December 2009 ~ ziombi

Thursday, December 31, 2009

An entry from my diary

9:58 PM

deli

First of all before I continue on my post, I'll like to say...

Happy New Year 2010!!!

Damn... I spent the last few hours of the year 2009 sleeping!

And I spent most of the last few days at home... Chilling somewhere... & prawning with Ah Xiong.
Anyway it's a brand new year, today's the first day!

Wishing hard that this year, will be a even better year for me!

Ok... Continuing on my post... 'An entry from my dairy'.

During the period while I'm writing my diary,

I will collect some quotes & lines that I've written & store it on a notepad.

Some of it are from movies, stories, songs...etc... but most of it from myself.

One of my favourite is this...

" Wandering without a purpose, Searching for a key...

The memories you gave me, Hurts my heart with a song... "

- Kim Jun Hong

Reading my diary brings an aching to my heart...

Knowing that time will never turn back, knowing that all these memories will quietly fade away...

I wrote my diary with an aching in my heart,

now I read my diary with an aching in my heart too...

4th of August 2003, Monday.

6.52 AM

Good morning! As I've said last night, I managed to do 7 chin-up last Saturday morning.

I think that it is because I found the correct tatic for it... That is to strengthen your wrists!

Aww... I smuggled one of my burned C.D into camp last night!

I borrowed a Discman from one of my malay camp-mate, Fairuz.

It is so relaxing listening to the music I like...

But Fairuz's Discman got a little problem! Sometimes it'll suddenly stop playing!

Last Saturday night, I went out with Cobra & Cardi to Bedok.
We went to a lan gaming shop and we played Counter-Strike.

Later at night, I went Boat Quay alone!
Luckily I spotted Candy & Mao Mao there and they accompanied me throughout.
Too bad both of them are staying at the West area of Singapore.

While I was at Boat Quay, at around 2am, I saw one of my Sergeant!
Haha, I quickly hide, trying not to let him see me.

Sian! It's time for Stand-By-Area! I can't write anymore! I will have to continue later!

9.20 AM

Now we need to do a very good area-cleaning because there will be a check later at 11am!
I'm very busy!

10.45 AM

Just now while I was writing halfway, I got called by one of my platoon-mates to help out the shiftings of spoiled lockers.

Tomorrow we'll be able to book-out before lunch! But we'll have to book-in on Wednesday at 2pm.
We are able to book-out tomorrow is because on Wednesday morning, new batch of BMT recruits will be here & we won't be of any help then.

I'm getting quite sick of army's life already and I'm also starting to write this dairy lesser.

Last Saturday night at Boat Quay was a happening one as it was packed!
But I didn't enjoyed it because I went alone.
Luckily I managed to spot Candy & Mao Mao if not I'll be very lonely.

5.02 PM

We just finished our 'Endurance Training'.
I didn't took part in it because I've got flu & running nose, so I went to 'Report sick'.

I came back without any status. Our camp's medical officer sucks!!!
He just gave me some medicine that's all!
I got scolded by my Platoon Commander for not getting any status...
He said the next time I report sick and return without any status from the M.O,
he will charge me! What the hell...?! I was so angry yet sad for hearing that!

Sigh... I feel so lost & sad now... Who will understand the sorrows of my heart...?

7:10 AM

deli

I'm so happy to be in Spain for New Years because that means I'm able to celebrate it with my boyfriend, Chris who lives here in Segovia. I did a little research and based on what I've been told, this is a summary of how the Spanish bring in the New Year:

"Like most festivals in Spain, New Year's Eve, known as "Nochevieja" is usually a family affair which takes place at home. Until midnight people tend to stay at home and on the stroke of midnight it is traditional to eat 12 grapes, one on each stroke of the clock to bring good luck for the New Year. This tradition began when after a particularly big grape harvest the king of Spain decided to give everybody grapes to eat on New Year's Eve.

It is traditional to listen to the clock from Puerta del Sol in Madrid, usually via the television. Even young people won’t go out with their friends until they have seen the New Year in with their families. Throughout the country there are street parties and special nights in hotels and clubs everywhere."

-via Eye on Spain

The Puerta del Sol in Madrid on Nochevieja
image via Monsters and Critics

Chris and I picked up some grapes at the grocery store last night, and I accidentally ate a few not realizing they were for New Years, but we should have enough for both of us to have 12. Since our families are not here we are having a little potluck at one of his friends apartment until 12, after which we'll go out and celebrate some more.

via Nuevo Estilo

via Mi casa

If you like Amy Butler you will LOVE these prints!

