Absolutely Us - Ysmm

Our Prince

2011-09-28T22:21:00.004+08:00

After much anticipation. We have finally met our boy - Ashton. :)

The Pregnancy Story

2011-07-12T17:07:00.003+08:00

Jan 09th, 2011:
It was a Sunday. I was seriously sick and I was back in Ipoh with darling. I caught a serious cold when I was back from the new year holiday in Bangkok with my family.

I went to see doctor, and as usual, the doctor gave me some medicine for cold. I wasn't sure if I was pregnant, and I was so reluctant to take the medicine. On that Sunday evening when we were back to KL, I took a pregnancy test, my home pregnancy test showed a faint line. I showed it to darling and asked -- Am I pregnant?? We weren't sure :'(

Jan 10th, 2011:
It was my birthday and I was on leave. Nah, nobody wants to work on their birthdays okay! Alright back to the topic, I took another test in the morning when I 1st got up, I still got a faint line, but it was more visible than the one I got before. So darling suggested to visit a women specialist clinic near where I live. Nothing can be seen through an ultrasound scan. We were rather disappointed. But the doctor said I was still at the very early stage of my pregnancy and the baby is probably the size of a poppy seed so that was why nothing was detected in the ultrasound scan. But the doctor assured that I was pregnant and congratulated us! It was the best birthday pressie I've ever had in my life :)

Jan 17th, 2011:
One week later, we visited the women specialist clinic for another prenatal checkup. We were looking forward to seeing our baby for the 1st time in an ultrasound scan. *Fingers crossed*
Guess what! We finally saw our baby. He didn't look like a fetus (baby) that time. What we saw in the scan was just a ring or circle :) I was really excited and I had a mixture of emotions. I was feeling happy & blessed but at the same time, I started to worry about my 1st trimester of pregnancy. I must do all I can to ensure that my baby is doing fine, growing healthily in my small little tummy - This was what I told myself.

Feb 9th, 2011:
I was suppose to see my gynae after the Chinese New Year (Feb 17th). However, I really can't wait till after CNY so I went for a checkup right before we went back to Ipoh for CNY celebration.

It was a very memorable day for me for sure. Both darling and I were able to see and hear our baby's heartbeat on ultrasound. It was the most beautiful melody I have ever heard in my life. I teared up... happily :'( And one point to add is - our baby finally looked like a baby in the ultrasound scan. We can see his head, hands and legs :D

March 29th, 2011:
As usual, we went for the monthly prenatal checkup. My gynae said we could probably find out whether our babay's a boy or a girl on an ultrasound scan that day. Both dar and I were excited. To be honest, we were always excited and looking forward for my monthly checkup, cos' that's the only time we can see our baby on an ultrasound and tell that he is doing fine in within me :)

Our boy wanted to remain a mystery, so the gynae wasn't able to tell his gender ):

April 2nd, 2011:
As both my darling and I wanted to know whether our baby's a boy or a girl so eagerly for some reasons (we wanted to start shopping for baby clothes, thinking of baby names etc), we went to a women specialist clinicback in Ipoh for another on the same week. The doctor said to us: "It's a little girl, that's what your daddy is asking :)" Wow, our baby is a girl! Actually my guess was a boy as I notice some changes in my body due to some manly hormones - yes I grow some extra hair on my body!! Nevertheless, I was very happy about it too, as I always said, being able to have my own baby is already a blessing from god! and I am truly blessed.

Alright, I have to say that not only dar and I - the parents of our baby wanted to found out our baby's gender, our parents wanted to know too. Soon after my parents were told about the gender of their grandchild, they started to shop for little cute dresses for our baby =\ no kidding!

April 26th, 2011:
I went for the monthly regular checkup in KL alone as darling was having a vacation in Beijing. The regular checkup went alright until the following conversation started...

Gynae: Did I tell you whether your baby is a boy or is a girl the other time?
Me: Nope, the baby was playing hide n' seek so we were not able to find out the other time. (I have to pretent that I did not know about the baby's gender yet, cos I did not want to tell her that I went for another checkup elsewhere to find out the baby's gender =P)
Gynae: Your baby's in the right position and I can see clearly that he's a boy. (She was smiling and pointing my boy's little birdy on the monitor of ultrasound)
Me: OMG!! A boy?! ...

Yes, the scan said it all - I am having a baby boy, and I guessed it right at the beginning! Argh, it was the doctor back in Ipoh to blame! as we have announced to the whole world that our baby is a girl! #*%^*)@ And remember the 4 little dresses my parents bought for my baby?! &#$*&)($

I told darling in a video call right after checkup. He was shocked and he wasn't sure which doctor to trust! Poor darling =_="

July, 2011:
Time flies... and now, I am 31-week pregnant! (After going for a few regular monthly checkups since April, I am very certain that my baby is a boy! )

As the estimated due date is approaching, the prenatal visits are increased to every 2 weeks -this also means that we will be seeing our boy soon, yes... very soon in less than 10 weeks :)

As time goes by, I realize that both dar and I are getting more and more attached to our little boy, and we are loving my boy more and more each day. Despite some hard time or bad experiences I had during my pregnancy, for example, morning sickness and fatigue during my 1st trimester, serious backache, asthma attacks etc, my boy's kicks make me feel good, keep me stay strong and make me a stronger and better person/ mommy :)

** Words for our boy: Asthon boy, daddy and mommy love you and we are waiting for our arrival.
** Words for the daddy-to-be: Daddy, thanks for being there for me and mommy. I love you too and I promise daddy that I will be an Arsenal supporter! :D

Maternal Milk Formula During Pregnancy

2011-06-04T21:54:00.002+08:00

Being an expectant mom, I always want to give the best to my baby :) One of the things I can do for him is to ensure that he is supplied with all the nutrition he needs for his healthy development.

So one of the things I can do for him is to drink the maternal milk twice a day :)

Basically when you are pregnant, you will receive all kinds of sample milk powder for free! Wondering how... or why free...?

How to get sample milk powder for free? -- Basically for myself, I got most of the free samples from the women specialist clinic I visit on a regular monthly basis :) Besides that, I also got some free samples from butique that sell pregnancy wear :) There was once I got free samples from one of the local super market when I was shopping for milk powder :)

Why free? -- Simply because they wanna recruit new consumers for their products :p

Basically I tried most of the milk powder available in the market. For example, Enfamama A+, Anmum Materna, Mamil Mama, Friso, S-26 Mama etc.

Of all the brands above, I like Anmum the most, followed by Mamil Mama. And you know, I started to consume the product since the 6th week in my pregnancy, and I am still drinking the milk twice a day. Hopefully the formula will help in my little boy's development. * Finger crossed *

Happy 3rd Anniversary to Ysmm

2011-05-10T20:40:00.001+08:00

May 10th, 2008 - We officially and legally became husband and wife... 3 years later on this special day, we're celebrating our 3rd anniversary with our little boy in Mm's tummy :D Soon we will be seeing our boy and he will be celebrating our 4th anniversary! Happy anniversary to us - Ysmm.

Historical Beijing : Preview

2011-05-03T13:00:00.001+08:00

I was away for a 5D4N family trip to Beijing last week, and will write more about the trip soon...

Pressie from YS

2011-04-30T22:52:00.004+08:00

Yay! I've officially hit the halfway mark in my pregnancy! We look forward to seeing our baby soon in 20 weeks :D

My boy, isn't he cute?

2011-03-31T12:16:00.003+08:00

We are expecting... not sure his/her gender though :)

My 2011 Birthday!

2011-01-10T22:20:00.005+08:00

January 10th is my birthday, and it's indeed a memorable birthday for me :)

1st of all, birthday cake is usually a must-have for birthday. So my darling baked me a blueberry cheese cake!! Awwww!!

Yess a home made cheese cake! He made it from scratch! I am totally in love with it! It tastes so good! Lovess itt!

A birthday celebration is usually complete with a birthday dinner :D

As I am still ill today, and also due to the very bad traffic in KL downtown after the heavy pour today, we had a birthday dinner in a Korean Restaurant called Daorae in Sri Petaling. The foods were quite good, and the customer service was very satisfying too!

Until now, I am happy with the birthday cake (esp. his effort in baking it specially for me) and the Korean dinner.

But my darling wanted to make it more perfect and memorable for me... so he also bought me a birthday pressie

:D
:D
:D

He surprised me with a wallet from Gucci! :D It is rather pricey and I seriously don't want him to waste too much money in buying designer stuff for me, I love it though :)

Thanks darling for everything you did to me on my special day. Oh yeah, I almost forgot to mention about the little surprise we had this morning! I love you xx

My 1st ever brickboy toy

2011-01-06T22:58:00.005+08:00

My 1st ever brickboy toy, originally uploaded by ysmm.

It's amazing to know that the Lego pieces of all varieties are part of a universal system. Despite variation in the design and purpose of individual pieces over the years, each remains compatible in some way with existing pieces. Lego bricks from 1958 still interlock with those made in 2010, and Lego sets for young children are compatible with those made for teenagers. -Wikipedia -

Melbourne 3rd Revisit: St. Kilda

2010-12-12T20:45:00.002+08:00

St. Kilda is considered as one of the most fashionable suburbs in Melbourne. To us, it is like Bangsar in KL, but of course it is more attractive and happening than Bangsar as it is a suburb near the beaches...

It is a good place to live in... a wonderful place for drinks and dining and during the summer, it transforms into a popular place for outdoor beach activities!

For people who are into wildlife, you can try your luck in St Kilda too. as St. Kilda harbour/ pier is also a preserved environment for penguins...

For people who are into photography, St. Kilda is also a place that you can consider for photo shooting during your visit to Melbourne.

Due to it's fantastic scenery, St. Kilda has also become one of our favourite places in Melbourne.

A visit to St. Kilda will never be complete without tasting of a cup of coffee/ hot chocolate and a piece of cake in Acland Street. So we also enjoyed our wonderful afternoon in Acland street :)

Note: Acland Street is one of Melbourne's Food Precincts. It is also a long-time favourite of Melbournians and tourists alike because of its famous cakes shops. It is now the number one stop for backpackers because of the busy cafes and close proximity to St Kilda's beaches.

Here's how to get to St. Kilda from Melbourne city.
1. Take tram No.16, No.86 or No.96 from Swanston Street or Bourke Street.
2. Drop off at 'Esplanade Hotel' or 'Luna Park'
3. Walk to St. Kilda Pier (5 mins)
4. Here is the google map showing the direction from Melbourne city to St. Kilda Pier.

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5. Here's the google map showing the direction from St. Kilda Pier to Acland Street.

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Fun Taiwan Chapter 6 - Dining @ Mr. J Italian and French Kitchen

2010-12-05T21:00:00.005+08:00

During our visit to Taipei, despite the back injury incident (you can see that I could not stand properly in some of the photo pages below), we managed to dine at Mr. J Italian and French Kitchen (Mr. J 義法廚房) near Taipei 101/ Sun Yat Sen Memorial.

Opened by pop star Jay Chou, Mr. J Italian and French Kitchen is a modernly minimalist bistro with classical touches added by the large oil paintings adorning the walls. These paintings are mostly portraits of him and his pals...

