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!

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 =)

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!

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

It took us another hour by car to get to Montreux where the BAT summit was held, a beautiful town by the Lake of Geneva. The drive along the Lake of Geneva, the largest lake in western Europe, was a scenic one. Terraced vineyards lined the coast of the lake. Across the lake is the French side and a lovely view of Mount Blanc, the highest peak of the Alps is faintly visible. We stayed at the Montreux Palace Hotel situated by the lake and took a nice long stroll into the town of Montreux (right by the beautiful waters) and relaxed over drinks before we headed out to dinner. The weather was just perfect hovering between a low of 10 and highs of 20 plus degrees.

This is Montreux Palace, where we stayed…

We took a romantic walk by the lake…

Day 2 – Thursday

As the summit opening commenced at 4, we had the first half of the day to ourselves to explore! We made our way to Gruyeres, a medieval town 40 minutes away from Montreux. The main attraction there is a medieval castle built in 11th century. Situated on a hillside slope, the view of the Alps and the vast greenlands was fantastic!

That evening, we had sundowners and canapes on the terrace, overlooking the lake and beautiful sunset at the Le Petite Palais. I was introduced to a couple from Vietnam, Janet  and Dan (not their real names coz they are covert like that) and Andrew, MD of BAT in Vietnam. Also at our dining table were Taiwanese reps from BAT and Pan, the CEO of FamilyMart. It was obvious that everyone was impressed by the opening talk that swimmer, environmentalist and former maritime lawyer Lewis Gordon Pugh gave. He had swam 1km in the north pole, another in Mt Everest and was giving inspirational and motivational advise. The two things I got from everyone there were:

1. Radical Tactical Shift – What used to work before may not necessarily work in today or in future. And at times, a different approach may be needed for success.
2. Don’t set yourself up for failure. (Only set one objective/goal in your head. If you have a backup/exit plan, you’re psychologically preparing yourself for failure.

Gruyeres

… view from the Castle…

Inside Castle Gruyeres

The view from the Castle was just magnificent!

I found my Prince Charming! I fell in love with Prince when I saw him! He is a mix Yorkie and Shih Tzu! Super adorable!

I absolutely loved my trout!

Day 3 – Friday

The ladies were treated to a pampering session at Clinique La Prarie. I had opted for collagen mask and face massage which was followed by a healthy lunch the La Prarie restaurant.

The Montreux Jazz Gala dinner was a black tie event held at the Salle des Fetes, the ballroom of our hotel. The evening started out with champagne and a group photo session. Dinner was exquisite, especially the funghi risotto dish prepared by Michelin-starred chef Anton Mosimann OBE and his entire crew who were flown in from the UK just to cook for the event! Ming had the pleasure of sitting next to BAT CEO Paul Adams who is a great guy with a wonderful sense of humor! Everyone at BAT seems to remember him by the stories he tells of his son, setting him by example and relating it back to the workplace. His tip to us that night was “Management by Stories” – that people forget the PowerPoint slides and charts you present to them but they remember stories.

After dinner, there was wine and cigars and we randomly bumped into a gentlemen who was also part of the summit and somehow or rather, he ended up giving us 2 tips on love and knowing if your partner is THE ONE. He said:

1. She is not the one if she doesn’t give you shit. (good one!!)
2. If you can’t imagine your partner making u laugh 25 years from now, it’s not gonna work

Duly noted with thanks!

Day 4- Saturday

It was a 60-minute train ride to Gstaad, a ski resort/town 1050m above sea level. Upon arrival, we hopped onto a horse-drawn carriage and circled the town. The weather there was surprisingly warm (well, just perfect, I thought) and I didn’t need the overcoat I had brought with me. Despite the lovely scenery and nice weather, the windy car ride through the mountains back to Montreux made me sick and I was thankful when we arrived back at the hotel.

Dinner that night was divine. Andrew had made reservations at a lovely French-fine dining restaurant by the lake, L’ermitage and the food was superb, despite the waiter who’s service didn’t quite match up. We checked out the party scene in Montreux that night which only got happening at 2-ish, which was also about the time we were ready to go to bed, (blame it on old age, or old souls!). Besides, other than the fact that the clubs there close at 5am, I think we do a lot better in KL!

In the train, on our way to Gstaad…

Gstaad town

Andrew & William checking out an antique…

Every other passerby had a dog!

On our way back (by car) to Montreux… (I was car-sick soon after I took this photo!)

