a quick summary of what have i've been up to the past year.
January:
----------
started new job in a totally different industry
A's first umrah trip
February:
-----------
Dad's annual visit to Malaysia
March:
---------
trip to Perth - first time stepping into the Australian continent
April:
-------
attended customs training
trip to Nanjing - first time visiting China
family trip to Langkawi x 2
May:
------
Penang trip -> Izam weds Farah!
June:
------
puasa, raya - A works on raya morning
July:
------
Spartan Sprint with Ida - achievement unlocked
August:
---------
hospitalized
September:
-------------
second Perth trip
Kedah trip - Jenan '98 reunion
KK trip - Joshua's wedding reception at Sutera Harbour
October:
----------
third Perth trip - brought Sophia along for the ride
November:
-------------
fourth Perth trip
December:
-------------
Japan trip x 2
Tokyo Disney Sea with the elder two kids
i reckon 2019 will be a slightly boring year, since the husband has decided to do more office work which means less flying for him (once an office boy, always an office boy hahahahhahaha).
am grateful for the opportunities given, made a ton of new friends along the way, and am looking forward to the challenges ahead. the ups maybe, the downs? not so. but what choice do i have? =D
here's bidding farewell to 2018, and welcoming 2019!
December 31, 2018
December 14, 2018
jat gets married
some people, once they find a partner to spend their life with, cannot wait to get married. some people prefer to establish themselves financially first before settling down with a partner. a certain friend of ours decided to upgrade his title first before tying the knot. just so that he can write down his name in print for his wedding invitation as such:
=D =D =D
pun boleh laa, asal bahagia.
(what i don't quite understand was that they held the reception on a Thursday. punya la struggle nak reach the Everly on a weekday right after work hahahahha).
and who would've thunk, i meet my high school friend here, hahahahahha. if i knew you were attending, i would've brought all your Cetaphils that you boronged with me last month haha.
we were seated with a bunch of unfamiliar people given that the groom's a friend of the Pilot from Maswings so macam ramai je kapitan di situ. menu was Chinese style, so i anticipated for a long wait to complete the whole course.
i got to meet the yummy mummy-to-be Farah at the reception! asyik2 dok tgk dia membebel kat instagram je =P. last time i met her was during her wedding reception in Penang, and now she's about to pop out her first baby. Izam, bawak la bini hang tu jalan2 kl selalu, keyh?
anyways, congrats to the Jat and bini! we'll be sure to look you up if we ever go to Sabah again!
 |
| chinese style menu |
=D =D =D
pun boleh laa, asal bahagia.
(what i don't quite understand was that they held the reception on a Thursday. punya la struggle nak reach the Everly on a weekday right after work hahahahha).
and who would've thunk, i meet my high school friend here, hahahahahha. if i knew you were attending, i would've brought all your Cetaphils that you boronged with me last month haha.
 |
| high school friend, Mimot |
we were seated with a bunch of unfamiliar people given that the groom's a friend of the Pilot from Maswings so macam ramai je kapitan di situ. menu was Chinese style, so i anticipated for a long wait to complete the whole course.
 |
| hungry. where's the food |
i got to meet the yummy mummy-to-be Farah at the reception! asyik2 dok tgk dia membebel kat instagram je =P. last time i met her was during her wedding reception in Penang, and now she's about to pop out her first baby. Izam, bawak la bini hang tu jalan2 kl selalu, keyh?
 |
| with the yummy mommy |
anyways, congrats to the Jat and bini! we'll be sure to look you up if we ever go to Sabah again!
 |
| with the Bride and Groom |
November 23, 2018
Dayana's Hari Anugerah... and chocolate
my eldest daughter surprised me again this year by getting number 2 in class. i wasn't expecting anything at all since she came back brandishing a Science paper with 51% scrawled in red on the front page O_o. the other day when i asked her what number did she get in class, she told me to Google it (ahahhahahahha as in log into saps online for parents to check).
sending her to BM tuition was a decision that was well paid off; she came home with an A for Penulisan, and a B for Pemahaman. she was quite surprised with her own marks, usually people would score in Pemahaman and flunk in Penulisan, haha. language will always be a subject i can never teach.
all those math drill exercises (and further reprimanding from her father) seemed to have paid off too. she never liked all those long-winded questions, she'd usually end up writing 'IDK' for those questions without even attempting to understand what the question wanted T__T. but she scored an A for math, despite getting confused over her Pecahan, Perpuluhan and Peratus.
and because of this she kind of neglected studying for her Science subject and managed to successfully flunk her paper T___T she wasn't able to grasp the concepts properly and come up with proper Kesimpulans for an experiment, sigh. my 8-year old did slightly better for her Science, but equally bombed in her BM paper. the kbat question "apakah kepentingan menjaga kebersihan di sekitar rumah" was answered with "pada hari Isnin, Khamis dan Jumaat" T___T.
