Date Posted: 13th Apr 2020 at 7:29 AM

Wow. Okay, lots has changed since my last post. I thought I'd made a journal entry before I left but apparently not.

I don't live in Hong Kong anymore. So much I could say about why, but short story, politics. Wanting absolutely no part of the constant, creeping changes. This doesn't feel like the place to go into how terrified and hearbroken and furious I felt those last months in HK -- how I still feel when I see what the place I called home is becoming. But we saw those changes coming in time to plan our exit and not a moment too soon. I miss Hong Kong. A lot. But the Hong Kong I loved isn't really there to go back to.

I have a new home now. I live in London! At least I think I do? Hard to tell from inside lockdown. But once this global plague is over I think I just might love it here.


*************

Part of that moving meant not having a computer for ages. Old computer on its last legs and not worth shipping. Months without any Sims, and I very nearly lost what was left of my mind. No Photoshop to make anything in. Various long stories, but we were bouncing from Airbnb to Airbnb, other costs suddenly surprisingly higher than quoted, awesomely had thousands robbed from our account which the bank took its sweet time getting back to us, oh hey now that you're FINALLY ready to buy your new computer there's a bloody GLOBAL PLAGUE on and shops literally close the day before you're gonna go get one, time to order online and now that gets delayed because dumb reasons, but at long last it's here. I'm back online, and I have a beautiful new computer that I am indecently smitten with, and my Sims games all arrived in good shape and they're installed now and OMG the endless arranging of the Downloads folder and getting all those mods in place and tweaking this setting and finding that mesh, but finally, finally, FINALLY!

I'm ready to play again.

The world is still terrifying at the moment. Lockdown is already taking its toll. But imma have a much better time dealing with the state of the world with this game back up and running. I even saved my recolouring To Do list, and I'm only a year or so behind on it, so... Yeah, I don't have time to go outside anyway. Gonna hunker down and sim.

Date Posted: 2nd Apr 2019 at 3:04 AM

And again, I'm off to the US! Another month with the family, another month AFK. Love, love, LOVE getting to visit them. But I still get physically antsy after being away from my computer -- away from TS2 and Photoshop -- for that long. Really hoping to tackle some of To-Do Mountain when I'm back! (^_^)

Date Posted: 9th Oct 2018 at 7:21 AM

Headed to the US for about 3 1/2 weeks. Itching to work on several projects, but I'm guaranteed not to finish a single one of them before I leave in about 5 hours, so I'm adulting like a boss and packing my suitcases instead. Just realised, though, that I may actually cross 10,000 downloads while I'm gone, and I can't even handle that. Never, ever thought that would be even remotely likely -- and for a game that's how old?! I'm seriously floored.

Date Posted: 19th Sep 2018 at 4:52 AM

Gears just ground to a halt. I'm in such a productive mood -- so many things I really wanna work on! - and that's exactly the problem.
It's like in Pratchett's book Thud!, where Young Sam enters a nursery stuffed to the rafters with amazing toys and he's paralyzed by the knowledge that no matter how hard he tries he can't possibly play with them all at once.

That's how I am right now with TS2 projects. I wanna finish that FFS castle bedroom I've been working on...by which I mean I wanna start over completely on that FFS castle bedroom. I also wanna do the rose beddings that came out of the castle bedroom but aren't the ones imma end up using but I still wanna finish the set because they're kinda cool. Then there's that adorable unicorn fabric that I'm gonna end up changing a whole bunch but could still be a seriously cute little bedroom theme... But I still have just that one thing to redo and I'll be finished the Lilah Bedroom set... I also have about 3 different bathroom ideas I wanna do right now, and then I came up with a new room idea just this morning mid-unicorn, and I totally wanna do it now and I CAN'T DO THEM ALL AT ONCE!

No matter which one I pick out to do there will be so many more that I'm not working on; therefore, vapour lock.

Date Posted: 2nd Mar 2018 at 1:00 AM

Didn't want to keep scrolling down to add to the original To-Do, so here's Part Two of the list...

Lilac Study
Lilac Porch/Exterior
Lilac Crumplebottom Build

Fleur de Lis Carpeting

CWC Everything (list separately)
Roses beddings
Stripes beddings
Unicorn Bedroom
Marimekko Bathroom
Chinese Lanterns Bedroom
Compo Lime Bedroom (Sandy's bases)
Compo Lime Kitchen (also Sandy's)
Napoli Kitchen and Dining
Provencal Kitchen and Dining
Pink Sugar Patio
Those large, squishy chairs what I can't remember their names. Those things.
Seniors' Retirement Mansion

Finishing out Claybee!
Claybee Extras
Claybee Exterior
Final Claybee Build

gradient suits for all ages
Justice League swim for girls, boys, and unisex
Justice League boxers (undies and sleep) for ya, a, and e men and women

Supernatural Hunter Career
Starfleet Career

DONE:
Lilac Bedroom
CNY18 (Year of the Dog) Bedroom
CNY18 Parlour/LR
CWC Pet Houses
Underwater FFS Bedroom
Pink Sugar Bath
Claybee Commercial
Claybee Party
BV Hot Springs Lot Makeover
Unicorn Nursery
Vermont Bath
Blue & Yellow Bath
Persimmon Branches Bedroom

Date Posted: 18th Jan 2018 at 11:44 AM

I have been working like BALLS to get this Chinese New Year (Year of the Dog) bedroom finished before I hit the road yet again. I have also been watching a lot of Supernatural and am channeling Bobby Singer. Anyway, I just made a decision, and it feels really, really good...

