jewelry

I love jewelry. I really do. Ever since I was a child, I'd whine and whine and whine until Mom (or Dad) would buy me a certain ring or a brooch. I was in love with Amethyst and purple stones mostly because of the short-lived action comic.

Ironically, I never thought that my fingers could be decorated with rings. I could never wear brooches to school (not to an all-male Catholic school!). And so, many pieces were lost, long long time ago. Although, I've retained two pieces: Two Amethyst-tinted glass brooches from Smithsonian (it was the age of paper catalogue. Yes, I am ancient).

From July 25th, 2010, I've decided that I would wear black nail polish and my fingernails and black eyeliner & eyeshadow whenever I go out (except to dance classes). My boyfriend supports this look, although Mom said by wearing make-up everyday, it would make my stage make-up look not special.

This new look, combined with the heavy influences I get from FCBD-ATS and Tribal Fusion in general and Gothic Fusion in particular (although I think I'm more drawn onto ATS), allows me to wear my costume jewelry (rings, some of my bracelets and cuffs) whenever I go out lately.

In FCBD's 20 years of performance DVD that I got last year, in the commentary by Carolena Nericcio, she mentioned the pair of monstrous spike cuffs that she'd found and wore to all kinds of performances. At that time, I didn't feel moved by the spike cuff. I was satisfied with my collection of mostly ethnic / silver-colored cuffs and bangles. I wear these to performances everytime I do Tribal Fusion pieces.

About two months ago, I didn't exactly know why, but I was browsing TribalLine again after a long while since Lilith and decided I was rich enough (yay!) to purchase more cuffs. And I fell in love with a gorgeous spiked cuff. I e-mailed Merilyn, the owner of TribalLine, and she replied saying that it was already out of stock. I was... I had mixed feelings about this, just as I usually have when I failed making a purchase or a concert of someone I truly anticipate is cancelled. I got disappointed, but I was happy that I could still save the money for something else.

But something kept telling me that I needed spike cuffs! I just gotta gotta get, at least one cuff!

And so I did. I did my research and finally decided to order from Tribaltique.nl. The price they offered for a spike cuff was USD 20 LESS than other stores. And that was significant. Besides, the shipping fee cost almost next to nothing, and so I ordered one.

Waiting was of course the hardest part, but I finally got it. Because I was worried that the Eid would mean no one and nothing worked in Jakarta, I had it sent to Bali to my boyfriend's house. I became quite a nuissance because I kept pestering him, asking if it had arrived or not. It took forever to arrive and it finally got there just the day before he left for Jakarta.

My very modest collection of Tribal Jewelry. I think I missed a ring here.

While I was looking for the right bracelet and the right price, I stumbled upon several sites that talked about the history of spike bracelets. Mine (in the picture, it's the one with green stones, interlaced with the white big shell armlet) is Pakistani (or so I found out) and is made out of metal, most probably gillit (brass, nickel, mixed with old coins). The inside is hollow, so although it looks big, it is actually not that heavy.

I found something that made me struck out, "Of course!" and duly commented on how stupid I was (as usual). Spike bracelets were first worn by ethnic tribes (Berber, Kuchi, Pakistani, Rajasthani, Afghani, even Indonesian tribes such as the Batak in North Sumatra) for self-defence purposes. Women wore these to protect themselves. That also explains the spike rings or any kinds of heavy rings, with or without stone. Now that would pack a mean punch! Ouch.

But another thing is... When laid flat, a spike bracelet or cuff will resemble the sun (the spikes being the sun rays). How cool is that?

Some tribes, such as the Ouled Nail tribe, sew coins on their clothings. This is not only to display their wealth, but to make it easier for trade purposes (imagine going through all of those coins in your purse). Same thing with jewelry: they're not just intended for decorational purposes, but also practical. And in the case of heavy, solid, or spiked cuffs: self defence.

You just gotta love history.

For further reading, please click here, here, here, here, here, and here.

can you really do bellydance at the gym?

"Bellydance is a strenuous activity. FatChanceBellyDance and their associates will not be held liable for any injuries that may occur from use of this video. We thank you for using common sense and suggest that you consult a physician regarding any concerns you have."

That important piece of disclaimer always greets me whenever I open up FCBD Tribal Basics vol. 1, 4, 5, 6, and 7 to drill on ATS. Buy the videos here.

And you can see that type of advice coming from all over the place: from instructional DVDs by the likes of Bellydance Superstars, IAMED, Suhaila Salimpour, Sadie, and Veena & Neena to workshops (at least those I've been).

