Playlist: Katrina Zai

One of the funniest people I've met in HK, the amazing Katrina Zai of bisous. Check out her naughty littl' club in LKF next time you're in Central, Hong Kong.

Pic by Mike Tao

Divine Inspiration: Sonu Nigam

Sonu Nigam

It is the symbiosis between performer and audience that makes live shows so special, Indian vocalist Sonu Nigam tells P.Ramakrishnan.

Sonu Nigam is widely regarded to be the best male singer in India. But when reminded of this, he demurs, "That's very kind of you to say but it is not true. There are so many great musical talents in India. I'm just happy to be a part of the scene."

Still, Nigam's vast repertoire of multilingual renditions has won him a fan base that includes influential vocalists from Kerala to Kashmir, be they singers of vintage Bollywood numbers (K.J. Yesudas, Manna Dey, the Mangeshkar sisters) or contemporary stars (Shreya Ghoshal, Sunidhi Chauhan, KK). they all speak of the 40-year-old with deep admiration. He's even done a remix with Britney Spears....

A Certain Age - at Prestige.

Madhuri Dixit performs at IIFA 2013

The power of Bollywood (and the wide Indian diaspora being what it is - especially online!), thrilled to bits that one of the most read/clicked on feature at Prestige.com is my littl' chat with la Dixit.

Check it out here --> A Certain Age
http://prestigehongkong.com/2013/09/certain-age

A Wynn-ing Trifecta

In Hindu mythology, multi-armed Goddesses with their multifarious powers of creation and destruction are not uncommon deities to behold. If you’ve ever wondered how that intangible superwoman would bestow tangible gifts in a palpable, mortal manner, wonder no more. Here it is, the deification of pampering. With six hands combined to provide the ‘yi-liu-ba’ (‘168’) experience at the Spa in Encore (at Wynn Macau), the mind certainly wanders among heaven and earth, while lying face down on a cushioned bed as three pairs of arms work their slick magic on every limb and other exposed and exfoliated skin.  

A bit disconcerting at first, walking into a room with three uniformed ladies with uninterrupted smiles, as you cling on to a terry cloth robe masking your modesty and shame in equal measure, the treatment that follows is however slightly divine. One leaves refreshed, bathed and overconfident by the supple softness of one’s own original sin. Um, skin.  

The auspicious numbers of the ‘yi-liu-ba’ (the lucky numbers 1,6,8) combine six hands into one remarkable experience as 168 minutes of bliss is promised and delivered. As the brochure states, it is “the first treatment in Macau offering personal attention from three therapists”. 

Starting with a full-body Himalayan salt scrub (feel the dirt and grime collected from the past year erode away) and aromatherapy steam experience (heady, but pleasant), the rigorous treatment incorporating Ila Body Scrub is followed by a thoroughly relaxing four hand massage. The remarkably in sync massage is choreographed perfection, as the dual massage therapists work in unified harmony. There’s another pair providing a revitalizing facial (using organic skincare range, Eminence) so at any time there’s a triple multi-sensory experience on a nimble body.

The final touch is a hydrating paraffin hand treatment (your palm shoved into a ziplock bag with mildly scalding wax – one assumes, as at this point your eyes are covered with a scented scarf of some sort ). Finally, a soothing reflexology foot massage (where if you’re ticklish, is not without its unexpected, risible pleasures), completing the ultimate in pampering.

Recipient of the prestigious Forbes Five-Star award, The Spa at Encore offers a range of exquisite treatments but for deliciously decadent (with time and money to spare), we highly recommend the signature ‘yi-liu-ba’ in their exquisite private spa suite. Sinful and divine, it’s the sort of sweet’n’sour seeming contradiction that one can only find in beauty and the East.

The 168 (Yi Liu Ba) treatment costs 3,600 patacas (Equivalent in HK$)

Spa at Encore,

Wynn Macau, Rua Cidade de Sintra, NAPE, Macau. 

