Coffee&Vanilla: Amusements of A Bloggerholic

English Tea House and Restaurant, Jesselton Point

2012-02-12T01:03:00.002+08:00

English Tea House and Restaurant is situated at Jesselton Point, next to Cock & Bull Bar. It's an outlet of the main one at Sandakan. The serve-no-pork restaurant offers traditional British and also Asian cuisine.

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(Sorry I could not recall the exact prices of the food)

Cream of Mushroom Soup
By the look of it, you'll know this is not the usual mushroom soup served in any other diners. You can actually chew on the bits of mushroom and other ingredients, and it tasted good too. Comes with a piece of crispy garlic bread too.

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Pineapple Fried Rice
The rice tasted more of turmeric, but not too bad.

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Fish and Chips
For small eaters, if you are ordering the English classics like this and the other two below, I suggest you to not order sides because this is more than enough! Look at the size of that piece of fish; it's humongous! The fish meat was tender and evenly battered. The tartar sauce and the side salad were good too. I'm happy I did not see oil flowing out when I cut into this.

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Chicken Chop
Large, succulent piece of chicken. And the sauce made it perfect.

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Lamb Chop
As good as the fish and chips and the chicken chop :)

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Good food, reasonably priced compared to other western diners, large portions: what more can we ask for? Even foreigners frequent this place. Well, perhaps its nonstrategic place is one of its inconveniences. It would be better if it is located somewhere in the middle of KK town. Anyway, if you're craving for good western dishes, put this on top of your list :)

A friend of mine :)

2012-02-07T17:39:00.000+08:00

Look, I'm on EverydayOnSales!

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Don't hesitate to click the images, for larger view.

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EverydayOnSales is a site which publishes information on sales in Malaysia - promotions, discounts, best deals, warehouse sales, outlet sales, shopping bargains, etc. So, you'll never miss a sale again, especially for you shopaholics like me!

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No fret; you can be their friend too! Just click on 'Friends' at the bottom of the page (or HERE), simply fill in the boxes with your details and you'll be contacted soon. It's really easy.

Come on, networking is fun! :)

Dome Cafe, 1Borneo

2012-02-03T16:33:00.000+08:00

Dome Cafe in 1Borneo is the sole outlet in Sabah. It is located on the ground floor of the hypermall, next to the concierge and opposite Starbucks Coffee.

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Creamy Seafood Pasta.
The sauce was not creamy enough. Besides, it was quite bland to my tasting.
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Spicy Chicken Mushroom Pasta.

The mushroom sauce tasted more like santan (coconut milk). For me, it was not near to spicy; it was kind of minty. This tasted 'Malaysian' rather than 'Italian'.

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Calamari and Chips.

The calamari rings were large and crispy and the squid inside was chewy. I'm quite satisfied with this one since I like deep-fried foods. It's just that...it was clear that the side salad was taken out 'fresh' from the fridge onto the plate because it was cold.

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~~Cheese-baked sandwich.~~ Beef Lasagne.
It does look like sandwich, right? That is the thinnest lasagne I have ever seen. A little burnt on the sides and it was rather dry. The side salad was on the same page.
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So, the final verdict? Perhaps it is more of a place to hang out with friends over an expensive cup of coffee but not for the food. Also, never trust a restaurant/cafe with a very wide selection of food in the menu because this is not my first :)

1Malaysia Book Vouchers

2012-02-02T17:50:00.001+08:00

If you have read my post on last Tuesday, I did state that the class has a mission to complete yesterday. It's not a 'mission impossible'; it's just that we finally got our hands on the RM200 book vouchers! Before this, we doubted that we could get those vouchers since we're from a teacher training college. But we are also UiTM students and we still possess the student card. That's the beautiful thing of enrolling in a twinning programme, between the college and a local university. So, majority of us joined the convoy to UiTM in Sepanggar for the vouchers after the morning lecture.

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With one RM50 voucher has been used up :D
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We immediately stopped by 1Borneo after that for lunch and to redeem the vouchers.

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Only some of the things I grabbed at Harris (1Borneo) yesterday and Eaton's (Centre Point) today, after spending about one hour of making decisions and calculations in each store. I wanted to buy reference/exercise books for future teaching purpose, but I don't know what form I'm going to teach, so recipe book it is :D

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An advice regarding the issue of students selling away the vouchers: Go lah bah buy books, magazines, stationery; if not for yourself, give them to your family members, relatives, friends, neighbours, spouse/crush, anak buah, etc as gifts. Why don't you make others happy rather than making your own life (and your family's) miserable when get caught and...*nags*nags*nags*

Anyways, I'm thankful for the vouchers :)

The days after the CNY break

2012-01-31T21:58:00.000+08:00

Huloo again! Sorry for the lack of updates on this blog. Blame it on the busyness and...the laziness.

Anyways, the semester resumes after a one week CNY break. And of course, that doesn't seem enough. But (student) life goes on. It was a relief there wasn't any assembly on last Monday. At least we got to save our sweat and also our energy.

Back to what happened these few days, please continue reading.

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A forum presentation in the class, but spent 70% of the session listening to the lecturer, sitting at the back (not pictured here because obviously I sneakily took this). Yeah, I wasn't really listening to his serious talk; only laughing at his jokes, lol.

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Wantan noodle at KK Plaza's food court. Thick and smooth egg gravy with slightly charred noodle. Ooh, nyum nyum!

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Siew mai and roti kahwin (married bread? Haha!) with butter and kaya (coconut jam) at 8am. Sorry if you're frustrated for not being able to see the true colours of the siew mai. I accidentally disco-coloured the picture, with one hand holding the phone and another grabbing the food :P

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Tomorrow, the class has a special mission to complete. I'll update you the story soon :)

Gong Xi Fa Cai 2012!

2012-01-23T01:14:00.001+08:00

To those who are celebrating it, especially my relatives, friends, acquaintances and to all of you readers, may you have a prosperous Chinese New Year this Dragon year!

[Source: comingholidays.com]

And I got an unexpected angpow few hours ago :D

I didn't receive one for so long :(

Again, Xin Nian Kuai Le and Happy Holidays!

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Behold the finale and the school break!

2012-01-20T23:07:00.000+08:00

Hey, it's me again!

I just remembered that I was supposed to update on the start of the final semester two weeks ago, but my Blogger-droid was no good. And, that intention went totally into the drain. So, anyway, January 2012 to somewhere in May 2012 will be the class's final semester. The second half of our sixth year in the TESL programme. This semester will bring us lots of presentations (again), academic writings, forum (Gulp!), finishing up thesis (Panic attack!), tests, final exam, organizing a seminar, attending the final TESL night (exciting!), receiving final allowance (Muahaha!) and the most thrilling for me, putting up exhibitions for the kids and secondary students! It's going to be a whole lot of hard work, but I have a good feeling it will all worth it :)

The first two weeks were nothing really; just brief introductions to the five courses we're taking this semester. And yes, thesis to be submitted before we sit for the one and only final paper in June/July.

Enough with the distressing report, now, let's take some peeks on what were caught on my truly-not-that-awesome mobile phone's camera this week.

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Thursday's lunch: Chicken Martabak (RM7) at Krishna's Fish Head Restaurant, Plaza Grand Millennium, Penampang.

The thinnest I ever had, but the filling (chicken pieces wrapped with egg) was quite spicy and the curry was superbly hot and yummy.

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Today's lunch: Noodles Soup (RM5) at Lido Square Food Court.

I had a difficult time finishing this. Taste-wise, it was so-so.

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Black and heavily-pregnant. Also, feisty, who will attack legs when not given food.

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In a Bubbleland: Someone is missing childhood memories :)

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This week, we also had a small gathering/sharing session with a group of TESL juniors, who will replace our spot at UiTM Shah Alam. We spent more than one hour, giving them advices and tips on what they will face there later. Not forgetting, giving them contact numbers and warning them about the hell-ish Kesatria Negara. They actually remind me of us few years ago as we have been in the same situation. I personally like that session because it was like a session of sharing secrets and all the 'burdens' were lifted off our shoulders. LOL. No lah. Sharing is caring, right? :)

Btw, the school break starts tomorrow. Many of my mates are already back to their beloved home. So, last words from me: Happy holidays, to those who are already celebrating the coming of the long break! :D

P/s: I am SO going to die missing this college life :(

He Jia Fo Seafood Restaurant. Jln Tuaran

2012-01-19T16:29:00.000+08:00

He Jia Fo Seafood Restaurant is a new Muslim-Chinese restaurant in town. It is located in front of Razz Ma Tazz club and next to Kuo Man Coffee Shop. The specialty here I would say is the lamen (noodles) as they are made by hand, everyday. There is even a corner with glass where you can see the person pulling and flinging the dough up on the air.

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Fish Slices Noodle (Soup) - RM7

The fish slices are large in size and they are generous with the amount. The handmade noodle is springy and the fish slices are really tender. All in all, it is a satisfying meal.

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Chicken and Mushroom Dumplings (Soup) - RM6

The soup has that herbal taste but not really strong. Overall, the dumplings are okay.

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There are many other dishes offered in the menu, like the chef's special, the lamen in many other different varieties and seafood. I just wish they offer dim sums in the menu. Anyway, it is open for breakfast/lunch from 6am to 2.30pm and dinner from 6pm to 10.30pm.

Baba & Nyonya Recipe, Penampang

2012-01-13T15:03:00.000+08:00

Baba and Nyonya's cuisine is one of my favourites too. If you don't know this place already, it is located at Grand Millenium Plaza, KK New Bypass; next to Krishna's Fish Head and below Sailor's Cafe.

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Fried Tuaran Mee - RM7

I'm happy they offer a variety of Tuaran mee (noodle) in the menu. Now, I can just drive for 5 minutes to satisfy my craving for Tuaran noodle! However, I still believe the best ones can only be found at Tuaran town itself. This one is slightly greasy and they are not quite generous with the chicken slices.

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Tuaran Mee (Soup) - RM7

Not too much different compared to ordinary noodle soup. The portion is bigger than what I thought. Tender chicken pieces and springy noodle. Overall, it was not bad ~~and I was happy that it did not taste like Maggi's chicken noodle soup~~.

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Salted Fish Fried Rice (RM7) + Sunny side-up (RM1)

No, that is not half-eaten; that's the exact portion (and appearance) of the fried rice. Taste-wise; nothing much. It could have been better.
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Still, I want to go back there to try the other dishes in the menu! :)

Colourful cake: 1st attempt

2012-01-11T14:45:00.000+08:00

It's been a while since I bake, but last week I had the afternoons free after the morning lectures. It surprised me that I actually still had the energy to bake. Anyway, as I had prepare all the ingredients, suddenly, the old mixer decided to stop working for me. Luckily, my grandmother has one, which has been kept inside the shelf for ages. So, the mixer travelled from one house to another, and the baking project began.

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I just love a good mixer (Martha Stewart said the same too), don't you? :)
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You know what, I actually wanted to do red velvet, but the food colouring is actually a pink one! Hahaha, fail! But still edible. I just don't like wasting food.
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And....tadaa! Cupcakes! With different fillings; some had chocolate, some strawberry chips and the others had chopped cherries inside. All with cream cheese topping :)
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At the same time, I made a whole cake, with the same topping (cream cheese).
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And the surprise inside. Obviously, my creativity took me away.
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Still does not look that perfect, but I'm in the process of learning and practicing :)

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A closer look. The layers are not even, LOL.
I thought I could do a rainbow version, like this:

[Cr: Incredible things]
But it seems so far away. Perhaps I should gather all the colours first.
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Until the next one, bye :)

Fook Yuen, Gaya Street

2012-01-09T17:25:00.002+08:00

KKians! If you're craving for some dim sums, I mean halal ones, Fook Yuen is one of the places you can go. This one is from the Gaya Street branch :)

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Among the many other choices...
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RM3.60 per basket. Size-wise; they are still considered as 'medium'. Taste-wise: comparable to Chinese eateries, especially when they are still steaming hot. And eat those during the pouring rain; just NYUMs..

