:: puisi pilihanraya ::

I may not post any entry regarding Malaysia's general election but this flyer caught my attention:



Hubby found it in our letterbox and I laughed while reading it. Who constructed those sentences especially that finishing line "Satu Malaysia hanya satu Mr. Gan Meng Foo"?

I reserve my comment but one thing for sure the message sounds desperate to me :-X

Anyway for those who have registered as voters, please check your details at www.pru13.gov.my. Voting day is another week away on 5 May 2013 and as a Malaysian citizen voting is part of our responsibility you know. Just choose wisely and cross the box. May the best party wins!

posted from Bloggeroid

:: family vacation 2013 part 3 ::

>> PART 1 <<

>> PART 2 <<

Fuhhh... I have finally come to the last part of our family vacation story and here goes...

On Friday, 29.03.2013 we arrived back in Hong Kong from Shenzhen and checked in at the first hotel we stayed, the Newton Place Hotel. When we went to Shenzhen we did not bring the entire luggage because the hotel offered luggage storage service for only HKD10 per bag so we retrieved back our bags and had our lunch. During the vacation we actually brought together a mini rice cooker, a multipurpose kettle, instant noodles and a lot of Brahim's packed dishes so MIL cooked rice and we all ate in the hotel room. After Zohor prayer we went out to explore the city for the last time so we decided to go to Victoria Peak. From the nearest MTR station, Ngau Tau Kok we had to change the train route once and stopped at Central Station. From there we had to walk up the hill (around 10-15 minutes walking distance) to the Peak Tram Station but surprised to see such a very long queue. The Peak tram is somehow similar to the hill train at Bukit Bendera, Pulau Pinang but due to time constraint and long waiting we decided to go up the hill by cab. Despite the experience, it is more cost saving to travel by cab because the fee was around HKD50 per cab whereas a single journey adult ticket by the tram cost HKD28 each and best of all, we managed to reach the top faster and skipped the extremely long queue.

On top of the Victoria Peak there were two buildings located in opposite of each other. One is The Peak Galleria, which is a shopping mall and another is the Peak Tower. In the Peak Tower visitors could view the entire Hong Kong from its sky terrace but we went there because we wanted to go to the Madame Tussauds. An adult entrance ticket is HKD190 but you could buy it in advance from their website and get 10% discount (HKD171). Since we came in a big group we asked for group special price and luckily we got the 10% discount too. Madame Tussauds Hong Kong is very small if compared to the one in London. It was my second visit there so I happily offered to be the photographer and let hubby posed with the 'celebrities'. I only posed mostly with those who are still unavailable during my previous visit such as Robert Pattinson (who doesn't look much like him), Kate and William, Donnie Yen the IP Man and my favourite Lady Gaga. Ady was asleep when we entered the gallery but he was so cheerful after he woke up. Normally he does not like to take photo but that day he was smiling when he peeped through to become the face of a sumo guy.

Hubby with Karen Mok, Andy Lau and Aaron Kwok

Bottom left is myself with Robert Pattinson. Errr I think I prefer Edward Cullen. LOL.

...and here are more photos of us with the 'celebrities'...

After spending few hours on The Peak we went straight to the shopping area in Tsim Sha Tsui which cost us more than HKD100 per cab due to heavy traffic. Tsim Sha Tsui is shoppers' paradise for international brands like Chanel, LV, Longchamp, Burberry, Gucci... just name it all and it is there. For your info branded goods in Hong Kong are duty free so they are said to be cheaper than Malaysia even after currency conversion. I could not do any direct comparison because I did not do any research before the vacation. I bought a handbag though but I have not time to visit the boutique here yet so I am not sure how much the difference is. During my first visit to Hong Kong I did buy a Coach handbag (I never have enough handbag LOL) and it was around RM300 cheaper than Malaysia so I supposed it shoud be cheaper also this time.