A muscular and join stretches and warm-up follow after that.

Apparently, bellydance can be quite challenging activity that it needs a disclaimer and a session of stretches and warm-up (Sharon Kihara used no less than 45 minutes to drill us with warm-up yoga poses and glute work to improve our technique).

Sharon was a student of Suhaila Salimpour. Suhaila's a lifelong endorser of using your glutes for a lot of benefits such as sharper isolations and better shimmies. It works for me!

The gym was the first place where I got tangibly introduced to bellydance. At first it was hard to even master camels and mayas, but I eventually got the hang of it. And after two years, I could share the very basic steps at the gym, by being an instructor.

And through my teaching experience that's well over a year and my own gym and fitness experience (ugh! I really hate to call it that, but yeah, I've had my gym-freak days), I managed to find a way to make an hour class become survivable. I may not be the greatest teacher and I've had my share of both boosted-ego and humility regarding the sizes of my class.

My longtime teacher and now dance partner, Ms. Miftahul Jannah, has a very good stamina and a loyal fanbase. She can teach up to three classes at the gym in one day (where it's indeed more exhausting) and on Saturdays, she drills all of three levels (Introduction, Beginner, Intermediate) at Dancewave Center.

And as for the fanbase at the gym, well... It surprised me to know that she actually knew what a certain class wants and it can be totally different to another class. She caters to the want of the majority of the group and the group loves it.

As she's gone away for two weeks, I'm substituting her, and I almost fainted. Going from class to class, fighting the godawful traffic jams, sweating and getting muscleaches sometimes feel unworthy of the sweet, sweet paycheck at the end of the month. But again, after a while, I kind of got the hang of it and now I feel so much healthier when I have to wake up at 5:30 in the morning to susbtitute her early class.

Bellydance, like other physical activities, have both benefits and dangers. It can benefit our body if done correctly, and if not done correctly, it can cause permanent damage. One of the ladies in Ms. Mifta's class suffered from skoliosis. Ten years ago, she could not even wear high heels. After dabbling with Pilates and then Yoga, she said she felt a lot healthier, "corrected", even, although still far from normal.

She also said that whenever she does the lateral figure eights, she had to elongate her spine more to not feel the pain.

Ah yes, the beauty of meeting and teaching people is actually not the things you can teach them, but what you can learn from them. And this lady, a dentist, has taught me another valuable tip that I can keep in my tip jar to distribute to my fellow dancers and students along my dancing life.

Another thing that she pointed out was the fact that I always tried to remind them to use the muscles, never the joints, to do the movements. For example, when doing hip bumps (or hips on the ups, hip hits, whatever the terminology) let the glutes and the obliques do the work, not the knees and let the muscles take control. Putting too much strain and pressure on the joints can be really bad. The muscles should be conditioned to help the joints work, and honestly, bellydancing can be a somewhat mild (and uplifting) exercice to condition them.

My shool of thought is definitely not the classic Egyptian (read: Raqia Hassan and the likes). In Sonia's (of BDSS) Drum Solo DVD with Issam Houshan, there's a short documentary about her travel to Egypt where she took private courses with local teachers, one of them was Ms. Hassan. Sonia said that she was not used to the hip shimmy where the movement originates from the knees. I didn't quite get it at the moment, but it all made sense to me now that I am able to hip-shimmy while sitting down and driving: my type of hip-shimmy comes from the hips and glutes.

To tell you the truth, my hip-shimmy is definitely much better when it comes from the hips and glutes, not the knees. How else can I kneel while shimmying if the movement comes from the knees? But then again, I think to each his/her own.

But let me tell you something, contrary to the belief that somehow gets popular, bellydance does not require pot belly to dance to. Some people prefer the dancers petite and curvy, some wiry, some fit and muscular, some voluptuous. As long as they are healthy and can do bellydance (Oriental, Tribal, a good fusion will blow me away), why not?

And contrary to another contradicting belief, bellydance will not burn away your tummy fat. The flab will still be there if you only do bellydance for your physical activity. You will not achieve flat and gorgeous tummy without a proper diet, a proper sleeping pattern, and a hell lot of proper activities. And that's a bunch of sacrifices. Cameron Diaz has an enviable set of abs and I don't think she bellydances. Shakira's fit but doesn't exactly have the six packs and yet she dances. And don't get me started on Brad Pitt's washboards.

