In Her Own Words: Poet Alina Rastam at La Pari-Pari

Earlier we sent out a request for Malaysian-based artists to showcase their creations at La Pari-Pari's retail space.  The first to answer our call is Alina Rastam, a Malaysian poet who has published two volumes of her poetry - Diver and All The Beloveds.  Her books will be available at our shop when we open in January.

Diver, by Alina Rastam, which incidentally
features a cover shot taken at Tanjung Rhu, Langkawi

We're still looking for more work to populate our shelves, so if you have something you think may be suitable, do let us know.

Here Alina talks about her work, her journey with her own poetry and from where she draws her inspiration.

What made you take the self-publishing route for your collections?  

I did contact some publishers when I was working on Diver, but found that no one is really interested in publishing poetry. So I realised that if I wanted to get my work out, I would have to self-publish. And yes, I would definitely be open to going the more traditional route in future – self-publishing is costly and involves a lot of hard work! - but I don’t see the situation changing soon.

Still, there are benefits to self-publishing: I was able to be involved with the production of my books at every level and was present when the books were ‘born’ at the printers’ etc. I learnt a lot from the process and am really grateful to have had these experiences.

2. There's this popular notion that poets tend to be people who daydream a lot and sit by lakes and seashores thinking of their work.  How far or close to the truth is this for you?

I don’t have a routine – the poetry comes when it comes. I’ve done many different kinds of writing in my career – newspaper reporting, book reviews, opinion pieces, lectures and talks – and I’ve found that whereas with my articles and analytical pieces, I can determine when I want to write, with poetry I have to pretty much be led by the poetry. Sometimes I don’t write any poetry for months. Sometimes I write two poems in a week.

The process of writing poetry, for me, involves working with processes that go on in the subconscious or unconscious self. With the analytical pieces, I can marshall together my facts and arguments and write them when I want to as the process is mostly an intellectual one. Poetry involves going much deeper, into realms of feeling, desire, dreams, realms that exist beyond the mind.

Which is not to say that writing poetry is just about throwing all your feelings on paper.  Anyone can throw lines on a page, but good poetry works on many levels, so that you get intellectual integrity as well as emotional resonance. Good poetry also requires a high level of control of language and mastery of technique. You need to make sure the sound and visual elements of the poem add to and support your overall vision of the poem as a whole, rather than clashing with it. Some people like to use unconventional punctuation or startling imagery but without a real reason for doing so, but then the work is just sensational and without depth.

So for me, poetry requires a lot of technical and intellectual work but because my poetry draws on subconscious processes, I must be led by it in terms of when and what I write. Often, I write nothing for months and am just busy living life – but then a poem needs to be written, and once I’ve written it, I see that even though I’ve been running around attending to the demands of life, some part of me has been integrating the experiences I’ve had and making meaning out of them.

3. As a poet, what do you think is the role poetry plays in the spectrum of creative fiction, in terms of what readers get out of it versus reading a short story or a novel, for example.

As a genre, poetry works with brevity and concentration and as such facilitates the attainment of a high pitch of emotional intensity. Fiction – novels, short stories – have the space and length that poetry doesn’t as most poems are short (of course there are exceptions eg epic poems like the Iliad or the Aeneid).  With a novel, the writer can be discursive, and can describe people, ideas and things at great length. You can have an entire chapter dedicated to the description of a person; or even to a part of a person or an animal (Moby Dick, for instance, has a whole chapter describing a whale’s penis!)

Poetry, however, works with brevity, with concision and precision. In a novel, you can have ten or twenty extra words without them making a huge difference to the text – in a poem, because it is so short, every word counts. In fact, sometimes every syllable counts – think, for instance, of the haiku which is traditionally written in three lines of seventeen syllables.

What this does is to enable the poet to create a very high level of emotional intensity in the reader. It’s hard for a novelist to do this, as having lot of words often diffuses emotions – you may feel a feeling -  joy or melancholy or nostalgia, for example -  for a longer time via a novel, but you will feel it less intensely. I’m not saying poetry is better than fiction, though: each genre works differently, and we have to choose whatever suits us best. It’s a matter of personal preference.

5. How do you feel Diver differs from All The Beloveds as collections?  

I think Beloveds was the continuation of a process that started with Diver. I realised after writing Diver that the psychological and emotional process I had embarked on at that stage of my life, which found expression in and was the animating principle of Diver, had not ended: there were still things I needed to say and explore. So I started writing Beloveds. In a sense, therefore, Beloveds was the continuation of a process, but it also went in new directions, especially in terms of technique. I was teaching a course on experimental writing at Monash University while I was writing Beloveds and some of what I covered in that course found its way into Beloveds – see ‘The Glass Sea’ for example, which is clearly experimental.