The menu was composed by him obviously - as they are names of Jay Chou's song titles. The staffs there were very friendly, and they told us that Jay visits the restaurant quite often (once or twice a week). We didn't get a chance to see him there, though.

*We ordered 'Pasta Salmon in cream sauce' (see the above photo page), it is indeed Jay's favourite according to the staffs ;-)

The foods we ordered were generally quite good! And the prices were very reasonable too!

They do sell merchandise and souvenirs so you can get some souvenirs if you are a fan of Jay Chou.

If you are visiting Taipei and are interested in giving the restaurant a try, here is the address:
No. 43, Lane 308, Guangfu S. Rd., Taipei City

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Fun Taiwan Chapter 5 - Taipei 台北101

2010-11-27T23:40:00.003+08:00

Taipei 101 (台北101) is one of the tallest building in the world; the tower has served as an icon of modern Taiwan ever since its opening. Due to it's popularity, we also visited the tower's observatory while we were there in Taipei.

Taipei 101 features an Indoor Observatory on the 89th floor and an Outdoor Observatory on the 91st floor. Both observatories provide tourists a 360-degree breathtaking views of Taipei city.

We only managed to enter the indoor observatory deck. The admission for the indoor observatory was NT$350 per person. A separate ticket of NT$100 is required for visiting the outdoor observation deck, which is touted as the world's highest outdoor deck.

The steel yellowish pendulum (I call it big ball) in the photos above serves as a tuned mass damper, the ball sways to offset movements in the building caused by strong wind (if you know that Taiwan is prone to high winds from typhoons as well as earthquakes). It is the largest damper sphere in the world, and it is also the one and only damper sphere which is visible to visitors (tall buildings like KLCC usually have a damper sphere installed to offset movements in the building). Therefore, the Taiwanese are very proud of it :)

Here's how to get to Taipei 101 Observatory by MRT:
1) Get off at City Hall Station (Blue Line).
2) You can either catch a Taxi to take to there which will usually costs less than NT$100 or you can walk from the MRT station to Taipei 101 following the google map attached. It is just 10-15 mins walk from the station.

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Here is the MRT map for your reference:

Click on the map to view the full size image.

Melbourne 3rd Revisit: St. Patrick's Cathedral

2010-11-22T22:41:00.008+08:00

On the 1st day we arrived Melbourne, we visited one of the oldest church in the city - St. Patrick's Cathedral. It's Mother Church of the Catholic Archdiocese of Melbourne and one of the architectural glories of Melbourne. It is located in the CBD of Melbourne and is just 10 mins walk from the Parliament house of Melbourne.

As Melbourne is also known as the garden city, so after we visited St. Patrick's Cathedral, we also visited a garden close to the church - Fitzroy Garden. Here are some photos taken in Fitzroy Garden.

There is a very famous building in Fitzroy Garden - Cook's Cottage, a memorial to Captain James Cook.

But we did not go in as we have been there before, plus you need to pay AUD3 per entry. So we just shot some photos right next to it :-\

Traveling in Melbourne City is easy as the government of Melbourne provides very good and most importantly FREE shuttle city circle service (bus and tram).

How to get there:
1. Hop on to a free city circle tram (http://www.metlinkmelbourne.com.au/route/view/1112) and stop at the Parliament House at Spring Street.

2. Walk from Parliament House to St. Patrick's Cathedral. Please follow the map below:

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3. If you are interested in visiting Fitzroy Garden (http://www.fitzroygardens.com/), please follow the map below:

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Here is a map of Melbourne CBD for sharing. It highlights free city circle tram and bus routes.

Get well soon popo

2010-11-08T23:00:00.003+08:00

It has been 5 days since the operation. The operation was successful but popo refuses to wake up (she is still unconscious). Wake up and get well popo, you are a great fighter, and we are so proud of you. God, may you bless our popo :(

Updated 16th Nov, 2010.
Popo is leaving us... and she leaves with a smile on her face. She is going to heaven, a place that is full of happiness and blessing. Thank you for everything you have done to us, epspecially for looking after me and bringing me up when I was little. We love you, we miss you popo and we will pray for you. RIP popo :'(

Me!bourne: Preview

2010-10-12T18:34:00.000+08:00

Finally our long-waited re-visit trip to one of our favorite cities is just around the corner! We will be seeing you soon lovely!!

Yesh! Where else? It's Melbourne (again)!! But who cares! Melbourne is simply the place to be!

Note: This is an old pic taken in Dec'2007 to show you how excited we are about our re-visit to Melbourne! :D

Free photo session from Lancome Teint Miracle Foundation ROadshow

2010-10-05T21:05:00.003+08:00

My sis Brenda visited us during the weekend, and her usual activity in KL, she was here shopping. There was a roadshow on Lancome Teint Miracle Foundation in Mid Valley Megamall.

And my sis bought some products from Lancome.

Because of the damage, she was given free photography sessions. So she invited my youngest sis and MM along for the photo session.

Yes, the makeup + hairdo + photo session was free. So the ladies spent 1 hour+ for the session... And here is the outcome of the session (see picture below)

MM got her A4 size portrait printed. Look, isn't she gorgeous? :D

Here's what the ladies said - how nice it would be if they had a dinner/ prom that night... Cos they received free hairdo & makeup session which normally cost at least RM60.00... They are just typical women...

Fun Taiwan Chapter 4 - Jiufen (九份)

2010-10-04T22:30:00.011+08:00

Jiufen (九份), historically spelled Chiufen and alternately spelled Jioufen, is a small town in north Taiwan.

Jiu Fen is on Gee Lung mountain, and it is located near to a town called Rui Fang. Until the 1950's, Jiufen was a prosperous gold mining town. In brief, it is similar to Cameron Highlands in Malaysia. But the main difference between Malaysia's Cameron Highlands and Jiu Fen is Jiu Fen is a small town fulled of historical and ambient atmosphere.

The town went into sharp decline when mining was discontinued. The quaint streets, tea houses and stunning views of the Pacific Ocean saved it from becoming yet another anonymous mining ghost town. .

Jiufen is now a popular tourist destination for Taipeites eager to relive scenes from the past. It has provided the setting for several period movies.

You can get loads of Taiwanese street foods from Jiu Fen Old Street (九份老街). For example, baked milk sticks, stinky tofu, barbecued wild boar meat and barbecued Taiwanese sausages, Pineapple cookies, sour plum soup etc. One of the must-eat food in Jiu Fen is no other but the Yam Ball Soup (芋丸汤／冰). It can be served with or without ice! See the picture above! Isn't it tempting!! For souvinir, personally I think it is their 'mountain tea' (高山茶). Malaysia's Cameron Highlands is famous for it's Boh tea, and so Jiufen is also famous for their 'mountain tea'.

FYI, there is a shop called 阿信的店 (Xin's Shop - which also means YS's shop) :-D

You might wonder how did we go to Jiu Fen as my back was injured? Well, we got a free day-tour when we made hotel reservation few months back. Initially we planned to go there on our own so I did some research on how to get there from Taipei city, however the research information turned out to be useless to us :-( Sigh.

Perhaps it is good for me to share with you on How to get there from Taipei city:
From Taipei, take the train north to Ruifang Station. It takes about 45 mins. Then from Ruifang take the Keelung Transit bus from the bus stops in front of the train station to Jiufen. Be sure to line up across the road to go to Jiufen and Jinguashi. The bus trip is roughly 15 minutes. The bus will stop in front of a 7-11 (see picture 3 and last picture). Then you walk into the alley next to 7-11. This is where the old street of Jiu Fen is located at. The alley isn't long but you can easily spend more than 2 hours walking around, as there are loads nice foods/ snacks to eat and things to shop.

If you have time, you can plan for a night's stay at Jiu Fen home stay (民宿); you can also visit the Gold Museum there too!

If you plan to drive to Jiu Fen, the following is a map showing you how to get there from Taipei train station by car.

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Taipei MRT Map:

Click on the map to view the full size image.

Fun Taiwan Chapter 3 - Ximending 西門町

2010-09-29T20:30:00.005+08:00

Generally, Ximending (西門町) is a very happening business district like 'Bukit Bintang'/ Star Hill in Malaysia or Mongkok in Hong Kong. Ximending business district is located in between four main streets; they are 東起中華路、西至康定路、南至成都路、北至漢口街.

Ximending is definitely a heaven for entertainment and more. It is a place where you can get the most trendy and fashionable clothing & cosmeticssss, loads of nice foods - from street food to some fine dining restaurants and most novelty toys etc. There are loads of cinemas (they have a street called the cinema street there) and KTVs!

As my back was injured during my visit to Taipei, I did not manage to shop a lot there, so it did not cause too much damage to our wallet, not sure if it is good... or NOT! Nevertheless I can assure you that Ximending is definitely a good place to shop - if you are a fashionable person like me, Oops... The prices for clothing and food are very reasonable.

Food wise, we had not tried enough to comment/ recommend. Of those we have tasted, I would recommend the following:

50 Feng Bubble Milk Tea - Updated 01-Oct-10 It should be 50 Lan ( 岚 is pronounced as Lan)
Tian Ren Ming Cha (Tian Ren Milk Tea)
Papaya Milk
阿宗面线 (Ah Jong Mian Xian)
Taiwan KFC/ McD (They server grilled chicken and grilled chicken burger there and they are so so so so much better than our GCB!!)
Taiwanese sausages
Stinky Tofu (We don't like but we think those who like stinky tofu will like it)
Stew Pork Rice (We don't quite like it too cos' it's too fattening; I think they should name it 'stew fat' rice instead of stew pork rice -.-)
Snacks and drinks from 7-11; there are loads of them!!

During our stay in Taipei, we stayed in a hotel located at Chengdu Road called Royal Castle (成都饭店) which is very near to Ximending business district - 5 mins walk/ 450m from the MRT station of Ximen. Please see the map below for location of Royal Castle Hotel:

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If you are visiting Ximending, below are the business district and MRT maps for your reference:
Map 1:
Click on the map to view the full size image.

Map 2:
Click on the map to view the full size image.

Map 3: MRT Map

Click on the map to view the full size image.

If you can read Chinese, here is the official website of Ximending for your reference - http://www.ximen.com.tw

Fun Taiwan Chapter 2 : Danshui 淡水

2010-09-26T11:33:00.005+08:00

Generally the public transportation system in Taiwan (esp. Taipei) is pretty efficient. The commonly used public transports are no other but MRT (捷运) and buses (客运).

Today we're gonna blog about our (my to be exact, as MM was ill) visit to a place called Danshui (淡水). Danshui is accessible by MRT - the last stop of Red Line in the MRT map attached.

Generally 淡水 is one of the must-go places when visiting Taipei. It's located at northern Taipei and it is near to the sea. It is well-known for it's Danshui old street (淡水老街) which is located at Zhongzheng Street. It's also a place where you can get load of souvenirs (famous Taiwanese cookies and snacks) from.

Besides well-known old street, Danshui is also an historical place like Malacca. There are Hong Mao Cheng (红毛城)，Tamkong High school & University (淡江中学&大学)，Xiao Bai Gong (小白宫), 渡船头 (a jetty at Danshui) etc. They are all within walking distance from the MRT station of Danshui.

