New Projects!

I woke up in the morning to my cat head butting my nose, I guess it's a lot better than her breathing in my face!  Two seconds later my daughter is knocking on my door, "waaattttt !!!"  I wail, (can a person not even sleep in ?)  "Wake up muuummmmm"   my daughter calls out.   "What is the b!@@dy time for gods sake!"  I yell at her , "it's 6.45" she yells back cheerily, oh groannnn.. the school run, oh the joys of parenthood. 

Well now that the drama of the dengue fever is over , I can go back to focusing on my work. I have finally finished the presentation deck for a new show, which I usually send out to my producer and best friend who is in Australia,

My bestie and Producer Peggy, on another mad night out.

because a.) I value her opinion and b.) she has no hesitation in giving me her undiluted opinion , even if I don't like it.  I try not to argue back too much but she knows me too well !! Then I also have another bestie in a part of Europe who critiques my writing and editing skills ( my grammar and editing is a bit orf at times!)  and a couple who help me with my 'cough cough "sums", my layout and graphics.  So you see having your tribe supporting you is really important , I couldn't do it without them.

You are wondering where I get my creative concepts from ?, I guess it has to do with what is happening in my life at the moment , after all that's how I got the concept for the 'Art of Living Show', it was basically about friends and family looking for housing, this new show is also quite personal , and it came to me about a year and a half ago when I was visiting my mum in England. 

I've begun to start  looking for sponsors , and said as much on one of my social networking platforms.  I'm really pleased to know that people are reading this blog and reaching out to offer their help to me. It's absolutely wonderful to know that people are willing to pool their resources together and muck in,  we all benefit in the end right?.

Shooting the Art f Living Show on location in Port Dickson

For the first season of my first show,  I was incredibly lucky and managed to land a fantastic sponsor for the entire show, but it's never that easy especially if you're not working in the "system".  I am not affiliated to any cable or FTA networks or assigned productions, so being the little rebel that I am, I source my own sponsorship.   Having had to do this for a few years , I can say that there are also bodies out there to help you (err not those kind of bodies gals.. sorry eeppp!) 

Of course the first that comes to mind is FINAS.  I have been there, I have pitched my show for  my second season,  they usually have a panel of  8- 12 professionals from the film & media world who will review your work, so make sure you have alot of hard copies and CD's of your show ready! Don't worry,  if you are presenting to them, they will give you a list of what is required.

However the main centre to hand out information would be KPKK ,  I found the folk there to be very friendly and informative, they will also be the ones to send out circulars on Industry Grants  from the following agencies

• MDEC  that is our Multimedia Corporation and they offer great grants , especially tech driven content, their VP Michael Warren is a really decent chap if you can get ahold of him!
• CRADLE their mission is to help with start ups and and seeding content driven projects, make sure you're books are up to date!
• MTDC which is the Malaysian Technology Development Corporation, they have the most substantial grants to offer.  You can also look into SKMM because when they tender grants they are fairly substantial too.

Just be prepared to have all your documents in order, and what I mean is,  deep breath, 

your company documents (yes you have to have a company already set up) , your annual reports or audited reports, P&L reports, and company profile and a write up on your project. Yes it's a lot, but if you take it a step at a time, you'll get all the docs  and be able to send it off to them.  My suggestion, be patient, be persistent and try to make friends with them, no one ever lost out by being friendly and nice.

The  creative investment arm of our government is called MYCREATIVE .  The CEO is a chap called Johan Ishak, he's really switched on and is a tremendous help, as are the other team members.  I have nothing but good things to say about this body, however, they go through everything with a FINE tooth comb to be able to grant you any sort of loan, so make sure you are really prepared. 

I managed to rope Johan in for an interview on the radio station.

There are many grants and loans available from the government and non government sectors, the main objective  if you want one,  is to grit your teeth, and get on with it.  If this is what you want to do, then roll your sleeves up and just go for it! 

I've always said being a producer is very much like being an actress, you're bogged down with one show for several months then you have months free till the next one! Which is why I started doing  World Ventures , writing and some PR work In between otherwise I'd go potty!! But you see I love what I do, I love that my film directors can interpret what's in my head and breathe life into it, can't wait to get stuck in, elbow deep, knee high in celluloid!      ( hello I didn't say cellulite k stop giving me beauty spa recommendations!!)

