For a seriously long time (and back and fro of DMs!) The Picha Project kept inviting me to join them for dinner cooked by their refugee community, and i was intrigued, to the point i kept promising i would come in time – but had to prioritize other social commitments then.
Everything falls into place and grows organically. Finally, our paths physically crossed when i was a panelist alongside Kim – one of the three Picha Project founders – at the Amazin Graze event a few weeks back.
We spoke about Freedom – its definition, what it means to us, and our personal stories attached to it. I touched on nudity and religion, and Kim spoke on the simple act of being able to live and work freely. Our separate encounters struck strong chords on the human experience.
I left feeling inspired, awestruck, and slightly fluffy for being so carefree in the way i live; whilst others are fighting for their right to work and eat on land they aren’t allowed to call their own. We also spoke on border control and rights, and i stated how i disagreed with how we don’t have the capacity to travel freely as a nomadic or exploratory species. [It is what it is, sigh]
A couple of weeks later, SweetEe (remember how she used to work for KBF? She now works for Amazin Graze hoho) invited me for a vegetarian dinner event specially prepared by the Picha Project refugees, that was being held at Common Ground Bukit Bintang, in collaboration with vegan ice cream brand Kind Kones (who also previously reached out for a collab with me but i was toooo busy to commit…).
I have been insanely packed with social commitments upon my return to KL (to the point i haven’t been able to blog a single bit on Burning Man!) but i really wanted to go for this. With a plus one invite in tow, i got Dhanya (my spiritual coach and actress galpal) to accompany me cos it’s the exact type of outing she would appreciate with. She went vegan for a couple of years, raw even??
To revert to The Picha Project (i assumed everyone who’s reading this knows what they are!); it is “a social enterprise which aims to empower marginalised communities in Malaysia through a sustainable food catering and delivery business. [To] provide job opportunities to families from the marginalised groups by creating a platform for them to cater food to the public, utilizing their existing cooking skills and equipping them further with professional guidance.” Read more *here*
In my casual words > the Picha Project was founded by three Malaysian girls who happened upon the refugees during a university project; and felt so compassionately for them that they dived straight into forming a social company after graduation (much to their parents’ horror. But now they’re totes cool with it, even proud, i’m sure). They spend their time working on marketing the food for meal box deliveries, open houses, and corporate catering services. Kudos to them. I’m so sold on their website offerings. What we don’t see (but am able to only hear when in person, like i did with Kim and Suzanne) is how the team also dedicates an insurmountable amount of time talking to 12+ families. It’s not like just taking care of one family (your own), but layaning a dozen more. That’s crazy. I’m feeling strained just keeping up with mine and my bf’s parents combined with deadlines and friends..! These girls sacrifice a lot to keep this company running. And it’s not something i feel they see as sacrifice per se, but energy they are willingly giving because they feel no other choice in their heart, which i think is AMAZING.
The food that night was prepared by refugees from Afghanistan, Syria, Palestine and Iran. And oh MY, what delicious food it was! I have already plotted how my next #CasaFairy party will cater its food cos i just want to eat that aubergine curry again.
Thank you to editor Diana Khoo, writer Lakshmi, photographer Sue and art director Joanne for such a beautiful spread of my #CasaFairy home in this season’s issue of Haven, The Edge.
I’ve typically been interviewed for fashion, beauty, the blog or my work; and this was the first time i’ve been approached for my interior design. Oh wait, i was asked by a TV channel or something when i’d first moved in end of 2015… but i declined cos i didn’t think the apartment was anywhere near what i meant it to look like. How it looks now has been a work in progress across 2.5 years. I’ve moved the sofas around almost 10 times (as friends can attest to it being different every time) according to various phases of my life and how i wish to use the space, i shifted and rearranged objects and deco as inspiration struck, and collected some art along the way.
Architect info: all renovations (esp. bathrooms, kitchen, flooring, lighting) were designed by Daniel Koshy, a partner at Supereka Plt. (who are responsible for a number of F&B outlets, working spaces and prolific residential homes). The firm was founded by Daniel and Lukas Lim, who focus on custom/tailor made bespoke design to the clients brief within eco-friendly energy efficient boundaries.
