Cheddarina

Happy Chinese New Year

2012-01-27T23:07:00.001+08:00

This is the most relaxing CNY ever since I start working 4 years ago after completing my study.

Red dress to "ong" me from head to toe.

Bring me wealth! Love my nails!

My niece, Cindy! She's super cute!

Another cute doll, Amber. Also my niece.

Met up with Cheesie!

Cheesie was so surprised seeing my big stomach and swollen legs.

Besides watching TV and online at home, what I can do is ................................

EAT EAT EAT!

Chinese style course meal is something that you shouldn't miss during CNY. Not only that, I went to Matsu for Japanese food too. Always love Japanese food because they are less oily and thus made me think that it's more healthy!!!

My favourite chawanmushi

Ebiko sushi

Unagi sushi roll with cheese.... Heavenly delicious! One of their signature dishes.

Salmon sushi roll with ebiko

King prawn sushi

Takoyaki

Soft shell crab temaki

As I get closer to my due date, I'm getting more and more nervous and excited. I even dreamed of myself giving birth and doctor said I got 5 babies in my stomach last night!!! So ridiculous and this is OMG impossible!

My sexy legs are gone!

2012-01-23T23:06:00.016+08:00

Due to the weight gain and severe water retention problem, my slim legs have turned into a pair of elephant legs which I could hardly accept. You may think I exaggerated but I'm not. Scroll down to get my evidence!

Just to show you my slim and sexy legs BEFORE I got pregnant.

Since the 6th month during my pregnancy, I have problems fitting into shoes. My foots were swollen and my ankle disappeared after work everyday. But swelling was gone in the morning after I soaked my foots in hot water and did foot massage.

This is the proof.

When it came to the 7th months, swelling problem got worst. I couldn't find my ankles anymore from day to night (︶︹︺)

My foot on 36th weeek

Swelling problem seemed to get better at foot area (as you can see my foot got a lot of crease and wrinkle) but something WORST happened.

I totally can't accept this!!!

My swollen elephant legs. Swelling on right leg is more severe as you can see in the photo (crying in my heart everyday when I see them)

The sacrifice of being a mum. Fat legs that FATT MY LIFE!

There are two more weeks to go. I really can't wait to start my slimming program!

Before I end this sad post, I gotta comfort myself by posting some pretty and fashionable photos.

Leopard prints for this winter!

Love this dress so much because the cutting made me look real SLIM

Gonna update my blog more frequent. So STAY TUNED!

Reunion Dinner 2012

2012-01-22T22:18:00.000+08:00

Chinese New Year won't be complete without reunion dinners. This is an important part of the Chinese traditions that helps keep the family bonded.

This year I did not help in the kitchen because of my big stomach and I can hardly stand for more than 15 minutes. However, I did snap some photos when my mom-in-law was preparing the delicious typical CNY dishes.

Giant prawns. My favourite!

Abalone. Used to make soup and to cook with the sea cucumber.

Double-boiling the homemade "Buddha Jump Over the Wall"

Braised sea cucumber with abalone and mushroom

Stewed Hakka Fried Pork Belly With Black Fungus

Steamed prawn with ginger and wine. Really love my mom-in-law's recipe. Best steamed prawn ever!

Homemade "Buddha Jump Over the Wall" served!!! Super tasty!

My first Yee Sang for the year! Huat ar!

As the year of the dragon begins, let us spread our love to everyone surrounding us.

Wish you all Gong Xi Fa Cai and may this dragon year bring good health, prosperity and happiness \(^•^)/

CNY Shopping Haul

2012-01-21T23:14:00.001+08:00

Chinese New Year is just around the corner, I'm sure most of you have done your CNY shopping.

Just to share my CNY purchase with you all.

HANDBAGS

CNY must have red clothes and this year I also bought a red tote from Carlo Rino!

A casual silver shopping bag. Easily matched with any outfits.

JEWELRIES

New necklace! Don't know why I really like to buy necklaces recently.

Another dazzling piece of jewelry, Swazroski element crystal necklace.

Lovely vintage necklaces with sparkling crystal

STORAGE ITEM

My new headband stand!

It's still not enough for me to put all my headbands :(

ARTIFICIAL NAIL SETS

Since pregnant lady gotta stay away from nail polish, I purposely bought a few sets of artificial nail sets for CNY. They are cheap, easy to apply and remove! Most importantly is my nails can be "leng leng" during CNY.

White lace princess

Pink and black polka dots with ribbon. Sweet!

Cute bear and candy set

Vivi inspired modern nail art

I'm so excited!!! Really super love all the designs!

BIRD NEST

Due to the bad experience with Eu Yan Sang that I mentioned in the previous post, I changed my bird nest supplier to Hockhua, a Singapore company, which is also famous for its bird nest. They also won the Singapore's Choice SUPERBRAND 2011. So I have no doubt on their bird nest's quality.

Instant bird nest drink

See the bird nest content!

Instant bird nest drink again. But this is smaller bottle type.

This one contains less bird nest.

This is the premium instant bird nest drink from Hockhua.

That's why it's premium. FULL bottle! Can you see the big pieces of bird nest!!! Super super love this.

Freeze-dried bird nest, a gift from my hubby, for me and our baby.

CNY Gifts for our loved one

They are for parents and siblings.

This year I'm going to enjoy my long long holiday during CNY. Yeah, started my maternity leave and will be back to work on April.

Will spend almost all my time sitting at home during CNY to wait for my baby to meet this beautiful world. Finger crossed!