Now to get back to my most favourite part.... not!, getting the budget cut down even further! Have a lovely week folks, catch you on the flip side. 

Mozbite

 I was a bit distracted  this week because my son had a high temperature over the weekend. It carried through to  Monday, which was a public holiday for the Thaipusam hindu festival.   I  have said Malaysia has probably the highest amount of public holidays because Malaysia believes it is fair to celebrate everything from the abundant choice of multicultural public holidays, kids rejoice, parents sigh.   

So anyway I'm doing rough drafts of the different blogs I'm going to write and at the same time  making sure that my son is well stocked up with  aspirin to keep his temperature down.   Come Tuesday and the temperature still has not gone.    I told him  it's time for us to go to the doctor because it's not normal to have a temperature for this amount of time.   So we head on over to the local clinic,  he started having a flushed rash on his face,  indicators of Dengue Fever.  
As soon as we met with  the doctor,  he says, " okay let's do the blood tests and you'll be able to find out in the next couple of hours if you have dengue.   So trying not to panic since we live in the tropics,  and Dengue is prevalent in this country,  I asked him for all the things that I had to prepare for.    Most of the people that I knew who had been diagnosed with dengue had to be  admitted to the hospital,  and would be on a drip anywhere from 5 to 10 days.  Doc  says " well let's find out the results first ,  I will call you to let you know as soon a I can. "   First thing I do is call my insurance lady to make sure that everything is in order,  and no it's not and according to them, Dengue doesn't fall under the critical illness category.   I wonder what it does fall under..... 

Because I can't focus on my work so I start piddling around the house and start to cook (it's good therapy!)    I decided to make some bread ,(don't worry I have a bread machine which my dad gave me,.. I wonder why hmmmnnn) and  to also make some pumpkin soup.  Well it  would be easier for my kids to eat that evening for dinner.  

  Some quick picks here of me  making my bread and soup.

I'm anxiously waiting for the doctor to give me some news, and finally we get the call.   He says "yes your son is dengue positive,   we have to keep monitoring his blood platelets, it's not in the danger zone yet but  since you're quite a concerned parent that we suggest that you admit him into hospital , however you are quite welcome to a second opinion."

I called up my girlfriend who is the head of the ER  in one of the premier private hospitals here.   She assured me that he would be fine,  she said " why don't we just keep monitoring him,  don't bring him in yet,  he seems to be fine, his appetite is good, make him drink lots of water and keep the temperature under control, he will have another blood test  tomorrow and we'll check his levels then"  she told me to call her anytime and rung off. 

Now as we all know, there is no actual cure for Dengue!   You basically have to wait for it to run its course. I wanted to know if there was  any natural remedy for it , so  using my trusted search engine I started googling natural remedies for Dengue.   A load of articles popped up with papaya leaf extract.   Its seems a couple of spoonfuls twice daily of the extract helps build up the platelets and reduces the fever.  Sounded great to me, so off I went to find papaya leaves... don't ask me how, but i managed to get some (thanks Liza).  I mixed  it with some freshly squeezed orange juice as the extract is pretty bitter (yes I did taste it, it's gah.!)  and made my son drink it all down. (poor thing , more torture )  Mind you he said it wasn't so bitter with the OJ but it left a lingering taste , I didn't ask him to describe it, I could only imagine.  (btw you can also get this extract in pill form) 

My papaya leaves which I soaked and washed

I used my juicer, this is what 3 leaves will give you about 2 tbs 

I added some orange juice to make it more palatable 

  

The potent Papaya Leaf Extract with Orange Juice

So the long wait through the night began,  I  monitor his fever throughout the night and early morning.  My son is a strapping 15-year-old , I have no doubt that he is going to pull through this but I am curious to see what the blood tests will say the next day.
Before we head in to the hospital for the next round of blood tests my son polishes off a massive breakfast .. good sign no?  We're ushered into the doc's office and he does all the usual doctory stuff (you know what i mean ) .He also tells my son he's going to put a line in.  When my son looks blank, he says "we'll be inserting a tube into your vein, so that if we have to admit you we won't have to stick another needle in".  Right, scare tactics working, check, hearth thumping, check, dry mouth but looking confident for son, check.  The doc wants us to wait around for the blood test so we loiter with intent at a coffee outlet.  

