3D2N Malacca Part II.

Part I
Part III

Barely slept through night one, when the sun was up on day two, we quickly got up and took our turns to use the toilet. I was the last since I needed to catch up on my sleep that I didn't have at night. Heh.

First meal of course has to be chicken rice ball. We walked out from Guli Residence and it was just few streets away to the main Jonker Street where all the happenings are.

As expected, the famous original chicken rice ball shop was filled with humans and more human lining up outside along the street. What we didn't expect was the line would be THAT long and under hot sun some more. 

Now, we were very hungry because we slept passed breakfast so yeah.

After discussing, we decided to walk down the Jonker Street and eat at the other shop where they also serve assam fish. We walked there and the shop hasn't even open yet. Maybe that's why the previous shop has such a ridiculous long queue. We waited for the shop to open (in about 10 minutes since we arrived) and best thing was we were the second set of people in line. Yay to quicker makan session. We were planning to spam kau kau since we were all so hungry. 

While waiting, Rachel went to get some Malacca goodies for appetizer. This one mini Portugese egg tart is yums. Then, we had yam balls and sweet potato balls. Malacca people must be quite lazy to come out with all this ball ideas. 

Hungry souls.

The shop opens at 1030am and the rice balls were not even ready yet so we settled for un-ball-ed oily aromatic rice. In the end, the food was just okay. Penang's chicken rice could easily be better anytime. Need to buck up, Malacca!

After makan till our belly expanded to its max, we walked around and became typical tourists, taking typical shots with those beautiful ruins. Since we've been here so many times, we didn't go up. We walked around it and then spent quite some time in the shopping mall. 

We bought Gula Melaka, dodoi and all the Malacca goodness. Then, we walked some more and ended up with more shopping items. One of the best holidays ever because it was so fun to buy things without having to think for too long. 

But then again I did take quite long to decide on a 'jumpsuit' that I really like. Heh.

After shopping and sitting down at Starbucks for a while, we headed back to Guli Residence with snack food from the Taiwanese stall. Their deep friend large chicken is smaller than the ones we have in Penang. Boohoo. 

We got back to our room, rested and took a 30 minutes nap. Being a tourist is quite a tiring thing. For us at least. Mom and Vanessa continued with their shopping along Jonker Street. Like I said earlier, IT IS VERY CONVENIENT TO STAY AT GULI RESIDENCE! 

So, after resting we got ready to head out for dinner and jalan-jalan at Jonker Street. We walked to the famous Capitol Satay Celup but again, we were greeted by hundreds of people in one line. Okay, maybe not hundreds but it's seriously a lot of people. 

Perks of travelling with your better half - no need to carry any bag/handbags :) All put inside his bag can already. LOVE IT!

Tak boleh tahan so we walked back to the riverside and had Thai food for dins. It was a very yummy dinner, a bit too expensive perhaps. Also, had the best iced lemon tea everrr. You can see the photo in my Instagram :)

Before we head over to Jonker Walk, we decided to take the evening cruise. We wanted to see sunset but the haze in Malacca was so bad that all we get was gloomy sky, but still the place were packed with humans.

Then, we walked and spent the rest of our night at Jonker Street, where we shopped and shopped and just get things that were cheap and cute. 

Koay ended up getting the camping lights that we might need. Oh and one multi-knife-scissors-thing. No points for guessing who was happiest boy that night!

Oh ya, then on the way back to our residence, we saw this Satay Celup on wheels and since we weren't able to taste the famous one, why not try this one out. Indeed, it was no match. Haha. I'm sorry but it really tasted horrible and super expensive. 4 sticks of anything for RM10 is seriously too expensive.

The night was still young. So, after dropping our things, we all (except the baby and baby's parents), we went to another cafe by the riverside and hang out. We had Somersby, Blackcurrant Juice, Iced Lemon Tea, deep fried squid and cocktail sausages.

That was all it needed to end that perfect night.

We walked back and call it a night. 

Not for Koay.

Koay was determined to go somewhere and watch one Man Utd match. 

He then asked the host of Guli Residence, James. James is the owner's son who takes care of the place and lives there at night whether there are some mamak place or anywhere nearby we could watch football. James wasn't too sure so he offered to bring him around the area to check it out.

