♥ A Moment Like This

Why Android phones are good for gaming?

2013-04-30T16:53:00.001+08:00

Android phones are good for all manner of gaming, but where they really excel is in online gaming, particularly for playing online casino games on sites like www.ipadcasino.co.nz for example. But are they the best? Are the latest Windows 8 phones as good or better, or is it worth splashing out and getting the latest iPhone 5?

Looking at the last of these first, there is no doubt that the iPhone 5 is a really great device for gaming. In many ways its five inch display is just perfect, and it slim lines and ergonomic shape make it the ideal gaming device. However it is what it is. For some people it might be perfection, but for instance if you would like a different screen size then that simply isn’t possible. The iPhone 5 is a highly featured phone, but it is also a very expensive one, and you could be paying for features that you simply don’t need and would rarely use.

The Windows 8 phone came full of promise but it seems that nobody, are at least hardly anybody wants them. They are not getting any significant share of the market, which means that people can’t like them very much, and as most people use their phones for gaming we can only conclude that they are not very good for it.

That leaves us with Android phones. They are certainly very popular and while some perform better than the iPhone 5 and some not as well, there is a huge amount of choice in terms of price and performance. Pay top pound and you can get one with a quad processor core and a massive five inch or larger display, or buy a budget model and still enjoy a high performance device which provides an excellent online gaming experience.

One thing is certain; whichever kind of phone you go for will make no difference to your winning ratio. Your Android phone won’t win you any more money than your iPhone 5, but as you probably paid less for it you will have more stake money to play with.

Written by Marion Brookes

Samsung Galaxy S4 - Life Companion

2013-04-29T18:01:00.000+08:00

Samsung Galaxy S4 is finally here!! The official launch was on last Saturday, 27th April 2013. We have heard so much about Samsung Galaxy S4 before the launch, and I believe everyone can't wait for it.

Here's are some beautiful pictures taken from Samsung Mobile Malaysia Facebook page during the launch of Samsung Galaxy S4. Before the official launch at Lowyat, there was Samsung Galaxy S4 truck which going around the major shopping mall - Mid Valley, Sunway Pyramid etc for the preview of the official launch where there were great performance by these awesome people.

Before the official launch of Samsung Galaxy S4, I have already check out the specs and what is the new integrated apps & software. Although the outlook of the S4 is quite similar to S4, but I'm amazed with the new intergrated apps. Here are my top 3 favourite that catch my eyes which really worth to share with you.

One of the cool integrated function will be everyone's favourite - Dual Shot. Not to worry if you're the one who holding the camera because you will be appeared in the picture too! Awesome isn't it!!! :)

Dual-shot

Another great function is the S Health where the tagline - achieve more for your health. Now, we can stay fit and in style with the Samsung Galaxy S4. The best function of S Health is it will track our workouts, daily intake, and weight levels. In short, it will monitor our health progress. It will motivate to do more workout with this awesome integration.

S Health

I don't need a specific album in my laptop to store all my pictures now because S4 has an album for every occasion where our photos will be organized and albums can be created based on the way we want. Besides, the coolest function is there are various layouts and themes to choose from. Be creative!

To be honest, Samsung Galaxy series has never failed to surprise me. From Samsung Galaxy S1 to S4, Samsung always did the best to give the consumers a even better experience. To be frank, I'm a Galaxy S1 & S3 user and bf was S2 user, Samsung has really did an awesome job and thus I look forward the S4. Although the outlook of S4 is quite similar to S3, S4 still have the own style and design. The side design is different from S4 and it looks more elegant.

Colourful casing for Samsung Galaxy S4.

Samsung Galaxy S4 - Your Life Companion.

Check out Samsung Galaxy S4 at nearer store. Follow Samsung Malaysia FB page http://www.facebook.com/samsungmobilemalaysia and Twitter page https://twitter.com/SamsungMalaysia for more into & latest news.

Be inspi-RED!!

2013-04-28T16:42:00.002+08:00

Although red colour is not my favourite colour but it always easily grab my attention because the colour is really striking and attractive. Red can be beautiful, sexy, charming.... you name it. Thus, something had grabbed my attention when I visited Samsung store. It is the limited edition Samsung Galaxy Note 2 in red ruby wine.

After the launch of PINK Samsung Galaxy Note 2, it is now available in ruby wine. This is definitely a good news to all the red colour lovers. I personally think that red brings confident as well, wearing a pair of red high heels & red dress + red lips, it will definitely boost up your confident. Since I couldn't caring well with red dress & red lips, maybe Samsung Note 2 ruby wine could help me with this. :) Time to add another red gadget to my list?

Check out the limited edition ruby wine Samsung Galaxy Note 2 at nearer store. Follow Samsung Malaysia FB page http://www.facebook.com/samsungmobilemalaysia and Twitter page https://twitter.com/SamsungMalaysia for more into & latest news.

Hansgrohe: The Perfection of Shower Pleasure

2013-04-26T23:03:00.001+08:00

I was invited to enjoy shower by Hansgrohe - A leading bathroom and sanitation specialist and early pioneer of the sanitation industry, with a product range focusing on showers, taps and bathroom mixers. Time to get pamper, because we are not going to enjoy the shower with their awesome shower only. There were foot massage and yummy delicacy served for the bloggers and media. We were welcome with the friendly people and the environment was comfortable because they even decorated the place with rose petals.

Hansgrohe also provides customise bathroom design services and recently introduced a range of exclusive bathroom fittings developed in collaboration with celebrated designers. Designed and researched in-house, Hansgrohe’s products aim to make the bathroom ‘more functional, comfortable and beautiful’. Boasting a rich culture of design innovation, many bathroom shower features which people across the world now take for granted, were originally introduced by Hansgrohe over its 111-year history. This culture of design innovation continues to be reflected in Hansgrohe’s newest product offerings, over 80% of which are made in Germany and carry with them the assurance and guarantee of German quality and expertise, honed over decades of Hansgrohe’s existence.

Good news! 40% discount for all the readers here if you're interested to get Hansgrohe products. Visit their showroom for more info and experience the shower. :)

Be Ready! For the Next Galaxy

2013-04-22T05:00:00.000+08:00

Besides the hot topics about election, another topic that worth to share is about the long awaited Samsung Galaxy S4. Since they are doing really a great job on Galaxy S3, I'm now really looking forward to the S4.

The tagline for Galaxy S4 is Life Companion. Stay tuned for the official launch for more info or how the Galaxy S4 might be the major part for being your life companion.

If you were walking around major shopping mall on last weekend, you might bumped into this group of talented people who having a mini orchestra for the upcoming launch of Galaxy S4. It was first started with few beautiful melody by these group of violist...

Followed by 4 guys and girls who have a beautiful voice and their singing was really great!! They are singing a Galaxy S4 song. Wanna know how awesome are they? Here are few videos recorded by me, ENJOY ya!

Europe Spring 2012 ♥ Amsterdam City

2013-03-30T15:16:00.001+08:00

I landed in Schiphol, Amsterdam Airport on 12th April, 7am. Most of us knew that Amsterdam is the largest city and capital of the Netherlands. They are famous with tulips,chesseeeeee and also.. pretty Dutch ladies. I gonna explore this beautiful and peaceful city the next 3 days.

I have heard a lot about Amsterdam, the environment, people, food and many more. I believe it was a good decision to travel to Amsterdam in Spring because we get the chance to witness the beauty of tulips and the weather was just right to explore this awesome city.

The weather was 4°C, thus I wrapped myself with thicker jacket. Amsterdam is a city where everyone loves to cycling and that's their main transportation. One of the reason I love Amsterdam is the people here, they are friendly and respect everyone. They will slow down the car when there are people crossing the road.

Cute mini smart car.

We get a cab to fetch us to our B&B after we got our big luggage with us, price at €25. We stayed in Art, Bed & Breakfast (ABB) which is an art gallery that offers B&B too. The distance between B&B and city centre is 25 minutes walk, we did enjoy enjoy walk although it seems like a "long journey". Since it was a peak period during spring thus most of the hotel or B&B nearby city centre was quite expensive and the rooms were selling fast. We were lucky to get room in ABB which not too far from the town actually, one of the attraction nearby our B&B is Heineken factory and museum but I didn't pay a visit because there are other attraction that attracted me. :)

It's the season for tulips, many stalls are selling tulips seed but I hardly see tulips in the city which I believe it is early of Spring and tulips has yet fully blossom.

Main train station in Amsterdam.

Amsterdam's signature building.

I always love this type of outdoor setting especially in cold weather, where I can have a cup of hot chocolate or mocha and enjoy the chilling weather.

Another place to explore in Amsterdam is to visit the market. Many stalls were set up and you will definitely be spoilt by varieties of choices especially food, drink and not to forget, the famous cheese!

