First AirBnb Experience: Maritime Suites Penang

I had one...not so positive experience with AirBnb prior to this so I was a bit reluctant to use it for my last minute trip to Penang for a race. But I was glad I went ahead and booked with Joyce and Jason for their gorgeous duplex apartment at Maritime Suites, right above Maritime Waterfront.

I picked Maritime Waterfront mainly because my sister had booked a similar apartment there with her friends and I felt it would be easier to coordinate logistic wise with her if we were to stay there too. Also, the place had ample of cafes and drinking holes around, a 24-hours Starbucks and McDonalds and a lovely view of the waterfront and the old Penang bridge. Furthermore, George Town was just a 10 minutes drive away.

MHWH Night Run 2016: Eat and Run in Penang

When in Penang for a run, the first thing one must do is eat. Which I did. Which turned out to be a decision my body regretted 16km into the run later on. But my tastebuds thanked me anyway for the treat of Penang Char Kuey Teow. YOLO right?

Anyway, I was recently invited to participate in the Penang leg of the Men's Health Women's Health Night Run 2016, the first of three races to be held within this calendar year. So I roped in my family runners and a few friends and off we went on a grand road trip to the Pearl of the Orient.

Except, our grand road trip slowed to a crawl right before Sangkai because we were caught in the combined aftermath of an accident and the Qing Ming goers. Oh right, Qing Ming was that weekend. Running at night should be fun.

Viper Arena 2016 - OCR of Queues

Who would have thought queues would be the main obstacle at Viper Arena 2016? Why would we especially since Viper Arena did such a great job last year? After last year's Arena, I decided it was my favourite obstacle race of all, due to the night factor and the shorter distance. Oh, and no mud.

After we had parked, my friends and I were greeted by the sight of a snaking long queue at the registration counter. It was only 6pm and already participants were arriving well ahead of time. Little did we know that it was a preview trailer to the rest of the race.

Because we were early, we had time to spare and after check-in and getting our wrist bands indicating our time slots, we loitered around the race village where there was an abundance of food, beverages and things to do.

MILO Breakfast Day Run 2016 - Registration Open!

With the kickoff of the Milo Breakfast Day 2016 in Melaka at the end of March, one of the most highly anticipated fun run is back and registration has officially opened! Do take note of the dates and flag off times as they vary from venue to venue. 

Saturday Sushi Brunch and Sunday Buffet Brunch at Zipangu, Shangri-La KL

New month, new stuff to try!

Happy April everyone! Just like that three months of 2016 has passed and life has gotten no less hectic. Sometimes, a weekend binge eating break is in order to treat ourselves.

Zipangu at Shangri-La Hotel, Kuala Lumpur is now offering Saturday Sushi Brunch, in addition to the Sunday Brunch Buffet.

Saturday Sushi Brunch Buffet offers a wide array of fresh and delectable sushi, for RM105 nett per person, from 11.30am to 2.30pm. There will be signature roll sushi, hand rolls or temaki, teppan grill sushi, extra spicy sushi and even dessert sushi on this buffet.

The signature roll sushi includes Red Hot Beef Roll, Busan Roll with spicy cod and crab meat and Asian Rainbow with prawn, salmon and avocado. Besides sushi, the Saturday Sushi Brunch Buffet also offers diners a variety of sashimi. There are also Teriyaki chicken and bittergourd teppan grill sushi, as well as the Fire Dragon sushi with mala sauce, cili padi, prawns, avocado and salmon flakes.

The cold appetisers include Spicy Mustard Leaf with Minced Beef, Wafu Salad and Marinated Jellyfish with Sesame Sauce, among others. Potato Yokan, Kuzu Mochi and Sasa Mochi are among the desserts, besides tempura sushi, on the buffet.

Quicky Office Lunch: Toasted TC Boy Tuna Sandwich

Healthy eating can be quite tricky at work. More often than not, it is just much easier to succumb to the temptation of unhealthy instant meals and the lure of pricey cafes in the vicinity. Which is why I often stock up on a set of emergency canned tuna for those days when I want to eat simple and healthy.

Thanks to TC Boy, a Malaysian-based company, I got to add their canned tuna and sardine to my set of emergency food in the office. I admit, I am usually a bit apprehensive when it comes to resorting to canned food but when taken in moderation and prepared correctly, it can make for a delicious healthy meal.

Spartan Race Super KL 2016 - D-Day

The Battle on the Black River was certainly a name unfit for the recent Spartan Race Super held in another development project, at Canary Gardens, Bandar Bestari. It wasn't so much of a battle but rather a series of long jump challenges. It wasn't so much of a Black River but rather....a series of parits and longkangs (ditches and drains in English respectively)

Well, there was one "Black River" but it was brown from...sewage waste. Gross.

But I am really getting ahead of myself here. I was tackling my second Super race fresh off Malaysia's first Hurricane Heat and despite the anticipated equinox, I felt good about going into the race. Minus the slight  headache from inhaling the haze during Hurricane Heat.

Milo Breakfast Day is back

7 cities across Malaysia will be a part of Milo's Breakfast Move 2016 that encourages Malaysians to own the day by starting their day with breakfast. Themed Own the Day, the movement also kicks off the 4th Milo Breakfast Day which spreads its reach across the nation to seven cities this year before culminating in the grand finale in Putrajaya.

The launch of the movement, held at Talent Lounge on 23 March saw Dr Hamid Jan B Jan Mohamed sharing about the current breakfast habits amongst Malaysian school children. He revealed that 1 in four Malaysian children skipped breakfast at least three times a week and that affects their overall performance in school and in sporting activities.

The Under Armour Test of Will 2016

Under Armour Southeast Asia announced the kick off the Under Armour Test of Will 2016, a Southeast Asia-wide fitness challenge in celebration of human performance, functional fitness and the training lifestyle. An elite event that is accessible to everyone with the will to train, the Under Armour Test of Will 2016 is a distinctively modern and uniquely urban fitness challenge for the growing community of advanced athletes, high achievers and fitness aspirants across Southeast Asia with a drive for competition.

Kicking off in Singapore, national heats will be staggered over the month of April in Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand and the Philippines. Built around a series of challenges that assesses pure, functional fitness through callisthenic motion using only body weight and simple gear, each Test of Will competitor will have to complete a 4-minute circuit testing his or her balance, speed, agility and power.

Asia's first Hurricane Heat in Malaysia: I survived.

It was almost 4:15am, our supposed check-in time for Hurricane Heat and my sister and I had no idea where the supposed meet-up place was. The email told us to gather at Canary Gardens, Bandar Bestari, Klang at the Finishing Arch of the Spartan Super to held later on that same day. But when we got to the garden, it was pitch black, no one was in sight and the stench of haze lingered in the air. My reaction was...well, f**k.

We brisk-walked up and down the empty park looking for the Finishing Arch and then we heard it - the sounds of Spartans - counting out burpees in unison no doubt. Following the noises, we finally spotted a man standing on a small hill with a megaphone. "Are you here for Hurricane Heat?"