Now can you beat this, I get a text back from my  Doctor girlfriend who's monitoring the tests for my son and she says the blood tests have come back and it says dengue negative... huh?  We hustle back to the doctors office, he says the blood work for my son is OK, yes his platelets have dropped a bit but not significantly so we can go home, but on the premise we have to come back again the next day for another blood test to make absolutely sure he's in the clear.   I still can't believe the diagnosis, I'm still hovering over my son who's now giving me the evils (yes I know , helicopter mum much?..) 

On Thursday we went in for the 3rd blood test, my daughter insisted on following us, her motto is " we're family mum, gotta support my bro.."  uh huh or another way for skiving off school...   Anyway, we head in, the nurse takes my son's blood, (vampires in disguise!!)  then as we're walking out of the room, my daughter looks at me and says "I feel a bit dizzy", two seconds later, she drops into a dead faint in my arms!  Thankfully we're in a hospital (duh) and the nurses whizz around to prop her in a wheel chair and then back to the ER (oh what a day!)  OK not to worry, my daughter is not good with the sight of blood, and this is not the first time she's fainted when she's seen blood.  5 minutes later whilst still hooked to the bp machine, she looks at us sheepishly (right brownies all round !)   After the drama the blood test comes back, his platelets are up, he's doing well and we can go home, we've only got one more blood test to do on Sat and we're in the clear!

the extract also comes in pill form

One of the things I've come away with is, check insurance on coverage because a lot of them don't cover dengue, the only one that has a special coverage from dengue is Tokyo Marine.  Guess what I'm going to be buying for the kids and myself today?  now where was that online application again.....

Hey Boss

In my last blog I touched on a few different avenues one could explore whilst waiting for that "job" that you want to land, or if you're still figuring out weather you want to continue being an employee or an employer.  It's a huge undertaking and does require much pondering and I am the queen of over thinking everything except when it comes to doing something I feel passionate about, like this blog :-) 

My partner Stacey and I when we owned VirgoModels

So I was thinking to myself how the young guns are really moving ahead and striving in today's world with their start ups and businesses that seem to just hit it off from the get go,  and then I had to kick myself mentally (lets face it, trying to kick yourself physically is kinda weird and most people would assume you've left your straight jacket hanging around somewhere....)   because I remembered hey I did exactly the same thing too when I was a young gun.    I had my own business by the age of 31.   I had a successful modeling agency , and  following through  that I also had a successful management company that managed the upcoming artist who are all now pretty established...

One of the Bands I managed under G.O Management

I realised being envious was silly, so I quickly shoved that thought  into a deep dark and very dank corner and then began to ponder on some reasons concerning "making it on your own" .  The question is whether or not you are ready to head out on an adventure that  only you can chart.  You have to  decide if you're happy with the so called "security" of being salaried (and lets face it no one is safe no matter how high up the ladder you are, not trying to scare anyone or anything.. just saying) or be the Boss of your own Business. 

I wont say I'm an expert in this, all I'm giving you is my experiences of starting up my own companies, and if it helps, then I've done what I set out to do! There are several things you need to consider.   

Firstly what do you want to do, what do you really love to do?  These are important questions as you will discover you spend more than 80% of your time working (I think we should have 3 day weekends! but hey that's just me!)  Is it something that you're really passionate about?  Have you discussed this with your close group of friends?  Are they supportive or do they think it's the worst idea ever?  Do you have a mentor?  Can you go to them and outline what you intend to do?  I must say I'm a very stubborn person and once I decide to do something, "you can't "  is not in my vocabulary.  That helped a lot in keeping my focus on getting my businesses up and going. Of course I discussed it with a few friends and got them to help me with cash flow projections, 3 to 5 year P&L plans and that dreaded word.. yes.. accounts.. yuck!, to all the accountants out there, we love you, please don't ever change !

