This commercial by Dove really hits a nerve for women everywhere. If you're a woman & haven't already seen this, please do & if you're a guy, please show this to the women in your life.
Dove's description of the commercial: "Women are their own beauty critics. Only 4% of women around the world consider themselves beautiful. At Dove, we are committed to creating a world where beauty is a source of confidence, not anxiety. So, we decided to conduct a compelling social experiment that explores how women view their own beauty in contrast to what others see."
Remember ladies, you are more beautiful than you think!
P/S: Once you've wiped away those tears welling up in your eyes, check out the men's version of the commercial. Hilarious!
Don't let anyone tell you that organising any event is easy. It's not, but do take my word for it, it's fulfilling especially when you see everything you envisioned come together.
Thank you Hello Deer for your wonderful space & to everyone who came to support Malaysian Etsy crafters & artisans, you are amazing! It's because of you that we get to do what we love best. Big props also to all the Team Etsy Malaysia members who took a risk to join the very first Handmade Love Market.
I have a tonne of pictures from my Sabah holiday & the market to edit plus so many thingsto share with you so stay tuned k? Xo.
Don't forget kawan-kawan, Team Etsy Malaysia's very first market at Hello Deer is happening this Saturday! This has been in the works for a long time & it's just in time for Christmas so I hope to see you there. And hey, if you're feeling lucky, do join the lucky draw by simply sharing about the market on your twitter, Facebook or Twitter. Here are the simple steps explained:
Come one, come all! On the 15th of December, Team Etsy Malaysia is hosting a Handmade Love Market at Hello Deer, just in time for some Christmas shopping. Here are the list of Etsy sellers all offering unique, handmade goodies…
Mimpi Murni - succulent arrangements (& something new I'm working on with a buddy!) I Heart Badges - button badges Notbook Notbuk - notebooks & journals Sew Fabby - gadget sleeves, bags & baby stuff Bisou Bonbon & Bisou Rose - bath & body products F64 - prints, films, cameras & darkroom services Nukilan - stationery, tiles & mugs Beadcraftz - jewellery, soaps & more Guiirin - tags, postcards & accessories totoro2008 - sewn pouches, dolls & bags Mettaville - journals, magnets & jewelry MaykeMe - ceramic figurines Nottypooch - recycled banner gadget sleeves, marshmallows & baked goods Snazzy & Such - pouches, bags & kids clothing Okinokiyo - sun hats Love And Craft - supplies, accessories & bags KatrinaGumal & EmiKaz - jewelry The Lollipop House - jewelry & bags huhubag - bags
Remember now, it's on Saturday, the 15th of December from 11am - 7pm so don't miss out! There will be a lucky draw as well with over a dozen prizes to be given away, so watch this space.
I think I nearly let out a gasp when I first saw these intricate skulls. Made by artist Joshua Harker, they were made with the help of 3D printing & funding from Kickstarter. More of the story here at Etsy's blog.
I love this talk Jake Nickell (the founder of Threadless) gave at the TedxBoulder conference. He talked about "making cool things together with friends" & to just never stop making. As someone who is mostly self-taught just like Nickell, I can relate to everything he talks about & I urge you to have a listen or read it here. I really hope this will help inspire more people to just try making something, & if you're already making things, try something new because it doesn't have to be perfect but it's the process of learning how to do something on your own that's invaluable. Nickell makes many more great points that made me want to go "YEAAAAH!" while nodding my head furiously so do take a few minutes k? You can thank me later.
In my humble opinion, the ladies of Gin & Jacqie are simply fabulous. Makers of bags that are functional yet stylish & fun, the ladies always seem to come up with some of the most interesting ideas & this latest venture goes to show that they are big hearted as well.
A specially designed Gin & Jacqie bag was launched on 20 June 2012 in conjunction with World Refugee Day & especially in support of refugee children in Malaysia under a fundraising initiative called Art With Heart: A Refugee Art Project. Proceeds from the sales of these bags which feature the artwork of Mary, a 15-year old refugee, will go towards refugee education programmes in Malaysia under the UN Refugee Agency.
