FOLLOW ME TO BANGKOK & TAIPEI WITH PANASONIC BEAUTY MALAYSIA

October 11, 2017, 12:33 am

≫ Next: KYOTO | OSAKA | NARA TRAVEL GUIDE & ITINERARY

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Hello hello!!! I'm back from Osaka, but wait, today I'm not going to blog about my Osaka trip yet because I'm going to share with y'all my Bangkok + Taipei trip with Panasonic Beauty Malaysia. 

(P.S. Follow my Instagram to keep up with my posts if you haven't already)

September was full of travelling schedules; it was insane. Let me do a quick recap, just in case you feel lost. On the first week, I went to Taipei for a short 4D3N vacation with my parents. On the second week, I went to Phuket with my friends. And literally 7 hours after I came back from Phuket, I flew to Bangkok and Taipei with Panasonic Beauty Malaysia. 

My trip with Panasonic Beauty Malaysia was splendid and I was so grateful to be invited as one of the bloggers to attend this exclusive (study) trip. The official hashtag for this trip was #MakeBeautifulHappenTrip and I think this trip was more than just beautiful!! 

Why do I say so? Because we got greatly pampered! Check out the highlights of my trip: 

BANGKOK

Got treated to a traditional (and much-needed) Thai massage on the first day we reached Bangkok.

Had a scrumptious dinner at Long Table, Bangkok with the team.

Check out our luxurious stay in Pullman Bangkok! The next day, we visited the Panasonic factory in Bangkok and attended an exclusive workshop! We got to check out and play around with the new Panasonic hair styling tools! Being a fan of their products (especially their hair dryer), I'm so excited that they will be launching the new Panasonic Ionity hair dryer in Malaysia soon. It's proven to have stronger air flow for fast-drying, and at the same time, it also delivers moisture to your hair so that your hair is smooth and frizz-free after blow-drying! (You guys should totally check out my VLOG for more!!!!) Also, I was impressed with the Panasonic hair straightener that can create such effortless and natural hair curls! Can you see how shiny and smooth my hair looks??!! I need this tool!!  After we got our hair beautifully set with the Panasonic hair styling tools, we headed to Buri Tara Wine Bar and Restaurant for dinner. Located by the river, this place has a romantic ambiance and a live band performance which is perfect for a chill night out.  The next day before we fly to Taipei, we had some free and easy time in Central World. So of course we are not going to let go of our opportunity to have the famous After You dessert!! TAIPEI Bidding Bangkok good bye, saying hello to Taipei!  Upon reaching Taipei at 11pm, we had a sinful supper in Formosa Chang, which is popular for its braised pork rice! The next morning, we went to this health centre for a massage that awakened our senses. It was really stress-relieving omg.  Then for lunch, we had a unique dining experience in this exquisite restaurant called Shi Yang Shan Fang (食养山房).  Upon stepping into this place, you will instantly feel calm, peaceful and zen.  Such a beautiful place! Thanks Panasonic Beauty Malaysia for bringing me here!!!  (Watch my VLOG for footages of the FOOD!!)  The next day, we visited Shi Fen and Jiu Fen in Taipei.  1, 2, 3, smile!  Second time here in Jiu Fen, and I still can't get over how beautiful this heritage is.  Continue our eating journey with an afternoon tea in W Hotel, Taipei. 📍 鸟窝窝私房菜 （Before dinner, we shopped around in zhong xiao dun hua (忠孝敦化). I LOVE this area, it somehow feels like I'm in Korea when I'm there!! There are lots of cute clothing shops so remember to go to this area if you want to shop)  On our second last day in Taipei, we got to attend an exclusive workshop with Judy Lin (Lin Ye Ting)!! (She is really sweet and humble in person!!) From the workshop, I've learned new tips and tricks for skin care and hair care using the latest Panasonic beauty products, such as how to deep cleanse, how to do a simple face-lifting massage with the Panasonic Ion Effector; how to create effortless hair curls with the Panasonic Hair Styler, etc. (MORE FOOTAGES ON MY VLOG!!)  On our last night in Taipei, Panasonic Beauty Malaysia brought us to the amazing Ding Xian 101 restaurant that serves Taiwanese fine dining. I feel spoiled!!  The next day, we shopped in Gloria Premium Outlets before flying back to Malaysia. Again, watch my vlog and what good stuff I got from the outlet! :P Once again, thank you Panasonic Beauty Malaysia for this great opportunity. I enjoyed this trip so much and I am missing all the good food that I had hahahahha. Not only that, I also feel privileged to be one of the firsts to check out their upcoming launches (I'm so going to get the PINK hair dryer when it's launched oh my god, oh wait, and also the hair straightener that works wonders on my hair...shit, I have so many Panasonic beauty products on my wish list now).  P.S. Don't, don't, don't forget to watch my vlogs (because there are a lot more footages than this blog post hehehe)

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KYOTO | OSAKA | NARA TRAVEL GUIDE & ITINERARY

October 14, 2017, 7:19 am

≫ Next: UNIVERSAL STUDIOS JAPAN

≪ Previous: FOLLOW ME TO BANGKOK & TAIPEI WITH PANASONIC BEAUTY MALAYSIA

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Hey guys! Today I'm going to blog about my Kyoto, Osaka and Nara trip, which I just went recently (2nd October - 10th October) with my family. We spent 2D1N in Kyoto and the rest in Osaka (one day in Nara).

 I'll be sharing with you the places to go, what to eat, where I stay, info on transportation in the Kansai region, and other travelling tips that might be useful for you. So let's begin!

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Before I share my itinerary, I just want to tell you guys that it's really EASY to get around in the Kansai region. Many friends who went to Kyoto and Osaka told me that the transportation system is confusing, and to be honest, when I was doing my research at home, I was just as frustrated and confused as you probably are. I read so many blogs about it but I still couldn't really figure out which subway line I'm supposed to go for when I go to Osaka from Kyoto and vice versa.

Many of you DM-ed and asked me for more info regarding the transportation. So here, let me tell you one small (but super useful) tip:

- USE GOOGLE MAPS 

Yes, I use Google Maps pretty much every day when I was in Kyoto and Osaka. If you don't have the app in your smartphone now, DOWNLOAD IT. With this app (and, of course internet connection), you can just go any destination you want easily. Forget about reading all those blog posts telling you which subway line to take (I truly appreciate their explanation and details in analysing the subway lines, but too much details sometimes may lead to confusion).

For example, I use Google Maps to search how to go to NARA from Osaka.

Why I do recommend using Google Maps in Japan? 
1) It provides real-time information, which tells you what time the train is reaching, and how long your journey would be.
2) It provides costing information, which allows you to prepare your $$ first before purchasing the tickets.
3) It suggests the best route to you based on your location, which saves your time and cost.

I LOVE YOU, GOOGLE MAPS (and no, this is not sponsored lol).

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HOW TO GET INTERNET ACCESS IN JAPAN? 
Well, I would recommend you guys to get a pocket wifi in Japan. For this trip, I got myself one from TravelRecommends. It offers unlimited data, and the data can be shared among 5 people. With this device, I don't have to "borrow wifi" from restaurants hahahaha and I was always able to get access to the internet whenever and wherever I want. Internet is just so important to me because I always rely on it to use Google Maps or search for information.

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FROM KANSAI AIRPORT TO KYOTO (INFO FOR LATE/NIGHT FLIGHTS)

We arrived Kansai airport at 10pm on the 2nd of October. Right after collecting our baggage, we headed to the MK Shuttle Servicecounter in the arrival hall to meet our chauffeur, who would drive us straight to our KyotoAirbnb. As recommended by my friend, I made an online reservation with MK Shuttle Service before my trip. They will require you to fill in some details like your arrival time, your accommodation full address, etc. It's completely reliable but a bit too pricey (in my opinion). A one-way fare to Kyoto from the airport costed us 4300YEN (which is around RM160) PER person (you don't have to pay anything until you get on the ride though). Our arrival time in Kansai airport was too late for us to catch the train, so we decided to book this shuttle service, which sent us to our Kyoto Airbnb safely. 

So technically speaking, 2nd of October wasn't really counted as our official day as we already spent the day on the plane, in the airport and transferring to Kyoto. 

We decided to visit Kyoto for one and a half day, which means we checked-out our Airbnb on the 4th of October. So on the 3rd of October, we travelled to all the major attractions in Kyoto, which will be listed down below.

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WHERE TO STAY IN KYOTO

The Airbnb that we stayed in Kyoto was really, really small. You can't even imagine how small the toilet is hahaha. Do take note that there's NO elevator, so you will have to carry your luggages up to the 4th floor. But given the fact that houses in Japan are pretty small in general, we were okay with it. Plus, we only stayed there for 2 nights, so it wasn't a big deal for us. Though the room was pretty crammed, the location of this Airbnb was great. You can easily find convenience stores, Starbucks, restaurants and cafes nearby the apartment. Also, the subway station is just 5-6 mins walk away.
[Get RM55 credit if you are a first-time user of Airbnb by clicking THIS link] 

Link to this Airbnb: https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/10618193?s=51
Price: RM239 per person, per night, including taxes and other fees.

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WHERE TO GO IN KYOTO 

1) Kinkaku-ji Temple (金閣寺, Golden Pavilion) 
 in Northern Kyoto 

The Kinkaku-ji Temple is one of the most iconic landmarks in Kyoto. You will have to pay 400YEN (around RM16) as the admission fee. Covered in glittering gold leafs, the temple is really awe-inspiring. And I find the adjoining "mirror pond" reflection really beautiful and magical. 

Tip: Try to get there as early as possible (opening hour is 9am) before the crowds start coming in, otherwise it will be super hard for you to take nice pictures here. 

Breathtaking view of the Kinkaku-ji Temple.

So, so, so lucky that I managed to capture this picture without anyone beside me lolol. 过后接下来拍的照片全部都不能接受因为太多人了！！

Get an ice-cream from the ice-cream vending machine! We randomly picked one, and it surprisingly tasted good! ＊在日本什么都好吃就对了

Also, don't forget to try out the Matcha soft-serve ice-cream in Kyoto! You can find this almost everywhere around Kinkaku-ji Temple hahaha.

