Uber busy rite now...

....came back yesterday and just catching up with family and friends....as well as the dreaded work load (which isnt so bad). Also a wedding this weekend where H and I are the gf and bf of the bride n groom so will prob update after that....and a loooong body massage!!

Oh in the meantime, do pop over to SIC's blog to find out about this weekend's crop party!!

Oh ya, apparently I havent posted up this LO which I did for SIC's May Challenge....u cud have seen it on the site but here it is again :)

Oxford is filled with tradition...

Since arriving here, we have visited numerous colleges and admired their beautiful architecture and meticulously looked after lawns. Each college has a history of its own and their own traditions. For eg. In St John's college, only fellows are allowed to "step on the grass" so to speak and only members of Christchurch college (where Harry Potter and the Golden Compass was filmed) are allowed to walk in the centre courtyard.

My sister's college, University College was the 1st Oxford University College and is of course full of pioneers in their own field (as is each college). Its one of the biggest and is where Bill Clinton (whose former room is opposite my sister's) spent a year studying as did his daughter Chelsea Clinton (whose former room my sister is staying in now, well till tmr anyway). Australian President Bob Hope was also in Oxford previously and is best known for downing yard of beer in abt 11 seconds :)

There is so much history and culture here. They try very hard to keep their old traditions such as wearing gowns for occasions and during exams (People who get 1st class in their 1st year are upgraded to nicer gowns thereafter....like more than half of my sister's friends that we've met seem to have managed to cross that hurdle so far...and no she hasnt got her results yet so I dont know). Ur college parents (2nd year students) are supposed to give u carnations to wear during ur exams. A white carnation is worn on the 1st day of ur exams then a pink one and a red carnation for ur last day. When u come out of ur last exam, ur friends are supposed to "rag" u by throwing food n stuff at you. This was stopped last year after someone slipped n fell on some of the remains of a "rag" injuring themselves. They are asked to keep to confetti and sprays etc now.

It was warm-ish when we arrived yesterday...comfortably warm but today it was just freezing!! If I was used to UK weather like I was 3 years ago then it wouldnt be a problem but today I was longing for my jumper and a longer jacket!! Oh and I must embarass my sister here because she did not wake up to greet us yesterday and left me on the verge of taking her over my lap n smacking her backside when she turned up. Her phone was off when we arrived at Heathrow yesterday and continued to be off even when we reached Oxford. Apparently the battery had run out in her sleep so she was uncontactable until finally woke up. My aunt and I were sitting in a cafe wondering what to do with ourselves and our luggage after we had finished our breakfast!! The lousy weather ruined our plans to visit Blenham Castle today but we did manage to go strawberry picking. I think I was the only one who picked more than I ate but it was fun all the same.

A BBQ is in the works tmr before we move on to London and meet my dear friend Clarissa and hopefully Edd will come out for dinner :) Thankfully London will be a bit warmer...I do hope the weather gets warmer especially for Prague n Paris next week!! No pictures yet as I have yet to move them onto my sister's lappy cos she's supposed to be all packed up so we can leave with peace of mind tmr but....hmm....we'll hv to see how it goes at this point!!

Just before I leave...

SC's 20 boxes have arrived....Z told me she would be heading there later so I've asked her to get me the whole MM Passport collection. It just totally suits this big trip (when I eventually scrap it). Got to have it! Not coveting the other stuff as much.

I'm flying in less than 8 hrs.....wohoo!!

I'm flying tomorrow night.....Yipee!!

...and being a woman who has a full closet and yet laments that she has nothing to wear, I need to decide (firmly) what I'm going to bring with me. Weather in Europe is a bit titchy now cos it's warm (but not hot) though sometimes I would require a jacket. There is also the issue of what shoes to bring, how many clothes, gifts for friends etc. My colleague has a great suggestion of...(and I quote)

"Don’t understand what the problem is……all you need to bring is one change of under and outer wear in your huge suitcase, one foldable/expandable bag, mobile phone, passport, ticket, any confirmation of reservations, some cash, ALL CREDIT & ATM cards!!!!"

Another suggested bringing 3 G-strings which could be used a total of 6 times and get totally skanky!! Eww!!!

My boss only just realised last Fri that I am going on long leave. He also forgot that he was the one who approved my leave. I've been doing all my last minute stuff since the weekend and trying to clear my table too...I've got a new secretary as of today and I bet she's relived that I'm going away after tmr...LOL.

