Inaugural Reebok Spartan Race KL officially launched

So if you have been following my blog, Instagram and Facebook for a while now, you would know that the Reebok Spartan Race has been a driving factor for my lifestyle and travel decisions this year. I participated in Spartan Beast in Brisbane last year and like a druggie, have been hooked since. My Beast medal has been my most prized bling of 2014.

I was supposed to go to South Korea to participate in their Spartan Race in June but due to MERS, the event was called off. I am going to travel to Australia and Singapore to participate in the Spartan Race there later this year.

Hence, when I heard that Spartan Race was coming to Malaysia, I was excited. My bootcamp gang were excited and we waited anxiously for the dates and registration to be released. And finally, on 2 July 2015, I received an email saying that Spartan Race KL has launched and is now open for registration!

Climbing Gunung Ledang, Johor: 7 hours of Torture

So instead of conquering Mount Kinabalu last month, I conquered the peak of Gunung Ledang in Johor instead. It was something I supposed as it was my first and quite possibly my last hike there. Let's start at the beginning shall we?

We departed KL at 5am to arrive at the foot of Gunung Ledang, near Tangkak at 730am. My group of 20 people of various fitness levels gathered at the briefing hut on time (amazingly) where we had to fill in a form stating the items we had with and on us. That meant our water bottles, food packets and even the clothes on our back. That included socks and underwear. This form will later be checked through to ensure that you've returned with the same amount of items on you to discourage littering.

AirAsia Free Seats....to Gion Matsuri in Japan!

Japan is a country that holds a special place in my heart. You can refer to this blog name as an example or my overly detailed blogs about Osaka as well.

And if there was one MUST-DO festival I would like to experience in Japan for 2016 with my AirAsia Free Seats, it would be the Gion Matsuri festival. A huge major event that takes place annually from 1 - 31 July in Kyoto.

source: google. I don't have pictures (yet) hint hint

SanDisk iXpand Flash Drive review

As someone who takes over 9000 photos while travelling or even a monthly basis, I am prone to running out of memory space on my iPhone. When that happens, I have to either transfer out all my photos (being too lazy to sort them out into groups) or delete them painstakingly. Now, all iPhone users would understand the slow and painful process of syncing your phone to the iTunes app in order to add or remove a few files and apps here and there. Which is why I hardly ever clear out my memory space.

And don't get me started on inserting new music and videos into the iPhone because that alone is a headache itself. #firstworldproblems

Introducing the iXpand Flash Drive.

Menya Shi Shi Do, Jaya One review

A new ramen place has opened just 10 minutes from my house and I can not be any happier because I do so love my ramen!

Named Menya Shi Shi Do, this little Japanese-inspired ramen joint reminds me of the ramen stalls in the back alleys of Osaka. Keeping true to its Japan-inspired roots, the restaurant is small and dim, offering small tables and bar seating arrangements with brick walls adding to its cooling ambiance. Seats are limited but the service and food is fast, making this the ideal place for a quick hearty meal.

Who won Ford Trucks at Digi's 20th Anniversary?

If you are one of the many Digi Prepaid users in Malaysia, then you would have already known about the Digi Reload & Win contest. Everytime you reload your sim card, you stand a chance to win one of many prizes comprising of 800 tablets, 620 smartphones and even, two cars (all worth RM1 milion). That's right. Digi gave away 2 rides yo!

As part of its 20th year Anniversary celebrations and finale to the Reload & Win contest, five of its loyal customers vied for the grand prizes of two Fords Rangers via a series of challenges carried out around and about Publika on 13 June. The finalists were flagged off by Christian Thrane, Digi's Chief Marketing Office and Hammad Kabir, Digi's Head of Prepaid.

C2AGE 2015 @ HELP International School

Joining the ranks of AMG events in Malaysia to look out for is C2AGE, an event organized annually for the past nine years by the dedicated students of HELP University College. Since starting out nine year ago at HELP, C2AGE has since grown in size and crowd. 2015 saw C2AGE take place at the new HELP International School over the past week for two days and despite the isolated location and the distance from the city center, it still saw hundreds of students, parents, AMG fans and cosplayers flock to the event.

Even at 9am, a queue had formed outside C2AGE with eager beavers all prep and ready. Once past the ticketing booths, visitors are immediately guided through the school's lovely spacious garden with ample space and sunshine for cosplay phototaking before hitting the canteen area and eventually the multipurpose hall where the event was being held.

Holiday Whammy: Earthquake and MERS!

Within 24 hours, my holiday plans for the month of June literally and depressingly fell apart. In 24 hours, I went from looking forward to two holidays to drowning in the dread of yet another stressful month of work.

I swear a huge chunk of my soul just died when I got the news on the Friday morning of 5 June 2015 that 6.0 earthquake had hit Sabah.

AN EARTHQUAKE IN MALAYSIA? WHAT IS THIS LAH? OUR GEOGRAPHY SCHOOL BOOKS LIED!

My trip was scheduled to be on 26 June, three weeks after the disaster hit but with the likelihood of the path not being cleared by then, I can strike Mount Kinabalu off the list for this year (bye New Year Resolution...) and not for the right reason. That being said, my prayers goes out to the climbers and the true heroes of this unforeseen disaster, the guides and porters. This disaster affects them more than anyone else as the mountain is their source of income and need to repair the trails and without tourists, this will affect them badly.

Choosing Your First Obstacle Course Race (OCR)

The year I discovered obstacle course racing was the year my life changed. As cliche as that sounds, it is the truth. It started with my bootcamp friends convincing me to take part in Tough Mudder, a 21km distance run with an exciting and terrifying combination of obstacles - Artic Anema, Electroshock Therapy and walls...oh god, the walls.

Needless to say, I was hooked.

But taking the leap (sometimes quite literally) from pure running to obstacle course racing was no less daunting for many. If the 10ft walls and 15ft plank walk hasn't frightened off some, the distance might. However if one has been working out consistently and has the right can-do attitude aka YOLO, completing an obstacle course race can bring about a euphoria unlike anything running can bring about. I think it has something to do with the obstacle element of it. Being able to overcome a physical or mental challenge in the form of an obstacle had rewards of its own.

Tossed at Jaya review

Hidden on the 4th floor of Jaya Shopping Center is Tossed, a little cafe that serves up a mean combination of pasta and local dishes as well as awesome salad, dessert and coffee. The menu was simple enough with a nice mix of the usual pasta, local, salad and dessert dishes.