October 30, 2012

bed bugs, cockroach, and all

I grew up hearing the bedtime wish of , "Sleep tight, don't let the bed bugs bite."

Ignorant to the fact of what are beg bugs. Until now.

When my SIL told me that we will be staying at Salang Indah Resort in Tioman Island, I hurriedly google it and behold, was dismay to read really bad reviews. 8 out of 10 complained about it and to add on to that, the horror of bed bugs. 

I then Google about bed bugs, those horrid scarifying bugs, how to spot them, how to prevent, how to get rid of it, everything - and I armed myself with everything possible before heading there. 

Upon arrival, I stripped the mattress, check the bed lining, the dark corners and even though I didn't spot any beg buds, there were some tell-tale signs of black spots - I think. 

As I was getting ready for bed, I spotted a tiny apple seed like thing crawling on my blanket. It looks like a BED BUG!!! I scrambled out of bed and with all the vehemence I had, fling it out the balcony, as far as I could towards the sea. 

That night I huddled up in bed, cocoon myself with my blanket and had a sleepless night, waking up every now with imaginary bugs crawling on my legs, back, stomach... arrgghhh!!!

2nd night wasn't any better, waking up periodically, grabbing for my flashlight and blinding unseen bugs with the vengeance of my bright shining light. At 5.30am, I woke to something crawling up my feet. Its a HUGE ASS COCKROACH!! Or so I think. I shook my leg and gave it a kick in some random direction and it flew - yes it flew. away. and landed with a smack on the floor. 

I couldn't sleep any longer. I woke up and found this on the bed. 


3rd night. I gave up. Bed bugs, whatever bugs. Come get me.

I left Tioman Island with 37 *yes, I counted them* big red 50-cents sized bites all over my body. Although I doubt that its bed bugs; I can't identify for sure. But if I guess it right, at least 80% of them are sand flies bite. 

Oh well... bugs and all. You win. 

It's so good to be home. 


October 28, 2012

Life of a retiree

What i did the last few days

- eat
- sleep
- read 'The Dancer Upstairs' by Nicholas Shakespeare
- read both Cleo Sept and Oct 2012 back to back
- sit and sunbath
- stare into space
- eat more
- sleep even more
- listen to the waves
- chit chat w new friends
- sit by the beach
- watch sunsets
- walk along the beach
- go diving
- watch the tide coming in



Ahhhh!! Bliss!

posted from Bloggeroid

October 25, 2012

Crazy Life

Gosh!! It's been so long..

So just a little update. I've been running around like a mad woman last couple of days. As mentioned earlier, I will be going away for another trip, something like a 2nd honeymoon to the land of sakuras, geishas and harajuku - Japan!!!. Woots!!! We will be away for 6 days spend between Osaka & Tokyo. And its crazy trying to plan and get tickets and hotels and arrange transportation and places to go in just a couple of weeks. Their train system is super complicated and I have to stare at it for almost a week before everything starts to make sense. Don't you know its super hard to apply for a Japan visa? I had to go to the embassy 3 times. Even the security guards recognizes me :) Everything is done. Sort off. It have to be cos we are leaving next Tuesday afternoon. 

On top of that, just 2 nights ago, I decided to accompany my SIL for her diving course. It's very last minute decision and the reason for this rush is that she is often posted offshore. She works as a geologist with Petronas. And since her timing is unpredictable and monsoon season starts next month's, we're are leaving tomorrow morning! We will be away for 4 days 3 nights in Tioman Island and will be back on Monday morning! Yup, and then I'm flying off the next day for Japan. Crazy huh?!? 

So yeah, last couple of days was used to settle all work and travel stuff.

Talking about work. I'm kinda excited cos something exciting is coming up. duh! Will have to work hard on it the minute I get back from Japan. 

I'm trying to shift through my pictures so please be patient k.. Just so many of them.

OK. Since its everything above are words. Here's a picture for you.

*Picture sourced from Google Image.
I conducted a training yesterday and this is what I showed my participants :)





October 16, 2012

Dinner @ The Bird

My mum turned a year younger :) and we decided to celebrated at The Bird. Don't ask me why we choose there but it had something to do with birds and Balinese style decor; based on the Facebook conversation. 


My 1st time there. It is an interesting place. Walls were covered with bird houses, painted with birds. Ceilings and walls were wither bricks or wood producing a work-in-progress feel. Various bird structures and pieces were littered all over the place. The toilet door were especially interesting. it had different slabs of wood pieces in different colours stuck to it, making it a very unique art piece. Enough said, the decor was refreshing. 


Just a 1 page menu, the food listing was enough to provide a mid-range selection of food. 


We had to place orders 3 times as the amount wasn't enough. The portion was too small for my big family of 12, even when we said we wanted large. 

