Bonjour Malaysia: 5 places to shop in Penang

With its rich history, vibrant cultural and artistic scene, and arguable the best street food in South East Asia, you would hardly need any more reasons to pack your bags and head to Penang for the weekend. But if you are as shopaholic as I am, you’d be glad to know that Georgetown is also home to some cool and unexpected shopping spots.

From local flea markets to antique shops and swanky boutiques, I was thrilled to find some hidden gems on my brief trip to this island city - especially that I had no expectations whatsoever. Not even a map in my hand!

What I mostly loved about it is that the experience itself was extremely random and eclectic – definitely one of the most unique shopping trips I’ve had.

So whether you have 5, 50 or 500 dollars to spend – here’s where you should be heading to burn off the extra calories from all the yummy Penang street food! Remember to leave some room in your suitcase :-)

Bonjour Beirut: Falamank does vintage, modern and antique jewellery like no one else…

As someone with eclectic taste in fashion, I rarely make big definitive statements about my style. But here is one which I’m sure will be true for a long long time to come: if I had to choose only one jeweller to wear their pieces for the rest of my life, it has to be fellow Lebanese designer Tarfa Itani of Falamank.

I hear you ask what about my love for antique jewellery? Well, the best part is that Tarfa makes her own designs AND picks some amazing antique jewellery from around the world to sell or even transform into statement pieces without undermining or ruining their appeal.

I was first introduced to Tarfa’s work just over two years ago on my wedding day, when my fashionista extraordinaire cousin gifted me a delicate gold and diamond bracelet, featuring a flying dove. I instantly fell in love with it as it was something I would pick for myself and naturally I decided to find out more about this Beirut-based label and catch up with the designer for this blog.

An exceptional pendant from Falamank's Mosaic collection...  

'Omri' ring: Arabic for 'My life' as in 'sweetheart', how sweet is that?