The Perfect Solitude to End your Week

The name ‘Goa’ is pretty much present in every traveller’s head. And in all probability it is significantly high on their travel bucket list. And it is for this very reason that it is difficult to find places for a private holiday in Goa.



However, there are actually a lot of unknown places and beaches that still retain their pristine and solitary look. Cola beach, for example, is one such destination that is tucked between two hills of South Goa. Cola beach would be perfect for a short, yet intimately private and peaceful weekend getaway.

Cola beach is situated at a short drive from Palolem Beach, the most popular of South Goa’s beaches. The Agonda Beach is located north of Palolem and the Cola beach is situated north of Agonda.


The last mile access is through a mud road and then a steep descent onto the beach. The beach with its untouched golden sands greets you as you begin this descent. But, the real speciality of this beach is a small river that joins the sea right in the middle of this beach.


And this is what you would a double bonanza or a heady mix of the salt water and the fresh water. The tourists holidaying at Cola beach get to enjoy both these worlds. You can do kayaking or swimming in the small river and if you feel adventurous, you can hit the vast seas.



The beach is safe for swimming. But, even then a couple of lifeguards are always present during the day to prevent any misfortunes. The most popular sport here is beach volleyball, popularly played between the river and the sea. One wrong shot and you will need to jump into the river to fetch the ball, while another wrong shot can send you into the Arabian Sea!

There are two niche resorts that offer a mix of tented accommodation, log huts, beach facing cottages and river facing cottages. And all of them is located under the shade of swaying casuarinas and coconut trees. The resorts dish out the local catch in continental and local cuisine. And, if you feel like partying, the clubs of Palolem Beach and the more famous ones of North Goa are not too far away.



Cola Beach is ideal for spending a private and blissful holiday. Don’t miss the special sunset here and even the early morning swims with the dolphins!

For a more comprehensive version of this article, visit here.

For more ideas on weekend travel, visit weekend.com.sg.

Top Fujimoto Miki

Top Fujimoto Miki

Eriko Imai Asian Celebrity

Eriko Imai Asian Celebrity

Eri Kyokuyama Top Asian

Eri Kyokuyama Top Asian

Trend : Shanghai Ladies

Rita Hayworth and Orson Welles in The Lady from Shanghai (1947)

 The charms of the past would never stop seducing the Fashion world. Thanks to Joan Harris, the 60s silhouettes are back, with their curves and their vitally kitsch dresses, hairdos and stilettos. Since then, the image fashion guru's want for the 21st century's women is quite arguable. While some are thinking that androginity is the future for human being, many people are trying to reassert the right to an assumed feminity. For these women, the post WWII's wardrobe is what suits them the best. Actually, it is genuinely elegant, cute and feminine. But Past has got its negative points too, and we did a long way since then, especially in term of social and sexual progress. Living in our modern world with pencil skirts and corsets is only appealing in the paper ... So, we need to search another model for our thrist of classic feminity.

Gene Tierney in The Shanghai Gesture (1941)

 I don't know what Marc Jacob had in mind when he launched the Summer collection of Louis Vuitton, but he certainly has felt that the fashion's wind was now blowing from the east. But, fortunately, the trend avoided the trap of the geishas' aestheticism and rather chose a vision of the woman which was more free. On the bounce of the American designer, the fashion world is heading to a city which is, in our westerner's mind, a synonymous with exoticism, sensuality and luxury : Shanghai. But the Shanghai which inspires Industry this Fall is the Shanghai of the classic black and white movies of the 40s. Indeed, the aestheticism chosen is very old-world, nearly cliché, with a lot of red silk, dark floral patterns and jazzy influences.

Gene Tierney

 The muses I suggest are American actresses Rita Hayworth and Gene Tierney. They have both played in movies with Shanghai in the title, the first one in The Lady from Shanghai (the presence of the Chinese city here was just a way to add mystery to her character) and the second one in The Chinese Gesture. If you are familiar with this one, you would agree that, first, Gene should certainly have deserved more recognition, and secondly, that her costumes, created by her husband and famous American designer Oleg Cassini, were not particularly chinese ... So, why emphasizing them in an article on Shanghai's fashion ? Because they embody the spirit of this Fall Chinese's influence. It's totally out of the question to bring back the traditional Chinese dresses. Mainly because Industry is looking for Chinese buyers, who want novelty, but at the same time, something that would reassure them  ... So, what they want is to instill the preciosity and the discreet eroticism of Asia's biggest country into contemporary and western garments.

