Books/Novels (2011)

Books/Novels that I've read in 2011:

1. Paradise - Judith McNaught - The intro is a bit slow and lengthy, but once it's started you just cannot seems to stop - SOLD
   
2. Years of living scandalously - Julia London
3. Mad about the duke - Elizabeth Boyle
4. First Lady - Susan Elizabeth Phillips
5. Remember When - Judith McNaught
   
6. Ain't She Sweet - Susan Elizabeth Phillips
7. Glitters Baby - Susan Elizabeth Phillips
8. Slightly Married - Mary Balogh
9. Until You - Judith McNaught
   

Trip to Singapore (2011)

Day 1:
Ez link sgd30 each
SingTel sgd18
Bugis junction

Day 2:
Underwater world, Sentosa
G2000, Raffles city sgd89
Robinsons, Raffles city sgd55

Day 3:
Carrefour, Suntec sgd5.50
Cotton on kids, orchard sgd21.90
Coffee Bean, Merlion park sgd16.90

Day 4:
Changi Airport sgd13.65

Hotels - RM1353.90

Flight tickets

Singapore Tourist Pass (EZ Link)

• The Singapore Tourist Pass is the only pass that offers tourists unlimited rides on Singapore’s public transport system which includes the MRT, LRT and basic bus services.
• The Singapore Tourist Pass is available at an introductory price of S$8 per day and comes with 3 options of a 1-Day, 2-Day or 3-Day pass.
• Passes bought or issued in Singapore at authorised sales counters come with a rental deposit of S$10 which is refundable, so long as the card is returned within 5 days of issuance.
• Pass is available at Changi Airport

Click here for more info

Christmas 2011 - The preparation

Biscuits:
- Popia Nestum - done
- Pineapple tart (from India Street) - bought

Cakes:
- American midnight (from Sino Amoi) - ordered

Shopping:
Everrise, MJC - RM66.10
Cosway - RM79
Parkson, Spring - RM72.25
Ta Kiong - RM93.95
Unaco - RM25
Tun Jugah - RM37.73
Boulevard - RM250

Christmas' Present for:

1. Ben?
2. Ann?
3. Amoi?
4. El?
5. Ning Nong - 17 dec
   
6. Owen - 16 dec
7. Eric - 16 dec
8. Olivia - 17 dec
9. Jasmine - 17 dec
10. Ashley - 17 dec
11. Jenson - 17 dec
12. Sumo - 17 dec
13. Celesty - 17 dec
14. Kaka - 17 dec
15. Eugene - 17 dec
16. Emmett - 17 dec

Merry Christmas everyone.

Laksa Sarawak @ Tar Zen

Had a bowl of Laksa Sarawak @ Tar zen cafe.

Now it's time to continue my Christmas' shopping.

Cucur Pisang @ Carpenter Street

Sweet and tasty cucur pisang @ Carpenter Street

cost - 50 cent each

Emmett @ 2 years n 4 months

Had the worst 4-days fever.

New words:

1. Pomputer (Computer)
2. Intonet (Internet)
3. Jombie (Plants vs Zombie)
4. Abing (Driving)
5. Throw Angi bird
6. Simiming (Swimming)

Can sing along to..

1. Jingle bells


2. We wish you, a Merry Christmas..


3. 1 little 2 little 3..


4. Happy Birthday

Fav food:

1. Baby corn


2. Ice cream

Fav toy:

1. Angry bird

Fullhouse Cafe

At cute place to hang out at..
Fullhouse cafe @ the Hills.
*esp for K-pop lover

Ice Lemon Tea

Grilled Dory with mushroom sauce + mashed potato

mini tiramisu - RM2.50 + mushroom soup
Total cost: RM20.++

Business writing skills

9 Things That Motivate Employees More Than Money

Don't show 'em the money (even if you have it). Here are nine better ways to boost morale.