Day 5 – Sunday

Our last day was somewhat relaxing. We visited Chateau de Chillon (pronounced Shee-on), a castle built on an island of rock in the 12th century. It was there at the souvenir shop where I discovered Smarties Pop-up ice cream, one of the greatest inventions in the history of ice creams on a stick! I am head over heels over my new-found guilty pleasure and couldn’t help myself so I had two of those. I’m secretly thankful though, that they don’t have it in Malaysia so I don’t over-indulge! Lunch was a little lackluster, as expected, after two delightful Smarties ice creams! No doubt, the company and view of the lake was amazing, as always.

This is a cool invention! Check out how it works! And you get a Smarties treat at the end of the ice cream!

And what better way to end the vacation than to buy RM1500 worth of Swiss chocolates as gifts! Yes, the sales lady and a few other passengers thought we were crazy or don’t have chocolates where we come from!

A big THANK YOU to William who took such great care of us in Montreux and for his kind hospitality!

To our new friends Andrew, Janet and Dan (not your real names but you know who you are!) it was a pleasure meeting and hanging out with you guys! You guys are a fun bunch and I’m looking forward to some jaw-dropping, eyebrow-raising action during our next visit to Vietnam!

Last but not least, I just had to post this up! After 10 minutes of looking around the hotel room for plug points, I finally realized that the cool looking dots on the wall were electrical points! I’m assuming it can fit various plugs as well, which not only looks funky but it’s so practical!

… and it looks even cooler with a plug on it!

]]> http://www.fifoto.com/blog/montreux-switzerland/feed 5 http://www.fifoto.com/blog/egypt http://www.fifoto.com/blog/egypt#comments Sat, 10 Apr 2010 09:58:05 +0000 fiona http://www.fifoto.com/blog/?p=4311 Having eagerly waited almost two years to finally get a chance to visit Egypt, I was stoked to finally land on ancient grounds. Air pollution and dust hails in Cairo and those were My first impressions of the city but I was soon mystified by the magnificent pyramids of Giza. As I stood in awe of the Great Pyramid (built by King Khufu), the sight of tourists soon faded into the background and I soon immersed myself in the history of the Pharoic period as it was recited by Ahmed, our tour guide for the day. And of course, having traveled so far, how could I miss the opportunity to check out what lays inside a pyramid! I decided to explore the 2nd pyramid, built by King Chephren, son of King Khufu. As you enter the pyramid, you descend underground before you start ascending toward the tomb. The corridors are narrow and only a little over a meter in height, not a good place for those who suffer from claustrophobia.

The third and smallest pyramid was built by King Mykerinos, son of Chephren. Beside it, you will notice 3 smaller pyramids. Thos were built for his 3 favorite wives…

And how could I not try riding a camel in Egypt?? Holding onto my life with my left hand, I nervously managed this shot with my right hand! Camels are TALL, VERY TALL!

That night, we had dinner on board the Hyatt Cruise and watched a belly dance performance.

Day 2 – It was a 2.5 hour drive to Alexandria, a city located north of Cairo and sits right along the Mediterranean sea. Founded by Alexandria the Great, this city is quaint, a lot greener and a lot less dusty.

We drove around the city…

and visited the Alexandria National Museum…

Day 3 – Borg el Arab
Borg el Arab is a new industrial estate not far from Alexandria. My dad spends at least 2 weeks of every month there since he set up his factories in Fayoum & Alexandria about a year ago. And although I’ve seen his glass factories before, I was curious to check out this new one!

We headed to the marina for lunch and to check out Mr Baraka’s summer home. Located about 30km from Borg el Arab, the marina is beautiful development that sits on the Mediterranean sea. The waters are clear but very cold at this time of year. Just perfect for summer! (which I intend to return for another vacation soon!)

This is Nour, Mr Baraka’s daughter, a 10-year old with a brain of a 20!

Day 4 – Luxor
A one-hour flight and we landed in Luxor. Luxor is Luscious in green but because it’s located further south, it was HOT! The city is believed to contain 1/3 of the monuments in the world and is divided into the west and east bank. We started our tour just as soon as we landed at the airport!

Valley of the Kings – Known as the religious capital of Egypt during the new kingdom, Luxor was chosen as a burial ground for the kings to escape tomb robbers. Albeit the scorching desert heat, the underground tombs maintained a cooler temperature and i was mesmerized by the grandeur structure of the corridors and the intricate inscriptions carved on the inner tomb walls. Unlike the pyramids of Giza, these corridors were large, at least 3 – 4 meters in height. No photos are allowed in the valley of keys and the tour guide had already warned us how strict they are but I managed to sneak a shot on my iPhone (which we almost got caught for!)

