grapevines-journey: THE BASICS

first of all, the grape sapplings from grape-growing-state of perlis courtesy of abang musa my pasar-tani trader.. he actually chose 3 types of grapes based on their fruit-colours (green, red and black) but forgot to write clearly on each sappling container which one is which, therefore we've mixed 2 sapplings together in one pot, and now left to wonder and anticipate the future colours of the fruits of our labour..

abang musa pointed out to us that the grape trees have 2 distinct shapes of leaves, and since we didn't know which tree sapplings bearing what colour of fruits, we've chosen to put together the sapplings having the most appealing shape of leaves to face the house frontage.. should our new grape trees still bearing sour fruits, the leaves would at least make the house look much nicer, eh..

the remaining 2 sapplings have been put together in a second pot to face the inside of the house.. seen here tending to them is my in-house gardener that i occasionally sleep with.. ;)

all 4 sapplings have been planted in 2 pots partly protected from direct rain-contact.. abang musa also told us that grape trees don't grow so well with too much water, infact they'd thrive so much better in dry seasons/areas..

the view of the newly constructed horizontal steel-hanger, circling the toproof gazebo at 3 sides.. the 4th remaining side is left for other/existing potted hanging plants..

the view of the steel-hanger against the clear blue sky as i was lying down on the floor doing my yoga stretches, and imagining the future outcomes of this latest grape-journey..

here's hoping for multi-coloured grapes that would be so much sweeter..

edible-garden: grapevines

last weekend we finally got our new set of grape-trees, 'imported' all the way from perlis, yaayy..

this grapevine-plans of ours were mooted eversince we had some extra spaces to play around with, and our first set of grape-trees were planted along the side garden in-between our 2 side-verandahs approximately 3-years ago.. a total length of 12-feet steel climber-fence was purposely/vertically put-up to cater to the growth of our grape trees, not knowing that once the grape-shoots climbed up to the top of the fence, they'd hover on and grow around the top of the fence only, leaving the rest of the vertical-fence bare..

hence our vertical climber design was proven not to be perfectly suitable for grape-vines afterall, but we tried to make the best of the situation by constantly and manually guiding downwards the growth/movements of new shoots.. the colours and shapes of the grape-leaves were appealing to our eyes and the fact that the trees would start fruiting whenever we talked about getting rid of them, have made us decide to just let them be where they are and let them continue being a part of our garden-scapes..

on the upside of things, the sour grapes (above-photos) that they'd kept bearing over the past one year could actually make excellent substitutes for 'belimbing besi' in my cooking and 'masak lemak kuning' dishes, eh..?? mmm.. ;)

so 3-years passed by, and our grape-vines are still not some nice-looking vines at all.. ;(

so 3-years passed by, and another grapevine-idea was mooted a few months ago.. ahh yes, why not try again and grow another set of grape-trees on the rooftop garden instead..?? and this time around, instead of vertical climber-fencing, we should build horizontal flat-climbers all around the toproof gazebo, so that the grapevines would grow all around the gazebo-roof horizontally, looking like extensions of the roof..?? and when they'd start fruiting, the grapes would be dangling down for easy pickings as we passed by under the climbers to sit underneath the gazebo..?? mmm, that sounds really really nice...

so another set of steel-structures were commissioned and constructed within the next few weeks.. flat horizontal steel-climbers on 3-sides of our toproof gazebo would be strong enough to hold another set of grape-trees for many many years to come.. and we envisioned how beautiful the gazebo would look like with grape-shoots, vines and fruits growing wild, branching out and dangling down.. and we can grow, pick and eat our own fresh homegrown grapes!! heavenly eh..??

but how do we get grapes that would taste sweet?? do we just buy seedlings/trees from any garden-nurseries around town?? what type of soils should we use?? any special fertilisers needed?? what type of weather conditions should we observe..?? this is our second grapevine-attempt, therefore we must strive to be more prepared and informed, to get better and sweeter results..

so we asked around among friends, relatives and strangers.. and eventually the trees that i got over the weekend were courtesy of our weekend pasar-tani-trader abang-musa hailing all the way from perlis.. who bought them from some handicapped grape grower residing in grape-growing-state-of-perlis..

our current grape-journey in photos soon, in next posting..

avi-spa@avillion-port-dickson

no, no, no...

i did not do these ceramic pieces for avi-spa...

or having anything to do with their interior designs and/or furnishings..

i was just there recently enjoying foot, back and overall body massages 2 times/days in a row...

whilst enjoying the sea-views, breezes, sands and life's simple pleasures...

yeah, this body needs some pampering... ;)

i was just doodling & sketching..

i'm disheartened, so let's get back to the basics..

my web-designer is not responding to my ammendments as fast as i hoped he would.. ebay-listing is demanding more hours in a day than i could currently put aside.. i'm not even re-looking at the 3rd online shop as yet, so that i could focus and complete the first 2.. and all these 3 issues are my current immediate priorities for the year, and it's the middle of february already.. :(



i'm very disheartened, and i worry these IT-hiccups will push me away doing other things and getting involved in other projects, and that had happened a number of times already the past one-year or so, and it could happen again very soon unless i stay put on this course.. :(



so why the heck do we need to sell online..????



