Sembunyi Spa

Even the name sounds so serene - a hideaway!

After an entire 2 full days of pigging out in Melaka over Christmas, we came back and promptly booked ourselves for a "Give me a break" session at Sembunyi Spa on Friday (talk about indulgence!). The website says it's a 2-hour session and retails at RM260.00++ (but an extra charge of RM20++ per hour is added for use of the Renyai couple room, or RM50++ per hour for the Mayang Sari couple suite). We opted to indulge in our own individual rooms.

We were led off separately to the changing rooms. Along the way, the therapist pointed out the infinity lap pool and said it was free for spa guests. In the female changing room, I was assigned a locker - which had a towel, a dress robe, a sleeveless top, 2 disposable undies, 2 hangers, an emery board (yah, so odd), cotton buds, shower cap, a sanitary bag and a pair of slippers. I was told to put on the sleeveless top and undie, then go soak myself in the jacuzzi.

The jacuzzi is in another closed room off the lockers area, also within the "female changing room". It was pretty big - probably can fit about 6 or 7 people comfortably without the need to touch. And it was spouting pretty strong jets of water - nice. There was also a big picture window looking out to the lake which had a spouting fountain. Serene, if not for the fact that I was alone in that big room with ominous sounds of jetting water and scenes of horror movies running at the edge of my paranoid mind.

But, I put those thoughts away as fast as I could, and began my indulgence.

I was told to soak in the jacuzzi for 10 minutes, dip myself in the "cold dip" pool next to it for 30 seconds, then hop into the steam room for 10 minutes (the sauna wasn't working) and the cold dip again for 30 secs. I decided to just beat my fat away in the jetting water for 15 minutes (there's a cheap RM5 Ikea clock in one corner). Then as I put my big toe into the cold dip, I quickly realized that was a no go. Brrr. Quickly dried myself and changed into the robe, then roamed the changing room.

At one corner, there were 2 shower stalls and 2 toilets. Outside, there were 2 sinks, which had a Listerine bottle and little cups next to it (super thoughtful I tell ya). Also a basket of paper towels and sanitary bags. As well as a water dispenser with disposable cups. At another corner, there was a row of chairs facing a mirror. Along the counter was a basket of hair brushes and a hairdryer. They've thought of everything!

Soon, a girl came along and said my treatment room was ready. Cool. I traipsed off following her along the timber corridor. The treatment room was cosy, with a bed in the middle (and hand railings on the ceiling), and a granite bath tub at the side. The girl gave me a cup of cold ginger tea (yummy), then I was told to strip and began my 60-min Balinese Massage aka Serenity (RM160++). I used the rose oil (it was not too fragrant or overpowering, in fact I barely smelt it). KF used the lavender oil.

The masseur was pretty good. And I know this because it did not feel too painful when she was massaging me. But the next morning I woke up and felt slightly sore. Great massage. She even massaged my scalp.

Then it was time for the Scrub (40 minutes for RM122++). And because I wanted to come out smelling all nice and rosy, I chose the Mawar Passion - rose salt scrub (mixture of finely ground deep sea salt, rosa centifolia water blended with rose geranium essential oil which detoxifies and cleanses). This was pretty good. She scrubbed me well :P (Although I think the scrub that I experienced in Rustic Nirvana was a bit better in terms of silky smooth skin after-effects). She'll first scrub a particular part, then will rub hot water onto it to cleanse it. Pretty nice feeling.

Finally, it was time for the Bath (20 minutes for RM60++). I chose In The Garden, in line with my rosy-theme, "indulge in a rich milk and fresh blossom bath scented with melur dream bath gel for moisturising" which I felt was a bit expensive. However, it was nice to just soak in the tub, enjoy my ginger tea (yes another cup, but this time hot) and yummy honey dew pudding (this was really quite good). Only thing was that after my soak, I didn't know how to drain the tub. So I just did some gymnastics and rinsed myself off with the shower, then traipsed back to the changing room to finish up. [Sembunyi Spa supplies all the toiletries for Cyberview Lodge's rooms in ceramic bottles - so nope, I wasn't able to sneak any of those sweet-smelling shampoos away.]

I was almost inclined to leave a tip for my masseur on my way out. She was that good. Most of the therapists in Sembunyi Spa look Malay or are probably Indonesians / Balinese, which is good, and not dodgy at all. Their appointment book also looks pretty full.

My verdict : It's a great great spa. Probably would be great for a hen's night or girl's day out too, because it allows for communal events in the changing room (separate for the different sexes), and private massages in private rooms. Expensive, yes. But which good spa isn't? And the fact that it's sited out of town in Cyberjaya makes it even more of a getaway. I can't wait to go back ;)

Watching now

Criminal Minds (Season 4) - My favourite crime tv show at the moment. Nothing beats this. I don't know why I've never seen the 1st, 2nd or 3rd seasons (although I think one of those seasons is showing now on tv on Monday nights). One of the episodes this season had Luke Perry posing as a polygamist sect leader - the forehead wrinkles as obvious as it was 15 years ago in 90210 (the old one, not the new teenybopper one). CM never fails to bring home the fact that there are many ways and more to kill a man.

Gossip Girl (Season 2) - I've probably emphasized this so many times you'd think I'm some insane schoolgirl. I love this show! For some unknown reason, this show satisfies all my emotional tv needs. Undoubtedly, unreasonably, the best show since The O.C.

Desperate Housewives (Season 5) - Can't believe it's been 5 whole seasons of Wisteria Lane! And I can't believe those adorable twin little boys of Lynette's have grown into such not-so-cute adolescents. I watch this just because I've been watching it from the beginning. It's not boring, but not fantastically exciting either.

CSI : NY (Season 5) - Never watched a single episode of CSI on tv before. But KF introduced me to this. It seems to be one of the better ones in the CSI franchise. I realized that there are jobs out there more tedious than mine i.e. the job of the guy piecing together a broken skull from shards of white. And oh, NY seems to have really terra database systems, it can come up with a photofit from a skull!

Fringe (Season 1) - Rather X-files-ish, genetic engineering-based. There are long conversations when my brain begins to dull (because science has never been my forte), and parts where I feel it's an X-files-wannabe. But then, I saw the latest X-files movie, and I realize Fringe is better than that.

Yule

No it's not snowing, that was taken in Salzburg in March. Fits the season though. Not nice to be stuck in office on Christmas eve. But glad that after today, there'll only be 1 1/2 working days before the end of the 2008 work year! To everyone everywhere wherever you are, I hope you're having a great Christmas, with family and friends gathered round, and lots of presents enough to pave your way to a great 2009 :)

The day the earth stood still

This 2008 remake stars Jennifer Connelly (from Beautiful Mind) and Keanu Reeves - the major pulling factor for the show. Thank goodness it only cost us RM6 each. Succinctly, it was boring and lacked a climax. Connelly put in as good a performance as she could, Oscar-winning actress that she is, and Keanu was pretty good as the alien because of his natural lack of facial expressions. Will Smith's son appeared to have a rather pointless role and I thought he'd do better to just stay in the background. I quite liked the idea that the entire world was being annihilated and eaten up by metal locusts - pretty cool. Other than that, I'd rather spend my money watching something else - been a long time since I caught a rom-com on the big screen. (Yes, hint hint!)

