Last weekend, the three of us caught up at uppity town Bangsar for some delicious bites and sweet indulgences.

It was mid day by the time we arrived, so it was a dilemma whether to eat a really late lunch or a really early dinner. But we decided to eat to our hearts’ content anyway. After all, meals should always be defined by our stomachs and not by the time on the clock.

Smiles!

Today’s look was very… catwoman LOL

Jessicat wears: Tank in black by Mizz Demeanour | Accessories by Hard Rock Shop |

High-waisted shorts by PDI | Cat bag from a fashion bazaar | Jeffrey Campbell inspired heels by H&M

We were scouring Bangsar for good places to eat, but realized that we’ve tried almost every gastronomic delight the buzzing street had to offer. Tired of walking around in circles, we then then decided to look up HungryGoWhere.com to make a quick search on where to eat, right from the palm of our hand. How convenient!

HungryGoWhere.com is a comprehensive Malaysian Food Guide, Restaurant and Rating site. Go check it out!

Arrived at a restaurant called Nosh. Had a chat with the waiters and soon decided

that’s where we’re gonna be parking our arses for the afternoon.

Can’t wait to nosh on our food!

We took a seat and I excused myself to check out the restaurant interior – as usual.

Bet my buddies are  all pretty used to this disappearing act of mine the moment we step foot into any new restaurant we visit 😛

The facade was enough to draw me closer into the dining area.

Loved its classy, clean-cut concept. Wide spaces were used very well!

It boasted an interior of bright and colourful modern art as well as a neat layout.

On the right was the  drinks bar where drinks and light food takes shape.

The main kitchen is inside, of course.

We skimmed through the menu and placed our orders.

Guess what comes next? 😀 More selfies of us! 🙂

Come to think of it, nothing really has changed in 6 years. Except that we probably have make up

on and are now both working professionals instead of party-hard students.

Oh and, bestieJoyce doesn’t have braces on anymore and I don’t have my long red hair anymore.

That’s about it.

On to the food! May I first warn you that they taste just as delicious as they look in photos? 😀

Nosh did a great job in the food presentation and plating.

Beef Bolognese on Chunky Chips

This was a really tasty beef bolognese topped with melted cheese on a bed of potato chips.

Every bite had a light and hearty, smoky aftertaste. I liked how the chips were cut into wide chunks instead of the skinny versions.

Mushroom Gnocchi Symphony

This Italian dish was really filling! Instead of the usual semolina or wheat versions, this was a fabulous combo of gourmet sweet potato gnocchi served with mushrooms and cream sauce. Every bite was a mouthful!

Pumpkin Ravioli

Also another signature Italian dish, this boasted delicate gourmet pasta sheets filled with pumpkin served with a luscious onion butter sauce and fresh sage. Very used to the usual spinach ravioli, Nosh’s version of mashed pumpkins gave me a fresh alternative and complemented these ravioli very well.

Salmon with  Lemon Capers

Always a fish person, I couldn’t possibly give this salmon treat a miss. Loved it to bits!

A thick piece of salmon fillet grilled to perfection greeted me the moment I laid eyes on my plate. Served in a lemon caper cream sauce, the salmon came with delightful sides of roasted rosemary potatoes and grilled seasonal vegetables.

I could definitely order another one of this and finish it in under 10 minutes.

Dessert time. Which one should I pick?

We are sweet tooths by nature so we were spoilt for choice!

After taking almost half an hour to narrow down and select our mutual favorites, here’s what we got!

We chose the Peanut Butter Heaven and Mont Blanc in the end.

The Peanut Butter Heaven promises heaven to the last bite – and heaven I experienced indeed.

As a diehard fan of both peanut butter and chocolate, this peanut butter cheesecake slice was right up my alley. It was light, not too heavy on the cheese consistency, drizzled with caramel on top and sat on a bed of chocolate crumbles and chopped salted peanuts.

The Mont Blanc was a chocolate cake soaked in rum and resembled a mountain after a snow blizzard of chestnut cream. Dusted with sprinkles of green tea powder, it gave this treat a slight bitter aftertaste to an otherwise sweet dessert.

Loved them both! It was interesting how they plated both the desserts like a platter

on one long rectangular plate instead of serving it in individual plates.

