Mariuca

Monte-Carlo Day 2 *

noreply@blogger.com (Mariuca) — Wed, 08 May 2013 05:07:16 PDT

Hello people, long time no blog right? Well, I’ve been busy with work, which is great because I need all the jobs I can get right now to fatten up my vacation fund. Plus, I was also a little put off with blogging thanks to commenting issues here, which saw my last Music Monday post with missing comments and my ID comment box reverting back to Boring Old Blogger, which I hate!

Today however I am in the mood for a travel post so I’m going to take you back to beautiful Monte-Carlo in Monaco. Let’s hope my ID commenting system works well for this post. Otherwise, you’ll see a very sad Mariuca refusing to blog for yet another month!

Truth be told, our first night in Monte-Carlo was a little tiring. For one, B fell sick the moment we arrived so he was neither in the best form nor mood to happily explore a strange city. It was also raining that evening so aside from taking photos around the hotel; our main agenda that first night was to find food!

Before leaving for Monte-Carlo, B who had been there before mentioned the difficulty in finding tasty, cheap food in this expensive city. I wasn’t too worried prior to our arrival but after spending four nights in Monte-Carlo, I had to agree with him and this trip saw me feasting on mostly pastry and bread and of course the ever trusty Mc Ds.

Mc Donald's, Monte-Carlo

Fish and Fries

View from my seat in Mc Ds

The next day, I was left to my own devices to explore Monte-Carlo while B was at work. With my bad sense of direction, I was already anticipating getting lost while making the long but captivating walk down the beautifully-decorated corridor of Hermitage Hotel.

Spotless

Art

Inviting

Pretty!

Scent-sational gifts

Adonis

Red Hot Splash!

Dining in Hermitage Hotel

Le Vistamar Restaurant

Menu

Stunning staircase

Walking down the beautiful hallway

Coffee Corner

Making my way to the nearby Le Metropole shopping centre took me longer than expected simply because I stopped every few steps to take snapshots of practically everything I saw. There was no denying the fact that I was indeed one curious camera-clicking tourist that day!

Prince Louis de Polignac

Tour Train

Walking towards Metropole

Adorable police station!

Almost there!

Shopping ahead!

Le Metropole

Down we go...

I spent my afternoon taking photos and visiting Le Metropole, which though was a very cool shopping centre to visit; was still a tad too costly for me to happily splurge without a care in the world! So window shopping was great but it left me yearning for all the beautiful things I fell in love with.

Monte-Carlo forever indeed!

Something Blue

Bags galore

Something Pink

Dazzling

Cosy corner

Coffee break

Lunch consisted of donuts and croissants at SPAR. Basically a bakery, SPAR was a fairly decent spot to enjoy a tasty value-for-money meal during our stay in Monte-Carlo.

Lunch

Lunch crowd

Donuts and such

Sandwiches and Pastry Puffs

Later that evening, a slight drizzle started to pour. Despite feeling under the weather, B decided we should brave the rain for a night out in Monte-Carlo. I however do not have the patience to edit, resize and upload a whole new batch of photos aside from the ones here so I will save the rest for my next travel post. Until next time, happy viewing and happy travelling if you’re headed for somewhere cool, sometime soon!

MARIUCA LOVES

Wordless MM - Human by Human League *

noreply@blogger.com (Mariuca) — Sun, 07 Apr 2013 02:51:27 PDT

Come join Music Monday and share your songs with us. Rules are simple. Leave ONLY the ACTUAL LINK POST here and grab the code below and place it at your blog entry. You can grab this code at LadyJava's Lounge Please note these links are STRICTLY for Music Monday participants only. All others will be deleted without prejudice.

PS: Because of spamming purposes, the linky will be closed on Thursday of each week at midnight, Malaysian Time. Thank you!

MARIUCA LOVES

Happy Birthday Mom! *

noreply@blogger.com (Mariuca) — Tue, 26 Mar 2013 16:24:21 PDT

Long time no blog update, woe is me!

No excuses on my end except for sheer laziness and lack of mood to happily update and share the things happening in my life. Birthdays make for a wonderful exception though and since I celebrated my mom’s birthday with the rest of the clan recently on March 14, I am finally updating my blog today.

Table for 12

Holiday Villa, Subang Jaya

Holiday Villa Buffet Dinner was pretty good and the theme that night was ‘International and Oriental’. B and I were the first to arrive so after being seated, I made a stroll down the buffet area to see what’s cooking!

First to Arrive!

Salad & Sushi

Oysters on Ice

Dessert Spread

Something Fishy!

I gotta say the spread did not look as varied or delicious as the Ramadan buffet spread we enjoyed as a family last year in Holiday Villa. The staff was very attentive however and I liked that they informed me on the promo/discount available with the buffet dinner when I called the hotel to place reservations for that evening.

My parents and the rest arrived shortly after and soon the feasting began!

Mom and Dad

Happy Birthday Mom!

Cute all over!

Chocolate cake from Mel!

We ♥ You

Ali and Intan

Birthday Kiss

With Twin # 1 Ritz

Despite the lack of variety that night, it was still an enjoyable buffet and I stuffed myself silly with fresh oysters … and crispy butter prawns … and spicy Malay dishes … and sweet desserts … it was after all a buffet, which I usually take to mean as me trying out a little of almost everything offered unless it’s something that I really don’t eat like lamb.

Yes to Oysters!

Spicy Crispy Prawns with a whole bunch of other stuff!

Fresh Salmon I love!

Seafood Tempura

Something Vege

Bread Pudding

Local Delights

Something Sweet

The kids were busy playing as usual so they didn’t eat much. Issy threw a tantrum and it was so cute to see the twins trying to calm her down in their own little ways.

