Brunch | Smith's Bread & Cafe, Bukit Damansara | Aug & Dec 2020

"Friends who brunch together, stay together"

I don't even know if this is a legit quote or just something that people throw around when friends go out to sit down for a meal together where we can talk (read between the lines, because bitching is also included in this) while having some good food. But with the current situation of the Covid pandemic, who knows when this can be a casual and carefree thing again.

Luckily for the few of us, we managed to have a brunch meetup and shopping day on a weekend just a week or two before things got bad again in KL. And that was our last proper hangout before we have started the CMCO phase. 

Then me being the sourdough-obsessed person that I am immediately suggested that we go to Smith's Bread & Cafe after finding out about this place by chance on Instagram. I just love breads, especially really good thick & crusty sourdough that is perfectly toasted then layered with all sorts of yummy toppings. 

And everyone agreed because I think no one else had any other ideas where else to go. So, I win, by default. 

I guess it should not be a surprise that there was quite the crowd at the cafe when we got there. Not because we were a little late for brunch since we arrived at about 12pm-ish. While the early crowd were just finishing up, the late-risers were just getting there. Which also happens to be us. Oopps.. 

Initially we were seated at the only table outside of the cafe which was just enough to fit us four. But as we were going through the menu, a server told us that there was a table inside ready for us and since the weather was pretty hot that day, we chose to sit inside. 

The interior of the restaurant was minimalistic and cosy. One thing that I liked was that most, if not all, the tables had an interesting marble-esque tabletop. Me being me was quite into it. As well as the interior furnishings because nothing makes you, or well me mostly, more interested in dining at a cafe or restaurant more than the details of the furnitures.

I was even super into the design of the cups & plates. They were hecking cute & minimalistic; also obviously not something that you can generally find by taking a trip to Ikea. This I can testify because I looked at the bottom of the plates. Only because I wanted to know where they bought the plates so I can get some too. 

Something that struck me as a little weird was, we were given physical menus to decide what we wanted to order. Yet we are supposed to scan a QR code on the table where we will place our order & also pay on via credit card. Since that was my first time at Smith's, I am unsure if it is because of the current pandemic or this was just how they operated. 

But I think I did see one or two patrons at least making their way to the cashier to make a payment. So I was a little confused there. Maybe that is just for people who are getting their sourdough loaves to go?

I didn't think much about that because we were all practically starving and also going through caffeine withdrawal symptoms. Or well, I was since I have had yet to have my daily dose then and was already dozing off mid-day. 

The first thing I ordered, confidently, was a Iced Cappucino (RM10.00). And again, what is with the extra dollar for a cold drink? What is the reasoning behind that? Why am I paying extra for a drink with ice cubes that will essentially water down my coffee anyway?

For food however I could not decide on what I wanted. There was a part of me that was interested in the Beef Brisket Toastie because I read about it being super good somewhere before. But in the end, I caved in when I saw the Smoked Salmon Tartine (RM25.00) which was more my thing. 

Crusty sourdough bread lathered with mayo, cucumbers, generous slices of smoked salmon topped with capers, onions and sour cream with a zing of lemon. Also comes with the side of a mix of pickled onion, cabbage and cornichons. This would have been even more perfect if I had the option to add-on some sliced avocados too but that was not an option on the menu from what I could tell. 

With that being said, there was nothing on this plate that I did not like. Although this seemed like merely two slices of (quite thick) toasts and some toppings, this was actually quite filling. For me at least. By about half of the second slice, I was starting to feel quite full but I finished it all up because I know the day after, I will regret not finishing what I had. 

Then I felt like a ball after. A happy ball. So not much regrets really. 

Another friend, Bao Xiang, had the Crispy Chicken Burger (RM28.00) that comes with a side of thick-cut fries. I never got to try the burger because I was too focused on my sandwich and plus I rarely order any dish with chicken in it, but from the looks of the dish, it would satisfy anyone with a craving for a burger.

I did try the thick-cut fries though and I loved it. I can never resist anything potato - especially when it is deep fried. Perfectly crispy on the outside but scorching hot and mushy on the inside. Also perfectly salted so I was not looking for some condiment to dip it in. 

Another thing that we had that day was the Big Brunch Platter (RM35.00). This platter comes with eggs, cooked any style - you have the choice to have the eggs cooked either sunny side up, scrambled or have it as an omelette, slow-roasted tomatoes, sauteed mushrooms with spinach & onion, crispy shredded potatoes, choice of spanish turkey ham or beef kebabs and perfectly toasted sourdough bread. 

Yes, there was as much on the plate as the words that I have just typed out. Unfortunately I wish I could show you how awesome it was but... let's just say that someone was way too hungry to even give me a chance to take a photo of it. Ahem.. 

Missing photo aside, I have to say that this was the best big breakfast platter that I have tried in quite awhile. The scrambled eggs were perfectly cooked - soft, buttery and just all around syok. And the slices of turkey ham was good too; nice & savoury to go with the milder tasting eggs. Layer it all onto the crunchy sourdough and its a perfect bite of breakfast. 

Seeing how much I enjoyed my very first meal at Smith's, of course I had to bring my baby Jasmine with me because she too has a love for good sourdough breads. Such good discovery needs to be shared with someone that will enjoy it as much as I do and plus, our girl-date has been much overdue. 

So brunch at Smith's Bakery was in order!

This time my very caffeine order was none other than a Cappucino - hot this time around so I would not have to pay extra for additional cubes of ice. And I have to say that I do prefer my coffee hot rather than cold. I personally feel that I can taste it better plus the coffee won't get watered down with time, especially since we would be chatting while we were eating as well. 

We also ordered the Smoked Salmon Tartine. But since I have gushed about this earlier, we all know what this is all about & how generous plus satisfying this plate was. And truly no regrets ordering this for the second time. 

Even Jasmine liked it a lot. 

This time, I decided to order the Mixed Sourdough platter that comes with a side of French Butter & course Sea Salt (RM 8.00). Also added on an extra serving of the Sun-dried Tomato Pesto (RM 6.00) because that was too tempting to pass up. 

