Kathy's Pottery Diary - Zen and Art of Potter's Wheel Maintenance

Antique Town Dongfu 東埠

2010-11-28T07:40:00.000-08:00

In fall 2010, I went to China for a visit again. This was the 3rd time I visited China, and I have became quite familiar with cities like Beijing and Shanghai. Both my fiance and I couldn't really stand the noise, crowded space, and pollution in big cities for very long; therefore, we decided well in advance that we would head to the country side for an escape.

It was in the small antique town called Dongfu 東埠 in Jiangxi 江西 we met one of the most memorable people in our trip.

Dongfu used to be one of the busiest cities in the Jingdezhen 景德鎮 area. It was the main port city where porcelains made in Jingdezhen began their journeys to the rest of the world. Dongfu is next to Kaolin 高嶺, the area famed for its natural material used in making porcelain clay. With modernization of transportation, today's Dongfu has long losted its shine and has been forgotten by the rest of the world.

Granny Sun lives in Dongfu 75% of her life so far. She is an transplant from Shanghai in the 1950's. When we arrived Dongfu it was obvious to the villagers that we came from a place nowhere near Dongfu. Granny was very excited when she saw us. An outsider herself, she felt akin to us who are truly outsiders. She volunteered herself as a tour guide for the day and took us around town. She spoke to me in Shanghainese which I can only comprehend partially. I understood her desire of speaking to me in her native togue because she is lonely most time. Her children are all married and moved out, and she is the only person who stayed in her century old house next to the 昌江.

I told Granny I was interested in picking up porcelain shards in this area if I could, and it was one of my goals in this trip. After Granny heard my wish, she gestured us to follow her to the kitchen. In her antique cupboard, she showed us two tiny tea cups with marks of age. She dug them out from her garden where she grows produce for herself. I admired the cups for a moment and gave them back to Granny. To my surprise, Granny refused to take them back and insisted to give them away to us. I tried my best to either give the cups back or pay for the cups. Again Granny refused to take my money or the cups. In the end, I was able to give Granny a zitan 紫檀 purple sandle wood rosary to her as a momento. I still think about Granny from time and time and wonder if she is doing fine. I wonder if I would see her again. If you ever get a chance visiting Dongfu, please say 'hi' to her for me!

P.S I will put the photo fo the two cups up asap!

Berkeley Potters' Studio Teapot Show in September

2010-09-05T09:30:00.001-07:00

The pottery studio where I am a member of is hosting its annual teapot show in September again. I am not a teapot thrower myself but made a couple of unsuccessful ones in past. The reason I say unsuccessful is because I couldn't get the mouth of the teapot right yet; therefore, when pouring teas, water drips from the side of teapot unpleasantly. Anyhow, I do admire many teapot makers/artists in my studio. Some of the teapots remind me the tea party in Alice Wonderland. What do you think?

13-year Old

2010-04-11T08:15:00.000-07:00

As a complement to 16-year Old I purchased in Beijing, I made a 13-year old brother to keep her company. It is through sculpture I can see my style of creativity running freely. I have to admit that I am not a very potter on wheel, and after many years, I still have many technical faults when throwing on wheels. However, with sculpture, I can execute images in my head with precision. 13-year old is a good example of such execution. I dedicated this sculpture to my significant other who encouraged me to make the purchase of 16-year Old when we were in Beijing. :)

6 Salt & Pepper Chess Pieces

2010-04-11T08:04:00.000-07:00

With the unexpected success of selling the "My Sweet Home" salt & pepper shaker in 2009, I was encouraged to make more salt & pepper shakers, mostly for my own amusement. These 6-piece salt & pepper chess pieces are thrown on wheel with hand sculptured heads.

I like them quite a bit; therefore, I'm not sure if I am ready to put them up for sale yet. However, even if I do, I plan to put a pretty expensive price tag on it to deter people buying them unless they really like the set.

Material: Bi-Mix
Temperture: Cone 10
Glaze: Rose (?)

King and Queen

Knight

16-Year Old - 鄭玉奎中國 (798)

2009-09-07T16:00:00.000-07:00

Before I visited Beijing for the 2008 Summer Olympics,
I heard about the famous and over-priced art gallery zone 798 and was eager to visit it. My intention was for inspiration and not for collecting or buying because I actually know a trick or two of making my own craft/art creations.

However, when browsing through various galleries and studios, I fell in love with this beautiful clay statue called 16-year Old. The gallery prohibited photos but I managed to take a shot with the help of my boyfriend (That's why the picture is a bit blurry). Looking at her, I can tell the techniques applied in making the 16-year Old are slabs, coils, slips, and no glaze. It ought to be very easy for copying, I thought. However, 10 minutes after stepping out of the gallery, I decided I should ask for her price because I am not sure if I can achieve the same level of perfection as her creator's anytime soon. The result of a price check: very expensive by American standard. The gallery explained to me that The sixteen year old is the creation of a master Chinese ceramicist, 鄭玉奎, based on the image of his own daughter, and she is a limited edition work because nobody knows if Mr. 鄭玉奎 would want to make the image of his daughter again.

Debating if I should spend the same amount of money enough to buy a round trip ticket to China, I listed all the things I like about her:
1 . Her graceful posture
2. Her lovely facial expression of a Chinese girl.
3. Her detailed Chinese top and
4. Her classic Chinese hair style.

After examining her closely, I made up my mind that she is coming home with me to San Francisco. The gallery workers noticed my interests in ceramics and took extra care of wrapping her up with layers of layers of padding, foams, and bubble wraps. They were emotional to see her go as I was emotional to bring her home.

The sixteen-year old now sits proudly in the entrance of my apartment. I called her My Sixteen Year-Old. The gallery did not forget to give me her birth certificate in case if she becomes a million-dollar doll one day. Fingers crossed. After the economic crisis in US this past summer, whenever I walk pass my 16-year Old girl, I always thought to myself how gladly I spent the money on her, rather than on some tanked mutual fund.

More Salt & Pepper Shakers

2009-09-07T15:29:00.000-07:00

A couple of years ago I made a series of salt & pepper shakers for my own amusement. I even sold a pair at a Christmas holiday sale for $15.00. Recently, I have been making salt & pepper shakers again because I want to used up a bag of black clay that I am not very fond of (because the fiber is short, very hard to throw for my skill level). I used pinch pot method when making my earlier salt & pepper shakers; however, I found that throwing the basic cone shape on potter's wheel helps to speed up the process by a lot.

Here are some end products:

Title: My Sweet Homes (Sold!)
Material: Cone 10 High Fire Black Clay + Sodate-60 Slips
Glaze: None
Size: 1.75" x 1.5"

In December 2009, I sold this lovely salt & pepper shaker pair on Etsy.com. I have to say it was hard to let them go. I took a couple of photos before taking the package to the post office.

Title: Abstract Animal Shakers
Material: Cone 10 High Fire Black Clay
Glaze: Cone 10 Peach / Orange Shino
Size: 1.75" x 1.25"

Shadow Puppets

2009-07-27T23:48:00.000-07:00

Today, I would like to talk about something that has nothing to do with pottery. Today's topic is about shadow puppets and its importance to Balinese art.

