Japan: Osaka Day 1 - Dotonbori

Konnichiwa, minna-san! Genki desu ne!

With the visa waiver for short-term trips, Japan had just become all the more appealing to Malaysians as a holiday destination. No longer do you need to prepare sheets and sheets of documents and forms and drive down to the middle of Kuala Lumpur to apply for a visa at the Japan embassy. Ironically, I had just gotten my Japan visa a week before the waiver was announced but no matter. The pretty sticker made a nice memento in my passport to my travel adventures for my June visit to the second biggest city in Japan, Osaka.

 After a 6 hours and 30 minutes overnight flight onboard AirAsia X, my mom and I were eager to check-in at our hotel at Swissotel Nankai Osaka, to dump our bags and start exploring.

The Wolverine movie review

The Wolverine was not high on my list of movies to watch this year. The lack of promos and hype certainly didn't help the movie's popularity especially since it has to compete against more anticipated movies like Pacific Rim and Despicable Me 2. But considering the disaster movie that was X-Men Origins: Wolverine, I thought I should just give it a chance seeing as it was based on Chris Claremont and Frank Miller's Japan arc of the character. In fact, there was a Wolverine anime based on this storyline too as part of a collaboration between Marvel Animation and Madhouse.

Claws and a sword he never used.

Butterfly Project Spa Party at Posh Nail Spa!

Let's party!

Where else can you get delicious food, mani-pedi, massage, facial and a fashion show all rolled into one cosy hideout in Taman Tun? No where! Only at an event organised by the Butterfly Project do you get all of the above in the presence of other like-minded girls as we had done at the Spa Party in June.

Pretty lasses all in a row.

Getting invited to this party was no easy feat as we had to blog or vlog about our reasons for wanting to attend. But being able to attend the event on a sunny Saturday afternoon was well worth it. Did I mention I also won a pair of Havaianas flip flops to wear to the party?

Pacific Rim movie review

Having grown up on a healthy diet of Ultraman, Godzilla, Power Rangers, Macross and Gundam, Pacific Rim was like a dream come true to me. Anything involving Mecha and giant monsters and I am there. Think Gundam versus Godzilla in a world in the distant future where mankind is on the brink of extinction.

Gist
Giant monsters, dubbed Kaiju (in tribute to the Japan monsters) have emerged from a portal at the bottom of the Pacific Ocean and have laid waste to the major cities in the world, killing millions and forcing countries to unite against a common enemy. To face this threat, the Jaeger Program was initiated under the command of Stacker Pentecost (Idris Elba) and Gundam-like robots called Jaegers (German for hunters) were built.

The Lone Ranger movie review

To be honest, I wasn't really expecting much from the Lone Ranger. Early reviews have not been so kind on it but I held back from reading them in hopes that I could watch the movie unbiasedly. But sadly the movie didn't help itself despite having Johnny Depp in the one of the leads as Tonto. In fact, the movie was basically Pirates of the Caribbean repackaged to the Wild Wild West.

Gist
Basically told in flashback format by the aged Tonto, also played by Johnny Depp, the movie dives into how the Lone Ranger (Arnie Hammer) came to be from a bumbling pacific lawyer, John Reid whose brother was murdered by the I-eat-your-heart-out (once in the whole movie) bad guy, Butch Cavendish. Reid was left for dead only to be rescued by Tonto who also has a personal vendetta against Cavendish. Throw in a white horse with serious issues, a mask made from a vest, a silver bullet that doesn't go missing despite all the action, a damsel in distress, a villain with the hots for that damsel and you have the Lone Ranger.

Japan: Getting around and about Osaka

When visiting Osaka, forget taxis or even renting a car.  Just do as the locals do and ride the subways.

Using the subways was the most efficient means of moving about and even to the outskirts of Osaka. They are punctual down to the minute, frequent and perfectly timed for smooth transitions between stations and subway lines.
 
During my maiden trip to Osaka in June 2013, I was there for only four days and had every intention of visiting all the main attractions within the city and also Nara and Kyoto. With intensive research, I found out that Osaka offered several travel passes for foreign travelers that allowed us to ride the subways and public transportation as many times as we wanted within a stipulated period and also free or discounted entrances to various attractions.

My Havaianas Experience!

Hey, guys!

Remember two of my previous entries about a spa party organized by the Butterfly Project and a collaborative contest by Havaianas? Well, I am pleased to announced that I am one of the 20 bloggers to get their own pair Havaianas Slim Flip Flops to wear to the spa party. Now say it with me....YAY!!!

Neutrogena Revitalizing Pink Grapefruit Ultra Foam Cleanser review

Everyone knows that cleansing your face at the start and end of your day is a important daily routine to live by. Especially now with our annual haze moving in, keeping your pores open and clean has never been more important. Imagine all the dirt and impurities that have gathered on your face and pores by the end of the day. Apart from removing impurities, having the proper cleansing facial will help keep your skin healthy, clean and refreshed.

Coffee Bean Turns 50!

Turning 50 is a momentous event for just about anyone and this does not exclude international coffee brand, Coffee Bean and Tea Leaves (CBTL). 2013 marks its 50th anniversary worldwide while the Malaysian branch celebrates 15 glorious years since introducing locals to gourmet coffee. To introduce its updated menu and its anniversary specials, CBTL invited several bloggers for a food review session at the Taman Tun Dr Ismail outlet.

CBTL 50th birthday cake

People who know me well know that I am a huge coffee-drinker. I need my coffee fix at least twice a day. For their 50th celebration, Coffee Bean has released two limited edition drinks; Rocky Road Ice Blended and rainbow-sprinkled Birthday Cake Ice Blended. That latter is non-caffeinated, making it ideal for children as well. But since I prefer my ice-blended coffee caffeinated, I opted to try the Rocky Road Ice Blended drink. 

Monster University movie Review

12 years ago, Pixar released a unique heartwarming movie about the monsters in the closet and a little girl who befriended the scariest of them all. Yes, I am talking about Monster Inc and after so long, Pixar has finally completed its prequel, Monster University which reintroduces you to the two lovable monsters from the first movie, James P. 'Sulley' Sullivan (John Goodman) and Mike Wazowski (Billy Crystal). 

We're back!

Klips was kind enough to extend an invitation to me for the press screening a week before its release date so big thanks to them.