The Sunday Times XLV: Sights, sounds, thoughts, adventures & eats! My week in a flash ♥

Hewwwwooo peeps!

I had a great week, and an even greater weekend with the family and as usual, immersed with work and no play. *snorts* Sounds pretty sad when I say it like that, but trust me. It’s not.

Random selfie!

So what’s been going on all week? 

As part of the #SomebodylikeMe safe sex campaign by Durex Malaysia (thumbs up, team!), I join hands with many other digital influencers to all month long to create a world free of HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases… or at least, reduce the numbers and statistics!

DO WEAR IT BEFORE YOU DO IT.

Did you know that today is World AIDS Day 2013?

Observed annually every 1st of December, today marks the date to raise awareness of safe sex and of the AIDS pandemic around the world. More about this in another blog post but for now, here is my very own Public Service Announcement to all fellow youths out there:

REMINDER! This is especially important if you’re sleeping with people you don’t know,

engaging in sexual activity with multiple people at the same time or having one night stands.

The weekend saw me heading back to granny’s place to spend some time with the family.

Ever since I started taking the ETS train ride from KL Sentral to Ipoh, I’ve never looked back. Did the Math, and yes, it’s way cheaper and less time consuming compared to driving.

My feet in the train. There’s something about this picture that makes me smile.

On my way home! Appletime. Pardon me, I look really unglam here hehe

Siapalah mendandan dirinya semasa dalam perjalanan, kan?

 Headed home for Uncle Mike’s BIG 50th Birthday! My, my… that’s a half a century.

I reckon I’d throw my 50th on a huge scale too but that’s still a long way to go. (Thank goodness LOL)

What I wore for the birthday dinner.

Adopted a babydoll look for the night!

Contact lens sponsored by: Ivilens 

 Go check ’em out! My favorites are the ‘Mesmerize’ ones. 

Uncle Mike’s birthday was a reunion of all sorts for the family. I got to meet and catch up with various members and next-of-kin!

Make way for a few photos of the night! I’ll let the pictures speak for themselves, aye? 

 The bunch!

 With my fellow rave-kaki couzzies.

We’re like the twin-towers of the family as we are tallest members of the clan, yo! 

 Goofy.

Haven’t seen my aunt since the day I stayed over her place in Sydney! Great catching up!

There’s something about this photo that I like very much.

Embodies such a kindred spirit!

 So apart from taking photos, my cousins and I photobombed photos as well.

 Candid shot of me eating. I think mom snapped this picture.

 Check out Uncle Mike’s 50 birthday cupcakes!

It took him a while to put out all the candles – no, we didn’t help him!

But he managed to do it all by himself! Here’s a group picture of some of us.

Dissected the insanely delicious carrot-cheese cake!

It tasted just as mouth-watering as it looks.

 The strawberries tasted even better though!

Apart from spending quality time with my folks, I also managed to squeeze some time to renew my passport!

As I’ll be flying to Jakarta, Indonesia in next weekend (yay!), I figured that it was wise to get it renewed while I can.

Took my official ID and passport photograph.

I was kidding. Obviously. Can’t be pulling a face like that on official documents, can I? 

The process of getting my new passport was a breeze! You have to first get your photograph taken at the instant photobooth next door before taking a number at the Immigration Department (Jabatan Imigresen).

Once you take your number, you… well.. wait. 

My wait didn’t feel long at all.

With my iPhone, an internet connection and a huge massage chair, I’m good to go!

Nov 30, 2013 | #Fun on a #massage chair! #massagechair woohoooo. #sillygirl #whatareyoudoing by imthejessicat on Keek.com

Once my number was called, I took my turn and did the necessary procedures.

The officer browsed through my passport to make sure I didn’t overstay any visits or make any illegal entrance to anywhere before getting me to sign a form and get my thumbprint stamped onto the said form. I also had to present my MyKad IC (Malaysian ID)

EDIT: For those of you who asked, the center I went to do this was the new UTC Ipoh (Urban Transformation Center). And yes, they open everyday – including the weekends from 8am till 9.30pm. Impressive, by government standards! 

