Not So Desperate Housewife...What's Keeping Me Busy in KL

Gift Idea: Made in Malaysia

2012-01-20T21:59:00.001+08:00

How many times have you tried to look for a gift which you want to give to a foreigner friend, and you wanted it to represent Malaysia? Well, if you are like me, you would have given gifts like Royal Selangor, Boh Tea, Vincci, and Old town coffee.

Something more creative (and with a cause) which you can give the next time you need a gift could be something from Gadis Manis Malaysia.

Her cute shop is located in Publika and it houses many nice Malaysian-made items which will surely be unique (not your typical gifts from Isetan/ Parkson). Her story is quite inspiring and it was told to me by the art gallery owner beside Gadis Manis. After I checked out her shop, I fell in love with the scent in-store and asked about it. Their "Yati" scent was nice and it was made in cooperation with Spice Garden of Penang. I bought one of their essential oils, while I browsed around for future potential gifts. Their items like t-shirts and bags have the beautiful design which represents Malaysia -- 3 ladies (Malay, Chinese, and Indian). Subtle yet directly representing the wonderful multi-culture of Malaysia... The perfect gift. The shop also donates some of its proceeds to 2 foundations. Once you visit the shop, you will find some printed copies of Gadis Manis (I have included a photo of the front and back).

I wasn't able to take a photo of the colourful bags. Definitely the designs are nice and not too pricey. Lovely gifts for the ladies! They also have children t-shirts and adult tops, shirts and polo.

Hope this helps you in your next gift idea!

Paintings and Art in KL

2012-01-19T15:46:00.001+08:00

Last week I was invited to a friend's Art Gallery opening at Publika Mont Kiara. The owner is a passionate art collector who has been buying art from struggling artists in Indonesia. The gallery called Artemis Art is full of affordable original paintings, which also had some other Asian artists. After attending the opening cocktail, I was inspired to pick up my brush again. Yesterday, while little Alex was at school, I finished a 40"x50" painting . I was inspired to try something totally different from my usual abstracts and flower series. It was scary because I rub the risk of "failing" in my own attempt... But life is too short! Worst case I would spoil a canvas.

After 5 hours of painting, I finished my first teddy bear painting. It turned out okay, despite my doubts. After my daughter woke up from her nap, she was happy to see it! And even attempted to shake its hand, gave it a kiss and a hug. Wow, what a reward! The day after, she realised that it is in fact her teddy bear which we bought long ago from France.

I hope to pass on all my paintings to her one day. Maybe my future grandchildren will inherit it!!! (my daughter is just 2 yrs old now, haha)

To people who want to try painting, I believe Artemis Art will be organising a painting workshop for adults and kids. Just contact U.C.Loh at +6012-3732188 Artemis Art.

Artemis Art
A1-01-3 Solaris Dutamas
No.1 jalan Dutamas KL (Publika)

KL Birdpark: Nice Morning With Toddler

2012-01-17T13:47:00.001+08:00

Today is Tuesday which means no classes for my 2-yr old. Decided to spend the morning at the KL Birdpark as we haven't gone back for a year now. I searched their website and saw that Jusco card has discount for those with myKad. As a Resident Pass owner, we have our pink ID cards and I used that today. With those cards you can get a discount for entrance fees. 2 adults (plus Jusco card discount) amounted to rm35. My 2-yr old has free entrance. I remember spending close to rm200 a few years ago when 4 of us came to visit (we didn't bring our gold expat cards). Now I know and came prepared :)

We had a nice time walking around as Tuesdays are less crowded / busy. Mostly tourists and few locals. Nice weather as we start off our walk at 10am. Finished at 12noon and we left for Gardens Mall where we had our Filipino food fix at Pancake House.

Overall it is a nice 2-hr walk with your toddler. It can get hot so bring a hat and water. Lots and lots of birds around. You won't be disappointed!

JPJ Maju Junction : a pleasant experience

2012-01-09T11:50:00.001+08:00

I'm currently here at JPJ Maju Junction. In my 5 yrs in Malaysia I have never gone to do our driver's license because we used to use a runner who charged us high fees! Now that I am a housewife I took an adventure and went to update hubby's driver license. It was a pleasant experience driving and waiting at JPJ. The queue was organised, ample seats, was easy to park, friendly and English speaking government staff. This is heaven compared to the land transportation offices in Manila!!! I was impressed with the service and location. Stress - free coming here! I also came to update the home address of our car registration cards (pink card) which had wrong info. Wrong address only means one thing: if you get a police summon or ticket, it will be sent to the wrong address! That already happened to us and we never received the ticket, and only found out when we were about to renew the car registration.

Overall, the efficiency and ambience were good. The 3 officers I interacted with were all pleasant and helpful! I would not hesitate to come back!

iPass for expatriates: Finally we got our ID's!

2011-12-31T17:13:00.000+08:00

Just wanted to update all of you that apart from getting our passports stamped with the Residents Pass, we recently received our ID cards which is called iPass. Unlike my old WORK PERMIT expat car which was gold color, this one is in PINK! Yes, pink! They issued ID cards for me, hubby and daughter. I spoke to one of the officer there and it seems they are doing some changes in the card issuance and the Resident Pass might be integrated into the Putrajaya Immigration soon (not sure under which group yet -- if it will be with the Work Permit issuance group or something else). Anyway, I was told that we are a lucky batch because they are not issuing the IDs according to first-come-first-serve... instead, it really depends which batch the Immigration decides to work on. The ID card is important to my husband because he has been traveling in and out of Malaysia due to his work... and if he has the card it will mean easier travel (no need to fill up anything).

I thank the heavens for finally getting new cards. I heard from many expats with work permits that they were not able to get ID cards for 2 years now.... anyway let's hope 2012 will mean they start releasing more ID cards to foreigners like us!

Cameron Highlands: Cool climate and perfect for a family getaway!

2011-12-31T17:06:00.000+08:00

We have been living in Malaysia for 5 years now and have visited a lot of places. As Christmas approached, we had to decide where to go for a fun holiday, keeping in mind we had to bring our 2-year old daughter, her visiting grandma and our maid. This year, we wanted to keep it simple and did not want to fly anywhere so our options were limited to where our car can bring us.

I am a “beach” person hence almost all our holidays were spent at places with sun, sea and sand. This time, hubby suggested that we go back to revisit Cameron Highlands. Honestly, I wasn’t too excited at first. My last 3 trips to Cameron Highlands were just “okay”, nothing really stood out that would compel me to go back again. I could recall only two highlights: spa session at Cameron Highlands Resort (which was super pricey) and the visit to the breathtaking Sungai Palas Boh Tea Plantation.

Hubby reminded me that in all those times we went up to Cameron, we were still “single without children”. Perhaps the visit this time will be interesting since we have our 2-year old daughter. Hmm, that got me thinking… and finally I agreed and started my search for the perfect place to stay.

My first choice was Cameron Highlands Resort as they offer a very attractive Local Residents Package. For expats living in Malaysia, this is really a superb offer, which includes 3 days, 2 nights stay plus all the meals. Unfortunately they were already fully booked! After hours of reading TripAdvisor and other blogs, I finally decided on Strawberry Park Resort, which I have never visited. The feedback from people who visited recently seemed to be promising, due to the renovation and upgrades that the hotel underwent not too long ago.

On Christmas day, we drove off to Cameron Highlands. It was a pleasant drive on our way there. Take note that you should opt for the new road called Simpang Pulai, as this is much safer. We took that road going to Cameron and coming back to KL.

The Strawberry Park Resort did not disappoint us. We took the Fresno 2-bedroom Suite, which was newly renovated (2-months old). It had a flat-screen TV, comfortable bed, wooden flooring and the best part was we had a superb view! I was happy with the decision we made in terms of accommodation. The package also included breakfast and dinner, which was a good deal!

Keeping in mind that we were with our daughter and her grandma, we decided to take it easy in terms of itinerary. We spent one whole afternoon at the Smokehouse hotel. We had our lunch there then spent some time enjoying the cool air amidst the beautiful flowers and greens. My daughter enjoyed running around their garden and even met a new Malay-Indian girlfriend as they played together. My mom and I sat at the garden playing Scrabble on the iPad. Time flew by quickly and we spent our afternoon with tea and scones at the same place. Definitely recommended to families who want to relax and enjoy good food and ambience. The place and the cool weather transports you to another place, making one forget that you are still in Malaysia!

Another thing we did differently was the visit to the tea plantation. My past trips always included the Sungai Palas Boh Tea Plantation and its picturesque views. However this time due to the peak season, hubby thinks it will be hell driving into that place because of the narrow roads. Instead, we visited the 2 Bharat Tea Plantations, which had easier access and equally nice views. We enjoyed some tea and scones there. And the highlight of that visit was the walk amidst the tea plantations… it was superb! Caution though, make sure you are wearing comfortable shoes. Hubby even carried our daughter on his shoulders as the trekked far and away into the wonderful green view.

The 3 days, 2 nights stay proved to be relaxing and perfect for those who are looking for a short getaway without having to take the plane. Your visit to Cameron Highlands will leave you feeling like you are not in Malaysia, thanks to the cool climate and beautiful views!

Cameron Highlands Big Red Strawberry Farm

2011-12-26T21:41:00.001+08:00

As part of the stress-free holiday (we didn't want to fly out to another country), we opted for some cool air at Cameron Highlands. This is our 3rd time here since our arrival 5 years ago. This is the first time we came here with our 2-yr old daughter.

After long hours of research online, we opted for the Big Red Strawberry Farm. It had enough parking space, toilets and the highlight was they had some kids rides which were okay (rm .50 or rm1 per ride). They also had a cafeteria which served strawberry delights like juice, pancakes, floats, or plain strawberries with cream. We plan to also do some strawberry picking later which cost rm25/basket and one can pick as much strawberries as long as you fill it in the basket.

The food was reasonably priced and we indulged in some strawberry shakes. We were lucky to have sunny weather and coupled with the cool climate it really makes you forget you are in Malaysia!

It was packed with people because of the Xmas holiday season. We stayed at the Strawberry Park Resort which was a short drive away from this place.

Ice Cream and Car tow away at Mont Kiara

2011-12-24T16:06:00.014+08:00

Yesterday, December 23, 2011 I walked to Baskin and Robbins at Jalan Kiara to order an ice cream cake for Xmas eve dinner. As I walked I noticed the DBKL towing cars on the side road near Baskin and Robins / Odyssey bus. They have been actively towing cars since 2-3 months ago. The good result of that is less congestion at Jalan Kiara since less people park on the streets. I just pity the owner whose car got towed because I was in their shoes awhile back, walking to your car and not finding it!!! What horror!

Lesson learned .. Always park at the right place else suffer the same fate :)

Wonder who owned that Myvi I saw yesterday... poor guy.

Speaking about Baskin and Robbins, their ICE CREAM CAKE is wonderful. It makes a beautiful gift. Not only that, it was the super star most well-loved thing at my daughter's birthday last month.... everyone loved it. On the average , if you buy an ice cream cake that will cover 8-12 person, it will cost you around RM100. I guarantee that the children (and adults) will love it. I always order the cake with a base flavor of Chocolate Chip. The photo below was from my daughter's birthday celebration last Nov 2011. The Ice Cream cake had different ice cream cones on top (which was 6 different flavors). The children were all eager to get the cones after blowing the cake! That ice cream cake cost about RM125++ if I remember correctly. I think I will always buy an ice cream cake for my daughter's birthday -- to continue an old tradition. Back in the Philippines when I was young, my parents always ordered an Ice Cream Cake (from Magnolia) to celebrate my birthday.... happy memories!

Coffee and Pancakes @ Antipodean: A Must Try at Bangsar!

2011-12-02T15:28:00.000+08:00

It has been more than a month since I have been attending my French lessons at Alliance Francaise (satellite office in Bangsar). Since my classes start at 9am, hubby and myself always take some time (alone, without baby) to have our breakfast. There was a new coffee place opened months ago and I have seen so many good reviews about it... and I have been a loyal customer since the day I first visited.

The place is called ANTIPODEAN. It is a cafe opened by an expatriate. I saw some articles on the Expat magazine, and decided to search and see what the review are. Well, here is my own subjective review based on the several visits we have made.

The coffee is really good -- the taste is authentic, rich and well prepared. They design it well and I can see they take pride in the coffee they serve. I believe the owner sources it from Indonesia and they even sell the beans at their shop. Hubby and myself have been ordering their FLAT WHITE -- which taste really good. The plus side, they serve water (one gets thirsty if you drink too much coffee, and it is always good to have water afterwards to keep hydrated). They offer the water in a nice bottle, which also means you as a customer don't feel too "bothering" and keep asking for water. You can drink as much as you want.

The highlight for me is their BANANA PANCAKES with Butterscotch sauce. I could not help myself but to order that every single time we go to Antipodean. Their butterscotch sauce goes so well with the pancake... most often the sauce they serve is not enough... I would always request for 2 sauces (and they were kind enough to oblige).

Hubby was more adventurous and tried several breakfast dishes. They serve pork sausages & bacon (which is a highlight for expats and Malaysian Chinese who love their porky stuff). Hubby tried the croissant with scrambled eggs, at one point he also tried their big breakfast. To me it was all "okay" and tasty -- simply because I was all too satisfied with my pancakes too even bother with other stuff.

I always said I would go back to try their lunch menu but never had the chance yet.

Some highlights and lowlights....

1. They have a small place for children to play. I love that they thought about the kids!!! One time I brought my daughter there and she played for a while at that children's area. However, the place is small and there was a spotlight (which caused the small area to be too warm)

2. The toilet - it is nicely designed and clean. However, twice I experienced that the "flushing" mechanism was not working or the toilet was clogged. Hope they fix that because that was such a let-down for me especially after a good experience with their meals.

3. Service - their waitresses are friendly. However there were few new ones and I guess they were under training... so hopefully the newbies have settled down well already by now.

4. Parking - if you are having breakfast at 8 am - 9 am .. you are lucky because you can park right outside the cafe. That also means no need to pay the parking fees yet (or watch out for the police, though they don't wake up that early I guess on Saturdays????)

I noticed also that since they opened (Antipodean is located beside La Bodega).... the La Bodega seems to be emptier than what I remembered. My last breakfast at La Bodega was ages ago and the remembrance I had was that it was SOOOOO PRICEY and I mean pricey. For my husband and myself on a regular breakfast (before i had my baby) it cost us RM100 for 2 people. And true enough, it is still pricey today... The other day hubby and baby waited for me while I had my French class. Hubby moved to La Bodega because he wanted some space and move to a different place after his coffee in Antipodean (which i think cost less than RM10 for a coffee). He ordered only ONE ORANGE JUICE for my daughter. They didn't order anything else. The bill came -- it was RM17++ for one juice. Hmmm, that really made me realize how expensive they are. Or perhaps I feel the pinch simply because I am not working anymore (now I am a full time mother unlike months ago when I was still at Corporate!)

Anyway, I hope you guys enjoy your Antipodean experience when you try it out.

Address

20, Jalan Telawi 2
Bangsar
59100, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Tel: +60322820411

Operation Hours

8am-10pm

Christmas is in the Air at Pavilion Mall

2011-12-01T17:59:00.001+08:00

The nice thing about living in Kuala Lumpur is that when Christmas comes, all the shopping malls are well dolled-up for the occasion. Pavillion mall at Bukit Bintang is always one of the best decors so I decided to take December 1 as a kick-off to Xmas and literally shopped all day there. I was happy with the decors plus a pleasant surprise ... They had a carousel right in the middle! For rm5 they let Alexandra ride and she was astounded, her very first carousel ride. By today, December 1, many stores have began their sales which meant I went overboard on the shopping... And that is okay because I really stopped myself from any shopping activity as I waited for the Malaysia Year End Sale (Y.E.S.)

Parents who want some nice Xmas pictures of their kids would definitely love the decorations at Pavillion. They even had a lollipop lady walking around giving sweets :)

It was a nice way to kick off December!

Regards,
Anabelle

Sent from my Windows Phone

Starbucks finally launched loyalty card

2011-11-10T23:11:00.001+08:00

After spending a long time out of Corporate life, I forgot all about Starbucks. Mostly because on my coffee craving days I go to Coffee Bean at Mont Kiara. Love their coffee and their loyalty card. Today, after bringing my daughter to Kids E World, I dropped by Starbucks to sample the Xmas blend (Toffee Nut Latte / Cranberry White Choco Mocha). I saw that they introduced their loyalty card and give it for free for rm20 top-up. Well, it is off to a good start with nice designs and after 15 coffee, I can have my Starbucks planner 2012! Been collecting those for years now, since I was in Manila.

Happy coffee time!

Sent from my Windows Phone

A Place for Enjoying Music

2011-11-10T23:11:00.000+08:00

I'm writing this post as we drive home tonight. We enjoyed once again the beautiful acoustics and friendly place called No Black Tie. For music lovers or people looking for an evening of Live Music, you should check out their site for different music schedules. When I was pregnant last 2009, I desperately wanted to hear good, live Bossa Nova and was able to get it at No Black Tie. It was so beautiful that it brought me close to tears and goose bumps! Their small place has good acoustic and interior was made especially for good music.

Looking for a night out with hubby? This could be a place for you. They also serve Japanese food.

One time, me and hubby had dinner at nearby Neroteca (seriously porky place with good ham and cheese). Afterwards unwind with good music by walking to No Black Tie.

No Black Tie
Www.noblacktie.com.my
+603-21423737

Enjoy!

Sent from my Windows Phone

Car Towed Away at Plaza Damas Hartamas Shopping Center

2011-11-01T22:06:00.000+08:00

I learned a valuable lesson today (and a costly one at that). Never, ever shortcut your way into finding a proper carpark. I have been going to Plaza Damas or what they call Hartamas Shopping Center for almost 4 years now. I have always parked inside their parking facility... and today, for some reason, when I saw the empty spot outside (right on the street where MANY other cars were parking), I slotted right in. It was perfect, a big space for my simple car. I happily went into Plaza Damas to have a facial at around 430pm. When I got out at 6pm, my face paled when I could not find the car there anymore!

My first thought.... CARNAP! My car is gone, someone stole it!
The kind guard across the street saw my astonished and panic face and signaled to me "tow truck". I went to speak to the car jockeys (those who are doing the valet car service in front of Coffee Bean Hartamas Shopping Center) and they were less helpful. They were not too sympathetic about my predicament and just informed me roughly that I should get ready to fork out RM350 to get my car back.

Despite my "unlucky" day (they towed away only 1 car that afternoon, and it was mine), I still thank the lucky stars that they sent good people my way.

