I don’t know how to start writing on my Korea’s trip. I have
so much to share. But I think I’m not a good travel writer. I do love reading
those who blogged about their travel experience. It helps a lot, especially to
someone like me who planned her trip totally based on what she google! Yes, I
google everything (who’s not, rite?). I guess I’m not going to write every single detail of my
trips starting from Day 1, 2, 3….. So much as I want to but I don’t think I
will be able to remember everything. As I mentioned in my previous entry, this
is really a last minute trip which I didn’t get to plan for it properly. My
itinerary is just on a piece of paper. There is no details on where & how
should I go to every single places. Did I mention that we spent almost freaking
2 hours at Incheon Airport just trying to rent a portable wifi device so that
we can google on how to go to our hotel in Seoul from Incheon. I don’t know how
time flies so fast :-P. Hmmm? Maybe I should start with what we’ve been doing for
those 2 hours. Should I? Ok maybe not.
We are lucky to experience the first snow for the season in Namdaemun Market. Can you see it?
I will start with my favorite drink, coffee. I love coffee,
the bitter the better :-P
Seoul is a coffee heaven for me. I love the fact that they have variety of
coffee shops in every corner of it streets. Coffee shop is everywhere! However,
it is not that cheap especially all those big cafe chain. It would cost you almost
about the same price Starbucks charge u here in Malaysia (around RM12 – RM16
per cups).
Let see which coffee shop win my heart! Caffe Bene This is the first cafe we tried. We are on our way to Yeoido
Park when the wind blew hard in the cold early winter weather. It is damn cold
and we just stomped in to the nearest cafe we saw. The cafe interior was sleek
and modern. We both ordered Caramel Macchiato. According to Paparil, this is
the best Caramel Macchiato among all. I guess the first is always the best, agree?
Caffe Bene signature, Crayon Pop girls
Tom’s & Toms
We dropped by to the one near Cheongyecheon stream. It is
nice strolling down the stream with a cup of coffee in hand (minus the cold
weather).
Cheongyecheon stream, river in a city
Cafe Pascucci at Myeongdong Street Our tour guide’s friend recommended this cafe and rated
their Caramel Macchiato is the best among all the cafe she tried. This is not a
Korean based cafe chain but Italian based instead. But, honestly, I can’t
remember the taste of the coffee, maybe it’s not something worth remembering?
Or am I too sleepy or exhausted after a few trips back & forth in
Myeongdong shopping street? :-P Holly’s Coffee I remember this cafe! Do you know why? *wink wink* There are
2 reasons which make me remember this cafe the most. Firstly, this is where I
tried Citron Ice Tea for the first time and I really love it! I can still
remember the taste even now. Hmmm...I have to change my earlier statement on
“the first is always the best” to “the first is the hardest to forget”, sounds
familiar?
Holly's Coffee, a cafe to remember
Apart from being a coffee lover I’m also a shopaholic myself. I went a little too overboard while shopping in Ewha. I have abandoned Paparil for about an hour at Hollys’s Coffee to continue my shopping spree. Sorry Paparil :-) I love shopping!
Man's heaven, the beautiful Ewha Women University. Girls are everywhere + magnificent view
Paris Baguette The last coffee we had while in Korea is in Paris Baguette.
We tried the one in Incheon Airport itself while waiting for departure. Other
than coffee, Paris Baguette is famous of selling bread and pastry.
Flying to Coffeeland, anyone?
So the winner is Citron Ice Tea in Holly’s coffee! My most memorable drink in Korea is not even a coffee. Hehehe…Till we meet again. Bye peeps!
How is my new blog template? Do you like it? It seems lively
than the previous template, rite? I want my life in 2014 blooming with flowers
and full with color of happiness. I want to paint my 2014 with colors, bright
& happy colors. I know the first 3 month of the year will be the most
stressful month (as usual) of the year. However, I will try my best to tolerate
it and when it’s over I promise myself I will try to make up for all the missing
minutes, hours & days.
