Tina's and Chandni's Christmas in Mauritius

Christmas was two days before, Chandni's moment in that hypermarkett was awesome, especially during two days before Christmas. The department where she was assigned was so crowded and noisy with children voices and in one corner of the premises there was a spectacular performance by the local artists and some children's games like dart-throw-on-balloons and others.
As for Tina, following the Housekeeping Supervisor of the hotel she was posted, was quite tiring, but she found interesting subjects to note into her notebook, that she could take home and made it as reference. And the guests that checked-in to the hotel where amazingly interesting. She even spotted some familiar faces from the cinema world such as Jack Wagner, Michael Keaton, Daniel Stern and she thought she saw also faces like those of Brad Pitt and Angelina Joli tailed by some kids. She watched the group with open-mouthed and asked herself if her eyes did not fool her. That was before Christmas. During the eve, since the Supervisor said that there was a chapel in the premises and if she'd like to attend the midnight mass, she could, so she went.

Then this day Mirabelle, who had been from time to time texting or calling these two foreign friends of hers while they were busy with their pre-Christmas job, planned another activities to welcome the coming New Year. She would lay it out to them in the morning.

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Tina's voyage

Tina's flight took off on time, to a destination planned, that is Kuala Lumpur. As it was planned she intended to stay there for a couple of days, since she had business in her mind. She made a contact a few days before her departure with a certain businesswoman named Anisah who was dealing in export and import.

After she checked out from the airport, she found Anisah was waiting for her in the arrival lounge. She did not expected it. Anisah took her to a hotel she booked. Then Anisah arranged that Tina should dine on time in the evening, because she was to take Tina to see Kuala Lumpur by night. The following morning, they met again to pay a visit to a garments factory.

Two days in Malaysia was satisfactory, then it was time for Tina to board on another airplane, destination Mumbai, India to meet Chandni as scheduled.

Malaysia fresh fashion

Tina's Christmas and New Year program

After Tina and Edward posted an ads about looking for a co-tenant and preferably someone who could run a coffee and snack shop, she received quite a number of interested candidates. Then she and Edward, after meeting them one by one, had chosen one who according to them could fit in well in the space available to open a coffee and snack shop beside Tina's shop. They showed their future co-tenant the space and made a plan to have a talk about all the legal necessity after New Year since Tina would be out of the country for 30 days during the end of year holiday.

Tina talked again to Mirabelle in Mauritius, informing Mirabelle that on the way to Mauritius, she would  spend two days in Singapore, three days in Malaysia and meet Chandni in Mumbai, and together Tina and Chandni would arrive in Mirabelle's  a week before Christmas. Tina intended to stroll the streets of Mumbai first. Mirabelle was happy to learn she was going to have a wonderful end of year feast that year. Two foreign friends from two different countries there, that would be awesome. Mirabelle promised Tina the best hospitality that she could ever give to her foreign friends. Before they hung-up, Tina made Mirabelle promise to show her the best fashion house in the island.

lovely summer dress

cozy white

Tina's feasibility study into business (5)

Tina's gotten the registration, alright, next step operation permit, but one thing they have forgotten. Tina was supposed to look for a partner or co-tenant in occupying the shop space at the Grand Indonesia Mall. This she should had obtained prior to the registration application. They saw a problem. She mentioned this problem to Edward and he shrieked.

Edward studied the plan again, and then he exclaimed that in her budgets, she hadn't included the co-tenant affair yet. He told Tina that would come after. They decided to look for a partner. An advertisement, in the newspaper or on-line, that should help. And there would be the Tenancy Agreement Amendment then the Company Registration Amendment to take care of.

Tina sighed and thought , she really had a long way to go before her shop would get a co-tenant and go operational. In the meantime, she told Edward, she'd continued with her drop-shipping, and why not doing on-line drop-shipping, too! Edward asked her not to create complications if she would want to keep herself fit. Tina laughed. So they went to an advertisement agency to post "looking for a business co-tenant" ads. So, thus, that day ended.

black and white in Jakarta

modern muslims outfits

Thanksgiving Day

A tradition that most Americans observe before end of the year, before the month of December, is Thanksgiving Day. According to the understanding of most non-Americans as they observe the American celebrating the day, it is the day of the closing of all the activities of the year before the Christmas Season comes, and the Christmas shopping spree starts. Normally it falls on the fourth Thursday of November.

They have delicious meal served. And after that, the Christmas Gifts hunt starts. People will wait for happy hours early in the morning in front of marts and department stores. They will start ordering for pine trees. All of those activities need funds. To fill in the holes of expenditures, many also  hunt  for part-time jobs.  In Mauritius this day only celebrated by the American expatriates. Nevertheless, no one is deprived of the occasion .

for boys and girls

some gown to choose

Tina's feasibility study into business (4)

With Edward's assistance Tina succeeded in registering her shop. When she started a topic on the interior designs, Edward reminded her that she should start to apply for the operation permit, and she had to draw her budgets and inventory, and not forgetting the banking relations and affairs as well as taxes. Smiling Edward reminded her about her drop-shipping activities, apart from being a dressmaker, too,  that she hardly thought about paying taxes, now that she had a shop, it was a real business with taxes to pay involved.

Making big money through that line was not really promising, Edward told her. but since Tina's passion was there, so let it be. Tina's watched Edward talking. Anyone would laugh seeing Tina's expression. After sometime, Tina told Edward that her head had started spinning, and she guessed that she would need his assistance quite a lot. Then she suggested that they should go somewhere for lunch and then dropped by a bookstore to buy  several fashion catalogs.

