Merdeka! Merdeka! Merdeka!

Happy 51-st Merdeka!

"Apa jua yang telah berlaku, sedang berlaku dan akan berlaku,

aku tetap seorang bangsa Malaysia di bumi Malaysia..."

Seringkali kita menyoal lantang apakah sumbangan negara kepada kita, tapi pernahkah kita berbisik kepada diri apakah yang kita sumbangkan kepada negara?...hemmm

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Berjaya Hills @ Bukit Tinggi

A re-visit trip. Can you imagine been there on CNY holiday? Yeah! really... no kidding!... My office closed for almost a week (+ weekend) and I had no plan of going anywhere. It was a last minute decision and fortunately managed to get a room (last room!)...considered very lucky yet have no option instead have to take the last available room. Coudn't recall what room was it but it costs me RM300/nite. Huh! never mind lah, at least I could go somewhere to chill out :-P

Crowded? Not really but super crowded..yeah...There were many local and tourist mostly from Taiwan. Driving up to Bukit Tinggi was smooth & easy and it took about 45minutes-1hr from KL. Check-in was really damn slow due to many guest and they were shorthanded. Only 2 staff on duty for check-in & check-out counter on public holiday!...hemmmm...*weird* :-O

Nothing much you can do here except enjoying nature relaxation away from busy life and experience a France Village theme holiday but it's totally wonderful for children! Berjaya Hills offers few interesting places to explore like Japanese Village, Botanical Garden, Rabbit Park, Deer Sanctuary, Horse Trail, Kid Clubs, happening street & stage performances and etc.

From clockwise: Bathroom with bath tub - restaurant - main transportation within the resort - Room with poster bed with net curtain (quite old & worn out furniture they have)

Japanese Village - Here you could rental a kimono for 15minutes @ RM25/person for your personal photoshoot

Botanical Garden - Beautiful tropical garden. Great for picnic!

Horse Trail

I had a horse ride here. The horse's name is Felicia. She is so pretty!

Moat with Resident Swans

Gorgeous white & black swans floating & swimming freely in the moat.

Rabbit Park

Pity all those rabbits. They are suffering from the VERY NAUGHTY kids and irresponsible parents who never bother their children chasing, kicking and hitting the poor rabbits.

See the cat? so cute & fat (for a stray cat) but not really friendly :-(

maybe she's too scared of people

Koi Pond welcomes you at the Japanese Village

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Having A Cat As a Pet?

I'm not sure how some people are so against or do not like cat. I've witnessed few moments where adults and kids chasing and kicking (stray) cat...Huh! so uncivilized! :-P Cat does not speak and think but on the other side they are brilliantly smart & adorable on their way.

Having a cat as a pet is definitely pleasure & fun. Research has shown that petting a cat can lower your levels of stress and build tone of loves within yourself. I would certainly recommend other people to give a cat a home as they give you no trouble at all yet uncounted fun & entertainment to the household.

Some people may concern about having too many cats as they can multiply fast & easy within years, or maybe worry about pooh and wee on the floor or sofa. Deciding having a cat especially a resident cat will need your commitment, love & time. Here, I'm glad to share few tips & experience of mine of having this wonderful feline in my life.

Firstly, you need to prepare cat basic needs like cat's bed, litter tray, food & water bowls and perhaps some toys to keep them playful :) Normally, cat requires meal twice a day, in the morning and late afternoon. But no harm to leave the bowl loaded with food so they can eat anytime they want and please ensure the fresh & clean water (tap water is good enough) is accessible easily all the time if you don't want them end up drinking toilet water..hahahaha


For example I'm feeding my cat Royale Canin dry food for Indoor cat as this will control the odour since she is a totally resident cat that does not walk outside. I don't feed my cat with any household or junk food and believe or not my cat doesn’t like fish but crazy about cheese! As a treat I give her anchovies especially to bribe her out from the kitchen.Cat sleeps at least 13-16hrs/day most of it in day time and stay awake in night time. It’s good if you can prepare a cat’s bed. Currently, my cat has 4 different beds. 1 in the living hall for her to chill out, 1 specialized for boarding or travel & another 2 placed in her room for bedtime.

It is easy to train cat to pooh or wee. They are fast learner. What you have to do is fill the litter tray with litter sand (preferably clumping & scented type) and they will certainly help themselves. Normally cat pooh only once and wee at least twice a day but it depends though :-)

Taking cat for traveling? Not a problem. What you need is a carrier, the easiest way to transfer cat from one place to another. My cat loves car ride. She likes watching other cars go by. Previously I do let her roams loose in the car but not anymore ever since they car's interior has been fully changed to leather.

