New (old) project

just completed.

 

I’d started the smocking many-many months ago, not only until few days back that it turned into a garment. Hmmm, speaking of procrastinating….  

The smocking for the front skirt was completed for quite a while, then I stopped. For the sleeves, it’s just 4 rows of smock, I believe I could finish them in 2 hours should I have that solid uninterrupted time.

Somehow the time I could afford to have is somewhere 10~15mins window between errands or before my daily slumber (of which it didn’t take long to shut down my conscious mind) or while waiting for the car engine to heat up in the mornings.  

Ya… times like that, hence the supposed to be 2 hours task has prolong for days….

Anyhow, it doesn’t really matter to me when should I complete a dress or any project as I am doing it for my own leisure. A stress relief and I do not enforce datelines.

Buuuuttttt….. B.U.T - BUT! this girl is growing up ever so quickly.

 

 

That means, my slow motion may gets into me that my girl could not fit into dresses that I intended for her once it’s finish !.. Ahhhh.. STRESS!

 

Dew in the long-awaited promised handmade bathrobe. It took me a year to seal it off !
She was so happy with the robe she’s been trying it on whole Saturday night it was finished.

On Sunday morning when we were about to go out for breakfast, she asked my permission : “Mommy can I wear this….”
How can I resist her.

Happened to be we planned for breakfast + grocery shopping, so off we went to AEON BIG. She walked AEON BIG like that.

 

She’s also been whispering to her dad : “Daddy, lets go to hotel – PENANG”… She really wanted to make use of her bathrobe by the pool, huh?

 

Our one and only, Mek Robey @ Cikgu Bedah.

Figuring Japanese pattern

As I’ve earlier mentioned, I kinda made myself promise to make for Nada dresses for her very year birthday as tradition of our own. A tradition I wish to keep for as long as she’s willing to wear Mommy’s silly creation. Oh.. y’know I reckon there will be the stage that she’s no longer fond of putting on fluttery stuff. Sob-sob. Sad, isn’t it?

This year, though it’s tat bit out of her birth date which was on January 30th, I managed to sew a tiered pink dress for her. She wore it to school today!

Isn’t she’s the coolest stuff on earth? I just love my daughter’s eccentric character.

Construction site helmet-pink dress-pink slippers and peace sign is quite a combo, don’t you think so? 

 

The dress is of a pattern from Japanese pattern book, I bought during our trip there last year. I would say, the difference of sewing from Japanese pattern and Western pattern is – I just don’t understand what’s written in Japanese pattern.
It is a shame thing to admit that I learnt Japanese language for 3 years during my secondary school years!

Hence, the sewing this time around is just referring to diagram and very much guessing work. For as long as it looks and wearable as a dress, heck! Who cares if I’d sewn it correctly vice-versa.

One thing for certain, over the years that I've made dresses for my girl... the fabric being used definitely had doubled or may be tripled. That's how much she has grown!

I'm gonna miss these years.....

Just the two of us

O.. How I miss this space.

I had a special day today...
In our household, we have this arrangement that usually Mommy sends Nada to school in the morning and Daddy fetches her from the Nanny's in the evening. It's a simple arrangement because somehow I leave home for work later than Harris and it would be just nice for Nada's school timing. Harris on the other hand leaves early and gets to get home early too.

While at home after Harris fetches her, Nada never fails to call me on my hand phone to ask where would I be. It's the same routine day in and day out.

Nada : Mommy, where are you?
Mommy : I'm in the office.
Nada What are you doing? You late la Mommy..
Mommy : I'm working
Nada : Working ? What are you working?
Mommy : I draw, I write letters... bla-bla-bla.

As an Architect, among the many in our job list, we have to carry out submissions to Local Authority to obtain plan approvals prior building construction commencement.

I had a site inspection in Sentul first half of the day today. Then, I planned to head to P.J for the plans submission. On my way, I thought I'd just drop by at our home for Zohor and may be a mug of nescafe, that's when I decided to bring Nada along accompanying me for this work task.
So, I fetched her at her Nanny's and... yup she accompanied me to Majlis Bandaraya Petaling Jaya! I told her : "Mommy is to submit plans today.. " She nodded her head, likewise she understood!

Unloading tonnes of plans from the car boot, I made her presence appreciated by asking her help to carry an envelope containing some documents.

She was P.R.O.U.D!

My objective at MBPJ, however didn't accomplish. I really got dizzy with Authorities changing forms every month in the name of upgrading system!... Apa yang upgrade.. I really don't know. So, yes.. my plans were not submitted today, because there's new form format to be filled. Dang!