Last Wednesday, fashion goers had the chance to experience the ‘’As Above, So Below” collection from Pestle & Mortar. A catwalk experience took place on board our very own LRT, showing off their Fall/Winter 2018 collection. The event, which is the region’s first ever fashion showcase on board a moving train, brought a strong statement to the fashion scene here in Kuala Lumpur.
The event was organised by Pestle & Mortar in collaboration with Prasarana, car sharing start-up SOCAR Malaysia, and Touch n’ Go eWallet; to kick off a campaign called #MultiflexFriday. The campaign will run throughout the year with programmes including live music, dance and even stand-up comedy planned on trains and other modes of public transport at intervals to surprise commuters with light-hearted entertainment during their journey. As part of this launch announcement, SOCAR will be offering a first of its kind first/ last mile solution by providing a one-way car-sharing service to Kelana Jaya LRT station.
Traffic on that day was hell! Getting to the Kelana Jaya LRT station took me nearly 2 hours that evening, but once I arrived, I was shocked to see the crowd that was there for the event. I guess everyone was stoked because it’s a unique fashion show.
Refreshments and a goodie bag (with limited edition Touch ‘n Go TNG card) were provided while we waited for more guests to arrive. We boarded train No. 273 heading to the Pasar Seni station. During the trip, the moving train hosted a live catwalk show of Pestle & Mortar’s Fall/Winter 2018 collection.
I haven’t been around for many of the events Carole has been having for her brands, and wanted to support her, plus go out and play! So after being on hiatus from the KL scene for awhile, i got all made up and jumped into a Grab to have Friday night playtime at YSL Beauty Hotel – an impressive pop-up space across a few floors that only took place for a night and a day in the middle of the city.
There was a queue to enter the event (much to the disgruntlement of some divas), but one could see why it had to be… the event space inside was large, and every guest that night had a unique QR code that was sent to them prior, to register at a screen which elegantly slipped out a personalized key card with our name on it, which was subsequently used to play games and collect our door gifts.
Speaking of, I invited Veena to be my plus one, and we didn’t collect our door gifts at all cos we got so massively tipsy on the continuous flow of bubbly inside, that we ended up running off with a few more girls to another bar to play some more. Mums on nights out are way more dangerous than single girls… cos they take having fun VERY SERIOUSLY as to utilize every minute!
Sazzy emceed the event looking all polished as she usually does, and Arabyrd + Nadia took to the decks as Twinkies after Bittersweet rocked the stage. Veena and i stood at the table in front cos there was just way more space to breathe (nobody seemed to want to stand in the front) and she said, “We look like fangirls!” I retorted while sipping my champagne, “So what? I LOVE ROCK!” And support Bittersweet yo!
My black bag is from Papillon Clutch, a Malaysian fashion accessories brand that’s designed by KC and Vivan since 2012. Most clutches are stupidly too tiny for me to put all my things into, but this specific design could fit all my necessities and vices and clip securely to ensure no drunkard losing of things…
[Joyce: Dayana has been on the KBF team since March 2018, and helped me hold down the fort and water my plants while i was in the States haha. Thanks D! She also got to go for some events in my absence. Represent!]
L’Officiel Malaysia‘s 3rd Anniversary Party was held earlier this month at The Paper in APW Bangsar. This year’s theme was Print Is Not Dead – and so isn’t “The Paper”. The theme was based on the venue, as APW has a historical story behind it, having previously been a commercial printing factory before becoming the latest It event space in KL for local vendors, art collaborations and F&B outlets.
My first pit stop was to the pop up cocktail bar by Coley x Artisan. Once I had a drink in hand, I proceeded to explore the main space. The place was packed by the time I got there, with each and every one super decked out in their best outfits. I, on the other hand, decided to rummage through my closet at the very last minute and found one of my grandmother’s vintage scarves (which I turned into a top). Little did I know that pairing that off with my favourite pair of palazzo pants would complete my outfit for the night.
