Bangkok 2014 - Lub D hostel, Siam Square

On my previous trips to Bangkok, I have had the privilege of having a working parent located there and that meant free accommodation at fancy serviced apartment and for a brief time period, a driver to drive us around the city. 

Fast forward three years later, said parent has returned back to Malaysia and I have not visited Bangkok since. Well, until recently, when I had an insatiable urge to revisit the city. And also to visit a  husky cafe there *insert excited scream*

Anyway, without a luxury apartment waiting for me, it fell to me to find a place to stay in Bangkok. Fortunately my trip to Japan has turned my preference towards hostels as a means of a budget accommodation and after asking around amongst friends and family, I opted for Lub D, Siam Square (www.lubd.com) for my 5D4N trip to Bangkok in December 2014.

TGV Cinemas End 2014 With 5 New Locations Nationwide‏

OMG OMG OMG! 

It is finally happening! TGV Cinemas has finally graced my area with their presence with the opening of their outlet in the new (old) Jaya Shopping Mall in Section 14. It is reportedly scheduled to open by Christmas which means I would have an official neighborhood cinema just 10 minutes from my house before the end of the year. 

Yay! No more driving to crowded major shopping malls to catch a movie. 

Jaya is but one of five TGV Cinemas that will be opening up before the year end. The first to open will be in Bukit Mertajam and Miri as their first foray to East Malaysia on Dec 18 and followed by Kulaijaya, Seri Manjung and Jaya by Christmas. 

Nanny's Pavilion, KLIA 2

KLIA 2 has become a food mall of sorts with so many things to do and eat in comparison to its predecessor, LCCT. I no longer dread going to the airport early for check-in, instead now I planned to be there early simply to allow me time to explore the newly built shopping mall airport.

And explored I did before I flew off to Bangkok earlier this month until I found myself standing in front of a quint spacious eatery that screams traveler and hipsters in every sense. Nanny's Pavilion looked nothing like a nanny's child daycare nor does it look like a pavilion. Instead it looked very much like a traveler's lounge. Literally. 

 

Old School, Jaya One review

Jaya One has a new kid on the block and it is called Old School, an eatery that has taken root in Puchong and is now in Petaling Jaya. For once, going back to school isn't a drag with the promise of good food and a walk down memory lane drawing in pork lovers and insta-crazy foodies. 

Already outside, there is the mural at the entrance that practically entices people to be a part of it. Queuing for the bus, anybody?

Gold Coast 2014 : Day 5 - Sea World and Surfer Paradise

Sea World has always been sort of a controversy for me. Ever since I watched the documentary Black Fish, visiting the famous aquarium theme park has never been on my must-do list. But during my trip to Gold Coast in September 2014, we had ordered a VIP pass that allowed us access into three theme parks in Gold Coast for a whole year. Sea World had been one of them and forgo-ing it seemed like a waste of the money we paid for the passes. 

Philips Steam Plus 2-in-1 Sweep and Steam Cleaner review

So the last time, I had a chance to review Phil, Philips' steam cleaner. This time, I got a chance to try out his more... multifunctional cousin, the Steam Plus 2-in-1 Sweep and Steam cleaner and I am quite excited to review this unit because it could be the answers to all my household woes.

There is a weekly routine in my household that I absolutely loath and that is sweeping and mopping the floor. My house is quite big with a lot of hard-to-reach corners that gather dust quite easily. Navigating a ratty old broom can be quite a challenge as I always had to make sure I got every bit of dust there is before mopping otherwise it would be giant wet ball of hair, fur and dirt. Other than that, there is the issue of re-dipping the mop into a bucket of dirty water. Is that like, mopping the floor with dirty water anyway? My mom says the floor detergent will take care of that but ew. 

[Guest Post] Bohol, Philippines 2014: South Palms Resort Panglao review

What’s up, beaches?

Yes, that was my very lame attempt at a pun to show you this amazing picture of the beach BUT if my lame attempt made you laugh anyway…thank you for taking in my shenanigans! But back in business, let me just take you around the residence of mine over 3 days and 2 nights when I was in Bohol. Welcome to South Palms Resort Panglao.

Spotted within 45 hectares of beach space is a 9.3 hectare tropical enclave with just 90 rooms and villas set in the land of Barangay Bohol in Panglao, just a 20 minute drive away from the city center of Bohol Island called Tagbilaran. For those flying in and arriving at the Tagbilaran Airport, fret not for the hotel does provide a 2-way transit for the convenience of guests. You will however find that there isn’t much that you can do outside of the hotel if you’re on foot because it’s not exactly placed in the most happening spot in Bohol but if you’re up for a peaceful escapade, this is just the place you want to be in.

Magnum cafe, Midvalley review

When was the last time any of us queued for ce-cream? The last I remember was when I was a kid and the ice-cream potong guy would come around on his motorcycle and all the neighbourhood kids (and their maids) would crowd him to get their ice-cream fix. 

Because we were kids, we had no concept of queuing. Fortunately, as adults the concept of queuing (ie waiting for our turn) is not lost on some of us. Point in case: the new opened Magnum Cafe in Midvalley Megamall. 

You know what they say, a crowd draws a crowd and this rings very true with Malaysians. Since its opening in November 2014, the Magnum cafe has seen hordes of adults and teenagers queuing patiently outside its two-floored cafe on the highest floor of the mall. All to customise their dream Magnum. 

The concept that allows customers to 'design' their own Magnum ice-cream has spawned outlets in Bangkok, Singapore and now Kuala Lumpur. We Malaysians are generally very proud about our creativity with food and this gave us that opportunity to flex that creativity. 

Gold Coast 2014 : Day 4 - Wet & Wild and Warner Bros Movie World Theme Parks

After a day of trashing our bodies at Spartan and a day of animal touring, it was time to spend a day getting our adrenaline up and in our separate cars, headed down to Wet andWild theme park which was perfectly located right next to Warner Bros Movie World. From our apartments slight south of Surfers Paradise, it was a hour's drive.

 

Before this trip, we had searched the Internet for discounted prices and deals and then my friend spotted a VIP Magic Pass at $79.99 that covered three theme parks (Wet and Wild, Warner Bros Movie World and Seaworld) entrances for a whole year. To order the pass, you would need to fill in the form online (using an Aussie address), make the payment and a confirmation email with your name and details on it will be sent to your email. You would need to print this out to collect your VIP pass at any one of the theme parks.

Shop Philips online at Blip.my

Hey over to my brothers and sisters over in Sarawak and Sabah! 

Looking for your must-have-but-hard-to-find Philips product has never been easier. Because you can now order it online on Blip.my, the first Philips-exclusive online store in Malaysia. Fret not about paying extra because shipping is free to any part in Malaysia and there are always bargain steals on Blip.my. 

Basically what you see in the physical stores and in the mall, is what you'll get when you order online. Heck you can even order your products in the wee hours of the morning!