MM Jaya - Sneak preview wk2

Very sneak preview, MM Jaya practicing at home before leaving to the studio!




MM Jaya in the national newspaper 'New Straits Times' check them out
here.

Shuba and Father are dancing in national TV

Shuba and her father are taking part in 'Mari Menari' (let's dance). Watch their first performance!



You can hear the whole studio shouting 'Uncle, Uncle, Uncle'! It is obviously quite unusual that a 60 year old man takes part in this contest.

Watch and enjoy!

BFM: Branding and Copyright Myths - Geetha K

My first radio interview. Yay!
On BFM (Business station 89.9) - under the Resource Centre slot.

I was interviewed along with another speaker on our talk topic - Branding and Trademark Myths.
Geetha (Trademark lady) and me (Branding lady) were invited to be on BFM to talk about the talk we were giving the next day titled: Branding and Trademark Myths.

Check it out!

It was nerve wrecking. I know some of you might think...I'm an actress so I should be natural with stuff like this right? Not true!
Being on stage or in front of camera is different to being on radio. The preparations are different, the medium is different, the presentation skill is also different.
For example, on stage, I can use my whole body and voice projection to deliver my lines/role as oppose to being on radio, it's only dependent on my voice clarity, enunciation, intonation and it's unrehearsed! So if I fumble up ... I fumble up on air-live!

That was the reason I had jitters. I did the best I could, prepared and read my subject matter and made sure I was aware of my intonation and enunciation.

Have a listen. Tell me what you think?

BFM: Branding and Copyright Myths - Geetha K

Two big events, One great theme!

All good things are meant to be shared.

So here's how we planned both our Engagement + ROM with one running theme.

Yes, you heard it... running theme. Who says branding is only applicable for products/services or individuals? We branded ourselves as a couple!

Couple: P&S
Colour: Sky blue-ish & white
Positioning: 2 cultures coming together, Dutch boy and Malaysian Indian girl

Look and feel: Classy and vibrant

Method: DIY

Cost: Time+Petrol+Sweat+Couple of hairs
Result: Grin of Ultimate satisfaction


The task in hand:
On the 4th September 2009, we got engaged in a traditional indian wedding style at my parents' place. (Paul blogged this event on the 12th December,2009) Since, the major part of the event will go according to the Indian Engagement Ceremony... we didn't want to exclude the Dutch element, hence tried to blend in some Dutch touch.
What was our idea?

Let's start with the Logo.

Inspiration: Delft Blauw (Ancient Dutch Pottery Art since 1512) & Tulip & Jasmine flowers
We took the Victorian feel to bring out classy-ness and fused it with jasmine+tulip flowers.
Jasmine flowers are very commonly used in any Indian ceremony/prayers and we all know why Tulips :)
The text is cleverly placed on a ribbon band which can easily be replaced with other relevant text.
Result: Our very own Dutch+Indian+P&S logo.




We also created our own icon.
An icon is a name or a visual symbol that communicates a positioning.


Our positioning is the same as above: 2 cultures coming together, Dutch boy and Malaysian Indian girl. We compiled Dutch+English+ Malaysian words that signifies our togetherness and memories that are etched in our mind forever. What better shape than the heart itself.. where it all started :)

Result: Our very own icon that can easily be replaced with other relevant text.


Next, we applied our logo and icon on our collaterals. Our table signs, online invite and Thank you cards.

Not to mention our traditional outfits and garland were in matching shades.










As well as the trays that were brought in by the Groom's family, each individually coordinated with beautiful white wooden tray+blue&white ribbons of sorts. We also incorporated Dutch touches into the trays of gifts. Dutch sweets and tulips were part of the gifts.











At the end, the inspiration and execution melted {our hearts} like butter on hot pan.

On 7th September, 2009, we signed our Registration of Marriage papers at Putrajaya.
It was a momentous day in our life!

We are now officially husband+wife.

For our ROM, we applied similar theme across the board. A good branding idea is always flexible and consistent.

The wedding bands The tray that carried our wedding bands was made to match the consistent theme.

We included little tricycle to symbolize the many fun cold bicycle rides we've had in Holland, all in matching blue and whites.


The beautiful rings taking a ride on the cute tricycle.

Result: Awwwwwww moment :)




The ROM dress

I bought the material and drew out the dress I wanted to wear. I didn't want to end up with a dress that can only be worn once and wanted to take pride in knowing I designed my own dress. There's something very satisfying in that!

The details were very specific and it had to look timeless and feminine. I could just throw on a balero and wear this dress to a gala night :)

Result: I walked down the ROM office aisle in great pride!

Finally, the icing on the cake...

We gave our baker who is also a close girlfriend of mine a big task. The cake had to carry our icon and the Tulip+Jasmine elements with similar colour scheme. Note the blue&white jasmine at the bottom tier.


