Keseriaan Duli Yang Maha Mulia Seri Paduka Baginda Tuanku Raja Permaisuri terserlah di persada dunia

Dear Gentle Reader,

I have been away in the Middle East for a whole week - left KL last Thursday 27th March and arrived home early this morning. Hence, the week long silence on this blog. The duplex penthouse where we stayed didn't have internet connection, and I really didn't have time to go to the Starbucks or Gloria Jeans round the corner to update. The roaming 3G functions on my mobile phone are limited and only allow me to access blogspot to approve comments. So please forgive me for the long silence.

The first picture I took in the Middle East whilst being chauffeured from the airport to our duplex penthouse was the pic below. Which country was I in? Take a closer look at the car plate.



Yes, we were in Dubai - the New York of the Middle East, and yes, we shopped, we lunched, we dined, we cuci mata, we shopped some more, we did all the things one would do on a working holiday.

Now the shopping in Dubai is INCREDIBLE! Every brand in the world is in Dubai. Seriously. And this also means that being in Dubai is equally very dangerous to one's bank balance. Mine, at least.



Datin Sri Farida, on the other hand, has no worries when it comes to bank balances. And we didn't waste any time.



Nikki, ever the fashionista, tried on some of the hats at the Burjuman Mall (imagine Pavilion but three times bigger), the main mall in the city situated very conveniently - one minute's walk from our penthouse.



Besides luxury brands, various dubious products were also available on the shelves. Click on the pic below for a larger, close-up view of the myriad of creams and gels that promise to make you either 'larger' or 'tighter'. Mak suke! Mak suke!



Dubai is part of the United Arab Emirates. Nevertheless, Wafi City Mall (something like Mid-Valley), had a very Egyptian theme and so we all went snappy happy.

Nikki: Vern, can we go to Cairo after Dubai? Please?

Me: You mean like hop on a bus and go to Cairo?

Nikki: Yes please! Please! I SO wanna see the Pyramids!

Me: Go find a map, see where Cairo is and where Dubai is and then ask me that question again.

Our first lunch in Dubai was at the famous Wafi Gourmet, and it was FANTABULOUS!

Jovian: Datin, nak order apa?

Datin: Everything on the menu please, Jovian.

Nikki: Everything??

Datin: Yes, Nikki, everything. Is your hearing failing you, dear? Not good for a singer, you know.

Nikki: No, no, I heard you clearly, ma'am. Everything on the menu, huh? Ok lah. Everything. Hehehehehe!

This is Ida Lokman, the GM for Chloé Malaysia. Ida is familiar with Dubai, and we were glad that she came along with us. Plus, if you want to go shopping, there is no better person than Ida - she knows where, what, when and how much. Ida is also the younger sister to Dato Mahathir Lokman.



Grilled fresh prawns, crunchy falafel, baked fish, slivers of hot shawarma, kebabs, meat balls in spicy tomato gravy, chicken biriani, lamb biriani, mixed meat grill, various cool salads, garlic and yoghurt paste, humus with hot bread - the list goes on and on and on. And all washed down with a refreshing pomegranate (delima) juice. I swear, we all ate so much we just sat there like fat pythons for at least an hour.



Followed by dessert. A sweet syrupy caramelised candy topped with crushed pistachios and almonds and cashew nuts.



A cool yoghurt based dessert swimming on a bed of milk sugar with more crushed pistachios.



And if that was not enough, Nikki bought some biscuits and sweetmeats. Girl, at the rate you're going, how on earth will you fit a 27 inch waist into a 25 inch corset?



And more nuts.



In the evening, we made our way to Madinat Jumeirah, a modern souk. Stunning architecture, stunning variety of stunning goods with stunning prices and I was finally stunned that even I got conned into buying.



In the evening, we went to Centimetro, an Italian restaurant with an Arabian twist. Good food, as expected. The weather is hot and dry in the day (without the heavy humidity of Malaysia) but the evenings are pleasantly cool and breezy and dining al fresco is de rigeur.



That was our first day in Dubai. On the second day, we went to the real souks, the market district of Dubai where you can get almost everything at EXTREMELY good prices. First stop, Naif Road. Check out the glass floor of the shop! Datin, of course la, tak kuasa.



Until she saw this feather boa.

Datin: Mak chantek tak, nyah?

Me: Gila tak chantek? Chantek nak mampos, nyah!! Lingkup Elizabeth Taylor!!

Jovian was in heaven. Swarovski crystals are sold not by the dozen here but by the boxes. And I mean BIG boxes. And EVERY TYPE OF SWAROVSKI.



I took the opportunity to trim my hair at '1857', the leading Men's Shop in Dubai.

Me: Nyah, Pak Arab ni buat mak nak pengsan, uols!

Ida: Kenapa, nyah?

Me: Minyak attar yang dia pakai busuk nak mampos, nyah! Mak fening, nyah!

Back at the apartment, a diva-in-the-making was diligently rehearsing her aria with the help of her Ipod. An aria is an operatic song, and this would be her first time ever singing a full recitative in Italian, dramatic high notes and all.



At this point, you're probably still wondering what we were doing in Dubai. Simple. Jovian was representing Malaysia at the Islamic Fashion Festival held at Dubai. And Jovian invited Nikki to sing during his show.

On the day of the show, Jovian arrived in his red Ferrari sports car and I in my white Rolls Royce. Kelas tak? Ok lah, so I propah a bit...



Inside, the chief make-up artist was working on the pharaohnic Nefertiti look I wanted for Nikki. Apparently, it's a rare request and only the chief knew how to do a proper and correct and AUTHENTIC Egyptian look. So she gathered her other girls to watch and learn.