It was already late in the evening but we still insisted to do a very last minute shopping before saying goodbye so we took MRT and went back to the first place we visited earlier, the Ladies Market. It was nearly 11 pm when finally returned to the hotel. I slept around 3 something in the morning packing our luggage because there were a lot of new things and these are among the stuff we bought during our 6 days vacation in Hong Kong and Shenzhen...   

Truly a shopper's paradise! ;-)

We arrived Malaysia in the evening of Saturday, 30.03.2013. It was a great, memorable family vacation and I will be glad to visit Hong Kong and Shenzhen again in the future.

***

THANK YOU FOR READING ABOUT MY JOURNEY

With that, I would like to give a fridge magnet / bottle opener from Hong Kong to three (3) lucky readers.

Just write "I WANT A BEAR" in the comment section below with your name and email address before 12:00 noon, Wednesday, 24 April 2013 and I shall pick the lucky winners by randow.

Item will be delivered to your address by post (for Malaysian residence only.)

:: prince of my heart ::

Top: 06.04.2013  |  Having his favourite Chatime milk tea at The Curve

Bottom: 10.04.2013  |  In the car on the way to school

Ady is 22 months (young) today. My little baby is no longer little! His set of teeth is almost complete and he can also walk, jump, run and dance but until today he still could not talk properly -_- He babbles a lot in his own language though and only say 'nah' (here it is), 'nak' (want) and 'ba' (bus) but he could understand instructions and what people are talking about so I am still not worried because I was a late talker too. Nowadays Ady is more independent and ever since coming back from Hong Kong he is such a happy fella. Since we travelled a lot on bus, Ady is now a big fan of the transportation. He likes holding our London double decker bus fridge magnet and points at bus when ever he sees one.

At times, Ady can play on his own. He really loves car and likes to stack his collection of cars (he got 26 new mini toy cars during our 6-days vacation!) or being a cook at his kitchen play set. Writing about this reminds me about list of how to bring up a child according to gender that people shared on Facebook and one of it stated do not let boy playing girl stuff such as cooking. I would say different people have different opinions but to me, allowing a boy to role play as a cook does not change his gender or personality. Even today many famous chefs are guys and most of them are straight, so I guess what is wrong with cooking for the boys? Unless you let them play with make up or let them wear skirts and dresses, then that is a different story. We bought the kitchen play set in Shenzhen for only Yuan120 (around RM60) and Ady's aunty Dibah, who is my youngest sister also likes playing with it when ever she came to our house. Apart from that Ady also likes riding his mini cars. He has two cars, one is a gift from Opah and Tokwan and another is a gift from his own Papa. If he has a playroom in this house, I bet it is already full with toys. We do control the purchasing though so he would not be too pampered and used to get everything he wants.

Like other children, Ady loves playing at the play ground too especially with the slide so we have now become regular customers at kids gym or play area available at any shopping mall we visited. If we are too tired to hang out at shopping mall we just bring him to the nearest McD and let him play with the slide there. So far the best kids gym we have been to are the one in Setia City Mall and Mid Valley. Both are paid ones with wide range of facilities but these days many shopping malls have prepared free play area for the kids and so far we have been to those in Sunway Pyramid (in front of Cold Storage), The Curve and also in Giant USJ.

He is still into nursery rhymes but he has started to appreciate cartoons on tv. Almost every morning he watches Disney Junior and among his favourites are Bananas in Pyjamas, Jake and the Neverland Pirates, Mickey Mouse Club House, Timmytime and even Hi5 but I noticed that he does not fancy Agent Oso. Nowadays Ady does not play with iPad as often as before. Since 3 - 4 months ago he already knew how to operate any touch screen gadget and play YouTube by his own which is good enough to me. I prefer him to play with the toys to stimulate his senses and broaden his imagination. I could not wait to teach him to draw, well if he is into it-lah. As for now he is more like his father but that is good too. That reminds me to buy a new set of toy hardware tools for him so he could be a handyman, just like his Papa :-)

Ady loves car so much and he rides a Bugatti Veyron :-D

Nowadays trip to the shopping mall is quite tiring for hubby and I because we have to use a lot of energy to curb Ady from running around. He does not like to sit in the stroller so we still takes turn carrying him most of the time or let him walk. We already bought a leash and made him wore it few times in the shopping mall but instead of controlling him from running around to unnecessary place, I ended up running together with him! The leash defeats its purpose so we already stopped using it. Moreover in this country public still could not accept child wearing a leash so imagine how many stares (and even bad remarks) we got. Hmmpph.

