I give you… origami!

Morning blog readers

It’s another Monday (the vicious cycle continues…)

Things are quiet at work since we’re still waiting on the submission results… which I’m stressing about… naturally… I’ve been feeling a mixture of restless, irritated, defeated, listless, sick and other icky things for the last week. In a bid to help myself feel serene/keep calm/beat the boredom, I’ve decided to indulge in a bit of silliness (or creativity, however you want to see it) and start making origami!

The idea took root while I was busy browsing the web for ideas on what to do for our first wedding anniversary, which is precisely two weeks from now. Since the traditional gift for the first anniversary is paper, I thought origami would be a good way to go because it’s something I can make myself and will be appreciated, even if it is discarded at a later date… that is, if I don’t end up hoarding it… My initial thought was to make an origami carnation (or pansy), since that’s allegedly the flower associated with a first wedding anniversary (who comes up with this stuff?), but decided to start off with my favourite flower first: a lily. You can see for yourself where things went from there (photos to follow below).

I’m still not sure what I’ll be getting/making my Significant Other for the occasion, but at least (1) I have a few ideas, and (2) I have a new hobby to help eat up the endless blank hours at work…

…though I’m not sure if it’s helping to calm me down or, instead, getting on my nerves when I fail to get the reverse outside fold right for the how many-eth time. *sigh* I do worry about my sanity.

Not perfect, but at least you can see it's a lily... right?

Starting with the basics: an easy origami heart

Just had to make a kitty, of course - look how happy he is!

If I ever had to own a dog, I'd want a Scottish Terrier. This is probably the closest I'll ever get

Origami bat

Origami whale

After I made the piano (structure), I cut out a piece of paper, drew on the keys, coloured them in, and then stuck it on top. Not bad, huh? This was on top of my sister's birthday cake 🙂

Origami samurai hat

Kitty is a samurai! ❤

Wish I had used coloured paper for this lotus blossom

Origami lantern

Origami pinwheel

You arrange the party - I'll bring the hats

And finally: a little crown

No hope for me (aka the Kitty Proximation Intellligence Disruptor)

Good morning, blog readers!

So, it’s Friday… again… and we’re nearly midway through December. Not sure if that’s a good or a ‘bad’ thing. This year truly has flown (yes, let’s start this entry off with a cliché, why not?). I’ve been back at OUP for over 6 months, married for 7 months, and gone through almost another full year without coffee.

A good, super awesome friend of mine (you know who you are, and you RULE!) told me yesterday that he had gotten my blog two more fans, which is great… though now I wish I sounded a bit more intelligent on my blog… and posted less LOLcats…

Alas, I fear that I have been a lost cause for some time now. Immediately after telling myself that I’d try to be more engaging/ interesting/ ‘smart’ on my blog yesterday, I had a Fail Moment that proves to me that it was but an idle hope.

You see, my cat, Smudgy – almost two years old now, what a cutie! – had walked into the bedroom (where my laptop is situated on a desk), meowed at me, then plonked herself down on the floor. One of her front paws was tucked underneath her body, making it look like she only had three paws. I started telling her what a silly little three-legged thing she is, et cetera (an “ou afpoot katjie”, for those who understand Afrikaans), and she just gave me this look saying: “You’re really talking to me like this? Seriously?” I then commenced to lie on the floor in front of her, and told her (yes, talking to my cat, indeed) that I know how stupid I’m being and that my intelligence was being affected by my proximity to her.

I am a prime example of what happens to (certain) humans when they are near a cat – a phenomenon which I shall call the Kitty Proximation Intelligence Disruptor [KPID]:

This is a FACT! ...as proven by myself, on occasion...

I even touched her nose when explaining this, and exclaimed “You’re a KITTY!” before laughing at myself (though not hysterically, I’ll add).

Craziness aside (probably shouldn’t mention that I took a bazillion pictures of her), I think I’m just a big cat lover. When I see a kitty, I get a smile on my face. Whether it’s on sites like I can has cheezburger or at our apartment complex, there’s something about these furry little critters that sets my heart aglow (I’m sharing a moment with you, don’t ruin it) 🙂 I feel so sorry for all the kitties that don’t have homes, that have been abused/ abandoned/ neglected, that walk the streets and don’t know where their next meal is coming from… And that makes me love Smudgy even more, and I try hard to take good care of her.

In a rare moment of what can only be termed surrender for a cat, she allowed me to pick her up – one of her obvious dislikes – and even have her picture taken! Granted, she meowed before and after the picture was taken (I bugged my Significant Other while he was working), yet I think it came out quite nice. It even looks like she was posing!

Truth be told, she looks bigger to me in the photo than she actually is in real life (maybe because I’m short and ‘small’, though this isn’t a very flattering photo of me, I look ‘fat’ to myself). Now that she’s lost her collar – again – she has become even more of a ninja: creeping in the shadows, moving silently, remaining undetected and appearing in front of you with the blink of an eye. I think she enjoys it 😉

Anyway, let me not bore you more with rambling about how cute and furry and vocal and silly my cat is. Let me instead wish you all a great Fried-day, with as little stress or worries as possible, and then get us in a Feel Good mood by inviting Business Cat to take the floor. Take care!

Keep calm…

It’s Meh-day again, everyone!

And you all know what that means: it’s one day closer to Friday (Fried-day) and the weekend – happiness all around 🙂

So amid the stress, frustration, slight panic and lacklustre wanting-to-give-up feelings you might (read: probably will) be dealing with today at work/ home/ school/ where ever, let’s all just try to keep calm and make the best of it.

Here are a few ‘Keep Calm’ posters (I grouped everything together into one image) to brighten up your day… and bring in a bit of humour/ silliness!!