get fitter this MCO 2.0 & introducing (possibly) the best exercise mat ever!

As we are all bracing for MCO 2.0, this is the chance to set new resolutions to be fitter especially if you haven't done so since the last MCO or new year. No more excuses or procrastination, peeps!

Sharing some of the workouts videos I'm following the past weeks which I super like!

 

Favorite stretching workout so far!

I had thought the Pamela Reif's workouts are the toughest until I tried this workout by GrowingAnanas and couldn't complete it and even felt super dizzy at the end laughdieme. Though I do feel super muscular the next day lolol Attempt this at your own risk! Just early this week, I tried her legs workout which is made up of combination of some basic moves that totally ramp up the intensity!

Other than the above workouts without equipment, I am trying some workouts that incorporates resistant bands because I just got several from CottonOn Body. Kinda like how they increase the intensity for workouts such a squats, lunges, crab walk, fire hydrants and the likes. The variety also make working out from home less boring.

Since I've started doing cardio/HIIT/Tabata at end of March/April of last year, I have lost several inches on my waist, butt and arms but most importantly, felt much stronger!

Previously I jogged but that didn't seem to improve my stamina nor did much to reduce some stubborn fat. Hopefully with a better mat and consistent workout for the year I'd get to lose a few more inches. Weight-wise, it's a bit funny because I'm still the same weight. I'm told that meant I've gotten leaner and built some muscles  ᕦ(* •̀ ᗜ •́ * )ᕤ “ Hopefully the same for you who does the workout consistently!

~🤍~

Aside from the above, I wanna flex my new mat in this post hahaha 

Tadaaaa °˖✧◝(⁰▿⁰)◜✧˖°

This Forest Fitness mat is a new one I bought with my own money (therefore NOT a sponsored post) at the start of the year and I'm already loving it! As you have probably hear me mentioned, my first workout mat fell apart just 2 months into using but which I didn't part until last month because I didn't know what are the other alternatives that could last. Thinking back, I was quite noob and chose a yoga mat thinking it is the only option for home cardio. BTW I do very little yoga, mostly stretches that incorporate yoga moves (Pamela Reif's vid above) while most of the time its cardio or HIIT. 

Found out later what I need is a pilates mat! Of course, the other option is gym flooring mat but I'd prefer something I can roll up and put aside. With this new mat, I kinda have high hopes for the new mat for the price I'm paying and seeing how the material seems much durable. It is described as a mat "made with heavy duty and premium grade natural rubber built for extreme durability and long term usage".

I think Forest Fitness is a local brand which is only available on Shopee.MY. For that, I went to search on Amazon for yoga mat that has almost similar-looking material and surface with my: here, here (black and navy blue) and here. A lot with this kinda surface are black, I'm not sure why. Of course if you want something prettier, you can go for Lululemon's which apparently offers amazing mats as well.

Close up!

Pros of this Forest Fitness mat include:

1) amazing grip at the bottom and top surfaces which prevents slipping. I think this is important because it reduces unnecessary friction so you can focus your energy and getting the most of your workout!

2) doesn't sink so very stable when holding poses such as deep lunge

3) absorbs impact better than foam ones so lesser noise when jumping around. I also noticed I bruised less on my knees _it was a frequent thing with my old mat. Besides that, my elbows don't hurt or get scrapped when I do moves like planks or the likes!

4) surprisingly, sweat evaporates off easily and do not leave sweat stains. I was worried it doesn't look like it'll absorb as well as foam one initially. It is also super easy to clean

5) doesn't have too strong rubber smell 

The only cons I can think if now is that its only in one color, it is quite heavy (hovering about 2.6kg on my kitchen scale) if you're looking for something to bring around and definitely to the pricier end. The latter, I wont mind if I don't need to change it anytime soon! So far it hasn't disappoint. Will remember to keep y'all posted on the mat condition after I have used it for a few more months. If you already own this mat or bought it from my recommendation, please do share your experience in the comment!

reflecting on 2018 & welcoming 2019

In just a few hours, it will be the New Year, oh how scarily fast time flies when you're adulting! As much as I would love to clear my other blog drafts before the new year begin, things have been so hectic the past weeks and I even fell sick. I finally had some time for myself early this week but with work still constantly at the back of my head *sigh* Nevertheless, 2018 has been a quite an amazing journey for myself so I am crossing my hands 2019 will be kind to me as well!

