Cammy & Kenny invited us to go to Club Med with them a few weeks ago as a last minute trip, and because i didn’t manage to take off during Christmas or NY due to work, figured it was an opportune time to run off for a much-needed break (I’ve forgotten how to function without emails for more than half a day).
The whole deal about going to Club Med is the cashless system they have for food and alcohol (like on a cruise ship), and a whole list of activities one can partake in like sailing, flying trapeze, nature walks, archery, yoga, rock-climbing, etc.
I’m pretty sure a large number of people go there purely because they can drop their kids off at the Club where they’d be immersed in all sorts of play for almost a full day. At least, i’m pretty sure that’s why my friends have been there thrice already. XD
I’d never before observed such uncontained glee as parents dropped their children off (from as young as 4 months old up till their teens). The Club has separate activities planned for diff age groups including nap time for the younger ones after lunch! I know this cos i studied the schedule Serena had in her handbag out of curiosity on what the children did all day.
To get there, Jun & i hitched a ride in their Vellfire since there was space for us in the 3.5-hour drive to Cherating from KL. Matt (in a separate car) and him plotted the night before on how they’d attempt to fish there (both being the fishing freaks they are) and Jun tried to pack three fishing rods in with us. I rolled my eyes and said i think two was enough since Matt was bringing 3 rods too.
I do not envy parents who have to pack for children as well as themselves. There seemed to be a whole lot of STUFF and humans to arrange.
Hard to coordinate self for photo when you have to handle two children, and an annoying fairy who takes opportunity in getting stupid shots. It wasn’t hard… i just had to snap every hour and got heaps of WONDERFUL PICTURES
Even before we checked into our rooms, i watched them change 2 out of 3 kids once each.
Nope, my boobie has no milk for ya, Maddie.
We checked in around 5pm after having some noodles in the resort
Jun has been on a cooking spree cos he took some time off from his corporate kitchen for Christmas & NYE, and prepared a dinner for his closest group of friends for Mr. B’s birthday, which we’d previously postponed so it had to be that week else it wouldn’t have been his birthday month anymore!
Alan watching Jun, while Siew examines my card collection that reflects the inner workings of my mind (and what a freak i am).
Scorching the bachi. Every time he brings my blowtorch out (thanks Chelle!) my heart flutters in excitement and i know it’s gonna be a good one. 😆
Plating the first course
Salmon mi cuit, bachi (tuna) belly tataki, and crispy salmon skin interspersed with onion + wasabi souvise, tomyam hollandaise, avocado puree, bacon and pickles.
My favourite components on that plate were the scorched bachi and crispy salmon skin, whose subtle gentle nuances were nicely rounded off with the savoury saltiness of the bacon and creamy cushioning of the sauces, with a pick-me-up from the pickles.
I had such a magical day last Wednesday! It was decided that Deep and i would take a day trip to KKB and i almost canceled on him cos the pressure of these ongoing campaigns were on my mind, but so glad i decided that nobody would DIE if i took a day off, the only one i’ve taken over Christmas!
We stopped by some shop lots near Batu Caves along the way cos Deep wanted to get booze, whereas i beelined for a Chinese restaurant a few doors away where i tapaued some legit yong tau foo with black sauce reminiscent of the ones in Penang. Back at the booze shop, I didn’t feel like drinking that day so i opted for two Strongbows out of pressure from Deep. I only drank one 😀 Deep prollie thinks i’m lame.
Along the way, we stopped by a big pond which immediately made me think how Jun would want to fish at. Deep and i got out and stood by the waters for a little while, just staring out at the wide ripples fluttering through dozens of lily pads. Drops of lake water slid and glistened on the round leaves without absolutely sliding off, and there were so many leaves bobbing merrily on the surface that i gazed out wishing i was a tiny fairy so i could jump from one leaf to the next, having an adventure on the lake.
At KKB town, we tapaued some wild boar curry, and chicken + char siew rice wrapped in brown oil paper (the best kind of chicken rice!) before heading to Antares’ home near the river. It happened to be his next door neighbour and good friend Mary’s birthday, who turned 65! They had some friends over for lunch so we happened to crash a most interesting group where i was the youngest (i miss being the youngest in the group!). There was a feast laid out with generous portions of fish curry, mutton curry, salted duck from Petaling Street, beehoon, fried rice, the works. Everything was delicious. The taste of that salted duck still lingers in my mind, i need to go hunt it down.
It’s been almost 5 years since i’ve visited Antares and when we hugged for a long time, he exclaimed “I can feel your soul!”
As you are probably aware, the phenomenon for achieving a “dewy make up look” that is globally popular today originated from South Korea. What is unbeknownst to some, is how it was pioneered and widely popularized by make up duo Son Dae-Sik and Park Tae-Yun.
The two high school friends who shared a love for make up and skincare spent most of their lives honing their craft in beauty, before achieving their status today as the #1 Make Up Artists in South Korea. Their current clientele boasts the likes of leading actresses and actors in the country, and it was only in due time before their expertise is shared with the rest of their world via their line, aptly called Son&Park.
Malaysian beauty giant SaSa stocks the cult brand, where myself and 3 other bloggers were invited for an exclusive make-up demo to learn some Korean tricks of the trade. I was a little mystified as to how much more one could get from attempting a Korean make up look. I mean, doesn’t all that ‘dewy’ sheen mean less work?
I discovered that my skills were slightly lacking in this department which humbled me to try more in new trends, whatever they may be. Make up is supposed to be fun after all, and where’s the fun in that if i don’t play a little harder!?
At Selectiv’ by SaSa in Mid Valley
This was the first product i was keen on testing – the Son&Park Air Tint Lip Cube!
They’re tiny tints in stackable packaging with intense colour pigmentation.
The pigmentation is seriously no joke, one just need an absolute tiny dot to blend for some colour.
Making it as a little challenge for myself, i used only one colour for my lips, cheeks and eyes.
Anyeong hanseyo! Can i pass as South Korean?!
I applied a little more on my lips, then put tiny dots on my cheeks to blend out, and some on my eyelids.
Put on some Son&Park mascara and tada! A natural daytime look.
I think the Air Tint Lip Cubes are very versatile, especially for traveling light. When i go far away for long periods at a time, i find it unnecessary to bring more than the essentials no matter how vain i want to look for pictures… just a little colour will do and every gram makes a diff to me, especially when backpacking. (I am someone who, after all, applied eyeliner before climbing the peak of Kilimanjaro :p I figured if i was gonna die, i’ll die looking pretty.)
