Island Getaway

We're leaving for a short island holiday tomorrow night. Our destination - Perhentian!

Both SK and I have never been there before so we're kindda excited. Apparently, almost all the people I've spoken to claimed that it's far better than Redang and Lang Tengah, and I do so love both those islands.

I've been to Redang twice. First time was back in 2003/4 (can't remember), to Berjaya Redang with the ex-boyfriend. My second time was with SK where we stayed in Laguna.

I've also been to Lang Tengah twice, both times with SK. The first time was before we were officially dating so it was like a 'scandalous' getaway *naughty grin*. The second time was last year May, just after my stupid maid pulled her 'runaway' stunt.

Both islands were...ARE gorgeous, so for friends to tell me that Perhentian is way better, I really cannot wait to find out!

We've decided to take a drive there instead of flying, which is really fine by me cos I love long car trips. I even drove to Koh Samui once back in 2004. 15 hours drive non-stop except for meals and loved every single minute of it!

But this time, because of me being pregnant and having Renee with us, we'll be making a stop overnight at Kuala Terengganu before starting off for Kuala Besut jetty early next morning.

Bags are all packed and Renee is as excited as me, so we're just waiting to push off our journey!

Can't wait to have my tan back! Before motherhood, I used to be known as 'the girl with the permanent tan' cos Sk and I would go to the beach like every other weekend.

Hopefully, i get that 'title' back again!

A Lazy Sunday

After an eventful Saturday yesterday - eventful meaning me busy checking my Twitter and Facebook updates on the Bersih rally going on in town and surfing news channel to see if there were any coverage on electronic media as well, followed by a rushed Pasar Malam visit to tapow my favorite snacks and food and then another rushed dinner where Renee fell asleep halfway through with a mouthful of noodles, and then followed by a rushed grocery trip to Tesco *phew*, we decided to take it easy today and not do anything.

Well, not literally do nothing.

The hubby and daughter are outside right now, washing the cars while I'm inside attempting to copy the Rio movie and a few other videos onto my MacBook so that I can later sync it to my iPad. This is, of course, all for hoping that these movies and videos can keep Renee occupied during our long drive to the East Coast next week. 

I'm hoping I don't screw anything up on my laptop and ipad as well as the DVDs while attempting to do this 'copying'. It's my first time and I'm an IT idiot.

Anyways, while waiting for the files to copy, I've posted some pictures of dishes that I cooked over the pass month. 

We actually tried catered food for about a month, paying RM200 per month for 2 meat dishes, 1 vege dish a soup but after 2 weeks of eating it, we got bored. Same taste, same style of cooking....eeks. So we cancelled it and I had no choice but to start cooking at least twice a week because eating out is oh-so-expensive!

 'Black rice' - a mixture of vege, meat, rice and black sauce all cooked together

 Sour & spicy chicken gizzard with cucumber

 Baked marmite pork ribs

Home-made wantan noodles with stewed chicken feet and vege

Nothing spectacular la, I know, but coming from someone who couldn't even boil rice not too long ago, I take this as a vast improvement in my culinary skills.

I've even made chicken rice a few times and will be attempting to make my own Nasi Lemak this coming week. Hope it turns out yummy.

I never really know if the food I cook is yummy or not because hubby says everything is delicious. He has to. He don't have a choice. Else I mengamuk and stop cooking and we have to eat out every night....which is really fine by me. But not to him. So he'll have to continue loving the food I cook and I'll never find out if its really that yummy unless I have a party come over.

Maybe soon?

June '11

With this blog post, I hope that I can actively start blogging again - at least one post a week, if not one in two weeks?

Life has certainly been very busy for me, even with Renee spending most of the hours a day in daycare, I would have thought I would be able to have much more free time, but I guess I was wrong.

The more time you have on your hands, the more things you'll find that you have to do. Apart from trying to maintain a company, handle freelance writing jobs, keep the house clean and finding time for my own social life, I now also have to deal with the occasional morning sickness, nausea, body aches, hunger pangs - the oh so normal symptoms of a pregnant woman.

Yes, as of this week in July, I am already 19 weeks pregnant. But we're talking about the month of June here so let's move on.

Was almost 4 months pregnant in this pic

First week of June, I turned 31.

Godma threw a BBQ dinner for me and my cousin Chris (who's birthday was a day before mine) at her place and all I had to do was show up. Birthdays these days are not like how I used to have it anymore....unless I am willing to leave Renee with someone and go out and party. But I'm not. I'd rather stay home and have a boring birthday.

Towards the end of June, the three of us, hubby, Renee and I, decided to take a day trip down to Melaka because I was craving for their Sate Celup.

But instead of a 'day trip', we ended up arriving in Melaka only at 5pm!

Ya, blame it on the pregnant woman who didn't want to wake up earlier.

First pit stop was at the Melaka Zoo for Renee!

Seen here taken with the Mandrills

Renee had a blast!

She kept going on and on about wanting to see the monkeys, and the elephants, and the giraffes. Well, life was easy for her since she was carried most of the time where else I ALMOST FAINTED from the heat, the uphill-downhill walk and having to keep up an active conversation with her at the same time!

BUT I MADE IT!!!!!

And so, to reward myself....I had an eating spree!

First meal for the night was this!

Jonker Walk

Nasi Lemak. Assam Laksa. Nyonya Laksa. And Mango Cendol!

The Nasi Lemak was SK's. The rest was MINE!!! Hahahahaha!

So yummy!

After putting some food in my tummy, I wasn't so cranky anymore so we took a walk around Jonker Walk, bought snacks here and there to munch on, bought more knick-knacks for Renee to play with, bought some Angry Bird t-shirts for Renee and Zach and my Godson, Roy. Unfortunately, the shirt I bought for Zach was too small and the one I got for Roy was too big. But oh well, he can grow into it. And it was also because of this shirt that Roy called me 'Godma' for the first time!!!!

Not once but many many many times!!!

After Jonker Walk, we took a drive down to the Portugese Settlement for the St. Pedro Festival.

They had live performances going on on stage and the dancers were cheering on for people to join them and the music was soooooo loud the base was practically shaking my body up and down and I think the baby inside my tummy was dancing to it as well.

We stopped for our second meal of Portuguese Grilled Fish.

Actually, SK was't hungry but I really wanted to eat so he had no choice but to eat it with me, else I would not have been able to finish such a huge piece of fish. But then again, even with both of us eating, we still had to tapow half the fish home...so I had it for dinner the next day. Hahaha!

Right after that, we went for our Sate Celup.

The restaurant that we wanted to go to had a queue so freaking long that if we waited, we wouldn't be able to eat till the next morning, so we opted for the next best one...

Didn't satisfy my sate celup cravings though....but better than nothing. Gonna take another drive down one of these days to have the sate celup that I want.