Hi friends!

Recently I tried to make falafel!

Growing up in Singapore, my staples were chicken rice, fishball kuaytiao soup, roti prata, milo and the like. I've only heard of falafel in my teen years (through Tumblr, no less) and only recently tried it as an adult. Slow but better late than never. 

I followed this video! This guy delivers his instructions in a very rhythmic, fun and humorous manner.  Love it! 

Our falalel from Pita Bakery at Haji Lane.

To more kitchen adventures! 

Love,

• worldofxtra (life in Japan)
• purplekabocha (art vlog in NYC)
• Gala Studio (life in California)
• mikan (life in Japan)
• Belinda Chen (life in Singapore)
• Leah's Fieldnotes  (life in Canada)

etc etc.

Vlogging seemed like a nice way to record life and preserve some memories. The filming and editing parts also seemed like fun, so I thought I could give it a try! I used my iPhone, tripod and planned to use iMovie because I no longer have access to Adobe Premiere Pro. 

.

.

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Well, obviously it was not as easy as I thought. 

😂

Here are 3 things I learnt while trying to vlog. 

1. My tripod sucks.

I got this tripod off Shopee for under $10 to prepare for a trip (that did not happen because of Covid-19). It was lightweight, had a remote control option and looked convenient for travelling. 

Well it's just as well because I found out that this tripod is not very stable! It SWAYS when my fan is blowing gently at it. Oh gosh. Imagine having your phone or heavy camera on it only to have it smash to the ground. That's not fun.

2. Vlog Visuals are so hard to attain

I think usually the vlogs strive to have a certain standard of aesthetic. I mean, who wants to want stuff with terrible lighting and framing? Apart from the technical stuff, when your space is cluttered or filled with 'non-aesthetic' things like wires, it's going to make your video look BAD!!!

Here's me trying to do a 'food segment' with avocado and shichimi togarashi. 

I know vlogs are supposedly 'more authentic' but damn it's hard when things don't look very YouTube worthy. 

Look at Honey Jubu's work!  Everything in the frame is gorgeous. 

3. Having to do things 'right' 

I tried to film myself cooking chickpeas, only to realise that my cooking method was wrong.  

🤦‍♀️

 Help. It was also hard to find a space to put my tripod in the kitchen. 

I also tried to do an 'unboxing' sequence where I tried to show the camera something from the box. I aimed wrongly so the item was off screen. Help.

It's hilarious, actually!!! (Maybe I should do comedic vlogging...) 

•·················♡·················•

I have come to conclude vlogging is extremely difficult, even before editing! IF I'm going to attempt it again, I would use my camera which has a flip mirror screen and invest in a better tripod. 

I was a little worried that vlogging would be my new hobby, because it seemed to be a very time consuming activity. The funny thing is, I do not usually like to take videos, not even short-form ones for IG stories, so WHAT WAS I THINKING when I tried to vlog with my phone? Hahaha. Vlogging world, you have been spared from the menace which is me!!! 

Well, nothing beats trying something out once to dissuade oneself. It was still a valuable experience for me ^^

Signing off,

Skye

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Chinese New Year is almost upon us!

One of the must-do activities to prepare for this festival is to spring clean.

It's both practical and symbolic. What's a better way than to start the new year fresh and clean?

I recently subscribed to this YouTuber called Samurai Matcha. He is a teacher in a small Japan village who in explores extreme minimalism.

This is one of the most extreme exercises he tried. First, he emptied his room and put everything in storage.  The challenge was that he was only allowed to take out one item daily from his storage over 30 days. He didn't even let himself start with a set of clothing* (only a sumo underwear), toothbrush or a mattress!

*(Of course, he allowed himself to have work equipment and to be dressed properly for work.)

 He even went grocery shopping barefoot. 

He also ran barefoot.

Appalling but amazing to watch. 

Here we go again!

This is my second go at stamp carving, using a $2 Daiso rubber stamp pad instead!

The pad has three colours - white in the middle, and blue and yellow for the top and bottom. You are supposed to carve away the softer blue/yellow layers.

