Finally! After all the urgent commitments to other more important posts, I can finally continue where I left off from my birthday series. Ladies and gents, today’s post will be Part 4 of my birthday celebrations.

Here are the previous ones!

Birthday Part 1

Birthday Part 2

Birthday Part 3

I did mention that I did not want to throw a huge smashin’ birthday party again like I do every year as it somehow always ends up an imperative that I get drop dead drunk.

However, The Pool KL so graciously decided to sponsor me a smaller party at their premises and even gave me a bottle of Smirnoff vodka to enjoy with my guests.

How could I refuse such a sweet gesture?

Thus, I found myself making invitations to give my closest friends outside my social media circle.

Only because if I were to include buddies from my industry, I would take up the entire venue!

So with all my guests RSVPing (despite the last minute invitation, sorry!) the plans for my small, cosy birthday party was ready to rumble! Let’s just hope it goes regardless of the number of pax – it’s the company that matters after all, not the quantity!

We arrived in style at and waited for the rest of our buddies.

The Pool KL was looking really pretty that night!

Couldn’t help but to take photos with the bar, the pool and the pretty lights while waiting!

Not too long after, my guests started to arrive one by one.

Cue the party photos!

Yay! Larry, my first guest arrived!

Gradually, more and more of them began trickling in. Second and third to arrive was Jeffro and Hisham!

Cheers!

Then my girlies Pam and Ning arrived! 😀

Not long after, my long-time buddies Anis and Sharlyn walked in!

Wheeeee reunion photo! We go back all the way to 2007

Sarah made it despite having troubles with the cab driver. Mwah!

The more the merrier!

Smile!

Apart from The Pool KL’s bottle of vodka, we also got ourselves more drinks!

All of us at the table!

Before we knew it,  we were treated to a “first class” full frontral view of a pyro act!

From fire-twirling, fire-eating, fire-breathing, fire-juggling and so much more.

What a daredevil act of bravery! I’ve always been intrigued by fire.

But little did I know that I would be picked by the folks of The Pool KL to join the stuntman for a fire performance.

As frightened as I was, I gave it a go. Performing with fire on my birthday? Heck, why not? Bucket list checked!

I recalled my similar experience fire-twirling back in Australia so I decided that I shouldn’t be as frightened anymore. Mustering all the courage I had in me, I then braved myself to lick the flames and to also do a little bit of fire-twirling – sorry, I was a tad rusty! It has been a couple of years after all.

Here’s a short video footage of my playing with fire in front of everybody!

I must admit, it was rather daunting but I hope I pulled it off alright.

Video credits: Jeff Ong

Thanks so much for the video Jeffro! x

After the fiery act, we continued partying!

I began to pour more rounds of neat vodka for my buddies.

Straight from the bottle!

(P/S: Damn I know I look quite cock-eyed here but alas, it’s the only picture I have of this!)

Pretty sure finishing this would be no problem, right guys? 😉

Bottoms up!

Selfie! Damn my huge fat face seems to take up almost half this photo.

Sarah love and I! xo

Big smiles to friendship and beyond!

Another one for the road!

Thank you so much, everyone for taking the time to come all the way here to celebrate my birthday with me over a couple of drinks, chit-chatting and music! Your company really meant a lot.
Thanks for the lovely birthday presents as well!

Last but not least, thank you The Pool KL for hosting me a great night and a great birthday experience.

Later into the night, we found ourselves moving on to Zouk for an after-party as I was given a 10 pax guestlist to fill in. Yay! So much for not wanting to party hard huh…

To be continued! 😉

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[highlight style=”yellow” ]For more information on The Pool KL or to make your reservations:[/highlight]

Log on to their official website at: www.thepoolkl.com

LIKE them on Facebook at: facebook.com/thepoolkl

Contact them via their phone number at: +6017-998 5577

Drop by this address: 347 Jalan Ampang, 50400 Kuala Lumpur, Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Opening hours Wednesdays – Sundays: 5pm – 3am

Good morning dear readers!

Odd question, how many of you noticed (from the photos or having met me in real life) that I actually used to have bad skin?

Long-time readers would probably know how disastrous my skin used to be as I once had a lot of pimples and have been fighting acne problem for several years. 

