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?

Your help needed: Building Lobong-Lobong's First Library

The Lobong-Lobong community center where the library will be housed

Remember Aida Rahman?  She was one of the people instrumental in helping us secure our plot of fairy magic where La Pari-Pari will eventually be situated.

A KL-ite who transplanted her self to Langkawi, Aida is now well on her way of pursuing her own dream of setting up operations in Sabah.  At the core of her vision is a village called Lobong-Lobong, en route to the Mount Kinabalu headquarters.

She posted a plea recently for books to help set up Lobong-Lobong's community library.  For those who can help, please do.  On top of the fact that it's for a good cause, Aida is someone I have complete faith in to ensure your contributions are used in the best possible way.

Here's the message from Aida.

PLEASE SEND US BOOKS!!



Dear friends,

The time has come for me to make a plea on behalf of the children and
villagers of Kampung Lobong-Lobong. Remember my first ever note on FB?
I have a wish to empower these able people and I found that many
friends and acquaintances also share my wish. So the first step we are
taking is to create the village’s own resource centre and library!
Hence today, I would like to ask you to send us books to help us
furnish it. The centre will be housed in an existing building within
the village.

On the weekend of the 18th-19th December a few friends and I are going
to fix shelves in the building shown below & convert it into a
resource centre cum library for the villagers to use freely.. so
please feel free to send books, magazines (if possible nature
related), dictionaries, pictionaries etc. that you think can benefit
this community. For those who are able to join us that very weekend,
you are also welcomed :)

A bit on demographics of the village...

There are roughly about 90 households in the Lobong-Lobong village.
Each household has an average of 3 to 5 children whose ages spans
between 3 to 25 years… there is a primary school in Kuang village
which is about 25mins walk away, whilst in order to attend secondary
school these youngsters will either attend boarding schools near
Ranau i.e. SMK Lohan or SMK Narinang but they will usually come home
to the village in the weekends to help tend the farms and fields.

We have good feedbacks from the locals wanting to learn and pick up
languages, mainly English, so we hope in the near future we can also
organize short English classes for all age groups. I have plans to
invite friends and contacts to contribute their time in training these
villagers in skills that would help them improve their livelihood… if
you have skills and knowledge to share please also get in touch :)



A dear friend had agreed to be the collection centre for this project
so please send your donated books to:

“Lobong-Lobong Community Drive: Resource Centre & Library”

c/o : DR. Izety Shezlinda Noran

Room no. 40, Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery Clinic,

Hospital Queen Elizabeth I,

Karung Berkunci No 2029

88586 Kota Kinabalu

Sabah


p/s: it would also be nice for you to write a note stating your
name(s) & where/who the book donation is from etc. Perhaps also some
encouraging words to the readers :)

From A Distance

Managed to capture some shots of the island and its surroundings one a flight once. Thought I'd share it with all of you - especially those who have never been to Langkawi.

And if you're living in Malaysia - what the heck are you waiting for lah?

This is Pulau Dayang Bunting (Island of the Pregnant Maiden) where the famous lake with the same name is located.

Because Blogger is such a pain when it comes to uploading photos, do oin our Facebook Page - La Pari-Pari to see the rest and our other albums.

Tiga Langkawi Turns One

This is a long overdue post (almost a month to be exact!)  and my apologies to Jeff and Nas for not doing this sooner!

If you ever make your way on the windy road to The Datai, you will pass by the Temurun Waterfalls. If you're in luck, you'll glimpse a rather over-sized, glowing number 3 across the road from the falls.

Congratulations, you have found Tiga Langkawi - a lunchtime treat for those journeying far off the touristy Cenang beach strip. Started by Jeff and Nas, Tiga Langkawi offers yummy fare that is in limited supply - on

ce they run out for the day, that's it! And I am told they run out pretty quickly, thanks to Nas' magic in the kitchen.

The hensem Nas! (We didn't have Jeff's pic!)

We first met Jeff and Nas on an evening out in Langkawi and were immediately intrigued by their description of the restaurant wedged between a waterfall and the ocean. The next afternoon, we ventured out in search of them and we weren't disappointed.

