It was an adventure of a lifetime. Well, at least for me it was. Never before have I roughed it out so hard but I must say, it was thrilling and

Ming, Amran, Tini, Jiun & I joined the “A Piece of Hope” Charity climb to Mount Kinabalu. Our first night was a relaxing one as we stayed at Sutera Harbor. The next day, we made our way to the National Park where we met up with the rest of the 200 hikers. After an early dinner, and very convincing sales pitch/live demonstration from the guys at Fusion Excel who managed to sell me RM1800 worth of “quantum” pendants and magic thermos, we headed back to our cabins for an early night, each of us anticipating the big climb early the next morning.

After a not-so-light breakfast, we sorted our walking sticks (RM5 each), personal porters/guides Hussein & Clarence, we were taken by bus to the Timpohon Gate where the 6km journey began to Laban Rata (halfway point and also the dorm where we would spend the night).

The first 1-2 km of hike was a very pleasant one. You will see the Carson waterfall within 100-200m from the starting point and one would think, oh what a pleasant and pretty hike this would be! In fact, I must say, it was a VERY pretty climb with plenty flora and fauna that varied significantly at the different altitudes.  Some parts of the trail were so surreal – it looked like a set out of “Lost”. The last 2 km before reaching Laban Rata was especially beautiful – the path of rocks was lined by Bonzai-like trees on both sides and what seemed like a Chinese Kungfu movie was actually the hardest bit of the 1st part of the journey. The rest of the trail in between is now all a blur. All I remember is having to climb way too many steps, rocky paths and staring down rock formations, trying to decide the best footing to take. All in all,  I found the trail to be a very scenic one, despite hearsay that the other longer route, the Mesilau route which was 2 km longer was a much prettier and more pleasant way. But no thank you to an extra 2km to an already super long climb! I’d rather reach the top sooner than later!

And so we did good timing and albeit the many pit stops we took (it was quite steep for most part of the journey) for re-energizing, re-hydrating or for a short breather, we miraculously made it to Laban Rata within 5 hours! The air up there was thin and poor Amran and Ming were hit with altitude sickness. We had a quick lunch at Laban Rata and headed to our dorm, Gunting Lagadan which was located another 100m, a blessing in disguise because that meant 100m less of a hike to the summit early the next morning! For me, staying at the dorm was an adventure on its own. There were 4 bunk beds to a dorm and in pure dormitory style – they gave you the basics, minus the hot water showers which are obviously a pure necessity at 10 degrees C weather. Fortunately, staying here meant that we had our own kitchen/pantry where we boiled water and bathed out of woks and pans. YAY for warm showers! We napped for awhile and woke up for dinner at about 8. Our cook, Jiun made us super delicious Maggie Mee (boy I haven’t had those in awhile!) and after hanging out in Tini & Amran’s room for awhile over a few warm cups of Milo, we went straight back to bed, considering our 2:30am start to the summit.

We were all awake by 1:30am that morning and our journey to the summit began at 2:30am. It was  pitched black and everyone had headlamps on, forming a trail of lights all the way up to the summit. The first km from Laban Rata to the summit was all steps and rocks. And then there comes a part where you hold on to a big white rope, cling on to your life and climb up a narrow path of steep, large rocks. This part, for me, was the hardest and scariest, especially when you can’t see more than 2m ahead of you and dont know what lies on the edge of the cliff. About 100-200m of this and thankfully the rest of the journey to the summit was mostly flat rock. Imagine this – you’re in the middle of nowhere, it’s pitched black. You look up and see a million stars. If you look long enough you can make your wish upon a shooting star or shall i say, MANY shooting stars. I made one. To your left, you see a faint outline of the mountain ridge. You look back and you’ll find a trail of moving lights (from the hikers making their way up). It was cold and the air was thin. The entire experience was the most surreal feeling ever! It was as though we had landed on the moon!

We spent a good hour at the summit, or more like, at the base of the summit,  taking photos of the magnificent sunrise, one many hadn’t seen in years. Afterwards, Jiun and I decided to hike up the summit just for the sake of it. Or more so for me to say that I HAVE reached the summit and don’t ever have to go back there again!

