Vertical Marathon

I wasn’t going to join as running up stairs is not my fun, but there was someone taking every opportunity to slip in a joke which always ends with death and ” … but you should be happy. I am really worried about you.” This leaves me no choice but to complete the race, snatch the medal, and strangle him with the ribbon.

Surprisingly, The Kid asked to join. She’s not the athletic type but she did it ! She walked / ran up 61 floors, took a look of the view, came back down and asked if she could go to the Science Museum next. She gave me insiders tips as her category went first.

I ran up the first 8 floors , lost my breath, and completed the remaining walking.  The medal is very impressive. It’s got the “weight” unlike Shape’s plastic button medal. Oh ! There was a famous teenage star there. What’s his name ? Marujo ? Mario ?  I was standing right next to him when I sent The Kid to the starting point

Snow in Thailand ?

The morning TV news interviewed a respectable academic ( note : not “mor doo” <–fortune teller ) where he said there is a possibility that it will snow this coming January … and several dams will burst too. I sort of blocked out the second prediction as the fear of storm surges hasn’t subsided yet.

Snow in Thailand ? Is that possible ? It actually has happened before in January 8, 1955. Found this answer in 2bangkok’s archive. Scroll down to see a picture !

Hit it with a stick, Mom !

I was cleaning up the sewing room and found a bag of T-shirts labeled ” ? ” These are clothings which are a bit too worn out to be donated , but not that worn out to be turned into rags. I decided to make a doll and fished out my all-time favorite Japanese crafts book :

I’ve tried several of the patterns ( bear, pig, rabbit, sheep ) and they all came out very cute. What I didn’t take into account is the fabric. T-shirt fabric is stretchy and I ended up with this swollen version:

I show the new doll to the kids and they went “Aeiiiiiiiiiiii !!!” . They actually ran away screaming . Feeling a bit hurt, I placed the doll on the floor and went to wash the dishes. Will they buy it if I told them she’s the 4th Power Puff Girl named “Berserky”? Then I heard them running back , this time armed with plastic golf clubs !

I think I’ll nail tie her to the snack box.

Run for Charity

• Banyan Tree’s Vertical Marathon , September 28th ( this Sunday ) – run up 61 floors !  I wonder if The Kid will join me. Registration fee is 350bht , goes to the “HIV Formula Feeding Fund”. ( read more here )
• Shape Magazine’s Run’08 on November 30th ( Sunday ) @ Queen Sirikit Convention Center- 5.4 kms – the registration fee of 250 bht goes to breast cancer research. ( registration form here )
• Amari Watergate’s Midnight Run on October 11th — 6 and 12 kms — registration fee 300/1000 bht goes to HIV and children related charities.

Mystery Gym Machine

I don’t get it. There’s this gym equipment that all the gym-goers there use. You just stand on the platform , press a button , and it shakes you up crazy . It’s called “The Total Body Vibrating Machine”. You can set the intensity, duration and watch the calories counter go up. Does it work ?  Or is it just a modern version of the “vibrating belt” machine ?

Pretty…

easy flower ( or leaves ? ) basket … I got these from Sanam Luang 2,  three pots for 50 bht They are used as borders in real gardens, but I just plopped them into a small basket and carry them around the house. They are like my new pet. … Why do I feel like a grandma ?

DIY Sushi Pillow .. or cushion..

This was meant to be used in the car. On the back is a velcro strap that can be attached to the seat belt.
(I’ll be skipping this step in the tutorial )

You’ll need white terry fabric ( cuz it looks like rice ) , black crushed velvet ( for the seaweed part ) , and color felts ( the fillings). You also need polyester fillings to stuff up the pillow.

I use a cookie tin for the circle pattern. Place the cookie tin on the back side of the terry fabric, draw around with pencil, then cut 1 cm away from the line. For the black velvet, the length will be the circumference of the circle ( it is easier to measure around the cookie tin ) plus 2 cm allowance. The width is however thick you want your cushion to be ( mine is 8 cm ) plus 2 cm allowance. After you cut them out, sew zigzag stitches along the edges to prevent the fabrics from fraying.