Now if you've decided to take the plunge ,  (please don't blame your shampoo for hair loss, it's the stress...) then the first thing you need to do is , set up a company.  In M'sia you have two choices, you can either open up as a sdn bhd (limited co)  or as a sole proprietor.   It all  really depends on the kind of structure that you want for your company and what suits you best.  Sdn Bhds's will obviously cost you more, so ensure you have at least $5K set aside to cover all the different fees when Incorporating a company , this includes secretarial fees, stamping fees and if you buy a shelf company and want to have the name changed.  Pick your company sec carefully, they will be with you for a while, ask friends about theirs or for recommendations. 

If you are opting for a Sdn Bhd then make sure you nominate the other director/s with care, as they have to sign off on all the docs including co cheques.  Now if it's only you running the company and you don't need loans, grants and restructuring every few years it's ok to use family members or friends you trust, I did that, but as we grew, I was advised to bring on shareholders and directors with hefty track records, it would make applications for funds in what ever form much much easier. I now have 2 Directors and 3 shareholders on board who kick butt bebeh!    

On to some frivolity, the name of the company! Heh, for some this doesn't matter, for me, it's part of branding.  My company is named after my 3 kids so it's called Cleiden  (Christopher, Leilani and Ayden)  a girlfriend of mine came up with that (more heads together, more ideas!) here's my link Cleiden Management Productions

The logo is a Maori fish hook aka "hei matau" which represents strength, good luck and safe travel across water (as a producer and creator of shows there is a lot of travelling!). Your company sec will give you a list of names already incorporated if you want a shelf company, from there if you want the name changed make sure you give your co sec at least 3 choices.  

Hosting a TV show with Color Me Badd

Ok so now you've got your company sec,  incorporated a company, have a list of names you'd like to change it to and picked your director.  It gets better .. now you need to get an accountant on board as well as a company auditor.  Yes apart from co sec fees you have to pay quarterly, you have the auditors yearly fees for audit and tax and your best friend and somewhat huge pain in the derriere the accountant. Try to have your accountant do the books regularly either weekly or fortnightly depending on your turnover, or like me you'll be huffing and grumbling from all the questions and deep file searches for that one flipping receipt that they don't have! 

I know it all seems much, especially since you're also expected to attend Company Director courses, GST courses etc to ensure you know what you're doing, BUT if you've got the determination to get your product off the ground, this is only a small blip on that road to your new adventure, and hey if I can do it, so can you. I'll catch you all again next week, I've uploaded my first vlog for this Blog, and hopefully the new design for my blog will be ready in the next few days, hope you like it!  Drop me a line, daphnenasir@yahoo.co.uk anytime, love to hear from you! 

Moving Forward 2016 part 2

Another week, another experience! It's only the second week into the new year and it seems quieter than usual.  Everyone seems to be hitting the grindstone and also looking for greener pastures elsewhere.  The job market seems to opening up so make sure you have your resumes polished up and find yourself a good recruitment agency to help you out with your job search.  I had a look at mine, and giggled, it was a bit like this.. :

blow off the cobwebs and smarten up your CV

Word of mouth from friends and acquaintances are also a gold mine for prospective jobs, but make sure you go through the job spec carefully because sometimes the job description is completely different to what was relayed to you.

It's always important to stay positive, like my gal pal and I say when things come crashing around you, look for the positives in that experience.  Make sure in between the searching and fretting that you exercise, it helps keep those endorphins flowing, when I was feeling a bit low it was exactly what my good friend Riz did, she got me out of the house for a lovely long walk in one of our botanic parks.  It puts reality back into perspective and of course helps burns calories! its a win win situation I tell ya.

So then I walked all the way to Sydney and back  (heh heh) 

Help yourself by feeding your brain, I've been helping myself to a good dose of TedxTalks.  Here are a couple that I enjoyed  : Getting stuck in the negatives (and how to get unstuck!)  and of course there is the very forthright How to stop screwing yourself over  I especially like the part about the internal chatter! Seriously it really never stops!

Last week I was blogging about how to make immediate cash by utilising your cooking skills, or anything you do well from teaching another language to scuba diving lessons while waiting for the job you want or figuring out what you really want to do.    It's funny when people ask me what I do, I never know how to answer them, once I even said "as little as possible"... and the retort was "yes , well we all try to, but apart from that.."  My other girlfriend leans over and whispers "say you're in between jobs".. Uh.. well that seems to imply I'm not working! I do have several jobs actually, four, if you count being a mum!