This is the red light district which is also most happening night life here. I'm sure no elaboration about what to see or what is so famous here is needed. *wink* Anyway, this was really an eye-opening experience to me.

Red light district.

When I was doing research for Amsterdam trip, I stumbled upon few blogs that shared about this place where you will see a big wording of "I AMsterdam". To be honest, it is nothing special here but since we were here in Amsterdam, thus I wanna come and take some pictures. :)

The weather at night was extremely cold and I wrapped myself with layers of clothes and scarfs. I couldn't take any decent picture as the wind was really strong and I even hide myself behind the alphabet.

Heineken beer is a must when traveling Netherlands because it is origins from here. The taste and smoothness of the beer is totally different back from the usual one we always drink.

There are many restaurant at the city centre and we stumbled upon Pasta Bar because they served reasonable set meal.

Soup of the day (broccolli) - €3.50

Carbonara Pasta (with extra broccoli and bacon) - €8.95

Margherita Pizza (tomatoes & mozzarella) - €4.95

Hawaii Pizza - €7.95

***
Pasta Bar
Damrak 19, 1012LH Amsterdam
Tel: 020 626 1576
***

Amsterdam is a city that worth to visit, you will definitely love this place and wanna come back again. On our first day in Amstedam, we headed to a place which quite far from town after we placed our luggage at B&B. Stay tuned for lovely and amazing place that I gonna share in next travelogue (perhaps).

This is the place.

til then..

PINK Pop!!

2013-03-27T08:00:00.000+08:00

I'm not a person who fancy pink but it is a lovely and sweet colour which everyone will definitely like it. It seems like everything will turns into sweetie pie when it is in pink especially pastel pink.

Pink ribbon, pink colour theme party, pink macaron, or pastel pink theme room....

Pink necklace, pinky bear, pink bracelet and... a pink gadget!!!

The limited edition - Samsung Galaxy Note 2 PINK.

Both phone and stylus is in pink. So lovely.

Samsung Galaxy Note 2 has applied a lighter pink and it looks really feminine.

Most of my friends know I'm a Samsung Galaxy lover, I will keep an eye on the latest news and this time, I stumbled upon the limited edition pink Note 2. I always record my meetings, appointments, to-do list, important notes, documents and many more in my phone. Besides, I watch TVB drama from my phone too (only when my laptop if not with me). Thus, Samsung Galaxy Note 2 fits my need. A bigger & super amoled screen, stylus pen is really useful and important to me. I don't mind to own a Note 2 although I'm not a fans of pink.

I always sketch on my note book / planner, and it is very bulky & heavy as I bring it whenever I go. With Note 2 Pink, I can sketch and draw in more stylish and feminine way. Hehee...

Ohya! Even my Facebook cover picture is the lovely pinky tulips I captured in Amsterdam last year.

For more info about Samsung Galaxy Note 2 Pink, visit http://www.facebook.com/samsungmobilemalaysia & https://twitter.com/SamsungMalaysia. It is also available at most of the major outlets of Samsung, Mid Valley, The Gardens, KLCC, and One Utama.

Let's GO PINK today!

PLOY with your food @ Ploy, Damansara Heights

2013-03-23T18:52:00.001+08:00

Don't PLAY with your food! Oppps... It should be this way, don't PLOY with your food!!! I have heard about Ploy from my boss, she said this place has a nice and cozy ambiance. It suitable for private party or dining with your close friends.

Thanks to my lovely bf, he stumbled upon a blog post about Ploy and he suggested to bring me there. Ploy is located at Clearwater, Damansara Heights which is quite near to Help Uni / UOA Building. The surrounding was really quite at night as this is the only operated restaurant, at Clearwater.

Dinner for 2, we have dessert after that.

What's the black thingy?

This is it!!! The black rice! and it taste aweeeesooommme!!!

It explained what is Ploy all about in the menu. PLOY is all about modern Asian cuisine. It also means "gem" in Thai. Inspired by the true gems of Japanese and Thai cuisine, Ploy loves the interplay of sweet, sour, salty, spicy and umami flavours; They belive in meticulous preparation and are dedicated to using only the freshest ingredients. In true Asia style, they recommend you always order a variety of dishes and share them. By applying these basic tenents to their favourite foods - they think we will find dining at Ploy dazzling.

Here in Ploy, you will get to taste Japanese, Thai and western cuisine, all in one place.

It was December and many tables were booked. We were lucky to get a table without any reservation. Anyway, it would be better if you call and make reservation to avoid disappointment as they are close for private party sometimes.

Ain't you feel to have a private dinner with your bff and close friends at this cozy environment?

Clippings were framed and hanging on the wall.

Complimentary water & Iced Latter - RM10

Ploy's Black Fried Rice - RM26.50

The portion was surprisingly small and not filling. :( Anyway, it taste really good and the rice was sticky after mixing the black fried rice with raw egg.

We finished it in a mere moment.

p/s: All the photos in this blog post was taken by Samsung Galaxy S3, the outcome was great. Don't you agree? :)

Crispy Japanese Kare Rice - RM20

This was originally introduced to Japan by the British when India was a colony, it is now a beloved Japanese national dish. Ploy says:"If Ploy were a country, this would be our national dish too!" The appearance doesn't look tempting but the chicken curry roux doused on crispy rice was just nice.

"Can we start eating?" This must be in his mind while I busy with photo taking.

Truffled Hamachi - RM55

It was a fresh hamachi sashimi drizzed in yuzu truffle sauce. This was the most expensive sashimi we ever have! We never knew that it was only 5 slices at RM55. I think, it was the "truffle" sauce which cost this much.

After the "3-course" meal, bf suggested (yes, he suggested again) to order dessert.

Red Rubbies - RM8.50

Chocolate Fondant - RM8.50

I remembered this was the best selling or signature dessert from Ploy. We have to wait 20 minutes for this awesome chocolate fondant. The muffin came with a scoop of vanilla ice-cream which create a great combination with the hot chocolate.

The night was great as it was ended with great food and great companion.

PLOY

G-2, Work @ ClearWater

Damansara Heights, KL

www.ploywithyourfood.com

03-2095 0999

St. Patrick’s is back and promises to bring #MARCHMOREFUN

2013-03-13T02:02:00.000+08:00

GUINNESS® St. Patrick’s is back and promises to bring #MARCHMOREFUN

throughout March 2013!

The celebration of all things green is back for the 7th year and promises to be ‘March More Fun’ for consumers! There’s going to be ‘March’ more parties, ‘March’ more exciting promotions on your favourite black brew, Guinness® and ‘March’ more fun and laughter of course. Adding to the hilarious line up of activities planned for this year, GUINNESS® will be hosting Malaysia’s biggest GUINNESS® St. Patrick’s Day Pub crawl for a whole weekend of St Patrick’s fun from 15th till the 17th of March 2013!

GUINNESS ‘March More Fun’ Promotions

About 1,000 outlets nationwide will have special promotions on your favourite black brew! With every purchase of 6 half pint or 4 full pint of GUINNESS® Draught, or a bucket of GUINNESS® stout, entitles consumers to a limited edition GUINNESS® St. Patrick’s plush pillow. There are 4 fun designs up for grabs with each design revealed weekly. On top of that, come join them for some St Patrick’s fun on Thursday and get their Thursday Specials! Guinness will be giving away 1 free pint of Guinness with every purchase of the Guinness St Patrick’s promotion in participating outlets throughout March!

To find out how you can have ‘March more fun’, connect with us on www.facebook.com/ guinnessmalaysia for more information and join us at a GUINNESS® St. Patrick’s celebration near you!

So don’t miss out on all the fun and get ready to be part of the most exciting St. Patrick’s Experience with GUINNESS®!

Happy St Patrick's and looking forward to seeing you all at our St Patrick's Day Parties soon!

Hong Kong & Shen Zhen Family Trip - Sneak Peak

2013-02-24T19:09:00.000+08:00

Happy Chap Goh Mei 元宵节快乐!!

Today is Sunday and also, the last day of Chinese New Year! I'm sure many people will go out for CNY celebration tonight. Few of the activities that can't be miss must be eating, take ang pow, be fashionable this CNY and also gambling. Last few day, I have stumbled upon this lady name Lacey Jones who is a fashion model turned poker pro. I think she will be looking gorgeous and stunning with the Cheong Sam which is the mandarin gown.

I have a great 5D4N trip with family to Hong Kong and Shen Zhen, China this CNY. Here are some sneak peak which I have shared on my instagram too. We departed to Hong Kong on day 4 of CNY (chu 4) by MAS airline. It was a 4 hours flight and I killing my time with TVB drama and #selca with my sisters. :)

Weather at Hong Kong was chilling and I still can cope with it. Our flight was delayed for an hour and it didn't ruin our mood. We checked in to Panda Hotel after reached Hong Kong, take some rest before we start to explore this city. Many people was surprised that I didn't visit Hong Kong before, reason being, I have visited many countries in Europe but why not Hong Kong or other Asia country like Taiwan, Korea, Japan etc. Actually I prefer Europe countries more because they have different culture. For HK, TW, Korea will be in my traveling list now. After HK, I will be traveling to Taiwan with my ex-colleague this April. :) Wheeee, gonna be another exciting trip.