Playlist: Karen Yiu

It is my profound joy to shed light on the incandescent talent that is Karen Yiu. Over the past decade in media, I've met many wonderful people but no one as good and bril as Karen Yiu. Make-up artist extraordinaire, body painter, artist... She. Is. Magic.

Earlier interview with Karen in a magazine here.

An archive of some of the shoots we've worked on here.

Archive of Playlist here.

Play List: Anthony Sandstrom

Click to enlarge and read

One of the coolest dudes in the Kong, my bud Tony (aka Anthony Sandstrom).

Contributors

A bit of self-indulgence...

Prestige magazine's contributors page.

Near the impossibly elegant Sarah Rutson (Lane Crawford's Fashion Director), who I had dinner with a few months ago at China Club for "yoo" (her bril husband Andrew was to my right and kept our side of the long table thoroughly entertained).

She looks effortlessly chic and I look like I've had one too many curries. Which isn't far from the truth...

Songs for the Soul

Pakistani singer Rahat Fateh Ali Khan hails from a family with a 600-year musical heritage, writes P.Ramakrishnan,



RAHAT FATEH ALI KHAN may be the nephew of the late, great Pakistani musician Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, but he carries the burden of that vast musical legacy with ease. He is calm and relaxed as we chat about his upcoming show in Hong Kong next month.

Known for his immense singing range, Khan is softly spoken in conversation.

The singer has more than a few of the mannerisms and musical phrasings of his uncle and readily admits that Nusrat had a major influence on him. "I feel I was blessed to be born into his household; I learned so much just by watching him," he says. "When I was little, I would accompany him to shows, and sometimes I would perform with him. I never got stage fright. I was always ready to perform, to sit under the arc lights and sing. As a youngster, I tried to copy his style, but now I have developed my own."

Most South Asian music lovers are familiar with Khan's richly layered voice. He is a popular singer in Pakistan, but has also contributed to the soundtracks of several wildly successful Bollywood films. His repertoire covers everything from devotional and romantic to classical and traditional.

"While others might have found studying music a chore, it never was for me. Like my uncle, I find music divine. It is my way of connecting to the almighty. I love to perform contemporary film songs, but I also like qawwali [Sufi devotional music]. There's a spiritual aspect to it that is indescribable."

That also explains why Khan refrains from anything vulgar, or even singing a syllable that has a double entendre. "I like to sing a good tune, but the lyrics tend to be the most important factor for me. I like to know what the song is trying to say. I have sung many songs in Hindi films, but my favourites are Main Jahaan Rahoon [ Wherever I Live] and Jiya Dhadak Dhadak [ My Heart Beats]. There are verses in those songs that are so profound, that I can sing them again and again. I sing them all around the world, and never tire of them."

Khan began his career at a very young age. "I don't know how I had the bravado to start so early," he says with a laugh. "But, as you know, I come from a family of musicians that goes back over 600 years. I know of no life other than this; music is my be all and end all. It has no barriers, and it transcends all borders.

Music also crosses the political divide between Pakistan and India, he says: "I have met Indian stars and singers, and they have shown me immeasurable warmth and affection. This respect is mutual. The music thwarts the politics."

Many bemoan the fact that youngsters have been tempted by Western culture. They worry that these influences are corroding the subcontinent's musical heritage, and causing the classical forms of music indigenous to Asia to peter out. But Khan has more faith in the next generation.

"Those who are educated in music study classical music, and they are informed and entertained by it. When I look at my audiences, I see youth represented in full force. Classical music dates back centuries, it's not something that will just die. The interest in it will always be there. When I was young, MTV was popular, and of course, we listened to American pop. But that never caused my interest in our music to wane," he says.

"The mind welcomes other forms, but it doesn't shut out one form to make room for a new one. My uncle left many legacies, but the way he put qawwali into the minds of the young is, perhaps, his most enduring."

Khan played Hong Kong in March last year. The Convention Centre show was sold out and the 3,000-strong crowd gave him five standing ovations. Says Anita Garg, one of the organisers of the event: "We've never seen such a reaction from the local community. When he sung a cappella, there was complete silence, and by the finale, the crowd was on its feet."

