DESTINATION: BEACH WITHIN REACH

Looking for that escape that gives you an aura of paradise which detatches your mind, body and soul miles away from the real world even though the airport is actually just an hour away? Look no further coz here, I'm giving you 10 spots of magic that as soon as you step out of your boat, you'll be lulled into a slower rhythm of life where the only dilemma you'll be having is deciding whether to set by the gorgeous pool on your terrace or private lawn or walk a bit further to bask under the sun laying on the sugary white sand whith a view of the alluring turquoise sea.

1. Anantara Kihava Villas -- Maldives, Maldives

78 villas with rates starting from $2169 a night, you will be enchanted by the peace and tranquility of this very exclusive resort wrapped around by white sand and cellophane clear water.

2. Bunga Raya -- Sabah, Malaysia

48 villas set with a rainforest backdrop, a private powdery white beach and endless ocean views form every corner of your eye. Rates starting from $508 a night.

3. Aleenta Hua Hin -- Hua Hin, Thailand

21 white on white villas which surround a teacup infinity pool that stretches out above the sane will surely free you from urban distraction and the prevalent beach resort bustle.Rates start at $195 a night.

4. Cap Estrel -- Cote d'azure, France

This 18 room and 14 suite boutique hotel perched upon a secluded peninsula that sneaks out to the mediterranean will surely captivate all of your senses. Rates start at $562 a night.

5. Capella -- Singapore

This colonial mansion transformed to a resort blends old world colonial charm with sleek interiors. On one side is a 2 acre lawn where peacocks freely roam and on the other, water. Rates start at $535 a night.

6. Eagles Nest -- Bay of Islands, New Zealand

This ultra-contemporary 5 villa estate seated on a private peninsula overlooking the bay will definitely pull you out of the real world. Each villa is individually designed and has choices of 1 bedroom to 4 bedrooms. Rates start at $1508 a night.

7. Fazenda Sao Francisco -- Bahia, Brazil

This property consists of 10 suites and 4 stand alone bungalows set back from the sea with a 2km white sand shorline fronted by a virgin forest. Rates start at $753 a night.

8. JK Place Capri -- Isle of Capri, Italy

Tucked far far away from the nightlife of Capri, this 22 room gleaming white shore side property boasts of having the comforts of home away from home. Rates start at $1539 a night.

9. KC resort and over water villas -- Koh Samui, Thailand

16 luxury play dens set on stillts over a salt water pool encomprises of this property which will definitely get your feet wet while moving from one place to another. Rates start at $609 a night.

10. Six Senses Ninh Van Bay Hotel -- Nha Trang, Vietnam

58 villas on an isolated crescent shaped bay decked over the sea gives you an experience incomparable to others. Rates start at $615 a night.

DROWNING

Rush, pull me under. The world is at my feet and it's no wonder. your eyes speak to me, they tell me be calm, they tell me be strong. Swimming out so deep, now I can't breathe and it's exactly where I belong. 'Cause it feels like the ride of a lifetime and nothing is gonna save us now. There's no in between to offer me some cover. The tide is coming, I don't know if I can take it, Let the waves come crashing down. I lose my focus, lose my focus with every breath I feel my inhibition breaking  'Cause it feels like I'm right for the first time and every time I take you in, I feel my heart skip a beat again. I can't control it.

three chances

“But who can say what’s best? That’s why you need to grab whatever chance you have of happiness where you find it, and not worry about other people too much. My experience tells me that we get no more than two or three such chances in a life time, and if we let them go, we regret it for the rest of our lives.”-Haruki Murakami

LET THE LIGHT COME IN

”To live is the rarest thing in the world, most people exist that is all.”

I am careless, I am carefree and along the way I may have done a lot of stupid things and made some really really stupid decisions and in the process hurt people left and right but hey you live, you learn. No regrets, No what-ifs and No turning back. 

Disobedience, in the eyes of anyone who has read history, is man’s original virtue. It is through disobedience that progress has been made, through disobedience and through rebellion.

Pink Balloon

Dressing up for the cold

[L-R: Prim and proper ballerina:Chanel tweed jacket, zara leggings and Top shop ballet flats -- The regular airport outfit: Lululemon leggings, Forever 21 tank, Zara Jacket, LV scarf, Topshop ballet flats]

 [L-R: Little black dress: Zara dress, Wolford tights, Topshop ballet flats, LV scarf -- Ruggedie Anne: Vivienne Tam Printed top, J brand jeans, Balenciaga flats, LV scarf)

I really find it so hard dressing up for the cold.Packing for trips take me 5 mins to do them I'm done. But when I'm packing for the cold, gah, I really have to set aside some time to do it. I also freeze because aside from the fact that I always travel so light, I don't know how to layer and I can't wear proper long coats coz they make me look short, I also don't bring boots along with me because it eats up too much luggage space, I don't like wearing bonnets because they just emphasize my dumpling shaped face. 