Don't rush to other places yet after visiting Kinkaku-ji Temple. Instead, take some time and walk leisurely to explore the streets around the temple. You will find yourself getting attracted by the quaint little shops that sell all these adorable and intricate handmade dolls that you can bring back as souvenirs. 2) Fushimi Inari Shrine  in Southern Kyoto  We took the cab (yea, bad choice because it costed us a bomb lol) to Fushimi Inari Shrine from Kinkaku-ji Temple. The JR Inari subway station is actually right in front of the entrance of Fushimi Inari, so you can take the subway instead of taking the cab. What's so famous about the Fushimi Inari Shrine? It is famous for its thousands of vermilion torii gates, which form a network of trails behind. The trails eventually lead you to the wooded forest of the sacred Mount Inari, which stands at 233 meters and belongs to the shrine grounds. Articles say that the hike to the summit of the mountain and back takes about 2-3 hours, but you can actually choose to just explore the miniature torii gates at the front. Admission fee is free!  Before entering the shrine, there's a place called chozuya for you to purify yourself. There are also quite a few food stalls selling Japanese street snacks in the shrine!  ＊在这里拍照也是要趁机会 Take your time to stroll around the Kyoto streets around Fushimi Inari Shrine. Somehow the streets in Kyoto make me feel really calm and peaceful.  For lunch, we just randomly walked into a restaurant to fill up our tummy. The food in this restaurant was not cheap though, the unagi rice was about RM80+ per bowl and the chicken and egg rice was about RM30+. (to be honest, the taste was just mediocre). 3) Arashiyama Bamboo Forest in Western Kyoto  After lunch, we took the train to Arashiyama, which is famous for its bamboo forest. The journey from Fushimi Inari to Arashiyama took us about an hour by train. By the time we arrived the bamboo forest, it was already 4pm+ so we had to seize the opportunity to take some good pictures before the sun set hahahaha.  Along the way to the bamboo forest, we spotted these cute little shops that make us fall in love with Kyoto even more. Oh Kyoto, how can you be so #aesthetic?  We sauntered in the forest, freeing our mind from all the stress. It felt totally serene.  We casually walked into a dessert shop nearby, and got ourselves a bowl of Matcha goodness with taro balls. So good. 4) Other places in Kyoto  As we left Arashiyama, we hopped on a bus back to our Airbnb. While we were on the bus, we were actually clueless which station we should get down. So I approached a Japanese girl who was sitting next to me and asked for help. The girl can speak a bit of English and she was soooooo kind that she offered to show us the way back to our Airbnb. She even brought us to this restaurant nearby our Airbnb, which was also one of her favourite local restaurants. T____T I love how helpful and kind Japanese are and that's the reason why I keep revising this country.  The dish on the left was something like squid and it wasn't raw but it wasn't really cooked as well. I felt as if I was chewing on a candy omg that's really a special dish.  Food was unique and tasted very Japanese lol. It's definitely not the usual Japanese delicacies so it's something new for us to try.  The next day, which was also our last day in Kyoto, mommy and I woke up early for breakfast and we shot this picture on the street nearby our Airbnb.  If you thought Kyoto is all about traditional and old-school stuffs like temples and forests, you're wrong. There are many cafes, drugstores selling cosmetics and even big branded shops such as LV, Gucci, Armani Exchange, etc in the central Kyoto.  After breakfast, we checked out our Airbnb and headed to OSAKA by train.  ✧✧✧✧✧ FROM KYOTO TO OSAKA  Not sure how to go to Osaka from your Kyoto accommodation? USE GOOGLE MAPS. Yes, just use this powerful app and you will find your way to Osaka easily. Besides, there are information counters at the station, and usually the staffs can understand and speak English! HOW LONG & HOW MUCH DOES IT TAKE TO TRAVEL TO OSAKA FROM KYOTO?  The journey from Kyoto to Nippombashi station (the station nearest to our Osaka Airbnb) took us about an hour by train via the Hankyu-Kyoto line, and the fare was only 630YEN per person (which is around RM24).  ✧✧✧✧✧ WHERE TO STAY IN OSAKA?  Our Osaka Airbnb was way better (and cheaper) than the Kyoto one. Location wise, the famous shopping districts such as Dotonburi, Shinsaibashi, Namba, Kuromon market, OIOI mall, etc are all within walking distance (about 10-15 mins) from our Osaka Airbnb. With this great location, we saved a lot of money on buying train tickets as we can just walk to all the aforementioned places from our Airbnb. Apart from the location, the room is also way bigger than the Kyoto one. There are two double beds, one sofa bed, and the toilet and bathroom are separated. The host also prepared enough towels for us. Besides, there's also a complimentary pocket wifi from the host!!  Yes, I will totally recommend this Airbnb for those of you who want to travel to Osaka. Although the host stated that this Airbnb can accommodate up to 6 people, but I think it's ideal for 4 people. Personally, I think it's a bit too small for 6 people.   Link to this Airbnb: https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/13211711?s=51 Price: Around RM118 per person, per night, including taxes and other fees. ✧✧✧✧✧ WHERE TO GO IN OSAKA

1) Kuromon Market (黑门市场) 
After we checked in our Airbnb, we walked to Kuromon Market for lunch!! As we were starving like shit, everything in Kuromon Market just looked so appetising to us hahaha. Little did you know, Kuromon Market has more than 190 years of history, so it's considered a must-visit in Osaka! In this food market, you will be exposed to seafood, seafood and seafood. Get your cash ready, and sapu all the fresh salmon sashimi, toro, sea urchin, etc!

2) Dotonburi 
As one of the most principal tourist destinations, Dotonburi is a very lively street that is full of restaurants, snacks shops, and clothing stores. ＊不怕没东西吃 只怕你没钱吃！

Gyoza from 大板王将

Grilled crab leg (990YEN for these two small crab legs...personally I don't think it was worth the price)

Takoyaki

At night, the bright neon signs and flashing billboards set the Dotonburi street ablaze, making it more lively than ever. 

The famous Glico man sign can be found on the Ebusu-bashi bridge, which connects Dotonburi and Shinsaibashi. 

3) Don Quijote (tax-free shop)

If you want to shop for tax-free items, remember to go to Don Quijote, which is a very popular tax-free shop in Osaka. They have a few branches in Osaka and the one in Dotonburi is the most crowded one. There are 6-7 floors of products, ranging from Japanese snacks to medicines, makeup, skin care, hair care, daily necessities, electronic products, household products and even watches and second-hand branded goods. They have E.V.E.R.Y.T.H.I.N.G. Note that you will have to queue up to pay, and also queue up again for tax-refund lolol.

4) Ichiran Ramen 

来到日本怎可以错过一蘭拉麵?! There are a few Ichiran branches in Osaka and there's one nearby Don Quijote in Dotobunri. Do expect a long queue in front of this shop because it's too popular. While we were queuing up, a staff actually approached and brought us to their 2nd branch with lesser queue, which is just a 3-min walk away hahahaha. 

5) WEGO clothing store 

If you adore Japanese fashion, you must visit WEGO in Japan. It's one of my favourite clothing stores to shop at! 

6) Shinsaibashi 

Being one of the most popular shopping districts in Osaka, Shinsaibashi is just right across Dotonburi. Yes, you can just walk to Shinsaibashi from Dotonburi. There are countless of fashion stores, ranging from local Japanese urban street brands (like WEGO, GU) to high-end brands (such as Zara, Samantha Thavasa, Uniqlo, Tommy Hilfiger, Ralph Lauren, etc) in Shinsaibashi. The Daimaru department store, which is also located at the Shinsaibashisuji street, carries international cosmetic brands (such as Jill Stuart, YSL, NARS, La Mer, Paul & Joe, etc) and fashion brands (like Gucci, Celine, etc).

Jill Stuart's products always stole my heart away!! 

7) Luke's Lobsters 

Luke's Lobsters - A must-eat in Japan!! I had this lobster roll last year in Tokyo and fell in love with it. So I was really excited to have it again in Shinsaibashi! 

8) SPINNS (clothing store) 

Apart from WEGO, I also like to shop in SPINNS, a clothing store that sells both trendy and vintage garments at prices ranging from RM80 - RM300. You can find this store in the Shinsaibashisuji shopping street as well!

9) Eggs' n Things (pancake & waffle cafe) 

Eggs' n Things actually hailed from Hawaii, but apparently it's a very popular breakfast & pancake house in Japan. We visited their branch in Shinsaibashi and were actually impressed by the quality of the food. Not only did they look appealing (and Instagram-worthy), but they actually tasted awesome as well. And I guess that's why they have been so popular! 

Price wise, it definitely gravitated to the higher end. But personally, I think it's worth the money.

Here's what we ordered: Halloween Special Burger and Strawberry Mille-feuille Pancake. Accompanied with roasted potatoes and bacon, the burger was grilled to perfection. The pancake was really fluffy, soft and it went so well with the whipped cream that felt like snow.

10) Universal Studios Japan (USJ) 
If you're a theme park person like me, of course you have to visit Universal Studios Japan. Visiting USJ has been on my bucket list for years, and I'm just beyond ecstatic that I made my wish came true this year. I will blog about USJ in a separate blog post as I have too many pictures to share!

11) Osaka Castle

Having more than 400 years of history, the Osaka Castle is one of the most popular landmarks in Osaka. It's open to public every day from 9am to 5pm, and the admission fee is 600YEN (which is approx. RM24). There are 8 floors in this castle, and each floor consists of historical and interesting artifacts and even mini movie theatres about the Japanese history. So if you are interested in learning more about Japanese history, the Osaka Castle is definitely worth a visit. 

The view from the observatory deck on the 8th floor. Also, you can wear these headgears and take photos for a certain fee. Miniature figures

12) Osaka Kaiyukan (Aquarium) 

I don't know about you, but I always find the idea of visiting an aquarium fascinating!!! The Osaka Kaiyukan is one of the world's largest aquariums. With over 15 large tanks, each recreating a specific region of the Pacific Rim, the Osaka Kaiyukan wil take you on a virtual tour of the Pacific Ocean. 

There are more than 30,000 creatures encompassing 620 species—including otters, sea lions, penguins, dolphins, whale sharks, rays, and jellyfish, just to name a few, in this aquarium. Also, there's an exhibition level that offers you sensory experience which you can TOUCH the stingrays and baby sharks!! 

The admission fee for visitors above 16 years old is 2300YEN (about RM87) (kindly check out their website for more pricing info!). We bought an Osaka Kaiyu Ticket for 2550YEN at the train station, and this ticket is a special one-day ticket that includes the entrance to the Osaka Aquarium Kaiyukan and unlimited travel on trains and buses. So if you plan to travel to other places within the designated area after visiting the aquarium, definitely get yourself this pass! *The Osaka Kaiyu Tickets are not sold online or at the Osaka Aquarium Kaiyukan ticket office.

It's just so exciting discovering and seeing the underwater sea creatures gracefully swimming around in their naturalistic habitats. 

Sea otters and penguins - such adorable creatures! 

I called this the Kylie Jenner fish (I mean, look at the lips yo) 

Hammerhead shark

Don't forget to take a selfie with those friendly stingrays!

Dive into the wonderful coast of chile - for a moment I felt as if I was a mermaid. 

Oh hi, whale shark, it was nice meeting you. (The whale sharks are the reason why I wanted to visit this aquarium as they are known as the largest fish in the sea)

13) Tempozan Ferris Wheel 

The enormous Tempozan Ferris Wheel is located just beside the Osaka Kaiyukan. It offers an amazing aerial view of the Osaka area; a romantic place to catch the sunsets!   

14) Pokémon Centre 

If you're a fan of Pokemon, you will surely go crazy in the Pokémon Centre in Osaka! Located in Daimaru Umeda (a department store), Pokémon Center is the official site for Pokémon shopping, featuring original items such as plush toys, clothing, figures, Pokémon TCG trading cards, and more.

15) Umeda Sky Building 

From the Daimaru Umeda department store (where we visited the Pokemon Centre), we walked to the Umeda Sky Building, a spectacular high rise building that offers a stunning panoramic of the city in an open-air observatory deck. The 173 meter tall building consists of two towers that are connected by the "Floating Garden Observatory" on the 39th floor.  

Admission fee to the observatory deck is 1000YEN (around RM38). The "mid-air escalator" that leads to the Floating Garden Observatory. I called this the "staircase to heaven". This is how the escalator looks like from a bird's eye perspective.  The architecture just looks so futuristic to me!  16) Matsuzakagyu Yakiniku M (Matsusaka beef) On our last night in Osaka, we splurged a little bit more on food and had Matsusaka beef in Matsuzakagyu Yakiniku M. It's recommended by my friend, @jessytheklchic, she told me that this beef is even better than Kobe beef. Having heard that, of course we had to give it a try! The branch we went to is located in Namba (nearby Dotonburi). Do make a reservation first to avoid disappointment.  We ordered a Matsusaka beef course that costs us 3800YEN/person (about RM143). The course comes with an appetiser, salad, Matsusaka beef and rice.

Forgot what this beef is called but it tasted so good with the garlic. 

Um, yeah, this is the serving portion for 2 pax yo. So, one person gets to eat about 5 slices of meat. Though the portion is pretty small, the texture and taste of the beef was really impressive, I mean, look at those marbling! Besides, it's SUPER TENDER!! Well, this meal is slightly expensive but definitely worth the price that you are going to pay for. 

17) Orange Street (for streetwear brands) 

Orange Street is just nearby Shinsaibashi, it's a street with a lot of streetwear brands, hipster cafes and interior designer's stores. This street is also known as the "vogue street" in Osaka. We stumbled upon a retailer store called Rinkan, and it carries a lot of premium streetwear brands like Supreme, Balenciaga, LV, etc. So, do drop by this street if you are a hypebeast kind of person yo. 

18) Other food 

Well, here are some other food pictures that I had during my trip! 

Maison de Gigi waffles at Shinsaibashisuji Street

Fresh sushi from 大起水产

Tempura bowl from 大起水产  as well

This is how the shop looks like. It's located at Namba! 

Beef bowl from Yoshinoya. Cheap and satisfying! *this bowl is only 360YEN omg

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FROM OSAKA TO NARA 
Okay, so as mentioned above, I went to Nara for a one-day trip from Osaka. Nara is just one hour away from Osaka by train, and it's very easy to go! If you have time, I do recommend you to spend half a day / a day in Nara to see the deers and visit some temples.

A one way ticket from Osaka to Nara only costed us 560YEN (about RM21). 

