Earlier that day, my friends at work surprised me with greetings and presents that I really loved. Some of them were really sweet in their messages in the mail. And one of my co-workers texted me because he was on site (client’s office) that day. Gosh, such awesome messages that warmed the heart. Rjene even made me cry that morning because she gave me a teru teru bozu! And her message in the card made me cry too.

The big white and pink teru teru bozu from Rjene, the white shell charm from Ence (way back when she went on a trip) and Martin’s gift to me was a Haruhi charm. Hehe.

My fellow PM/BAs and friends at work also gave me a lovely gift: a tea tumbler from Starbucks. I know my hint was blatant because I posted it on Plurk but I am just so thankful for this gift because it does keep my tea warm. Now that I have a tea ball, looks like that tumbler and tea ball plus the darjeeling tea that Dai gave me last November will all be my friends if and when I get deployed on site.

Carl was thoughtful too. I saw a package wrapped in old forms haha. But guess what’s inside? It was a DVD copy of Infernal Affairs! OMG. The Andy Lau fangirl in me just squeed so much XD

It was the gestures of these people that made the day extra special because of the talks I’ve had with my friends, the moments I got to spend with them. Thanks to everyone who had dinner with me before I ran off to meet JM for the musical. It was so hilarious, the things that happened over dinner in Giligan’s in Greenbelt 1. XD We even practically filled up one section of the place.

The following day was Eda’s birthday and I visited her at home. Some of our co-workers were there too and there was just so much food! I envy Eda that she could eat so much yet not gain weight ~_~ In any case, I am touched that she invited me over as well. I hardly have friends in the area. And we also played Zombie Fluxx that day. Hahaha. And when I went home, my sister surprised me by bringing sans rival. She told me to get sylvanas so we could stuff it in the sans rival. It was awesome! Hahaha.

See? Isn’t so glorious? Sans rival with sylvanas!!!!! *NOM!*

Then last week, it turns out one of my friends from Asia Source 3 is in the country. Mifan Careem (Sahana Project). It was a pleasant surprise. Too bad I wasn’t able to join them during the first week he was here. JM and I met up with Mifan and Bobby. It was great catching up with them and sharing stories of how we have all been doing these days. It made me miss camp a whole lot more and just last night, I ended up brainstorming with Shane about what we could do this summer.

My 30th birthday was mainly spent with my colleagues and friends this year. It feels like I am approaching something like my teen age years again in terms of certain changes in the way I think and feel about things. Career-wise, I am looking for other challenges to come. I know it’s a dangerous thing to ask for but I’d like to grow so it’s a risk I have to take. Sacha asked me what I am looking forward to this year. I guess it’s more of changes in different aspects of my life. Like I should be taking better care of my health and then there is also that desire to grow more as a crafter and also that desire to be more active in the free and open source community. But we’ll see how things will go, shall we?

]]> http://clair.craftyneko.com/2010/03/09/belated-happy-birthday-to-me/feed/ 1 http://clair.craftyneko.com/2010/02/01/knitting-time/ http://clair.craftyneko.com/2010/02/01/knitting-time/#comments Mon, 01 Feb 2010 07:23:32 +0000 clair http://clair.craftyneko.com/?p=208 Ok, so after asking Jonette to commission 2 scarves for me I started wondering if I could also learn how to make my own. And we only got around to that teaching and learning session this weekend. (As a bonus, I got to meet Tweed! Her handsome cat!)

I got #5 knitting needles and a ball of grey cotton ease yarn. She taught me how to do the knit and purl. Well, she ended up teaching me about frogging too because I am terrible at some of my stitches. Tension is something I haven’t quite gotten the hang of just yet.

Jonette and PJ are both addicted to yarn work XD In their blogs you will see their blog entries about projects they are working on. PJ is crocheting a hat similar to the one Jonette gave me.

It’s a nice and comfy hat and I really love it

In so many ways it has been an awkward year. It began with me feeling awkward, not quite sure what I’m supposed to do. And it’s ending that way too.

Certain circumstances made it that way and so I had to work with what I had. Ah, well. Despite feeling awkward about my own skills, my own place in this world, etc. I think that I’ve learned a lot. I’ve also gotten a stronger spine. I’ve learned not to always agree with everything. And sometimes I just agree to disagree with people as our opinions on certain matters are quite different.

This year I’ve traveled with friends and co-workers to different parts of the country. Namely, Cebu, Bohol and Palawan. I also went out to another province for a source camp without knowing for certain what I’d be experiencing. All those traveling gave me a different perspective on myself, life and dealing with other people. I’ve deepened my friendship with other people throughout those travels and I’ve gained new friends. Not everyone of them are here in the country though. But that’s fine. Whatever they shared about their culture and their experiences is something I could take with me as I go through life.

