my life. my story.

:: drink with style ::

2012-03-02T13:58:00.001+08:00

One criteria (out of many) that shows my womanhood is my interest towards kitchen appliances. I may not cook as often as others but I still go "ooh and ahh" over kitchen gadgets especially the awesome ones. Previously I was so into knives and after having few pieces of Zwelling J.A Henckel's I moved on. The latest item in our kitchen is the Philips handheld blender/mixer/chopper, which is really good and I love it to bits. I have no intention to add more kitchen gadget until my visit with Nor to Coffee Beans few days ago.

Have not been to Coffee Beans for ages because we usually prefer to hangout in Starbucks. Apparently these days they also sell stuff related to coffee. They got coffee maker but I'm not interested with that. Instead, I was eyeing on the milk frotherer and excited to find a handheld one, priced at RM55. I found it awesome because I can replicate the similar frothy hot drinks at home like what we usually had at coffee houses so I said to Nor, "this is in my wishlist this year".

Yesterday with Nor again, we went to Daiso The Curve to get supplies for my craft projects. I have this love-hate relationship with Daiso because I lost my beloved cat, KiKi due to their incompetent cashier but I like their wide range of products that are only priced at RM5. With hand full of fabrics, we went to the kitchen appliances area and my eyes were glowing seeing a pink handheld milk frotherer. My goodness! Why must splurge when there is a steal? I bought it of course, saved myself RM50 and already crossed an item in my wishlist. I was so excited to try it so last night, I made hot Milo for hubby and myself with a froth milk on top:

Nice? Thanks to this lil thing here:

...and this was taken earlier this morning...

Love it to bits!!!

posted from Bloggeroid

:: it's leap day ::

2012-02-29T23:54:00.001+08:00

29th of February only comes in every 4 years. Planned to write a special post in conjunction with this special date but it was quite a busy day at work so plan only remains as a plan. Thought of snapping and publishing photos of what I ate through out the day but:

1.) I was too hungry during breakfast (had nasi lemak with milo tarik at riverside).
2.) I only remember to snap pic after the entire plate of rojak (except tauhu) already gone during lunch meeting.

Anyhow, I still got one highlight of the day and that is a farewell hi-tea celebration for my subordinate who got transferred to another unit but still within our division. Due to tight schedule we ended up eating at Secret Recipe in our office building. Our team consists of four including me so it was just like eating together but outside the usual office environment. This time around and maybe because I was still full from the rojak, I remembered taking a pic of what I had.

A plate of prawn & mushroom macaroni with cheese, a slice of chocolate fudge cake and a cup of white coffee.

Plates and cups were cleared and I was so full but surprisingly my tummy got hungry again so I had a 'dinper' (dinner + supper) at midnight; rice and nicely cooked chicken dish by the best mother-in-law in the world. I still could not figure out how the chicken was cooked but it was awesomely delicious! Not a tiny regret for having a plate of rice with chicken in the middle of the night, but again no picture too. Now it is clearly shown that my mind can easily forget things when my tummy is desperate for food.

Okay enough talking about food and get back to the leap year subject. In case you didn't know, old Irish tradition allow women to propose for marriage on leap day and men who turned down the proposal must pay a penalty if he refused the marriage. Interesting, eh? Too bad all my single friends (and their partners / crush) are not Irish though...haha.

Happy Leap Day peeps!

posted from Bloggeroid

:: i can stand! ::

2012-02-28T23:57:00.001+08:00

posted from Bloggeroid

:: garden of roses ::

2012-02-21T20:36:00.001+08:00

Question: What is your favourite flower?

As for me, the answer is rose. I have rose image or pattern as handphone wallpaper, bed sheet set and even clothings because I love the spiral pattern of the petals. While searching for tutorials online, I found tutorial on how to make rose from felt cloth. I got very excited and decided to make another bib necklace (I'm crazy over bib necklaces!) so here let me introduce you another Phattgurll Accessory product, the Garden of Roses.

This bib necklace has all my favourite elements: roses, pink colour and combination of pink and green. Now, let me pop you with another question, "Will you wear one?"

p/s: thanks to Mrs. Priss for the tutorial :-)

*keywords: felt bib necklace, diy bib necklace, pink bib necklace

:: no bake cheesecake ::

2012-02-20T14:43:00.001+08:00

Today I am sharing with you an easy peesy way to produce a creamy, delectable cheese cake without much hassle and procedure, thanks to an ex-colleague (Kak Shikin) for the recipe and tutorial class 2 years ago.

1. Ingredients:
     - Kraft Philadelphia cream cheese
     - Nestle cream
     - Condensed milk
     - Cheddar cheese
     - Marie biscuits

2. Combine cream cheese and cream together.

3. Pour 3/4 tin of condensed milk into the cream mixture.

4. Beat all three ingredients until well-mixed.

5. Spread a thin layer of cheese mixture on the base of the casserole.

6. Organize Marie biscuits until casserole base is fully covered.

7. Spread another thin layer of cheese mixture on top of biscuits layer.

8. Organize Marie biscuits to make another layer.

9. Either repeat step 7 & 8 or just pour all cheese mixture on top of the second or third biscuits layer. Grate cheddar cheese on top and refrigerate for few hours before serving.

Frankly speaking I am not a cheesecake person because I prefer chocolate among all but this cheesecake is exceptional because it is creamy but not too cheesy, yet very addictive. You can be more creative by adding oreo crumbs, fruits or any other ingredients on top. Simply delicious!

*keywords: easy no bake cheesecake recipe

:: my best memories with tm ::

2012-02-16T23:37:00.001+08:00

At first, I felt impossible to write about my best memories with TM because my mind automatically associated TM with the Internet as they are the main internet provider in this country through Streamyx and Unifi. I could not think of any significant memory I had while using the internet so I thought a bit further. Due to technology and media advancement these days many people including myself might have forgotten about the existence of fixed line phone. Back in the days fixed home line was a necessity and the sole service provider in Malaysia was no other than TM or previously known as Jabatan Telekom then Telekom Malaysia.

Fixed home line has sentimental value in my life because it reminds me of my childhood. It was 1991 and I was in standard 4 Raya when I knew my best friend, Riza Azwani. We first met when we were playing jumping over string of rubber bands, which was a hit among girls that time. We became classmates, sat in the same group and we just clicked. Apparently we had a lot in common from having the same hobbies (which is collecting stamps), being the only child, fans of 4U2C and many more. We spent most of the time at school together whether in the class or in the canteen or anywhere else and we talked a lot to each other. Honestly, we were very talkative and we did not stop at school. Riza stayed at her aunt's after school until her parents fetched her after work while I went straight home by school bus.

We used to have this phone model at home

I do not know how we did it because after spending the entire day at school together we could still talked to each other through phone calls. We usually made agreement before either one of us left by saying "nanti aku call / nanti ko call tau" (I'll call later / call me later) and our activity begun after we had lunch. Not only weekdays, our storytelling activity also happened during weekends too. We were not worried about the bills because (#01) we did not pay them and (#02) we stayed in the same state so our calls were listed under local calls with cheaper rate because they were charged according to units (#03) phone numbers were not listed in local calls unlike national calls so we were safe! Yet still, our parents did warn us if we made most of the call outs so we had this lil tactic. To show that we are receiving call instead of making call out, one of us will call and said "call aku nanti aku call ko balik" (call me and I'll call you back) when the 'coast is clear'. Intead of hanging up the handset, the first caller had to hold the black button on the telephone and wait for the phone to ring for several times to alert everyone about a coming call. The receiver then released the black button, said hello, end the call by pushing the black button again and call back. Phones were ringing at both sides so both of us were safe from getting scold. Clever or not? :-D Not sure whether you could understand the entire process but that is one of our best kept secret for 20 long years.

Riza was my maid of honor and I was hers. We have planned that since school.

There was this time when we heard a third party voice while we were chatting. It was a crossed line and the pakcik was saying hello. I somehow answered him and acted like I knew him while Riza stood silence at the other end. I acted like a grown up but obviously the pakcik noticed I was playing around so he got really mad and scolded me, and I immediately hanged up the phone. That was a silly one but I have many other sweet, bad and even weird experiences associated with fixed home line because I was an avid phone user since primary school until univ years. By the way, Riza and I have been friends for 21 years this 2012. We may not talk to each other as often as before but we do keep in touch once in a while. May our friendship last forever and thank you to TM for connecting us.

You may have better experience with TM and its products but as for me, reminiscing my chidhood by associating it with fixed home line is my best memories with TM

:: more premium outlets coming soon! ::

2012-02-13T15:19:00.001+08:00

Hello peeps! How's your Monday so far? I started the day early for the World Bloggers and Social Media Summit 2012. It is happening now at PWTC and I'm blogging from here. Will write about it later but as for now I wanted to share about one awesome thing I heard from the 7:00 am news on Radio Nasional (previously known as Radio Muzik) this morning.

Just to let you know that Premium Outlets will come to Melaka and Sepang soon. It was told that Melaka Premium Outlet will open by end of this year but they have not confirmed about the one in Sepang.

Ok, have to get back to the forum. For all Shopaholics, save your $$$ from now for Melaka Premium Outlet and Sepang Premium Outlet keyh. Bye!

posted from Bloggeroid

:: gadget freak alert ::

2012-02-08T23:35:00.001+08:00

Ady Rifqi will be 8 months in the next 9 days. How time flies! Haven't update much about him lately but despite a number of milestones he has already reached, he has also shown interests towards gadget. Don't believe me? Just take a look at these photos...

Not only that, he also loves playing with handphones and remote control too. Typical boy!

Ah, not forgetting...he is so into this one thing too...

CAR STEERING

"let me drive you, mommy"

Boy will always be boy :-P

posted from Bloggeroid

:: sinful time out ::

2012-02-07T05:25:00.001+08:00

It was 4 something in the morning but I had to stay up doing office work. Decided to have a break from looking at the papers so I went to the kitchen and had this:

My homemade non baked cheese cake.

Few minutes after returning to the hall Ady cried for milk and here I am lying on the bed with a tummy full of cheese cake. Sinful. Very sinful.
-_-

p/s: will share the recipe and tutorial soon.

posted from Bloggeroid

:: colour block bib necklace ::

2012-02-03T23:27:00.000+08:00

Friday is here and another long weekend awaits us. It was a short week to me because myself and others who are working in Kuala Lumpur already had a day off on Wednesday due to the Federal Territory Day. I wish to have more public holiday on Wednesday because having a day off in the middle of the week brought positive impact to me as I felt more energetic hence lead to better productivity at work. I said this maybe because I had a great ME-day on that Wednesday. It was my first ME-day ever since having a baby. Ady's nursery was opened because we are staying in Selangor so I asked hubby to send him as usual. It was only for 6 hours but I managed doing a number of chores and also a craft project - a colour block bib necklace. I have shared this tutorial on how to make pompom felt flower and it gave me an idea to come out with this.....

Colour blocking is the in thing right now so instead of doing it only with tops and bottom, I thought why don't I do it with accessory too. I really adore the end result and excited to wear it because (1) I have always been in love with bib necklace (2) yellow vs. fuschia is my most favourite colour block combo. My hands are itchy to produce more accesories now and I shall call my products 'Phattgurll Accessories'. What do you think?

Anyway, here is my complete look for today: aqua blue + fuschia + yellow = a colour blockin' Friday.

Striped Shawl - bought in Mecca

Bib Necklace - Phattgurll Accessories

Cropped Cardie - ButtonMyButtons

Basic Tee - Dorothy Perkins

Jeans - Levi's Lady Style

Heels - Viki Shoes

Wearing vibrant colours to colour block helps brightening up the day, boost confident level and indirectly gives positive vibes to the wearer. Trust me, go colour block today.

*keywords: how to make bib necklace, easy bib necklace, diy bib necklace, accessory diy, bib necklace tutorial, how to make accessory, cara buat bib necklace, cara buat rantai, felt bib necklace, yellow bib necklace

:: diy noisy cat's toy ::

2012-02-01T23:38:00.000+08:00

It has been awhile since my last cat-related update. After KiKi was gone we actually have 4 + 1 cats at home until today; the four siblings and one street cat who used to be KiKi's 'friend'. I have been planning to write about them from day-to-day but still haven't do it. Well maybe on one fine day I will share a story about them because the siblings: Neslo, Nescafe, Milo and Teh Tarik are already fat and huge now if compare to this:

Pics taken in June 2011

The kittens (yeah, we still call them kittens) have their own dedicated room in our house. They stay inside the room but they have their play time everyday when they can roam everywhere inside the house, usually during midnights after Ady and I are already inside our bedroom. As we knew, cats love to play. Thought of buying new toys for the kittens to keep them ocuppied but cats' toys are quite expensive. Found this interesting pillow shape toy made of fabric with noisy plastic inside, priced around RM10++. It was small and expensive to me for something simple as that so I decided to make something similar at home.

1. I sacrificed a small non-woven bag received from a wedding and a plastic that was used to wrap a souvenir bought in USS.

2. The fabric was cut into square.

3. Folded the fabric into two and sew along the edges.

4. Insert the plastic inside through the open side.

5. Sew along the edge to keep the plastic inside and DONE.

It was just like a pillow. A noisy pillow to be exact because the plastic produced noise and that attracts cats. Cheap and easy.

:: famous for a day ::

2012-01-30T23:52:00.000+08:00

I like watching the Kardashian family shows. Despite their sometimes outrageous behaviour towards each other and sometimes disrespect towards their parents or partners, I still feel they have strong family bonding that awe me. Among the three big sisters, Kourtney is the one I like the most because she is more relax and down to earth if compared to Khloe who is rough and Kim who is more like camera conscious or in Malay 'control ayu'.

I usually look at their photos because I follow them in Twitter and I always like those candid shots, especially family shots of Kourtney, Scott and Mason strolling during shopping or walking on the street like these...

I always wish to have that kind of shots and today, my wish comes true when I saw this...

That is the three of us, appeared in Sinar Harian today. Hokayyy... I know I am not as glamorous as Kourtney Kardashian in that picture but I still like the full candid shot. It is babyAdy's first appearance in the mass media and hopefully this is not the last :-P

By the way, that photo is taken during our visit to Karnival Karangkraf 2012 at Shah Alam yesterday. We went there to check one of the booth after hubby's friend, Eunose told him about it through phone in the morning or else we would not reach there because we never knew about the event at all. Have not been to such carnival for a long time and the crowd was still huge despite the hot weather (yes, agree with the caption). We were there from around 3:00 to 4:00 something when the sun was shining brightly, which explains our squinted eyes...and we also did not notice any photographer nor realise when it was captured.

Nothing much, just a note of thanks to Karangkraf's Sinar Harian for making us famous for a day.

:: a warm housewarming ::

2012-01-29T01:01:00.001+08:00

BabyAdy and I spent the whole Saturday evening with Nor and Fila. Fila who shared a room with me when we first started working then became a roommate to Nor for many years. She is living somewhere else now so she invited us for somesort of housewarming. Nor fetched Ady and I from home after attending a baking class in Shah Alam and the three of us arrived at Fila's place around 3 something. It was a casual meeting and as usual, the main agenda is eating while ~~gossiping~~ chatting.

