Compilation of Love

Love is in the air ... yes, the much anticipated February 14th has arrived and it's Valentine's Day, a day to be cherished with nothing but lots of love.

Well, it doesn't have to be love for your girlfriend or wives (or even mistresses) but it also can be a family affair because love transcends everything in life.

Celebrating the momentous occasion that comes once every year, I have compiled a list of must give-and-get goodies for both him and her this Valentine's Day.

JEWELRIES

The tradition of jewelry giving during Valentine's Day has been an age-old practice dating back to no-one-knows exactly when.

Known for its practicality and long-lasting appeal, it started with a simple ring adorned with heart-shaped diamond or two, the trend has changed to giving something bigger and and much worthier such as necklaces, charm bracelets, and many more. Of course, we can even count watches into this category too, don't we?

If you're trying to run away from the traditional gold-accessories of all sorts, break the tradition by presenting her this cute Swarovski crystal-encrusted bear pendant from Boudoir by Disaya, available at L'Artichaut, and for him, a leather strap bangle with quartz from Laconic Cobain.

FRAGRANCES

Another age-old Valentine and lover’s tradition that goes back to probably when human starts inventing the perfume.

Another highly cherished sort of gift, fragrance comes second after jewelries and before chocolates.

Today, there are millions of fragrances ranging from the cheap on-the-rack scents that you can easily buy (think Impulse or Enchanteur) to the ones conceived by designers as well as top celebrities (as a way to rake more money off their fans’ pockets).

Make her heart aflutter with Sarah Jessica Parker’s latest creation, Covet, which is a gourmand concoction inspired by the heavenly smells of deserts and chocolates while DKNY’s Be Delicious in limited edition artistic bottle makes a perfect scent for him – a sophisticated and modern man of today.

CHOCOLATES

Nothing tempts a woman more than a box of fine chocolates. An irresistible sin one cannot easily forego, chocolates always make their way to the list of must give gifts during Valentine’s Day.

There’s a multitude of chocolates in the market one can choose from – the ageless yet common Cadbury chocolates packaged in enticing purple boxes with printed ribbons to the devilish and crunchy Ferrero Rocher wrapped in golden wrapper, the choices are abundant and it all should depend on how much you are willing to spend for your loved ones this Valentine’s Day.

Relish in the decadence of Godiva’s world-famous handmade chocolate truffles. Made from the finest Belgian chocolates, no woman (or even man) will ever refuse it if it’s from the renowned chocolate maker of all time, Godiva, available at Godiva Chocolates boutiques and selected global chocolate specialty retailers.

PICTURE FRAMES

A beautifully taken photograph is powerful than words to capture a long-lasting memory and to tell a story.

Indeed, a nice photograph of you and him, or her, celebrating the first or maybe the 50^th Of course, there’s nothing better than to treasure the magnificently captured moment in a beautiful picture frame so it could be protected from dusts or fades away. Valentine celebration will always stand as the testament to a great relationship for all time.

Cherish the moment by keeping the celebration immortalized in a piece of photograph inside this contemporary frame by designer Nick Munro for top-notch pewter goods maker Royal Selangor. The frame is available now at all Royal Selangor outlets and authorized Royal Selangor retailers worldwide.

DINNER FOR TWO

No Valentine’s Day date is complete without that dinner for two thingy.

Yes, call it another ageless tradition with no one knows exactly when it started and who started it first.

Believe it or not, Valentine’s Day is the most profitable day on earth when almost all restaurants would offer promising dining-for-two packages and be fully booked.

Topping the list of Valentine’s must dine restaurants are Nobu (famous Peruvian and Japanese restaurant chain); Jamie Oliver’s Five in London, Senses restaurant at Hilton Kuala Lumpur, and Lafite at Shangri-La Kuala Lumpur.

But I always prefer a private candlelight dinner for two at home with delicious home-cooked meals laced with fine wines, champagne, and a romantic ambiance.

LINGERIE & ADULT PLAYTHINGS

For most loving couples, sex tends to be the highlight of the amorous love celebration. This is the time when Aphrodite and Cupid do their jobs best.

But what is a Valentine’s Day sex without a good set of lingerie plus loads of sex toys to heat the game?

Boy, to tell you the truth, sex is a fun and pleasurable affair when there’s a lot of naughty sex toys laced with sights of her walking out of the closet or the toilet in a set of gravity-defying lingerie to entice your mood for a lust-filled journey to sensual enlightenment.

