:: 311212 ::

Only few hours to go before a new year arrives and I am lying on the bed. If 10 years ago you could already see me somewhere in KLCC but that is past. People change with time and so do I. Today I prefer to be on bed while reminiscing few old memories that are not yet forgotten. Thought of taking Ady to watch the fireworks later but despite the excitement my body is tired. I guess age factor counts and I shamelessly admit that I am getting older and older *cough cough*

Anyway the last weekend of 2012 was good as we managed to have a housewarming celebration for our close family. It was held yesterday and I woke up as early as 6 am preparing and cooking dishes for 14 people. As an amateur it was pretty challenging but alhamdulillah I made it. So the dishes were tomato rice, fried chicken with masak merah, beef kurma, papadum, bread pudding served with custard sauce and apple crumble. As for the drinks, hubby was in charged and he made limau asam boi (dried plum with lime) and syrup.

If I was asked to wrap up 2012 in a single word I would say "challenging". Yes, it has been a challenging year for me as a wife, a mother, a daughter, a worker and also a person. Although I have made it through, no doubt I am praying for a better life in 2013 so I am welcoming the new year with hands wide open. Let us all pray for a better future and of course, world peace. Goodbye 2012. Hello 2013.

Happy New Year!

:: wonderful weekend ::

The weekend that has just passed was well spent with mi familia. I had a long weekend; 5 days break to be exact because I was on leave since Friday until Christmas Day and it was great.

On Friday I spent half of the day with myself. After sending Ady to nursery at 10am I stopped by at our neighbourhood mamak for an early lunch then returned home doing some chores and took a nap. It was a relaxing day, something I really need to rejuvenate my mind and body. Later in the evening I picked up Ady from nursery and brought him to Summit USJ for a mother & son bonding session. Bought him a new toy car and spent most of the time at Chatime enjoying their pearl milk tea with Subway's cookies. Since Ady was due for his 18-month vaccination we brought him to the clinic later for a shot and just like previous ones he only cried for few seconds. It is Ady's last compulsory vaccination as a baby and that indirectly means he is no longer a baby. Huhuhu.

On the next day, 22nd December we went back to my hometown in Labu, Negeri Sembilan for my cousin's wedding. It was great because we got to meet my extended family members and as for Ady, he enjoyed walking and looking at hens and rabbits. After the event we went window shopping at motorbike shop in Nilai and later to Aeon Seremban 2 with my two little sisters.

We spent a night at my parents' house but before we reached home on the next day, we stopped by at Summit USJ (again) to kill time. As usual, Ady enjoyed himself 'riding' his favourite toy car. I don't know what to call it but it is the mini car or animals available in shopping malls where children can ride. It usually moves up down left right and plays song when we put coins or tokens but we are lucky indeed because Ady doesn't like it moving. He just wants to play with the steering and that's it so our coins are save. Good boy! Anyway that day we managed to bought a school bag for Ady. It was his first school bag and he looked like a big boy when wearing it. Nowadays Ady will drag his diaper bag when he sees us arrive to fetch him from nursery so now it is easier for him to wear the bag at the back instead.

On the next day Ady wore his first school bag to school for the first time. Hubby sent him because I was on leave and I got teary eyes when my baby waved goodbye from the car with a smile on his face. My little baby has grown up and mama is emotional about it...huhuhu. After they went off I started having my own sweet time at home and the first thing I did was watching this telemovie called 'Cik Paris Diva Kampung' on YouTube. The telemovie was shown on Astro Prima the other day but I did not manage to watch it and I just knew it was directed by my then MMU lecturer, Ghaz Abu Bakar. It was a chic flic (main character was played by the gorgeous Liyana Jasmay) and such a sweet story but I got frustrated because the ending part was not uploaded. Arrgggh...!

Anyway I continued my ME-Day arranging clothes in my pink wardrobe room. We have moved for a month but that room is still incomplete until today and I don't know why it happened because that should be my most favourite area of the house. Well I did not manage to complete it that day either. Later that evening the three of us spent our time at Mid Valley and for the consecutive time, we still did some shopping for Ady and brought home new tops and pants.

On Christmas Day we spent our quality time as a family and brought Ady out for train ride so he could view the surroundings. We took a KTM commuter train from Subang Jaya station to KL Sentral, strolled around the station and then took an LRT to Pasar Seni station. We then walked to Petaling Street and returned to the station again then went back to KL Sentral and Subang Jaya. It was a good experience and perhaps we should repeat it next time rather than spending a day in shopping mall like we usually did.