Mary's story is especially heart-wrenching: her family had to flee Myanmar due to human rights issues they faced in the country. Mary is an orphan, now living with her grandparents in Malaysia. She lost her mother a few short months ago, & her pain inspires her art. Her art work features bold splashes of vibrant colours with a red heart in the center. “I painted ‘love’,” said Mary. “When my mother passed away, I was so scared, but I know her love is always with me. That makes me happy.”
Tell me that doesn't pull your heart strings? *Sniff* Please help support this worthy cause by purchasing a bag at either www.ginjacqie.comor Cziplee (Bangsar) & priced at RM24. 100% of the profits from the sales of the bags will be channelled towards refugee education programmes run by UNHCR to benefit refugee children in Malaysia.For more information, visit the UNHCR’s website.
As I am half-Chinese, I celebrate the Chinese New Year which means I get to enjoy a large feast filled with auspicious dishes with all my relatives on the eve of the new year & the whole of the next day is spent playing one card game after another (to hopefully double one’s “fortune”), trading jokes, gossip & life stories while eating lots & lots of cookies & mandarin oranges. My hubby & I will also be giving out ang paos for the first time to my unwed cousins & as newlyweds, we have to give out DOUBLE than usual! Uh oh… :P
Anyways, I’d like to wish all my Chinese readers a very hearty Gong Xi Fa Chai (click on the link to read a pretty nifty article on the origins of the term)! May all your mandarin oranges be sweet & the year of the dragon brings you much luck & prosperity. Gong xi, gong xi!
This Saturday promises to be a barrel of fun for KL-ites as 3 markets (Chic POP Street Market, Crafty Art Market & Bettr Weekends Market) are merged into one massive shopping-fest with 100 booths selling everything from stylish clothes & handcrafted knick-knacks to organic bread. And to make things even more awesome, there’s a Swap Party where you can shop without spending a cent & of course, the Craft Party yours truly is pulling together. Wheeeee!
As you all know, I've been organising Craft Parties every now then but this time I'm so excited to be working with the fashionistas of Chic POP to bring you a special craft party right in the middle of the upcoming Markets@JayaOne! Since Chic POP is one of KL's major fashion event, we'll be working on refashioning t-shirts just like we did at Craft Party #3 so those of you who missed out the first time around, make sure you register now! Here are the deets... date: 29 October 2011 (saturday)
time: 3 time slots for you to choose from! 11am - 12pm OR 1pm - 2pm OR 3pm - 4pm
venue: Jaya One, Jalan Universiti, PJ (there will be signage pointing the way to the craft party location)
project: T-shirt Refashion
fee: RM15 (includes access to a materials "buffet" & a little take-home pack of basic sewing supplies)
Click on over to the handmadeKL website for more details!
Some of the supplies that will be available for you to refashion your t-shirts!
P/S: I'll be selling some of my handmade wares there too, so do drop by even if you're not partying with us ;)
Just a quick check in to let you folks know I'll be at Wondermilk's new cafe at Publika for their Cuppacake Show. See you there!
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
I’ve lots of things in store these next couple of weeks folks! Helping a friend/soon-to-be cousin-in-law (if there is such a thing) with a small part of her wedding receptions, another exciting collaboration, an event or two & lots lots more! I really wish there were two of me but as the poster above bravely emblazons, I’m going to make it (all) happen!
”For too long, people have viewed themselves as separate and I wanted to represent a multitude of individuals using the nails, and then coloured string to show how we are all interconnected, and that together, we can make something beautiful.” I’m in awe.
Do you ever wonder how your Web looks like visually? Well, quite honestly I've never really thought about it until Mozilla Firefox created this fun quiz called Webify Me. It's just a simple 20 question quiz about your online habits & once answered, it will create a custom mosaic of your web life. You can then click on the items of your mosaic to reveal the pop-up results for a little in-depth look of your web habits.
