Sewing :: Soft Sock Plushie - Sushi Cat

Last weekend I decided to take on another weekend project.



Since these socks were so damn cheap I bought a bunch to experiment on. You can use old socks (it's really the whole point of sewing plushies with socks).



The book only teaches you to make some of the characters in the book, it teaches you the basics and gives you an idea of what more you can make out of those basic ideas.
[just follow what you see in the photo and cut according to it.:D]




Stuffing is needed to complete this project. Problem is, I am not sure where to buy, and I have no time to look for a place to buy from. The alternative -- take the stuffing from pillows/other plush. In my case, I have this one lying around from a friend's baby's birthday party giveaway. I had no use for it...until now.:D




Cut along the seams, enough to be able to take out some stuffing.




Neko with the book. [As you can see, there are so many other characters you can create.:D I followed the pattern for the cat's head and front legs. I improvised the rest. Soz, no patience for these things. I just don't follow patterns too well, eh?]




I have some extra fabric from whatnots lying around, so I cut out the eyes and nose for the cat.




I like the upturned eyes, it looks friendly, yeah?




This turned into a sushi cat when I put the strip of fabric around it (to cover up my ugly stitches! XP)




Enjoying a cup of warm cocoa while sewing. X3



Another photo with the neko.



It was so much fun to make! :3

Food Review :: Yasuo @Robinsons

After having had some good take-aways from here over the past year since it first opened, we came back to eat here one weekend. It's been a while since we did.



This was Katsudon -- Too hot and too soggy.:(



Chicken Teriyaki



I had Oyaskodon



I was quite disappointed with how the food turned out, really used to be better. That is all. Could be that particular day, but substituting with cheaper ingredients really bring down the quality of the food.



I used to buy from this place often before, but now it just doesn't taste like it used to.

The unpleasant taste was most apparent in their Katsudon, the taste of cheap (fried with more than it should) cooking oil.




***
Yasuo Japanese Food @Robinson's

Overall:
Food* 6/10
Service 7/10
Presentation 7/10

*before-- would be about 8, it was that good. // what we ate that day was a 4.

Lengthy update

I've been putting off blogging for weeks now.

I don't know. There's so much I want to write.. but after work, in the evening, I just feel too tired to do anything. o_O Usually I just watch a few episodes of something then it's time for bed. Then the same thing repeats itself the next day..and the next.. =_=

Some 10 things I have been up to of late:

[1] Finished reading Agent Six by Tom Rob Smith. I have loved his books since Child 44 -- Seriously the best book I've read in a very long time. But his third book was a disappointment. I read it through to the end, after reading I can't believe how I managed to finish it. It went around in circles and dragged on about the character's addiction to opium. He just pretty much killed his main character in the third book..

[2] I started knitting a beret -- but!! Halfway through I realized my mistakes and it is such a waste to frog and pointless to continue. So I just left it as it is. XD When I find some err, inspiration to continue then I will. But for now.... I want to work on a different project! (haha, I have to be more patient.. XP)

[3] I am still playing the guitar (on weekends only -- for about an hour). Remember when I decided to learn the song 'Asturias' by Isaac Albeniz same time last year? Well, I haven't progressed much but I think I have improved on some of the difficult parts. It is such a beautiful song to play, I really love the sound of the strings. It is still too difficult for me. But I am learning at my own pace. I can play the intro wonderfully *A* but I am determined to at least try to play the whole song.X3

[4] I have put El Secreto de Puente Viejo on hold -- and started watching some other series -- Gavilanes - dropped, Bienvenidos al Lolita - dropped, El Principe - still watching, Sherlock - Season 3 UK - have just started watching and I still love this series. I am about to start watching some other UK series after it -- Lightfields, Shetland, Vera, and Orphan Black.XD I am such a tvseries junkie. :P

[5] Also watched some japanese dramas, one that I finished two weeks ago was Itazura na Kiss ~ Love in Tokyo. I read the manga, watched the anime, and now the drama! It is so nice. :) I downloaded the drama a long time ago. I attempted to watch it a few time but found it too corny, or the main guy too annoying -- the main guy not so much my type. BUT! It has been sitting on my comp for far too long and I decided to give it a go again. And surprisingly I didn't find it so bad this time.:P

