if this doesn't bring tears to your eyes, you are a cold fish.
this, amongst others, is why carrie underwood's my favourite idol to date.
Sunday, March 30, 2008
a wild life
over the weekend, i had the opportunity to travel up to Janda Baik for 2 days to meet & interview Frederique, a french lady who's called Malaysia her home for the past 6 years.
she stumbled across Malaysia by accident while en route to Thailand from Singapore. she immediately fell in love with the country, its rain forests, culture and people. after settling down for 3 years, she found her soul mate, a malaysian and as a pair they opted to abide in the countryside where they run a simple guest house. there, every minute detail was built and installed by her husband and friends. aptly referred by them as a 'small paradise' the guest house is nestled amidst the relatively undisturbed jungle and even has 2 natural rivers flowing across its lush green surroundings. to say she loves nature would be an understatement and it is this passion that's driven her to advocate Janda Baik as an eco-tourist destination.
the villagers of Janda Baik embrace Fred within their community with open arms; to quote one villager, 'she's extremely amiable and is so willing to learn and immerse herself into the malay culture'. the fact that she speaks bahasa fluently breaks all communication barriers.
like most french (i mean no offense by stereotyping them, or her as a whole, but from observation, this is what i've come to conclude) Fred loves reading philosophy. i took a peek into her collection and found the philosopher's must haves from kundera to antoine de saint exupery's the little prince.
her faith in Islam is strong as well though not in the head-covering traditional sense. she is well read about the religion and lives by the book of God, another reason why she wants to be close to his natural creations. in her spare time Fred writes children's novels for PTS publishing and is a french-malay-english translator for a certain company she never mentioned. her bahasa malaysia is a mile ahead of mine!
one thing i must point out though, i love the way she wears the kain batik. she's got heaps of them since its her staple wear while going about her business around Janda Baik. unlike the traditional way it is worn tied around the waist by hand, she gets hers sewn in a bias cut which is extremely flattering on the figure (i plan to emulate this look).
As we move on to a self-indulgent era surrounded by superficialities, (oh damn...the dark roots of my barbie bleached mane are showing and i haven't made an appointment with my hairdresser! like, yikes! i can't attend the party of the year where dj-i'm-just-here-to-score-hoe is performing looking like a blonde skunk gone wrong replica!) it was humbling to meet an individual like Fred. she reminds me: that the search for a spiritual happiness begins at the roots of God's gift, our beloved mother earth - if we can learn to observe with patience and a sense of adventure.
catch Malaysia My Second home beginning 6th april 2008, 4pm every Sundays on ntv7.
p/s: Fred's episode won't be on air til may
xo
she stumbled across Malaysia by accident while en route to Thailand from Singapore. she immediately fell in love with the country, its rain forests, culture and people. after settling down for 3 years, she found her soul mate, a malaysian and as a pair they opted to abide in the countryside where they run a simple guest house. there, every minute detail was built and installed by her husband and friends. aptly referred by them as a 'small paradise' the guest house is nestled amidst the relatively undisturbed jungle and even has 2 natural rivers flowing across its lush green surroundings. to say she loves nature would be an understatement and it is this passion that's driven her to advocate Janda Baik as an eco-tourist destination.
the villagers of Janda Baik embrace Fred within their community with open arms; to quote one villager, 'she's extremely amiable and is so willing to learn and immerse herself into the malay culture'. the fact that she speaks bahasa fluently breaks all communication barriers.
like most french (i mean no offense by stereotyping them, or her as a whole, but from observation, this is what i've come to conclude) Fred loves reading philosophy. i took a peek into her collection and found the philosopher's must haves from kundera to antoine de saint exupery's the little prince.
her faith in Islam is strong as well though not in the head-covering traditional sense. she is well read about the religion and lives by the book of God, another reason why she wants to be close to his natural creations. in her spare time Fred writes children's novels for PTS publishing and is a french-malay-english translator for a certain company she never mentioned. her bahasa malaysia is a mile ahead of mine!
one thing i must point out though, i love the way she wears the kain batik. she's got heaps of them since its her staple wear while going about her business around Janda Baik. unlike the traditional way it is worn tied around the waist by hand, she gets hers sewn in a bias cut which is extremely flattering on the figure (i plan to emulate this look).
As we move on to a self-indulgent era surrounded by superficialities, (oh damn...the dark roots of my barbie bleached mane are showing and i haven't made an appointment with my hairdresser! like, yikes! i can't attend the party of the year where dj-i'm-just-here-to-score-hoe is performing looking like a blonde skunk gone wrong replica!) it was humbling to meet an individual like Fred. she reminds me: that the search for a spiritual happiness begins at the roots of God's gift, our beloved mother earth - if we can learn to observe with patience and a sense of adventure.
catch Malaysia My Second home beginning 6th april 2008, 4pm every Sundays on ntv7.
p/s: Fred's episode won't be on air til may
xo
Friday, March 21, 2008
faith fool
mummy always tells me, boys are like chocolate cake. a few spoonfuls savor the taste buds lavishly while a decadent serving of the sweet confection leads to an overpowering piquant after-taste that's bad for every part of the self, from the teeth right through to the heart.
in my opinion, when you've eaten too much cake and respectively diagnosed with diabetes you visit an endocrinologist.
after a prescribed treatment involving pills and rehabilitation, you can and will, hopefully get back on track.
which brings me to my case in point: there are no remedial treatments when a boy wrecks the living daylights out of you.
of course, high on the list are girlfriends at hand for moral support. check. tried and tested, yes, it works for the few minutes they lend their shoulder to cry on. once they're gone the sting flares on.
retail therapy does not work because the one person you especially doll up for, is at the moment your antagonist.
forget listening to sad love songs which make you feel even more sorry for yourself.
and then, you're not even motivated to talk to your family members because like a record that loops itself they monotonously repeat- 'oh, you'll get over this. a relationship cannot be perfect at all times' - in that irritatingly wise, been-there-done-that tone.
watching re-runs of sex & the city helps a little. it reminds us, that we are not one and alone in feeling helpless and mildly defeated in the perpetual battle of intimate complexities with the Martians we can't help but hate to love.
in my opinion, when you've eaten too much cake and respectively diagnosed with diabetes you visit an endocrinologist.
after a prescribed treatment involving pills and rehabilitation, you can and will, hopefully get back on track.
which brings me to my case in point: there are no remedial treatments when a boy wrecks the living daylights out of you.
of course, high on the list are girlfriends at hand for moral support. check. tried and tested, yes, it works for the few minutes they lend their shoulder to cry on. once they're gone the sting flares on.
retail therapy does not work because the one person you especially doll up for, is at the moment your antagonist.
forget listening to sad love songs which make you feel even more sorry for yourself.
and then, you're not even motivated to talk to your family members because like a record that loops itself they monotonously repeat- 'oh, you'll get over this. a relationship cannot be perfect at all times' - in that irritatingly wise, been-there-done-that tone.
watching re-runs of sex & the city helps a little. it reminds us, that we are not one and alone in feeling helpless and mildly defeated in the perpetual battle of intimate complexities with the Martians we can't help but hate to love.
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