I can't recall every dish name that we ordered but here's a rough review. Fish head curry was their expertise, and it live up to its name. Flavourful, delicious and fresh, we drain the bowl of every single drop. The butter chicken was very tasty that we ordered 2 plates of it. It was juicy and the sauce was super yummy. Even though I'm a non-vegetarian, the vegetables served, all of them, was really good. Their special Tilapia fish with olive oil and sesame recommended by the boss, was very unique. I found it to be very fresh and the unique blend gave it a sour-ish yet crunchy feel. All I can say its that you either like it or hate it. The sotong was fresh and chewy. Perfect with a slight spiciness to it. And the tofu with peanut sauce was another favourite. Tofu cut to small pieces covered with cucumber may seem like a salad but the peanut sauce poured generously over it made it so delicious. 



Please forgive me for the grainy blurry pictures as I had to restrain 9 hungry people, taking turns with 2 fellow photographers while taking these pictures. It's hard work!!! 

Total bill came up to about RM30 per person. 

My verdict : Food was superbly good. Portion too small. Not suitable for large groups/ big-eaters. Decor and environment was cosy. However, the occasional karaoke session going on with loud chinese, cantonese, hokkien music spoilt the ambience. Will definitely go back for the food again but will bring ear plugs this time. 


Happy Birthday, Mummy! I love you.. 



The Bird Curry Fish Head
No 2, Jalan PJU 5/4, Dataran Sunway
Kota Damansara, 47810,
Petaling Jaya
(directly opposite Hailam Kopitiam)


Enliven your Senses @ The Quad

I've eaten at The Quad twice and when the opportunity came for me to try their new lunch promotion, I found my way there. For a main course and dessert, the price was only RM12 nett. 


I settled on the Salmon Aglio Olio as I was in the mood for pasta. Service wasn't that good that day. Maybe due to influx of customers or that I didn't look like a promising customer :)

But food that day wasn't disappointing. At least for me. The Salmon Aglio Olio was the best I've ever tasted. The spaghetti was soft and properly infused with the taste of salmon. It wasn't too oily as normal aglio oilos' are. And surprisingly, the salmon was fresh and delicious.  


The Spaghetti Primavera tested quite normal. The tomato taste wasn't too overpowering and thus made it a little bland.  


Spaghetti Alla Funghi was cooked with wild mushrooms. Being a fan off mushrooms, I found it quite delightful. However, my lunch companions thought that the mushroom taste was too much. 


Ordering from their ala carte menu, the Teriyaki Butter Fish, said to be their signature/ best dish turned out a disappointment. Fish was hard and overcooked. 


Bread and butter was only served to those who ordered ala carte which was a let down for me. I like bread and butter with my meals :) Simple as it is, bread and butter instantly gives a boast to a meal. Doesn't cost much, but it ups the value of a meal and makes the dining experience more worth it. 

But a friend 'gave' me hers. :p

Bread was good. Soft and home made but thought that it could had been warmed up first. Butter was too bland. Could have been a little creamier. 


Since a Master Barista was there, I choose their Master Barista's Signature Cappuccino. I must mentioned that it was uniquely good. It had a special blend with a very refreshing secret ingredient that I must not mentioned. *barista's secret*. Go try it and see if you can identify the secret ingredient. 


Lastly, the dessert of the day was Strawberry Mousse Cake.  The mousse part felt more like cheescake. Too dense. A plus point that it wasn't too sweet but it could do with a lot more work. 


Entire meal cost me RM20 (RM12 for set lunch + RM8 for Master Barista Signature Cappuccino). Not bad for a 2-course meal. Some hits and misses again. I think The Quad needs to work on their consistency in producing good food and good service. Besides that, they will work out fine.





October 15, 2012

married life

It's been a month since I've been married and everywhere I go, people asked me ,"How's married life?".

So I decided to make life easier by just putting it all down here and if people ask me, I'll just say, 'read my blog'. haha.. jk :p

Married life is good so far. Being with him most of the time. Having lunch together. Waking up beside him. Going for midnight movies. It's more comfortable, more normal. At the same time, surreal. 

I don't know if its luck or just that I'm blessed to find someone who is so amazing. We have so much fun together. He knows me even more then I know myself and loves me despite it. Yes, that includes glasses and morning hair. 

It's been 2 and a half weeks since we got back from our honeymoon. So far so good. Except for the occasional midnight snacks (not good for my hips) and the late night life he has. 

We decided to stay with his parents for a while, with a couple of reasons for that. One of it is we wanted to travel!! And guess what? 2nd honeymoon is coming up. 2 weeks time!!! So excited!!!!! Eekk!!!



My first cooked meal for Rockstar. Even though I just heated it up in the oven, the rice sort of counted cos we were in a strange apartment in a strange land with no cooking oil. After 6 days in Paris, Rockstar was craving for "Foo Yung' eggs. I woke up early and prepared breakfast in the tiny Paris apartment. When he took a bite of it, he said, "You amazes me!".

Yeah, I amazes myself sometimes too ;p Mission accomplished!





