Cincau 4 all

Its Time to Re-Introduce Myself

noreply@blogger.com (Cincau aka CC) — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 02:29:00 +0000

Hello everyone and Happy New Year,

It has definitely been a looooong time since my last post here. I wasn't being lazy. In fact, its the direct opposite of laziness. I was working hard against time to mold my new found blogging name...... i.e a re-branding effort to properly re-introduce myself.

If you have been following my tweets, its been mentioned again and again of my journey to finally reaching this destination and posting my 1st ever post on the new blog. So here it is: http://vibrantkitty.blogspot.com/

I'm still twitching some of the widgets, which I thought I've covered before the great 1st post. Duh, I guess its not as easy as I thought. Sigh!

Do continue to support me as without you, I would die of not hearing comments .

All inconvenience is deeply empathized.

Luv,
CC signing off to be rebranded as Vibrantkitty

Missing in...... blogging

noreply@blogger.com (Cincau aka CC) — Mon, 05 Dec 2011 13:31:00 +0000

I swear, I swear, I swear I did not mean to not blog for the past weeks. Was extremely engaged with office work and the need to recuperate after a major ending at a high note for this year. It was my office's annual dinner which saw more than 1,000 guests turned up.

I definitely feel that age is a major factor towards my need for a longer period of recuperation. What do you expect from a mother of 2 who is approaching the big 40 in 3.5 years time? I guessed when you keep telling yourself that you're still in the 30s', mentally that still sounds young. But once you pass the age of 35 and as every year adds on to the previous, seriously, it doesn't sound as young anymore. I'm SERIOUS when i say it takes a longer time to recharge this body.

WTF?? Am I whining here? As serious as what I have just said above, this kitty has no intention to mean that at this point of her life, she is surrendering to a lesser energize life. There are still sooooo much to experience and explore. She will still show her fabulous-ness as she colours her life with utmost shades of vibrancy. Ain't calling herself "Vibrantkitty" for nothing!!

** Follow me on twitter : https://twitter.com/vibrantkitty

** Yes-yes, I know, aren't I'm suppose to be a refreshing drink? Let's just say I'm a kitty loving the drink. And she is in a transition to bring out her fabulous side via twittering for now.

And so, here's a pic of herself before the oh so tired after effect:

The modern goddess and her gladiators

U will understand y the tiredness after seeing the next pic :

All night standing!!

Allow me to recuperate pls! Thank you for your kindness

Eat, Drink, Play, Joy in Brunei (Part 2)

noreply@blogger.com (Cincau aka CC) — Wed, 16 Nov 2011 15:36:00 +0000

BURP!

Excuse me as I just harp the sound of a satisfying eat. Mmmmmmm!!

After a hotel's meal and a warm Tarindak teh tarik, wouldn't it be nice to visit some places of interest in Brunei? Well, not some, but the 1 place that boasts utmost luxury and pampering to a gal sooooo fancy the finer things in life. Yes, that gal is none other than yours sincerely .

# 1 The Empire Hotel & Country Club

This is Brunei's latest luxury addition located in Jerudong. Here's a pic taken by Dinoza to start our "Empire" journey:

# 2 Journeying with style

Aw, man!!.... the pic below that I took inside the hotel does not even shout luxury at all :

It looks old. Seem like there's some sort of yellow filter. The lighting was bad. Overall, it spells BLAH! But the truth is, this place is darn handsome. What's that? You want me to repeat myself? Okay, the truth is, this place is DARN HANDSOME! High ceiling, gold trimmings, escalators in the hotel hall itself, gigantic resort pool, picturesque scenery, motive floor tiles, etc, etc, all the juicy luxury lifestyle for those with the dough (not me ).

Notice the escalator?

Breathtaking view overlooking the South China Sea. The pool though, was under renovation.

One of the many floor motive

Now y did I refer this hotel as handsome? A man who knows what a lady wants, is an attractive man, right? A man who understands and place details to please a lady with joy, come on, who finds such a man ugly? (You men out there, this is a golden tip, psst!! Its the inner beauty that counts ). So guess where did I took my next pic?

# 3

Well, excuse me if you think these pics looked funny, but this handsome hotel placed multiple mirrors of elephantine proportions in the ladies. We just HAD to snap away and express our gratitude to such an understanding and loving us female friendly hotel #vainmode.

# 4 Snap-snap

Want more friendliness? How about some pampering session with sugar and spice and everything nice? Yes, that's what all fab girls are made of #morevainmode .

# 5 A luxury cake boutique in The Empire Hotel

# 6 Oh so sweet!!

So, yeah!!, my 2nd food buy in Brunei!! B$12 for 8 pcs. Its a steal!! Well, maybe not, but since I couldn't get them in KK, so yes, its a steal to me.

We continued our walkabout while easing and digesting the food taken earlier. Little did we knew Thanis had arrange a feast for us that night. Soon, we left the handsome hotel , with a mini in a box sight to ponder :

# 7 Was there a real mini in that box?

After a short rest in our hotel rooms, it was soon time for dinner. Rain was pouring heavily on the street. I guessed that's where the guys caught their cold and all the sickness hullabaloo. Luckily before all sickness start kicking in, we had a sumptuous authentic Indonesian food.

How should I describe the food here? Hmm??......... pleasantly fragrant, full of exotic spices, delicately prepared, mouthwatering presentation, delightful taste, aromatic, and many many more yummy adorations that I can't think of for now. But guess who gets the first taste of the food?

Not the guys, but their cameraphones *diehardbloggerheads

Not the ladies, but their DSLR *diehardsnappingaway

*Patiently waiting for the snaps to end*.

Woohoo!! Let's feast!!

I gotta say this, as a food blogger, Thanis made the right choice in recommending the restaurant to us first timers. The food was all succulent and delicious. Very very recommendable.

# 8 These are my favorite three dishes consisting of lamb, chicken and beef

I can't really recall the names of these dishes, but do not be despair, for I will reveal a solution to my absent-mindedness somewhere at the end of this post.

Here's another dish I find heavenly gratifying . The name, for once, I remembered , definitely captured my attention too :

Ayam Bakar Wong Solo

Ayam Bakar = Roasted Chicken
Wong Solo = People from a place called Solo. This place is in Central Java, Indonesia.

BURP!! Ooops, excuse me, but my tummy was bulging from another satisfying eat (again!!).

Phew, so many good-goody eats in a day. Time to retire on a rainy night in preparation for the coming day's task. *Psst, I blogged earlier on the task and here it is.

BTW, here's a pic of us charming ladies with the owner of Pondok Sari Wangi Restaurant :

#9 I looked funny. I think I was eyeing my cendol thirst quencher.

To find them:
Pondok Sari Wangi Restaurant S/B
Blk A, No. 12, Abdul Razak Complex,
Jalan Gadong,
B.S.B. BE4119,
Negara Brunei Darussalam

For reservations:
Tel : +673 245 2250
Email: ridwanho@gmail.com

Follow them:
www.facebook.com/pondoksariwangi
twitter.com/pondoksariwangi

I wonder whether they do express delivery to Sabah? *wishful thinking*.

But I'll be sooooooooooooo glad if they consider a branch in KK. *wink wink*

Photo credits:
Angel Bear (#1, #3 left, #5 left and right, #7, #8)
Dinoza (#2, #6, #9)
Leanna Chong (#4)

** Huh??? Seems like there'll be a part 3 of my fab trip to Brunei. Swell!!, to be continued.......

Eat, Drink, Play, Joy in Brunei (Part 1)

noreply@blogger.com (Cincau aka CC) — Mon, 14 Nov 2011 01:37:00 +0000

I was in Brunei for 2 main purposes:

My 1st purpose was for the Borneo 2.0 Un-conference, you can refer HERE.

