Tag Archives: xMas

Origami Wishes

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Today I’m working on my New Year’s ‘cards‘ that I will send to some close friends. I don’t do xMas cards anymore, call me a rebel but I try to make a difference and not follow the crowd blindly so I craft my own ‘cards‘ and try to turn it into something special each year instead of the regular stuff that is out there in the supermarkets. I want those that are special to me to receive something special, it’s about making the effort…

I’ll use my favourite paper that I bought in London at the Chinese wholesaler where I used to get my Asian groceries. I bought loads of the coloured kind and only a few sheets of the paper I’m now using for the ‘cards‘. The girl at the till asked me why I bought that much paper so I said to her that I’m a graphic designer and I just love the quality of it. She just responded with a quiet ‘oh…’ but I realised what she was thinking.

You see, this paper has a totally different meaning to the Chinese than it has to me, to me it’s ‘just’ another piece of beautiful paper that I can use to design something special. Paper made of rice or bamboo fibers with a beautiful coarse texture of ‘laidlines’. To the Chinese it’s ‘ghost money’ and used as an offering to worship the ancestors and to ensure that the spirit of the deceased has all the good things in the afterlife.

I don’t see why I couldn’t use it for another purpose: I think I’m only complementing this beautiful paper. I’ve chosen to hide my New Year’s wishes inside a cute Origami design and since it’s all handmade I’m only gonna send a few to a select company of people. Only those who will appreciate the effort, so instead of the ‘usual’ twenty five xMas New Year’s cards, I’ll reduce that to ten this year. Why only ten people?

Because I’m limiting some friendships… It’s time to shift the focus from others to myself and some of these so-called friendships simply seem too unbalanced so I’d rather nurture the more rewarding ones. I’d like to thank those who sent me a (digital) xMas message, some came as a total surprise to me *happy smile* Mine is -as you can read- still in the making and soon on it’s way around the world *wink*.

‘This above all: to thine own self be true.’

~Shakespeare

©Zesty Gal Beautiful paper… waiting to be cut and folded

©Zesty Gal Beautiful paper… waiting to be cut and folded

xMas 2009

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xMas this year was an unusual one, it was quiet in a way but nice and cosy. I have to admit I do miss the traditional English way of celebrating although I’m glad that this year I didn’t have to deal with some female’s insecurity and snobbery like last year. As an adult I expect adult behaviour and I could do without the drama at the time.

But then again, that day wasn’t about this guest -certainly not- it was about the hosts! And they’d done a most excellent job organising! The food had the quality of that from a five star restaurant: amazing, exquisite and finger-licking good! I also had the privilege to sample and have a more traditional xMas dinner the previous year.

I really miss the kind of cooking that I usually do whether that is for a special occasion or just the daily routine. Having to deal with other people’s wishes and diets can be quite a daunting task especially when it’s not even appreciated most of the time. So I’m longing for the day that I can be my own chef in my own kitchen again.

I’m so gonna enjoy the peace and quiet and the fact that I can use my own pots and pans, my plates, cutlery, dishes and glasses again. That day I will celebrate and make myself some chocolate fondant so I can fully and totally indulge in the sweetness of the chocolate and the sweetness of having my own kitchen again…