Sawaddi ka

Boo!

So, as you may have deduced to this point, I'm still alive.

Flights went relatively well, both were delayed, first one because the plane came late from Amsterdam and second one because we had some technical difficulties when leaving.
Anyhow, I arrived to Bangkok International Airport only ten minutes late - and stood over an hour in immigration waiting for my turn. For some odd reason they let me pass fast compared to most people who passed those desks.

I also found Wolfie from middle of that mass of humans. It took some time though...

Past ~three days I've been running around Bangkok with him (and friend of his and his SO), so I have been too tired to update (part of it may be jet lag. I feel being in my brains today for the first time). And we had to reinstall my laptop about gazillion times before it wanted to work.
It's possible that this trip wont turn out as it was 'meant', but time will tell - at the moment we're just enjoying company of eachothers.

But now, I think I'll get back to bed for a while. I woke up when Wolfie's cell alarm went on (actually I woke up when he woke up, but dozed off again for a while). I wasn't tired when I woke up, but now, after he left for work I'm getting sleepy again.

More to come. I think I should blog about my adventures in Demon testing. *grin* In other words: how severely allergic person survives in Bangkok.(Spoiler: very well actually. Wolfie is worried of my well-being (actually even more worried than I am), and he speaks some thai... What else you need?)

See you in City of Angels!

They're coming to take me away, ha-ha...

Ok, they're not, but today is the day. Three hours from now I'm on my way to airport.
Wish me luck, keep your thumbs up, pray if you feel like it/believe it'd help, but do give me decent 'good luck kicks'! I'll need them.

I'll spend next umpteen hours (First lift-off is/should be 17:30 GMT+3, second one 20:45 GMT+2. Arrival tomorrow 12:25 GMT+7) travelling so you may not see any signs of me in next days - I may need day or two (or few) to adjust, but I promise to keep you updated!

And Ash, AE is travelling with me.
Though I've to admit that I packed all my stitching into my back bag. I've slept bit poorly last nights (I wonder why ) and decided to settle with a book. I really could use good night sleep, even if it's in plane.

But ta for now. See you on the other side!

Parcel from Christine and SBQ; Cross Stitch Books

Christine has perfect timing! (Noticing that her parcel arrived just day before I get on the jet plane.)
When I went to check my mail box today I saw this little parcel under pile of advertisements (note to self: 'No ads' note to mailbox before tomorrow)... it was from Christine, who's my Adopt-A-Stitcher 'mother'.

First of all she seems to know my taste when it comes to art (but what doesn't mother know?). She sent me this gorgeous bookmark (picture is not gorgeous, unfortunately - pop to have a cup of coffee with Christine, and see better picture) inspired by Gustav Klimt's 'The Kiss':

And floss, as you notice. L3013 and L779 from DMC linen floss series, E135 from Jewel Effects and E3685 from Antique Effects.
Now I just need new WIPs. *grin*

And... being helpful mother she sent me address book to keep track of my stitching friends, and a journal - for which I actually found use when I saw it. It's made for RR log. Now I just need to participate to my first RR.

SBQ; Books

Today's

Stitching Bloggers Question

was suggested by Angela and is:

"How many cross stitch books do you own and how often do you use them?"

Hmm, I've to consult my pattern stash inventory.

[Moment passes...]

Eight cross stitch books, two others with cross stitch and/or needlepoint designs.
I haven't used them very much, but I'd say that I find something suitable from books more often than magazines.
And then I haven't stitched actively that long anyway.

Before I get to bed...

I assure you, there's no need to be afraid. I wont abandon blogging for a month...
Thailand in general isn't most distant corner of the world (well, duh, Earth is kind of round), Bangkok even less. In other words: Wolfie has a broadband.
Probably I'm silent for 2-3 days (well, it's almost day's worth of flying to begin with and then... I think we may have things to do... ), but I hope none of you gets very bad withdrawal symptoms from me.

