My nEw tOy

Thanks to my darling hubby. On Friday, I got a big surprise from him. At the point of time when I'm busy thinking what to get him for his birthday present, instead I got a present from him... It's this special thing that has been in my wish list for so long...but couldn't afford to buy. Everytime I had the chance to, I would tell myself not to...coz it's not in the toplist and I have more other important things to deal with ;-) Pendek kata, tak mampu la..

So this is my new toy ;-) It's a D90 semipro DSLR. And since I know nuts about this new toy of mine, Z has also enrolled me for the "beginner's" class at the Nikon centre in Berjaya Times Square in August. Oooh, I'm so excited.. Thanks so much, darl..i luv u ;-D

There's so much to catch up with.. to learn about setting the ISO, the apature, the shutter speed... Wadoii...kalau nak senang, just use the "auto" mode and everything's done for me ;-)

Tapi Z macam tahu2 what was in my mind, and said "jangan pulak end up pakai Auto mode.." Mmmm..tak bagi chance langsung ;-/ hehe..

Well, hopefully I will have my next posts captured using my new toy ;-)

Bali Escapade

Bali, Indonesia (18 - 20 June 2010)

This honeymoon was surely a short and sweet one. The quite moments spent together with Z was a great remedy after my work stress. Too short though, that I wished we could have stayed longer..

Since the original intention was to distress & unwind, we skipped the visits to many places due to the distance factor from one place to another. We just visited a few, like Tanah Lot, a famous "pura" or temple, about 20 minutes north of Kuta.

We only enjoyed the view of the pura from far and dared not go any closer ;-). Did some shopping at the market and had our portrait done by a Sulawesi born artist there. Hmm, nice moment..and I didn't know that Z knew so much about the Indonesian legends, the Presidents Sukarno & Suharto until I heard him chatting to Francis (the artist). Hey, my hubby's not bad at all, yeah...he reads a lot, and he reads on just anything! Unlike me, my love is LOVE, so my kind of books are..hehe..Daniel Steel's! Such a hopeless..

Then at Ubud (the center of arts), we bought a few paintings & some souvenirs for d kids ;-). There were beautiful & colorful ones everywhere...and we had a tough time choosing one! Along the way to Ubud town, there were gold and silver factories, stone carvings centers, wood carvings centers, etc. No wonder Bali has always been famous for these uniqueness..

even the pavements were nice..

Then, more shopping back in Kuta! Dresses, t-shirts, parios (can't help it, they are too nice to ignore), and shhhh...Tiffany's bracelets and ring for me. That was the highlight, hehe..

The must not miss of all in Bali was....taraaaa....the spa! We rewarded ourselves with a Balinese massage treatment at the spa, and it was a greaaaaat one! The use of aromatherapy oils, with the ancient techniques (skin rolling, kneading and stroking, acupressure and reflexology...around my body, mhhhh... really brought deep relaxation!

The best moment we had was at Jimbaran Beach, where we just walked together slowly hand in hand..watching the sunset. It's so, so beautiful and no words can describe the beauty that Allah has created for us. I'm so blessed..

We both have gone through a lot of hick-ups throughout our marriage. It is essential to have quiet moments like this once in a while to recharge... We are looking forward for sweeter and greater things ahead of us..

Black can never go wrong..

With the right accessories, black can never go wrong.. Gorgeous! Which do you like most? I love them all..

Been so long...haven't had the time to sit & keep track of my fav blogs, let alone to write. Work is killing, one deadline after another and some are overlapping... already feeling like an exhausted machine. Feel so bad for not taking leave during this school holidays, except next week. But that's for MY holiday...uhh, am I doing the right thing? I'm so sorry kiddo..

Our car broke down twice this week, yup, TWICE! The first time, we had to change I don't know what hose which seem to be overused and cost RM600. The 2nd time, that's just 2 days after.. was the battery, that costs RM250.. Saw my RM1K flew away just in split second..wadoi!
No doubt Z paid for it, but it could have been mine if not for the car..;-( should have been..

It's my sister's birthday today... and just called to wish her happy birthday. Maybe i'd get her a present in Bali..she deserves something nice ;-) Ou, and that reminds me that I need to get a special gift for Era's newborn baby boy too! And.. a Father's Day gift for my darling hubby, of course! Hulaa...that's so much to celebrate..;-)

Purple..?

Last week my tailor called to tell that our baju raya are ready. Ou, but i thought earlier she said it should be ready at end of June...so she's 1 month early, and that means i'm 1 month out of my budget (3 pairs to pay..!) I have another pair of baju sent to Dzulldeclassique that's also ready for pick up! Ou, ou! I don't know how much that one's gonna cost me ;-)

Also last week my sis called to ask if I've got new baju for Ayang's engagement ceremony in July. Proudly I said yes, already sent to tailor and ready to pick up. "Purple, right?" she asked. "No...., it's brown & peach". "Hey, the colour theme for the family is purple la dear...." Hah! Why didn't anyone tell me it's purple?? Why? ..alahai... sob sob...don't tell me I have to make another baju...
Anyways, I told my sis ...very sorry, but whatever happens, I'll be the only one wearing brown on that day +*%$# ...

Not that i don't have purple baju kurung..my last 2 year's baju raya was purple. But, so tak cool kan pakai baju lama.. I think I've worn that baju many times on many weddings already.. huuhhh...

now..should i make new one?..that would be nice...but, hmmm more $$$$$... sighhhh...

