"You Alone Are You"- Shakespeare

It's interesting how sometimes things happen as if there is a pattern that is invisible.

Here, we are all busy to make others happy. We are cleaning the house for guests, thinking of the wishes of our dear ones and working so hard to be the Santa Claus. In the kitchen we are baking, cooking and constantly cleaning and wiping. Days pass by swiftly, afternoons succumb to nights quicker than ever before. The thought of going for the walk vanishes as we struggle crossing out the jobs from our to do list.

My friend says,- " But I had no time with my kids. Before I could sit and tell how my days are it was time for them to leave. They are more interested in their friends. Do you get into such feelings sometimes?"

"Oh yeh, of course. And then I am the one who has to drag me out from that hole - no body knows me better than I do." - I say.

I overlook the wrinkles and silver streaks on my temple and love the face I see in the mirror, because -"To love oneself is the beginning of a life long romance"- Oscar Wilde.

All these quotations one by one are dropping on my lap for the past few days.

This morning I was reading this book - "Life Lessons for Women". It is one of those Chicken Soup series book.

I want to share one story(from the book- not mine, mind you), but I'll tell it in short and in my language.

"I was looking for those free days, the days when my dear husband and I would be retired, the kids have their own lives, and we are free. We'll do lots of traveling, and do all the things we wanted to do .

But life happened differently. A chunk of our savings was drained out for taking care of our dear aged parents in their last days. My husband lost his job and sank into great depression after the 9/11 .He became a total stranger to me .

Our only daughter's marriage did not last too long. Now, she came to live with us with a baby while student teaching in the day time and working as a waitress at night. She was trying to get her teaching credential.

There was no one to care for the baby. We calculated that it will be cheaper for me to quit my job as an assistant special education staff than putting the child in a day care.

I lost my job of eleven years with all the pension and other things, yet it was the right thing to do I felt.

There were times when I felt down and depressed.

One such day while I took Allison, my grand daughter for a walk I remembered how my dad used to take me on his nature hikes. How I helped him plant in the garden- how he connected me with nature and the fact that I love nature.

I was almost unaware of this fact, it seemed. Now every day as Allison and I go out for our walks we discover new things. How the leaves turned yellow, orange, crimson-red and burnt - cinnamon in crisp autumn days until one day all the leaves were gone.

Then we found tiny bird nests tucked in those bare trees. Looking closely we discovered how hard the birds try, some times sowing leaves with thorns to make a nest, sometimes lining them with mud. Still some fail, and there are broken eggshells.

Yet, they try and start the mornings with chants. Still they show their glee with tweets and chirps.

One day I saw a huge v -shape on the sky made by the snow geese. One goose for some strange reason deviated from the group and got lost. In a while I saw the whole flock turned around looked for the stray missing member and picked her up. Then they went flying again. How amazing."

It brought tears in my eyes. This simple wisdom of the birds gives me a profound sense of the meaning of a family and a strange sense of self .

I hope I can help my friends who are feeling a bit depressed during this stressful time of the year.

May the spirit of the season perk you up.

The Knitted Galaxy

There is so much to share. I spent almost a month in D.C. with my new friend little ZZ. She is about nine months old. She gave me a big welcome at the airport as soon as she saw me. She had been waiting in the baggage claim area with her dad.

She gave me a big toothless smile waving her all four arms and legs like a little joey from her dad's kangaroo pouch.

We went to see many things in D.C. in these three weeks which will be unfolded here one by one and I want to tell you how it affected me in my creative process.

One day we went to visit the NASA museum where ZZ's mom works as a post doc in the field of Astronomy. I was amazed at the stories and huge pictures/models of the galaxies. Many things were explained to me, but those mathematical, analytical info went over my head. I was dumbfound at the magical beauty and vastness of the whole thing. It kind of transcended me spiritually.

My inside wanted to create something as an ode to the Supreme Creator. That night I had strange dreams.

When the morning sun beams peeked in, in that wee hour, while every one was still sleeping I created my first piece of knitted jewelry.

I made it for little ZZ. A tiny bracelet- only 2 1/2 inches long. But it gave me some ideas, practice, gauge and dimension sense that I could count on, and the next few days I was creating knitted jewelry like crazy. Here I show two- (at the right of this page.)

Check my etsy store as I am going to upload each day.

FREE SHIPPING for this week until December 2.

If you do not want to go through etsy, or live close by where I do not need to ship you, I can pass the saving so that you don't have to pay sale tax. I'll pay for your tax. My way of saying THANK YOU for the THANKS GIVING occasion.