Tiffany Blue

2012-01-13T23:17:00.003+08:00

My first post in 2012 should start with GOOD stuffs!

Went to KL Pavilion with my hubby on 1 January 2012. This would be the last KL shopping trip before I deliver.

Mom-to-be still loves to take photos as always

So many United Buddy Bears at the entrance of KL Pavilion. So cute OMG!

2012 is going to be a challenging yet rewarding year for me! Because I just got promoted as assistant manager and soon will be a mom.

To reward myself for the hard work and effort throughout year 2011, I bought myself a piece of stunning jewelry presented in a little blue box. Although I really wish to receive this as a gift from my hubby, but I knew he wouldn't do it because he doesn't know what is Tiffany & Co. (he's only interested in IT gadgets and those Japanese figures) and why every girl fantasises this little blue box.

Walked out from Tiffany & Co. outlet after my purchase. Love their service (◠‿◠)

Tiffany Blue is the pretty pastel that epitomises elegance, sophistication, and timeless beauty. Lovely packaging that touches every girl's heart!!

Unwrapping! Are you excited?

TADAA.............

Tiffany Keys collection - Heart key pendant with round diamonds and a 16" chain

Since I'm going to deliver in early next month and I'll be just sitting at home during CNY, I can save on buying new clothes and shoes. So I got a good excuse to splurge on Tiffany & Co.'s jewelry to motivate myself.

A good start that brings happiness and prosperity. Yippie!

Fine Dining @ Teeq Restaurant

2011-12-31T23:55:00.001+08:00

Celebrated my 2nd wedding anniversaries at TEEQ RESTAURANT, KL with my hubby few weeks back. Supposed to celebrate my birthday here 6 months ago but I couldn't make it due to the horrible morning sickness I had. Not to say dining, even shopping couldn't make me feel better.

Teeq serves Japanese, Western, Asian and Thai cuisine, but the varieties is much limited. The ample space and special interior decoration make this place looks effortlessly chic. It's all-glass facade allows diners to enjoy the view of the KL skyline.

Luckily we made a reservation, because we're the only guests. It just seemed like we booked the whole restaurant that night. So GOOD (~￣▽￣)

Love the ambiance.

Soft lighting and thus making it a super good place for romantic deals.

Our table

The classy open kitchen behind a glass of wine bottles

Ceiling with wooden strips that forms beautiful waves, a very special concept!

The complimentary bread

Our starter! Forgot what it called. It's a combination of fresh salmon, garden salad, grilled scallops and prawns baked with cheese. Love this so much!

Teriyaki chicken set ordered by my hubby

The gravy tasted not bad. Was quite surprised with the quality. It was over my expectation!

Here's come my main course - Aromatic lamb shank served with crushed Nicoise potatoes. This is also their signature dish, a must do for lamb lovers. The lamb shank was cooked with Mediterranean herbs, cheese gnocchi, chili and confit of garlic. The freshness and tenderness of the lamb is unforgettable and I don taste the funky lamb taste at all! Highly recommended!!

This is the Tiramisu with a Twist to end our dinner on a sweet note. This wasn't too surprising but it was quite satisfying.

Photo with hubby

Here's the bar area overseeing the fantastic KL night view!

The green oasis.

Overall, the food, ambiance and service is fantastic. But during the dinner I was disturbed by some mozzies. Perhaps that was a rainy day and I was wearing a black long dress. But it was really annoying. That was the only negative point I found.

How could wedding anniversary be perfect without anniversary gifts?

Sony Ericson Xperia Play for HIM. My hubby is a loyal Sony fans. He only hearts Sony products.

I have not received my anniversary gift because my hubby said he would only buy for me after I deliver baby. I have few choices for him but I won't reveal it now. So you all will know what is the gift on April (after the confinement) I guess.

2011 has been a good year for me though my blogging frequency was slightly reduced. I'm so proud of myself that I have developed some cooking skill and convinced my hubby that I'm not only good in social skills and giving myself a presentable look, but I can also play his mum's role by preparing some healthy and hearty meals for him (进得厨房，出得厅堂). The most amazing thing is my hubby and me have created a little life and will be promoted and proceeded to another stage of our lives real soon.

(^▽^)

To end 2011, I've posted a long and gorgeous post in this New Year Eve.

So let us welcome 2012 with smile on our face and love in our hearts!!!

My BUMP and me

2011-12-30T12:54:00.003+08:00

This year marks a new journey for me. A journey with a "BUMP" on me.

Pregnancy tests before consulting doctor. So surprised with the results and we even tested 3 times!

Some pregnancy books to help this mama-to-be.

I experienced terrible morning sickness (or all day sickness) in the first trimester. Not only feeling nauseous and kept vomiting, but I got gastric that caused my stomach to generate higher amount of acid, making me hungry very fast and thus, I gotta take like 6 meals a day. And I gained 7kg at the end of my first trimester. It's unbelievable!!! It's something that I couldn't control but somehow I know I gotta prepare a big sum of money for slimming after delivery (╥_╥)

Normally pregnant ladies will start gaining weight only after their first trimester. But I'm the exceptional one ٩(×̯×)۶

When first trimester ended and the morning sickness finally said goodbye to me, I regain my normal life and feel so good when the little one started to move and kick inside my stomach. The movement is so amazing and I'm enjoying every bit of it.

It will be an endless story if you wanna know my experience. There’s so much to tell. Haha…………….

