Once upon a time, people had the pleasure of inking their words out on pen and paper, or sent their love to someone abroad with a postcard. Dating even further back, those of the ancient times penned their stories on parchment with a quill.

Fast-forward to 2018, you are reading my thoughts via a brightly-lit screen on the verge of ruining your eyesight. 😀 And no, I didn’t write this. But clearly, I typed it.

It often dawned upon me that the novelty of personally dedicating a handwritten note or a card to a loved one has long dissipated with the times. Have we all forgotten the meaning or significance it carried? How far has technology brought us off the beaten track? 🙁

As a writer, I’ve always been propagating the importance of personal touch in every gift or gesture… and that can be achieved with your good ol’ friends – the pen and paper. In line with my personal conquest, I was glad that The Techy Hub & The Inkredibles invited me to their launch event, aptly named ‘Relive the Print’.

Read on to find out who I sent postcards to! 🙂

Have you heard?

Paris Hilton, along with stars Taboo from the Black Eyed Peas, Australian tenor and winner of Australia’s Got Talent, Mark Vincentso, will be gracing the Malaysian stage in January – so I’ve heard from the grapevine.

So… Paris Hilton coming to Malaysia?

No surprise if you see her on our end of the globe, if you ask me.

She does, after all, have romantic-financial ties to our Malaysian tycoon, Jho Low. 

And if this is true, I wonder what her performance will be?

DJ-ing? Hmmm… in my (rather frank) opinion, let’s just hope that socialite sticks to she what she does best, eh? She should totally pop a few more champagne bottles and party it up with us!

Pretty sure she’d turn up the heat…

How many people in the world can attain the bragging rights to say
“I’ve partied with Paris Hilton. Have you?”

Also, imagine rubbing shoulders with her. Yes… just imagine.

Let’s admit it… she IS indeed a glamorously hot platinum-blonde bombshell.

And if the rumours of her debut in Malaysia is really, really true, you know, your star-signs have aligned and I could hook you up with a few exclusive, invite-only passes to the Party of the Century. 

Ladies! This could be you beside Paris Hilton:

I’m not gender biased!

Gentlemen, this could be you:

Yup. I’d definitely would want a selfie with Paris Hilton herself.

I’m not joking. Or maybe I am? I’m rather keen to go there myself too..

Because really, how often would you catch Paris Hilton in the flesh?

Actually, I do know why. 

After so many mixed and contrasting opinions all around the world about her DJ-ing,

I would honestly want to hear it and judge it for myself.

ARE YOU IN?

Stay tuned to find out how 20 of you can come along!

Wake me up when September ends, you say? Well… the time has come!

Tomorrow marks not only the start of a new week, but a start of a new month as well.

Yup, it's OCTOBER! *throws confetti* 

Anyway, my week has been a very pleasant & busy one. I was back in Penang for a few days to visit my folks. 

Outfit of the day!

If you're wondering if I'm dressed more smartly & corporately than usual, I am.

Mom and I attended a High-Tea buffet event at G-Hotel organized by The Star. Full of who's who in the business & corporate world, mom hinted that I should probably dress the part as well. LOL!

We had delicious sweet and savoury high-tea meals in a platter on our table.

My fave was the mussels served in a spoon! They were so juicy 

And then we did some shopping at the adjacent Gurney Plaza right after. Just like old times.

It's one of those mother-daughter things we used to do, back when I didn't move out of home yet.

Having a good night's sleep with my Lavender essential oil from The Body Shop after I returned to KL

Mom somehow got me into the whole aromatherapy burning thing again.

It's quality times like this, that I miss immensely about home. I guess home is always where he heart is.

We must not forget that while we're busy growing up, our parents are growing old as well

Okay, enough nostalgia. On to the more adreanalin-pumping, body-rocking stuff, hey? 

Did Monday's routine at the gym in our clubhouse, Bukit Jambul Country Club Penang

Imparted some fitness tips to mom too. She's a great gym partner – at 50, mind you!