I also bought an Artline Stamp pad (Black) $3.45 ($3.10 if you are a Popular member).

I found a tiny chisel in my dad's toolbox so I tried to use that too. I also learnt that people use something called a U-gouge but I don't have that at hand.

Attempts 1-4, left to right.

Here are my results! The first time I thought I had to flip the image so I copied the letters from the other side of the tracing paper D: 

I only realised my folly after I finished carving and stamped the design on the paper. Jeez.

My second try I tried not to be so ambitious and made a bigger logo instead. The letters turned out too angular and ended up looking kind of tribal. Not exactly ideal.

Third time's the charm? Nope. I improved some of the curves after watching more videos on YouTube. Tip: Move the eraser clockwise as you carve! 

I was almost satisfied with it, but my mum thought that the spacing can be better. My dad thought the 88 should be put together.

So I got down to work again... to produce the last stamp! 

After which, I got some waste wood from my dad and he helped me put the stamp together with some contact/rubber glue.

Hey friends! 

Half of January has almost passed - it's not too late to do a 2021 wrap up, is it? 

Health

• 43 Runs
• 96.8km
  
• I have also hit the point in my life where I'm ordering 0% sugar beverages. Go, me.
• 280/365 of exercise!(YouTube workouts, runs, trampoline classes, yoga, cycling, rollerblading, swimming etc.)
  
  That's 76.71%! Wow! (My goal was just to get moving daily, if possible. There were some sick days, vaccination days and plenty of lazy days. Ah well :) Overall I'm pretty satisfied with this!
  
  

Hobbies

• I read 102 books out of my 100 books challenge!
  
  
• 35 Movies
  Favourite Movie:  Paprika
  Least Favourite Movie:  Charlie's Angels (the new one)
  Most Surprising: Sweet Girl, Schemes in Antiques
  
  
• 21 Shows (Dramas and Anime)
  Favourite Show: Jujutsu Kaisen, Blue Period, Street Woman Fighter
  
  Least Favourite Show:  Shadow and Bone (It was cringey...)
  Most Surprising: Atypical
  Most Disappointing: The Chair, Squid Game* 
  Did not finish: Sweet Home, Law School, Perfect World, Turner and Hooch
  
  *I know Squid Game was such a hit - but this kind of brutal 'gameplay' concept is absolutely not a new concept to me! I mean, Battle Royale was released in 2000! Hunger Games in 2012, Alice in Borderland, Circle (2015) etc etc. Gosh there were so many. Therefore, I could not appreciate it as much because it was not refreshing for me like it was for others. Sorry.
  
  
• 41 blogposts - Oops, can probably do better here! 
  
  
• I also tried stand up paddling, spin class and trampoline class for the first time!
  
  SUP was fun! It has been so long since I've experienced sea sports. But of course I enjoyed the 'sitting' portion more than 'standing up'. Haha! 
  
  Adding a photo of a lady doing YOGA on a paddle board. AMAZING?! Especially when you do it in the sea where there are waves?!?!?! (Such a course is available in Aloha Sea Sports Singapore)
  
  
  
  
  Spin class was really scary for me - I do not like the clip on shoes. Trampoline was fun too but I also have a fear of falling off the trampoline or spraining my foot by landing wrongly. 

Learning

1. Futurelearn course: Supporting and Engaging People with Autism (January)
2. Domestika Illustration class (September)
3. 242 days of Duolingo for Bahasa Indonesia (October)

•  Try https://yearcompass.com/ for a free reflection booklet! 
  
  
• If you like YouTube, try "how to reset for 2022 & achieve your goals in the new year: reflect & celebrate (week 1)"
  

Hey friends!

I've been playing around with some arts and crafts things and decided to try out this easy rubber stamp project over the weekend after watching YouTube. 

Many videos use a eraser stamp pad/sheet (you can get this from Daiso) and a carving tool, but all you really need is an eraser and a penknife! I decided to have a go after watching this video from ParadeMade, because she used the eraser from the same POPbazic brand (Popular's house brand). 