nevertheless, i was a proud parent that day =D. she still needs to do better next year though. Dinara even. i think she was abit miffed that her sister could go home with me instead of by transport that day. i told her to study harder or concentrate on any subject of her choice so that she could have a chance at getting best subject next year =D.
oh you know what, that day i met Kak Dee, an old family friend of mine, at the school. actually, she was the one that tegur me first, as i wasn't one to notice people in the crowd =P. i've known her to have stayed in Kajang like forever, but had recently just moved into town, and now her son is in Standard 5, so big already.
i also met another familiar face, but unfortunately for me, i can't remember who she was for the life of me T_____T. her son was the same age as Dinara, we even talked for abit but even after all that, i still hadn't the foggiest of who she was and why she looked so familiar, ahahahhahah teruk betul. i asked my neighbour if she recognized the woman, she didn't either (ok so that ruled her out as a neighbour lol).
updated: ok i remember who she was. she's the lady i always place my Dominos order with. hahahahhahahahhaha
oh did i mention that her Hari Anugerah was held on my birthday? i guess her award is Dayana's present to me, hahahahhaha. so later that evening the husband brought the whole family out for dessert at Dip & Dip. we ordered four types of chocolatey dishes to try (tamak punya pasal kan hhahahahah) - two crepes, one waffle and one brownie. Sophia managed to polish of one whole plate of crepe all by herself, i is kagum. beats your standard birthday cake though, without the candles, haha.
here's to another year older, another grey hair, another wrinkle, another... what else is associated to getting old? hahahahha.
sending her to BM tuition was a decision that was well paid off; she came home with an A for Penulisan, and a B for Pemahaman. she was quite surprised with her own marks, usually people would score in Pemahaman and flunk in Penulisan, haha. language will always be a subject i can never teach.
all those math drill exercises (and further reprimanding from her father) seemed to have paid off too. she never liked all those long-winded questions, she'd usually end up writing 'IDK' for those questions without even attempting to understand what the question wanted T__T. but she scored an A for math, despite getting confused over her Pecahan, Perpuluhan and Peratus.
and because of this she kind of neglected studying for her Science subject and managed to successfully flunk her paper T___T she wasn't able to grasp the concepts properly and come up with proper Kesimpulans for an experiment, sigh. my 8-year old did slightly better for her Science, but equally bombed in her BM paper. the kbat question "apakah kepentingan menjaga kebersihan di sekitar rumah" was answered with "pada hari Isnin, Khamis dan Jumaat" T___T.
 |
| budak kenit among her classmates |
nevertheless, i was a proud parent that day =D. she still needs to do better next year though. Dinara even. i think she was abit miffed that her sister could go home with me instead of by transport that day. i told her to study harder or concentrate on any subject of her choice so that she could have a chance at getting best subject next year =D.
 |
| proud parents |
oh you know what, that day i met Kak Dee, an old family friend of mine, at the school. actually, she was the one that tegur me first, as i wasn't one to notice people in the crowd =P. i've known her to have stayed in Kajang like forever, but had recently just moved into town, and now her son is in Standard 5, so big already.
 |
| met Kak Dee here, what a coincidence haha |
i also met another familiar face, but unfortunately for me, i can't remember who she was for the life of me T_____T. her son was the same age as Dinara, we even talked for abit but even after all that, i still hadn't the foggiest of who she was and why she looked so familiar, ahahahhahah teruk betul. i asked my neighbour if she recognized the woman, she didn't either (ok so that ruled her out as a neighbour lol).
updated: ok i remember who she was. she's the lady i always place my Dominos order with. hahahahhahahahhaha
oh did i mention that her Hari Anugerah was held on my birthday? i guess her award is Dayana's present to me, hahahahhaha. so later that evening the husband brought the whole family out for dessert at Dip & Dip. we ordered four types of chocolatey dishes to try (tamak punya pasal kan hhahahahah) - two crepes, one waffle and one brownie. Sophia managed to polish of one whole plate of crepe all by herself, i is kagum. beats your standard birthday cake though, without the candles, haha.
 |
| sinful crepe |
 |
| fruity crepe |
 |
| chocolate brownie |
 |
| sinful waffles |
here's to another year older, another grey hair, another wrinkle, another... what else is associated to getting old? hahahahha.
