Wednesday, December 29, 2010

Birthday Wishes.

This is not another birthday entry per say. Just something that I've been wanting to share. Totally forgot about it until Hubby brought the subject up. Hubby was feeling disappointed, a bit let down that none of his siblings (Kak Ngah, Dikjam & Awu) smsed him on his birthday.  Hubby was not expecting much here, just a birthday sms from his siblings. Hubby will always without fail sent personal birthday smses to his sister and brothers.

Kak Ngah and Awu (the 2nd & 4th siblings) did wish Hubby on his birthday, but via his Facebook wall. Dik Jam (the 3rd one) who claims he does not have a Facebook was the only sibling that did eventually sent Hubby a birthday sms, but a day later. (I guess it's better late than never, right?)

Yes, Hubby is constantly checking his Facebook but the birthday wishes that really matters to him are from the ones who actually took the trouble to call him up, or sms him. 

Thanks to the birthday reminder on Facebook, you can be certain that you'll receive tons of birthday wishes on your Facebook wall. Anybody who is on your friend list would definitely know it's your birthday, provided that they check their Facebook regularly, of course.

I personally feel that birthday wishes on Facebook walls are a bit impersonal. Personal birthday messages sent to the Facebook inbox is very okay as the sender actually took the time to click on the message icon and type out a birthday message. Receiving birthday messages on my Facebook wall from not so close friends is okay.

But when it's somebody you consider yourself close to (family or friends), I do get disappointed. I make it a point to call or at least sent a birthday sms to family and friends that matters to me. If I can't get hold of them, I would send a personal birthday message to their Facebook inbox. So, I was kind of disappointed to be receiving birthday postings on my Facebook wall from a few friends whom I thought were good friends of mine and whom I thought felt the same way about me because on their birthdays, I actually called them up or smsed them. Perhaps they have their reasons but I don't think a birthday sms to a Singapore mobile number will cost a bomb. Guess I'm not as important to them as they are to me. 

So what do you people out there think? Should you call/sms close family and friends on their birthdays or does a birthday wish on their Facebook wall suffice? 

p/s: I know I'm being very old school here but I do miss the days when I used to receive birthday cards in the mailbox. Sigh...

Tuesday, December 28, 2010

Happy Belated Birthday Mr. Z.

I wanted to put up a birthday dedication for my darling Hubby who officially turned 34 yesterday. (Both me & Hubby are December babies) But sadly, I was not well. With the recent Jakarta trip, then going back to KL, entertaining family and friends who came visiting recently, everything has finally taken its toll on me.

Though I was the first to wish him at the stroke of midnight, (he was already asleep but I woke him up anyway to wish him. How terrible of me, right?) I really wanted to put up a nice birthday entry on this little blog of mine for my darling Mr Z.

As I'm still very much under the weather, with my thinking cap nowhere to be found, I had to search the net for something really sweet for Darling Hubby.


For My Darling Mr. Z.



Another Birthday Together

Your birthday marks another year together;           
Such happy times, I couldn't ask for more,
Spending precious minutes, hours and days;
With you, my love, whom I cherish and adore.

We've shared so much, we two, in love and friendship;
Each year our bond just seem to grow and grow.
I always want to be right next to you;
To be with you means more than you know.

You're always there for me with a loving smile;
I'm never happier than when I know you're near.
I thought my love for you could not grow stronger;
And yet I love you even more this year.

Wishing you a very Happy 34th Birthday My Love.

Forever Yours,
Mrs Z.


p/s: Poetry by Karl and Joanna Fuchs

Wednesday, December 15, 2010

Our Jakarta Trip.

What can I say about our recent trip to Jakarta? Tiring, exhausting but fulfilling nevertheless. Most of the time, we were stuck in the traffic jam, something that Jakarta is apparently very famous for. Me, who thought that the traffic in Bangkok was the worse I have ever seen/experinced was greatly mistaken. Nothing beats the "macet" in Jakarta. ( "macet" means traffic jam in Indonesian)

So basically, if you're on a 4 days, 3 nights trip to Jakarta and manage to cover as many tourists spots as possible, you're indeed very fortunate. Luckily for us, our tourist guide was our dear friends Tieke and Bayu who showed us around Jakarta city and the drove us as far as Puncak and Bogor. Hubby did not snap that many pics during this trip as he himself was very tired after a very exhausting week at work. 