I also have a craft show this month :

Saturday, December 5, 9 am - 2:30 pm
in a church-19001 San Ramon Valley Blvd. San Ramon CA.
I'll be happy to see you there.

The Soul of Somanya

My beads from Africa have come!

Look at them! Aren't they awesome?

These black and white beads are called Krobo beads. They are made from recycled glass ground up in large mortar and pestle by hand, then fired using traditional techniques, that is, home made clay molds, home made clay ovens fired with wood, and then hand painted and again fired after each color is applied.

No, I did not do all that stuff. These beads are created in Africa.

The Soul of Somanya is a small organization entirely staffed by volunteers. They are located in Somanya- Krobo in Ghana's Eastern Region, where they are working to develop sustainable employment opportunities in the field of bead work for working -age orphans and other young people whose job prospects are very limited.

These decorative ear wires either sterling silver or copper, are designed by these young orphan artisans. They incorporated traditional Ghanian Adinkra symbols into the head pins. Each symbol has a special message or meaning.

One means Safety Security and Love, another- Friendship and Interdependence. I have elaborated them in my etsy store with the respective earring.

After I bought these, Melody, one of the organizers wrote to me- "...your first order allowed us to pay eight artisans a living wage for a whole day of work".

I wished I could do more. That will only depend if I can sell them. By the way shipping is free if you order between November 25- December 2, 2009.



After I got them in the mail I was so emotional. How beautiful these wire designs are..
. simple, yet so complex!

I integrated ox red ruby quartz in some, wood spacer beads in another and added autumn- copper, dark Czech glass beads to another set. Each one is unique.

The whole afternoon spilled into the evening hours and then into night until my dear husband asked if I thought about cooking dinner tonight or should he get some take outs.

I felt embarrassed.

Well, Happy ThanksGiving !

Wrapped in love

I am studying about gemstones and it is very interesting the way they are opening up to me. I had some turquoise beads and I learned that the turquoise has the power to open up all the chakras, allowing the stone's power of love and communication to flow through the entire being. However, the healers associate it primarily with the throat (5 th chakra) - the center of communication, creativity and spiritual bonding. Turquoise can also help open up for giving and receiving love. Its true blue color sybolizes the spirit of sky source for spiritualists.

There were some lapis also on the tray. I came to know that the lapis makes the wearer aware and wise.

I grabbed some silver gray pearls.

Looking at them all I visualized a young girl who has fallen in love, can't quite make sure if it is right and at the same time cannot overcome the shyness.

It is for her I'm going to create this piece. I'll wrap them with silver and pray may she get all the help from these healing beads and then speak up for what she stands for. May she get all the luck and all the courage to win.

Fall Business Women Online Expo

Gee I am learning so much. There is no school to attend but I have never done so much home work in my life- trying to learn how to do networking to sell jewelry on line.

Well, here we are having a gala On line Expo. Dee came up with this grand idea, so that we can help each other. It amazes me to see how the world is becoming smaller this way, how we are all getting related like we are all spinning a huge web to sustain it.

So do visit our shops , give us feed back and buy hand made meaningful things.

This is going to launch from September 26th 2009. So keep checking. There is more info to come.

TETHY'S TEARS

Tethy was the sea -goddess in Greek mythology, the daughter of Uranus and Gaia. She was the wife of Oceanus, but then, unfortunately his sister too.

She was the mother of all the rivers and lakes but her name mockingly only meant "the old woman"

Tethy had the power to control the stars and the planets and all the constellations above. She'd never let them touch her water. That is why the stars only circle on the sky, over and over forever, but can never drop below the horizon, or touch the surface of the sea.

Here, she raised her daughter,Hera, protecting her from all evil and harm.


Tethy perhaps wished she could fly like the birds and the bees, have wings like the fire flies or the angels. See she has wings on her forehead (in the illustrated mosaic).

But poor Tethy was strangled with sea weeds and surrounded by her thousands of children-the sea creatures, with the destiny of a sea nymph.

I come to feel that Tethy must have shed a lot of tears but was too proud to let the world know. Sea shells and many sea creatures knew those stories but like faithful friends never gossiped about them or, never told them to any body.

They held her tearful secrets in their own bosoms for millions of years which has become drops of pearls today.



While I was making this bracelet with the pale pink pearls then a pair of earring and then a necklace to match, I was thinking about Tethy's story.

What price tag should I put on ?