If you have heard about Fishermen Wharf (渔人码头), it's also located at Danshui. However, in order to get there, first you need to head to 渡船头 (located at the end of Zhongzheng Street) then you get to the fishermen wharf via ferries from the jetty.

Some of the must-eats are Danshui Ah Gei - the brown thingy below (淡水阿给)， Ah Po Tie Dan - I bought some for MM's cousin (阿婆铁蛋)，Hong Ma Sour Plum Soup (洪妈酸酶汤)，etc.

However, without MM doing all these with me, I just tried the Danshui Ah Gei (淡水阿给) and Sour Plum Soup only.

Updated by YS: '淡水：一个集合了东方与西方古老怀旧气息的地方。。。也是台湾偶像剧拍摄的热门地点。电影＜＜不能说的秘密＞＞就是在这里的淡江大学拍摄的。由于没有MM陪伴我同行，这些照片只是风景照。'

If you are planning your trip to Taiwan, the following are MRT and Danshui maps might help you in your planning, cheers.

1) Map on google

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2) A very useful and informative MRT Map.

Click on the MRT map to view the full size image.

3) Map of Danshui Old Street (中正路 on the map) and it's points of interest (esp. for food)
Click on the map to view the full size image.

4) Map of Danshui - You can see where Danshui University, Hong Mao Cheng and other places are located at on it.

Click on the map to view the full size image.

Fun Taiwan Chapter 1 - What a sneeze

2010-09-17T23:16:00.011+08:00

It was supposed to be a fun-filled & romantic honeymoon trip. However, it turned out to be a disaster... Guess what? I was admitted to the hospital on the 2nd day we visited Taipei.

We were supposed to begin our day tour of day one, and I had a big sneeze when we were about to leave the hotel. Then I felt sharp pain at my back. It was connected to both of my legs too. No kidding, the pain was very serious and I could not react to it. I could not do anything but shout for pain and cry. I could not stand, I could not sit, and I could not lay down on the bed too! Darling was in shock when he saw this. Damn! He rushed to the hotel lobby and got the receptionist to call us an ambulance. Then, with great pain and lotsa tears, I was sent to a nearby hospital - Taipei City Hospital at Ximending (西门町的和平医院 ). The 1st aiders took 30 minutes to move me from the hotel room to the ambulance, what an effort! It was the 1st time darling and I ride on an ambulance in our lives too! It was so fun! NOT!

When I was in the hospital, I still couldn't move my body(except for my hands) at all. There was a time I really thought I was paralyzed! so the doctor and nurses could not do anything like x-ray scan or some kind of examinations on me . So they gave a a jap to ease the pain on my back for a while to allow them to do some scanning on my back. They did x-ray scan (to see if there's any fracture on my spine), urine test & ultrasound (they also suspect the pain could be caused by kidney stones) on me but the results were all good! WTF! After some inspections, the doctor told us that it was a severe contusion on my back! You can't imagine how great was the pain, trust me. I even needed a wheel chair and darling's help when I wanted to go to the loo. And you can't never imagine how miserable we were at that moment! We couldn't understand how a sneeze can ruin our holiday! We weren't sure how long it will take for me to recover. Darling was not sure if we can change our return date earlier as my back was injured. Argh! We were both lost!

As it was a back contusion, there was nothing much we can do but to wait till it cures. Waiting is killing, seriously. The doctor gave me some medicines for a few days and I was advised to rest. The next day I was discharged from the hospital and rested in the hotel for a couple of days. There goes my long-waited honeymoon. Fun? Seriously NOT!

After reading my post till now you may already start wondering what happened to our honeymoon then... At this point in time, my back still hurts. But with a back support which darling got for me from the hospital and an umbrella (used as a 'Tongkat'), we still managed to spend our last 2 days walking around for a while in Taipei City.

My back still hurts now. I went to see my GP after we touched down today. It will take me 2 to 3 weeks to recover and I was advised to get physiotherapy too. Look at the incident from the bright side, at least I know my darling loves and cares for me when I was so ill, and at least I got a chance to visit one of the hospitals in Taiwan during my visit, and I believe many of you who visited Taiwan did not have the same experience as I do. Lessons learned - Sneeze can kill, so sneeze gently or do not sneeze at all. cheers...

Here is how to get to the hospital from Ximending MRT station:

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Hello Taiwan!

2010-09-11T00:17:00.002+08:00

Here comes our long-waited honeymoon...

The Zanmai Japanese Restaurant

2010-08-25T22:00:00.000+08:00

Both of us were so so so craving for Japanese food recently! Of the Japanese we had recently, we would like to give a credit to the Zanmai Restaurants!

There are two Zanmai Japanese restaurants; they are 'Sushi Zanmai' which sells 'I-think-they-are-authentic' Japanese food and 'Pasta Zanmai' which sells fusion Japanese+Italianese food. Their Japanese food are simply gorgeous are the food prices are reasonably competitive! Um, Pasta Zanmai is a little pricey as compared to Sushi Zanmai.

Here are some photos for sharing.
Image 1-2: Sushi Zanmai

The unagi is simply gorgeous! and it is no doubt one of my favourite food from the restaurant!
Green tea ice cream - Sunny says it is simply delicious~

Image 3-5: Pasta Zanmai
Went there with a couple of my colleagues the other day!

My favourite food there is no other but the scallop pizza! Thumbs up!!

Other than my favourite scallop pizza, the rest of the foods were very good too! Look at the photos, aren't the food tempting?! Aww...

I am a certified first aider :D

2010-08-23T21:46:00.008+08:00

Some time ago, I attended a 2-Day training on occupational 1st aid and CPR. Thanks to YS, as I was inspired by him so I participated in the training. FYI, YS was a St. John Ambulance member back in high school. Being part of the St. John team, of course YS was a certified 1st aider too.

Back to the topic, yes finally I got my 1st aider card today! Yippey! I passed all the 2 assessments (1st aid + CPR) and 1 test (multiple choice)! *Flying*

The course was sponsored by the company that I am working in, and the 1st aider pass only valid for two years. It was a very meaningful and fruitful training. I learned how important 1st aid is in saving one's life, esp. in emergency.

The cert and 1st aider card I got today ;-)

Below are some photos taken during the training for sharing...

Causeway Bay Spicy Crab - Outing with high school mates

2010-08-22T09:59:00.001+08:00

Finally we had our long-waited gathering at Causeway bay Spicy Crab - The Hongkee Crabby place owned by Irene's hunny.

Thanks to Xiao Ying for organising it! Welcome back to Malaysia, it is for a short period of time though :) It was a great night out and I believe everybody had a great time!

To Irene, Tik, Kai Loon, Thai Hung, Xiao Ying, Yen Erh, Chin Hong, Hock Soon, Jonny & Mike:
Please click to view the photos in their original size. You may also download them too. Enjoy. :)

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Condominium @ Puchong Jaya for rent

2010-08-01T21:35:00.007+08:00

We decided to let our new condominium unit @ Koi Kinrara for some reasons.

Location: Puchong Jaya
Type : Service Condominium
Total Built-up Area : 1,072 sq.ft.
Others: 3 Bedrooms, 2 Bathrooms & 1 Car parking space

Please visit the ads posted at ThinkProperty.com.my (click here) for more information. Kindly contact us if you are interested in renting our unit or would like to find out more about it. Contact information can be found here.

The above image depicts the floor plan of the unit for rent. Please do spread this ads for us, we appreciate it!

New Hair Style

2010-07-08T22:28:00.016+08:00

I do not know why but I feel like having a new hair style so eagerly recently! These are the hair styles I have had before (the 2nd photo is my latest hair style).

Mr. Hubby suggested me to get a short hair cut! He says I look good in short hair. I feel like having either short or permed hair again! I wanna try one of the following:

1) Normal/ Medium Short hair (similar to the one I had before)

2) Short and permed hair... (The hair style that I like most now, I'm not sure if I would look doggy and old with this type of hair style though)

3) Bob hair with or without cute lil' fringe -- It's another hair style that I like at the moment ;-)

4) Short hair (above ear level) - It's what Mr. Hubby thinks I will look good in ;-)

5) Long curly hair (the one I had before). Some of my friends say I look feminine and good with long curly hair.

Argh, too many choices! Perhaps long hair is more suitable for me than short ones -_-|| Please advise >.<"

Our 1st Property

2010-06-29T23:13:00.010+08:00

After 4 years of waiting, we are going to get the key for our very first property - Koi Kinrara Suite @ Puchong Jaya.

Time flies, we still remember the moment when we've decided to purchase the condominium. There were a lot of discussions involved and thorough consideration and we are glad that we've made the right decision 4 years ago. It certainly worth the wait because the price has been shooting up for more than 40% since then and you certainly can't find the same type of property (1100 sqft under 200K at Puchong area) for the price that we actually paid for it around Klang Valley. =D

It also means that we need to start paying for the full installment instead of the interest every month, although it's going to set us back financially for a bit every month but thinking of the return in long run..we are satisfied. ;)

Here are some photos to share with everyone about our condo.

The Making of 'Sweat with the Paddy' in Sekinchan's Paddy Fields

2010-06-19T23:29:00.007+08:00

A Saturday at the paddy field

It was indeed our 1st visit to the paddy fields in Sekinchan. We were there for a photo shooting session, and it was a very exciting event. The weather was hot though...

The models (The stylish babes Ellie, Van & myself), practicing 'jump' for the shooting.

The photographers Kenny and Valen.

The lovely couple Ysmm *blush*

Mike and Elaine.
1/2 of the fields is harvested and the other 1/2 is not ;)

Practicing Catwalk at the paddy field.

The hot babes and their 'nests' (LOL).

The scene of how it is made. Our photographer crew was quite big! ;)

Stay tuned for more...

Yet,it's another milestone

2010-06-10T23:13:00.002+08:00

I started to work as a product analyst some time ago after I left AT. This would be another milestone in life for me...

What I am currently doing is very different from what I did before. Hence it would be a new challenge for me too.

Moreover, it's my very 1st time working in Multi-National Corporate (MNC) , so I felt a little nervous in the beginning -__-"

I find working in a MNC is very different from working in local companies, and I am not sure if the differences are good or bad.

So far things went well and I am doing good, and I hope they will continue to be good and I will excel in what I am doing too... *Finger crossed*

P/S: AT folks, you will be missed :) Argh, just notice there are some spelling mistakes in the photos uploaded -_-" Not foolsball but foosball.

"SAT in the City" @ Michael Angelo's

2010-06-09T22:42:00.006+08:00

Went for an afternoon tea with the hot babes last Sunday @ Michael Angelo's.

Ah, we did not order desserts only but 3 sets of 3 course meals. We didn't take any photos of them though.

Photo time with the ladies. Dar jokes that we are the characters of "SAT in the city" - a Hongkee TV show, duh!

Upcoming event with the babes and the gang - photo session @ Sekinchan! Stay tuned!

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- Written by - MM

10th Gathering of 5s3

2010-06-01T22:49:00.003+08:00

Time flies, and it has been 10 years (11 to be exact) since I graduated from high school.