It was a fantastic day catching up and noshing delectable food and desserts.

Where else but NOSH, really? Thanks, NOSH for a delightful evening!

Price range for this restaurants from its lighter, smaller meals at RM9 onwards to the heaviest main event at RM70. However, you can be satisfied with most decently sized meals ranging between RM19 to RM40.

If you’d like to search for more similar places that might suit your fancy, just browse the directory at HungryGoWhere.com 🙂 And yes, you’re welcome.

————————————————————

[highlight style=”yellow” ]For more information on Nosh or to place your reservations, you can:[/highlight]

Log on to their official website: www.nosh.my

LIKE them on Facebook: fb.com/noshKL

Drop by their outlet at this address:

7, Jalan Telawi 3, Bangsar Baru, 49100, Kuala Lumpur

Business Hours:

Contact them at this number:  +603-2201 3548

This week marks my first week as a 24 year old! Boy, oh boy, do I feel old.

Exactly a decade ago, to sum it up, I was an acne-ridden, hip-hop lovin' streetkid, a high school nerd and an angsty teenager still trying to find herself.

Not that I'm any much closer to finding myself just yet anyway. *shrugs* The journey of self-discovery, to me, is always a perpetual one. 

Guess I'll never ever discover who I really am yet. Well that keeps things interesting, doesn't it? 

The month of July will be a month full of birthday celebrations for me.

Full blog post on my birthday celebrations will be up at the end of this month!

Oh and, to publicly answer the one question I've been getting over and over again this year –

Why are you not throwing a big birthday party like all your previous years, Jess? 

I have my personal reasons for this. I guess I can only reveal the answer two years later – no, I'm not joking. It's a legit reason. So far, only a small circle of family and close friends know why, and I plan to keep it that way.

Ianya akan disimpan sebagai rahsia buat masa ini!

Posted my last video as a 23 year old, just before I turned 24:

Jun 30, 2013 | Goodbye dear 23 year old girl! Looking forward to a brand new year for me! 😀 by imthejessicat on Keek.com

Anyway, let's get on with the weekly wrap-up, shall we? 

I went hiking up my usual BJ Hill @ Bukit Jambul

Next stop – Penang Hill! 

Couldn't resist taking this photo of buddyAdrian and a dog in the woods.

He's such a dog whisperer – I don't even!  Dogs are really a man's best friend.

'

Being back in Penang drove me to Milkshake Factory @ Gurney Plaza again.

No thanks to bestieVince as I was trying to resist it!  *dagger stares* I gave in, eventually.

Mungkin ko nih nak berat badanku bertambah? Entahlah.

Okay, fine. You know I love it, don't you? Thanks for the awesome milkshake  xo ​

Back in KL, I was booked for a food review session at The Steakhouse KL @ Changkat Bukit Bintang.

Jul 2, 2013 | At The Steakhouse KL about to taste their amazing dinner menu. Can't wait to share the best of what they have! by imthejessicat on Keek.com

Thank you, Mr. Werner Kuhn and team for having me at your luxurious restaurant tonight.

Full blog feature up next!

Silly convex mirror times with the buddies  Photobomb level: honking car LOLOL

We had a small cosy dinner gathering at In-House @ Publika

More of what happened and a short feature in another post!

Okay time for some kittyphotos of the week.  Mew!

Plotting his diabolical plan to take over the world.

"I hate mommy's cuddles."

"On second thought, maybe it's not that bad after all."

"But what did I do wrong this time, mommy? I swear it wasn't me!"

"I haz no legs. I'm just a black furry blob with a tail."

Okay that's all for now LOL.

Mid-week, I checked out Tony Roma's Steakhouse Restaurant to taste their "Tony's World Famous Ribs."

Combo of their Bountiful Beef Ribs and Grilled Salmon with a serving of fresh vegetables.

Rating: ★★★★★

The taste of rich beef complemented with Tony Roma's own original barbeque sauce did the trick.

The  meat was just right too. It was tender and fell off the bone with the merest, gentle slice of my knife.

I would say I prefer these ribs to the ones served at TGI Friday's. Then again, it is a close fight though.

The salmon was nothing short of perfection too.

