So of course, since she's officially the only person allowed to mess around with my hair, I naturally had to be present for the opening of her brand new hair saloon, FLOW Hair Styling. After years of honing her skills as a hairdresser, my cousin has finally opened up her own place to spread the love of cutting and styling hair.

Since I've never been to a hair saloon opening because of obvious reasons (see above: same hairstyle for over 7 years), I don't really know how to start. So I'll try to break it down to a few categories.

The Grand Opening

I don't really know what to say about a grand opening because a grand opening is pretty much self explanatory. So instead, I'll use pictures and captions to make this entire part easier to digest. Picture worth a thousand words and all that. And all these pictures are taken by Tony, so huge, huge credits to him. Check out his page for more pictures from the grand opening.









The Saloon

The first thing you'll notice about the saloon is how incredibly atas it looks. I mean, there's a freaking chandelier in the middle of the saloon, and the whole place is bathed in a sort of warm lighting. It's one of those saloons where you know that you'll be getting your money's worth just by sitting down for your haircut.



I mean, imagine walking into a hair saloon like this...


You'll just know that you're in for at least a comfortable time while waiting for your perm to come out just right.

The Staff

One of the most important things in a hair saloon is how well you bond with the staff. Some people love talking to their hairstylists as they get their hair done. Waiting for your perfect perm can take a long time after all. You can be pretty sure that the people at FLOW will be more than happy to engage in happy banter with you, because "service with a smile" is one of their core attributes. Trust me on this.


The Services

Of course, another important aspect of a hair saloon is how well the staff will actually do up your hair. In the end, how beautiful a saloon doesn't stand up to how well your hair makeover is done. You can be sure that your hair will be in good hands at FLOW. After all, almost all the staff members have had years and years of training (my cousin worked at a top hair saloon franchise for 10 years before starting FLOW). Here's an example:


But you can't really just look at the pictures. You need to go try it out for yourself to see what I'm talking about. Here's a list of all the services available at FLOW, for your convenience.


The Location

Now that you know what services FLOW offers, it's time to head down there and check it out for yourself. Reading my scrawls on this blog post won't necessarily get you a fantastic new hair makeover. So here's a handy little map for you to follow.


Otherwise, a GPS will always be your best friend in these situations. Just look for FLOW Hair Styling.

So if you're looking for a hairdo, why not try out and let your hair FLOW? Or let FLOW flow your hair...? Okay, I don't know what I'm saying anymore. The nice people at FLOW might know what to say though, so check out their Facebook page for more offers and deals in the future.

Cheerios!

When being complimented, it's quite common to turn up the shy factor. Reddened cheeks, a shy smile, a glance away. That's the normal reaction to being praised. This is also to show that you're a modest guy who is able to take a compliment without being seen as a showoff.

#4 The 看牙不看眼 (literally See Teeth Don't See Eyes)

#3 The I-Totally-Deserved-It


For those moments when you really feel like you deserve the compliment. For me, this happens more than I would like to admit. Hey, I'm never one to back down from a compliment.

#2 The Overly Emotional


Praise comes in all forms. When someone I really admire praises me for something I have done, I tend to fall into an emotional state of uncontrollable weeping. This may scare some people though, and they'll think twice before lavishing praises on you in future.

#1 The Oh-Stop-It-You


Or, "No, don't stop. Please NEVER stop praising me."

Cheerios!

So imagine my surprise when I was invited to attend the Tune Hotels #RoomerHasIt Pajamas Party at the newly opened Tune Hotel in KLIA2. Since it is a pajamas party, all the guests were required to put on and flaunt their best pajamas. I pondered upon this dilemma for a bit, and then decided to go for the Korean celebrity style of pajamas-wearing.

So basically, wearing a hoodie and board shorts with nothing underneath. I regretted this decision almost immediately as I stepped into the Tune Hotel Courtyard where the party was held.


See, in Korea, the nights are pretty darn cold. There is no such thing in Malaysia. Malaysia nights are as hot and humid as in the day. So wearing a hoodie wasn't exactly the best idea for an outdoor themed party. I could literally feel the sweat dripping down my neck and down my bare body. It was as though I had a fever, and I never felt less like going to sleep in my life than on that night.


But the party itself was great. Many people came dressed in proper pajamas (see, top and bottom) while some just came in shorts and slippers. I also saw 2 Minnie Mice, a Godzilla, a samurai, a couple of kampung dudes in sarong, and a lot of Stephen Chow films-inspired landladies.


No one came in their birthday suit, which was a shame because that would have won all the prizes.

There were performances by Eugene See and Melissa Indot to pump up the party, though their music was far from the kind that puts you to sleep. Oh, and Youtube sensation Elizabeth Tan also took the stage; her voice leaving me in a cocoon of joy. I literally forgot how hot I was in my firecoat pajamas when Elizabeth was singing. And yes, I was almost serenaded to sleep, which suited the party very well because of the comfy beanbags scattered all around.