The journey down was a tiring and long one. There were some parts from the summit back to Laban Rata that were really scary – the parts where you hold on to the rope and inch your way up by the cliff in the dark seemed 10 times scarier when you could actually see the edge of the cliff and how far you’d fall if you fell. I almost had a panic attack, and I’m not usually afraid of heights! In fact I was so preoccupied with making my way down I hadn’t realized the scorching sun had burnt my unprotected skin. (silly me decided not to bring face cream because I thought the less things on my face the better, considering I wouldn’t be showering for 2 days). That was a big mistake as I came home all burnt and   I’m peeling like a reptile!

It was 10am by the time we reached Laban Rata for a quick breakfast, packed our bags and headed for national park. The hike down was an unexpectedly arduous and seemingly  endless one. We walked and walked and walked and walked. We passed trails that didn’t even look familiar, trails that I didn’t even think we climbed on the way up, which obviously is impossible. Everything from the day before seemed to be a blur and the hike definitely seemed more pleasant than the descend. Perhaps it was the adrenalin rush, the thrill, the excitement that made it all so easy to get to the top. The way back down was certainly no joke on the knees and thighs. In fact, it took us 5 hours to descend, the same 5 hours it took for us to climb!

The next 2 days were spent in KK, relaxing, and eating before we headed back to the hustling, bustling city of insanity. After 2 foot massages and many days of rest, I can finally feel my legs again and almost have them back to normal.

If climbing Mount Kinabalu is on your list of to do’s, DO IT! It’s a somewhat easy climb (little training needed) with a majestic view. The climb to the summit is a MUST, because it is that part of the journey that makes the entire experience so surreal and special. You must be prepared though, in terms of equipment and what to bring. I can imagine how terrible it would have been if not for the proper clothing and gear. We were also very blessed with PERFECT weather from the start till the end, where it literally poured as we stepped into the Timpohon gates at the end of our adventure. I am so thankful and so grateful for the AMAZING weather, once again.

Special thanks to Jaime and Suat for giving me all the pointers and advise for this climb, all of which came in handy and useful and saved our lives!

Arrival at the National Park – This is the view of the mountain from our room!

Thanks to the guys at Schmidt Marketing, we had the Minox binoculars to bird watch

The next morning, we started our hike at 8:45am from the Timpohon gate.

 3.5km in… Most of the trail was like this – rocky but stepped…

Another glimpse of the mountain on our way up…

There were tons of interesting flora & fauna

have you seen the carnivorous pitcher plant?

almost reaching Laban Rata! The view was just amazing and so was the weather!

… after numerous groups of people who kept telling us we were 10 minutes away, even though their “10 minutes” seemed to stretch for an hour… we FINALLY reached Laban Rata!

We slept in that afternoon/evening and started our journey to the summit at 2:30am. This photo was taken just as the sun was about to rise…

That’s Jiun, scouting out a good spot for the perfect sunrise shot!

this view (at the base of the peak) was wayyyyyy better than that at the peak itself

The Ugly Sisters peak

The peak behind us is the highest point of Mount Kinabalu

After all the excitement and picture-taking, Jiun & I decided to make it to Low’s peak at 4095.2m

The peak to the left is St John’s peak. Right in the middle, you will notice a pyramid-like shadow made from Low’s peak

This is the 1-ringgit peak – Take out a RM1 note and check it out!

the two mini spikes on the left are called “Donkey Ears”

on our way down to laban rata… under the scorching heat… (BRING SUNBLOCK!)

This is our 2nd half of our descend down from laban rata…

Meet Li Shan & Li Shen, our roomies at the dorm and Hussein, our amazing porter/guide

the weather held out until we stepped foot unto the Timpohon gate… and then it POURED!

2011 and it couldn’t come by any sooner for my routine trip to the US. In the past 6 years, it seems like a routine schedule of me having to  return to the States every two years, which I’m definitely not complaining about! This time, it was for Rita’s wedding! Pure play, no work! YAY! This was a short trip by far, only 12 days to be exact, but I managed to see everyone I wanted to see, eat all the things I wanted to eat and buy all the things I wanted to buy.