Jewelry in Treasure Trunk

My friend Kathy and I had a Jewelry in Treasure Trunk sale last Saturday.

When we found out that we were too late to apply for the craft show in our community Kathy suggested why don't we just open our trunk on our drive way? I liked it and why don't we be just kind-a laid back (or lazy, shhh) and see what happens.

Well, for the first six hours nothing much really happened. I mean all the known neighbors even did not show up. I don't know where they went, because the bay bridge was closed for retrofitting any way.

Kathy and I decided we learned our lesson. Only two customers showed up and a little girl with a dad who purged everything he had in his pocket but he had only very limited money.

Then around quarter to five a lady zoomed in from no where, "Wow, this is great, I saw just like this in Nord Strom,... this is even better... your price is great..."

We assured her that since we did not make it to the craft show and did not have to pay for the booth fees we decided to pass on that savings to the buyers.

She started piling earrings and necklaces in one area. I thought she'd make a selection from them but no, she bought them all. We packed them all in nice organza gift bags. She said she is done with her Christmas shopping.

We were very happy. She made our day. We are thinking if we should give another treasure trunk sale on our driveway again!


Do you have an experience lately selling your jewelry? I'd love to hear that and share. Please do leave a comment. Thank you. Dita.

Happiness in a package

Today we went to a fair- Holistic fair. There were many vendors with healing jewelry, palm readers, fortune tellers with a twist, meditation scent sellers , peace sound making Tibetian bowls and what not.

But then a guy with a smile came and sat under a tree where we were sitting . This little out door hangout seemed like a nice shady place, here there are chairs in a semi circle. Another couple also came with their lunch plates and sat down.

Well this guy said I am going to talk about HAPPINESS and then he showed that he wrote a book about it which mainly says (what we all know) that when you stop chasing "HAPPINESS" you'll find it has landed right on your shoulder like a little yellow butterfly.

He talked for a good twenty minutes giving many formulas and theories and anecdotes.

HUH! Actually the listeners summed it up much better when they were given a chance for the open discussion.

Any way, I was thinking about how we get scared when we see dark clouds that gradually approach and we feel- here, it is going to gulp all my happiness, all my sunshine. But doesn't that make sunshine more precious? Don't the clouds have beauty in themselves?

When I move back a few feet, move back from ME, I happen to see the beauty,truth. Happiness is a much bigger thing.

With all that memory and feelings I create something . A necklace piece. I have not given it a name yet, but how about if I call it VERDANT- some one who is inexperienced in judgment , yet young, unripe, innocent, and fresh?

Yes, that is what I feel when the sun beams go through those transparent tear drops. And the green little crystal beads glisten with glee.

Mythology

"Artists don't make objects
Artists make mythologies" - Anish Kapoor

I wake up from a strange dream.

I was swimming hard upstream, against the current. There were many other fish swimming like me. All trying too hard, sometimes pushed back way behind to start all over, some landing somewhere with a loud thud.

Yet, their shimmering bodies glisten with the moonbeams. Sun rays make rainbows. I am enchanted.

I am exhausted. My throat is dry. A gush of water like a huge waterfall, frightening, yet my only quench of thirst wakes me up.

I get a drink of water. Analyzing my dream I came to the conclusion that I was probably worked up inside, thinking how to survive in this home business. How are we going to pay the huge medical insurance when it will soon be all on us. Where would I sell my jewelry. If I don't sell them how will I carry on with this passion?

Then also I felt so small the other day when I went to see the Art fair last weekend. Am I there yet?

I try to think of my style. I want it to manifest itself. I don't want to stamp a brand too hard. No, I never feel satisfied working from a given pattern or kits. I mish mash many ideas, inspirations, experiments and come up with my own hodge podge.

Looking deeper I see that it has a trace of past - my style, I mean. Memories of my mother's, aunts', even grandma's jewelry- that have the touch of antique India in them.

Then it is mixed with wire work, recently learned, bead chips, Bohemian and Czech glasses, swarovski crystals, all that I take from the new age and the new world.

We have come such a long way- I was thinking as I had been crimping the last bead for my necklace the other day. I name this necklace- Mythology


I wanted to make this necklace piece to go with my Chevron danglers.

It shook me up. The story of the Chevron bead- that it used to be traded to buy slaves.

Then strangely yesterday I came across an interesting article, flipping through an old Bead and Button magazine. Here, Melody Mc. Duffy, an American beader is writing about her experience in Ghana where Krobo beads are made.

