Country Cottage Arts

Do you know what happens when you're given the runaround for the 3rd time - you rant and rave and let off steam in the most expressive way you can . I'm doing it right here and now and there's no stopping me...

I received an sms and attended an impromptu hurried meeting last Friday afternoon to make arrangements for setting upa craft centre of sorts. It was to exclusively cater for a large group of Singaporean tourists who would be arriving on Monday. We were told to particularly showcase Shah Alam as the City of Orchids and thus to create suitably designed crafts.The booth was to be ready by 10am. I had only 2 days to accomplish this and that included the day of Sabbath,Sunday, which was strictly family day for me. Alarm bells should have rung by now in my head, what with the two previous similar incidences, but perhaps I deliberately chose to ignore it, hoping that I would be 3rd time lucky in Kampung Shah Alam. ( read previous articles)Oh God, how did I ever get entangled in this mess again with my eyes, ears and mouth all wide open? Fool..fool...fool...Am I getting Alzheimers or senile.......I digress but back to the story...

I spent the weekend looking for beautiful orchids to paint. I traversed the internet and library but found nothing suitable for painting. Let me tell you now, even if you are a die hard orchid lover, that orchids are meant to be admired in their natural form, fresh and beguiling with their intricate colours and shapes. They can be photographed but are not, I mean NOT meant to be painted- they look stupid and silly. I tried and you wouldn't want to repeat my mistake. Thus my weekend was spent..... sigh... waste of time if I had but known what was in store..

First, I didn't know the venue had been changed. I received an unclear message from the organiser at a quarter to midnight on Sunday to go to Mawadah kiosk at 10.00am.
For the world of me, I sure didnt't know what the heck that was or where it was or what it meant.There were no directions .

I left home at 6.30am on Monday morning with my son to PJ and rushed back by 9.30am, thinking I would be late. Quickly did the cooking for my kids and rushed back to Antan whatisname restaurant,the venue, lugging all my painted works with my daughter in tow . Found no one there, rang the organiser and she tells me that its at Galeri Shah Alam. Lugged back and drove to Galeri Shah Alam. Oh God, it was a lack lustre building with a dinghy entrance and an air of mustiness prevailed everywhere. Frankly, no one was in sight. Seeing no booth or whatsoever, I dumped my bags and paintings at a corner and rushed back home to attend to my contractor, then rushed again to the Gallery, this time waiting for the organiser to set up the booth. It was 11am . The organiser set up 2 booths but there were 3 of us! After a frantic call, 3 booths were put up at the corridor. There were no one about and the whole time I was there it was like a deserted place. It took me 20 minutes to display my artwork ( I had good experience by now ) and there was nothing much to do after that but wait for the busloads of tourists with anticipation. There was only Sheeda with a few trays of costume jewellery on my right and Aisyah with even less, to my left. I was in the centre. We were a pathetic looking bunch, sitting there in the heat with no one about, waiting for the 'tourists'....We were told that they would arrive by noon and after a prepared lunch, would have ample time to browse and buy at our booths. We could pack off by 3pm.

They arrived at almost 3pm, not your usual tourists with wallets filled with money to spend but a bunch of rag tag old religious group who I think were all retired and had nothing bettter to do but jump on a bus for a free ride to Shah Alam.

We were instructed to go and greet them at the car park under the sweltering heat and I felt so conspicuous because they were all of a religious denomination,well covered from head to toe in dark colours and I was the only odd one out, in a pair of white slacks and sunflower yellow t-shirt! I think the tourists thought so too by the surprised look on their faces. I found out too late that they were not your regular tourists but a prearranged religious group who had been invited by the local authority as part of their tour in Malaysia. It also dawned on me too late in the day why the organiser put up only 2 booths. Heck, why didn't they tell me so?,why make me go through all the trouble if I was not meant to be there? Or was I only an afterthought to fill in the space because the others conveniently backed off at the last minute?

It was almost 4pm when they came to our booth. They bought a few of the $5 - $10 beadings from Sheeda and Aisyah and that was it. They walked pass my booth without even a cursory glance. Was I invisible or was it because I was not of their race and faith?. How could a large group of people ignore a person just like that? They had to pass my booth to reach Sheeda's and not one of them even bothered a 'hi'. Their nochalant attitude dented my confidence to the core and hit me cold. It was all over in a few seconds. How long had I taken the effort to prepare for this gig and waited for them in the blistering heat with no fan?

I didn't even want to think. My legs trembled and I felt a hot flush in my face. I sat there like an idiot and put on a brave smile. Even the driver threw a sympathetic glance at me and shook his head. Waves of anger and a feeling of dejection and hopelessness washed over me. I was just too overcome with emotion and disillusionment. I lowered my head and busied myself under the table. I could feel warm tears clouding my eyes and I felt like crying.