To sum it all up, this trip comprised of the 3 most important things – friends, shopping, food and more shopping. Oh, how could I forget, a 10km run and a tatt!

Our first stop was LA for 4 days and after this first leg of the trip, we had maxed out our two extra duffel bags! In Austin, we bought two extra large duffels which gave us the excuse to buy more shit (because we had more space to fill!) and what I had initially planned to do in Dallas (do some sightseeing as it was my first time ever to the city albeit my 4 years in Texas) obviously did not happen. I’m blaming it on the weather because it WAS raining on the day I planned to visit Arboretum to see tulips in bloom. Really. It WAS raining. (Raina was telling me how Dallas hardly gets ANY rain and it HAD to rain on that day!) And no, I did not work my weather charms this time, I didn’t even try nor think of trying. Hey! I was on holiday and besides, that meant more shopping time for me! So yeah, there you go! It was more shopping and more eating in Dallas and I got to spend some Q-time with Raina & Amos! But other than checking out Top Golf, that was pretty much it!

So 7 bags, 7 pairs of shoes, 4 pairs of flip flops, 6 ipads, a 10km run, a tattoo, 4 extra duffels later,  (plus USD200 paid in excess baggage, the price of over-shopping!) I’m back to hot & humid weather and forced to spring back into work mode!

Big THANKS to Raina & Kudzi for putting us up in their beautiful home and especially to Raina for taking such great care of us throughout our stay in Dallas! We’re absolutely in love with Amos, her 4-year old American bulldog who has the goofiest eyes and most adorable temperament. I’m not usually a big-dog fan but his docile nature makes me wanna get a big dog!

Big Hugs to Susan, Giles, Adele, Daniel, Tina & Alex, Angela & Robert, Nausheen and the Taboadas! Was good seeing y’all again!!! Am glad we managed to catch up after 2 years!

A big shout out to some lovely people I met and got to hang out with this trip – Yao, Joolius , Nancy,  Mayu, Uncle Ali & Aunty Peony!

To Chris & Rita, aka Mr & Mrs Hewitt, congrats you guys! It was a fabulous wedding and here’s to a beautiful chapter in your life adventure!

LOS ANGELES

We rented the new Porsche Panamera

Girl Talk Concert

Austin – UT Tower

I had my first Amy’s ice cream the moment I stepped off the plane! Subsequently, I managed to eat my favorite White chocolate with oreos cursh ins for 3 more times before I left. I would have liked more of it but we didn’t have the time (or tummy!) to!

The food at Moonshine was YUMMY!

Rita & Chris’ wedding was held at the Four Seasons. It was a lovely garden ceremony right by Lake Austin and the spring weather was just perfect for an outdoor wedding!

Rita had requested for me to do a reading which I gladly accepted until she sent me the script! It was a super long poem – The Wedding Whistle by Ogden Nash. It was so long that by the time I got to the 4th verse, I had gotten over my nerves!

The ravishing bride…

We had so much fun with the Photobooth!!!

The first dance…

ZULTAN!!!

We had supper after the afterparty. “Trailer Food” has become an “in” thing in Austin whereby they sell food in trailers along 4th & 6th St. Super yummy too!

I was so happy to have the chance to meet Seb & Annastina, John & Vera’s kids who grew up so quickly! Annastina is so sweet and well-mannered and Seb is so outgoing, witty and so adventurous!

Right after lunch with the Taboadas, we headed to Salt Lick for the famous BBQ!

The Austin Statesman Capitol 10k run happened to be the weekend we were there and when I had found out Raina & Nausheen had signed up for it, crazy ol’ me decided to join in the fun, even though I didn’t have time to properly train for it. The weather was perfect that Sunday morning. Chilly at first while we waited for the run to start but once you’ve warmed up and onto your 2 km, it was just perfect! Unlike boring and poorly organized runs in KL, this was an entirely new experience. People came dressed up for it! There were cheerleaders in tutus, superwoman, wonder woman, batgirl, the list goes on! And all along the way were family and friend cheering people on… There were tons of signs supporting moms – “go mom go”, “my mom’s a rockstar!”, “we love you mom!”. One family wore cow suits (even grandma on a wheelchair!!) And in true blue Austin style, there was music everywhere! Local and high school bands played live music along the way which kept our spirits up and cheered us on!
It was an awesome run and I totally enjoyed myself!

