still from macau

Here are a few photos I took especially for some friends ...
(for T., who loves dogs)





(and for S. and I., who I'm sure would love to have a Hello Kitty credit card ;)

the wedding + macau

Still suffering from some jet lag but I'm finally back. I really wish someone would make tele-transportation possible one of these days, wouldn't that be great ? Just imagine, a few seconds and we'd be on the other side of the world. Instead of enduring 15 hour flights - 3 to Munich followed by 12 to Hong Kong - during which I couldn't get any sleep. Actually, I slept really bad during the whole trip, but even so I had a great time.





My friend's wedding was lovely. She chose the Westin resort in Coloane for the reception and it couldn't have been a better choice. Away from all the crazyness of downtown Macau, and very close to the beach, the resort was quiet and peaceful. The weather was very warm, pretty much like summer in Portugal (although quite humid), and everything went smoothly and very well.





Macau was very different from the last time I was there. Much more developed, tall buildings and casinos in every corner, and so many people in the streets, especially during weekends when so many Chinese from the mainland come for gambling. I actually prefer the way it was before, but then I don't like crowds so much (or gambling). On Sunday we had a small Macau tour, and I actually ended up taking a peek into The Venetian, Macau's most recent casino, including a huge mall. I have to admit that the interior is somewhat impressive. I mean, they built canals inside with actual gondolas, and even a reproduction of St. Mark's square. A bit crazy, I guess, but it was packed full nonetheless. I loved the ceiling though, that blue sky looked almost real...

(inside The Venetian)







(lunch, or Korean fast food from The Venetian food court)

Downtown Macau was not that changed, the St. Paul ruins are still there, and the Senate square, and you can still buy Portuguese egg tarts at some of the several bakeries that line the main road.

see you soon

the concert was amazing, and it's now way past my bedtime, but I could not go without leaving you some more kitty cuteness :)

Amélie loves to pose for me ...



and Maggie is hard to photograph because she never sits still ...



... except when she's sleeping, of course.

productivity

I've been running around like a chicken without a head .. wholesale orders to be fulfilled, and custom orders that I'm so delayed with. Busy, very busy at work, and trying to get my grip on x-mas gifts early this year (for a change).

I'm flying to Hong Kong tomorrow for my friend's wedding on Saturday, but I'll be back next Wednesday, hopefully with some nice photos and crafty shopping to show you.

For those who asked about the yarn below .. well, it's an obscure Portuguese brand that I found by accident at one of the local yarn stores. I'm trying to find more information about them but it's been difficult (the company is called "B M G Affinitas Lda", and the yarn brand is "Terra"). The yarn is wonderful though, 100% wool and knits up pretty fast on 9mm needles. I'm probably going to use about three skeins for the scarf, and with the other two that I'll have left maybe knit a matching hat ? I've thought about knitting the Snowball pattern from the latest Interweave, but I don't have enough yarn for that, so any suggestions on nice hat patterns are welcome. Oh, and thanks for the online yarn shop suggestions, I'm going to check them out !

The batch of bookcovers below are on their way to the Centésima Página bookstore in Braga - will be available from Dec. 1st - I didn't have time to finish the covers for the online shop, but I did add a couple of knitting needle cases just now.

(and later tonight, hopefully a good concert: Interpol + Blonde Redhead)

na maçã

disponíveis na maçã riscada, em Palmela