It’s FASHION TIME! Yeah, you can see how I dress up during this few months. I didn’t buy any maternity wear because their “S” size is too big for me. What I’m wearing everyday is the Bohemian dresses, sun dresses or loose top paired with low waist pants. Mama-to-be also can be very fashionable okay?

This is ME after gaining 16kg in 8 months time. NO JOKE!

My chubby face

I look sooooo PLUMP. My hubby started to call me FATTY (T_T)

Say HI!

Took some maternity shots with my hubby but I will only share ONE with you all now. If you are interested to see more photos, STAY TUNED!

Happy 2nd Wedding Anniversaries

2011-12-25T23:57:00.000+08:00

That special day is here again. The day we took the vows of man and wife, forever, for life.

Happiness in marriage is not something that just happens. A good marriage must be created with effort from both sides.

We promised to hold hands forever and share our laughter and tears.

Thanks for your cares, understandings, and unconditional love. I know you are impatient but you are still always waiting for me and driving me around :P

The sweet memories are engraved on my heart and I will try to forget those moments that you pissed me off and made me cry.

I am so blessed to be your wife. As what I've always said,

"I want to grow old together with you."

Here's to many more beautiful years ahead.

And don't forget, YOU ARE THE LOVE FOR MY LIFE.

HAPPY 2ND WEDDING ANNIVERSARIES!

Merii Kurisumasu

2011-12-24T23:35:00.013+08:00

Will be spending Christmas this year AT HOME (−_−＃)

So I can rest, eat, sleep and most importantly BLOG!

Here are some of the photos for this Christmas.

And here's are some nice foods that I had recently.

TEA TIME @ MYHONEYMOON, SUNWAY PYRAMID

Mango pudding. Refreshing and mouth watering!

Mango special maruko drink. This is something like mango sago, but added mini glutinous rice balls inside.

Black sesame cream with black sago. I still prefer the pure and original black sesame cream. Too much sago and thus making the whole bowl of dessert tasteless.

DINNER @ PASTA ZANMAI, SUNWAY PYRAMID

Soft shell crab spaghetti with sesame sauce. Yummy!

Soft shell crab sushi. Couldn't stop myself from eating.

Chicken teriyaki spaghetti with onsen tamago. My hubby's favourite. The egg made the spaghetti so smooth and yummy!

The hotate pizza never fail me. Scallop, mushroom, tomato sauce and mayonnaise make a perfect combination to give my taste buds a roller coaster ride.

That's all for tonight!

Wish you all a very happy, peaceful Christmas, and a healthy, prosperous and spurs-winning New Year!

MERII KURISUMASU *\(^o^)/*

Otaru 小樽

2011-12-18T10:38:00.005+08:00

Otaru is an old noltalgic city in Hokkaido with a lot of attractions and it's really worth visiting for the nice scenery and good food.

Otaru Canal is the landmark this city.

This canal will look very beautiful during winter when it's covered with the snow and candles are lit up to decorate this touristy place.

Street in Otaru.

Historic architectures. Love the buildings here

This was the shop I bought the most delicious cheese cake!!! Read my previous post about the goodness of the cheesecake HERE.

Sinfully delicious!

Two famous confectionery shops，　Rokkatei (六花亭) and Kitakaro (北菓楼)! Their cookies are the best!

The shops behind are coffee houses that sell Hello Kitty mug with the purchase of the coffee! I didn't find it special although many tourists are crazy to get the mug.

Glass-ware is another trademark of Otaru. Many glassｗａｒｅ workshops are located in this beautiful city.

This is one of the famous glassware shop called Kitaichi Glass Emporium, selling glass crafts, music boxes and lamps.

The music box befits this city of history and romance.

Merry-go-round music box. It costs more than RM250 for one!

Went to KL Pavilion and saw the Merry-go-round, which reminded me of different types of music boxes that I saw in Otaru and thus, inspired me to come out with this post. Haha.......

Going to have "Bak Kut Teh" as my dinner now! BYE!!

Rewarding Shopping

2011-12-04T12:49:00.011+08:00

Christmas sales or year end sales are a great time get some good deals. Don't you agree with me?

Here are my recent purchases!

Spent a lot on skincare products. What to do? Auditors tend to get old faster.

My favourite brand, ESTEE LAUDER! I got a 8pcs gift set with the purchase of Advanced Night Repair series, which consists of a 30ml Recovery Complex and a 15ml eye complex that costs RM530 (the two bottles with two brown lines on the gold cap). Super LOVE the lip color palette!!!

Have been using Advanced Night Repair series since 3 years ago and I'm still loving them! The gel based Eye Complex is hydrating and moisturising enough without leaving a greasy feeling on my sensitive eye areas. I always feel that cream-based eye care products are too oily for me. And this is just PERFECT!

As for the Advanced Night Repair recovery complex (an anti-aging serum), I think it's the right product for me to prevent skin damage and reduce signs of aging. This product has gained good ratings from its customers and its advanced formula has 20 patents worldwide. According to its official website, this serum can neutralise up to 90% of environmentally generated free radicals that cause damage to our skin. In addition, it's fragrance-free and non-acnegenic!!! Most importantly, it works well to improve my skin texture (I like to squeeze the blackheads and zits and thus making my skin rough and with large pores), retain moisture and makes my skin glowing!

I'm considering to have a try on SK-II Facial Treatment Essence next year! Who can tell me whether Estee Lauder or SK-II works better?

CLINIQUE Moisture Surge Extended Relief. I got a free lip gloss and a travel-size Repairwear Contour Moisturiser for purchasing this. Please read my product review HERE if you are interested. I remembered the first jar I bought was only RM140 but now the price has gone up to RM160. Boss, increase salaries please!

