So we were on the way up the hill on the lowest gear ever to Genting Highlands and finally reached the Cable Car skytrain after 40minutes. But alas, the skytrain was closed! 🙁 🙁

The homies and I were dejected but we decided to drive up furthermore anyway.

BUT JUST BEFORE TANNIE TURNED THE IGNITION, WE CAUGHT SIGHT OF THIS :

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aAyAeSzP8Ss

Hmmmmmm… looks like the monkeys are having a jolly good time feasting on our McDonalds breakfast!

Initially the car windows were open but when those monkeys were getting a little vicious, we winded the window back up.

Glad we fed them a wee bit of breakfast for a change! Should there be a monkey swarm at the nearest McD, don't look at us! 😛 😛

Heyyyyyyloooooo!

Yes I'm still alive. Was just abducted by my piles and piles of books and lecture recordings, that's all.

Grapes while studying. Popoh made me eat 'em

Brain food, she says 😀

So yes, my 1st examination of the year is over – American Music and Popular Culture. 3 more exams to go! Can't say that paper was tough neither can I say it was easy. It was just…. DISTURBING. Yes. That's the word. Disturbing.

But nothing like some good ol' Sushi to cheer me up! 😀 😀

Necklace by Soak Republic (i added my camera pendant in too!)

It was indeed disturbing to listen to oldies and folk songs on loop everyday trying to distinguish the instrumentation, distinctive characteristics of that genre and memorizing the names of the singers – I WASN'T BORN IN THAT ERA! Try remembering the songs of Scott Joplin, Aretha Franklin, Elvis Presley, The Beatles and Jimmy Hendrix
 

WHO?

They're prolly giggling in their graves giggling at us for havin' sucha hard time with their music

Duuuuuuuuuude. Like seriously.

As if tuning in to Light & Easy (now known as Lite.FM) everyday isn't hard enough.

Okay, enough ranting. I've just got outta the shower, smelling all fresh and in my PJs already. So is my dog. Here's Goddy and myself putting on her PJs for tonight. It usually gets cold in the middle of the night so Penny prefers to wear them while snuggling up on her scatter cushion.

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kwOjnoLmVQg

Enjoy! She's not usually this obedient when we wear her pyjamas but I guess she's putting on her best behavior 'cos she knows she's on camera for all of you to see! 😛 😛 😛 hahaha

Goodnight all 😀 Be good and pleasant dreams!

I'm hooomeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!

Check out all the pretty photos that my Shutter Sidekick produced below! 😀

Touching down my hometown with the iconic Penang Bridge in sight and taking in the reminiscence of my childhood memories has never been better! 😀 😀 ahh.. there's no place like home. 

Shot with Art Filters : Pinhole Mode

My cosy living room

Uber miss it to the max 😀

There's also nothing like seeing the shocked expressions plastered on my Godmom, Popoh, Mom, Dad & Kakak's faces the moment I magically appeared before their eyes without prior notice! But heck, I knew they were very pleasantly surprised. I've never heard my name being called out so many times before in a single sentence in extreme high pitches! 😀

Mom & I. I surprised her at the office after surprising Godmom & Popoh at home

Kakak & dad were next

And may I add that they were all staring at me as though I've resurrected from the dead or just grew an antenna on my head -_____-

YES IT'S MEEEEE.

AND I'M HOME.

SURRRRRPRISSSSSSSEEEE!

Ooookayy fer those of you fellas/old friends/buddies in Penang, don't skin me alive for not telling yall earlier! It was kinda like a haphazard last minute decision to surprise my folks! 😀 Though it was a loooong gruelling roadtrip driving back to Penang with a good friend Nadia, it was worth it all seeing the family's excited and emotionally moved faces 🙂

So what did I do next?

Taa-daa! 😀 😀

Guess where I am now?

What about mom?

Looks like a forest-nature retreat aye? 😀

This very pretty and serene place is located within the hidden depths of Tanjung Bungah. It's somewhere opposite the Tanjung Bungah Beach Hotel 😀 I absolutely loved the tranquility here. It's how all Spas should be! Who wants to go to a spa in the middle of a busy town, right? Haha I'd choose this anytime.