Although the restaurant was closed for renovations at the time, we spent a lovely evening hanging out with the guys and their lovely dogs, watching the evening grow darker as

the waves lapped at our feet on a deserted pebble beach.

In early October, Tiga Langkawi celebrated its first birthday and we were invited! Woo hoo! The food was amazing and the company even better. We met Langkawi residents and those like us who would someday like to call the island home, including Dawn who is a regular on our Facebook fan page.

Aida fashions some Oakleys out of her dinner spoons

More and more, we realise that Langkawi is actually a haven for transplants from everywhere, especially KL. Nas for example, shuttles between the island and KL where he has another business. Other folks we've met just decided to do what we aspire - pack up and leave the city hustle for the island life. I guess that makes us not so unusual after all :-)

So the next time you're on the island and in search of a tasty lunch, try going off the beaten path a little, and discover the magic of Tiga Langkawi. The food's great and the company's even better :-) Unfortunately, my camera didn't end up capturing very nice photos. So if you'd like to see more, just look up Tiga Langkawi on Facebook :-)

Aida, Eric and I attempt a Charlie's Angels pose :-)

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.

Bu House

Aida wins hands down when it comes to uncovering gems off the beaten path in Langkawi.

The latest one she's shared with us is Bu House - the home of a man whose passion for bamboo has led to his creation of the Langkawi Carbon Exchange project. Tucked away in a hidden pocket of villages, Bu House is a sprawling homestead whose simplicity veils the important work that is being done there.

The founder, a Mr Chan, is a rotund fellow who didn't hesitate to welcome us onto his grounds and generously spent an afternoon telling us about his various projects. The one that caught our attention was his carbon exchange project which involves both Langkawi villagers and big businesses from around the world.

The idea is a simple one. Sell carbon credits to big businesses who need to pay penance for their pollutant ways by planting bamboo on local village land. The big businesses win and so do the Langkawi kampung folk. Apparently business is so good, Mr Chan can't keep up with the demand!

And the local folk who participate in the programme? Mr Chan tells the tale of how years ago, when the programme began, he only managed to persuade the local menfolk to permit the planting of a handful of bamboo thickets on their respective pieces of land. Now, several years later, some of these old folk have passed on, and their wives upon finding out how lucrative the bamboo have become, berate their late husbands for not allowing Mr Chan to plant more on their plots!

Judging from the figures Mr Chan shared with us, I can certainly understand why. A bamboo thicket nets the land owner about RM1,000 from the programme a year. All for doing nothing except allowing the bamboo to exist on one's plot of land, as all maintenance and culling is done by Mr Chan's team free-of-charge. An acre of land can host up to 270 bamboo thickets.

Anim did the math and almost decided against building La Pari-Pari! :-)

The money aside, we were very heartened to meet Mr Chan. Here's someone who has pursued a passion of his and not only made it pay off, but also figured a way to spread the wealth around. Now that's sustainable business practice.

Oh and the best part of visiting Mr Chan? We also got free reign to wander around his grounds which houses ducks, chickens, guinea fowl, a very playful dog and a clutch of goats from various parts of the world. One of them was even in the midst of giving birth when we were there and another was busy tending to her two-day old kid. It doesn't get more special than that.

To view photos, visit La Pari-Pari's Facebook page.

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?

Green Fairy alert: The Real Magic Behind Frangipani

On Aida's suggestion during our last trip to Langkawi, we went to Frangipani Resort for a special little tour. I think this one's a bit of a well-kept secret, but if you're interested in sustainable living, be sure to put this on your list of To Do's the next time you are on the island.

Although Frangipani is already famous on the island for its eco-friendly practices, few know the real extent of their efforts on this front. But for a mere RM5, you can get a tour of their back-of-house along with a guide who will tell you all about the resort's already impressive progress in running their business along sustainable principles.

Here's the tip of the iceberg:

Old bottles and plastic containers are re-purposed as lampshades.

They've even got their own wetlands, where the grey water (water from the sewers) is channelled to fertilise a corn patch with the most GIANT corn plants I have ever seen, then into a pond where it is filtered again via water plants until it emerges clean on the other side of the pond.

The filtration pond where grey water emerges clean!

