I am now waitiing for my photos to transfer,it takes so long,writing a blog to wish everyone merry chrsitmas and happy new year,2 more days to 2010,new year new resolution.Wish everyone a better 2010!!!
Frequently, I will fall madly in love with a piece of furniture that leaves even my closest friends & allies scratching their heads in confusion. Such was the case with my new desk. When I first showed it to my husband, I could tell he was skeptical, but knew better than to say so...When the glimmer is in my eye, just back away.
It was love at first glance on Craigslist for me:
So I contacted the owner to arrange a viewing. We had several conversations over the course of a few days while attempting to fit our schedules together and I learned that the desk had belonged to his mother and he had the pity-able task of sorting out her belongings. I told him that I was a furniture maker and would take really good care of it...that I wasn't sure if I would refinish it, or leave it alone, but either way it would be loved. In a small way, I think these exchanges may have been a bit therapeutic for him, as I sensed he was perhaps a bit choked up on the other line.
I should mention, in addition to being incredibly kind, he was also extremely fair with the price ($45 for desk, chair, & mirror) and generously offered to deliver it to me for free.
So yesterday, when he showed up, it was an easy no brainer. I saw it on the truck, knew it was love, handed him the money, and brought it in the house. It was a little dirty from being in storage, but a little simple green & elbow grease was all it took to clean up nicely:
While pulling out one of the drawers, my husband discovered hidden treasures had fallen into the back of it. I couldn't believe it - a beautiful desk AND hidden treasure! I had hit the jackpot. The best things we found: an antique bottle opener, stolen from a San Francisco hotel called The Raphael; a porcelain lid to a tiny box (this must have made her CRAZY trying to find it); an old silver swiss army knife? or nail cutter?; and best of all - a tiny gold skeleton key with a #2 on it.
Doesn't that just pique your sense of wonder & adventure like crazy???!!!! WHAT on earth does that key open and HOW will I find it?
Well, those questions may have to go unanswered. I plan to call the man today and offer him what I found...but I'm REALLY hoping he doesn't want them back, because I love them so much! I would like to keep them with the desk, either displayed behind my computer or in a shadow box on the wall. Each item has so much history and so many secrets to tell...If I am allowed to keep them, I know they will provide endless inspiration and possibly good luck while spending long hours feverishly writing at this desk.
When I was a desk jockey in San Francisco, I frequently changed my desktop image to something happy and tropical because I was, well - unhappy & cold. Now that I'm back in Hawaii, I wanted to put some images out into the internets, in case anyone out there is searching for warm, flowery, happy, tropical, Hawaii wallpaper:
I am right now waiting for Mr.P.L.Lee,we are going back to made 'tang yuan"Jon-the chef going to cook us superb dinner,looking forward to all the yummy food.According to him Solister winter is something greater than Chinese new year,never know this before until i know him.
So many partying going around recently.Resolution for 2010???I guess i would be same as last year becoming slimmer,become smarter,this is the final year,i wish i could pause the time,so i can be smarter and slimmer,at the same time knowing that how much time is given,it would be the same too.This year got another mission,i wanna be a great girlfriend.What is the definition of it?I don't know what is that definition of it.I will try to make every minute worth spending and memorable!!
Alvin is away,of course missing him.The house is kind of quiet,luckily Jon and PL is around!!!
I'm in Seoul Korea...
First the weather is super cold, but i'm feeling alright because Ukraine is colder i think. But too bad for Khong Ming and Shi Lian.
Second, we were eating non stop for the whole day. I think i have put on so much weight. Wasted my effort to diet. But i kinda like korean food. Although they are mainly made with spices and chili.
Third, So many things to buy here. Don't know where to start. I want everything but i can't buy everything. I don't have much weight to bring back to KL. And i can't buy much back to Ukraine... :(
Yea..i love Asia and i enjoy Seoul so much. This is my first day in Seoul!!
I'm ready to fly.....
So I'm now counting down to my departure time.....
Will be flying with TK to Seoul via Istanbul. I'm thinking what to do during my 9 hours stop over in IST. Plan to go to Grand Bazaar, besides that nothing much. Might be just wondering around the town, visit those places i have been before or even just stay in the room. I might hop on a bus to Taksim and eat some oyster rice ...yummy....
Will be arriving at Seoul on Friday 5pm local time. Hope i can easily find my way out of the airport and meet Khong Ming in the town with all my luggages... :p And i hope those people speak English but i already have worst plan for it. I hope Seoul will be warm, not so cold. Well, I'm looking forward and I hope i will have a wonderful time with Khong Ming and his wife, besides all the site seeing, eating and shopping.....
Then i will fly with Cathay Pacific to KL via Hong Kong on Monday. Will be in KL on Monday evening.
So many things in my mind now....about transit, business class, baggage weight, Seoul, weather, money....etc....Well, just let it be. Traveller suppose to be care free. And I'm learning to be one.
