anniversaries again and again! Amen!

Vacay 09 (2): Dubai 18 August 2009 (2)

2009-09-17T11:31:00.006+01:00

Let's continue with our holiday story before I forget it all together... So, after having a yummy Lebanese food dinner, we went to watch the water fountain shows several time. The Dubai Mall made quite a big pool to accommodate these water fountain shows. The shows run everyday starting around 6pm for around every half hour until 10pm. Each show has different background song and different arrangement. They were all breathtakingly fantastic! No matter how many shows we watched, we seemed to never watch enough and we were always in awe... I was even having goosebumps! It's a must watch if you ever visit Dubai!

Feeling that we should move on after watching several water fountain shows, we hired a taxi for a night-city tour. We were blessed that we got a great taxi driver too! So, away from Dubai Mall, we started our journey visiting the infamous hotels in Dubai. First stop, Burj Al Arab, also known as the very first seven star hotel in the world. So famous that getting IN there without being a guest staying there, you would have to pay USD45 per person! Hence, we just took photos outside the gate, where not surprisingly many other tourists also crowding to take photos! The building is so beautiful, and even more beautiful at night where different colored lights interchanges to spotlight the hotel.
It was a dream came true for us... The first time we ever transited together in Dubai, we made a wish that one day we will visit the magnificent Burj Al Arab! We are so blessed and so thankful to Jesus for such a blessing!

Satisfied with the pictures we took there, we continued our journey to the next famous hotel The Atlantis at the famous Palm Island. Another magnificent place! Unbelievably beautiful... built on a man-made island, it was a tall-slim spectacular building! The road to and from it is right next to the sea... It's amazing how they built an island alone, but a magnificent hotel as well?! That's unbelievable!

Afterward, we went around the city, seeing the Dubai harbor before going back to our hotel, calling it a stop for the night.
The next day, we mainly stayed at the beach and the pool relaxing. One thing about their beach is that it is almost impossible to walk barefoot on the sand. It was so HOT that my feet felt burnt! Hence, we had to wear sandals... but the water was fresh and cool.
The most exciting thing for that day is that we were having a dinner-date! It was at The Observatory Restaurant, the highest restaurant in Dubai situated on the 52nd floor of our hotel. The view from the window, overlooking the marina and the city, is fabulous especially at night. The food and the service were superb; a bit expensive but worth the price. (well, it's absolutely cheap if compared to eating in a posh restaurant in the UK!) And we went back to our room feeling FULL!

It was a sad time to leave Dubai that night (our flight to Jakarta was at 4 a.m., so we left the hotel at 1 a.m.). We have not been to the desert nor some other places we'd love to visit... but that is a well-worth excuse to return to Dubai one day! We absolutely love our short holiday there! It was fun and beautiful!

Ps. More photos of our Dubai vacation are up on my facebook. Click on the pictures to see the larger versions of them.

Happy 13th Birthday, Hans!

2009-09-15T14:59:00.003+01:00

Today, you turned 13! Cece is totally grateful that you are getting to be a man each day!
My beloved brother, be a great son to your parents and a wonderful brother to your siblings. Above all, be an obedient son to your Father in Heaven.
God bless you!

Credits:
DeCrow Designs blueprint 16 (template)
Stitched tags from Cool Summer Add-on by Lyndsay Riches.
Background and Orange paper from Boy Meets Girl, a collab by scrappy cocoa and gettin' scrappy with Britt.
Hanging stars from Pretty Music by Maelia Designs.
Everything else from Tracie Stroud's Cake and Ice Cream.
Fonts: Big title using dirty ego, small title using Pea Steph, journal using Pea Sara Prints.

Vacay 09 (1): Dubai 18 August 2009 (1)

2009-09-12T10:46:00.013+01:00

Our three weeks holiday this time felt so fast yet so fun and fascinating. We had great time both in Dubai and Bali! We are so blessed to be given the opportunities to visit Dubai and to have such a great family! It is indeed an unforgettable vacation for us...

