new link...

the me.u design blog is now located here:

http://me-udesignblog.blogspot.com

Alice is all Around...

All about Alice by nyaan featuring Monsoon accessories

Come sailing with me...

Come sailing with me (AU$38) available @ http://www.me-u.net
(http://meu.bigcartel.com/product/come-sailing-with-me-cufflinks)

Come sailing with me on a journey that is my PhD studies and my wedding planning. Some people said if you want to complicate your PhD, you should get married. And I'm going to do just that. ^^

I haven't been blogging much as I've been pretty much occupied with my studies... I'm happy to say I did make my debut as a research during a conference late last month. While it was nerve wrecking, I must admit, I actually did feel like a real researcher. I guess after at least a year of being an assistant, it feels different to be able to present as the lead author. I think I will continue to be nervous when faced with such situations, but I'll persist. ^^

Weddings...weddings... I must admit at the moment the whole wedding things have been fun. I guess it's because T is the type of guy who enjoys the process of planning a wedding, so he's very involved. Which is nice, because at times I can get him to do stuff, while he lets me do all the fun bits like trying on dresses, colours etc...

I just hope things continue to look up the next year. Can you believe it? It's already December.

update

I must admit I have not been blogging much. While the creative mind is still engaged with such pieces shown above (Hana Brooch), I've been occupied with weddings.

But I will aim to blog more. If anything else, maybe I should blog about my wedding planning adventures.

quick update - new look!

I've just changed the way my blog looks. Apologies for those people whose links momentarily disappeared. But it's all back now....^^

knitting night & a new project!

We return to our usual programming... knitting!

In January, Anuja had a brilliant idea of hosting a knitting night for a couple of her girlfriends. So we gathered, each brought a dish and we created a monthly tradition! Projects that was started/continued on the first night; a blanket and 5 scarves!

In February, I finished my long-awaited KIP!

Then March, I hosted it in my house. :)

Projects started: 3 scarves, 1 garment
Project continued: 2 scarves
Project completed: 1 scarf and 1 blanket

Anuja finished her blanket. ^^

Breanna completed one scarf and started another. ^^

Roopa continued on her multi-coloured, recycled silk scarf. ^^

And after much knitting hiatus, I've started on Stefanie Japel's Fitted Knit - Puffed Sleeved Feminine Cardigan. This whole piece is knitted in one, except for a little pick-up around the front edges for the button bands.

Even though the original is in red, I've done mine in a pink-ish red Zara. I'm quite excited by it, though there are some bits about the pattern that I worry about... :P

Anyway, wish me luck! At least with knitting nights continuing every month, I get some motivation to finish this. ^^

Reflection...

I guess when one chapter of one's life closes a reflection is in order. Today is my last day of work from the place where I've worked for the past 1 year and 3 months. There were highs and lows during the working period, but hey...it's just part of working. :)

There were little perks of course, that I enjoyed. For example, the whole "my office" idea. Although it was of little importance (I love sitting with people, but some people might have found me too chatty), it was nice when I really just want silence to do my work. Working in uni, I love the opportunity to learn and being able to do courses I want, it was good too. Then the people. I said today in my thank you speech (whoever leaves get morning tea), I was indeed sincere in saying that one of the things I'll miss the most is the people. However, that being said, it is nice to say that some people are my friends, and not just my colleagues.

Now....the things to look forward now that I'm not working in this job.... no wait. I better clarify what is going on next. I'm actually starting my phd and working 1 day a week at an old department where I used to work when I first graduated in.

So....

OTHER than the actual studying and minimum (or maximum...;;^^) work....