Tick tock dong dong chiang

I know, everyone's counting down to Christmas and New Year. Me, I'm counting down to Chinese New Year. And I do that by ticking off the long list of things I have to get done before CNY.

• Spring-cleaning! Wash curtains (oh gosh, never done this before), clean the grilles and windows (I really hate this), wipe off the fans and the tops of cupboards, clear off boxes of stuff we've never opened in a year (so that means they're irrelevant), repack the wardrobe (ah this is good, so that I get to fit in more new clothes), clear my skincare drawer (I'm determined to revamp my regime and make it cheaper), clear the study room in preparation for my one and only new year resolution - basically wash, wash and wash.
• Put up new deco for CNY - I skipped putting up any Christmas deco because it seems like too much trouble to put them up for a few short days only to replace them with bright red ornaments (aiya, I'm lazy yah).
• Shop for new clothes! Got a few more days to do that before the year end sales ends right?
• Make all the necessary appointments for the mandatory pre-CNY haircut (should I cut or just highlight?), facial (my skin is disastrous post-Cellnique-withdrawal, and to think it was once my favourite product), mani-pedi (maybe they can do something about my looking-rather-cracked heels - someone should come up with cleaning products that are harsh on dirt but soft on skin).
• Go on a diet so I can stuff myself silly on CNY (urm, but not very likely hor, since there's a mini eating fest in Melaka coming up - nevermind, maybe after that).
• Stock up on CNY goods - especially the hampers of goodies to the parents.
• Pray and hope and wish for a big fat bonus so that I can plan and distribute and spend my wealth.

I'm sure there's lots more stuff to be done. But, having only ONE MONTH left to do it, I'd better concentrate on the essentials, mustn't I?

Oh, by the way, I'm not totally out of the Christmas mood. Been playing those jingles non-stop for days (they make the pre-in-laws-visit cleaning chores seem a lot easier). Watched Shrek The Halls (what a 30-minute laugh). Will continue watching a load of other Christmas movies to get in the Christmassy mood. I love Christmas :)

Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow ....

Heart of the nation

When I read that IJN was to be privatised, I felt it was the last straw - our country's really going to the dogs.

Our National Heart Institute is the brainchild of our favourite Tun. It is also in this hospital that an elite group of heart specialists in our country are based. But best of all, it is a hospital that allows for heart operations to be done at a minimal price, for those who can ill-afford the costs.

It was not until a family member got admitted and had a minor operation in IJN, that I realized what an exemplary government institution it is.

For civil servants and their family members, I understand that the cost for anything in IJN is free - be it an RM50,000 operation, or monthly medications. For the rest of us, we pay what we can honestly afford and the rest of the cost is foot by the government's special fund. This way, people don't die just because they can't afford surgery. And that's what makes it an exceptionally fantastic government institution! Taxpayers like us then get to see with our own eyes that our tax money is really going somewhere that benefits the people, instead of stuffing up pockets of already fat Datuks.

So, if Sime Darby (this conglomerate that doesn't know the definition of "core business") were to take over (remember that this is the company that owns the expensive SJMC), do you think the government will even be able to have a say in the operating procedures once Sime Darby fiddles with paperwork and comes up with a whole balance sheet that shows IJN's expenditure?

Sime Darby's a corporate institution, not an NGO. I fail to see why it would acquire IJN just to comply with government's supposed rulings for reasonable affordable healthcare. And why in the first place should Sime Darby acquire IJN, if not because to take advantage of the fact that it has a steady stream of patients and is one of the most highly-regarded health institutions in Malaysia, or even South East Asia? Honestly, even a kid would be able to tell you that the bottomline of any corporate institution is "PROFIT".

And today, The Star reported that the doctors have claimed they have nothing to do with the privatisation issue and no party should say that the doctors are clamouring for higher pay which is why the government is considering the privatisation issue. 33 of the 35 consultants in IJN signed a press statement stating : “We would like to reiterate our commitment to serve IJN in its current form and want to stress that the move must not be seen as a response to our demands for better pay." Way to go doctors!

I wish and hope that someone important and influential in the government has the heart to say no to Sime Darby.

The ritual

Yah, if I had this super mega retirement fund already generating multiple returns.

My life in 2008 :

• Jan : Got used to waking up next to someone. Or, more like got used to sharing the quilt.


• Feb : First time I spent CNY as someone else's daughter (in law).


• Mar : Vienna, Salzburg, Bratislava, Prague, Budapest with the hubby on his company's incentive trip. First time I saw snow, and it was beautiful. And fell in love with Czech dark beer.


• Apr : Krabi getaway with friends.


• May : A salary increment! And my new Suzie Swift :)


• Jun : Beauty & The Beast the musical.


• Jul : Prep for my bridesmaid JC's hen's night and wedding.


• Aug : The ex-roomie gave birth to a beautiful baby girl!


• Sep : Cyberview Lodge weekend getaway.


• Oct : Bangkok - family trip with the in-laws.


• Nov : 1st wedding anniversary. Mini trip to Tg Sepat. I nuffnang-ed my blog.


• Dec : Maybe a trip to Melaka. Ending the year with a Leo Ku concert, and beginning 2009 with a group of great friends.

My plan this year is simple : to obtain my professional qualification as a registered valuer and chartered surveyor. No more being queen of the big P.

Which is the reason why I have no holidays planned for 2009 (besides the Hanoi trip in August, which is my 1st anniversary gift to KF). I am a bit sad that I have nothing to look forward to in 2009. But, I know if I persevere and get my goal outta the way by say, mid-2009, I'll be able to then zoom anywhere I want, won't I?

Eternal bloom

April 2005 : His first incentive trip overseas and this is what he bought back for me.

May 2005 : My first try at gardening, not knowing it'd turn out to be so beautiful.

Dec 2008 : It's still beautiful - gives me a few flowers every other month. They die rather quickly in a few days, reminding me of why he deems it unnecessary to buy me flowers. But I'm glad that today, I'm reminded he does give me flowers :)

Gossip Girl : O Brother, Where Bart Thou?

There's nothing like spending a Saturday morning watching the latest episode of Gossip Girl while the hubby is still knocked out in bed.

This has GOT to be the best episode of the season ever! It rivals the best episodes of The O.C. in emotional drama. A death, blackmail, betrayal, confession, sacrifice, secrets, love. The writer outdid herself this time. (Go on only if you can't wait to find out what happens, but if you're not a follower, do read on to just jumble up your brain for fun.)

Death - Bart Bass (who apparently has more towers than Trump) dies in an accident on the way to looking for his wife Lily to tell her he knows her secret.

Blackmail - Lily's mum and Chuck (Bart's son) try to be the highest bidder to find out (or keep in the former's case) Lily's secret, which is the last thing that Bart found out from his private investigator before the accident happened.

Betrayal - Lily's mum said she settled the issue with the P.I., Lily believes she has shut the guy's mouth with money, but in fact, Lily's mum did no such thing and Chuck wins the envelope of secrets. But does Lily's mum end it there? Nooo, she had to divulge the secret to the one person Lily did not want to tell.

Confession - Blair and Chuck. Chuck and Blair. Never one. Never together. Always tango-ing that dysfunctional dance of theirs. She finally confesses her love for him. He pushes her away in his drunken stupor. But finally returns to her in a heart-rending hug. And then leaves her again with 3 lines on a note that says she deserves better.

