Disregarding the fact that I constantly get bitten to death (well, almost) by mosquitoes and getting nagged my ears off whenever I come back home at wee hours of the morning, being back in Penang has never been better!

Why did I leave Penang in the first place? Guess it’s because the industry I’m in beckons me to the big city KL.

If not for that, I doubt I’ll ever leave this pretty little island.

Melancholy aside, I’m back. Not for good, but for this Chinese New Year. 

Took some time to watch the sunrise with buddies. We literally went crazy, crazy, crazy till we see the sun.

0615HRS

Waiting by the rocks at Gurney Drive

Would you rise already, dear sun?

I can see some beams coming from the distance already

0645HRS

Getting brighter and brighter by the minute!

So pretty by the sea, ain’t it?

Keep rising!

And rising!

Almost there..

0700HRS

It has risen!

I also took some before and after panoramic photos of the sunrise.

Yay! I successfully stayed up till the morning light. 

Of course, that wouldn’t be possible without great company!

Myself & I by the rocks haha!

Surprised? Yeah there’s two of me.

After sunrise, it’s straight on to breakfast!

Headed to Toh Soon Cafe (多春茶座) located at the backlane of Campbell Street off Penang Road.

Campbell Street arch

The wait was long as it is a very popular spot for breakfast, patronized by both the young and old.

I didn’t mind waiting for a classic breakfast but one of the waitresses was so downright rude.

She raised her voice at me, snapped, gave me a dirty look, rushed through my orders before I knew what she was talking about and walked away before we knew what we were ordering.

What on earth? I don’t owe you anything, woman.

But apart from the dreadful service and the unpleasant atmosphere, we got what we wanted:

The charcoal-barrel burned buttered toast with softboiled eggs

Yeah I know it looks pretty easy to make, I can even do the same thing at home.

I reckon it’s the local popular culture that somehow made it a must to come here for breakfast.

We hopped to the next breakfast spot, ‘Ah Lai Cafe Under The Big Tree’ along Church Street Ghaut, just off Beach Street

How many traditional/authentic Chinese coffee shops with zinc roofs are quite like this anymore?

I guess its the novelty that people come for, apart from the classic breakfast sets

Buttered toast!

Their speciality! It was toast with a folded sunny side up egg, cheese & sliced sausages!

Dressed up, dolled up and I’m ready to go!

Went crazy on Chinese New Year clothes shopping this year.

I think I bought like <10 items? Can’t wait to wear ’em! 

Ended the long day with our favourite pints of Hoegaarden & Kronenbourg 1664 Blanc

at Eurodeli, Gurney Plaza

The next day! Clad in my favorite Jack Daniels baby tee

Headed to The Twelve Cups at The WhiteAways Arcade along Beach Street

Mr.BFF wanted to recommend me their mille crepe cakes seeing that I love cakes!

Ingenious decorations on their white-washed brick wall!

We had Hokkaido Chocolate and Coffee Chocolate

*Highly recommended*

I loved The Twelve Cups. It was very quiet, cosy and quaint. 

Admiring the local street murals/wall art

PSA much? 

Happy girl got her Milkshake Factory fix! I am easily pleased like that

For a healthy dinner, I recommend Nando’s half (or quarter!) Chicken with Fino Sides of Spinach & Potatoes

There are grilled vegetables, corn on the cob and others too which are just as healthy!

The daily grind at gym

Went about town gallivanting and enjoying the street art & murals

I bet this fella is wondering who I am riding pillion just like that. Sorry, bro!

One of Penang’s very popular iron/metal structures!

Outing with buddyKen at China House.

Chocolate Marquise! OMNOMNOMNOM

Chocolate Pistachio! OMNOMNOMNOM

Yes, if you didn’t know, my weakness is chocolate. Heh. Heh. Heh. Sinful, cocoa indulgence.

But ironically, I’m intolerant to it. Not many know about this, considering the copious amounts of chocolate I consume!

Back to KL I go!

Couldn’t help taking a photo of the wondrous Penang Bridge

So… why did I drive all the way back to KL only to return to Penang two days later? 

For an important event that I was invited to make my appearance – AS A ZOMBIE!

How could I refuse? 

I’m your worst nightmare

The very first instalment of the famed Zombie Run – Malaysian edition!

*Here the Link to the article*

Tired. Early morning breakfast at Old Town.

Excuse the zzz face I didn’t shower and just hopped into the car LOL don’t judge me

Lunch at DOME with a friend whom I’ve not seen in almost a decade

Random car shot LOL

BabyChivas takes the wheel!

Breakfast one morning with Mr.BFF at my usual brekkie spot, Antipodean in Bangsar!