October 11, 2012

Our Wedding Ceremony

Sorry it took so long. All the wedding photos are in Rockstar's computer and then I had to sort through them and decide which to post and which not too. There are just too many beautiful pictures and I can't decide which I like the best. 

Anyway, here are the highlights of my wedding day :)

All ready, waiting for the groom. I must say that my make-up artist, Cindy Hor did an amazing job. I love my hair and make-up that day. I wanted natural, and she did that and more..  


I was getting quite agitated 'cos it was late. Finally, almost 1/2 an hour late, Rockstar arrives in his black chariot. 


A quick snap before rushing to church. Long story. But too cut it short, the car entourage was too big and they had to keep waiting for each other. 


With the groom men, best man, maid-of-honour and bridesmaid, such gorgeous and handsome people we have. 


We arrived slightly late but our registrar, Pastor Vincent, Senior Pastor of GTPJ was patient and did not make a fuss about our punctuality. 


Then its time. I walk down the aisle with my daddy, flank by the members of the 10th Kuala Lumpur Boys' Brigade Company, Malaysia. 


Can't remember what we were laughing about but I like this picture :) It sets the mood for the entire ceremony. 


Praise & Worship was lead by Jon Koo & Hwee Yen.
Sharing of Word was done by Pastor Mark, a fellow BB officer and a friend. 


Then comes the important part. 

We said our vows and promised each other


We exchange rings. 


We had the Unity Candle lighting. 


And then, we walk down the aisle as men and wife. Oh wait, we had to kiss first, then only walk. 


Then comes the fun, crazy part. Group pictures!!! and of cos lunch was served outside. 


And then we took some pictures 'cos the backdrop was so damm nice :p 



It was perfect. I love everything about it. I wanted my wedding to be casual, fun, happy, relax, and filled with people we love. It was everything I wanted it to be and more. 

Surprisingly, no problems or glitches :p It's either I was too self-absorb with happiness or that I have awesome wedding coordinators :) Thanks to me twinnie, Lydia & my cell leader, Michelle for being such great coordinators. And my family for being the best help. Without them, my wedding would not be pretty. I'm so lucky to have talented siblings :)

There's just so much that I want to record down and remember and I planned to do more individual wedding post later. 

More wedding pictures here

Wedding Planner : Me la
Wedding Coordinator : Lydia Chew
Wedding Deco & Flowers : Bello Event by Grace Chew
Photographer : Robin Ng & Daniel Liew
Videographer : Tan Ce Ding
Lunch : H&H Catering
Venue : Glad Tidings PJ

It's late and I need my bed. Till then...



October 10, 2012

new walls

I dressed up and drove back home for lunch with my parents. Guess where I ended up?


Painting walls. 

My sister's new project - In2Art Studio. Just a tiny space but we are all so excited about it.. Lots more work to be done but its getting along just fine.

Art classes will commence in November 2012. Location : Sri Damansara. Pre-registration will have special discount :) Anyone interested email me k :)

Oh, don't forget to like here k..


October 8, 2012

Are you happy, Aunty Esther?

I have so much photos that I don't know where to start.. 

Anyway, here's pictures of this lil cutie pie while I sort thru my folders and photos.

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

Baby sitting her @ 1 Utama. 



Sleepy head. Ride home with me. 


In church. Restless.  


Like a lil monkey. 


Spotted this lil monster stuffing her face with chocolate cake after Babez@5. Enjoying herself. 




Playing with my ipad during Sam's Hen's Night. 


All dressed up like an angel for her big day. 



Love her to bits....


October 5, 2012

I'm still alive.. in case you are wondering.

Gosh, time really flies. Super sorry for the long absence..

I'm back!! if you haven't guess it yet. In a span of a week, I have :

- gone home 3 times . Mostly to take clothes and say hi to my parents

- celebrated moon cake festival. Obviously. I'm Chinese  We ate, lighted some lanterns, burned some, laugh, talk alot. 

- attended my ex-school's 20th Anniversary. Saw lots of old faces. Felt old. 

- gone visiting with old friends and ate too much. 

- had dinner with some new friends. Showing off the wife (at least that's what I tell myself)

- organized an impromptu kinda last minute bridal shower cum buffet dinner for a friend

- woke up super early for her ROM (Registration of Marraige) @ Putrajaya. Celebrated over dim sum brunch.

- I have done 3 movies. Yes, in a span of a week. Resident Evil, Judge Dredd & Taken. 

- 10% moved in to my semi-permanently home. It was tough. From a room filled with my stuff, I now only have 1 cupboard & 1 table. But I'm learning that I actually don't need that much stuff anyway. 

- Of cos, I did work. 

- and sleep.. eventhough its screw up timing. Not due to jet lag. More like getting used to husband screw up sleeping habits. 

And yup, that's my life. in a week.

Lot's of pictures to post up. I promise. Just let me get use to this whole new wife, new daughter-in-law, new house, new eyebags thingamajie...

Love lots