We were blown away when we saw the final results. Heidee, my girlfriend aka baker made our cake idea come true.
It wasn't an easy feat I heard...but she was pleased with the results too.




Lucky us, not only did we get our fondant icon as imagined.. the cake tasted super delicious.


Orange on one tier and chocolate on the other. Again, Paul and Shuba's favourite combinations!

So, who says you can't have your cake and eat it too?

Shining light into our home

Light shines through our new porch lantern

Our porch has had a bare bulb light since we moved in. Yesterday it got a new 'dress'. My mother gave me a call and said, " I am in a lighting shop and would like to know what kind of lantern design you'd like for the porch?" She knew I previously mentioned about wanting a crystal one. I read 'feng shui' tips for home decor a lot and tend to influence my house decor around it.

"Hanging crystals around your house adds shine and visual interest. While some hang them because its pretty, some hang them to promote mental clarity and good fortune based on feng shui beliefs. Pagans also hang crystals to repel evil influences, promote health and good fortune in home."

credit: www.ehow.com/hanging-crystal/


If you're like me a selective feng shui believer, google up feng shui tips for house decor. You'll find heaps of them. Do practice common-sense when applying any of these tips, some of them can be a bit 'much'. Like I said, I'm a selective feng shui believer. I always look for the universal reasoning behind it. Crystals represent the Earth element!

So,back to our porch lamp. ..the tricky part about hanging these crystals is finding the one you like. As you can see, the one we got isn't exactly screaming crystals...We saw some 'bling-ing' crystal lamp shades but it stuck out like a sore thumb though I was quite keen to go ahead with it anyway. Paul didn't seem to excited about them and had some preference of his own. So, we went with this one.


It has an antique feel to it. A mix of Middle Eastern+Vintage French+ Indian design influence.










Plus, it is very similar to our existing gate lights too. Now it looks uniformed :)




But, there is still that but...yes, my crystals? I had to find a way, so I got some loose crystal pieces from the lighting shop (they gave it to me for free)..probably glad someone can make good use of the unwanted extra spare parts hanging around the shop... toyed around with some ideas in my head and asked Paul to give it a shot.

Ta da!!! Our very own crystal fused antique lamp.

It now has just the right amount of shine and style that befits our home.

The message of this post:
If you can't find the right piece, try to find a way to create your own (even if the salesguy thinks your crazy) .... think out of the box. You'll be amazed with the results.

Well, I am at least !

Credit: Photo of crystal above taken from www.ehow.com/hanging-crystal/

Shuba on the cover

Inspiration comes in many shapes and forms.

Sometimes I find motivation in the most unexpected places. This time I found it when I attended my grandma's 82nd birthday party. I don't see her much, my 'appayi' (paternal grandmother), mijn 'oma'...but when I do spend time with her, I am always amazed by her strength and tenacity. At her young age of 82, she has perfect eye-sight, needs no walking aid, walks super-fast, excellent memory, has been living with diabetics and the most amazing part, she lives alone with her down-syndrome 45-year old daughter, my aunt.


If that isn't inspiring enough, wait till you find out what her daily routine includes. She takes care of my down-syndrome aunt single-handedly, medication and all her personal needs. Often she needs medical treatments and my grandma takes the bus if no one is around to give her a ride to the hospital. She has fallen down and had many small accidents during her travels or while managing her household. Somehow, whenever I meet her, she is all fixed and back to normal.

My grandma with her children, only 7 shown here, the other 5 are not in the photo. Yes, she has 12 children and countless grandchildren and great grandchildren. On the left most, is my father, the oldest son of the 12 children.

My grandma is super-discipline. She watches her diet closely, makes her own herbal remedy, home-made jams, coconut oil for her hair, endless list of supplements and almost hardly gives in to any meal that isn't home cooked.

If you observe closely, you'll notice that she doesn't wear glasses, her hair is bountiful, her sense of dressing is immaculately colour-coordinated (never leaves home without her matching hand bag) and can communicate clearly. She is astonishingly youthful and lively. I hope I am blessed with those youthful genes too :) . Of course, without a doubt, nothing comes easy, she works hard at keeping herself healthy.

I've always wondered how she does it all and stays well, single handedly. I've come to the conclusion that, everyone finds their inner strength from some hidden source.

I believe my grandma - 'appayi' finds her will power from my down-syndrome aunt, or perhaps, my appayi keeps herself strong for my aunt.

Either way, it's inspiring.

Sometimes, struggles are exactly what we need in our life to test our hidden strength. If we were to go through life without obstacles, we would not be as strong as we could've been.

- She still finds humour in simple things in life.

Thank you Appayi for reminding me that I can always soar higher as long as I have the will power!