Antique shadow puppets in Neka Musem

Early July, I went to Bali for a friend's wedding and was on the hunt for an Indonesian shadow puppet. I always have a thing for shadow puppets and already own a pair of Chinese shadow puppets from Beijing. Looking for a Balinese puppet was simply adding one more to my collection and with the possibility of playing it with my other two.

However, it was after visiting the well-respected Neka Museum in Ubud that made me realize how important shadow puppets are to both traditional and contemporary Balinese art. Balinese shadow puppets played a far more important role in the development of Balinese paintings, and it is the source of inspiration for many painters. In the first phase of Balinese traditional painting, one can often see depiction of figures with features almost indentical to shadow puppets. I suspect this style of drawings emerged from story-telling or religous text. Nevertheless, Neo-Balinese paintings still retain and extend the same style of drawings. Photos above and below demonstrate the similarity in facial features of a shadow puppet and a contemporary Balinese painting of two figures. Now, I look at my Indonesian puppet with a total different view. I'm sure I will still play it with my other puppets, but I will always think about the meaning of this puppet (though I doubted it is a real antique) and what it brings to Balinese art. I'm glad I went to Neka Musem, and I'm glad I bought the shadow puppet.

Does this bottle look zen?

2008-07-28T13:32:00.000-07:00

This bottle is one of my latest creation. I am pleased with how the dark stain turned out after the firing. I couldn't quite visualize the look when I glazed it and had tried a couple of technics before settling down with the final glaze. The glaze I used are shino orange for the body, and tamaku for the black stain. I initially used black underglaze for the stain but was not too sure about how it would look if covered by a white glaze (window clear glaze ran out that day). In the end, I switched to tamaku just to be safe. The creation of the flower decoration was actually an unintentional design. While trimming the pot, it moved and left a scar made by the trimming tool; in order to salvage the work, I extended the scar into a frame and made the design as it is today. It turns out nicely. I think.

Mr. Tofu in Flower Soup Bowl

2008-07-28T13:10:00.000-07:00

I bought a Nikon D60 recently, so I have no excuse of not posting some of my latest work online. Last year I made a series of rice bowl with bright flowers painted with Amaco cone 10 underglaze. The end product exceeded our expectation; bright colors such red, orange, and yellow generally don't come out at high temperature firing; however, Amaco has produced a number of colorful underglazes that can withstand cone 10. I was lucky of getting these underglaze via a promotional offer. I paid $6 shipping and handling for 6 2oz. jars of bright red, orange, and yellow. I just checked the price online last week, one 2 oz. jar of bright red cone10 underglaze is about $6.00.

Pottery Wheel Maintenance

2008-02-23T09:25:00.000-08:00

It came to my attention that many people probably land on this page looking for a REAL pottery wheel maintenance guide. I myself from time to time run into wheel problem too. There are cases where the wheel pedal is too sensitive; the speed is not consistence; the wheel is making loud noise at high speed; and at one time, the electric cord seemed to leak power, and I got a mild electric shock while turning the wheel off (luckily, I didn't die from that...) I found some simple guidance regarding taking care of your pottery wheel from eHow.com. Here it is:

Step 1:
Clean up well, after every session, as clay gets everywhere. Clay is easiest to clean up while still wet, so try to make wheel cleaning a part of your normal maintenance routine. Pay special attention to the small space between your wheel mount and the spinning tray.

Step 2:
Wipe excess clay from the pedal of your pottery wheel when you notice that it is building up. A dirty pedal can be difficult to control and can lead to the destruction of your projects.

Step 3:
Listen to the motor of your pottery wheel; it should be almost silent. If you begin to hear humming noises, it's time for a good cleaning and oiling. Clay dust can build up inside the motor after a long period of use. Your local pottery supply shop should be able to tune up and maintain your motor for a reasonable price.

Step 4:
Cover your pottery wheel with a sheet or drop cloth, if you won't be using it for awhile. During prolonged periods of inactivity, you should plug in the wheel and work the pedal a bit, every month or so, to keep the motor maintained.

Step 5:
Unplug your pottery wheel, or turn it off if you have an on/off switch, when it is not being used.

Xitang 江南古镇西塘 , China 2007

2007-09-21T11:38:00.000-07:00

I took a day trip to Xitang during my two week long vacation in China in September. I had been wanting to visit Xitang for a long time now. Xitang is one of the famous water towns between Suzhou and Hengzhou; it's lesser known to foreign tourists and is better preserved in architectures and local culture. The slogan of the town reads, "Xitang is a thousand year old town that still lives."

Xitang is about 50 minutes south of Shanghai and can be reached by train from Shanghai South Train Station. Xitang itself does not have a train station; therefore, most tourists usually join local tour groups from Shanghai, and travel to Xitang by tour buses.

The transportation we took to reach Xitang is more down to earth. Before leaving San Francisco, I did some extensive research on transportation options, and I learned that there are express trains going to a city called Chia Shan. From Chia Shan, there are direct bus lines or taxi to Xitang. Taking public transportation avoided schedule constraint; therefore, this was the best choice to go.

Xitang Old Town is quaint and relaxing. Residents who live next to river canals for generations seemed to have adapt an easygoing way of living. Over the years, Xitang has became more and more touristy; most of the houses in old town are now converted into hostels for people to stay overnight. Although Xitang Old Town mainly derives its revenue from tourism, strangely, it hasn't being commercialized. My friend and I were eager to buy ourselves T-shirts that reads "Xitang" on top but cannot find any. Local handmade goods, food do not bare any mark or indication of their origin "Xitang". After talking to some shopkeepers in the town, we learned that very often, customers dislike the town's name to be part of the souvenirs (strange, isn't it?); therefore, artists and shopkeepers remove Xitang from their products to please customers. One shopkeeper told me that he suspects people who came to Xitang to buy their goods and resale them elsewhere. I have to say this is really a little town that doesn't know how to promote itself. Its neighboring water towns, Zhouzhuang, and Tongli are already world famous and attract tourists from around the world.

To be honest, I love Xitang because of it's lack of tourists. We arrived around noon, and the person who was in charge of Old Town's admission fee was not even there to collect our entry fee. The town was pretty empty; only a few local tourists, shopkeepers, and art students doing still-life drawings. We wondered around in the town for awhile, crossing a number of bridges, walking thru a number of narrow alley ways. Bridges and narrow alleyways are two unique architectural features of ancient water towns in the coast of China. We found a tea house next to the canal to take a break; the interior design of the tea place was trendy; the tea was definitely overpriced; and the table we got wasn't really next to a window. Thinking back, I regret we didn't insist on leaving; we were tired from a day's travel at that time.

Very soon, night started to fall, and we had to catch the last train heading back to Shanghai from Chia Shan. Before we left, we took a boat ride in the canal. Inns, restaurants, and boat keepers started to turn their red lanterns on; all the sudden, the canal is lined with beautiful lanterns. That's one of the most lovely images I have seen in my trip to China. Xitang is known for its view in dusk and dawn. I wish I had extra time to spend here.