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And I've had these for two days in a row already 0_0

My goals for twenty twelve

2012-01-05T23:03:00.002+08:00

Making new year's resolutions is not really something I do every year, and I have no idea why I didn't bother to make any for all this while. Perhaps I don't trust my own self to commit towards achieving the resolutions. Anyhow, this year, I've decided to start making some to keep me on the right track rather than worrying about being a loner for the rest of my life or spending my remaining life in a mental institution.

#1 Avoid from gaining the old weight

:: No, I don't want to weigh 83kg again. Period.

#2 Save more money; ask less from parents

:: In need to save money so that I can have a grand wedding in the future. Kidding. Of course all of us need to save money. And about the other one, I need to STOP relying on the parents' money once I start making my own money being a teacher. For now, the parents are the backup plan/last resort for any financial constraint. Hmm..such a disgraceful child, no?

#3 Get a boyfriend

:: It could help me with #6, #8 and #12 below. But I am aware that I should not let this determine my life 100%, thank you very much.

#4 Graduate...with pride

:: Don't get me wrong. It's not like I'm not proud to graduate. Are you kidding me? After those 6 years? I AM happy to graduate as a TESLian. I want to feel on top of the world upon receiving that scroll on the stage and I want to share that moment with my parents.

#5 Exercise more and eat more rice and vegetables

:: Exercising is important to help me with #1. And eating more rice and vegetables can keep me away from a sickness which I always face these days. Any guess? :P

#6 Be more confident

:: I'm still searching for that lost confidence in particular area, like talking to a stranger (especially on the phone), talking loudly in front of a number of eyes on me, initiate a conversation with people, etc.

#7 Think more critically

:: This is of a great significance in producing an academic writing or a critique; a great one with the help of correct grammar usage, that it will wow me reading it back. Also helps me in gearing up my brain cells even until my whole body is covered with wrinkles and needing a walking stick to walk. Besides, it helps me to talk more too, I mean, wisely.

#8 Be more talkative/bubbly/cheerful

:: I am extremely quiet because I have no freaking idea what to say, especially to strangers, and I am very concerned of my own pride and others' feeling. So, I always try not to say things that make the other party feel taken aback or say things that will get me into deep shit neither do things that will ridicule myself, which makes me end up as a no-nonsense a.k.a serious a.k.a boring person. But to achieve #12, I think I need to relax sometimes and be more optimistic.

#9 Be more considerate

:: I tend to be ignorant of things when I don't have the mood or when I know I cannot do anything about it. For this, I wish to care more of little things (like maybe recycling?). Little things lead to bigger things, right? Perhaps someday I am able to touch somebody's life (in a good way) or even revolutionize the world ~~and win a nobel prize~~. Also important: be more considerate of others' feelings, like apologizing for any wrongdoing, which I know I have to offer to a lot of people in the near time (-.-)

#10 Have somewhat a source of income during the long break

:: This is to help me with #1 and of course #2. I can get some experiences and widen my social network too.

#11 Let hair grow long

:: I always have the itch to get a bob because I think bobs are adorable (but I'm not sure if it looks adorable on me, LOL). But then, my hair is facing malnutrition that it seems like it's taking ages to grow an inch longer. Before that happens, I always end up being jealous of people with long hair that they do wonders with it.

#12 Live a happier life

:: If I can make all of the above, I'll be more content with my life (and lengthen my life span for few years)

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Wow, this has become a long post, man. Do you think I can pull all these off? I will try. Anyway, that's all for now. I need to head to bed now because my alarm clocks (there are two) will wake me up exactly at 5.30am. Good night, peeps!

Two thousand and eleven in a nutshell

2011-12-31T15:34:00.000+08:00

Tomorrow will be a brand new year! Woohoo! Now, buckle up as I take you back into memory lane; to what 2011 brought me into.

♥ January: The first day of 2011 kicked off with a barbecue session with my school friends.

♥ January: Back to UiTM Shah Alam for a new semester and the last one there; the whole class had a photo shoot at our faculty.

♥ January: Participated in DiGi Done Right Camp at D'House, Shah Alam. Met some awesome (and influential) bloggers.

♥ February: The arrival of baby Olympus.

♥ April: A freaking awesome trip to Singapore!

Part 1 HERE, Part 2 HERE.

♥ May: Through with semester 6 and Shah Alam. Back to KK for good.

♥ July - October: The dreaded 7th semester! Went through a torturous practicum at SFC for 13 weeks.

1st week's story HERE; 2nd week's HERE; 3rd week's HERE;

A string of events when I was a part of the school: Sports Carnival, Integration Night and finally the goodbye bid: Part 1 HERE, Part 2 HERE and Part 3 HERE.

♥ September: A coursemate's big day.

♥ October: An old friend got engaged.

♥ November: A year older.

♥ December: A high-school friend got married.

So, 2011 has been quite an interesting (and also challenging) year, where I got to visit all sort of places, try out different foods, meet new people, watch friends got engaged/married and still end up single. Nevertheless, I can say, this year is definitely better than 2010; when all that I could remember is that, I was dreading being stuck in Shah Alam. Now, I cannot wait what 2012 will bring me next.

Anyways, have a
HAPPY NEW YEAR!
I will see you again in 2012 *wink*wink* ;)

Sarah & Julsun: 2 hearts become 1

2011-12-30T16:35:00.000+08:00

First of all, I want to send a big fat congratulation to my former school mates, Sarah and her now husband, Julsun!

I've been in the same class with Sarah from Form 2 to Form 5, and we haven't met since we left school in 2005. I believe these two are together ever since. And six years later, I reunited with her again at her wedding. Fyi, she was the only one who called me 'Ash Ketchum'. You know, that boy in Pokemon. LOL.

The two lovebirds were conjoined at Stella Maris Church, Tanjung Aru during the day.

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Here are the beautiful bride and the groom :)
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A wedding reception was held later that night at Putera Theater Ballroom, Bukit Padang.

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Fresh roses!
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That night also marked as a reunion party for the rest of us :D
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Camwhoring in the wash room where the large mirror is: a must :)
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More pictures from the two events HERE.

So, I wish these two all the best in their journey as husband and wife and may their days be filled with love and live happily ever after ♥

Be jolly, be merry!

2011-12-25T00:00:00.000+08:00

Hi people! You know what day it is today! So, here's a wish from me to all my family members, relatives, college/coursemates, former students, fellow bloggers, friends, acquaintances, and to all of you readers!

and Happy Holidays!
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And the angel said unto them, "Fear not! For, behold,

I bring you tidings of great joy, Which shall be to all people.

"For unto you is born this day in the city of David A Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.

- St. Luke ii

ZenQ Desserts, Lintas Square

2011-12-24T01:14:00.001+08:00

KK peeps! Have you tried the newly-opened ZenQ Desserts at Lintas Square? Well, as a dessert-lover, of course I did! This little green lot is located on the same row as Maybank.

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ZenQ MySignature - RM7.50
With shaved ice, taro balls, grass jelly, crystal noodle and pearls. The taro balls were large and chewy. Overall, it was not too sweet nor bland, and it was refreshing! I could see every table had this that night.

Comes with this tiny tab of cream.
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Red Bean Milk Shaved Ice - RM7.50
Ooh, I love red bean! This was not too sweet, too. The taste of gula melaka (palm sugar) overpowered the milky taste, so this tasted like cendol. Yet, my friends and I scooped this until the last drop :P

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Taro Sago - RM6.90
A bowl of taro goodness: I like this the most! (Because I love taro :P) The ice-cream made this perfect.

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Jelly Milk Tea - RM6.90
Not much different to other bubble tea outlets, so it was okay.

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I'll definitely go back there for more!

Gaya Christmas Carnival 2011

2011-12-13T00:44:00.000+08:00

Hi there! Just a sharing, if you don't know yet. Gaya Christmas Carnival is back at Lintasan Deasoka/Gaya Street this year; from December 12th until this Thursday, December 15th. Yesterday was the launch, highlighted with firework performances. My friends and I were there, so I have some pictures here to share with you.

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Welll, here's an empty street because all the patrons were captivated by the fireworks.

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Blaring, extremely loud fireworks that even the bank's alarm was triggered . LOL.

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Juwita Suwito performed last night, but we didn't stick around long to watch her performance, or the others. In a nutshell, there were less stalls and smaller crowd at the event for the first night, compared to last year's. Perhaps because of the drizzling rain. The stalls are selling miscellaneous things; e.g. Christmas decorations, food (like cute cupcakes!) and drinks, apparels, mementos, and much more. The activities to be expected during this four-night include Christmas carols, performances by local artistes, skit and other performances, etc. The event starts from 6.30pm onwards and end at 10.30pm. So, if you happen to be around KK this week or just wish to check this event out, don't miss out the chance to experience it yourself.. Besides, this Christmas celebration only happens once a year, right? :)

Pancake House International & KK's Night Hawker Stalls

2011-12-09T23:59:00.001+08:00

#1 Pancake House International (serves no pork), which originated from the Philippines can now be found at Karamunsing Complex, KK; on ground floor, next to KFC. It is open as early as 7.30am, so this will be a perfect place for breakfast! I've seen this place for quite some time but I only had the chance to have a try here recently with a bunch of friends.

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From top to bottom: Mango Smoothie (RM6.80), Iced Lemon Tea (RM4.80), Chocolate Milkshake (RM6.80) and another Iced Lemon Tea. All of the drinks were quite nice.

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Blueberry Pancake (2 pieces) - RM8.80

Light, fluffy but thin layers of pancake, with blueberry filling. The side syrup makes this perfect. That ball of butter on top intimidated me a bit though, so I shoved it to the side, hehe. Also, the sprinkled icing sugar is not really necessary. Nevertheless, the pancakes were yummy.

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Behold the oozed out blueberry filling!
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Seafood Gambero - RM12.90
Such a tiny-looking portion on a large white plate, but overall, it was quite good.

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House Specials Set (with complimentary iced tea) - RM15.90

Taco, spaghetti with meat sauce, garlic bread, pan chicken. Where else can you get a plate of four different types of food? A satisfying meal; I especially like that sauce/gravy in the middle.

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Beef Tapa - RM15.90

Beef strips, garlic rice, egg and atchara (pickled papaya). The beef strips were well-marinated and I also like the atchara.

Verdict: Good service, but the food took forever to reach our table. Despite that, I like the extensive menu. So, I'll definitely go back here to try all the other food, especially those desserts!

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#2 Night Hawker Stalls (next to KK's market) was our second destination. It is flooded with stalls which mostly offer Javanese cuisines. This place is open from 6pm until 5am.

Bakso
With a generous amount of meats (beef, chicken and everything else) as you can see above, it is quite a satisfying meal, which only costs around RM5 a bowl.

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Beef Soto
Just another bowl of soto.

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Battered Fried Squid - RM15
Crunchy on the outside, chewy on the inside, but slightly greasy. Anyway, you can pick out the seafood on your own, but freshness is not guaranteed.

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Verdict: Unless you are a hygiene-freak, this is one place you can go when a hunger pang strikes you around 2 or 3 in the morning. A lot of stalls are offering the same menu, so just be wary of noisy attendants luring you into their lot :)

Say hi :)

2011-12-07T14:56:00.001+08:00

...to these two little furry creatures. They are not mine; my sister's actually. It was really a laborious job to capture still images of them because they'll spring back to active life once I refill their food supply and put my hand in there.