But can you really do bellydance at the gym? Well, yeah. It is a physical activity that offers a way to trim down a bit of the calories, tone your muscles, work on your flexibility (that, by the way, depends very much on muscular awareness and conditioning), work on your body coordination (head, hands, feet movements, etc). If you're lucky the instructor can give you an insight or two about Oriental (or Tribal) bellydance.

Then again, it's the gym. Some classes prefer to have sweaty work out, some classes prefer to do in details, some classes prefer to have a choreography in the end. And there are gym instructors who are willing to explain things without worrying about being labeled as boring, willing to sweat off with the members just to show you the right movements and go all the way with them, willing to share you tips to make the end choreography look much classier and more Oriental instead of Burlesque, and what to do with your arms when you turn, and share the meaning of the lyrics of the song you're dancing to.

Some instructors at the gym will not teach you how to achieve the Tarab, but come to think of it, neither will some dance instructors at respectable Oriental instutions.

drunk dancing doorglass dork & cool husbands/boyfriends/fiances of bellydancers

Things have been going on quite nonstop this past week. We had "1001 Nights", our second annual hafla last Sunday at Club O1, that featured not only Dancewave Center Jakarta's students of Oriental classes but also Desi of the Orchid and Aiza of Malaysia, bringing drum solo number and crazy-isolation-wicked-layback-drop-precise-with-every-beat-drum-solo-Tribal-Fusion respectively. The show was opened by Dancewave Center Jakarta's students of hip hop and sexy ladies classes who totally rocked the night.

I created and taught a choreography to students of beginner class. It was a veil number to "Tamally Maak" by Amr Diab. You know, these girls learned fast. Veil can look good but it's also not that easy to master, and these girls did it in less than two months and I'm rarely proud of anyone, but I have to say, I almost cried with joy when they did the dance sooo gracefully (and ALMOST flawlessly... HAHA).

Asih, Inez, Tari, Yuka - Dancewave Center Jakarta's Beginner Oriental class students,
dancing with American Oriental with veil to "Tamally Maak" by Amr Diab.

And then the continuous general and private classes. One private class got postponed and frankly I was quite relieved because had it not been cancelled, I would've spent a long day driving from one place to another.

I substituted my teacher, Ms. Mifta today, teaching three classes at Dancewave Center Jakarta, all new choreographies for our end-year recital on Saturday, November 27th, 2010 in Gedung Kesenian Jakarta. Yes, we've paid for the building, so it's ours. Make sure you come!

Ms. Mifta had an afternoon show today at a birthday party. And we met later in my house to go together for an evening performance. It was a housewarming party.

The really nice hostess offered us drinks, you know, wine and champagne and all, and I said I didn't drink. She jokingly said, "You don't drink? Wow, you're such a no-fun!"

I got drunk once when I was still a wee lad (19 years old, which was... quite a long time ago). And I hated the feeling. I got sleepy but my mouth didn't stop talking and I kept doing stupid things. I didn't fall on the floor and couldn't get up, though. But I just slurred and babbled.

And then I became the designated driver whenever my friends and I went clubbing (I rarely club anymore because of the smoke and, ahem, old age), so I don't drink because 1) I get drunk easily and 2) OMFG, do you know how much a tequila shot costs? Or any booze costs?? And it doesn't even taste good!

They dilute the sweet wine during eucharists at church, and even I get drunk on that small dose of diluted wine!!

And so we danced. First a duet, then continued with me doing veil solo, Ms. Mifta with her drum solo, and lastly us, with zills, freestyling and getting the crowd up to dance. And tonight, the tip was so good. Yeah! I can use some to fix my desktop's broken monitor.

We danced at the poolside and after the last dance, we... Well, I hurriedly went inside to change. I was sweating like hell. And I was almost running that I didn't see the glassdoor and my head met the glass with a loud bang.

Yep, my forehead and my upper right lip just crashed into the glass. Thank goodness it was a thick one (the glass that is) so it didn't shatter. Imagine, a dancer breaking a glass door, A NEW GLASS DOOR, after dancing for a HOUSEWARMING PARTY.

Everyone laughed, I laughed, and just said loud, "Oh, wow, it was sooo clear that I didn't even see it. You guys must have really good maid!"

So much for diva moment.

And so Ms. Mifta went home with full belly (they didn't provide vegetarian meal so I had to be content with my iced tea) while I came home with a bloated right forehead. Well, not forehead, I hit my right brow bone.

And I still have an early class in the morning and an evening solo performance at the Four Seasons Jakarta for a wedding. I could sure need a break.

And an assistant.