Their backyard houses free range ducks and chickens who were busy either lolling about under shrubs, taking a dip in the cooling pond or just clucking and quacking their way round the garden when we visited. The hens really have a sweet deal though - their henhouse for laying eggs is a repurposed spa hut! These ladies sure live in style.

There's more - organic rice grown in old bathtubs, a salt water swimming pool, rain-water collection, sponsor-a-tree programmes for guests, and the list goes on.

But don't let me tell you all the secrets - go see them for your self. Hopefully it will inspire you to also think about how you can incorporate some of those practices at home :-)

Giving Back To Nature

L-R: Aida, Karen and Anim 

It's always nice to give back.

On our last visit to Langkawi, Aida and her friend Wendy (also a nature guide) roped us in on a mangrove replanting excursion they had organised.

The coast along Kuala Muda had been cleared some years back for some reason we're all not quite sure of - whether it was for a development that didn't take off, or the construction of a breakwater.  Suffice to say, the flats at low tide had become quite devoid of vegetation which is never a good thing.

So Wendy and Aida, being the good citizens of the island that they truly are, recently started replanting the mangroves in the area independently.  Wendy, who often leads groups on tours through the mangrove, started collecting the rhizomes that are often found floating on the water's surface at a certain time of year.  Those were the seedling we then replanted on to the Kuala Muda coast.

It turned out to be an all-girl affair, with Wendy and Aida leading the way and the rest of us straggling along in tow.  Even Ijam's eight-year-old daughter Nena (of the 99 Luftballoons fame) joined in, along with Fazilah, the very enthusiastic new transplant to Langkawi who wo-mans the Malaysian Nature Society office which has just opened on the island.

The planting proved very easy, with us just having to stick the little rhizomes into the very soft muddy seabed at low tide.

Naturally, I got into trouble, sinking up to my knees in mud and getting stuck for a good few alarming seconds.  All very hilarious, especially with some of us trying to reassure ourselves the mud was very good for our skin!

Nature being what it is, we were rewarded with a huge rainbow after a short drizzle of rain at the very end of our planting. 

Hopefully, those little fellas will survive the wind and tides to grow big and strong for our children's children to enjoy.

Next time you're on vacation to Langkawi, perhaps you too can think about doing something to give back?

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?

Swimming, Naturally

One of the things highest on my list of "What I'll Miss" once I move to Langkawi is fresh water.

Being on an island means that access to fresh water swimming locations is slim.  In fact, unless you count the various waterfalls and watering holes on the tourist map, the options are close to

 zero.

For someone who is used to flowing rivers and isolated spots along a river bend for a picnic or a quiet sunlit snooze, this is a big one not to have.

So I've begun searching for the next best thing - the possibility of constructing a natural swimming pool on La Pari Pari's grounds.  It fits with our conservationist goals and has the potential to look amazing.  Not to mention it doesn't wreck a girl's hair or make her sensitive eyes turn blood red.

Having done a bit of webtrawling on the subject, I don't see how we can't have one.  We have to have one.  What's there not to want??

I think the only place I have heard of in Malaysia that has this sort of pool is a luxury condominium in Kuala Lumpur.  

So what do you think?  Fancy taking a dip in a less than conventional pool?

Unwanted guests

Here's a new one for us urbanites buying land in Langkawi.

We received a report from the land surveyor over the weekend and discovered that our neighbour has actually eaten up a sizable portion of our property!

When we first saw the land, we were aware that the next door neighbour had taken the liberty to fence up a portion of our land as part of his garden. No matter, at the most perhaps it was a few feet.

But judging from the sketch done by the surveyor, it's a lot more than that!

This is a long-standing issue in places like Langkawi, where land often times has been handed down through the generations and split up between siblings and relatives. Sometimes, a person builds on a piece of land without the proper survey markings done, resulting in said person actually trespassing on other people's land.

From the looks of it, our neighbour will not only have to move his fence back, but also demolish part of his house.

The good news is, the person who built the structure is apparently a squatter. And the real owner of the adjoining property (whose land the house is mostly built on) is also trying to evict him.

I can't imagine having to do that in KL - it would be tantamount to asking someone to leave my garden!

Oh well. Lessons learned.