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WHAT TO DO IN NARA? 
Go to Nara Park and feed the deers, of course! It's an extraordinary experience that one should try once in a lifetime, I would say. The deers are allowed to roam freely in Nara, and they are super adorable (and voracious) hahaha. There are people selling deer cookies for 500YEN per pack, so just buy one pack and start interacting with the deers!

Gentle reminder: Remember to wear comfortable shoes as you will have to walk a lot in Nara. 

Aww, look at those doe eyes!

If you have time, feel free to visit the Todaijitemple in Nara, which is a historical Buddhist temple with the world's largest wooden structure. Admission fee to the museum and Daibutsuden Hall is 800YEN and it closes at 5pm!

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WHERE TO EAT AND SHOP IN NARA? 

There are actually a lot of restaurants in Nara. This street, which is just beside the train station, has a lot of restaurants and shops selling souvenirs!

All these packaging, ugh.

Highly recommend you guys to try out this 鸡白汤 ramen in 元喜神! The broth is rich and thick, but not to the point that you feel repulsed by it.

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HOW MUCH YOU SHOULD BRING TO THIS TRIP???
Personally, I spent about RM3500 on food, transportation and some shopping on souvenirs, drugstore products and clothes from WEGO and SPINNS. RM3000 (excluding flight and airbnb) should be enough if you're not a shopaholic. And if you stay in Namba/Dotonburi/Shinsaibashi area in Osaka, you save a lot of money on transportation too!

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HOW MANY DAYS IS ENOUGH? 
OK. Personally, I think you should spend 1 day (or 2 days if you love exploring more about Kyoto's heritage and historical places) in Kyoto, then maybe 4 or 5 days in Osaka, and 1 day in Nara.

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Extra shoutout for this Houjicha Latte from Starbucks. IT WAS REALLY GOOD. T_T 

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OK, after spending 2 days writing this post, I'm finally done!!!! I hope y'all find this post useful, and feel free to ask me any questions about travelling to Osaka / Kyoto / Nara in the comment section down below and I will try my best to answer y'all. Thanks for reading and love y'all!!

Ok now I'm going to edit my Japan vlog, so stay tuned! ;) 

UNIVERSAL STUDIOS JAPAN

October 20, 2017, 7:30 pm

≫ Next: LONDON // 2017

≪ Previous: KYOTO | OSAKA | NARA TRAVEL GUIDE & ITINERARY

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In my previous post, I blogged about my recent trip to Kyoto, Osaka and Nara! If you haven't checked that post already, you totally should, because I tried my best to organise and share with y'all my itinerary and tips!! So in this post, I want to share with y'all my day in Universal Studios Japan and what I feel about the theme park! USJ is one of the major reasons why I wanted to travel to Osaka. And I was really excited to go to the Harry Potter World! 

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WHERE TO BUY THE ENTRANCE TICKETS & EXPRESS PASS? 

Before going to Osaka, I got both of my USJ entrance tickets and fast pass from Klook. If you haven't already known, Klook is a website that allows you to discover and book in-destination services at the best prices. FYI, USJ entrance tickets and express passes are DIFFERENT and must be purchased separately (you must obtain an entrance ticket to enter USJ, express pass is an optional pass that allows you to skip the queue and enjoy more rides in the theme park). There are multiple express pass options that you can choose from, depending on how many rides you want. 

The express pass that I got was the Express Pass 7, which allows me to ride on 7 popular rides in USJ without having to wait in line. What I love about booking from Klook is that we get to redeem and use the soft copy of the express pass through the app, and we just had to flash it every time before we go on the ride. There's no need to print it out at all!! 

This is how the express pass looks like!

WAS THE EXPRESS PASS WORTH THE MONEY?? 

For me, I think YES. It may cost a bit more, but I think it's a great choice as it really saved so much of my time and energy!! Without an express pass, you have to spend at least one hour queueing up for the rides (2 hours for the Harry Potter one yo). But with an express pass, you just don't have to queue up at all. I literally just skipped all the queue while going for the rides and this express pass allowed me to explore and enjoy more rides without wasting time on queuing up!

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The weather was PERFECT when we visited USJ. It was not hot, but not too chilly at the same time. Couldn't ask for a better weather to visit a theme park! A photo of Snoopy and an adorable Japanese girl   The first park we went to was the Harry Potter World. (Gotta seize the opportunity to take as many pics here as possible before the crowds came in hahahha)

Which wand do you want? 

Of course, you cannot miss the butter beer when in Harry Potter World! (We ordered the non-alcohol one tho and it tasted like root beer hahaha)

After visiting the Harry Potter World, we had a Minion-licious lunch at Happiness Cafe.

The characters are just so cuteeeeee

Special Hello Kitty Chucky drink in conjunction with Halloween

HOLLYWOOD DREAM BACKDROP IS THE BEST RIDE IN USJ!!

We went to the Harry Potter World again at night to catch the night show. To enter, you will have to get yourself a timed-entry pass from a machine outside Harry Potter World. (It's free) 

RIDES THAT YOU SHOULDN'T MISS IN USJ:

1) Hollywood Dream Backdrop
Damn, this was the bomb. I felt as if the ride sent me to the sky as I could see a bird's eye view of USJ. And instead of going forward, this roller coaster runs backwards, so you can't predict what will come next. Extremely thrilling, and I loved it! Waiting time for this ride is crazy, so it's better to get an express pass and skip the queue!

2) JAWS
Unexpectedly amazing. At first you would think that it's a lame ride that tours you around the lake,  but no, there were surprises at the end and I don't think I should spoil them for you now. Just go for this ride ok!!

3) Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey™ in 4K3D
Be ready to enter the magical Hogwarts™ School of Witchcraft and Wizardry with this 4D ride! It wasn't really as thrilling as the Hollywood Dream Backdrop ride, but the 4K3D technology was worth a visit. (This is probably the most popular ride in USJ so you will have to queue up for at least 2 hours without an express pass)

4) Flying Dinosaur
I actually didn't go for this ride because it looked scary (but exciting at the same time) to me and my brother. The queue was pretty long as well and this ride wasn't included in our express pass. But it sure looks like something that you shouldn't miss in USJ!

LONDON // 2017

November 5, 2017, 9:27 am

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Since I was a kid, I had always been dreaming to visit Europe someday in my life.

At the age of 22, I made dream come true, with my own hard-earned money. I am not sure about you, but being able to visit Europe has always been a huge thing for me (because it could or would cost a bomb since I'm not sponsored by anyone lol). I have never visited any countries in Europe before and it felt so surreal that I'm currently typing this blog post here in Netherlands. I booked my flight tickets to London in June this year, and even tagged my mom along. Actually if it wasn't for my LDR-boyfriend (who resides in Netherlands), I wouldn't have visited Europe this soon haha! 

There's something I really wanna say though - planning for Europe trip is NOT EASY at all. It stressed me out so much because I had such a hard time planning for intercity trips. I was so unsure of everything (such as the travelling date / time) and I was like fxxk it I'm just going to go with the flow (which turned out to be the worst thing ever because I spent so much unnecessary money on last-minute flights). To be honest, my planning for this trip was really bad, so I'm sorry that I wouldn't be able to share with you guys a comprehensive itinerary this time! :(

However, I will include pictures of the places I'd been to during my trip and hopefully you guys will enjoy them! 

#1 OXFORD STREET 

After meeting up with my boyfriend and his cousin, we headed to Oxford street via the underground train. Transportation in London is really convenient and easy (just use Google Maps to navigate around yo). Oxford street is a popular shopping district in London, with more than 300 shops including designer outlets, department stores (Selfridges is a really popular one in London), restaurants, etc. 

Mandatory shot with the iconic red telephone booth. :P Outfit details Bakerboy hat - Forever 21 Pink jacket - Room8008  Rosewood sweater - Forever 21 Jeans - Bershka Shoes - Gucci

TOPSHOP

The TOMMY HILFIGER collection in Urban Outfitters is omg.

We had lunch in a random restaurant in Oxford street and this chicken mushroom pie was not bad, but damn, £20 just for one chicken mushroom pie is a bit too expensive. T__T

#2 PEGGY PORSCHEN CAKES 

I've seen soooo many pictures of this beautiful cafe on Instagram and I told myself that I MUST visit this cafe when I go to London. I couldn't help but squealed in excitement upon seeing this cafe right in front of me. Painted in baby pink, the entrance of this cafe definitely wins every girl's heart with its floral decoration. 

We were lucky that we got a table outside (as it's a Insta-worthy spot lol). We ordered a pot of Earl Grey and Orange tea (which was really, really good) (£4.95 for two pax) and a Red Velvet cupcake (£5). Always the happiest reuniting with this LDR bf.  #3 SKETCH (cafe)  Actually, I went to this cafe but couldn't try their food as we didn't make any reservation (super sad!!) So I just asked them whether I could go in just to take a picture lolol. Indeed, the interior looks stunning and artist-conceived. Online reservation as well as their menu is available on their website so make sure you book a table before you go to avoid disappointment (like me). #4 THE ORIGINAL LONDON CITY SIGHTSEEING TOUR: HOP-ON, HOP-OFF BUS TOUR This is how the double-decker bus looks like! Image credits to Google as I couldn't take any pictures of the bus with the rainy weather! :(  Before my trip to London, I booked The Original London City Sightseeing Tour: Hop-on, Hop-off bus tour from isango! Conducted on an open-topped double-decker bus, this bus tour allows you to explore London in an interesting and educative way (as live commentary is offered on the bus) and visit major attractions in London such as Big Ben, London Bridge, Trafalgar Street, Buckingham Palace, etc and save on tubes and taxis! You can just hop on and off the bus at the well-placed bus stops and visit attractions of your choice. Besides, this package also includes a Hop-on, hop-off Thames Cruise and 3 walking tours!! Sadly, we didn't get to go on the Thames Cruise as it was raining. :( Nonetheless, I think this bus ticket is pretty worth it if you are visiting London for the first time!  #5 BIG BENHonestly, the weather on our 2nd day in London SUCKED. The sky was so grey and gloomy and it was raining all day. How depressing! And to make things worse, the Big Ben was under renovation when I was there omg! I was rather sad because I couldn't take any nice pictures due to the bad weather. :(  #6 LONDON EYE  OK not gonna lie but this picture is edited like shit ok. Gave up editing every picture so here's a picture of the grey sky. London weather is the type of weather that you would still feel cold after wearing three thick layers, and it's not even winter yet!Outfit details Hat - Forever 21 Jacket - Forever 21 Sweater - Forever 21 Jeans - Zara Boots - Forever 21  #7 TOWER BRIDGE After visiting London Eye, we hopped on the bus again and headed to the Tower Bridge. The Tower Bridge and London Bridge are actually two different bridges! Tower Bridge was built in 1894 and nope, it has never fallen down like the London Bridge 😂.  #8 BURGER & LOBSTER I have heard so many positive comments about Burger & Lobster, and I finally got to try it myself in London!! There are several branches in London, and surprisingly, we got a table without having to queue at all.  For £23, you get 1 pound of lobster, steamed or grilled with a choice of clarified butter or B&L's famous lemon & garlic butter. All dishes come with chips and salad too. It's pretty decently-priced I would say. We ordered the grilled lobster with lemon & garlic butter! To be honest, I think it was not bad, but not impressive enough for me to pay a second visit. Honestly, we didn't get to visit many places in London this time due to the lack of time. We only stayed in London for 3 days, and on the third day, we had to catch an early flight to Netherlands so we didn't get to visit any place on that day. There are so many places that I want to visit in London, like Nottinghill, Shoreditch, Spitalfields, etc. London, I will be back! P.S. Comment and tell me where your favourite place is in London!

HOW I LOST 1.4KG IN A MONTH + GIVEAWAY

November 21, 2017, 11:46 pm

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Hey guys!! Today I'm finally going to share with y'all my 30-day challenge with Marie France! Just in case you didn't know, I visited Marie France and signed up for their 30 Days Challenge back in July this year. The reason why I joined this program is because I realised that I have gained so much weight from my previous lifestyle - constantly eating out but not working out. There was a period that I felt insecure to wear shorts because I felt uncomfortable and wasn't confident with the way my thighs looked. Everyone has his own insecurities, and my tummy and thighs were my main concern.

What is the 30 Days Challenge? 

It's a 30-day program that promotes healthy lifestyle and helps you in achieving your wellness goals through advanced treatment programmes, supported with customised nutritional plans and lifestyle advice from Marie France's wellness experts that caters to the various phases of your slimming journey. 