There was also a DJ at the end of the party, DJ Faith, who made sure we (and the rest of the unfortunate guests staying over at Tune Hotel that night) wouldn't get an ounce of shuteye.

Somewhere along the line, I was also given a rough facial by Godzilla. None of that is innuendo.


Okay, enough about the pajamas party for now. I have to plug the newly opened KLIA2 Tune Hotel for a bit too. You know where the new KLIA2 is? Good. Tune Hotel is located about 10 minutes walk from KLIA2's main terminal. It's one of those places for weary travellers to lay their heads while waiting for their red-eyed flights. The lobby itself is a sight for sore eyes; a sprawling minimalist design which can even please the staunchest of designers.


Contrary to popular belief, the KLIA2 Tune Hotel rooms are quite spacious. I've heard horror stories about how small and cramped the rooms can get, especially the door-to-bed radius of absolutely nothing in between. The room could fit in myself as well as Miao and his hamster friends Wafu and Pafu, without too much trouble, and there was plenty of space left.


That's saying a lot, seeing that Miao loves dreaming about food. Ahem.

I've also heard rumors that Tune Hotels was notoriously stingy with their services, and that almost everything is pay-per-use, including extra towels, pillows and even the freaking TV. I just want to clarify that it is NOT the case here in the new Tune Hotel. The TV had a pretty wide range of channels, the water didn't turn cold 5 minutes into the shower and our one day only WIFI didn't die for the whole night. Hell, I even saw this hairdrying service provided absolutely free of charge*


*You must remember to bring your own Sue Ann for this free service to take effect. 

One of the best things about this new Tune Hotel is that it is literally minutes away from a skymall. And it's a pretty impressive skymall at that, with pretty much everything you need all in one place. The new KLIA2 mall is so insanely huge, you really should be at the airport 3 hours before your flight in case you get distracted by all the pretty things on display, or just because your legs can't walk fast enough.


The good thing about Tune Hotel being so nearby is that almost everything is at your convenience. Literal doorstep.

Now excuse me while I plan out my own pajama party where everyone is given a pillow at the beginning and forced to fight each other for the right to have dinner. May the odds ever be in your favor.


Cheerios! 

Ever since I watched The Prestige, I have been fascinated with the behind the scene workings of a magic show. I mean, for me, the curiosity of wanting to know how the magicians did their trick far outweighed the "magic" of the show. So I was reasonably excited when I was invited up to Genting Highlands for Peter Marvey's Magician Without Limits show. Before I go any further, I just want to thank Resorts World Genting for the chance to attend and try to figure out how magicians do their thing. 

I went into the show fully hoping to catch Peter Marvey on wires, or something that wouldn't blow my mind. I was looking for The Prestige, the hook of his show, the trick behind his magic. My scepticism was met with one of the most insane magic shows I have ever watched. I forgot all about disproving the magic as I was drawn into tricks where Peter Marvey freaking separated himself into half...

...lit sharpened spears on fire and launched himself into the box where the spears would freaking go right through him...


...and somehow swap places within seconds with his hot assistant/dancer even though he was wrapped up in chains.



And that wasn't even the kicker. The kicker was the trick called DreamFlying, which is literally what it means. Peter Marvey can levitate people, objects and himself. I was looking for the wires throughout this entire segment, but when I couldn't find any, I just settled back and just marvelled at the man flying around the stage.

I'll admit one thing. I was blown away.


Trust me on this, you'll need to prepare yourself for the mindblowing tricks that you won't be able to understand/comprehend until the next morning. Believe me, I've been through that. If you want to experience the magic for yourself, just head to this link for all the information you may need: http://www.rwgenting.com/en/entertainment/2014/petermarvey/index.htm.

After spending the whole night trying to figure out the trick behind the magic, the next morning's activity allowed for my overheated brain to finally cool down. Literally, because it was -6 degrees in SnowWorld Genting, where we would be shown the brand new The Story of ALLICE (pronounced ALL ICE or Alice because logic).

Since this was my second time in SnowWorld, I'm not going to focus so much on describing it. You can read about my last trip to SnowWorld here: http://leonhart90.blogspot.com/2013/02/white-snowy-world-at-genting-highlands.html. And yes, the place still looks like this.


Of course, because of the Story of ALLICE theme, there were several changes made to the interior from the last time I was there. For one, there were a lot more Alice in Wonderland inspired ice sculptures like the one here, which is supposed to depict...a variety of household items, I suppose.


But if you're in luck, you can also spot the main characters of the Story of ALLICE, including the titular Alice, the Mad Hatter, the Queen of Hearts and Bugs Bunny. I mean, the rabbit that looks ridiculously like the baby toon version of Bugs Bunny. They'll be braving the cold and just wandering around SnowWorld for your chance to interact with them.



And before I end this post, I present to you, Punny 2-of-Hearts.


More information on the Story of ALLICE can be found here: http://www.rwgenting.com/en/themepark/allice/overview.htm

Cheerios!