Before I say good night.

Been a long day of cooking in the morning, and hosting till late afternoon. My back aches, I should be going to bed early but I just needed some me time to wind down...

=)

My ways to calm and inner peace

My first completed coloring piece.
Medium : Colored pencils (Colleen & Prismacolor)

I'm not a naturally creative person. Really. No talent whatsoever.

But I love being creative for the fun of it. It's a stress reliever for me. As it is for a lot of people, I'm sure. So, admittedly, most of my creative ideas are ideas yang dicedok sana-sini, tambah perisa sikit ikut selera sendiri and then voila! Dapat lah hasil kreativiti.

And what creative works I do depends on my mood.

Photography is my favorite. Unfortunately, being a mother of 4 who is constantly on the move and at the beck and call of two tweens and two toddlers... korang paham2 lah masa yang terluang tak banyak mana kan? Let alone nak keluar rumah dengan all my photography gear yang agak2 sama berat dengan my 3-year-old Aisyah. Ye, can do photography at home but I like outdoor photography better. And bayangkan tara kita nak set up camera tu, sambil tu budak2 pun berlari in different directions out of peripheral vision...haih! I can't take the stress and anxiety of it all. I just can't. Which is why, photography will have to take the back seat for now.

I sew every now and then when the mood comes. As you have seen in this blog, ada gak projek2 menjahit that I immersed myself in every now and then. Other times, I cook and bake, trying out new recipes. Still, at other times, I embark on DIY or home improvement projects yang bersesuaian dengan kudrat.

Simply put, being creative is an outlet for me to channel out stress and fatigue, walaupun kadang2 being creative tu sendiri mendatangkan stress hahaha! Menjahit can be stressful if you keep having to tetas your stitches. Baking too, bila kek tak naik urgh! But at the end of the day, there is that sense of accomplishment that feels extremely rewarding. Never mind benda yang dibuat menjadi or not. That's not the point. It's having that tangible outcome to touch and feel, along with the intangible sense of accomplishment. Kalau perkara yang dibuat tu menjadi, puas hati. If not, then you have something to work on on your next attempt. Gitu.

Recently, I jumped onto the bandwagon of adult coloring.

My second completed coloring piece.
Medium : Colored pencils (Colleen & Prismacolor)

I enjoyed it but not as much as sewing or baking. Nevertheless, it is an easy creative outlet that I can immerse myself in anytime, anywhere. That's a plus point. Considering my busy, busy life, I only managed to complete 2 pieces to date. I have a number of works in progress.... cause akak cepat jemu gitu. Suka tukar2 gambar, skip sana, skip sini, pastu patah balik hehehe.... And I have only stuck to colored pencils as my medium of coloring. Kalau ada masa in future, would love to try out soft pastels and water color. Haish! Too ambitious, you think?

New chapter.

Salam and good morning...

After a stressful, hectic and certainly eventful 3 months... we are finally settling down. Phew... I say, phew!!

It had been, for the record, the most stressful time of my life! Uprooting is never a breeze, I know that much, but I naively did not expect it would drive me thiiiiiiss close to losing my sanity. I'm not exaggerating, ok? There were miscommunications, and disagreements that escalated to fights and I don't mean the kids tau! There were damages and losses to content with. There were decisions to make regarding the new house... fixtures, fitting, cabinets, wardrobes bla bla bla. There was so much to do and so little time for rest, let alone spending some "me time" which I thrive on. There were certainly weaker moments that I wished never happened and that I had a better grip of myself *sigh*.

Imagine stress tahap tarik rambut sendiri sampai muka hijau hahahaa!

And the stress affected all of us, even the children whom we always assume to be carefree. I could sense their frustration sometimes at the absence of routine and consistency in their lives. They craved mummy's cooking, and longed for their toys tucked away, en route somewhere between Miri and Cyberjaya. (Yes, mak dah berkampung di Cyberjaya uols). They certainly needed more space than our cramped temporary abodes (we shifted a few times). And all of us had had enough of living out of our suitcases!

And then, for the older kids, there was also the challenge of adjusting to a new school. Mak aii... stressnya bab ni, I tell you! But alhamdulillah, in between fears and tears, and sometimes lengkap dengan muntah-monggeknya, they soon began to adapt. And so does the rest of the family.

Though not quite completely cosy (yet), we are definitely settling in. Just some tucking in, here and there, and some finishing touches, we are on a sure path to making this new house homely.

What's most important now is that we are together, and this... is our home.

Alhamdulillah... syukur tak terhingga.