Blissful Weekend

Last weekend was awesome. Me and family and Ifo went to Kundasang for a holiday trip, we stayed at Little Hut, Mesilau for a night. It's a nice place, with breathtaking view, surrounded by beautiful flowers, windy, cozy cold..such a sanctuary. And there's an onion field in front of the homestay house. 

After checking in to homestay, we went to Poring, it's for the kids. Then we headed to Tagal River to experience a fish massage, which was incredibly great. It's not the normal fish massage that you might get in spa, but this one is huge fish. I was amazed to see a group of big fish swimming around the feet of visitors who stood in the river. At first I was afraid to go down but it'd be waste if I didn't try, so I dipped my feet in the river while feeding the fishes. Oh gosh..I can feel them nibbling my skin. It didn't hurt, just itchy and slippery. Ifo showed us how to feed them right (he went there before); hold the food in your palm, dip your hand in the river and slowly release the food, the fishes would come rushing to your hand. I didn't try that one. :p

That night, we just stayed in homestay and cooked our dinner. Ifo helped us in the kitchen and he even made the grilled banana leaf wrapped fish. My sister said he passed the test. Lol. 

At 3.30 am, we all woke up for qiamullail, it's a practice in Islam to perform tahajjud and hajat prayers at the middle of night, followed by tazkirah and Subuh prayer. It's my dad's idea, which was very good to get much benefits from Allah. Honestly, I'm thankful for being born in the family. Bercuti sambil beramal, they say. 

In the morning, before going to Desa Cattle, we walked around our place and took pictures. Really, it's a very nice place for sightseeing and taking photo, I love how they design the houses with English vintage style. It inspired me to design my own house someday. ^^ So we went to Desa Cattle. We bought milk, met and greeted the calves and goats. The kids had so much fun feeding the tamed young goats. Before heading home, we stopped at Kundasang town to buy some fruits and vegetables. 

It's an awesome vacation. ^^

if only the peak of Mount Kinabalu wasn't covered by the clouds

look at those fishes

i wanna know what does the fox say about us

i can see Mount Kinabalu from my room

;)

brother and the cute house

me and the onion field

my lovelies are feeding the goats

cows might pooped the grass, but we don't care

awesome weekend

Big, Big World

I thought I'd share part of my list of places I someday hope to visit:

Munich, Germany

Santorini, Greece

Verona, Italy

Prague, Czech Republic

New York, USA

Paris, France

I'm not sure what I'll do, but..well, I want to go places and see people. I want my mind to grow. I want to live where things happen on a big scale. - F. Scott Fitzgerald

Keep Coming Back to You

Manila Trip: Day 5

It was the last day of Manila Trip. To make the best of remaining hours that we had before taking off to airport, we went shopping at Robinson. That's the 1st time I shopped without thinking pros and cons because we only got an hour. So I just grabbed anything nice and fancy, until I didn't know what to buy anymore. And Ifo managed to shop more than I did, he even got a varsity jacket from Dickies. Impressive (because I've never seen him shopping like that before).

The hardest part was saying goodbye to everything; the hotel, cafe, the street, the city, etc. I didn't tell or show the guys that I cried a little before pulling my luggage out of the room. I can't wait to get home but honestly, I felt heavy-hearted and overwhelmed all at once, because those times won't repeat. So we took off to Clark by a cab. We're coming home with a lot of memories and missing every bit of them. I haven't really thank them yet for planning out the trip, for taking care of me and for everything. Surely we'll do this again. ^^

thank you guys ^^
(from left: Lan, Russel, Jasper, Selvin, Ifo)

goodbye Philippines

Oh I miss Manila! As the song Manila by Hotdog goes, "I keep coming back to Manila,", something I often find myself singing. Despite all seemingly unsolved problems - traffic, crowds, peace, order, etc - I can't just write the place off completely. 

One of the reasons is the smiles. I'm not saying that Malaysians can't smile. But the smiles are easy and natural in the faces of the people there. Even when they tell a problem, it's not uncommon to still see them smiling somewhat. Why? I don’t know for sure. Maybe they're naturally friendly and easy-going. But I do believe it could be part of their coping mechanism. Whoever it was who said that “we laugh because we do not want to cry”, might as well have explained correctly why they smile in the midst of chaotic life. Other reasons have been written in my previous posts I guess. 

To be fair, I could also make an entire reasons of why I love Malaysia. Heeee.. 

Hey, Malaysia will always be in my heart, no matter how far I go. 