Next, cut up some pieces of felt and arrange them on the center of the terry fabric piece. Try overlapping the pieces. When you get what you like, sew them onto the terry piece using decorative stitches.

Take the black velvet piece, with the “back” side of the fabric facing outside, sew the ends together :

Now take the top piece , with the back side facing outwards, tack it onto the black velvet then sew it together. Do the same with the bottom piece, except leave a 10 cm gap so you can turn the whole thing out.

Turn the “good” side of the pillow out through the gap. Use a chopstick to help poke the polyester stuffings into the pillow. Sew the gap shut. Enjoy your afternoon power nap. You can also make a family of them, in different shapes :

Laugh or Cry ?

Do you find it humiliating or just too darn cute ? Times Online even posted his Salmon in Coconut Milk recipe as an ending to the story. To those not familiar with local politics, they are so amused. One commented : “We have one who started a war over a lie and no one did anything about it. He’s just stirring a wok and he’s out ?!”

I think I’ve about had it with posting on politics. It’s like watching “Survivor” 24 hours a day. Next post will be a DIY Sushi Pillow.

New Politics …

… or mob bait ? ( Correct me if I’m wrong on the details, I’m still learning about this ) This has been popping up on the yellow team’s radio station. They’ve announced that they are not stepping down even if the prime minister resigns. What they want is a new electoral system, one that will prevent the “Thaksin people” from coming back. ( You can read more about it here. )

If the majority of the MPs are to be appointed, who gets to do the picking ? If they are to be from different professions, which professions will qualify for a seat ? It just sound like a big , fat dream… one which supporters like to listen to because maybe they are up to their ears in frustration with their “democratically” elected government ? Really, if you want to know how things are done here, talk to your maid. Ask her how her friends back home vote.

I tuned in a little late to A. Virak’s show. He was reading a piece from some academic (?). It was interesting that the the writer mentioned that the protesters down at the Govt. House are the real opposition party. He even added ” When did we have an opposition party?” He ended his essay not supporting the leaders of the protesters because they are fighting evil with evil and things could go wrong and end up with innocents dead.

I think ideologies are sometimes placed too high up. If one would step down , it does not mean bowing down to the other side, it is actually a noble thing to do.

Recycle Plastic Bag Craft

Okay, I’m not sure if this is toxic or not , so my disclaimer : Try this at your own risk, I will not be responsible for any bodily harm be it chemical-wise or flame-wise. Or any potential fires too.

I’ve seen these plastic fusing tutorials on the web for some time now ( here is one ). There also is a non-profit organisation in India that recycles  plastic bags into really nice handbags. I want to try it out , so I am going to start small.. drink coasters…

For this project, you’ll need:

• thin plastic bags ( one with nice illustration ; one colored ; one plain white )
• iron
• A4 printer paper

1. From the white plastic bag, cut out 6 layers of the same size. ( You will need to trim the finished project, so leave some allowances ) Next , cut some stripes from the colored bag, and also the illustration from the last bag. I’m using Mr. Bun’s logo here, isn’t he cute ?
2. Arrange the color stripes on top of all the white plastic cuttings.
3. Place the illustration on top.

4. Now place a clean piece of paper on top. Set the iron to the lowest heat setting ( nylon ) and iron it back and forth for 2-3 minutes. ( notes : if you use paper with prints, the prints will be transfered onto the plastic sheet; the illustration will run, so if you lift the paper up, make sure you put a clean portion of the paper back on or it will smudge the plastic sheet ; if holes formed, it means the iron is too hot. you can try to repair it by placing another layer on the bottom )

5. When it’s fused, the flimsy plastic sheets will then harden into one single layer.

6. Trim, and enjoy your new drink coaster !