On the way heading out of Old Town Xitang, we saw stores starting to close down. This is another thing that really amazed me. Instead of closing up gates and lock doors up, closing up a shop in Xitang is done in a classic way: Shopkeepers moved one wooden board at a time to cover up the entrance, until the entire door is covered by 5 or 6 wooden boards (vertically), and then, they locked the door. Although I was born and raised in Taiwan and read enough classic novels about Chinese culture, this was the first time I saw something like this. Xitang is indeed an ancient town that's alive.

Crucible Holiday Sales $$

2006-12-25T17:18:00.000-08:00

No doubt X'MAS is a good day to catch up on writing because there is nothing else better to do. Yes, I would like to talk about the Crucible holiday sale 2006. I earned $125 selling hand-made pottery ($40 are contributed from sympathetic friends and coworkers.) I am still in awe of the excitement of being able to participate in an event like this. Some of the items I love so much that I feel glad they didn't sell. A couple of my creation found good homes and people who genuinly like them. Some of the pieces ain't so luck; I'm still quite upset at the woman who only bought the big Blue Blue Checker (see previous posting in archive) but not his bother. I don't think my dear Blue Blue Checker bowl will last very long. Sigh...

Here is a list of items I sold:
1. Dip me in Chocolate (set of 2)
2. Big Blue Blue Checker
3. Soda Fired Salt & Pepper Shaker
4. Porcelain "My Home" vase
5. Mini Salt & Pepper Shaker in persimmon glaze
6. Originally, Milki's tea cup with black underglaze (gladly, Mark has it now)
7. Raku rice bowls (set of 3)
8. Raku plate (with a crack, and I didn't take a photo of it.)
9. One pair of earrings (jewelry always sells...)

Anonymous Four

2006-12-25T16:52:00.000-08:00

I'm not going to tell you what have happened to these four yet. Their fate has been sealed when they were fired in kiln, and subsequently, at the Crucible art sale. This photo was taken when they are still in their purest form, even before the first bisque fire. There is this timeless feeling and touch to the 4 unfinished vases. At least, this is my perception. The anonymous four humming quietly in my bathroom, waiting for their debut. Some have happy endings and some don't, just like real lives.

Rome, Italy (Fall 2006)

2006-11-28T00:28:00.000-08:00

10 Things I remember Rome the most:

cobblestone is slippery.
It's a million dollar moment to see an old face in Rome when you are soaked in rain and had no dinner.
Shoes and leather goods are indeed cheaper and higher in quality in Italy.
A woman can spend her entire life's saving in no time.
Once Italians know you better, they are very passionate and friendly.
Traffic and air pollution is not as bad as some have described, especially if you live in Asia before.
gypsies and pickpockets don't function very well when the weather is bad.
You can bargain with shop owners the Asia way. Italians are very much like Chinese in this regard. Calculators, hand gestures, and you got a deal!
"Professor" who works at the conciege desk in InterContinental Roma is actually a very warm person if you tell him you remember him from 3 years ago. He opens up to you right away.
You need quick eyes and sharp elbows when outlet shopping in Rome. Roudtrip taxi ride would cost you an arm and a leg to begin with.

Rediscovering...

2006-11-27T23:38:00.000-08:00

Just when i thought all the childish ideas were gone, something like this came out of my mind and hand without warnings. The child in me came out and danced with my fingers. "What a surprise", I said to myself. "It has been a long time!"

I found pure joy when making this little clay puppy. I designed it on paper first; however, I usually don't expect the final product to be like the initial draft. This one comes fairly close to its original design. I love the cuteness of the piece, but I am afraid it won't survive through the first bisque firing. Tail, neck, and ears, are fragile parts of this clay animal.

The little puppy is bone-dry now, but it is too precious for me to send it to the kiln yet. Things from childhood don't often make into the real world.

~~Kathy

Paris, France (Fall 2006)

2006-10-20T23:44:00.000-07:00

I meant to write about my recent trip to Europe for awhile now. I'm afraid that if I don't put down my thoughts soon, the so-called recent trip would become very vague soon. My friend Ludo, who I stayed with in Paris, has also made a comment about not seeing my writing here. Thus, I am churning out at least 1/3 of the travel journal here now.

Paris is always an exciting city to visit, no doubt. This is my second visit to Paris; my first visit was 13 years ago when I was in my teens. My trip to Paris this time is totally different from the past: 1) I am traveling alone. 2) I am staying with a local. (yes, my friend is French.) 3) I have $ to spend on myself!

*MORE DETAILS TO COME...........

10 Things I remember Paris the most:

Subway Line14 is newest/fastest subway line in Paris.
Frog Brew in Bercy sells pina colada that tastes like sour milk.
First Sunday of every month can save you tons of money if you are a museum-goer.
When shopping for fabric in Paris, you got to know the unspoken rules. (I still didn't figure out how the entire thing works.)
Lyon Mussels & Frits is great! They use Le Creuset to server you your food, and don't forget about unlimited fries.
Berthillon has the best ice cream in the world! 5-start for their wild strawberry ice cream.
Cashier at Louvre can give you a hard time when you try to get rid of Euro coins.
People who work in the post office near Bel Air are very friendly. They found the cutest baby lamb stamps for my postcards.
Giverny, Vernon is one of the most beautiful towns I have ever been so far. Monet loved it, and me too.
Getting VAT in CDG is impossible. The AMEX counter has lazy clerks who purposely delay the refund process to make people late for their flight.

Soda Fire

2006-07-23T12:33:00.000-07:00

Project: Basic Salt & Pepper Jars
Clay Type: White Sleeper (cone)
Glaze: None (soda kiln)
(**UPDATE: SOLD)

Soda firing, like salt firing, is one type of vapor firing. The piece I have here didn't have any glaze on and was fired in a soda kiln. The final look of the piece is this clean semi rough (like an orange-peel) surface. Without a close look, some may think the piece has not gone thru its glaze firing yet. Salt and soda kiln produce effects ranging from the characteristic orange-peel texture covering the entire external area or partial flashing. The result usually depends on many different factors: the way a kiln is packed, the amount of soda is applied, and the amount of vapor produced. According to a fellow blogger's article http://potteryblog.com/2006/01/what-is-soda-firing, soda firing was first introduced in Germany in the 13th century. However, many believe that the technique was already around since ancient time. This is the first time I have a piece fired in soda kiln. I would like to see what a difference soda firing would make if there is glaze to interact with soda. However, in the meantime, I like to know there is an alternative for glaze firing, when I feel lazy to glaze.

For the Sake of Salt & Pepper Sakers

2006-05-30T12:57:00.000-07:00

Project Name: Salt & Pepper Saker
Type: White Sleeper (cone 10)
Glaze: Shino

Description:
This pair of salt & pepper jars are pinch pots. The shape of the design is foromed by paddling from the sides using a flat wooden tool.

Bangkok, Thailand 2006

2006-04-24T23:20:00.000-07:00

Bangkok, Thailand 2006

My friend, Ana, has being living in Bangkok for 7 months now. Unlike most Thai, Ana spent all her teenage-hood in Maryland, and completed her B.S. in the States. Her final decision of moving home came after a mental and physical breakdown, a result of years of hard work for the Thai Embassy in D.C.

