Recently, I contacted a friend and fellow entrepreneur, owner of Peep Boutique to ask if she was interested to model some of Liquido's new arrival items (fitness wear) for Liquido.
She kindly obliged.
The results were lovely and the photo below happens to be my favourite photo from the shoot.
Wei Ni then asked if I was interested to participate in Peep Boutique's 5th year Anniversary Giveaway. Sharing is caring, so when she asked, it was my turn to oblige :)
How would you like to win this gift pack below (4 available for grabs!) :
RM100 Mystery Gift Pack + 50% discount voucher from Peep Boutique
Did I ever tell you guys that I absolutely LOVE Rio de Janeiro?
Ipanema beach on an easy Sunday morning
I must have told you about a million times already :)
The pic above and the pic below were taken on my very last trip to Rio de Janeiro, on the very last day in March 2013. I relocated back to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia in June 2013.
Surprisingly, today's post isn't gonna be about beaches or hot Brazilian women clad in bikinis. (I can SO hear some of my guy friends groaning!)
Aside from the beaches that Rio is famous for, they also have some awesome hiking trails. My buddies and I did the 'Pedra da Gávea' trail on this very trip back in March 2013. Pedra da Gávea is one of the most popular hiking trails in Rio de Janeiro because this hill is located by the coast. Upon making your way to the top, you will be rewarded with stunning views of some of Rio's most beautiful beaches (Barra da Tijuca, São Conrado & Ipanema).
The picture below is of my boyfriend Thiago, standing at the foot of the hiking trail. Notice that he is still smiling because we had NO CLUE what we were getting ourselves into.
If you can see the board in the picture above, it states the following:
Altitude: 844m
Distance (to the top): 1670m
Hiking time: 2.30 hours (each way, btw)
Level: DIFFICULT (!!!)
Naturally, we completely dismissed the 'Level: Difficult' sign because we assumed that we were superheroes.
As we started our hike, we soon realized that we weren't exactly hiking our way to the top... we were pretty much climbing our way to the top. About 60% of the trail looks like something in this picture below.
After an hour of hiking, we were presented with our first clearing and view of the other hills.
About half an hour later, you are rewarded with your first views of the gorgeous beaches of Barra da Tijuca.
It was a rather cloudy day, but at least we had some views... and thank god it wasn't raining either.
Faisal lived in Barra da Tijuca, so here's a pic of him showing us exactly where his apartment was located. LOL!
There is an apparent inscription carved into the rockface, which appears to be some sort of Semitic language. There are some theories, but no one really knows for sure the origin or the purpose of this inscription (below).
After 2.5 hours of hiking, we reached the 'Carrasqueira'. I later learnt from Thiago that carrasqueira loosely meant 'execution point'. And it wasn't difficult to figure out why...
We had reached the steepest point of the trail, where we had to scale up these rocks to get to the peak. None of us knew that we had to bring ropes, so we had to climb those rocks without a safety rope. And if we slipped and fell, it could potentially spell death.
Thiago managed to take a good picture of Faisal and I standing at the foot of the carrasqueira. What you cannot see in this below photo were our ultimate 'what the f*ck' expressions.
What you CAN see in the next picture is me looking not too happy... and Faisal looking pretty excited.
After hiking for 3 hours, we didn't exactly want to turn back without reaching the top, so we bit the bullet and climbed.
Faisal was the first to pass the carrasqueira, and this photo was taken from his Iphone.
The video below shows a group of friends at the carrasqueira. It's 2 minutes but you don't need to watch the whole thing. The intent of this video is just to show you the extent of how dangerous this section is.
When we finally reached the top, we should have been rewarded with views such as these:
Instead, it was a cloudy day, so we were greeted with views like these:
I suppose we were all happy that we were still ALIVE after the carrasqueira experience and proud that we made it to the top, so the lack of views didn't damped our moods too much.