6. There is a strong, almost visceral thread of emotion in your poetry, and a lot of it seems very personal, almost memoir-like in a way.  What was it like writing your pieces?  

Poetry for me is a journey inward. I think many of us are distanced or completely cut off from the deep sources of life in us: from our own feelings, our yearnings, the deep hurts and pain that is part of being human and that all of us have. What we often don’t realise is that when numb ourselves to all those ‘bad’ feelings, and focus on our external achievements so that we don’t have to face them, we also lose the capacity to feel the ‘good’ feelings: the joy, the love, the passion of life. So we end up in a wasteland: physically alive, but dead inside. T.S. Eliot’s poem of that name dealt with this issue at one level: how can you bring life back to those for whom the springs of life have gone dry? There is also the story of The Fisher King in the Arthurian legends – a King who has an un-healable wound and whose land was a wasteland, where the rivers have dried up and the ground is barren and the people starving. Eliot was referring to this story in his poem; and both Eliot’s poem and this story talk about a condition of psychological and spiritual deadness that can befall countries and individuals.

Going inward, for me, was a way to finally face and come to terms with a lot that I had repressed and not wanted to deal in my life. I know that the process, though it involved a lot of pain and more courage than I knew I had, is life enhancing: for one thing, it started me writing poetry again after years of not doing so.

Having said that, I am very mindful that poetry is an art and a discipline, not just a vehicle for exploring your feelings and emotions. It’s not a journal, where you can write anything and not worry about technique and skill; or your therapist at whom you can vent. Poetry can be a way for you to connect with your deeper self, but the material must still be shaped and worked with to the best of your ability. If you are doing it right you will find that every poem puts new demands on your technical skill, and so you are constantly being pushed to grow as an artist and as a human being.

7. As a poet, what is your intent in writing your poetry and putting the pieces that you do out there for people to read?

‘Only connect’ says E.M. Forster in A Passage to India which is one of my favourite novels. I publish my books in the hope that somewhere out there, there will be people who will be able to connect with what I’ve written. Also because I believe in the poetry and it must have its own life which it cannot do if I were to keep it under wraps.

I’d like to end this by saying thank you, Karina, for coming up with these insightful and stimulating questions. I’ve enjoyed this opportunity to think about poetry and what it means to me. And I wish you all the very best for La Pari Pari!

Alina has a First Class Honours in English Literature from Durham University, UK and a M.A. with Distinction in English Literature and Women's Studies from lancaster University, UK.  She is a freelance writer/editor and conducts workshops on literature and creative writing.  She has written on literature and the arts, as well as on social issues for various publications including NST, The Sun and Off The Edge.


Diver & Other Poems was published in 2009 and All The Beloveds in 2011.  Her work has also appeared in Tautan (2011), an anthology of Malaysian and German contemporary poetry produced by the Goethe Institute KL in collaboration with the National Translation Institute and in Readings from Readings: New Malaysian Writing (2011) edited by Sharon Bakar and Bernice Chauly.


For enquiries about Alina's writing and her workshops, write to her at binfy15@yahoo.com.

Showcase Your Creativity!

Nessa The Angel by our Chairman - Kaeden, age 4

We are currently allocating a small retail space in our reception lobby and would like to showcase creations by Malaysian-based artists/creators.  Since our resort is going to have visitors from all over the world, we thought why not use it as an outlet for promoting Malaysian-based talent?  After all, we are a pretty creative bunch.

Criteria:

1. Must be SMALL - books, CDs, small jewelry items, clothing and knick-knacks are OK.  Unfortunately, we don't have room for large objects.

2. Items must be created or designed by a Malaysian or Malaysian resident.

3. Sales will be purely on consignment basis and designer/creator must bear shipment cost of stock to La Pari-Pari.  For things like books and CDs, please provide us with a non-returnable browsing copy.

4. No perishable items please.

Think of items that would make great souvenirs for travellers visiting our resort and restaurant.  Ideally, we are looking for items that would give visitors a nice alternative to the usual, kitschy tourist souvenirs that are often sold.  If it gives them a taste of our culture (contemporary or traditional), even better. And no, you don't have to be famous.  You just have to produce something unique and wonderful :-)  One-off items are also welcome.