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Look at those sharp teeth!
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All they do throughout the day: sleeping, crunching on kuaci (sunflower seeds), slurping on water, pooping, and running on the squeaking wheel, occasionally.

But still cute, eh?

Food Review: Kak Nong Restaurant, Harbour City

2011-12-04T01:06:00.001+08:00

I'm sure the restaurant is quite a familiar name to most Sabahans, right? If you have yet to know, it was named as the Best Kopitiam under Sabah Tourism Award in 2007 and had been featured in TV3's 'Jalan Jalan Cari Makan'. This particular branch, at Harbour City, Sembulan is the second branch, and the first is at Bundusan, Penampang.

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Bakso (Saturday Special) - RM7.00
With vermicelli noodle, meatballs, fried wantan and tofu all thrown in one bowl, I could see that this is a filling meal. The taste was not bad though.

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Soto Nyonya (Fish) - RM7.50
Not really the best fish noodle you can find in KK, but this was quite filling too. Besides, I like the large, tender pieces of fish meat in this.

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Special Fried Rice - RM9.50
I don't know what is special about this. The first bite on this tasted bland. So, not much to be expected from this.

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Fried Dumplings - RM8.00

2 fried siew mais, 2 wantans, 3 mini spring rolls and 3 fish fingers. This will not win the most appealing/appetizing snacks, that's for sure. Nothing special with the taste though. Honestly, I expected more than this; I mean, this whole plate for RM8? While on the other side, I'll be happier if they offer 'unfried' dumplings on the menu.

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The restaurant has crews as much as the customers. Understandable, since the restaurant receives quite a crowd throughout the day.
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The waiter serving us looked not much of giving a damn about the customers. Besides, some dishes on the menu seem to be ridiculously priced (like the dumplings). With those prices, I think I will go somewhere else with better foods that worth the money. However, it was a good experience to have a taste of a well-known restaurant to really know of how it is living its name. But meh...

More food reviews: 4 places in 1

2011-12-03T00:12:00.001+08:00

These few days I've been going all over KK and places vicinity with my parents to settle some business. And eating is a must. So in this post, I present to you four places. Without further ado, please continue scrolling.

(All pictures were taken with a Samsung Galaxy Mini)

#1 - Home's Cafe and Restaurant, 1Borneo Hypermall
Location: Lower ground floor, opposite Kaison Furnishing.

Prawn Noodle - RM 6.90 (incl. a drink)
This tasted weird. The whole thing in the bowl was infected with a real strong prawn taste. Or maybe it's because I don't like prawns? I have no idea, but even my mum said it was not nice.

Claypot Pin Noodle - RM8.90

My order, on the other side, was pretty satisfying. The deep black soy sauce was a little bit intimidating, but I ate it all anyway. The raw egg on top, was cooked after a few minute of mixing it inside the hot claypot bowl. And yeah, the sauce was flying all over the place and even landed on my scarf while eating it -.-"

Oh yeah, seriously SLOW service, even though only two tables were occupied at that time. Imagine my meal arrived 30 minutes upon ordering.
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#2 - Aunty Ang's Corner, Putatan *Non-halal*
Location: Few meters away from Servay Hypermarket, Putatan and Kaison.

Siew Mai - RM3
Ooh how I missed authentic Chinese siew mais. And this is one place to find one! I could see many patrons coming here to tapau (take away) some of these.

Green Bean Red Bean - RM6
A big bowl of goodness. To many, this may not tastes sweet enough. But it was good enough for me. There are also other choices offered, like strawberry, blueberry, etc, unlike what you normally find at ordinary Chinese restaurants.

♥

#3 - Restoran Juara, Megalong Penampang
Location: Ground floor, the same row with Marrybrown and HoHo Bento.

Steamed Chicken (with rice) - RM4.50

Tender chicken pieces and flavourful chicken rice but nothing really interesting. For a plate of chicken rice, I would rather prefer Nasi Ayam CP at KK town.
♥

#4 - Restoran Hui Chow, Taman Fortuna *Non-halal*
Location: Opposite Petronas Fuel Station, the same row with 7-11 store.

Mixed Ngau Chap (Beef noodle) - RM5.50
I opted for kuey teow (flat rice). I quite like the pork slices and the beef balls but the noodle was bland. Maybe next time, I should just go for the pastries instead.

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So, that's that. Have a nice day :)

Pizza Hut's Ultimate Cheesy Bites 7 Pizza & 'Puss in Boots'

2011-11-30T22:43:00.001+08:00

So, it was Ultimate Cheesy Bites 7 Pizza for Tuesday's lunch. If you don't know already, it is loaded with seven different types of cheese! This is what we call, guilty pleasure 0_0

[Cr: Pizza Hut Malaysia]

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What's left of the garlic bread for foodography :)

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A whole load of glorious, golden cheese!

My say: Not bad. But only eat if you think you can handle all those fatty cheeses! And for meat-lovers like me, perhaps you want to add toppings: chicken, pepperoni or Hawaiian chicken. Be alert for cheese-drunk, especially when you bite into that cheeseballs as you can see in the picture above. Oh, nyum! :)

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Moving on to the next topic: movie. Yes, I've watched Puss in Boots, before Twilight: Breaking Dawn. Maybe I'll let Twilight craze diminish for a while, then I'll go watch the movie. Anyway, Puss in Boot: it's TOO ADORABLE!

[Cr: 80millionmoviesfree]

A little bit of the synopsis (copied directly from Movieweb):

One of the most beloved characters of the Shrek Universe – tells the hilarious and courageous (daring, bold, brave) tale of Puss’ (Antonio Banderas) early adventures as he teams with mastermind Humpty Dumpty (Zach Galifianakis) and the street-savvy Kitty (Salma Hayek) to steal the famed Goose that lays the Golden Eggs.

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[Cr: Puss in Boots Trailer]

You think this is cute? Wait until you see him when he was a baby :P

I want to have one too!!!

[Cr: Allnewmoviereviews.com]

Humpty Alexander Dumpty, Kitty Soft Paws and the big flirt, Puss a.k.a Ginger :D

Besides Puss, I like Humpty Dumpty, too because he is totally hilarious, cute and round, especially when he is in that golden suit; even though he.....nevermind. No more spoilers here, haha :P

For me, I enjoyed the movie: great laughter, lovable characters, and of course, gripping story-line. Enjoyable movie to watch for the whole family or perhaps if you're a loyal movie-goer or if you simply love adorable things. Meanwhile, if you're a cat lover, you HAVE to watch it. I wouldn't mind watching this movie more than once :)

Lastly, before I end the post: December is finally here! So, I'm wishing you:

Have a great, final month of 2011!

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Christmas spirit at 1Borneo Hypermall!

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Food Review: Chilli Padi, Damai

2011-11-27T19:09:00.001+08:00

Chilli Padi is situated in Damai, Luyang, KK; the same row as YoYo Cafe. There is another outlet (a more famous one); at Wisma Merdeka's food court. Then, the Damai lot was occupied by a serve-no-pork eatery, Food Station, which my classmates and I would dine in after travelling (on foot) all the way from the hostel. And that was two years ago. Now, it is replaced with this restaurant that serves local Malay dishes.

My friends and I went there on a Saturday. It was our first visit there and they said that they were only open for half the day. There were only three waitresses there, including the chef. But the most disappointing thing was most of the foods on the menu were not available, like soupy dishes. So, I did not have any other choice than to stick with fried food. So much for the intention to have a healthy breakfast. And worst, we waited for 15 minutes for our food to arrive, and mine was more exclusive, another ten minutes after my friends' meal reached the table. I should have taken the warning stare from another customer there before us, not to go eat at the restaurant, because the service sucks.

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Fried Kuey Teow

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Fried Beehoon
I think both their orders were not that bad, since they did not complain :)
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And this was the closest thing to soupy meal: Wantan Ho

This one saved the morning, after all that wait. I can say that the dish had that savoury wok hei taste, similar to the ones in Chinese restaurants. I was drooling when this arrived, with all that steam in front of my face, and of course, the appetizing aroma :)

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My apology for not remembering the cost of the meals, including my own (the Wantan Ho). But I do remember the price range for most of the dishes is between RM4.50 to RM6.50. So, my verdict is, you can get better ones that are worth the money and time somewhere else :)

Food Review: Sri Melaka Restaurant, Kg Air

2011-11-27T18:38:00.001+08:00

Sri Melaka Restaurant is located at Kampung Air, Kota Kinabalu; opposite the Sedco Complex @ Seri Selera and five minutes away from Centre Point mall. The restaurant serves authentic Malaysian cuisines. They also offer a catering service. Since this restaurant is situated in the heart of the city, it is regularly chosen by foreigners and constantly packed even 30 minutes before its closure. So, that's an assurance that they have good food, right? Anyway, for more info and the map, you can check out its webpage HERE.

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For full view of what they are offering, click HERE.
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Asam Fish - RM10 (Small)
Slightly spicy; the large piece of fish meat was tender and I like that the gravy was not too sour.
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Chicken Rendang - RM8 (Small)

It looks like Chicken Kurma (dates), isn't it? Four pieces of chicken in savoury rendang gravy; a must eat together with a hot plate of rice. Even a group of foreigners ordered this at the same time :D

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Japanese Bean curd Claypot - RM8 (Small)

Smooth bean curds/tofu cooked in flavourful soy + oyster sauce. Yummy!

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Fried Squid - RM18 (Medium)
This is one of the restaurant's must try dishes and I agree! They were not too oily and the batter-coated, deep fried squids were chewy. If the batter is slightly thicker, then this dish would be just perfect.
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Pineapple Seafood + Vegetables - RM8 (Small)
Stir-fried squids with slices of tomato, spring onion, baby corn, mushroom and pineapple; it has that sweet and sour taste.
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Total damage for the night, for 4 people.
They also provided towel (actually, it's a wet wipe) and a plate of peanuts, which we thought were F.O.C but they were apparently not.
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The place has a limited space but they have quite an efficient service; foods were served about five minutes upon ordering and the female boss was friendly, but most importantly, the foods taste great, right? I will surely pay a visit here again soon ;)

Another cooking attempt: Spaghetti Bolognese

2011-11-25T02:45:00.001+08:00

Another boring and lonely day at home. So, the whole house was all mine yesterday, muahaha! *evil laugh* I gathered some ingredients I could find in the kitchen and so, spaghetti bolognese, it was. This one was easy because I just used a packet of bolognese powder for the sauce. Haha, no sweat.

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Cute bow-tie shaped pasta a.k.a farfalle.

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I mixed the bolognese sauce with minced chicken meat, chopped spring onion and some seasonings.
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And it was ready to be stuffed in the mouth!

The taste? Hmm..I wouldn't dare to give it a try to anyone outside the family because the food I cook is comparable to the food served for patients in the hospitals 0_0

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An extra:
Anyway, after finishing a whole plate of the self-made spaghetti bolognese while surfing the Internet, I went back to kitchen and did an experiment.

Inside this tiny baking aluminium tin, I put in some of the leftover farfalle, chopped vegetables, cream cheese and topped those with a slice of cheddar cheese. I arranged the strips of cheese like the above because I was too ambitious even though I knew how it would turn out to be.

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And the outcome...

FAILED! LOL.
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It's time for my beauty rest now, kbye.

B'day gifts ♥

2011-11-20T18:58:00.001+08:00

With this, I just want to express my gratitude to my dear bestie, Hidayah for these birthday gifts!