While my 2nd purpose was for the ThinkBIG Forum, you can refer HERE.

The trip wouldn't be complete without serving the side dishes, I mean, my other activities besides the official. And by way of having side dishes, its none other than the eats in Brunei. Who's a better guide other than Thanis Lim himself?

However, before I begin with the eats, my immediate good-good experience started with the Royal Brunei Airlines. Its a 20 mins flight, but good enough for a positive experience. I mean, if I have declined their fruit juice, but the stewardess came back with a cup of water (which I wasn't seriously asking for one), she must be attentive, right?

The lovely stewardess. Now give her a pay raise!

Introducing my cheapo camey via the mirror in front of my sitting area

Immediately upon arriving Brunei, well, the immigration check was A BIT of a hassle. But then again, all airports hustle on security checks, afterall, we are talking about national security.... but with 2 counters out of the many? And the long long long queues to the only 2 counters OUT OF THE MANY? Dang, please do not blame me if I'm being shallow and not understanding, but ITS ANNOYING. Luckily baggage claim was a breeze and catching a cab was even breezier.

A short ride later, we reached our hotel, Terrace Hotel. ~~Max-max~~ A bit of a vintage-y feel.

Classic or naut?? Hee hee

Baggage claimed.

Checked in with the ladies in a 3 bedded room while the guys were next door with an adjoining door between us. Okay, I'm not indicating anything here. Just that err??...., there's an adjoining door. My moment of quirkiness upon settling down, everyone started roaming around the rooms for connection. What sort of connection? The willingness to grab a wifi connection is now my new found lesson and form of art:

#2 Not productive blogger me, not taking photos nor online

Where is Thanis Lim? Waited till 1pm and still not around. The gals decided to search for food which is non other than....... hotel food .

My 1st eat in Brunei, Terrace Hotel Special Fried Rice

We had our lunch at the hotel's outdoor pool with fruit trees surrounding us. Its like a mini oasis, very peaceful, very relaxing. A much needed escape from my busy working life.

Found a ciku tree with fruits. Other trees were also bearing fruits.

That's Leanna by the pool.

Unlike us, Leanna upkeeps a picture blog. She travels whenever she can and take unique photos. And I can see some potential in her. Take for example the pic she took below:

#3 Artistic or not?

This was in the hotel itself. Its amazing the picture came out this nice. With my naked eyes, that area looked like a mess. But she saw the uniqueness, and took alot more nice photos of the hotel. You can visit her pic blog HERE.

Soon we're done with lunch and so was Thanis who finally showed up. As the guys have not eaten, we immediately drove to this place:

Tarindak d' Seni @ Kota Baru

#4 d' Entrance

This place is not only a nice eatery, it also showcases Brunei's handicrafts.

Appreciating every little details of Brunei's handicrafts.

The restaurant is located on the building's first floor. Very spacious and very pleasant. Not knowing whether this is true, but I heard the food served here is of equal quality to those enjoyed by the royals. Its afterall, a team of kitchen crews who also cook for the royal families of Brunei. Wow!!, munching royal food *Ngom, ngom, ngom. Act royal here*.

Food costs B$15 for buffet lunch. CHEAP!

Unfortunately, I did not take any food there. As you know, *ahem* I had a pleasant lunch by the pool. But my glass of *royal* teh tarik was deservingly rated as gratifying, <3 .

With all our tummies filled, everyone's satisfying look to end my post.

Photo credits to:
Leanna Chong (#1, #2 & #3)
Dinoza (#4, #5, #6 & #7)

** Did not expect postings on this Brunei trip was going to be that many. Soooooo many more untold yet. I need to *ahem, ahem* be more hardworking .

** Ooops, 1 more photo to end this:

The royal maintenance guys maintaining the building area.
So, does my suspicion of the royal kitchen crews still stand?

Luv, CC

noreply@blogger.com (Cincau aka CC) — Wed, 09 Nov 2011 16:11:00 +0000

I've been in a spell of sickness and office deadlines are looming on me. Much apologies for not updating here.

The thing is, its not only sickness but bad luck with sore ankle. Somehow, dark clouds were hovering above me. Sad indeed.

Health is slowly regaining back after a public holiday break this past Monday (Hari Raya Haji). Yet, deadlines are now less than 3 weeks to go which much attention is greatly needed now. Working against time is no fun .

I promise, I'll get back and blog again soon. Afterall, how can I not complete my post on the Brunei trip, right?

To do some justice, here's a sneak peek of a pic for the coming post:

Photo credit : Dinoza

Luv,
CC

I ThinkBIG in Brunei ~ Social Media Revolution

noreply@blogger.com (Cincau aka CC) — Tue, 01 Nov 2011 00:31:00 +0000

Continuing on my experience in Brunei, I felt really, really great for I've made this trip. Before leaving for Brunei, you could not have imagined how much obstacles I need to go through. It was a test on myself in handling adversity. I braved myself and accepted that challenge, to re-discover how much I am capable of handling uncommon scenarios in my life. To this, I have renewed respect for my ownself. Its an all win situation for me, HOORAY!!!

A gem cannot be polished without friction, nor man be perfected without trials ~ Danish proverb

With myself having a winner's spirit, its time for me to share the secret of winning, and this can be found at the ThinkBIG, Innovate 2011 forum. The forum focused on technology and entrepreneurship.

Food for thoughts from the forum

photo credit : Leanna Photography

The sheilas from Sabah (L-R: CC, Leanna Chong & AngelBear). R we fashionistas or naut?? I'd like to think of the better, hence the former, pls.... hee hee. The guys weren't feeling too well. Rungitom was all pale from an episode of sickness last night, hence would rather not be in the pic, while Dinoza was full of sickness, staying at bay (the hotel, I meant).

A 5 star hotel's cup of tea with biscuits to start my day

Opening address by the Minister of Communications, Brunei

The forum was all about using information and communications technologies (ICT) for entrepreneurship. Traditional businesses of opening a shop and pray for customers to patron is an old school of thoughts. Then there was the use of advertisements to attract customers. Nowadays, its all about building relationships and staying in touch. Do you have various membership cards in your hand? What is the function of these membership cards? The art of informing and being informed is being pushed a notch higher with the use of social media and such. By way of myself starting a blog and attracting you to read this is already a baby step towards entrepreneurship. *I did not know that, until now. GOSH!! Naive me *

The forum touched on alot of the crucial issues on support given by banking and government towards start-ups and small medium enterprises (SME). Though its more on the Brunei scenario, it does not differ much from where I come from. Various real life cases of using internet tools as as business tools were also presented with a few prominent entrepreneurs as speakers.

Colourful list of various social media apps/tools

That list showed the running numbers (was still running live) of people posting, tweeting, downloading, visiting etc etc via the various apps. A simple conversion means these are TRAFFIC . Looking at the numbers that kept going upward was fascinating. I swear it woke me up from a "you-do-not-have-my-attention mode".
.

Technical support and facilities of a 5 star hotel.

While I was "in the zone", I could not help but appreciate the technical facilities provided by the hotel. Man!!, even our 5 star hotels can't provide all these. I say, our hotels need to buck up, instead of telling the same old story of "I am old. I am incapable. I ignore whatever your requests". (Been there. Heard that).

All in all, the forum was very enriching. I especially liked the part presented by Ann Burgraff. She's voted 'Top Start-up Mentor in Asia' within 'The Founder Institute' in 2010. Below is one of the videos she used in her presentation.

Well, that wraps up my "formal" education in Brunei. I hope it helps ignite the entrepreneurship spirit in you and to affirm you, this path has been tested and is possible.

Next post will be my eat, drink, play and joy in Brunei.