There was two thick & crusty slices of Classic Country Sourdough and uhmm.. Honestly not too sure what the second flavour of Sourdough was because I did not ask nor was it explained to me when the dish was served. Truthfully I did not mind because I was too busy lathering up the toast with a good layer of butter, topped with a little pinch of salt and taking a big bite out of it.

The first bite was.... awesome. This is one of the best sourdough that I have ever eaten, soft but dense with a crispy crust. Though, if I were being honest, I really had no idea what the second flavour was but I think it had some mixed spices in it. Then again maybe any discerning flavour was drowned out by the outrageous amount of butter that I lathered on. 

Let's not forget about the Sun-dried Tomato Pesto - savoury, tangy and the perfect condiment for the sourdough. Omg. If Smith's sold this paste then I would be buying multiple jars of it so that I can cook it with pasta.

How sad it is that we have entered into a second MCO phase and I live about 20km away because as I am writing this, I am wishing that I had a loaf of Smith's Sourdough bread to have with some creamed spinach. Instead I can only have my regular bread which does not give me the same sort of satisfaction. 

So if you can, go to Smith's and have some on my behalf. :)

Smith Bread & Cafe
71, Jalan Setia Bakti,

Bukit Damansara, 

50490 Kuala Lumpur.

Opening Hours: 8.30am to 4.00pm | Tuesday to Sunday.

Rise & Shine at Tapestry | Brunch Date | August 2020

One day a colleague of mine just randomly decided to take a day off from work and suggested that we both go cafe hopping. Considering the current situation of 2020, I figured that my annual leaves will not be much of use to go on a holiday. 

Even though I was lucky enough to have been able to take a short trip to Bangkok (my very first time) before everything went from bad to shit. The first thing that crossed through my mind was, why the hell not right?

And our first stop for the day was Tapestry at Jalan Chow Kit! 

It was about 11.00am when we arrived at Tapestry and to my surprise, the restaurant was already quite packed. On a Monday. So when a friend told me that they lined up for an hour on the weekend, I definitely believe her. 

Now this place in the past month or two or so has been gaining in popularity. Tapestry is currently the place to be and also to be seen at. Which, thanks to everyone and their influencer-esque photos of this place, this is place will probably be packed for the following few months. 

My friend, Jenny, being the smart person that she is made a booking prior to our visit. Which is a super smart move because we were ushered to our table almost immediately after we walked through the doors. A good five minutes later and there would not even be a table for us to be seated at without having to wait for quite a while.

 

We were led to our table in the corner of the restaurant which was thankfully away from the morning sun. And because we are currently in the RMCO period, we were told by the waitress to scan the QRCode for the menu then she walked off. That was that. 

I don't know about you but I am the type to look up everything I can about the restaurant that I will be going to and thinking of what I want to eat days before I even get there. Or is that just me? Jenny has also been to Tapestry before so she knew what was good to order and what we could ignore. 

So our ordering was pretty quick and then we were able to chill as we waited for our food. Gossip time! ;)

First things first, at that hour of the day, I definitely needed a coffee fix. So the order was a Matcha Latte (RM 9.00) for Jenny and Cappucino (RM 13.00) for myself. Nothing too special about my coffee and if I were being completely honest, I did find the glass a little too small as cute as it was. 

Also, I was a little confused by why I have to pay an additional dollar if I wanted my drink to be cold/iced. Do I really have to pay RM 1.00 for ice? 

I can totally see the appeal of why everyone would want to flock to this place for a brunch or lunch. There's lots of natural light that would really lend itself to a great Instagram photo. But to me, I think the attraction factor of Tapestry sorta kinda ends there. Not sure why but I felt that there would be other cafes or restaurants that would definitely be more worth queueing up an hour for - even if that. 

These are what we ordered and...... I was a little bit sad because the portions were smaller than what I was hoping for especially considering the price. I guess it is photo and Instagram-worthy. Just... Not enough for someone that was hungry - which I was since it was my first meal of the day. 

From my prior research of Tapestry, many suggested to order the Field of Mushroom (RM 25.00) from the All-Day Breakfast section. So this has sauteed mushrooms & edamame on house-made sourdough toast, topped with chives & grated cheese plus a poached egg. 

Based on the description on the menu this had everything that I loved but when the plate finally arrived, I was just a tad bit disappointed. 

The poached eggs were cooked quite perfectly but was slightly room temperature so I was not entirely a fan of that. Sauteed mushrooms were pretty alright, did not really notice the edamame in there and the best part about this entire dish was the sourdough which was toasted just right. Thankfully there was a good amount of shredded cheese on top or else everything would be under seasoned. 

Rise & Shine Eggs Benedict (RM 28.00) was what Jenny ordered. In place of the usual English muffin, they had used a crisp patty of bubble & squeak which is basically mashed potatoes with cabbage. Then that was topped with beet-cured salmon, poached eggs and hollandaise with Bunga Kantan. I guess this is their unique take on the very classic brunch food.

Poached eggs were perfect and the beet-cured salmon was normal, nothing too crazy to shout about. Hollandaise sauce was slightly under seasoned and was not sure what I was supposed to be tasting with the additional Bunga Kantan? I think the only thing I liked about this was the crispy patty though after eating one, you're definitely a little stuffed. Not in the good way.

There was a part of me that wished this came with a simple rocket salad with balsamic/Italian dressing just to cut the fattyness of the entire dish. Something zingy and refreshing would have definitely made the entire difference. 

We took the moment to tuck into our meals respectively and chatted about everything that we had going on. Basically enjoying our day being our usual Patricia-self (inside joke). It was the most chilled day I had in quite a long while I personally think. 

Honestly we should have more of these kind of moments because my mind really got a chance to relax. Almost forgot what that even felt like. Especially after the many months of being at home during the MCO period. 

This was just the beginning of our food adventure. We still have two or three more places to visit before our day comes to an end. Food adventure, here we come! 

Would I go back to Tapestry however? That is a good question. 