Sacrifice - Lily admits to Serena that she loves Rufus, and the reason why she married Bart was because Serena said she couldn't live without Dan. Serena, torn between Dan and Aaron, decides on following Aaron to Buenos Aires for Christmas, and forgo Dan, just to allow her mum this time to be with Rufus.

Secrets - Lily's big secret in the envelope was Rufus' child. Is it Serena or is it Eric, or is it someone else?

Love - Eleanor marries Cyrus, that short little man (not enough!) with Blair's blessing, in a beautiful private ceremony. Rufus leaves Lily - they were never meant to be. (But I'm betting on this couple making it in the end.)

The most outstanding actor in this episode was Chuck. My god, his drunken walk, his bloodshot eyes, his heartbroken sneer/drawl (only Chuck does this the Chuck way). He should win an award for his performance, seriously.

And this is the last episode for the year. The new one's supposedly in early January. I can't wait. I hope Hollywood continues churning out similar O.C.-like TV series - nothing like teen soap opera to kick off a weekend.

Sweet or sour?

"When fate hands you a lemon, make lemonade."

Dale Carnegie

It's amazing how AIESEC has changed my life. Or more like, how much AIESEC features in my life-changing moments. So cliche, I know! But it's true.

If I had not made the decision to attend APXLDS 2000 in Manila, I wouldn't have met KF - of which at that time, I never thought we'd be good friends, let alone become life partners.

If my hostel-mate hadn't told me about AIESEC, exchange being the key word here, I wouldn't have met so many people from other universities (some of which are now my closest group of friends), and my life in uni wouldn't have been as wonderfully-filled. And to think that I cried after finding out I'd been accepted (or more like banished) to UTM in the ulu place called Skudai - having tasted how wonderfully superficially Hollywood-like Taylors' College can be and at that time looking forward to 3-whole years overseas in Auckland Uni.

With the benefit of hindsight, I can safely say that I'm glad life threw me lemons ... and although I had not intended to make any lemonade, I somehow did - and a sweet great-tasting one at that! :)

And so, I never thought AIESEC would still feature in my life after uni. But last week, a group of us dropped by to the national conference in UPM and contributed to their alumni day agenda. I enjoyed the sessions, talking to the young people (I still can't believe they're 10 years younger, where did the time go?) and feeling young once again, cringing at the jingles but laughing at the same time because I remember those days, and most of all, I met an inspiring woman.

She's a trainee here from Estonia (yes, that is one country I must go to one day because a country that has so many wonderful women must be a really beautiful country).

And she's here with her 5-year old boy.

Who is a really super adorable kid - I am in love :P

A single mum who travelled halfway around the world with her kid in tow, knowing not what lies ahead, but determined to make the best of everything. (She was president of AIESEC Estonia last year - and yes her little boy tagged along for those endless conferences.) It's been a long while since I've met such an optimist, but when you meet her, you'll know that whatever lemons has been thrown at her has not made her sour one bit. The fact that she's younger than I am, and being so much more mature, really puts me to shame. I don't think I'd ever be able to do what she is doing. But I'm glad I met her.

Her clear thoughts are portrayed in her words and actions. I am inspired. Not to have kids, no. But inspired to know that there are people in the world who pull through wonderfully, with lemonade in hand.

Marjam (pronounced like Mariam) is aspiring to learn as much as she can about internet marketing while pursuing her traineeship and seeing the world with Maru.

Lemonade or limau ais - inspiration comes in many forms and I'm glad to be jolted towards optimists every once in a while.

How was your weekend?

Mine was great - inspired and inspired. Tell you more about it later. Right now, I've got work up to my eyeballs. Thank goodness it's only for 2 days before the Sultan's birthday (long live the Sultan!).

Meanwhile, for those who are actually wasting away at home clearing annual leaves, pop by to Alicewonders, currently my favourite haven for bags - of all kinds! I'll speak more about this soon.

Legend Water Chalets

Malaysia seriously lacks good resorts. The best one I ever went to was Avillion in PD. But now, I think Legend Water Chalets trumps it. Why?

• Their lobby is proper with high ceilings and nice flooring. I was impressed.
• The pathways to the sea-facing chalets were proper stable concrete walkways, finished with textured concrete. Very nice.
• They have all kinds of facilities, including 2 little jacuzzi pools, private karaoke rooms (like the Redbox kind), a pretty large pool (although I think Avillion is better in the pool aspect because I absolutely loved Avillion's 24-hour adults-only pool!), a proper well-kept gym, and pretty nice landscaping.

It was really easy to drive there too - only 1 hour 15 minutes (slowpoke driving) from PJ city centre! It's located right next to Glory Beach Resort, and is nearer to Lukut town (which is now really thriving due to Legend) than it is to PD town. It's a pretty well-managed resort.

And the rooms. I only got a chance to look at the premium water chalet, facing the Malacca straits, apparently one of their best rooms. It's made for romantic escapades. Or more like, for couples. The door opens to the open concept bathroom, which pretty much has no doors. The standing shower area has a roof that opens up to the sky (a real rain shower) and a window that looks into the bedroom (or otherwise). It has a jacuzzi tub in the room (a big one). And it has a balcony where you can sit and watch sampans go by, or big ships in the horizon - or more particularly, you can watch the sun set! The rooms also have a sturdy glass panel on the floor that looks down to the sea at the bottom of the chalet - not much to see, as it's mostly just swirling murky water (the Straits has never been known for its azure waters).

Of course, if compared to Avillion, Avillion is more the rustic kind of chalet - timber everywhere. Avillion has a great big bathroom too, but I like Legend's more. However, Avillion has a romantic 4-poster bed, which I guess wouldn't fit in with the contemporary Balinese-Thai deco in Legend.

These Legend premium water chalets don't come cheap. A night there can set you back anywhere between RM460 to RM667 (depending on the period). Of course, there are cheaper alternatives. Their website has more comprehensive info.

What's amazing though, is that there's more to come! They are currently working on Phase 2, of which (okay, wait for this) ...

every single chalet will have its own private plunge pool!

Now there's a first for Malaysia, eh? I'm so looking forward to the completion of the 2nd phase. And for those who have lotsa cash to splash, they still have some units of this 2nd phase left for sale (it's already more than 90% sold and due to complete end of 2009).

PD is now starting to look like a really attractive holiday destination ;)

The war of the pharmacies

If you, like me, are one of those who went to both Watson's and Guardian just to grab a copy of their latest Christmas sale brochure, then good ... because you, like me, must be one of the many :)

The big question : Do you buy all you need from Guardian in order to collect those Paddington stickers? Or do you buy from Watson's because they offer 5x more reward points if you pay with a HSBC credit card (which means if you spend RM200 you get to redeem for an RM50 dining voucher in Italiannies!)?

I haven't got an answer to that yet.

And oh, last night we went to Wendy's in Giant Kota D. Yes, the newly-opened Giant of which there was a MAJOR crawl into its car park - which supposedly has 1,000 free parking bays but looked incredibly full. The new Giant has Kenny Rogers, BBQ Chicken (yay!), Wendy's (I mentioned it already), NachosNachos (a quick scan of their menu showed they serve, surprise, nachos), KFC, Killiney's kopitiam, a post office, J Co donuts (I still prefer Big Apple), and a few others. We didn't even step into Giant, as in the store.