October 10, 2018
tragedy October
you know that song, 'Tragedi October', sung by Awie?
it's the current story of my life.
so far, October doesn't seem to be turning out to be the month for me. for starters:
- V's car insurance is due on the 8th;
- I's car insurance is due on the 3rd;
not to mention those unforeseen incidents that just had to happen simultaneously:
- pool pump decided to stop working completely
- watermark appearing on the plaster ceiling in my room, indicating that there's a leak somewhere in the roof
- tenant's washing machine broke down *nangis*
- my stove also decided to sputter and die T____T
oh did i mention last week i was driving home stuck in the infamous federal traffic jam when i heard this dragging noise coming from somewhere under my car? @_@
first thought was: alamak, engine mounting dah tercabut ka? *kut2 la ada bende penting tercabut hahahahhahaha* *no i'm serious*
inspected under the car, the cover (or whatever you call it) protecting the undercarriage looked like it was about to fall off. sigh.
lucky for me Lobo opens at night, so i drove the car at a snail's pace to his workshop, and was able to fix it on the spot by reconnecting it with screws that mysteriously went missing (damn you uneven Malaysia road conditions grrrrrrr).
and each of these incidents are draining money from our pockets faster than you can say "po-kai".
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
allow me to curse for a moment.
*#$!&*#%@*#($!@#*!#$&%$#@!
i feel 50% better now. HAHA
but then i'm reminded of some of the things my friends and people around me always say; everyone is tested one way or another in this world, and that everything is temporary and shall soon come to pass. *amin*
moving on to another stressful subject (for me that is), final year school examinations are coming up, and i'm pulling my hair out simply doing MATH revision with D1 and D2. i only tutor them in Math (and occasionally Science) - i tend to turn into Green Hulk which results in me piling up more weight on my left shoulder *sheepish*
D1's main problem is understanding long-winded math questions in BM (eg. kawan ada ini, kawan lg sorang ada lg bnyk dr kawan tadi, so berapakah itu ini, hahahahhahaha) aaaand she easily gets confused by fractions - pecahan tak wajar and nombor bercampur.
D2's main problem is more straight forward; learn today, forget tomorrow T_____T. i die like this. but my yellings are nothing compared to the Daddy's; D2 freaks out each time i threaten to call Daddy to teach her, Mommy is on the verge of throwing in the towel already.
for their Math paper, i always tell these two to a) never leave any questions blank, and b) show all their jalan kerja on the paper, just in case the teacher is kind-hearted enough to spare a few half marks if the final answer is wrong (8-7=8, apa punya math niiiiiiiiiiiii).
the thing is with answering Objective questions is, you can always 'tembak' your answer without bothering to attempt the question yourself, because there's always a 25% chance that the answer is correct, no? just because i say "don't leave any questions blank", doesn't mean i'm asking them to simply hentam the answer *smacks forehead*.
i remember asking D1 to attempt a Math practice Paper 1 by herself and when she handed the book back to me after answering all the questions, the pages were totally spotless, not a single scribble in sight - so you know what that means. selalunya kalau jawab soklan matematik confirm kertas penuh dengan contengan kira2, kan?
YOU PLUCKED THE ANSWERS OUT FROM THIN AIR KEEEEEEEEEEE i shrieked. EVEN MOMMY PUN TAK SEHEBAT ITU OKKKK.
D2 loves to do this too. punya pemalas tak nak kira. does she think she's trying the perfect the art of 'ting tiong tiang'? kalau kene loteri bagus jugak ini hahahahahah what's the point of doing the exercise if you don't bother to utilize your brain and find out the answer yourself?
T_________________T
i keep telling them it'll get more complicated as they get older, if they can't grasp the basics now, what'll happen later on when all those other unbrainable equations come into the picture?
that's Math for you. i haven't even touched Science yet. *insane laugh*.
and we're only 10 days into October! 21 more days to go yuolls X_X. 12 more days to their finals. i've stopped all ipad access until further notice, limit the tv until 8pm each night (the other two minions included); the kids' PC is temporarily out of order so that part's settled (R*oblox je tak habis2). made Popular richer by purchasing more revision books (plus Dork Diaries and Stilton books) and pens that Mr.Pilot tend to lose in the cockpit (the more i buy the more they are prone to go missing it seems).
i'm off to find lunch now. abandoned during lunch hour is like a norm already, hahahhaha. i wonder how Nadia is doing; breaking into an existing clique is not easy ok.
oh before i go, here's to Pink October!
it's the current story of my life.
so far, October doesn't seem to be turning out to be the month for me. for starters:
- V's car insurance is due on the 8th;
- I's car insurance is due on the 3rd;
not to mention those unforeseen incidents that just had to happen simultaneously:
- pool pump decided to stop working completely
- watermark appearing on the plaster ceiling in my room, indicating that there's a leak somewhere in the roof
- tenant's washing machine broke down *nangis*
- my stove also decided to sputter and die T____T
oh did i mention last week i was driving home stuck in the infamous federal traffic jam when i heard this dragging noise coming from somewhere under my car? @_@
first thought was: alamak, engine mounting dah tercabut ka? *kut2 la ada bende penting tercabut hahahahhahaha* *no i'm serious*
inspected under the car, the cover (or whatever you call it) protecting the undercarriage looked like it was about to fall off. sigh.
lucky for me Lobo opens at night, so i drove the car at a snail's pace to his workshop, and was able to fix it on the spot by reconnecting it with screws that mysteriously went missing (damn you uneven Malaysia road conditions grrrrrrr).
and each of these incidents are draining money from our pockets faster than you can say "po-kai".
