It’s been a long time since I had a girly girl weekend so I was totally looking forward to our relaxing beach getaway with my 2 good friends whom I’ve known since primary school, Cat & Juliet who came in to KL from Singapore the night before. Having been to the lovely Pangkor Laut Resort numerous time before (twice for a wedding shoot, once for a birthday celebration and another for our FIFOTO company trip in 2009), I was certainly no stranger to the island. What keeps me going back to the island? Definitely the excellent service, the sumptuous cuisines, the beautiful beach and clear waters at Emerald Bay.

It’s a 3-hr drive from KL. You get to the Marina Island Pangkor at Lumut and you take a 5 min speed boat ride to get to Pangkor Laut Resort (PLR).

Once we checked in, Juliest & I headed staright to the pool for some sun. Cat who had a fever from 2 nights ago wasn’t feeling well and decided to take a nap.

By late afternoon, Cat was feeling better and she made it to the spa with us. If you ever visit PLR, you HAVE to experience the Award-winning Spa Village, at least once. The Spa is special because with any spa package you take, you get to enjoy a unique bath experience which starts off with short traditional foot reflexology/foot bath.

as you enter the “bath gates”, you make a wish and throw a coin into a well…

… then you get to the cold bath. It’s pretty cold water so we take a quick dip and get out as fast as we can!

(But of course, we withstood the cold for a photo!)

Next, you’re led to 4 heated aromatherapy corners where you slowly inhale the relaxing vapors from 4 different scents that are calming and relaxing.

Before you take a dip in the “hot springs” (heated pool), you’re required to scrub and wash yourself in a Japanese-style bath

This next part is the nicest – you get to dip in a warm pool, for as long as you like… and warm tea is served!

The last part of the bath experience includes a scrub.

Now, after you’re all relaxed and cleaned, you’re wrapped in a sarong of your choice (which you also get to take home with you as a souvenir) and led to the massage rooms for further relaxation. The massage session is magnificent. Ayu, my masseuse was so good that I fell into a deep sleep and when I woke up, my body was completely relaxed… the knots in my neck and shoulders were gone and my body was soft like a jelly fish. I can’t remember the last time my body felt that way but it felt GOOOOOOD!

Unfortunately though, Cat didn’t feel that great after the spa, probably due to the cold bath and with her not feeling well in the first place, it definitely did not do her any good. Poor Cat stayed in bed that evening and we requested for porridge to be sent to the room for her. Her dinner came with a handwritten/drawn “Get Well Soon” note. Sweeeeet!

Juliet & I had dinner at Feast Village. Since we took the Accommodation + F&B package, our meals included our choice of an appetizer or dessert and a main.

Day 2

Mariana, one of the Managers at PLR called us early in the morning to check on Cat and offered to bring her to the Doctor. Juliet & I went for breakfast while Cat went to the in-house clinic. She met up with us soon after and had half a slice of bread. Poor girl! Breakfast is served at Feast Village and they have a wide variety of buffet spread ranging from Asian to Western. My favorite for breakfast is the juice bar where you pick your mix of fruits and greens and they make you a cup of fresh juice! Rejuvenating, revitalizing, refreshing!

Look who decided to join us for breakkie!

After breakfast, Cat who still wasn’t feeling well, returned to the room to hibernate. Juliet & I headed to Emerald Bay where we spent the afternoon chillin’ by the beach and playing in the waves (it was high tide that afternoon)…

We had our lunch at Emerald Bay itself and played in the sea awhile more before heading back to the spa for round 2 of relaxation!

We had initially pre-booked one spa session but we ended up going on both days. Yes, it is THAT GOOD!

Since we stayed at the Garden villa and we’ve been taking the car back and forth, I suggested we take a slow walk and enjoy the beautiful sunset by the sea villas…

we headed to the pool for a short swim before dinner…

It was Jules and I again for dinner and we decided to try the other restaurant that was included in our package, Uncle Lim’s. Here, they serve nynonya/thai style cuisine. Super delicious! (Actually, the food at all the restaurants I’ve been to from my past few trips, have all been really good!)

Jules was bored at work… look what she decided to do…

Day 3

Our last day on the beautiful island and finally Cat was feeling slightly better. I got a text from Mariana (because she didn’t want to call the room and wake us, how thoughtful!) that morning asking how Cat was feeling. And on the day Cat was feeling well enough, it had to drizzle. So I kept thinking sunny thoughts but it kept on drizzling…

So after breakfast we hung out in the library where they were giving complimentary neck & shoulder massages while we waited for the sun to come up. Sure enough, it did, but just about enough time for 20 mins by the pool, have our lunch and then get ready to leave. Me being me, suggested the girls take the latest flight out (from KL to S’pore) so we could extend our stay, even if it meant a few more hours… I managed to get them booked on the latest flight, coordinated our boat time (from PLR back to Lumut) and requested for a late check out. All that in a few short minutes and there we had it… we bought ourselves 2.5 more hours on the island!

Since Cat had missed out on almost everything on the island (which means she has to make it back again sometime soon! … with her hubby, perhaps? hint hint Lawrence!), we decided to bring her to Emerald Bay to spend whatever time we had left…

… and before we knew it, it was really time for us to leave. This time, for real, unfortunately! We were presented with photo greeting card to remind us of a fantastic girly weekend getaway (not so fantastic for sick Cat but at least she has photos to remind her of our weekend together!)

We’d like to say a big THANK YOU to everyone at PLR who provided such personable and excellent service, which made it the fantastic weekend it was!

For those of you looking for a short, relaxing weekend getaway in a secluded island with NO distractions (there’s no night life, no shopping, just you and the island), I would totally recommend PLR! And if you’re Malaysian, or Singaporean, or if you’re an expat living in Malaysia or S’pore, you can take advantage of the special All-inclusive Resident package (which is what we got) which includes accommodation and meals. If you only have 1 weekend to spare, I’d recommend the 3D2N package. But it’s never long enough. Personally, if time permits, I’d recommend you do the 4D3N package. Best way to book is online at www.ytlhotels.com.my or call the YTL Travel Center at +603 2783-1000.

All photos above taken from iPhone 4s.

Check out our 2009 FIFOTO Company trip photos here!

Speaking of company trips… we are going on our 2012 one in a few hours! So watch this SPACE for photos from our next FIFOTO crew getaway!

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!