If I’m taking her for a long distance/out station trip, I’ll make sure to stop few times and let her out for stretching and relaxing. But must put her harness & leash on as I don’t trust my cat anymore since the escape episode but she never bother to drink or eat as she’s too curious looking around.

Unfortunately, sometimes I have to send my cat for boarding (@ petshop) if I travel to oversea or on vacation. It costs me a lot! RM15/nite and could you imagine for 6-7 days? Hemmm...Never thought to leave her to relatives or friends as I don't want to trouble anyone :-)

Hey! Cat does vomit, cough, sneeze, yawn & fart (hahaha...sound funny rite?). They are just like us. They do fall sick as well. To avoid this, cat needs to be vaccinated and taking some vitamin. It is impractical to recommend a standard vaccination protocol for all cats. A vaccine risk assessment should be performed yearly for all cats, and each cat’s individual needs evaluated.

As in my previous post, cat needs to eat grass once in a while to help them vomit up hairballs & to relieve stomach ache. But be careful if you give your cat grass from lawns, fields, under hedgerows etc. The grass could contain weedkiller or other chemicals that could be poisonous.

If you love cat, PLEASE spay or neuter your cat as this will help to control producing stray or neglected cats. An average cat has 1-8 kittens per litter, and 2-3 litters per year. During her productive life, one female cat could have more than 100 kittens! Wow!

It is an easy process and cheap if you go to government vet clinic. I had my cat neutered 4yrs ago at DBKL vet @ only RM50 (it covers the surgery, medicine & 3 days diet food). Another thing to consider, because of cat’s unquenchable curiosity, you need to keep attic or basement doors, windows etc. closed so that your cat cannot wander into dangerous territories, like what had happened to my cat. She escaped from the kitchen balcony and went missing for 3 days! Huhuuhuu..and she also fell from 4th floor but survived...hemmm…strong baby :-P

Cat is a clean animal. They are normally fastidious about their fur and spend countless hours licking and cleaning themselves. To clean itself, a cat uses its raspy tongue to comb out dirt particles and dead hair. Since a cat cannot reach all of its fur with its tongue, it first licks its paw and rubs the fur with the moistened paw. The cat will usually clean its paws last.

Even so, it's a good idea to brush your cat, especially if it is one of the long-haired breed, in order to help keep them clean and free from loose fur. Many people are wrong by thinking that cat requires bath frequently like dog. No, they aren’t. Anyhow, a bath in 3-4 months once will refresh your cat and help them feel good & gorgeous.

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I've got a bunch of pretty flowers!

"Somebody made a mistake...tried to fix it...

sent me my favourite to get credit

Stargazer, Casablanca, Deep Red Roses & Eustoma seem fit

my oh my...you did & you've got it!" :-)

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Dinner @ Ole Ole Bali

I have no workout today. Obviously I’m a bit free after work. Called up Kaktah and we started brainstorming where we should go for jalan-jalan & mamam..huh? come on..it's friday!
KL? No..no…jam! 1U? pretty normal...the Curve? No..no..been there 3-4 times a week...”cemuih”, Gardens? emmmm..(thinking) Isetan sale almost finish…no money :-P
HA!!! Sunway Pyramid…yeah..good choice. It’s been ages never been there. As I could recall it was 6 months ago since my last visit.




Then, came along the problem..where to eat? Huh? Another brainstorming..finally we decided to have dinner at “Ole-Ole Bali”. It was 8pm.Guess what? The restaurant was full house and we had to Q for a table…goshhhh! Must be nice food inside there (we thought). The deco is definitely great and wonderful. Purely Balinese. We don’t mind to wait since nothing to rush for.

While waiting, we placed the order and waited for almost 15 minutes :-P
There are Balinese and western food on the menu and we realized almost everybody eating the same dish. Wonder what it was. Here they have 3 types of seating – outdoor (western seating), indoor (western seating) & indoor (floor seating).

Finally it was our turn. Yeah! we got the floor seating with low table on the platform with cushions and pillows. Very comfy and homy but need to take off shoes though.

Both of us ordered Nasi Campur Ole-Ole @ RM33/set (chicken/beef) and very refreshing drink Barley Lime @ RM5/glass or RM15/jug.



Serving was fast. Wow! Looking at the meal make me miss Bali obviously Ubud so much. The meal served in a very big portion and it have variety of dishes including sate lilit. It was so tasty and delicious. No wonder almost everybody eating it.

I like the sate lilit as it was creatively presented. The mixed mince meat was wrapped around a stick of lemongrass instead of bamboo stick. So brilliant! never thought of it. It was grilled & the lemongrass produces a very lovely fragrant.

