Fireworks

Make your own fireworks !

That was what came into my head when my single friends go on holidays..

For me, single people should not stop from creating and making their own fireworks. While we married people have our own fireworks that is created from being married , single people should have theirs too.

Of course for married people our fireworks can come from our children & spouse that we have. Even from the spouse's relatives too..

But for single people, these are not attainable for them.. Thus, going on holidays are one of them.. I hate when single people just live their live between work and home only.. It should be about exploring other things too.. Going places that you have never been.. these are fireworks in life..

Mid year school holidays

I am done with the hotel booking for this upcoming mid year school holidays... As usual, I had to do the searching & bookings  for this holidays. Can't leave it to hubby as he is busy with his work ..Not that he couldn't help.Just wrong timing.

As usual I did a lot of surfing to get the best hotel room rate. And how these online hotel room booking quickly sold out their best available rooms within a week! However I managed to book the lowest & best rate in town for the type of room we had choosen. Beach, swimming pool, location are the main factors for the choosen hotel. Thus i just booked for a standard room type with limited views. Views or no views are not important to kids as much as swimming pool. And having a nice beach would give them extra activities to do in the sun..

Now, i am so much looking forward to this island holidays. Nasi kandar here we come!

Blog updates

There I was the one whose blogs are not updated with new entry. Rupa-rupanya ramai gak yang lain..

But most of these people are actively on Facebook..But not in blogging. Maybe FB is much more convenient to use thesedays. Plus, we are able to update on everything and share it with everyone in a matter of seconds. Provided that you can do it via phonemobile..  Which is why I just love my mini eventhough the slide have started to give way...I am sooooo into touch screen!! thanks dear for this great birthday gift!!!

I love the picture that I uploaded here.. Why? Cause it is so family holiday kinda shot.There's the small beach pail, the scoops and the tea/coffee set.. Took this when my kids were in la  la land ..

Golden Palm Tree : 2

The weather was suitable for sailing on that Saturday. So off father and daughter for a sailing adventures. Mom and baby sister stayed put at the hotel kopitiam and took this photo using her fav handphone. I just love my handphone camera!!!

Aiyoh! the weather at Golden Palm tree was just blazing hot and sunny!!!! We arrived and checked-in at the hotel around 3 pm. And by the time we were done unloading our luggages at the room, it was past 4 pm. Which means we missed the bicycle tour  .

So what's next ? Off we went to the ballroom for some happy dance which was done by the hotel staffs.  Review: Poor. They could have done it better regardless the small number of people who turned up in the ballroom.

Next, we proceed to the beach. So hubby & Arissa off to sailing. That was the only activity they got to do. After that none at all due to no wind available for other beach activities..

Like I mentioned in my previous entry  that GPT is not a suitable resort for family with small children. Older kids would be ok la.. Even the kids pool was too small. Nevertheless, my girls had fun swimming in the pool. Even me too got a chance to do some swimming laps while hubby attended the kids.

Our room looked exactly like the photo which was posted in my previous entry. What I love most about the room were the towels and the bathroom mat which was super duper absorbent... Arissa loved the rain shower. The bathroom has a half blurred window glass facing the sea.So one get to look at the sea while having shower!!!  And how nice to see unplastic shampoo & shower gel bottles !

I asked for a baby cot.Thus the big twin beds became more spacious for me, Arissa & hubby. And there's a 4 seater dining table at the balcony which me and hubby utilised for our late night chat... The kids tido mati !Too tired with the sun and sea...

overall, the place is ok for those looking  for a quiet and peacefull holidays. It is suitable also for company meeting...So anyone willing to pay for RM1,000 +++ for a night stay at GPT?

Golden Palm Tree

if it wasn't vetoed by my CEO, we  the staffs would not be spending a night here..

Tomorrow , this is the placed where we will be spending our weekend as my company will be holding staff family day there..

I went there last tuesday to check on the place and to finalise what need to be confirmed for the family day.

