PRESTIGE BALL 2008 AT JW MARRIOTT

14 Nov 2008; Marriott Grand Ballroom
I am mentioning the date as i am writing this at 1.45 am 16 Nov and i not sure if the date appears automatically so i better be safe and accurate since what i write here is the gospel truth.

The Prestige Ball was sizzlingly hot, filled with feathers, sequins, embroidery and enough frou-frou to open a millinery shop. OK so those wearing them were mostly the ladies from Ika's Paper Dolls but some real women also gave them a run for their money. The theme was "Divas and Divos' and guests were expected to come as such. Most did though a few arrived looking like they just crawled out of a dustbin in shabby cheap dresses but in every ointment there are a few flies. Why they even bother to come if they dont have any glam gladrags only Jesus Christ and Buddha know. as we all know, you dont need to be rich to look like a diva, me being the best living example.

As the dress code was inspired by Hollywood's Golden Years, i ordered a gold jacket from Melvin Lam, KL's foremost couturier who received orders from 16 women to make their diva gowns for Prestige Ball which must have been a boon for KL's designers facing lean times. He thoughtfully added some sequins here and there to make me glitter even more. i teamed with a Maharaja's solid gold necklace, black sequin shirt and lightly star dusted pants and fancy shoes from, you may not believe this, Phnom Penh, Cambodia! Everyone thinks i got from Paris or London or Singapore as a last resort but u do find the coolest things in backwaters.

I came with Princess Dr Becky Leogardo who also wore a Melvin Lam plus diamond necklace as a headband with a 3-carat diamond as centrepiece plus enough diamonds to buy up the hotel. OK, maybe i am exaggerating, just enough to buy up the ballroom. Each table had names from movies and since i am larger than life and twice as lively, i was given 'Giant'. Dato Flora and hubby Lou Qi sat with us. So did Winnie Loo, Chris & Andrew Abishigam, Elizabeth from Chartered Bank and a couple who didnt introduce themselves.

i hate seafood and lamb and Murphy's Law came into play as usual, the first two dishes were seafoody lobster and lamb! Lucky i was not the only one and 5 others also didnt like lamb so we asked for chicken but got fish instead. I dislike steamed fish so i was on enforced diet and fed on grapes from the table decorations.

Everyone swore i must be a winner in the Divo category and a few said i qualified for Diva since i act like one and many agreed i should win in both categories.

Since i have my own page KEE UNLOCKED in Prestige magazine i was told by Rozita i would never win. I dont see why but there you go, things happen when they should not and dont happen when they should.

Anyway, there were 10 Divas and i hurriedly checked my hair and mopped the excess oil from my forehead as I was to accompany Princess Becky Leogardo to the stage where she would receive her award. I even promised her I wont go on stage with her but wait for her at the bottom of the stage and accompany her back. I had to hold the train of her sequin spangled gown you see. And make sure her RM 5,000 Chopard Bangle bag did not fall off her wrist as she carried her present back.

Imagine my mortification when all 10 names were called and she wasnt one of them! I almost fainted from unmitigated shock at the horror of it all. Equivalent to Madonna becoming a nun or me being mistaken for Kwan Yin. Some of the winners looked as if they won the Plain Jane contest as their gowns were straight, simple shifts with nary a bugle bead or sequin in sight. Winner Winnie Loo looked the part in a Scarlet O'Hara ball gown and she was the one of a few who derserved to win. The judges must have been blind and prejudiced as they were supposed to judge on diva-ish gowns, not dowager ones though i have seen some dowagers in brilliant ensembles.

The decor of the ballroom was breathtaking and details were everywhere, from the elaborate corsage on the back of each chair to the monitor screens to cigars provided by Naresh who also owns Pink.

It was definitely the Ball of the Year as the guests will attest.