September has come around again, which means, it’s mom & dad’s birthday!

It’s the month where I annually surprise them with a trip back home – but wait a sec – If I return home every year for their birthday without fail, guess that’s not so much of a surprise anymore, eh?

Anyway. I booked a trip back a few days ago but guess what? I missed my flight.

Yep. Don’t ask why or how. Meh.

I began racking my brains on how to go back on such a short notice. I didn’t want to miss being home for mom & dad’s birthday for the world!

Being the Malaysia Day long weekend + school holidays, I can bet my bottom dollar that the highways will be full if I decide to get on a bus. Thankfully, buddyEdwin & his brother was scheduled to visit Penang the next day at 2am (to avoid the traffic I suppose?).

I immediately hopped on for a ride. Phew. At least I didn’t need to waste the flight back to KL. Thanks Ed!

Throughout the long journey, I was prepping this blog post for the birthday celebration – only to realize I haven’t shared the pictures FROM THEIR BIRTHDAY LAST YEAR!

Drats. Yes yes, just so you know, I have at least 2 years of backlog for this blog. Forgive me, time isn’t a luxury for me at all  🙁

Anyway, speaking of which, here’s what went down during their birthday in 2013!

 I took them to Flamingo Hotel in Batu Fehringgi for a Seafood Buffet.

Flanked by mom & dad. From this picture. I can safely guess what’s going on in your mind.

Yes, I am tall. I know.

But… believe me, being a tall Asian girl in an Asian country really sucks.

One day, if time permits a lengthy rant of a blog article, I will tell you why.

But that’s another story…

Back to the birthday last year. It’s us – and dearest kakak in tow!

The hospitality of the waiting staff was commendable, while the restaurant was large, brightly-lit and spacious.

Just one of our favorite meals at the seafood buffet spread!

Cheese-baked mussels and scallops.

 Daddy was a very happy boy that night.

Judging by the amount of prawns, crabs, and shrimps he took, I think I’m pretty sure he was. He also went back for seconds and thirds! Hurrah! Mission accomplished 😛

My beautiful parents – say hi to mom & dad!

 And of course, yours truly.

 The buffet spread was so extensive that they even had more choices at the patio by the swimming pool, which mostly consisted of barbequed choices and roasts.

 So glad kakak enjoyed herself too – she stuffed herself silly! Hahaha.

 Momsie and I always have room for dessert…

 Then again, don’t we all?

 Birthday cakes do count as dessert too! 😀 Happy birthday dearest mom & dad!

Big hugs! Love you to the moon and back mom!

After dinner, we decided to unbuckle our belts and unwind with a short stroll around the vicinity of the hotel.

The al-fresco and poolside area was looking pretty magnificent at night, so why not?

 All lit-up at night.

 The trio by the poolside bench.

Too fantastic a night-light scene not to take a selfie!

Can’t deny how serene and breathtaking the ambiance was.

Seeing that typical ‘official’ and rigid family photoshoots taken in studios with a wallpaper of meadows and bookshelves as the portrait background with results so overly contrasted and flawlessly airbrushed, isn’t my thing at all, I came up with a random idea.

It’s time for some fun, unofficial and an impromptu family photoshoot!

 Which reminds me, I actually want to get these printed,

blown up into an 8R and framed in my room.

 Take two!

One last shot for Instagram and for the road! That’s a wrap for le folk’s 2013 birthday celebration.

Thanks for sticking around with me during the long car ride. It’s fast-forward to the year 2014 now.

We’ve just arrived Penang. Did you forget that I was still on the North-South Highway heading back home? 😛

Dolled up for brunch for mom & dad’s birthday!

Needless to say, I didn’t have even a wink of sleep, but I didn’t want to fall into slumber upon arrival because the time taken for my snoozes could very well be used to spend time with le folks on this shortened trip.

And I know it’s gonna be worth it.

This year, mom, dad and I  went to our all-time favorite buffet place, Coffee Garden in Hotel Equatorial, Penang.

I don’t remember how many millions of photos we took here in our lifetime.

My family has  been regularly patronizing this place ever since I was a toddler, to a kid, to a teenager, and finally, to the young adult I am now.

Almost two decades have passed and we still love this place to bits.

  I’m genuinely amazed how the food standards are impressively maintained (if not better!) and even more so, how this place can remain this evergreen after all these years. Thumbs up!

Greeted to this upon entering the restaurant!

Here are some of the choices from the continental and local spread.

Didn’t manage to snap all of them as hey, tummies were a priority here.

See Kor Theng – a Chinese delicacy that I’m not to familiar with

The Hungarian Beef Goulash was fabulous!

Nasi Lemak table with lots and lots of condiments!

Yum yum!

Appease the oriental side in you.

More mouthwatering delights!

The sashimi & cold cut table – one of my favorite platters of the buffet!

Equatorial Hotel certainly has a breathtaking view of the residential bungalows, the condominiums in the near distance and of course, Bukit Jambul Country Club’s golf course.

Aerial shot of mom & dad’s selection.

More random choices!

Just HAD to snap this picture of mom & dad with the superb view behind them.