My webified life is the mosaic pictured above. It's pretty accurate except for one or two little things (I’m not based in USA & I’m only half Chinese) but all in all, I still say take the quiz because it’s fun!
Here’s a little breakdown of what some of the items in my mosaic represent:
Sock Monkey - Everything's better with a monkey in it. Monkeys are fun, smart, and optimistic. You got this crafty monkey because it reflects your own delightful optimism and playfulness. Or maybe you like bananas?
Friendship Bracelet - Your buddies will be overjoyed to learn that you've drawn the Friendship Bracelet. It stands for sociability and your talent for making each friend, online and off, feel special. So very special.
Crayons - The symbol of unpretentious creativity and art. You are almost certainly imbued with a child-like curiosity and an unfettered imagination, enjoy self expression and bright colors. You are child-like, or may actually be a child.
Paintbox - A symbol of risk and reward! You're no stranger to chance, to taking a walk on the 20-sided dark side. In the game of life, you're +10 Geekiness.
Mahjong - You make your own luck, for you know fortune favors the fun loving! To you a day without a quick game is a day wasted. Life's too short to sulk, when you bear the colorful mark of The Player. (You're also possibly Chinese or a Grandmother)
Tarot card - Aha, The Magician! You possess unusual powers, and can conjure up the truth from any situation. Also, you can turn the world on with your smile.
Friendship Pin - an unbreakable bond between you and your BFF. It shows you are loyal, willing to wear your love on your sleeve (or sneaker).
Memory Card - Behold, The Memory — life is your field of study. You hunger for new thinking, knowledge and information. You know how get it, and how to hold on to it.
Letter Game Tiles - You like your fun and games on a cerebral level. Stretching your mind and beating your friends is as enjoyable to you as zoning out in front of the TV is to the hoi polloi.
Carabiner - You have drawn the Mark of the Connection; Active, strong and reliable — that's you. People count on you to keep grounded at all times, even up in the air.
Transit Pass - The symbol of travel, of paths taken and untaken, of sleeping upright in a middle seat. You are The Traveler.
Perfume - Appearances are not limited to the visible sphere — you are well aware of that, for you are The Aesthete. Beauty in every sense is your lofty goal, and no detail of that is too small to escape your scrutiny.
When I saw this tutorial by Mai of Okinokiyo, I knew I HAD to share. When I was in primary school, my classmates of all races (yup, all the girls & some of the boys) & I would play this every chance we could get & made our own “batu-batu” to our individual preferences. We even had a little championship league going so yeah, you can imagine we took it a tad more serious than most but it was all in good fun.
In case you don’t know what it is, Batu Seremban or five stones is a game originally played by girls of all races in Malaysia. You only need five stones or five small objects to play with & the objective of the game is to throw one of the stones one at a time and sweeping another on the flat surface simultaneously catching the one you threw earlier on. The game continues to advance in stages & gets complicated. Here’s a video by I Heart Malaysia on how to play it:
I’m so happy that Mai shared this tutorial. It brought back lots of great memories & I really hope batu seremban is still played in schools. I’m going to make a few using Mai’s simple tutorial using fabric scraps & give them out to my friends’ kiddies.
EDIT: Mai is making the Batu Seremban for sale! They're a mere RM5 (not inclusive of postage) & all proceeds will go to charity. How cool is that? Drop Mai an email if you want to get a set (or several).
This gives me a warm fuzzy feeling & it’s such a great habit to foster. So here’s my little contribution: You’re all wonderful & kind people. Now, go spread the habit folks… Say something nice!
First of all, let me wish all my readers Selamat Hari Raya, maaf zahir & batin and Happy belated 54th Merdeka. This last Ramadhan was a busy one for me & over the week-long holidays I took a nice extended break to recharge my batteries & to catch up with my loved ones over yummy lemang & rendang. I was really looking forward to start blogging & crafting again.
