Sunday, March 04, 2012

Sunday confession


Back in January I made the decision to stop writing. I gave up; retired. It was a relief. Writing (or failing to get my novel what I wanted it to be) had begun to make me really unhappy.

I thought about why I’d begun writing a novel in the first place. It was something I’d always wanted to do but like so many people, I only talked and thought about doing it. Then one day, I stumbled across a blog that invited anyone writing a novel to join a race for support and camaraderie. It wasn’t easy but it made me happier than unhappy.

I have a not-so-secret confession which people rarely believe - I don’t have any burning desire to publish. I wanted to write the best book I could just for the sake of it. There’s something about the process of writing (and making art or craft, come to that) that does it for me. And having to turn my creation out for anyone’s scrutiny (publication or exhibition) brings me out in hives.

And so I did write a novel: 107,000 words of story, a beginning, a middle and an end. Most people spend their lives saying they want to and never do it. I did it and I should be proud of that.

Over the five years that I’ve been writing I’ve had breaks from it; periods of laziness or frustration and even though I’ve longed to give up, I haven’t been able to stop; not completely anyway. There has always been something inside that I identified as a need to write. However miserable it made me I had to continue to do it.

Two months ago, for the first time in four or five years, I felt as though I had a choice. I don’t know what had changed, except perhaps that the unhappiness outweighed the pleasure and I felt as though I’d been released from something and that I could stop writing. It was liberating. There was some grief too but mostly there was relief.

I began to attend jewellery-making classes instead. I feel that making uses a totally different part of my brain from writing (although maybe it doesn’t or shouldn’t) but when I draw or make I go to a place where nothing intrudes. I struggled to find that place in writing… I’m going to come back and tell you about the jewellery course tomorrow but here’s the funny thing:

I have begun to think about my next writing project.

Friday, March 02, 2012

Friday Photo

There is beautiful pink blossom around Bangkok at the moment. Unfortunately, I can't see any of it.

I have to take my colour hit where I can and these pink umbrellas from the food vendors across my soi, are doing it for me.



Thursday, March 01, 2012

Drawing a line

Here is a line.

It's the line I'm drawing under the lack of blog posts, the apathy, the thinking but never quite doing, the doing and then bottling out because it was crap.

I will blog again.


Friday, February 17, 2012

Friday Photo


This Facebook advert popped up in my sidebar recently, making me chuckle. It reminded me of this translation faux pas.

Friday, February 10, 2012

Friday Photo

Husband tipped me off to this advertisement which is in the underpass at Sukhumvit MRT. It's good to see some celebration of bottoms:


Tuesday, February 07, 2012

Angry? We're bloody furious


Bangkok’s Melbourne Cup is the Australian and New Zealand Women’s Group’s biggest fundraiser. Cancelled last November because of the threat of floods, today has been billed as ‘melbourne cup Retrospective.’

I don’t care what it’s called; I get to wear my fascinator. At last.

Back in September K and I began planning. We talked about inviting the same women as last year, minus those that have moved (C & C we miss you) and trying to find the theme. Then, good ol’ Husband came up with the idea/theme. Was he trying to tell me something?

K & I set of for Pratunam for materials and then I began work on the prototype. My second design got the thumbs up.

Big thanks to K for helping to cut out hundreds of pieces of felt.


 It was fiddly, but it was worth it.


Can you see what it is yet?


Absolutely, we could have bought them; these little guys are sold everywhere but where would the fun be in THAT? Major thanks goes to the generosity of Obsessively Stitching blog who has put up the how-to-make and pattern for (non commercial use) for the angry birds.


Then it was time to get everyone round so I could teach them to assemble their hats, Blue Peter style.


The finished fascinator:


Saturday, February 04, 2012

A naughty, naughty post

I went to Chatuchak weekend market this morning. This was the highlight:

First, the magic machine:


Here's the reveal; unwinding cleverness by the lovely lady:


Pour on something gloopy (probably wheaty, uh oh.)


Then the bad bit; if you close your eyes during this phase it doesn't really happen.


Finally, here's the yummy bit: