MY TRAVEL TAG!

I have always ignored all those Taggings before. I never bothered to do because one, I don't see why I should tell people what I wear to sleep at night or who was the last person I hugged.

Two, lazy lor. Plain laziness.

However, I thought this travel tag is pretty cool! I have always liked reading about people's travel stories so yeah to Dyan for tagging me ! Hahah!

What made you start traveling?

It should be "Who" made me start travelling. Haahaha... the answer would definitely be my parents as they always tried to bring us kids out of the countries during the school hols even if it was just to a nearby country.

However, now with the husby with me, we feel we NEED to travel - get some fresh air and basically , escape from reality. We kinda work around the clock so it is really a heaven-sent to be able to wake up in an unfamiliar surrounding in another country without caring what time it is and if we need to attend the morning flag-raising ceremony , :P

Where was your first plane ride to?

It was actually just a 45-min ride to Kuala Lumpur. I think I was 10 and my parents just wanted to let us get a feel of being in an aeroplane. We were not rich so that was all that was affordable at that time. We went on SQ and I remember how my sister and I were in awe of the really pretty stewardesses at that time. The standard has obviously dropped , in my opinion. Heh.

Where have you travelled to that you would love to visit again?
Definitely Makkah / Madinah and Jerusalem. 

Makkah &  Madinah solely because these are the places where I felt the highest level of peace and tranquility that no other place can match , I am sure. Each time we went, I never felt like coming back. I remember saying to myself that I didn't mind dying there...it was that wonderful.

We went to Jerusalem in 1998 , amidst all the chaos and shootings then. As scary as it was (and probably still is), I want to go there again now that I am more aware of the political and social issues engulfing the area.

What are 3 of your must have travel items?

Phone charger (I have no idea how to survive without this!) , toiletries (I must have my everyday facial products and make up items) and camera, of course!

Window, isle or middle seat?

Window ,for sure!  In the past, I used to take turns with my sister. For example, I got the window seat to the destination and she got it on the way back to Singapore, and vice versa. Now I don't care lah.... I insist on window seat whenever I travel with the other half. He sleeps most of the time anyway so it probably doesn't matter as much to him .

What place is on your ‘places to visit next’ list?

I have been longing to go to Makkah again. It was on our list for 2014 but with the baby, it definitely has to be postponed. So yes, InsyaAllah , I hope to make it there with my two darlings end of next year... and then I wanna go to New York in 2016 and also, do a Europe tour in 2017. Pretty ambitious, if you ask me. Must save up!!!!!

Where would you travel just for the weather?

Australia!

I have only been to Sydney and Gold Coast and both times, we went during Winter (I cannot stand heat). The weather was soooooo lovely ....cool but lots of sunshine! Perfecto! (Except the time when we went up to the Blue Mountains - I think I might have turned blue due to the cold)

Do you have an interesting ‘I’m lost’ story?

Not really .... unless you count my visit to Vietnam when I was 'lost' for food. It was a very impromptu decision and we just followed a package from one of those tour groups in Chinatown. I ended up having almost NOTHING to eat over there! 

We were, obviously, not brought to any halal food places. I tried sourcing for cup noodles and biscuits in their malls and provision shops but practically everything had lard or pork in them! Stress, ok??? I ended up eating just lots and lots of bread at the hotel's breakfast buffet and whipped potato from KFC for dinner all four days. The minute we landed in Changi Airport, I demanded that the husby (then-boyfriend) bring me to Popeye's! I so needed meat, I tell you!

Where would you travel to just to eat the food?

KL ! So many halal places.... whenever we go there, we will try to cover as many restaurants as possible. 

Is there a place you would never go again?

Vietnam. Nothing much there except for the historical tunnel, Mekong River etc which I have already covered. Besides the lack of food for me, I couldn't stand the weather there too . It was just too hot and humid , much worse than Singapore! And don't get me started on the traffic and noise pollution! 


If you could take one person with you to travel who would it be?
The husband lah ..who else???

How do you pass the time on the airplane?

I love to read on the airplane...it is not often that I get to do uninterrupted reading so I definitely appreciate this chance to drown myself in a book. If I get tired, I'll watch some movies (rare though) or talk to the husband. The latter does not happen often though because he always uses this time to catch up on his sleep :) 


Are there other people whom you think would do this?
This tag? I am not sure ...hmmmm....
Let's try:

Ainul ( errahathirah.blogspot.sg )
Raodah ( http://xschmellycatsx.blogspot.sg )

Harlow!