 So this is the end of my Manila Trip posts and now I leave you with a song. ^^

Manila - Hotdog

The Moment I Could not Forget

Manila Trip: Day 4

It's not really surprising when the shop assistants spoke Tagalog to us, thought that we're Filipinos and said that we look like ones. We're typical Asians after all. I've learned some Tagalog words and basic phrases from my friend, Lan (the guide of our trip, it's his 2nd hometown), such as makgano (how much?), maraming salamat (thanks so much), magandang araw (have a nice day), magandang umaga (good morning), pagod ako (I'm tired), ingat (take care), counting numbers, and so on. It's really fun to learn new language. ^^

After brunch, we went to Robinson and shopping at some stores. Bench store was my favorite one and I bought a lot from there; dress, bags, fragrance. I really love the design, quality, fabric, and I only looked for Philippines' original brands. Despite being the only rose among the thorns, I had no problem shopping with the guys. Besides, sometimes they needed me to choose for them. Here I also found some bizarre foods like balut (fertilized egg with a fetus in it) and deep fried 1-day-old chick. Ugghh..

deep fried 1-day-old chicks

the last jeepney

By taking MRT, we went to Baclaran again and headed to MOA by a jeepney. That's the last time I rode a jeepney. I must say that jeepney's the coolest transport so far. I loved it and miss it already. In MOA, we watched Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters. The cinema's way awesome than GSC or any cinemas I've ever been. The hall and screen were larger and hey, no censored scenes. Needless to say, I had to close Ifo's eyes with my hand at one scene where Mina was completely naked with Hansel at rock pool. 

After the movie, we rushed out to catch the "moment". Yes, we made it this time. We saw the sunset of Philippines and embraced the moment. That I will never forget. ^^

so do you think this is romantic? :p

screw the camera

Then we went to Kultura Filipino to buy some souvenirs and OMG I really loved the shop. It's not an ordinary handicraft shop. Everything's beautiful and attractive. They resembled the cultures and traditions of Filipinos, which amazed me. I wanted to buy a very beautiful purse, but when I saw the price, I let it go and bought souvenirs for my family instead. 

Since it was the final night of the trip, we made it count by having fun at Star City, a theme park. So we played and rode all that we can. The funniest was when we entered the ghost house and mummy's tomb. I thought I was the only that'd be scared, but the guys were scared too. :p There's this kind of laser light in the ghost house that turned our faces into ghosts. Dude, it's damn scary. And then when the other people came to us, we thought they're ghosts because of the horrible faces. So we screamed and ran to exit gate. Lol. The rest of the games were as common as we have at Genting Highland. I felt regret riding the last game because it made me absolutely dizzy. Glad I didn't vomit in the air. 

we were up there

had so much fun ^^
(from left: Selvin, Lan, me, Ifo, Russel, Jasper)

The night's ended with the final hangout at hotel's cafe. I miss that so much. :)

Superman Saved my Day

Manila Trip: Day 3

breakfast ^^

One of the Filipinos' traits that I adore is they're hardworking people. Well it's undeniable, right? Look what have they done to our buildings. They're morning people and even the shops open early in morning. It's maybe because they have strong family bonds. I can see that when they always had breakfast, lunch or dinner together as a family. The parents strive hard for to provide the basic needs of the family and they have this ideology that they don't want their family members to experience the tough times that they had before. And most workers are really polite and friendly. Another thing that caught my attention is the university in Philippines is not a place to do research, but it's only a place to get a licence for a job. 

So let's go straight to the adventure of the day. Here's the origin of Filipino Market in KK. 

It's called Barangay Baclaran, a bargain shopper's paradise where you can find the cheapest prices for almost everything; from foods to clothes, shoes, groceries, etc. Well it's the largest market I've ever been, and many of the sellers are Muslims. Since it's located near Taft Avenue, I got to be at the shooting location of Bourne Legacy 2012. They said it's a dangerous place and I did feel insecure because it's too crowded and people were moving so fast. Thankfully we're safe and nothing's missing. Hee.