For 22 months Ady has been accompanying me every single day without fail and my life has been cherished with his smile, laughter, crying, screaming and shouting. As a woman my life is complete with a king and a prince, and I thank God for such blessing. Alhamdulillah.

Happy 22nd month birthday sayang! No word could describe our joy for having you in our life. Mama and Papa love you so much, and you are always in our doa.

*BIG hug*

:: hubby + wifey ::

♡ ♡ ♡

14.04.13

A pic of us taken by my lil sis at Tapah R&R earlier today and we were both wearing tees bought in Hong Kong Disneyland. Although we are going to celebrate our 4th wedding anniversary in June, this year marks our 10th year anniversary in knowing each other. Back in the days neither of us imagined how our life would be in the next 10 years but today, it is far beyond expectation.

My life is cherished with a soulmate and a son; and for that I thank the Almighty for His blessing. Thank you too to my other half for the endless love and care. My life is incomplete without you and may this relationship stay strong till eternity ♥

posted from Bloggeroid

:: family vacation 2013 part 2 ::

So let me continue my story on our recent trip to Hong Kong while it is still fresh in my mind. For those who have missed the beginning, this is a continuation to this previous post.

On the third day, 27th March 2013 our family went for the Hong Kong city tour as arranged by the travel agent. A bus fetched us from Disneyland Hollywood Hotel and brought us back to the city for breakfast at a halal kebab stall. City tour started with a visit to Hong Kong's famous landmark; the Bauhinia Square. It was located next to Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre by the riverside of Victoria Harbour and there lies a huge golden statue of the blooming bauhinia flower which is a gift from the central government in commemorating Hong Kong's handover by the British to China. There was nothing much to see actually but a visit to Hong Kong is incomplete without visiting the landmark so after taking a number of photos we then continued our journey to see the other part of the city at the Repulse Bay area.

Victoria Harbour is a famous landmark but it looks ordinary during day time. The view is a lot nicer during night time because the buildings are colourful with lights.

The Repulse Bay is beachside area where luxury properties are located and to accentuate the fact, the tour guide showed us Jackie Chan's house, which is located on top of the hill. In Hong Kong cost of living is very high and properties are very expensive. The tour guide told us that average income is around HKD15,000 but monthly rental fee for a small size apartment is around HKD8,000 and above excluding utility bills. Even their 600ml mineral water was sold at HKD5 the lowest and maybe because of that we hardly see people loitering around the city doing nothing.

Can you see Jackie Chan's house? Emil, the tourist guide said he does not own the entire building though, only an area of the building because the property is very expensive (but Jackie Chan is already super rich isn't he???)

We spent 20 minutes at the Repulse Bay because again, nothing much to see except taking photos. The next stop was much better though as we were brought to see the old version of Hong Kong at the Aberdeen Fishing Village. Back in the days hundred of years ago there were a lot of fishing villages in Hong Kong where people lived on fishing boats but due to modernisation majority of them were transferred to land by the government except those in Aberdeen Fishing Village who insisted to spend their entire life there. We went for a boat ride to see the actual fishing village because Emil said the entire fishing village will be gone someday when the pioneers passed away so better see it before it becomes history. It cost HKD50 per person and it was not included in the tour package because fee has to be paid directly to villager who ran the boat. In our case an auntie ran the boat but too bad, she was unfriendly and sulking most of the time. On the way to the small fishing village we passed by this huge floating restaurant named Jumbo which is famous for its location and decoration; and also a marina where tycoons parked their luxury yachts. Meeting beauty then the beast. How ironic.

