Saturday, July 31, 2010

Kyurii on this month's Her World!

hello girls! some kyurii items have been featured on her world mag this month! just want to share with you here!

go take a closer look at this TECHNO SWIRL TOP now! also we are WAIVING POSTAGE FOR YOU this weekend! so make use of this opportunity to shop now at www.kyurii.com

second item featured: my personal favourite! WEAVED LEATHER BAG all bags are ON SALE NOW! go and check them out!
oh yes, it comes also in CHAMPAGNE WEAVED
and BLACK WEAVED . and if you purchase it this weekend, you will be saving more than S$20! the original price for the bag is $69, now only at S$49.90! PLUS FREE POSTAGE! so please dont miss this opportunity if you are thinking of getting a new bag. this is perfect chance. haha... ok enough hard selling... and the third item feature is: FLOWER CLUSTER DRESS. nice! i love it! heehee.. looks cute with the little sling bag!
oh also, leekeng asked me to remind you that NIGHTWEAR ON SALE too! cute little lacey night dress, all going for only S$12.90! go take a look! maybe there is a sexy night coming up... hee...

OK! please enjoy all the little promotions we have for you this weekend! i am so hungry.. today i have been running around in the city running errands and catching up with friends, need to cook my dinner now. talk later!

Friday, July 30, 2010

Acha-la's mala beads debut!

i am now working on the mala project. Acha-la designed and stringed 41 mala beads for me to bring back to sell. every mala is unique and the healing stones are all hand stringed with tender loving care (like how she makes the dough for the flat bread we eat every morning). haha.... it is so true that when things are made with love, you really do feel the difference. and it really makes you appreciate them so much more. everytime i see her working on them at her little street store when there is no business, with a big wide smile, i really hope that this little project can take off smoothly and succesfully. she loves making malas and is an expert. and each time i see her smile, my heart smiles too. we decide to use Acha-la's name, 'Sonam Dechen' for the malas. 'sonam' in tibetan means lucky and 'dechen' means happiness. we hope that each mala will bring to its owner an abundance of luck and joy.

well, malas are prayer beads. almost every tibetan has one. Acha-la has hers for over 30 years, it kind of slowly becomes part of you. the tibetans especially the elders are always seen with their left hand holding the mala and you can see them murmuring mantras as their figers runs through the beads. 'Buddhist prayer beads are a traditional tool used to count time while meditating using mantras. They are similar to other forms of prayer beads used in various world religions; thus some call this tool the Buddhist rosary....' to read more...

now i am awaiting for Asha (my homestay sister from harvard, studying religion and tibetan language!) to write some lines.. and we can start selling malas for Acha-la. haha thats why this layout is still work-in-progress.. but i want to share with you now! we were joking that Asha is the manager as well as writer, i am the design and sales and my friend, tenzin (who is acha-la's brother is the CEO) haha.. there goes our little international tibetan family business. hm... our sales target: 7 yo tenzin yangkyi and her 9 yo sister's school fees, maybe plus my monthly rent there.

OK! girls, if you are interested in the malas (maybe as a fashion necklace or bracelet) please stay tuned!

Kyurii What I Wore last week!

on my last day i brought Acha-la and miss tenzin yangkyi out for a nice dinner! and i wore this dress! haha.. but with a cardigan over and leggings under. over there, its better not to show too much flesh. haha. and without any accessories, no belt no earrings.. haha.. this sassy dress is now available at www.kyurii.com
NEW! 0712-010 0712-010 at S$29.

now in hong kong, i can accessorise as much as i like, without looking out of place. hee! you have a beautiful day today! i have so much work to get done. lets talk later. now need to cook lunch.. woah.. no Acha-la to cook my meals for me now...