I haven't seen Ana for 3 years. The last time I saw Ana was right after my mother's passing. I remember how awful I felt, and it was very comforting when Ana came to visit. Ana is one of my closest friends.

I have been wanting to see Ana for awhile, and after a mental and physical breakdown myself, I decided to back my bag and headed to Bangkok.

Most people who visited Thailand would advise you not to spend more than 3 days in Bangkok because Bangkok is just another big city, with noise, pollution, bad traffic. I choose to believe in Ana, and she believes 6 days is not even enough to cover Bangkok. She is right.

After a 24-hr plane ride, I arrived Bangkok, Thailand. It's hot and humid, just like what Ana has told me. April is the hottest season in Thailand, and I arrive just in time for the famous Songkran festival.
Songkran Festival is one of the four new years Thai people celebrate. During Songkran Festival, people all have water buckets, water guns, water bowls, ready to pour water at anyone and everyone.

Davis Hotel Bangkok ( Sukhumvit soi 24) is the hotel I stayed, and it sits in a neighborhood so-called "Bangkok Beverly Hill". The hotel is nice and quiet, and a 15 minutes walk can get you to the nearest Sky Train station, Phrom Phong. Due to hot weather, most people choose to pay 35 baht for a quick taxi ride from sky train station back the hotel; however, I am so used to walk around using my feet (and being cheap at the same time); I walked from the train station to my hotel on the first day of Songkran. Ana was home studying and doing her midterm. I was not warned about the water and its quantity. Kids and adults all lined up in the street of soi 24, with their weapon in hands, ready to fire at me. Because I was obviously a tourist, people were very gentle to me, and most people asked for my permission before dripping water on me. Thai people are nice. I like them, and I think they like me too.

During my visit, I stayed away from the backpacker neighborhood altogether. Having hearing stories about ethnocentric farangs stepping over local people and their culture, I swear I am going to travel like a local and avoid tourist traps. I have great respect for this country and their people. I learnt to speak a few words in Thai, such as "thank you", "yes", "no", and general greeting. People responded nicely whenever I tried to speak Thai to them. Mutual respect is will received here, at least, I didn't get ripped off by taxi drivers when Ana was not around.

Ana and her family treated me like a family. I was taken to various local hangout and restaurants for food and snacks. I did my homework before going to Thailand, and armed with Saveur Magazine, I was able to take Ana and her sister out for a treat at Baan Khanitha, a famous restaurant ran by the top female chef. I'm glad I had Ana with me, otherwise, I would most likely end up ordering Pai Thai. Ana and her sister managed to order what they think is the best, food that I have never seen in the States, even in California. I couldn't name any of the dishes I had except Chiang Mei sausage which very very yummy. Ana told me that a friend from Chiang Mei used to make it at home in Maryland. I wonder how could I missed out on that.

On the third day of my visit, Ana's family took me down on the south west coast of Thailand, to go to the beach. The place we are heading has the shortest distance from Burma, this is a virgin beach where no backpackers can get to on their own. The resort we booked is supposed to be new, but it turned out to be more like a hostel. The inn keeper apparently lied to Ana's dad and promised more than what "the resort" can offer. I feel guilty for troubling Ana's family so much. It was a ~5 hr drive from Bangkok to here. Soon after arriving the beach, Ana's sister became alarmed about our surroundings, she noticed that many Burmese are in the area, this is not safe, especial we are three girls together. At night, we locked the door tight and watched Thai soap opera together. I learnt to watch Thai Royal news and was able to enjoy watching Korean TV series "大長今" by reading Chinese subtitles. Regardless the lack of local infrastructure, I enjoyed this adventure, and I had really good sticky mango rice Ana's mom prepared.

My visit to Thailand was really too short. I kept believing I had one extra day in Thailand, and Ana has to constantly remind me when day of my flight home. I spent all my money on a couple of massage sessions before I left Thailand. I ran out of money and have to ask Ana to lend me some in the end. I am such a lousy traveler. I have to pay Ana back the money I owe, and this gives me a good reason to go visit her again soon. I have to pay Ana back her money, right! :)

Confusion

2006-03-05T15:05:00.000-08:00

Project Name: Confusion
Clay Type: Stoneware Sleeper
Glaze: Window Clear, Leslie's black undergalze (cone 10)

Description:
This piece is again done in sleeper stoneware clay, fired to cone10. The black imprints are made from a paint roller with specific pattern carved out. The diffused black underglaze, under window clear glaze, looks fuzzy, yet unique. I wonder if this piece is a break through of my existing work.

Its sister piece awaits to be fired next week.

Blue Blue Checker

2006-03-05T14:58:00.000-08:00

Theme Name: Blue Blue Check
Clay Type: B-Mix (cone 10)
Glaze: New Blue, Leslie's blue underglaze, C.Ball Turquoise Blue, Window Clear

Description:
Blue checker bowls. This is the shape I have been practicing in the past few months. I added 1x1 square to each of the rice bowl for decoration. Squares and checkers are the theme of this project. I am experimenting adding decorative pieces to my work. I think they turned out okay, but I am not overwhelmingly satisfied with the look. The interior C.Ball Turquoise blue is one of my favorite glaze so far.

Tea Time

2006-03-05T14:36:00.000-08:00

Project Name: Tea Time
Clay Type: Stoneware Sleeper (high fire)
Glaze: Green Celadon, Green Oribe, Waxy white, iron oxide (cone 10)

Description:

The trio tea set is made of white sleeper clay. The clay body is very similar to porcelain, soft and smooth, hard to control in throwing, comparing to recycled clay. Nature is the dominant motif in this project, presented by sun, water spiral, and mountain carved on each piece. The choice of glaze reinforces the theme, with light green celadon on the outside, oribe green in the inside, and ocean blue glaze as a result of waxy white overlaying oribe green. The carved symbols are washed with iron oxide prior to applying the glaze. This is a cute and lovely set. I hope it could be inspirational.

Scar

2006-03-05T14:27:00.000-08:00

Theme Name: Scars
Clay: recycle mixed clay (high fire)
Glaze: matt black, matt white, clear clay, black underglaze

Item 01: Surface Scar

Description:
This is the first piece made for theme "Scars". It's a representation of emotional scars people bare in the duration of lives. Some of the scars never heal; some of the scars are more visible than others. Nevertheless, our internal wounds and scars define who we are, and how different we are from one another. This is the first piece made for this theme.

Nine Sons of Dragon

2006-02-19T23:27:00.000-08:00

Baxia, photo taken in Gulin, China.

古人云：「一龍生九子，各不成龍。」

"Dragon has nine sons, each is unique, but without the full form of a dragon."

HAOXIAN

A reckless and adventurous dragon whose image can be found decorating the eaves of palaces.

YAZI

Valiant and bellicose; his image is seen on sword-hilts and knife hilts.

CHIWEN

Chiwen likes to gaze into the distance and his appearance is often carved on pinnacles.

BAXIA

Baxia is a good swimmer and his image decorates many bridge piers and archways.

PULAO

Pulao is fond of roaring and his figure is carved on bells.

BIXI

Bixi is an excellent pack-animal whose image appears on panniers.

