Being a health food junkie known for fastidiousness and a hard-to-please demeanor when it comes to food criticism, it usually would take a lot for me to approve or recommend food marketed as ‘healthy’.

As long as it is not made with my bare hands or by the hands of a fellow fit food/health food enthusiast, I tend to raise an eyebrow when labels on pre-packaged foods and menus proclaim themselves to be ‘healthy’, ‘sugar-free’, ‘fat-free’, ‘low calorie’ and other drivel.

My initial skeptical face. Looking forward to unveil KLGCC’s new Healthy Menu regardless!

But when Malaysia’s premiere golf and country club invited me for a food tasting and review session of the newly-launched healthy menu of their Golfer’s Terrace, something tells me that this has gotta be the real deal. 

Arriving at the entrance.

Bestowed with prestigious awards over the years, Kuala Lumpur Golf and Country Club (KLGCC) is an exquisite clubhouse nestled on Bukit Kiara hilltop with a golf course to die for and exclusive VIP lifestyle facilities for its members.

Just a little background info (and to blow their trumpet a little!), here are some of their notable honours they’ve been recognized for:

• 2014 Best Golf Course in Malaysia by US Golf Digest
• Best Golf Experience in Malaysia by Expatriate Lifestyle
• Best Clubhouse in Asia Pacific and #1 Gold Course in Malaysia Asian Golf Monthly Awards 2013 and 2012
• The BrandLaureate Awards 2012-2013 Best Brand in Sport-Golf Course.
• Golf Course of the Year by Hospitality Asia Platinum Awards Regional Series 2011-2013

Pulling up into the driveway of KLGCC.

Today’s fashion get-up. Jessicat wears:

Lace button-down blouse in white by H&M / Skater skirt in blue by Topshop /

Tessuto Vitello Daino tote bag by Prada /Jeffrey Campbell inspired boots by Forever 21

Accessories by DIVA.

More often than not, meals at golf clubs and terraces usually comprise selections of club sandwiches, sinful finger food (read chicken drummets, sausages, potato chips, nuggets) and all the other typical snacks that would appease an average golfer’s palate.

However, the exclusive Kuala Lumpur Golf and Country Club (KLGCC)’s culinary team took a step ahead of its competition to create an additional menu armed with one objective in mind, that is to take our tastebuds around the globe… but with a healthy twist! 

The new menu features a variety of entrees, salads, desserts and more.

Prepared and cooked with the freshest of ingredients by in-house culinary team, this menu is the brainchild of Executive Chef Arnold Kwok, who ingeniously crafted it with good health in mind.

Take a look at some of the masterpieces we were served with that evening. 

From long business lunches to express lunches on-the-go, patrons can savour the light Chicken Romaine Salad from the Western palate to Thailand’s famous and exotic, Green Curry Chicken.

I had the pleasure of indulging in the latter – which you will see in a bit!

Other around-the-world choices are Salmon with Warm Tomato relish, Steamed Sea Bass with baby Bok Choy and Slow Cooked Beef Brisket.

As all healthy main meals would not seem quite complete without an equally healthy drink, diners can opt between 4 of their healthy fruit & vegetable smoothies.

Check out the refreshing (and rather unique, I might add!) blend of smoothies and juices that will tantalize any health junkie.

Clearly I chugged it all down with glee!

To introduce this menu to the public, Kuala Lumpur Golf and Country Club hosted a group of media, lifestyle bloggers and health food enthusiasts to savour and review the new line-up.

Can anyone say, first dibs on all the food? 

I  too, had the good fortune of receiving an invitation to tonight’s dining.

Thanks, KLGCC!

 Executive Chef Arnold Kwok welcoming us and introducing his healthy menu.

With society becoming more health conscious, we also want to serve healthy meals of a good variety that will appeal to all age groups.

We want to encourage patrons to make healthier choices when it comes to food

– Arnold Kwok

In this menu, a variety of healthier alternatives are used to substitute regular ingredients.

For instance, coconut oil replaces the usual cooking oil (high  in cholesterol and saturated fats by the way!), coconut flour replaces white flour and strictly no preservatives or processed food are used.

Instead, Chef Kwok uses ingredients such as  lean chicken, sea salt, unsalted butter and Omega 3 eggs, to name a few.

Fairly convincing, right?
Let’s enter the dining area of the KLGCC’s Golf Terrace now. 

A sneak peak of the interior.

 Tables were reserved for us that evening.

Let’s begin with the first meal of the day!

 What’s the first thing you do when you wake up fresh in the morning? A big, hearty breakfast is what gets me fueled up for the day.

