Hub got us this new Tahitea earlier this week and we tried it one evening while we were in front of our computers. It’s a nice combo of noni leaf tea, green tea and jasmine flowers.

Something else new (to me) was the Fuso tea bag.

My friend tells me that this nylon-mesh pyramid isn’t that new as it was already developed in Japan by its maker in the 1980s.

This form of tea bagging is meant for better infusion.

Mirror-like blackness

Besides “Bean art“, another unique craft at the fair was black ceramics.

The Chinese black ceramic (中国黑陶) dates back to about 5000 B.C. and the Chinese invented this art form 3000 years before china.

Here’s a really quick look at why this handmade blackness is like no other:

• A very important material is the mud, which can only be found at the lower reaches of the Yellow River in China.
• The gloss black surface is neither glazed nor painted but obtained through a special burning technique which carbonizes the mud mold while burning in the kiln. Afterwhich the handmade mud mold must be left to dry for 2 days before a craftsman uses selected sea shells to press onto the mold inch by inch for 4 times in order to achieve a smooth and shiny appearance.
• Under different lightings and from different angles, the metallic luster will reflect light to show off hues of purple, grey or blue. It produces a pleasant sound with a light knock on the ceramic.
• It contains activated charcoal which is known to absorb odor and purify the air from toxins such as formaldehyde, benzene, ammonia, chlorine, sulfur dioxide and carbon monoxide.

There’s another thing, it’s not easy to mirror this form of black so the inferior pieces in the market today are blacken using…(make a guess?)…paint!

Meet the Chinese food artist, 崔淑敏, the creator of 崔岩豆画 (bean art).

Her adzuki bean drawings undergo a cleaning and preservation process to rid bacteria and to keep the beans from rotting. In China, her bean art received a patent and won several awards, including one from a handicraft design contest.

She was in town for the “Unique Chinese Artifacts and Crafts” fair held in a mall, as part of the Chinese New Year celebrations. I was at the fair last Saturday before it ended yesterday.

Last Friday, the need for a distraction (from work) came in the afternoon and so I talked myself into giving bloomize a makeover.

I had designed fake comb binding patterns as a layout for one of my websites in the past but this time I decided to use a real flip-calendar, my camera and some editing at Paint Shop to produce this.

The spiral wire on a real writing pad weakens the bonds esp when you tend to over-flip (I know I will, so that’s why I rarely use it) but with wire pixels, the bonds are permanent. :-)

Jordan

It was just a short stopover (not part of the itinerary) for us to buy fruits* at the Cozmo supermarket in Amman, and my travel mates couldn’t believe that I found the time to pick up this sunflower. And neither did I! I remember it was a speedy grab. And I did buy fruits too!

* Our hotel served excellent food but just no fruits! But well that was 2 years ago…

Japan

I entered a small+crammed toy shop along Shinsekai in Osaka and dugged up this cute softie.

Paid 330 yen for a dusty old-and-forgotten pack of sheepy sponge. Such a shop I like!

I have a soft spot for sponges.

Whether kitchen or bath, so long as:
1. They have unconventional shapes.
2. They have a serious mission.

Fun + entertaining

Some of these are accent-cum-practical ornaments for my kitchen sink and bathroom.

If a sponge is without a hole, I can so easily make one at the back and then have it rest on a nail, suction cup hook or a s-hook.

Serious + committed

The sponge in blue is labeled for mold removal. I do find it effective for fresh mold, ie, mold that hasn’t already stained the grout or isn’t residing beneath any silicone lining. More importantly, the tough fibers allow me to scrub bathroom tiles as hard as I need to without fraying or scratching the surface.

The 2-layered green/yellow sponge cleans stainless steel. While I don’t have a badly burnt kettle, I use it to polish up my ss pots and bowls. Works pretty well when moisten with just a bit of water, not too much.

Using the right sponge for a job is almost like winning part of the battle, don’t you agree?

Come join me this weekend for more spongy WPP pictures (that may never have been seen in blogland)! :-)

After our last stop at the computer mart this evening, hub suggested that we walk over to a nearby coffeeshop, along Short Street, for dinner. This coffeeshop is new. Was formerly a petrol station.

The term “coffeeshop” (aka kopitiam) commonly refers to a local+casual eatery that has a variety of small stalls offering different cuisines and of course local coffee (+ other drinks).

While waiting for my food, I looked up and saw all these hanging lights. So many! Those at the end are not mirror images.

Perhaps that was why I felt thirsty and needed a drink.

Then there were many wooden stools like these to sit on. And I like them!

Never knew I could see this much in a coffeeshop…just minutes before the food arrived.

Just a peek at what my sis did to her what-am-I-supposed-to-do-with-them ribbons. They are tied to the bamboo frame.

I like the idea and the colours.

…from Amazon
¹ Copco Heart Teakettle
² Le Creuset Stoneware

…from Takashimaya
³ Cups and saucers

…from Etsy
⁴ Lovebirds
⁵ Matryoshka sock doll
⁶ Singing birdie painting

…from Zakka Olive
⁷ Mini-tools ornament

…from me

A knotted piece using a “double connection knot”

The edibles

Got this pack of maitake from the supermarket on my way back this evening. This occasional-delicacy was later sautéed in olive oil till they turned slightly brown. They taste sooo delicious just like that!