She has soooo many cute and instructional videos too. Stamp layering seems fun!!

I had a small Dust Free Eraser from Popular lying around at home so I used that. This eraser is actually terrible for erasing because it breaks off very easily. I'm extremely glad to repurpose it! 

First I tried to make a flower stamp!

I slowly cut and gouged out the outline. This eraser is very soft and breaks off easily. Maybe a harder kind would be better? Hmm.

Here's how my first stamp turned out! 

I think the flower kinds of looks like a turtle! XD Maybe curved lines were too ambitious for a first attempt.

As for the stamping, I used an old ink pad from over ten years ago. It's a miracle it has not dried up! It is in terrible shape though. It was a free inkpad that came with a wooden stamp set and everything is flaking off.

Since the flower only took up about 1/3 of the eraser, I decided to use the remainder to make a bigger stamp. Here's a guide if you wanna try! It's really simple.

•·················How to carve an eraser stamp!·················•

1. First, draw your design on baking paper or tracing paper with a pencil. Since the paper is translucent, you can also easily copy a design that you have on your phone, or one that you have printed.

2. Next, we will be transferring the image onto the eraser. Place the paper on top of the eraser and rub the image on. I used my ruler. 

3. It's time to carve! Think about negative spaces and outlines.

Carving in action. Be slow and careful! I used a hard cardboard as my backing because I did not have a cutting board.

4. Test your stamp and correct any parts you dislike! Then, stamp away!

Some people also mount the stamp onto a wooden block for a better grip. They also label the top of the block with a paper stamp of the design. 

My end product is wildly different from the original illustration, but I had so much fun stamping! I also love that this activity is so cheap and accessible.

I'm going to try this again but with the Daiso rubber pad and maybe a smaller carving tool, if I can find one. 

Let me know if you tried stamp carving and if yes, how you liked it! 

Love,

Skye

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Receive updates by email here ♡ 

Hello friends, welcome back.

It's not Sunday but I wanted to post anyway! 

As the new year begins, I wanted to get rid of some of my bad habits and embark on a journey of better health and wellness! These are billion dollar industries but I've never really paid enough attention to it - ignorance is the curse (or blessing?) of the youth. 

Let me document my journey and share it with you!

1. Instagram addiction & doom scrolling

Last year, I went through a period where I felt so busy and tired, even after I cut down many social activities. I did a time audit where you have to jot down what you did every 15 minutes. (I did this only for a day.) Screen time also told me I was spending a lot of time on Instagram... so I decided to try to kick this bad habit.

First I shifted my app somewhere else, and put the Zaobao app in its place. The first day, I read maybe 10 Chinese articles. I was appalled that muscle memory was such a BIG part of my doom-scrolling. After a day or two, my body remembered where the new position was and it was back to square one.

Image by Kristina Zeljukina

More drastic measures had to be employed! I locked up my app and gave myself a 10 minute restriction every day. The first day, I hardly liked any posts or even read many - and time was up! Shock. I closed the Instagram app successfully.

And then I went to YouTube and continued to scroll. I wasn't even watching anything! 

Gradually I got used to my time restriction, and only lifted it for an extra 15 minutes on the weekends. Friends can testify that I no longer spam them with funny or cute stories - that's because I literally don't have a chance to see them so I can't share them with them anymore! 

Now I am more conscious of my IG scrolling habits and try to apply it to YouTube as well. Hello, Zaobao.

2. Cutting sugar

If you have been a longtime reader of my blog, you know I have so many posts about sweet things like pastry and cake. It's not the first time I have tried to cut sugar, but I think this is the most successful attempt! I noticed the change in my beverages.

0% beverages. I got matcha pearls but they were way too bitter for me so... I guess it all turned out well!

And yes, I'll probably just cut out BBT entirely if I'm not going to order pearls.

I've also cut the sugar in my coffee, from Kopi / 3-in-one hazelnut white coffee -> kopi siew dai and flat whites. 

