Shingapore Trip

It was really a last minute trip. 2 whole days at the Summit that ran in conjunction with CommunicAsia2010.

The visionary address was by Josh Silvermann, the CEO of Skype. Then there was the CEO's Perspective forum that brought together the CEOs of Skype, TM, Telstra and StarHub in one sitting. Later we adjourned to the individual tracks. I was registered into the Next Generation Broadband Business Model and Next Generation Fixed Broadband tracks. I came prepared though - several varieties of multi-coloured pens for taking notes, several bottles of mineral water and a Starbucks Frappuciono as back up. :) I really thought that it was interesting. Well, at the very least, it definitely brought some new insights to what was happening in the telco industry.

As usual, bab makan je la kena hati-hati sikit. I only stuck to croissant with strawberry and butter, some juice and cereal at the buffet breakfast. There were, of course nasi goreng, kuey teow goreng and stuff. I didn't take 'em. I just worry that they contain bits of meat in it. The following "assorted leaves with condiments" served at the Summit lunch, for example, contained little bits of reddish pink specks of what I suspect is bacon bits. So, yeah. Be careful, yah. Besides fast food that are certified Halal in Shingapore ( I know KFC, McD and Burger King are) we also tapaued some macarons from this dainty cafe called 1837 TWG Tea at Ion Orchard. All are infused with tea (but of course) and selling at SGD2 per pop. Sedap! :)

Since our adventurous nature was really burning that Monday night, we went ahead and got a cab to Beach Street Food Garden to try out some Singapore Soup Tulang, only at the authentic haji Kadir's place. It's red, I tell you!!!! Kinda gruesome and canniballish but pretty darn good - especially when cicah with roti. They had mee /meehun goreng that was blood red too, but we felt it was way too much lah. hihihihi. Takut...

Despite being caught in training the whole day, sempat juga pergi the Great Singapore Sale. Among the stuff I got:

That nudie jeans will not be washed in at least 6months to get a really nice "wash" to it. What's special about it is that it would follow the natural creases that is unique only to my body = unique "wash". Wah! Tak sabar! Apparently, the tip says that to get rid of any odour, one should put the pants in the freezer. Adoiai! Habisla jeans bau ayam nanti. hihihihihihihi

On the night I was packing the stuff, I realized that I needed to get more stuff for the kids sebab pembahagian harta tidak adil between the three Khas. Seeing that it was already the last night in Singapore and wouldn't have time to shop after training finishes, I did a little more shopping at the airport. (Ya, selepas check-in semua) Suffice to say the kids were pretty happy with what they got. Ibu pun happy, sebab dapat the following at Gucci. :D

-dillz blogging out-

The Quest for the Perfect Tudung Gym

Semenjak-duamenjak ber-eksesais ni, I have been scouring high and low for a suitable headgear for my gym sessions. In the olden days, (referring to my high school years throughout my university days) we would normally wear the tudung bawal, ikat belakang. Then, the time finally came when the tudung bawal is no longer in fashion. I moved on to tudung Donatella - alah, yang patterned and very nipis and light tu. And that too went out of fashion. (which basically means I don't have them anymore) I have also experimented with some bandanas, which served the purpose but kinda made me look a little Rempit. Wearing the Syrian to gym just makes me really uncomfortable , especially when I start to sweat. So, needless to say, the quest for the perfect tudung gym goes on.

Then, I came across this magnificent product. It's the multifunctional headgear by Mily & Cole that comes with instructions on the varied ways to wear them on the very distinctive monkey board. This particular kiosk that I went to is located at the Lower Ground Floor of Bangsar Village I. Opposite the F.O.S. There's a lot of patterns to choose from and they priced one headgear at RM29.90. But, if you get 3, they go at RM69.90. Apa lagi? I picked up 6 pieces on my first visit. hihihihihihi

1. Mily & Cole Instruction Board. Please see overleaf.
2. Hasil tangkapan hari itu.
3. The pirate look.
4. The cap

Macam menarik kan? The actual headgear is just a long piece of fabric that has been sewed on one end. It looks like a sleeve. However, you can do all sorts of styles with it. Pirate lah, cap lah, apa lah.. Just follow the instructions on how to wear them. It comes in many colours, patterns and textures. I chose those without holes and were lightweight - senang nak jaga (as opposed to the wooly ones)

Now, let's see how it fares on the ground.

In the gym locker room on one very early morning.

OK, apa....

From my first hand experience, it was very snug and stays on the head very well. Takde la nak tercabut cabut ke apa. So far, I am very happy with it. Nanti boleh tambah collection. hihihihihihi

-dillz blogging out-

Preparing for the Show!

Told you about our upcoming Teachers' Day performance earlier . So, we finally met up for dance practice last Sunday. About 10 parents showed up for the choreography. We will be performing Dancing Queen from the Mamma Mia musical and the Wonder Girls' hit - Nobody But You! :) Two full hours flew by while you were having fun!

The other fun thing was preparing for the show - searching for the costume and the accessories. We went scouring Pavillion and Sungai Wang for the perfect short can-can skirt to be worn over our black tights. ZZ of course was entrusted to find masks and wigs for the show. Excited nya... hihihi

Here's a little sneak peek of MY wig:

Me in my Dark Purple wig

So natural, kan????

-dillz blogging out-

Shopping-shopping Bandung!