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A Russ bear (who obediently sits by my laptop everyday) and a small, yet yummy cake (that got me sugar-high :P)
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Please, excuse me for the switch to mobile phone camera :P

Too cute to be swallowed down!

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But it was all gone eventually.
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Thanks again, dearie!
(For the gifts and special delivery :P)
♥

Food Review: Marrybrown, Megalong

2011-11-20T14:49:00.001+08:00

Another Sunday is here! As any other fortnights, I went to the library (Penampang branch) to return and lend some new books and magazines. Following that, my mom took me for brunch at Marrybrown at Megalong Mall. I did my first review on this fast-food joint not too long ago: [link].

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Both of us ordered this: MB Chicken Rice - RM8.50 (Single) / RM9.50 (Combo - with a drink)
It was quite nice! The chicken rice was soft, put together with the tender chicken pieces combined with chilli sauce and sides like acar (pickles), chicken soup and some crackers. Or are they supposedly papadams?

[Source: MB's webpage]
But, the whole meal sedap bah juga :D

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RM2.20 worth of regular-sized ~~frozen veggies & mayonnaise~~ Vegetable Salad.
I did not expect it to be this small, but never mind.

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Anyway, I hope you have an awesome Sunday so far today :D

Poll in, will ya?

2011-11-19T17:58:00.001+08:00

Hello awesome readers!

How are you on today? It's been raining since morning ☂
I've been online since I woke up at 11am too because I am not able to watch TV because of the disruption. And I am stuck at home because of the rain because I do not dare to drive around in the rain.

Just want to share something here:

If you look at the sidebar on the right-side, I have a new set of poll (under the Nuffnang ads).

So, maybe you can spare some time to just read and click, and give me some feedback regarding the blog. Your feedback is much appreciated. No worries; only five questions by me there, because I cannot think of more! Haha :P This is just a few steps to make this blog of mine more..~~awesome~~ fun to read.

If you have any other suggestion/constructive comment/feedback, you can always leave one (or more) in the comment section.

Happy Sunday, in advance!☺

Food Review: Kedai Kopi Keng Lok Yin, ShareTea & RM1.20 Ice-cream

2011-11-17T15:53:00.001+08:00

It's a Shopping Day with my parents today. So, this morning, we stopped at Lido; Kedai Kopi Keng Lok Yin (non-halal) to be exact, to have our breakfast. It is the corner shop, located opposite the market (Lido Square) and next to Klinik Lau & Choong 24 Jam. You cannot miss its large, black signboard with gold writing.

All these reviews are non-sponsored :P

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Penang Fried Kuey Teow - RM5

The kuey teow was cooked with lap cheong (Chinese sausage), cockles, miniature of prawns, egg, beansprouts and chives. It was satisfying; with that wok taste. The portion may dishearten a big-eater, but it was fine with me.

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Kon Lau Mee with Chicken

No char siew (barbecued pork), so Mum opted for chicken. A plate of this goodness with springy noodle and tender chicken pieces in soy sauce costs only RM5.

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Centre Point was our next destination.

I saw this new milk tea outlet not long ago and today I decided to try one. It is on the second floor, few meters away from its rival, YoYo Cafe. It is easy to detect the bright red colour.

It's ShareTea, from Taiwan! With Eric Tsang as their ambassador.

Don't tell me you don't know him ;)

I ordered a medium-sized Vanilla Milk Tea (RM4.90). A large-sized one costs an extra RM1. (Sorry, this is a very improper angle to be shown to you guys 0_0) The price is slightly more expensive than YoYo or any other milk tea outlets here, but I like the drink. It was not too sweet, nor bland. Too bad I forgot to ask for additional pearls!

Besides milk tea of different flavours, I like that the outlet also offers a wider range of drinks: ice-cream floats, fruit tea, brewed tea, cream beverage, ice-blended drinks, fresh milk and Yakult drinks. No foods :( You can opt to add pearls/lychee coconut/agar/herb jelly/pudding/aloe vera or red bean for additional RM1. According to the flyer, you can also ask for your preferred temperateness, sweetness and iciness.

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For first time purchases, they will give a share card where you can get a stamp for every purchase you make. When you have ten all together, you can redeem one drink for free! And yes, I will be back for more! :D

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And lastly, after having a full round of walkathon in the mall and before heading home, my parents and I shopped for groceries at CKS Supermarket, Plaza Grand Millenium, where I spent more than RM100+ of my parents' money :D

Supermarket's entrance's attraction: cheap ice-cream! RM1.20 for two scoops.

♥

P/s: Sorry for the low-quality photos. I've been taking pictures with my Samsung Galaxy Mini these days. Such a lazy ass to bring the baby everywhere :)

Today's project: Marble cake

2011-11-14T15:46:00.001+08:00

I intended to make this last Saturday, which was my birthday. But I needed to get out of the house, so this was today's project! It's marble cake @ kek marmar!

And....tadaa!

The main steps in this are: dividing the batter into two and add melted chocolate into one, combine both into one pan and marbleize it. As an addition, I added some chocolate chips in that; just trying to be..unusual.

I've lost count on how many times I get on baking now, but I think I'm improving in this; at least, on the texture *pat self*

Until next time, this is noob Ashley :D

♥

P/s: Poor my baby Olympus has been resting for quite some time now :(

100 Truths

2011-11-13T01:09:00.001+08:00

About me :
001. Real name : Ashley Richard
002. Nickname(s) : Lily
003. Age: 22
004. Zodiac sign : Scorpio
005. Male or female : Female
006. Elementary : St. Francis Convent Kindergarten
007. Middle School : SRK St. Francis Convent
008. High School : SMK Datuk Peter Mojuntin
009. College school : IPG KAMPUS GAYA
010. Hair color : Black, with a dash of brown, I believe :D
011. Long or short : Medium
012. Loud or Quiet : Quiet
013. Sweats or Jeans : Jeans (Make my legs look more defined, LOL!)
014. Phone or Camera : Err..both?
015. Health freak : Sometimes
016. Drink or Smoke? : Both, no
017. Do you have a crush on someone : No for now.
018. Eat or Drink : Both (but not drink as in alcohol)
019. Piercings : Ears
021. Social or Anti-Social : I think I'm Anti-Social sometimes, but I want to be more sociable.
022. Righty or lefty : Righty
023. First piercing : Ears
024. First relationship : None
025 First Best Friend : Don't remember. It was in kindergarten.
026. First Award : Kindergarten
027. First Kiss : Parents maybe?
028. First Pet : A puppy
029. First Big Vacation : Can't remember
030. First Love at first sight : I don't believe in such thing
031. First Big Birthday : When I was small. Can't remember clearly.
032. First Surgery : Never had one (I think so, hehe)
033. First sport you joined : Can't remember (Sorry, I have some memory problem)
034. Orange or Apple juice : Orange juice
035. Rock or Rap : Rock!
036. Country or Screamo : Screamo (with good tune, not trashy)
037. NSYNC or Backstreet boys : NSYNC
038. Britney Spears or Christina Aguilera : Christina Aguilera
039. Night or Day : Night
040. Sun or Moon : Moon, of course
041. TV or Internet : Internet
042. Playstation or XBox: Neither, but I want one
043. Kiss or Hug? : Hug
044. Iguana or turtle : Turtle
045. Spider or bee : Who would like one of these?
046. Fall or spring : Never experienced either one, but I'll go for spring
047. Limewire or iTunes : Neither
048. Soccer or baseball : Baseball. I'll fail in snatching a ball from other people who are more fit.

Currently :
049. Eating : None
050. Drinking : Water
051. Excitement level : 0%. Nothing to be excited with.
052. I'm about to : Play a game on my laptop
053. Listening to : Wonder Girls' new album
054. Plans for today : Continue watching Korean drama 'Man of Honor' @ 'Glory Jane'
055. Waiting for : The night to come for me to watch TV
056. Energy level :70%
057. Thinking of someone: No one

Your Future :
058. Want kids? : Of course
059. Want to get married? : Definitely
060. When : By 28. Then, I can have a kid before 30.
061. How many kids do you want : Minimum, 2. Max, 5. Haha!
062. Any names on the mind: A lot. This space will not fit :D
063. What did you want to be when you're a kid : For all those years, a doctor
064. Careers in mind : Interior designer or an independent businesswoman. But now I'm stuck with teaching
065. Mellow future or wind : I don't know. Windy?
066. Something you would never try : Drugs (and smoke and serious crimes)
067. When you want to die? : When God wants to
068. Lips or eyes : I'm more to eyes
069. Romantic or Funny : A little bit of both
070. Shorter or taller? : Both are fine with me
071. Protective or Caring : Both
072. Romantic or spontaneous : Both
073. Nice stomach or nice arms : Err..what does it mean by nice stomach? But maybe I'll go for arms
074. Sensitive or loud : Sensitive (But not too much. No thanks)
075. Hook-up or relationship : Relationship
076. Trouble maker or hesitant : Neither
077. Muscular or normal : Normal. But a little bit muscular is fine (It seems like I'm picky now, right? LOL. I'm not, really)
078. Kissed a stranger : No
079. Broken a bone : Why is this under 'Your Future'? No, I don't want to break any of my bones. I might want to do so to some people though, lol.

Have you ever :
080. Lost glasses/contacts : Nope
081. Ran away from home? : No, because I don't have any more place to go
082. Held a gun/knife for self defense : Haha..no
083. Killed somebody : No, not even in my dreams.
084. Broken someone's heart : I don't know. Is there any? :D
085. Had your heart broken : Yes
086. Been arrested : Never
087. Cried when someone died : Of course
088. Liked a friend more than a friend : No

Do you believe in :
089. Yourself : I tried to do so, sometimes
090. Miracles : Yes
091. Love at first sight : No
092. Heaven : Yes
093. Santa Claus : No
094. Sex on the first date : No
095. Kissing on the first date : No
096. Angels : Yes

Answer Truthfully :
097. Is there one person you want to be with right now : Yes, God.
098. Are you seriously happy with where you are in life : No
099. Do you believe in God : Of course
100. Post as 100 truths and tag 10 people : I don't like to tag people with this kind of thing. That's a truth about me :)

Ok, happy Sunday.

12.11.11 --> 22

2011-11-12T23:03:00.000+08:00

With all the hype of 11.11.11 last Friday, 12.11.11 was here, about few minutes ago! And it was my birthday! I'm now twenty-two! OMG, I don't feel 20s. So, what I did today: I woke up at 12pm to an empty house. Yup, there goes my first 12 hours. Then, I went to Centre Point, hung out alone at Starbucks (where I ordered my drink and brownie from a barista, who's good-looking but barely smiled or even attempted to be friendly to a customer unlike his fellow barista who made my drink), drank my Hot Chocolate and ate my brownie while watching the passersby, went around the mall buying things and then, went home. Yeah, I know what you're thinking.

~~Rock-like~~ Espresso Brownie (RM6.50)

I should have gone with a cake instead :(

Ok, so, let's see who I share my birthday with.

Fellow blogger, Rungitom.
Former classmate in high school, Hayati.
A bunch of celebrities, like Sandara Park (from 2NE1), Ryan Gosling, Anne Hathaway, among many others.

Yeah, a Happy Birthday to these people. Now, let's read what astrology says about November 12 babies, in which I agree 80% with this.

♥

November 12 Scorpios possess a dual nature and may be perceived as a "saint" or "sinner." Their penetrating intelligence is almost unnerving because it seems able to decipher the others' motives [kind of true]. They are loners [Hah!], yet they have a magnetic personality. They can use their appeal to manipulate, though they risk alienating others if they do.

