A steamy day.. bring on a hot christmas!

Melbourne’s weather is well known for its unpredictability. Today’s weather was extremely hot and dry. It reached to a temperature of about 38.8 deg celsius at close to 4pm. I took some washing out to dry and (I am talking about a large piece of cotton throw which is dripping wet!) it dried up in less than 2 hours. All my washing today has dried in one day too, even if they were indoors in my garage. I took some photos of my eucalytus tree in my backyard today. Here’s the photo..

The flowers bloom once in a year and only in summer. Isn’t the colour beautiful? It is kind of like a rich scarlet coral reddish sort of colour. However beauty like this doesn’t last forever so I made myself take this photo even though my feet was burning from the hot deck.  Next year this tree might not be around anymore as we are remodelling our garden into a japanese garden.. which makes me a lil sad. This tree has given me lots of leaves to dye my silk and wool fabrics this year. And it is sooo beautiful to look at in summer.

Talking about movies, I couldn’t resist the temptation to go out and watch Avatar 3D at the IMAX screen in melbourne last night. It is the third largest IMAX screen in the world (I think the largest is in Sydney). It was awesome! I thought the special effects were tremendously realistic and Pandora & the NAvi tribe just looks so colourful. A gorgeous movie to watch in 3D. I highly reccomend!8)

Lastly I managed to sneak out in the heat today at 5pm and I did a bodypump class at the fitness first in Chadstone. They had a temp instructor on and she really reminds me of Baby spice..and she had a strong english accent. I didn’t mind her being so straight faced most of the class , but what I really couldn’t stand was when she tried singing to the songs in the class. A few times, she really sang out of tune and that gave me goosebumps. And she also forgot to give us the right instructions quite a few times and that is when she actually smiled in class. So not a very enjoyable class but I do feel like I will be aching tomorrow. Tomorrow Im heading to the gym again..but not doing any classes , just jogging and some crosstraining.. I am really looking forward to catching up with my friend Christine on Christmas Eve.. we are going to go to Chadstone shopping centre after midnight to check out the 24 hr shopping! should be fun!

Back from Tassie and back to reality..

I had an awesome time in Tasmania ,even though it was for just 4 days. I flew in to Hobart and went to Houden ,where I stayed at the luxurious Chateau D’entrecasteaux facing the d’entrecasteaux channel, owned by Matthieu Bancal whose family is originally from Provence. And spent time in the Huon Valley, walks in the forests of Tahune, caving in the Hastings Caves, walks along the beach along cockle creek, boat cruising along the wild south east coast of Bruny island, fresh oyster and cheese tasting on Bruny island,drinking Jean Luc Mader Grand Cru riesling from Alsace and having a memorable french dinner and warm baths at the chateau,driving up Mt Wellington.. All amazing experiences thrown in 4 days. I felt totally spoiled in the weekend.. and definitely wished I could stay forever in the chateau!!

Then when I got back to Melbourne, I worked for 2 days before I finally had my long break.  I am so glad that now, I have time for my studies. I also attended Gyegi’s opening party. Honie gave a really good speech and got very emotional. I felt touched by her strength and determination and most importantly , her passion for what she does! Her shop is gorgeous and I couldn’t resist buying one top for my birthday present for myself.After the opening party, I went out with some close friends for a thai dinner nearby her shop.

A few times, I wanted to felt but I then thought, I will have plenty of time in January.. A lot of ideas have been floating through my mind lately(including felt tops, scarf with coiling technique, cotton tops I could make and dye..).And I can’t wait to start to do something with those ideas. The studying has made me rather mentally tired..so Ive been collapsing on the couch a few times having naps. I found myself drawn to coffee and chocolate again.. the caffeine addiction is coming around to haunt me once again.And I have been lucky that my mum has been coming around to feed me with yummy foods…as my urge for cooking has diminished into the air!

Yesterday I attended a friend’s wedding. It took 2 hrs to get ready myself, then 2 hours in the car to get to the church due to bad christmas traffic and I nearly missed the ceremony! What’s going on with the traffic in Melbourne? It was stressful before we got there. The reception was really nice…in Manor of High. And the food was yummy. But what I enjoyed most from the wedding was the catchup with an oldtime friend, Aleesha and to listen to the best speeches from Mohamed (the groom). I haven’t seen Aleesha for nearly 3 yrs and we had a lot to catch up indeed. Mohamed gave the best speech. He was so funny.Anyway some photos here from the wedding..