Saffron Knight AW2011 collection

 This way, they offer us exoticism within our reach and to Chinese buyers, a taste of classic Hollywood which would fit their own codes. Clever, isn't it ?
The new Shanghai ladies are Amazons, they are lounge's warriors, with an independence and an intelligence similar (if not superior) to men, with seduction as their secret weapon. They are both sensible, like Elsa in The Lady from Shanghai and Poppy in The Shanghai Gesture, but terribly unreachable and almost living godesses. Many designers and brands have already played with those codes in their Fall collection. The one of Jamaican-British designer Saffron Knight is particularly accomplished. Very far from her usual style, this collection marry tradition and a cheeky modernity with success. The Dragon-lady is not dead ...

Topshop header for its collection 'Shanghai'

 The Shanghai collection from Topshop is less convincing. It's more difficult to recognize the Chinese influences in the offered garments, which are sometimes more Japanese than Chinese ... Looks like geography and fashion are still not studied in the same schools ... But some pieces remain in the spirit we've talked about. And I guess that we will see more interesting stuff in the next months ...
My personal pick would be a dress from the Fall catalogue of French online retailer 3Suisses, which offers a sexy silk dress (avaible in Chinese-like print or trendy colours) for only 29,90 euros (which is £25,90 and almost $42). This dress is genuinely in the mood of those classic 40s movies, full of exoticism and of strong heroines. The perfect answer to the desperate housewives of last year. Plus, there is travel with your past ...

3Suisses dress 29,90 euros, avaible in many European and foreign countries

http://www.3suisses.fr
http://www.topshop.com
http://www.saffronknight.me.uk

Get Wild in Cagayan de Oro

Cagayan de Oro, abbreviated CDO, CDOC, CdeO or Cag. de Oro is known as the "City of Golden Friendship". The provincial capital of the Province of Misamis Oriental and the "Gateway of Northern Mindanao". Located along the northern coastline on the Mindanao island, southern part of the Philippines. It serves as the regional center being the most populous highly-urbanized city in Northern Mindanao (Region X). According to the 2007 Census, the city has an estimated population of about 553,996 people. It is one of the country's most picturesque city.


One thing about Cagayan de Oro is that you simply must not miss is it's pocketful of wonderful adventures. From whitewater rafting to flying fox, from horseback riding to betting in cock-fighting, normal from watching movies to plain shopping, you will be spoiled with fun galore of choices to spend your short weekend!

THREE TOP ACTIVITIES OR PLACES TO VISIT in Cagayan de Oro :

1. Whitewater Rafting

a 14 rapids along Cagayan de Oro River. The rainy months of September and October are good for intermediate and professional levels (rapids range from class 3 to 4). The rest of the year especially during the dry season is good for novice or amateur rafters.

2. Macahambus Adventure Park



rappel and zip-line across trees a hundred feet above ground.

3. Cock-Fighting

look for the arena along the National Highway in Gusa. The steep-walled concrete arena thunders with hundreds of shouting fans placing bets, as carefully bred and trained roosters in beautiful fighting form do what they're born to do. WARNING: seeing these magnificent and spirited creatures transformed into a limp piece of chicken by the flash of a steel blade may make you become a vegetarian. If not, the losing birds are for sale by the kilo and are rumored to have a distinctive flavor.

WORDS OF WARNING : Since you will be doing a lot of high-risk adventure in Cagayan de Oro, perhaps you would want to purchase a cheap and reliable travel insurance package to protect your holiday!

For more ideas on weekend travel ideas, visit this website

My article on Papercut Magazine (part 1)

"My favorite has to be Samantha Tyler's article My Generation, so loved that we split it across this issue and the next -read the first half, you'll love it too." Hayley Maybury, editor of Papercut.http://papercutmag.com (click on "Expand" to read it ; or, see the screencaptures in the Who's Sam section at the top of the blog. )

http://issuu.com/papercutmag/docs/papercutmag_may_2011_issue/63

Go to page 62 to discover the said first part of my article on the new generation of designers, artists and fashion leaders of today and tomorrow. I hope you would enjoy reading it as much as I did writing it ...   