I had spent a whole day in the hot weather, been given the runaround by the authorities , set up booth to help promote Shah Alam as a craft centre and then completey ignored by the targetted group. The organisers had disappeared and I was left alone without even a word of thanks for all the effort put in. I could have used that 8 precious hours in the comfort of my home with my children and done something useful instead of being made use of on the pretext of promoting Shah Alam as a centre of craft Ha! that's a laugh, isn't it?! What started of as a promising journey turned into a wretched and heart-breaking experience for me.

Weariness has set in and personally, the rainbow has all but disappeared from my horizon in Shah Alam . I've become extremely disillusioned with what's been happening at all these bazaars and booths and I'm pretty sure I won't fall prey to another wild goose chase anymore. I don't know whether it's the town, or its peoples' mindset or faith. Or, it could be like what my well connected friend said ' it's not what you know Lakshmi, but whom you know in Shah Alam ". Maybe I'm in the wrong place .... well, it has certainly proved difficult to make a living from painting in Shah Alam. This is the last of my foray into taking booths to sell my beautifully decorated art pieces. I would rather keep them in my house and admire them or give them away as gifts to my cherished friends. My love for painting and teaching is undiminished as ever and I do so hope I will get other opportunities to teach and paint elsewhere... I'm keeping my fingers crossed and hope you will do the same for me.. Let me know please for I could sure use some encouragement and a whiff of optimisim.

I've got a load off my chest and feel much better now...

Lakshmi

PS : I mean no offence to anyone of any faith mentioned or otherwise and if anyone does, my sincere apologies to him/her.

A cool and crisp air greeted me when I woke up in the wee hours of the morning at Berjaya Hills. Looking down from the large glass walls of my bedroom, I wished the morning would continue on...the mist was rising and I sat cross-legged on the bed with my hand cupping my chin. I couldn't sleep a wink, much as I tried. I wanted to savour every minute and second of my first overnight outing ever with my girl pals after 21 years of marriage! Now that's a record meant to be broken and I just did. yippee....

I skipped breakfast and donning my leggings and T-shirt, all of us trooped into the car and drove downhill to her farm . Two professional videoman and photographer were clicking away all our movements. I silently prayed that I won't turn out looking like a Bangledeshi immigrant doing hard labour.( sigh), I'm just not the photogenic type and next to Sabrina, I thought I always looked like the Beauty and the Beast..

Like a scene from Indiana Jones, a convoy of 4WDs were waiting to take us up the humpity bumpity hill. The ride was a nightmare to some and a jolly one for me ( I hadn't taken breakfast, you get it ?) Upon reaching the grounds,the party planner had organised a treasure hunt of sorts. I had a sinking feeling when I was given a life-jacket to wear. We trekked with our jackets on under the sweltering heat. The trek was slippery and winding and the treacherous path was a test for the braveheart. At one of the paths, the dry and brittle bamboo handbars gave away and I almost slipped and lost my balance. Praying was the order of the day, ha ha... My worst nightmare was when we reached the deep stream beyond which was a 8ft waterfall. Not knowing how to swim was already a major handicap and making a spectacle of myself shrieking and wailing for the entire forest to hear was a big boo hoo. ( aiyo, major major embarrassment for me la !) To top it all, everyone present was having a good laugh at my pathetic antics and desperate attempts at crossing the deep stream- instead of holding the rope and surging forward, I was grappling with the stupid rope and going sideways, bobbing up and down and screaming for anyone to hold my legs and arms! I was that desperate. God knows how I ever let myself into this...

In spite of all this, my team did manage to get the treasure chest simply because I was lucky to find the exact key out of a box of about 50 keys!. So I did have a streak of luck in me after all. I'm sure that streak will accompany me wherever I go henceforth.

Ha! I had the most memorable time on my 50th birthday which fell on the same day as my good friend, Puan Sri Sabrina Syed Yusoff. The theme was 'Walk the Red Carpet' and the venue was at her Berjaya Hills Homes in Bukit Tinggi. The party was fabulous, the ladies were dressed to kill and the food, of course, was 5 star quality. Ever the gracious hostess with a heart of gold, she had prepared and organised beautifully wrapped door gifts and specially crafted plates and souveniers for all invited guests (lucky me !).From the caterers to her kitchen help, everyone went home with a quality gift. Added to the list was specially baked and iced birthday cakes by Puan Sri herself. The cake cutting ceremony included 1 for her kids, Farouq, Fareena and Azareena (all June babies, believe it or not!) another cake for all the June birthday ladies present, and, of course, another beautifully iced cake presented to her by her good friend, Dato Seri Azalina, which was cut at the stroke of midnight. The endless trays of cakes and the gastronomical food soon took their toll on me. Luckily, the band did their gig well, which made me dance away about half the loaded calories. Did you know that I took part in a last minute impromptu line dancing number to the beat of Slumdog Millionaire's Jai Ho? You have to be there to believe it!. Barely given less than a few hours to practise, my hands went east while my legs went west, kept forgetting the routine and looked as silly as a goose , prancing around clueless, all in front of the other guests! It was almost 1am when I called it quits, had a shower and came to the patio for a quiet walk. Oh my God! the music fellas were playing the sixty's rock and roll and the twist and there I was in my pyjamy twisting away. (Aiyo, couldn't control myself la !) I just pray that the video guy and cameraman didn't record a mad woman of 50 rocking away in her red pyjamas at 2am! Horrors, what would they say? ( As if I care.....ha ha )