Mr. Udin, Ms. Mita's fiance (and all around cool husband-to-be of a bellydancer) almost always comes with us to help with our shows - well, that is whenever Ms. Mifta is dancing too. And he gladly accompanies her to watch haflas and recitals from other institutions, giving objective and valuable feedback from an "outsider" and "client" point of view.

He helps with carrying the costumes and our make-up compartments, sets up the music, giving the cues, handing props (he handed my zills this evening), and takes pictures.

Well, this entry is also meant for the guys - the male significant others of ours - who have helped and supported us a lot: Mr. Anton Ireng - the fabulous photographer, Mr. Udin - the all-around-guy, Mr. Danang Joko Panuntun - MY all-around-guy, and Ms. Inez Kath's husband (?) who always supports her and comes to every one of her performances.

Oh, and "1001 Nights", Dancewave Center Jakarta and the velvetRAQS were featured on Jakarta Globe's Saturday/Sunday, June 12/13, 2010 edition. Go here to read the details.

Good God, I could sure use some rest, right now. Well, laterz!!

make-up forever

I can understand why there's a brand of maquillage by that name. For some people, it's like an obsession. For me, well... I'm a dancer! Make-up is like our second nature. The problem is, I have a feeling that I'm going to take it even further and start wearing it on everyday basis, using a more subtle look, of course.

Of course you know that the only problem I'm talking about begins with an "f". Yes, it's "financially". However, I've managed to sneak-in a few splurging tips for you guys. This will be really helpful if you live in Indonesia.

Eye-shadow base: instead of MAC Cosmetics, use La Tulipe. It's way cheaper (Only Rp. 20,000 or around USD 2.00) and works great with eyeshadows of all brands. MAC's eyeshadow fails to bring out NYX's colors.

Eye-shadow: instead of MAC Cosmetics, use NYX (available in La Piazza Kelapa Gading and eX Plaza Indonesia). It's much cheaper (Only Rp. 80,000 or around USD 8.00 for a single eye-shadow), the color really pops out (especially when you use La Tulipe's base) and it does not do animal-test.

If you're not allergic, you can use PAC by Martha Tilaar. "PAC" sounds like a rip-off from "MAC", but it actually means "Professional Artist Cosmetics", and it lives up to its name. It's way cheaper than MAC and yet the colors really show.

Youtube channel of danalajeunesse - the Mama of Make-Up.
I subscribed to her channel and swore by her look (and awesomeness!!)

I am not allergic to The Face Shop products, so I use its blemish-free foundation, concealer stick, eyeliner (brush tip only, though. They don't have felt-tip), some eyeshadows (really, really shy colors, very street-look. But the colors pop up a bit when I used La Tulipe's eyeshadow base), lipstick, facial soap, cleanser, make-up cleansers (for face and eyes+lips), and hair gel. It's not too pricey.

As for brushes, I'm more of a sponge person, so I don't normally use brushes except to do blushes and shades. You can find great (and original) brushes from a store called "Arwani" in Pasar Baru Harco, Central Jakarta. They also carry an impressive line of cosmetics, from false eyelashes (even the "creative" ones) to basic skincare products.

When you're in Arwani (or Pasar Baru), try to find products by "Nonna". It has a good line for blush colors, but that's it. If you want to do colors for your eye areas, use NYX.

Now, some advice. For the sake of being politically correct, I have to remind you that you might have heard some of the advice, and I'm just a newbie in all this, but take this with a grain of salt. I mean, we learn everyday from plants, animals, and people we consider naive anyway.

The first thing I look when buying cosmetics is their stance in animal testing and animal cruelty. Most of the times, I'm a huge supporter of PETA (although I sometimes think they can be sexist in their campaigns), so before going to the mall / market to buy things I need, I will do some research that includes going to CaringConsumer.com. If the brand name is not on the list of companies that do not test on animals, then I will google it up.

The second thing is that I prefer local / Indonesian products to international products. Not just because of the price, but also because I know it is important to buy the products of your own country. For example, the La Tulipe. And then many of my friends recommend eyebrow pencil and face-cream by Viva Cosmetics. I'm seriously not a big fan of the Indonesian Batik, so I do my own part in another way.

The third thing is of course, your skin. Love your skin! Cosmetics can hide your flaws, but it's nice to look good even without maquillage. Not to mention a lot healthier. I mean, let's face it. Make-up is chemical, whether you like it or not. Except if you pinch your cheeks and rouge it up that way. That's natural, but you can also get skin problems. See a list of dangerous ingredients here.