So in a nutshell, it was a satisfying climb, and one that I would certainly recommend. It took us about 7 hours to hike up and back down, which includes the one hour we spent at the top, just chilling. We all plan to do this again, next time on a good sunny day with clear skies, if the opportunity ever presents itself again in the near future :)
Back when I was still based in São Paulo, it was a matter of simply making a trip to the factory and browsing through the ROWS AND ROWS of shelves of beach & fitness wear that they have. I could feel the fabrics, and try out each and every single piece before I decide if I want to purchase them or not.
The last time I went to replenish stocks at the factory, I was accompanied by Liquido's Sales & Marketing Manager. We looked through EACH & EVERY SINGLE PIECE and it took us three whole days (8 hours each day). It was exhausting, but one of the most fun that I ever had :)
I've been thinking of heading to Singapore to grow my little business, so it's time to buy new pieces. I need to purchase bikinis and more fitness wear, especially the funky pants. I've been getting a lot of request for that, and I don't really have that many pieces with me now.
Liquido's funkypants for yoga, pilates, gym & dance
I had two alternatives. I either:
Make a trip to Brazil to choose the pieces, OR
Buy virtually
I dropped Liquido an email and they responded back with about 20 emails. Each email had 10 pictures attached, of their latest collection. Looking through the pictures, I was like 'oh boy... how the hell am I going to do this!'
Check out some of the pictures below:
Ok, so this looks kinda nice, but why is the picture so dark? And what's with that weird tape in the upper left corner of the picture?
This looks weird... the bikini bottom looks to big for the top...
Ok, this looks just sloppy!
Looks like I might have to make frequent trips back to Brazil instead....
In the meantime, my existing stocks are awesome, which you can browse and buy here
The Liquido contest that was hosted by the lovely Kinky Blue Fairy and I ended on 15th July 2013 and the winners have been selected.
3 lucky winners won a bikini, fitness top and a dress from Liquido worth RM250, RM185 and RM190 respectively.
It was a really fun contest where the contestants had to:
- choose a picture of their favourite Liquido item and post it up on their instagram/FB/twitter/blog
- say where they’re going to wear it to i.e. “I want to wear this while
kickboxing!”
- link it to liquido.com.my - #liquidoMY
- Email us the print screen
The 3 winners were:
1. Zoe Ang
2. Jocy Tan
3. CY Teoh
The casual wear was actually not included in the contest, but I LOVED her enthusiasm that I couldn't help but to award CY Teoh with a prize as well.
The best part about the contest was informing the contestants that they won. Their reactions when they found out they won were awesome. Making other people happy makes me happy :)
So to Zoe, we hope that you have an awesome time at your bestie's hens
pool party and Bali trip in August.
Jocy, enjoy looking superstylish in
your new Liquido knit top while you are working out or jogging in the
park.
And finally to Teoh, I hope to see you in your Liquido snakeskin
dress everywhere you go! :)
Congratulations again. And to my other readers...Stay tuned for future giveways!
To enter:
- choose a picture of your favourite Liquido item and post it up on your instagram/FB/twitter/blog
- say where you’re going to wear it to i.e. “I want to wear this while kickboxing!”
- link it to liquido.com.my - #liquidoMY
- Email me the print screen of your update and your personal details to joyce@kinkybluefairy.com
- Please entitle the email “Liquido Contest” - See more at:
http://www.kinkybluefairy.net/2013/07/win-a-bikini-or-fitness-apparel-from-liquido/#sthash.FHfdDxj2.dpuf
To enter:
- choose a picture of your favourite Liquido item and post it up on your instagram/FB/twitter/blog
- say where you’re going to wear it to i.e. “I want to wear this while kickboxing!”
- link it to liquido.com.my - #liquidoMY
- Email me the print screen of your update and your personal details to joyce@kinkybluefairy.com
- Please entitle the email “Liquido Contest” - See more at:
http://www.kinkybluefairy.net/2013/07/win-a-bikini-or-fitness-apparel-from-liquido/#sthash.FHfdDxj2.dpufxxxxx
To enter:
- choose a picture of your favourite Liquido item and post it up on your instagram/FB/twitter/blog
- say where you’re going to wear it to i.e. “I want to wear this while kickboxing!”
