1954-2010

the designer-in-me have always tried to be different and creative and have always attempted over the years to design her own bajukurungs, by scouting high & low for suitable fabrics not just for the bajus but the kains and selendangs as well, not to forget the brooches, necklaces, earings etc.. while the experiences have been fun, fullfilling and resulting in satisfactorily-designed bajukurungs for my simple-tastes and subdued-styles, the time and effort involved in putting everything nicely together have been, yeah time-consuming..

therefore finding and frequenting poya@bsc have been one of life’s little blessings, at least for me.. eventhough i’ve been a repeat customer over the past few years or maybe eversince the shop opened 5 years ago, i’ve never really decided that i should solely focus my bajukurung-needs on this small boutique, until last friday..

poya the shop’s owner was my subang-usj9/3B’s neighbour whom i never knew then until that friday, eventhough we’ve been exchanging background details eversince we first met for my first purchase of bajukurung from her a few years ago.. the boutique was opened 5 years ago when poya decided to accept vss-option from her employer, and hence, to venture on her own at the ripe-age of 48 after many years in banking, public relations and corporate affairs..

she’s been carrying bajukurungs that suit my tastes and styles that resist heavy beadings, elaborate decorations, loud colours and flowery patterns.. and most importantly her friendly-disposition from years of handling banking customers of various backgrounds and temperaments have endeared her to her regular customers, old and young, middle or upper classes, rich or not-so, titled or otherwise, me included..

to me, she’s not just the owner of my favourite bajukurung-boutique, a former neighbour and fellow entreprenuer.. last friday she has also become my bajukurung-designer, function-advisor and social-confidante.. yes, from here onwards, i’d not need to look high and low to put my bajukurung-ensembles together so that i’d look nice & comfortable, appropriately-matched and suited to darling husband and our function/s, coz poya@bsc is here to stay among my life’s little blessings..

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

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

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

at this point of note, i’d like to express my heartfelt gratitude to my loving & supportive darling husband for always believing in me, for always guiding & motivating me, for always inspiring & sharing my simple goals & visions, for always elevating me to greater heights & richer experiences, for always listening & urging me forward, for always being the rocky shoulder to cry on whenever things got too much for me to handle on my own..

yes darling.. regardless of the many turnings, side-trackings, little breaks, adjournments here, there & everywhere that i’ve taken along the way, accompanied with either your blessings or disapprovals, we are actually still on the right track..

and mostly thanks to you..

why do i even bother doing this..?? the perfectionist in me, maybe..?? the start of another year, possibly..?? just looking back to move forward, you think..?? just making sure i’m still on the right track, most likely..?? mmm…

my journey in part-1 was written in jan-feb2003, after 10-years in my accidental-business.. i’ve been including & posting the 7-articles in that journey into this blog since mid-2008, most possibly because i was lost again then and trying to get back my directions.. so what has actually happened between jan-feb2003 and mid-2008, the period of approximately 5 and a half years…????

wow.. quite an amount of recollections are needed here, eh..?? so again, why do i even bother doing this…?????

i heard somebody said recently over the airwaves.. failing is not simply due to fate or bad lucks, but most likely due to bad life-choices.. and vice-versa, succeeding is also not simply due to fate or good lucks, but most likely due to good life-choices, or something to those effects.. as i understood it immediately then, you make your own life choices as you progress in life and subsequently these good & bad choices would lead you nearer to or farther from your intended destination/s..

so what life choices have i made in those 5 and a half years between jan-feb2003 and mid-2008..?? and where have those choices led me now..?? i know i’ve constantly made conscious efforts to keep improving my personal/family well-being and keep simplifying my business activities to suit my changing priorities, but i also know that i can be very sanguine & emotional and keep side-tracking onto other passions & ventures, regularly & temporarily forgetting my business goals & focus..

so yes, as i look forward to greater challenges in 2009 and beyond, i may need to back-track 5 and a half years to enable me to move forward more happily, comfortably and confidently into the new year..