This, gentle reader, is an authentic Nefertiti look. Meletops tak?



Whilst Nikki was getting her face done, I decided to befriend the hunky hair stylists and eventually had my new short hair funked up by Maulana. Maulana's jari jemari very big and strong ok, siap tarik rambut mak sampai kepala mak pusing ke kanan ke kiri nak pengsan, uols.

Maulana: Where are you from, handsome guy?

Me: Kuala Lumpur. *wah! dia panggil mak 'handsome', uols!*

Maulana: Many pretty girls and pretty boys in Kuala Lumpur, aiwa?

Me: Aiwa, habibi!

Maulana, so I'm told, is a very famous top hair stylist in Dubai. Mak rasa bangga, uols!



In the Middle East, make-up artists tend to be females and hair stylists tend to be males. Very cool hunky tattooed males. And very nice smelling too, thanks to their fondness for bathing in strong perfume. I swear, EVERYONE in Dubai smells like a walking opened bottle of perfume.

Me: Is that a real tattoo on your neck, Jamal?

Jamal (mamat baju putih): Yes. Here, look. Feel. Touch it. Real, right?

Nak tunggu apa lagi, kan? Ambik rasa ler. Mak ai, even his neck is muscled like a tree trunk!



Faizal, who arrived with Ismail, Shasha and Soon a day before the show, helped backstage. I think he took more pictures than I did. You should take a look at Faizal's blog too. Don't we look just fabulous?



We all wore Jovian Mandagie! Very the meletops!



Finally, after two hours of make-up, Nikki was transformed into the Pharaoh Queen! Vast vavavoom!



And in the ballroom seated at the main table was a real Queen, looking stunning and regal and majestic. Her Majesty Duli Yang Maha Mulia Seri Paduka Baginda Raja Permaisuri Agong Tuanku Nur Zahirah, the Guest of Honour at the Dubai Islamic Fashion Festival, looked excited with anticipation, just before Jovian's show.



And the show began. Jovian named his latest couture collection LA REINE, which is French for The Queen, inspired by and in honour of Malaysia's Tuanku Raja Permaisuri Agong.



The show began with Nikki singing the famous mad scene recitative Il Dolce Suono from the opera Lucia di Lammermoor by Donizetti. Basically, it's a lot of dramatic high notes superbly written by the composer with the sole aim of grabbing everyone's attention. And Nikki did just that. She closed her eyes, opened her mouth, and launched into vocal insanity that silenced the room.



At the climax, Nikki threw off her black robe to unveil the couture theme of the show. Rousing thunderous applause, and the models walked out, one by one.



Gentle Reader, I give you, LA REINE by JOVIAN MANDAGIE.










And the final pièce de résistance.






The Gulf News had Jovian's outfit on their pull-out cover! Out of all 9 designers, they chose Jovian's dress! Click here to read all about it.

More pics of Jovian's LA REINE collection from Gulf News:




After Jovian's show, we sat down to dinner to watch the rest of the designers (3 from Indonesia, 1 from Pakistan and 2 from Dubai). That's Shasha, Soon, Ismail and Jovian.



Then I went out for a quick smoke and guess who I saw coming out of the powder room, accompanied by bodyguards and an entourage of the entire main table?

Me: Ampun Tuanku. Patek yang hina mohon ke bawah duli Tuanku nak tangkap gambar.

Her Majesty didn't reply, but just stopped, posed and gave me an elegant smile. Followed by a quick wink! Kelas!



Sungguh anggun dan ayu busana Tuanku Raja Permaisuri! Berseri seri Tuanku Nur Zahirah! The couture dress is a baju kurung moden of fine satin silk with faux pesak of a specially woven Terengganu songket featuring gold and silver threads, embellished with fine swarovski and very delicate french lace, and a short train at the back. The tudung is also encrusted with fine lace and swarovski. Understated elegance with a touch of regal magnificence. Eh, macam mana I tahu semua ni???

Then I went back in for the finale. All the 9 designers showcased a special dress each, made with Terengganu songket.



Dato Tom Abang Saufi and Radzuan Radzwill were the other two designers representing the country.



To close the Festival, Her Majesty was invited up to the stage. As she was climbing the steps up the catwalk, I quickly made my way to the front and aimed my camera.

Me: Ampun Tuanku, patek terpegun! Senyum skit, Tuanku.

I got another smile and a wink! What a stunning Queen we have!



Yang Amat Berbahagia Datin Paduka Seri Rosmah Mansor is patron of the IFF, and was beautifully arrayed in a Radzuan Radzwill creation. Standing on the right of Tuanku Raja Permaisuri is the Crown Prince of Dubai, His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum.



Then the night ended, and as Her Majesty Duli Yang Maha Mulia Seri Paduka Baginda Raja Permaisuri Agong Tuanku Nur Zahirah made her way out of the ballroom, Tuanku Raja Permaisuri granted Jovian a pose for my camera. Beautiful dress, isn't it? ;-)



Jovian also had his first Dubai client - Imran, a model who wanted a dress shirt. Wow. Big hands, big feet, big nose, big neck. Big la tu.



Datin Sri Farida also looked stunning in her Jovian Mandagie, a dusty pink dress draped under french lace encrusted with fine swarovski and topped with a silver satin bolero.



Guess who my table partner was?

Datin: Eeeee! You're here too! Come, let Aunty Farida give you a hug!

Dr. Sheikh Muzaffar: Aunty Farida!

At 6am, jet-lagged, I walked out onto the balcony to take this picture of the dawn sunrise over Dubai. In the far distance is the Burj al Dubai, now the tallest building in the world. And somewhere out there waits a dream...



Dubai Part II continues tomorrow...