When Alexandra Wong left her corporate job to pursue her dream of being a writer, she didn't expect to open a treasure chest of experiences.

Culture shock and curtains of mosquitoes give way to familial warmth at an Iban longhouse. A French former nuclear scientist who embraced Malaysia as his second home makes a weekend in Gua Musang even more memorable. Pointers on how to be a serious and caring teacher emerge from one of her school's naughtiest girls. And stirring displays of chivalry help Alexandra see titled and supposedly aloof public figures in a different light.

From the generosity of food vendors and selflessness of bus and taxi drivers to innumerable life lessons learnt from friends both old and new, she knew from the very start she was chasing something far more precious than her dream.

A compilation of her popular Navel Gazer columns in The Star and other stories, Made in Malaysia is about one woman's journey of discovery across a historically and culturally rich and diverse land.