What a breathtaking interior for a cosy lil Spa like this!

Feels just like a villa 😀

Here's the reception counter as I was signing my name. So traditional right? Love the sculpture though.. aesthetic art should always be adored! Fresh ginger tea was served too.

Here's how it looked like inside. I remember my last session here – it was a very nice manicure and pedicure by them too! And beneath the Siamese umbrella was where I sat previously. The furniture and wooden-framed interior was just perfect for a girly evening out with Mom.

Uber love 😀

Okay, as you might've already guessed… yup, we were in a Spa. After all the drama, tears of joy and jubilant moments at home (dad couldn't stop repeating, "My daughter is back home!), I brought Mom to Danai Spa in Tanjung Bungah for their Signature 60 minute Full Body Massage with Essential Oils.

Here's a treat for one of the most important ladies in my life!

Her royal highness, my rockin' cool momma 😀

Mom was laughing through the beginning of the session -____-" as she says it was very ticklish LOL. But being me, I fell fast asleep after those immensely good pressure points and massages that really got me at all the right places! Perfect remedy for all the stress of work and varsity life 😀

The relaxing & aromatherapic experience is courtesy of Danai Spa themselves 😀

Your masseurs were fabulous. Thanks for the session!

On our way out after everything was over, I couldn't help but to snap another piccie with the Olympus PEN E-PL1! Such a picturesque photo opportunity shouldn't be missed! So I whipped out my shutter sidekick and switched it to the settings of my choice :

Shot with Art Filters : Diodrama mode

Just had home cooked dinner with ze family. When you're hungry, everything tastes good! Spent some time with them watching American Idol too. Gosh, been a long time since I actually watched the idiot box! Ever since I moved to KL, I hardly touched the telly 🙂

Shot with Art Filters : Pinhole Mode

Ookay, it's 2AM now. Gotta hit the sack! Pleasant dreams to all of you while I lie asleep in my very own bedroom at home too 🙂

So much plans with Mom tomorrow. Buffet lunch at Flamingo Hotel and Gurney Plaza for some shopping!

Who would've thought I would agree to waking up at an unearthly hour at 6.30AM to defy gravity by swinging from tree to tree? How about walking in a zig-zag position on nothing but strips of wooden planks suspended more than 70metres in the air?

Don't look down, Jess. Don't look down.

Yup, I chose to have that moment of exhilaration over my beauty sleep. It better be worth it! For my long-time readers out there, yall would know that I completely detest mornings.. make that VERY EARLY MORNINGS. I would yank the covers over my head and bury my head under the pillow if I didn't see a dire need to wake up early.

But how my mind categorized a Skytrex Adventure as a 'dire need' was beyond me

So by invitation courtesy of Visiber, off I went up the hill in Shah Alam to put my Sky Trekking skills, stamina and durability to test 🙂 Thanks guys! Hopefully I won't break a bone or come crashing down to the ground 70 feet below. That's what safety nets are for by the way

Okay.. now for the gloves…

Johnson, meme & Chris

Upon choosing the Big Thrill Adventure (there was a Little Adventure and an Extreme Challenge Adventure), we were briefed by the instructors about what to expect and got our *stinky* gloves from the deck 🙂 Okay lah, it wasn't stinky. If you didn't buy a new pair at RM5, then you'll get the stinky ones 😀 Hint : BRING YOUR OWN

I did the Big Thrill challenge okay! Don't play play 😀

Was initially confident that it was gonna be easy peasy lemon squeezy since I used to be an athlete back in high school AND go to the gym often. But when I saw this…..

My jaw dropped 🙁

Am i supposed to climb that thing with my bare hands? Where's Tarzan and his vines?

So I brushed that thought aside, and headed off to the Gear-Up deck with Fong Mei to get our harnesses, hook & pulleys, carabineer and V Landyard. Yeah, it's prolly jargon to you as it was to me on that very morning but hey, didn't you just learn something new? 😀 😀

This is a carabineer!

If you don't have this you won't be able to swing from tree to tree!

Getting harnessed up with the equipments hanging around me

It was good to know that the peeps at Skytrex-Adventure were really well trained. Safety first! They made sure our harnesses were well fastened and even let us go on a dry run before the real deal 🙂

Yeah, so just in case you fall down down down down downnnn~

You'd just bump your head and not break your ribs

 So after I passed the "test", it was time to face the trees. I did lots and lots of warming up – lest I get a leg cramp right up there and no one can save me even if I screamed my lungs out or made smoke signals! Okay, time to proceed the beginning stage of our adventure!

*gulps*

The participant would have to be able to climb that tree to get to the top of where the challenge begins. But it was pretty tiring before it began! I had to stop twice in the midst of climbing it because it was one hell of a loooooooong way up, trust me.

When I *finally* reached the top, there was a net which I had to cross next! As I was walking across the net, the net kept wobbling & swaying left and right. Gosh! It was pretty freaky but glad that the net was really sturdy. I bet it can withstand the weight of 3 elephants too

Shot when I finally reached the other side 😀

There were a few other challenges we were supposed to be up against, before it became repetitive with different difficulty levels. There was this part where I had to 'walk the plank'! Can't believe there was no support except the suspended planks and well, the strength of your arms!

Focus now.. focus. Don't miss a step!

Once that was done, I was excited to know what lies ahead!

oh.my.god

I was terrified! My voice quavered with fear when I yelled "WHAT NOW?? HOW?" Like seriously, I didn't know how I could finish walking that without having my heartbeat thump right outta my rib cage. But I managed – finally.

BUT THAT WAS NOT ALL!

There was round two. This time, MUCH HIGHER!

Noooooooooooooo 🙁 🙁

But the worst was yet to come. You wonder how circus acts do their thang on the tight rope? Well, stop wondering and try it for yourself. No joke! Take a look –

HOW TO WALK LIDDAT!!!

but in the end everyone managed to 🙂 Isn't that always the case?

Okay here's something you should know actually. You ain't supposed to bring anything up except yourself and your water bottle. But being me, I obviously didn't give two hoots and brought my DSLR climbing with me all the way up anyway. Yes, you read right. I lugged my DSLR from tree to tree.

IF NOT HOW TO TAKE PICTURES AND BLOG FOR YALL TO SEE? 😛 😛

heeeeee

Shit shit shit shit 🙁

We had to cross to the other tree on top of those slippery rubber tubes! Each time you step on one, the whole thing will shake vigorously! Hmm.. I guess they didn't set the maximum weight at 100KG for nothing. LOL But I hated this part the most! You're so frightened yet you can't close your eyes entirely 🙁

Are we done yet? Can I peek now?

Okay if you didn't already know, I didn't exactly put the challenges in order. I saved the best for last! The ultimate flying fox! If I'm not mistaken, I did the flying fox at least 5 times. There were 5 plusminus altogether but with different heights and different distances.

Sometimes I wonder what would happen if someone were to be stuck in the middle while flying fox

There's no way up nor a way down. Ya just gotta do the Na'vi call for the bird

if Tarzan's quick enough, he'd prolly get to you first

So hold on tight, shut your eyes, let yourself accelerate and  free fall diagonally downnnnnnnnnnnnn!

Repeat this a few times and there was one that lasted for a whole 30 seconds!

How far is that! Woots!

When it was all over, I was exhausted! The shots that you see in this post is prolly only a quarter of what you're gonna expect in the Big Thrill adventure! There was so much more climbing, swinging, balancing and gliding throughout the entire track. I was parched because I chose to bring my DSLR instead of a good bottle of water.

*facepalm*

But so what! I gulped down gallons and gallons when we got down to the party deck!

Oh and it's my first time sitting on a hammock btw 😀 😀

You don't see that very often!

So.. ready to defy gravity for yourselves now?