Just when I thought that there was nothing left in Port Dickson (PD), I stumbled upon this video on Joshuachay.com.

 

Janice’s Beach Wedding from Joshua Chay on Vimeo.

 

It’s a short clip that he shot during his friend’s wedding….a beach wedding. Click play and check it out..it’s awesome! I never thought that wedding events would be possible at Malaysian beaches…and what more PD

It’s a fact. No one goes to PD for holiday anymore. The beach sucks. The crowd sucks. The whole place seems like an old half-heartedly developed town that happens to have a seaside. There are neither waves nor wind that give you that beach-y feeling.

But when I saw that video and some online pics, I decided. I wanted Avillion!

 

Partially contributed to this feeling was my Alamanda voucher. It’s so hard to use…stupid terms and conditions…no peak season..must book 12 weeks before trip..no guarantee of confirmation *grumbles* Besides, holidays are more fun when spontaneous. Which guy goes ‘Babe, let’s go to <insert holiday destination> in 12 weeks time’ ?? Spontaneous = Sexy. Nuff said.

 

So we made a booking 2 weeks in advance aha. It’s not free like the Alamanda trips but hey, off the record, free usually ain’t the best. Ini baru Best. Picturrrrrre loading time…!

 

   The Lobby

 

 

 

Betcha wana see the rooms eh? They were pretty good. Very private and cosy. I like!

 

 

The only thing about the room that I found quite stupid is this.

Adoi Avillion. Bagilah HD TV. Or even normal LCD TV with digital input. Aiii…….

 

We got ourselves checked in, and spent the next 3 hours in the room…frolicking in bed…watching DVD. Haha

 

Dinner was at one of their cafes, Crow’s Nest:

Ambience was ok albeit kinda old, and the food was just decent. But there occured a major event, so important that it deserves a major shoutout:

I finally opened my Monopoly Deal deck! *celebrates*

So yeah, our night activity. Monopoly Deal. ehehehe.

 

The mornings were mostly rainy, so we spent most of our time indoors doing….yes, you guessed it, more DVD and monopoly deal. hehe

This is the Breakfast Coffeehouse.

I really must comment about the service here…it’s outstanding. I dropped a spoon once, and it was replaced within 30 seconds…The supervisors were pretty much as attentive as Soldiers yo. (No I did not drop that spoon on purpose!) hahaha.

 

Surprisingly, for a Monday morning (when most of us are toiling at our workdesks), the place was teeming with guests, local and foreign…business don’t seem to be affected much by economic conditions!

 

American breakfast campur Nasi Lemak, cos I’m Malaysian

 

But when the clouds left and the sun came back…the first thing we did was to check out the adult pool. Where adults do their thang babeh.  I mean, it’s a private, but still VERY open pool…so the only thing adults can do is…swim  -_-

 

And It’s open 24/7 so that’s quite cool. This is the other pool when viewed at night.

 

Our package came complete with a ‘Head and Back massage’ session in a huge chalet specially constructed for Spa packages. Aptly named ‘Avi Spa’, Psychkin and I really looked forward to that half hour of complete relaxation.

(Even thinking of it at this moment makes me wana go for a spa. Bugger I’ve been bitten hard by the relaks-bug lah)

They serve food and drinks here, where you can take it out to chill at the ‘Floating Spa’:

 

There’s this contraption that fixes you in an incredibly comfortable supported position, while your masseuse gently kneads your back and head…

Aijor. Now I REALLY wana go back there. argh.

 

The beach was essentially clean, simple and always, always with fresh clean towels to use. There’s not a leaf out of place, no loose rubbish, security guards are always in sight. Kudos to the management for this awesome maintenance.

A very welcome sight that you will find is an uncommonly high population of birds running freely around the area.

There’s chickens, doves, pigeons, peahens, peacocks all over the place and by the swimming pool. Strangely they don’t swim / play with the pool water. Maybe someone has very meticulously trained them to avoid any fowl play. Ahaha.

 

I really, really like this picture.But I forgot to include the damn legs. Argh like cacat.

 

The other side of Avillion has a small deck which is excellent should you want a tan.

I tried….but I didn’t even an extra shade browner at all. Fail.