QIUNIU

Qiuniu loves music and his figure is a common decoration on the bridge of stringed musical instruments.

SUANMI

Suanmi is fond of smoke and fire; his likeness can be seen on the legs of incense-burners.

JIAOTU

Jiaotu is as tight-lipped as a mussel or a snail. His image is carved on doors.

Muscle Memories

2006-02-18T16:57:00.000-08:00

Any good athlete is required to have flawless muscle memories, without it, one will lost his/her precision in performing to a sport’s perfection. Muscle memories have been mentioned fairly often in the past few days, ever since the opening of 2006 Winter Olympics in Torino, Italy.

Throwing vessels on a potter’s wheel also requires muscle memories. For formal ceramic students who have gone through rigorous trainings, cylinders, bowls, and plates, the three basic forms, are to be made repetitively. Perfection and precision are expected, and these values do not come without muscle memories.

In pottery class, we train our muscles to remember a certain posture, a certain movement, a certain pressure exerted. With these memories, one would be able to produce high quality pieces, effortlessly, and timely.

Before I start doing pottery again, I didn’t know I was actually starting myself on a new sport. I have to say, my back hurts, and my muscles do not have good memories. Yet, I love it.

V-Day Pillow Fight

2006-02-14T22:35:00.000-08:00

I thought I need anger management, and maybe I was wrong. A friend invited me to the famous SF pillow fight on V-day, and I have to say there are a number of people who need anger management more than I do. Public pillow fight is like a mini Halloween in SF, and you get to see people fight with different techniques. Though I was classified as the passive aggressive type, I definitely had no problem hitting strangers with my pillow. Feathers and pillows everywhere. I enjoy this image forever in my head. By the way, I am glad birdflu has not spread to N. America; otherwise, I would think twice before going to a feathery place like this.

Love Defuses Everything?

2006-01-31T22:23:00.001-08:00

Project: Love Defuses Everything

Clay Body: B-Mix
Glaze: Flat-black, black underglaze (cone 10), matt white

Does love defuse everything?
My answer would be 'Yes', with all the naiveness still in me.
If love defuese everything, may it also diffuse death.

PS. Contrary to the photo, love is always not black and white.

Journey of Love - Helping Homeless Dogs in Taiwan

2005-12-12T14:29:00.000-08:00

I came across this link http://www.savedogs.org/english/journey_of_love_Taiwan via Google search today. I heard stories of people rescuing homeless dogs in Taiwan and provide them new homes in Germany. I am glad I finally found an equivalent program in USA. As many of you may not know, a majority of homeless dogs in Taiwan is put to sleep without even the chance to be adopted. I have seen and heard real-life stories about dogs (many are purebred, believe it or not) who got abandoned by their owners and ended up . Animal Rescue Team TAIWAN now offers an alternative to these unfortunate pets, and all they need is your help to fly with a dog from Taiwan to San Francisco, Los Angeles, or Seattle. All costs of flying the to-be-adopted dog are covered by the rescue society. Please forward this article and the link above to friends or family who may be traveling between Taiwan and USA. A suffering dog awaits your help and a new life!!!

Las Cabos Mexico

2005-12-01T12:21:00.000-08:00

Our Cabo Adventure
- by Lilei

Lilei usually has better ability to describe in reality better than I do.
Therefore, I asked Lilei to detail our recent trip to Los Cabos.

Day 1:
We arrive at San Jose Del Cabo airport. As soon as we clear customs, guys in official looking badges approach us and ask to look at our documents (tourist card -- which we have to keep until we leave Mexico or they charge $50 USD, and shuttle voucher to the hotel). One guy passes our stuff to another guy at an official looking counter. The "official" at the counter looks at our documents and tells us where and when to catch our shuttle and provides us with maps and a tourist magazine. He then proceeds to tell us that because of where we are staying, we are entitled to a free Sunset Cruise (believable), a free dinner (not so believable) and gift certificates (definitely not!). He says he's from the Hotel Association and would just need 75 (Mexican) minutes of our time. At this point, we know he's a timeshare rep, so we take our map and magazine and say "gracias". He then tries to ask us out for drinks and dancing that night, so we start walking away. As soon as we get outside, there are more "officials" taking the travel documents out of our hands trying to offer us "helpful" information. We take our documents back and look for our Grayline shuttle driver. After finding our driver, we wait around for another half hour before leaving to pick up more people from the other terminals. On our way to dropping people off, the driver asks us if we want to pick up snacks and beer because it would take us an hour before we arrive at our hotel. We politely decline. Two and a half hours after landing, we finally arrive at Pueblo Bonito Pacifica (http://www.pueblobonitopacifica.com/) in Cabo San Lucas. This is an absolutely amazing resort, which just opened in April. The landscaping is desert zen and there are no kids allowed, so it's very quiet. All the employees are extremely polite. The only downside is that it's so secluded that it takes a little effort to get anywhere. A taxi ride into town is $10. There is a shuttle that runs between its sister hotel (Pueblo Bonito Sunset) half a mile up the hill, but it only leaves once every hour. And once at the Sunset, another shuttle will take you to a sister hotel (Pueblo Bonito Rose) in downtown, but that doesn't leave for another 45 minutes. We decide to chill at the hotel for the rest of the day.

Day 2:
We've booked a "Waterfall and Canyon" hiking trip with Baja Wild (http://www.bajawild.com/). Their shuttle arrives on time at 7AM. We pick up guests from other hotels and head to a bakery in San Jose del Cabo for breakfast. We make another stop at a small town called Santiago to pick up ice. The town is very quaint and pleasant. It feels more like Mexico as opposed to LA, which much of Cabo feels like. The hike itself turns out to be more strenuous than we expected. Instead of just dirt trails, it's mostly rocks going steeply up or steeply down. Marcos, one of our guides, is kind enough to carry our water for us. The hardest and most beautiful part of the hike is around the waterfall. We climb boulders along a small river until we reach the waterfall. At the waterfall, there are people diving from the top into the pool below. Luke, the other guide, meets us at this point to help us climb down from the waterfall to the pool (since none of us are willing to dive). There are parts where we each take turns sliding down the rocks, with Marcos holding onto us at the top and Luke catching us at the bottom. Once we reach the pool, others in the group go for a little diving from a large boulder, while Kathy and I rest our feet in the water. We climb a different way back up from the pool. There is a rope that is supposed to help people, but given the steepness it is better to use our hands on the rocks. We go for a little rock climbing. On our way back to Cabo San Lucas, the group stops by Tacqeria Rossy's in San Jose del Cabo for an afternoon bite. The fish tacos are so good and all the locals know it. Fish tacos are 10 pesos each; shrimp and scallops tacos are 18 pesos. (10 pesos = $1 USD) After we are dropped off at our hotel, we decide to check out the famous Mi Casa in town for dinner. We get a free taxi ride from a conceited lawyer who wants to show off to his girlfriend by saying to us "Don't ever say a lawyer wasn't nice to you." At the restaurant, the rose lady leaves us roses courtesy of an older Caucasian gentlemen with his Asian wife. Mi Casa is not cheap Mexican food, but it delicious! However, the flan is extremely disappointing. Don't ever order it.

