My pre-wedding photoshoots!

Boey, my bridal consultant called on Thursday to remind us on our photoshoots. I told her, it is impossible to forget such an event, haha. We were told to be there by 10am. Gan and I reached the bridal studio 15 mins earlier. There was another couple, like us, would be having their photoshoots too.

This is the main lounge cum waiting lounge, haha. We waited for a good 10 mins before our makeup artist, May, arrived. I followed her upstairs where she started her artistic job on my head. It took her almost 2 hours to complete: from applying foundation to eyelashes extension and from curling to tying hair. Then it was Gan's turn.

Whilst waiting, I took photo of the many bridal gowns available in-store. I'm not sure about other bridal studios, but I can say Vogue really owns arrays of bridal gowns that suits both skinny and chubby. As for my package, my photoshoots alone consists of 2 wedding gowns, 2 evening gowns and 1 traditional costume, which I picked kimono.

Wing, our photographer is an easygoing lad who hails from Johor Bharu. He is really professional and taught us how we should place our hands and tilt our heads, etc. He made it as we were kids having fun by the pool, heh. We spent an hour taking photo in the garden wearing evening gown and 30 minutes by the windowpane wearing kimono.

This is where I tried on my gowns months ago. The lightings on the flooring made it really impressive. It somehow brightens up everyone that is standing on the platform. As I was taking this photo, we were about to leave for further shootings.

First stop was at Bangi Equatorial Hotel. Evonne, a sales executive from Equatorial Hotel, was kind enough to spare a small function room for our usage. We took photos by the pool, bar, pond, staircase and even on green pastures! I must say we really made heads turned, haha. Many people came to congratulate us. We spent about 3 hours in Equatorial Hotel.

After that, we headed to Putrajaya! I was quite worried as it is overflowed with you-know-what. Furthermore, I was wearing gown, it will surely attract you-know-what attentions. Indeed it did! We were almost reaching this lake when we saw NS trainees. I was embarrassed when little girls waved and smiled at me. Then the boys started hollering to one another, "Wah! Pengantin la!" "Wah! A Bride!" and took pictures! You can tell how embarrassed I was that time, bleh. Luckily, we only spent about an hour in Putrajaya before heading back to the studio.

By the time we reached, it was 8pm. Now all we gotta do is wait for the day where we choose our photographs to be processed. Thank you to May for the lovely makeup and 5 different hairdos. It was really gratifying looking at myself in those styles. And to Wing, who made everything oh-so-easy. Also, you made our jaws cramped from smiling too much :p

My pre-wedding photoshoots was both fun and tiring!

Eating out: Catherine's Kitchen

After a hectic day of photo shooting, Gan and I finally had our dinner at 8.30pm! We considered it very late since our usual dinner hour is as early as 6pm. Initially, he suggested that to go to New Paris, which is also in SS2 itself (albeit nearer from bridal studio). At 8.30pm, New Paris is usually full that hour, hence I suggested Catherine's Kitchen in Paramount that will be quieter than having dinner in SS2.

Complimentary soup of the day

Which proof that I was right! Only 3 tables were occupied when we got in. We ordered a claypot curry chicken, spicy butter fish fillet and green vege. We waited for 10 minutes for the food.

Claypot curry chicken, priced at RM13

There was so many pieces of chicken that we could not finish. It was quite watery compared to the one I had previously. It will be much better if there were more potato chunks and less chicken :P

Spicy butter fish fillet, priced at RM13

This is spicy butter fish fillet. There were 8 pieces of deep-fried dory fillet. The spicy butter sauce was creamy but honestly, rather bland. If I'd known earlier, I should have ordered the Plum sauce fish fillet.

We paid RM40 for those mentioned dishes, 2 plates of rice, an iced tea and a herbal drink. You hardly can get that price when dining in PJ or KL area. But of course an exception in certain restaurants, kopitiams or hawker centers.

My French manicure

Prior to my pre-wedding photoshoot, I was advised to have a manicure. So I did. I made an appointment at a nail parlor in Midvalley to get my nails done. I told my manicurist I wanted French manicure. It costs RM45, which is RM4.50/finger nail! Not so bad, considering it only a one-time investment.

This is how my nails looked like before manicure. Long, sleek and ... nude. I have never been to a nail parlor. So my finger nails are virgin nails :p

This is after shots, where my nails are short, still sleek and no longer naked. It has been coated with layers of polish. My nails are now ready for photoshoots!

Eating out: Madam Kwan's

You guessed it! I went to Midvalley again with the women (mom, aunt and grandma)! Today is my third time this week going there. By now, I can even walk blindfolded, ha! After a pathetic meal at Gurney Drive yesterday, we had to have something better to make it up. So, we headed to Madam Kwan's!

