First thing comes to mind when I spell out that word is a question I asked myself – what am I addicted to ? I could say I was addicted to tv series; back then I could go hours from watching CSI (Las Vegas,Miami,NY you name it) to Criminal Minds, Bones and then there’s the Korean dramas (I have lots of favourites but I got addicted since I watched Boys Over Flower). But I kind of got over it once I entered university. I still watch tv series but it’s not like “I must watch or I die” kind of situation anymore – we all have that phase in life so don’t judge. Since I was young, I pretty much hopped from one interest to another and yes I get bored quite fast if it’s not my thing. Some things I just do it halfway because I am not really patient to wait for the outcome, hence my terrible terrible skill in baking. I’ve tried baking more than 5 times and I usually manage to mess it up; flat cookies that looks like I’m making paper instead of cookies, burnt cupcakes, burnt cake pfft yes I think a bakery is a wiser option for me. I’m fairly okay with cooking, it’s something I learn so I don’t go crazy eating sandwiches every day ( not really a fan of sandwiches and lots of other food ) so no, cooking is not my interest but I am quite okay at it. I am not really into sports, I like working out to sweat off but that’s about it. So what exactly is my interest ?
I enjoy travelling, not because I get to see these famous places or I have a checklist I need to do before I die. I like being in a new place, to keep moving and seeing new things. I enjoy taking photos of almost everything because it reminds me so much of the places I’ve been – the culture, the environment and even the daily routines there. I tend to forget names and my brain works better by trying to picture a scene instead of remembering name of the road. So when I look back at my photos, it automatically reminds me of so many things. I could say that travelling and photography is something I enjoy doing, but it’s not exactly something I’m addicted to.
Then, here comes books. Yes, I love reading. Give me 6 books I could finish it before 2 weeks is up. I’ve been reading since I was a kid and every 2 weeks I’ll go borrow new books from the library. Nowadays Kindle app makes it so much easier. I think reading has always been something that I do to pass time or when I’m just too stressed and need a time out from reality. The bigger the pressure, the more I read sometimes I read 2 books a day just to keep my mind off things. Hmm, reading is totally my addiction. But it’s more of a leisure addiction.
The interest that always comes back and keep me hooked is two things – sewing and money. Hah! Omg you must think I’m a gold digger right now. No, it’s not that kind of money addiction like I’m going to marry the guy with highest net wealth. I enjoy making money. I just realized I’ve been involved with raising money since young. I’ve participated in all those festivals during my school days – selling cookies, cupid messages and what not during Valentine’s Day, then there’s that Carnival day and a lot other festivals in schools. I honestly love doing it because that feeling when you create something or you sell something of your own and people love it, it’s just amazing. The older I get, the more I am involved in. Now it’s not just raising money during carnivals in schools but it’s raising fund for charity and for other good purposes which even makes me happier. It’s sort of like I found a purpose in something I really like to do and am even excited that I get to contribute somehow. Thinking about fundraising keeps my brain working , giving an adrenaline rush for me and despite getting tired at the end of the day I am always satisfied. I don’t really care if I’m not getting paid because it’s so much more satisfying than getting good grades (although I love getting good grades and not having to worry). Oh and another interest of mine, sewing ! Those who know me long enough would probably know how crazy am I about sewing. I even thought of opening a sewing cafe in the future! I’ve recently started learning how to make clothes and this coming summer will definitely learn more. I am an intermediate knitter and a beginner in crochet. God, I remember my experience learning how to knit. I spent about MYR 1,000 for everything which was ridiculous but I didn’t really regret it. I don’t really knit nowadays because well, Malaysia is technically not the best place to wear knits but I’m learning how to make crocheted bags now from Wool and The Gang. Go check them out they have the best patterns ! I used to take pillow orders – not just any pillows it’s felt craft pillow a customized kind although I stop doing it already because I went to the UK . You can have a look at my Instagram – Prettylittlehandmades. They were all hand sewn and cut by myself and my mom helped too when I was busy studying. I enjoyed my time doing each and every one of it, new designs,new challenges. Over the summer, I’ll probably get back to cross stitch besides learning how to make clothes. I already have all this crazy ideas to do with cross stitch. The disappointing part was that when I came to university, I really hoped they have needlework society or an extra curricular sort of thing here. I could appreciate the existence of sewing machine on campus but there was none. So in the end, I have to wait til summer to get back to my sewing.
And here comes another question – why all this long talk about interest ? Well, here’s the thing all these interest I have got me thinking about what I want to do in the future. I have this dream of opening a sewing cafe one day, yes mentioned it already but the dream grew into a bigger picture recently. It would be lovely to have a sewing cafe in an academy, a Pottery & Traditional Arts Academy where youth can learn and specialize into traditional arts like wooden carvings, the magic ways of tenun songket, bringing pottery into a global standard with our traditional designs, batik and fabric designs, the art of menyulam ( a kebaya with sulaman tangan is not cheap, not kidding) or even the making of wayang kulit. Why? Because all those fundraising experiences I had got me thinking how education in Malaysia has been so focused about Maths, Science and English and the fact that everyone has to be in the economy,politics or medical sector to have a good stable life that they forget that children today don’t even know the beauty of our tradition. And it’s even worst that our tradition is losing in the market when they are what we should treasure. The only thing I can anyam is ketupat when I should be able to anyam bakul and so much more. It’s impressive how people think there is no market for our culture when that is what makes our country unique and if we raise the standards, we could compete with the world. So there goes, a story about my interests and how it got me thinking about what I want to do with it in the future. Basically open a school and a sewing cafe where I can serve my students tea and cupcakes while I hear them about their artsy explorations.
Now I ask you – what is your interest and what do you plan to do with it ?
p/s : Here’s a peek of what I sew before. Oh and if you’re in the same university, the Batik tops were also sewn by me, which I am so happy people liked them although there are lots of improvement that can be done and I managed to complete only 6 tops before flying back to UK. Also the words you may not know , that is in Malay language you can google translate it if you want (fyi if you’re not a Malay speaker)
ndhrambles 