Eat, Santai, Love...Bali..-Feb2011-

It is our 1st wedding anniversary  (yeah, no more V day for us!) and Rahim is taking me to Bali! (I wrote this down 2 days before the visit....n its over now...huhuhuh..)

Yeah, so I visited Bali in 2009 and 2010, and now 2011?Hahaha, gonna make it as a yearly routine huh?Not sure..Have not pictured myself going to Bali again next year..Maybe Lombok is not a bad idea after all..Not that I dont like Bali, but I am gonna try out other romantic places such as Krabi, Sipadan, etc

There was no proper planning for this visit, and we were just thinking of having a free and easy trip.

Landed at Ngurah Rai Airport at 1pm in the afternoon, and without thinking, we went straight to Gunung Sari Restaurant located near the International departure entrance gate to have our lunch. We have had more than 5 meals here (from our previous visit), and I would say, not badd! This time around, we ordered Nasi Campur and Nasi Ayam Goreng, and the food was great! (Of course, I added 'Sup Asam Pedas' to the menu)..Price range? Rp30000 and below for a meal.

Nasi Campur at Gunung Sari

Managed to book a 3-days-2-nights stay in Kuta Seaview Boutique Resort &Spa few days before the trip though. Visit http://www.kutaseaviewhotel.com/ for more info on this luxurious/cosy boutique hotel.


Kuta Seaview from the street (Kuta beach)

Located in front of the famous Kuta Beach, few steps away from well-known Hard Rock Cafe/Hotel and a short walk away from the shopping malls,night life activities, etc, Kuta Seaview might not be your first choice if you were to visit Bali especially if you don't surf (and wish to be away from the people, noise, etc). But fear no more because even though Kuta Seaview is located on the busiest road in Bali, once you step in there, you'll forget that you are even in Kuta beach area. Its really serene, quiet and beautiful. With Balinese song playing on background, beautiful landscape surrounding all over the place and a nice refreshing apple-lemon juice/garland to greet you upon arrival, I think I have already fallen in love with this place at first sight..(and they have yet to show us our room). A beachfront restaurant (Rosso Vivo), a swimming pool with a sundeck, massage services, a bar with nightly live music, meeting rooms, and a tennis court are all amenities offered by the hotel. Price range? RM350++ for a normal deluxe room.

 Premier Deluxe Cottage

We were lucky because we have been upgraded to Premier Deluxe Cottage (means more service right?), since there is no available Lanai Deluxe Seaview Room that we initially booked (at first we thought seaview gonna be wonderful, but I have no problem with cottage since Kuta Beach is just few steps away). We were amazed by the room setting/design too. It smells expensive..hahaha..And we like the staffs too, they were very friendly to us (oh, I should write this comment on their website, in case they are giving me more discounts if I were to visit again..nah~)

We quickly took shower and changed our clothes (due to the fact that its really hot in the afternoon, and I smelled like shit!..haha), and went out for a short walk to get ourselves familiar with the area. Well, its freaking hot, and we couldnt stand the heat, so we went to swim at the pool 30mins after that. Oh, I just love the swimming pool setting/design. And it is more nicer at night.

Before dinner, we walked to Hard Rock Shop to get my sister a Bali Hard Rock t-shirt to add up to her collection (I had mine already, purchased in 2009, so I dont bother) and enjoyed our nice dinner at Hard Rock Cafe. New York Strip, Cajun Fish, Non-alcoholic Crushed Velvet and Berrilicious were our choice of foods that night (I have always loved Crushed Velvet, serves in Margarita Glass...my favvv...alala)..There was one local band performing that nite, which singing songs not to our liking, so we left early.And that's pretty much what we did that nite..well, I spelled "santai" as this blog title, which simply means "relax"..so wth?


Cajun Fish and New York Strip at Hard Rock Cafe

 The next day, we had our breakfast at Kuta Seaview restaurant - Rosso Vivo which serves breakfast buffet. You have to be extra careful if you are a Muslim, since even though we asked their staffs few times whether the food is halal or not, we can clearly see that pork ham is served together. I had bread, butter and jam..and few others for breakfast. Just to be on the safe side. :P

We rented a motorbike (or what they called "sepeda motor" in Bali) for Rp75K for one-day rental (which by negotiation, you can get it for only Rp50K), since we think that its an unusual thing to do for the fact that both I and Rahim do not have any motorbike license!Haha..Not a legal thing to do though, but we did it anyways...If you prefer a car, don't worry since the rental for a mini manual Suzuki Jeep costs only Rp150K a day. But bear in mind, Bali traffic is sooo bad! (Jalannya slalu aja macet), especially Kuta area, so if you were to drive a car, think again.

