Delight

What is it about brown paper that gives me such joy? Maybe it's the simplicity of it. Maybe it's the unpretentious and down to earth quality of it. Or perhaps I watch The Sound of Music too many times. One of my favorite song from the movie is "My Favorite Things" in which Julie Andrew list paper packages tied up in strings as one of her favorite things. Hope the package arrives on time & the feeling is mutual. 

Six Dollar Dress

Need a long dress for a party or a gala dinner? No budget? No sewing skill? No time? Just do what my daughter Dena did for her prom dress. All you need is a stretchy & flowing kind of fabric in your favorite color (about 2m long and 1.5m wide). Then recycle it into a dress if you are a kind of person who doesn't wear anything twice. 

Eureka!

Idea often come when you are least expecting it. I love ribbons on my journal but they are nuisance. I try sewing them to my journal but it only works on covers made from banner. I try gluing them but they don't always stick, take forever to dry and time consuming. I found these adorable fabric tape in an all-2$-store in Vancouver. Cut, peel & stick. No hassle. I love fabric tape but I can't find them here. And one journal takes about 2 rolls of tape! I was grumbling, whining and regretting over the fact that I didn't buy lots of them when I had an AHA moment. Thank goodness for double tape in different sizes. 

I Do

Black and white analog prints that last for 51 years and counting, simple geometric shapes stickers in bright colors, my mom's handwriting, beautiful quotes that capture the moment, small unpretentious album, small & quiet wedding, balloons & streamers for post wedding party at home. Life once upon a time was simple & uncomplicated. Now I know where my scrapbook DNA and my love for quotes come from. I inherited quite a wealth.

G List

.... cloudy sky, unconditional Love, Dena, time on my own, KDM little brothers & sisters, friends, forgiveness, laughter, Thursday Skype nite, Jazon Mraz, giving trees, WO, very extended family, patience, perseverance, hot genmai-cha tea, circumstances, quiet time, morning breeze, road runner | beep beep, strong knees, rain, IES family

The World Is My Oyster

Outodbox

Outodbox

Outodbox

Outodbox

Identity Crisis

I like being anonymous. That's just who I am. But a fellow blogger suggested that I should have a description about myself and what this blog is all about so the reader can relate to me and have a sense of Outside The Box. Okay, that makes sense. "And remember to keep it short," my friend added. So here it goes in less than 100 characters:

I'm a 40 something sleep-deprived workaholic single parent who procrastinates & day dreams full time. I reside in Jakarta, the capital city of traffic jam & pollution. Unless under the influence of a blogger's block I mostly blog about 4D, not the kind one experiences in a theme-park theater, but these kinds: Dena (my only child), Drawing, Design and Devotion. Not necessarily in that order.

Self Portrait by Outodbox

Lost Art

My only daughter Dena was born as a digital citizen, while I'm merely an illegal alien in a digital world. She doesn't read the manual of any gadget or new software, she just figures things out. I read manual front to back and still need her help with stuff. The other day over Skype she showed me actual prints she developed in a dark room taken from an analog camera using an actual film! She slides effortlessly from digital to analog. I'm struggling. I used to wait eagerly for an hour to have my pictures developed in an hour photo service. Nowadays I can't even wait one minute for my laptop to restart. Patience is such a lonely word. Kudos to ECUAD for going back to basics.

Photograph by Dena

Photograph by Dena

Photograph by Dena

Photograph by Dena

It's Personal

My godchild soon will enter the ever-challenging-oh-so-full of drama teen years so I thought I would preserve her innocence. I adore scrapbooking but dislike buying the over-price materials. And I don't like the inorganic look of using store bought materials. I love the messy look of using handmade and recycle stuff. The cover is cut & sewn from a banner, the pages are made from her portfolio pages (each semester her teachers compile her worksheets, photos, drawings to show her progress in school), the fancy string snowman is from a Christmas wrapping gift I got three years ago. Total cost: nothing.

D Yearbook

Dena wrote her own name and her best friend's name in her very first yearbook. Twelve years later she made her own class yearbook. She came up with her own concept, organized a photo shoot for her friends, worked & edited the layout between 12th grade exams, portfolio prep for college, teenage vs adults drama, prom & pimples. Well done sayang!

Word Play

Dena & I love Shel Silverstein. His poems are full of giggles. His line drawings are so delightful. When she was small, we spent hours reading his poems and had tons of laugh. Our favorite is Mehoo & Exactlywatt. The poetry book project back in August 2011 was inspired by his books. 

A Light In The Attic, Poems & Illustration by Shel Silverstein

Orange

The world wide web is a source wonderful inspiration or dreadful distraction.  I was working on my blog when I encountered blogger's block. I went online to see this and that, came across this online shopping and found this really cute top in my favorite color. It was one of those I-gotta-have-this-or-I-die moment. I was still under the influence of blogger's block the next day, when the package arrived.  I love the brown paper packaging , I love the personal letter, I love how Sienna fit me perfectly, and I have a new post in my blog! A match made in heaven. I was happily distracted by PinkEmma.

Catch Of The Day #11

Fear Factor

I'm afraid of common house gecko. No kidding. Just reading a dictionary description of it sends chill down my spine (a nocturnal and often highly vocal lizard that has adhesive pads on the feet to assist in climbing on smooth surfaces. It is widespread in warm regions). I rather not take a shower when a gecko is in my bathroom. I will not sleep if I knew a gecko is lurking somewhere in the corner of my room. In a documentary about phobia they say one must face fear in order to overcome it. I thought as a start I would draw it and read about it in Wikipedia. Terrible idea. I'm more terrified than ever. It has claws! Horror! And making it look like blocks, simplifying the line of it, drawing geometric pattern on it, making it wear running shoes doesn't help either. Aarrggh...!

Mind Trick

Whenever I run my mind often wanders to the day my Dad passed away {Wednesday, 18 April 2012, 9:55am. I was just finished running on a treadmill when I received the dreadful phone call. Quick change of clothes, no time for shower, running like mad from the gate of the hospital up the stairs to the ICU on the second floor. I wasn't quick enough, time wasn't on my side}. Then I start to think about all these values I learned from him; these thoughts give me tranquility and make my running light & breezy; make me forget distance and time. My first 10K medal: this one for you Dad.