A luxurious weekend retreat featuring Ecowellness Sanctuary Klang

What's a better way to spend a relaxing weekend than to indulge yourself to a spa or massage treat? Stress is the enemy nowadays and mental health problems are getting more common as a result. Therefore, it's vital for us to unwind. Massage has been proven efficacious in this regard. Ecowellness Sanctuary Klang is a family friendly wellness center.

First, change into these comfortable in house slippers and enjoy the pampering session.

The reception area gives a very zen feeling already. Get ready for a 5 star experience :)

There are various massage and aromatherapy packages to choose from. The price is fairly cheap, considering it's all organic!

The essential oils, body scrubs and facial products used are are all truly organic. The Ecowell organic originates from a premium Swiss skincare range- Dr. Förster is a German pioneer in natural, plant-based products.

They are really great for your skin because of the following characteristics-
Certified Organic Plant-Based Ingredients | Dermatologically Tested | ICEA-Certified | No Harmful Synthetic Chemicals | No Allergen Scents | No Silicone | No Parabens | No SLS And SLES | No Colouring Agent | No Liquid Paraffin | No Animal-Testing | No Petroleum-Based Chemicals | Halal Certified.

Even the Eco3 detergents used to clean the spa and towels are environmentally friendly and non toxic.

Before the massage, we had a pampering seasalt foot wash.

We had the luxury to check in their VIP room with 2 fluffy massage chairs of which the incline is adjustable. 

Baby Bing is well entertained by the TV which is connected to NetFlix and YouTube. Ryan and I took turns to go for massage while the other chill out with baby Bing in the VIP room.

Daddy and mommy also had the chance to enjoy far infrared (FIR) foot sauna. Click the link to understand more about FIR. One can also go for whole body FIR.

I decided to have a full body scrub and aromatherapy afterwards. The scrub really cleansed my long neglected body. After at least a good 30 minutes, all the dead skin is removed. And I smelled wonderfully balmy.

This is followed by a warm shower and aromatherapy. Having an experienced masseuse is very important. Because she knows which muscles to work with and how to relax those knots. Being so small framed, she has strong hands. Massage chairs can never replace a good masseuse. The essential oil used is very moisturising yet did not leave a single trace of oiliness.

Not to mentioned she ended the session with the famous Thai swings and lift. My first time trying this. Fairly interesting I would say.

The spa had separate sections for male and female. The massage cubicles were curtained off properly with soft lighting and relaxing background music. And I was treated with respect/privacy throughout the session. The spa provides disposable panties/boxers. And only the body part massaged is exposed at one time.

After the pampering session, the ladies can touch up in their powder room.

A cup of tea to end the session and put a smile on the face.

Overall, we are really satisfied with the professional massage service provided. And who says you can't have a pampering session with baby in tow? We have just proved that it's possible. 

Inception in real life featuring VR Lab Kepong

Virtual reality brings our senses to another level. We have long used this in the military to train armies who can respond appropriately and fast to emergency situations in a safe environment. 

As a medical student, I also had my fair share of simulation learning sessions to deal with medical emergencies. Now, everyone can experience virtual reality at VR Lab.

VR Lab has 2 branches at Wangsa Maju and Kepong. Not only is it for gaming purposes, but it also provides educational and team building activities. One can even rent a mobile VR booth for private parties!

We woke up early on a Saturday morning all hyped up to have some virtual fun. All of us but one are by no means any serious gamers. Even then it's only CW's first time trying out the VR lab in kepong.

Sim is our kind instructor of the day. Safety briefing first as always. He also talks us through how to work the controllers for each game.

Looking so cybercop- like with all the gears on.

Immediately we are transported to another realm. Being in this virtual environment means that we have to concentrate 100% to the game. Each player has his own headset and 2 controllers with adequate space to move around.

The rooms are also family friendly. Baby Bing had his fair chance to run around. Just gotta make sure he doesn't clash into the players.

There are a wide variety of games available to suit everyone's taste. These are the games we tried during our 2 hours experience.

Richie plank's Experience- find the courage to jump off a high-rise. But remember to grab a few doughnuts before you do so. Not for the acrophobic. Even my fellow guy friend felt it so real that he hesitated to jump off.

Fruits ninja-endless fun of fruit slashing! No additional buttons need to be pressed. Just one really has to slash and work those arms. Much more engaging than the original game.

Brook heaven (multi player)- zombie killing/shooting games. It's really eerie because one can actually 'feel' the zombies approaching and appreciate the splashing of blood. Fairly graphic. Needs a bit more hand-eye coordination because the enemies can come in all directions and the player needs to reload his weapon fairly frequently.

Elven Assassin- Great multi player games which requires teamwork to fend your village against the invasion of orcs and dragons. Time to work those forearm muscles with rapid arrow firing. Need to physically dodge incoming fire breathing dragons and axe thrown by the orcs.

Dig 4 destruction- eliminate your fellow gamers. Use one's radar to locate weapons and other gamers. Dig through the maze to finish off your opponents. In worst case scenario if one runs out of ammo, just punch the other to defeat :p

Smashbox arena- Play dodgeball in the space in teams. One can teleport to various locations and sneak a ball to the other team members. Be prepared to dodge an incoming ball physically.