Overall RM33/serving is definitely worth it in a delightful ambiance.

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English Afternoon Tea @ Carcosa Seri Negara

Afternoon tea is a light meal typically eaten between 3pm and 5pm. It originated in the UK, though various places that used to be part of the former British Empire also have such a meal.

Traditionally, loose tea would be served in a teapot with milk and sugar. This would be accompanied by various sandwiches like thinly sliced cucumber, smoked salmon and egg mayonnaise and mustard cress, scones with butter, clotted cream and jam and a selection of cakes and pastries. The food would be often served in a tiered stand.




While afternoon tea used to be an everyday event, nowadays it is more likely to be taken as a treat in a hotel, café or tea shop.

Here in Malaysia you could enjoy this experience at few hotels at Cameron Highland like Cameron Highland Resort, Bala’s Chalet & etc, Winter Warmers @ the Curve or selected hotel in Klang Valley.

Last Saturday, I indulged myself with an English Afternoon Tea (EAT)@ Carcosa Seri Negara. Fuh! Lovely…personally I love every little thing about English especially English countryside.

I decorated my home in English style, english curtains, bedsheet, table clothes and England is definitely my dream destination...(hemm..ntah bila dapat p :-) ..too far & $$$, so I have to bring it closer to me :-)

It was a sudden thought and never done an earlier reservation at the Drawing Room, I called up to reserve on Saturday itself and end up KakTah & me sat at the verandah overlooking the garden. Still awesome but sitting inside is much much better and it requires at least 1-2 weeks reservation especially on weekend.

The EAT is held everyday at Drawing Room from 3-5pm @ RM60/pax. Hemmm… extremely expensive for a cup of coffee and scones but the delightful feeling and the retaurant’s ambiance is absolutely gorgeous and wonderful. It was actually a mansion built in 1904 as the official residence of the British representative to Malay states and restored to its former glory into a 5star luxury boutique hotel.

From the first step into this restaurant you will be assisted all the way up to the end. Don’t even care to pour your own tea. It is a set afternoon tea started with your choice of tea (I prefer English Breakfast Tea) and a selection of thinly sliced sandwiches, cakes & pastries followed by warm scones with butter, cream & jam and end up with fresh strawberries with cream.

Come on..take a little private time to treat yourself in a different style :-)

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the Aryani, Terengganu

Because of the location exactly at the roadside opposite the Petronas station @ Merang, (where I used to stop every time on the way to Besut) it makes me think that one day why not to give a try check in at this resort.
Finally I did.

This resort own by an amazing and wellknown architect Raja Bahrain. The entire resort was beautifully designed, planned and it blends harmoniously amidst a charming fishing village and coconut grove. Located on the secluded coast of Merang this classical Malay Architecture inspired by the Sultan’s palace of ancient days. The Aryani offers 20 pleasant villas within lush and beautiful garden and walking distance to its private beach. Frangipani & beach palm trees were nicely planted in between villas, pool and restaurant.
All villas have balcony or terrace and come with outdoor open sunken bathtub to give a touch of romance and relaxing.

It was end of the year and monsoon season in East Coast states. So, the resort is extremely quite, peace & less people. The sea current started to become strong. The waves crashed on the shore loud & noise. The sea breeze blew heavily carrying the lovely ocean smell. It was totally great and I never care that I couldn’t swim at the beach at all. Probably because I was only looking for relaxation and tranquility.

Inclusive in my package was 1.5hrs traditional full body massage & scrub at Heritage Spa. The treatment was done in a private room in typical Malay old house overlooking the sea and end up with fantastic floral jacuzzi at the outdoor courtyard. Wow! Felt like Tun Teja for a moment :-P

Meals provided served in ala carte. Good food. I love the Nasi Dagang. Tasty and uniquely presented. Every morning, after breakfast I had a delightful morning beachwalk & laid down at the pool gazebo or just hanged out under the shady tree at the beach reading my story book. Once a while few local kids from nearby fishing village passed by the area laughing out loud and chasing each other...another bright sunny day to enjoy.
Realized that I were too lazy to walk to the restaurant for lunch, I just rang and got them to deliver my yummy "Aryani Fried Mee" and a glass of watermelon juice straight away to the beach:-) Huh! Fantastic and awesome! Hemmm…what a day.. wish this could happen everday :-P

There is no nightlife here unless you drive out to the nearest town or to KT. But it wasn’t a big deal for me. A lovely evening stroll on the beach after dinner was definitely wonderful to wrap up my serene beach day. Tomorrow will be another great day ...

