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!

Who would’ve thought a cosy and quintessential British colonial restaurant would be tucked away amongst the lush greeneries; up high at almost 3000 feet above sea level?

Yup, with an authentic British heritage and garden ambience, as well as a bird’s eye view of Penang’s landmarks and its city skyline, David Brown’s Restaurant & Tea Terraces stands tall (literally!) as the perfect, memorable dining spot in Penang

The other half and I paid a visit to David Browns for one of our mensiversaries!

(Yes, that’s the term for a monthly recurring date of an event)

It took us approximately 15 minutes to get up to the peak of Penang Hill via the funicular train

I was in for a pleasant surprise upon seeing the train that we were about to take.

2011 boasted a new and improved version of the funicular train – and I took a ride on it it last month! 🙂

It had air-conditioning, wore a much sleeker design and zoomed so much faster that it previously did!

The engineers did an amazing job updating this train. 😀

Up up up we go!

Spotted the old train permanently parked mid way whilst zooming up!

The cold temperature and his warm embrace do go really well together ;)

When we arrived, we were buzzing around – just like everyone else – taking in the picturesque scenery of the entire Penang island and mainland.

Our tummies got the better of us so, we adjourned to the elegant, British-styled restaurant for lunch + tea time.

Had to walk past its cafe/bar outlet downstairs first 🙂

The view from the top once we’ve climbed the flight of stairs!

We’re on top of the world! 

Approaching the old-world furnished mansion!

We stopped by to take pictures by the iconic lily pond…

Okay, I get it. You’re hungry 😛

We initially sat inside the mansion

It was not only beautifully appointed, it was baronial – the historical British interior design was lovely!

The dining area was spick and span, spacious impeccably furnished with rustic wooden furniture and a brick-built mantelpiece as well

Theboyfie and I found the restaurant to be really warm and cosy!

But being the al-fresco enthusiast I am, we moved out into the terrace; on the porch overlooking the garden.

A little bit of sunshine does everyone good!

Just us after placing our orders

The waitresses were sweet and accommodating 🙂 We also didn’t have to wait long before our meals arrived.

So here they are!

French Onion Soup as the starter

It was amazing! The buttery hint and rich aroma of onions was to die for. If you’re a fan of onions just like us, that is.

We also loved the texture, so thick and chunky not  too creamy at all. Crisp croutons came as an accompaniment.

Can’t wait for the main course!

Our meals came right after we were finished with the soup

Mine : Roast Lamb Shank

I loved this in its entirety! It was such a delicious and hearty meal. 

The meat had just the right tenderness. It was definitely simmered to perfection, thus juicy and succulent as you sink your teeth into it.

Its rich and flavoursome gravy alongside baby carrots, onions, cauliflower, celery, mushrooms did a magnificent job in complementing the meaty taste. It came with Mashed Potatoes as a side too.

His : Oxtail Soup & Dumplings

Despite the flavourful tomato and meaty taste, most of the oxtail chunks had very little meat on it.

It was so difficult to gnaw into whatever little meat that clung onto the bone! Must be a very skinny ox, with an equally bony tail, methinks. Don’t order Oxtail before reading how to eat it properly lest you end up looking like a Neanderthal. 

Theboyfie struggling to eat his Oxtail when I’ve been long done with my Lamb Shank!

We took a short break from eating – chatting by the lily pond and serene atmosphere

Wanting to make the best out of this visit (and being the sweet tooths we are), we ended up ordering some chocolatey dessert!

Yes, I DID say chocolate. Now wait for the boyfie to return to the table please?

Spent some time camwhoring while he excused himself to the loo 

So glad we moved outside. It was windy and I just loved the garden scene

When he came back, he asked me to go to the toilet to find a very interesting set of toilet rules.

I did as I was told, and had a great laugh!

LOLOLOLOLOL

When I came back to the table, the dessert was waiting on the table for me! 

Tempting.. tempting..

Chocolate Crepe served with Chocolate Ice-Cream & Strawberries

What can I say? We both love chocolate. This sweet and simple dish suited our tastebuds well

Fork a swatch of the crepe, dip it with the ice-cream and poke into a strawberry – and that’s the way to go! 

We took a light stroll around the cottage garden after our meal

Well fed by David Brown’s Restaurant & Tea Terraces, it’s no wonder we had to walk around a little bit to ease our over-filled tummies!

Pretty sights amongst nature and walking along the gravel path – count me in! 

Heavy wooden latch-door by the brick-built fence!

Under a giant lilypad!

Took in a last view of the breathtaking scenery

The sun was about to set by then!

Great times and great memories atop Penang Hill

Much love! 

Check out my list of top Cafes in Malaysia here if you’re interested!