So good bye everyone....An Nyeong hi kye se yo (goodbye)
PS:- might head to gym tomorrow early morning before i leave...hope i manage to wake up!!
As the pipe clamp blisters began to pop and heal on my hands, I knew I was in a race against myself to find my next gig in woodworking. I had just quit my job after I was put on a mandatory 72-hour work week schedule, which was neither safe nor necessary in the warehouse where I was a full time furniture maker. From my first taste of sawdust, I was hooked. I loved everything about it, especially the aches & pains associated with putting in a hard day of manual labor.
I had moved thousands of miles from my industrial Michigan factory roots, only to go to college and decide the blue collar life is what I wanted. I quit my job, only when it was obvious that it would either kill or permanently injure me...but it was still one of the hardest decisions I have ever had to make. Besides the fact that I love it, I realize now how wrapped up I was in the identity of being just one thing...In my working life, I have always had to have at least three side hustles going on and I've done everything from nude modeling, to being a maid, a well-paid executive assistant, an extra in movies, a make-up artist, to an apprentice sander in a woodshop.
When I call home to update my family, typically, whatever it is I describe is met with unconditional love & acceptance, even if there is a tinge of it not necessarily being understood. As a woodworker, I was finally able to align myself with an identity - one thing that I loved being and doing...and it was so much easier to explain that!
Predictably, when the job fell apart, I scrambled for any paying gig I could find on craigslist. As it turns out, it was a good time to be involved with film making and I even signed up for acting classes. Being involved in the process is as exciting as it seems like it would be - even the long hours of waiting, while being completely dressed to the nines for a 6:00 a.m. call time, shouldn't be exciting, but it still is.
Around this time I also found work as a fit model, working for a local design house. It's a job that pays very well but the work is inconsistent. Still, I am extremely thankful to have it, even if it is a bit weird for me to use it as an identifier at the dentist's office and have the receptionist squeal and ask me a bunch of questions about the job. That's a rock star moment, I'm not going to lie, but it's completely foreign to me to identify myself as "model" in any capacity...especially when "factory rat" was a closer signifier just weeks ago.
I'm not sure if all the discomfort in lacking a fixed occupation or identity squarely rests on my shoulders, or if I am reacting to other people's confusion when I try to explain, "Well, I'm actually a furniture maker, but I'm out of work, so I'm doing the acting and modeling thing, while looking for another woodworking gig." Who does that? I'm not sure if I even understand myself anymore.
In the long run, it's probably a good thing that I am so versatile & adaptable - I always have something relevent for any type of resume I'm creating for myself (and I have at least 3); but I long for the day when I have a short answer to the question, "So what do you do?"
I'm leaving soon. I will start to pack my bags tomorrow. Is nice to escape the cold weather. More over, heard some news about H1N1 outbreak in Crimea. Hope it doesn't get worse. If not, we will be facing trouble.
After all the stories, I'm so sorry to someone. Sorry because i put him in that situation. I knew this gonna happen. The pressure, the stress that he doesn't need to bear.... Cross finger everything will turn out fine.
It was snowing the other day. Weather getting so cold. My last winter is here...
My self declare holiday started yesterday. Was kinda weird just staying at home. Didn't have much time to worry about the class because i was too busy cleaning the apartment and preparing for my Christmas party yesterday night. It turn out great. We have different combination of people.....
We have so much fun although some of them are not so close with Choon Huan and Siew Jing. But i guess they enjoy too :p
We had Greek Salad for stater follow by French onion soup. The main course we got to choose between fish or chicken. Side dish we had bake pork ribs and bake potato...
Then we had carrot cake with ice cream for desert. They brought a lot of foods here too. Some brought chocolate, Soon Chen brought Stone cake. I love it. It's tasty. I'm not sure weather the food was really great, but i hope they enjoy the food as well
We have fun chit chatting. The girls went to play make up and left the boys in the hall talking...
Some pic before they left,
PS: all dressed up so nice....hahahaha...I got a shock!!
Went out today after class with a purpose. Then it turn out was a get away for me. Things always turn out to be surprise if you never plan for it. I had a wonderful time - with foods, a little alcohol and chat.... It make the cold weather felt better then it suppose to be!
Today our sir offer a interesting task to one of us in the group. It sounded like the one who willing to take the task will be able to go home earlier after finishing the task. It struck me. I want it. It's so not me to get off in the middle of class. But i just felt for it. But sir offer someone else in the group before i was in time to raise up my hand. And it turn out to be a scam. Yes, SCAM....The fellow need to go to university to hand in some document and in return he will get a stack of document back to pass back to our sir. Free labour + self paid transportation.......Wahahhaha...Luckily I'm not in time to raise my hand. Moral of the story is, not everything look like candy is sweet...wahahha
Count down for 2 more days....