1. Be generous with praise.
2. Get rid of the managers. Projects without project managers? That doesn’t seem right! Try it. Removing the project lead or supervisor and empowering your staff to work together as a team rather then everyone reporting to one individual can do wonders.
3. Make your ideas theirs. People hate being told what to do. Instead of telling people what you want done; ask them in a way that will make them feel like they came up with the idea. “I’d like you to do it this way” turns into “Do you think it’s a good idea if we do it this way?”
4. Never criticize or correct. No one, and I mean no one, wants to hear that they did something wrong. If you’re looking for a de-motivator, this is it. Try an indirect approach to get people to improve, learn from their mistakes, and fix them. Ask, “Was that the best way to approach the problem? Why not? Have any ideas on what you could have done differently?” Then you’re having a conversation and talking through solutions, not pointing a finger.
5. Make everyone a leader. Highlight your top performers’ strengths and let them know that because of their excellence, you want them to be the example for others. You’ll set the bar high and they’ll be motivated to live up to their reputation as a leader.
6. Take an employee to lunch once a week. Surprise them.
7. Give recognition and small rewards. These two things come in many forms: Give a shout out to someone in a company meeting for what she has accomplished. Run contests or internal games and keep track of the results on a whiteboard that everyone can see. Tangible awards that don’t break the bank can work too. Try things like dinner, trophies, spa services, and plaques.
8. Throw company parties. Doing things as a group can go a long way. Have a company picnic. Organize birthday parties. Hold a happy hour.
   
9. Share the rewards—and the pain. When your company does well, celebrate. This is the best time to let everyone know that you’re thankful for their hard work. Go out of your way to show how far you will go when people help your company succeed. If there are disappointments, share those too. If you expect high performance, your team deserves to know where the company stands. Be honest and transparent.

More info here.

Lunch, the Orang Ulu style

Traditional Kelabit food:
Labo Belatuh (Smoked fish and pork meat)
Pumpkin
Tapioca leaves
Daun labu
Fish soup

Pulut goreng - 50 cent each

Approaching mid-30's

Semenjak umur semakin mendekati pertengahan 30-an ini,
saya rasa ada beberapa perubahan yang berlaku ke atas diri saya.

1. KFC, Pizza Hut n McDonald sudah tidak begitu menarik lagi.

2. Hawker food centre yang agak 'gelap' lantainya dah kurang menyelerakan, contoh seperti di Hui Sing dan BDC, dulu tempat-tempat inilah yang menjadi tempat favourite. Tapi satay Hui Sing and air matterhorn nya still the best in Kuching!

3. Dislike hotels with small restroom and cannot tahan rooms without window.

4. Awareness on beneficial food.

Eugene K1 Assessment Test

Eugene's end of the year assessment test result:
Mandarin - 74%
English - 78%
Math - 82%
B.M - 88%

Below is his mid year assessment result, which was supposed to be posted in May 2011, but it stayed in my draft all this while:

Mandarin - 55%
B.M - 56%
English - 70%
Math - 86%

In My Kitchen #6

Chicken soup and Salmon

Ikan kembung masin

Chives + baby corn + egg = Eugene & Emmett's favourite

Talapia merah goreng

last but not least..
Cucur pisang...lagi hangus lagi best.

Bishopsgate Noodle

The very famous kolo mee at Bishopsgate, Carpenter Street.
Kalau lama tak makan, pasti akan terkenang-kenang.

Inilah dia kolo mee Bishopsgate yang berharga RM6.50

Missing..Bakelalan

Merindui ketenangan di sana...

Merarap Hotspring Pt.3

Di sinilah terletaknya Merarap Hotspring Lodge di dalam peta Sarawak.
Perjalanan melalui jalan balak selama 1 jam setengah dari pekan Lawas,
atau dari Bakelalan selama 4-5 jam.

Buat masa ini, telephone coverage sini, line Celcom and Maxis dalam 1 bar gitu,
itu pun sekejap ada sekejap hilang, mengikut keadaan angin dan cuaca.

Logde ini dibina betul-betul di tepi sungai,
masa kami di sana, sungai mengalir agak deras sebab hujan lebat yang baru saja berhenti.
Seperti yang anda dapat lihat, air sungai sini agak keruh.
Keadaan ini disebabkan oleh project pembinaan taip penghantaran LNG dari Sabah ke Bintulu.

See Merarap Hotspring Pt.2

Aizat - Sungai Lui

Tengah melayan kesayuan bersama 'Aizat - Sungai Lui'

Pejamkan matamu untukku
Dengarlah dunia berkata-kata
Usah kau ragu di sini tempatmu
Walau berubah di mata kita tetap indah
Selagi kau masih percaya

Ketawa kecewa terpisah
Jalan yang lurus kian berhalang
Adakah semua ini yang ku inginkan
Ataupun hanya mengejar dunia semata-mata
Ku harap ku masih percaya

Adakah semua ini yang ku inginkan
Ataupun hanya mengejar dunia semata-mata
Ku harap kau masih percaya

Buka matamu
Biar aku memelukmu
Kita bersama masih muda masih mentah
Ku harap kau masih percaya

Selama ini selama ini
Selama ini selama ini
Selama ini selama ini
Selama ini

Merarap Hotsping - the Lodge

Accomodation disini amat memuaskan, bersih dengan washroom yang luas; bilik kami sharing 3 orang.