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
allow me to curse for a moment.
*#$!&*#%@*#($!@#*!#$&%$#@!
i feel 50% better now. HAHA
but then i'm reminded of some of the things my friends and people around me always say; everyone is tested one way or another in this world, and that everything is temporary and shall soon come to pass. *amin*
moving on to another stressful subject (for me that is), final year school examinations are coming up, and i'm pulling my hair out simply doing MATH revision with D1 and D2. i only tutor them in Math (and occasionally Science) - i tend to turn into Green Hulk which results in me piling up more weight on my left shoulder *sheepish*
D1's main problem is understanding long-winded math questions in BM (eg. kawan ada ini, kawan lg sorang ada lg bnyk dr kawan tadi, so berapakah itu ini, hahahahhahaha) aaaand she easily gets confused by fractions - pecahan tak wajar and nombor bercampur.
D2's main problem is more straight forward; learn today, forget tomorrow T_____T. i die like this. but my yellings are nothing compared to the Daddy's; D2 freaks out each time i threaten to call Daddy to teach her, Mommy is on the verge of throwing in the towel already.
for their Math paper, i always tell these two to a) never leave any questions blank, and b) show all their jalan kerja on the paper, just in case the teacher is kind-hearted enough to spare a few half marks if the final answer is wrong (8-7=8, apa punya math niiiiiiiiiiiii).
the thing is with answering Objective questions is, you can always 'tembak' your answer without bothering to attempt the question yourself, because there's always a 25% chance that the answer is correct, no? just because i say "don't leave any questions blank", doesn't mean i'm asking them to simply hentam the answer *smacks forehead*.
i remember asking D1 to attempt a Math practice Paper 1 by herself and when she handed the book back to me after answering all the questions, the pages were totally spotless, not a single scribble in sight - so you know what that means. selalunya kalau jawab soklan matematik confirm kertas penuh dengan contengan kira2, kan?
YOU PLUCKED THE ANSWERS OUT FROM THIN AIR KEEEEEEEEEEE i shrieked. EVEN MOMMY PUN TAK SEHEBAT ITU OKKKK.
D2 loves to do this too. punya pemalas tak nak kira. does she think she's trying the perfect the art of 'ting tiong tiang'? kalau kene loteri bagus jugak ini hahahahahah what's the point of doing the exercise if you don't bother to utilize your brain and find out the answer yourself?
T_________________T
i keep telling them it'll get more complicated as they get older, if they can't grasp the basics now, what'll happen later on when all those other unbrainable equations come into the picture?
that's Math for you. i haven't even touched Science yet. *insane laugh*.
and we're only 10 days into October! 21 more days to go yuolls X_X. 12 more days to their finals. i've stopped all ipad access until further notice, limit the tv until 8pm each night (the other two minions included); the kids' PC is temporarily out of order so that part's settled (R*oblox je tak habis2). made Popular richer by purchasing more revision books (plus Dork Diaries and Stilton books) and pens that Mr.Pilot tend to lose in the cockpit (the more i buy the more they are prone to go missing it seems).
i'm off to find lunch now. abandoned during lunch hour is like a norm already, hahahhaha. i wonder how Nadia is doing; breaking into an existing clique is not easy ok.
oh before i go, here's to Pink October!
May 10, 2018
a new dawn for Malaysia
 |
| GE14 |
9th May - the day the people of Malaysia (and the world lol) have been anxiously waiting for.
 |
| we did our part! did you? |
the people have cast their vote. Malaysia has chosen. the results were overwhelming.
to have him as Prime Minister for a second time, is truly an honor.
at his age, it did not deter him for accomplishing what seemed like the impossible.
we love you Tun!
 |
| 7th Prime Minister of Malaysia |
and here's to our first Female Deputy Prime Minister =) the Wonder Woman, the Iron Lady.
 |
| #girlpower =) |
for a new Malaysia and a better future, insyallah.