This year, I’ve picked up a new skill. Well, sort of. It’s sewing with a sewing machine. We’ve cosplayed with our own costumes this year. That was something really fun And I also sewed a plushie for a friend’s magic show. It wasn’t perfect but I’m glad he used it. That was a challenge for me and I’d like to make more plushies in the future. This interest in sewing is because of my growing interest in fashion. Started out with gothic and lolita fashion, as well as steampunk. But I’m also getting interested in Korean fashion because it’s quite accessible to me. Some friends and co-workers who love fashion and crafting are always eager to to share what they know. We’ve been wanting to have days for crafting and as I’ve started learning about hackerspaces I think that we should probably have one too. Not just for crafting but for geeking out too since we’re all geeks and nerds anyway.

I also had Bell’s palsy for a while. That was pretty awkward. Thankfully I didn’t really have it for a long time. Though I can feel my eyelid drooping from time to time I just do some exercises to make sure it will be fine. Same thing goes for my mouth, when the muscles around it feel like they’re getting stiff. But in general it’s been pretty much ok.

Towards the end of the year, somehow I still feel like I haven’t found my place, so to speak. But I’ve had quite a blast with old friends and new found ones. It wasn’t a smooth ride at all but I’m with friends who have helped me solve issues I’ve encountered. That’s why at the end of it all, I’m thankful.

As far as the story goes, I love the way that it focused on the relationships of people. Sure there was a lot of action going on. However what left a deep impression on me was that it showed how important relationships are. That it’s beyond 2 people or a small group of people. Everyone’s connected somehow. As a moderately introverted person, it gives a bigger picture than what I am used to. I’d rather be with a small group of friends and focus there. But you see, as time goes by I also realize that there are things that matter to the collective. And that there are things that you must thwart or retain in order to have some kind of harmony and/or balance in the community.

Another thing I liked about Avatar is that it reminds me to understand people more. I know I am closed minded and judgmental but I don’t want to go to the extreme ends that those guys in the movie did. Tsk. They just wanted to gain something for their own good but not realize that there’s so much harm for the rest. And for the rest who will be affected, I was encouraged to fight for the things I believe in. During these days, especially with the corruption in government and all that crap, I feel the need all the more.

So yes, I definitely liked Avatar. It had some flaws too but the overall enjoyment wasn’t ruined for me.

Up Dharma Down

No doubt about it, the group Up Dharma Down really got me hooked on them. It’s the combination of the lyrics, Armi’s voice, the way they combine the sounds of their instruments and whatever effects they use. Armi’s voice is just sooo awesome. Whenever I listen to Up Dharma Down I can’t help but feel the ups and downs of being in love. Whether it’s as if you’re floating on a cloud or your heart has been torn and thrown away and run over, they make it easy for me to feel all these things with their songs.

Most listened to tracks from Up Dharma Down’s albums: Sugarcoats and Heartbeats, Sana, Taya, Every First Second

Taken by Cars

I probably love them because of their upbeat songs. With this group I am baffled at how girly Sara Marco can sound and yet in some tracks she sounds, well, a bit androgynous to me. When it comes to live performances, I can’t help but enjoy how much energy Sara has when she dances. I really like watching them live. So far.

Most listened to tracks: Uh-oh, Shapeshifter, Neon Brights

Urbandub

Why do I love Urbandub? Amidst the electronica I’ve been listening to, Urbandub simply stands out. Haha. Well, when I’m getting out of the electronica binge I usually follow it up with Urbandub. I think that their music contrasts well with how smooth a lot of Clazziquai and Humming Urban Stereo’s songs are. When I want something that’s more rough than my normal listening music, I instantly listen to the songs from their earlier albums. Their new album has some songs with lyrics which could be interpreted in more than one way.

Most listened to tracks: A New Tattoo, A City of Sleeping Hearts, Soul Searching

Razorback

I used to not like Razorback. Mainly because the band was all the rage in high school aside from Wolfgang. I wasn’t quite into their sound back then. I think high school for me was defined by Color It Red, Side A (yes, I listened to Side A and I used to have the tapes), Joey Ayala, Eraserheads and Sugar Hiccup. Anyway, some co-workers and I went to the Eastwood gig of a radio station. Jam, I think. Razorback was there to perform some songs. They were simply AWESOME. I got the 2-disc thing they’re selling in record bars. And I ended up *cough*downloading*cough* their greatest hits album. I was happy to see them in another gig in Saguijo last June.

Most played tracks: Giyang, Payaso, Paghihintay

Anyway, here are two groups I’m watching too:

Techy Romantics

I think my friends and I first saw them in the Taken By Cars video launch. They were upbeat and more into electronica, the type I liked so I ended up watching out for their gigs and their album. Locally, I don’t really know many groups that have that electronica vibe that’s just right to my ears. (Drip’s trip-hop is pretty different too that’s why I love them!) They make me feel like dancing when I hear them so that’s one good thing, as far as I am concerned. Anyway, Dondi Virrey’s DJ set was pretty good when I went to Rock the Riles this year. They had their album launch last week and I was lucky enough to get my CD signed by all three of them. Haha. Fangirl mode. Aside from that, I’m looking forward to remixes of some of their songs.

