the one with the outdoor adventures and kbeauty madness

I've not had a proper holiday since I started my new job, so these past five days have been really rejuvenating. i think i've spent close to 70% of the holidays being outdoors and working out while the rest was spent watching F.R.I.E.N.D.S. at home and chilling with my parents + boyfriend.

i did cheat on my holiday and went back to the office on Saturday afternoon for about 4-5 hours (#workaholicproblems) but there's this big project coming up for Amore Pacific that I'm highly involved which, comically, has made me a bit of a Kbeauty (korean beauty) skincare convert.

this particular brand under AP is a luxury skincare client and unexpectedly, creating content for them has made me do so much research into red ginseng, skincare, sheet masks, serums, etc which eventually led me into jumping into this black hole of kbeauty that i think i'm never gonna get out of off. i have not purchased a bottle of serum (yet) but i've heard that it does wonders to a basic skincare routine.

as of now, i've been obsessed with sheet masks. i've tried a few brands but I seem to like The Face Shop's Red Ginseng face mask and Bio-Essence's Bio-Energy Snail Secretion Repair Mask. some people have the luxury to do it every night but for me, twice a week is enough.

i don't know if this is a sad thing but i think i've become a victim of my own marketing. writing all these digital beauty content for AP has suddenly turned me into a skincare convert that i now cleanse, tone, moisturize and exfoliate when once upon a time, i didn't even care if there were blackheads on my nose!
the only good thing about wearing the sheet mask is that it forces me to lie down and relax, something I am not prone to do because I'm always doing something and I hate not doing something. to combat my boredom, I decided to listen to guided meditation (I currently love Boho Beautiful) while letting the mask work its magic on my face.


other than that, I've been pushing myself to try out different ways of working out so I've reverted to hiking + body weight workouts. i used to be a gym freak but i realized that i don't have to spend so much money on a gym membership when there's the option of working out for free at home.

i decided to make the most of my neighborhood and popped by the Ulu Kanching waterfall next door (literally 2 mins from my door step) and hiked up the trail. sadly, i was wearing slippers (because i can really be a silly goose at times), so the trail was getting slippery as we journeyed higher, plus my irrational fears of encountering an iguana (or a tiger) made me stop and backtrack.
lesson learnt: 1) wear proper shoes and 2) push through the fear.

i also checked out Bukit Gasing, one of my colleague's brilliant idea, when we planned a hiking trip between the three of us. initially, we wanted to head over to the Commonwealth Park near my house but since it rained at 6am, we changed course and decided to check out this spot in PJ.
[pinching myself now for not taking photos!]

it feels good to be active, especially with great company.
one of the things i love about being active is learning to appreciate the beauty of creation, like the trees, the sky and animals. i hope to get over my fear of reptiles, though. i'm also addicted to the endorphin rush that permeates the body after a really good work out.

also, body weight workouts! i can't seem to get enough of working out with POPSUGAR Fitness. Sometimes, they have a combination of free weights + body weight training but I think what gets me going is Anna Renderer, PF's master trainer who has an incredible amount of infectious enthusiasm.

i sound like i'm doing some marketing over here.
well, if i love something, i'll naturally share it or talk about it.
but really, I highly recommend sheet masks (of the korean variety) and the outdoors as a great way to relax. and if you're ever stuck in a fitness rut (honestly, the treadmill is a waste of time), DO BODY WEIGHT WORKOUTS!

Check out these places in the Klang Valley if you're interested in hiking:
Bukit Tabur
Taman Rimba Komanwel (Commonwealth Park)
Bukit Gasing 
Bukit Saga, Cheras 
Broga Hill
Templer's Park 

I'm sure i missed out a few but if you know of any more places to hike in other parts of Malaysia (other regions in Southeast Asia are also welcomed), just shoot me a comment!

the great outdoors

the last three weekends have been filled with outdoorsy adventures. The morning sun, the cool breeze, the immense sweating and the endorphin rush. I never really had weekends where I could enjoy the outdoors because I was always stuck in church for the last 21 years of my life. Glad that I can finally be out to enjoy creation instead of just talking about it.

two saturdays ago, I was out with my colleagues at Tadom Hill where we got our beast mode on and battled the obstacle course and rock climbing before jumping into this lake. As I swam in a pool of blue, I just enjoyed the feel of being in the water. I've always been a water baby, having pestered my mom to always take me swimming. i don't mean to sound so cliche but there's just something about being in the water that makes me feel serene and grounded.

then,
there was my birthday weekend. I insisted on not celebrating my birthday but trust my boyfriend to plan a surprise picnic where he made mac 'n cheese, brought watermelon cubes and a bottle of pear cider for me. everything was packed neatly in the brown picnic basket (just the way i like it) and brought to me right after I completed a round of cycling along the metropolitan park trail. i was so disappointed that i didn't get to cycle in the morning because it had rained but he 'suggested' that i cycle in the evening while he jogged (which was obviously a ploy for the picnic).

and of course, the icing on the cake 

I MET CASSEY HO OF BLOGILATES LIKE WHAT EVEN.
today, I pushed myself out of bed at 7.30am and made my way to Desa Park City where I took a live POP Pilates class with Cassey. I've been following her workout videos religiously since 2012 and to finally see her in real life was just...what. is. my. life.
When I finally hugged her, I almost cried. I couldn't believe that I was seeing her in the flesh. This was truly a bucket list item that I never ever thought I would tick. And I achieved all this with my best friend, the ever-amazing Ju Yi who totally cheered me on while I was dying in sweat throughout the workout.

can you believe that i did forty-five minutes of yoga with Jojo Struys and forty-five minutes of pilates with Cassey - all without breakfast!
I made it out alive and I'm ecstatic to end my birthday month on such a high note.
It's been a simple month of quiet celebration, a month of new adventures and a month of enjoying the last 30 days of being twenty-three, a very defining year of my life.

and now, to embrace the soreness 

that which will commence tomorrow. 

at least it's the good kind of pain.