We were entertained by such a wonderful hostess who prepared us fried bihun, chicken skewer, egg and cheese sandwich, and popia. Nor and I were both starving so we ate like nobody business and because of that we both became very sleepy. We watched an episode of HIMYM and then decided to have tea (well...to keep us awake) while tasting the cheesecake that Nor has baked and brought from her baking class. I tell you, the cake tasted really good. I am not a cheesecake person but I liked it because it was not too cheesy and sweet. Perfect for my liking. Not only that, she also learnt making vanilla cookies that tasted like Danish butter cookies and they were awesomely delicious too. I am so lucky for having BFFs who love cooking and eating. Love you girls! *big hug*.

After having tea we continued watching tv and the two girls were drooling over Neal Caffrey in White Collar. We only watched half of Glee season 3 first episode before we made our way home because it was already 8 something. Anyway, this was what I gave Fila as a small housewarming gift:

A butter dish; and since I am in the mood for making craft projects, I decorated the item with felt pompom and made a pin cushion, placed as a butter. Last but not least, big thanks to Fila for being such a wonderful hostess and also to Nor for the ride, cake and cookies.

p/s: to Rabby and Rynn, hope to see you both in the next meeting / outing. The more the merrier. Peace.

posted from Bloggeroid

:: pompom felt flower ::

2012-01-27T14:21:00.001+08:00

I am in the mood for making craft projects. I actually planned to make satin rose buds but couldn't find any tutorial for the rose buds I wanted. As I clicked from link to link, I found other tutorials instead and some of the handmade flowers are cute, pretty and easy to make. My hands were itching to make one, so last Tuesday night (after making the quesadillas) I managed making the pompom felt flower, thanks to this link. It was so eff-ing easy because items required are only felt cloth, superglue / hotglue and scissors.

How to make it:

1. Cut 1.5 inch wide strip of felt cloth.

2. Fold strip to half . Glue along the edge to stick the two edges.

3. Snip the strip into thin stripes but be careful not to cut all the way through the edges.

4. Cut a circle shape of felt cloth as the base. Stick the strips around the circle and cut off any leftover.

5. Continue sticking the next layer on top of the first strip.

6. Stick another layer on top and decorate the middle part either with another layer of felt strip or with a bead.

This pompom felt flower is cute for headband, brooch, necklace and even shoes. Love it~!

:: homemade beef quesadillas ::

2012-01-26T18:00:00.000+08:00

I have a thing for Mexican food. From fajitas, quesadillas, burritos, nachos, even guacamole to salsa... man, they are all my favourites! I usually ate at Chilis but ever since I came across a stall named Popilla, having Mexican is just like having fast food. If you like Mexican food and never heard of the name, you are missing something because Popilla is one decent stall selling Tex-Mex food namely tacos, burritos, quesadillas, enchilada, mexican rice and nachos. The one in Ikano is just opposite Cold Storage, another in KLCC is in the Signature food court and there is also another stall in Pavilion that I never been to.

I usually have their beef quesadillas set that came with nachos and pina colada, but it is quite difficult to get them because neither Ikano nor KLCC nor Pavilion is near home or office. Since I really like the quesadillas so much I then said to myself one day, "why don't I make them at home?". After reading this post by thepinkstilletos I became more inspired and after a quick visit to Cold Storage last Tuesday, I finally managed making my own homemade beef quesadillas later that night. Here, I am sharing the recipe as my own reference and also for readers, in case you feel like having Mexican at home ;-)

Basic Ingredients:

- Minced meat

- Taco seasoning mix

- Shallot

- Garlic

- Cheese (grated / shredded)

- Tortilla bread

Step-by-Step:

1. Fry 200g minced meat with a table spoon of cooking oil until brown. Put aside.

2. Boil 2/3 cup of water with a sachet of seasoning mix and stir until well mixed. Pour meat into the mixture and keep on stirring. I somehow found some olives and mushrooms inside my refrigerator so I just add them in together with diced shallot and garlic. Thinking of adding diced green capsicum, onions and tomatoes next time. Add pinch of salt and sugar according to taste.

3. Keep on stirring until the mixture is dry.

4. Heat a tortilla bread on a pan.

5. Spread some butter at half side and sprinkle some grated cheese on another.

6. Put beef mixture on the cheese side and sprinkle some more cheese on top.

7. Fold the tortilla and flip. Cook until cheese is melted.

8. Cut into half or quarter and serve with sour cream. Even better with guacamole and salsa too. (here is my easy salsa dip recipe)

Verdict: I was so happy with the outcome. It was my first trial and I was so excited because hubby liked it too. Luckily he urged me to buy the taco seasoning mix or else it won't turn out as expected. The mixture was enough for three tortillas and total cost is way cheaper than buying three ala-carte quesadillas from Popilla. I will surely make them again next time, perhaps with salsa and pina colada. Me encanta la comida mexicana!

:: red is louboutin? ::

2012-01-26T00:58:00.002+08:00

Red is the warmest of all colours and often associated with heat, energy, danger.

Red roses convey love, passion, romance.

For the Chinese, red ang pow symbolises good luck...

...but in world of shoes, red sole is associated with

Christian Louboutin shoes.

The red sole heels might be dream shoes for many shoe lovers. I am a shoe lover too but I chose to ignore looking at designer shoes because I know they all come with hefty price tags. I can consider spending thousands $$$ on a piece of designer handbag but to spend thousands on shoes, well I'm still not rich to splurge on something I wear on the feet. That is a fact I have to endure so I normally buy shoes from ordinary brands, as long as they look pretty.

During an afternoon outing with BFFs at Empire few weeks ago, Rabby mentioned about someone wearing red sole heels. I told her red sole shoes are associated with Louboutins and because of that subject, I 'broke my curfew' and searched about it later that night. Ahhh...red sole heels underneath black or nude are simply gorgeous. I have been thinking about it since then (now, that's why I chose to curb myself from looking at designer shoes -_-) and somehow the Internet gave way for me to own them...

...so say hello to my red sole skyscrapers...

A perfect steal, only RM69 from Kiss & Tell

Now red sole heels no longer means Louboutin :-P

:: kuning itu yellow ::

2012-01-23T23:56:00.001+08:00

posted from Bloggeroid

:: fabulous friday ::

2012-01-20T19:15:00.001+08:00

What I had during lunch at KLCC:

Popilla Beef Con Quesadillas | Nachos | Pina Colada

Starbucks Grande Dark Mocha Frap | Marble Cheese Cake

Maya Cookies

What I got:

Are these true???

Many thanks to Nor for the Starbucks treat, Maya cookies & zodiac necklace.

Fila, thanks so much for ~~joining~~ having something with us ( I don't think Jimmy reads this blog :-D )

:: zombieland ::

2012-01-18T03:03:00.001+08:00

We stepped into Room 280 around 6 pm yesterday and I have been staying inside this room ever since that. Not even one tiny step out of the door. None.
I didn't sleep at all on Sunday night, only slept less than 4 hours last night and my skin already started having breakouts. My body, my mind are extremely exhausted and at this point I don't think I could even solve any math equation.

Welcome.to.Zombieland.

On another note, quick updates on Ady's condition:
- viral trace found in his blood.

- the highest temperature recorded was 40.2 degree at 1:30 am Tuesday. After a bath and medication, the temperature slowly reduced and constant between 36 to 37 degrees until now.

- tiny rashes on the face and upper half of the body appeared since noon yesterday. Doctor said they are 'fake measles'. Look like measles but not itchy. Common in babies and kids below 2 years old. Positive sign to show end of viral fever.

- Ady can discharge today (yeay)

posted from Bloggeroid

:: a special day ::

2012-01-17T05:53:00.001+08:00

17th January 2012
Today is a momentous day. Ady Rifqi is exactly 7-month old on this date and I am celebrating my 31st birthday (that old already? Still feel like 20's though...haha). As usual and practised annually, I already applied one day leave to celebrate this special day. This year it is more special because I can share the joy not only with my other half, but also with my cutie pie mini half. My very first birthday celebration as a mother. Wow.

We came to Sime Darby Medical Centre (SDMC) yesterday afternoon for a follow up appointment with the paedatrician regarding Ady's skin infection last time. Alhamdulillah he is fully recovered after the treatment and especially after we started giving him soy based milk, Isomil so we thought the visit was only to close the case. Actually Ady got fever since last week. It was mild on Tuesday and Wednesday, recovered on Thursday, another mild one on Friday but high during the weekend. He was okay on Sunday night but his temperature increased again yesterday morning so during the check up we highlighted that to the doctor. Didn't expect it, but guess what, the doctor straight away instructed Ady to be admitted because the whole story was not good. She wanted to monitor Ady's condition so now here we are again, back in the paedatrician ward just like 2 weeks ago.

Hubby had to close his shop and take our stuff from home but he was still in time to wish me in person. He never forgets the birthday card and this year the lovely card comes with pictures and the most "signature" so far - from hubby, Ady, our 4 kittens and adopted cat, Ginger. So sweet of you, Bee and me as usual, shed several drops of tears.

At this age I care less about where and how my birthday is celebrated because I am already thankful to be granted with the best gift ever from God. A very loving husband, a cute lovely baby, supportive family and friends, good career and health...all come in a nice package with a big bow. Alhamdulillah, syukur. Although no outing to shopping malls or dinner in fancy restaurant like before, it is still a nice, memorable birthday. With His blessing, I wish for continuous happiness and health through out the year so I could write another birthday message on this date next year. Last but not least, thank you to family and friends for the thoughts and wishes. May God bless us all. (*hugs*).

posted from Bloggeroid

:: year end shopping spree ::

2012-01-13T14:26:00.003+08:00

After a rough week, I finally have a short "me-time" in the office.

*phew*

It's lunch time anyway so it is not wrong to blog from my work station, right? Been very busy with life so I now have a lot of stories to share, yet too little time to do it. We had jam-packed weekends last month and I am planning to have a quiet weekend at home tomorrow because my body is extremely exhausted. A week before Christmas we went up North for a wedding, then our Christmas weekend was spent in the opposite route as we went down South for family vacation and last two weekends, our New Year weekend was spent in ward instead. What a month!

December passed by with a lot of memories... and a number of impromptu shopping spree too. I have love-hate relationship with December because there are so many irresistible promotions and sales everywhere. Probably I should take a break from spending and start saving from January till November so I could spend my savings all in one month with better bargains. As for now, I am officially broke. Only few RMs left until the next pay day -_- and before I start hating myself for being a big spender, here is list of items I have bought through out December. At least I can reread this entry over and over again to see how many new investments I have made for myself and for my loved ones.

A day before going to Singapore - Sunway Pyramid
- Short sleeve t-shirts for Ady (3 pieces)
- Ralph Lauren khakis short for Ady
- 3 tones shawl for myself (2 pieces)
- Dorothy Perkins black waist belt
- Mango Slim Fit jeans in faded black
- Casual belt for hubby
- Miss T water tumblers for my lil sis, Atiqah and Adibah

In Singapore - Lucky Plaza, Orchard Road

- Escada Desire Me EDP 75ml*

- SKII Facial Treatment Essence 30ml*

(*thanks to father-in-law for the pocket money)

Last week of December - Mid Valley

- Fisher Price toys for Ady (2 types - thanks to Nor for RM10 contribution)

- Diva Vintage Lace Necklace

- Diva 2 in a pack bow headbands

- Mango striped shirt

- Mango leather ankle boots for Nor's birthday prezzie

- Bonita leopard print ballet flats

- Camel Active shirt for ibu

- 3 for RM10 accessories: headbands and hair clips

- MAC lipstick in Bombshell (free from back-to-MAC program)

I really need to curb my spending habit but I already have few items in my 2012 wish list (damn!).

Goosfrabaaaa goosfrabaaaa...

...err okay lah, let's get back to work. Happy Friday peeps!

:: red day ::

2012-01-11T23:58:00.001+08:00

As I mentioned in the previous post, I will be going to Kenny Rogers annual Healthy Eating Day. It happened today and this year it was a foursome outing with Nor, Rabby and Ita. Rabby fetched us from office near lunch time (thanks Beek!) and we went to Tropicana Mall because we felt the crowd must be lesser than Mid Valley. Tropicana is not that far from our office anyway. When we saw Kenny Rogers name from afar, a bunch of people were already queuing in front of the restaurant, most wearing red. It was like an event and it was exciting watching people who were as excited as us queuing for food. Waiting time was shorter if compared to one we went two years back in Mid Valley. It took us less than 15 minutes and as we were busy taking photos, our table was ready before we knew it. Although we could not choose the side dishes (only coleslaw, mashed potato & baked beans), we still had a very pleasant Healthy Eating Day experience this year because we got our dishes and drinks as soon as we took our seats. We were so impressed and kudos to team Kenny Rogers Tropicana Mall. Job well done and if we have the opportunity to go to next year's KR Red Day, you will know where to find us ;-)

I had fun with the girls and here are some of our pics...

The three hot, red ladies

I was wearing pink because I have my beloved red wallet

A pose before enjoying our meal

This was taken when we left the restaurant. The queue was longer than before. Luckily we escaped this.

Tips for next year:

- Go to secluded Kenny Rogers branches instead of major shopping malls.

- Arrive early before lunch time to avoid peak hour and long queue.

posted from Bloggeroid

:: kenny rogers buy 1 free 1 day ::

2012-01-10T17:35:00.002+08:00

This is my post last year .....

..... and this year, Kenny Rogers Healthy Eating Day is here again

TOMORROW

Wednesday 11.01.2012.

WEAR you red clothing or footwear or accessories

BUY 1 Kenny's Quarter Meal

get FREE 1 Kenny's Quarter Meal

I missed this event last year, but tomorrow insyaallah I will be queueing on their door.

Join me!

:: ady's first food ::

2012-01-09T17:31:00.000+08:00

Ady is 7 months in a week time. Half of this post was already in draft since last month but I couldn't publish it because I don't have time to finish it up. At this point, I'm quite disappointed for leaving my blog unattended for weeks and I already owe myself a long list of posts. I really need to put blogging in my schedule everyday because Nor told me before that serious bloggers scheduled their time to update their blogs. Being a serious blogger is not the main intention though, but at least I won't leave any great moments passed by just like that without capturing it here. Guess I really have to find the time and try harder then.

Anyway, Ady had his first solid food on the day he turned 6 months. As parents, we were both very excited and hubby even recorded video when I first spoonfed rice cereal into Ady's mouth. Ady's first solid food was plain rice Neslac and Ady loved it very much. He ate slowly at first, but after few spoons he started making noise when I late feeding the cereal into his mouth. He just couldn't wait maybe because he was hungry and in the end, a small plate of rice cereal was completely gone.

** Ini dia rupa budak kecik yang kenyang **

So far Ady eats rice cereal as his staple food but instead of giving him plain cereal all the time, I boiled carrots, mashed and mix them together. I did boil red apples before we went to Singapore but didn't feed him because it was quite sour and I didn't want to take any risk since we were on vacation. Maybe I will do it again this week and see whether Ady likes it or not. During our stay in the hospital two weeks ago Ady was given pureed porridge, either fish or chicken. I think he preferred chicken porridge because he managed eating half adult-size bowl. My mother already told me few times to cook porridge instead of continue feeding Ady rice cereal but I couldn't do it because our blender is used to blend chillies. We have to buy a dedicated blender to puree Ady's food and now I have no excuse to prepare pureed food for our baby because I already got this new tool yesterday, thanks to mr.Hubby :-)

It is a hand blender. Retail price stated in Philips website is RM229 but it was sold at RM209. For that purchase we got RM10 Tesco voucher and the SA was kind enough to give us free Philips plastic containers. I got very excited so I straight away cooked rice porridge when we reached home. It was already 3 something in the morning but I was very eager to test it so I did. I have to admit that I don't cook often but I am always intrigue with sophisticated kitchen appliances. That stuff is superbly awesome and I got a bowl full of pureed porridge in a minute. Not only blending knife, the set also came with a whisk and chopper to turn it into a hand mixer and food processor. Hah! no more reason for not cooking -_-

Anyway that item below the blender is actually a fish & vegetable steamer. Bought it in Melbourne 2 years back, it can be used to steam fish and vege inside a microwave with only 1 - 2 tablespoons of water. I actually forgot about its existence but since I was very excited to make Ady's food last night and wanted to steam broccoli, I somehow remembered it. After two trials and over steamed broccoli, I now know that it only takes 1 - 2 minutes to steam vege with that thing. How easy is that. Okayyyyy...I have to repeat...no more reason for not cooking!

