Getaway for the 3 of us...

These last few weeks had been quite hectic for me. I decided to have a weekend getaway for us.

Me and hubby searched for the best place for a getaway. Among our ideas were:

• Genting - cheap but can be quite boring if you don't want to play at theme park, plus we cannot take our car
• Boulevard - which is our fave hotel but hubby said it was boring, as we don't want to do any shopping
• Bukit Bintang - too hectic
• somewhere near river - no river provide any proper accommodation

So, at the end, we decided to go to Port Dickson. I wanted a modern hotel but not that expensive. At first, I wanted to try Avillion or Legend Water Chalet but the attraction is just the chalet on water, nothing else plus it will be quite dangerous for Eya. So, after a few surfing session, I chose Avillion Admiral Cove.

My first impression was the hotel has good location. The hotel environment was nice and the room is great. We booked the deluxe room for it king-size bed, while the pangkin daybed is actually a single bed. So, the room can fit 3 person nicely.The only downside was the room was not carpeted and we have to walk quite a distance, took the stairs if we want to go to restaurant or the swimming pool.

Talking about the swimming pool, me and hubby discovered something new of Eya. A hotel patron lent Eya his baby's life jacket. We noticed that Eya was very confident in  the water using the jacket.

She could walk on her own in the pool, dive into the water and float on her own using the jacket. It was something that she could not do before.She showed hubby some beginner techniques in swimming. We were quite puzzled as she didn't start her swimming class yet due to her hospital episode this month.

We asked her if she did learn it from school and she said yes. So, we thought that maybe she followed her friends to the swimming class but just practiced it on land. We were happy and surprised that our baby now is confident in the water.

We could not wait for her to start her swimming lessons next week.

As for hubby, he tried the Segway, which is a cool ride. We got it free as it came with the hotel package. THe ride cost RM35 for 10 minutes. The Segway costs about RM32K, which was made available in Malaysia by some Datuk. It can only be found in Avillion and Langkawi.

 Both hubby and the trainer name are Rizal, and both from Taiping

As for the short vacation, overall everything was great. Looking forward for another one soon.

LL Family Trip to Penang + Adib + Broc

Me and Kaklong had planned for this road trip a few months ago. The exact plan was to visit relative in Mata Ayer,Perlis. The plan was made as we did not attend a cousin's funeral last December. This cousin was one of our favorite cousin who had worked and lived in Langkawi. Every time one of us visit Langkawi, he will be our tour guide and treat  us to a lavish dinner at the hotel he worked. So, to make up for that, we decided to visit his parent.

 Our trip began on Wednesday night, and arrived in Mata Ayer around 6 a.m. After we had lunch at their house, we traveled down to Penang. We stopped at Pekan Rabu, Kedah as we never been there. we bought kerepek, asam jawa, all the normal stuff people buy there.

We managed to get to Penang around 6 p.m. and checked in into one of the apartment in Batu Ferringhi. As the Indians were celebrating Thaipusam, almost all hotel were fully-packed. After we freshen up, we went to our ultimate goal in this trip, to eat nasi kandar line clear.

It was 2nd time for my along + kaklong and first time for adib and broc. At first, adib told us that the nasi kandar was ordinary and nothing special but after a few hours, the taste kick in and he admitted that line clear was the best nasi kandar he ever had.

 So, in total we ate at line clear for 3 times before we went back to KL. We also tried nasi kandar beratur which was so famous for its long queue. The only difference with line clear is their rice is fluffy and delicious, but line clear still won my heart for its curry and fried chicken. So, nothing can beat my love for line clear.

And if for those who are new to nasi kandar line clear, make sure your rice is being served by an old guy wearing sarung as he is the best.

 As along is regular HRC visitor, he managed to get us in for free to see the live band. Only wearing slippers and did not have to pay cover charge, it was a great way to watch live band performs.

My family also went to try kuetieaw goreng doli in Taiping, hubby's hometown as we stopped by at MIL's house. The place was so packed that we have to wait a while before we got the table.

Overall, it was  a good trip but for me any trip with LL clan is the best for me.

7th Anniversary

Yes, we have been married for 7 years. Time flies so fast.

So, this year, we decided to celebrate it at our favourite destination, Penang at Hard Rock Hotel, which is also our obsession. We booked the hotel quite early as the earlier you book, the cheaper you get. As our anniversary is almost end of year, most hotels will have peak rates. So, to cut cost, we decided to celebrate it a week earlier.

I booked the opening rate promotion, and it is still cheaper than the promotion rate. We also got a framed CD as complimentary gift, saying that we are the 3271 visitor to Hard Rock Hotel Penang. The frame was quite big, which why I love it so much. We're going to hang it beside our shot glass collection of HRC.

