Want: Fjallraven Kanken Backpack

With all the adventure travelling we do, Bobby & I usually carry backpacks while on the move as they're really handy to tote essentials & to stow away. I have an ancient EastPak that I've had since my boarding school days & although it's still going pretty strong, I think it's time I get a replacement. I've been shopping around for a simple & classic backpack that's hardy, water resistant & not crazy pricey (hello, USD795 Anya Hindmarch Maxi Zip Backpack). Enter Fjallraven Kanken. Simply known as the Kanken, it's been around since 1978 & it's incredibly popular in its home country of Sweden not to mention in countries like the US & UK. I love the squarish shape & the top handles but most of all, I love all the colours they come in! I'm having a very, very hard time choosing one but I'm leaning towards gender neutral coloured ones like Frost Green. Warm Yellow or the combination of Navy & Bright Red. Which would you choose?

And the picture below was the clincher for me…

 

Post-GE13

Fellow Malaysians, I'm sure you've had it up to your eyeballs hearing & reading people's reactions to the General Elections of 2013 so I'm not about to bore you as so many others have expressed my thoughts & sentiments better than I ever could. All I want to say is I'm proud of us. Proud of us for going out in record numbers to vote. Proud of the majority us who have accepted the results with stoicism, positivity & humour (a certain hashtag had me giggling all of last night). BN won, but barely. PR lost, but gained so much more. I hope with all my heart our newly re-elected Prime Minister will make good on his promises, especially on the issue of so-called "national reconciliation." Shame on him for playing the race card though & if this is the way BN is starting things off, the next 5 years will be "interesting," to say the least.

Here are some links that I think are good reads…
Malaysian Insider 
NY TImes
A young girl writes to her BN supporting friends
Anyone come across any good articles from BN supporters, leaders or party members, send the link my way. Much appreciated. 

Salam 1Malaysia :)

 

I'm Still Around

What a loooong leave of absence! What can I say besides the usual "sorry, I've been super busy" or the rather ambiguous "sorry, I wish I had more hours in a day"? Truth is, I haven't felt like blogging.

I'm dealing with an issue, something that I'm going to keep to myself for now but what I can share is that life feels a little muted to me nowadays. You know, a little less bright & sharp; a little fuzzy around the edges. But I know one day once I've pulled myself up like I've had dozens of time before, I will share my experience with you. 

In other news, I have been really busy with event styling projects which has helped with the doldrums by getting my creative juices flowing. Something that started on a whim has grown into a whole other arm of Mimpi Murni & it keeps growing! I am truly blessed. Here are a few pictures of some of the projects I've worked on…







Bobby & I have also been doing a little travelling whenever we can most notably Awanmulan of Negeri Sembilan last weekend & it was just what I needed. It's the perfect place to get some peace & quiet up in the clouds. Check out the website & you'll be mesmerised, I promise.

Cooking has also been keeping me pretty busy. I cook mostly dishes that I grew up with but I'm also slowly building a repertoire of somewhat "fancier" dishes I can easily whip up like Salmon Fish Head Curry & Coq Au Vin (both not pictured here). 

I have a lot of plans in the works & a lot more things to share with you so I hope you dreamers can bear with me a little bit longer. I will eventually pull myself out of the doldrums & in the meantime, I'll soldier on. Hope everyone out there is doing good. 

x, Murni

Freebie: Love + Kisses PS Brushes

Sometimes the world wide web offers up some pretty neat freebies & this Valentine themed brush set from Creature Comforts is perfect for Valentine's day which is just around the corner. So if you're like me & enjoy playing around with Photoshop, this is right up your alley. Enjoy! 

Another Cambridge Satchel

This little 11" rose gold baby from Cambridge Sacthel is being made for me as I type this. On a whim yesterday I checked out CS's website & found that the bag I was lusting after since last November was half-off so without further thought, I added it to my cart, checked out & bang, I'm the proud owner of yet another CS! My red 15" Batchel (it's the classic satchel with a top handle) is my go to work bag (seen here & here) but I wanted something smaller for casual days out & I think this rose gold version will just be that touch of fancy that will elevate any old outfit I lazily pull together. I'll share pictures when it gets here k? I'M SO EXCITED! 

Sandakan Adventure

We're back in KL after a last-minute decision to make use of the long Maulidur Rasul/Thaipussam weekend by striking Sandakan off our bucket list. It was a fantastic trip until we got hit by a nasty bout of food poisoning. Ironically, it wasn't due to all the seafood we ate (which by the way, is yummy & cheap in Sandakan) but due to the water or most likely, the ice! Well, that's what the doctor said & we're sticking by it because the thought of any of that scrumptious seafood we consumed causing so much agony is just heartbreaking. I'd never look at another oyster the same way again! 

With all that happened at the last leg of our trip, I really enjoyed our Sandakan trip. Our hotel room at Four Points by Sheraton, had spectacular views of the Sandakan Bay & we spent a lot of time at their infinity pool, soaking & waiting for sunset. We of course visited the Sepilok Orang-utan Rehabilitation Centre (which was our main objective), Rainforest Discovery Centre & Labuk Bay Proboscis Monkey Sanctuary.  We had a lovely time watching wild Orang-utans & Proboscis monkeys feeding albeit from afar & we spent the most time at the RDC doing some light trekking following the calls of the Hornbill & observing nature. We also visited the Sandakan Heritage Museum, World War II Memorial as well as a few of the popular eateries recommended on Trip Advisor such as Ocean King Restaurant (so-so),  Sim Sim 88 Restaurant (highly recommended & cheap), English Tea House (scones were bland but the place is nice) & Ba Lin Rooftop Bar & Cafe (wonderful place to chill with great view of the bay but food was a little meh!).