Grrrrr ....

What's wrong Issy?

A rose for u!

Hmmm ... I like flowers ...

Now let's play!

Issy wants a hug!

Eat up B!

As always, I had the most difficult time thinking of a fun and creative gift for my mom this year. Pretty disappointed with my lack of creativity but still hoping my cash in a card gift was much appreciated by mommy dearest. Next year, I will think ahead 3 months prior to the actual birthday and if I still can’t figure out something super creative and meaningful for my mom, I just don’t know what to say for myself!

Me and my not-so-creative- gift!

Pat pat Issy's fluffy head, meow!

All in the Family

Happy Birthday Mom! Love and hugs and wishing you a wonderful year filled with love, good health, luck and happiness!

Love Always, Mariuca & B

MARIUCA LOVES

Hermitage Hotel in Monte-Carlo, Monaco *

noreply@blogger.com (Mariuca) — Tue, 07 May 2013 23:06:52 PDT

Walking down the unfamiliar yet beautiful streets of Monte-Carlo, snapping photographs and window-shopping seems to be a distant memory for me right now. A lot has happened since I returned from my trip and now that stress is back to plague my daily routine, I truly wish I was back in Monte-Carlo, away from all my worries and woes as I happily explored one of the most beautiful destinations in the world.

Monte-Carlo was spectacular, simply because it was a first-time visit for me. Seriously, when else will I ever get the chance to experience life as a tourist in such a beautiful place right? So one of the things I was definitely looking forward to was the 5-star luxury Hermitage Hotel we’d be staying in during our 5 nights in Monte-Carlo.

Hermitage Hotel, Monaco

Hermitage Hotel lies in the heart of Monte-Carlo and true to its description online, this beautiful hotel definitely lived up to its claim of elegance, class and luxury. Of course, when we first arrived everything looked strange and unfamiliar to me. In fact, I was already anticipating getting lost in this huge hotel sometime during our stay, which I did … twice!

With two entrances to access this majestic hotel, it was no wonder I spent lots of time snapping photographs every time I was on my way out for a little sightseeing or souvenir shopping while B was attending to work at the prestigious Sportel trade convention.

Meeting Manchester United legend Eric Cantona was one of the highlights for B this trip so thankfully he managed to get a pretty good shot here!

B meets Eric Cantona

Paparazzi

Waiting Area

Lobby

Art on Wall

Going up?

Dazzling

Entrance # 2

Lobby # 2 where I chilled when using free Wi-Fi

Beautiful Corridor

Room Sweet Room

There was no free Wi-Fi inside our room but access was available in the lobby. The staff was friendly and accommodating and this was the first hotel that I’ve stayed in where our room got cleaned twice in one day!

Our Suite

Room in white

We returned to our hotel one night and were pleasantly surprised to find a French maid (yup in full maid uniform and cap LOL!) happily leaving two chocolate mints on our pillow as she was finishing up cleaning our room! I wanted to snap a photo of the maid in her uniform but I figured she’d think I was a little nuts or something so I thanked her with a smile and a gracious merci instead!

Welcome to Hermitage Hotel

I must have taken hundreds of photographs of the hotel but I will kick start my Monte-Carlo hotel memories with this batch. Happy viewing!

Dresser for me

Expensively-stocked Mini-Bar

Had no choice but to take a Coke out, which cost 8 Euros €

Fluffy bathrobes and warm towels

Squeaky Clean

Swim Mariuca, Swim!

Scent-sational Bvlgari

Extra Comfort

Choc on my pillow

View from my window

Perfect Stay

MARIUCA LOVES

Wordless MM - Apologize by One Republic*

noreply@blogger.com (Mariuca) — Sun, 06 Jan 2013 15:23:48 PST

Come join Music Monday and share your songs with us. Rules are simple. Leave ONLY the ACTUAL LINK POST here and grab the code below and place it at your blog entry. You can grab this code at LadyJava's Lounge Please note these links are STRICTLY for Music Monday participants only. All others will be deleted without prejudice. PS: Because of spamming purposes, the linky will be closed on Thursday of each week at midnight, Malaysian Time. Thank you!

MARIUCA LOVES

Flying First Class

noreply@blogger.com (Mariuca) — Tue, 07 May 2013 23:07:47 PDT

If you’ve ever flown first class, you are indeed one lucky traveller! How was your experience and did it really make a difference paying the extra hefty fee to secure a first class seat on the plane?

When B and I were checking out flight tickets to Amsterdam for our last trip abroad, we also checked the rates for first class tickets. Just for fun of course and naturally we had to sit down from fear of faint at the shockingly high first-class rates to Amsterdam at that time! With that money, we could have spent another three nights in Amsterdam and throw in a shopping spree as well I bet!

One can always hope of course, which is why I continue dreaming to one day be comfortably flying on a first class seat to some place exotic with B by my side enjoying our special first class delicious meals as we happily luxuriate in our plush first class reclining wide seats. I’m sure we’d be smiling throughout the flight even while we sleep!

At Nice Airport, waiting for my economy class flight!

Dreams aside, it is still good old economy seats for Mariuca and B for now but if you’re considering a first class seat on your next trip, do check out this cool flyer below to get some idea on what to expect when flying first class.

Via: Wish.co.uk

Oh it’s Friday, so have a great weekend folks! B is back from his work trip so I for one, am definitely looking forward to catching up on some quality time with my Darling. What are your plans this weekend?

MARIUCA LOVES

LADY JAVA

20-12-2012!

noreply@blogger.com (Mariuca) — Tue, 07 May 2013 23:08:11 PDT

Happy 20-12-2012!