 

Do not be fooled by what seems like hair travelling up my belly. They are actually Abs starting to form. Ahaha.

 

This is the final and my definite favorite of all the attractions at Avillion. 

Spacious shower area, open roof, bright sunshine….and mirrors opposite the shower. Perfect <3 <3 (the rest, I leave to your imagination)

 

Avillion is not exactly the choice for people on budget. Our 3d / 2n stay cost us a pocket-burning RM 792++ (including massage at Avi Spa and 2 x 2 buffet breakfast). For the exclusivity and privacy that you get, it’s pretty much what I would describe as ‘The Perfect Romantic Escapade for couples that’s only an hour+ from town. Awesome stuff. They’ve got family packages too, if you’re interested.

Check it out at their site : http://avillionportdickson.com

Avillion Port Dickson
3rd Mile, Jalan Pantai
71000 Port Dickson
Negeri Sembilan, Malaysia

Tel : +606 647 6688

 

Just make sure you don’t accidentally run into your parents or girlfriend’s parents when you’re there. Things can be really, Really awkward lol. Especially if you brought SOMEONE ELSE instead of your girl/boyfriend….huhuhu.

Cheers!
EVo

P.S.  It’s the Advertlets screening of Nightmare on Elm Street tomorrow! And I will be there with another 100 people. This is gona be good. An entire cinema all to ourselves…Scream, people, scream! xD

Last Friday, I discovered a place that has….

1. Rock Climbing

2. Watersports

3. A Shopping Complex

4. A GSC Cinema

5. A 5 star hotel

with 5 star service (not the type that you’re thinking)

6. And the best part is, this place gives away a Free Trip to Bali for 5D / 4N at a 4-Star hotel.

That’s right people, this place is no other than Alamanda Putrajaya!

I had a smashing time wei!

Surprised? I was no less taken aback myself when I was invited by Advertlets, courtesy of Alamanda, that there would be a special blogger outing, From 8am morning to 10pm some more. Alamanda so many things to do meh?

Turns out, there really was THAT much to do.

But given that Psychkin and I live just 15 minutes from Putrajaya, we had no choice but to sleep an EXTRA HOUR while the other bloggers gathered at 1 Utama at 8am. Only at 9am did I leave my house..and we was still earlier than the rest. Buahaha,

Breakfast at Oldtown with Coffee was a very welcome sight. Especially for those who had to wake up extra early to catch the 1 Utama bus i.e. almost everyone.

Rames playing with his new 30mm F1.4mm lens and some tea-dripping action. You should’ve seen his face when he caught the tea falling off the spoon. Almost like he struck lottery lol.

And this is probably the bestest best deal of all. A teaser of what we would receive at the end of the day.

And to qualify for this, we had to work hard to Play, Rock Climb, Camho, Wakeboard and Watch Movie. Not something I would complain about, really.

Some goodie bags to start off the day. Dunkin Donuts and Cold Storage are cool people.

Bboyrice, Jason Mynjayz, Rames and Psychkin can’t wait to Camho.

And so does Bimbo Shopaholic Smashpop.

I came to Alamanda before about 3 years back, and to be honest, I had low regards for the place. It felt congested, underutilized, unorganized.

Much to my surprise, a whole lot has changed. Brands like Valentino, Nose, Clarks, and surf brands like Quiksilver and Billabong pretty much fill up the lots of the complex.

8TV host Belinda checks out Quiksilver…

…while I check out a mannequin’s boobies at Billabong. Nice…suit.

New Camho Face, designed by Howard U. I cannot make it laaaaaa

Pandaaaa* on the way to Putrajaya Challenge Park for Rock Climbing. This girl couldn’t wait to get her hands dirty!

And she got pretty much what she wanted with a piece of her shoulder taken off during the climbing process. Failllll ahahahahaha.

There’s always one thing about rock climbing that is very important The Crotch-Adjustment session.

This is Mr Trainer checking to see if my crotch is safe and well protected.

Securing crotch for Leowazza and Superwilson.

Serious face of the day. Rames deep in thought on how to scale those walls.