I guess that's it for now then. Couldn't wait to feed Ady with his first mama's cooking tonight. Toodles!

:: tips untuk jadi kurus ::

2012-01-05T21:57:00.001+08:00

No need to spend $$$ for slimming centres. If you want to be slim, it is easy when you are a full time working wife with a growing baby and no maid or assistant at home.

Testimonial: I am now thinner than pre-pregnancy. Yesterday I managed wearing my wide legged office pants that I have ignored for 3-4 years. Several weeks before I managed wearing my size 25 Levis comfortably which I no longer fit way before pregnant. I.am.happy.

posted from Bloggeroid

:: breaking the silence ::

2011-12-31T22:24:00.001+08:00

Heyya peeps. After two weeks of silence I am now back into the blogging world on the very last day of 2011. I was itching to write since few days ago but too many things were happening around me. Like right now, I am blogging through phone at Sime Darby Medical Centre, Subang because my baby is admitted here since late Thursday night.

I went to fetch Ady at the nursery after work and surprised to be informed about red rashes on his chest. Previously Ady was allergic to antibiotics so ever since that his skin has developed into mild eczema around the chest and cheeks but this time it was diferent. They were lots of big red rashes all around his chest and scattered at few other parts of the body. We were really worried so we brought Ady to SDMC. Doctor couldn't detect what they exactly are because Ady was active like usual, not having fever, not itchy but since they looked serious, Ady was straight away admitted. I broke into tears while watching the doctor securing needle inside my baby's hand for drips. I felt really sorry for him because he had to go through such pain at a very early age. Pic below was how it looked like yesterday but it looks worst when the rashes have dried out.

After daily antibiotics and cream, most of the rashes have dried but there are still new ones popping out here and there. This pic below was taken this morning after cream was applied. Good thing Ady is still active like usual.

As for now doctor concluded they are eczema with infection but what really caused the major breakout is still unanswered. Ady was fine in the afternoon and according to babysitters the breakouts started in the evening before they bathed him. We suspect they are caused by moisture, sweat and heat but that is only our assumption. Doctor won't release him until his condition is stable so for the time being, this is our home. This is Ady's first new year celebration but too bad he is celebrating it in hospital.

2011 will passed by with a lot of memories but may the new year brings more prosperity, happiness and better health for all us. HAPPY NEW YEAR 2012!

p/s: thank you to our family members and friends for visiting, and also for the thoughts and wishes. Please continue praying for his speedy recovery ya.

posted from Bloggeroid

:: wordless wednesday - family potrait ::

2011-12-28T18:04:00.000+08:00

.Adiel.Atie.Ady.

24.12.2011

:: not-so-early morning innovation ::

2011-12-19T23:57:00.001+08:00

We went back to hubby's hometown in Sik, Kedah for his cousin's wedding over the weekend. Started journey at 5 something on Saturday, arrived Sik near 10 pm, then started our journey back to KL at 9 pm yesterday and arrived home at 2 in the morning earlier today. Only one night in the North with 10 hours spent on the road, I have to say it is a bit tiring.

I was late to work so I decided to wear a top that requires less ironing or in worst situation, can still be worn without ironing and it was my printed satin Naf Naf shirt. That shirt needs to be worn with cufflinks and I was very confident that I have kept my cufflinks at its place but when I checked the casing, they were not there. Checked the dressing table's drawer and it was still the same - nada. I didn't have time to change to another shirt because I was already in complete attire. While looking inside the drawer I found something that saved me. Out of nowhere a 'lightbulb' popped out of my mind. Inserted the item through the slits and happy to find it worked well as a replacement to my lost cufflinks. Not only that, I also like how they suit my shirt.

Here, let me introduce you my not-so-early morning innovation.....

.....faux diamond baju melayu buttons as cufflinks.

A small little thing that saved the day ;-)

posted from Bloggeroid

:: half year ::

2011-12-17T14:49:00.001+08:00

Ady Rifqi is 6 months old today! Yesterday he managed crawling backwards and today we will give him his first solid food. Hooray.

posted from Bloggeroid

:: papa's secret weapon ::

2011-12-14T23:35:00.001+08:00

Papa's Secret Weapon:made by papa himself it is used to put Ady to sleep in the morning when mama is already at work, before papa sends Ady to nursery.

Engineer always finds solution to a problem ;-)

posted from Bloggeroid

:: apple of my eye ::

2011-12-13T23:53:00.000+08:00

Ady was attacked by fever last week, his third so far. I have started feeling worried because he had fever every month since I started working, which also means since he started going to nursery. People around me said it is normal for babies to get fever. They called it 'growing fever' or fever due to transition of month (demam membesar / beralih bulan) and also maybe due to teething. I'm not very sure whether Ady is teething, but yeah maybe he is because he keeps playing his tongue and lips with his gum but I still could not see or feel any tooth yet. This is his worst fever so far because it came in combo with running nose and cough, which made him uncomfortable and cranky.

Watching my baby suffering with fever, blocked nose and cough broke my heart into tiny pieces. During its peak, I was so worried about his condition and wish I could absorb all those germs so he could be healthy again. Thank God, after 4 days he recovered from fever but is still left with light flu until today. I went through my office emailbox last Friday and found an email sent from an ex-colleague on how to reduce cough effectively. The email which also came with testimonials said rub Vicks on the feet then cover them with socks before going to sleep. I tried it on Ady since that night but got frustrated at first because he was still coughing. However on Sunday night I noticed he only coughed two times during sleep and tonight he is sleeping next to me safe and sound. Does that means it really worked or is it a coincidence? For those who are coughing, please try it then share whether it also worked on you because the email said it can be applied to babies, children and adults too. Hopefully it really works so all of us can benefit from the simple tips as it is a healthier choice if compared to taking drugs.

Anyway, Selangor was on public holiday yesterday in conjunction with Sultan's birthday so Ady's nursery was closed. I could not take leave because I was very busy in the office since last week processing December's salary. Please note that December's salary is always earlier than usual due to Christmas and for us in TM, pay day is on the 20th while for government servants, it falls on the 19th. I bet most government servants knew that because they anticipatedly waiting for their year end bonus and oh, congrats for the increment too (with a jealous tone). Ah let's forget about all those money talks. So since Ady's nursery was closed and I could not take leave, hubby then decided to stay with him at home. Only later in the evening hubby brought Ady to his shop, so he joined the big guys until I came and brought him home. Little that I knew, Ady had a good time at Papa's shop before I arrived. I saw these photos on hubby's FB page when I reached home and they made me happy because I knew our baby is healthy again. Alhamdulillah.

Ady Rifqi is definitely the apple of my eye.

:: shoe tips #01 ::

2011-12-09T13:50:00.001+08:00

Oh my, this is such a busy week. I'm busy in the office and also busy at home because Ady Rifqi is having fever. A number of urgent and important tasks are waiting to be done (note: deadline today) so this is going to be a very short post.

A week ago when I was walking to the office from 'the Riverside' stalls, I met a colleague who used to be in the same division with me. We just said hello as she was walking with her friend and while climbing up the stairs I saw something that inspires me to write this quickie post.

Question, what is the first thing you do to a pair of newly bought shoes?

a. Nothing - just leave 'em in the box until I want to wear 'em
b. Wear and test them again and again in front of the mirror
c. Bite the sides to avoid blisters
d. Check the soles and remove any price stickers

...and the answer should be D.

I remember reading about this in a fashion magazine many years ago and it has been my guidance ever since. Just for your knowledge, it is a fashion faux pas and a big no-no to have price stickers remaining on the sole of your shoes especially heels because people can see them when you are walking...well, unless you really want to show the world how expensive your shoes are.

Nevermind if you never bother about it before because the famous Kristen Stewart who plays Bella in Twilight also made the same mistake here...

T-G-I-F. Happy Weekends Peeps!

:: iphone 4s officially in malaysia ::

2011-12-08T17:48:00.001+08:00

Apple fans might anticipatedly waiting for the official arrival of iPhone 4s in Malaysia.

Good news because it will be here in 8 days so mark your calendar for 16 December 2011.

iPhone 4s Celcom

iPhone 4s Digi

iPhone 4s Maxis

*keywords: iphone 4s malaysia release date

:: hijacked ::

2011-12-07T01:38:00.001+08:00

Hubby gave me an iPad as a birthday gift early this year. I'm not a gadget freak but I can never thank my hubby enough for that lovely, practical prezzie. My pinky iPad has been my loyal companion, day and night. You see, I'm such a lone ranger. I have my breakfast alone almost every time either at the indoor foodcourt or row of stalls we called 'the Riverside'. It sounds pathetic but that is the truth.

Previously I felt a bit awkward especially when tables around me were full with people who came in groups so I usually grabbed a copy of the Sun as reading material. There were also moments when I purposely played with my mobile phone to avoid stare from others who were sitting opposite me. Yeah, I don't mind eating alone in public area but it did feel awkward sometimes and I don't want to be misinterpreted as a looser for not having any friend. Apart from not having many friends (yes that part is still true) I personally like being alone in the morning while enjoying my meal rather than listening to gossips or disturbing news. Don't get me wrong friends, I don't want to be avoided but there are times when I want to be alone and times when I'm in the mood to socialising, especially in the morning.

When I'm alone these days, I'm not entirely alone actually because my iPad is always with me as a companion. Not only in the office ~~and also while driving,~~ it also accompanies me at home especially when I'm nursing Ady. I love my iPad. It is solely mine but not until last Saturday night because my iPad was hijacked!

*jeng jeng jeng*

...and the hijacker is no other than my lil munchkin o_O

Since few months ago I noticed Ady staring at the iPad screen ocassionally when I was reading or scrolling the browser but he never interested to touch it until last Saturday night. I was nursing him on the bed as usual and reading something on the iPad which was placed behind him so he was not distracted of the light when he suddenly stopped, turned, looked at the screen and then touching and moving his hand on the screen. I thought he just did it accidentally but I put the screen off and placed him back to the usual position so he could continue drinking milk. After few minutes I opened the iPad back to continue my activity but Ady also stopped and did the same thing as before. Whoa. That time I knew he was interested to play so I opened an app that I have installed for him just-in-case-but-now-useful Piano for Babies and he started moving his hands on the screen. He was excited and kept moving his hands because he must have realised that the movements created sounds. He continued playing, returned to me, played again and it went on for few times until he decided to stop and sleep.

That night I knew my iPad was no longer mine alone but I'm more than glad to share it with my own lil baby bambam. Playing iPad at 5 months old. Ahhh kids these days!

* You're such a cutie and a clever boy Ady Rifqi. Mama and Papa are proud of you. We love you more than everything in this world. Mwahhhh! *

posted from Bloggeroid

:: prosperity burger is back! ::

2011-12-06T18:15:00.000+08:00

McDonald's Beef Prosperity Burger is back yaw!

I know many of you are cheering about this. Perhaps you couldn't even wait to set your feet to the nearest McD or even easier, make a call to 1300-13-1300 for McDelivery because prosperity burger is seasonal and only released during Chinese New Year.

As usual, the mouthwatering burger is available in ala carte or in set that comes with Twister Fries and The Prosperity McFizz.

Eventually the price is a tad expensive if compared to 2010 (have to expect that though because everything has increased these days) but for better deal, we can buy the Prosperity Meal during lunch time for RM10.95 from normal price of RM13.88.

I still remember the excitement when I knew about its release last year and now it's back, means a year has passed by faster than I could imagine -_- What ever it is, a visit to McD for that hot scrumptious beefy thang is a must and I like the taste of that twister fries too. Now.....should we get it for our dinner tonight? Slrrrpppp...!

*keywords: prosperity burger 2011, prosperity burger price, prosperity burger 2011 price

:: johor premium outlets now open ::

2011-12-03T03:11:00.001+08:00

hear ye, hear ye

calling all shopaholics

this is one good news for you

because

a new shopping haven

the Johor Premium Outlets is NOW OPEN!!!

Few years ago there were news about having brand factory outlets in Malaysia, similar to what they are having in the US, Europe, Japan and few other countries in the world where famous branded goods are sold at fraction of its retail price. We might have forgotten about it for awhile but the first Premium Outlet Centre in South East Asia is already here peeps!

The grand opening ceremony to be officiated by the Prime Minister of Malaysia will be held on 11 December 2011 but the sneak preview / soft launch has started since yesterday.

WHAT:

Johor Premium Outlets offers a collection of 80 designer and name brand outlet stores featuring saving of 25% to 65% every day.

WHEN:

Open from 10 am - 10 pm

Monday - Sunday

WHO:

Available brands are listed below:

Suite	Store
902	Adidas
436	Armani Exchange
334	Armani Outlet
220	Brook Brothers Factory Store (Opening Soon)
700	Burberry
328	Canali
434	CK Calvin Klein
508	Cotton On
432	DKNY
422	Esprit
516	Flow
416	G2000 Outlet
528	Gap Outlet
532	Guess
426	La Senza Lingerie
430	Lacoste Outlet
524	Levi's Outlet Store
1000	Nike Factory Store
100	Padini Outlet Store
212	Pink Jambu
604	Polo Ralph Lauren (Opening Soon)
418	Poney Outlet
404	Puma
518	Quicksilver
222	Raoul (Opening Soon)
414	Rip Curl
520	Roxy
330	Salvatore Ferragamo Company Store
234	Shanghai Tang
420	Timberland
216	Tommy Hilfiger (Opening Soon)
308	Universal Traveller
224	Versace (Opening Soon)
606	Zegna Outlet Store

Suite	Store
512	Charles & Keith Reductions
400	Clarks
316	Geox
304	Pedro Outlet
402	Skechers
300	Vincci

Suite	Store
412	City Chain
214	Evita Peroni
324	Swiss Watch Gallery
306	Tomei (Opening Soon)
320	Wear + When (Opening Soon)

Suite	Store
312	Bonia
408	Carlo Rino
228	Coach
230	Coach Men's
428	Fossil
232	Michael Kors
314	Oroton Factory
310	Samsonite Factory Outlet
322	Tumi

Suite	Store
302	Cosmetics & Designer Fragrances
206	Fidani Chocolate
602	Maybank
318	Royal Selangor
522	The Body Shop Outlet
210	The Cosmetics Company Store (Opening Soon)

Suite	Store
410	Akemi

Suite	Store
1002	Absolute Thai
502	Baskin-Robbins
401	Crispy Crepe
204	George & Dragon Café
504	Kampachi Japanese Restaurant
200	Starbucks Coffee
500	The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf

**********

WHERE:

Johor Premium Outlets is located at the intersection of the North-South Expressway and the Second Link Expressway. It is highly accessible to all traffic going to and from Johor and Singapore, which is a short distance drive from Senai International Airport, about 3 hours' drive from Kuala Lumpur and about an hour's drive from the city of Singapore.