- link it to liquido.com.my - #liquidoMY
- Email me the print screen of your update and your personal details to joyce@kinkybluefairy.com
- Please entitle the email “Liquido Contest” - See more at:
http://www.kinkybluefairy.net/2013/07/win-a-bikini-or-fitness-apparel-from-liquido/#sthash.FHfdDxj2.dpuf
- choose a picture of your favourite Liquido item and post it up on your instagram/FB/twitter/blog
- say where you’re going to wear it to i.e. “I want to wear this while kickboxing!”
- link it to liquido.com.my - #liquidoMY
- Email me the print screen of your update and your personal details to joyce@kinkybluefairy.com
- Please entitle the email “Liquido Contest” - See more at:
http://www.kinkybluefairy.net/2013/07/win-a-bikini-or-fitness-apparel-from-liquido/#sthash.FHfdDxj2.dpuf
- choose a picture of your favourite Liquido item and post it up on your instagram/FB/twitter/blog
- say where you’re going to wear it to i.e. “I want to wear this while kickboxing!”
- link it to liquido.com.my - #liquidoMY
- Email me the print screen of your update and your personal details to joyce@kinkybluefairy.com
- Please entitle the email “Liquido Contest” - See more at:
http://www.kinkybluefairy.net/2013/07/win-a-bikini-or-fitness-apparel-from-liquido/#sthash.FHfdDxj2.dpuf
- choose a picture of your favourite Liquido item and post it up on your instagram/FB/twitter/blog
- say where you’re going to wear it to i.e. “I want to wear this while kickboxing!”
- link it to liquido.com.my - #liquidoMY
- Email me the print screen of your update and your personal details to joyce@kinkybluefairy.com
- Please entitle the email “Liquido Contest” - See more at:
http://www.kinkybluefairy.net/2013/07/win-a-bikini-or-fitness-apparel-from-liquido/#sthash.FHfdDxj2.dpuf
- choose a picture of your favourite Liquido item and post it up on your instagram/FB/twitter/blog
- say where you’re going to wear it to i.e. “I want to wear this while kickboxing!”
- link it to liquido.com.my - #liquidoMY
- Email me the print screen of your update and your personal details to joyce@kinkybluefairy.com
- Please entitle the email “Liquido Contest” - See more at:
http://www.kinkybluefairy.net/2013/07/win-a-bikini-or-fitness-apparel-from-liquido/#sthash.FHfdDxj2.dpuf
Pedro is a colleague from the São Paulo, Brazil office and also a friend. Here is a picture of him at Batu Caves:
Some of you are probably scratching your heads and wondering... 'Where's the Brazilian? All I see is this chinese guy standing in the middle of the photo'. LOL!
Today's post is gonna be about Brazilian culture and history. Did you know that Brazil has the largest population of Japanese that are living outside Japan? The Brazilian Institute of Statistics recorded that there are 1.4 million Japanese living in Brazil in 2010! Fascinating, isn't it?
As I understand it, in the early 20th century, coffee was the main export product for Brazil. Brazilian farmers needed labor to work in the coffee plantations and in 1907, a treaty was signed between Brazil and Japan, permitting Japanese to migrate to Brazil.
The beginning of World War I
in 1914 started a boom in Japanese migration to Brazil; such that
between 1917 and 1940 over 164,000 Japanese came to Brazil, 75% of them
going to São Paulo, where most of the coffee plantations were located.
During my time in São Paulo, I've made friends with some very cool people who are Brazilian of Japanese descent. Here is a picture of Marcela (far right) and me, with Natalia.
And here's us with Eduardo (far right).