Day one at Hong Kong - we take MTR to Tsim Sha Tsui.

Hong Kong night view at Victoria Harbour.

Abalone

Hong Kong Dim Sum.

Apartment at Hong Kong is extremely expensive!!!!!. For a 392 sq ft apartment, it cost around HKD400k. Couldn't deny that living expenses at Hong Kong is really high.

Shopping heaven - Mong Kong. It is a nice place to hang out and also place to try Hong Kong delicacies.

The famous 鸡蛋仔, it taste like waffle but this is more fluffy. My sis was addicted to this and she have 3 pieces.

Mong Kong was getting crowded when comes to night time.

Residence in HK.

Visit Bonjour (similar to Sasa), they are selling most of the beauty products at lower price compare to Sasa and other shop. Besides, there are many miniature products for your to choose from. You will be spoilt by choices.

浅水湾 Repulse Bay

Having fun with sisters..

浅水湾 Repulse Bay

Place to make your wishes.

They said, this yacht belongs to the famous 李嘉诚 Li Ka Shing.

SHEN ZHEN

We took 45 mins train ride from Hong Kong to Shen Zhen.

Our room with see-through bath room.

Chinese-style breakfast at Shen Zhen Hotel.

RMB 50 cent.

Sour & Spicy noodle.

Window of the world.

Sister ❤

Shen Zhen is a big city and we were lucky to enjoy the CNY mood at China. Every corner was nicely decorated with CNY decorations, thus we can really feel the excitement of CNY.

Till then.....

Instagram Love (i)

2013-02-01T01:54:00.000+08:00

I have decided to compile everything at the end of every month and share with my readers here. Time flies! End of January, welcoming February.

"How I love the mysteries of life. It is the little things that make a big difference to everything that we already have, and already know." - That's the January quote on my calendar.

"Everyone says that inner beauty is more important than outer beauty, but in the society we live in, it isn't. No one gives you the chance to show that you're beautiful on the inside if you aren't on the outside." - true fact. Are you agree?

Short gateway at Bukit Gambang Resort City | Cute Rilakuma packaging | Nite dates with my lady at Alexis, Bangsar | Tiramisu at Alexis

First driving experience with Nissan Almera to Malacca

2013-01-19T12:00:00.000+08:00

It was my first driving experience with Nissan Almera, together with fellow bloggers and media to Malacca for a day trip. Besides experiencing the newly launched Nissan Almera, we were also having fun to hunt for delicious food at Malacca.

I'm sure you have seen many Nissan Almera on the road now.

All the bloggers and media gathered at Edaran Tan Chong Motor, SouthGate for breakfast and a short briefing. After all the arrangement, time to vrrrrrroooooommmm.. Oppss.. and a group photo was taken first.

All of us were given a goody bag and we were required to wear the tee that provided.

Space + Style + Technology = Almera.

Stopped at Seremban R&R. It was supposedly a short break after the drive, but everyone was getting excited and start to take pictures..

The bloggers.

Me & Eunice - we were in same group.

Fun with Almera.

Kelly & Eunice

Two cutie pie - Eunice & Hui Ping.

Nissan Almera on the road.

Vrrrrroooommmmm

Aunty Koh’s Cendol

No. 5113, Jalan Batang Tiga,
Kampung Bukit Rambai.
75250, Melaka.

This is Aunty Koh and she was busy preparing the cendol and serving customers. All by her own without any help from others. Most of us said:"Aunty, we wanna take picture of you, look at the camera please..." Aunty replies:"Huh? Take picture ar? Aunty very busy o..~ " Haha.. Cute aunty.

Aunty Koh cendol was not in town and it was my first time here. There are 2 types of cendol is serving here but I still prefer the original one. The other one is cendol without any santa.

A small bowl of cendol for me....

Next, we head over to the town for delectable Nyonya food.

Peranakan Restaurant

107, Jalan Tun Tan Cheng Lock, 75200, Melaka.

It was lunch hour and we finished the food in a mere moment. One of the reason was the foods were yummy! Especially the Ikan Tenggiri Asam Pedas, Ayam Pong Teh, and Sambal Bendih.

Dessert time at Nadeja after the scrumptious lunch at Peranakan Restaurant

Nadeje Cake House

G-23 & 25, Jalan PM4, Plaza Mahkota, 75000, Melaka.

To be honest, this was my second time for Nadeja. First time was at Dataran Pahlawan, but I heard that I has been closed down. Is that true? Anyway, the interior design at this Nadeja outlet was unique and cosy.

Mille Crepe seems like everyone's favourite,. Although I like Chocolate and green tea but I still prefer the original taste of mille crepe.

Klebang Original Coconut Shake

Jalan Klebang, 75250, Melaka.

Klebang Original Coconut Shake is not located at Malacca city centre. We heard that this place is famous for the coconut shake and we were surprised that the place was so crowded and most of the table was fully occupied.

There are 2 types of coconut shake, with and without Vanilla Ice-Cream.

I enjoyed my cup of coconut shake special - with Vanilla Ice Cream.

We were so fulled after all the yummylicious food at Malacca. Before we heading to Seremban for dinner, we enjoy our time at the beach & of coz ..... take pictures too!!!!

Yeahhh!!! Group pic with Nissan Almera.

Glad to meet the famous blogger - Huai Bing for the first time, he was quite friendly.

Bloggers in action.

Ria Seaview Village
90 – 92, Jalan Toman 5, Kemayan Square,
70200 Seremban, Negeri Sembilan.

Dinner at Seremban before we heading back to KL.

It was a great & fun moment to have a day trip with bloggers and media. Besides, I got to know many new friends too!~

Verdict after I drove Nissan Almera - It was a car with affordable price, one of the benefit that worth to mention is Nissan Almera have a spacious interior. That's one of the unique selling points. Overall, it performed quite well but sometimes I feel a bit bumpy too when we started to drive faster. Anyway, it was a car that I personally think that worth to buy. Go to your nearer Nissan outlet for test drive. :)

Don't Lose it all, Time to get data - Phase 2

2013-01-18T09:00:00.000+08:00

Long distance relationships take a lot of strength and courage because sometimes it can get harder and HARDER. It’s when you suddenly lose touch that you feel as though your world is going to crumble apart! In Amy & Nick’s case, Nick hasn’t replied in so long and Amy has become so depressed. But wait – now we know what really happened, is Nick okay though?

Nick was about to buy a ring when suddenly a tragedy happened! He was courageous enough to help the poor lady but did he get hurt? If only Amy knew what exactly went on but what could she have done if she knew Nick was hurt?

Without knowing all this, Amy seems to have given up on waiting for Nick’s reply. She seems to be very comfortable with Joe now. Do you think Joe is taking advantage of this situation? What do you think Joe would do if he found out Nick was in trouble?

Most importantly, in the case of Amy & Nick’s relationship, it shows that they unfortunately lost touch without data. That’s why it’s always important to fuel up on data or you might just risk losing it all. After all, everything is on the internet now and it costs almost nothing at all. Just as long as you have data, it makes managing relationships so much simpler so dial *128# to sign up for any pack to have it all. #DontLoseItAll http://www.xpax.com.my/c1.php

Don't Lose it all, Time to get data

2013-01-14T22:19:00.003+08:00

Do you still remember "The Long Distance Relationship" post?

Amy has been facing her frustrations badly because Nick hasn’t been replying. These are obviously the consequences of being in a long distance relationship – but of course they’re both aware of that. However, in this day of age, we have DATA – so where did they go wrong? Now that Nick has been away for sometime, is Amy moving on? But whose ring is that?

“This is intense peeps! Is that Amy with Joe? What about Nick? Wait till the story unfolds on 18 January 2013. http://bit.ly/dontLoseItAll #DontLoseItAll @xpaxsays”

First post in 2013 | Thirty8, Grand Hyatt Hotel Kuala Lumpur

2013-01-07T08:00:00.000+08:00

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

First post in year 2013.

Here's a little update before I continue with some awesome stuff to share with all of you.

Blog Layout

I like previous layout but it bring inconvenience, many readers sent message to me saying that they can't post comment. I think that's the problem with the layout, thus I have change back to the normal layout and do some light changes. Hope you will like it la~ Finger cross that the "posting comment" issue will be solved.

2013 Resolutions

Usually, I don't set any resolutions for myself. But this year gonna be different! I can't disclose much here but will definitely share out at the end of 2013 if I achieve it!