HOW:

Visit Johor Premium Outlets official site for more info

*Credits: Image - www.facebook.com/homeideas / JohorPremiumOutlets

:: pink overload ::

2011-12-02T14:25:00.001+08:00

I have organised a briefing and demo session on new feature in our claim system for all company's secretaries in Klang Valley and it is happening today. Best part of it, the speaker of the session is no other than myself. I usually plan what I am going to wear to office on the next day the night earlier especially when I am having something important like meeting, get together, townhall session or any kind of event, but last night I was too tired so I felt asleep before I could decide what to be worn. Too bad, I didn't wake up as early as expected.

It was already 6 something. After taking shower and preparing Ady's stuff, I was left with only few minutes to decide and prepare myself because I had to rush to get a parking spot inside the building. Thank God it is Friday. At least I could turn to something that doesn't require much ironing so I just grabbed my favourite grey skinny pants and paired it with cardie, basic tee, striped shawl and heels. I was in a rush. I picked whatever crossed my mind so when I was driving and already calmed I just realised that I was overloaded in pink.

Pink shawl, pink cardie, pink tee, pink heels; not forgetting pink ipad casing and pink lanyard tag too. Although they are in different shades, they are still in the pink family. If being asked "what is my favourite colour?" people would not hesitate to answer it because the answer lies here:

Shawl: Bought in Mecca | Cropped cardie: ButtonMyButtons | Basic tee: Dorothy Perkins | Skinny pants: Giordano | Heels: Jaya Jusco

If you are allergic to pink, I have to say sorry for hurting you. Although as Steven Tyler sang 'pink is my obsession' I still thought it is a bit too much at first but I'm kind of like it now. Perhaps this can be considered as a tribute to my favourite colour. No?

Well well well, on another note the morning demo session was a success. Almost 60 people came and few others will come later in the afternoon session. I haven't talk to a group of people for quite some time already. The last time was earlier this year when Rabby invited me as a guest speaker, talking about event management in front of her students. Frankly speaking, I have passion in teaching, presenting or giving talk about topics that I really like and good at. I like the idea of being a guest speaker or part time lecturer but not interested in being a full time teacher or trainer though. Anyway I used to be a master of ceremony or emcee for many events within and outside the company and actually like the role a lot but I have decided to slow down on that because of personal reasons. Hmph.

Before leaving, below are pics taken during the demo session just now.

One of my colleague said she could listen clearly to what I said although her cubicle is few metres away from the briefing area. Yes, I have a loud voice and thank you ~~for the compliment~~.

:: black thursday ::

2011-12-01T18:03:00.001+08:00

Black + A garden of flowers.

:: it's a girl thing ::

2011-11-30T13:28:00.000+08:00

Can you guess what is inside the 'Rock n Roll' tin case?

Unless you have already seen it or got it from the same source as mine, does it crossed your mind that feminine towels or pads are inside?

I doubt it.

But look...

There are two pads inside because the tin case is actually a pad holder!

Many years ago, feminine towel was a taboo item in the local society. They were sold in boxes and wrapped in old newspapers during checkout because you wouldn't want to be seen carrying one in public. The norm has changed as years passed by. We could now see pad advertisements on television with top celebrities as brand ambassadors and thanks to chic, funky packaging, holding a pack of pads is not an embarassment anymore.

When I was staying in UK more than 10 years ago, I discovered something that was not available in Malaysia. That time our pads were packed in plain white individual packets whereas in UK, most of the brands have introduced colourful patterned individual packets. I found it cool and attractive, and wondered why haven't we got the same thing here in Malaysia? My question was finally answered last year when a new feminine towel brand, Libresse launched their product with colourful patterned individual packets. Hooray!

I have to admit that I was a loyal user to this one particular brand but after trying a set of Libresse free trial pack I got in Mid Valley during their roadshow last year, I have moved on. Not only they are slightly cheaper in price, Libresse offers similar protection as the other brand and with that colourful packaging, I have no other reason not to change. Another thing that keeps me buying the brand is also the freebies. (Their marketing strategies really influenced me, eh?)

They previously offered pad dispenser in their promo bag and this time it is the designer tin case, which can be used as a pad holder or a trinket box. There are 3 different designs (Rock n Roll, Power Suit and Streetstyle) and one free tin case is available in every promo bag of 2 x 12s Maxi Night Wings, 2 x 20s Maxi Non Wing or 2 x 16s Maxi Wing. I actually preferred the Power Suit design but it came with other pad types so I had no choice. Nevertheless, there will be more designs in December so I look forward to that. By the way, something else also came with the promo pack and that is:

Paperdoll~!

If you were growing up in the early 90's like me, you would recognise that. I loved playing with paperdolls and owned a full basket collection of them back then... and now Libresse brings back my childhood memories.
Get a pack of yours today!

:: hijrah ::

2011-11-29T09:48:00.001+08:00

Oh my, it has been a week since my last post. Sorry for the long silence. I actually have a lot to share but too little time or too tired to write. It is already 3rd Muharram 1433H but I guess it is still not too late to wish all Muslim readers Salam Maal Hijrah. The 'old book' has closed and the 'new book' is ready to be filled so let us all wish for a better year ahead. Insyaallah.

I started my long weekend early because I took urgent leave on Friday. Apparently Ady was allergic to antibiotics given by the doctor for his ear infection so we had to refer him back to SDMC. His infection has nearly gone but it came back after we stopped giving him antibiotics. We realised about the allergy because he suddenly got rashes on his cheeks and chest. At first we thought it was due to the hot weather but we knew something was wrong when his skin was not as red as before on the next day after we skipped giving him medicine the night earlier. From the internet we learnt that allergy to antibiotics or the penicillin family is common and as parents we have to take note on this so we could advice doctor before giving any medical prescription. Usual indication that can be seen if your baby or child is allergy to antibiotics is development of rashes, upset stomach and diarrhea. We informed the ENT specialist, Dr. Hj. Md Husain on the condition and instead of prescribing another oral medication he gave us another type of ear drop. As of yesterday, the infection has almost gone and hopefully Ady is fully recovered in the next few days.

On another note, Ady reached a milestone as he has finally managed rolling his body on the first day of Islamic new year. I left Ady lying on his back besides hubby who was napping before I went into the bathroom and after I came out, hubby asked how did I leave the baby because he was already on his tummy. Okay, we did not see how he did it for the first time but when we were at parents-in-law's house later than night, Ady showed his new capability by rolling his body in front of everybody. All of us were cheering after he did it and it was funny because he then looked around with an innocent expression on his face as if asking "what have I done?". Yes, you did something baby but it was something that made us proud of you.

Look at that muscles!

(please pardon the mess though)

It was a weekend with achievements because besides rolling his body Ady has also learnt to sit without any support. At the moment he can only do it for a while but that is good enough for a start. Man, our baby is growing so fast and I'm so going to miss this moment later in life...huuu!

"I'm a big boy now, mummy"

Those might be Ady Rifqi's definition of Hijrah and as for myself, I had never adore a baby this much in my entire life until motherhood changed me. It is such a wonderful experience and I thank God for the wonderful gift. Ady Rifqi, you are everything to us and we love you so much!

Salam Maal Hijrah 1433.

:: and the winner is ::

2011-11-22T13:41:00.001+08:00

Last night the entire nation roared with cheers after Malaysian football squad beat Indonesia with penalty kicks in the opponent's ground at the 26th SEA Games. It was a glorious moment for all Malaysians and people are still talking about it today. I have to admit that our players are still lack of skills but what matter the most is the final score and the gold medal that the players brought home. Congratulations Harimau Malaya!

On another note and in jive with the winning spirit, I hereby announce the winner of my 11.11.11 giveaway. It's a tough call. I feel like giving everybody a prize each for their participation but I only have one prezzie to be given away so I really have to choose one winner...

...and the winner is...

*drum rolls*

penawar_rindu

Please leave your e-mail address in the comment section so I could contact you for delivery arrangement. Above all, my heartiest appreciation goes to others who have also participated. I promise I will do more contests and giveaways with more interesting prizes. Cheers!

:: 20.11.2011 ::

2011-11-20T12:11:00.001+08:00

It's another anticipated date of the year after 11.11.11. Falls on a Sunday, first week of school holiday makes it a perfect day for wedding reception so do expect heavy traffic on the road today. As for me, neither 11.11.11 nor 20.11.2011 has any significance to my life. We have a wedding to attend and at 11.55am we are still lazing on the bed like other Sundays. I love spending time on the bed with Ady on Sunday because it is relaxing. We can play, I sing him nursery rhymes, read him books and this morning he did something that impressed me:

My baby is growing fast. One day I will surely miss this moment but thanks to technology advancement I could record the milestones here. I should be ready for the wedding now. Goodbye and Happy 20.11.2011.

posted from Bloggeroid

:: team air force #01 ::

2011-11-18T14:09:00.001+08:00

The three of us went to KLCC last Sunday, 13.11.11 and we were wearing Air Force-themed attire.

Hubby was wearing a vintage US Air Force uniform and I donned in a female version of Air Force uniform bought from Zara. Meanwhile, Ady was wearing Carter's camouflage pants with a military aircraft long-sleeve t-shirt paired with a cute little camouflage shoes.

We were one happy Air Force team!

:-P

** Join my 11.11.11 giveaway - contest ends 20.11.2011**

:: ady turns 5 ::

2011-11-17T23:57:00.001+08:00

Ady Rifqi turns 5 months today. Only one more month before he can starts consuming solid food. Sadly, Ady is a bit under the weather. He was attacked with fever since last Sunday night. On the next day Ady and his papa were both sick. Not sure whether they were attacked by the same virus or it was due to weather or surrounding but as an adult, hubby fully recovered on the next day while Ady continued having fever. It was more devastating when we could see small red spots all over his body, hands, legs which according to mother-in-law were measles. Luckily it only lasted for 3 days and those spots are almost gone now. Ady got some red rashes on his face though so I applied cooling powder on his face before bedtime and it worked in disappearing the redness.

Bedak sejuk time!

Today we brought Ady to SDMC because he has discharge coming out of his left ear. We already bought him to GP last time but the discharge continues coming out although it has dried for few days. Ear discharge or infection is actually normal for baby especially if he is having flu. Since baby doesnt know how to takeout the flu mucus from nose it then comes out through a hole in the ear. It still needs to be monitored and we were given a set of medicines that hopefully could dry out the mucus and stop infecting the ear.

Waiting for his turn to meet the doctor

I really want to share some of Ady's development but God, I'm so tired and sleepy to write longer. I really need to call it a day because my eyes closed every few minutes while typing this. Maybe I will continue next time then. Sorry peeps. Farewell and good night! ZzzZzz...

posted from Bloggeroid

:: green day ::

2011-11-16T18:36:00.001+08:00

I spent more than 30 minutes in my wardrobe room last night searching and deciding on what to wear to the office today. I even asked Bee whether I could apply personal loan so I could ditch most of my working attire and buy new ones that are much more updated and suit my current taste. Seriously, I'm getting tired with what I have in the 'working top' closet. Most of the shirts have been inside there for 5 years and over; and lately I seemed to be less inspired or creative enough to mix and match them. Well, that is actually a long explaination for the word 'boredom' so after 30 minutes passed by I finally made my decision.

I decided to go green.

It was my first time wearing this combo - green shirt paired with green flare skirt. At first I wanted to wear a yellow belt but it looked a bit OTT to be worn to office so I wore the pink belt instead, paired with my pink heels to add contrast, yet still toning down the look. Moreover I personally had a thing with green and pink. I just love pairing the colours together because they somehow suit each other and even had them for my wedding theme. By the way I really like that printed shawl because the design is modern and intended to buy more of that kind later. It's kind of hard to find nice designs though, or maybe I should spend a day at Jalan TAR then.

I think I'm going into a style transition period, well maybe due to age factor because I'm turning 31 in 2 months time. Mid-life crisis, no? God, I'm getting older (well, who doesn't?). Okay enough is enough. Now I'm not sure why I'm having this entry after all because it doesn't go anywhere. I guess it's time to end it now. See you in the next entry then... toodles!

:: garrett popcorn now opens in klcc! ::

2011-11-15T18:30:00.000+08:00

Hey, have you heard? After months of waiting, Garrett Popcorn now opens in KLCC!

The famous Chicago originated popcorn was established since 1949 and before launching its first flagship store in Malaysia on 11.11.11, Garrett Popcorn has travelled to New York, Dubai and Singapore. We Malaysians are lucky because we would not have only one store to cater the popcorn craze but two stores because one will be opening soon in One Utama.

Yes, Garrett Popcorn is pricey if compared to what is available in TGV or GSC but it isn't too bad for once in a while treat. They offer different sizes according to your needs from small, medium, large to 1 or 2 gallon and the price list is per below:

GARRETT POPCORNS	BAGS			TINS
GARRETT POPCORNS	Small	Medium	Large	1-Gallon	2-Gallon
BUTTERY or PLAIN	RM 9	RM 13	RM 19	RM 79	RM 129
CARAMEL CRISP	RM 16	RM 21	RM 26	RM 89	RM 149
THE CHICAGO MIX	RM 16	RM 21	RM 26	RM 89	RM 149
CHEESECORN	RM 16	RM 21	RM 26	RM 89	RM 149
CARAMEL CRISP with Nuts	RM 19	RM 26	RM 36	RM 129	RM 229

Line of bags

Pink or Blue?

The Chicago Mix is combination of CaramelCrisp and Cheesecorn meanwhile CaramelCrisp with Nuts offers almond, macadamia or cashew.

I have read about how tasty these popcorns are and bought my first Garrett's in Caramel Crisp. I tell you, the splurge is totally worth it. Sedap giler hokkayy! The Caramel Crisp is sweet yet buttery and it is so addictive. I'm popcorn-struck *-*

My first Garrett, thanks to Mr.Hubby ;-)

*keywords: garrett popcorn klcc, garrett popcorn malaysia, garrett popcorn kuala lumpur, garrett popcorn price malaysia

:: 11.11.11 giveaway ::

2011-11-11T23:53:00.001+08:00

11.11.11 - The most anticipated date has arrived. Many people got excited with such beautiful number and it is the most popular subject of the day. Radio DJs made it a topic for listeners, friends wrote it as Facebook's status, tweets and not forgetting those who made today a special occassion by getting married. Last year the most sought after date was 10.10.10. It was the date I chose to start blogging using Blogspot from phatgurl.blogdrive.com after 7 loyal years with Blogdrive.

From 10.10.10 to 11.11.11, alhamdulillah this blog is still 'alive' with your continuous support as the reader. This calls for celebration and in conjunction with this special date I would like to do a giveaway. It is just for fun and what I can offer you as a gift is this:

Silkygirl Glitzy Chic set which contains a set of duo eyeshadow, a blusher, a lipgloss and a glitter eyeliner. I know it is not a high end brand but consider it as an emergency kit, perhaps for an impromptu date or last minute touch up?

Winning is so easy because the only thing that you have to do is leave a comment at this post that starts with the word 'I like ...' or you could even write in BM and starts with 'Saya suka ...'.

Just write about anything and one catchy comment will be chosen as the winner.

Contest ends on another beautiful date in this year: 20.11.2011.

