Tidying Up

Hello! It’s my rare post of the year, haha.

Winter is bit of a bummer, as I seem to always get sick! I worked at home for the majority of the week, and have gotten a little better. I’m just going to have to face the fact that I’m gonna be a bit sniffly for the rest of this season. I’ll continue to eat those vitamin c tablets, and buy mandarins. I do love myself a good sastuma mandarin. They’re so easy to peel without any unnecessary struggle. You can peel them all in one go!

I felt pretty productive this weekend. I tidied up, and got rid of two big bags of rubbish, and a big bag of clothes! It’s always tricky deciding what I should throw away .. but I remembered to keep the Konmari method in mind. Which items of clothing spark joy? Mind you, I’ve done this a couple of times .. and I couldn’t help but keep the ‘maybe’ pile (cos I’m such a closet hoarder! Pun not intended). It’s becoming smaller .. slowly but surely.

There was this episode of Aussie’s ‘The Living Room’ where Wengie was the featured guest. This was sooo refreshing compared to previous ‘hoarder' reality shows I have seen before. Usually, they show the hardout hoarders who keep years of literal trash lying around everywhere. But in this episode, it was so relatable to the everyday millenial hoarder. People who live a relatively normal life, but have a habit of buying things that can’t fit into a small apartment. It was quite informative actually. They had the guest take steps to minimise their belongings and teach them a few tips to organise their stuff bettter, and in a more presentable way.

Unfortunately, I can relate to it so much. I’m trying hard to cut down .. but I guess its tricky trying to fit a house worth of stuff into a small room. Especially when you have a few hobbies that need specific supplies. Yes, I have read Marie Kondo’s book, have listened to may podcasts about the subject but some part of me is afraid of doing the Konmari method for every category! It’s not only about the stuff .. its some psychological shit too. I’m gonna keep trying .. Maybe I just need a better storage system?

Also tried making some freezer meals. You have no idea how addictive it is looking through Pinterest for recipes! Nom noms … everything looks so delicious and I daydream about eating the meals, ohoho. Usually, the serving is quite large and it would probably feed a whole family rather as opposed to just one or two people. The idea behind freezer meals, is that you cook up a whole batch of meals on one day of the week/month and divide them into servings, chuck them in the freezer, and heat them up in the oven/microwave when you want to eat it. Easy peasy! This option is so attractive to me, because I often get frustrated about how much time it takes to cook meals after work when I’d want to just relax or focus on something else. Plus, it saves you a bit of money and forces you to think about healthy portions.

Oh, would you look at the time! I think I better go and rest~

Goodnight :)

Hairspray Live!

Just came back from watching Hairspray Live with my fellow gleeks! It was so much fun seeing the 2008 movie and the live event back to back.

Screenings with people from Glee are the best cos we all have no shame singing along as loud as we can!

Some thoughts from the screening:

☆ Like whoa! Jennifer Hudson's voice just blew my mind away especially in "I Know Where I've Been"

☆ On the topic on amazing voices, Kristin Chenoweth killed it too

☆ Garret Clayton was so unbelievably handsome as Link Larkin. He was totally made up to look like a young "Ken" doll hahaha

☆ I kept hearing out for Ariana Grande's voice (cos she's amazing!) but as P said, her soundcheck must not have been accurate since she was belting out in the rehearsals.

☆ I was late to our Rocky Horror screening so I missed out on the beanbags that time but DAYUM ARE THEY COMFORTABLE. To be truly honest, I was a bit hesitant to sit on one thinking "You mean, I CAN SIT ON ONE TOO!?" Haha, I have such a silly habit of thinking I don't deserve to do things, even with simple stuff like this. Doh. It was so relaxing~~

☆ I forgot how emotive the songs were. I just love musicals so much for this reason.

☆ Reminds me how much I love movies where the main character is 'supposed to be' outcasted from society but rises up above the top! Hooray for the underdog~

I really wanna belt out some songs, but my flatmate is probably sleeping right now. My favourite is "Without Love"!

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This weekend, our zine circle had a table at the Auckland Summer Zinefest. It was hardly summery with the rain pouring down like crazy! But once we got inside, it was real chill. Met a cool zinester (@peels_peels) who we were sitting next to, and ending up geeking out about Kyary Pamyu Pamyu and Grimes because it was the first time we both heard of this music playing out loud anywhere! I was so happy. It's also great hearing why people got into zines in the first place and finding kindred spirits.

As I walked around the stalls, I got more and more inspired to create a personal zine. There were all these people who shared such raw feelings and visuals in their zines. I love it. There's no restrictions or rules.

