Hello there my quaint little island, the blogpost is finally here! Sorry I took a while. 

I may be late, but I certainly would not let a party as big as this slip away from my blog line up.

((STYLESHOT OF THE DAY))

TheJessicat wears: Red-Black Toga Dress by S.U.B | 

Black Studded Bag by GUESS | Red Stilettos by Payless Shoes

Do you know which party I'm talking about?

Betcha do!  It's HENNESSY ARTISTRY PENANG 2012

The glorious Hennessy VSOP bottle & I, flanked by two lovely usherettes

This entry is a sequel to both my posts here and here

When I heard that the first of the Hennessy Artistry trilogy series of parties was set to rock Penang island, I was not only proud of my little island, but also excited that a party of such a scale was to be celebrated on the grounds I call home 

Arriving at the foyer. I was taught to make my own Hennessy cocktail! 

One of the usherettes (who happens to be a friend of mine) Jenny, showed me what to do

I was astonished to how Hennessy completely revamped Straits Quay Convention Center!

That very night itself, SQCC turned into a huge party arena hosting more than 2000 guests, complete with an all-new Hennessy Art of Mixing Zone, signature Hennessy VSOP long drinks and of course, the trademark Hennessy Artistry party atmosphere.

The classy lounge-foyer area for guests to sit, chat, drink and chill

before getting sloshed at the battlefield of a party zone 

Pam, Jessmine & I at the Hennessy lounge 

My homies and I catching up over a few drinks that we were taught to make 

Samantha & I

Guests could have their photo taken at a very interactive photo booth where several cameras placed all around the raised platform woulsimultaneously capture photos to achieve a 360 degree photo effect. 

The girls and I atop the panoramic Hennessy 360 camera platform!

Really cool photo sequence, if I do say so myself! 

Soon after, I made my way inside the party-zone

Spotted glasses and glasses of Hennessy on the counter all lined up in such a neat manner!

Got into my zone. The 'S' Zone also known as the VIP, bloggers & media zone

Our table was given a Hennessy VSOP bottle of our own with plenty of mixers to go around!

Hennessy Apple, Hennessy Ginger, Hennessy Soda & Hennessy Berry. Your pick? 🙂

Thank you Paul for a lovely photo! 

with the girls 

with the boys 

When I got in, the first act of the night was already warming up the party scene.

Spin master DJ Ramsey Westwood (a friend of mine!) began the hype by dropping his set of progressive house & electro 

Drop 'em sick beats like you always do, Rams!

Whoooop whoooop! 

It was no wonder he bagged champion at the ASTRO Hitz Spinmaster Season 2.

As the music kept pumping and dropping at all the right places, we guests fed off the energy and made it our own!

Emcees of the night from MTV VJ Rich & VJ Holly Grabarek kept us on our feet & welcomed the next act on stage

Here are some party pictures!

Same high school back then; at the same party right now! 

Collegemate Mikey and I 

BFF Joyce and I  We go a long way back!

The view from the back of the crowd

Before we knew it, the next act joined DJ Ramsey Westwood up on stage! 

As two is always better the one, both of them performed a stellar collabo act of beats and vocals!

Local songbird & 'One in a Million' winner Suki Low ripped the crowd apart with her powerful vocal chords

while DJ Ramsey spun David Guetta's Titanium feat. Sia

I am Titaaaaaaniiiiummmmm!!!!

She then continued with chart-topping popular hits from Katy Perry, Rihanna, Lady Gaga and even classic numbers by soul diva Whitney Houston! Suki hit all the notes – especially the high ones! – perfectly, it was mind-blowing.

She's on the edge of glory, you bet! 

A crew of dancers then joined her onstage and Suki also busted some dance moves in unison.

Such an electrifiying performance!

Her act stole the limelight for that moment and drew a heavy applause from the floor

We loved her and even sang along with her as she belted out the songs we knew of  

More party pictures?

We. are. Penang cha bohs! 

MORE Penang kias!

Yup, believe it or not we were all from the same primary & high school buildings playing tag & hopskotch in our school uniforms a decade ago

And now we're all dolled up at the same party listening to the same music & drinking the same drinks.

This is why I love parties. You not only get to meet new people but also rekindle with old/long-lost friends!

