Just taking a break... in Bali!

My favorite sports drink - Pocari Sweat! What do YOU like?

Sun, sea, surf and INDONESIAN FOOD! It's good for your body Mark & Karen would agree.

BOMB Mexican food at Mojo's Burritos. We ate here like 5 times while we were there! Hanging with Benson, Julie, Charles and BENTOOOO (aka David).

 If you haven't heard of DJ Bento... Where on Earth have you been? Educate yourselves. Definitely download this mix for your gym playlist too.

The INDOs sure have a good sense of humor!

Look for me in the August issue of NewMan (Malaysia) magazine!

With some of my favorite Malaysian beauties.

My new favorite snack. Baby carrots with 'HOT' Tostitos salsa dip. You'll be so full, trust me, you won't feel like eating else anything after!

Back in SF. Scrappy wants out. Aww...

Bomb make-your-own salad at Pluto's! In Palo Alto...

Tasty, and goes well with beer but for your own good, you better have some gum or mint ready because it's going to give you a nasty breath...

Instant cup noodles? Try instant cup cereal! Wished they sell these where I live now, it would be so handy.

I'm a proud owner. A friend bought this for me as a birthday gift after he remembered that I showed him the Shake Weight Dub YouTube video...

 Click here to see the Shake Weight Dub video

Vegas blues...

Trying out some new products from Maximuscle.sg

A friend of a friend was celebrating his bachelor night there (as expected) so that was reason enough for us to take an hour flight down from SF to Sin City.

VEGAS HERE WE COME!

Diggin' the purple mood lights.

Not your typical boring-ass safety and features instructions booklet that's for sure...

Don't you hate it when people do that?

Awesome feature.

SIN CITY.

Hotel where we stayed at... Plainly named THEhotel.

Mandalay Bay pool... Bodysurfing anyone?

The sun was blazing hot but thank God it wasn't humid so we weren't sweatin' our asses off. Also, people don't really give you disapproving stares if you're wearing very little clothes because it's VEGAS!

Best Japanese food I ever had at RM Seafood. The surf and turf sushi (far left) was delicious x100.

Keeping ourselves entertained while the boys play Black Jack.

Then later kicking their asses at beer pong. Boo ya!

When someone's got a ride like this, you know they're up to no good...

What happens after this might be a little inappropriate and unnecessary to share on my blog but the best way to put it is... "What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas."

Day 2 of partying. Ballin' at XS with E, a friend from Florida and his girl Arianna.

Unlike here in Asia (like in Bangkok, Singapore and KL), bottle service and table reservation are only for the high rollers. A table by the dancefloor can easily set you back at least 5 grand (US dollars). A bottle of Johnnie Walker Black Label is about USD500 while at most clubs in Asia, it's about USD100.

We literally partied until the sun came up. After XS, we went to Drai's, an after-hours club. If you like hiphop, this is the place to be... But you better know someone who can hook you up otherwise you're likely to be waiting in line for an hour.

Don't be surprised if you see a pro-NBA star at Drai's... Or Diddy, for that matter.

I'll have that strawberry platter...

By the time we got home, it was already 8am... Slept for a few hours and dragged ourselves out for lunch a little bit of shopping.

Could this be the biggest FOREVER 21 store?

Shopping at Fashion Show Mall.

After 2 nights of partying on Thursday and Friday, we decided to take it easy on Saturday night and signed up to watch an adult cabaret-style show called Zumanity. It was absolutely out of this world and totally worth every penny!

We probably would've partied again on Saturday night after watching the show but not when we have an 8am flight the next morning. So instead, we walked along the strip, and went back straight to our hotel to rest.

Our last meal before we left... In-n-Out! Animal style fries... Mm. I didn't finish the whole thing though, of course.

Another long journey back to SF, Tokyo, Bangkok and then home in KL...

2 birthday cakes is the way to go! Charles got me a cookies & cream ice-cream cake and the complimentary chocolate cake was provided by the restaurant.

Capturing moments with a polaroid.

Hard to believe it's already been a year since I moved to KL! Met some quality people who made that night extra special...

Flying from Tokyo to Honolulu and celebrating with a glass of bubbly!

Plane food is not so bad afterall...

Saw 'Soul Surfer' while flying from Tokyo to Honolulu. Based on a true story about pro-surfer, Bethany Hamilton. I highly recommend it!

This is Honolulu.

Forget lemon water... Try pineapple water!

So Charles and I actually made it to the wrong hotel. We were supposed to go to The Marriott WAIKIKI Edition but went to The Marriott on Waikiki Beach instead. They were totally on opposite sides of the map but on the flip side, at least I got to try the delicious pineapple water.

Welcome to Hawaii - where the weather is perfect all year round.

Exploring Waikiki by foot...

I had to make up for that huge meal I had on the flight but I forgot how big the proportions are here...

