Friday, October 28, 2005

Living in Spain

Spain no longer offers a cheap lifestyle. This is a mantra I repeat over and over in the course of a day at work to those who still expect to pay 100,000 Euros for a 3 bed villa with a pool near the beach, or 400 Euros a month rent for the same property. I have been selling and renting property for holidays or long term rentals, for the past four years here on the Costa Blanca and watched many pack up and leave those dismal UK skies with high hopes for a cheaper and better way of life in the sun.

It doesn't always work out that way. In that time, I have seen more friends forced to return to the UK than remain. 90% have not gone through choice, they simply cannot afford to stay. Many start businesses that fail (although many do succeed), and others cannot find work. Most jobs here require two, if not three, language - and bar/restaurant work is the privilege of the young.

I have rented more than a couple of properties to people on a long term rental basis, where they signed an 11 month contract and left after a couple of months due to being unable to find work.

Living in Spain can be idyllic for those with money or the retired. They probably do not see how difficult it can be for the rest of us. I never worked so hard, or such long hours in the UK, but I made the choice and have no regrets.

A single parent with two children of 12 and 13, I came to Spain with a well paid job working on the internet and rented a 4 bed apartment for 300 Euros a month whilst both children attended local Spanish school. Now? Struggling to run my own business and paying 900 Euros a month rent + bills, and office rent + bills, and staff, advertising, private school fees.. the list goes on. Why? Sometimes I don't know - must be the Jalon wine.

Working in Villa Rentals made me realise there was a huge gap in the market for a good property management service, so I started one in 2002. At that time business was great, my website was number one on all the search engines (probably because I had no competition for that particular key phrase 'property management spain'), and I was optimistic about the future. However, now the world and his wife are offering these services - mostly couples working illegally from home - and I have seen many websites springing up, many blatant copies of my own which took me months to write.

So many things happened and so much changed during this four year period that I started writing it down - all the little trials and tribulations that you never read about in books written about life in Spain. For instance, did you know that in the small villages striking up a conversation with a married man almost gets you burnt at the stake? Nor did I, I thought he was just being friendly. At this time, I was the only Brit within the village (although some lived in villas outside), apart from one girl who had been there 13 years and married to a Spaniard. Ignorance is not bliss - there is a strict code of ethics in some of these villages that remain predominantly Spanish, one that has to be learned as you go along.

Living in Spain is definately changing for the better as more foreigners relocate. You can now buy chicken without heads, feet and insides attached, women aren't frowned upon for walking into a bar, and I probably wouldn't be hissed at for talking to married men. My 'diary' has now been published as an ebook - Moving to Spain, a true insight on living in Spain permanently.

Thursday, October 27, 2005

sorry!!!

a number of my one-of-a-kind bags are on loan for some magazine photoshoot.. and we've managed to forget to remove the item listing totally, and had only disable it's buying option...

i've suddenly gotten at least 5 emails asking me what's wrong.. so sorrryyy!!! no intention at all of leading you on and wasting your time...

so nothing's wrong, and all photoshoot items have been removed.

hope you'll all find something else you like! at my online boutique of course.. heh

looks like everyone's eagerly anticipating free shipping week!

Wednesday, October 26, 2005

free shipping!

Birthday Free Shipping

starts 0100 hr 28 oct - 24oo hr 3 nov
singapore time (gmt +8 hours)

shop away >>>

Friday, October 21, 2005

south asia earthquake appeal

please donate any amounts of monetary contributions if you can, towards the south asia eathquake victims

go here --> http://www.redcross.org.sg/southasiaearthquake_appeal_m.htm

read about it here --> http://www.ifrc.org/

help and donations have not been coming as fast and as much as it is needed for this earthquake. just because media coverage has not been as fervent with regards to this earthquake, compared to hurricane katrina or last year's tsunami etc. does not mean that this is less serious, of lesser importance, or that the victims are in less dire straits. in fact, they need it more, being in a developing nation and all, as winter is setting in and many are still cut off in the mountainous regions.

littleoddforest and family will be donating a portion of our october earnings to south asia earthquake victims, so please help to do your part as citizens of economically better-off nations

Wednesday, October 19, 2005

it's almost a year

Happy 1st Birthday!
just 9 more days to birthday in little odd forest! (funny how i never did announce my own birthday here.. hmmm...) which means it's just 9 more days to free shipping for just one week! don't miss out on this chance! ;)

plush rush

we're off to plush rush at columbus, ohio, usa, all the way the other side of this small world, woopeee! bye, dada! ~luff, your precious treelings~
Forest Treelings for Plush Rush

Monday, October 17, 2005

pleassee wait!

i just got back last night 0(^.^)0

and i'm doing my best to answer all emails that require urgent replies!!

pplleeaseee wait abit more if you're still waiting for a reply from me! i apologize for having only 2 hands and one very tired-after-great-holiday-don't-wish-to-be-back brain... my engine's starting up! i promise!!

i was also very touched and was close to tears to read some very nice emails waiting in my inbox, other than those asking impatiently for re-stocks and new items 0(-.-)0

i'm working on ALL of them, all!! i swear!! emails, sewing, designing, processing orders, exhibition, ordering supplies, swaps, ALL!! every single one!

expect lots of website updates these coming weeks!!

i plan to retire in a nice little cottage in a forest with cute little furry animals that talk, with a beautiful beach just near by, and quaint little family-owned restaurants with delicious food cooked with their hearts... and my own vespa scooter...

