Monday, January 31, 2011

Bangkok, Instagrammed

Clouds from up above

How was your weekend dreamers? I had a great time at Bangkok, roaming on my own, taking my own sweet time at each shop or cafe that took my fancy. Really, it was awesome. I think it helped a lot that I was raised as an only child so being independent & on my own is nothing new. Plus, I’ve been to Bangkok many times before & Thais in general are really nice, helpful folks. While I rest up today, have a look at some shots of my trip that I took with my handy dandy iPhone + Instagram.


When in Bangkok, Nancy Chandler’s Map Of Bangkok is a must have. Not only is it pretty, colorful & hand drawn, it comes with awesome tips from a local’s perspective of where to shop, where to eat & what to see.


@ Siam Paragon. This is a large piece (about 2 meters across) that I would love to have one day. But at RM3k, it’ll be a dream. Literally.


@ Section 7, Chatuchak Market. Art on tshirts lining the avenue. Each piece was handpainted by local artists & going for only 250 Baht.


@ in front of Phu Fa Royal Projects, Chatuchak Market. This has got to be the best 30 Baht I spent in Bangkok. Coconut ice cream with your choice of toppings (I chose fresh slivers of pumpkin & peanuts) + fresh coconut meat + chilled fresh coconut juice.

Friday, January 28, 2011

Bangkok, Baby!


Well, I’m off to Bangkok for the weekend to shop for some wedding related stuff (favors & decor). Turns out I will be travelling alone as my travel companion has some last minute work to attend to but no biggie, Bangkok is my second home. I haven’t been back in awhile but I don’t think much has changed especially where I’ll be heading: Chatuchak, shopping Mecca & bargain heaven for little ol’ me. Have a great weekend folks & see you next week!

Image via thailandforvisitors.com

Thursday, January 27, 2011

Folks, Meet Mowgli

Warning: Long post ahead! I seem to have a knack of finding ways to keep myself extremely busy. Here’s what has been keeping away from the blog the last couple of days...

I first heard a little pup cry for the first time last Friday. At first I thought one of my neighbor’s must’ve gotten a new puppy so I didn’t think much of it & then the weekend rolled in with the string of bazaars & I forgot all about the pup.

However, on Sunday after coming home from my last bazaar for the week at KLPac, I heard the cry again. This time the cry was incessant, at a very high, desperate pitch & being a sucker for animals, I decided to find out where the cry was coming from. So at around 6 in the evening, I took a walk around my condo & identified that the cry was coming from the jungle behind my condo, right up a steep embankment & behind the property fencing. I know there’s a pack of stray dogs that call the jungle home so I figured the pup was probably left alone by its mum to go scavenging for food. 

After awhile, the cries subsided so I left some food at the foot of the embankment for the mother & her pack & hoped for the best. The fiancĂ© & I went out for dinner with his family but I still had a nagging feeling that something was not quite right so I posted a tweet about it hoping that someone might know what to do. When we reached home, I didn’t hear the puppy crying again so I went to sleep with a happy heart thinking the pup was safe with its mother. Turns out while I was fast asleep, exhausted from my back-to-back bazaars, the pup started crying again, keeping some of my neighbors up.

I woke up with a start at 10 in the morning to the sound of the pup crying. Without really thinking it through, I grabbed some kibble, put on my hiking shoes, some mosquito repellant & hiked up the embankment, following the cries. Lo & behold, I found a wee little brown pup with a droopy face & large sad blue eyes right behind the property fencing! He wriggled excitedly & gobbled up the kibble I offered while making these adorable grunting sounds & nuzzling my hand every now & then as if to make sure I was still there. By then, my heart was a puddle of goo. Here are two (rather awful) videos I took while trying to balance on a precariously situated ledge of the embankment.


After taking the videos above, I was torn up on what to do with this pup. He looked quite well taken care of, clean & plump, albeit scared & lonely. I hated the thought of taking the puppy away from its mother but if I left it there & if it survived (this is the jungle mind you), it’ll grow up to be a stray like the rest of the pack. But if I do take it, I personally can not care for it with two dogs & a cat of my own. 3 dogs together in an apartment would be madness. What to do, what to do? 

While holding on for dear life on the embankment, I first called my vet, Dr. Jonathan of Ara Animal Center & then Edea, a fellow animal lover & friend. Both speculated that the pup could possibly be abandoned as it’s all alone & it’s weird that the mother would leave it for such long extended hours. Dr Jonathan especially impressed on me that it’d be shame that the pup should grow up to be a stray if left there. After a bit of thought while watching the pup fall asleep, I decided to leave it there for the time being while I figured out what to do.

