I guess the problem here is... what are you trying to achieve?
If you're trying to get kind of an abstracty color and pattern shot, then there are some interesting elements here. You could have done more with that with a different setup of objects and perhaps some other angles, but it has some interest in that space.
If you're trying to accomplish something artistic
other than that, then I don't see much in this shot. The subject itself is reasonably commonplace, the focus is way off, the composition of the shot is as if you just snapped a quick pic of a soup bowl, etc.
So, overall, I'd say in case 1 you are closer to your goal than you would be in case 2 by quite a bit. However, I think in either case the shot is lacking.
I still like the colors. In fact, I like the colors on the second one better... though I don't know how real the colors are.