The year is coming to a close and all my travel memories are also coming to an end. I will most likely continue with my travel adventures in Monaco and Holland next year. For now, I am taking things easy, tying up loose ends at work and at home, all the while wishing that another adventure someplace awesome will come my way soon.

Window shopping in Monte Carlo

Have you made your New Year resolutions yet? I know some of you don't like making resolutions but I tend to make a few every year, which I've posted at my perfume blog. Hope to stick to them in order to ensure 2013 remains drama-free, easygoing and fruitful for me and those close to my heart.

Meanwhile, here are some awesome tips for the happy travellers out there. They're pretty handy to take note prior to your trip and I will definitely keep this travel guide in mind for my next getaway, wherever and whenever that will be!

Via: Cheap Sally

MARIUCA LOVES

LADY JAVA

MM - Over You by Cassadee Pope *

noreply@blogger.com (Mariuca) — Tue, 04 Dec 2012 16:18:02 PST

I have a new song playing over and over in my head ever since I heard it performed by Cassadee Pope on The Voice. You gotta watch the whole video clip to see the story behind this sad beautiful song and how Cassadee got Blake Shelton all teary for her heartfelt rendition; sincerely touched and looking almost smitten towards the end when she really got into the song to bring it home with a standing ovation from the coaches.

Guess I am in the mood for sad beautiful songs tonight and apparently Over You Cassadee style has been on repeat on my player since forever! Happy Music Monday and hope you too will share my sentiments when listening to this song, which recently clinched the 2012 Country Music Association Award for Song of the Year.

Come join Music Monday and share your songs with us. Rules are simple. Leave ONLY the ACTUAL LINK POST here and grab the code below and place it at your blog entry. You can grab this code at LadyJava's Lounge Please note these links are STRICTLY for Music Monday participants only. All others will be deleted without prejudice. PS: Because of spamming purposes, the linky will be closed on Thursday of each week at midnight, Malaysian Time. Thank you!

MARIUCA LOVES

Happy Birthday Mel! *

noreply@blogger.com (Mariuca) — Thu, 29 Nov 2012 13:55:27 PST

Happy Birthday to my adorable sis Melanie!

Birthday Girl

Celebration took place at my parents’ place last Sunday, which was great since the house is spacious and always so clean. Plus, there’s always plenty of delicious food!

Flavoured Rice

Crispy Fried Chicken

Definitely unlike my condo that is nowhere near as spacious or clean, which also explains my need to spring clean our home whenever family comes over.

Mel and Avliya

Chatting with Grandpa

Lunch time!

Happy Birhday Mel!

As usual, I was a night owl the previous night but managed to steal 4 hours of sleep before rushing to attend Mel’s birthday dinner. After dinner plan was to watch Twilight, which happens to be Mel’s favourite but tickets were sold out. I'm definitely no Twilight fan so I’m wondering what’s to come this weekend when we actually do watch Twilight! Will I change my mind and finally start understanding the Twilight fascination?

Yummy Chocolate

Make a Wish

Birthday Song

Present from Me

Present from Intan & family

Nike!

More gifts!

Mel got her birthday wish from my parents this year, which was to own a Nikon D3100.

Dream come true

Thanks Mom, thanks Dad!

Birthday Kiss

Say cheese!

Mel's new toy

Both my Dad and B searched high and low for this particular camera, which apparently is a popular model and was out of stock in the five different camera stores they surveyed. In the end, we managed to find the camera she wanted the day before the party!

Present from B

The food was great and Issy kept everyone entertained with her adorable antics. She really is a smart baby girl and I love the cute way she speaks!

Hola Aunty Marzie!

Chicken Rendang

Pickled Vege

Tasty Dhal

All in all, it was a delightful birthday weekend, especially for Mel I hope and though I am a tad late in posting these pictures, I hope she will still enjoy them later today when I upload a second batch of photos to my FB! Happy Birthday Mel, we love you!

All in the Family

Mel's Birthday 2012

MARIUCA LOVES

Sunday at T.G.I. FrIDAY'S *

noreply@blogger.com (Mariuca) — Thu, 22 Nov 2012 21:53:09 PST

Lunching with good friends at one of my favourite hangouts on a rainy afternoon, that was how I spent my Sunday. I’m glad the lunch happened as planned and though there were some minor glitches in terms of location and timing, everything was sorted out by the time Sunday came around.

TGIF Sunday with friends

It’s nice to spend time with people you like but it always seems extra special when it’s with those who truly mean a great deal to you. Aside from LJ and Emila who visited B in the hospital a few months back, I’ve not seen my blog buddies like Nessa and Soulie in quite a while. So when Emila invited us all out for lunch @ T.G.I. FRiDAY'S, I was delighted to say yes!

Me and my Blog Buddies

Mushroom Soup for Emila

Buffalo Wings

Stuffed Mushroom

Chicken Nachos for Nessa

Spicy Snapper for LJ

The food was great, the company even better and I have to say I went home feeling grateful and much loved by real friends who love me for who I am.So thank you ladies; thanks for bringing loads of sunshine my way that rainy Sunday afternoon!

Cafe Latte for me

Cappuccino

Shopping with the girls

Me with LJ and Nessa

Fun @ Timberland!

Till our next meet, thanks for a wonderful Sunday!

MARIUCA LOVES

Leaving for Monaco *

noreply@blogger.com (Mariuca) — Tue, 07 May 2013 23:07:26 PDT

Our flight to Nice via Amsterdam was scheduled for midnight. The thing is, I was NOT aware that we’re now supposed to check in online prior to boarding flights. So I happily did not bother to check in online, all the time thinking it would be best to get to KLIA early and then check in with B (like how we always do) to confirm our seats together aboard the plane. So naturally I was shocked and really upset when we got there (3 hours before boarding time as usual) only to discover that we had to use the new self check-in system and we were the last two to check-in so our seats would be separated!