How does the Marie France 30 Days Challenge work? 

The 30 Days Challenge consists of 8 treatment sessions, 3 customised nutritional plans, 2 body measurements and 8 body fat analysis worth RM3930. 

The challenge is divided into 4 weeks, and each week has different programs and nutritional plans. 

WEEK 1 - DETOX 

Reduce water retention and eliminate fat-stored toxins. Detoxification also helps to boost immunity, promotes anti-ageing benefits, as well as improves skin texture and appearance.

During the first week of this program, the nutritionist measured my body fat and customised a detox meal plan for me. And there, my 30 days challenge has officially commenced! 

I was also given the survival kit, which consists of a pedometer watch (which helps me to keep track of my walking steps, distance, calories burned, etc), a Dri Fit shirt (so comfortable and allows my body to "breathe" when I work out), a RM100 Treatment Rebate Voucher*, and a RM50 Product Rebate Voucher*!

To be honest, I was pretty nervous to start the program because the idea of following a nutritional meal plan and changing my eating habits sounded a bit intimidating for me. But I told myself, if not now, then when?! I started eating healthy and avoided oily and unhealthy food such as fast food, fried food, etc. During the detox week, I was told to avoid drinking coffee as well. DETOX MODE ON! 

Also, I visited Marie France twice a week for my detox treatment sessions! During the detox treatment sessions, I did the machine fat burning on my tummy and thighs, as well as some treatments involving the infrared technology.  WEEK 2 & 3 - ACTIVATE The 2nd and 3rd week is about boosting your body's metabolism and blood circulation to expedite fat breaking process and cellulite reduction. Moving into the 2nd and 3rd week of the program, I was given a new nutritional plan. Honestly, the meal plan was not as bad as what I thought it would be. I was allowed to drink black coffee, indulge in my favourite roasted chicken, grilled fish and even dessert bowls. It proved that healthy eating doesn't mean that you need to give up food that you love! Also, I started buying more greek yoghurt and honestly this is really my favourite snack! (Who says snacks can't be healthy? Hehehe)  And for dinner, I like to make myself a plate of grilled chicken breast (cooked with olive oil) accompanied with some broccoli and carrots! Frankly, it's really easy to make, delicious and healthy! Apart from changing my eating habits, I also never missed my treatment sessions in Marie France. In week 2 and 3, I was given the activating treatments - such as body scrubbing, body wrapping and blanket heating, which help me to sweat more and reduce cellulite as well as fluid retention. Every time after I have done these treatments, I felt as if my body became lighter and less bloated!  WEEK 4 - FAT BURNING Combined with high intensity treatments, ampoules and machines to boost the fat burning process, effectively get rid of unwanted fats deep below the skin surface in a shorter time. Here comes the last week of the 30-day challenge, and how did I feel? I honestly felt better and happier with my new lifestyle!! I felt one step closer to reaching my wellness goals.  When I eat out, I always order food like chicken breast and salad!  During week 4, Marie France targets on my concerned areas by combining high intensity treatments such as the Venus Freeze treatment, ampoules and machines to boost the fat burning process!  FINAL RESULTS?  As you can see from the body fat analysis, I started with 43.4kg and lost 1.4kg as a result. I was delighted with the outcome as I lost 2 inches around my thigh area! At the end of this program, I realised that it has changed about how I feel about myself, mentally, physically and spiritually. I like that my lifestyle has become so much healthier and that it made me feel happier and more confident. To be honest, taking control of your own wellbeing such as your lifestyle and eating habits can really make a difference! I would say that the biggest key learning outcome from joining this program is learning how to be discipline and responsible for my own wellbeing. I adopted a healthier lifestyle and eating habit, and never skipped a treatment session.  Did the treatment sessions really help?  I would say that they definitely helped in speeding up the process, but they are not something that you should solely depend on!  Thanks Marie France for inspiring me to change my lifestyle through this 30-day challenge. Now are you up for this challenge? They are currently having a promotion and you only have to pay RM699 for the entire package! Head over to their website for more information: https://www.mariefrance.com.my/30-days-challenge/. BY THE WAY, Marie France Bodyline and I are giving away a FREE treatment worth RM487 each to 50 winners. Yes, there will be a FREE makeover session for FIFTY OF YOU.  How to join?  Just comment "PICK ME" below my blog post and fill in this form - http://bit.ly/2jMp80K. Winners will be selected randomly and contacted by Marie France Bodyline by 29th November.

THE PICTURESQUE VILLAGE: GIETHOORN

November 24, 2017, 1:14 am

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Hey guys, this blog post is going to be about Giethoorn - a beautiful, car-free water village in Netherlands. It was about an hour drive from my boyfriend's house, and I'm so glad that he brought me here. It offers a different kind of beauty - nothing like the famous Amsterdam canals nor the Paris Eiffel Tower. Giethoorn's beauty is natural, serene and calming. 

Upon reaching Giethoorn, a rainbow appeared to greet us. And I feel like only in places like this you are able to see a full rainbow right in front of you, without being blocked by any skyscrapers.

What's there to see in Giethoorn? Picturesque scenery of the nature, cosy thatched cottages, people boating through the canals and you will also be able to spot some ducks swimming gracefully in pairs. The scenery looks like it's straight out of a fairytale.  There are organised boat tours, however, you can also rent a small electric boat to enjoy the scenery.  Away from the hustle and bustle in the city, Giethoorn is a perfect destination if you want to find peace and offers you great relaxation.    There are also a few restaurants and cafes in this village so that you can take a break while enjoying some local delights. We ordered a Dutch-styled pancake and it reminds me of Roti Canai hahaha! Surrounding by lush nature, Giethoorn just looks like a dream, a fairytale that drifts away from reality.

THE ONE SCRUB THAT HAS IT ALL

December 4, 2017, 3:59 am

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Are you a fan of scrubs? How often do you do facial scrub? 

I am not a fan until I meet the St. Ives Oil Scrub.

Yes, drum roll please! Oil meets scrub. Scrub meets oil. St. Ives, the #1 scrub brand in U.S., introduces a fresh new way to give your skin a boost - Behold the wonder of cleansing and exfoliation combined in one product! This is the FIRST ever face oil scrub in the market. 

Made with 100%natural exfoliants and pure grape seed oil, this oil scrub is going to leave your skin feeling super soft, smooth and nourished. 

I have been travelling quite frequently lately, and my skin has become drier than before due to the difference in weather. 

So when St. Ives sent me their latest oil scrub in apricot and coconut, I am stoked!

Infused with apricot extract, the formula will refresh skin and uncover its glow.

The coconut shell powder makes an excellent exfoliator and partners perfectly with pure grape seed oil to nourish with a flourish.

 As a frequent traveller, it's totally what I need, and it's the one scrub that is perfect for beginners. 

Why do I say so? 

You don't have to be a beauty guru to use this product, because it's super easy to use! Here, I'm going to share with you how to achieve soft and smooth skin with the St. Ives Oil Scrub:

1. Apply a small amount of oil into your DRY hands.

2. Rub together and massage gently into DRY skin. 

3. Add warm water and continue massaging in circles to stimulate the skin. The oil will emulsify, where it turns milky white. Don’t forget to work right up to your hairline and around the sides of your nose. 

4. Rinse thoroughly with warm water and pat dry with a towel.

OK! Now that you already know the steps, let me answer your questions!

How often can you use this product?
You can scrub up to 3-4 times a week for effective results!

Is it paraben-free and dermatologist-tested? 
YES!

Is it suitable for all skin types? 
YES!

How do I feel about the products? 
To be honest, I think that this product really provides gentle yet effective exfoliation to my skin. But, my skin just doesn't feel dry out at all! And I can feel that my skin is so much softer, smoother and brighter after using this product (just look at my comparison photo above!!) In terms of the fragrance, personally, I prefer the apricot one more as it emanates such a cute (but not heavy) fragrance, which I love! And don't worry, the fragrance is not artificial, instead the ingredients are 100% natural!! Now I just bring one bottle with me everywhere I go!

4D3N IN PARIS

December 6, 2017, 11:07 pm

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Paris - one of the cities that I'd been dreaming to visit since young. 

I don't know why but Paris has its own charm and magic that captured my soul. It's one of a kind, (though it's been too commercialised in movies and whatnot). But guys, Paris is a must-visit, at least once in a lifetime. The experience, the atmosphere and the feeling that Paris can give you is just so extraordinary. 

After our short trip in London, we flew to Groningen (where my boyfriend lives) to chill and take some rests. In Groningen, we got to relax, sleep as much as we want (my mom was super jetlagged so she had to recharge her body hahaha), shop for groceries and cook at home. After taking enough rests, we decided to go to Paris by car. 

It was an 8-hour ride though from where my boyfriend lives to Paris. Yes, he drove 8 hours (with a few stops for espresso shots and quick break in between) and I was having my very own concert in the car just to keep him awake. You had no idea how excited I was for Paris. 

After our hotel check-in, we took the metro and headed to Avenue des Champs-Élysées. It is one of the most famous and beautiful avenues in the world with a rich history and monuments (but now it's full of cafes and high-end shops). The famous Arc de Triomphe is also located at the avenue. We were ravenous and it was raining heavily, so we just randomly walked into a cafe for a late lunch. Our first meal in Paris was expensive but not impressive. I ordered a steak which costed me about 22euros and it was honestly overcooked and dry, which was really disappointing. 

It was about 7pm after our late lunch and the sky already turned dark! We walked along the avenue street which led way to the Arc de Triomphe, one of the world most famous monuments. Oh by the way, there's also this crazy roundabout with the wildest traffic circling the monument. Plus, there are no traffic lights to control the traffic haha! 

Since it was raining and most of the shops were already closing, we just took the metro back to our hotel and had some coffee nearby.

DAY 2 

We spent the 2nd day visiting the major attractions in Paris, of course, the Eiffel Tower is a must-visit. 

WHERE TO GET THE BEST VIEW OF THE EIFFEL TOWER?

If you want to get the best view and the best shot of the majestic Eiffel Tower, you should take the metro to the stop called Trocadéro, and follow the exit signage indicating "Tour Eiffel". Once you step out of the station, you will see staircases leading to a large open square, and this is where you can see the Eiffel Tower standing in front of you. 

The view was absolutely breathtaking and my feeling was indescribable. I mean, I'd been dreaming about visiting Paris and now that I could see the Eiffel Tower right in front of me, I just wanted to cry (tears of joy, of course). 

Kira-kira-ing. 

On the right of the large open square is the famous Instagram spot!!! When we saw the place, we immediately went like "Ah so this is the place where all the Instagrammers took their Eiffel Tower photo!!" As excited as other tourists, we lined up to take photos of the amazing Eiffel Tower view at this spot. Luckily, there weren't a lot of tourists that moment so we managed to take as many photos as we want hahaha. 

In the city of love with my love. 

There's also a carousel ride nearby the Eiffel Tower, which made everything extra dreamy omg!! 

After taking enough pictures around the Eiffel Tower, we googled for lunch spot recommendations. The streets in Paris are just so beautiful, don't you think so? I am absolutely in love. 

We had crêpes for lunch in a small cafe which is about a 7-minute-walk from the Eiffel Tower. It was not remarkably good, but considering the fact that we all were starving and the price point was actually pretty reasonable, we gave this cafe a thumbs up. 

Our next stop was Musée du Louvre. The Louvre Art Museum is open every day (except Tuesday) from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m, and the admission fees is €15. But eventually we did not go into the museum due to shortage of time as we had other places to go after this stop. But honestly it's really a nice spot for photo-taking! 

After a quick shopping in Galeries Lafayette (which is a department store that houses high-end fashion and skin care brands), we stopped by LADURÉE Printemps for tea and macarons. 

Their macarons are amazing, the flavours that I particularly like are rose and caramel! 

For dinner, we went to this restaurant called Comptoir de La Gastronomie, which was recommended by my boyfriend's sister. 

Each of us ordered a dish and we shared the escargot (and believe me, this is my first time trying escargot!! I didn't dare to try it in KL because I thought it's disgusting, but it is actually pretty good lolol)

My ravioli with truffle and foie gras. As expensive as the name suggests, this dish was absolutely scrumptious but the portion was so small. I think it was supposed to be an appetiser but the price was actually the same as the main dishes!

These were the dishes ordered by my mom, boyfriend and boyfriend's cousin respectively. I must say, the food presentation was really alluring.

