Re-Introducing the JMD Lulu Bags in Full Leather!

Yes, my dream has finally come true! My latest range of Lulu Bags are now finely handcrafted in super grade leather, ensuring better quality to complement my very own personal design.

Since my first Houndstooth Lulu Bag, I had been looking for better quality fabrics and workmanship which would give my darling Lulu that rich look and elegant structure that I have dreamt of for her. I designed my Lulu as a bucket bag, with a structure that would enable her to sit or stand nicely when not held, and she is supposed to exude a classic yet contemporary elegance to her wearer in various situations be it at a formal event, an elegant soiree, a casual hi-tea or simply out shopping.

Unlike my Betsey Bag whose natural appearance is meant to be soft and cute, without any firm structure, which is more of a lazy bag that you joyfully wear for an evening out and that you just slump beside you while you're enjoying dinner or coffee with friends, my Lulu Bag needed more to do her justice.

All around I went with my prototype and detail specs asking about fabrics and workmanship, and everywhere around KL the response I got was a reluctant shake of the head noting that it was not something they could perfectly achieve. So I searched outside Malaysia, always considering the various factors of materials, quality, workmanship, lead time, delivery, duties and levies. Finally I found my magic in Indonesia.

They looked at my prototype, went through my detail specs, discussed with their production team and calmly returned with a pleasant smile, "Bisa buk." Yesss! Alhamdulillah :)

I chose their finest super grade leather and finalised my colour specs. I also chose to combine fine leather with black patent leather; I have always loved black patent leather, I think it exudes class and elegance. I also wanted to give this Lulu a coin purse instead of an outer zipped pocket, because I find that sometimes an outer pocket would result in an unsightly bulge if you fill it with your keys and coins. So a cute little detachable purse was designed and created; it can be hooked to one of the handles or kept in the bag or used on its own.

I know I am not Marc Jacobs, Coach, Michael Kors, Kate Spade or such, and I do realise that it will not be easy to create a vast appeal for my JMD brand. During my groundwork, some of the responses I received were, "Are you sure? I think people won't buy your handbags lah, they'd rather spend their money on well known brands like Coach or Furla.", "You should consider not printing your brand because people may not want to wear your bags with your name on them.", "Expensive, and you are not Lulu Guinness!".

Well, everyone has to start somewhere, right? I cannot compare myself to those famous brands, but I can try to do my best, if I don't try I will never know. Like Paula Deen said, "I started my business when I was 42, so if I can do it anyone can." I don't cook like Paula Deen, but I can design and create bags and tins and boxes and fabrics and gifts and desserts. So the best I can do is try. Much time was spent studying, researching, consulting and experimenting. I do faithfully believe in His will and blessing, He gave me the talent, He gave me the opportunities, He cleared my path towards the many people who would help me to achieve my dreams, He showed me the way and He allowed me to see, Alhamdulillah.

So, yes, I know it will not be easy, but I will definitely do my best to share the joy that my JMD Lulu Bag brings me, with those who appreciate JMD and everything Jules. I have been proud to be Malaysian thus far, so I must be proud to showcase my Malaysian brand on my products. While the prospects are quite daunting, I must be confident and brave to measure myself against my more established foreign counterparts, and I cannot sell myself short. Zang Toi and Jimmy Choo started from the outside in, so I'll just have to try to do it from the inside out. I must trust. Hopefully one day, when JMD Kuala Lumpur finally makes her debut in New York and London, this trust will grow to a wider reach, InsyaAllah.

And JMD is original, not imitation.

The Hot Pink and Caribbean Blue Full Leather Lulu Bags are finely handcrafted by the finest leather craftsmen of Indonesia, with my own personal design and supervision. My bags are not mass produced; this batch of Hot Pink and Caribbean Blue with Black Patent is produced in a exclusive limited quantity only, as a special re-introduction edition, so this colour combination will not be repeated in the nearest future. I believe that these darling Lulu Bags are justly priced, based on design, craftsmanship, materials used and all other relevant operational costs. I am after all a business enterprise :)

Finally, with the trust and support from family and friends, and the unconditional love of my 4 darling men, my dream has come true, my Lulu Bag in full handcrafted leather is now a reality, Alhamdulillah.

