Christine Jalleh

Happy New Year! I hope that you’ve had a bright start to 2010

I know I had a *really* busy time wrapping up a much-delayed communications and translations project while working on a few articles.

The fun part about being a freelance writer is that you never know who’ll meet and what your next story is going to be!

One of the articles is an interview with Francesca Kiing (read her inspiring story “Beading Glory” published in StarMag), a creative, energetic and friendly entrepreneur I met at a wedding dinner.

Other articles I was working on included:

• a travel piece on the quaint city of Xiamen (published in Air Macau’s inflight magazine), which also has a Chinese version;
• a feature article on water quality issues around the world;
• a beauty feature on common hair problems and natural / organic solutions for them and
• the alarming decline of wild animals in Kenya

Another fascinating topic I was working on is the practice of trap-neuter-and-release for stray dogs and cats in Malaysia. And getting to know some truly self-less folks known as “independent pet rescuers”.

As much as I’d love to share these articles with you, some of them are only available upon subscription or in hardcopy format.

What’s in store for 2010? The crystal ball reflects 1-2 consultancy projects in the works and some travel…

How about you? Have you listed your New Year resolutions?

Here’s to a healthy and happy start for everyone

An enterprising woman crafts baubles threaded with conservation, friendship and community service.

WHEN Francesca Kiing was wandering along the bustling shopping streets of Hong Kong a few years ago, little did she know that the roots of a booming business lay in a RM2 packet of multi-coloured plastic beads.

A native of Sibu, Sarawak, this former flight attendant of Chinese-Bidayuh heritage recalls that day in June 2004: New to a city of strangers, she was learning to find her way about the busy streets when she stumbled upon a stall selling cheap plastic beads; thinking she would make herself a pair of earrings, she bought a packet and was delighted when the shopkeeper also sold her metal hooks and other materials to make the jewellery.

A lovely clam shellpearl necklace from ekiingbeads.com. – Photos provided by FRANCESCA KIING

“Back then, I couldn’t tell one type of bead from another,” Kiing, 44, says in a recent interview, laughing. “I was lonely in Hong Kong and took up beading just as a hobby.”

Slowly, she made friends from Australia, Britain, Hong Kong and Taiwan through her daughter’s playgroup. She sold her first pair of earrings for HK$10 (RM4.50) when a friend spotted them at home, and she soon started getting more and more requests.
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Original article in Sunday Star (Metro) on 14 December 2008.

Tempt the fussy eater with a home-cooked bento set.

Every mother knows the frustration of dealing with a fussy eater. It’s the toddler who rejects the Omega 3-rich steamed fish or the pre-schooler who turns up his nose at anything green.

Perhaps a bento is the answer for mothers looking to cultivate healthy eating habits.

What’s a bento? A bento is a traditional Japanese red and black lacquered lunch box.

Wide range: Veronica Chen and her bento-making accessories.

In Japan, mothers pack food attractively in bentos using a 4-3-2-1 rule, which are four parts of rice, three parts of protein, two parts of vegetable and one part “treat” (usually pickled vegetables or a sweet).

“Bentos are quite similar to the Malaysian practice of packing sandwiches, nasi lemak, capati or other home-cooked food,” said Veronica Chen, 30, owner of New Stylish Tokyo (http://www.nst.my), an online shop selling lunch boxes, moulds and other accessories for bento-making.

“The only difference is that the 4-3-2-1 rule of bento packing ensures healthy, balanced meals.

“More importantly, the meal is presented in various colours, shapes and flavours that tempt even young children to try foods they normally avoid,” she said.

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