Call For Submissions For The Expat Harem Collection

Calling all women writers who have lived, worked, studied or traveled in Turkey for at least a year: Contribute your voice to a new anthology of foreign women’s reflections on modern Turkey. Deadline: August 1, 2004 TALES FROM THE EXPAT HAREM: Foreign Women in Modern Turkey, edited by Anastasia M. Ashman and Jennifer Eaton Gokmen

The book aims to be a personal, entertaining read for both students and scholars of Turkey as well as armchair cultural travelers, fans of women’s literature, and expatriates of all stripes.

During Ottoman rule, the word 'harem' (from the word ‘haram’, meaning sacred and forbidden) referred to both the population as well as the living quarters of the foreign-born brides and servants of the Turkish sultan. An intimate and confined community of women, it was a place for sharing womanly wisdom and cultivating cultural tradition.

In this non-fiction anthology we invoke a modern day Turkish harem with its chorus of voices and shared female experience -- in the sense that the expatriate population is naturally cohesive and isolated due to the process of assimilation. Newcomers learning to maneuver within a new set of variables and cultural boundaries necessarily experience a limitation of freedom: language barriers act as an obstacle to travel and independence, cultural naivete hinders social interaction, and ethnocentric rigidity impedes dynamic experience.

Taking the reader on humorous and poignant journeys of cultural contrast and discovery, our contributors break free of the confines of the harem, breaching the confined world of the unassimilated to touch the true heart of Turkey. Whether newly arrived or well-established expatriates, or Turks repatriating to their homeland after a long absence, all our contributors are foreign brides of modern Turkey: wedded to its culture, embedded in it even, and yet forever outsiders.

We are looking for high-quality personal essays, insightful flash non-fiction and colorful travelogue--in English, 2,500 words or less.  Unpublished work is preferred, although well-crafted previously published work will be considered.

Further information and to submit work please visit the rudimentary site: www.expatharem.com

Inquiries info@expatharem.com

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CHAPTERS:

• LAST STOP ON THE ORIENT EXPRESS: The last city in Europe and the first city in Asia, arriving in continent-straddling Istanbul, Turkey naturally commits a person to a state of permanent limbo, an ever-shifting flux between West and East. An expatriate can tie herself into existential knots while transitioning into a culture that is itself a metaphor for transition.
• PEDDLER IN THE BAZAAR: From the routine of the weekly open-air vegetable market to the entrancing delights of the Grand Bazaar, Turkey’s brisk street life includes haggling with street peddlers and shop keepers, narrow escapes from aggressive vendors, and sometimes deep friendships established over cups of tea. What makes the difference in still being quoted ‘tourist prices’ or becoming a vendor’s prized foreign customer? Other shopping issues.
• DIVANS, HOOKAHS & COFFEE HOUSES:  Turks are a communal people, opting for interaction and conversation whenever possible, each demographic migrating towards their particular haunts: young people play backgammon in cafes, puffing on fruit-flavored tobacco from huge hookahs, while older men gather on street corners, under shady trees, or in smoky kahvehaneler to play cards and sip from tulip glasses.  In the Ottoman court the divan was the public audience room, traditionally a gathering place of men, but here refers to the social pursuits and behaviors of Turkish men – from football fanaticism and drinking with the lads to their particular blend of machismo tempered by acute sentimentality. How do Turks accommodate social expectations of foreign women, and how do expats adjust to the sometimes exhausting, invasive communal spirit?
• KETTLES & CAULDRONS: Culinary effort equals family devotion and a freshly made dessert signals hospitality for the constant flow of “unexpected” guests. Any self-respecting cook lovingly creates time-consuming meals from scratch, efforts balanced by the lingering pleasure of dinners that last half the night.  Adventures in the kitchen, memorable meals, being a force-fed guest.
• SALVES & SOOTHSAYERS: Since the early days of the Selcuk settlers, Turks have clung to their shamanistic roots, while the folk art of natural healing has been passed down through the generations. Clove for a toothache, licorice root for bronchial complaints, fennel tea as an herbal birth control method. Doorways hung with blue glass talismans for protection, fortunes divined from coffee grounds, supplications made to Telli Baba. Do old wives’ tales—like infertility from walking barefoot on a cold marble floor or jaundice caused by failure to urinate immediately after a scare—apply only to those born into the Turkish culture, or should everyone on Turkish soil heed their witchy wisdom?
• SHIMMY AT THE DRUMBEAT: When a dish hits a restaurant floor, Turkish women will take it as an opening drum beat and get up and dance, so the joke goes. Traditional folkloric music and dance is in the blood, widely learned and performed by young and old, male and female, in formal costumed performances or just around the living room. An innate part of the Turkish psyche, song and dance can erupt at any moment and overwhelm even the most intrepid expatriate
• HENNA'D HANDS:  Courting rituals both customary and modified to accommodate foreign brides and clashing cultures. From traditional village weddings to big city civil services to high society receptions covered by voracious paparazzi, weddings are colorful events in Turkey.  The traditions both high and low, ancient and modern, whether simply witnessed, or lived.
• HAMAM:  The valide sultana, the ruler’s mother, once inspected prospective brides for her noble son in the hamam, the display venue for female comeliness.  It was also a place where women whiled away the hours in each others’ company. The traditional Turkish sauna and scrub remains a complex tradition of beauty practice, female retreat and even matriarchal power base, but our hamam doubles as a metaphor for acceptance into the Turkish female culture, and the value of female friendship.
• PRECIOUS DARLINGS: Worth their weight in gold, children are revered in Turkish society. All segments of the population expect a young couple to procreate and then join together in raising the children, often redefining boundaries for expat women.  Elaborate circumcision customs.  Typical overindulgence of offspring balanced by honoring the homemaker and priority placed on family.
• KEREVANSERAY: Traveling across the country, one witnesses places that still echo a way of life centuries old. Hospitality on the homesteads, natural wonders, historical ruins. Expat adventures across the expanse of the Turkish coasts and heartland.