The machine was not user friendly and despite assistance from a MAS officer, my booking was nowhere to be found. After thrice failing to secure my check-in via the stupid machine, I had to go back to the MAS counter to check in. By that time, I was of course put off by the whole thing and was definitely not looking forward to getting on a plane and enduring a 12.5 hour flight with B by my side ... NOT!

I don’t wanna dwell too much about the flight but let’s just say the trip did not start off on a good note. Usually I’d be looking forward to the plane food, taking cloud photos and of course enjoying a sitcom marathon on the plane. This flight however was the first time I complained to B about an uncomfortable tiring flight.

I am however very grateful to the three individuals heading home to Amsterdam; a couple and a lady who between the three of them and B switched their seats around so I could sit with B on the plane. It was also my first time flying via KLM, which I’d give a 7/10 everything taken into consideration. Food was nice but not great and service was cordial but not as friendly as one would like to have when sitting in a plane for 12 hours straight.

Dinner Menu

My dinner choice

Scrambled Eggs

Cheese and Crackers

Pasta for me

Rice for B

Chocolate dessert

Wakey wakey, time for breakfast!

Eggs, Cheese and Mushroom

I was so relieved to finally reach Amsterdam so B and I could stretch our legs, have a nice relaxing drink and release stress in the Schiphol Holland Casino.

Dutch Kitchen

Giant Tea Pot

Inside the cosy teapot

Food before flight

Assorted Drinks

Tired and Thirsty!

Our joy was short-lived however because of all the days, security was extra tight that early morning and we ended up waiting with the rest of the crowd for an hour before passing through Immigration. The officer in charge asked B a lot of questions about our visit to Monte Carlo so thankfully he was ready with the proper documents to prove the purpose of our stay.

We were finally through the Immigration gates, ready to board our 2-hour flight to Nice. From there, B and I would meet up with his colleague who was flying in via Paris and together, we’d head to Monte Carlo! I spent my time eating an egg salad, which was just okay and snapping my favourite cloud pictures and view from the top!

Coffee please!

Egg Salad

Snowy!

View from the top

Deep Blue Sea

Almost there!

Touchdown

Nice Airport

Welcome to Nice

Faraway

Heading to Monte Carlo

Monte Carlo in view

Happy to land safe and sound, I took more photos from our cab which drove the three of us to Monte Carlo. Everything seemed fresh and extra colourful to me and though the weather that fine afternoon was a little chilly, the beauty of Monte Carlo more than made up for that little distraction.

I was excited to see our hotel, that’s for sure. From what I read online, this hotel is as grand as it gets with the popular reality star Kim Kardashian having enjoyed an incredible stay there so I was in eager anticipation of what’s in store for me! After all, when B goes off to work the next day, I would be exploring the hotel and what it had to offer by myself.

Finally, our hotel!

Hermitage Hotel, Monaco


Checking in

Approximately 18 hours since we left Malaysia, we have now arrived safely in Monte Carlo, Monaco! Ready to see the hotel? Well, the hotel we stayed in was simply stunning and I took lotsa photos over the course of my 4 nights there so I will leave that story for another post. Until then, I hope you have enjoyed reading my travel day entry and the photos I managed to snap along the way!

MARIUCA LOVES

Eid Al-Adha 2012 *

noreply@blogger.com (Mariuca) — Tue, 13 Nov 2012 03:38:19 PST

This year, I thought I was going to miss Eid Al-Adha while away on my recent trip but apparently I made it back in time to celebrate and enjoy the festivities and delicious food with my family and loved ones.

Ketupat

We were greeted by the ever friendly Issy who looked splendid with her hair down (at first), clad in a pink modern baju kurung. Doesn’t she look adorable?

Pretty Princess

Where are you baby Issy?

As always, Issy will drag me off for a game and this time we played hide and seek. Happy to see me I hope, Issy was very obliging that day and ran off giving special kisses to Grandma and me!

Kiss for Grandma

One for Aunty M!

B and Ali

The twins were on their way and though B and I tried our best to wait for their arrival before we had lunch, we failed to curb our hunger and proceeded to enjoy some delicious Raya food while waiting for sis and family to arrive. Everything was delicious and B had three plates of food, which he only does when the food is really good! By the time the twins arrived, we were nicely eating away after taking photos of the food first of course!

Ketupat

Lemang

Chicken Rendang

Sayur Lodeh

Beef Rendang

Peanut Sauce

Ross and Ritz

Let's play!

Cameras were snapping all around us that day, mine included as I used my new Panasonic Lumix, which seemed to impress my sister Mel so much that she is now eyeing a similar camera as a birthday gift this year!

Mel

Mel and me with baby Ross

B and Mel

We want toys!

Ross and Issy

Hot from the oven

Yummy chicken macaroni

After our first round of traditional Raya food like ketupat and rendang, we were ready for round two and had some of my Mom’s delightful baked chicken macaroni. I also took the opportunity to get a snapshot or two of B and me in our Raya outfits since there’s none of just the two of us during Aidilfitri a few months back. I was too busy and tired entertaining guests on Aidilfitri that we ended up with hardly any hubby-wifey photos when we got home so our new photos here will do just fine!

Salam Aidil Adha from B and Mariuca

Kids at heart

Mariuca ♥ B

Though I did not do much souvenir shopping during my recent trip to Europe, family gifts are of course not forgotten.

Gifts from Monaco

Gifts from Holland

Dessert made it round three for me that day, which were as delicious as they look in these photos. The red velvet cream cheese cake was courtesy of Issy’s mom and it made for a delectably divine ending for our Raya Haji celebration this year!