Apa gunanya pergi Bandung kalau tak shopping kan? hihihihihi

We went craaaazy at Pasar Baru for textiles and telekung. (Definitely NOT one for the men coz we literally spent 4 hours at Pasar Baru getting our loot!) I'll share with you my favourite outlets too. For textile, we went to Vogue Textile and Tailor at Lantai 2. It looks a little like the insides of a castle - with gold coated pillars and what not. The Sales Assistants are very friendly and helpful, don't be surprised if you are being entertained by the brother to the owner himself. Siapa nama dia, ya? Ram, rasanya. Real dashing young man (with two kids already?).

Really nice cotton fabric going at Rp25k per meter, the chiffon ones at Rp12.5K per meter, with satin lining at Rp15K per meter. Our brocade set siap 6m lace and 4m lining was only RM90. Seriously murah and mata dah jadi rambang, OK? Pilih. Pilih. Pilih. Beli. Beli. Minum air Teh Sosro kotak. Pilih. Pilih. Pilih. Beli. They take credit cards too, so don't waste your cash here! Wallawei....Suffice to say that my little family are all set for our Hari Raya stocks. hihihihihi

For telekung, go up to Lantai 3 to Toko Garuda 35 and talk to Milala. He gives the best deals - at wholesale price. I got a really nice telekung for Mimy's wedding hantaran and one for yours truly. Then a couple of those mobile, foldable, parachute-like fabric telekungs for jalan-jalan. Sangat puas hati. :)

Next are the Factory Outlets (FOs). We only went to three that are worth mentioning. I loved Grande Resort Outlet at Jalan Ir. H. Juanda. I got loads of tops, pajama pants for myself. there were some stuff for the kids too. I was truly a happy camper. The other place that was worth it for me is Rumah Mode Factory Outlet - more so on the kids' selections. My best buy would have to be the costumes I got for them - High School Musical cheerleading outfit for Khadra, Cars racing suit for Khaleeq and fairy outfit for Khaleeda. Each going at Rp139K. Oh so worth it! :) The last FO that I went in was Stamp FO where I got all the swimming towels and panties/underpants for the kids! Gumbira does not even begin to describe the euphoria inside me!

Mission completed. Saya happy!
-dillz blogging out-

Shopping Sebelum Shopping

The super efficient Ziezi booked us on a Bandung vacation sans the kids sometime last year at a ridiculously low price. (something like RM160 return per pax on AirAsia) So naturally, this trip was not really on my mind until it was time to actually go!

Realizing that my one and only sling bag was with my mom *excuse semata*. I decided that, "Hey! Prolly a great idea to get me a NEW sling bag that's small enough in view of the shopping mode that we're gonna be and big enough to house all my 'important' stuff. "This time I wasn't thinking about a change of clothes or disposable diapers.

I walked into Longchamp at The Gardens and they were on SALE for the F1 Grand Prix. And this beauty was calling my name!!

Some BBM messages ensued between yours truly and the Minister of Finance and the procurement was approved. Siap nak kasik sempena our dating-dating anniversary lagi. hihhihihihihi

Thank you, B!

-dillz blogging out-

Java Jazz Festival 2010 - Hasil Tangkapan Perang

Java Jazz Festival 2010 chronicle : |1- Contemplating| 2- The Decision & Update| 3 - Hasil Tangkapan Perang |4 - All My Bags Are Packed I'm Ready To Go|

Atas permintaan Madam KS. Here's the hasil tangkapan perang semalam. All from Zara and some were like clearance items. Case in point, my creme blazer was going at RM69. Serious! I loike!

1. Patterned Dress
2. Long black top with bedazzled star on the right rib
3. Creme blazer
4. Navy blue tights
5. Damn cool cawat londeh pants with belt

6. , 8. and 10. Dilla's typical Zara blouses for me the roam the days in Jakarta
7. , 9. and 11. T-shirts to go under the cardigan and jacket.
(Not in picture) Damn cool black cardigan thingy.

Test. Test sikit... Basically, ideanya adalah seperti di bawah :

Tudung tak jumpa cari lagi and muka kena cover sebab malu. Gemuk dowh! Sebab tu "model" serkup macam penyamun. hahahahaha

Footnote: Tak sempat nak order Spanx from KS. Next timela, babe. You know that I so need it!

-dillz blogging out-

Our BB is here!

After our BeanBag (BB) tryouts earlier. I placed an order of a jumbo sized BB with Adeeb. Khaleeq was the one who really wanted one to call his own. He actually cried when I passed the BB prototype to Linda for its stint in Shah Alam. :(

Anyhoots, Adeeb delivered our brand new BB to the house TODAY! I couldn't decide whether I wanted it to be masculine (for Khaleeq) or a little more feminine / girlie (for the girls), so I chose the red/brown stripey motive. Kids are going crazee with it. Jumping and melanyak-ing like nobody's business. They've asked Bibik to push the L-shaped sofa aside to give room to the BB right where it belongs. Right smack in the centre, in front of the living room TV. Karang dah penat tengok TV, tarikkkk pulak to the laptop, to watch Mr. Bean Animated online.