Friends and Lovers

November 12 men and women arouse strong feelings -- people either like them or dislike them. They have a hard time trusting others [True!]. Although passionate, they may have periods of self-inflicted celibacy. They are happiest in a relationship that allows physical and spiritual intimacy.

Children and Family

As with almost everything else, November 12 people find that family life is a study in extremes. They take the lessons of childhood into their adult life [Yes!]. They may have difficulty showing their children affection. This generally becomes easier as the children get older.

Health

November 12 people require emotional and spiritual motivation to feel good about themselves [Yeah, kinda]. If they are unhappy, they may seek relief in food [Oh yes!], drink, or drugs. If they can get interested in a workout routine, they are likely to become fixated on it [Again, true], rather than on bad habits.

Career and Finances

These men and women are ambitious and eager to prove that they have what it takes to be successful. Because they don't really get along well with others, they do best in a career that rewards solitary accomplishment. They are often careless with money [Haha, 100% agree]. This could be the result of indifference or a lack of financial training.

Dreams and Goals

People born on this date want their talents recognized. They often possess great sensitivity in this area and are caught between wanting their dreams to come true and feeling certain they won't. When they're feeling good about themselves, they can accomplish amazing things. They simply need to believe in their own abilities [Yeah, totally].

[Source: Here]

♥

Ok, signing out now. Thanks for reading this :)

Messy cupcakes

2011-10-31T16:09:00.002+08:00

My out-of-shape cupcakes..or whatever you call them. Haha!

Tapi, ndak pa la..sy juga 1 urg makan, LOL!

If you're a pro or have know how to fix this, spare me some tips and advises.
Please :)

Review: Sri Mutiara Seafood Restaurant, KK

2011-10-30T15:42:00.000+08:00

Sri Mutiara Seafood Restaurant is a family-concept, serve no pork eatery situated in Sedco Complex (a.k.a Seri Selera) in Kampung Air. One of the options in your checklist if you are craving for some food from the sea. Open daily from 3pm to 2am.

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Fish Maw Soup - RM15 (S)
Filling, thick soup: I liked it!

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Steamed Grouper - RM96 (Seasonal Price)
The fish meat was tender; the overall dish was satisfactory.

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Buttered Prawns - RM30

The prawns were kind of small. And the prawns did not absorbed the taste of the butter thoroughly. But the dish was decent. (But sadly, I developed allergic rashes all over my body on the next day! Haha, damnation!

I thought that allergy has gone 0_0)

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Kailan with Garlic - RM15 (S)
It was just okay; nothing special.

(Don't mind the hand :D)

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White rice - RM1.50.

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The total damage (inclusive of a can of Coke + teh tarik + iced water and 6% govt tax) = RM173.50!

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Verdict: The service was okay (they have many waitres/waitresses waiting to entertain you, well, considering the amount of customers at that period) and the foods were satisfactory. I don't know about the price as compared to other seafood restaurant, because I rarely go for seafood. Perhaps I will opt for other outlet in the complex next time to try something new :)

D's Blue-Purple-Themed E-Day ♥

2011-10-24T13:12:00.000+08:00

No, not my E-day, haha!
It's actually my long time friend, Dyana Amnani @ Donna, who got engaged to his now-spouse, Rahmat at her home on last Saturday morning, 22nd of October 2011.

*Photo spam ahead*

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Dowry and gifts for the groom.

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Dowry and gifts for the bride.
Aren't the gifts from both sides pretty? :)

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Here they are: the bride and the groom :D

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On the production of 100+ cups of pudding on the night before.

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Catering from Ceria Riang Cafeteria and Restaurant.

I did a review+advert HERE <-- Click! ;)

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The bride didn't even managed to have a taste of the chicken curry as it went out like crazy. Haha..poor thing.

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Food from another restaurant (Kiara Restaurant, Penampang) nearby.

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Aaww..cute :D
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With their fellow friends and classmates.

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With her family members.

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Lastly, CONGRATS again to these lovebirds! :)

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P/s: I can't believe she's getting married. Wonder when it'll be my turn? Haha :P

Review+Adv: Ceria Riang Cafeteria & Restaurant

2011-10-24T00:01:00.000+08:00

[Review + Advertorial <- Where else can you get this? :P]

Hi peeps! If you're looking for a catering service around KK or other places in Sabah, here is one! A good one, don't worry :)

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This one is from my friend's engagement party yesterday (Blog post entry will come up pretty soon).

You'll be a ceria, riang customer by the end of the day too, haha!

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Acar.

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Mixed suhun.

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Beef Rendang! I like this too!

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Chicken curry: No. 1 hot stuff! This was finished by the end of the event.

Can you see the size of those chicken pieces? They're humongous!

(I hope you're drooling now, haha! :P)

♥

They had catered for the Sabah's Chief Minister, YAB Datuk Seri Panglima Haji Musa Aman's Aidilfitri Open House [link] at Padang Merdeka, KK this year and also Sabah's Deputy Speaker, Datuk Johnny Mositun's Kaamatan Open House [link], can you believe it?

Besides catering, they also have packages for canopies and pelamin (wedding dais).

Just check out their webpage:

-->ARABIAN CANOPY

[Pics courtesy of YCB]

For brides and grooms of 2012, HERE is a wedding package promotion for you!

Well, if you have any further question/inquiry, you can always drop a question on their webpage or their Facebook page here --> Ycb ThebestweddingFor U.

Farewell Pt 3: The Reflection ♥

2011-10-23T13:11:00.000+08:00

*Continuation of Part 2: The Mementos. Part 1 is HERE*

During the 13 weeks in school, many teachers there were asking me, what I think of the school. On the physical aspect, the school is EXTREMELY small. But of course I didn't say that, haha! I responded that everything was fine. Deep in my heart, I'm just thanking God that the students were cooperative; so were the teachers and staff. There was no major discipline problem. During the lessons, they made the effort to communicate in English, even the weaker students. Of course, I've learnt and observed a lot too, over the 13 weeks in the school, like these:

High-school dramas (dislikes among classmates, disputes between one class and the other, girls fighting over boyfriends/guys, etc)
The tense going on between the afternoon session and the morning session.
They come with all sorts of shapes, sizes, behaviours, attitudes, craziness, fashion sense, etc.
Strong bonds of BFFs/BGFs.
No matter how they hate some teachers, they will still go back to them.
Not to underestimate the students' talents and abilities.
Sometimes my hardwork and effort didn't seem to worth it.
The school's politic/matters.
Kids will be kids, and girls will always be girls ;)

Some people think being a teacher is a noble job. Sadly, some others tend to spew their hatred towards the profession. I like to think that they did not have a great experience with their teachers in school or perhaps, they never went to one. People don't choose to enter the profession to get rich. In fact, the profession, like any other, is filled with challenges: usual classroom teaching and learning activities, doing paperwork, dealing with various kinds of behaviour, and a whole lot of other things. It was practically like a 'jungle'

Frankly speaking, for the first few weeks of the practicum period, I was in extreme depression. I came home crying almost everyday. I felt like I had no one to turn to. Sometimes, I felt like I did not do good enough in everything I did. And then, there's the observation part and AE (thesis) part. At times, I was thinking why I signed up to this ordeal: dealing with hormone-raging teenagers, workloads of a teacher, the school activities, etc. It's no joke. But I know, the satisfaction kicks in when teachers witness their students achieve success from the seeds that they sow in the students' self and make full use of their life. I think it is just a matter of time for me to get used to this.

The girls truly made me miss my school days, and made my life. I have faced a lot of challenges and learnt a lot of things that help me to improve myself. This was like an appetizer for me in this profession in the near future.

My wishes and prayers go to all of them. Amen :)

Random Pix

2011-10-21T06:49:00.000+08:00

The time now is 6.33am; waiting for 7.00am before I'm off to college. Listening to Justin Bieber on Hitz.fm while holding a banana on one hand and typing with the other. Btw, today is the final day of lecture for this semester! :D

This was what I did during lectures: messing with mobile cameras! :D

I'm currently keeping my own food journal. Let see how long this lasts, haha..
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Our temp class: the air-conditioned room where it feels like there isn't one.
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Aren't they cute? Anyway, only one is mine ;)
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Happy Friday, peeps! :D

P/s: Any part-time vacancy available around KK? Kindly inform me :)

Lido Food Court & Tiara Tomyam - Seafood

2011-10-20T22:57:00.000+08:00

I've been wanting to visit this place for long but I only got the chance few days ago. You cannot miss this Lido (Square) Food Court (non-halal eatery) if you make a visit to Lido. There are a lot of stalls there, where you can choose from Kuching Laksa, dumplings, Luk Luk, wantan noodle and so much more. The first time I was there, I actually took quite some time to choose (and not to make the lady who was taking the order an angry one).

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(Pics taken with a mobile phone)

Mum's: Sweet and Sour Chicken with Rice - RM6
I didn't try on this, but it looks good, right?

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Mine: Chicken Chop Kon Lau Mee - RM6
The chicken slices were crispy and the kon lau mee was not bad.
Verdict: I will definitely go back to this place and try the other yummies! :D

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And this one was at Tiara Tom Yam & Seafood restaurant at Alamesra. This one has a large blue sign, accessible from the traffic junctions towards the road entering UMS.
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Bihun Soup - Around RM6
Gosh, this was fiery hot. And this is not even Tom Yam. I teared up on my first taste. And the portion was quite small for that range of price.
Verdict: If you're not a fan of spicy food, don't bother to travel that far :D

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So, are you drooling now?
You're welcome. Haha :P

Girlfriends ♥

2011-10-20T15:01:00.000+08:00

This is what girlfriends (female friend, I mean) would do when you're down.

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Girlfriends are AWESOME! :D

*P/s: Now, DON'T go and stalk me or any of these girls ;)

Farewell Pt 2: The Mementos ♥

2011-10-16T15:55:00.000+08:00

*Continuation of Part 1

So, these were the things I brought home from the final week in the school.

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The soon-to-be-diminished gifts. You know what I mean ;)
The snack at the top of the pic (Keropok Amplang) was from a teacher there.
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They sent out the pictures taken the day earlier to be printed out for me.
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A handbag from the school's English teachers and a mug from the school.
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Bonus pic:

Look who made a ruckus while I unpacked the things 0_0

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There is another part: Part 3! Just wait for it :)

Farewell Pt 1: The Silly yet Memorable Faces ♥

2011-10-15T18:58:00.000+08:00

Yes, I have finally reached the end of the three months of practicum today. So are my other 24 course-mates. Yet, some of us still have some commitments to the school. Like, me and my 'school'mate attended the Form 5 convocation at Sutera Harbour just now. While some still have to help with some school activities afterwards. It seems like the schools cannot let us go, doesn't it? LOL.

Anyway, as it was our final week in school, on last Thursday, a few of my dearest students from one class unexpectedly made a farewell party for me. One of them even cooked a meal herself. And these sweet girls then presented me with a gift. I was speechless.

Yesterday, my other class also had a farewell party for me. They bought a cake, some drinks and snacks. They even printed out some photos we took the day earlier. I didn't know what to say, seeing all of that, so I gave a very short thank-you speech before they dug in the cake.

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I brought muffins for all of them!

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My 4 Commerce (aka 4 Perdagangan)

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My 4 Pure Science 2 (aka 4 Sains Tulen 2)

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The cake 4ST2 bought. Aaaww..so sweet of them.

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With drinks and snacks. Yes, kids will always be kids, haha.

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And this is another prove to that. It was hilarious how they fought over on the way they cut the cake and picking pieces of cake.