** My heart twinge at this afternoon's tragedy of the collision of a train and an oil tanker in KK, Sabah. Its total bizarre that such thing happened here .

I'm at Brunei for Borneo 2.0 : Start-up Social Media Un-conference

noreply@blogger.com (Cincau aka CC) — Wed, 26 Oct 2011 15:54:00 +0000

Oh, where do I begin? My 4 days 3 nights stay at Brunei was SUPERB!!

You can refer to my very first excitement on the trip HERE.

First, allow me to introduce us, the Sabahan Bloggers Group:

Photo credit: Leanna Chong Photography

From left to right:
Rungitom, Dinoza, Leanna Chong, Thanis Lim (from Brunei), AngelBear and........ (drumroll!!)........ CC.

OMFG!!, I'm in the limelight, putting myself in front as opposed to the always mysterious one. Well, okay, even if I did not expose my look here, the other sites will do too. Yea, so this is me.

Thanis is a well known Bruneian food blogger. Having won the Brunei Foodie Bloggers Challenge, not once, but 3 times!! He is also a contributor to our local Breeze magazine and recently as guest writer to the Sarawak's Happenings magazine. He's our ~~driver~~ host on our 1st day in Brunei.

The whole purpose of this trip was to attend 2 great eye opening events:
- ThinkBIG, Innovate 2011 @ The Empire Hotel & Country Club
- Borneo 2.0 : Start-up Social Media Un-conference @ Radisson Hotel

For the purpose of this post, I'm going to concentrate on the B2.0 'coz that's the main reason why I travelled there. This was on a Friday morning i.e. Oct 21, 2011. Did you know their Fridays is like our Sundays? Blimey, I did NOT........ until that one fine day!!! These social media users must be ultra-max passionate to come in on a rest day . Gosh, lesson learnt #1 : BE VERY HARDWORKING!

The promotional poster and the tweet codes.

The un-conference touched on the 3 main essences of blogging/website-ing?? :

. Attract readers

. Communicate with readers/followers

. Monetizing by being an entrepreneur / Enterprising

Here are some pictures taken during the un-conference:

The morning of the un-conference. Arrow pointing to Thanis....

Where's my Traffic? Arrow pointing to Dinoza

Bloggers turning Technopreneur. Arrow pointing to Rungitom

Ladies from Sabah. Err??........no pointing necessary.

I have no idea why the lady sitting next to me was having the same pose as I. I definitely felt the un-conference was informative..... she?? Probably ~~not~~ yes too.

Looking at AngelBear online socialising as hardworking as the Bruneians on a Friday, make me weep at myself . Lesson learnt #2: STAY CONNECTED.

Both Dinoza and Rungitom were representing borneocolours.com, though Dinoza was speaking more on Breeze magazine (Psst..... he's the creative director of that magazine). Having said that, my sincere acknowledgement to borneocolours.com for making this trip possible for all 5 of us .

The un-conference ended positively for me. A novice blogger myself, and sooooooo wanting to grab every possible opportunity to improve, this event was a good place to start. Some other lessons learnt:

#3 BE GENUINE, SINCERE TO YOUR READERS
#4 USE MULTIPLE SOCIAL MEDIA APPS OR MEANS TO KEEP IN TOUCH ** further info at end of this post.
#5 GET A GOOD CAMERA. My pics looked bad . I'm thankful the rest were pros at taking pics .

Nothing could have made my day better than ending it with a socialising lunch with fellow Bruneian bloggers.

Arrow pointing to me. Just in case.....

Thanks to Dinoza for the final 3 pics.

Well, that's all peeps. More about my Brunei trip in the coming post.

** If you happened to visit the rest of the Sabahan bloggers sites, YES, my real name is "Wendy".

** Having said that and as per lesson #4, please follow me on my :
- facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Cincau-4-all/193564747352310
- twitter at http://twitter.com/vibrantkitty.

** And YES, my intended search for a new blog name has finally come to an end, *hint, tweet*. Phew!!...... now I need a web designer to make a "fabulous" blog (ahem!!).

Brunei, Here I Come!!

noreply@blogger.com (Cincau aka CC) — Mon, 17 Oct 2011 04:51:00 +0000

This post will be without pics. Are you prepared to go through a post full of words? What is your preference?

Anyway, the reason why there'll be no pics is becoz my dear brother borrowed my cheap simple point and shoot camera. Don't know what struck my family members as all our cameras konked-out at the same time. All 2 quality cameras. Somehow my cheapy camera is the only one still standing. CHEAP! at RM0/-. Ya, I got it as a complimentary gift for being a credit card big spender, remember? (and now I have to repay in exorbant interest for being their "loyal" card holder, WTF!)

Anyhow, I just want to update you all that I'M GOING TO BRUNEI!!!! Wa-hoo!! Sooooo excited!!! Not that the place would be interesting (I have no intention to mean that it's not a good place to visit, okay?), but its the event that is going to happen that really pumped up my eagerness to be there.

You know how I have been posting again and again and again on my shallow knowledge about blogging and its related. Soooooo wanting help but do not know who to turn to....... and the much desperate urge to revamp and re-name my blog. Somehow, somewhere & someone must have heard me wailing non-stop about it (you feel enuf with my non-stop cry yet?). 'Coz my questions will be answered at the "Borneo 2.0 - Start up and Social Media Un-conference"

Apparently, I'm going to meet a few of Borneo's top bloggers at the un-conference..... don't really understand with the "un" thing, but I'm going to stick to my idea of not needing to wear working clothes... Hooray!! After working in the corporate world for more than 10 years, it is truly a different perspective when comes to blogging. Do you even notice that I don't need to construct in a very business no-no sense sentences?

Will be travelling with a few Sabahan bloggers. Soooooooo exciting!! And you know what? If I do get a roomate, the poor someone will be having her ears full, 'coz of my curiosity, I'm gonna ask max-max about blogging to satisfy my crave to know. Can't help it!!!...... I'm supposed to improve myself after the un-conference, right???

Oh, BTW, I may be hoarding the washroom too. Wanna look good wa, that's what the top bloggers said. And if you are lucky, this may be the beginning of me posting some photos of myself. Crappy 36 year old wannabe dolly-cute look...... CRAP!!

Okay-la, I'll add just 1 pic, but not related one.

Bao yu = Abalone from my July 2011 Singapore Trip. Slurrrp!!

Where am I?

noreply@blogger.com (Cincau aka CC) — Wed, 12 Oct 2011 16:58:00 +0000

My fashion sense........

Somewhere between late September and early October, I was blogwalking poking my head into some of our local Sabahans' blogs. And guess what?? One after another, they were posting their experiences and pics of their ravin' and happening night. Which one am I talking about? Its the Hennessy Artistry, The Global Art of Mixing.

Then and there I was like "What the......??? By invitation??? How??? GDU!!! Why didn't I know??"

I mean, why should I be knowing?? I'm at the beginning of my learning curve on blogging. I have limited blog sources, limited networking, limited connections and I'm looking at my crappy blog sooooooooo wanting to revamp it. BTW, in case you did not notice, I'm trying out pink skin now instead of the usual black (duh!!).

After calming down, I have to face the fact that I am now a working mom with limited time. My kids need me..... I'm without a maid, you see!! My hey days of clubbing the nights away, with thicker than a yellow pages make-ups, kitty gestures (meow), booze and laughters, are all gone with my "I DO" pledge. Horrific, but how true.

So after the vow, spanning for the last 8 years, and still counting, where am I now? Well guess what?? .............. I'M DOMESTICATED!!!

G'day cliques, today's class is about sewing

I can tell you 8 years ago, I was nothing like this. Sewing is something that doesn't exist in my dictionary. My dictionary was all about fun and care free.