One thing for sure this place is definitely a 5 star resort and the target market are those who wants a peacefull & quiet  holidays. Thus, it is not a family-with-small-children oriented resorts. Even the pool size and layout is not meant  for family with small kids. 

And if the dining area is crowded, the hotel management will open another dining area .This to ensure that hotel guests do not need to queue to take food. Imagine just you standing near the food counter to choose and pick your food  in your own sweet time.. hahahhaha...

more stories after the family day k...

Blame it on AA & MAS

Argh!!!! Tension nyer!!! A few of my staffs ( those who are single & have less life commitments) are fully making use of the best travel offers from AA & MAS !!!!

Imagine going for holidays more than 3 times in a year! How I envy them... :(

Two of my staffs went to Indonesia last January 2009. And now they have already booked & paid for their next vacation to Ho Chi Minh in middle of this year! Argh!!!

Of course I did have my vacation last month... But with my current pregnant status, it's not advisable to travel by plane even though i'm only into my 3rd months...

p/s: busy checking out info on Krabi after reading superzac's blog...

My Bandung trip with the DH ladies

I went to Bandung last Friday Jan 16… Came back on Sunday night . Thanks to the normal and typical of 1 hour delay with AA flight. So how was my Bandung trip with my DH ladies?
Oh! It was a full 3 days of shopping for us! Alhamdulillah, we managed to squeeze in some time for spa as a treat for our tired bodies!!!

We took the morning flight from LCCT. And boy! We really didn’t waste any of our precious time once landed safely in Bandung’s soil… What did we do? Go shopping la!!!!

We went to Rumah Mode. I have to say that Rumah Mode is a must place to go for any shopper who comes to Bandung. Do not avoid nor forget to shop there! It is the best place to find branded clothing under one roof. Burberry, Gap, Esprit, LV, Hugo, Hermes. Just name whatever expensive brands u can see in KLCC or Pavillion and it’s all there in Rumah Mode at a very unbelievable cheap price. A price u would not see here in our country…

Yeah! The prices are dirt cheap that u just can’t help not to pick & buy whatever that your eyes can see and your hands can’t help not to pick up!!!

But be careful too , as they do have unfamiliar brands and even Bonia or Bossini brand or Marks & Spencer brands there too..

What if I tell you that a Hermes collar T-shirt IDR95,000.00 will only cost you about RM30 ? Yes, that was the price in Rumah Mode in Bandung. Do not rub your eyes! Murah , murah!!!!

Thus, u can easily spend around IDR1 million in Rumah Mode. Just pray hard that they have new stocks for u.. Like for me, there were not many choices for my 3 and half old girl.. there were no nice jeans for her!

And I think u will need almost one day of shopping there. A half day of shopping is not enough in Rumah Mode.. Apart from that, the place do have nice restaurants too. They even have a shop similar to Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf or Starbuck there.. I think it was Java Coffee..

2nd best place to shop is Pasar Baru . It’s like that pasar in Terenganu and Pasar Siti Khadijah in Kelantan. However, here in Pasar Baru, u have abour 8 floors to shop and bargain. Yes, do bargain if u wanna get the price cheaper than the already cheap price. U can get nice variety of telekung bersulam , lace, chiffon , imitation handbags, batik lepas, tudung, kain baju kebaya bersulam , snacks and many more ..

Other factory outlets worth to shop will be Heritage, Cascade & Paris Van Java .. The rest of F.O’s are worth visiting if only you have spare time to kill.

