Origins Make A Difference Media Launch at Avilion, Port Dickson

I was in Avilion, Port Dickson for an Origins Make A Difference launch. They sponsored a two day trip there for the media with fun and games.

It was my first trip to Port Dickson (ever, I swear) and I gotta say it wasn't too bad. I quite liked Avilion but I think it's a tad over priced...

Nice trip though.

The best part - the animal farm. They've got like a million bunnies, a couple of guinea pigs, tortoises in a pond, chickens and a bunch of peahens and a peacock.

I spent most of my time there feeding and petting them and OMG they're like the most tamest bunch of animals I have ever seen. The moment you step in, they swarm you! Well mostly cuz they think you have food hahaha

See what I mean? The moment I stepped in they all came over sniffing my feet! And they've really got this huge enclosure. Every day that I passed by, all I did was go in and play with them



On the way to the room, or at least my room, I saw this huge bullock cart and the tourist in me couldn't help but to take some photos to show

On the way to my room. They've got like "villages" all over and mine was Cochin

My beds. There's a queen sized four poster bed *drool* and a day bed at the window side facing the beach.
Being the bed bunny that I am, I could just stay all day in there lazing around watching the ocean come in.

The indulgent bathroom. there's a tub... and an open air shower with an airwell which looks out into the ocean.



My balcony



And the view that comes with it. Port Dickson has got really low tide during the day so you can literally see for miles out.

That white building on the left is where the launch was going to be held. It's a spa downstairs. The second floor is a lounge and reflexology area.


My welcoming letter and a dessert rose in a beaker. Apparently, the desert rose is one of those plants that can come alive again with just a little water.


A kinda creepy looking cupboard. I guess I'm a bit too Asian after all sometimes. There's this saying that you shouldn't sleep with a mirror facing the bed because if your soul leaves, it can get confused on which is the real you and never get back.



The Origins Make A Difference pack they left in the bathroom for me



Cam-whoring before heading out for the telematch. Thought I'd wear a bikini under my "sports" clothes cuz well, I don't want to be wearing panties and having to jump into the ocean. Still working the bikini pretty well :)




Cam-whoring again before dinner. The theme was "Blue" so I wore my new blue dress



Those peacocks just walk everywhere mesmerizing everyone but his mates



An almost sunset view



I love frangipanis... they're always so beautiful



Heading up towards the launch



Another almost sunset view




Enjoying some mocktails while watching the sun set into the horizon. Love the decor!



The sun was pretty much gone and the moon was slowly enveloping the night sky with its calmness




Dinner was yum! They had lamb (I'm a huge sucker for lamb) and I had loads of it!



Rachel and me with our "sculptures". We were given some modeling foam clay and asked to create something that reminded us of the ocean. Hers is a crab (like, duh) and mine is Princess Ariel.



Turns out it was a contest! I thought I'd win 1st hahaha but I got a consolation. I think it's because the girl who won, made the word ORIGINS on her sculpture... what a way to suck up...



(L-R) Yoke Hwa's Patrick, Rachel's crab and Princess Ariel (posing on Sponge Bob Square Pants)



The morning view from my balcony. It was raining and all, so somehow the tide was high the whole day...







See what I mean when I said I spent A LOT of time in the animal enclosure? :P and can you blame me? Look at ALL that cuteness!!!




These are the other rooms. Avilion has got two types - Garden Village and Water Village



The Batavia Lookout



and this is where it looks out to



That's how far the tide came in on this morning. Yesterday... it was ALL the way out there... that you could literally stand under the water chalets



The view from the spa

Ahhh how I didn't want to come back to civilization. It really has been a while since I've had a vacation and to think this was completely paid for!!!

Pictures courtesy of Origins and myself.

Anton Mosimann in KL!

I've got to admit, I had no idea who he was or how big he was at first until I went there. Anton is in KL - The Saujana to cook his signature dishes for ONE week only and I had the privilege of being in his presence.

For those who have no idea who he is :
Anton Mosimann was born in 1947, the only child of Swiss restaurateurs in the Jura mountains.