Hatshetsup Temple. She was the most famous pharaoh and most powerful queen who ruled Egypt in the 18th dynasty.

By the 4th day, I had fully immersed myself in their culture and was looking for my Arabian prince…

My favorite temple of all the places I’ve visited here in Egypt has to be the Luxor Temple. In the midst of towering pillars and giant statues of phaorahs, i stood there amazed, mesmerized and in awe… That such massive structure could be built so many thousands of years ago, when there were no cranes nor machinery!

Inscriptions on temple walls are plentiful. This one below contains hieroglyphics and depicts offerings being made to the Gods.

In the evening, we checked out the Sound and Light show at the Karnak Temple …

Day 5
The day started early, as usual. We departed at 7am and made our way, to Aswan, a city about 300km south of Luxor. The auburban landscape was an interesting one, with lots of green (sugar cane, palm trees and Padua fields) right by the Nile river and the rest of it is dessert. Two and a half hours into our journey, we arrived at a town called Kom Ombo and we made a quick stopover at the Kom Ombo Temple, which, unfortunately after having visited the temples at Luxor, we weren’t quite impressed by.

From there, it took us another hour or so to reach the heart of Aswan and all along the way, I was amused by the many donkeys we passed and camels being transported at the back of trucks. (there’s a camel bazaar in one of the towns nearby… What’s a camel bazaar? I asked… They buy and sell camels and /or slaughter and eat them!)

Soon, we had arrived at the city of Aswan and I was taken aback by the lovely scenery by the Nile! Countless sailboats lined the riverbank and our hotel, Movenpick was located on a tiny Island on the river! They say the water on this part of the river is so clean it’s drinakable and true enough, the waters here is crystal clear, but not enough to convince me to taste it! Our hotel was so nice we all decided to cancel our tour guide and stay in instead. I finally got a chance to relax and tan by the pool!

Day 6 – Like many other tourist, we flew into Abu Simbel (30mins away from Aswan) for 2 hours to visit the two temples and we flew back to Aswan right after. Originally located by the Nile river, this temple, built by King Ramses II was discovered underwater and was carefully relocated to higher grounds (not far from its original site) in 1964. The relocation process took 4 years to complete. This temple is especially special because on 2 days of the year (Feb 21 & Oct 21, the latter being the King’s birthday) the sun shines directly into the 3 statues placed at the end of the temple. After its relocation however, those dates were delayed by one day. The second temple was built by King Ramses II for his favorite wife, Nefertiti.

We returned to Aswan for a late lunch (after having spent so many days in Egypt we were all immersed intheur culture which included lunch at 3-4pm and dinners at 9-10pm!) Overall, our stay in Aswan was a pleasant and relaxing one… We flew back to Cairo late that night…

Day 7 – Our last day in Cairo was packed with To Do’s! We started out at the Cairo museum which I completely loved! I had the pleasure of meeting most of the famous (& decaying, well not really) kings and queens of the pharoic period (their mummies, of course!) and I am amazed at how their teeth, hair and nails are preserved till this day! Most impressive of them all are King Tutankhamon’s (the youngest king who gained power at 9 but unfortunately died of malaria at 19) treasures found in his tomb. His coffin was enclosed within 4 shrines, made of wood and plated in gold. And his mummy was enclosed within 3 coffins. Imagine Russian dolls! An 11kg solid gold mask, together with a whole bunch of other precious and intricate jewelry were placed atop his mummy.

The treasures found in his tomb were just stunning! There were so many items including his chariot, throne, figurines, chess set, weapons and the list goes on! Unfortunately, no photos are allowed and I didn’t dare risk being caught this time round!

After the museum, we stopped by the “Hanging” Coptic Church, constructed and suspended above a Roman fortress.

Before lunch, we popped into a famous silver shop (I had held out on buying silver jewelry all trip long coz Mr Baraka mentioned that the store he knows in Cairo charges half the price of silver per gram!) I say “famous” because The Clintons have been there! Silver jewelry were found in bucket loads and we picked out items like there was no tomorrow! I managed to find some really cool antique Bedouin (they are the nomadic tribes who roam the desert regions of Egypt) necklaces which I absolutely love!!! By the end of the hour, we had spent USD5000! (No, I did not buy that much shit, my dad and his friend did!)

The photo below was taken specially for my nephew Nata who loves elephants!