Yes, that has been my problem for 2013, a serious problem. I
have become addicted to everything about Korea this year. It started with a Korean variety
show which I accidentally watched starting May this year. I’m actually already
drafting an entry about it in my blog but it stayed as a draft entry since July!
Hahaha. It took me half a year to finally finish it. I guess I’m too busy
catching up with my Kseries, Kdrama and the list goes on.
Here is my half a year worth entry:
For the past 2 month (read: May
& June), I have been very quiet from social networking site, be it
blog, facebook, twitter and even TV! Yes, I literally quit watching TV for the
past 2 month. I even stop following my
favorite TV series (Scandal, Glee, Grey Anatomy and etc) in Astro StarWorld,
722 channels. It sound serious rite? I better not mention on how I prefer to stay
at home rather than going out during weekend. Crazy me.
But I guess my obsession has slowly faded now since I’m able
to write about it in this blog. *Peace*
I’ve been crazy watching a Korean variety show called Global
We Got Married (GWGM). Before this, I could not understand Paparil obsession
towards Running Man series (another Korean variety show). He practically trying
to watch every single episode (they have 150++ episodes!!). Luckily, GWGM only
has 15 episodes (phew!).
GWGM paired artist/idol from 2 different country to
participate in a make believe marriage. Some sort like a fake marriage for them
to experience a married couple life. Yes, I know. It sounds weird rite? How
could I end up watching this kind of series? Hahaha. You peeps should try
watching one of the episodes and u will know why :-P.
I would suggest starting from Ep1, Ep6 and Ep15.
For this season of GWGM they have 2 couples. The first
couple is the popular Kpop idol, Ok Taecyon (2pm) from Korea and Emma Wui from
Taiwan. And….my favorite couple, the one which hooked me up to this show, Lee
Hongki (FT Island) from Korea and Fujii Mina from Japan. Their chemistry
onscreen seems like watching a real couple falling in love. It warms your
heart. (Ok, that is my biased opinion :-p).
And because of this show I fall hard with Lee Hongki band,
FT Island. The band has a lot of great & catchy song. I’ve been around
YouTube rooting for their song and live performance. Hence, for the past 2
months my playlist only consist of their song (yes again, crazy me).
One of my favorite, You Are My Life by FT Island
Another one, a catchy upbeat song, I Want – FT Island
Even though FT Island is a Korean band but most of my
favorite song is their Japanese song (You are My Life, I want, Theory of
Happiness). Maybe I should start listening to Jpop or Jrock? Should I?
Ok, I should stop rambling or else I won’t be able to stop.
I hope everyone is having a good day. Selamat berbuka peeps!
End of half a year worth entry :-P.
As a conclusion, you can say that
my 2013 fill with everything Korean. Paparil and I ended up our Korean’s
obsession year with a trip to Seoul last November. I will try to find time
to share about our ‘everything last minute trip’. Bye for now. I hope we will
meet soon and not at the end of Dec 2014.
I used to love reading and writing. Hence, I made this blog.
But now technology has getting in my way. Now, I love watching (TV, YouTube,
movie, drama and etc). I read &
write less. (I don’t even frequently do blog hopping anymore!) I also noticed
that my writing & communication skills have dropped tremendously (not that
I’m an expert before, but better than now). Word does not come out easily
either writing or talking. I usually draft it my mind before I write or say
something. Now, that is the only things I do. I draft it in my mind and
consider it done. Everything is in the back of my mind. It sounds weird or is
it normal?
Cafe full of books. A serene view while enjoying my cup of coffee.
As you could see, I only wrote 1 entry in 2013. Pathetic as
it may seem. And now it’s already December! In 2013, my blog only has opening
& closing. No content. Now, it makes me wondering. What did I done in 2013?
Has my life become empty/boring too? Did I just wake up, go to work, home,
work, home again routine?
(Wait a minute, let me check on what did I wrote in 2012.
Maybe some hints?)
