I miss Manuel. So freaking much. Especially our fun nights out.
time for myself
One of the best things about being home is having a lot of time to do the things that I never found time for back in Taiwan. One of which, is being able to go on morning runs. The other thing is making the time to play with paper + glue.
Here are two of my recent favorites:
And this one is for Dare 183.
There are a few more pages in my Made in Taiwan Album if you're interested.
happy birthday to my Mi
Today, is my Mi's birthday. She is off gallivanting through Europe and I wish I could be there with her to celebrate her special day. This girl is seriously one-in-a-million and I'm so happy that our completely different worlds collided and that we became the bestest of friends. Mi, I love you. I hope all your wishes come true!
may 20th
A little bit of paper + words art to start this magical friday. Fridays are truly good for the soul. And so is remembering life as it is right now at this very moment.
Today, I am meeting a Taiwanese friend for lunch. I have a follow up doctor's appointment at 5pm. And a BBQ at a friend's new apartment tonight. And a million emails to write in between. Happy Friday!
the butterfly effect
The other day I realized I had a lot of butterflies cut out from a previous project, so I started laying them out to see what I could create with them. First, I created the heart and really loved how it looked. But it didn't feel complete, so I decided to add the peace sign. And now I think it's perfect!
The truth is, my heart isn't at peace. It's slightly broken from a lot of tough decisions I've had to make in the last few years. It's still mending and I have yet to find the tranquility and peace that I so desperately seek.
So this heart is a reminder that I will find peace one day. That it's hopefully around the corner. And that when we find peace in our heart, we can fly freely to new horizons. My favorite part of this project is that I punched a butterfly from the chinese word 安排, which means to plan. Planning to find peace, planning to move on, planning to take flight.
works in progress
I have several complaints about our new house, but I do love how it's HUGE compared to my old place. The water temperature in the shower fluctuates every time I blink, the floors are scuffed and stained and impossible to clean, and the walls are so thin that they look like they will fall over any minute...But the good news is: I have space to be creative! I have a huge table where I can spread out my artsy supplies. So now, I start most of my mornings with a open-faced peanut butter and jelly sandwich. the sounds of CNN in the background, and my scrappy supplies sprawled out in front of me. I love waking up every morning, alone with my thoughts, with the urge to create, and the stillness of my house. It's magical!
The layouts above are all works in progress. Most of them are done, minus the journaling. I'm trying so hard to use up my scrapbooking supplies. So I'm digging out old supplies, like buttons, ribbon, scalloped edges, labels galore, and old school papers, and I'm trying to make it work. I want to use them up so that the next time I move, I won't have to move as much as I did two weeks ago. Good plan, right? I rather move completed albums instead of boxes and tupperwares full of random scraps.
I'll post the finished pages in my Made In Taiwan album---->. It's Friday and Monday is another holiday. I have to be super productive because I leave for Vietnam on Tuesday and I have LOTS of job hunting to do before then.
making the best of what i've got
I woke up a little grumpy today. But then I remembered that last night I had purchased these fun Christmas stickers from Shida night market. I took them out and like magic, a funny Christmas card idea popped into my head. Since I'm incredibly low on money this year...no one is really getting a present from me (sorry friends and family!). However, that doesn't mean that I can't make them smile with my dorky craftiness. It looks like an 8year old made the card, but I think that's why I love it so much. This is what the front looks like:
The inside will also have some more cute stickers, but will mostly be filled with sweet words and funny anecdotes. Now, I'm off to buy two small presents for a gift exchange, and maybe find a nice (and cheap) dress for Christmas day. Happy Christmas Eve Eve.
us five
We had an MBA Christmas Ball on Friday night, filled with delicious food and bottomless drinks. I am so happy that I forked up the money and decided to splurge on this event because I was able to be with my four best friends in Taipei. Now that I've pretty much graduated, and Tania (on right) has also finished her thesis and is just waiting for her defense, I'm starting to realize that we only have 2-3 months left together. Honestly, I want to cry when I think about not having them in my daily life. We've made promises that we'll get together in the years to come, but these kinds of promises are hard to keep as our lives will get busier and busier. However, in the meantime, I'm trying really hard to just enjoy them while I have them. I'm so lucky to have made such amazing friends here.