MAYBELLINE Pure BB Mineral Mousse. This was an impulsive purchase as it's below RM50. Just wanna try out the mousse texture whether it gives a smoother feel.

However, it's quite disappointing because the current IOPE BB cream (bought in Korea) that I'm using is much more better than this mousse. This mousse doesn't provide a smooth finish on my skin.

Lace top and pink princess dress. Love the combination of these two pieces. I want to bring them for my next year Europe trip!

Pink flared sleeve top with lace. Lace again! Pink color again! I can never get enough of lace and pink color!!! Haha.

If you’re looking for a way to make a statement about your style, start with JEWELRY!

Gold plated rose pendant with crystals. This is special and easy to match! Gonna be my favourite piece of accessories ^^

10 piece bangle set in pink. To match with my new flared sleeve lace top ^^

Elegant Retro Vintage Necklace. A good piece to match with a plain color top!

Sterling silver double-sided pendant with clear crystal. The front side- a perfect way to add element and shine on your outfits.

The back side of the pendant is full with small and shiny crystals. Wow! faster glam up yourself in this Christmas!

Horse hair leather purse. Super super LOVE this!! Looks so classy and elegant!

I'm going out for shopping again at KL Pavilion (Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle all the way) *Christmas mood*

Home-made Cottage Pie

2011-11-25T15:40:00.008+08:00

For those who doesn't know, Cottage Pie is a meat pie with a crust of mashed potato (Wikipedia, 2011).

Got this recipe from internet few months ago but only tried it out recently. Super love this recipe because I’m an extreme POTATO LOVER.

This Cottage Pie is a revised version as the original one was using beef but I’m using chicken here. So the recipe is totally different for the meat cooking part. The beef is cooked with tomato paste, which I don’t really like, so I changed it to chicken, where I learned the chicken pie recipe from my previous maid.

Let’s have a look on the final product!

Super yummilicious! I can’t believe that my first trial can be so successful! I put lesser cheese and left the chicken fillings to have more gravy for the first trial.

This was my second attempt. Obviously it looked better than the first trial and more delicious because I put a lot of Parmesan cheese on top of the potato!!! And can you notice there was less gravy here? Practice makes PERFECT!

If you wanna try this out, here’s the recipe!

For mashed potato topping

3 large US Russet potatoes or 5 medium size potatoes
100ml fresh milk
Black pepper
Salt

Method

1. Cook the potatoes in boiling water till until tender.
2. Mash the potatoes, add in milk and season with salt and black pepper.
3. Set aside.

For chicken fillings

300g minced chicken
1 large onion, chopped
2 cloves of garlic, chopped
150g mixed vegetables
some red pepper (optional)

Seasonings

1 tablespoon of milk powder
2 tablespoons of oyster sauce
1 tablespoon of abalone sauce or Maggi concentrated chicken stock
black pepper
salt
100ml water

Method

1. Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a pan.
2. Saute chopped onion and garlic.
3. Add in mixed vegetables and red pepper, mix well.
4. Add in minced chicken, stir well.
5. Add water and all seasonings, cook till sauce has thickened.

To assemble Cottage pie

Parmesan cheese powder
Dried or fresh parsley flakes (But I used Italian Herbs as I couldn't find parsley in my kitchen)

Method

1. Spoon cooked minced chicken in a baking pan or oven-safe bowl.

2. Layer the mashed potato generously on top of the mince chicken.

3. Sprinkle Parmesan cheese powder and parsley flakes on top.

4. Bake in the 180˚C pre-heated oven for approximately 25 mins, and brown the top at 200˚C until golden brown.

TADAA...........

Love this healthy meal that melts my heart with CHEESE!

BON APPETIT!

Creative ways to wear a necklace

2011-11-20T20:51:00.006+08:00

This sweet flower pearl necklace was my last year’s birthday present. I love it very much because it can match with all my lace top or lace dress so perfectly and without it, I couldn’t complete my princess look.

Styled my hair and put on makeup. Yeah, it’s my favourite princess hair style because the added volume on my hair makes my face looks smaller. I’m super jealous with those girls who have oval face shape!

See how it adds a feminine touch to the outfit.

How I could wear it differently?

Let’s see!

Tadaa……………….............

Just use bobby pin to secure the necklace on your hair and it will turns to a super elegant hairband!

The sweetest accessories!

Love the pearl beads that add a glamorous element to the piece.

Have no idea on how to stand out from the crowd in the company's annual dinner?

Unleash your creativity and turn your existing necklace into a charming head band!!!

Patio Landscape Design

2011-11-13T23:24:00.011+08:00

No one denies, that gurgling sound of water creates a cool atmosphere. So it’s no wonder that many people (includes my hubby) also want to make a pond in the patio, complete with a fountain to get the soothing sound of water gurgling it.

As an interior designer, my hubby came out with a great idea that incorporated the simple artwork of simplicity to create artistic values.

Okay, let's see my hubby's creation!

Simple and modern design with a fish pond and fountain

Love the Bali-style wooden platform

Love the river stones. And not to forget the lighting. They add harmonious element to this special space

It's so serene and relaxing! A perfect place for a date at home!

Do share with me if you have any great ideas on how to beautify the patio or yard area.

“Buddha Jumps Over the Wall” @ Restoran Loon Sing

2011-11-06T22:30:00.005+08:00

Restoran Loon Sing is located at Nilai, which is very famous for its “Buddha Jumps Over the Wall". This restaurant had won many many awards in cooking and food competition and thus, it attracts many food hunters to explore its special and award-winning cuisine.