Day 3:
We relax in downtown Cabo San Lucas for the day. At the Marina, we haggle our way to an $8/person water taxi to take us around the arch. Some local tourists get on and we pick up a few more from Lover's Beach on our way back. It's nice not to have other American tourists with us. We have been entertaining the idea of renting a car and driving to Todos Santos. On our way to catch the shuttle back to our hotel, we pass by Payless Car Rental and they seem to offer the best rate, so we make a reservation for the next day.

Day 4:
To prepare for our car rental, we put $20 USD in envelopes in case we get pulled over by Mexican police. We heard they will randomly pull tourists over just to get bribes. We wait over half an hour for Payless to pick us up, but they're a no show. We turn to plan B: take a bus to San Jose del Cabo. The taxi drops us off at the bus station in front of the mall. We only wait 5 minutes before a bus comes and it's only $2/person to go to San Jose del Cabo. There are only a couple of tourists on the bus with us. A local points us to the stop to get off of. San Jose del Cabo is much smaller and less touristy than Cabo San Lucas. We walk to the town square to look for the tamales lady that Marcos recommended, but we don't see her. It's a Sunday and everything seems to be closed. We hit the only place that is open, a French bakery and have lunch there. Pastries in Mexico are a lot less sweet than in the US and their sweetness seems to come from honey rather than sugar. It's yummy! By the way, the pastry chef who works there is yummy as well! He keeps looking at us while walking about and continues to watch us while kneading the dough behind the kitchen glass. We finally acknowledge his attention by making eye contact, smiling back and waving goodbye on our way out. We find out that Sunday in Mexico is church/family day. That's why everything is closed. We manage to find the main boulevard with open souvenir shops and do some shopping. We're low on pesos after shopping, so we make an ATM stop. Kathy uses her card, but selects the wrong account. Instead of giving her any type of warning message, the ATM chooses not to do anything and doesn't give her card back. I still have some cash left, so I become her ATM. For dinner we head to Tacqueria Rossy's for some fish tacos before taking the bus back. After the hotel shuttle drops us off at the Sunset, we figure we have enough energy to walk downhill to the Pacifica instead of waiting another 20 minutes for the other shuttle. The road is very, very dark, with minimal lighting coming from the small lights in the median. We assume it's safe enough since hotel security is at both ends of the road. After taking some funny hitchhiking pictures, we continue along the curve and notice a taxi (large white van), making a U-turn in front of us and pulling over on a dirt path that shoots off the main road. He stops and gets out of the car. We have no idea what he's doing because we can't see anything. We only know that we should walk faster. Kathy asks me if I remember my moves (I took self-defense recently). I tell her that there's two of us and one of him and we can take him if it comes down to it. So we scramble to our hotel, looking back to make sure he isn't following us.

Day 5:
We spend the entire day at the spa! The spa at the Rose is complete with sauna, Swiss shower, two large jacuzzis with waterfalls and a cold plunge. We both have hot stone massages and cactus body wraps. The massage is the best I've had yet! This time we decide to wait for the shuttle to the Pacifica.

Day 6:
Back to reality!

24 Preludes of Chopin - Compagnie Marie Chouinard

2005-11-06T22:21:00.000-08:00

I have to admit I am usually not a fan of modern dance; however, a dance titled "Preludes of Chopin" by Compagnie Marie Chouinard changed my view on modern dance completely. I got invited to see their performance in San Francisco a couple of weeks ago, and I have to say it is such an eye-opening experience. Without any prior knowledge to either the dance or its music by Chopin, I thought I wouldn't get much out of it, needless to say any appreciation. But soon after the performance started, I knew I was wrong, deadly wrong.

The dance and the music piece written by Chopin are closely coupled. The dance is choreographed so the dancers' movements are coherent with rhythm, tempo, and the emotion a particular prelude brings. The dancers would use their limbs and torsos mimicking music notes, end of meter, and triad when dancing in teams. It is such a wonderful experience as an audience, to see Chopin's music came to live, literally in the form of human bodies. There is one segment of the dance I like the most: a dancer would dance from one end of the stage to the middle, and as soon as she reached the center, two other dancers would come and drag her back to the end, where she would start the same dance again. This dance routine repeated three times, just like what a repeated section is in music theory. (Thank God! I took Music 101 in college.) It is such a creative method to express music details in the choreograph of the dance!

24 Preludes of Chopin. It is such a treat to the mind be able to enjoy Chopin's master piece, not only by hearing it, but more importantly by seeing it!

For more information, please visit their website at http://www.mariechouinard.com/flash.html

The Little Prince - Le Petit Prince

2005-10-18T15:27:00.000-07:00

I start to read The Little Prince again after leaving it on the book shelf for many years. As I am growing older, I found I like this world famous book more and more....

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Antoine de Saint-Exupéry - The Little Prince

I.

Once when I was six years old I saw a magnificent picture in a book, called True Stories from Nature, about the primeval forest. It was a picture of a boa constrictor in the act of swallowing an animal. Here is a copy of the drawing.

In the book it said: "Boa constrictors swallow their prey whole, without chewing it. After that they are not able to move, and they sleep through the six months that they need for digestion."

I pondered deeply, then, over the adventures of the jungle. And after some work with a colored pencil I succeeded in making my first drawing. My Drawing Number One. It looked like this:

I showed my masterpiece to the grown-ups, and asked them whether the drawing frightened them.

But they answered: "Frighten? Why should any one be frightened by a hat?"

My drawing was not a picture of a hat. It was a picture of a boa constrictor digesting an elephant. But since the grown-ups were not able to understand it, I made another drawing: I drew the inside of the boa constrictor, so that the grown-ups could see it clearly. They always need to have things explained. My Drawing Number Two looked like this:

The grown-ups' response, this time, was to advise me to lay aside my drawings of boa constrictors, whether from the inside or the outside, and devote myself instead to geography, history, arithmetic and grammar. That is why, at the age of six, I gave up what might have been a magnificent career as a painter. I had been disheartened by the failure of my Drawing Number One and my Drawing Number Two. Grown-ups never understand anything by themselves, and it is tiresome for children to be always and forever explaining things to them.

So then I chose another profession, and learned to pilot airplanes. I have flown a little over all parts of the world; and it is true that geography has been very useful to me. At a glance I can distinguish China from Arizona. If one gets lost in the night, such knowledge is valuable.

In the course of this life I have had a great many encounters with a great many people who have been concerned with matters of consequence. I have lived a great deal among grown-ups. I have seen them intimately, close at hand. And that hasn't much improved my opinion of them.

Whenever I met one of them who seemed to me at all clear-sighted, I tried the experiment of showing him my Drawing Number One, which I have always kept. I would try to find out, so, if this was a person of true understanding. But, whoever it was, he, or she, would always say: "That is a hat."
Then I would never talk to that person about boa constrictors, or primeval forests, or stars. I would bring myself down to his level. I would talk to him about bridge, and golf, and politics, and neckties. And the grown-up would be greatly pleased to have met such a sensible man.