Finally, I dragged myself away and sat myself down on a hanging rocking chair placed strategically overlooking the hills. In the solitute and quiet of the early morning, I could see the beautifuly lit fairy tale like castle of Colmar Tropicale on the highest hill amidst the lush green surroundings. It was like a scene out of Cindrella and (sigh ) a 50 year old was feeling like she was Cindrella herself. I took in every sight and smell and put it to memory lest I forget. I want to be able to retrieve it again when back at home while folding my kids unmatched socks late at night! Hey! the story doesn't end here, the next day's adventures will come in my next posting.... so stay tuned...

This is a beautiful picture which I saw while browsing the net. It does give inspiration to any artist to paint it. Its the quintessential picture perfect home that I want to live in one day.... I'm sure you share my dreams. If anyone does paint this, please drop me a line in the shoutbox. PS: Since this gadget is user friendly,just about any Rani, Mei Lee or Siti can simply write in their thoughts without registering anywhere. Hope to see more comments this way la!

I had the good fortune of meeting one of my bright students, Shakeel,recently and guess what he has majored in ? - something to do with computer communications/multimedia. To tell the truth, I can't differentiate between a giga and a terrabyte , so having his help in updating my blog is a real God send. Bless him. What you see now is so much better, isn't it?- and anyone can just about pen their thoughts without having to register anywhere. Now, that's simply great!!! But in the process, I'm afraid the pictures went missing and so I have to put them up again. Soon, I think....

It's the start of the holidays again and I'm back in action, having classes for my friends and students. I'm feeling great and several of my former students have rejoined for class from where they left off.... The usual moaning and groaning about how they forgot this stroke and that pull is back again. I teach with glee!

Unbearable, thats the word to describe the terrible heat wave . I've had to have a bath every 1 hour,literally. The weather has made me lethargic that even my painting has taken a back seat.I'm now spending most of the time in shopping complexes!, something that I have never done ,its called 'lepaking' according to my teenage son. The only drawback is, invariably, I'm drawn to making unnecessary purchases...Oh well, it comes with the territory, I think.

I'v now into Facebooking! Aha, that's a new entry for me. I haven't got the hang of it yet but it is nice to write on the 'wall' and see how many friends I've collected along the way. So far I've got 2! (sigh) Hello, it simply means that my friends are not as savvy as me in Facebooking!!, I think, probably they haven't gone into it yet.....

I've started to give art classes to some of my friends after a lapse of ,I don't know how long. As most Malaysians are not generally into crafting (of any kind!), interest in Folk Art is limited to those who go searching for it or by word of mouth from those who practise it. Even art teachers in schools are unaware of it... It's quite an uphill task to find like minded practitioners in our neighbourhood, thus limiting our exposure and interaction.

I wonder if it is because of our rat race lifestyle, running all the time to earn that extra dollar, sacrificing all others, be it family, relationships or leisure activities in the pursuit of trying to keep up with the Joneses.I really wish that we have a community like lifestyle,where like minded activites of whatever kind can be shared and enhanced, at the end of which a craft market could be set up to showcase all our craftwork. Maybe, we could have judges too to give awards for the best artwork or whatever is showcased.....It's not a bad idea, really, to start small somewhere, after all watermelon growers in US have annual competitions to pick the winner who spits the seeds the furthest!! Of course there's also a prize for the biggest and best watermelon, pumpkin, potato, tomato and all the vegetables under the sun . (I've been watching too many episodes of Travel and Living Channel 707 in Astro!)My point is, why can we do something similar here ? A feeling of camaraderie between like minded artists in a community environment is so so lacking. I really don't know .......are there any takers to start the ball rolling?

There was no fancy Mothers Days lunch in a swanky hotel and there was not even a cake to cut . There was no breakfast in bed and the proverbial Mothers Day gift did not arrive. Urrg, it sounds terrible, doesn't it?



Despite it, I had a rather special celebration. My husband brought home ( 'ta pau' la, in the local lingo ) my favourite food, Chicken Chop from the Supper Club and my darling little boy of a son , Arvind,( he's only 14!) took pains to choose and assemble a basket of healthy food items all by himself. Let me see, there was a bottle of cheese spread, a low fat yoghurt fruit drink, a tub of cholesterol free butter, plums, dragon fruits and lovely sweet mangoes , a large bar of Cadburys and not to forget a sprig of Baby's Breath for the soft touch. All of them my favourites . He had even washed the rattan fruit basket and dried it in the sun a day earlier. Now tell me, isn't he God's gift to me or what? You may or may not agree with me but that's the way I feel, no apologies offered.