I guess, me and hubby would only get to give it a good try (good CLEAN try, I mean) once they are sleeping tonight. Let's make the bedtime curfew earlier then. How about 8pm, kids?
hihihihihihi

-dillz blogging out-

My Boring Present to Myself

I knew that I had to start taking serious care of my face. From the last detailed skin analysis (you can read them once I have published the entry *will update when it's done, promise*) that was done on my face, I am convinced that I am seriously heading to "Tua Sebelum Waktunya" in no time at all.. :( My skin is dehydrated, blotchy, uneven skin tones, I have brown spots and early signs of pigmentation, fine wrinkles are starting to show and the icing on the cake must be the break-outs that I get every so often. *gasp!*

I blame it to my almost non existent facials for the past three years, no application of sunscreen whatsoever and not to mention my laziness to apply my now defunct Body Shop's Tea Tree Oil facial set that was bought around a year ago. :(

Anyways, from my trip to Sothy's sometime back, I was recommended the following products to treat and maintain a healthier looking me (in terms of my face, lah):

Home Use Procedure

Morning
Cleanser
1. Normalizing milk
Toner
1. Normalizing lotion
Eye Care
1. Eye Contour Serum
Intensive care
1. [W] Serum (Day)
2. THI3 Serum
Moisturizer
1. THI3 Cream
Sun Care
1. SPF 30

Evening
Cleanser
1. Normalizing milk
2. [W] Foaming Cleanser
Toner
1. Normalizing lotion
Eye Care
1. Eye Contour Serum
Intensive care
1. [W] Serum (Night)
2. GradeI Serum
Moisturizer
1. Noctuelle Cream

Home Treatment (Twice a week)
Mask
1. Oxyliance Mask
2. Hydrating Mask
Exfoliating
1. Gommage
2. Desquacrem

Adoiaiiiii!!! Banyaknya nak kena beli!!!!!

Anyhoots, I have decided, as boring as it may be . This is something that I have to do for myself. I am getting them (albeit bit by bit) and I promise to use them day and night. Nak muka lawa tak???


Kenalah Zero Percent interest nampaknya... Pelan-pelan bayar..
hihihihihi

and Happy Birthday To Me!

-dillz blogging out-

Zoobies in (and out of) the house

Boleh tak saya share this awesome product dengan korang?
Was ist das? (Banyak sangat baca The Book Thief ni, dah speaking German la pullok)

(pictures of product and logo from : here)

I first learnt about the product from toughcookie's blog sometime back - she was writing about lil JJ's new Hada the Hippo. I thought, Wah, so cool.. A 3-in-1 plush toy, pillow AND blanket? She bought it from Tiny Tapir, an online store that sells many other trendy and sustainable cool stuff. To know more about them Zoobies - read the writeup from Tiny Tapir's blog (this was posted on Sept8,2008 and the price has now increased somewhat)

So, anyways, imagine my delight when they opened up a kiosk at Bangsar Village's Christmas promotion. I was zapping up them Zoobies (and some other products) like nobody's business. hihihi.. Ini adalah kes Mak yang over excited.

Hasil tangkapan kami:

The two kids got themselves a Zoobie pet each - typical Khadra going for the pink hippo (nasib baik bukan one that goes Oink!) and Khaleeq went for the cute and adorable (yet still macho) Lencho the Lion. I chose a Baby Zoobie for Khaleeda , Baby Tama the Tortoise. The Baby Zoobies are a little smaller in size and they open up to a much smaller blanket. Really suitable for newborns as the big blankies might suffocate them. They also have a little comfort triangle corner that could double up as a comforting blankie.

We bring them to our trips - in the car and on the plane. I remember lugging the three animals onto our flight balik kampung accompanied by stare(s) from hubby. Lepas dia tengok bebudak tu snuggle and comfy in the plane barulah the nasty stare(s) disappeared. hihihihihi.. Them Zoobies proved to be useful on our long drive up/down to/from Penang as well as during sleeptime at night! See, semua ternganga tidur - So syiok maaa!! I think it would also be great for movie outings.

Anyhoots, just to say that we are happy with our purchases. :) Sharing is caring, right?

-dillz blogging out-

Comel Clips!!

Comel tak clips ni???

They are all our and they came from Chomel Crafts. Thank you sooo much Azza! (She's soo talented and creative!) My kids love them loads, boleh la menggaya masa Raya! Yeeha!! Unfortunately the orders for Raya are now closed, but you guys can still order for later, right? Boleh pakai masa Raya Haji, Deepavali, Christmas and Chinese New Year pulak. Semangat 1Malaysia, you... :)

For a sneak preview, here's Khaleeda in her pajamas and noneother than Miss Mimiziouslicious. (The 1Malaysia face under the alphabet i in TM's 1Malaysia logo. Serious)

Enjoy...

Pictures 1,2,3 and 4 are the matching flower pairs digayakan dengan begitu manja oleh our two models.
Picture 5 is also a snap clip with buttony details. Just too cute!

-dillz blogging out-

Travelog Jakarta 3: She came, she saw, she bought most everything..

