Herbal Island At Lake Kenyir (Part 1)

It has been months since I stopped blogging about my trip to Lake Kenyir last November. It was temporarily stopped halfway to make way for some Chinese New Year posts, my Genting Highlands trip and Bali trip posts among others.

Now that I have completed blogging about my Bali trip, I think it's time to resume my Lake Kenyir posts before I start to forget everything about the trip!

To refresh your memory, you might want to re-read the earlier posts HERE.

Do not miss out on my scary "ghostly" experience, my boat paddling adventure and encounter with the Dead Trees, my scenic walk along Lake Kenyir, and my massage at Ulik Mayang Spa.

On my third and last day at Lake Kenyir, my blogger friend and I woke up early. We had planned to go on a lake cruise to Herbal Island and Saok Waterfalls in the morning and return in the afternoon for another massage session before checking out of the hotel.

As it was still early, we decided to slowly enjoy our breakfast at the Tembat Restaurant. If you remember, we did not get to properly eat our breakfast the day before due to the late arrival of the couple from Singapore.

The restaurant had a wide variety of breads and muffins.



Besides porridge and mee goreng (did not take photos of those), they also had salad, cheese, yoghurt and a wide variety of cereals and milk.



I enjoyed my bowl of cereals and cornflakes in milk. Yummy!



My friend had two eggs cooked for him.



Of course we ate much more than what was shown here. I did not take many photos of the food as I was more interested in the beautiful scenery surrounding us at the open air restaurant.



This photo was taken when we just arrived at the restaurant. It was still early and the sky was still quite dark.



But as we continued eating our breakfast, the sun rose and the sky became brighter.



I loved the view here as we could see the swimming pool below and the beautiful Lake Kenyir stretching towards the horizon.



I would not have mind staying here for the rest of the morning had it not been for the hot sun and the fact that we had already planned to go on a lake cruise that day.



In fact, the beautiful view here made this entire trip worthwhile and memorable, and it made the hauntings the night before seemed surreal.



By the way, you may click the last few photos above for an enlarged viewing.

Soon, it was time for our lake cruise. We and a few others got onto the hotel's buggy.



The buggy driver drove us to the jetty where a speed boat was waiting for us.



Unlike my China trip where no life jackets were provided for our river rafting along Yulong River, life jackets were compulsory for this lake cruise.

I even had a picture taken of me wearing the life jacket, with my face blanked out, of course. Haha!



Unlike the pain in the ass (literally!) experience I had sitting on the speed boat from Kota Kinabalu to Pulau Manukan during my KK trip last year, this one was pain-in-the-ass free! Most probably because there were no waves here since this was on a lake and not on the sea!



The lake was so huge I felt as if I was out at sea!



Beautiful view - love it!



It was a bit difficult to take pictures on a moving speedboat but everyone was busy snapping away!



We passed by an island called "Pulau Sah Kecil". Can I translate that to "Certified Small Island" or "Small Legal Island"?



Moments later, we passed by another island called "Pulau Sah Besar" (Certified Big Island?)



We actually passed by many islands. I did not count how many though.



The weather was pleasant and I really enjoyed the boat ride.



And then I saw this dead tree in the middle of the lake. It was amazing and a mesmerizing sight to behold!



Soon after that, Herbal Island appeared in front of us.



We have reached the jetty and it was time to explore the island.



To be continued...

FIRST COMMENTER

Vamps in Vogue

Can The Twilight Saga actually be continuing so quickly? The third installment, Eclipse is coming to theatres in June. I seem to recall that we just went through this feverish frenzy over the Christmas Holiday because I have a friend who is nuts over these films. It looks like this obsession that America (or is it the entire world?) has with Vampires is still going strong.

Dave Vanian and The Damned: Shadow of Love, 1985

Why now? If Brad Pitt and Tom Cruise weren’t able to cause this kind of a stir after Interview with the Vampire, then who would have guessed Mr. Pattinson (a.k.a. Edward) could? Not me. I, for one, have always been drawn to and intrigued by the dark, gothic appeal of the Vampire. I thought Dave Vanian of The Damned was “all that.” He definitely set a trend of sorts, but it only reached a narrow group of people. The Goth look was certainly not mainstream; in fact, Goth’s were considered strange, outcast and people assumed they were witches.