Come to think of it, I had mentioned to him in passing, a few days prior to Mothers Day, that I was feeling all of 50 and getting a tad more tired than usual. He must have been quite concerned about my health. It touched me to the core when he presented the basket to me and I realised his intention behind the carefully selected items. All I could do was to give him a big bear hug and feel tears at the back of my eyes. My daughter, Shireen Thangam, while busy with her ongoing A level exam muggings , did not forget to buy me a loaf of delicious multi grain bread which I particularly like and which was only available at those swanky gourmet bakeries.



A lazy Mothers Day spent in the company of my children and beloved husband, accompanied by a well thought of lunch, served in a basket filled with devotion, love and happiness. What more could a mother want ? I am blessed.

I just found out that my cute chicken has been copied and made into stickers by a customer .

I had been asked by a customer/dealer to paint an egg holder . So, I duly painted a fat and cute chicken sitting on a bed of straws with some eggs. ( courtesy of Sandra Mclean's Chicken Pot Pie) Coincidently, while visiting her blog to find out her address, I noticed that the same chicken was on her other 'reban ayam' or chicken coop! items. Curious, I went to her and asked her if it was my painting but she denied. I'm quite quite sure it is my painting, for wouldn't I know my own handwork? However, having no concrete evidence as I had not seen it personally but only on her blog, I can't confront her. Anyway, what can I do? I can only give a big sigh and resign myself to it. I don't think I have any options to do anything about it. If and when I do confront her, she sure isn't going to pay me any compensation. I didn't expect this from her though and it upsets me terribly. As far as I am concerned, she simply has no morals ( she sells all those China made items and boxes for painting) and I don't want anything to do with her

Here I am, struggling to make myself a better artist and there she is, plagiarising mine. Hmmm.. the only consolation is that my work is good enough to merit being copied . Now, this makes me feel better already. I just hope that I don't encounter another one of her ilk .......

It's time for tea and I need to stuff myself now with tarts and cookies to make me feel even better!

Oops! my part 2 has been long overdue but I have the perfect foolproof answer - my streamyx was down and just when I managed to get it started, my motherboard ( that's what the computer guy called it, not me) was damaged . As the saying goes, ' it doesn't rain but it pours'. It certainly did.. my microwave went kaput, my washing machine played me out and the computer part had to be replaced - all in a matter of 2 days. Sigh......

To continue where I left off, not many of the vibrant citizens of Shah Alam were aware of our expo and subsequently, Shikin and I had to be content with talking to each other. We walked about all over the interior of the stadium, looking for something to distract us from our languishing minds. Miss Boredom, with a capital B, was with us all the time. To escape, Shikin took to having her skin analysed at the booth set up by teenagers(!), for want of nothing else to do. I guess she didn't like what they said about her skin analysis, for she came back and went into a tirade about them. ......ha .. ha...


Time : 1.05pm
A speaker came on stage to talk about the Palestinian cause. Nothing unusual. The speech became lengthy and the lady speaker became overly emotional and aggressive in her presentation. It was now all fire and brimstone. A few parents with kids in tow left. The 4 big video screens displayed gory and violent scenes of decapitated heads and body parts. The acoustics system went into high pitch and children were starring wide eyed at the screen. In the midst of these going ons, a large group of children with donation boxes went around soliciting funds from the customers . Some of the parents left and the few who were browsing around listlesslly ,( Shikin and I included) felt distinctly uncomfortable. Just as we heaved a sigh of relief when the lady left, a second speaker, continued in the same vein with a rasping voice and this time, the interpreter joined in .

This was more than I could take. This certainly was not the appropriate venue nor forum and the targetted audience was ill prepared for this. I am all for humanity and have done my fair share of helping whenever I could . I still do. I don't look at colour or creed for aren't we all Children of God ?. However, using a bazaar on a lazy Sunday afternoon to expouse about war crimes with ghastly gory scenes in the midst of parents and children was certainly inappropriate from every angle, no matter how much one wants to justify it. I was very disappointed and decided to call it a day. Not that it mattered if I had stayed longer. No one was in the mood to buy anything anyway and the listless few who were drifting about were just fidgeting as I was. I had had no breakfast, I missed my morning cuppa , had a terrible driving episode, had to bear the pain of listening to a terribly upsetting speech, there was hardly any sales and plain hunger was gnawing at my stomach. This was not my idea of a relaxing Sunday at all. All in all, I learned another lesson in patience and more patience. Sigh, part of the learning curve thingy again... I guess....

