Channelling my Chanel

to date i have 66 posts in this blog. 

i think that is quite an achievement given that i havent written much over the past year. and when i did write, they are mostly gibberish and done out of the fervent need to whine and rant.

but then again, the main purpose of a blog is to do just that.

anyways, i have promised myself that i would have 70 posts before the year ends and thus, for today i think i have a 'lil treat for you. well, it was a treat for me to be able to find this article on the net, because it was indeed an eye-opener. :)

i found this article on the www.purseblog.com, which is one of the leading designer handbag blogs. 

i blame my friend for taking me to Chanel earlier this week, to prompt me on this obsession to find the name of a certain bag design. (going into Chanel itself again is a definite no, because i am not in the mood to act as if i'm buying :P)

so without further ado, please have a look at the pictures which i found on the post called "How A Chanel Bag Is Made" for your viewing pleasure.

(you can hop to the link itself to read more, but do gawk at the pictures here first.... :)

apparently some of the comments made on the post were that the fact the bag was machine made (with manmade stitching does come to play on some elements of the bag making), or that the price does not befit the machine made bag, did cause some women (and men) to pause on whether they should even get the bag, but frankly, i would still want to own one.

one day. in the upcoming future. when i earn like RM20k a month. :P

(please don't add 'and pigs may fly', because the Anne of Green Gables in me, still does 'believe')

okay - before i rant and rave again - below are some of the pictures 'borrowed' from The Purseblog. 

(pssstttt.... they are not in order of process, because they are also jumbled up in the original post)

for the heart

Why Aren’t My Prayers Being Answered?

Question: Why aren’t my prayers being answered?  Answer: May Allah reward you for asking such an honest question, and may He guide us towards the truth.Ameen. I think what happens in this type of situation is that we mix up our meansand our ends. When we make du`a’ for a good husband, for example, is that strong marriage a means or an end? I think many people take it as an end, which explains much of the disillusionment and disappointment that often follows (ironically in both cases: whether we get it or we don’t). Like everything in this dunya, marriage is only a means – a means to reach Allah. So if we pray for it and we don’t get it, perhaps Allah has chosen another means for us – perhaps through hardship, the purification it may cause and the sabr it builds, to bring us to that end: Allah. It may be, as only Allah knows best, that had He given us that amazing husband we made du`a’ for, it would have made us heedless and therefore not achieve our end at all. Instead of seeing it like this, however, I think the problem is we are seeing things as just the opposite. The dunya (that great job, certain type of spouse, having a child, school, career, etc) is our end and *Allah* is the means that we use to get there. We use that means, through making du`a’, to achieve our end (whatever it is that we’re making du`a’ for), and then get disappointed when our means (Allah) didn’t come through for us. We throw our hands up in the air and say our du`a’ are not being answered. Our means just isn’t coming through for us! But, Allah isn’t a means. He is the end. The ultimate objective of even du`a’ itself is to build our connection to Allah. Through du`a’ we become closer to Him. So, I think the problem is that our focus is wrong. That’s why I love the du`a’ of istikhara so much. It’s just perfect because it acknowledges that Allah only knows best, and then asks for Him to bring what is best and take away what is not best. The focus of that du`a’ is not that which you are asking for. The focus is what is best in this life and next. This is not to say that we cannot make du`a’ for things specifically that we want. On the contrary. Allah loves for us to ask of Him. But it means that once we ask, do our part to the utmost, and put our trust in Allah, we are pleased with what Allah chooses for us. And we realize that Allah answers all du`a’ - but not always in the form we expect. And that is simply because our knowledge is limited, and His is unlimited. In His infinite knowledge He may send us what He knows to be better for us in achieving the ultimate end: the pleasure of Allah (swt). Wa Allahu `alam (and Allah knows best).

Source: http://www.yasminmogahed.com/2010/05/11/why-arent-my-prayers-adeyah-being-answered/

On a side note (something I learn):

Du’a is something that we always make but I think many of us fail to see the light and purpose in it. I remember a scholar once shared during his khutbah about du’a. Many muslims he observes make du’a as if it is not a big deal… it is seem as part of a ritual after salat; in a sense that the du’a is the same after another, they are usually rushed and the recitation of the du’a is on automatic mode (dah hafal doa-doa yg afdal). He also observed they usually have blank expression and even yawning compared to those who make dua with hard or soft expressions like teary face, weeping, closed eyes + frowning, bowing while hands raised high above the head….