But oh yah, as I was saying, Wendy's. First time yesterday since they opened in Klang Valley. I wanted to try their Spicy Chicken burger but they were sold out (I really cannot imagine McD's selling out of anything). So oh well, against my better judgement, I settled for a shrimp burger. Not fantastic. But KF's quarter-pounder looked okay, they really don't cut corners, the beef is a square piece that doesn't match the round burger bun. Wendy's wraps her (their) buns in some foil-like paper which probably adds to the price, and I don't see why they do that because it's not like their burgers are piping hot. And they make us wait quite long at the counter for our burgers, purportedly because they make it fresh. Their fries are so-so, fatter than McD's, but definitely doesn't beat it. However, the deco of the place was quite nice - they had heavy wooden chairs over carpets (though I can't imagine what happens when you spill Coke on it). I don't think I would go to Wendy's again by choice.

So okay, I've wasted enough time this morning. Got mundane chores to get on with :P But, I should be back ;)

Skincare!

I've been wanting to review my skincare products for the longest time but never got down to it. But well, I can begin now.

I've been a Dermalogica fan ever since I started earning my own money, about 6 years ago. Yes, like, jump off the deep end eh. Their products are not cheap. But well, the facials did wonders for me, and I was ready to start a skincare regime.

Let's start with the AgeSmart dynamic skin recovery spf30. What a mouthful. It's a moisturiser+sunblock (I like these kind of products, saves so much time and hassle in the morning). Smells really wonderful too, because it has white tea (Dermalogica products has no added fragrance). I usually use it with 3 drops of the skin hydrating booster (which is my all-time favourite product). Apparently, one drop of this holds 1000 times its weight in water!

However, a few weeks after starting on AgeSmart, I started having problems on my nose - dry peeling skin. Uh oh. But, at about the same time, I had finished my supply of Cellnique's skin action sebum gel (a miracle at keeping my nose blackheads-and-whiteheads-free). So could it be due to withdrawal symptoms from the gel?

My therapist informed me to use a moisturiser (Dermalogica's skin smoothing cream) before putting on the AgeSmart one. I tried. Hasn't worked. The problem's still there.

Then I decided to embark on the Miracle Water - SKII's famed Facial Treatment Essence. It's been about 2 months of nightly usage. My cheeks seem softer, but no change to my nose. (Truth be told, I don't really expect it to be "miracle water", I don't really know what it does except for anti-aging. So, you can ask me again about it in say 10 years and I'll tell you how it works in that department.)

Anyway, what did bring change to my ailing nose was the SKII facial I went for. That was almost miraculous. I think the mask did it. No more dry peeling skin, yippee. The nose still has slight bumps and whiteheads which are not usually there, but I haven't renewed my Cellnique supply, so I guess that's logical. In fact, I don't intend to renew my Cellnique supply, although that product used to be indispensable to me. I'm skeptical. How can a product that works so well not be copied by another company? Is there some dangerous ingredient in it I don't know anything about? Or are other skincare companies just not aware that all those dots on the nose are a major problem for most Asians?


Well, I'm still on the lookout to update my regime. I've used practically everything I can from the Dermalogica range. And there's an old wives' tale that says that after a while, your skin becomes "immuned" to your skincare, and it shows that it's time to change brands. I stepped into a Clinique counter the other day and got a free consultation (plus a free small bottle of the new Clinique's Superdefense SPF25/PA+++ Age Defense Moisturiser, which I just started using this morning and I absolutely love its texture!). I got tempted by its rather reasonable prices, and I like its clean-cut packaging. And, doesn't "Dramatically Different Moisturising Lotion" just sound so inviting?

A very good friend told me, best to invest in your skin now, cos when a wrinkle comes, there's no undoing it. I guess that's why the skincare industry thrives so well - gullible, susceptible women like me don't mind paying to make sure that wrinkle doesn't appear! :P

Nuffnang

Today I decided to jump on the bandwagon. I am usually the skeptical kind, and particularly hate that there are loads of data trackers and website loggers and whatever-else those things-that-trawl-the-web-and-research-our-surfing-habits are called. But, somehow or other, I think website advertising has reached a new height in today's digital age (aiyo, that sentence must have been picked out from a model-essay book!).

To be honest, these days, I rely entirely on the internet for bargains. I find out about latest products (my Roo-totes for example) from blog-surfing, I get my usual skin care supply at a huge discount from a supplier on Ebay, I surf for reviews on anything and everything through Google (I basically Google everything I can), I drool over wonderful bags at my friend's site (Alicewonders.com) and I log on to offerstation.com every once in a while to see where I can get cheap discounts for my next food outing / shopping spree. The web is the place to be I tell ya.

And so, there it is, Nuffnang ads. I get to see ads on my own blog and check out where bargains are right at home! :D

This work week has been hell. And I was so looking fwd to today being Friday. But this morning pulak, I think I ran a red light and got caught on camera. Aishoh. Just too lucky.

I went to Legend Water Chalets in the middle of the work week for work. Was nice. I blog about it later yah. Now must go face the pile of work :P

Izzi

Last night I went to Izzi DU. My 3rd time there in the last 6 months, but always with different people. This recent one was with my oldest girlfriend (oldest, not eldest k). We ate so much we literally couldn't walk after that (we roamed the supermart and the 100yen store on the same row just to walk it off before climbing into the car).

We had a big bowl of tomyam soup (with seafood and chicken in it, their tomyam is pretty good), a regular-sized marinara pizza (that's 4 pieces per girl! but it's thin crust la), a plate of linguine with prawns (my most favourite dish there, it's fantabulous!), an Asian salad (the dressing is not bad) and a plate of fried calamari (this one was all rubbery, not good). All washed down with a bottomless glass of peach tea each.

And, it cost us only RM25 each! The food was on 75% discount, so in fact, for that much food, it only cost us about RM15 each, because the drink was RM8.90++ (drinks not applicable for discount, so if you're a cheapskate you can just order bottled water, their cheapest drink). Amazing leh.

They don't take reservations on weekends (but call 03-77290855 on weekdays). The place usually starts to have a line by 7pm. Go before that if you don't want to have to queue for your food. I love Izzi - when they have discounts.

SKII Hydrating Facial

A friend gave me one of her Jusco birthday vouchers, which was for an SKII Hydrating Facial (yes, only recently I found out that SKII has facial booths!) at only RM58 (retail price RM108).

My initial thought when I heard of SKII facials was : "Wah, quite cheap hor, the Dermalogica facials cost more than RM200!" And, whether it's due to excellent marketing or due to really good products, it seems SKII is a superior brand (the price of the products are well-known to be out-of-reach). It doesn't justify a facial at such a budget price.

So when I got that facial voucher, I jumped at the chance :
- To test out the range of SKII products
- To see whether the products can really produce miracles
- And because I could not believe the bargain I was getting (I needed to find out why it's retailing at RM108 and what the facial lacked from other facials)

Actually, an appointment was super difficult to secure. Apparently, they were fully booked for the entire month, even on weekdays. And the waiting list was "very long". But, I got lucky.

So I dutifully turned up at the appointed time at the Jusco BU SKII counter. Got escorted into their "store room". [Ah, factor number 1]. They had nice mirrored cabinets in the typical SKII maroon colours, so it wasn't exactly a dirty cramped spot. But it was obvious that facials is not what SKII emphasizes.