Oh, I would like to share something funny before I sign off... the lady who was demonstrating how to cook 'briyani' rice kept on saying 'beras mati' instead of 'beras basmathi'. Have a great beras mati day on me.......!!!

Yesterday was the Sunday for which I had prepared so assiduously , painting away till the wee hours of the morning fortifying myelf with lots of my favourite Nescafe 3 in 1 and waiting to make a grand sale on the appointed day. The organizers had, after all, called it the' Inspirasi Wanita Programme' and I was certainly feeling very inspirational ....

It started straightaway with the wrong foot. First, the inner road leading to the Melawati Stadium was barred for all motorists. Not knowing this, the Inspired One ( Shikin was following me from her car ) drove smack into it, then reversed back frantically . Three cars behind me were all doing the same. I sped off to find the other access road, which, I'm sure you've guessed, were also similarly blocked. It being also a 'pasar tani' day and a full three day sale going in full swing, we went round in circles, large large circles. Those uniformed looking guys perched on the metal barricades were as clueless as they looked. They had no idea as to the directions I should take when I approached them for assistance. It was a case of me speaking in French and they talking in Swahili . Each imbecil of an officer ( serve them right!) directed us in different directions to the stadium entrance road. This, inspite of me explaining to them that we had special stickers and tags to be allowed in) Fat lot of good it did!. We got stuck in long car queues, broke several traffic rules,( like crossing double lines and making U turns when you shouldn't!) , got honked by other motorists and drove over the limit. We made 3 circles all round the stadium and it was beginning to look like the 'so near yet so far ' kind of a serial drama episode. Shikin was all this while following me as fast she could keep up. Quite surprising indeed, that she didn't holler at me to stop with all the mad driving antics going on. She was in a pretty good frame of mind, I thought and I wasn't complaining!. To cut a long drama short, we finally ended up at the back entrance of the stadium..... Aiyo.. what a feeling (sing Irene Cara)


Looking at each other despairingly and muttering even more, we realised that we had to lug all our stuff ourselves about 100 feet to the stadium door and down 3 flights of steps before reaching our booth. We both had several large bags each and seeing Shikin floundering with hers, I helped her carry hers too. I made two trips up and down the confounded stairs and long corridors and ended up looking like a hunched Olive Oyl wilting with oversized bags on each hand....

And that was just the start of my Sorry Sunday Outing..... Got to end now and will hopefully resume later in the day. It's tea time and I simply must energise myself with a cup of you know what. A tip... try it with a slice or 2 of ginger and you will feel the oomph like I do...

I've been busy busy painting away in preparation for the upcoming MBSA / Selangor carnival which will be held at the Stadium Melawati on 22 March 2009. A booth has been given to us to promote our craft . There'll be other handicrafts and items too. Tg Shikin and I will be at the booth which starts at 9.00am and ends at about 7pm. So, I am thus trying to paint smaller items which would be more affordable to the Shah Alam crowd!. Honestly, it's a pain in the neck when people complain that our painted work of art is expensive. Tell me, please, how can we manage to sell it any less when all the stuff needed is either from Australia or US ? Goodness, even the brushes are imported! Are we that lacking in technology that we cannot source good quality brushes and paint locally? Talk about our race to be an industrialised country by 2020..heart-breaking indeed. Creativity has no price tag and coupled with the time spent and the painstaking attention to details and strokes, I find it very hard ( and I'm sure other such artists do too) to sell them on the cheap. Often times, I rather not part with my treasured craft work at all. I do admit to admiring my handiwork myself! Ha ha!!!

Just to let readers know how terrribly pleased as punch I was when the shabby chic roses which I had painted and written about earlier - it was the cutlery box with a circle of shabby chic roses - was bought almost immediately even before I had finished painting it. The buyer was oh, so so impressed that after just one look, she took it home before I could say anything. I wish to record my sincere thanks and appreciation to my sifu, Aniza, whose guidance was really instrumental in helping me achieve this. Err, sorry , I forgot to upload the picture. Will do it ASAP ......

I really hope to see other like-minded folk art enthusiasts at our booth inside the Melawati Stadium - Booth No 10- on Sunday, 22 March 2009 . Hopefully,we'll have better luck at our sales this time. Goodnight.

It was Tuesday, 3rd March and I had the most wonderful time at a true blue durian orchard in Raub, Pahang . The only long distance drive I had done was to Kajang and that to because of my art class. Imagine my excitement when I actually went to Raub, which is in Pahang. I was practically bubbling all the way. No, I didn't drive. I was driven!. By a Puan Sri, no less!



Puan Sri Sharifah Sabrina. and she is not your conventional Puan Sri, let me tell you.. You name it, she's been there and done it. From white-water rafting, mountain climbing , jungle trekking, four-wheel drive treasure hunting,( she drives the 4WD) tae-kwan-do black belt holder,aerobics instructor and trainer.... I've no idea what else she does. But I do know that she even learnt how to drive a van and a bus and has a license to prove it. Oh, did I forget to mention that she's an excellent baker and cook? In fact, I actually came to like assam laksa ( which I had previously banned it from my menu as it smelled so fishy) and also how to make a delicious one, from her. She's presently training to climb Mt Kinabalu soon....



