Luxe Girls Trip | Day 1 | Penang 2018

This post is about several months late, with nothing to blame but my own laziness and also because real life got in the way. There was a part of me that was tempted to leave this half written post sitting in my draft together with all my photos that were taken and edited sitting in a folder on my laptop's desktop. It could happen.

But I feel like if I do not write about this then I worry that I may forget just how amazing this short trip was. And it was all thanks to Leena because if she had not invited me, then I probably would never get to experience the beauty, luxury & amazing service of Macalister Mansion.

The invitation from Leena to join her on this trip was quite sudden and if you knew me, then you'd know that my immediate reaction was to reject the idea. But I was in a pretty weird headspace when she asked and I thought it would be fun to get away for a short while. Plus my horoscope even said something along the lines of "you need an adventure, go for it".

So on the morning of the 7th of June, I met up with Leena at KL Sentral station to take the ETS train down to Penang.

Girls trip officially starts now!

I had a thought of driving but in the words of my aunt, my 'toy car' is not safe to be driven for such a long journey. Plus my mom was not comfortable with the idea of two girls driving on the highway for such a long period.

And in truth, I was not looking forward to driving in Penang. We all know just how scary the drivers up in the North could be. So the train it was because a flight was most definitely out of the question for a nervous flyer like myself.

It was a 4-hour train ride down - not too bad in all honesty. There was a section in the train where they sold some food in case anyone was hungry. The seats were pretty comfy too even if we both had our luggages tucked in front of our legs.

To be honest, I felt a little bad because Leena did suggest that we take a flight to & from Penang. But I am the kind of person where I would avoid taking a flight if I could because I hate the idea of sitting in a plane. Even if the journey is only an hour tops. So we took a longer time to reach our destination all because I am afraid of flying and luckily, I have a super sweet friend that did not mind enduring the journey with me.

The train headed for Butterworth took a stop at Ipoh Train Station and immediately I sent a picture to Reuben. Who was, by the way, also in Ipoh at the point of time but was headed on a holiday of his own. But I had demanded for another trip together soon because it has been too long since I last met this boy and our get together is way overdue.

I don't know how much we finally got to catch up with each other in that 4-hour train ride but it was not long since our brief stop at Ipoh before we finally reached our final destination! Or, well almost, because there was still a car-ride into town before we will actually get to our actual final destination.

Can you tell that we are pretty excited for our long overdue girls' trip? 

Maybe we arrived at the wrong time or it is just how it is in Penang but, the first thing we were greeted with is traffic. And here I thought that I'd be able to get away from the sight of traffic when I left KL city but then...... Cars, all heading towards the town in a slow pace.

But maybe it won't be too bad to be stuck in traffic if I had this view with me the entire time. With that being said, keep in mind that I was in a holiday-mood when I had that thought and plus, I was not driving then. If I was the one behind the wheel then I'd probably be frustrated as hell.

After a slow drive, we reached Macalister Mansion a little over 4pm and we will be staying at for the next 4 days. Truth be told, nestled between two very mediocre looking building on Macalister Road, I was quite surprised by how pretty it looks like from the outside.

Based on what I've read about this beautiful mansion that had been converted into a hotel, the mansion is named after Sir Norman Macalister. This hotel has won several awards for being one of the best hotels in Penang. The hotel is also part of Starwood Preferred Guest and Design Hotels.

Anyways, the reason we got to stay here for the few nights was because Leena is awesome and also lucky. She entered into a giveaway from Elle Magazine & managed to win 4 Days, 3 Nights worth of complimentary stay at Room 4 of Macalister Mansion. Which was why we took a train ride down to Penang together for our little getaway.

Once we walked into the mansion, the receptionist greeted us and offered us a glass of perfectly chilled grapefruit & orange juice which was perfect for the hot weather. Also what we both found very amazing was how it was served to us seemingly out of nowhere while Leena was busy handling the check-in.

Just a little note from the hotel as they welcomed us. So thoughtful.

We were then ushered to our room and was in absolute awe by how pretty the entire room actually is. I think we both took a good ten minutes just taking it all in, convincing ourselves that this would be our home for the next few days.

In truth, pictures really does not do the room, well, the entire property really, justice. I think we spent a good hour, maybe even more, just admiring every aspect of the room and taking ten thousand pictures of from every imaginable angle. Because in truth, I don't think I would ever be able to stay there again unless I am looking to splurge - which is quite a rare feat these days.

There's just so much natural light which kinda illuminates the room very prettily. Everything just looks so regal and just.... Luxurious.

I really think that the room we stayed in really deserves a blog post of its own because I can go on and on about just how amazing everything is. Words can't explain just how lucky I am to be able to stay here for, not just one night, but two nights and complimentary too!

My favourite part about the entire room is the super big King Sized bed. I don't know why but I absolutely love hotel room beds and try as I may, it is very hard to get my bed to be similar. At least not without burning a giant gaping hole in my bank savings.

But, I firmly believe that hotel beds are the beds because it is almost always covered in crisp white sheets or that it feels the most lush. Being the regular insomniac that I am, I will sleep super well on hotel beds. Also the blankets are always perfectly tucked in for you everyday and me, I love being spoiled like that.

