Barcelona

I just got home on Sunday from an 8-day trip to Barcelona. I had a TERRIFIC time! Four of us, all from different places met for a break there. It was great to catch up with friends and get to know Barcelona, and of course Gaudi!

Well, some ppl think 8 days is too long a time to spend in just one city, buy hey, I loved it. I enjoyed every minute of it - despite having to walk non-stop daily maybe 10 hours or more per day. It is good for me, cos I never get to exercise my legs for that length of time otherwise.

What do I love most? I think Gaudi is a genius! I love his buildings - and I think his concept of architecture was simply brilliant - I sure would LOVE to have lived in a house built by him. I like all the sights I managed to see - Picasso museum was nice, Palau de la musica Catalana was fabulous, Tibidabo was such a pleasant surprise, and Monserrat was nice even tho the weather was not too great that day.

I came home tired but just simply thankful to be able to have a holiday in a beautiful city. I'll be posting pics from the trip at some point....

Spring Layout

Here's another layout - been trying out a few techniques on PSE. Like how to cut semi-circles on patterned paper... so here's the result.

A Very Talented Artist in the Making

Over the past week, I had lovely gifts from an 8 yr old girl who is very talented. I think everyone has gifts and talents which should be encouraged and nurtured. Well, still nothing is lovelier than to receive such gifts from the heart. I've also done 2 layouts for her.

Small Treasures of Life

Last month amidst packing to shift from the old house, I found a letter from a wonderful lady I met in Auckland. This letter was dated more than 10 years ago. She has since passed on but when I read her letter I couldn't help but to whisper a word of thanks to God. I guess we don't always give thanks for friendships and kind words offered.

We met in a meeting, and Jean made a point to reach out to me. I'm thankful for that, and when I was getting ready to leave NZ, she cooked a meal for me. I brought her roses, which she spoke of in the letter she wrote. I'm sure she thought of me often as I've thought of her. Our paths only crossed for one season, but the impact of the encounter will stay with me forever. It's not often we meet someone who is so lovely and kind. I just hope someday when my time is up, someone can say the same about me - that I have made a positive impact on them.

Merry Christmas & Happy New Year

Well, finally we've moved to a new place - shifting stuff is almost done, I still have a few things to clear from the old house. It's amazing bcos we've moved stuff from 2 houses into 1 - it's a good thing I have the room in the loft which has a small store room connected to it. Otherwise I would not be able to be close to all my craft supplies. I love my new room - it has a nice ceiling with exposed wood, an English touch I suppose.

For the past 3-4 weeks in prep for the move, I've been assembling furniture and shelves - yup, I'm the "handyman" in the family. It's been hard work - I still need to put in 6 doors on the shelves. Apart from that, everything else is done.

To all my friends and visitors to the blog, I wish you a wonderful Christmas and another "good" Year ahead. It's been a tough 2 years for me since coming home, but I promise myself next year will be different! I'm certainly going to see Barcelona whatever happens and maybe a few other places if time permits.

Have a good one!

Live in the Moment....

Recently, despite my busy schedule trying to juggle part-time work, packing & getting ready to shift to a new place and selling my works of art at a local bazaar, I've spent every single spare moment I have on my computer. As I mentioned, I've bought e-books over the internet and finally had a chance to look at them. Here's a simple collage I learnt today. The poppy flower was taken at a botanical garden in Auckland earlier this year and the quote "live in the moment" really reflects how I feel right now.

Time flies so quickly and I'm learning how to appreciate every moment I have - with people, doing the things I love and just living the simple life...

Flowers - my favourite subject

It has been a while since I last blogged. Been busy with lots, getting ready to move into a new place, lots of packing up to do, buying some furniture, etc...

This week I've been busy downloading stuff from digital scrapbooking websites - buying kits and e-books to improve my Photoshop Elements knowledge with the hope to be able to produce better layouts. But I have not had time to read the books! Typical, isn't it?

Here's some pics taken in Penang - mad search for flowers back in Feb. Every place I visit, I try to take the local flowers to fill my album of flowers of the world...