Anyways, this post is just me looking back into 2018 and counting my blessings. There were bad things such as how I contracted dengue but that showed how I am surrounded by people who cared about me. Of course,even my parents overfed me while I was recuperating at home. In many ways, I feel loved and blessed.

The other random highlights of my 2018 life, not in specific order are:- 

#1 Okay, not something I did in 2018 but rather something I managed to do _ I completed my Bali & Singapore's Travelogues woohoo!!

#2 I bought a DSLR and took lotsa photos! Our relationship is still going strong hahahaha

#3 tried Merchants' Lane cafe for the first time with my homies

#4 Explored several parks in KL & Selangor such as Taman Botani in Shah Alam, Lake Gardens, Desa Park, Kota Damansara Community Forest Park and early this week, Serendah Waterfall. I super love being in contact with nature. In case y'all never heard, shinrin yoku aka forest bathing is a natural therapy involving spending time in nature to promote self-healing. It works for me especially when I feel so stress up thinking about work but the moment I spend time just looking at trees and flowers or dipping my legs into streams and waterfall, I feel so calm.

#5 Speaking of shinrin yoku, Japonisme is back and they are such fascinating concepts such as Ikigai, Kintsugi and more (there are books of these titles which I totally wanna read!). Japan is freaking awesome! Of course, Japonisme revolves around a whole lot more such as art, sculptures and architectures but I'm more fascinated with the cultures and ideas which can be put into practice in our everyday life.

#6 Went on a random 2D1N trip to Cameron Highlands. Sharing my Cameron Highlands' itinerary & budget in case y'all planning for vacays! Because I had a lot on my plates this year, I decided to hold all international travel which is quite a bummer! This may continue until 2019 IDK but I really am missing Japan a lot *sniff*

#7 I did explore quite a few local spots, one of them Tadom Hill Resort with my colleagues. It's a small recreational spot but we had great fun playing human size jenga and some of us jumped into the man-made lake

#8 Probably the coolest thing ever _ I attended an Indian wedding for the first time! Check out how it went. I find the ceremony truly fascinating and eye-opening.

#9 my old friends, Daniel and Naoko came down from England for a visit & I met their baby, Nagisa-chan for the first time! Aside from the lovely family, two other friends from Australia and another from the Netherlands were around for a visit and we hung out. I feel grateful that they remember and took some time to hang out with me albeit their short visit. I also find it funny how whenever I think of them, they'll somehow always end up contacting me soon after!

Of course, there are great friends living locally whom I wish we could meet up more often but everyone is busy with their lives. Still, I can always count on them for being there! *virtual hugs* It's just like the quote about how "Good friends are like stars. You don't always see them but you know they're there". I tried looking for other quotes but I think this is the closest way to describe them.

#10 Attended another of my gal pal and ex-colleague's wedding, such a pretty bride!

#11 Ate a lot of durians when durian runtuh, literally.


#12 I discovered Hermo, the ultimate online beauty shopping haven

#13 went to the 2018 Bon Odori in Shah Alam for 2 consecutive years

#14 Decluttered my room. Still working on being a minimalist!


#15 Discovered thrifting, namely in Kedai Bless and ReFash


#16 I discover a love for nude shade lippies and eyeshadow. Wanted to write about them but I didn't have the time! Soon!!


#17 One of the many things in my head these days are the topic about sustainability and nature. By now you've probably heard me mentioned about this several times now. I noticed in the past few months, there were more brands and companies supporting the concept of recycling which is great news! From the ban of plastic straws, to a garment brand accepting bras recycling, to Uniqlo's recycling program and even 1 Utama Mall's electronics recycling. The list goes on. Totally supporting this movement and I hope this practice be a long term goals for many.


Those are pretty much what I can recount for now. Until the next post, wishing y'all all the best for 2019! HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

2018 ArtBox Malaysia at Sunway City

With the turnout at ArtBox Malaysia last weekend, I doubt ArtBox needs further introduction. In case you have not heard about it, it is a container-themed art market similar to its pioneer in Bangkok. Expect hipsters stalls selling food, crafty stuffs at exorbitant price and decorated, Insta-worthy corners, stuff like that.

Last weekend, my friends and I decided to check out what was they hype all about and so a bunch of us thought it was great idea to go on a Friday evening thinking there would not be a crowd. It appears like hundreds other people have the same thoughts! For one the traffic was horrendous, Waze kept bringing us around the two-hour long traffic. By the time we arrived, we had to queue during which some idiots kept cutting into our lines. When we did enter, lined to food stalls were long or sold out and there were a lot of uncomfortable human contacts..