Girls, here a tip – put on La Senza’s leatherette lingerie and whip him with that bejeweled whip from Kiki de Montparnasse. I bet he’ll ask for seconds!

DAYTRIP SPA

Spa for two anyone? That would be the best thing to do for you and your loved one after a hectic week of working, seriously.

But since Valentine falls on Thursday, which is a working day and a trip to COMO Shambala Spas (run by Christina Ong of Club 21 and her daughter Christina) at the exclusive Caribbean resort of Parrot Cay or up on the spiritual Himalayan Mountains would be totally impossible, then the multitude of day spas in KL should do just as right as the ones you had in exotic island resorts.

Visit Ritz-Carlton Spa Village at Ritz-Carlton hotel in the heart of Kuala Lumpur and let yourself and him be pampered by its legendary spa packages.

GOOD READS

Good books make the perfect gifts for the smart and knowledgeable ones. At the moment, readers are literally spoiled by choices, as there are more than a million books in the market regardless of the subjects.

Though it seems unusual for a man to present his woman a book or two or vice versa, why don’t you try it for a change. I mean, at some point, we might be bored adhering to the tradition of lavishing her or him with jewels and chocolates so giving books for Valentine gifts should be seen as a noble deed because they will help her or him to enrich her or his knowledge in life and living skills.

Romance novels aside (except for Cecilia Ahern’s P.S. – I Love You, which I strongly recommend), present her with books on how to improve love life, relationships, sex, as well as good recipes that will help strengthening your relationship.

LOTS OF PLEASURABLE MUSIC

Everyone loves music and of course, we listen to it everyday, every hour, and every second of our lives.

Music, no matter what genre you are listening to, really soothes our soul and helps to relieve those working and living stresses in our daily life. It is a potent tool that’s powerful enough to pull out all those woes in your mind.

Have tons of problems in mind and unable to bear the burden? Just listen to the music, any music as long as you like it, and it will help to lighten that burden from the inside.

For Valentine, choose light music that’s pleasurable to the ears such as world music from countries like Brazil and Colombia or maybe evergreen songs by evergreen Motown singers. The choice is always yours, darling!

FIRST CLASS SLEEP

Sleep is what most people like to do; either on the broad daylight or after the sun falls down. But how many of us have the luxury of high-quality sleep that’s made of a good odd eight hours or six the least?

After a day of celebrating, with that erotic adventures (sex if you don’t know what I mean) thrown into the occasion, what else want can look forward to than a dose of really good sleep, a true luxury that money can’t buy.

There are two ways one can achieve that good sleep. First, change your bed. Ditch that old one and get a real nice and comfy bed, preferably with lots of springs and therapeutic mattress. Second option – spend a night at Westin Kuala Lumpur, in the heart of Jalan Bukit Bintang and sleep to your heart content on its Heavenly Bed. Visit Westin Hotel website for reservation and further details.

So there you go, ten things you should give and do this Valentine’s Day. Hope you will be inspired by it!

*Photos by L’Artichaut, Laconic Cobain, Macy’s, Godiva Chocolates, Royal Selangor, Vicky Siu, La Senza, Spa Village Kuala Lumpur, Amazon.com, Westin Hotel.

L’Artichaut – 37, Novena Terrace, Singapore 307921

Laconic Cobain – 33-4-12 Prangin Mall Complex, Jalan Lim Chwee Leong, 10100 Penang, Malaysia.

Sarah Jessica Parker Covet and DKNY Be Delicious Art – Available at all authorized Sarah Jessica Parker and DKNY Fragrances counters.

Godiva Chocolates – Basement 2, Takashimaya Department Store, 391 Orchard Road, Singapore 238873.

Royal Selangor – First Floor, Suria KLCC, Jalan Ampang, 50088 Kuala Lumpur.

Lafite Restaurant – Shangri-La Kuala Lumpur, Jalan Sultan Ismail, Kuala Lumpur.

Senses Restaurant – Hilton Hotel Kuala Lumpur, KL Sentral.

La Senza – Lower Ground Floor, Suria KLCC, Jalan Ampang, 50088 Kuala Lumpur; Second Floor, Pavilion KL, Jalan Bukit Bintang, 51000 Kuala Lumpur.

Kiki de Montparnasse at Lane Crawford - Podium 3, IFC Mall, 8 Finance Street, Central Hong Kong.

Spa Village at Ritz-Carlton – Ritz-Carlton Hotel, Jalan Imbi, Kuala Lumpur.

Westin Hotel – Jalan Bukit Bintang, 51000 Kuala Lumpur.