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

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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!

Oh hey! It's the month of June already.

If you ask me, this year flew by really swiftly. Before I knew it, we're already almost halfway into the year 2013. 

Where did all the time go?

Hmmm… maybe getting starting my new job made me feel like time had fleeted by so fast.

Cold days at work. When the advertising industry debilitates me whole by the end of the day, all I can do is to curl up with my fave mug of hot chocolate

As keeping busy takes up most of my time, my days aren't as dreary and long as it would probably feel if I were to be jobless or bored at home with absolutely nothing to do. To be honest, I do miss being bored sometimes. 

I could only wish for more hours in my day. 

My life is so fast-paced, especially this year, that I don't even have the time to feel bored anymore! 

Masaku betul2 berlalu dengan laju sangat. Alangkah baiknya jika kita mempunyai lebih masa setiap hari? Katakanlah 30 jam sehari berbanding dengan hanya 24 jam. Lebih banyak kerja yang dapat diselesaikan dalam satu hari dan perkara akan dilakukan secara jauh lebih berkesan, kan?

Ahhh, wishful thinking at best. 

Anyway, this week was relatively mundane with a sprinkle of colour towards the weekend. Okay, recap! 

Daily trainings and awesome post-workout meals.

It was upper body: chest, shoulders, back and arm day

Made organic fusilli pasta bake with honey glazed eggplant, carrots & tomato,

tossed with grapeseed oil, basil and cottage cheese.

Rolled wholegrain oats with soy milk, banana slices and golden kiwi

Organic brown rice with chicken chunks, button mushrooms & flax seeds,

steamed in spring onion, garlic-ginger-onion-herb paste made from scratch! 

Tonight's outfit of the day.

Was invited to Longchamp Paris' Exclusive Preview of their Fall/Winter collection.

Full blog feature soon!

May 29, 2013 | Amazing new release by #Longchamp #Paris! Here are my favorites from their 2013 Fall/Winter collection! ❤ by imthejessicat on Keek.com

Randomly, just randomly, I'm vaguely aware of how my sense of dressing has mellowed so much. Ugh.

Although sexy tops, tight skirts, mini dresses and belly bearing tops still appeal to me, I noticed a paradigm shift in my taste in clothing as of late – probably since the beginning of the year. I have to admit, this "change" scares me a little.

I think this means I'm succumbing to the ravages of time and age. OH NO. 

Aku rase aku sekarang nih dah makin tua.  Jadi, tidak hairanlah apabila aku semakin berpaling kepada cara berpakaian yang lebih klasik ataupun sedikit sebanyak konservatif, jika berbanding dengan fesyen yang biasanya aku dilihat memakai.

Nowadays, classy high-cut tops, demure outfits, long dresses, classic, elegant pieces and the corporate OL (office lady) look strikes my fancy. Umm. really Jess, since when?

What happened to that wild, partygirl look you often portray? 

Date night out in the city. We chose El Cerdo KL Spanish Restaurant, Changkat Bukit Bintang

We had tapas. Gambas Al AjilloCalamares (above) and A La Plancha (below)

Loved its freshness and mild but delightful flavours!

★★★★★

May 30, 2013 | #Night outs! #Dinner in the #city. Drinks by the #bar ❤ by imthejessicat on Keek.com

We also met up with some friends for a bit of Wednesday night partying 

One person is missing from the picture! I guess I'll have to photoshop bestiePam's head in LOL

Bumped into an old friend, Anu, from Penang!

We were squash players back in high school

Excuse my vanity. I don't usually have the time to doll up 

Take two.

I have a new addition to my arsenal of gadgets now. Say hello to my new sexy white thing.

The SAMSUNG Galaxy Camera 

Fancy some cat pictures for the start of the week?

What you are about to see is my furkid, Chivas, in compromising positions

The weekends finally loomed closer; about time it did!

Friday night saw me packing my bags and heading up to Ipoh to spend some time with the family for the weekend.

We had a sumptous family feast. Japanese dinner at

Zento Sushi @ Festival Walk which left us full to the brim and beyond satisfied.

★★★★★

Full blog feature/review coming soon!

Being away for the weekend didn't deter me from carrying out my routines.

Here's a makeshift circuit I did at the porch of my home.

Oh, this Ipoh trip marked my first time boarding the Electric Train Service (ETS) from KL Sentral Railway Station.

I came to a conclusion that I didn't want to drive two hours to Ipoh and another two hours back. I just can't be bothered, really.

The train ride was incredibly smooth and gave me a pleasant experience!

It was punctual – arriving on the dot!

The carriages/coaches were clean, spacious, comfortable and had on-board entertainment (hurray for Mr. Bean!) to boot.

Instead of spending a taxing two hours squinting into the distance when I drive at night and speeding (being me, admittedly) down the highway at 140km/h, all I had to do was to get to the railway station, board the train, pop up my laptop and do my work or leisure for the entire two hours.

Arriving with zero stress.

Sounds like a much better option, no doubt! 

Thumbs up to Malaysian public transportation! 

Architecture-wise, I was pretty impressed by how the railway station looked.

Fringing the railway tracks were high-rise horseshoe and orgee arches plastered in white. It had this British heritage look and feel to it.

You know the concept of crisp-looking whitewashed buildings of moorish designs, pairs of columned porches, symmetrical windows flanking the main, arched entrances?

Yeah the whole train station boasted that entire notion; and I loved it.

It felt as though I was stepping out of the Hogwarts Express train into London's King's Cross railway station.

Before I got too carried away in my reverie, I stopped myself from running into the wall in hopes of traversing into a secret, hidden platform to Hogwarts HAHAHA.

I'm deluded like that.

On our way to the Ipoh Railway Station

Jun 2, 2013 | Whilst on our way to the #Ipoh railway station to head back to #KL #city! by imthejessicat on Keek.com

Farewell, Ipoh Railway Station. I'll be back!

The sunset on the way back was breathtaking

This photo does no justice to the deep vermillion, purple and crimson hues that illuminated the evening sky

Theboyf and I decided to pig out and grab some Mexican cuisine for dinner upon arriving KL.

Actually, it was his idea. We were starving by the time we arrived the city.

Chilis Grill & Bar Restaurant, Bangsar Shopping Centre

★★★★★

The Chicken Club Tacos were superb! 

Wrapped inside the tacos were grilled mesquite chicken breast, ancho-chile ranch dressing, diced tomatoes, mixed cheeses and lettuce served with chopped beef bacon and black beans.

Eating it left me wanting more. It came so juicy, the chicken was tender and it was a perfect burst of Tex-Mex flavour with every bite.

We also tried their new starter, the Spinach Queso.

Those tostada chips were warm and crisp, to be dipped into a spinach-cheese dip and house-made salsa. Just heavenly! 

So that's a wrap! Here's to hoping your weekend was just as eventful as mine. 

Have a good seven days ahead 

I'm going to leave you with a song that's been stuck in my head for as long as ever. Sharing is caring 

Much love,

Jessicat

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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!