View this post on Instagram

#artboxmy

A post shared by Vivien Tan (@voguelyvivien) on Nov 9, 2018 at 4:54am PST

My friends who did have the patience to wait in lined queued up for at least 30 minutes to 1 hour for food that were not up to the lowest standards apparently _ the crepes and Taiwanese lu ruo fan. Meanwhile, the rest of us just head to Sunway Pyramid for our super late dinner wtf. So no luck on Friday!

Saturday I visited with yet a different bunch of friends but this time prepared by having a proper meal then warning my gal pals of the food and me not wanting to queue except for one hipster drinks. That is really overpriced canned Jus Tea on a unicorn float, I found out after having queued for 30 minutes. Yeah, I paid for a unicorn float LOL

We did have quite OK stinky tofu but let's be real, you can find it at our local pasar malam. We managed this by splitting up to queue, so that's one strategy y'all can use.

The other stall a friend was queuing for.

Found a spot to take photos! That ain't the unicorn's eyes but nostrils LOL

Some of the stalls that caught my interest. This one sells customized, portrait rubber stamps! These are from Crafteria.

Uber cute macarons by Sweet Tooth

Loving the tote bags from DuangDeeBags!!

Cats print tote *hyperventilates*

Minimalist style watches by BornFoundWatch, if only I had brought more cash!

Miniatures tidbits by TinyPinc

Handcrafted musical box and scarfs from Gaia's Garden

For those who has not been to ArtBox and are planning to do so, be warned there will still most probably be a huge turnout so parents with small children may want to be more alert if not avoid these places. And yes, it is hard to maneuver your child's pram. Definitely, definitely have your meals because the food are either overpriced Instagram-worthy ones, subpar pasar malam snacks or just meh. Also bring enough cash especially if you planning to try the hipster foodstuff or shop around. You will probably be glad to know there may be different vendors this coming weekend. 

Jalan Jalan Japan at Skypark @ OneCity

Just after I mentioned how I wish there is a Goodwill in Malaysia, I discovered Jalan Jalan Japan, a second hand store with used consumer products imported from Japan. Got my curiosity piqued I decided I had to check the place out. From their Facebook Page, it is mentioned that they have two branches in Selangor, the nearest to where I am staying is Skypark@One City, accessible via USJ21 LRT and a short Grab ride away. The other one is in Shamelin 1 in Cheras, which seems to be only accessible by car.

My first impression of Skypark @ One City was how almost deserted the place were on the weekend. Unlike the other malls around KL and Selangor, there were no local brands branches nor department store in sights. Also, One City is made up of 3 separate buildings which was confusing! While the building appears to be huge and well maintained, I find it wasteful that they weren't fully utilized. Perhaps they're much bustling on weekdays?

Jalan Jalan Japan occupies a huge section on the second floor and each floor of One City has a loft, so I guess you can say they made up two half-floors. I have no idea of a better way to describe it so I'll leave it to the photo at the top of this post to do the explaining.

You can find a whole lots of used apparels, shoes, scarfs to furnitures, luggages and even toys! While I think the choices are endless and it may be a haven for serious thrifts shoppers, a lot of the apparels quality are not something I will seek or wear. But then again, these are used itemslah. Maybe if I had more patient to run through the things I would have found something nice!

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Just did a round at #JalanJalanJapan. Bought a gem of an exquisite kimono obi. Wondering when I can use it 😂 Plenty of pretty yukatas and accessories which I would've bought if they had matching belt.. Surprisingly lotsa people shopping here!

A post shared by Vivien Tan (@voguelyvivien) on Sep 30, 2018 at 1:06am PDT

My favorite section got to be the used kimono and yukatas section. Found some decent looking yukatas ranging for RM50-80 but I would have bought them only if I can find proper belt to go with them, which I couldn't find... Seriously, where are the obis?? I did found an exquisite kimono obi that I super love and decided I have to buy it. It was such a steal at only Rm20!!!! Can you imagine how crazy happy I was! Gonna use it for a personal project, so can't wait! 

Pretty, pretty obi~~

Besides that, I do find quite a number of cute hifu, a vest with kimono prints typically worn by 3-year old girls in ShichiGoSan festival to celebrate children's coming of age and they are super cute!!!! Too bad there are no matchy kimonos to go with them else I probably buy for aesthetic value harharhar. But frankly, that will most probably happen.. 