Am I scaring you?

I hope NOT!!

First things first, this does not apply to all kitties with 8 years marriage.

Secondly, I must repeat here, I DO NOT HAVE A MAID!!!

I happened to bind myself to a humble and fashionably-old school thinking dude. (Guess who??) It all boils down to a matter of choice. I could have chosen the then 5Cs. Nowadays people are talking about the 5Bs. Gosh, am I that outdated??? Please correct me if I'm wrong, it should be the 5As.

All in all, I guess sewing isn't quite as bad as cooking, since I suck in the latter department.

Colourful sewing kit

ZOMG!! A measurement tape!! Soooooo tempted to measure........??

I'm going to end this post with myself caving in and checking out the waist area. The result is........... DON'T ASK!! IT'S DANG DANG DANG SAD!!!

** I am hoping there'll be a next happening event. SOMEONE OUT THERE, ALERT ME!!! KITTY WANTS TO ARCHIVE THEM IN THIS BLOG!!

My Haul from City Mall Japanese Fair

noreply@blogger.com (Cincau aka CC) — Sun, 09 Oct 2011 17:46:00 +0000

Ohayo!!

Sharing some pics I took from the Japanese fair today.

Its a mini fair. Nothing much to see.

Koi fish flags, symbol of bravery. May also symbolise boys in the family.

Some display item. Not for Sale!!

Fashion magazines. ViVi is my favourite. But don't be fooled.
The one in the pic is the Hong Kong edition. Japan's is much more thick.

The fair is absolutely small, with not much things to see. But I guess, better than none since I don't get to go to Japan with my mountainous debt.

There was also the Cosplay costume something something. Don't ask me what it is. Its a hobby thing relating to Japan's famous animated characters.

There were many more programmes arranged for the fair. But I was there solely for the..... gyaru hair and make-up session.....

I did not find the make-up session of any thundering, earth shaking effect. In fact, I find myself quite "un-comment-able". In short, I've no comment......... ............ no loh, I thought it was going to really create an applause-able scene lo, something that I can praise that it was what I was hoping for lo, but instead I couldn't even be bothered to take more pics when they were catwalking and posing for the longest hour which others kept flashing and clicking their cameras away. Nevertheless, I would not say it had terribly let me down. Still, I had enjoyed my time there.

Well, that's about my wrap for this fair. But I must say, the fair was from Friday to Sunday and I was only there for Sunday....... ......... bluff you one la, actually I was there on Friday night, Saturday afternoon, Sunday morning and later afternoon. City Mall is like my 2nd home okay, its near where I stay, and its equipped with what I need. Though is a smaller mall compared to others, but with its proximity, its better than travelling down to city centre. My opinion only ya, you could also say that I'm lazy to travel downtown ya .

Oh BTW, show you my haul from the fair...... I didn't get anything!! Though I was entice to get something, but I have to really discipline myself and start reducing my mountainous debt to a hill and eventually zit it out. Besides, I have just recently visited Sasa and bought a bunch of stuff there. Yet I'm not souring out here, for this is the only consolation for myself:

Free manicure session by Borneo Creative Academy.
The same beautician who did the gyaru make-up made my nails. Super happy!!

My artistry nails. Chio or not? Hee hee.... mad luving them.

Are you into Gyaru?

noreply@blogger.com (Cincau aka CC) — Fri, 07 Oct 2011 00:35:00 +0000

Frankly speaking, I don't even know how extensive is my knowledge about Japanese fashion..... but when I read some of the top bloggers kept oozing and aah-ing about it, and using the term "gyaru", I just thought of..... "Hey, y not just use this term for the title?"

Why?, you may ask. The below pic says it all:

Konnichiwa

City Mall is holding a Japanese fair this weekend i.e from today (7th Oct) till Sunday (9th Oct). I was there yesterday. The crews were busying putting up the props.

A busy person I am, I will still make effort to visit the fair. I am hoping there will be fashion, make-ups and some cute-sy stuff. But no stuff dolls for me please. I no longer fancy those. I have outgrown to scream for more of such toys. Nevertheless, I do not mind to recollect my naive younger self of so damn drooling those cute cartoon characters which...... remains cute and uptrend while I continue to spot signs of aging. WTF!

My companions of my younger days. Ahh!!.... Hello Kitty!!!

Fashion!!! I hope there will be modeling. Wanna see some models catwalking and parading their gyaru style. Wanna some affirmation??...... assuring??...... comfort??....... peace of mind??..... errr......, whatever you call it, that their fashion suits our hot hot hot weather. I want super kawaii clothing for sweaty Sabah!!

Ohayo Gozaimasu = Good morning

So do not miss the fair. For the boyfriends, do bring your girlfriends to this fair 'coz she will love you damn max for being so attentive and considerate of her feelings. Come on, I'll give you some support..... GAMBATEH!!

Mad Week

noreply@blogger.com (Cincau aka CC) — Sat, 01 Oct 2011 17:22:00 +0000

Again, I did not complete my last post due to my enormous busy schedules. FML!!

So here is my incomplete post done on Thursday:

I am totally not at ease now. There are 2 things that I'm trying very hard to handle:

1) I'm trying to control my ravaging hormone
2) I'm trying to keep my composure and abstaining from a blowout

I mean, I've set goals for today. And I really wanted to accomplish them by day end. But sometimes, things just do not go the way we always wanted. And to further worsen the situation, there is the PMS going on. I'm not gonna lie that I do not have PMS. There!!....... I told the truth, so don't come to me and ask blank face "what's wrong with you??" I'm ravaging inside, idiot!!

So there, I didn't manage to finish my office workload today. FINE!! But my amplified attitude for today's sale, yes today is Metrojaya members sale, was dampened. My constant reminders to Beary that I wanted to splurge for a day was splashed with cold water by his truly. Where are the okays? Where are the bolehs? I really, really wanted to be there 'coz I can't for tomorrow. Why on earth am I tied down for an office dinner tomorrow? I'VE ONLY GOT TODAY!!

Yet, Beary had a very valid reason for not making to the sale tonite. I can see the priority which exerts my sale wanted-ness. Mine is only a want, while he's is a need. Sigh......

Yet all in all for what happened today, I guess its a blessing in disguise. I am glad for:

1) I am still able to control myself from a PMS hooligan
2) I am able to keep the dollars in my pockets

The post was cut short 'coz I was babysitting my kids. At my own capacity, I absolutely could not afford to bring both of them out. They are BOYS. What do they know about mummy needing all the pampering session she dearly wanting? Thank you, but I would rather stay put at home than running and chasing my loads which will definitely end with myself falling short of enjoying a sale. For god sake, I can't even complete a post!!

** I have no idea y blogger is messing with my post. I'm seeing the post structured nicely, but it came out with multiple empty spacings between paragraphs. WTF!!

Have to cut short for this post too. This week is NOT my week. :(

I'm going through a mad mad mad week :(((

After the storm ends, the sun will shine ~ Italian proverb

The No Plans Weekend (Part 3)

noreply@blogger.com (Cincau aka CC) — Wed, 28 Sep 2011 12:52:00 +0000

I'll be fast on this as this has been dragging for too long. Just 1 weekend, and its been mentioned until now. I mean 1 weekend on 16 Sept? To be mention for 3 parts? Way over done. I don't know about you, but I felt kinda pukey.

Nevertheless, this final part is more of my style. I adore nature, but I love this more........ air conditioned room!!!

Firstly, allow me to introduce the host:

Ardee greeting at the front entrance

Immediately upon entering the air-cond room, you will see this:

Thank you contributors

At this point, I must correct myself. This is not a room, but an exhibition hall!! Duh!!

Air-cond spotted!!! Ahhhh.......... cooling.........

