Author: sweet surrender

Five Ways to Pamper Myself in Bali

Posted on By sweet surrender 2 Comments on Five Ways to Pamper Myself in Bali

I’m sure Bali is no stranger to everyone! Bali is an Indonesian island blessed with forested volcanic mountains, iconic rice paddies, beaches and coral reefs. The island is home to religious sites, the most popular one is Uluwatu Temple. It is also known for its yoga and meditation retreats. Many would go to the city of Kuta, Seminyak, Sanur and Nusa Dua.

So many people went to Bali already yet I’ve not step my foot there. I do have plan to go, I’m still trying to find the right time and the mood to go. It’s easy to get flights from Kuala Lumpur to Bali. Many airlines are flying the route. Flight booking is so easy these days with Traveloka too where you can track your preferred flight prices with its app. Why worry right? Who knows one day I might just pack my bag and go. Meanwhile, I did a bit of research on what to do there and posting it here so that I can refer when I need. My main aim to go to Bali is more on pampering myself, go slow and easy, rather than rushing and squeezing with other tourists to visit one tourist attractions after another.

When I’m there, these are the five things I must do…

1. Balinese Massage

This is a must-do if I go there. It would be nice to experience Balinese massage at its origin. How can one not experience it? Your trip will not be complete without it. The massage techniques include acupressure, skin rolling and flicking, firm and gentle stroking, and percussion. Essential oils would be used for the massage. Love essential oils! Stone massage is also a type of Balinese massage. I like stone massage as well.

2. Cream Bath

This is not referring to bathing with cream hahaha… This is a popular hair treatment in Bali. Ever wonder how Indonesian women always have shiny, healthy hair? It’s not easy to have good hair day when you are living in a place where you are surrounded by sun, sand, and sea. These three elements can do quite a havoc to your locks. The bath starts with head, neck and shoulder massage, then rich conditioning cream normally made and concocted from unique blend of the respective hair spa is massaged into your scalp and hair and leave for at least 30 minutes under a steamer. It can also reduce hair loss.

3. Hot Spring

Love hot spring!! Many hot springs can be found in Bali. Must go to at least soak in one of them!! Imagine soaking in the goodness of volcanic hot spring in the middle of the lush green jungle and nicely landscaped tropical gardens. Not only it is good to relax, your skin and body will get to indulge in the Earth’s natural remedies. Ah… Bliss…

4. Make My Own perfume

I am always interested to know how to make my own perfume, a special blend of fragrance for myself. What’s more… The scents come from Indonesia’s own endemic flowers, plantations, and spices. It is also great for gifting. I heard not many places offer this though. It’s only available at selected hotels and resorts. Not a very cheap thing but it’s OK! Roughly need to allocate a budget of about RM600 for it depending on the class type you opt for. That’s what traveling is all about, spend money to buy experience hahaha… It’s not like you are spending this money every day.

5. FOOD!
Lastly, pamper myself with the yummilcious food in Bali! Babi guling is a must for me! Oh the tender juicy meat with its crisp brown skin… *drool* Satay too! Even though we do get satay in Malaysia easily, it’s always interesting to taste satay from Bali, you don’t get peanut sauce there but sambal instead. I’m curious about their Bebek Betutu too. I would also join the cooking classes when I’m there.

There you go… The five activities that I will do in Bali. Visiting the typical tourist attractions or getting into more adventurous activities isn’t my type of holiday. These will only be done if I have extra time to spare and if I have the mood for them. To me, they are not compulsory.

Have you been to Bali? Would love to hear from you on where you’ve been in Bali to experience the five activities I’m planning to do 😉

Going Places

Atelier Mad Hatters Party – WAK2018

Posted on By sweet surrender No Comments on Atelier Mad Hatters Party – WAK2018

I had the opportunity to attend a fashion show last Saturday. It’s been a very long time not attending any. Used to catch those at the shopping malls and bridal fairs but no longer doing it for so many years. When I had the opportunity to experience the 2nd Mad Hatters Party which was organized by Society Atelier Sarawak in conjunction with What About Kuching Festival, I quickly grabbed the chance. This is their second year doing it.


It’s a fashion show cum hi-tea. You don’t always see Kuching people dress up. In this event, some people really dressed up to the nines and wore their wackiest hats.


The party goers are really taking it very seriously. I don’t have a hat so I went without one hehehe… Kuching is not big, everyone practically knows each other. Almost all the cool people in Kuching attended the event. Don’t play play yo…


The fashion show featured many creatively designed hats and apparels by our very own talented local designers. Many of them had made a name for themselves not only in the local fashion scene but internationally too.


The renown designers showcased their designs are Edric Ong, Tanoti, Livan, Melor, Emil Hamlyn, Anna Sue, Ben Nazry, Arzmy Hargreaves, Ramsay Ong, Michael Lim, Senia Jugi, Manoy, and Sandine Benedict.


Vicky Fong is the one behind choreographing the show. Models wearing extremely high heels strutting down the runway with all sort of headpieces and clothing.