12:37 PM

deli

I was just introduced to Artaissance, and I adore this line - 40 colorful, beautiful prints from Amy Butler. Check them out:

See more and get the goodies here.

They also have a great deal where you can get a sample of the art - about 5.5"x8.5", for $5.00 - and if you choose to buy then that $5.00 goes to the full-size version!

Do you like these as much as her fabrics?

STUNNING Antique Spanish doors

11:31 AM

deli

Segovia and the older cities of Spain are full of gorgeous, ornate wooden doors which I would love to be able to pack up and bring back home with me, but with the price of checking bags these days it's just not an option. However, one can acquire such goodies in the states from wonderful companies such as Portera Doors, who lovingly restore antique Spanish doors in California. ...Oh if I was a rich girl...

A close-up

Does the door above look familiar? Remember the chest from the Castle Alcazar in this post?
The two images below are the chest -

A close-up

So - over the next couple of weeks I'm going to try and take pictures of all the gorgeous doors around the city so you can compare for yourself!

images via Portera Doors

I'm off to blog from Spain for a month - so I'm kicking it off with some Spanish houses!

5:09 PM

deli

I'm literally about to walk out the door to the airport to fly out of Newark tonight and land in Madrid in the morning. I'll be in Spain with my wonderful boyfriend, who's teaching English there this year - Segovia to be exact - for about a month. However, the first week in January we will be in Morocco visiting Marrakesh and Fes - which I'm super excited about. Don't worry I will be updating you with photos as often as I can!

For now, I thought I'd try to gain a little serenity with these lovely homes from Spanish magazine, "Micasa," in order to mentally prepare for dealing with the airport!

beautiful coffee table

check out the shoe storage!

what do you think of the newspaper finish on the ovens - or cabinets I can't tell...

images via MiCasa

3:31 PM

deli

House Beautiful had an exciting article in the Dec/Jan 2010 issue called "The Next 20 the Next Wave," which showcased 20 designers their editors picked for keeping an eye on. Danielle Fennoy was one of them and I think you guys will really appreciate her beautiful, practical, fuss-free design sense - and her philosophy that design is not only for the privileged, but "good design should be accessible to everyone." I agree.

The perfect bedroom - pretty and serene

The above are from a West Village apartment.
"The goal of this project centered on accentuating and filtering the light, restoring the original character of the building, adding modern conveniences, and making the place look and feel like home. In this case, the floors became the most major transformative feature of the project. Instead of staining them, we chose to “whitewash” them with a hint of blue tinting. Although each room has a specific mood and function, the continuous blue floor became a unifying feature throughout the entire apartment."

I love the bedroom in this one too, modern, yet still warm and pretty.

The above two are from a midtown apartment.
"With an open living/dining space and closed kitchen at one end, the goal of the project was ultimately about “defining” space without putting up physical walls. In order to achieve this, we created more functional and intimate zones that created an open kitchen with peninsula and nearby dining area."

The amazingly large kitchen above from a Lower East Side apartment.
"In addition to giving the place an overall "vintage chic" aesthetic to go with her collection of vintage furniture and barber's accessories, we also changed how the space would feel and function. What was once a closed eat-in-kitchen became a large open kitchen with lots of storage, a dining peninsula, and views of the living room, terrace, and the gorgeous city beyond."

This shot is from a Chelsea apartment.
"This was previously a segmented studio alcove apartment.... a unifying color scheme ties it all together. All these elements really made the space look and feel spacious while still providing the necessary functions of a modern day NYC apartment."

What do you think of her style? You can see more and read her philosophy on her company site, Revamp.

2:58 PM

deli

I hope everyone is loving their holiday! I'm going to be random today and share some not so holiday photos, just because they're relaxing and we could all use a little bit less pressure this time of year!

So, my weakness when it comes to design is color. I'm a bit afraid of it and always lean towards white or soft neutrals. I know, however, that I have to take baby steps to walk the path to using rich, bold colors - so here's a baby step.

These palettes were sent to me by Olympic, who introduced a line partnered with the Audubon Society to raise awareness of the natural world, and to emphasize the importance of environmentally-conscious painting.

Here are the palettes. I've lettered them and would really like to hear which one is your favorite!

A. Tranquil