Crochet proj: Bear

It has been almost 4 years since I started to knit and crochet. The first ever I knitted was a coin purse which I gave to my then boyfriend. As the years passed by, I was able to crochet different patterns. One of my best work is a 'Bear'. Which I also made as a birthday gift for my then boyfriend. I searched the internet for the easiest pattern. Luckily, I was able to find one and able to finish it in just a nick of time. But sadly, the link I got isn't working anymore so I'm just going to post an unfinished 'Teddy Bear' (because I forgot to take a picture when I was done making it, lazy me)

As you can see, my 'Teddy Bear' is undone, but I assure you I completed it (lol). Here are the materials that I used:

•  Yarn #3
•  three different colors of your choice. In here, I got a red for the body, green for the bow and black for the eyes. I brought it in our local crafts store. You will also need a thin thread with the same color of the yarn you'll use on the bears body.

•  Needle
• I used a Size 3/0-5/0 crochet needle and a small thread needle to sew the body together.

• Synthetic fiber
• You will need polyester staple fibers to fill the insides of the bear or you could just put excess yarns to fill the teddy bear.

•  Patience
• You will need lots of it. For a beginner like me, you need to study and watch clips from the internet of different patterns. You will encounter different steps that you're not familiar with. 

The first thing I did was crochet the head and body, I crocheted  two sides, both for the front and back and I crochet 8 small rectangles for the arms and legs. For the extremities, I sewed 2 rectangles and filled it with polyester staple fibers/excess yarns. For the ears, I remembered crocheting 4 half-circled shaped ears. I also remembered sewing the arms, legs and ears to one of the sides of the body(back). Remember, you need not to fill the ears with polyester staple fibers. After sewing the arms and legs, you can now sew the other side of the body(front), fill it with polyester staple fibers up until you've sewed and closed the head of the bear. For the bow, there are different techniques and patterns in crocheting a bow, I used the green yarn because it's the only available color in my stocks. For the eyes, I crocheted 2 small black circles.

I hope I gave you an idea on how to crochet a teddy bear. If you want to suggest DIY's feel free to leave a message on my Contact Me page or tweet me @cestmoiGelaRyes. :)


For other patterns please visit the site: Crochet Pattern Central.

The Fault in our Stars

The Fault in Our Stars by John Green

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


It took me a long time to finish reading the book. It's the first time for me to read a book that tackles the disease that has no cure. Hazel Grace, a teenager that battles cancer since God knows when. Hazel meets Augustus Waters, who suffers from osteosarcoma and meeting him changed Hazel for good.

In the first chapter, Patrick asked Augustus how he feels and Augustus answered, "I'm on a roller coaster that only goes up, my friend". When I started reading the book, I also felt how Gus felt. The intelligence and humor of Hazel and Gus is very refreshing for a teenager battling cancer. Their conversations are very witty and entertaining. Their addiction to the book, An Imperial Affliction brought them to Amsterdam to meet the author, Van Houten. Meeting the author wasn't the most pleasant experience but their stay in Amsterdam is for sure a memorable one. Before they went home, Gus told Hazel about the cancer. It was one of the most heart-wrenching scene from the book. It is where everything started to go downhill. The last letter of Gus made me sob and such a cliffhanger. Though the story is about Hazel it is Gus who molded the story. The fault in our stars is like a roller coaster ride. It will make you laugh, cry, feel hopeless, and makes you fall in love. Hats off to John Green for writing The Fault in our stars and making us feel like we're in a roller coaster. Can't wait for the movie.



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What have I been doing?

Hi guys!

So, I've been away for a while. I've been busy with work and got no time to post new stuffs. I'm sorry for making you all wait for my new post.

So, what have I been doing lately?

• Well, I'm obviously busy with my duties as a nurse. I work 12 hours per shift and caring for at least 6-8 private patients in our hospital both medical and cardiac cases.

What have I been reading lately?

• I'm currently reading "Fault in our stars" by John Green. 

What have I been listening to lately?

•  I'm addicted listening to Snow Patrol, Boyce Avenue, and Taylor Swift. :)

What have I been watching lately?

• White Collar, Man vs. Food :)

Am I in love with someone?

• Sadly, no. I'm still hang up on my previous relationship.. I know :(

 What am I planning to write next?

