I wish........

Hello 2012,

Have you arrived in 2012 yet? I hope you're safe and sound. My family ushered in the New Year with a session of mahjong. I won. We don't play with money, just points. How did you usher in the New Year?

It's been pretty normal around here. Trains are running smoothly. It looks like it's gonna rain. I've lazed around since I woke up. It feels like 2011.

2011 was a good and bad year for me. 2 deaths in the family. Didn't see that coming. I still think of my neph and BIL from time to time. The first half of 2011, I felt like it was going to be my last year selling my bags. The lacklustre sales and ever-rising rental made me want to call it quits. The second half of 2011, things changed. I made more, I sold more and I ventured out to unknown territory to sell. And I launched my ePatterns for sale. I made a resolution to make the ePatterns happen and it did. 2 years later. It's never too late, my friends!

I'm not one to make resolutions and not keep them. I know I have willpower and the motivation. I have two resolutions for 2012.

1. Make 12 ePatterns.
2. Lose enough weight to fit into my thinner self jeans.

I've gained a lot of weight since I took and stopped taking "happy pills" for my myofascial pain. I've always been slim so it took me by surprise. Yet I've not been able to lose the extra flab. I'm blaming it on lack of exercise, poor eating habits and aging.

My gynae recommended that I read this book, Eat To Live by Joel Fuhrman.

I finally bought the book and I'll see if it helps me change my eating habits. My gynae lost a bunch of weight after reading this book. He said it changed his life and his lifestyle. And you understand my gynae is a REAL DOCTOR so if he says it's a good book, then I believe him. Plus he looked 10 years younger after his weight loss! I want.

One of the things I want to change in 2012 is to cook more. A big contribution to my weight gain is eating take-away. You have no control over the amount of oil used. And my kids love fast-food and since I eat what my kids eat, that's a big factor too.

One of the big reasons why I don't cook so much apart from laziness is my cooking tastes sucky. I don't love the food I cook. I'm a bad cook. This year, I'll learn if I have to from recipes. And when I say I'll cook, I do mean I'll really cook. Not just the usual grilling of chicken. I mean with a wok and spatula and ginger and onions and shallots. And actual boiling of vegetables.

My kids and I do not like salad but in 2011, we ate so much salad because mom is too lazy to boil vegetables.

2012, a completely new me.

To be honest, what really prompted this motivation to lose some weight started at VivoCity during my 8 days stint.

On Day 1 which is set-up day, I was busy doing the display and running about a lot when I realised my jeans were running away from me. When I sat down, my kids yelled out that my butt was exposed. I felt behind me and sure enough, my jeans were really loose. Had I lost so much weight? Sure I had been busy sewing but sewing never led to weight loss in the past. Still, my hipster jeans were barely hanging onto my hips and that had never happened for a very long time. In fact, sometimes I struggle to get into them.

It must be the sewing then. As I congratulated myself on my new svelte body while sinking my teeth into 4 chocolate laden cookies, it occurred to me I could be wearing this faulty Giordano jeans which I had bought years ago. After one wash, the backside opened up like a valley and it never fitted me after. I went to the restroom to check and sure enough, I had worn the faulty Giordano jeans. Demmit! And I had already congratulated myself with the 4 chocolate laden cookies. I must stop dressing in the dark.

On Day 8, as I was running around (I forget why), I felt my jeans running away from me again. Demmit! Why do I keep dressing in the dark? Later when I was in the restroom, I saw that I was wearing my Denizen jeans. Wait a minute. My Denizen jeans are my FAT JEANS. Which can only mean one thing. I had indeed lost weight. During the 8 days at VivoCity, I was so busy that I only ate 2 meals and snacked on fruits. Just to be sure my FAT JEANS were too big for me, I ran around and it was the biggest thrill for me when I felt cold air hit my backside.

It was only a mere 2kg loss and by now I've gained back most of it. But it really motivated me and I even ended 2011 with 6 jogs round the park. Sure, half way through I wanted to stab myself in the face. Why is jogging so hard?

Just out of curiosity. Why did I lose fats around my hips? Why not the tummy or thighs or arms? Why the hips? I already have the hips of a 14 year old. My gynae says my hips never widened despite having 2 kids. He said women would kill to have my hips. Okay, I imagined he said the last bit.

2010 was the year I sewed without inhibition. I made a wide variety of bags and focused on embellishments. 2011 was the year I focused on specific designs. From a creative point of view, not very fulfilling.

This elephant pouch I made a long time ago, makes me want to cry. For every 10 pouches I make, I can only afford the time to make 1 applique/patchwork/embroidered pouch. This is the reality for me. Time is a luxury for me. Plus the 9 fabric pouches help pay the rent.

In 2012, for my sewing self, I want these:

♥ More applique
♥ More embroidery
♥ More patchwork
♥ More needlebooks
♥ More big bags
♥ More flower-flower pouches
♥ More fabric remnants bags
♥ More heart with wings bags
♥ More stamping
♥ More adventurous play with fabric
♥ More me :)

In addition, I want to tackle new things like:
♥ brooches
♥ blocks
♥ androgynous accessories

I shall sleep less. It can be done. Hope your 2012 opens up new possibilities and enjoyment of old favorites. Happy New Year. 2012 is gonna be great.

p.s. no use begging. every pouch/bag you see in this post has been sold.