Travelog Jakarta Series | 1:A Quickie | 2:Business Class All The Way | 3:She came, she saw, she bought most everything.. | 4:What about FUN things to do? |5:Ada Apa Dengan Makan(an)?|

As I have mentioned in my previous summary post (Travelog Jakarta 1) , there were a lot of malls in Jakarta. Top it up with the fact that we were there during the Jakarta Sale Fest. Due to the limited time we had around town and I was not particularly looking for kain or telekung or batik and the lot, we skipped Mangga Dua and Tanah Abang this time around. All available time was spent combing One Pacific Place, Senayan City, Plaza Senayan, Grand Indonesia, Plaza Indonesia, EX and FX Mall. *Drool*

It seemed that EVERYTHING was on sale. 70% here, 50% there, 60%.. To say that I was rambang mata was an understatement. There definitely wasn't enough time, for sure, to shop to my heart's content. Ada masa masuk kedai, tengok-tengok, try-try = tak beli and ada masa masuk kedai, tengok-tengok, try-try = a big package of goodies. :) It was also the first time ever I tried a few Manolo Blahniks, Tod's and MJs on my feet and ended up putting them back on the display, eventhough it was on -70%. *Damn it, bilalah boleh afford nih*

In the end, I got some stuff for the kids, a little for the husband and A LOTTTTT for me! hihihihihihi Rejeki.. Rejeki...

Nonetheless, the ones I bought for myself were all those bearing the 70% tag (preferable), 50% (majority) and 30%(acceptable). *Attempt to justify purchase, nih*

Let's just have a peek at some of the stuff I brought home, shall we? (clockwise from below)

1. The row of packages all lined up at the end of Monday. Not in picture: Tuesday's worth of shopping. hihihihihihi
2. My precious cargo - handcarried item on the flight back. Got it at a steal! The handbag was going at -70% (can you believe that?) I was , at one point, contemplating of buying three of those beauties - different models , different colour but of the same collection. After a lot of Istighfars, I put down the other two and ran off with this one. The wristlet was only on -30% sale but I got it anyways since *someone* already remarked that my current wristlet dah kotor. Not in picture: handphone lanyard at -70% which I just had to get. (Kan?)
3. My three Charles & Keith's. Selama dok Malaysia ni tak pernah pulak beli, kat Jakarta la pulak dia jadi jakun. hihihihihi. I was told this is a Singaporean brand but has gained popularity in Malaysia and Indonesia. (Ye ke?) They were all on -30% and I just had had had to get the gladiator sandals. Eventhough I have to suck in my tummy and fold my legs everytime I need to buckle them up. Why oh why la there's no zipper on that thang?? Very comfortable and very sexy, no? The second pair is also a favourite - black satin peep toe flats. You can never have enough of blacks, I say.. The 4 inch grey peep toe pun I like. It's meant more for work and is a little challenging to walk in, but I managed to parade it around the office on Tuesday! :)
4. Tops -all those from Banana Republic, Zara and GAP were on -50%. Lovely.
5. Jeans - a nice black one from Banana Republic and my first skinny from Dorothy Perkins. All at -50%, of course. :)

What can I say, but "I'm in heaven?" *Big big smile*

*Disclaimer: Title of this post was cilok-ed from my hubby's facebook status at some point*

-dillz blogging out-

Applique Tee-ing

We received the t-shirts from applique tee shoppe yesterday and I did not waste much time asking the kids to pose them. They were , as always, ever willing to try on new clothes. :)

Group shot:

Individual gedik shots: (siap tidur atas katil, tu..)

They have also earned a post each on applique tee shoppe's official blog here: Khadra, Khaleeq and Khaleeda. :)

Thank you once again, Amy. The kids are mighty pleased! Khaleeda couldn't stop shouting, "Dora!" everytime she she proudly points to her t-shirt. You have a fully satisfied customer in me and we'll be back for seconds! ;)

-dillz blogging out-

Patience My Love, Patience...

Had a long wait for a chance to devour a certain donut that opened up today. The Parking Ticket showed the wait time was 2 hours and 39 minutes. Not too shabby since the takeaway were 2 dozens of donuts - one dozen glazed and another assorted package, a free KK mug and a large iced Latte. 

To pass the time, I tweet-ed (thank you wi-fi at Papa John's), read some Alchemist, gossiped with fellow partner(s)-in-crime and memorized the menu brochure. At one point, I even had to take off my heels cause it was slowly killing me. The good people of KK even went round to offer us free hot glazed donuts and thanked us for waiting. 

The urban legend that buzzed in the line entailed a story of 6-sekawan who waited and slept over at the start of the line for the past 2 days. The bounty? The first one in line got a Gold medal and a year supply of KK donuts. (Entitled to one dozen of donuts per week for the rest of the year) Wow! But to have to sleep and eat and do-what-you-have-to-do in line with several 15-minute breaks in-between... I don't think so I could, lah. But, congrats la adik-adik, ya.. 

Excuse me for now. Nak makan donut. hihihihihi...  

-dillz blogging out-

HP 7

The pre-order is opened for Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. At least at mph, it is. The 7th and the final installment of the scarred orphan wizard and his friends' adventures is due to be released in your favourite bookstore on the 21st of July 2007.

I have all 6, from the very first HP & the Philosopher's Stone, all the way to HP & the Half-Blood Prince. Read each one of them from cover to cover. I wept and I laughed. I spent some sleepless nights trying to finish them coz I couldn't bear to let it down. I even told the story to my sisters coz they are just too lazy to read them before going to the movies.

It's the last book, someone IMPORTANT is gonna die...

Go! Go to the nearest bookstore and pre-order them today! I have..

-dillz blogging out-

Dubai ... DO BUY... (Part TWO)

...