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TIPS FOR WRITERS

We prefer personal essays with evocative language and dialogue, detailed description that sets the scene and sketches the people. You may have heard this type of writing referred to as creative or literary nonfiction – facts conveyed with the devices of a novelist.

TELL US A TALE, A MOMENT WHEN YOUR SENSE OF SELF WAS CHALLENGED, WHEN YOU LEARNED A TRUTH ABOUT TURKISH CULTURE.

SET THE STAGE – TELL US WHO YOU ARE, WHERE YOU ARE,  HOW YOU CAME TO BE THERE AND THEN TELL US WHAT HAPPENED.

BE SPECIFIC. FOCUS ON YOUR THEME WITH EVERY PARAGRAPH MOVING FORWARD TO YOUR DESTINATION, YOUR POINT. DESCRIBE DETAILS THAT YOU WANT US TO EXPERIENCE.   GIVE US A SENSE OF PLACE,  A SKETCH OF A PERSON. SIGHTS, SOUNDS, SMELLS.

BE LIKEABLE. REGARDLESS OF TOPIC, WIN US OVER WITH YOUR HUMANITY, YOUR HUMOR, YOUR GOOD INTENTIONS. REVEAL YOUR MOTIVATIONS, AND BE POSITIVE.

BE RELEVANT.  HOW DOES YOUR STORY FIT INTO THE BOOK? WHICH ASPECT OF TURKISH CULTURE, OR BEING A FOREIGN WOMAN IN TURKEY, DOES IT ILLUMINATE?

POSSIBLE BREAKING POINTS/BOUNDARIES/AREAS OF ILLUMINATION

•  Code of Ethics
• Morals
• Independence
• Common sense/folk wisdom
• Expectations
• Culture/Social conditioning
• Fashion/trend-setting
• Privacy
• Modesty
• Language skills
• Femininity
• Wifely duties/skills
• Motherly duties/skills
• Domestic skills (cooking, cleaning, shopping)
• Mother-in-law

TIPS FOR NONWRITERS

TELL US A TALE, A MOMENT WHEN YOUR SENSE OF SELF WAS CHALLENGED, WHEN YOU LEARNED A TRUTH ABOUT TURKISH CULTURE.

SET THE STAGE – TELL US WHO YOU ARE, WHERE YOU ARE, HOW YOU CAME TO BE THERE AND THEN TELL US WHAT HAPPENED.