First, the lady put some Facial Treatment Cleansing Oil for me. I had to prompt her to tell me what she was putting on my face. [Factor number 2]. Then she went on to put a "refiner" (Skin Refining Treatment, I think), supposedly to ease the removal of blackheads later, and left me under steam.

The steamer timer pinged, and she started extraction. Ooh, was it painful. [Factor number 3]. I don't know whether it was because she used an ultra-sharp needle (brand new one maybe) or she didn't yet acquire the skills to extract gently or if it was due to some particular timing in my cycle, but my Dermalogica facials are definitely not this painful. Thankfully, the extraction did not take long - for this price, I didn't expect too much thoroughness.

Then she got started on my favourite part of facials - the facial massage. By this time I had already given up that she'd walk me through the products. She proceeded to rub some facial product and massage me (possibly Facial Treatment Massage Cream]. I think I drifted off. And woke up when she was settling the cold Facial Treatment Mask on me. And then I drifted off again :P

A little later, she pulled the mask off, left it on my neck, and then put moisturizer on me. She took off the mask from my neck, and said ok, we're done. I thanked her and changed. Went out to the counter, she wrote me a payment voucher, I paid at the cashier, returned the voucher to her, and that's the end of my SKII experience. [Factor number 4]. The whole process took 1 hour 15 mins.

My face was not red nor blotchy and her extraction worked, face looked clean. Soft and actually glowing from that superb mask. But the mask has a con - the papery remnants of the mask that stick to the fringes of your face and neck, even after you've finished the facial. But that's a small thing la.

Some areas of improvement:

• She did not bother to inspect my face prior to the facial to see what products would suit my face. I guess SKII only has one range of products - they don't categorize according to oily, combination, dry, etc. skin.
• The facial therapist is basically the sales girl at the counter. I'm a little doubtful on her practical knowledge of facials (hence the apprehension during the painful extraction). However, I must add that from her hand movements, she seemed experienced (her light massage put me to sleep!)
• I did not relish doing a facial amidst boxes - even if those boxes are filled with Miracle Water. The lighting in the store room was also not excellent, which is probably why I was allowed to leave the room with remnants of mask on my chin :P
• Special attention should be given to first-time customers of SKII. I specifically told her I am new to SKII and why I was trying the facial. But still it did not prompt her to be more talkative and to tell me about each product. Like hello, sell the brand can or not?
• There must be less painful methods of extraction. I know that for a fact. The SKII therapists should be trained in those methods.
• It was a very basic facial - don't think there was exfoliation. Besides extraction and the massage, you can basically do everything else at home - so I guess that explains the price. Judging from the trolley of products next to the facial bed, it looks like SKII doesn't do complicated facials.

To sum it up, the facial was actually quite good, most especially for RM58. I came out glowing and I could see my skin was really hydrated and supple. And their moisturizer is excellent, not sticky! Maybe when I'm financial independent, I can get a bottle for myself. So I'd say to everyone, go and get your SKII facials as it's really worth what you pay!

Weekends should be like this

I had a great weekend :) Pictures to follow (once KF has finished processing them).

Saturday

We got up early, and went for a McD's breakfast - yummy. Then KF went off for a golf lesson. I tottered around the house doing some chores and watching the latest episodes of Gossip Girl and Desperate Housewives and the latest TVB drama "When Easterly Showers Fall On The Sunny West" (what a mouthful, right?). It rained very heavily the entire morning.

At 3pm, we left PJ with a few friends and our mini daytrip started. It was still drizzling.

We took the KLIA route and turned off near the F1 circuit, past Sepang and Sg Pelek towns. Along the way we stopped by an organic dragonfruit farm. Bought dragonfruits, drank enzymes and milkshakes. It was educational, as both the husband and wife were lecturing on the benefits of this fruit and how it was grown.

This trip was starting to be fun - waiting for a herd of cows to cross the road, slowing down to let a confused HUGE monitor lizard decide its path, groups of monkeys feeding by the roadside.

Next stop - Sepang Goldcoast. I've been there before for work, so I found the place easily (we made this trip without a GPS, believe it). It's changed slightly since I was last there early this year. A few expensive-looking restaurants have sprouted up. A massage parlour run by Thai Odyssey as well. The beach looked the same - little crabs making spirals in the dark brown sand.

Then we headed for Tanjong Sepat's Lover's Bridge. Took a walk on the part-concrete, part-wooden bridge. People were fishing off the bridge, and some caught crabs. Then we settled down to Ocen Seafood Restaurant for our seafood dinner. A group of them went off to tapau the famous Hainan pau from Hai Yew Hin (and the pau is indeed yummy - sang yuk and mui choy pau never tasted so good).

At 7.30pm, we decided to use the other route home, through Morib and Banting. We passed by numerous "homestays" (and there were indeed many) and wondered whether these homes were actually in operation or being used as horror movie shooting sites. This route feels longer, with more lorries and trucks once reaching Banting. The KLIA route provides easier driving.

Finally got home at 9pm and went out for mamak at the usual Kayu.

Sunday

Woke up early again, because we wanted to pop by my parents' place and drop off the pau we had bought. Then brought my parents out to MidValley for shopping and lunch at Purple Cane Tea restaurant in The Gardens. Always loved Purple Cane Tea food, simple and "ching" (clear).

For dinner, we wanted to go to Jarrod & Rawlins, but found out their OneCard machine had spoilt. So we went to Paddington House of Pancakes. So yummy. I love this place.

Monday

After work, we went to 1U again. Couldn't decide what to eat and finally settled for BBQ Chicken, because KF had never been there. The fried chicken is nice - it's like KFC's spicy fried chicken, but it's not spicy. I had the Jerk BBQ again (because I really liked it the first time), mushroom soup (bit diluted), and salad (not very nice, the Dave's one was way better). Then we indulged in a 3-scoop sundae from Baskin Robbins. Nice.

So much indulging. I like :)

Roo-totes!

In the midst of all the havoc in my office trying to cope with Friday deadlines, I received a parcel from heaven - my Roototes from Tiny Tapir!

They have this secret zipper (similar to the baby kangaroo pouch, hence the name) to stash your car keys and small items so you don't always have to dig through your entire bag to find what you need. It's apparently all the rage in Japan, Taiwan, Korea, that part of the world. Best of all, it fits casual me who can't be bothered to keep up with the latest Coach or Tod's or Anya Hindmarch or whatever's in trend now. Okay, maybe it's a little too casual, but I never go into LV boutiques or Mercedes showrooms anyway.

So, yay, I get to enjoy them this weekend at our Tanjong Sepat mini trip. Want one? Nah, here, it's good to share :)

Saturday

I was out of the house for a full 14 hours. Went to SMART expo in KLCC with a friend, listened to a few seminars, hung out, had lunch, had coffee, window-shopped, nice. Then zoomed to my parents' house to help them with a dinner party they were having. And zoomed off for a 9pm Bond movie with friends. So exhausted when I got home at almost midnight. Skipped the after-movie mamak so I could tumble into bed.

