Inspirations and thoughts

Sometimes it happens..we get stuck for inspirations. We need to get away from familiar surroundings to see things in a different perspective. Recently I went to Nepal (having wanting to go there since I was a teen) and in midst of its dusty roads, the noise of the busy crowded city, I fell in love with the handpainted advertisements found on the sides of unplastered buildings, watching the people harvest their lands in between these buildings (which seem to be oddly placed within parts of the city), their attention to details on their handpainted thangkas, handicrafts and textiles(such as, yak wool, which was so soft to the touch). Even their teas are packaged in embroidered pouches!



We went to Thamel (it's really a shopper's paradise and eye candy for inspirations!) and I saw this bag which had been recycled from rice bags. The sales person led me and a friend up thru a dark narrow stairway and into their workroom where you can literally say, "The bag was 'freshly made'". Thamel is a really vibrant area of the Kathmandu city and it is filled with everything you may need or want to buy, from religious thangkas, to cotton clothings, to wooden decorations, gemstones, jewellery, singing bowls, religious buddhist decorations, teas to places where you can learn alternative healing and meditations;to eating in cosmopolitan cafes offering food from all over the world. It's really a sensory overload and a place you have to spend days exploring. Bargaining is a must if you are keen on the buying anything.


Recycled bag from a local rice sack.



Historical and holy places in Nepal, are rich with decorations and carvings. The craftsmanship is amazing. However, I did noticed the faint traces of modernism of ugly cold steel and generic buildings that seems to appear standing awkwardly among the city's old buildings, Nepal is in the midst of a change with its' new government..hopefully it doesn't lose its charm along the process. We were lucky to have gone during the October month, when their month-long religious festival begun. Everyone was in a festive mood.

It is a magical and inspiring place with its' serenity and scenic routes leading to the hills. The contrast of the craziness in the city and its the calm natural surroundings is a good antidote for any creative blocks! The only setback of this trip is, the time is too short! Well, it's another excuse to go back there again!!

Blog Action Day 2008: One small step

Poverty is an issue that is high on everyone's list of things to do and get involved in from the man on the street to high officials - but how many people actually follow through with their thoughts?

This is a social problem that is a global one, we are moving at light speed from developments in technology, medicine, etc but are we addressing bigger issues and more real issues that are going on in our own backyard? Technology has allowed us to become a global village, seamless marketplace but are global actions being taken to stop poverty?

This is 2008, yet there despite all the "progress" being made in other aspects of life and society we still have hardcore poverty in our countries. Of course moving as a global citizen is not enough, if its just one or two and I guess some people reckon that they can't change the world and therefore best leave it to the professionals - but with that kind of mentality where does it leave the issue?

We only react when something is placed infront of us - does that mean everyone should jump on a plane and check out what is going on Africa?..where the disparity between the higher income and lower income groups are so vast, that you would feel sick to your stomach. Clearly there are places that have been hard hit by poverty and global efforts would be needed to address the problem.

However, what about starting in our own backyard? Taking small steps to ensure that poverty is eradicated from simple gestures like helping out another human being, by getting them of the street, providing refuge or job so that they can work themselves out of their situation to more structured efforts like setting up soup kitchens or job centres for people who are suffering.

If we took a step back and considered what it would be like to not even be able to enjoy basic amenities like a roof over our heads, clean water (drinking and bathing), hot food and safe place to sleep - would we be able to survive? Aren't our other problems like politics or someone jumping the queue just so frivolous in comparison? Where are we really heading? Where is society moving towards? Are we really progressing?

More leaders have to take steps to put in measures to look at the issue of poverty at large, whilst the rest of us mere mortals should just reach out where we can to assist whenever or where ever, no gesture is too small. If everyone made an effort to just help one person and this was done globally, think about the ripple effect and how many people we would be helping as a global citizen.

The next time you see a homeless person or a charity or fundraiser, think about how something you take for granted, is actually something that may only be a dream for someone else.

At bits n bobs, we started up as a little unit for expression of art, creativity and really of all things that may be just dwindling away...we hope that the human spirit doesnt fall into the category of "dwindling away" bcos of the speed at which technology is taking us. We hope to continue to remind people of the old things that shouldn't "Dwindle away" and are also active in taking our little steps in this long journey to help eradicate poverty.

Bloggers of the world unite, from our blogging today - hopefully it will give the rest of the world food for thought and we can make a difference...even in just one person's life...the ripple effect will take care of the rest.

Blog Action Day 08 - Poverty

I happened to stumble upon this website, http://blogactionday.org/ and thought these guys have a great idea.

Here's a snippet on the aim of this event:

" Blog Action Day is an annual nonprofit event that aims to unite the world’s bloggers, podcasters and videocasters, to post about the same issue on the same day. Our aim is to raise awareness and trigger a global discussion."

This year's topic is on poverty, so let's all join in and see the difference that we can all make!

New Additions!!!

Here's some new additions by our jewellery designers, Cheryl and Lalita!! For more information, please click on the speech bubble or on the slideshow.

How fast can u catch? Retro Games: “Batu Seremban”, not just a girly game...

I think for as long as I can remember, I love old stuff! Old and worn out looking places with peeling paints and objects that have been lovingly handcrafted by artisans. I love our traditional Malaysian toys but it seems to be fading in obscurity (These days, most people are ‘ wii-ing’ or playing online games). When Bits n’ Bobs were invited to participate in a weekend charity bazaar at local shopping, I decided to sell ‘batu seremban’ or ‘5 stones’. For those who haven’t played it before, it’s five small sealed cloth bags filled with green beans or rice that are tossed in six stages of play. I played more with pebbles as my mom didn’t let me near her green beans or rice to fill the pouches.

Although most would think of this game as a ‘girls’ game’, I remembered this primary classmate of mine, Azman. He was the undisputed King of Batu Seremban in our school for his quick speed and agility.

How is this game played? This game can be played by a single person or in a group. In the first 6 stages, only the right hand is used when playing. The basic rules are, when collecting a bean bag, you cannot move or touch the surrounding bean bags and you will miss a turn when you are unsuccessful in catching or collecting the bean bags. Who gets to go first, depends on how many bean bags a player can catch with the back of his/her hand. All the bean bags are placed on your front palm, tossed into the air and then caught with the back of your hand. The player with the most bean bags gets to start first. In the first level, the player throws the five stones with his/her right hand. Then they will pick one stone and toss it into the air and quickly collect another stone before finally catching the falling stones in the same hand. This continues until all the stones are picked up. Then the player repeats with 2nd level by picking up 2 stones and so on.

Although it sounds simple, this is really a game that tests your hand and eye coordination. We got a very generous mention in the i-remaja magazine July's issue. It's in a great article on retro stuff written by Intan Fuhaira(love the paper dolls!). Thanks Intan!

Welcome to Bits n Bobs' first words!!

"A little bit of this and a little bit of that...", is really what sparked off "bits n bobs" - its all about being creative and unique, for all those of you out there who doesnt like to conform to trends and the norm...well this is the place for you. It started out as a passion for unique items to an expression of myself and moods, after taking up a jewellery course, there was no turning back! The collections that are lovingly hand made are often reflective of items or people or even just emotions that inspire me - so here I am taking a walk on the wild side and I hope that you enjoy my pieces as must as I do...It doesnt just stop with my pieces, but this is a place for all who enjoy creating and experimenting, a place for expression..for revival..for being you!...here you will also find other people like me blogging from time to time on stuff that makes them tick..stuff that they create...the next post will be by our in house retro lover - CB, on retro games in malaysia...Welcome to the world of bits n bobs, a place like no other, where you can find just about anything...sit back and enjoy the ride..