BE SPECIFIC. FOCUS ON YOUR THEME WITH EVERY PARAGRAPH MOVING FORWARD TO YOUR DESTINATION, YOUR POINT. DESCRIBE DETAILS THAT YOU WANT US TO EXPERIENCE. GIVE US A SENSE OF PLACE, A SKETCH OF A PERSON. SIGHTS, SOUNDS, SMELLS.

BE LIKEABLE. REGARDLESS OF TOPIC, WIN US OVER WITH YOUR HUMANITY, YOUR HUMOR, YOUR GOOD INTENTIONS. REVEAL YOUR MOTIVATIONS, AND BE POSITIVE.

BE RELEVANT. HOW DOES YOUR STORY FIT INTO THE BOOK? WHICH ASPECT OF TURKISH CULTURE, OR BEING A FOREIGN WOMAN IN TURKEY, DOES IT ILLUMINATE?

Launching Writer's Desk: A Web Tool To Organize The Writing Life

My software developer husband and I designed and built a new web-based writing tool. It was inspired by my experience as a freelance nonfiction writer. This online service provides a basic foundation for writers to get organized by recording revisions, tracking submissions, compiling market information and registering rights and income. For the past six months my husband and I have been designing and building a new web-based writer's tool. In this season of resolutions, we're happy to announce the launch of Writer's Desk, an online workspace to improve the way writers spend their time. We'd be honored if you pass the opportunity to colleagues and friends -- writers of all kinds -- who may have resolved to get organized this year.

SITUATION

Being a writer often sneaks up on a person.  Not many train for the vocation nor start with all the equipment, contacts, long view.  It's no wonder that eventually the snowball of success or dogged enthusiasm becomes an avalanche of produce - or expectation. Then buried writers inch along using outdated, poorly conceived systems to track work; repeatedly resolve to better keep writing in circulation; dream of one day expanding to new markets. SOLUTION

My computer scientist husband watched me -- a New York-based freelance writer -- function in this typical writerly way.  But unlike sympathetic others in the writing trade, he found observing me in action unbearable. So we pooled my professional nightmare with his software developing expertise to construct a website that has revolutionized the way I work and is too useful not to share with the wider writing community.

If you can operate a web browser anywhere in the world you can use this online service to simplify the logistics of being an active writer. Subscription is less than USD20 per year and while the site is optimized for the U.S. market, feedback from international users will help make it a global service.

FREE SUBSCRIPTION

Register for a thirty day free trial at www.writers-desk.com to judge if Writer's Desk improves your current method to:

• Track writing objectives and submissions
• Compile editorial guidelines and publishing contacts
• Register rights granted, income earned
• Trace the development and history of work - and more!

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We just opened it to the public as a subscription service.  You can find the creative and business workspace at  www.writers-desk.com

Writers use tools to *write* and tools to *sell the work*.  Writer's Desk is a bit of a cross between the two since it helps a writer envision her portfolio, both published and unpublished; encourages hierarchical thinking about projects and other writing ideas in order to more deeply develop material; offers a place to consolidate market contact information and notes; and helps track submissions, rights and income.

I can upload documents to the web service for retrieval on the fly -- and open and update my account from any computer with Internet access. So for me, logging on to Writer's Desk every day affords a quick overview of what I've done, what I must do today, what I plan to do and what I hope to do.

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A superb and versatile tool to manage song submissions and grant applications.

-- songwriter, Seattle, WA

Smart use of web technology. Finally I'm not tethered to my laptop.

-- journalist, New York, NY

Perfect for disorganized writers. Especially helps follow up with editors and agents!

-- novelist, Lawrence, KS

Portfolio overview is priceless. Great to develop new ideas, exploit material.

-- essayist, Des Moines, IA

Suits my purposes: developing scripts, tracking festival submissions.

-- screenwriter and director, San Francisco, CA

Developing Cool Arts South Sea Cultural & ECommerce Portal, 1998

In development, to be located at www.flamingeast.com  

Presenting a feverish vista onto Southeast Asia, from the Age of Discovery through the Golden Age of Travel….spiked with the delirium only a good bout of malaria can provide!  A site of resource and entertainment for Western nostalgia-seeking Baby Boomer travellers to their Generation X backpacking cultural tourism children.  A window into this part of the world both past and present, through the atmospheric and romantic filter of history, art and literature (COOL ARTS): summoning up awesome adventure, the pursuit of commerce and spirit of exploration that once characterized the Western world's relationship with these Crossroads of the East.