In order of appearance, you will meet : 

• French designer Yiqing Yin, who is about to launch her first collection at next Semaine de la Couture ( http://www.yiqingyin.com ). You can also see a special article on her here : http://samsensibility.blogspot.com/2011/04/interview-yiqing-yin-perfect-harmony.html
• New-yorker Blogger Saroya Norris, who launched her own online jewelery shop, Rich&Rebellious (  http://www.sariandcompany.com and http://www.richandrebellious.com )
• Italian designer Sara Battaglia, whose bags are already famous around the fashion world ( http://sarabattaglia.com )
• British designer Victoria Rangayah, whose brand Z Mode is taking Britain by storm ( http://www.zmode.co.uk and at online retailer http://www.youngbritishdesigners.com )
• Miami-based photographer David Benoliel, who graced the last Miami Art Basel ( http://www.davidbenolielphotography.com )
• Swiss contemporary painter Saul Zanolari, which last painting Echography for a change - Lady Gaga and Julie Andrews shows once again his talent and cheeky eye on today's world ( http://www.saulzanolari.com )
• Bonus interview of Los Angeles designers of DimePiece, only on my blog : http://samsensibility.blogspot.com/2011/05/interview-dimepiece-welcome-to-paradime.html

Thor actress  Jaimie Alexander is also gracing the cover, and there are great photoshots and articles you will certainly like to see ! Happy Birthday Papercut, you're the cutest one-year old baby I've ever seen ! ;-D

Decoding : Cute Overdose

A facebook group found out freaky similarities between a Disney wedding and those of William and Kate

 Most of the people I met think that I am no fun. They say that I didn't kept my children's soul because I don't know by heart the song of the opening credits of the Japanese cartoon I've watched when I was a child. They say that I am a cold heart because I ask them to stop sending me YouTube videos of kittens while at work. And they call me an alien because I have main interests and joys different from them. As you can see, in our modern society, grown-ups still behave like kids in the freaking sandbox ... In France, the phenomenon is clearly visible with people in their thirties, and I've observed some similarities while in the USA too. They seem to suffer from the Peter Pan's syndrome : they refuse to enjoy themselves like adults, so they keep doing kids activities, using kids references and most importantly, dressing with kids accessories, this, past twenty. Is this one of the symptoms of the 11th September's trauma ? I think it is rather a new response to the punk "No Future". But while punks were sinking into sex, drugs and good music, this new generation prefers sweets, teddy bears and facebook groups. Harmless ? I'm not sure. But irritating, definitely.

T-shirt Uniqlo £7,99 - Necklace Vivienne Westwood 220euros - Shoes Jeremy Scott for Adidas $250

The day Kate told "yes" to William, I was quite happy. Everyone was behind its TV, and I could enjoy my city, being the only one outside and not obsessed by a wedding that didn't touch me at all. But the avalanche catched me up the following days with intensive press coverage and, above all, web invasion. Oh yes, they were cute, love is great, the princesses had ridiculous hats ... People around the world were acting as if this event was personal to them, calling the bride "Kate" as if she was a close friend. It was an earth-scale version of  movie Muriel, without the good tunes of ABBA. Yes, see, I like joyful music. But I must miss the namby pamby allele on my female chromosome, perhaps the same one which prevents me to like heels ( see my article I'm not Cinderella ), because I don't do idiot little cries when I see a baby or an animal. Something you're now told to do in every fashion magazine that respects itself. Really.
As everything mainstream, the "Cute" quickly became a good tank of inspiration for fashion, and some designers have started to suffer from the syndrom, or mostly, to think that idiots would be delighted to buy their regressive creations. It is certainly the case of Jeremy Scott, who even admits that creating his teddy bears sneakers was the dumbest ideas he had. But thanks to the trend of wearing kids' toys as fashion accessories, he will make a fortune without any regret. Many others were precursors, Moschino and Sonia Rikyel, for example, which quickly assumed a change for exhilarating fluo colours and  models acting like little girls.

Paul&Joe : jacket 295euros, lipstick 21,65euros

But the Golden Palm at Cannes Festival would certainly go this year to the childish prints. Mickey is struting about in both Uniqlo and Topshop, with many of his closest relatives. But now that everyone has got the new book of Jonathan Safran Foer on the bedside, the supreme IT is to show love for animals. Forget about the fuddy-duddy of wearing sweaters with horses designs ! But you will be even trendier with lobsters and penguins in your tees and scarves, signé Charlotte Taylor. The cat is a sure value : it always will be cute. So, brand Paul&Joe was certain to make a hit with their lipstick in shape of the pet. Adorable, admittedly, but how stupid when you have to use it and the cat disappears ? As usual, consumerism didn't stop to strike ... But you don't only wear animals as prints, you also have to wear them as accessories themselves ! The trend has been launched in the catwalks, where models started walking their dogs. Then Natalia Vodianova carried a lamb for lingerie brand Etam. And then again, the escalation couldn't be stopped. On the cover of the magazines, you cannot see the girl without the beast, not dangerous anymore. Even Robert Pattinson showed that gators were cute, and Bulgari offered a big cuddly toy to its new muse Kirsten Dunst ... If Givenchy and Wildfox are still trying to sell drooling fangs, they are totally out of the time. The wild animal inside us has been tamed and it is now as peaceful and sweet as a lamb.