After coming back from Hong Kong, it seems the universe opened and started showering me with "marketing jobs" ! And you will probably come across them too.  One of them was for real estate bonds,  since it was a good friend who had offered this opportunity,  I heard them out (I'm nice that way :-p ) .  I realised with this type of  investment,  the parties that I would have to approach would be corporate ladder climbers and those with a substantial disposable income.  So I got ahold of someone I thought who filled the criteria and who was savvy with investments.  I  sat  with her through the presentation and had her break it down in layman terms to me and at the same time She felt it was wort her time and effort.   It's quite simple really, it's a bond that will be held for 2 years, it's in pounds, the profits are paid biannually and the interest rate is pretty good.  Here's a link to their website Lifesgood Property Investment .  Just remember, it's all about your comfort zone, if you think you can do it, go for it.

A few days later , in the midst of screaming at the TV monitor during the Rugby World Cup at our regular watering hole, my friend says to me as I'm hyperventilating ,   "how about earning in USD?"  The All Black's score a try and I'm whooping loudly, I look at her and say "hell yeah". "OK" she says, "I came with you to the property investment, come with me to this network marketing launch, lets check it out".    "Fair enough" I say with my eyes glued to Sonny Bill's glutes.. sigh those Kiwis.. uh where was I?

All Blacks all the way!

Life Force

So essentially you have MLM's, Pyramid Schemes, and Network Marketing.  I've tried a few, in between my productions, one of them was Life Force ,  it's health products from power drinks, nutrition and beauty.  I first joined it was via  the New Zealand division, and then they finally brought the products to Singapore.  That was in 2009, and it cost me $440 and I only signed one person on.

 Then  in 2012, I was introduced to another called Exfuze .  This one was yummy, it was a health drink and supposed to do all sorts of beneficial things for you, so much so that my son thought it was a soft drink, and drank most of the bottle in one sitting!! Heh Heh.. and with them as well I only signed on one person. It cost me RM530.

Exfuse

I've been approached by herbalife etc but ( I can feel you all squirming in your seats) I knew I did not have have the type of personality  or interest to pursue it. Both were MLM businesses. So when I went to this networking launch, I was already in defence mode. However, once there , it was made abundantly clear it was not a MLM scheme, it was all about network marketing, it was about travelling and having fun while doing it as well as making money along the way.  Finally a product that I could understand, as I travel a lot.   When I spoke to people about this exciting product, they were so receptive towards it, because everyone travels!   I thought to myself, 'hmmnn this is also a good way to empower loads of women', friends I know who've had to downshift due to the economy, and in such a supportive environment.   Don't get me wrong,every networking program you come across has negative stories about it, and I did my research, I grilled the Regional Director and he answered all my questions and allayed my fears.  It also leaves me with loads of time to work on my production, writing and presentations.  This was a perfect match for me.

My Team!

Not only do we network together we have lunches too!

What I'm saying is, my girlfriends and I try out these different programs, some are a good fit some are not, there are  many more out there.  My aim is to impart as much information as possible about these different ventures should you decide to go for it.  If you have some experience of them, and would like me to publish it on my blog, do drop me a line and tell me about them.  My e mail is daphnenasir@yahoo.co.uk  I'd love to hear from you, we're creating a hub for women by women, I find it so exciting!

I'll cover more possibilities next week, till then remember - a dream is only a dream until you make it a reality.

The Year 2016.. in the beginning

Happy New Year everyone.  I do hope for everyone this is going to be a great year.  2015 had so many bumps in it, it seems like everyone is happy to see the back of it. I for one waved it off with close friends and a few days of recuperation!

In my last blog I was talking about empowering women and what we can do for ourselves financially and spiritually in this economic state of uncertainty. I'm not going to bog you down with figures and tech speak, but have a real heart to heart about what we can do to help ourselves.  We've been informed that there have been so many budget cuts which means a lot of people being made redundant, downsizing of departments, companies going belly up or being bought over or like the radio station I had been working for, shutting down with 2 weeks notice.

Last day at the Station!