With a hint of dill and lemon enhanced by the open fire grill, this one's a winner.

Their only fallback is probably the house bread that came as a starter.

It tasted fine, but the texture was slightly on the chewy side.

On Saturday my fave partycrew and I were on our way to somewhere… secret.

Yup, it's the annual Carlsberg's 'Where's the Party?'

The location isn't so secret anymore by now; it was held in MAEPS @ Serdang.

Full blog feature up soon. A very honest account. Wait for it.

We had our own little afterparty/late dinner at The Castle Restaurant, KL

Rating: ★★★☆☆

It served a standard fare of Middle Eastern food; though I must recommend the Spicy Shish Tawook and the Lamb Mandy. The latter was served with long-grain kabssa rice. Shisha there was fine with an equally good variety of flavours. 

The Chicken Kebab though, left a little to be desired. It was too bland and the texture was somehow a little soluble and for some reason, disintergrated too quickly. It was oddly, really wet with hardly any meat that I could chew on. The service was a little slow, but the waiters were amazingly friendly.

After a late night, I don't know how I managed to drag myself out of bed the next morning

for my session with the Bosu. It was akin to dragging a full-grown water buffalo out of a mudhole.  

Thursday night's TRX + back and bicep day was fine. Until the next morning, that is.

Good lord. I could hardly raise my arm to switch on the lights in the bathroom as I woke up.

Chilling with my favorite barbell after an intense leg day workout.

And of course, the usual eats. My post workout-meals:

Wheat bran, cornflakes and blueberries in milk!

Chicken breast slices, carrots, spinach,

aubergine and onions stir-fried with olive oil and chia seeds.

Snacking on a fruit platter of oranges, green apples, red grapes and organic pumpkin kernels.

Eggs – in three different variants.

Which do you prefer? Hardboiled, scrambled or as a omelette? 

Clean eating is the way to go! Have you had your greens today? 

Before I knew it, Sunday came knocking on my door! 

Pardon me, as I groove to some 70's disco music.

I know, how very unbecoming. But sometimes, the weekend does this to me.

Jul 7, 2013 | Nothing like a #weekend fix of #70s #music. Anyone remembers KC and the Sunshine Band? That's the way, baby 😉 by imthejessicat on Keek.com

Parked myself at Milk and Butter @ Bangsar and hung out with my boy Chivas before the girls arrived.

When they did, we all had an amazing afternoon over equally amazing food 

Can't wait to review this restaurant – blog feature up soon!

Sunday evenings were spent in the sun curling up with my favorite book by the poolside.

You can see how worn out the novel looks already! Sorry for the candid shot, I wasn't ready for the photo.

At night, was Bob and Gouya's pool party!

It was fun skewering the kebabs, chicken thighs, onions, tomatoes, capsicums and more. 

Helped the boys out in preparing their Middle Eastern food and firing the grill!

I had a great weekend but I was a tad upset about not being able to watch Tydi back in Penang tonight.

He's performing as we speak!  Right now, at QEII On the Sea, Church Street Pier, Penang in celebration with the Georgetown World Heritage Site Celebration.

What's the significance of the day, you ask? 

Tomorrow marks the 5th anniversary of Georgetown being enlisted as a UNESCO World Heritage site.

Penang, my love, you truly deserve it.  

Tomorrow will also be a Public Holiday in Penang too. Enjoy your day off, fellow Penangites! 
 

What a fantastic start of a new week no? By sleeping in and spending an extra day of leisure.

Remind me why I moved away to the city, Kuala Lumpur, again?  Hahaha.

Much love,

Jessicat

———————————————————————————————————————————————–

The Sunday Times is a weekly series; published every Sunday night to recap the highlights of my week, capture what piques my interest and to briefly highlight my recommendations for to-go and to-eat places!

Some photos were posted instantly on my Instagram, Twitter, Facebook & my LIVE Blog. 

Do follow to get instant updates and pretty photos of the sights & sounds all around me!

If my car were to be a real human being, he'd probably be considered one of the luckiest men on earth.

It's because I pamper him way tooooooooo much. 

I know I've never blogged about my new car. Don't ask why – just never got round to it, I guess.

Betul2 tak tahu kenape. Jadi biarlah i bergambar skejap ngan kete aku okei? 