Of course the Africans villagers did not greet her with open arms in the beginning. It started with a lot of suspicion and doubt but gradually the spirit of Art brought them together and from a common interest of beading they shared their passion, knowledge and helped each other. The Soul of Somanya was born. Visit www.soulofsomanya.org to know more or help in this project.

Who Am I

I was trying to write "My Profile".

There was a time when I was known as- so and so's daughter. Then, I was Mrs....-so and so's wife. Even the last half of my name was chopped off and replaced by some unknown family link. Then I was recognized as so and so's mother, which went for awhile - a decade and a half.

Now I pause to think -who is this "Me" person really, that I am supposed to write a referral for?

What are the values that I cared for most, that I carry on in my daily living? Or, are they just big, pompous hollow word in my wish list.

I wanna be ...

Is it the same person who greets me every morning at the mirror?

I remember the day when in college we had to write about our values. We had to cherry pick only five qualities that we value most out of a list of hundred wonderful character traits. They were all super qualities- like honesty, sincerity,punctuality, artistic ability, popularity, beauty...etc.

I wondered why couldn't I choose all? Why only five?

Do I remember those five now, twenty five years later?

I think I can remember ... sincerity, art and the ability to love...

No, I don't remember the rest. Now I know why they asked to choose only five!

Of course I should have chosen slimness, money, intelligence... but no I was confused and I did not choose them.

I have a quote in my "studio" It says - "Art washes away from the soul the dust of every day life." by Picasso.

Isn't it beautiful?

In this vein I remember another event. I was a child then. I went to a very humble house in rural India with my dad. It was a mud hut. But in the entrance there was a beautiful design drawn right at the door step. It is called an alpana The design was drawn with simple rice paste, grinding rice added with water and the finger tips were only used. No other tools were involved.


At the end of the day most of it was gone, faded with foot steps and the wind.

I commented "What's the point in taking so much trouble to make such a beautiful thing when it's life is so short?"

The lady was shocked. "It's a welcome design. Shouldn't I do it? I'll make it again tomorrow. It doesn't matter if it doesn't stay forever."

What stays forever? Really!

Have you ever seen the Sufi monks dance? They go round and round with their limbs stretched out. One palm stretched up to the sky, the other one points downwards to the ground,as if they want to say -

Oh Almighty, Omnibus -make me thy messenger. Give me your omnipotent power and through me let it be passed to the next generation, to the world.

Bestow thy grace and blessings on me so that I may carry it to my fellow brothers and sisters. Make me selfless and let me forget my ego.


Yesterday I found a couple of Chevron beads in my bead box. These beads used to be traded in the slave industry. Buy human beings trading these beads! It gives me a chill. It used to be produced only by the glass artists of Italy.

Now they are made in China too probably! I got them in a small shop in San Luis Obispo. At least they looked just like the picture that I had seen in the wikipedia for Chevron beads.

I made a pair of earrings with them and now I am in the process of making a matching necklace integrating those colors.

Mother's Day Abuse

Do you know that Anna Jarvis, the lady who first started the tradition of celebrating the Mother's Day in North America, had to spend all her inheritance money and the rest of her life fighting against the abuse of this holiday? Nine years after the official Mother's Day, commercialization became so rampant that Anna Jarvis herself became a major opponent of what the holiday had become. She was arrested in 1948 for disturbing the peace while protesting for this exploitation and abuse of mother's day celebration.

In the jewelry business 7.8% of the annual revenue in 2008 came from this one day event sale. According to the National Restaurant Industry this the busiest day in the whole year.

Anna was furious and called it laziness when moms were given store bought cards.I verified these information from the wikipedia.

Interviewing ten mothers separately, and informally, I came to this surprising conclusion that nine out of ten did not want to head to the crowded restaurant this day. Rather, they wished that they were treated with some home cooked goodies, or to a picnic, a movie or taken to a theater.

This Mother's Day I miss my Ma very much. I lost her two years ago. As I was thinking of her, something strange happened. As if a small voice within me whispered - who said that she is gone forever?

She is right here in me, my daughter, my baby grand daughter. She is gone but a new baby has come . This is how it happens. The fruit falls , then from the seed another baby plant grows. The basic tree does not vanish! It was strange that I was solaced so easily and became so philosophical.

After that, I took my bead box and created a jewelry . It has all our birthstones of the four generations.

Zoe - amethyst, me- crystal in lieu of diamond, Rinti -ruby and for my mom- sapphire.
The central stone is a cloisonne with designs of a vine. It is wrapped with gold filled wire in a special wire work that is called the divine eye.