Journey on the boat. Wanted to share pics of the floating village but no nice view of it.

Visit to the fishing village did not end our city tour session as we were then brought to visit a diamond factory shop and also a souvenir shop. Well you just can't escape visits to such stores where tour guides get commissions so layankan ajelah and after that we were then brought to an Indian restaurant for lunch before they sent us to train station for Shenzhen, China. It was only a 45 minutes ride on a commuter train to the last station in Shenzhen and we had to pass both immigrations before meeting Julie, the tour guide there. It was a bit of a nightmare especially for lil sisters-in-law because we had to drag our heavy luggage for hundred metres and down the stairs to the van but alhamdulillah we went through it :-) The first place we went to was a Chinese Muslim restaurant where they served a seven-course dinner. The food was good because some of them were spicy, just like what we normally had in Malaysia so we really enjoyed the dinner. 

Shenzhen is a big city with 17 millions population. It is a huge and a modern city because most manufacturers are located in Shenzhen so the street was busy even until midnight. Similar to Hong Kong, their cost of living is very high too and it was sad to hear from Julie that she would not be able to have a child some time after she got married next year because they would not be able to raise one due to high living cost. Even to get married, her fiance has to prepare a house and a car, give a set of jewellery to the wife and the mother and also Yuan80,000 which is equivalent to RM40,000. Haiyo so expensive! You would not be grateful until you hear such story, so thank God for such wonderful life we have in Malaysia. 

In Shenzhen we were staying at this place called Green Tree Inn which I sincerely would not recommend others to stay if you are looking for 'travelling in style thing' but thankfully it was located near the Dong Men shopping area - only a mere 10 minutes walk to what I can describe as a shopping haven. In Dong Men, the lingo is China brands or unbranded goods. Full stop. But that is the place where you could find pretty shoes at Yuan40 (RM20), handphone cables at Yuan10 (RM5), powerbank at Yuan65 (RM32.50), decent tops at Yuan25 (RM12.50), chic necklaces at Yuan40 (RM20) and many, many more at very low prices. Crazeyhhhh!!! I was so crazy until I did not know where to start and until today I still regret for not buying some of the stuffs. Gahhh... 

We did not snap a lot of photos in Shenzhen because we were too busy shopping. Above is the shopping area in Dong Men district and group photo was taken in front of our hotel.

On the next day we went for compulsory visits to a jade store and a ginseng store but we managed to skip visiting Splendid China because we wanted to go shopping. Splendid China is similar to Mini Malaysia where we could see the entire China and its cultures. I have been there before and I know my family would not regret it. After lunch we were back at the same street we went the night earlier, hunting for more goods and bargains. Later in the day it was a bit challenging for both of us because Ady was already tired and bored. Just for info we did not bring any stroller because we knew it will be wasted so we took turns carrying Ady through out the 6 days vacation. We ended our shopping spree, returned to hotel before 6 pm and later had our dinner delivered by Julie. I already surrendered to shop but mother-in-law was kind enough to babysit Ady that night so guess what, we returned to the street again for a last minute shopping. Ha-Ha-Ha.

Ok enough is enough. That laugh marks the end of our visit to Shenzhen and on the next morning we were sent back to Hong Kong to enjoy our last memorable day in the city again.

*TO BE CONTINUED...

p/s: next post will be the last of the trilogy and also comes with a giveaway ;-)

:: my daily makeup kit ::

Clock wise from left above:

1. M.A.C Studio Fix foundation powder (NW25)

2. Cosmoderm Perfect Sunscreen & Flawless Foundation (02 - Natural Pink)

3. Topshop Crayon for eyes (Whisper)

4. Topshop Crayon for eyes (Ramble)

5. Topshop Kohl (Coal)

6. BareMinerals Ready Eyeshadow 8.0 (The Finer Things)

7. M.A.C Archie's Girls Pearlglide Intense Eye Liner (Black Swan)

8. Lip Ice (Strawberry)

9. M.A.C lipstick in Frost (Bombshell)

10. Stage Wonderkiss Lipcreme (06 - Thrill)

11. M.A.C Paint Pot (Morning Frost)

So what is inside your daily makeup kit?

