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I have Instagram! Yup I do! :D I usually post travel, food or kitty photos. Things that I came by and little bits of my life. Just look for kyoupiruchi on Instagram to follow me. :)

What I've been up to this month

I had a lot of first times this month...

First time travelling to China.
First time experiencing spring.
First time travelling with family.
First time travelling with a huge group of 10 family members and relatives.
First time following a tour for a trip.
First time climbing the Great Wall.
First time riding a trishaw.
First time skiing!
First time tasting blackberries.

This is why updates were pretty much non-existant since the beginning of the month, as I was rushing last minute orders to be shipped out before I fly to China. But hopefully now that I am back, there will be more updates. I'll post photos of the trip once I finish posting the Japan ones hahaha. (I can't believe I still haven't finish these)

Slowly Coming Back

Damn, that hiatus lasted longer than expected. I was so overwhelmed with orders, the duty to care for Patches - the paralyzed cat I rescued back in late June, among other things. That's why I decided to take a break from the blog for a while to get things straighten out and my work in order.

I've learned so much about kitty caring in my long journey in caring for Patches, if you're interested to read about her progress, I have a public photo album on my Facebook that you can read through chronologically. :)

From now on, I think I'll try to update the blog as frequently as I can, and not try to update it everyday like I did for the first half of this year. It was really a taxing endeavor since this is a free blog. At this moment I'm trying to get some things in order, and prepare for the holiday season.

But for now... you can look forward to something. ;)

The First Challenge

Keep Calm and Carry On 8x10 Poster - petekdesign

So, the first official weekday without a day job, and this is what I did!

8.30am - Wake up, feed the cat and eat breakfast.

9.30am - Getting ready to start work. Got comfortable in front of my laptop and turns it on, only to found that my mouse is refusing to start properly. So decided to restart the machine, just in case... you know, that fixes it!

9.45am - Laptop refuses to load Windows, stuck at bios screen for the last 15 minutes.

9.46am - Cue panic/freaking out!!!

9.50am - Laptop managed to load Windows after the umpteenth time of force restart. But found out soon enough that all my USB ports are malfunctioning. This means something is wrong with the motherboard. (that is what my friends told me anyway)

10.00am - Begins to check online stuff, sales, emails, Facebook games. (haha) Decided that I should settle my PC problems ASAP today.

11.00am - Drove out to the nearest service center.

11.20am - Reached service center, to found out that they no longer service ASUS products. The kind man behind the counter told me that I need to go to the biggest digital mall in the heart of Kuala Lumpur (which is about 1 hour drive from home, factoring in traffic) for the next nearest service center. I have no choice, so I left to drive into the city.

12.20pm - Reached the mall, found the service center and got a queue number. Decided to walk around and check out computer prices while I'm there, and there was a long queue at the service center.

1.10pm - Handed my laptop over to the guy behind the counter, he agrees that it sounds like a motherboard problem, but cannot give me a quote (not even an estimation) for the repairs. I'll have to wait for their emails for the repair quote. Estimate will take 1-2 weeks before I can get my laptop back.

Now... my laptop is my only computer, without it, it will be very extremely inconvenient for me to run my online biz. So at this moment, I am seriously considering getting a new desktop in the mall, since I'm already there anyway and I seldom get to go there. I have been considering it for the past 2 months as well because my laptop is already over 3 years old. So here begins my journey on finding the right desktop!

2.30pm - After inquiring prices, specs and opinions in over 5 shops, I finally found one that I like. I like the sales guy too because he showed appreciation to my trusty laptop. :) I'll have to wait for 1.5 hours for them to put it together though, so I paid the deposit and decided to go hunt for food.

2.50pm - Reached a fairly well known food court a few blocks away on foot, and had delicious pork ribs curry noodles.

3.30pm - Finished my meal and decided to venture into the Isetan market just next to the food court, they have a large variety of interesting import goods. Brought parmesan cheese and some dark chocolate bars, yumyum!

4.00pm - Time to head back!