For that I'd like to thank Hennessy, for making this happen 

The third act of the night made their way upstage after Suki finished her show

It was none other than Asian Kings of the Mandopop scene – Lollipop F

The appearance of this dance quartet led to screaming female fans from all corners of the party to the utmost front as much their zone-barricades could allow them.

Another one-night-only collaboration was born! 

DJ Ramsey X Lollipop F

With their very tight choreography, they certainly stole the show!

They even incorporated stunts, breakdancing & other daredevil acts too!

I was so impressed and held my breath for fear that he was going to topple over! *gasp*

He defied gravity as he went lower and lower and lower OMG

Lead singer of Lollipop F – Owodog belting out their popular songs

Coming from someone who doesn't listen to chinese songs at all, I was actually in awe at how energetic, charming and appealing their performance were. Good vocals, good looks, good dance routines, good stunts, good body unique fashion style – name it, and they have it all 

No wonder many girls were hyperventilating throughout their show 

More party pictures!

Ash and I 

Vivian & I 

Perk & I 

Alex & I 

Take one!

Take two!

The emcees came back onstage to have a toast with us – TO HENNESSY VSOP! 

Soon after, they welcomed the next act.

Guess who the next act of the night will be?

It's the grammy-award nominated British Trance/Progressive music producer/DJ….

*drumroll* Andy Moor!

His set and remixes sounded amazing and even more so, reverberating from the state-of-the-art sound system!

He shot the crowd to a sonic mayhem

You can bet your bottom dollar I went absolutely beserk headbanging & jumping around during his set

Photos never lie, huh? 

Andy had the beat to move our feet & the bass to melt our face! 

Make way for more party pictures!

Can't get enough of Penang peeps yet?

Here's more Penang peeps for you 

A party would never be complete without both my very special girl friends with me 

For long time readers, you would already recognize them from all the photos:

Bestie Joyce!

Bestie Pam!

The night was still young, but it was plain to see that the thousands of partygoers wanted more.

We were more than ready to get our groove on to the final act of the night – Ernest C!

This cutting-edge house and electro maestro made us jump to our feet again!

He even dropped those wicked 

dubstep booms from Skrillex and Porter Robinson!

Final batch of party pictures!

Thank you Hennessy Malaysia for an epic one-night-only weekend and an amazing time!

Bringing a stellar line-up for us, both international & local, serving us free-flow of delicious Hennessy shots & cocktails and a fun-loving, marvellous party experience, we owe it all to you. Looking forward to more of Hennessy Artistry! 

Did you know that the next instalment of Hennessy Artistry series of trilogy parties is underway?

Yup, mark your calenders for next Saturday, 8th August 2012! 

More info in the next blogpost 

I grew up a die-hard fan of Harley Davidson superbikes… boys' toys or not.

Those sleek, wicked, mean machines zooming at top speed leaving people blown away by their envy-inducing trail are no match to any two-wheeled demons on the road. 

Or at least, that's how I feel.

Ergo, needless to say, I was over the moon when I received an invitation by Harley Davison Malaysia for an exclusive screening of Marvel's Avengers with Harley (in IMAX 3D!) experience one fine afternoon 

#AvengerswithHarley GOGOGO!

I was thrilled when the day finally came & got my aviators, leather jacket, studded boots & bag out 

To ride my dream two-wheeled monsters in a bikerchic outfit and leave my dust behind?

Priceless.

Brought along the other half to join me in my adventure!

We were both extremely excited 

When we reached Harley Davidson Malaysia's headquarters, I could already feel the suspense kicking in.

Brace yourself, Jess! Here we go 

Harley Davidson Malaysia

Entered the premises. The interior consisted of a shopping, decorative & a superbike display corner

Saw this gorgeous one right in front of me in shiny, blood red.

How is it possible not to fall in love? 

We just HAD to take a photo with this beauty right here

Rode it too (albeit not on the road) 

Clearly, we're both loving this

But this is just the tip of the iceberg!

Thanks for this fish-eye photo, Tocky! 

Spotted some really cool miniature motorbikes on the cashier counter too.

Take a look! 

Adorable!

Same bike – from the other angle!

Bumped into some familiar faces there.

Yay! The more the merrier  What's a thrill ride without friends? Among them were :

Buddy Tocky and I. One of my first buddies here ever since I relocated to the city.

