Grace Kelly

I finally finished it!

This is my Momoko doll version of Grace Kelly.  It's surprisingly easy. The most challenging part was probably when gathering materials.

So what do you think?

Do you think the Prince of Monaco would approve of this?

Blythe sewing project

When i mentioned in my last post that i started to sew again, i was actually sewing for dolls. So, here's my latest project.





The pros and cons of sewing doll clothes;
Cons: The doll is so tiny that makes it very challenging to sew for her. It is hard but not impossible.
Pros: The doll is so tiny that i don't need yards of fabrics for her. And most of the material i used was a disposed fabrics.

So, i think for now i'll be sewing more doll's clothes. At least for a while. Ahh, and did i mentioned that the doll doesn't complains?

Never too late

After last week emotional breakdown, i think it is safe to say that i am finally okay. I don't know why i did what i did. Probably just the PMS messing around. That's why i always tell Mr that there will be times where i could be unbearable, so be well prepared.

Anyway, now that i'm back to my self, i'm thinking that i should start the 'shedding the extra' project again. Last time i did it, i became lazy and stop halfway. Therefore, i gained back half of the weight that i lost. Now, this year the feng shui is aiding me. It says that my health is excellent. That must be because i had success in getting rid off the extra weight, right?

My strategy will be the same as last time. It will be calories counting all over again. And of course some exercises in the equation as well. I don't want flabby skin but lean muscle.

Now, ever heard of 'starvation diet'? I actually started on this diet 2 days ago and have lost 3 lbs since. And i'm fully aware the danger of it. But i rather lose my life while i'm on the way to a healthier life than being stuck at where i am now. And if i don't do anything about it, i will still lose my life to weight related illness anyway. Don't tell me that there's a safer way to lose weight, cause there aren't. I know the ups and downs of this road. It's all about what you're putting in your mouth. I'm born and bred carnivore, so going green doesn't work for me. I rather starved than have to chew veggies everyday. So, case closed. I win.

Darlings..

i'm home..!

Yes, i know. It's July. I skipped June.
I have been away but now i'm back. For good. I think. Let's just hope so.

So, here's what happened in chronological since my last post.

1. Quit my job. I think i've covered that.
2. Go back to my mother's house.
3. Eat, drink and sleep.
4. Start the used clothing business that i've been planning for like a month.
5. Clothing business went down the gutter.
6. Run out of money.
7. Cancelled trip to Cambodia.
8. Start house renovation.
9. Bank emptied.
10. Start a construction company.
11. Renovation completed.
12. I moved back to Sandakan and to my new CRIB!
13. Employed first employee. My sister.
14. Watch Annie in Singapore.
15. Cats got spayed.

And that covered pretty much of what has happened.

Oh, and i almost forgot to mentioned that i moved in to my new office today. And i just bought two bonsai tree as well.

So, i take back what i said months ago cause i did come back to doing construction. It's the only thing that i am really good at. Actually, let me correct that, i'm also good at sewing.

Check out my new project.

Kindly ignore the model. My sister did little justice to the dress.

Will update again soon.

The long delayed project

..finally finished!

I wish my niece was here to help me model this. 

The headless mannequin did not justified the hardship i've gone through.

My first sewing project

I started my first sewing project last Saturday. My first sewing machine cost me RM250. I bought online and the price already include the shipping cost. Mad cheap right? I was skeptical at first. I told myself there's no way that a sewing machine plus delivery cost only RM250. Or, maybe i misunderstood, that it was actually a toy sewing machine. But i say, what the hell, if it really is a scam then i only have to lose RM250 and a lesson to learn. So, i went for it anyway.

The package arrived the next day as the shipping was by PosLaju. The box felt very light. My heart started to race.

Look promising

It's not a toy, but does it work?

So, i finally started to sew, but not without distractions of course.

Tada! Finished in 3 hours.

I almost gave up in the middle, but i have a motivational thought that i kept on repeating to myself the entire time. It was, "Sewing machine could not be any complex than a car, so sewing should be easier than driving a car!"