I swear, when I hit half a century, imma be as fit – if not fitter than – she is. Hats off to this lady I call my mother!

Burning approximately 500 calories after my cardio & workout routines kinda gives me the munchies.

I have a knack of indulging in VERY sinful food as well. But no matter, at least I burn them off almost everday.

Triple Cheese Mozzarella Garlic Naan from Murni @ SS2, Petaling Jaya

You think that's bad?

Wait till you see this. Oh and if you care, I'm also eating a rich Chocolate Fudge cake now as we speak.

It's the Double Down by KFC!!

Yup, it's here… it's finally here! The KFC Zinger Double Down 

BoyfieKon and I ate this in Australia sometime last year. I think I might dedicate a blogpost to this! 

One of my godsistas came over to hang out & spent a couple of days with me.

Guess what we did apart from having dinners, doing our assignments and shisha-ing?

I brought her….. to the gym LOL

Part of Thursday's routine

This week, I am thankful for my cat. 

My prized possession. My bundle of joy. My forever-attention-seeking fluffball. My affectionate little boy.

No, he is not at all as fierce as he looks. He wouldn't even hurt a fly.

Chivas is the most docile cat I've ever known.

I guess babyChivas inherited those traits from his purebred Ragamuffiin/Ragdoll mother 

If I ain't wrong, that breed is well-known for their innate characteristics of having a very placid temperament.

Confused babyChivas as to where I'm taking him LOL

Brought him to the vet for his usual check-up.

Gotta make sure my boy hasn't got any dysfunctional illness or caught any diseases from anywhere!

Look at the new Witch Hat scratch post mommy & daddy bought for you! 

Came across this while surfing the web. Caught my attention and reduced me to giggles,

I can already think of a number of people whom can relate to this haha! 

Yup… better not marry someone like that.

Lest you have kids that go..

LOLOLOLOLOL

If you're a gamer and feel the need to smash my head on your grime-filled keyboard and sweat-laden mouse after reading this, don't. You won't score any points or go to the next level if you kill me. 

Obviously, I was joking. I've dated a few gamers before in my life & they're pretty cool, nonetheless.

On Friday, I caught sight of a very exciting yet dreamy-like spectacle in the night sky. 

As I live on the highest floor of my condominium, I was lucky enough to have the kaleidoscope of colours and fireworks in my direct line of vision.

I honestly wondered though, what's the occasion on the 28th September ?

NO FREAKIN' CLUE. 

So pretty! I just couldn't stop spamming my shutter button!

Check out this pretty cute song by a Swedish artist.

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oS6wfWu0JvA&feature=player_detailpage

Song of the week! Lykke Li – I Follow Rivers

 Although it is very unlikely of me to actually fancy an Indie Pop song like this, this is an exception. It was introduced to me by one of my French buddies. Stuck in my head since then! 

Today is boyfieKon's birthday! We had a splendid celebration 

I bought him an Arnold Palmer wallet and double-buckled belt. Gave it to him at the stroke of midnight!

Could tell that he absolutely loved it!  I'm glad.

Plus, he has this uncanny liking towards the smell of fresh, new 100% leather. LOL

Headed to The Apartment-cum-Malones in The Curve for a simple birthday lunch.

Outfit of the day! American Invasion 

The birthday boy had Jamie's Duck Pasta Fettucine 

I had Grilled Chicken with Creme Fraiche, Spinach with Dill Mash *highly recommended!*

Wouldn't recommend the Chicken & Mushroom Pasta Spaghetti that Pam ordered as it was rather bland to her

We finished off (or rather, started!) with the Chocolate Brownie

I'd have it again, it was that good! 

At night, we adjourned to our table-for-two affair

BoyfieKon & I proceeded to Concorde Hotel KL for the birthday dinner which I planned secretly just for him.

Outfit of the night!

Drew a little inspiration from Playboy Bunny

Last year, we celebrated his birthday in a full Playboy Bunny & Suit Up party in Melbourne!