4.20pm - Got back to the mall, collected my new computer but realized that I have lost my parking ticket, oh no!! I ended up paying a fine for it. (5x times the price of the parking!!)

6.00pm - Reached home and I'm all beat, but am excited about putting my shiny new computer together and started clearing up space for it.

7.00pm - Am finally done setting the PC up! Phew~ that was tiring. Spent a little bit more time checking online stuff.

7.20pm - Refreshing shower and dinner!

9.00pm - Drives off to friend's house to pick up the bubble mailers that we ordered and just arrived.

10.00pm - Reached home and started to relax, make tea and type this post.

What a heck of a way to start my journey!!

Final Day At My Day Job

Back in late February, I tendered in my resignation letter to my employer, and last Friday was officially my last day at my day job! Finally, it feels kind of surreal that that phase of my life is over (for good!) and now begins the part I am giddy for - running my little handmade biz full time.

The last few days had been hectic, but full of anticipation at the same time. I had to tie loose ends and sort out the remainder of the work to be distributed to other designers and settle whatever that is needed to be settled at work. I had also been on a food hunt spree because after this I would be domesticated to endless homecook food haha.

How does it feel to be rid of my day job? Awesome. :) It's such a liberating feeling, knowing that I don't need to reach the office at 9.30am anymore, I don't need to deal with know-it-all clients, I don't need to do repetitive design work that I hate, I don't need to follow the company's illogical policies and go through many stages just to apply for a day off. Aaand I don't just have 4-5 hours per day to work on my handmade biz after work.

Of course, there are worries as well when one loses a steady income. But we'll just take a step at a time, and face the challenges as they come. I just need to work harder now!

Finally, something fun and nostalgic! This is how my desk looks like at my day job. :D

Notice my snack corner? Hahaha. And those are my faithful Skullcandy headphones, I've had them for at least 3 years and they still work like they are brand new.

And now, after I cleared everything.

Looks so barren now haha.

Colorful Chalcedony Stones

I meant to post this during Easter, but I forgot that I was going to be away during the Easter weekend! Oh well, better late than never right? ;)

I hope you all had a great Easter holiday. :)

Pictured are colorful chalcedony stones I recently acquired. I just love dipping my fingers in and see what I picked up!

I went to Penang!

So sorry for the sudden disappearance! But there is a perfectly good reason why I was suddenly gone...

I went to Penang that's why!! This was a trip I've been looking forward to for ages. It's been 15 years since my last visit. (I remembered because I heard of the news when Princess Diana was killed the last time I was in Penang) Although there were quite a bit of bad memories shadowing the trip towards the end, it was a trip I direly needed for a change of scenery, and fantastic food!! The company of my crafty friends were fabulous as well. Food pics will come at a later date as I need some time to sort them out. :)

Sick day? Scratch that. Sick WEEK!!

Andie's Candy RX - andiesspecialtysweets

Whoops! I dropped out of the face of the blogosphere a little bit there. So, so terrible sorry! I have a very good reason though - I got ply on with more sickness, lol.

The diarrhea did not stop, once I stopped taking the meds for it, it just reoccurs. Then by last Thursday I developed a nasty sore throat which was diagnosed as a throat infection on Friday morning. The doctor also said I will have a fever coming due to the throat infection, and I was bedridden a few hours later. The sore throat was so, so painful! By Saturday I had totally lost my voice.

It was actually the Arts for Grabs weekend, I mentioned Arts for Grabs in one of the 30 Days of List earlier this month. But I was too sick still, and had to rest in on Saturday and missed the first day of Arts for Grabs. Thankfully the fever finally receded and I feel a lot better on Sunday, so decided to pack up and head on to the second half of Arts for Grabs. I didn't bring a lot of inventory or too many display items, as I just want to cover my cost and take it easy. In the end, I did managed to cover cost and earn a little bit, after that I head off with my best friend who came to help me pack up, and we had delicious Vietnamese pho for dinner, the tastiest meal I had the whole week!