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With the pretty girls of 4ST2.
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We used to do this pose to our lecturers. Never thought I would get the same treatment, haha!
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I'll miss these views of the classroom (even though it was scorching hot in there): the nearest class to the canteen :D

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The girls hugged me in the end. We never did that during my school days. How very touching T_T

[Continued in Part 2: The Mementos ♥]

Closing down a chapter..

2011-10-14T22:06:00.000+08:00

I have officially completed my practicum today!

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The story and more pictures coming up :)

Invisible

2011-10-11T21:53:00.000+08:00

*Current mood: melancholic*

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I take these pills to make me thin
I dye my hair, and color my skin
I tried everything, to make them see me
But all they see, is someone that's not me

Even when I'm walking on barb wire
Even when I sat myself on fire
Why do I always feel invisible, invisible
Everyday I try to lock my past
Even though inside I'm such a mess
Why do I always feel invisible, invisible

Here inside, my quiet heart
You cannot hear, my cries for help
I tried everything, to make them see me
But every one, sees what I can't be

Even when I'm walking on barb wire
Even when I sat myself on fire
Why do I always feel invisible, invisible
Everyday I try to lock my past
Even though inside I'm such a mess
Why do I always feel invisible, invisible

Sometimes when I'm alone
I pretend that I'm a queen
It's almost believable

Even when I'm walking on barb wire
Even when I sat myself on fire
Why do I always feel invisible, invisible
Everyday I try to lock my past
Even though inside I'm such a mess
Why do I always feel invisible, invisible

♥

I don't know why, but I feel like my confidence is going down the drain (again) and I can't find the reason why. I'll be leaving the school in just 3 more days. I should be happy and thrilled. But right now, I have mixed feelings actually. Perhaps I fear for the goodbye bid? Or maybe I feel like I didn't do my best for the past 3 months? Perhaps I feel like I don't have a shoulder to cry on? Or is it because of something else? I have no idea. I can feel that I will cry this week, like what happened during the first week in school. But of course, not for the same reason. People keep telling me to be optimistic, and believe me, I try, always. But that's not my nature: I tend to worry or exaggerate, ALL the time. If I don't, I'll be ignorant instead. Now, tell me, is being ignorant a good thing?

I don't know what to feel anymore.

Now, let's just see what's in for me for the next three days.

Friday: We love ♥

2011-10-07T23:08:00.000+08:00

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~~Fattening~~ Comfort food, to celebrate the coming weekend :)

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What happened in school on the weekdays this week:

Experienced the life in afternoon session, with few other teachers around.
Invigilated Form 1 students for their final exam. They're (some) so cute! Haha..
The PMR craze (it's even on Hitz.fm).
The Form 5 students were also at school for intensive classes.
Other students were having a gala time at respective home, except for those who had extra love for the school :)
Doing mere things being assigned.
Tiptoeing to the canteen to avoid the sound of heels clicking, trying not to disturb the students who were battling with their PMR papers. LOL!
Me, cracking my head (and letting my butt suffer for hours); checking, marking and giving marks to 100+ exam papers.
Waiting for the clock to strike 12.40pm (Tuesday - Thursday) and 12pm today.
At the same time, enjoying free and high-speed WiFi in the teachers' lounge/staff room :)

What's to come:

Form 4 students are coming back to school on Wednesday.
Need to decorate those notice boards at school, decide on souvenirs, complete research cycle, etc, etc, etc... Ugh.
Continue to work on thesis.
Invigilate exam for two days.
FINALLY, a goodbye bid! ~~Should~~ MUST take a picture (at least one).
A convocation party for the Form 5 students on 15th of October.
Getting ready to go back to being a student.
Final goodbye (with a jump of joy and a hearty laughter) :D

Anyway, have a great weekend, everybody!

Find the cat! #2

2011-10-06T20:42:00.000+08:00

Saw another one on Facebook.
I took more time on this to find the kitty; about 20secs?

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Click on the pic to protect your eyesight.
[Source: Here :)]
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So, can you find it? :)

P/s: Pandai pula dorg main tapuk2 ni :P

Potluck cum Picnic on a beautiful Saturday morning ♥

2011-10-02T00:43:00.000+08:00

The members of Cohort 5 Gaya had potluck party cum picnic just yesterday morning at the 2nd Beach, Tanjung Aru. Not all 25 of us were present; only 12 of the girls and 6 of the boys, and few 'guests'. But it was quite pleasant to see these familiar faces after a long time in..err..'hell'.

Alert: More photos, less words ahead :)

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Tanjung Aru - the 2nd beach.

All the food we had! And there were actually more! We just couldn't resist them :D

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With our 'principal' (with the DSLR).
Haha..I'm so dead :P

Don't mind the one in green shirt in front :P

Models of shades :)

This-is-how-you-enjoy-life model :)

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The two overjoyed 'children' (Carol & Zuan) on the beach.

Mimi made a discovery (of a snail hiding in its shell).

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So, what's next after this? A trip for post-practicum!
Just have to survive for another two weeks.
Oh yeah, can't wait!

Happy Sunday, peeps! :D

Find the cat!

2011-09-30T15:01:00.000+08:00

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Can you find the cat in the picture below?

Don't worry, nothing spooky will spring out from nowhere. This is not a moving image :)

Click on it for larger view!
[Source: This album :)]

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I took 10 seconds to find it; quite a long time. What about you?

Afternoon affair

2011-09-29T18:21:00.000+08:00

The teacher's lounge was usually busy around in the afternoon because the students like to go in and out of the room like it's nobody's business, but today, a minor, sudden incident occurred, just as a break from the usual afternoon atmosphere.

Around 1 in the afternoon today, in the teacher's lounge/staff room.

I was on the internet, waiting patiently for the page to finish loading. A teacher was standing in front of me, chatting with another teacher at the far end. Suddenly, something flew past us, straight to the door. It hit the door and fell on the floor. Few seconds after, it rose and flew around the room, looking for any hole to get out from. It was a black bird! All the (female) teachers were screaming (but I remained seated with me looking out for the bird) All the three doors out of the room were opened. An Ustaz walked in the room through a door and closed the door behind him.

A teacher screamed, "Ustaz, jangan tutup tu pintu! Ada burung!" [Ustaz, don't close that door! There's a bird!]

And the Ustaz replied, panicking, "Hah? Burung? Burung siapa? Eh, burung apa?" [What? A bird? Whose bird? Eh, what bird?]

The room was erupted with laughter. Another teacher replied after each caught back their breath, "Ustaz satu orang seja lelaki dalam bilik guru ni." [Ustaz, you're the only male in this room now]

LOL!

And the bird finally re-gained its freedom as it flew out back to the wild.

Lucky there were no student in that room at that time, haha! Yeah, it's kind of a dirty joke. But still, worth the laugh, on a stressful atmosphere. I don't know if he did that on purpose, but he sure is funny. LOL!

This is not it :P

Food+Movie Review: Nyonya House @ 1Borneo & 'Johnny English Reborn'

2011-09-26T17:51:00.000+08:00

With its self-explanatory name, this restaurant offers Asian/Nyonya cuisine. Nyonya House is located at Lot 826, Ground Floor, the same row with Dome Cafe.

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More of family-concept eatery.

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Penang Hokkien Char - RM9.50
Didn't look appetizing enough, I would say.

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Banana Split (Durian, Strawberry, Mint Choc Chips) - RM8.90
Nothing really special about this, unfortunately.

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I was actually looking for the luk-luk (dip satay) but could not. Oh, well...
Anyway, after the lunch, both Mimi and I went to catch the movie 'Johnny English Reborn' at GSC cinema.

I just found out that it is a parody of James Bond series. I didn't even know it's supposed to be a parody (haha, lame); I thought it was just another action comedy movie. Starred by Rowan Atkinson aka Mr.Bean (yeah, the name is forever stuck to him), this sequel to Johnny English (dated back in 2003) tells the return of Sir Johnny English, a comical spy/secret agent. This time, he is paired with a young agent, Tucker, equipped with some cool and hi-tech gadgets (of course) as they try to stop a group of international assassins who are set out to take down the Chinese Prime Minister. Did they succeed? No spoiler here (or I'm just too lazy to type more, LOL) Not to be missed, a little fling going on between Sir Johnny English and the lady psychologist.

This movie also features Pik-Sen Lim, a British-Chinese actress who has been acting since 1950s, as the lady cleaner (and the cool, killer grandma). An interesting fact of her: she was born in Penang! Okay....and there's also Gillian Anderson (you know, Agent Scully from X-File. Boy, how long has it been), as the no-nonsense lady boss named Pegasus. At the mention of the name, one thing comes to mind.

Unicorn, anyone? :)

Anyway, I'm not a big fan of slapstick comedies, like this one, but if you do OR if you're just a fan of Mr.Bean OR if you think it's time to catch some laughter and breakaway from all that stress, then go watch it :)

R.a.n.d.o.m

2011-09-14T21:32:00.000+08:00

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Exam invigilation again, until the end of September. That's two weeks.
I can die of boredom..and yes, the heat too.

♥

Trying to finish up journal entries. Double the boredom.
Anyway, the teachers had a Raya feast today. The food was really fulfilling! *piling in more pounds*

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Remember these? Childhood favourite: chocolate coins!

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Btw, tomorrow is the final day of work. A long weekend is ahead! Yay!
:D

Malam Integrasi SFC :)

2011-09-13T21:17:00.000+08:00

So, this happened on last Saturday night. The school was having this 'Malam Integrasi' (or in English, Integration Night) for first time ever. Basically, the event was to expose the students and yes, teachers to the different religions, races and cultures in order to foster unity among us. Anyway, only a small number of students were present that night, not more than half of the total number of students in the school.

♥

The programmes that night.

Among the decoration: lanterns and posters.

1st up: Singing performance - 'Suasana di Hari Raya'.

2nd: '1 Malaysia' dance performance.

3rd: 'Freestyle' cum 'Show-your-moves-like-Jagger' performance.

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5th performance: Drama - 'Legenda Mahsuri'

Here were our cute Form 1 actresses :)

After a 30minute break @ small feast and a singing performance at the middle, the event was resumed with a catwalk/fashion show.

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With this, I'm seeing future model/s and Unduk Ngadau/s (Beauty Pageants) :D

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There was also a band of gong players from Penampang being invited to the event.

Then, we moved to another place in the school, grabbed a lantern each and marched around the area, back to the main hall. And this was when we witnessed few incidents where the lanterns were caught in fire. I would not say those to be least expected, but luckily, nobody got hurt.

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The event ended with yells of 'Merdeka' until they lost out of breath.
♥

I think the students had fun that night, since it was the first ever in the school. Enjoyable and at the same time, educative. Right?

'Merdeka' comes early..

2011-09-13T16:59:00.000+08:00

...for me.

Because I had my final observation done this morning.

♥

Hooooooyayyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy!

*swinging left and right*

Kahve Cafe & Tutti Frutti @ 1Borneo

2011-09-09T22:50:00.000+08:00

The weekend is here! Finally!

To celebrate the coming of weekend this week (err...kind of), I went over to 1Borneo with Mimi today, initial plan was to check out Tutti Frutti. Before that, we had lunch at Kahve Cafe. It has been relocated from the 'inside' 1Borneo hypermall to the 'outside' of the mall, near Ice Bar. Well, that is the simplest explanation I can give you. Btw, the new place is not as strategic as the original location, if you ask me. I'm just hoping that they will last.

Ok, now on what we had:

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1) Cream of Mushroom Soup - RM3.80
Not bad, but somewhat fluid-y to my liking. I like soups to be a bit thick, especially mushroom soup. But the taste was not that bad.