Bali area is very easy to understand. You just have to know what's located on north side of Bali (i.e. Seminyak, Tanah Lot), etc. Get a map, you should be ok. Since Rahim has a good sense of direction and can understand map very well, we dont have any problem to find places we wanted to go. And it was fun!!The Balinese were so nice and friendly, that couples of them stopped us to show us directions, and we didnt even asked.


Nusa Dua public beach



We kinda discovered a great place for swimming and "santai-ing". Simply follow directions to Nusa Dua, ask for Nusa Dua public beach direction, which does not offer any beach activities (i.e. parasailing, banana boat, etc), and wallllla~, you've found it..Most locals go to this beach if they were to spend some quality time with their family. Its also very near to Melia hotel and some other 5-stars hotels, and not crowded with people whom always try to sell your stuffs (i.e. Kuta beach area...sigh~~). Entrance fees? Nada~

We've called it "Hidden Nusa Dua Beach"..even though it is not really hidden...The water is very clear, similar to the one that we can find in Tioman Island, but not clear enough if you were to compare to Hapuna beach, Hawaii..but still, good enough for swimming.I just love the place, but decided not to swim because of the heat..(its 1pm when we arrived, so yeah, no more sun tanning activities for me)..I am already black, beautiful, and loving it!!hahaha

Oh ya, if you are looking for a beach that offers fun activities, you are actually referring to Tanjung Benoa. We went there during first visit so we didnt bother to go there again.

We continued our journey to GWK (pronounced Gay-Way-Ka), a cultural park which I love most about Bali. We had our lunch there; Nasi Timbel Komplit and Nasi Ayam Goreng, served with Mango Juice and hot tea, and went straight to take lots of photos! Entrance fees? Local Rp25000K, Others Rp50000K (try blending in with locals, they'll ended up charging u Rp25000K only...hihi)

And the love story continues...

• Make a quick stop at Jimbaran - but didnt go to Jimbaran beach..well, I know that Jimbaran beach its famous for their seafood sunset dinner at the beach, but I've read few other travel blogs saying that nowadays it is already overrated; foods are more expensive and it's crowded sometimes..so we didnt bother to go there again. We've been there once...and its enough. Things you only do once!you'll never feel the same joy if you do it the second time

Jimbaran seafood sunset dinner at the beach

• Went back to hotel, have a quick nap, swimming at the pool again..best!

Kuta Seaview pool at nite

• Dinner at Rosso Vivo- an Italian restaurant located at Kuta Beach, part of Kuta Seaview. Our food selection: a whole snapper with salads, and black-ink pasta with baby squid and spicy prawn; hot chocolate and blue pineapple. Enjoy nice music selection by Rosso Vivo and thats pretty much what we did that nite. Well, we've already spent a big amount of money on the room this time, why waste it?



Fettucine with baby squid and spicy prawn @ Rosso Vivo



• The next morning, we had our breakfast at the hotel, checked out at 12pm, and went straight to Kuta Beach. Paid Rp200000K for manicure,pedicure and hair-braiding, and Rp170000k for beach-chair rental for 4 hours (its not supposed to be THAT expensive, last time we've paid around RP40000k for couple of hours...dang!..)

• Afternoon nap at the beach. Santai~~
• Took a shower and went straight to airport to have our lunch at Gunung Sari again. haha..oh ya, if you have more time, walk straight to the Domestic departure/arrival side of the airport, you'll find more restaurants serving halal food!



Kupang Sambel @ Gunung Sari

Till later y'all





Singapore..sneak peak-Dec2010-

It was the time of the year again, where we supposed to find a place we should be celebrating our new year, and since most of us were pretty tied up with work, no time for planning, couldn't get that Airasia promo ticket, so we're left with only one option in hand - Singapore!

 
And Singapore won't be enough without any beach experience, so we decided to stay in one of the beach resort nearby (Johor Bahru is always the cheapest option, plus it was totally on our way..haha).

We stayed one night in Pulai Desaru Beach Resort, booked one Loft Room (which is also a duplex penthouse) for RM418/night which can fits more than a family of 10..haha (the space is quite big, but there's only one king bed, with two bathrooms. Bringing your own sleeping bags would be the only solution to that). Check out this website, http://www.thepulai.com.my/

Desaru beach

There's a lot of facilities provided by the hotel, and the beach is very well-maintained and clean.

@ Desaru Beach

Nestum Prawn yg super delicious!

Oh my, its getting late..gotta continue later.

Animal printzees!!..-Jan2011-



** Marc Jacobs Leopard-print Fall 2006 collection



"There will come a day that I become a true woman, and when the time comes, I shall behave like one, speak like one, dress like one"

I am against all animal abuse, but I just love animal prints. I was a polka-dot girl (or would I say, woman?) last year, but this year, I am starting to collect animal print shoes, handbags, stuffs (not animal fur kind of thing). These two shoes are part of collection. Will add more photos soon!