Yam Milkshake, priced at RM9.90

Yam Milkshake has gotta be my favorite drink. It is so rich in yam flavor till I feel the yam wants to burst out from the glass! Haha, ok, that was exaggerating :p But yeah, they uses a lot of yam ice-cream and milk to make this wonderful drink.

Char Kuey Teow, priced at RM14.70

I ordered Char Kuey Teow (stir-fry flat noodle). It has been awhile since I dined in Madam Kwan's. It used to serve generous portion. Now, it seemed there was lesser noodles, but the price remains. It is still as good as ever. However, this is not Penang Char Kuey Teow, thus, you won't find any cockles in this plate.

Nasi Bojari, priced at RM20.50

The women ordered Nasi Bojari. The portion is still the same as ever, with a huge fried drumstick, sambal prawn and beef rendang (you can opt for chicken curry or sambal prawn if you don't take beef). Can you belief the women finished everything that is in the plate? Fuh! Honestly, I have only ordered Nasi Bojari once for as long as I could remember.

Everyone enjoyed the meal this time. Thank goodness! :D

Eating out: Gurney Drive

Gurney Drive is rather a new eatery in Gardens, Midvalley. It is located on the 3rd floor. Again, I was there with mom, aunt and grandma. These women just can't have enough of Midvalley *pfft*

The restaurant is nicely furnished and with cozy ambience. We sat down and took our time to go through the menu. I must say I was intimidated just by looking at the price! A glass of ambra juice is RM7!!!!

I didn't take photos of the food because every bowl of food we ordered was served with pork! Again I was intimidated by the amount of pork in a bowl of noodle. I ordered Lam Mee, in it were shredded eggs, shrimps and siu yuk (roasted pork). What happened to shredded chicken?! I didn't know that this Gurney Drive is a non-halal restaurant. Otherwise, I would have gone directly to Little Penang.

This is what we paid at the end. A whopping RM79.10 for Penang food that is not so Penang after all. I'd say Little Penang serves better and tastier food than Gurney Drive.

Bridal shoes

Although my wedding is still months away, but I have bought my shoes already! Well, it's is never too early/late to get shoes imho. If you like it, then get them. That's the principle I live on :D

Lewre couture, priced at RM160

I bought this pair of Lewre from Parkson, KLCC. I think I bought it somewhere in March/April. It was rather much to early to get one then and to keep until November. But I get a pair anyway, haha. Not that this pair of shoes is irresistible, but I was rather buying on impulse. Most of the time, I'm an impulsive shopper. So yeah... I'm glad anyhow, it's a beauty! Then I got home and was nagged by mom.

Priced at RM69

This is my loot for the day, I mean yesterday. I bought this pair in Parkson, Alamanda. This pair is much trendier than the pair I bought earlier. Isn't this lovely? Hehe. Well, most people think bridal shoes should be in white. As for me, I love it in silver. Thought of beating the norm ya know, hehe.

I love both and will definitely be wearing these two pairs for my photoshoots this Friday! :)

Eating out: Baba Nyonya

My grandma and aunt are here for a short break since it's school holiday. We like bringing them out makan whenever they're here. So for dinner, we dined in Semarak, Nilai.

Baba Nyonya Seafood Restaurant is a family-run business. It is a very simple restaurant, dad and daughter take orders, mom cooks in the kitchen and daughters serves the dishes. This is my nth time eating there. We ordered 4 dishes, ranging from chicken to vegetables.

This is Special Omelet. It is fried to perfection: not oily and eggs are not overcooked. I can't really remember the exact price, it is somewhere around RM6-8, which is reasonable.

Vege of the day is stir-fry Chinese Cabbage. This dish is another yum and it only costs RM6.

Then came piping hot Ikan Sumbat Belacan. Actually, it's not spicy at all, haha. It looks spicy but the sambal is actually very mild. Again, the fish is fried to perfection: crispy on the outside and tender inside. My grandma and aunt really liked this that they both shared another bowl of rice (apart from the bowl each of us had)! Again, I don't know how much this fish costs: must be around RM20-25.

The last dish is Rendang Chicken. There isn't anything special about this. I would say Malays cook rendang better. Again, I can't remember the price, it would be around RM12-15.

Finally, we paid RM55.60 for 4 dishes, 5 bowls of rice and 4 glasses of jasmine tea. So if you're ever in Semarak, do try out this restaurant! They have plenty to offer. By the way, they close on weekend and business hour is only until 9pm on weekdays.

Airtix secured!

Yay! I managed to book our honeymoon air tickets last week. We will be swept off to Bali in November! We have yet to book our accommodation though. We are looking for some decent hotels in Nusa Dua area. Any recommendation? We will be there for 4 romantic nights! Can't wait!

Of puzzle and diet

Earlier today, we received consignment from a postman. It was from Mouth & Foot Painting Artists. A little more than a week ago, we ordered some pretty decent stuff from the talented artists, which includes a box of 1000-piece jigsaw puzzle.