It was an hour's journey from Shah Alam and the six of us, namely,Datin Zaleha Samsuddin, Futom Ibahim , Maggi Ehsan, P S Sabrina , Mary Heng and yours truly ( Ha, I just realised that we are a muhibbah bunch ) were in high spirits. It was a pot-luck affair and we arrived at her orchard around 1pm. Dislodging our food there, we got into her 4WD and it was off to a bumpy ride uphill through sharp corners and winding dirt path, complete with deep ravines shouldering the path. I heard someone mention that the other farm owners ( all males) refer to her as the 'Tigress of Raub' as she is often seen driving her orange and black striped 4WD up and down the bumpy roads of the orchard . P S was taking us to the stream which was located a kilometer away from the orchard proper. Futom was beginning to sweat in fear and Datin Zaleha was closing her eyes in prayers. Mary Heng was quite safely lodged in the luggage compartment- thanks to her small frame!- Maggie was bobbing up and down . P S Sabrina was the fearless driver and I was the excited babbling one.



On the way, P S Sabrina drove up an even steeper and curving hill to show us an exclusive private holiday home run by a Mr Felix. Called 'Casabrina', it was a one of a kind resort styled home which also offers you your own butler and cook . Only four units are available and it caters mostly to the wealthy Arabs and the rich and famous kind. Certainly not for the hoi polloi. Each 4 roomed cluster unit is fitted with the latest wi-fi internet access and state-of -the art fittings , an eternity swimming pool (don't know why it called that!) and a outdoor glasss pane-see -the sky- and- the garden- luxury bathroom . It is an ' open concept' styled with a scandinavian theme with wide french windows looking out to beautiful green hills and valley. As it is located up the hill, the view is stunning, to say the least. As only one vehicle can go up at any one time - the road width is such -and no other vehicle can drive down at the same time, privacy is assured for the bathroom user!. The tag? US 2000.00 per night, excluding food. Be my guest.

Back to the orchard. It had a beautiful running stream with clear water gushing down big boulders. It felt cold but a few splashes later, we were all screaming and frolicking in the cool clear water. Rubbing the fine sand and using it as a scrub, soon we looked like we had been to a spa. After a good hour in the stream, we drove back to the orchard proper, feeling hungry. A beautiful kampung styled wooden house greeted us. It was like I was in a holiday resort. complete with a cobbled path leading to it. I took in great gulps of pristine fresh air, unpolluted by the dust and pollution of the city slickers. And the space! I mean, it was ' good to touch the green green grass of home' like ,free of obtrusions and obstructions. Just one kampung styled house ( a beautiful one at that) in the middle of an orchard deep in Raub. How about that?

No one spoke during lunch as we were busy stuffing ourselves as fast as we could. Hunger does brings out the worst in us! The durians tasted heavenly although I could not each much. I'm not a conventional durian enthusiast and the significance of a durian feast was lost on me. I did, however, learned to eat it together with 'pulut and santan' . This tip was courtesy of P S Sabrina herself. It did taste very good but it was a tad too filling . I was practically groaning all the way to the car parked 20 feet away. By then it was almost 4pm when we dragged ourselves to the car . On the way, against our better judgement, we stopped at the famous Bentong ice-kachang shop and filled ourselves silly with the sweet liquid. Needless to say, I couldn't get up from the chair at all and had to be hoisted up!

My sincere and heartful thanks to Puan Sri Sabrina for her generosity and kindness . I admire her zest for life and her willingness to live her life to the fullest as she sees it. I, on the other hand, must start to learn how to ride a bicycle......

Time flies, doesn't it? Within a blink. I've managed to upload some of my art works with the help of my daughter and am getting better in the computer department.

Last week I attended class with Ms Anisa, the ' Talented One.' She's simply the best, like the Tina Turner's catchy lyrics. I simply admire her handiwork and am always in awe of her talent. If you think my work is good (it is, isn't it?) her's is undoubtedly the best, as far as I am concerned. Sigh......I'm still working on mine. Anyway, it did boost my morale tremendously when I tried my hand on the shabby chic roses and the ' Talented One' said that my roses have become chic and not just shabby! How about that huh? In fact, I was quite surprised myself too. Hopefully I'll be able to upload it soon for all to see and swoon ( wink, wink!)

I finally took home the shelf that I bought some time ago and have actually finished painting dainty roses. I'm as pleased as punch right now. I've finally ' arrived', me thinks. I'm waiting for the magic word to come from the horse's mouth aka ' the Talented One' herself. And then, I'm going to party till kingdom comes!