We had a gathering the other day. Many thanks to some of my fellow classmates for taking the initiative to organize the meaningful event and getting everyone together for a reunion! Your efforts are very much appreciated!

Though only 60% of the invitees turned up, but it was indeed a very fun-filled and memorable event! And it is always good to see the old friends again! The feeling was simply amazing! We had fun like we used to be, and loads of sweet old memories just flashed back!

And, Kit Kit is still the king of 5s3, and he will always be. You guys and ladies rock!

12.05.2010 - My Last Working Day in AT

2010-05-26T22:00:00.001+08:00

After 2.5 years working in AT, finally it is time to say good bye to the company, and my beloved colleagues.

It was a very tough decision, and I decided to leave for some personal reasons.

I thought I would feel happy, at least a lil' relief when I left the company. But I felt otherwise.

I do not know why but I felt a little sad. Um, okay, I know why I was down. Yes, I miss my colleagues (or perhaps I should call them friends), and my bosses. Sigh.

I hope it is a change for the better, and I believe it is.

Thanks Wilson for bringing me in AT and your guidance; Thanks Kho Wei for the you assistance and guidance when I 1st joined the team; and finally, thanks Steven for bringing me where I am now. (Sorry Wilson, couldn't find any photos of both of us together :p)

Aww, the more I write, the sadder I feel )': Doink!

Guys, you will always be remembered!

Last but not least, thanks Aryo, Andrew, Felice, Frida, Farry, Joekit, Amanda, Lingling, Eddie, Mun Kent, CS, Wilson, Chris, Keelin, Koktong and those whom I forgot to mention your names, thanks for the farewell lunch and the lovely pressie :)

KL-Singapore-KL Day Tour~

2010-05-24T20:01:00.001+08:00

One fine Saturday (9th May, 2010), both Ys and myself visited our neighbour Singapore.
It was supposed to be a trip for ONE Important purpose but due to unforeseen circumstances, it was then turned out to be a "打了个白鸽转" in SG.

Special thanks to our friend 'Kit Kit' - who is also a new SG PR holder for touring us around his 2nd home :)

The following are the itineraries:

1) Our flight from Tiger Airways departed from Malaysia at 8.30am, and we arrived SG's Changi Airport at 9.30am.

2) Our friend Kit Kit was already there waiting for us. He is indeed a very good friend of dar :) He then brought us to a place called Eunos to try some local hawker food. Guess what, they are selling a glass of soya bean drink at 60 cents! It's very cheap okay!

3) Kit kit then brought us to the Bugis Junction for shopping.

Personally I quite like Bugis Junction. It is an integrated development (whereby some old shop lots are connected to each other) located at Downtown Area in Singapore. Personally I find it looks similar to The Curve in Damansara, but it is a lot more nicer to shop ;)

4) We stayed till 12.30-1pm, then we headed to City Hall, hoping to get some cheap gadgets there (as ppl keep telling us that gadgets are cheap in SG -.-") However, we couldn't get any cheap and nice stuff, duh -.-" and I ended up spending money on clothes >.< and we had our lunch at City Hall.

5) Then, we visited the Merlion - Singapore's Trademark (which is Mermaid + Lion in case you do not know :p) at Raffles Place.

No no, they are not Merlions :p

This is not a Merlion too... Oops! Argh okay, I know you know that it is the esplanade :p

Obviously, it is not the merlion too :p It's one of the newly built casinos in SG - The Sand Casino (金莎赌场).

Okay, this is the real merlion that was stroked by lightning some time ago. Yeah I know it sounds a little silly but it happened -.-" They fixed it and also installed some lightning rods on it. I din't see any though. I can't help but to laugh, hahaha

Look at the sky, it was very dark, wasn't it? Yes it rained, but luckily they were just showers and they stopped very quickly.

Photo time with the Merlion.., Say Cheese~ Wait a minute, do you see the Maybank tower behind the Merlion? Wow! I guess Maybank is doing so well until they can own such a big and tall tower in SG huh!

After seeing the Merlion, Kit Kit also brought us to the place where his office is located at to snap some photos.

6) Alright, we were done with the photo shooting, and I suggested to go to the Vivo city for another round of Retail Therapy. Our legs almost got broken due to walking for too long. Dar said it is a sign of aging -.-

Until a point when we can't walk no more, Kit Kit suggested to go for dinner and he recommended a restaurant called Bosses (黑社会) in Vivo City. We had a 2-hour long dinner, then we said goodbye to Kit Kit and left for Airport.

7) We arrived Changi Airport at 8pm and did some window shopping at the Duty-Free shops in the airport.

The Jet Star flight we took was suppose to depart from SG at 9.50pm, but it was delayed for more than one hour -.-" Due to the delay, we arrived KLIA at 12.00am and home at 1.00am; we were both exhausted. Nevertheless, it was still a fun-filled trip.

Thanks again to Kit Kit for the hospitality! That is very kind of you :) It was in fact our (both dar and myself) very 1st time visiting Singapore TOGETHER! Hence it is a memorable trip ;')

Happy 2nd Anniversary

2010-05-10T00:28:00.001+08:00

10th May, 2010

Um... Gotta be a lil' sentimental today...
Um.. How do I start?
...
...
...

I'm very in love with this man - My hubby YS.
At times, I love him for some reasons;
but most of the time,
I love him simply for who he is...

It's our 2nd wedding anniversary!!
Oh yes, we had our ROM two years back at the Thean Hou Temple,
and we have been husband & wife for two years now! @(^_^)@

Happy 2nd anniversary to Mr. and Mrs. Lee (Ysmm),

and to our blog too (:

My 1st Marbel Cake Made

2010-04-26T22:40:00.007+08:00

I baked my very 1st marble cake at last! Thanks to dar for his sharing his ideas in making the 'marble' in the cake! Wink >_^ Baking a marble is easy, it is just like adding the 'marble thingy' in the normal butter cake :p

Ingredients:
1. Self-raising flour (200g)
2. 4 eggs

The self-raising flour has to be shifted.

3. Baking paper is also a must-have to ease the after-baked cleaning work (I admit I am lazy)

4. Cocoa powder (1-2 table spoons will do), to be mixed with the batter later (batter: 100-150g).
5. Butter (220g)
6. Caster Sugar (200g)

Alright, I am about to start!
Beat the butter and sugar till light and fluffy.
Add in eggs, one at a time, and beat em'!

Then, add in shifted self-raising flour and beat till light & fluffy. (Argh, my hands were so numb after beating em' for quite a while. See, the batter is simply so smooth~ It is ready to be spread in the container.

Next, add in the cocoa batter and mix em' with the batter. This is where dar's way in making a marble cake come into the picture. He suggested to used knife (in this case I am using a chopstick) to mix the cocoa batter with the 'non-cocoa batter' ;)

Okay done! Bake it for 40 minutes (180◦C). Oven pre-heat at the same temperature is required before baking the cake.

Waiting... Waiting... and waiting...

Ding! My freshly baked marble cake!

Dar is ready to try em'!

I think it tasted simply delicious! Though dar it could have tasted better, softer and more tender if the batter was stirred & mixed by him, cos he is more powerful than I am -_-"

Happy 29th Birthday to YS

2010-04-18T00:40:00.013+08:00

18th April. Its my 29th birthday and also my first birthday celebrating together with MM after our official wedding ceremony last year. MM had secretly prepared 2 birthday gifts for me this year.

I've got

1) A Seiko 5 Automatic Watch 23 Jewels. I have been always wanted to have an automatic watch which is durable for outdoor activities and also maintainance free watch. I always feel amazed and impressed with how all the small components can fit and work together without any electronic components. Well, It's a dream comes true for me and I like the watch very much. I've got a Seiko Chronograph from her 2 years ago and It's still working perfectly. I always believe a good watch can last for life and can even pass it on from generation to generation. Thank you baby and I have more choices now to decide a watch to work every day. :D

2) A Nikon SB-600 Speed Light. This is totally unexpected! though I had think about to get myself a flash gun before but I had never put it into actual action due to Procrastination until she gave this beauty to me last week. I need sometimes to learn how to capture nice photo using the flash gun and I actually struggled to make it work for the first time until I realized that the batteries were actually dried off. -_-"

Thank you baby and I know the gifts are ain't cheap. I promise there will be more Coach for you in the future. ;D

p/s: Life is great when you there is someone who cares.

2010 - Hope for the Better

2010-04-08T23:47:00.001+08:00

Time passes very quickly, and it is already the 4th month (April already!!) in year 2010. If you realized, our blog has been left abandon for the past few months. Reasons were:

I was very busy with work, I involved in one of the nationa l projects which time line was very tight, and hence I was required to work OT almost everyday, sometimes even on weekends. Thank god, it is finally over. However, I have a rather strange feeling, I don't why, but I miss the project, I miss the people that I have been working with for the past few months in the project. Sigh.
Dar on the other hand, needed to take care of almost all the house work due my busyness at work. I felt guilty for not being able to spend time with him after we got married last year :'(
Dar's father suffered from a heart attack; while my dad suffered from a mild stroke (for the 2nd time) this year :(

It seems to me Year 2010 hasn't been a good year for us and our family. Sigh. Let's just hope things will be fine and everything will be back on track. I also hope that I can find a balance between work and life so that I can spend more time with dar and our families.

Let's talk about something happy. Time flies, and this year's CNY also ended very quickly. It was indeed the 1st year for the both of us to start giving 'Ang Pow' (Red Packets) to our unmarried friends and relatives.

And in Chinese tradition, the newly weds shall give 'double Ang Pow' the 1st year they got married! OMG -_x

Opps, sorry for changing the topic, as I just got these photos downloaded from the camera SD card. 'Kesian' the photos for being stored in the SD card for 2 months -_-|| So I want to share them with you here :)

Btw, this little fella is 'Feng Feng', the cutie pie of one of our ex-colleagues. She brought him to our CNY gathering. He is so cute, isn't he?

Cheers, he got 'tipu' by the 'Mamee bait' on my hand (see photo 1) and had no choice but to be forced taking a photo with me, hehe.

Alright, gotta sign off now. Night everybody.

Goodbye to our baby :'(

2010-04-01T22:11:00.005+08:00

It was a tough day for both dar and myself. A few weeks ago, we made an important decision...

We decided to let go our beloved 'Little Red' whom has been our good companion for the past few years. 'Little Red' was a present from my dad on my graduation. We felt extremely bad for making such decision, but... we did for some reasons...

The day has come... and it's time for us to hand in our little one to the new owner. We felt so hard to let her go. Sigh...

Look at her, isn't she cute? Hope she can find someone who loves her as much as we do. Goodbye babe, you will stay in our heart, forever :'(

Then, we bring our new baby home :)

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

Today is also a big day for one of my besties Ellie. She looks gorgeous today!

Babe, wish you love and happiness, and may you be blessed in the new chapter in life with Steven. Happy Wedding babe!

YSMM Wedding - Those Were The Days...

