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Perjalanan hidup ini penuh dengan kilat dan petir

Disulam-sulam dengan pelangi indah 

Yang muncul di antara awan putih berkepul megah

Ada detik ketika

Jiwa mengeluh, menggelisah, meronta menuntut definisi

Ada masanya juga

Hati kecil ini berbunga meriah, bangga dengan nikmat yang dirasai

Berfikir aku ini

Seandainya diri tidak diuji

Adakah gunanya aku bernadi 

Ketika segalanya berceking

Umpama ditarik ke bawah terbuka di atas 

Singsing ke atas, di bawah terlapang

Adakah hati ini mengalah?

Kini, hidup bagai terletak indah 

Cantik muat di atas pasak

Cukupkah sudah puji syukur

Atau bercambah benih takbur?   

Aku jauh daripada unik

tidak istimewa

hanya manusia

Bibir takbur mengambur kata

Mata rakus mengerling kaya dunia 

Tangan dan hati lesu memberi

Minda sarat dengan duniawi 

Perjalananku semakin dekat ke sana; 

Ini bukan teka-teki. 

Janji itu pasti, tiada kompromi. 

Di mana harus aku bermula, bagaimana seterusnya?

Legoland Malaysia

Tia was so excited about Legoland and her papa promised her March. But much to her delight, he delivered it a month earlier. We booked Legoland's tickets online and the date was set on 10 February 2013. After he did a crossover from the North South Highway for MHI, we drove down to JB on Saturday and stayed at KSL hotel for two nights. On Sunday, we left the hotel early for Legoland. The route was straightforward via the coastal highway from the city and we arrived at around 930am to discover that dear Legoland management has only provided ONE parking entrance and we were issued a parking ticket to park. What a bummer!

They've already charged us RM120 per person and they still need to charge some more for parking. Ridiculous, innit? And don't get me started about Malaysians AND Singaporeans who were oblivious about cueing. If nobody has ever taught you to cue, common sense also you don't have kah? You don't simply cut people's line, sigh.. We made it across the parking barrier at exactly 10:18am and for the amount of money they're charging us for parking, we had to park on the muddy untarred road. Not a great start. 

And I forgot to mention that on the way to the parking lot, we were given a flyer that reminded us not to buy tickets from ulat tickets inside. Surprisingly, we were approached by many ulats actually and they were not like operating in disguise. They're out there in the open and I wondered why there were no authorities telling them to get lost. "Kat dalam jual mahal bang, sama je kalau beli dari saya..". Get! Lost!

Ok, now to the fun part!

Look at this girl who's so excited to go to Legoland. She studied the entire map and planned where to go. She went to the website by herself, explained to the father that he could buy Legoland tickets online with some discounts, printed the map and studied what the park offers. So, she was well aware of Lego City, Lego Kingdom, Lego Technic, Lego Miniland etc. If you are a Lego enthusiast, you will be thrilled by what it offers. If you are looking for Disney-Type Theme Park, go to HK or Japan. :)  The Legoland has roller coasters also but not as thrilling as the ones in Universal Studios. Nevertheless, still decent lah. We brought the printed e-tickets, and entry was smooth. They just scanned the tickets and didn't issue any wristband. So, off we went! Weee~~~

There were many people that day but still not overwhelmingly crowded. I didn't think the Chinese would go on the first day of CNY but I was dead wrong. Hehe. The weather was gloomy though, a part of me was relieved that I didn't have to berpanas, another was worried that I'd be soaking wet at the end of the day. Good thing we brought along two large umbrellas with us and for kiddo, we bought a Legoland yellow raincoat for RM15.

We started off at the Lego City, where the above kid needed to get her driving license. Haha! The cue was around 45 minutes and after about 5 minutes driving, kids can obtain their licence! Look at my princess driving. Some kid hit her from behind, failed to stop at the red light (hish!) but no damage was observed and finally she got her license for RM25~. One thing to note is, everything is expensive in Legoland, hence bring extra money if you have extra kids or you might need to prepare some food from home. The lunch was around RM23 per set of chicken rice, soda and cut fruits for adult and RM15 for kid's set. The kid's set chicken piece was minute. A bottle of small coke is RM5. Go figure.

There were interesting structures made of Lego blocks around this place.  There were birds, rabbits, trees, people, dragons, bears, jaws, etc. Amazing if you are a Legomania, not bad also if you are just looking for something interesting to look at.

They put up a live show in conjunction with the Chinese New Year's celebration and one drummer asked for an audience participation. (He came to me and I pointed at my husband.. haha! Sorry, love.) Look at my man! He looked very pleased with his performance. Go papa,  go! Tia was so proud of her papa!

