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! 😉

————————————————————————————————–

[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

Hi loves!

This week was filled with friends, love and celebrations. Oh and, a lot of food as usual haha!

So let's see… what made my week this time round?

My seven days began at work (where else?) on a Monday. And as we were chilling outside our office porch, my colleague took this candid shot of me.

Deep in conversation with another colleague LOL.

So I suppose this is my serious face when I pay attention to someone talking.

(Actually I don't even remember what we were talking about anymore)

He took another photo, which I had some fun editing.

Tuesday night went great as bestieJoyce asked me out to celebrate my belated birthday!

She was away on my actual birthday, so I guess this makes up for it. I was thrilled 

Dressed up really casually tonight; I didn't feel dressy for some reason.

The birthday dinner at Picknik,Publika was great! Wonderful conversations my loves over great food

Full blog post soon!

The rest of the week was all about my daily grind at gym and post-workout meals as usual:

Lower back and leg day. Hi!

Blueberry proats with banana and almonds

Organic wholewheat fusili tossed in extra virgin olive oil with

chicken mince, baby asparagus, kidney beans and chia seeds! 

 Experimented with something new on Thursday.
Raw honey baked stuffed capsicums with lean, ground beef, minced chicken breast and vegetable fillings! 

I don’t usually praise my own cookbook creations but this was delicious and tastes just like pie!

Will refine my recipe and hopefully post it up ok! 

Lunch with the colleagues at IKEA Restaurant & Cafe

No prizes in guessing which is mine! 

When we arrived today, I was almost overcome with shock when there were hardly anyone eating at a restaurant which was, more often than not, always 100% full and even people lining up in long queues!

Then I realized it was Ramadan month where the Muslims fast all day. Right, no wonder. 

The next night, Kon and I decided to storm Jalan Alor for some local streetfood.

Actually, he was craving for hot and spicy clams since our last visit. So we caved in.

Yun Lai Restaurant along the buzzing food haunt in Jalan Alor.

We didn't remember which was the store we patronized on our last visit, so we gave this one a try.

Amongst the hoardes of stores lining the main street, one could easily be spoilt for choice.

Here's what we ordered:

Chicken Satay

Black Pepper Baked Prawns

Barbequed Stingray

Sauteed Asparagus

Hot & Spicy Lala (clams)

Grilled Mushrooms

The food was great! We had an enjoyable evening there, despite the presence of aggressive waitresses trying to solicit customers to dine in their stores. She literally yanked my sleeved in a relatively rough manner towards her store LOL. 

Didn't quite appreciate that.  But the food certainly made up for her lack of mannerism!

Come Saturday, I threw a small birthday party with my closest buddies.

Many thanks to The Pool KL for sponsoring my night and Smirnoff Vodka!  Thank youuuuu so much.

Sorry for the bad quality! It happens when the image is sent directly from Instagram 

We also spent the afterparty in Zouk Club KL. That was one hectic night, alright. 

Will be blogging about the night a.s.a.p  promise! x

Just a few things I've pondered about and held for a long time, but only decided to execute now.

When you ask yourself whether or not you are truly happy with the way things are working for you now, what would your answer be?

Are you happy with where you are, what you are doing, how you look, who you are with, and your life in general at this present time? If you're not, or have mixed feelings about your answer, then you probably lack the happiness you have in mind. 

Do something different, for once. Only you can dictate where your life is headed to.

Do something to break free from your current shackles and give yourself the time to re-evaluate.

A re-route. A different path in life. A new direction. 

Sure, you may not be sure if this is really what you want and risk emotional withdrawals but hey, it's only normal. Don't be afraid to embark on something new or shuffle your priorities. It's just the beginning.

Go where you are celebrated; not tolerated!

So if you think you are strong enough to shut your eyes, put your barricades behind you, and dive into the deep for a new adventure, by all means, go for it. I did, with absolutely no regrets.

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 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!

Did you know that there was a cosy and very quaint Japanese restaurant – Kyoto Lab – nestled directly above the buzzing hotspot called The Pool KL? Bet you didn't.

Cos I didn't too!

Me with their original design of a Japanese maiden

(There's an interesting story behind this artwork…ask when you dine there!)