Sunday

Woke up after 9 hours of sleep! Many many weeks since I've had so much sleep. Woke up so happy. (And yah, now I know what KF means by uninterrupted sleep and having the quilt all to myself - haven't slept so soundly for ages). Watched the latest episode of Gossip Girl and did some laundry (felt guilty cos didn't do any chores at all on Saturday). Went out to get the car washed and vacuumed - immediately after which it started raining. Had lunch at the nearby fish-head noodle shop (very yummy place, and they've upgraded their menu). Got home, just about to settle down to a movie on the computer, KF arrived home. Yay!

We went roaming in 1U. Had a super duper delicious dinner at Dave's - roast pork belly salad and a full slab of pork ribs. I am so glad that I've finally found a place that serves decent ribs! And the salad was equally good. The bill :

Salad = RM19
Full slab ribs = RM70 (if 1/2 slab it is RM45)
Ice lemon tea = RM5
Iced water = RM1
Total including taxes = RM109.25 for 2 pax

They serve pasta, wine, beer, pizza as well. I like the ambience - bar-like. They have a pasta promotion at 50% discount for weekday lunches (normal pasta prices are in the range of RM20 somethings).

The place is not cheap, but a good place to chill, hang out, eat good food, a place other than the local hawker stall or fast-food. I'd go there for special occasions.

So all in, I had a pretty good weekend. For once, a weekend without doing any housework. So fun :)

Our world has grown

Barack Obama has inspired the whole world, like no one I've ever known in my lifetime. And although I can be skeptical about every president-elect's promises, but I wish and hope that for once, a true leader has stepped up. Now, if only there was someone his equivalent living in this country ...

His 2 little girls, (I think the youngest is 7), can write an essay on "My Family" and say : "My daddy is the POTUS". How cool is that? That's how young Obama is. And how it is possible, that with the amount of time he has, he might just be on track to be one of the greatest persons who ever lived. He has a lot on his shoulders right now, people's hopes and dreams. Let's hope he can carry them out.

His victory speech is truly inspiring. And did anyone hear the song "Yes We Can" on hitz.fm this morning?

MIGF 2008

Avanti Italian-American Ristorante, Sunway Resort Hotel & Spa
[Italian-American]
RM108++ without wine, RM188++ with wine

Chalet, Hotel Equatorial KL
[Swiss]
Lunch = RM95 nett, Dinner = RM220 nett

Chynna, Hilton KL
[Chinese-Modern Cantonese]
Light lunch = RM120++ without wine, RM170++ with wine
Dinner = RM168++ without wine, RM248++ with wine

Dynasty, Renaissance KL
[Chinese-Cantonese]
RM148++ without wine, RM188++ with wine

Enak KL, Starhill Gallery
[Fine Malay]
RM145++ with Festival Mocktail, RM185++ per person with 2 glasses of wine

Iketeru, Hilton KL
[Modern Japanese]
Light lunch = RM168++ without wine, RM248++ with wine
Dinner = RM230++ without wine, RM310++ with wine

Il Tempo, Ampang
[Italian]
RM300 nett without wine, RM400 nett with wine

Imperial Rama, Highlands Hotel, Resort World
[Thai-Chinese Teo Chew]
RM288++ without wine, RM368++ with wine

Ishq, Crowne Plaza Mutiara
[Contemporary Asian]
RM100++ without wine, RM150++ with wine

Kabab & Quarma, Jalan Yap Kwan Seng
[Northern Indian]
RM99++ without wine, RM138++ with 2 glasses of wine

Kim Ma, Palace of the Golden Horses
[Chinese-Cantonese]
RM138++ without wine

Lai Po Heen, Mandarin Oriental KL
[Chinese-Cantonese]
RM228++ without wine, RM468++ with wine

Med.@Marche Renaissance KL
[Mediterranean]
RM188++ without wine, RM258++ with wine

Nerovivo, Jalan Ceylon
[Italian]
RM128++ without wine, RM188++ with wine

Pacifica Grill & Bar, Mandarin Oriental KL
[Contemporary-European]
Without wine : RM190++ for 3 courses, RM220++ for 5 courses, RM270++ for 7 courses
With wine : RM310++ for 3 courses, RM420++ for 5 courses, RM550++ for 7 courses

Red, Hilton PJ
[Mediterranean-Asian]
Light menu = RM100++ without cocktails, RM138++ with cocktails
Full menu = RM168++ without cocktails, RM1988++ with cocktails

Senses, Hilton KL
[Modern Australian]
Light lunch = RM168++ without wine, RM248++ with wine
Dinner = RM318++ without wine, RM498++ with wine

Si Chuan Dou Hua, Parkroyal KL
[Chinese-Szechuan/Cantonese]
RM138++ without wine, RM158++ with wine

Summer Palace, Putrajaya Marriott Hotel
[Contemporary-Szechuan/Cantonese]
Light menu = RM128++ without wine, RM188++ with wine
Full menu = RM168++ without wine, RM288++ with wine

Tamarind Springs, Ampang
[Indochinese]
RM200 nett without wine, RM275 nett with wine

The 39 Restaurant, PNB Darby Park KL
[Contemporary Malay]
RM139++ per person without wine

The Emperor, Sheraton Subang Hotel & Towers
[Chinese-Cantonese]
RM200++ without wine, RM240++ with wine

The Olive, Maxims Genting Hotel, Resort World
[Continental]
RM320++ without wine, RM448++ with wine

Tuscany, Putrajaya Marriott Hotel
[Italian]
Light menu = RM115++ without wine, RM180++ with wine
Full menu = RM175++ without wine, RM295++ with wine

Villa Danieli, Hotel Imperial KL
[Italian]
4 courses = RM155++ without wine
5 courses = RM188++ without wine
6 courses = RM222++ without wine
7 courses = RM266++ without wine

West Lake Garden, Sunway Resort Hotel & Spa
[Chinese-Cantonese]
RM108++ without wine, RM188++ with wine

Zing!, Grand Millennium KL
[Chinese-Cantonese]
RM138++ without wine, RM188++ with wine

Zuan Yuan, One World Hotel PJ
[Chinese-Cantonese]
RM188++ without wine, RM260++ with wine

The Malaysian International Gourmet Festival 2008 : http://www.migf.com lasting the entire month of November. I got all the above from an email.

So, before your eyes pop out, anyone up for McDonald's? Or Nando's perhaps? Even Chilli's seems like a steal :P [Gosh, are there even people who spend that kind of money?]

Oh, btw, that day I had BBQ Chicken at their newly-opened outlet at 1Utama New Wing (across from the also newly-opened Cold Storage, ex-Giant). I had their Jerk BBQ (I know, what a name!) and my friend had their Korean Chargrilled (something like that). Both were fabulous! The chicken was so tender. I liked my friend's chargrilled more because it had no chicken skin. And the price was quite affordable - RM14.50 for a set lunch inclusive of drink, soup and ice-cream dessert (I forgot if there was tax or not). Anyway, I'm definitely going back there. They use olive oil for their cooking! This might just be my new favourite chicken outlet place, Nando's move over :P

Mamma Mia!

Mamma Mia - indescribable! Pure fun, made even better by a stellar cast. Meryl Streep and her sidekicks Julie Walters (popularly known as Mrs Weasley in Harry Potter) and Christina Balanski (who, forgive me, looks like a man but has a great voice) are amazing. They stole the show - Donna and the Dynamos.