And so I scooted down the embankment & started tweeting like crazy about the pup, hoping to garner some interest. Before long, word about the pup had spread thanks to all the awesome animal lovers who follow me. It gave me heart that a good, loving home could be found with such an outpouring of support. Around the same time, I heard it start crying again, pulling on my heartstrings. So once again, I hiked up the embankment. This time, I brought my backpack with me & after wriggling the tiny pup through the fencing, I gave him his first cuddle & kiss then gently placed him in my backpack so that I’d have my hands free to climb down the embankment. The pup didn’t even make a sound & once I reached the bottom, I found him sleeping soundly with his little butt in the plastic bowl I had brought with me for his food! After taking a minute to gush over his cuteness, I took him to Dr Jonathan the vet.


Happily, Dr Jonathan gave the pup a clean bill of health. As he’s too small for a vaccination, he was given a dose of deworming medicine, then I took him home, fed him some puppy formula, cuddled him some more (couldn’t stop cuddling him actually) & he fell asleep in my arms. Sigh, as if my heart wasn’t already a puddle of goo! By this time I settled on a name for him too; Mowgli after the boy in The Jungle Book. Thought it was a perfect name for a jungle pup. 

The rest of the day & night was spent keeping the pup comfortable & well fed while tweeting & frantically looking for a home for him. Little did I know that my tweets were being read & spread across Twitter & Facebook, and thanks to all the kind souls who took interest, Mowgli had a home by the following day. Here’s Peng (the lovely lady on the right) with her sister & adorable neighbor who’s holding Mowgli.


Happily, Peng lives in my neighborhood & has a comfortable home with a large compound & 2 sweet-tempered dogs of her own so Mowgli will never be lonely. I’ve also been made God Mum to Mowgli & given the privilege to visit him anytime. After dropping off the last of Mowgli’s things, I had a good cry & moped around. I really didn’t know I would be so attached to the little guy. Even now when I type this, I feel like tearing up till I remember that Mowgli is just around the corner being cuddled, cared for & loved. What more could I ask? Thank you Peng for opening up your heart & home to a little jungle pup.

P/S: A big THANK YOU to everyone who retweeted & made Facebook posts about Mowgli & also to Ilani of Tongue In Chic who told Peng about Mowgli in the first place. It makes me so happy to know that there are folks out there who care.

Monday, January 24, 2011

DIY: Fabric Heart Garland



I have to admit it... I’m seriously pooped out. After two bazaars, at two different venues, back to back, I’m ready to sleep the whole day away today. But hey, I came across this awesome craft project while catching up with my tweet feed & I just had to share it here. I mean, who could blame me? With Valentine's Day just around the corner, this fabric heart garland is perfect & just so gosh, darn adorable. Tutorial here.

Via How About Orange.

Friday, January 21, 2011

Don’t Forget This Weekend!

Hey dreamers. Sorry I wasn’t around online yesterday to wish those of you who celebrate a blessed Thaipusam but I was busy with wedding plans & house hunting. As you all know (& probably rejoiced whether you are Hindu or not) yesterday was a public holiday, so the fiancĂ© & I were out & about from 8.30am till about 8pm to squeeze in as much as we could: house viewing, venue confirmation, ring shopping, etc, etc. Needless to say, I’m exhausted! Luckily this whole process is bringing us closer together. Indeed, I’m a lucky girl to be marrying my best friend.

Ok ok, enough mushiness! Don’t forget this weekend I’ll be taking part in two awesome events so do drop by & check out my latest designs. Details are here. Looking forward to seeing you lovelies soon! Oh, and don’t forget to bring your own shopping bags k?

DIY: Jar Lanterns


These lacey lanterns are just made with a couple of jars & some old lace tablecloth. Get the simple tutorial here over at kootoyoo. I’m going to whip up a few… just as soon as my life becomes less crazy (who knows when).

Via CRAFT.

Wednesday, January 19, 2011

Cute As A Button







This adorable party shot inspired by buttons is exactly the sort of vibe I’m aiming for my own wedding in April; quirky & vintage. Do you think I can pull it off? I’m not going to literally do a whole button theme but it’s definitely something to think about. I especially love that little yellow pomander with the Button Mums (they’re my fave inexpensive flower). Anyways, I’m putting this up on my wedding inspiration blog too in case you want to check out what else is cluttering up my head at the moment ;)

Images via Somewhere Splendid.

Tuesday, January 18, 2011

2 Events This Weekend!

Whoah. This weekend is going to be major for me. I have two bazaars back to back: Chic Pop Street Market on Saturday then KLPac’s Open Day on Sunday. Talk about crazy but how can I miss out on two amazing events? I’m just going to buck up, take my multi-vitamins & enjoy the events. The details below…


Chic Pop Street Market

This is a highly anticipated market organised by the team behind Tongue In Chic, your guide to everything fashionable in Malaysia & beyond. Don’t miss it!

Date: 22 Jan 2011 (Saturday)
Time: 12pm - 6pm
Venue: In the vicinity of The Bee & Starbucks, Jaya One, Jalan Universiti, Section 14, PJ
Click here for more info on free stuff from Top Shop Makeup & the Big Spender contest!


