Hey everyone! I’m back from Indonesia!

It’s so good to be home on the Malaysian soil once more.

Was very sad to leave Indonesia so soon though! 

Admittedly though, this four day escape to our neighbouring country really did me well.

Those of you who have me on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook would know darn well how stressed and emotional I was regarding the political turmoil happening in Malaysia, biased news coverage, headlines on our mainstream media and never-ending protests in our nation’s battle for democracy. 

Black days of mourning with my nation in protest of the breach of democracy 

Keperitanku tidak dapat diluahkan dalam perkataan. Kurasa ditipu oleh pemimpin sendiri!!

This had me following each and every update in the news pertaining to the tumultuous situation; getting so riled up in the process.

At that point, I wished I could just shut my eyes and just forget about all the troubles we were facing… or better yet, jet-set to another country for a while.

And I did.

Thanks to the US and Indonesian ASEAN committee, it's good thing that my trip to Indonesia for ASEAN Blogger Festival 2013 was scheduled last Thursday. 

I was invited to be a panel speaker during the conference. My session was 'Photoblogging' where I spoke about photoblogging, and addressed issues of the rise of photo-heavy content and incorporating photography into social media.

Thank you for having me! And kepada semua participant yang menghadiri session saya, terima kasih!

I hope you have learnt a thing or two 

How coincidental! Just what I needed – a moment to focus on my passion instead of my sorrows.

After three days of conferences, I'm home.

I’ve just landed in KLIA (Kuala Lumpur International Airport) and 

feeling lethargic from all the travelling and transiting!

Now that I'm back, I don’t know if I should catch up with where I left off? 

Sebenarna, aku sudah tidak tertahan dengan keadaan huru-hara politik ini!! 

I’m still keeping myself in the dark about our political updates as we speak.

Succumbed enough to the political outrage. I guess… sometimes, ignorance is bliss after all.

I'm a happier person that way.

So anyway, what’s been happening this week? A LOT.

Here's a little recap! 

Attended Global Sound System – the official dance party of Music Conference Asia 2013!

Full blog coverage up soon!

Attended the Heineken Kick-Off to Ibiza beach party at The Mines Wellness Hotel

Full blog coverage up soon!

Headed back to gym to continue my daily routines

Let's get it on!

I cannot stress this enough, always remember to hydrate!

Your output of perspiration needs more input of h20! 

Here are some of the post-workout food I cooked this week.

Due to popular request (or rather, demands from you all! ), I will also run a series of cookbook articles where I will be sharing the recipes of cooking clean food and low-calorie meals when the revamp of the new face of my blog is launched, okay?

Grilled lemon-butter herb salmon and organic wholewheat durum spaghetti bolognaise

with mushrooms & chopped chives – all on top of a bed of crisp, fresh lettuce

A platter of rosemary & thyme grilled zucchini with low-fat cottage cheese,

roasted baby carrots, tomato, chick peas & black eyed peas

with baked pears for that extra, natural sweetness!

Wholegrain oats with soy milk, toasted banana slices sprinkled

with chocolate protein powder and sunflower seeds
 

Grilled salmon with sides of honey-baked baby carrots,

garlic pea sprouts and organic sunflower seeds

A power combo sandwich of tuna, omega eggs, organic brown flax seeds,

hemp & lettuce on traditional wheat bran toast.

Quick breakfast of Chocolate Protein Oats with apples, soy and flax seeds

Tuna salad with chickpeas, hardboiled eggs and lettuce

Spent time cuddling my kittyboy Chivas at home after my four days of absence.

I can't tell if he loves me or not, as my cat is seemingly incapable of expressing emotions 

Tetapi biarkanlah. I'll just love him anyway, regardless! 

To me, I enjoy loving and letting love surround me. 

There are many types of love, yes? It really doesn't matter if the feelings of the other person/animal/item are mutual.

If you love someone/something, it makes your world go round. To resonate with love and affection gives me a certain glow of happiness and a sheen of joy!  

Tak setuju? Well, when you love someone, it makes you happy, right?

Your argument is invalid 

Was surprised with a McDonald's Hamburglar X Hello Kitty!

Was surprised again last week with the McDonald's Grimace X Hello Kitty!

I wasn't the only one being surprised. We decided to give babyChivas a girlfriend.

He didn't seem too amused nor fascinated with his new companion. Boo-hoo! 

Aight, it's time to hit the sack. 

It's been a long weekend and a brand new working week beckons us

Colleagues and I fooling around at work during breaktime.

Also, how often do we turn up in the same pattern of workwear? Never. Totally worth a photo!