Saturday, October 8, 2005

breast cancer awareness month


jen at divatribe.com is donating 10% of all sales in october to the susan g. komen foundation, in honor of breast cancer awareness month. show your support if you can!!

okay people, i'll be off to visit my mum, have a little island retreat, and doing some crafthings supplies shopping next week. the little shoppe will still be open, of course, and orders will still be taken, just that, there will be no shipping from wednesday onwards, because my part-time help is only available on mon + tues. all orders from wed onwards will be shipped on the following monday, so it's just a 3 working days delay ya ;)

oh, about the fashion trade show, it's my first time doing this sort of thingie.. and i'm feeling like such a greenhorn.. i was approached by the organisers to participate, it's a b2b fashion trade show that's not open to public and only for international buyers and merchandisers etc. it's stated that fashion tv will be covering the whole event, and blah blah blah exciting facts and there's a who's-who list of international fashion vip guests..

and so we dumped in a huge sum of money from our very tiny financial pool, it was bloody expensive! and doing up the booth is more $$$ too! yeah, for us small fries at least ;p it was as much as opening a little brick-and-mortar boutique in a relatively affordable place in singapore.. but just to gain the exposure and experience, i hope this excuse justifies the costs though.. anyways, i'm not very sure this exhibition was suitable for littleoddforest, because we are not all about fashion. we're more like a life style or name, and much more than just fashion? the thing that sucks was i don't think we're allowed to display any non-fashion related items, like our huggables and home decor etc. we'll see how i can sneak those in ;p

i just don't want to think about it for now, because there seems to be so many papers and forms for me to fill up, so many nitty-gritty details to finalise about our booth space and blah blah blah. i get really annoyed trying to set aside some time from my already super over-packed schedule to do such things. i can give you instructions as to how to do it, but i hate doing it myself.. HA! so my so-called "business-partner" b is chipping in with some things (half my headache is slightly lightened.. thanks! *hugs*)

chicadecanela! how was your experience?? i read that yours was open to public right? did you have a great time??? i loveeeddd how your booth looked like! it's sooo you!!

i'm an overgrown kid, i just want to smile, be nice, make friends and know more people.. but it's giving me this impression that the whole event is going to be bloody uptight, "professional", snobby, boringly-adult-like and freakingly formal... littleoddforest is NOT like that at all.. sigh

oooh lynda.. you need a wake-up slap again

Friday, October 7, 2005

wat's been going on...

  1. website renovations
  2. finishing up a slightly delayed wholesale order of a ton of bags and brooches
  3. designing a new batch of printed totes for printing
  4. sewing 2 custom orders of treelings
  5. trying to replenish my treelings
  6. furiously sewing brooches til my hands are sore
  7. working over $$$ details, the big evil
  8. stressing over asia fashion week trade exhibition
  9. promotional poster design
  10. promotional banner design
  11. brochure design
  12. booth design
  13. pissing off my dad
  14. tidying up work stuff before i leave for abroad next week, so that my 2 day volunteer assistant knows how to pack and mail out orders on mon + tues - i'll be gone for a week on mon but no one is available for the whole week to help me with orders.. oh well
  15. getting rid of some "friends"
  16. getting some fab new ones
  17. eagerly awaiting some of my product photos by chicago model ann marie (our second collaboration!) and photographer ken erickson
  18. cursing and waiting for my ladybird buttons to arrive, 2 weeks late... crap
i don't mean to lie, to my singapore customers and fans, who've been informed that 1 oct was the last day littleoddforest would be at inqbox boutique. something came up at the last minute, which i'm not at liberty to disclose, so we're still there this month, not sure about next month, will keep you all updated... well, i'm kinda hoping not, so that i can use those hangers i've there for the exhibition, instead of buying more of which i'd not use til i get to open a little real boutique of my own? those hangers are pretty expensive, i may have been fleeced...

i need to get rid of stuff... LOADS of stuff... books, clothes, shoes, stuff... i can feel my room enclosing in on me and collapsing... i may just have a "rid-my-room-of-stuff" sale... hmm...

Monday, October 3, 2005

it's all good

thankss to all of you for all your morale boosters, advice, wake-me-up slaps and encouragement :) yes i did say no, but not without some people walking away with some brooches.. hahaha *bitter sarcasm*

seriously, it's getting to be kind of a problem, so no more talking about hanging out at my apt, in my roomful of stuff, unless it's the usual group, and no more nicely-put-refusing replies to emails asking for hand-outs either. you're just not going to expect any replies at all. those "friends" were actually just very long-time acquaintances.. you know, those people you've known for ages but have only exchanged superficial conversations with... yeah... and those emails from strangers asking for hand-outs, are just purely bizarre to me... it wouldn't be if it were a one-time thing... the unfathomable thing is, i've gotten like 7 of those emails in the last 2 months...

on to other news...

this is our birthday month!! our very first birthday in little odd forest! 0(^.^)0 and we're celebrating in little odd forest land here with a spruced up look (pardon us for the renovation works going on) and a new boutique/label name ~ littleoddforest! (we've decided to use forestprints design as our main business name) Most importantly, its FREE SHIPPING for all orders made from FRI 28 OCT - THURS 3 NOV! i've also been adding discount coupons and little freebies to orders, as a surprise! also, i know i say this all the time, but really, new items will be up this whole month! so stay tuned! :)