Travels

Okay I admit, I might have stretched the truth about “around the world” but I did wear my Glossi eyewear every single day for close to an entire month and it has followed me to Brunei which was the only trip I took out of Singapore in the last 30 days. I tried to take daily outfits with my Glossi but that didn’t pan out because there were somedays where life overwhelms (especially on days when I am working) and I didn’t have time to take photos. But I wanted to do a general consolidation of the outfits that I did manage to remember to take photos of and share them with you. As you can tell I’m really please with my Glossi eyewear cause they match everything!

Be prepared for a photo bonanza! Some you might have seen before and some new ones.

Glossi with my casual floral dress and trucker hat. I wore this to collect my Glossi prescriptive Eyewear followed by an special 4D experience opening launch in Sentosa.

Glossi with my fail safe white shirt and denim jeans combi. I had on this outfit when I attended the recent Eco-Challenge Craft Workshop organized by OMY.sg and Panasonic.

Glossi with a yellow dress that I wore to my Godson Lysander’s 1st month celebration party.

Glossi with work wear for mid-day coffee/hot chocolate runs. I need liquid fuel.

Glossi with polka dot dresses for geeky dates and when I’m behind the computer screen.

Glossi with sports top and shorts traveling to the heart of nature in Brunei.

Glossi can even be spotted with a life vest on a long boat in Brunei’s pristine rainforest.

Glossi went snorkeling and speed boating with me in the South China Sea.

Glossi with my horse riding outfit in Brunei.

Glossi with my vintage 1960s dress on a Sunday brunch date.

Glossi with a floral and lace Japanese dress when I sent JW off at the airport as he bravely went to serve our country’s efforts in Afghanistan.

Glossi with a bright pink pleated dress for a friend’s birthday party and to shoot an advertorial with the new Escada Perfume.

Glossi with my makeup free face and a tube dress as I make my way to shoot a variety program for Channel U. I love how it makes me look so stylish even though its 7am and I barely got out of bed.

Glossi with a simple dress for meetup with girlfriends and bringing my grandparents for their checkup at General Hospital.

Glossi with a green top and skorts as I try to further my cause in being eco-friendly and spread awareness.

Glossi with my special occasion date dress as I went for pre-dinner drinks to soak in the sunset followed by a fine dining experience.

Glossi with me at the beach with my dogs, shielding my eyes from the harsh sunlight.

Glossi in my green outfit set as I paid a visit to my Godsons Leonidas and Lysander followed by a food tasting event.

As you can see, my Glossi Eyewear helps each of my outfit to look even better and I could go on showing you the rest of my outfits but you already got the idea. Since tomorrow marks the last day of my “One month with Glossi” Challenge, you can expect a little something special in my post. Look out for it and please continue to vote daily for me for the Singapore Blog Awards 2013. I’m in the running for Best Vlog, Glossi Best Modelling Blog, Panasonic Best Beauty Blog andPanasonic Eco-Friendly Blog.

I promised in my last post that I will tell you more about The Empire Hotel & Country Club so here it is. This place is more than just one of the most luxurious and prestigious accommodation you can find in Brunei (with exception of the Saltan’s abode of course), it is also an incredible resort destination on its’ own. The lack of hype about this place in Singapore truly amazes me. How can something this good and fun be kept hidden from travel loving Singaporeans for so long totally puzzles me.

The view of the South China Sea from most areas of the hotel is gorgeous and waking up to this view is so refreshing. There is a total of 180hectares that make up The Empire so there’s always so much to see and so much to do. 200 architects and interior designers, engineers and draftsmen were involved in the design of the property and they did a fantastic job.

You’ve already seen my lovely deluxe room (that looks like a suite) in my previous post and if you were already impressed, you haven’t seen nothing yet. Let me show you some of the jaw dropping accommodation that is available at The Empire.

The Executive Suite is one grade higher than the room I stayed and it had an extra living room area as well as a larger bathtub. If you stay in this room, however, you get access to the E-Lounge. The E-Club Lounge, an exclusive retreat on the 6th floor, offers, complimentary breakfast, afternoon tea, evening mocktails and international hors d’oeuvres all served with spectacular views.