He he....I don't usually post such things but just like this so much.. .  so share lor !



Taken at 24 weeks + 3 days 

Freelance Designer - for your cards, posters, tags etc!

Sometimes I have lots of ideas in my head.

I want to design , draw, paint..... I want to customise my gifts for people , I want my ideas to materialise....

BUT .... and it is a huge BUT.....

I cannot draw, cannot paint and worst of all, I suck at Photoshop!

Simple editing and all is fine but when I need those talents or skills to cut , crop, move or blend, everything comes to naught. Sad, isn't it? Especially when I really want to get something different from what we get from the shops.

For my brother's recent wedding, I wanted some cards to be placed at each table, together with the centrepiece provided by the wedding vendor. It was to be a simple request for guests to hashtag the photos taken and uploaded on Instagram, to allow us to view the various photos.

The wedding theme was Retro so I wanted something colourful and eye-catching. Unfortunately (though nothing new), it was Term 3 of the school year - the busiest term every time! I had no time to sit and sketch,  much less time to even attempt to lay out my ideas on print. 

Thank goodness I have a very reliable person to turn to! She is the one I go to whenever I need to  get designs / posters done. 

A person who is very easy to work with , it was even easier to let her know what I wanted and let her do the magic. She is very efficient and meticulous in her designs. What makes it even better is that I can tell her, without any apprehension, if I want something changed or adjusted without much of a fuss from her. Perfect customer service! 

Here are some of the designs we had for the centrepieces....

There were about 10 designs altogether but I did not manage to snap photos of all because as the ...eh hem... sister of the groom , I was more or less running around like an excited and /or mad woman. Haha! She also did the gift tags for the wedding favours but sorry , no photos of that!

Here are some of her other pieces of work...

You may choose to get this young lady to do the printing for you ... She will source for the best papers suitable for your designs and needs. That's exactly what I did for my brother's wedding  - got her to do the printing and lamination because I simply had no time to do all that ! That comes with an extra minimal fee , of course but hey, so worth the saving of time!

Alternatively, you can just get her to design / realise your ideas and pay for the artwork. It is then yours for keeps :) ...better still, her fees are extremely reasonable and affordable! 

Therefore, if you need any artwork for whatever purposes, small or big , do contact 

Nur Afiqah at nfeeaz@gmail.com

She will be more than glad to show her other works if necessary :)

Worry not!

I am such a worry-wart.

I worry about my markings, my lessons, what clothes to wear, how few clothes I have that are suitable for now.

I worry about not putting on enough weight so I eat and eat... then I worry about putting on too much weight.

Aiseyman.

Astaghfirullah .

Of course there is one main issue that I am most concerned about at the moment . It makes me happy 90% of the time. The rest of the 10% - I just worry.

I worry if I am careful enough , I worry if I have enough rest, I worry if everything is going well - hehe... that is a lot for 10% , yah?

Other than that , I am very thankful and grateful for how that I have been blessed with .

All I can do now is to increase my prayers to Him and hope that He blesses us and takes care of the little one :)

iPrice - For your best deals and discount codes!

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Now, when will you see me.....

EXTREMELY  HAPPY ?

SUPER  EXCITED?

and almost.....

HYPERVENTILATING?????

Give it a guess!  Come on!

Oh well... if you are my avid reader or my close friends, you know that one of the many things that will send me into a mad, frenzy state of excitement will be anything to do with shopping! Better still, online shopping! :P

I love online shopping. I don't need to move from my comfortable and cosy home...neither do I have to jostle with  the crowds just to be able to get my hands on the good offers in the stores. That's because u can get good..or even, better offers online! Not joking, ok!  

I have recently tried out this particular online site that has gotten many good reviews when I was introduced to yet another one that is really appealing to existing online shoppers or those who just started / wanna try out shopping on the Net. Fuss free and easy!

Hop on to iPrice Shop Singapore (iprice.sg)! 

iPrice Shop Singapore provides product information on many well-known brands and also carry online coupons codes for major web-stores such as Zalora, Qoo10 & many, many more.

You can find famous labels from all around the world like Nike, Victoria's Secret , Kate Spade,Converse.... whatever you can think of!