What's our verdict? Fun, fun and more fun! No matter you are a serious gamer or a casual one, these gadgets are pretty easy to handle. The game itself is full of challenges and needs minimal practice to master. I'll suggest players to wear contact lens but if you have glasses, they can still help to adjust the headset settings.

Not forgetting the Smashbox Arena tournament is coming up! At a mere RM10 per pax, one can participate in the world's first e-sport tournament. To prepare yourself, you can get discounted rates for training sessions. Attractive cash prize awaits! Tournament date had been postponed to 2 to 3 December 2017.

Not sure what to do this weekend? Head to VR lab for a totally different level of experience unlike others. 

Dinner treat @Alor Akar Seafood Restaurant kuantan

Alor Akar Seafood Restaurant is one of the local favorites. Food here is very generous in portion and much more affordable than other places. By 7pm, the place will be packed and one will need to fight for seats even on weekdays. Need to thank Aunty Ling and Uncle Wong for giving us a treat.

Fried yam ring with sweet and sour pork. The inside of the yam ring is soft and squishy but the outside tasted cripsy. The meat is tender, juicy and had just the right amount of sauce. If you fancy, eat it with the cripsy meehoon.

Salt roasted chicken. Very cripsy chicken. Can hardly find any fat underneath the skin. But maybe just a tad too dry. Goes really well with the chilli sauce. So appetizing!

Deep fried mantis prawns with salted egg. One of their signature dish and you must order this! I have tried making this at home but failed terribly. So I can only have this outside. Accompany this with iceberg lettuce and celery.

Stir fry kailan with chicken slices and seafood with champignon mushrooms. The vegetables is still crunchy and so green.

Besides that, their other signature dishes not captured in the photos are
Asam fish
Salted fish tofu
Beggar chicken
Free range chicken with bacon, kailan and ginger paste

It's really fast, good and cheap!
We are loyal customers here and we rate it 8/10!
Stop drooling and fill up your hungry stomachs now :)

First time dining @TGIF Pavilion

Believe it or not, we have never tried TGIF before. What?~but we finally got the chance recently. I thought it's going to be just like another franchise but we did enjoy our dinner very much.

Cheese lovers like us can never resist the temptation of fried mozzarella. The cheese is wrapped with Italian breading then deep fried into golden crispiness. Dipped in marinara sauce, it tastes like a modern Italian pizza with a twist.

It's not easy to serve a good burger. There are too many a chance when we had to eat overcooked and dry patties, too much or too little sauce or just bland burger.

But this beef bacon cheese burger will change your perception. One bite is not enough to savor all the gumminess. The bun smells heavenly with butter. Beef patty so juicy and flavoursome that you will ask for more. Combined with crunchy bacon and slightly charred onion rings with melted cheese.

Not to forget they serve a generous amount of children food. These fish fingers are definitely too much for baby Bing to finish. And all the mains came with a generous portion of fries, freshly cut.

There are a lot more varieties, including steak, pasta and seafood grills but we didn't have the stomach for it that particular day. Shall leave those for our next visit!

Feast like a king @Dancing Meat Co kuantan

First chance to have lunch with husband this week. Decided to try out Dancing Meat Co which has been opened for quite some time. Those who have children will know it's not easy to find time to date especially if there's no one else to care for the child. We try to date once a week when baby Bing is with his babysitter.

The place exudes a cosy atmosphere with nice high back chairs. The decorations has a Christmasy and serene feeling.

The counter displays various bratwurst and sausages that can only be found in deli and not your usual hypermarkets.

 The marinated meat also looks so delicious. Not only can you choose to dine in, you can also buy these raw home to prepare a hearty home cooked meal.

We didn't feel too hungry otherwise would have tried their beast worthy meal for 2!

Affogato is one of our must orders when we dine in. They use vanilla gelato instead of ice cream which is a healthier alternative. The espresso shot is strong and goes really well with the cold gelato. Rejuvenating indeed!

The cheese bratwurst is pan fried to perfection with the inside still juicy and the cheese just slightly melted. It's seasoned just the right amount. Well, gourmet sausage is always a tad pricey at RM8.90 each.

This pork steak is pan grilled until it's just cooked in the center while maintaining the juiciness and tenderness with a punch of black pepper. It's very easy to overcook pork resulting in a chewy and hard piece of meat. The sauce is also very peppery hot with the fragrance of thyme and mustard. Very affordable at RM18.90 only for 2 pieces of pork steak.

Chicken parmigiana is a popular Western dish among Malaysians simply because it's glorified fried chicken. Malaysians are just crazy about fried chicken evidenced by the mushrooming of KFC outlets that's always full. One cannot go wrong with a giant slab of butterflied chicken breast breaded, deep fried (albeit slightly overcooked) and topped with tomato sauce and melted mozzarella. Priced at RM17.90, it's really value for money.

All of the dishes came with a scoop of mash potato that's really smooth and buttery combined with gravy cooked in caramelized minced pork. Superb! The portion of coleslaw is really generous using fresh purple cabbage, lettuce and tomato but the it will taste better with more mayonnaise.