Then, James voluntarily took out 2 bicycles and brought Koay around to find a place that has TV. I was in the room waiting for his news.

Then, they came back smiling.

James then took another bicycle that isn't too big for me. He also insisted that I cycle around Guli Residence first before I follow Koay there. 

Seriously. I have never have such a nice friendly kind host before. Thank you James (if you happen to be reading this!)

Koay then quickly led the way to the place. We went through rows of heritage houses/shoplots and by the riverside. 

I didn't expect this to be a great cycling 'trip' since it was last minute and it was quite a rushed thing. But it turns out amazing. 

It was nice to have him kept looking back at me to make sure I was okay. He was ready to take the bigger route if I wasn't okay with my cycling skills. Well, obviously I didn't fall into the river and we came back in one piece.

I managed to cycle through those narrow paths with no problems okay haha.

It was such a fun night out for the both of us. If anything, it felt like we were on our honeymoon and felt like our first time going for a holiday together. It felt nice :)

Thank you James for your bicycles. For never even hesitating lending them to us and trusting that we will take good care of it or that we will run away with it. Haha. You're an amazing person. Your whole family is! :)

I was actually planning to finish off updating about the trip in this Part II, but I guess not. Stay tuned for Part III because my head is going to implode soon enough.

Toodles.

3D2N Malacca Part I.

Part II
Part III

Malaysia Day falls on a Tuesday.

Take one day annual leave on Monday.

Problem settled.

Since August had become such a pain everywhere, I was really looking forward to this getaway. Just a short time over the weekend get things off this little mind. 

Those who know my family well enough, you would know that Malacca is our second home. No, we don't own any property there but don't know since when, we started visiting Malacca very often that it sort of became like an annual trip. Except for last year.

So, this year we were all excited since it feels like so long never go already. 

We left house early in the morning at 7am and headed towards Malacca. No, we didn't stop at Ipoh for dim sum because we stopped at somewhere better for brunch!

IKEA!

Since it's holiday, we didn't rush the time we had in Ikea. The lines were long in IKEA but so what right? Then, we shopped a while and made our way to Malacca. We were stuck in KL's territory for quite a while. Seriously, I can't live in KL. 

GPS led us straight to our home for the next three days. 

Guli Residence.

Earlier, we did some research and found this place called Guli Residence. It's few shop lots combined into one and made into like a home/hotel. Something like that. The location is super strategic. Located only few streets away from Jonker Street. 

Last weekend when we went down, traffic was insane. It's like everyone in Malaysia decided to just be at Malacca during those days. That's why it was good that we chose the right location.

So, Guli Residence it is. 

One thing that I really love about Guli Residence is that they have a family room. Their family room is super unique. Two storeys in a room. When we saw it, we booked them immediately. Everyone stay in one room, what can be better than that? Nothing. Heh.

The room is huge. No need to talk about their bed, pillows and blankets. It's super comfy. Love our stay! We prayed and then we explored the entire place!

On the left of the photo, you can see a steady wooden steps.

There. And this leads to Koay, Vanessa, Kelly and my bedroom for two nights. With this kind of room, two nights is so NOT enough.

Welcome to the crib. Super cool to sleep upstairs. It looks very woody and it is. Surprisingly though it was clean and no squeaky sound when we walked on it. Then, they have a little window on top where you can see outside. In the photo, you can see where the light comes in.

We stayed for just a while then went downstairs and met with the owner of Guli Residence, Mr Lai. I have never met such humble and friendly man. He's so kind that he offered to prepare porridge for Sha Lynn for all her meals, with no charges. 

We were all quite tired but hey, it's Malacca and on weekend nights, you cannot not go for the Jonker Walk. YOU JUST CANNOT no matter how tired you are. You drag your feet there. Haha.

At that time, we still haven't had our dinner so we were all pumped up and walked faster than usual since everyone was hungry. We walked all the way to the other side of the Jonker Street and found a Chinese Restaurant that serves Baba Nyonya food. PERFECT! Get to try Malacca's Nyonya's food.