Please browse JMD Kuala Lumpur, thank you... xox :)

Jules Versus The Volcano inside the Magic Tree House - Part 1

Hmmm...huh?

Okay, this is how the story goes...

I had confirmed that RM0.18 Airasia ticket to Surabaya for darling husband and I since last December. Then early this March he tells me that he couldn't actually take the leave he thought he could as it was in the middle of their survey period. Oh no! We were supposed to ride through the vast Sea Of Sand and the Savannah around Bromo, astride those petite yet gusto Indonesian horses, ride freely into the sunset...

Ya, well, that didn't happen.

Anyhow, I was adamant to go, alone if I had to, coz the ticket was only RM0.18! Darling husband didn't comment much when I started to make plans for Surabaya; I reminded him that I have been quite almost around the world very well alone on my own before, so I should be okay travelling alone in and around Surabaya, InsyaAllah. But I was also thinking how wasteful it is to just let darling husband's ticket expire like that. So I asked him to ask a friend at Airasia if he could transfer his ticket to Esfahan. I'd have a good reason to bring Esfahan sans his younger brothers, as Esfahan is in Standard 6 this year and it may be the last time he could freely travel with mommy, as he is actually looking forward to getting into boarding school next year.

Waaaaahaaahaaahaaa! Okay, that's digressing, but I just needed to express how I DO NOT want Esfahan, or Damascus or Marrakesh, to get into any boarding schools, ever!!!

So, anyway, I told my younger goons that when they are in their 12th year, they too will go on a trip with mommy, climb all the mountains that are still on mommy's bucket list, heh heh :)

At first our friend said we could transfer the ticket at a reasonable fee, then she came back to apologise and say that it was actually not possible to transfer. It's okay, no harm done, there's always a reason for everything that happens. Since we already prepped our boys about this whole Surabaya trip, we bought a new ticket for Esfahan and finalised our worry-free-comprehensive overland arrangements with Kapten Redeye via his Redeye Guide. Then off we went!

Surabaya's Juanda International Airport was very calm and quick. Not having any checked baggage hastened things but it wasn't just that, the Juanda Airport was really very quick. We landed, passed Immigration, then right after the security lanes we were already at the main exit. And we were immediately greeted by Singgih, Redeye's very kind and reliable driver cum tour guide. Our first stop was at the telcomm vendor where Singgih got us our Simpati SIM card, and then after a delish ayam panggang lunch in Chiro we were already on our way to Probolinggo.

[We did also manage to stop for mommy to enjoy some eye candy, in the form of HANDBAGS! HANDBAGS! HANDBAGS! But we'll talk about that in a separate forum ya :)]

Oh, but one thing I wish we had had in Juanda was brochures; we didn't find any promotional brochures or flyers of Surabaya and the nearby sights, like how we would find in Ngurah Rai, for example. Those brochures would have been good.

Anyway, moving along...It was a long drive to Bromo, but the sites made the whole trip all very worthwhile. I always find it fascinating to see and experience first hand the lives of people in places other than our own comfort zone, their norms, cultures, traditions, beliefs. Darling husband shares this with me. We need not understand everything everytime, it is good enough that we are aware of them and that we appreciate and respect all that God has created. That is why we make it a point to have at least 1 family enrichment trip each year, be it within Malaysia or outside.

We arrived at Lava View Lodge in the evening, just about a couple of hours before sunset. So Esfahan and I walked around the Lodge, from where we could clearly see Bromo. Then the fog flew in and it started to get cold, but that was well after Esfahan met Pablo and his handlers and they took him for a cool ride around the Lodge's hill.

By about 6pm it was already dark, so we had dinner at the Lava View restaurant and retired early, as the next morning required an early wake up call to catch the sunrise.

We started at 4am the following morning and proceeded to Mount Penanjakan in a hardtop Jeep. After a short ascend by jeep, we continued up to the sunrise viewing point astride the local ponies, with their handlers holding the leads. It was still dark and cold, but it was bearable, a little less cold than it was in Sarangkot, Nepal. The sky was a spectacular sight, with thousands of stars twinkling ever so brlliantly, like diamonds scattered on a black velvet backdrop. Esfahan was awed, it was indeed something we don't see everyday amidst our KLCC sky :)

The sun came out and it shone brightly onto Mount Bromo and the valley below, ie Sea of Sand and the Savannah. No matter where in the world it may be, Latemar, Low's Peak, Merang, Sarangkot, Penanjakan, watching the sunrise is always a magical and breathtaking experience.