First, after the unsympathetic jockeys -- came a security guard of Hartamas who was more thoughtful. He informed me that these DBKL guys come to tow very often and that he is sure my car is at Jin Jang because he spoke to the guys whenever they tow away cars. He also helped to hail a taxi so that I can be on my way (with my useless car keys). I was really shocked and I tried to compose myself. I saw that my phone is almost low battery (sigh my Windows 7 Phone gets low batt easily) and almost panicked. I also had some groceries with me like goat cheese... plus it was raining hard! What a day.

Second, I got another lucky break when the taxi cab driver spoke to me. He was sympathetic plus he was so sure where my car is because he has brought 2 other foreigner passengers to that place before. Because I trusted my guts (and that the guy seems genuinely sincere), I asked him to drop me at home (to leave the groceries). I grabbed some cash and left with the cab driver and drove to this Jin Jang place in Kepong at 730pm in this rainy evening. The cab driver turned out to be an honest and friendly Indian Christian. He also drove back to Mont Kiara with me (because I didn't bring my GPS and did not know how to get back home from that compound place). He is truly a nice driver and if ever I need any cab driver to bring me around I shall surely call him again. His name is DANIEL and his handphone number is 016-3424947.

I had to pay RM 155 in total to get my car out tonight and I drove home in peace. I regret fully not parking at the proper parking space and it is an expensive lesson learned. But it also proved that there are good people in this world.

While I was in my stressful moment, hubby googled some information about the tow place and what is needed. I copied and extracted the pertinent information which you may find useful. Please see below. I really hope YOU WILL NOT EXPERIENCE getting your car towed away. But should this happen, I hope you meet good people who will help you. I understand from the people in DBKL / cab driver guy explained that most of the cars in KL that get towed goes to this Kepong (Jin Jang) compound.

How to get your car out from the DBKL Towed Vehicle Depot?

If your car was towed to the DBKL Towed Vehicle Depot in Kepong, the process to get it out is simple but you need some documents before going there.

1. Your original IC card or passport or driving licence.
2. 1 photostated (xeroxed) copy of your IC card or passport or driving licence.
3. 1 photostated (xeroxed) copy of your car grant or newest car insurance cover note or insurance policy.

When you get to the DBKL Towed Vehicle Depot in Kepong, walk in the main gate, look out for your car, then walk left into the freight container type office. Pass you documents from above to the DBKL officer. He will confirm your documents, ask you to pay the DBKL summons (might be RM100 or RM150 depending on the offense), towing charges (RM50) and storage charges (RM5 for first day and RM30 daily onwards). Get the receipt and pass to the guard at the main gate guardhouse and drive off. Simple as that and pray that there won’t be a lot of people waiting outside the office.

You can find the Wikimapia map to DBKL Towed Vehicle Depot in Kepong here.

DBKL Towed Vehicle Depot in Kepong. Depoh Simpanan Kenderaan Unit Trafik & Tunda DBKL. Jalan Jinjang Kepong, Kuala Lumpur. 52000 Kuala Lumpur.
Tel. 03-6257 3671 , 03-62572900
Fax. 03-6257 3648

Publika : a place for expats with kids?

2011-10-23T15:07:00.001+08:00

After visiting Solaris Dutamas twice few months ago, I swore to myself that I will only go back once it is fully ready or if I hear good reviews about it. Parking was hell and chaos, no signage and one will get lost trying to find a restaurant.
Today's visit was a surprise as the place is almost all done up, with proper parking and signages. I walked around and didn't really like the Eat Food Village at Publika (not as high end as it should be, I think that was the initial plan). We opted to have lunch at Edo Ichi Japanese restaurant. Food was okay, a bit on the salty side. Service was good though. Total bill for 3 adults was at RM134.20 (3 lunch sets, plus salmon sashimi ala carte). I think if I will have my next Japanese craving, I would rather go back to my all-time favorite Mizu at Bangsar Village 1.

We walked around after a heavy lunch and pleasantly found that Gymboree is open and free to kids who want to play. No fees, just walk in and play ...valid until Nov 4 2011. As we walked towards the Park area, we saw the good location of Marmalade which has a good outdoor view. Seeing that they have a kids play area, we took Alexandra with us and had coffee there. Another pleasant surprise was that marmalade was giving free cupcakes for dine-in customers ( I guess this is because the place is new and they are trying to get more customers). For expats will children, I will highly suggest bringing them here for a good meal or coffee chat while kids are busy.

Overall, for all expats and locals with kids,I would highly recommend a trip to Publika for some good food, running around, and kid-friendly place. Once everything is fully open I think this place will be superb! So glad we live just nearby!

Village Grocer vs Jusco and Mercato

2011-10-14T22:25:00.001+08:00

In view of recent changes (full time mom), I started taking note of prices at the groceries. It has been a while since I got this detailed, and I was shocked at some of the prices of goods!

Most people associate Jusco with low price, just as I did. I discovered thatbin fact The Village Grocer (1 Mont Kiara) is somehow cheaper than Jusco. The bonus of going Village Grocer: free parking if you purchase RM 100 and above, less crowd and really wide aisles. Jusco can be a killer place on weekends and you will NOT want to be there with a baby stroller (pram).

The Drypers diaper (XL size) is RM 38 at Village Grocer while it was at RM 42++ at Jusco and Mercato! That is huge if you have to use tons of diapers!

Today I found out a huge shocker after visiting Mercato (Plaza Damas Hartamas Shopping centre). The gold label organic all-purpose flour was RM 17.99 while I bought it at Village grocer for RM 29.90!!! the difference is too much so I gave Village grocer a call to report this. They said they will call me back and investigate this matter. Let's see if they really call back.

Apart from the imported organic flour, the rest of the stuff like butter, Kraft shredded cheddar cheese, cheese (Danish baby cheese stick), and diapers were much cheaper at Village Grocer.

Overall, I had the perception that Village grocer is premium (due to it's outlet at Bangsar Village) but it turned out okay. I just hope they do something about that darn flour. They do carry quite a good selection of imported stuff that we like and need.

Anyway, I am sure in the end if one will average out the savings from different grocery stores maybe it will just balance out?

Big bad wolf book sale: my experience

2011-10-13T22:40:00.002+08:00

Today I got into something I was not totally ready of. After leaving my leisurely Bangsar lunch, I decided to check out that Big Bad Wolf sale which my friend mentioned. Armed with my GPS, myself, maid and baby headed towards Serdang. In my 5 years in Malaysia I have never been to that far off area and the drive was full of unfamiliar sights, buildings and hiway. The surprise was not the distance of the place, but the fact that I had to park my car and take their shuttle in the glaring afternoon hot sun of malaysia...especially as baby was sleeping in the car! Wow, I had no choice but get down and ride the shuttle (which was good service and clean). As I sat there clutching my shocked baby I thought to myself "this better be worth it!"

After an hour and a half walking, we did end up with a handful (ok more than handful) of books which were really at prices beyond imagination. It was especially timely for me as I had to buy 30 children's books to give away during my daughter's birthday next month.

Will I go back? No way. It was far and hot. Will I go back without the baby? Well I don't think I'm desperate to buy books at the moment (now that I bought some today). Do I recommend this to other people? Definitely "yes!" especially if you won't be bringing your babies with you.

best of luck and hope you get a good deal!

The Big Bad Wolf Sale which is very far from Mont kiara and Bangsar!

Malaysia Agro Exposition Park Serdang

Tingkat 1, Block B, Bangunan MTBIC, Ibu Pejabat MARDI,, Universiti Putra Malaysia, 43400 Serdang, Selangor, Malaysia

BANGSAR VILLAGE still great for mommies and babies

2011-10-13T13:17:00.001+08:00

Now my daughter is almost two, we still find Bangsar Village an ideal stop especially if you don't have a maid. This is the second time I went on an adventure while the maid had to be sent to the dentist. The drive to Bangsar is easy, and it will be even smoother if you have the Bangsar Village card which allows access to parking without having to pay for a ticket nor pay at the machine when you exit.

As I brave the little adventure, we spent an hour at KidzSports where she ran around (exhausting energy) and worked up an appetite. Right acrossthe play place is Fit for 2, a kid friendly place which you would want to check out especially new moms. The food is good. There is a play corner for babies. Free diapers if your baby is still small (6months). Lots if toys to keep them busy while you check tour Facebook or order food. Right now as I am typing this entry, she is sitting in the high chair watching My Little Pony (on ipad2- another tool a mom must have).

As I take small brave steps toward going out with Alex without the maid, this is the safest bet. Plus the other wing (Bangsar Village 1) has a Toys r Us shop where you can splurge or do window shopping with baby to keep them busy.

For pregnant women, do check out the classes at Fit for 2 because this will really make you feel fit and better while pregnant. I really enjoyed my classes back then.

Regards,
Anabelle

Sent from my Windows Phone

Losing Weight After Pregnancy (better late than never!)

2011-09-22T22:54:00.000+08:00

When I was pregnant with little Alex, I tried my very best to maintain an exercise regimen so that I would not 'accumulate' too much fat. I swam regularly, attended pregnancy yoga classes (at Fit For 2 in Bangsar) and I still hit the gym (albeit in an extra slow pace). I knew I had to keep active especially as I had Haagen Dazs craving every now and then... and for some weird reason when I hit the 7-8 months pregancy, there was sudden rush of craving for chocolates.

Post pregnancy ... I told myself I must lose weight and get back to my old clothes (which I have highly invested in!). I kept trying and trying my old Armani jeans (which I love to bits) and it depressed me to see that it took a lot of effort just to pull it up... it was near impossible to close the button on top bec of the excess tummy fat. Sigh... body changes after pregnancy!

I am happy to report that now I am almost back to my old self. I say almost because I noticed that I fit snuggly into once-upon-a-time slightly loose pants. I think despite the exercise I have done, I cannot really go back to my old self because the pregnancy sort of stretched you in so many ways.

Whenever I see my little girl and the happiness she brings... all this fat business is not important. Though I must admit, it is irritating to know you have grown bigger!

Some experience and advise that I could share to other mothers out there are stated below. What I share is mostly based on what I have done, tried and tested.

- Husband was very supportive, he bought me a whole Nike outfit set to get me motivated and started! That was very sweet of him. It really helped to push me to go for walks and hitting the gym.
- Lady Gaga -- her music really accompanied me in those moments at the treadmill -- she is awesome and gives me that burst of energy I need to push myself further!
- Apple iPod -- no workout is complete without music. It really brings me further in terms of minutes and pushing myself to do more (faster, better, longer). I find it hard to imagine when I see those people exercising without iPods... they must have really good motivation to keep up. I need my iPod!
- good pair of rubber shoes.... recently I bought a good pair at Nike (at the Curve) because the old one was worn-out. The new pinky pair I bought motivated me to bring it out more often on walks and runs.
- Again, I stress highly on the outfit. Don't go to the gym with very loose clothes or oversized t-shirts. Stick to fashionable cuts by Nike or Addidas. Seeing yourself in those good gym clothes can help motivate you further! It helps me a lot
- Swimming -- no sweating, plus you get to enjoy the sun! I love it... the only downside is when it rains in KL, the pool is too cold for me! Else, I usually have a good swim then after my 10 or 15 laps, I ask the maid to prep my baby so she can join me in the pool for some good fun
- Walking in the park : like I mentioned earlier, bringing her to TTDI is a sweaty work out in itself! Also, try running around with her in places like KidzSports or the new Kids E World at the Gardens Mall (i did that yesterday, superb place!)
- DISCIPLINE : i am guilty. Sometimes I lose my way. Sometimes I give in. I try to push myself to at least do 1-2 activities in a week. Ideally one should do minimum 3x per week. This September, I hit the gym almost EVERY SINGLE DAY... and I could clearly see the results. 30 mins on the treadmill plus another 15 minutes doing yoga poses, kicks and stretches.
- Diet: I am Asian, and I need to eat my rice and noodles. No diet on my side. I just try to hold back some of the urges (like ice cream, Gong Cha Bubble tea, and yummy cakes). It is HARD. I love my food. But when I remind myself I am not a spring chicken (young) anymore, I tend to think twice.

Overall, don't allow yourself to let the week pass by without at least 1-2 sweaty activity. The longer you allow yourself to not exercise, the harder it gets.

Lastly, if you can find a buddy or a friend who will meet up with you and do the exercise together -- that helps a lot, too!

Where to bring your baby or kids

2011-08-01T16:18:00.000+08:00

My daughter is turning 2 years old in a few months time. Lately, I found myself looking for activities and places that we could enjoy... Apart from the usual boring shopping mall.
Some suggestions that I would like to share to other mommies out there:

1. KL bird park - this is a superb place as they have extensive beautiful birds. Some roam freely and you can observe them up-close. Easy access as this is in the heart of KL. For expats, I suggest bring your work permits or I-card or whatever proof you have that u r residing in Malaysia. Usually these places give you a discount on entrance fees.

2. Zoo Negara- as of July 2011, we went for a visit. I had mixed reviews from friends. Some said don't bother. Others said not bad. We went to see for ourselves and true enough, it is not bad! For a quick fix on seeing giraffes, elephants and lions, this place is worth visiting. I'm sure the kids will enjoy!

3. Science Center- this is located near our place (mont kiara) and we wonder why we never went there for so many years... And the answer is because we didn't have a baby back then! For those with kids or toddlers, a visit to this science center will be fun (and cheap). Don't expect it to be like the Singapore science center though. Just go with low expectations and you will enjoy. They made a toddler area where they can run around. And our recent visit few weeks ago, there was the dinosaur exhibition which was interesting. Some of the science stuff were poorly maintained, while others were still okay and provided some entertainment to my little girl. Overall, not bad for a short visit to fill the weekend with something different.

4. TTDI park bukit kiara- this is a nice park where you can run around and see monkeys, turtles and fishes. Easy access. Great to visit on afternoons around 5-6pm where all the kids are out with their families.

5. Acquaria KLCC- nice aquarium for children to see different fishes. Nicely located near Suria klcc mall which means you can have a nice lunch or meal after the fish visit. Plus go walk at the klcc park!

Still discovering other places where I can bring my little girl. If you have suggestions please do let me know!

Resident Pass approved and released!

2011-08-01T15:58:00.000+08:00

The Malaysian Government is definitely doing the right thing in retaining foreign talents. We are one of those who got the recently launched Resident Pass. After a week of preparation, 21- days processing, another 2 weeks for approval and release of pass, we finally have it!!! Our passports were stamped with the new RP pass. One of the surprise was the expiry dates were different for me, hubby and daughter.... Of course we just then realized that the initial pass they released (which is supposed to be a 5-yr pass) will have to follow the expiry dates of passport. So because hubby and daughter have earlier expiries, their passes are shorter than mine. I hope it won't be too problematic in transferring the RP to new passports... But that is a problem I will address 4 years from now.

Meanwhile, we are happy that we received it finally. We love Malaysia and we are happy we can stay for a long time.

Resident Pass Update: after approval what's next?

2011-07-20T18:06:00.001+08:00

We were ecstatic when we saw online that our RP application was approved. I waited 2 days to see if they will contact me, but I didn't hear from them... so I decided to drop them an email. They promptly replied to the email congratulating me on the application approval. And they stated the additional requirements needed which I have to prepare (together with the payment submission). It took me another 1 week to put all requirements together. Fortunately, I was very inquisitive about the requirements because I did not want to waste my time (and drive all the way to Cyberjaya which is 1-hour away from Mont Kiara) with incomplete documents!

In the email, they stated the balance payment that is due to Talent Corp as well as another fee which is due to the Immigration of Malaysia.

Sharing with you the total costs so that you have an idea:

1. When we applied online, we had to send an initial RM600 to Talent Corp -- this is just to cover processing fees. One will need to prepare a BANK DRAFT for the payment and they do not accept anything else. The RM600 covered for myself, my husband and for my daughter.

2. After the email approval, I had to go to the bank and prepare 4 BANK DRAFTS:
a. TALENT CORP - had to pay RM4,900 in total for the balance due to them which covers me, husband and daughter
b. IMMIGRATION - we had to pay different fees because this depends on your nationality. Because my passport is CHINA, the fees were higher than my hubby's and daughter's (French). Plus all the payments need to be separate --- meaning 1 check per person. So total of 3 bank drafts payable to Immigration. Mine was RM650. Hubby and Daughter was RM 564.50 each.

All I can advise is to make sure you clear our all the requirements to avoid delay (and even a disappointing trip to Cyberjaya!) It almost happened to me, as the email only asked for "passport picture with blue background" and it stated they needed only MY picture. We were doubtful of that, so we sent an email to clarify. True enough, we needed Picture with BLUE BACKGROUND for all of us. That meant 2 trips to Bangsar Shopping Centre for us ... all because they were not too clear about the additional requirements.

Another thing to note: If your spouse is working and have an existing work permit, you will also need a company letter from your spouse's company -- the NO OBJECTION LETTER needs to be submitted together with the payment. They wanted the original copies of the no objection letter -- so make sure this is also prepared!

The drive to Cyberjaya was smooth. The GPS took me straight to the eXpats office. It was a pleasant surprise to see they have allocated special parking for eXpats clients who are there to submit documents. Unfortunately no one told me that so i parked so far away. Well, next time I will park at the special parking.

I went to submit our passports, No Objection Letters, passport pictures with blue background, our wedding certificate which was certified true copy by the Singapore embassy, plus another document which they sent (it was in Bahasa Malaysia)... they wanted my local contact to sign on that form.

The submission was easy. The place was nice, with aircon and newspaper and even coffee machine, internet, and TV. It was not a long wait.

After she checked all the documents, they handed me the receipt for the Talent Corp payment. Plus 3 signed documents which were ready -- these are to be used in case of any emergency -- as we dont have our passports with us. It states that we have RP approval and our passports are under processing.

It has been 3 working days since my submission. Let's see how long it will take for them to call me and allow me to collect our passports with our Resident Pass!

By the way -- the visa they will stamp is for 5 years only. That is the max that the gov't is giving. It will be 5-yrs visa with additional 5 years after the expiry ... so it will be total of 10 years... but that means after 5 years we need to go back for stamping again (and probably some fees). Just so you know what to expect!

For Resident Pass inquiries: info@talentcorp.com.my

Resident Pass Approved!!!

2011-07-01T23:28:00.002+08:00

I just wanted to share the good news with you... As of today, July 1, my application for the RP has been approved. I submitted all documents online first week of June. Then there was an auto reply from them sent to my email which asked me to pay the fees for processing. If you process for 1 person, that is RM 200. Which means if you process for yourself, your spouse plus one child, it will cost rm600 in total.