Me and my partner in Crime on the Morning Show

Once the initial shock is over, I think the most important thing is to ensure your tribe, and that is your most faithful and most supportive friends and family rally around you.  There will be a lot of ideas being bandied about, but the most important thing I've discovered is to trust your instinct and go with your gut.

Now for some of us , it's the age factor, lets face it, more companies prefer to hire younger people and to also pay less for the inexperienced ones. Plus the younger folk can hop around from one company to another and it's quite the norm, but if you've had an established career and a defined work ethos that you've been following it can be harder.  You will come across a myriad of  work opportunities, from MLM to introductions to investing.  Lets cover them one by one shall we?

My Almond Shortbread

Firstly if you find yourself at home, going through the ads and recruitment agencies without as much luck as you'd hope to have, lets look at what you can do immediately.  Do you cook?  Is there a specialised dish that everyone ooos and ahhs over?  I've spoken to quite a few women and they do a few signature dishes that they advertise online and cater to folk who don't have the time to cook.  All it takes is a little bit of patience and PR.  Make sure you bring you signature dish to the next get together, tell your friends you're available to cater the dish you've brought , make sure you also have a price in mind of how much you will charge.  Post it on your social networks, it's the best way of being visible and word of mouth also works and make sure you take some great shots of the food (not the person holding it or eating it!!)   Also as my girl friends mentioned to me, a lot of restaurants and cafes are accepting home made goods that are up to their standards so look around your neighbourhood to these places where you can possibly promote your dish.  This is immediate cash.
I make about 4 specialised dishes, apart from my Shepard's Pie and Apple Crumble I also do

killer quiches in many flavours

I also make tasty tuna puffs!

Then there's part time work at UBER, why not, if you own your own car, have a few hours to spare and want to earn money, apply, I'm sure your network will tell you where and at what time there's the most need for public transport.

The same can be said for your actual skills, you can always offer your services on a free lance basis whilst looking for the next major job, (anything from teaching yoga, cooking, accounting, language classes etc)   just make sure you know what the going rate is and charge accordingly.  Cash money more money.

my pal Riz does dive classes in her free time

and has some pretty awesome experiences along the way!

There are many MLM, Pyramid and Networking Jobs. out there, ranging from health products to time sharing.  The most important thing about this type of work is to actually believe in the product, believe you can market the product and make the initial payment (yes there is always an initial investment starting from RM 500 upwards.)   I'll cover them all in detail in the next blog, suffice to say this is to just kick start your year with a quick patch up and to let you know that you are not alone, we're all in this boat together, and we believe with more women supporting each other and building a network together or as I love to call it a TRIBE , we can do it and there is light at the end of the tunnel.


I'm in the midst of gathering other blogs for micro financing and also investing.  If you have a topic you'd like to share please don't hesitate to let me know, I'd love to hear from you,

So What NOW - Hong Kong pt 3

I was supposed to meet everyone for the first round of drinks for the Island School reunion in Lan Kwai Fong by 7 pm ish,  The streets were teeming with people, my phone was going crazy with messages "where are you?", "are you close by?", "are you lost?".. Pfftt I can do this , I just have to get into the side roads, duck and weave, duck and weave,  and finally I think I'm on the right strip.  I look up the street and all I see are hundreds of bars, restaurants and more people, a bit winded by the uphill hike in my heels, I walk in to the diner and everyone is talking, and greeting each other, clinking glasses, hugging each other, thumping each other's backs and generally realigning the past with the present.

My buddies Lynda and Annie in Lan Kwai Fong

A couple more people come up and say hi, they're asking me how work is, telling me how proud they are of what I've achieved in broadcasting, and what I'm doing now.  " Well, I have no idea yet, it's only been a week since the last day of work so I guess I'll figure it out when I get back to KL"  I tell them, they all seem surprised.  Well no more than I was with the station closing down.

Drinks Menu!

After the meet and greet I wanted to see the place I used to hang out in and where I used to spin, AH! Club 1997 was there but it's not the same, and boy do they serve a wicked martini!!  Oh and if you're there ask them for a drink called "grenade" he he h he.. That blew me a away!!  We had to leave at a decent hour because the next day we were taking a boat out to one of the outlying islands for seafood lunch and more hanging out.

Star Ferry?

