Wah, is that Lucy?

I have known Lucy for over eight years because of the Salaam Wanita project for ecobaskets. 

She is unassuming, humble, and never demands anything for herself.  She smiled quietly when Justina ( who was supposed to be in this project but she passed away this January) was getting attention from all of us and often, getting things that Lucy was never given because we all felt sorry for Justina who lived alone. Because of this, Justina was the one given the chance to go to different places to speak and to experience things. We had limited resources, so we had to choose between the two of them even though both are models for our Salaam Wanita project.

Lucy is a strong woman with a quiet determination. She was the pillar behind the scene, supporting her best friend, Justina. She quietly smiled and shook her head whenever Justina was over active in public life. One can miss her presence easily.

Justina's passing has made me realized something all these years I have known her -- Lucy hasn't been given any nice opportunity to enjoy herself and to be free of 'serving others'.

So, for my birthday celebration in July, I specially arranged for Lucy and Swee Lian to experience someting new for them -- facial spa, professional make-up and a Middle Eastern buffet at Crown Plaza in the city center.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

This video shows Lucy receiving the first step of a facial treatment from Genile Beauty in KL

When I watched this video of Lucy lying still on a bed like a mummy -- listening to soft music, and letting someone touched her face without flinching, allowing someone to pamper her --  I could hear Justina laughing, "Ha ha, whoever heard of Lucy getting a facial spa!!!

This video here shows the next few steps of a facial treatment for Lucy's sensitive skin.

I laughed too when I first watched Lucy in 'actions'-- getting toner application, having someone peeling facial masks off her while she passively laid still!!  Lucy is constantly on the move to help, serve others, letting others serve her is unheard of in Lucy's history.

The close-ups of Lucy's face show that she is a beautiful woman.  The picture on her Malaysian identification card is that of a fair skin woman. The Lupus drugs she has to take all these years has darkened and thinned her skin.  She looks like a Malay lady.  But does it matter whether she is dark or fair? She is the same Lucy who gives her time to others selflessly without thinking about money and things for herself.  Watching this video reminds me of a saying, 'Search for a beautiful heart, don't search for a beautiful face. Beautiful things are not always good, but good things are always beautiful.'

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Then we went to Crown Plaza for dinner.

 Kenny showing us the Middle Eastern dips. I was so excited, these dips were part of my life when I was in Egypt! Babaganoush, tahineh, I used to make them in the kitchen! It was Lucy and Swee Lian's first time tasting such dips and the rice dishes.

By 8.30 pm while we were having desert, Lucy's eyes were gettng red. The mascara on her eye lashes was falling off........ The face powder that was applied for her make-over two hours ago had started to dissolved in her sweat. 

"Is it 9 pm yet?  Very itchy-lah, can go wash or not?" Lucy pleaded. She kept fluttering her eye lashes like a very shy Chinese girl. It was so funny that I had a good laugh.  ( I gave her a 9 pm deadline to keep the professional make-up on just for me otherwise she would have washed it a few minutes after the make-up was finished because she claimed it made her whole body 'itchy'!!)

Before she washed her face off all the make-up, I made her take a picture with her beloved daughter. 


                                       This picture is for Justina who couldn't be there.

Justina was very dedicated to the ecobasket project. She paired up with Lucy in exhibitions.
My birthday celebration was also for her as I promised her last year that I would love myself more.
And so I kept my words.








By CSC