We go a long way back! 

Rina! She's a popular local TV host here in Malaysia btw 🙂

Jehan Miskin sure had a great time on the bikes too!

Anyway, I came across another scarlet red beauty.

One day, I will get a Harley for myself and it can sit prettily at my front porch on the days I don't need a powerful, extraordinary riding experience (or simply to intimidate people on the road) 

Me gusta.

More models on display!

My rocker boyf on on of the edgy Harleys!

And that's me on one of them!

Peekaboo!

I noticed that every different model has a distinctive Harley Davidson logo 

Take a look?

Pretty damn cool, right? Which one is your favorite? 🙂

Spotted these three monsters.

Gorgeous. But…now, doesn't it look like something is missing?

That's better *giggles* 

All lined up in their utmost glory

Waiting for an equally hardcore owner to take them home, methinks? 

I want one too! 

Here's a classic looking one.

Made friends with one of the HOG group boys 🙂

After all the admiring and enthusing over those high-powered motorbikes, we had a buffet teabreak.

A little trivia game was being played. Questions were asked about Harley Davidson bikes and the Avengers

And I won myself an orange Harley Davidson cap! 

Was so happy, I initially wanted to purchase one of their caps as well

After the meal, we decided to check out the rest of the bikes parked outside.

All those bikes already have hardcore, biker alpha-males that own them and ride them in style!

Posing with another gorgeous Harley!

The owner was smiling at me while I was taking photos with his bike LOL

I think he can tell I love it heaps 

The other half and I at the giant poster of Harley Davidson 2nd Anniversary of KL

Close-up!

As today was the Harley Davidson x Marvel's Avengers day, check out this specially designated bike!

Looks like Captain America was gracious enough to lend us his superbike for the day hehe 

Rina and I with our other halves, Jeremy & Kon! 

Saw this at the front of one of the bikers

MAD LOVE FOR SKULLS AND LEATHER! 

This will be my bike for the day

And with me, is my rider 

All safety was ensured and locked in before we began our Harley Davidson convoy to Sunway Pyramid!

I was roaring, rolling and ready to go! The thunderous roars of these superbikes also proved that our mean machines were equally as ready to zoom down the highway 

And we're off in full swing!

Traffic stopped for us and couldn't take their eyes off us.

For a second there I felt empowered and liberated… LIKE I'M THE QUEEN OF THE ROAD!

Yep.. riding a Harley Davidson just does that to you.

It was exhilarating

We were surrouunded by police and road marshalls body-guarding us.

They did a fantastic job making sure the traffic is smooth just for us.

We took up the entire middle lane in the three-lane highway.

Us cruising along the Federal Highway

It was a roller coaster ride indeed. The adrenalin rush in me was like no other!

I was the speed demon and the road warrior I envisioned myself to be.

We ruled the highways 

VROOOOOOOM VROOOOOOOOOM!

Our convoy arrived at Sunway Pyramid after what felt like such a short time on the road!

The experience was amazing and riding those Harleys really leaves you craving for more

Arrived!

We were loud and definitely made a statement with our grand entrance.

Throngs and throngs of people gathered around us and kept cheering us on!

We really did steal the limelight; arriving in grandeur with our Harley Davidsons!

Leboyfie and I with our 3D glasses at the screening of The Avengers in TGV's IMAX theater!

The End! The credits rolled and I must say, I certainly enjoyed the movie.

My childhood came to life upon watching these dudes on the big screen again

We exited the cinemas and adjourned to the streets again.

There, our Harley Davidsons (and our riders!) were waiting for us 

Made friends with the HOG (Harley Owners Group) boys!

Check out the badges they've collected over the years

I simply cannot believe we were going home… ALREADY? 

Well.. at least we're going home in style. Guess I better enjoy my final ride on the Harley today!

The Avengers Harley Davidson parked at Sunway Pyramid

Night riding on the Harley Davidson superbikes cruising along the highway was amazing. 

The chilly night breeze blew against my cheeks as the superbikes went at almost 100KM/H (unfortunately we have speed limits on this particular highway). I wanted this final joy ride to last forever.

We have arrived the Harley Davidson KL's outlet once more.

Today, Harley Davidson made me a very happy girl.

