Thursday, December 31, 2015

2015 Kautim. What Next?

Words cannot describe what 2015 was to me. Exhausting - physically, mentally, financially. Liberating - physically, mentally, financially not quite. Once again, I got to travel, I got to race and I got fitter. Much fitter but no less fatter.... T_T 

In spite of its many ups and downs, I find myself mostly looking back fondly on the ups. Despite having two trips cancelled, it was good year in terms of personal achievements. Even though I didn't conquer Mount Kinabalu, I did scaled Japan's highest mountain. I may not have gone to Korea, but I did get to enjoy two separate short weekends in Australia with my friends and a long week there with my sister in two cities for three race events. Madness I tell ya!

If I were to list down my 2015 achievements and memorable moments, this is it:

Tuesday, December 29, 2015

Spartan Trifecta Delta: Apa Tu?

My teammate spotted the image of what seemed to be a Triple or Quadruple Trifecta Holder on the international Spartan social media and shared it with the team. This apparently was a leaked image from Spartan.

source: http://blog.mudrunfun.com/
I must admit it was a pretty cool swag to the existing Trifecta wedges and tray. There were talks of a possible Triple Trifecta next year but of course, then someone pointed out it was probably a marketing ploy by Spartan. 

I agree and somewhat disagree. Yes, it was probably another Spartan marketing ploy but a triple Trifecta would be too on the point and too straightforward and knowing Spartan Race, it was anything but straightforward. 

Tokyo 2015 - Day 3: Harajuku & Akihabara

"Welcome home, My Princess and My Master!" was the greeting my friends and I received from the cheerful maids of @home maid cafe. This was the start of my first maid cafe experience or as the Japanese would say...Meido kafe or meido kissa.

It was quite literally an otaku's day out as we had a full day ahead of us with a guided tour in Akihabara scheduled in the afternoon and a trip to Artnia, the official Square Enix cafe. We started the morning sipping on a cup of coffee while watching the Shibuya crossing from the iconic Starbucks Shibuya.

Getting a window seat at this Starbucks was hard but we got one nonetheless and it was pretty peaceful. The only downside of going so early was that the crowd crossing wasn't that spectacular. On the plus side, Japan has super cute public buses.

Monday, December 28, 2015

Viper 2Four 2015: 24 Hours Event Checklist

Viper 2Four was an event that required not just preparation of the body but also of the things that will be out there with you for all 24 plus hours. Even though we were allowed to leave the camp zone and the race site, it was just better to be prepared to avoid wasting precious time that could be used resting or running the course.

So here is my team's checklist for Viper 2Four:

Friday, December 25, 2015

Tokyo 2015: Artnia Square Enix cafe

Square Enix's cafe Artnia was at the top of my 'Must visit' list in Tokyo. Having button smashed and trashed my Playstation 2 controllers while playing the Kingdom Heart and Final Fantasy games throughout my high school days, Artnia was the closest thing to Narnia for me (hahaha, see what I did there...)

Artnia actually stands for art, area and near, describing the company's intentions to be near their fans through their merchandises.

The cafe is located right next to the Square Enix Headquarters in Tokyo and directly behind the Higashi-Shinjuku station. Its unique egg-shape was unmistakable and easily recognisable from the street. Almost immediately visitors can make out the imposing silhouette of Sephiroth of Final Fantasy 7 at the window display before entering the cafe.

Wednesday, December 23, 2015

3 Poh Kong pieces I want for 2016

Marilyn Monroe once sang that 'diamonds are a girl's bestfriend'. So did Nicole Kidman in Moulin Rouge.
Heeding the words of these iconic performers, Poh Kong has created beautifully curated jewellery pieces that would make you the talk of the town with Tranz by Poh Kong and the Angel Diamond collection which looks as elegant as it sounds. 

I am usually not one for the huge statement accessories as I find them too loud and over the top. With the designs of the new collection, I can add subtle touches to my daily OOTD be it for casual wear or office attire. And especially with Chinese New Year just around the corner, it's a good time to look at ways to add a hint of elegance and grace to the red outfit. (And also to make all those kepoh aunties jelly...)

Monday, December 21, 2015

Tokyo 2015 - Day 2: Tokyo Imperial Palace and Ichiran Shibuya

After a scrumptious lunch at Daikokuya Tempura restaurant lunch in Asakusa near the Sensoji temple, we boarded the train along the Asakusa line to the Tokyo Imperial Palace. At this point, DOMS (delayed onset muscle soreness) from Mount Fuji has set in and I was walking and climbing up and down stairs funny. Why I decided to join the free Imperial Palace walking tour a day after descending a mountain is beyond me.

