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 Beyonce, a Kerbau and some other updates

My apologies for being so delinquent with the blog posts of late. Combination of work and sheer laziness on some days. That and the added distraction of Beyonce, our English Bulldog who joined our household a couple of months back.

Work on La Pari-Pari has been chugging along, albeit at a slightly slower pace due to the recent Ramadhan and Hari Raya festivities. Thankfully things have picked back up. Sometimes I look back and I can't believe we've reached the point we're at already. Seems like only yesterday we were still hunting for a suitable piece of land.

Yet there are days when things can't seem to happen fast enough :-)

In early October, we finally began the process of submitting our plans to the town planning authority for approval. We thought it would take a while, as things have a way of doing, before they would even get to our case. Surprisingly, they've already come back with some initial feedback which may require us to make some changes. In a way, it's good news. It means someone's looking at our file! (I know, ain't it sad that in Malaysia the benchmark is whether someone even knows you exist in their mountain of paperwork....)

The other big development is that we are exploring a change in construction strategy. From the start, our resort was meant to be a brick-and-mortar deal. But there has always been a lingering concern as to whether we could get the quality of finish and durability we wanted with our limited budget. Plus, the skill level of local labour has always been questionable, judging from the quality of many buildings on Langkawi.

Of course, if we had a trillion dollars, it wouldn't be a problem! :-)

But of late, we've been exploring a new possibility. Ijam, through Mr Chan (of Bu House fame) is now looking at constructing La Pari-Pari out of timber and cement boards, in much the same way houses in the West are built. I guess for those of you who are familiar with Langkawi, it would be akin to how the Burau Bay cabanas were built. Although with today's materials, the results should be a lot better.

The main appeal to us where this method is concerned is the reusability of the materials. If for some reason, we decided to tear down the structures one day, the wooden beams are recyclable. Which is a lot more than can be said with brick and mortar. Plus, this way there would be little need for a concrete foundation, which translates into structures that sit lighter within their environments.

So all's well that ends well, I hope. There are some of you who have asked why we have not pursued the route of using wood completely, a la Malay kampung houses. The answer is - it's too expensive ;-) Plus, we do feel that kampung-style resorts are so over-done, especially in Langkawi. The island doesn't need yet another one, n'est-ce pas?

In other news (and this is just to give you a feel for the little vagaries we deal with in our quest): After our walkthrough of the site once it was pegged, a kerbau has since traipsed in and made compost of our wooden pegs and strings LOL! Ah well. I guess he had a few ideas of his own how La Pari-Pari should look :-)

Next: our recent trip to celebrate Tiga Langkawi's birthday.

Meanwhile, here's a snippet of our Beyonce, whose concert will NOT be cancelled :-) Click here.

The Company Secretary

So few acknowledge the backroom folks of their businesses. We thought we'd take some time to give some snaps to our favourite founding member.

This is our Company Secretary. Her name is Athena. Ijam has also proclaimed her his KL girlfriend whenever he comes to visit. We suspect it's because when he stays over at our house (yes we believe in keeping a close eye on him LOL!) he sleeps on the futon in our den - also christened by him as Athena's bed.

Whether or not we have meetings with Ijam face-to-face or on the phone, Athena attends all of them faithfully (unless of course we're in Langkawi -then, she's boarded at Camp David with the rest of the doggies and busy sulking...)

5 minutes before meetings begin.... (note the anticipation on face)

Rapt attention mid-way through an architectural debate...

In deep thought.

She will claim she is overworked.

Hopefully you will all get to meet her when La Pari-Pari opens.

At any rate, we have listened to her complaints and got her an assistant.

But I have my suspicions at 5 months Beyonce has already been quickly influenced by her superior!

Walking Through La Pari-Pari

A few weekends back we went to Langkawi once more for a milestone visit. Finally, after months of waiting, we picked up our land title from the lawyer! It's officially ours now!! We also visited the site once again where Ijam had the footprints of the various buildings pegged - marked with wooden pegs and raffia string.

La Pari-Pari's entrance and office

So we literally "walked" through La Pari-Pari for the first time :-) We checked out rooms, the distance between various structures, and unanimously declared the swimming pool too small! LOL!

Since then we've discovered that our original target for funding, the SME Bank, has run out of funds for the particular loan we were targetting. Apparently, due to the high number of loan defaulters, the bank no longer has money to disburse for tourism. Of course this can change if defaulters pay up or the Government provides additional funding following the next National Budget in October.

Meanwhile, we're busy exploring other avenues for funding, limited as they may seem at the moment. The fact is, there is little by way of financial support given in this country to start-up SMEs like us who may have good ideas but no company track records. And we are in no way alone.