But most of all, the movie was fun. It was fun to see that some actors could actually sing. Particularly Meryl Streep. She was quite "sampat" in the movie, she let herself go, and it was completely endearing. The lead, Amanda Seyfried, looks like a young Kate Hudson (but of course, Kate Hudson's prettier).

I think making this movie mustn't have been easy. They have to sing, dance and act. I loved Donna and the Dynamos because they were completely unself-conscious. This is a movie to keep :)

P/S I got stuck in a traffic jam in Dataran Sunway at 9.30am this morning, because it was flooded with cars from The Sun Motorhunt. Then it reminded me of my first (and so far, only) treasure hunt to Cameron Highlands last year. I'm gonna keep my eyes out for my second hunt, any kaki's?

With 1 nanny to a kid, (that's a total of 6 nannies) no wonder Brangelina is able to build a United Nations family, when most normal human beings struggle with a family of 3. And of course it's nice to raise kids when someone else does the cleaning up after. You just have to play with them.

And pay for them, of course.

It's another long weekend! The last one before holiday-filled December (a month which consists mostly of 4-day work weeks, yippee!)

I shall be spending this weekend at 2 weddings. I've lost count of how many I've been to this year. I think I've attended 7, and had to decline 5 (but the yan ching still goes). There should be only 1 more before 2008 ends (not counting this weekend's 2). And I've already got 2 invites for 2009.

I like weddings. Seeing the bride and groom try to get through the day's tedious proceedings, and the groom being so caring of the bride, knowing it's almost 10 times worse for her having to go thru the long make-up sessions and wearing those heavy gowns around.

And I like the dinners, because they become a reunion of sorts - seeing people you wouldn't normally take time to meet, everyone gathering just to say that loud yam seng to the couple on stage. And everyone catching up with everyone's life - who's jumped the corporate ladder to where, who's getting married, who already is (and didn't let us know), who is ballooning for 9 months, who just had a full moon party. Life just whizzes by the older we get.

Petronas Deepavali ad 2008

I constantly look out for Petronas adverts during festive seasons. This year's Deepavali ad blew me away.

"Even through tough times,

courage, determination and a lot of love

can give us wings to fly."

My immediate thoughts :

• I'm glad my parents taught me the joy of books. No kid should be denied books.
• The father works hard for his son's dreams. The father may throw harsh words at his son. But, what you are today, is what he made you.
• Every child's dream is important. It's what the future of our nation will be.
• Yasmin Ahmad sure is one heck of a film-maker.

Economic turmoil

My job requires me to constantly read and source for written articles on the property market as well as the economy (being that the performance of the property market is always directly linked to a nation's economy).

And I stumbled upon this brilliantly-written article by none other than our very own TDM.

I may not be a good economist, and I may not be able to ask the right questions to determine if what TDM writes is merely an old datuk's paranoia. But I do know that what he wrote made sense to me. And I suddenly felt this fear. I hope that TDM's analysis is very wrong and our current leaders (morons as they have proved to be) are very right. I hope hard.

So that you can feel ice running down your spine, here are some snippets from TDM's eye-opening article :

1. This ability to isolate Malaysia and Malaysian banks from the effect of the bankruptcies of all the biggest banks in the world must be regarded as a miracle.
2. The United States and Europe are among the biggest of our trading partners. Roughly 40 per cent of our total trade is with them. I may be wrong but I believe that if our buyers cannot pay for what they import from us, we would not make the profit we had expected.
3. It is believed that unpaid credit card loans is in excess of RM20 billion.
4. We are told that six billion Ringgit in Foreign Direct Investment would flow into the country. But what about the RM30 billion outflow as foreign investors pulled out of the stock market?
5. I pray that I am wrong. I pray that the Government is right in declaring that the whole world may collapse but we would be the only country which won't. We will sail calmly through the seas of shattered economies.
6. Instead of doing business in goods and services they now do business in money, in fictitious money.
7. If you ask yourself where do the US700 billion Dollars come from when you know the United States' Government has to borrow US1.5 billion every day, you will find no answer.

It is scary because everyday the newspapers report our various Ministers proclaiming that our economy is strong, our reserves are huge, etc etc. The recent immediate flip-flop on the "bank guarantee policy" is enough to show that our Oxford-educated Finance Minister does not really know what he's doing.

I hope the government is merely releasing such encouraging statements only because they want us to remain calm, and that behind the curtains, the government is actually taking severe measures to safeguard our country. I hope the government is smarter than they make themselves out to be. I hope this will not be the 50-year Great Depression as the chain mails are making it out to be.

UPDATE 15:41 - Najib has announced today that the government will borrow RM5 billion from EPF to fund government investment agency Valuecap Sdn Bhd which primarily invests in undervalued blue-chip stocks in KLSE.

Why, oh why, are my alarm bells ringing? All our hard-earned money used to play shares in the share market during a period of free-falling markets? Pls, can anyone explain to the economic bozo in me why this RM5 billion will help "boost the economy and protect Malaysia from the effects of global financial turmoil" instead of putting us on a speed-train straight towards it?

And on another note, but still on our favourite protagonist (or is it antagonist?), when asked on whether the government's cost-cutting includes the controversial Eurocopters, he says : "All projects will be reviewed but defence projects are to be assessed differently. We are looking at all projects, not just defence projects. Security projects cannot be measured on the economic yardstick."

The question of WHY begs to be asked. But, we already know the answers don't we. Whose pockets are brimming?

Book Review : My Favourite Wife by Tony Parsons

It's been awhile since I've reviewed a book. Not that I've stopped reading - I still read most nights before my eyes betray me. The last book I read was Vince Flynn's Protect and Defend. It was different from my usual literature, rented because KF's a fan and I gave it a shot after he'd finished with it (just to maximize rental). The book was readable. But no, I don't think I'll read anymore of his books - has too many Islamic terrorist elements in it and I had trouble keeping up with the various tribes and all their politics - so sssseriousss :P

Anyway, Tony Parsons is GREAT! He's one of my most favourite authors, I've read every single one of his books except for "Stories We Could Tell" (of which I actually own a copy but never managed to get past page 10 because it's not his usual style). I love him because he's so in touch with his emotions - such a rarity in a guy. He could be gay, I dunno, but he writes well, so I don't care.

My Favourite Wife is great because it's set in Shanghai - and involves "second wives", dirty property developers, upright lawyers, colonial imperialism, etc etc. But mostly, it is about a man who brings his wife and daughter to Shanghai for a career move. Apparently the Shanghai smog got too much for his asthmatic daughter, so the wife and kid return to London. With a sexy elegant Chinese woman as a neighbour, the guy falls, of course (isn't this so typical of Tony Parsons?). His father warns him about the potential destruction to his family, particularly to his granddaughter : "No woman is that good in bed", trying to pull his son back to the right path.

What follows is a gray line between what's right and wrong. Tony Parsons does so well because he can relate to that gray line so vividly, draw it out so clearly. Because in fact, any kid can tell you that the Shanghai lady mistress should be the one out of the picture. But Parsons makes it seem like she actually has a rightful place in there.

Of course, what makes the book good is also because he managed to paint such an accurate picture of Shanghai and life in that opportunist city as an expat.

I didn't want to return this book. I've got 3 of his books so far. Probably, in the future, I'd buy the whole collection of his books, just so I can read them whenever I want.

You should read it too. Highly recommended.