KLPac Open Day
A event that takes place only once a year in the gorgeous grounds of KLPac, you won’t want to miss this creative arts festival filled with performances, guided tours, demonstrations, workshops, talks, exhibitions and film screenings. All for FREE too! There will also be a bazaar with the team from Etsy Malaysia taking part so you’ll be able to purchase some fabulous handmade crafts direct from the crafter themselves!

Date: 23 Jan 2011
Time: 10am - 5pm
Venue: KLPac, Sentul Park (how to get there)

Hope to see you dreamers at either event or both even! You can always email me if you need a little more info. See you this weekend!

Monday, January 17, 2011

Golden Globes 2011



Along with the rest of the world (well, those who don’t work 9 – 5 on a Monday), I put my life on hold & tuned into the live telecast of The Golden Globes Awards this morning. Although I love a good movie & I thought many of the winners were well-deserving (can I get a woot woot for Robert De Nito & Natalie Portman amongst many?), I was also busy checking out the gorgeous gowns. One of my favourites for the night is Olivia Wilde’s Marchesa gown pictured above which reminds me of a star filled sky. Lovely, just lovely.

Some of my other favorites are Scarlett Johanssan – in Elie Saab, Natalie Portman - pregnant but still stunning in Viktor & Rolf, Emma Stone - in a simple, understated Calvin Klein, Mila Kunis – in Vera Wang (apparently the dress only took 4 days to make!) & a surprise entry to this list, Sarah Hyland - in vintage Max Azria Atelier (I just love how flowy it looks!). Who were your favourites?


 

Friday, January 14, 2011

Handmade Weddings

I just adore this video promoting Chronicle Books’ Handmade Weddings of which i just a copy from Kinokuniya. I also blogged about it over at my wedding blog Murni and Jamil, I love it that much. Even if you’re not getting married any time soon I think you should just get it for the sheer loveliness of the crafts & hey, a girl can dream of her dream wedding right? Totally.

Thursday, January 13, 2011

DIY: Pom Pom Lamp




I just fell in love with the simplicity of this gorgeous little project that seriously won’t break the bank. Don’t you think the light looks like a little dandelion? I need to make me one of these stat! Tutorial here.

Via Ruffles & Stuff.

Wednesday, January 12, 2011

Freebie: 2011 Calendar

In case you aren’t already sick & tired of my calendar blogsposts, here’s another free calendar you can print out to help you get organised for 2011. Just click here to get the simple instructions & download the calendar.

Via Benign Objects.

Tuesday, January 11, 2011

Hidden Animal Teacup



Because I’m a sucker for a good cup of tea & animals, these hidden animal tea cups have gone into my list for “Things I Want for 2011.”

Via Etsy Tumblr.

Monday, January 10, 2011

Rainbow Machine

 Man-made 2-storeys high rainbow with Michael Jones McKean’s machine

I could really use a rainbow-making machine right about now. After a long week of working on the blog & new website, I had a looooong weekend with about 15 other couples going through our kursus kahwin & now I’m sick. I think it had something to do with the freezing cold air conditioning over the weekend but I’m awfully glad we finally did our kursus & was pleasantly surprised that it wasn’t boring. In fact, the lecturers were pretty funny & very informative! I highly recommend the place we did our kursus if you’re based in Ampang or hereabouts. How was your weekend lovelies? Spotted any rainbows?

Thursday, January 6, 2011

New Year, New Look, New Site

So. I’ve put this off waaaaay too long! Finally got off my butt & redesigned the blog, created a Mimpi Murni Facebook Page (the old group will soon be closed once I figure out how to do it) & to top it all off, I made a new website! Yup, mimpimurni.com. That would explain why I’ve been so quiet over at this blog the last couple of days my lovelies.

Have a look around & tell me what you think. It’s all still pretty empty but I intend to fill it up soon when time permits (juggling a wedding & a business is crazy yo!). I appreciate any & all feedback but go easy on me as it’s my first time developing a site. The website, I guess, is an extension of this blog… the more “official” face of Mimpi Murni. Whatever info that’s up on the site will be up here on the blog first as this is where my heart is & how most of you came to discover Mimpi Murni.

As for the sale of my jewelry, I’ll be making the move to my new Etsy shop. I’ve been an Etsy buyer (under a different account name) since forever so it’s about time I become an Etsy seller! Of course you can still get my jewelry over at The Tongue In Chic Store & soon at The Fashion Valet + you can still email me for custom made jewelry or special request remakes. I’m also on the lookout for local shops & boutiques to consign my jewelry to so if anyone out there is interested, holler!

What a start to the new year huh? Anyone else made any big changes?

Sunday, January 2, 2011

Tweaking

Hey folks. The blog is going to look a little funny for the time being while I tweak it a little for the new year. How do you like it so far?