I swear I don't remember the last time I stayed in Penang for so long!

Usually, I'll only be down for the weekend or so, but this time round was a record of two weeks straight.

I miss mom & dad, as well as my folks in Ipoh and of course, my dearest Penang buddies!

Here are some of the things that made my week superb.

My favorite Iced Dark Chocolate drink from TheObroma Chocolate Lounge @ The Curve

Stole a picture of babyChivas catnapping  on the TV

Gymtime was merciless, as always. Today, it was lower body & core workout day!

Checking into Dome Cafe for dinner!

Dinner was healthy and filling, as always. My favourite Eggs Benedict and a cuppa Chamomile tea

He had the Gourmet Chicken and Mushroom Pie with a serving of sauteed vegetables

Oh goodness me, look at the thick creamy hot soup underneath that golden puff pastry!

It was so hearty and fulfilling! Definitely highly recommended

Headed on a roadtrip back to Penang! The North-South Highway was crystal clear 

Random selfshot moments

Caught sight of a sporty white Lotus Evora cruising beside me on the highway.

So lovin' its dangerous curves! 

Had a food review scheduled at Chin's Stylish Chinese Cuisine on the night I arrived

BuddyMinny was there with me 

Check out the framed modern art portraiture of the iconic figures behind us!

I was reserved a table facing the sea and night sky

Look at how impressive those hand-painted ceramic plates are!

Here are some of my top few favourite dishes from the ten-course dinner

*Full blog post featuring Chin's Stylish Chinese Cuisine coming soon!

DnM conversations and catching up with buddyMinny over shishatimes at Venum Shisha! 

The next afternoon's training was an uphill task and all about the lifting the weights!

And then it's partying on a Thursday night at Soho Gastro Pub at Precinct 10 with my Penangmates

Here are some more party pictures!
 

The music was thumping, bottles were poppin' and the party went hard on

electronic dance music all through the night

Afterparty : Supper at the ever-popular Restoran Yunus Khan,

fondly known as 'Jiao Sai' to the Penangites 

You wanna know why? The term 'Jiao Sai' ('Bird poo' in the Hokkien dialect) was coined when the first branch of Restoran Yunus Khan was easily recognized for the mass amount of bird poo splattered along the road it was located. 

Okay, trivia over. Time for the next day!

Dolled up and got ready to go for TWELVE XII's Penang Invasion at QEII Penang

QEII (Queen Elizabeth the Second) is a bar -club right above the sea if you haven't been there yet!

It was crowded with people way before midnight

Partying with TRIMIX & Tigeranddragon!

With my buddies and two of my favorite partymates, Sam & Minny 

They always somehow always have a way of making me drink-drank-drunk.

ONE love for trance and progressive music!

TRIMIX was marvellous as usual; hitting all the right spots of any fellow trancer.

It was my first time watching Tigeranddragon – he was great!

Sam, being one of the coolest partygoers and the usual sport he is,

ordered a round of tequila shots for us!

One shot, two shots, three shots, more!

And it's down! No sweat! 

But if they make me drink another Flatliner shot, I'll run a mile away. I have an aversion to tabasco! 

Managed to catch a picture with TRIMIX and Tigeranddragon. Thanks Samuel! 

Ramsey and I. He played before they did – at midnight!

My former collegemates Leo and Mike came to join the party too!

We stayed till the lights came on. Fantastic night, pals! 

And that wraps up my week. I am exhausted!

Sunday was spent with the family – good ol' quality time with the folks always proves to be therapeutic!

Have a marvellous week ahead, fellas 

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 of the photos in this edition are posted instantly on my Instagram, Twitter, Tumblr & Facebook

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

So this is it, eh? The final week of the year 2012.

The beginning of the week was a rather quiet one. 

Spent the time alternating back and forth with my family in Ipoh and Penang!

Did some hiking up Bukit Bangkong in Tanah Hitam

Nature at its best 

As Christmas eve & Christmas day has always been a family affair, I spent it with my family! 

Christmas 2012 blog post – here

The Christmas cake that mom decorated 

Played host again. Took my Aussiemate, Shane, around Georgetown, Penang!

Since he was craving to try some of Penang's best Nasi Kandar, where else would I take him but Nasi Kandar Line Clear along Penang Road? 