[6] I have also been putting off sorting photos for a long time. (Ah, I procrastinate more than I should!) So far I managed to sort 1-day worth of Munich photos, some Paris photos (I know, these were so 2011 but there were just too many photos! :O).
*note to self: japan, paris, rome, madrid, munich, vienna, florence -- have yet to be sorted*
(by the way I also went through some China photos from 2010 -- I'm posting one next week on my photoblog -- snapperoni.blogspot.com. :3 Click and drop a comment!*A*)

[7] I started reading A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini. The Kite Runner was such a beautiful book -- and so moving. I have read good reviews about this one and I am sure it will not disappoint. I bought the book a long time ago but the weird thing is I have been saving it for later.XD When it comes to a favourite book, I start it when I know I have a lot of quiet time by myself to read it and appreciate it. I hate being distracted and talked to when I start reading something I like. In my case the best time to read is when everyone else is asleep. Bad habit? =_=

[8] Watching Pékin Express (French)- Season 10! I didn't like the participants at first but now I have my favourites! Actually there's only one team that I don't like this season.

[9] Addicted to D&CO (French show on M6) - Amazing what they turn run-down houses into. Watching ti makes me want to redecorate my room (but not the complicated parts like taking walls down) -- just the "out with the old, in with the new" concept.

[10] Also watched: The Hobbit - The Desolation of Smaug - cliffhanger but good nonetheless. The Bookthief - Beautiful, moving. But it also made me want to cry happy-sad tears. It was that kind of movie. Realistic and I highly recommend. It was depressing but undeniably good at the same time. The Lunchbox (Hindi film) - I haven't seen any Indian films in a while and this was nice. The story was simple and light. It revolved around India's lunchbox concept and the story develops from there. It focused a lot on the characters' relationships - the feeling of loss, finding some again, rejection, self-realization, friendship, and how these relationships can change someone. It may portray more than that but the was how I found it. Also recommended.;D

***

Haha, maybe I should start writing reviews!




~*~

(Tomorrow I shall write some long overdue posts. XD

Sneak Peek:)



These photos may have shown up on your feed at some point if you follow me on Instagram. X3

Á plouche!

...

2014/05/18 - Sketch - View from the Nihonbashi in the old days. [click here to read]

2014/05/10 - Food Review :: Almon Marina Sandwich Bar & Deli [click here to read]

2014/05/04 - Beautiful Weekend Sunset [click here to read]

2014/04/27 - Food Review :: Seattle's Best Coffee [click here to read]

2014/04/26 - Food Review :: Almon Marina Sandwich Bar & Deli [click here to read]

Sketches - View from the Nihonbashi in the old days

The inspiration..



Started sketching and this is how it looks.



At first I was going to draw the bridge but later I omitted it.;D

I used my Miffy ,echanical pen.X3 I got this from Hong Kong from only HKD$15! :D



I was tinkering with my phone and it was tempting to use some puri apps! XD



I continued the next morning. I did the top part with Mount Fuji. The aroma of the coffee filling the room... hmm.:3



I finalized the lines with ink. I usually use waterproof pigment ink but since I wasn't using watercolour I used Pilot Frixion pen, the kind that you can erase.:D It works great.



I filled it with colour.



And here is the final result!



Voilá!

Do you like it better with colour or without? X3

Food Review :: Almon Marina Sandwich Bar & Deli

For dinner today I had 1/4 Roast Chicken with choice of Pasta and Salad.



I don't usually like this part of the chicken because it's too lean and too dry; But when I dine here I don't mind at all because the meat is so tender and tasty! I also like the sweet tangy BBQ sauce they brush it with, not too strong, just enough to keep you looking for that taste.XD

I also had half of this one, Sausage with choice of pasta and Salad.




The set menus at this place are not too expensive and not that cheap, but the food is wonderful.

This was our second visit this week and it was good as usual.:)


***
Almon Marina Sandwich Bar and Deli @Robinson's

Overall:
Food 9/10
Service 8/10
Presentation 8/10

Beautiful Weekend Sunset

Sunsets are almost always magical.



The clouds look amazing.





And I just love this warm balmy colour...



and staring into that vast expanse of sea, wondering where it meets the sky.



***

If you liked these photos, you might want to visit my photoblog at
// SNAPPERONI [dot] blogspot [dot] COM //.
..

2014/06/06 (Copy of) David @ Piazzale Michelangelo, Florence, Italy [click to view]

2014/06/04 U - Under The Tree, Tokyo, Japan [click to view]

2014/04/01 L - Lucian Freud Exhibit @Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna, Austria [click to view]

2014/03/26 K - Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna, Austria [click to view]