Trip to Pulau Sibu

We actually had quite an adventure in December last year. We don't really like going out, but in December alone, we managed to go to Johor twice and to Aquaria KLCC once. Hehe, every trip with the two little munchkins is considered an adventure and I am sure all parents would attest to that.

One would really need good negotiation skills to deal with Sara and as for Dina, selective hearing is the skill one would have to adopt. Sara talks a lot. No, that's an understatement. Sara talks NON-STOP. Haha. And she expects that we entertain every thought and musing that she has. As for Dina, she whines. A lot. And the cute little whine can turn into full fledged crying if she doesn't get what she wants or if we are unable to distract her fast enough.

So. When hubby said that his company is arranging for a family day in Pulau Sibu in Johor, I hesitated. We just went to Johor the week before and that trip alone is enough to last me for two months. But, being the "good" wife that I am (hehe), I packed our things and make plans to go in the wee hours. You see, my hubby and me, we had a pact: each time we had to travel by car, hubby would sleep early and I will pack all our belongings, arrange them in the car, get the children ready and wake him up around 4am. By the time he's ready, Sara and Dina is safely sleeping in the car and off we go. I might have pulled the shorter stick in our deal, but hey, I get to sleep all the way to whatever place we go, so no complaints there.

We depart from our home at around 4.30am and I was totally exhausted and sleepy and ready to doze off. But, as luck would have it, Dina woke up the moment hubby start the engine. I think at that moment, only my hands are awake, my eyes and all other parts of my body have already fallen asleep. Anyway, we made it safely to Tanjung Leman 5 hours later. I bathed my kids at the yucky public toilet, seriously it was so dirty even Sara refuse to enter the toilet.

Our boat was scheduled to leave at 10am and the ride was super bumpy. I'm soooo lucky my kids didn't get motion sickness. Dina fell asleep moments after we enter the boat and Sara thoroughly enjoyed the ride.

Pulau Sibu welcomed us with a soothing serenade by the hotel staff and refreshing drinks. We had a villa with 1 queen bed to ourselves and is spacious enough to accommodate my small family.

In fact, everything there was really nice. I don't particularly enjoy nature (I've had my touch with nature during DPA course that would last me for my whole lifetime ;p), but it is a good opportunity for Sara and Dina to get up close and personal with nature. There are peacocks, deers and monkeys everywhere and they were very friendly too. But well, erm..due to my aversion to moving animals, lets just say we didn't make the most out of  our so-called interaction with the animals. We'd run instead of walk to get to various places.

There's a really nice swimming pool for kids complete with slide but the pump was broken, so the water was really dirty. And I've discovered that Dina is not only averse to water, she also hates sands. Haha. We played by the pool, by the sea and had dinner in which Sara fell asleep and hubby had to carry her approximately 300 meters to get back to our villa. Hehe, it was "good" for a very much needed workout. I'll let pictures do the talking since I think I rambled too much on this post. Makes up for the long hiatus perhaps? :p

Riddle : How to shut up a whiny kid? Answer: Give her two spoons to play with :)

Its hard to believe that they are only two years apart, isn't it?

I look soooo fat in this picture, but I promise you, I am not this fat in real life. Mode: denial.

Hello Kitty and Little Big Club Johor

Hola,

Wow, the trip has been sooo long, I forgot when it was exactly. Hehe. Wait, let me check.

Yep, we went last year, in December 2012. A tip from me, if you have toddlers, please avoid school holidays. Really not worth the queue and the hassle. And please buy the ticket online beforehand to avoid disappointment as the tickets are limited on daily basis. We saw a little girl crying while her parents are negotiating with the counter because the ticket for that day is already sold out and that was as early as 11am. Or as late as 11am (hehe, late/early is entirely subjective ;p)

Overall, Hello Kitty was "fun", but only to avid fans. If you are like me, who don't give a rat's ass about Hello Kitty's house, Hello Kitty's dresses and what not, just don't go. For the RM55.00 price ticket, its really not worth the money. Will never go there again. Heh.