Zebra-print silk peep toe pump (Discovered her in Beijing!)

Leopard-print peep toe wedges (Bought her at Vincci for only RM69!)



zebra-print silk flip-flop wedges (Found her in Beijing too!)

snake-skin print evening clutch (Found her on Amodelexcess)

Animal print inspirasions!!

Later!

2011.New year resolutions huh? -Jan2011-

I wanna put up a new blog to write about my life, other than travelling of course..but looking at the current progress with TFC, nahhh, I don't think I have time to setup another blog, of course..so here I am writing about something else, other than the travelling..Since this is my blog, I can dictate what the entry would be, so does the title and the length..ya what the heck?

It's 9 days past new year celebration, and I am still sitting here cracking my head on whats my 2011 resolutions would be. I haven't decided any, to date. 2010 gonna be the year that I would remember the most, and that's probably because I;

- got married to Rahim
- planned and financed my own wedding reception (and it was a success)
- went to Melbourne, Phnom Penh, Ho Chi Minh City, Bali, Phuket, Beijing and Spore for honeymoons and vacations with husband and friends
- bought my 3rd and 4th house
- sent my parents for full-expenses paid to Makassar

- leased out my 2nd house

and a lot more!! (Well, of course now I can see a lot of figures on my credit cards bills..heheheh..:D), but guess what, I did live my life to the fullest last year, so why can I do the same this year?

I will have the same job, the same needs (I can only hope that it will not change that drastic), the same desire, the same circle of friends, and still living in Kuala Lumpur ...hurmm, looking for something new...

I was reading STYLE magazine this afternoon, when I saw this one article on "100 Rules to Become a Consummate Lady" that interests me the most. Most of the rules are very, I would say, simple but classic rules on how-my-fashion-sense-and-the-way-I-carry-myself-as-a-26-year-old-lady should be starting 2011. (Some of these don't apply, but I just put it here because they're quite funny). So here goes;

1. Teeth can make you look older (so you better take a good care of it!)
2. Even Blair Waldorf has moved from her hairband craze (I have to get rid of my freak obsession on polka-dots)
3. You're allowed to put your croc handbag on the floor, its a bag, NOT a baby (haha, this one is quite true)
4. Sweatsuits are strictly for the gym, don't wear them when you're not exercising. You're Jenny-from-the-block (haha)
5. Don't wear too many colours at one time because you're not a bag of Skittles.(Noted!)
6. Flaunting your designer bag does not show that you have a desirable deep pockets, only a shallow personality. Class supercedes wealth anytime (This is is bloody right, I shouldnt be eyeing for that LV anymore, but that "Neverfull LV" looks classy enough to me!MUST BUY!!)
7. MANNERS - THE SECOND BEST ACCESSORY. A WELL-MANNERED, ILL-ATTIRED LADY IS PREFERABLE TO A WELL-DRESSED, ILL-MANNERED WANNABE (OMG, this one, I will remember forever!)
8. You are no longer 18, don't dress like teenagers. (Hurm, does plain-jane Tshirt and jeans counts?)
9. Cold shower increases mental alertness and adds a toning effect to your face
10. ALWAYS CHECK IN THE MIRROR TO MAKE SURE NOTHING IS SEE-THROUGH (Stop being a slut!haha)
11. NEVER INSULT ANYONE. That's stooping too low and vulgar
12. Don't try to fit into a slinky Herve Leger number if you're shaped like Khloe Kardashian, because she looks like she could hurt somebody if that zip pops!(Noted!)
13. Start a whitening regimen and stick to it. An uneven skin tone can add 10 to 15 years to our appearance. (Keep changing my skincare, but always stick to Vit-E Bodyshop)
14. Pick up a new sport because it keeps you slim, fit and improves your learning and comprehension. (I go to the gym, once, or twice or week, should make it more often)
15. YOU'LL NEVER REALLY EXPERIENCE THE WORLD TILL YOU'VE TRAVELLED.(Yup, that's true. I am lot more thankful now that I've seen so many people struggles through life, from my recent trips to HCMC and Phnom Penh)
16. JUST SAY NO TO FAKE LV (and any other brands for that matter)
17. Channeling Katy Perry is a huge fashion don't. Costumes are not real clothes..haha
18. Blogging fashion fluff doesn't make you fashionable (Which I am not trying to prove here). If you want to be taken seriously, nurture a voice and writing style as credible as an industry pro's (Noted with many thanks..haha)
19. NEVER LEAVE HOME WITHOUT SUNBLOCK.
20. Like with diamonds, never stinge on quality when it comes to skincare. Always buy the best that you can afford. After all, your face is your best investment. (Noted, with action..haha)

Well, there's a lot more, but, know what, STYLE mag only cost RM8..hehe..I cannot and shouldn't be writing all down here, knowing the fact I am not the real author.