Party goers were so excited to see them but at the same time worry hahaha… The heels are damn high!! ;p I heard many gasping especially when the models walked up and down the staircase. Then again… The models are professional enough to handle those heels. No worries haha…

Okie dokie, now, let’s have the photos do the rest of the talking.






Cheers to all the designers, models, those working hard backstage, and everyone involved to make this event a success! See you next year!

A series of events are going on around Kuching this October in conjunction with What About Kuching 2018. Check it out at AboutKuching.com and see what other bloggers are doing at the various events at SarawakBloggers.com.

Here’s a short video I posted in my Instagram. Enjoy!

Fab Fashion, Uniquely Kuching

Wine Goodness with A Touch of Gold

Posted on By sweet surrender No Comments on Wine Goodness with A Touch of Gold

I came to appreciate wine when I lived in South Australia. I would visit wineries with my friends whenever we are free to taste various wines in South Australia. We would pair our wine with cheese, crackers, dried fruits, and so on. Whenever there’s gathering, there will be wine. Strangely, no one would get drunk for drinking wine, at least I’ve never experienced it. However, when there is whisky, gin, or other alcohol around, people will surely ended up drunk and wasted.

Was fortunate to be able to taste Wolf Blass wine last week. It’s from South Australia!! Taste like home… We tasted 6 types of wine.

Left to right: Gold Label Eden Valley Riesling 2015, Gold Label Adelaide Hills Chardonnay 2016, Gold Label Coonawarra Cabernet Sauvignon 2016.


Left to right: Gold Label Barossa Shiraz 2015, Grey Label Langhorne Creek Cabernet Shiraz 2013, Black Label Cabernet SHiraz Malbec 2006.


Which wine do you think goes well with the food below? Well… To me, there is no fast and hard rules for pairing wine and food. Some said if you are having white meat, you should go with white, while red meat should go with red. At the end of the day, it is all about your own liking. Everybody has taste and preference of their own. I’m not a wine expert. I’m more of a white person but sometimes I do go for red depending my mood rather than food.


Left: Appetizer, Chawan Mushi with Local Smoked Fish & Fragrant Shallot Oil went really well with Gold Label Eden Valley Riesling 2015 which brought out crisp and clean subtle blossom notes of the wine. Some how it cleansed my palate from the taste of smoked fish and shallot oil for the second course of the meal.

Right: Cream of Onion with Lobster Ravioli was great to pair with Gold Label Adelaide Hills Chardonnay 2016 in which the fine acidity helped in balanced out the taste of onion in the soup. I’m not a fan of onion hahaha! With this wine, some how it made the soup tasted better. The wine tasted sweeter and smoother too with this soup.


Left: Main course, Pan Seared Local Sea Bream Fillet with Lemongrass Butter Sauce served with Ratatouille Vegetables and Dauphinoise Potatoes, went well with Gold Label Barossa Shiraz 2015 or Gold Label Eden Valley Riesling 2015. Both red and white complemented the fish and its sides.

Right: Dessert, Gold Dusted Chocolate Brownie served with caramelized banana, was great to go with any white or red. I don’t know about you but chocolate and wine always go well together for me hahaha…

Which one would you choose for your next meal?

Do you know that Wolf Blass luxury and premium ranges made up of the Black, Grey and Gold Labels? Normally people here would just go for Yellow Label which is more affordable. Why don’t you try out the premium range next time?

Wine is meant to be enjoyed in small amount or in moderation. Don’t binge on it, it’s not meant to be drank this way and not meant to make you drunk. Each wine has its unique characters, you just need to find the one that suits you best, it’s a never ending discovery. To me, no wine is bad wine unless those gone bad due to improper storage hahaha…


Wolf Blass Chief Winemaker, Chris Hatcher, shared his knowledge of wine with us. He told us that Wolf Blass was named ‘Red Winemaker of the Year’ at the prestigious International Wine Challenge in London in 2016, making it a three-time winner for this accolade, having previously awarded the honour in 2008 and 2013.

ABOUT WOLF BLASS

Wolf Blass was established in the Barossa Valley in 1966 and has grown from a humble tin shed to become one of the world’s most successful and awarded wine brands. A recipient of more than 10,000 awards at national and international wine shows, the essence of Wolf Blass wines is exemplified through the passion of its custodians past and present as they continuously strive to produce wines of quality, character and consistency.


Look at the box! Would you like to get a hold of it? It consists of a bottle of award winning Gold Label Wolf Blass wine and a Bordeaux RIEDEL glass. Definitely good to get if you are shopping for gift or for your special occasion.

For those in Kuching, the gift pack is available from October to November 2018 at Cold Storage Kuching, Ta Kiong, Choice Premier 101, Niche Gourmet and Aeon Kuching Mall for a suggested retail price of RM139.90.

Food Porn, Uniquely Kuching

Bidayuh Traditional Necklace (Pangiah) Workshop – WAK 2018

Posted on By sweet surrender No Comments on Bidayuh Traditional Necklace (Pangiah) Workshop – WAK 2018

Was so excited that I managed to sign up for Bidayuh Traditional Necklace (Pangiah) Workshop organized by Pungu’ Borneo in conjunction with What About Kuching 2018. I’m always curious on how these traditional necklaces are made. In fact, I ever dream of making my own jewelry/accessories for sell hehehe… However, never get into doing it. This is my first time making a proper beaded necklace.