Mixed Fruit Jelly

Red Velvet

Slice of Love

MARIUCA LOVES

Unwinding *

noreply@blogger.com (Mariuca) — Thu, 25 Oct 2012 17:03:09 PDT

I am back from my short trip abroad with darling hubby B. Of course it was his work assignment that saw me tagging along halfway across the globe to beautiful Monte Carlo. It was also my first time visiting this tiny district and though I was expecting high prices there prior to arrival, I was still a little overwhelmed at just how high they were when we actually got there!

Touchdown

Anyway, before I start blogging about our trip, I would like to say congratulations and much thanks to my three contest winners Lady Java, Foong and Monica who guessed my destination correctly. Thank you as well for linking back to my contest post as required and yes, I was in Monte Carlo, Monaco!

Monte Carlo

To my winners, do send me your mailing address and once I unpack my bags and unload my goodies; you will be receiving a cute little souvenir from my stay in gorgeous Monte Carlo! Until then, I am still unwinding after our trip; slowly getting back into the swing of things and here’s wishing all my friends and family a wonderful Eid Al-Adha!

MARIUCA LOVES

Where is Mariuca? *

noreply@blogger.com (Mariuca) — Thu, 25 Oct 2012 15:15:09 PDT

It is travel time for me once again and though I am excited at the thought of flying off some place exotic, I am also a little intimidated at what to expect in a destination so grand!

This would be my first time visiting this country by the way and second time for B. I remember him telling me how pricey everything was so I seriously doubt I would be doing any major shopping. It won’t be all fun this trip because my baby will be working throughout our stay. Main purpose of this trip remains as work for him. I took a look at his itinerary for next week and it’s packed from day to late evening. Of course we will try to make quality time for the two of us whenever possible so we’ll play it by ear I guess. As for me, I am taking the opportunity to tag along because the location is too cool for me to be left behind!

If you would like a little something from my trip this time around, JOIN my Where is Mariuca? contest. Easy peasy as always, all you need to do is correctly guess the location of my trip. Three prizes as usual for the FIRST THREE bloggers who answer both questions correctly.

Here are the rules.

1. You MUST own a blog.

2. Answer the two questions at the end of this post correctly. This also means correct spelling. :)

3. You MUST link back to this post at your blog. You can insert a mention of my contest in any of your upcoming new blog post. A short mention will do and once your post with a link back to this post is up, leave me a comment with your blog post link here.

4. In the event you have answered both questions correctly but you did not link back to this post (in a new blog post at your blog) within the contest period, your entry will not be counted.

5. Leave your answer here in my comment box or in your blog post linking back to this post.

6. Contest ends on 22nd October, 2012.

And now, here are my questions.

1. The country I will be headed to is considered the second smallest in the world. It is located in the South Western part of Europe and it has a Mediterranean climate. The official language here is French.

Name the country.

2. With 4 major districts, the most famous district of this small country is well-known for its scenery, world famous casino, fine villas, and luxurious hotels and this is where I’ll be by this time tomorrow!

Name the district.

Good luck and have fun!

MARIUCA LOVES

MM - Beautiful People by Chris Brown *

noreply@blogger.com (Mariuca) — Wed, 10 Oct 2012 12:20:04 PDT

I am running late for almost everything this week. Rushing to finish all pending jobs (one more to go), cleaning up our place, getting the fur-kids ready to go to the Pet Hotel and of course researching online, shopping and packing for my upcoming trip!

Thrilled that I’ll finally get to use my new Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF5 on a faraway trip but have yet to read the manual so it’s time to get cracking! That’s one more thing to do on my list before I leave for my trip. Well, it’s not actually MY trip because I’ll be tagging along on one of B’s work trips but still …

No wonder I am in a great mood this week, Happy Music Monday peeps! I have two videos for you; check out the winner of Got to Dance UK 2012 Prodijig perform to the sexy number of Beautiful People by Chris Brown, love it!

Prodijig

Chris Brown

PS: Because of spamming purposes, the linky will be closed on Thursday of each week at midnight, Malaysian Time. Thank you!

MARIUCA LOVES

My Hot Red Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF5! *

noreply@blogger.com (Mariuca) — Wed, 10 Oct 2012 12:16:33 PDT

This year, I decided to get a new camera as a birthday gift for myself. I was planning to get a new one when and if a great vacation comes my way. But after my pretty, thin-so blog buddy Monica commented on one of my posts that I did not have to wait for a break before getting a new camera, I happily hopped, skipped and jumped to IPC/IKANO and then to The Curve to check out what’s new in the camera world!

Excellent parking right in front!

The day started on a good note with B securing a parking spot right at the entrance of the usually packed IPC basement. My hope to bring home a nice new camera was high and our first stop was Harvey Norman, which was where we also purchased our new 50-inch plasma TV recently.


*Camera Choices*

A big purchase like a new camera requires comparison so it was going to be either a Harvey Norman buy or one from Cam World at The Curve, which was where we headed next. Initially, I was very much into the pink Nikon 1 J1. Yes, the colour played a major part in my interest with this pretty baby. After researching online however, I was immediately drawn to the Lumix DMC-GF5.

Pink Nikon 1 J1

The saleslady behind the counter was not only knowledgeable in the product she’s selling but extremely accommodating with my many silly questions about this camera. After all, I’ve never owned a Digital Interchangeable Lens System Camera! I had my heart set on the limited edition Red Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF5 although white was also very enticing, colour-wise. This camera also costs more than the pink Nikon but I think this is the perfect camera for the current stage of my photo-taking skills.