But don't take my word for it - go there & see for yourself if you are willing to brave the weekend traffic and also wait for a table if the crowd gets a little crazy. 

Rise and Shine by Tapestry KL
28 Jalan Kamunting, Chow Kit
50300 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Opening Hours: 8.00am to 4.00pm on weekdays | 8.00am to 5:30pm on weekends.

Onto the next cafe! ;)

Phantom of the Opera | Istana Budaya, KL | June 2019

I am pretty sure everyone is familiar with the well-known tale written by Gaston Leroux about the Opera Ghost, or so they say, falling in love with the beautiful singer, Christine Daae. A classic tale of love and beauty. There are a lot of trials in between and finally, they found love. Just not in the way you expect.

If this story is still unfamiliar to you then maybe you should actually pick up the book and have a read for yourself. Or maybe just watch the 2004, Phantom of the Opera movie which was good in its own way too. The soundtrack from the movie is just... Magical. I could listen to it over and over again without ever getting bored.

My very first introduction to the story was when I was in high school. I can't remember if I was in form 1, 2 or 3, but it was required of us to study the book for English Literature. Although we got the incredibly short & clipped version of the novel, I remember truly enjoying the story as a whole. I probably finished the book in less than a week.

From the novel, I moved on to watching the movie starring Gerard Butler. He did a pretty damn good job portraying the Phantom & singing the songs that I have listened to many times over and over again. Actually the entire soundtrack album composed by Andrew Lloyd Webber is amazing - so fitting for the story and every scene in the movie.

With my already existing fascination for the story and my adoration for the songs, I had told myself that someday (when I am not as poor), I will make sure I will watch the Musical Live in London. This seemed like quite the pipe dream to be honest especially with how depressing our current currency rate is at.

=====================================

Imagine my surprise when it was advertised that the Phantom of the Opera performed by the Broadway Casts would be showing at Istana Budaya. I was beyond excited. With me being the instant-gratification seeker immediately went browsing through the ticketing website.

Now, imagine the shock on my face the first time I checked out the price of the tickets. Shit my life.

The cheapest & also the farthest seats costs at least RM 300. I think my heart just a little bit because to be very honest, sitting so far from the stage with my shitty eyesight and also height, I might as well not be able to see anything at all. Anything closer to the stage would be in the RM 500 - RM 600 range which in truth, was expensive as butt.

Why so expensive. Why I not rich. 

I think I waited till forever before I, bravely, made up my mind (with lots of convincing from a friend) to just YOLO it and bought myself a ticket to watch the Broadway performance. The reason was that I should not be missing an experience of a lifetime just because I do not want to spend the money.

But honestly, despite how long it took me to finally push myself to click on the 'purchase' button, I am glad that I did. I had unknowingly bought myself one of the best nights of my year.

With my ticket bought, I waited excitedly for the day where I would take myself to Istana Budaya to watch one of my favourite musicals to have ever been written. And when I say 'take myself' I really do mean me bringing myself on a date because I would be watching the musical all on my own. Which might seem a little odd to you but I was looking forward to the experience

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Finally the 26th of June (also happens to be the day before my sister's birthday) has arrived and I was excited beyond words. Not even realising what a magical day I was about to have.

Although my show would only start at 8.30pm, I decided to make use of my replacement leave and took the day off to just have a slow but satisfying day. Because, as a friend of mine always says, why not?

So I took myself to lunch at Pinch Bistro at Jalan Bangkung and had the awesome Bacon Aglio Olio. For some reason I was massively craving for some pasta & this was definitely good enough to satiate whatever cravings I had for the time being. And I cleared the entire plate by myself, it was that good. 

At the same time I took that brief moment of solace to enjoy my cup of coffee while reading on my Kindle. Also brought along my laptop for some music (maybe to write even) and chilled at my favourite place.

These are the very few things that could keep me very very happy even if I was seated at a restaurant on my own. Though my company that joined me a little after I was done with my meal was not all too bad either.

And just like that, the first half of my day was good. Then before the usual traffic rush, I made my way home to get ready for my date night (with myself).

Not wanting to drive myself there and worry about looking for a parking, I asked my mom to send me to Istana Budaya. And yes I am that spoiled lazy. 

And another picture for the album - why not.

Throughout the short journey there I was shaking with excitement and my nerves were going completely off the walls too.

I had a feeling that I would probably be the only girl, or person really, that will be attending the festivities on my own. As much as that thought made me really nervous because I know some people will probably give me odd looks and whisper among themselves, wondering who is this weirdo here on her own, but I was still looking forward to the whole new experience.

When I walked into the halls of Istana Budaya for the very first time, I was greeted by these massive banners hanging at the lobby and I stood staring at it for a good while. If I had not been excited before then I was definitely was standing in front of these pictures. Still I had no idea just what a dream I would be walking into. 

To my surprise, despite how I was about an hour early, there already was a growing number of people flocking about getting as many pictures as they can with the banners and few photo walls that had been set up. Some are flocking to the souvenir booth where they can buy up memorabilia of the events like key chains, t-shirts and the likes.

And me being the kind that likes collecting little trinkets as a memory souvenir to keep went straight to the booth where they were selling all the memorabilia to browse for things that I can bring home with me. Honestly I was not too surprised by the price of some of the items - it is always that way with such merchandises.

Still, that did not stop me from buying a thing or two. I have already spent a good amount of money on the ticket for the night so what is a little bit more?

Moving on from my mini shopping moment would be to take pictures for memory sakes. And also, I dreaded having to do this more than anything else in the world because I knew that I'd need to be asking strangers for help since I was there on my own. Taking selfie would obviously be the worst idea ever.

For anyone that knows me, you will know just how painful it is for me to even think of speaking to a stranger. What more now I would be asking for help. I mean, I already hate having to call someone on the phone for work.

So having to speak to strangers and having to do it while I am all on my own in a completely unfamiliar setting is bad enough. But needing to ask them for help to take a photo of me, I would have rather chosen death.

At the risk of not having any pictures with the beautiful decoration specially done just for the Broadway show, I plucked up what little courage that I had and asked a stranger to take a few photos for me.

