FREE FLIGHTS WITH AIRASIA

Yup that's right - fast track to free flights with AirAsia when you spend with the all new AirAsia Hong Leong Bank Credit Cards!

This could be my fast track to Japan AGAIN SOONNNN!!!

AirAsia latest credit card partnership with Hong Leong Bank Credit Card truly understands how casual travelers and frequent flyers feel - WE ALL WANT FREE FLIGHTS! And they make it easier for us to earn BIG points when we spend using the all new AirAsia Hong Leong Bank Credit Card. It comes in two tier - AirAsia Hong Leong Bank Gold Credit Card and AirAsia Hong Leong Bank Platinum Credit Card.

Speech by Tan Sri Tony Fernandes and this is my first time seeing him in real life!
Such a humble person he is!

Every cardholders of this brand new credit card are able to earn BIG points faster with their low spend yet high earn rate - 6 BIG points for every RM1 spent on AirAsia flights ( I can see myself earn 2400 BIG points when I book myself an air ticket to Bangkok! ) and also 1 BIG point for every RM2 international spend as well as RM3 local spend when you swipe it with the platinum credit card or RM5 on the gold credit card.

Can't imagine how many points I can earn if I had this credit card with me during my recent Japan trip

To give you a BIG warm welcome, each cardholders are entitled to enjoy welcome-to-card and quarterly bonuses that will earn you up to 25,000 bonus BIG points! That's like one free flight ticket worth of points to Yangon or Vientiane! 

Just when I thought airport VIP treatment are just scenes you see in movies, AirAsia Hong Leong Bank Platinum Credit Card holder can actually enjoy priority check-in using priority check-in counters, first to board the plane, free introductory inflight WiFi plan and Xpress baggage to keep you stay ahead with your travel plans.

say YES to next level travel experiences 

That's not all! Wah these credit cardholder super syok, so many benefits! Once you're a AirAsia Hong Leong Bank Platinum credit cardholder, you'll be instantly awarded as BIG platinum membership status without needing the 24 flights to gain this status. That means you can earn 7x BIG points rightaway and enjoy more platinum membership benefits. To maintain as BIG Platinum status, you just have to spend RM20,000 with the card in the following 12 months.

To help Zachary maintain his platinum status, I started helping him spend on nasi lemak lololol

And if you think BIG points are just for AirAsia flights and benefits, think again! Now BIG points are more accessible and will become widely use as valuable digital currency. You can use your points for these:

• Final Call Sale: as low as 500 BIG points to redeem one way flight
• Final Call Sale X: savings up to 80% for AirAsia X flight deals. Happens third Monday of every month.
• Hotels: Redeem stay at Kaligo.com and Tune Hotels.
• Travel Attractions: redeem tickets and activities from Klook
• BIG deals by FAVE: enjoy up to 95% off Fave vouchers on beauty, food, wellness and more! Redeem BIG Deals on BIG Loyalty app or earn 1 BIG Point for every RM1 spent on purchases.
• Fixed Points: Redeem up to 70% off promo flights based on flight's travel time.

I personally think the new AirAsia Hong Leong Bank Credit Cards are perfect for daily use as well as for frequent travelers. Imagine with all the points you can redeem to flight tickets and also bring your family and friends (who booked under the same booking reference) enjoy VIP treatments. Just spend as you usually do and you get to unwind at holiday destinations for free without burning a hole in your bank account.

Looking forward to a trip with this bunch!
Maybe if we all own an AirAsia Hong Leong Bank Credit Card we can!

Sign up for the AirAsia Credit Card at airasiacards.com and start earning points for free flights and exclusive priority privileges now, can't wait to see you posting travel photos soon!

A HEALTHIER ME

Health, was never my concern, at least not when I was two years younger. It seems like a far fetch issue that doesn't bother me and have nothing to do with me, but I was wrong. Like really wrong. I started to notice my health heading downwards right after I step into my 30s, and I started to realise I really, really need my body to catch up with my daily life if I wanna stay in the traveling game.

Of course, my body can't really do that if I'm just being who I am now - inactive and eat unhealthily. 

Have you ever felt no matter how early you slept the day before you just can't wake up? I do. 

Have you ever felt no matter how many cups of coffee you drink your brain just seems not functioning? I do.

Have you ever felt so suffocating hiking uphill that you're just a thin line away from giving up? I do. 

Have you ever felt so groggy and unwilling to proceed with your daily tasks because you're feeling fatigue? I do. 

