Raising a Glass of Singapore Sling to London Fashion Week

I am wearing a dress by Michael Kors, snake-skin handbag from Bali,

and shoes bought locally from Gripz

 

As a veteran of the London Fashion Week, in the past I even cut short my overseas trips, to be present in my beloved city and to witness the chosen shows. But this February, I am staying put in Singapore! I am, however, celebrating the LFW with a glass of – what else?!? - Singapore Sling, in the Long Bar at the Raffles Hotel. Here, around  1913-1915, Ngiam Tong Boon, a Hainanese bartender (Hainan is a Chinese province) came up with a mixture of gin, cherry brandy (or Grenadine), orange, pineapple and lime juice, and the world fell in love with its smoothness, and a distinctive foamy top, accredited probably to Sarawak pineapples.

Some say that the current Raffles Hotel recipe is a modified version of the original, most likely changed in the 1970s by Ngiam Tong Boon's nephew.  Today, the bartenders don`t shake it in front of you any longer. Due to very heavy demand for the drinks at the Long Bar (on most days there are queues outside the door!) they serve pre-mixed drinks, which are blended (not shaken) to create a foamy top.

As you know I don`t queue as a principle - life is far too short to wait in a line! - and of course I didn`t break with this tradition while visiting the Long Bar. I simply figured out that around midday, less people would be thirsty, and walked in before the crowds started gathering on the terrace outside the door.

How I Chose a Perfect Hotel in Bali

With thousands of offers on every possible site that deals with hotel accommodation, it is important to ask yourself: what is my priority?, while searching for your next hideaway. Are you after a quiet location; or do you want a private beach? Will you hire a car, or do you want your accommodation to be within easy walking distance from bars and clubs? Do you need a spa or a fitness centre as part of your hotel deal? Are you after a boutique feel, or would you prefer a familiar surroundings of a well-known chain.

I am wearing a dress by Marimekko, and Chanel shoes, in a lobby of my chosen hotel in Bali

 

For my trip to Bali, we didn`t want a beach holiday, so it was just perfect that The Magani Hotel and Spa, where we stayed, wasn`t beachfront, but a short walking distance to Kuta/Legian beach suited us just fine. Its swimming pool is positioned in a courtyard, and is guarded by stone griffins.

I am wearing a dress by Melissa Odabash, shoes by Chanel and bag by Michael Kors

The Magani however has a multitude of restaurants, bars, and shops, on its doorstep, and this was a decisive factor in my choice.

I am wearing yet another dress by Melissa Odabash and shoes by Chanel

The décor is simple and quite traditional, but tastefully executed. The rooms are spacious, and stylishly minimal, but very well equipped; you even have a charger, which fits your phone, so if you forget yours, you are not inconvenienced. Beds are massive and very comfy, and the washroom space is big enough for two!

The service is superb, and even though we had to check out at midday, the staff safely stored our luggage and offered us the use of the in-house spa to shower, and change before we were due to fly back in the evening.

Yes, from my experience, The Magani Hotel and Spa in Bali played a perfect host, and provided a great springboard for our exploits of the secrets of cultural and spiritual Bali.

And yes, this shopaholic was spoilt for choice!

Kopi Luwak -` haute couture` of the coffee world

While in Bali we drank kopi luwak, the most expensive coffee in the world, which is famously produced in Indonesia - Bali is part of Indonesia, darlings. This ` haute couture` of the coffee world is made from the beans of coffee berries, once they have been eaten and excreted by the Asian palm civet, a wild cat that is native to South and Southeast Asia.

The coffee is absolutely delicious and leaves a great after-taste, which lingers in your mouth long after you finish your cup. The method of brewing is elaborate and time consuming but worth waiting for and waitresses in good restaurants are trained in brewing it in front of you.

They start by heating up the water to the perfect temperature (hot!) with a flame placed underneath a uniquely shaped percolator. Once the water is boiled, a suction effect takes it into the upper percolator, which sits atop the bottom one. The aroma is amazing and the coffee instantly makes you feel like more luxurious self!

Become a Millionaire in Bali!

I met not one but two gods of fortune in Balinese Denpasar International Airport and immediately become a millionaire! (My dress is by Marimekko, and my bag by Michael Kors).

I celebrated on Kuta`s surfing beach, with a backdrop of the Indian Ocean…..