Today, my friend, Ms Zaleha of Banting, paid me a visit. I had requested her to display some of my painted works at her ' Darmo Cottage, Home Decor & Gift Shop 'and she had graciously accepted my request. This is the start of our continued and blossoming friendship and I sincerely thank God for this.

That's all for now I guess. I'm dozing off over the keyboard as I type...

At 7.30am I set off to meet Shikin and both of us made our way to Section 7 where the MBSA was having a craft carnival. As this was my first public affair, I was truly looking forward to it, although Shikin had warned me not to expect too much. In plainspeak, she was telling me not to expect a fantastic crowd with fantastic sales. We were given a long table and put up our painted items There were also other crafters who specialised in making costume jewellery, flower ribbons, interior decorating with flowers and basket weaving using rolled magazine papers. The crowd numbering about a 100 or so trickled in slowly. We were consigned under the Folk Art category. After the Mayor had officiated the opening of the craft carnival by initialling on the plaque, ( which was painted by yours truly and which picture is shown here), we then introduced the craft to the mostly ladies' crowd. After a short and simple explanation, Shikin then conducted a demonstration on painting a rose. There were many 'oohs and ahs' and comments of ' oh, how beautiful'. And that was all it translated to!. The polite enquiries and murmurs did not translate into sales. I was quite disappointed but having been forewarned by Shikin, I took this experience as part of my learning curve. The only item which kept on moving was my calling card. I gave it to each and everyone who visited our booth . Hopefully they will come - a - calling to my home soon.

Shikin had painted some roses on T Shirts and had also brought a painted waste-paper container among some of her items. One of her friend's daughter bought one and Datin Noraini, the Organizing Committee Chairperson , bought the other. At least someone made a sale! I was really happy for her as she had come all the way from Kajang and she was the one who was instrumental in me being involved in this carnival. On the bright side, I had the opportunity to introduce myself to a wider audience of ladies present and was also able to showcase my painted items to the public myself. It was also a 'first' for my daughter, Chelam who had to skip her college day to accompany me to this outing. It was really sweet of her, for not only was it a very very hot day, she didn't put the grumbling switch on! ( which was normally on automatic mode) But kids being kids. she made me pay her for her time spent!. Aiyo!, how to save like this?

If nothing else, today's event was an eye-opener of sorts to me. Being an artist and painting in the cosy confines of my home. I was not aware of the drudgery and fortitude involved in selling the crafted items to the public at large. Or maybe, I should have opted for craft sales held at bazaars in Kuala Lumpur. I can't at the moment, envisage myself sitting behind a booth and waiting for customers the whole day. I have never done it and I'm not about to start it now either. It would be a tremendous waste of my precious time and more importantly, I'd be bored to death. I'm a Gemini and I can't sit still waiting for customers. I just have to think of some other interesting way to pay for my paints and stuff without declaring myself bankrupt to my husband!

What can I say for my lapse in writing... hmm. Where do I start, I wonder. I have so much in my head to write about and too little time to sit and write down my thoughts. A lot more in the discipline department is needed I guess. As I see it, albeit very very reluctantly, I get carried away once I start but can't seem to carry the momentum daily or even weekly. I really need help..............

I'm a novice in the blogosphere but an avid reader cum browser. There are so many things that I want to say and do at the same time that it sometimes frightens me when I don't do it. It's like racing against time. I look at the sufferings all around the world and it frightens me yet it makes me realise how much happiness God has bestowed upon me - to have a family, a beautiful home and good friends to share in your happiness. Dear God, I forgot to mention thanks for the creativity you have given me although it took me 40 years to realise it!

My art classes come and go according to the whims and fancies of my students. Sometimes all of them come together like they have been synchronised like precision Swiss clockwork and sometimes they don't come at all - like they have vanished like the 12 Dancing Princesses! Most times, I use the latter time to catch up on my unfinished painting as it is quite stressful not knowing they will turn up suddenly. So, the best thing I did was to cancell one of my class days . My classes are now on Friday afternoons and Saturday mornings. Hopefully, this won't stress me again.

I have put up some of the many paintings I have done. Yes, finally. I do think they are quite beautiful. Oops! if I'm going to admire them myself, I'll be labelled 'self praising' ! but seriously, I'm quite quite , if not, very happy with my handiwork. Any comments ?.....

The latest one I have painted is for the MBSA carnival to be held on 21 February at Section 7, Shah Alam. Much thanks to Tengku Shikin , we both will be at Section 7 Community Centre at Jalan 7/15 this Saturday morning around 8am. Datin Noraini (of MBSA Corporate Division who is the organizer of this event) has very kindly given us this opportunity to showcase our (considerable !) talents to the public. The primary purpose of this event is to identify single parent/mothers and teach them a craft of their choice. There will be several handicraft booths open and participants and would be students of craft can register themselves . Underpriviledged and single parent's fees will be subsidised by MBSA . I think this is a great opportunity for everyone to come and learn what this is all about . Even if you do not, a day out in the carnival will help rejuvenate our old long ago forgottten skills. The funny thing is, crafts like knitting, crochetting, tatting, lace making, bead making and other such skills were taught in school. I don't suppose they teach these anymore now. With everyone trying to earn an extra income in these trying times, schools should roll back on the old system again, complete with the teaching skills , don't you think so too?