Good Luck!

posted from Bloggeroid

:: diy victorian-themed headband ::

2011-11-10T17:55:00.003+08:00

I was invited to a famous blogger, Shazwani Hamid's tea party last month. The theme was Victorian and since Victorian is sync with lace, satin, pearl, velvet..... and also wearing headpiece, I intended to wear something on my head too. It was a last minute decision actually but luckily I still got some felt fabric and balance of black lace used for my wedding hantaran last time so I decided to customise one of my headband into a so called Victorian-themed headband.

I purposely bought this black satin bow headband to be worn on scarf but it looked too simple.

Using felt fabric as the base, I first cut the fabric into a round shape and sew the lace around it.

The fabric was then attached to the headband with a pin so I could easily take it off if I don't need it later.

The front view but it still looked plain.

To enhance the look, I then sew black crystal beads and faux pearl beads around them

and ta-daaaaa

...

A simple Victorian-themed headband for a Victorian-themed tea party.

A pose with the tea party host.
More stories and photos of the event will be shared soon.

:: wordless wednesday 0911 ::

2011-11-09T06:56:00.001+08:00

Hero Malaya

B-)

posted from Bloggeroid

:: salam aidiladha ::

2011-11-06T13:46:00.001+08:00

Selamat Hari Raya Aidiladha!¡

1432H

posted from Bloggeroid

:: sporty spice ::

2011-11-04T15:47:00.000+08:00

When I reached Manchester in winter of 1996, there was this huge billboard of an all girl group calling themselves the 'Spice Girls'. Few weeks later I learnt that Spice Girls is a sensational hit in Britain and their famous single, "Wannabe" was topped at all radio charts. I couldn't resist myself to become one of their fan too and between five of them, I liked Geri Halliwell because of her sexy body (there's nothing wrong with adoring another woman's body right? :-D). Geri was known as the Ginger Spice due to her auburn-coloured hair while rest of the group are the famous Victoria Beckham aka Posh Spice, Emma Bunton aka Baby Spice, Mel. C aka Scary Spice and Mel. B aka Sporty Spice.

One day that I always look forward to in a week, excluding weekend is Friday. If not mistaken, our company introduced 'casual Friday' in 2008 and I have been wearing jeans almost every Friday to 'fully utilise' the freedom given. Lately I have been 'using' Friday to experiment with different looks and style. I have shared with you my colour blocking Friday and pastel Friday but I have also tried rock chic Friday, bling bling Friday and many others. This is literally related to Spice Girls because each of their nickname reflects their personality and style; and so does my casual Fridays.

Today, I came to office in something I have not worn for ages and something that I never worn on Friday... and they are:

My Sporty Spice look: Adidas sweatshirt, Guess cuff watch + Coach sneakers

I know, it is not 100% sporty but I'm not playing sports anyway. Believe it or not, I have received remarks from few colleagues about my sporty look. Even our VP noticed it and commented about my sweatshirt, saying "eh, cantikla baju you" (nice top)...hehe thanks Doc!

That sweatshirt is from Adidas World Cup 2006 collection for Deutshcland or Germany. I started supporting Germany that year and it was not because of Michael Ballack but the team spirit that Germany players had. I also support Portugal and I admit it is more because of Cristiano Ronaldo but for Germany, it was different. During the World Cup that year I was involved with TM CSR project so I had to stay in Jeli, Kelantan for a week. My then boyfriend now my husband picked me up at the airport and surprised me with this sweatshirt that I'm wearing. I really like it because of the sentimental value and also the design so I rarely wear it to preserve its condition, especially that it is white in colour. This morning, after several years I felt like reminiscing those sweet memories and decided to wear it.

Due to age factor, I realised that I'm wearing more feminine dressing nowadays because back in the days sneakers defined my casual attire. I never wear sneakers on casual Friday because the actual dress code is smart casual and I prefer heels or pretty ballerina flats but I break that rule today. I bought that Coach sneakers in its KLCC boutique with Nor and I love it to bits.

So that's it and now I'm thinking whether I should replicate the next Spice Girls. Hrmmm... what should I be next? Ginger is definitely out of the way so should it be Posh, Baby or Scary?

:: still in memory ::

2011-11-03T00:00:00.001+08:00

02.05.2011 - 02.11.2011
It has been 6 months since we lost our furry baby, KiKi. Half a year has passed by and at this point I really have to accept the fact that we are not going to see KiKi again. Nothing could stop us from thinking about her. Although we have slowly moved on, there are few things that we still couldn't do like eating fried 'selar' fish, eating instant lasagne, going to kuey tiow shop in ttdi jaya and few other places that we used to go with her. All of these bring strong memory of her and no, we have not passed beyond that yet. Although I don't mind giving our new kittens playing with her scratching post and have her 'pink crib' carrier, there are still things that are still preserved especially her pink fluffy bed and these...

Those are KiKi's tops and they are still hanging at its usual place. The first top that we bought for her is the pink-white stripes shirt with 'queen checkmate' wording and it's hubby's favourite. My favourite piece is the pink polka dot dress though because KiKi looked so girlish in it. I always tell Ady about the cat we used to have. The cat who accompanied his Mama most of the time when he was still in my tummy.

I wish the three of us will meet her again...if not in this world, in heaven still do but in the meantime KiKi will always be remembered. I miss you, KiKi and I wish you are safe and healthy, where ever you are. You have cherished our life and we thank you for every colourful moment you gave us.

posted from Bloggeroid

:: decapitated ::

2011-10-28T22:55:00.001+08:00

A plate of decapitated head, anyone?

Guess where this picture was taken. Leave a comment by giving the exact name and location of this place. The first correct answer wins a mystery gift from me.

Contest ends at 12.00pm on the night of Halloween.

Note: contest opens for all except my Bff and FB friends :-P

posted from Bloggeroid

:: sweet like candy ::

2011-10-24T17:53:00.002+08:00

Introducing

...

new

pinky

sweet

gizmo

...

A picture is worth a thousand words. Enough said.
;-)

:: did u know - gaddafi trivia ::

2011-10-23T03:29:00.002+08:00

Let's take a break from talking about fashion, beauty, daily activities, et cetera et cetera...

Just a short one though.

The world was shocked knowing about the death of Muammar Gaddafi, the Libya's head of state who was killed after being captured by the Libyan fighters two days ago. I didn't know much about him earlier so when I was discussing about his death with my colleagues on Friday morning, I searched the Wikipedia and we were surprised to find that...

Muammar Gaddafi

.......was born in 1942

.......started ruling Libya in 1969

.......ruled Libya for 42 years

.......died at the age of 69

Repetitive numbers! What a coincidence, isn't it?

A bit creepy too *goosebumps*

:: pastel friday ::

2011-10-21T23:57:00.001+08:00

I chose pastel colours for my casual Friday outfit. A combination of pink and blue paired with off-white handbag and grey pants...

What do you think?

I like the colour combination a lot. I was very comfortable and felt confident through out the day. On another note, I just love my entire collection of Dorothy Perkins basic tee. I have almost 10 of them in different colours. Not only comfortable, they have helped me a lot in transforming myself into different looks and style. I plan to write a 'tribute' post for my basic tee one day, but as for now...

HAPPY WEEKEND PEEPS!

:: christmas 2011 makeup gift sets ::

2011-10-20T17:40:00.003+08:00

Christmas is coming soon. Not that I'm celebrating one but it's that time of the year when cosmetics and perfumes come in pretty, limited edition gift sets. It's the perfect time to splurge all the money you have because the sets are usually worth-buying. I envy girls who are celebrating their birthday at the end of the year because they can always ask for one as a prezzie. If nobody is available to buy for them, they also have a concrete reason to spend their money on any set of their choice as a birthday gift for self. It's so unfair! My birthday is in January and the good ones are usually gone by that time *sad face*.

So far I only found info on gift sets from two famous makeup brands but believe that more brands will release theirs in the near future.

First, let's see what Estee Lauder brings us for Christmas 2011. Last year they had a success by collaborating with Coach so they remain the same strategy and collaborates with a famous American fashion designer, Michael Kors for this year's collection.

Silver, gold or bronze? You still have time to choose before they hit the counter soon. (I like the gold pouch but not the make up colours).

Another line of christmas gift sets is from a brand with cute vintage packaging, Benefit Cosmetics. Let's start with the perfume, The Crescent Row Set which consists of 10 ml of each scent...

...and followed by the worth buying " I'm Glam Therefore I am" palette set which is jam-packed with four eye shadow shades, a face powder in Glamming, a mini tube of Girl Meets Pearl face highlighter, mini Badgal Lash mascara, Life on the A List lip gloss and a brush. Wow, what else can you ask for but this is not the end...

...because here comes the Ticket to Glossytown set...

It's a lip gloss set consists of 6 pretty shades in So Frisk Me, Nudie Tude, Spiked Punch, Life on the List, Kiss You and Foxy Lady. I'm not only in love with the gloss tubes but also the packaging. Too cute to resist!

So now, what say you...Any liking?

*keywords: makeup set, christmas set, christmas gift set, christmas 2011

*news & image source: http://beaut.ie/blog/

:: i'm in love ::

2011-10-19T16:20:00.003+08:00

Right now, I'm in L.O.V.E with

...

my new handbag

...

I've been searching for a new white handbag for almost a year now (refer this entry) but the perfect white ones usually come with a hefty price. When I saw that cute bag in Charles & Keith, Empire Gallery weeks before the mall was exploded, it was love at first sight. I didn't buy it right away though because what I had in my mind as my perfect white bag were either one of these beauties...

Anyway, they are both far beyond reach at the moment *sobbing* so after few more visits to the C&K boutique I finally purchased the cute patent quilted bag yesterday in Mid Valley. The colour is off-white and I like everything about that bag. It's small, glossy and what I love the most are the ribbon, the gold plated flip closure and the chains. I'm happy but that doesn't mean I'm forgetting the Wilshire and the Alma.

...

Just to let you know that I'm also in L.O.V.E with this:

Loacker Napolitaner in Hazelnut

RM8.90 for 175g

A tester size was included in the goodie bag I received during Secretary Luncheon at Menara KL earlier this year. The company's marketing strategy was successful because I'm addicted to this biscuit ever since I tasted it. Usually bought it in the smallest pack priced around RM2.60 - RM2.80 so when I saw a bigger size pack at Jusco yesterday, I just couldn't resist to purchase one. I usually prefer biscuits in chocolate flavour but this time, hazelnut rules. Yummeyh!

:: happy birthday nor! ::

2011-10-18T13:34:00.001+08:00

To a wonderful friend aka. my partner-in-crime,

Wishing you all happiness in the world

may you'll be blessed with a great, successful life ahead.

Welcome to the big THREE yow!

xoxo,

yatoque

*footnote: the above pics were taken on Nor's convocation day, 04.10.11. She came to Menara TM in her robe and mortarboard after the event to snap pics with her colleagues and me. We were posing in front of Menara TM's lobby as if we were the only people there. It was crazy and fun!

:: cheeky boy ::

2011-10-17T23:34:00.000+08:00

Ady Rifqi is 4-month 'young' today. Alhamdulillah, our little boy is growing healthily and when we sent him for his monthly jab 2 weeks ago he was already 7.1kg. So far Ady is excellent at stealing people's heart with his smile. He smiled generously to anyone who made eye contact at him and already knew how to laugh during playtime. In terms of other skills, Ady still couldn't turn his body to the side yet although he has already able to push up his back. According to studies made and reported in Babycentre, babies who sleep on their back had less advanced motor skills such as rolling, creeping and pushing up compared to babies who sleep on their stomach so this might be true because Ady sleeps on his back most of the time. When he was smaller we used to put Ady sleeping on his stomach because he slept longer in that position but stopped after reading that position is prone to causing SIDS death. Baby's development is different from one another anyway so we're still fine with it at the moment. According to Babycentre again, parents only need to worry if their baby couldn't turn until the age of 6-month. By the way, Babycentre is my main reference source in learning about baby's development ever since I was pregnant until today. I have to admit that I don't do much reading these days so I just rely on the internet to gain knowledge especially about babies. So far the information is beneficial and reliable, and I highly recommend it to any new mommies and mommies-to-be.

Anyway, Ady already goes to school (when speaking to him we refer his nursery as school) for a month now and everything is good so far. Hubby sends Ady every morning because he leaves the house a bit late and I fetch him in the evening right from office. Starting last week Ady seemed to know what time I would leave for work so he woke up just before 7:00am and asked for milk. One morning he even smiled when he felt asleep in my arms after breastfeeding (I tried giving him formula milk at first but he didn't want to drink it) and in fact, he was smiling in his sleep after I kissed him today. Cheeky boy! I was late everyday last week except Friday because he was still asleep when I left but later in the office hubby called informing me that Ady cried endlessly since 7:30am. He might be mad because he had overslept and didn't manage to catch me...haha.

The cheeky boy

I wish I could write longer but time envies me more. I had a long day in the office today and now that Ady is already asleep, I really need to move on because a number of chores are waiting to be done. Before I leave I just want to say that no word could describe how much we love our son and no word could also describe the joy of being a mother to our cute lil baby.

Ady Rifqi, Mama may have said this before but I still want you to know that Mama loves you so much!

Bee, I also love you so much!

:: where spiky hair trend comes from? ::

2011-10-13T13:53:00.002+08:00

Sorry for the lack of updates as I'm currently busy in the office and also at home.

Just a quick one though.

Received an e-mail from a colleague this morning regarding the spiky hair trend. Many girls have crush or fall in love with men with spiky hair and we could see many celebrities with spikes, but do you know who sets the trend earlier than those famous names?

That e-mail gave an answer to that question and if you didn't know, I'm sharing it just for your info.

...and the spiky hair trendsetter goes to...

Funny but it seems true!

LOL.

:: great weekend ::

2011-10-10T18:05:00.000+08:00

Hey ho. How's your Monday so far? Having Monday Blues, no?

I had a great weekend so I came to office with a happy face today. Spent my Saturday with bff at IPC. It was Rabby's birthday and it was a last minute arrangement but I still managed joining my besties celebrating the birthday girl. We had japanese, late lunch at Sushi King and I have to thank Fila for her treat. The five of us (Nor, Fila, Rabby, Ady & I) then went to Ikea and had a break at Starbucks before going back home. I think I have mentioned about my interest towards Mexican food before and did you know that there is a stall selling Mexican food in IPC? In case you didn't and you also love Mexican food, there is this stall called Popilla selling tacos, burritos, nachos, quesadillas and mexican rice located just opposite Cold Storage. I have tried their quesadillas before and it was awesome so I bought it in a set meal that came with nachos and pina colada. d-e-l-i-c-i-o-u-s!

I love spending time with my bff because we could eat as much as we can and talk about anything, non-stop. Being with them is simply a stress reliever and fun. Girls, thank you so much for the great time as always and to my dear Rabby, welcome to the 30's. Nor, you're next on the list baybeyh!

Sunday was spent in a different way though. Instead of lazing on the bed like usual, hubby and I woke very early because we had a mission and it was something that we don't do often. Both of us actually attended an audition at Shah Alam Convention Centre. Yeah, you read it right. It was an audition but obviously not to be a singer. It was for a new game show on Astro called RM1,000,000 Money Drop as advertised on Astro Ria. We arrived at 9:30 am and got our number only after an hour later. People came as early as 7:00 am even from other states so the queue was very long. People still came to register even at 1:30 pm so you could imagine how big the crowd was. By the way our number was 3694.

The audition consist of two levels. The first was a test with a passing mark of 11 over 20 and contestants could only proceed to the second level only after both partner passed the test. At first I thought we are going to fail the first round because of me but alhamdulillah we passed and managed getting to the second round. That next level was only for the panels to judge our personality, whether we are sporting and fun enough to be part of the show. We just did what we managed to and if chosen, they will call us for the real show later. Hopefully we're lucky enough to try our luck...