For now, the brands that I use are: La Tulipe, PAC, MAC, NYX, The Face Shop, and Revlon. I'm not even certain that I'll continue using The Body Shop now that it is owned by L'Oreal. I've checked and double-checked Revlon and still found that it's on both lists that is against and pro animal testing.

If you have any information of La Tulipe, PAC, and The Face Shop regarding their animal-testing policy, do let me know!

on taking workshops (and being stupid)

One thing that most people hate about taking workshops is that they will look stupid in front of other people. Again, for most people, it's okay to be stupid in front of classmates (except for me. I'm *that* competitive). But workshops, especially a regional one like the Bellydance Festival Asia that I recently took, could be challenging in that you get to learn to dance with other dancers with varying degrees of intelligence.

I'm a bottom-feeder, nuff said. And by saying that, I mean to tell you that I am reallly stupid in classes, especially when doing steps and all.

Sharon Kihara corrected my "tribal" posture. I HATE doing ATS postures (because my muscles would burn!!) but after awhile, I kind of get used to it. I took three classes with her (the killer SharK as I called her because she made us all do a one-hour of yoga for warm-up and that nearly killed all of us... but I found neat stuff!).

She said something that I will cherish for the rest of my life, "We are bellydancers, that means we're athletes, and dorks." Hear, hear (especially on the dork part)!!!

I took two classes with one of my heroes, Elizabeth Strong. Bwaaaaaaa... She's just so... I really wish I had her toned arms and abs and attitude! We learned the Turkish Rom fusion (so cool!!!) and she added gorgeous jazz steps and postures to it. Something that I normally wouldn't do, but okay if I find a flirty song that I can dance to. And the Traveling Tribal class was so neat (I could finally do the Suzy Q with maya stuff that SharK taught in the class the day before).

The Haremqueen dancers (the organizer of the Bellydance Festival Asia) did a "Road to Bellydance Festival Asia" pre-event, the velvetRAQS danced there and we got a free two-hour class. I chose Bollywood Fusion with Heather Aued. OMYGOD. That could most certainly be one of the most fun classes I've taken in years! Deer hands! Lotus hands! Steps and positions! I gotta start taking Kathak class at the Indian Cultural Center near home.

With Elizabeth Strong after the Traveling Tribal class. Picture taken by Flory (an Oriental teacher from the Philippines)

For the closing night on Sunday, we were treated with outdoor buffet-style dinner and a dance-theatrical show by the Bellydance Evolution. It rained just before the show ended... *sigh*. It could be more gorgeous, though. I didn't move when I watched Elizabeth Strong dancing with her scimitar, Sharon and Kaeshi working it out Tribal fusion style, and Kaeshi dancing with a tray of candles on her head, and doing floorworks on wet dancefloor (yes, the rain got there too).

Soaked-wet after the Gala Dinner & Show.

But the most fun night was the Saturday night we all went to Khaima, a middle-eastern eatery in Seminyak. I asked my boyfriend about it and initially, it was only going to be the two of us, but I asked the other girls if they wanted to join, and they all tagged along.

It turned out to be one of the best nights of our lives. We danced with the Yamina, the Australian Oriental dancer who also took the workshops at the Bellydance Festival Asia and won 2nd prize on her Bellysamba Fusion at the Gala Dinner. Yeah! We also danced with Ika (?) the house dancer of Khaima (who also took the workshops). They were so fab. We got two free drinks and two desserts for dancing along.

At Khaima, picture taken by... was it my boyfriend?

During the Gala Dinner, the emcee announced that there will be World Bellydance Festival next year. So... I guess I'll be coming back to Bali, huh?

YEAH!

Shout-outs to: Deasy (Indonesia), Yamina (Australia/France), Sahara Dancers (Indonesia), Crystal & Flory (The Philippines), Allison (Australia).

That's one of the best things about taking workshops. You get to meet other dancers and be friends with them.

velvetRAQS: the professional bellydancers

This entry marks the cyber birthdate of the velvetRAQS and this blog having a new label post: velvetraqs (doh, what else?). Okay, so the second one is probably a lot less important than the first one. *rolls eyes*

Now let me tell you a bit about the velvetRAQS.

The velvetRAQS is the one and only Jakarta-based bellydance troupe that specializes in American Oriental and Tribal Fusion bellydance styles.

Our repertoires include flashy usage of veils, Isis wings, zills, and scimitar, with very distinct floorworks (yes, I'm proud of our floorworks) and theatrical presentation.

