October's Love!

Seems like I haven’t update this blog for ages! Well, not that it was anything new :P

October has always been my favorite month of the year. It has been incredibly hectic month for me and many fabulous things happen in between. I have lots to share today with y’all today. So, this gonna be yet another choppy entry of the things that I’ve done in these last few weeks. 

Let's kick this post off with another fun field trip I had at the beginning of the month!

It was the last field trip for this year and we spend exactly a week in Sipitang, Sabah. And because this will be the last time here (since there were almost no malaria case found during our ACD previously) we went to the farthest camps we could. Most of the journey took us around one and half or two hours but Camp Basio took us more than 3 hours to reach there! Thanks God the camps are well build and very clean, so no problem with the toilet at all haha!  

Oh, just let me share a few photos from the trip!

Cooking curry Maggi. We couldn't resist having a slurp even just after having Nasi Goreng Kampung :DDD

Surrounding by the thick fog up the hill.
Hot curry Maggi + full stomach + cool breeze = happiness.

And of course, it was my birthday month! Yes, totally the main reason why I love October XD.

It might not be the best one, nevertheless still a great one for me. This year, I didn’t expect to get a surprise birthday cake from my officemates. Either I’m a total idiot or my officemates learn how to moves like ninja because I was completely clueless they were planning something on! It was just a small celebration with just a few peoples in our department (half of department were going to Port Dickson for a seminar on that day) but it still makes me VERY happy. I'm not the expressive type so they probably wouldn't know how happy I was at that time. Honestly, I almost cry because I was so touched. But it would be so embarrassing if I really cry, so I had to force myself to keep calm, hehe. In my mind, I was already jumping up and down when I see the cake and do the Gangnam style dance when they sing me Happy Birthday, haha. Oh, how I love thee!

And it has become a tradition to have family dinner to celebrate birthday - no matter how late, heh. So this year, me having my birthday dinner at MeatWorks, Solaris. Incredibly happy!

And last but not least, we were celebrating Aidiladha in Kelantan this year. One of my uncle live in Kota Bharu, so we’ve decided to spend a few days there.

And that's all for now. I hope you all had a great October too! Till then, bye~

Soy un Dorito!

Lol, just a random post. Got this free apps called 'Mustache' where you can yourself looks cooler have a mustache makeover. So me and Mira turns into some Spanish! Soy un dorito! Ola!

Eid Mubarak!

Assalamualaikum,

I hope it is not too late to wish you all Happy Eid Mubarak! I apologize for all my wrong doings and hope that everyone had a joyful Hari Raya this year.

Jakarta-Bandung: The Road Trip

I thought I could post this out before my field trip (yes, just had another one in Sipitang, Sabah for two weeks) but I failed at managing time. Too many things caught up in between, but I finally got the time to post it. So here is my Jakarta-Bandung trip post!

Let’s make it a short one, yeah?

It was an economy trip for 5 days 4 nights to Jakarta-Bandung.  Like everyone else, I went there with one goal: shopping.  I don’t have much budget though but I planned to at least get something for the upcoming raya. And like what my mum has predicted, I’ve exceeded my budget limit. Bought two lovely kaftans for raya, telekong, a few branded casual wear, kain pasang, blablabla. I just cannot help it. If  I wasn't so broke of rupiah, if only I could withdraw a few hundreds more from the atm machine, I wouldn’t have to dream about that Chloe leather bags for a week! Hummph….

As our schedule was packed with shopping, shopping and shopping, it means we have less and less time for places with beautiful scenery or historical value. I love shopping but I love visiting places too but we have such a limited times and shopping is too time consuming and it makes me broke but the goods here are really cheap....

However we managed to go to Tangkuban Parahu - a stratovolcano where we can see the hot springs and boiling mud up close. We met with a kind local people there, who told me briefly about the legend of Sangkurian – a man that fall in love with his mother. I’m a sucker for legend story, so I decided to share it here. There were a few slightly different version of story, but this one is most well-translated. This is how the story goes:

And of course, let me share some pics from the trip.

Mum, dad and me at Tangkuban Parahu

Listening to the history of the stratovolcanoes~

This is my first time watching the hot steam vaporizing from the volcano up close. Quite epic I must say!