Those interested, kindly e-mail karina@laparipari.com with details of the item/s you would like to sell as well as suggested retail price.  Stock will need to be delivered to us before January 31st.  We are only looking to stock small numbers of each item.

The Magic of Mia!

Like I've said time and again, there is undoubtedly more than a little magic that has helped us get this far.  Every time we've been stuck for ideas or resources, someone has come to the rescue.

This time it has come in the guise of a friend who is practically family, whose courage I hugely admire.  Mia took a break from her advertising career three or so years ago to pursue her passion in art and today is one of Malaysia's up and coming artists.  As someone who is only a fledgling writer, I know full well how challenging this must have been for her.  But she has come a long way in such a short time.  If you don't know her, it's time you do :-)  Visit her website please to get acquainted :-)  I think she does a far better job of telling her own story than I ever can.

One of my favourite pieces by Mia - Biru, photographed on exhibit at the National Art Gallery.  It now resides in a private collection in Singapore.

And, she's currently working on a NEW piece, specially for La Pari-Pari's reception lounge!  Stay tuned for the big reveal.

Here Comes The Sun!

Finally, the rain seems to have let up a wee bit and we are commencing construction on the public spaces.

We even managed to salvage debris from a landslide elsewhere on the island and re-use it for our foundation!

Here's a view of our restaurant, reception and office-to-be - being prepped for the concrete foundation :-)

Meanwhile, the rooms have been plastered with the gorgeous sand from our very own soil, ready for me to pick the paint colours end of this week.

Don't our gables look great in white?

Our website too is on its way, with first-cut design drafts looking very nice :-)  Hopefully it will be up and running in January, in time for our opening.

Now come the fun bits.... the choosing of paint, cushion fabrics and all the nice, pretty things that will make La Pari-Pari complete.  Although these are things that typically made me excited in the past, especially when it came to my soon-to-be ex-home in KL, I have found that making interior decorating decisions for 12 rooms is a lot more nerve-wracking - because one little mistake will be repeated a dozen times!

Even a case of shortening curtains by a few inches is a major exercise when you are dealing with over 60 pieces!  Thank God Mommy has come to the rescue, and with her resourcefulness, unearthed someone deep in the heart of Shah Alam who is willing to do it for a decent price.  Over and over again, I am blessed, with people around me giving their time and expertise so generously to help us pull all of this off.

So fingers crossed, we WILL open in January :-)  It's not long to go, folks, and don't I know it! :-)

Life As A Chief Everything Officer...

Some of you have expressed your friendly envy of my new lifestyle-to-be.  While life as a would-be entrepreneur and dare I say it hotelier is certainly exciting, it's not without its hairy moments!

For someone who is used to the corporate environment, and an army of staff to depend on, this whole going-it-on-my-own thing has been an experiment in exercising my long-forgotten micro-management skills.  Not to mention having to accept the fact that weekends are workdays as well!

This is how things have changed for me since leaving the 9 to 5.....

The closest La Pari-Pari will ever get to a Board Meeting!

Although I have to admit, those bygone GLC habits have been hard to kick.  In fact, I think we've one-upped it - going further on the culinary menu than the mandatory kuih-muih!  Maybe if breakfast meetings were like this when I was gainfully employed, I would have stayed in the corporate sector :-)

My house has also turned into a right gudang, with boxes stacked up in the living room, safes in the TV room and tables in the driveway.  Even my front gate looked like an old-fashioned laundry for a few weeks, with curtains being hung out to dry over it.

Beyonce has been the unhappiest about it all, given that her favourite spot in the house is now occupied by cardboard monstrosities filled with curtains and lights!

Beyonce, pretending to be on guard duty....

Turns out, all she wanted was to sleep in her favourite corner!

Shopping, even when on vacation, has become a hazardous sport.  My iPhoto album is now filled with pictures of bathroom fixtures, lights and all manner of interior fittings.  Recently, on a trip to Bangkok, the team from the soon-to-be-announced restaurant for La Pari-Pari and I were elated to find of all things, bathroom mats that were very reasonably priced.  Our enthusiastic selves went on to purchase the whole lot - only to find that it was pouring rain outside and no cabs would stop for us.

Soaked to the bone but happy as larks!

If any of you want to know what buying plates in Chattuchak market is like, let me tell you, bring sunscreen :-)

Oh, and that old saying about "blood, sweat and tears"?  I now understand too well the very meaning of it :-)

Breathing New Life Into Old Things

As we race along with building construction, I've been like a mad hatter here in KL, trying to source for the various other bits and pieces that will be needed to bring La Pari-Pari to life.