Our upscale, well-educated English-speaking target clientele are historically- and aesthetically- saavy people as well as others enchanted by our handsome, substantial, well-read and humorous rendering of the region.  They include both people who voyage in the flesh and those who visit this part of the world virtually.  We'll provide the attractive, entertaining context for their explorations, as well as provide access to select products, suppliers, resources, establishments and destinations which currently celebrate South East Asia's colorful legacies and legends.    Cool Arts South Sea will offer a comprehensive and contemporary look at an old place, all the while having a little fun with the history, art and literature generated both in the West about this place, and here in Asia.

For instance, the first edition of the site might feature in its TERRA INCOGNITA Tales section a piece about the tea trade and how pidgin english originated from the Europeans' need to communicate with the Chinese in some language they could both understand; and in the Hot Spot section, a spotlight on a Bangkok-based publisher of quirky travelogue reprints from the 19^th century and reprints of antique books about Asian elephants. This publisher currently sells online and we would want to get involved with that, perhaps offering his wares in our ARCHIPELAGO TRADING section, or operating as a portal to his site.  In further additions we would add archives, a searchable timeline, more products and vendors, information about resources and destinations featured in TERRA INCOGNITA and ARCHIPELAGO TRADING.

Also for instance in the first edition, the more rollickingly interpretative COOL ARTS section:  in the Literature section EX LIBRIS we might feature excerpts of turn of the century British Malaya newspaper items along with jocular contemporary criticism and images in GALLERY section to illustrate the points.  These artistic, computer-assisted images (and sometimes the images of the literature itself) and their wacky explanatory captions could be sent to one's friends via our POSTAL CARDS section.  In PANDEMONIUM we may start compilation of a series of famous people who've had malaria, and the outcomes of some of their bouts, such as the esteemed naturalist Alfred Wallace, who originated the theory of Natural Selection while in a malarial fever in this part of the world.  The fact that Darwin is better known for his Origin of Species may be directly related to that debilitating but illuminating fever.  We might explore this in more detail in our NATURALIST'S CORNER which will highlight the natural world and the people who came here to study it, a subsection most likely of TERRA INCOGNITA.  We might also ask our audience to nominate other worthy parties for inclusion in the MALARIA HALL OF FAME which may be set up in Pandemonium.

In any case, we want input from our visitors, we want to know what they know, what they love, what they want to know more about and we'll give them every opportunity to tell us, as well as offer them a GLOSSARY to explain the terms and phrases we use, some of which are not used very often any more.  We want to bring them back in all their mystique and style.  We'll also ask our visitors to sign our GUESTBOOK to build our database, vote on the first items to be offered in ARCHIPELAGO TRADING (some of which we may produce ourselves in our COOL ARTS product line) and tell us what they want defined in GLOSSARY, as well as suggest venues or tales they'd like to see featured in TERRA INCOGNITA.  Very interactive.

By the third incarnation of the site we hope to have a virtual community beginning, as well as some ecommerce structure in place, and a more fully-fleshed portal-like directory growing.

What follows here:

1) The company philosophy as it was written for the ABOUT US section, an introduction for our visitors

2) The site map

3) A description of the design theme for the site and logo

4) Directions for home page and directory page with design and mouseover information

5) Extended definitions of bracketing periods to be placed in site's glossary

6) Materials and Labor: breakdown of what we have, what we don't

COMPANY PHILOSOPHY

AN ILLUSTRIOUS MYSTIQUE

"The part of the world that lies around the South China Sea", as one European narrator so circuitously  referred to it, was once immersed in an illustrious mystique.  Pirates and monsoons held sway on the seas while headhunters and mosquitos did their part in the interior.  Yet over several centuries an international set of adventurers, traders, colonizing industrialists and pleasure travellers risked these and a slew of other tropical hazards.  Along with Asiatic goods and unimaginable riches, fanciful tales filtered home: of ancient races, shining temples and blue, impenetrable jungle.  Even the air was different here, as the east wind apparently came laden with the aroma of silks, sandalwood, spices and camphor.  Well, no longer.