And yes, I sit really crudely most of the time. I even get told off a lot but... Its comfortable so I don't care.

Also, another interesting feature of the room, among the many, was the contemporary art piece on the wall. I thought it would have been cooler if there was some neon lights but still, I think the artist did a good job at keeping with the classy theme of Macalister Mansion.

And yes, that is me sitting in the most ungraceful manner researching for all the yummy food places that we should go to while Leena & I were in Penang. Especially for our dinner for our very first night in town because we both ventured there with little to no planning - and for someone like me, I am surprised that I did not end up hyperventilating the night before.

The best part was that the entire trip was amazing from start to finish. With little to no planning involved.

The bathroom, holy hell, was just beautiful. I mean, holographic tiles? What is not to love?

There were two sinks on each end of the room so there is no need to wait on each other to get ready in the morning. Also, next to each sink was a very uniquely designed rack with all the toiletries which were quite the necessities, provided complimentary by the hotel.

Also, there is a shower AND a bathtub separately. Which to me just makes the entire room perfect because not many hotels comes with a bathtub and, I know this seems kind of overly dramatic, but it is quite disappointing when a hotel room does not have one.

But like I said before, the entire room will get a post of its own because I can gush about everything in Room 4 endlessly. 

Out of all the eight rooms in Macalister Mansion, the most special thing about Room 4 was the spiral staircase that leads up to a little tower where you can feel like Rapunzel. Minus the fact that you have been locked in a tower involuntarily and a prince that requires your hair to climb up just to meet you.

Once you climb up the stairs, there is a designer looking chair for you to lounge on. Also, there's a fan so you need not worry about the Malaysian heat making this space incredibly unbearable to be in. Plus, there are multiple windows which you can open to let the breeze in.

The little turret, which is what the space is called apparently, seemed like a perfect little nook if you are looking to just have a private reading space or just look at the pretty pool while you daydream.

And if you open any of the windows, you get a different view of the property. The window that I opened had the perfect unobstructed view of the entrance of Macalister Mansion and also the picturesque pure white pool.

This is such a pretty view. It is good enough to make me forget the life & work that is waiting for me back in Kay-Hell. But at least for a short while, I got to run away from everything. And everyone. Ignoring the craziness and drama that I knew waited impatiently back in town.  

While we were going about the room just admiring everything, there was a knock on the door and this was brought to us on a tray. There were two Raspberry Chocolate and Pandan Macaroons served to us in these cute little cloche.

Not only was there sweet treats offered to us but also turn down service - something neither Leena or I even thought about requesting. And to be very honest, I never quite understood turn down service because all they do is unfold the corner of the blankets after setting the pillow down. Does it make a difference to anyone's hotel stay?

Or is it just another additional luxury service provided by the team at Macalister Mansion because they just think of everything?

The minibar in the room is the best thing ever.

Not only did Macalister Mansion provide us with a Nespresso machine and 4 capsules for us to brew complimentary and these are also replenished daily. But it does not end there. There are also some local biscuits and some m&ms on the table too.

Then comes the surprise because.... When you open the mini fridge, you will find that there are extra goodies in there too. Already, they have kept two bottles of mineral water chilling in there because they know how hot Malaysia's weather is and Penang is no exception.

There are also bottles of San Pellegrino's lemonade, grapefruit and orange soda, still water and soda water. All of this are replenished daily when the staff come to clean the room. I mean, hello, has any hotel you stayed in ever provide you with such extra treats for free?

None that I have ever stayed in, that is for sure.

After a change of clothes, Leena and I decided to a short walk around the property before heading to our dinner location.

What I realise was that the exterior was decorated in a minimalistic fashion with most furnitures in white which adds to the elegance of the property. There was also just the right amount of greenery in the lawn area which makes one feel as if they have wandered right into Wonderland.

Yet when you turn around and see the Mansion as a whole, there is a very regal and colonial feel to the entire property. Whoever the decorator was, they have done an amazing job at revamping the entire place and turned it into something luxurious in the middle of the bustling city of Penang. 

But, what you need to know is that there are two buildings that sandwiches the mansion. Because to your left is a high-rise apartment and then there was an office building to your right - both could be easily ignored really. As long as you keep looking at the beauty of Macalister Mansion.

Anyway, we called a Grab once we have finished exploring and headed off to New Lane Hawker Street for dinner. And surprisingly it was only about 5 minutes away from where we were staying at - luckily for the both of us since we were both hungry for some very good Penang food. 

Although on google map's, it is called New Lane Hawker Centre; it isn't really. Just imagine small little shop kiosks lining an alley road with two restaurants on either side of it. Depending on which side you are sitting at and apparently which tables you sit at, you have to order drinks from the restaurant that is 'owns' said table. But you can order food from any stall though. 

The first thing my eye spotted was this - Eng Kee Famous New Lane Fried Oyster. Now this was something I was looking forward to eating days before our trip to Penang. I have an entire list of foods in Penang that I really want to eat and among it happens to be Fried Oyster.