Tom Cruise and Brad Pitt: Interview with the Vampire, 1994

Dave Vanian of The Damned

So, while Dave Vanian, Siouxie Sioux and death rockers in general were judged and scrutinized, Robert Pattinson turns into a worldwide heartthrob and Twilight becomes a major phenomenon. Go figure. I think we need to credit Buffy the Vampire Slayer with making bloodsuckers seem cool. Spike stole hearts of girls all over the country including that of my beautiful friend, WendyB! Wendy “hearts” him (click here to read Wendy's post and to see her heart and spike ring!!).

Spike from the TV series, Buffy the Vampire Slayer

I’ve never paid any attention to the Twilight films, but they must have sunk in by osmosis. The first film of the series was released in the end of November, 2008. The same year, I dressed as Countess Dracula for Halloween, so either I was just ahead of the trend or Twilight got under my skin somehow. Eerie.

scary looking me as Countess Dracula - October, 2008

I snapped my own photos before I went out on the town... to hunt!!

*Don't worry mom and dad, I covered up with a cape!!

How long will this trend last? Who knows, but with bands like Vampire Weekend and shows like True Blood and Vampire Diaries all enjoying huge success, my guess is a while…

Vampire Weekend: Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa, 2008

No SEX and No City

Sex and the City is kind of a misleading title for a film that takes place in a desert where sex is pretty much forbidden! Nonetheless, sexy siren, Samantha managed to get a smidge of action, though not without repercussions. Samantha (Kim Cattrall), pretty much stole the entire movie with her sharp tongue (you can read into that one, people!) and her hilarious antics. One of the best scenes was when a strappingly handsome Danish man speeds over sand dunes in a jeep and approaches the women and their hotel errand boys in the desert. As the gorgeous Dane drives off, Samantha collapses onto the girls laps in a faint of lust. “Lawrence of my labia,” she sighs. I know some people thought that joke distasteful, but I found it absolutely hysterical not to mention pretty damn witty.

Stacy (me) & Cleopatara/WendyB

both wearing WendyB 18K yellow gold and diamond Cleopatra earrings and I am also wearing the necklace!!

Forced puns and the type of cheese ball humor that I adore made the film light and fun. WendyB was telling me a story about a woman she knows who wrote a book about anorexia. “Is it a very thin book?” I asked. Ha ha. I’ll be here all night folks. Try the halibut, it’s fresh. This is the kind of necessary tongue-in-cheek that the film incorporates to avoid taking itself too seriously. Smart choice. After all, nobody is looking for drama in this movie. We got our share of that during the seven amazing years the show was on the air. At this point, it’s a party, a total girl’s night out, a fashion fest.

me (left) & adorable Jen Weitzman (right)

Last night, a posse of bloggers gathered to celebrate with dynamic jewelry designer, Wendy Brandes whose 18K yellow gold and diamond Cleopatra earrings appear in the film – one of the most iconic fashion films of all time! Shout out to WendyB! I suppose it was a coincidence that Samantha was wearing Ms. Brandes’ 4 ½” dangles in my favorite scene that I described above and we all let out a “Woohoo!” when they went in for a close up.

Kim Cattrall as Samantha in my favorite scene wearing WendyB 18K yellow gold and diamond Cleopatra earrings

Like the fabulous New York girls that we are, we met for cocktails before heading over to the Ziegfeld. The ever so glamorous and generous WendyB passed out 10 pairs of her Cleopatra earrings for all of us to wear to the show. I don’t know if it was because I had thousands of dollars of gold and diamonds dangling from my ears or simply the fact that they made me feel beautiful, but I walked with my chin a little higher as I pranced along with the other girls to the theatre. Heads turned. Tourists took our photo. We stopped traffic. OK, we didn’t stop traffic, but nothing can stop a NYC cab flying up 6th Avenue!