And for that, I am eternally grateful 

I checked off one thing off the bucket list –

To speed down the highway in a lean, mean Harley Davidson superbike 

If you've not ever rode on a Harley Davidson before, you're surely missing out. 

One ride on a Harley's will make you feel like this

Inside, your biker soul is burning in full intensity like this

Take my word for it, it is ONE . HELL . OF . AN . EXPERIENCE.

Harley Davidson superbikes are certainly a class of its own 

To Harley Davidson Malaysia & Echosphere, I truly experienced the ride of my life 

Thank you, guys! 

Now I want a superbike. Hmph.

**EDIT : 24th AUGUST 2012 **

I must commend Concorde Hotel KL for their excellent public relations regarding this incident.

After getting news about this blogpost, they have done the necessary (like forwarding the news to the respective departments and people in charge for investiagion) and responded to me via Facebook and a personal email.

Thank you, Concorde, for your beautifully crafted email response and professionalism.

Here is just a tiny excerpt (important bits) from the email received:

Please allow me to apologize for all the inconveniences you have gone through. We sincerely thank you and value your patience.

We know that good arrangement of services when guest in need is the utmost importance to our valuable guest but we at this instance have failed to provide the utmost to you. We must say that this should not be our normal standard of operations.

We are also pleased to know that Johannes has met or exceeded your expectation during the dining experiences. I will forward your favorable comments on to him as I am sure he will appreciate knowing that his service and professionalism were appreciated by you. Thank you. It’s our priority to put our clients before us and you have been a valued customer of ours and we appreciate your affording us the opportunity to serve you. 

We do hope that we are able to have another chance to serve you better in near future.

…and a short excerpt (important bits) from my reply :

Firstly I would like to thank you for your acknowledgement towards my written experience.

We are both very glad that you will forward our compliments to Johannes for exceeding our expectations, because he truly was patient and wonderful to us while we were angry/upset about the matter! We do look forward to seeing him again 🙂

Also, not to worry, I will not judge Concorde Hotel KL harshly based on what has happened… that is why I decided to end the blogpost on a positive note instead. As I do understand that ONE bad experience with ONE person does not represent the entire restaurant, let alone the entire hotel!

Thank you – and your team! – for handling the matter objectively and professionally

**EDIT : 24th AUGUST 2012 **

—————————————————————————————————————————

Original post :

Here's something worthy of note that occurred a couple of days ago.

It gave me lots of insight after what happened so I decided to share some thoughts with the rest you.

Also, for the first time, this blogpost is written by the both of us.

During the weekend, theboyf and I decided to go for some late night bites.

We dressed up and headed down town to the city at midnight for a little Friday date 

Steamboat supper!

After much driving around, we decided to dine at the Concorde Hotel KL for their supper buffet.

We walked in and was ushered to a table. Picked our choice of food from the buffet spread and had a steamboat stove-pot sent to our table.

Enjoying our steamboat of TomYam soup x Plain soup

Apart from the steamboat supper, there were Nasi Lemak and desserts aplenty

Everything was fine and dandy until I found a fly/insect/6-legged creature which conveniently made its way into my soup for a casual swim. Uh-huh.

I was a little irked but shrugged it off as I thought it was *fairly* normal and understandable to have a bug land in your meal sometimes.

You know those little creatures. They wouldn't know any better.. right?

I then removed that darned insect and continued with my meal.

Minutes later, I found another one.

….and another one.

………AND ANOTHER ONE.

Just happened to take a photo of my bowl way before I discovered any bugs

The final straw was when I found the last one wedged amongst my noodles; on the block of my tofu.

I picked up the entire tofu, and asked theboyf to have a look.

He spent a solid minute staring at it.

It had creepy legs, wings, a thorax and a head (albeit 4 times smaller)

I wish I had taken a photo of it, but I was too disgusted to even think of photos at that point of time.

We didn't know what to do! I completely lost my appetite after discovering my bug-infested dinner.

Some could even be in my stomach already.

Who knows?

We decided to signal for someone in charge; one who we trust is able to rectify the situation.

Called upon a restaurant supervisor whom we saw, was wearing a suit.

His name was Maurice

I showed the tofu in question (with the bug sitting right on top) to him & told him it was the 5th bug I found.