I presume that it was pretty good because even though we were there slightly earlier than the usual 7.00pm dinner crowd, we still had to take a number and wait for at least 10 - 15 minutes before our order was done. Note, you do have to collect it yourself.

For a plate that was about RM12.00 and after waiting for 15 minutes, I actually think that this is a pretty good plate of Fried Oyster.

The uncle was very generous with the oysters because there was quite a lot of it and it was nicely plump without the fishy smell - which tells me that the oysters were all fresh. And there was a good ratio of egg to starch in the mixture so it was not too dry or mushy. The portion is pretty big too because with the both of us picking at this, there were still some that we could not finish.

Now that I am writing this blog months later, I do wish I had a plate of fried oyster next to me right now. Almost nothing in the city of KL could resemble what I had in Penang and it is depressing.

While we were waiting for more food, Leena also got us two rolls of Popiah to share. I am not sure if I was extra hungry or because we were on a holiday, but I thought this tasted pretty good too. The filling was just nice and the popiah with the spicy sauce tasted the best.

And then there was Penang's version of Chee Cheong Fun. I never thought I would like it because I do like the KL version where there is lots of added ingredients like fish ball, bean curd and yong tao foo pieces, then flood it all with sweet sauce. This just brings back memories of primary school days for me because that is all I wanted to eat after school.

But the kind that you'd get in Penang is just the plain Cheong Fun with a mix of prawn & sweet sauce. Which is actually pretty good because it is very savory. Different from what I am used to but I liked it.

Leena got a bowl of Assam Laksa because that was what she had been craving for. At first glance. I had expected it to taste kinda meh because the soup looked really watery and it just looks somewhat uninteresting. To me at least.

But the soup was surprisingly flavourful and after adding the spoonful of prawn sauce, it definitely had a kick. There was lots of additional ingredients in the bowl like fish, mint leaves, onions and slices of pineapple too. So it is definitely a filling bowl of noodles.

Just enough food for two girls I think. By the end of it we were both pretty full and felt rather lethargic since we started the day quite early. Once we finished as much of our dinner as we could, we were both just very excited to head back to our hotel for the night to relax.

Which was what we did after a pitstop at 7-Eleven to get lots of snacks for our night in. Instant noodles & potato chips are a must! Chocolates too!  

If you think Macalister Mansion looks pretty during the day then it looks even more so at night with the lights on.

Leena and I decided to take a moment to sit by the pool so we could enjoy the view of the mansion at night, illuminated by all the spotlights surrounding the property. Even at that point, I was still wondering if this was all really happening or if I was still dreaming.

Not long after, we both headed back to our room because we had a plan to enjoy the night with snacks and a good movie. Plus, there was something waiting for me back in the room which I was quite excited for from the moment I stepped into the room. It is something that starts with a B and also ends with a B.

I have been looking forward to filling up this tub with water and taking a nice long soak in it. Such a shame that I did not bring a bath bomb with me to enjoy when a bathtub was provided in pretty bathroom. I mean... We really were not expecting the beauty that awaited us when we took the trip down, especially me.

But I made do with my travel bottle of Strawberry scented bath gel from Body Shop. At least it smelled pretty good & still gave me a good amount of bubbles to make my bath very satisfying. After pouring a good amount into the water, watching as the tub gets full and then it was time for me to soak my weary self into the warm waters.

Can anyone explain the scientific reason behind by a bubble bath always makes you feel so good?

I would do this everyday if I had a bathtub at home. Just take an hour to myself to destress from a day of work and pamper myself.

But as of now, I still live in my parents home and a bathtub seems to something that we will not be adding to our home of 20 years as of now. So I can only hope that someday when I get my own place, whenever I will be able to afford it, I could also have a bathtub in my bathroom.

For now, a soak in the tub will just be a luxury enjoyed every now and then when I get to stay in hotels that provide it. And a reminder to myself would be to stock up on bathbombs for the next time.

Post bubble bath and the first thing I do is lay on the bed. In hindsight, I should have taken advantage of the bathrobes that were provided to us from the beginning because it was super comfortable to lounge in it.

This is probably the most relaxed I have felt for the entire 2018.

While I was waiting for Leena before we start our movie, I decided to take advantage of the minibar and poured myself a glass of Limonata from San Pellegrino. Refreshingly good after spending a good twenty minutes in the warm bath.

Of course it is a no-brainer that we would choose to watch the Devil Wear's Prada. We both have quite the unhealthy obsession with it to a point where we both can memorize almost each and every line from the script.

Words cannot explain how good it felt to just be laying in bed, watching a movie while munching on snacks till super late on a normal work day without caring about waking up early the next day for work. And knowing that we would be spending the next 3 days completely free and easy was the icing on a very delicious cupcake.

Good night! Bonne Nuit! 

This marks the end of our first night staying in Macalister Mansion. Also the end of the first day of our Luxe Girl Trip but, this is just the beginning. There are still much more interesting fun to be had.

Safe to say that I have been missing those few days for the longest time now. I will go through periods of me just scrolling through the many pictures that were taken for the duration of the trip, wishing and longing to be in the same moment once more. 