Salmon Omelette for me and Big Breakfast for him!

OOTD! My new zombie apocalypse tee

Late dinner one day

Best part was, we were the last customers of the day! 

So it was easier to have my meatballs come with boiled potatoes and broccoli instead of the usual french fries.

Okay that’s all for this week! 

For those who are already on holidays, have an awesome long holiday! And for those who will be bracing the traffic back to your hometowns, drive safely!

Lastly, to the clever ones that are returning back home by plane… SO SMART AH? 

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!

This is ridiculous! Time is certainly against me.

I've had 'The Sunday Times' weekly edition published every Sunday for exactly nine consecutive weeks now, it is beyond me how I skipped exactly a month's worth of it!

My last edition was dated 21st October, exactly four weeks ago!

It was before I jetsetted off to Cambodia for a couple of weeks and adjourned to Penang before I could even unpack! Also got into a road accident, sprained my ankle, ran a marathon and brought some lovely Australian tourists around the city.

The past month has been hectic and I apologize for not being timely with the blogposts I promised!

I've decided to revert my approach to blogging back to how I used to be. Timeliness is key. No more pending blogposts for months on end! For now, I shall be kept busy clearing off all my backlog. 

So let's see, where were we?

Dressed up for Halloween 2012 for Zouk KL's Skull Island party with my buddies

So many photos to share! Full blogpost coming soon, I promise! 

Dinner recommendation : Brotzeit German Bier Bar & Restaurant @ Sunway Pyramid

My one and ONLY favorite place for mouth-watering pork ribs! 

Packed my bags and was ready to go. I was then flown to Siem Reap, Cambodia on a fully sponsored trip by BlogFest Asia 2012. 

Cambodia Part One's blogpost is up – here! *click*

The majestic Angkor Wat by the 6AM sunrise

And the golden sunset at Phnom Bakheng hilltop

Nine days was too short! I landed back in Kuala Lumpur before I was ready to say goodbye to Cambodia.

A couple of days later, I was whisked away by Carlsberg Malaysia to their secret annual party held in Penang Island this year 

Carlsberg : Where's the Party 2012 blogpost Part One – here! *click*

Coming back to my little island, Penang, was a good way to get away from the city for a while.

It awarded me the time I wanted to spend with mother; in a familiar space

where nothing else used to matter but the comforts of home 

We're 30 years apart but hardly any visible difference, ey? 

Got to spend time with another one of my unsung heroes in life 

My maid/kakak/nanny/housekeeper/another-mother. Already 20 years working with us and counting!

What's Penang Island without it's heritage trail and food hunting?

I took part in the annual Penang Bridge International Marathon 2012 as well.

Full blogpost – here! *click*

Took a roadtrip down south to surprise godmom dearest with a private birthday lunch

at Indulgence Restaurant & Living, Ipoh's most opulent fine dining mansion 

Fully recommended for memorable functions or romantic dates!

Spent the last two days with Konzy's family who flew down all the way from Australia!

Brought them to some local food delights at NZ Garden Cafe 

I recommend this as a perfect spot to bring tourists as it overlooks our Twin Towers!

Had a lovely time with them! 

I hope they bear nothing but good memories of Kuala Lumpur city & Malaysia 

Attended the finale of Kronenbourg 1664's L'Aperitif Fashion

Celebrating the French art of pleasure at Luna Bar, on the roof top of Pacific Regency Hotel!

It was a night of cutting edge fashion, music, merriment, mingling and oh yes, more Blanc, please!

Thank you, Kronenbourg 1664, for having me 

Spent an afternoon in the city in a food review session at La Mexicana KL

Fully recommended for authentic Mexican cuisine! *Full blogpost coming soon*

AND THEN. I didn't know what hit me. I shall blame it on the weather or my idle immune system LOL.

Without any prior symptoms whatsoever, I fell sick with a very high fever the next day 

The closest thing I can get to sick-person food in Old Town restaurant

Ginger Chicken with Steamed Rice and Hot Honey Lemon juice right before taking my dosage of Paracetamol

(Thanks for the meds, Pammy! x)

Just cut up a large platter of fruits – oranges, apples & pears. Will be needing all the Vitamin C I can pump in to be well for tomorrow night's ball! 

The 'Musical Evening for the Children' fund-raising gala evening of music, food and fun is a philanthropic effort by the A Cut Above group to aid the Malaysian Childrens' Aid Society (MACAS).

The one-night-only performance will see a myriad of Malaysia's best local artistes and celebrities serenading us with their various vocal talents and respective musical instruments as well as a hair-show featuring the Miss Universe Malaysia 2013 finalists and so much more! 