REASON 1: we have 16-years of accumulated stocks to get rid off..!! design collections from yesteryears, production over-runs, wrongly-specified items, custom-made design samples, etc, etc.. all still in very good order and mint condition, looking as good as new, fresh from our ovens/kilns.. we've been getting rid of these stocks via our annual year-end factory-sales the past 4-5 years and the responds have been good but online sales could have made them better, eh..??



REASON 2: to keep my production team happy and occupied in-between projects and any lull periods.. you see, we're not even planning to have the e-shops grow so big that would require the employment of new staff/team to handle the sales or the production of more items.. i'm just expecting the e-shops to sell whatever my production team had helped me produce with love and care over the years..



REASON 3: to service and accomodate the requests of friends, family and loyal customers to keep buying our products without having to go all the way to our factory or our consignment outlets, which we've reduced over the past 5-6 years from 34 to just 4-5 outlets..


i have simple reasonings and equally simple goals..
they're my products, my staff, my friends, family and loyal customers..
these are my basics that matter now..

my children, my online partners..??

should you glance at my blog-labels now, the most blog-posts so far have been put under 'to my children' label.. mmm, why..???



i've been spending a lot more time on the net the past few years, instead of running/driving around meeting staff, suppliers, customers ie. looking harrassed and busy all the time!! i've wanted to simplify my life and business operations, and i thought putting everything online should solve my problems.. haha, please bear in mind that i really thought online operations were pieces of cakes.. all kacang one.. ;)



yeah, yeah, yeah.. i've tasted and still getting some pieces of the online cakes.. and they're really yummy and delicious and beyond my expectations.. and they really have made me say 'wow, this is great, simply wonderful!!'..



having an internet-presence since september 2004 have given my ceramic design & manufacturing business a boost and exposure to more and different customers, and infact my first customer that i got via the website gave me a total value of project that covered my monthly overheads for the next 2-years after we completed and delivered.. very nice, huh..?? and i didn't even have to meet them in person and do any further marketing and promotions because everything was laid bare on the net for them to see, view, judge and decide.. simply wonderful, huh..??



therefore i don't need plenty of projects in one year to sustain this accidental business.. 2 or 3 are already sufficient to keep my production team occupied.. and me, happy and contented not having to rush here & there and chase plenty of people all the time.. yes, i've wanted to reduce my stress, and the headaches and body aches that came with it.. yes, i've wanted only some small pieces of the online cakes and EAT them too.. ;)



therefore my simplification attempts have worked very well, right..?? but, but.. i still have stocks lying around.. old design collections, production over-runs, wrongly-specified items, product samples, etc.. the main reasons for the need to have my online shops which are still ding-dong-ding-donging in their completion the past one year or so, and which i'd not elaborate further here..



my simplification attempts have worked very well not only in reducing my stress-levels, but it has also meant that my kids now are always seeing me at home as though i no longer have a business to run, haha.. they must be thinking in their little heads that running your own business is really a blast, just look at mama.. ;)



sometime last year, my eldest asked me this question: do you still have your business?? i was quiet for awhile and then smiled to her & myself.. and that was how i started labelling some of my blog-posts under 'to my children' category.. sort of to teach them that everything was not beds of roses all the time the past 16-years in business, and to have come to this stage where i don't look like really working anymore, have actually required some plenty of hard work and perseverance..



i also have some ulterior motives in coming up with this blog-label.. to let my 2-girls know what else i'm trying and struggling to do online, so that they could see for themselves in what way they could contribute in the future.. it never crossed my mind to have my ceramic design & manufacturing business to be handed down to my children, no no no, but i hope they'd learn something good from watching first-hand how their mother (try to) manage her life, family and household by pursuing her dream and business from the comforts of home..



i wish for them to have greater options and easier access to the ways they could reach their future goals and desires.. i could see their individual and different characters developing now and i'd like to show them just how they can capitalise on their strengths and improve on their weaknesses, starting from a much earlier age, from the very comforts of their home.. plenty of things can be done and earned from the net, ah yes, our children are just so lucky to be part of this web-generation..