But Hubby did snap a lot of beautiful pics when we visited Taman Safari in Puncak. I will blog about our trip to Taman Safari in another entry as it deserves an individual entry of its own. That place was simply amazing.

So, here are some of the pics from our Jakarta trip. It pretty much sums up our trip. Don't be surprised by the pics of food, food and food!!! We did a lot of eating in Jakarta. :D

DAY 1


First pic of the trip. Still in Changi waiting to board the flight.
As usual, Shafiq gets super excited whenever he gets to fly. :D



Shafiq posing in our room at the Le Meridien, Jakarta.


After checking into the hotel, took a cab out to Sederhana. Sederhana is a very famous "padang food" franchise in Indonesia, which is a favourite with Hubby.He usually eats at Sederhana whenever he goes to Jakarta for work. So, he just couldn't wait to take me there.


The food at Sederhana is simply yummy. Sederhana is now my favourite Padang restaurant of all time. Shafiq liked the "sotong" dish so much that he actually asked for a second helping of rice and the "sotong" dish.

I liked the fact that they serve everything they have in small plates so you get to choose what you want to eat, right in front of you. They will only charge you for the dishes you've eaten. Apparently, this is the way it is in Padang restaurants in Indonesia.

I will definitely go back to Jakarta just to eat at Sederhana again. :D



After the very fulfilling lunch at Sederhana, instead of going back to the hotel, took a cab and headed to Tanah Abang. It is a very famous shopping destination especially for textiles and garment items. As we didn't have much time as we needed to rush back to the hotel to meet up with our friends, Tieke and Bayu, I only managed to shop for "kain sembahyang" for our female family members. On our way back to the hotel which was supposedly to be a 10 mins drive away, we got stuck in the mother of all traffic jams and reached our hotel about 1 1/2  hours later. We had to call our friends and reschedule, no thanks to the traffic.

Here's a little something to share to those planning a trip to Jakarta. Please only use Blue Bird Taxis. The only reliable cab service in Jakarta. (As advised by our Indonesian friends). This can be seen by the long queue for Blue Bird Taxis at the airport. It's safer and definitely won't rip you off like the other cabs as they strictly charge according to the meter. 


The view from our room. 
The roads were still clear at that time, 
but you can see that the traffic was slowly building up.


Shafiq with Uncle Bayu. Bayu came straight from his office & met us at the hotel. 
As it was a Friday, he was attired in Batik for work, a known tradition in Indonesia.


For dinner on our first night in Jakarta,
Bayu and Tieke took us to Sari Kuring,
a famous Sundanese restaurant.


The Sundanese version of satay was really nice.


Hubby loves the "stuffed tofu/tauhu".


Ikan Gurame Goreng.


I'm no fan of ikan patin but found myself liking the ikan patin bakar at Sari Kuring.

I really enjoyed the Sundanese dinner at Sari Kuring. Of course my favorite was the Padang food at Sederhana but Sundanese food is much more healthier. Less coconut milk, lots of soup dishes, lots of vegetables (ulam) and a lot of grilled food.

After dinner at Sari Kuring, Tieke and Bayu took us to Pacific Place mall, an upscale 6 floors mall housing a lot of well known luxury brands. Hubby met up with his collegues from the Bank Of America, Jakarta branch.


The X'mas Deco at Pacific Place.


Tieke explaining about the X'mas Deco at the mall.


Shafiq and Mommy near the X'mas Centerpiece at Pacific Place.


Hubby with his colleagues from Bank Of America, Jakarta.


Tieke and I waiting for the husbands to finish their coffee.
Shafiq all worn out from his first day in Jakarta.

The following day, they took us sightseeing around Jakarta city. As it was raining and we were quite pressed for time, we remained in the car and didn't step out to take any pics. 

DAY 2


Hubby managed to snap a pic of the 
Monas National Monument.