Overall, I think Jalan Jalan Japan is an interesting place to check out. I would go to again, though not the soonest, just to check out if there are pretty yukatas hahahha. However, I do wish they could collect better quality apparels and come up with more programs by collecting used clothing or items from the locals to encourage more people to thrifts and reuse. It's not like we lack of this services, we do have sites like Mudah, Carousell and a dozens other apps which I do post my old or unworn pre-loved on these sites but the respond was so-so. At Jalan Jalan Japan, I noticed there were many families and individuals who does thrift shopping, some purchasing used toys, apparels for their growing children and even hunting for winter wears! So it is not like there isn't a market for used goods, perhaps just the lack of physical stores or bazaars selling used clothes. I wonder when will we have more of these stores?

catching up with friends

Konnichiwa y'all! Been so caught up with multiple things took me weeks before I finally post this. Things have been busy so when I have some time, I prefer to just chill. Age is catching up with me *sigh* 

Last month, an old (literally lol) friend came to visit when he was transiting from Kerala back to Australia so we met up over coffee at Lim Kee Cafe in Petaling Street. Been wanting to try the place for a while so glad I finally did. Just a bit curious how the interior was much smaller than I have expected. I know it is part cafe part hotel so perhaps they've reserved some area for the guests' longue IDK

It was great catching up with John. One of the many interesting conversations we had was about initiatives made in different countries to preserve the nature. Like how the Vietnam government banned kayaking in Ha Long bay just last year to managed the number of tourists so as to prevent them from inflicting long-term damage to nature. Apparently they did the same in another touristy location. Or how the Australian and New Zealanders, when they go fishing and happen to bait baby fishes, they let them go. This is a complete opposite in other third world countries. 

In terms of preserving and protecting our mother nature, I have came across articles how Reef Check Malaysia has been educating the younger generation about protecting our pretty reefs and having volunteers have been doing reefs health spot checks from time to time. Results have been positive, which is no doubt an amazing feat, kudos to RCM for that! Now what we need to implement quicker is our RECYCLING programs. Come on, it's been forever since the government has promised to do so! Better if more household brands could play a larger part in recycling. In case you have been living under a rock, H&M accepts old clothing to be recycled and Innisfree encourages their customers to recycle empty bottles. Then perhaps Goodwill in Malaysia is a great idea too. Yeah I'm asking a lot.

Then, the other thing that has been bugging me is our traffic. We have too many cars and particularly in Kuala Lumpur and Selangor, majority practiced the one-car-one-driver policy which partly contributed to the overpopulation of vehicles. I say partly because there are tons of other contributing factors. Our neighbor, Singapore has already announced the initiative last year to control the population of cars. Mind you, they have less traffic issues compare to Malaysia! Well, Singapore has much advanced and connected public transport, I hear some of y'all argue. True but the quality of our public transportation has come a long way. My foreign friends have a lot of positive things to say bout that but funnily, locals don't agree... 

Being an avid public transport user myself (too much hassle to drive!) I agree we definitely have lots more space for improvement like how buses and trains need to be more frequent and timely. Plus, without the need to drive, you reduce decision fatigue _ a reason why Steve Jobs or Mark Zuckerberg wears a 'uniform'. Even though you're forced to walk a bit but that means you get some well-deserved exercise! 

Enough of my ramblings, next!


~♡~

Two months ago (was it so long ago?!), I found out from Facebook that my long-time friend whom I have gotten to know from uni, Daniel and his wife, whom I got to know when I was in Japan for the first time in 2014, (I miss Japan so much!!! In fact, Japan is always on my mind!!! Sigh, I really wanna go back there!) Naoko was around in Malaysia. When they were at Japan, I visited them and Naoko made us tamago kake gohan, rice topped with raw egg and eaten with shoyu which I still rave about to this day! In Japan, everything taste good!

Danny contacted me saying that he will be dropping by in Kuala Lumpur and so he wanted to meet up for lunch. Naoko has suggested Bak Kut Teh, a favorite of hers ever since she lived in Malaysia as an exchange student. That was also how Danny and I got to know her, being introduced by another common friend back in our university days

I haven't meet them since Japan but thankfully they love Malaysia so much they visit from time to time. I told them to drop by more often! Hahahaha. They did ask me to visit them in the UK but with the flight and the expenses involve, I rather fly to Japan. I'm sorry! I'm a terrible friend!

This is a photo of them both years ago, when they were still dating.