From the outset, the approach to creating La Pari-Pari has always been founded on the premise of building cleverly, utilising simple solutions where possible, and reducing the potential waste that can be generated from a construction project like ours.

Two days ago, some of the fruits of our labour arrived in my home - a result of pounding the pavement and discovering this gem of a shop that sells used hotel furniture.  If you haven't already been there, do go the next time you are looking for something new for your home or property.

Kin Peun is tucked away in a shoplot area somewhere along Jalan Ipoh.  As with any second-hand store, of course, what you find there can depend to a certain degree on your luck and timing.  And as it stood, our timing was pretty perfect, yielding safes, tables for our poolside area and outdoor courtyards as well as our most major find - curtains for our rooms!  All may I add, at unbeatable prices.

So, in addition to saving money, we've also managed to save quite a few things from going into landfills.

Needless to say, my home is looking more and more like a warehouse :-)  And the sight of yellow curtains hanging out to dry over my front gate is going to be a common one for weeks to come, owing to the quantity of curtains we purchased.

So, to those wondering if I am throwing a farewell party before I exit KL, don't bet on it!  By the time I am ready to go, I doubt there will be much room left in my current home for entertaining :-)

Fairies At The Bottom Of Our Garden

I was complaining to my sister the other day how it has been ages since I've had a weekend to lie in bed, and that I was averaging 5 hours of sleep max per day.  She said, "Welcome to my life!"  Owing to the fact that she has a four year old and an eight-month old, she has barely slept since the first child came into the world.

It's been a pretty strenuous last few weeks.  As construction progressed, we saw an opportunity to re-look some of the spaces.  And as any architect will tell you, a client who starts thinking is a dangerous thing :-)  But, thanks to the persevering souls involved in the process and Ijam, we have emerged from two weekends of almost all-nighters with a much improved property.  Everything really looks like it all fits together now.  Really.

To say that I am happy is an understatement.  Tired yes, but very satisfied.  And also realising day by day that I would still much rather be doing this than the jobs I had in my previous life.  Somehow, poking around second-hand hotel stores and dusty junkyards, or traipsing about the property gives me a sense of fundamental satisfaction every time we overcome an obstacle or reach a small milestone.

Speaking of which, the magical Din has now managed to put up our roofs!!!!

When I last left the site on Sunday, we were still waiting for delivery of the roof material.  Somehow, somewhere between yesterday morning and the end of day, Din has miraculously put it all up.  Like Ijam says, we think Din uses elves.  In fact, he rather looks like a very friendly albeit slightly shy one himself.

The bridges going across our grey water pond are also almost complete.  They will enable folk to cross over into the brushland that lies at the very back of our property.  I personally have an affinity for the way the wild brush looks at the moment.  Almost makes you want to believe there are fairies living there, at the bottom of our garden, doesn't it?

Of Kerbaus and Progress

Last weekend, I made another trip to the site, and as you can see, things are progressing!

Peering out of one of the rooms in the first block!

Progress on the second block of rooms

While work has been somewhat hampered by rain, it is looking like we will be ready by year-end.  We've had to make some adjustments as we've gone along, but it has all worked out so far.  We abandoned our intent to use cement board as our primary building material due to cost constraints and have fallen back on the conventional brick-and-mortar method.  The good news is, the sand on our grounds is of such lovely quality, it will be re-used to plaster our walls.  We've excavated piles of it, thanks to our digging of the pool and the grey water pond.

Ijam has also been hard at work, trying to reduce our construction wastage.  Wood used for one structure's formwork is recycled for the next and most of it will eventually be incorporated on site into structures or as reinforcement for our grey water pond.

I won't go into the details of the various challenges we've faced in trying to conserve as much as possible and be green, but suffice to say, there have been times when cost has been a real constraint in allowing us to opt for the greenest alternative.  So decisions have had to be made.   But I recognise too that trying to be as environmentally conservative as possible is an ongoing process.  It will be part of our guiding principles when commencing operations and doesn't stop at just our construction period alone.

No matter how stressful things get, comic relief somehow, never seems far.  On our last visit, we were inspecting the grey water pond at the back of our property.  By coincidence, our neighbours, the kerbau Mommy, wandered by, with her brood, which now includes a studly male companion.  She now has four calves, two more than the original pair.

As they took their typical stroll from their property through ours and over to the other side, one of the babies emerged from the brush and decided to take a dip in the pond.  He was very nonchalant about it, swishing his tail and at all times maintaining eye contact with us as if to say, "Hey, this is MY pool, so I better not catch you swimming in it!"  Since the pond isn't very deep, he took a small stroll around one end of it, his body practically submerged, while we laughed on the sidelines.