No breakfast, and all you’ll get is a grumpy Jessicat with depleted energy levels throughout the day. Approach with caution. 

For sufficient calories to begin your day, KLGCC’s breakfast is available from 7.30-10.30am. Golfers, start your tee off with these! 😉

Tuna Guacamole Salad

Calorie Counter: 661 Calories

Departing from the standard fare of the usual garden salad or caesar salad,

this meal certainly stands out.

The Tuna Guacamole Salad consists of tuna chunks, guacamole, Omega-3 eggs, tomato, black olives, onion and seasonal salad, topped with creamy pine nut dressing.

The tuna chunks are mashed with guacamole and wrapped up with seaweed lining – just like how sushi rolls would look like! 

This well-seasoned and colourful dish was sprinkled with balsamic vinegar while the slight hint of spiciness from the black pepper in the creamy pine nut dressing is sure to perk you up!

 Moving on…

If salad isn’t up your alley, why don’t you take a look at this oven-baked dish and pastry combination instead? 

Chicken Broccoli Frittata
Calorie Counter: 411 Calories

Care to have a bite?

The frittata really got my nod of approval. 

Bursting with flavours from its fresh vegetable ingredients like broccoli, capsicums, eggplants, mushrooms, tomatoes and onions, as well as Omega-3 eggs and herbs, this well-balanced dish had just the perfect light, fluffiness from the baked eggs.

This contrasts well with that crunch you would least expect from the veggies.

Accompanying the frittata, the side dishes of soft and moist zucchini bread and banana nut muffin made this meal a really wholesome and filling one!

Almond Zucchini Bread  & Banana Nut Muffin
Calorie Counter: 109 Calories  & 155 Calories respectively

Baked with almond flour, the Almond Zucchini Bread felt like a perfect breakfast bread in comparison to other breads and pastries laden with butter, bleached white flour and whatnot.

Good to bite into an infused bread which isn’t overly moist and mushy – such is the case for most banana breads, I must point out.

Similarly, the Banana Nut Muffin is baked with coconut flour and no refined sugar. Thus, it did not contain that cloyingly sweet taste like regular muffins (which is kinda the reason I never fancy muffins). 

Loved that hint of banana and mild nut taste in these fluffy and well-risen muffins.

Vegetarians would be delighted to know that the three dishes above – the frittata, bread and muffin – are suitable for them too!

Now that breakfast is over, what would be your healthy accompaniment? I’d usually whirl up a breakfast shake or smoothie.

KLGCC’s  healthy blended juices available are the:

(L-R) Citrus Kiwi, Tumeric Veggie Blend, Mango Berries & Apple Spinach

I’ve always been a fruit smoothie drinker instead of a fruit juice drinker as the former retains the fruits’ pulp and fibre instead of only allowing the consumption of water and fructose (fruit) sugar. Yup, I prefer my drink 100% pure, with every nutrient intact.

Only then the true benefits of the fruit are maximized!

Let’s put them to test!

Citrus Kiwi

The is a zesty, tangy one with natural mild sweetness. Yum!

Tumeric Veggie Blend

 Definitely an acquired taste. This contains tumeric root, carrots, romaine lettuce, cucumber and lemon. Pretty odd concoction but magically works!

Mango Berries

This combo was a tad too sour for me but if you’re a massive berry fan then this would be your cup of tea.

Apple Spinach

Considering the fact that I drink my smoothies with spinach almost every morning, this one was a familiar taste for me.

All in all, I would go for another shot of Apple Spinach and the Citrus Kiwi.

Now… moving on to the mains!

Salmon with Warm Tomato Relish

Calorie Counter: 275 Calories

The buttery pan-seared Norwegian salmon rests atop a sea of interesting Mediterranean styled gravy and bites, namely tomato, black olives, onions, vinegar, capers and basil.

I’m a strong believer of that crispy golden crust with a pinkish surprise centre for every salmon dish I cut open.

And guess what? This one by KLGCC nailed it right down the middle.

With its tasty, soft tender flakes bursting into a symphony of flavours onto my tastebuds, each bite can only attest to its freshness and divine perfection.

 Jessicat loves her fish. Always my first choice in any menu!

Moving onto something from the exotic east…Well actually, not so exotic for us Malaysians, as Thailand practically is our next-door brethren towards the north.

But for my expat or non-local readers, this one’s an exotic gem from the land of smiles.