Tiada air-con, standing fan disediakan, tapi jangan risau, tempat ni memang sejuk.
Kipas tu jarang digunakan.

Merarap Hotspring Lodge Pt.2

Things to do at Merarap Hotspring Lodge..

• Get closer to nature.
• Enjoy the surrounding at the same time enjoy the nice cold weather.
• Enjoy beautiful scenery along the long and winding road on a 4 wheel drive from Bakelalan to Merarap Hot Spring.
• Take a dip in the lukewarm water in the pools.
• A great place to relax and rejuvenate your body and mind. Do bring along your reading material; here you can rest and read comfortably at the common area while listening to the sound of the stream nearby.
• At night, you can have barbeque; the barbeque pit is available at the lodge.

See Merarap Hotspring Pt.1

* More info at www.sarawaktourism.com

Emmett @ 2 years n 3 months

What's happening in the month...

- Had his final pneumococcal jab on last saturday, cost RM230
- Still very much in love with Angry bird ( he calls it Angy bird)
- Can sing '1 little 2 little 3 little tinger... '
- Cheekier than ever
- Weight +/-12kg

Fav song: yang diciplak
- Ay ay ay, Ay ay ay...ne ne ne over monyet (by Pitbull Ft. Marc Anthony – Rain Over Me)
- Lagi best! o o o! (by Perodua Myvi)

Motorcycle

Our conversation this morning, while on the way to Eugene's kindy.
The weather is nice and cold this morning, so I just switched off the air-con and pull down the window.

Eugene: I have something to ask you.
Mummy: Yes.
Eugene: Motorcycle got air-con or not?
Mummy: No.
Eugene: So they use 'angin' only la?
Mummy: Yes.
Eugene: ooo..sambil anguk kepala.

Other time he asked me about the sun, the moon, and the earth.
His fav question, 'Why is the Sun following me?!' Masa dia tengah marah sebab mata dia silau dalam kereta. Anybody knows what is the best answer to this question? I wish they have Science subject in Kindy :D

Conan the Barbarian (2011)

Cerita ni pun best juga. Ganas.
Tapi kan...banyak sangat pompuan topless pulak dah..
Patut la kena ban.

Immortals (2011)

Boleh tahan juga cerita ni.

Aksi memang ganas, patut la kanak-kanak tak dibenarkan masuk.
Tapi jalan cerita macam ada yang ter-kurang je.

Dalam cerita ni, ada lagi si Freida Pinto.
Selepas Slumdog Millionaire, dah semakin banyak pulak dia berlakon dalam hollywood movie,
baru je lepas tengok dia dalam Rise of the Planet of the Apes (2011) hari tu.
Pastu selalu pegang pulak watak utama, kira heroin gak la.
Suka tengok dia berlakon, cantik and tak over acting gitu..

Cantik kan?!

Merarap Hotspring Pt.1

Setelah 5 jam perjalanan melalui jalan balak yang berlopak serta berliku, akhirnya kami sampai ke Merarap Hotspring Lodge.
Tempat ini ibarat surga yang tersembunyi di sebalik hutan belantara.
Keindahan tempat ni bisa memukau mata memandang.
Derusan sungai yang mengalir deras di sebelah lodge juga amat mengasyikkan.

Semasa kami sampai, cuaca mendung dengan hujan renyai-renyai.
Dengan cuaca yang sejuk sebegini, kami mengambil peluang untuk memanaskan badan dalam kolam air panas yang disediakan..ohh..sungguh segar.

Pada waktu malam, benda yang paling saya suka ialah..
bersantai di 'common area' sambil membaca novel sambil bertemankan derusan air sungai,
memang heaven...

to be cont..Part 2

All Soul

R.I.P

Christmas deco @ Boulevard

Surprise! Christmas deco is up now at Boulevard shopping mall, Kuching.
Which reminds me, I need to get the approval for my Christmas holiday done. Yeeha.

Ba’Kelalan Natural Organic Food & Wellness Trail

What to do in Bakelalan?

Experience the lifestyle of the Lun Bawang community with Homestay program.

Jungle trekking to Long Kumap Salt Spring, and experience the cold and clean water in the stream along the way.