Raina made us all T-shirts!!!

I made best time in all my 4 10km runs! I clocked in at 1hr 8minutes, beating my previous time by 4 minutes!

At Chuy’s for some Tex-Mex!

…and then the moment came, finally!

This trip, I got to meet Maggie (Rita’s baby) and Amos (Raina’s baby)…

DALLAS

I didn’t get to eat my Schlotzsky’s back in 2009 so this time round, I made it a point to have my pepperoni pizza!

Meet the Wees!

This was my first time meeting Baby Austen… (everyone with all their babies…)

The food at Houlihans was AWESOME!

Ming wanted to check out Top Golf in Dallas, a revolutionary driving range which keeps track of your scores!

My lousy attempt at golf…

More food, super delicious burgers at FUDDRUCKERS!

I forgot how good Shiner Bock tastes!

Our last night in Dallas, we had dinner with Raina & Kudzi at Stephan Pyles. I had the 500 gram steak (gave away 2/3 of it of course!). Dessert was YUMS!!

We stopped by LA for a day before catching a flight back to KL.

This is Laguna Beach where we visited Ming’s friends, Uncle Ali & Aunty Peony.

We hung out in Santa Monica after that and it was my first time here. The town reminds me of Miami, minus the old retirees and beefy men. I absolutely love this town and plan to make a trip back there for a proper visit!

My favorite Dippin’ Dots! Soooooo expensive!!!

We passed this very adorable Labradoodle on our way to the hotel. I’m soooo in love with this breed!

Our last meal with the bunch prior to our departure…

BYE BYE USA!

All photos taken with my beloved Panasonic Lumix GF1 =)

The last time I was in Guangzhou was in October when I went shopping for bathroom accessories and household fittings. That was a nightmare, not because of the language barrier (I speak “poor” Mandarin but could get by perfectly fine, especially with Anny who was there to help me translate) or anything else but poorly because of the abundant choices that were available and trying to balance design, practicality and costs was a big headache. If you’re into design and have ever done any renovations before, you’d know that beautiful things aren’t necessarily the most practical. Let’s not even bring price into the picture! So, it’s been quite a fun and challenging journey for me trying to balance all 3 aspects of interior design! I get to use both my left and right brains in the process and am really enjoying seeing things down to the nitty gritty details to ensure its aesthetically pleasing, practical and cost effective.

My trip to Guangzhou this time was nowhere close to a headache. In fact, I had a blast being spoilt rotten for choices!

Upon arrival, we visited Zhu Jiang Xin Cheng Furniture Mall in Guangzhou, just for a look see and price checks. I was initially quite apprehensive because all the things I like are modern furniture and I was afraid I’d only find the cheesy China-made stuff. Oh boy I was sooooooo wrong! So the first day was a good one – I had found a few sofas, chairs, shelving and other items I liked, a lot. All things were KIV until after Shunde, Foshan which was the main purpose of the trip.

The next day, we drove to Shunde, an hour’s drive from Guangzhou city.

I was very impressed and amazed as I stood in the middle of the Louvre Furniture mall in Shunde. I stood in awe as I stood amidst the 183,000 square meter (that’s 2 MILLION square feet, mind you!). 8 storeys of shops, all furniture! Holy Crap! Just name what style you like and they WILL have it! Neoclassical furniture, modern, post modern, antique, wood, classic Italian… The list goes on! Forget about backward China. Forget about cheesy china-made items. That was like 20 years ago. The modern stuff you find in this mall alone is more than all the modern furniture places you find in KL! And the best part is, they are sold at a fraction of the cost! (well, ok to be honest the prices aren’t as cheap as I had expected, well at least not for the items I chose anyway. The better quality stuff, you get at probably 1/2 the price as compared to KL. If you choose to have leather, it gets quite expensive! There was an imported chair I liked that cost RM4000! We managed to bargain it down to RM3000 after half an hour of negotiations and purchasing other items at the store) What’s also cool about shopping in China – you can pretty much custom make everything! From material to color to measurement which is probably why I enjoyed it so much! I even made FIFOTO carpets!