But, as muslims he said we cannot judge other people because we cannot tell what lies in the heart, only Allah knows that. So the scholar advised that we should make du’a when THERE is a NEED for it for Allah will judge and favor on those who really NEED His favors. ONLY WE on own OURSELF can tell whether our du’a is empty or not. While it is good to include recitation of du’a from the Quran, examples from beloved prophet Muhammad s.a.w and his companions (amalan doa yg afdhal)… he advise that we should also include into our du’a by words expressed of our ownself. Only thru this, our du’a is meaningful coz we find the NEED for it and it will not be as empty nor on automatic mode. Especially for muslims whose Arabic language is hard on the tongue. Du’a is free from rituals of physical order (tak ikut tertib macam dlm solat) and it is free of language. Du’a can be made anytime, anywhere and any way you like. E.g. in the heart, after prayer, conversation, in congregation/majils, e.t.c

Du’a is an engagement session with our Creator so it is best to make du’a all the time for ALLAH loves those who always praise and remember Him. Allah is our personal counsel, confidante and saviour – that is why muslims put their ultimate trust in Allah and never give up hope in His mercy. Lastly remember Allah is our final end. So let us make meaningful du’a everytime we make one and hopefully Allah will forgive us lovingly, shows His bountiful mercy on all of us as we journey to our final destination in His straight path, ameen.

PS: this is from something that arrived in my mailbox.

Muzak

From the dictionary.reference.com, the definition for 

Muzak (ˈmjuːzæk)

- n

trademark  recorded light music played in shops, restaurants, factories, etc, to entertain, increase sales or production, etc.

so i suppose the piece of music, or rather muzak, which i am about to share here does exactly that - which is entertain and perhaps, on some deeper level (stretching a bit here), it does make you want to get up and do MORE.

like seriously.

not necessarily by boosting your productivity, but by boosting your energy by getting you out of your funk.

well, it's a start, kan?

thus, i hope you will enjoy this piece of muzak, as much as i do (although i think i'd get tired of it soon). it doesnt require any soulful interpretation or make you weep - although i must warn you that the vid is a tad dodgy, bordering on soft p*rn *wink*- it just makes you want to get up and do the jiggy.

jiggy? i'm OLD.

speaking of old, i just realised that my father likes this kinda music. and i wonder if one's taste of music would change when one gets older?

OMG. i'm turning into my DAD.

Women

We talked about my recent issue at work. i thought she didnt want to talk about it - and truthfully, i am just freaking tired telling the story all over again, because y'see, it's like putting salt over the wound over and over again - but i was glad she asked. because she didnt even try to avoid the issue. she wanted to talk it over with me....  and i'm glad and blessed, to have a friend like that.

i did tell her that if i ever break down and go into the brink of depression, i would want her to slap me. really. i just couldn't bear to be this huge pain in the neck. i can be a pain in the neck, but i dont want to be the cause of pain to others. 

i wonder if it's because i have always felt all along that no one wants to listen to me. i am always the listener. playing the advisory role. my troubles are usually being swept under the carpet, for them to stew until they rot and eventually they just disappear along with the wind.

whatever it is, i felt better, but the hurt is still there - and will be there for a long while. a decision is to be made. the road to wellness is still far. 

i want to write that hurt is good because it will prod us to work harder to prove ourselves. but i've done that. been there, done that. and i guess my 'harder' is not their harder. in final analysis, i am just.... tired.

we also talked about the expectations that we women face in this world, when we went to the topic about friends who are not yet married. the societal pressure to be married at a certain age sometimes get to these women, even when they are better off with other aspects of their lives such as a thriving career life and being able to do the things only single women could do like travel at a moment's notice or dressing the way they want without their partners disapproving. :)

women face a lot of pressure nowadays (men would counter that they also face the same). but forgive me for saying, men are more likely pass the pressure of being married to their spouses. women still need to work when they come back from work. men have it easy. the king of the house as he is largely known in every society. nevertheless, the kings should also realise that their queens are also supporting the household as well.

last day

today is the last day of November.

i havent been writing much of late. been about two weeks since i last updated.

yes i'm still in my funk.

anyways, i am trying to cheer myself up with the number of quotes i have compiled over the past months.

if it doesnt motivate you - meaning it just makes you gag - just close this post. no one's forcing you to read anyways.

(eeeewwww.... i do sound  a funked up person, aren't i?)

===========================================================

"Avoid the crowd. Do your own thinking independently. Be the chess player, not the chess piece."

- Ralph Charell

"Tell me and I'll forget. Show me, and I may not remember. Involve me, and. I'll understand."