Explore Bakelalan surroundings by visiting the rice fields, apple farms & the organic research farm.

Experience the adventure by taking the 5 hours drive on a 4WD to Merarap Hot Spring along the bumpy logging road and don’t forget to enjoy the beautiful scenery along the ways.

A quick stop at the Buduk Bui Salt Spring which is about 1 hour drive from Bakelalan, and take a short stroll to the Salt Spring.

Along the way, you will pass by a few kampungs, among them are Long Langai, Long Ritan, Long Rusu, Buduk Bui, Long Rangat, Buduk Aru and lastly Long Ubau.

You will also come across a Spring water just by the road side where you can take a sip of the cool and refreshing water from the mountain.

Just sit back, relax and enjoy!

Malaysia Borneo

Kuching, Sarawak
Population : 658,549
Area: 431.01km
Established: 1827
Distance from KL: 977km

Kota Kinabalu, Sabah
Population : 617,972
Area: 351km
Established: 1882
Distance from KL: 1,624km

source: Senses of Malaysia, June 2011

Bunga Apple

Bunga Apple @ Ba'kelalan

Cantik kan? Macam bunga sakura.
Bila la ada peluang nak tengok bunga sakura yang real?

Trip to Ba'kelalan & Merarap

*This is just a rough figure, might differ from time to time..

Transportation:
Flight tickets Kuching -> Miri -> Kuching - RM818
Flight tickets Miri ->Bakelalan -> Lawas -> Miri - RM194
Hotel Seri Malaysia -> Lawas Airport - RM12
4WD - RM1200

Accommodation:
Mega Hotel, Miri - RM174
Homestay, Bakelalan - RM50 (exclude breakfast - RM5, lunch and dinner - RM20 each)
Merarap Hot Spring - RM60 (include breakfast)
Hotel Seri Malaysia, Lawas - RM120

Travelling gear:
Xlite backpack + water proof pouch + raincoat = RM320.+

Other essentials:
Energy bar
Nips

**sekarang dah tau dah nak beli travelling gear kat mana di Kuching ni, dulu asyik teringat Pertama Complex je.

Q&A:
I'm looking forward to Ba'kelalan Apple Festival in April this year.
Apple Festival is the best time to visit Bakelalan, but make sure you book your accomodation and transportation in advance during that season Bakelalan will be very pack with limited no. of Homestays there. Even your flight tickets need to be arranged much earlier.

may I ask you a few questions? :)
1) kitak pakei tour or pakej kah ms di ba'kelalan ariya. ke backpacking or jln2 sendiri?
One of my colleague is from Bakelalan, so he helps to arrange our trip.
Mostly jalan-jalan sendiri je.

2) 4wd di atas, is it for one way or return? from lawas kan? the price rm1200 for one person or for one transport? did u use twin otter directly from miri to ba'kelanan and going back from ba'kelalan to lawas by 4wd or vice versa?
4WD tu for 1 way from Bakelalan - Merarap - Lawas.
RM1200 is for 1 whole transport which can feed around 6 pax, if per person ride normally cost around RM100 per pax.
We took twin otter from Miri and a 15 minutes stop at Lawas, then take off to Bekelalan. No direct flight to Bakelalan at the moment. From Bakelalan we took 4WD to Merarap then to Lawas.
From Lawas we took twin otter back to Miri.

3) do u have any links or posts that i can refer to?
All my posts on the trip are here:
http://ez-photo.blogspot.com/search/label/Miri-Limbang

In Time (2011)

Buang masa betul la tengok cerita ni!
Sungguh tertipu dengan kehandsoman Justin Timberlake.
Apa la punya skrip, jalan cerita pun macam poyo;
idea ada tapi tak cukup research la..
Rasanya Justin Timberlake ni memang tak sesuai juga nak jadi hero,
kalau setakat supporting dapat kot macam dalam cerita facebook tu.

Ba'kelalan Apples

Ba'kelalan is famous for its apples,
which make it the best time to travel here would be in April and September every year for the harvesting festival.


When we were there last week, we just missed the harvesting season by a few days,
only the small size (rejected) apples were left for us.
Nonetheless, we managed to taste the sweetness of these famous Ba'kelalan Apples.
There are variety of apples here, among them are Manalagi and Rome Beauty.

Bunga durian

Pokok durian yang tengah berbunga di Ba'kelalan.
Kalau digoreng dengan ikan bilis dan sedikit belacan ni pun sodap!

ohh Ba'kelalan

Welcome to Ba'kelalan!