And because I was beyond embarrassed to have asked, I quickly offered to take photos for them too. Which they seemed to be quite surprised by. Do I look like I was just going to say 'thank you' and walk off? 

Fast forward and many flights of stairs later, I found my way to my balcony seat. I had chosen this particular spot because I preferred a top-view and this way, I get to be all the way in front without having to spend a thousand bucks. To me that was perfect.

Excited for my very first opera experience. 

I cannot even begin to explain the excitement I felt while I was in my seat, waiting for the show to start. I also could not stop looking around me and just taking in the architecture of Istana Budaya; it was after all my first time there. Not gonna lie, it is nowhere as beautiful as the photos of the actual Paris Opera House but this one has its own charms too.

To my slight dismay, my neighbour (both to my left and right) were rather chatty. In actual fact the male sat to my left who was there with his girlfriend would not stop humming (or singing) along - terribly too might I add. It took all sorts of self control to not turn to him just to tell him to shut the hell up.

Also, let's not forget the girls (I presume they are probably in college) just talking cattily amongst themselves almost any chance they got. One of them actually said, verbatim and I swears, she actually said "Wow. This place is so culture". I tried SO HARD to not laugh or react when she said that. Then at one point I heard one of them saying something about how sad that I was there on my own and how my shoes were 'cheap' looking. 

To her credit, the shoes were actually cheap because I bought them from Zara on sale haha. Pretty as they were, they were also so painful to wear for long periods of time. But I love them. 

Intermission. 

If you're familiar with the Phantom story then you will know which part this is where the play allowed for a 15 minutes break. At this point I was just.... I was in absolute awe.

Having watched the Royal Opera House 25th Anniversary version starring Ramin Karimloo (i love him) and Sierra Borgess, I already had high expectations. But OMG actually seeing it for myself in person, although with a different cast, I can't even begin to explain. I mean of course I would have been so much more excited if it was Ramin Karimloo that was playing the Phantom, but this cast was great too!

The costumes were amazing, of course. And then the set design is just.... Each scene was different & honestly just out of this world. The engineering of the animatronics behind it all is beyond anything that I could ever comprehend. I never ever thought it would be possible to have it look the way it did in Istana Budaya. 

A quick toilet break and I was back in my seat, waiting excitedly for the second part of the play.

Grand Finale.

Despite by annoyance at my seat neighbour's annoyingly terrible singing that he just could not seem to control, I was completely floored by how magnificent the entire play was. The Broadway casts truly did an amazing job and the technicians of the set, costume designers and all the hardworking crews behind the scene has truly made my night a magical one. 

Safe to say that, despite how many times I have watched the Phantom of the Opera (film and the Ramin's version), I was in tears by the end of it. That ending....... Ugh my heart broke for the Phantom. His final 'Christine, I love you...........' just brought on more tears. 

Centrestage. 

Who knows when I would be able to be standing in front of something so beautiful. So I am truly grateful for the two girls that offered to take a photo for me even though I never asked. And mainly because I was too shy to even ask because I was still far too emotional over the ending to even think straight. 

Now I can't wait for the Love Never Dies World Tour. If it is ever happening and they make a stop in Malaysia, I am definitely going again.

With amore,

Goodbye 2018 | Hello 2019

Happy New Year psychos!

I feel like I have started a post exactly identical to this one at the beginning of this year, wanting to say goodbye to what was a drama-filled 2017. Don't expect this post to be a 'new year, new me' crap because I don't believe in that. If a person truly wants to better themselves then they should not be wasting time announcing it.

Anyways, the new year has started, one month has come & gone, and I am writing about all the fun, crazy and memorable things that have happened in the year prior. With my currently failing memory, there is a high chance that I would forget everything in the next 5 minutes, so it is best I write down what I do remember.

I guess there was quite a good amount of the good, the bad and the ugly in 2018. Though to be fair, I think it is the same every year except I go through each of the motions differently each time. I guess this is what it is like to grow up huh?

Let's start with a few of The Bad from 2018 that I sort of kinda remember....

1. Disappointment. 

There are a few moments in the year where I was left feeling very disappointed by someone's chosen actions. And it was this year where I learned just how these kind of moments are usually caused by your own expectations. In these moments, I found myself getting angry at people when they don't meet my expectations and I would blame the person for making me feel the way that I did.

What I realised however, after many angry outbursts, is that the fault falls entirely on me. I was the one that had put certain kinds of expectations on them without telling them. Then when they did not meet it, I got frustrated. Actually, I got heck pissed.

When in actual fact, I should never have expected anything from anyone because at the end of the day, I will just end up disappointing myself.

A hard lesson to learn but then... I guess it was something that needed to happen in order for me to grow. But this also teaches me that no one is in control of your own happiness but yourself. 

2. People leave.

I have also learned that despite the efforts that you have put into keeping a certain few people in your life, they will still drift away. Whether it is done so by their own choice or life is just funnily cruel that way, I am not sure, but it happens. Happened. 

While I am quite sad to have lost the very few people who I would like to keep in my life, I will see it as their loss rather than mine. The amount of people that I want to keep are already minimal and constantly lowering in terms of numbers, yet many have already chosen to see themselves out. Then there are the very few that I knew I had to cut off.

But if I really do think about it, maybe it is better for me to not keep such people in my life anyways. This teaches me to appreciate the few people that I allow into my inner circle. Also, can I say just how fucking grateful I am that these few people still want to keep me after knowing just how weird I am? 

3. Anxiety.

Here is something I think almost nobody knows about me, anxiety is something that constantly runs on an absolute high in my mind. I don't quite understand why or when it started, but it exists in my subconscious and conscious mind. While I wish I could turn it off as easily as flipping a switch, I can't. 

What I had to learn in 2018 is to internalize everything that I felt before letting it consume me as a whole. I have to admit, this is still a struggle that I have yet to overcome. And unfortunately a select few people have been dealing with the brunt of my own emotional anxiety issues. 

Forgive me. I still have much to grow and learn. 

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Then there is The Ugly of the year.. 