For those who wanted to have a more private room away from the main hotel building or to have a more relaxing time with the family and friends and not worry about disturbing the neighbors, you can try booking one of the 16 villas at The Empire.

These villas are very popular with families or those who are looking to find a nice location to throw a nice birthday party. The double level villa is super spacious and feels similar to the villas that you can find in Bali or Phuket. There are twelve 2-bedroom Garden Villas and three 3-bedroom Ocean Villas, sharing a swimming pool and private beach.

I couldn’t believe that the price for the Duplex 2 Bedroom Garden Villa in this luxury resort was only $1,000 to $1,200 a night. Considering that you have 2 bedrooms and this was made for family living, the cost per person isn’t much at all. It’s a great place to do a small holiday celebration. In Singapore, that pricing would probably get you a normal suite room in one of the 5 star hotels without the expansive living space or exclusivity.

Next it was time to check out The Ambassador Suite. Since our Singapore President was on an official visit, most of the available Ambassador suites were taken up by him and his entourage. By a stroke of luck, there was one Ambassador suite still unoccupied and we were allowed to see the suite which was exactly the same as the one taken up by our Singapore President during his Brunei stay.

Our eyes popped with excitement the moment we stepped in. These expansive and lavish suites feature private balconies. Chandeliers hung beautifully everywhere and there was a huge boardroom for meetings and discussion. I even found a full working kitchen in this suite.

Sublime craftsmanship with bespoke furniture and Bang & Olufsen surround sound. Italian silk-covered walls and Asprey spa bath amenities accentuate the private Jacuzzis and double vanity mirror. Italian marble-clad bathroom with separate shower and in the bedroom there was also a walk-in wardrobe.

The ambassador suite was not the most expensive room in the hotel. There were 2 more even more impressive rooms – The Emperess Suite and The Emperor Suite.

The Empress Suite doesn’t even feel like a hotel suite. At a whopping 345 square metres, it feels like a mansion fit for royalty. In the living room there was even a beautiful grand piano. The walls of the suites are covered in foam padded fabric panels to give more privacy. All the many different carpets around the hotel and in these rooms are hand tufted and made from the finest New Zealand wood. The furniture, mostly from France and Italy is elegant in design and the furnishing and fabrics feels extremely fine to touch.

I know I should have been more impressed with the grand piano, the 21K gold-plated finish fittings or the superby plush bed but my heart literally took a small leap when I saw the huge walk in wardrobe. It was calling me to fill it up and dance in it (okay, this is the bimbotic side of me). If I ever got a chance to stay in this room complete with the complimentary personal butler, I’ll probably never want to leave.

We couldn’t visit the legendary Emperor Suite which was just next door because His Majesty, Sultan of Brunei is hosting his guest stay there. It was the only room in the hotel that has its own private pool. After hearing that, curiosity got the better of me and I since there was no way I could see it, I did the 2nd best thing. I googled it. These following photos are from the hotel’s website.

Even with just a few photos, it has already caused me to swoon! At 666 square meters (almost double the size of the Empress Suite), this has been voted “The World’s Leading Suite” by the World Travel Awards 2003 & 2004. The suite’s private elevator provides guests with access to privacy and security unrivaled anywhere else. Equipped with a private swimming pool, steam room and sauna, guests could almost be forgiven for not leaving the suite for the duration of their stay. The private movie theatre and grand piano round up a beautiful private night in.

Other than the rooms, we also took a buggy around the compounds. The roads and buggy paths throughout the hotel and country club cover 22km! There is so much to do and see at The Empire, it not hard  just come here and not feel the need to ever get out of this place. Everyday, from Monday to Sunday, there are lots of activities organized to entertain their guests. You could go on a cycling tour, snorkeling,  play golf, learn their traditional games, attend language lessons, learn how to make mocktails, attend a bowling clinic, play water volleyball, go kayaking, go for malay kueh tasting or feed the fish and turtles. The list is endless!