• My brother and I just made a home-cooked cheesy pork burgers. It tastes superb! Will be posting it soon :)

So, that's about it! got more questions? feel free to leave me a message :)

My Top 5 of 2012

I've been willing to publish this post on new year's eve but had a minor writer's block. The first title I thought of was 'My top 7 moments of 2012', now that I've thought about it, the title and the content don't fit. So, I kept thinking of things, people or live events that made an impact on me last year. Here are my top 5 of 2012

Top 5: Matt Bomer

Matt Bomer

 Yes, It's none other than Neal Caffrey, himself. For the past year, I've been a huuuge fan of Matt Bomer. He's the lead con-man in the series, White Collar which is back for their 4th season on January 22, 2013 on USA Network. What made me a fan? We all know that he's freaking handsome, he is also one of the most promising actor today. The 35 year-old, actor is a father of 3 adorable children with his significant other, Simon Halls (sorry, ladies!). Regardless of his orientation, Matt Bomer is able to deliver what his character needed. He starred in TV series, Chuck, Traveler, and Tru Calling; and movies, Texas Chainsaw Massacre, In Time, and Magic Mike. He is currently the fan favorite for the character, Christian Grey of best selling trilogy by EL James, Fifty Shades of Grey. With my addiction, I've created a tumblr account solely dedicated to Matt Bomer. We already have 2,306 followers and almost 70,000 pageviews. If you have the time, please visit our page, EverythingMattBomer and also follow our twitter account, @EveryMattBomer.

Top 4: Heartbreak

credits: WeheartIt.com

This year, I experienced my most painful heartbreak. (will not put into details.) But after the heartbreak, it made me much more wiser and mature. I was able to see new things in a new perspective and made me realize that I can do more. Now, I am very much happy, stronger and independent though sometimes I miss the thought of being in love, I can manage on my own. :)

Top 3: Books

http://www.wired.com/images_blogs/business/2009/05/library.jpg

 Yes! Books, books, and books! This year have been all about books! I rekindled my love with books during the time when I was heartbroken. At that time, the only thing I was doing to help me cope is by reading books. I can read a 600 pages book in 2 days and a trilogy in roughly 4 days and I instantly jump to the next book I see. I highly recommend this to people who have nothing to do, instead of watching the television all day of playing lousy online games, try reading a book. It's one of the most productive thing you can do in a day. It can even enhance your memory and vocabulary. If you want me to recommend a book for you, we can be friends at Goodreads.com (Gela Reyes on Goodreads).

Top 2: Mama

with my mama dearest :)

Since 2010, my mama has been fighting cancer. She was diagnosed to have Endometrial Cancer last October 2012. We've been fighting cancer for more than 2 years now. Recently my mama has been experiencing back pains which opted us to seek consult. Chest x-ray was done which showed small nodules in her lungs. After undergoing Chest CT scan and bone scan, result revealed the nodules had multiplied in her lungs and was also in the pleural space and the cancer has already reached her bones. She's now on oral chemotherapy and pain meds.

I am very proud of my mama. Even though it seems like the whole world is on her shoulders, she's not giving up. We are still fighting and we will do everything to defeat cancer. If you're reading this.. Please pray for her.

Top 1: Nurse on Duty

Me at work :)

On September 2012, I landed on my dream job, I am finally a staff nurse of the Philippine Heart Center. I waited for more than 2 years; 2 years and 11 months to be exact, I was hired as a staff nurse. :) I passed my application as staff nurse last October 2009 and immediately had my HR interview and clinical exam. 2010, my mama got sick and I took care of my mama so I wasn't able to follow up my application. On May 2012, I had my panel interview with head nurses and a one-on-one interview with our chief nurse. Thank God I passed the interviews. The experience was one of the most nerve-wrecking thing i've every undergone. It took almost 4 months 'till I started working there and I have no regrets declining an offer also as a staff nurse in another specialty hospital.

The past year has been full of ups and downs and with every challenges, I learned, became wiser and faces each day with a brighter look in life. This year, I decided to make an oath to myself that'll try to start spending less and saving more for me and my family. To obey my parents and to love my family more than I could love anyone. To try to live a healthy lifestyle and not to fall for just words but let their actions speak for themselves. And lastly, to remain vigilant in giving care to my patients who depends on us nurses to help them recover from sickness.

We may never know what the future holds for us, we only need to take a step at a time and reflect on our lives. :)