 Thai Green Curry Chicken

Calorie Counter: 562 Calories

This was mild and led to a rare occasion where my tastebuds and stomach were both nodding in agreement to finally accommodate my love for spicy food. Yay for me! 

Should opt out of eating rice or on a low-carb diet, select from the 3 tasty alternatives above.

Cauliflower Rice, Mashed Sweet Potato and Brown Rice.

I don’t know about you, but I don’t eat regular rice at all. Not for health purposes – but I just absolutely do not fancy it.

So you bet I loved these 3 alternatives! I often make the first two at home as well.

Moving on to a dish meat-lovin’ fanatics would kill for! 

Seared Beef Strip Loin
Calorie Counter: 488 Calories

This well-done beef steak comes served with steamed vegetables and sits atop a bed of mashed sweet potato.  

Yes, the sides are nothing of those nasty deep fried potato chips/wedges/fries and typical ketchup aka pub food (Some might call it comfort food but all I see is junk) 🙁

The mushrooms were large and juicy too!

I always prefer my steaks medium well, but to each their own. You can always tell the waiter how cooked/uncooked you want it to be.

This dish is very fragrant as I could smell it the moment it arrived my table. The Chimichurri sauce was a refreshing note to the otherwise heavy flavour of this delicious, grilled Australian Grain-fed slab of meat.

Alright… now that the mains are over and done with, still have space for dessert?

You’d better. 😛 😛

Here’s a mixture of seasonal fruits, sweet potato pie, warm mixed berries and coconut ice cream to induce the first drops of salivation. Heehee.

I was served a mini platter of all the desserts available. 

Take your pick!

Warm Mixed Berries served with a dollop of hand-churned coconut ice-cream

This dessert was a sautee  of a variety of berries like strawberries, raspberries and more, with honey and mint.

For the berry sauce, maple syrup and honey are used in replacement of sugar.

The coconut ice cream that came in accompaniment was unlike any other! 

It was smooth with an apparent hints of true coconut taste, yet light and mild – sorbet style! Made with pure coconut milk, this complemented the sourness and sharp taste of the berries so well. 

When served together, the pair was a match made in heaven.

Sweet Potato Pie with a dollop of hand-churned coconut ice-cream

The sweet potato pie had a firm yet soft-to-the-bite crust and made without wheat flour.

It wasn’t the crumbly kind which annoyingly disintegrates with a mere prod of a fork.

The filling was smooth and an excellent combination of almond milk, spices and whipped coconut cream. 

Bravo to KLGCC’s culinary team and masterminds, Executive Arnold Kwok and his sous chef.

Bear in mind that all dishes in KLGCC’s new healthy menu are cooked without processed foods/ingredients.

So if you’re thinking of indulging in some mouth-watering. exquisite food while watching your waistline, you can finally do so!

 I would fully recommend this for any weight-watchers, fitness freaks, fellow health-junkies or any discerning health food enthusiast to relish. Who says healthy food are bland, boring and aesthetically displeasing? Not in a million years.

Being a self-taught clean eating & Paleo chef-at-home myself, I can totally vouch for that.

Always remember, healthy eating is NOT  a fad diet. It’s an active choice, a kind of lifestyle which you choose (or choose not!) to lead.

You are what you eat! It definitely shows.

 So what’s my final verdict on the menu, you ask?

Tried, tested and approved with my seal of healthiness.

GIVE ME MORE OF THAT!  

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For more information on Kuala Lumpur Golf and Country Club, get in touch with them!

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

Call them at this contact number: +603-2093 1111 ext. 3622/3619

Drop by their clubhouse at: 10 Jalan 1/70D Off Jalan Bukit Kiara, 6000 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

We’re awake and still alive! Definitely still brimming with energy despite the madness that is the night before at Future Music Festival Asia 2014 – Day One.

Missed out on the action? Blog post on FMFA Day 1: here!

Today will be more of a trance-tastic one with the bunch, as Armin van Buuren’s famed radio show A State of Trance 650 will be ongoing LIVE at Future Music Festival Asia 2014: New Horizons – Day Two.

 Armed with our weekend bands, we’re ready to go!

 But first, let us take a selfie! 

Yuppp it’s a given. We love the camera.  YAY! High five!

Picked up the rest. Next stop – Bukit Jalil National Stadium!

 This was it – ASOT650!

I can vividly remember last year’s ASOT600 where I partied too hard and collapsed due to dengue fever LOL 

For the record, I didn’t inconsiderately attend ASOT600 with a contagious infection as I wasn’t aware of it yet. Got myself checked 3 days later and was only officially diagnosed with the deadly high dengue fever.