My CNY 2018 bedroom is gonna be late, and I'm okay with that.

My flight leaves in, like, 18 hours, and I have things to do. Laundry things. Packing. Calls to make. Eat and sleep may play a walk-on role if time and/or whimsy allows. But this bedroom set? It's not gonna happen. I've gone 98% of the recolours, actually, but then after that comes the listing and the writing and the screenshots for days and then oops I remembered I wanted to add this thing here and honestly I just can't. Stress level: Maxed.

Chinese New Year is gonna be well past before I get this set up, but given the choice between A) cramming and stressing and rushing and skipping and worrying and I already have a mad case of "Photoshop shoulder" as it is, and B) I'll get to it next month? Imma walk away from the bedroom before I lose my mind. Gotta go see family. Bedroom will happen when it happens.

(I'm pretending to be so chill about this, but in my head I'm straight up shrieking about not doing the thing in time.)

Date Posted: 29th Sep 2017 at 9:05 AM

So much stuff done this week, and it was such a total snowball. Decided to do HL's Teak Nursery for the Maternity and Beyond theme and thought, hm, what bedding would I use to take pictures with? That led to doing a whole batch of 27 striped nursery sets, which I was almost finished with when I realised these two green stripes made a cute kinda watermelon-looking design, which set me off making a whole watermelon-themed nursery...which I had to finish and post before I could go finisn and post the 27 striped nursery sets before I could go back and finish and post that Teak Nursery I started with in the first place and OH HEY, while I'm doing that, why not add HL's Quaint Nursery too??

Damn, it's been a busy week. My shoulder, arm, and wrist are totally minced from all the Photoshop and SimPE, so what do I decide to do next? Type about it. I'm an idiot.

ANYWAY. Was rushing like mad to finish because 1) theme ends, like, tomorrow. 2) I'm going back to the US for another month on Monday! Yay, seeing my family again!! Boo, not being on my computer for a whole month. Yay, being with my family! Boo, not being able to work on my to-do list. Boo and yay? Family wins that one every time. Just wish sweetface could come with me, but since his being on the road is the whole reason I'm taking off early, better being with the rest of the fam than sitting here by myself...no matter how much I could totally be jamming on my To-Do List. >_<

Date Posted: 25th Jul 2017 at 12:47 AM

I'm headed back to the States for another visit, and I'm not sure how long I'll be gone. I worked like nuts to get that patio done and posted before I go, and I really hope at least a few people will enjoy it. It's an odd set, but I like its quirkiness. Anyway, not that I think anybody actually reads this journal, but I've found that it helps me keep my thoughts about upcoming projects and sets in some sort of order.

When I get back I'd like to finish that Dewberry fabric set I've been on since movies went to colour, as well as taking another spin at that FFS castle bedroom. Still some Claybee to finish too, and I also wanna do those wrap skirts to go with the untucked tees. Augh, so much I wanna work on right now, and I'm gonna be on the other side of the planet!

Don't wanna sound for a second like I don't wanna go, though. My family needs me right now, and I need to be there with them. Husband is being overwhelmingly supportive and sweet. I'm gonna miss his face while I'm gone.

Date Posted: 14th May 2017 at 5:40 AM

As expected, I came home from the US and dove straight into Photoshop. Claybee Study done and dusted! And that's when the heartache began, because I decided that a downloads cull was in order... smash cut to days and days of file retrieval and comparing names and trying to figure out what meshes don't have skins and which skins don't have meshes and after all of this time how am I STILL so bad at keeping those straight?!

I'm so looking forward to a clean game build, but I'm about ready to set my entire downloads folder on fire and just cackle while it burns.

Date Posted: 20th Mar 2017 at 12:05 AM

Heading to the US for about 5 weeks and won't be online much in the interim. If every single trip I've ever taken in the past is any indication, I'll be ITCHING to get my hands on TS2 and Photoshop by the time I get back. Of course I'll be taking notes on any new To Do items that occur to me while I'm away too, making it that much less likely that I'll ever flirt with the zip code of being anywhere near finishing my To Do List, but the minute I seriously care about that will be the minute I'm not doing this for fun anymore and can hang it up. So, good thing I'm not actually fussesd!

Not that anyone will read this while I'm gone, but still... (^_^)

See y'all in late April! ♥