We waited outside for 15 minutes, went in and found a place, ordered and waited for an hour before our food came. No photos because the moment anything came, we attacked already. We only had our dinner close to 9pm so please excuse our see-food-straight-eat-and-swallow.

The food was amazing! We had Telur Cencaluk (I LOVE CENCALUK I TELL YOU IT'S CRAZY!), Ayam Buah Keluak (buah keluak is like Chinese's caviar because it's also black), Kiam Chai Ark Th'ng (we asked if can refill the soup only for free and the lady say cannot, but few minutes later she took a big bowl of soup and put it on our table FOR FREE!), Cili Garam Ayam, Kailan Masak Lemak (this is totally new. It's like curry fish meat but instead of meat, it's just kailan. Super yummy!), Steamed Ladies Fingers with Sambal Belachan, Chap Chai and pineapple juice.

After dinner, we walked for a while, do survey on the things we want to buy first. Sha Lynn was getting really sleepy so the three of them stayed in the room, while the rest of us went to the riverside and relaxed. 

The riverside is very nice! So nice that we went back to a different shop the next night. I could sit here for hours sipping on iced lemon tea. Love this area.

By the time we settled down in the room, it was past midnight. We could hear my dad snoring from downstairs but wasn't really bothered by it. Too tired d. Oh, we asked for an extra bed for Koay and it was only RM40 for the 2 nights. Too cheap d lah. 

I have more things to say about Guli Residence and the hosts. Read on and you will find out more :)

Oh! The first night, I had no socks on and I barely slept more than 5 hours.

Fun fact!

Whenever I travel, I always need to wear a pair of clean socks to sleep. WHEREVER I GO! Anywhere other than my house, I need to wear socks to get good night sleep. Weird I know. I don't even know since when I needed to do that. So, I forgot to bring one and Koay didn't bring any and I went to bed without it. Straight no need sleep. Kept waking up because it was too cold. Apparently, Koay slept throughout the night feeling quite warm. He didn't even use the blanket. It must be my feet! They need to be covered!

So, now you know that whenever I travel, there are two things that I MUST HAVE.

A toilet roll and a pair of socks.

Stay tuned for Part II! 

Hola.

No, my blog is not dead.

I was away for the weekend in Malacca with my family for a short holiday because we all needed it. EVERYONE NEEDS HOLIDAY, LIKE AT LEAST ONCE A MONTH! Haha.

Anyways, it felt so good wking up this morning with no alarm clock and now I'm just relaxing on my couch with the TV on. IT FEELS SO GOOD!

Will be updating on my trip super soon! 

I hope your weekend was as good as mine or even better!

:)

Perforated Appendicitis and Mayfair Bodyline.

As mentioned in a few of the previous posts, I went for a session at the Burmah Road's Mayfair Bodyline and I'm finally going to blog about it. 

Long post ahead guys.

First, you need to know that I'm not one of those girls who would fork out own money to go to slimming centre like this one. Let me tell you how I got it.

One of the things I like to do is read people's blog. One of the blogs that I follow is fourfeetnine. Yes, that's the blogger's height and once she posted about her experience at Mayfair in KL and she had a some sort of contest where you need to tell her why she should give you the free visit to Mayfair. Tell her your story basically.

So, I wrote to her on my story. 

Here's how I wrote it.

Okay, never mind. I clicked on the comment section but it won't load and I clicked for like ten times already. forget it. Basically, I wrote about how I was wheeled into the emergency section and had to go under the knife because the doctors couldn't tell what was wrong with me. It was after they cut me open that they found out that, "Oh, it's perforated appendicitis!"

Oh and this is how I know I was one of the lucky winner!

Back.. I'm not blaming the doctors though. The process from getting me x-rayed to inserting tubes to pushing me to a sudden surgery when I started to have a fever happened very fast. So yeah. I made it a very short 'story' so it's just main points to the event.

One thing I remembered clearly of writing was the reason why I wanted the free visit to Mayfair Bodyline. I told her that even though it has been two years since the surgery, I'm still very much upset with the scar that I got. It's long and ugly. Not only that, ever since the surgery, a part of my stomach is always bloated and there seems to be a lot of air in it. I have never gotten a flat stomach since. Not even when I left the hospital.