With my sexy red ride, the Ford Fiesta Sports Hatchback.

During the weekends, I've brought him in for a full car window tinting appointment at CG Tint Specialist.

The boss personally attended to me. She was amazing, patient and took the time to explain how different films actually work. Thanks Sheryl! 

After 2.5 hours, my car windows are finally done! 

Out of the many (think: gazillions!) tinting film choices that CG Tint Specialist had in store, we discussed and narrowed down the choices before making a decision on what suits my car best, according to my daily usage. 

Factors like where I usually park (indoors or outdoors), what time I usually leave for work and return from work (sunlight and glare), which area I live (safety) were also taken into consideration, amongst many others.

In the end, I chose the 58% dark tint with solar anti-UV, 65% anti-infra-red (heat) cool tech and with our alarming crime rate at hand, we decided to include the anti-theft (anti-smash) security film installed.

Proud and happy momma.  Thanks CG Tint Specialist!

Now I feel so much safer, cooler and more comfy with less sun glare in my own car. 

The very next day, I decided to pamper my boy again.

I brought him to a car spa at CARs International.

Shine bright like a diamond! My baby all sparkling and shiny 

We gave him a bubble-bath wash, a waxing treatment and had polishing work done on his outer body and a thorough vacuum and nano mist treatment for the inside. When I posted that photo on Facebook, someone suggested that I change his shoes too.  Thanks for the bright idea!

Why didn't I think of that? Sport rims for your wheels next, baby! 

Since mommy loves her shoes, you should have show-stopping shoes too! 

Which do you like best? 

Anyway, ever since I got my car in January, I've always planned to modify the interior to red.

The results will look something like this:

My steering wheel and dashboard will look like this

And the seats will look like this 

Okay, enough car talk. I've always been the car enthusiast but I wouldn't wanna bore you just yet 

So let's see. Here's what I've been up to this week:

Friday outfit of the night.

Attended the Wicked Nights club series by Wicked Entertainment in Club Neverland.

This time round, they brought German trancemeister duos, Cosmic Gate. 

You can read the blog feature I've written: here

In stark contrast, here's a photo of me in my pyjamas. 

Janganlah ketawa aku, boleh? Malaslah nak tukar kpd baju yang lain.

Allow me to explain. It was 2.30am, I was sleepy and hence couldn't be arsed to go

through the effort of putting something else on.  I hope that clarifies hahaha!

Just a casual afternoon outfit of the day

The tee I'm wearing was a gift from mom. A subtle reminderof my little island, Penang,

and one of her many ways of telling me that I'm always beautiful in her eyes. 

Charity work at Spastic Children's Association of Selangor & Federal Territory.

Your contribution is their hope! You can make your kind donations on their official website at: scasft.org

What else? Gym. 

So several months have passed since I've begun my vigorous training.

To be honest, I don't find it hardcore at all when most people do. Maybe it's because I've been a gym rat since the year 2007. Once you do something long enough, it just falls into a routine and a habit that you are too familiar with. 

Few months in. Progress shot.

Gained 6kg of lean muscle and fat percentage dropped by 30%

As a result, I was pretty upset when my weight had increased, due to societal norms and mass media influence of "losing weight" and "being skinny". 

However, I keep reminding myself not to be bummed because muscle weighs heavier than fat. 

But unavoidably, I was depressed on the very night I checked and measured my progress until I ranted to my fellow gym buff.

He told me not to worry about the number on the scale and to keep up the good job.

  Thank you, you know who you are!

And as usual, awesome post-workout meals! I think I spend most of my time in the kitchen now.

Aku rasa aku skarang macam tinggal kat dapur aku, tahu. Memang gemar memasak sejak baru2 ini.

Italian wholewheat durum spaghetti with chopped button mushrooms, brocolli, carrots,

honey-baked aubergines all tossed with freshly blended tomato puree and thyme.

Organic wholewheat cavatappi with scrambled eggs, tuna and tomatoes

topped with basil and ground black pepper.

I think I made a lot more food  this week but can't seem to find them.

Perhaps I gobbled them all – including the photos! 

We had a potluck steamboat party during lunch hour at work too.

It was like a buffet, and so yum! Here's a photo from my bowl.