The dress is not perfect as it seemed. I did quite a few mistake. And the biggest one is that i accidentally cut a hole at the finished bodice. So, that's the reason for the tulle flower pinned there. I thought about covering it with a heart shaped patch but i don't have any fabric that would provide a nice contrast to the dress colour.

I got the dress pattern from BurdaStyle. Very easy to follow. You literally just have to cut and sew.

So, my next project would be a blouse. But first, fabric shopping!

A Pause

The shedding project will continue this month. To be precised, i started watching my calories intake again yesterday. I did not quit. I just needed a pause. So next update is due next week. And by the way, while i was on my break (and occasionally pigging out) i actually gained 1.4 pounds.

Shedding the Extra Project # Week 11

This is the update for the 1st week of the year.

I'm gonna say this just once and i want you to forget about it the seconds i said it, alright? Do we have a deal? Okay then.

As you know, on the 10th week i gained 0.6 lbs, so this week i did lose some pounds. Not much but still there's some. It was 0.4 lbs. Yeah. I'm ashamed of myself.

So...

Hey, did you hear Justin Bieber started his BELIEVE project? He said that he won't sing about offensive things. His words to U.S fashion magazine "I'm into love". Isn't he sweet?

For me, there's nothing more manly than a boy standing up for what he believes in. Too bad i'm terrified of needle, for i would have his name tattooed on my hip to show my faith in him. Trypanophobia can be a good thing after all. So, instead of a tattoo, i'm going to add another label in this blog, solely for Justin Bieber related post.

My tattoo would have looked like that. Nice isn't it. I put it together myself. Using microsoft word and paint only.

Anyway, so that's that. I think i'm finished for now.

Adios.

Shedding the Extra Project # Week 10

1st update of the year.

Instead of losing weight, i actually gained 0.6 lbs.

So, am i mad at myself? Quite the opposite. I am actually fine with that. Tell you the truth, i have stopped tracking my calories intakes since 3 weeks ago. I know i shouldn't but it's mind numbing to record everything that goes into your mouth. Therefore, i have a new plan. From now on i'm gonna take control.

Last week was a bad week. I succumbed to my PMS cravings. I'm gonna take responsibilities of the extra 0.6 lbs. I promise i will make up to it as soon as i have finished my period. This is unavoidable circumstances. When i'm menstruating i wont be doing anything but lazing around.

Everything is in pause, for the time being.

At least until my period is over.

Shedding the Extra Project # Week 9

I was delaying the update on purpose. And this morning while taking my bath, i even tried to brainstorm excuses but couldn't find anything useful. I thought of using the "Christmas is the time to be merry" bluff but that just sound pathetic.

In the end i give up whatever resorts. I'm fooling nobody but myself, right? The reason why i have been dreading the weighing was because last week i have been doing nothing but eating recklessly. Eat and sleep, that's all i have done. Especially on Christmas day itself. It's like Sloth and Gluttony found their way to each other heart. Yeah, it was that bad. I felt dirty myself.

So this morning i was preparing for the worst. I took out the scale, removed all my clothing, and get on the small circular glass plate. Numbers start to run fast, back and forth, slowing down, stabilizing, stop a sec, flashed 3 times, and then nothing moves. It's final. No matter how many time i get up and down the scale, the outcome still the same. My usual would be 3 times. Just to be sure, you know.

Okay, back to the result. My first reaction was "huh". Despite all last week's eating, i actually still manage to lose 1.4 lbs.

Weird right? Smell something? A fish may be. So i listed all the things that could go wrong. 1) The scale must be broken. 2) My body is slow to process the fat. 3) The 'effect' would only be visible next week. Drat, that's my time of the month. 4) I was still dreaming when i do the weighing, thus the error.

The conclusion is, i cannot rest easy. I had to be skeptical so i won't be fooled.

Since this is the last update of this year, the project would be summarized as follows;

Total loss week # 9 = 1.4 lbs

Accum. loss up to date = 23.4 lbs

Time spent = 9 weeks

Next update due next year.