The next day we went off to Abu Dhabi which is only about 1 hour away to have a look around. Radhi is actually based in Abu Dhabi, so he wanted to show off his 'hood, lah.. We went to his nice one-bedded service apartment to freshen up before heading off to sightsee. Went to see the largest mosque in the world which is still under construction, to a nice spot by the waters where we could see the Abu Dhabi skyline and then off to a mall.. (again..) We went to Marina Park or something and the shopping was somewhat forgettable. Nothing like Dubai 'coz Abu Dhabi was not on sale la.. Just the measly year end sale... :( We also visited this place which suspiciosly look a lot like Putrajaya. Truth be told, it kinda reminded me of Naboo.

We had to rush back to Dubai to send off ZZ and Nazz. The night we spent at Burjuman, another mall in Dubai. This one is slightly more upmarket and you can tell from the restrooms. There's a sink, complete with mirror in every loo, okay? There were also street performances and free kids' activities such as face painting in the mall. I went to Saks Fifth Avenue (I jakun, sorry..) , bought a little bit of Patchi (yummy-licious!), had dinner and went back to the hotel.

The next day, we went to the Mall of Emirates again so that I could finish my shopping and Azrul took the opportunity to meet up some contacts in Dubai -- entrepreneur, kata.. kenalah widen the network.. :) We wanted to ski initially, but there was that slight constraint of time. Tak jadi lah.. First, a meet-up with an Old Putra at Starbucks - wi-fi charged at AED15/hr and the coffee is almost double the price here. Had dinner at Chili's with another contact where everything was so darn salty and the portion was rather huge. Then, on to another meet-up with other Malaysians in the Emirates at a place where you could get 'teh tarik' near Lamcy. By the time we were through, I was so darn tired that I slept all the way back to Abu Dhabi. We spent the night in Radhi's house FOC. Had a very good night's sleep. ZZZZzzzzzz....

On our way back to Dubai the next day, we detoured to the Abu Dhabi Golf Club to get some golf merchandise for encik and Abg Amran. After ripping the pro-shop bare, Azrul and Radhi came out looking satisfied as they are now proud owners of ADGC cowboy hat / detachable rain-jacket type thing / cap. (delete where applicable) Now, on to another meeting with more contacts at Lamcy Plaza (which reminds me a little of Wisma Campbell). After lunch, we went over to the nice Old Putra's house near the airport for some roti jala. So Sweet... We boarded the plane to KL at about 8pm and slept most of the journey home... More ZZZZzzzzzz....

One thing that I noticed during the trip here is that the two emirates are kinda like competing with each other - who's got better buildings (Burj this, that and the other) , better road (Abu Dhabi's roads are slightly wider than Dubai's), who's got more bulbs on their streetlight ( Abu Dhabi's got 4 while Dubai has 2 - serious!), who's got a better airline (Emirates vs. Etihad Airways)? It seems like neverending sibling rivalry. It is pretty obvious that Dubai is the more adventurous one, and Abu Dhabi is closing in very closely.. I was told that these two emirates are the more dominant ones amongst the 7. Abu Dhabi is the richest followed by Dubai. However, Dubai's oil resources will be gone pretty soon, so they have to think of more creative ways to survive later. I guess that is why they are on a 'construction binge' at the moment. There are so many cranes here, I swear I'd be pretty rich if I had RM100 for every one that I see.

The other thing that I love about Dubai is that it seems like anything that you can dream can actually happen. It's like giving a kid a blank piece of paper and asking him to draw anything that he can imagine and they can turn it into reality.
Case in point? How about these? The Palm in Jebel Ali and Deira as well as the World. Aren't they just amazing?? I think we got a glimpse of The World when we touched down earlier on.. :)

The other striking thing is the buildings. The whole stretch of Sheikh Zayed Road is filled with majestic looking skyscrapers; each one unique and photo-worthy. Imagine Menara KL, Menara TM and Petronas Twin Towers all on the same stretch of road. I especially like the Dusit Dubai, Burj al-Arab and the upcoming Burj Dubai that is in construction right now and is already completed up to the 100th floor - they won't say when they are gonna stop but it is rumoured to challenge the Taipei 101.

I also loved the Souk Medinat Jumeira which is essentially a very expensive market. :) The interior reminds me of the scenes from Ali Baba Bujang Lapuk - I keep on trying to find the door with an 'X' marked on it. ;) Best part is, we found a photo spot that captures Burj al-Arab in the background! Pretty cool indeed...

And, what is it about the Emiratis and raffles? There are raffles in all shopping malls offering cars (not the kodi ones, mind you - Lexus, Audi..) in conjuction with the Dubai Shopping Festival. I think the most outrageous one gives out a Jaguar for every apartment bought in an upscale development with the chance to win a private jet in the raffles. Giller, apa?

Told you the trip was magical. Can't wait to get back to Dubai...

-dillz blogging out-

**updated with pictures (Happy now, Amy? )

Dubai ... DO BUY... (Part ONE)

Finally, a little breather to post the stuff we did in Dubai. Do know that it is now 5.30am and I was woken up by a 4.08am phone call regarding work. Well, this is certainly the part I WON'T miss when I report to my new division in February. However, it did create just enough time for me to slip this post right in.. ;)

If I had only ONE word to describe the whole trip it would be... MAGICAL. :) The experience was truly very much welcomed seeing that a lot was going on at the home front. It was a very timely getaway for the both of us, from work.. from the kids.. heh heh heh Oh, and it was also time for the month long Dubai Shopping Festival , so we were expecting some great bargains too. Eventhough the whole idea was kind of impromptu and embarked on rather quickly, we did do a little research (in terms of my Lonely Planet :Dubai guidebook) and prepared a little itinerary on the things we'd like to see and do in Dubai. This particular document was then submitted to our travel companion, ZZ and Nazz as well as our bidan terjun tour guide , Radhi (he's Azrul's ex-M*X\$ friend now working in the Emirates) .