And while Bel, me and Psychkin do our share of climbing…

….Rames and Leowazza decided to have their private agenda that involves hands-on and some pushing action. Aiyer so Bromantic leh.

We played and played until we were very happy.

And when we got hungry, lunch was served at their P’s Cafe! Shiok.

It was one of those moments when I suddenly feel like dropping to my knees on the ground and dedicate to the sky: ‘Thank you for making me a Blogger!’ Even my chargeable Orange Jus became FOC on my request. Tumpang glamer.

Group Shot! of 1/2 JonYKT, SimonSo, RebeccaSaw, Jason Smashpop, Josh.my, BryanLyt, BangsarBabe, me, FatJason lol.

It’s me and the Pandaaa*

…and Pandaaa*s kicks. Caught my eye instantly.

Hotel Pullman was a (surprisingly) busy hotel, with also surprisingly affordable rates for a 5-star hotel.

Surprised yet? There’s really this kind of bustling activity at Putrajaya!

This is one of the hotel rooms which they opened for our tour. I know it looks a bit like a porn-film set-up, but it’s not lah. I just wanted to know how many people could cram into this room. Quite big lol.

The gym comes complete with posers as well.

But the best was yet to come.

This was the training session before…

…Wakeboarding! Where everyone has to pass the Ultimate test: The Pangsai Test.

Whose style do you like the best?

Okay lah. It’s the mini-training session on how to work the wakeboard. Haha.

Sad lor, many ppl including myself didn’t get to try it due to time shortage and looming clouds. But Psychkin and me and one girl in between us got to try out the Tube-thingy. Oh yeah we got wet pretty much. Compared to some other bloggers hiding in the shade *ahemSmashpopRamesBboyriceJasonOngJonYktBryanLytahem*

And just when everyone was hungry, Manhattan Fish Market had some stuff for our munching-ness.

A whole plate LOADED with Calamari Rings. My all time fav nom nom nom.

With a whole lot of vouchers from Focus Point and Chakri Xpress. Wah overload leh.

It’s me and the Hogan!

The perfect ending to a physically-draining day would be no other than…

A free movie! Ow!

And not of any show, but of Avatar.

I have a great many things to say about this show, but I’ll put it in two words:

EPIC AWESOMENESS.

Storyline is completely smashing, and something in its own beautiful dimensional word, made me watch it over, and over again. The 2D version twice, and last night, the 3D version.

The CG and FX of this show are totally realistic in its own fictional way. The character modelling, physical movements, expressions, gravitational effects are so effin good that if the Na-vi weren’t blue, they would pass as real humans.

Because of this show, Sam Worthington would probably be the next big thing around. In Terminator Salvation, he as Marcus Wright already was the hero, outshining our Christian Bale (again, he was outshone by the Joker in The Dark Knight).

And Michelle Rodriguez, was so, so hot, as usual. Loves.

Group pic after movie!

I know this has been pretty much to read already, but this is what happens when you have fun the whole day LOL.

Because this part, you shouldn’t miss!

Josh.my handing out travel vouchers to bloggers for the Bali / Phuket vacation after the whole day of impatient waiting and doing other unnecessary stuff to very very happy bloggers. Oh yeaaaaaaaah.

And the best part for everyone is that this ain’t something special for bloggers. ANYONE who shops a minimum of RM800 at Alamanda will get this Holiday Voucher. Guaranteed.

So those of you who got married this month, like those who made me less by a couple of hundred bucks for angpau, are thinking of where to go for your honeymoon. This could be it.

Go check out Alamanda today. It’s worth it.

And here’s a little bit of good news.

I discovered only today when I unpacked my goodie bags, this bundle in a plastic bag. In wake of my excitement after the Alamanda day (about 6 days ago), I forgot to take out my very Very Wet Alamanda T-Shirt which I used to dry myself after Wakeboarding.

Since it’s the Xmas season, I’m giving this away to the lucky selected blogger who leaves a comment here. It’s a little smelly, but hey, it smells like me and that’s really cool.

Any takers?Limited edition okaaaay

 

It’s December everyone!

 

Needless to say, and like everybody else, it’s my favorite month of the year. Christmas, holidays, weather gets cooler, bonus, and of course, annual leave.