I want to be able to:
1. Knit more!
2. Knit more!
3. Knit more!
4. Do more of my jewellery.
5. Learn more of things I want to learn eg. Japanese, more jewellery making stuff etc...
6. Clean my study...seriously. :P
7. Maybe revamp my room a bit to make it look nicer?
8. Get involved more with networking opportunities...
9. Just be nicer in general, ie. because I don't have work pressure, maybe I won't get annoyed so easily? Maybe I should just knit more to destress... :)

I'm sure there are a whole heaps of things I want to do... but I guess they'll come to me later. ^^

Happy Valentine's Day! (and the Victorian Bushfire Appeal)

Happy Valentine's Day from me to u! ^^

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On a more serious note, please support the
Victorian Bushfire Appeal on etsy.com

All proceeds of items sold goes to the Australian Red Cross.


me.u is donating something there, but irregardless, I think this is a worthy cause that should be supported. :)

Photowalk - 7th February 2009

I went on a photowalk trip around Melbourne city on the 7th Feb 2009. It was a hot 43 deg, but I thought I should go on as I've already planned my day and I had some other things to do in the city anyway.

What made it all really interesting was the sights of Melbourne I had never seen before, of course, the people I met were great too and I picked up some photography tips too. :)

To see the whole set of photos, click here.

I will be posting stuff about my knitting night soon...meanwhile enjoy the photos! ^^

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In the spirit of the upcoming Valentine's Day... and inspired by Shanwen's post, here's my take on the perfect Valentine's outfit. Simple, chic, casual with a touch of colour. ^^


Valentine's Day - by nyaan on Polyvore.com

Revelations & Resolutions

The new year, my birthday and Chinese new year has come and gone and finally the last day of January. January was certainly full of revelations. One thing for sure is that I'm really blessed to have so many friends who celebrated my birthday and this year I actually had 4 birthday cakes! And the pressie (though not important) it's like a psychic thing. I got things that I really wanted even from my bf who usually has trouble finding the right gift. However, my point is, as I had my final round of birthday celebrations I realised that not everyone is fortunate enough to have so many great and fantastic friends. ^^ So thank you.

Then there was the round of 40 deg. days in Melbourne. Why is this a revelation? Well let's just say I actually appreciate my parents even more. ;;^^ Thank goodness for air-conditioning. Enough said. ;;^^

So what's the resolutions?

Well, I'm going to be starting on phd this year. I'm not sure how the journey will turn out but I've enrolled. :P I guess it'll be a LONG 3 years. -_-
But I'll bear with it. ^^

I'm going to be more organised with health (ie. watch what I'm eating and exercise more!!!) and money. I haven't been the best person in these two areas, but inspired by April, I've decided to restart my spending diary and food diary. I realised there's actually a correlation between my spending and my eating. :P I spend money on too much food!!! I guess at least these two things are tied together... phew.

Then finally I want to read more. Books I mean. I've realised how much I've missed reading when I'm hooked into the Twilight series by Stephanie Meyer. I'm at Eclipse now (YAY!). I'm going to go back to my Betsie the Queen of Vampire series by MaryJanice Davidson after I finish Breaking Dawn. ^^ And I miss talking about books with April!!! ^^

I guess finally I need to be more patient. Bf's tutoring sometimes annoy me because it impacts our dating life. But I guess at the end of the day, that's what he loves to do. And I cannot stomp on his happiness for my happiness.

To be more pro-active with me.u! ^^ Above is a birthday present I made for my friend Evie. ^^

Anyway... that's all I can think of for now. :P

But tonight there will be a knitting night at A's house. So I better prepare as to what project I want to do... a new one or a KIP?

Maybe I should add in another resolution... to complete all my KIP. -_-

Another one of those new year things I do....

... is finish my me.u website. ^^ So now the new website is officially located at:

www.me-u.net

To commemorate the new website, here's a promo video that was done for the website. Jittralada made this video for me. Thanks Jittralada! ^^

Holiday cheer....

After much hiatus from blogging, mostly because of work, just want to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas & a great New Year ahead! ^^

It was a beautiful wedding!!!