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With complimentary toasted bread slices.

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2) Garlic Toast - RM4.80
Perhaps not that presentable, but I could accept the taste.

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3) Spaghetti Bolognese - RM6.80
Quite flavourful and satisfying; both Mimi and I like it.

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4) Chicken Mushroom Pizza - RM10.80 (Medium-sized)
They are using chicken sausages instead of chicken bits (?). Looks weird to me. Nevertheless, it is reasonably priced, and worth a try.

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4) Iced Peach Tea - RM3.80

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Yummeh cheesy pizza!
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As for dessert today, we went over to the newly open Tutti Frutti, near Starbucks Coffee and Secret Recipe.

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But there were only three flavours left (Cappucino, Chocolate and Taro)! Like, what?! *Disappointed*
In the end, I chose what I assume is the healthiest of the three which is the non-fat Taro. There are three sizes of cup you can choose: small (orange), medium (green) and large (pink). I picked up the smallest cup, filled it up with Taro yogurt, add topping/s and weighed it all.

Taro-flavour + toppings (mini gummy bears & sugar bits) = 170g = RM9.50
Honestly, I blew a small sigh of relief seeing the total price on that weighing scale, haha. I was actually expecting it to be around RM15. Anyway, I like chewing the gummy bears. But I find that the yogurt was a bit too sweet for me. Perhaps I should try other flavours on other days.
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Got to be extremely careful when operating the handle because every 100g costs RM5.60. Or you'll end up $$ poorer but higher sugar level in your blood, even though it has some health benefits, but still... :)
_
[All pics here were taken with LG GD580 mobile. Cr: Mimi NR)
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That's all which ends my fattening weekdays. Happy weekend everybody!
:D

A Joyous Day: Pt. 2 ♥

2011-09-03T16:42:00.000+08:00

As I stated in the previous post, it was my friend, Sheila's big day yesterday. The akad nikah was held in Masjid Daerah Putatan in the afternoon. Me and few friends stopped by Dewi's house nearby before we headed to the mosque together.

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Anyway, we missed the akad nikah ceremony :(
While at the event...

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The king and queen of the day.
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The bride and her mother.
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The couple, being attacked by some paparazzi, who also happened to be her students.
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What's left of the snacks on the table.
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And before we left..

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Some gifts for the couple.

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Special message to Sheila (if she happens to read this),

CONGRATS, DEAR!

Selamat Pengantin Baru!

Happy surfing the remaining life as a married woman :)

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P/s: 6 more weeks! Cannot wait :D

A Joyous Day ♥

2011-09-02T10:54:00.000+08:00

My friend cum coursemate for five years is getting married today.

First ever, in our class.

[Click image for larger view]

So, for the special occasion, I've bought..

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...a new outfit...

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...and a new pair of heels.

Why boring black heels? Because it will also work for school :)

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Until next post, bye :)

3 Wishes :)

2011-08-30T01:38:00.000+08:00

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'Love Notes' I made the girls do before the holiday started :)

I have yet to go through them one by one, ehehe :P

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The one I made (not as colourful as the above):

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Now, as for my three wishes?

HAPPY EID-UL-FITR,

HAPPY NATIONAL DAY,

HAPPY HOLIDAY

to all!

D♥nuts!

2011-08-30T00:13:00.000+08:00

LOVE!

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Berry Bambi, The Alien (a choc bomb!) and Tira Cinno from Big Apple Donuts :)

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Kitties Portraits

2011-08-21T17:49:00.000+08:00

Another boring weekend I would say. Yesterday, there was a meeting at school in the morning for three hours. After it ended, I went home straight. Kind of scared to go anywhere alone since the liquid-splashing incident in Kolombong.

Tried to take a nap later in the afternoon but I could't. Went downstairs and found out there was no one else at home. By the way, remember about the black cat I blogged about the other day? (Read about it here) Well, she got some kitties now! So, I saw them playing around, and I just took out my baby Olympus and stalked them like a paparazzi.

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P/s: Another FIVE days to HOLIDAY!

And another FOUR WEEKS to FREEDOM!

Another Sunday's Meetup cum Sungkai

2011-08-18T08:55:00.000+08:00

Ok, this was on last Sunday, and today is already Thursday. So, you know what I mean ;)

Anyway, the class (C5 Crew) was supposed to have a small gathering cum sungkai (breaking-fast feast) but only six of us were present: Hidayah, Zati, Awang, Zaidi, Ikram and me. So, we gathered at Palm Cafe, on the fourth floor of Centre Point.

And...rolling out the pictures!

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I had Singapore Meehoon. I could not remember the cost. Anyway, it was not bad.
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Hidayah's Tom Yam.
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Her Murtabak from the Ramadan bazaar.
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More food on the table!
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Hooray for a non-boring Sunday!

Seriously, I WANT and NEED a break from school :(

Friday Escapade #2: Pizza Hut @ 1Borneo

2011-08-13T15:48:00.000+08:00

Another Friday Escapade; this time was at 1Borneo! First, me and the girls (Hidayah and Mimi) went to catch the movie 'Zookeeper', starred by Kevin James with the voices of Adam Sandler, Cher and Sylvester Stallone. It was kind of hilarious, but I would prefer Adam S to actually appear in the movie, together with Rob Schneider (they've been working together few times, like in the movie 'Grown Ups'), then the movie will be epic.

Okay, and after the movie, we strolled around the mall before 'breaking fast' at Pizza Hut.

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Sensasi Delight - RM11, which consists of..

(1) Soup of the day: Mushroom Soup
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(2) 4pcs of Garlic Breadstix
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(3) Pizza: Garlic Butter Chicken Pizza (with Cheesy Lava crust)
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..and (4) Soft Drink

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And the add-ons.

Garden Fresh Salad (from the salad bar) - RM6
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Chicken Meatball Bolognaise - RM9.90
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WOW Savers' Friday Special: Iced Citrus Tea - RM2.45
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Yay, it's the weekend! :D

The 3rd week

2011-08-11T10:21:00.000+08:00

Sorry for the delay of this post.

Anyway, I can't believe it is the third week already, and today marks a full month since I've been in the school (and the other Cohort 5ers in their respective schools). Happy one monthiversary to my mates! :)

The updates from last week:

Observed by mentor and supervisor, on the same week. The kids were behaving surprisingly well when my supervisor came in for observation, without being told. Even I was stunned at that moment, haha.
Assigned by the PK and principal to key in the marks on SAPS. Thanks to my Celcom broadband for co-operating with me.
Tried to finish up the School Orientation Program (ROS) report. And I have submitted it yesterday! *Sigh of relief*
Co-curriculum activities in the school have finally come to the end with the annual grand meetings on last Wednesday. So the school ends at 11.40am but we still have to go back at 1.10pm T_T

It's kind of funny to observe these kids at school: some were really scared to even talk to me in class, but as time goes by, I can see the (imaginary) 'walls' are collapsing. And I've been busy buying them snacks for rewards for classroom activities. So much for spoiling them. Haish...0_0

So, this week, I will be monitoring classes who are having tests and exams until the following week. I am having headaches from monitoring these classes, because it is soooooooo boring. And yes, I see the exam papers are coming towards me for marking too.

Some news on my observation: for now, I've been observed three times: twice by my mentor at school and once by my supervisor, and another six observations to go 0_0

I reallyyyyyyyyyyy cannot wait for these observations to end.

So, what's next? Another five weeks of T&L (teaching & learning) before I'm letting my Form 4 kids go for their final exam: 2 weeks before the Raya holiday, 1 week of holiday and another 2 weeks for me to help the students do revisions for their final exam.

And thennnnn, I will be ~~free as a bird~~ an exam-invigilator :)

♥

Friday Escapade: Sushi Tei & Amp Square Karaoke @ Suria Sabah

2011-07-31T19:20:00.000+08:00

I had a TGIF moment with my girls, Mimi and Daya right after school. Yes, me with my all-black 'office' attire and them in baju kurung. We went over to Suria Sabah, initially because I wanted to check out the Shopaholics Bazaar on the third floor of the mall. But lunch came first, of course :) So, we headed to Sushi Tei.

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Takoyaki - RM6

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Err..sorry, I don't know what are these. Mimi took these out of the conveyor belt. What I know is, they cost RM6 per plate.
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Fried, battered prawns (?)
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Chicken Katsu Don (Chicken cutlets + egg on rice) - RM13.80
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Udon (cold noodle)
I put a lot of sweet sauce on this :)

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Chicken Katsu (Deep-fried chicken cutlets) + Udon - RM16.80
I like these chicken cutlets but why is the portion so small? :(

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Gyoza
(Sorry, I did not pay much attention to the food because I was hungry, sleepy and tired out of the school.)

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After lunch, we headed to Amp Square Karaoke on the eight floor (next to Golden Screen Cinema). We used our student card and paid RM12 each, which included two drinks (If you wish to know more about the rates, just click HERE)

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We went for straight three hours, releasing stress by screaming at the microphones (only them, LOL!)
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We checked out of the place early and went around the bazaar but nothing attracted us there. Instead the exclusive three-day only 50% sale happening in Padini was calling out on us, and I ended up buying a pair of pumps for RM24. Anyway, that was a fun outing! Even though it was only for a short period of time. Hope to do it again with the girls (and others).

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P/s: Happy fasting, guys and girls :)

SFC's Games/Sports Carnival

2011-07-30T16:47:00.000+08:00

The school was having its sports/games carnival last Wednesday (27th of July 2011) at Likas Complex, KK. All the four teams - Fokker, Jet, Boeing and Comet (unique names, huh?) were competing against each team in games like netball, volleyball, petanque, etc. For the carnival, I helped another teacher in handling the petanque matches.

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Seriously, I did not know how to play this game before this, but is is such a simple game, kind of a game for leisure instead of keeping fit and healthy. Or maybe it can.
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After the game ended, I went to Fara's place who was watching over the netball match.

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At 10am, all the students and teachers gathered at the hockey stadium for the prize-giveaway ceremony, where we crammed in the small spectator seating area.

Anyway, first place was crowned to Boeing; second - Comet; third - Fokker and fourth - Jet. And that marks the end of sports activities of the school for this year.

It feels good to be away from the classroom atmosphere sometimes :)

Sunday's Meetup (with a Birthday Cake!)

2011-07-26T20:49:00.000+08:00

On last Sunday, I met up with the other Cohort 5 members for Miss Dewi's birthday at Secret Recipe at Palm Square, Centre Point, KK. Only 12 of us made it; the others were busy with lesson plans, school activities and all. It was kind of frustrating that we couldn't meet the others, because I missed them so much! After spending two weeks in school, us having classes is more ideal than giving others classes. I'm really missing our moments in the college :(

Well...anyhow, our Miss Dewi is celebrating her birthday on the same day with 'Sir' Zaidi, so we celebrated both of them at once. We stayed there for two hours, having our first 'teachers' meeting' before some left to finish lesson plans and the others went to get teaching materials plus shopping. So, here I 'roll out' the pictures.

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The yummy Chocolate Strawberry cake!
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The total damage.
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Anyway, Dewi gave us a little gift, instead of us giving her one for her birthday. I'm actually touched; I feel like this is a 'goodbye' souvenir T_T
P/s to Dewi: Thanks again! Yours: coming soon :P
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Happy belated birthday again to Teacher Dewi & Teacher Zaidi!
:)

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P/s: I want to go for dates on weekends. Any takers? LOL!

2nd week in school

2011-07-24T01:07:00.000+08:00

[Read about the first week HERE]

The challenging second week in school has finally ended! Last week was the school orientation program; and this week is the starting of the official teaching and learning process.