And then... there's over 680 entries in this little blog of mine. Plenty of reading in case you guys miss my blabbers.

Actually I'm quite sure that I don't understand completely what's happening. That day after tomorrow I'm taking the jet plane and that in Friday we finally meet. (Btw, 16th of June is exactly three months from the day we get to know each others. Interesting coincidence, huh? (Even sentimental little me booked the tickets I realised it hours afterwards.)) It has happened before though (when I went to Hungary for five weeks - as an exchange student), and I'm sure it'll hit me in Amsterdam plane (HKI - AMS (- AMS-BKK)).

In general:

1. I promise to have fun.
2. Christine, I promise to be good girl. (Isn't this the classic thing what you say to your mother before doing something... nice.)*grin*
3. Jenna, as you see I'm heading to bed. Jet lag prevention... you know.

I may blog tomorrow, if I have time. And I promise to leave lift-off entry in Thursday!

The following items are forbidden to be carried in the passenger cabin of an aircraft...

...under European Union directives:

--- Scissors with blades more than 6 cm in length

...but scissors I got from Yuko have blade of 4 cm, so I'm one happy stitcher.

Any guesses?

Yes! We have a date! Actually... We have tickets!

[Short intermission from our sponsors while blogger jumps on walls]

I'll leave Finland Thursday afternoon and will be in Thailand in Friday. One stop in Amsterdam (KLM).
Return date is 16th of July (so, I leave Thailand 15th).

Nervous? Just ask how much! Happy? Yes!

Wish me luck!

Comments on comments

Jenna, I'm not sure will my Electron do as plastic in Thailand, even it's supposed to be global, so I wont melt it. I'll take some cash.*grin*
But I wont promise not setting anything on fire while I'm in there... (And it seems to me that Wolfie may have a break, at least somethingone to distract his mind from work *ahem*.)

Time for ooohs and aaahs!

Let me introduce you... Biscornu (from exchange at SBEBB), and all the goodies, from Yuko!
I've been drooling and ooohing here quite some time. ^^

      

Isn't it beautiful?! And that button is cute as a button! (Pun intended.) ^^
But wait, there's more!

   

Japanese print fabrics! Those are just so beautiful. I don't know am I able to use them. Maybe I should frame them? And floss! And scissors (just suitable ones to take with me in plane, don't you think?)!

I'm one happy camper here!

24

There is friends only entry before this considering my 24 hour challenge.
In general my 24h went like this: 'Depending on the definition I made it and didn't made it.'

I'd have succeeded if I hadn't got that cleaning spree, and if I hadn't got problems to wake up yesterday.
Then for something, if not completely at least slightly different....

Can you believe? I stitch two over two on 36 count!
I was sure one strand would be enough and two'd look bulky, but no. Two is just correct amount for this... and I still remember the days when I stitched one over two on 32 count because two over two looked so bulky.

24 h Challenge; friends only ;)

As I promised, here comes private show to people on my friends list.

Depending on the definition I made it and didn't made it.
My goal was to 'stitch the cup', but I actually forgot that there's steam in this design, and that I'm intending to stitch couple of biscuits to go with the cup... I guess that reason for my dementia was mainly this being my little puzzle: it contains parts from three different designs (when finished).
Anyhow, here it is:

Remember, it's an exchange item so shhhh.

And before anyone asks... yes, it's waste canvas. It's that dreaded piece which caused me dreadful allergic symptoms (as my latex allergy is very cross reactive one it dislikes starch plants like potato, corn and wheat) last summer. I've washed the starch off (last summer actually), so I can use the rest of it.

Cats will go to my mom's tomorrow.
No, there aren't tickets, yet, but after tomorrow I'm ready to roll asap.

Btw, have I mentioned something I found out? There's PINN store in Bangkok! (Well, duh, PINN is Thai company.) Now, will I visit there or will I visit there?