After sunrise, we drove across the Sea of Sand to the Savannah. We joined the local guides for some refreshing hot beverages, namely Indocafe for me and Indomilk for Esfahan. Foto-foto dikit, as how the locals say it, and we then continued on horseback to Mount Bromo. We got off at the foot of Bromo and ascended the 250 steep steps to the top of the magnificent crater.


The red speck in the centre is Esfahan, with Singgih following closely behind...


The Savannah...


The steep climb...I would advise that one should be fairly fit and healthy to attempt this climb. Although it is not so high, it does not make it any less challenging. Personally, I don't think anyone with existing heart conditions, high blood pressure, acute asthma or anything of the sort, should do this; coz apart from the climb, there are also the dust and the sulphur fumes to factor in, and I am not sure if they have adequate medical facilities close by. Just be careful and take the necessary precautions...


Being there right at the mouth of the crater was simply awesome! Esfahan had a more vivid imagination : he imagined Bromo suddenly erupting, angrily spitting out hot lava, and as we all scattered to save ourselves, our equus rides, Anton and Bingo, grew wings and flew over to us and we hurriedly jump on, missing the firey lava in the nick of time! Anton and Bingo then fly us away to safety to the balcony of our room at the Lava View Lodge. Phewh! :)

Wow, how cool would that have been, huh? Weeeeeee!

Anyway, back to reality... The horse ride there was different from what I am used to, as Anton was basically a pony and I felt insecurely too huge for him, all the while worried that I might break his back! But small as they may be, both Anton and Bingo were sure footed and maneuvered swiftly through the crevices along Bromo's dusty terrain.

The temple in my background is the Pura Luhur Poten, a Hindu temple of the Tenggerese people in the area...



The view from our balcony at the Lava View Lodge...

We returned to Lava View at about 10am, had breakfast, cleaned up and reluctantly said goodbye to Bromo...

Next, the exciting safari and our adventure at the Magic Tree House! Stay tuned :)

We Flew To Kathmandu And Caught The Himalayan View! - Part 9 : Namaskaar, Namaste...

So this is the last part of our Nepal story. I'm feeling quite sad about entering this last post on Nepal, I guess that also explains my procrastination. We miss Nepal, miss Krishna House, Mountain House, Uncle Purna, dhal bhatt, Bhat Bhateni, FISHTAIL! and of course, Yak Yak Yak Yak Yak! :)

One reason why this holiday was very meaningful to me especially, is that our boys are grown enough to understand and remember it. We've brought them to the Philippines, Bali, Sumatera and Singapore, but they were still quite young then. This time we could talk about our walks and visits and they really could appreciate the whole "enrichment" thing. We hope to go again some day, next time when the boys are bigger we could maybe trek the Annapurna and around the Everest range. I surely want to make my way to the fabulous Yeti Mountain Home Kongde and wake up to the view of Everest :)

Meantime, we'll keep on reading our dear Nepal book, look at our pictures, read my blog entries; there are also our lovely mementos, Tibetan carpet, yak wool shawl, tika powder and stencil, our hemp stuff, Tintin books and our fridge magnets, which are daily reminders of the wonderful time we spent in that charming part of the world...


Hari Ketujuh

Hari ini juga hari yang santai. Kami pergi ke Tasik Begnas di mana kami menaiki sampan di sekeliling tasik. Di sekitar kawasan tasik pula, saya ternampak budak-budak yang berjudi dengan permainan dadu! Selepas Tasik Begnas, kami bersiar-siar di pekan Lakeside Pokhara sehingga malam, di mana kami telah singgah di Silk Road Cafe. Di sini kami menikmati minuman lassi dan mufin yang sungguh lazat.