I sent a follow up email asking the status around mid-June. I got a prompt reply saying they received the payment and still reviewing my submission. They also mentioned that my case is being reviewed and I should know results by July 1.

The morning of July 1, hubby checked online to see what is the status. It still said "application in progress". When he checked in the afternoon, it said "application approved". Wow... Happy to hear that! Now we are awaiting the next steps... Probably they will send email to ask us to pay the remaining fees for the 10-yr visa processing? Will keep you posted once I get some news next week.

Meanwhile... All the best to you, if you are planning to get the RP! It has been a pleasant experience for me.

Residence Pass Update

2011-06-02T22:45:00.000+08:00

Today I completed all my documents which i submitted online through the TalentCorp Malaysia website. One needs to prepare and scan all the needed documents to complete the online submission... luckily the website is pretty sophisticated and you can in fact partially finish the application and SAVE your work. That means you can log in anytime to fill up your forms and attach needed documents. It took me around a week to complete all the needed paperwork. Today I finally clicked "SUBMIT". After you do that, there will be an auto reply to your email which includes a PDF attachement with a summary of the submitted applications (in my case it included my name, my husband and my daughter).

The next step after that is to go get a bank draft which should be issued to Talent Corporation Malaysia Berhad. I thought it would take time, but i was pleasantly surprised by the good service of HSBC and within 10 minutes I got the bank draft that I needed.

I also had to call Talent Corp hotline Telephone +603-83153195 to ask if the amount I need to pay immediately should cover for all 3 applications or just for myself. Thankfully there was a prompt answer on the phone and the lady who answered was helpful.

The answer to my question: If you will apply for 3 people, that means you need to pay an initial fee of RM200 per person. So to apply the RP (Residence Pass) for myself, hubby and baby I needed to make a bank draft of RM600 in total.

I still need to get that bank draft sent to the TalentCorp office ... then they will start processing it. Let us keep our fingers crossed and see how this goes.

Talent Corporation contact details:

<><>

eXpats Service Centre,
Suite 2.1, Level 2, East Wing,
3539 FSBM Plaza,
Jalan Teknokrat 7,
63000 Cyberjaya, Selangor,
Malaysia

Operating Hours:

8.30am - 4.30pm Mon - Fri

rphelpdesk@talentcorp.com.my

Tel: +6 03 8315 3195
Fax: +6 03 8315 3008

Malaysia Resident Pass - New Solution for Expats to stay in Malaysia

2011-06-01T14:26:00.000+08:00

To all fellow expats and other people who may be interested to stay in Malaysia for the long-term, we finally have a new pass or visa ... which was recently launched. A friend of mine told me about it and today (June 1, 2011) I am planning to put together all the requirements so that we (me and my family) can get a 10-years visa to live & work in MALAYSIA!

It is a wonderful product called RESIDENTS PASS, which the Malaysian Government launched. They want to retain and keep foreign talents which will help Malaysia grow its economy. More details can be found at their website or you can even contact them at Telephone Number +603-83153195 or email their helpdesk at rphelpdesk@talentcorp.com.my

I myself am going thru the process right now so I cannot share the full experience yet. I just wanted to share this exciting news to qualifying expats who want to stay for a long time.

Incidentally, they came to interview me when they were launching the article on the Resident Pass (article will be featured at the June 2011 Expat Magazine). I am sharing a copy below... not sure if it will be very clear since i turned the PDF file into JPEG.

Lastly, bear in mind that there are certain requirements and qualifications needed to get the visa. I suggest you read the website closely and then start emailing/asking questions via their contact details.

Best of luck to you! I will post my experience and results in due time.

Expat Magazine Article June 2011 - Resident Pass

A Place for Kids

2011-05-04T11:57:00.001+08:00

For parents looking for a fun place to go whatever the weather, you can always check out Bangsar.

Bangsar Village 2 has a place called KizSports where children (and even toddlers) can exhaust their energy. They charge RM10- per child. What is even better is that my favorite restaurant (when I was pregnant & doing pregnancy yoga) Fit For 2 is right in front. So you would see many mothers with children having lunch at that place. I suggest weekdays visit because weekends can be too packed, and your child might get trampled by the big kids.

Another place is Bangsar Shopping Centre (BSC) where you will find Jungle Gym. They don't charge for children below 2yrs old.

Personally I prefer KizSports bec it is more toddler friendly. They also have some hired help who help to look around & watch the kids.

Mommies and daddies can then have a relaxing afternoon once the kids are too tired and knocked out (asleep) in their strollers after a few hours of running around.

A nice way to spend the late morning til around after lunch. Ahhhh the mommy life is so different (and rewarding). Living in KL makes parenthood easy and fun.

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Mont Kiara living

2011-04-30T16:05:00.001+08:00

mont kiara

The beauty of living in Mont Kiara area is the accessibility to stuff that you need. Apart from having some International Schools nearby, there are also commercial places like the newly opened 1 Mont Kiara (opened 2011), as well as the old Plaza Mont Kiara. Both places offer restaurants, travel agencies, groceries and cafes. Convenient for people living nearby, you can walk to these places and enjoy a stress-free day. No parking worries, ample parking spaces also available. Recently, I was very happy about the opening of HSBC in Plaza Mont Kiara.

Indeed, a nice neighborhood for expats.

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Buying Food at the Market

2011-04-30T11:58:00.001+08:00

Oftentimes I would buy our supply of food at the favorite supermarkets. They pack everything nicely and neatly, which also means they charge us accordingly.

A friend long ago informed me of TTDI market and everytime I visited that wet market, it has always been a pleasant experience. The prices are always so reasonable. The place kept clean. Access to fresh PORK at the basement floor. Beautiful fresh veggies.

Highly recommended to all mothers who want to buy fresh food at reasonable price. They have a parking lot at basement with very cheap parking rate (I usually paid no more than 50 cents).

I bought 20pcs of chicken wings today and I asked them to cut it in half. The 20 big pieces costs rm23. Planning a little party get together with some friends for tomorrow that's why I bought so much!

You can also access superb fruits. Fresh flowers. Nice, different types of fishes and shrimp.

And to top it off, everything is always packed nice and neat for you. They really do give good service... So for expats who used to be afraid of "wet market", this place may surprise you!

Address:
Jalan Wan Kadir 2, TTDI
Usually when you mention TTDI market people are familiar with it.

Sent from my Windows Phone 7

Latest News... On Living in KL

2011-04-28T23:22:00.000+08:00

Hi Friends... I am guilty of not posting anything for a while now. It has been a colorful journey so far, and yes, we still love living here in Kuala Lumpur.

In the past months, I have been receiving a number of inquiries about living in Kuala Lumpur -- from people outside Malaysia who have plans to move here. I am so happy to hear that they find my posts useful... and so I feel I must update everyone with some entries which you may find helpful.

Let me just bullet it out so that it is short, concise and you can browse easily:

Finding a place to stay: I seriously recommend you meet at least 2-3 agents so you can get more choices as they tend to narrow down to those they
are familiar with – which means you will get less choices (and if they don’t know how to nego in your behalf then you are stuck)
Areas to live: for newcomers who are not yet decided on where to stay ... the immediate recommendations would be Mont Kiara and Bangsar areas. Although lately I hear a lot of expats moving also to the Desa Park City area. Choosing the right place really depends on a few factors: like the place of work for daddy/hubby, priorities on mobility (can walk around or has free shuttle), having a nice community or neighborhood, etc. For couples with at least 1 baby and new to KL, I would highly recommend Mont Kiara. Though please dont get me wrong, there are plenty of other places to stay apart from what I mentioned. I know of families who are quite happy living in KLCC area, as well as other areas like TTDI and Tropicana. Lots of options. You need to do your homework.

CARS: the perception is that it is very expensive here. Well, yeah , when I compare it to buying a car in Manila, the price is higher bec of the import taxes. But they have made some cars quite affordable bec they started making cars that are partially assembled in Malaysia... so for example Honda City and some models of Suzuki Swift and other brands have affordable prices here in KL ... If you opt for fully imported of course the price will be higher. All I know is I find that the interest rate of cars (if you borrow money from the bank) it is quite low and affordable... the interest is around the range of 3-4% from what I know (and close to what we are paying the bank currently). In fact, for some of the newcomers, they may be surprised to see that there are TONS and TONS of Benz / BMWs around .... well, that is a different story bec it seems Malaysia has access to some of the "recons" from other countries like Japan. In short, they import used cars (that are still super nice but used), they jazz it up and resell it to people. Hence, you will see lots of Muranos, Harriers, etc...
GAS / PETROL: Malaysia gov't subsidizing some cost which means the petrol or gas prices here are LOW... and I say low / cheap when I compare it to MANILA and when hubby compares it to France...
FOOD PRICES: Malaysia and Malaysians love their food! Food prices are so cheap.... most of the locals DONT cook regularly and instead they "take-away" food from food stalls/restaurants. I find that the grocery and market prices are reasonable, and some of the stuff are cheaper than in Manila. Of course you will occasionally find some imported items more pricey that in your country (due to import taxes of Malaysia)... but at least it is made available! I love groceries here .. they are open until 10PM!!! In Manila Unimart shuts down by 8-830pm. When I got here I was amazed with the opening hours of groceries... My fave groceries are MERCATO (in Plaza Damas Hartamas Shopping Centre), Village Grocer (in Bangsar or in Mont Kiara). You can find easy access to COLD STORAGE in a lot of areas. Bottomline, you have access to a lot of stuff -- local or imported. Oh, and once there was someone who contacted me asking about ORGANIC food here in KL... PLENTY of organic stuff! In groceries or even specialized ORGANIC stores... no shortage on that front.
MAID: well, if you want a live-in maid it is possible and just be ready to pay for the permit. the gov't will grant a working permit for the maid and for you to get this you might fork out some money in the range of RM 2,500 to Rm5,000 depending on the agent, fees, etc... Basically a maid needs to have a permit to stay legally in Malaysia. They have all sorts of maids available -- Filipinos, Cambodians, Indonesians... Most of the expats prefer Filipinos bec they are more loving, give better service as well as speak better English. Though I have encountered some good Cambodians/Indons as well. Salary of Filipinos will be higher than the latter... and be ready to pay the range of RM1,000 to RM1,600 for a Filipino maid.
HOSPITALS / PEDIA/ MEDICAL: I find Malaysia a superb place for access to medical stuff: be it my safe and wonderful delivery of baby (at GLENEAGLES HOSPITAL in AMPANG), to access to pedia (GLOBAL DOCTORS in Mont Kiara). They even have a 5-star hotel looking hospital called PRINCE COURT where many people have good experiences. I also visited the Sunway group which was pricey but great service. So no worries on that front.

Those are typical questions from expats or people who have plan to come over. I will post more in the coming days. Hope this helps.

Cheap convenient way to Singapore

2010-12-28T22:30:00.000+08:00

The December holiday mood urges everyone (or should I say every woman) to go shop , shop, shop and take advantage of YES --year end sales. Hubby and I decided to take a short trip to ex-hometown Singapore. We haven't been back there for almost 4 years. We decided to be adventurous and take the bus called Odyssey. It is super convenient and affordable. 2 Way trip cost around rm180, which includes a simple meal and drink. Total trip is around 4 hours. The ride was okay. The experience of crossing the border was a first for me as we usually take the plane. It was a breeze, no hassle at all. The Odyssey bus stand is so conveniently located at Mont Kiara (beside Coffee Bean and Las Vacas). We walked from our condo that morning departure.

The seats were comfortable and spacious.

Overall good experience road trip to Singapore via Odyssey.

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Birthday Getaway Celebration at The Club Saujana

2010-11-18T17:19:00.000+08:00

My little girl turned one today. Time flies!

Just a year ago, I was at the hospital delivering my little one.. and now she do baby step walking already.

For the birthday celebration, we decided to keep it simple. Rather than throw a big party which she won't remember anyway.... we decided to just book ourselves to a nearby hotel and enjoy the good service. Stress-free celebration.

We made a right choice choosing The Club Sauajana. It was a short drive from Mont Kiara to that hotel. The lush greens around made you think you are not in the city anymore.

After reading several blogs, comments (tripAdvisor), we decided to give this place a try and indeed we were not disappointed.

A quick rundown on the POSITIVES of this hotel:

short drive from KL
great view from our room
they gave us a free upgrade to Terrace Suite
the "happy hour" club lounge free drinks at 530pm-630pm was nice... not only did they give free drinks, they had some free nibbles as well -- impressive foodies like carrot soup served in a glass shot and a spoonful of tasty risotto -- perfect company to our Perrier and white wine!
they were very quick with all requests we made -- when we called for extra body shower gel
the price we paid (we booked the Rejuvinate Package from their official website) includes everything in the mini-bar, this is a great concept! all the drinks you want!
aircon was very nice -- the room got cold quickly. the aircon system seems to be very new
the pool was very well maintained
lots of greeneries around... we were near the golf course... i would highly recommend to golfers!
the spa was superb! it was the most most most comforable massage bed we have ever experienced. the place is huge! the service was good also
free shuttle to the yummy Japanese restaurant Kogetsu (where I had a super yummy beef teppanyaki -- one of the best i have tried)

Well, not everything is perfect... so there are some points for improvement ...

I requested for a baby cot when I booked online, they forgot about it. I had to remind them 2 x when we checked into the room. Finally they sent it over when we were out for lunch
the room didnt have a hair dryer -- I kept looking for it... finally in the end I had to request for one
there were some small insects near the bathtub... although i assume it is hard to really maintain such a place especially with all the greens around -- prone to insects
they only provide 1 bath gel for the huge toilet ... dont know how that is enough if you will use some for the shower and some for the bath-tub... then again, i didnt allow them to come in and do "make-up bed for the evening"... they probably would have refilled?
the bar guy who was in charge of the happy hour at club lounge didn't service us immediately after we sat at the sofa, then when i asked about the drinks, he said that the service was over. When i walked to my handbag to get the phone, it showed 630pm... so i had to go and show him the time. in the end he said he can still serve last call. After we got first round of drinks, they came with the food nibbles then asked if we wanted a free second round of drinks which we declined.... i guess that good service made up for the earlier complaint that i have
no one taking care of the pool area.... every now and then there would be some staff, but most of the time no one is around so you have to take your own towel. maybe on weekends they are more staffed at the pool area?

Overall, we spend RM1,300 for 1 night stay. This included the Rejuvinate Package (which had 2 x Balinese massage), our lunch at Kogetsu and our dinner in-room.

Highly recommended for those looking for 5 star quality around town.

Boracay: how to get there from Malaysia

2010-11-02T23:52:00.002+08:00

Ahh... the superb sand of Boracay (Philippines). Perfect weather. Sunny all year. Superb temperature as you jump into the clear waters of Boracay. My recent re-visit to the island was another good experience. The sincere service given by Pinoys (or Filipinos), plus the affordability and great location -- makes up a good vacation.

The Malaysians and expats in Malaysia always ask me about Boracay. How to get there. How much. What is Boracay.

Few bullet points:

I am a spoiled brat when it comes to beach quality and water temperature & clarity. This is because going to Boaracy spoiled me and made the standards so high!
Every cent you spend on Boracay trip will surely be worth it. Be it single person looking for adventure, party and getaway. Be it couples on honeymoon or lovey-dovey trip. Be it group of friends who want a getaway with adventure and food trip and diving.
Of course, this also depends on where you stay. Different hotels are differently priced. And if you stay in a ultra cheap place, well, maybe you won't have the super-duper service or experience,,, but honestly I don't think that will stop you from having a great time either
GOOD NEWS on flights. On our recent trip to Manila and Boracay (last September 2010), we took the CEBU PACIFIC flight. And we noticed that it now lands into the "new" airport Terminal 3. This means this is the same airport as the domestic flights that go to Boracay! So for Malaysians who fly to Philippines just for a Boracay trip.. this is what you do.... KUALA LUMPUR --> MANILA (there is only 1 flight out, which leaves 1am from KL and arrives 5am in Manila). You stay at the same airport, take your breakfast. Then catch a domestic flight to CATICLAN BORACAY. There are a number of different airlines you can catch. Check online (this shows a list of different airlines and flight times). Some airlines I have tried: Cebu Pacific, Air Philippines, SeaAir and Asian Spirit. So many options to make sure you catch a direct flight instead of staying overnight in Manila
The flight from Manila to Caticlan Boracay is just 1 hour!
Then there will be a short ferry/ boat ride, then a car ride. This is slightly different from my past experience which is outdated now. Things seem to have a changed a bit.. modernization!
My personal recommended hotel (tried and tested, to avoid disappointment!!!!) I will arrange in order from Best to Good : Discovery Shores Boracay (perfect even if you have a baby !!!), SeaWind, and Waling Waling. These are all located in Station 1 (the best side of the long stretch of beach in Boracay)

Happy trip! I swear ,,,, you will enjoy your visit to Boracay. My personal favorite despite all the other travels. Or maybe I haven't discovered some of the other superb beaches??? If you know any, do let me know!

Anniversary Gift Idea for Expat Couples

2010-11-02T22:49:00.000+08:00

Whenever our wedding anniversary comes up, I panic. I try to think of fantastic getaways, which I used to succeed (during our engaged days and the first 2 years of marriage) -- simply because we were still "single and carefree" couples. Last year, when I was heavy & pregnant, we couldn't go anywhere and the only option was to splurge on a super-duper spa treatment (that catered to pregnant women). We went to Khayreyana Spa (after I reviewed some of the blog entries of other people -- thank heavens for online reviews!) They had masseuse who knew how to treat pregnant women, so I was overjoyed with that. We had a couple's room and did the whole 4-hour long spa treatment which came with scrub, bath, and massage. Overall it was a nice experience, but it will take a while before I go back. I prefer to be adventurous with our little indulgence. If I am not mistaken, we paid around RM 700 for our massage treatment at Khayreyana... and this price became that way because of the "upgrade" options on the scented scrubs (I was a sucker to fall for it!). Anyway if you are on a tight budget, I think this place is a good alternative. Different, very Malay influenced design. Not bad for a 1-time try.

Now let's move on to something more recent. This year's anniversary meant we couldn't escape anywhere as well because I will feel too guilty if baby doesn't come along with us. And if baby did come along without the nanny coming with us, that will mean to spa nor alone time with hubby. So again, the option was to go spa-splurge for our celebration. I searched. And searched. Then I finally had a good idea! After all the advertising that Hammam has done (at the Expat magazine, etc), it was time to finally try it. After a little online search, I saw that people who tried it were fairly satisfied. So we went ahead and booked.

