Archive for August 2011

Peak Ascot

Peak Longines

Peak Omega

The (Ernst &) Young Ones

It was an intimate but high-powered gathering when Tan Sri Dato’ (Dr) Francis Yeoh, Group Managing Director of YTL Corporation, recently hosted The Peak’s CEO Series dinner at the Chairman’s Suite of The Ritz-Carlton, Kuala Lumpur recently.

Island Hopping

Taking a break on an island can mean many things. Beyond sun, sea and surf, there’s also the small matter of the right kind of accommodations. Kenneth Tan looks at three unique offerings that conjure the magic of vacation time.

THE RITZ-CARLTON, HONG KONG, KOWLOON, HONG KONG

The island of Hong Kong, throbbing with commerce, people and bustle, is about as far away from an island resort destination as they come. Across the narrow strip of water that separates the island from the mainland, one cannot help but to affix one’s gaze across Kowloon at the towering International Commerce Centre (ICC) tower, the fourth tallest building in the world.

At 484 metres, the ICC tower is home to the spacious Elements shopping complex, a slew of international financial institutions and, most famously, the recently opened The Ritz-Carlton, Hong Kong. The hotel, which occupies floors 102 up to the topmost 118, is the crowning jewel on a man-made feat of construction.

Elevators whisk visitors up from the ninth floor to the reception on Level 103 in 52 seconds, a speed that averages out to about nine metres per second. The seduction though, really begins when you take your fist glimpse out of the windows from this vantage point.

Euro Stars

It’s the tail-end of summer in Europe. Jet-setting travel experts, HRH Tengku Zatashah and Aubry Mennesson, show you just where to go for the best beach getaways.

August is the best time of the year to head down for some fantastic Riviera action in Europe, where the sun shines in the evening and the warm Mediterranean Sea beckons.

We highly recommend checking out some of these ultra-fabulous hotspots for the chic and glam, where the women are bronzed and gorgeous and the men are slick and cool.

As they say, if you want to experience la dolce vita, where better than to head to Europe for the summer? We present to you the best of the best plus the ultimate hotels to stay in.

WHERE: AMALFI COAST, ITALY

The Amalfi Coast is one of the most spectacular and iconic stretch of coastlines in the world. It’s simply breathtaking and extraordinarily chic. Located in southern Italy, this famous coastline stretches from Punta Campanella to Salerno and includes the picturesque and very romantic hilltop towns of Positano, Amalfi and Ravello.

When we visited Positano (fly to Naples and either take a car for the long windy drive or fly by helicopter and land directly at the hotel), we had never seen such breathtaking beauty. A true hidden gem.

STAY: Il San Pietro, Posita no

We stayed in this iconic hotel and it’s simply out of this world. A lift plunges down to the reception area, beyond which is a wide, hibiscus-strewn terrace.

Maitre De Chai

Private chef-turned-chef-restaurateur Isadora Chai has infused a quiet suburb of Petaling Jaya with decidedly Gallic flair and her innovative brand of upscale bistro cuisine.

Section 17 is a quaint little neighbourhood. Set in the heart of Petaling Jaya, it might be neighbour to the haute-er Section 16 but there’s no shortage of charm.

There’s an eclectic selection of shops, including a popular morning market and charming old-fashioned shop houses, a famous international Islamic University nearby, and a hodgepodge of simple homes and sprawling bungalows.

And, in the midst of all these is Bistro á Table. Described by its owner-chef, the fiery and rather dazzling Isadora Chai, as a “humble, holein- the-wall”, it occupies the corner lot of a single, solitary row of shop houses and which used to be, according to a friend, the former office of The Music Machine – the well-known radio personality, thespian and fervent Teoh-logist, Patrick Teoh’s mobile disco company.

Upon entering Bistro á Table, you’d be relieved to know there won’t be Donna Summer playing in the background but the soothing croons of Piaf or someone similar.