so ika and mel will be mama's online partners soon, okay...?? abah has just provided both of you the greater means but of course with greater terms & regulations, and yes, greater responsibilities..

explore all the possibilities and good luck in finding your niche in life..

happy 17th birthday, my dear..

today 10th february is my eldest-child's birthday and she's celebrating it at school with her mrsm-friends during the school's activity-week..

i'd need days and rolls of papers, eh hours on the net typing till my fingers & knuckles develop joint-abnormalities to talk about my challenges and experiences raising this teenage-daughter of mine.. ;)

we can be so much alike yet so much different from each other at the same time.. but we persevere and take time to understand each other's complexities, and over the past 17-years, we've come to accept and respect our differences, and enjoy & celebrate our similarities..

but, that is just me the mother talking.. ;)

she was barely 1-year old when i started my journey into my accidental business, therefore has been privy to almost all my ups and downs, my jubilations and frustrations, my successes and failures, my compassions and tantrums.. and through it all, as much as she'd try to deny it once she reads this blog-post, she's becoming more and more like her mother.. ;))))

it's okay what.. i'm not such a bad person right..??

so my dear ika.. i'd not write much about our mother-daughter journey here, so as not to take a lot of net-space and also to avoid embarassing you among your friends who'd sometimes take a peek here in my blog.. ;)

happy 17th birthday..
may you grow stronger & wiser..
the honeymoon year is over, ooppss..
time to focus on your studies..
yes, i've noted your 2009-resolution no. 13.. ;)))))))

turtle-inspirations..??

i did not design these ceramic-turtles..

instead, i bought them as samples from a fellow ceramic-manufacturer..

a strictly-manufacturing set-up which also imported & supplied ready-made moulds..

i bought plenty of their ready-made moulds during my formative years in ceramic-business..

and after nearly 16-years, the supplier has become an old, old friend..

yes, i got these ceramic-turtles from danny..

and danny too, did not design these turtles..

why am i posting & viewing the turtles here..??

a customer has requested 'something-malaysian' for her KLIA-gift-shop, and i'm running out of ideas..

those ceramic-turtles are cute, eh..??

or they're instead, should be called tortoises..??

mmm...

handcrafted ceramic oil-burner..

obviously i like anything squarish..
but of course, excluding squarish people.. ;)
but on second thought, i should include them, eh..?? ;)))

this is a mini-sized ceramic oil-burner.. designed a few years back as part of our corporate/doorgift items.. it's very small, measuring 6cm-width and 7cm-height only.. and very compacted too, with 1cm-deep oil-space.. and approx. 4cm-height candle-burning-space..

with those minute measurements.. this burner is definitely impractical for hardcore oil-burner-users.. it doesn't burn so long coz the oil-space is very shallow.. it emits greater black-carbon -smokes that stain the outer-part of the burner coz the candle-burning height is insufficient.. it utilises more number of candles coz the insufficient burning-height means your candles burn faster than they should..

but regardless of those, i treasure the designing process of this impractical oil-burner.. the finished product has turned out very simple and stylish.. yes?? i had included almost all of our production strengths & identities.. so that we could produce them bulk, all handcrafted with ease.. and most importantly, within the specified budget of specified quantities..

the ceramic-chimes that dont normally chime..

i designed these giant ceramic-chimes a few months after we moved to our permanent/current beruntung-house, so that i could 'hear' the stronger & cooler winds that we get to enjoy now that we live nearer to and in pleasant frontal view of the banjaran titiwangsa.. besides the stronger & cooler winds coming down from the surrounding highlands (we can see genting highlands clearly), our house also immediately faces a large recreational field equivalent-sized of 2 football-fields, hence no other buildings infront of the house to obstruct the banjaran wind-movements onto my gardens most of the times..

i decided that one side of my car-porch would be the perfect location to hang these ceramic-chimes to capture these winds.. and also the perfect location to subtle-ly showcase my ceramic products to any passing motorists in my neighbourhood, ahha.. ;)

the ceramic-chimes (or maybe we should call it ceramic-mobiles?) consist of upside-down square-shaped ceramic-containers that are joined & tied together by colourless fishing rod that went through a small hole at the base of each ceramic-box.. hanging on the same rod inside the ceramic-boxes are clay-marbles that would knock on all inner-sides of the boxes to create the chime-effects.. additional chiming sounds were expected to be derived from the ceramic-boxes knocking on the outer-sides of each other when the winds pass by..