But, as usual, there are people out there with ears to the ground for us, trying to help us in their own ways. So fingers crossed, if we find other avenues, we will still be seeking funding by the end of this year.

All the same, work continues. The design of La Pari-Pari is close to final, with us already in the third round of interior concepts for the rooms. We're even in the midst of finalising our logo! By end of August, we will have submitted our drawings to the planning authorities, with an ultimate view to converting the site's status from agricultural to commercial.

So, things are moving, albeit at a gradual pace. Although, as I've often said to Anim, I believe every apparent setback has its reason, often times if not for anything but to force us to pause and consider our next step. And many a time this has resulted in a better, more improved version of La Pari-Pari emerging from our respite.

Meet Imah!

Say hello to Imah Salleh!

Imah is someone we've known for a number of years now. We first met her when she worked at our friend's restaurant.

I am constantly amazed at the confluence of coincidences that seem to surround La Pari Pari.

Imah comes with years of experience in the hospitality industry, predominantly in the food & beverage sector. So naturally, when we thought about people we knew on whom we could turn to for advice, especially on the operational aspects of running a resort, we thought of Imah.

The funny thing is, two years or so ago, Imah took a hiatus from Kuala Lumpur. Her "sabbatical" was in Bali, working with a company that provides internet booking services and website development for several resorts in Bali.

So now, she's become a resource on whom we depend for insights for the sales aspect of the business too!

Who knows - with any luck, maybe we can entice her to join us once La Pari Pari opens. I seem to think she's look smashing in a bikini and a pair of wings on Cenang Beach, no?

La Pari-Pari : Where We Are

Some of you have been asking about progress on La Pari-Pari. Some of you even think that it is already under construction.

The truth is we're only in the early stages of La Pari-Pari's lifecycle folks. It takes (as we have found out) a lot longer to build a resort from scratch than it does to set up a shop in a mall. After all, we have to build our "shop" from scratch.

So here's where we are now, exactly:

Scene from one of our face-to-face

meetings in Ijam's apartment.

The last six months and change have been spent deep in design. La Pari-Pari was drawn and brought to paper life mainly across phone and Internet lines, with Ijam and us periodically meeting face-to-face in between. And even then, meetings have been far less than formal :-) Perhaps it's an indication of our life to come on the island?

My sister Karen, the other initial partner-in-crime who started

this whole thing. And yes, this IS a meeting!

It's been interesting for me - seeing how a business is built from scratch - as I've never been a true-blue entrepreneur before. I've always worked for people. So now, when I read about other entrepreneurs talking about how their business empires began at kitchen tables and in dining rooms, I completely get it. They literally mean what they say. I know we do, when we say that ours was given birth on tables in two different locations 45-mins flight apart.

Now that design of the resort's structure is done, it's on to interiors. Here's where I get to take out my proverbial box of crayons and have some fun!

Also on the cards are dealing with the quantity surveyor, contractors, engineers, etc, etc, etc - all just to get the documents ready for submission to the land office!

And this is BEFORE we even go to the banks for money :-)

With some luck and a lot of pushing, in about a month we should know what La Pari-Pari not only looks like from the outside but the inside too. And, we will have a logo!

Then, some time in September, we will go knocking on bank doors for the funding. If any of you can point us in the right direction, do holler!

This Land Is Our Land...

The future site of La Pari-Pari

FINALLY, it's ours!

Two weekends ago, we went once again to Langkawi to make the final payment for the land on which La Pari-Pari will sit. 

 The deed itself was without incident, thanks to the man who sold us the land and the lawyer who very kindly accompanied us to the land office for the actual signing of documents.  Otherwise, I am told, the whole thing would have taken much longer, with me being passed from one counter to another while the land office folks take turns to go on tea breaks.  OK I made that last bit up, but that certainly was the impression I got when I was there.  The man who had to witness my thumbprinting of the land grant had just come from his tea break when I got there.  And as soon as we turned the car out of the parking lot there he was, waltzing across the tarmac back to the canteen...

We also had a great meeting with Ijam who has been going full steam these last few weeks on the design.  All I can say is that it's coming along nicely and at a healthy clip.  Designs for the chalet and our house are certainly in good order.  Now there's only the reception and bar to get cracking on!

Bridges To Cross

There's little to really show, in tangible terms, when you're in the initial stages of a project like La Pari Pari.  But, as I am beginning to realise, the beginning is a critical juncture, where the thinking is consolidated and foundational elements need to be captured to ensure that the end result comes as close as possible to what we have in mind.