My goodness I've not walked as much since I was meandering around Stonehenge in the UK!  The next day as I drew closer to what used to be Star Ferry, I saw so many docks, and I wasn't keeling over from the smell, they've really done a great job cleaning up our Fragrant Harbour.

On De Boaattt

The boat ride was fun, the seafood lunch was stellar and afterwards we pushed off from there,  to dock at  another one of the bays for a swim. It was a tremendous day, but I had an inkling my friends were wondering what I was going to do after this trip. I was figuring it out, and  later that evening as we pulled closer to Aberdeen,  I stood at the prow of the boat to look up at the stars and thought, I've missed being here, missed having so many wonderful , loving and supportive people who knew the real me.   We docked as close as possible to the Yacht club and all of us (I'd say around 20 or so ) invaded the club.   We were told that we had to keep the noise down if we wanted to stay inside.. ha ha ha ha, that' s like saying 'here's some firecrackers, don't light them up!'  Another great night (though I was tired and sliding down the chair fast)  , without being kicked out from the club!  That's all thanks to Dod my  Rutherford classmate who organised everything for us.

Chillin after the swim

The Jumbo floating Rest

The next get together would be for dinner at the American Chinese Restaurant, an old haunt and the menu  is  still the same!  I was clutching my sides with laughter as we walked towards the restaurant after having met up at a bar opposite it, as one of the "seedier" bars that we used to sneak into as teens was still there,  the "crazy horse"!  Oh the memories!

Dinner was delicious, loud, full of fun and laughter and afterwards we headed over to a club that had live music.  Between the raucous cheers and being dragged to the dance floor, my good friend Annie asked me again what I was going to do when I got back to Malaysia.   A germ of an idea was taking place but I had a few more nights of having fun with my former classmates so I wasn't going to sweat it just yet. The next day we were going back to our school for a tour of what it looked like now.

Still sitting at the back still causing mischief!

When we walked about our former school the next day,  I thought how the attitudes of the  current students had changed, they were more studious and more inclined to do the right thing.. shudder.. whereas we were a mad bunch who had been to detention at least once!! We learned that they were gong to pull the old school down and rebuild a new one, so the trip was even more poignant.

My final day came too soon, and I wanted to have dinner with  Peter, my stepfather, Mark and Sylvia my hosts and my bestie Annie and her man Den at the best Peking Duck place ever  Peking Gardens in Star House.  I stuffed my face silly, as I knew I'd not get food this good for a while!  (what? I wore elasticated pants, I was prepared!)

Leaving Hong Kong was a tearful affair, but a really good boost to the ego and soul,  I came back more positive and determined and I think it translated into my attitude because when I returned a lot of calls started coming in for work.

Back in KL, between bouts of discussion and watching the Rugby World Cup  (GO ALL BLACKS!),  my pal Riz and I  had a chat.  She convinced me that I should talk about my experiences as that are so many women out there going through the same situation.  We formulated an idea,  and it made me feel good as it would help women in the same situation I was facing, understand that there were so many options to what they could do.

This is one of the reasons I decided to start blogging again, and with that , I'm gong to get a few contributors to also add their blogs for you women out there to help you understand the opportunities that are available, the financial aspects of your world, the products that are available and also a platform where we can talk about the products that you want to retail online, as well simplifying technology so you can optimise it and understand it without feeling like you must be the only one in the world who doesn't understand the geek speak!

So What NOW - Part 2 Hong Kong

Now if an Air Asia flight isn't delayed, there's something wrong!  So of course I waited an extra hour and half to jump on the plane to Hong Kong.

The landing at the new Airport in Hong Kong is nothing compared to the hair raising squeak in by the breadth of a cat's whisker landing at Kai Tak,  leaving nail imprints in your armrest as you wish you hadn't seen that guy in undies winking at you from his balcony on the decent that brushed by apartments left and right.

I had an evening flight so all the lights were blazing as we landed. It was breath taking to see Hong Kong in all her glory at night, my heart was pounding and my eyes were tearing up, it has been a good 18 years since I'd been home.  The funny thing was, instead of that pungent sulphuric smell that makes you want to breathe through your mouth and then realise that wasn't helping and only a gas mask would, was not present.  I sniffed the air as we disembarked, ok a bit "beach at low tide" smelling but that was it.  Hail to  the efficiency of the air port staff, I was gob smacked, the immigration officers speaking really good English (no longer Enggerrish)  and being pleasant!!!!  Double check.. this is Hong Kong right?  yup, wowsa a lot has changed.