When can we do this again?

Trash TV Obsession - Life of Kylie

So as you all know I have a bad habit of binge watching TV series' on the weekends, holidays or just any free time I have. Plus I usually watch tv series' while I'm painting or doing my art stuff because it helps pass the time.

Cause watercolour painting gets rather draggy cause you have to wait for each layer to dry before you can add on top of it. Unless you want it to become one giant muddled mess in which I will most probably scrap the entire piece and start all over again. Since I've been making a lot of progress in terms of painting, I would rather not go back to that phase of mistakenly scrapping art pieces before I even try.

Anyway, I recently started watching Life of Kylie. As odd as it is for me to say this, coming from someone that loves watching shows like Criminal Minds & Mindhunters, I think I am kinda into it.

Yes, it is Trash TV, I know. It's kinda the same as Keeping Up With The Kardashians which I will put into the same category of Trash TV as well because they add absolutely zero benefits to anyone's lives aside from entertainment of watching a whole family being absolutely shallow together.

As much as I hate to admit this, I do occasionally watch Keeping Up With The Kardashians. But it's not like I actually follow the series to heart. I just watch random seasons and episodes then grow bored after perhaps six episodes in. I don't know why but it just happens.

Anyways, that other Trash TV obsession aside, I just started Life of Kylie about a week ago. I thought of watching it just for fun, thinking that I was going to hate it and roll my eyes every two seconds. I mean I still do, not gonna lie. Plus she is not exactly my favorite Kardashian of the bunch to begin with.

About two episodes in and a lot of internal cringing afterwards, I am actually quite into it. There is no other way to put it other than I love watching Kylie make an absolute fool of herself. And she is actually more airheaded than her older siblings which I chalk it up to her being young & spoiled. In some ways I guess she is incredibly lucky to have the life that she does just for being Kim K's sister.

But it does not come as no surprise that the youngest Jenner does not seem to appreciate the luck which life has given her. In fact I think she feels quite the opposite. The one sentence she said in the very beginning of the series that cemented how pathetically good this show is going to be for me was

"I am just like every other teenager. Except I have like nice things"

You have no idea how hard I rolled my eyes when I heard that line. I swear I could almost see my own brain just self-destructing in my skull for watching such a trash show. Except I fucking hella love it!

She says this right after she very outwardly complains about being "famous". In fact I think there are about two or three episodes where she complains about the fact that she is the Kylie Jenner.  Oh my oh my, how difficult life must be for someone to have so much fame and money.

There are so many instances where Kylie says things that makes little to no sense. I guess she tries to sound smart and perhaps even a little bit like a role model but...... She's nowhere near any of that. And being the horrible person that I am, I just find it all incredibly funny because seeing someone so shallow makes me feel so much better about myself.

I mean to be very honest, I myself can consider to be a very incredibly shallow person. Often times a little too much and am quite unapologetic about the fact that I am too. But then I watch a little Trash TV like this and suddenly, I feel like a damn saint.

We also need to talk about how Kylie gets a little contradictory with herself too which is kinda sad because it's now immortalised into a TV series for everyone to see. I don't know whether to feel bad for her or just..... I don't know, laugh I guess. It's the only thing I can think of doing each time she tries to sound smart.

Case in point......
1. Practically hating the fact that she is famous because she never gets any privacy. Practically just being ungrateful for everything that she currently has all thanks to fame. Especially her cosmetic line which she seems to be very proud of without realising that the reason it is successful is because of her fans. Woe is you, life must suck.

2. Kylie complains (almost endlessly) about needing to put up a different kind of persona online. In fact, she says all the pictures she posts are exhausting her and she makes it sound as if she does not enjoy doing it at all. But based on what I've seen her post and how frequent she posts things on Instagram & Snapchat, she seems to be fine with it all.

3. Talking about makeup not being a necessity even though everyone knows she relies quite heavily on it. Plus she is the CEO of Kylie Cosmetics because she loves makeup which she says herself a few times too.

Though to be honest this one amused me the most because I kind of understand her sentiment. I look like an armpit without makeup too but I would never so confidently say that I do not need it WHILE I have a full face of makeup on.

The entire scene could have been scripted, I am not entire sure since the youngest Jenner speaks pretty monotonously sometimes so it is hard to tell.

-------------------------------------------------------

Since there are only 8 episodes to the series, it is safe to say that I finished the entire season super fast. And I am not sure if they are even going to continue airing Life of Kylie anymore at this point since it seems to be on a hiatus for a few months now. Maybe not enough views so it got shelved?

That really should not come as a surprise because the entire show gets pretty boring after a while. Which says a lot considering how little episodes there are. I guess there is just not enough interesting shots or drama for the entire series. There are so many parts of her life where they the crew aren't allowed to film like the Met Gala and then there's her relationship with her then boyfriend, Travis Scott because she wants to keep it private. Like what?

And the random gaps in the show are just filled in with stories from Kylie's insta-story or Snapchat. If you are already her follower then you've seen most of them before so why would anyone wanna see it again on a TV series?