My eyes welled up after I finished the piece. I know it was not from eye strain .

Then I mailed it to my daughter.

WireBlissMei: Iza Malczyk - Jeweler

WireBlissMei: Iza Malczyk - Jeweler

Obsidian

"Obsidian is basically a lava rock. When volcanic lava cools rapidly, it forms a shiny black glass known as obsidian. It is typically dark gray but may be pure black and opaque with a vitreous luster...."- gabbed the guy from the other group.

We are in Yosemite. The huge El Capitan stands straight and strong. The Half dome is half draped bathed in the afternoon sun rays. The Bridal Veil falls with voluptuous abundance . What a breath- taking beauty!

I look at the giant red wood tree fallen right in the meadow, now horizontal, half burnt in a fire, all roots gone.

She lived a thousand years. What message does she tells me?

But no, I back off. I must not go too close. They have very fragile root system, I might hurt her. But she has no roots, silly!

I read that out of a million acorn seeds only one may have the potential to be a real red wood tree. Most of them don't make it.

Yet, there are baby trees growing all around the dead giant, full of promises. The wild lupines adorn them with royal purple gowns.

I remember the picture of the Native American old lady, busy weaving her basket who used to live here some hundred years ago.

I come back home, light my table lamp and look for a round obsidian bead.
I drape the bead with silver wire in a basket weaving fashion. It is called the herring bone pattern.

As I look at the dark obsidian in the center her vitreous lustre and fine lines whisper all kinds of gossips and stories of the yester years.

Legacy

I was trying to do some spring cleaning while an old letter fell on to my lap from the book case. It is a letter from my father, written about fifteen years ago. I started reading it. It is a long letter . Here he was talking about his childhood and about all the people in his life who made an impact on him and helped shape his character.

There were several beautiful stories which I plan to share with you little by little. Today I am going to pick the one about my grand father.

The year was some late eighteen -something. My grandfather was hit by a car while he was out on his morning walk. It was very early in the morning, there were not too many people in the streets of Calcutta. But two people witnessed that the driver was a British guy and he did not use his horn .

My grand dad had to lose two of his fingers in his right hand for this accident.

People, especially his lawyer friend urged him to sue the driver. The case was quite simple to win , ready with witnesses who also were upset with the driver's attitude.

My grandfather could not care less. He said, "I am an old guy, short of hearing. The sahib has no grudge on me to harm me. It's just an accident. I don't have the time to waste my energy on anger."

Rather he started practicing writing with his left hand and gave all his time and energy on writing for anti malaria projects. Soon he became the editor of that anti- malaria magazine.



Today, it's my father's birthday. He was a great guy. Most of all he was my dad. He gave us so much. What did I give him? All I can do is pass on the legacy to his grand kids who unfortunately may not be able to read his works. His books are written in Bengali.

Not only that, I wanted to share it with the whole world . My only request if you happen to land here please do drop me a comment. That way I'll know that you came to visit me.

My Purple Heart

So I came up with another creative urge.`Another necklace -My Purple Heart was born.

Here, I have chosen the amethyst glass beads which are actually very very tiny teardrops,(the most delicate, tender, forgiving shade of purple) as the main thread. This will be holding the playful bunches of pink bicone crystals.

Look at the wires at the end of the swarovski crystal bicones.. They are individually wrapped with unique twists.. No easy quickfixes with commercial headpins.

Here, I played with the light and dark shades at the two sides of the locket. Oh, by the way I learned this new trick of wire work that I have applied in wrapping the locket. Did you notice that? This locket is a highly faceted Czech glass briolette crystal. It is so capable of splashing beautiful rainbow hues just agreeing with your mood.

So, how do you like it? Did you like Pinky Princess better or My Purple Heart? None of them? - Really!

A Beadazzled Day

Finally I got a chance to play with my beads and was quite busy the last two days. The memory of the tulip fields that I had seen in Kukenhoff, Holland visits me this time of the year in early spring. Ribbons of purple, lavender and pink stretched all the way up to the horizon. I can still see them if I close my eyes. Then I get up and fetch my bead box. I am inspired to make some thing with those colors.

I had seen a picture of a necklace some where. It had an amber drop in the middle and on the left side there were swarovski beads from the cool family, I mean the blue, green purple... all united. The right side was rather ruled by the hot stuff- yellow, orange and red.