The entire main street of Shunde is lined with gigantic furniture malls. The street is at least 1 km long! GO FIGURE!

The mall next to Louvre, which we only had 30mins for, was lower end and I found the same exact items for even less! So.. If you have the patience and energy to hunt down the best prices, Shunde is the place for you!

This trip to China was certainly an eye-opener. Sure, I know all things nowadays are made in China and of course, I know Shanghai is a cosmo city and I constantly hear my dad sing praises of how the Chinese can do the impossible, etc but you don’t really know or more so, your mindset doesn’t really change from hearsay. This time, I witnessed it for myself and I must admit, am impressed!

All I have to say is… I’m PROUD to be Chinese!

Here are some cool finds!

I bought these… One side of the bed – A bunny!

The other side of the bed – The Pistol…. and on the floor, a rabbit carpet! MUAHAHAHAHAHA

I absolutely love these red “Jimmy Choo” chandeliers but thought it would outlive its novelty within a few months…

… and this is comfy chair!

Despite the North-South Korea political tensions, and after unsuccessful attempts in trying to make last minute backup plans for Christmas, we headed to Seoul!

Our plane landed early. The journey from the airport reminded me a lot of Detroit – cold and industrial. In fact, for the next few days to follow, a lot of the city reminded me a lot of the US. Apart from American chains like Krispy Kremes, Dippin Dots (my favorite!) and Bennigans that sprouted everywhere, some parts of the city had similar characteristics to the streets of New York and the suburbs of California.

Day 1 – Shopping!!!

We stayed at the Marriott in Gangnam area and coincidentally, it was also where a subway interchange was conveniently located which made it very easy for us to get around. The first day was allocated to shopping and we headed to Myeong Dong where shops lined the streets at every intersection for one entire block. Here, you can find a good mix of international and local brands, including a 3-storey Forever 21 store! (there was so much stuff to see at Forever 21 I had a headache and had to leave). What I love most about Myeong Dong however, are the street food stalls found at every corner, at every turn. There was one stall in particular, selling deep fried potato curled up onto a stick. Dipped with a special spicy powder, that was THE BOMB!!!

After Myeong Dong, we walked a couple blocks towards Namdaemun market, a wholesale place which seemed unusually dead and empty. So we took a cab, (accidentally hailed a black taxi which Tina already warned us about coz they charge premier rates, double that of the normal cabs) and headed to Doota mall. It was 10:30pm. Yes, we reached the mall late and what most would consider closing time but mall closing hour was nowhere close! We had Bibimbab at the food court before we started shopping. The clothes there are trendy and reasonably priced. However, accessories and shoes are expensive and if you have big feet like me, don’t bother! I guess it was a blessing in disguise coz I acquired 2 pairs of boots and a pair of flats instead of a duffle-bag full of shoes, which would have been the case if I had smaller feet! We only lasted till 1am and decided to call it a night which was still nowhere near closing time! They close at 5am!! Go figure!

Despite the North-South Korea political tensions, and after unsuccessful attempts in trying to make last minute backup plans for Christmas, we headed to Seoul! We arrived early which was great because that meant 4 full days in Seoul! The journey from the airport reminded me a lot of Detroit – cold and industrial. In fact, for the next few days to follow, a lot of the city reminded me a lot of the US. Apart from American chains like Krispy Kremes and Bennigans that sprouted everywhere, some parts of the city had similar characteristics to the streets of New York and the suburbs of California.

Day 2 – The Touristy Stuff

The late night before, cozy bed and cold weather outside meant we slept in pretty late. We headed to Kyung Bok Kong for lunch where Myoung Bin had recommended a famous ginseng chicken stew restaurant. After lunch we headed to the Kyung Bok Kong Palace where we walked most of the palace grounds albeit the biting cold and ended up at the palace museum cafe for some hot chocolate to warm us up! (coffee & hot chocolate stops were common throughout the trip as it was one way of keeping warm! Those Japanese heat packs are also one of the greatest inventions! I made sure I kept one in every pocket and slipped some into my boots too! Yes it was THAT cold and I was without gloves!)