DAY 3 
We were actually contemplating whether to go to Disneyland Paris or not, but as a Disney girl, my wish is to visit all Disneyland in the world. And my boyfriend wanted to go as well so we spent our 3rd day in DISNEYLAND PARIS! 

By the way, do take note that there are 2 different parks: Disneyland Park and Walt Disney Studios Park. Different park requires different tickets, so you can choose either one or both. We bought the ticket that allowed us to go into both of them, because we couldn't really decide.

The price of park tickets varies with season/occasion. We bought our tickets at the ticketing counter, and the ticket for both parks was €98 (it was the most expensive Disneyland ticket that I have ever bought though....).

Tip: Purchase your ticket ONLINE because it's cheaper!! We tried to buy the tickets online before entering the park but the stupid internet connection just wouldn't allow us to do so.

As we entered the park and saw the huge castle standing right in front of us, we instantly thought that the ticket price was worth it lolol. IT'S JUST SO BEAUTIFUL AND MAGICAL OK!!! 

To many more magical moments with you. 

Boyfriend bought me this Mickey ears because he was like: "How can you take pictures in Disneyland without the ears?" 

Let the magical journey begins. 

Big Thunder Mountain (in Disneyland Park) - not to be missed. 

Please don't miss this parade in Disneyland Park!! It will give you the most magical feeling ever as all your favourite Disney characters whisk and dance their way through the crowd with their one-of-a-kind vehicle. 

There are 2 rides that you cannot miss in Walt Disney Studios Park: Rock 'N' Roller Coaster and The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror. 

Seeking for some thrill? Go for this ride where speeds reach up to 100km/h in less than 3 seconds at the beginning. It was a bit shocking because we never expected it to be that fast at the starting point hahaha. 

I've been to the same ride in Tokyo Disneysea so I already kinda knew how this ride was going to be. I remember telling my boyfriend how reluctant I was to go for this ride with him but he just dragged me with him fml. Free-fall rides are just not my thing urgh. But guys, this ride is a must-go, and the twilight motions and graphics in the ride were really stunning so you will feel as if you are teleported to another dimension of the world. 

Pastel sky in Walt Disney Studios Park as the sun goes down. It was so beautiful. 

The night ended perfectly with the illumination show which magnificent fireworks, stunning light projections and astonishing effects bring classic Disney tales and new stories to life. 

I gazed in awe, capturing all the beautiful moments right in front of me with my eyes, and I told myself:

I'm so lucky, so blessed. 

DAY 4 

It's our last day in Paris and I wasn't ready to leave yet. There were just so many more places that I want to explore in Paris! :( 

We enjoyed breakfast in a cafe restaurant nearby Galeries Lafayette before we did our last round of shopping.

Many of my friends told me that my outfit was so Parisian hahahaha. What do you think? 

On our way back to Groningen, another 8 hours car ride. It was tiring (especially for my boyfriend a.k.a the driver), but this trip to Paris was totally worth it. I will definitely be back soon! 

x 

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THE BIGGEST CHANGE OF MY 2017

December 12, 2017, 11:01 pm

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I feel like every time I am about to write a "year end reflection" post, I always start by saying: 

Can you believe it? It's already the end of the year. 

Yea...can you believe it though? 2017 is going to end in no time. It has been a year full of ups and downs - a year that involved changes, a lot. 

The biggest change of my life this year has got to be my relationship. 

I got into a long distance relationship and a lot of you actually still don't really get where he is from haha.

How do we meet? Where is he from? 
 So, I met him during my internship. He was born and raised in Netherlands and that made him a Dutch Chinese. Why was he in Malaysia?? He came here for his internship as well and he is currently doing International Business, which explains why he interned in Malaysia haha. But, why specifically Malaysia? He told me Malaysia wasn't his first option at all, but somehow his friend told him about a job offer in the company that I was interning at, so he came. He joined the company earlier than I did; probably a few months earlier so we only met in January this year. 

Although I only met him this year, I feel like I have known him for ages. I feel like I can open up to him and talk to him about anything and he is definitely a good listener. He puts up with my temper a lot, and we have never really got into a serious argument before. 

What are your LDR struggles? 

So does that mean that we have no problem with our LDR? Well, we do have our LDR struggles. I struggled a lot when we first got into this relationship. I was insecure and uncertain (just like any other couples who are in a LDR), not about my feelings, but about our future. I wasn't confident about doing LDR at all because I didn't believe that it would work? The belief and perception that LDR has no perfect endings held me back at first and I didn't know what to do, but our feelings were so strong for each other and my boyfriend told me that he is ready to commit, so we decided to give it a shot. 

He left to Korea for his student exchange program in early February. I never knew that it can hit me so hard when he left, all of a sudden my heart just felt empty and heck, it took me a few weeks to feel better and "normal" again...I knew this path that we both chose is not going to be easy and until the time we get to be with each other permanently, there will still be many goodbyes. We have to go through the pain of being separated again each time our visit ends. And frankly speaking, sometimes, I even fear of our next meet-up because I just don't want to experience the same feeling of being separated again.

I visited him in Korea this year April when he was still studying there and we had an amazing time together. It was also my first trip of the year hehehe. When the trip ended and we had to be separated in the airport, it was just the worst feeling ever...

After going back to KL from Korea, I had to get my shit together and focus on my studies. I still remember how easily I burst into tears whenever I talked about leaving my boyfriend with my friends hahah. (I'm grateful for those friends who were there for me when I needed someone to talk to, thank you)

2 months later, we met again! He came to visit me in KL after he's done with his student exchange program in Korea. And we flew to Bangkok together for a short vacation! After Bangkok, he stayed in KL for a few days more before he flew back to Netherlands. Actually a few days before his actual departure, I could already feel the sadness kicking in lolol. I really hate myself for feeling that way every time but I couldn't help it. 

After he is back in his home country, we had to kinda rearrange our routine due to the difference in time zone. But to be honest, I feel like we both are dealing with it pretty well hahahaha. I can't believe I actually don't find time zone a bitch for our relationship. With 6 hours difference in time (now 7 because it's winter wtf), we both are definitely living in a different pace of life. When I wake up in the morning at 8am, it's his 1am. 

So how do we deal with the time zone difference? 

He would call me awake at my 8am and we would talk for an hour or so before he goes to sleep. 

Then I would go on with my day, and I would call him awake at my 4pm, which is his 9am. Then he would go to classes as I continue with my own activities for the rest of the day. 

At my 11pm (which is his 4pm), he would call me when he is free and we will just talk before I go to bed. And the routine continues. 

So that's how we manage to adjust and spend time with each other despite the difference in time zone hahaha. Sometimes I still get confused figuring out which of us is 7 hours ahead or behind each other but thankfully there's always the world clock thingy in my iPhone. 

After I'm done with my Bachelor Degree studies (hell yeah, I finally graduated!!), I had the opportunity to travel to a few countries (which I will recap in my next post) and I finally unlocked another achievement in my life, which is flying to another continent - EUROPE. 

There, we met again! So this year has actually been a really great year for our LDR, because we got to see each other every 2 to 3 months. I feel extremely grateful already. 

My thoughts on LDR? 

Honestly, I know there are a lot of fears of getting into a LDR, and it's completely normal to have fears. You fear of missing out, you fear of not being able to be there for him, you fear of the uncertainties in the future, you fear of your partner cheating on you. 

But, as long as there's trust, commitment and communication in a relationship, distance doesn't really matter. I have learned that it's important to open up and talk everything through in a relationship. If you have insecurities or doubts, you have to talk it out and let your partner know what you are thinking. This way, you both can understand each other more. At the same time, being in a LDR means you have to compromise, and think from your partner's perspective (actually this applies to relationships in general, not only LDR lol). 

Anyway, you just have to trust and follow your instincts. You can feel it if the person loves you or not and whether he is worth it or not. And if he is really the one, he won't make you question all the little things, instead he will make sure the things he do gives you trust, reassurance and confidence.

When you are with the right person, LDR is just not as bad as it seems (although I just want to close this gap asap). I always remind myself that the distance is only temporary, if we can go through this together, there's nothing else that can beat us. 

To my boyfriend, 

Thank you for coming into my life this year! Your existence has created such a huge impact in my life. Thank you for everything - your kindness, your trust, your commitment, your patience, etc. I will not trade you for anything, instead I will hold you until forever. Can't wait to see you again soon. ♥ 

LOOKING BACK AT 2017

December 21, 2017, 10:26 pm

≫ Next: ONE DAY IN AMSTERDAM.

≪ Previous: THE BIGGEST CHANGE OF MY 2017

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Hey guys, a tradition continues on my blog, which is writing a post to reflect and round up my year.

2017 was, overall, a great year for me - it's the year that I have experienced and achieved the most.

I started the year with an unforeseen circumstance that led me to another open door. So that incident made me believe that when one door closes, another opens.

I spent the first 3 months of the year interning. I learned so much, about content creation, client servicing, taking up more responsibilities, dealing with difficult situations when things go wrong, communicating with people, working in a team, etc. Although my internship was only 3 months long, I felt like I have gained so much. Apart from gaining working experience, I also met my current boyfriend (wow, so much gains from an internship huh). 

After internship, I went back to uni to complete my bachelor degree.

In April, I travelled to Seoul with my brother to visit my boyfriend who was studying in Korea as an exchange student. It was cherry blossom season in Seoul that time and it made me so happy seeing all the beautiful pink sakura trees! 

Starting from May onwards, we hustled for our final year project: planning and executing a campaign for a real company. I will never forget about all the brainstorming sessions with my team. Our hard work and effort did not go into waste as my team's proposal got chosen as the #winning proposal, and we got to execute a real campaign based on our proposal with the whole class. It was truly an amazing experience, working with different teams who share the same vision and goal - which is to make our campaign a success. It was definitely not an easy one, but I am glad that we all made it.

In June, we also had several hands-on projects going on. One of the experiences that I could never forget is visiting the patients who suffer from kidney failures in a dialysis centre somewhere in Subang Jaya. We had to plan a campaign to raise funds for the patients, so we visited the patients, interviewed them, listened to their stories, which some of them were really heartbreaking. Again, it stressed how important to take care of your kidneys and never take them for granted.


Somewhere around end of June, my boyfriend finished his studies in Korea and came to KL to visit me. We then travelled to Bangkok together! I loveeee Bangkok; there's so much to explore! I don't mind going back to Bangkok again for cafe-hopping next year. Who's with me?

July was all about preparing for finals.
22nd July - officially done with the last paper and the moment I stepped out from the exam hall after the last paper, I felt relieved, I felt FRESH. It was one of the best feelings ever. Imagine, no more 8am classes, no more stressing out for assignments, no more being stuck in the jam outside Taylors at ungodly hours. I wrote about 10 things that I have learned from uni, feel free to read the post HERE.

After graduating from my bachelor degree, I devoted most of my time in blogging and creating content for my Youtube channel (as well as my part-time jobs).

August 7th, I celebrated my 22nd birthday. Jo Malone, a perfume brand that I've been loving way before they engaged me, threw me a birthday party. Never in my life have I thought of working with them, and now, I'm glad and honoured to have worked with them for more than a year!

On my birthday night, I got to celebrate with some of my close friends at Sanoook (Sunway Pyramid) who hosted my birthday party. 

Besides, Shu Uemura also threw a birthday party for me and I got to meet some of you there!! Honestly, it really makes me so happy being able to meet my readers in person! 

9th August, AirAsia invited me and a few other bloggers to Sihanoukville, Cambodia for a FAM trip. I'd never been to Cambodia so I'm so thankful that AirAsia sent me there. We visited the beautiful and uncontaminated beaches of Sihanoukville and pretty much filled ourselves with finger-licking-good seafood every day during our trip. Sihanoukville is honestly worth a visit!

Starting from September, I was practically living out of a suitcase - but I am definitely not complaining. I kickstarted the month by travelling to Taipei with my parents. It always excites me to visit a country that I've never been to before. And Taipei did not disappoint and I enjoyed it mainly because of the people and culture there. The people were extremely friendly, courteous and generous. Read my 4D3N Taipei trip HERE.

1 week after coming back from Taipei, I flew to Phuket with my girls - Melissa and Sabrina. Also, it was my first time in Phuket and if you are a fan of beaches, you should definitely visit Phuket - it's affordable yet fun! We basically went island-hopping in Phuket and I got so much tanner after the trip hahaha. Nevertheless I did have a good time with my girls and I am now missing the hotel breakfast at Hotel IKON Phuket right now.