We had lunch at a quaint Egyptian restaurant at Khan el-Khalili bazaar, located in the Islamic district of Cairo, one of the main tourist attractions…

One thing we had without fail at every meal was the very sweet & yummy honeydew melons!

Apart from being harassed by all the street vendors every 2 seconds, the bazaar setting was great for photos (although I was a little apprehensive to take photos of the people and the stalls coz that would give them a chance to hassle me for money!)!

A very big THANK YOU to Mr & Mrs Baraka and family who took such great care of us during our stay in Egypt!!!

A 20-minute boatride away from Jesselton point of Kota Kinabalu, we arrived at Bunga Raya resort on Gaya island. The view as we arrived at the jetty was breathtaking! With mini huts on stilts that lined both sides of the long wooden walkway and crystal clear blue waters underneath us, my jaw dropped and I was mesmerized!

Tucked away on a secluded part of Gaya island (Gaya is a HUGE island,  and currently has 2 resorts, by the same owner, Gayana & Bunga Raya), Bunga Raya is new, very new. With an eco-park concept, the resort sits on a cove and 88 species of hibiscus (bunga raya) have been planted around the area. Out of the 47 villas, only 3 were occupied (that included us!). Our villa was strategically located near the beach and a 5-minute walk from the “main building” which consisted of the Koi restaurant, ballroom and pool. It claims to be a 5-star resort but the service and food is nothing but. The staff are friendly but poorly trained except for two or three “brighter” ones. The food menu selection was limited and due to the low occupancy, they didnt even have some of the choices available.

Other than the slow service and mediocre food, I absolutely loved the place! Our villa had a private plunge pool which was super romantic especially taking a dip under the stars and bright moonlight. This part Steve would love – the soft drinks and tiger beer in the fridge were complimentary and refilled everyday! PLUS (I especially love love love this part!), complimentary pre-dinner drinks – wine on the house!

On the first day we arrived, we pampered ourselves with a 3-hour “Water Harmony” spa treatment which consisted of a foot bath, scalp therapy (super relaxing!!), body scrub and an aromatherapy message. I must say, the spa treament was superb and certainly was of 5-star quality!

My G9 stopped working since Day 2 as we dropped it from moving some “furniture” around so I relied on my trusty Iphone, which I’m perfectly happy with!

Check out the fishes!

View of the jetty at night. We hung out at one of the little cozy huts that night…

Day 2 – we slept in and had a late lunch by the beach bar. And the food selection and taste was by far a whole lot better than that of THE KOI restaurant! We were ecstatic! That afternoon, we took a boat to Gayana resort, a 10 minute boat ride from where we were, situated on another cove of Gaya island. It was a completely different atmosphere here -crowded with many guests, and wayyyyyyy more water activities, the air was lively! While Ming took a short dive, I snorkeled. There were a ton of fishes, including nemo, some psychedelic fluorescent ones, and a whole lotta other kinds (I’m no fish expert!)… huge clams, anemones, corals and sea rambutans lined the sea bed and I even saw a poisonous fish ( Ming said it was) hiding behind a huge coral.

My favorite time of the day is between 6-7pm where wine is served. We hung out by the bar and got a little bit wasted before a very “healthy” dinner of fried EVERYTHING at the Chinese seafood restaurant. (The food and service at Gayana is a lot better than back at our hotel, probably because the staff are better trained and more experienced) As we refused to take the 6:30pm boat back to Bunga Raya (how could we miss our pre-dinner drinks?), our next boat ride was at 10:30pm. With almost 2 hours to spare after dinner, we went for foot reflexology and a head & shoulder massage!

This is Gayana Resort…

Day 3 – No more wasting my time sleeping in, I woke up early to tan by the pool. And the good thing about being the only other guest at the resort (the other couple had left the day before), we can pretty much do what we like, including having breakfast sent to the pool!

Having some fun with my iPhone’s Quadcam!

A last look at the beautiful jetty…

All in all, It was a great romantic getaway, too short as all beach holidays are but still, really nice and I had a wonderful time! Big hugs to Ming for the fantastic weekend!

So for those of you who’s wonderig if I liked Bunga Raya more than Pangkor Laut Resort, here’s the verdict: In terms of rooms and ambience, food and service, PLR wins hands down. In terms of beaches, sand and sea, the waters at Gaya are a lot prettier – crystal blue with tons of fishes! I also really enjoyed my spa treatment at Bunga Raya which was quite reasonably priced as well. The good news is – YTL is currently constructing an Eco-resort on Gaya island too and is expected to be ready by the first half of 2011! So you should have the best of both worlds then! Keep a look out for it!

