On Saturday, I got back from Penang island
[here] and
[here], washed the sand out of my hair, put on more clothes, and made an attempt at a somewhat presentable face to go to the Malaysia Tatler 23rd Anniversary Ball.
Bracelet, earrings, & choker from Shoes Shoes Shoes [ Jalan Telawi 3, Bangsar], Dior ‘Night diamond’ dust, MAC Russian Red.
My date was mummy dearest. Just mother & daughter having a fun little night out together.
We got to the Shangri-La Hotel where we mingled and chatted with friends, acquaintances, strangers, and
frenemies other people. I also learnt the hard way that dusting illuminating powder on your t-zone is
not the way to go, especially when surrounded by photographers with high-powered flash that make shine look like sweat.
Why am I even talking about t-zones and powder? There’s my bimbo moment for the week.
My dress is from Elie Saab [here] and [here], Bulgari handbag, unseen shoes are Carvela. Mum’s wearing Van Cleef & Arpels and YSL.
We were ushered into the grand ballroom for our evening of entertainment, dinner, and the Tatler awards.
I enjoyed the menu; the dishes’ descriptive names were a marriage of poetry and gastronomy. Just the right kind of whimsy that I love, after all who wants to live in the real world and eat ‘chocolate expresso cake, praline ice-cream, & apricot doughnuts’ when you can “Go Nuts With Coco Coco Coco”? Escapism and fantasy; these two are the saviours of the bored.
Ice-cold champagne to tickle the throat.
We started with “Seafood Salsa from South of the Border”. Scallop and tiger prawn ceviche, edamame, and lobster.
Light, salty taste of the sea with a tangy squeeze of lime juice.
Next; “Empress Dowager’s Winter Melon Soup”. Double-boiled plum tomato consomme with braised winter melon and enoki mushroom. I grew up eating this, and have come to associate the herbal scent & flavours with being ill…so I passed.
We cleansed our palates with “White Clouds Below The Horizon”, a pumpkin sorbet with snow fungus.
And washed it down with another glass of cold champagne.
The mains arrived; I asked for ‘beef’ on the invite (well…I asked for beef, fish, and vegetarian because I’m childish and thrive on the confusion of others) and got veal. Who’s confused now?
“Mystique Sensation from The Land Of Shangri-La”. Veal fillet filled with morel mushrooms and ragout in taro (yam) puff.
I enjoyed the unexpected combination of deep-fried yam puff, creamy mash (almost mousse-like in it’s lightness & texture), and veal with the tiniest, daintiest, mushrooms.
Everybody took a break from dinner and took to the dance floor to wiggle around and work up an appetite for desserts.
We jammed to classic rock, classic pop, and the right kind of upbeat and nostalgic feel-good cheesiness.
I upped the cheese factor by breaking out in the Gangnam Style dance moves “One, two, three, four, soft hands, bounce like you’re on an invisible horse” and even got a few people to join in. I may have been caught on video dancing like a fool, I pray that footage never sees the light of day. ‘Dress classy, dance cheesy’, that’s what he said.
Got back to the table to find gifts from Lancome waiting.
Followed by the Tatler awards; cute little titles like ‘Best dinner companion’, ‘Most stylish couple’ to more meritable things like ‘Outstanding In Their Field’ ‘Most Compassionate’ and ‘Entrepeneur Of The Year’. I wasn’t paying attention to the exact names, I was more interested in the speeches.
There were funny speeches, speeches that were unfunny because of how seriously the speech-taker took themselves, speeches that were concise and witty, speeches that went on too long. I listened carefully to all of them, good and bad, to help me pick up on what makes and breaks a speech. Everything is an opportunity to learn something; I tell myself that and it’s a great way to distract from being bored.
All that observation was swiftly followed by pudding. “Go Nuts With Coco Coco Coco”, a quartet of swiss chocolate expresso cake, macadamia nut praline ice cream, jasmine tea chocolate drink, and apricot doughnut.
It was all rather nice but by then I was fit to burst. I skipped the
mignardises , declined coffee, even said no to the Hennessy X.O and slipped out of the ballroom just before the clock struck midnight. This Cinderella won’t be turning into a pumpkin thank you very much.
But I stayed long enough just to get a souvenir; a little snapshot at the photobooth.
xx
✝ He that getteth wisdom loveth his own soul: he that keepeth understanding shall find good ✝ Proverbs 19:8