I've got no choice, but to carry my plans back to the car. I tell you.. those plans weighs as much as I do. Damn heavy okay. Nada realized, I was struggling with those heavy stuff.

As we left MBPJ compound, I asked Nada if she now knows what Mommy does for work?

She answered : "Ya.. you meet officer (she learnt that word today, Mommy taught her, yeay!)
There's few other answers but the best was : "Mommy works carry plans..." Waaaaaaaa....

We also treat ourselves a dine together, just the two of us today. Here's us on camera self-timer set by Nada (I don't know how..)

1st shot and I told her :"Why you smile like that. It looks fake."

Ok Mom!

 

2nd shot : More like it. Do excuse my greasy face. Not a spat of powder or a touch of lipstick. How do I ever get out of this cincainess?

Lights Off Chit-Chat

It's never too late - I'm hanging on to the phrase to wish all Selamat Tahun Baru 2013!!!!

Hmmm.. looks like more than two months lapsed without any entry posted in this space. Many events had taken place, I just have to let them passed, I guessed.

January is a 'big' month for me. Nada will be 5 in the next three weeks... it reminds me, I've got to start making her my handmade birthday dress, the tradition I wish to keep.
Last night, I accompanied Nada for her bedtime. I read to her one of her favorite books - "My Mother's Garden" and switched the lights off after.

These were our chit-chat in the dark which left me pondering for a very long time :

Nada : "Mommy, kalau Mommy dengan Daddy meninggal, siapa nak jaga Nada?"
Mommy :"Mommy tak fikir. Nada nak siapa jaga Nada?"
Nada : "Abang Nyia lah"
Mommy : "Abang Nyia can't really take care of you. He needs to go to school..."
Nada : "Oooooo... Cik Byie nak jaga Nada tak?"
Mommy : "Mommy tak tahu, may be we can ask her. Mommy rasa biar Nek lah jaga Nada"
Nada : "Why?"
Mommy : "Because I know, Nek loves you as much as Mommy loves you"
Nada : "Oooooooo"...

            *Big pause*

Nada : "Mommy, Nada rasa kalau Mommy dengan Daddy meninggal, Nada pun nak meninggal lah...."

It's unbearable for me......

Nada :"Mommy, why you cry?"

Life is short. Love and treasure what we have...

Heart Broken

~ Nada made Mommy angry ~

Nada : “I’m sorry la Mommy…..”

Mommy : ~ silent treatment ~ (B.A.D)

Nada : “Please Mommy, say (talk) la ….”

Mommy : ~ silent treatment still ~ (B.A.D)

Nada : “Mommy please……., you quiet later my heart broken, HOW ?”

~ She puts her tiny hands on her chest and show her heart being broken just like breaking up a piece of cracker ~

Mommy : KETAWA TERBAHAK-BAHAK…

Nada : “You can laugh louder, Mommy……”

Ya Allah, I can’t thank you enough for bestowing me this precious daughter. Alhamdulillah………

School works

Every now and then, Nada’s school would return the ‘works’ which were done by the kids to each parent. The works could be handicrafts, art-works, drawings, worksheets and stuff. I didn’t realize how much Nada had brought home since she started ‘schooling’ in 2011 until one day I decided to organise the works.

Overwhelming!

I spread out the stuffs to categorize them and I got stuck! I didn’t know where to start. Dang… no plans – shoot me.

Should I categorize according to the classes that she was in? The Baby Buttercup class, then in 3 year old Daffodil class and 4 year old Hibiscus class. Somehow I can’t do that because I had dumped all the works in few boxes before, they all got mixed up and I just don’t remember how to sort out according to classes timelines. Crossed the idea.

So, I settled for categorizing the works in which I think would be easy and appropriately stored by my standard. (not any ISO!) The A4 size worksheets and drawings would go into files, drawings of drawing board sizes into ‘handmade’ folders. (Thank You Daddy). Artworks and crafts into A3 size boxes of the same kind.

After couple of hours, I finally managed to have my living hall floor cleared. Fuhh !!!!

Nicely categorized and kept. There are also artworks that I’d like to hang up on our walls soon once we move to our new-old pad. Yeah, I am proud of my daughter’s silly artwork like that.

I was happy with my progress in organizing Nada’s school work. I thought I was done for the day……. NOT until I found this box full of the same stuff, all still jumble up. Drawings, art-work.. misc.

O dear.. I was not at all done – Shoot me again. How does other people handle more than one kid ?

In my mind

I'm at work. It's lunch time and I miss her.

Photos around Kyoto, Japan