Hi! Mom & dad aren’t the only people enjoying the food. Hehe!

Satay tops my list!

Fruits! Fruits! Oh, glorious fruits!

You’re probably wondering… where’s the meat?

Well here it is! Tasty and succulent no doubt!

Happy tummy today! #cheatday

Here’s some more of my fave picks!

Can’t be more blessed to have parents like them. Also, I was really glad I made it back despite the circumstances.

We had a very intimate family lunch and shared lots of banter as well as deep-diving into serious discussions of life, love, politics and other general knowledge. Such a gathering between the three of us is indeed priceless!

Okay, dessert time. How can anyone not have space for desserts?

Ice Kacang!

Happy mama at the dessert table!

Oh my goodness, they serve New Zealand Natural ice cream. Love it!

Our favorite dessert of all – Bread & Butter Pudding!

No idea how they made it THIS IRRESISTIBLE!

*mental note to self: gotta attempt making this one day*

Family selfie to end the celebration!

Happy birthday again, mom & dad. May you both stay young at heart and brilliant in more ways than ever!

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!

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.

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!

Saturday, 10 August 2013

Story and photos by: Jessica Tan

PENANG: An afternoon fire tragedy razed down fourteen houses and destroys vehicles in Kampung Sungai Nibong Tengah, Bayan Baru.

The raging blaze engulfed the village and emitted billows of pungent, black smoke which rose swiftly to the sky.

Clouds of thick soot, shrouding the surrounding residential buildings, could be seen from miles away.

The tragedy was believed to be triggered at 4.30pm today.

The houses were reduced to ashes very quickly, as the flames swept rapidly due to the strong wind.

Three fire engines and four police cars were seen at the incident.

The fire was claimed to have started from a house located deep in the middle of their village.

The cause of the fire was yet to be determined, although several villagers alleged that it was due to old, leaking gas tanks in the kitchen belonging to one of the houses.

Fortunately, most of the gutted houses were empty, as owners and their families were away to celebrate Aidilfitri and some were on holiday during this Raya festive season.

A female village elder fainted at the scene.

Children and relatives of the victims were seen weeping uncontrollably.

Another victim, whose van and motorcycle was charred beyond use, was inconsolable.

A villager said that he was having an afternoon nap, and was aware of the fire only when he was awaken by the screams of his neighbours.

He rushed outside to see a huge fire and smoke billowing from the insides of a few houses, and did not hesitate to alert his family before running out to safety.

A daughter of a victim, who declined to be named, spoke to us in tears.

The only thing she managed to salvage from the house was her father’s scooter.

Although her father’s house was gutted to ashes and her family left homeless, she was thankful that they were not home when the fire occurred.

Some surrounding houses were successfully rescued in the nick of time with only a considerable amount of damage, while some others were completely consumed by the flames.

Charred remains of wooden houses, broken steel, shattered glass, perishable goods and completely seared possessions could be seen strewn all over the burnt village grounds.

Total losses in the village are yet to be estimated.

The Fire Department, with the assistance of volunteers and villagers, extinguished the flames.

The fire lasted for approximately 2 hours and was put out entirely at 6.30pm.

The exact cause of the fire is still being determined.

At time of report, there were no casualties at the scene.

Published: Saturday, 10 August 2013 MYT 18:58:54 PM

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Editor’s note:

I first learnt of the tragedy upon hearing the police and fire brigade sirens, before running upstairs to my bedroom window to have a look. To my utmost shock, I could see how the sky was filled with clouds of thick smoke and was even able to smell it some 100 metres away.

The view from my bedroom window

Wasting no time at all, I ran to the scene to report on the incident.

At the village, the intense heat was almost unbearable, and I was choking on the smoke and ash engulfing the entire vicinity. Yes, I was that close to the action and even got wet from the strong gush of water hosed out from the pipes of the fire brigade.

I could also smell faint traces of gas in certain spots of the village.

I was glad to see villagers cooperating so well with the fire-fighters in putting out the flames and assisting the police in controlling the crowd. Other villagers were seen bringing their children and the elderly out of the village grounds, to safety.

Thank goodness no one was hurt! Will be updating this space if there’s anything new.

Hi lovelies! How was your weekend?

Mine was incredible, as you shall see in a bit!

But hey, let’s start from the beginning first, shall we?

First of all, if you’re reading this, you’ll probably realize that you are now looking at the brand new facelift of my blog. Yup, it was relaunched last week during my birthday month but we’re only at Phase One for now!

Credits go to my awesome sponsor, Haze Long of Virtual Misfits!

Will blog  more about this and share our journey towards the launch.

Gymtimes as usual

Shot before circuit training Tuesdays.

My usual post-workout meals (yeah I was told that I eat rabbit food LOL)

Oh and due to popular request, I remember I promised you peeps to make a gallery of all the healthy and clean meals that I often make once the new blog is up.

So I guess its time to fulfill that promise, eh? 🙂 Will be working on that soon!

Weekday midnight runs and chocolate/coffee times with my girls at Mukha Cafe, TTDI.

Ramadan month traffic jams! It took me more than an hour to get to 1 Utama via the LDP highway.