LOSS OF NAIVETE

Oh, Southeast Asia (and the scattered bits all around and around...)continues its enveloping assault on the senses; its roots are as deep as ever; and its jungles, untouched by the Ice Age (although mauled by Cro-Magnon's less-hirsute relatives), still encompass a greater diversity of species than any other place on earth. But in today's shrinking world we have lost a most colorful naivete, the uncensored awe and attendant romantic notions that once swirled like a thick fog around exotic new lands.

A NEW LOOK AT AN OLD PLACE

COOL ARTS SOUTH SEA seeks to renew the wonder that existed in these watery crossroads of the East from the Renaissance's Age of Discovery with its ambitious empire-building and search for profitable trade-routes, through the impossibly sophisticated steamer trunks-and-servants Golden Age of Travel, and beyond. By conjuring the senses and sentiments of those vaporous days, as well as helping you access suppliers, establishments and destinations which celebrate those colorful legacies and legends, we propose to take a new look at an old place.

RESOURCES FOR THE HISTORICALLY-SAAVY TRAVELLER

Cool Arts South Sea intends to amass both modern and ancient resources, for today's more historically-saavy traveller, whether you voyage by virtual-armchair, in the flesh, or both. A wide array of avenues will aid in enriching your trip, and assure the mementos you bring home to loved ones reflect your most adventurous notions of the place. From firsthand accounts of Asiatic travels, to the hippest opportunities for capturing a vanishing slice of South China Sea life, Cool Arts South Sea marks the spot.

FOR RELUCTANT ADVENTURERS

Fear not.  Cool Arts South Sea is the perfect place to begin exploring uncharted territories, an introduction to the mysterious world that lies at the intersection of the East and the West, the past and the present.  We aim to provide general explanations and further references for all newcomers whose interest is aroused. (with GLOSSARY and mouseover texts)  If you don't see an explanation already on the site, refuse to be daunted in the face of the unknown (like all good explorers) and ask us for one -- we will do our best to supply it.

MAIN STREET MEETS SULTAN STREET

We are the intersection of old and new; east and west; straight-ahead historical fact and irreverent revisionist fantasy; gravity and levity. So in addition to straight-ahead historical representations, you will also see hybrid ventures and fusion perceptions, those with meaningful East-West elements and contemporary slants on ancient motifs.

TWEAKING THE FOLLIES OF THE DAY

Our particular interest lies in the rediscovered and reinvented treasures of the region -- and our modern, tongue-in-cheek spin on the region's events and customs (of natives and foreigners alike) not only memorializes the lives and livelihoods past, but also wickedly tweaks the follies of the day.   Our romantic fog banks burn off when the sun gets hot enough!

SHARE THE WEALTH

We invite all you world-class explorers and armchair historians, landlubbers and seapuppies to be active participants in our search for meaningful destinations and quality purveyors of flaming east mystique -- by nominating for our ever-growing roster the unique gems you have mined in your own South China Sea escapades.

OUR FLAMING FUTURE

…includes a full-fledged virtual community and ebusiness. Meet others with similar interests -- and debate esoterics or tropical topicals-- as well as access an unusual collection of products, services and other instruments tailored for the historically and artistically astute Cool Arts South Sea crowd.  See our PRODUCTS page for more information and to vote on the products, services and other instruments you want to see first. If you would like to be kept abreast of this site's advances check that box in the guestbook.

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SITE MAP

HOME PAGE

|

DIRECTORY

__________________________________ _______________|_________________________________________________________

|                             |                                       |     |                                         |       |

ABOUT US/SITE         TERRA INCOGNITA                COOLARTS       POSTAL CARDS        ARCHIPELAGO TRADING  |

|     _____|______                         |                                                                       |

CONTACT US             |                  |                   ____ __|_______                                                             GUESTBOOK

Hot Spots            Tales             |          |          |

|          |          |

(Fine Arts  Philosophy  Literature)

GALLERY  PANDEMONIUM  EXLIBRIS

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MAIN THEME:  Artistic, aesthetic, historically-based but funky and contemporary