I survived. Thank God.

This year, I’m back healthier than ever. Are we ready for ASOT650 Kuala Lumpur? 

As we arrived rather late, we only managed to catch the end of MaRlo’s set.

I wanted to watch and support both my friends who were spinning as the opening acts! But we didn’t make it in time. Le sigh.  It’s a lot harder to coordinate everyone when there’s too many people in the party crew!

But here’s what we missed out much earlier!

 Ramsey Westwood as the first act of the day.

Holla back fellow Penangites!

2/3 of Trimix – Droolette Tasha and Samuel Dan on the decks!

Was given one of their CDs during their gig in QEII, Penang and loved their mixes.

Towards the end of MaRlo’s set, we were having trouble locating a vacant parking space.

So we were basically raving in the carpark like total nut-cases and even while walking all the way to the party zone. MaRlo, wait for us! 

I could envision MaRlo playing, while listening to his set from a mile away!

Now based in Australia, Dutchman MaRlo’s set was heavily leaning towards trance, house and techno. Love ’em fast-paced beats.

By the time he got off the stage, we finally made our grand entrance.

There was a long line at the gates and we all waited on one another before we zoomed past the crowd right into the middle of the rave zone.

 The jungle welcomes us!

Excuse the quality of the iPhone photographs.

Didn’t want to lose my camera in the midst of raving.

You know how partying can result in absent-mindedness! 

Where in the world are we from? Believe it or not but we all originate from the same home.

One universal dance floor. And one stage only; that is electronic dance music.

 The lights dimmed down for the transition between MaRlo and Omnia.

Before we knew it, laser beams of lights burst out and colourful flickering spotlights took over.

When the ever-blinding fluorescence stopped, it was time to present us… OMNIA.

 Ukrainian Trance & Progressive DJ-Producer Omnia taking the stage with a bang!

He shot the party to the skies with his Beatport #1 hits ‘The Light’ and ‘Immersion’.

Seeing Omnia play it live with such a rowdy crowd really won me over!

I remember going over the top when he played Dash Berlin’s 4am remix of Apollo. Love!

Okay let’s take a chill pill from the madness. 

First wave of party pics; here we go!

 Blurry from all the raving!

 TheJanu and I. We were so sweaty from all the raving it was bonkers!

 Sweaty is an understatement! Taking a break from all the madness.

At about 8.30PM, Moldovan Trance and Progressive Trance DJ Andrew Rayel turned up the trance levels to another notch with a special intro mix of EIFORYA he made for his set.

It even has ‘Malaysia’ incorporated in his lyrics!

Thank you, our Dark Warrior!

  He hit us in all the right spots!

I remember him making some awesome edits to ‘Sacramentum’.

He also played Above & Beyond’s ‘Sun and Moon’ as well as Alex M.O.R.P.H’s ‘An Angel’s Love’. I clearly remember some classic Trance numbers being played during his set too.

Throughout his set, I felt like that burst of confetti right there.

Colourful, energetic and soaring the skies right above the crowd.

Yup, that’s me. Can you see me?

One of the million pieces of metallic paper in the air. 

I soon found myself straying away aimlessly.

When you get lost in your own world while riding high on the music, you’ll find yourself in another dimension… which is precisely where I bumped into so many of my friends in the crowd!

Perfect coincidence.

Like our shades? 😀

With Ju & Reagan!

 Us with the Pak flag!

Approximately an hour later, Markus Schulz took to the decks.

Despite already watching Markus Schulz perform in Malaysia, there was nothing stopping me from rushing to the front of the crowd to watch him play again!

Markus Schulz interacting with his crowd.

Best known for his marathon DJ sets, we made full use of our energy boosters and extra battery packs to survive this electrifying hour!

There’s no stopping this German Trance DJ-Producer. My personal favorite will always be his ‘Do You Dream’ album. Unfortunately, he didn’t play much from his albums but instead, epic remixes of other works.

At this point when you’re already having so much fun, anything goes! 

 We be rockin’ through the rave alright.

 Nothing can beat Yaz’ mega-watt smile.

I don’t remember when this picture was taken. I think someone had my phone!

Partyrocking all night for the past few hours didn’t seem to adversely affect us in any way at all. In fact, we were craving for more!

Looks like that’s what Future Music Festival 2014 can do to you, eh? 

At 11am, our Trance royalty Armin Van Buuren finally touched down on his spacecraft.

His opening was so spectacular – flames included! I kid you not.

So much so that the exceeding decibel levels and deafening screams heard when Dutch trancemeister Armin emerged on the decks should be made illegal! Hahaha.