I'm finally back to work Monday, but at the same time my sore throat had turned into a nasty cough. It was difficult to sleep, having coughing fits that woke me up so frequently. And by this morning, my chest already started to hurt from the violent coughing. I probably strained a muscle somewhere.

Well... at least I am not bedridden anymore! I'm slowly getting back on track, trying to get my backlog of things done like my 30 Days of List, (how behind am I? Oh no!) orders, art, etc. Wish me luck!!

Sick Days

Get Well Soon Card - poosac

My apologies for the lack of update in the last two days. Because as luck have it, I caught a terrible virus and was out of commission for nearly two full days. Trust me, 15 diarrheas in a day are not fun. Why I call it a virus? Because it is contagious. My brother was the first to catch it early last week, then the kid my mom babysits, following by both her siblings, my mom later in the week, and finally... me. Hopefully that is the end of the cycle.

For the last two days I spent at least 13 hours a day sleeping, drifting in and out on the couch, and was not well enough to sit in front of the PC at all. I spent a lot of time playing Draw Something on my iPod Touch though... Anyways, I'm so totally behind with the 30 Days of List! I'll try my best to keep up, but at this rate, and with the preparations for the Arts for Grabs market later in the weekend, it will not be an easy task.

Hopefully I don't get sick again. Sigh, will try my best to pick up the backlog and get everything back on track soon!

Taking the Leap

Once in a while, a quote from one of my wisest friends would ring in my head. "Eventually, artists and designers would work for their own." Either starting their own studio, be a freelancer or run their own indie business. Because I realized, especially in Malaysia, that there is close to no creative freedom  in the corporate world for designers. I had realized this increasingly lately as I was practically pulled by the nose by a client from my day job to complete a recent work. Twenty edits later, the design is no longer mine, but the client's. I might as well hand the computer to him and let him do the work himself.

Overworked, underpaid, under appreciated, this was the life of a designer in Malaysia.

Inspired by the Quit Your Day Job series on Etsy, ever since I started my Etsy shop I had always been working towards one goal - Quitting my day job. And I am happy to announce that... I finally had. :)

On the leap year day - February 29th, which is exactly a week ago, I finally tendered in my resignation letter to my employer. Woohoo!! It was such a liberating feeling, to know that I will be rid of this dead end job once and for all. Although I still need to work 3 more months here, (I need to give a 3 months notice) but after that I will be freeee~!! And I will be concentrating on Skyejuice and Starjuice full time. Soooo looking forward to that!!

Want to take a peek of what designers need to suffer? Check out this fun site Clients from Hell hahahaha.

The Fox and The Mouse Wedding Video

Hello fellow readers. I'm so terribly sorry for the sporadic updates the past week or so, full time work had been chaotic and at the same time we were preparing for a close friend's wedding on Tuesday, 21st February. (21022012, get it?) It was my first time being a bridesmaid and being the inexperienced bunch, it was chaos for us when it came to wedding planning. What with bridal showers, schedules to settle, hair and make-up appointments etc, it was just unbelievable busy! And in between all that, I had a single weekend to finish a super secret video presentation for the lovely couple, to show during their dinner as a surprise!

Since it's super cute, I thought I'd share it with you here too :D

I did the entire video production, from the animation to the music editing. Some of my dear friends (who are credited in the description) did the story planning and the wonderful art. The two animals - the fox and the mouse, are the mascots representing the happy couple. I'm so proud of it, I hope that you would enjoy it too. :)

To clarify, my old alias in the anime/manga community is 'Miaow', although I currently use 'Kyou'. And to end this post, have a glimpse of the beautiful bride and the awesome groom. May the both of you live happily ever after!

Happy Valentines!

Love Spell Fine Art Photo - GoldenSection

Happy Valentines to the loving couples out there! Happy Single Awareness Day to all singles! And Happy Tuesday to everyone else. For me, it is just a regular Tuesday because I do not have a boy, and I am feeling a little on the downside because I have a painful mouth ulcer/canker sore right behind my upper lip. So even if I have a boy, I would not feel like kissing. ;)

But what if I do have a boy? What would I want for Valentines? Hmm... good question. Let's play pretend!