The hotel is located at the end of Batu Ferringhi, after Rasa Sayang. The moment we laid eyes on the hotel, we fell in love with it. It looks marvellous and amazing.

I never expect the hotel to be crammed up with people. The lobby is next to the swimming pool, so everybody hang out at the lobby. Once you checked in, you will be given 2 complimentary drinks, which I never experienced before.

I also notice that their staff wears shirt, bermuda or even crocs. I hate them for having such a cosy, relaxing working environment.

The hotel look brand new and you can feel the HRC aura anywhere in the hotel. We got a room facing the sea, which is a gift for us since we booked the one without the seaview. We were given a seaview deluxe, which was supposed to be more expensive. An unexoected gift for our anniversary, I presume.

The hotel furnishing is simple. I expected the bedspread to have the HRC logo but it was plain white. The room is equipped with iPod docking station, DVD player and a LCD tv. We even can enjoy the live band from Hard Rock Cafe directly from our room. Everything about the room was nice for me. I love the bathroom so much, which features an opened or closed bathroom wall.

The swimming pool is like a waterpark. You have slides, water gun, etc. Eya loves the swimming pool. She even can play with the sand beside the swimming pool.

 
As it was our annual trip to Penang, we didn't forget to have our usual dose of nasi kandar Line Clear. The moment we reached Penang, we went to have our nasi kandaq before we checked-in to our hotel.  Some people doesn't really knows how to enjoy  it. There were 2 couples beside us and it seem they were new to it. They ordered everything from ayam goreng, squid, prawn and the guys could not even finish his rice as he couldn't stand the spiciness of the curry. Hubby laughed at it since Eya can eat the curry chicken.

However, when we had dinner with hubby's friend, he told us that nasi kandaq beratoq was much better than line clear.We went to look for it and its fit its name, nasi kandaq beratoq. There was a loooong queue for it and it opened everyday at 10 p.m. Next time we going to Penang, this nasi kandaq will be our top priority and hubby has to be the one queuing up.

So, to hubby, I love you so much and thanks for sharing your life with me....

Bangkok Trip I

Bangkok trip was meant for my family vacation. My big, extended family. We purchased the ticket during the RM1 promotion by AirAsia last year. I thought everyone will go but due to the H1N1 break, only 7 out 0f 14 went for the trip. Nevertheless, it was a great trip and experience for all of us.

Planning

I was the trip planner. Once I bought the tickets, I started surfing for the trips. I searched on the best map, accommodation, transportation and anything that was related. After a few month research, I found out the best for everything was:

Map: Groovy Map for Bangkok
A complete, easy-to-use map that cover everything. My sis bought it from MPH Midvalley.

Accommodation: Samran Place
Budget hotel that near to Halal food, nice staffs and got a high ranking in Tripadvisor.com for its range.

Transportation: A mix of BTS, Boat, Tuk-tuk and taxi.

Shopping: Will be covered below.

The real itinerary

4/8/09:
Our day started with departing to LCCT. Our dear Chu brought us there. My flight was supposed to depart at 6.50 but we arrived at LCCT around 2 p.m. We did not take the same flight as mom and abo was in the earlier one at 4 p.m.



We hang around the LCCT, had a light meal at a very expensive Marrybrown. Although I hate anything that is associated with any celebrity that I hate, I need to put that aside as there was no any other cheap food. (Tips: The celebrity name start with M) If I had the money, for sure I will have my hot chocolate at Theobroma.

Exactly at 6.30 p.m., we boarded our flight. It was Eya's first time in a flight. She was not that excited as she thought it was just another mode of transportation.

We arrived on time and searched for mom and abo. Once I found them, we started searching for taxi to bring us to the hotel. They had public van but we were unsure what they meant by public. So to be safe, we took the airport limousine, but due to our number, they give us van. The van was so great, and it was large. It can fit 10 people, I think. It was called Toyota Kommuter. If they sell it here, my mom was sure to buy it.

The traffic was horrible although it was 9 p.m. The first thing we did after checked in was thinking what to eat for dinner. Although the halal food was opposite of the road, we were afraid it was closed and being just a small lane, maybe we could get lost finding the food.

So, me and hubby being an adventurer, we proposed to have dinner at the hotel. We asked for squid and shrimp fried rice. Mom ate fish and chip. Luckily, it was nice.

5/8/09:

Our first plan was to visit the Grand Palace.There was no bus or BTS directly to get to the pier. So, the best option was to take BTS to Saphan Taksin and from there, we would take boat from Sathorn, the Central Pier. The boat ride only cost 1.30 and we took the orange flag ferry.