As ‘New Horizons’ played while we welcomed Armin on stage,

he launched his set to space with a mix of his ASOT650 intro EIFORYA.

Armin then invited a very special guest on the decks with him while EIFORYA played.

It was none other than Andrew Rayel, of course! Watching the both of them play together for a period of time was captivating.

 The French flag was one amongst the many flags that were waved proudly that night.

 Armin, we love you! Thank you for all the episodes of A State of Trance.

It has been such an honour to celebrate ASOT600 and ASOT650 live with you!

Dressing the part with my A State of Trance – Armin Van Buuren tank top!

From the top of my head, among the tracks on his set was Gaia – Empire of Hearts, Beat Service  – Aurora, Tiesto – Adagio For Strings, W&W – Bigfoot and his orignal mix ‘Ping Pong’, ‘Forever Is Ours’ and ended his one-hour set with one last track – ‘This Is What It Feels Like’.

Sorry not being able to remember all of it as my brain already flying high to levels of insanity! It’s a miracle how I even managed to remember those LOL. 

Ethereal royal blue and indigo hues consumed the stage with tiny,

sharp laser beams as Armin put his hands in the air. 

We followed suit, of course! 

Uplifting us with his melodic, vocal trance numbers, he then took a moment of silence

to pay tribute for the Malaysia Airlines’ MH370 plane tragedy.

Total respect, right there. Thank you for this, Armin. That was very thoughtful of you.

An elaborate burst of confetti filled the air as Armin takes his exit.

 Next wave of party photos! 

The very dishevelled us from all the raving!

Awesome energy boost from him! Just what I needed.

If you’re wondering what I’m wrapped around with in green, it’s the flag of Pakistan!

Fun fact! I just realized that his flag marks the first flag I have ever carried apart from my own.

 Group shot!

 Okay enough photos. Back to partying!

When the clock struck 1 in the morning, Paul Van Dyk stole the limelight and gave us a brilliant hour of what was all but a fist-pumping, head-banging, feet-shuffling, heart-stopping closing set.

Hit us some more! 

 We found ourself sailing on a trajectory to utopia with the German trance legend!

 Paul Van Dyk kept us riding high with his uplifting trance beats and

brought us down just as hard and nasty as the bass he dropped.

I remember watching him perform 3 years ago in Sepang International Circuit.

Blog post – here! 

By the end of the night, we were so exhausted and famished but still extremely determined to survive the entire rave.

Nope, definitely not backing out just yet. The tribe has spoken. We all knew exactly what we signed up for; a raging all-nighter! 

AND WE DID IT. ALTOGETHER! Three cheers for us!

A State of Trance 650 will always be a night to remember.

The sickest, trippiest, most explosive trance cult night to date.

Got home and crashed straight to bed to mentally and physically prepare ourselves for Future Music Festival 2014 – Day 3.

But alas, due to unforeseen circumstances, the 3rd day of FMFA 2014 was cancelled by the organizers as advised by the authorities. Read their official statement – here – if you’re curious.

Allow me to digress a little with my personal point of view. Why would you ever overdose yourself on drugs, or purchase (significantly cheaper) tampered drugs? Why the drug abuse when you can draw the line on your limits? 

Not that I condone the act, but let’s get real – no one in the whole wide world can ever eradicate the use of illegal substances, especially party drugs, so the best and wisest thing to do is to enjoy in moderation.

It’s detrimental and you wouldn’t want to jeopardize your life, do you? It’s your health on the line.

Be safe, kids. Momma wouldn’t be proud.

As I was saying before digressing, by the time we found out that FMFA 2014 Day 3 was cancelled, we were already prepared to leave the house. 

Oh well, all dressed up and nowhere to go!

 Gathered for an early dinner instead.

 Fist bump!

 Disappointed, we decided to bring the party home instead. 

We all played tracks by the artists that we missed seeing that night at FMFA.

ATB, Porter Robinson, Martin Garrix, Arty, Bassjackers, Knife Party and more!

Can anyone say, HOUSE PAAAARTAYY!!? 

Wait… what? Future Music Festival Asia 2014’s Day 3 was cancelled? Really?

But we just had it right at the comfort of our home till the wee hours of the morning!

Hahaha. I jest. 😛 😛

Thank you, Livescape Asia, for a superb two days of such euphoric mayhem.

I must commend the crew and the entire team for such a well-thought out damage control after such an expected tornado of bad PR regarding the drug abuse deaths.

