club med finolhu, maldives

Truth to be told, it's hard to put into words exactly about my experience when staying at the new Finolhu Villas by Club Med in Maldives.  For me, the mere mention of the beach conjures up just the sort of staycation haven I dream about escaping to everyday.

I have a particular weird habit of waking up early every time I travel and especially in Maldives. Imagine waking up to the soothing sounds of waves crashing on the white sand beach and the beautiful warm sun beaming through the light-filled room, one can easily find solace, rejuvenation and warmth here at Finolhu.

My assigned G.O. (Gentil Organisateur/ host/ butler), Jean-Michel was wonderful and accommodating, yet allowing total privacy.

There were 21 of us Instagrammers from across South East Asia. Many of whom I have never met before. The island was a mere half an hour boat ride, upon which gave us time to be acquainted. I was pleasantly surprised at how diverse the talents were on this trip - from photographers to actresses, and social media entrepreneurs.

After stepping out of the boat and through the solar powered bridge, my heart sank, not in disappointment, but because I only have five days. For me Club Med Finolhu was absolute hotel nirvana. Beach culture, nightlife at Finolhu's counterpart - Club Med Kani, bottomless beers, yoga and meditation by the beach, spa and massage... the entire experience was pure bliss.                                      
       
Wanderlust. How I wish I could rewind time!

Big thanks to Club Med for the generous sponsor and the superb team at Vibes Comm PR!

T.

inch and plates, penang

Squared by: @sherreenl

Back in August, I was invited by the same guys responsible for all our drinking:

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for more Spanish wine and delectable brunch food at their new restaurant, Plates, in Penang. Located in trendy Muntri Street, the beauty of the dining room is matched by the quality of its food where I ordered an impressive plate of Tuna Kataifi Salad as recommended by my host for yet another bubbly brunch.

The sheer number of options can spoil one rotten and although the menu boasts nothing out of the ordinary, there are some familiar classics that can never go wrong for a brunch restaurant.

Come night time, the back of the restaurant transforms into a hip hangout eatery - serving scrumptious South East Asian fare Tapas style and creative cocktails (eg. Lemongrass Gintonication), winning praise for classics that well represent Penang.

Everything about this place is top-notch and every weekend is a cause for celebration here at Inch and Plates.

Take me back!

T.

singapore x roomorama

How quickly time flies and down went my 9th class with Bloesem in Singapore last week! It has always been a pleasure working with the team and getting myself acquainted will all of my already-talented students, come young or old. 

The new bloesem studio is every photographer's dream canvas. I even had a commenter on Instagram noting on how nostalgic the exterior of the place is, and I couldn't agree more.

More often than not on my trips to Singapore, I will visit my relatives' somewhere around the north west part of the city and it will usually cost me half an hour to an hour to get to the main district. As I look for an alternative place to stay, Roomorama could not have come at a better timing. Roomorama, the largest platform for professionally-managed, vacation rentals worldwide, solved my indecisive nut of a brain by offering me a place to stay at one of their coolest properties.

Situated in a quiet neighbourhood just 15 minutes away from Singapore's shopping Orchard road district, the house I was offered to was an architectural feast for the eyes. The whole structure looked like a retreat somewhere off the beaten path.

It was truly an intimate and relaxing getaway given the vibes (tall, ample trees and greenery, a large swimming pool I wish I knew how to use and swim, a spacious living hall and communal kitchen area) ties the string of the entire house with austere simplicity. Not to mention, the room I was treated to screamed beautiful - all decked with white washed walls, high ceiling and tall windows, overlooking the swimming pool, punny artworks fashioned empty spaces, and a TV set I could use... finally I was able to watch Comedy Central without having to surf on an unauthorised website!

The stay perfectly represented my idea of a dream staycation.

Enjoy USD50 off your next booking with them when you key in 'trishates' at the checkout page. For more room listings, I highly recommend checking out www.roomorama.com.

T.

the bee bubbly brunch

Every Sunday for the month of February 2015, The Bee is hosting a bubbly brunch (that means alcohol in the morning y'all) in celebration of the month of love. As far as I know, The Bee has been around in the industry much older than most of the cafes documented in this blog.

Following a delightful treat a couple of nights before at 44 at APW Pop-up Bar in Bangsar, I was invited again to indulge in a brunch that highlights the usual breakfast fare of savoury and sweet accompanied by bottomless Catalonian sparkling wine. A good friend of mine and I enjoyed our perfectly poached eggs with an assortment of sides and amidst our topics of conversation, agreed to sign up for yoga, almost guiltily from all the indulgence.

The Bee proves from time to time again that no matter what you order, you can't go wrong. And going back to the conventional is always a good idea.

T.

44 at apw pop-up bar, bangsar

A couple of weeks ago, I had the pleasure of visiting this pop up bar to sample some, if not all, of their signature cocktails. Now, I am no expert in alcohol and truth to be told, I have always associated cocktails as a concoction of alcohol and fruits. I had to google what 'spirits' mean (the pop up bar aims to promote American craft spirits brought into SouthEast Asia by Singapore-based company, Liberty Spirits). Having just returned from Germany, where drinking seems to be a national favourite pastime, I owe it to them for introducing me to whiskey and coke which quickly became my go-to drink during my survival from social meltdowns in clubs and bars. I was so ready for this.

Here's a list of what I had (by the order of photos above):

Tasting Flight
Any three spirits and in predictable Trisha fashion, I chose three types of whiskey under the recommendation of the bartender of the night - Outlaw, Roundstone Rye, World's Best Moonshine

Rushmore Thyme
New Deal 33, thyme, lemon juice, egg white and lavender bitters

Weekly Special
Dragonfruit & some yummy stuff'

Darjeeling Jungle Bird
Ragged Mountain Rum, Campari, lime and pineapple juice

Budapest Old Fashioned
Lapseng Sauchong Cactotin Roundstone Rye, orange ginger  sugar and basement bitters

Cascara Bee Sting
7 Stars Moonshine, honey, lemon juice and Ceylon Cascara coffee cherry tea

Who knew with cocktails that bear names like Darjeeling Jungle Bird and Rushmore Thyme (which took the crown for best cocktail in my books) would get me tipsy by the end of the night! Do people even get drunk from drinking cocktails??  I'm a wuss.

On a side note, thought it was brilliant to print name/descriptive cards for each cocktail served on thick card that double serves as coasters too. Always had a soft spot for the company's choice of graphic designer.

Huge thanks to the team at FreeForm for coordinating my visit and enlightening me with the good stuff that is American craft spirits. You know what they say, 'once you go American, everything becomes different.'

Just made that up.

44 at APW

* All shots taken with an iPhone 5s because the author had conveniently left her memory card used for her DSLR in the office as she was making her way down to this event.

T.

the weave co. collaboration

A couple of months ago were some really exciting months. Getting approached by a Singaporean-based fabric stationery shop in particular almost topped the cake for me. Fact: I feast on delectable designs and hoard on products that catches my eye from time to time. This took me no more than a second to fall in love.

The Weave Co. offers a diverse collection of notebooks and cards. Not just any notebooks and cards, they are created from recycled materials (mostly fabric) sourced from around the world. Design with sustainability in mind, I'm sold.