I’m extremely interested in their watersports center that offers banana boat, catamaran, flying fish, jet skiing, lazer funboat, lazer pico, parasailing, snorkeling, ocean kayak, water skiing, wake boarding, wind surfing and scuba diving! On days where I’m feeling lazy, I could just lounge in one of their 9 swimming pools. My favourite picks will be the saltwater lagoon pool by the beach, the water edge pool by the pool bar, the river pool and the indoor heated spa pool.

If you play golf, you shouldn’t miss a chance to line up your first tee shot at The Empire’s Jack Nicklaus designed championship course.  At 7029 yards, the course winds along the coast with spectacular views and the sea providing hazardous winds across tight fairways. Strategically placed bunkers catch the off-guard and the ambitious. Definitely a worthy challenge.

Entering into The Empire Country Club, there were even more activities in store and everything is open to guests of the hotel. This hotel and resort has won so many international and regional awards and I can see why.

Whether it’s sports like bowling, badminton, squash, table tennis, basketball, billards or tennis, the country club has facilites for everything. And located conveniently in the same building is also The Empire Spa. What a beautiful combination.

I know a lot of people that needs to stay at a hotel with good gym facilities when they travel. The Empire doesn’t disappoint.

Not only does it have a fully furnish, state of the art, 2 level gym facing the golf course, they even have a secondary gym just for the ladies for added privacy. Additionally, they have a dance studio and a schedule of all their dance and aerobics classes that anyone from the hotel can just participate.

If sports is not your thing, how about catching a movie at The Empire’s cinema. Yep, they even have their own cinema and it shows the latest Hollywood movies!

We returned back to the impressive hotel lobby that has lovely grand columns and mosaic marble floors that were all painstakingly put together, manually. But our sights were set on Zest, a lifestyle cafe serving all sorts of pastries, macarons and cakes. These delectable goodies were only about $2.50 to $4 each which is really affordable for a 5 star hotel standard. Even my cake at the local Starbucks in Singapore cost at least $6 or more.

Lunch was hosted for us by The Brunei Tourism at the hotel’s Atrium Cafe. The buffet spread is amazing and delicious. Over lunch, I had such a great time chatting to the guy and gals about my experience in Brunei and sharing with them all about Singapore that I forgot to take photos of the beautiful spread to show you all. Luckily, Malcolm and Deenise kindly offered to share with me the photos they took of the gourmet spread. Here’s a tip, if you ever go to the Atrium Cafe in Brunei, you have to try the mango and coconut signature drink.

With all the jaw dropping facilities, royal treatment service and insanely gorgeous views, can you blame us for being reluctant to leave The Empire Hotel  & Country Club?

Thank you OMY, Brunei Tourism and Royal Brunei Airlines  for making this trip possible.

If you would like to know Brunei better or check out more Royal Brunei Airlines promotions, check out their Facebook page.

We arrived in the the most prestigious hotel in the whole of Brunei – The Empire Hotel  & Country Club. However, we had rushed here after snorkeling with the fishes and I was slightly embarrass that I had to check in my disheveled state and sea water soaked hair. Luckily I had changed in to a long maxi before arriving instead of remaining in my casual swim sports attire.

Walking into the grand lobby of The Empire Hotel & Country Club, I was immediately impressed. The hotel Atrium soars into the sky to a height of 53.22m from level 1 to the roof. And straight ahead was the dazzling view of the South China Sea and the setting sun.

The service is excellent and delicious signature mocktails were served to welcome us as we got our rooms sorted out. They were so quick and efficient that it took almost no time at all.

The sun rays filtering into the grand lobby and bouncing off the specially imported top grade Italian marble was in itself a spectacle to behold . Later I learnt that all the light fittings in the entire hotel were specially chosen to create the right kind of lighting any time of the day. Many of the chandeliers are made to order with delicate Swarovski crystals.

I would have loved to be able to lounge around in the lobby to soak in the atmosphere and enjoy a cup of complimentary tea (love to try The Empire Blend) but we only had an hour to check-in, take a shower, freshen up and head out for dinner.