The Sathorn pier was N1 and the stop for Grand Palace is at Tha Chang, N10 so it was quite a boat ride from me. I was not a fan of any transport that is related to water. Thats why I stayed near to the life jackets in the ferry.

From the stop, we need to walk a little bit before we arrived at the Grand Palace. We need to pay 35 per pax for the entrance fee. If you took any tour service, it will cost you the cheapest of RM70 for the trip to the palace.

The GP was quite a big area. Due to the hot weather, we just briefly visited some of the main attraction and left the palace.



The next plan, was to have lunch. So, the only thing I could think of, was halal food at MBK. The food was great but pricey. For fried rice, it was 80baht and for something like nasi paprik, it cost 150 baht. Food was expensive here even if you go to stalls. I love the Iced Milo there. It was heaven.

We rest at the hotel before going for dinner at Ali Selatan. The owner is a Kelantanese. All the halal food you find on Zabihah.com can be found here at the street. The food was marvellous and the sirap bandung was great.

The next plan was to go for Suan Lum night market. So we took BTS to Silom but failed to find the market at the Lumpini Park. So, changed plan to visit Patpong night market. It was similar to Petaling Street. If it just the both of us, I would go to see of the night show but as I went with family, I cancelled the plan.

The market is located in the middle of Patpong 1 street, so when you were walking, you can get a glimpse of whatever happened in the bar. I managed to see some pole dancing and girls doing their show. However, in the Patpong rate, it was still considered a decent view.

So, as I read that Patpong night market is expensive, I did not buy anything. Once we arrived at our hotel, we had a foot massage at a place beside it. It was cheap, just 200 for an hour. The guys tried the body massage for just 200 baht.

That was my trip for the 1st 2 days. Will blog the second part of the trip later.

p/s: Pics will be included later.

Keds and lot of bracelets...

What was the happiest shopping moment during my trip to Bangkok?

Its when I discovered Siam Paragon does sell Keds shoes. I love flat shoes, in fact, now I have 6 of them . Mostly are Nike as they have nice flat shoes. So, once when I was web surfing, I found out that a US brand, Keds produce flat shoes.

So, I tried to ask hubby to persuade his friend in US to buy it from me as the brand is not available in Malaysia. But, his friend will be there for 5 years, so I need to wait for some years before I be able to wear it.

I never thought I could find it. So, during the trip, when I found Keds is being sold there, without any hesitation, I decided to buy it. The choice was not that many but I bought one. Even my lil sis bought one for her. So, now I have an extra pair of Keds.

The two pair of Keds...

The other highlight of my trip was to Platinum Shopping mall where I found a small shop selling bracelets. This shopping complex is known for it wholesales trade so mostly everything are cheap. All the bracelets and necklaces is similar quality and look to Diva's and DP merchandise but with very low prices. Usually DP or Diva bracelet cost about RM20 for the simplest bracelet but here you can get one for only RM3. So, I bought every colour of bracelet that I could find. It was such a happy day for me.

Now, I have complete collection of every colors for my bracelet combined with a few from my sis. Even my bracelet tree could not handle all the weight. I need to find a new tree for all those new bracelets.

6th Anniversary and counting...

Its our 6th year wedding anniversary. Usually, we celebrated it in KL but this year we wanted to go somewhere else.

The decision was to go to Penang. It was a little bit different this year as we brought along mom and adik with us. It will be a normal family vacation as we still havent fulfill the 2 times visit to Penang this year.

As usual, we will go to eat the famous 'Line Clear' nasi kandar at Jln Penang. It is custom for us everytime we in Penang to come here. We did nothing special. All we do is eat and eat. We sampled Sunshine Char Kuey Teow and the usual, nasi kandar.

We also went to Toy Museum in Batu Ferringhi. It was amazing to witness how a guy could buy all that toys. His collection was good but need better arrangement and a little bit of tidy up. I wish I can work part time for him and arrange all the toys neatly. It cost us 10 per pax to enter the museum but it was quite worth it.

Overall, it is nice to celebrate 6 years of marriage with someone you love dearly. Thanks, abang for the great, wonderful 6 years we spent together. Need to work out plan for next year anniversary.

Eya @ Zoo Taiping

Hubby's hometown is famous for the Zoo Taiping, which offered the first Night Safari in Malaysia. We have been waiting to take Eya there as she really loves animals. We couldn't take her before as she was still young and it was not suitable for her.

We went there on Saturday but had to cancel the plan as it was really crowded. Even the parking was full. Instead, we took Eya for a stroll (in the car) around the lake. We planned to try the next day, as it was Sunday and a lot of people may have planned to go back to KL.