Food wise, there’s a lot of good eating places to eat. Best & safe to stick to restaurants rather than those hundreds of stall by the road side… The stalls are everywhere. This Bandung scene is utterly different from Malaysia. We don’t dare to eat from those stalls for hygienic reasons. I didn’t see watertap at all.. All I saw were pails for water.. They wash the used & dirty plates & cups from a pail of water.. And we can’t help not to think , was the food were the leftovers from yesterday as there are just too many stalls. The stalls are next to one another…

For 3 days we had Sunda & Padang food. We did not try Pak cik Met ikan bakar in pasar baru foodcourt. But we did try the Simpang Raya restaurants ( they have so many branches in Bandung ) , Arum manis ( nice view but pricey) and Istana Ayam Pop . The food is delicious but some are a bit sweet & salty too.. The drinks except tea are so sweet. I guess Bandung people like their food & drinks to be sweet & salty.. Imagine there’s a teaspoonful of sugar on your plate of kuihtew goring.

Their orange juice is different than here as they don’t use the Sunkist type of oranges. They uses the kampong type of oranges.

One thing that makes Bandung special is the accessibility of mussola/surau . It is easy to perform your prayers at any public places . All FO's and restaurants have it. And it's comfortable too.

The must buy brownies from kartika sari and Amanda. We did go and buy them( not me). And bandung people buy their brownies like us buying goreng pisang panas for tea time. Both have their own buildings and restaurants/ café. Food & prices was ok too..

Not forgetting, spa. If u have ample time, go for a spa.. Like us, we went to a full body spa which only cost us below RM100 . And some of my DH ladies even did ozone hair treatment . That is why it is best to put aside around IDR1 million for top to toe spa treatment . As for me, my Strawberry Spa treatment cost only RM130 ( tax included) . The same spa treatment would cost here around RM300 !

What else to share? As this was a shopping trip, therefore we did not go to Kawah Putih/Tangkuban Perahu . Maybe I would do that with my family...

Is IDR4.5 million enough for shopping in Bandung?

So, is it enough? I would say that the amount is enough for prudent shopper like me. But not to a shopaholic. They would need around IDR10 million when shopping in Bandung. I will tell u why after this…

In Bandung, u can find all the expensive brands that u see in KLCC & Pavillion. LV, Channel, Hermes, Burberry, Hugo Boss, Old Navy, Gap , Gucci, etc . And these expensive brands are so cheap, way much cheaper in Bandung compare to in Malaysia. The prices make you feel like you are paying for Renoma, Bossini, any Isetan Brands or Jusco brands or any brands we normally find at Jusco and Isetan.

An LV belt for men cost only IDR150,000 . So that would be around RM48 ( rate 320 ). A Hugo Boss Jeans is around IDR190,000.00 which is around RM61 … As for kids clothing u can get below IDR50,000.00 (RM16) …

Based on the above, any shopaholic would go ga- ga seeing these unbelievable prices. Thus, these people wouldn’t mind to get another pink T-shirt with the big printed Logo on the chest when they already have a pink t-shirt under brand like Renoma.

And if u really buy all those brands under IDR100,000.00 , you can really get a LOT with just shopping money of IDR4 million or IDR5 million. Mind you, these exclude food & lodging & transport and aiport tax. That u will need to put aside around IDR500,000.00 . Airport tax is only IDR60,000.00 . But be prepared for excess luggage cost. U may end up paying more for this. But then, there is always way to avoid paying for the excess luggage ( u only get first 15kg FOC with AirAsia).

The trick is not to use your trolley luggage which is already 7-10 kg in weight without things inside. Thus, best to use any non trolley bags! Just use any good durable canvas & fabric bags that have good zipper! For my recent Bandung trip, I managed to avoid paying for excess luggage as I used canvas bag.. U can get a lot with 15 kg of clothings! Jeans & telekung are heavy !!!!! And canvas bag saved my day!!!

Are those clothings or stuffs there are rejected items? Maybe 0.5% . I only found one pile of Old Navy T-shirt that have collar baju yg terkoyak sikit.

Back to the question earlier, based on my recent Bandung trip ( I just got back last nite) , having shopping money of IDR 7 – 8million is just nice for any average shopaholics. But for a prudent shopper like me, IDR4 -5 million is ok..That’s include a 2 and half hours of spa at Roger’s Spa in Jalan Dago!!!!