But in all honesty, I would rather wipe that all from my failing memory. So I will just pretend that all the 'ugly' of 2018 does not even exist. Besides, why go on and on about something that would ultimately upset me when I would rather talk about all the good stuff of 2018.

Last year really had its ups and downs. On somedays, I may feel that there are more downs than anything else. But as I scroll through my photo album to refresh my memory on everything that has happened in 2018, I realise that I would prefer to focus on more good memories than anything. 

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1. Travelling & Holidays

2018 happened to be the year where I travelled more than I thought I would. Which is kind of weird, even to me, because I remember going on at most two holidays in a year.

Seoul & Busan - Korea - April 2018

Firstly, I took a trip to Seoul & Busan, Korea with my colleagues for 8 days in April. 

The trip was very YOLO and I went along with the thought that I may just enjoy myself. Plus I have always wanted to go Korea for a holiday, may never go with my mom because it is just not her preference and going alone had never crossed my mind. So, I figured, why the hell not. 

The few days were... Interesting to say the least. Whether I would go back to Korea again is debatable really but I think if given the chance, I think I would consider it. Especially to see the Cherry Blossoms which we JUST missed. 

Also, I was quite in love with the weather while we were there because it was cooling during the day despite the sun and then when night falls, it gets even colder. Which meant that I could dress up & break out my leather jacket, hoodies and knee high socks - these are pieces of clothing I have, also absolutely adore, but rarely get to wear in KayHell heat.  

“And now here is my secret, a very simple secret:
It is only with the heart that one can see rightly;
what is essential is invisible to the eye.
- Le Petit' Prince”

We spent about 2 days in Busan which I feel is more than enough to explore the small town. With Chin Mun as our guide, because she has been to Busan before, I got to explore Gamcheon Village, Busan which is also dubbed to be the 'Santorini' of Korea. 

Almost every corner of the village was picturesque in its own unique way. And you can find artistic murals in many different places with a lot of perfect photo opportunity.

One of the biggest highlight of our short stay in Busan for me was the bowl of Sundae Dwaeji Gukbap. 

It was the first meal I had in Busan after a two hour long train ride from Seoul. Ching Mun brought u to this store, supposedly a very popular spot called Bonjeon Dwaeji Gukbap. Even at the non-peak hour when we went to the restaurant which was about 5 minutes walk away from the train station, there was a short queue and the interior was filled with patrons happily eating. The wait was definitely worth it. 

Dwaeji Gukbap is basically a staple meal in Busan. It is mainly just a bowl of boiling hot pork soup with lots of spring onion, very tender pork meat and Sundae sausage which you eat with rice. You can mix in the marinated garlic chives, some extra seasoning that is provided on every table to your taste preference. 

That bowl of pork soup was heavenly in a drearily cold and wet weather that greeted us on arrival. Even up till today, I still crave for it and would probably never be able to get the same taste unless I travel back to Busan again.  

Good night & goodbye Busan.

We spent another 4 days in Seoul after returning from Busan via the train again and stayed in another AirBNB right in the heart of Hongdae street. The place is always busy, be it day time or night time with all sorts of clothing boutiques, beauty stores, cafes, bars and restaurants. 

Also, it took me 2 whole nights to realize that we were about 5 minutes walk away from two clubs. And I'm just thinking to myself; is it god giving me a sign?

Freezing. But Korean BBQ at midnight is perfect.

Another highlight of staying in Hongdae that is that we could have Korean BBQ at crazy o'clock. Plus, all the different kinds of local restaurants are so nearby, opened till late night and always filled with crowd, is so convenient for us that we could walk there when we are hungry. Even at 1.00 am or 2.00 am. 

Which was what we did almost every night because... Why not? I mean we won't be able to get Korean BBQ such late at night back in Kuala Lumpur. Plus, with the cold weather of Spring, sitting around a barbeque pit while grilling meat is not a bad idea really.

I don't know why but the grilled meats in Korea just tastes so much better. The pork belly is so much thicker & flavourful without any sauce, pork is more juicy & tender and the beef is meltingly good. Is it the air there or something? Why does everything just tastes so much better than what we can get in KL? 

Also, there was a day where I wandered off on my own in search of this particular art store which I found out about from Pooi Chin. I saw it on her Instagram and thought to myself, if I do not visit AllWrite when I am in Seoul then I am an idiot.

Here is a little something that you need to know about this store - AllWrite is only open on Friday, Saturday and Sunday at 1.00pm to 6.00pm. Also, it is in somewhat of a backalley where if you are quite a failure at navigating with a map like me, you might struggle to find.

Funny story was me getting very very lost while I walked from my AirBnB to the store. Firstly, I was using Google maps and I thought to myself; 'Since there is a long straight road ahead of me, I'll just enjoy my coffee and walk without looking at my phone. Just look out for the convenience store and turn left down the street'. Except, 15 minutes later, I realize that I had not found my left turn. Looked at my Google maps to find out that I was about 20 minutes off the route it told me to go.

Point of this story is, I am an idiot that not only got lost but also wasted time because I thought I was smarter than that. And I think I looked extremely lost too because a nice Korean Oppa was trying to help me, except we had quite the language barrier so I just went my own way anyways.

But on the bright side, the weather was so nice that I did not mind the walk. Plus I had a cup of coffee with me and my Isaac Toast. Also, the scenery was pretty too. Just thought it was funny in hindsight at my ability to get lost even with Google Maps as my aid.

The aesthetics of this store is everything I want if I ever open my own cafe. It reminded me faintly of Stickerrific except smaller and more quaint. 

In all honesty, it was definitely worth the long walk to visit this store. I can say that my mind was in quite a bad state but that changed after I stepped out of the store. Not empty handed of course. 

I got several postcards from Allwrite - some are photos taken by the store owner & a few simple designs that was a trademark of the store. And then I also bought two notepads that was just... So plain but vintagely pretty that I could not resist getting them. 

AllWrite

2-34 Changjeon-dong, Mapo-gu, Seoul, South Korea

Opens on Friday, Saturday and Sunday from 1.00pm to 6.00pm.