 

See, even Dina was sleeping out of boredom. Haha.

Little Big Club on the other hand, is a really nice place and suitable for kids. BUT, only for kids from the age group of 2-5 years old. I highly doubt that older kids would enjoy the place as much as the younger kids.

Sara really enjoyed the ballet class by Angelina. She twirled and turned like the graceful ballerina that she is. Not. Haha.

Riddle : What does Pingu, Sara and my husband have in common? Answer : Their bellies. Haha.

Hubby said he had to suck in his stomach to close the safety bar. Time for some exercise perhaps? Haha.

Even though I said that the place would appeal to younger children, most of the rides have minimum height that starts from 100cm, which roughly translates to 4 years old above. Lucky for me, Sara is quite tall for her age, so she is able to go to all the rides. So, therein itself lies a bit of inconvenience, because the rides are not so thrilling, childish (would appeal to kids below five) BUT the regulatory of having to be taller than 100cm would forbade the kids from that age group to enter.

We brought strollers and also baby wrap, but I think that baby wrap is a better option. Dina is able to sleep peacefully and woke up happier. The place is stroller friendly, but getting to the place from the parking spot is a major disaster. The lift was under maintenance and we had to carry our stroller through two flight of stairs.

The place was nice, but would we go again? To Hello Kitty, never. But to Little Big club, perhaps when Dina is a lil bit older.

Putrajaya Treasure Hunt 2011

Oohh...so many things to record but yet so little time to do it...

I haven't share about Sara's birthday yet, her developments and soo much more but have to save that for another day. Right now, I'm in the mood of updating about our latest adventure. Me, hubby and my sister joined the Putrajaya Treasure Hunt 2011!! Our achievement, well, ehem, we were beginners!! Hehe, nampak sangat performance memang tak best.

The day began early, we were already at the Perbadanan Putrajaya at 7.15am. We were team 131 and our group name is Ya-ya (creative, right? *rolls eyes*). I have lots of things to share about the hunt but as I've said before, too much things to do and too little time :(

Anyway, the MVP of our team for that day is my dear sister, Yanie. She ate these: (it was part of the challenge)

Pic credit to here

Now I know who to team with if I ever join Explorace or The Amazing Race. Sorry Cashu, you're out :)

Road trip to the North

I'm not a big fan of traveling. Especially when I have to pack not only for me, but for Sara as well. And her toilet training will definitely go haywire if we travel. However, how can I not go to one of my best-est friend's wedding, right? So, off we went to Kedah (Alor Star to be exact).

We slept at my cousin's house in Kulim the first night. My cousin have four boys; but all of them are so well-behaved and treat Sara like their baby sister :) I really look up to her as I really respect the way she raise her children. I hope I can be as patient-but-stern as she is if I ever have a son.

We went to Alor Star the next day and I managed to see the beautiful bride before the bersanding ceremony. We have been friends for more than 10 years, and I was so happy for her. She looks gorgeous and positively radiant in the ravishing purple/mauve.

After Alor Star, we decided that it was way to early to retire to our next stop, hubby's uncle's house in Pendang. So, we decided to give Bukit Kayu Hitam a try. On the way there, hubby's uncle called and told us that we might as well go to Padang Besar since Bukit Kayu Hitam have nothing to offer. He said that it'll only take us extra 10 minutes. So, we drove past Bukit Kayu Hitam and I can assure you, IT WAS NOT A 10 MINUTES JOURNEY OKAY. Even I was getting cranky in the car. Luckily Sara was captivated with the Barney video we put on.

I bought Sara two pajamas, and another two for my sister and that's about it (I suck at shopping). We went for a bite and grudgingly drove back to Alor Star. Since the house we're going is in Pendang, that adds up another hour in the car. Ugh. We reached the house around 11pm.

See the little kid running away from everyone?