We were personally escorted to our individual rooms and it was just as luxurious and impressive as the rest of the hotel.

The room was extremely spacious and there was even a separate wardrobe and luggage section.

Some cakes and a specially hand written card was already laying in wait for me. It’s been a long time since I’ve seen handwritten notes from any establishment and it lent a very warm and personal touch to the whole atmosphere.

The balcony was spacious as well and I stood there for quite awhile lost in the beautiful view of The Empire Hotel & Country Club greenery as well as the setting sun.

I might have totally forgotten that I needed to shower and change if not for the whatsapp messages coming in from the other bloggers checking in on what time we needed to meet back at the lobby.

The bathrooms at the hotel are all clad in 20mm thick marble slabs and at that moment, I felt that I would be happy to stay at The Empire Hotel forever!

Shortly after my quick shower, I receive a phone call from the hotel staff checking to see if I settled into my room comfortably or if there was anything I needed. She also informed me that everything in the minibar and drawers are complimentary and I could ring them anytime should I need a refill! It was the first time I had receive a follow up courtesy check from any hotel moments after I’ve checked out my room and this has formed a solid positive impression of the excellent service at The Empire. I feel pampered and throughly taken care off.

If you ever go to Brunei, you just have to stay at The Empire Hotel & Country Club. It’s undoubtedly the best accommodation that Brunei has to offer and to prove my point, our Singapore President, Dr Tony Tan was also staying at the same hotel as us that night! Incredibly, prices of the superior and deluxe rooms here are cheaper than most 5 star hotels in Singapore! I’ll share more about the hotel and show you even more impressive facilites in my next post cause this post is all about meeting the Brunei bloggers as arranged by Royal Brunei Airlines.

The dinner was hosted in Azhani’s beautiful residence and the homely atmosphere, home cooked gourmet dishes and gorgeously grilled meats by Azhani’s husband lent an incredibly heartwarming experience as we got to know more about Royal Brunei Airlines as well as the Brunei bloggers better. They could have just done the meetup at any restaurant but I’m very grateful for the effort that they have taken to share with us an authentic Brunei hospitality. When I think of Brunei as a country of unexpected treasures, the warmth of the people will be one of them as well.

Maurina : maurina.wordpress.com

Azhani : emmagoodegg.com

 Rano Iskandar : RanoAdidas.com

Reeda Malik : AnakBrunei.org

Kamarul D Ajimain : geekinwhite.com

Top Brunei bloggers @ranoaddidas, @anakbrunei, @marul69, @maurina, @emmagoodegg (Follow them!) were all so friendly and our conversations flowed freely over the sumptuous spread. It was a wonderful opportunity for me to learn more about the Brunei cultures, how the locals think, what they enjoyed, how different Brunei blogging community compared to the Singapore community and more! Most importantly, it showed me that despite my intensive itinerary that covered from city to nature and from the tops of the world to the depths of the ocean, there was so much more Brunei had to offer. Even though it was the first time we were meeting, by the end of the dinner, new friendships were forged and our life experiences have been enhanced.

We were also very fortunate to get a sneak peak into the new collection of sleep masks that are specially designed for Royal Brunei Airlines’ new Dreamliner Boeing 787 aircraft campaign in UK.

Before we left, Royal Brunei Airlines even prepared a little gift bag for us to take along.

Back at my awesome hotel room, I ran a lovely warm bubble bath and spent the rest of the night relaxing with a book as I looked forward to what Brunei brings me tomorrow.

Thank you OMY, Brunei Tourism and Royal Brunei Airlines  for making this trip possible.

If you would like to know Brunei better or check out more Royal Brunei Airlines promotions, check out their Facebook page.

PS: I have a couple of photos that I’ve put up in this post without my usual watermark as these photos are used courtesy of Malcolm Sunny and Rui Long of OMY.

When I think back, it’s amazing how I can go from walking in the clouds above the rainforest to being in the deep blue sea on the same day. That’s how varied choices of activities are in Brunei.