A 5 minute cab ride later, we reached Insadong, a quaint shopping district filled with arts and craft and trendy local labels. Attracted to the Christmas lights and the hustle bustle, we walked straight into an open-air mall. Our mission here was to buy gloves, and a proper bag to put all our souvenir shopping from the palace museum. We did find gloves and the guy at the same store donated a recyclable bag to us! How sweet of him! (I suspect it was coz he liked Ming!). We met up with our friends later that evening and headed to Myoung’s favorite BBQ restaurant at Apgujeong. The food was delicious! (Probaby the best meal we had in Seoul! ) Later that night, we checked out a bar/lounge built within a huge container. I particularly loved the concept and layout of the place, especially for a home studio. Just a pity the idea came too late for the FIFOTO studio!

Kyung Bok Kong Palace

I absolutely loved the barren trees in winter, something we’d never find here in Malaysia!

Insadong – open air mall!

We did not have our caricatures drawn. We didn’t need to as we found this hanging at the stall!

Day 3 – Unplanned-Chillax-Christmas Eve!

It was Christmas Eve! We didn’t have anything planned and decided to just go with the flow! A long cold walk from the Apgujeong station and what felt like an hour later (it was probably just 20 minutes but it felt LONG!), we tried some local cuisine and then headed to Lotte World where Myoung insisted we try the Gyro Drop from about 70 meters high. I think we were afraid of the cold, more than the drop itself. From up high, we enjoyed a breathtaking view of the city lights before our hearts fell to our asses and the windchill bit through our adrenaline-filled veins. It was fun while it lasted! We checked out the indoor shooting range which I was stoked about! (I’ve been wanting to go shooting in KL but never got about to doing it!) Amazingly enough, I hit 3 bulls eye and scored a decent number my first 10 bullets! For dinner, we headed to Sin Cheon for street food but ended up in a local Korean restaurant for chicken galbi (the street vendors were nowhere to be found, we figured it was due to the cold weather!). Our Christmas eve party was in Heaven with Myoung and a few of her friends! It was a good night especially after a very late night supper before bed!

Lotte World

My favorite Dippin’ Dots! I think I had at least 5 of these during our stay!

Notice the layer of ice on the water? Yes it was that cold!

The traffic was really bad!

Day 4 – Our last day!

The Noryanjin fish market was top of my list to visit and we finally made it there after getting lost (misdirected) twice! It was no fun being lost in the icy cold weather but we finally made it and with no regrets as it was a fantastic photo op for me! Here, you can find anything live, and fresh! You can pick from a vast selection of seafood and apparently, they would cook it right there and then! What I really couldn’t take though, was how they beat up the fish! They whacked the fish with a wooden stick on the floor to kill it and it happened at almost every stall we walked by. I had to look away! So after walking the entire stretch of the wet market, we found a decent restaurant where they’d cook our fresh seafood. After a good 30-45 minutes of mis-communications in the ordering, making several phone calls to Myoung and watching the freshly sliced octopus squirm on the plate, we got to enjoy our shabu shabu style octopus and flat fish (well, technically speaking, only Ming got to enjoy both dishes. I was too traumatized from the squirming octopus I couldn’t even put it in my mouth even after it was cooked!)

It was 6pm after our “lunch” at the fish market and it was nightfall. We decided to make our way to Apgujeong, another shopping district, slightly more upscale than the ones before. Here, you will find a ton of funky local brands, designer cafes, restaurants and a good mix of international labels and departmental stores. After another hot chocolate pit stop, we headed to Myoung’s for her Christmas house party!

Weather forecasts said it would snow the next day, which was also the day of our departure. We were anxious to wake up to a white Christmas but much to our disappointment, it was just plain cold! I wonder if it did snow later on! Both of us love it in Seoul and can’t wait to be back, especially under warmer conditions which would mean less suffering and more shopping!

Noryangjin

Noryangjin Fish Market

this octopus squirted some water at Ming… it was huge and restless!

… the beat the fish with a stick…

We bought our seafood from a friendly guy nearby the restaurant… he was just posing for my photo, although eating live octopus is common in Korea!

The octopus continued wriggling even after it was placed in our hot soup!

Shopping @ Insadong