We will definitely be heading back to Sandakan as we really really want to do the Kinabatangan River Cruise & stay in a forest resort instead of in town. It will take a little more saving up as it can be quite costly even for us Malaysians with all the discounted rates & park entry fees. I hope it'll be soon but in the meantime, I'm going to need to get over this food poisoning. 

I Miss Blogging

It's getting harder & harder now to find time to blog which I suppose is a good thing because that means my business is keeping me very busy but damn, I really miss blogging. It's been so long since I've surfed the world wide web for pleasure that I'm beginning to think I will NEVER catch up with my Google Reader! So much for trying to take things easy in 2013 eh? But I'm the type that never says "no" to a good opportunity so no matter what, I will keep pushing myself & trying to deliver whatever I make or do in the best possible way, in the best possible time. The sky's the limit folks! I say grab whatever opportunities that come your way & keep trying, learning & doing things that excite & inspire you. 

As usual, here are a few pictures from my Instagram of the projects I worked on last week. 

A tiny ballerina cake topper I hand-cut & then added a handmade mini tulle tutu. I think it's the most precious thing I've made to date! 

The tiny ballerinas with their tutus in action on Renee's birthday cake by Dear Sue Cakes. Inside is a pink ombre layered butter cake & it's sooooo yummy! 
For this Fairy Ballerina themed party I did all the floral arrangements, tutus & fairy wands for the girls, wizard wands for the boys, personalised chocolate bar wrappers, provided the candy & made hanging tutu skirts for hanging. I also provided the cake in a jar from Dear Sue Cakes as favours for the guests. It was a lot of fun working on this theme as it was very pink & girly! Will post up more pictures soon (hopefully!).

A bridal hand bouquet I made for Eleena. I just love customers who are up for unconventional colour & flower combos! This bouquet was made with Kenyan & Indian Roses, Chinese Spray Roses & Eustomas, Mediterranean Sea Lavender & Brazillian Globosas. I also made the groom a matching boutonnière. 

Catch Up: Jan 2013

Gosh, 2013 is turning out to be a massively busy year for yours truly. Event styling, graphic designing, floral arranging, impromptu trips, a photo shoot… it's been crazy! I really miss blogging but I'm enjoying working & experiencing new things. How's your 2013 so far, dreamers?

Here are some pictures from my Instagram, have a look see!

Some glimpses from our trip to Mabul & Sipadan.

My new neighbour's 3 adorable kittens & Hassan who's busy inspecting my plants. The kittens come over every other day to play with Hassan & to check out our house.

My new fabric calendar from Lisa Rupp along with a free letterpress print! Love love love.

A fun, cowgirl themed birthday party I helped to decorate. 

Loved my makeup from a photoshoot I did for Her World magazine. I look so different!

Flowers for a baby shower I did being inspected for quality control by a curious kitty. 

Help, I Need A Laptop Stand

I have to admit, I'm not young anymore. At 31 (32 this year to be precise), my body seems to be giving up on me. Every other day now I'm plagued with mysterious aches & pains in my back, neck & shoulders. And this is without any strenuous activities! Yup, I'm no spring chicken. I think most of my bodily aches boil down to bad posture & although I'm usually quite conscious about my posture, thanks to years of drilling from my parents, I tend to slouch when I work on my laptop which I use every day. Bad Murni. So I think it's time to invest in a laptop stand & I've rounded up a few that fit my criteria: well designed, handmade, responsibly harvested wood & not bulky.

The first one on top by Vool is my favourite but at 299 Euros (with free worldwide shipping) I'll have to pass. The free shipping rocks but RM1196 is waaaaay to much for my blood. Luckily there are heaps of other affordable options, just have a look below!





Second from top to bottom: Greentunadesign puzzle shaped laptop stand in sustainable bamboo (RM255 + RM83 shipping to Malaysia), ergoRizer made with plywood (RM109 + RM46 shipping to Malaysia), Standup made with FSC certified Gabon Marine grade plywood (NZ$70 + shipping cost to Malaysia unspecified), Objectify made from sustainably produced Southern New Zealand Pine plywood (RM46 + RM18 shipping to Malaysia) & although this is too low for me, I think this is nice too; Stems available in 3 woodgrains such as cherry, walnut & ash (RM140 + RM36 shipping to Malaysia).

I'm leaning towards the Objectify one because it's the simplest, gives me the height I want, folds flat & a huge plus point, it's the cheapest! I like the Greentunadesign one too but the versatility of the ergoRizer is pretty awesome. Decisions, decisions.

UPDATE: I went ahead & bought the Objectify one. Will let you know if I like it when I get it. Fingers crossed!

Hello 2013

I'm not one to make resolutions, much less stick to them but this year I thought I'd do just that & prove myself wrong. Some of my many resolutions is to declutter my house, stop buying unnecessary craft supplies & trinkets (which has created all the clutter to begin with), to be more careful with the people I let into my life & to keep a daily journal instead of my current haphazard version. How about you dreamers? 

P/S: To help you welcome the new year, how about some awesome motivational art or the calendar above from locally based Neue Graphic? They're offering a 15% discount till this Friday with the code NOW2013 so grab some posters while you still can! Here are a few more of my favourites below…