Let me just summarize the week over here.

Monday: Taught one of my Form 4 classes on the drama 'Gulp &Gasp' on first and second period. Got two relief classes but I did nothing with them; I was busy arranging my schedule while making sure they don't go all over the place.
Tuesday: The most packed day of the weekdays. Three classes to teach. But on this day, I just gave them some exercises to do and less teaching. Even so, I felt freaking tired.
Wednesday: Entered another Form 4 class. Assigned them to do a brochure/poster to promote a product. Then in the afternoon, I joined Fara again (illegally) in the English Society meetup. They were playing a game (in which I call, the Robinson Crusoe game). Discovered some interesting characters.
Thursday: Got only a double period class. Taught them narrative writing. Only five managed to submit on time :( Got two relief classes in the afternoon but we were involved in a meeting with the teachers regarding future activities, in which me and Fara are assigned to, too. Discovered that the teachers can be hilarious.
Friday: Got my Form 3 students to do role-plays. The class was in chaos; their laughter could bring the building down (kind of). I was kind of scared another teacher would come to check what the noise was about but we were all safe. I hope the students enjoyed the lesson :) Before the school period ended, got another class with a Form 4 class. Asked them to write a letter of complaint. Some were gathering and gossiping; some were sleeping. Told them to go back to their seat and I almost screamed when they didn't listen. Walked out when the bell rang madly, but later, I cooled myself by watching another class playing volleyball for the PE period. They were running away from the ball and when they hit the ball, it went all over the place; the ceiling, pillars, audience's head, etc. I wished I could join them to play despite me wearing baju kurung at that time.
Saturday: THANK GOD the Saturday's activity was cancelled!

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The English society was watching 'Nanny McPhee' on co-curriculum day (Wednesday).
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The fasting month is coming soon, and I have no idea what's more to come. What I know is that it will be a LOT. Btw, my first observation will take place tomorrow (Monday) *panic attack!*

Wish me all the best! *fingers crossed*

First week in school

2011-07-17T13:47:00.000+08:00

Sorry for not updating my blog in such a long time; ok, maybe not that long. If you are a loyal reader of my blog, I am now doing my practicum/teaching practical in a secondary school in KK (disclosed name). Perhaps I will reveal it sooner or later. But if I'm telling you that I teaches in an all-girl school (and you are a KKlite), you might just know which one :)

One week has gone by and that was the orientation week. No teaching was done by me so far, but most of us (the Cohort 5 members who are scattered around schools in KK/Penampang) will start tomorrow (Monday). So, over the weekdays & this weekend, I've been worrying like hell of the workloads - seven lesson plans for a whole week of teaching, gathering materials for teaching, report on the School Orientation Program and thesis.

Btw, me and another mate are assigned to teach English to two Form 4 classes each. Both of us are also instructed to teach Sivics to Form 3 class, in which I have no idea what or how to teach it (and do lesson plans) since we have never been exposed to the subject. But it is a good thing that the subject is not included in their exam, so I'm thinking of just doing games/activities with them until they sit for their tests starting August (and wow, they have lots and lots of tests towards their big PMR exam in October). While the Form 4 are having their final year exam in September.

From my observation in the school for now, the students do not have major behaviour problems. But the school is totally busy with various activities, like dance practices, choir competitions, seminars/talks, co-curricular activities, carnivals, etc. So, many students are always absent from class and the students remaining in the class are always going in and out, which will disrupt the flow of the teaching and learning process in the class.

So, we have only less than two months of practicum (in our school right now) and we need to be observed at least six times by both our mentors and supervisor. Besides that, the pressure of finishing up the syllabus, getting prepared with the lesson & materials (and prepare mentally) and helping the students to come up with final drama production is killing me.

And just as I thought that I can rest (and keeping my sane in the safe level) before continuing with the lesson plans, the teachers have a course yesterday. To cut the story short, I was placed under netball sport and me and the other teachers had a friendly match at the school yesterday. I had not exercise in a long time, and so now, my body aches like hell.

To tell you the truth, I am in a state of *slight* depression now. I still experience the nervousness before going to classes to teach and I worry of so much thing right now. I'm just praying to God that things will get better in the following weeks.

If you have any advice or tips, drop it in my comment box. Please do. And thanks for reading up to this point.

It has only been a week and I'm already missing going to classes in the institute, and these guys

3rd week (The final week of pre-practicum)

2011-07-10T20:42:00.000+08:00

I almost forgot to summarize the final week of pre-practicum after the reviews on the first week and the second week. This week, the class had some hands-on activities like doing lesson plans, games, etc. The lecturers fed us with a lot of tips and advices for our time in the school. We had a day off on Friday and that was when I went out to shop for things for school, like court shoes for Monday. (And on Saturday, I stayed at home all day to avoid the Bersih 2.0 rally). Because tomorrow (Monday), we will be going out to our assigned school for one week of school orientation program. For the school orientation program, we need to prepare a report and conduct a classroom observation of our mentor's class. Then, we will begin our practicum on the following week.

Anywhere, these are some of the 'weapons' we got for practicum.

Rancangan Pengajaran Harian (or direct translation: Daily Teaching Plans) for daily lesson plans and other things. (Please don't go and sabotage me in any way, LOL)

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Report book for my future mentor.

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Throughout the practicum period, we have to do a reflective journal entry for EVERY single school day, besides daily lesson plans and also completing chapters by chapters for AE thesis. Now, who says being a teacher is an easy job? 0_0

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Tomorrow I am going to step into a new chapter in my life.

Oh God, oh God, I'm PANICKING!!!

Anyway, wish me luck! *fingers crossed, praying hard*

T_T

:)

2011-07-10T00:21:00.000+08:00

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The new Myvi.
Oh so sexy PURPLE!

OR

Saga FL.
Maybe it's time to drive a longer car around :P
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Spam me your comments/feedback! :)

Dinner over Mr.L's house

2011-07-03T15:44:00.000+08:00

After the Larian 1M1S1Malaysia earlier in the morning, the whole class went over to our tutor's house in the evening. It was two years ago when we last visited his home; that was at his previous place. And Mr.L and his family has moved into a new, more spacious house in Penampang, so we did a little 'housewarming' (even though he said the house has been 'warmed' a lot now, LOL).

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With Mr.L's daughter. She's growing up fast :)

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Mr.L asked her to show us the house, and she did! She showed us room to room, and explained who sleep where, haha.

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And then it was time for food!

Whoa, we've been missing the family's authentic Indian meals for two years.
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What we had: Nasi Beriyani and salad.
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Sambal terung (@eggplant), begedil ayam (chicken cutlet), dhal (super-HOT!) and curry chicken. NYUM!
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For a special night like this, you have to eat like these people, Phye and Fanzi.
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The others.

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Occupied with 'Barbie' on the screen.
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And that was a satisfying, tummy-filling dinner for us after a..err..tiring morning activity :)

Larian 1Murid 1Sukan 1Malaysia

2011-06-30T18:13:00.000+08:00

I have mentioned in my previous post about the 'Larian 1Murid 1Sukan 1Malaysia' (Translation: 1Student 1Sport 1Malaysia Run) on this coming Saturday. The participants are given a number each; you know, like those people running in marathons with numbers hanging on their shirt. Well apparently, we have to print our given number ourselves, on a piece of paper and pin them to our shirt. Paper+pin? Hmm..I might as well staple it to my shirt. Oh, kesiannya...0_0

Btw, here is my lucky number!

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And here is the route plan for the citizens of IPG Gaya, KK. We will only be doing the running inside the campus area to avoid 'collision' with the school students outside the campus.

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Click for slightly larger view.

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~~Not~~ looking forward for the day. In a way, I'm anticipating to use my newly bought shoes, LOL!

2nd week..

2011-06-27T19:06:00.000+08:00

It's the second week of the 7th semester. This morning the institute had a weekly assembly as early as 7.30am and I had to get out of the house 30 minutes earlier than usual. The institute's hall is smaller than I could remember (from 2 years ago); it was totally packed with all the new students and the lines were overlapping. Today's highlight was on the voting session for the highest position in the students' council. Five candidates presented their manifesto to rake out votes.

Candidate A
: (Passionately) "Elaun lambat? Makanan kafe mahal? Undilah saya..bla..bla..bla.."

Candidate B
: "Bapa saya berbangsa Timur. Mak saya berbangsa Iban. Jadi saya berbangsa Rungus!" [And I was like, HUH???]

"Saya tidak akan menjanjikan apa-apa.." (mocking Candidate A). "Inilah saya yang sebenar..saya tidak memakai blazer.." (mocking Candidate C) bla..bla..bla..

Candidate C
: (With such a loud voice) "Kita akan menangani masalah ini bersama...bla..bla..bla.." [And I heard a few people beside me was saying that he is a singer]

Candidate B and C were mocking each other. EPIC moment.

Candidate D
: (Soft-voiced) "Saya tidak mengharapkan anda mengundi saya...bla..bla..bla.."

Candidate E:
"Undilah siapa yang anda rasa terbaik..bla..bla..bla.." [I don't remember nor did I listen much of what Candidate D & E were saying because they were reading from their script in hand]

Honestly, I am never interested in politics or even casting votes, especially for these juniors of our who we don't even know. Besides, me and the rest of the class will be out of institute and into schools in another 2 weeks. But I will carry out my duty when it's necessary. Anyway, applause for these bold and confident candidates :)

Because of the assembly, we got to class late. And today we were introduced to three 'Mat Salleh' lecturers: Mr. Barry Jarrett, Mr. William Taylor and Mr. John Bateman, to help us with our research.

Btw, I got home today at 1pm, sweating like a pig. It was like I was showering with sweat. Tried to sleep but woke up 30mins later because the electricity went out. Started to sweat more.

Btw #2: There will be a program called Larian Serentak 1Murid 1Sukan 1Malaysia in schools around Malaysia on this Saturday to make it into The Malaysia Book of Records. Approximately 4 millions of students, teachers, school staffs, parents and the community members will join the program which will start at 7.45am. And we (in IPGaya) have to run for 1.5km around the institute. Except that it will not be called running; it is HIKING because of the stairs in the institute.

What I want to state is are: I have no T-shirt and track pants. Have to be there by 6.30am on a Saturday. I hate running. And there's no way to escape *complain*complain*complain*

T_T

Lucky no.7

2011-06-21T19:57:00.000+08:00

*Hope I'll have a good luck this semester*

Me and the rest of Cohort 5 Gaya are now back to our ~~beloved~~ institute from UiTM Shah Alam, continuing with our 7th semester. Today is the second day, and yesterday we had some ice-breaking session with our new coordinator at 8am, and we were let ~~loose~~ go around 10am. For this semester, we need to be in the institute for three weeks for pre-practicum briefings and all. We have been assigned to various secondary schools nearby, and also to the supervisors for the respective schools. And somewhere in July, we will be going to schools for our practicum!

Going to school in another two weeks: OMG, I'm SO panicking!

And for these three weeks, we also need to prepare our research topic and other details before conducting the research and collecting the data while doing the practicum in schools. As in my case, this few day I need to prepare 1-2pages of research proposal of a new topic to be shown to my supervisor next week. Thank God it's only 2 pages! When we did our research proposal few semesters ago, we were one step away from becoming mentally unstable. Ok, maybe not, but that period was totally depressing.

Anyway, a few shots on our first day of the 7th semester.

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C5 Gaya's reunion in the cafeteria :P

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And oh yeah, 5 years have gone and another one year to go before completing B.ed TESL. Oh, how time flew.

Ok, that's all; I'm out now! :)