Visited this restaurant quite some time ago for its Australian abalone, giant grouper and cheaper version of this “Buddha Jumps Over the Wall” (yes, they have three versions!). So this time, I wanted to try it's signature dish, the most expensive one!

Here we are!

The interior

Menu. Guess what I ordered!

With my cute niece :)

This is the award-winning Dongpo Pork. Dark, glossy, and enticing!

It tasted heart-stoppingly amazing! No fatty smell at all. A perfect match with the super soft steamed mantou

Taufu with minced pork. Ordered this specially for my niece.

This was the long-awaited “Buddha Jumps Over the Wall”. RM99 per bowl and pre-booking is required.

Scallops, sea cucumber, abalone, shark fin, chicken, Jinhua ham, mushrooms and some herbs are all inside this sinful bowl. Abalone was tasteless after cooking for long hours. Essence was all in the soup! But I love the tender and soft sea cucumber.

A lot of sharkfins. That's why I said sinful bowl of soup.

I was too busy savouring all the good food until I forgot to snap pictures for the other dishes that we ordered.

And at last, my parents and me.

What To Eat & What to Buy in Hokkaido

2011-10-23T10:32:00.002+08:00

Actually this post is specially dedicated for a friend who is going to Hokkaido this month. He wants to know what’s the best food in Hokkaido that he shouldn’t miss.

These were what I bought from Hokkaido! OMG! I miss all the snacks so much!

Must-eat (1) – Crabs

Hokkaido crabs are so BIG, fresh and sweet seriously! If you are a seafood lover, you must try this out!

For more photos and information on Hokkaido crabs, please read my previous post.

Must-eat (2) – Lavender flavour ice cream

It tasted heavenly nice. Bought this at the Tomita Farm at Furano. I love the smoothness and the aroma. So refreshing!

Must-eat (3) – Potatoes

There are two famous type of potatoes here; Danshaku (baron) and Kitaakari (northern light).

I don't know how to differentiate. I just know the potatoes here are sweet and soft! It tastes perfect with the Hokkaido butter! You will never want to eat the normal potatoes if these type of potatoes are available in Malaysia.

Must-eat (4) – Cheese cake

Double Fromage, a double layered cheesecake with baked cream cheese and no-bake mascherpone. This is the signature product of LeTao, a famous bakery in Otaru.

I never expect Japanese can make such nice cheese cake. It's really the BEST　cheesecake that I've ever had.

The velvety smooth, soft and creamy texture made this cheesecake stand out the crowd. The cheesecake was not too sweet, just tasted perfect and one slice is never enough.

Must-eat (5) – Cream Puff

Bought a 105yen cream puff at a convenience store in hotel just to fill my stomach. But it was too surprisingly yummy!

Look at the amount of cream inside OMG! Every bite was so satisfying as the sweetness and softness of the cream were oozing out.

If you are wondering what to buy for souvenirs? Check these out!

Must-buy (1) – Calbee Potato Farm Jaga Pokkuru Potato Sticks

This is really super nice! And I think it's only available in Hokkaido! But I also heard that it has suddenly shown up in Narita Airport!

These has a nice potato flavor and are lightly salted. Bought it at Chitose airport at 840yen for a box that contains 18 packs.

The heartiest snacks that you can't stop yourself from eating!

Must-buy (2) – Shiroi Koibito Biscuits

Love that melts into your mouth. You will not able to resist it after first bite! Read my previous post if you want to know more about this super famous cookies.

Must-buy (3) – Maruse Butter Cookie by Rokkatei

A product of Rokkatei (六花亭), one of the most popular sweets house in Hokkaido. You can shops selling Rokkatei's products easily at some street markets or even rest houses at highways.

Rich butter cream mixed with dried raisin is sandwiched with two pieces of biscuit. Yum yum..........

Must-buy (4) – Crispy Cappuccino-Frost Tatami by Rokkatei

The crispy layer of biscuits matched with the velvety smooth cappuccino cream! But it doesn't come cheap. It's about 800yen for a pack of four.

Must-buy (5) – Strawberry Chocolate Ball by Rokkatei

Available in white or black chocolate ball, with a strawberry inside. A little bit sour taste of the strawberry then serve with the sweet chocolate is a perfect match.

Must-buy (6) – Instant Bowl Noodles

Bought this at convenience store just to spend my Yen on the last night. But I never expect it could be so delicious. My hubby super loves this!

I've tried many type of Japanese instant noodles that I bought from Japanese food fair but none of them can beat this seriously.

The superb packaging! Love the soup paste, which turned this bowl of of noodles to a super yummy and taste like restaurant-served high quality noodles.

Must-buy (7) – Potato Cookies

These soft butter potato cookies were just amazing! Love the aroma. Arghhh.... Why we can't get it in Malaysia?

Must-buy (8) – HORI Yubai Melon Jelly

Yubari melons are renowned for their sweetness and perfect proportions. They are also know as the Japan's Melon Kingdom. I think this is only available if you are going during summer.

Chill them in the fridge, peel off the cover and savor the jelly with a spoon. It's akin to scooping from a slice of the famed Yubari melon. Yummy! The rich flavor, refreshing sweetness and mellow aroma of Yubari melons are the reasons for their popularity.

Must-buy (9) – ROYCE Potato Chips Chocolate

Crrrunch! Salty potato chips + sweet chocolate taste melt together in your mouth! Two flavours are available, original and fromage blanc (cheese) and I personally prefer the latter. Best movie snacks!