For your own convenience & savings, they also have a coupon page especially for you to get your discount codes. At iprice.sg/coupons/, you will find  the best coupons, discounts and voucher codes you can find in Singapore. There is no more need to scour around for the best deals in town!

You can see (from the above screenshot) how easy it is to 'Get The Code'. Once you have it (eg:FALLCHIC10), just copy & paste the code given onto the website of your choice and voila! You are entitled to the discount given! Easy peasy....

In addition,they have a 'search' button for you to search for any coupon for a specific brand or just use it to browse through any desired item if you are unsure of which brand to look out for.

As I browsed through iPrice.sg/shop, I got even more excited to see my favourite brands or stores available.

Here are the ones that I immediately went to check out!

MARC JACOBS BAGS AND ACCESSORIES
@http://iprice.sg/products/marc-by-marc-jacobs/

TORY BURCH BAGS AND WALLETS @ http://iprice.sg/products/tory-burch/

and of course, my all-time favourite.....

KATE SPADE BAGS AND WALLETS @ http://iprice.sg/products/kate-spade/

iPrice coupons are not limited to Singapore. Consumers will have easy access to coupons available in other countries as well - Malaysia, Philippines and India, just to name a few. 

Best of all, no membership is required at all to enjoy the perks iPrice has to offer!Thus,do check them out to improve your online shopping experience with iPrice Coupons - Asia's best source for discounts, coupons and voucher codes.

Meanwhile, excuse me while I go have my lunch and check out the deals for Qoo10!

 :) :) :) 

Happy Shopping, everyone!

Is this for real?

First and foremost, let's welcome a new member to my family!

My little brother ( ok , not so little now ) got married to his sweetheart last weekend.

It was a wonderful weekend indeed and I am so so thankful that everything went well. We had so much fun , in actual fact. Hanging out with my relatives was a pretty overwhelming yet enjoyable experience and if I could do it again , I would ! For the fun.

It was tiring actually.

The vendors we had were great and I really hope I can find the time to blog about one or two of them in greater detail . They really deserve the good reviews and recommendations! Let me get over this hurdle of prelim papers marking and then I hope to get down to it .

Everything is going so fast and exciting , for sure.

I must remind myself always to talk to God longer and more often, and be grateful for all his blessings. I am happy , excited, scared and humbled - all rolled into one. ... praying that everything goes well :)

Thank you Allah . Thank you so so so much :)

F.A.I.T.H

We always hear people saying that we must have faith . 

Faith in God. Faith in ourselves. Faith in our loved ones.

The easiest for me is faith in my loved ones. I know my family and close friends would be there for me , always. I have no doubt that my closest ones would be there to lift me up in my darkest hours. 

Faith in myself is the toughest sometimes. I have always been a very optimistic person. Really. As much as I am quite a perfectionist, I always feel that things can always be solved and one should not fret over small matters. 

Until I fail at things that are totally beyond my control. That is when self-worth becomes a question and I sit there, thinking what I could have done to avoid all those despite knowing they could really not be my fault.

Then comes the biggest thing - Faith in God. 

It makes me feel so small, humble, embarrassed, guilty- all rolled into one - when I think about those times when I questioned my faith in HIM.

When I questioned why He did not answer my continuous prayers.

When I got angry that He took away things so precious to me. 

When I wondered why others are so much more privileged and blessed in their lives.

Astaghfirullah.

Who am I to do all those questionings when I am still so far away from being the exemplary Muslimah I should be? 

I would say my growing up years were pretty blessed and smooth-sailing. The challenges only come much later in my life and boy, they are really quite a feat!

The tears, the heartaches, the frustrations..... I wouldn't know how I would have survived if I haven't been constantly reminded by husby to always turn to Him for peace and tranquility of the heart and especially, the soul. 

It is a little tough sometimes still but I think I've got the hang of it.  

I think every obstacle and unanswered prayer in my life was just to bring me closer to You. ....and for that , Alhamdulillah.

I am still working on it and I pray that whether tough or easy, I would get through it as how a Muslim should. 

Thank you Allah for all the happiness bestowed upon my family and I , and for this little blessing. 

A Little Time Off

It is very rare that we both get to have afternoon dates. I can count on one hand the number of times we end early enough to have a late lunch outside together.