He analyzed it, nodded in agreement & grimly said "Yea looks like a bug" and walked away with my tofu

We were a little perplexed but theboyf and I naturally assumed he went into the kitchen or to report the incident to someone of higher authority.

So we waited for him to get back to us – with either an apology, a courteous feedback or an explanation of some sort.

NOTHING. He didn't come back to us!

We waited.

And waited.

AND WAITED…………….

Eventually, we saw him walking past us/our table. And again, and again. He ignored us! 

Walked past us without uttering a word and didn't give us a second look at all

My face.

We still waited… for a response, at the very least?

We were not even expecting any compensation like a discount on our meal, a meal voucher for our next visit or even for him to replace our entire meal.

All we wanted was either an acknowledgement, an explanation, an apology or just getting back to us with some positive response.

For example, ANYTHING along the lines of  –

"We are really sorry about that. Thank you for informing us. I have already reported it to the kitchen.

We will see that it does not happen again. We apologize for the incident"

would have been sufficient.

But nope, nothing. Not even a word. Not even a look. No acknowledgement whatsoever.

Are you really going to just walk away like that knowing that there are bugs in the food of your guests, not do anything about it but instead leave them hanging waiting for you to get back to them?

We were visibly dissatisfied with the service and theboyf suggested we approach another supervisor.

His name was Johannes.

We explained the situation to him, how we'd found bugs in the steamboat, and how Maurice had failed to even apologise to us, let alone do anything to rectify the situation.

Johannes then asked Maurice to clarify. To which he said –

Maurice : Yeah, there were bugs.

Johannes : Then what happened after that? What did you do about it?

Maurice : I took it to the kitchen to tell the people there already.

Johannes : Then after that?

Maurice : …..

When he came to the point about apologizing to us, Maurice drew a blank.

All of a sudden (I assume, due to embarrassment/awkwardness) he had the nerve to interject and ask us –

"So do you want the bill for this now?"

He had the goddamn audacity to ask if we wanted the bill, which indirectly felt like he was shooing us away to leave the restaurant.

Johannes quickly stopped him, humbly apologized to us and that they will get back to us.

I immediately told theboyf that I am thoroughly disappointed

and will never come back here again!

Not just due to the fact that there were bugs inside their food (hygiene!), it was also due to how we were spoken to/treated nonchalantly by the earlier restaurant supervisor. 

I would also not hesitate to blog about my unpleasant experience when I got home!

It's image/impression to me, collapsed just like that.

I felt indignant, offended and dissatisfied.

A while later, Johannes came back to apologize again for the error on his restaurants behalf and for Maurice's response (or lack thereof).

He went along the lines of –

"We are very sorry that this has happened.

I have already told him that he cannot take the bug away and not

come back to you both with a response or an update.

Sometimes, bugs fly in without us knowing.

But I understand it is not a small thing – a big matter in fact..

And for that we apologize. We hope you come back to dine again.

As this is our mistake, I shall waive today's bill off for you – FOC.

Really hope to see you both in our restaurant again okay? "

His very words (and expression) rendered me speechless.

Not only that, he added that we were welcome to some dessert if we had any appetite left. 

Unlike the first supervisor, Johannes was obliging, understood the situation very well & handled it so professionally!

His pleasant, polite and friendly demeanour also upturned our frowns.

Like I mentioned above, we did not expect any form of compensation but he put our bill on the house.

Just for us. Because he genuinely felt bad about the incident and wanted to make it up to us

Johannes. is. a. champ. We also small talked thereafter.

Theboyf and I both agreed that he single-handedly saved his restaurant.

His damage control was superbly done and his professionalism? Two thumbs up 

I had so much respect for him regarding how he handled the matter.

I was initially flabbergasted and fuming but he managed to change my mind about the experience with the very essence and sincerity in his apology.

Two very touched and cheered up customers 

Before we left, we shook his hand and commended him on his impeccable service

How he managed to change this blogpost from a negative review of Melting Pot @ Concorde Hotel KL into an eternal shrine honoring his professionalism and name is beyond me. 

This dude is amazingly deft at his job. He should be promoted, take our word!

This whole experience made me realize some things.

Here's a good pointer to anyone in the service industry! 