Seriously, I can list down a very long list of how exhausting and useless I felt whenever I'm dealing with my daily and traveling routines and deep down inside, I know and I hope my physical can be stronger than what it is right now. It really pains me to figure out I wasn't as fit as I was before and I wasn't as healthy than I was before. Don't let me start with all the weight gains and fats accumulated around my waist and thighs. 

When I was in Japan, I was amazed by how healthy a meal can be. Fresh ingredients that tasted so so delicious and seriously I am jealous of all the Japanese (and Japan tourists) right now because they're literally having the best of everything - eggs, rice, meats, water... you name it!

like seriously, how can you be not healthy if you're eating this daily?

Food, as the main source of various proteins, vitamins and minerals, are crucial for body to maintain its maximum energy and well-being state. My mum definitely agrees with her both hands and legs when I say I'm pro in picking at food. I seldom eat greens and fruits which is a big no no if you want beautiful skin and healthier body which have loads of dietary fibres in you that make up an important part of nutrition.

Truth is: I don't enjoy eating greens. Especially one with thick roots. Also being an active traveler in recent years left me no choice of healthy food choice (imagine flight meals and tour company arrangement of local food which most of the time vegetables aren't available as an option). Don't get me starting with fruits too - the troubles with skin peeling, seeds removing, hands sticky after consume and such. Complicated eating method such as fruits really isn't what I like to do, regardless how nutritious it is. 

I started seeking alternatives. I know there must be someway somehow that I can help my body to replenish all the nutritions that it is suppose to receive. I did my research from Japanese magazines how Japanese celebrities and models are maintaining their body healthily and then I saw this word - supplements.

I banned medical usage or pure diet pills that suppress your hungers and let you starve your way to a slimmer looking body, or supplements that make you diarrhoea like there's no tomorrow. I don't know why people so obsessed with slimming. To me, I really think to own a healthy body is much more important than a skinny body, and when you eat right and being active, slimming down will be a natural process.

Hence, I'm currently trying out these "on-the-go" supplements which has different benefits to my physical, but they are mostly enzyme based:

Lennox Inner D'Tox 

I was terrified of the word detox because usually it means nonstop diarrhoea until you have nothing left inside your bowels but using good enzyme to detox and cleanse my body is totally safe and seriously, nothing happens after I consumed these enzyme sachets except my bowel movements are smoother than before. 

Lennox Inner D'Tox series comes in 4 different types:

• Antioxidants & Probiotics: For strengthen digestion system, each sachets comes with 5 billions probiotics cfu (colony forming units) which is 5 times more than minimum CFUs an adult should have. The probiotics are naturally source from 3 types of Probiotics Strains plus prebiotics.

• Waterful Skin: Natural sourced rice ceramide that holds moisture of the skin and gives skin the plump look - rice ceramide are well known as anti-ageing supplement for skin that combats skin's harmful environment and also replenish natural lipids if 

• Collagen: 3000mg of Aqueous Marine Collagen in one sachet! Being the most efficient absorption of all collagen types, Aqueous Marine Collagen is type 1 collagen which derive from fish. It improves sagging skin, building strong and durable connective tissues, bones and skin.

• Diet Enzyme: With 126 types of mixed fruits, vegetables extracts as well as live culture enzyme, this enzyme proteins balance chemical in body and level up metabolism rate as well as cells renewal speed, which enhance body's overall immune system too.

Always on-the-go?
No problem!

Why I'll choose Lennox Enzyme Supplements as my daily supplement intake? It's because these good enzymes come in small sachets and I can bring them anywhere everywhere with me, even when I had to travel abroad. Just one sachet every morning to help maintain my body's metabolism and cell renewal rate.

Now I don't have to worry if I didn't consume enough greens or fruits daily because one small sachet gives me 6 portions of fresh fruits and vegetables worth of good, active enzymes! I just started these supplements for a week and I've been feeling energetic than I was before (even I'm right now going through my period days, I felt less fatigue! I used to just sleep for 2-3 days barely can do anything!) and also as above mentioned - my bowel movements are smooth~! Hahahaha okay maybe too much informations.

Anyway, these Lennox Inner D'Tox supplements are ONLY available at selected Watsons Malaysia outlets as well as Watsons Online Store (CLICK HERE) and are priced at:

• Antioxidants & Probiotics: RM38.80
• Waterful Skin: RM38.80
• Collagen: RM38.80
• Diet Enzyme: RM32.80

Each pack comes with 14 sachets so that's 2 weeks worth of vegetables and fruits active enzymes! Not to mention they tasted great because it's apple yoghurt flavoured hahahaha. If you dislike greens and troublesome fruits eating, maybe you can consider taking good enzyme supplements like I do!