At the end of the day, you can’t please everyone – there will be bound to be many unhappy fans. Then again, it’s only natural for the fans to feel dejected when the most anticipated Day 3 did not come to fruition. 

Looking forward to next year’s Future Music Festival Asia 2015! *fingers crossed*

With the walls of this brand new tavern plastered with interesting beer-oriented decor and teeming with all things Guinness, it is no wonder why Phat Barrels KL is heralded the ‘House of Guinness’.

This latest addition to Publika’s line-up of watering holes had a seemingly cosy your-local-neighbourhood-pub setting to it, with dark wooden furnishings, exposed brickwork, bare granite walls, tall beer barrel-shaped tables and olden-day, monochrome artwork illuminated by dim spotlighting.

By the bar of Phat Barrels! 

Yes, you peeps totally should. Why? Read on. 😀

Last Thursday, I was invited to the soft launch of Phat Barrels for a night of live music, delicious pub grub, imported/micro-brews/hand-crafted beers and an engaging atmosphere.

New kid on the block is looking packed on the first day!

Let’s give this new watering hole a little tour, shall we? 

 Celebrations always seem synonymous with balloons, streamers and bright colours!

(( Outfit of the day)) Jessicat wears:

Dress by Miss Selfridge |Black pumps a gift from dearest Uncle Mike

| Accessories by Diva | Bag from a bazaar in Singapore

 Gorgeous usherettes serving us canapes!

 The overall look and feel of Phat Barrels KL

Patrons enjoying their beer towers and munchies!

Sephia Guinness-themed artwork framed on the walls.

Here’s my favorite! Cheers, Obama! 😀 Drink up!

The barrel-like tables of Phat Barrels.

The popcorn machine  piqued my interest!

And we only know good things can pop out of that machine!

 A night’s treat of Guinness-flavoured popcorn.

 Most people flock to Phat Barrels for three main things – to dine, tap and chill!

 And that’s exactly what we did all night.

On to the first – DINING!

Here are some of the European pub grub we had for dinner, courtesy of Phat Barrels.

 Lamb Shank

The portion was of a sizable wonder! This was tender, delicious and definitely marinaded very well too.

 Spaghetti Aglio Olio

I didn’t taste it but my buddies who did had no complaints!

 The Bavarian Platter

Strictly for sharing unless you have a the appetite of the whole African continent

It probably doesn’t look huge from the photo but trust me, it is! Several of us shared this with delight.

It consisted of chicken fillets, beef back ribs, beef short ribs,

two different kinds of sausages, and a serving of fries.

Beef Sirloin Steak

This was done medium. Loved how juicy this was! The sauce complimented the meat superbly.

Second – TAPPING!

We had free-flow of Guinness towers and other beers by the Guinness-Anchor group.

What I’m sipping on is a tall glass of Tiger Radler!

Check out what Guinness did later in the year at their AMPLIFY Live Tour here if you’re into soulful music and good beer!

On to the third – CHILLING.

Cue the party pictures for the night with some of my fave girls and boys. Enjoy!

We dined, tapped and chilled the night away over live entertainment by local band 9 Lives.

I had fun singing along to their crooning of popular R&B, soothing Blues and contemporary Pop Rock numbers!

Band set up by the raised platform of Phat Barrels.

Picture credits to Kee

Lead singer Joy’s melodic voice and the band’s instrumental skills

was the perfect musical accompaniment of our evening.

Thank you Phat Barrels, for having me on a fantastic night of celebration and weekday evening escape!

Now do you know why you totally should’ve been here?

Like violinists and quartets? Check out String Musicians.

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For more information on Phat Barrels KL, you can:

LIKE them on Facebook at: Phat Barrels KL

Drop them an e-mail at: phatbarrelsKL@gmail.com

Visit them at this address:

No. A1-G2-06 & 07 Solaris Dutamas, No 1, Jalan Dutamas 1
50480 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

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!

I have no idea how I managed to wake up relatively early this morning after last night’s wicked party!

Emma Hewitt / Jessicat / Sean Tyas

More about the party later, as I will also be including a video of the night into my coverage too, on top of the blog post write-up. For now, let’s talk about the interview I had with them, shall we?

Sep 21, 2013 | Off to attend the rave & interview Emma Hewitt! Catch her LIVE in QEII Penang tonight. Party on, trancefamily! by imthejessicat on Keek.com

Last night, I had the chance to sit down with Emma Hewitt and Sean Tyas for an interview just before the party began. They were very friendly, down-to-earth, and such nice people to talk to and to actually have a conversation with!