coy Tina (left) & sophisticated Ann (right)

wearing the silver version of Wendy Brandes Cleopatra earrings

After the film, we rallied the troops and made our way over to Benoit for more cocktails! MrB looked like a king surrounded with a harem of babes decked out in Cleopatra earrings. I thought at any minute someone may start fanning him or feeding him grapes! Actually, I have to give Wendy’s easy going husband kudos for dealing with all of us. And he was so proud of his wife; I think he would have worn a set of the Cleopatra earrings if Wendy had asked. Instead, he was outfitted with her brilliant Freud cuff links which suited him much better.

beautiful Tricia (left) & sultry Amy (right)

Here is a group photo with all of the lovely girls! (left to right): Tina (theoccasionalcook), Jen W. (40isthenewfabulous), Jen D., me, Amanda, Ann (holierthannow), Cleopatra/WendyB (wendybrandes,) Amy (midtowngirl), Alyssa,Tricia (fashionherald), Suzanne (ideefixe).

Random Notes 11

1. Now that I have finished my Bali posts, I would like to resume my Lake Kenyir posts which I stopped halfway a few months back. However, for today, I would like to take a break from my travel posts to give you Random Notes 11.

2. The other day I posted this sentence on my Facebook. I wrote :

I AM FEELING H........... NOW AND I AM CRAVING FOR S.......... !!!

Someone responded by commenting "So just go and M......."

What do you think I am feeling and craving for? And if you know what M stands for, then you are really having naughty thoughts! Haha! : )

3. I love to tweet! Now with my newly bought iPhone, I can tweet from anywhere at any time of the day or night! And checking my emails have never been easier! Thank God for iPhone!

4. The days of sms are over, at least for me. Previously I was known as the Sms King in my family as I loved to send text messages to my friends. My phone bill used to be quite high because of this!

Nowadays I hardly use sms to communicate with close friends. What I use instead is Twitter. By using the Direct Message feature in Twitter, I can send private messages to my friends who are also on Twitter.

Why pay for sending text messages when you can do it for free via Twitter? So want to send me text messages? Come follow me on Twitter! : )

5. According to a 2010 Reader's Digest Poll, Nicol David is the Malaysian that Malaysians trust most! Surprisingly (or should it be not surprisingly?) feng shui master Lillian Too made it into the Top 50 Most Trusted Malaysians this year!

For the complete list, read HERE.

Judging from the list, Malaysians seem to trust actors and singers a lot! And is it any wonder that not a single politician is on that list? Haha!!

6. Now do you know what is the 10 Most Trusted Professions in Malaysia? They (in ranking order) are :

• Pilot
• Teacher
• Doctor
• Paramedic
• Firefighter
• Surgeon
• Scientist
• Dentist
• Pharmacist
• Nurse

Are you in one of the above professions? Looks like Malaysians trust mostly science and medicine oriented professions.

Surprisingly, CEOs ranked no.27, way below musicians (no.21) and tour guides (no.23) !

7. I am sure most of you know who Dr Pornthip is don't you? Yes, she's the famous forensic pathologist from Thailand. Well, according to Reader's Digest Poll, Dr Pornthip is Thailand's most trusted person! No wonder she is much sought after - even in Malaysia!

8. Recently, I checked my resting heart rate and it was at 68 bpm. I think I am not as fit as before! I am aiming to bring my resting heart rate to 60 bpm in 3 months time. I hope I can achieve this!

Do you know what is your resting heart rate? To know the proper way of measuring your resting heart rate, read HERE.

FIRST COMMENTER

What's Old Is New - Third Installment

A while back I wrote about Cristobal Balenciaga and how the label sat fairly dormant for quite some time after the great designers’ passing, but came back strong in the 21st century, thanks to Nicolas Ghesquiere. Then, I posted about Pierre Balmain and the struggle the brand had after the designer died in 1982. Finally, in 2005, Christophe Decarnin rescued the brand. To complete the trilogy, I wanted to add Jean Dessés to the group although nobody has revived the label, it is making headlines again today.