I also used to balk at the Reduced Sugar version of soymilk or Pokka green tea. Now they not only seem fine, but even seem too much. Guys, I have graduated and joined the 'not too sweet' Asian old people club. I don't even want to eat ice cream nowadays.

I guess the weirdest thing was turning down cakes and not even feeling the craving of needing to have sugar nowadays. Wow. Who am I am indeed?

This has led to a dramatic reduction of my snack intake too! As a result, together with some exercise, I have lost 2kg. 

3. Daily care and toxins

I went to my friend Linghong's house for the Twoset concert the other day, and as usual she had great recommendations for me! We kid that her house is a showroom - I've emerged from her house with ideas of buying things like my iPad, Macbook and more. I enjoy and use my purchases though. LOL. 

She told me about her daily routine of winding down by using her new massage pillow! Yes haha I see that this blogpost is starting to look like a sponsored post where the last bullet point is about the product. LOL

For years, a wish of mine is actually to have a massage every day to ease out my aches. So I thought to myself - why did I just ignore this wish just because I can't get a human masseuse? I think in my mind I just dismissed that idea that machine massagers were not as good.

So I tried out the pillow and felt PAIN everywhere. There were so many sore points even though I do try to remedy them daily with my Decathlon massage ball. 

Well anyway, the idea fo selfcare for 15 minutes every night really appealed to me. I believed that over time it would actually help my body. So I went home with the massage pillow idea firmly planted in my head. Hahaha. 

Turns out my sister has a similar machine so I borrowed it for the night. I slept like a baby. (And bought a massage machine the next day.)

So what about toxins, you say?

Toxins can be introduced to your body and tissue through things you consume and also from the environment you are in. We usually flush them out naturally via our liver which processes them. It then leaves your body through urine, sweat or poop. 

I've been feeling very thirsty recently even though I feel like I have been drinking the normal amount of water. Maybe my liver or my body needs more water to help me flush out toxins since I have been stimulating sore and possibly blocked parts in my body? Maybe. 

If I do go to a TCM centre, I wonder what the TCM doctor would say to me. I think he/she would probably have only bad news and also tell me drink stuff like dates. 

Well anyway I hope this detox process works and hope my body feels better! A little late to the party to caring about my health and wellness but better to start now than later I guess.

So these are 3 things I'm trying to do to improve my health! What about you?

Love,

Skye

This blog is updated every ☀️Sunday☀️! 

Receive updates by email here ♡ 

I received these two lovely teas from TT! Thank you very much~

Osulloc is super famous and well known amongst Singaporean tourists visiting Korea! They have cafes in the cities with tea, cakes and desserts as well as a a huge flagship (?) store on Jeju island too.

Ahhh I'm definitely missing travelling now! I've been to Jeju once and it was so lovely. I miss the sea and the nature there. 

The Osulloc store in my memory had lots of samples for you to smell! Teas had dreamy names and beautifully designed packaging. I only bought a green tea product for my friend because I was suffering from choice paralysis and also because the prices were steep :') 

Which is why I'm so excited to try out these teas today!

I tried out the Jeju Canola Flower & Honey Tea first because it was evening and I didn't want to get too more caffeine into my system. 

The fragrance was very surprising! Though the ingredients were just canola, honey and green tea, the tea smelled so fruity! The apricot smell is distinct and sweet. 

Taste wise, the tea is delicate, sweet and comforting. I usually dislike overly flowery teas so this subtlety was just right for me. It's a perfect blend for an afternoon tea with friends on a dreamy autumn day. 

~Days later~

Next, I tried the Jeju Volcanic Oolong Tea. Now you guys know I'm a huge fan of oolong and roasted teas like houjicha. 

The extra detail about where the tea farm is is so charming.

Once again, the fragrance was lovely. Jeju sure grows the tea leaves different! (Or maybe it's all in my head)

It was lighter than the Oolongs I usually have, and there was not any astringency too. Very smooth taste with a light nutty flavour, not so much of a well-rounded tea.