Fave tracks in the album “Touch”: Out of My Mind, Get It On, 7 Years, Dance Like Lightning

Us-2 Evil-0

This group is fun to listen to. I love the way they play with words especially in the track “Mikey is the New Mong” *laughs* And then there’s the song, “Super Poke is Nothing Compared to True Love” which is quite interesting in the way Mich and Quark sounded like they overlap. Then again, for me, that’s the overall sound of Us-2 Evil-0: everything overlaps. Maybe like the way thoughts run so fast in our heads and tumble upon each other. And that’s why it’s fun to listen to them.

Fave tracks in the album “Dirty Debutantes”: Super Poke is Nothing Compared to True Love, Mighty Heart Attack, Our Weekends Dissolve, Mikey is the New Mong

Your results present a correlation ratio with our model superior to 91 % .
( In a general way, a result can be taken into account if this ratio is superior to 30 %.)

Your Profile :

You are 44 % extrovert and 56 % introvert.

Independently of any order of importance :
You are creative, you always have new ideas, and your inspiration comes from the inside.
You are also able to have an in-depth thinking, you think before acting, and you know how to communicate your knowledge.
Finely you are dynamic, your actions are only directed by your own will and you know how to lead people.

Your attitude towards the environment :

facts
feelings
idees

At first, at 35%, you are centered on your thoughts and your actions are determined by your knowledge and your experience.

Then, at a rate of 33%, you are focused on the facts and on the reality, and your decisions are determined by your perception of facts.

Finally, at 31%, you are attached to moral values and feelings, and you have an emotional relation with the environment.

Your highest qualities today :

At 20 %, you are creative, you know how to see beauty, you are intuitive and your inspiration comes from the inside.

At 20 %, you are thoughtful and deep, you think before getting into action and you know how to communicate your knowledge.

At 20 %, you are dynamic and active, you are determined in your actions, you know how to communicate your ideals and your energy, and thus, you know how to boost people.

At 19 %, you are open and good communicator, you know how to attract people and engage them.

At 18 %, you are attuned to others and you show a good emotional intelligence, which allow you to give support to people.

Finely, you are intellectual and intelligent, you keep wondering and inquiring before setting up your next step or defining your values, you are a creative person, with always new ideas, and you know how to apply them.

In my case I am personally thankful that this year, I’ve grown to be more vocal. I’ve been usually very quiet even when I disagree with others. At least I am learning to say what comes to my mind and it helps me clarify some things especially when it comes to those that matter a lot to me. Some time in the middle of the year, I thought I lost my voice but it’s actually there. Maybe it was the point in time that I was still trying to figure out how to say things. For me it’s a big thing. Especially if you’ve known me when I was younger.

So yeah, that’s what I am thankful for this year. It’s a step in expressing honesty to people in one way.

What are you thankful for? Maybe share your thoughts and win a prize. Then again you probably are already winner because of the blessings you’ve gotten this year.

I like doodling and crafting as stress relievers. Aside from getting a chance to do something good with my hands instead of typing long dramatic blog entries, I end up with something positive.

So this mini top hat is one of them stress relievers. One of my co-workers wanted to borrow a headdress from me but I thought that a mini top hat suits her outfit. I offered to make her one and I am not even sure if she thought I was serious about it. (lol) Anyway, I was glad I did offer to make her one and because sewing up one will take too long and I didn’t have my sewing kit with me, I decided to get some scrapbooking stuff and other supplies from the nearby bookstore. XD

How did I make this hat?

1. I drew 3 circles on the black cartolina. 2 big ones and a small one. The 2 big ones are for the brim and the other is for the top part of the hat. I also cut a 2.5 in high rectangle. This is the main body of the hat.
2. I cut all these pieces. I also cut several strips of cartolina. I used those other strips to make connecting pieces from the body to the top and from the body to the rim of the hat.
3. Putting them together wasn’t too hard. I made a cylinder from the rectangle. Big enough to go around the smaller circle. I glued together the top part with 4 small strips of cartolina then glued them to the body of the hat. I used 3 big strips to connect to the body of the hat to one of the bigger circles.
4. I decorated the hat with the ribbons and flowers.
5. On the other bigger circle, I made some slits where the long black ribbon passed through. The slits are in the center. I attached that other circle to the main hat.

It was quick and easy! Especially because I used Mighty Bond. (lol) That was really fun. XD I feel like pushing through with my beret project. And the newsie too.

I also found it interesting to use sonar for managing the laptop’s power. It is interesting because it uses the mic and speakers of your laptop. Nifty right?

And I agree that the new features of Mandriva 2010 are tempting me to go back to Mandrake/Mandriva. It’s just that I find it easier to look for Ubuntu guides, etc.

I am still a bit of a nerd so yeah, bear with it. XD At the very least you will learn something new if you click those links.