Anton Mosimann spent his early years in Nidau, near Biel helping his parents run their own restaurant where he developed both a love for food and a desire to become a cook. The first taste he clearly remembers is that of Emmental cheese. He started his apprenticeship at a local hotel at the age of fifteen, and at the age of twenty-five became one of the youngest Chefs to receive the coveted Chef de Cuisine Diploma. He worked and travelled extensively, gaining international acclaim inItaly, Canada and Japan, until he joined London's Dorchester Hotel where, in 1975, at the age of 28, he became the youngest ever Maître Chef de Cuisine. He stayed at the Dorchester for 13 years and with his skill and energy brought the hotel two Michelin stars.
Taken from Career

His impressive resume includes cooking for the British Royal Family, five British Prime Ministers, four US Presidents, Nicolas Sarkozy + Carla Bruni-Sarkozy, and a long list of ambassadors, diplomats, and celebrities.

So then we started the Anton Mosimann gastronomical journey!!!

Chicken Vietnamese Spring Rolls, Anton said he wanted us to start off with something closer to home.

Warm Duck Salad paired with a Leeuwin Estate "Art Series" Sauvignon Blanc. I liked this. The Sauvignon Blanc went perfectly well with the duck, cutting off the usual duck aftertaste.

Anton's famous Risotto Al Funghi paired with Leeuwin Estate "Prelude" Chardonnay. This was good. He makes it with an array of mushrooms - shiitake, oyster, enoki and some other ones that I can't remember. Didn't really like the wine pairing though. But then again I was never a Chardonnay fan to begin with

Some table decor that I just had to take a picture of! They put this golden chrysanthemum in this decorative bowl... and the color of the flower just reflects off it making it look like there's a tealight or something in it. Beautiful.

Steamed Fillet of Sea Bass, Sauce Vierge on a bed of wilted spinach and blanched bean sprouts. This was paired with Leeuwin Estate "Art Series" Chardonnay. By this time, I was pretty full up (especially after the Risotto) so I couldn't finish the fish. It was good though. I like how he fuses some local ingredients into his cooking. Again, not a Chardonnay fan so, i didn't like the wine pairing.

Bread pudding with a bisque on top. It was more of a pudding because no one found the bread anywhere! Non the less, it was yummy :)

Passionfruit souffle. They bring you the souffle and poke a hole in it to put the passionfruit

Here it is with the sorbet. It was yum yum YUM! Most people don't like that strong tangy passionfruit taste and smell, but I love it!

The interior of The Club at The Saujana. The trellis at the back closes up into a private dining area.

Chef Anton Mosimann in the flesh!

The living legend - Chef Anton and me. I know this sounds really high school or something but it really does take quite a bit to impress me... and I was totally in awe in his presence!

Estee Lauder Model Search 2010

I was at the Estee Lauder Model Search (ELMS) at KLCC Concourse area and I gotta tell you... I love runway shows. The lights, the fashion, the beautiful people, the wave of flashes from the photogs DSLRs and loud music just does something for me.

So anyways, yeah - the ELMS was pretty good. There were beautiful women everywhere! Oh and a cute guy just sitting right across the runway from me... but I'm pretty sure that
a) he's taken
b) he's younger than me

On an overall, I must say I'm a bit disappointed because the one I thought would win, didn't win (obviously not so good at predicting things!) and I was kind of upset that most of the girls couldn't really speak. Especially those in Category B (30 years old and above).

There's no point just looking pretty and model-like if you can't carry yourself well in public. It seemed like no one trained them in that section!

Anyways, here are some pictures! Enjoy!

Our hosts for the night - the very beautiful and witty Daphne Iking and comical Naz

The 20 finalists first walk and pose down the runway. These are Category B, the ones facing the other side are Category A.

Bad example - if you're a part time model, and in a model search, PLEASE learn to stand properly when you're not sashaying down the runway or posing! I mean seriously!

Daphne and Naz again

Cute guy right in the middle!

The girls strutting their stuff in eclipse by Sonny San. These dresses were specially designed by the man himself for them! Can anyone spell I WANT ONE TOO!!!:P

There was a special performance by Noryn Aziz. Gotta love those power vocals!

Then she went on to sing "The Way You Look Tonight" and I melted. It is seriously one of my favorite-st songs in the world and when she sang the first line, she did it so well, I wanted to cry

The models taking their last walk down the runway before the announcement of winners.