Heading to Tasmania and looking forward a new store, Gyegi..

Im heading to Tasmania tomorrow.. feeling a bit sick of flying after being on 4 flights alredy since a fortnight ago. At least this trip will be more of a relaxing and scenic one..

Exciting news..Gyegi is finally in its own flagship store.. the opening night is coming up on 15th December 2009! I have mentioned before about this fashion brand..it’s quirky,colourful and sexy.. here’s the invite if anyone wants to check out the fashion..email Honie by 11th Dec and she will put u on the list!!!

Grandma

My grandmother (dad’s mum) has passed away last night. It was a shock to me at first as I saw her a fortnight ago and felt she was improving. When I left Singapore, her condition must have deproved again. I felt a sense of shock and loss. And questions began filtering through my mind… what is happening to my dad? my granddad? What is happening with her funeral? My dad rang me about half past midnight and he asked me if I could attend her funeral. I said I couldn’t due to coming exams. And I could feel dad getting emotional, saying please pray pray for her then. I am not a religious person but I did think of her in my mind and then wished that she would pass on peacefully. Last night I didn’t sleep well at all. I had a dream of being in a room with my brother, and then when I went to another room (living area) , I saw a familiar back to me and it was my grandma’s. She looked very thin and dark ( from the bruising). And she was upset. I sat next to her and she said that she is upset because she feels that she has given so much to the world and got so little back. I tried to console her, saying that everyone eventually will die and that all her children and grandchildren will remember her with gratitude. I said I definitely will remember her with gratitude. That seemed to make her happier. And that is how I woke up from my dream, then realising that I have actually dozed off. It felt so real to me.

The next morning, I felt tired but went to work regardless. I tried to think positively all day. I did all I could by seeing her before she actually passed away. I am glad I made a short trip to Singapore to see her. I don’t think I could have lived with myself if I saw her when she has passed away. In a way, I am happier that I could hold her warm hand before it is too late. I will miss grandma and her cooking and her laughs…it would not be easy next time when I go to Singapore not seeing her.

Plane trips with Qantas..

Recently I made a last minute decision to go to Singapore and back..all because grandma has been very ill. However because I was using frequent flyer points, I had no choice but to fly a lot of hours with Qantas. That is the problem with frequent flyer points..you save some money but the flights take you on an illogical route. So I ended up stopping at Perth on the way to Singapore and to Sydney on the way back to Melbourne.

Initially I must say I was really dreading the flights with Qantas. My memories of qantas is not that great. But my flights to Singapore this time were the smoothest flight and one of the most comfortable trips I ever had to Singapore. There was only one incident on the qantas flight where I heard a loud bang (it sounded like a large ice cube has hit the roof of the plane). The flight attendants thought something had exploded in the storage area but they couldn’t find anything , so one of the attendants told me that it was ice being formed in the airconditioning system and sometimes the ice gets broken up ..and makes that type of noise in the plane. Well what could I say but just accept what he said? At least he tried to reassure me!!

On my trip back, unexpectably, I had to fly with British Airways as they are linked with Qantas. My last experience with BA was when I lost my luggage for 2 weeks with them, travelling from Paris -london-LA-Melbourne on a near 24 hr journey! This time, when I checked in my luggages (which weighed only 10kg in total and I am allowed 23kg!!!), the check-in lady told me that if I check in a second luggage, I would need to pay Sin$91! I asked her why it wasn’t the case when I travelled with Qantas to Sin? And she said BA has different rules compared to Qantas!!! Ridiculous!Anyway after that, she told me the flight was really full and she could only put me in the middle seats !! (And I was actually 3 hours before boarding time !!!! so what is the point of checking in early!???) .

