lone journey

Reached Kuantan safely amidst the rain.Called the pakcik teksi as early as 5am to let him know my whereabouts and he, gladly, was free to pick me up.Using Shamisha Holiday instead of Utama, and they sped like mad, mad, mad with me prayed hard , hard, hard.11 hours travelling period, with the aircond water dripped constantly on the couch.Was freezing to death, and from the menstrual pain, no less.

In a second was giving up working in Kuantan and just wanted to go somewhere else, and closer to home.

The price of being a lone traveller.

Jakarta and Bandung post-mortem post

warning reminder:do not read if you can't stand lengthy babble.Or the outdated storytelling.And proceed if you always want to know about me.I do not mind.really:)

let's start the note by salivating now, shall we:)

mangga dua mall just right across the hotel

The AUTHENTIC stall.not a chance.

Ayam Goreng Suharti.The best ayam goreng in Bandung

The row of shoplots that left you breathless, and hyperventilated

Inside the Factory Outlet.Ralph Lauren must cry when he sees this

The model.The terminator I mean, really

Post-Mangga Dua Incident-explains the needs of water

No matter how horrific a year could get me, I always make sure that I have two travelling trips anywhere in the world, just for the sake of escapism.Why two you ask?Well, one is for family member travelling trip, and another one would be the best friend travelling trip.Darnnn, it makes me sound so uber rich lol!

So, for the family member travelling trip, me and the partner, we chose Jakarta and Bandung for the 3-day trip.Jakarta and Bandung because the money's cheaper, Ina hadn't been to any of these two and I wanted to shop cloths like mad.

We stayed in Jakarta for most of our trip, and Bandung was one day plan.Since we only had three days to shop and sightsee, time had to be spent wisely.Wise meant dragging the bags right after the arrival, straight to the shopping mall!Crazy I know, but it would be crazier to go and check ourselves in the hotel, and beat the craziest traffic back to the mall.It took us almost an hour just to get to the hotel, so we tried being a very good tourists by listening obediently to our taxi driver's instructions-not to go first to the hotel because it will be a massive traffic by lunch hour.Oh boy!So with the bags, and the oily face but soaring spirit, we went hunting stuffs at Tanah Abang.Managed to score few chiffon with astoundingly cheap prices that I almost wanted to spend all the money borong all the clothes *case of a mad woman went mad shopping madly :)*.

Got back to the hotel all restless, it was far more exhausted than I ever imagine, albeit being my second trip back to the busy city.Couldn't remember what Ina bought though, perhaps some knick-knacks or something like that.Haha I was too absorbed with my own findings I care less with my surroundings. After much rejuvenation, we dragged our feet back to the nearby mall, across the hotel, for dinner.I had to oppose Ina's idea to try the REAL AUTHENTIC indonesian meal served right from their cart.You go if you please, and don't blame me if you go all diarrhea later.So Pizza Hut it is.hahah, how more authentic could you get?

Second day-Bandung time.Need to catch the earliest van that will transport us to Bandung.Missed the first trip, so we had to wait for the second one, or the third (oh boy I couldn't believe I coaxed and purred an Indonesian guy to let us have the second trip!).Took us about 2 hours and a short break in their RnR to reach Bandung, and just like two lost kittens we had to find our own way to get to places in Bandung as I totally forgotten where the exact shoplots we had to go.Had the first stop in Rumah Mode (little bit overrated this place, and we just stayed for less than an hour-not much clothes appealing to the eyes, and ain't cheap either.OVERRATED as it is!).