And surprise surprise! Just as we stepped in for breakfast, I was greeted by another familiar face! Fellow wedding photographer, Jon who was scheduled to leave on the mid day boat! As luck would have it, we now had a professional photographer who so willingly and happily agreed to help us with our group photos! Having someone take the photos for us beats our ever-so-faithful Mr Tripod but what’s more, we had the talented Jon Low shoot us!

We headed to Emerald Bay and had a blast ! (as u will see in the photos to follow!)

So here we go… FIFOTO Trip 2009 @ Pangkor Laut.

WARNING:PHOTOS RATED PG18. YOU MUST BE 18 AND ABOVE TO VIEW THE FOLLOWING PHOTOS.

Arrival at Lumut at 8:30am!

Thanks Jon for the amazingly fun-filled group portrait session!

For those who don’t know who Jon is… he’s the pimp daddy in the middle

It’s a rat race!!

FIFOTO is all about LOVE!

… and action-packed too!

Meet Jeff… he was the one who made our trip a spectacular and memorable one!

That evening, Jeff had organized a sunset cruise for us and 4 other girls (who happened to be my friends as wel!) We enjoyed wine and canapes on a boat, watching the sunset…

Meet Aja, Mel, Gwen and Mabel

Day 2 – We went sailing!!! I absolutely loved tanning on the boat!

And of course… we enjoyed FIFOTO weather! (Blue skies, fluffy clouds!)

Mabel celebrated her birthday on Saturday and we were invited to join em!

Day 3 – Steve, Aips, Emilia & Kit went on the jungle trail… (while I slept in)

I bumped into the girls at breakfast and I decided to do an impromptu mini portrait session for them!

We headed to Emerald Bay…

Steve enjoying the company! (Look at the big grin on his face!)

… and we found a mermaid on the beach!!!!

… it was a tranny mermaid!

Chillin’ by the pool…

The 2nd Villa from the right is the Purnama Sea Villa, the largest sea villa suite which I had the chance to stay in!

Our last dinner was a private, candlelit one by the beach, at sunset. We enjoyed BBQ Lobster!

Our last day was spent relaxing and unwinding at the Award-winning Spa village, a perfect way to end a perfect FIFOTO getaway!

So… After 10 fantastic days in Melbourne, I’m finally back to the land of dull, hazy skies, slow internet and traffic jam! I was so so so wrong when I thought I’d be able to catch up on work while in Melbourne! It was indeed a good working holiday (80% play, 20% work)! My impression of the city has completely changed this trip, compared to when I was back there in 2002. This time, I really got to immerse myself in the Melbourne culture.. The food, the coffee, the art, the outdoors, the wine and the nightlife. Having taken the bus into town and hopping onto trams and trains, I really do feel like a loco! Going from one place to another is so convenient! The public transport here is clean & efficient and a day pass (AUD10) can get you around many places!

I arrived on a Friday night and the mission for the evening was to prepare for Derby day the next day! My task, specifically, was to make jello shots while Gia’s was to disguise alcohol as food or other liquids and sneak it into the party! Derby day is another world of its own! And I’m glad I had planned my trip to experience it! All the women, decked in pretty cocktail dresses, came in their fancy fascinators and high heeled shoes. Derby day was as much a fashion event as it was a horse racing event! And just for the heck of it, I bet on two horses that day: OneMoreNoMore (coz I liked the name) and Primson (coz it had high odds). Of course, that was the last I’d seen of my AUD40! But all the excitement of seeing your horse go and rooting for it was worth the 2 mins (or less!)! .. although I really couldn’t tell which horses were mine!

The rest of my time in Melbourne was left open for me to explore! We did an impromptu mini road trip to Yarra Valley and visited a number of wineries, I explored the city (more than once!), Chapel St (which I absolutely love and it reminds me of Austin with it’s quaint vintage shops, cafes and local fashion boutiques), Fitzroy (I didn’t have time to explore this area but got the chance to hang out at Little Creatures for a bit and my favorite beer is their Pilsner!) and event went to Point Cook for a shoot!

And what could be a better way to end a vacation than a Malaysian-style potluck dinner, hosted by Wanda! She made delicious tandoori chicken, which I must admit, beats the ones at Lotus anytime! Brett, Wanda’s husband (who by the way is Irish/Australian!) made superb beef vindaloo. Carrie made her famous and very yummy beef rendang. Gia & I brought salad and ice cream from Trampoline (well Gia made the salad while I packed my bags!) and Amanda baked really good and sinful chocolate souffle!