From our intel, we figured that our biggest problem would be getting an affordable lodging for our stay. One night accommodation in Dubai could range from AED300 (forex is about RM1 = AED1) up till AED1000 depending on which area you stay in. (More so if you'd wanna try the 4,5,7-star hotels) However, that issue was efffectively dealt by ZZ with her awesome bargaining power and her detailed & relentess comparison efforts (read: Kiasu mommy in action). We ended up staying at the Al-Khayyam (Khadra a/p Ayam?) Hotel which was strategically located by the Gold Souk in the Deira area - ala-ala macam Jalan Masjid India la... :) This proved to be a very sound choice as;

1. we only paid AED350 for a 2-bedroom "suite" ( = CHEAP)

2. we found a good place to fill our tummy with good and tasty Lebanese cuisine in the am or pm at an affordable price (= CHEAP, yet again)

3. we could just run down and bargain our way at the Gold Souk for pashminas, jubahs, table runners, Ali Baba shoes and such when we had free time. (= CHEAPer)

My sissy went a day ahead of us, so by the time we arrived in Dubai, it was straight to business. We went around town capturing the"must see" landmarks - Sheikh Zayed Road with all the breathtaking skyscapers : Emirates Tower, Dusit Dubai, the construction of Burj Dubai ; Burj al-Arab (took pictures from the guard post as we didn't wanna pay to go in. took also from the beach) before heading to our first shopping stop: Ibn Battuta Mall.

Ibn Battuta Mall : The mall was really one of a kind. It is actually themed after the travels of Ibn Battuta from China to India to Persia to Egypt to God-knows-where else. So, when you are in the China court, the deco will be Chinese inspired and so on. Sorry, not just the deco.. the whole darn exterior is also built using Chinese inspired architeture. So, from the outside you could tell that a China man is neighbours with an Indian man and the nextdoor neighbour is Egyptian and so on. Quite awesome, actually.. The interior is also do darn detailed and exquisite. There are also little exhibits on the findings along the way , it's a like going to a museum mall - so darn informative and you could shop at the same time. ;) The shopping was simply heavenly... I loved the Nine West sale and the Mothercare sale. Variety is superb, choices of stores, also superb.

Mall Rating =4 Thumbs Up.

On our way back, we stopped at Hard Rock Cafe to buy some merchandise. I don't know what it is about this establishment that makes me wanna get something from HRC everytime we travel overseas. It's like a kind of proof that we've physically been to the city, kot? Both hubby and me got a real nice jacket/sweater for ourselves that actually fits perfectly!

Morning came and we had 2 things to tick off our itinerary. 1. More shopping at the Mall of Emirates and 2. Desert safari. So, we decided to shop and ask the safari operator to pick us up at the mall. Pretty smart, eh?

The Mall of Emirates : This is also the home of SkiDubai, the indoor ski slope complete with the cable chair thingy and theme park. Can you believe it? A ski slope in a mall???? Only in Dubai.... We didn't get the chance to ski though, because of the timing, but we did a whole lot of shopping though.. There's Debenhams and Harvey Nichols (COACH had 50% off here!!!) in this mall, so variety is aplenty. Loads and loads of stores for kids - Mothercare (in Debenhams), Pumpkin Patch, Osh Kosh (tak sale); a whole portion dedicated to designer stores - Burberry, Prada, Gucci, Dior, Hermes, etc etc ; high street fashion - MNG (sale gila), Nine West, Clarks, you name it, they've got it! Variety is excellent, choices of stores, also excellent. Definitely my favourite mall! :)

Mall Rating =5 Thumbs Up.

As for the desert safari -- definitely one of the must do item if you go to Dubai. We got a bargain price of AED150 per person (again thanks to ZZ) and that includes: dune bashing, sand surfing, camel ride, henna tattoo, photo op in Emirati jubah and abaya, sheesha smoking, barbeque dinner and belly dancing show. Plus, they'll pick you up from wherever you want, some more.. Waaah! Great bargain, innit? Azrul got really screwed when we stopped to buy some drinks. There were no price tags what so ever, so he asked the storekeeper for the price. His reply? Price at the counter. He took 3 Cokes and walked over to pay, to his surprise, AED18 for his purchases. Bloody hell. AED6 , satu Coke-- cekik darah betul! Taula tepi gurun... Knowing him, he paid the price and bitched later. If it was me, I'd leave them at the counter -- hah, tegukla Coke tu sendiri.. We also stopped awhile to catch the sunset in the desert. Quite a moment.. During the camel ride, we got the frisky camel behind us trying to chomp our legs - thank God for the little baskety cover on his mouth. I bought Khadra a pink camel to remember this trip by and brought her little pink camel on the ride as well. Camel riding a camel. :) Of course, the other thing I had to comment was the belly dancing. The lady, Shahrazad, didn't look very authentic and ZZ was saying that this minah maybe Russian. Anyways, the gelek was a little suspect - macam ballerina ada gak, macam headbanging ada gak, macam gatal pun ada gak.. heh heh heh

Damn, it's already 6:50am. Enough for today, I'll post another one for the rest of the time we were there when I get to, okay? And that's a promise. :)

-dillz blogging out-

Birthday Galore

I started off not knowing what to ask for for my birthday. So, hubby just got me these cool stuff as a preview birthday present:

A pair of black Clarks shoes to show off my buffed toenails and a bottle of Eternity Summer for Her by Calvin Klein.