We rate this cafe 7.5/10!

Christmas is coming! Personalise your gift using Printcious

It's Christmas in a month's time! Jingle bells ringing. Festive seasons means time to prepare gifts. At my church, it is accustomed for everyone to bring a gift for exchange after the morning service as a sign of goodwill. I also try to prepare gifts for my family and close friends. It is not easy to think of something special after all these years.

If you have read my recent post, I have designed a few personalised gifts using Printcious. I designed a cushion for my husband using our recent family photo taken at Edinburgh castle. He was very surprised and happy at the same time. Now the cushion is placed on my living room couch. Even baby Bing loves hugging the cushion. He can also point to papa, mama and himself when asked.

Later on, I have created 2 mugs for my parents. Shamefully speaking, I haven't given them any birthday presents for some time.

Received them in pristine condition wrapped neatly in layers of bubble wraps. And the mugs are thick walled and of very good quality. Can't wait to look at their response when they get these.

So what should I design this time for Christmas?

Firstly, my sister in law is getting engaged this weekend! How else better can we eternalise this turning point in their lives than to present a memorable personalised token? I am going to keep it as a secret first as to what the design it's going to be just in case she's going to come across this post before she got the present. Just listing out the types of gifts that I can choose to personalise for this lovely couple.

My other idea is get my 2 close cousins gifts with personal touch. We have grown up together but unfortunately we have been growing apart for almost a decade now that I am married and have my own family and monster toddler to handle. Distance makes the heart grows fonder though. Hoping this gift will keep our relationship alive.

Besides designing from scratch, Printcious also provides quite a few ready templates depending on the occasions and types of gifts. So even if I don't plan to use my own photos, I can still add a personal touch by adding texts to my gifts.

Can't wait to celebrate Christmas! Just hoping that there will be no more flood this year so everyone can enjoy the festive season instead of becoming stuck at the evacuation centre. Pray for Penangites!

Use the correct supplements to boost health featuring Lynnity

There are so many health supplements in the market now it can become very confusing for the consumers. How do we know which ones are really helpful/necessary or just sales gimmick? Are they really natural remedies? Or rather, downright harmful? Dr Yingzangel is going to answer your questions today.

Firstly, the Malaysian ministry of health has come up with this brilliant MADRAC committee which has a list of banned supplements and one can report adverse effect of a drug.

Look out for these important certification before purchase. GMP compliance (Good Manufacturing Practice) is an internationally recognized way to ascertain good quality and hygience of pharmaceutical products. It's US based and FDA approved.

HACCP (Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point) is a management system that ensures food safety from its raw material through the production belt until it's distributed to consumers. It's also widely used practice internationally. This prevents hazardous ingredients from being incorporated into food products.

So let's apply the principles on Lynnity Phyto Citrus Blend. Lynnity is a hybrid of functional supplement derived from traditional Chinese herbs using modern technology. It focuses on using phytonutrient so it's definitely vegetarian friendly. Read webMD to understand what phytonutrient is all about. Their products are GMP and HACCP certified.

This Phyto Citrus Blend by Lynnity is a healthy blend of many plants (fruits and vegetables), grains, as well as essential amino acids, vitamins and minerals. Look at the extensive ingredient lists.

Lynnity claims this product is great for bone health and has shown their own research as to how it reduces the level of parathyroid hormone, thus preventing calcium being reabsorbed from the bone into the blood stream. Sounds like a good way to protect one from osteoporosis. It's beneficial as a health supplement to minimise bone density loss.

However, those who have already suffered from osteoporosis and fracture as a result will still need to seek advice from healthcare professionals. Current research is looking at combining calcium and vitamin D supplements with phytonutrients in preventing osteoporosis. Healthcare professionals still don't know how powerful phytonutrient is exactly but it looks promising.

This combination of phytonutrient in Lynnity Botanic Health will definitely help to increase the intake of  fruits and vegetables. These have positive effects on healthy weight, good digestive system and cardiovascular health.

What sounds so great must also taste great in order to encourage daily consumption. I have tried the juice and it's very palatable. It's not easy to eat such a huge combination of plant based food in our daily diet without supplementation to be honest.

Besides food supplements, Lynnity also harness the goodness of essential oil. Their relief essential oil roll on is very handy and can easily fit into the purse or packet for instant relief of soreness.

Relief roll on contains a combination of essential oils as stated in the photo. You can refer to my previous posts about essential oils and coconut oil to understand their potential health benefits and stress relieving properties.

The main ingredient Myosotis Sylvatica flower ie forget me not helps to maintain skin suppleness and reduce fine line

Photo courtesy of container garden for you. Com

 Due to  the stressful nature at work, I really find these useful and safe in relieving mild aches and pains. It's soothing at the same time not burning or stinging unlike most other roll on in the market.

And what's great is that instead of buying through the pharmacy or supplement shop, consumers can now purchase these products directly from Lynnity. This means cheaper price tag! I hope now you all understand more about the benefits of phytonutrient and how to choose health supplements.