I guess the scariest thing about making a perzine is how you have to make yourself vulnerable. That is one of the things that I feel is holding me back from creating even better artworks. It's still scary to bare my soul even in a creative medium. I've had bad experiences from sharing my views. Sometimes, I feel like I have the most unpopular opinions and it stresses me out both mentally and emotionally to defend them all. I'd literally be typing and crying at the same time if I have strong views about a topic. At least with a zine, its a physical product with no comments section? Haha.

Maybe after sharing the whole truth, I will feel lighter from the emotional torment I've been pretending doesn't exist.

On the contrary, the few comics I made that I was the most embarrassed about sharing were the ones that people liked the most? It's funny how that works. Little me will just have to suck it up and post more of those!

Waiheke + Snow

Oh, hello dear blog. Long time no see.

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It was so freezing for a Spring day!

Went to Waiheke today with our web team. It was my first time wine tasting.

Quite an interesting experience, even though I have the lowest tolerance for wine. I learned that there are different wines that go with different foods - some better for savoury and some better sweet. Not that I'll be a wine connoisseur but its good to know!

The lady pouring us Pinot Gris.

Some shop displays in the store.

My preferred wine from the selection - Rose .. its pinky red!

Nice table decorations at Mudbrick

Nice chalkboard design on the wall at Fenice Cafe & Bar

I thought these lavenders looked pretty~

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I've also been lucky enough to catch the ski season on two occasions. In August, I went to Queenstown for a week with friends and recently to Ohakune with my boyfriend. Instead of skiing, I tried snowboarding for the first time this year! It was definitely an awesome skill to learn, though I'm still a total noob >//o//< 

When I went in August, I bought a two part snowboard lesson which was really helpful! I had absolutely no expectations of how I would be at this. I'm usually a very indoorsy type of person haha. One minute I was completely imbalanced with the snowboard, and later on I could actually control when I stopped and which direction I would go. I was so pleased with myself! Not that it means that I still don't fall down a zillion times hehe. 

Just one thing I may have to work on is stamina - I got tired pretty easily. *cough* Possibly a sign that I need to get more active with exercise and such ^-^;;

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I got motivated to start blogging again after reading some of Rainbowholic's posts. I love her blog - its so cute and uplifting. She wrote about how keeping a blog has helped her in both creative and personal respects. It's a nice way to share ideas, connect with like-minded people and be able to share a part of yourself with others in some way.

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Well, I'm getting a little tired /o\

Maybe that wine is still in my system! Until next time~

Life + To The Moon

It's nice to have a chill Saturday. 

The highlight of the day was buying a chair, as lame as that sounds. I am utterly pleased with this, as I have been sitting on a foot stool for about six months since living out again. Now using the computer can provide more comfort, oh yeah!

And thanks to the nice person who helped me halfway back to my apartment.
They saw me struggling every step OTL. You're a bloody legend.

Had so much fun last night belting out the karaoke! Definitely is more fun when you have other people in the room who are also enthusiastic. They had all the Frozen songs too! ^^ Sold.

Spending too much time with people IRL can make me feel tired, even though its fun. I haven't had a hermit moment since two weekends ago so it feels good to get that energy bar restored back to green. If only I could have potions to deal with that, but in real life that would be drugs. And drugs are bad, mkay?

These past two months went fast. Let's roll back and see how much I can remember.

Started to get into drawing again. Baby steps.

Went to a bonfire night, board game parties, bush walking, escape room, caught up with old friends, made some new ones, karaoke, lantern festival, Hamilton Armageddon and anything else I can't remember. I should really note these in real time, huh. 

Dear future self, sorry I was too lazy busy for that.

Beach Day!

Had a great time with my friends in the weekend!

On Saturday, went on a photoshoot with some other friends.

Chlo-chan and I coincidentally bought the same dress without one another knowing. Great minds think alike!

On Sunday, I had a wonderful time at the beach in East Auckland.

We sculpted Rin from Free! in the sand.

 

Dat booty!

Don't know how our plan to build Baymax .. then Olaf turned into Rin's beautiful butt haha.

What a lovely way to end the summer holidays~

Now, back to business.

The Year of 2014

Ｏ(≧▽≦)Ｏ HAPPY NEW YEAR !! Ｏ(≧▽≦)Ｏ

So 'tomorrow' obviously means a whole week (plus) later! Ahem, excuse my haphazard blogging schedule.