Charles took it easy with a burger and beer... That's okay I guess since we're on a holiday. That said, 'ISLANDS' serve some pretty mean burgers! It's located at Ala Moana Center. After lunch, we walked back to the hotel and crashed until 10pm...

A secret bar awaits behind that bookshelf... At The Waikiki Edition (Marriott)

Went for a walk along the beach around midnight... Damn jetlag!

Found ourselves at MAC 24-7, a favorite spot by the locals to hit up after-hours. It's located at the Hilton on Waikiki. The chicken adobo was legit - best I ever had really!

Lunch at Duke's the next day.

I gotta warn ya, I know this is a health & fitness blog but I've got tons of food pics in this post so if you think you're going to start binging, please click away. If you have strong willpower, continue to scroll down.

I was only able to eat half of that sandwich. And yeah those nachos were as good as it looks...

The infamous Duke's Hula Pie. You gotta try it! Oreo cookie bottom made it hard for me to resist...

Soaking up the sun and letting the food digest before catching the waves.

Just after surfing with a giant sea turtle! It was incredible to see the turtle bobbing it's head out of the water. It was literally an arm's length away from us! Should've worn that rashguard though... Note the redness on my upper abdomen.

Sunset is beautiful in Hawaii. Had an early dinner at Marimoto Japanese restaurant at The Waikiki Edition before heading to the airport. By the end of the trip, I realized that we ate mostly Japanese and Mexican food!

We managed to get some shut eye during our 7-hour flight from Honolulu to San Francisco and we arrived in SFO at around 9am. Dropped our stuff off at Charles' mom's house in San Mateo and quickly chowed down some Mexican food at Poncho Villa Taqueria before heading to the city to see a GIANTS vs PHILLIES game.

Charles was reunited with some high school friends and we also got to catch up with a friend some Singapore who now lives in SF. Good times!

Patrick (left) is looking a little like Dwayne Johnson in this one.

What a shame but my camera was out of battery so I had to take photos with my iPhone. We went clubbing in SF that night at Vessel and there would've been some wicked photos from the party if only my camera was working!

Charles' mom spoiled us with some good ol' homemade food while we were there...

Dogs as accessories. Missy (left) is 14 and Scrappy (right) is only 2. Such sweethearts.

We went to Six Flags near Vallejo where we only went on 3 rides. Sounds pathetic but the 3 rides were massive! They were 3 of the biggest rides there... I think I suffered a whiplash the next day. Or maybe we're just getting old...

Dinner at home with Charles' folks. Alicia cooked up a storm! My mouth is watering just thinking about it...

Korean BBQ for lunch at Benihana's in San Mateo the next day.

BBQ dinner with my aunt and cousin in San Jose. Wished we had more time together! Another crappy quality photo taken with my iPhone.

Missy loves car rides... She's switched on whenever she hears 'CAR RIDE'!

Scrappy prefers to chill in the back seat with me.

Bomb salad bar in Palo Alto called Pluto's.

Mexican food (again) at Palapas in Santa Cruz while visiting Charles' relatives.

Revisiting Charles' high school.

What a great setting for a run around the lake in the backyard.

Driving down to SF. This time, Scrappy took the front seat with me.

Catching up with old friends at Tipsy Pig, a great chillout bar in SF. I forgot that it gets pretty cold at night in Frisco... Thank God for that leather jacket from YesStyle.com which I packed at the last minute!

Buzzzzzed!

True Filipino-style homemade chicken adobo. The last meal Alicia cooked for us before we left SF for Vegas! I'm afraid my blog is quickly turning into a food blog with all these yummy photos of food...

 Part 2 of the trip comin' right up...

In other news, I had a pretty relaxing weekend although I'm starting to feel a bit under of the weather since last night. A few of my friends and I made a roadtrip to Pahang for a mini getaway. Somewhere in Janda Baik, way up the hill, there's a resort called Saufiville... Amazing!

Welcome to Saufiville. Your sweet escape.

Felt like Bali! And this place is only an hour away from KL City. Can you believe that? It was Jeanette's birthday so she organized this little trip for everyone. Good job, JT!

Need to getaway from the city?

Check out their Facebook fanpage if you want to find out more about the place.

Boys being boys.

I absolutely loved the view. We spent most of our time hanging out at the balcony and the pool, soaking up the sun.

JT + Joao vs Charles + me. We won!

Ian doing a bit of research on the dozen of scarabs at the villa. No bugs were harms during this experimentation.

Dozens of these buggers flying around...

Hubba hubba

A toga-themed birthday party! All the guys dressed up... Some brought a white cloth, others used white towels. Guess who?

DINNER!

Yummy in the tummy! Want abs? Avoid processed meats and go for the real deal... BBQ-style!