COLOR/MOOD

Burnished, old-timey feel - no bright, clear jewel tones, no mcdonald's yellow or corporate blue

Mysterious and spicy colors, muted or "dusty-looking" (like burnt orange, maroon, teal and seafoam green, cream, white, black, dusty rose, dusty purple)

DESIGN ELEMENTS:

Two Typefaces for Headings and subheadings:

1) EASTERN/ASIAN (like current Rickshaw)

2) WESTERN/EUROPEAN COLONIAL (like current Caslon Antique)

MUST CONTAIN AT LEAST ONE OF EACH, IF NOT MORE:

1. SOMETHING GEOGRAPHICAL (whether explorers, traders or luxury travellers)

Old maps, cartography symbols like galleons and compasses, nautical symbols, yellowing parchment paper, clipper ship, fancy cruise luggage labels from grand old hotels

1. SOMETHING ARTISTIC (local art forms)

Architectural details (like shophouses, temples, atap villages); Sculptural details (like Angkor Wat figures): Textile patterns, fancy borders, wood carvings

1. SOMETHING JUNGLY (plant or animal or both)

Bamboo, Palms, beaches, Padi fields, jungle, tropical fruits, spices, orchids; Elephants, tigers, cobras, monkeys, butterflies

And if can find a place:

1. SOMETHING FROM COMMERCIAL/POPULAR ART

Trademarks from defunct businesses, matchbook covers, old photos, stamps, money, advertisements, signboards with different languages, old newspaper and book excerpts

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HOME PAGE - Centered Logo on Map background, with  copyright and viewing info.  All fits on one screen

Above logo, medium font Caslon Antique intro:

"Ahoy there!  You've run aground in the Flaming East…

prime territory for world-class explorers, swashbuckling privateers and [sniff!] the most discriminating of gentility's travellers."

Below logo, also medium font:

"Presenting our feverish vista onto the fringes of the South China Sea

-- or "INDIAE ORIENTALIS ET INSULARUM ADIACENTIUM," as those Latin-happy cartographers would have it -- from THE AGE OF DISCOVERY through THE GOLDEN AGE OF TRAVEL…

spiked with the delirium only a solid bout of malaria can provide!"

(* mouseover definition: "the East Indies and adjacent islands")

(*mouseover definition:  (1450-1650) an explosive sea-faring period of world exploration and East-West trade routes)

(*mouseover definition:  (1880-1939) from the Victorian era of the swift steamship to the advent of the modern jet age, when the allure of exotic ports of call dovetailed with technological advances…..and the entire planet became a playground for the rich and famous)

Mouseover box on Logo: "Whether you come via luxurious ocean voyage or that damn bumpy road to Mandalay, by trusty mail steamer from darkest Borneo or the night train to Singapore…all routes lead to the world of COOL ARTS SOUTH SEA. Click to enter."

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DIRECTORY PAGE plus LOGO

ICONS OVER ELECTRIC BAMBOO THICKET:

Each icon has a boldfaced title underneath and beside the icon, a description.  Plus a mouseover-box invitation.

Title: ABOUT US (Lady's head with superimposed compass)

Mouseover: Get oriented!

Description: The swiftest means to orient yourself in this mysterious domain.  Recommended for all maiden voyages.

Title: TERRA INCOGNITA (Steamer ship)

Mouseover:  Explore "unknown territories"!

Description: Investigate select venues and vendors, destinations and diversions, travels and tales.

Title: COOL ARTS (Mosquito)

Mouseover: Succumb to a tropical fever!

Description: Run amok with our biting look at art, literature and philosophy.

Title: ARCHIPELAGO TRADING CO. (Chest of drawers)

Mouseover: Dive into our treasure trove!

Description: Hunt through unearthed treasures and prospect in our jungle motherlode.

Title: GUEST BOOK (Elephant with chops)

Mouseover: Stoke the flames with your opinions!

Description: As a memento of your peregrinations with us, kindly leave your mark.

Title: POSTAL CARDS (Missent Postcard)

Mouseover: 'Wish you were here!

Description: Let your correspondents know how you're managing in the tropics.

