Decorative Painting..I am trying really hard...

The first photo is from the guide book..while the other two are from my practices...Only the leaves just yet... but I am pushing on as one of the things that I want to do this year is learning how to paint.. decorative painting specifically. I am never good at art but they say decorative painting is a skill to learn rather than artistic ability...hmm..hmm..I wonder how this is so.I have serve various websites and I am amazed and awed how beautiful the paintings are...I wish if I could manage just a wee bit of it I am happy indeed. I have bought some books, plan to book a lesson with Aniza in Msia sometime this July, bought various paints and brushes...I am not too ambitious as i still have a dfficult time to hold the brush straight and get he right amount of colors on the brush. But the things that I do know by now are that..the quality of brush is important so as how you hold the brush..the movement should be fluid in moving the brush rather than forcing yourself to get the strokes just right...Anyway..I am happy to say that at least i can get the petals for the daisies right and the one stroke leaf...checking all the techniques....I am going with Donna Dewberry style first followed by Priscilla Hauser..insyaállah...the strokes for the roses has come right just yet but...it will I guess with more practise...I am targetting that by next week i should be brave enough to try and paint a design....

Today also is my "first" received duit tuition...I am trying it for Aisyah and Nadira..both kids have their strength in math already so half-way is cleared.Comparing with zayd..it is less of a hurdle with them but rather I still need to find their weakness so that I can help them in comig out of this hurdle...I need to control my tone so that I don't scare them..aisyah especially...Zayd was very sensitive whenever he couldnt figure out what a word problem wants..so I hope we can clear this hurdle again...we need to sort out the clues first and know what the problems want. but I am happy that they are good wit numbers once they know what it wants but still have to memorize formulas..If they still have me..I am sure insyaállah.. the word problems will become as simple as the number problems...in fact zayd is doing pretty well on his own now...

I need to write about Zayd's adventure in learning sometime. If he can do it..anybody can insyaállah...but then again my expectations may be different..Hannah is getting all A's although she has a tendency to slip if she is rushing her work. Zayd's result is more colorful...but the best part is that he is getting them more on his own effort nowdays..although I keep reminding him that he needs to read more in order to have better vocabulary etc..

Insyaállah..patience and doa..all will be well....

Spring Flowers...

This year the nice cool weather brings more rain than usual...we infact had several downpours here in Dhahran. But it results in all streaky cars and windows due to the sand in the air....Wonderful thing is..the plants are practically growing on their own...

This year I am not into major gardening..like making sure all the flower beds are full..this time more of spot gardening...mainly to test the soil...As you can see..thanks to the rain and fertilizer plus more frequent watering to the soil instead of spraying over with the hard water..things are looking quite green...

I have some geraniums and hollyhock planted in between the those colorful "lupa pulak namanya !! "..plants. Anyway...I have a hanging geranium bag over my door, and two pots of pink roses to be planted..in is starting to buds and yet it is still in the pots..got to do it before it gets too warm/hot...Denise from the garde shop called me this morning asking if I will be stopping by to get some more roses...last year was madness..between us we had about 20 pots of roses..the colors and the smell was sweet....but last summer was just too hot that it kills all of them...But..I am trying again this year but not as many pots...

I have started to hold the brush for the doing some decor painting..i am doing just the leaves now, and the comma, U & C stroke, S-stroke....my hand is getting real tired..will show the samples next..Insyaállah..in July planning to get some formal classes if i can squeeze the time..but for the time being..will try to get the hang of it..but i think..it's still a long way ahead..

Friendship & Obligations...

Today I was confronted with a situation that can be messy if i were to let it bugged me deeply. But than again..this is a common occurances among family, friends,collegues etc...What is the problem?Wondering why certain things happen the way it is without us being involved or kept up to date....The feeling that we may be slighted if we are not told of the happenings in somebody's life ( friend or family etc..), not invited to a party that we know somebody is having who is also our friend, not informed of a certain plans or extend an invitation to join something...not returning a call or messages within the expected stipulated time that a friend or family should...Not sure what the record standard time for this!!Somebody keeps asking if you are offended by certain things that he/she do...or predicting that we may not be happy with something that they may have done or said...Talking to someone else about all this suspicions or unhappy feelings instead of the intended person....Urghh...the list can go on and on...

Honestly..I think we should appreciate friendship or relationship just as it is...do not be overcontrolling in a way that whatever our friend or family are doing we must be included.. sometimes things happen unintentionally but even if they are done purposely, only the person who do it knows the real reason...sometimes we assume to much by how somebody is reacting.. but honestly we can be way off the mark....the best thing is to ask matter of factly...do not assume as...you will make an ass out of u and me...and you may be embarassed if you are wrong and might in turn offend the person with whom you are offended with due to mis-judgement...

Do not be judgemental over some reactions our friend or family is showing or the absence of commitments from them...Just accept the way things are....Being too frank can sometimes get you into hot soup too..so is being superly assuming on something...

Sometimes when these things happen..matter of the heart that is...you cannot help but feel a twinge of sorts..but you need to decide how to go on from that twinges...this will either make you or break you...Do not be too demanding or even obliging and too much wondering if a person does not include you in a certain things....most probably it is a simple mistake of having too much to do or to think that makes your brain works sheepishly or stupidly or even not working like the path that has been drawn up by that particular someone....

Sometimes..when these occurances happen..we tend to be secretive of something... hoping it might not hurt the feelings of someone else..but sometimes this can backfire also...

In a way...we cannot win always in these situations...you might have a lot of explaining to do but sometimes this will make the matter worse so...sometimes I choose not to explain but just let it pass....just pray that something else bigger will cross the path of whoever that make them forget about what have happen with you....