It  was very nice of them to extend a dinner invitation to me to sample some of their dishes.

Being the absolute Japanese cuisine fan I am, how could I say no? 

As the name suggests, this hip & happening nightlife hotspot organizes awesome pool parties too!

So I decided to pop by The Pool KL in Ampang last week

There was an elevator which took me directly to the upper floor of the restaurant.

Upon entering the premise, I was impressed by the simple yet creative and unique interior already

Should you take the staircase, this will be the first thing you see ! 🙂

The dining area & the counter

As I took my seat, I noticed something peculiar right above me.

See the ceiling lamps? There were so many of them & actually tins containing wine, biscuits, soy sauce & oil before

The owner of the restaurant then shared how most of their interior and furniture pieces are actually reused items. How ingenious! I felt as though I was talking to Robinson Crusoe before he even finished his story 

The table base and legs were also the metal carriers previously used in the construction industry too.

See the lovely fuchsia pink & vermilion decor behind me?

Those are real bamboo sticks chopped up, dried, painted & lacquered up beautifully!

After checking out Kyoto Lab's highly innovative and resourceful interior decor, I was ready to be wowed by what they have to serve already.

I began to develop pretty high expectations! Surely the food ought to be as good as the outlet looks 

Let's find out, shall we? 

I was given the cocktail menu to select my drinks & was spoilt for choice.

There were three pages of creative & never-seen-before cocktails! Ever heard of The Fish Bowl, Spicy Mango Madness, Skittles Bomb (as opposed to Jager Bombs), Pink Elephant, Milo Ais cocktail.. and especially Chemistry Lab Experiment? 

Nothing beckons me better than chocolate does  So I opted for the Nutella Martini (RM25)

The pleasantly sweet chocolate-hazelnut flavour complemented the vodka in the martini excellently!

It wasn't garnished with the usual olives, but with Koko Krunch instead 

It had me at the first sip 

The next cocktail I had was the best-selling Watermelon Slush (RM40)

It was served in a heart shape carved in a giant watermelon half. How lovely!

Perfect for couple sharing 

I loved its distinct slushy & chunky watermelon & lychee taste, with a good hint of vodka & midori.

Tasted very refreshing & sweet!  Something most girls would most likely fancy.

Cute presentation too! Major hearts (literally) for this cocktail! 

The final cocktail that I am going to write about (because at this point, you must be thinking – where's the food? So I'll let you discover the other cocktails yourself!) is a cocktail named Coco's Nutz (RM28) .

I swear I can't be the only one who found that name particularly amusing. Teehee.

Looks like it's fresh off a tropical island, no? 

I enjoyed its milky, creamy texture with a good blend of Malibu, Rum & fresh coconut juice. So rich!

Heck, it's no wonder it bagged the Winning Cocktail in 2011's JTI Horeca Bartending Contest 

Rebecca & I getting a mouthful of the intricately made cocktails!

Okay, on to the food! I wonder if the cocktails were served to alter the receptivity of my tastebuds?

I'm joking; of course it didn't! I actually had the cocktails sparingly in between meals, not all in one go! 

Chefs hard at work preparing our meals in Kyoto Lab's open concept kitchen

One of my favorite entrees was the Salmon Potato Salad with Truffle Oil (RM18)

I love salmon. I love Potato Salad. I love lettuce. When combined, I trust it will be absolutely divine.

A simple entree but it sure as ever was a delicious kick-start! 

Prawns, Avocado & Crab Meat Timbale (RM12)

This is an entree of amazing flavours that I would most definitely vouch for!

The three main ingredients fused together so well, almost a melt-in-your-mouth combo 

Another light bite I had was Sashimi Nouyeou Salmon Trout (RM25)

Sashimi lovers will be in for something really different!

Far from the traditional, plain, raw sashimi, this splendid take on sashimi

boasts a zestful but not-too-overpowering sweet & sour flavour with each bite 

Next up and hot off the griller, was Kyoto Lab's skewered grilled meat.  

Let's take a look at some of them!

Chicken/Beef Yakitori (RM8)

I have always fancied skewered meat doused in teriyaki sauce and this certainly did not disappoint.

 Both the chicken and the beef were very tender and bursting with teriyaki goodness) 

Gyuniku Asparamaki (RM10).