Merna's quilt, SWC and 24 hours

^^

My first two squares for SOLAK have been used to quilt they were meant to.
Finished quilt

(Those squares I made are in lowest row, in corners.)
As you may deduce theme was Japan...

World Cup and 24 Hour Challenge

Poor AE is still awaiting for it's first stitches as I decided to participate 24 hour challenge and stitch one of my Recipe Exchange item(s) - or actually 1/4 of designs needed. No public pictures, but as none of RE participants, in addition to me, is LJ user I can give picture in friends only entry (Hmph, how about only LJ friends entry?).

But, AE fabric is gridded, washed (there was something similar to chocolate (which is odd as I haven't been eating chocolate lately (ok, before today)) in the fabric so I decided to give it a wash), zig-zagged and ironed. Though it'll get wrinkly again in one of these days as I decided not to use my frame for it. Why? Because my frame is too long to fit in my rucksack...
(Yes, I made one man happy today (actually I told it right after I found it out yesterday, but being as clear as I am... *giggles*). I'm free to travel now as my things are (mostly) cleared up. Now we just have to see when...)

And something, well, funny, in it's own way, happened yesterday.
We (snowprincipessa and bits_2_whole) came back from our aunt's 50th birthday by train and... Conductor glanced few times to my direction during that trip while passing by... because I was gridding AE fabric. Maybe you don't expect someone like me to like embroidery?

I could also give little rant about my father and his opinions, but I try not to think about that, as it just gives me another day with migraine... He just knows how to hurt me.

Links, topic for the day and music

Hih, useful link for me (found from english): Dictionary of English slang and colloquialisms of the U.K..
Useful? Yes, I just can't understand slang even my English is somewhat tolerable. But then, I try to avoid using slang anyway.
Ok, I admit using slang when talking in Finnish (well, and in IRC, but it's almost talking *ahem*), but otherwise I more or less dislike it. (Though there are exceptions. If person's language is mostly 'pure' and one's able to produce beautiful language I don't mind some slang.)
Hypocrite opinion from non-native English speaker? Maybe, but then, I'm consistent. I also dislike slang in written form of communication in Finnish. (And then... I have bad habit of using dialects when writing (in forums) in Finnish...)

Language/grammar nazi in person here. Nice to meet you all.

Our topic for the day is...

Why it seems to me that about half of the blogging society (at least this seems to be trend in stitching bloggers) has huge amounts of stress at the moment? Or do I notice it easier just because stress is very much there in my life at this moment? (Having issues with my own economic crisis and Wolfie is dead tired/stressed out because of the project he's working in (not to mention that I might be there already without these problems *sigh*) - or more like because of his boss... It breaks your heart, really, to see his that exhausted and not being able to to anything, anything else than give my words to him. To tell how dear he is to me. To listen. (Yes, I know these are the basics, and I couldn't do more from afar etc., but I'd really like to be able to do more. To be there.))

And if I'm not seeing things why now? So many people at the same time? As it seems to be thing on this side of the equator, and we're supposed to have a summer here. Summer should be happy time, time of leisure, shouldn't it?

And then for something completely different...

Police is your friend (It's *.pdf file so be forewarned - and free ad: FoxIt Pro, for senile old computers like mine is (it's really good software, btw)).

Music

I've blogged about music quite much lately (I do know why it's so - very easy to deduce if you know thing or two). Only little notions, but anyway... It's interesting how certain songs represent certain people or certain times.
Mandalay's Beautiful was echoing in my head last night, because it was last song I listened before going to bed, and because (you all know where this is leading to) it reminds me of certain someone. *coughs*

"Do you know you're beautiful/ You are, yes you are."

Those lyrics are very simple (try to google them), but it's very beautiful song for reason or another. And it reminds me of Wolfie, for a reason.

Btw

Money, money, money... Part one in my fight with the welfare and SII is over, I've money on my account again. Now I can almost breathe.

