It takes a village

9 August 2006 We were happily minding our own business, getting some coconuts for our parched throats, when we were ambushed by what must have been the entire female population of the town, purveying manicures, pedicures, massages and whatnots. Shrewd business entrepreneurs that they were, when they realised that they were not about to get any business out of myself (only Nail Studio for me when I'm in Asia, thank you very much) or James (they didn't have the right shade of rouge noir), they suggested, "Hair braiding, m'am, for your daughter?" To which my nonchalant reply was, "No, thank you, she won't be able to sit still for long enough." At which point Saffron made her presence felt and exclaimed, "But I can!" And before you could say 'Su-har-to' (or 'Yudhoyono', depending on your political inclinations), my daughter was whisked quickly away by a gaggle of excited aunties feeling up her hair. As we watched nervously from the sidelines (somewhat distracted by our freshly grilled corn-on-the-cob), Saffron's initial anxiety was quickly replaced by a sense of importance as she basked in the attention of her entourage. So this is what it feels like to be J-Lo...