Another thing that makes us stand apart than most other bellydance troupes is that we actually know what we're doing, we have (quite) an extensive knowledge of songs and range of movements. As for the costume and our dance styles, well... You be the judge.

The website itself will feature a one-of-a-kind on-line store that will ship to anywhere in the world, but especially all around Jakarta and Indonesia. Plus there will be a resource center with articles that will hopefully be helpful to other dancers and those looking for enlightenment to the dance.

I'm sooo excited! Yeah!

cowries, cases, and creative chaos

Oh, whoa... I'm doing two posts in one day! In less than one hour after the earlier one was posted! How unthinkable.

Anyway, yeah. About a year ago when I was really new to the whole Tribal thing, I found a really cool link at LiveJournal. It was a cowrie-shell hairfall tutorial. I was in love with cowrie shells. I mean, there's something that's just so... Shaman-y of them that draws me. Not to mention that somehow, when being strung together, they look like a spine. Pretty creepy, huh?

But the tutorial seemed so hard and I kind of forgot about it.

A few weeks ago, I remembered that I had bought cowrie shells like a long time ago and remembered the tutorial and went to search for it. I mean, I didn't want my cowrie shells to go to waste. They'd been sitting there for almost a year then.

I found the tutorial again (click here... but omigod I don't know what happened but the pictures are gone!! Maybe I should notify the girl, huh?) and tried doing it and now I'm officially addicted to weaving cowrie shells, both for hair falls or other adornments. I even made one (well, two) for Lilith.

Oh geez, you know what, I'm still thinking how lucky I am to have found the tutorial just in time before the pictures went off!

Anyway, finding cowrie shells in Jakarta is rather hard. I mean, I used to get really nice big ones from a store in ITC Kuningan called Violetta. The store also sells really cool beads. I'm now friends with the salesgirls and the owner and they always give me good bargain! Violetta is on the fourth floor.

So one day I went to Pasar Pagi Mangga Dua with Alex. Half of the third floor sells beads and steel clasps for shoes and belts, and oh my god, more beads and paillettes and shiny stuffs!! I found a really good bargain for cowrie shells here (I forgot the name of the store, I'll need to get back to you on that). It's like a whole bag of cowrie shells and it only cost USD 4. Neat, huh??? Too bad the sizes of the shells really vary so I need to pick the shells and arrange them based on the size.

Another stand-out store in Pasar Pagi Mangga Dua is Istana Payette (Paillette Palace). Everytime I went there, I always splurged! It's not my fault! They have really cool Indian (although modern) accessories that you can use to adorn your belt, bra, etc.

For the wool, I went to Lenny's, a really neat store also in ITC Kuningan, 2nd floor if I'm not mistaken. They have all kinds of wool. Glittery(I bought gold), synthetic, etc. I got a big bundle of wool for USD 2.

If you're looking for peacock feathers, pheasant feathers, boa, etc, I think it's best to spend your money in Toko Renda (available in Plaza Indonesia and Senayan City). A peacock feather costs only USD 1 in Toko Renda yet costs USD 1.5 in stores in Pasar Pagi Mangga Dua. UPDATE (December 17, 2010): Toko Renda (at least the one in Plaza Senayan) somehow stops selling the big, big peacock feather. Only the small, blade-like ones are available. So if you want nice, big peacock feathers, go to Pasar Pagi Mangga Dua.

So here they are, the results. I'm really addicted to making them that I might do this for a living!

(From up left to bottom left, clockwise or up to down: a blue-gold cowrie fall for a wristlet, a red-black cowrie fall for Lilith, and long black cowrie hair falls)

Now everyone who's been to my house will notice that in every place I spend a long time in, there'll be a mess. When I was still working in a cubicle, my cubicle was the messiest, most chaotic place in the whole office. And I was working in a hotel.

I needed boxes and cases to store my needles, whole and cut-out-don't-throw-me-out-just-yet fabrics, scissors, beads, clasps, cowrie shells, tweezers, etc, and luckily, Alex and his mate gave me a nice can of chocolates. And what's so nice about it is that there's not only the tin can, but also two bags used as the package for the tin can. Neato!!

So here it is, my being cheap and recycling.

(From up left to bottom left, clockwise or up to down: The chocolate package, the peacock-feathered hairfalls go into the tin can, the little and not-so-delicate beads go into the tulle bag, and everything is stuffed within the black cotton bag for easy and safe travel)

Mom gave me a really cute shoe box (is glittery pink) and she told me to store away all those beads and lead a cleaner life.

Sigh.