RED Lumix DMC GF-5

The Lumix DMC-GF5 is ideal for one who would love to handle a DSLR camera but still prefer the ultra compactness and ease of using a digital camera with DSLR-like quality and responsiveness, which is where I’m at! Complete with the latest 3" LCD Touch Display for ease of use and creative control, it is also equipped with High quality Full HD video (1920 x 1080), which is available while in photo mode as well. Other features I love about this camera include:

* 12.1 megapixel Live MOS sensor and the Lumix Venus Engine image processor

* Enhanced sensor and auto-focus systems for high speed and image quality

* New Scene Guide and iA, Intelligent Auto Mode. New Scene Guide offers 23 sample professional photos for users to choose and have the camera select the same settings that created the pro photo.

* The widest selection of lenses of any camera in its class, giving users the flexibility and creative control of a DSLR.

Despite having my Lumix for almost a month, I am still learning how to use this camera, taking my own sweet time to improve my photo taking skills. So now, I have a brand new camera to play with. All that’s missing is that awesome vacation I’ve been dreaming of …

Ready to bring on my next vacation!

MARIUCA LOVES

Birthday Hotel Stay!

noreply@blogger.com (Mariuca) — Wed, 10 Oct 2012 12:35:28 PDT

Well, I did NOT have to fly halfway across the world to vacation in Paris apartments during the Merdeka holiday. All I had to do in order to enjoy a short quickie getaway was to check-in to our neighbourhood One World 5-star hotel in Bandar Utama to indulge in a day of shopping and delicious dining in One Utama shopping mall right next door... and a night of luxurious blissful sleep in a gorgeous executive deluxe room, which was so comfy that both B and I could not wake up in time for breakfast the next day!

A good getaway, short or long truly depends on how creative you can get. Even with a low budget, one can still enjoy the feel of a nice vacation away from home, if you put on your thinking cap. For us, we didn’t have the luxury of time to plan a one-week holiday or something longer. So we opted to check-in to a nearby hotel to get away from our home and our four fur kids for a while. It worked because I really enjoyed my stay in One World and I definitely plan to visit this superb hotel again on another special occasion.

Vacation in Paris apartments is of course top on my list but we’ll save that dream for one fine day. What’s so great about Paris you ask? Well, it’s the perfume capital of the world for one so for perfume lovers like me, that is definitely one dream destination to be fulfilled in order to complete my passion for perfume. Furthermore, who doesn’t want to visit one of the most romantic cities in the world, which is also another plus point for the incurable romantic in me!

For now, I hope you will enjoy the photos of my hotel stay here in Malaysia, which was also to celebrate my birthday by the way. Thank you to all who took the time to wish me on my special day. Love you lots and happy viewing!

One World Hotel, Petaling Jaya

Checking in

Can't wait to check out our room!

Leading to our room on the topmost 23^rd floor

Seating Area

Our room at the corner

Executive Deluxe

Welcome!

Desk and Dresser

Welcome Fruit

LCD TV

Super comfy King size bed

Closet full of stuff!

Weighing scale, which I avoided of course!

Slippers

Coffee/Tea and Snacks

View from the 23^rd Floor

Wall Art

Bathroom

Separate Shower

Lovely Scents

Rain Shower

Separate Bidet

Jacuzzi Bath Tub

Sink Area

Complete Toiletry Set

Scent-sational Soap

Facilities

-FCC Scoreboard point for my FIRST commenter-

CAROLINE

MM - Payphone by Maroon 5 Ft. Wiz Khalifa *

noreply@blogger.com (Mariuca) — Sat, 01 Sep 2012 23:36:21 PDT

Adam Levine wearing glasses? Sigh!

Love the song and love the video.

Happy Music Monday and hey, today is my birthday so Happy Birthday ME! Looking forward to playing with the new birthday toy I got myself this year.

MARIUCA LOVES

Aidilfitri 2012!

noreply@blogger.com (Mariuca) — Fri, 24 Aug 2012 23:45:13 PDT

So how was your Raya Aidilfitri celebration? To those who did not celebrate, how did you spend your long weekend and holiday? Aidilfitri Day 1 as always, was a little hectic and tiring for B and me. In fact, so tired and distracted was I that I did not manage to snap a shot of me with B by my side. Nor did I take as many photos as I did last year. I was too hot and sweaty from running around preparing food for guests and entertaining them.

I gotta say, my Mom outdid herself this year. She cooked up a storm in the kitchen with sis Intan's help and she baked all sorts of goodies two nights before. The house was beautifully decorated and everything looked great so much thanks and love to her for making Aidilfitri extra festive and yummy this year!

By the time we arrived home late evening, B and I were truly exhausted. I did not sleep the previous night so the moment we were safe and sound at home, I walked right to our bedroom, fell right on top of my bed and immediately fell asleep… still clad in my Raya outfit!

B was exhausted too and after hours of sleep and rest, we got up late the next day, ready to enjoy the rest of the holiday. What to do for the next three days? Make that two since B had to go back to work on Wednesday.

Two days leave is of course not enough to see us flying off to Europe for a vacation and stay in beautiful vacation apartments in Lisbon, that’s for sure. We still had a lot of food leftover from the previous day so I didn’t feel like going away either. I did not want to waste food, which I knew I’d end up doing if we went away so we decided to stay put and enjoy our new 50-inch TV while watching Raya TV programmes on TV and eating Raya food.

Not the busy festive holiday some of you may have enjoyed, but definitely a much-needed rest and quiet time we both have been looking forward to. Perhaps next Raya, we will plan something awesome like a trip and stay in awesome vacation apartments in Lisbon. This year however, we’re staying put.

I am leaving you with a few Raya pictures from my Aidilfitri 2012 album. Like I said earlier, I came home with less than 60 photos all in, half of them blurry so some is still better than none yes? Until my next post, Selamat Hari Raya Aidilfitri and Maaf Zahir Batin from our family to yours.

