Bag of the month club

By joining this club, each member will receive one bag pattern each month for six months starting from January 2014 -June 2014. The membership fee is $40. However, early birds were given a discount of $5... that means they only have to pay $35 for 6 bag patterns.
These bag patterns are designed by six different designers. Detailed information about the club and its designer can be found at this link: http://www.sewsweetness.com/p/bag-of-month-club.html .
January is almost over and I'm still struggling with the first bag 😉. If I were to sew another bag using this pattern, there are a few things that I would do differently:
1. I would use softer stabilizer. The one that I'm using now makes it difficult for me to turn it inside out.
2. I would pay attention to the suggestions made by the designer 😊. In the case of this bag, when the designer said solid fabric... I should use solid.
3. Really measure the placement of the magnetic snap buttons on the pockets and the flaps... and sew all of them carefully. Otherwise I would end up having uneven pockets and flaps like what I have now... hehehe.
I will sure post the photo of my bag when I'm done. In the mean time head on over to http://www.sewsweetnes.com and find out about the designer of the month's creativity.

Photo Grid

Menunggu keretapi

A novel by Norhayati Brahim

But my story is mengejar keretapi di Switzerland ;)

Last June we were traveling from Geneva to Wengen to Zurich by train. It was truly an experience. Macam dalam amazing race pulak masa naik train ke Wengen from Montreux. There was no direct train to W from M. We had to change train 4 times. Montreux - Visp - Spiez - Interlaken Ost - Lauterbrunnen - Wengen. The journey took about 3 hours 11 minutes. 12.40 - 15.51. Yang seronoknya kena kejar train. Kami memang terpaksa berlari-lari kalau tak ketinggalan lah sebab jarak masa sampai dan bertolak cuma lebih kurang 5 minit je. Masa perjalanan memang tepat. Sebelum sampai satu-satu stesen tu memang dah cek sampai platform mana dan nak kena rush ke platform mana. Beg memang dah siap atur kat tepi pintu. Imagine lah between the two of us, kami ada 4 luggage, 1 backpack and 1 sling bag. Nasib baik untuk ke setiap platform tu ada ramp. Kalau tak, tak tau lah macam mana nak angkat beg2 yang banyak dan berat itu. Tak tau lah bawa apa sebenarnya sampai 4 luggage.
Walau macam mana pun, perjalanan tu tak memenatkan sekalipun berlari-lari dan berkejar-kejar. Sebab keretapi mmg tepat dan tak tertunda. Keretapi selesa. Pemandangan menarik. Cuaca nyaman.
Yang penting bekalan makanan pun Alhamdulillah cukup.
Kami sampai di Wengen seperti yang dijadualkan. Memang berbaloi dengan adventure yang kami lalui. Wengen ni Subhanallah, sungguh indah. Waktu kami sampai hujan lebat. Jadi suhu sejuk dan berangin. Nasib baik ada jaket.

Istanbul Aku Datang

Mmmm...Istanbul ni sememangnya sebuah tempat yang menarik. Terletak di persimpangan dua benua, Asia dan Eropah serta menjadi tempat pertembungan budaya. Kota yg penuh dengan kesan sejarah yang menarik untuk diteroka dan dihayati.
Not to be missed at this vibrant and lively city are:
1- Blue Mosque and other mosques,

2- Topkapi Palace,

3- Hagia Sophia,
4- Bosphorus cruise,

5- Grand Bazaar,

6- spice market,

7- fish market and other places.

Kalau waktu petang boleh lah ber'sidai' kat tepi laut Marmara. Aktiviti utama: memancing. It was like a bonding session for some families whereby fathers teach their sons how to catch fish. I found it interesting. The lucky ones would get a lot of fish. They would then deposit their catch into a big mineral water bottle.

Apa yang menariknya, kail mereka bukan setakat ada satu umpan, tapi banyak. Mungkin lebih dari sepuluh. Sekali angkat penuh dengan ikan, yang bersaiz kecil aje lah. Suasana semacam pesta...sementelah musim panas, waktu siangnya panjang. Hawkers pun berjualan, makanan ringan dan minuman terutamanya teh.
Talking about tea, you can find all sorts of tea in Istanbul. Black tea, fruit based tea, herbal tea...you name it...they have it all...so to speak. We were spoiled for choice. Tapi the most common was apple tea. Pure apple tea...made of dried apple granules...mmm...lovely.
Halal food was not a problem in this city. Halal restaurants were everywhere; from simple dining to fine dining, from western cuisine to Turkish cuisine and Ottoman cuisine. Take your pick! However, I found that Ottoman dish was a little bit sweet. Other than that, I've no complaint. I was one happy diner.

p/s: mcm mana nak pusing gambar2 ni bagi betul?

THE ZAHIR

Written by Paulo Coelho, published by Harper Collins, 347 pages.
Synopsis:
-It begins with a glimpse or a passing thought. It ends in obsession.
One day a renowned author discovers that his wife, a war correspondent, has disappeared leaving no trace. Though time brings more success and new love, he remains mystified - and increasingly fascinated - by her absence. Was she kidnapped, blackmailed, or simply bored with their marriage? The unrest she causes is as strong as the attraction she exerts.
His search for her - and for the truth of his own life - takes him from South Africa to Spain, France, Croatia and, eventually, the bleakly beautiful landscape of Central Asia. More than that, it leads him into a new understanding of the nature of love, the power of destiny and what it really means to follow your heart.

THE WINNER STANDS ALONE

1. Author: Paulo Coelho
2. Publisher: Harper Collins.
3. Year: 2008
4. Page: 370
5. Synopsis:
Igor Malev has one thing on his mind- his ex-wife Ewa. He's handsome, rich and effortlessly personable- but she left him for a successful fashion designer, a sting he's never recovered from.
So he travels to the glamorous Cannes International Film Festival where they'll be appearing, intent on winning her back. There amid the luxury and excess of the new Superclass- the ultimate winners in the hedonistic game of life- he begins a 24-hour campaign of extraordinary violence.
For Igor is a man of rare intensity and cold intelligence, and this is to be no ordinary reconciliation. Because he made a promise to destroy whole worlds to get to his beloved...
6. My comment: total insanity

CREAM PUFF

(gambar dari: http://www.myresipi.com/top/detail/235)

Dah beberapa kali buat cream puff tapi asyik lupa je nak ambil gambar. Dulu, masa kecik2 dok terfikir macam mana orang buat kuih yang sedap ni. Hmm..la ni dah tau dah caranya;) Senang banget... resepinya boleh ambik kat sini.