Between Art and Craft

2005-10-05T22:59:00.000-07:00

An Revelation in Understanding of Art

Last Saturday was a day to be remembered because I reached an epiphany in the understanding of art. My ceramics teacher had a brief discussion with me regarding factors in creation of art. This talk was a continuation from the topic of centering versus off-centering pots, from the previous post. My teacher described he has seen artists making life-like clay figurines, modeled after birds, trees, down to the details of feathers and everything. One could mistakenly think the clay figurines are real birds or animals from afar. However, is there any value in this close resemblance to living creatures? Does a life-like bird figurine move its audience emotionally at all? What could one say about a creation as such beside “It’s neat”? The distinction between art and craft lies in the answers to these questions.

After class, I was sent to a near-by gallery, Trax, by my instructor who has informed the gallery owner/artist the week before about my curiosity in off-centered ceramics artwork. When I arrived at Trax, Mr. Robert Brady was working on throwing pots without water, so his wife received me and answered some of my questions in methods of making off-centered pots. Visiting Trax is an inspirational experience to me. I was truly amazed and touched by some of the art pieces on display in the gallery. I am so determined to make my pots functional art pieces from now on.

http://www.traxgallery.com

Finding Harmony in Color

2005-09-27T20:41:00.000-07:00

Project Name: Iron Red Flower Pot with Celadon
Clay Type (high fire): B-Mix
Glaze (cone 10): iron red, Celadon, matt white, black underglaze

Many times, two beautiful colors may not be the best match for each other. I have a rich glossy iron red glaze for the exterior of this flower pot and a smooth green Celadon for the interior. Although both glazes are beautiful and turned out nicely after high fire, I felt the color combination of red and green does not seem to be in perfect harmony.

I will try glossy black for the interior next time; however, I will refuse to coat inside of this bowl with iron red. There is no fun with a lack of contract. Anyhow, this recipe may become useful in December when X'MAS comes. Red and green are the right colors for Christmas, after all.

La Mer

2005-09-21T20:29:00.000-07:00

La Mer

- song by Charles Trenet
- special thanks to Ludovic Ferret for the English translation

La mer
Qu'on voit danser le long des golfes clairs
A des reflets d'argent
La mer
Des reflets changeants
Sous la pluie

The Sea
One can see it dancing along clear gulfs
Has silver reflections
The sea
Changing reflections
Under the rain

La mer
Au ciel d'été confond
Ses blancs moutons
Avec les anges si purs
La mer bergère d'azur
Infinie

The sea
You can confuse the summer sky
Its white sheeps
With pure angels
The sea is a sky-blue shepherd
Infinite

Voyez
Près des étangs
Ces grands roseaux mouillés
Voyez
Ces oiseaux blancs
Et ces maisons rouillées

See
Near fishponds
These wet and tall reeds
See
These white birds
And these rusted houses

La mer
Les a bercés
Le long des golfes clairs
Et d'une chanson d'amour
La mer
A bercé mon cour pour la vie

The sea
Cradled them
Along clear gulfs
And with a love song
The sea
Cradled my heart for life

On the topic of centering

2005-09-17T15:58:00.000-07:00

Centering:

Centering is the most fundamental and important technique in wheel throwing pottery. How well the clay is centered on a wheel very much determines the outcome of the project. There is no room for debating on the essentialness of perfect centering, and this is true even when the intention is to produce an eccentric (symmetrical) form*. To center a piece of clay, one has to have steady hands and good control of force. Too much force can jerk an already centered clay body off center; too little force only leaves the clay body in a wobbly state. Any project that starts with off-centered clay is destined to be defective, and if the mistake is not detected earlier on, the work is usually wasted and cannot be salvaged. Re-centering from scratch will be the only solution. Sometimes, perfect centering can take years to learn, depending on personal talent.

I often think about life when centering clay on a wheel. I suppose the rules of centering can be applied to life in general. I am looking forward to the day when my centering technique is perfect.

P.S. The bottom 1/2" of clay is known to be the hardest to center because it is too close to the wheel.

*Note: Thanks to fellow blog member commenting on this topic. I asked my teather who has been throwing pots for the last 25 years. Yes, there are artists who purposely throw off-centered pots when asymmetrical forms or off-centered work is what the artists desire; however, in the training as a potter, one has to learn proper centering first.

Red Rose & White Rose - Eileen Chang

2005-09-13T10:05:00.000-07:00

This is my favorite story written by Eileen Chang who was regarded as one of the best Chinese novelists in Chinese literary world. It is this story that inspires the movie "In the Mood for Love". I couldn't find the English translation of the story, so I translated the famous two paragrahs from the story here. I hope my translation is not too bad.

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振保的生命裡有兩個女人，他說的一個是他的白玫瑰，一個是他的紅玫瑰。一個是聖潔的妻，一個是熱烈的情婦──普通人向來是這樣把節烈兩個字分開來講的。

也許每一個男子全都有過這樣的兩個女人，至少兩個。娶了紅玫瑰，久而久之，紅的變了牆上的一抹蚊子血，白的還是"床前明月光"；娶了白玫瑰，白的便是衣服上沾的一粒飯黏子，紅的卻是心口上一顆硃砂痣。在振保可不是這樣的，他是有始有終的，有條有理的。他整個地是這樣一個最合理想的中國現代人物，縱然他遇到的事不是盡合理想的，給他自己心問口，口問心，幾下子一調理，也就變得彷彿理想化了，萬物各得其所。

Red Rose, White Rose

There were two women in Cheng-bao’s life. One he referred to as his white rose, and the other one his red rose. One is a chaste wife, the other one is a passionate mistress. – This is where people always use the words virginal and promiscuous to describe the two types.

Men probably all had two women like these in their lives, two the least. If one marries red rose, the red eventually faded into a blood stain on the wall, meanwhile, the white would still be remembered as the pure moonlight of a clear night. If one marries white rose, as time goes, the white became the steam rice on one’s collar; however, the red is like a red birth mark on the heart. Cheng-bao does not think like that. He is someone with principles, with disciplines. His being fits perfectly to what is of an ideal modern Chinese. Although he had encountered imperfections in life, he could always internalize and idealize them, so the world is as perfect as it is.

Gift for Grandpa & Grandma

2005-09-11T20:44:00.000-07:00

Project: Grandpa & Grandma
Glaze (cone 10): Black Underglaze, White matte, Deep Green, Celadon (inside)
Clay (high fire): B-Mix

Underglazes provide colors that are more stable and predictable than oxides and are often means of obtaining reds, yellows, and other bright colors. I use black underglaze mainly for writing, drawings, and signing my work. Pencil is used to transfer initial drawings to bisqueware.

Pencil mark burns out at high temperatures; thus leaves no trace of the original writing or drawing.

Celadon Rice Bowls

2005-09-11T20:25:00.000-07:00

Project Name: Celadon Rice Bowls
Glaze (cone 10): Celadon, White Matt, Oribe Green
Clay (high fire): B-Mix, Recyle Clay

Celadon is one of the oldest glazes in the history of ceramics. It was first produced in China during the Five Dynasties (907-960) and is charaterized by the well refined jade-like glaze. The green glaze is clean, simple, and beautiful.