With one of my colleagues, Wendy.

The whole team went to The Curve for lunch the next day and grabbed coffee too!

Was pleasantly surprised by a wonderful delivery of booze and party gear:

glowsticks, a silicon LED Nixon watch and an adorable beer bottle pendrive!

Thanks Carlsberg Malaysia!

More about this in a blog feature.*hint* Where's the Party? 

This week also got me riling as I have been phoneless for several days now.

In this day and age, and my being the social media addict, I felt restless as there was absolutely nothing in my hands to fidget with! If you're wondering, I've sent my iPhone 4S for a one-on-one exhange to Maxis and Apple.

It's a good thing they don't repair, but instead REPLACE your faulty one with a new one 

Went to Berjaya Times Square in the city on Saturday and all I bought

was this snapback cap by popular street wear gear brand, OBEY.

Okay, I lied. I bought a new iPhone case for my new iPhone that will be arriving soonest by Friday!

Nice? And I also bought a new screen protector and matt red iPhone body sticker.

Almost bought this but theboyf stopped me.

He says I didn't need any more mirrors nor Hello Kitty stuff. I had to agree 

Random candids of my cat, Chivas.

Theboyf loves taking photos of him – all the time!

Escaped work during lunch hour to grab a cuppa at Artisan Roast, TTDI

I can never resist their cheesecake.

Satisfied our late night lok-lok cravings in the city 

On Sunday night, I checked out a new place for dinner. 

Milk and Butter, Bangsar

★★★★★

The food was superb! We had the Wild Mushroom soup, Cottage Pie (Shepard's Pie), Ultimate Scrambled Egg, Turkey Ham and Chicken Ham Crunchy Pizza and a cuppa latte each.

The waiters were so jovial and courteous. I loved the whole ambience of the restaurant too.

More about my experience at Milk and Butter in my next blog feature!

Random selfie. Double trouble on a rainy day.

That's all for this week. Have a good seven days ahead and look forward to the weekend again! 

Much love,

Jessicat

———————————————————————————————————————————————–

The Sunday Times is a weekly series; published every Sunday night to recap the highlights of my week, capture what piques my interest and to briefly highlight my recommendations for to-go and to-eat places!

Some photos were posted instantly on my Instagram, Twitter, Facebook & my Mini LIVE Blog

Do follow to get instant updates and pretty photos of the sights & sounds all around me!

Despite being a nail art enthusiast, I am hardly the type of girl who would book herself a nail spa or manicure-pedicure session.

Why? You ask. Perhaps I prefer or am pretty used to doing it for myself, on my own, all this while?

But guess what? My visit to Amante changed my mind entirely.

My lovely french manicure with a pink twist courtesy of Amante Nail Spa & Body Care

TRIVIACan you believe that I used up my  pocket money (meant for buying food in school) to buy myself a fashion magazine when I was only a kid of fourteen just learn how to do a DIY manicure-pedicure? I then forked up more pocket money to buy myself the kit and little tools needed for a home nail spa. 

Yeah so that’s where all my money went. Sorry, mom!

Thanks to the lovely team behind Amante, I was invited to try out their Nailtek Spa Manicure and Pedicure session.

They were celebrating friendship that month itself. So I brought along bestieJoyce to enjoy this session with me!

I picked their Bangsar outlet as it was the nearest for both bestieJoyce and I

Walked up to the 1st floor where Amante’s outlet was located

The moment I entered Amante, I was wowed by the warm and subdued concept of its premises.

A Victorian interior design, mahogany flooring and ornaments such as chandeliers, floral armchairs, vased flowers and velvet footstools were in sight.

P/S The balloons and the strings were from the party Amante threw the day before.

We arrived slightly late due to the Sunday traffic jams but wasted no time in choosing the colours we wanted for our nails.

There was a wide array of colours by O.P.I available but we bolted to the reds and pink hues.

After checking out all the palettes available, we decided on what suited us best! 

I took my pick 

The friendly staff of Amante then ushered us to the nail spa room.

It was spacious, warm and cosy.

We then took a seat on the giant armchairs and propped up our legs in sheer comfort.

Let’s begin with mine first, shall we? 