Extended definitions of periods (to be placed in glossary)

THE AGE OF DISCOVERY (1450-1650)  Concurrent with the European Renaissance. With access to new sea-faring trade routes pioneered by world-class explorers like the Portuguese Vasco de Gama and Spanish Ferdinand Magellan, Europe enjoyed a massive expansion of trade with the Far East.  Eastern riches flowed into Europe: tea, sugar, cocoa, spices, gems, drugs, silks, embroideries and fine fabrics.

GOLDEN AGE OF TRAVEL (1880-1939)  The Orient's exotic ports of call became pleasurably accessible when two things happened almost concurrently:  the invention of the steam-powered ship (replacing the 19^th century's far-ranging but slower sailing ships, the clippers) and the opening of the Suez Canal in 1869.  Not long after, a stylish Victorian Age phenomenon began to take shape: Extremely civilized round-the-world cruises complete with servants and steamer trunks became known as "Making the Grand Tour".  New status symbols cropped up: A suitcase full of fancy luggage labels marked the well-heeled and well-traveled person.  Luxury liners circumnavigated the world, disgorging their celebrity and high society passengers into fabled playgrounds, like Asia's grand hotels: Singapore's Raffles, Penang's Eastern and Oriental, Rangoon's Strand and Saigon's Continental Palace.

MATERIALS AND LABOR WE HAVE:

a great deal of historical and artistic images we can play with

a library of historical travelogues, and books on many far-ranging and pertinent topics

supply of researched materials, topics, phrases, the platforms for expansion into features, etc

our own images ready to go

rudimentary list of companies/ventures to approach for inclusion in the site, both online and off

registered domain names

registered Malaysian company

draft of proposal letter to featured companies to enlist their cooperation/collaboration in portal/ebiz

Site Development schedule in three phases

metatext and comprehensive list of keywords for search engines

writing and design talent/capability

scanner, color printer, photoshop, corel draw, dreamweaver, hotdog web editors

MATERIALS AND LABOR, etc WE DON'T HAVE:

Technical resources and state of the industry experience

Coding:  html, java, cgi and others for all pages including mockup of site theme

Programming for Postal Cards (to send or bring recipients to site to pick up)

Programming and database institution for Guestbook

Server (requirements, location, etc)

Ebiz solutions and related support and guidance, including advertising and promotion

Cool Arts South Sea Products

Product copy from a web venture in development, 1998 Description of Product Line:

We intend to offer a spectrum of products from the affordable and funky, like T-shirts and stationery items to pricier items like clothing, jewelry and home furnishings based on more regal traditions and of finer quality materials, including original art. All will sport cool, informative labeling which places them in the proper Cool Arts historical context, making them perfect for gift giving. No explanations needed!

We envision Cool Arts South Sea products as intelligent and hip travel mementoes, ideal for all visitors to this region, whether real or of the armchair variety! Our products will not be typical tourist items, the things that are easy to find in this part of the world but dreadful to own and use, like those crudely decorated sarongs tied in inverted nooses around the necks of hotel lobby mannequins; like plastic keychains with scorpions imbedded in them; like woven and varnished tea trays. This kind of merchandise is already available, as are more traditional handicrafts made in villages all over Southeast Asia. We mean to provide an alternative to both these souvenir and gift options: by designing our own products; by sourcing appropriately themed products from other companies; and for gathering and putting our value-added spin on any pre-existing items which happen to catch our fancy. Whatever we chose to offer, from the authentic to the fabricated, be assured Cool Arts South Sea products will be accessible and fun while giving you the distinct impression you're somewhere exotic, in the middle of it all. For instance, our clothes will be geared to individuals interested in traditional outfits, the kind you might see the locals wearing in Vietnam, Burma and Malaysia but not know where to find, or modified pan-Asian outfits which can make the transition into your life without excessive drama -- at least emotionally. That is, you'll be dramatic but you won't feel strange.

FABULOUS SILKS Just an example of the local treasures awaiting your hot little hands: these elegant and wildly-designed, one-of-a-kind, batiked brocaded silks lend themselves not only to the traditional and hybrid Malay women's jacket-and-sarong sets known as the kebaya, but also translate auspiciously into luscious western outfits. Although such silks are often glimpsed worn casually, they remain unfailingly formal -- the dress shirts for men constitute a high-style variation on the national dress.