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..

i know, i know...

now you don't have to tilt your head sideways, eh?? i forgot to rotate the mug-photos before uploading to the blog!! silly me...

lets talk about the handcrafted mugs..

every now and then over the years, we'd be asked whether we could do mugs.. and every time i'd say yes, but only the more expensive mugs!! i'd be saying that rather apologetically within the first few years of being asked, but over time and as we became more selective of the things that we wanted to be involved in, i'd say that rather uprightly..











we're a small ceramic manufacturing set-up, specialising in handcrafted/handpainted details not many big set-ups would be interested in. we've wanted to grow bigger of course, but as time passed by we've been proven again and again that there are many beautiful aspects of keeping things simple and small..











one thing for sure, i'd have less headaches!! ;)











ceramic mugs are such sought-after souvenir items that many companies especially from china, mass-produce and export them on very regular basis. these mugs would come in standard sizes and shapes and customers are always expected to order them in certain minimum quantities, usually 1000pc and above or depending on surplus/stationary stocks that the distributors need to dispose off...










mass-produced mugs that are exported/distributed widely are actually half-finished mugs (ceramic term: bisquewares).. once the customers have decided on the size, shape, colour/finishing, and the inclusion of any printed logos/inscriptions and so forth, only the second and third parts (the less messier parts) of the production processes commence.. most malaysian mug-suppliers are actually importing ready-made bisquewares from china at very cheap costs and completing the next 2 stages of finishing works (glaze-colouring and decal-printing) in their local warehouse/factories.. and would sell these mugs at or below rm5 per piece..







our ceramic handrafted mugs on the other hand, are custom-made.. every step of the way.. almost 100% labour-intensive.. tender loving care at every stage of production.. individually handcrafted to look similar but yet not the same..







so that's why our mugs are more expensive.. ;)

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..

random thots in my messy head..

with the school holidays over and the new maid finally stationed in my port, i'm trying to get back into ceramic-focus after nearly three months of house 'bliss'.. but hey, it's difficult these days coz daily dosage of chedet.com is a must too!! and that could go on and on the whole morning maa...

blogging for hours to increase my google ranking is 'work' hence acceptable, therefore time well spent.. browsing & reading other blogs is research & development, therefore equally permissible too.. but reading & commenting on a political blog..???

but i don't consider dr.M as just a politician.. he's been my constant source of inspiration, motivation, admiration and respect for as long as i can remember.. i miss reading articles about him in the main media..

the whole family was in cameron highlands for 4 days last week, therefore the photo above should be familiar, huh?? cameron's tea plantations are amazing shows of human strengths and always pleasing to my eyes.. i'm also trying to upload/add other green & pleasing photos of cacti and veges in this post but unsuccessful so far, mmm...

pleasing to my eyes.. get back into ceramic-focus.. eh, headache coming.. my son's making a choc-mess.. my new maid needs supervising.. my urut-lady is dropping by shortly.. will sort my mess later, later, later lorr...

i'm still a french-maid..

my last posting was 2 and a half weeks ago.. mmm, what have i been doing?? busy with the housechores, the kids, the cats, the fishes, the plants and yes, tuti & tutu the turtles!! hardly any real ceramic-work has been attempted!! :(

i've been procastinating big time, aarrgghh..!!

i'm still my husband's french-maid-of-honour.. but it's been 10 weeks already and the new maid is still not arriving any time soon. always the optimistic believing there're blessings in disguises in whatever hardships coming my way, i'm now: a better cook (3 dishes in less than an hour), a more efficient housekeeper (daily chores done by 11am), a less spender (no more trips out of bb-town), a more fit-ter woman above 40 (stronger arms due to daily upstretch to dry up my laundry), a more observant mother (my 12yr old girl actually still needs more baby-ish playtime with me), a more tolerant mother ('accepting' the constant mess made by my 5yr old boy coz he 'promised' to clean up by himself afterwards), a less tolerant cat-lover (no cats playing/lazying inside the house to reduce furry-mess), blah, blah, blah..

now that i've listed them down, the positives definitely outweigh the negatives huh?? but oh my.. how i wish i can just disappear for a while.. and enjoy some pampering body massages or something!! 3hr karaoke, eh kroaking-session with my girl-friends would be very nice and most welcome too!!!