The Peak: Norman Adventure

Published in The Peak June 2013.

 

The Week of Taste Malaysia

Under the patronage of the Embassy of France, the MFCCI (Malaysian French Chamber of Commerce), the CCE (French Foreign Trade Advisors), the Alliance Francaise, and the Lycee Francais de Kuala Lumpur, for the first time ever, “The Week of Taste Malaysia“ will be held from the 15th to the 21st of October 2012.

Launched in France in 1990. La Semaine du Gout or The Week of Taste was first to encourage French children in schools to become more educated about food. lt spread successfully across France to become a major event. Today, The Week of Taste is celebrated around the world not only in France but also in Italy, Switzerland, Belgium, Japan, Romania, Laos and Australia.

During this special week, events like “The Tables of Taste” (special events and promotional menus at restaurants), “The Lessons of Taste” (demos by food professionals in schools to culinary students), “The Workshops of Taste” (workshops open for public), and the “Grand Bazaar” are organized with the same purposes: TO MAKE PEOPLE LEARN ABOUT AND TO LOVE QUALITY FOOD.

CORE VALUES of The Week of Taste
-The education in the taste of consumers, especially for children
-The diversity of tastes and flavours
-The transmission of professions, know-how and expertise. The transparent and educational information on products, their origin, their production and their specificities
-To encourage behaviour and food consumption as part of a balanced lifestyle

Numerous workshops and a grand bazaar held in Publika will allow to gather young and adult, curious and gastronomes to share a friendly moment of pleasure and discovery, allowing to put “the taste” forward every time!

For more info visit www.theweekoftaste.com.my

Bright Lights, Big City

Published in Glow, September 2012 (Click on images to read the article).

Loving the Loire

Published in The Peak Malaysia, June 2012 (Click on images to read the article).

Poolside Panorama

Published in The Peak Malaysia, May 2012 (Click on images to read the article).

Beautiful Escapes

Published in Harper’s Bazaar Malaysia, June 2012 (Click on images to read the article).

French Art & Film Festival 2012

French Art & Film Festival 2012 kicks off 23 May – 23 June in Kuala Lumpur, 6-13 June in Penang. As Royal Patron of the French Art & Film Festival (FAFF) this year, I’m delighted to present to you great French film screenings at GSC Pavilion, Mid Valley, 1Utama as well as other musical and artistic performances. Here are the trailers of the French films showing (subtitled in English):

Les Intouchables (The Untouchables) :

Genre: Comedy. One of the greatest blockbusters in French film history with $240 million domestic gross and definitely a favourite of mine. Don’t miss this film as there are only 2 screenings in KL!

Synopsis: The wild cinematic success based on a true story of two men who should never have met –After a paragliding accident, Philippe, a rich aristocrat, hires Driss, a young guy from the projects recently released from prison to be his care-giver… In other words, the person least suited for the job. Together they will blend Vivaldi and Earth, Wind and Fire, elegant diction and street jive, suits and sweatpants…Two worlds are going to collide and come to terms with each other to give birth to a friendship as crazy, comical and strong as it is unexpected, a unique relationship that will create sparks and make them…Untouchable.

Les Femmes du 6ème étage (Service Entrance) : 

Genre: comedy. I loved this heart-warming film.

Synopsis: In 1960s Paris, the life of a conservative couple are turned upside down by two Spanish maids. Jean Louis Joubert, a scrupulous foreign exchange broker and an uptight man discovers of a full band of Spanish maids living on the 6th floor of his wealthy residential building. Maria, the maid who’s working for him makes him discover a totally new and exuberant world fully different of his strict world. Stirred by those punchy women, he begins to give up his annoying life to experience for the first time, the happiness and joy from a simple life. But can we really change our life at 45?

Les émotifs Anonymes (Romantics Anonymous) : 

Genre: Comedy/ Romance. Looking forward to this one.

Synopsis: What happens when a man and a woman share a common passion? What occurs when a highly emotional man meets a highly emotional woman? They fall in love. And this is what happens to Jean-René, the boss of a small chocolate factory, and Angélique, a gifted chocolate maker he has just hired. Both share the same passion and handicap but being pathologically timid does not make things easy for them. So whether they will manage to get together, join their solitudes and live happily ever after is a guessing matter.

Une Vie De Chat (A Cat in Paris) : 

Genre: animated feature film.

Synopsis: Dino is a cat that leads a double life. By day, he lives with Zoé, a little girl whose mother, Jeanne, is a police officer. By night, he works with Nico, a burglar with a big heart. Zoé has plunged herself into silence following her father’s murder at the hands of gangster Costa. One day, Dino the cat brings Zoé a very valuable bracelet. Lucas, Jeanne’s second-in-command, notices that the bracelet is part of a jewelry collection that has been stolen. One night, Zoé decides to follow Dino. On the way, she overhears some gangsters and discovers that her nanny is part of the gangsters’ team

Liberté (Korkoro) :

Genre: Drama.

Synopsis: A Gypsy family travels the French roads during the Second World War, followed by Little Claude, a young boy seeking a new family after his parents “left and never returned”. Upon reaching a town where they traditionally stop for a few months and work in vineyards, they learn that a new law forbids them from being nomadic. Theodore, the town’s mayor, and Miss Lundi, the schoolteacher, protect and help the Gypsies. Despite this, they are arrested and placed in an internment camp. Theodore manages to rescue them and gives them a piece of property where they must settle. But the Gypsies’ deep thirst for freedom makes this sedentary lifestyle difficult to bear. After Theodore and Miss Lundi were arrested for resistance, the Gypsies decide they must get back on the move in order to remain free.

Le Père de Mes Enfants (Father of my Children) :

Genre: Drama

Synopsis: At one side, Grégoire, a movie producer of great charm, owner of Moon Films, struggles to feed his family: two young daughters, and  wife while keeping his studio going when one project hemorrhages money.. In aide of her husband, Sylvia, his Italian wife, tries to hold the family together as she looks fully into Moon Films’ troubles. She meets with a banker, a temperamental Swede, Russian TV magnates, a film lab exec, and Moon’s lawyer. At the same time, Clémence, their oldest daughter, goes on her own search. How does a family pick up the pieces when debt crushes them?

To know more on cinema screening times please visit FAFF website: FAFF Cinema Schedule

Other exciting activities for FAFF include: music, circus, theatre, book launch, French market and more… Visit FAFF .  Organized by Alliance Française de Kuala Lumpur (AFKL) Alliance Francaise de Kuala Lumpur.

PZ.

On top of the world

Published in The Peak Malaysia, November 2011 (Click on images to read the article).

Corsica: The Island of Beauty

It’s true when they say that pictures speak a thousand words especially when it comes to these great pix of Corsica “l’isle de beaute” (island of beauty) as it’s known in French. Just 1 hour 30mins from Paris, this gorgeous Mediterranean island is a jewel. With our more extensive Jetsetter column in The Peak on Corsica we share with you here a more informal glance of this magical isle with its charming rustic “paillottes” (straw hut eateries) on the white sandy beaches, surrounded by turquoise blue crystal clear water….

Bernard Arnault’s yacht anchored in Corsica ….

spot the Frog…

Je t’aime la Corse!

Euro Stars

Published in The Peak Malaysia, August 2011 (Click on images to read the article).