It is almost the end of my Christmas/New Year holiday and I'll be back at work on Monday, so it will be great to just chill out for these last few days before the routine kicks back in.

What was the year of 2014? Well, the ultimate achievement was definitely getting into full time work in an industry I enjoy. I will continue to strive in this area for years to come, so it will be an ongoing course of development.

On the personal side of things, things pretty much stayed the same if not worse. Some circumstances this year have made me feel a little more fragile and I hope to rise above it again and help myself as much as I can.

I forgot that when I get into my work, I really get into it and have no room left for anything else ... I tend to have a one track mind once I'm set on something ...  but I suppose its normal for the first year and hopefully I will have more energy to spare in 2015!

There were some pretty cool things that happened in 2014 though ...

Japan Trip

First overseas trip! And oh boy, was I excited.

I had the opportunity to go to Japan with a group of friends and it was AMAZING, It was everything I had imagined and there's no doubt that I will go back there again!

I appreciate all the everyday things the country has. The convenience stores were ever so convenient. The items that were so expensive in New Zealand were so affordable! (Duh) The people were so polite and courteous to one another. The customer service was amazing. People took care of the way they dressed more. The packaging is so cute. They have mascots for everything. The souvenirs were too cute. The environment was so clean and curated. The night life was buzzing so things were still happening after work hours, like malls were open till 7-ish every day! Everything was presented so well. Japanese graphic design! Trains were on time, and very handy to travel from place to place. THE SHOPPING EXPERIENCE - I HAVE NO WORDS. I didn't save too much for spending though .. so next time I shall be fully prepared >o>

People were so stealthy with their games haha ... when we were in the Tokyo trains, everyone looked so professional but I would always get a few streetpasses on my 3DS every time I passed them. Managed to collect at least one person from every region, oh yeah! This shall be the challenge now every time I go to a new country~ alas it will probably be more difficult unless I go to a convention or something.

It was also the first time I've been in a country where the people were predominantly Asian, so I don't know ... I guess I felt at 'home' if that makes any sense. Even though I'm Chinese ...

If I have some time, I may do a photo log of my experiences there to keep as a memento. Hopefully everything will come back to me when I go through the pictures.

There are just too many things to mention that I don't know where to start!

The verdict: Best trip ever!

(Now, where did I put those photos ...)

Concerts

I was fortunate enough to attend two concerts of two amazing artists. Paramore early in the year, and Kimbra later in the year. Both performances were strong and had amazing stage presence.

Chlo-chan and I (and Kimbra!) We were fortunate enough to be in the second row~ Wooo!

Kimbra's performance was so passionate and sonically driven! I love her flared dress too. So cute.

(I seemed to have misplaced my Paramore pics, noooo .. will go on scavenger hunt!)

Shopping Trips

I like to shop alone most times, because that way I don't have to inconvenience anybody and take up too much of their time. Cos I am so fussy, I take forever deciding if I want to buy something or not. Only recently did I discover that there was a Japanese makeup shop in the city! IPPONDO! Apparently it was already there for nine years, but somehow I must have missed it. It is a dreamland~ All the cute makeups! All the hair dye colours! Eye shadow palettes in the cute colours I actually use! Blush colour palettes that are more subtle and soft in colour! And OMG .. Dolly Wink products. Once I used the Dolly Wink eyeliner, I never want to go back. Super waterproof even for my oily as eyes. I'm gonna be a gullible consumer and say that the packaging of the products are amazing too. This is the graphic designer part of me showing ~~

It's also fun going on cosplay shopping trips with friends too. Manukau is a great location to buy fabrics. David's Emporium has quite a few affordable fabrics and haberdashery, and if items can't be found there - Spotlight is just a walk away.

Annie Cosplay

I managed to complete one cosplay! I am terrible and left this till the last week before Armageddon .. when I had freelance work due that week too /o\

This year, things have got to change. There is more responsibility and costumes are more complex.

I am glad I managed to finish the costume. The character was Annie from League of Legends. The items I made were the pink backpack, kitty headband, dress and leg warmers~ Ended up buying a teddy bear for a makeshift Tibbers (that does the haka, LOL)

I remember how hectic that week was! But Amey was also making last minute progress with her TF2 costume too, so we had a mini sewing party which helped lift the spirits and motivation too!

Conventions and Cosplay Events

Always something to look forward to every year! Overload, Armageddon and various new cosplay events that have popped up everywhere~ It is always such fun participating in events where you are allowed to embrace in your geekiness through and through ^^

Australia Trip

Planned a fun two week getaway with my bestie, Lunatarius. The trip turned out to be an epic adventure of theme parks and being a tourist, food, shopping(!) and good ol' relaxing.