Another one of the most awesome highlight of the trip to Korea was being able to watch a live Baseball match between the Doosan Bears & the Kia Tigers. Something which I never would have ever thought I would ever be able to experience - thinking that I'd only be able to watch baseball matches online late at night (because US timezone) and that is about it.

There's something very enthralling about sitting in the stadium with huge crowds just cheering for the teams they are rooting for. And one of the most awesome part about watching the game live at the stadium happens to be the food.

No words can properly describe the syokness of having good fried chicken and beer while relishing in the exhilaration of a live baseball match. This is an experience that could not be matched by anything else and probably would never be forgotten, ever.

Would I ever go back to Korea again? Perhaps. But I think not any time soon. Because I would like to first go back to Sydney and then maybe think of exploring Japan as well.

Penang | Girl's Trip with Leena - June 2018

The second chance that I got to go on a holiday in 2018 was when Leena asked if I wanted to take a short trip down to Penang with her. By luck, she had won a free stay in the luxurious Macalister Mansion for 4 days and 3 nights. 

I wrote about our first day in Penang here, but there is just so much more about that weekend that I could just gush about. 

Room 4 of Macalister Mansion is an absolute dream. There is nothing about the room that you would hate. Except maybe the spotlight over the bed that we could never seem to turn off even after turning off every possible light switch in the room.

But it is something that you could easily forget once your head hits the pillow, preferably with an eye mask if light makes it hard for you to fall asleep, and you're all tucked into the blankets happily. Aside from that tiny little issue, the room was absolutely perfect. Especially the bathroom.

The trip, in short, was amazing. Everything was perfect. We even managed to catch a beautiful sunset.

In the few days that I spent with Leena, we got to catch up on the many months that we have gone without speaking because adult life has been rather challenging. It was as if no time had passed at all.

Can I have a repeat of that weekend please?

Macao & Hong Kong | October 2018

Now this last trip was a bit of a surprise. It was planned rather spontaneously by my mom's friend. I went to Macao & Hong Kong with my mom, sister and a whole bunch of other people in October. The plan was to go there for food, food and food. Nothing else. 

When they were talking about the trip few weeks before, I was told that the motive of the trip planned by my mom's friend and Andy is to bring us to all of their favourite restaurants. Now, this I was perfectly fine with because I know it would all be pretty damn good food. And plus, I do miss Hong Kong since it has been about 10 years since my last trip there.

What I had not expect however was to be eating, very big meals, every two to three hours. Which explains why I came back from the trip about 2kg or 3kg heavier. And the fact that we were to start our day at 9.00am daily which... Kinda defeats the purpose of a holiday, no?

What I was most excited about was having the very typical HongKie breakfast of Macaroni & Ham soup with a side of Egg & Spam toast plus a good cup of coffee. I know this is a simple breakfast for all and you could get it at almost any coffee shop in Hong Kong.

The last I had this meal was about 10 years ago during my last visit to Hong Kong - a trip that made me love the city despite how overcrowded and highly stressful it could be at times. I remember we could walk into any restaurant, order the exact same meal and it would be just as good always. 

But we did not just go to any regular coffee shop for our breakfast fix. We went to Tai Hing which in my books is a pretty commercialised version of the regular coffee shop that you could find in Hong Kong. Though, I do have to admit that the food is really really good. Especially the Egg & Spam sandwich. And the scrambled egg is the fluffiest cloud of creamy eggs ever. 

Of course we had to pay a visit to the Yee Shun Milk Co. for their signature Steamed Milk & Steamed Egg Pudding. Especially since we were in the area where my mom's friend went crazy with her own shopping spree. Obviously with the obvious currency crisis, we opted not to since shopping in Hong Kong had never really been our thing. 

So we headed over to Yee Shun and luckily for our very tired legs, there was no queue outside. Though we had to share a table with three other patrons also there enjoying the steamed milk pudding. Not that we minded sharing table since it is quite the norm when you are dining in Hong Kong. 

Out of all the steamed egg pudding that I have had in my entire life, this is still the best I have ever tasted. Perfectly smooth & tastes strongly of egg in the best of ways. Even the steamed milk pudding was yummy with a hint of ginger to make the entire dish less cloying. 

My sister could finish two bowls of this herself. She is the bigger sweet tooth than I am anyways. But if I could say that a dessert is good then you know how good these are. 

Another must eats for me when in Hong Kong are the Curry Fishballs and the Egg Waffle. I can eat this multiple times a day and never get bored of it. I even made sure to get one last fix of it before we made our way to the airport.

Again, you can get either of these at almost every corner of the city. Even the 7Eleven sells them but in my personal opinion, those little stores & kiosks that sells all these street snacks has the better tasting curry fishballs. Even though you can get curry fishballs in Malaysia in almost every single Pasar Malam, it NEVER tastes the same. 

I think its the curry that they cook & they add some kind of sauce to the mix, making the taste even better. The curry in Hong Kong is different because it is thicker & just tastes better. I don't even know how to explain it anymore. Just eat many many curry fishballs whenever you do visit Hong Kong. 

Especially the store on Nathan Road. It's probably the smallest freaking shop ever and the storekeeper is rude as hell, as if you murdered her entire family, but there is always a line of people waiting to get their fix of the Egg Waffle & Curry Fishball.  

During this trip, it was also the first time where I decided to explore Hong Kong city on my own. And I think I am slightly hooked on the feeling of exploring a brand new city on my own like this, ever since Korea.

Even though my mom's friend who was more controlling that my own mom disagreed completely. She told me that it is not safe and that we had to stick together - even though I was bored out of my mind when I was shopping with her. Not that she cared.

But then I was adamant that I wanted to find an artistic space while I was in Hong Kong. So after lunch one day, I just took off on my own and thoroughly enjoyed the good few hours I had to myself. I felt like a very free bird.

The first thing I did with my freedom was to go hunting for Bosco Wong's restaurant which was surprisingly really near where I was. It was a little bit of a detour from where I wanted to go but I was determined, hoping and praying that he would be there.