As I was sitting and reading the OK! magazine at Thomas & Guys, SACC Mall, Shah Alam it occured to me. ( I was dyeing my hair - I always have it done nearing my birthday!) I want a Coach handbag for my birthday. I actually feel that LV and Prada and Gucci and all that lot were not suitable for me. I didn't want to look like I am carrying an imitation, you know? They are just too darn expensive for a handbag and I don't think I'd want to blow that much money on them.

So, meet my birthday handbag from Coach courtesy of my hubby. Isn't it such a darrrling? The darn keychain cost us RM 175 but I had to have it. I just had to.. It just looked that it belonged there... We actually got the bag a day before my birthday. :) And to top the icing to my cake, my mom and dad agreed to redeem their Enrich points for my flight to Dubai as my birthday present. Isn't that the coolest? I'll be flying off to Dubai , thanks to them! Thanks ibu and encik! I love you both lots... So that makes me a very happy camper! :) No more shopping until the Dubai trip then!

That's me and my dad at Chili's Mid Valley , the night before my birthday. It was the first of a series of events that marked my 32nd Birthday on January 6th, 2007. We had dinner with the almost nucleus family; me, Azrul, Khadra, Khaleeq, mom, dad, Ewa and Kira PLUS Feizy. After the compulsory Happy Birthday to You jingle; mom and entourage headed back to Pondok Azlul whilst Azrul, Kira and I sent the underaged home. We had to attend a midnight movie - A Night at the Museum. ;)

The next day, lunch was courtesy of my brother-in-law, Abg Amran and wife. We had a scrumpious meal at Fatty Crab near The Mines. The butter prawn was yummy and the crab needs special mention. I can't remember how it was prepared but I do know that it agrees with my tummy!! heh heh heh

After Maghrib, we had a tahlil for our dearly departed paternal grandmother, Allahyarhamah Zabedah who passed on on my birthday , 5 years ago. So, every year since, we had always had a tahlil on my birthday. Pretty lucky, eh? Right after Yasin, tahlil, Isyaa', Hajat and Zikir Munajat ; we had our dinner and excused our little butts for another pre-scheduled event. ;) Azrul, me, Ewa, Kira and Feizy headed to Yow Chuan Plaza in our silver Camry for a karaoke session to test my vocals after the sinus surgery. ;) The road was pretty jammed up due to the Visit Malaysia Year 2007 launching in Titiwangsa so we were late for our reservation. So we had to wait for a darn while before they had a Medium sized room for us. After a little while we were joined by Boy and soo after Ewa & hubby came into the room carrying a cake for moi! I was pleasantly surprised as I actually mentioned on the way over that this would be the first year I didn't have a birthday cake. So sweet, kan?

I was supposed to meet up with some friends the next day but that didn't happen so I took the kids over to Pondok Azlul and basically caught up on my beauty sleep. ha ha.. And that basically wraps up my birthday weekend. ;)

-dillz blogging out-

Birthday Post

*from my other blog at Dilla Speaks Out

Aaaahhh… At about 11pm , we picked up the kids (Yup, both of them) from home to get me a slice of birthday cake to celebrate the moment. Clad in their pajamas, they were both jumping up and down, so eager to finally be out of the house. Me and Kakak went down at Starbucks in Telawi and got a slice of blueberry cheese. Ayeeq waited patiently with his Ayah in the car, honking once in a while (Ayeeq, that is) On the strike of midnight, it was a quitequiet celebration for me - just the nucleus family.. Kakak was leading the choir of 3 singing "Happy Birthday to You".. Then, I ripped off all the prezzies I received before hand - a selendang from my clerk, Kak Leha; a Guess pouch from my boss, Datin and her daughter, Satila — she told me to use it for my gigs (How sweet!!!) and a specially illustrated collector’s edition of Dan Brown’s Angels and Demons courtesy of my hubby (been waiting to rip this one off since two weeks back! - can’t wait to read it!!)

I am on leave tomorrow, so what to do? What to do? Early in the morning, I followed Azrul to Xair in Plaza Damas. Got to chat with my sissy, Ema in London through YM. That was good… I really missed her.. Received a few SMSes / calls / e-mails / YM messages to wish me a happy birthday. Among others were from Ewa, Illa, Zizie, Ema, Boy, Munz, Eski, Lily, Syed, Su, Che Nah.. (Thanks guys!)

We had a lunch date with Datin and Satila at California Pizza Kitchen in KLCC. We had two pizzas, the pepperoni sausage thingy and the tomato and cheese. Also, my favourite BBQ Chicken Salad, and the Seafood Marinara. (heran ya, kena minta explicitly for them not to add the wine in the marinara) We selected KLCC ‘coz it was the easiest most convenient place for Azrul to perform his Sembahyang Jumaat. Had a really good lunch and I sent Azrul off to Plaza Damas before heading back home. It so happens that my grandma on my daddy’s side passed away on the 6th of January 2002. So, every single year on my birthday since, we will have a gathering of sort at one of my dad’s sibling’s house for a rememberance tahlil. This year, it was at Pondok Azlul - my daddy’s crib. So, that was the plan for tonight.

