Winners for Mystery Giveaway and Other News

Thanks to everybody who entered my Mystery Giveaway. The winners (chosen by random.org) are: Anna, Joanne, and Vanessa.  Please email me your address so I can send your prezzies asap.

For those who aren't lucky enough this time, it could be your turn the next time around. A company has kindly offered to sponsor a giveaway. Stay in tune! :)

Now, to more personal news. Forgive my long absence, being on the move means I haven't had enough time and opportunities to be in the blogosphere regularly. As of today hubby and I are still in-between countries. There are things outside our control that contribute to that. Hopefully we would be able to know more about our next destination sometime this month, God willing.

Am I nervous? You bet. Am I excited? Without a doubt. I'm grateful for having friends and family who are being (mostly) understanding and supportive through this transition period. One sentence to sum up what I'm trying to say: in God we trust. 

And no, we're not moving to USA, partly because "There are no cats in America" - I can't possibly live in a place that has no cats! Hehehe... FYI, it's a song from the movie "An American Tail", which was one of my favourite movies when I grew up.

Things to come:

- visiting Sephora stores in Singapore.

- reviews for MUFE Aqua Eyes eyeliners and mascara (as promised here).

- update of Post & Shame Challenge.

- more photos & travel stories.

- post(s) about music (I haven't forgotten your request, Anna).

- post about acne-busting products (nor have I forgotten yours, Clorivak).

'till next time!

Yours,

Music the Vagabond

Better Than Cinderella

You've seen the pictures of Kereta Kencana. Now you can see pictures of other coaches kept at the keraton museum in Yogjakarta. According to the guide, they're mainly made in Netherlands, Germany, Yogjakarta, and Solo. All the coaches have their own special names. I didn't write down the names of the following coaches. Suffice to say looking at some of them made me wanting to be a princess! :)

Which one is your favourite? Sorry can't give you bigger pictures, it would have taken me forever to upload.

On a different tone, I had my first trip to Sephora in Singapore the other day. I'll tell you more about it next time.

Kareta Karaton Nyangyogyakarta

I thought this picture is a perfect start to the re-telling of my adventures in Yogjakarta, which is situated somewhere in the middle of Java Island in Indonesia. It was my third trip there, the first one for hubby. My cousin L was assigned by his parents to be our tour guide/driver. I can tell you that he did a very good job! :)

The picture was taken outside the Museum Kareta Karaton Nyangyogyakarta (= Museum of Palace Coaches in Yogjakarta). Keraton is the palace where the king and his workers live, the reminder of an ancient Javanese kingdom, before it became part of Republic Indonesia. This museum is still used as the royal stables, where they keep coaches and horses belonging to the king. The present ruler is known as Hamengkubuwono X.

The most important coach they keep there is Kereta Kencana (= the Royal Coach). This coach has been used on coronations of a number of kings, 8 horses are needed to pull it. Local legend says that it was impossible to take pictures of this royal coach using manual cameras, as they always came out as blank pictures when the films had been processed. Not sure why exactly.

I've made sure that the pictures hubby took are here for you to see. But if for some reason you can't see them, let me know, the legend might be true for you afterall. So here goes: 3 pictures in total.

Kereta Kencana

Interior View - taken by tall hubby

Notice the golden fruits decorations. They symbolise prosperity.

Gift With No Purchase

I bought these cute sandal keyrings on my last trip to Yogjakarta, Indonesia. The top part is made of real traditional batik cloth, with rubber on the bottom part of the tiny sandals.

Now, the dilema is: should I include them in my Mystery Giveaway? As I'm currently in "no man's land" (= in between countries), I'm extending the closing date to 31 January. To be fair, those who had entered before 31 Dec 09 are automatically given another extra entry to show my appreciation. It's my giveaway, my rules! Hehehe...

What I Do With My Hands...

My hands aren't good for making music only, I love to do things using my hands. That includes cooking, baking, doing crafts, and doing household chores!! LOL. After some dilly-dallying, I'm finally feeling brave enough to show you some of the things I made in my spare time. Warning: it's my very first foray into this type of craft. Look away if you don't like them. Hehehe...

Necklace: silver beads on an adjustable leather string.

The next 2: hairclips decorated with natural & man-made materials. I used silver wire to tie everything together - no offense, stucked on glue are sooo last season! Hehehe...

What do you think?

Psst... I've officially made them a part of my Mystery Giveaway...

P.S. I assert my right as the designer & maker of the above items. I don't believe that immitation isn't the biggest form of flattery. Therefore: copying my ideas without my permission = stealing, punishable by your own conscience and also by law (they're copyrighted).