To sum up the experience in very short bullet points:

For typical spa-goer like me, this is definitely DIFFERENT
If you are too shy to be scrubbed or splashed with water by a complete stranger, then please do no attempt to go
Or, if you are the above entry (a bit shy), please go there with you BIKINI or your SWIM TRUNKS. That will protect you a bit from all the exposure that will happen
Literally, there will be a person assigned to you who will scrub your whole body (while you are seated and standing up positions), and after the scrub they will take a plastic scooper to pour water on your body. Yes, it sounds like a mother bathing a child.
That is the "Hammam and Gommage" part... where they literally will scrub you clean and you can view your DEAD SKIN everywhere... "where did all that come from???"
They also make you lie down on a very warm tile... I found this relaxing and different from the sauna
The whole Hammam and Gommage was done by Moroccans for both me and hubby. They placed us in a toilet-looking thing (but with exotic Moroccan design). Then they do their thing. So for couples, at least you stay in the same "toilet" room
We had our 90 minute body massage afterwards, which were done by Indonesian masseurs
Overall we had to pay RM830 for everything. I found it pricey but it was worth the 1st time experience
they have a very pushy salesman-cum-receptionist (male) and will try to sell you a whole package. he really tried and tried. He is a pretty good salesman but I think a bit too pushy. Don't be "pushed" okay??? Just insist you want to pay for a 1-time experience and you need to think about it
I think overall - great experience especially if you need that "EXOTIC BREAK" with hubby. Though I honestly wouldn't go there every month for a relaxing massage.

Last but not least -- Avi Spa at Port Dickson.

short drive from Kuala Lumpur to Port Dickson
Superb, superb and I mean superb views from the room!
Fantastic staff, very welcoming, not pushy
After 4 trials (by myself and with my hubby), i think it is most worth it when you take the COUPLE'S room. Superb view. It wasn't so fantastic for me when I stayed at the single room. Not the same effect.
Price is reasonable. Please visit their site. I always take the AVI SIGNATURE RUB
Best time to go: always try to book the 4pm or 5pm massage. that way, after your massage you can enjoy the sunset view. super relaxing. love the view. makes the whole thing worth it
I would say this is the best choice if you need a short getaway, reasonable yet stunning view
See pictures below

Khayreyana Spa in Petaling Jaya
Khareyana Spa
36 Jalan Selangor
46050 Petaling Jaya
Selangor, MALAYSIA
T : +603 7958 6219
E : thespa@khareyana.com

Avi Spa Sdn Bhd
Avillion Port Dickson
3rd Mile, Jalan Pantai
71000 Port Dickson , Negeri Sembilan
Malaysia
t: 606.647.5740
e: info@avispa.com.my

Hammam
Tel No 03-22822180
Bangsar Village 2 (highest floor of BV2)
You won't miss it.. the doors itself are designed very creatively with a "Moroccan" look

Affordable Japanese Lunch at Mizu in Bangsar Village 1

2010-10-25T09:53:00.000+08:00

Parenthood has changed the way we spend weekends. Sundays are now dedicated to bringing our little princess to Gybmoree for her play class. That way she gets to see other little ones and also get to learn new things. She is 11 months old now, and getting more active everyday. As for Gybmoree in Bangsar, well, I will have another entry on that. It is a good place -- but honestly the management and the staff can be improved. Especially as it is pricey!

Nowadays, Sundays mean having a yummy lunch (to relax and enjoy)... and we would usually have our superb Japanese fare at Mizu. It is right beside the old MPH and nearby Gymboree (which makes it a strategic lunch place for parents!). The price for LUNCH menu is so affordable. I read on many blogs that if you go for dinner there (which means they don't make the lunch menu available), it could cost up to RM100 per person. This is of course depending how and what you order.

I didn't take any photos this time. If you do search online for MIZU BANGSAR, you will hit many blog entries who have great and fantastic photos. As for me, I just wanted to share to the community that it is a superb deal, especially on lunch time. I super, super love thier BEEF TERRIYAKI lunch set. The price is RM 30 only. This comes with Chawan Mushi, Soup, Fruit Dessert and of course the yummy beef and white rice.

Yesterday we had lunch there with another expat friend who has a little boy. It is a family-friendly place with high-chairs available for your little one. There is also enough space around, which means you are not cramped.

Our lunch for 5 people -- 2 couples with babies and 1 nanny came with us... we ordered 5 sets and this is how the breakdown looks like for Japanese dining at Mizu:

Salmon Teriyaki Set - RM23
Beef teriyaki Set x 2 - RM60
Chicken Teriyaki Set - RM 20
Salmon Teppanyaki Set - RM 25

Sub total - RM128
Service Charge 10% - Rm 12.80
Tax - RM 6.40

TOTAL MEAL FOR 5 PAX - RM147.20

If you are looking for Japanese fine dining at a good price... do visit this place! Details below.

Mizu

1st Floor, Bangsar Village I, Bangsar, KL.
Tel: 03 – 2283 6988

Cruising at Putrajaya: nice experience

2010-08-27T11:06:00.000+08:00

To the expats who have friends and family visiting KL, they know exactly how I feel -- need to cook up itinerary to keep 'em busy! Well, recently with family coming to visit the 3rd time around, I brought them to Putrajaya to experience the lake cruise.

After the recent movie Sex and the City2, my kid sister is fascinated with the Muslim architecture, so this trip to Putrajaya was interesting for her. She saw the huge mosque from the outside. Then we went for that lake tour which lasts for about 45 minutes. I even brought my baby along with the pram -- she is only 8 months old. Very suitable for families, whether you have children or elders.

You can visit their site for more info. Best to call to ensure they didn't cancel that day's schedule. At one point, I was also able to try a private cruise when our company booked it for a private function. The catering was done by Shangri-la Hotel and the set-up was superb. Highly recommended if you are looking for a different kind of dinner experience for a private function.

It's also a nice experience for newly arrived expats who have not seen Putrajaya yet.

Enjoy!

Waxing in KL - Honeypot style!

2010-08-27T10:58:00.000+08:00

To all the ladies who love pink & like to keep things "in order".... you will love the waxing place called HONEYPOT in Bangsar Shopping Centre. The place is oh-so-pinky and the room smells like sweet candy. And of course, the main highlight of the place is the experienced waxing therapist who would be using the pinky hot wax -- which is less painful than the traditional waxing. They don't use a cloth to pull out the wax. Rather, the wax hardens and they pull out the wax itself. So for those who have experienced waxing before, you will find this one less painful (if not no pain at all!). I swear -- the bikini wax I had was the most comfortable one I ever had! To the first timers on waxing -- i need to warn you that honestly you will feel some kind of pain -- but after that first time, it will be a breeze. The therapist will explain to you why. You should see it for yourself!

Overall the ambience and cleanliness is top notch -- something I look for when I go waxing!

Honeypot Wax Boutique is located at :

Bangsar Shopping Centre
S123 2nd Floor, 285 Jalan Maarof, Bangsar
Call (03) 2092-5598
Mon - Sun : 10.30am - 8.30pm

Satisfying stay at Pangkor Laut YTL

2010-07-18T23:27:00.001+08:00

When I was 7 months pregnant I went to Pangkor Laut for some r&r and it proved to be worth every ringgit spent. Now that little baby is with us, we decided to go back and visit. We were not disappointed as the quality of their service was still as good. A pleasant surprise was that they changed their menu to keep returning guests entertained with new selections. Our baby was 6 months old and we stayed at the beach facing villa which is the most recommended for couples with baby strollers. If you are a Singapore or Malaysian resident, it is super worth it if you take the resident package which is accommodation plus food all inclusive. I would definitely recommend to all expats who are in need of a short 3 days 2 nights break. It us a short 3 hours drive from KL and when you reach the jetty, another 30 minutes by boat. My 6 month baby enjoyed the trip and so will you!!!

My favorite bread shop PAUL

2010-07-18T23:17:00.000+08:00

Summer in France was superb and now we are back in KL after 2 glorious sunny weeks. It makes me wonder what happened tithe deal of Paul bakery, a super nice bread and patisserie place from France. A year or two ago, I saw the Paul signage put up at The Gardens and at Pavilion. That got me really excited and waiting, waiting. After a while it just disappeared! I guess the business deal dissent push through. How sad. Would be nice to have something like this in KL. The picture here is the Paul branch in CDG airport Paris.

New Breakfast Place : Pink Sage Diner

2010-05-16T10:48:00.001+08:00

finally... The Pink Sage Diner came to me instead of me going to them!

Ages ago when I was craving for good pancakes in KL, I surfed the blogs and found write up's on this place. Unfortunately the one attempt we had one earely morning ended up in dispair because it was so difficult to locae Dang Wangi KL even though we had a gps! Our circling around KL that time ended up in Delicious Dua for breakfast instead becof my frustration.
well... Now things have changed. I was pleasantly surprised to see The Pink Sage Diner at Solaris Dutamas, which is nearby Mont Kiara. On Sunday breakfast we gave it a try and was not disappointed.

I had the banana pancakes and hazelnut coffee. Hubby had the Stack breakfast with flat white coffee. Plus an additional apple juice (because they ran out of orange juice... Hmm needs improvement there).

Food quality was good. I found it personally better than our pricey La Bodega breakfasts.

It is yet still to be filled up by customers maybe because simply they don't know they are open at 8am.

Breakfast bill came out Rm 58.65

The staff and waiters need some improvement though... The cleaner was mopping the floor even though she saw that we were sitting waiting for our breakfast and we could smell the chemical or whatever they put into that bucket of water to wipe the floor. The waiters could cheer up a little as they look bored and neutral... I guess for a diner ambience I was looking for the usual cheerful staff that comes with it.

The address of Pink Sage Diner
A4- UG1 - 01 Solaris Dutamas

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Good French food at a casual ambience at Nathalie's Gourmet Studio

2010-05-16T10:39:00.001+08:00

Have you ever wondered where you can get fine dining quality French cuisine at a casual ambience and okay price? Well now you can have that at Nathalie's Gourmet Studio which newly opened at Solaris Dutamas. This is great for Mont Kiara residents. So nearby and accessible.
We had a hearty lunch yesterday at that restaurant, which is ran by Nathalie herself. I first met her when I attended one of her cooking classes at her residence. She also launched her own cookbook which is popular with the expats.
Our lunch was tasty and different from our usual weekend choice, so it was a nice change.

Menu choice is limited at the moment, maybe because they are just about to have their grand opening that evening. Also take note everything is freshly made, and you have a view of the kitchen to watch how everything is prepared.

The starters that we had were superb! Hubby had the fennel soup while I had the appetizer tomato tart with tapenade at the bottom and top with parmesan cheese... Mine was superb!
They also gave some french small baguettes... Which were super super yummy. I think all French expats who miss their authentic french baguettes will surely agree with me. It transported me back to my baguette experiences from France!

Mains were okay -- I had the lamb dish while hubby's was yummier (codfish). Dessert was of course the highlight for us... I had the sample platter dessert which came with a sall glass of chocolate mousse (heavenly), a piece of macaroon (i chose the strawberry flavor, yumm!) and a small biscuit tart topped with raspberry. The dessert platter came with choice of coffee or tea.

Be ready to fork out at least rm100 per persn to experience the 3 course meal at this uber french-chic-yet-casual place. A unique concept in Malaysia-- it brings back memories of wonderful family-owned small restaurants that I visited in France.
They are currently only open for lunch. Closed on Sundays.
Be sure to make a reservation.
Call them at 03-62079572
They are located at Solaris Dutamas, the new commercial center which is built right in front of Duta Tropika.

Bon appetite!

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

As of October 2010 : latest update

I was a disappointed with their service when I went back the 2nd time around... and after that snobbish French waiter did his thing, well, I don't think I will ever go back. I did inform him that he should be more friendly to customers and understand the needs and requests... hopefully he got the idea. He is living in ASIA, and he needs to treat Asian customers like CUSTOMERS. I didn't want to bring it up with thier management as they were not around at that time... I took some cooking classes with Nathalie a while back before she opened this place and she is a very nice person. Hopefully she gets to read this and improve the service at that place. It is NOT CHEAP to eat there -- so in my view, customers should be treated well especially with the tons of different restaurants available in KL.

Great japanese food Zakura @ plaza mont kiara

2010-05-02T14:55:00.001+08:00

Hubby, baby and mommy walked together one sunny Sunday to have a relaxing japanese lunch. Unlike last week's adventure to Xenri, we had a better experience this weekend. The walk as pleasant and when we got to Plaza Mont Kiara we decided to try Zakura which is located near Secret Recipe. We were not disappointed. The food quality was very good and pricing was reasonable. They hd interesting bento sets. Hubby took the seafood teppanyaki while I took something hat had chicken teriyaki with tempura. The salmon sashimi was also good quality. We would surely go back again for a lazy weekend late lunch. The pleasant walk home was a plus!

Perfect for a late lunch on a weekend for Mont Kiara residents!

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Good Japanese Lunch on Weekends at Kuala Lumpur (My Opinions!)

2010-04-25T23:05:00.000+08:00

Whenever hubby and I try to narrow down which restaurant type to go to on weekends, he knows that I will only have 1 answer in mind : Japanese! Sometimes he says I am very "makulit" (that's a Tagalog word, if you translate into English I think you can say I am redundant or always repeating the same thing)

I can't help it but I really love Japanese food. Even back in Manila.

Anyway, this entry is all about my latest Japanese escapades for the month of April 2010. I will make it brief and direct... no beating around the bush on food reviews !

1. Kirishima Japanese Restaurant
Their lunch bento box are so worth it! The quality of food is good and service is great. I would highly recommend to Japanese lovers. I discovered this place only lately thanks to my expat friend Tram. The prices are also very reasonable for the quality of food. Do make sure to visit during lunch time where prices are cheaper than dinner time. Their bento box selection is very, very impressive!

Kirishima Location and Details:
Lot 1.2, First Floor, Dua Annexe, 211 Jln Tun Razak
Kuala Lumpur
Tel: 03-2162 8127

Of course, when we visited I didn't have time to take photos. Baby Alex was with us, and we had lunch with our friends. We really enjoyed the speedy and attentive service. Easy to get parking at that location and very easy to bring little baby with us. I would definitely go back.

2. Xenri D'Garden Terrace
We tried their buffet lunch on a Sunday. First of all, you will need to book reservations due to the popularity of their buffet which was offered at RM 55++ per person. First impression: the venue was nice because of the greens around. It was surprising especially as it was located inside a building at the heart of KL.

Food: I wouldn't say it was top notch but quality was okay for that price. They had good refill timing for shrimp tempura so that means you don't need to wait forever before you can grab your share. They also had good steak and yakitori as part of the buffet. Downside: the sukiyaki guy manning the booth gave me such a small bowl and not enough soup.. maybe he was under pressure with the number of people?

Downside: the place is very tight if you want to bring a small baby with stroller. I would say that the place is bordering on "cramped" becuase you would literally come face-to-face with some customers or waiters as you stroll through the buffet spread. Also, after we had our meal we were too stuffed and full. Hubby and I will not go back for the buffet anymore... it's very bad for the health! I think we over-ate, and we admit it's purely our fault. Anyway... from this point forward we will favor sit-down Japanese meals than buffet!

Service: it was good, they had a lady waiter who was attentive to our needs. They also allowed me to order ala carte for my maid who tagged along to help take care of baby.

Xenri D'Garden Terrace details:
Lot 2.04, Second Floor The Podium Menara Hap Seng Jalan P Ramlee Kuala Lumpur Tel: 03-2078 6688

3. Rakuzen Plaza Damas

Because this Japanese restaurant is very accessible from Mont Kiara, we would go to visit often. One thing I learned over the months is to book a reservation because they are popular and they are always full! That is what I would usually do to avoid disappointment. Many locals told me about Rakuzen's popularity and they have been riding the success over the past few years. Lately some of my friends told me about the detriorating food and service quality. And now I believe them. When my family came to visit from Manila I brought them to Rakuzen. The ambience was still nice. Service was bad, you had to literally get the attention of the waiter just to get green tea refills. And the worst of all, we had to eat our food one bento box at a time... meaning the food didn't arrive all at the same time. The timing gap was too long. I told the waitress about their bad service, which she said she would tell the manager.... though it didn't seem sincere. I guess they don't really care because they have so many customers! Plus during my last visit, they delivered the last bento box without the chawan mushi. The waiter said it would follow. And we eventually had to follow up (after successfully catching a waiter's attention), and when it came it was really too late already.

Well... despite having visited that joint at least 20 times already since we lived in Malaysia... I think that will be our last visit. Service was bad. Food quality declining. I will just have to look for other alternatives for my Japanese craving.

RAKUZEN JAPANESE RESTAURANT @ HARTAMAS

Lot P17 Plaza Ground Floor, Hartamas Shopping Centre,
60 Jalan Sri Hartamas 1, Sri Hartamas, 50480 Kuala Lumpur.
Tel: (03) 6201 2060 (03) 6201 5060

4. Sugimoto
The lunch box at this place really impressed me during my last few visit. Simply because the price was so, so affordable! You could also build your own bento box selection, which was great because you had the freedom of choice. But during the last visit this April, well, sad to say the quality has declined. Imagine, they even told my husband he couldn't have sushi in his choice bento because they were running out of fish and can only serve it for the sushi orders ala carte. That fact aside, we still stayed to eat and unfortunately I think their quality has gone down... or could my taste have changed after the pregnancy? I asked hubby if he agreed and he said yes.

It was also a pain to bring baby there as you need to take a small elevator to go up to the restaurant. The place is a bit old. Service is okay. There used to be a very attentive lady waiter and I didn't see her anymore. Maybe she left?

Sugimoto is located at 36-1 & 38-1, Jalan 27/70A, Desa Sri Hartamas, KL.

36-1 & 38-1, Jalan 27/70A, Desa Sri Hartamas,50480, Kuala Lumpur.
Tel: 03- 2300 1102 or 03-2300 1202

That sums up my April Japanese restaurant adventures... just my honest opinion. Hope this helps out some people who are looking for japanese food! In case you have great places to share, do leave a comment so I can check it out next time :)

The Picture Company in Kuala Lumpur

2010-04-17T12:30:00.000+08:00

Last Feb 2010 my baby turned 3 months old and of course being the mommy that I am -- I wanted to capture that moment forever. New moms are probably like me -- going through a stage where you just want to take photos and videos of every moment, change and development of your little one!