Electronic thumbprint! Yup, that’s the way to go!

No more messy inkpads. Duh! That was so 1999.

As it was already mid-afternoon by the time this was done, I was asked to return the next day to collect my passport. Had I gone in the morning, I would be able to collect it on the same day!  *Hint: Go in the morning!*

The next day, I arrived within the given time frame and waited for my name to be called.

Got my passport rather effortlessly and was rather impressed with how efficient the system is! Not like I encountered any problems making my first one five years ago, but still, this was a rather flawless experience.

STOP STARING AT MY HIDEOUS PHOTOGRAPHS.

I know I look like a mail-order escort or a domestic help. No, actually.. I think I look like an alien or like a victim of plastic surgery/botox gone wrong in my old passport. This year, I think I look like a deceased newspaper cut-out.

But apart from being very critical of my own appearance, I actually think the new Malaysian passport looks fabulous! 

The coverpage is slightly different and much nicer now and with that little squarish icon, we can now go to Japan without applying for a VISA. The gold stands out more too!

On the insides, we now have a hard plastic first page containing all our data and personal information. There’s also an electronic chip and a hologram Hibiscus (to my non-local readers, this is Malaysia’s national flower!) embedded into this page too.

Okay the end! Now go renew your passport with ease. 

 Mommy bought me new AVF headphones with an attached microphone!

YAY now I can Skype better, listen to my music and achieve eargasms LOL

 Selfie with granny in the car!

We had such a heavy lunch that I decided to walk home.

Yes, it’s psychological, I’m fully aware of that LOL. But nevertheless one that helps me feel less bloated.

Took the route less travelled. Guess what I spotted on my home?

Dec 1, 2013 | #Fire in the hole!!! by imthejessicat on Keek.com

Pretty neat, eh? Check out those huge flames… but definitely horrendous air pollution!

So what else has been going on throughout the week? Nothing much. Except that I’ve been feeling a little anti-social and instead, spending a lot of time on Skype and practically have my fingers glued to my cellphone texting away. 

Oh and… I’m now officially contracted as one of the Bahasa Malaysia travel writers for Expedia, the world’s largest online tourism website/company! Woohoo! 

Spotted this adorable babyshark in Tesco. It took my heart away!

If you haven’t realized by now as I’ve never been ashamed to admit… I have a soft spot for plushies.

Oh and Tesco is now running this action figure collectibles, Heroes and Friends.

I’m collecting the Marvel figurines at the moment – only need Iron Man to complete my fantastic four!

The Hulk, Captain America and Spider-Man are lonely without you LOL.

Heard there was a limited edition Thor too!

Two of my clean meals of the week:

Steamed golden pomphret fish with stir-fry carrots and spinach on the side!

Woke up early one morning so I made a big breakfast!

Black pepper and thyme scrambled eggs with roasted tomatoes, baked beans and baby spinach.

Short catch up session with Kel Li in Maccas.

Spotted this online and figured many, many guys need to know this.

Don’t you agree? Well.. unless she has got you friendzoned to oblivion LOL then that’s a different story.

Last week was the week of KL International Motor Show 2013 too. I didn’t manage to go despite wanting to drop by so much!

So… no photos of that but here’s a photo from the Medan Autofest 2013 LOL.

Fell in love with this modified Mercedes-Benz SLK250!

It’s also installed with the full Venom Diablo series by Venom Medan. Check ’em out! They make pretty epic audio systems.

Such eargasmic power amplifiers, speakers & subwoofers – it’s a party in the car right there!

Got my hands on the Dolly Wink – 1 Dolly Sweet pair of falsie eyelashes too. Thank you!

Can’t wait to try them on! 

That practically wrapped up my last seven days! Here’s to hoping the next seven will be just as good, if not better! 

Here’s a beautiful song that encapsulated my mood swings this week. A personal favourite. 

My turn. 8 more days x

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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 ramblings, as well as 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!