Hmm! That's an idea. But how about keeping the main tone PINK but play with the translucent and the opaque beads? So I mixed up fresh water pearls with pink and copperish swarovski faux pearl with the crystals. The metal is sterling silver though.

Now after making this I felt happy. I named it PRINCESS PINKY.

The next day Princess Pinky took me by the hand and made me open the bead box again.

Home Sweet Home

Here, my home was anxiously waiting for me too, as I was for her. The tiny crocuses are out and the yellow daffodils greeted me with a warm nodding of their heads. The cherry tree that we had planted thirty two years ago in the back yard on our anniversary date is in full bloom now.

The rolling hills across 680 look so green and soft .Yellow mustard flowers and California poppies are happy to see me back.

Tomorrow I am going to organize my workshop and start making jewelry. It's been such a long time I haven't played with my beads.

My first real snow experience

One day it snowed. I saw it all from the very beginning. In the wee morning as I was rocking Zoe in the rocking chair, I watched it falling very slowly, very gently like soap flakes falling from the sky. The sun has still a couple of hours to come and the sky is steel gray. It is amazing how quickly the snow covered the whole alley and buried the cars and every thing that were parked at the street sides.

Then icicles hung from the awnings, the schools declared a snow-holiday, children gathered and came out for snow rides and tobogganing.

Later, much later the sun came out eventually and the snow from the awnings are quickly evaporating now. It looks like flocks of cloud going up back to the sky.

We are stuck inside but it is lovely watching all these and sip hot coco.

Zoe is a month old now, her cold is much gone and she makes all kinds of funny faces and plays with her hands and fingers, pedalling up in the air with her legs.

I am now writing from California where it is not snowing of course.

I miss Zoe. I miss their cozy, tiny N.Y.home and her mom and dad.

The Valentine Gift

This Valentine Day I was presented with the most precious gift- my first grand child. Zoe Shona Zych landed safely on the planet Earth on the morning of 14th February 2009.

Hearing the news we flew to N.Y. and for a whole month I had been busy grand mothering my precious Zoe.

In these thirty two days she learned how to gulp after a coughing fit, handle hiccups and burps. Though she loves to hear mommy baby talking to her and daddy's deep voice, she feels a bit perplexed at the sounds of siren and smoke alarms which are quite abundant at the 81st street apartment ,N.Y.

Then there are lights. Some are nice like the warm glow of sun rays that come through the window and play peek-a boo with her in the morning but those two kitchen lights- they are just awful- too harsh to look at. And those weird smell that comes from the kitchen when Dido cooks- make Zoe sneeze, sneeze, sneeze. Why don't they rather have mommy's milk instead and mommy's smell...mm! That's best- even when she's sweaty and stinky That's what Zoe'd say if she could talk , I think.

In the mean time I have learned that though sneezes and hiccups are harmless, coughs can be serious matter for little newborns like Zoe. And she did catch the cold from her mom. So we had to keep her almost vertical all the time for those few days. The only relief we could provide was taking her to the steaming bath room and pray.

I gathered a galore of knowledge from the lactation workshops when I accompanied my daughter and was wondering how do the mammal infants and their moms do in the third world countries where there are no La Leche support group or breast pump renting shops!

Bamboozling in Beijing

I was pretty upset when we were stuck in Beijing on our way back home to California from Delhi. The plane could not take off for dense fog and we missed our connecting flight and were stranded for thirty six hours!
The airlines (Air china , though horrible for customer service ) provided for hotel and food and transportation. We took advantage to see Beijing for one day.

It's a very clean, organized city. People are getting quite conscious for going green. Our guide Xiang (Jane) mentioned that one week in March the whole city plant new trees.All the children from the schools, families and businesses get involved. I could see rows of bare branch trees on both sides of the freeways. All the roses are meticulously pruned.

We saw the remnants of the Olympics and the Great Wall of China.
We took a trip to a jade factory and a cloissone place of which I had written in detail in my other web site http://www.Bead-z-mommys-business.com

We were taken to a tea ceremony and came to know that drinking some tea can lower your blood pressure and cholestrol. In fact we did have that tea and it's true we had to go to the bath room much more!!

But I loved the lychee tea the best. It's so sweet smelling.
Beijing is famous for three things said Xiang. Can you guess what?
The great wall - yes she nodded.
The cloisonne works that were only for the rich kings and emperors one day . And the third is the Peking Duck!

Well a taste of this and little taste of that and it was time to go home.
So see, being in Beijing was not so bad after all.

Don't you forget to check out the new jewelry sets I created after my visit to the jade factory.