While strolling at 1 Utama shopping mall, I discovered that they launched a new store called The Picture Company at the new wing, very near Baby Gap store and Parkson. I was delighted and quickly went in to check out the shop!

What is the Picture Company? Well, since I was originally from Manila, I immediately knew what it was. It's a company started by a Filipino who specializes on photography for babies and children. There may be many photographers around nowadays, especially with the affordable prices of digital SLRs... but believe me, without the proper lighting in a studio, the pictures just don't come out the same. Also, one of the reasons you may want to check out this place is because they are baby-friendly. They have tons of "props" -- like costumes, hats, toys, etc which can enhance the "captured moment" you are trying to achieve.

Maybe there are many parents like me out there: we have 2 digital cameras and 1 Canon SLR. I love taking photos and I believe I have mastered the art of taking great photos. I have tried gazillions of photo shoot with baby at home, in every part of the apartment. The challenges I faced were: not enough lighting at certain parts of the apartment, no nice backdrop, and of course trying to keep baby steady to get a nice shot. To top it off, it is impossible at this point to try to have a beautiful family photo even with the timer options in digital cameras. I have tried all sort of ways to take a family picture: using the Canon Ixus with timer, using my Canon SLR with timer, asking my mom to take several shots hopefully to get lucky with 1 nice shot, and even training my maid on how to use my digital camera to take some shots when we are out and about hoping to capture 1 nice family photo. We did get some nice shots, but never one which is good enough that can capture the oozing happiness we have with our new little baby. We needed a perfect photo -- something that will transcend through time. Something I can treasure when I look back at the early years of baby.

And so, I reviewed the rates of the Picture Company, decided to try some test shots that day. On the 1st day I visited we didn't print any of the photos. We simply had a photo shoot and I decided to come back again a few days after -- this time with dad in tow. So in the end, we had dad-baby-mommy photo and we were happy with the results. Here I attached a photo of my little baby when she was 3 months old. Believe me, it takes extra work to be able to get a little baby to look at the camera, smile and pose at the same time.

For some people they may find the rates exorbitant. For some they will think like me -- capturing such moments are priceless. It may be pricey but all you need is a few really, really good photos to keep over the years. Of course, it also makes a nice gift to grandparents who are all so excited about your little one.

Overall I think it's an activity worth checking out for parents... it makes a nice activity for the family on a weekend. And especially on important occassions! We went back for a photo shoot last month when my mother and sister were in KL visiting us. So we had a nice group photo will little one. Now the picture is framed out and proudly sitting in grandma's apartment back in Manila. Indeed, a nice gift which is priceless!

They are currently at 1 Utama but I think they will open another branch soon in Gardens Mall.

For those who may find this interesting, check out:
http://www.picturecompany.com.my/

Good bread at KL: Levain Boulangerie

2010-04-17T10:03:00.001+08:00

My expat friend (Tram) told me about this new bread place at the heart of KL. Her hubby is French and he was all praises about this bakery's baguette. You know how the French love their bread so if he says it's good, it must be good. So on Saturday morning hubby and I decided to give it a try. The place was easy to find (thanks to the gps, ha ha)

Levain is a nice big bakery. Very different from the french bakery I am used to which is at Sri Hartamas. It is a big bungalow which they turned into a bakery, which means ample parking space and seating capacity. We were greeted by a chinese cashier who is a bit so-so (they should look into putting someone more cheerful in the morning!) The first impression of the bakery is that it was filled with all sorts of bread so I took my time to look around. We ordered different type of bread and all were good quality. The coffee was average and it's a shame they don't offer decaf (for breast- feeding mothers like me !) anyway we enjoyed the bread we ordered as we sat on the sofa couch seats tucked away at the corner of the bakeshop. I saw some corner seats which had power plugs which means people who want to surf the net or work long can hang out here for a long time.
The croissant almond or croissant d'amando in french... It was yummy! The rest were of good quality as well...we tried croissant turkey ham, custard creme donuts, and butter roll. There is surely a wide selection of bread to choose from!

Shame that it's a bit of a drive from Mont Kiara to this place, else we would frequent it for breakfast.

Levain is located at No. 7 Jalan Delima off Jalan Imbi KL
Phone no: 21426611
www.levain.com.my

Another nice place for weekend morning breakfast!

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Vaccination for Baby in Kuala Lumpur

2010-03-21T05:47:00.000+08:00

We brought little one to the doctor today for her next round of vaccination. We tried a new doctor, which was recommended by a Swedish friend. I was surprised to find out the price disparity among doctors for the same type of service! The doctor at Sunway Medical Centre was at least RM100- more than what Global Doctors in Mont Kiara are charging. And to think Global Doctors in Mont Kiara is already a price premium over the typical doctors at the hospital (e.g. Glenneagles pediatrician).

For those expats who decide to live in the Mont Kiara area, one of the advantages is the easy access to a clinic or doctor. They have a small Global Doctors clinic which is 5-minutes walk from my condo. While the bigger branch which has more specialist and doctors would be at the other Mont Kiara street (I need to take the car to drive there, there is plenty of parking space in that facility so no worries). It is a very modern and new medical center where the nurses and receptionists all speak English -- so that expat clients won't have a hard time communicating.

Full house breakfast time at The Bread shop

2010-03-06T12:15:00.001+08:00

I was very surprised to see a full house on Saturday morning at the Bread Shop at Damansara heights.

I guess good food really attracts people from all sorts of background. The place was packed with expats and locals alike.

Great bread selection and good coffee!

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breakfast @ el meson Bangsar

2010-02-28T05:24:00.000+08:00

Despite the lack of sleep, hubby and I had to get up early last Saturday to bring my car for servicing at Suzuki in Bangsar. They dropped us off at Bangsar Village while they did they servicing, which is very nice and convenient!
We walked over to El Meson which is just right in front of Bangsar Village 2. The Breakfast Like a King was rm 25 and I tried that. Hubby took the orange juice and black coffee that came with the set while I took a latte. Food was good especially for pork lovers. Hubby ordered something else like a chorizo thingy with egg & potatoes. They also had 2 types of newspaper so we enjoyed some reading time. For 2 person we spent rm 59 for breakfast. Considering our last breakfast experience at La Bodega which costed rm 99, I would say the pricing of El Meson is more reasonable plus the fact it's non halal.
Hubby and I walked back to Suzuki to pick up my car. A great way to burn those calories from the tasty breakfast!

Sunny Day Before CNY

2010-02-12T10:59:00.001+08:00

I'm out here at the poolside enjoying the rays of the sun and planning to get some exercise to get back in shape. Sitting out here with a book, my phone (blogging) & relaxing is such a luxury! I'm trying to enjoy the last days of my maternity leave and fully profiting from having such a good nanny.

Last night wasn't easy though as little one had a crying spell. We tried to put her to sleep at 10pm. We succeeded at 1am. Now I really understand what other parents meant when they told me "it's not easy!".

Baby, mommy and maid spent a whole 7 hours shopping at 1 Utama yesterday! We saw many Chinese shoppers going about hunting for nice CNY (Chinese new year) clothes as the year of the Tiger comes.

We had a fun time doing photo shoots at The Picture Company at 1 Utama. It's a specialized shop for professional photography for babies and kids. It was franchised from the Philippines and I think Malaysians will love it! Will write more about it on my next entries.

Meanwhile let me get some tan before I go back to my sun-less office. Til next time!

Fun Time at Bangsar Village with Baby

2010-02-04T17:27:00.001+08:00

Decided to be different today so we packed up in the morning and got ready for an adventure at the mall. Yaya (the maid, that's the familiar name we call nanny in Tagalog) together with Baby came with me to Bangsar Village. We had a nice lunch at Fit for Two. Surrounded by other babies, children and mothers, we felt right at home! The food was good. We also used the breastfeeding room and was able to change nappies! They give out free diapers, what more can a mom ask for, he he!
The small shopping mall Bangsar Village is so nice for an afternoon adventure with Baby! Mommy was able to buy some clothes at Zara (since pre-pregnancy clothes do not fit yet!). Not only that ... Mommy was able to get a pedicure too! Talk about fun day! Baby was super well-behaved even inside the nail salon. The french pedicure at that cozy chic salon cost Rm65. The service was good and they served nice tea. I was even able to drop by The Village Grocer to pick up some items. Spending the afternoon there was great. We stayed from 1130am til about 330pm and parking cost was rm 6. Parking was easy because that mall is not full of people. We parked at basement 2 which had easy access because of the lift. A baby-friendly mall in my opinion!

My Black & White paintings

2010-02-03T20:42:00.000+08:00

Hubby finally had the chance to put up my Black and White series paintings which I completed when I was 3 months pregnant. Some Chinese friends advised us against putting up paintings, hacking or renovations of any kind during pregnancy (some kind of bad luck). So we had to wait for post pregnancy before we could finally hang (drill on the wall).
Now that baby is around I am not sure when is the next opportunity I can pick up my paint brushes again! It's going to be tricky but I'm sure we'll find a way (probably when she's 1 year old, ha ha!)
Painting is such a great way to relax and express myself. I always have this elated feeling when painting. And last year was such a superb year as hubby sold some of my paintings to expat and local friends. It was pure bliss to see friends hang up my painting at their place. Indeed, it's one of those dreams I've had which became reality :)

best banoffee pie

2010-02-03T20:30:00.001+08:00

I have always been a fan of banoffee cakes / pies. The combination of bananas with caramel is appealing to me and I indulge every now and then. Today I was able to go and swim 10 laps at the pool so I rewarded myself with a treat. So far in our 3 years stay in Malaysia, the best banoffee pie I have tasted is from Bijou at Mont Kiara. I used to think the one at Delicious is pretty good. But when I tried the one from Bijou, not too sweet yet sweet enough, I was constantly looking forward to my next visit there to take that pie. In fact it's more of a banoffee cake than a pie. I wasn't able to take a photo of it today because I was too eager to finish it!

Good Service in Kuala Lumpur

2010-02-02T23:06:00.000+08:00

One of the things I appreciate here at this side of the world is the service you can get. You need something fixed or repaired, you can call someone to come and help you with it. Hubby's family and friends have shared their stories of how they had to lay their own flooring, put up their own sliding cabinets, etc etc etc. With service and cost of living very high in France, one cannot just easily afford hired help!

I wanted to share a list of effective Malaysians who have helped us during our stay in our condo in KL. I am very happy with the quality of their work and maybe by sharing their contacts you will also benefit from their services. By the way... should you call them and they wonder where you got the contact, you can say it's from "Anabelle of Mont Kiara"

LIGHTING (add light points, replace lights, electrician, installation wifi CCTV) MR. LEE 019-2088045
AIRCON cleaning / repair / maintenance: MR. LAM 019-2228331
SCREEN installation at home (to keep mosquitoes away!) MR. KEVIN 016-3332850
APPLIANCES for sure great price & can deliver to your house (you pay cheque once they deliver the goods) ESH 03-78753692
MALAY WRAP URUT service (for post pregnancy slimming, very effective so far!) MS. SITI 019-3309622
CAR INSURANCE / CAR REGISTRATION (no need to go & register your car, they do the car insurance & car registration for you, courier or deliver to your home/office) WESTSTAR AUTO 03-20315151
DRIVER LICENSE for expats - this guy can do the driver license for you and no need for you to go anywhere. he will pick up your documents & deliver back same day your driver license for MALAYSIA MR. RAJA 012-2099552

Hope this helps!

Gardens Restaurant @ The Curve

2010-01-25T18:49:00.000+08:00

Hubby and I had time to drop by The Curve last Sunday. We saw the new restaurant called Gardens and it had a nice set-up with greens and flowers everywhere. Decided to give it a try and was disappointed. The food was so-so. Salad came out together with my cod fish order. Salad quality was bad. The cod fish with mashed potato was cold. The shish kebab order came out last. Drinks took a while to arrive and I had to follow up before arriving. Total bill was rm 103 for 2 person. Not worth it in our perspective. If at the Curve we would rather go to The Apartment restaurant for better food quality & service at almost same price. Just sharing my opinion so you won't get a nasty surprise if ever you try that new place.

New Year New Life

2010-01-23T22:57:00.000+08:00

2010 brings a whole new experience for me. So many insights, discoveries, and things to look forward to! As I lead my new life as a mother, things have changed. You can see I haven't blogged for a while, simply because there is NO TIME :) Having a little one depending on you changes the whole perspective of time and priorities.

While I am awake in the middle of the night or hanging out at my "pumping station", I think of the entries I could write in my blog... but there is just no time! So now that I was able to sneak a few moments of online bliss, let me quickly enumerate my thoughts, experiences, insights and whatever went on my mind for the past few weeks...

A whole new perspective on time (especially 1am, 3am, 5am...)
Going to the gym used to be a drag. Now it's a luxury!
Checking my Facebook & hotmail account is another luxury!
Being able to write a whole blog... only possible if little one is asleep & I am not dead tired!
My mobile phone is now put aside & I don't get to answer SMS nor phone calls immediately
During the MANGO and ZARA sale, I was a bit apprehensive about buying anything bec I feel I still need to lose weight! Eventually I accepted that I might be a size or two bigger and went in anyway! Was able to buy stretch jeans at my original size! Yehey!
I am so thankful to have Malaysian friends. They are such nice people!
I am stronger than I think... and I need to be especially as little one is depending on me.
It was not easy to follow the Chinese confinement. I will go crazy if they really lock me up at home for a month! We sneaked out on the 18th day & brought little baby out ... he he
There are so, so many wonderful baby equipments out there! Getting dizzy deciding on which baby carrier sling to purchase.
It's always best to ask advice from other mothers :) They have such great insights & tips!
Whoever said "Don't cry over spilled milk" is not talking about breastmilk for sure!
I discovered a wonderful new way to slim down & enjoy a massage as well. Local friends introduced me to the MALAY WRAP and after 2 sessions I do see a difference! Thankfully I am living here in Malaysia!
It's easier to talk to my condo neighbors in the lift... they see the baby & strike up a conversation
Going to the shopping mall or restaurant needs time, planning & logistics.
I can't bring myself to go watch a movie yet. Time away from baby still too hard.
Discoveries of singing talent : myself, hubby and my mother... we transformed into singers as we try to entertain little baby.
My choice of shopping malls now depend on whether they have good baby changing facilities or breastfeeding rooms
The breast pump is one of my most used electric equipment for the past weeks.
Never thought we would end up installing CCTV cameras. Thank God for wifi CCTV. Technology is great!
I have never taken so much video in my whole life! Now I take video moments of baby -- using my phone, videocam, & digital camera.
My mom is super active in using Facebook & email -- so that she can see my little girl across the miles. I even managed to teach her how to download pics from the digital camera and how to upload to Facebook! She's more than 55 yrs old & still learning :)
It's tricky to take passport pictures of a 1-month old! We had to do it bec we had to apply passport for our little one
When asked to categorize our baby at the Malaysia government office for birth certificates, my hubby had to choose between "Chinese" or "Caucasian". Hmm, that was a tough one as she is 50-50. He chose "caucasian"!
I seem to see prams, baby pushcart everywhere when at the mall. Either there is a baby boom or I was simply not interested in the past
Now I know & use the lift/ elevator of shopping malls more often.
I appreciate my mother even more. And all the mothers of the world!

Time's up. It's time to catch some ZZZZs before little one wakes up. Posted a photo of her during her 2 month anniversary! Time flies!

Baby Discoveries

2009-12-28T04:00:00.000+08:00

It's 3a.m in Malaysia and here I am, wide awake (not by choice). I used to be a good sleeper, sleeping all the way through the night like a rock. After the numerous trips to the loo during pregnancy, which was still okay, because I fall asleep right after... this time, it's different!

All the mothers out there know exactly how I feel and what I am going through. The 1st month of every baby is all about waking up every 2 hours, feeding, changing diapers, etc. You know the drill.

BREASTFEEDING & BREASTPUMPS!

Breastfeeding wasn't all the rage during my mom's time, so she didn't breastfeed any of us (me & my sisters). Now, all the books, websites, doctors and friends highly recommend it. Now that it's been a month after delivery and 2 purchases after (breastpumps), I highly recommend to all soon-to-be mom's to be ready with their pumps and I am confident in recommending my 2nd pump purchase which is Lactaline Ameda. I bought it recently for RM599 (which is a really good deal) and it has made the whole ordeal better.

At this point, I am writing this blog while pumping! This is made possible with the purchase of a Pumpin' Pal holder which makes it a hands-free experience! Also, I will spare you the hours of research online from actual users who have shared their experiences on different pumps (their success and frustrations!)

The 2 websites (in Malaysia) I found which offer the BEST prices for pumps and other baby accessories you may need are:

1. http://www.enjoybreastfeed.com/
2. http://www.fabulousmom.com/

They ship to any address. And for the #2 website, you will find their retail store location (which is the one I purchased from). You get to even test the pump you want -- which makes it a more comfortable choice for me bec I usually want to see what I am buying!

WHERE TO GO WITH BABY

Confinement for post-delivery lasts 1 month. I couldn't wait for 1 month to get out of the house... so armed with my hubby, my mother & my little baby girl ... we went out for small advetures at the mall!

The whole mall experience has totally changed. Whereas hubby and I used to choose the mall by points like: what restaurants are there, what shops to visit, what sale is going on, and which one can give us easier parking experience. Now, the consideration is if there is high traffic at the mall and if that mall has facilities like baby changing room / nappy room / breastfeeding room.

I never knew they had such facilities (I guess I was totally disinterested with these things). At present, this is my numero uno priority if we go out with little baby! So to share with you my top picks for shopping malls to visit with your little one:

1. Isetan, The Gardens MidValley - this is my favorite. Isetan in The Gardens has wonderful facilities! A number of changing tables plus breastfeeding rooms. Plus can do a little shopping right after :)

2. Isetan, KLCC - same as Gardens. Problem is more packed with customers as compared to Gardens

3. Parkson, 1 Utama - I never thought they had such a facility! In the new wing where Parkson is located, they have a dedicated room where you can have privacy with little one while feeding... and a number of changing tables.

4. Bangsar Shopping Centre - their 3rd and 4th floor have nappy changing rooms which are private. A tad bit too cold for my taste though (the aircon was blasting away and hubby got so cold!)

5. Parkson, Pavilion - they only had 1 baby room and because we went on a super-duper peak day (Dec 25), it was packed and people were lining up. We were able to have our turn. The room is nice, with a comfy seat plus running warm water!

Well, that's it for now. Time to switch off the pump and attend to the little one before I try to grab some ZZZZ's.