Right after my Phuket trip (7 hours after I landed in KL from Phuket), I had the opportunity to fly to Taipei + Bangkok with Panasonic Beauty Malaysia for a study trip. Hahah the schedule was crazy but travelling is always so exciting. I couldn't believe that I got to visit Taipei twice in a month omg! I had such an amazing time with Panasonic Beauty Malaysia; we got pampered way too much with all the special arrangements such as spa treatments, staying in a 5-star hotel in the heart of Bangkok, high-tea at W-hotel Taipei with the Taipei 101 view, a luxurious dinner at the highest floor of Taipei 101, etc. I even got to check out their upcoming launches so I was really grateful for this opportunity!

My travelling journey continued in October - Kyoto, Osaka and Nara.

Japan is one of my favourite countries, so I was really stoked to visit 3 new cities in Japan. I wrote a full travel guide on my blog, so feel free to check it out if you are planning to visit Japan in the near future. I love Japan and I guess I will never get bored of this country. Kyoto is beautiful and culturally rich, Osaka is lively, vibrant and it strikes a perfect balance of modernity and tradition while Nara is famous for its temples and deers. I miss Japan and I'm definitely going back next year.

LONDON. 

Then fast-forward to mid October - my Europe dream came true. Damn I still couldn't believe that I visited Europe this year. It felt like a dream...

PARIS. 

ITALY.

I got to reunite with my boyfriend. We got to visit so many different cities together: London, Groningen, Giethoorn, Amsterdam, Paris, Antwerp, Brussels, Hamburg and Rome. Every city has its own beauty, but my favourite ones are Paris and Rome (though they are rated as the 'dangerous' cities in Europe hahaha). Visiting Europe has been one of my biggest dreams, and to be able to make my dreams come true at this age, I feel truly grateful and blessed. I spent 3 weeks in Europe, reluctant to leave and cried at the airport while waving my boyfriend good-bye. He promised that he will visit next year, and I promised I will wait for him.

Europe was my last stop for the year. When I come back from Europe, everyone asked me the same question: "So, where's next?" 

Haha so far I have no travelling plans yet, but I won't let my travelling journey stop next year for sure. But right now, I am planning for a big project which is yet to be revealed, so hopefully everything goes well and I will be able to share with you what it is about next month!


Oh, and a few weeks ago, I went back to Taylor's to collect my official transcript. All the memories of my uni life just sprung up. Gotta give myself a pat on the back because I survived uni life, and graduated with a a first-class honours degree. I couldn't be any happier because all my blood, sweat and tears were paid off. And I am so grateful for my uni friends - they played such a huge role in my uni life and gave me motivation, inspiration and strength that kept my fuel going.

So yeah, this post basically sums up my year - it was definitely one of the best years in my life despite the tough times.

I am perpetually grateful for everything - for the good times and the bad times, for all the opportunities that knocked on my door this year, for all the love and support from my friends and family and of course, you.

Thank you.

For those who didn't have a great year, you know what, it's okay.
As cliche as it sounds, a new year is coming really soon and there's no better time to start anew.
Learn from the past, but never hold too much grief. Life is all about learning and finding yourself, and constantly improving yourself.

I wish you good luck, happy holidays and a happy new year. 😘

Loves,
Jessica.

ONE DAY IN AMSTERDAM.

December 26, 2017, 1:02 am

≫ Next: BRUSSELS

≪ Previous: LOOKING BACK AT 2017

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We visited Amsterdam for a one day trip. It took us about 2 hours travelling from Groningen to Amsterdam. Upon reaching the big city, I was in awe as it was so much more happening than Groningen. We explored the city, walked through the streets to check out the cafes, cheese stores and souvenir shops. Oh, and how can we forget about the famous Amsterdam canals? To be honest, the weather was unpleasant during our visit; it was drizzling and so we couldn't really take a lot of nice photos. 

In Amsterdam, you will be able to find CHEESE STORES everywhere.

Canals, bicycles, the iconic canal houses - I guess this picture completely captures the essence of Amsterdam?

Btw, if you are craving for some Chinese food in Amsterdam, I would totally recommend ORIENTAL CITY.

THE BEST ROASTED DUCK I'VE EVER HAD IN MY LIFE!!! It was sooooo good...and each and every bite made you crave for more.

A mandatory tourist shot with the highlights of Amsterdam.

 

Dinner at a steak house before we head back to Groningen. 

Came across this Cow Museum, which I found really interesting and cute!

When the sky turned dark, and the fun fair illuminated the city with its colorful and flashing lights. Absolutely beautiful! 

Hope I can visit Amsterdam again soon! 

BRUSSELS

January 2, 2018, 3:48 am

≫ Next: THE FACE SHOP ANTI-DARKENING CUSHION & FLAT LIPSTICK REVIEW

≪ Previous: ONE DAY IN AMSTERDAM.

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Brussels is arguably one of the most beautiful cities I'd ever been to - it has a collection of buildings with really remarkable architecture which is also full of historical significance and value to the city. 

I had the opportunity to visit to Brussels (the capital city of Belgium) during my previous Europe trip. My boyfriend drove us to the city from Netherlands, and the journey took about 4 hours. We parked our car in a paid parking space nearby Sofitel Hotel, and walked to most of the major attractions. 

THE GRAND-PLACE

Very true to its name, The Grand-Place,  the iconic central square of the City of Brussels is really GRAND. In the past, it's a place where people traded goods. Upon arriving, I was astonished by the buildings in the city - they are tall, magnificent and richly and finely decorated with sculptures and golds. 

Rainbow crossings! How cute!

Even a cafe looks so majestic omg!

OF CHOCOLATES, WAFFLES AND FRIES 

I am sure you have heard of Belgian chocolates, Belgian waffles and Belgian fries! I finally had the chance to try out these famous Belgium desserts. In Brussels, there are chocolate shops EVERYWHERE! 

Love how they arranged their desserts in such an aesthetically pleasing way!

Boyfriend queued and bought these waffles (quite pricey but I don't remember the exact price anymore) from a popular waffle shop named Maison Dandoy. Since I'm not a big fan of all-things-sweet, I don't find this waffle extremely impressive or whatnot. But well, at least I have tried them once in my life! Besides Maison Dandoy, you can also find really cheap waffles in Brussels!  My mom was obsessed with chocolate-shopping in Brussels and we were definitely spoilt for choices. Mary Chocolatier has really nice packaging and the price point also gravitates to the high-end side.

What is everyone queuing up for? Yes, Belgian FRIES! We stumbled upon this shop called Fritland and saw a beeline in front of it, so we thought we ought to give a try!

These are indeed the BEST fries I've ever had in my life!!! I don't usually eat fries but these were really deliciously crispy yet tender at the same time. Literally the best thing to have on a cold, windy day in Brussels!  We also walked all the way to check out this little yet famous Manneken Pis sculpture - the emblem of Brussels. There are many different tales about this little boy, but I honestly do not know which to trust haha! At night, the city was brightly illuminated, making the night view even more mesmerising.  After dinner, we headed back to Netherlands and that wraps up our one day trip in Brussels.

THE FACE SHOP ANTI-DARKENING CUSHION & FLAT LIPSTICK REVIEW

January 18, 2018, 4:12 am

≫ Next: ROAMING IN ROME.

≪ Previous: BRUSSELS

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Hello! Today I'm going to write a makeup review. It's been a while since I blogged about makeup, and this time I'm going to share with y'all my recent favourite BB cushion and lipsticks from THE FACE SHOP. 

As you guys know, I am a sucker for BB cushions and I have A LOT of them at home. I love trying new BB cushions in the market and collecting them. I recently gave the Anti-darkening Cushion from THE FACE SHOP a try, and I must say, it's one of the best that I've used. 

Why? Let me tell you more! 

Now, let me share with you their latest lipsticks - FLAT VELVET & GLOSSY LIPSTICKS. 

It's my first time seeing a flat, square-shaped lipstick. This idea is brilliant! You don't even need a lip liner now to get the perfect pouty lips. And it really feels weightless and non-sticky on my lips! The ingredients used to formulate this lipstick, such as argan oil, rosehip oil, jojoba oil, olive oil and calendula oil, all help to nourish and moisture your lips!! *Gotta love lipsticks that don't crack the shit out of my lips heh!

Completed my glam look with the Flat Velvet Lipstick in PK01. Such a beautiful rosy pink colour. Obsession urgh. 

By the way, do you know that you can now shop ONLINE for THE FACE SHOP's products on their official website? I will share with you the direct links to the products mentioned right now: 

ANTI-DARKENING CUSHION - RM104.83 

FLAT VELVET AND GLOSSY LIPSTICKS - RM45 

ROAMING IN ROME.

January 19, 2018, 8:00 pm

≫ Next: THE STORY OF THE JEM LABEL

≪ Previous: THE FACE SHOP ANTI-DARKENING CUSHION & FLAT LIPSTICK REVIEW

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#Throwback to when I was in Rome. It's one of my favourite cities that I'd been to during my Europe trip. I love Rome, it is a city full of historical stories and heritage. Visiting Rome wasn't in my plan actually. We booked the flight ticket and hotel one week before our actual traveling date (and because of our last-minute decision, we of course had to pay more). But I did not regret my decision at all, because a trip to Rome was eye-opening and I can now finally relate to the saying "Rome was not built in a day" hahah! 

Here are some of the highlights of my trip in Rome: 

TREVI FOUNTAIN 

Beautiful. I've always wanted to come here and make a wish, and yes, my wish came true. Trevi fountain is absolutely breathtaking but it can be extremely crowded. To avoid the crowds, we went there at freaking 7am. But luckily, our hotel (Trevi Elite Rome) is just 2 mins away from Trevi Fountain, which was amazing. 

COLOSSEUM 

I can never imagine how majestic the Colosseum until I went there, seeing it with my own eyes. We paid the entrance fees, went in and checked out the historical place where gladiators had their battles. 

PANTHEON 

Rome has great ancient architecture that gives a WOW factor to anyone. The Pantheon is one of the most influential and famous architecture and it served as a temple for all the gods worshipped by the Romans. 

ROAMING IN ROME

Well, I actually enjoyed wandering in Rome, simply because their streets and buildings are nicely painted in pastel colours. They honestly look so cute to me! 

ITALIAN FOOD

I'm a fan of Italian food and I finally got to try out some famous Italian food - pasta, pizza, risotto, gelato, and more! 

Amazing gelato! 

SPANISH STEPS

 Located in the heart of the city, Spanish Steps are surrounded by a lot of stores and PEOPLE. You can find luxury boutiques such as Chanel, Gucci, LV, etc around this area! 

Oh and not forgetting to mention, there are a lot of beautiful restaurants in Rome that I am really tempted to try, but unfortunately, we didn't have enough time. :( 

Hope you guys like my Rome travel vlog as well! 

THE STORY OF THE JEM LABEL

February 3, 2018, 11:59 pm

≫ Next: WHERE TO STAY IN KHAO YAI: THAMES VALLEY KHAO YAI

≪ Previous: ROAMING IN ROME.

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Oh hi! I haven't been blogging much lately and I am so sorry about it! Can you believe that the first month of the year is already over? Seriously? 

I have been caught up with work since January and I'm definitely not complaining about it. I would honestly rather be productive than doing nothing at home. And the fact that I am turning 23 this year makes me even want to seize every opportunity and work harder. 

In January, I finally launched an online clothing store - THE JEM LABEL with my best friend and partner, Melissa (a.k.a. Melissa1010). 

So what inspired us to do this? The story goes like this...

One day I was hanging out with Melissa, and she told me this: "I want to start a business. Are you interested?" 

I'm like "Um yea, of course. What kind of business though?" 

She thought I was not taking her seriously, so she emphasised it again by saying: "I'm serious!! I want to be an entrepreneur." 

I wasn't kidding though when I said "sure". Ever since I graduated from uni, I've always wanted to start my own business. Be an entrepreneur. Be my own boss. And one day, I want to feel proud of myself and not regret over the opportunities that I didn't take when I had the chance. 

Then we agreed immediately that we are so going to launch our very own clothing store. We want to empower all the ladies out there to feel confident through our style and eventually BE confident of themselves. 

From that day, we started working. 

We had a meeting. And in that meeting, we decided on our brand name, concept, value proposition, marketing plan, etc. 