As Ina wanted to score some jeans, and being a hopeless tourist guide this time around, I suggested we went to Heritage, at Jalan Riau.The only thing was, nobody knows where Heritage was.I couldn't even remember the exact location, but I did remember the selections of clothes were not that cheesy and sleazy.So we walked.Walked and walked and keep on walking.And because it was raining initially, the road and the drains were all clogged (imagine walking on its narrow roads where drain water kept on flowing like waterfall.Only blacker, and gross.).And up to one intersection where we couldn't move but stucked because the water flows heavily, and I WAS SPLASHED!Literally splashed from head to toe with drain water!!GROSSSSSSSSSS!!!!!.My jeans were soaked wet, my soles were all soggy and I couldn't even swallow my own saliva without thinking it was the drain water.Urghhhhh!!!!!!.So I dragged Ina to the closest shop I could find, bought a blouse and new jeans and wore it right here, right there.Gah!!so much of being an avid walking shopper.We did find Heritage in the end, but sadly they had made me cringed with the lowly quality and products.Got to the van terminal in time, and reached Jakarta at 9pm.The damage-jeans, t-shirts, blouses and some ego drained by the tank water.

You think with Bandung shopping trip we were happy as clams?No we were not, so we needed to satiate our needs at Mangga Dua Mall, just a walking distance to our hotel.Since the checkout was at 12, and the flight was in the evening, that would just give us ample time to hit the target.Soooo wrong!!The mall itself was huge, so Ina and I had to go our own way, with the plan to meet again at one of the shops after few hours (why did we agree to meet at the shop in the first place I had no idea.Mangga Dua has few blocks.And to get from one block to another, that's another mystery because you will get lost.And each block has few doorways and it's rather confusing come to think of it).So we thought we were so clever to get our own way, happily mending the shopping needs, shops after shops and when the few hours passed, I reverted back to the original meeting point, hoping I wont be that late so I wont miss Ina.30 mins, 45 mins, I couldn't still see her.The saleswoman who was mending the shop must look at me pitifully as I couldn't stop asking her.I even made the announcement in the reception centre!And it was so close to our check out time that I had to think deep, left Ina in the mall and dashed back to the hotel.That's where she will be in the end right as we knew the checkout time was at 12 and we had a flight to catch.So she had to go back to the hotel , right??She must listen to me telepathically, she had too!!!

I was literally puffing for air and about to ask the doorman about my sister, when he smiled smugly and patiently said

"adik mbak udah pulang ke hotel tadi"

Ohhhhhhhhhh telepathy!!Thank God thank God thank God it works!!(in the end it found out that Ina did wait, but in different block as she couldn't find her way back to the meeting point and she was lost and yeah.Telepathy works.).

So half and hour later, all sweaty and exhausted, we officially reached the airport, and spent the next 3 hours waiting for the scheduled flight.And silently declared that this won't be a 3 day break again, but a week or more:)

That's it.Thanks for not yawning, y'all:) LOL!!

naked

Mom came into the room last night commanding me to change the layout of the blog, said it wasn't friendly to her eyes.Log on and to find out that she was true to her words, that my blog is no longer in its proper position.Big splotch of blue dominating the background, and hideous photobucket reminder following the cursor,gone where my pretty pink flowers used to be.Went and checked the source of my initial template, and nothing but sighing on the fact that the template creator hadn't update his/her photobucket account, resulting on the blogs losing the backgrounds.So much for playing Barbie to my blog.

So, as we can see now, I am officially reverting to Blogger templates, as un'fussy' as it can be.Even it's a tad uglier than any of my previous templates, the point here is to write blogs so you get your points across, right, right??

Okay, I am resentful because it ain't a pretty one!

let's not jinx it shall we

The great news came in September, but till now I still need to constantly pinch my flesh to affirm that I am not just dreaming on it.I am all jittery, the quavering feeling keep crawling back to the bottom pit of my stomach, churning and fidgeting on all the possibilities that shit might happen.I do not want to jinx things by saying oh okay, I am going to sail this smoothly, as foreknow by me, I could turn out to be the most jinxed person in the entire world if I keep blabbing about it too much.

Not even when you are among the luckiest to be picked to enroll in this course which cost you almost nothing, in nearby regional state. And not even when you, might possibly, be the only few candidates from the country to be honored such expenses.