The next day, we just lazed around because we were planning to go back around noon. Well, knowing us, the lazing around temptation was too high, we ended up going back at 5pm. On the way back, hubby said he wanted to try the ever so famous mee udang, so I called my cousin and we met up at the mee udang Sg. Dua. I keep reminding myself to take pictures and take note of the route to come here, but once the sizzling hot mee udang arrived, all was forgotten. As usual.

We head back to KL from Sg Dua around 7.00pm. After numerous stops (one that involved all three of us sleeping in the car at the R&R), we safely arrive home around 1am. Conclusion of the whole trip? NO MORE ROAD TRIP IN THE NEAR FUTURE. Too tiring. :)

Even though Sara hates stranger, she has a thing for "ATUK" figure. She'll run away from any nenek figure but will be sooo manja and mengada with an atuk figure. Heh.

The TRIPLETSplusONE birthday party...

Last two Sunday, we were honored to receive invitation from TRIPLETSplusONE! We were on our way back from Kuantan, luckily we found the house without much hassle (thank god for GPS!)

On our way there, we stopped at Petronas petrol station, I splashed Sara with water, change her so that she'll feel more refreshed and will be more friendly and receptive at the birthday party. I was contemplating whether to put diapers on her or not, but seeing her exemplary behavior throughout the journey, I decided to gamble and not put diapers on her.

We reached the venue around 4.00 pm and the party is just getting started. Sara was still clinging to me. It took her almost one hour to warm up. After we ate, I asked her whether she wants to go to the toilet. And she does. And I brought her to the toilet. And she pees. I seriously love that kid. She just knows when to behave.

The party was a blast. Munirah (the TRIPLETSplusONE mummy) really put a lot of effort planning this party.There were cute signage everywhere, lots of toys and some seriously good food. Being the forgetful person I am, of course I forgot to bring the camera. So, the nice pictures you see in here is all credited to Hafiz Ismail of WOW! Art and Photography (these blokes are really good, I am thinking of having the fun and funky white studio session..for info, click here) Oh, I also curik some photo from this blog

The party started to get wet (as promised). Sara looked at all the other kids playing with longing interest, so I asked her whether she wants to join. She said yes, and I changed her into short pants and t-shirt. As I was changing her pants, she looked me in the eye and said "mummy....poo-poo". I was aghast. I asked her "Seriously Sara? You have to poo-poo? Now?" And she nod emphatically. Luckily I remembered I saw a toilet seat when we went to the bathroom earlier. To Munirah, if you are reading this, yes, my darling little angel poo-poo in your toilet. She's sorry and I am *really embarassed*

The SUPERMAMA who did it all

To Harith, Athirah and Uzair, Happy Birthday dearie!!! Hope you like the presents we got you (and hope they fit nicely). To Munirah, congratulations on a very well-planned party and please send my warmest regards to your wonderful family. Oh, and a special thanks for your hubby too for his manly action in "mencampak" my little Sara down the slide. We enjoyed ourselves immensely and again THANK YOU for including us in this event.

Pitter Patter Tea Party

On Sunday, Sara, my hubby and I went to the Pitter Patter Tea Party. I first stumbled upon the info here, and since its only RM10 per adult, I figured it would be a great opportunity to let my angel meet up and play with kids her age. And besides, we were planning to go along with my two wonderful friend; Mummy Allysha and Mama Idraki :)

Sara and I travelled to KL via KLIA Transit because hubby was already in KL, makes no sense for him to turn back in order to pick us up. This is actually the second time Sara and I board the train, and same as before, Sara fell asleep the moment the train moves.

Guess who we say in KL Sentral? Lisa Surihani!!! She was exactly as seen on TV, her skin is soooo smooth and porcelain-like, makes me seethe with jealousy.

The event was held in Carcosa Sri Negara, a perfect setting for an English Tea Afternoon. The place has a very classic English feel, complete with its lush landscapes and beautiful decorations, but I bet the organizer didn't expect the weather to be so hot and stuffy. And when you add screaming toddlers to that environment, it just resulted in total chaos.