Nindia, Wanda, Amanda, Saras & Gia

Wanda + Brett, the Poser

Lena + Nic

Wanda + Amanda

Gia + Wanda

Here’s a scene from the GodFather

On Monday when everyone else had to go to work, Ferny, Lena, Nic & I drove to Yarra Valley

This was one of the most interesting pieces of work exhibited at the Yering Station.

TarraWarra Estate

Our plan was to have lunch here but they were closed, which was a blessing in disguise! They directed us to Giant Steps instead!

Ferny’s impression of “Beat It” by Michael Jackson. She did the background music too!

I love Bulldogs! This one was looking forlorn but awfully adorable! And patiently waiting for his master to finish his beer at Giant Steps, Innocent Bystander… This is where we discovered the Innocent Bystander Moscato!

The food here was DELICIOUS!

I was mesmerized by the scene at Degraves St & at Centre Place (off Flinder’s lane)… it felt like Europe, with cafes and quaint little boutiques that lined the alleys…

Graffiti is a huge part of Melbourne and you can find them at every corner!

At Brunswick/Fitzroy area…

Inside Napier Hotel, a local pub. Gia brought me here to try Australian pub food; Parma & Pot

This is Will, the jogging buddy who pushed me to keep pace going up a 45 degrees-steep slope, on my 4th km!!! (Ok ok ! It was good motivation!) We ended up doing 8.25km (2 rounds around the Botanical Gardens) and I broke my record for longest and fastest jog thus far!

We bar hopped on Thursday night and I think the best club/lounge we checked out was Spice Market! The music and venue was HAPPENING!!!

We dropped by Carlton Hotel for a Vintage sale… The hotel, people and stuff for sale were very interesting and turned out to be one of my favorite spots for photography!

Isn’t this surreal? I mean.. seriously??

Back on Bourke St (I think!)

Finally had the chance to try KOKO Black on the 2nd last day of my trip! The iced chocolate was yummy but filling! But the desserts at Max Brenner’s is also another must-try if you visit Melbourne!

I love the arches at GPO (GPO = General Post Office. It has been converted into a high-end shopping mall)

Section 8 is a container bar on Tattersalls lane. I returned 3 times during my stay there – twice for my portrait photography!

I would like to say a big THANK YOU to wonder woman, Gia who played host all week long, showed me her side of Melbourne city which I absolutely fell in love with! And even assisting me on all my shoots all weekend long, bearing the hot summer heat and withstanding hay fever! Did I mention she’s Wonder Woman? (yes, this is the same girl who stuck her hand in a loaf of bread and stuffed it with a plastic bottle filled with whisky!)

To all my girls- Wanda, Christyn, Joy (who flew in from Sydney just to spend a day with me! Thank you!), Ferny, Lena, Pauline, Purdee and the boys- Brett, Nic, the 2 Justins and Ben… It was great catching up, hanging out and partying with y’all!

A big shout out to all the people I met and the new friends I made- Amanda, corporate power woman by day & up and coming baker by night/ weekend, Will, jogging buddy and muse, Michael, Carrie, Jo, Laurent, Kieran, Kim, Josiah, Pia & Dom, Candice, Saras, Nindia & Yota, Michelle & Gerald! Keep in touch!!!

This week has been a blast from the past. I met up with two of my very old and dear friends, one from primary school, and the other from secondary school. Both who I have not met in at least 15 years! It took us a couple of hours to catch up on the missing chunks of our lives and it’s so interesting to see how so many things about a person can change and yet remain the same. And even after so many years of not keeping in touch, we caught up right where we left off!

The weather in Malaysia…if it’s not raining, it’s the haze… On the day we shot Yun Lee and Aik Han’d pre-wedding, I wasn’t concerned about either. Apart from my faith in FIFOTO’s luck with the weather, I was more excited about the fact that we were shooting at the KLPac. It was our first time shooting there and if you’re a photographer, you’d know that place is off limits for wedding photos. (David and Steve had the opportunity to shoot some portraits for a group of local comedians awhile back and the photos turned out great!) If you ask Steve, he’d tell you I was bouncing off the walls… Yes,,, I was stoked!!!
We had a blast! The two of them are so cute and comfortable together and they were pretty adventurous, venturing all over KLPac grounds. Needless to say, we were lucky with the weather again.. The rain the day before had cleared the haze and the weather that morning held out