The area I enjoyed the most was Lego Miniland, where they had awesome structures made of Lego blocks. They built them to the greatest details. There were Bollywood dancers near the Taj Mahal, there were little people everywhere. Hehe. They built Johor Bahru, Kuala Lumpur, Hoi An (Vietnam), Brunei Darul Salam's Mosque, Angkor Wat (Cambodia) and many more. Amazing Lego structures. I love them all.

And the ships actually sailed and the soldiers/pirates shoot each other, complete with smoke and sound.

From gloomy to drizzling to raining heavily, it kind of disrupted our momentum. We needed to change strategy from following Tia's plan to avoiding the heavy rain. We spent at least an hour under the children's playground and another 20 minutes or so watching the 4D show because of the rain. I forgot the title of the show but it had the 4D elements lah: the wind, the snow, the 3D effect, etc. Not as great as the Disney's but okaylah...

This Thailand wat was so gorgeously built, up to the smallest details. With Malaysia weather, how long until they have to replace this structure or rebuilt it? I'm curious.

Tia was like a giant in this Singapore Lego city! She liked the miniland but not so much as the mother. This girl wanted to play rides!

There are plenty of activities for kids and you don't have to fork out extra dollars to play. "Today is the greatest day ever!" according to my Tia. She was disappointed about the weather but since this park is in Malaysia, there's always a next time.

And don't even think of buying souvenirs in the BIG lego shop. Aiyo... why so expensive-lah. A small t-shirt for Tia was priced at RM104. Puh-lease! I seriously think that Legoland needs to restructure the pricing to suit the local/regional target visitors. To the very least, let the kids have something to bring back from Legoland. There must be a way to accomplish this. You can sell a t-shirt at USD35 in the US or in advanced countries but in this part of the world, you need to adjust a bit lah hor!

We left Legoland at about 5pm only to discover that they offer only ONE parking ticket machine. Seriously mental! And the cue went so long, I felt like kicking somebody's behind. The charge is by the hour and max is RM7. Legoland management needs to review this. This is STUPID. And at last, they sent four workers to collect money and stamp on the parking tickets.

All in all, I think Legoland could potentially be a great destination but it's a tad expensive for the locals; for a couple who has two/three kids, the entrance fee is already RM600 not including lunch and souvenirs. On top of that, the management needs to train the staff well, up to the international standards, and always keep the cleanliness of the park/toilets.

At the end of the day, we're thrilled that Tia had a great time!

You are what you eat!

No matter how sedap, take care of the portion

Oh how I regret putting all those calories inside me since two years back. My office is just next to Mamak and I’d order roti canai with hot Nescafe for breakfast. And during lunch my choice would be mixed rice (usually curry included), a glass of sweet drink. Right after, I’d have a cup of hot Nescafe and an ice cream. And this was my routine for at least 3 days a week for the whole year and more! I didn’t feel guilty at all at that time. Correct what, just lunch and some dessert after, what’s wrong? Boy, was I wrong! That simple routine now sits ugly on my tummy, my glutes, my thighs, my arms, my everywhere. And worse, after having all those nice meals, I just sat in my air-conditioned comfy room all day long without even moving my upper and lower body except for my fingers. And the fats rejoiced by having a group chest-banging sessions in my body.

I didn’t watch what I ate at all, somehow it didn’t occur to me to do it. Teringin nak Snickers bar, I’d just grab one. Felt like having a can of Coke, I’d have one even though I just had one a few hours before. How about a slice of cake? Bring it on. Ice cream? Definitely! My intake of rice was not controlled; the formula was simple then, when the dishes looked good, more rice on the plate. Steaks, pastas, fried chickens; everything was alright. I didn’t eat so much but I ate variety and all packed with carbohydrates, sugar, fat, etc.  

My size was XS until I reached early 30s. Even after I delivered Tia, I still could maintain XS without any problem. Then I slid into S, and now I’m wearing M, at the edge of L. The thing that disturbs me the most is, I couldn’t fit my jeans and my work pants, and the extra bulge on my midsection when I’m wearing chiffon shirts. I am not fat, fat. Many would consider me still okay but I really regret the extra kilos on my body from my eating senselessness throughout those years.

Fact: Your metabolism rate suffers, as you grow older. Which means your body couldn’t care much about losing all those calories you took so even though you ate at exactly the same amount as you did when you were younger, you'd guarantee to pack an extra weight now. Eat and no exercise is THE recipe for body-disaster.