Thursday, July 29, 2010

quiet days...

hi girls, how are you? i am feeling a little strange tonite. haha becos my house in lamma seems way too quiet as compared to living with my tibetan family. everyday i come back from school, i have miss tenzin yangkyi asking me 'what you do? you have homework? where you go? hazel's house? you sleep? you watch tv?' haha.... she wants to know my entire schedule. oh i am missing her. for now, i will simply appreciate the quietness. yeah!

today i continue to run some errands and met up with 2 good friends. tomorrow i am going to shoot the mala beads that Acha-la made and also the bracelets! i want to start contacting the shops and centers in hk to sell them. we might also sell them at kyurii. i am really excited! i brought some to show my friends today, and they love it too, as fashion accessories necklaces they look great too! hee...

ok i am going to have an early night. not feeling too well. the stuffy pre-typhoon weather is really bad. the humidity level is so high.. mould growing... i dun like this type of weather.. makes me feel so lethargic. my whole body is aching i duno why....

have you girls check out the new items? www.kyurii.com go now!
after being in a poor developing country for almost 2 months and dressing so simply everyday, i am beginning to feel the mood to dress up again. looking at these photos is so refreshing! hee..

check them out now.

oh i have to tell that i was so happy 2 nites ago when i took my shower, my first shower in hk since i got back. the water has no smell! and is clear! not slightly yellowish (and according to the locals, the water supply in the house i am living is considered good, there are houses with unstable water supply or brown, murkish water. slight yellowish water is normal). so nice! i truly appreciate it. haha... and there is always light when i switch on the lights, electricity is always running. not like in nepal, some times after lunch, when we switch on the fan in school and its not moving means there is no electric supply. everyday, there is bound to be a few hours of electric failure. maybe its good, helps to save the environment. wow.. all countries should learn from nepal, and switch off the electric supply for a few hours every day. haha..

you know when i am there, one of the biggest things i became conscious of, is to save water, turning off the tap when i am shampooing my hair, and switching off lights when you are not in room, eating just enough, not wasting food, you know all the basic things that i used to take for granted living in the city. water is a precious commodity. its a good reminder for me from time to time.

alright! 'sim ja nang go', girls. sleep well. i see you tomorrow! hugs.

Wednesday, July 28, 2010

Kyurii new items!!!

hello girls! i am back in lamma island. just 4 hrs and 10 mins flight and i am back to a completely lifestyle and environment. the first thing that hit me was, so much concrete and steel around. over there, i am always walking on dirt, grass, mud, sand, wood (there are few good pavements)... in the city, everything seems so hard and cold and so clean and organized.... haha.. anyway.

OK! NEW LAUNCH TODAY! 2 nights ago when i was packing, i realized i brought along this top wth me to nepal. haha.. and now i left it there at Acha-la's house. i really like it, try it with a pair of shorts and maybe a thin belt. nice! a printed maxi dress in blue for you this week!
flower print very comfortable harem pants! best to go with a simple tank top.
this crochet top is my favourite this week! i think with skinny jeans will look even better! try it.

back by popular demand - a new print tube jumpsuit! some of you couldnt manage to get them a few weeks ago, so i hope you will also like this pair. and you can wear it as a pair of harem pants too.
we love flowery tube dress too... so sweet. wear it over a jacket and its good for work too.
love this also! another favourite item. but sorry, very limited in quantity. be quick!
oh one more long dress for you. i nearly missed it out. i like this one too, smock bodice and full tiered skirt.
and lastly one light weight knitted cardigan, great for layering dresses and tank tops.

oh my internet is so fast now as comapred to saturday cafe in boudha, haha.. i am a little not used to it. OK girls! lets go shopping now at www.kyurii.com thank you very much. talk soon. now i have to go out to the city to run some errands. you girls have a beautiful day! my nose is running so bad.. the weather is so stuffy here.. typhoon kind of weather. see you later!