They organized a separate room for the children and parents. We sent Sara to the children area, anticipating that she's going to cry when we left her. But, lo and behold, she immediately becomes absorbed in the environment, she even goes off to play BY HERSELF. She plays on the play dough station, read books and play lots of other toys. What amuses me was that everybody thought she was at least 2 years old. She answered every question they asked her with an emphatic nod or says "nanak" and waved her hand to say no, she sits and play when asked, she can immediately play correctly with the toys once you show her how, so everbody was very surprised when I told them Sara is only 15 months old.

There were three talk sessions, but I only managed to fully hear one of them. I was too anxious thinking about Sara in the other room. We did manage to join in the photoshoot for family and can't wait to see the result. Overall, the food was good, the talks were okay, the separate room for kids was a good idea, the only thing that deterred me from enjoying myself is the HOT, HUMID and STUFFY weather.

The most surprising thing I discovered through this event : My little angel is a big girl already *tears*

Bukit Gambang Waterpark - Get Wet, Stay Cool

What better way to end 2009 than a splash at the pool? With that in mind, me, hubby and Sara went for a splash at Bukit Gambang Waterpark on Saturday.

The weather has been very fickle that day. First it rained non-stop until 11.00 am. We almost cancel our trip. Then, a ray of sunlight appears and we decided just to go through with it. Throughout the way (it took us almost 1 hour to reach the place from MIL's house), the weather change is incomprehensible. One minute it rained, another kilometer or so, its bright as a summer's day. Gahhhh!!!

We arrived aroung 12ish, and man! The place is crowded like a warehouse sale. Hubby bought the e-value ticket for himself (RM50.00) and entrance ticket for me (RM19.90). We had to buy a tube for Sara and I was pleasantly surprised to see that the shop boasts very competitive prices. The shirts were around RM8.90 to RM22.90 and other stuffs were moderately priced. Unlike some other ridiculously overpriced souvenir shop ;p

The first thing that happened when we reached to the man-made beach was.... I fell flat on my bum. Ha! I was carrying Sara at the time and eventhough it was funny (me falling down) BUT we were greatly relieved that Sara was okay. Seems that I fell in quite a slow motion and I managed to put Sara safely on the hut first. We quickly composed ourselves into a more dignified position (i.e me, standing up, brushing the mud on my bum!) and changed into bathing suits.

Despite my fear that Sara would be SCARED as she usually is, she was enjoying herself to the max. She waded the pool using her tube until her little feet couldn't touch the base. That girl has no fear, I tell you. :)

We stop to eat and again I was pleasantly surprised by the price and variety of food they serve. Since the waterpark uses cashless concept, we paid using hubby e-value ticket. We had regular sized pizza and chicken chop for less than RM20. Wayyyyy valuable than other places *cough*ayerkerohwaterpark*cough*

Having said that, don't expect too much of the slides and pools in Bukit Gambang Waterpark. It is still undergoing its construction and right now, the waterpark has only five areas (I think) and no thrilling slides like other waterpark. For an infant like Sara, she's having the time of her life and that happy face of hers makes up for everything we have to endure (especially Mummy's sore back)

Sara sleeping after a tiring day ;)

One more gripe I have with BGWP is THERE ARE NO BABY ROOM. It is extremely hard bathing ur baby in a toilet shared by everybody, adults and screaming toddlers alike. I wrote an email to Sentoria, the management of BGWP regarding this issue. There should be a baby room as from my observation when we went there, there are numerous amount of babies everywhere. Some as young as three months old (the family brought rocker and picnic under the stairs). I know it is entirely up to the parents regarding the suitability of such a young baby to be brought to places like these, BUT I also do think that the management ought to take a more proactive approach in serving the customers.