Colourful displays. Niceeeee!!

The designers of these displays are friends of mine. Though this has been put up for quite some time, I have to admit that this is my first time here .

Hey friends, one tiny error spotted!!

Exhibition items include mind exercise / quiz

Overall, I find this exhibition very interesting, pleasant and spacious. I do not know about you, but I rather view and appreciate stuff at my leisure pace instead of being hurried..... like when you're joining a tour. Just as you found a spot among the bobbing heads and about to build an appreciation to whatever view you find interesting, suddenly........ (on the loud speaker) "OK, let's move on to the next station!!!"

Ardee's message: Save save save. Practice Conservation.

One final message: Our actions today dictate our tomorrow. Listen to the Red Indians.

BTW, if you are interested to find out more about my friends the designers, their email is: gohfriend@yahoo.com . You can also view their job profile HERE.

Don't let the tiny error bother you. A wise man once said while holding up a white clean paper with a small black dot on it, "You are missing the whole picture. It is better to appreciate the larger picture than to fret on tiny matters". Wise words indeed

The No Plans Weekend (Part 2)

noreply@blogger.com (Cincau aka CC) — Sat, 24 Sep 2011 17:30:00 +0000

Before I continue with this post, just to let you know, a small announcement will be made at the end of it. Will it be like some sort of mega news? Hmm??......... not sure? I guess you'll find out soon.

And so the next day, we set out on our journey to KK Wetland Centre. Hooray!!..... the no plans weekend became with plans.

Information board at entrance

Amazing facts about the wetland

Some don'ts when entering the wetland

You remember about the cute tiny crabs which I mentioned earlier? Those crabs are known as:

To know Mr. Crab is to understand him....... wink!

Unlike Kellybays, this wetland is more cooling and pleasant to stroll about. I love the many tall and mature mangrove trees as they provide lots of shades . NO MORE dramatic dracula act (Arrrrgh!! *while blocking away from the sun*).

Lovely planks walk

The centre is a great place for light strolling. The stroll is about 45 minutes to an hour. Very pleasant and easing. Just the lush green mangrove jungle and wetland species accompanying you.

Bird watching and big shell-y living thing among the smaller shells

About half and hour or so walk later, we came to this tower:

The look-out tower

On top of this tower you have a bird's eye view of the wetland centre. A different perspective I should say.

Tall commercial and residential buildings outside of the centre

I vividly remembered of myself sowing a baby mangrove tree plant few years back while joining my office's green campaign. Yet I failed to recall where the area was. I think its here:

"X" marks the spot

The stairs down the tower was steep. Cheeky was psycho-ing himself to overcome his fear of heights. YES, THAT KID IS AFRAID OF HEIGHTS!! Yet he managed to reach the top of the tower. Unfortunately and ironically, the decending part was abit dramatic with him chanting all the way down. *I'm not afraid, I can do this. I'm not afraid, I can do this.* With him safely landed on the last step of the stairs was a major achievement for him. Clap Clap, another great accomplishment by Cheeky. Sob, sob, my boy is growing up...... *smiling while weeping*.

The final stretch of the walk:

muddy walkway.... ewww. My shoes!!!

The nursery zone confirmed my earlier guessing of my office's greening effort area. 'Coz Beary said so ....... he was there during that effort.

I'm beginning to feel the lethargic of inserting all these photos. I've got a BUNCH more!!!

Think I'll fast forward and end with this pic:

Bliss, no more muddy feet.

My verdict on this walk is: I LUV IT!! Great, light, sweat producing, 1 hour strolling. Light exercise for me.

Now, at the beginning of this post, I mentioned plans with an S, so besides leisure strolling, we included a visit to dear FIL too.

End!!

** I'm going to insert a part 3 of this title as....... er........ (keeping you in suspense ).

** About the announcement, here's the result of the Mabul Marine Week 2011 blog competition:

Mabul Marine Week Mini Bloggers Contest final score:

1. Sabrina Aripen = 191 Hits
2. Jean Ivy = 138 Hits
3. Rollens = 235 Hits
4. Cutebun = 736 Hits
5. Wyne = 191 Hits
6. Angelina = 432 Hits
7. Cincau4all = 153 Hits

Which means, Cutebun, you are the winner! Congratulations!

Yea, I didn't get it. Boo hoo. But, as a sporting (NOT) contestant, congrats to the winner. The trip is supposed to be from today, Saturday till Monday. Dear Mabul, I guess it'll be next time then. Sob sob.

(Though I didn't get the free stay, the consolation prize from this was discovering readers enjoying my blogging style. I guess I should say......... TQ. Muah-muah , will do better in the future. Other consolation prize besides the above, and oh, a real mini prize from the organiser, well other then all those, is that I didn't come in last. Ha ha ha , 2nd last, but not last. Ha ha ha ).

I'm restless b'coz of..... Sale!!

noreply@blogger.com (Cincau aka CC) — Wed, 21 Sep 2011 16:44:00 +0000

Today is not the same as yesterday. The enormous energy I felt before my bed-dy time last night was gone. I felt the mehs and blahs and do not know why it felt like its a total crappy shit wednesday.

WAIT!!..... do not like my intro here. Gotta take a shower and refresh myself.

*TIME BREAK*

A great shower and a ~~luxurious~~ facial scrub later, I'm all rejuvenated. Earlier on, I was expressing myself like a wet mop. Don't believe me? See below:

"""Y do women's emo change mutiple times a day just like today's weather? This morning, it was hot and sunny but by afternoon it showered for the longest hrs until juuuuussst about a moment ago, it stopped. "Generalisation again!!... not all women are the goddesses of weather*."""

SHAME ON CC!! Such horrendous intro!!! How can??.... when I'm about to announce a happy news. Sooooooo happy for me and especially for the fashionistas. These came in in my ACTUAL, REAL, AUTHENTIC, BOX-EY mailbox today (yes, the old-fashion way):

Total giddi-ness!!!

I totally luv max such announcements. Especially when I have these:

Yes!! I'm a member to both departmental stores

Metrojaya and Parkson Grand are the two largest departmental stores in Sabah. Thank god we've got such stores to keep me sober. Do not tell me to go for the local ones as I somehow felt they cater for the PTIs (stupid act).

The advantage of being their member is of course this:

The privilege. Hee hee.....

And so my plan is to be at Metro on 29th and thereafter Parkson on the 30th. Geng leh. Do not remind me about my debts. Who would want to hear frustrating advises when happy news is in front of you. Let me quote an example: Isn't it annoying when you are being lectured for not finishing your plate? Then the story of the poor comes up. FYL!!! Can't I for just one moment enjoy my happy thoughts?

So make sure your pockets are at its darnest kaw kaw full with the dough for this.

Remember:

MetroJaya members day special : 29th & 30th Sept 2011
Parkson Bonuslink members sale : 30th Sept 2011.

Woohoo..... restless or not???

** The rain is pouring again. But my emo remained amp.

The No Plans Weekend (Part 1)

noreply@blogger.com (Cincau aka CC) — Mon, 19 Sep 2011 14:18:00 +0000

After a hearty breakfast, it was the mind crunching time. The state of Sabah is so big, yet offers little entertainment spots. At this point I'm guessing there will be those who'll be challenging my sentence above. I can't be blaming them. One person's medicine is another person's poison. If you are anything like me, debt-ridden and embracing family life, frankly, besides sight seeing, window shopping and cinemas, there really isn't much places to go. Do not tell me about the mountain and the sea, the kinda adventurous type, I'm such a cynical parent that I avoid standing under this sweat generating weather and will only go for safe activities for my kids. At their age, they are still young in my eyes. Nevertheless, with brother Cheeky assuming primary schooling next year, I will loosen up my cynical-ness for him (I hope).