#ge14 #malaysiamemilih #pru14
May 9, 2018
the younger two's birthday celebration
we held a birthday celebration for the younger kids after the elections. it was just a small birthday celebration; we figured that since it was a public holiday whoever that was voting around the area would be able to join the party. it was also kind of a last minute decision because we just planned to have a small family eat out and cake, but mil messages me and says lets do something for the kids so i'm like okay. and you know how i feel about holding birthday parties, you work your butt off but in the end nobody bothers to come at the last minute *sweat*
my kids will never say no to McDonald's.
i was already anxious because it was well past 4.30pm and not a human in sight. is history repeating itself? i wondered in my head. i'm not kidding. i've developed a bit of a phobia ever since, it's not even funny. because it is very heartbreaking when your child comes up to you and asks why are her friends not even here yet. um ok but that's a different story. let's move on...
turns out, the people arrived, Melayu style. alhamdulillah.
this photo doesn't have a photo of Emma innit because she's terrified of the mascot. in fact, the person in charge told me she's never seen so many kids crying because of the mascot before. hahahhahaha.
tis ok, when i was young i never liked that A&W bear mascot, either =P~
a big thanks to my mil for making it happen for the kids. i know the kids really enjoyed themselves, despite being scared of that big bird mascot, despite the limited space (but who cares?? it's McDonald's yo!). thank you for all the presents the kids recieved. thank you to all the second cousins and friends who could make it that day! i cannot tell you how grateful i am to everyone for making this day happen for my kids.
and i apologize for any shortcomings!
after the cake cutting, they even held some games for the kids. i never liked joining these kind of games back when i was a kid, i always lost baahahhahah. glad these kids have the spirit to participate and understand that it's not about whether you win or lose, it's about how you play the game and about having fun in the process =P
i was running around much so i didn't have time to take a lot of photos, so these are photos sent to me by guests of the party. do you know that both of my cousins below have four boys? as opposed to my four girls. what is their secret please, haha.
and Aja, who misread the invitation and turned up just as the party was ending. hahahahhahaha.
a group photo with my high school friends who always seem busy in the whatsapp chat group but will always spare time for you when you demand it. hee~. since 1995 yo, lama tu. and it's 2018 now?
so tonight we berkampung in front of the tv and wait for the ballots to be tallied... good luck Malaysia!
my kids will never say no to McDonald's.
 |
| where the party at |
i was already anxious because it was well past 4.30pm and not a human in sight. is history repeating itself? i wondered in my head. i'm not kidding. i've developed a bit of a phobia ever since, it's not even funny. because it is very heartbreaking when your child comes up to you and asks why are her friends not even here yet. um ok but that's a different story. let's move on...
turns out, the people arrived, Melayu style. alhamdulillah.
 |
| me wants those cheeseburgers |
 |
| family photo |
this photo doesn't have a photo of Emma innit because she's terrified of the mascot. in fact, the person in charge told me she's never seen so many kids crying because of the mascot before. hahahhahaha.
tis ok, when i was young i never liked that A&W bear mascot, either =P~
 |
| family photo without Emma. she no likey that bird |
a big thanks to my mil for making it happen for the kids. i know the kids really enjoyed themselves, despite being scared of that big bird mascot, despite the limited space (but who cares?? it's McDonald's yo!). thank you for all the presents the kids recieved. thank you to all the second cousins and friends who could make it that day! i cannot tell you how grateful i am to everyone for making this day happen for my kids.
and i apologize for any shortcomings!
 |
| the ones that made it happen |
 |
| my '13 and '15 babies |
 |
| happy birthday! |
after the cake cutting, they even held some games for the kids. i never liked joining these kind of games back when i was a kid, i always lost baahahhahah. glad these kids have the spirit to participate and understand that it's not about whether you win or lose, it's about how you play the game and about having fun in the process =P
 |
| musical chairs |
 |
| build-a-tower? Aunty yg baju biru tu semangat |
 |
| so many kiddos in one place |
i was running around much so i didn't have time to take a lot of photos, so these are photos sent to me by guests of the party. do you know that both of my cousins below have four boys? as opposed to my four girls. what is their secret please, haha.
 |
| my cousin Hazirah |
 |
| my cousin Nedd |
and Aja, who misread the invitation and turned up just as the party was ending. hahahahhahaha.
 |
| my #IAmOilCrazy peep |
a group photo with my high school friends who always seem busy in the whatsapp chat group but will always spare time for you when you demand it. hee~. since 1995 yo, lama tu. and it's 2018 now?
 |
| my Northern Lights! |
so tonight we berkampung in front of the tv and wait for the ballots to be tallied... good luck Malaysia!
April 20, 2018
Nanjing, ni hau
Nanjing, China.
who can honestly raise their hand and say that they've heard of this place before?