 

 

Except for me who used up probably my 2009, 2010 and 2011 annual leave for the past few months travelling like a nomad. I’ve been away so long that I kinda forgot how blogger events were like. Whatever Nike Run la, All American Rejects concert la, Fashion parties la, movie screenings la etc. Suma sudah hilang.

 

When I was back a few weeks ago @reneetay said ‘I spend more time in a plane than I do on my bed’. She’s right, except that it wasn’t just a plane that I spent my time in….it was a cruise ship instead, the Legend of the Seas.

 

 

 

Salsa Cruise Asia was too awesome to be described in just words.

 

So let’s see some pics ok?

 

 

Eh, sorry supposed to be bus picture. Ah, here. The bus! A whole solid 6 hours from 1U bus station to Singapore.

 

I was the first photographer to move with the crew down to the hotel, and being labelled as the ‘Official Photographer’ (one of) for Salsa Cruise Asia, memang kembang sikit lah.

 

It didn’t take long for few of the international artists to notice me with the big-ass camera, and within 10 seconds, I was given a chance to do what I loved the most:

 

CAM HO!

 

Score one with sexy Lidia Mcmahon of Australia!

 

Lidia and Ulysses were definitely one of the favorites among the cruise goers. Accommodating, great dancers with always a smile on their faces. Awesome people. The coolest thing about Ulysses is that he’s a 6’4” Electrical Engineer, with a body that almost made me drool. Almost.

 

 

 

The Ritz-Carlton is a 6-star hotel with classy rooms and classy service to match.

 

 

The only trouble was that I’ve been staying in 2 to 3 stars hotels too often while I’m travelling that I have no idea how to compare 4 or 5 or 6 star hotels. You can tell me this is a 10 star hotel and I WILL believe you. Me village boy haha. I just know that I like the bathroom a lot.

 

 

If you have enough alcohol in your blood and have the balls to bathe in this bath tub, there is the option of leaving the blinds wide open to display your ding-dongs for the passers-by below to check out. I’ve checked, and it IS possible to see from outside.

Maybe this special feature is what makes a 6-star hotel, a 6-star hotel. I don’t know.

 

Crew Makan time at Bao Jin Tian at Marina Square! This restaurant’s got a Bao in its name, but I didn’t see many Baos around. Mostly Hong Kong styled dishes.

 

 

The first night was just crew and artists. Guests were to arrive only on the second day for the performance in the grand ballroom. The best part about being the photographer is that you get to do what you like doing best : Shoot. And it don’t even feel like work at all yo! Best!

 

 

The crew themselves were a young (young by my definition is below 35 years) and energetic (energetic by my definition means sleeping just 3 hours a day) bunch of people. Really good to work with. I think being Mr Hensem Photographer helped to improve communication across as well xD

 

DJ Steiner, Angela, Tamie, Audrey, Vanessa, Shu Shan, Pauline and Jason. Awesome people. You can see here who’s the person older than 30. Buahahhaa.

 

This is Tim, one of Salsa Cruise’s directors, posing with Jordan and Tatiana, who:

 

…Specializing in West Coast Swing, Jordan Frisbee & Tatiana Mollmann have been a successful partnership for five years. They are the 2000, 2001, & 2004 US Open Champions, 2-Time NASDE Champions, Grand National Champions, and have won every Classic event in 2004 & 2005. At 2004 UCWDC World’s event they were given the Star Award for the Couple with the Most Impact on Swing. – http://www.sunnysidedancecamp.org/en/node/21

Damn good dancers. Inspiring!

 

Here’s a preview of what happened the next day…

 

 

 

And tomorrow Psychkin and I will be going for my first blogger event in MONTHS:

Oh it’s been a while. Can’t wait to reconnect with everyone else! I’ll be a noob blogger again…LOL!

 

Also I wana give my very very very x 1000 best congratulations to Andrew and @EveYeo who had their wedding dinner last night at Sunway Hotel Ballroom.

 

And guess what? Love grew for this couple during salsa classes. Not bad eh?

 

P.S you both have to start your night engines. Fast. Haha.

 

Cheers!
EVo