And hence:
Beary : So where r we going after this?
CC : Where do you suggest?
Beary : Y not you tell me?
CC : Y r u always not doing the thinking part?
Beary : 'Coz everytime I suggest, you do not like it.
CC : I dare you, just say it.
Beary : How about Kellybays, Tuaran?

It's definitely not in my list of the most wanted place to visit. The standing under the sweat generating weather was there, the no-know of the place was also there, and the mere thinking of adventuring on roads without tar was a total turn-off for me. But heck, we need to kill time, so I accepted Beary's suggestion and embarked to the world of the unknown.

Travelled for almost an hour and finally, Borneo Kellybays was in sight....... sort of....

Can you feel the heat?

It wasn't a great sight to view. Gravel road, bushes, trees, river, sampan etc etc...... in short, nature at rough. I could feel myself almost crying meltdown as Dracula did when the sun was scorching high above me. There was this plank walk leading to the unknown.... NO, it should be known except for myself as I've never been here before.

CC family's adventure to the unknown

See that plank walk? What was at the end of this walk? Just around the bend was the end of it and its......

Stairs to water?

Its a jetty..... made from wood too. So there weren't any warm reception nor a soul to welcome us. Hmm???...... is that all? All the heat to be met with a dead end? Apparently not. Schedule boat rides will bring you to a near distance restaurant.

Boat ride schedule and my time was 1.30pm. Drats!!

The Restaurant. What else do they offer?

You know what? I didn't realised it but there was a man sitting at the jetty relaxing. Beary was even chit-chatting with him. Either its my ignorance playing on me or......I blame in on the sun. Can't you feel the rays with all these pictures?

The guy was saying that Koreans love to patronise this place and at the restaurant, they serve the freshest seafood. There are no resort style rooms but you can do camping there. Sounds reeeaaaall rugged. Is that why there are many Korean tour buses at the gravel parking area? Well, seems like we missed everything, nothing much to see and so we headed back to our car. Air-cond in sight!!! Bliss was about to shower on me .

As we were approaching the end of our plank walk, something was moving on the wet muddy ground below our feet.

The cutest mini crabs

Red and black, so unique. I've never seen one before.

The fact is we're surrounded by mangrove trees. Very "virgin" I should say. Nature at its most natural habitat.

Mangrove trees with their multiple roots growing above the ground

Click here to know more about the harsh survival condition of mangrove trees.

As we drove away from this place, I started mentioning about the nearer KK Wetland Centre, which is so uniquely in the city itself. And guess what? The next day, we were there.

TO BE CONTINUED......

Recoloured my blog

noreply@blogger.com (Cincau aka CC) — Thu, 15 Sep 2011 14:48:00 +0000

ZOMG..... thank god I'm back with the original colour of my blog template. My attempt to brighten up my blog ended with myself almost losing my mojo. Glad that I found my senses again. For those who are not regular followers, here's a pic of the "indifferent" colour:

Am I attractive?

I adopted a different colour 'coz of the advise from top bloggers. In my attempt to make my blog more "cheerful", it ended with myself dying of cuteness suffocation. I dare to say I'm a practical person and do not really fall in the category of being "in the air". Au contrary, I have both of my feet firmly on the ground. So, colours do influence one person. It definitely made me realised that I'm a no nonsense person. Is that good or bad? Let's just say there are pros and cons.

No offense to those who had better blogs than me, in terms of beauty. As a practical person, I know that my blog looks blah. I'm thinking hard whether I should get professional help on revamping it. Then I can try out with a variety of colours, even the cheerful ones. A chance to explore and screw the poor professionals until I'm satisfied?? Okay, not screwing....... but seek advise ( polite max).

Now that I have recollected myself, let me share with you one other meh news.

Mabul Marine Week Mini Bloggers Contest hits ranking as for today:

1. Sabrina Aripen = 170 Hits
2. Jean Ivy = 122 Hits
3. Rollens = 212 Hits
4. Cutebun = 578 Hits
5. Wyne = 161
6. Angelina = 327
7. Cincau4all = 130

Show your support to our contestants! Just few more days before the closing date!

Sucks isn't it? Look at my meh placing. Contest ends on 19th, i.e. this coming Monday. I doubt I'll be able to make great changes to the ranking. I do not blame the outcome as these people have experience. I mean they've spend years blogging. As you know, I have just hit my 1/2 year mark. Soooo damn lacking in the know-how department. WTF! BTW, if you are still interested to know about this contest, you can click here. Maybe a miracle will happen??

Tomorrow is another holiday in Malaysia. Its only a day and again, no plans. The usual independence day parade is now scheduled for tomorrow. It used to be on 31st August which is another holiday. SO MANY HOLIDAYS. SPORADIC SOME MORE. Not that I'm not happy about it, its just that its a bit....... disturbing my drive to progress. Its hard for me to express here. How should I say it??

Anyway, as a practical person, I'm trying hard to see a light at the end of the tunnel. Tsk, tsk, .... darling CC is striving to make a change here. FOR THE BETTER, THAT IS!!

Happy Malaysia Day

The National flag and the State of Sabah flag. Sourced from www.flickr.com

Six Months Later......

noreply@blogger.com (Cincau aka CC) — Tue, 13 Sep 2011 01:11:00 +0000

Today marks the 6 months point of my blogging journey........ that was a week ago i.e. 5th Sept.

I meant to post this earlier, but then the Mabul Marine Week contest captured my attention, and so I posted that out first. Support me to Mabul, by clicking this link. Though I feel my chances are slim, as I have yet to attract a large readers to follow my blog. Anyway, to those who had supported, I bow to thank you. Arigato!!

And so, being new to blogging, I didn't really visit lots of blogs as guidance to start off with. I started blogging was because of this article. The article was glaring in front of me like diamonds and gold. IT'S EXAGGERATING!! Yes, but its true. You know how the motivation gurus said, as one door shuts, another opens up. Though my current door has not slam shut yet, there is no harm looking at other opportunities.

As the opposite of a tech-y geek, I find myself facing my own phobia. I do not like to be mentally challenge when it comes to computer stuff. Can you imagine I did not know of the supposed running of the antivirus manually? I thought its always auto scan but not according to the technician when my pc was sent for repair...... due to virus attacking my pc files. Okay, at this point, either the technician is a total hopeless dude or I'm hopeless. Both ways, I know I looked like a cuckoo bimbo easily being conned. But that's how severe am I on computer stuff.

Yet, technology is pushing everyone to accept that the future is all about computer and its related. My recent trip to Singapore, one of the stops was at the LTA. Their final exhibit was on projecting the future of transportation ease-ness in Singapore. Again, the high dependency on computers. Hence, whether you like it or not, you have to embrace techs advances.

Me & my lack of focus skill

CC is............ the one behind the camera who took this pic.

As I journeyed on in the blogsphere, I can't be forever doing the guessing game whether am I doing right, right??? Hence, I did alot of blog walking...... ALOT ALOT ALOT. I bumped into some of the most successful and influential bloggers' blogs. My, am I amazed.

And so, I experimented and tried out various methods of producing a blogpost. You can see glaring differences from my first post to my recent current ones. My first initial thought was to posts on information and sharing.... yet I do have this notion telling me that if I can find on web, so do others. Why the need to repeat?? From all these walking, I tried to pick up ideas and adopt them to my blogging skills. The result was a staggering difference. The recent month saw my hits counter running wild (again exaggerating!!....fairly only la) compared to previous months.