My flight was uneventful. When I got to my seat, I noticed that there was a large gap on the roof of the plane..also there were some soft rubbery stuff stuck onto the side of the gap(last minute repair??) , and some discoloration on the walls??(maybe leakage or wear??). And there was a baby seated a few rows from us that couldn’t stop wailing. Awful! 8( And the plane was really warm.. I couldn’t even wear my denim jacket or use my wool blanket the whole trip (and the lady next to me tried to reassure me that it would get cooler as the plane gets higher..but that never happened?) . 10mins into flying time, and we heard this announcement to seek a medical doc for an unwell passenger.. actually I was not surprised that someone would be unwell in the hot plane!! The whole trip to Sydney took 6.5 hrs average and I was only given 2 cups of water. The first cup of water..I remembered the airstewardess running out of water and making me wait? Then when I asked for the second cup, the male steward said, “You will need to sit down for your water?” ! What? I was stunned. Then he said he was only joking when I seriously thought he was giving poor service. I just felt hot and uncomfortable the whole way. And all the way, the pilot never communicated with the passengers..and when we had turbulence, he never switched on the seat belt sign too! I just felt like the pilot doesn’t even care about our plight in the back. Poor quality of care.At the end of the trip, we had to wait for the medical help to get to the unwell passenger before we could get off. However I felt so unbearably hot and tired from not being able to sleep the entire night. Also I made only one toilet trip the whole time, and I wasn’t impressed with the cleanliness. It basically stank! And the sink is stuck with tissues. No one seemed to bother with the hygiene side of things on the British Airways toilets. And of course after that trip, I didn’t want to go back! Then the next thing is the food. I must say the chicken curry was not bad. however the salad and dessert was disappointing.. I felt like I was having a $4 or $5 meal to be honest for what I got. I guess the only thing that comforted me on the trip was that my luggage didn’t go missing.Thank God for that!

So from this uneventful flight, it has taught me one thing.. not to travel with BA again and not to recommend anyone to go on it.

Aurora spa retreat, The Prince, St Kilda

Recently I have been studying and feeling the stress building up as I approach the month of December… A friend of mine suggested going to the Aurora Spa retreat together, so I tagged along! I booked myself in for a kitya karnu treatment and hearing raving reviews about it as well, I was really looking forward to it.

Arriving at the spa, the entrance to it is so peaceful. You work into the dimly lit lobby, then up a flight of  slate coloured stairs, before you see a water feature and around the right side, the door opens into the reception of the spa. It felt warm and bright inside. Then you get brought up a flight of cream coloured stairs to the waiting area where you have a view of the sunbaking deck. The therapist explained to me where my locker is and what to get changed into. Basically for the treatment, I wore bikini bottoms and just wrapped myself into a bathing robe and changed into massage slippers. And then wait in the waiting area. I then saw my friend and we sat down for some herbal tea and filled the forms..until our therapists came to bring us in for the treatment.

I was brought into a small changeroom where I had to unrobe and wrap myself with a towel. There was a choice of two aromatic oils ( one lime&rose and the other lavender) and two salts (one kakadu lime salts and one white clay salts). I chose the strongest smelling ones as I needed something more invigorating. Then the therapist showed me into a steam room where there was a bed inside the steaming room. It was hot steamy and hard to breathe at first, but when I lied down ,I found myself relaxing into it. The therapist was very reassuring, and told me if I felt like I couldn’t breathe, I could let her know.

First I lied on my tummy, face down. She scrubbed my legs and back with the oil first before sprinkly the salts and then rubbing them into my skin. The sprinkling of the warmed salts felt lovely. I felt like a chicken being marinated.8) Then she washed me with warm water from a sprinkler. It was different. Then I was given a sip of cold water before I turned around.. She then placed a modesty towel over my front before she massaged my face with a cleanser. Then she placed a mask on my face before she applied a thick mask onto my hair. A cool towel was applied over my face several times, which was really refreshing and pleasant while she applied oil over my body again and then sprinkled salts generously, then scrubbed me.  And towards the end, a very cold towel was placed over my eyes and then hot water was sprinkled over me to wash the salts away.