-- American Indian Proverb

"Our attitudes control our lives. Attitudes are a secret power working twenty-four hours a day, for good or bad. It is of paramount importance that we know how to harness and control this great force."

-- Irving Berlin

"The winner's edge is not in a gifted birth, a high IQ, or in talent. The winner's edge is all in the attitude, not aptitude. Attitude is the criterion for success."

-- Denis Waitley (American author, motivational speaker)

"Life is like a landscape. You live in the midst of it but can

describe it only from the vantage point of distance."

- Charles Lindbergh

"I believe that everything happens for a reason, people change so that you can learn to let go, things go wrong so that you can appreciate them when they're right, you believe lies so that eventually you learn to trust no one but yourself, and sometimes good things fall apart so that better things can fall together!"

- Marilyn Monroe

 "Drag your thoughts away from your troubles... by the ears, by the heels, or any other way you can manage it."

- Mark Twain

"We all have our own life to pursue, our own kind of dream to be weaving, and we all have the power to make wishes come true, as long as we keep believing."

- Louisa May Alcott

"Things don't go wrong and break your heart so you can become bitter and give up. They happen to break you down and build you up so you can be all that you were intended to be."

- Samuel Johnson

==================================================================================

so which ones are your favourites? 

the one that i need to remember most at the moment is the last bit. my heart maybe breaking but i will not let myself become bitter. i pray to Him that i have the strength to do what i must. to change. to become better. to live my life. Amin.

InsyaAllah.

note: initially drafted on the last day of November, but only got posted today... due to writer's traumatic experience yesterday.

Out of sorts

I have not been doing much upkeep on this blog of late. 

for that, i am truly sorry... to myself, for not taking the initiative to whine (and/or gloat), whenever i can. as the opportunity does crop a lot of times... it's just that i dont feel like writing.

I have been reading a lot of blogs lately. mostly pictorial blogs. goes to show that pictures do say more than a few thousand words. more than a few written gibberish words, pulled together to form coherent thoughts.

anyhoo, there are things which i want to write but i guess i'm not in the right frame of mind to divulge much, because i may just divulge TOO much.

so as usual, i change the topic and here is a picture of a yet designer bag which is unattainable at the moment but could be mine, if i put all my priorities wrongly.

: P

girls, the bag in question is by Yves Saint Laurent or YSL for short form easier-to-pronounce-name.

aptly called 'Muse', this bag is something to be mused about. (this sentence does not even make sense)

the bag comes in many colours, even in that emerald shade that i absolutely adore, but somehow to be practical, i chose this chocolate colour for illustrative purpose.

Note: pic credits : www.ysl.com, www.mytheresa.com


PS: took me about 3 weeks to have this posted (sat in draft for the longest time). something is wrong somewhere. hmmm...

outta sleep

this was as a result of my insomnia last night.

i am tired, i am beat 
but i cannot fall asleep 
too many things on my mind 
i feel like i'm out of bind 

perhaps i should just admit 
that it hurt and it bit 
rather than carry on as usual 
with my nitpicking nonchalant perusal 

i am tired i am beat 
hope this poem helps me sleep 
as long as the secret i that keep 
be buried as far and as deep. 

outta sleep and still sound 
i pray that the demons be gone 
uninterrupted slumber is a luxury 
and waking up is not a hurry. 

i am tired i am beat 
i owe myself to go to sleep 
good night worries good night pain 
i am determined i must remain.

one of those days....

else, i just eat EVERYTHING... and i don't know what i had eaten and why i ate it in the first place.

(well, actually, i do know WHY, but the joy of eating is no longer there)

i just hope the bloating feeling will dissipate soon.

i would very much like to LIKE my food. 

Desserts spelled backwards is?

just a short post on fooooooood.....

tell me, does that NOT make you want to salivate?

i proclaim that i aspire to bake this sumptuous cheesecake. i even printed the recipe from All Recipes.com. if you want to find the recipe, do write 'Chantal's New York Cheesecake' in the search box.

printing is one thing. actually making the cake is another. i shall endeavour to try soon. i feel the need... the need to create or craft something. perhaps this need will dissipate soon. else, i do not know how to stop the other need to design my boys' room. :)

(refer to previous post, if you must)

so enough narrative for now.  i shall leave you with the visual of an enticing new york cheesecake topped with strawberry jelly... oh yums!

then again, if i couldn't wait, i could always skip to Isetan to find a frozen one. :P

homely retreat

as i plough through another sickly day, trying to make sense of the tiredness, i came across this in my mailbox. 

it heartened me. the sheer visual of the beautiful room just made me (and my heart) smile.