We were dropped off at Poni Divers to sign the customary indemnity forms before gearing up with snorkels and cool neon flippers. Although the whole group was going to do snorkeling that afternoon, if you love diving, Brunei offers a surprisingly good range of interesting dive sites and is known to provide great wreak diving opportunities such as The American Wreck, Australian Wreck, Blue Water Wreck and Cement Wreck. Many of Brunei’s wreak diving spots attract the more adventurous dive enthusiasts with a keen interest in history as some of their shipwrecks go back as far as World War II. Other than just corals, Brunei divers are known to spot a wide range of big fishes such as barracudas, and even whale sharks.

We hopped onto a specially charted speed boat and rode off into the horizon.

At full speed, skimping off the surface of the sea, I was glad I wore my Glossi Sunglasses the whole ride as the wind blasted through our faces.

Andy’s face is an awesome example of how powerful the winds are and how difficult it became to even open your eyes if you didn’t have any sunglass on.

Finally, we reached an islet where corals and fishes abound.

Even though the driver and guides told us that waters were clearer in the earlier part of the day and that the rising sediments with the evening tide was making the waters cloudy, it was still clear enough to spot fishes and corals.

I took more pictures of corals than fishes because I wasn’t very good at focusing my underwater camera and most of the photos with fishes turned out blurry. Just like the one below with “nemo” the clownfish darting elusively in the corals.

With the snorkels on, it is hard to tell who was who in the photo. I only know I wasn’t in it cause I was behind the camera!

Instead I’m the one with the underwater selfie. Lol!

Unlike the corals in Phuket which are dead, dying or bleached white due to the devastating tsunami a couple of years ago, the corals here are very much alive and doing well with the most distinctive ones being the table coral and the brain coral.

Another sea creature that was in abundance everywhere I looked were sea cucumbers.  Sea cucumbers serve a useful purpose in the marine ecosystem as they help recycle nutrients, breaking down detritus and other organic matter after which bacteria can continue the degradation process.

There was one section between the rocks where the current was extremely strong and it took almost all our strength to swim against it. I felt like a salmon swimming upstream. Thankfully, all of us made it safely.

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It was such fun being in the waters and being able to view corals and fishes so easily. The next time I go to Brunei I need to up my level and try wreak diving.

Once everyone were safely on board the boat again, we were ready to jet back to shore. The sun was setting soon and we wanted to reach the Empire Hotel before that happens so we could catch the beautiful sunset there.

Thank you OMY, Brunei Tourism and Royal Brunei Airlines  for making this trip possible.

If you would like to know Brunei better or check out more Royal Brunei Airlines promotions, check out their Facebook page.

PS: I have a couple of photos that I’ve put up in this post without my usual watermark as these photos are used courtesy of Malcolm Sunny, Andy Storm and Rui Long of OMY.

After a long journey from the tree tops of Ulu Temburong National Park, we once again made it back to the city so that we could explore Kampong Ayer (Water Village).

Instead of just gazing across the waters into this area of houses built on stilts above the Brunei river, this time we were going to take a boat to head over!

I love how colorfully painted the river taxis are. The ride across the river is pretty cheap and fast (only B$2) and the moment we arrived on the other side, we headed for The Kampong Ayer Cultural and Tourist Gallery. It was also here that I changed into a long dress as I felt that it would be more respectful to walk around in the village compared to the hiking outfit I had on traveling to the city from Ulu Temburong.

Free to enter, this gallery showcases the ‘way of life’ and preserves the heritage of Kampong Ayer. People have lived in Kampong Ayer for over 1300 years and it was dubbed ‘Venice of the East’ as far back as 1521. The district is a culturally important part of Brunei that preserves the nation’s river dwelling origins. In fact it was a living insight into the historical significance of Borneo as it used to be one of the most important trade centers in the region.

As we head out to explore the water village itself, we could see two different scenes. On the right was the original water village houses and on the left you could see newly developed water houses.

The glistening new structures are the latest initiative to upgrade the living standards of residents living at Brunei’s iconic water village from the cramped, polluted image etched in the minds of many, to a more green, modern community that preserves Brunei’s cultural heritage. These eco-homes cost $400,000 each to build but with the government subsidy, the lucky ones that get to move in here need only pay $90,000.