In truth, I definitely prefer watching Keeping Up With The Kardashians more. Only cause the dramas are more exciting plus you see quite a lot of the family's personal life including sibling arguments, all their individual private relationships and all sorts of crazy things in between. I mean what is the point of watching a simple non-drama-filled reality TV series?

Even if it is about 98% scripted. It doesn't really matter because at least the series is still filled with all sorts of crazy scripted stories. I mean hell we got to see the whole Bruce/Caitlyn Jenner transformation.

Plus, Khloe & Kourtney are my absolute favourite Kardashians because they are both the most sarcastic and straightforward bitches ever. The things that the youngest Kardashian sister says are the absolute best. QUEEN OF COMEBACKS! 

Come on. Take a fucking xanax is just the best damn thing to say to someone that is being crazy for no absolute reason. I fucking love it except I don't know if people in KL will really understand the burn because Xanax.

Although sometimes Kourtney annoys me because she seems to always fall back into whatever psychotic dynamic she has with her then boyfriend. But she is also pretty sarcastic & can be pretty cut-throat heartless when she wants to be. That is one of my favourite

With that being said, it is time for me to get back to my Trash TV right now because it's the weekend. Plus the weather is perfect to just stay in bed all day whether it's with a good book or with some tv series.

❝A sad soul is always up past midnight.❞ 

- Unknown

Until next post darlings!

Coffee, Pretty Please | Pulp by Palpathea, APW Bangsar

I just had a thought. It isn't exactly an elaborate one but it is enough to have me wondering if life works in the oddest possible ways.

For some weird reason.... Whenever I am at home and have already made the decision to stay at home, there is literally nothing in the world that can get me out.  I mean the world could be ending and I still would be adamant about staying indoors, mainly hidden in my room till everything ended. Spoken like a professional hermit.

But when I am already out however, I find that there are too little hours in a day that I can spend with whomever that I am with or where I am. Which was the case with Reubs & Leena. I mean, midway through lunch, these two were already talking about bringing me over to APW. Obviously there is zero complaints coming from me since it has been so long since I last saw them and I have already made up my mind on spending the entire day with them beforehand anyways.

Just don't make up plans last minute expecting me to go along with it, especially when I'm already at home or have made up my mind to go home. I'm an introvert and need proper mental preparation if I am to go/be out. #justputtingthisouthere

More adventures together please!

So, Leena told me about Pulp having really good coffee and plus, considering the fact that it was a weekday, she presumed that the space would be pretty empty. Something she really wanted while she finished up a bit of work. Meanwhile Reu could try to get in a little bit of studying (because I kind of forced him out xp) and this gives me a chance to finish my little side project.

APW was a mere five minutes walk away from Naj & Belle and since we were all super stuffed, walking seemed to be the most obvious choice. Plus we all knew how hard it is to get a parking around that area of Bangsar so it was a good idea to leave our cars at PAM Centre and make our way over to APW on our legs.

Thankfully, the weather was on our side too considering the hour of day we finished our brunch. I mean, in Malaysia, that is a rare feat. It was humid but at least there was no sun and super minimal breeze. Are we lucky or what?

No surprise that we managed to get a table almost immediately after arrived at Pulp. Though there were still a lot of people having their lunch and coffee fix there - some were even office workers. Maybe they have more freedom than I do so they take the opportunity to work outside of their designated office seat because it gives them an energy boost?

Because Coffee is all you need to survive the day.

Anyway we got a really nice table at the corner of the cafe, set our stuff down before making our way to the counter to order. In truth I was a little at a lost when I saw the menu because one part of me wanted to gravitate to my usual order of Cappuccino, but I already had that moments ago and another part of me wanted to try something different.

In the end I took the cashier's recommendation and ordered Pulp's In-House White Cold Brew which was served in a very nice bottle I must say. I find it quite funny that there's a 'do not remove from the property' printed on the label because sometimes, people need to be told embarrassingly enough. So don't go getting any ideas and decide to be sneaky. Please be civil human beings everybody.

As for the coffee, I quite liked it because the White Cold Brew was very creamy without being overly milky if that makes sense. Like a very smooth Latte, a super OP version you've ever tried before, without the taste of coffee being overpowered by mediocre milk. This did make me reconsider changing my regular order of Cappuccino to Latte instead. That's if I can get coffee as good as the ones you get at Pulp.

Whereas Leena ordered the opposite of what I had which was the In-House Black Cold Brew. I'm not one to drink black coffee because most of the ones I've tried before usually have a sour taste which I can't seem to appreciate. I had a sip of the cold brew and thought that it was actually pretty good. There was no sour after-taste and I could still smell the coffee.

Reu Reu however went in a very different route and order Iced Mint Chocolate. An odd selection but it was pretty good. The mint flavour was pretty pronounced even though the chocolate was super thick. Though I probably would not order that when I visit Pulp - coffee will always be my go-to beverage.

Chocolate Truffle Cake

We spent a good few hours there and I oddly enjoyed the feel of just chilling at a cafe be it to do work or just to be for a while. I loved those few hours that we were there especially because Pulp plays really good coffeehouse jazz musics.

