Sago Worms & Sidewalk Gold Smith

The nature of my work takes me to lots of places all over the State of Sarawak and at these places, there are always interesting things to discover.
Look at what I discovered during my recent visit to Mukah Division, located at the central part of Sarawak. We took the plane to Bintulu, drove south then east for about 4 hours to reach Mukah, the divisional administration center of Mukah Division.


This is the most interesting part of my visit. Eating the Sago Worm. A popular delicacy in Mukah as well as Sarawak in general. These worms live in the Sago Palm but you can easily find them in the market. Fat little creatures and taste like fried prawn....Yummy! Full of protein :D
Want to try? I took/tried one only........:) but before that, take a look at the close-up pix!


Look at the fern as well. This fern is known as "Midin", a type of fern famous all over Sarawak (this is not Paku Pakis mind you). I have never seen such "fat" fern in Kuching but you can find them in Mukah and Selangau. The last pix on food (bottom right) is just a close up of the fish eye, one of my fav.....:)

These pix above were taken in Mukah and Kuching. The road (top left) is part of the coastal highway which was recently completed.....very quiet...no traffic. And wow! look at that longhouse. This is considered as a very long longhouse. I didn't count how many doors/units, but I reckon it is not less than 60 units. This is also a very modern looking longhouse. Maybe I can take some pictures of more traditional longhouses next round.

These are two bazaars that we visited while in Mukah - one is Oya and the other one is Balingian. Like other settlements in Sarawak, both are located along the riverbanks, as river transportation still plays important role to transport people and goods to marketplaces like these two centers, especially in places where road is not available.

Finally, look at what I discovered in Balingian. This man is from China and he is operating a mobile goldsmith stall along the sidewalk of the shops. Notice that thick chain next to the hand holding the torch? (bottom left). How much do you think that piece is worth?
Take a look at his tools as well. Interesting! I would have love to stay back and watch how he does his work but it was not possible as it was getting late and we need to drive back to Mukah.

Wire Wrap Sparkly Crystal Earrings

How do you like my new blogger template's layout? Well, we don't have that many choices anyway, so will make do with this layout for a while. Actually I quite like the background but I wish it's a three column template.
Yes! It can be done. This is continuation of my wire wrap sparkly crystal ring piece. This is not a tutorial but just a modified version of the ring into a pair of earrings. I was not really sure if I can use the same technique to create the earrings but I did it. A very nice compliment to the ring I must say. What do you think? If you are interested, you can check out my tutorial for the wire wrap sparkly crystal ring. Same techniques to make this pair of earrings.

Its Black Now

Yeah I changed my blog template to my original template. This was the first template I use when I started blogging 2 years ago. Now I have to revert back to this template as I have problem with my previous template....*scratching head*. I love my three column template....huhu! For the next hours or so I will be putting everything back in place...hopefully. 

My First Tutorial at Etsy - Sparkly Crystal Ring

Announcement! I made it. My first Tutorial for sale online at my Etsy Shop.

Well, it's not easy to prepare a tutorial but I finally did it. Today, I put up my first tutorial for sale at my etsy shop - http://wirebliss.etsy.com This tutorial is prepared with the beginners and intermediate in wire wrapping in mind. Once you understand the basic technique, you can try various combinations of materials and beads/gemstones or crystals. It will open up your mind to more creative ring designs and you may even create more complicated and interesting rings. Follow me through the easy steps in creating this elegant and fun wire wrap sparkly ring. It is priced at USD6.00 only.

My Etsy Store is now Open

Yippi! Finally I opened my store at Etsy. My first piece was up this afternoon and it's the Fruitful Chinese Knot Earrings. The one person I have to thank is Corra. Thanks for announcing my shop opening as well. Corra is such a positive person, always motivated and motivating. My finally opening this etsy store (sooner than planned - I have been procrastinating for a while) is because of her constant "pestering" :). Don't stop though...:P Happy Shopping!

Here and There in Kuching & More Sparkling Rings

Not again! Yeah, I am still with sparkling rings today. Hopefully, I will get all done by tomorrow. Only spent about 3 hours on the rings today as we went out for a ride this afternoon. Here are some photos of today's outing to a fishing village about 30km from the city and around Kuching City.

Election day is just around the corner and posters and banners are all over Kuching. This is just one sample of it.