This was arguably my favorite dish of the evening 

Being a pro-health junkie, I took so much pleasure in relishing this skewered asparagus wrapped in grilled beef strips served with Teriyaki sauce & sesame seeds. I ABSOLUTELY MUST have it again! 

Scallop Misoyaki (RM15)

The soft & melt-in-your-mouth scallops marinated sweet & salty miso sauce will never be enough! 

One bite gets you hooked – not even joking 

Is it epic mealtime yet? The following dish was pretty damn marvellous to me.

The Green Monster Lamb Burger with Mint Sauce (RM28)

I love lamb! Served with potato wedges & onion rings, the Green Monster's lamb patties packed a punch!

It was so juicy and the taste of well-done lamb with mint sauce ruled my tastebuds. Thumbs up 

The following "burger" blew me away & made me appreciate steak a little more! (I was never a fan, tbh)

Portobello Mushroom sandwiched between two thick slabs of medium steak with grilled Zucchini

Australian Grain-Fed Chilled Tenderloin (RM60)

I have never seen something quite like that before.

Perhaps the closest would be KFC's Double Down but it pales in comparison!

A cross-section of the meal

You have no idea how I ravaged the poor thing.

I devoured the portobello mushroom (heh, I love my vegetables more than my meat), but each time I sank my teeth into it I made sure I had a bite of the thick, succulent tenderloin as well 

Now, what about dishes from the fryer? I immediately pointed to another one of my personal favorite.

Soft Shell Crab (RM25)

Despite the creative experimenting, Kyoto Lab did a great job in their basic Japanese dishes too.

It was crispy enough on the outside, but soft and juicy on the inside – just like how a perfect soft shell crab dish should be!

We squeezed a lemon that accompanied the crabs for that extra citrus boom 

Curry Flavoured Wings (RM18)

For the peeps who never fail to have fried chicken wings or chicken drummets, you can opt for this.

It was served with a helping of salad & a slice of lemon too. I didn't eat this one but boyfieKon said it was as it is – not too spicy!

Now, what's Japanese cuisine without its sushi and maki rolls, hey?

But the first one I'm going to talk about comes with a slight twist as well 

Tuna & Mango Roll (RM20)

This maki could be an acquired taste, if you aren't too keen on mango. But I am, and this is pretty swell!

The interesting (but slightly odd!) combination is really something you should definitely explore! 

Green Dragon (RM24)

You can never go wrong with a dragon roll! 

The prawn, avocado & Japanese mayonaise rolled into a tight rice-wrapped seaweed is a must-eat!

Cheesy Fire Roll (RM24)

Sushi with cheese is pretty new to me, although it's something I've tasted before.

This version however, was delicious with its combination of crab meat, roe, Japanese cucumber, cheeeeeeese and wasabi!

You just gotta dig in!

On to the dessert! 

I was full to the brim so I didn't help myself with any. BoyfieKon ordered this for himself –

Sakae Wine Poached Pear & Green Tea Ice-Cream (RM15)

He mentioned to me that the pear had a bitter-sweet after taste to it 

And that wraps up the wide array of choices of my dinner. You should totally put your explorer hats on and check out this Japanese "secret laboratory" for yourself tucked away like a hideout upstairs Ampang's The Pool KL.

I had a brilliant time there experimenting & tasting new stuff that tantalized

my tastebuds however strange it initially felt 

Thank you Kyoto Lab for an evening with a nouveau twist to the traditional Japanese fare I've known all my life!

More details at The Pool KL's Facebook page & The Pool KL's official website

You know what to do now, if you're up for taking your tastebuds on a fascinating adventure!

Happy Sunday lovelies!

My past seven days were likened to a happy breeze kicking up colourful leaves on an Autumn evening

I was back in form. Cheerful &  brimming with smiles, compared to last week's dreadful crawl of a week

Out and about on a sunny afternoon!

Oh and to my fellow Malaysian people, HAPPY MALAYSIA DAY!

Yup, for you non-Malaysian readers, today is Malaysia's birthday and we are 49 years old. 

———-TRIVIA ———

Malaysia Day is NOT to be confused with our National/Independence Day,

which was celebrated some two weeks ago on the 31st August.

