2009 in a Nutshell

I'm writing this post with only 3 hours left to 2009. The feeling i have now is like having to say good bye to a dear friend. I dare not say that i love the year 2009 but i do have some fond memories of it.

2009 have been one-darn-year. So many things happened and some of it i only wish it didn't happen.

I when through a tough semester in college. I gained as much as i regret. I learned new knowledge but those new knowledge just brought a heart-sick experience. But you know what? I don't regret or dread much about it. Cuz if it wasn't for that painful experience, i'll be less understanding 'bout myself. It was what that taught me about myself and how to deal with it.

Ok, enough emo talk.

What's most highlighted of all about 2009 is the amount of death that occur. And it all started from a close family member - my grandpa. We still miss him dearly and think of him occasionally. Ghong Ghong, you are not forgotten.

After that kind of lost, i notice many other death stories just continuing. And i think the most talked-about is Michael Jackson's. He passed away few weeks after my grandpa, sadly to say.
Other celebrities that pass-away are Natasha Richardson who we all knew her for her role as the twin's mom in Parent's Trap, Farrah Fawcett who many of us youngsters do not know but i bet your parents adored cuz my mom loved her, Stephen Gately who i remember singing the song "No Matter What" along with him, Yasmin Ahmad who i loved dearly for her wonderful and meaningful movies and advertisement (especially the PATRONAS Tan Hong Ming ad), and Brittany Murphy who was a beautiful and graceful actress.

The famous Yasmin Ahmad's advertisement about racism in Malaysia.



Boyzone, No Matter What music video.

But not all's lost in 2009 - there were a few happy moments to look back and smile. My personal favourite would be Barack Obama's first day as President of United States! He is one person that really changed things to the better good. We also have a new leader. Pak Lah stepped down as Prime minister and Dato' Sri Najib took charge. So far, he's doing ok.

2009 was also a year where i shopped in the dark! 60 EARTH HOUR! It was one unforgetable event that i hope will be brought forward to 2010 and the next. Turn the lights out like Beyonce sings! LOL!


There was also the H1N1 scare. So many people died and suffered cuz of this deadly virus. There will be a second wave soon, so, peeps, a gentle reminder to wear a face mask and wash your hands - Please!

Lots more stuff and happenings went on during the year of the "ninth". But these are the few that i think i will remember in the next 10 years.


Right now, i want to wish everyone around the world that came across this post...

HAPPY NEW YEAR

or should i say

HAPPY 2010!!!!!
have a great year ahead...

Cheers!

xoxo

Theobroma Chocolate Lounge - It's a chocoholic heaven

I think this is my favourite post yet! Wanna know why? Cuz it features one of my favourite things. And if this is your fav thing too, we are both on the same page.

Presenting.......... CHOCOLATE!

This place is perfect for every chocoholic fanatics - Theobroma Chocolate Lounge.

Currently they have 5 branches around Klang Valley - Bangsar, Pavilion, 1 Utama, LCCT, and The Curve.

The service was moderate. The waiters were friendly but they forgot my order which was rather sad. The food and drinks didn't take that long to arrive - just a mere 5 to 10 minutes but it felt like forever cuz i was really hungry and the look of the chocolate fondue at the next table was just driving me bananas.

The menu - looks good enough to eat!

When i said it was chocolate heaven, i wasn't kidding

The food to me has mix reviews. Some of the dish was surprisingly delicious (I use the word surprisingly cuz besides chocolate, i don't know whether they know how to do anything else) whereas, some was very normal. But of course, their chocolate was splendid!

Princess of Iceland (RM10.90)
Translation? Iced Chocolate. There's chocolate ice cream to
compliment the whole glass of chocolate but they didn't
use expensive ice cream as i can tell. But the chocolate they
used for the drink was definitely not our local chocolate!

Snow White Mocha Frappe (RM12.90)
White, it's definitely white. Snow, it's definitely smooth like the snow.
According to the menu, it's Belgian white mocha frappe.
Not sure whether that means the chocolate is from Belgium or the mocha is...
But it's a lovely glass of frappe, i must say.

Ms Coco Frappe (RM12.90)
The moment i've been waiting for, my glass of delish chocolate!
I can write a list of what i love 'bout this drink.
For starters, it sent me straight to chocolate heaven and i stayed there
for a while. It was literally like drinking melted Haagan Daaz
chocolate ice cream! I'm serious! It's as thick, as kau, as smooth
as the ice cream! However, as i reached the bottom of the glass,
i felt a little "choco sick" (which means i was this close to say, ENOUGH!).
But no regrets here! I LOVE IT!


Now the FOOD!

Mushroom and Cheese Omelette (RM9.90)
It's like your normal English breakfast. Normal but very nicely done.
The chef took time for the egg and made sure there's no burn bits.
Although it's something i can make at home, i felt
happy cuz it's like comfort food to me.