So… that kinda explains why I wanted to re-live a little of last year's moments. 

Ordered their best-selling Chocolate Fudge cake & had GANGNAM BUFDAY KON deliberately written on it

It's an inside joke.

Dinner was simply marvellous. I cannot thank Concorde Hotel KL enough for our wonderful evening 

 *full blogpost coming soon!*

That marks the end of my seven days this week. What does October have in store for me?

October? Geez. I dread to be reminded that it's already October. That's two more months till the end of the year.

How time flies, right? Are you any closer to completing those New Year Resolutions already?

If not, you better get your arse moving. You only have approximately 90 more days to achieve that. 

Heading off to the gym now, dear readers

HAVE A GANGNAM WEEK AHEAD OF YOU!

Oh, did you know that Psy's Oppa Gangnam Style has hit the Number 1 spot in the UK Billboard Top 100, making it the first in Asian music history?  Now you do 

Much love,

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

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

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

This just in!

So glad I found a total gem in Damansara 😀
 

Being a Japanese food freak with perennial love for all things sushi, yakimono, soba, maki, teppanyaki, unagi and the like, I was overjoyed when all I wanted and loved could be found in Hokano.
 

Before I entered. This is the storefront! 🙂
 

Menu placed outside so you can ogle over their epicurean Japanese dishes even before you enter

I sure did
 

Are we ready?
 

Tucked along the row of shophouses, this cosy restaurant might be small in size but packed with people.

It's time to put these Japanese bites to test

It's Hokano crunchtime!

I brought along my posse of foodies too. First things first, we were all served with warm ocha (Japanese for Green Tea) just before Restaurant Co-Owner Mrs. Ho came to our table to give her recommendations of their house specialties!

The place was patronized by young and old alike
 

We gathered at 7.30pm but I spotted lotsa people still streaming in by the waves even way past dinnertime.

Although it was almost full-house, our meals came pretty damn quickly. Thumbs up for efficiency!

First dish of the night served. Our appetizers!

Japanese potato salad

The plus point here is that this dish is home-made!

Once upon a time during a cookout back in my younger days (not that I'm old now) I was taught to make Japanese potato salad.

Obviously not as good as the one I just tasted here! 🙂
 

The 2nd appetizer which was served was the Spicy Ika

It's a stir-fried spicy squid chopped into thick and soft-chewy rings. Delicious Oh and for your kind information, this succulent baby isn't available on the menu (yet?) but it's certainly a must-order!
 

And you heard it first right here from me 😀

Next up, another appetizer we had was Smoked Salmon Salad
 

This fish lover approves! 🙂 Their salmon was fresh and tender with each bite complemented with chilled lettuce, avocados, onions and cherry tomatoes. A healthy option, that's for sure!

And that's not the best part of it yet….

For the special sauce that comes with it is also a homemade house specialty

I don't know what its made of (I suppose it's a best-kept trade secret hehe!) it had this sweet yet tangy citrus taste to it. We drizzled it all over our salad and into our mouths it disappeared! 😛
 

Another fabulous appetizer I do recommend is the Kaki Fry!
 

I did not know what it was initially by the looks of it. Figuring it was some kind of breadcrumbed potato, I took a bite and no.. I was so so wrong! 😀 It was warm and bursting with flavour from the inside.

Lo and behold, for it was actually huge, juicy oysters!
 

Do you guys want me to go past the appetizers and dive straight into the Mains already? 😀

Hold your horses! Here's the final appetizer – Soft Shell Crab Schimi Age!

Soft Shell Crab is granny's fave btw – and also mine!

She'll never fail to order that at any Japanese food joints thefockers and I go to. This one is one that I will certainly bring her to on her next visit downtown.
 

Alright alright. Appetizers are officially done with.

On to the Main Dishes!

Served with a bowl of rice and Miso soup, this is the Chicken Teriyaki set!
 