Many Brunei residents are grateful to the new, better improved luxury water homes. But from a visitors’ perspective, it’s the old Kampong Ayer that steals my heart and captivates my attention.

Built entirely of stilt houses and wooden walkways, this cluster of 42 villages housing more than 30,000 inhabitants is the world’s largest water village. It’s unbelievable how this area could house 10% of Brunei’s total population! It’s a unique way of living that is done entirely by choice. Most of the residents here own both a car and a boat and they would park their cars across the embankment before using their boat to reach the doorsteps of their home.

The Water Village is really made up of small villages linked together by more than 29,140 meters of foot-bridges, consisting of over 4200 structures including homes, mosques, restaurants, shops, schools, and a hospital. 36 kilometers of boardwalks connect the buildings. I’m in love with the beautiful colors of the homes and the simple living that is practiced here.

Despite being a living heritage site that sees thousands upon thousands of tourists every year, the villagers are still able to continue their daily routine without even a blink of an eye.

The wooden corridors are lined with potted plants, hanging laundry and seafood laid out to dry in the sun.

The vibrant colors, the rustic wooden floor boards, the glories sunlight and the authentic vibe of this place makes it a photographers’ dream come through. I would have taken a lot more pictures had I the time to explore Kampong Ayer at a more leisurely pace.

Along the way, I spotted this cute Pineapple Plant. I’m not sure what sort of species of pineapple these are but they are ridiculously cute!

Although we were on a tight schedule, I was glad that we could at least visit a pre-designated village home so that I could get a look at how the insides of these water village homes are like.

I was surprised that despite its aging exterior, the houses actually enjoys modern amenities including air conditioning, satellite television, Internet access, plumbing, and electricity. Of course the newer water housing are even more luxurious.

Each home is rather spacious and they can be sub divided into many small rooms to house a dozen related nuclear families under one roof. It is the community living experience that also makes up the spirit of what Kampong Ayer is about.

One of the rooms in the village house we visited had a wedding set up and we all went a little ga-ga playing dress up.

With my long dress and the tudong, I think I could have easily blended in as one of the locals.

Here’s my makeshift very cool (still in sunglasses) beach styled husband-to-be, Malcolm. Unknowingly, we actually color-coordinated quite well.

Next up we had Tiffany who looks the most convincing as a local village maiden.

Andy was to be her makeshift life long partner and I think his shirt design went really well with the whole theme.

One last shot of all the girls in Tudong. It was my very first experience wearing one!

We enjoyed some traditional tea time snacks in the comforts of the village home before heading back to the jetty to catch the next water taxi back to mainland.

I love the beautiful river scene. It is so calm and surreal.

There is still one more place to share with you before I end this post.

We had a small block of time before having to head to our lunch venue and we spent it checking out The Royal Regalia Building. Located at Jalan Sultan, this museum is devoted to the Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah. The most amazing and eye-catching display here is the chariot used for the coronation of the Sultan. And this is also the only exhibit in the museum that allows photography so if you want to see what else there is, you’ll have to pay a visit to Brunei.

I dwell a lot in the details, and there was just so much to absorb. The beautiful craftsmanship, the meaning and intent of each carving and the dramatic colors were all calling out to me.

I’m not kidding when I say, our guide, Tom, had to come drag me back to the transport cause I couldn’t stop admiring and reading into the history of each item. I usually spend a lot of time when visiting museums and the last time I went London, I spent 3 days just browsing museums. I think my closet geek is showing *hide*

I’m only at the halfway point of blogging about my trip in Brunei, yet you can confidently tell that I love Brunei. Even the pin on my hat says so.

Thank you OMY, Brunei Tourism and Royal Brunei Airlines  for making this trip possible.

If you would like to know Brunei better or check out more Royal Brunei Airlines promotions, check out their Facebook page.

PS: I have a couple of photos that I’ve put up in this post without my usual watermark as these photos are used courtesy of  Malcolm Sunny and Deenise Glitz.