It was a wonderful weekend indeed, a perfect weekend at the end of the year and now, the last weekend of year 2012 has already started. Hopefully it is going to be a pleasant one too and a great ending for our 2012.  

Last but not least, allow me to share this pic-of-the-week:

Have a great weekend!

:: ady rifqi is 18 ::

Ady Rifqi is 18 months on Monday, 17.12.12.

God, it has been a year and a half? My baby is getting bigger and bigger and soon I am so gonna miss this moment. Besides his daddy, my little baby is one of the greatest gift ever. Since my last update about him, Ady has learnt a lot of new skills and capabilities. We should thank his nursery for teaching him because Ady could understand simple instructions in Malay and English language ever since he was 16 months. I was so impressed one day when I asked him to get my handphone and he did. Apart from that, other significant development and skills he got so far are:

- At 16 months he was able to grab the hair brush and comb his hair. When instructed, he went and took the brush from the drawer and sit still while we comb his hair.

- Praying together with us. He stand still, do the takbir then sujud and repeat it for few times. He really impressed us when he did it for the first time.

- Previously Ady only knew how to shake his head but now he knows how to nod since he was 16 months. It makes things much easier because then only we know whether he wants something or not. If he doesn't nod, he just said "uhh" to answer the question which also means "agree / ok".

Above: Lazing around in bed

Below: Ady enjoying himself in playland at Setia City Mall

- Ady loves shower time. According to the nanny, when being told it is shower time Ady will go and take his towel inside his bag. He also knows to take off his pants and even his own diapers. Such a clever boy. At home, he always plays with the rubber pipe and 'wash' the toilet or shower himself. He also asked for the cloth brush and scrubbed the floor, trying to be helpful. He also likes playing with the pails.

- Alhamdulillah until now Ady eats most food we fed him. He doesn't mind spicy food but not very keen of fruits. He could drink from cup since few months back but only recently learnt to drink with straw. He can eat by himself actually but at home I only give him finger food. Sorry for that baby, but mama couldn't stand mess...huhu.

- His love for iPad still continues. These days he could handle it much better and independently; swiping the page left to right and choose any app he wants. He still likes watching nursery rhymes either on the tablet or tv. He knows how to turn on the tv hen instructed us to play the nursery rhymes. We have 20mb broadband at home now and he surely knows how to fully utilise it :-P

Ady and car steering - they are inseparable!

- If Ady wants something he will come and pat us lightly, looking at us with a cute face then point at what he wants. No way we could say no. Good strategy, eh.

- Yeah, he still talks in his own language but few weeks ago he said "ama" (his voice is cute) few times because he really wanted me to carry him. Unless he wants to convey something, Ady is usually quiet at home. Recently he has learnt to shout with high pitch when he doesn't get what he wants, which is quite annoying. Other than that, he is always the sweetest boy. If he knows how to talk, he must have asked a lot of questions because when ever we are outside the house, he likes to point everywhere and babble a lot.

Moments.

- Ady loves playing with the cats. He laughed every time our cats ran from him. Sometimes he chats with them or stroke their back. Actually he likes Ginger the most and I have seen him kissing Ginger few times (Ginger also kissed Ady) but Ginger doesn't want to stay at our new home. He keeps on going back to the old neighbourhood which is few blocks away. So sad. 

- Nowadays Ady shake hands and wave good bye to our families and friends. He recognizes who is Tok Wan, Opah, Atuk, Nenek and also his aunties and uncles. 

Showing his shopping skill - something he surely adapts from his mama :-D

At 18 months Ady is still clingy, especially with me. Sometimes it is quite tiring but this moment would not last forever so I always say to myself to cherish this moment as much as I can. Spending beautiful moments with my own son is just priceless. Thank you God.

"I love you, baby!"

:: all set for world domination ::

So, do you know who this person is?

In case you never seen him anywhere before, allow me to introduce this evil shizzle Dr. Evil from the famous trilogy, Austin Powers. 

I should not start writing about Austin Powers because that movie is one of my all-time favourite other than the American Pie (ok, please don't judge me :-P). Anyway, I could write a lot of stuff that could only be understood by those who have seen Austin Powers as frequent as myself and I'm telling you the frequency level is quite high because back in univ days, there was this period of time where I watched the movie every single day after returning back from class which my roomates who are my current bffs could easily verify this fact. Although the hero is Mr. Austin Powers, my interest was not him as I preferred the bad guy instead, no other than the egghead Dr. Evil because I found him funny and sweet in an evil way.