Kristin Davis in Jean Dessés

Photo: Getty Images

Hopefully, most of you read my recent post about the Sex in the City 2 premiere in NYC on Monday evening. Kristin Davis (aka Charlotte) wore a marvelous, pink chiffon dress by the late Jean Dessés. I thought she looked flawless, although I would like to have seen some larger earrings since she kept her neck bare. Wendy Brandes’ Cleopatra earrings would have been PERFECT -- Kim Cattrall wears these amazing 18K yellow gold and diamond, 4 ½” dangles in the film.

click here to see Wendy's post about her fabulous earrings

Anyway, back to Jean. I knew that I had some information on the great designer somewhere at home so I pulled out my old book, Couture by Caroline Rennolds Milbank. There he was in the glossary hiding below the “Three Jacques” as I refer to them (or Trois Jacques); Jacques Heim, Jacques Fath and Jacques Griffe. Good grief! Jean, Jacques and Pierre. Is there anything else to name a French designer? Yes, of course there’s Yves, Hubert, Gabrielle, Christian… Somehow, this all reminds me of a scene in one of my all-time favorite slapstick films, Top Secret! Watch as Val Kilmer is introduced to the French Resistance...

This is hilarious!  And Val was so cute back then...

So, back to Mr. Dessés! Sorry, I am easily side tracked. You know my motto, “I’d have an obsessive personality if I didn’t get bored so quickly.” Jean Dessés is actually of Greek descent (born in Alexandria, Egypt in 1904). He moved to Paris to study law, but found a passion for design instead. Dessés started sketching dresses in his notebooks during class (like another great designer, Geoffrey Beene) and by 1925, he started selling his drawings.

Dessés black crepe dress, 1952

Photo: courtesy of Roger-Viollet from the book, Couture

Dessés worked as a designer from 1925 – 1937 at the Maison Jane in Paris and upon leaving, he opened his own house. Mr. Dessés worked in chiffon quite frequently and he fancied ombré fabrics. His elegant gowns were draped, twisted, gathered works of art often showcasing uneven hems. The designer was also fond of kimono sleeves, asymmetry and architectural manipulation.

the great designer in 1960

Photo: Willy Maywald from the book, Couture

In 1963, Dessés closed his business and retired to Greece where he ran the boutique he had opened there in 1955. He died in 1970. Occasionally, his pieces can be found in select vintage shops, one of them being Decades, where Ms. Davis apparently picked up her perfect pink frock.

The Girls Are Back In Town

So, as most of you are aware, Sex In the City 2 premiered last evening in NYC.  I was hoping to go to the premiere, but no such luck.  I guess it's not such a big deal because I would rather avoid the chaos and crowd and go see the film another time.  The only thing I missed last night was Jason Lewis :-) 

SJP in Valentino

Of course, I was curious to see what the ladies would wear!  What designers would they choose?  What colors would they wear?  Hair up or hair down?  These are all serious questions my taffetadarlings!

Kim Cattrall in Naeem Khan

I wondered if SJP would finally wear Halston and would Kim Cattrall wear Wendy Brandes earrings?  Well, the answer to both of those questions was, NO.  Apparently, Ms. Parker opted for an asymmetric, yellow dress from the Valentino Collection.  Ms. Cattrall was statuesque in an ornately embellished Naeem Khan gown and I could find no mention of her jewelry.

Cynthia Nixon in Carolina Herrera

Cynthia Nixon looked impeccable.  The sophisticated actress selected a strapless black, body-conscious Carolina Herrera dress -- the epitome of glamour.  All of the women looked amazing, but to my surprise I was most taken with Kristin Davis.  I suppose that I just associate her with her character, Charlotte, who is a bit of a "girly girl" for my taste.  But, Ms. Davis made (in my opinion), the best choice of frocks in her Jean Desses pink chiffon, columnar gown.  Her Desses dress was perfectly appropriate since the late designer was born in Alexandria, Egypt and was known for his complex draping that turned out a very refined look.  

Kristin Davis in vintage Jean Desses for Decades

Ms. Davis' gown seemed to evoke the feeling of the film more so than the others, but all the girls brought their "A game" Monday evening.  The one fashion tragedy that I did see was poor Miss Liza Minnelli.  WTF?

Liza Minnelli in... something horrific

All photos: Getty Images