Hello!  This is Jessicat reporting to you from Amante.

STEP 1: Aromatic Salt Scrub

The first thing they did was to rub an aromatic salt scrub all over my hands and lower arms.

This aimed to remove all dead skin – leaving it soft and smooth.

STEP 2: Lotion

She applied a generous amount of lotion and began to massage my arms,

wrist, fingers, palm and the back of my palm so well!

This is to ensure all areas and parts of your hands are not spared from the moisturizing and calming lotion

STEP 3: Cling Wrap

My arms were then wrapped with cling wrap all the way to my fingers!

This is to lock in the moisure and the benefits of the hand lotion that she applied earlier

STEP 4: 15-minute Heat

My hands were inserted into two big warming mittens radiating with electric heat to allow better absoption of the lotion

I could feel that my palms were sweating inside! It was like a sauna – only for my hands!

BestieJoyce with her pampered feet (more about that shortly) and I (with my robotic hands)

STEP 5: Nailtek Anti-Wrinkle Lotion/Mermaid Mask

A cooling, creamy gel-like and bluish-green mask was applied onto the back of my hands

She carefully rubbed it in circular motions.

And peeled it off after it solidified into one sheet

This mask guarantees wrinkle-lifting effects! She showed me a before and after of my supple right vs my wrinkly left. 

It was proven true.  I was amazed!

My left hand’s turn!

By this time, she had already begun giving the fingernails my left hand a manicure as we were waiting for my right hand’s mask to dry.

Let’s get on with STEP 6: Manicure now! 

After spraying softener and anti-bacterial liquid, she began clipping my

excess/hardened cuticles and pushing the rest of the cuticles in

She also got rid of any dirt trapped beneath my nails before

 filing my nails down to a very neat squarish-oval shape

With the colour of my choice, she applied two coats of O.P.I’s Peru-B-Ruby nail polish onto my nails.

I observed the way she painted my nails. So meticulously smooth and quick.

Hey, I could take a lesson or two from her!

Empty nails vs pretty nails! And we’re not even halfway done yet 

Applying it onto my right fingernails now

I opted for a French Manicure but I honestly dislike typical French manicures bearing a boring, nude colour which didn’t at all jive with my gregarious personality. So I asked if I could have a dark pink base instead of beige. 

To my joy, she said it would be no problem! 

Here we go!

She applied the white tips so neatly and swiftly that it was so interesting to watch her do it!

She then wrapped up the entire session with coatings of cuticle oil for better nail heath

Thanks Amante! 

Now, let’s take a look at what bestieJoyce was occupied with the entire time I was experiencing my manicure.

She was experiencing the Nailtek Spa Pedicure session. 

Hi! This was my view of bestieJoyce from my armchair beside hers

The pedicure procedures done on her feet were similar to the ones done on my hands during my manicure.

But here are the photos anyway! For the photos taken from Joyce’s angle, respective photo credits to her

I spotted her feet being soaked in lukewarm water in the very beginning and scrubbed with the

same aromatic salt scrub for dead skin and callus to be loosened and washed off

The next step, just like mine was to massage the lotion onto her skin

It was also wrapped with clingwrap and later heated up with electric warming booties

When it was all over, it was time for the manicure

Clipping, pushing in the cuticles and filing them to the desired toenail shape

It was time to paint her toenails!

She chose O.P.I’s Quarter of a Cent-cherry

A happy Joyce with to-be pretty toenails once its all done and shiny! 

All done and cuticle oil was applied! Leaving it to dry now

Our colours are almost similar but hers had a more metallic shine to it

I loved my dark pink French manicure so much! 

Wished it could stay like this forever. Maybe I will return for a gel manicure for a longer-lasting one? 

Two very contented girls. Thanks for a wonderful Nail Spa experience, Amante! 

We headed off for lunch nearby soon after our session to continue our girly day out 

We’re darn busy people. But we do make time to meet up! I’ll be seeing her again for dinner tonight

At night whilst at dinner with theboyf Konzy, I couldn’t help but to vaingloriously admire and show off my lovely nails

Hey, it isn’t everyday I walk out of the house with beautifully done nails, right? 

Click this link to look at LUNASOL’s 2014 Spring Makeup Collection if you’re interested!