Seafood Spaghetti Olio-Ollio (RM17.90)
Another ok dish here. Nothing special or extraordinary.
Its just pasta saute with sauce and prawns over it.
Oh! And red chillies!

Oven Baked Chicken (RM17.90)
Besides the drinks, this was the best of the best among all the dish!
I particularly like the rice. It's buttered rice but
it tasted like Indian rice with hint of spice.
The chicken, as usual, tender and fragrant. Its as if all the
restaurant have known the secret to nicely cooked chicken.

Overall, this is a must-go, must-see, must-taste restaurant! Although, it is quite pricey and i mean PRICEY, it's a great place to indulge yourself, once in a blue moon...

My final words to this post is... all CHOCOHOLIC MUST TRY THIS ONE OUT!


P.S.: This is based on personal liking and taste. It may vary with different people.


Cheers!

xoxo

Otak-Otak Place - Two sisters taking over

It was a day out with my sister to 1 Utama. The purpose for this outing was to hunt for last minute Christmas gift. And yes, Christmas was on the very next day. Talk about last minute.

But before we put on our shopping gear, we had to feed ourselves first. And trust me, with the amount of people at the shopping mall, we'll need all the energy we can get to fight with those people.

Otak-otak Place, some of you heard of it, and some of you think i'm talking about the banana-leaf-wraped fish. Although they do sell otak-otak, this is a restuarant every old-school people would love!

Why?

Picture taken from Feedmelah.com
(didn't get to take this picture cuz there were so many people passing through!)
Please don't sue me for this picture!

Besides, the classic black China bicycles being the center of attention, this place is packed with retro-vintage stuff. There were old oil-lamps, cassettes (yes, the very same old tape we used to have before the VCD era came around), classic water flask (like the one in our grandmother's house), and lots more. And not to mention some of my personal favourite childhood games - five-stone aka Batu Seremban, bottle caps and Congkak!

LMAO! Even my dad don't have these!

Bottle caps and card that i'm not too sure how to play
(but there are instructions on how to play it on the tissue box)

Congkak! My all time favourite!

You can play it while waiting for your food or if you have time to spare, after your meal!

My sis recommended this place for lunch cuz she said the food was, quote, "Not bad lah..."

The food was indeed, not bad (minus the lah)! I love the way they served some of their food. For example, they serve their nasi lemak in the classic stainless steal tiffin carrier and their fish head noodle in the claypot! So cute!

Barley (RM2.50 - Hot)
Your normal barley drink. I like the fact that they weren't stingy
with their barley like how some restaurants are.

Milo (RM3.80 - Cold )
Your classic cup or rather, glass of Milo kau!

Ayam Perchik with nasi lemak (RM9.90)
Mmm... the rice is very fragrant like our
local mak cik's nasi lemak rice. The chicken is tender and meaty.
But what i love so much about this dish is their sambal!
Their sambal is delicious! There's ikan bilis (anchovies) in it.
Maybe to those who like spicy won't fancy it cuz it's not very spicy.

Sorry for the blurness... :(
Fish Head Noodle (RM9.90)
To me personally, i think i can get a better bowl of fish head noodles.
The fish given was mostly bones, there weren't much meat.
It's a so-so dish for me.

Before i forget, their menu is so, so, so totally 100% old-skool! But caution, for those who have bad school memories or is after their SPM, you may not find this appealing as i do. Their menu is printed on our classic school note book! Or should i say, buku latihan / buku nota!


It's very different compared to the ordinary printed hard cardboard menu.

Overall, i love the food, i love the ambience, and not to mention, their service is fast!

Many faces of my sister. She's gonna kill me if she sees this.
Note: That's why it's so small... LOL!

P.S.: This is based on personal liking and taste. It may vary with different people.


Cheers!

xoxo

Tips for shopping online

There's always a first to everything. Your first car. Your first handphone. Your first kiss.

And it was my first time shopping online, for clothes. Some guys may say, "Girls... always shopping non stop...". And you know what? You're right! Shopping is like how you guys can't seem to stop playing football or watching football.


Recently, a friend of mine introduce to my friends and i an online store. And once she did that, there was no turning back. Everyone of us were addicted! Even though we've seen literally every single web page, we still seem to be staring at the same clothes. All of us teamed up to get at least 20 clothes so that we can get RM20 rebate for everything we were buying. Trust me, the clothes were already very cheap or rather, reasonable.

So, after weeks of waiting for the clothes to arrive, it was down to the moment of truth, the clothes were delivered.

Did i mention there's a first to everything? I was kinda disappointed. I guess my mom was right once again. She told me not to spend on something you can't feel or touch. But i did anyway. RM79 for 3 outfits that were not really well-made and attractive.