I stayed in the hospital for 5 days. I remembered asking for permission to leave on a Sunday morning. Doctor agreed but to one condition and one condition only. I must not eat anything other than porridge. Nothing else. Of course I agreed immediately. Porridge is like one of my favorite food okay.

Anyways, when I left the hospital, I lost about 8-10 kg. Crazy right? It's not that shocking for me because during that whole 5 days, I did not once swallow anything other than few drops of water everyday. DROPS OF WATER.

I had tubes all over my body and one of the tubes channel some salt-liquid-thing into my body acting as food and water. Something like that. The other tube was to channel morphine into my body. That one very funny because I was my own boss. Anytime I felt the post surgery pain, I just had to press the button and the morphine would help take away the pain.

Once, it felt painful and super uncomfortable so I pressed the button, but for the first 1 minute nothing happened so I pressed again. At that time, no one was with me because my mom and sister went back home to shower. When Rachel came right after I pressed for the second time, I asked her, "Why is the fan turning so fast and touching the floor?"

Her expression was priceless. She looked at me very puzzled and worried, then she turned to look at the morphine monitor and realized that it has increased two times than before she left. I told her I pressed twice. She laughed and I knew that time that I should just sleep and I did. After that, I never press for the morphine anymore. It made me feel like a crazy person.

Anyways, back to this. So, even when I lost about 10 kg, my stomach remained big. At first, I didn't really bother by it because I knew that it was probably swollen after the cut. Then, I slowly gained back my kilograms to a normal weight of 44kg. Guess what happened to my stomach?

Nothing. It remained bloated. It probably grew bigger because I did put on more weight after that. So that was the frustrating part. 

Fourfeetnine mentioned that by winning this free visit, your body will be examined by the consultants and they will be recommending treatments and stuff to help. I wanted to win this because for once, I would really like to hear from the professionals. 

I made appointment and got to the place.

I got myself checked (sort of) by one of the lady consultant and she recommended that I go through 4 types of treatment. Unfortunately, I had a few mosquitoes bites that time and can only do the other 2 treatments next time. 

This time I can only do two that concentrates on my tummy. 

Honestly, I didn't think she understands completely what I meant when I told her about my surgery and the scar. I know that there was nothing that I can do about the scar but I just needed to know if there's a treatment that could reduce the stomach size. 

At one point, she even say it's purely fat. I burst out laughing and said, "Yeah lo!"

I don't think it's purely fat. *self denial* I mean, for sure got fat lah cos I have been putting on weight like no one's business, bu the thing is the part where it bloats, it's from the top of the scar till the bottom. Outside of it no more bloating. Or maybe my scar is so long that it covers the whole area of tummy la.

So, the first treatment is called Suction something. I can't remember what it's called. Another lady came in and did this for me. She assured me that it was going to hurt just a little. 

LIES!

It's sort of high-powered suction kind, and it hurts like crazy. She could tell because of how my body moved. NO PAIN REALLY NO GAIN! Oh and after a while it feels less painful because already numb. 

She did on one side of my stomach and then asked the lady consultant to come in and check. She took a picture of it to show me the difference. 

This is her trying to get a nice shot of the stomach.

Oh I forgot to mention that because there wasn't anything that they can do with the scar and they are convinced that it's purely fat, it's best to do the suction to break out the fats or something. I not sure because after they say it's purely fat, my ears closed d. Haha.

Also, she pointed out that my waist is starting to grow bigger, like can see it's slowly getting out of shape and stuff. Goodness. Boleh pengsan.

Anyways, this suction thing cannot only do for one time. For it to be more effective, it has to be done like 2-3 times a week. And for 7 times (got promotion for bloggers' winners), it will only cost about RM1,200 instead of normal price which is about RM1,700.

I knew this was coming. No, I did not get it of course. 

Wait, i'm jumping on my story. 

So, after she did the suction on one side, she showed me the difference. She asked me can see or not. I nodded although honestly I didn't see any difference.

The left side is a bit red because of the suction. She pointed to me the left side of the waist and right side.