You ready? I am. Let’s start with Emma Hewitt.

Managed a quick chat with her. Loved her very sweet demeanour and aura of gracefulness.

25 year old Australian songbird, born Emma Louise Hewitt, is currently residing in Los Angeles, USA. She is a singer-songwriter, and started her foray into music as the lead singer of her own (now no longer active) rock band ‘Missing Hours’. Now popularly known as the princess of trance she is now a full-time trance vocalist and has collaborated with EDM giants to produce chart-topping billboard staples, from the likes of Marcus Schossow, Armin Van Buuren, Dash Berlin and Cosmic Gate just to name a few.

She was bubbly, had a good sense of humour and was very amicable throughout our interview.

Below is the ten-question interview piece I had with Emma. Enjoy!

[highlight style=”yellow” ]1. Welcome to our island, Penang. It’s a pleasure to have you here. How is your trip so far?[/highlight]

Hi! How are you going? Last night was amazing in KL, it was fantastic! The crowd was just really, really great. There was a lot of energy in the room. A lot of people in there were a great fun crowd, really lovely and friendly people. And tonight, in Penang, I’ve absolutely fallen in love with Penang! I think tonight is going to be a really fun party.

[highlight style=”yellow” ]2. Being your first time here, how do you personally find Penang?[/highlight]

I’ve heard you guys in Penang have the best food and can party really hard! So now, I’ve seen the food, and it was some of the most fantastic food I’ve ever tasted… and now I have to see the party crowd. So excited!

[highlight style=”yellow” ]3. I’m sure everybody is excited to see you too! You’re a very talented songwriter and a singer. How do you usually get inspiration for your music? Any specific procedures in your songwriting?[/highlight]

I’m always inspired by life itself. If there was something that happened to me in the past, or to my friends and family, I write about it. To me, writing songs, it has to be personal and something that I’m really feeling at the time. So usually my song writing draws from my own experience.
My brother, who is a guitarist, and I used to write songs together in a rock band using the guitar; we play and write, and see what works acoustically. And now with dance music, we write the same way.

[highlight style=”yellow” ]4. A rock band! That’s a really cool start. So, have you fully transitioned from rock to trance now?[/highlight]

Yeah I did! And to be honest, my songs are still kind of the same but they just have trance beats instead of rock. We write them in the same way, they’re all very personal songs. But to me, trance music has allowed me to write in a much more emotional and personal way. I think people are more open to hearing something personal in trance music.

[highlight style=”yellow” ]5. You’ve collaborated with huge names like Dash Berlin, Gareth Emery and Armin Van Buuren. Who are you looking forward to collaborate with next?[/highlight]

I’ve got a few collaborations in the pipeline, but they’re not set in stone yet so I can’t talk about them until they’re definitely happening. But there are about four or five that I’m really excited about! Most of them are trance but some of them are pushing towards a slightly different style. I wanna do some darker kind of vocals and go back to the rock roots with those stuff, and also poppy kind of vocals and deep choruses. So I’m looking forward to work with those DJs on those new styles as well as the trance ones.

Editor’s note: Mid-way through the interview, I noticed her looking at my left collarbone. She then told me she loved my tattoo and asked me what it is. I mentioned that it was a quote by Shakespeare and read it out to her (I know you guys are waiting for my blog post on this collarbone tattoo, sorry for the delay! Will blog about that soon!) She then said it was a really beautiful quote and how she loved tattoos, which led me to my next question…

[highlight style=”yellow” ]6. How about you, Emma? Do you have any tattoos yourself? How many?[/highlight]

Oh I have a few too! She then revealed a half-sleeve on her left inner forearm, and also pointed out to her right hip and some on her foot. Once you start, you can’t stop!

[highlight style=”yellow” ]7. I totally agree. Tattoos always carry a significant meaning, and so do songs, in fact! Which of your tracks meant the most to you? [/highlight]

All my songs carry memories and meaning to me, I don’t have a specific favourite but I would say that the Chris Lake track was very special to me, because it was the first. And also ‘Waiting’ with Dash Berlin, because that exposed me to a lot of people and opened the doors for me in this genre of music, which I’m really grateful for.

Editor’s note: This Chris Lake track she was referring to is the 2009 release by Chris Lake featuring Emma Hewitt – Carry Me Away. Do take a listen! It is a lovely one.

[highlight style=”yellow” ]8. Yeah, ‘Waiting’ is one of my personal favourites too. That, if I remember, won Best Euro Track at the Electronic Dance Music Awards in 2010 too, how did you feel about that?[/highlight]

Yes, yes it did! That was really nice! It was really cool that it was recognized and how people took notice of that song. Really an honour.

