How You can Help New South Wales Post Bushfire

Booking a holiday to New South Wales (NSW) is one of the best ways to help support towns and people impacted by the pressures of recent bushfires and drought. The majority of the state, including Sydney, South Coast, North Coast, the Hunter Valley and Blue Mountains, is now welcoming visitors – whose vacations to NSW will provide benefits for entire local communities of accommodation providers, restaurants and cafes, visitor sites and small businesses which are both immediate and long-lasting.

When visitors stay local and buy local, it not only provides a financial boost to these areas but significantly boosts community spirit. Here are some of the top reasons to take a NSW trip now and in the coming months that you’ll enjoy and give back.

KLSCM 2020 Sells out In 7 Hours

When an event dubbed as the World's Worst Marathon sells out its slots in mere hours, there must be something wrong with the people who conducted the survey in the first place. Despite being ranked number 1 from the bottom according to Sole Supplier (who they btw), Kuala Lumpur Standard Chartered Marathon (KLSCM) once again proved itself to be the premier race to be at when all of its public participation slots were snatched up in just seven hours.

Hm...I don't see Standard Chartered Singapore Marathon selling out that fast and they are supposedly bidding to be considered a World Major Marathon event. Hah!

Nagasaki, Kyushu [Day 3] - Shimabara

When people ask me about my Kyushu trip, they often ask me: Why Shimabara? What's Shimabara? Where's Shimabara? Well, let me first answer by putting this photo here.

Yes, Shimabara first shot to fame in 2018 when social media picked up on three very peculiar resident dogs that would stick their heads out of the three square holes in the walls, thrilling passersby and travellers alike. The holes in the wall were initially cut in to allow airflow to the garden but upon noticing his dogs' odd behaviour, the owner added more. Now the holes have come their own little viewing window to the outside world. Too cute!

OYO Hotels and Homes' Top 10 List and Milestones for 2019

OYO Hotels and Homes closed 2019 by announcing its Top 10 lists and milestones for its operations in Malaysia.  

●  Starting in Malaysia in 2017 with just under 5,000 rooms and 121 properties, OYO had 17,474 rooms and 270 properties by late 2019.

●   East Malaysia was a key growth segment, with Sarawak recording 51x growth in the number of OYO properties.

●   Cities in Sarawak led in the growth of room numbers from 2018 to 2019:

o   Miri recorded the largest increase with 571 rooms

o   Kuching came second with 567 rooms

o   Bintulu was third with 381 rooms

●   In Peninsular Malaysia, tourist favourite George Town saw the biggest increase in the number of properties at 5,710% comprising 346 rooms.

●   Interestingly, upcoming destination Manjung saw the highest growth in rooms in West Malaysia at 3,750%, with a total of 375 rooms in 2019.

Special AirAsia CNY flights at fixed low fares

Malaysians traveling for the upcoming Chinese New Year are in for a festive treat as AirAsia celebrates Shared Prosperity with special late night flights at fixed low fares between Peninsula and East Malaysia from 21 to 31 January 2020. 

 Fly home from Kuala Lumpur to Sibu, Bintulu and Miri, as well as from Johor Bahru to Sibu at only RM149* one-way all-in-fares and from Kuala Lumpur to Sandakan and Tawau at only RM199* one-way all-in-fares.

Stand a chance to ONG RM3,333 with Calbee this CNY!

Chinese New Year is fast approaching and apart from gathering with family and friends to share good food and great times, one thing synonymous with the celebration are the customs and traditions to bring in more luck so that the year ahead will be prosperous or in Chinese, “ONG!”

Want to try something new this year? Take on a new custom to be ONG with Jack ‘n Jill Calbee. Jack ‘n Jill Calbee will Elevate Your ONG with its golden potato chips and auspicious Chinese New Year Fortune Ang Pow Giveaway where you stand a chance to win the Grand Prize of RM3,333 cash ang pow and a Lion Dance Package Performance to usher in even more ONG!

Sayonara, 2019. Hello, 2020

Ah, what a busy year 2019 was. Even though I travelled abroad less in 2019, I gained so many more opportunities to discover myself through my work.

[Review] Philips 3100 series Automatic Espresso Machine

Owning an actual coffee machine has been a lifelong dream of mine. I even googled up barista courses to justify owning one at home but when I found out much a machine cost, it was back to cafe hopping. Then the Philips 3100 series Automatic Espresso Machine entered my life and it was life-changing.

Okay, I know this is starting to sound like a love letter but you have to understand that I am absolutely love coffee. I like walking into cafes where the first thing I smell is their coffee beans. I like smelling coffee beans samples and believe it or not, I can have coffee at night and still be able to sleep. Sometimes my dependence on coffee for me operate as a functioning human being went as much as three cups daily. I am trying to cut down now by pacing my drink throughout the day.

6 Travel OOTDs under RM100 from Jalan Jalan Japan

I am a huge advocate of preloved/bundle shopping. There is always something so thrilling about finding something of value for a steal. I first learnt of the concept during my magazine days nine odd years ago from our beauty writer but never imagined I would be so into it like I am now.

Brew Cafe-Style Coffee at Home With Philips

If you have been reading my blog for a while and following my IG, then you would know that I live and breathe coffee. I drink so much coffee that my blood might be coffee. It has long been a dream of mine to own a coffee machine but never got around to doing so because I was broke af intimidated by all the fancy terms of how to brew the perfect cup of coffee.