Sunday, July 25, 2010

my last day in school! party!

yesterday we have party in school! its actually thangka tea party from the second year students for everyone becos they are about to painting their first thangka. its a tradition that you make a little offering and prayers. it also co-incides with my last day in school for this trip. and also for me to wish the monks who are going to bodhgaya for 6 mths to do wall painting for shechen monastery a safe and good journey, so i also chipped in some money. lots of cakes, soft drinks and cameras... monks just love taking photos... haha..
the girls, foreigners and locals with our miss yangzom.
oh i am going to miss the boys so much... everyday i sit with these year 2 monks in class, their jokes really made me laugh. and they gave me 2 nicknames. one is putali (means butterfly or doll in nepalese) and sherpani becos there are 3 sherpas in our class, and they are always speaking sherpa language. and talking to me in it, so one day i decided to ask a senior monk who is also a sherpa to teach me one sentence in their language. so he told me when they tease me again, i will say to them 'why? do you want to marry me?' haha... to make fun of them. and so one day when miss yangzom went out.... again zorpa (the monk below who sits besides me in class) started to talk to me again in sherpa language. i was already anticipating it and so i asked him that very sentence! haha and everyone started bursting out in laughter.. and his face turned red. haha.. its so fun to tease them. he looks so serious in this photo.. so funny... dechen and 2P (gyurme's nickname) best friends! titanic... haha... one day i saw them walking around in school like this.. with their hands interlocked. i teased them again, i pointed my finger and said 'oh now i know!!! you guys are ....' then immediately they told me 'NO! dun think like that, we are only best friends.' haha... so cute. oh well, actually the monks are always hugging each others in the 'friend' way. so its nothing unusual, i just enjoy teasing them. then on party day, i told them i want a photo of them together, immediately they gave me this pose. haha..
and this is iku (his nickname which means tarzan in nepalese) check out his long long arms and legs. he is always calling my name and then talking to me in either nepalese or tibetan. you know only a few of them speaks some english but still, we seem to understand each other. oh they are all so sweet.... always smiling, joking and making me laugh. i have grown to enjoy their presence... their innocence, helpfulness and friendly lighthearted way is totally refreshing from the city people. and in a way, it touched me deeply. i wish them all a safe and good journey to bodhgaya and i will only get to see them next year march during exam time.
OK! i will be back in hong kong this coming tuesday! see you girls then. now i need to go collect my 2 chubas (tibetan dress) and then home to drop off my laptop then i need to go do some shopping before dinner with my teachers tonite. ok i guess i will talk to you all again in hk!

and look out for our new launch next wednesday! i will be blogging about it then! today is full moon, very auspicious day today. hazel and i walked 11 rounds round the stupa this morning at 6:30am, after dinner today, we want to do another 11 rounds maybe and lets remember to dedicate all the merits (whatever good things you do) to all the sentient beings out there, including all of you, may everyone be free from fear and suffering and causes of fear and suffering.

Wednesday, July 21, 2010

acha-la's malas

living with Acha-la, it doesnt take much effort to understand the difficulties of a single mom raising 3 kids and especially in nepal, one of the poorest country in the world. and plus, living as a tibetan refugee in someone else' country. all these just makes it even more difficult. but i am really moved by Acha-la's inner strength and optimism. she doesnt complain nor do you hear her whine about how badly life has treated her. she acknowledges the fact that yes, her life is difficult but she doesnt hold on to the fact and make a huge drama out of it. she just goes about her day, waking up at 4am preparing the rice sheets for her snack business, making them from scratch. then prepare breakfast for us, the flat bread i eat everyday is made from flour. fresh every morning, not ready-made bread from the market. send miss tenzin yangkyi to school, then clean the house, then goes out to set up her store and starting selling the food till 8pm at night. then prepares dinner for us. we usually eat at 9pm. watching the chinese made drama serial with tibetan voice over is the time when she can relax a bit. and when we sleep at 10pm, she has to prepare the food for selling tomorrow. she probably sleeps at 11pm.