We had been to Dubai for a number of time for transit only. This time, we took our chance to visit Dubai for a real holiday and we are glad that we did! We flew from Manchester to Dubai on Emirates Airlines flight no. EK020 at around 11 pm (Manchester time) after being delayed for 2.5 hours, arriving in Dubai at 10 am (Dubai time). Before going to through the immigration, we had to do the iris scan for security purpose. It did not take us long to get our passports stamped and to get hold of our luggages, everything went swiftly. I have to say that Dubai International Airport is MAGNIFICENT! Beautiful white wall that glitters and gorgeous architecture style really make the building awesome!

The heat immediately welcomed us as soon as we were out of the airport building looking for the taxi to take us to the hotel. Dubai's sky is clear of clouds, only the rays of sunshine dominate the weather. The dryness of the desert and the dusty hot winds brought our sweats out like little pearls. Truly a rough hot season! The streets are wide and structured, the attempts of making the city as green as possible can be seen from the amount of plantations that the government put here and there, the buildings are varied; from the skyscrapers, the shops, the malls and the houses. It is impressive that all those skyscrapers are of different styles, shapes and odd (in a great way)! They are all awesome and stunning, indeed awesome!

We arrived at our hotel after around 30 minutes drive. The Harbour is a 52-floors hotel situated at Dubai Marina (where the harbour is) and is very close to the Palm Island (the magnificent man-made island with the shape of palm tree). Their service is superb and beyond friendly, our studio room was very very comfortable and really worth the value! We were beyond satisfied with our choice! We were given the studio room number 212 on the second floor, but even so, we could see The Atlantis hotel from our window and the sea beyond. The room was clean and spacious, with a little convenient kitchen.

There was a little incident when we were checking in, one worth to write about hehe... Since the booking was under my name, I was to pay the down-payment using my credit card. So I confidently gave my credit card when they asked it. Then, when was asked to enter the PIN, I stood froze and panicked. I FORGOT MY PIN NUMBER! I asked Lan, he did not have a clue either because he was panicking with me. Thank God they were not suspicious, they told me "It's OK, you can sign, if you want." Phew! I got away that time...

When we got to our room, we took our time of resting from the long flight. We had a relaxing shower and took a bit of nap. We did get too comfortable that we were contemplating about going out... LOL! But, finally, we got ourselves out of the hotel and started our wonderful adventure. Our destination was Dubai Mall, the largest mall in the world (and so they claim!). It is truly huge and spacious, they have from the world's top designer brands, gold souk (gold market), food court, magnificent water fountain shows, ice skating rink and huge aquarium/underwater zoo! Our aim was NOT shopping, but visiting the gold souk, the underwater zoo and watching the water fountain shows.
As a gold-producer country, UAE is really proud of their gold. Most of the jewellery that were displayed are at least 22K. There were also plenty of pearls and diamonds; all glittering and shiny! But we're not there to buy, just to feast our eyes and fascination! This indoor gold souk (gold market) is an imitation of the original gold souk, which is actually a market with jewellery shops at both sides of it, dominated by the Indians. Being indoor, of course we don't have to worry about the heat, but we cannot bargain the price, unlike in the original gold souk. But, at least, we can walk peacefully without being pulled here and there by the sellers to their shops!

After the gold souk, we went straight to the Aquarium. It is an aquarium built within the mall with the bottom being on the ground floor and it goes as high as the mall (2nd floor). We paid AED50 per person to walk through the aquarium and to get into the underwater zoo. It was a beautiful experience indeed! We can see numerous of sharks (both huge and small), stingrays, giant fishes, beautiful corals within the aquarium. We even got the opportunity to see the divers fed the sharks.
At the zoo, we saw some animals that we never had seen before! The water rats, the beavers, the penguins, jellyfish, and many others. We spent plenty of time there and was very happy to be there together.

Afterwards, we had our dinner at the food court. Our choice fell on the Lebanese restaurant 'Mashawi Express', where we ordered Kabab Mixed Grill. It was definitely yummy!

Phew! That's a long one! I shall continue my story next about our night adventure; the water fountain shows and the visits to the famous hotels! Stay tuned!

Back from holiday

2009-09-10T19:47:00.002+01:00

We're just back to UK from Bali! Tired and sad and missing my family so much! I finished unpacking, but gosh... we are extremely tired. We had a great holiday, praise The Lord for that!
That's it for now. Will update again later after the resting. God bless you all!