No no...don't panic...it wasn't mine. :) It was A's and it was the most wonderful wedding! Ok, I may not have been to many weddings, but this wedding it was just so special. It's so special when the bride is one of your good friends, whom you had heaps of fun with before. It was a beautiful romantic story that culminated into this beautiful beginning. :)

The bride was gorgeous, and she was definitely not a bridezilla! She actually did a Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) and everything went without a hitch. See? Excellent planning makes the wedding day hassle-free. ^^

Anyway, here are some photos of the wonderful day.

This is a nice photo of the new Mr & Mrs taken at Docklands. ^^

The bride & bridesmaid (me!)

This is a matching ring that was made for both of us just to wear on that day. The theme was pink, the bouquet was pink roses and tulips. So my friend requested for me to make a pair for the day so we'd both match. ^^

And I nearly cried too at the end of the ceremony! And poor bf got stressed out with the people asking him when is our turn...hahahaha....

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Despite the really cold winter, no knitting progress yet. I've been knitting this scarf...really need to take a picture of it. ;;^^

Oh oh...Melita, it was lovely catching up with you and meeting Ashley of course. She's so adorable. ^^ BTW I may still be here in Dec, so let me know when you are here, we'd do chocolate again. ^^

Habu!

Yesterday I went to The Craft & Quilt Fair. The only reason why I wanted to go was not to get anymore beading supplies...;;^^ I was actually quite excited to see the list of yarn shops in the exhibitor list. I was definitely not disappointed with the fair.

It was crowded, in fact much more crowded when compared to the fair held in Caulfield Racecourse. We've never seen so many craft people in one room! Shanwen & I decided that the most logical thing to do was go aisle per aisle. Nevermind that each aisle took us 1/2 hour to explore as we got sidetracked and could not resist some of the bargains available. ^^

However, one of our biggest find was the Habu yarns!!! ^^ We've read about it and this time, we saw...we touched.... and we bought them! ^^ We went to shop twice just to make sure we would not regret not buying them. So, instead of buying just one ball, I bought 7. ;;^^ Shanwen, buckled too and bought one Habu and 2 other mohair and angora yarns.

I also picked up some lovely silk-ribbon type of yarn done in multi-colours. I'm happy with my finds and I got a feeling that scarves are definitely in the works....

Talking about future projects, being influenced by Shanwen (as usual) instead of knitting the 28thirty I've decided to knit February Lady Cardi instead. It has a similar look. While the lace looks a bit daunting, I've taken the plunge and bought 2 blue colours in Zarina which I will knit together to achieve a mild effect.

Starting new projects is always daunting, but it'll be fun. ^^ I hope... ;;^^

It's Knitting Time!!!

Yes! The Melbourne's weather has been perfect for knitting. It's gloomy most days and it's freezing cold. Today alone I had to wear 2 jackets at the same time and I still could feel the chill.

It's always good though to have the rain and most importantly the cold weather has "inspired" me to knit faster and I've finally completed my Teal Bulky Scarf! ^^

Knitted in Debbie Bliss Cashmerino DK (doubled up) on 12mm needles, this scarf is warm to wear and soft against the skin. ^^

When I designed this scarf I only wanted a straight bulky scarf. However, the endless (almost like a mobius) scarf is apparently a trend this winter season, with Witchery and Country Road doing their versions. I knew then I need to have one and thus modified my own scarf to be dual functioned! I added mismatched buttons at the end which added more character to the piece and when buttoned up, the scarf becomes a loop!

Endless Scarf from Witchery

My version of the loopy scarf...it's a bit bulky but at least it will be warm. ^^

This scarf can also be worn as a normal scarf. ^^

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On the jewellery making side of things, I've just made some new stuff. Presenting the Harmony series! It's basically a basic circular wired design that comes with different themes. Banking on the popularity of the Beetle Bug ring, there is now Beetle Bug necklace. However, as soon as I showed this to my friend, it was bought. ;;^^ I might repeat the design later. The pink rose version is new too...so expect a lot of the Harmony Series because I love the design.

All I need is a holiday....