Shedding the Extra Project # Week 8

There's NOTHING to report today, for i did not lose a single pound last week. Did i saw that coming? Surprisingly, yes. Last week i have been eating recklessly almost everyday. And i wont stop eating until the 1200 calories limit was breached. I felt like i have won and proved my points, but in the end, the joke was on me. Why i did what i did? No reason. Just cause.

To be honest, i actually have been feeling a bit down lately. To be specific, it was an emptiness that i felt. I googled the word and found out that emptiness feeling is actually a kind of depression. That startled me. And to make matter worst, it also says that depression is somehow categorized as an illness. I mean i was feeling a little bit suicidal but it's not like i'm really gonna go for it. Even though my mind messed up, my logic hardly flinched.

As for the non-conformance result, i decided to let it go, for this time only. Because today is truly a special day. All wrongs will be forgiven. At least for me.

What's the occasion?

Haven't you heard?

KIM JONG IL IS DEAD!

It maybe too soon to burn the firecrackers and perform the lion dance, for the North Korea future is still uncertain, but at least the snake has vanished for good.

Shedding the Extra Project # Week 7

I have been so busy lately, thus the delay in my updates. I finished all my works this morning and quickly handed it to my boss for checking. As usual, he didn't comment anything (yet). But most of the time i've done a good job, i think. So, well done to me. Heh, i'm praising my own self. Openly, in a broad day light. You know what? I'm not ashamed because i truly deserved it.

Last Saturday my boss called me to his office and asked me to do a construction work programme for a new upcoming project. He just gave me 1 page of the Development Plan and said, "Do it in Microsoft Project and i need it next Friday". The thing about work programme is that it has to cover everything, from land acquisition to testing and commissioning, you can not miss a thing, not even a nail. And timing is the most crucial part, it's like deciding which wire to cut to detonate the bomb. I have to lay down a step by step transformation plan of a deserted place until it become the next hangouts. So, me and a work programme? Nah, i didn't even blink. I am perfectly capable delivering a good work programme in Excel format. But i never tried to build a work programme from scratch using Microsoft Project before. But then, when my boss said "jump", i jumped.

After that i returned to my seat, and the first thing i did was, google "how to use microsoft project". And this morning, a fine Thursday morning indeed, i put on my 'tsk' face and marched to my boss office, carefully placed on his desk the 12 pages of A3 size proposed construction work programme for our next project. Give me a handful of coal and i'll give you back a diamond. Heh..this is me smirking. For now.

Back to business. Let's talk about serious stuff now. Like the update of week #7 maybe. Ahemm. Excuse me for a second. Let me put on my court robe first. I'm gonna pretend i didn't the wig, of course. Whose side i'm on you say? Today i'm a defense attorney. My client is accused of treachery for taking her vocation lightly. On what ground? Based on the fact that she only managed to lose 1.8 lbs last week.

There's nothing wrong with just 1.8 lbs, i tell you. It's plural enough to me. And if that still doesn't convince the judge, i can always challenge the competency of the measuring device.

I know the goal is to lose 1 kilo per week. That equal to 2.2 lbs per week. So, i'm still short of 4 lbs. 4 lbs could easily weigh like 2 cups of water. Since water is denser than fat, you should see that now the 2 cups are not enough to contain 4 lbs of body fat. It should be overflowing in a gross kind of way.

In the end, it all come down on how to get rid of the 4 lbs. Using the magic formula 1 lb = 3500 calories (and you thought Einstein's e=mc2 was the champion),

4 lbs = 14,000 calories = 24 hours running on treadmill

Isn't that absurd? Even a stallion could die from the run. You understand now right? Did that gained me your favour?

Anyway, sheesshh now.

All rise.

The court now is in session.

Shedding the Extra Project # Week 6

Here's an update for week no# 6. I'll make it a short one. Can't talk long about 'shedding' cause it's too depressing. So, last week loss were about 2 pounds. Pathetic huh? Can't even make it to a kilo. Anyway, total accumulated loss up to-date are 20.2 pounds. I've seen a guy lose more than 20 pounds in just one week in the Biggest Losser shows.