The food was EXCELLENT! They served BBQ chicken wings, steak, lamb shanks and crispy fish... The sauces were all home-made and hella good too. The seafood aglio olio ran out FAST. Almost everyone opted for pasta instead of fried rice. It was so good that we ordered the pasta again for lunch the next day!

Yes, Charles wore a towel... Toga-fail!

And what's a birthday party without a birthday cake? Mmm... Digestives crust - my favorite!

Breakfast/lunch the next morning before we bounced.

We left the day at around 5pm and drove back to KL. A 45-minute drive because there was no traffic. A blissfully relaxing weekend in Pahang yet so near to the city. Back to the grind...

White dress and boots from YesStyle.com / Long cardigan from F21/ Shades from Tiffany + co.

Sky blue handbag also from YesStyle.com

There's a first time for everything and so this was my first time ever going to a concert. I know, shocking. But I've been saving the experience for my most favorite band. It means the world to me that Charles bought me the ticket because he wanted to be responsible for crossing out 'Watch Jimmy Eat World Concert' from my bucket list. Sweetness.

The crowd in the photo below actually looks a lot bigger than it actually was. I'm not complaining. I didn't get to stand in the front and center of the stage but I was close enough. I'd say there were probably only about less than 1000 fans who attended the concert which isn't surprising considering how underrated this band is...

I was so amazed by the band's energy and how good they sounded live. To say they were simply amazing is an understatement. They showcased an epic, epic performance.

There was no opening act for their concert so they started playing right on time at 8pm exactly. They opened with 'Bleed American' which I think was totally the perfect track to kick off their performance.

Charles asked to play our favorite song, '23' on J.E.W.'s Facebook fanpage which I think they must've played according to our request because they mentioned "This is a request..." right before they started playing. I didn't see anyone else request for that song on their page so it really must have been!

The public event by Cozycot is to celebrate International Women's Day (IWD) and was held at Orchard Central on March 12, 2011. Coincidentally, there was also another event held in the mall - the opening of the first Cold Stone in Singapore! That is insane. I never thought it would open here...

DID YOU KNOW THAT: The worst drink in America is the PB&C from Cold Stone? It is worth 2,010 calories, 131 grams of fat and 153 grams of sugar. If you're going to eat that, you might as well not eat anything else for the day. I was very tempted to have some ice-cream as I walked past Cold Stone but thankfully, there was a huge line so I scrapped that stupid idea.

So what are 100 women receiving this award? We were nominated by family, friends and colleagues, as well as by CozyCot, with one or more of the following attributes:

• Contributed significantly to their family, or others.
• Demonstrated passion and drive for the enhancement of a cause.
• Undergone a challenging experience to obtain her goal.
• Shown passion in her career, and the interesting nature of her job.

Here's my statement:

Orchard Central was P A C K E D that day! A lot of people turned up for the event to show support and take advantage of all the bargain provided by the sponsors of the event.

^ Found a mini cupcake with a note that says 'You Are The One!' on my seat at Cozycot's IWD event. What a thoughtful gift! Alright no ice-cream for me that day, so I took a bite of this!

^ Receiving my award from Nicole Yee (Founder, CozyCot) and Agnes Loek (Guest-of-Honor & Singtel Director).

^ Cozycot's 100 Most Inspiring Real Women. Congrats to every one of you!

^Wearing the 'Sex & The City' dress by Faviana that was kindly sponsored by Dress Sense. Find out how you can buy/rent this dress in my next advertorial post!

For more photos from the event, check out the Cozycot IWD page!

*     *     *     *     *

Time to celebrate! After the event and shopping (I couldn't help myself...) a little bit along Orchard Road, I went back to my hotel for a short nap before getting ready to go out again. The plan for the night was 1) Dinner at 1-Altitude and 2) Party at Filter Members Club.

^ I like hotel bathrobes...

^ This was what I received in the goodie bag at the IWD event. Tons of coupons, a stalk of rose, a little teddy bear and products samples. Samples come in handy when you're doing a short overseas trip!

^ With the girls from Kuala Lumpur: Angie Chandran, Racheal Tan and my love, Helenness Chong. Helen's leaving KL and going to travel around Europe for a few months. I am so going to miss her!

^ Charles & I at 1-Altitude for dinner. The restaurant+bar was very posh and had a lovely view but I still much prefer Equinox & NewAsiaBar at Swissotel. Food was good but pricey. Service was excellent, even though they took forever to serve the food. The guys only started eating at about 10pm! It's quite unhealthy to eat that late.  I only ordered appetizers for dinner and that came almost immediately. I try not to have such a big meal after 8pm. Speaking of which, I'm also currently working on this 'new thing' called The Super 8 Diet. I hate to call it a diet but well, it's hard to stick to this plan. Will share that with when it's ready!

^ Charles' choice for dinner: Lobster.