I wish I could elaborate more on the audition and I actually have some pics to share but it's already late now and I really need to make my move because I have to fetch Ady before 7:00 pm. I'll share the pics later though but in the meantime just say...

:: my sweethearts ::

2011-10-05T13:29:00.000+08:00

:: urban batik ::

2011-09-29T17:45:00.002+08:00

Syawal has ended yesterday but Raya mood still remains. I have been attending Raya celebration in and around Menara TM every single day this week and today alone, I got two invites to similar events. I have worn baju kurung twice this week so I decided to wear something different yet appropriate for such gathering and this is what I'm wearing right now...

Urban batik?

While raiding my closet last night looking what to wear, I just realised I haven't worn this dress for ages. In fact I haven't worn it ever since I was transferred to Menara TM from Multimedia College (MMC) and that was in 2009! This dress, bought in Zara KLCC many years back is one of my favourite piece. It has its own sentimental value - a friendship dress because my BFF, Fila and Nor also own the same exact dress only that we never wear it at the same time. When I was attached to MMC before, Nor and I used to hang out in KLCC after office hour. We usually bought sushi from Isetan market, spent hours in Starbucks and did a lot of shopping together. That day Zara was on sale and we instantly felt in love with that dress when we saw it. Without thinking any further we happily bought it and if not mistaken, Fila also bought it on the same day. Now, that is one good reason why we are Best Friends Forever.

Hrmm... those sweet days in KLCC...

Anyway anyhow, this is me and my partner in crime in TM Convention Centre attending Majlis Jalinan Mesra Aidilfitri organised by Kelab TM and Persatuan Eksekutif TM this afternoon...

...and last but not least...

a pose from yours truly ;-)

:: explosion at empire shopping gallery subang ::

2011-09-28T12:19:00.000+08:00

A friend updated her Facebook status with an image that made me surprised. It was a photo of an after explosion scene at Empire Shopping Gallery, which is located in our community area. From news found on the Internet, an explosion happened around 3:40 am this morning in that one year old shopping complex causing extensive damage and injury to four people. It's quite scary knowing such incident could happen in a shopping complex here in Malaysia where most people spent their time with family and friends. It reminds me of a documentary I saw on National Geographic months before about Sampoong Department Store in Korea which collapsed due to structural failure and caused hundreds death.

Thank God the incident happened at odd hour and not during weekends, or it could be worst. I like going to Empire because it is near and conducive but I have to forget about it for a while now. Further story on the news as extracted from The Malaysian Insider is per below:

SUBANG JAYA, Sept 28 — Four people were hurt in an early morning explosion at the Empire Gallery shopping mall here, which was heard from as far away as Bangsar.

Eyewitnesses described a scene of chaos, adding that police, ambulances and the fire brigade were still on the scene.

Police tracker dogs were also there as were Fire and Rescue Department personnel from stations across Subang Jaya, Shah Alam, Damansara and Puchong to investigate the incident.

Subang Jaya OCPD ACP Zainal Rashid Abu Bakar told reporters at the scene that the blast was believed to have started in the basement and involved a gas pipeline.
“We have yet to determine the cause of the blast but damage is extensive, affecting the parking lot and many outlets on the basement level and even the ground floor,” he said.
“Our forensics team is still investigating. We have not been able to enter certain parts of the mall . . . the damage is too bad and the areas are sealed off.”

He confirmed that a distress call was received at 3.45 this morning on the explosion at the mall, which is at the entrance of Subang Jaya from the Federal Highway.
Zainal Rashid said four people were injured — two Nepalese security guards and a couple. They received minor scrapes and bruises. Rescue workers are still combing the basement in search of more victims.

The security guards, who were initially trapped in the basement, have been sent to hospital.
The couple, sales executives Daryl Chua, 27, and his girlfriend Hibbie Tan, 23, were taken to hospital in an ambulance but have since been discharged.

Nearly the entire stretch of the front portion of the newly built mall have been blown out, damaging a number of cafes, restaurants and clothing stores including Tangs and Starbucks Coffee.

Chua told reporters that he was walking with his girlfriend to an Autopay station a few steps from Starbucks when the explosion occurred about 3.30am.

“We were at La Bodega earlier for dinner and then we were just hanging out outside my car and talking," he said.
“Just as we were heading to the Autopay, there was a loud ‘boom’, like in the movies. I thought it was a bomb.”
Chua said he was “literally lifted off the ground” and thrown sideways several meters from the blast, lightly grazing both his arms.

The sound of breaking glass, falling debris and metal and sirens broke the earlier silence, he said, leaving him in a momentary state of confusion and panic.
“And then the flames came up. It was all over, the entire front of the mall was razed. I thought I was going to die,” he said.
When the scene calmed slightly, Chua said he carried Tan, who had sprained her leg, to safety and noticed passers-by and nearby residents rushing to the scene.
His car, a black Volkswagen Golf GTI, was severely damaged.

Selangor Mentri Besar Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim tweeted this morning and prayed for the safety of the residents nearby.
Subang Jaya assemblyman Hannah Yeoh was also there, he added.
The shopping mall opened last year.
Yeoh told The Malaysian Insider she scrambled to get there after receiving a tweet about three-something this morning.
“The four injured have been taken to the hospital,” she said. "One broke his leg, apparently."
“The damage [to the building] is extensive. All of the lower floor all the way up to the second floor.”
The cause of the explosion was still not known, she said.
The police have sealed off the area, causing a traffic jam in the morning rush hour.

:: chillin' ::

2011-09-27T17:41:00.002+08:00

This is how a 3-month old baby chillin' at home.

:-D

Ady likes to sit like an adult rather than lying on his back so he has his own spot on the couch. This was taken last Saturday when he was watching Back to Barnyard on Nickelodeon. He usually looked at me or into the camera but this time Otis and the gang attracted him more. Papa, someone will be joining you watching movies and learning channels soon ;-)

:: colour block-ing ::

2011-09-26T09:30:00.003+08:00

Cherish your life with colours

Have a colourful week ahead~!

I dare myself to wear something bold for casual Friday last week and ended up wearing a lemon yellow top, paired with an electric blue cropped cardie. My fuschia iPad case complete the colour block theme.

Question: do you dare to colour block?

:: redmummy ::

2011-09-22T13:35:00.001+08:00

Don't get me wrong. I'm not talking about RedMummy the famous blogger but since I'm now a mother and I was wearing red, I deserve to be called RedMummy too right? :-P

Our department, Group Human Capital Management's hari raya celebration was held last Tuesday at TM Training Centre, Jalan Semarak. It was a close event for Human Capital's staff but those attended mostly donned in their best baju kurung, kebaya or baju melayu complete with sampin and songkok. I had hard time finding what to wear because I only have one raya dress that looks a tad too glamorous for a day event so I just wore that old red kebaya instead. Ok I know it was also a bit OTT to be worn from early morning but hey, it's Hari Raya... need to be extra pretty lor. Hehe.

I don't have much time to write about the event so I just let these pictures and short captions do the job.

Left to Right
* 1st Row:
- We were encouraged to bring something for gift exchange activity. That was what I bought and how I wrapped it.
- Overwhelming responds for gift exchange activity.
- The best sampin contest.

* 2nd Row:
- My tablemates: Nurul and En. Baharin.
- People were busy eating or queuing for food.
- Lovely chocolate cake & cheese cake... and a cute ladybird chocolate.

*3rd Row:
- Tapai pulut sedap!
- A colleague chose a yellow coloured giftbox to match his baju melayu.
- Me & Nurul with our selected prezzies. We participated in "highest high heels" contest and I won it, thanks to my red skyscraper heels. Choosing the perfect gift for myself was quite challenging because I didn't want to end up with food or beverages. Made an excellent choice and got a set of 3-in-1 plasticware :-D

*4th Row:
- Another pic with Nurul
- Ketupat weaving contest were mostly participated by the seniors...

:: dps rosmah mansor & her hermes birkins ::

2011-09-13T23:19:00.000+08:00

While most of us could only dream on owning at least one Hermes bag, our Prime Minister's wife, Datin Paduka Seri Rosmah Mansor has no problem expanding her Hermes Birkin collection. As a handbag lover I envy her for having these colourful Birkins, which are mostly made of crocodile skin. A preloved calf leather Birkin is priced from RM30,000 and above, so imagine how much a croco skin bag cost her. Perhaps this is one of the perks of being a PM's wife.

What would be the next colour and will she 'invests' in lizard skin or ostrich Birkins? Let's wait and see but in the meantime let us enjoy looking at some of her collection...

BEIGE

BLACK

NAVY BLUE

BLUE

BROWN

DARK BROWN

GREY

MAROON

ORANGE

PINK

RED

:: partners in crime ::

2011-09-11T23:56:00.001+08:00

Me + Nor = Partners in crime ;-)

Our pics were taken during my last outing as a mommy-to-be at the Estee Lauder model search 2011 but Nor just collected them from One Utama last Friday.

Time flies.

I was still pregnant in the picture and now, our baby is almost 3 months old. My days as a full time housewife last today. I will start working again tomorrow, back to reality.

:: nursery mama ::

2011-09-07T18:31:00.001+08:00

I should start working today, but I'm still at home. Yes, I know it's kinda too much already but when we visited Ady's nursery and met the owner yesterday she could only accept our baby starting next Monday because one of her staff will be on leave until this weekend. Good news is, Ady is still staying at his mama's nursery where he is the only baby and the main priority.

Our baby is 3 months in 10 more days and I have been staying with him full time through out the period. I have started feeling a bit sad that I have to leave him for work later. Despite all the challenges, taking care of my own lil' baby is one most treasured moment in my life as a mother.

Ady usually sleeps at 2:00 - 3:00 in the morning and wakes up for milk around 7:00 - 8:00 am and 10:00 am then continues sleeping until 12:00 noon. I bathe him after he wakes up, gives him milk but there is no specific routine after that because sometimes Ady falls asleep again although most of the time he is not.

Ady loves water. He is happy everytime after taking bath.

When he is not sleeping, he only wants to be with me. Ady likes to sit like an adult so I usually place him on the couch next to me (he has his own spot) or else, he just sits on me instead while we watch tv or playing together. Believe it or not, Ady doesn't like watching BabyTv but he prefers watching movies on movie channels instead. I think he will only watch cartoons when he can appreciate them so we better enjoy first before he starts conquering the tv with Cartoon Network or Astro Ceria later.

My baby is attached to me like 24/7 and there were times when I had to carry him while hanging clothes and preparing dishes in the kitchen. I'm also his pacifier, cozy chair and trampoline but he is everything to me. Spending every minute, every hour and watching him growing up is very meaningful. Although I will start working in the office again next week, "nursery mama" is always open because as we all knew being a mother is a full time job.

my chubby lil munchkin

Ady Rifqi, no words could describe how lucky and grateful we are for having you. We both love you so much, son!

:: cerita pagi raya ::

2011-09-06T22:58:00.001+08:00

Cerita bermula dengan kisah yang ayah saya ceritakan di blog beliau, Cerita Apa-Apa Saja pada 7 Ogos lalu:

SEHELAI SONGKET BERBUNGA PENUH

PETANG itu Shariff Ahmad, Setiausaha Akhbar Menteri Besar singgah di rumah lagi. “Datin beri,” katanya pendek sambil tangannya menghulur beberapa keping wang RM50.00

“Untuk apa?,” kataku pendek dalam kehairanan.

“Dia kata bayaran untuk kad jemputan yang kau buat,” jawabnya selamba.

“Dia dah bayar melalui cek, invois yang aku hantar.”

“Entah! Datin cakap dia cukup puas hati dengan kad itu. Cantik katanya,”

“Aaah! Tak hendaklah,” kataku sambil memulangkan kembali wang itu.

“Kata pada Datin, terima kasih.” Masih dalam nada bersahaja.

Shariff akur lalu bercerita mengenai hal-hal biasa yang sering kami perkatakan. Cerita mengenai rakan media. Cerita mengenai politik pejabat.

Petang keesokan harinya, Shariff singgah lagi di rumah. Tangannya menjenjeng beg plastik.

“Datin terima kembali duit yang kaupulangkan. Tapi dia harap yang ini kau tidak pulangkan,” katanya sambil menghulurkan beg plastik itu.

Aku terus membukanya dan terlihat lipatan kemas kain songket berbunga penuh.

“Mahal ni. Lebih mahal daripada duit yang diberi semalam,”kataku kaget.

Shariff tersenyum dan terus menukar cerita lain.

Seingat-ingat aku itu adalah kain songket kedua milikku. Songket pertama emak hadiahkan sewaktu aku kahwin dulu. Memikirkan pemberian itu ikhlas, aku tidak dapat berbuat apa-apa lagi, selain menerimanya dengan penuh kesyukuran.

Sejak mendapat songket baru itu, itulah songket rasmiku sama ada dipakai setiap Hari Raya atau menyertai majlis-majlis rasmi. Bertahun-tahun aku memakainya sehingga melupakan songket pemberian emak.

Pada suatu majlis rasmi di kediaman Menteri Besar, di Nombor 4, Jalan Tasik, aku sempat bergurau dengannya mengenai songket yang aku pakai.

“Untuk pengetahuan Datuk, songket yang saya pakai ni Datin yang beri,” sengaja aku kuatkan percakapan itu supaya didengar oleh isterinya yang berada di sebelah.

“Itu tanda nak songket barulah tu,” celah Datin Seri Hajah Hazizah Haji Tumin, dalam nada gurauan juga.

......................................................................................................................................

Suku Abad Kemudian

Sewaktu hendak menghadiri satu majlis rasmi peringkat negeri baru-baru ini, aku tercari-cari songket itu. Aaah! Di mana? Di mana songket berbunga penuh yang aku anggarkan berharga sekitar RM1,000 itu.

Bukan harganya yang membuatkan aku terkilan tapi cerita di sebalik songket itu. Songket itu `pemberian hati’ manusia yang aku anggap luhur jiwanya – dia yang telah lebih 10 tahun dipanggil Ilahi.

“Tap!” Aku tersentak dan tidak pernah aku panik seperti itu – songket kesayanganku itu telang hilang daripada almari pakaianku.

Puas aku mengingat majlis terakhir aku memakainya.

“Yes! Yes!” Aku memakainya bersama sepasang baju Melayu hijau di majlis meraikan persaraanku – 9 Disember 2009.

Songket itu terkena tumpahan minuman sewaktu makan dan petang itu juga aku menghantarnya untuk cucian kering.

Aku lantas menghidupkan enjin kereta dan segera menuju ke kedai dobi langgananku di Taman Paroi Jaya.

“Maaf! Tidak adalah Pakcik!,” jawab pekerja kedai dobi menjawab pertanyaanku.

“Bila Pakcik hantar?”

“9 Disember 2009.”

“Sekarang sudah Julai 2011.”

Baru aku perasan, tempoh itu sudah menjangkau dua tahun dan wajar benar songket itu tiada lagi dalam simpanan.

Tanpa membuang masa, aku segera pula ke satu lagi kedai dobiku yang terletak berhampiran rumah di Taman Pinggiran Golf.

“Biasanya kami jual, pakaian atau apa sahaja yang tidak dituntut selepas satu tahun,” kata pembantu kanan kedai dobi berkenaan.

Aku bagaikan mahu meraung sekuat-kuatnya ketika itu.