Pitiful. Puny. Useless. Hopeless. Stupid. Vain. Weak. Scrap. Lifeless. Lazy. Ass. Slow. Dummy.

Shedding the Extra Project # Week 5

I know this update is a bit late, but yesterday was a public holiday, and so is blogging (my rules). So, here it is. But before that, just so you know, doing this update is a bit stressful for me. Especially when it has been a bad week. Do you get where i'm going with this?

I saw the stories of people who survived misfortunes at National Geographic channel, they said "just when you thought things couldn't get any worse, well, they do".

I thought 2.8lbs at Week 4 was bad. Well, try this, 1.6lbs at Week 5.

I'm not gonna create excuses to defend myself this time. I'm not even gonna blame the weather (although, most of the time il pleut des cordes!) for not being supportive. This time, my shields are down, and i'm gonna take all the blows.

Shedding the Extra Project # Week 4

I'm not really in the mood to talk about the shedding project right now. But since my mum already on the subject (yes, she's doing a weekly checking on me), i figured why don't i update my progress at once so i can be done with it. Okay, so last week i've only lost 2.8 lbs. Accumulated loss to-date 16.6 lbs. I don't have any explanation for the 2.8 lbs. And i don't know where i did wrong. Never once i cheated last week, and i never, ever, even once went over my calories limit. I have been nothing but true to my course.

So, what went wrong, then? If you'd asked me, i'd blame the weather. Last week, most of the days have only been either cloudy or raining. When it's not raining, the sky would look grey. And grey sky makes me passive. There's just something melancholy about grey sky. In that weather, i tend to listen to sad songs, read sad poems, or just lie in my bed and do nothing. And when the night fall i wouldn't turn on the lights cause i feel calm in the dark. So i believe all that lead to the slowing of my metabolism.

And, the weather forecast for this week doesn't look good either!

Shedding the Extra Project # Week 3

I must say last week was not pretty. Temptations lurking everywhere. My office threw a BBQ party to celebrate the completion of one project and i can not escaped. Actually i could if i want to, but then that'll be rude. I have to give my boss a face. So, i gave in. I took 5 skewered chickens because that's the most normal quantity to avoid suspicions and questions. And i thought it was the best chicken i ever had in my life. After that, life went back to normal, i carried on my diet, until the weekend arrived. I thought weekend's diet would be the easiest but i was dead wrong. You see, i was doing fine by eating only green apples while reading book on my bed until my neighbour start cooking lunch. It was horrific. To make the matter worst, i can even tell that they're frying chicken marinated in lemon and soy sauce! I was drooling the entire time. It was not pretty and even St. Bernard look prettier than me.

So, last week i lost 5.2 lbs. Total accumulated pounds lost to date would be 13.8 lbs. I actually had a good feeling about this. At least giving up was not one of my concerns anymore. In the near future, i can see one of the problem i had to face is clothing. Even now all my pants are starting to feel wobbly. And nothing i dread more than buying an entire new wardrobe. Call me stingy but i hate spending my hard earn cash on clothing. To me, buying new clothes when i'm still covered with one and while few are hanging in my wardrobe, would be the most pointless purchase ever. I'm the girl that have only 2 pants and regulates between them for a year. Yeah, i'm THAT stingy.

Anyway, for the 4th week of this project, i'm thinking of adding some very minor and light exercises to the equation. But i wouldn't count much on that because exercising is obviously my all time nemesis. What ever it is, we'll see.

Wish me Gambatte Kudasai!

It's Saturday!

Yay! Saturday has always been my favorite day of the week. Why? Because Sunday is my day off. So tonight i'm going to do all the stupid crazy things that i've been putting on hold. Sorry, let me correct that. Actually, i don't have anything crazy on my list. Me, crazy? Like that ever going to happen. I'm always the reasonable one.

So, my theme song for today, it's by Lloyd, Dedication to My Ex. This song is really funky. I could easily forget that i'm still in the office and start moving to the beat. O, i can't wait till it's 5 pm. So i can go home and perform my silly dance to this song. It's a good work out songs too.