Then they brought us to Mangga Dua, another famous shopping destination for the locals and tourists. You can get practically anything here from fake branded bags, to electronic items. Personally speaking, it was my least favorite place because it was too crowded. I didn't do much shopping here. Only managed to buy some "tudung" for my Mom and my MIL, a duffel bag as I bought too many "kain sembahyang" from Tanah Abang the day before and didn't have enough space in our existing bags and 600 individually packed "batik handkerchiefs" to be used as door gifts for my cousin's wedding in February of next year.


Selecting "tudung" at Mangga Dua for my Mom and MIL.

After we finished our shopping in Mangga Dua, it was time for lunch and decided to go to Camu-Camu, another favorite restaurant of Hubby. As it was raining and not forgetting the perpetual traffic jam in Jakarta, it took us quite some time to get to Camu-Camu, only to discover upon arrival that it was closed. So, our hosts took us to Beautika instead, a restaurant that specialises in Manado cuisine from North Sulawesi.


At Beautika. Possing for the camera before digging into our food.


The spread at Beautika. 

The obvious difference about the Manado dish from the rest of the Indonesian cuisines is that it is very hot and spicy. I really enjoyed the "green sambal" but didn't enjoy the rest of the dishes. If I were to rate the types of food that I had the chance to savour in Jakarta, the top of my list will definitely be the Padang food at Sederhana.

After lunch at Beautika, we headed back to hotel to rest. Hubby had his Indonesian Paneristi gathering at 4 pm till late night that day so it was just Shafiq, Mommy and our hosts for dinner that night. It was another horrible episode of traffic jam that night that we ended up having dinner at the food court at Senayan City mall as we basically could not go anywhere else. Even after we finished dinner, we had to wait for nearly 45 minutes for the valet to collect our car from the parking. The whole of Jakarta was out shopping that night because there were some crazy midnight sales going on in both Plaza Senayan and Senayan City. 

Truth be told, in Jakarta, a lot of our time were spent in the car as we always seem to be caught in traffic.

The best time we had, out of the whole trip was our time at Taman Safari in Puncak on our 3rd day in Jakarta. Stay tuned for our Taman Safari escapade in my next entry.

Till then, have a good evening ahead. :D

Friday, December 10, 2010

Off To Jakarta.

Hey you all! I bet everybody is already looking forward to the weekend. As for us, the weekend is starting early. We'll be flying off to Jakarta in an hour or so. Currently at the airport, (Changi Terminal 1), having breakfast while waiting for the gate to be opened for boarding.

This short trip to Jakarta is such a wonderful surprise from Hubby. I really was not expecting to go anywhere for the December school holidays. Thanks Sayang for this Jakarta holiday. Though it's just a short 4 days, 3 nights trip, I'm so looking forward to this trip as we get to spend time with our Indonesian friends, Bayu and Tieke (husband and wife). In fact, both of them has taken leave from work to take us around. They are even planning to drive us to Bandung on Sunday for some factory outlet shopping. From what I heard, Bandung is a 2 hours drive from Jakarta. Not exactly near.

To both Bayu and Tieke, a very big thank you in advance for your very warm and gracious hospitality. 

Looks like I have to log off now. I've got to finish my breakfast as we will be boarding soon. Hope Hubby will be able to snap some nice pics while we're in Jakarta for me to share with you all.

Have a good weekend you all! :D

Thursday, December 9, 2010

Flowers From Him.


Guess what? 
I did receive flowers from that someone after all. :D
"Thanks My Love".

Wednesday, December 8, 2010

It's My Birthday.

Good morning Peeps! It's my birthday today and yours truly officially turns 36. Yikes!!! I'm getting too old for comfort. Maybe I shouldn't be shouting out my actual age for the world to know. Mmmm... I wonder if I can still pass off as a twenty years old something.

I had a great start to my birthday, receiving my first birthday sms from my sister Linda at 6am this morning. "I Love You Darling Sis". From there on, the message inbox in my handphone was flooded with birthday wishes. "A big thank you to all for the birthday smses." :D

Also received a call at 7am from these 2 very close of friends of mine, Afdzal and Herni (husband & wife)who are currently on a diving holiday in Sipadan. "Thank you guys. Really appreciate that you guys took time from your busy diving schedule to call me on my birthday. Love you both."

To my very close and dearest friend Prakash who called just now to wish me, "Thank you Babe for calling. I know how crazy busy you've been with work. Appreciate it so much that you remembered and took the time to call. Love you".