The winners (L-R)
Jenna Gong - Canon Most Photo Perfect,
Natacha Meunier - Miko Hair Studio Ambassador + Grand Prize Winner Category A,
Jennifer So - eclipse Most Elegant,
Jasmine Ngee - Grand Prize Winner Category B and
Nur Syuda (Anna) Andrewsmodesls Most Promising Catwalk

Another shot of the winners. Congratulations ladies!

My first official food review

I had my very first official food review today and I must say, it went really well. So I decided to write my own review apart from just for the magazine because I really had a good time, good food and good company.


il Lido
Lot 183 Jalan Mayang (Off Jalan Yap Kwan Seng)

il Lido serves fine Italian dining and has a wide variety on their menu for you to choose from. Appetizers, soups, salads, gourmet and home made pasta, meats, seafood, desserts, cheeses, and even three set menus for you to choose from.

I had the Degustation tasting set - which started off with Amuse Bouche which was pan seared tuna on a bed of turnip topped of with a pinch of caviar. Next was the Isalata di Granchio con Avocado e la sua Bisque Gelificata - a crab salad with avos and bisque jelly. After that (this is one of my personal faves) was the Fegato d'Oca con Galletta di Patate Dolci e Salsa alla Saba - which is pan fried goose liver with Saba wine must and sweet potato Galette. This was belissimo!!! *sigh*

Next ones was the Taglilolini con 'Nduja e Astice (Tagliolini with lobster and spicy calabria salami), Maialino da Latte con Legumi Arrostiti e Salsa alle Prugne (roasted suckling pig with plum sauce), Sfogliatina all' Arancio con Pistacchi Croccanti (Ricotta cheese cake with orange and pistacchio) and finally il Servizio del Caffe Piccola Pasticceria (Coffee + Petit Four).

Apart from that, my kind host ordered two more items off the menu - Merluzzo Arrosto con Verza e Salsa di Zucca (pan roasted Atlantic cod with savoy cabbage and pumpkin sauce) and Risotto allo Champange e Tartufa (Champagne Risotto with Truffle)

What I liked about this place was that even though it was posh and pretty up scale kinda dining place, there was this warmth and friendliness around it the whole time.

The wait staff are immensely trained and are able to pretty much read your mind before you raise your arm to ask for more water, or more bread or whatever.

Plus all their key ingredients are flown in from Italy *gasp* so you really get Italian food and not just Italian styled foods with local ingredients.

Another plus point.... they hand make their own pastas EVERY DAY.

Enough of my review, here are some food pix for you. Yes I know, it's 5 pictures. So you can imagine how good the food was that I completely forgot to take pictures most of the time!

Freshly baked Foccacia bread with olive oil and some balsamic vinegar. This is free flow throughout your entire meal. It smells fantastic (well all fresh breads smell fantastic) and it's got this nice crunchy top to it...

Taglilolini con 'Nduja e Astice - this was really good. Home made pastas really have a nicer spring to it when you chew. Plus, that little bit of lobster - makes a whole lot of difference when you taste it. Juicy, fresh and sweet.

Merluzzo Arrosto con Verza e Salsa di Zucca - this was very well executed. Cod wasn't too dry but had a nice crispy and nicely colored 'crust' to it. The savoy cabbage and pumpkin was perfect in helping to cut down the intensity of the cod and added a different texture to the bite.

Maialino da Latte con Legumi Arrostiti e Salsa alle Prugne - I cannot begin to tell you how guilty I felt for eating this. Not because of the succulent layer of fat or that crispy wonderful skin or even that juicy slab of meat under it, but because it's a suckling pig.

Note : During a lot of Chinese weddings, they serve the whole suckling pig and you can really see that it's a very young piglet and to think that it hasn't lived its live at all... and only because food connoisseurs think that it's a fantastic piece of meat. I myself could never eat something that still had a face on it.

Last but not least - il Servizio del Caffe Piccola Pasticceria. No pictures of coffee cuz well, it's just a mug of coffee. Nothing too fantastic. This was to wash down the meal. Slabs of white chocolate, blobs of dark chocolate and a little biscuit. :)