p/s:

I wear makeup to office everyday but everything is done inside the car either while driving, stuck in traffic or while parking at the roadside :-D

:: family vacation 2013 part 1 ::

I was away to Hong Kong last week for a long awaited family vacation with my family in-law. It was Ady's first experience travelling on a flight and he deserves 4 out of 5 stars for behaving well (despite few tantrums here and there). The journey from Kuala Lumpur to Hong Kong took us almost 4 hours and we reached Hong Kong in the afternoon of 25th March where the weather was quite chilly around 20 something degree. It was my second visit to the city actually because I have been there once in 2006 with my family but everything pretty much looked the same. Ground package was arranged by the same travel agency like we had last time named Roystar Travel but this time we were staying at the Newton Place Hotel which is better than Panda Hotel where I used to stay earlier. Later in the evening we went to Mongkok area by the MTR for a shopping spree at Ladies Market. There was a long stretch of stalls selling a lot of things mainly souvenirs, bags, clothings, toys and craft items; and bargaining is a must in order to get good price. It was drizzling that evening but we still managed to shop for a number of stuff which is not bad for a first day in the city.

On the next day we were transferred to Disneyland Hollywood Hotel to stay for a night there and of course, a day trip to the Disneyland itself. Too bad the weather was gloomy and it was also raining once in a while but still, it did not stop us to have fun. Disneyland is an amazing place where everybody should enjoy no matter young or old so let me share our excitement through these photos...

Disneyland is a colourful place so the three of us purposely wore cobalt blue pants ;-)
Mine is from Zara meanwhile Ady and his Papa were wearing H&M 

We wanted Ady to enjoy the ride but too bad he felt asleep when we were queuing for the carousel

We only took photo with Pluto, Goofy and Mickey Mouse (not in the picture). Since it was raining, characters did not roam around the park :-(

We had our lunch at a halal restaurant inside the Disneyland named Tahitian Terrace but the food was only so-so. Besides the carousel I only rode a raft to the Tarzan Island and Runaway Mine Ears roller coaster but I still enjoyed the day and so did our little boy. I guess I can go back to Disneyland again and still enjoy myself because in one word, the place is magical. We did not wait until the park closed but the closing fireworks could still be seen from our hotel room. I have to say that Disneyland Hollywood Hotel is a very nice place to stay and I woke up feeling rejuvenated on the next morning. Too bad we had to check out early on the next day for Hong Kong city tour and a trip to Shenzen later in the evening which I will share in the next post.

Inside and around Disneyland Hollywood Hotel while waiting for the tour bus

*TO BE CONTINUED .....

:: new blingz in da houz ::

New necklace collection bought and received within one week. 

It is not easy to be a lady you know *alasan* :-P

1. Layered multicolour necklace from Dorothy Perkins (thanks to Nor)

2. Pearl blingz bib necklace from Shenzen, China (thanks to mother-in-law)

3. Mint green teardrops necklace from Shenzen, China (self bought - thanks to myself)

4. Black crystal beads bib necklace from Shenzen, China (thanks to mother-in-law)

5. Neon pink daisy bib necklace from Shenzen, China (self bought)

p/s: All Diva outlets is having sale now. It is worth to have a look because this time the items are pretty and colourful. The collection is a lot better than the previous sale. Selling price for each sale item is RM9, RM13 or RM21.

p/p/s: I'm still thinking about the pastel purple and the colourful pastel garland necklaces I saw in Diva Mid Valley yesterday. Are they still available for me? Now, as I wrote earlier it is not easy to be a lady *_*

p/p/p/s: I still regret I only bought that two accessories in Shenzen. Luckily my MIL bought another two when she was doing her shopping. Now I want to go back there again. Hwaaa!