To those of you planning to wish me happy birthday on this birthday entry, please make my day by saying that I don't look a day above 20, okay? (wink,wink)

I honestly cannot remember what I did on my birthday last year. Another sure sign of aging when you are having a hard time recalling events of yesteryears. One thing I remembered for sure was the beautiful flowers I received from Hubby and not forgetting the hugs and kisses from my darling Shafiq. 

I wonder whether I'll be receiving any flowers from a certain someone today. But then again, that certain someone has already gotten me an early birthday present, a Tod's G Bag, while we were checking out the X'mas Sale and X'mas Lightings at Orchard last weekend. To that certain someone, "Thanks Sayang, I so love my new bag. Can't wait to use it for the Jakarta trip". 


Tod's G Bag.
Take a guess! What colour is my bag?

I also received some early birthday presents from MIL & SIL. From my MIL, a beautiful set of placemats with matching coasters that she bought from Perth. From my SIL, also a gift from Perth, a beautiful footed cake plate. (Sorry I couldn't share the pics of the gifts with you. I couldn't find my Lumix and I'm too lazy to use Hubby's Nikon)  To Mak & Kak Ngah, "Thank you so much for the lovely presents! Love them."

I wonder whether there any more birthday gifts coming my way. So dear family and friends, I hope you guys understand the not so hidden message here! muahahaha (evil laughter) :D

On a serious note, I'm happy and thankful to God that I'm still around to celebrate me turning 36. I have a good life, a beautiful family plus wonderful extended family, really good friends and good health. (though a bit overweight. Okaylah, I admit, very overweight. hehehe)

Though deep down inside, I'm hoping and wishing and praying for another sibling for my darling Shafiq. Amin.

Have a good day you all. Enjoy my birthday! :D

p/s: Note on the X'mas Sale. Okaylah, not bad. Got the Tod's at a 30% discount. However, I didn't fancy the X'mas lightings along Orchard. Looks too futuristic, like X'mas in outer space. 

Thursday, December 2, 2010

In-Laws & SMS.

Nowadays, it’s all about smsing. People don’t bother calling up and having a proper conversation. Why ah? Okaylah, I admit it’s cheaper tapi peninglah jugak kepala nak baca sms panjang-panjang ni and nak kena reply. Like yesterday morning, my handphone received non stop smses from my in-laws.


My FIL & MIL.

From my MIL, saying that she couldn’t come to Singapore this weekend as planned since my FIL’s work related meeting in Singapore has been postponed to December 10th. The thing is, we won’t be around on that particular date as the family will be flying off to Jakarta for a short break. Kesianlah pulak kat my MIL. The last time she visited us was in January of this year. But then again , she just got back from Perth last weekend and going off to Spain in February. Kuat betul berjalan my MIL ni. (Jangan marah Mak. Bergurau aje. Hehehe)


My BIL.

From my youngest BIL (Hubby’s youngest brother). Currently he’s studying medicine at the Royal College of Medicine Perak, in Ipoh, Malaysia. His sms “ If I pass my exams, can I come and spend some time with you guys before u guys pergi Jakarta?” My answer to him is of course lah he can come, takkan tak boleh pulak. But now have to wait for his results that would be out this Friday to confirm whether he’ll be able to come to Singapore. So if I want to plan anything, have to wait for his exam results. Macam-macam adik ipar yang sorang ni. Haih..


My SIL and her son.

From my SIL, (Hubby’s only sister), Her sms, “Nak booking Sanctuary Green for X’mas, ada kosong tak?” (Sanctuary Green is the name of the condominium complex that we currently reside) . The thing is, we plan to go back to KL from 18th Dec-26th Dec. Since SIL and her family nak datang, kenalah rush back to Singapore on Dec 24th. Bukannya apa, kesian kat my nephew Fafan, my SIL’s son. Each time I’m back in KL, dia sibuk nak ikut balik Singapore.

So if people ask me do I ever get bored being a stay at home Mom? My answer is a big No. After all, I have all these smses from my in-laws that I need to attend to. Hehehe.

Seriously, I love my in-laws. Wouldn’t trade them for anything. :D