Today, I am FINALLY free of acne. But look closely, you can still see my oily skin & scars on my cheeks.

(In this photo, I have tried to conceal it with make up)

Is my oily face & scars on my cheeks clearer?

(In this photo, I have less concealer on)

But if you never noticed, it could mean that I'm either really good with my make-up and concealers to cover up the acne haha! 

Thanks to the folks at Papulex, a leading pharmaceutical expert in Asia Pacific that specializes in Dermatology, I'm going to begin opening up a personal battle of my life that you probably didn't know of –

For those of you lucky people who never knew what acne is nor have experienced it, acne is the name given to the various dermal outbreaks, such as pimples and blackheads, which are commonly experienced during adolescence.

While acne, in most instances, diminishes and disappears by the early 20s, for some unfortunate individuals the symptoms of acne can persist long into adulthood. 

Here's a simple diagram on how acne occurs on the skin surface

Now, we all know that there are many theories (and many myths) as to what exactly causes acne but one of the stronger arguments is that acne is largely influenced by your genes.

Main question of today –

CAN ACNE BE INHERITED?

Answer –

Yes, you can inherit acne.

After doing my research, here are some cold, hard facts!

 Numerous studies have been conducted in order to correlate acne with genetics. A 1999 study from the British Journal of Dermatology has shown that individuals who suffer from adult persistent acne are four times more likely to have adult relatives who also suffer from adult persistent acne than individuals who do not.

Similarly, a more recent study has demonstrated that individuals with a parental history of acne experience acne at a younger age than those without (sourced from the book 'Heredity: A Prognostic Factor for Acne').

The same study suggests that certain symptoms are significantly more prevalent when the father or mother alone experiences acne.  

According to The Journal of Investigative Dermatology, a study on twins has also suggested that acne is significantly based on genetic factors as opposed to environmental, lifestyle or other factors.

So basically, you can’t avoid inheritance as it runs in the gene pool.

Yes, I know it’s an unlucky thing to have but it’s something you have to live with it.

I would know, I’ve lived with it almost all my life  I know, such an unfortunate soul, right?

However, there is a smart way to strike a balance between nature and nurture.

And that's when skincare comes in too. I’ve discovered that there are ways to manage and combat this problem with some simple solutions.

I'm embarking on an interesting mission to help everyone have better skin & to ensure that nobody is misinformed about acne 

Having done my research, here are the top 5 common misconceptions that I'd like to myth-bust!

Myth #1 Acne is a contagious disease.

You can't get acne by touching another person's acne or sharing food with a person with acne

Myth #2 Acne spots are due to bad hygiene.

You should resist the temptation to repeatedly cleanse, treat and fuss over your acne as it will aggravate the skin

Myth #3 Acne problem is a teenage problem

Adult acne happens too. It affects a diverse range of people from teens, pregnant women, adults and even the elderly

Myth #4 Chocolate causes acne

Nonsense. Enough said. 

Myth #5 Pop the pimple and it will go away

Picking it will leave open sores vulnerable to bacteria and infection, worsening your condition

So where am I going with this, you wonder?

Like I said before, I'm on a mission to discover and spread the truth about acne. I’m affirmative that everyone reading this right now knows at least one person with acne and bad skin, right? 

To be honest, I'd like to know the complete truth – learning about different skin types, what really causes acne and how to address this issue. 

I'm proud to say that I will be joining the cause as a truthseeker to fight acne and shed light to others who are currently facing acne problems or even know someone with this problem.

Long story short, I'm out to help people with acne-prone skin to get out of this damned problem.

WHY?

Because I know how terrible it can be, how ugly you can feel

and how much time you take to try to make yourself look better.

I've been there, and done that.

Thus I'm participating in the Lead the Way Blogger Challenge by Papulex Asia.

Log on to Papulex's Official Facebook page to know more about this cause!

I may be free from acne now, but my scars remain 

(You probably can't see it. Pro-tip : Black & white does wonders for acne scars!)

Stay tuned to my next article as I will be opening up and sharing the ugly truth on my battle with acne.

What I faced everyday living with it, how severe it was and how it made me feel throughout the whole ordeal.

Be prepared for some ugly photos of my acne-ridden self as well! 

What to expect? Well I looked something like this –

Yeah, very ugly right?

Well, I got through it. I survived