Most of these young working adults are 3rd Generation Brazilian of Japanese descent. All of them are as Brazilian as can be and most of them can't speak Japanese. They love their Brazilian chopp, picanha, beaches and samba. They wait eagerly every year for Carnival, where they dance like nobody is watching and party like rock stars :)
The Japanese have now assimilated well into Brazil and hold some notable positions in Brazilian politics and in the business world. There are even some famous celebrities such as Sabrina Sato, a Brazilian comedian and tv personality.
She's half Japanese, 1/4 Swiss, 1/4 Lebanese and 100% Brazilian. And she is gorgeous!
Something that I've noticed but never mentioned on my blog before is that São Paulo is truly a melting pot of the world. The economy is booming and thus, has attracted people from all over. I've met people from as far as China & Korea to Lebanon & Iran, Mexico & Germany who are all living and working there. And there are so many inter-marriages going on that you can find some really exotic looking people there. Like Sabrina Sato.
Well, that's all for culture and history today. And if you want to know where you can find sexy Brazilian bikinis for sale, like the one that Sabrina Sato is wearing above, look no further than here: www.liquido.com.my
Having lived out of Malaysia for the past 2 years, I've missed 2 Hari Rayas. Which means that I've also missed 2 Bulan Puasa and all the (over) indulgent Buka Puasa buffets that come along with it.
With Brazil being a predominantly Catholic country, it is impossible to find a Ramadam buffet, even in the big, metropolitan city of São Paulo. In fact, I would have been surprised if the average person on the street even knew about Ramadan !!!
So, I was thrilled to attend my first Ramadan buffet in 2 years.
On Thursday, I sampled the Ramadan buffet at the Mill Café of the Grand Millennium Kuala Lumpur. It's the hotel next to the Pavilion in Bukit Bintang.
The theme of the buffet was 'Rasa Rasa A La Kampung', and the line up offers an extensive selection of traditional Malays dishes and regional specialties. Also served daily are Indian Lamb Masala, Japanese Sushi/Sashimi and a wide selection of local/international desserts.
And without further delay, let the drool feast begin!
The buffet served appetizers..
The 'bakar-bakar' stuff (ikan pari, ikan kembong, sotong, etc..)
The goreng- goreng stuff...
Burung Puyuh
Paru
Ketam & Udang
Satay !!! (FYI - prior to today, I haven't eaten satay in 2 years!)
And of course, Malaysian favourites such as Rendang Daging, Udang Masak Kerisik, Bubuk Lambok, etc...
They also served a rather unusual dish (below). It was labeled 'Kupang Petai Asam Pedas' and it was a dish with mussels & petai cooked in asam pedas sauce (spicy tomato sour sauce) SLURP!
As mentioned earlier, they also serve international dishes such as...
Sushi/ Sashimi
Oysters
Roast Lamb
Specialty Dish - Braised Short Ribs Meat in Sweet Teriyaki Sauce
I'm the kind who ALWAYS has space for dessert, so after my meal, I checked it out. They have 2 seperate counters for desserts; one for local desserts and another for international desserts.
Kuih Muih
Om nom nom!
The international dessert counter had some interesting cakes. The picture below is of a green tea and poached peach cake..
No dessert counter is complete without a Red Velvet cake
Wheeeeeeeeeeeeee!
The Buffet was overseen under the watchful eye of Executive Chef Laurent Lherisson and team. Laurent has been living in Malaysia for about 10 years. Good team, great food.
I suppose buffets in general would not be the best of ideas for those wanting and working out hard for your bikini body - but heck, everyone deserves a treat once in a while :)
This buffet is priced at RM108.00++ per person. Considering that this buffet has oysters and roast lamb, this is a pretty good price. They have an early bird special - book and pay by 14 July and pay only RM100.00 nett per adult and RM62.64 nett per child (5 to 12 years old).
For reservations, you may call 03 2117 4163 or email mill.gmkl@millenniumhotels.com
They also organize private functions for Buka Puasa Dinner at their Banquet Rooms. For enquiries, you may call 03 2117 4327 or email events.gmkl@millenniumhotels.com
Selamat Berpuasa to all my Malay friends and family! <3