The class was 10am to 5pm at Pullman. Our instructor was Lucille from Pangieh Ranee. Very talented and creative lady. It’s not easy to do all these things, it requires high passion and patience.

Even though I’m half-Bidayuh, I do not know much about the tradition and culture of the Bidayuh community because my mom’s kampung doesn’t practice the customs as it’s a Seventh Day Adventist village.


Let me share a little bit about Pangiah with you…

This necklace is from Bidayuh Jagoi community in Bau area in Sarawak. The functions is for healing, ceremonial, and harvest offering. It’s a ‘spiritual’ and sacred necklace worn by a priestess or a woman healer. It has the power to gather spirit that would provide guidance and help to grant their wielders request. It is not common to be worn by common Bidayuh folks.

The charms are believed to be able to protect the priestess from harm while performing a spiritual ceremony. Ok… The ones in the photos are just ornamental. Actual charms can be from wild boar tusk, bear claws, brass bells, brass coils, ancient coins, rikis tolam(transparent green-blue beads) or rikis biru(big sized melon beads). These will be given by the ‘patient’ who would like to engage the service of the priestess as a prosih(gift).

The key components of a pangiah consist of:
1. Beads
2. Charms
3. Spacer
4. Brass coil
5. 2 old coins, for each side of the pangiah
6. Main colours are red, black, and white. It can also have mixture of colourful beads. It is usually very colourful and can be easily notice from afar.

These days, it’s being used as fashion statement. There will be no charms on them, even if there are, it’s mostly ornamental. The one we’re learning was the traditional ones.


The strands are made up of odd numbers(9/11/13) for pangiah. The motives and designs represent the nature such as bird’s eye and mountain/hill.


Here’s mine… I experimented with Boton Manuk Puni(diamond shape with small dot in the middle represents the bird’s eye). All eyes on you! Don’t play play! 😛


Left: Lucile was very passionate in teaching us how to do the necklace.

Right: It’s one hard work! Don’t complain that these things are expensive, it’s not! It’s very labour extensive! I had body ache working on it for 6 1/2 hour! *LOL* Oh man… Worst than going hiking in Bako hahaha!! See the necklace I did? Hahaha… Well… I was too eager to want to get it done, I’ve forgotten about counting the beads for the curve. Oppss… I didn’t finish my necklace because I was too ambitious, curiously testing out the patterns, and making a long one *LOL* The one in the photo is unfinished. So… I am going to remove the curve and one side of necklace to redo it one of these days.


It’s an interesting class, great for beginners. We called it a day with a group photo with Lucille (5th right). I really enjoyed it. Thanks to Pungu’ Borneo for organizing it.

A series of events are going on around Kuching this October in conjunction with What About Kuching 2018. Check it out at AboutKuching.com and see what other bloggers are doing at the various events at SarawakBloggers.com.

Fab Fashion, Public Events, Uniquely Kuching

Biore UV Aqua Rich Watery Essence SPF 50+ PA++++

Posted on By sweet surrender No Comments on Biore UV Aqua Rich Watery Essence SPF 50+ PA++++

Here comes another skincare product that I recently used. Biore UV Aqua Rich Watery Essence SPF 50+ PA++++ is one of the latest products by Biore. I redeemed the sample online months ago during their sample giveaway campaign. I brought it along with me on my UK and Japan trip.


UK weather was really dry, temperature changes was huge which could wreck havoc on one’s skin. My skin was quite dry there. In japan too, the air was dry there.

The good thing with this sunscreen is that it contains Royal Jelly, Hyaluronic Acid and Mix Citrus Essence as moisturizing ingredients. Great makeup base as well. No stickiness. The texture is between gel and water. It was easily absorbed by my skin and felt silky smooth after applying it.

However, when I came back to Malaysia, I noticed that it was not as good as when I’m using it in the UK and Japan. Likely due to the high humidity here, I felt a bit sticky on my face after application. However, if you stay in air-conditioning environment a lot especially in the office, it will be a good daily sunscreen to use.

The formulation is claimed to be highly resistant towards sweat and water. I didn’t sweat and didn’t go into water throughout the usage of this sunscreen hahaha… So I can’t say much about it. I will just believe the claim as it is ;p

Don’t underestimate the damage of UV ray can do to your skin. If you think that you stay indoor all day and you don’t need sunscreen, this is not applicable in this era. Why? You are facing your computer and your phone all the time, the light damage is as damaging as going under the sun. You will notice your face is developing brown spots and having premature aging signs over time. Also, if your office is in high rise building and/or you are surrounded by glass such as window, the UV ray can wreck havoc on you too.

So… Boys and girls… Sunscreen is very important to at least reduce the chances of developing too much pigmentation and some unwanted skin problems.

Will I repurchase? I don’t think so but I do recommend those needing moisture during the day to use it to protect your skin from harmful UV rays while keeping your skin moisture. It is suitable for both face and body. I will just go back to the good old Biore UV Perfect Face Milk.

Girl Stuffs, Review It!