Moschino 683euros

It is not great anymore to be rock : the skulls start to become fun, as for jeweller Aurélie Bidermann, and we'd rather take the sweet necklaces of our childhood out again, because they're the new studs !
Smileys, peace signs, cheerful messages are blooming everywhere, and even the Queen of protest, Vivienne Westwood, have teddy bears in her Summer 2011 collection ! Suddenly, we are all told to dress like Katy Perry and to live on Sesame Street  ! I know that the world is scary, my dears. But I don't think that spending your evenings and nights watching series could help when you're desperately single. Same, I don't think that losing your time watching YouTube videos of pandas could solve your problems of unemployment, neither a t-shirt could fight your angst of nuclear disaster, even made by the interesting label Mother of Pearls. And don't kid yourself : if the richest prescribers of the world are showing you cats with bags, it is not a way for them to bring you something cute and relieving : it is because they are taking advantage of your need for reassurance. Did you see the price of the items shown in this article ? Except for the t-shirt, everything is so indecently expensive. Stella McCartney has taken her last collection directly from your childhood wardrobe and she tries to sell it for a fortune. Blog The Fashion Police ( http://www.thefashionpolice.net/ ) has found a very appropriate expression for that : Daylight Armed Robbery.

V Magazine

Yes, my children, while you are dreaming that you could live forever in your wonderland of childhood references and dreams, the nasty capitalists out there are still planning to eat you in the wood when you will take honey to your grandmother ... And if no t-shirt could repels the troubles of the adulthood, they are also good things about growing up. Believe Aunt Sammy ...
So, put away your Barbies and start looking for them ...

Mother of Pearls

BE RADICAL WITH YOUR WEEKEND

What better way is it to spend your weekend getaway with your significant other than taking part in a spiritual and informative retreat on love and relationship? You will therefore make full use from your weekend, emerging fresh, relaxed, and fulfilled - both spiritually and emotionally. There are plenty of options to embark on this kind of holiday retreat package, from Asia to Europe to America, suited for every kind of couple out there, be it straight, homosexual or bisexual!

For example is Finding Love Retreat brought to you by Hunter Flournoy and Howie Holben, who will co-facilitate this very special workshop for Gay Men. Taking place in the New Mexico, USA, smack at the simple, rustic, and quaint Zen Center your bedroom would accommodate two to four persons (there are no single occupancy rooms at the Bodhi) with several bathrooms throughout the center. There are enough sleeping areas for everyone to spread-out and be comfortable. The Zen Center recently renovated some of the bedrooms and bath facilities, and completed an exquisitely designed new meditation hall. The Center follows a mostly vegetarian diet. Non-vegetarian participants in past years have been surprised at how easily they adapted to and enjoyed the food. There is no cell phone service at the Bodhi Manda, but wireless internet is available on a limited basis.

The Zen Center's natural hot spring pools are accessible 24 hours a day and become a wonderful gathering place for soaking (clothing is optional after dark), conversation and pure relaxation. There are three pools ranging from cool to warm to hot, with a cold rushing stream nearby for refreshing dips. Participants enjoy relaxing and playing in these hot springs at night under the New Mexico's star-studded sky.

And what about the program?

You will explore such things as:

♦ Seeing and Dissolving the Habits that Sabotage Love
♦ Keeping The "Fire" Alive In A Relationship
♦ Taking the “Hard Work” out of Relationship
♦ Creating Trust, Acceptance, and Intimacy
♦ Becoming We: What It Means To Be A Couple
♦ Balancing “I” and “We”
♦ Overcoming Fear and Growing Into Unconditional Love
♦ Kindling the Fires of Passion Without Getting Burnt
♦ The Passionate Arts of Erotic Touch and Sensual Living

The retreat will be exploratory, experiential and inspirational. We will look deeply at ourselves and uncover the stories and wounds that keep us from living a free and joyous life. We will see through these stories and bring love to these wounds, freeing ourselves to BE ourselves – our true selves. The freer we are the more open we are to others and the easier love can find its way into our lives. And nothing is sexier or more lovable than authenticity!

Join the retreat and find your rock-solid support system among like-minded people who truly care about your well being. There's no better bux worth spending than for a weekend getaway exploring your sexuality.

For more ideas for weekend getaway, visit weekend.com.sg.

Eri Kamei Top Celebrity

Eri Kamei Top Celebrity

Chiharu Niiyama Asian Celebrity

Chiharu Niiyama Asian Celebrity

Ayumi Hamasaki Top Entertainment

Ayumi Hamasaki Top Entertainment