... to blog! Things is a bit busy at work (though we are at one of the most interesting part of the work), so I have not been able to blog. The knitting front has been slow too, though I'm still knitting my Fetching. I have not even been able to finish one side, d'oh!!!

(28thirty...looks beautiful and great to wear isn't it?? I have to knit one of these!)

Went to the Wool Baa yesterday, though I was pretty good and did not buy anything (since T has put me under a very strict budget :P). Shanwen on the other hand, made all the purchases for 28thirty. Melita is knitting this too. Since it is an absolutely fabulous pattern from Zephyr Style, I'm going to knit one too! The question is when I will knit it...;;^^ Since not only do I have more than 2 projects in progress, I have a multitude in queue! :P

And did I mention I went to Kinokuniya in Sydney last month? I picked up heaps of knitting books and some Chinese comics too...tee hee... ^^ I'll add pictures of what I've picked up next time...:)

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On the beading front, I want to blog about this special customisation order. ^^

M came to me one day and showed me this lovely necklace. It's made of natural materials such as seed pods, shells and wood. The colours too were incredible. The issue is that M would like matching earrings made for this piece as it was a bit hard to match.

I was very lucky as Anuja had the exact same red beads. Thus, I was able to come up with the earring pieces. ^^ To capture the same feel, I made sure that the red bead repeats are the same to the original necklace.

After showing the results to M, she decided that a bracelet would be great too. Hence, I came up with the bracelet, pictured above. Using the memory wire and keeping in theme with the whole look and colour, the bracelet works really well despite the beads not being the exact same beads.

Overall though, I think the whole collection worked well. I was extremely pleased with the results and if it wasn't for Anuja's help, I would not have been able to finish this order. So thanks Anuja! ^^

The pieces together.

By the way...the funny thing about this collection is...when I was young and living in Singapore, I used to collect these red seed pods. I used to have jars of them. We used to give friends or boys we had crushes on a jar to signify our friendship or "love" (respectively) for them. LOL I thought it's interesting that they do make good beads too.

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Anyhoo, off now...to bake come cupcakes! ^^

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UPDATE: Cupcakes made~! ^^

The cupcake was presented with fresh strawberry, jam (courtesy of Miss Marples Tea Room) and cottage cheese mix, sprinkled with icing sugar ... yum! ^^

Finally! A chance to blog!

Things have been quite hectic with my current work. But I'm actually loving it, in particular, I'm beginning to see the impact of the project. But the thing that makes me happy too is being able to continue to do what I love... knit & bead! ^^

Just as I said to Melita before, just because I quit from Wool Baa, does not mean I have to stop knitting. ^^ In fact, I got more time to knit and I've finally finished my pink/green bow tie scarf which I'm quite happy with. Best of all I finished it on time for a gift. ^^

(Taa daa! All finished! ^^)

I'm currently knitting my own scarf... I'll show the photos when it's done. ^^ But next, I'd probably knit another Fetching (refer to my post here too on my first one) as a gift for someone too. ^^

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On the beading front, I finally "opened" my little stall at J's gallery, Rosie Gallery. It was a fun experience and like Shanwen said, we managed to sell some things. I'm quite happy that people enjoyed the things I made. It's not so much as the money, but I was mostly happy the things are going to good homes.

(That's me knitting while err...watching my stall...)

(Mine & Shanwen's share table....)

(Our stall - closer look)

(Shanwen, me and Anuja)

I also got some special orders. Here's one that I did for one particular order. This was a tag-team effort. The request was to make a whole set of necklace, earrings, bracelet and ring. Working with A, I made the ring and earrings. I was really pleased with the results. Here are the items I made. ^^

(On my hand...I'm not a hand model...so pardon if the hand doesn't look too good...lol)

(The earrings made .... I love love love how this turned out!!!)

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Overall, things have been productive. But remember to come by to the next Rosie's Bazaar on Saturday, 24th May 2008.

Details as follows:

78 Johnston Street, Collingwood

(make sure it's Collingwood! Past Wellington Street)

10am to 1 pm

See you there! ^^