I see no difference. It looks the same to me. 

Anyways, besides that suction treatment which I feel is completely pointless for me since I'm going to do it once only and never again, let's look at the scar.

The scar that I've never dared to really talk about or take photos of it.

Oh, in case if you're wondering what stomach bloated all she's talking about. In this photo, it looked like the kind of tummy I had before the surgery. Maybe because I'm lying down, that's why here it looks flat.

Anyways, this is one miracle. When it was a fresh scar, it used to be one dark drown long line through my belly button. It was horrible. Not to mention the end of the scar is like mutilated or something. If you see it close-up, you'll hate it too.

Now, when I look at it, it gets better. It gets easier on the eye. Also, if you see closely on the left, there is another scar. Just in case if you are wondering, our apendiks is on the right side of your body. So, even when my whole apendiks exploded and infected my big intestines, they still had to open up a tiny hole which is not really that tiny to drain out whatever toxic that's left behind. That requires another tube of course. Speaking of tube, the fourth tube I had on me was for the extra liquid to come out in the form of urine. Yes, it was SUPER uncomfortable when they insert the tube into my peeing area. If I knew, I would ask them to do it after I smell the 1..2..3..4..zzzz gas. 

I don't know if it's because it's General Hospital that I got such a scar. I don't know. I knew that there were more than 10 people in the operating theatre. Yes, I had time to count how many people were actually going to see my whole body. I only had one cloth covering my body and nothing else and then what made it more challenging was when they transferred me to the surgery table. FOR SURE MADE OF STEEL! It was like lying on ICE! Kid you not. Seriously though, could it have been a better looking scar if I went into a private hospital instead of GH? Maybe but GH is best when it comes to emergency cases. That or God has got His eyes watching over me and my interesting life :) I think it's both. 

I have many questions in my head even up to now about this experience. No questions of why I had to go through it. More of what ifs.

Did you know that the same night I was admitted, there were two other men that was wheeled in for the perforated appendicitis surgery? 

Did you know that the two men did not make it and I did? 

I suffered the abdomen pain for 24 hours before I told my parents to take me to hospital because the pain was too intense. What would have happened if I decided to wait till the morning to go hospital? 

It was midnight when I was sent in. All the what ifs.

Through this, I hold close to my heart this verse. It gives me such a deep sense of security of life. At this age, you can't stop yourself from worrying about the future and all the things that's gonna happen. You can't.

So, believe in the One who created you and wants the best for you, even when that means a bit of physical/emotional pain once in a while. That's how one gets tougher. 

I have it all planned out. Plans to take care of you, not abandon you, plans to give you the future you hope for -Jeremiah 29:11-

I HAVE TO STOP JUMPING EVERYWHERE WHILE TELLING A STORY!

After the suction, I was escorted to the end of the hallway and was asked to stand on a vibrating machine that has infrared lights.

No pain this time phew. 

You know now it's like a trend to get one of those exercising machine where you stand on top of it and it vibrates/shakes. Can always see they do roadshow in the malls. Children are always attracted to these things. Let me google it for you.

Nah. Something like this. On the left photo. Mine is with infrared lights facing your tummy and thighs.

So, all I need to do was stand straight, hold the side and be like this for 10 minutes. The machine will move for a good 10 minutes. I thought it wasn't that bad until the infrared lights got hotter a little and my thighs felt itchy.

Not allowed to scratch sumore. Only can gently tap it. Apparently, it's supposed to be itchy. It means that the toxic is coming out or something. I don't know lah.

The shaking part really very nice. I can feel my butt shaking its fat like crazy. Also, makes me feel like my butt is as big as Kim Kardashians or something.

Speaking of that, her game is so addictive. I actually stopped Candy Crush because I got hooked on her Hollywood game.

It's very girly? Not really lah. Very diva-ish, as how Koay would like to describe it.

So, that's pretty much the part one of my experience with Mayfair Bodyline so far. I still have part two which I haven't even make any appointment yet.

If not mistaken, it's going to be wrap up something. Chilli mask or something like that. Sounds pretty interesting since I love everything spiceyyy. I should stop babbling now since this post is really a long one.