we coloured & glazed them soft-green, simply because that was the same glaze-colour being utilised for another production-order that went on in my factory during that same time and i didn't want to create so much hassles for my production team by asking for another tone.. and also because the soft-green was pleasantly natural to my eyes and my garden-theme..

i'm very pleased with the design of these ceramic-chimes.. my house-architect that is my dear good friend atZaida had also nodded her approval when she first saw them hanging.. the simple square-shapes arranged in one straight-line to cover almost half the length of my porch captivated our senses and aroused further inspirations in both of us..

but, but.. the ceramic-chimes don't normally chime..!! :(

a design error on my part..?? most chimes are flat objects that are light & flimsy and easily moved by the passing winds.. if ceramic-clay is used as the basic material, the thickness of the finished & fired 2D-chimes would normally be less than half-cm.. my ceramic-chimes on the other hand, are thicker, glazed (added thickness & weight) and in 3D-forms, therefore much more heavier to be easily moved by any passing winds, hence don't normally chime as they should.. :(

or maybe it was designed heavier and sturdier on purpose to sustain the stronger banjaran-winds..?? that could also have been in my head because i remember thinking 'what if one of the ceramic-squares break?' and i wouldn't have the height and elevation to dismantle everything just to replace one broken piece..

so my ceramic wind-chimes don't normally chime on most days.. but when they do CHIME, i could hear them all the way from my soho at the furthest end of my top-floor.. and i'd immediately know that my nights would be cooler than usual and my garden would be messier with dried leaves strewn all-over.. and i'd be immediately warned that the banjaran-winds have come passing by in greater forces, but secure in the knowledge that my chime-pieces would still remain intact to captivate and inspire us in many more years to come..

ceramic passion re-visited, again..

i'm now just remembering my early years in my accidental-business.. whereby i spent my days full-time in my small factory.. supervising my 6 pioneer-staff.. expanding our work-area little by little.. increasing our production-machineries bit by bit.. driving around in my proton aeroback looking for suppliers in unfamiliar territories.. in my tattered jeans and overgrown men-shirts with dashes/splashes of paints & muds on both clothings.. with pens, notebooks & handphone always in my hand..

those were the days when guts and tenacity made me bolder.. when naivete and foolishness made me do things beyond my boundaries.. when zests and youthfulness were bountiful.. when my simple dream can actually move mountains..

enjoy the rest of the photos taken last week during my re-visit to ceramic passion..

one iced mochachino please..??

mmm.. yum, yum.. slurrpp.. very nice.. hope this will get my head cracking, eh..??

december already and what have i achieved this year..?? have i grown richer, happier, savvier, healthier..?? have i become more organised, more work-focused, more religious, more business-minded..?? have i become a better mum/wife/daughter/sister/friend..??

around this time last year, i listed my 2008-goals into 4-categories: 1.work, 2.personal, 3.family and 4.house.. and under each category, i listed down all the things that needed to be done or looked into.. and i ended up with quite a mouthful/typeful of little projects and assignments to keep me occupied for the whole year..

but other things always got in my way of course, both invited and otherwise.. but as i re-look at my long list again, i've to admit that while the last 3-categories are now almost fully-ticked, my 1st and foremost should have been my priority-category.. is barely one-third completed.. :(

it happens again, again and again...!!! maybe i shouldn't have too many other things on my mind..?? but i'm a soho-based mother with growing children who need regular guidance & assistance.. and my aging body needs much more tender loving care (read: maintenance).. and my 3-yr old house needs greater housekeeping than we ever expected.. and blogging is this new-found creative outlet that i just cannot resist having a daily-dose of.. and running your own business can be quite lonely sometimes, so those long-lunches and tete-a-tetes with my girl-friends are necessary, okay..??!!

therefore i'm very thankful for the advances in technology these days.. it makes life so much more easier and efficient for small little businesses like mine.. and i'm also thankful to be given the hindsight and motivation to pursue these alien technologies despite the many hiccups along the way..

so am i better off than a year before..?? whilst only barely one-third of my work-projects are ticked off from my list and it really bugs and bothers me big-time coz this business-owner is still actually not so business-minded even after 15yrs in business.. i'm happy to announce that all other areas of my life have progressed well accordingly to plans, and some have infact proceeded beyond my expectations, alhamdulillah..

one cannot get everything, eh?? i'll be more work-oriented next year inshaallah, darling hubby.. ;)

ceramic passion re-visited..

my 16yr old eldest daughter and her study group had chosen my business as their project-topic, so off we went down to my ipoh-factory yesterday all-day, followed by my second 12yr old girl..