Hari Kelapan

Kami bersarapan awal, lebih kurang jam 6 pagi, kemudian pada jam 7 pagi kami memulakan perjalanan ke Kathmandu menaiki kereta. Ia mengambil masa kira-kira 8 jam. Jaraknya 200km, tetapi jangkamasa perjalanan sangat panjang kerana jalannya sempit dan berliku-liku. Namun pemandangan sekelilingnya sangat cantik. Separuh jalan kami berhenti untuk berakit di Trishuli River. Airnya sangat sejuk! Walaupun sejuk, kami sangat seronok! Selepas berakit selama 3 jam, kami makan tengahari dan meneruskan perjalanan ke Kathmandu. Kami tiba di Kathmandu pada jam 6 petang dan terus ke Bhaktapur untuk menginap di Krishna House. Kami tiba di Krishna House lebih kurang jam 7 malam.

...with Indira, Stan's lovely wife who makes my favourite toast at The Mountain House:) We said goodbye to them today...

...with James Desmond, the world cyclist on a noble mission...He left The Mountain House, Pokhara, the same day we did, but his journey to Kathmandu, all that 200km, would be on 2 wheels!

Trishuli here we come! The boys loved this!

Hari Kesembilan

Selepas sarapan, kami menuju ke Patan Durbar Square. Di sini kami melawat Candi Rudravarna Mahavihar dan Candi Mahabouddha. Dari Patan kami menuju pula ke Kathmandu Durbar Square. Seperti di Patan, di sini juga terdapat banyak bangunan-bangunan lama yang berusia hampir seribu tahun. Selepas makan tengahari di Bandaraya Kathmandu, kami ke Candi Pashupatinath. Candi ini adalah tempat di mana penganut Hindhu membakar mayat mereka yang sudah meninggal. Kami sempat melihat beberapa mayat sedang dibakar, asapnya banyak dan berkepul-kepul, kami terpaksa memakai topeng muka.

Mahavihar Temple, Patan...

Mahabouddha Temple, Patan...

Patan Durbar Square...

A cozy little shop we found in Patan, Melting Pot, which sells cool hemp products, it also has a cuddly little apartment rental upstairs...

Swayambhunath or also known as Monkey Temple, Kathmandu...

Kathmandu Durbar Square...

Kathmandu Indra Chowk...

Pashupatinath Temple... As Ajaya of Krishna House said, "...I don't know how you would feel about seeing dead people being cremated, but it's a part of our life..."... Well, it was indeed a new experience for us, a little eerie to be honest, but we understand and appreciate now how important and sacred this is for the Hindhus...

...there's a river between this piazza and the temple, where the ashes and all other remains are released after cremation...

...within the compounds of the Pashupatinath, there is a lovely forest and a deer park. On the boys' left is the deer park, while the forest is further in the back. Ajaya reminded us not to wander too far in without an experienced guide, coz there have been instances where people got lost, that's how huge the forest is...

This is also one of my favourite things in Nepal, mine and Marrakesh's. Whenever he saw a tika box or vendor selling tika in the markets, he would just sit and stare at all those vibrant colours, and he loved all the beautiful mandalas we found. So, at this last stretch of our trip, we decided to let him have his tika, and he chose the cyan, his favourite colour, it's the one on the last row, next to the red... :)

Hari Kesepuluh

Ini adalah hari terakhir kami di Nepal. Penerbangan pulang ke Kuala Lumpur pada jam 3.30 petang. Sebelum ke lapangan terbang, kami melawat Candi Changu Narayan di Bhaktapur, lebih kurang 10km dari Krishna House. Candi ini sangat lama, ia dibina di dalam abad ke-4. Di sini kami melihat ramai penganut Hindhu bersembahyang, ada juga yang sedang menyanyi, menari dan bermain alat muzik, semua lagu-lagu keagamaan mereka. Seterusnya kami melawat Changu Museum, di mana kami melihat pinggan-mangkuk purba, matawang purba dan duit-duit lama, buku-buku lama dan juga sebahagian daripada sebuah meteorit! Selepas semua ini, kami ke Lapangan Terbang Antarabangsa Tribhuvan untuk menaiki pesawat pulang ke Malaysia. Di dalam penerbangan ini saya sempat membeli sebuah "travel chess set AirAsia". Keseluruhannya, ini adalah percutian paling menyeronokkan!