I've always believed in lending my support to charity events, to the best I can. In the pursuit of success, one should always take a portion of it to give back to society. Whether it be in cash, kind or even one's own talent and skills of trade…

We all know charity begins at home… but it doesn't have to stop there 

That being said, have a wonderful & blessed seven days ahead of you, dear readers!

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!

Sorry I haven't been updating in almost a week!   Been so busy packing my jumbo-sized luggage ! 

I had 1 check-in 30kg luggage, 1 cabin 12kg luggage and a 5kg backpack to stress upon these few days.

What to bring? How many of this to pack? Is that necessary to bring along?

And this? What about that? Yadda yadda.. Decisions!

So much to carry, so little space 🙁
 

Thankfully, I maxed out my luggage and exceeded the 30kg limit by 1.2kg only phew! But my cabin bag exceeded a whole lot more than it should 😛 😛 Not to mention that my Deuter backpack was murdering my shoulders by the second 🙁

Most importantly, I survived the check-in and customs sans the penalty. woots!
 

I was so glad I arrived 3 hours before time. When I was just sitting down chilling with thefockers, loved ones and friends, the queue for Air Asia's 11PM flight to Melbourne went all the way out until the entrance of the airport!

By golly! It's a freakin' full flight yo
 

Words can't express how touched I am by the influx of people sending me their best of wishes and luck through calls, SMS, BBMs, Whatsapps, emails, Twitter and Facebook. I hope I managed to reply to ALL of you personally 😉

But nothing compared to the people who took their time to send me off at the airport in person. Thank you thank you so very much! You know who yall are!
 

Boarded the plane on time and here I am at 10.45pm camwhoring

Was bored! I decided to kill time by llistening to my trusty ol' iPod and making friends on the plane. Grace and I got along very well; the topics of interest between us ranged widely from temperamental climates, Long Distance Relationships to dead grandfathers.

Oh and, the seats were far more comfy than I expected it to be 😛 Guess it's time to catch some zzz before I arrive the next morning!
 

I cuddled Beary tightly and tried to sleep.

It was a surprise gift for me in the airport!

Initially, I was kinda worried that I was unable to stuff another item into my luggage but who cares? I hand-carried it around anyway. It's my only form of comfort lest I turn emo on one of those rainy, lonely nights in a foreign country far from my loved ones
 

I swear I tried to sleep but my mind was still unweaving and going about in circles. God knows what's on my mind, really. In the end, I didn't even manage to catch a wink of sleep so I stayed up all the way and waited for the sun to rise.
 

I feel the sun creeping up like tick tock~
 

Okay, the sun has already risen and I'm *still* not asleep yet. What on earth is this. -__-"

Every time I tried shutting my eyes, I eventually open it to either that inconsiderate fool kicking my seat from behind, to someone going to the toilet or to a random person coughing.

I need my sleep. It's way past sunrise now.

P/S : the pink you see is not my bra

Needless to say, I gave up trying to sleep.

Looks like my body is all geared up with the mightiest adrenalin rush you can ever think of and hence processed that sleep < Australia. Fine. I took sunrise pictures instead of snoozing like everybody else.

It was beautiful beyond words!

The golden rays of the sun seeping through the clouds!

For a second there I felt like I was in heaven

The cloud formation was beautiful this morning too.

It reminded me of the tides of the ocean waves
 

The pilot gave a short announcement about the wind speed and temperature. He also reminded everyone to change their timezones to GMT+11 instead of our usual GMT+8 of Daylight Saving time.

Ohmy. I still cannot get around the fact that I will be landing in Tullamarine airport in Victoria under 15 minutes. Excited? Sorry, that's an understatement of the day 😉

Shot at 0945HRS | Sydney, Melbourne & Canberra timezone 😀

And we landed safely! Thanks everyone for all your wishes

I was then officially brimming with energy at the point of touchdown despite not having any sleep LOL
 

I sure hope I will
 

Drove past the central city, Elizabeth St., Bridge St., Richmond St. and a few other suburbs before I finally arrived at Camberwell, Melbourne – where I'm staying for the time being.

As of now, it is 18 degrees celcius and I'm freezing my toes off. Someone touch my fingers now please, they are no different from ice cubes! Looks like I've got a lot to get used to 🙁

I was told by my Australian friends that Melbourne has the most insane weather of all. One can experience the 4 seasons in ONE day! Talk about temperament, sigh!
 

One minute I was wearing a tank top & shorts and the next I'll be clad in thick layers of clothing & gloves.

Bade farewell to the humidity of Malaysia… hello Melbourne!

Signing off now @ 11.43PM Ozzie time. Goodnight