As I'm very fond of teriyaki, this one I just tasted right here does not disappoint at all 🙂

It sure lived up to its standards!

Another chicken dish worthy of highlight was Chicken Katsu, also served with rice and Miso soup
 

I don't usually order set meals when I patronize restaurants (always prefer the a-la-carte for some inexplicable reason) but this one, might just be an exception I loved this bowl of delightful goodness!

 

Whoops I didn't realize there was rice sticking at the sides.

Must be from passing the bowl around to everyone to try! 😛
 

Chicken Katsu? I'll definitely come back for you. It's awesome, you bet

Tempura Soba came next in line

Eat it with the tempura, it goes really well together!
 

Oooh looks like another fish dish arrived on our table. Jump for joy!

Aiyah, I don't need to repeat as most of you will know by now that I'm a fish adherent anytime anywhere!

My fellow foodies Ken and Tocky enjoyed the Salmon Teriyaki just as much as I did too 🙂

It was warm and tasty.. not to mention also healthy in some ways!
 

The next 2 dishes that plopped on our table were somewhat similar but it's the sauce, condiments and style of cooking that makes it a world of a difference 🙂 It's called the Rib Eye Steak and Moromiso Steak respectively.

Take a look –

Can't say which one tastes better because all 6 of us debated and it was an equal vote.

MeiYee, Lionel and Ken were pro-Rib Eye Steak while Tocky, Sidney and I were pro-Moromiso Steak! 🙂

Looks like its up to you to decide when you taste it for yourself!
 

Rib Eye Steak 3 – 3 Moromiso Steak

Both are tender and lean slices of beef interlaced with asparagus, all stacked up neatly in a pile

The Rib Eye above is made with Teriyaki sauce while the Moromiso below boasts a strong miso taste 🙂

Fabulous, I must say.
Next up – or should I say my favorite part? – is Sushi time! 😀
 

Oh yesss. Temaki, Sushi, Makizushi, Nori and Wasabi galore! We were served many different kinds of sushi but here are the ones that won my recommendation, hands down!

Here's the Alaska Roll!

Loved it. Crabstick, cucumbers and avocado topped off with roe, salmon sashimi and even more avocado.

Quite a common dish in most Sushi joints but you know you can never go wrong with this. It's yum!
 

Alaska Roll goodness in your face again

And in mine! Slurps.
 

Here's the Kano Roll all cute and pretty in red!

Can't help that I like it even before eating it already, it's while black and red! My kind of sushi color 😛

Cucumber, Tamago (Japanese for egg omelette), Unagi (Japanese for eel) and Avocado

Thumbs up!
 

Spider Roll! Very crunchy till the last bite

This one has a slight spicy aftertaste because apart from Soft Shell Crab and cucumber, lies Spicy Salmon!
 

Finally, the creme de la creme of the crop is here. Yes, I saved the best for last.

Let me introduce to you my favorite dish of all time in this restaurant, the Hokano Roll!

It's the signature of Hokano Japanese Restaurant itself, chef's specialty

and my recommendation all in 1 fine hand rolled sushi

Mouth-watering without a doubt 🙂 Try beating that.

Word of advice? Don't ever leave this restaurant without ordering this dish

It's just everything delicious all packed into one satisfying bite. A stellar combination indeed, if I do say so myself!

All in all, this place definitely gets good ratings from me.

My verdict? A hidden gem offering awesome food (pretty affordable too!) along Uptown Damansara facing the LDP highway.
 

With Mrs. Ho, the co-owner of Hokano. Husband and son (both chefs) were still busy inside the kitchen

Oh and yes if you're wondering, it's a family-owned business for 6 years to date 
 

Such a waste how I never noticed this Japanese food treasure trove before, as its not the typical commercial (and overrated) Sushi chains you would usually see in malls.

For the lack of a better expression, Hokano beats Sushi King and Sakae Sushi anytime in my books.
 

Till then, I'll be back
 

I've always wanted to go to New York city… who doesn't love the Big Apple?