SBQ; Pictures!

This week's

Stitching Bloggers Question

contains two questions. This is direct quote from SBQ weekly email:

Over the past couple of weeks I received two SBQ suggestions that request pictures so I decided to put them together for an SBQ picture day. Feel free to post pictures concerning either or both requests. :)

The first request comes from Vash who is requesting pictures of the back of your stitching… are you brave enough to give this one a shot?

The second request comes from Singular Stitches, and she is asking for "a pictorial tour of [the] special place that you go to create your wonderful stitched creations."

I fulfill only the first one, reason being not having decent camera. And backsides are important. *grin*

That's all folks.

Rant

How difficult it can be to be at your desk that 45 minutes your calling time is?! (Maybe being welfare official gives one false feeling of superiority...)

Meme; Five things...

Christine tagged everyone so, here's my share:

5 things in my fridge
1. Coffee
2. Milk
3. Light
4. Almost empty margarine box
5. Chilies in oil

5 items in my closet (In which of them?)

1. Painting which should be reframed (thanks to Dan...)
2. Old paperbacks (I'm intending to do something with them, I just don't know what)
3. Electric grill (...yup.)
4. Rodent travel box (I used to have rats)
5. Ermm.... skeletons?

5 items in my purse (Shoulder bag... when I'm using one.)

1. Cell
2. Keys
3. Wallet
4. Lip balm
5. Palm

5 items in my car

1.-5. I have no car.

5 people to tag

Feel free to tag yourself.

SBQ will follow tomorrow, I've to mature it a bit - and I need decent daylight to even try to take pictures (just hope it'll be sunny tomorrow).

Preparation for SWC

Stitchers' World Cup Times, Issue 1 at cross_stitch

Project: Alter Echo
Materials: 36 count Zweigart natural linen and DMC floss (815, 841 and 902).
Goal: To finish at least half of AE.
Preparations made to-date:
Fabric
Floss
Gridding

I've about half of the fabric gridded, and if I don't do it today/tomorrow I'll take it with me in Friday when we go to my aunt's birthday. I'll have plenty of time to grid during the trips there and back ([rant]...in case I get rid of this throbbing sensation behind my eyes. This migraine is completely stress based. It was already fading, but then I confronted one more barrier... ngh, I just so love it when officials have calling times, but you can't know about them before you call and get a bucket ("It's pronounced Bouquet." *giggle*) full of ice cold water on your face...[/rant]).

Recipe Exchange

I know what I do (hint: it's a freebie), on what and with what colours/flosses (stash is your friend), and how I'll finish it. Now I need to create pattern for the finish...

And we have a lift off!

...for Recipe Exchange, that is.

We got out partners yesterday, and now I'm maturing certain idea in my head. Though it'll demand some thinking and maybe a prototype of a kind, because I've never ever done such things before - and I've to google a bit to find out is there any suitable finishing instructions around.
Actually I got that idea when I saw certain freebie, it kind of jumped into my face, but technical part of it needs some work.

To be continued...

Btw

Thank you for all for the exorcism. Migraine is still around, though not as bad it was in Sunday and Monday. And cold is there too... *sighs*

S.E.X., music and ngh

I found saviour in my dark path of not having good Finnish ONS: Kirjokas.
First of all, DMC 0,80€/ skein (which is real bargain in this part of the World), no postages, fast and good customer service and good storage (just because they carry Dragon floss)... They also have English version of the store, so do pop by. (Like Moomins? Click.)

So, I spent few euros and got flosses for Alter Echo. It turned out that I want to do it with three colours, instead of two. I'll use those given 815 and 841, but I'll stitch text with 902.
309 is nice colour, but I was unable to find anything suitable to go with it, so I let it be.

...and as Kirjokas has minimum order of 10 euros I purchased some Dragon Floss to fill the gap...

      

I placed an order in Thursday, she got payment and posted them in Friday. They came today.

More chocolaty music...