Lou's jumping on her bed!

doesn't this make you want to ooh and aah?

i especially love the beads chandelier :)

as well as the accompanying story : a mother planned to redecorate her daughter's room with the sole goal of her sleeping in there more often and ended up being the winner of the first Washington Post Kid's Room Contest.

in gist, Krista Salmon, the mother, has been undergoing this 'Big Girl' project to make the room for her lil' girl, Anna Louise aka Lou more livable. something that both of them would be proud of.

(see the whole story here)

if you want more inspiration to do up your kids room, please go to Krista's personal blog called Kiki's List. the post on the revelation of Lou's room could be found here.

now.... what could i do to make my boys sleep in their own (non-existent) room?

hmmm... first off, need ze hubby to get cracking by inciting him with the idea of more privacy. :P

next up... i need to think of a palette for the room. Big Brother likes Purple... and lil brother likes... er... Pink. for now. hehehe.

Dont Fall For It! :)

AS PER USUAL, i do not know how to edit the image to make it fit the screen but i think you get the gist of the picture.

this is from Net-a-porter site. more specifically, the issue is on the Fall 2011 Must Haves or trends.

i especially love the lists on 2. A Shirt Story, 12. Fancy Pants 13. Arm Candy 15. Modern Maxi 19. Lace Is More and 21. High Drama.

since we dont have four seasons in Malaysia, i would advise that you follow the trend...with due caution. :) 

(i.e. parka, cape, fuzz are not applicable to us)

here's the link for your ease of browsing later. 

http://www.net-a-porter.com/theedit?cm_sp=homepage-_-edit-_-edit

another thankful post

i had drafted a post last Monday while waiting for my turn to see the doctor at the hospital cafeteria.

but something happened at home - something ghastly revolting between my maid and a stranger whom she let in - that the post had to be scrapped.

i then lost my appetite to write. 

i would not want to elaborate much in this portal, but suffice to say the maid hasn't confessed despite being caught red-handed by my neighbour and being confirmed by my (although incoherent) four-year-old son.

i don't want to rant more here. it would just start me on it again - when i am already starting to calm down. 

of course i've had sleepless nights, trying to find a solution, but now i am just thankful that my kids are at my sister's for the time being (with the maid in tow, regardless).

this is for temporary measure. i hate imposing on other people. i rather not depend on my in-laws but they seem to be the only ones available (from next week onwards) to oversee the ungrateful maid until we find another.

i would have kicked her out, but rationally, i couldn't. besides, my kids got on well with her. guess the false charms win them over.

so i was a sorry sight when i came to work today - after two days of medical leave - as i was obsessing over the fate of my kids. 

then after lunch, i bumped into a colleague, who always look fresh and cheery in the office pantry and i flat out asked her " how do you handle stress? " she was heavily pregnant and has been working late. 

she said she would not let stress get to her. she even wakes up at 4am to do work at home and continues to work at the office. i said " doesn't the fatigue gets to you? " she said it did, but she still would not let it get to her. she would take short naps when she could.

her positive attitude warmed me up all over. we're not the best of buddies but she cheered me up today. even with her physical constraints, her mental reserves were aplenty. 

she is in-charge of her life. i love that spirit. i want to inhale it and let it consume me. make me aglow with optimism.... and life. i thus decree that i secretly aspire to be the ever effervescent Anne of Green Gables. :P

scratch that. but the point is, when life gets you down, you need to remember that you still have the resilience within you to come back up.

you dont always have to be thankful by looking at what the others do not have, or those who have less than you; neverthless, you could be thankful by looking at other people who still have the courage and strength to take the bull by its horn, despite it steadily and surely charges towards you. 

MM 2, albeit belated

I promised to post about my MM on er, last Monday.

but alas, the tug 'o war of the small lappie was not mine to win.

(although i didnt even try to wrestle it from my beloved cutie pies... i'd only use it when the boys have had enough of it, which is rather rare because after one has his turn, the other would want his... the obvious solution is to get another laptop/netbook but that could wait)

anyways, i have had this draft for the last two days. i was thinking of something interesting to add in MM 2, but there was nothing much that caught my eye.

and then i received a mailer from Zara in my inbox (starring two cute kids, made up of a boy and a girl) and i was gob-smacked in love with those two pictures. then it struck me that i'd always love advertisements that feature kids in them.

yes i know it's not much of a Marvel to you but to have kids modelling is something of a marvel to me. to look effortlessly happy and oh-that-cute demeanour, after spending long adult working hours on the set, one has to wonder if it's inherent - as kids are still innocent and could easily be moulded to be awed with all things new - therefore, when we, prospective patrons, who look at their smiling, cheeky faces, we could not help but smile back.

and isn't that pretty much MARVELLOUS?

anyway, the mentioned Zara ads are the first two below.