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Choy Sum & Mushroom with Oyster Sauce

Ingredients:

• 1 bunch Choy Sum
• 1 bowl oyster mushroom
• 2 Shallots, 3 cloves garlic & dried shrimp (pounded)
• 2TS oyster sauce
• 1TS soy sauce
• 1TS fish Sauce
• 4TS water
• Sugar to taste
• Method:

1. Fill a pot with water and bring to boil.
2. Stir in vegetable oil, add choy sum and simmer until it is bright green and tender – about 1 minute.
3. Remove choy sum from water and place on a serving plate.
4. Heat the frying pan and stir fry pounded ingredients until golden brown
5. Add mushroom and fry for 2 minutes
6. Add oyster sauce, soy sauce, fish sauce, water & sugar and leave to simmer
7. Finally, carefully pour over choy sum and garnish with sliced red chilli

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Gulai Ketam

It was Sunday. Day to wake up late from bed. It was almost 11am and suddenly..."Ting Tong!" then kucinn hitam starts meowing..meowing & meowing..."lar sapa pulak nih?"  It was cikkiah with a bag of fresh crabs & pineapple! Surprise!

Aha! she wanted me to cook crab curry for her. Aiyoo!....well.. as a 'good cook' of course I cooked for her :)


Ingredients

• Crabs
• Shallots (pounded)
• Garlic (pounded)
• Curry leaves
• 1 stalk lemon grass (bashed)
• Pineapple (skinned & sliced)
• Curry paste (mix with 3 TS blended onion + 1 TS chilli paste)
• Coconut milk
• Salt to taste

Method

1. Heat the oil in a pot and fry pounded ingredients & curry leaves until golden brown & fragrant
2. Add curry paste & lemon grass. Stir thoroughly until almost dry
3. Add crab pieces and stir fry for a few minutes
4. Add coconut milk & salt. Leave to simmer
5. Add pineapple and lower the heat and cook for 5-6 minutes
6. Add bird chilies to garnish
7. Crab curry is ready!

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Escaping to Perhentian Island

A great beach get away! Perhentian Island consist of Perhentian Besar & Perhentian Kecil. Located at Besut Terengganu about 8hrs drive from KL via new East Coast Expressway (ECH). To get to the island you must take 1hr boat ride @ RM40/way.

Every year, I' ll try to arrange at least 1 beach vacation preferebly at any islands @ Terengganu. Ever since ECH was completed about 3yrs ago, driving to Terengganu has become a lot more easier. From the last exit @ Gambang, just continue driving via coastal road passing KT untill Besut. Personally, I prefer self drive rather than flying to KT since it make my holiday more interesting. I could stop at anywhere I wish for coconut drinks & local food and there are numbers of nice kampung stalls lying at the roadside along the road.

Because of the distance (>550km), I reached Besut at about 5pm and definitely there is no more boat scheduled to Perhentian at that time. In order to catch next day morning boat (9am), I need to check in @ Besut. Huh! nightmare! Besut has no good hotel and I had to force myself taking bath and fortunately because of too tired, I went to bed quite easy...

My chalet

Spacious interior

My chalet view

I've decided to stay @ Perhentian Island Resort (PIR) at Pulau Perhentian Besar after found that it was the best package, clean & comfy. My package was 4D3N fullboard @ Semi Suite Chalet overlooking ocean @ RM750/pax.
The chalet is very spacious with clean bathroom and great view. Other than seaview chalet, PIR also has garden and pool view chalet which located further behind.

The beach? Wow! the best beach at Perhentian Besar. White sandy beaches. Warm crystal clear blue sea and picturesque scenery. PIR has a jetty with awesome beach backdrop! gorgeous!!! Perfect for your holiday photo and sometimes used for wedding photo shoot..so sweet.

Nitelife on the island is definitely zero. But some resorts do provide lousy noisy karaoke until midnite. Come on. Who need entertainment during beach holiday? It’s a place to rest & relax and appreciate the beautiful nature not for a disco or cheap karaoke where we can have it in the city? The best thing to do is - lying on the beach bench enjoying million of stars in the sky and hearing lovely ocean waves singing to your ears...perhaps with a cup of hot coffee? Great!

Unfortunately, during my check-in there was a group of elderly from Taiwan. Almost 50 of them..Another nightmare..Meal times turn onto very lousy experience. Gosh! That was what I’m trying to avoid.. ‘Large Group Check-In’. Luckily they checked-out on my 2nd day and everything back to normal.

Snorkeling @ Perhentian was superb!!! Bright & colourful marine life. You don’t have to go far, just play around at the jetty area..wow! It’s time for fish feeding. I brought 2packs of bread purposely for this occasion. It was so fun!

Grab your flipflops, pario, hat and sunblock and head to the beach now! Perhentian is definitely a real stop island!

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