—————————————————————–

To book your appointments at Amante Nail Spa & Body Care (Bangsar), you can:

Contact them (phone number): 03-2287 9089

Drop by their outlet (address):

28A-1, 1st Floor, Jalan Telawi,

Bangsar, Kuala Lumpur

It isn’t too hard to find! It’s right above Pusat Pakar Wanita Bangsar (Women Specialist Centre)

FYI their opening hours are: 10am – 8pm (Closed on Mondays)

For more information and updates about Amante Nail Spa & Body Care, you can:

Visit them on their website/blog at: Amante.my

LIKE them on Facebook at: fb.com/AmanteNailSpaBodyCare

Hark! Who goes there!? 

A strange electromagnetic force must've swept through my residence because now there's…

Two of me.

I kid.  Was just playing around with a new photo editing app and realized it gave me this effect.

Pretty nifty, ey? I'll keep making better ones in due time!

My last seven days kept me rather occupied. With New Year's Eve parties, New Year's Day celebrations, running errands, heading out and about, blogging and so much more.

Before that, a shout out goes to my buddy Tammy, for turning a year older on the 1st of January! 

Two kittehs!  Your birthday cake is still in my fridge 

Happy Birthday gurlie! xoxo

For her birthday, she celebrated it with a movie treat – Les Miserables, the musical! 

I've always wanted to read the book first but looks like it'll have to be the other way around now.

Luckily, Konzy has that novel so I'm just going to borrow it from him! 

Loving the movie to bits!  Apart from reducing me to tears at the end of the three hour showtime, I walked out of the cinema hall feeling touched and inspired by its very poignant scenes!

Immediately after the show, I found myself talking to others in a sing-song voice and singing out my responses whenever someone talked to me – leaving them raising their eyebrows in bewilderment. LOL

Musicals, in particular, tend to have that effect on me. The bulk of Konzy and I's interaction throughout the day consisted of lyrical and melodious conversations as well as dramatic hand gestures.

I kid you not.

It started to get really funny at some point – until we ran out of lyrics and the effect, gradually wore off. 

By the lake in KLCC park

We decided to adjourn outside; towards KLCC park where it was hot and sunny.

Wouldn't want to waste a lovely weather like this, yes?  Lunch was at Chinoz on the Park.

His: Pappardelle Meatballs

Hers: Caesar Salad with Smoked Salmon

 It was decently tasty, but commanding such a hefty price for such a simple fare?

That's city living for you, methinks.  We were at the Petronas Twin-Towers KLCC after all.

Just a cute photo of us on the escalator. 'Nuff said 

We were fooling around, talking about everything under the sun as usual and he dared me to fist myself.

Now, now, hold your horses and don't let your thoughts wander off too quickly! 

This is his attempt at fisting himself which I found frightfully amusing 

I wasn't going to do it anyway, but Konzy showed me that it was humanly possible LOL

Over the next few days I was really caught up configuring, setting-up & syncing my brand new, shiny toys.

My new laptop runs on the new Windows 8! Geez, I felt so computer illiterate when I first laid hands on it. 

My new 15.6" ASUS laptop (where I'll be working most of my writing on)

& SAMSUNG Galaxy S tablet (as my PDA/organizer/planner)

This baby has such high-tech fluidity, impressive user interface, works with different commands, new features, new settings, a new Microsoft Windows AppStore where we can download apps too!

Plus, it has a dual OS (Operating System) where I can choose to switch in between Windows 8 and Windows RT whenever I feel like it.

Oh, sweet, sweet, technology.  

Dinner was at another one of my all-time fave restaurants – Food Foundry @ Section 17, Petaling Jaya

His : Wild Mushroom Soup and a Club Sandwich

Hers: Chunky Tomato Soup and Prawn & Eggplant Spaghetti

Regardless of where I live, I will never fail to pop in every so often just to buy my favourite Mille Crepe cake. So the Vanilla Mille Crepe cake you see above, was of course, mine 

It's just one of the things I can't – forgive me – share. Really 

****

Something triggered my motivation and my moods were clearly elevated when I was told that I was featured in the media again.