All in all, this was certainly an enjoyable treat. Let's get wet and stay cool at Bukit Gambang Waterpark ;)

Trip to down under Part 2

So, there goes two days of our holiday thanks to the malicious Melbourne weather. We didn't even get to see Che Su's graduation day :(

It seems such a waste traveling all this way just to fall sick. So, we braced ourselves and went shopping. The night before, me and my mum stayed awake (well, my mum mostly) taking care of Sara. On Thursday, we went to DFO (Direct Factory Outlet) in Essendon. The prices are quite reasonable, although lots of clothing are cheaper in Malaysia during sale. My mom initially wanted to buy Corelle or Corningware sets but forgo that intention seeing the prices. She said its cheaper in Langkawi. Heh.
On Friday, since both of us are feeling better, so we went to Victoria market to get some souvenirs. This time, although the weather was quite warm, I layered Sara with three layers of clothing. I bought Sara and Babah matching sweaters so that they can jog together. Haha! As if that's going to happen ;p

gambar selingan : doing the "Yana" smile ;p

I'm also very impressed with Melbourne's map. The streets, although rather complicated, are easy to navigate. (TIP for using a map - I will tilt the map according to the road I am on, so that there will be no confusion when turning left or right. Works everytime. Haha)

On Saturday, we decided to have a picnic in a park nearby. Initially, we wanted to go see some kangaroos or any other animal but we weren't feeling up to it. We took lots of photos and this is my favourite photo of Sara.
All in all, the trip to Melbourne was not all fun because we were sick and we didn't even get to see Che Su's graduation. To Yana, congratulations!! I hereby consent you taking 1 month off doing nothing. You know you EARNED it. Love you to bits!!!
Nota kaki : Setibanya kami di Malaysia, mata Sara yang layu dan kuyu terus menjadi segar diiringi senyuman yang memekar di bibirnya yang mungil. Saya dan adik saya serta-merta berkata "Hujan emas di negeri orang, hujan batu di negeri sendiri, lebih baik di negeri sendiri". Saya sayang Malaysia. ;)

Trip to down under Part 1

The plan was to see Che Su's big day. No, not her wedding...her graduation day ;) We flew to Melbourne on Sunday afternoon. I made sure Sara had her lunch before boarding the flight and we tire her with some serious playtime in the airport to get her sleeping when we took off. The plan worked ;)

I booked the seat online to make sure I can use the baby bassinet. Little did I know my baby was actually a tad too big for the bassinet. Well, she did sleep soundly in it though.In terms of flying with AirAsia, they certainly have leaps and bounds to improve especially on the customer relation part. Even the basic rule such as smiling to your customers was not obeyed by the stewardess. I'd definitely travel with MAS from now on.

Sara was such a good baby in the plane. She even looked at a toddler who is crying and gave him a look that says "This is how you should behave in a flight. Stop torturing others with your endless crying" Okay, fine, Mummy said that, not her innocent little angel. ;p

We arrived in Melbourne at 1am and was greeted by the breezing cold weather. We passed through immigration and custom with no problem (I anticipated one as I had to bring along Sara's fm).

Believe it or not, first thing we did when we arrive was...cooking! None of us had dinner yet, so we were kind of famished. We had a hot dinner (I meant that literally because dear Nenek put too much chilli in the nasi goreng) and fell asleep minutes later.

We woke up around 10am Australian time which is 3 hours earlier than our time which makes me a morning person. Yeay!!

The agenda today was to take graduation photos at RMIT studios. Basically, a very relaxed and non stressful activity. Che Su said that its going to be a hot day, only her HOT means COLD TO THE BONES in Malaysian language. I guess she did live here too long. We were gritting our teeth throughout the day.

We had lunch at an Indonesian restaurant, then head home. During the night, Sara felt a little feverish. I felt fine, so I thought it was just the body trying to adjust. HOWEVER, when both of us woke up in the morning, everyone was sick, except for Nenek and Cik Ngah.

Day 2 : Mummy and Sara is down with fever in the down under. Pardon the pun ;p. Will be continued in Part 2.

LIGHT packing for a BIG trip

Seriously, how do you travel light with a baby? We will be going to Melbourne for Che Su's graduation this Sunday. THIS SUNDAY. Yikes. I know it is not such a big deal, but I am a bit worried because this will be the very first time Sara on a flight.