Blog

Well, one of the 2013 resolutions is to blog more!! When I browsed back the post I blog in year 2012, it was really pathetic!!! It was the fewest post I have ever blog. Anyway, I'm trying to forget the pass that somehow make my life miserable & I can't concentrate well on many things etc. 2013, please treat me good.

----------------------------------------------------------------------

I'm sure most of you have heard about Grand Hyatt Hotel in KL. Many bloggers have blog about how awesome was the signature dessert. Thanks bf for the surprise, he promised to bring me there. I'm overloaded with sweetness that day, because of the love from bf (he was sick but still bring me there, due to the promised he made) and also the sweetness from the signature cake.

Ohya, all the photos here were taken by Samsung Galaxy S3. I bought dslr actually, but I forgot to insert the battery. *banging head to the wall* Luckily, the photos still turned out good.

Thrity8 is the name and it is located at level 38. You have to take the lift at car park, then proceed to lobby level. After that, you need to change to another lift to level 38. No worries if you are confusing, as written by other bloggers, the staff in Grand Hyatt are really friendly and they are happy to lead you the way.

Grand and long stair case at lobby level.

Christmas was around the corner *that time*. It was 22/12/2012.

The area was really spacious and they enhance the space with a big Christmas tree and a grand piano. I was wearing a newly bought maxi dress, love the bright colour of the dress. Believe or not, it cost only RM25 for the dress! Believe it!

We were greet by the friendly staff after coming out from the lift. It was 2pm and many tables weren't occupied yet. My initial plan was to try the signature cake only. Yes, I'm a bit cheapskate. The signature cake itself already cost RM25, expensive! x

Anyway, bf suggested we have the afternoon tea after the staff's recommendation. Price at RM68 per person for the afternoon tea, since we are going to have the signature cake later. Thus, we ordered afternoon for one person.

The afternoon tea comes with selections of teas and coffee.

So, I have a pot a flower tea and bf have a cup of cafe latte.

Both of our drinks come with a piece of cookies.

It might be an ordinary cookies but it taste good. If you are a chocolate lover, you might love it.

Here's the afternoon tea set - sweet & savory.

Savory - Finger sandwiches - Cucumber, dill, cream cheese | Smoked salmon, chives, lemon butter | Egg mayonnaise, watercress | Chicken, horseradish.

Finger sandwiches

Plain and raisin scones which supposedly comes with strawberry preserve and chantilly cream. I think they forgot the jam and cream thus we asked from the waitress.

They didn't give us any cream, but it comes with assorted of jam - strawberry, orange marmalade, raspberry and honey.

I think this is the "flowerpots" that written on the menu. It was filled with crunchy almonds with a creamy based. Taste perfectly.

Here's the well-known Signature Cake - RM25. It took 15 - 20 minutes to prepare this awesome dessert that everyone would die for.

The dessert served with a scoop of banana ice-cream, raspberries and nuts. The combination of hot-cold was taste heavenly.

Ohhh... did I tell you that our seat was facing KLCC tower?

Thirty8 is a 360 degree view restaurant, here's some pictures to share out.

KL City View

Feel the love ❤

31st December 2012 ❤

2012-12-31T13:30:00.000+08:00

31.12.2012

There are many similar / same status updated on social media site, especially Facebook. To be different, I have decided to do a last post in 2012. There are tons to photo to be shared and I will write accordingly based on month-by-month.

If you are following me on my Facebook page / Twitter / Instagram, you might have seen most of these pictures.

JANUARY

YAY!!!! I love January.

Just simply because......

January is my birthday month! :)

So, ya.... My birthday is coming soon.

It is on 17th January :)

Bf bought me to a jewelery shop and she told me that he wanna buy a necklace to her mum. He asked my opinion and after he paid, he gave the box to me and said "Happy Birthday" :)

Blue is my favourite colour, that's explain why.. :)

FEBRUARY

February is the month for the lovers.
I think we didn't celebrate Valentine's Day at any restaurant, it was just a simple dinner at home.
Besides, I couldn't find any pictures I take in February.
So... let's moving forward to March.

MARCH
It was another ordinary month to me.
One of the highlight was, a short gathering with ex-colleagues at Caffeinees, Pandan Indah.

We are all working in different company now but we will still gather together once a while or every month.

APRIL

It was the most happening one in year 2012! I got the second chance to travel to Europe again! and this time, we went to more countries. It was really exciting and part of like, dreams come true.

If you have read the sneak peak of my Europe trip, you have actually know that I have traveled to 15 places in 19 days. It was a bonus because we were driving, and we got the chance to visit more places.

Another BONUS that worth to mention is trip to Switzerland. This country wasn't in our initial plan, that why I say is a bonus. Another "plus bonus" was, I got the chance to experience snowing and I jump over for JOY. Because I never think that this will happen to me.

MAY

After back from Europe trip, time to get ready for my Uni mate's wedding.I'm the maid of honor.

It was a garden theme wedding at Mines Wellness Hotel, Seri Kembangan.

JUNE

Another memorable month..

It's our anniversary...

10th June

Lovely dinner at Tanzini, G-Tower.

Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) program at Kedah.

My company (property division) rebuilt a new home for 2 old nenek (grandma) who stay in a very lousy wooden house previously. We were there to give support and helping as well. It was a meaningful event.

First road trip with colleagues..

3D2N trip to Penang..

Colleagues..

JULY

10th July

Exactly one month after our anniversary..

It was bf's birthday

Unfortunately, it was his CLP exam month.

Thus, we don't have any special celebration.

Company was organizing a tea party to rewards the Facebook fans and I'm one of the committee.

We have a photo booth and create many props for the guest to have fun & take pictures.

AUGUST

After Europe trip in April,

we decided to have a short road trip to Cameron Highlands.

2D1N, with friends.

To rejuvenate after hectic working life..

Celcom - Cupcake challenge event.

It was another chance to meet & hang out with my blogger friends.

Our team won the best cupcake decorations.

Two sets of beautiful recipe book was given as a reward.

SEPTEMBER

Another joyful month as one of my friend is tying the knot with the other half.

Blessed marriage to both of them - Wai Seng & Angel.

Each wedding will be a great gathering to all of us.

With my girls - Crystal & Jirian.

My bff back from Melbourne!!!

We have unfinished stories to share!!

Starbucks is our favourite hang out place - "for your info" :)

OCTOBER

I'm looking towards to October too.

Because, it will be another trip to overseas.

This time, we choose Asia country - Hanoi, Vietnam.

Due to some circumstances, we end up at Bali, Indonesia.

Bali.

Before we travel to Bali, bf received his CLP result.

Congrats! He passed the exam.

This is the rewards for him, from me.

He send a picture to me when he first wore it to work.

*sweet*

Colleagues birthday, @ Muzeum, Setia Walk, Puchong.

I was invited to an art & design exhibition.

Every piece of artwork are amazingly done.

IMPRESSIVE.

We discovered a cafe that have nice and cosy ambiance - Acme Bar & Coffee (ABC) at Jalan Troika.

Interior of ABC.

Been there twice.

First time - coffee & dessert at 11pm.

Second time - brunch with friends.

NOVEMBER
It was a sudden decision to visit my sister in Singapore - 3D2N.

Thanks sis for accompany me.

Thanks her again to bring me here.

DECEMBER

A joyful month.

It's Christmas!!!

This is the festival I love the most!!

Gift - A Christmas bear from bf :)

BF decided to bring me to Johor Premium Outlets (JPO) at Johor.

It reminds me the fashion outlets in UK.

One of the good bought in JPO.

Pinky lace high heels - love it.

Don't you find it sexy as well? :)

We spent one whole day in Singapore too.

Together with our friends.

Night view at Marina Bay Sands.

Company annual dinner.

Theme - under the sea.

Thus, our pictures turned out blueish..

Colleague who love Korean a lot!

"Eat Play Drive" with Nissan Almera.

It was a day trip to Malacca with blogger friends.

We got the chance to drive the new car, and enjoyed Malacca famous delicacies too.

Tea time at Grand Hyatt KL.

The signature cake that everyone love it.

24th December 2012 - Christmas Eve

Buffet dinner with drearest family at MS Garden Hotel, Kuantan.

I was wearing a cute head band, souvenir from my boss (from bkk).

Many people have heard & try the black ink squid spaghetti.

How about black fried rice?

Look for PLOY at Damansara Heights.

The food were great but is kinda pricey.

Environment in PLOY.

30th Dec 2012 (Sunday)

I have written down my resolution for year 2013.

Let's moving forward and work it out!!!

A cute picture of me & my 2nd sister to end my post.

HAPPY NEW YEAR 2013!!!

The Long Distance Relationship

2012-12-24T17:48:00.000+08:00

It’s always assumed that relationships are blissful – but wait! It’s not all candies and kisses, sometimes there a lot of hardship to deal with and it can be really emotionally taunting and mentally demanding. What’s worse is, pairing the idea of a long distance relationship (LDR) with the sad soppy case of losing communication.