2010-01-17T21:22:00.001+08:00

One of the slideshow played on our wedding prepared by us :)

When we were young, and 'Durian Trees' were tall... da da da da, da da da da da~

Ysmm's Wedding Photos

2010-01-13T21:24:00.002+08:00

Ysmm's wedding photos by Kenny and Keat Siong. Received em' few weeks back from Kenny. Special thanks to Kenny for arranging them in slide show for us!

P.S. Happy birthday to my mom!

Happy Birthday to Me

2010-01-10T22:40:00.004+08:00

Today is 10th January, 2010, Sunday, and it's my birthday! Happy Birthday to me.

This birthday is a rather memorable one for me..,

I worked in my birthday (it's a Sunday) -.-||
YS bought me a phone * Sony Ericsson Aino * as birthday pressie *Muacks*
My colleagues celebrated my birthday with me! Thanks guys for the birthday cake and BBQ party!! That is really sweet of you!
Brother and sister in-law bought me a birthday cake! Thanks Brenda and Chee Mun.
My dad treated me a good dinner (It has been quite a few years since he treated me dinner on my birthday)
I got a rather great bonus from the company for the hard work in 2009 :D
Those I do not mention, thanks to all the birthday wishes!

Seriously, life's been very busy for me recently. Involve in a nationwide project and the schedule is extremely tight! Hope things will be over soon. Seriously, I need a balance life. Do you hear me? Sigh, I bet you don't.

My birthday wishes for the year are:

For me, my dar, our family, loved ones & friends: May they be blessed with a happy and healthy life.
For Ysmm: May we be blessed with a blissful marriage and may our dreams come true.
For myself: *Finger Crossed*
For our mother earth: Let's work together, hand in hand to save her!

A Wonderful Weekend

2009-12-13T22:56:00.009+08:00

It has been three weeks since our wedding on 21st Nov, 2009. Life's been so busy for me since I got married. No no no, don't get me wrong, it is not our marriage that makes my life busy but my work. Let's not talk about work here ;)

We have a wonderful weekend (finally! :D ).

Dar promised to make me breakfast this weekend. As promised, he woke up early on a fine Saturday and made me breakfast! It has been quite a while since we played "masak-masak" at home.

Here is the breakfast he made. Looks good huh? ;)

In return, I also promised to bake dar the very 1st cake! (I used to bake a lot, but have never baked him any cake. *Guilty*

So we went shopping for ingredients for the very 1st fruit cake that I will be making for him!

Butter
Sugar
Dried Fruits
Baking Powder (Self Raising Flour)
Vanilla Essence
Eggs

Tadaa, here comes the fruit cake! Dar said it tasted good! *Proud*

In fact the cake was a lil' over-baked, but overall it was still okay. Passed! I promise I will make you tastier cakes next time!

The weekend was well-spent, both of us are happy, and we simply enjoyed simple life like this :)

P.S.: I will be writing more about our wedding (the detailed ones) soon. Stay tuned :)

The story of One Sock

2009-12-04T09:33:00.003+08:00

Just read a very interesting story from Weng Haan's blog and would like to share with the readers.

It took us several months to build the bakery. We made the bricks from crushed anthills. Every day the village children came to help.None of the kids had shoes but one happy little guy always wore one sock - no shoes, just a sock. He was about 10 years old. I called him One Sock.Eventually my curiosity got the better of me. I said, "One Sock, tell me about this sock you always wear."He said proudly, "My Mum washes it every night. I wear it every day."I said, "Yes, but why do you wear one?"He seemed surprised by my silly question, and then he smiled broadly and said, "Because I only have one!"

Ysmm Wedding on 21-Nov-2009

2009-11-25T22:42:00.003+08:00

Finally our wedding is over. Those few days were simply tiring days for the two of us. However, we really had lotsa lotsa fun and the sweet memories were well-written in our hearts!

There are so many people we would like thank.

To our family, heng dai (and bestman), jimui (and bridemaid), relatives and friends, thanks for being there for us, sharing our most special moments with us, and most importantly, thanks for your great support!

To the photographers Kenny and Keat Siong, and the videographer Leo, thank you for the excellent job in capturing the special moments of us!

Will share more photos here, soon. Stay tuned.

Wedding Reception Preview

2009-11-15T21:56:00.007+08:00

Finally the wedding dinner in KL is over. Despite some technical issues in the slideshow, it was indeed a wonderful night to both of us.

A million thanks to those who attended our wedding to share one of our happiest moments in life - Our family, relatives, friends, and colleagues. Thanks to Wee Shin, Sze Min, Sze Koon, Poh Eng and Brenda for your assistance. Thanks to Kenny and Keat Siong for being our photographers to capture the special moments of us.

We truly appreciate it!

Attached herewith is a photo taken by abe

Thank you for being at our wedding and making it a perfect night for us. Thanks for the wishes, presents, and not forgetting 'Ang Pow' :) What's next? Our actual wedding day and the reception in Ipoh!

Our sincere apology for any inconvenience caused.

P/S: MM is down with flu and fever now. Hope she will get well soon.

Pimple Attach Before Wedding

2009-11-08T22:55:00.000+08:00

My cheek is swollen. It is inflamed with a huge pimple when I woke up from bed this morning!

It is 5 days from our wedding reception now. I have seen the beautician and she said nothing I can do about it except for applying the acne gel. wtf.

The stress with wedding bells

2009-11-04T23:30:00.006+08:00

I saw this article from StarMetro today. It really describes what I am feeling right now.

[ “WHAT?? You’re booking the hotel one year in advance? Is that normal?” That was the reaction of one of my dear friends, Jothi, who is Malaysian but is apparently not Malaysian-ised enough to know that auspicious wedding dates are hotter than fresh pisang goreng.

My wedding is indeed set for the following year, but every person who has gone through the process of organising their wedding have advised me to secure the wedding reception venue early.

When I attended a friend’s wedding in Australia, I was shocked at how small the wedding reception was.

The weddings I’ve attended in Malaysia are anything but modest.

“You guys have up to A THOUSAND people at your weddings?!” exclaimed my Aussie mate. “Wow, Malaysian people sure have heaps of friends and family,” he concluded.

My non-Malaysian friends are boggled by the fact that the bride and groom may not even know some of the guests who turn up at their wedding.

“So who are these people, then?”

“Well, they could be long-lost relatives, a classmate or business associate of the bride and groom’s parents.”

Once I explained that little bit of fact about Malaysian-Chinese weddings, I do find our traditions somewhat ironic.

The wedding day is meant to celebrate the union of the bride and groom. A wedding reception is held for the newly-wedded to share their joy with the people closest and dearest to them and is a way for the couple to show their appreciation to the people who’ve touched their lives.

That is the way of the West. In the East however, a wedding reception is also a huge celebration not only for the bride and groom, but also for the couple’s parents and grandparents.

Till this day, you’ll find that many Chinese wedding invitations are issued not by the bride and groom, but by their parents.

Therefore, if the bride and groom’s parents host the wedding reception, it makes sense that they would invite their friends, business associates and relatives that the bride and groom never knew existed.

One could argue that, for the bride and groom, the wedding reception is one of the most meaningful events of their lives; so how is it that they have to celebrate their union with people they don’t really know?

Knowing which direction my modern train of thoughts may travel to, my very astute mother has, over the years, cleverly instilled the idea that when the day arrives, many aspects of my wedding will be organised to honour the Chinese traditions.

If you think about it, honouring traditions is not such a bad thing. I mean, who would argue against receiving ang pau instead of toasters and candlesticks as wedding gifts?

As my future in-laws are Malaccans, our main wedding reception will be in Malacca with another in Kuala Lumpur for our friends and business associates.

“How many people are you inviting to your wedding in KL?” asked an acquaintance.

“I’m writing the guest list now and trying to keep it to 500 guests,” I said.

“Oh yeah, guest lists are very important, some people get offended if they’re not invited!”

I wasn’t sure how to react to his statement. If I didn’t invite him to my wedding, would he be offended?

Guest lists are such tricky businesses that they are almost political. I can appreciate why my parents and future in-laws have such a large guest list for the Malacca wedding.

Anyone reading this can probably figure out that I’m at the preliminary stages of organising my wedding.

I have no doubt that as the months whiz by as they always do, I would discover a lot more about the quirks, joys and stresses of organising such an important occasion.

Here’s to bridesmaids, décor themes, a beautiful cake and getting toned and fabulous for the big day next year. Wish me luck! ] - Article from StarMetro, 4th November 2009.

I am really tensed, and am sick of your indecisiveness and demands. I don't understand why until today you still cannot finalize the guest list for the relatives. Yes I know we have many relatives, but do you really invite all of them to our wedding reception? You assume they will turn up but what if they don't or vice verse? You told me you will ask when you see them in person, but now the thing is you don't see them and my wedding is about not far from now. Can you call them for confirmation? Do you know that we need to arrange for accommodation (esp. in Ipoh) and finalize the total tables with the banquet manager? A lot of couple end up having arguments with their parents because of wedding preparation. I don't want this to happen to us. So I told myself to be patient. Things will be fine eventually, hopefully. Nonetheless, sometimes I just find it is clueless trying so hard to fulfill what my parents ask for. Perhaps I am just a filial and obedient child. Thinking it this way makes me feel better, sigh. But I am just not happy. Please cheer me up.

Written by MM.

Wedding Preparation - 过大礼

2009-11-01T23:42:00.003+08:00

Tomorrow will be one of the big days before our actual wedding day. Yes that's right, 过大礼 (Guo Da Li).

We have been busy with our 过大礼 preparation for the past few days. Yesterday, dar and myself went back to our hometowns separately for the preparation.

过大礼Checklist is a rather long list. e.g. Lotus, dates, sugar, salt, noodle, hard liquor, fruits etc. The most important items for the entire 过大礼 event is no other but 礼金 (Cash gifts) and 礼饼 (wedding pastry). Thanks dar and my mom-in-law for preparing all the necessary items. Really appreciate it :)

Our 过大礼 will be on tomorrow. Dar shall be arriving my place at 11am for the event. Hence he shall depart from Ipoh at 7.30am!

Guess tomorrow will be another tiring day for both of us. Gotta head to bed soon! Tomorrow will be a great day! ;)

Wedding Preparation Progress Report

2009-10-30T00:09:00.002+08:00

1. Finalize Guest List: 80%
2. Send Invitation Card: 50%
3. Arrangement/ Program Discussion with Photographers: 50%
4. Arrangement/ Program Discussion with Videographer: 30%
5. Arrangement/ Program Discussion with Wedding Planner cum Emcee: 80%
6. Food arrangement (catering) on Wedding eve: Unknown
7. ~~办嫁妆: 100%~~
8. 赎契 and other stuff relevant to Chinese Tradition: 0%
9. Arrangement with Concorde/ Tai Thong: 80%
10. ~~Select Wedding Gown : 100%~~
11. Collect Wedding Gown : 0%
12. Order hand bouquet/ Corsages: 0%
13. Arrangement/ Program Discussion with brotherhood （兄弟）: 50%
14. Arrangement/ Program Discussion with sisterhood （姐妹）: 30%
15. Arrangement with Make-up artist: 90%

16. Wedding Reception Checklist Preparation: 0% - High Priority
17. Wedding Actual Day Checklist Preparation: 0% - High Priority
19. Wedding Ang Pow: 0%
20. ~~Purchase Wine/ Hard Liquor: 100%~~
21. ~~Collect Wedding Albums: 100%~~
22. 过大礼 'Guo Da Li' preparation: 80%
23. Distribute Wedding Pastry （派喜饼）: 0%
24. Arrange Accommodation for friends and relatives: 80%
25. Prepare Thank You Gifts to sisterhood: 80%
26. Print Poster: 50%
27. ~~Purchase Wedding Ring: 100%~~
28. ~~Finalize Wedding Theme for Wedding Reception: 100%~~
29. ~~Finalize Wedding Theme for brotherhood: 100%~~
30. Finalize Wedding Theme for sisterhood: 100%
31. Buy soft toys for wedding car decoration: 0%
32. ~~Confirm Wedding Dinner Menu: 100%~~
33. ~~Book Pre-Honeymoon Package: 100%~~
34. Plan for Honeymoon: 0%
35. Facial Treatment/ Spa: 0%
36. Hair Waxing: 0%
38 Manicure/ Pedicure: 0%
39. Shop for Wedding Shirt: 0%
40. The list goes on...