Midway through the day, we decided to get a Chocolate Truffle Cake as a treat to share between the three of us. Not being much of a sweet-person I only had a few bites of the cake and in truth, it is pretty good. Just maybe a tad bit too rich for a single person to finish it on their own.

While Leena was finishing up her work and Reu was studying, I was just chilling. Though really I was trying to finish up a wedding invitation I was helping my friend to do and I was taking really long because in truth, I've never done graphic designing before. I've never even studied the basics except for a little tricks which I picked up from youtube videos. I basically self-learned Adobe Illustrator and also Photoshop - so to have someone trust me enough to design their wedding invitation was freaking amaaaaazing. And stressful.

Also, to have someone trust in whatever little skills I have in wedding planning was the biggest honour I am ever going to get. Though this, I will have to talk about in another post or else this one is just going to be all over the place.


Anyway, evening approaches and we finally decided to take our leave. Leena had another engagement to get to so we all thought it was best to call it a day. But not without taking many many pictures to commemorate the day.

Going for a little bit of a glamourous Beegees-esque shot here.

I kinda am loving the hell out of this picture which was taken by my friend who is one of the co-founder of Makirito. It's basically a giant burrito but sushi-style which sounds hella good because I love anything sushi-related. I have yet to try it out yet but this also means that I will have to drop by APW again soon to try out the other restaurants there.

Apparently Proof + Wine is pretty good from what I've read from bloggers and heard from a few friends - so I definitely have to drop by once more someday to try all the restaurants there. There's Breakfast Thieves, Kaiju, Proof + Wine and Makirito.

More food adventures with my pretty brunch gang, I think yes!

Can't believe I'm going to say this but we've actually known each other for quite a long time. Has it already been six years since we all met in college? Where has the time gone?

Mandatory 'not-looking-at-the-camera' shot which 99% of Instagram girls do. I mean I personally love this angle for me so you can't see how chubby my face actually is so I see no reason to keep this photo.

Can you tell how amazing my friends are at photography?

Is this my natural expression? 

So I was editing my pictures and as I close the tab of my previous photo, I am ambushed by this very unready photo of myself. It was clear that I was dying from the heat and just.... I can't even explain this expression but I find it so funny that I can't not share it.

And because it is practically blasphemous to not have my photograph taken at the infamous stairs of APW, I had to have a mini-shoot there. Plus I have an amazing photographer with me that day so it would be foolish to not be taking advantage of the moment while I could.

After all, who knows when will be the next time I will be back here. So here are some gratuitous photos of myself which Reu took for me hence the fact that it looks really good. The photos I mean, not mean.

Pic Credit: Reu reu

Pic Credit: Reu Reu
Dress & Bag from Zalora
Shoes from H&M

Now after months of procrastination, I finally got this blog post up and in the meantime I actually had so many odd little adventures along the way. Which I guess is good for me to attempt to keep this blog alive despite how little effort I have been putting into this space.

So let's hope I manage to keep up this random interlude of updates now.

❝She's mad, but she's magic.

There is no lie in her fire.❞ 

- Charles Bukowski

Until next time darlings.

   

Escape into the City | Naj & Belle, Pam Centre, Bangsar

Here here!

Let it be known that this introvert here was daring enough to take a step out of her comfort zone and did something different for once. (;

Though to be honest, it is not like I went cliff diving or anything like that so it isn't that big of an achievement. I mean, yes, I finally took a day off work and it is not because I am super sick which requires me to stay home to rest.

There are no words that can express just how much this day was needed.... Though it took quite a bit of courage from me to take a day off from work and I am glad that I did. And once I had the idea in my head, I just could not stop thinking about it.

Luckily for me, Leena had the day free to work from anywhere she chose and Reubs had no class as he was studying for exams. What better company than these two to go on a mini-adventure with me on a Friday afternoon.

Technically it was supposed to start out as a nice brunch session with Leena first and Reubs will meet us after his errands were done. But it comes as no surprise that I woke up later than was intended because I so smartly slept super late the night before - stayed up late to catch up on my reading.

So our brunch date ended up being a lunch date though by Malaysian's timing standard, I wasn't all that late. Even though I did make Leena wait for me a little longer than I was comfortable with. ;-; Plus, by the time I arrived and found a parking, Reubs arrived no more than ten minutes after me. I guess in a way..... It was perfect timing?

Image Credit: VMO Rocks

Naj & Belle is located at Pam Centre, Bangsar. Not going to lie, I find this place very unique building and I personally love the architecture of it. So it is no surprise that Naj & Belle has made itself home in such a unique place.

I really love the interior decoration. Simple and minimalistic with a touch of class with marble table-tops which honestly could never go wrong. There is also a slight industrial feel to the atmosphere which I believes comes hand-in-hand with Pam Centre's exterior design.

I wish I took more pictures of the place but I did not and..... My camera died after taking no more than 3 pictures of our food because I had not realised the night before that the battery was next to empty. So it blacked out and was rendered useless after.

Thus, a lesson was learned - always check camera battery the night before an adventure.