I wonder what he was asked to look at to induce that melting smile. :) and he  reminded me of my second son.

effortlessly beautiful that you wonder how she would look like smiling. :)  plus... i dig that outfit!

these are GAP Casting Call winners (US) - i read that mixed kids with exotic looks have high chances of winning. so ... do you consider Javanese plus (white) Mamak (Indian Muslim) exotic? :P

i love the boy... he seemed to be having so much fun. i like the other ad  which i've seen at the store where he was furiously 'leaning' against three other girls - causing all of them to laugh.

nevertheless, as much as i love kids in ads, i wouldn't subject my boys to it. an opportunity did crop up, but i declined because i know my son was not ready.

maybe one day i'd change my mind. for now, i just want my kids to be kids. :)

Monday Marvel V2

I HAD THIS VISION OF HAVING A MONDAY MARVEL (which will be shortened to MM, from this post on) ON A WEEKLY BASIS.

but then, i knew it would not happen. so i bargained with myself. bi-weekly should be just nice - not too desperately early, not too obviously late. two weeks after the  first MM i still did not and could not find the time to do it. which i blamed on the festive season - with it being Hari Raya still.

so Syawal has passed us by and i still don't know what to write.

MM is supposed to be about finding something quirky and/or something so out of this world (like the urm, highly unrealistic Miu Miu shoes/ boots kinda contraption) and share with your my ever silent readers. :P

basically, i haven't gotten the time to browse online to find anything which is worth sharing.

anyhow, i promise to do so today and i will find time to post it... just hope i would not fall asleep before the deed is made. :D

stay tune, lovelies.

the end of September working week

had a rough week. because all of the sudden, urgent and multi-tasking tasks cropped in, of which i wouldn't be complaining much (after a long stint without much to do), except that the lack of rest and sleep was getting to me.

i even did the most unacceptable faux paus at work.

i raised my voice at my superior. i did not even think - my voice just automatically went a notch higher (maybe a few notches higher) when she made an uncalled remark.

it may seem totally all right with you, but the remark did not come at a right time when i was trying my level BEST to complete the task given by her.

but that's that. it's the end of the week. end of September 2011, in fact. and three more months before the new year 2012.

time does indeed FLY. not just when you were having fun. but when things got complicated and busy that you did not realise that time has bade you goodbye.

anyways, this is meant to be a quick post - i could afford to do this since i have managed to distribute the manuals which my boss and i had a bit of disagreement on a few minutes ago... so YAY! - but i do want to share this lil' picture that i got through the email today.

it made me laugh. and the laughter reached my eyes. hope it will have the same effect on you.

gotta feed the baby and do laundry?
THERE... I FIXED IT! :)

B.R.O.G.U.E.S.

Fashion Trend : BROGUES 

Brogues - Definition :

a durable, comfortable, low-heeled shoe, often having decorative perforations and a wing tip often with ornamental perforations

a coarse, usually untanned shoe once worn in Ireland and Scotland

I especially like the etymology of the word :

type of Celtic accent, 1705, perhaps from the meaning "rough,stout shoe" worn by rural Irish and Scottish highlanders (1580s),via Gaelic or Irish, from O.Ir. broce "shoe," thus originally meaningsomething like "speech of those who call a shoe a brogue." Orperhaps it is from O.Ir. barrog "a hold"

off white brogues are just fineeeee with these jeans. *

the perforation on these shoes maketh the brogues.

ASOS black patent brogues - as depicted in next pic.

lady.... you really know how to work those brogues of yours. *

okay, no brogues, but luverly Balenciage bag :) *

been obsessed about brogues of late.... but then i havent made up my mind on which brogues to get. 

i like mine with a bit of lift or height. i dont know why... the older i get, the safer i feel with heels. 

the heels are like my personal back straightener. (granted, they also hurt my back, but not when i'm using them).

so these are my current faves. i haven't seen them in the local high street shops yet. but then again, i haven't been actively looking.

(Amazon.com), heels are just right to NOT be called a witch's pairs.

mind you, the trend has also gone to the kids' fashion segment.

because last week, i found these at Ginger Snaps.

chic pair of baby brogues in metallic beige that i'd want one! :)

Photos credits in * are from a fashion blog called wheredidyougetthat, specifically, a post entitled http://www.wheredidugetthat.com/2011/08/high-voltage.html