I've made a checklist *clap clap* of all the things to bring which can be categorized into this:

1) FEEDING - bib, spoon, hands&mouth wipes, foods (oats with prunes, rusks biscuits and heinz jar), milk bottle, flask, formula milk, milk container
2) CLOTHING - at least 8 pants, 12 tops, sweater, cardigan among other things.
3) DIAPERING - baby wipes, 10 pcs of napkin, 2 pcs of CDs, disposable diapers.
4) TOILETRIES - minyak telon, sebamed, aiken powder, johnsons powder
5) MEDICINE - antiseptic cream, tystatin
6) OTHERS - pacifier, toys, her favourite bunny pillow, blanket, small towel, rubber mat, detergen.

I know some of the things can be bought there but WHAT IF the taste is different, or she doesn't like it or she wants to eat it on the plane? (I am OVERthinking it, I know ;p)

Okay. Here's to hoping that I will not forget anything important. Hee...

A perfect place for a garden wedding

Yup, I know. I've been married for almost 4 years (in fact, only 19 days to our 4th anniversary). BUT, when I saw this place, I knew that it would be a perfect place for a garden wedding *sigh* rasa macam nak buat wedding lagi sekali je bila tengok tempat ni

Anyway, the place is at The Royale Chulan Hotel (somewhere in Jalan Conlay - I dunno, I'm very bad with places and names of streets). I went there for a short course and the ambiance, the foods, the service were top notch. I've tried to capture pics to show how this place can be perfect for wedding, but since I'm using a compact camera, it doesn't quite translate the surroundings.

There's an open place in the middle of the hotel (behind the lobby). It's covered with glass-type roofs that lets natural lights into the whole area. So, you will get a garden wedding minus the heat (how great is that??). They also have a platform ready for bersanding, a waterfall for outdoorsy-type photograph...

I dream of Sara getting married in a place like this. BUT, that will be like in another hundred gazillion years... :p

Our weekend getaway...

Remember this pic? Guess where we went on Sunday? Mommy, Sara and Cik Ngah went to Deerland and Elephant Sanctuary in Lanchang, Pahang. Not by choice. More like terpaksa. ;p As expected, we were running late. Poor Dilla, Iki n Harry had to wait for us. Sorry guys! We drove ourselves to Genting Sempah (to bathe Iki, Sara had already bath, she doesn't mind the cold) We arrived in Deerland just as all the other participants are entering it.

Walaupun lambat, sempat posing sebelum masuk!!

As most of you already know, Mommy is deathly afraid of any moving live object (i.e any animals), so I didn't enjoy one bit of the trip ;p. The weather was not very friendly either. Sara was soaked with sweat and I'm one lucky Mommy because she's a very happy baby eventhough she's hot and sweaty.

I think this is when Azlan snap our pic...err....yeah, I think he totally photoshopped the pic to appear that beautiful...haha

The Deerland is sorta like a petting zoo where you can feed, pet, touch, take pictures with the animals there. Eventhough the name is "Deerland", there are all sorts of animals there. Rabbits, bears, snake...u name it, they most probably have it ;p....there was sooo many mosquitos, luckily I brought Sara in a sling (so she's protected from all the big, small and bad animals..haha)

Next, we went to Elephant Sanctuary where we met lots and lots of elephants. Supposedly, we can do all kinds of activities with the elephant (feeding, bathing etc) BUT apparently, that kind of tickets are limited. So, lotsa kids went home feeling gloomy and sad for not being able to play with the elephants. As for Mommy and Sara, we lay down picnic style and just lazed around. Mommy has no intention of even going near those big animals...haha

Sara and Iki...eventhough they are only 11 days apart, Sara looks sooo much bigger...macam kakak pulak... :)

Overall, it was an okay trip, but I think Sara will definitely enjoy it more IF she is able to understand and appreciate the wide variety of animals, the nature and what not. (yeah...i'm still bitter about having to join the trip...can u tell? ;P)