Feeling like indulging that very day..... I decided to order the Sirloin Steak Sandwich with a sunny side up egg and a side of fries and was somewhat disappointed. Although the portion was larger than what I'm used to seeing, I honestly would not repeat my order if I ever to drop by Naj & Belle again. Though to be fair, I do like the roasted capsicum jam as a condiment to the hot shoestring fries even if everything else was lackluster.

And because I have not had my caffeine fix yet at that point, I had to order a Cappuccino or risk falling asleep mid-conversation with my friends. It's pretty good though not the best that I've had. But when you are desperate, anything goes.

Leena ordered Benny the Bull and let me tell you, this was much better than what I had for sure. Braised beef cheeks served over Brioche toast with Hollandaise sauce with crisp battered onions topped with arugula. Once again the portion was larger than usual and when the dish arrived, we were pleasantly surprised by it's presentation.

The beef was so perfectly tender and the sauce that it was braised in was so so so so good. Putting every ingredient plus both sauces into a single mouthful is a great way to start your brunch. Definitely would give this an A+ for presentation and mainly the flavours.

Reubs made the best decision of the day by ordering this dish - New Moussaka. This is probably the best dish out of the three that we ordered from the menu. The sauce that the meat has been cooked in was super flavourful from all the herbs used in it, meat was tender and the bechamel sauce added another layer of indulgence to the dish.

There's definitely a twist to the traditional version of Mediterranean Moussaka dish executed perfectly well by the chef at Naj & Belle. It was everything indulgent in the food world put together to form a super beautiful dish that left you hungry for more. I am salivating just thinking about this dish again. It is that good.

And I think it was at this point where my camera made a very sad beeping sound before it's screen turned black. I knew that the battery was completely drained even though I have taken all of four pictures since our arrival.

So all pictures from here on out are taken via iPhone 6 and some aren't even taken with my phone but rather from Leena or Reuben's phone. And truth be told, an iPhone takes pretty good pictures if not the best. There is nothing a little Photoshop colour touch-up can't fix in my opinion.

But you know...... Beggars can't be choosers and just like in life, you have to make do with what you've got to work with. Rather than bitch complain about things you can't change, move on from it and learn your lesson.

And that is Amanda's two cents for this post. Rest assured I'm gonna be including sarcastic advices every now & then. I wonder if anyone can catch it from time to time.

Our spread from a vantage point that is obviously not mine. 

I always have a dang good time hanging out with these two. Then by the end of the day, despite the amount of yummy food we have eaten, I go home with stomach abs just from laughing.

The best thing about our....... Eight years friendship? Is that even though we can go months without meeting and/or talking, every time we do meet, it feels like nothing has changed since college days. Even though we are each busy with our own lives - because work & university can suck up all your time, we still remain as we are.

This makes me look forward to more adventures into the city, exploring new gastronomy places with these two. Hopefully these kind of outings would get me out of my shell more often and I won't be as frustrated with everything that is not going right in my life.

And we call ourselves - Pretty Brunch Gang. 

Of course once our food was gone, sitting comfortably in our filled bellies, and the lunch crowd started filling the restaurant making it harder to have a good chat, we all made a move. The sudden increase in numbers of patrons was

But that was not the end of our day because these two are bringing me over to the new and pretty APW - the place that is full of hype ever since Breakfast Thieves made their home there. Which believe it or not, I have not even visited ever since it had started.

So these two decided to bring me on an adventure there while I am still out. But that will be continued in another post or else this one will have gone on for far too long and plus, there are just too many photos taken from our next destination to possibly fit here without seeming like a crazy person.

Well the quality of my sanity is often times debatable but I will not subject anyone to a discussion on it. Thus I'm ending this post with a pretty (IMO at least) picture of myself.

Pic Credit: Leena

❝I don't need an inspirational quote. I need COFFEE.❞ 

- Found on Pinterest

Onto the next adventure then... (; 

Yes, I am still alive.... Somewhat.

Hello abandoned blog of mine

It pains me to acknowledge the fact that I've left this space uncared for since a year ago. And if we are being technical here, it has definitely been more than a year since my last update. I want to blame it on everything in life from my work-hours to my lack of time and inability to juggle my ever-growing list of hobby.

In actual fact, I've just been very lazy on top of hermit-ing more than usual. I spend most of my time out of the office at home. There was a long weekend once, the Hari Raya Aidilfitri long holiday weekend, where it spanned from Saturday till Tuesday. In total, I had four days of rest. Though in that few days I could have gone on some holiday or adventure, do whatever that I want to do that I usually can't because of work. 

I did none of that. I did not leave my house at all. Instead I spent all four days at home binge watching my TV show, painting and cooking for myself. And when I say I did not leave the house, I really did not. Not even to have breakfast, lunch and/or dinner. 

And weirdly enough those four days to be absolutely therapeutic. I had moments to myself to just breathe and be for a while. I had not had such privileges for months at that point so to say that I was becoming a bit of an over-stressed grump is quite the understatement. But after those few days to myself, I was normal once again. Or at least as close as I could get to being normal.

Because only Eeyore understands me. Truly.

