A helping hand

The typhoon that struck Manila, Philippines over the weekend caused unspeakable devastation, damage, and loss of life. The scariest part is that this disaster hit close to home, as "ground zero" of the flooding was in my old hometown of Marikina. I shudder to think what my childhood home looks like in the aftermath. Worse, though, is that I have family that were affected, including a cousin I'm close to who had to evacuate her house (including her two little girls) by boat. The pictures and stories coming from there are horrible and tragic. And even worse, another typhoon is being tracked and is predicted to make landfall on Saturday, potentially worsening the situation into a full-fledged humanitarian crisis.

I'm appealing to all to extend a helping hand to the Filipinos who lost so much during this disaster. Many are without food or clean drinking water. If you are able to help in any way, for any amount, it would go a long way towards alleviating the suffering experienced by the victims of this disaster. Donations can be made either through Catholic Relief Services here or the Philippine National Red Cross here, which has made arrangements to enable overseas donors to donate safely via PayPal. The Philippine Red Cross is part of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies.

Much thanks for your generosity on behalf of the victims of Typhoon Ketsana ("Ondoy").

Twilight Tuesday

I'm taking a break from my latest obsession (which would be vampire Eric Northman from the Sookie Stackhouse novels, and specifically Alexander Skarsgard as Eric Northman - but more on that later), to post these great new stills from New Moon. I must admit I am even salivating over the wolfpack, and I'm as far from Team Jacob as you can get. The Volturi also look very impressive. It's definitely looking more and more like New Moon will be of much higher quality than Twilight, with a less of an indie feel and more of a polished, glossy look. Check them out.

A special project

Some of you may have been wondering where I've been hiding myself. For the past few months, I've been working on a very, very special project: I've been nurturing a little bun in the oven! With the result that this past summer I've been very nauseous and exhausted, and haven't had much energy for a lot of things (including tending to my Etsy shop or blogging). My couch and I have really bonded these past months. Thank you, couch!

Because of all the different chemicals involved in the process, I've temporarily halted all metalsmithing for the duration of my pregnancy, but I'm hoping to get back to my table very soon to work on new pieces with beads and wire. I probably won't be around as much these days but once I start feeling better you'll see more of me, so check back often!

Meteorological summer

Today is the last meteorological summer day! My supermarket still had huge crates of peaches, watermelons, and corn on display over the weekend, but I suspect that will soon disappear as fall moves in (and today felt very much like early fall). I've been enjoying a lot of peaches lately, so here they are as you say goodbye to summertime.

Surprise gift

I came home the other day with a surprise gift from Mr Hazel waiting for me on my desk: season 1 of True Blood. Very excited. When the dvd first came out I waffled about whether I should watch this show because I felt kind of like I was betraying my Cullen vampires if I got hooked on another set of vampires. But everyone - Alissa and my Twi-geek group especially - kept raving about how good this show is, so I decided to go for it. Mr Hazel knew how much I've been wanting to see this, hence the surprise.

Twilight Tuesday

Finally, the news I've been waiting for all summer: principal photography has started on Eclipse! The cast all arrived back in Vancouver over the weekend where all kinds of hijinks ensued, including this atrocity (still hoping this doesn't mean they're together for real). It is so exciting to see them all back together again though. Eclipse has started! Summitt also released a new trailer for New Moon; it's very Jacob-centric. I'm worried about how much I'll end up puking at the movie theater each time Bella and Jacob stare soulfully into each others' eyes. Especially during that Jacob shirtless kiss scene. Spare me. Team Edward forever!

Sold pieces

It's been a busy, whirlwind summer with personal projects, birthday parties and all kinds of other things, so I haven't had too many chances of updating the blog of late. But I have been wanting to post an update for a while on my recently sold pieces. Business was pretty brisk the early part of the summer, which was exciting. My metals were particularly popular. I was also very excited when the Uhura bracelet sold! I worked hard on this piece and loved how it turned out, so I was happy to know someone else shared my love for it.