Without communications, LDR might not working. Back to few years back, me & bf were facing LDR too where he needs to further his study at UK and I have to stay back in Malaysia because I just started my career.

Smart phone is not that famous yet that time, so we can't whatsapp / LINE / weChat... you name it. The only way to communicate was through msn and skype. Nowadays, many couples are facing LDR as well and they are way better than me, most of them own a smart phone and they can easily whatsapp / LINE / weChat their other half at any time, any where...

What’s going on? They seemed happy.

Although they were going to be far away from each other, they seemed like they were in it forever but then suddenly everything changed! Did he find someone else? Or is it just a simple misunderstanding? Relationships are an uphill battle or sometimes a downwards spiral – it’s really how you manage it but these two sadly went the wrong way. Who’s that guy at the end? Does he like her? And does she like him too?

This happened to me too, I mean when I message him, he can't reply instantly and I don't know where was him or what happen to him. Anyway, he is back in Malaysia and thanks to the awesome creator, we own a smart phone & data connection , easily to whatsapp / LINE to each other.

Most importantly, in the case of Amy & Nick’s relationship, it shows that if there is no data, you’ll lose it all. After all, everything is on the internet now and it costs almost nothing at all. Just as long as you have data, relationships will go smooth sailing so dial *128# to sign up for any pack to have it all. #celcom

DON’T LOSE IT ALL.
TIME TO GET DATA.

Nusa Dua Beach Hotel & Spa, Bali @ Indonesia

2012-12-19T20:31:00.000+08:00

I have decided to share this in ONE post, which means there will be tons of photos and please, enjoy it! As I said earlier , our initial plan was travel to Hanoi, Vietnam. End up, we were at Bali. Read previous post to know more about it.

Although we booked our accommodation at very last minute, but we still managed to grab a great deal. Thanks to booking.co m, we stumbled upon this hotel at a reasonable price. Without hesitation, we clicked BOOK! Nusa Dua Beach Hotel & Spa was the hotel we stayed. Seriously, I don't know where is Nusa Dua, how is Nusa Dua looks like etc.

The hotel is really amazing and far from our expectations. We didn't know that the hotel is so huge and many facilities were provided. They even have a private beach too! How awesome!!!! The price was RM1,100+ for 3 nights at this amaze 5 stars hotel.

I will share this post in 4 different section - The Hotel, The Room, The Spa & The Breakfast.

THE HOTEL

Nusa Dua Beach Hotel & Spa, Bali

Nusa Dua Beach Hotel & Spa is located on the southern peninsula of Bali, 25 minutes away from Bali Ngurah Rai International Airport. The tranquility of the resort spreads over 23 acres with an oasis of tropical gardens and sundrenched shores of beautiful Nusa Dua peninsula.

Lobby #1

The interior design is the mixture of traditional and contemporary design which also brings out the wellness feel. You will definitely feel the freshness all around the hotel as well. Check it out now...

Lobby #2

Lobby #3

Sofa and seats are provided at every corner of the hotel.

Staircase to lower level from the lobby.

Many guests will chill and enjoy their drinks here at night.

Cozy and comfortable sofa.

I just love to chill at here during evening and enjoy the breezing weather.

This is the extended bar area (left) and we chilled at here after our dinner.

... and enjoy the complimentary welcome drink - can choose from non-alcoholic or alcoholic drink. We can enjoy the welcome anytime throughout our stay.

Casual wear and went down to enjoy the drink.

We reached at 4pm, checked-in, explored our room, bath and went out to explore the hotel.

There are more than 10 restaurants and bars provided and every restaurant have its own uniqueness. The price is much more pricey compare to other restaurant at Bali Town.

There is another restaurant facing the swimming pool.

There are 2 swimming pool at Nusa Dua Hotel. This is the general and public swimming pool for the guests, guest with children can enjoy their swimming time here as there is a children swimming pool provided right beside the adult swimming pool. The other swimming pool is at spa area and I shall share with you later.

The private beach of Nusa Dua Hotel.

It was sunset and the scenery was beautiful.

Nope. This is not for us.

Another bar restaurant that facing the beach. It will be very romantic to have dinner by the seaside, accompany by the breezing & chilling weather.

THE ROOM

Room 3022

Although our room is not facing the beach, yet we still have a great view from our balcony.

The welcome kit we received when check-in.

One of the surprise we received was Nusa Dua Hotel offered one free professional photo at the beach. This is really worth to mention because this is the only hotel that offer this kind of complimentary service so far (which I know la...). For the mentioned professional photo, please refer to previous post *again*. I don't wanna post it again. *feel paiseh* LOL.

Panorama view of our room.

It is a newly renovated room and as I said, the interior is the mixture of Balinese and contemporary design. Room was really cozy and have spacious space too.

Balcony.

Sadly, the bathroom was not really big and they don't have any bath tub for deluxe room.

Basically, they have provide everything that needed and we have no complaint about that.

Night view from my room.

THE SPA
Nusa Dua Spa

On the second day, we went to the spa after breakfast.

We were requested to register before using the spa facilities.

We are free to enjoy the jacuzzi and other spa facilities.

However, they charge for other spa services, such as massage etc.

Compare to the swimming pool at the other side of the hotel, I prefer to enjoy my private time here because the environment is more cozy and quiet. Most of the guest will enjoy reading books and have a cup of fruit juice here.

For spa, male and female is separated to 2 different section.

Changing and locker room.

Complete and useful toiletry was well-prepared.

A jug of refreshing lemongrass was prepared.

On the left pool, it is the jacuzzi. The water was really hot but you will definitely feel relax after awhile. Next to the jacuzzi is a pool filled with cold water.

THE BREAKFAST
Wedang Jahe International Cuisine

Surrounded by a tropical lotus pond, Wedang Jahe restaurant is the idyllic setting for breakfast with endless choices of International and local dishes. Breakfast starting at 6.30am to 10.30am. There are 2 seating area - outdoor and indoor. We choose to sit outside during our 4 days stay here because I wanna enjoy the fresh air every morning.

I was thrilled when I saw there were so many types of bread was served but I only managed to have one everyday because there were other foods that I wanna try as well.

They are also serving Indonesian traditional herbal drink but I didn't give it a try.

I prefer to have few cups of coffee and orange juice when I have buffet breakfast at hotel. :)

Pan cake & waffles.

Japanese foods corner - miso soup, tofu etc..

My favourite corner!

I'm blessed with good foods *wink*

Finally, end of this post.

I enjoy my stay here and highly recommended to those who want to have a pleasant & unforgettable holiday at Bali.

ciao... till then
❤

Fall Travel 2012: Bali, Indonesia

2012-11-12T20:29:00.000+08:00

Normally, I will travel to overseas at least twice a year. After Europe trip on spring 2012, I went to Bali, Indonesia on October. Actually, Bali is not in our plan and I never think to travel to this place at all although most of my friends went there before and telling me the beauty of Bali.

Here's the story:

Our initial plan was travel to Hanoi, Vietnam on 23 - 26 October 2012. Thanks to Air Asia again, we managed to grab the flight ticket at cheaper price. It was Tuesday (23 Oct), which was also another normal working day, 6.30am flight. When we reached the airport, it was crowded with people and long Q. Although I have checked-in through mobile, yet I still need to queue when I want to drop off my baggage. The gate closed 20 minutes before departure time, and we were late for 5 minutes. I pleased the officer to open the gate and allow us to enter. Unfortunately, the captain don't allowed although I have pleased them for 3 times. SIGH!

Many people missed their flight too, NOT only us. Guess it was the crowded situation that causing most of the people missed the flight. Air Asia is really not considerable at all. Anyway, I have request for tax refund and it is in the process.

Since I didn't pay any deposit to the hotel at Hanoi yet, so we just wasted the flight ticket. To cut off the long grandmother story, we ended up travel to Bali after done some quick research - flight ticket & accommodation. It was quite challenging and a good experience to travel to a place that I didn't plan at all and I don't know anything about Bali. Luckily, I have read some Bali travel post before. Thus, I knew some of the "must-visit" place such as Tanah Lot, volcano, Jimbaran to eat the seafood and jagung (corn) and Kuta. That's all I know!

In this post, I would like to share some of the pictures I posted in my Instagram (www.instagram.com/yvonnesam). FOLLOW me ya (｡◕‿◕｡)

We are reaching Bali after 3 hours flight.

Trademark of Bali.

You will see this everywhere, and this is at the hotel we stayed.

This is the hotel we stayed, a truly awesome place to unwind. Check out Nusa Dua Beach Hotel & Spa. My friends were shocked when I told them the place I stayed. They told me the accommodations at Nusa Dua is not cheap, luckily we managed to get the great deal on booking.com last minute.