(unless, of course, you're an avid historian and have heard of the famous Nanjing Massacre before).
would you ever consider this as a place to visit in your bucket list? usually when you mention China, Beijing or Shanghai comes to mind. but Nanjing? no way. what can you find here anyway?
this month i got the opportunity to visit Nanjing, because for the first time the husband was rostered a 2-day trip to Nanjing (he usually gets Xiamen or Canton if you talk about China). dapat pergi sekali untuk merasa pun da cukup, alhamdulillah.
this month dia memang murah rezeki; he's got day offs in Jakarta, Nanjing, and even Taipei for this month's roster. if i had all the free time in the world, i'd follow for each and every one of his trips, unfortunately that's not the case =(.
but the thing with China is, you need a visa to enter the country; only Hong Kong and Macau are excluded. so i was lucky there was this blogger who just recently wrote about what you need to do to apply for a Chinese visa; his blog helped me tremendously, thank you so much!
for a quick recap, you'll need:
- your flight ticket
- 2 passport photos
- your passport, still valid for at least 6 months (the usual requirement)
- a photocopy of the passport’s info page
the visa processing centre is located at Hampshire Place, situated smack in the middle of KL T_____T.
application submission is open from 9-3pm weekdays; i headed there at around 1pm-ish after purchasing my flight ticket, last-minute style. (to go? no go? should i? hee~ going would mean me applying 3 days off from work :\) the Grab driver was a very chatty young fellow, who didn't mind doing most of the talking while i listened throughout the ride.
once at the building, you go to level 5 for visa applications, or you go to level 6 for pickups. that day as i stepped onto level 5, there was barely even a queue, means i didn't have to wait long for my turn, yasssssssssssssssss. you could even take your photo here, penat je i drop by midvalley tadi just to take my photo; the visa requires your photo to have a white background. my photo turned out ugly, btw. i only realized that i'm slowly going bald bahahahhahahaha. i seriously need to change my current hair parting to mask it.
the normal duration for your visa to be processed is 4 working days. any earlier than that and you'd have to pay a little (no, ALOT) extra for your visa. i already filled up my visa application form online and had it printed out so i just needed to submit everything and come back after four days.
oh, there are also a few types of visa to choose from, the price will differ depending on what type of visa you choose and how soon you need it. i chose the single entry visa, because i wasn't sure if the husband would get another China day off within the next three months. (update: May roster is out and no China for him, Mumbai ade la. haha).
you only make payment when you come to collect your passport. collections are from 9-4pm weekdays. this time i drove because when i asked the guard downstairs, he said basement parking was available payable by the hour; which was much cheaper than having to pay Grab to get you there to and fro. when i arrived there in the morning, collecting my passport was also a quick process because there weren't that many people either, must be my lucky day perhaps? or perhaps it's low season to visit China at the moment. hee~
so yes, i collected my passport on the day of my flight, which was taking off the same day at 5.05pm. i also went to exchange RMB currency after i collected my passport, talk about everything last minute. i hadn't even finished packing for myself; i seriously didn't know what to bring to China =D~
so. another milestone checked: visiting mainland China!
well anyway, i made the flight, watched 27 Dresses (for a light laugh) and He's Just Not That Into You (just because i wanted to layan Alex and Gigi, hahahah). the duration of the flight was an average of 5 hours 30 minutes. Nanjing shared the same timezone as Malaysia, so i didn't have to worry about synchronizing any clocks for the trip.
even though i was the first one off the plane (for attempting to skip the long immigration queue and also because i wanted to go to toilet), i still ended up being one of the slowest to clear immigration anyway; China immigration opened only ONE lane for foreigners, as opposed to the locals who had about 4-5 lanes to choose from, tak aci sungguh.
fortunately for me i was lucky that one of the crew members was waiting for her check-in bag to emerge from cargo (like i mentioned before, since my bag went in last, it was one of the first to come out wahahahahaah) so i didn't feel so guilty for making the crew wait for me and my bag. untong kan jadi crew? they have their own customs clearance lane, they can saunter into the airport at the last minute and they get to travel like a bawse. sighs.
anyway, once outside, the night air was cool! best gila! and whoops i only checked Nanjing temperature during the day and totally forgot to check for the temperature at night, which was a whopping belas belas degrees celcius, ahahahhahahah shit. and i didn't even pack any sweaters, confident je weather panas macam Malaysia, kah kah.
the hotel the crew was staying at took almost 50 minutes to get there by shuttle (similar distance from the airport to their hotel in Taipei); i was glad the Captain was nice, he reminded me alot of Arif, only in tall size. hahahahahahah.
the hotel room was so cantik btw; for only one-person to occupy, it was huge! it even had a sort of walk-in closet hidden in the back. our room did not have a balcony, since the view from our room was some sort of abandoned-looking water park, but we did have a bathtub (which i did not utilize during this trip, phooey). rooms facing the riverside had balconies, but didn't have bathtubs. the hotel came with an indoor swimming pool and a gym. aaaaand the only tv channels that were in English were BBC and HBO =P.
the only downside to Nanjing is that practically everyone do not speak England, so you will have a problem if you want to ask them even a simple inquiry T___T. makes you wish you had spent all your available time learning Mandarin, eh?
oh well til the next morning, people!
