After all the bad stuff that happened last year, I feel like I finally know where I'm heading again after a very, very long time.
Where my development in playing tennis is concerned, I truly feel like I'm beginning to understand what I do best, how I should be playing and what I can do about being able to play the way I see it in my head. That's one thing about me that's always stayed constant, at least - being able to understand and see in my head what I should be doing and how to do it, whether it's my pottery, tennis or whatever.
I might not be in top condition because I've been missing out on the gym workouts but at least I've kept my weight constant and below 200 lbs. I don't think I'll rush back to the gym just yet, however. I've booked my vacation for next month, the Penang Closed Tennis Tournament has been postponed until July, and last but not least, I still need a little more time to get my playing techniques set both mentally as well as physiologically.
I'll concentrate on trying to play tennis the way I believe I can and should be playing as well as building up my stamina. And my pottery. I'd like to do more sculptural forms like this bird cup. I'll donate a quarter of everything I earned from my pottery to charity, so I need a lot of good pieces that will sell.
I can do nice wheel thrown stuff, too, and that's where I'm experimenting with new decoration techniques like slip trailing. The problem with experimenting is that what comes out of the kiln isn't always as I thought it should look like when it went in. Of course, when it does turn out nice, it's always a real joy. I didn't think this mistletoe inspired cup would look particularly pretty, but I'm happy with what I got.