My horizon of friends and acquaintances is ever increasing and I do so enjoy their company. Everyone has something to share, be it their ideas, experiences ,skills or advice and it makes me realise that the world is still a wonderful place to live. Through their eyes , I have absorbed , gained painful yet poignant insights and learned to value and appreciate the life I have now. Trust me when I say life is indeed a journey of self-discovery. However, whether it is eventful, painful ,cheerful or plain boring depends on the path taken. I have consciously opted to travel on the cheerful and grateful path and I have no regrets.

January is almost gone and I am still wondering where it went... If I can recollect anything at all, it was the continuation of the the endless feasting of puddings and cakes and the toasting of wine. It was and still is a blur . New Year did start in Bali at the Kuta Beach but continued in Malaysia for a whole month with the start of the Chinese New Year. ' Yam seng' !.

The kids are back to their respective college and school. My son, Arvind, is feeling 'very senior' as he is Form 2 and my daughter, Chelam, has until June to finish her 'A' levels before enrolling in a university. Arvind can't wait for his voice to break and although I've told him that he will get a slap from me when it does happen, that hasn't stopped him from imitating like a frog just to annoy me! Why do children have to grow up so fast? Pretty soon, they'll be having their own set of friends and interest and they won't need us anymore. Shucks, it not fair, motherhood is not fair and growing up, both for them and us is not fair either........

Today is the 2nd day of the Chinese New Year . I finally paid a visit to my sister in Klang with my kids . Took advantage of the holidays and the lack of traffic. Coincidently, I met my Form 2 classmate whom I had practically forgotten . Accamma. The place- my foot reflexologist centre. Happily exchanging pleasantries with her ( and her friend) as a stranger and then taken aback when she told me that she was my classmate!. Couldn't recognise her though until she mentioned her name. Accamma. Of course, I told them all about my paintings and blah..blah...bhah. Couldn't believe that I was an artist now. Aha..! wait till she sees my stuff. I'm sure she'll be in for a surprise ( I hope so!)

So many things are happening around the world, from the waves of change from Obama to the civil strife in Sri Lanka and not to forget our local politics- the BN's loss in Kuala Trengganu. I guess the change is sweeping across Malaysia too. Oops, I'm strictly apolitical in this blog. I'm going to watch the umpteenth rerun of the Nanny to lift my spirits up. Goodnight.

Christmas was celebrated in style with my Christmas pudding flambe (d) with whiskey! Ha, now that was something I had never done before and for a first timer, lighting the liquor was a panicky moment but one which I actually carried out with aplomb ( praise, praise!) Everyone had a slice with custard sauce over it.

The run-up to Christmas was, of course, tiring. Shopping trips to KL CC and The Gardens was quite a chore, not so for my kids though.I'm not a shopping person per se and it was all a rushed and tedious chore. Leave me in quite bookshop with a cup of tea and that will make my day anytime.

One of the most Christmassy moments was meeting Anne, my youngest sister-in-law. It's almost been 10 years or so I think since I had last met her. I was so overwhelmed when I met her a few days before Christmas. Sweet Jesus! I had tears of joy literally flowing from my eyes. I was genuinely glad that she was 'back in the fold' so to speak. And, to top it all, I got the most fabulous gift from Anne- a true blue Wedgewood tea set for 4 !. All the years of yearning and looking at the many many English tea pots in the many many fancy outlets was fulfilled out of the blue by Anne, bless her. Oh, I forgot to mention that she gave a beautiful pair of earrings too !. My, my, I never had it soooo goood. Not even from my husband. Now, is that something or what? And you know what I did? I set the table for myself , on Christmas day,no less,( my children wanted out,imagine that) made myself a pot of peach tea and had a good cuppa in my spanking new Wedgewood cup! Now that's what you call 'having tea'. Enid Blyton would have been proud of me, no doubt.

One of the highlights of the December months was attending the wedding of Pauline's son, Austin. It was a poolside wedding affair at her home and it was a truly beautiful ceremony. Pauline is a dear friend and an ardent fan of my folk art paintings and as a wedding gift, I gave the young couple a painted English garden scene with their couples name on it. I don't know about the son but Pauline sure loved it very much and asked me to paint another one for her sister-in-law. I had a great time doing it. I feel very much in my element when I paint and the finished piece always gives me a great feeling of pride and joy.

I'm now gettting ready for my first holiday trip to Bali on the 28th and have to sign off now. Till then, Good night and sleep tight. Hello Bali Hai....