I forsee an equally, if not worse, traffic congestion on our roadtrip to Penang

this weekend due to the festive season of Hari Raya Aidilfitri.

For those in the know, the past few weeks had been pretty arduous for me. It’s complicated.

In a nutshell, I was distraught and drained, both emotionally and mentally, due to a personal dilemma that left me especially confused, frustrated and troubled. For those following me on Twitter, sorry for the torrent of emotional tweets! 🙁

It didn’t help that I had so much work, blog notifications and so many emails to reply.

As it was already the beginning of the weekend, I decided to screw it all and not open any one of them.

It can wait. I need my break!

Which was precisely why I packed my bags and left for my favorite island up north – Penang.

Ergo, my weekend was a perfect respite from the exasperating times and everything I’ve been going through in the city. I needed that break and it helped me to re-evaluate life with a calmer mind.

And for that I thank you for everything, Marc.

Checking out the awesome view of the beach from the 6th floor!

Aug 2, 2013 | Hello from #Penang! ❤ by imthejessicat on Keek.com

Went to Flamingo Hotel’s poolside for an early morning swim.

Fancy yourself swimming to this mesmerizing view:

I know bliss when I see one 🙂

Swimming and chilling in the warm, bubbling jacuzzi over fantastic conversations on a weekend.  I could get used to that 😉

Candid shot on the deckchair while I was just about to take a dip in the pool

After swimming, Marc and I headed for some extreme sports. Yup, it’s time to bust out the adrenalin!

As terrified as I was of jet-skiing (no more terrified than I am of roller coasters!), I absolutely love the high-speed, plunging depths of either skyfalls or underwater madness as well as experiencing death-defying moments.

It’s an exhilarating rush, you know?

Except from the fact that I screamed and held my breath 50% of the time, I loved it.

A second time jet-skiing ever, it was no doubt, the ride of my life.

Having the luxury of owning a car, I realized that I have overlooked my surroundings and all the buzz around Penang – especially in Georgetown! It’s relatively easy to jump into your car and look at nothing but your destination.

But as Marc rented a scooter to get us around town easily, I had the wonderful chance of exposing myself to what I would deem the ‘real’ Penang.

Aug 3, 2013 | Scootering ’round #Georgetown, #Penang this #afternoon! Yeaaaaa boi. by imthejessicat on Keek.com

The strong wind blowing against my face, the weathered-walls of British architecture, the scorching rays warming me up (a stark contrast to the comfort of my air-conditioned car), the loud chattering of age-old men reminiscing their youth, watching a close-up of locals bargaining on the street markets and more. It was indeed all new to me.

Georgetown was a hive of energy and true camaraderie, between locals and tourists alike!

By one of the many comical trivia.

Since Georgetown was awarded the UNESCO World Heritage Site status, lots of interesting metal rod caricatures had been erected around town, bringing life to history via art.

I love how humour is injected in educating tourists (and locals!) on Penang’s rich history, community stories and culture.

We visited the Camera Museum along Lebuh Muntri.

It was a wonderful gallery of all vintage cameras, photography information, a store of all things camera-related and more Check out this adorable handmade crochet Instagram pouch!

Blog feature soon.

Look du jour.

Mythical creatures and religious icons dot the spacious compound of this 200-year old sacred enclave. Unafraid of the myriad of chimeras and chinthes guarding the temple grounds, here we are at the only Burmese Buddhist temple in Penang!

Dhammikarama Burmese Temple.

By the feet of the Reclining Buddha/Sleeping Buddha

at Wat Chayamangkalaram, a popular Thai Buddhist Temple.

We also headed to Air Hitam, where the Kek Lok Si a.k.a Goddess of Mercy Temple was housed atop a hill.

Aug 6, 2013 | Bringing a foreign buddy around Kek Lok Si temple, #Penang! #Malaysia #tourist by imthejessicat on Keek.com

Wishing ribbons hanging atop a Wish Tree in Kek Lok Si Temple.

Caught sight of an adorable statue of a pig.

I tried to replicate its expression – rather successfully, no?

Sunset on the horizon of Batu Ferringhi beach.

Had dinner at the beautifully lit Straits Quay by nightfall.

There’s so much more that we saw and so many places we headed to, but I’ll leave that for a full blog feature, aight?

Admittedly, I’ve never experienced Penang Island the way I just did.

I was born and bred on this very soil; practically knowing every nook and cranny this island has to offer. Such often breeds a sense of neglect and disregard after a couple of decades, eventually being unappreciative of Penang’s heritage and splendours.

After all, familiarity does breed contempt.

But this weekend, on the contrary, was highly opposed  from “going home”. This weekend, it was as though I had traversed to a different island; an island I embraced with open arms and a fresh panorama from my mind’s eye.

It was an actual holiday, for once.

So proud to be an island girl!

You’ll never know life like the way you know the ocean waves of home.

I left Penang with a heavy heart and twice the knowledge of my beloved island.

It is only when you show another around that you begin to see this little notion called ‘home’ from a completely different perspective. One of a traveller’s; armed with a ravenous thirst of the unknown and starving for the thrills of adventure.

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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, share my personal thoughts, 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!