Can't wait to see more overall improvement of my health!

KURASHIKI BIKAN HISTORICAL QUARTER 倉敷美觀地區, KURASHIKI, OKAYAMA, JAPAN

Till now I still can't believe that I've stepped into the land of Japan and my very first prefecture unlocked is Okayama. Who would've thought so? For most people, their first visited prefecture is either Tokyo, Kyoto, Osaka or Hokkaido and I'm glad I manage to stand out a bit from the rest lololol.

Although I've heard about Okayama (just roughly) but I still don't know what they had to offer, so this trip to Okayama and Tottori really made me learn more about Japan's Chugōku region and how fun it was. I'm gonna breakdown my trip this round and blog it area by area, I hope you can find the beauty of Okayama and Tottori prefectures through my blog (and maybe plan an itinerary based on these blog entries?).



Our first destination of the trip was Kurashiki City's famous white walled kominka 古民家 (traditional houses) district called Kurashiki Bikan Historical Quarter. Prospered since Edo period 江戸時代 (1600s), this historical quarter preserved the beauty of old times and transported me back to the era where the Tokugawa shogunate roam the land of Japan.

willow trees lining up at the bank of Kurashiki River

Traditional boat tour available to admire Kurashiki Bikan Historical Quarter from another perspective

Green willow trees and red autumn leaves formed such a contrast view and the photo doesn't do the pretty scene justice

Awed by the cleanliness of the river, even swan swims happily on it and it such a pretty sight to see!

And just when we were happily strolling around, enjoying the good weather which shows Okayama welcoming us, we saw this scene in front of a local temple. I was confused as I never saw something like this in my own country, hence we were curious what it's about:

Seasonal fruits giveaway for free

Only to find out that the temple offers fruits that were overproduced that season to visitors for free. You can take as many fruits as you want - free of charge. I'm not sure if the fruit was yuzu but I'm very sure I was shocked by this warm gesture offered by the locals. Seriously, I wouldn't mind living in a country where people giving away free fruits and ask for nothing as repay. 

Besides that, Kurashiki Bikan Historical Quarter is a town which you can find almost everything with a strong hint of local specialties in it:

• Okayama is Japan's denim capital

And with this statement, you are sure to find a lot of denim/jeans shop around this quarter where you can buy high quality Japan jeans or jeans/denim souvenirs for friends and family. 

You can find denim kimono/yukata here (Kurashiki Kimono Komachi's shop owner - Mr. Kazuhiro Terao's creation), and even rent it for the day and stroll around town in this beautiful piece.

Everything denim, including traditional Japanese accessories to go along with your kimono/yukata look

Denim Kimono are limited only to 3 people per day so be sure to make your reservations as early as possible. Aside Kurashiki specialty denim kimono, casual kimono are available for renting as well. 

Rental Price Chart (Sales Tax not included in prices listed below)

■Women
Kimono: Day Rental 3,500 Yen
Kimono: Night Rental 4,500 Yen

Yukata: Day 3,500 Yen
Yukata: Night 4,500 Yen

Denim:Day 5,500 Yen
Denim:Night 6,500 Yen

Simple Hair Styling 1,200 Yen

■Men
Kimono:Day Rental 4,500 Yen
Kimono:Night Rental 5,500 Yen

Yukata: Day 4,500 Yen
Yukata: Night 5,500 Yen

Denim:Day 5,500 Yen
Denim:Night 6,500 Yen

■Couples
Kimono: Day 6,900 Yen
Kimono: Night 8,900 Yen

Yukata: Day 6,900 Yen
Yukata: Night 8,900 Yen

* Kimono available from mid-September through mid-June.

** Yukata available from mid-June through mid-September.

1. Day: 9:00~18:00

2. Night: 15:00~12:00 noon of the following day

--- All rental prices include undergarments, sashes, sandals, and a bag. ---

An English speaking staff member is available to assist you. Please make all rental reservations in advance.

To reserve your rental kimono, call 086-427-0132, or send an e-mail to: kura.kimono@gmail.com

For more information, do check out Kurashiki Kimono Komachi Website here!

Cute findings and good luck on managing your budget lol 

• Museum Shop - Hayashi Genjyuro Shoten

Based on the theme: "Richness of Life", I find Hayashi Genjyuro Shoten very attractive as it's a combination of museum, cafe, restaurant, shops for living goods and clothes etc all in one. If you like zakka stuff like I do, you definitely have to visit this shop!