Except, with my terrible luck, Mr. Hottie was in London while I was adventuring to his restaurant. So I went on my way in search of an artistic space called PMQ in Sheung Wan which a friend of mine told me about.

While I was wandering around aimlessly, I managed to find Brew Bros' Coffee completely by chance. Of course it being so early in the day and I had yet to have my dose of caffeine yet so it is no surprise that I had to have a good cup of piping hot Cappuccino before I went on my way. 

Would it be a surprise for me to say that I got quite lost before reaching PMQ? 

And yes, it is quite the same situation as when I was in Korea, took my attention off of Google Maps while I enjoyed my walk only to end up walk off path for another good 10 minutes. Worst is this time around, I had walked up crazy amount of stairs. So you can imagine that I was completely out of breath by the time I reached my destination and also quite sweaty. 

But when I did finally get to PMQ, there was a Beer Festival going on so there was no artistic bazaar there like a friend of mine told me about. And while I was expecting a space that was similar to AllWrite or Stickerrific, it was nothing like it. Which I was quite disappointed by because I had every intention to find some arts & crafts item to bring back with me. 

Though there are little stores on each floor that sold handcrafted items and trinkets. The whole place reminded me a little bit of Publika on bazaar weekends except bigger and with more floors that was home to small kiosks for people to sell their own handicrafts. 

I left the space with nothing and continued exploring Sheung Wan on my own. There wasn't any stores that resembled Stickerrific in the slightest, maybe not in that part of the city that I was in. While I did not get any art stuff, I did however find a huge Lush store and ventured in only to leave the store with bath bombs and lotions. 

When in Hong Kong was also the first time I got to enjoy a bath bomb experience back at the hotel after a very long day of walking. I got the Intergalactic Bath Bomb because I have a slight obsession with galaxies and plus it smelled the best in my opinion. 

I spent a good ten minutes soaking in the pretty blue shimmery waters, not counting my initial five minutes spent taking all the photos I could, reading my kindle and just chilled. Momentarily forgetting about the reality that awaited me outside the bathroom. 

After all, isn't that what a holiday is all about? 

Despite how hectic and crazy my short trip to Hong Kong was, I still would like to visit the country again. Preferably with a different group of people, maybe on my own if I dare, and with an different kind of agenda rather than just to eat and shop at really high-end stores.

Also I need to mention that I had one of the best flight in my entire life when returning from Hong Kong. 

This was the first time where I had little to no anxiety during the flight. And I don't know if it was because we were lucky enough to have boarded a new MAS Airbus plane that was bigger (and quite empty too) or because I was eating the entire flight. I am one of those weirdo that thoroughly enjoy in-flight food. I don't really know, but I think if I had to re-do that flight again, I would actually not mind. 

But I had the best time on the flight. Which is the weirdest thing for me to say ever because I hate the thought of being in a plane.

2. Watercolor Journey

I am very happy to say that despite my random phases of absolute laziness, I have also been practicing my watercolor skills. Creating more artworks and just... painting more in general. Practice makes perfect yes? 

2018 is the year where I challenged myself to paint more. My goal was to paint art pieces that I could gift to my friends because I found the joy of packaging ever since I bought myself a galaxy design wax seal stamp from Sumthings of Mine. 

The first package I sent was to Zixuan after she had return to Xi'An to continue on in her journey of life. Since I missed having her in the office and needed to practice painting anyways, I thought why not paint and send something to her as a present.

The one thing that I promised to paint for her was a Mala Hotpot meal. When ZiXuan was still working in my company, she used to make Mala Hotpot for us in the office and it was super good. It only made sense that I painted her exactly that. 

And this piece took me a few weeks to fully complete from the sketching to packing it prettily before sending it off to its new owner. Mostly because there were periods of time where I had zero motivation and muse which just hinders my painting so I keep myself away from paints & brushes during these times to avoid messing up the art piece. 

Although I felt that my work could definitely be improved, I do hope that she is happy with her art piece when it finally reached her. :) 

And I did not stop there because I found a slight addiction with preparing envelopes. There's something very therapeutic about doing just that. So I painted another few other pieces and have been doing so throughout the year.

One of the art pieces that I was most proud of, despite how lopsided and disproportionate it looks, is the Jack Daniels' Old Fashioned recipe which I had prepared for my colleague. It is one of his favourite drink to order so I thought, why not paint it for him for his birthday. I mean... A hand made gift is more special than anything bought right?

Photo by Stickerrific

I also started the new year joining Sharlene Wang's Realistic Food Painting Watercolour Workshop held at Stickerrific. If I am looking to improve my skills then one of the ways is also to constantly learn rather than just stick with what, I think, I know to be right.

Here's to hoping that I will make more art pieces & get better in 2019! 

3. KINDLE

This was the year where I finally caved and bought myself a Kindle Paperwhite. After much convincing from Courtney & after I borrowed her Kindle on my trip to Korea. That is when I felt my entire perspective of that tiny device has changed. 

Now don't get me wrong, I will always always love holding a book and building my dream library will always be a goal for me. And I don't know if anyone will agree with me, but nothing is more comforting than the scent of an old book.

But I have no regrets whatsoever with buying the Kindle. It has been so convenient for me to read any and all book that I want. Not to mention that I am also saving a lot more when it comes to purchasing books too. Well that is because I kind of found a loophole in getting books for Kindles. 

A Kindle is just way too convenient and perfect for an avid reader. Especially when you travel a lot. At one time you can have hundreds of books in your palm and carry your massive library with you easily in your bag. 

Not just the convenience of having an entire library in such a tiny little device but you can also highlight quotes and go back to them under the 'My Clippings' section. Also, you can 

Almost every Sunday night, I would put on a sheet mask and relax on my bed with my kindle. This is a tradition that I have been keeping for a couple of months now to take care of my skin & just give myself a little pamper session before starting work the very next day.

With my kindle, I can just lay in bed and read without my hand getting too tired from holding a book up. Actually there were quite a few times where I had unknowingly fallen asleep mid-read and woken up with my Kindle still next to my pillow.