Many years ago, my mom and us completed our very first puzzle, which is a photo of Neuschwastein Castle. We had it framed and hang on our wall for years. The lovely puzzle really meant much to us. Hopefully I will be able to fill up my time with this new puzzle. Don't you think it is absolutely beautiful?

On a different note, of late, I am changing my diet. Yea, to loose some extra kilos but also for health purposes. I think everyone should practice a healthy lifestyle no matter how old one is. Not all healthy food is bland and plain. Most of them are just as tasty and scrumptious as other food. Just like this Berry Crunch.

Not that I am discarding other food entirely. I still enjoy indulging wholesome meals like sushis, nasi lemak, noodles, during lunch. However, menu for my breakfasts and dinners have changed. This is what I had for dinner earlier: sliced apple with cereals topped with yogurt. On some nights, I have muesli bars. It is absolutely yummeh.

It is not hard as I thought it would be, to stay away from glorious food. It turns out to be quite fun too. Try it sometime...

Blast from the past

What would you do when you bump into someone from your past? This someone who has hurt you badly that you only realize it when it’s too late. The same someone who cheated on you while being the nicest one in front of your friends.

How will you feel when that someone is alive and well? When that someone told you life is short and will not be here any longer. Someone even had the courtesy to tell your friends to look after you.

Why do you think someone lied? Someone lied just about almost everything you can think of. Why someone would fly all the way to meet you? To give false hope and empty promises of the future? In the end, you find someone is nothing but a con.

Later in your life, you realize that all the answers to the riddles don’t matter to you anymore. Someone is already a part of your history. Your future now lies in a better pair of hands. The pair of hands that promises you hope, joy and many beautiful dreams :)

Eating in: Royce' Nutty Bar Chocolate

My uncle went to Japan for a business trip last week. He brought back some snacks. I have tried most of it, but not this particular chocolate bar: Royce' Nutty Bar Chocolate. Though I think it should be chocolate bar rather than bar chocolate, hehe. Well, you know Japanese :D

My uncle's staff has walloped half of the box, leaving the remaining half for us. I am not sure the price of this box but it sure looks expensive.

Yeap, this is my bitten chocolate bar. It doesn't taste super sweet like some chocolate. Also, there's crunchiness in every bite. Sort of like rice crackers with nutty chocolate. Great to be given as gifts. Someone buy me a box if you visit from Japan alright? Thanks ;)

Mad, mad world!

Today’s paper reported about a headless torso found near a monsoon drain. While on Sunday, a severed leg was found. Looks like criminals are getting bolder each passing day.

All we read in the papers are people were murdered, raped, robbed and et cetera. How often do you see news about police solving cases? Once a blue moon I see that the police busted drug trafficking gang or caught small time robbers. But that is not enough to keep us safe! There are still many, many criminals out there that are walking free. And more and more are committing crimes knowing that they won’t get caught.

Just today I found out that a dear friend of mine was robbed, molested and assaulted! It was upsetting and sick knowing it happened to someone you know. What is wrong with these people? Don’t they have a heart? Grrrrr!!! I hope every part of their body will rot and itch like there is not tomorrow! Grrrrr!!! Thankfully my friend is alright now. Hopefully she can put this incident behind her, though I know it will take some time to forget it.

Neway Karaoke

I have always been singing in Redbox. So, this is my very first time singing in Neway. My friends have been telling me how good the food in Neway is. But, the reason going to karaoke centers is to sing. Though food enjoyment should be equally important, hehe. Nonetheless, I still prefer Redbox. It has more songs selection and songs/artists are sorted alphabetically. In Neway, I could not even find Mambai! Kau Ilhamku is the only Malay song that I sing constantly.

Birthday girls. Yuen Mei's birthday falls on 25th, while mine was on the 11th. We are born exactly 2 weeks apart. Thanks for the lovely decor, Yuen Mei. It sure came in handy for my wedding next time.

Pardon the photo alignment. I set my camera phone to self-timer mode. Then I ran back to my seat, hehe. Yeap, only 3 of us today. We prefer smaller group so we can loose our vocal cord faster! Haha! Thanks babes, I had such a blast!

Eating out: Italiannies

Hui Bao, Yuen Mei and I were out to 1Utama today, to celebrate 2 birthdays at one go: Yuen Mei's and mine. There isn't any shopping done at all. We did only 2 activities: eating and singing. Haha! We dined at Italiannies and sang in Neway Karaoke. It has been a while since we last sang together. Our previous session was in July, when our Shally came over. Darn, I miss you girl! Come soon you hear me?

Back to the food. Complimentary bread for hungry wolves like us who skipped breakfast. Not exactly skip but it was really light. Bread to be dip into vinegar and olive oil.