Before I end this post, let me wish my dearest mother, godmother, nanny and grandmother…

"No language can express the power, beauty, heroism and majesty of a mother's love.

It shrinks not where man cowers, and grows stronger where man faints, and over wastes of

worldly fortunes sends the radiance of its quenchless fidelity like a star"

Dear mommies, your presents are with me! Await them when I see you at the end of this month 

So sorry I couldn't be home to take all of you out, as I just touched down from Indonesia only this afternoon.

What about you? I do hope you had a great time with your mothers, or at least, remembered to personally wish her a very Happy Mother's Day.  

Even the fact that we, their children, had them in our thoughts, would mean so much to them. Yup, mothers are really that selfless… or at least mine are! 

Sometimes, people tend to forget how the simplest things in life can be the most extraordinary.

But not for me. It’s always the simplest, tiniest surprises that makes the little girl in me most delighted!

Or… could it probably be just an excuse for me to eat ice-cream? 

Terpulanglah kepada saudara-saudari bagaimana nak mengerti! Hehehe 

Have a lovely week ahead, dear readers. 

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!

Ohai lovelies! It's Sunday again.

Feeling a little sleepy now but here's my weekly edition of The Sunday Times, as promised!

Apart from cooking & eating (LOL I sound like sucha fatty!), studying & working, I didn't do much fun this week except…

THE FREAKIN' WEEKEND! Friday night let's geddit on!

DOUBLE outfit shot! Guess where we're all dressed up to go?

Future Sound Asia presents David Guetta LIVE in Malaysia!

Our World #1 DJ made his 4th stop right here in Sepang International Circuit during his Asia Tour 2012 with special guest DJs Alesso & Kaz James. I had my mind completely blown away that night. 

We went with boyfieKon & two of my buddies, Larry & Sabrina. Major thanks for the carpool too! 

We truly enjoyed ourselves raving away like no one's watching!

*Full blogpost coming soon*

Dinner date with boyfieKon at a Manhattan-townhouse inspired restaurant : Ben's KLCC

Food was terrific! We had Mum's Cottage Pie, Wild Mushroom Quiche & the Roasted Tomato Soup.

I would fully-recommend the ones we had! Food & ambience deserved a 5/5 rating from me 

However, the service was deplorable (Foursquare was right!) The waiter & waitresses (except one) were hardly attentive towards their customers and even forgot to serve us our Chargrilled Rack of Lamb which we ordered along with our other meals – to which he gave 101 excuses as to why it wasn't jot down. 

Moving on…

Had my first ever swimming lesson thanks to Swimin12! Check 'em out 

I am now actually able to swim properly/correctly instead of paddling like a drowning puppy

Corporate outfit again. This time, to attend a rather corporate/business/formal event in KL city!

Congratulations PETRONAS on the successful launch of your

first solar photovoltaic installation system! *Full blogpost coming soon*

Having many massive solar panels – largest in the region, mind you! – on the rooftop of our iconic mall KLCC Petronas Twin-Towers allows electricity to be utilized from the sun's natural solar energy to power up the building 

So proud of my country & its efforts of going green with effective sustainable development!

On a random note…

GOSSIP GIRL SEASON 6 IS *FINALLY* OUT THIS WEEK.

Had been waiting for months on end for the season finale to premier.

Outfit of the day! Donned a smart-casual yet edgy wear tonight for…

The official launch of Samsung's latest tablet-smartphone, the Samsung Galaxy Note II

I was impressed by the really cool features & user-friendliness! *Full blogpost coming soon!*

This week, as usual, spells being domesticated & self-sufficient again. 

Yup, cooking healthy, low-calorie food strikes again!

Fluffy Omelette with Old El Paso salsa, tomato ketchup & lotsa ground black pepper!

Black Peppered scrambled eggs with Tuna Chunks, Baby Romaine Lettuce & Oregano!

Oh and yes, I discovered a new-found love for beans in my cooking escapades. 

Yup, lentils are the way to go! Full of protein & fibre 

Haricot Beans baked in tomato paste & rock salt, Romaine Lettuce, 

Omega Eggs, Oatmeal flakes with lots of Thyme & Oregano!

Stir-fry garlic Iceberg Lettuce & Moroccan Chickpeas 

on buttered Wholegrain Toast + Roast Carrots glazed in Raw Maple Syrup

Middle-Eastern style Chickpea Stew with Spinach, 

Carrots, Basil & a Sunny Side Up Omega egg!

Combo Salad of Iceberg Lettuce, hard-boiled Omega Eggs, Steamed Chickpeas, 

Onions, Mashed Tuna & Ranch with Tomato ketchup & Parsley!