Shane & I at Nasi Kandar Line Clear (with the mamak guy)

They had Nasi Briyani! I was over the moon.

Usually, I wouldn't eat Nasi Kandar because I don't eat white rice. But since Nasi Briyani was an alternative, I jumped straight for a nice steamy hot plate of Nasi Kandar with some chicken 

As Konzy and Shane included 2 Giant Tiger Prawns (a specialty of the store!) each, as well as chicken & vegetables in their Nasi Kandar, their bill came up to almost RM30! Mine was only RM8 LOL

My night was spent at Chin's Stylish Chinese Cuisine, a lavish, posh fine-dining restaurant above the sea at QE II (Queen Elizabeth II) 

Lovely! It was splashed with several, varied influences from around the world! 

Chin's serves authentic Sze Chuan, Hunan, Mongolian and Northern Beijing cuisine, but it is certainly not your typical Chinese restaurant, as you can probably tell by the ambience and modern interior design

I'm can't wait to share this place with you, (especially my Chinese readers!) as I will be reviewing Chin's CNY menu, perfect for reunion dinners.

Amazing hand-painted ceramic plates on all the dining tables of Chin's! 

I caught up with some friends over a delightful herbal tea – Fairy Blossom – to be exact. 

It was smoky and had a light floral taste to it. 

Perfect alternative to some of the more commercial types of tea that we see almost everywhere.

After a wonderful week in Penang & Ipoh, it was time to head back to the big city.

I invited mom & kakak to stay with me in KL for the weekend 

As mom has always wanted to visit the i-City in Shah Alam for herself and kakak had always dreamed of sight-seeing KL city, especially the Petronas Twin Towers + KL Tower, I decided that I was going to make it happen for them 

Kakak & I were overlooking the entire KL city + its suburbs on the observation deck of KL Tower 

She was thrilled, completely dumbfounded and left in awe by how KL city looks from up above

No words could describe the joy on my face, upon seeing her euphoric gestures and expressions.

A lil selca-time while she enthuses over the sights of KL with the built-in binoculars

Clearly, I love her very much. My Indonesian maid who has been with me for 20 years.

Over two decades, she has become like another mother of mine and she deserved this weekend among everything else in my capacity to make her happy.

My actual mother, on the other hand, has often expressed her fascination of i-City and how she would love to be there in person to admire the wondrous lights with her very own eyes.

And her wish was my command 

She was mesmerized by the ethereal neon, laser and LED lights surrounding i-City

A full day was spent with them, bringing them around like tourists haha!

The very next day, I took them to the PETRONAS Twin Towers for lunch and some more sight-seeing.

KLCC bracing the storm clouds looming around the city

We decided to eat at the Signature Food Court at Suria KLCC as it had heaps more choices!

It was my first time dining there.

I had the Smoked Norweigian Salmon sandwich with alfafa sprouts and hardboiled egg

and a marble cheesecake.

The former was delicious and hearty but the latter was rather dry and had an unpleasant crumbly texture.

Photo-taking of the twin-towers soon ensured & they went back to Penang soon after.

Today was a rather relaxed Sunday with Konzy!

Dinner at Sakae Sushi

We spent the afternoon running some errands, shopping, reading, eating kebabs, doing groceries, getting a massage, listening to live band/live vocal music, sipping on chocolate drinks at The Obroma Lounge & lots of talking 

Sounds like a typical lazy Sunday, ain't it?

(Photo taken whilst at i-City Shah Alam btw)

Oh and.. my seven days included my latest craze over the adorable Mon Shu girl by Karl Lagerfeld for Shu Uemura's Holiday 2012 collection.

Amazing how two giants in the fashion & beauty world collaborate to produce this dark, iconic, illustrated girl

Mon Shu and I. 

2012's coming to an end. Have you done up your new year resolutions yet?

I've already started on some of them!  

Don't need to wait for a new year to embark on personal goals & reforming habits!

Have a great end to 2012 and welcome 2013 with open arms! 

I'd like to share an original quote of mine which goes, "Don't fret the future, live for the moment and never look back". How true is that?

I've lived by this principle ever since I've got it inscribed onto my body. It made me a more carefree person in life.

Maybe it will help you too?

Much love,

Jessicat

———————————————————————————————————————————————–

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 of the photos in this edition are posted instantly on my Instagram, Twitter, Tumblr & Facebook

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