Family holidays cum Anniversary Gift

Somehow this year the need for a family vacation was so strong. It could be also because the last few years were not a suitable one . Not when there were so many things happened in the family.

As December too was our wedding anniversary month, it gave more meaning to go for a vacation. Plus, this was our very 1st family holidays tooo with Arissa.

We had choosen Langkawi as it was last minute plan ... I was so busy with my work and not having an internet access at the office too didn't help much in my planning .. So imagine having to check out for any free internet access when doing your work... Not an easy task to juggle work and getting travel & flight info at the same time..

And how was Langkawi? Not bad actually when u are taking any child below 12 years old.. Who would have thought that Langkawi can offer a real life interaction with animals. I have to say that my daughter is budak bandar @ city kid as she was not born & raised in kampung area.
With that, she hardly sees or have much interaction with animals , minus the cats & monkeys from the forest behind our house!

So we went to the Wild Animals & Birds life park & Underwater world. Of course for those who have been to Singapore's own birds park& underwater world will be dissapointed with the latter.
But not to the children innocent eyes. Those two places gave so much adventures, life experience and exposure to Arissa. For she got to feed all those cockatoos, deers, monkeys, parrots, ducks, flamingos ,rabbits and even ostriches ... Did u guys know that cuckatoos pandai makan kuaci? And also eat oranges?

I had been to Langkawi countless times during my unidays and for company's trip too. But I never did go for the suspension bridge at the top of mount mat cincang ... This time around I had Arissa to walk with me on the bridge.. Mind u that the bridge was a bit shakey as it was more than 600 mtr above sea level ... The view from the top was beautiful and splendid.. But to walk at the bridge, u need to walk through some jungle tracks first..Going down would be easy.But walking up to the cable station on top of the mountain will be strenous.. U definitely will see those yang pancit & short for breath along the tracks.. Me? Alhamdulillah i was ok..Guess going to the gym did help alot ! ;)

Hotel? We prebooked room at Langkasuka Beach resort which is just a short 10 minutes rides from the airport. It's sister hotel Helang Hotel was just a walking distance from the aiport. At least now we know how near Helang hotel is to the airport. Of course I did my research about the hotel from internet. And read so many reviews on it.But me & hubby went there with low expectation. We just didn;t want to be so upset with the real outcome if the the reviews were truly true..

The pool was ok and not murky looking and dirty. Maybe the stone tiles flooring gives the pool a murky & brownish look. But it was splendid for the kids and teenagers too.. The beach was superb. I dont know if the fine sand is really natural or imported from Thailand..


As for breakfast, it was the same menu everyday. Thus, it is better & cheaper to have breakfast outside either at Padang Masirat or Pantai Cenang. U can easily get RM1 nasi lemak at any stalls in pantai cenang. Somehow , there are only 2 mamak stalls there.

For dinner, we tried the Rasa restaurant at Pantai Cenang. The food is superb.. Of course it was a bit pricy for satay.But the taste was authentic and better than Samuri Sate kajang. From the meat to the kuah kacang. Memang sedap. Even the mee mamak was better than the one in mamak shops.

And I did plan to go for the pasar malam at Kuah Town. So we were in luck when there was one. Only in Northern pasar malam can u find this sweet kuih that is sold along with apam balik. I think it was called kuih manas. I used to eat it during my unidays at UUM.. And seeing it again after more than 10 years was trully sweet..

Arissa slept early during the 3 nights we were there. So we would see her dozing off before the dinner meals is served. We dont blame her for being tired as we were up very early and she didn't even have her afternoon nap. It wasn't easyfor her to fall asleep during the day as everything excites her..
She was singing & talking non stop during the 4 days trip.

And car! U really need it when u are in Langkawi. Somehow Myvi is very limited for rental. So u either get sentra , vios, or waja or saga or wira..

Pictures? Still in the camera!

Island retreat

Twenty days to go!!!