It feels good to finally talk about the surgery procedure and stuff although it's not very organized.

Maybe one day I will write a timeline of that night. I can still remember okay. Such a memorable night. 

Okay bye.

Real Room Escape: Break The Code.

If you read my blog often, you would know that I try my best to plan things to do during public holidays. It could be roadtrips, food trip or just anything.

This time, I saw a great deal on Groupon on this interesting adventure. Normal price usually about RM30+ per person right, Groupon is selling at only RM25 per person.

Since we've always wanted to try this out but never did because so expensive, I thought that the replacement holiday could use an activity. So, I went ahead and bought for 12 people. Crazy hor.

Koay even 'questioned' me because I straight buy for 12 people without having 12 people saying yes to this activity. Haha.

At first, I was quite nervous because I was either lacking of one or two people, but thank God all spaces were filled. Heh.

So, we met at Belisa Row at 3:30pm and since maximum number of people allowed in one category/room is up to 8 people, we decided to split into two groups.

The Crazy Lab (zombie apocalypse) and Detective X.

It is said that Detective X is the hardest of all four and Crazy Lab is probably the second hardest.

We picked our category and started our adventure. 

Detective X
Adrian//Eulene//Joshua//Le Anne//Le Roy//Sarah

Crazy Lab
Angeline//Baxster//Ben//Jesher//Nehemiah//Nikki

Both teams did not manage to complete it within 60 minutes. Boohoo. We were all so close to the finishing line. SO CLOSE OKAY! If only we have extra 30 minutes. If only.

I don't know about the Crazy Lab, but for Detective X, everything looked so real in it and all the clues were amazing. We have 3 hints which mean when we press on the bell, a helper will come in and help us solve a 'puzzle' by giving us hints etc. A few times, I was mind blown. The clues/puzzles all very clever lah. Love it!

Goofing around with the props. Ben is definitely having a lot of fun :)

Celebrity shot with our Nikki Minaj. This photo makes my day, anytime. Siau lang.

I'm quite adventurous in trying out new hairstyle. This one big no-no.

It was only one hour, but it was filled with so much fun. More fun than I expected.

Ahh, another Public Holiday well spent :)

Next Public Holiday will be spent out of Penang! EIGHT more days till vacation! :)

Freedom Fest 2014.

Special thanks to Abigail for all the amazing photos posted on Facebook.

As mentioned on Instagram, my favorite moment has to be the release of balloons. Who doesn't like helium balloons and who doesn't like looking at them as they float up to the sky?

So yeah. 

Blessed Independence Day, Malaysia.

The Ugly Truth.

Before I go into the ugly truth, can I just say that I'M SO HAPPY SEPTEMBER IS HERE! FEW MORE DAYS AND MONTHS TO HOLIDAYS AND FUN TIMES! AUGUST IS FINALLY OVERRR! :)

So, the trip to the slimming place last week triggered something inside me.

More like my eyes were opened and I had to face the ugly truth.

I know a lot of thin girls always call themselves fat when their stomach is not flat or when their arms become flabby. I was in that category. Really, thin people shouldn't use the word fat anymore to describe how they feel when their stomach isn't flat anymore. 

Fat is fat. 

For me, I am a petite kind of girl. So, everytime when my stomach looks huge and isn't how I would like them to be, I labeled myself fat. I shouldn't have and will not continue to do that. I don't even know how to type out words to explain it. Bottom line is people who are relatively thin/petite should stop using the word fat on themselves. 

Anyway, I've decided that I should really start cutting on my carbs intake and walk more. Yeah, that's what i said like one year ago and maybe 3 months ago.

I guess this time it's really different. This time it really hit me.

This time, I had a professional to look at my body and point out areas that needed work. Not those slim-me-down kind of work though. Just need to fix some areas and stuff. More details on that on the next post.

I'm quite thankful that I'm okay with chicken breast meat since that's going to be my 'rice'. Haha. I have no idea how to make this work. I hope I will have the discipline I need and for once be serious in my eating habits. FOR ONCE.

Having fried chicken once in a while should be allowed, right?

Hah.

Healthy eating starts today :)