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... or Ye Gods! I've finally tightened the dem thing!

As per Clair's suggestion (and weeks and weeks of self-prodding), I finally managed to get it together and tighten the petticoat's waistline. Here's the Before product. The one above's the After.

After, fluffed.

Here's the button and loop closure I made for the petticoat. I found I had some pretty pink ribbon, and did what I could with it. Ha!

Because I can't get Carl Sagan out of my head.

Aaaaaah.

Last Sunday, James and I managed to get some hardcore home shopping done. James is fantastic: he managed to find all the items we needed -- metal polish, three types of screwdrivers, rust remover and lubricant, lock-and-key doorknob, heavy-duty sliding-door lock, and a three-layer television-and-whatnots rack -- all in the hardware store, of the best quality our money could buy (and wow on the quality!), and in under 20 minutes. The man knows his stuff and is amazing. (and I'm squeeing because he's mine. ^_^*) We even had enough time to goof off with some of the tools "in case of zombie attack", haha.

So there: most mini-indoor household concerns are over and done with, and now there's just cleaning up and segregating the DVDs, jump-starting the refrigerator back to working condition, fixing the soaked kitchen cupboards (whose bases are currently in danger of giving way -- yikes!), as well as having the roof looked at and ultimately fixed.

Piece of cake.

Oh look, another distraction!

So, Monday afternoon, after getting our home affairs in order, we left for early lunch at Dell's (at Eastwood City's Citiwalk avenue), a cafeteria resto near my workplace. We love eating at places like these: the food was cheap, the ambiance and presentation was fun, and the food was surprisingly very good. ^_^*

What did we have? a cup of fried rice and a viand each -- he took creamy fish fillet, I took sizzling sisig--, coconut juice & a slice of Sansrival cake for him, and sago't gulaman & a sylvana for me, all under the tidy price of P355.00 (that's $7.80 or €5.92. Good for two very hungry people. Ha!) Alas, alas, the Razon's just next door had just opened, and we were too full to even accommodate a serving of halo-halo between us. Why do you teas us so? One day, Razon's, one day.

I love our date lunches. It's the joy of discovering cool, affordable, and delicious places to eat, and the afterglow of a meal well enjoyed. We managed to haul ourselves out of our seats, and walked off the food (or was it waddled?) our way to the taxi bay to see each other off. Ah, happy. <3

I've currently set to work on knitting myself a scarf (yes, this time, it'll be for me) in the DMC Senso Harlequin thread I picked up from the Dreams Yarshoppe in Glorietta 5 in Makati. It's going to be a simple Feather-and-Fan, Feather-and-Fan, Feather-and-Fan, then knit-one-purl-two pattern, then end with rows of Feather-and-Fan again. This should be over and done quickly.

Another officemate of mine wants to have these babies crocheted for his lovely lady, and they are awesome-rad. Which reminds me... Clair and I really must get around to our knitting date so we can hopefully work up our way to this. Then there's also these. (To heck with Stephenie Meyer, I just want to make these arm-warmers!)

Oowoowoowoowoowoo.

One of the sweetest, most positive evolutionist songs I've ever heard. Far as I've heard, anyway. :)

Pundar: To invest.
Yesterday, I went out early afternoon to go shopping for a new washing machine and a rice cooker before heading in for work. Well, more like having brunch, shopping for appliances, and picking up fresh kitty litter for Tweed.

I am very happy to say that the new 7-kilogram capacity washing machine and rice cooker will be delivered to the house this coming Saturday. I'm thrilled with the thought of finally moving forward after Ondoy, and I'm thankful for generous, selfless help from unexpected quarters.

Danielle, Roger, thank you. No words can express my joy and gratitude. I can now proudly say you are truly a part of my home. :)

Help has come form almost every unexpected quarter: my company, my past learners, my high school batchmates, my online friends -- all unbidden, unasked for. I am overwhelmed, and truly grateful.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
I do miss crocheting and knitting. Yarnwork keeps me grounded and at ease.

taken by francesbea.

"...under the worst conditions imaginable, you can choose to be buoyant. You can find your bliss."

Read more here.

James, Ate Osang and I survived a weekend at the mercy of Typhoon Ketsana/Ondoy. Those were two of the worst days we'd ever experienced this year.

I mean, I've grown used to floods in our subdivision at this time of year. Every August to September, we'd always be ready to haul the appliances up to the second floor, turn the sofa sets into puzzle pieces atop the dining table to keep them away from the waters. We'd bring up the rice cooker, canned goods, instant noodles, the gas range, even the dog. Living in Cainta does that to you.

Man, those were good times.

It was the first time I'd seen a flood of this caliber. The water had been knee-deep out in the streets by 6am, and we'd gotten so used to this we thought it'd never reach our doorstep at this rate. By 10am, the water stalked right beneath the sliding door of our apartment, and in 15 minutes, we found ourselves in knee-deep water. Indoors.

A few more hours, the water had reached two feet inside. A few more, and the water had covered the entire first floor, cold, greasy, and slick with mud.

we managed to save the electronic items: the PC, the freshly-repaired LCD, the television set, the PS2 and the DVD player. The phone went beneath the roiling water, and the cabinet-seats, the refrigerator, and the gas range went swimming.

I rescued the sewing machine from the dining/crafting table and placed it in its case atop my 4-foot textile bin. a few hours later, the water had shook the bin with enough force to send the sewing machine toppling.

That hurt. A lot.

Two days of waiting, huddling for warmth, sharing and killing boredom. and now we are fine.

It's great to be alive.

For now, the yarn's all muddy, colors have run, textiles are good as gone, and the sewing machine needs looking at, but hey, we're alive!

I am immensely thankful to loving family members and friends who have worried about us, checked on us, and done everything in their power to lend a kind word and a helping hand. Words cannot express how much all this has meant to us.

I've had some plans in mind for the past few months -- making a huge step toward crafting professionally, taking it one step at a time -- but the typhoon changed all that. It's a rather difficult thing to swallow, but perhaps it is not a complete end to it all. I'll try to think of it as a ... rest period. Or a benevolent delay. Often, these sorts of things turn out for the best.

My office-buddy and good friend Justin sent me this song because it reminded him so much of everyone who got caught up in Ondoy's wrath. It made him shed a manly tear. I think this song is lovely.

Here's to us: the brave, the strong, the self-giving. Here's to us who have survived this storm and who continue to brave the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune. We have persevered, and we shall continue to persevere, because that's what we were put on this earth to be. Here's to rebuilding our lives with our own hands, and here's to helping a brother out.

Here's to us. Here's to life.