The background is the mural of Sangkuriang legend

Too caught up reading the menu

Pangsit Kuah: one of the dishes that you should try.

A visit to Kartika Sari is a must. Bought lots of brownies!

A tut-tut! Me and my room mate went to have a quick tour
near our hotel, 10 minutes before we check out! 

I can say that I pretty much enjoy this trip. Though we spent more time on the road caught in the traffic. It took us almost 5 hours to reach Bandung from Jakarta (our Pak Supir said normally it only took about 3 hours). The traffic was so bad either way but it was better on our way back to Jakarta. And most of all, I will never forget the experience of running away from the sellers! There were just too many of them and they were everywhere and have this kind of fighting-spirit that they won’t stop following you around until you buy something from them. Can't help but feeling pity for them.

And that’s all I have to share. Till the next update, be good!

p/s: I said to make this short but ended up to write quite a long entry. 

Love Is A Four Letter Word

When there is love, I can't wait to talk about it

When things get rough, I like to walk with you 

Or when it's night, I like to be the light that's missing

And remind you every minute of the future isn't written 

Now get it

- Jason Mraz in Everything Is Sound

Why Jason Mraz all of sudden? Hehe. That’s right! Went to his concert last night: Tour Is A Four Letter Word at Stadium Merdeka, Kuala Lumpur. I got really excited to see him because I love his music (he’s a truly musical genius) and the ticket prices are affordable – though I still couldn’t get a hold of the VIP ticket!

The concert started right on time: 8.30 pm. Me and my sis arrived a bit late (thanks to KL traffic), Mraz already in the middle of performing his first song. Took a glance at the stage and there he was standing in a white t-shirt and a pair of jeans with that hairstyle. Sorry baby, I'm not fond of your current hippie image, nuh-uh. But thank God, by the second (or third?) songs, he decided to tie his hair and wore a fedora. Was Kuala Lumpur humidity affected him that much? Heheh.

Now let's put aside his image. To say his voice is good was an understatement. His voice is to DIE for! I know he's always been amazing and he's proven it again that night! I can’t remember exactly how many song he sang but most songs were from his latest album Love Is A Four Letter Word. I was busy engulfing myself in this mer-Mraz-ing performance to work down the song set list!  All I can say that the set list for this concert is more relaxing than his previous one. 

So near yet so far~

The thing about Jason Mraz is what version you know is never the version he'll sing. So TRUE! There were many times when Mraz started to strung his guitar, I will look at my sister and she had the same look that I had, thinking: ‘What song is this?’ And boom, I decided right away that I like this version as much and hoping he'll release a live album from this tour (yes, keep dreaming). I really really love his acoustic version of The Remedy - it’s just simply mind-blowing. And the way he sang Bella Luna was so absolutely gorgeous! Plus point for Mraz was that he really is a great performer. He knew how to connect with the crowd by getting us to sing along on phrases. The best part was when he stirs up the crowd, makes everyone stand up and teach this cute little dance for The Dynamo of Volition how can he look sexy when all he did was just innocent moves? It was fun when suddenly the crowds came to life. My sister and I kept standing up and grooving to the music as if we were in a hippie gig, lol.

He sang I Won’t Give Up as his last song. I’m glad he chooses to end the concert with a ballad because it fit the mood at that moment. I swear I got emotional all of sudden when he reached the chorus. Affected much? Lol. The background was pretty as he sang this song and everyone just waving their hands, appreciating the moment.

The concert lasted for about one and a half hour. What can I say? His performance was flawless. No, he doesn’t need a grand band with him to make it work, nor a gimmick to make it interesting. Because it was not about the stage or fantastic lighting. It was all about him and his music.

  

I don’t usually take to liking an artist for the person he/she is. Normally I will just enjoy the music and didn’t care much about the artist personality but I think Jason Mraz is an exceptional. Not only he’s an amazing singer, but he also a person with a great personality. His songs are truly inspiring. I believe he didn’t just write a song that will sold a lot, but he wrote something that he truly mean it and try to get his message cross with his music. Through his lyrics, he constantly reminds us how important love is and tells us to live life positively with no worries. More importantly, to live your life with gratitude. Why don't I remember that simple word more often? Such a simple word, yet it is a vital ingredient to a happy life.