Unfortunately, I’m going to have to kick off my return to blogging with an issue that deeply saddens & infuriates me at the same time. If you’re on Facebook & Twitter, your timeline would’ve been flooded since Sunday with the news of what happened at Petknode, which is a somewhat popular cat boarding center in Damansara Damai. Over 170 cats were rescued in deplorable condition from the center & a bungalow used by the company; the cats were starving, severely dehydrated, filthy & traumatized. About 16 cats & kittens were also found dead, with some so badly decomposed, they were stuck to the floor. There are also an estimated 100 cats still missing that the operators of Petknode are not disclosing. I’m not going through all the details but more info of the story can be found here & here (be warned that there are some very disturbing pictures). You can also do a simple Google search & you’ll get countless hits. On Monday the various animal welfare NGOs teamed up for a press conference at Hotel Armada. I went with some fellow cat avengers I met through Twitter; Aishah (@aimizubouken), Suen (@suzannajuwita) & later on met up with Aida (@aidaazwar). It was very heart warming to walk up to the conference room to see so many animal lovers there & many more arriving by the minute. So much so, that the hotel staff had to open up another room so that everyone could fit in. Even then, there were a lot more people outside. In total, an estimated 400 people showed up; media, affected cat owners, animal rights activists & supporters like me.
With radio personality JFK acting as the emcee, the press conference kicked off with the representative of the group Kucing Terbiar Anjing Jalanan (pictured above, bottom left - receiving a round of applause) telling us what happened on Sunday; how they broke into Petknode with the Police’s permission, the condition of the cats (and one lone puppy) they found & their efforts to get all the cats fostered before owners could step up to claim them. She, along with many of us in the audience, broke down in tears. Picturing cats in tiny cages, stacked on one on top of another in a tiny room with no ventilation, starving, dehydrated, covered in feces & pee, some dead & some on the brink of death… It was very emotional to say the least (click on the video below to get an idea).
Along with representatives from SPCA, PAWS, Malaysian Dogs Deserve Better, My Animal Care Organization, ROAR, Animal Society Penang, Rina Omar & Joe Lee (Klub Kid KL) who were instrumental to getting the info out & support from the public, also spoke up & gave their input. It wasn’t long though before some members of the audience started pinpointing the blame on the bigger organizations like SPCA for not preventing something like this from happening.
Little do they know that SPCA & the like are not regulatory bodies nor are they in any position of power to put those to blame (like the Petknode operators) into jail. They COULD however (especially in SPCA’s case) have offered man power & medical assistance or even cages & transportation to move the rescued cats from Petknode which I understand they didn’t do (except My Animal Care) & I find highly perplexing given that they have all of those things at their disposal. Limited though they may be but every little bit helps right? I now understand SPCA is taking a bigger role in the issue by offering legal advice & getting media attention which is an area they excel in but that’s just from my perspective as an outsider.
The press conference was highly charged with emotion with upset cat owners & animal lovers uniting in their anger towards the Petknode operators & lack of support from the authorities namely the police. It ended with the Chairman of SPCA, Christine, calling for all of those at the press conference to go to the police station at Damansara Damai to try to get the police to do something & to help locate the missing 100 cats.
Despite the numbers of people there, including more cat owners affected stepping forward to lodge police reports, the police remained nonchalant. We left feeling disappointed & I for one felt uneasy. Why are the scums of Petknode being (seemingly) protected? And why aren't the police investigating the fraud & theft aspect of the case? A day later I found out that the police had in fact passed the case over to the Department of Veterinary Services (DVS) whose main concern are livestock & poultry. Christine of SPCA disclosed that amongst the countless animal cruelty cases that DVS handles throughout the many years they were established, only ONE handful have ever made it to court & only in ONE case was a man convicted & he only paid a paltry sum & spent ONE night in jail. Where’s the justice in that??