Pregnancy & Delivery in Kuala Lumpur

2009-12-04T09:51:00.001+08:00

I just delivered a baby few days ago and I am an expatriate living in Kuala Lumpur.
The whole time during my pregnancy I was already living here, and I am fortunate that this is a lovely country with great services.

I would like to share a very brief blog so that other pregnant expatriates who may be planning to come to live in KL will have some knowledge about it.

A fellow expat recommended that I see this Doctor who works at Gleneagles Intan in Ampang. He is Indian Malaysian and very professional. At first I was hesitant with a guy doctor, but he sounded very experienced and there were always many, many expats at the waiting room coming to see him. It's always best to choose a doctor which is recommended by someone you know so that you are assured of his practice.

Gleneagles Intan is where I delivered my baby. All I can say is that their service and facilities are great. The prices will be higher than the other typical hospitals but it's because you are getting what you pay for. The staff are all nice and friendly and willing to help. Believe me, if you are the one lying there on the bed with a c-section & slowly recovering... you will appreciate all the kindness and friendliness around.

Also, prior to delivery, the hospital was offering some classes for new parents who may want to learn more about the baby, pregnancy and delivery. We paid for the classes (i think around RM300) for 3 classes on consecutive Saturdays. My husband and I attended the classes and some useful discussions were around:
- how to bathe the baby
- how husband can massage wife and other useful positions to help her relax
- how husband can assist in lamaze breathing techniques and we all practiced together
- options on drugs / pain relief during labor
- questions on vaccination for the newborn baby
- a trip to the labor room (where you may possibly deliver if you have a normal delivery)
- a trip to the nursery and the maternity floor which was dedicated only to baby deliveries
- a view of the different rooming options and their prices , so you are aware of how it will look like
- breastfeeding information session which was private (me and husband together with the midewife)
- they also offered the midwife services which you pay a fee (around RM300+) where she will come to visit you in 3 consecutive weeks after your delivery to measure, track the progress of your baby, your breastfeeding, etc questions on newborn baby

It's hard to summarize in words how I felt and what happened. All I know is that I am thankful there is such a hospital and such good services here in Kuala Lumpur. I stayed 4 days in the hospital because I went through an emergency c-section delivery. After 4 days stay ... the cost was around RM9,000++ which included all fees -- doctors, surgery, rooms, services, etc

I will surely recommend this hospital to fellow friends should anyone ask me about pregnancy and delivery.

Dinner Get Together at Mezze, Damansara

2009-11-12T10:08:00.000+08:00

It's getting harder and harder to walk around because of my big pregnant tummy, so I have been working from home. That meant like being under house arrest most of the time so I was happy to know we were meeting some friends for dinner at a fairly new place called Mezze. One of our local friends recommended it and we arrived at Mezze on a Wednesday evening 7:45pm. The place was vibrant with customers and 1 hour into our dinner I noticed that they had quite a lot of customers for a weeknight. Good food pulls customers on any day of the week.

We were a group of 5 people. We had 2 bottles of red wine (I didn't drink and instead tried their orange-calamansi-apricot concoction). Plus a round of good tasty dishes which my friends ordered. The bill was around RM700+ i think (our hubbies - the guys took care of the bill :)

In terms of food selection, the menu is straight-forward (it's a 1-pager landscape menu laminated that looks like a table mat I could buy from French souvenir shops). I do appreciate the simple menu as it helps narrow down the choices. Mostly our local friend did the ordering and came up with different dishes for sharing.

For starters we had the pork belly which was very crispy and not too much fat. I think we ended up ordering 4 plates of that since we devoured the thing so quickly every time it arrived at the table. Since I didn't order the dishes for tonight I can't remember the exact names of the dishes. I just remember some details and will share if it's very tasty or okay.

- Crispy pork belly - must order starters, very tasty. We couldn't stop with just 1 serving!

- Duck pate with bread - this one should be good. I tasted a small bite because I remember reading somewhere that pregnant women should avoid pate

- Chorizo - i found this just okay

- Shrimp pasta - must try, very tasty and slightly spicy

- Mussels - nice dish for sharing

- Special fish of the night - I didn't try but hubby said it was very tasty and good

- Lamb with couscous - I liked this one. Too big for 1 person, best if you share it and try other dishes

- Shrimp Tempura - this is okay. Taste a bit like home-made tempura my mom used to make. In case you have Japanese cravings I guess you can go with this one

- Duck & Chicken spring roll - a nice starter specially if you have hungry guests

- Pannacotta - this is probably the best pannacotta I have tasted in KL. I was so, so , so disappointed with the pannacotta at Delucca, Il Padrino, and other Italian places I have been to! We ordered 2 servings of this!

- Brownie with Ice Cream - this is also very, very good. We ended up with 2 servings as well!

Overall I would recommend to group of friends having a dinner night out. Try it and judge for yourself. The ambience is nice. Toilet is clean. Service is good. The chef also came by to say hello and introduced himself to all of us. Based on the number of customers they had for a Wednesday evening, I would say this place has it the right note in terms of menu. Will surely go back to visit one day.

Mezze
No. 132, Jalan Kasah, Medan Damansara

50490 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
(behind Victoria Station, near Vintry & La Rista)
Tel: 03-20950122

Breakfast Again at The Bread Shop

2009-11-06T09:49:00.001+08:00

It must be the pregnancy. Or simply my love for bread and pastries.

Hubby took me back to The Bread Shop for breakfast because I was craving for their yummy bread. We had coffee and hot chocolate along with the pastries we chose (this time we sampled the Almond Danish and the Sugar Butter bread). I simply love the ambience and pastry choices they have!

For people not familiar with Damansara Heights area, you may get a bit lost finding the place. If you are coming from Mont Kiara, turn left at the science center. Then left again on first corner. Then another left on first corner. Drive up and you will see some shops on the right side. Get a parking slot. The Bread Shop is right beside the restaurant Decanter. You will surely love the bread selection! Ahh bread heaven!

Elcerdo: A Place for Serious Pork Lovers!

2009-11-05T12:18:00.000+08:00

Back in Manila we had a dish called "lechon" which is super-killer-yummy.

How Lechon is prepared: "After seasoning, the pig is cooked by skewering the entire animal, entrails removed, on a large stick and cooking it in a pit filled with charcoal. The pig is placed over the charcoal, and the stick or rod it is attached to is turned in a rotisserie action."

The lechon is served on special occassions like wedding, big birthday parties, Christmas, etc. It is a whole pig roasted over fire and displayed for the guests to cut their own pieces. I especially like the fatty part (which is bad!) but there is nothing like it! If you ever go to the Philippines and happened to be at Cebu (one of the major islands), you must NOT miss tasting their special lechon over there. Even French hubby fell in love with it.

Now that we are almost 3 years in Malaysia, we realized we haven't had lechon for a long, long time. The last one was when we flew back to Manila 2 years ago! Suddenly we had that craving and thankfully there is a restaurant in town that serves something close to what Lechon is in Manila. And they had a small serving just right for 2 hungry people like us!

We went to visit this restaurant called Elcerdo which is located near the Bukit Bintang area. Close to the Jalan Ceylon where they have a string of interesting restaurants that will tickle the fancy of expats in Malaysia.

We ordered the roasted pig, which was cute and small enough for me and hubby!!! We finished almost the whole thing (and we had to take-away a few pieces which we could not finish and I refuse to just leave it there). The roasted pig came with some salad and potatoes. It also comes with a "different experience" where you will need to break the plate for good luck. I won't expound on it as this is some exciting stuff -- go try it yourself! Hee Hee....

It definitely satisfied our piggy cravings and it will be some time before we go back to that place. I think we had an overdose after this indulgence!

Prior to the main meal, hubby ordered some ham platter which he said was superb. It was a ham-and-melon appetizer which was yummy. Definitely a must try if you visit their establishment. If I was not pregnant I would have eaten that whole thing! I miss eating those ham and melon. It reminds me of that summer we were in South of France and his parents serving this as appetizer as we sat in their terrace with perfect summer weather --- ahhh those were the days! The restaurant ambience also has a European feel to it -- so it's a good place to bring a date. The service was prompt and fast.

Just wanted to share this in case there are serious pig lovers out there who are out to satisfy their pork cravings.

A Very Interesting Read: The Sharper Your Knife, The Less You Cry

2009-11-05T11:41:00.000+08:00

This is one of the most interesting books I have purchased this year 2009. It's my favorite book! Definitely a good investment -- especially if you are fond of cooking.

I bought my copy at Times bookstore for RM 49.95

For those who have been to Paris, who love French food and has some interest in cooking, you will surely find this book a good read.

I have always been in love with Paris. I love the feeling, the sights, the beauty and the kind of life they have there. Hubby and I have been visiting every year (except for this year bec of my pregnancy). And every year I go back I am still at awe at how I can feel when I am there.

This book brings me back to those wonderful places in Paris. Plus more insights as the girl in the book describes her experience when she enrolled in the famous cooking school : Le Cordon Bleu. The book shares her experience as a normal 36-year old middle manager who just got tired of corporate life. She took the plunge and tried to have an adventure of a lifetime by flying to Paris and enrolling herself in cooking school. It was very inspiring to read! Sometimes I wish I had the guts to just do that!

I was definitely inspired to cook and try out some of the recipes which she shared inside the book. Yes, there are recipes that you can test out :) which makes this book even more interesting.

Did I mention that I was so into this book and the time I was in my 2nd trimester -- which meant it was aligned to the time I had great appetite! That was also the time I kept on blogging about different restaurants. It was weird --I had cravings for different dishes for different days! Hubby had to keep up with me. But mostly I craved for Japanese food -- tempura yummy!

In case you are looking for a new and different book to read, do check out this one. Happy reading!

Title: The Sharper Your Knife, The Less You Cry
Author: Kathleen Flinn
Where to get it: I bought mine in Times Bookstore

PS. for those people who have encountered relationships or conversation with French people, you will find some funny moments at the girl's adventure (and struggle) with the French language. I myself have been improving my French -- but not yet good enough to go wondering about alone in Paris! In case you want to learn French, I highly suggest enrolling yourself at Alliance Francaise . They have one in different countries. I enrolled myself few years back in Alliance Francaise Manila. And I also took some classes here in Kuala Lumpur. It's a good place to start your French language.

Recovery After Pregnancy: the Chinese way = Confinement

2009-11-04T18:56:00.000+08:00

For westerners, life after giving birth means immediately getting busy with baby stuff. It means getting up everyday to feed the baby, do household chores, and go about their daily lives. For Chinese people in many parts of the world -- whether they come from Manila or Malaysia, they believe in the recovery period needed for every mom... and that means 1 month of "confinement".

To my western friends, this concept is very foreign and they are very much surprised when I share some of the steps involved in confinement. I guess in other parts of the world, this confinement thing is unheard of, or even simply impossible to do. Imagine Europeans who could not afford household help -- how can they even have 1 month of confinement if they are alone at home? They have to get up the next day, feed the baby, do the household chores, cook for themselves, etc. What makes me wonder is that despite these westerners not doing their proper confinement after childbirth, well, they still survive and live a long & healthy life. I'm saying this because most of the stories I hear from elders is that if one does not do a proper confinement, one will get different aches or ailments at his/her old age. I don't know if there are proper statistics nor research findings to show that women who had confinement are really better off than those who didn't. Or simply, western women will have more ailments/aches vs women from the east?

Back to confinement, though I am not armed with proof, I do not want to turn my back from my culture. And at some point I am thinking "better safe than sorry"... which is probably what a lot of younger generation Chinese women are thinking when they go through confinement in this modern day.

Be in Philippines or Malaysia, the Chinese people living there believe in this very important 1 month of recovery for new mothers. Though to compare, the Malaysians seem to have stricter guidelines & a longer list of what to do, eat, etc. Maybe the Chinese in the Philippines have somewhat adopted to the local culture which meant dropping some of the early practices of confinement. It was only living here in Kuala Lumpur did I discover that there is such a thing as "Confinement lady". This is usually an elderly who comes to stay at your house to take care of the mom (full time) & cook all the nutritious food to help speed up recovery. Imagine, it's a full time job over here! And the good ones seem to be in demand -- they even require you to book in advance.

What's amazing to me is the instant access to these confinement stuff : confinement lady, confinement herbs, etc. Last weekend, hubby and I went to 1 Utama shopping mall. We visited this huge Chinese herb shop which is located at the basement floor. They had gazillions of herb and other stuff, which even to me was shocking. We didn't have such a thing back in Manila. Most of the Chinese herb shops were small stalls operating at Chinatown. Not something this huge at a shopping mall! Hubby and I were amazed at what we saw: they were selling deer horns and deer tails... and dried sea horses! There were so many weird stuff around and they cost a lot of money! Yikes...

They had a ready brochure of Chinese confinement herbs. It was a back-to-back brochure which had English and Chinese versions. This is a very easy guide to what you should be eating and drinking in the 30 days of your confinement. I know, it sounds like they have commercialized it. But for someone like me, a 3rd generation Chinese who have lost the ability to read Chinese characters and have no easy access to elderlies, at least I have this brochure as a guide. Thankfully they also had a salesman who was speaking some English. He attended to our needs and my questions. In the end, hubby and I walked away spending RM800+ on all the Chinese stuff. I only get pregnant a few times in my life, I better try to recover the best way I know which is the Chinese way. It's going to be tough, but might as well do it than be sorry. Mind you, I don't plan to follow everything strictly. I think I will mix up the 2 Chinese traditions from Manila and KL... and will try to stick by what I can. After all, the westerners are doing fine despite not knowing confinement stuff at all!

In case you want to read more about confinement stories, you can refer to these links:
http://www.mymomsbest.com/tips/tip_confinement.htm
http://www.babycenter.com.sg/pregnancy/asian-postnatal-practices/confinement-confessions/
http://babynme2008.blogspot.com/2008/10/chinese-herbs-for-confinement.html
http://www.babycenter.com.my/pregnancy/asian-postnatal-practices/confinement-practices/

In case anyone else out there is as clueless as me in terms of chinese herbs, and yet would like to buy some and try to do your own confinement at home, you can visit the shop and they have a ready brochure and easy to understand list. All you need to do is buy the set and add it to the soup... and eat your way to a good recovery after your baby delivery.

You can visit EFFECTIVE HERBS & MEDICINE SHOP
Lower Ground floor, One Utama
Tel 03-77271681

The post-natal soup herbs are packed into 28 different sets. This means you will use 1 pack a day to add to some pork or chicken soup (which you need to use double boil or slow cook method). The total for the 28 herb-pack is RM350.00

Good luck!

weather in KL november

2009-11-04T16:54:00.002+08:00

For the past week the weather in Kuala Lumpur has been on this kind of pattern : super sunny in the mornings and afternoons. Then toward the late afternoon and evening, we will experience heavy rain. Last night we had some major thunderstorm at Mont Kiara area. And that was after such a beautiful sunny day. So in case anyone out there planning to visit KL, it's best to plan your activities in the morning and early afternoon.

Spa Relaxation and Indulgence in PJ

2009-10-30T18:41:00.000+08:00

Once in a while couples will try to look for something they can do together. Something out of the ordinary, not your typical movie or dinner out. Hubby and I decided to have a very long and luxurious relaxing time so I went on the internet to browse nice spa places (which are still in the affordable range). I know that if we were ready to super splurge we could easily choose places like those spa inside hotels... but I wanted to see if Malaysia offers nice spas which are outside the hotel.

I landed on a few blogs and sites, and luckily I ended up with this one : Khareyana Spa at Petaling Jaya. The great thing about it is that they have Indo ladies who specializes on pregnant women! That was great news for me as this was one of hubby's concern. I am now on my 8th month of pregnancy which means I am quite heavy and with a big tummy.

The Khareyana spa is located very near the Assunta Hospital (that landmark makes it easier for customers to find the place). It's located near the round-about and very easy to find. Upon arrival we were greeted by this lady who explained the different scrubs available. As the price goes higher, the scrubs smelled better and better. I guess that's all part of the marketing and upsell... I should know, I am a marketeer myself! Hubby and I ended up with the body scrubs that smelled really good (and highest in the price range). Since we don't do this often, might as well indulge and go all out.

The whole experience took 3 hours and 30 minutes. We also had a nice couple's room which is a bit rustic in design. Hubby liked it because it's different from the typical posh hotel spas. We also had a view of the outside which had lots of greens and water. Walking to the room itself was interesting because we had to walk on the small cement steps and avoid getting your feet into the pond! Very original design spa.

For my treatment it included: body scrub, full body massage, and a milk bath. While hubby had body scrub, full body massage and steam. The spa experience is at RM325 per person. Not bad considering the quality of the service.

In case you visit their website and curious which treatment we took, let me the details. I tried the Javanese Rose while hubby (after smelling several options) ended up with White Tea.

Javanese Rose

Gentle apricot granules enriched with rice extract and rose essential oil. Javanese Rose treatment helps to remove dead skin cells and stimulate skin regeneration bringing out softer and more beautiful skin.
180 Minutes RM325.00

White Tea

Gentle apricot granules enriched with rice and tea leaf extract and panthenol. White tea treatment helps to remove dead skin cells and stimulate skin regeneration leaving skin looking soft and supple.
180 Minutes RM325.00

For reservations and more info, contact:

Khareyana Spa
36 Jalan Selangor
46050 Petaling Jaya
Selangor, MALAYSIA
T : +603 7958 6219
F : +603 7958 6284

For couples thinking of what to do on their special day or simply want to have a lazy afternoon indulgence, I highly recommend some together-time at this place! Compared to prices at the hotels spas, this place is reasonable.

early breakfast at The Bread Shop

2009-10-30T08:59:00.001+08:00

Calling all bread lovers out there... Bread and pastry lovers like me! I was in heaven when I walked in to The Bread Shop at Damansara Heights. The beautiful collection of sumptuous bread really blew me away and I was spoilt for choice. We arrived early in the morning around 830am and the bread / pastries were all ready. We ordered 3 pastries : chocolate danish, cinnamon swirl, and bananas scotch danish plus a cafe latte and cafe mocha. Wow, I really enjoyed every piece of bread that went into my hungry tummy. I'm so glad to discover this place! The interior is modern chic and simple. They also have all day dining in case you want some hot food.