Since I am posting their photos from years back, just to be fair I shall share a photo of myself then too. This was me doing the Ugly Betty HAHAHAHA

The night before they arrived, I went to shop for omiyage (Japanese for souvenirs)_ packets of bak kut teh herbs especially for Naoko. Since she's going to cook it for her family, they are for everyone anyways LOL

When I heard they have a lot of luggages with them and a baby to handle, I felt bad for adding the additional weights into their bag. Thankfully, it turned out that they spared some luggage space for groceries shopping. The space was mostly dedicated for bak kut teh packets HAHAHAHAHA. More on that soon! 

For the same reason (having lots of luggages), our common friend Kelvin drove them all the way from Penang to Klang for lunch before heading to KLIA2 and back! That was really nice of him, "It is an obligation", he insisted. So yeah, our meeting place is in Teluk Pulai Bak Kut Teh in Klang. What I didn't know is that there are two branches of Teluk Pulai's BKT and ended up in the main one which closes early! Had to grab another ride to the second Teluk Pulai BKT. Totally FML situation.

After another 15 minutes, I finally arrived and after some greetings, promptly dug into my food. Couldn't help it, it was close to 3PM by the time we had lunch! After I finish my 1.5 plate of rice and pork, it was catch up time. Nagisa-chan was so calm throughout but she started throwing a bit tantrum when forced to eat. Oh, baby.

Later, we went shopping in the Aeon Mall nearby because they wanted some Malaysia & Japanese foodstuff. Danny literally cleared the entire shelf of A1 Bak Kut Teh! Told ya, these tourists are so obsessed with BKT! The other thing Danny bought is a tub of dish washer we went, "WTH, Danny?!" and laughed! Apparently you don't find that in the UK, seriously?? Ang moh can be so weird sometimes HAHAHAHA

'Em guys in serious thoughts in the spices and herbs aisle. Seriously, we were spending a lot of time here. Me was like baby-sitting Nagisa-chan.

Some of the conversation we had involving the baby.

Conversation #1

While we were eating at Teluk Pulai Bak Kut Teh shop, baby started biting at the broken strap of the baby chair and I was like, "DON'T LET HER BITE THAT!! IT'S DIRTYYYY!!!"

My friend went, "SHOOT HER!! SHOOT HER!!", making a gun gesture.

Baby's mommy couldn't be bothered so baby kept biting the strap WTF


Conversation #2

So, I was like kepo-ing and remarked how she (Bb-chan) is really big for a 10-month old. I had thought she is at least 2 years old.

Danny went, "No, she's really very normal for us (Westerners'). Asian babies look stunted."

Excuse me. I retorted, "Nah, all our nutrients go to our head." HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA
#CompetitiveAsians

~♡~

Prior to meeting up with the Greens and my other friends, I was hanging out around Klang town, nearby the Klang KTM Station because Danny was telling me how they will be late, seeing that they are coming all the way down from Penang! I am super glad they could drop by even for a short while. Still wish it was longer though! Only after meeting them, I know that having a baby while traveling can get quite a handful especially with so many things you will need to bring! While she does have her tantrums, Nagisa-chan's quite a well-mannered baby overall. I told Naoko that Japanese babies are really well-behaved! I'm generalising but that is my impression when I see Japanese kids.

Anyways, so yeah, Klang. Once you leave the KTM station, you will be greeted by Klang's quaint, old town. Just a few minutes' walking distance away is the Klang's version of Little India. Rows and rows of shops selling Indian colorful, ornated clothings _sarees and punjabi wear, accessories and flowers. It reminded me that I haven't got the opportunity to explore Bricksfield and Batu Caves! One of my friends, Ben has been there a few times during Thaipusam to watch the kavadi procession, I want to do so too!

As a child, I remember having been in an Indian temple during a festival. My parents have brought us there to pay respect to the Indian deity. I have rather vogue memories of that day, just recollections of how crowded it was and on my curiosity as to why the joss sticks I held were shorter than those in Buddhist temples.

Highly possible that was my mom's idea because throughout my siblings and my childhood, we have been to Penang's Siamese temples and even the St. Anne's Church in Bukit Mertajam. Myself, I have been to Sri Maha Mariamman Midlands temple just last month in honor of an acquaintance's wedding and even Japan's Buddhist temples, Sensou-ji and Shinto shrines, Meiji Jingu! 

I wished I had entered the pink mosque when I was in Putrajaya. Unfortunately, I didn't because I was wearing shorts and do not have jackets or shawls with me. One day, soon perhaps, I shall ticked off visiting both Batu Caves and the Pink Mosque (or any mosques!) from my bucket list!