I see. I have a few new hobbies in 2012. Baking, cooking and
gardening. How about 2013? I don’t even bake anymore. And all my pot plant has
withered. :-( What is happening? Do I lack of motivation? Tenacity? I think I know the answer
now, but I will keep it to myself. Yes, writing does help. It makes my
scattered thought organized. It makes me see things clearly. I should write
& read more (I’ll try).
What with the sudden serious entry, today? Well, it hits me
when I was asking Paparil to go to the Big Bad Wolf (BBW) books sales with me
last weekend. His immediate response, “Seriously? Buku tahun lepas dah berabuk
dalam drawer tak baca2. No.” Really? One year? I’m sorry books.
2012 has been a tough & challenging year for me. Hence, I wish for a smoother and peaceful year for 2013. I know it's already March and it's too late to have a new year resolution and whatsoever...But I really need to put myself together and make things happen rather than hoping for the better! First step??? Changing my blog template, maybe? The template is simpler than the previous version. A simple me, a simpler life...Wish me luck peeps!
As usual, this is a long overdue post for a trip happens a few months back. Peace.
A trip to Legoland Johor
Shopping at JPO, Johor Premium Outlet
This is supposed to be Paparil’s trip for a paintball tournament in Johor. While Rara and me ‘menyibuk’ hoping for a side trip to Legoland & JPO. However, the tournament was cancelled! Yeehaaa! Since I have made the arrangement and booking for both hotel & flight, we decided to go on with the trip. Yeehaaa2x! (sorry Paparil..*peace*)
We stayed at M Suites Hotel which is near to Danga Bay area. The room was spacious and they have big swimming pool with slides suitable for kids (Rara’s favorite). However, the hotel is quite far from Legoland itself and the taxi fare was expensive! Phewww…
We are in Legoland on their 2nd day of opening. Hence, the crowd was huge! And the park itself was huge too! I don’t think one day is enough to explore the whole park, let alone trying every ride. They don’t have much option for a 3 year old kid like Rara. I think a 6 year old and above will have more varieties of ride to choose from.
The weather was very hot! Please make sure you bring a lot of water and spare clothes for your kids. They have café and mini kiosk selling food, drink and ice-cream (of course) along the way. Most of our money goes to all this café (and it’s quite expensive). However, we do enjoy ourselves, strolling the park minding our own business.Hahaha...Till then, bye!
Oh yes, the title is so true. Hmm…wait a minute. Ok, not 100% true. I went to Pulau Pinang & Pulau Pangkor when I was a little kid with my beloved family. But, it doesn’t really count because I never got to do all those island trip thingy as such snorkeling, island hopping. Ok, fair enough.
We went to Tioman somewhere in June. This time around is not just the 3 ‘angry bird’ trip. We went with my big family (parents & siblings). Tioman is indeed a peaceful island with beautiful beaches. I don’t want to write much but just want to share the beautiful memories with pictures. (I do actually want to write more but a few emails from work make me sick and hence the sudden change of mood :-(..)
The 6 excited people getting ready for island hopping. Lil Rara opts for another trip with my parents..hehehe
We are here! The happy faces :-)
We went to a few islands but I can’t remember the exact names for each of the island. Hmm...Taman Laut, Renggis Island and etc. We were charged RM100 per person for the trip (quite expensive, rite? Hmm...) For a first timer, we do enjoy our day! Even though it’s quite scary to let myself into the water when only 1 from the 6 of us can swim and the rest is just flapping our way around the water in a ridiculous motion..hahaha. We had a great time laughing to each other :-P
Rara favorite place: the pool
We stayed in Berjaya Condo. It’s not that far from Berjaya Tioman Resort but it’s a hilly ride though. So, it’s not advisable to walk (at least for us). However, they do provide a bus every hour to go up and down from the condo to the resort.
And the last picture..Rara’s Tioman style
P/S: Salam Aidilfitri to all my readers! Mucho gracias...:-)
This is my 2nd favorite recipe after the super easy Choc Chip Muffin recipe which I posted a while ago. The cake turned up moist and irresistible. Once you tried it you’ll crave for more! Please try it & you’ll never regret (ecececeh…dah macam iklan la pulak).