Sigh, brings back memories of Paris and all the yummy bread that goes with it.
Truly a must try place for bread lovers especially those looking for bread with a twist in flavor. Other stuff they have which I will try next time : custard almond, butter sugar, apple danish, cheese sausage, etc.
In case you want to check it out for yourself :

The Bread Shop
11 Jalan Setiakasih 5
Damansara heights
Tel no. 03 20938734
Open : 8am- 730pm mon to fri, 8am to 5pm on saturday
Closed on sunday and public holidays

We got some bread to take-away. One tip for you guys out there who want to enjoy yummy croissant for breakfast: buy the croissant and freeze in a tupperware immediately when you get home. Then, the day you want to eat for breakfast, put it inside the oven for about 10-15 mins and voila! It will be almost as good as a newly baked one. That's how we do it :)

To give you an idea of the bread and pastry prices, let me share the breakdown of our bill. We discovered that dining in they will charge you more because of the service charge.

Cafe Latte - RM 7.80
Cafe Mocha - RM 7.80
Banana Scotch Danish - RM 5.80
Cinnamon Swirl - RM 4.80
Chocolate Danish - RM 4.80
Subtotal - RM 31.00
Service Charge 5% - RM 1.55
TOTAL BILL : RM32.55

I took away some sausage roll (RM 5.80) and butter croissant (RM2.80).

Will surely go back to this place for more pastry and bread tasting. Yummm!

An Evening of Live Music in KL

2009-10-28T19:13:00.001+08:00

or expats out there who don't know what else they can do on quiet evenings, you may want to have a musical adventure. Oftentimes, me and hubby are trying to see what new things we can discover in KL. Also for us, it's time to enjoy our last few weeks of bliss before baby comes!

So after hearing good reviews from friends about this place called No Black Tie, we decided to check it out. True enough, it was definitely worth the time and we had a nice evening. We attended one of the Bossa Nova evenings where they featured a good bossa nova singer. I was in heaven. I love, love Bossa Nova music and the first 2 songs she sang really blew me away. On other evenings, they would feature Jazz and other type of music.

On another evening I tried to drop by with some colleagues to listen to some music and chillout after work. The nice thing of this place is that they start the live music at 9:30pm, which is not too late. Unlike other places I have researched, the live music/band usually starts at 1030pm, and at some restaurants they only have the live stuff during Thurs/Fri/Sat evenings. No Black Tie plays music every night. You can check out their schedule at their website http://www.noblacktie.com.my/

Their cover charge is quite reasonable at RM20 per person. On some occasions, they will charge RM 40 per person because it's a special night. All you need to do is pay the cover charge then you can opt to just order drinks while listening to music. They do serve food also, but we opted to eat somewhere else. Especially as the Jalan Ceylon area has tons of nice restaurants. You can even park at No Black Tie and eat across the street (right in front of them you will find an Italian restaurant called Delucca). If you are not concerned about budget, I would recommend you and your friends to eat at the different restaurants around the area, especially these :

1. Nero Vivo - Italian restaurant

2. El Cerdo - serves crispy pork like no where else! really nice pork place with European setting ambience

3. Neroteca - if you love cheese platter with some parma ham and great wine, then this is the place for you!

4. Le Bouchon - if you love French food (especially their duck .. yummy!) A bit pricey but good quality real french food

So the next time you and your friends don't know what to do on evenings, you can try to check this place out. The place is small and cozy ... just right for a night of music!

Kuriya Japanese Restaurant at BSC Bangsar

2009-10-28T15:27:00.000+08:00

For Japanese food lovers (like me), it's refreshing to find new restaurants in the city. After browsing through some blogs, I decided to give this fairly new restaurant a visit.

Like what they say: a true measurement if a Japanese retaurant is good is if you see many Japanese locals frequenting the joint. True enough, I saw a number of them while I was eating there. So it's safe to say this is an authentic Jap place.

Kuriya is located at the top floor of the newly renovated BSC (Bangsar Shopping Centre) and the ambience is modern chic. Surely a good place to impress your loved one (if that is what you are aiming for). I saw a few couples who were surely having a "dinner date" ... well they picked a nice place!

The service was fast and prompt. The california maki roll I ordered came in just after 5 minutes of ordering it. I also noticed they had quite a number of Filipino staff (waiters and cooks) which may have contributed to the friendly service.

Hubby and I tried the traditional Japanese stuff as we didn't feel like being too adventurous with our orders that evening. Though on the menu they had some exceptionally different stuff which I didn't find in other Jap restaurants... maybe I will try them next time. We opted for ebi tempura, garlic fried rice, chicken teriyaki, cod fish teriyaki and of course some salmon sashimi (which they are proud of bec of the regular fish delivery flights from Japan). I can tell you that the salmon sashimi was really very fresh and tasty. Though I am 8 months pregnant and not supposed to be taking sushi (or any raw stuff), I couldn't help myself and I tasted 1 piece of it. Melt-in-your-mouth sashimi... sigh. Will have to come back after I deliver little baby. Mommy will is craving for sashimi treat!

I didn't feel like drinking anything from their list, given my condition. So I just opted for some warm water while hubby took some hot green tea. Both drinks didn't appear in our bill so I guess these are "gratuit" or free of charge. Good to know especially as some of the other Jap places charge for water and for green tea.

In case you are wondering how does this Jap restaurant fare against others in terms of costing, let me share the breakdown of the bill. For 2 people, we spent RM148.35 which is not too high cost for a posh place like this. But I think if you plan to try the more exotic looking stuff you will surely end up with RM100-120 per person or even more.

Ebi Tempura - RM28
Matcha ice cream - RM8
Gindara Teriyaki - RM 30
Chicken Teriyaki - RM 18
Garlic Fried Rice - RM15
Salmon Sashimi - RM 22
California Maki - RM 8

Service charge + Gov't tax on top of the food cost brought the total bill to RM 148.35.

If you would like to make a reservation, you can contact the restaurant:

KURIYA Japanese Restaurant
Tel. No. 03-20939246 / 03-20939242

Will we come back to try the other stuff? Yes... we will. It gets tiring sometimes going back to the same old-same old Japanese places we frequent : like Rakuzen Sri Hartamas (which is always fully booked) or Sugimoto at Desa Sri Hartamas. It's nice to have some change once in a while.

Hiestand Bakery at Mont Kiara ... finally a good bakery nearby!

2009-10-22T19:50:00.000+08:00

I have always dreamed of walking to a nearby quality bakery for fresh bread in the wee hours of the morning. My dream came true when I was vacationing in South of France at hubby's hometown and cherished every moment we walked to their nearby bakery to buy fresh croissant, pain au chocolat and baguette.

Now... my dream is a reality... here in Mont Kiara! Finally, they opened a decent & quality bakery called Hiestand. It's located at the ground floor of Mont Kiara Meridin condo, minutes away from where I stay. I believe that the neighborhood will truly appreciate this new establishment!

Hiestand opened its doors only last week (Sunday). The good news is that this bakery opens at 7:30am every day Monday to Sunday! Yippeee! Fresh bread anytime!

I went to the shop today to buy some bread and the sales lady informed me that they will have a breakfast set available starting this Saturday (Oct 24), a combination of bread, jam, eggs and coffee. Can't wait til this weekend to try it out. Best of all, they open very early!

In case you are wondering about the prices, let me share with you a breakdown of the items I bought today:
Pain Au Choc- RM 2.60
Strudel Almond - RM2.00
Focaccio bun- RM1.20
Butter Croissant - RM3.80

To my neighborhood friends in Mont Kiara: enjoy freshly baked bread every day!

Rainy wednesday @ Sultan Ismail

2009-10-21T16:51:00.001+08:00

On my way home from work. Suddenly the rain poured. Traffic usually slows down when the rain comes. The good thing about Malaysia's rains is that it usually lasts for a short time. In my 2 years stay, I have not experienced any typhoon. Usually the heavy rains would last 1-3 hours only. Sometimes the sun comes shining through after a heavy rain!
Unlike Manila weather which could literally be gloomy and rainy all day, Malaysia has a more favorable weather in my opinion.

superb hokkaido ice cream at MOF Pavilion

2009-10-19T21:43:00.001+08:00

I was really surprised to see that japanese dessert shop tucked away at the basement corner of Pavilion (near Mercato). I suppose it's been there for a while but I rarely pass by that area since it feels like the end of the world. The friendly waiter explained their best sellers & I decide to be adventurous. I was not disappointed at all. The milky ice cream was oh so good and melt in your mouth. While the small japanese dumplings, jelly and some cute colored candy thing-y which I forgot the name. it also came with some fruits which were fresh and tasty. I would definitely go back to try the other desserts! They also do take away where people can easily order ice cream cone. For the few minutes we were there we saw quite a number of customers. I guess they have established their customer base. Good high quality ice cream!

bad experience at Ichiban Boshi, Pavilion

2009-10-19T20:42:00.002+08:00

We were at Pavilion on a weeknight and decided to try something new. We were going to Pancake House to try some Filipino dish but walked passed this Japanese place called Ichiban Boshi at the basement floor and decided to give it a try.
What a disappointment it was. The service was bad despite so many, many waiters standing around. The food took long to come out from the kitchen and it wasn't piping hot (like the usual japanese dishes). To top it off, we ordered ahead of the table beside us but they got their food first. Then when I followed up, they came to tell me one of the items we ordered was not available anymore which made me more upset. My husband asked for the manager, and instead they brought some Malay supervisor who didn't know a thing about customer service & she just stood there after a short apology. Then we realized there was another manager and called for her. She apologized and quickly said that the chef can make some of the eggplant dish we ordered so we decided to wait. It came after few minutes and the taste was so so, though this time it was warm. Overall it's a dismal japanese place which we will never visit again.

Interesting Performance by Chinese

2009-10-08T15:59:00.000+08:00

I attended one of the I.T. Magazine event this week. It was a sit down dinner event coupled with awarding ceremony.
They had an interesting mid-dinner entertainment. They invited some people from China to come and perform. It's amazing what the mind and body can do when one is determined! These kids were trained to do tricks since they were young. Some of the performance were nerve racking while others were okay. Overall I am amazed at what humans can do with their body when trained well. These people are available for hire for events... just in case anyone out there looking for some for entertainment for their party or event, this may be something you would want to consider.

pregnancy treat: Clarins Massage for pregnant women

2009-10-07T18:37:00.001+08:00

I'm getting heavier everyday. And each new week I discover new 'preggy symptoms' such as water retention, swelling feet, increase in leg cramps, etc. Sigh, all mothers know the drill. I'm very thankful though that things are progressing well and according to plan. Thank God I don't have back pains (yet), especially as many books and online resources warn of it in the late stages of pregnancy. Which brings me to the point of having pregnancy massages, which is highly suggested in western resources to relieve back pain.

A friend of mine told me that she had a pleasant experience when she tried the Clarins pregnancy massage. This idea stuck in my mind for a while. I was keeping it as a treat should I encounter back pains.
Well, thankfully the back pains have not arrived on my door, and hubby insisted that I take this massage as a little treat & indulgence.

I booked myself at the Clarins Institute and I definitely had a pleasant experience!

Let me quickly enumerate the overall experience (and how much time you need, how much it will cost)

You will need at least 2 hours to complete the whole process: which includes a short briefing, 15-mins body scrub, a short warm shower, then a 1-hour body massage
You will need to call for an appointment. This is because they have limited masseus who are certified for pregnancy massages. For the KLCC Clarins Institute, you can contact tel 03-23826800, while the 1Utama branch tel +603-7728 7266
Don't worry about shower cap and displosable undies, as these will be provided. They also provide warm water / tea before, during and after the treatment to help keep you hydrated
The massage position will include side-way massage as we pregnant women have a big tummy so we cannot face down. The massage table is comfortable and it's even warm (heated) at some point which provides a relaxing feeling
The massage oils used smell so good! And they warm up the oil before use, so you will feel a relaxing effect the moment it touches your skin
Oh, and for preggy women like me .. dont worry! They have a toilet inside the Institute, which means you can get easy access... our bladders can't hold water for too long :)
The overall expense will be RM 265.00 per session. They told me about their package promotion which is buy 5 and get 1 free session. But since the economy is bad and we should be prudent with spending, I decided to just pay for the session. I am not sure if I will go back for another treat before I deliver. That will depend on a lot of things :) But they did encourage me to make an appointment for the next month session. Anyway, you can always cancel it

To all mothers-to-be ... this is one treat that you deserve!

sunday brunch pancake @ paddington

2009-10-04T11:08:00.001+08:00

Opting to be different this Sunday morning, hubby and I went to the Curve (at Mutiara Damansara) to have pancakes at 'paddington house of pancakes'. It's been a while since our last visit to that establishment, which was a favorite of mine when we just moved to KL 2 years ago.
My only complaint is why this restaurant does not open its doors at 8am when in fact pancakes are supposed to be breakfast specialties. They had a branch at Plaza Damas last year which opened early but unfortunately it closed down. I took the hot chocolate drink (which I found too sweet to my taste) but I was so hungry & couldn't wait for the food to arrive. Finally my American stack pancakes arrived with peaches and bananas. The waiter was kind enough to add more bananas for me since I told him I didn't want the vanilla ice cream that was supposed to come with that order. Hubby took a crepe looking dish which is called Brussels. The wheat crepe he took had toppings like baked beans, beef bacon, cheese, guacamole, & egg. Both orders were up to par and would satisfy anyone's pancake craving. Hubby also took a flat white coffee. Total bill came up to rm 54.

leisure lunch at delicious dua klcc

2009-10-04T10:56:00.001+08:00

En route to our parental classes at Gleneagles, we stopped by central kl for a light lunch. The Delicious at Dua Annexe along Tun Razak is a nice venue, with easy parking and spacious restaurant design. There were a number of customers enjoying a lazy late lunch on a Saturday. Hubby and I opted for this place since we wanted a consistent experience on food quality and speed. We needed to be at the parenting class by 2pm so we went for a safe bet, rather than being adventurous. True enough it kept up to the standards we were expecting. The ambience is really nice and spacious. A great place to bring your family and kids, if one prefers to skip the busy human traffic of shopping malls.

Worries of a Pregnant Expat

2009-09-30T23:28:00.000+08:00

I can't help but worry what's happening to our world. Lately, a number of disasters have happened and I wonder what else is to come. I am tense about it not because of my own survival-- but for my soon-to-be-baby. What kind of environmental condition will she be living in years from now?

Today, September 30, 2009 if you flicked on your news channel, you would have seen a series of bad news:

the tsunami at Samoa South Pacific ( which initially suffered a 8.0 earthquake)
16 hours after that South Pacifc earthquake... it was the Indonesian earthquake (some tremors were felt in Kuala Lumpur)
Typhoon Ketsana which ravaged the Philippines & Vietnam

I just hope that it's not yet too late to change our ways to save the planet. I believe that part of the reason for these disasters could be because of how we have abused the environment. Maybe I am wrong... I don't know. I appreciate some of the establishments that have started charging for plastic bags -- this way it forces people to change their ways. Ikea in Mutiara Damansara and the Bangsar Village Grocer have started charging for plastic bags months ago. I am hoping more establishments will follow.

At this point, all I can request from my readers is to pause for a moment of prayer -- for all those affected by the different calamities that have just happened.

Relax Time : Pedicure at Strip

2009-09-26T15:45:00.001+08:00

One of my monthly indulgence is going for my pedicure at Strip (the Curve). It's my alone time where I can sit and relax while my regular pedicurist does her magic. She already knows what I like and how I want it which makes the overall experience good. This way, the results are always consistent and I never get disappointed. Unlike Manila, the Malaysian nail salons like to sell packages which gives you a better deal (while at the same time locking in your loyalty) which suits me fine as long as the service is good.
I have been a customer of Strip for 2.5 years now, since our arrival in Malaysia. A fellow expat introduced the place to me, and I have been hooked since. At first I frequented their Bangsar branch, which is a nice place but very difficult to find parking. I used to park at Bangsar Village mall then walk to Strip, but that shot walk can be quite dangerous as I heard many snatch theft incidents around that area. I rejoiced when they opened a branch at The Curve, where parking is convenient and it's inside the shopping mall.
Strip also offers waxing services which is professionally done.
To call for an appointment at Strip the Curve you can call tel. 03-77265119
Enjoy your pamper day!

Holiday (Raya) break in KL

2009-09-24T18:01:00.000+08:00

The past month, KL was hooded with a grim smog-like fog which hid the usual blue skies. This is probably due to the forest fires in Indonesia, though some locals did tell me they do the same in some parts of Malaysia. Today, just after the Hari Raya festivities, many locals are still out of town on their "Raya break". Most of my local friends are still at their "kampung" or back in their province... while the Chinese locals took advantage of the long weekend plus taking some vacation time off to visit other countries. So the KL scene is pretty quiet this week. Driving to work yesterday was very smooth.

Today's weather is fantastic! The sun is shining so bright! I took advantage of the wonderful weather with a few laps at the pool. Really superb weather and I wish it will stay that way in the weeks to come.

_____________

Hubby and I enjoyed the Raya break just staying in town. Since I am now 7 months pregnant, we can't travel unlike the past years living in KL. Instead, we were invited to a friend's Open House -- which was very interesting. They had loads of local food which were so tasty I had 2 helpings! Prior to coming to KL, I didn't fully understand the significance of Ramadan and all the details that go with it. Living here made me realize the sacrifice of fasting, the beauty and the culture of Islam. It made me appreciate the differences in religion. We also had an interesting barbeque dinner at a fellow expat's place in Damansara Heights. Our friends have 3 children and they are all so cute! It made me even more excited about my soon-to-be baby.

KL is such a great place... a melting pot of culture -- both local and foreign. It will soon be 3 years living in KL when December comes. Until today I have no regrets of moving here from Singapore. This is the place we call home for now.

my favorite dessert on weekdays

2009-09-16T18:08:00.000+08:00

I first sampled Boost Juice Bar when I visited Sydney many years ago. I was wondering how come we don't have such a thing in Manila. Eventually I forgot about it and life went on. I'm working in Kuala Lumpur now and recently discovered that they opened at the food court of Suria KLCC. Since last month, I have been visiting their outlet for my ultimate favorite drink: the King William. It's a blend of chocolate, banana, yogurt, & milk. Well, they claim it's 98% fat free (i do hope so!). So far that drink satisfies my dessert craving after lunch.
Well if you are ever around Klcc then you should check it out. Their warm banana cake is also very tasty.