Must-buy (10) – ROYCE Nutty Bar Chocolate

Chocolate bar that looks like Kit-Kat but definitely yummier because of the super rich flavor of hazelnuts, almonds, pecan, macademia and pecan.

Must-buy (11) – Dried scallops

These premium quality dried scallops are not cheap. It was about RM120 for a pack. I still have some in my fridge.

Must-buy (12) – Baron Potato Candy

If you love potato, then you may love this. This isn't very delicious, but the taste is special. Candy is sweet but when it's mixed with butter, it tastes a bit salty. This is how I can describe the taste.

Must-buy (13) – Hokkaido Milk Candy

This tastes a bit too sweet but I still love it because it's the product of Hokkaido!

A good souvenir for friends too!

Majority of the cookies and biscuits from Hokkaido can only last for 2 weeks (yes, only 14 days) from the date of manufacture, which you can see on the packaging, with a stamp to show the "best use by". Meaning all the produces are really fresh, without preservative (I assume) and thus must be healthy!

After looking at all these good food, are you hungry now?

Moist Chocolate Cake with Ice Cream

2011-10-20T22:49:00.006+08:00

Thanks to my darling, Shazilah that bought me the D'ROS cake flour. The recipe of the cake is super simple and a first time baker like me could also bake a delicious moist chocolate cake.

The recipe included the topping for the cake but I was too lazy to prepare for it. To minimise the work, I chose to decorate the cake using ice cream and wafer because I knew my hubby would love it! Looks nice?

Yeah! I think my hubby is going to love me more. Haha.........

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AS PROMISED..............

WINNER OF THE HANSKIN BB CREAM GIVEAWAY CONTEST

.............. Zhi Ni

Thanks for your support, my dear :)

Tomorrow is Friday and I can't wait to enjoy my weekend!

Shiroi Koibito Park

2011-10-11T22:19:00.007+08:00

Shiroi Koibito Park is a must-visit place if you are going to Hokkaido. It is a theme park managed by the local chocolate company, Ishiya. There's a Chocolate Factory, where Shiroi Koibito cookies are manufactured, Tudor House, Cafe and restautant.

Shiroi Koibito is one of the famous cookies or souvenirs that you can buy in Hokkaido. I will show you the photo in the last part.

Outside the park

Disney-style shops

The staff at reception area welcomed us with smile and ready to distribute park passes and their signature product, Shiroi Koibito cookies to us.

The passport of the Park

Beautiful Aurora fountain, which was built in around 1870!

Love the interior design

Entering the Chocolate Time Tunnel to explore the manufacturing process of Shiroi Koibito cookies

Let's start the tour

Place your hand here to feel the heat from the baking oven.

Chocolate making process

We passed by the tour corridor and had a look on the production floor. Can you see the small pieces of biscuits? They were Shiroi Koibito cookies.

Can't believe that factory can be this impressive!

After visiting the manufacturing division, we proceeded to Piccadilly Shop, a cafe that serves a range of exclusive cakes and highly commendable chocolate beverages. Too bad that we didn't have time to enjoy all these.

One of their products, wedding cake

These were just too nice to be put into the mouth.

Moved on to another area!

Some cute dolls that moved their hands and heads following the beat of the music played.

And this was the Old-style Children Toy Box! Featuring the collections of Japanese toys back to 70's.

Met with a super kawai staff and requested to take a photo with her

I think this Park is just so perfect for me to spend at least half day for photo shooting but too bad, we were allowed to walk around for only one hour T_T

Look at the magnificent interiors! It's surprisingly more than just the "chocolate" biscuits that they're famous for.

This is the lovely courtyard outside the Park. Found many kinds running around and playing with their parents. What a good hangout place for all!

This garden would be perfect for pre-wedding photo shooting. So many flowers!

Munching the biscuits in the bus. Each bite was simply wonderful!

The packaging of Shiroi Koibito cookies

Unwrap the green paper and you will see a white box with light blue design

Inside the box. As you can see in the photo, it's a thin butter cookie with soft white chocolate in between and it melts in your mouth like clouds.

Why am I blogging this at such hungry hour? I'm craving for this madly.

This delicious cookies spell love at first bite! Oh yeah, it's only available in Hokkaido and Narita Airport in Japan.

But we are super lucky! If you wanna try this super yummy cookies, I think you may get it at Isetan or Japanese food fair at One Utama. Try your luck!

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SURPRISE to all of you!

I'm giving out a BB cream from Hanskin!

HOW TO PARTICIPATE?

Step 1: Go to my Facebook fanspage and click the "LIKE" button.

Step 2: Write "I love reading http://cheddarina.blogspot.com" on my fanspage wall.

I will randomly select ONE winner and the result will be announced at 10pm on 20th October 2011.

Hurry up if you want to get this BB cream delivered to your doorstep.

Miss you, my friend

2011-09-30T23:46:00.002+08:00

The girl beside me is Xiaojing, a best friend of mine during university time. She's from China and we always worked together as a team for assignments. Really like the way she spoke English because her slang and pronunciation was so much better than Malaysian students. We graduated together and she left Malaysia and went to Australia to pursue her master degree.

After she finished her studies at Australia, she came to Malaysia on last year September and that was the last time I met with her.

Then, she returned to China for work and I lost contact with her because she did not reply my email and the worst thing is no facebook in China and thus, I couldn't find a way to contact with her til now.