Songket... inilah ketikanya aku memakaimu buat kali terakhir

************************************************************************************************************

Pada pagi Raya tempoh hari sebaik saya menuruni tangga dari bilik, ayah yang sedang menjamah sarapan nasi himpit berlaukkan rendang daging dan pajeri nanas menerjahku dengan soalan mengenai sampin songketnya yang hilang. Manakan tidak, pagi-pagi lagi ayah telah terperanjat melihat sampin songket kesayangannya yang disangka hilang selama ini berada di atas katil adik saya, Siti Atiqah.

Sampin songket itu kami bawa dari rumah di USJ ke Seremban untuk suami saya pakai bersama baju melayu barunya. Patutlah semasa saya menyeterika sampin tersebut pada malam sebelumnya saya seakan sudah mengenalinya lebih lama. Sebelum ini, kami sangkakan ia songket yang dipakai ketika majlis perkahwinan kami, tetapi entah mengapa dan bila saya ada meminjamnya dari simpanan ayah. Saya sudah mula risau kerana kami tidak membawa sampin songket lain dan kebetulan pula warnanya sangat sesuai dengan baju melayu suami. Mujur ayah benarkan songketnya dipakai lagi.

Petang itu, setelah pulang beraya dari kampung di Labu saya serahkan kembali sampin songket berbunga penuh itu kembali kepada tuannya. Ayah telah mendapat semula sampin songket kesayangannya dan kini ayah tidak perlu meraung lagi mengingatkannya.

Terima kasih dan maafkan kami, ayah.

:: petknode apologised? ::

2011-09-06T13:19:00.004+08:00

This is posted by Petknode Cat Boarding official FB page at 11:31 am today, an apologise note:

"Dengan ini, kami, Shahrul dan Yushairi, pemilik perniagaan Petknode Online Pet Store, dengan hati yang tulus ikhlas dan rasa rendah diri, ingin menyampaikan rasa terkilan dan bersalah kerana gagal memberikan perkhidmatan yang terbaik seperti yang dijanjikan. Kami mengakui kesilapan kami dalam menguruskan pusat jagaan kucing kami sehingga kebajikan kucing-kucing pelanggan diabaikan. Kami amat menyesal disebabkan gagal mendapatkan tenaga pekerja untuk membantu kami menguruskan pusat jagaan kucing dan sebagai perniagaan yang kecil, kekangan modal dan sumber yang terhad menyebabkan kegagalan kami menyediakan tempat tinggal yang terurus untuk kucing-kucing pelanggan. Walaubagaimanapun, kami telah cuba yang termampu untuk menguruskan kucing-kucing pelanggan dengan segala sumber yang ada.

Kami memohon maaf kerana menyebabkan kucing-kucing pelanggan menjadi tertekan, kurang makan dan minum, terabai kebajikannya disebabkan kekurangan dan kelemahan kami sendiri."

Apologising is good but regretting over not having enough workforce to handle the cats due to money and limited resources? Well you shouldn't mention that mister because that just brings more anger to people. You offered boarding service with wide advertisement on the Internet, accepted people's money and yet, you blamed limited money and resources. It really shows how selfish these people are. Oh by the way the two selfish guys were detained in lockup...

...with laptop! The above note must be sent from that cell too.

:: cruelty by petknode ::

2011-09-05T04:07:00.000+08:00

On Hari Raya last year the entire nation was shocked about the gruesome death of Sosilawati. This year, we are shocked (again) but this time it is about animal cruelty by a pet boarding centre known as Petknode. For cat owners, preparation for Hari Raya not only involve shopping for new clothes but also include planning and searching for the best place to leave their furkids. Those who couldn't bring along their cats normally leave them at petshops or boarding centres. They trust them, pay a sum of money, celebrate Hari Raya with family, return to KL and find their beloved cats look like this:

...this...

...with dead kittens...

...and the most tragic among all...

when the mother and its kitten are both dead :-(

Insane! That was the word I uttered when I saw the pictures. Such cruelty was made by people who were paid and trusted to take care of the animals, but look what they have done. Those cats and many more were leftcongested inside a room in their cages, some in carriers without enough food, water and sit with their poops and pees.

I'm angry but so sleepy right now to share the complete news but you can read what's going on from myanimalcare website and get latest update from Kucing Terbiar & Anjing Jalanan FB page.

RIP to 16 dead cats and get well soon for the survivors. To those greedy, irresponsible Petknode bastards - "go rot in hell!"

Good night.

*photos from myanimalcare

:: selamat hari raya ::

2011-08-30T23:55:00.000+08:00

Salam Aidilfitri

Eid Mubarak

from

:: bff iftar session 2011 ::

2011-08-27T09:31:00.002+08:00

Our BFF annual iftar session was held exactly a week ago on Saturday, 20.08.2011 at the Gardens Cafe, Sunway Pyramid. The venue was selected by votes but we have intended to try their food while enjoying the ambience since few months back so the iftar session was one perfect time to do it. Gardens Cafe is a lifestyle store and cafe concept restaurant, but if you're not familiar with its name, you might still have noticed it in shopping malls like One Utama, Mid Valley or The Curve because of its pretty garden white-green concept deco. The one in Sunway Pyramid looks small from outside but I was surprised finding how spacious it was inside.

It was baby Ady's first outing with Mama and aunties. We planned to gather at 5:30 pm so we could do some shopping but Ady and I arrived more than an hour later. As a new mommy, getting ready independently was quite challenging. Ady didn't like to be left alone and he preferred to be carried most of the time so when I had to leave him while applying makeup and wearing hijab (even lying on the bed next to the dressing table) he started crying continously. Hubby usually sat with him when I was preparing myself but he was at work so I had to either bear with him crying or prepare things (milk, diaper bag, etc) while carrying him in one hand. Lesson learnt: I have to prepare two hours before appointment time instead of an hour before, next time.

Nor, Fila, Rynn and her daughter Rayfa were already comfortable at their seats when I arrived. Apparently the booking that I've made 5 days earlier was cancelled because according to them, the restaurant tried calling me to reconfirm but it was wrong number. The guy who received my call didn't copy my phone number correctly and even worst, he also wrote my name wrongly in their reservation book. Pffffttt...! Luckily my friends arrived early and managed getting new table for us.

Rabby and her daughter Sophie arrived later. It was good to see everybody and it was even better because our friend, Rynn also joined us this time. Outing with my girlfriends is something I always look forward to because not only we could chat endlessly about everything, it also gives me one good reason to dress up. It was my first time wearing shawl that way after watching the tutorial on youtube few days earlier. Not sure whether it really suits me but I wanted to be more adventurous instead of wearing tudung bawal with the same style. I usually prefer wearing casual attire instead of shirt during weekends but since I haven't work for months, I missed wearing one so I wore that white shirt with a pair of jeans and made my son wore similar coloured outfit too. I like the idea of wearing matching colours with my baby because I think it's kinda cute. Hehe.

There's nothing much to share during dinner because besides catching up, exchanged stories and taking photos, we were also busy enjoying our food. Overall, the food is tasty and served in a reasonable portion, not so huge but not so small. I have tasted a better and creamier spaghetti carbonara at other diners but their caesar salad with smoked salmon was good to me. Fila had noodle (middle top pic), Nor had that chicken in pita bread (bottom left pic) and that barramundi (bottom right pic) was Rynn's. Rabby and Sophie ordered spaghetti carbonara and spaghetti marinara but I didn't manage taking the pics because they were sitting at the other side of the table. They also have kids menu so the two girls got themselves fried chicken if I'm not mistaken. They also served fruit juice in cute mini jug, but unfortunately they must have used all of them when they were preparing Fila's watermelon juice because she received hers in a plastic glass instead. Rayfa got hers in that jug but I forget to ask Rynn to snap a pic. I guess everybody was satisfied because nobody gave negative remarks about their food. Before I forget, I have to say that their hot honey lemon was the best I've ever tasted and that could be one reason for me to dine at Gardens Cafe again. If compared to their rival Fullhouse which we went 6 months ago, Gardens Cafe is much more better in terms of food and ambience. Ample space, nice ambience, good food, what's more to ask? Highly recommended, enough said.

Actually we were also celebrating Nor's success that night. She just completed her MBA and will be graduating in October so she kindheartedly paid everything. Thank you so much Nor - "semoga sentiasa dimurahkan rejeki hendaknya".

There wasn't much desserts selection in Gardens Cafe so we moved to Starbucks for supper. I don't know whether supper is the best term to use because we just ate dinner but whatever. There was this shop named Payless Shoes next to the Starbucks and we spent almost half an hour inside luring over massive shoe collection that were reasonably priced. Fila and I ended up buying a pair each. Mine was a beige coloured peep toe meanwhile Fila bought a houndstooth pumps. If you're a shoe lover just like us, do visit that shop because they have pretty shoes and they arranged them according to size. There are also shoes for children and those for girls were very cute and irresistible.

I didn't order anything in Starbucks because I'm still on coffee and ice probation, but I took two loOoOong sips of Nor's dark mocha frappucino which is my favourite drink (untuk tidak kempunan). We continued chatting until Fila started unveiling her 'Santa Bag'. Every year Fila never fail giving us Hari Raya prezzies and this year Nor and I followed that tradition by giving our prezzies too. Each of us received a shawl and body mist from Fila, and a bronze or silver brooch from Nor. Fila even gave the two girls pretty dresses and Nor gave them pink headbands, while Ady received a cute Pumpkin Patch t-shirt from Fila. I gave my girlfriends a set of Ecotools travelling makeup brush. Didn't have much time to prepare fancy wrapping so I only made small cards for everybody with an origami heart on the cover. We have noticed earlier that the three of us used Japanese theme for our packaging and when I looked at the above picture, I noticed that we also used similar colour shades which are pink and green. I guess we have been friends for too long until we could think into the same direction. Anyway, thank you so much Fila and Nor for that prezzies and hopefully all of you find the makeup brush set useful.

Shops were already closed when we left Starbucks except for Jaya Jusco. We stopped by at Jusco because I had to change Ady's diaper, then we bid farewell to each other. Later, Rynn and Rayfa followed me to my car because I needed help to dismantle the stroller. It was a bit difficult because my hubby usually handled everything so I didn't know how to do it. Luckily Rynn and Rayfa were with me because it is dangerous to stay out of the car for a long period in a parking area. Thanks so much dear!

Our iftar session was a success and I look forward to having more sessions with my besties. To my BFF, thank you so much for the wonderful time. I highly apologize for any wrongdoings and hope to see you girls later, perhaps during our Raya potluck? ;-)

*keywords: gardens cafe sunway pyramid review, recommended restaurant selangor, malaysia

:: sempoinya berbuka ::

2011-08-27T04:14:00.001+08:00

This is an opposite to this "meriahnya sahur" post.

I had to break fast alone yesterday because hubby had to settle some work. Thought of calling mcDelivery but when it was nearly 6:00 pm I suddenly got a better idea and this is the result:

Porridge with shredded chicken, tenggiri jeruk and Vegemite

During our trip to Melbourne last year we almost brought home a bottle of Vegemite but it was left at the airport because it was not allowed to be handcarried. I finally got it after almost a year through my friend Isma who just returned home and ever since that, I have been addicted to it. In case you're not familiar with it, Vegemite is concentrated yeast extract. I haven't found it anywhere here in Malaysia but we have Marmite which is the same thing but made in UK, while Vegemite is an Australian product. I have to admit that it has funny taste and smell; and some people may not like it but I like it (a lot).

It may sound a bit weird but my late grandmother was the one who taught me eating porridge with Marmite when I was still a young kid. I haven't eat it for ages and yesterday, I managed to bring back my childhood memory and I didn't eat one or two but THREE bowls of porridge! FYI, I love eating porridge and that porridge was also cooked similarly to how my late grandmother used to cook it as it was mixed with coconut milk. Having something that made me reminiscing my childhood is simply the best and it's more appetizing although it looks simple.

On another note, I really miss my late grandmother. She was the greatest cook ever and if you asked me who I really want to meet whether in this life or the next, without any doubt I'll answer "her". al-Fatihah to my late grandmother, Allahyarhamah Salbiah binti Suki and not forgetting my late grandfather too, Allahyarham Mohammed Farid bin Abdullah.

:: sneak peek ::

2011-08-26T18:28:00.001+08:00

Here's a sneak peek of my Hari Raya dress...

We went to Jalan TAR on Wednesday night searching for hubby's baju melayu. Like last year, I let him chose his baju melayu and the theme colour first before I bought mine; and also like last year, shopping was done at the very last minute. The area was crowded as expected. We brought Ady together but had to carry him instead of using stroller as it was a lot more easier and our baby was asleep most of the time so there was no trouble at all. We walked from beginning to end of the stalls but hubby couldn't decide. Searching for his baju melayu was quite challenging because most small size tops was not that small so it didn't fit him well. He bought his baju melayu from KL Tradisional last year and it suited him so we hoped to find something from that brand but neither caught his attention.

After walking through long stretch of stalls that lasted more than 1 km, we walked back from the end and that dress caught my attention. It was a long sleeve maxi chiffon dress with a big bling-bling in the middle of the waist. It was love at the first sight because that dress really reflects my taste. At first I was quite disappointed knowing that the dress was in free size because I thought it won't fit me well, but surprisingly it looked good on my postpartum body. No alteration needed because the length fell nicely when it is worn with heels later. I was a bit concerned on the colour though because it would be difficult for hubby to choose his baju melayu that matches the tone but he said not to worry. There were few other colours in different designs but hubby knew my taste and my colour very well so there she is now in my possession. By the way, compared to its quality and look the dress was sold at a very reasonable price. Never mind that it was bought at Jalan TAR and not from fancy boutiques because as long as it suits my taste, looks gorgeous and reasonably priced... I'm more than happy :-)

That night we returned home without any baju melayu so we went to PKNS Shah Alam last night to continue our search. There were a number of stalls selling baju melayu but they were a bit expensive and most doubled the price sold at Jalan TAR with the same fabric and quality. We managed getting a small baju melayu Johor for Ady though at RM40 after discount (sold at RM48 at first). Have to do a bit of alteration at the sleeves and pants but he sure gonna look cute in it later. To cut the story short, we ended going to Jalan TAR again last night and to cut the story shotter, we returned home with two baju melayu.

It's going to be a memorable Hari Raya. Our first Raya with our son.

:-)

:: say uuuuu ::

2011-08-23T07:40:00.000+08:00

"Cheese" is so outdated. Now everybody should say "uuuuu".

Credit goes to the photographer, Fila for this awesome pic.

Taken last Saturday at Gardens Cafe Sunway Pyramid during our BFF Iftar Session. More pics and stories about the event will be uploaded soon.

:: meriahnya sahur ::

2011-08-22T08:04:00.003+08:00

Hello semua. Tup tap tup tap dah 22 hari kita semua berpuasa kan. Cepat betul rasanya Ramadhan kali ni sebab rasa macam baru je start puasa haritu ni dah tinggal seminggu je lagi nak raya. Anyway, pagi ni saya tulis dalam BM je sebab nak cepat... tak tidur lagi since semalam tapi still nak update blog jugak sebab dah lama tak update pape. Sebenarnya ada je idea nak menulis tapi tak berkesempatan so pagi ni walaupun mata dah mengantuk saya gagahkan jugak menaip. Actually bukanlah story yang gempak sangat, just nak share betapa meriahnya sahur saya pagi ni. Ok, first of all nak tanya: "korang makan apa sahur tadi?" Sebab pagi ni kitorang makan...