Changu Narayan Temple...

Changu Museum...

From the museum rooftop, we could see the Langtang range (in the background)...

Our treasured Nepal finds...

Books we bought from Perfect Bookstore, Pokhara Lakeside...

Tibetan hand woven carpet from Tashi Palkhiel, Pokhara...

Tibetan belts from Tashi Palkhiel and Pokhara Lakeside...

My fru fru yak wool shawl from Changu Narayan...I bought it coz it was different from the ones I'd bought earlier in Bhaktapur, and the girl who was selling it had made it herself :)

Marrakesh's cyan tika and mommy's wooden printing block with my favourite paisley motif stencil...

Hemp products from Melting Pot, Patan...

Fridge magnets from Perfect Bookstore, Pokhara Lakeside...

The one that stole my heart...

This is a silk shawl I found in Pokhara Lakeside. I was just strolling along the row of shops while my 4 guys spent time at the 3 Brothers Cyber kiosk, and I saw this beautiful shawl in the window. I stopped and looked, and I thought, no, I don't think I can afford this. Then I continued walking and I passed that window again as I went back to the cyber kiosk. The guys were still happily online and in no way seemed ready to move their butts, so I thought I'd stop by that window again, just to have a last look and to say goodbye to that beauty. As I stopped in front of the window this time, the owner popped out and said, "Would you please come in Madam, you like that shawl? Please come in, just have a look at it, you can try it, no problem. I have noticed you walking by a few times, come in, come in, please...", he said, smiling. He handed me the beautiful shawl, he told me it is not handmade, but it is pure silk and made in Nepal. Apart from my darling carpet, I'd only spent so much on meals, for our whole family. But I had fallen in love with this one, from the first time I saw it in that window, and the shop owner knew this. He just went on showing me other shawls, and he started talking about Nepal's shawl industry, the most popular being silk and pashmina. He explained to me about pashmina and the variety of it. He must have attended a good school coz his command of English was pretty good. He also talked about the Nepal's businessman's greatest competition, Indian businessmen! And he went on to show me the difference between Nepali work and that of India and China. I felt guilty about wanting to buy that shawl, but I knew if I didn't get it I may just regret it. So, I took a deep breath, closed my eyes and bought it! And since the owner was so polite and obliging, I bought another shawl from him, a hand made water pashmina made in Nepal, for my mother-in-law. On our last day in Nepal, after Changu Narayan, I still hadn't found anything to bring home for my mum. I thought of my beautiful silk shawl, how much I loved it, and I imagined how lovely it would look on her, maybe with a pair of green baju kurung. I know my mum will always love anything any of her children gave her, especially if it means so much to us, and this shawl really means a lot to me. So, from our trip to this enchanting land, where most tourists and holiday makers hone in on silk and pashmina shawls, and brought them home by the dozens, I got only 2 pieces, for the 2 very special people in our lives... :)


Well, ladies and gentlemen, that's the end!

Nepal was dusty and congested, the electricity was low, lights were dim and there were daily routine power cuts. Water was scarce in some places and we had to constantly make sure all our drinking water was safe for consumption. The public toilets, especially the ones along the road from Pokhara to Kathmandu? That was something we didn't dare to explore. All the temples were high up at the top of the hills and mountains, and everyone drives like they're at the derby. But Pokhara was awe inspiring, while the Kathmandu Valley offered charm and intrigue. The locals were humble and nice, and the ones we met and befriended were simply wonderful. We visited 6 of the 8 Cultural UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Nepal, Kathmandu Durbar Square, Bhaktapur Durbar Square, Patan Durbar Square, Swayambunath, Pashupatinath and Changu Narayan; we didn't have time to visit the Boudhanath Stupa, and Lumbini was not along our route. I might have mentioned in one of my earlier posts that the Peace Pagoda in Pokhara is a world heritage site, I'm truly sorry, it is not, it is one of many Peace Pagodas built around the world as shrines to World peace.

Nepal may not be a suitable travel destination for everyone, but for us, we just simply loved Nepal! Surely an experience we'll keep in our hearts and our minds always...Namaste :)