"Sometimes my shows blend into one another, but I can remember being deeply touched by the Hong Kong audience," says Khan. "They offered me such warmth and love. I'm keen to repay them for that by playing some new arrangements of songs, along with my latest numbers."

When asked if there is any music he dislikes, he demurs. "To me, there is no bad music. All music is merely notes, neither good nor bad," he says. "If it is bad, it is not music."

Rahat Fateh Ali Khan Live in Concert

Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre, Wan Chai,
October 8, 2013, 8pm,
HK$300-HK$2,000.
HK Ticketing. Inquiries: 6019 0621

HK Ticketing

Playlist: David Oshry: South African diver and Model Tells All: My Favourite Things

Photographer: Florent Petitfrere www.florentpetitfrere.com

South African model based in Hong Kong, David Oshry lists some of his favourite things:

What I'm Listening to: Nirvana. The albums Nevermind and Unplugged were the soundtrack to my more "interesting" teen years. You also can't go wrong with a bit of Hoobastank and Soundgarden.

What I'm reading: The Only Three Questions that Still Count by Ken Fisher (an investor and investment expert) and Daniel Kahneman's Thinking Fast and Slow, a book on the differences between the conscious and subconscious mind.

What I'm watching: 30 Rock (I love Tina Fey). Mythbusters and Saturday Night Live. I also love The Daily Show and South Park.

What artists I'm following: an Aussie friend introduced me to a blues singer from the outback called Shaun Kirk. He plays a full electro drum set with his feet, blows on a harmonica, plays the guitar and sings, all at the same time.

What I'm surfing: ibike.com.hk (for bike porn), store.apple.com/hk (for tech porn) and valueline.com (for investment porn).

As told to P. Ramakrishnan
Follow David Oshry on instagram at https://www.instagram.com/davidoshry/?hl=en

Madhuri Dixit: A Certain Age: Exclusive interview with a Bollywood Queen

A CERTAIN AGE

Amid the melee of the International Indian film Academy Awards (IIFA) weekend, P.Ramakrishnan found himself in a select audience with MADHURI DIXIT, dancing diva and living dream



NOTES:

Being a true-blue Bollywood fan, I have lived it up professionally. Have interviewed all the (living!) greats including Amitabh Bachchan, Sridevi, Aamir Khan, Hrithik Roshan, Shah Rukh Khan, Aasha Bhosle, Hema Malini... and now, Madhuri Dixit.

Being a hardcore Sridevi fan (the blog is indeed mine), this was a conflicting assignment.

Have to say, Madhuri Dixit was magic. Something about her indeed...

Entire feature up online at Prestige. com

Rue the Day

To celebrate the stylish renovation of Rue Madame at IFC, founder Ariane Zagury, hosted a “Welcome Home” Party on 29 Aug 2013.

Rue Madame at IFC

A handful of notable names of the 852 attended; models Amanda S, and Lenka Korbova, fashion blogger Jasmine Smith, socialites Celia Wong, Faye Tsui, Rachel Monballiu, and others of the fashionable ilk.

The usual canapés and champagne aside (Moet no less, the delish Ms Zagury keeps it chic, keeps it French!), a real king size bed backdrop was hoisted at the entrance as the famed and the fabulous sauntered in. Many titters and giggles heard, everyone took a turn to get into bed with the fashion house and its charming founder. Nine months into the year, by far the most memorable photo-op we've seen in 2013.  

To provide an authentic sensation of shopping as one would find in Vive La France,  Rue Madame is lined with minimalist ensembles, the classic French stripes as far as the eye can see. Highlights for FW13 include spotted animal prints, bold black & whites and message graphics.  Parisian women's-wear include Acquaverde, Ba&sh, Claudie Pierlot, Gat Rimon, Majestic, Rodier, Toupy … and other little gems.


Shop address
Shop 3082A, Podium Level 3, IFC Mall, Central                                            
Tel: 2234 7880

Amanda S