Pajeri Nanas

Daging Goreng Kunyit

Ikan Pekasam

Telur Dadar + Sambal Belacan + Nasi Putih

Haa meriah tak uols??? List menu yang terakhir tu tak sempat nak snap pic sebab selesai masak pun dah pukul 5:00 pagi. Kang dok sibuk amik gambar bila pulak nak makan. Kang patut jamu selera, terus jamu mata je sebab dah imsak. Lagipun setakat telur dadar, sambal belacan dengan nasi semua orang pun boleh imagine sendiri kan. Hehehe.

Sebenarnya sahur pagi ni bukan meriah sebab makanan je tapi meriah sebab ada tetamu jugak. Kawan kami, Isma dan Hairil yang sebelum ni bertahun dok Melbourne akhirnya dah kembali ke tanahair Khamis lepas, so sementara nak setelkan apa-apa yang patut sebelum balik beraya diorang dok umah kitorang dulu. Sejak jadi suri rumah sepenuh masa sementara ni memang jaranglah dapat bersosial so memang happy sangat bila dapat guests. Selalunya bff saya memang rajin menjenguk datang rumah ni tapi sesekali dapat guests yang dok 4 malam straight, seronok sangat rasanya. Selama ni dok bercerita kat Facebook, ni dah face-to-face senang sket sembang takyah menaip dah. Satu yang saya belajar, bila beramai ni suasana tu bukan je meriah tapi semangat pun bertambah nak masak itu ini. Sebab tulah omputih cakap "the more the merrier" sampai selera makan pun bertambah jadinya. Tapi sebenarnya bila dah hujung-hujung puasa ni lauk-lauk simple lebih menyelerakan. Dapat pulak pekasam tu.. perghhh memang pembangkit selera lah! Terima kasih daun keladi untuk bff saya, Rabby yang bagi ikan pekasam tu dengan ucapan "Beek, tu last stock... tak terasa ke nak tambahkan stock aku lagi?" Kuikuikui.

Okeylah, mata dah ngantuk sangat sampai nak susun ayat pun rasa dah tak mampu. Dah hujung-hujung puasa ni selalunya idea pun dah kureng untuk masak apa untuk sahur or berbuka kan, so harapnya entry saya ni dapatlah jugak membantu mencetus (*ayat skema tak hengat) idea apa yang dimasak. Kalau tanya saya, combination sahur pagi ni memang best sebab ada manis, masin dan pedas. Harapnya tetamu kami yang sekarang dalam perjalanan balik kampung pun happy.

Kepada Isma dan Hairil, welcome home dan selamat beraya sakan dengan ahli keluarga. Maaflah kalau ada yang kurang kat memana tu ye dan terima kasih banyak-banyak atas ingatan uols untuk kami bertiga sebab macam-macam pulak yang dibelikan dari Melbourne. Insyaallah, jumpa masa raya nanti or kalau tak berkesempatan lepas raya pun boleh. Kepada semua pembaca blog saya ni, terima kasih jugak sebab sudi membaca apa yang saya tulis walaupun merepek merapu. Selamat meneruskan puasa dan selamat bershopping raya untuk semua yang beragama Islam. Jumpa di entry lain pulak... tatatititutu.

:: ady is 2 months ::

2011-08-17T23:53:00.003+08:00

It's 17th of the month and our baby is 2 months old today. I hardly shared on Ady's development because there was not much to talk about, before. Now that he is already 2 months, alhamdulillah I'm proud to say that our baby is growing and developing very well. There are few significant behavioural development that we have noticed after he reached 1 month and one of it is his sight. Not like before, it is noticeable that he has better vision now. He likes looking around and when he looked at me, it really shown that he was looking at my face. Last two weeks I carried Ady outside and he had this curious expression on his face when he was looking at the sky. I then realised that we usually take him out at night so he rarely sees outside surrounding during the day so I continued carrying him for a little while. His eyes kept on wandering around and it was a good exposure for him to recognise and connect with the real world. Apart from that Ady did impress me when he enjoyed looking at the musical mobile toy moving around while he was lying in his cot. We bought that toy when he was 1 week old but obviously he was too young to appreciate it but now it's worth it. Another thing you have to know about our baby is the fact that he couldn't be left alone on his own when he is not asleep. Sometimes he is ok but not for too long as he will start crying so the musical mobile toy has helped me a lot in distracting him.

...amazed

Apart from eyes, Ady's ears seem to functioning well too. It was seen when he reacted at the sounds we made by moving his head or just his eyes. Not only that, Ady has started communicating since few weeks ago. I frequently made sounds while looking at him and after a while he managed making sounds like "ooo" or "auuu". Nowadays he even reply to the sounds that we made or started the 'conversation' first and we usually 'talk' to each other a lot after I gave him bath. Oh, I never shared that Ady loves water. I started bathing him since he was 2 weeks old and so far he only cried once which happened ages ago. Most of the time he just sat quietly while I was scrubbing his body. Such a good boy.

Another development that can be seen is the way he is moving his feet these days. Previously Ady only moved his hands a lot but now he is active kicking with his feet as well so we are expecting him to start moving his body anytime soon. Watching a baby growing is indeed an amazing and a sweet experience, especially when the baby is yours. Small positive changes still count because it shows the baby is growing healthily and accordingly.

"hello"

By the way, the last time we weighed him two weeks ago Ady was 4.6 kg. We will take him to get his monthly jab within next few days and will update his current weight because as you can see his cheeks are rounder now if compared to before. Thankfully I can still breastfeed Ady until he is 2 months old although not exclusively. Continuing for another month will still be an achievement so hopefully I will be able to do so.

Ady Rifqi, we love you soOoOo much!

:: a celebration that will never be celebrated ::

2011-08-16T23:28:00.004+08:00

On this date last year hubby brought home a box with an injured cat inside. I was having a nap on the couch when hubby came home that night with her. She was an ordinary cat with black stripes on grey and white fur; and she was still small. My heart straight away melted when I looked at her. She has a cute face and moreover I was feeling sorry for the injury. Her left back foot was broken so she had to rely on her other 3 feet to walk. Hubby brought her home because he wanted to send her to the vet on the next day and somehow I said to him, "just bring her back home again tomorrow."

KiKi's second day at home

That was it. On this date last year we had our first pet whom we named KiKi. We didn't want her to stay outside. We bathed her on the next day so she could stay inside and from that moment she became a house cat. KiKi cherished our life. She was smart because although she was living in the street earlier she never wrecked the house and even knew where her toilet was so she just signalled us when she wanted to do her thing. Days passed by. It was Hari Raya and because we didn't have any experience with boarding service, we brought KiKi celebrating Raya with us in Seremban and also to Sik, Kedah. Amazingly she just sat quietly inside the carrier and behaved really well through out the entire journey, neither peed nor pooed.

Our Raya pic last year :-(

We never separated with each other ever since day one but we had to leave her when we went to Melbourne. It was our first time being away and I even cried when we said goodbye to her. I never feel such strong bond with a cat before but everything changed with KiKi.

Nose to nose - that was what we did to say I love you

My most favourite pic!

From a box house we then bought her a proper cage. At first, KiKi was left inside the cage during the day when we were both at work but later we just left her inside our bedroom because we wanted her to be more comfortable. After 6 months we just left her roaming anywhere in the house because we knew she won't do anything. KiKi was special to us and I have to admit that we usually treat her more than a cat. We couldn't leave her alone for too long if it was already dark, we brought her to shopping malls, bought her clothes and at one point, we even installed a webcam to watch what she did in the bedroom during the day! We then knew how much she loved her pink fluffy bed because she only sat and slept inside it most of the time. Later in the evening she sat at the window pane, looking outside as if she knew I will reach home anytime soon.

I miss these moments...

There is a lot to talk about KiKi. She accompanied me most of the time until I was 8 month pregnant and I that was when she was taken away from us. I regret that she couldn't meet Ady. Even more, it was hard to believe that KiKi was stolen just like that. She was with us the whole time, only separated in few minutes and gone. It was tragic. No word could describe how devastated I am until this moment. It has been 3 months but I still can't let her go. I keep thinking of her and missing her, hoping that she is thinking and missing us too. Hopefully she is doing well and healthy, whereever she is right now. We should have a celebration today but too bad KiKi is no longer with us. No matter what, she will always be our first pet and our moments with her will always be kept as treasure.

KiKi had a lot of her favourite food (chicken) during her last week with us

I really miss you KiKi.

:: happy birthday ::

2011-08-13T23:59:00.002+08:00

To my wonderful soulmate who never fail providing endless support, love and care.
You're an awesome husband and a great father.

Happy Birthday.

Love, Hugs, Kisses
- your wifey -

:: freestyler(s) ::

2011-08-10T18:17:00.002+08:00

I love watching my baby sleeps because he looks so cute and adorable in every different sleeping position. My BFF, Fila commented about him being a freestyler because he could sleep even in odd position.

This is Ady sleeping on my lap today, one in the afternoon...

...and another in the evening.

In fact he is still sleeping like this while I'm typing this now.

Freestyler?

But he is not the only one.

This is Ginger, our adopted cat.

:: trifle ::

2011-08-09T23:56:00.006+08:00

Okay let's talk about food again. It's my 'Projek Dapur Ramadhan' (Ramadhan's Kitchen Project) #03 and it was done last Saturday. This time I'm writing in English because I'm talking about a famous dessert originated from England since 1596 which is trifle.

Trifle is one dessert that I've made the most in my life because of many reasons. It's easy, looks impressive, leaves no mess in the kitchen and for the obvious reason, delightfully delicious with a mixture of texture and flavour combined into one. I tasted a trifle for the first time 13 years ago when our family lived in Manchester and straightly felt in love with it. Trifle is the perfect dessert to impress boyfriend, girlfriend, friends, in laws or any dessert lovers because you can't hardly go wrong with it. You just need to know the basic steps while layering is open to own's creativity. Here I'm sharing with you the step-by-step guide on how I made my trifle.

Ingredients:

*Base
- Cake (people usually use swiss roll but this time I used cake from Apollo brand)

*Second layer
- 3 table spoons custard flour (Bird's custard is always the best)
- 2 table spoons sugar
- 500ml fresh milk

*Third layer
- Fruit cocktail or fresh fruits
- Jelly (flavour of your choice. I used strawberry flavoured jelly - Nona brand, in box)
- 400 ml water

Steps:

1. Make the base - Arrange cakes to cover bottom of the container / casserole and sprinkle some syrup from the fruit cocktail to moisten them.

2. Cook the custard - Heat milk with sugar until dissolve. Mix custard flour with some cold water and pour slowly inside the milk. Stir continuously until mixture is nicely creamy.

3. Pour hot custard on top of cakes and leave to cool.

4. Arrange fruit cocktail without the syrup on top of the custard layer.

5. Cook the jelly according to instructions on box - cook water with jelly powder in sauce pan. Stir continuously until powder dissolves and mixture is boiling.

6. Pour jelly onto custard and fruit cocktail. Leave to cool for a while and chill in refrigerator until serving time.

As stated above, people usually use swiss roll for the base but any sponge cake can still be used actually. This time I experimented with original flavoured Apollo layer cake like the picture below and it was better than using butter cake like I once did before.

Luckily I tasted the cake beforehand because it was so sweet and therefore cooked the custard with less sugar to balance the taste. You may add another table spoon of sugar if you want to make your custard sweeter and also decide what to put in each layer but cake should still be the base. Previously I had jelly as the second layer on top of the cake, then custard, topped with fruits and it still tasted good. Whipped or heavy cream is also another great choice as a layer or as a topping. Please take note that it is hard to cut and retain shape of each slice so if you're serving big crowd it's better to make the trifle in small containers for everybody. Just use your creativity, explore possibilities and make a trifle today ;-)

:: pampered & rejuvenated ::

2011-08-07T08:41:00.000+08:00

I should take a break from writing about food so this time I'm sharing about the postnatal treatment I had at Bella Luna Spa in Tropicana Medical Centre on Tuesday, 26 July. It was my 40th day in confinement and I purposely booked my appointment before the holy Ramadhan starts. After almost 2 months, I was back driving on the road because hubby couldn't send me due to urgent matters and Ady had to stay with his Opah. My appointment was at 3:30pm. I never been to Tropicana Medical Centre before and it took me around half an hour to reach there from USJ because I didn't trust the route shown in iPad's map. I took the route I'm familiar with which was longer but on the way back home I somehow trusted my iPad, followed the map and hey, it was not that far actually. Moral of the story: next time, just trust the map!

Anyway, Bella Luna is a small spa located on the ground floor at the back of the medical centre's lobby. I was welcomed by a young chinese lady who then briefed me on the 60 minutes treatment that came with that voucher. I was entitled to full body massage and a hot steam, which already sufficient but like other promotional strategies she then offered me an upgrade. By paying RM68 I could get another 30 minutes treatment which includes full body mask, full body wrap and a bottle of ampule oil which according to the lady could help vanishing stretch marks. Thinking and talking about my postpartum body (especially stretch marks) made me vulnerable so I agreed to upgrade the treatment and made that lady happy. Oh by the way, that lady told me something about my fair skin and I have heard that kind of remark few times before. Honestly, I don't know why chinese kept on telling me that I have fairer skin than theirs. Yes, my skin is fair but fairer than them? I think it is almost the same but not fairer...

I brought my camera but didn't get any chance to snap pics because my belongings were left in the locker. The masseuse started the session by massaging the ampule on my butt and thighs then massaged the entire back of my body. She was a nice, young lady and we had good conversation through out the session but I didn't like her massage as much as the traditional massage I had with an aunty in Shah Alam few weeks earlier, which was a lot more softer. After massaging the back part, she then continued applying the oil on my tummy as per my request. Due to laziness, I rarely applied oil on my tummy during pregnancy and it cost me stretch marks and dark patches on that area. Although I knew they couldn't be vanished with a blink of an eye, let alone a tiny bottle of ampule oil I still want to make an effort. After massaging front part of my body the lady then applied the body mask which was more like lulur or param in the confinement set, wrapped my entire body with cling wrap and left me inside the steaming blanket for 30 minutes. The steaming session was good because I didn't realise anything until that lady came back to inform it was already 30 minutes. It was relaxing and I didn't realise I was fallen asleep but too bad it was all over. I took a shower, came out of the room and met the lady who welcomed me earlier. She did her job again, promoting and offering good package deal if I'm interested to continue the treatment but that time my vulnerability didn't help her to secure the deal though.

I left the spa feeling fresh and rejuvenated. I guess I should pampered myself like that once in a while and appreciate my body a lot more. I was satisfied with the entire experience and one thing for sure, did not regret upgrading the treatment because that ampule oil really worked. When I looked at myself in the mirror at home later in the evening, I found some of the dark patches on my tummy were already gone. Even few light coloured stretch marks on my thighs became a lot lighter than before. It was efficient even with one small portion and imagine how the skin will look like with few continuous treatments. Well, thanks to Iza aka. thepinkstilettos who has chosen me as one of the winner for the giveaway in her blog, I was one happy lady :-)

On another note, I also checked my weight that day and surprise, surprise... I have lost 13kg! I was definitely one happy, blissful, contented (and other synonyms for happy) lady!

p/s: I hope that weighing scale worked properly.

:: zzzzz ::

2011-08-06T22:36:00.000+08:00

This evening Ady went to sleep while sitting next to me.

Ady just like his Mama. Any position can do when the eyes are sleepy. Cute.

Ady Rifqi @ 7 weeks