Today, 49 years ago, the formation of four independent nations : 

Malaya, Sabah, Sarawak & Singapore gave rise to a new nation….

and that new nation was Malaysia.

16th September 1963 was the very day we became a country of our own! 

HAPPY 49TH BIRTHDAY TO MY BELOVED COUNTRY MALAYSIA 

——————————–

Anyway, what made my week this time round?

We'll see :

Headed to The Pool KL in Ampang for a food review of their Japanese restaurant, Kyoto Lab

Being a Japanese food enthusiast, the excellent quality, taste & choice of meals exceeded my expectations!

Full blogpost coming soon!

Slowly regained my appetite again and indulged in some comfort food

Traditional American Pancake Stack by Paddington's House of Pancakes @ The Curve

For some reason, those pancakes that I had above tasted like cardboard & had a rubbery texture. 

What happened to the soft, fluffy, melt-in-your mouth pancakes I always used to have?  This makes the avid pancake-fan in me, sad 

Had some retail therapy to make me happy.

Hey, who doesn't love pretty things in pretty boxes? 

Char Tang Hoon in SS2 Pasar Malam (night market)

Only RM3.50 and was superb! 

Dinnertimes with the magician boys Andrew & JB 

We hung out at Delicious @ Mid Valley Megamall and I'd fully recommend the…..

Pumpkin Soup with chopped almonds! 

It's a new item in the menu. It was flavourful, not too creamy & just the right texture 

Party time at NSFW presents : 12th Planet all the way from Los Angeles, USA!

I jumped right onto the podium (and made bestie Pam join me up there!) and I shooked 12th Planet's hand! 

Thanks for the photo Pam xx

The heavy dubstep-DnB artist shot our faces to full colour once he took control of the party

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_HOLr0jqnCI&feature=player_detailpage

Song of the week! I love Zedd, 'nuff said 

This was the song that 12th Planet boomed and catapulted me to rave on the podium!

Just a lil SELCA again

Headed out for dinner with my suede grey fedora & a buttoned American flag blouse!

Made some dinner. Inspired by popular Arabic dish, Shakshouka

Baked eggs, tomatoes, onions, black pepper and cumin!

Got a little SELCA crazy whilst stuck in a jam. How narcissistic, I know 

Found something extremely relevant whilst I was caught on the LDP traffic jam

Why that highway is congested even at 3PM is beyond me. But that's something to think about, no? 

Spent my entire Saturday with theboyfie in Borders-Starbucks, The Curve.

He was reading the new book he bought, The Great Mortality by John Kelly,

while I was working away on some of my blogging & photo editing. 

Attended another one of the Arthur's Day celebrations in Sid's Pub @ TTDI today

Gee, I love the month-long celebrations! So much merriment 

To Arthur! 

Dinner at TGI Friday's @ Sunway Pyramid! 

For the non-health conscious, I'd recommend the Deep Fried Mac & Cheese balls 

Should you prefer a healthier meal, I'd recommend the Stuffed Mushrooms with ground beef!

It's served with bruschetta toppings and pretty damn delicious too 

Dennis & I  Just came back from Youth Jam, held in Sunway Pyramid!

I was the judge for the blogging competition by Youth Jam-SONY's National Blogger Festival

So happy to be able to lend my support to the movement and youth empowerment 

And that wraps up my seven days this time round.

It was a pretty average week, with some good news (still a secret at the moment!) to share very soon!

Just a little secret (well, not so secret anymore!) I'm pursuing magic & aim to learn a new language.

A while back, I promised a certain French magician that when I go to Paris one day, I'm going to impress him with my magic performance and a particular mentalism/illusion trick. And I will. 

That being said, have an awesome seven days ahead dearies.

And to my Malaysian readers, enjoy tomorrow's public holiday thanks to Malaysia Day! 

Much love,

Jessicat 

———————————————————————————————————————————————-

The Sunday Times is a new once-a-week series; published every Sunday night to recap the highlights of my week, capture what piques my interest and to share recommendations for to-go places and to-eats throughout the week

Some of the photos in this edition are posted instantly on my Instagram, Twitter, Tumblr & Facebook as it happens.

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