i've never had the patient and inclination to teach or to impart any kind of knowledge to anybody very well before, hence i asked eda-bey my fellow ceramist and currently the person in charge of perak's ceramic facilities to explain technicalities on my behalf..

i had also sms-arranged with eda-bey earlier on to let 'my students' experience and learn first-hand some of the production techniques involved in my line of work.. and we've agreed to let the kids use the potters-wheels ala demi moore's character in GHOST the movie..

i was actually quite apprehensive when my eldest first told me about their choice of topic for this school project eventhough i felt very honoured and felt so mushy inside that she'd kinda promoted hence proposed her mum's creative-venture to her friends.. you see, my girl and i have both similar 'degil' traits that have often reared their ugly heads so many times and at the same times the past 16 years that we've 'known' each other, that we're often at loggerheads about many things eversince she was a toddler..!!

but that was not the real reason why i was apprehensive.. without stating the obvious here, i deflected my daughter's original intention to study 'the person behind the venture' towards.. 'the production stages behind the finished products'..

how could i let her study 'that person' when that person's blog is somewhat titled 'i'm in this business by accident'.. and she's always blogging about being lost quite often...??? ;)

so there i was.. with my 2 daughters and their 3 friends.. in my factory that i accidentally started some 15 years ago.. learning the basics of ceramics all over again.. remembering those excitements and passions that used to catapult me to achieve higher and go farther...

enjoy these works of art...

my accidental business journey: part 1

it was the month of january in the year 2003..


my 39th birthday would just be a few weeks away in february.. my accidental business venture would turn 10 years old about that same time.. and i was confused, tired, lost, tormented, feeling like a failure and thinking of giving it all up..


so i started writing down my predicaments on my pc.. one issue after another was poured out and analysed.. the writings were originally meant for my own consumption and understandings.. but by just a click of the button, i'd let a weekly lifestyle publication editor had a peek into my predicaments..

was i crying for help?? or was i hoping to get their attention to my so-so writing skills?? being a contributive writer to some respected weekly magazines had always been one of my 'secret' dreams anyway, mmm...


so there i was writing intensely, rigorously and passionately.. within the period of 12 days.. in 7 separate emails.. forwarded to and shared with nuance@nstp.com.my...

these were the 1st and 2nd emails.. followed by the 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th.. and finally the 7th email..

i did get an interested reply from nuance, but of course after all issues had been poured out from my cluttered head, i felt so much clearer in mind and better in outlook that i never bothered to pursue their interests in publishing my 'articles'..

now fast forward 5 years to the present time.. as i struggle yet and yet again to find back my motivation and focus to continue pursuing my accidental business, i've found myself looking back for those 'articles' to guide me back towards my goals..

now that i blog, i therefore publish these 'articles' myself for the consumption of the masses.. ;)

i was then feeling like a failure for thinking of giving it all up, therefore i titled my articles 'why talk about failures?'...

lets keep looking at these lotuses..

i've been looking at the lotuses in my garden the past 2 and a half years.. thinking that i should design something based on them.. maybe a covered ceramic bowl?? or ceramic ashtray?? a ceramic teapot, maybe??

other plants in my garden are also waving and swaying towards my direction every time i pass by.. hoping to catch my creative-attention, you think??? ;)

i'm posting these photos & link into my blog so that i will not forget to do something later on..

soon my dear plants, soon..

struggling to get back my focus..

i've wanted to blog as regularly as possible but somehow or rather other matters keep criss-crossing my path.. one matter in particular: catching up with my work which had been neglected recently!! eh, but isn't this blogging 'work' as well...??? with me under house-arrest and slaving away in my own castle full-time for three months, blogging during those times felt more like venting out my frustrations, however 'blissfull' i felt..



sure i luuurrrvvee working from the comforts of home.. but not being able to leave my kids behind and venture out alone to do whatever was necessary, be it work-related or otherwise, had given me some kind of 'mental block'.. a mental block that wouldn't go away until i stop and do something about it...

maybe i should get a new haircut? do some facial treatments? buy new clothes & pants? re-visit my acupuncturist? have long lunches with friends? do my 2hr body massages? attend the 'alleycats' concert?? re-start my yoga stretches? kroak my lungs out with my girl-friends??

or i can just simply spend some quite time alone sorting out my mind in some wifi-provided cafes nearby.. brainstorming with me and myself could work wonders... it has never failed before to help me get back into focus...

one iced cappucino please?? and a glass of warm water too...

lotus inspirations, maybe..