P/S: Wedding Reception RSVP closed. Thank you for replying. For those who replied late, sorry to inform that the reception venue booked is insufficient to accommodate additional guest anymore. Really sorry about it.

Pre-Wedding Phobia?

2009-10-28T00:14:00.004+08:00

Sorry for not being able to blog recently. We have not forgotten our blog. Nonetheless, we are very busy and our schedule is tied up with our wedding preparation.

'You don't want to get married twice after all the troubles in preparing a memorable wedding and the amount of the money you've spent or going to spend.' This is a Quote from someone... us..? or perhaps me..? Well... who cares.

Despite the money spent, (85% of our savings are gone now, sigh) we find wedding is very troublesome, no kidding. And, Chinese wedding is even more troublesome, especially when your parents are very demanding and they are the 'just-follow-rules' kind of people.

If you ask me what is a wedding to me...? Well, it is supposed to be a new beginning of another chapter in life for a couple, and hence it shall be a once-in-a-lifetime experience that shall be remembered for the entire life of the couple. However, in order to start the new chapter in life, the couple need to go through lotsa lotsa obstacles (that's right, wedding preparation) that are trying to challenge the couple's patient. Okay I am about to exploit!

Besides, guest list is always an issue. Seriously, it evolves just like the earth! Our KL guest list started from 25 tables to 33 tables, and to 43 tables now. Even the reception venue booked cannot accommodate this amount of people and we need to look for alternatives. This is seriously crazy!

Luckily things are so far going well in Ipoh. Thank god. (Just in case if you do not know, we have 2 wedding receptions, one in KL and another in Ipoh. Hence we need to take care of our family, friends & relatives at two locations.)

Seriously, I do not enjoy the process, not at all. Maybe I have got pre-marriage phobia. It is so stressful and sometimes things just pissed me off.

I always question myself recently... 'Is this what I want?'; 'Is everybody facing the same situation as we are now?'; 'Is it worth it to spend all our savings just for a wedding?';blah blah blah... and the list goes on.

These questions keep bugging me, and I am just so tensed!! Sometimes I wonder how nice it would be if the money is spent on our honeymoon...?

Sigh I really don't know. I'm trying so hard to gain some, at least a little excitement, but I just find it is so hard... Sigh... God bless us please. I need a break. What I am longing for is actually the pre-honeymoon in Phuket right after our wedding. How sad it is.

Written by MM

P/S: P1W1max sucks!

Wedding Preparation - Guest List & Other Stuff

2009-08-23T16:50:00.013+08:00

Life's been rather busy recently. Apart from busy compiling the receptions' guest list, we also made a decision, that is to rent an apartment nearby the place where we are staying now, as the condo we bought is still under construction and not ready for us to move in.

Here is our checklist in August:

Book accommodation for our relatives and friends - Done
Compile our Wedding Guest List - Partially Done
Learn Photoshop to touch-up some of our wedding photos before they can be printed into album - Not Done
Build/ Come out with our wedding site - Done
Shop for necessary stuffs for our new home; i.e. furniture, electrical-ware, kitchen-ware etc - Partially Done
Clean the new home and ready to move in - Partially Done
Pack our stuff to shift to the new home - Not Done
What's next? Our minds are empty now

Shifting is messy. Shopping for the new home already gives us a headache. What to buy? What not to buy? Our shopping list is restricted by the budget we have.

From furniture like Sofa TV cabinet, beds, tables, dining set, kitchen cabinet, wardrobe, to electricalware like Washing machine, Fridge, Rice Cooker, Air-Cond, Microwave Oven, Hair dryer, Iron, Ironing Board and other small small thingy like pails, broom, dustbin, mirror etc etc... The "What to buy? What not to buy?" questions are still bothering us.

Besides headache, it also gives is a heartache. What a great damage it causes to our wallet. Oh my! Gotta work extra hard to earn the money back!

Despite the busy schedule, we managed to come out with our wedding website. Thanks to mywedding.com for providing such a wonderful tool, it is very user-friendly and most importantly, it's 100% free XD

Herewith is the URL to our wedding page: www.mywedding.com/ansonmimi.

Feel free to drop by and leave us some words ;) And, for our friends, esp. the INVITED ONES who have yet to confirm your attendence to our wedding reception, kindly do so via the RSVP page on our wedding portal. Thanks mates.

What's next? Yeah can finally recall now, after urging you for the confirmation of RSVP ;P What's next is our checklist in September

Red Wine Tasting, Selection & Purchase - Not Done
Food Tasting - Not Done
Table (Head) Count Confirmation with both Tai Thong Ipoh and Concorde KL - Not Done
Printing of Wedding Invitation Cards - Not Done
Wedding Gown Selection (On actual day & Wedding Receptions) - Not Done

Oh my! Wedding is tiring! Chinese Wedding is even more tiring!!

P/S: My long-lost Engagement Ring is finally found, after it went missing in action for ages!! Yesh!!

Perth - Wine Tasting at Swan Valley

2009-08-10T23:30:00.010+08:00

Perth is also known as the Swan City. It is a beautiful city with quite a number of lakes. Perhaps it is also known as the Lake City, too.

According to cousin Jen, black swans can be found in almost all lakes or river in Perth. Generally Perth only has one main river, which is also named after swan. Yeah that's right, the Swan River, duh.

I suppose almost all Australians are animal lovers. Can you imagine black swans walking and swimming around in, say Tasik Titiwangsa in KL? What a beautiful scene. Nonetheless, I can assure you it can never happen here in KL, or Malaysia, because if we do have swans swimming around in Titiwangsa, surely they will become 'Angsa Panggang' or Roasted Swans, no kidding ok -__-!!

Nah, forget about the crap, that's just for a laugh. The beautiful photos above were taken at Swan River of Perth - while we were on our way to the Swan Valley for wine tasting.

YES WINE TASTING - FREE FLOW OF WINEEEE!! Exciting!!

According to Sunny - To taste if the quality, 1st you smell it, then you have a small sip of it... then you smell again... then you have another small sip...

Due to the limited time we have, we only managed to visit 6-8 wineries out of (more than) 60. However it was sufficient enough to get us drunk. Both YS and Sunny had had more than 10 glasses of wine all together!! How satisfying!

Our recommendations:
1) Pinelli Wines - www.pinelliwines.com.au/
2) Sandalford Wines - www.sandalford.com/

Needless to say, we also bought some bottles of wine. We experienced a very beautiful sunset there! Loves it!

Information Sharing Corner:
1) Swan Valley official website - http://www.swanvalley.com.au
2) Swan Valley wineries map in PDF format is available here - http://www.swanvalley.com.au/NR/rdonlyres/76A7DA63-9C19-466B-A5FF-ED74FE74C467/0/2010SwanValleymap.pdf
3) To get there (Swan Valley) from Perth CDB by car:

View Larger Map
4) You can hire a car in Perth at http://www.avis.com.au or http://www.budget.com.au at as low as AUD29 per day.

Perth - Kalamunda Monthly Village Market

2009-08-06T22:00:00.003+08:00

Kalamunda Monthly Village Art & Craft Market that is held on the first Saturday of each month.

As told by the name 'Village Art & Craft', they sell mostly art craft in the market. Seriously, we find Aussies are kinda artistic, or rather they are good in art. The garden deco are all handmade you see. Salute!!

Jen said we were lucky, as we were in Perth on the 1st week of May, so we managed to visit Kalamunda Village Market ;)

Kalamunda Market is similar to our 'Pasar Tani' or 'Pasar Pagi' in Malaysia. But why their 'Pasar Pagi' is so much nicer than ours one? -_-" Their market is very nice to walk one you know! Perhaps weather is one of the factors I believe.

After walking for close to 1 hour, we stopped at a cafe for Sunny's favourite GIANT sausage bun. It was so huge -_-" We we watching him while he was enjoy his giant sausage, he could not finish though.

Besides sausage buns, we also have some pancakes and organic coffee. They were all nice, especially the coffee, seriously, it tasted really great! It was costly, though O_O"

A funny video we took at Kalamunda. This man was creative! The chicky stuff is sold at 2 bucks each. Sunny bought one, and he gave it to our niece, Sammy.

Kalamunda Village Market is located at Kalamunda, and it is rather far from the city. If you are interested in visiting the market, below is for your information:

View Larger Map

Cost: Free
Start Date: 06/12/2008
Start Time: 8.30am-3pm
End Date: On-going
Recurring Days: First Saturday of every month
Address: Kalamunda Town Square, Barber Street Kalamunda WA Australia

Perth - Fremantle

2009-08-03T21:41:00.008+08:00

Fremantle is the port city of Perth Western Australia. Fremantle, unlike many Australian cities preserved its heritage buildings.

We visited Fremantle on a Sunday when we were in Perth. Fremantle is a popular spot, particularly at weekends when you will find markets, entertainment and plenty of alfresco style cafes and eateries.

Jen and Shin suggested to have a seafood dinner at Fremantle. Before we headed to the all-time favourite restaurant of theirs, we had a walk at the seaside.

The scenery was fantastic, and we had a great time there.

We also spent some time shopping at the Fremantle Market (Freo Market). Generally, in terms of things they sell at the Freo market, we find it is rather similar to The Queen Victoria Market in Melbourne, just that it is slightly smaller than Victoria Market.

They sell foods, fruits, vegetables, kitchen utensils, handmade art crafts, souvenirs etc.

Time passed really fast and it was already dinner time. Jen brought us to Cicerello's Landing, a well-known seafood restaurant at Fremantle. According to Jen, they open daily till midnight, and hence has become one of the places that they love to hang out at night. (FYI, shops usually close at 5.30pm in Perth.

We ordered quite a lot of foods, and needless to say, we left Fremantle with very-fulled stomach!