so i am going to help Acha-la sell these beautiful malas in hong kong and singapore. if anyone knows any buddhist centers or shops which we can sell them at, please let me know. you can email us at misskyurii@kyurii.com. i hope that this mala project can help to support Acha-la's family. pay some school fees, maybe, that would be good. and i wish to keep it going for at least 6 years, the duration of my thangka course. by then tenzin yangkyi would be 12 yo, and completes primary school. that would be great. for now, we will take it one step at a time. just like my thangka. this is my personal favourite. red, black and white. and girls, YES! i did my first buddha in robes on monday. here it is, take a look! haha...
i cant believe how quickly time passes, this is my last week here. i will be back in hk next tues. i feel i have lived here for a long long time. and i am so well adapted here. even though my life took a dramatic change since arriving here. leekeng and i were joking about it over the phone a few days ago. becos usually when we talk, it is usually little kimi at the background asking leekeng all sorts of questions. now whenever i talk on the phone, miss tenzin yangkyi would be asking me 'who are you talking to?' i said my friend. she will ask 'what is her name? where? hong kong or singapore?' haha... she wants to know all the names and what we talked about. and i had to tell leekeng 'ok i think i better go.' usually she would be the one telling me 'ok i need to go entertain kimi.' now i suddenly have a 6yo daughter.
OK! goodnite girls. i am going home now. its getting dark and its drizzling. talk soon.

Sunday, July 18, 2010

i passed my buddha body!

woohoo! i am so happy! last sat when i showed my teacher, yangzom my drawing of the buddha body, after she made some corrections, and to my surprise, she said 'ok clean up the board and i will teach you buddha clothes now.' YEAH!! everytime unlce tenzin comes home for dinner, i will ask him for some drawing tips. hee... after all he is master thangka painter, and i am staying at his sister's house so i must not waste this precious opportunity to learn. and each time after 'tuition', i will pass with flying colours and get to move on to learn new things. oh i am so happy... hehe... but he already said he will soon start charging me by the hour. the fingers and the toes are so difficult, also getting the proportion right is also crucial. my teacher said buddha body is the most difficult, even graduate students may not be able to draw a perfect buddha body. i need more practise on the hands and feet. i love drawing faces.
this morning hazel and i decided to do kora (circumbulation round a religious symbol), basically walking round the big stupa. we started at 6:30am. the tibetans start as early as 4:30am. we did 11 rounds again this morning, it takes roughly 45mins. look! so many pigeons this morning! the weather is great today. very cooling. walking in front of us, are these very cool looking tibetan elderly men. tibetan men fashion. oversized shirt, loose khaki pants, hats, umbrella hung on the shoulder and dont forget the mala on your left hand, most important acceesory. so cute! haha.. i love their hats. haha..
after kora, we went for breakfast at a very local place. milk tea, flat bread and spicy potato plus chilli. the local tibetans first spread butter onto the 'phaleb' (bread in tibetan) then spread the red chilli sauce on top (like jam) then roll it up and eat it. the chilli is really good.
after breakfast, hazel bought some fresh vege. she is into cooking. not me. hee... maybe shopping for clothes for me. haha...
its only 3pm now.. i feel like its 5pm at least. when you wake up early, it really does seem like the day is soooo long and you can get so much more done. i think i am going to go back home now for a little nap and practise a little more drawing. then go to hazel's house and maybe drop by tashi's house. then back home for my tibetan 'tuition' with miss tenzin. she wanted to play 'tuition' with me last evening but i was totally exhausted after 5 and a half day of school, so i promised her we will play today. i am going to get an exercise book for miss tenzin's tuition class on my way home now.

OK! see you girls soon! 9 more days and i will be back in hong kong. oh and the mala project is getting along great! Achala is making them in the afternoon at her store when there are not much customers. she has finished most of the malas, then she will start to make the bracelets. i am wearing one mala round my neck as a necklace now. i will show you later! i am running so low on battery now.. ok see you later. hugs!