Why did we name our brand JEM? 

It's an idea from Melissa and when she told me about it, I was like OK. NICE. 

JEM = JEssica + Melissa. 

And it rhymes with the word "gem". So why not? 

We started outsourcing for quality and value pieces, designing our own label and packaging, communicating with suppliers and making negotiations. 

I developed a marketing proposal - analysing the buying trends of consumers nowadays and the fashion market in Malaysia, coming out with brand concept, marketing strategies, etc. (I can finally put the knowledge that I've gained from my uni to use haha). 

Meanwhile, Melissa set up the entire website: purchasing our own domain name, designing our website, etc. 

We made our way down to SSM to register our company. We made a few trips to the bank to open a company bank account (trust me, we went through a lot of hassles before we could open a company bank acc...don't wanna specify which bank la but you guys would know if you make transaction on our website hahahahah).

After getting our stock, we examined each piece carefully, making sure that the quality is good enough to be sold to our customers.


Here's a super nerd face of me working in the studio as a hairstylist HAHAHAH (not really, all I did was to make sure that the model's hair is straight and in place lol)

We then booked a studio, hired a model, and there, we had our first official shoot for THE JEM LABEL. All the photos in our website were shot by Joanne, she volunteered to help with our shoot and we can't be anymore thankful. 

After the shoot, we had to process the photos with some necessary editing work before we could upload to our online store. I was sitting in front of my laptop, editing all the photos until 1am. My eyes were tired from staring at the screen for too long, but my heart was burning with passion. 

I love what I am doing. I enjoy what I am doing. 

Finally, on 28th January, we officially launched THE JEM LABEL.

I was really excited as I really want to share this piece of happiness with everyone. 

So, did we make a lot of money from this? 

Honestly, no. Considering the fact that our cost (for studio rental, model, stock, shipping fees and marketing cost) is pretty high, we honestly did not make a lot of money (yet hahaha). 

And to be frank, our sale didn't really go well when it was first launched. 

I was sad and I wondered what went wrong? I did everything I could to push my brand out there, but why isn't it working? Melissa told me to be more patient, have less expectations, and just try to do our best. 

It took us about 3-4 days to get our first official order and when we received the order, I honestly wanted to burst into tears. It was tears of joy. And I messaged Melissa and told her how happy I felt. 

THE JEM LABEL has been launched for a week now, and I'm so happy to say that we are actually doing not bad! Our Jennie Kimono Top and Melanie Tweed Jacket were sold out, and many items were running low in stock!! 

Thank you for those who trust and support us. You have no idea how much your trust and support mean to us. 

We are in the midst of preparing for the launch of our second collection - which will drop on the 11th of February. For those who followed our Instagram (@thejemlabel.co), you guys would have probably seen the sneak peek and behind-the-scene IG stories! 

So ya, that's the story of how we launched THE JEM LABEL. 

Dreams are just dreams until you wake up and make them come true. 

And thank YOU, for supporting our dreams. 

FOLLOW US: 
Website: www.thejemlabel.co
Instagram: www.instagram.com/thejemlabel.co 
Facebook: www.facebook.com/thejemlabel.co/

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WHERE TO STAY IN KHAO YAI: THAMES VALLEY KHAO YAI

February 11, 2018, 6:25 am

≫ Next: KHAO YAI 3D2N ITINERARY | SUNFLOWER FIELD, FEEDING ALPACAS, ITALIAN PALIO VILLAGE, ETC

≪ Previous: THE STORY OF THE JEM LABEL

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Hello guys! For those who are following me on Instagram, you would have known that Joanne and I visited Khao Yai and Bangkok for a short vacation last week. 

Just a 3-hour drive away from Bangkok, Khao Yai is a small, undiscovered wonderland in Thailand. 

HOW TO GO TO KHAO YAI FROM BANGKOK? 

You can either rent a car and drive there yourself, or you can hire a private driver from KLOOK (highly recommend this option). KLOOK is a RELIABLE travel booking platform where users can easily discover and book activities/experiences all around the world, and it has the best prices online. They also have the e-voucher features on their app so that there's no need to print any vouchers or tickets! Super convenient. 

Prior to our trip, we booked a 3D2N Khao Yai custom tour from KLOOK, and this package includes a three-day charter service (12 hours) for your custom tour, with an experienced driver and an air-conditioned vehicle, inclusive of fuel costs and toll charges. For this package, the driver can pick you up from the Bangkok airport so that you don't have to hire a separate driver to do so. If you don't want a 3D2N package, KLOOK offers 1-day and 2-day packages as well. Head over to their website for more info! 

I will definitely recommend this custom tour package to anyone who wants to visit Khao Yai, simply because having a private driver is just so convenient and you can travel anywhere you want by just providing your itinerary to the driver. Another huge benefit of having a private driver is that you can just travel at your own pace - no need to wait for anyone nor rush to anywhere like how you travel with a traveling agency or something. Flexibility is the greatest part of this custom tour I would say.

And because the public transport in Khao Yai is pretty scarce (don't think they have uber or taxis there...), having a private driver can just eliminate the transportation problem. Also, our private driver went extra mile to help us search for all the hidden photo-worthy spots that we didn't know existed (which I will blog in my next post).

Alright, so in this post, I'll be sharing with you the resort that I stayed in Khao Yai -THAMES VALLEY. 

Honestly, upon reaching this resort, we were all astounded by the exterior of the resort.

The entrance to the lobby is absolutely enchanting. It felt like we've arrived in the Alice in the Wonderland maze!

This resort is inspired by the charms of the green belt running west out of central London along the River Thames corridor.

I am in love.

Looks like a fairytale, doesn't it?

The Castle Restaurant and Tea Room.

The resort also has a spa centre - Rose Spa. We went for an Aroma & Oil full body massage and we felt extremely pampered and relaxed. It was exactly what we needed after our flight and 3-hour car ride!

The swimming pool. I love the Scandinavian and rustic design of our room. It just feels so cozy and warm - a home away from home. I swear Joanne and I just wanted to stay in our room all day! The washroom There's also this area that features a sofa bed and a coffee table. Super cozy. Joanne and I loved chilling at this area and had our mini karaoke session. In the afternoon, we indulged in a high-tea at The Castle Tea Room.    I love every corner of this tea room - I absolutely love the interior and how attention-to-detail they are in everything, including the choice of flowers they used to decorate the table, the pillow colours, the type of furniture they used....urgh, it's beyond perfection.  Here's our fancy tea set... ...with a fancy background. The hotel staffs reserved this "VIP" area for us omg!!!! Wearing the Charlotte Lace Dress from www.thejemlabel.co  Accentuated with blue and white elements, the outdoor area of the tea room is super beautiful as well. And it boasts a perfect view of the resort - amazing.  View from the tea room. I feel like I am in heaven...    Again, details, details, details.  The Castle Restaurant - a different set-up that sets a different mood. Exterior of The Castle Restaurant & Tea Room. If you guys were wondering if I felt HOT wearing long sleeves while sitting outdoors, my answer is NO. Surprisingly Khao Yai was pretty cold (it was 18 degree celsius) throughout our trip and we couldn't be more grateful for the beautiful weather.    Dress from www.thejemlabel.co (one of my favourite designs ever). Thames Valley is indeed one of the best resorts that I have ever stayed at. Great hospitality, amazing ambiance, perfect for a relaxing getaway from the hustle and bustle of the city.

KHAO YAI 3D2N ITINERARY | SUNFLOWER FIELD, FEEDING ALPACAS, ITALIAN PALIO VILLAGE, ETC

February 12, 2018, 7:54 pm

≫ Next: COMFORTABLE YET AFFORDABLE STAY IN BANGKOK: HOTEL ICON BANGKOK

≪ Previous: WHERE TO STAY IN KHAO YAI: THAMES VALLEY KHAO YAI

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Many of you DM-ed me on Instagram for my Khao Yai itinerary, so I'm glad to share it with you guys right now! 

In my previous post, I blogged about where I stayed in Khao Yai as well as how you can go to Khao Yai from Bangkok. Feel free to click HERE to read.

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So here's my 3D2N itinerary: 

✧ Day 1 ✧

- From Bangkok DMK airport to Thames Valley Khao Yai (our hotel) 

- Checked in our hotel 

- Primo Piazza 

- Afternoon tea at Thames Valley

 - Spa at Rose Spa, Thames Valley 

- Dinner at Thames Valley 

✧ Day 2 ✧

- Breakfast at Thames Valley 

- Palio Village 

- Sunflower field 

- My Ozone (horse riding) 

- Baan Mai Chat Nam (vintage museum restaurant) 

- Hobbit House (Baan Suan Noi)

- Dinner at Thames Valley 

✧ Day 3 ✧

- Breakfast at Thames Valley

- The Bloom 

- PB Valley Winery 

- Bye Khao Yai, off to Bangkok 

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✧ Primo Piazza ✧

○ Entrance fees: 200 Baht 
○ A small Italian-inspired landmark 
○ There are cafes, restaurants and gelato shops 
○ Highlight: Feeding the alpacas! 

We definitely felt fascinated upon arriving Primo Piazza. It felt like we had arrived in Italy!

My dress from www.thejemlabel.co definitely blended well with the atmosphere heh!

Look at all these beautiful terracotta-toned buildings!

Definitely a photo-worthy spot.

Off to feed the alpacas!

It wasn't crowded at all during our visit so we got to take pictures really easily without anyone photo-bombing lolol.

First time seeing an alpaca in real!!! They are honestly so cute!

Feeding them was definitely one of the happiest highlights of my day.

Bye Alpacas!

✧ Afternoon Tea @ Thames Valley ✧ 

After visiting Primo Piazza, we headed back to our hotel to indulge in our afternoon tea.

✧ Spa @ Thames Valley ✧ 

Later in the evening, we went for full body oil and aroma massage at Rose Spa (which is located in the hotel as well).

✧ Dinner @ Thames Valley ✧ 

Dinner with this super magnificent view.

A perfect way to end the night. P.S. It was only 18 degree celsius at night and we felt like we were in Genting Highlands omg.

 ✧ Breakfast @ Thames Valley ✧

Kickstarted our day with a wholesome breakfast spread at our hotel!

I don't think I can ever get bored of this view!

✧ Palio Village ✧

After breakfast, our driver drove us to our first destination - Palio Village (only a 10-minute drive away from our hotel). Inspired by Tuscan village, Palio Village is a little picturesque shopping centre filled with small souvenir shops and cafes! 

○ A MUST-VISIT because this place is too pretty (NO entrance fees) 

○ Visit the cat cafe 

Am I in Italy or Thailand...?!?!

Mesmerised by this place!

Freaking beautiful maze!!

Visited a cat cafe!

My boyfriend thinks that this cat is cool, what do you think?

✧ Sunflower Field ✧

One of the main reasons why I visited Khao Yai is because of the sunflower field. The sunflowers typically bloomed from late November to January. It also highly depends on the weather as well. Just when we thought we wouldn't be able to catch the sunflower season anymore during our visit, our private driver actually went to ask around to see if there's still any sunflower fields for us to visit!!! He drove us to the one opposite Tuscany Valley and we were stoked when we reached the place. 

It was blooming with happiness and sunshine. And the person told us that we were lucky, because most of the sunflower fields were already closed this season. I am so grateful for our driver from Klook - this is definitely one good thing about having a local driver while getting around in Khao Yai rather than driving yourself because you might actually miss out some really nice local places if you are driving yourself.

Oh my sunshines, here I come!

P.S. There were actually BEES surrounding the flowers...and here's me trying to act all happy and giggly but deep down I wanted to cry already hahahahah

✧ My Ozone (castle-looking resort) ✧

This was not in our planned itinerary but our driver recommended us this place. He asked whether we wanted to go a castle and we were like oh why not??? 

Upon reaching this place, Joanne and I had our jaws dropped. The architecture was insane. My Ozone is actually a luxury hotel in Khao Yai and many people actually took their wedding photos here!! 

○ Highlight: HORSE RIDING 

I paid 100 thai baht for a picture with the horse in front of the castle. My princess dream came true omg.  

Joanne said she would want to throw her wedding ceremony here in the future hahahha.

Insanely luxurious interior - I am shook.

I took the courage to ride on the horse (come to think of it, actually it was quite dangerous because I wasn't given a helmet or something, thank god the horse was a kind one lol)

✧ Baan Mai Chat Nam (Museum Restaurant) ✧

○ Come here if you love all things vintage and retro 

It felt as if I've been teleported to the 70s!