Dr. Evil cloned himself in a mini version which he called Mini-me but he also got another son, Scott Evil aka. Scotty-Doo. I believed every criminal has a soft spot and for Dr. Evil, he always try his best to be a good father especially trying to get along with Scott who is a teenager. I used to memorise a lot of quotes by Dr. Evil and among my favourite and memorable one is from this scene:

Scott: Why did you run out on me?
Dr. Evil: Because you're not quite evil enough. Well it's true! It's true! You're semi-evil. You're quasi-evil. You're the margarine of evil. You're the Diet Coke of evil. Just one calorie, not evil enough.

Anyway, there was a commotion after that and later Dr. Evil grabbed a big globe and said directly to the camera "The world is mine! The world is mine!"

Yes, Dr. Evil is obsessed with world domination from the beginning till the end and as one of his die hard fan, this is a must-have for me when I first saw it on display:

It's a plain notebook by San Francisco Coffee and now, I am feeling like Dr. Evil himself. All set for world domination!

:-D

I think San Francisco Coffee recently hired new advertising agency and as Creative Multimedia students, Nor and myself could not stop from noticing it because the idea of using catchy statements in their campaigns (and also on napkins) is just awesome. Apart from the one I got, there are two other versions; in black and in white cover with different statements. The notebooks are sold in conjunction with the holiday season for RM17.90 each and they are like 'hot banana fritters' (laris macam goreng pisang panasss) so if you're interested, hurry and check it out at the nearest San Francisco outlet.

p/s: the Mayans predicted world to end this Friday, 21.12.12 and people keep on discussing about it. It's only two days away so what say you?
As a muslim, I would say we all have to be ready for death anytime, anywhere because death is unpredictable. Wallahualam.

:: pastel friday ::

Yeehaaa...Friday is finally here!

Nothing much to share except this pic of what I am wearing today...

Cardigan - no brand

Basic tee - Dorothy Perkins

Skinny jeans - Dorothy Perkins

Necklace - MNG but that pink pompom is from a Diva necklace

Flats - Bonita which has been revamped with DIY pompom

I know I look like a lolipop or paddle pop rainbow ice cream but I like it. I have been wearing black or dark shades everyday since last week so I decided to wear something colourful for fun and pastel is just purrr-fect. Earlier this morning I already took out the gladiator heels to match this outfit but I ended up wearing flats because I have not wear flats to office for quite some time already and oh my, my feet feel so light! ...and I feel so short! Hahaha.

Currently I am crazy over coloured skinny jeans and so far, I have this mint green, red and cobalt blue. It is fun playing and experimenting with colours but sometimes it is quite challenging to find the right combination so whenever I am in doubt, I just Google "how to wear ...". Yeah, that's a tip for all of us who are always in doubt but it's ok, mister Google will try his best to give the solution. For mint jeans, most popular combination would be with white but I always wear mine with other pastel colours like coral or pink and yellow as above.

So, what's next?

Nothing else.... just enjoy your weekend, peeps! :-)

*keywords: how to wear mint skinny, what to wear with mint green skinny, how to wear mint

:: strawberry crepe ::

Durian crepe? Overrated.
Now, say hello to these pink fluffy pillows...

...and they are strawberry crepe.

Not bad in taste but a bit sour due to strawberry used. Thank you Nor for sharing the treat. So what's next? Rambutan crepe? Jackfruit crepe? Pineapple crepe? Do surprise me :-P

p/s: this post is done while battling the traffic

:: third h&m opening soon ::

"Hey, have you heard?"

The third H&M store in Malaysia opens this coming Saturday, 15 December 2012, 11 am at Paradigm Mall Kelana Jaya.

Now the store is getting nearer to moi. I like~! 

I have joined the first flagship store launching day madness so I am going to skip this time, but for those who like to queue for the opening, here is what you are going to get:

 Good Luck and Happy Shopping!

*keywords: h&m malaysia, h&m paradigm mall

:: goodbye scars! ::

Five months ago my skin was infected with shingle. It started with a pimple like bump and burning sensation on the eyelid but later spread to the forehead and above. It was painful but the most worrying part was when Dr. told me how dangerous shingle is and how it could affect my eye sight. Alhamdulillah, after a week and a half the entire thing dried thanks to expensive drugs that was prescribed by that Dr. from SDMC. He told me one box of pills cost somewhere around RM500 so I have to say thank you to TM for covering the medical bill :-D.