Scrapped HERE
it's just you and me sunday
I should be at school doing work right now, but I'm not. Instead, I'm spending some quality alone time with myself. I don't really feel like seeing anyone and that's ok. But even though I'm all alone, it's so nice to know that there are people out there, all around the world, who truly care about me. And just to know that is such an amazing feeling. I am so thankful. Onto today's listy list:
listening: to the sounds of my neighborhood
eating: chicken and veggies wrap
drinking: grapefruit green tea
wearing: redbull tank top and boy-shorts
feeling: peaceful, content, yet somehow worried
weather: cloudy and perfect
wanting: to know if my crazy ideas could truly work out
needing: some answers to my health problems
thinking: about how my hair feels thinner
enjoying: the sight of the paper i picked up in Korea over a year ago, finally being put to good use
and then he called me crazy
Lessons learned from today:
- I will never go to a male gynecologist again.
- "Cultural differences" is never an excuse to be rude.
- If you offend me, I will yell at you.
- Forgiving is easy, forgetting is incredibly difficult.
- Girls have it harder than boys and it's not fair.
- My mom knows me better than I know myself
- Scrapbooking is therapeutic and worthwhile.
- Drinking grapefruit green tea will automatically make me happy.
And to end on a crafty note:
thursday the 14th
Today I:
- worked out from 8-9am with sarah
- had a long overdue vchat date with lauren
- taught english and remembered how much I don't like teaching
- had lunch with gene at a cheap italian restaurant
- had the best 5 minute long distance phone call
- thought about how I turn 29 in exactly 3 months
- drove all around town looking for an ethernet wire cutter thing
- had a delicious homemade wrap for dinner
- did not work on my thesis, for the second day in a row
- made a simple scrap page that I absolutely love
my new favorite layout
It's simple, and colorful, and describes me at this very moment at the age of 28.75. It's my new favorite layout and I'm so happy I stayed home on this Friday night to scrapbook instead of going out. Tomorrow is a the big party night anyway. So tonight, it's just me, paper, glue, words, and Season 1 of Big Bang Theory. Love those nerdy dudes. Oh and theres one more new layout in my "Made in Taiwan" album for all my crafty friends who are interested. Goodnight.
dude, i fixed my scanner!
So, after deciding it was time to tackle the lingering scanner problem, I popped open a beer, downloaded an episode of How I Met Your Mother, and got to work. And low and behold...a successfully scanned scrapbook page! This one is for you Sarah, who reminded me that my old albums include way too much of my past, and not enough of my present and future.
on my dashboard
On my mac, on the dashboard, I have a post-it note with these words. Words that keep me going. Words that remind me of what is important. That give me a simple boost when I need it. And so a page has been made to remember these words.
don't call it a comeback
Trying to get back into my old hobby. Sticking to my old scrap-mantra of less is more. It was hard to get started, but I've been on a roll the last few days. I forgot how much I enjoyed my nerdy love for paper and words.
I've created an album of the stuff I've made since coming out to Taiwan. Check it out if you so please. Only ten pages or so, but I hope to add to it this weekend.
oy vey, she said
I just spent the last two days writing a cover letter. I am so out of practice on this whole job searching stuff. It took me waaaayyy longer than I had expected, but now I have a pretty awesome letter to match a semi-awesome resume. So double fist pump for that.
So today was registration day over at Mandarin Training Center where I will be taking language classes starting July 1. I am so ready for the learning to begin because
- I will finally learn how to say, "rad" and "sweet" and "dude," plus all the bad words that frequent my daily vocabulary.
- I want to make friends and have people to eat lunch with. Is that sad?
I have to say though, I've been pretty freakin stoked to find that there is another George Mason alum living here in Taipei. Small world right? Apparently we had a bunch of friends in common, but never crossed paths in the four years in college. So thanks to facebook, gmail, and my new cell phone here in Taiwan we have been able to meet up twice for eats and drinks. Very cool and laid back girl. Plus, she has a blog which makes her even cooler in my book.
Lastly, I was able to make a little bit of art today. Simple. Made with anything I could find. And the help of the passport photo dude who printed out two extra ones just so I could scrap. I had to use my tweezers to rub the letters on to the paper. It was tricky, but it worked.
Off to grab some dinner before everything shuts down. Peace yo!
3.17.08
A funny conversation with my mom is now documented for all to see.
And speaking of my mom, today is her birthday. So happy birthday to the most generous mom in the entire world. To the woman who always puts her family first. To someone who has taught me every bad word in the spanish language. And to the person who makes me laugh on a daily basis. I love you mommy. May your day be a happy one.
always stay hopeful
This is my daily page for today. Matt didn't get a job that he really wanted, and that I really wanted for him. But that's life. I believe that everything happens for a reason. And I trust that bigger and better things await us. So, here's to tomorrow. May it bring the promise of new beginnings.