Six months, and a hunger-ness to learn more, made me realise my current blog is not what I visioned and projected for long term use. It lacks the "welcoming" potion..... yea, I said potion, like drug. Ha ha ha. No, really, even for myself, I find myself looking at my blog and have this MEH blahs sensation. NOT beautiful la. The more I tried to adjust it, the worse it became. Feels like strangling someone......... daddy Beary?? Poor guy, my best companion yet enduring all my fickle mindedness.

And so, I'm putting on my thinking cap again...... if I am serious about blogging, I then really need to start dedicating time and do something about it. The time management between a full time job, a mom, a wife, a daughter, a blogger and etc etc etc is really isn't at the snap of my fingers. 24 hrs a day is just not enough.

So, I'm ending this post with a video by Project Alpha featuring one of Malaysia's top blogger, Cheesie. For the ladies, listen to what she said. 'Coz her "fairly simple" way to blog is revealed.

Final note, Be Prepared!! One of these days, CC's will feature her ownself with a "fairly simple" looking good pic.

B is for Busy

noreply@blogger.com (Cincau aka CC) — Sat, 10 Sep 2011 14:27:00 +0000

Hello CC-cliques,

I've been busy lately. Workload is picking up again and this time it'll drag for about 3 months. Nevertheless, I won't be forgetting you.

Lately been doing alot of thinking and is reassessing myself. This always happens when the equation is upset i.e. 1 + 1 does not equal 2. This was mentioned on my fb page. So, join me at fb for mini ramblings and muses.

And also not forgetting, my previous post on the contest to Mabul Island, it is still on going and you can help me by contributing hits to my post. Just click here, this link. For those who are reading this with the imaginary question marks appearing on top of their heads , you can refer to my previous post.

Ending here with a pic of Mabul Island........ Luv.

Island Paradise - Mabul (source from www.photobucket.com)

Mabul Marine Week 2011, I Should be There

noreply@blogger.com (Cincau aka CC) — Tue, 06 Sep 2011 18:18:00 +0000

This is a contest.

I was skeptical whether I was able to join or to even qualify for a chance. How can an airhead blogger with minimal tech-tech know-how is able to blog the fascination and beauty of this place. I Can't!!

WRONG!! I CAN...... just give me the opportunity to visit this place, and I CAN!!

Though CC have not visited Mabul island, the buzz and beauty of this place have long serenade with its famous cousin, Sipadan. Just where are these islands? Here:

Micro to macro : Mabul Island, Semporna, Sabah, Malaysia, South East Asia
(image source: www.sipadan-mabul.com.my)

The distance between the cousins is just a 20 mins speedboat ride.
(image source: www.sipadan-mabul.com.my)

What is so unique about Mabul? Have you heard of the term "muck-diving"? And did you know the term is believed to be first used here? I'm not lying!! Scuba-Junkie said so. You should reeeaaal-ly be visiting their website. Its full of everything you need to know about diving in this part of the world. Here's a pic I took out from its site:

The many-many diving sites. Hmm???........Where's CC point??

Good, now that I've covered the introduction part, let's now reason why I should be there? CC should be there becoz of:

Its MABUL MARINE WEEK 2011

Not knowing much about this awareness effort, CC did some walking, i.e. fiddling the mouse searching websites with my fingers la. Very very interesting o. According to sabahtourism:

An annual conservation program which includes the clean up of the sea and its reefs, coral transplanting, exhibitions and various conservation activities to promote marine awareness among villagers, stakeholders, divers and the public. Come join us and become an ocean ambassador to protect our marine life.

Oooo, that sounds interesting..... an ocean ambassador.... I CAN do that!! Here are some of the pics I found from Scuba Junkie's facebook on this program:

CC as the red sticklady

I can help with cleaning the beach

The picking up trash trio

Let's take a group photo

Good job. Pat at the back for the coral transplanters

On the way to the transplant point

Helping out with the transplanting

Transplanting in progress

I'm imagining myself being there and helping out. Can you imagine that too? Do you want to see me there? Do you want to see my future posts blogging about my trip there? Do you want to find out what else Mabul offers?

You can help me by doing this:
1) Go to http://borneocolours.com
2) And then try and find this post there (I'm still not sure how this will go about. Its my 1st time in a contest!!!)
3) And voila, it'll contribute 1 hit per view. So, view as many, many, many times as possible, ya.
4) You have to KEEP GOING TO ITEM NO. 1) AS STATED ABOVE AND CLICK ON MY POST. (I think!! If you do not click on my post, how to have the hits le??)
5) Contest ends on 19 Sept 2011.
6) Mabul Marine Week 2011 is from 24 - 26 Sept 2011.

Okay, terima kasih di dahulukan. (Thanking in advance). I'm ending my post with a few scenic views of this fascinating island.

Scuba Junkie : the organiser of Mabul Marine Week 2011 and
sponsor of this mini contest

Source from Flickr - leafbug

Source from http://journeymalaysia.com

Source from Scuba Junkie facebook

Signing off.................. CC
(don't forget to do the clicking.......)

The Awesome Murut Dance

noreply@blogger.com (Cincau aka CC) — Fri, 02 Sep 2011 07:42:00 +0000

What's that??

Yesterday the CC family was at 1 Borneo, the largest mall on the island of Borneo. How lucky am I that some of the hippest and trendiest shops are in KK..... well, of course it is incomparable to KL and Singapore, or any other shopping heavens, but it'll do for now. I mean, with the high costs of survival, who has extra money for ultra branded stuff anyway? Yea, I called it survival, and not living.... when you are practically pinching every penny to make ends meet.

Of course I do not mean all Sabahans are penny pinchers, there are also those who are strap with loads of cash. Don't know how they attain their huge sum la, besides its hard to identify those with the dough. With so many PTIs roaming freely on our streets, nobody would be flashing their golden egg inviting burglary and violence. Even when you are not having the precious egg, these unwelcoming lot still wants a piece of you. Its like a game of musical chair just waiting for the music to stop and the unlucky person gets the blow. WHOA..... totally out of the dance topic. Need to recollect myself. #deepbreathing.

But you know what?? When the opportunity comes, I know what I'll do........... YOU hear that??!!!

Now back to the awesome dance, what you are seeing in the 1st pic are the props to be use for the dance. Bamboo that is.

Some musical instruments to go with the dance

I did not intentionally visit the mall for this show. Its just coincidentally that we were there strolling and passing time...... geez, the agony of not planning for this 3 day holidays. And I did not intend to stay for the show too, but daddy Beary had this itch wanting to watch till it ends. The 1st dance was on the Kadazan dance. Did not take pic. Then it was the Bugis dance, did not take pic too. Even the kids weren't too fascinated with the dances.

Finally the 3rd and last dance performance, which is always a show stealer, the guys in leotards........... I mean, the Murut Dance.

Oooooo-ing on those strong leg muscles

Y am I taking pics of their back-sides? Gotta go to the front stage and squeeze with the rest of the crowd:

Hunters' dance (1)

Hunters' dance (2)

Hunters' dance (3)

The dance interacts with the crowd too :

See that person in black? She's blowing a hunter's pipe targeting at a balloon

Finally the female dancers and props are up on stage :

The making of the bamboo dance

Doesn't do justice to the ladies la. They are also dancers wa. Okay-okay, here's some pic of their graceful-ness:

Beauties dancing (1)

Beauties dancing (2)

Beauties dancing (3)

More interactions with the crowd

As the performance got nearer to its finale, the beat of the musical instruments became more intense, and so is the clap of the bamboo sticks :

Intense or what??

Real fast leg work and bamboo claps

It all ended with.................. okay la, my bad, did not take pics. #lemonised.

It actually ended with a BANG!! Literally, the best ending for a great performance. Couldn't get any pic as little Manja was cry pleading to leave. The poor little boy is not a party animal, couldn't take loud noises. He was grabbing tightly and kicking non-stop until I, who was carrying him of 15kg, was at the far end of the mall. My 3 year old boy is sorta tiny tad bigger size than other 3 year olds. So, I was lugging with torture until he's all settled and smiley again.