No, not in a cinema ad nor a billboard this time, but in a newspaper and a magazine :

In Kwong Wah Yit Poh press (a Chinese newspaper)

In The Opinion (a monthly magazine pull-out of The STAR Newspaper)

With me, it is no surprise. My seven days also included, the imperative gym sessions!

Ran 3.15 miles in 35 minutes and the usual weight-lifts & floor workouts

The next morning was a very early start for me – for a change! 

Who wakes up early on a Sunday morning anyway?

Being the night owls we are, it was a total spur of the moment.

But I soon realized that I actually liked waking up at daybreak! Konzy and I then headed out for a very hearty yet healthy breakfast at 8 o'clock in the morning.

To one of my fave food spots in Bangsar, Antipodean Cafe

which serves New Zealand & Australian coffee roasters & cafe cuisine

For him :  Big Breakfast with hash browns, sausages, a fluffy omelette, grilled tomatoes, sauteed mushrooms and a slice of wholemeal bread.

For her : Scrambled eggs with smoked salmon, radicchio lettuce, cherry tomatoes, a slice of wholemeal bread, sauteed mushrooms, grilled tomatoes and a piping hot glass of skinny latte.

I've said this over and over again, but Antipodean Cafe is certainly one worth recommending several times!

(You know, people forget…) 

I love this place so much that I even celebrated my last birthday here!

We even managed to have a quick chat with Kiwi-born Alun Evans, the owner of Antipodean Cafe. 

****

Throughout this week, I've also been consciously switching from radio channel to radio channel lately, departing from the usual, repetitive trashy tunes that they call contemporary mainstream pop.

HOW ON EARTH DID lil miss annoyingly-in-your-face Nicki Minaj, Flo-Rida who is apparently a pro at teaching girls how to "blow" his "whistle", a close-to-30-year-old singing bubble gum pop hoping for someone whom she just met to call her, superficial outlook to life of a materialistic "Primadonna Girl", and yes, let's not forget whiny, spirals of despair from Adele, permeate the airways?

Really. It's a million dollar question. 

Come to think of it, it might be the aimless commercialization and lack of substance in today's "music" that has put talented, real musicians and independent artistes to shame. 

Yup, what's new? It's all about the $$$.

Which is why I'm sharing five of my favourite hits from the 80's which I happened to come across during my radio channel surfing AWAY from the likes of contemporary – often unoriginal -mainstream pop music.

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

Christopher Cross – Best That You Can Do

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nsdj9NRzqC4

Starship – We Built This City

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vFPajU-d-Ek

Belinda Carlisle Heaven is a Place on Earth

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lDK9QqIzhwk

Bon Jovi – Livin' on a Prayer

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQw4w9WgXcQ

Rick Astley – Never Gonna Give You Up

Like it?  I do. Despite mocking "oldies" music as a rambunctious teenager back in the early 2000s, I now I finally understand how mom, dad, my uncles, aunts and late grandfather came to love and appreciate the music of their era, even till today.

As for me, I wouldn't be proud to say I came from the Justin Bieber-Adele-Nicki Minaj era. 

I don't rant very often on my blog, but when I do… it's about the garbage they call music now.

I ended my weekend by sending my third round of recycling materials/recyclables ever since I embarked on a lil personal project of being more pro-environmentalist and taking the green initiative whenever possible.

To reduce, reuse and recycle! 

I carried four boxes of recyclables – paper & cardboard, plastic, metal and glass.

They took everything BUT ACCEPTED NOT EVEN A SHARD OF MY GLASSWARE!

HEY! If you didn't already know, glass IS recyclable too! 

I was visibly upset but still wasn't given an answer as to why glass is unpopular in recycling efforts

On another note, it's already the second week of 2013!

Schedule's looking pretty busy already.

Have you been keeping to your New Year's Resolutions so far? 

If not, it's not too late! Endeavour to succeed in them throughout the next 51 weeks!

Much love,

Jessicat

———————————————————————————————————————————————–

The Sunday Times is a weekly series; published every Sunday night to recap the highlights of my week, capture what piques my interest and to briefly highlight my recommendations for to-go and to-eat places!

Some of the photos in this edition are posted instantly on my Instagram, Twitter, Tumblr & Facebook

Do follow to get instant updates and pretty photos of the sights & sounds all around me!