Shit happens… even if it is beyond your control. Thus, upset customers MAY be hard on you, but it doesn't mean you're doomed or to blame. 

No matter who's mess it is or how bad the shitstorm has brewed, it's never too late.

YOU can fix the problem with the best you can to ensure they walk out your door and leave with a favourable impression & image of your premise/outlet/restaurant/company, as word of mouth (especially social media) spreads like wildfire!

Thank you Concorde Hotel KL (and Johannes!)

for making our night a wonderful one

When it comes to alcoholic beverages, guess what comes up at the top of my list?

I most certainly do prefer my whiskeys, cider, champagne & liqueur when given a choice.

A while back, I received an invitation from Lord Somersby to attend the launch of Somersby cider in Malaysia.

The other half and I taking a swig of the delicious apple cider by Somersby!

The event took place at a historical venue – the magnificent & colonial Carcosa Seri Negara 

Boasting Neo-Gothic & Tudor Revival styles, these mansions were home to the British High Commissioners back in the day and the official residence of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II on her visits.

One of the mansions – the Carcosa

The venue was a perfect place to hold a garden party for the fully imported Swedish premium cider.

I loved the entire set-up! 

It was celebrated in a form of a garden party. Apples & garden parties are an amazing combo!

As it was a garden party, I decided to follow the theme.

I wore something casual & light, with a hint of nature/floral motifs.

((STYLE OF THE DAY))

TheJessicat wears : Red camisole by Forever 21 |

Assymetrical/Mullet skirt from an online blogshop | Bowling bag by Roxy | 

Floral headband from a push-cart store in KLCC | Leaf earrings from a local night bazaar |

Dreamcatcher neckpiece from a bazaar in Singapore | Straw wedges by Aldo | 

En route to the Somersby garden party!

When we arrived, we were ushered to the garden venue

I saw hoards and hoards of apples lined up at every corner possible – it made me a very happy girl!

As I love apples (both red and green), I did not hesitate to munch on what ended up as 4 apples that night!

Cheers to a more refreshing, lighter & sweeter alternative to beer! 

The press conference began and Soren Ravn (Managing Director of Carlsberg Malaysia) shared some

interesting information and insights regarding the new Somersby cider in Malaysia

A toast to Somersby's launch!

To be amongst the first few to taste the Somersby cider upon its launch in Malaysia is truly an honour 🙂

I must really commend its taste! It was flavourful with so much zest, yet not too overbearing!

So refreshing… and healthier too!

Somersby cider is made from fermented apple juice, natural ingredients and only 4.5% alcohol content!

It promises easy drinking refreshment with sparkling bubbles that makes every sip exciting.

If an apple a day keeps the doctor away, I hope this counts! 😛

Theboyf and I approves! The cider was absolutely marvellous

Best part is? 

Somersby Cider is free from all artificial flavourings, sweeteners and colouring 

Cheers to that!  So much love for Somersby 

Somersby's light-hearted and entertaining disposition brought us fun, laughter & unpredictable moments

We were also shown a very peculiar and amusing video footage of the excited Lord Somersby upon discovering the crazy amount of apples here in Malaysia.  

The CCTV footages were filmed in various hypermarkets and grocery chain stores.

Lord Somersby filling his trolley with apples!

Right after that, was the gambit of the whole event.

*drumroll*

We had a very special guest in the house today! Guess who?

None other than Lord Somersby himself!

It was great seeing his cheerful demeanour and deep, hearty laugh!

He waltzed and twirled around on stage with his bevy of ladies

Lord Somersby giving us a warm welcome and sharing his story

It's like history brought back to life! 

Lord Somersby is the father of many great discoveries – but the most famous of them all is probably Somersby cider, which was once known as the favorite drink of celebrities like Napoleon, Cleopatra and Newton.

Lord Somersby, his gorgeous ladies and Soren giving a toast to Somersby's successful garden party launch!

With that, it was time to serve MORE Somersby cider to all the guests present

Theboyf and I clinking our glasses in celebration! 

Managed to grab a photo with Lord Somersby at the photowall too!

Thank you for a lovely time, dear Lord Somersby 

It was a great pleasure to have attended this party and to celebrate this eventful evening with you!

Congratulations on an apple-rific launch of the Somersby Apple Cider in Malaysia