Preparing Raya money packets

Don't you just love the new RM20 note?

One and only photo of me on Raya morning

Make that two! Me with Joanna and sister Mel .

Mel's Raya guests

Nasi Minyak

Stuffed oven-roasted chicken

Spicy Pajeri Nenas (Pineapple)

Vegetable Acar

Chicken Serunding

Lemang

Spicy Beef Rendang

Peanut Sauce

Homemade Cakes

Cakes Galore

Cookies

Pineapple Tarts

Pretty!

Sis Intan entertaining the neighbourhood kids

Issy and Uncle B

Issy and Ross

Ritz in Play Land!

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MM - Kembara by Hujan *

noreply@blogger.com (Mariuca) — Tue, 07 Aug 2012 05:20:40 PDT

Earlier, I switched to the new Blogger interface when typing this post. The new Dashboard looks very unfriendly if you ask me. After facing some issues with the new Interface, I decided to switch back to the old look and now everything is back to normal! Don't you just hate changes that make your life more miserable instead of the other way around?

Anyway, I've been meaning to feature this song by for ages and finally getting down to business tonight. Kembara is a new song from Hujan's latest album Sang Enemy, and one that finally made me a fan! Love it and so does B!

Happy Music Monday to my readers and I hope this brand new month of August brings us lotsa sunshine and rainbows throughout!

MARIUCA LOVES

August Getaway!

noreply@blogger.com (Mariuca) — Fri, 03 Aug 2012 02:22:04 PDT

If things go as planned, B and I will finally be able to get away for a while. I’m thinking two weeks in Barcelona apartments But with B’s recent hospital leave from work, he has a lot of catching up to do and two weeks away from home would be a tad too long. Barcelona is also halfway across the world from where we’re at, so dream on Mariuca!

Realistically speaking, we’ve decided to look at locations closer to home. I’ve been under a lot of stress lately working on this huge headache of a plight that B and I are facing at the moment and I am at my breaking point. Today, I am fed up to the max, which is why I need to get away and escape this madness!

To de-stress, I started doing my research for vacation accommodation. The apartments in Barcelona sure look mighty tempting in terms of rates, location and facilities but like I said earlier, Barcelona is simply not feasible for now.

The particular location we’re looking to visit however seems to offer a wider range of apartments rather than hotels. I’ve never stayed in an apartment while vacationing so I am a little apprehensive about trying it out. Of course there is a first time for everything so I am willing to keep an open mind. Plus, most of the vacation apartment rates are cheaper than hotels so that’s another pull factor towards apartments.

Of course I’ll be doing more research before we decide on anything. Research is a must and is enjoyable too when it comes to hotel or apartment hunting for vacations. I especially like reading guest reviews. They’re extremely helpful in helping fickle-minded me narrow down my choices to one that suits our needs when vacationing.

So a vacation in August is what I am hoping for. I don’t care where we’re going or for how long. All I know is that I need to get away and I am aiming for August. Speaking of August, which is also my birthday month, I am desperately trying to shed a few pounds (hoping for ten but will still be happy with five) in time for my birthday. I refuse to look like a chubby wifey clown this birthday. I have 26 days to go so wish me luck!

-FCC Scoreboard point for my FIRST commenter-
LADY JAVA

Vacation Dream

noreply@blogger.com (Mariuca) — Fri, 03 Aug 2012 01:54:37 PDT

Who wants to go to Seville, Spain? Don’t forget to take me along okay? I am dying for a gorgeous vacation in Spain and if you don’t already know, Spain happens to be one of the must-visit countries on my vacation list. I don’t know when it’s going to happen or if it’s going to happen but I am keeping it on my list for now.

Stunning exotic Spain and all its splendour, what a sight to behold for sure! I’ve already done a little research on this gorgeous travel destination and what I’ve seen and read so far, I love! Aside from the many beautiful hotels and Seville apartments available for tourists and the typical tourist attractions of expansive gardens, historical museums and amazing architecture; this 2000 year old city also offers tapas dining as one of the main cultural attractions here. I happen to love tapas so imagine tasting the real deal in the country of origin. Sounds absolutely fabulous, yes?

When the day finally comes for me to start packing and heading to our beautiful hotel or apartments in Seville, I would be one happy camper indeed. So to that day I shall wait in eager anticipation.

Meanwhile, it is back to reality and today we Muslims around the world are into our first week of fasting in the holy month of Ramadhan. Let me take this opportunity to wish all my Muslim friends a peaceful month of fasting. Are you guys eating too much food during dinner like me? Or are you handling the temptation of tasty Ramadhan bazaar food with ease?

I have yet to visit any Ramadhan bazaars so far. B is recovering nicely from his recent hospital stint so we are trying to eat healthy for now. So far, we’ve been pretty good but the stress of the hospital and other family health issues right now is turning me into an emotional eater.

I’ve also been a little depressed these past few weeks, which means I’ve been eating away like nobody’s business. So don’t expect any new photos of me for now! Until I have lost some of my stress weight, I plan to keep a low profile and hopefully look decent enough to fit into the snuggly-wuggly Raya outfit my mom got me to wear on the first day of Aidilfitri. Help!

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LADY JAVA

Chaotic Week!

noreply@blogger.com (Mariuca) — Sat, 28 Jul 2012 07:58:43 PDT

It is coming up to 6 days since B was admitted to the hospital and though we have figured out the root of his problem, it is now time for recuperation. I have no words to describe this chaotic feel inside whenever I arrive at and leave the hospital and coupled with another health emergency with my MIL, I have never been more frantic!