At first, we were afraid that Eya might spoil the plan as she is a late-riser. Luckily, that day she woke up quite early at 9 a.m. I quickly bathed her, give her breakfast and prepared her things.

The zoo was not that crowded and we decided to go in. I bought us the tickets, RM 5 each and for Eya it was free, as she is below 3 years old. It was quite hot that day and the best way to venture the zoo was by the mini-train.

We had to pay another RM3 for the train ride but it was quite okay as we did see all the animals. Eya was not that keen at first as she didn't really recognized the animals. She was quite excited when she saw small ponds and plants. Yes, my daughter is a flora lover.

Then, she saw animals that she knew and she became really excited. Some of the animals she noticed was birds, bears, tigers (they are fatter now!), lions and 'kucing batu'. She really loved seeing the bears and birds.

After the train stopped, we didnt stroll on our own as it was noon and it was really hot. But, we were glad that we brought her to see all the animals. She is truly an animal lover just like her ayah.

Where are we during CNY??

The last time we went back to Taiping was during Hari Raya. Hubby has been planning this trip since then. Every long holidays is reserved for balik kampung trips.

We had learned from our mistakes last year so this year, careful planning was done to avoid the same thing happened again. (We were on the road for 8 hours because of the terrible traffic jam on PLUS).

At first, we planned to go back 2 days before CNY but I had to attend my project presentation at the last minute. So, we brought forward the 2-day leave to next week. It was a long holiday, 6 days in total.

We drove back quite late in the afternoon as it was so damn hot that day. Hubby would surely fell asleep if he was to drive in a hot sunny day. Eya, as usual, would fall asleep everytime she entered the car. It was so easy bringing her here and there as she is so easy to deal with.

The journey was quite smooth, with only traffic jam between Behrang and Slim River. We arrived at Taiping around 9 p.m.

We didn't have anything planned for this 'balik kampung'. Our only target was to have a long-nice-stress free holiday, and we did achieve that.

All we did was watching tvs as it was CNY and they showed a lot of nice Chinese movies. We ate a lot, either having mak's cooking or went out.

Eya proved she was one of the clan by sleeping past noon. Just like what her cousins did, wake up nearly noon. Then, she have her brunch, played with bibik, watch tv, had her nap, eat again, sleep.

We went back to KL on Monday, as to avoid the bad traffic jam. After this, no more trips back to Taiping as Mak will come to KL for several months. We only have to go to my SIL's home to visit Mak.

Cuti-cuti Malaysia

The trip to Langkawi was our first family trip with Eya, together with mak, nini, abo, along and kaklong. We started our journey around 10 p.m. and Along drove the first leg of the journey. Eya got the best seat; I laid down her comforter and she slept throughout the journey.

We stopped at Penang at 3.00 a.m. as hubby, along, abo and Nini wanted to watch the semi-final between MU and AC Milan. I knew that MU would lose the match as everybody in the family watched it, especially hubby. And if hubby watch it, I knew MU will definitely lost. Eya was the only baby inside the mamak restaurant and the four of us were the only women inside it. It was a weird scene for all the restaurant patrons.

Then, when the score was 3-0, they decided to continue with the journey. We drove through Penang Bridge as it was Kaklong's first time in Penang. The toll fare has increased to RM12 now (before it was RM7).

We arrived at Kuala Kedah around 630 a.m. We unloaded the baggage and I went to purchase the 7.15 a.m. ferry tickets for Rm18 per head. (Cekik darah betul). Eya and me slept throughout the journey. We arrived at Langkawi at 830 a.m.

We went to pickup the van I arranged earlier and straight went to have our breakfast. We searched high and low for any sign of food and managed to find one. I thought it was some sort like a Langkawi special food, it was like nasi minyak and ayam merah, and it was for breakfast.

After all the tummies was filled, we went to the TNB bungalow, unloaded our stuff again and everybody slept.

After we all were refreshed, we went out to have our lunch at 4 p.m. We called Ardy, my cousin who is working in Langkawi to be our guide. He brought us to some stalls in Kuah and being very generous, he paid for our lunches.

Then, kaklong and mak wanted to go to 'Idaman Suri' to buy, yes, you guessed right, pinggan-mangkuk and periuk belanga. This was what all of us bought there:

• Kaklong: Corningware sets
• Mak: Corningware sets
• Me: Visions sets (for hubby, he's the cook)

I wanted to buy a Corelle set but the stock in Langkawi was the old ones. They didn't sell the new design that you can find here. But, I think thats good. Else, I will spend more money to buy all the pinggan-mangkuk sets.