I haven’t returned to my original normal weight but I’m getting there by watching what I eat and exercising. So far, my weight has been quite stagnant for almost 7 months since last Ramadhan. I lost almost 3-4 kilos during the fasting month and the weight stays for long because I didn’t engage myself with any exercise routines.

I am fully aware of what I eat now and I’m doing some exercise routines every week to shed some pounds off my body.  

BREAKFAST

Then:  I had roti canai, tose, capati, nasi lemak and hot sweet beverage(s) for breakfast.

Now:  Cereal with milk or breakfast bar with a cup of espresso with exactly one cube of sugar.

LUNCH

Then: Mamak mixed rice, Malay mixed rice, fast food, no reservations plus dessert and sweet drinks.

Now: Still Mamak but 2 vege, a scoop of rice, little meat, a bottle of small mineral water or sometimes when I want to indulge I’d order Milo O ice tabor. Sometimes I’d order nasi goreng but I made sure I ate small portions. Too lazy to go out and have lunch at other places.

TEA

Then: Goreng pisang belakang office, anything in the pantry, a mug of hot Nescafe.

Now: if my staff bought goreng pisang, I’d take one/two with a cup of espresso one sugar only. Sometimes just coffee with exactly one sugar cube only.

DINNER

Then: Anything also can do plus sweet beverages

Now: I cook at home with less sugar, less salt, less oil, less portion.

SUPPER

Then: Anything available, ate as my tummy pleases, and sweet coffee (2-3 teaspoonful of sugar)

Now: A couple of small chocolate or some nuts and a cup of espresso with exactly one cube of sugar or just coffee. 

I read about food that’s good for the body and hope that I could change my diet gradually. Maybe I can prepare my own lunch with baked chicken or something. With some exercise routines that I hope to keep up with, I expect to see some reduction in my weight very soon. I don’t expect to return to XS but I would love to fit in S again.

It’s cliché this phrase, "a minute on your lips a lifetime on your hips", but it’s so freaking true. Before you put anything on your mouth, think about what you’d have to go through to shed it from your body.

Note: I'd be going to JB this weekend so good food all the way. Must. Control. Portion. :) 

Happy CNY everybody, remember to eat consciously! Prosperous wallet okay, prosperous tummy is not. Gong Xi Fatt Chai

Seminggu di Dubai

Dubai tidak asing bagi saya dan walaupun sudah ke sana beberapa kali, Dubai masih lagi menarik. Bangunan-bangunan tinggi sofistikated dan kelandaian tanah ini mengujakan saya. Perjalanan ke Dubai mengambil masa lebih kurang 7 jam masa penerbangan dari Kuala Lumpur, dan kami memilih Emirates kerana kekerapannya dan penerbangan terus ke sana. Untuk ke Dubai, jangan pergi masa musim panas, itu namanya cari pasal kerana suhu boleh mencecah tahap terkopek kulit. Kalau nak pergi Disember, Januari memang sangat best kerana cuacanya dalam belasan celcius dan kadang-kadang sejuk sepoi-sepoi bahasa. Just nice untuk bercuti. Kami mengambil flight pukul 2 pagi dan sampai lebih kurang 5pagi masa Dubai - time difference is 4 hours back. Satu pesanan, nak ke sini bawa cash banyak sikit ye kerana makanan dan segalanya mahal sedikit. :)

Untuk mereka yang ke Dubai untuk kali pertama, Desert Safari jangan dilepaskan. Harga satu trip dalam AED150-200, ikut pakej dan budget yang berkenan di hati. Kalau nak naik Hummer, AED350 seorang. Selalu trip bermula 230-300 petang dan perjalanan ke padang pasir mengambil masa 30 minit. Sebelum masuk ke padang pasir, tayar perlu dipancitkan sikit supaya senang maneuver di atas pasir. Untuk mereka yang penakut sikit atau senang muntah, bawalah beg plastik extra sebab cruiser akan mengganas di tengah padang pasir. Trip ini selalunya berakhir dalam pukul 9 malam. 

Di antara aktiviti di padang pasir ini ialah menunggang unta, bergambar dengan burung helang, makan, sand surfing, sisha-ing, belly dancing dan kali ini lain sikit sebab kami dihidangkan dengan penari pusing (tak tahu mereka panggil itu tarian apa). 

Naik unta memang mencabar. Hahaha! Pertama sebab unta ini tinggi so nak naik belakang dia agak sukar untuk saya yang tidak berapa tinggi ini, dua tiga kali try baru boleh selapak. Hahah! Kemudian, bila dah naik, unta kena berdiri kan? Dia berdiri bontot dulu! Adoi... Bila nak turun, dia turun kaki depan dulu. Komplikated sikit laaa tapi menarik! Pakcik yang bawa kita tu muka tak senyum langsung. Hahaha.. relaxlah pakcik! 