I was told to get an octopus card by friends still living there ( though they call it the octopussy.. go figure), as their public transport is still really good, the card allows you to travel by train, bus, ferry and pay for stuff.. loving it already and also a local sim card, no worries there, the telcos took my second phone, inserted the card , booted it up, and sent me off with a little smile, am I really in Hong Kong???  Hopped on a bus and tried to recognise the landscape...

As soon as my hosts arrived to get me from the bus station I grumbled I was hungry, knowing me so well, I was hustled to a 'dai pai dong' right quick for some won ton noodles.   Ahhh this was what I was waiting for!  Sleeping that night with a belly full of noodles and dumplings didn't dampen the excitement of what was to come tomorrow.

The next morning we were off to Stanley market.   Stanley  was a popular beach destination for us whilst in school and also for most residents of Hong Kong, it also had lanes of shops with "discounted" items ranging from handbags to table linen.  Annie my school chum and bestie from school had been in communication with me from the get go,  so we decided to take the bus up for old times sake , plus it was a good scenic way to go and both Annie and I could see where we lived on the way, nostalgia was hitting hard.

Annie and I on the Bus

Den, Annie's man had never been to Hong Kong before, heh heh I almost felt sorry for him, he had no idea what the bus ride would be like.  You see the road up is a windey, narrow strip that is bordered by trees, shrubs and a sloping hillside on one side, that would tap and flick it's branches at the bus's windows upstairs and a panoramic view on the other, with lets say a full on view of the landscape below (I will not say drop, it's a safe ride.. really).  As we kept going higher and the bus swung more violently around the corners, little hysterical giggles escaped from me as I watched Annie's man  white knuckle grip the handles of the seat.  Annie and I both grinned at each other, by the time we hit Repulse Bay, we were shouting out all the names of students and friends who had lived there and around the corner forgetting the other passengers in our glee.

The View of Turtle Bay/Stanley from the fancy Scmancy Shops

When we got off at the Stanley stop, we were a bit confused , what was this place?  This didn't seem like Stanley, it had an escalator going down and loads of fancy scmancy shops, where was the market, the beach.. Smugglers Inn ?  We decided to head down the escalators and hopefully would find our way to what we recognised.  After being told to turn left and keep going by a resident who figured out we weren't escapees of a loony bin but former residents ourselves, we hit the strip of where one of the oldest restaurants in Stanley used to be, the Boathouse!  And there was the smugglers Inn right next to it and a few more that we were not familiar with.  We decided to have lunch at the Boathouse and then walked around.

The Boathouse

The market was not the same anymore, you can't bargain like you used to, it's all 'fixed price",   suddenly Annie squealed "this is where I bought my purple Reebok's from!"  as we passed the sports shop, "and where I bought my cashmere jumpers".  I looked further down the lane and there was the linen shop that my mother used to buy all her table cloths from including the special Christmas ones, which I still have till today.  I kept my hands firmly in my pockets, I was NOT gong to shop! Ok I did a little bit, but nothing to break the bank with!

Going Bonkers in Honkers

We spent about an hour going in and out of the shops, trying to bargain just to see if we could get away with it using our rusty Cantonese, and then realised, we had to leave fast as we were all meeting up for drinks in Lan Kwai Fong.  This was the first night of the whole week of plans for our School Reunion get together.   We hopped on another bus to go back down to Central, skidded to a stop in causeway bay, Annie and Den grabbed the MTR as they were staying on the Kowloon side and I did a brisk walk back to Mark and Sylvie's apartment, with their four incredibly fat cats , I'll probably get shot for saying that but honestly 'Spice Girl' their ginger cat looked like a tug boat on paws!

After a quick debriefing from my hosts and specific instructions from Sylvie to which train or bus to take, I sauntered out into the balmy night to go meet the rest of my classmates, some of whom I've not seen since I left school, lets put it this way, it was many decades ago!  Gulping down my nervousness and excitement I was whizzed away into the night .  Lan Kwai Fong here I come!