Here is a trivia I learnt about Celadon:

"Celadon was the hero of the French writer Honore d'Urfe's romance L'Astrée (1610), the lover of the heroine Astrée. He was presented as a young man in green and his dress became all the rage in Europe. And it was just about this time that the Chinese qingci made its debut in Paris and won acclaim. People compared its colour to Celadon's suit and started to call the porcelain "celadon," a name which has stuck and spread to other Countries."

If this question ever comes up in Trivial of Pursuit, I am sure I will score the point.

My favorite short story by Haruki Murakami

2005-09-09T16:56:00.000-07:00

On seeing the 100% perfect girl one beautiful April morning

by Haruki Murakami
translated by Jay Rubin

One beautiful April morning, on a narrow side street in Tokyo's fashionable Harujuku neighborhood, I walked past the 100% perfect girl.

Tell you the truth, she's not that good-looking. She doesn't stand out in any way. Her clothes are nothing special. The back of her hair is still bent out of shape from sleep. She isn't young, either - must be near thirty, not even close to a "girl," properly speaking. But still, I know from fifty yards away: She's the 100% perfect girl for me. The moment I see her, there's a rumbling in my chest, and my mouth is as dry as a desert.

Maybe you have your own particular favorite type of girl - one with slim ankles, say, or big eyes, or graceful fingers, or you're drawn for no good reason to girls who take their time with every meal. I have my own preferences, of course. Sometimes in a restaurant I'll catch myself staring at the girl at the next table to mine because I like the shape of her nose.

But no one can insist that his 100% perfect girl correspond to some preconceived type. Much as I like noses, I can't recall the shape of hers - or even if she had one. All I can remember for sure is that she was no great beauty. It's weird.

"Yesterday on the street I passed the 100% girl," I tell someone.

"Yeah?" he says. "Good-looking?"

"Not really."

"Your favorite type, then?"

"I don't know. I can't seem to remember anything about her - the shape of her eyes or the size of her breasts."

"Strange."

"Yeah. Strange."

"So anyhow," he says, already bored, "what did you do? Talk to her? Follow her?"

"Nah. Just passed her on the street."

She's walking east to west, and I west to east. It's a really nice April morning.

Wish I could talk to her. Half an hour would be plenty: just ask her about herself, tell her about myself, and - what I'd really like to do - explain to her the complexities of fate that have led to our passing each other on a side street in Harajuku on a beautiful April morning in 1981. This was something sure to be crammed full of warm secrets, like an antique clock build when peace filled the world.

After talking, we'd have lunch somewhere, maybe see a Woody Allen movie, stop by a hotel bar for cocktails. With any kind of luck, we might end up in bed.

Potentiality knocks on the door of my heart.

Now the distance between us has narrowed to fifteen yards.

How can I approach her? What should I say?

"Good morning, miss. Do you think you could spare half an hour for a little conversation?"

Ridiculous. I'd sound like an insurance salesman.

"Pardon me, but would you happen to know if there is an all-night cleaners in the neighborhood?"

No, this is just as ridiculous. I'm not carrying any laundry, for one thing. Who's going to buy a line like that?

Maybe the simple truth would do. "Good morning. You are the 100% perfect girl for me."

No, she wouldn't believe it. Or even if she did, she might not want to talk to me. Sorry, she could say, I might be the 100% perfect girl for you, but you're not the 100% boy for me. It could happen. And if I found myself in that situation, I'd probably go to pieces. I'd never recover from the shock. I'm thirty-two, and that's what growing older is all about.

We pass in front of a flower shop. A small, warm air mass touches my skin. The asphalt is damp, and I catch the scent of roses. I can't bring myself to speak to her. She wears a white sweater, and in her right hand she holds a crisp white envelope lacking only a stamp. So: She's written somebody a letter, maybe spent the whole night writing, to judge from the sleepy look in her eyes. The envelope could contain every secret she's ever had.

I take a few more strides and turn: She's lost in the crowd.

Now, of course, I know exactly what I should have said to her. It would have been a long speech, though, far too long for me to have delivered it properly. The ideas I come up with are never very practical.

Oh, well. It would have started "Once upon a time" and ended "A sad story, don't you think?"

Once upon a time, there lived a boy and a girl. The boy was eighteen and the girl sixteen. He was not unusually handsome, and she was not especially beautiful. They were just an ordinary lonely boy and an ordinary lonely girl, like all the others. But they believed with their whole hearts that somewhere in the world there lived the 100% perfect boy and the 100% perfect girl for them. Yes, they believed in a miracle. And that miracle actually happened.

One day the two came upon each other on the corner of a street.

"This is amazing," he said. "I've been looking for you all my life. You may not believe this, but you're the 100% perfect girl for me."

"And you," she said to him, "are the 100% perfect boy for me, exactly as I'd pictured you in every detail. It's like a dream."

They sat on a park bench, held hands, and told each other their stories hour after hour. They were not lonely anymore. They had found and been found by their 100% perfect other. What a wonderful thing it is to find and be found by your 100% perfect other. It's a miracle, a cosmic miracle.

As they sat and talked, however, a tiny, tiny sliver of doubt took root in their hearts: Was it really all right for one's dreams to come true so easily?

And so, when there came a momentary lull in their conversation, the boy said to the girl, "Let's test ourselves - just once. If we really are each other's 100% perfect lovers, then sometime, somewhere, we will meet again without fail. And when that happens, and we know that we are the 100% perfect ones, we'll marry then and there. What do you think?"

"Yes," she said, "that is exactly what we should do."

And so they parted, she to the east, and he to the west.

The test they had agreed upon, however, was utterly unnecessary. They should never have undertaken it, because they really and truly were each other's 100% perfect lovers, and it was a miracle that they had ever met. But it was impossible for them to know this, young as they were. The cold, indifferent waves of fate proceeded to toss them unmercifully.

One winter, both the boy and the girl came down with the season's terrible influenza, and after drifting for weeks between life and death they lost all memory of their earlier years. When they awoke, their heads were as empty as the young D. H. Lawrence's piggy bank.

They were two bright, determined young people, however, and through their unremitting efforts they were able to acquire once again the knowledge and feeling that qualified them to return as full-fledged members of society. Heaven be praised, they became truly upstanding citizens who knew how to transfer from one subway line to another, who were fully capable of sending a special-delivery letter at the post office. Indeed, they even experienced love again, sometimes as much as 75% or even 85% love.

Time passed with shocking swiftness, and soon the boy was thirty-two, the girl thirty.

One beautiful April morning, in search of a cup of coffee to start the day, the boy was walking from west to east, while the girl, intending to send a special-delivery letter, was walking from east to west, but along the same narrow street in the Harajuku neighborhood of Tokyo. They passed each other in the very center of the street. The faintest gleam of their lost memories glimmered for the briefest moment in their hearts. Each felt a rumbling in their chest. And they knew:

She is the 100% perfect girl for me.

He is the 100% perfect boy for me.

But the glow of their memories was far too weak, and their thoughts no longer had the clarity of fouteen years earlier. Without a word, they passed each other, disappearing into the crowd.
Forever.

A sad story, don't you think?

Yes, that's it, that is what I should have said to her.