Category: Asia
WELCOME HOME
It’s no secret that I am a fan of W Hotels. In the last 4 years alone I’ve stayed in and reviewed the W Hotels in St Petersburg, Amsterdam, Hong Kong, and Taipei; as well as hung out in the W Hotels in Barcelona and London. As I’ve said before, myself and W Hotels are an unexpected pairing given that my tastes gravitate toward the traditional and historical, but that just goes to show that their hotels are so exceptional and unique that I allow this ultra-modern, ultra-hip brand a place in my heart. I’ve been looking forward to the opening of the W Kuala Lumpur since 2015, at the launch of Tropicana Residences to where I was very kindly invited by Tan Sri Danny Tan whose Tropicana Corp owns the W KL Having waited so long for Malaysia to have its own W, I recently took up the chance to take a staycation at the shiny new W KL Will it live up to the hype? How does the W KL compare to its glitzy international cousins? Read on...
SOME PHOTOS KINDLY PROVIDED BY W KUALA LUMPUR, BECAUSE SOME AREAS OF THE HOTEL WERE TOO CROWDED TO PHOTOGRAPH.
April 11, 2019
Detox? How very wholesome...and utterly dreary, darling. I know it is oh-so-à la mode to be a beaming paragon of clean living and clean eating, but let’s be real: behind every smug “After my sunrise yoga session I had an acai and goji berry enema, now my third eye (and small intestine) has never been clearer! Namaste, b*tches!” post on social media is a hangry neurotic who’d close their chakras for a fat, juicy, cheeseburger. Deprivation is passé, moderation is key, and the occassional indulgence is essential. A monthly Retox is where it’s at, and no, you won’t even have to get up before noon. I can hear the decadence calling!
#THISISNOTASUNDAYBRUNCH
April 04, 2019
Home Away From Home: The Art of “Hostmanship” at The RuMa Hotel and Residences
Home away from home. A concept that has posed a conundrum to this native Malaysian eversince I made the fateful decision to immigrate to England over a decade ago. Having spent most of my adult life in London, my childhood stomping grounds of Kuala Lumpur are both familiar and foreign to me. I enjoy the unusual position of being able to offer insider advice on the capital city of Malaysia yet view K.L through the rose-tinted glasses of a tourist. Truly, the best of both worlds. However, if there is one donwside to having homes in both England and Malaysia (West and East Malaysia, I’ll have you know), it is that when people hit up #YipAdvisor with “Where is the best place to stay in Kuala Lumpur?” I can only reply with “My...house?” I have had no personal need to acquaint myself with the Kuala Lumpur hotel scene, and besides, what hotel can live up to the comforts of home?
March 26, 2019
atas:
(MALAY)
1. adverb, preposition: above
2. adverb, adjective, noun: upstairs
3. colloquial: upper-class, high-class
Eg: “She’s so atas, her phone contacts read like The Tatler 300 List*.”
*DID THAT GO OVER (I MEAN, ATAS) YOUR HEAD? I’M SORRY, I TRIED.
For too long, the phrase ‘atas’ has been thrown around by pressed Malaysians and Singaporeans to denote snobbery. Reverse snobbery, how quaint: I can relate. The struggle is real. Fortunately, The RuMa Hotel and Residences seeks to reclaim the word ‘atas’ by offering an elevated dining experience at their slick yet surprisingly accessible mezzanine-level (see what they did there?) restaurant Atas Modern Malaysian Eatery. Up, up, and beyond...
March 11, 2019
10 THINGS TO SEE, DO, & VISIT IN SINGAPORE: A GUIDE BY A REAL-LIFE CRAZY RICH ASIAN
You would’ve read from my previous story about my identity, heritage, and upbringing that I’ve spent much of my childhood in Singapore. The ‘Little Red Dot’ on the world map that has been brought to wider attention thanks to the blockbuster Crazy Rich Asians (cue: “I prefered the book, and mine’s the 1st Edition, darling”). Even to a semi-local like me, Singapore is an enigma wrapped in a mystery. To start with: its juxtaposition of futuristic skyscrapers and architectural styles ranging from classical Chinese to British colonial. Some consider Singapore to be sterile; I prefer to call it a safe, sanitised, and condensed version of some of Asia’s best quirks. A highlights reel, if you may. In that spirit, here is my insider’s guide to this unique country and how to get a feel for Singapore’s culture and history. And you don’t even need to be a CRA, because I’m thoughtful like that, sweetie darling!
February 01, 2019
Malaysian by nationality, Chinese by ethnicity and heritage, Brit by circumstance; by way of Kuala Lumpur, Singapore and London. 🇲🇾 + 🇸🇬 + 🇦🇺 + 🇬🇧 = ? In which I spill the (oolong) tea about my identity, my heritage, and the distinctions of different Chinese groups (from the Mainland to Overseas) against a pastel-pretty historical street that formed part of the backdrop of my childhood in Singapore.🇸🇬🇸🇬🇸🇬
January 17, 2019
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