Yes, contrary to what some people may think, we do not have a half a day of work. That is soooooooooo old school!

Anyway, we managed to have one during that last lap of Mid year exam marking.

We didn't really know where to go so we just drove around for a while and eventually ended at up at The Royals Cafe along Siglap Road.

We have been here once. Besides their already famous cakes, The Royals Cafe is also known for their Mee Siam . I had that for my first visit so I thought I wanted to try something else from the menu.

In the end I decided to go for some chicken meatballs. The fish and chips did not look too appetising on the menu and I did not want mee siam.

It was not bad actually. The home made sauce was tangy and a little sweet at the same time. Maybe not as great as the meatballs at Fika Cafe (ok , drooling at the thought of that!) but enough to satisfy me then.

There isn't much to rave about this place... I guess they should really just stick to what they are good at - cakes! Thank goodness for the great company.

You know, times like this (rare dates with the other half) often make me reflect on life and count my blessings.

As humans, we are never satisfied. There is always something that we wish to have or yearn for. We tend to complain about every single thing; packed restaurants, slow transportation, busy working life and the list really just goes on. We forget about those less fortunate than us and how we are so so blessed to be living here and enjoying the comfortable lives as compared to others. 

Life has not been easy for the two of us; a little more challenging the past couple of months. However, I am really thankful that Allah has blessed me with someone who does not only understand my woes, but to actually go through my hardest obstacles with me - never letting me down , never leaving me unprotected, always, always ,always there for me and showering me with so much love. 

My husband.

I pray to God to always keep him blessed and healthy . Just keep him happy here and  after we part the world.

As for now, I also hope God answers that tiny little prayer of ours :)

I love you, husband.

Montigo Resorts @ Batam

I have never really been a fan of Batam. 

The first time I went there was in 1991 and I hated it so much! I hated the ferry ride, the dusty air, the rocky roads, the throngs of people looking at us like they were going to eat us up....and the list goes on. Food wasn't anything to rave about as well. 

2 years back, we decided to go on a mini weekend getaway with my parents, grandpa, cousin and brother to Batam. Then, I have heard all the hype about their cheap massages and spas and was keen to try them out. 

Many things have changed definitely but it was just too bad... didn't know we are supposed to pre-book all these so in the end, the whole lot of us just went for pedicure which was really really very cheap! If I am not wrong, it was only SGD 6 for the whole works!

We stayed at the acclaimed world-class Holiday Inn Hotel which was just a big disappointment. Thank goodness the great company made up for everything!

During the school hols, my husby suggested Montigo Resorts- a luxurious resort in Batam - to his sisters and their families. He showed me the pics online and all the facilities it has. I was pretty much impressed and was absolutely looking forward to it. 

According to its website, montigoresorts.com, it is where one can expect to be able to leave the hustle and bustle of city life behind, and just be immersed in the peace and tranquility of the resort that is set among lush greenery. The life of luxury. The thrill of adventure. The delight of children.

SOLD!

One thing to take note if you are planning to stay there- take ferry to Batam from Tanah Merah Ferry Terminal , NOT Harbourfont. Montigo Resorts is on the other side of Batam , from the usual busy area. 

Only a 30-min ferry ride!I was tired so I easily fell asleep. This was where we alighted. Because of its exclusivity, people who alighted here were mainly heading for Montigo Resort which is barely 5 mins away from the Nongsa Terminal.

No need to deal with the usual massive crowd at the other Batam terminal. Everything was pretty fast and quick. 

That little girl is Batrisyah ...husby's youngest niece. She is just a natural in front of the camera...seriously a model in the making. 

Open concept lobby. Nothing much we could do here except to wait while husby went to check in for all of us. 

The villas

Because the whole resort is so so big, you've got take the buggy whenever you need to move from one place to another.

We were hungry so we told them to drop us off at the restaurant ....we had a quick mini self-tour before giving up to the growlings of our stomachs (or perhaps, it was just mine....).

One of the pools to chill by....

Such cute carts. These are used for the different stations for breakfast and dinner buffets. 

I love the nautical designs. We were also very surprised by the extremely low prices on the menu. Of course Batam is known for cheap food but this was ridiculously cheap as Montigo is a more upscale resort as compared to the rest of Batam. Servings were satisfactory and taste was a-ok! 

Sorry...no photos of lunch at all! I was hungry and  of all times, had an extremely bad toothache.