Japanese doll shop 

• Okayama: Home of Japanese Folk Hero - Momotaro

Momotaro Karakuri Museum

With Momotaro being the most popular folktale of Japan, I grew up reading this story from story books in my school library how Momotaro fought off evil which roam his village with the help of his friends along the journey. It is a wonderful story of courage and kindness and now I'm standing at the land of Momotaro hometown. Can you imagine how bizarre I felt? 

Do spend some time to know more about Momotaro's story and its origin by visiting this Momotaro Karakuri museum that was located inside the historical quarter too. And don't forget to eat peach (momo) or kibi dango right after as treat because Okayama is also known for best tasting peaches and kibi dango!

■Operating Hours: 10:00-17:00

■Admission fee]:

Adults 600 yen

Elementary, Junior, High School Students 400 yen

Child (5 yrs and over) 100 yen

Tel: 0864232008 

Add: Okayama Pref. Kurashikishi Honmachi 5-11

• Kurashiki - Hometown of MT Washi Tape

Tanex612Factory

I lost myself when I learn that Kurashiki is the hometown of MT washi tape where Kamoi's Company is located right in this prefecture itself. Feeling overwhelmed when we visited Tanex612Factory because there are more than a thousand types of washi tapes available for washi tape and journal lovers to add into their collection.

Being the clueless, clumsy person I usually am, I hate myself for not knowing this fact earlier and did not do my research and I missed out my chance of buying the limited edition Kurashiki Machiya 町家 (townhouses)  washi tape here. (T______T) I bet it's more meaningful to buy this particular washi tape right here. So do remember to add this into your collection if you're visiting Kurashiki, don't be like me!

Aside from buying washi tapes, you can have fun decorating your own washi tape storage box by joining a decorating workshop provided by the shop:

create your own personalised washi tape storage box to keep your washi tape collections. Here are the workshop details:

Per Person　500円＋tax
※inclusive of 2 MT washi tape and a storage box

■Duration：About 20 minutes
■Operating Hours：10:00～18:00（Last appointment 17:00）

※Based on first come first serve appointment basis (please make appointment through website or check with shop's staff)
※not suitable for kids below primary school age (safety concern due to usage of scissors during the workshop)
※Box are available for purchase. Please contact for more details.

★for more information
Tel : 086-486-3618
Mail : tane@kurashiki.shop

Website: http://kurashiki.shop

• Traditional Boat Tour

One of the fun thing to do at Kurashiki Bikan Historical Quarter is to take the traditional boat ride and see the historical township from another perspective. 

You can see we are super excited for the boat ride, and the boat rower is giving us straw hats as photo props!

From a lower, further angle and away from the crowds, I can see the white walled townhouses in a much clearer sight. With the blue sky, willow trees and koi fishes swimming around our boat, the whole boat tour around Kurashiki river took about 20minutes and local boat rowers will tell you some histories about the townships and stone bridges being built. (translator not included tho lololol)

The weather was super good and I love this photo so much!
Kinda sums up the beauty of Kurashiki Bikan Historical Quarter.

■Boat ride fee:
Adults: 500yen
Kids: 250yen (5-12years old)
One boat can fit 6 pax

■Operating Hours: 09:30-17:00

• Local Confectionary Shops

A visit to historical township ain't complete without some local confectionaries. There are plenty of confectionary shops around Kurashiki Bikan Historical Quarter and this particular one has the famous Kurashiki confectionary called "Murasuzume" むらすゞめ.

Kikkodo 橘香堂- The origin of Murasuzume

Murasuzume is a red bean paste wrapped with thin crepe confectionary that's been around for over 140+ years (since beginning of Meiji period). It uses daily fresh eggs, special dough and red bean from Hokkaido to create this famous confectionary. I've seen many visitors come into the shop and bought a lot of Murasuzume as souvenirs. 

You can try making Murasuzume by yourself too as Kikkodo offers murasuzume making experience for a small fee of 600yen.

it may looked easy but in fact we are awed by how smoothly the lady staff can flip and twist the murasuzume without yelling "atsui!"  (means hot)

I made my own Kurashiki famous confectionary! Achievement unlocked!

■Price:
Normal size 3 pieces making experience 600 yen
Jumbo size 1 piece 1200 yen 

■Operating Hours: 10: 00-16: 00 

■Website: http://kikkodo.com/?mode=f6

Aside from what I've listed above, Kurashiki Bikan Historical Quarter has more to offer as there's Ohara Museum, Ohashi House, Ivy Square and so much more. I guess it'll be best to spend a 2 days 1 night around Kurashiki city to experience the fullest of this Historical Quarter both day and night scenery. 