Our Thai-licious lunch!

✧ Hobbit House ✧

Khao Yai is just full of surprises. When we found out that they have hobbit-house-themed resort, we were like oh my god. Yes, these hobbit houses are actually hotels but you can pay a small fee to go in and take pictures! 

○ Entrance fees: 50 Thai Baht 

This house is legit.

✧ The Bloom  ✧

After checking-out our hotel, our driver picked us up and drove us to The Bloom, a flower garden. Personally, I don't think it's worth a visit. I was expecting a lot of flowers actually but the garden just looked rather sad lol. 

○ Entrance fees: 200 Thai Baht

✧ PB Valley Winery  ✧

Our last visit in Khao Yai was PB Valley Winery - the largest vineyard in Khao Yai. 

○ Entrance fees: About 300 Thai Baht (including the tour + wine tasting) 

○ Get to know how wine is made and produced here 

"Do not pluck the grapes"

After visiting PB Valley Winery, we officially bid Khao Yai good-bye and headed to Bangkok with our private driver. 

It was definitely a short yet memorable trip in Khao Yai. Khao Yai was eye-opening and definitely a true hidden gem of Thailand. We went there without high expectations but came home with a collection of beautiful, unforgettable memories. 

There are certainly more places to visit in Khao Yai, for example the Khao Yai National Park, Khao Yai zoo, Chocolate Factory, etc! 

Hope you enjoyed this post and stay tuned for my Khao Yai travel vlog! ♥ 

P.S. Do check out KLOOK for the Khao Yai custom tour package and other activities / experiences of other countries as well!!!

Special offer for my followers only: Enter the promo code KLOOKJESSICA to get RM20 off your first booking with KLOOK! Valid until 30th June only!

COMFORTABLE YET AFFORDABLE STAY IN BANGKOK: HOTEL ICON BANGKOK

February 16, 2018, 11:01 pm

≫ Next: PINK CAFES IN BANGKOK!

≪ Previous: KHAO YAI 3D2N ITINERARY | SUNFLOWER FIELD, FEEDING ALPACAS, ITALIAN PALIO VILLAGE, ETC

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Recently I visited Khao Yai and Bangkok with my girl, Joanne. If you haven't read about my Khao Yai trip, feel free to read it HERE! After Khao Yai, our private driver drove us to Bangkok. 

This time around, we chose to stay with Hotel Icon Bangkok, which is located right in the city centre of Bangkok - a few minutes away from BTS Ploenchit Station, which makes them an ideal place to experience Bangkok. Major shopping malls like Siam Paragon, Siam Square, EmQuartier, etc are just a 10-minute drive away! 

Spotted these 2 cute teddy bears in the hotel lobby! Instantly I felt warm and welcomed!

The hotel lobby  There's also this iMac in the lobby which is exclusively for the guests to look up for information, etc. I actually used it to search for cafes to go hahaha! Very thoughtful of them!

Our Double Superior Room.

Clean and white toilets always win.

Honestly, our room was pretty spacious (there are still empty spaces for us to place our luggages!) and the king-sized bed was super comfortable. The room also has everything we need and coming back to our hotel room after a long shopping day felt just like home! 

We also spent some time exploring the hotel amenities, and here's what we found: 

A rooftop pool & bar boasting an amazing Bangkok city view. The night view of the Bangkok city from our hotel's rooftop bar and pool.

Located on the 6th floor (same floor as the swimming pool), Violet Bar is the perfect place for you to just relax and enjoy your night with a wide range of drinks and their signature cocktails. The sunset and night city view from the Violet Bar is something not to be missed. For those fitness junkies who can't go a day without their workout routine, fret not as there's also a gym in the hotel! Will anyone say no to a hotel buffet breakfast?  Located at the ground floor, the Cino Bar and Bistro offers carefully-crafted food and beverages for guests. So if you are too tired to head out of the hotel for food, here's your go-to place!  To be honest, I think this hotel is really good value-for-money because of its amazing location, facilities and cleanliness. And their rates are actually pretty affordable (depending on your traveling dates)! We totally enjoyed our stay here and would definitely recommend this hotel for those who are looking for a comfortable stay that is not overly-priced. Do check out their website for more information. Website: http://www.hoteliconbangkok.com/

PINK CAFES IN BANGKOK!

February 22, 2018, 1:44 am

≫ Next: MY BALI TRIP WITH AIRASIA | 2018

≪ Previous: COMFORTABLE YET AFFORDABLE STAY IN BANGKOK: HOTEL ICON BANGKOK

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I love cafe-hopping in Bangkok. Bangkok has many charming coffee shops and it offers a unique and interesting realm of cafes. Today I am going to share with you 3 pink-themed cafes that I went in Bangkok! 

SRETSIS PARLOUR

Located in Level 2 of Central Embassy Mall, Sretsis Parlour is a cafe serving confectionaries, coffee and tea. Their concept is super dreamy and romantic; dining here makes me feel like "Alice in the Wonderland". Stepping through its pink doors, be prepared to immerse yourself in its fantasy-looking interior, with fluffy clouds on the ceiling, spiral staircases accompanied by velvet curtains, patterned walls with their signature prints, and pink daisies printed on the floor. I just want to sit here and enjoy my tea all day! 

Interior: ★★★★★

Food: ★★★

Service: ★★★

Price: ★★★★★

Obsessed with the interior. Personally, I am going to rate this cafe's interior 5/5!

I thought I ordered a "unicorn tea set" so I was expecting a unicorn coffee art on my coffee, but they gave me an orange monster coffee art instead omg (though it looks pretty cute, I still want my unicorn). When we confronted the waitress, she then told us the coffee art was a surprise and it totally caught me off guard. We ordered 2 tea sets and these cost us about RM150. Ya, pretty pricey I would say and the food were just mediocre honestly (I love my lavendar lemon tart, but Joanne's raspberry thingy was not really good). On a side note, you do have to pay extra 100 Thai Baht for the coffee art!

I really love their wallpaper though!

UNICORN CAFE

Calling all unicorn / My Little Pony lovers, this cafe is your dream-come-true. I have been dying to visit this cafe ever since I knew its existence, but I didn't manage to visit it in my previous Bangkok trips. FINALLY, THIS TIME I GOT THE CHANCE TO COME HERE! This cafe is just full of pastel colours and it's just super cute!

Interior: ★★★★

Food: ★★

Service: ★★★

Price: ★★★

You will have to pay 100 Thai Baht to rent the unicorn onesie.

This cafe is an explosion of all things pastel and sweet! Unicorns hanging on the ceiling? I'M ASTOUNDED. We ordered a slice of rainbow cake and a milkshake - too sweet for my liking though. MATCHBOX - PINKPLANTER CAFEAnother pink cafe that we visited was Pinkplanter Cafe, located in a 3-story fashion store called Matchbox (hehe so you can chill at this cafe after shopping!) Apparently this cafe is pretty popular on Instagram so we decided to give it a try. We only tried their drinks because we were too full from all the sugary eats earlier, so I couldn't really comment on the food. But overall, it's a nice place to relax and have a refreshing drink after shopping. The #instaworthy pink wall with plants and a flamingo!

Which pink-themed cafe would you want to visit? Comment and let me know!! 

MY BALI TRIP WITH AIRASIA | 2018

March 9, 2018, 11:50 pm

≫ Next: INSTA-WORTHY CAFES IN BALI

≪ Previous: PINK CAFES IN BANGKOK!

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I've always wanted to go to Bali. So when AirAsia invited me to a media fam trip to Bali, I was beyond excited. Actually even before I got the invitation, I was already planning to go to Bali haha so the invitation came just in time for me!! 

Many of you might be wondering: 

Is it safe to travel to Bali now after the Mount Agung eruption? 

After getting reaffirmation from the Indonesia Tourism Board and my personal experience, we can confidently tell you that YES, IT IS SAFE to travel to Bali now! I even visited a temple overlooking the view of Mount Agung, which I will share below! 

1st March

In-flight meal - Chicken Satay!! (Tastes pretty good actually heh)

Our stay for 2 nights at Swiss Belinn Legian

We departed to Bali from KL at 4pm and by the time we reached Bali airport, it was already late and the sky has already turned dark. Hence, we didn't get to do much today except having a late dinner at our hotel - Swiss Belinn Legian (which we stayed for 2 nights). 

2nd March

Today is our first official day in Bali! We had to wake up at 5am to get ready, and gathered at 6am to depart to our first destination. Despite having to wake up at such an ungodly hour, I felt super excited to explore Bali. It's my first time in Bali and it remained on my bucket list for the longest time! 

Pura Lempuyang

We hopped on our bus, and made our way to Pura Lempuyang (which was 2 hours away from our hotel omg). The ride was honestly pretty tiring but as soon as we reached the destination, we were all pumped up to visit one of the oldest temples in Bali and it offers a majestic view of the Mount Agung (depends on the weather condition as well). 

As Lempuyang Temple is a very sacred place, visitors are required to dress up appropriately upon entering. NO shorts, singlets, spaghetti-strapped tops are allowed. However, scarves were provided to me so that I can cover my shoulders. 

This place is just breathtaking.

After visiting the temple, we visited Tirta Gangga which is also known as the water palace garden. This place is just beyond beautiful with its mixture of Balinese and Chinese inspired architecture. It is such a picturesque place with statues set on stones on the pond and a fountain surrounded with a lush garden. I felt super zen here!

Moving on, we were invited to a Balinese buffet lunch by the beach at Rama Candidasa Resort & Spa. Super gorgeous and huge resort!

After lunch, we were invited to the Legian Beach Hotel and Candi Beach Resort for a hotel tour (I believe these 2 hotels are somehow connected because they are very near to each other). I wish I could spend a night or so here! It has got a beautiful beach view, gorgeous swimming pools surrounded by palm trees and unique Balinese statues...these resorts totally set a perfect vacation mood!

3rd March
We checked-out from our first hotel and departed to Puri Santrian Resort (where we spent 1 night here). Also, we have got a series of activities to do in the resort so I was really excited. But first, let me show you our resort!

The interior of The Santrian Club reflects the influence of traditional Balinese style, culture and comfort.

Their swimming pools are just amazing!

In the afternoon, we were invited to attend a Balinese cooking class by the beach!! We got to learn how to cook an array of local dishes such as Sambal Tomat, Bumbu Bali, Pepes Ikan, Ayam Bumbu and even Satay under the guidance of an expert Balinese chef!! (You may book this activity from the resort)

NOM NOM NOM!

After lunch, guess where we went? SEA-WALKING!!!! 

Puri Santrian is one of the few resorts that provide this activity so I told myself I CANNOT MISS THIS. Honestly I was kinda afraid and reluctant to go because I can't swim, but the PIC told me that this activity is suitable for anyone, even for those who can't swim!! 

So I went and it was the BEST decision ever. 

I did not regret any single bit of it because it was just so much fun and memorable. I conquered my fear and I gained new experiences that will etch in my mind forever. 

After a short briefing, we were off to the sea! First, a "helmet" will be placed on top of your shoulders and that helmet allows you to breathe normally under the sea. Then, you will be instructed to descend a ladder which leads you to the bottom of the sea. There will be instructors guiding you along the way so you don't have to worry at all! 

When I reached the bottom of the sea, I was like OMG AM I UNDER THE SEA ALREADY?? OMG THIS IS AMAZING. 

We were also able to FEED the fishes and when nearly hundreds of fishes sprung in front of you to get fed, I was speechless. I got to touch the fishes with my own hands, see them up close with my own eyes. The entire experience left me speechless. T__T  Thank you Puri Santrian for this wonderful lifetime experience!!

 Here's a picture of me with Kairul (another Malaysia influencer)! Look at how excited we looked haha! (I will include a video clip of this activity in my vlog!!)

4th March

Woke up feeling a lil dull because it's our last day in Bali already! I wasn't ready to leave yet! :(

We had some free time before checking-out so I went around our resort to take some photos. This photo was taken by myself using two water bottles as tripod with my Samsung Galaxy A8+'s Live Focus function HAHAHA. Pro mou?

The next post will be a compilation of the cafes that I went in Bali! So STAY TUNED! x

P.S. Fly to Bali with AirAsia anytime you want as they have super high frequency to Bali.
Mon, Tues, Thurs, Sat: 8 times daily
Wed, Fri, Sun: 9 times daily