My little kerbau friend, well camouflaged :-)  I think I should name him!

I almost wish I don't eventually have to cordon off our property.  It will deprive him of his swimming hole.  But I don't think some guests will appreciate being confronted by a family of kerbau while they are sunning on the lawn!

Meanwhile, all manner of folk have been trooping through my home in Petaling Jaya, which has finally been put on sale.  I will miss it, as it has been good to me and I have many memories of my life there.  But as they say, it's time to move on.  And move on we will.

Of walls and a treehouse

Look folks, we have walls!

And in other news, our friends Aida and David have kickstarted a recycled treehouse project that hopefully will be situated on La Pari-Pari.  Go check out their Facebook page and volunteer!  They are looking for people to contribute ideas in relation to the construction of the treehouse and also volunteer time and materials.  It's an exciting and rare opportunity for anyone interested to participate in an eco-awareness raising project that will be displayed on our site, for all to see and experience.

Becoming Reality

I have always, in the short four-year span of his life, had a rather challenging relationship with my middle nephew, mainly perhaps owing to both our recalcitrant natures.  But of late, as he has grown into a walking and talking back little person, I've found I enjoy his maddening company a little more, for its banter and entertainment, and the insights into that incredibly warped mind of his that is light years beyond his physical age.

In fact, when I got back from a recent five-day family holiday, I found myself missing his thorny presence. Waking up without the threat of his diminutive spectre clutching toy bunnies, one in each hand, was although calming, a little unsettling.  There are no unexpected extras attempting to crawl into my bed for a last minute snuggle.  Or the possibility of an odiferous toy shoved up my nose to wake me.

Last night, after a phone call with Ijam to discuss a last minute roofing matter (I am amazed sometimes how I now sound like a contractor!) I realised that La Pari-Pari's journey will always be dated by this nephew, and how Langkawi and our little resort will always be intertwined with some of the firsts in his life.  He was only six months old when my sister and I took that first flight out to seek a bed and breakfast for purchase in Langkawi.  It was his first time to an island.

And now he, and the project turn four this year.  Some people are aghast that it's taken us this long to get to where we are.  I, at times, am surprised it hasn't taken me longer.  But perhaps that is because where my other passion is concerned, it's taken me near thirty years to get to a state where I feel things are finally moving.  So four years, is a relatively short gestation period in my books.

I realised yesterday too, that only a mere twenty-odd weeks remain until my life changes in a most profound way.  We began laying the concrete foundation yesterday for the first block of rooms, and already, I can see the physical structure begin to emerge.  Looking at the photographs from Ijam were like looking at a ghost - my eyes disbelieving that this thing I had long dreamed about is finally becoming real, and is no longer a figment of my imagination.

Din, our head contractor,  after completing the concrete foundation of our first block.  His initial attempt was thwarted by three straight days of rain, so he has much to be happy about here!

I can't wait till my next visit, when I get to run my bare feet on the concrete, dangle my legs on the edge of the empty swimming pool and take silly Bollywood photos against the bare columns of the building.

I promise you will all bear witness through this blog, to the first time I walk through our rooms :-)

Love and light,
Karina!

Working Across Borders

It's been over a month since my last post.  Am happy to report that things are moving at a relatively smooth clip.

But first, a rant.  We had some delays in April and early May due to inclement weather, which prevented the backhoe from doing its work many a day.  Once the sun decided to cooperate the banks didn't.  Thanks to Malaysia's ultra-efficient Suruhanjaya Syarikat Malaysia (Malaysian Companies Commission), our company records were not updated, which caused some two weeks of to-ing and fro-ing with the banks and the Company Secretary and the like.  Believe me, having money but no way to access your bank account due to a technicality is really annoying!

Hopefully, it's now all sorted out!  We begin work on our foundation this coming week.  Even the pool has been concreted and is sitting still until it is time to tile it once we are nearing completion of the whole project.

Meanwhile, I have been busy wading through suppliers of various kinds - linen, toiletries, web, software, you name it.....  While it's all been rather fun in a way, there have been moments when I wished things moved faster and people were just that much more efficient.  But hey, all in a day's work!