And to add to that list, here's mine;

1) Not to take heavy food after 8pm
2) To drink lots n lots of water a day
3) Not to skip any gym sessions, 3-times a week
4) To not eating out that much (MSG-free diets to improve one health!). Check this one out!http://www.livestrong.com/article/6205-need-msg-free-diets/
5) Not to buy that much of handbags (still struggling, every year)
6) Not to buy any more houses (huhu...)
7) To continue doing what I like (cooking, travelling, sewing, dancing...)
7) To save money!

Listing these down does not necessarily means that I can live better life in 2011 by following all these rules, to being a perfect lady. It just simply means that I have something to look forward to. Something that I can change about my life now, to be better as a person in 2011. To be beautiful, inside out. To live and love!

 

I promise to update my travel blog!and put more pics..haha

Its obvious that the soonest I write about those countries I visited (soonest means, as soon as I arrived at LCCT), the better memories I had on that travel, thus, more valuable information can be shared. Haha. And I should more photos too since I love taking photos, and why limit people to only words?(Lots of it..haha, sorry..sometimes I just love writing, even though my English is not that good...haha)...So, yeah. I will spend one day to do that (which I do not know yet when), and I gotta make sure, all posts are full with informasions!!LOL 

Its Summer in Beijing!-Aug2010-

Fuh, finally I can spend some time to continue writing on Beijing (life is pretty hectic lately).

It's supposed to be a trip to France (huhu), but it was changed at the very last minute. But its ok, as long as I got to travel wif Rahim, on business, Beijing is good enough! Rahim went there first,and I followed him a week later. Its pretty much travelling alone from here though..haha..

Its a long 6-hour flight from Msia to Tianjin airport, since there's no direct flight to Beijing (of course Air Asia, the super-low-cost airline). There's a couple way to go Beijing from Tianjin airport;

1) Taxi (USD150 = RMB1000?)

2) Bullet train from Tianjin station to Beijing south station (RMB58/RMB69)

3) Bus (always the cheapest option, but takes longer time) costs only RMB40 for travelling time is 2.5hours..sigh~

Of course, I couldnt choose other than the famous 300km/hr bullet train which takes only less than 30mins to reach Beijing. To get there, you can take either bus or taxi to the train station. We took a bus because well (taxi costs RMB45), its cheaper (RMB20), and at the same time, you got to see Tianjin city. Tianjin is not as exactly what I've pictured. There are many sky-scrapers, modern building, structured highways...ahh, arent China supposed to be filled with hutong-like places?Yes, to tell you the truth, that is exactly what I've imagined. Too much watching Chinese movies I guess. We didnt managed to see that much of Tianjin, since we're in a rush. Its fasting month, and we just want to arrive exactly before break fast, so I can prepare a home-cooked meal for Rahim. (Its been a week for him, and I do think that he missed my cooking a lot!oh yeah, I cook every night for him)

The transportation is so convenient in Beijing,the subway system its even better and cheaper compared to Msia, of course. It covers the whole city, and you are only paying flat RMB2 (1 ringgit) to anywhere, regardless of your distance. And I dont think you need a car since most stops are located near top tourist attractions and mall!

We stayed at Haidian Sommerset ZhonguanChun - Serviced Apartment located in Haidian district. I am not that fussy if come to selection of place to stay, but this time, since its going to be for 2 weeks (and in China, during fasting month), I got to find place that has a small kitchen (at least) so I can cook. And Sommerset ZhongguanChun seems to fit all of our criterias; its located near Haidian and ZhongguanChun subway station, surrounded by digital malls, and shopping malls, provide a one-bedroom apartment with full kitchen and its located near carrefour!

Got to continue writing soon.Da~

SINGapore music FESTival! -July2010-



Katy Perry in action!

Katy Perry from far

I won 2 free tix to watch Katy Perry, Tokio Hotel, Wondergirls, Orianthi in Spore ! And it was awesome!!That concert was held at the Fort Canning park located at the city center. This time around, we weren't driving to Singapore because it was during weekdays. I am pretty sure that driving to Spore is not a good idea considering that we're going to be pretty tired before and after the concert, and therefore not able to drive (plus the heavy traffic during weekdays?No, no..cannot handle that one). So we parked our car at Johore Bahru (a very convenient option), and took a bus to Spore instead. It was a long queue but it was worth an experience, and the bus ticket price is incredibly cheap. I think we've paid around RM2.50 entering Spore, but I couldnt really recalled how much we've paid for the bus fees going back to Johor bharu. We then took a cab from Spore bus station to Fort Canning park for only SING4 (more info on http://wikitravel.org/en/Johor_Bahru)

Its Tokio Hotel hottie, Bill Kaulitz!

Superb performance by WonderGirls!

Orianthi in action!