The Gold Coast had very nice warm weather! It was quite dry compared to the more humid warm weather we get in Auckland. It was a nice time of year to travel because it wasn't too packed in this tourist area. We went to a few of the theme parks - Dreamworld, Movie World, and Sea World.

Above: The view from the Eureka Skydeck in Melbourne

Melbourne is a nice, liveable city. Felt like a bigger Auckland - with better transport and more places to shop. Seems like a place that is easy to adapt.

Attended a gaming convention called PAX. First overseas convention! Mostly hung around the board games area and showed up for the cosplay talks that were held that day. Much insight, and glad to get some useful tips for future cosplays - especially with my future endeavour into creating armour!

Managed to buy Cards Against Humanity! It was a very good idea. Been having the best time playing and giggling along to this game with my friends since xD The only downside was that it was a pretty heavy item to take home OTL

Made a little mouse out of paper~

Randomly bumped into the talented Ry! xD

Had just encountered him tabling at Auckland Armageddon just week earlier~ I remember being so excited to see him at the event the first time last year because it was the first time an international artist I admired online had come to little ol' New Zealand! [Artwork]

(Excuse my derp face roflmao)

Was fortunate to meet an online buddy in Melbourne - the awesome, talented Chan! It was also the first time meeting someone I talked to online~ She showed me around the city and nice places to eat.

Helped influence my decision to buy cute items of clothing faster too >o> Darn it - feeding my shopping addiction~ Now, I wear that pink usamimi almost every day haha - thank you.

Hope to visit again!

I may need to make a photo log of Australia as well at some point as a memento~ too many things to mention.

The verdict: Awesome getaway across the ditch!

Christmas Holiday

These past two weeks have been a blast! We had free drinks at work on that last Friday haha, and launched right into holiday mode.

Below: Tapas with some workmates

Travelled a little during the break. Spending time with family. Went to Paintball for the first time. Caught up with friends with watching The Hobbit and dinner at Doolan Brothers. Played lots of board games which was a lot of fun! Cards Against Humanity seemed to be a best buy of the year as it seems to be a hit when lots of people are gathered together. Always a game that has you rolling on the floor with laughter. Made paper children, and geocaching with Amey. Saw Big Hero 6 with Lunatarius.

Below: Clay Pot Bibimbap in Hamilton! Mmm, dat crispy rice.

Below: Christmas Eve gathering.

Watched The Hobbit -> Dinner at Doolan Brothers -> Dessert and Cards Against Humanity at Goode Brothers! So much fun >u<

Below: Paintball haps with my cousin's cousins and their friends.

I don't think I will go to paintball again unless super peer pressured! I ended up eating paint /o\ But it was a good experience to tick off the bucket list, lol xD

Below: Making Paper Children with Amey

She made creepy paper heads of Janelle and I /o\ Totally accurate of course.

Been to Rotorua a couple times, but somehow this is the first time I encountered geothermal activity without having to pay to see it o.o We were out geocaching when we chanced upon it~

Played some board games with Lunatarius n his crew, including this one called 'Hot Tin Roof'. Cute game where your little board markers are cats, and the aim of the game was to collect the most fish.

Managed to get myself into playing some handheld games too - especially Tomodachi Life of which I am so addicted to at the moment! It's nice being god for once ROFLMAO. And its funny seeing real life people and fictional characters interact ... let the shipping begin.

I do not know why I subject myself to playing Five Night at Freddy's though /o\ I bought it for Amey! But she insisted I should have a go too. *Nervous laughter* Never again ..

Maybe you should play~

I just travelled back to Auckland on New Year's Eve and felt a bit dizzy. Guess why?

I started playing Persona Q on the bus, and I wanted to take a photo of a cute quotes ... but when I was trying to position the phone in the right angle, I got a bit nauseas. Darn it, dorkiness you did it again!

Cute new character - Rei-chan~
She seems to be obsessed with food hehe

Had the best ever Skype session with some friends counting down the last minutes of 2014 while geeking out and playing Cards Against Humanity online.

And then, today - had an impromptu photoshoot with some other friends. This was my look today. Am so tempted to go blonde for real, so had bought two boxes for that moment when I will take that leap! We'll see if that happens ...

So much fun during this break, when I thought I was just gonna draw my life away haha.

And now its almost come to an end!

Maybe I'll take it easy these last few days~

What about 2015?

I'll keep it simple this year.

In 2015, I want to be happy.