According to healthstatus.com, i could burn up to 500 calories for an hour dance. And that 500 calories equal to 4 whole chicken wings of KFC Original Recipe. See, there's a new definition for penance in gluttony.

Have you seen the video? I mean, my god, the girl in the black leather is so hot. And she looks like Alicia Keys too, right? When she did the meowing gesture, i swear i almost howl.

Shedding the Extra Project # Week 2

It's the hardest week of all. I'm not exaggerating this but i felt like i have already been dieting for 100 years. I know it has only been 2 weeks. So i shouldn't fret much. But last week really has been kind of tough on me. I don't have problem to curb my hunger and desire for food. In fact, a few times this week i failed to meet the 1200 calories per day target.

My problem is, it start to occur to me that life has no meaning if i can't go on eating leisurely. So, i start questioning my goal. Debate the importance of it. Argue the reasons. Belittle every goodness that i could possibly profit from it.

Then, in the end, i managed to come up with a list of reasons of why i shouldn't lose weight. And i'm afraid that i find it pretty convincing.

But don't worry, cause i'm not ready to accept defeat. Besides, i'm pretty sure that my mom won't let me off that easily.

Anyway, last week i lost 3.6 lbs. Accumulated weight lost 8.6 lbs.

My period started last week. People say that you tend to gain weight during menstruation because of bloating and water retention. So, i expect to lose more next week.

Shedding the Extra Project # Week 1

The moment of truth. Are you excited to know the progress i've made? But first thing first. You should probably know that besides the diet pills, i also have been watching my calories intake. I downloaded a calorie counter apps to my phone to help me to keep my goal in check. And according to the awesome apps, i should take up to 1200 calories per day. If i go any lower than that, my body will think i'm in a starvation, thus it will slow my metabolism and burn fat slower. Hmm.. our body has a mind of it's own. I can't decide whether i find that is one amazing fact, or creepy.

The pill help me to control my hunger, but that doesn't mean i stop desiring food. So, during the days when temptations roaming around the town, i may, or may not have cheated. And don't you dare judge me!

Yes. Okay, i'll admit it!

I've sinned.

I have laid with the filthy and disgusting TOBLERONE.

I swear it's a one time thing only. And it was not entirely my fault. It was the Toblerone who seduce me first. It took advantage of me when i'm at my most vulnerable. In fact, i'm the victim here. That night when i open my fridge with the intention of looking for an apple, there in the 2nd shelf the Toblerone lying in the corner looking lonely and cold. So the humanity in me reach out to share some of my warmth.

I don't know if it was the rain or the music playing at that moment, but something wicked was definitely in the air that night because the moment i had it in my hand, everything else went black. When my conscious finally come back to me, it was already too late.

Anyway, in the past 7 days, i have lost 5 lbs.

Will update again next week.

Shedding the Extra Project

Earlier this year, i made a promise to myself that i want to lose weight. I didn't specify how much i want to lose, as long as there's something been shed i'd be quite happy with myself. But before we go further into the topic, let straight some things out. In terms of losing weight, i would like to use the unit 'pounds'. But to describe the remaining weights i prefer to use 'kilos'. For your info, 1 kilogram equal to 2.2 pounds. Give me a break, would you? I'm an insecure overweight girl. There, you have it. The hardest confession i ever made in my entire life.

Moving on, so the year coming to an end, and i still haven't shed a single pound. I don't know whether i'm rather ignorant or lazy to care. But then i still have the conscience to honour the resolution i've made. So i consulted my mom. She suggested diet pills for me in order to restrain my desire for junk food. When she handed me the pills in little packets my first question was, "where's the box?". Second was, "where's the instruction paper?". And third was, "is this even safe?". And she answered like she wasn't even listening to my question, "it's Taiwanese and it works".

So, i assume mother knows best. If i never come back to update this blog in the future, you should probably know that i'm no longer walk upon the earth. But let's hope not.

Anyway, today is the 2nd day of this shedding project. So far, i have been passing gas and burp-ping a lot. I guess i no longer feeling bloated like i normally did. That's a good sign, right?

I will update my progress again after a week. So, wish me luck.