Can't wait for my next holiday... There's a lot to do at the office. The trainings, and of course all the preparation to be completed before hand. But how..? My brain is already off the hook ;-) I'm all set for the vacation, mind & soul...hahaha..

This time it will only be Z & me...time to discharge and destress. Already imagining the beaches.. the mountain view...the shopping spree...the spa....oooh la la.. Anak2 duk rumah diam2 ok, only for 3 days. Insya Allah, kalau ada rezeki...the next one will be your turn.. Anyway the kids have been so understanding & supportive. They keep on reminding us of this "honeymoon".. Alhamdulillah, they are big enough and they have each other's company...and of course the best grandma's home to go back to..hehe. Rasa guilty la jugak for having to go without them, so lately Z & i have been giving them good treats already to bribe them...hahaha, and hope it works ;-D. The last time I went on an escapade was end of last year, when I joined Z in Kota Kinabalu for 2 nites.. Tapi tak boleh nak kira how many times I called home. Missed the kids like mad!

One thing about going on holidays.. can't help myself from eyeing on new clothes. Memang ni satu perangai tak elok I, nak kena ada new clothes..at least 1! Then merapu, cari pulak matching scarves. This time, I'm also searching for a new pair of shades..with solid reasons, the place we're going is hot! So I NEED NEW SHADES. Fullstop. Hehehe, how about dat?

Ohh Bali...here we come ;-)

Trip to New Zealand

NZ Part 1

This is gonna be my long overdue diary on my last trip to NZ. I hadn't witten a single line ever since, and hope I haven't forgotten much.

I was travelling alone this time..no chance of doing it together with Z and the kids as the whole thing was quite a costly one. I wished we could go together, definitely would have been a more meaningful vacation. Anyhow, still had so much fun with my beloved big sister being my superb host there! From KL i took the Malaysian Airlines System flight direct to Auckland. Upon arriving Auckland, I had to check in for my connecting flight to Dunedin, with a short stopover at Wellington. At Dunedin airport, my sister ANA and Octavian (a handsome young Phd student from Romania) were already waiting for me..and off we go to my sister's home at Otago. It was beginning of autumn and it was a cold..cold nite.

A little bit about Otago.. it is nestled near the bottom of the South Island. Its unique character is defined by a magnificent landscape and diverse climate. My sister's house is within a walking distance to her university (Uni of Otago). Actually the town is within the university area, which is big enough to place all the necessities. You don't have to go out of the area to find big shopping malls, banks, mosque..etc. We have to walk across a botanical garden (full with beautiful, colourful roses..) to go to my sister's office. I followed my sis to the her office almost everyday when I was in Dunedin, as she was actually very busy completing her Phd thesis before returning home. And at the same time having to entertain me...Ohh, my poor sista!


Peeping through the roses at the botanical garden on my first day.



Lepak at the univ area, with the brown leaves on the ground...

Later that day, Octavian did us a favour by driving us up to Otago Peninsular that frames Dunedin’s harbour, providing a spectacular setting for unique and natural scenery. The peninsula is spectacular and visits to this area gave me the opportunity to view albatross, fur seals and penguins..live! The Royal Albatross Colony at Taiaroa Head is the only mainland breeding colony of albatross in the world!! The albatrosses are a group of large to very large birds.T hese feathered giants have the longest wingspan of any bird—up to 11 feet (3.4 meters)! They use their formidable wingspans to ride the ocean winds and sometimes to glide for hours without rest or even a flap of their wings..fuuhh! So much about the albatross!


At The Royal Albatross Centre...hehe, that's the female albatross in action..


On the way to Otago Penisular.. indahnya alam ciptaan Allah..


Peeping into the penguin hole and saw this cute little baby..


NZ is a beautiful place with lakes, mountains & rivers everywhere... For someone who lives in a highly polluted city, i appreciated every single place and the breathtaking view there! The lakes there were so, so big and endless..macam laut.

A stop at one of the largest grapevines on our way to Queensland. Tak ingat kat mana, but i think this somewhere near Cromwell..



After a few hours drive, we finally reached Wanaka..






At Queestown, the famous town in the Lord of the Rings country which placed the famous Lake Wakatipu (3rd largest lake). People come from all over the world to do bungy jumping, sky gliding (paragliding), gondola rides etc.. and for me, tadaaaaa... shopping is just heaven here!





At the skyline, for famous and unforgettable gondola ride. Absolutely fabulous view!



Macam dalam postcard...that's Queenstown from the air!







Behind me..Lake Wakatipu, sungguh wa tak tipu...and the beautiful mountain covered with snow is Mount Cook if I'm not wrong. I didn't get to go there, but my mum did when she went there earlier.

We stayed overnite in Queensland at the backpackers (my sis, her friend Hanim and me) and left on the next day to return to Dunedin. Made a few stopovers on the way back for many more beautiful pictures..

Me, under the apple tree..

At a damp..so clean and picturisque. No where you can see anything like this in Malaysia..sad to say.



I was admiring the sheeps, and they were also admiring me, obviously..haha!
That's a special post for me, from the sheeps. And, oooo..aren't they fat and cute?!


my beloved sister and me ;-)

(to be continued to Part 2)