Before going to Pondok Azlul, I had to make a loop to collect Kira at S14, PJ back from tuition and Azrul at Damas. Along the way, I planned to get a Secret Recipe cake for the tahlil. Little did we know that the Mother-of-All-Jam was waiting for us.. Been raining the whole evening. So, flash floods la.. apa lagi??? The whole journey that would normally take me 1hr (max) - took me 3 frigging hours. It was soo bad that night that we arrived in Puchong at 10pm and had to have our dinner straight away. (So lapar already, lah) Makan was gggrreat! It was kinda a pot luck thing - kampung-style. Rice with masak lemak ikan kering with nenas, ketam goreng, sotong tepung, masak lemak pucuk ubi kayu, an assortment of ulams and sambal belacan, sayur kacang goreng, and more! The tahlil only started at 11pm. (Hey, no one can be kusyu’ on an empty stomach, right?)

Anywho, after the whole thing was done, we had the cake cutting ceremony. And a lovely feast on my White Chocolate Macadamia cake — simply scrumptious!!!! Then, everybody went home, happy (-ier) and fat (-ter)… heh heh heh

.The End.

p.s. : Notice that the main theme of the day was where and what I ate. Aaaahhh… Nevermind, I’ll start going to the gym in February…

p.p.s. : Maybe I’ll post some pictures after this. Dang the 50 picture/month limit! I am almost max-ing out!

-dillz blogging out-

Prologue to the Birthday Post

*from my other blog at Dilla Speaks Out

Have not been able to write so much these past few days ‘coz it’s the start of the year. That’s one of the periods in my life where I take some time off to enjoy my birthday. (I always take leave on my birthday) It just so happens that this year it was especially long due to the Hajj holidays. I turned 31 on the last 6th of January 2006.The BIG Three -Oh PLUS One. Hmm…

In a way, it has been kinda hectic with events leading up to the actual birthday. I was adamant about cutting my hair super short for my birthday. I’ve had this long tired looking karat hair for a whole year now, I thought I’d just be dramatic. So, off they went. Joe, the senior stylist from Peek-a-boo, Taman Tun, tied up my hair into a pony tail and cut it off in two seconds. Bye-bye karat hair and Hello newer, lighter (could have easily shed off 0.5 kg of unwanted hair there), redder and funner ME! In a weird kinda way , I feel younger, more energetic and much much better… Funny what a RM55 haircut (plus RM 135 for the colour) can do to your self-confidence and self-worth. To celebrate, we walked over to Sri Paandi for a well deserving lunch! heh heh heh…

Then, there was the lobbying for contribution for my birthday prezzie.. It’s a kind of tradition in my family la.. The birthday person decides on a prezzie of her/his choice and then rally up some contribution from the rest of the family members. It’s not really compulsory , kinda like who wants it, works for it lah.. Kalau malas nak collect, then tak dapat apa-apa lah… So, this year, I was eyeing for a new Sony digital camera. Our old Cybershot is nearing the end of its life span. Naturally , the new T-Series was in the running… Me and my hubby decided that the T-5 would be a kewl enough gift. It’ll cost about RM1400 — with an average contribution of about RM100 per family member, my hubby would only need to fork out about RM800 for the camera. OK lah tu… So far, the pledges has been rather encouraging with Kira(RM100) and Boy(RM200) making good with their word. (oh, Encik put up a deposit of RM50 already - i’ll get back to him on that)

One day before my birthday, I was just minding my own business, having a sip of my teh tarik at Aji Don Alley, Plaza Damas. Well, actually, I was waiting for my hubby to catch a lift back home. Then, my hubby came to join me for a little tea and the scrumptious tauhu bakar. A few moments later, my sister Kira jumped out from behind a pillar with a digital camera in her hands. I was sooo surprised that I did not react at all.. What an anticlimax.. heh heh heh… Hold on, it gets better though — they went ahead and got me a Special Edition Black Sony T-9 Digital Camera. The ultimate digital camera, as far as I was concerned. You know the one with Natasha Hudson snapping a fellow jogger’s picture while running by the beach. Yup.. THAT One.. To me, T-9 has the perfect width, not too fat like T-5 yet not too slim ike T-7. Just sedap-sedap to hold on to when you’re snapping a picture. The only reason I wanted the T-5 initially was the cost factor. It was easily RM400 more to get a T-9 , so, I was willing to just settled for a T-5. But deep deep in my heart , I really really wanted the T-9. My hubby instictively knew that and while haggling for the camera, he got a great deal for the T-9 at RM1560. So , he decided to get me a T-9 instead! - Good choice! Oh, did I mention that it was black? It normally comes in silver, but Kira insisted on the black. (eventhough they had to wait for an additional 1 1/2 hours for it to be despatched from KL) The colour is oh-so-stylo… So chic… - Another good choice!

So, it was in that mood that we went karaoke-ing for the next two hours at Vocal KTV, underneath Azrul’s office. (literally) Great voice (ehem), good company.. What more can you ask for? What a way to prepare for one’s birthday…

-dillz blogging out-

Metrojaya S14 On Sale!!!

*from my other blog at Dilla Speaks Out

Just a quick one, everybody.. Metrojaya S14, PJ is having itsRELOCATION SALE! They are opening an outlet at The Curve in April 2006. Up to 70% discount. From now till March 2006. Everything must go!!!! So,

GET YOUR BUTTS DOWN THERE!!!!

-dillz blogging out-