Blue Eyes!

Ages ago, I wrote about how startling it is to suddenly see blue or green eyes on a Chinese person, and how, after thinking about it long and hard, deciding that I realy liked the current craze for coloured contact lenses among Asians.

I also regretted back then that I had no photos to show you how unexpected it is.  However, in KL, I came across a young Malay girl with pewter eyes:

Such a sweetie!

And, yes, since I have been rescued 

so many times in China by Starbuck's staff, 

I'm a great fan and try them out everyplace.

And I found a KL mug in here I meant to buy 

for Lady R. only, dammit, I forgot.

Sorry, honey!

I told her how unusual it was and how much I liked them, and she said they were contacts she bought in the arcade next door and told me exactly where I could get a pair for myself. I immediately went in only the stall was shut since, it seems, they were Chinese traders and, you know, Chinese New Year and all.  Meant to go back only I forgot.

And when I got back to Starbucks, she told me that she finds it very strange that most folk in Malaysia explode with rage when they see her wearing them and always tell her to stop trying to be something she's not.  I asked if that's why she's wearing them and she said no, she just likes the way it makes people stop in their tracks and enjoys that, for the first time in her life, people notice her; that she's not invisible anymore.

In fact, I think a lot of people in Asia feel like they're invisible and I strongly suspect they don't like it.  I'm always surprised at how many people, often elderly Asian ladies, who will come up to me and gesture that they want me to take their photo. I should show you one day because I've got dozens of these shots.

And at Bulik Melawati there was this lovely Tamil guy who was so thrilled I wanted to photograph his tiger (post below) that I asked if I could photograph him too, and he literally beamed with delight.  Let's see if I can find that shot:

 Such a bad shot.

You'll have to double-click to see his beaming smile.

It's universal, I think. Everyone just wants you to see them and acknowledge them as a fellow-traveller on this beautiful planet we all share.

And if blue eyes make it happen for you, why the hell not!