Cosy and comfortable room.

Spacious room and I was really joyful because it was far from what I've expected.

Complimentary welcome drink. We can have it any time throughout our stay.

Enjoying the delectable breakfast by the lake side.

Seafood dinner at Jimbaran on our first night. I did some research and this restaurant I went - Lia's, is providing the seafood at reasonable price. The set we ordered was RM100+ for 2, which comes with 2 bottle of Bintang beer, white rice, vegetable and the awesome seafood! It was taste really good!!! I will blog separately. We were very happy with the dinner and it was quite romantic too, because we had our dinner facing the beach. :)

The famous Bintang Beer.

Corn selling at Jimbaran.

I always heard that the corn at Bali is really yummy and we must try it!!!! Words can't describe how yummy it was! MUST TRY!! MUST TRY!!!! It was so juicy and favourable.

Jalan-jalan at Kuta Town.

The weather was really good throughout our stay at Bali.

I'm happy with the purchased.

The owner was really a "killer", price that offered by him was RM200+ for 2. Finally, I managed to get it at RM40+ for 2!!!! They are really sucking your money. So, shop wise.

Beautiful Kuta Beach.

There were many foreigners sun-bathing there and all of them were tanned, but still looking pretty and handsome. :)

HEHE... he found his mate at Kuta beach, wearing the same Bintang tee.

Various banks' ATM machines at your convenience @ Kuta Town.

Relax-ing.

Trying out the famous Luwak coffee (green pot and green cup) which I find it nothing special. Hmm...

We were also given a chance to try different type of coffee & tea for FREE. YES! We only paid for the Luwak coffee which cost RM20+ for a pot. *expensive*

Tegalalang Rice Terrace.

We saw many kawaii Japanese tourist here.

@ Tegalalang Rice Terrace.

The famous Kintamani Volcano.

We had buffet lunch facing the volcano, RM50+ per person.

The chicken satay taste good!

Beautiful sunset at Tanah Lot.

We thinking to have seafood dinner at Tanah Lot but it was too pricey and finally we decided to try some authentic Indonesia food such as fried rice etc.

Night life at Kuta, Bali was really happening.

印尼仔，印尼妹。

Special edition vodka at Duty Free Galleria.

I bought this for my colleagues.

The China cigarette we saw at duty free galleria was so expensive!

Beautiful deco at Duty Free Galleria Bali.

I love the concept and idea.

Complimentary professional photo shooting provided by Nusa Dua hotel.

One photo were given as a memory.

Our trip to Bali wasn't on tight itinerary. We woke up late, enjoy our breakfast, went for jacuzzi and swimming, then only we went out. It was really a chill, relax and unwind trip. I'm in love with Bali, it is a very very very very beautiful place. ❤

独自出走

2012-11-05T23:17:00.000+08:00

拿了护照，独自儿去了熟悉却又陌生的地方。熟悉是因为去了这地方几次，陌生是因为这次是自己一个人去。朋友说我很勇敢，很大胆的自己一人出走。其实，比起那些背包的，我这只是小儿科。

出走，是想暂时逃离这里熟悉的一切；说穿了，其实是想逃避。

在还未写这篇文章时，脑海里已经想好了要写的字。但是，当我开始打时，却写不出了。一段又一段的文字，一直在浮现着，却不能够完整的打出来。就好像一堆的拼图，怎么拼都无法完成。

选择独自出走是因为想要有自己的空间，不用向任何人交代，不用向任何人多说。想去哪，就去哪。我只想说，我不想和任何人讲话。听起来好像有点偏激。可是，我就是想独自儿一人- 就这个星期而已。往往很多事情，无人能够理解那心情，无人能够体会那失落。所以到最后选择不和任何人讲或诉苦。

自己一个人的时候，我的双眼会到处观察身边的人，事，物。来到这，唯一最普遍和方便的交通是轻快铁。每个人都戴上耳机，似乎都活在自己的世界里。当然，我也不例外听 – 听着音乐，眼睛在观察着。当我看到每个人戴上耳机，他们的眼睛望着外面，都沉默着；我在想：“他们在想着什么呢？他们的眼神都是不变的。” 然后，我就问了我自己。我正在想什么呢？最近的我都在烦恼着某些事情，对我的影响也蛮大，情绪很波动。

是自己犯贱吗，怎么选了很情绪化的歌来听呀！？那些歌的歌词都很符合我当时的心情。听着歌词，脑海在想着那事儿；泪水自然而然的在眼眶里打滚，我不容许任何一滴掉落下来！吞了口水，强忍的把眼泪流收回。

那一时刻，我的感触真的很大。可是我却写不出来当时候的心情。

我。。。。。不想再继续写了。其余的，就留给自己吧！

写于，某某机场。
4/11/2012

Europe Spring 2012 ♥ Art, Bed & Breakfast @ Amsterdam, Netherland

2012-10-13T11:24:00.000+08:00

WELCOME back myself into blogging world. :)

Here's the next post after I have blogged about the accommodation I stayed at Europe.

Amsterdam was the first destination in our Europe Spring 2012 because the flight - Malaysia Airline we took was landed at Amsterdam. After some sneak peak in previous few post, it is time to start sharing in more details and also more pictures.

We were safely landed at Schiphol Airport, Amsterdam at 7am (Amsterdam timing) after a 13 hour flight. I miss the chilling weather since my last trip to UK at 2009. The weather was 4°C only and this was the first Amsterdam view I saw once I stepped out from the airport.

Sunny day, nice and beautiful weather. I'm getting excited!

Our arrival time was too early, none of the shop is open and it was not convenient to visit any place yet because we have more than 3 big luggages. Anyway, I have contacted the owner of the B&B that we will arrive early before we depart from Malaysia and they allow us to place our luggage at the living hall of the B&B before we are allow to check in at 2pm.

Initially, this B&B is an art gallery. Thus, you can imagine that their ABB will be decorated with beautiful painting and hand craft.

What is so cool about this ABB? It is a small and exclusive place to stay in Amsterdam which have stylish rooms, an intimate stay between art, near to city centre which take around 20 minutes walk, nearby the museums, pubs and... ohya! It is also near to Heneiken.

Main entrance (left) to the ABB.

We were shocked when arrived because we thought the ABB was at the second floor (enter from the door at right) and the stair case was really narrow.

Beautiful gallery isn't it? White was the theme colour of the interior and the walls were hanging with the awesome and beautiful paintings. There were many awesome and cute hand craft too.

The other side of the main hall. The brown door was the main entrance.

From here, we can see the beautiful view of the street and many people always cycling and passing by.

I would say that it is a 3-storey B&B because there were short stair case to upper and lower level.

The short stair case to upper level.

A living hall at upper level, and 2 rooms. This is the place I surf net and having our breakfast every morning.

Beautiful and artistic paintings. I was attracted by all these arts.

Hand craft cactus.
It reminds me of my mock up and model making at workshop during my Uni time.

This is the room we stayed - simple, clean and neat. Not forget to mention that the bed was really comfortable. A simple cabinet cum dressing table which attached to the wall, towers, chair and tv was included in the small room. (p/s: this photo was taken from booking website)

Living hall at lower level.

Comfortable sofa, decorated with different paintings, and colourful floor mat. At this level, there is a room, bathroom and kitchen.

View of the living hall from the other side. That's the stair case. (p/s: this photo was taken from booking website)

As for the washroom, I grabbed the photos from booking website too. I realize I didn't take much photo of this B&B.

There is only 1 bathroom in the B&B and thus we need to share with others. The bathroom was simple and clean too.

I like the poster hanging on the wall.

Small and compact kitchen.

They have almost everything in the kitchen. The best was, a coffee machine was prepared by the owner too. (p/s: this photo was taken from booking website)

Bread, coffee, jam and others were well prepared and provided.

The coffee bean provided by the B&B, we can make our own coffee with the provided coffee machine. I have at least 2 cups a day. :)

From the kitchen, there is a door to the backyard and the canal!

The beautiful view I taken from the backyard at the last morning we stayed at this B&B. Ain't it an amazing view?

Door to the kitchen.

Overall, Art, Bed and Breakfast is a nice place to stay and I would recommend my friends here. They have everything that you need during the stay. *I LIKE AMSterdam and miss that place now*

Art, Bed & Breakfast (ABB)
Weteringschans 123, Amsterdam-Centrum, Amsterdam, 1017 SC.
Tel: +312 0422 1259
art-bed-breakfast.com

Price: € 170 (2 nights for 2 with breakfast) *as per date April 2012

Europe Spring 2012 ♥ Accommodation in Europe

2012-10-01T23:15:00.001+08:00

If you missed out on my previous post about travelling in Europe this Spring, you still can browse it under this category/label - Europe Spring 2012.

Previously, I have shared my experiences on the transportation for getting around in Europe. In this post, I can't wait to share with you the accommodation in Europe.