Chocolate Orange Cream Cheese Pound Cake – my version
3/4 cup (1 1/2 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
4 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup dark chocolate pieces
Place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 325 degrees F. Grease a 9×5-inch baking pan and dust with flour. Set aside.
In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
On a clean cutting board or counter, place the granulated sugar. Add the orange zest. With a bench scraper or the back of the spoon, work the zest into the granulated sugar, creating a fragrant and orange flavored sugar. Set aside.
In the bowl of an electric stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream together softened butter and cream cheese. Stop the mixer occasionally to scrape down the bowl and make sure that the butter and cream cheese are evenly mixed. Add the citrus zest to the butter and cream cheese mixture, and beat on medium speed until smooth and creamy, about 3 minutes.
Stop the mixer. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. On medium speed, beat in one egg at a time, beating for one minute after each addition. Stop the mixer and scrape down the sides of the bowl as necessary. Beat in vanilla extract.
Add dry ingredients all at once. Beat on low speed until dry ingredients are completely incorporated. Fold in the chocolate pieces.
Spoon batter into prepared pan. Bake for 50-60 minutes, rotating once or twice during baking. Bake until a skewer inserted in the center comes out clean, or with just a few crumbs.
This is how the batter looks like – creamy and gooey...yumm2
My loaf pan can’t fit it the entire batter, hence the cupcake version
We went for a short trip to Genting Highland somewhere around April for Rara birthday’s trip. At first, I was contemplating to choose either Genting or Damai Laut Pangkor (they have Groupon’s promotion!). In the end after considering the amount of travel that we need to go through, we choose the nearest which is Genting.
Go Go Genting!
Paparil and I have been there twice as a couple. So I guess this is a trip back to memory lane when we were still young and lovey-dovey. Ahaks! Will the feeling still be the same? (Alhamdulillah…)
We stayed at Theme Park Hotel for RM128 per night via Agoda. It’s a new hotel and VERY near to the Outdoor Theme Park. It is just a jump away from the window..Hahahaha.
Our little girl is beyond excited, especially during the Skyway trip. However, when we reached the theme park she refused to take any of the rides! Why Rara why? So, we took the fun train ride as a warming up. She always loves taking the lrt. So this is definitely her most favorite thing to do in Genting. In the end after a few persuading & forcing session, we managed to get her on a few rides (with either one of us accompanying her…).
The Solere shot is definitely not for me and Rara :-P
The winner of Rara’s heart is their Rainforest Splash pool (water park). This is among the new attraction in Genting. Even though it’s just a basic heated water park with a few slides and limited space, she really enjoys it. We have to drag her out in order to get her out of the pool. She loves water! (But not the beach…).
Rainforest Splash pool, Rara's favorite
We have fun and a little bit of drama (when ‘someone left the car security’s lock key in the hotel room after checkout *ahemm*). Other than that, I would say this is among the best trip we had (not that we have many). We are getting less angry than our previous Cherating/Kuantan trips. Job well done!
Alhamdulillah...akhirnya berjaya jugak mengatasi semua kesibukan, kemalasan dan macam2 hal lagi dan update blog yang kena tinggal ni...kesian...
So, what is happening around me? My life? I would put it this way...I'm in a phase of rearranging, readjusting and rebalancing my work, family and life. Complicated? No, it's not that complicated but it's a matter of self willing, effort and priority. A recent change and shift in work place have make my life upside down, enough said. Other than that, I am fine and thankful for everything Allah gave me. It's all for the best.
How about my lil Rara? She is growing!! Nowadays, she loves singing, painting and sticking stickers. I still yet to find time to create a learning routine for her. A 15 minutes a day session, maybe? I don't know. I have to change my routine before I can start her routine. Change...change...change... Why is it so hard to change??
My growing little girl
Till then, bye!
P/S: Oh by the way, the three of us, Paparil, Rara and I have turn 3(0) in these past few months!! Welcome to the 3 series club!
Posts