Oh and in case you didn't catch that, the Tokyo Imperial Palace walking tour was free of charge. All you need to do is book your slot on the official website three months in advance, print out the confirmation slip and arrive at least 30 minutes before the indicated time at the Kikyo-mon Gate. Why 30 minutes?

Tuesday, December 15, 2015

Star Wars Goodies from GSC to be won

Just when you thought their exclusive Star Wars combo was exciting, GSC (Golden Screen Cinemas) is offering more Star Wars: The Force Awakens limited merchandise worth more than RM20,000 in total that you simply must not miss, especially if you are a fan of the Dark Side!

GSC contest!
From 17-30 December, Malaysia's leading exhibitor is taking their Star Wars: The Force Awakens to a whole new level with an exclusive 14-day giveaway. What are they giving away, you ask?

Monday, December 14, 2015

Tokyo 2015: Daikokuya Tempura, Asakusa

Daikokuya restaurant offers the yummiest and biggest prawn tempura I've ever seen. I kid you not, the tail and head of the prawns were poking out from under the bowl lid when it was served.

I first learnt about this place from Night Owls Cinematic's vlog (link here) and since I was staying in the neighbourhood where it was at, Asakusa, it warrant a visit from us. Daikokuya was located very near the famous Sensoji temple and just off the shopping row of Nakamise. It has two branches,the original and the new bigger branch which was just a row over to accommodate its growing popularity amongst the locals and tourists. Google maps took us to the old branch which was closed during lunch when we visited but there were clear signs directing us to the new branch nearby.

Friday, December 11, 2015

Viper 2Four Challenge 2015

Taking part in a 24+ hours obstacle race was perhaps one of the craziest things I've done for 2015 and that included hiking up Mount Fuji in a typhoon. Joining Viper 2Four with my team C2T2 (Cherrie, Choon, Terence and myself), was also the most fun and rewarding experience I had.

My team checked into the race site at Sepang International Circuit on 5 December at 6am and met up with the other teams from Original Bootcamp. We picked our allocated 10 x 10 feet space near the finish line and the medic tent and quickly made ourselves at home alongside fellow bootcampers Team Spam-Tastic 4 and the group of super individual participants, Dugong Elites. 

Thursday, December 10, 2015

Fluffed Cafe and Dessert Bar, Taman Paramount

So this little hidden jem of a waffle place just opened down the road from my office and I cannot be any happier. Fluffed cafe opened in mid-November and despite being new, have produced some lovely-looking and delicious waffles with interesting combinations of toppings and ice-cream.

Pooh Bear's Favourite was quickly the favourite amongst us as it came with hokeypokey ice-cream which wasn't too sweet actually. A generous drizzle of salted caramel, crushed honeycomb, banana, strawberry and blueberry atop the waffle - light, fluffy and crunchy all in one - won us over at first bite. Mind you, we were having this after a pretty heavy Thai lunch so for us to be lapping it all up spoke of its yumminess.

Tuesday, December 8, 2015

Lettuce Salad with Grilled Chicken and Zespri Green Kiwifruit recipe

My lettuce salad with grilled chicken and kiwifruits was adapted from the recipe given by Edelman on behalf of Zespri Kiwifruit but it turned out pretty delicious due to the versatility of the kiwi.

Anyway let's get started!

Ingredients: 

  • 1 Medium Zespri Kiwifruit - peeled and sliced 
  • 70g feta cheese - diced
  • 10 cherry tomatoes - sliced into half
  • Italian parsley - diced
  • 200g boneless chicken fillet
  • Extra virgin olive oil
  • Mixed herbs 
  • Lettuce leaves
  • Salt to taste

Friday, December 4, 2015

Christmas Giveaway: Sandisk Goodies up for Grabs!

Hello, hello! Tis the season to be jolly indeed!

Thanks to Sandisk Malaysia, I have not one but TWO of their latest mobile storage devices up for grabs.



The first is the SanDisk Extreme 500 Portable SSD. Wait no longer as it feature speeds of up to four times faster than a portable hard drive. These powerful solutions are ideal for photographers, videographers, creative professionals and tech enthusiasts looking to move massive files at phenomenal speeds, helping them save time and simplify their work at the office or out in the field.

Thursday, December 3, 2015

OCR How to: Rope Climb for Beginners

Ah, the rope climb. The immortal enemy of many Spartan racers worldwide.

So far, all the Spartan Races I have taken part in have had the dreaded rope climb. Sometimes, even two. Basically you can always count on Spartan to have its signature rope climb obstacle. Fortunately, this is an obstacle that can be defeated and conquered by learning the proper climbing technique(s).