Song Of The Soil

Every Malaysian knows the lyrics that make up Negaraku, the country’s national anthem. But few know of its true origins. In the spirit of Merdeka, Mansor Tun Abdul Aziz, scion of the songwriter himself, delves deep into the family archives to uncover the facts behind the most widely sung melody in the nation.

My earliest recollection of our national anthem was sometime way back in the 1960s, whenever the daily television transmission signed off. A mere sproglet then, it seemed the most dignified ending to a day of viewing I Love Lucy, Merry Melodies and watching Eva Gabor jiggle it in Green Acres.

When Negaraku played, I remembered how my brothers and I would stand up, in mock military attention, much to my parents’ amusement. I also remember how we’d sing it in kindergarten, complete with a tone-deaf classmate, whose shrill monotone would pierce our innocent eardrums mercilessly and being totally unaware of Negaraku’s historical significance, let alone the direct participation of one of my forefather’s in the anthem’s formation.

A rather heated debate was stirred recently when a neighboring country staked claim to the origins of Malaysia’s national anthem, claiming that it was adopted from the Bangsawan tune, Terang Bulan, while another expert argued it stemmed from a Hawaiian ditty – Mamula Moon.

Not wanting to wade into politicallyinfested waters, I referred to my mother, Raja Toh Puan Teh Zaiton Raja Kamarazalman, a Perak princess of the blood, information and updates from my cousin Raja Mahariz as well as papers written by the late and greatly-respected Malaysian historian, Tan Sri Mubin Sheppard.

Alpha Omega

Six lunar landings, a revered place in the world of sport as timekeeper of the Olympics, the world’s first diver’s wristwatch and a legion of larger-than-life fans who range from Lawrence of Arabia to the mythical Ethiopian Emperor Haile Selassie and even James Bond.

There’s no denying Omega’s hallowed place in history and the world of horology and where better to pay homage to this titan among watch brands than at the Musée Omega in Switzerland?

It’s not always you hear Madonna’s Die Another Day playing in a serious museum setting. Then again, I’m not in any museum but the Musée Omega, a veritable Aladdin’s Cave of every treasure connected with this celebrated horological house.

For those among us familiar with Omega, one would instantly remember scenes from the hit James Bond movie of the same name, where the suave agent uses his laser beam-fitted, Q-issued Omega timepiece to cut a hole through a sheet of ice.

I’m currently staring at the various timepieces that have starred in Bond movies over the years (Omega has been working with 007 for about 16 years now) as well as a particularly beautiful De Ville Co-Axial that graced George Clooney’s wrist in the movie Up in the Air.

Ascot Gavotte

The recent opening day for Royal Ascot was indeed a smashing, positively dashing spectacle. Diana Khoo reports from the great centrepiece of the British social calendar at Ascot Racecourse in Berkshire, England.

My first encounter with Ascot was of the celluloid variety, watching the hilarious and totally memorable scene in the movie My Fair Lady, where the luminous Audrey Hepburn, as flower girl and society lady-in-training Eliza Doolittle, forgets the upper class accent which she has been taught by phonetics professor Henry Higgins and lapses back into Lisson Grove lingo, yelling out ‘Dover, move your bloomin’ arse’ to the shock and horror of the British gentry present.

My second Ascot experience, however, was very much in the physical, having attended Royal Ascot, which took place recently from 14th to 18th June. One of the most prestigious race meetings in the world, the racecourse also celebrated its 300th anniversary this year, after its inception in 1711, which was inspired by none other than Anne Stuart.

Popular legend has it that the Queen of England had been out riding near Windsor Castle and had come to a piece of heathland which she proclaimed ideal for “horses to gallop at full stretch”.

Today, the link between Ascot and the British Royal Family remains strong as ever and it’s certainly saying something when the official programme cover bears the Royal Cypher of HM Queen Elizabeth II, surmounted by the Crown of St Edward, while the first page of the official programme bears Windsor Castle’s royal coat of arms and has a welcome address written by HM the Queen herself.