Sounds good? I had so much fun in my kitchen cooking all those delightful, healthy bites 

Speaking of which, I just returned from doing some grocery-shopping at Jaya Grocer

Some of the foodstuff that will keep me going throughout next week!

My apologies for the delay in certain overdue blogposts, will have them up throughout this week & the next!

I have an exam tomorrow & during the little time I was ever at home, been trying my best to slot in the most study-time I could. Can't believe I had to forgo my gym trainings all week too. Bummer!

Pretty short edition tonight, I've really gotta go! Imma burn the midnight oil tonight to make sure I'm well-prepared for tomorrow's exam.

Have a superb seven days ahead, dear readers! 

Jessicat

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The Sunday Times is a new once-a-week series; published every Sunday night to recap the highlights of my week, capture what piques my interest and to share recommendations for to-go places and to-eats throughout the week.

Check out the entire series here : The Sunday Times edition.

Some of the photos are posted instantly on my Instagram, Twitter, Tumblr & Facebook on the go.

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

Yay Yay! Time for another page outta my lil Chef at Home cookbook! 

One fine day, Verity and I decided to cook up some Asian cuisine for dinner – Black Pepper Stir Fried Beef

in the process! I like my meals with heaps of veggies 😀

Verity helping to chop more veggies! 

Lots and lots of garlic paste in the already-marinaded beef chunks!

Okay to be honest, the original dish was supposed to be Chicken Stir Fry.

But we changed it entirely to Black Pepper Beef Stir Fry! Then again, no one follows the cookbooks 😉

ESPECIALLY ME.

After putting everything in the wok!

Letting it simmer and absorb all the juices 😀 Omnomnomnom

Oh and you know what's our secret ingredient? Wine!  

Lots and lots of it!

After letting it simmer for another half an hour, I just gave it some more herbs and condiments to taste.

Used heaps of black pepper seeds too 😀 😀

Ta-da!! Almost ready!

Erin was on the other side of the kitchen, also busy cooking.

But since she's vegan, all her meals were strictly vegetarian – no meat of any sort!

*sizzle sizzle*

For dessert, we decided to bake a special chocolate cake. *wink*

Omnomnomnom. Ima chocolate maniac, if you didn't already know 😀 

Prepare all the ingredients needed

Melted chocolate, butter and yummy delish stuff 

Pour it in with chopped walnut chunks!

Ooooh look at that nutty chocolatey goodness 😀

As usual, this is what my friends and I do after I've finished pouring the entire cake mix into the baking tin.

Who wants to waste good chocolate? 😛
 

NOBODY. 

Popped it into the oven and waited for the magic to happen.

In the meantime, our Black Pepper Stir Fry Beef was ready to be eaten with steamed rice 

Bon Appetit!

Doesn't look really appetizing in the photo   Cos I was too hungry and couldn't give two hoots about taking pictures. Just wanted to gobble it! I was delighted when my friends loved it just as much as I did!

One of them said it was spicy as! *giggle* Well, toughen up! Get used to Asian spicy food 😛

This was Erin's vegetable dish!

She let me take as many photos as I wanted before she ate 😛 Yay!

After eating and got really full to the brim, it was time to bring out the special chocolate cake! 😉

Walnuts ahoy!

Don't know why we turned the cake upside down and ate it that way instead

Yay everyone liked it!

Okay speaking of which, I'm really darn hungry as we speak.

Imma head out for dindins with the bestie now.

And to all my Muslim readers out there, Selamat Berbuka Puasa! 

So I've been working for hours on end on my never-ending assignments and pulling all-nighters.

Yup, pretty much stressed but still surviving! As of now, I still have 2 more major assignments to complete.

Just another lovely, chilly evening at rez

(You might see the rays of the sun, but it's below 10°C now)

When night falls, there's even frost on the grass and mist coming outta your mouth when you talk

How I miss Malaysian weather already

Anyway, what made my day today was when my lecturer returned our assignments.

I wasn't expecting much, seeing that he keeps emphasizing that my work isn't good enough. But when I saw a High Distinction (HD) written with red ink on my cover sheet, I was elated beyond words.

Just thought I'd share (go make yourself a cuppa hot chocolate before reading this) :

            The sun began to set on the horizon; casting enigmatic shadows upon the sidewalks of faded, uneven gravel. The trails of this languid settlement led to an uncertain foray into nothingness; winding, and descending. The air was gray and opalescent; a solitary ray of light swiftly outlined the skyscrapers; then another light; and a hundred more glimmered into vision with each flash of the passing headlights.