All in all, I am angry. After the press conference, I took a step back from the drama unfolding on twitter to quell my anger, but oh it’s still there alright. The more I think of the operators of Petknode’s greed & neglect plus the nonchalant stance taken by the authorities, the more anger I feel. Malaysians are not uneducated. Malaysians are not barbarians. Yet why does our government let people like these scums of Petknode get away with such blatant cruelty?? Over 170 cats were found starved with another 100 still missing & countless cat owners who were cheated into believing that their cats would be in safe hands… Even if you are not an animal lover, I’m sure you can see the injustice in this.
I for one will not rest until I see justice served to the operators of Petknode. The fine for animal cruelty is a laughable RM200 but Christine suggested if we could push for RM200 PER CAT, then justice would be rightly served. An estimated 300 cats are said to have been in Petknode’s care during the Raya break so RM200 x 300 would equal RM60,000 but I say the scums should also serve time for at least a year at the very minimum for not only animal cruelty, but for fraud & theft. With that, I am going to write in to the Department of Veterinary Services, Majlis Bandaraya Petaling Jaya (to shut down Petknode), my local MP (Member of Parliament), the Prime Minister of Malaysia & anyone else I can think of. If you too are outraged & want your voice to be heard, here are the addresses:
Dato' Dr Abd. Aziz Jamaluddin Ketua Pengarah, Jabatan Perkhidmatan Haiwan, Wisma Tani, Blok Podium, Lot 4G1, Presint 4, Pusat Pentadbiran Kerajaan Persekutuan, 62630 Putrajaya. Tel (main): 603-8870 1000 Fax: 603-88701792 Mobile: sms him at 0195136055
Tuan Haji Syed Abd. Malik Bin Syed A. Hamid Al Jafree Majlis Bandaraya Petaling Jaya Jalan Yong Shook Lin 46675 Petaling Jaya Selangor Darul Ehsan Tel : 03-79563544 Faks : 03-79581494
Here’s a list of all the MP’s addresses (look for your area & click to get the info)
YAB Dato’ Sri Mohd. Najib Tun Abdul Razak Office of the Prime Minister Blok Utama, Bangunan Perdana Putra Pusat Pentadbiran Kerajaan Persekutuan 62502 Putrajaya MALAYSIA Tel: 603 – 8888 8000 Fax: 603 – 8888 3444
YABhg Datin Paduka Seri Rosmah Mansor Office of the Prime Minister of Malaysia Blok Utama, Bangunan Perdana Putra Pusat Pentadbiran Kerajaan Persekutuan 62502 Putrajaya MALAYSIA
Principal Private Secretary to the Prime Minister Office of the Prime Minister of Malaysia Blok Utama, Bangunan Perdana Putra Pusat Pentadbiran Kerajaan Persekutuan 62502 Putrajaya MALAYSIA
Let's flood their mailboxes! Let's give voice to the voiceless! If you can think of another way, a more EFFECTIVE way, please leave a comment. My cat Hassan & all the other animals out there thank you.
Yesterday I endured a lot. I endured a 30 minute train ride to Bukit Jalil while being squashed amongst hundreds of commuters. I endured being shoved & elbowed while making our way to the stadium from the train station. I endured the frustration of looking for a seat (& our missing friends) despite getting our tickets the legit way. For the first half, I endured sitting on the steps of the stadium’s aisles right next to a hyperactive boy who kept jostling me, shouting & blowing his air horn every couple of seconds. Yes, I endured quite a bit.
Why would I put myself through all of this? To support our National football team, Harimau Malaya, for the love of my country & to be amongst other folks who cared just as much.
Even though we were all squashed in the train, there were folks chanting Harimau Malaya slogans or cracking jokes to alleviate everyone's discomfort. Even though I got shoved & elbowed, folks were generally polite & apologised. Even though there were no seats, folks just made way for each other on the steps so that we can all watch the game. Even though the little boy was annoying, his parents were very nice & heck, I can’t blame him for his enthusiasm… I felt the same way!