Xiaojing,

Really hope you could see this blog post and contact with me ASAP. I feel very sad to lose touch with you honestly. Still remember the fun time that we had during the super stressed assignment time?

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Have you ever lost touch with an old friend?

Did you ever try and reconnect with them? How did it go?

如果。爱我

2011-09-17T22:17:00.004+08:00

如果有一天，我有了大肚腩，麒麟臂和大象腿，
岁月在我的脸上留下痕迹，
在你眼中甜美和纤瘦的那个我只可以作为回忆，

如果有一天，因为孩子我变得唠叨不停，
为了繁忙家务而变得焦虑不安，更忘了对你温柔撒娇和说情话，
与你形影相随的日子也渐渐减少了，

你还会一样呵护我，爱着我吗？

　

我哭了,你还会心疼吗？　

我只要更多的爱和温暖，哪怕再多的给予与付出。

我希望每一天陪在我身边的，还是你。你还愿意将我揽在怀里，就像现在一样，不嫌弃。

不要短暂的温存,只要你一世的陪伴。　

Hari Raya Open House

2011-09-16T23:07:00.008+08:00

I went to my dearest colleague, Shaz's Hari Raya Open House last two weeks ago.

Here's some photos.

Shaz and her family prepared soto, meehoon and chicken rendang to welcome us.

Soto soup. Tasted good after adding in all the ingredients. Super super love this as this is a non-spicy food.

My FAVOURITE CHICKEN RENDANG!!! This is the best homecooked chicken rendang that I've ever had. Although it's spicy and not good for my stomach, but I just couldn't stop myself from eating.

Group photo. I don't know why I got this "just-woke-up-from-the-bed" look.

I noticed that the number of people visiting is getting lesser year by year as many staffs had resigned T_T

So happy that I can join them for a wonderful and joyous celebration. Ganbate colleagues! Let's face the challenges together! We are always the best!

**This supposed to be a long blog post but I'm really sleepy now and thus decided to save the remaining for the next.

Good nite everyone!

Yongpyong Ski Resort

2011-08-30T22:52:00.003+08:00

Selamat Hari Raya for my Muslim readers!!!

I'm enjoying my holiday with my hubby at home. So you get to read this post! Haha!

That day saw some skiing photos taken in Australia in the newspaper and made me recalled my skiing experience in Korea back to January.

Here's the photos!

We stayed one night at Dragon Valley Hotel. The location was superb as it was right on the slopes.

Hotel lobby

We walked over to Peak Island, an indoor water and spa theme park. The theme park was very large, and have many pools for kids and adults. There are also outdoor hot jacuzzi pools where you dip in waters 33-41 degree celcius out in the open air admiring the blue sky and snow scene.

Too bad that I forgot to bring my swimsuit and we were in a rush for ski, so we just visited the different floors and areas to explore this place.

Beautiful!

How good if we could enjoy our drinks here. But I couldn't stay for too long because I didn't wear my earmuff and started to feel the pain on my ears. The weather was totally unbearable without earmuff.

Love the thick snow!!!

SKI TIME!

Measured my foot to get the right shoe size

Putting on the heaviest ski boots

Ready to go!!!

Yes. We were skiing at night. Blamed the stupid and indecisive tour guide that had bad planning skill. He made me suffering under the freezing weather and most importantly, all photos taken were in poor quality due to low light condition!

I wrapped myself like a dumpling this time. You know why? The temperature was -12 degree celsius

See, I didn't bluff right? It was really a freezing cold night. I needed the scarf to cover my nose and mouth to avoid breathing in too much cold air.

Ski lifts

Do you think skiing is fun?

For me, it was HORRIBLE. Those clunky ski boots were hard enough to walk in without the skis before we got out there. Then I put the skis on, and it's hard to just move my steps, even if the land is just barely sloped. After a short briefing provided by our tour guide, we were on our own to practise and explore the ski fun.

I was trying hard to DRAG myself to a barely sloped area together with my hubby. Then when I turned around, the my skis automatically slide and I wasn't know how to stop it until I crashed an unlucky skier, I SCREAMED and then FELL DOWN! I wanna dig a hole and hide inside. LOL.

My hubby quickly came over to help me but without any braking experience, he FELL DOWN too! Two stupid dumplings sat on the snow and slowly got up but failed. Eventually we had to take our skis off, got up, and put them back on. It was apparently hilarious though.

So after this small accident, I found skiing was kind of scary. We did make few attempts to try to ski properly but I didn't have the courage to go to the higher slope. At the end, due to the unbearable weather and the ache the ski boots caused on my foot, I GAVE UP.

Although I didn't make it, it indeed turned out to be a life enriching experience!

Found an igloo when we were on the way back to hotel

Beautiful lightings

Although it was already 11pm, but I was so reluctant to go back to my room before my battery exhausted.

Kept throwing snow

Best photo of the day

Lying on the thick snow to take some memorable shots. Oh yeah, it was -12°C that night. Crazy me!

Buried my boots with the thick snow. Haha.....

THE NEXT MORNING

Breakfast time! This was the filming place of Winter Sonata. So you can see the poster everywhere

Great variety of breakfast

Nothing better than having a bowl of hot porridge in this cold morning

So romantic

Last minute photo time! We gotta depart from the hotel before 9am so that we could have more time at Everland Themepark.

And when we walked over to the ski area, the thermometer showed -18°C.

-18°C

The apartment here has a charming European feel. Please ignore my facial expression because my face was almost numb.

Jumping high! Showing my happiness and also trying to make my body warm. Really wish I could stay here for one more day.