Flying Carpet has a new buddy: Desire.

"...I desire you more than food or drink.
My body, my senses, my mind,
Hunger for your taste.
I can sense your presence in my heart.
Although you belong to all the world,
I wait in silent passion,
For one gesture, one glance."

This is chocolate to your ears, and other senses.

In other news

I don't feel good at all. Migraine, yes, but why are my muscles etc. aching? I'd almost live with exploding head, nausea, upset stomach, dizziness and tiredness, but sore muscles/ throat/ joints and unstable body temperature make it odd and really annoying.
With some luck I found summer cold in Saturday in my trip to grocery... it rained, and even I used umbrella I was soaking wet when I got back home. And first muscle aches came during that night...
Anyway, not my usual migraine. Usually I can at least stitch or write emails, but no... Wrote one email yesterday for about 12 hours as I lost my skills to understand what I had wrote (I do excessive amounts of proof reading, see), not to mention that half an hour writing three sentences took today (you don't want to know how long it took write this entry)... And can't even think of stitching. Or coffee.

Ngh.

Search!

my journalmy friends

Neat, huh? Type a word, hit enter. It does magic.

Need a laugh?

The Daily WTF: June Bugs, and there's more, just click away... for example Tax Time Edition...

Which Classic Female Literature Character Am I?

Snatched from Bea.

(...from Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen.)

Click.

Yup, that's me.

In other news I think I know what causes loss of appetite in my case: stress.
Economy crisis in other words. I've been quite a mess couple of days, and forgetting to eat hasn't improved my general feeling at all (yesterday would have been really bad day without certain news I heard from Wolfie, or without him in general).
Haven't been that cranky actually, but very tired and withdrawn.

I hate it when bureaucrats have control over my life, and I've no money. Had to borrow money from my father to pay my rent...
And no light in the end of the tunnel before next week. Keep your thumbs up that instance A processes my 'application' fast - though person who's job it is wont be at work before Tuesday...

And in addition to that I think I had one of my premonitions last night. It wasn't bad dream in that sense, or foreseeing destruction or anything like that (like they have used to be), but it was annoying.
I'll tell more about it in case one person contacts me in near future. Just to say 'did I say something about this?'.

SBQ; Collecting

Today's

Stitching Bloggers Question

is suggested by Carol and is:

"Do you collect charts by one particular designer, yet have never stitched anything by that designer? If so, which designer and why do you collect the charts but have not yet stitched any of them?"

Collecting being I'd-give-my-first-born-to-get-all-that-designer's-designs or just shopping what you like?

Anyhow, I'm dead-broke most of the time so I couldn't even afford to do so. And no designer is consistent enough to produce only designs I love. There are always those I just pass because they don't have nothing which would spark my interest, no matter how much I may like designer's general style.

But... if we think it a bit, I do 'collect' magazines which have several designs from several designers from whom I have never stitched anything yet (or will ever stitch). So, I can't say yes or no.
At this point it'd be wisest to quote something from one Finnish group of comedians and answer Kanada! (which is, as many of you guess, Canada in Finnish. Doesn't sound funny out of context, I know.)

Otherwise...

My gout (oh, yes, I'm old (almost 27 anyway ) and suffer from it) gone wild today and my left hand was so sore (should I mention that certain someone made part of the pain go away? All the way from *.th. ^^). Silly thing in it was that I don't get attacks from diet I should get them from (in other words: lots of protein), but from 'recommended' diet which contains carbohydrates.
Gout sufferer should avoid 'white' carbohydrates, but in my case it was more or less full-grain which caused this pain (haven't used sugar at all in days (I usually use it only in coffee))... so, they say low-carb diet is bad for you and high-carb is good..?

Anyway, this means that I haven't gridded my AE fabric yet (...I intended to do it tonight) because my hand has been too sore to do anything with it. Now it's fit enough to type, but I wouldn't strain it more than this.