I can't believe that I have become one of those people that will advocate a non-physical book. But I honestly think a Kindle is one of the best things I have ever bought. 

4. WESG Malaysia & SEA Grand Finals

Although the few days, weeks, prior to both events nearly drove me mentally insane, I am actually really happy to have taken part in the event. 

Not going to lie, the days were long and there were times, multiple times, in between where I wanted nothing more than to just sit in a corner so I can cry. 

I mean... Have you ever tried not just handling logistics for all the players, including 4 other drivers and also manage the transportation of about 600 cartons of mineral waters? 

But honestly I had the best of help. I had the most awesome crew that would do almost everything and anything that is required of them with little to no complaints. There is also Desmond

The reason I want to cry mainly consists of stress and also because I was so tired beyond words. Plus as with every event, anything and everything could go wrong, so problem solving seems to be what we were doing the most while we were on standby. And that just drains one so much emotionally, mentally and physically. 

With that being said, I would not trade those few days I spent taking part and getting involved in the E-Sports industry. While I am a shitty gamer because I practically suck at every game due to my short attention span, but watching amazing players play live is entirely different. And that was just a very small part of the tournaments.

The hottie with green hair is my baby, Jasmine. Whom without for the few days of WESG, I would probably be dead somewhere on the streets. She is one of the reasons why I still had some semblance or normal sanity during the few days of absolutely craziness. 

Dare I think about what WESG for 2019 is going to be like? But at the same time, I am quite excited 

5. TATTOOOOOO

It has been more than 2 years since the last time I got a tattoo. And while I go through phases of wanting to get new ink on myself, I rarely ever come up with something that I truly want to get. Plus I rarely ever have the extra money to splurge on the idea anyways. So getting another tattoo has always been something that lingers in the back of my mind and probably will remain there as another plan that will never be executed. 

But, November comes, my best friend messages me saying that she wanted to get a small piece done and asked that I go with her. I don't remember when but we have mentioned a long time ago that there will be a time where we would both get a tattoo together - not the same design (yet), just at the same time. Of course I was completely into the idea. We had after all planned that since we were in high school and now we finally got the chance to do that. 

I searched for something simple and would mean a lot to me because this will be something that will follow me for the rest of my life. At that point, I was really into finger tattoos so that was what I went for. 

And of course, I sent a message to Dr.Ink hoping for my favourite tattoo artist to be there, who also happens to be the same person that had done my very first tattoo when I was 18 - Uncle Water. Except he would be unavailable till mid of January so I settled for another artist that was good with fine lines instead. 

To answer the age-old question, no the process did not hurt too much. Actually the most accurate description of the sensation of getting a tattoo would be, imagine taking a super hot razor and dragging it across your skin gently. And that is how it felt like to me. Some parts will be slightly more uncomfortable than others but nothing too crazy where it is unbearable. 

Honestly, after the first few minutes, you kind of get slightly into the prickling pain. It gets quite addictive especially mixed with the sound of the machine too.

Admittedly I was being quite difficult with my tattoo artist prior to inking. 

Me, being OCD, was quite particular about the placement of the tattoo and made him change the artwork for one of my tattoo about... 3 times before I was finally happy with it. That is not counting the many times he had to readjust the placement of the sketch before starting. 

At the end of the day, I could not be more happier by the finished product. And I don't know, I still find it pretty cool to look down at my right hand and find the tattoo there. In fact I can't stop admiring it - as weirdly self obsessed as that sounds. 

As I am typing this, I am already thinking of what my next ink would be and where on my body should I put it on. 

6. New hair-do

Change. A rather big one. Is what I think my boring ass needed.

After going 2 years with my badly bleached hair after multiple attempts at getting the beautiful gray tresses that you see on Pinterest, I finally changed up my look. Thanks to my favourite hair stylist Frank from the Page Hair at Bangsar.

The first change he did was to chop off my overly long locks that was not just damaged on the ends from bleaching, it was also making me look like a 16 year old. More so than usual. I was a bit apprehensive at first because I've grown so used to the long hair and change is not something that I get used to so quickly. 

But I thought, let's just do it and bring some layers back to my lifeless hair. And honestly, I was quite surprised by how much I liked that change. This is the shortest length my hair has been for the past 5 years at least. It kind of felt a little weird but I liked it especially the fringe. Which I did not have before this. That is one part of my hair change done and then there was the matter of my hair colour being... Horrendous. 

I waited another 2 weeks before I went back to Frank's salon to finally change my hair colour. And this time, I trusted him enough to get the right colour that I wanted while making me look good.

Gone were my ugly bleached orangey hair and in its place is jet black hair on the top and then, the bottom half of my hair was bleached another two more times to get the gray shade that I wanted. IT WAS SOOOOO PRETTYYYYYY!

My hair came out looking better than I had expected and all credit goes to Frank. It was he that suggested I dye the top parts of my hair black and then because I still wanted the gray hair colour that I never got before this, he left the bottom hair of my bleached hair untouched by the dark colour before adding on the colour. 

A darker hair colour certainly was a different look for me having gone so long with brightly bleached hair. So different that when I went into the office the following day, most of my colleagues did not recognised me at first. And I have kept my hair the same as it is for the entire year - only going back to the Page Hair Shop to get the colours retouched & to get my hair trimmed.

You know, looking back on the previous year, it was as crazy as it could get. And I managed to survive through the entire year in the weirdest most unbelievable way while still managing to keep what little sanity I had left intact. 

I mean... There were a few casualties here & there. But I lived and survived through it all, so I should be proud, shouldn't I? 

I wonder what new adventures and craziness will be in store for me this year tho. Half of me is excited and another part of me is dreading all the uncertainties that are waiting for me. And all I can do is stare at the dark path ahead of me, trying my best to be prepared for the unforeseeable. 

❝In life, unlike chess, the game continues after checkmate.❞ 

- Isaac Asimov

Now, I should stop being so darn pessimistic and gloomy, because it is time for me to unleash some hell for the new year of 2019. Because a good friend of mine told me, life is simply. Loves!