Freo is about 18-20KM from Perth city, and is accesible by cat bus from the city. Alternatively, you may drive to Freo, too. If you have time, you can also try fishing at Freo, it is one of the favourite activities of MM's aunt ;)

Below are some information for sharing:
1) Map - From Perth CDB to Frementle - by car

View Larger Map

2) Frementle Freo Market Official Website - http://www.fremantlemarkets.com.au

3) How to go to Freo Market by train:
3.1) From Perth Train Station, take Fremantle Line To Fremantle Station.
3.2) When you arrive @ Frementle Station, do the following:
3.2.1) Head southwest on Phillimore Street
3.2.2) Turn left to stay on Phillimore Steet
3.2.3) Turn right at Market Steet

Perth - Our Lovely Nieces

2009-07-28T22:17:00.007+08:00

Look at them, they are simply lovely and cute!

Yeah, they are my lovely nieces, Jing & Xuan from Perth.

Xuan Xuan is the youngest daughter of my cousin. When we 1st met her, she was very shy, and in fact she was a little scared of seeing us. Perhaps we have faces that scare children away, haha, I believe you can probably tell from the photo...

Nonetheless, after meeting Xuan Xuan for a few times, she felt a little more comfortable with us around. She was still shy, though :)

On the other hand, Xuan Xuan's sister Jing (Sammy) behaved otherwise. She is a very cheerful girl, and in fact a little boyish, haha... That fella even asked us to call her silly, wt*, haha...

She is really cute, and had shared with us a lot of jokes that really brightened our days. I still remember the touchy words she told me the day we left Perth T___T How I wish I could have kids that are as lovely as they are...

Yeah, we had a great time in Perth, and we really miss the monkeys. We really hope they will be able to make it for our wedding in November.

P/S: Wtf! My Nokia E71 went missing in the office!! I know the possibility of me getting it back is very slim... Anywayz, did anyone see my phone? Please return it to me.

McD Olympics Run 2009

2009-07-21T20:08:00.003+08:00

2 weeks ago, I participated in McDonald's Olympic Run on a Sunday.

If you remember, I participated in the same event last year too (Link to last year's post).

Time really flies without our attentions, and it has been a year already!

I joined the run with Sunny, Mike & Elaine. The distance for the run is 7KM, but I feel it is longer than 7KM, as in I feel the journey is longer than last year's.

We got certifications after the run. Sunny's legs (the one in the photo) were 'broken' due to some reasons... He put all the blame to his '脚底平', which gave us a big laugh. LOL

Wedding Preparation: Wedding Card & Dinner Gowns

2009-07-19T21:00:00.000+08:00

Both MM and I were rather busy during the weekend. Both our family met up to discuss on our wedding. Apart from the discussion, we also selected the wedding reception invitation card. Thanks to my cousin who works as a graphic designer for giving us some samples for reference.

MM and I prefer the western or Christian wedding cards better than the Chinese ones, but our parents think otherwise.

Though it is our wedding, but it seems to us that it is the wedding of our families rather than just the 2 of us. So our parents selected a Chinese style wedding card.

We also went shopping for wedding dresses or gowns. While mom was trying 旗袍 (Qi Pao) in the fitting room, I selected a few pairs of 旗袍 for MM to try.

I think she looks great in 旗袍, she did not buy any, though.

Wedding Photos - Where a blissful marriage begins...

2009-07-15T23:52:00.007+08:00

Preview of some of our wedding photos taken few weeks ago...

Day 1: Indoor Studio Session

Day 1: Outdoor Photo Session

Day 2: Outdoor Photo Session

We have taken 400 photos, and have gotten the softcopies with no touch-up; nevertheless we are only allowed to choose 40 to be included in the albums. What a tough decision to make...

Perth - The Swan City

2009-07-13T23:11:00.002+08:00

During our visit to Perth, we visited the city twice, that's on the 1st and last day. Thanks to my cousin, Jen, cos' she took 2 days of leave for this.

Perth city is rather small as compared to Melbourne city or Sydney city.

Nonetheless, it is rather different from the 2 cities above, as Perth has less Chinese population than Melbourne and Sydney do :)

So we felt like we were at oversea (Angmo country) when we were in Perth.

Adult shops are commonly found in Australia and other non-Muslim countries like Thailand. The one in the photo - Libido is just opposite the bank Jen works in. Hmm.. and she bought us there for window shopping.

Guess the visit was an eye-opener for this fella, and he was caught buying something from shop.., Wanna know what did he buy?

...

...

...

...

...

...

...

...

...

He bought this as souvenirs for his friends -_______-" Doink!

Besides some Vietnamese meal (we will blog about it soon), one of the must-try in Perth is bubble tea from Easy-Way.

Trust me, it is worth trying, it is rather costly though.

Another must-try drink is the Vietnamese Coffee. You can get it from the Vietnamese sandwich bar 2-3 shop lots away from Libido.

Besides having some nice foods and drinks in the city, we also shopped a bit and snapped some photos.

Hay Street and Murray Street are the business or rather shopping streets in the city. They have Sportgirls, Supre, Mango, Nike, Quicksilver, Billabong and blah blah blah...

However, we didn't do much shopping there but elsewhere.

Yeah, we did our shopping mainly at the Harbour town! It has lotsa lotsa factory outlets!

Nike, Adidas, Converse, Paul Frank..., you name it and you will get it there! I got a pair of Paul Frank pyjamas there at AUD20!!!! So cheap can die okay! -_-"

Presents from YS

2009-07-07T22:00:00.003+08:00

Dar just got his salary for the 1st time from the company he newly joined. He wanted a celebration at Jogoya.

We ended up not having any celebrations, cos' I had a very heavy lunch the other day. I can sense his disappointment though, sorry dar.

As the plan was turned down by me, he decided to give me a surprise by buying me some lil' pressies (a nice blue dress that I tried in Nichii the other day and a handbag from Guess) cos' he wants to share his joy with me.

Thanks dar, that's so sweet of you.

I am loving you more and more each, not because of the pressies ( well.., party yes lah, hahaha =p ) but it's because of the way you love me :) Muacks!

-------------
Written by,
MM

ROM of Kai Yen & Hong Yih

2009-07-06T21:54:00.009+08:00

Saturday, 4th July, 2009

It was the big day for one of my long lost friends - Kai Yen. Yeah, she got married to her Mr. Hubby - Mr. Peh.

The ROM took place at Thean Hou Temple. And it reminds YS and myself about our ROM that happened at the same place too. Time flies and it has been more than a year since our ROM.

Kai Yen looked stunning on her ROM day.

She is still the same old her, pretty and gorgeous, with her trademark 'killer smile' on her face! She is indeed the most beautiful friend of mine. Seriously.

We left Thean Hou Temple after taking a few photos with the pretty bride. Congratulations again to Mr. and Mrs. Peh. We are really happy for the newly weds :)

-------------
Written by,
MM

Mari Makan Durians~

2009-06-22T20:05:00.000+08:00

We went back to hometown last weekend. Guess what? It is again the beginning of durian season in Bentong, and my uncle just brought us some durians!

Do they look tempting? LOL! Needless to say, we had a very satisfying durian meal! *Burp* =D

Perth - The Pinnacles Dessert

2009-06-21T08:32:00.004+08:00

During our visit to Perth, we visited to the Pinnacles. The Pinnacles is contained within Nambung National Park, near the town of Cervantes.

Yeah, as shown in the photo, Pinnacles is a dessert. However, it is very different from the ordinary dessert like Sahara. The meaning of Pinnacles are limestone formations.

The Pinnacles were formed through the preservation of casts of trees buried in coastal aeolianites where roots became groundwater conduits, resulting in precipitation of indurated (hard) calcrete. Subsequent wind erosion of the aeolianite would then expose the calcrete pillars.

As it was a free & easy trip, hence we hired a 'sport car' to the Pinnacles. Initially we booked a medium sedan (Range of Mitsubishi Galon and Toyota Altis), however the cars were fully reserved hence the car hire company gave us a sport car instead.

As it was our very first time driving a sport car, we were very excited and started posing with the nice car.

MM even posed like a model -_-"

The weather was extremely good on the day we visited the Pinnacles, and I believe you can tell like the clear blue sky.

The sky was so clear and there was not even a single piece of cloud!

So, you may wonder, was it very hot and dry in the dessert?

Okay, it was rather dry, but it wasn't hot at all. In fact in was rather windy, and the weather was about 20°C. We believe the UV was rather high, though.

If you are planning your visit to Perth and the Pinnacles, you may consider hiring a car instead of joining the day tour, as it is rather cost-saving, and you can enjoy your journey to the dessert.

Driving to Pinnacles from Perth CBD takes about 3.5-4 hours. Follow Great Eastern Highway and then to Great Northern Highway, and turn left to Brand Highway. It was a bloody long way...Australia is a large country. If you have time you could stop by a place called Lancelin for sand boarding too. We did not have the time for Lancelin, though.

Finally..,

Time for adult act. Oops!

Below is for your information:
1) The Pinnacles Desert on Google Map:

View Larger Map

2) If you are driving to the Pinnacles Desert, you can consider to stop by a town called Lancelin - A town near to the sea and you can do sand boarding there! It is located in between the desert and Perth CBD and below is the map on how to get there from Perth for sharing:

View Larger Map

3) If you plan to visit the Pinnacles without stopping at Lancelin, below is the map for sharing:

View Larger Map

4) You can hire a car in Perth at http://www.avis.com.au/ or http://www.budget.com.au/ at as low as AUD29 per day.

1st Anniversary + Random Post

2009-06-18T19:41:00.000+08:00

A while ago, we just celebrated our very 1st anniversary after our ROM.

Dar bought me a hand bouquet and it was sent to my office. Surprised!! This was very sweet and I was a lil' touched *sob sob*

Below are some random photos of our pets taken on the same day.

I posted em' here.., cos I find my puppy lil' Yellow is very photogenic :D Isn't he cute?

I never realized it until dar shot some nice photos of him -_-"

Pre-Weds Photo Session... Continue

2009-06-15T23:05:00.009+08:00

During a pre-wedding photo session, a beautiful bride usually takes longer time for make-up than a groom.

Hence, while waiting for my Ms. Lovely Wife for her hair-do and makeup, I started to play around with my toy - that was to take photos around.

And here are some random shots..,

Noticed that her right eye was a lil' redish, it was due to allergy.

Finally... here comes my gorgeous wife, and we were ready for the shooting session.

Written by,
YS
......................................................................................................................................................................

--Updated on June 16, 2009 by MM--

Talking about the wedding photo session, our wedding package comes with 8 poses or styles, hence it may take a whole day for the photo shooting. The photo session was supposed to be done in one day, however, we were a lil' unlucky on the 1st day.

On the photo shooting day, we arrived at Bliss (the bridal house) at 10.30am, and started the makeup session. Once done, we proceeded with the photo shooting session, that lasted for half a day and we managed to complete photo shooting for 4 poses in the studio. It was already 4.30pm so we quickly rushed to Kellie's Castle for outdoor session.

When we arrived at Kellie's Castle, the sky was a little gloomy, and it seemed like it was gonna rain soon. As expected, after snapping a few photos, it started to rain. Sigh. After grabbing a few snaps in the castle, we decided to go back to the studio. As it was raining very heavily, our bodies were all wet. Sigh.

It was already 6.30pm, we were very hungry as we did not have our lunch, and our bodies are all wet and cold, sigh.