How to get there:

If you plan to visit Japan but got bored of the usual destinations, do give Okayama a try as it is super easy to reach. It only takes about 44 minutes from Shin-Ōsaka to Okayama by Sanyō Shinkansen "Nozomi" and Kansai WIDE Area Pass (for 2 person or more this option will be cheaper) does cover this area too! (click here for more information).

Shinkansen is the transportation that can reach Okayama fastest departing from Shin-Ōsaka station.
Fare：3,600 yen ~ 8,460 yen
Necessary time：About 50 min ~ 70 min
First Train/Service：6:00(Departure)→6:50(Arrival)
Last Train/Service：23:06(Departure)→23:57(Arrival)

For conventional JR lines which departure station is from “JR Osaka Station”:

Fare：2,370 yen ~ 3,020 yen
Necessary time：About 3 hours
First Train/Service：5:52(Departure)→9:08(Arrival)
Last Train/Service：20:24(Departure)→23:03(Arrival)



For more information of available travel routes and method, please click here.

Kurashiki Bikan Historical District basically located at just about 10minutes wallk from JR Kurashiki Station south exit. 

Okayama Prefecture Official Tourism Guide Website - Kurashiki Bikan Historical Quarter

5 REASONS YOU SHOULD TAKE COLLAGEN

After stepping into 30s, I no longer feel that I'm as energetic as I was. Then it dawned on me that my body is no longer young and functional like how it used to and I felt like there's no turning back. Until I discover about supplements such as collagen that has benefits of maintaining body in a healthy way. 

I started trying NH Colla Plus 3 recently and it's made by 100% natural ingredients and advance ingredients such as Tea Polyphenols, Yeast Ceramide and also Olive Extract. Slight bitter taste ( I like the taste! Less sweet is better!) and devoid from any preservatives, synthetic flavoring, coloring and chemical addictives.

So here's the 5 benefits why collagen can help improve body conditions:

1. COLLAGEN HEALS GUT

Collagen has been shown to heal and strengthen mucosal lining and low stomach acid, hence the healing digestives can incredibly heal the gut and soothe symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome, crohn's and ulcerative colitis. Collagen heals gut lining and solve intestinal issues. 

2. BONES, JOINTS, CARTILAGE STRENGTHENING

Another ageing trait of mine was pain in the knee cap, which I know is very very bad for my knees as the collagen around that area starts to decrease and causes my knee bones to rub against each and cause pain especially when I walking down the stairs. 

When joints, bones and cartillage are partially made by collagen, daily use of collagen supplements can improve joint pain and strengthen our bones, joints and cartillage if one uses collagen for a long period. 

3. COLLAGEN HELPS FIRMING SKIN

As mentioned above, wrinkles cellulite and stretch marks happen when body produces less and less collagen (especially women T_T) and loss of collagen will leads to skin aesthetic issue such as wrinkles, sagging and sallow skin. Although there are skincare that contains collagen, but consuming collagen is the most effective way to supply collagen to body.

Collagen will help skin remain firm and elastic so our skin won't have connective tissue breakdown problem hence skin won't have cellulite or stretch marks issue. Yeast Ceramide in NH Colla Plus 3 helps hold skin together, forming a barrier for skin to block polluted environments and support skin structures prevents wrinkles and lines. 

4. COLLAGEN BOOSTS HAIR AND NAIL GROWTH

When our hair and nails are made up mostly of keratin, a type of fibrous protein, it needs amino acids to grow. While collage is a type of protein made up of amino acids, if our body has lots of collagen, it will fasten the growth of hair and nail. If you have weak and brittle nails and hair, do make sure you're consuming enough collagen for body to absorb to see improvement of hair and nails.

5. COLLAGEN REDUCES INFLAMMATION

Inflammation is the natural response of our body to harm. If we knock our knees at the corner of table, knee will turn red and swollen which is the sign of inflammation. Same as wounds, collagen helps reduce inflammation and heals body and skin in a faster pace. 

Although I just started drinking NH Colla Plus 3 for about a week, I already can see the signs of improvement both body and energy. I felt more energetic even though I averagely slept 3 - 5 hours for the week (due to work and travel) and my skin seems brighter and smoother than before. 

I kinda think I made a good decision to bring NH Colla Plus 3 with me to Japan so I can continue my collagen intake everyday and still feeling great!