Tips before you book for accommodation:

Do compare the price from different website. Normally, price at agoda.com is expensive compared to booking.com. That's why most of our accommodation was booked through booking.com. Don't be greedy with the points that agoda.com offer. :)
Do visit their (hotels etc) website before you make any booking through 3rd party booking website. Sometimes, there are some offers and better price rate offer by the hotel.
Do research! I'm sure you don't wanna ruin your mood by staying in a dirty and bad services hotel, right? So, do your homework! Trip advisor is one of the best portal to read all the reviews and comments. Browse through their pictures that taken by those travellers. This was what I did and we were so happy and satisfied with all the accommodations we booked!

Me & bf do the researched and finalized the accommodation. It is not an easy task as you need to do many research from many aspects, such as:

Budget - *very very very important. $$$$$$$$$$
Location - We are not familiar with Europe map, thus we need to study the map & location. We will try to avoid to stay in the town because it will be very expensive, we will also try to avoid to stay far from the town because we hope to visit the tourist spots by walk (can save the petrol, $$$$ and good for health too :p).
Tourist spots - List down the places that you would like to visit, try to look for the accommodations that easily reach or nearby.
Public transport - We rent a car there, thus it is not an issue for us. But for those who need public transports, please take this into consideration too.
Environment - To make sure the place is clean and tidy. Service is good.
Internet connection - *grin* one of the important things that I will take note. Almost all of the B&B(s) and hotel I stayed have free wifi. :D

We went to 7 countries and stayed in 9 different places. Here, I would like to share the sneak peak of all places we stayed in Europe. I will share further and post more pictures next (next next next post... *unsure yet*).

All the hotels & B&Bs we stayed were really different, each of them were unique and has it own style. I'm glad that we stayed in different concept hotels & B&Bs throughout our stay in Europe - total, 9 of 'em. Although we look for cheap and valuable accommodations, bf suggested that we should also take the chance to stay in a better (or so-called high class) hotel too.

p/s: €1 = RM4 (approximately)
p/p/s: CHF 1 = RM3 (approximately)

AMSTERDAM

Art, Bed & Breakfast

Weteringschans 123, Amsterdam-Centrum, Amsterdam, 1017 SC.

Tel: +312 0422 1259
art-bed-breakfast.com

Price: € 170 (2 nights for 2 with breakfast)

Have you ever stay in an art gallery before?

This is a B&B in an art gallery, that's where the name came from - Art, Bed & Breakfast (ABB). Although this B&B is not located in the city center of Amsterdam, yet it is not hard to reach by walk but it took around 20-30 minutes to reach the city center by walk. Since the weather was chill, so we don't have any complaint at all. Hotels & B&Bs at Amsterdam was very expensive due to its Spring period and also the flora/tulips seasons.

It was a cool and great experience to stay in an art gallery as we were surrounded by all the beautiful and awesome drawings, crafts, and also the interior design. As an ex-industrial design student, I was really impressed with all the drawings and products they made. I wish to bring them home but it is so expensive! Did I tell you that, they have comfortable sofa too? :D

There are 3 rooms in this gallery and each room was decorated with beautiful paintings and simple furniture. The room we stayed was not really big but it was enough to let us to have a good rest. Ahhhh... the bed was really comfortable. Since it is a B&B, a simple breakfast (breads & coffee) was provided. Self-service.

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Yotel Schiphol Airport @ Amsterdam

Tel: +3120 7085 372
www.yotel.com

Price: € 106 (1 night for 2 without breakfast)

How about cabin? Have you ever stay in a cabin before? It was our last day in Europe and we will take our flight back to Malaysia from Amsterdam, so we decided to stay in the airport. Amsterdam airport is really big and you can actually take a tour & go around.

This was the small & compact cabin we stayed. Once you adjust the bed, no one can actually walk around in the cabin. It was really really small but everything you needed is provided and well prepared in this cabin. Truly another great experience.

Brussels, Belgium

Le Plaza Brussels

Boulevard Adolphe Max 118-126, Brussel, Brussels 1000 Belgium.
Tel: +32 2278 0100
leplaza-brussels.be

Price: € 99 (1 night for 2 without breakfast)

I love this place really really really muchhhhhh!!!!! Every single furniture and decorations are so elegant and classic. The above picture is the spacious lobby with many sofa and chairs provided. The room didn't disappointed us as well. Unfortunately, it was quite hard to get a parking here, so we have to park our car which was 10 - 15 minutes walk from the hotel. Anyway, we don't really mind to walk at all.

Munich, Germany

Leonardo Munchen City Center
Senefelderstr. 4, Ludwigvorstadt-Isarvorstadt Munchen, 80336 Germany.
Tel: +49 0 8962 039 702

leonardo-hotels.com

Price: € 158.40 (2 nights for 2 without breakfast)

Leonardo Hotel is like a chain hotel and you could easily found it in other Europe countries. The Leonardo Hotel at Munich is not really big but the environment and rooms were not bad. The room was compact and hard to walk after we placed our BIG luggage(s). But we didn't complaint at all, as long as it is clean and comfortable. Worth to stay at here.

Switzerland

Hotel Hottingen @ Zurich

Hottingerstrasse 31,7. Flunten-Hottingen-Hirslanden-Witikon Zurich, 8032 Switzerland.

Tel: +41442561919

www.hotelhottingen.ch/en/

Price: CHF 250 (2 nights for 2 with breakfast)

Switzerland wasn't in our plan actually (I will explain more in Zurich post). Everyone knows that to travel to Switzerland is quite expensive because the living expenses is very high compare to other Europe countries. For sure, it is not easy to find a hotel which is near to the town with good price. *again*, since we have a car, thus the distance was not a problem to us. Hotel Hottingen is a small but nice hotel that not really far from town, approximately 10 minutes drive from the hotel to the town. As you can see from the above picture, there is a basin in the room without any partition. It was a room with a bed, basin, table and a cupboard. The washroom is outside the room which means we need to share with others. Breakfast was included and I was really satisfied.

* * *

Hotel Staubbach @ Lauterbrunnen

Hauptstrasse, Lauterbrunnen, 3822 Switzerland

Tel: +41 338 555 454

www.staubbach.com

Price: CHF 220 (2 nights for 2 with breakfast)

This is worth to mention! Because it was my first time stayed in attic room which is the room that you can easily touch and reach the roof. This hotel is a B&B at Lauterbrunnen in Switzerland. We came across this place (Lauterbrunnen) because we want to go to the alps name Jungfrau. This is one of the best place to stay if you want to go up to Jungfrau alps. We have a great stay here because the staff were really friendly, speak good English and the services were great too! Not to forget to mention that we accidentally bumped into a Malaysian family here. We speak in our own language and felt so warm. There is a small window in this attic room, and we can easily see the awesome and beautiful alps from here!!! I couldn't believe I have the chance to visit Switzerland! The breakfast provided by this B&B was variety and good. The dining area was facing the beautiful alps. How could you not in love with this B&B?

Venice, Italy

Rialto1082 - B&B Venezia

San Polo 1082 _ 30125 Venezia Italia _ P.Iva

Tel: +39 041 2410164

rialto1082.com

Price: € 244.80 (2 nights for 3 with breakfast)

Italy is quite famous with B&B and people hardly will choose to stay in the hotel when travel to Italy. This was my second time traveled to Italy but first time to Venice. As you know, the expenses at Venice is not cheap as well especially the accommodation. We were a bit headache when looking and searching for the B&B that offer the best rate. I saw many good comments about Rialto 1082 on trip advisor and we decided to stay here after I keep contact with the owner through email for several times. They willing to give us 10% discount if we pay cash upon arrival. Diamino is the owner but we never meet him at all during the stay, it was his dad who welcome and serve us. The room was not elegant nor classic but it was really clean and comfortable. Breakfast was provided but the selections were really limited.

Vienna, Austria

Hotel De France

Schottenring 3, 01. Innere Stadt, Vienna 1010, Austria.

Tel: +43 1313 683361

http://www.austria-hotels.at/hotel-de-france/index.html

Price: € 480 (3 nights for 2 with breakfast)

Don't be shock by the price we paid. After you have read and see through all the places that we stayed, don't you agree that the accommodations that we choose was really different for each places? Most of the B&B and hotel we stayed was budgeted, and since Vienna is the second last country we gonna visit, bf suggested to stay in a better environment and so-called "high class" hotel. Hotel de France was the hotel chosen by him and he quite looking forward to staying at there. It is a 4 star hotel which located at a strategic location and there is a big park right opposite, many people were sun-bathing at the park every evening.

A bonus we got from this hotel was, our room has been upgraded!!!!! Look at the picture above, it was a 2-storey room. The first level is the living hall, washroom and a toilet, balcony, cupboard; second level is the bed and a toilet. The room was really spacious and we were really really happy!