Upon arrival at studio, we quickly grabbed a few bites of the "chap fan" the staff prepared for us and continue the photo session. Nonetheless, it was already 7++ pm so the photographer decided to arrange another photo session for us.

Therefore, we ended up having a 2-day session.

The session on 2nd day was rather relaxed as compared to the 1st day's. The outdoor session was rather tough, the weather was fine, though. This was because the photographer suggested a rather odd place for the outdoor session, and we sacrificed a lot for it. I'm not gonna disclose it. *Grin* Attend my wedding reception and you will know.

Overall, the photo session was tiring and stressful, but it was a very good and memorable experience for both dar and myself. We're looking forward for the photo selection soon! Can't wait to see them!

I'd also like to thank my buddy MK for helping me in looking for Lilies for my photo session. Thank you very much! Really appreciated it :)

I hope you like the prep photos posted by YS earlier, too.

Pre-Weds Photo Session

2009-06-14T22:49:00.005+08:00

Just finished a two-day wedding photo session in Ipoh. The session took 2 days due to the bad weather (will blog more about what had happened), but thank god we made it :)

We are really exhausted after the two-day session. It was very tiring but yet it has given us unforgettable experiences and moments in life. Thank you to Ys and Mm for making this happen. It really means a lot to the both of us.

Malacca : Makan-makan Trip

2009-06-10T23:02:00.007+08:00

Last weekend, we visited the historical city of Malacca for 'makan-makan'.

As it was a public holiday (Agung's birthday), hence the traffic was terribly bad.

Due to the crawling traffic at north-south highway, we took more than 2 hours just to travel from Serdang to Seremban.

Hence, the total journey took close to 3 hours. WTF!

Upon exiting Ayer Keroh toll, our stomach had started to make noise; so we headed to 'Restaurant Lee' for our lunch. The lunch was simply great!

We ordered the same old dishes we had during our last visit to Malacca, and they tasted really delicious. Thumbs up!

After lunch, we headed to Jonker Street for our all-time favourite 'Chendol Gula Melaka'. And it was another hour jam from Ayer Keroh to Malacca town.

We wondered why was everybody visiting Malacca on that day, or is Malacca always crowded with people on weekends? We really wonder...

Besides having Chendol to chill us up on the extremely-hot day, we also managed to do some shoppings at the Jonker Street too.

While MM and family were doing their shopping, I spent my own sweet time taking some photos, and at the same time, practice my photography skills.

Hope you enjoy watching em'. I'm learning, and hope to pick up the shooting skills from day to day.

Perth - A visit to the farms

2009-06-09T07:59:00.002+08:00

During our visit to Perth, cousin Jen brought us to farms (located at somewhere near to Kalamunda).

Thanks Jen for being our tour guide while we were in Perth ;)

1st Stop: The Apple Farm

Yes it is an apple farm with lotsa apple trees, and appless!!

Aw, the apples look so tempting. Just by looking at the pic I feel like eating all em' adi.

We were (or rather I was) excited seeing the apple trees!

2nd Stop: The Persimmon Farm

Jen also brought us to one of the persimmon farms. Seriously, it was our very 1st time seeing persimmon trees ( we have seen apple trees before).

To be honest, persimmons do not look as tempting as apples, but they are very crunchy, fresh and juicy. Hence, we decided to bring 2 boxes of persimmons back to Malaysia ;)

Bangkok - The Colourful Cabs

2009-06-05T07:13:00.003+08:00

Ever wonder what cars do other countries use as cabs? In Malaysia, the commonly used model is Proton Iswara, and I believe everyone of us are well aware of this.

Do you know Toyota Altis are widely used as taxi to carry passengers in the heart of our neighbor country Bangkok? Hmm... It always sounds to me that Altis is a type of expensive and luxury car in Malaysia. However, that is really not the case in Bangkok. What the heck! Guess Altis is selling at a rather cheap or affordable in Bangkok, sigh -.-"

Nah nevermind.

Then, we saw this in one of the cabs we took in Bangkok. Yes, it is a "No farting" sign in the car? Are you telling me that when I need to fart, I need to get out of the car? Shall I tell the driver "Excuse me sir, can you stop for a while cos' I need to get out of the car to fart for a bit?" whenever I wanna fart? Hmrpf!!

Anyways, that's to share with you and it's just for a laugh (",)

Another fact about cabs in Bangkok is, they are very colorful! Seriously.
As shown above, they have blue ones..,

and orange ones..,

and yellow + green ones..,

and red ones..,

and yellow ones..,

and pink ones..,

and there are lots more!! See it for yourself, they are really colorful.

Bangkok - The Chinatown

2009-06-03T22:00:00.003+08:00

Another must-visit place in Bangkok is definitely the China town. The Chinatown in Bangkok is a rather happening place, and they are open at night too.

Hence, it is no doubt one of the best places for food hunting!

China town is accessible by the underground MRT.

What makes Bangkok's Chinatown different from others?

Bingo! They sell bird nest and shark fin soup everywhere in china town at rather reasonable prices.

Basically there are a lot of hawker stalls selling bird nest and shark fin soup in china town. Yeah, they do sell bird nest and shark fin at hawker stalls, and there are lotsa em'! No kidding -.-"

Oh well, do we look du-lan? Alright, the weather was rather hot that night okay, and we were all hungry and very eager to try the bird nest soup ordered.

Here comes the bird nest soup. Does it look tempting? Hmm...

Information Sharing Corner:
1) How to get there?
It is accessible by the underground (MRT) - Hua lamphong station, then either you get a taxi or walk (15-20 mins) from the station to Chinatown.

2) You can also find out more on Bangkok Chinatown at http://www.bangkok.com/chinatown/

2009-06-02T21:13:00.000+08:00

A while ago, we went to Fullhouse for Mr. Hubby's birthday celebration. It was our 1st time to Ara Damansara. Due to the advertisement on air, in our mind, Ara Damansara is a place that is similar to Singapore's Chinatown (AKA Nui Che Shui).

To be honest, that's really not the case at all, I mean it is not like Chinatown in Singapore as in it is not as huge as we thought it is, and not as happening as we thought it is. In fact it is a new shop lots with just a few restaurants and boutiques. The only happening place is no other but Fullhouse.

Nonetheless, despite the lil' disappointment we got for Ara Damansara, we still find Fullhouse is a great place for dinner. This is due to the environment it has. The foods there are sold at reasonable price too. We were happy that we managed to snap some "we-think-they-are-nice" photos there ;)

P.S: It is the week dar started his new job in a new environment with new challenges ahead. Just wanna wish him all the very best in his job and future undertaking!

Fullhouse Lifestyle Store & Cafe is located at:
C-G-11, NUI ZE XUI @ ARA DAMANSARA,
PUSAT PERDAGANGAN NZX,
NO. 2 , JALAN PJU 1A/41B ARA JAYA PJU 1A,
47301 PETALING JAYA, MALAYSIA

Bangkok - Chatuchak Weekend Market

2009-05-31T01:02:00.002+08:00

If you still remember, about a while ago, we did visited Bangkok. It was a last minute trip after I decided to resign my job for other opportunity.

One of the places we visited in Bangkok was the Chatuchak Weekend Market. Yes, it is the largest market in Bangkok, and it opens only on weekends, which is Saturdays and Sundays.

Chatuchak Market is accessible by the MRT.

The ladies a.k.a. shopping queens, Baby, Nini and Poh Eng were ready to shop!

What do they sell in Chatuchak Weekend Market? Basically they sell a very wide range of products. There are clothings..,

home decor..,

footwear.., clothings.., bags.., souvinirs.., blah blah blah...

What else do they sell in the market?

One of the key uniqueness about the market is, they do sell pets.

There are puppies..,

kittens.., hamsters.., rabbits.., animal food etc.

After shopping for hours in the market, we decided to have our lunch at one of the hawker stalls that sell Thai's local food, the braised chicken noodle soup.

It was very delicious! The environment was not very clean, though.

We headed back to the hotel after spending a few hours in the market. It did caused some damage to our wallets, hehe.

Information Sharing Corner:
1) Click here to find out more on Chatuchak Market.
2) The best way to get here is on the Skytrain, Mo Chit station is only about five minutes walk away from the market.
3) Bangkok MRT Map

Quick Updates from YS

2009-05-28T16:24:00.010+08:00

SORRY!!! for missing in action for so long..

MM has been blaming me for ignoring our blog so just a quick update to everyone...

I have been very busy lately with a lot of things, work, home renovations, shopping for our room and heck, I have farewell gatherings to attend as well, yes, I changed job (again) and this time I'm going to change my career goal a little bit to become a contractor. After working in a few companies for the past few years, I kinda like give up in playing the corporate games and climbing up the career ladder in the corporate world. Instead, I would like to change my goal a little bit so I decided to become a contractor instead. I got a 4 years contract from a reputable US based retailer and i will be part of their integration team and be responsible to deliver some mission critical integration projects using webMethods.., not sure about the requirements yet but surely it would be a challenging one. Feel energetic inside and ready to kick ass in the new company! Finger crossed for me and wish me luck please!!! The package??? Many of my friends did asked me the same question but I'm not going to reveal it here but I promise I will not spoil the IT market..;)
Talking about wedding preparation, haven't been really prepare for it except I have started to renovate my room in my home town. Has finished some shopping recently too and the total damage is massive, gotta work harder to heal my wound.. :( but thanks to MM for being so supportive and her great taste in choosing a furniture....;)

All right, last but not least..happy dumpling festival everyone and will going to blog about our trip to Perth soon and this is going to present by....MM (hehe).

YS

Perth - Caversham Wildlife Park

2009-05-12T22:48:00.003+08:00

To start of with our trip to Perth, we would like to blog about something boring but yet, it is one of the must-do/see things in Australia. That's to visit the Australia wildlife like Koalas and Kangaroos.

So, we visited one of the wildlife Park in Perth, that is the Caversham Wildlife Park.

Welcome to Caversham Wildlife Park. Entry fee to the park is AUD22.00. Rather pricey huh!

There was a farm show. Yeah, and it started of with sheep Sheering demonstration.

The it was show time for kids - baby sheep feeding.

YY tried cow milking too, Mr. Hubby and Sunny find it is a lil' yucky to milk the cow. Duhh -_-"

We also met up with Ms. Wombat in the park. She is Sunny's all-time favourite Australian animal, hehe..

There were Tasmanian Devils, they are not cute at all -_-"

Hm... we have no idea what reptile is it.

One very good thing about Caversham Wildlife park is visitors are allowed to take a walk through the kangaroo enclosure. Visitors are allowed to feed the kangaroos too.

Mr. Hubby does not think they are cute, duh.

Aha! it Koala petting time. She is a cute little koala named Sean. Isn't she cute?!

Aww, koalas are always my favourite Australia animal! *Blush*

Hmm that's pretty much about our visit to the wildlife park. We'll blog more about our trip in the next entry.

Information Corner:

1) How to get there (The park) from Perth CBD by car:

View Larger Map

2) Caversham Wildlife Park official Website - http://www.cavershamwildlife.com.au

3) Opening Time: Daily 9am -5.30pm ; Entrance fee: AUD 22