Hot Chocolate on a Stick - theticketkitchen // Valentines Day Hearts with Flowers - WhippleToppers

Mmm, yummy desserts is always a great way to a lady's heart. (unless your lady is dieting, then avoid this at all cost!!)

Rose and Lavender Bath Bombs - HerbivoreBotanicals // Valentines Soap - SakuraBathAndBody

Wouldn't it fun to enjoy these bath bombs or soap together? ;)

Secret Lover's Hollow Personalized Tree Stump - SixAstray // Secret Message Bottle - BeautySpot

Personally, I think the sweetest gifts are those with thought given into them. Unique tree stump with a personalized message or even a little bottle with a lovely handwritten message would be so lovely too. I don't need a fancy dinner or fabulous flower bouquet, just something simple and thoughtful would do. :)

Anti Valentines Single Awareness Day Card - adelynSTONE

But alas, no Valentines for me this year! I shall spend the day listening to Adele's songs.

Oh yes, the giveaway. I have not forgotten about it! It's closed now and winners will be announced soon. I'm just so super busy this week it's just crazy!!

Welcome 2012!

2012 greeting card - laurageorge

To anyone that is reading this, happy new year!! May 2012 be a brand new year with lots of personal growth and abundant joy and inspirations. Indeed, there are a lot of amazing adventures ahead!

I don't have the habit of having new year resolutions, but I can see how that can be motivational in the long run. So here are my resolutions!

• Start a second shop on Etsy. Probably selling prints or other type of paper-related home decor wares. Who knows, I might even start a supplies destashing shop!
• Reach 600 sales in Skyejuice by the end of 2012!
• Work hard, but also remember to play harder! My Xbox is feeling lonely.
• Draw more! Current goal - one artwork per month! I might even start a tumblr account to post random sketches and photographs.
• Update this blog more promptly! (trying, really I'm trying!)
• Lose weight.

And maybe, just maybe, I can quit my day job this year! But that remains to be seen.

So what resolutions had you set this year? Whether for yourself or for your blooming online biz? Do you have success somewhere listed down in your new year resolutions?

I Love Secret Santas!

Aside from being a team leader for Team Etsy Malaysia, another team that I am actively participating is my treasury team - Curation Nation. We had a Secret Santa event this year, and look what I got in the mail last week!

I was told that it was going to be late due to the international location, but the parcel arrived just on time, early even! Perhaps they are more efficient this year. :) Although it was not Christmas yet, but I have the compulsive mail-opening-on-arrival disorder, and opened it on the spot. Sorry secret santa!!

Do you know that it takes massive amount of patience just to take these photos before I open them? Yes, I'm that excited to find out what is it. One more layer of packaging underneath, and doesn't this look so cute? :) Finally, after snapping this photo I proceeded to rip it open.

And look what I got!

TEA!!! I GOT TEA!!!! Thank you soooo much to Darcy from Splurge for getting these for me! She was my lovely secret santa! I mentioned that I loooove tea and I also made a wishlist some time ago. So she got me these lovely and oh-so-fragrant tea from The Hedgerow, which also happens to be a teamie of Curation Nation.

I haven't tried the tea yet though, I'm still waiting for my tea infuser to arrive. I had been looking for one since last month. You know... the ball with a chain type? But I couldn't find any in local tea shops or supermarkets. So I decided to get one online instead since my loose tea leaf collection is growing. (I got some loose tea leaves from another friend a while ago too) For now, I'll just settle with sniffing while I wait. The smell of these tea leaves are soooo strong and enticing!

Thank you again Darcy so so so so much!! Love Curation Nation!!

The Lone Guardian

Ginger, my long haired orange cat, is very territorial! Once a young kitten walked pass my front gates and she chased the poor thing away, clawing and biting. One back alley cat came into my yard once too, probably looking for food. She hissed and scratched and scared the poor thing away as well.