When my tourmate saw me posing on the snow, they were really shocked. This was my sacrifice for you all! Love me more please!

Okay, I gotta admit that this was a little bit too cruel to my hubby to take photos for me in this freezing cold morning as he gotta take out the glove to press the camera button all the while.

Thanks hubby :)

Summer Love

2011-08-17T21:42:00.017+08:00

Straw Fedora, my all-time favourite. It is lightweight, breathable, and looks great!

White lace dress. It is so elegant and outstanding for both casual and formal occasions.

Floral print one piece with Kago bag.

Red polka dot dress. Best matched with pearl hairband for a feminine feel.

Black hole leggings paired with bright blue tunic. Accessories play a very important role to add elements to the punk look.

I look so different right?

Okay. That's all for now. If you want more fashion photos, support me by CLICKING "LIKE" on my Facebook ok?

Facial Therapy @ CRES WELLNESS

2011-08-13T22:50:00.010+08:00

I was one of the bloggers selected to do the facial treatment review for CRES WELLNESS. To get the job done, CRES would sponsor me a facial treatment suitable for my skin. I was really happy because according to many of my friends, CRES offers the best facial therapy in Seremban.

For your information, CRES is a well-established beauty and health sanctuary and has many branches in KL and across Malaysia. Do check out if you want to know more about CRES at their website.

Let’s check out the ambiance of CRES!

Cellnique products

I really love this pampering saloon, it’s so relaxing and luxurious.

This is the consultation room for skin analysis

Resting area

Gym area

After my consultant analysed my skin, she recommended me for a 180 minutes treatment called BioCell Skin Radiance Therapy to focus on my enlarged pores and dehydrated skin.

According to my consultant, the features of this therapy are:-

1. remove dead cell, promote cell renewal, whitening & instant radiant effects.
2. purify and to keep pores clean down deep skin layer.
3. repair sensitive and hypersensitive skin.
4. smoothen skin’s texture
5. soothing and hydration effect provided with the ingredient – Algae

The therapist was truly skillful, the extraction session was done without much pain. I really enjoyed massage session and even fell asleep during the treatment.

My consultant and me after the treatment.

Here’s the photo to show you the result!!!

Photo taken on the next day after the treatment.

Pores are visibly tightened, skin is fairer and smoother and also, the high hydration level in the mask had successfully reduced the fine lines around my eye area!

And you know what? CRES is celebrating its 8th Anniversary and everyone stands a chance to win RM100 discount voucher and a mystery gift at every 8th Facebook post!

How to win?

1. Post your wish at your Facebook wallpage.
2. Tag CRES to your post. Ex: “@Cres Wellness, happy birthday!”

Terms & Conditions:

-Open for all aged 21 years old and above.
-Validity: 1 month from the date of issue.
-Valid for 1st trial facial therapy promotion worth RM100 & above.
-Only 1 redemption of discount voucher and mystery gift per person is allowed.
-This voucher is non-refundable and non-redeemable for cash or other products/services/promotions.
-Please present voucher upon redemption.
-CRES Wellness Sdn Bhd reserves the right to omit, amend and change the above terms & conditions without prior notice.

Hurry up if you don’t want to miss out this super good deal! Everyone can have silky and smooth skin now!

Tomita Farm, Furano

2011-07-17T10:41:00.011+08:00

July is the month of LAVENDER. When I was browsing my Hokkaido trip photos yesterday, I just realised that I forgotten to post some of the beautiful photos taken in Furano, which also been edited last year OMG!

I really want to share the photos with you all because they were the highlight of my tour --> Lavender Temptation ~ Tomita Farm.

Tomita farm is a well-known tourist spot for lavender viewing. Besides planting giant fields of lavender, this farm is also famous for other colourful flowers that creates a beautiful rainbow field. Yes, this is where you’ll find the famous rainbow of colorful flowers advertised on the cover of most Hokkaido magazines.

Rainbow Field, also known as Irodori Field

LAVENDER!!!

We were all surrounded by flowers. So happy!!!

The rows and rows of beautiful rainbow-colored flowers were so attractive

Purposely wore a white dress so that I could stand out from the flowers ^^

Can you see the crooked lavender? Those bad tourists walked and stepped on them to take photos. They were so selfish. Arghhhhh...........

After visiting Rainbow Field, we proceeded to another farm that featured Hanabito Field and Spring Field.

Farm Tomita also features a dried flower exhibition, perfume and distillery workshops, a green house and several gift shops selling lavender goods ranging from lavender soft cream to dried flower bouquets, oils, perfumes and soaps.

LADENDER　FIELD. They were so adorable, breathtaking and fulfilling my every senses – sight, sound and smell!

It's all PURPLE! This hilarious moment was simply unforgettable!

Bought myself a lavender soft serve ice cream

It tasted heavenly nice. I love the softness and the aroma. Dunno where else I could get this again.

Last photo taken at Farm Tomita before we left. And you know what? Hubby and me were late for 20 minutes because we remembered the wrong time to gather at the meeting point.

Hope you all like lavender as much as I do.

Other Hokkaido posts:

Furano 富良野
Sapporo Shopping Time
Biei (美瑛町)
Okurayama Ski Jump
Hokkaido Crabs
Noboribetsu Date Jidaimura
Shiraoi Ainu Village
Coffee Days in Hokkaido
Hell Valley @ Hokkaido
Hokkaido♥Konbu♥Cherries
Yukata
Onuma Lake 大沼湖
Crowning Glory of Hakodate
Hakodate Highlights
Hakodate 函館