Anyway, after the infection went away another problem arised because I was left with dark scars on the forehead. It was hard to ignore them because they were (obviously) there the entire time, on my face and could not be covered. I even received remarks from colleagues who thought they were scars from hot cooking oil because yes, it did look something like that.

Please pardon my "toya" looking face

Here is another pic to show you how bad the scars were. You can still see them even with make up...arghhh!

So to cut the story short, I came across Cosmoderm and their beauty advisor who is also my childhood friend recommended me their Vitamin E Oil 15,000 iu which is suitable for face area (the other version; 30,000 iu is suitable for other parts of the body.) After constant application I could see the scars slowly disappeared and after almost 3 months the entire scars were gone!

p/s: pic was taken with no filter or digital alteration

It is amazing and I am so happy because there is nothing to hide anymore. After looking at the result, I honestly recommend Cosmoderm Vitamin E Oil to those who are looking for product to remove scars. Please bear in mind that recovery time frame may vary from a person to another, but there is no harm in trying. Now, I have nothing else to say except for "goodbye scars and thank you Cosmoderm!"

*keywords: cosmoderm vitamin e oil review

:: november photo a day ::

I could not believe December is already here. Due to pack schedule my November went away in rapid but this particular activity I came across from my friend (Balqis) instagram will be able to remind what I have done through out month of November. It is a photography challenge activity called 'November Photo A Day' where we have to post a picture a day according to theme given as below:

I love taking photos so this sort of challenge made me excited because it gave me something to look forward to. I am not a good photographer but on Instagram I always try to snap a pic from a different angle rather than just point and shoot because to me, Instagram is a place where I could show some artistic value that has been rusting inside me.

Let's get straight to the point and here are thumbnails of all pics I have taken through out month of November.

Out of all, the one I least favour is for Day 18 - happened this weekend. It was the weekend where we started moving out things from our old house to the new home and we were very busy so I only managed capturing those items at the back of the Innova. No artistic value at all... gahhh.

This is not a contest and nobody forced me to do it but it was really fun. I am not going to stop yet and shall continue with 'December Photo A Day' as a countdown to the new year. Let's join me folks and if you may, follow me on Instagram - @yatoque.

Have a fun-filled December!

:: durian crepe fever ::

Durian crepe aka. durian pancake is currently famous on the cyber world, especially on social media space. I am not sure why but I was quite surprised with the sudden craze because I have been introduced to it since a year ago. My BFF Nor used to buy it during our lunch visits to Mid Valley and she said it tasted good. I am a person who loves eating durian but only the original flesh. Tempoyak is ok but I don't like durian ice cream, dodol durian or even bubur durian so when Nor introduced me to the durian pancake I immediately rejected (sorry for the rejection, babe :-P)

*image source: google*

One day few months ago I went to Mid Valley alone during lunch and intended to buy something for my colleagues. Since one of them does not favour donuts or cookies I somehow remembered about the durian pancake and bought a pack of six (6) at RM10. After taking a bite I realised I have been missing something awesome because that yellow little thing tasted really good. It was like eating a rich, seedless durian flesh. I know many have tried making their own homemade durian crepe but for those who are curious to taste without making it you can just buy from this booth located between Mid Valley and the Gardens. Remember to close your mouth while burping because the durian smell is very strong :-D

Sumptuous Desserts is at the Lower Ground floor in between Big Apple and CIMB Bank / Chatime. I could not remember what is the exact shop opposite the booth but I believed it is still easy to find. When I was on my way to Chatime from Mid Valley just now I could see the empty display booth from afar. There were few ladies standing around there and from their body language they were waiting for the durian pancakes. Honestly, all these while that display rack was never ever empty. I have been to Mid Valley many, many times and it was empty for the first time thanks to the current craze. Anyhow, durian season is here so if the durian pancake is sold out just head over to supermarket to buy the packed flesh or stop by at roadside for king of fruit galore.

Writing about durian reminds me of roti canai durian at Armada Hotel Petaling Jaya. That one is also scrumptious and I recommend you to taste it. It used to be available during lunch time and can also be ordered during tea time. As for now I better stop writing because one durian is waiting for me outside and I am going to have it for supper. Goodbye!
*keywords: where to buy durian crepe, where to buy durian pancake, durian crepe kuala lumpur, durian crepe mid valley