Oh well, I'm so thankful I live in a tropical country. Spring/Summer and Resort collection all year round. 

Fade Into Darkness

Looking up there's always sky. Rest your head I'll take you high.Why worry now? You'll be safe. Hold my hand, just in case and we won't fade into darkness.

WISH (DREAM) LIST

PEACE

A NEW KITCHEN

LOSE 15 POUNDS

UNLIMITED FOIE FOIE FOIE

BEACH TRIP

ANOTHER NANO LUGGAGE TOTE 

THE BLACK QUILTED CLASSIC CHANEL BALLET FLATS

CROC BALENCIAGA

MORE TIME FOR MYSELF, SO I HAVE TIME FOR WORK OUT, SPA, PARLOR

FLY PRIVATE

Pret-a-Portea

I always thought that the most fancy schmancy high tea that one could have in the world was at the Ritz in Piccadilly. After all, you need to book 2 weeks ahead and you even have to wear a tie and jacket or a long dress. Now, look at what I came accross. The Berkeley Hotel in Kengsington is giving Ritz a run for its money with its ulta-chic and amusing Pret a Portea.

Who wouldn't love miniature, edible art? Caramel features confections inspired by the latest collections. We're talking cookies, petits fours and layered desserts based on designs from Christian Louboutin, Chanel, Marchesa, Oscar de la Renta, Michael Kors, Thakoon, Stella McCartney and 3.1 Phillip Lim etc etc etc. The collection is changed every six months to follow the trends in fashion. Posh.

Oh, and if you also notice on the pictures, the hotel also collaborated with Thomas Goode of Mayfair which produced a bespoke collection of Paul Smith fine bone china to be used for the tea. 

The afternoon Prêt-à-Portea is served in the hotel's Caramel Room from 1 pm to 6 pm every day for £36.50 (€42). Add a glass of champagne and that goes up to between £46.50 (€53) to £53 (€60).

Moveable Feast

See that small basket hanging from the huge crane: That’s the dinner of the future. Things have gone from sky's the limit but to the World is the limit! Wether you prefer cocktails over Copacabana in Rio, lunch over the Grand Canyon or sunset over Paris..you name it. 

This highly creative concept, by Dinner in the Sky gives new meaning to the title of Hemingway’s illustrious novel, A Moveable Feast, that recounted his impressions of Paris in the 1920′s. For this is indeed a moveable feast like no other in the world, bringing French Gastronomy to the forefront, as it hovers over the Tuileries.

 Restaurant Dinner in the Sky - a unique opportunity for those who want to turn an ordinary meal into something memorable. Features of this restaurant include dinner tables fixed to the height of 50 meters. Accommodating 22 people at a table and four employees in the middle (chef, waiter, an actor and a security officer). You can actually set this up anywhere where you have a free lot area of 500 sq meters. 

While the force of French gastronomy is clearly the ‘raison d’être’ of the evening, French ‘savoir faire’ is also an important factor in creating an ephemeral space that really is out of this world. Luxe is luxe when you are on board this table, for not only will you be strapped into your designer chairs, you’ll dine beneath the glorious Baccarat chandeliers, drink G.H. Mumm’s famous bubbly from crystal glasses, eat off a selection of haute dishes and drink sparkling water from Chateldon.

 

Delete Past?

“Any fool can try to defend his mistakes 

– and most fools do – 

but it gives one a feeling of nobility to admit one’s mistakes. 

By fighting, you never get enough, 
but by yielding, you get more than you expected.”

Keep that in mind.. 

Blessed Sunday to you all.

 I'm going back to bed now.  

Recipe 356: Simple Guanciale Pasta

Ingredients:


400 g. spaghetti
250 g. guanciale (if not you could also use pancetta rubbed with red pepper), julienned
150 g. grated pecorino cheese of Monte Sibillini
extra virgin olive oil
crushed garlic
Salt and pepper




Procedure:

1. Boil water for the pasta.  Add salt when it boils.  Cook spaghetti 1 minute less than the cooking time written in the box.
2. In the meantime, while waiting for the water to boil, saute' the guanciale in a saucepan with a small amount of extra virgin olive oil.  Throw in crushed garlic and toast the guanciale until they become crunchy on medium-high flame.  (Be careful not to burn them.)
3. Add cooked spaghetti and mix with the guanciale.  Add salt and pepper.
4. Add the pecorino and mix well.  Serve hot.