Here's a quick peek at some of the bridges we are and will have to cross in the coming weeks:

One of the things we've had to grapple with in the last couple of weeks has been budgets.  From what we are seeing, there will be a need to scale back a little on our ideal, and make some decisions as to what is commercially viable versus what isn't.  The good news is, we can still realise the dream.  We just may have to change bits and pieces to fit the accounts.

We've also started a La Pari Pari Facebook fan page, for those of you who are users of the site.  Todate, in barely a month, it's already garnered close to 200 fans!  We are currently using that site to help our friends and supporters stay connected and also to test ideas for La Pari Pari.

Today, we got an inquiry from Peter Tan about disability access, prompting us to ensure that the resort will have facilities that enable people of all shapes, sizes, forms and challenges to enjoy it.  Thank you Peter for your thoughts.  We're really grateful for feedback like this that helps us think of ways in which we can ultimately better serve our customers once we open.

Our development plans are proceeding very nicely.  Last night we met with our architect to view the first round of drawings that roughly estimated the positions of various building elements within the property. Now that's done, Ijam is proceeding with designing the guest rooms!  Even at this early stage, the conversation has been very encouraging, with good ideas surfacing from everyone that I think will result in a property that is both functionally practical and pleasing to the eye.

So hopefully, in two months' time, we will have some initial sketches to share with you!

We've also discovered, after mapping the trees on the property, that we have a really fascinating mix of vegetation already thriving on La Pari Pari.  There's a good number of trees that are over 40 feet in height.  According to Aida's estimation, some of these are actually rainforest trees that have perhaps been re-planted on our property by previous owners.  Owing to the fact that they do not have the advantage of shade on our property (unlike in the rainforest), they are a little smaller than they would typically be in their natural habitat.  But they are pretty all the same.  There's also a cashew tree and a variety of tea tree bushes plus loads of other plants we are still trying to identify.

The interesting conundrum all this presents is:  with all the shade, do we have enough sunlight to power our outdoors using solar energy?

Have a fantastic weekend y'all!

Silver Linings

View from La Pari Pari's backyard - those are paddy fields behind the white tree

Several people have remarked at the boldness of our attempt to break away from our established lives and start a completely new one in a different place and different industry than the ones in which we both currently work.

Sure, there have been times we've wondered whether this apparently mammoth task is too huge for us to handle.  Things have appeared daunting in moments.

Take for example, the issue of (again), money.  I think by now everyone knows the turmoil our financial markets have been in for a good oh, six or nine months, depending on how far back you feel it all started tumbling down.  For a start-up company, this can sometimes mean certain death.  

As a first-time entrepreneur with no track record, the one thing you rely on for your initial cache of cash for capital is your own.  A year ago, according to our calculations, we had more than enough to fund the necessary things that needed to be put in place before we go to the financial institutions to get a loan for the construction of La Pari Pari.  Money for the purchase of a piece of land, money to hire an architect to help us design the resort, money for a land surveyor, etc, etc, etc.

But as of six months ago, half of it disappeared along with the dizzy descent of our financial markets.  

It left us with an interesting conundrum, at the very least.  Where were we going to get the additional resources to bankroll our project?  After all, we couldn't go to the bank with merely a business plan and no visual depiction of the dream we wanted to build.  Unlike other things, a resort is sold largely on its visual appeal and of course, over time, its service.

In retrospect, I think that was when we faced our first real big hurdle as business owners.  And I am sure, it won't be the last time.

Thankfully, after months of thinking laterally and being just darned tenacious, along with some interim help from Dad (yes, even he's been roped in), we managed to more than scrape through.

In less than two weeks, we will be off to Langkawi to make our final payment for the land on which La Pari Pari will sit.  This is a big deal in terms of our project's progression.  Once we initiate the transfer of the land title to our name, we begin the process of converting the land's status from agricultural to commercial, allowing us to then build on it.

Without all that, we can't go to the banks and ask them for money to build La Pari Pari!

So, the lessons for us have been:

1. If you look hard enough, you'll find a way out of a jam.

2. In fact, if you persevere enough, it'll probably serve as your best tool for getting your self out of the crack you've fallen into

3. Prayer, and a supportive Daddy go a long way :-)

La Pari Pari's First Gift!

This month, I turned the BIG 4-0, which, as my friend who have crossed that hurdle before me say, is the new 20.

At the rate my life is going, I am inclined to believe it.  After all, aren't I the one who purposely decided to turn her life upside down by pursuing a dream?