          As time elapsed, the faint shades of sunset, encompassing vermilion and sanguine hues made way for a dark canvas of thick, iron studded skylights. The man in the moon must be in a joyous mood, for tonight’s iridescence was more golden than harvest moons; and brightly aglow, akin to the winter moon.

          Seventy acres of this town were dotted with old, dilapidated huts where hundreds of plebeians call home. A large forsaken warehouse barricaded by fencing stood erect to the left; and to the right, an abandoned playground scattered with equipment – what was once synonymous with colour, now engulfed by immense corrosion. In the corner, lived an increasing horde of rodents that prowled trash-cans and scraps from a poultry slaughter-house. Not too far away, lay a half-obliterated carcass beyond recognition, of what used to be a small creature, reeking of a stench so foul, with maggots thriving on its fetid, disintegrated flesh.

          Watching great drops of an unexpected heavy shower of rain splatter down, pooling into dark stains on the sidewalk; little homeless children scurried from the harsh tirades of the weather and huddled closely beneath tattered, worn-out awnings of the abattoir. Though it stank with the most revolting odour, it was their only means of refuge from the merciless downpour.  A sudden gush of wind soon enveloped the town with an icy-coldness that permeates the depths of the soul; quivering the very marrow of the bone in unison. Such unwelcome November rain had perversely stolen the days last hour and pawned it with a vibe of fear and desolation.

          In the near distance, the silhouette of a feminine figure could be made out to be trudging along those rough terrains; drenched by torrents of the heavy rain. Of why she was barefoot and forlorn, was unbeknownst to anyone who jostled past her. A loud creak broke the deafening silence of this bleak, stormy night when iron doors of a nearby Hollywood film set flung open abruptly. The subsequent heavy roaring of a rising crowd and the interlaced clatter of many voices swamped the scene. She stood insignificantly, like a fly on the wall, watching silently as the throng passed.

          Ladies in evening gowns could be seen wearing their long locks in loose, delicate waves, crowded along with shrieks of strident laughter; two to an umbrella, where most of them had their arms around pallid, immaculate men, decked in pressed suits. They ambled past, accompanied by chauffeurs into sleek limousines, followed by a squad of bodyguards swaggering past, boasting due savoir faire expected of them as sentinels of the elite. Even so, blinding lights of cameras still flash by as paparazzi tailed the crème de la crème of Tinseltown until the very second they zoomed out of sight. When all the merriment of the rich and famous began to subside, the town was once again, left in a depressing state of obscurity.

          Deserted, sordid… and ghastly.

          There were dubious activities around the corner, illicit motherhood in the attic three blocks away, and felons menacing every nook and cranny. Nightmares of perspiration between the clammy walls took to an overpowering force upon the building. Those concrete walls, made of red bricks plastered haphazardly in cement, echoed with silence. Amongst the grime and undergrowth breeding in the corners, a stolen thought arose. A fragmented, discontinuous thought which scrambled around in that darkened corner, running in search of other thoughts, hungry for a connection.

 "Help," says the thought in its faint, mellifluous tone; a disembodied voice so light it barely resonates.

 "Help…we aim for justice, it shall prevail".  

          I look more closely at the thought, at the silver glittering off its skin at it weaves in and out of the dim glow of the swaying, cracked bulb hanging loosely from the wall lamps. It is shaped like a prism – a tiny insignificant thing, yet unspeakably glorious in the magnitude of its beauty. It beckons me; drawing me closer into an unfathomable intimacy.

          A squalid phantasmagoria flashed by abruptly and shattered my train of thought. It soon disappeared into the mist as my futile attempts to squint vigorously in hopes of regaining my vision were in vain. It is not uncommon for the folks of this sinister town to conjure apparitions every now and then; like a Freudian dream left unearthed. For the history behind this place lays a morbid incident which took place several years ago; unspoken of and by no means allowed to leave one’s lips.

          There is much to say about this town, but very few dare to utter a word.

******

So, that's the end! 😀 Alright, my dinner is almost ready to be eaten now. Had been cooking all afternoon!

On the menu today : Cheese Baked Pumpkin Rice with Salmon, Cherry Tomatoes and Asparagus 🙂 There's also spring onions,  golden corn, brussel sprouts, carrots on the casserole sprinkled with lots of basil, coriander and mixed herbs too.

I know I still owe you guys plenty of blogposts of my daily cooking voyages, but then again I've too many pending posts to actually keep track anymore 🙁 I don't think I'll ever run out of things to blog about, only running out of time!

Have a good evening ahead while I enslave myself to those merciless assignments!