……….and went shopping for serpents! (I am wearing a silk dress by Melissa Odabash and a Moschino swimsuit underneath)

 

I did not inherit a vast sum of money, nor did I won a lottery, or sold some super-lucrative company shares overnight. Bali, being part of Indonesia, uses the Indonesian currency, the Rupiah (Rp.) Banknotes come in a range of denominations, including the commonly available Rp.100,000, Rp.50,000, Rp.20,000 etc.  Prices go into thousands, and therefore you need to have millions with you if you want to enjoy yourself. For example my husband paid 104,000 for two Bintang beers, which he had at Johnny Rockets in Kuta Beach Walk while I was shopping. A glass of Sav Blanc cost me 55,000 in Lemongrass Thai Restaurant, while in a hotel you would pay 95,000 for the same drink. Snake-skin handbags cost in excess of a million and even a taxi trip from the airport cost us 80,000.

 

Bargaining is customary at markets and small shops, so I was in my element, and thoroughly enjoyed staying on this captivating island.

 

 

Lion Dance Kicks Off Chinese New Year

God of fortune and I met again! And as you can see from this photo, we both were very pleased to see each other – wide smiles all around! (I am wearing a Manual Canovas dress, a Michael Kors bag, and shoes bought locally at Gripz).

I also witnessed two lion dances, one at the Art Museum of Singapore, and the other one, a day later, during my shopping expedition in Orchard Road. During lion dance, two performers, hidden in lion`s costume, mimic a lion's movements. The guys must have a lot of stamina as the dance is very energetic – the movements are found in Chinese martial art.

It is performed during the Chinese New Year and other Chinese traditional, cultural and religious festivals, as well as business opening events, or wedding ceremonies. There are two lions in a dance and they `eat` oranges, and cabbage, and unfold Chinese well-wishes at the end of the routine.

The Chinese lion dance is sometimes confused with a dragon dance. An easy way to tell the difference is that a lion is normally operated by two dancers, while a dragon needs many people. The dragon is held on poles, while the lion has a costume made of faux fur and elaborately decorated fabric.

I tried on the costume (its head), and can tell you - it is heavy! ( I am wearing a dress by Michael Kors).

Are You Riding into the New Year in Style?

 

The whole Singapore is looking swanky as we are celebrating the lunar New Year.   I seated myself in front of an elegant flower display in Marina Bay Sands Shoppes (I am wearing a Versace dress, bag by Michael Kors, shoes from a Singapore brand Gripz, and sunglasses by Marc Jacobs) to take – yet another – celebratory photo.  

People say The Year of the Horse is the time when you should do what you were planning to embark on for a long time, but were never courageous enough to start. Horses are lively, even boisterous, and possess a rare ability to become alert to any sign of trouble, rendering them `invincible`.
Here is how stylish Singaporeans decorated the city-state for the occasion:

 

 

 

 

 

Let`s embrace the spirited nature of a `leader` and make it a great year for ourselves.

 

God of Fortune and Erhu Herald a Bountiful Year

My weekend started with somewhat unexpected but welcomed encounter with a god of fortune, who was trawling the streets, or rather the gangways of the Star Vista mall in Singapore, to be precise, wishing everyone a bountiful new year. Touching him is believed to bring prosperity so I did, and eagerly held his Aladdin-esque urn of gold coins while posing for this photo. I am wearing a dress from Marimekko, a bag from Longchamp, my glasses are by Marc Jacobs, and clogs are from Chanel (seen on subsequent photo).

As part of `spring celebrations`, which are associated with the Chinese New Year, we were treated - again - with a fine performance of my favourite girls` band – the Crystal Girls. One of the musicians was playing erhu – a violin-like traditional Chinese two-stringed bowed instrument; its origin dates back to the Tang dynasty – thousands of years ago - and relates to the instrument, called xiqin, which originated from a Mongolian tribe Xi. During Song dynasty, the instrument was introduced to China and earned its prestige by being played at the imperial banquets. She told me it took her five years to master playing it.

The other Crystal Girl was performing on another traditional instrument – called `water drum`. The beautiful tunes brought raw emotions to the surface with the sound of longing and sweetness emitted by erhu, and thunderous beat created by the water drum.

Her energetic performance and beautiful appearance elicited long-lasting applause.

We were also introduced to a water drum dancer, whose graceful gymnastics drew gasps of appreciation and spontaneous ovation.

 

 

 

All the artists are clearly highly qualified and very talented, and I am glad I had a chance to see them in concert again.