We've also been busy doing the groundwork for the interior design.  While it is all still preliminary, I think things are shaping up quite nicely.  One thing's for sure, this resort is turning out to be a cross-border project of epic proportions LOL!  Architecturally, it was designed predominantly remotely - with me in KL and the architect in Langkawi.  The logos are being done here in KL as is the interior design. Restaurant menu being put together between Perth and KL, staff uniforms designed in Melbourne and a cocktail menu also being put together in Melbourne itself.  The good thing is, with technology, most of it is being done via phone/e-mail/Skype, without the need for folks to fly to and fro too much :-)

By the way, all the folks mentioned in all these places are Malaysian or Malaysian-born.  So if you like what you will eventually see at La Pari-Pari, it's all homegrown talent that put it together :-)

I'll introduce you all to the characters involved in due course.  We're a motley crew but an enthusiastic one :-)

Cross your fingers, and I hope to meet some of you come 2012.

Ground Is Broken!

It's done folks!  We are finally really on our way!

On Sunday, April 3rd, we began construction of our little swimming pool.  I never thought I'd be so thrilled to see a hole in the ground!  It was both exciting and still a little scary at the same time.  After so long, I almost can't believe we have finally come to this stage.

I have always said I am a lucky girl with a charmed life.  And this weekend was no different.  My loved ones were there with me, some having flown in just for the occasion, including Kaeden, my sister's son who was with my sister Karen and I when we made our first trip out to Langkawi in search of a bed and breakfast.

Back then, he was a wee five-month old baby.

In May this year, he turns a precocious four.

Even Mother Nature was generous with her gifts.  Prior to us going to Langkawi this past weekend, it had been raining cats and dogs.  But I arrived on Saturday to the smiling sun and bright blue skies.  The morning of the groundbreaking, we were also gifted with the presence of a Large-Tailed Nightjar (thank you Wendy for identifying the bird) who was sitting quietly on a bed of dry leaves.

According to Wendy, it is rare that these birds stay still enough for anyone to get a good close-up photograph.  We later found out why....

Can you spot her two babies?  (Hint, they are in the lower right-hand corner)

We were all a little worried that the construction work might injure her and her babies.  Thankfully, she moved them away shortly after to, I presume, a much safer spot.

For more photos, visit our Facebook page.

.... And, we're off!!!

Finally, after three-and-a-half years since we began our journey, we will begin construction on April 3rd, which also, coincidentally, will mark my 42nd birthday.

I can't think of a better birthday present from the universe than this.

While this is something we have looked forward to for quite a while now, it has also been something that seemed on some days unattainable.  And I am glad that my tiny slivers of self-doubt have finally been conquered.

Now that the day draws near, I vacillate between being excited, hopeful and a little scared.

But I know it will all be more than okay in the end :-)

To those of you who have joined us on this journey so far, a big thank you.  While many of you may not think your contributions have been much, your presence alone on this blog and our Facebook page, plus the comments you've left have all served to feed our belief in this project's ability to come alive.

Cross your fingers, folks.  Hopefully, we will open our doors before the end of this year.

Picking Up Speed

It looks like the sun has finally shone through.

Two nights ago I received confirmation that the bulk of the funding we need to commence with construction have become available.  So it is likely we will begin construction in July, which puts us on the track to open in February 2012.  It's a little delayed from our original timeline, but in the larger scheme of things, I think a few months late is a small matter.

We signed off on our design about a week and a half ago.  Now, we enter the construction drawing phase, where materials are detailed out and contractors evaluated.  Sometimes, when I think about it, I wonder that  there aren't many more of my family members and friends who think I am slightly insane for taking this project on.  This for a girl who has never laid a brick or fixed a clogged pipe.  OK, so I can drill a few holes, but that's the extent of my construction knowledge.

But then again, everyone has to start somewhere.  In fact, on good days, I am surprised we have even got this far.

And we will now go further.

I know where I will be spending my New Year's Eve this year :-)  Stay tuned as we pick up speed.

In Full Bloom

A missive from our architect Ijam recently reminded me beautifully of how La Pari-Pari, even in it's current state is already a living, breathing entity.

This was the latest photo he sent me of the site in early February.  Then, we both sighed at the carpet of dry leaves that blanketed the ground, realising the work that lies ahead of us in keeping things in check.

But just last week, he went back and lo and behold - the trees were in full bloom!

If anything, the photos he sent me reinforced our resolve not to cut trees down unnecessarily.  And to think, we've owned the land for a couple of years now, yet this is the first time we've noticed this seasonal occurrence.  According to the neighbour, the trees were traditionally used to make hand-hewn wooden perahus (canoes) back in the day.

I can't wait till we can share this with our guests when we are up and running :-)