^ My healthy choice for dinner... Sashimi

^ All the people who were at the dinner table. 7 from KL, 3 from California and 2 from Singapore!

^ On our way to Filter Members Club after a satisfying dinner! Tamila and Sarah were visiting Singapore for the first time from Cali. Their gorgeous tan made me realize how much I miss the California sun and sea. I feel so beach-deprived since moving to KL!

^ Holly promised to pop by Filter to say what up so she did! Ahh, it was good to see all the familiar faces at Filter. Feels just like a 2nd home. I miss that about Singapore.

^ Celebrating with a glass of Johnnie Walker Gold Reserve. Aren't I lucky?

^ My darling Rose Kye and her friend from Korea

^Burmese + German beauty, Lynn Wolf and Miss Taiwonderful, Tida Wei. These girls are a riot!

^ Hanging with Estelle Kiora and Helenness Chong.

^ Friendly faces + pretty lights + sweet vibes + hot music + plenty to drink = 1 helluva sick club party. Word!

I'd like to thank Dress Sense for sponsoring me the beautiful Faviana dress and clutch for this event. It received a lot of compliments and almost everyone who were 'Sex & The City' fans pointed out that it was such the kinda dress Carrie Bradshaw would wear.

I'll be writing about how you can afford this gorgeous dress without burning your pocket on my next advertorial post for Dress Sense. Meanwhile, check them out on Facebook!

⬇ The set-up was simple, cosy and typically like every other organic stores...

⬇ We only realized that it was a vegan restaurant upon reading everything on the menu. There were no fish, chicken or meat in any of the dishes!

⬇ Huiwen & Amanda both tried the Mushroom Aglio Olio (SGD7.80) which they found to be surprisingly tasty and filling.

⬇They also tried the Organic Lemonade and Organic Cola carbonated drink (SGD4.00 each). You can choose to add a scoop of vegan ice-cream with the Organic Cola or Creaming Soda, but this time, the girls didn't feel like pigging out!

⬇ I had the Pesto Pasta (SGD8.80) and Wheatgrass Apple juice (SGD4.60).  I wouldn't say it was mind-blowing but I did like the French beans with my pasta. The dish could use a little bit more flavor - perhaps some garlic would do the trick. I sprinkled a little too much seasoning on it (I think it was paprika powder...) which made it tastier but my stomach was burning by the time I finished everything on the plate. I should really take my doctor's advice and lay off the spicy food until my acid reflux has gone down. But man, I just can't live without spice.

The Wheatgrass Apple juice was recommended by the waitress and I liked it. It tasted more like apple juice than wheatgrass but was certainly refreshing.

Thoughts: While the food is reasonably priced, the dishes are fairly easy to prepare for yourself at home. Everything on the menu is so healthy that they don't even do fries! It's nice to see that there's finally an organic vegan restaurant in town, perhaps they'll bring Whole Foods to Singapore too? Although, I highly doubt it as the prices will be insane.

Speaking of which, would I be vegan if I wanted to? The answer is yes. But I don't think I'm ready to commit on giving up fish and chicken. I could maybe try it out for a week though. We'll see about that.

KL, when are you going to catch up and start opening up more healthy restaurant/cafe spots?

Real Foods is located at Central (Clarke Quay) at#B1-52/53.

Today's lunch - Zesty steak from Quiznos (better than Subway, but not as healthy).

My new favorite drink - Vitamin Water. Such smart marketing for a bottle of sugary drink. But since I don't drink any sugar drinks, I'd like to think I'm at least entitled to this one. I really like the 'XXX' - Acai-blueberry-pomegranate flavor! You can get it at GNC or Guardian Pharmacy (Singapore). I want this fridge in my home...

Brunch @ Boomberang in Robertson Quay (Singapore)

KitKat Chunky - Cookies & Cream. Goodness in a bar. < I come up with the best taglines hehe. Got this at Candy Empire in Millenia Walk (Singapore).

High tea with my girlfriends at Carcosa Taman Negara (KL). Beautiful place for high tea, but menu selection is very limited. It was about RM60 per person.

Sin Ling & I. Do we look related?

My favorite healthier choice of ice-cream... Soy bean ice-cream from Mr.Bean! Wished they had this in KL...

Lunch with the family on Christmas Eve @ Fika, a Swedish Restaurant in Arab Street (Singapore). A must-go-to!

Salmon crepe from Fika

Dad's steak... The sauce was delicious!

Christmas party @ my girl friend's place last December (Singapore)... She and her husband made everything!

I really miss the healthier food choices in Singapore like Mescluns, SaladStop!, Cedele, Quiznos and all the nice eating places that are conveniently right in town. I think I spend more on groceries when I live in KL and choose to cook healthy for myself than I do eating out here. KL needs to have more healthier eating spots like Yogitree around!

Back in KL on Thursday afternoon, can't wait to spend some quality time at the gym.