Senjyu Sushi @ The Curve

2009-08-31T17:43:00.002+08:00

To satisfy my Japanese craving, we ended up at Senjyu Sushi at Cineleisure last Sunday evening. I was happy to see that there were many people inside, which was quite different from our last experience a year ago when hubby and I ate there during their soft opening. Seeing that it was packed, I gained confidence that this will be a satisfying japanese meal.
Our order took a while to arrive, but luckily there's the sushi train which displayed a wide array of choices. Hubby sampled one and said it was yummy and much more superior over Sakae Sushi. Poor me, couldn't sample it because it contained raw stuff, which is a no - no for pregnant women.
Our beef sukiyaki arrived first and it's a bit on the sweet side, though it tasted good (most especially bec I was starving). They didn't serve small bowls nor soup spoon, so I had to make a request. Else I wonder how do they expect us to eat it?
The highlight of the meal was the Giant Ebi Tempura which was bigger than the usual ones served. It was good and crispy. And they also served the shrimp head. Usually we don't eat the head, but hubby said it had some nice meat inside the head so he ate it. We also ordered a Spider cheese maki which was the last to arrive at the scene... Which was kind of weird bec that should have arrived first. Kudos to the staff handling the green tea as they were quite attentive in adding refill to hubby's tea cup. Overall it was an okay experience. Their sushi and sashimi train seem to be of better quality than Sakae Sushi. The pricing is also higher.
Overall we paid rm 113.30 which was okay for good japanese food. Though if given a choice and we were driving around hunting for a Japanese restaurant, I think I would opt for Sugimoto or Rakuzen in sri Hartamas.
Lime juice rm 5.90
Beef Sukiyaki rm 18.90
Spider cheese maki rm 22.90
Giant Ebi Tempura rm 39.90
Gold plate rm 8.00
Green tea rm 2.00
Towel rm 1.00
Total bill for 2 person rm 113.30 after service charge and govt tax

Lake Cruise at Putrajaya

2009-08-26T18:52:00.001+08:00

For those looking for something different to do on a weekend, why not head down to Putrajaya and take a lake Cruise. It's a good way to spend the afternoon with the family , especially for expats or locals who have not yet experienced it. Hubby and I tried this months ago when his parents were in town and they enjoyed the leisurely cruise.
Tonight, it's something different for me because our company sponsored a party lake Cruise which is especially for our partners. So it's a private party which will hopefully turn out great.
Meanwhile for people who want to experience it this Ramadan, you may want to check out the cruise buffet dinner. It ranges from rm 128 to rm 198 per person, which includes the lake cruise and dinner.
Details below:
Jeti Putra , Jambatan Putra, Presint 1, Putrajaya
Tel no 03 88885539
Sales@cruisetasikputrajaya.com

Authentic Japanese at a Cheap Price!

2009-08-26T14:49:00.008+08:00

To all the Japanese food lovers (like me)... I want to share the good news that authentic, well cooked Japanese need not be expensive. You just need to know what time to go :)

I wrote an entry on Sugimoto a while back. And when I read on some blogs that they have a cheaper lunch menu, we went to try it out last month. Indeed, it was true! The price was super affordable and the quality of the food was of good standard! Unbelievable price for that food quality and quantity. I was literally stuffed full after the meal.

Let me share the photos of the bento box meal which you can also enjoy at Sugimoto during lunch hours. To form your own bento box, you can choose different stuff from their menu which has a wide selection (i think around 30 entries). It varies from tempura, to beef, sashimi, etc etc. Quite a good selection for that cheap price. Plus, the chawan mushi comes with the meal (and was so yummy and soft). Then you even have the option of plain rice or garlic rice (choose the garlic rice it was so tasty!) The total for 2 pax with a bento box with 3 entries was RM41.40!!!

In case you want to call and make reservations ... to ensure you get a seat :

Tel # 03-23001102

Il Padrino @ Damansara Heights

2009-08-01T21:16:00.002+08:00

After a lazy saturday at home we wanted to have dinner out so I started my search for good restaurants around Damansara Heights. We ended up finding this new Italian place called Il Padrino. They have an interesting open concept facade which is welcoming. It seems to have newly opened this year. For dinner, they had quite good
customers though it's not super full.
Funny, in their menu there was one photo which hubby was particularly interested in, but the waiter said it was not available nor in the menu. That's kinda weird especially as they had limited photos and usually restaurants feature their best dishes with photos. Oh well.
We ordered their home made ravioli with spinach and cheese, while hubby took the osso bucco (beef) which was nicely cooked. We also had one appetizer (bruschetta with gorgonzola & ham), and one dessert, plus a glass of white wine.
The panna cotta was below my expectation so I would recommend you to try some other dessert.
Total bill came up to rm164.45
Overall a good place to have authentic Italian food. I would probably come back to sample other food on their list.

Meatworks @ Solaris Mont Kiara

2009-07-25T14:55:00.003+08:00

After last night's heavy dinner at Ole Ole Bali, we went for a walk around Solaris and noticed this new restaurant which was packed with people. Our curiosity got the better of us so we decided to check it out for our late lunch this lazy Saturday.
The place is quite cozy and inviting with brick walls and simple decor.
The overall meal was good and of good quality. Let me share the breakdown of our meal:
Soup of the day tomato soup rm15
Potato salad rm12
Rib eye rm58
Apple juice rm9.50
Honeydew juice rm9.50
Total bill came out to rm 119.60 which included service charge and gov't tax.
Meatworks is located right in front of Cold Storage Solaris
Tel 03-62040398
Ps. Because we were so hungry I didn't get the chance to take photos of the food. I only realized half-way through, he he!

Ole ole Bali @ Solaris

2009-07-25T14:41:00.002+08:00

Last night we opted to be more adventurous and tried a different restaurant called Ole Ole Bali. Back in Manila we didn't have a lot of choice on authentic Indonesian dishes so it's somehow foreign to me. And of course hubby also didn't get to try those dishes back in France! We were not disappointed with our choice. The ambience was decorated with lots of authentic Balinese paraphernalia and low seats with cushions. The food came very fast which was good because we were both hungry on a Friday night. Hubby took a set which had meat, veggie, squid and prawns. It was tasty! Mine was a half roasted chicken with lemongrass and it was good as well. A bit too much for for 2 bec the serving was big. We ended up too full and over-ate :(
With 2 dishes plus 2 drinks, our bill came up to rm 85. Quite reasonable for such a place. Overall it's a satisfied rating for our Balinese evening.

Nice lazy Saturday

2009-07-25T13:32:00.001+08:00

It was nice to spend all morning at home lazying around. By 1pm we decided it's time to go out and eat somewhere. Caught glimpse of the relaxing and sunny atmosphere at my condo where it's nice to sit by and read. I love the weather here in KL! Sunny all year long!

Most Expensive Restaurant KL - Part 2

2009-07-18T22:33:00.000+08:00

Now moving to main course, both hubby and I enjoyed tremendously. I had the braised beef which was melt-in-your-mouth! The portion was just right and it was served with mushrooms, asparagus and potatoes. Hubby took the fish dish which tasted exquisite. Dessert was fantastic as well with melted chocolate & ice cream, while hubby got the lemon thingy dessert which looked too lovely to eat! They also gave a bonus dessert to us as a gift!
This gastronomic experience will cost you ... RM 808 (around us$227)! Definitely the most expensive dinner we have paid since we arrived in KL :) But it was truly memorable! Highly recommended for people who are out to celebrate a special occasion.
Lafite is located at the lobby of Shangri-la Hotel Kuala Lumpur.

Most Expensive Restaurant KL - Part 1

2009-07-18T22:21:00.002+08:00

It's a very happy day for us today. The pregnancy is going well and we found out that we will be having a baby girl! Yipee!
Tonight we dined in the most expensive restaurant in Kuala Lumpur -- from our perspective. So far since our arrival in Malaysia we have never paid this much for a dinner for 2! Anyway will share the bill later in part 2.
The food was superb and the experience we've had at Shangri-la's French Restaurant called Lafite was most appropriate for our celebration. We both took the Explorer menu which was a 6 course meal. Superb! Plus they even made a special candlelight set-up for us. I did mention to them that we are celebrating something that evening and that I'm pregnant when I called for reservations. The meal included my ultimate favorite foie gras (really heavenly!), we had some soup, some fancy looking starters, lobster with tomatoes, and a small cup of sorbet to clean the palette. More updates and photos in the next entry. Had to cut into 2 entries bec I'm sending this update from my phone to my Blogger site which cross-posts to Facebook. Find out in the next entry how much this whole experience cost us :)

My Secret Passion

2009-07-15T16:48:00.012+08:00

A peek into my secret passion... acrylic and oil painting. I've always been fascinated with the world of art since I was very young. Though I had no formal schooling on art, I was able to nurture my little passion via simple means. During my younger days, I loved spending time at the art section of the bookstore looking at the different paint and brushes. I followed this art guy on TV who would be doing a step-by-step painting lesson every Saturday morning. I found interesting the little field trips to the museum which my school initiated. It was an "on and off" thing because to paint, one needs inspiration, time, patience, lots of space and lots of mess!

When I got older and travelled to European countries where art is revelled and appreciated. It was very inspiring. So when I had the chance to enroll in an art gallery workshop, I took the plunge and signed up for 10 lessons. I had the time of my life! Every time I walked in there and did my painting, I felt happy, truly happy. It's a different feeling that I could not describe with words. It wasn't a cheap hobby. To me, every penny I have spent on art since I was a little girl was money well spent. Just thinking of those moments make me so happy.

So here I am sharing a little bit of my secret passion and the stuff I have made over time. I was ecstatic when hubby sold a few of my paintings -- the mere idea of it was mind-blowing! I was on cloud 9! Never beyond my wildest imagination would I have thought that people would buy my stuff. It was pure bliss making them... it's beyond unbelievable having friends buy them.

Here's a sneak peak to what I have completed over the years... Enjoy!

Fete Nationale de la France

2009-07-14T21:15:00.002+08:00

Very nice party at the French embassy at Ampang. It was packed with people! We had to park far and walk to the embassy. When we entered I was so surprised how beautiful the gardens were and it felt like one of those European parties we attended a while back. It's really interesting to see one such party in Malaysia!
The food was okay, lots of wine and cheese. And the cakes were so nicely decorated. Never realized how huge the French population was here in KL! Met some new people and some old friends. July 14 is considered as the National day of France or what they call Bastille day.

French Food @ Cuisine Studio

2009-07-12T14:17:00.002+08:00

For a change of scenery, hubby and I decided to deviate from shopping malls and went walking at Ttdi park. After our walk, we wanted something different for lunch so we tried to find our way to Tropicana. I heard from several expat and local friends about a cooking school which also serves good French food. We found the country club easily and headed to Cuisine Studio. It's located inside the Country Club itself and quite nicely decorated. When you enter, one will immediately smell freshly baked bread.
We ordered salad for starters and it came with bread and a small sample of tapenade. Then we took the duck Cassoulet which I totally miss, especially after tasting a superb one last year during my stay in South of France. We devoured the dish in minutes. It's probably the only place in Malaysia that has that! We finished off with a lemon Tartlet. I was also able to buy a bottle of the French Monin syrup in apple flavor, which we love! We usually mix it with cold water or sparkling water for a refreshing drink. Total bill came out to rm 214.45 Let me share the breakdown of our bill.

Cuisine Studio at Tropicana Golf & Country Resort
Garden salad rm28
Duck Cassoulet Rm 62
Lemon Tartlet rm 18
White wine glass rm 20
San Pellegrino rm15
Monin apple syrup rm 43.48
Plus tax and service charge
Total was at rm 214.45

Saturday Sugimoto Dinner

2009-07-11T21:39:00.002+08:00

Once again I'm craving for some authentic Japanese cuisine and thought of checking out Sugimoto. A Japanese friend of mine mentioned it long ago and so I decided to research online about people's reviews. The place was busy with people, and the ambience was simple Japanese style. If not for the blog reviews pointing us to its location I don't think we would have given it a second look bec it's at the 2nd floor. One has to go up via elevator or stairs. It's near the Jarrod & Rawlins restaurant.
We ordered the Kamameshi set, chicken teppanyaki, and saba fish. Overall it was tasty and the service was good. We will definitely go back to try other dishes.
We paid rm 86 in total. Not bad for an authentic Japanese dinner with great service. The other blogs I've seen mentioned that they have quite affordable lunch menus.

Sugimoto is located at 36-1 & 38-1 Jalan 27/70A Desa Sri Hartamas , Kuala Lumpur.

Tel # 03-23001102

To find it, look for the Jarrod and Rawlins restaurant which is located at the ground floor. Beside it is a narrow passage-way which leads you to a staircase/elevator which will bring you up to the next floor... which is Sugimoto!

H1N1 & Pizza Saturday

2009-07-11T16:45:00.001+08:00

I had a colleague who caught the H1N1 virus bec of her trip to Thailand, so I worked from home this week except for Friday. The days passed by quickly and once again it's Saturday!
We decided it's better to stay home than mingle in the high-traffic malls where the virus may be present. So we took our time and made our own pizza. The bread dough was purchased from Carrefour last week' where they have stock of pizza dough from France. Then we topped it with 3 kinds of cheese, some basil and olives, plus beef sausages sauteed with onions, pizza tomato sauce and a bit of olive oil. It was yummy! Definitely tastier than pizza delivery. Plus, hubby made sure that he made it thin crust just like how Italians do it. Shame we don't have a wood oven else it would be perfect! Anyway pizza and some ice cold coke made my late lunch an interesting one.

Sunday dinner at Duck King Restaurant

2009-07-05T21:08:00.001+08:00

After a long Sunday of cleaning up at home, we went to Church and decided to have a treat for dinner. We headed to Jaya One, a new place at PJ which we heard had lots of new restaurants. We weren't sure where to eat so we looked around. We arrived at 645pm and when we passed by the Duck King Restaurant the ground floor was already full! Hubby and I decided to check the menu and the first page featured the Duck wrap which we were both craving for a long while now. Our last fabulous duck wrap like that was 2 years ago back in Manila @ Peking Garden in Makati.
We were not disappointed at all. Our half order of duck wrap was superb. It also came with second way cooking, and the waitress recommended the Duck meat saute with ginger. We also ordered one extra dish : tofu with mushroom, which was also tasty especially when paired with plain white rice. We ordered only 1 plain rice which seemed more than enough for 2 people. Overall the unexpected duck dinner cost around rm 86 for 2 people. We ordered 2 fresh fruit juice along with our meal. Will surely go back one day but not after a few months. Need to space out killer duck skin like that!

Affordable Saturday lunch @ Food Garden

2009-07-04T14:25:00.001+08:00

Hubby and I decided to try out the Food Garden at top floor of Gardens mall. We decided to be more prudent in spending so we headed for this nice food court which seemed to be new and well maintained. While looking around and deciding whether to stay or not, we chanced upon an Iranian place which served kebab and other Iranian specialties which looked good ! The owner was there to entertain and answer questions. After a quick walk around the place we surveyed all choices and went back to try some Iranian food. Suddenly I had this craving for kebab and mediterranean food so it was very, very appealing!
We ordered 2 dishes, one lamb (which is their top seller and in the menu it's the one numbered as #1). Plus a shawarma wrap which had chicken inside and came with fries. Both entries cost a total rm30. This is not your typical el-cheapo food court. The quality was very good! I munched down the lamb with rice and was so so satisfied. We also took some fruit juice from the fellow fruit stall which cost rm 8 for both the fresh apple juice and honey dew juice. Overall it's an affordable lunch at Gardens mall. Usually the restaurant visits around here will cost u at least rm 60 and above (from my experience).

Friday Indian Dinner @ Saffron

2009-07-03T21:28:00.001+08:00

Okay I admit, since I started my 2nd trimester I have been obsessed with food. I've had different food cravings week to week. I have been an avid daily viewer of Asian Food Channel. And there would be certain days when I crave food Indian food -- something I totally don't know how to cook. I only started eating Indian food since our arrival in Malaysia and I can't believe I missed out this cuisine all my life! Back in Manila I haven't had that level of appreciation of Indian cuisine.
Tonight we tried for the first time this small cozy restaurant at Sri Hartamas. It's called Saffron. When we arrived at 8pm it was half full. Just minutes after we were seated, people kept pouring in and in no time the place was packed! We ordered a chicken dish, mutton dish' small saffron rice, a bread like thing which is somewhat like naan, and a spinach cottage cheese sauce, plus 2 drinks. The food was good and prices were very reasonable. The menu is not as extensive as the other restaurants like Passage Thru India (which is more pricey but it's very different from Saffron). Overall our bill came out to rm 60 which was very reasonable for a Friday night dinner. By the time we left the restaurant it was noisy and bustling with people. We also saw more people heading to the restaurant ... Pretty impressive especially as the neighboring restaurants weren't as full.

Taiwan Restaurant dinner out on Thursday

2009-07-02T20:01:00.001+08:00

Time flies and it's already Thursday! We decided to do something different other than eating at home.
Tonight we went back to this popular Taiwan Restaurant called Fong Lye located at Desa Sri Hartamas. It's always busy with people. We arrived early for dinner that's why we were the 1st customer. We ordered fried rice, double boil soup, sweet and sour pork, crispy fried pork, eggplant with basil, and bbq cod fish. It was all yummy and we finished everything! Good thing we had a very light lunch today. The ambience, food presentation and quantity were all up to standard. The total bill was at rm124 which was okay for such a meal with variety and quality. They have another branch at Gardens mall which has set menus and seem like cheaper prices. But I guess this one at Sri Hartamas caters more to families and bigger groups. The menu choice is also different. Overall it's a very good place to experience Taiwan food.

Yoga for Pregnant Women

2009-07-02T18:59:00.001+08:00

I'm happy that there is such a place like Fit For 2 which caters especially to pregnant women. I attended 2 classes and was satisfied with the experience. They even have a nice cafe where hubbies can wait for mommies. They also have a play corner where children happily play while waiting for mommy to finish her class. I also saw some mommy-baby classes together which will surely be fun, but I will get to try that probably next year!
The other soon to be mommies I met during the classes I attended were mostly on their 28 to 36 weeks and I'm amazed they can still do all the routines. I hope I can also when I get that big! Overall I'm happy to have found this place which is located at Bangsar Village 2. Nice place to hang out also in case you are at the mall, because they make their home made food stuff which looked yummy but I haven't had time to try yet. I saw the numerous press articles that were written about their cafe.

Monday KLCC traffic

2009-06-29T18:06:00.000+08:00

My office is located at the heart of Kuala Lumpur ... Yup it's the twin towers itself. It's now 556pm and driving home at this time means peak hour. From office to Mont Kiara it will take around 15 to 30 mins depending on traffic flow. There are even days where it takes almost 1 hour to get to Mont Kiara but these are exceptional traffic situations like super heavy rain at peak hours.
Overall KL traffic is not bad, especially compared to Manila or Jakarta traffic. I'm quite satisfied driving around here.