We also went to some flagship malls at the heart of Makati City, such as Glorietta, The Landmark and Greenbelt. Greenbelt's divided into 5 sections that offer a mix of cafes, designer clothing shops, local and international brands, cinema and gardens. In other words, it's a place for rich people. So I was just there to take pictures and feel (without buying) the masterpieces by Jimmy Choo, Louis Vuitton, Giorgio Armani, etc. While strolling around in the city, sometimes I noticed "biodegradable" labels on most packaging materials, and that impressed me much. Even the dustbins only categorized into 2 types; biodegradable and non-biodegradable. And I met Superman at The Landmark. :p

Superman saved my day

like a boss

In the evening, we headed to SM Mall of Asia (MOA). I remember jumping out of jeepney and running to the bay side with my friends because we didn't want to miss the sunset moment. But we did miss it. It's already dark when we got to the bay. So we're just resting on the rock fence while eating fries and watching a glitter-coated street comedian doing a show. It's such a nice place. But I got a pang of sadness for being there too early. I mean earlier than Paramore. Well, they will be singing live in MOA Arena this 15th Feb. I cried in my heart and still do. 

We played ice skates in the mall before going back to hotel. I'm a noob and I can't skate for the life of me. But I had fun that night though. Back in hotel, we had dinner with hot cakes. They're the most delicious pancakes ever. I need to browse for Filipino's pancake recipe because I'm craving for it now. ^^

Dance like The Sea Fairies

Manila Trip: Day 2

One of the best things during the trip was eating daing na bangus (marinated milkfish) with rice and spicy sauce. It's a Philippines signature dish and I really loved it. After the brunch, we walked to Robinson Mall to buy sim cards. I bought a Sun broadband sim card with unlimited internet for P150 total, which was enough for me to whatsapp my brother and sister. 

Waiting for our new sim cards

By taking a cab, we went to one of the must-see attractions, Manila Ocean Park, where we can watch the animals do wonders. I never thought that sea lion could be the cutest thing ever. We're entertained by 2 sea lions named Vincent and Isabel. They can dance, laugh, clap and act like human which made me go "awwwww...so cute!". I actually wanted to record a video but I was too busy enjoying the show. We also had a photography session with Isabel. ^^

Waiting for sea lions to come out

With Isabel

Next, we entered the Birds of Prey Kingdom where we met many types of eagles. I was a bit scared because we're actually entering the big cage of eagles, so those birds were flying just above our heads. My friends made joke that one of those eagles might catch a small person like me. That's quite intimidating somehow. :p The bird trainers let us feed the eagles by wearing a leather glove, holding a piece of meat and putting the hand up in the air. I thought the birds might not see me, but hey, do not underestimate the eagle eyes, an eagle came and caught the meat right when I lifted my hand. It's just a blink of an eye. I also got the chance to had a Brahminy Kite stood at my arm. The bird's bigger than my head, how can I not be nervous? 

ggrrrr....

After that we went into Oceanarium. It's quiet similar like Aquaria KLCC. But what KLCC doesn't have is the dancing sea fairies a.k.a jellyfishes. Dude, it's the most amazing live show I've ever seen. I could stay there forever watching the colorful jellyfishes swimming and dancing to the mellow music. It's calming and I was hypnotized. No wonder why Spongebob has a fascination for jellyfish. Lol.

And then we headed off to a huge wholesale mall where you can get a blouse as cheap as P100 (around RM7). I got myself some, the others got theirs and Ifo got an ukulele..of all things, I don't know why he bought that. :p Getting famished, we went out to have some bites of halal wrapped beef and pandesal (classic Filipino bread from Pan de Manila). Then we walked along the road of Binondo a.k.a Chinatown. It's known to be the oldest Chinatown in the world, and yes, they're mostly Chinese. 

We went back by taking tricycles and jeepneys. The fun didn't stop there after having dinner with roasted chicken, because we went out again for mid-night karocks at a KTV near our hotel. Everything's awesome. ^^

Mabuhay!

Manila Trip: Day 1

Hey hey, I'm back! It's not easy to get myself back together after 2 weeks of travelling in and out of the country. I'm so tired, both feet are aching, but somehow I miss everything. My mind's still somewhere else. Needless to say, I woke up this morning wishing that I was still in Manila, Philippines, that I still had another day to create memories. But I'm already home. Lol.

We had everything planned out since 2012 and finally made it this year. Besides, it's my 1st time travelling out of country with Ifo and friends. It's a dream come true. Since I was the only girl in the group, I felt a little nervous at 1st place. But everything went well, I got Ifo and the others were like my brothers, they took care of me during the trip.

I made it!

When we arrived at Clark International Airport on 27th January 2013, I felt like screaming "hello Philippines!" but it's just muttered under my breath. We took a bus to get to Manila from Clark for P450 per ticket. On the bus, I enjoyed the view before falling asleep. I noticed several new things like the different position of driver's seat, a lot of jeepneys and tricycles, and I could see the mount of volcano. When the bus entered Quezon City, I was totally amazed by everything. It's the busiest city I've ever seen. Overlapping flyovers, mad traffic..it's a metropolitan life. 