Oooh the gals and I had an absolutely lovely weekend at Empire with lots of snacks, chocolate (birthday) cake, soft fluffy duvets and great laughs and conversation. We got to stay in the Lagoon section which was quite new for me though I liked being quite near a pool and the layout makes u feel like ur not in Brunei.

It was my (remaining) grandad's birthday last night and I ate too much....I think I've had enough of birthday cakes for now...someone's just told me to eat lots in Prague....I'm going to be so super fat!!

Anyways, I'll leave u with an LO I made the other nite when I scrapped till 2am. It was kinda nice to not be scrapping for a competition or challenge or submission for a change. I wanted to call it a night at 12ish then I saw these pics I had printed of the couples spa me and H did in KK calling out to be scrapped and I gave in. I mainly used my April SOMO kit and I loved the texture of the CS here cos it felt like wood. Love the border stamp and the little journalling one. Nice n simply ya?



Btw, shameless plug for my 2nd cousin's new shop at Kiulap Mall called UrbanChic. She has some GREAT stuff there and I especially LOVE the accessories!! I bought a ring and earrings...very bling bling. I'm resisting the necklaces for now. I bought a dress that was way over my budget but just too beautiful to resist and a long white shirt that is just absolutely cool!! I contributed well to her opening with my purchases and its not all expensive (I just happened to pick the more expensive clothes). Some really good deals to be found there. Rest assured I will be back again when their new shipment comes in 2 weeks (since alot of their stuff is gone already)...that is if I havent spent too much on holiday *gulp*

Oh i'm also pleased to record that I have managed to avoid mass SB shopping...I'm being very strict with myself now. The last time was at Jazz's for B&B chipboard which I split with Z, some Perfect Pearls n a couple of things from Scrap4Less. I think I'm being good :)

Pencillines (#87)

This is my first attempt at a sketch from Pencillines and it was rather fun. So much easier when u have an idea of what to do and just have to pick the right stuff to "fit" into the sketch.



I popped up the black AC flowers (which looks so easy to cut out but so wasnt)to give the LO some dimension. This is pretty simple compared to the ones I'm used to :)

SIC Challenge #3 - My Favourite Things

Like I mentioned previously the new SIC Challenge has been posted and please do take part this month. Dont forget u'll be up for a yummy RAK if you win. Dont be shy even if ur a new scrapper cos they is a RAK for best effort too!!

I was up scrapping till almost 2am last nite...did 3 LO's. Another 2 to show you but all in good time :)

Btw Ruey is giving away RAK's....lots of em....go check it out here!!

Artz De Scrap Challenge

For the first time, I took part in a ADS Challenge and I forgot to submit it before I left for KK....doh!!





Lots of techniques here. Painted over the whole canvas. It was already pre-gessoed so didnt have to do anything. I used the "masking tape transfer" method for my photos which I picked up from Scrapscene (love the effect btw). I embossed around the main photo with my 7 gypsies script stamp. I tried to layer my flowers and 3D-ed them so that it would look like a bouquet on my LO. I've also used a Hambly transparency and Prima bling. Oh I played with the bubble wrap too. Can u see it behind the Hambly? TFL!!

One night....

I was looking after dad in the hospital. He was sitting and trying to practise his signature cos he couldnt remember how to do it anymore. It was like trying to teach a child in a way. He knew it but he couldnt understand why he was unable to do it. This was a signature he used to sign dozens of times everyday and the fact that he wasnt able to do it wasnt a good sign. He had had a stroke the week before where his brain was working but his whole body was paralysed. They said he was dehydrated and after some drips he came back but it had already affected him.

After he decided to rest, he suddenly thought to ask me how much I weigh. Still being conscious of my weight at the time I said I was heavier than my sister (J2). So he asked me how much my sister weighed. I told him and then he asked me how much he weighed. I told him his weight was only 40+ at the time. Then he said "So I must be really short then". I didnt know whether to laugh or cry as I gently told him that he was taller than all of us actually but its just that he wasnt very well and that's why he needed to get better.

He passed away after a couple of weeks....

*This memory is still with me now after over 2 years and I want it to stay with me. I havent found the right picture to scrap it with so I want to blog it first to make sure its at least recorded somewhere*

A Few of my Favourite Things

Hi, I know I've been a bit quiet lately. Just lots of stuff to do before I fly off. KK was nice n relaxing but I ended up very tired cos of all the walking and our flight got delayed. It was great to catch up with my dear friend Andrey again and my spa with H was just lovely. Will update another time. In the meantime do hop over to SIC for the latest challenge which is to scrap about your favourite things. Our Guest DT has done a stunning job and so have the resident DT's. Do try the challenge today!!