Ironically, they chose you to enroll in one of your favourite field, oral communication.The field that never turns me down as I always enjoyed any classes that involve the skills.And how the field that was perceived so comfortable before that I feel so inadequate now, I have no idea.I seriously have no slightest idea what made it sounds so freaking nightmarish. That I would succumb myself to be one huge embarrassment to myself.That I would stutter throughout my 4-weeks stints.That I couldn't even produce one humble piece of assignment.That I would go short of money that I start to lock myself in the hotel room.That I start failing miserably in the group works yada yada yada.Oh boy.

Maybe I should just stop yapping on the unforeseen events and start living for the moment.Because it's the proudest moment in my career that I should just relish and put the big smile on my face

yumminess

How's that for luncheon menu today?Haha, one of many perks of living on your own is designing and judging your own takes (takdelah menu nasik hari hari, dak gitu?).As for these past few days my tummy has not been collaborating well with my lust for food, so I guess I have to start conceptualising the menu to be more tummy-friendly.So there, straight from the kitchen and the heart, the spicy italian pasta with a dash of bird eye chillies.Kelassss kau Maria!! Nama nak best jer.What is so tummy-friendly about bird eye chillies anyway.Gah!So wrong, tummy-friendly here is the need of spiciness:). And being a loyal Malaysian eater, spiciness is what needed in a plate of food.

So here's the recipe for a wonderful afternoon meal (especially untuk cik Ina.Sila no cubaaa)

Prawn and chicken.The more the merrier.They made a good team these two :)

Julienne-cut carrots (my only source of veggie)

4 shallots-thinly sliced

Loads of crushed garlic

4 to 5 stalks of bird eye chillies-slice too.Add more if you want extra zing!

salt and pepper-I used coarsely grounded black pepper

McCormick Italian herbs

Splash of virgin oil to fry

The actions

Fry the shallots and garlic together.Add salts and pepper. I used it lots.Then add your carrots.Took a while to make it tender, then go put your source of meats in there.And don't forget the chillies.Do add the McCormick Italian herbs.I put some just because it works so well with pasta.And finally, your already boiled pasta.Ready to gobble!

Have I told you that I even plan to bake some muffins and pie too?ahhahahaha

Friday is my idle-ness day

Okay my day has not been that fruitful much.Given that it is the end of the weekend and body has used all the energy preserved for the rest of the week.My kids are in the midst of their MUET dreaded paper, speaking what else, and spent the whole week listening obediently (despite stifling few unintended yawns in between, lol!) on their practices (in fact there are going to be groups coming after 4pm on Friday.God grief!)

So what's the plan tomorrow you ask.After the last Saturday hiatus, I don't think I could manage one more week without having proper sleeps (read:wake up only at NOON..ehhe).Thus that's the plan, catching up with all those missed slumbers!Oh, I still need to hit Giant for grocery shopping.It's crazy not having anything to eat literally at home.And these peeps at work even plan to throw a pot luck on Monday (more grocery shopping, yeah!).And..and the house needs some tender loving care too.The living room, the washroom, the kitchen, I am so beyond energy to work out muscles cleaning the house.

Mentioning food, it's little bit weird that I kind of losing appetite towards heavy meal.Like, the other night, I couldn't even barely gobble the 10 sticks satay (it's a veryyyyyyyyy skinny satay I tell you!), but gets reallyyy really hungry in the morning after.Plus, drinking nescafe makes me a little bit bloated and nauseous.Urghh..

So there, my short updates.Should be more but my laziness is ruling everything for now.Mwahhhh:)

ps:damn..it's not going to be a NOON wakey-up day.Just remembered that I have to bring the new baby for a 10k service.

enemy

Hay sugar.Sorry for the long pause.Do I want to defend my action of going too long?Nah, I don't think so.I am pretty much alive, kicking and living.The ultimate enemies were just boredom and laziness.Boredom of retelling the same stories over and over again, and laziness to even telling the new ones.It's pretty much being the silent story teller.

Don't worry, I'll be creeping back to the blog sphere once it's all set and done:)

much ado about nothing

IpromiseIwillupdatemyblogsoonenoughscout'spromise.

Phewwww..!:)