Prague, Czech Republic

Vintage Hotel Design Sax

Jansky Vrsek 3, Prague 01, Prague, 11800, Czech Republic

Tel: +420 257 531268

www.hotelsax.cz

Price: € 378 (3 nights for 2 with breakfast)

We spent 4 days 3 nights at this beautiful and romantic city - Prague. Before I travel to Prague, there were actually few bloggers has visited this place and the hotel they stayed were great! Somehow, I bumped into this hotel when I was searching other hotels in Prague. Vintage Design Hotel Sax is a hotel that will definitely cheer you and make you happy during your stay here. The interior design is so colourful and vibrant, the vintage and retro is my liking. Every level have different design and I actually walked in every level and take pictures. I shall share more in different post.

* * * * * * * * *

That's the summary of the accommodations in Europe. I would say that all the B&B and hotels I stayed was totally different from each other. It was definitely a great experience!!

Celcom Cupcake Challenge Finale @ Publika, Solaris Dutamas

2012-09-30T12:11:00.000+08:00

Yesterday was the Celcom Cupcake Challenge Finale at Publika. The winners won away some cash and a Samsung Galaxy S3 mobile phone. Let's see the creativity and artworks by the winners.

Celcom Axiata Berhad, the first and foremost mobile telecommunications provider, launched the Celcom Cupcake Challenge on 30 August 2012.

The simple online contest challenged Malaysians to show their love for their country by submitting photos of their creative cupcake designs based on a 1 Malaysia theme in conjunction with our country's 55th anniversary of independence and the Malaysia Day celebration on 16 September.

In a nod to our country's 55 years of independence, 55 finalist with the most LIKES on their entries were chosen to go on to the Celcom Cupcake Challenge finale at Publika, Solaris Dutams yesterday. They were provided cupcakes to recreate their winning designs and independent celebrity judges will choose the top 3 winners based on creativity, uniqueness, best decoration and match to the submitted photos.

The winners are:

Winner: Vincent Liew
1st runner up: Juneci Siong
2nd runner up: Mac Leong

1st prize winning design from Vincent Liew

1st runner up Juneci Siong

2nd runner up Mac Leong

Group picture with the winners. (photo credited to Evelyn)

Baking Workshop for National Pride by Celcom @ The Baking House, Sri Hartamas

2012-09-10T08:30:00.000+08:00

I was having a fun-filled and enjoyable moments with my friends last Saturday at The Baking House, located at Sri Hartamas. Celcom has came out with "The Celcome Cupcake Challenge", thus bloggers and media were honor to be invited by Celcom to join the baking workshop. It is an exciting online contest in conjunction with our country's 55th anniversary of independence and the upcoming Malaysia Day celebrations on 16 September.

The simple online contest challenges Malaysians to submit photos to their creative cupcake designs, and is open to all Malaysians everywhere in the spirit of 1Malaysia.

Zalman Aefendy Zainal Abidin, Chief Marketing Officer of Celcom Axiata Berhad, said:"Celcom is opening this contest to all Malaysians, not just Celcom customers, as a chance to put their patriotism and creative skills on display. We choose Facebook as the contest channel so that even more Malaysians can come together, share their love for the country, and experience the power of personal connections even while at different corners of our beautiful nation."

The class was hosted by Lu Soo Chee, resident cake artist in The Cooking House and a member of ICES (International Cake Exploration Societe) and the British Sugar-craft Guild, who has more than 10 years of baking and cake-decoration experience and has worked with professionals around the world.

This was the sample, we could decorate the cupcakes up to our creativity.

Shall we?

We are going to make the vanilla cupcakes first and later on, the buttercream frosting for the decorations.

Here are the ingredients:

Vanilla Cupcakes

110g Plain flour
1 1/2 tsp Baking powder
125g Butter
100g Sugar
2 nos Eggs
1/2 tsp Vanilla Essence
2 tbsp Milk

Buttercream Frosting
95g Salted butter
260g Icing sugar, sifted
1 1/2 tbsp Milk

(1) Cream the butter and sugar until white and fluffy.

We beat the mixture manually and luckily we have the guys and partners who give an hand.

Me & Ah Bok aka taufulou.

It was so tiring but I enjoyed every single moment.

(2) Next, beat in eggs.

(3) Fold the eggs mixture with flour carefully. Do not overmix.

So happy that we can enjoy the baking session and process together. Not forget to take pictures when we were beating the mixture. Cheers....

(4) After done with the beating process, fill paper cups about 2/3 full.

Chef in action..

Done with the filling process.

We are ready to put all the cupcakes into oven.

(5) Bake at 180 C (160 C with fan) for about 13 minutes.

Mmmmmm.... smell really good!!!

While waiting for the cupcakes, we are going to do buttercream frosting which needed to decorate the cupcakes later.

(1) Beat butter until creamy, scrape bowl.

(2) Add sifted icing sugar, milk and beat until combined.

(3) Add more powdered sugar as needed to get piping consistency

It will become soft dough after the beating of the mixture.

After that, divide the dough into 4 portions and colour with the desired colours. We need to decorate the cupcakes with a patriotic twist, thus here's the colours of our national flag - white, yellow, red and blue.

Demonstration was show by the chef before we start to decorate our cupcakes.

It was my first time decorate the cupcakes and the experience was really good!!

This is our design!! What do you think?

Group picture with the cupcakes we made.

Guess what? We got the best decorations and 2 cooking books were given as a reward.

Bok, Hilda and me.

Euniece, Anna, Bok, Hilda and me.

The "chocolate" I'm holding the cooking book.

There are many great recipes and information "hide" inside this "chocolate".

I gonna try the recipe one day....

After the baking session ended, lunch was provided. We finished everything in a mere moment because all of us were so hungry!!! The foods they served was surprisingly delicious, chicken was tender and most importantly, my favourite smashed potato taste really good too. Yummmy...

NOW, you got the chance to join the contest and win some awesome prizes!!

Participants for the Celcom Cupcake Challenge need only to design a cupcake with their own creative interpretation of national pride and upload the photo to www.facebook.com/cupcakeschallenge to be in the running to win prizes worth more than RM100,000. From now until the final submission date of 23 September 2012, 55 participants with the most "LIKES" on their entries will be chosen to go on to the grand finale on 29 September 2012.

At the challenge finale, the 55 finalists are to replicate their cupcake designs witnessed by the public and a panel of celebrity judges, who will choose the top three cupcakes designs based on creativity, uniqueness and closest match to submitted photos.

The three top winners will walk away with a brand new Samsung Galaxy S3 smartphone worth RM2,199 each and RM10,000, RM5,000, and RM2,000 in cash for the first, second and third places respectively. The rest of the 52 finalist will receive a stylish LG Prada mobile phone for their achievements. The public is also urged to look our for FREE Celcom cupcakes giveaways this Malaysia Day at selected mall.

For more information, visit the Celcom Cupcake Challenge Facebook page at www.facebook.com/cupcakeschallenge or www.celcom.com.my, or call 1 300 111 000 or 1111 from a Celcom mobile.

Take your action now! Be creative!

Celcom Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1

2012-09-09T00:14:00.000+08:00

After Samsung Galaxy S3, the next gadget that everyone waiting from Samsung is GALAXY NOTE 10.1. The wait is over! The Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 is finally here. And Celcom’s offering it from as low as RM1388!

The Samsung Galaxy Note is offered with any Celcom First Data and this offer is from now until 15th September. So better hurry! So why is everyone going gaga for the Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 that Celcom is offering? Watch this!

Features and benefits of the Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1

262mm x 180mm x 8.9mm, 600gm
Android 4.0v (Ice Cream Sandwich)
Fast & Powerful 1.4GHz Quad Core Process and 2GB RAM
5MP AF (Rear Camera) & 1.9MP FF (720 HD recording)
Multitask with Multiscreen on the portable 10.1” display
Sketch and write naturally with the S-Pen or get creative with S-Note

COOL and awesome right??? Samsung has never failed to surprise us with the awesome innovation.

Get your new Samsung Galaxy Note10.1 with Celcom First Data Lite, Basic and Advance plans on 12 or 24 months contract. Plus you get to enjoy additional RM120 rebate when you sign up within this promo period along with FREE subscription to The Star ePaper for 6 months! With Easy Payment Plans available, owning the Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 just go more convenient!

The best part is, it’s with Malaysia’s best network!

Get the best of Celcom Territory, wherever you go.
Celcom has the widest network coverage anywhere in Malaysia, indoors, outdoors and on-the-move.
Celcom offers the best network quality, be it messaging, voice calls, video calling, surfing, email, etc.
Celcom gives you the richest web and video streaming experience with its stable connection.

Sign up now and experience control, convenience and priority. That’s the Celcom Advantage.

Find out more about this amazing Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 deal at www.celcom.com.my.