RM 23 (after RM20 rebate)

RM 33 (after RM20 rebate)

RM 23 (after RM20 rebate)

What's a girl gonna do? Tweak it up a little bit (and also blog about it to advise all online shoppers out there)! You just need a creative mind for this. If the ribbon on the dress doesn't seem right, cut it off to make it as a belt. Or if the buttons seem out of place, put on more buttons on it to make it look like a design!

It might just work but whatever you do, do NOT throw it away or ignore it. There's always a way to fix things (and this does not only apply on clothes). Trust me, coming from a girl who get hand-me-downs from mom, aunties, and sister, not all the clothes are flattering, so, all i did was mix and match my clothes.

Ok, when i got my online-bought outfits, i knew i have to blog about it.
Here's your 101 on online shopping...

1. Know your source.
Do you know the person responsible for that site? Or at least know is it a "trustable" online shop? You can always know if it is if your friend recommended it.

2. Don't buy anything common.
Cuz you can always get it from a shopping mall! And you know what? You can even bargain the price. If you purchase it online, what you see, is what you pay.

3. Don't buy chiffon or silk material
2 of the most hardest material to work on. It's not worth the risk! (Psst: Chiffon is a see-through material. Unless you want it to be a lingerie, not a good idea.)

4. Make sure you can contact the source
Whether by e-mail or telephone, make sure you can keep in contact with the online shop owner just in case if there's a delay delivery, you'll know and not assume they cheated your money.

5. Be aware of the length
This applies to dresses. In the site, the picture of the dress may be knee length, but don't be surprise to see it longer or shorter real-life. Remember, online stores are just like any other stores that wanna make money. They will make their clothes look as flattering and pretty as it can be.

6. Keep track of your order
Know when the clothes will be delivered. If it's not delivered on time and i mean 2-3 weeks late, then i think we know what happen.

7. Keep an open mind
Don't be afraid. If we don't try, we never know. If that online store turns out to be a cheating sucker, well, at least now you know! But do keep in mind that, it may at the very least be an amazing outfit! So, it's a 50-50 chance here.

8. Don't over spend
Especially when you don't know that online store well. Give yourself a tryout. Buy 2 or 3 outfits and see whether it delivers and whether the quality is acceptable. Don't go overboard by spending RM100 above and regret later (although all the clothes look very attractive).

9. Imagine
Like what my mom said, you can't feel or touch the clothes. But the very best you can do is imagine how the outfit would look like on you! If it's an halter neck dress, imagine yourself in it.

I guess that's all i can squeeze out my brain right now. Last but not least, Happy Shopping!


Cheers!

xoxo

Krispy Kreme Doughnut - A Story of a Dough and its Cake

Besides the Twilight phenomenon or should i say, craze, there's one thing that seem to be taking over our daily diet. And if there was such a thing call "Food of the Year" award, they would probably take pride. I'm talking about a little something that started out as an American snack of dipping cake dough into hot oil - Doughnut or donut. However you spell it, it all comes down to this little round, sweet and sometimes, fattening food (I don't know how to categorize it. Is it a snack or a pastry?!).

In Malaysia, you would find so many donut shops around. It started with all-time favourite, Dunkin Donuts and now you have Big Apple, J.CO, and last but certainly not least, a new member to the craze, Krispy Kreme.

Even normal bakeries don't want to lose out. They start making fancy donuts of their own. But nothing can beat the real-deal right?

Mid Valley's branch

I've tried all the donut brands before and recently i got a chance to taste newly open Krispy Kreme's donuts. I love anything sweet and soft. I prefered J.CO in the beginning but i think Krispy Kreme is one hell of a donut to think about. Unlike J.CO, I've only tried 2 flavours from them. So, i can't really judge much but what i can say is that I'M CRAVING FOR KRISPY KREME NOW!!!

The wide variety of donuts!

The place where all the donut magic comes alive!

So happen when i snap this picture, the lady was looking at my camera.

The cashier

A lil' Christmas cheer from Krispy Kreme!

I tried Chocolate Iced Kreme Filled and Dark Chocolate (Hehe. Knowing that i'm a chocoholic!). I prefer the Dark Chocolate cuz i thought the Kreme Filled one was a little too sweet for my taste buds. And the Dark Chocolate was soft, sweet, and crunchy at the same time because of the chocolate bits on the top.

Dark Chocolate
(didn't get a nicer shot cuz it was in the paper bag and
when i took it out, all the chocolate bits starts falling)

It only cost RM2.80 each for assorted varieties and RM2.50 for the original glazed. 30 cents doesn't make much differences does it?

Definitely something to try cuz J.CO and Big Apple have such similarities. Krispy Kreme is a whole new level!

Full-screen

Krispy Kreme Doughnuts Mid Valley

Lot LG-074A,
Lower Ground Floor,
Mid Valley Megamall,
Lingkaran Syed Putra,
59200 Kuala Lumpur.


P.S.: This is based on personal liking and taste. It may vary with different people.


Cheers!

xoxo