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| China mainland bucket list: checked! |
who can honestly raise their hand and say that they've heard of this place before?
(unless, of course, you're an avid historian and have heard of the famous Nanjing Massacre before).
would you ever consider this as a place to visit in your bucket list? usually when you mention China, Beijing or Shanghai comes to mind. but Nanjing? no way. what can you find here anyway?
this month i got the opportunity to visit Nanjing, because for the first time the husband was rostered a 2-day trip to Nanjing (he usually gets Xiamen or Canton if you talk about China). dapat pergi sekali untuk merasa pun da cukup, alhamdulillah.
this month dia memang murah rezeki; he's got day offs in Jakarta, Nanjing, and even Taipei for this month's roster. if i had all the free time in the world, i'd follow for each and every one of his trips, unfortunately that's not the case =(.
but the thing with China is, you need a visa to enter the country; only Hong Kong and Macau are excluded. so i was lucky there was this blogger who just recently wrote about what you need to do to apply for a Chinese visa; his blog helped me tremendously, thank you so much!
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| China visa |
for a quick recap, you'll need:
- your flight ticket
- 2 passport photos
- your passport, still valid for at least 6 months (the usual requirement)
- a photocopy of the passport’s info page
the visa processing centre is located at Hampshire Place, situated smack in the middle of KL T_____T.
application submission is open from 9-3pm weekdays; i headed there at around 1pm-ish after purchasing my flight ticket, last-minute style. (to go? no go? should i? hee~ going would mean me applying 3 days off from work :\) the Grab driver was a very chatty young fellow, who didn't mind doing most of the talking while i listened throughout the ride.
once at the building, you go to level 5 for visa applications, or you go to level 6 for pickups. that day as i stepped onto level 5, there was barely even a queue, means i didn't have to wait long for my turn, yasssssssssssssssss. you could even take your photo here, penat je i drop by midvalley tadi just to take my photo; the visa requires your photo to have a white background. my photo turned out ugly, btw. i only realized that i'm slowly going bald bahahahhahahaha. i seriously need to change my current hair parting to mask it.
the normal duration for your visa to be processed is 4 working days. any earlier than that and you'd have to pay a little (no, ALOT) extra for your visa. i already filled up my visa application form online and had it printed out so i just needed to submit everything and come back after four days.
oh, there are also a few types of visa to choose from, the price will differ depending on what type of visa you choose and how soon you need it. i chose the single entry visa, because i wasn't sure if the husband would get another China day off within the next three months. (update: May roster is out and no China for him, Mumbai ade la. haha).
you only make payment when you come to collect your passport. collections are from 9-4pm weekdays. this time i drove because when i asked the guard downstairs, he said basement parking was available payable by the hour; which was much cheaper than having to pay Grab to get you there to and fro. when i arrived there in the morning, collecting my passport was also a quick process because there weren't that many people either, must be my lucky day perhaps? or perhaps it's low season to visit China at the moment. hee~
so yes, i collected my passport on the day of my flight, which was taking off the same day at 5.05pm. i also went to exchange RMB currency after i collected my passport, talk about everything last minute. i hadn't even finished packing for myself; i seriously didn't know what to bring to China =D~
so. another milestone checked: visiting mainland China!
 |
| excited =P |
 |
| bye Malaysia! |
well anyway, i made the flight, watched 27 Dresses (for a light laugh) and He's Just Not That Into You (just because i wanted to layan Alex and Gigi, hahahah). the duration of the flight was an average of 5 hours 30 minutes. Nanjing shared the same timezone as Malaysia, so i didn't have to worry about synchronizing any clocks for the trip.
 |
| business class menu |
even though i was the first one off the plane (for attempting to skip the long immigration queue and also because i wanted to go to toilet), i still ended up being one of the slowest to clear immigration anyway; China immigration opened only ONE lane for foreigners, as opposed to the locals who had about 4-5 lanes to choose from, tak aci sungguh.
 |
| Nanjing Lukou International Airport |
 |
| customs. y. u. so. slow. |
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| the locals queue |
fortunately for me i was lucky that one of the crew members was waiting for her check-in bag to emerge from cargo (like i mentioned before, since my bag went in last, it was one of the first to come out wahahahahaah) so i didn't feel so guilty for making the crew wait for me and my bag. untong kan jadi crew? they have their own customs clearance lane, they can saunter into the airport at the last minute and they get to travel like a bawse. sighs.