Inilah penari pusing yang saya cakap tadi. Penari ini memerlukan banyak tenaga untuk berpusing selama 30 minit or so dengan pakaian yang berlapis-lapis. 

Amazingly strong dancer.

Dan kalau ke sini, tentu sekali penari gelek disediakan. Betulkan penari gelek? Takkan penari perut pulak, kan? Kali ini kita dihidangkan dengan yang cantik sikit, tahun lepas tak berapa. Hahaha! MuloT!!

Di Dubai makanan dan minuman harganya boleh memecahkan poket dan dompet. Untuk air di atas ini harganya AED28. Jangan bimbang, halal. :) Appetizer dalam AED68-78. Main course mestilah lagi mahal. Tetapi ada juga tempat yang murah seperti di Bur Dubai dan Karama tetapi kenalah berusaha sikit. Kami takde masa sangat so we just went for convenience. Ada satu kali kita makan di restoran Lebanon dan saya order kebab. Ingatkan besar, rupanya 6 ketul daging kecil dengan sedikit roti - AED109. Pengsan! Alcohol di Dubai tidak dijual di restoran atau di kedai-kedai biasa ye so takde lah cocktail or whatever di atas menu. Yang ada no-cktail dan mocktail. (*Maklumat sekadar pengetahuan sahaja)

Kami juga berkesempatan untuk naik ke atas Burj Khalifa, bangunan tertinggi di dunia setakat ini. 124 ialah tingkat tertinggi yang boleh dikunjungi dan harganya lebih kurang RM100 lebih. Client bayar jadi saya tidak tahu the exact amount. Kena berjalan sedikit sebelum menaiki lif ke atas.  

Di antara pandangan dari atas Burj Khalifa yang sempat saya rakamkan. Walaupun tinggi, saya tidak merasa kecut perut seperti di Seattle Space Needle. Cuaca agak baik dan saya dapat melihat bandar Dubai dengan jelas. 

Inilah Burj Khalifa. Nak ambil gambar penuh kena ada camera power cukuplah nampak badan dan kepalanya sahaja. 

Satu lagi tarikan utama di Dubai ialah pertunjukan air pancut di depan Dubai Mall/Burj Khalifa. Ianya bermula pukul 6 petang setiap 30 min sekali. Best sangat kareografi air pancut ini. Macam-macam irama dimainkan dan kali ini saya dapat melihat Bollywood dance dan Opera. Amazing! KLCC kena belajar dari Dubai Mall ye. 

Curi-curi masa dapat juga kami ke Dubai Muzium di Bur Dubai. Kami ke mana-mana naik teksi je so saya tak tahu cara mana nak guna transportation lain. Harga masuk muzium ini hanya AED3 tetapi menarik sekali pamerannya. Nak tahu sejarah Dubai, datanglah  ke sini dan mereka membenarkan pengunjung mengambil gambar. (Saya sedang tanya pakcik tu, baju saya tempah bila nak siap? hehe)

Seperti saya katakan, makanan murah sikit mungkin ada tetapi kena ada effort sikit untuk cari. Semasa kami di Bur Dubai, saya cuba makanan ini di satu restoran dengan harga AED5 and it was sooo worth it. 

Kalau poket besar  sikit, jom ke Burj Al-Arab. Tempat ini tidak boleh ditempuh jika booking tidak dilakukan terlebih dahulu. Untuk makan malam - range harga ialah AED380-AED1000 seorang dan harga ini tidak termasuk minuman. Yeah you heard me right, tidak termasuk minuman ye. :) 

Saya rasa rasa makanannya overrated sikit tetapi saya bersyukur kerana diberi peluang untuk ke sini. 

Amazing ceiling at the lobby

Di perjalanan pulang, kami menaiki buggy untuk ke Souk Medina di Jumeira dan pemandu buggy siap berhenti untuk mengambil gambar kami di spot yang tercantik! Thanks pakcik!

Decor restoran membuat saya terasa di dalam movie Seribu Satu Malam. 

Client kami juga memberi dua pinggan cookies untuk diletak dibooth. Rasa cookies ni pelik-pelik sikit, ada jintanlah, tak tahu apa lagi spices yang diletak dalam.. tapi lama-lama makan sedap juga. 

Kerana inilah saya di Dubai. 

Malam sebelum bertolak balik, kami ke Jumeira sekali lagi.