Of course I am keeping a strong front whenever possible but the stress of it all is slowly but surely creeping up on me and I can’t wait for things to return to normalcy once again.

After this trying time is over, there is nothing else more important than B and me than going for a vacation. Yes, as selfish as that sounds, it is also true because vacationing and staying in beautiful apartments in Rome for instance, is the only way I can rejuvenate my weary soul after this immensely stressful week!

Baby Issy did cheer me up when she came to visit Uncle B in the hospital. Isn’t she adorable with her tudung or head scarf? Apparently, she wears tudung at night, which I thought was so cute!

Wakey wakey baby Issy!

Don't bug me Aunty Marzie!

So back to my vacation dream, I would truly love to be in Rome right now. B healthy and strong, by my side as we travel through the beautiful city of Rome; enjoying its classical architecture, the stunning panoramic view and the expansive villas and landscaped gardens Rome is renowned for whilst learning the rich history and cultural background of this amazing city before retiring to our amazing Rome apartments or hotels. Don’t forget that I love Italian food too so that’s another bonus!

Now a vacation like that, I believe is the best way to really bring both B and I back to our jovial fun-loving selves. For now, we are both more than a little miserable. B, for having to stay longer than expected in the hospital and me for having to worry about his condition whilst juggling most things on my own as he recuperates.

Even if it’s not Rome, a vacation in any other faraway city is what we are both dreaming of and after B is well on his way to full recuperation, I’m definitely going to start researching on the best vacation deals around. Until then, here’s to another day of missing my Darling and wishing him a speedy recovery!

Get well soon, Love!

-FCC Scoreboard point for my FIRST commenter-
LADY JAVA

Truly Touched **

noreply@blogger.com (Mariuca) — Tue, 10 Jul 2012 13:00:40 PDT

Now that the day is finally over and I can reflect and what has happened, here comes the blues and tears!

Get Well Soon, Love!

B's Bland Food

As some of you may already know, the love of my life is currently in the hospital. I won’t get into details here but do read my FB page if you would like to find out more about his situation. So many wonderful people came to our comfort and assistance during this trying time and there were so many incidents that happened yesterday, which truly made me grateful and thankful to have a wonderful family, true blue friends and great group support during our misery.

My BFF Virgo buddy DD was the first to come to our rescue. She went out of her way to turn her car around from her route to work, to personally pick me up from the hospital to send me home, while stranded in DSH yesterday morning, when she saw my distressed tweets online.

I received many personal messages and phone calls from friends online and offline seeking to offer help and comfort. Thank you to my blog buddies Monica, Bam Bam, Maria, Emila, Nessa, Foong, LJ, Haaziq, Bella, Bill, Lainy and Rizal and to my other friends on FB. Thanks to our family members as well and B’s colleagues and friends for their obvious concern and urgency in visiting B in the hospital.

My parents and sister Mel’s presence in the hospital; staying by B’s side and making sure our needs are cared for during B’s absence from home made me appreciate them even more. Thanks to my sis Intan as well for the pep talk over the phone.

Our good friend Zeffer came all the way to Damansara from a long tiring day of work in Subang to be by our side and cheer B up, making sure things were running smoothly.

Our Cat Lady offered to take care of our fur-kids while I’m away taking care of B, at no cost.

From the bottom of my heart, thank you very much to everyone who checked in with us today to make sure we are coping well and working our way through B’s revival as he sadly recuperates in the hospital. Your kindness will forever be remembered.

MARIUCA LOVES

Dreaming of New York!

noreply@blogger.com (Mariuca) — Sat, 07 Jul 2012 03:07:11 PDT

Thanks to a friend who is currently living in NYC, I can now shop for all the things I want in the Big Apple via her. Isn’t that great? Here I come Bath & Body Works and VS!

If I had things my way, I would of course love to personally shop in NY. Last I went to NY was years ago and I can still remember the shopping spree I enjoyed in fast-paced city of the Big Apple. With so many things to buy and see in New York, I think it would take a week of vacationing here to truly satisfy my need for a city getaway of great dining, amazing sightseeing and simply fantastic shopping while luxuriating in gorgeous apartments in New York.

Truly sounds like the perfect vacation for yours truly but one that I know will also cost a bomb so you know what that means. I gotta work harder to fatten up my vacation fund! And I also gotta be more firm with my clients when it comes to payment.

Being the pushover that I am, I have been way too nice to my clients and I can’t help but feel that I am being taken for granted with them paying me LATE! I am really pissed off this week about my situation actually but I know this is the life of a freelancer. Constantly being pressured to meet ridiculous deadlines and then waiting forever to get paid and frankly, I have had it with this tardiness!

So I am on strike with certain clients at the moment. Yes, I am taking a stand and refusing to accept any more new jobs from clients who take their own sweet time to pay me for my services. I too have bills to pay and I too want to happily travel to New York and stay in gorgeous New York apartments using my hard-earned dough right?

Seriously, I’d much rather spend my skills, effort and time on clients who actually appreciate my services to pay me on time. And as hard as it’s going to be for me to decline and say a firm NO to these late paymasters, I will try my best to keep focus on my stand.

To my late-paying clients, I hope they will make good on their promises to pay up soon because thanks to this unnecessary stress of waiting around in vain, I am in dire need of a getaway and I want to go to New York so pay up people!

Oh, I took this cool NY quiz to calm down and apparently I am the Empire State Building, YAY!

You Are the Empire State Building

You are definitely a city person. You love crowds and excitement... the more the better.

You are flashy and showy. You like to flaunt what you've got.

You are confident and sure of yourself. You believe in yourself and know what you're capable of.

You make rules up as they go along. It's more fun that way.

What Part of New York Are You?

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LADY JAVA