Despite all those, I still love her! She keeps all the mice at bay. :)

But she's so shy though! I can't seem to get a photo of her where she is looking into the lens!

Mid Autumn Festival

Mom's homemade mooncake, although a little shabby looking, is still the best mooncakes ever! :) For chinese, Monday is the Mid Autumn's Festival where we celebrate by eating mooncakes, having tea and light the house up with colorful lanterns. Family decide to celebrate a day earlier at my grandma's place. Although I am a little too old to play with lanterns... (it is mainly for children) I can still enjoy some mooncake along with my afternoon tea. :)

Happy Mid Autumn's Festival!

Ginger's Tail

About 4 months ago, I rescued a stray cat that lives on my street. She had a bad case of mange and had crust all caked up on her ears, and it looks icky and painful. I reached out to Dr Chan from Animal Care for help, because personally I do not own a pet myself, and asked for advice. She borrowed me her old carrier for the cat and when I threw a fish head into the carrier, the cat just dashed in! How hungry was she?!?

Her first visit to the vet to treat the mange, she had it bad on her legs and tail too. Ginger (I named her after the first vet visit) was emaciated as well, all skin and bones and only weighted 2kg. (4.4lbs) She was estimated to be about 11-14 years old judging from her missing teeth; she only had molars left.

Initially, I thought her tail was broken, maybe from some accident or something. The fur was just sooooo badly matted and the mange was so bad, the vet had to shave the whole thing! Turned out the broken tail was just an illusion caused by the matting!

Ginger and her shaven tail! I know she kind of looked terrible in this picture, like a wet rat or something lol. But she was still recovering from mange at this point. This picture was taken right after her 3rd jab.

And now, Ginger after having recovered from mange 3 months later. :) Look how furry the tail had grown! She had also become a lot fluffier for some reason, I initially thought she had medium-long hair, but it looks more like long-hair right now. She currently weights 2.75kg (6lbs) and my mom commented that she physically looks 'rounder in overall', haha. She had also been diagnosed with kidney failure and is on a special diet, plus she needs meds everyday. The diet seems to be doing wonders for Ginger as her weight gain only really started when she started on the diet. Just look at her now! :)

Right now, she is strictly an outdoor/yard cat, as my mom hates the idea of cat hair stuck everywhere in the house. (and Ginger sheds a LOT) So that's why she looks a little dirty/ragged still. She's a really obedient and smart cat though! She knows that she's not supposed to come into the house and won't go further than the welcoming mat. :)

Ramadan Food

It is the month of Ramadan, where muslims fast from dawn to dusk. But to celebrate the breaking of fast in the dusk, muslims usually have a feast! :D And it is only in this month you can find delicious food at Ramadan food bazaars selling all sorts of yummy food.

My first visit to the Ramadan bazaar at the Shah Alam stadium, which has roughly about 300 stalls. (crazy!) You can find all sorts of food from the usual nasi briyani, roti daging, cendol, satay to other weirder varieties like halal chow kuey teow, chinese style paus and even dim sum!! Needless to say, I feasted on these delicious food. My personal favorite are the colorful cendol! (those in the jugs)

Return from Americaland

Sorry for the abrupt absence from the blog, was just totally swept away by last minute preparations for my US trip. The blog and even my Etsy shop to a certain extent, went into a semi-hiatus mode from mid June onwards. I had to put my Etsy shop on vacation earlier than expected because of the preparations too.

But now that I am back, I will be trying my best to fight my jet lag and get my blog and Etsy shop moving again, yay! To start things off, here are some photos of flora that I shot during my trip in US. I do like to take photos of flowers and plants. :)

More to come!

And if you are interested to read about my adventures in the United States of America, feel free to drop by my travel blog here (or the banner above!) and read away! Just click on the "Next" links on the top right corner of every post to navigate through, or click on the links underneath the banner. :)