On the bus.

With Jose Rizal's monument.

We arrived at destination after 2 hours of journey from Clark, then checked in to Stone House hotel. I got a single room that cost me P1100 per night which was cheap and the room's quite cozy. After having dinner at a halal restaurant, we walked to Robinson Place Manila, one of the world-class malls here. Then we went to Rizal Park by a jeepney (1st time riding and it's super cool) to watch musical dancing fountain which was way awesome than the one in Perdana Park. My friend said it's a family bonding and tradition for people there to come to Rizal Park with foods and picnic mats every weekend, and it's also a romantic place for couples. The fountain's amazing. That's when I fell in love with the song of Manila by Hotdog. ^^

These are the videos that I recorded that night:

I got to see the monument of Jose Rizal, the national hero of Philippines. That's also the night we went to an open-air stadium near Rizal Park as they had some kind of religious festival. I don't know what were they celebrating but everyone dressed in weird costumes, it's too crowded and loud. Then we got out of there and went straight to Roxas Boulevard. It's supposed to be a nice place but homeless people were everywhere. My heart broke to pieces when I saw a little girl crying alone and scratching her body at the side of the road. I wondered where's her parents. I wanted to help but my friend had warned us to not give anything to the homeless.

I'll write more about this trip later. Till next post. :)

On Vacay

Hey loves, just want to let you know that this blog will be on hiatus for 2 weeks as I'll be going on vacation starting tomorrow. My journey can be sum up as: KK - Penang - KL - KK - Manila - KK. Heee...

You know how to reach me or get my updates, there are facebook, twitter, instagram and whatsapp. I'm wishing for a safe and sound journey. Well it's gonna be awesome. ^^

I'll be back after 2 weeks. I love you. Bye! 

Tinggi lagi Sayang sama Kamu

My family and I were having a holiday trip recently at Mesilau Kundasang. We rented a 2 storey house at Kundasang Islamic Training Centre, a place for Islamic programs like seminars, fardhu ain classes, school excursions, etc. We picked the place instead of hotel or chalet because it's cheaper (RM70 per room for 1 night - we got discounts as the principle of the centre is actually my brother's friend) and big enough for my entire family. It's fully furnished and so exquisite and completed with a living room, a dining room, a kitchen, 3 master bedrooms, a single bedroom, and even a barbecue set. 

The only problem was that the water heaters didn't function well. Who would want to take a cold shower when living at cold foggy highland where the temperature's between 10-15 degree Celcius? No one. So the option we had was either boil the water manually or walk to hostels next door to have shower with heater. I did both. :p

welcoming gate

the house

living and dining room

the kitchen

one of the bedrooms

Well the shower problem wasn't a big deal at all because we really had a great time there.

We spent the 1st day of trip going to Desa Cattle Farm and I got to witness the processing of milk from cow milking to packaging of Desa's milk. It's fun to see the cows waiting and queuing up for their turn of milking, it's like they know what to do. The processing seems easy but I know it's not, especially in terms of controlling and assuring quality. Been there, done that. We also bought lots of cartons of chocolate milk at lower price. Have I told you how much I love Desa's chocolate milk?

mooooo...

me and mum buying fresh milk

That 1st night, we had barbecued chickens and seafood at the house for dinner. Thankfully the kitchen was perfect and we brought along foods to be cooked which were enough for 3 days. Otherwise we'd starve because there's no restaurant around and the town's too far.

my brother's barbecuing the chickens

We went to Poring Hot Springs the next day as demanded by the kids. I didn't do much of the soaking, I was busy guarding my niece in the hot tub instead. Besides, it's so crowded and I wasn't really interested in sharing a tub with strangers. I mean, my skin's being sensitive lately, so..

family photo ^^

The best part among all the fun things we had during this trip was the morning view at the Islamic centre. I went out at dawn, walked to mosque and wait there to witness the sunrise. And when the sun was up, there it go, the majestic Mount Kinabalu was standing tall in front me. I could clearly see the peak and hear the sound of waterfalls. It was so amazing. While enjoying the view, I was wondering if I'll ever get to conquer the mountain. Someday perhaps. ^^

tinggi-tinggi Gunung Kinabalu, tinggi lagi sayang sama kamu ^^