So be grateful everyday, express them with love to people around you and you too, shall find your happiness~

Hug & kisses!

Say Hello to Nature

Salam and hello to my lovely readers,

Just want to share some photos from my weekend vacation to Bukit Merah Lake Town Resort. Have you guys been there? I’ve been to their Water Park and Orang Utan Island. So this time, I went to explore the last attraction (even though I haven’t tried their Skycycle and Chairlift) – the Eco Park!

I really enjoy my visit to Orang Utan Island last time, so it's only right that I was so happy to explore the Eco Park. Much like in Orang Utan Island, we can take a closer look to different species of bird, primates, reptile and even pet animal while experiencing a jungle boardwalk. And the best part is, we can feed some of the animals ourselves! It’s like a mini zoo. So if you’re an animal lover, this is the place you don’t want to miss!

I actually had a great bonding time with my cousins. We went to watch the animal show and gosh it was amusing and the parrots were so adorable! I knew exactly what the tricks they gonna do beforehand but it still makes me giggled to watch the birds play dead. I’ve never wanted a parrot more than this in my life!

The entrance fee is RM14.00 but if you never been to Bukit Merah, you might as well buy the Water Park Combo (includes: Water Park, Eco Park, Orang Utan Island and Skycycle or Chairlift) for RM68.00. Read more about the attractions here: Bukit Merah Resort Theme Park

p/s: Do you know parrots that are kept as pet often die because of too much fat, too much stress and too little exercise? And that they can live for 40 to 100 years? How interesting to have a relationship with parrot as your pets for such a long period of time? Maybe they'll have to watch us die even?

Let's Pretend We're Kids Again

Last Friday, I had a small gathering with my uni’s friends held at Seoul Garden, Plaza Pantai. It was my third time eating here, be twice at One Utama branch but first time having a dinner. Have to say that there was less choice to have as many serving were already finished – the lettuce, the korean sauce. I’m not sure that was the case in other branch but it was quite disappointing for me cause I cannot have my lettuce wrap!

But despite the food, meet up with old friends never fail to make me happy. It’s been a while since I last had to laugh hysterically throughout a meal. So many inside jokes that sometimes left me clueless. It's okay to say non-sensical things (like having serious confusion over inner and legging - yes seriously!) and argue childishly at this age. My other side (the dark side?) came out only when I’m with them, lol. I swear we laughed more than catching up with each other's life. It’s a bad habit I know and luckily, we only have this kind of gathering once a year.

Right to left: Bangla (age 3), Kudud (age 6), me (age 10), Lindan (age 11),
Kakak (age 12) and Gajah (age: urm, hard to tell, high possibility a mental retarded)

And again, I forgot to bring Sam's external flash. So we got so many blurred pics. It's not practical anymore, I want a new camera~  (padahal hutang beli Sam pun belum habis bayar, hehe).

But, whatever. It was nice to see them again. Hey guys, don't ever change, okay? :DDD

In Love With Penneys

So I’ve been spotting the baroque print making it comeback into the fashion world. I didn’t follow much on trend but store like Dorothy Perkin and Zara have a few lovely pieces of baroque print in their collection. I remember my mum used to have a Versace scarf long time ago but I don’t know where it goes now. So yeah, I’m making a mental note to not simply let my mum throw away her old/out of season clothes in the future.

Dolce & Gabbana  Spring/Summer 2012

Actually, it was super hard to search for the name of the print itself. Been asking around but no one knows what it is call before I stumble upon a webpage with little description about baroque print. Baroque prints usually have design with spiraling shapes or chains (or even animal like tiger, leopard and flamingo) that mount over the majority of the clothes which decorate the basic accessories on the clothes itself. They are bold with different intensity, so yeah basically it was calling for attention once you wear it.

Dolce & Gabbana  Spring/Summer 2012

I’m not really into loud/crowded design, so I’m not sure if I want to have one. A less aggressive one with a softer color and pattern, maybe? Something like this collection from Penneys Summer 2012 Campaign. They look gorgeous!

And of course the dip dye/tie dye is everywhere. And they always came in the nicest combination of color. Making my heart goes thump thump thump! 

Or maybe I should just DIY dip-dyeing my old shirts. Heheh. We'll see how. 

And that's all about it. Bye for now~