After all the shopping spree, we went back to the bungalow and get refreshed. We ate 'ikan bakar' for our dinner. For a full table of 8 adults, menu comprising of:

• Ikan pari bakar
• Ikan loban bakar
• Ikan kerapu 3 rasa
• Sotong goreng tepung
• Sotong goreng cili
• Udang goreng cili
• Sayur kailan ikan masin
• etc...

the price was around RM160. It was nice but the restaurant was a bit weird for me. Their tv showed Animal Planet and at that time, it was a show on snakes. Eeeee....weirdo....

Then, we send Adi back to his home as he is working the next day.

I woke up quite late as it raining heavily last night and Kaklong and Nini were preparing breakfast. Our menu for that day was nasi goreng sardin and egg sandwiches with hot tea and cold crysanthemum tea. All the ingredients were purchased last night after our dinner at some grocery shop.We had our breakfast at the balcony with the perfect view of seas in front of us. After the breakfast, we relaxed and enjoying the sea breeze.Later, we went out just to do some shopping. We stopped first at the cable car and just strolled around it. The fare was expensive, RM25 per person and being someone terrified of height, of course I wouldn't go on it. Then, we went to pick Adi and went to Kuah for some more shopping. Along and abo bought variety of cigarettes. Some of the brands was not available here. John, Toz, Peel, Double Happiness, Perdana, Black Devil, etc....They bought a box to try and if it was good, they will buy a carton of it. The rest of us, did chocolate shopping. Kaklong who was a chocoholic bought a lot of them. As for me, I only bought a bar of Cadbury Breakaway and hubby, a bar of Cadbury Real White Chocolate. Some of the chocolates also are not available here, including the local brand.That night, we had our dinner at City Bayview hotel, courtesy of Adi. We had Chinese dinner and it was very nice.During the dinner, Eya did an exorcist stunt to me. She puked on me and I was thoroughly wet. Luckily, there was not that many people in the hotel. Eya was not that well that night and was restless through the night. She must be very tired from all these trip. Pity her.....

Adi took a day off to spend some time with us. We checked out at 11 a.m. and went to Jetty to return the van. We had our lunches beside the lake and spend the remaining time before our ferry sail off, window shopping in the jetty point. The chocolate was RM2 more expensive and even Bread Story was expensive here.Our ferry left at 2.30 pm and we were so sad to leave Adi. I really hope that he come and visit us in KL.We arrived in Kuala Kedah at 5 p.m. and continued our journey to Penang again. . Before this, we use the bridge but as Kaklong wanted to experience to ride in a ferry, we went to 'pulau' by ferry.This time, I was going to eat nasi kandar 'Line Clear'.It was not because of Aswad, AF5 that I knew line clear. I started eating nasi kandar line clear even before I was married to hubby. Abg Zul introduced it to me a few years ago and since then, I was addicted to it. The stall its beside Chowrasta bazaar, the place where you can find buah pala and jeruks. I been wanting to eat there since I knew that I was pregnant with Eya. My mom always like to said that Eya is drooling because I couldn't eat nasi kandar 'line clear' when I was pregnant. Even Eya loves its curry. BTW, Eya loves curry. At first, I thought she couldn't handle the spicy taste but she really likes it. A true Northern man's daughter.After the early dinner, we continued our journey back to KL. Halfway, we stopped at Taiping as hubby wanted to see his mom. We got refreshed and MIL served us Kuetiau Goreng. We arrived in KL at 3 a.m.Its the best holiday I've ever had since Abah had gone. Its because I experienced it with my mom, siblings, and of course, my own family, hubby and Eya. Looking forward to the next one....

Retreat at Country Heights Resort

Me and family went to have a retreat at Country Heights Resort in Kajang. My cu has this special privilege card that gives him the some free stays at some places, which includes this resort.

For us, its feel the same like home. Nothing special as it was too close to our office and the area is so familiar to us. For cu, it gives him the chance to relax from his business and of course, the chance to indulge in his hobby, fishing.

To go to the resort, we had to go through some houses. As it was at the country heights, the houses was so majestic, huge and mansion-like. I wondered who are these people. How come they become so rich?

We spent the day watching tv, eating satay from Kajang and chatting with each others.

As for Eya, she really proves she a good girl. Even though, we didn't bring her buaian, she can still sleep. And this has been going on for some days. I just put her on her bed, sang her some lullabies, pat her and walla, she sleep. Good for her, as its easier to bring her to any where now.

p/s: Cu just bought a house in Bandar Sg Long. Its really a nice home to live in. It going to be ready by Feb 08.