Though I can't believe I'm actually saying this despite me saying that I've been hermitting a lot...... My year of 2017 has been oddly eventful in a rather uncanny way. Too many things has happened for me to properly summarise them into one paragraph of this supposedly short post.

I guess I can only slowly update the happenings in my life bit by bit. That is the only way I know how to keep myself motivated to keep posting on this blog or else my interest in writing is just going to fade out yet again. Though I do admit that I do not write blog posts because I am lacking a lot in pictures, especially pretty ones, for posts because I am always too lazy to take and edit them.

But that's just an excuse and a habit that I have to break if I want to start committing to writing more posts. Not that there is anything wrong with posts that have no pictures. In fact, I don't mind it since I do enjoy reading. It's just that I know most people's attention span for the internet now is growing shorter as the year progresses and we are too spoiled with super HD pictures for more than just illustration purposes.

Luckily enough I actually made an effort when I took a mini-adventure into the city with my friends. It was a day off from work that I desperately needed after working for so long. But that's for another post to be written another day.

Now my mom just finished cooking dinner and there is a bowl of herbal soup with my name on it. There are no words that can express how good it is to just have a big bowl of piping hot home-boiled soup and rice for dinner. Brings me back to my childhood days and it makes me so happy.

Until next time..... :)

Love,

In The Shirt - ITSxPokemon Collection

HELLOOOOO EARTHLINGS!

Goodness. I just realised how long it has been since I had last posted something in this space of mine. Especially after checking back on the previous post on the top of my blog and it is a little disappointing to see. Only because it's very obvious that I was not as consistent as I had initially hoped to be.

It has definitely been a long enough hiatus (albeit an involuntary one) for me to feel a little weird to be typing on a blank page while watching One Tree Hill on another separate screen. I don't want to blame it on work but in truth, work has been eating up so much of my time and energy. So I've been very absent.

But! On another note! A little update is needed because a couple of weeks ago, I was shared something by In The Shirt for their new collection of new products. And if you can't already guess from the title of this blogpost itself, yes, it has everything to do with the new game that has taken the world by storm.

POKEMON!
POKEMON! GOTTA CATCH 'EM ALL!

Now not only has the game taken over most of my free time in between being a social hermit and also working, it has also managed to sneak itself into my life off the screen. Though I'm not really complaining cause the products that I was given are just too cute to resist.

Pic Credit: In The Shirt.

They have super cute stickers of all our favourite Pokemon. For only Rm 12, you get a set of these super cute stickers! There are even little Poke-balls because it won't be complete without it. I mean, come on, how are we supposed to keep our companions if not in their cosy little Pokeballs right?

And it doesn't even bother me that I do not and probably will never capture a Mew on Pokemon Go. Because now I have the precious and overly OP fella in my sticker stash.

Not gonna lie though, the resolution on the stickers are a tad bit pixelated. But since they are so cute you can easily overlook it and plaster them everywhere you possibly can. Like your notebook/planner which you use for work, maybe the edge of your desktop screen, the CPU or the panel in front of you. That way you're practically the coolest person in the office - regardless of whether your colleagues find you childish or not.

Just make sure your boss don't catch you vandalising your table or something. Then you're pretty much golden. ;)

Pic Credit: In The Shirt

Did I mention that this ITSxPokemon collection also has super cute journals?

Recently I've been into the whole journaling scene. Now I'm not exactly the most creative person when it comes to decorating my pages but I'm slowly getting there. So imagine how happy I was to get two very cute Pokemon themed journals.

For only Rm 18, you get a super cute book to show off to your friends & colleagues.

There are two designs. One of them has Pikachu on the front page with a super cute comic strip of what happens to Pikachu after the release of Pokemon Go. As much as I love my Pikachu, I can't deny that I actually like the Charmander journal more because the comic strip is funnier.

The inside of the journal is blank pages so you can use it to doodle or sketch if you're the artistic kind like the founder of In The Shirt. Or maybe you could use it to take notes while you're in class or at work. Personally I just use it to doodle in cause I can barely write in a straight line when there are grid-lines so a blank page is a nightmare for a very OCD me.

So the journals are priced at Rm 18.00 each which is actually pretty affordable and worth it cause the paper quality isn't any regular A4 papers. Plus you really can't put a price on things that are adorable, really. (;

And what's even better is, In The Shirt is having a promo where you could get both the Pikachu & Charmander journal plus the set of Pokemon stickers at only Rm 45! Get it while it's hot! You won't regret it and come on, you will be the coolest person in the office or class. Everyone will want to be your friend to know where you got your stationary from.

Also! You could always get a 10% discount off your purchase with the code ITSAMANDA10. So what's stopping you from shopping now?

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

Check out In The Shirt's Facebook page for more cute products and also to see what they've got coming up next! If not, keep an eye out on their Instagram page where they update us on what's new that will be coming in store and if you want to place an order, it's super easy.

All you have to do is send them a message or comment "I want to order!" on their page. Then someone will get in touch with you almost instantly and you can place your order. Then all you have to do is wait till your item arrives which you will definitely love. Because I do. :)

See ya next time, dolls!