The resort is really suitable for people with kids as there were quite a few facilities meant just for the little ones.

Water fountain for the kiddos (and adults) to get wet in. The washrooms are below the play house  ....check out the slides on the ride. They look pretty fun!

Drinks area 

The little girl surrounded by all kinds of toys - Lego, Barbie dolls etc. The first thing I checked was the condition of the toys, in case they were a tad too dirty. But nope, they looked pretty new.

We took the buggy towards our units .. only to realise that they were extremely near to where we were . We could have easily walked lah.

The villas come in pairs. We booked two and were lucky that we were next to one another. 

 Each villa is 3-storeys high and comes with a private pool and deck, seriously perfect if you just wanna chill.

FIRST LEVEL

The spacious living room...can easily fit in one whole family here!

The kitchenette

The common toilet

iPOD  dock

A pool in the balcony! I didn't get into it at all during our stay because my stupid toothache was really driving me mad!

That's Harith , coming down from the 3rd level. I didn't go up but the top deck is meant for barbeques and private parties.

SECOND LEVEL   

There are two bedrooms on the second level , the master bedroom with a king-sized poster bed and another with two single beds. The second room is also fitted with its own bathroom and television set. 

We had the master bedroom! WHeeeeeee! It was pretty big, with an even more massive bathroom!

The bathroom was really huge. They have the separate showers and toilet on the left, the long bar on the right with your sinks and amenities for his and hers, and just space to roll about. Hahah...... I thought the big extra space was  not fully utilised. Perhaps they could have installed a much bigger bathtub or even a jacuzzi to fill it up. 

I absolutely love the dresser and the fact that everything was within reach! The tissue, hairdryer, cotton buds, bin were all within reach without having to move my butt a single inch! Another plus point is how I could arrange all my vanity items in the middle of it all, just bring the mirror down and voila! All looked clean and sleek! This is something to consider when I buy my bungalow in the near future. :P

Photos of the house stopped here. Seriously , my photos don't do the place any justice.

First , I forgot to bring the SD card for my camera (how dumb, right?) and then the toothache just disturbed me big time !

There were no plans to go out to Batam City area as it would take 45 minutes to get there , provided traffic is good. Furthermore we went there to chill and relax, not get caught up in busy traffic. 

Thus the two of us went on with our favourite activity that night - spa visit!

Somehow, the hotel staff did not come with the buggy on time so husby decided to walk. It was a pretty far walk but you know, 7+pm, velvety night sky with some twinkling stars and a bright moon, hand-in-hand with the love of my life.... the walk seemed short :) 

The Spa Villas were in clustered huts and looked so peaceful in the low lights and bamboo furnishings.

Into the world of bliss

The spa massage cost me about $75 for 1hr and 30 mins. It definitely costs much less in Batam City area but cheaper enough compared to what I would need to pay in Singapore , with this kind of ambience.

Chill and sip at their lounge after the massage 

I really wanted to just go to sleep after the massage... hahha... so we called for a buggy. I didn't want to walk all the way back.

It was a very peaceful sleep that night .....ZZZZZZzzzzzzzz.....I love spas.

Early next morning, after the Fajr prayers, we could already hear the screamings from his nephews and nieces next door. Husby decided to have a morning swim in our villa pool . I didn't go down because, I repeat, of my stooooooppiiiiddddddddd toothache. 

The kids rushing through breakfast so that they could jump into the pool again. 

If I had counted correctly , they had 3 main public pools for one to choose from , each complete with the lounging chairs, shades and all.

We only stayed  a night day because the rest wanted to venture into the city to do some shopping. I wouldn't blog about the next hotel in the city because I didn't like it at all.It was a bad choice. 

I would love to stay at Montigo resorts again , perhaps, with my family the next time round. It costs about $500 (SGD) per night and each villa can probably accommodate 6 people. They are pretty sticky about the number of guests staying in each villa so if you are thinking of bringing the whole village to share one, do think it over. You can check out montigoresorts.com for more information :)

Every guest needs to be registered at the hotel lobby upon check in and the buggy will send you to your villa thus, there isn't much space to 'cheat'. Maybe you can squeeze in the kids but for adults, ermmm....go think of something yourself!

Here's ending the post with the pretty Batrisyah....have a good Sunday,y'all!