[highlight style=”yellow” ]9. Out of all the trance anthems of all time, what is your favourite trance track of the year?[/highlight]

Hmmm… I’m not too sure if it was released this year, because I’ve lost track of time as I have been travelling so much… but I would say, Concrete Angel was a really great track and one of the best songs. Really, really huge for quite some time!
Editor’s note: Gareth Emery – Concrete Angel was released in 2012 under his record label Garuda.

[highlight style=”yellow” ]10. What is the craziest thing or the most memorable thing a fan has done for you?[/highlight]

*giggles* There’s been some crazy ones, and there are some lovely ones as well. I’ve received beautiful gifts that they’ve made. There was a man who is getting my face tattooed on his leg and is in the process of doing it at the moment. I was flattered but kind of worried how my face would look as a tattoo; I hope it wouldn’t look too scary! I felt bad for him, and was like, “Oh no, don’t do that!” *laughs*
Another fan recently got my signature tattooed on his back and sent us a picture. It was amazing, such a heart-warming experience. I actually teared up when I saw the picture.

Before we concluded the interview, I managed to ask Emma to record a personal message to all her Penang trance fans.

 Hope you enjoyed the interview and getting to know Emma a little bit better.

Moving on…

Sean Tyas is a 34 year old American-born DJ and EDM producer (particularly trance) who is currently residing in Switzerland. He is well known for is internet radio show, Tytanium Sessions and regularly receives airtime on Armin Van Buuren’s ‘A State of Trance’ , Tiesto’s ‘Club Life’ and Above and Beyond’s ‘Trance Around the World’.

He was very jovial, laid back, extremely cheerful and approachable. So let’s hear what he has to say, shall we?

‘

Below is a quick 5 minute interview I managed to do with him. Enjoy!

[highlight style=”yellow” ]1. Welcome to our lovely island, Penang. Is this your first time travelling with Emma Hewitt?[/highlight]

This is my first time in Penang, but not my first time time in Malaysia, though. I’ve been here three times! I’ve done a few shows and performed with Emma before but yes, this is the first time we’re doing a two-gig performance tour like this. I hope you guys will enjoy it.

[highlight style=”yellow” ]2. What would you say; best describes your personal style, in terms of music?[/highlight]

I play usually very high energy trance and usually that comes with a high tempo also. But I’ve been interested in other styles, like drum and bass. I try to integrate the harder sounds of drum and bass into trance music lately.

[highlight style=”yellow” ]3. I’m a huge fan of D&B music too. Any personal favorites or must-listens that you’d like to recommend from your own discography?[/highlight]

From my own stuff, most requested tune that people seem to really enjoy is my remix of Paul Webster featuring Angelic Amanda called ‘Time’. Other than that, as far as reworks go, I’ve done this rework of a track by Breaking Benjamin & Carl B called ‘Diary of Jane’, and that definitely seems to be a crowd favorite.

[highlight style=”yellow” ]4.I’ve heard the Breaking Benjamin rework! Loved it. Will we be expecting to listen to it from you tonight, then?[/highlight]

It depends! All those are fast tunes like 138-140 bpm. Tonight I’m gonna try to keep it melodic, keep it relatively easier pace just to make sure everybody can really dance tonight *chuckles* 140 is really fast, you know!

[highlight style=”yellow” ]5. But that would be the main drive of the track! We Malaysians really know how to party hard![/highlight]

Yeah, that’s right. You can’t really have a low energy tune at 140 bpm. So, yeah okay that’s great then! We’ll see how it goes tonight! If it’s hard enough, I’ll play it!

[highlight style=”yellow” ]6. The pressure is on! What would you be expecting from your fans from Malaysia, in terms of crowd response?[/highlight]

For Malaysians, it’s always very enthusiastic fans who know the tracks. So they would usually sing along and dance, with a very high level of energy and enthusiasm. Really cool!

Before we ended the interview, I also managed to ask him to record a message to his Penang trance fans out there. Just for you!

And that’s a wrap!

It was an honour to speak to you both and personally ask you those questions exclusively! Hope to see you live in concert again some time soon.

So there you have it. Up close and personal with Emma Hewitt and  Sean Tyas. Special thanks to event organizers SOHO Group, KC and Friends as well as Titanium Event Management for tonight’s special arrangement.

In the meantime, dearest readers and trance fans, stay tuned to the full blog post coverage + video on the gig!