At the very end, I was told by the therapist I could take my time to sit up and have a shower. The shower was wonderful. I couldn’t believe the salts look so blackish on the towels. My hair felt soft and moisturised. Going out of the room, the therapist guided me back to the changeroom where I got out of the wet bikini bottoms and changed into my dry robe and she gave me an extra towel for my wet hair. Then she sat me down to apply Darphin’s serum and moisturiser over my face (felt sooo wonderful) and then guided me back to the waiting area to have a cup of tea. My friend came out not long after. I felt soo relaxed and I told my friend that I thought that I was only going to be in the steaming room for 5 mins but turned out it was going to be an hour in there! I must say this was a very unique spa experience and is so warming! I highly reccomend it for a cooler day..and yes you will have soft silky skin after and you will feel revitalised.A lil secret..I loved the rich body cream in the changeroom too.. I then realised that I have found a good spa place to go to in Melbourne. However I must say I recommend going on the weekdays. Sat seemed really busy!

An op shop creation..

Recently in a last minute shopping spree in my neighbourhood of oakleigh.. I walked into the red cross shop where they resell thrown away clothing and lots of other stuff as well. I found this lovely pink sportsgirl dress which fitted me very well and perfect for this heatwave weather.

And then as I was checking out,I went through a basket of scarves besides the cashier. Luckily I could differentiate silk from other fabrics with my fingers 8)..then I found this one amazing habutai silk scarve which was handdyed in peach, yellow,green,blue in a tiedye fashion.. I can understand though why this scarf was thrown away even though it was in perfect condition..I was thinking myself that I probably wouldn’t wear it the way it was..just because the colours look too hippy and too loud. But I thought there is good potential for it if I felt it. SO I bought it..

At home, I tore it into strips..it actually started to look beautiful from then on..reminded me of the colours of birds of paradise actually

And then I felted the strips with teal coloured merino silk mixes in a “collage” style. And the end result is so sophisticated! And Ive named it “Stained glass” as a result because it looks like the stained lead glass windows of the grand old churches in Europe. Amazing find and result 8)..and if you would like to see more photos..u can find them on my online shop http://www.ArcEnCielcreations.etsy.com

Monet’s luck

Recently I made a scarf inspired by Monet’s “Le bassin aux Nympheas”  Pond of Lilies and I actually visited the garden in 2007 in Giverny. I remembered that day, we had a horrible day driving to Giverny..we stopped at a supermarket along the way and my mum went missing for nearly 45mins in the supermarket (for reasons I do not want to go further into)…the road we wanted to go on became blocked due to road works and then we followed the french signs onto some dodgy windy roads . Also luckily we had the street directory which helped us to get to Monet’s garden. I was ecstatic when I got there. Monet’s garden was filled with large colourful flowers and lots of unusual plants. I loved the bamboo forest especially.Then we went through a tunnel to the other side to see the famous pond. I didn’t end up going inside Monet’s house as I felt that the gardens were all that I wanted to see at that time!Some of my photos of the garden(remembering this is early autumn)..

Anyway this is the inspired scarf.. in vibrant colours..

And what was most surprising was that it sold in 1 day to Massachusetts after I posted it on etsy…It has to be Monet’s luck!

 

 

 

Trapped in Autumn

Autumn has always been my favourite season. However it is the opposite season in Victoria being in the southern hemisphere. But for the thoughts of Autumn floating through my mind, I decided to make an autumn inspired scarf.

I have used plaiting prior to felting to create the pattern of colours seen in this scarf. If you look close enough, maybe you could see the plaits too! Also I love the versatility of a lattice scarf, you could mix and match it with other scarf and also you could loop it onto itself to fasten the scarf.

A new idea..

Today I went to Design A Space with my gf Sil and we purposely went in to look at Guanabana. Sil discovered this brand recently at the Dressing room (Brunswick) and she fell in love with it straight away. She said the clothing just was what she wanted to wear for summer. I understand that feeling..Guanabana summer designs are made with tassles and tie dyed fabric. I found the fashion by Guanabana to be very feminine, summery and bohemian. The beading and the tassles just make the tops and dresses look very mexican.The website is http://www.guanabana.com.au/

Anyway after the shopping, my friend and I decided we were going to make our own tie dye summer dresses. I have had experience with dyeing before and I have some ideas and I don’t think it would be that difficult , so in Jan I am going to try to make some tops or dresses that I can perhaps sell in etsy. This is really going to be exciting! And I am sure we can make something unique and comfortable to wear.