Along with the well wishes and the lovely deluge of messages that I received via e-mail, on the phone and Facebook, I also had the opportunity to indulge in my favourite past time over my birthday weekend - spending time with people I really love.

And, La Pari Pari got its first gift!

For my birthday present, my long-time friend and extended family member Anne Foenander decided to gift me her services for creating La Pari Pari's webmercials.  Since we anticipate that most of our bookings will come via the web, knowing the target segment we are pursuing for the resort, webmercials will be crucial to our marketing efforts.  

Although there won't be a webmercial for La Pari Pari until much closer to our opening day, this still means a burden has been lifted off our shoulders :-)

Thank you Anne, for your wonderful gift.

Here's a taste of the magic Anne can do!

Dreaming La Pari Pari

Some of you have asked us, naturally, what La Pari Pari will be like.  Rustic?  Tropical? Modern?

Today we came one step closer to determining the answer.  After many months of discussions and visioning, talking things over and bouncing ideas off walls and ceilings and floors, the design brief for La Pari Pari has finally been completed.

So we do have an idea of what we're after.  But what eventually emerges is something that we are leaving open to our architect to explore, and we hope, pleasantly surprise us.

In the meantime, just to get a taste of the visions we hve in our head, here are two resorts we love.

La Banane is a stylish little resort (it only has nine rooms) on the island of St Bart's.  

A long distance away from Langkawi but close to our hearts as a source of inspiration for the intimate and very accessible feel we want to achieve with La Pari Pari.  

La Banane is modern yet not ultra hip in the way some design-oriented properties are - you know the kind, all metal and glass and concrete and cold.  It's somewhere you can feel comfortable lounging around in your shorts or in your swimmies by the pool, yet it still feels more luxurious than home because let's face it, who wants to go on a vacation only to feel like they're still in their own backyard.

Plus, seeing that La Banane is a well patronised location even though it isn't beachfront, we think it is a great benchmark for La Pari Pari which will also be a short walk away from sea and surf.

The only thing we would add for consideration in designing La Pari Pari is our inclination to ensure some element of local context is added to the design.  But not in that "kampung house knock-off" kind of way.  Something a lot more subtle - a swash of colour or texture, an ornament, even images on walls perhaps.

Hotel Azucar

As contrast, there's also Hotel Azucar on the coast of Veracruz, Mexico.  This twenty-room resort is all about quirky charm - something that ensures it will sustain its uniqueness for years to come.

It sits within its environment comfortably, a reflection and tribute to the sugar trade that has framed the history of its locale.  It's the heart behind its design intent that we admire - how its soul is expressed in the place and use of local materials, even driftwood!

So there you have it - a sneak peek into the images that have been floating around in our heads for over a year now.

With a visit from the creative muses and some small ingenuity, hopefully La Pari Pari will measure up to these two places we love, but of course in its own individually unique Malaysian way.

Isn't this all so exciting?

Building To Last

Last night, for Earth Hour, we turned off all the lights and fans in my parents' house.  Dinner was by candlelight - a feast prepared by the loving hands of Mom and her enthusiasm for a new grilled, butterflied leg of lamb.

The nephews and nieces played in the semi-darkness, the TV off for a change.  Noise was from ambient chatter and the sound of children laughing as they raced toy trains on a double track.

From the start, our intention with our little resort in Langkawi was to create something sustainable.  Something that would leave the lightest possible imprint, or at least endeavour to do so, on Langkawi island.

La Pari-Pari, named after the Malay word for "fairy", will, when it opens, be a magical place.  Built from the ground up with heart, and a goal to incorporate as many ecological conservationist measures as we can.

Already, in our discussions with the architect and between the two of us, ideas have surfaced.

Solar lighting for the outdoors at night, to save electricity.

Rain water catchment pipes, to help irrigate the landscape.

An organically-fertilised outdoors, with edible plants and hopefully fruit that will adron our breakfast table.

A linen reusage policy, perhaps with rewards to incentivise our guests to join in and help us in our efforts to save water.

And if we can, a small contribution from our profits each year to a local cause nominated by our staff and chosen by our guests.

In looking for ways to green La Pari-Pari, we've uncovered some information.  Yet some others still remain unsolved.  How do we find a commercially viable solution for cleaning materials?  Often, ecological cleaning solutions are expensive, mostly imported.  And how do we ensure guests turn off their air-conditioners when they leave their rooms?

More importantly, how do we create a space that makes sense to the community and environment in which it sits?  Building a building is easy.  But building one that makes commercial sense and acts as a catalyst for something greater, something longer lasting, takes time, thought and deliberation.

But, as I've always said, if we don't do it, who will?