And I finally managed to!

Was greeted to this as I entered Hex & Mayfair.

Even the security guards dressed like the ones in NYC does!

Okay so i didn't really jet set to New York city, it traveled to me instead 😛

When I saw the mock Statue of Liberty on the photowall, I grinned to myself. Can't wait to see the one in real life!

Also, who parties alone? Here are some of my pals whom I brought along with me to the event 😀

The more is always the merrier, I introduce you to :

My girls Kelly and Jessyca

Buddy Zhao

Homie and now neighbour Ceddy!

The dude behind my pretty Blackberry, Eric!

So when we got there, Zhao and I proceeded to the VIP zone to get our drinks to start off the night.

The cocktails available from this bar were Manhattan and Cosmopolitan!

I loved the Cosmopolitan as it was made with Vodka, Triple Sec and Cranberry Juice

But I found the Manhattan a tad too strong for my liking. Maybe something for the guys instead! 😀

We then watched the bartender flarring and doing his thang to make all these yummy concoctions for us.

Apart from free-flow of cocktails, we had our passport to free flow of ice-cold beer too

Also claimed my bottle of Jack Daniels. Thanks 7aste!

Gonna open it for my farewell party with all the buddies before I fly off to Australia in February

I love how parties bring people together over an array of fabulous drinks.

Bumped into more friends here! Some more piccies I'd like to share –

with the newly-shaven head, Andy!

I hope you donated your hair to charity 😛

With the boys Jeremy, Leonard and Bryan 😀 So glad we ain't late!

'Cos we came directly from Ogilvy PR digital influencer's makan session.

In between the two Erics! 😀 😀

There were lotsa performances happening onstage.

Comedian Harith Iskandar was there to tickle everyone's funny bone. I didn't really go up to the front to snap pics of him cos there were too many people and that I was too engrossed in the free-flow of drinks and catching up with people around me!

Lotsa fun and drinks to go around

Oh and actually, I didn't know what to wear for this event!

I reckon the theme is New York city dress code but then again, what do the New Yorkers wear? They are mostly made up of urbanites in contemporary wear, or so I think! 😀 So I just wore whatever I had that personifies that LOL

Double Iconic Ring by Soak Republic, Black rose ring a gift from classmate Jody,

White fedora from Topshop, Lycra spaghetti strap top from MNG,

Wide black clincher from Forever 21, High-waisted motif skirt from River Island

Can pass-lah for tonight. haha 😛

with the girls at our table!

With Tom, from Netherlands babeh!

All I can think about in Holland is not tulips nor windmills, but their space cakes huhuhu 😛

Suddenly, I heard some beatboxing bass booming from the speakers.

All I can think about is, hey.. is Shawn here? Haven't seen him in a while! 😀

And true enough. It was! 🙂

Heard some new "tracks" from him too.

With Shawn after his performance. Was surprised that his hair looks real different now.

It's nicer all done up liddat dood! 😀

Camwhored again with ma gurls.

Which reminds me, I haven't blogged the full post on Zouk Out yet! 😛 Soon soon!

There were lots of tapas food to go around.

The most popular one that night was the fine crust pizza!

Nom nom!

(forgive the bright blue eyeshadow. I think it's hideous as well)

Was trying on a new shade and couldn't be bothered to remove it. and no, I don't like Avatar or Smurf characters.Looks like blue is never and will never be my thing. But at least the blue matches my blue skirt with swatches of purple.

Mikey gets all red as usual LOL

It was already past 12 am, but the drinks never stopped!

Bottles poppin' till we can't stand~

We keep it rockin' till 6am~

New york to london over to japan~

Turn it up turn it up mash it up~

We gonna party like~

Party like, like it's the end of the world!

Grabbin our last bottle with Kevin (also the MC of tonight)! 😀

Had a great time in 7aste, New York. NYC, I'm coming for you! Hmm.. wonder what it has in store for me when I go there one day!

To party lika rockstar, of course 😀