I have always wanted to try to make these little things ever since I saw them on Instagram. I even bought the carving tool and a bunch of plain erasers a couple of months back but I guess I was too busy with whatever else that I only got to it a few days ago.

It was actually planning on doing it on plain erasers but I found these erasers with animal faces in them, so I cheated a little, shoot me. Haha.

So here's what you'll need:

• cutting mat
• a pre-designed eraser. It's good to start with something that you can easily work around.
• a carving tool. I used a Speedball Linoleum Cutter, it has 5 different steel cutting edges:
• Small V (1)
• Large V (2)
• Small U gouge (3)
• Large U gouge (5)
• Knife (6)
• a black pen. Any pen will do.
• a stamp pad.

If you notice, I had to cut off the center of her pink cheeks, it looked like she had 4 eyes. And yes, I'm calling her a "she". Haha.

Here's what it looked like afterwards and on paper.


I really had fun doing this, especially since my husband was right beside me painting his Gundam models. Yes, we're weird like that. We're like children playing with small things. Maybe I can convince him to post something about his toys once he finishes one of them.

If anyone of you is even following me on Instagram, you might be a little bit tired of me posting my amateur calligraphy attempts. I'm so sorry for that, and I also apologize for crossing over and even posting it here.

It's been a week since I bought a set of nibs and a bottle of ink and I have been self-teaching myself with the help of Youtube, of course. I think I might be getting the hang of it. I was very frustrated the first couple of days but here's what I've made so far,


Please keep in mind that I am still learning and not a pro at this. This is like page 11 of my graphing pad, the other pages are not post-worthy, I'm afraid.

Here's what I've learned so far:

• Practice really does make perfect
• If you really want to produce something beautiful, you have to work hard for it (proof is my first 10 pages)
• Start with the basics, start learning each alphabet first before you go into phrases
• Choose one type of font first and move on to the next afterwards
• Invest in good ink and paper (I'm afraid I'm still on the search of a good paper. The ink just keeps blotting out of my letters)

This valentine's day was a little bit uneventful compared to our previous ones. Of course we had work so that's a bummer. We had a delightful dinner at Casper & Gambini's in Landmark Mall and that was it. A little movie was also planned but there was nothing new that was interesting to us. Unfortunately, I think Fifty Shades of Grey won't be shown here. And even if it was, I bet there'd be nothing left to show except for Ana's interview with Christian Grey, and after that they'll edit everything off. So we just settled for the dinner.

He did "kind of" surprise me with a Pandora bracelet with a charm which is a totally different story. "Kind of" because I've been eyeing that bracelet for weeks now, giving him hints on what I want. I think it's better that way, don't you agree? That you give little hints, instead of him surprising you with something that you don't really want or like. It's like having a wishlist but not on paper.

After work, we headed home to change into something more comfortable than our office uniforms, but Raymond did a little carpentry work before we left. He added a piece of board I got from an earlier site visit outside our door so the little muffins, namely Marco and Dexi, can't run off the house.

Casper & Gambini's

C&G Roll QR62.00 Tempura shrimp, Japanese mayo, flakes, teriyaki glaze and panko crispy rolls

We started off with some rolls which our server boastfully suggested was their best seller. True enough, it was very delectable. The teriyaki sauce added a little savor to the roll.

Revolution Mint Iced Tea QR19.00 Iced Tea infused with mint leaves, lemon and cinnamon

Pomegranate Iced Tea QR19.00 White pomegranate tea with pomegranate syrup and lemon

Both these iced teas were great and you can really taste the flavours infused in each of them. I especially liked the Revolution Mint Iced Tea which was infused with mint leaves and cinnamon sticks.

This little heaven has been around for as long as I can remember. They were here the first time I was here in 2006 and I was shocked when I returned in 2011 and they're still around. It's this little place in Al Naser with a Thai Massage adjacent to it (probably under the same management).


The place is not that much but I assure you that the food is genuinely authentic Thai. It's quite popular not just with Thai expats but with Westerners as well and of course those from the other lands of the chinky-eyed (no wonder I find myself here almost every week).


If you want to find it, just look for the Thai Massage signage because the snack house doesn't have a name you can see from the outside. They have indoor dining and garden dining as well. There's also a function room which I think you can rent, which can sit around 12-18 people.


On the inside, you can see the walls plastered with various Thai posters. The set-up is pretty efficient: you sit at a table, they take your order, utensils are on the table in a stainless flatware (much of it, in fact, so no need to bother the waiters for an additional spoon or fork), once you finish you just take a stub with your table number in it (usually at placed in a little basket within your table) and pay by the counter. Easy-peasy, we get in-and-out in an hour, tops.


I love that each of their menu items have photos, I felt like a kid going thru them. It just gets a little bit tiring when you get the last few pages as some of the food tend to look so much alike with the other items.

Dumplings QR25

 This is a great starter while you're waiting for your orders to arrive. It can be shared by 2-3 people.

Salapao QR12 (for 3 pieces)

The Salapao is the Thai version of the Chinese Siopao, this is really affordable at only QR12 for 3 pieces. It's great for merienda (snacks) and for some late midnight snacking. We often bring some of these home so we can have something to eat at home when we get hungry in the middle of the night.

Pad Thai Seafood QR30

The Pad Thai is always present in our table whenever we come here, just varying on the meat (seafood, chicken or beef).

Tom Yum Seafood QR30

This is one of my favorite soups because it still tastes good even when cold. But don't get me wrong, they served the soup steaming hot (which is also great).

Pad Pring Chicken QR25

This is one of my husband's favorite simply because this meal is as complete as it could ever get; with rice, egg, meat, vegetables. He almost always gets these, except for days when he wants some noodles or soup.

Thai Fried Rice Seafood QR25

This one I love because you don't even need to order ulam with it. You can eat it on its own because the seafood (or chicken or beef) they put in it is enough as ulam.

Thai Iced Tea with Milk QR10

This is the superstar among their drinks. I see this in every table every time we come here. The perfect combination of milk and tea

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