Ba'kelalan, life is so peaceful there,
the air is so fresh, and water in the stream is oh so cool and clean..

Ba'kelalan is one of the most important Lun Bawang settlements in the northern highlands.
The village is connected to Lawas and Miri by air, and it is also possible to travel to Lawas via an old logging road. About 3-4 years ago, it used to take the villagers about 3 days journey just to get to Lawas town, now it takes about 5-6 hours drive along the bumpy logging road.
The distance is only about 150km, but the road condition is so bad, that you can only travel by 4x4 on it.

Ba'kelalan (Sarawak Divisions)

Ba'kelalan is in Lawas district, which belongs to Limbang division.

Sarawak presently has 11 divisions – Kuching, Samarahan, Sri Aman, Miri, Sibu, Bintulu, Sarikei, Betong, Mukah, Limbang and Kapit.

(angka menunjukkan keluasan dalam kilometer persegi):-

• Kapit 38,933.98
• Miri 26,777.07
• Bintulu 12,166.21
• Sibu 8,278.29
• Limbang 7,790.01
• Mukah 6,997.61
• Sri Aman 5,466.25
• Samarahan 4,967.45
• Kuching 4,559.55
• Sarikei 4,332.35
• Betong 4,180.74

Northern Region of Sarawak

Are you ready for the ultimate adventure of 2011?
Join me for the unforgettable journey to Ba'kelalan, Sarawak, where adventure lives.

We will start our adventure from Miri,
take the twin-otter plane to Ba'kelalan,
From Ba'kelalan we will get a special 4WD, travel along the rough timber road (our playground)
to get us to Merarap Hot Spring.
After a refreshing bath and enough rest at Merarap Resort, we will continue our journey along timber road again, this time to Lawas.
Finally from Lawas we will take another twin-otter plane back to Miri.

Here's how our journey looks like from the big picture.
And here's the zoom in map..
So stay tuned for more updates...

Real Steel (2011)

Last Sunday sempat bawa Eugene and Emmett tengok Real Steel.
Eugene punya la seronok, siap hentak-hentak kaki lagi setiap kali robot Atom berlawan,
dia takut Atom kalah.

Ada sesuatu yang kurang dalam poster cerita ni,
gambar budak tu - Max Kenton (Dakota Goyo)
Rasa nya budak ni juga antara penyebab kenapa cerita ni sangat best.
Dakota Goyo ni dilahirkan di Toronto, Canada; patutla dia hebat menari ala Justin Bieber gituu..
oh ya, budak ni juga ada berlakon dalam cerita Thor,
dialah Thor masa muda tu.

Ok enough said, just go and watch :)

Emmett @ 2 years 2 months

His new sentences/words...

1. Mak wat tik bih. (Don't be like that)
2. Pitoi (pistol)
3. Botoi (botol)
3. Cocodile (crocodile)

4. Mummy, jak duduk datik (Mummy, come and sit here)

*Selalu nyer kalau dia guna babytalk, cuma Eugene jer yang faham, so Mummy akan minta Eugene tolong translate-kan.

*Other delevopment, we have introduced potty training to him.

*Fav game is still Angry Bird

*Night sleeping pattern is getting better, hopefully will improve further :)
*perkataan yang nya masih confuse: terbalik = ottok balik (kita balik)

Dapo cafe

After searching hi and low..
akhirnya jumpa juga tempat yang ada menjual nasi dagang yang boleh la tahan..
iaitu di Dapo cafe, Satok.

Nasi dagang ni berharga RM5, kalau nak yang special ada jugak RM8, ikannyer besar la skit kot.

Yang ni nasi ayam penyet RM7,
tapi masih tak dapat melawan kehebatan nasi ayam penyet di Rumah Hijau cafe, Satok.

Selain daripada 2 menu ini,
Dapo cafe juga ada menjual ayam percik ...ok-ok je,
kuih jala dengan kuah kari ...sedap,
dan nasi kerabu ...tak minat sangat.

Li Garden Restaurant 2011

Happy 13th Anniversary to my sister and BIL.

On that special day, we were treated with a special lunch at Li Garden, Hock Lee Centre.
Here are some of the dishes that I managed to capture ...in between handling my super clingy Emmett.

Soup

White pomfret with vege

Prawn..sedap

Peking duck

Duck with XO sauce

the foods...

the family..

and the most special dish is the cold dish, served in a bot-style plate, tapi tak sempat ambil gambar sebab sedap sangat.
Once again thank you very much sis :)