 |
| with the crew. ifs tunggu bag x kluar2 lg |
anyway, once outside, the night air was cool! best gila! and whoops i only checked Nanjing temperature during the day and totally forgot to check for the temperature at night, which was a whopping belas belas degrees celcius, ahahahhahahah shit. and i didn't even pack any sweaters, confident je weather panas macam Malaysia, kah kah.
the hotel the crew was staying at took almost 50 minutes to get there by shuttle (similar distance from the airport to their hotel in Taipei); i was glad the Captain was nice, he reminded me alot of Arif, only in tall size. hahahahahahah.
the hotel room was so cantik btw; for only one-person to occupy, it was huge! it even had a sort of walk-in closet hidden in the back. our room did not have a balcony, since the view from our room was some sort of abandoned-looking water park, but we did have a bathtub (which i did not utilize during this trip, phooey). rooms facing the riverside had balconies, but didn't have bathtubs. the hotel came with an indoor swimming pool and a gym. aaaaand the only tv channels that were in English were BBC and HBO =P.
 |
| the spacious room |
 |
| the bathroom sink |
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| the bathtub, toilet and shower compartments |
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| walk-in closet haha |
the only downside to Nanjing is that practically everyone do not speak England, so you will have a problem if you want to ask them even a simple inquiry T___T. makes you wish you had spent all your available time learning Mandarin, eh?
oh well til the next morning, people!
March 20, 2018
beard brothers bbq
Lina told me about this place before, it didn't really register into my brain until recently when we were looking for a place to bring Dad for dinner before he goes back to the UK. we'd usually go to Menate, but this time thought we'd try something new. Dad was all in for it, can't say no to meat, especially when you don't get much choice in the UK (according to him, takde geng makan kat sana lol).
i rememebered i had wanted to go to Beard Brothers BBQ before, but they were closed that day, so we ended up going somewhere else =(. this time, they were open! although we did arrive abit late. Lina did say to go early before everything sells out. see below.
notice in their Opening Hours they mention they will open until they 'sell out'. i suggest that you go early if you intend to eat here, because when i arrived about 8.30ish, some stuff in the big platter menu were already sold out (though i forgot what). we ordered two platters to share between us because everyone was starving.
they have huge smokers at the back of their store (complete with piles of wood), where they barbeque all the meat. apparently they prepare their meat for more than 13+hours in order to get the meat to be tender and juicy, hence once they're sold out, you're gonna have to come back the next day for more. only the beef ribs is sold by weight, they'll let you choose which part you want before they weigh it and charge you accordingly.
they serve bottomless drinks if you order one of their platters, and they provide you with wooden utensils, all self service. the meat is so tender that you won't need to worry about your wooden utensils breaking hahahahhaha.
sedap you. you really should give it a try. i would say once you've taken a taste, you'll be happy for at least a month. haha. even Dad says enjoyed it very much. he also thought about all the calories and cholesterol he's gained ever since he arrived in KL, haha.
we had arrived 'late' that by the time we finished with our meal, the store was already on the verge of closing and they were just waiting for us to leave. hahahah. whoops sorry =P~.
i rememebered i had wanted to go to Beard Brothers BBQ before, but they were closed that day, so we ended up going somewhere else =(. this time, they were open! although we did arrive abit late. Lina did say to go early before everything sells out. see below.
 |
| opening hours |
notice in their Opening Hours they mention they will open until they 'sell out'. i suggest that you go early if you intend to eat here, because when i arrived about 8.30ish, some stuff in the big platter menu were already sold out (though i forgot what). we ordered two platters to share between us because everyone was starving.
 |
| the menu |
they have huge smokers at the back of their store (complete with piles of wood), where they barbeque all the meat. apparently they prepare their meat for more than 13+hours in order to get the meat to be tender and juicy, hence once they're sold out, you're gonna have to come back the next day for more. only the beef ribs is sold by weight, they'll let you choose which part you want before they weigh it and charge you accordingly.
they serve bottomless drinks if you order one of their platters, and they provide you with wooden utensils, all self service. the meat is so tender that you won't need to worry about your wooden utensils breaking hahahahhaha.
sedap you. you really should give it a try. i would say once you've taken a taste, you'll be happy for at least a month. haha. even Dad says enjoyed it very much. he also thought about all the calories and cholesterol he's gained ever since he arrived in KL, haha.
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| we ordered one of the big platters |
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| yummmmm |
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| makan-makan w the fam bam |
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| balik UK nnt Dad will diet, he says |
we had arrived 'late' that by the time we finished with our meal, the store was already on the verge of closing and they were just waiting for us to leave. hahahah. whoops sorry =P~.
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| kedai nak tutup already |
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