 

As they walked, Edward saw this and he whistled, Tina slapped his arm ^o^ 

Planning for a picnic

On a Sunday like that day, people either stay home or spend their leisure time somewhere else. That Sunday, Tina was visited by all her friends including the business consultant. Chris, Mike and Richard, each brought with him a snack to share. Edward brought some drinks.

They sat in the salon and made some plans for  a picnic or a sort of an outing by the end of the year or the beginning of the following year before everyone resumed to work. Mike suggested a dinner in open air on a camping site. Richard suggested a weekend in a natural park.

While they were talking, Tina's computer's messenger rang, it was from Mauritius. Mirabelle  appeared on the screen. Tina introduced Mirabelle to her friends. Then Tina mentioned about what they were doing. Mirabelle jokingly suggested her island as their end of  year destination, but Tina regretfully refused because she was expecting Chandni. She told Mirabelle that she had a contact in India with whom she spent the Divali festival that year, and she had invited her Indian friend to spend the end of year festivity in Tina's place. Like jet-sets, so these people thought jet-sets. Mirabelle asked Tina to change her plan, to ask Chandni to join her and company at Mirabelle's island, that would be fun. Chris, Mike and Richard including Edward looked at each other and said to Tina that it would be a very good idea. A great adventure while closing the year. Tina agreed of the idea and said to Mirabelle she'd talked it over with her friends and let her know soonest.

While they were talking, moving around Tina's salon, Mike bumped into Chris and spilled his drink on Chris's beautiful Sunday dress. Chris went red....! Of rage or ...?

Sunday dresses

Tina's feasibility study into business (3)

She found a place for her shop, she engaged an accountant to handle her financial affairs. She had a meeting with Edward. This plan of hers brought her closer to this person. The other day, they met in a coffee-shop at the Grand Indonesia Mall and discussed about the name of her shop and how to get it legally registered.

While they where in the middle of the topic, Tina's eyes caught sight of a pretty lady entering the coffee shop, approached the counter. She was accompanied by a young man. Tina and Edward stared at them, then they heard that pretty lady was speaking in a half English and half Indonesian language. Tina focused her stare and she told Edward that she recognized that lady. She grabbed her Android and browsed, then lo...! She showed Edward what she saw in her Android and asked him could that pretty lady be Tania Gunadi, an Indonesian born actress. So much that they looked alike, the newcomer lady and the actress. But Edward said could be or could not be, and that nowadays so many persons could look alike. Tina shrugged. Tina commented on the lady's attire and she looked at herself...

Tania Gnnadi in a cowgirl style

compare to

like this?

Sneering she asked Edward to compare her against the Gunadi lady... :D

Tina's extremely hot day

Sunday, a sunny day. In the month of July, the sun shines brightly over the equator that crosses Indonesia, and Jakarta, a quite advance city with surplus concrete sky-scrapers add to the heat.

Tina got up a bit late to the rings of her phone. That was her daddy, yelling in her ear. He reprimanded Tina of not informing him about her business plans. Her daddy found out from his friend who happened to be one of Edward's firm employees. Like all jet-sets children, she was as stubborn as her father. She said that she lived her life as would like it to be. She hung up on him.

Still in trance, she figured out what her Sunday would be. Then "ting...tong.." on her computer. Checked it, gosh... she forgot completely about this girl, a Mauritian girl, Mirabelle. Mirabelle was one of her best contact, but for the last two months, she'd forgotten about her. Mirabelle lived in the northern part of the country, so she said.

A chat went on, Mirabelle sent her some lovely pictures of her country's treasures. Tina was happy, in return, she also sent some of her treasures to Mirabelle.

beach pareos from Mauritius

are colorful and beautiful

Javanese wooden puppets from Indonesia

have many characters, mostly are Ramayana characters

After exchanging conversation, Mirabelle invited Tina to come pay a visit to her country and Tina promised to have fun with her in that far away land.

Tina's Indecisive Saturday

What would she do on that Saturday? Tina'd been walking around her apartment. In the very early morning she was awaken by her " Butch Cassidy and the Sundance kid " alarm from her Android. She had her breakfast with her head in the cloud, wondered what the day was, to realize it was Saturday.

Walking around from the bedroom to the sitting room then the dining room, scratching her head. Sat down on the sofa in front of her TV. Switched the TV on, came onto the screen something that made her jump . She stared at her TV screen with eyes widened then she sighed. She had her asset somewhere else. That was quite interesting, as she thought. Just the other day she and her friend Edward, a business consultant, talked about banking in relation with her plan.

As she got up from the sofa, she thought to put aside this matter for a while, it was a resting day. She picked up her phone and dial Chris. She asked Chris if she would be able to accompany her strolling the street that day, but Chris said she was already booked to make-up a bride for the evening.

Tina sighed as she hung up. Okay, she went to the kitchen, helped herself with a bite and browsed the Internet through her phone, searching for news on celebrities. Suddenly she spotted an advertisement about a rock concert which was to be held on that very evening. She checked on the availability of the entrance-ticket. Luckily, she got one bought on-line.

kellifrance.com

Tina got herself ready for an evening alone, without companion. 

Tina's feasibility study into business (2)

It was a bright day, Tina started deriving lists of the matters to be discussed with her friend, Edward or Eddy, who worked as a business consultant. She called him on the phone and told him briefly about the matters, subject and objective of their discussion regarding her plan.

Edward suggested that they should meet and Tina invited him to her residence located somewhere in the Cengkareng area not very far from the  international airport. It was a quite classy apartment.

Tina prepared everything, including some refreshments. And she stepped into some comfortable outfit

She said to herself dressing up like this in the hot big city of Jakarta would be very comfy. Edward came half an hour before three o'clock in the afternoon bringing a prospectus. That day Tina started her plan.