S & A Formagioddo, priced at RM29.90

Then came our yummy starter: Spinach & Artichokes Formagioddo, served with garlic toasts. We have never skipped this dish when dining in Italiannies. Too good to be missed. You gotta spread the cheesy spinach and artichokes onto the toast. Then savor every bite of it.

Classic pizza, priced at RM30.90

We ordered a pizza to share. There isn't anything special about this flavor, rather plain. I would suggest pasta or other meaty dish.

Donation

I am so humbled by the recent tragedies that struck both Myanmar and China. Far too many lives lost. Prayers alone is not enough to get them through daily life. They are in need of many, many supplies, ie: medical, food, water and shelter.

Many people out there are donating. I pledged myself to do the same too. There are many non-profit organizations that are relieving Myanmar and China. I donated to Red Cross and Unicef. You may choose any organization of your choice. *beware of fraud org*

I am not here to show off. I am saddened by itand would help anyway possible. And, hoping that you would do the same too. Of course, any amount of donation is welcome. Hopefully, with our little help, it will ease someone out there: a child or a parent.

Eating in: Mom's Fruit Cake

It has been almost a year since we have moved in. We have yet to use our built-in oven! It is not that we don’t have anything to bake or make, but somehow, we tend to withdraw ourselves from using the state-of-the-art oven.

It ends today! My mom has finally decided to bake a fruit cake! She managed all the ingredients, from weighing to beating the batter. While I read up the oven’s instruction manual so it will function perfectly.

The following is the simple recipe of my mom’s fruit cake.

Mom's Fruit Cake

150g self-raising flour
1 box of sultanas
250g butter
250g sugar
5 eggs

1. Beat sugar and butter to a smooth batter.
2. Add eggs one by one into batter and continue beating for 1-2 minutes.
3. Add in self-raising flour into batter and blend well.
4. Finally, add in the sultanas and blend well. Then bake!

Remember to preheat the oven at 160 deg for 15mins. Next, bake at the same temperature for 75-80mins.

Perhaps my next bake should be green tea cake or banana cake. It might as well be another fruit cake. Haha! Till then, I shall wait…

Eating out: Good Evening Bangkok

Every now and then, Gan and I will have a lunch date. Today, we went to 1Utama since it is the nearest from his working place. Once arrived, we headed straight to Good Evening Bangkok, which is located in the New Wing, 1Utama.

We took about 10 minutes to decide what to order. We settled with a starter, a soup, 2 main courses and a dessert for Gan.

Mieng Kam, priced at RM14.90

This is our starter, Mieng Kam. I had fun dashing a little bit of everything onto the the leaf before folding it. As for Gan, he did not enjoyed it as much as I did. With everything placed in, you can taste everything from sweet to sour, from salty to spicy. I would still prefer Vietnamese salad, where we can dip into sweet, spicy fish sauce.

Spicy Clear Tom Yam soup, priced at RM10.90

Tom Yam soups served in Good Evening Bangkok can really sky-rocket you up to space. It is so spicy that it can numb your tongue. Throughout my visits to this place, I had never ever finished a bowl of soup, I just can't manage to. In this Tom Yam soup, there are squids, mushrooms, fish and shrimps. It is really appetizing too.

Stir-fry Morning Glory, priced at RM12.90

Morning Glory simply means Kang Kung. Well, there isn't anything special about this dish. I can find better ones elsewhere. This dish is far too watery for a stir-fry vegetable. Look at that! :/ Next up is the Green Curry Chicken. This is not as rich and creamy as my last visit. Yet, it is still good to go with the fragrant Thai rice. I would suggest to order other dish instead.

Green Curry Chicken, priced at RM15.90

Rating: 6/10

Meebo to the rescue

My Live Messenger died on my the whole night since 9pm. I just could not get in no matter how many times I tried, grrrrrr. It's not that I have important matter to deal with in MSN. It has become a norm for me to be there, you know. People expect me to be there :P

Then I remembered MeeBo. It used to be my trusted friend during my working days in Cyberjaya, when the IT personnel blocked all IMs. Somehow, out of the blue, IMs were not blocked anymore. I immediately got rid of Meebo and gotten back to MSN, the application. Hehe, ungrateful me.

So, I logged into Meebo again. I was impressed to see the enhancement done. I can now choose skin themes. Oh, you can combine all your IM accounts into 1 meebo account. It is much easier for you to organize your IMs. Cuter icons are now made available too. Do try it out yourself.

Porsche Cayman

My uncle bought a two-seater Porsche Cayman a month ago. I did not see the car until today. How to refrain myself from not snapping 1-2 shots of the car? And so I did.

I don't know the exact price of this car but I know it costs more than half a million. For someone like me that can't afford one, posing with a "peace" sign in front of the car is worth it, haha. How I wish I can take a ride with this car. It will be much sweeter if I can speed it on the highway :D