Those last few pics were taken by Beary. Oso cannot get the dramatic finale.

It is quite usual for you to catch such cultural performances. Its almost at anywhere at anytime. Alternatively, just go and visit a cultural village, know their performances schedule and Voila!! TRUST ME!! Especially this Murut dance, its TOTALLY AWESOME!! Don't know where to begin?? Try www.sabahtourism.com

** I kinda got bored with tagging myself as Cincau, so I've abbreviated it to CC. I mean, if redmummy.com can call herself as RM, then y can't I? That's See-see (geez, sounded like someone working in a cabaret). Definitely not Chee-chee (that's even worse, sounding like a monkey!!). Who knows, I may go back to being myself, Cincau (yea, tick-tocking with my double standards again )

Morning Sketch

noreply@blogger.com (Cincau aka CC) — Tue, 30 Aug 2011 09:48:00 +0000

Good Morning. Selamat pagi from.........

It means "Borneo"

This morning started off just the same way as my other weekend mornings. What damn routine life. Y can't my life be more interesting??? I'll tell you why...... no planning lo.

But I'll be going for a movie later wo, so not too routine la hor. Will watch Cars 2 with the kids.

And so morning breakfast, while waiting for food to be serve:

daddy Beary started off sketching

His hidden talent. What did he sketch?

Big leafy plant next to our table

See..... got talent or not?? He took some artistic classes before...... no dancing nor stage performances la, just graphics. I say, not bad la hor. Never asked him, but I bet he got better SPM result for arts, 'coz I got a 5 only . Okay la, still pass right??? Credit some-more le.

Learn from the si fu

little Manja wanted to learn too

Manja : My turn. Cheeky : Hey, I'm not done yet!!

Manja : Boo.......

Not too long, the food came.

Healthy or what???

We had our breakfast at this place:

Beautiful wall decoration

Po lo zou = Borneo

The food is generally okay. But you must try their signature noodle dish called....... "Signature Noodle" dish la. Didn't take any pic though. Quite yums. I just didn't really enjoy the road with cars passing by that's really near to our table with only the leafy plant between us.

But I do like that big wall depicting one of Sabah's horrific history. It featured the Sandakan-Ranau Death March.

The shop is at........ don't know the address la. But its a corner shop at Lintas Plaza, facing the golf driving range. Definitely won't miss it.

Just before we left, as I was turning away from our table, I noticed the lesson that si fu gave to the kids :

Tic-tac-toe

Nevertheless, appreciation to Coffee News for supplying complimentary news printouts.

Brighten Someone's Day, 1 Apology at a Time

noreply@blogger.com (Cincau aka CC) — Sat, 27 Aug 2011 04:09:00 +0000

I am pissed and do not understand why there is this BIG gap between the post title and my 1st sentence line. Tried everything in my IT illiterate mind to solve this but still it wanted to remain as such. Aesthetically, I do not like it. DON'T CARE LIAO LA. The more important content is in the following video:

Digi Telecommunications launched this video campaign recently with a message to urge Malaysians to be apologetic and seek forgiveness among each other. This campaign was launched just this past Tuesday and it has recorded clicks of more than 43,000 likes to date. It could not have launch at a better time than this as Malaysians prepare to celebrate 3 significant events:

Hari Raya Aidilfitri on 30 & 31 August 2011
Independence Day on 31 August 2011
Malaysia Day on 16 September 2011

Remember the phrase "Maaf Zahir dan Batin"? (I seek forgiveness (from you) physically and spiritually)

Now, the best part of this campaign is, YOU CAN TAKE PART and make this a much much much more meaningful drive. You just need to share your 'sorry' story, clip, lines, design, pictures etc etc by following this link and start spreading your forgiveness.

The last time I check, there are less than 800 submissions. Make yours known as selected submissions will be compiled into a video and featured during Malaysia Day. So why wait, GO NAO!!!

Speaking of the coming events...... those listed are public holidays. YES!!

Me, Beary and Bak Kut Teh

noreply@blogger.com (Cincau aka CC) — Wed, 24 Aug 2011 15:56:00 +0000

WARNING : This post is about a pork dish. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!!

Here am I blogging about food again. I do not understand why of recent my posts are all on food when I am trying very hard in losing weight. WTF!!

I guess my life must be boring. FML!!

Be it boring or exciting, you will just have to bear with me as, I still want to blog about this dish. Nevertheless, its going to be in the simplest form i.e with pics max loads. I'll start with a brief LOL

The coffee shop has gone through some renovation. It used to be a meh-meh place for Cincau. But in that coffee shop is a stall, a stall that I could not resist. It serves one of the most yummy bak kut teh around KK. Some people says the best is at Jalan Gaya, which only operates at night. Then how about for lunch? This is where I go to:

Lido, Penampang

Sooooo glad its renovated. No more meh-meh

Auntie and her more organised stall.

Do you know the history of bak kut teh in Malaysia? Which its origin was at the then labour intensive Port Klang area? Click here for its history and ingredients.

Condiments to satisfy your taste buds

This is the way Cincau likes it. small sized chili and garlic with light soy sauce

daddy Beary's big & small chili, garlic, light & dark soy sauce

You know the wait is worth-ful when you are being presented with this:

Bak kut teh in hot claypot

The finest "cut". Damn satisfying!!

Beary gobbling away

While I'm enjoying this juicy-ful dish, a minor commotion broke out:

Cincau : I want to try your condiment

Beary : Stay away. Not enuf for 2!!

What la???? Just trying out mah. With the additional dark soy sauce, its sweeter compared to the salty light.

Excuse me, I need to make an ugly expression:

BURP!!

Ahh....... sooooo good!!! What's the name of that coffee shop? Here it is:

Kedai Kopi Keng Lok Yin

Its a corner shop immediately to your left on the main entry junction. Definitely won't miss it.

My lunch did not end with the taking of the above pic. Instead, this was how it ended:

X marks the spot I was standing at. Being shooed away.

Is the curb for pedestrians or bully drivers?

DISCLAIMER : This post is constructed with much care and in no way meant to offend anyone. Alternatively, you may substitute pork with poultry (chicken) meat.

Wok With Beary

noreply@blogger.com (Cincau aka CC) — Sun, 21 Aug 2011 14:45:00 +0000

Last Thursday, daddy Beary noticed his ~~sexy~~ shirtless pic while cooking. He was mad upset that I did not tinkle him. Pai seh wa. Shiu-shiu!! (Pai seh = shiu-shiu = shy)

And so to do some justice on him, this post features him cooking (with his shirt on) using his faithful wok. Gosh, I must have watched too many cooking channels. Before this was him in Jaime Oliver's character, and now in Stephen Yan's. Enuf said!

Yo! Beary, why the serious look? Smile for the camera.

That's more like it.

Some tossing is required.

Voila! daddy Beary's signature fried rice

This past week had been a blessed week for Beary did all the cooking while I was.......... clearing the plates. I have to make a confession here......... (I hate cooking!!). ZOMG am I lucky or what to have a man who's willing to cook. And to max-max him with more justice, these were the dinner meals from Monday - Friday:

Monday yummies

Wednesday Drools

Thursday Licky-licious

Friday Awesome-ness

Everyday wok ideas, just Beary and his faithful wok .

How about Tuesday? I was away for evening meeting and hence, was unable to take any pic. Anyway, do not be despair, for Tuesday's dinner is the same as........ kindly refer to Friday's.

And here's my plate of fried rice as the wrap up of a week's dinner by the cincau family:

THANK YOU BEARY!!