The Hiplist 2012

My thoughts on The Hiplist 2012.

We are extremely pleased with this 6th issue of ours. Featuring photographers, both established and emerging, offering a gamut of styles and catering to various price points, I am certain that our publication will be a source you can turn to when planning for wedding photography.

Together with gown designers, makeup artists, floral designers, accessories, photobooks and eco-venues for shoots, they make up components that will surely play a role in creating the wedding of your dreams.

Explore, enjoy and be inspired ……..

Kris Wong

Cover of The Hiplist 2012.

That Special Occasion @ KL Wedding Weekend

That Special Occasion will be partici-pating in the inau-gural KL Wedding Weekend this coming 1 & 2 September. Part of the schedule of events include four 'big sale' sessions, which means couples who visit will have a chance to sign up for our services at a really good rate twice a day.

Some of my industry colleagues have posed the question regarding the 50% discount we are offering for a made-to-measure wedding gown, a fairly big mark down to say the least. So, here's the rationale behind the offer. First and foremost, the discounted portion of the cost will be expensed under our advertising and promotions budget. The aim really is to educate the market. Honestly, not every bride can afford or is willing to allocate a portion of her wedding budget to a custom-made gown. By making such a good offer, we hope to encourage brides-to-be to experience having their wedding gown made-to-order. For the majority, the experience will be a positive one and such positive experiences will lead to testimonials as well as word-of-mouth recommendations in future. It is therefore a marketing effort with returns only to be reaped in the future, not immediately. Sometimes, it is necessary to plan ahead rather than focus on immediate gains only.

So here's an open invitation to all brides-to-be. Please do come by That Special Occasion's booth in the Junior Ballroom of Prince Hotel & Residence Kuala Lumpur this coming weekend. We'll have more than ten designs for you to choose from. See you soon!

One of the designs available at the KL Wedding Weekend.

Passion

When embarking on a new venture, passion is what keeps the dream alive. For those who have ventured down this road, starting a new business from scratch is a mighty challenge indeed.

Working within the constraints of a budget and keeping to it, looming and sometimes missed deadlines, long hours and the resultant lack of sleep. We are only scratching the surface, the list goes on believe me.

What keeps every budding entrepreneur going is passion. Undaunted by little obstacles that we come face to face with every now and again, we trudge on. We learn from our mistakes and hopefully do not repeat them. We surround ourselves with like-minded people so that we get motivated and in turn motivate others. The trick really is to keep the faith.

With my friends Ee Leng and Khaw at their months old restaurant, The Elk in Solaris Mont Kiara, Kuala Lumpur.

Banh Mi Phuong

Sometimes sampling street food can be a particularly memorable experience while on holi-day. Ha-ving arrived in Hoi An, my cousin Lye Synn kept telling us that we needed to locate Banh Mi Phuong, a street-side Vietnamese sandwich stall made well-known by a visit from Anthony Bourdain. So on a little hunt we went, in search of this nondescript gem of a find.

Butter, fresh mint, spring onion, pate, pork, jambon, chicken, fried egg and chilli sauce, all packed into a crunchy Vietnamese baguette. Need I say more? An absolutely delicious afternoon snack it was. So much so that I went back for more such Banh Mi over the next two days.

Being willing to be adventurous with food while on travels is definitely a good trait to possess. Having meals at fancy establishments, family-run restaurants, quirky cafes and street vendors provide an all encompassing experience. A fulfilling one indeed.

Sam Yee, Auntie Alice, Ai Peng, Lye Synn, Yeong Ken, Honn Ken and I at Banh Mi Phuong in Hoi An, Vietnam.

Back Stories

The London 2012 Olympics are over. I am now trying to catch up on the events that I missed via the YouTube Olympic channel. There are so many back stories to the events, the sportsmen and sportswomen. Like the first time women athletes from some of the Middle Eastern countries. Like Michael Phelps being crowned the greatest Olympian of all time. Like the enthusiasm of the British public. Like the superb efforts of Lee Chong Wei and Pandalela Rinong. Like the blade runner Oscar Pistorius.

One of the back stories which I could relate to of course was that of teenage British diver Tom Daley's. I had seen the BBC documentary about him, his late father and family. Anyone who has had a family member suffer from cancer I am sure would relate to the circumstances depicted in the documentary. So it was indeed a pleasure to see him win a bronze in the 10m platform diving competition. There must have hardly been a dry eye amongst the British fans at the aquatics centre when he responded to a reporter's question by saying, 'I wish my dad could have been here'.

It is back stories like this that make the Olympics so inspiring and at times even intriguing. Every athlete would have had their own tale to tell, that of hard work and sacrifice, being at the right place at the right time, of their natural talent. Only a few make it to mainstream media, but even these are enough to make us sit up and take notice, inspiring us in their own little way.

Tom Daley wins bronze at London 2012.

Family

A couple of friends recently com-mented that I come from a pretty close-knit family, just by judging from some of the photos I posted on Facebook. That's certainly true. The majority of my extended family, both paternal and maternal, all live in the Klang Valley, so we get together often.

My late father instilled in me, from childhood, to value family ties. At the onset of every year, I block my calendar for dinner with the extended familly during festivals and celebrations. I very rarely miss these occasions. Some of us go on holiday together every year, an annual ritual of sorts.

As some of you may already know, I just very recently returned from a trip to Hoi An and Danang in Vietnam. We were a group of fourteen; aunts, uncles and cousins. When travelling in a large group, some compromise is needed, and plenty of patience! Still, we had a good time as always.

Dinner upon arrival in Hoi An, Vietnam.

Hoi An

I've just returned from a holiday with the extended family. Six days we were in Hoi An and Danang in Vietnam. I've come back rested and with a nice tan.

Of the two, I prefer Hoi An. A quaint town it is, with Unesco World Heritage status to boot. I love the small shops, the cosy cafes and restaurants, particularly the ones located within the 'pedestrian and bicycle only' part of town.

The people of Hoi An are very much artistically inclined. Well known for its custom made attire and shoes, one will come across a custom tailor and shoe designer everywhere one turns. We were spoilt for choice indeed.

Beautiful lanterns in Hoi An, Vietnam.