It’s just a crying shame that the Singaporean players kept stalling the game with their fake injuries otherwise we could’ve had a good fighting chance. It’s awful that FIFA allows such unethical game-play to go scot-free which is something that wouldn’t have stood a chance in rugby, a game I am fond of & that my husband plays. (EDIT: Based on an anonymous comment, I want to clarify that I don't think Singapore should be penalised for yesterday's game - nasi sudah jadi bubur - I just think FIFA should take into consideration of changing the rules of the game to discontinue the use of faking injuries to stall time. It's just so unfair & frustrating for supporters. And yes, I'd be ashamed if Malaysia blatantly used the same tactics to win a game). Anyways, enough gripping…
Yesterday I sang Negaraku with over 85,000 people (minus a small patch of brave Singaporeans). Yesterday I stood shoulder to shoulder, arm in arm with my countrymen to cheer on our Harimau Malaya. Yesterday, I was proud that our boys played with integrity & showed good sportsmanship. Yesterday, today & always, I will love our Harimau Malaya.
Luckily we bumped into my husband’s cousin, Tasha before the second half started.
She got us terrific seats at the grandstand which were a mere hop, skip & jump to the field.
Thanks a lot babe!
Welcome to Urbanscapes 2011 & the specially curated Tongue In Chic Turf that I had the privilege of being a part of again this year.
Peek-a-boo, I see you (from behind my table)!
This year I managed to resist the temptation of shopping for clothes but when it came to the food (namely the desserts), I just had to succumb. From top to bottom: That Last Slice had macarons & coney dogs to die for, The Last Polka’s homemade ice cream is a must try (my absolute favorite is the Salted Gula Melaka) & Raindough’s colorful treats.
Was so tempted by the bright, happy colors at Raindough that I bought not just one but two types of cake. Luckily I had Cheri to help me eat them (along with the myriad of other delectables I bought that day! Like I always say, sharing is caring hehehe).
A Million Happy Faces project makes me very happy indeed. There should be more projects like this IMO :)
These old, over-sized “bobbins” (I’m drawing a blank on what they’re called. Anyone?) for electrical cables were given a new lease in life by local artistes. My favorite is the one pictured at the bottom with little hand drawn paper cut outs. Every time you roll it you get a different scene. Genius! Wish I could credit the artist responsible for this so if you know, drop me a comment below k?
So glad I got to catch Reza Salleh perform even from afar. His album gets a lot of play in my craft room & he sounded just as good live.
Right before I packed up for the night, I managed to snap a couple of pictures from more of my favorite vendors (see Part 1 for more). From top to bottom: Syamly’s LightBloks are a crowd favorite as usual & Things Eye Made’s new & very cool set up.
Well, that's part 2 of Urbanscapes 2011 (part 1 here), captured by my camera. If you went & blogged about it, do share the link to your post at the comment section below. I'd love to see/read your perspective!
My set up at the TiC Turf. I also had my lovely assistant for the day, Cheri, help me hang up buntings all around the perimeter of the tent (not pictured). I love being surrounded by color as you can probably tell. Fun fun fun.
Hey folks! So sorry for the lack of blog posts this week. Been super busy catching up with orders & emails that something had to give. Anyhoots, I finally finished editing all the the pictures I took at Urbanscapes & I took so many that I’m splitting the pictures into Part 1 & Part 2. Enjoy!
My handmade lip balms. Right-most picture, clockwise from bottom left: Delima tint (red), Manggis tint (mauve), Jambu tint (pink), French Vanilla (untinted), Mango Peach (untinted) & Cucumber Melon (untinted).
The lovely vendors I had the pleasure of visiting before the crowds came swarming in. From top to bottom: alphabets from old signs for sale at Miraclewatts, Old Blossom Box’s lovely color coordinated set up & handmade clouds & rainbows as decor at Whenever Shop. I can’t get over Aida’s (proprietor of Whenever Shop) themed set up which she changes for every market! Can you say, WOW?
A customer brought along her pet iguana to share the Urbanscapes love. Named Puppy Kuntum, the little guy was very sweet, docile & surprisingly incredibly soft! I’ve never had much contact with reptiles but Cheri was very comfortable as you can see above.