"A man with two houses loses his mind: a man with two women loses his soul."

Review : Sawasdee Sukhumvit Inn, Bangkok

In 2005

We spent 5 days in Bangkok (29-Oct-05 to 2-Nov-05), all of which we stayed at Sawasdee Sukhumvit Inn. It's really truly excellent value for money.

KF and I stayed in the Superior Double room on the 1st floor, while ML and JC stayed in the Deluxe room on the 3rd floor. It's definitely worth it to pay the extra for the Deluxe as you get a more comfortable bed, nicer drinking glasses, etc. But if you're not into the tiny details, a Superior is fine too.

Only problem I had was with the air-conditioning which turned hot in the middle of the night, so I would have to switch it off and on again. Troublesome. But otherwise, I was comfortable.

Hot shower available, although I would have to warn you that the bathroom I had in the Superior was really quite small, about 5' by 6'. The one my friends had in the Deluxe was much longer and more spacious. Note, though, that the bathroom will definitely be entirely wet after a shower.

The room had a fridge which was a great place to cool our store-bought mineral water after a day of traipsing in the hot Bangkok weather. They also had cable television : HBO, MTV, ESPN, CNN, and some others.

Breakfast came with the room and was American-style, with toast, eggs, ham and a cup of coffee/tea.

A nice touch was the little massage parlour in the lobby. The therapists there are excellent! For THB250, you get a 60-minute foot massage with a little head and shoulder massage thrown in. It's utterly wonderful to return after a day trip and flop down in the lobby to get your feet pampered.

We paid THB645 per night for the Superior, which is really a steal! The Superior has a queen-sized bed whereas the Deluxe has a king-sized bed.

The staff were quite helpful. Sometimes, they will appear to be frazzled and unsmiling. But, definitely, at all times, they assisted us with whatever we needed - be it booking a tour, or giving directions. It is no wonder that the reception people are often harried, because it appears that this place is constantly fully-booked. And I can see why.

Overall, I think this place is real value for money. It is clean, has a homely feel, is not seedy, quite quiet (no noisy cars or highways), very near to the skytrain, and near to all kinds of food. I would definitely stay here again the next time I am in Bangkok.

(this is extracted from a review I provided to Tripadvisor)

In 2008

This is the 2nd time (30-Sep-08 to 3-Oct-08) I've stayed in this inn, the 3rd time for KF (12-Jul-08). We booked 4 rooms this time - 2 deluxe and 2 superior. The deluxe rooms were very nice as usual - comfy quilts, nice beds, big windows, spacious bathrooms. The deluxe rooms were obviously more superior to the Superior rooms in every way. I'd recommend the deluxe rooms anytime! The location of the property is excellent, 3 mins walk to Thong Lo BTS station, about 5 mins walk to Ekamai BTS station (of which there's a shopping complex nearby with McD's and KFC if that's your thing). Excellent night food stalls in soi 63 across the road from the BTS. Helpful and friendly reception staff as always.

(this is extracted from a review I provided to Sawadee.com which I use whenever I need to book a hotel in Thailand because they have the best rates)

What I didn't say in the reviews

The 2nd time around, we wanted to book 4 Deluxe rooms but couldn't. So us young ones had to settle for the Superior rooms, which is the same as what I stayed in the first time I was there. Obviously, with age, (and higher spending power, more "yim chim"-ness) the room didn't seem so nice after all. It was bearably comfy, but not luxurious. The Deluxe rooms however are faultless, except that you have to climb more stairs to reach them. They've refurbished some Superior rooms (my sisters-in-law had a nice one), so if you're lucky, you might land a good Superior room. But the difference in room rates for a Superior (THB 830) and a Deluxe (THB 890) is not substantial, so I'd suggest a Deluxe anytime.

The travel desk is still there, and gosh, the hotel receptionist is still the same person! But much friendlier this time around and very helpful when we had to make bookings for massages and transportation. The only thing I truly miss is the massage service in the lobby. If the masseurs were still there, then the stay would have been perfect.

However, I'm glad this time we found soi 63 which has LOADS of great hawker food. And the nearby McD's to satisfy that Pork Burger urge.

Yes I know, this review is like super-da-long. Little bit more ah.

We've agreed that the next time we're back in Bangkok (if we do go back again for some leisure trip which we don't foresee in the near future), we'll stay elsewhere (like I said, higher spending power). But if it's a budget budget trip, definitely recommend here :)

I'm back from Bangkok. But swamped with work. I need another holiday.

Had a dreamy weekend in Cyberview Lodge. It's very nice to be whisked away from the hectic city to a completely modern (and dead-looking) town. Cyberview was very nice - full of plants and landscape. The hotel has various single and double-storey buildings scattered around its huge grounds. No high-rise hotel blocks here, all small chalets. You can drive and park in front of your room (or request for buggy service - reminiscent of our Bali holidays).

The room has solid timber flooring, clean and not dusty nor contaminated with unseen bacteria in old-looking carpets :P Nice rainshower (but no way of avoiding getting your hair wet). Big big four-poster bed with the dreamy white curtains (but the bed is just too soft and it has no quilt - not like Westin's Heavenly Bed). Great-smelling spa toiletries in ceramic bottles (so you can't steal them home). A big, rather dramatic pool. Huge room (like a big studio suite) with LCD screen at the foot of the bed, and free use of a PC in the room with internet access. The room has a kitchenette with cabinets and a rather big single-door fridge (not the small minibar kind). Big balcony (though we didn't use it). Fantastic grounds.

We only spent like 12 hours (including sleeping time) at Cyberview. But I had a good impression of the place. And I guess those who plan garden weddings there definitely found the place pretty - very tropical, very Malaysian. And very good reception counter service.

I know, this review is like so boring right. No pictures and all. My camera's really cacat these days, the flash doesn't work properly, so all my photos come out so dark. Luckily I'm not some shopaholic, or I'd have bought myself a new one a long time ago, seeing that compact cameras these days are so cheap.

Busy washing linens and cleaning up the house these days, the family's coming next week so we can all make a family trip during Raya. Luckily it's a single-storey, I really dunno how I'd be able to handle a double-storey.

Btw, Moonlight Resonance ended yesterday - and it's the bestest-ever-drama EVER! I believe the DVD sellers will be roaming town soon with the full series, so get your hands on one! Trust me, you will not regret it.

And now, I shall take a respite from TVB dramas, until the next grand production. Spend the night scouring and washing :P One week only. Then it's shopping and eating and massage haven, yippee! :)

Rustic Nirvana

For the past few days, I've been stressing away at work, even typed till 1am for 2 nights running (and reached office by 7.30am the next day to continue typing away). Brainjuice really squeezed dry. But I persevered, because I knew I was in for a treat on Saturday :)

Anyway, finally, after 3 weeks of trying, someone gave up her appointment slot and I could go in for my session, yippee! I got this promo voucher from Rustic Nirvana that gives a full treatment (tell you more about it in a bit) for only RM68. And ... wait for it ... if you bring a friend, your treatment is free! Wah. I ask you, how could I give up such a totally fantastic offer?

So, I went with a friend (only girl customers allowed at this spa, no couples even). We went to the branch in Solaris Mont Kiara. Stepped in, they gave us each a cup of warm water, told us to fill up the usual personal data form, then we sat around and waited a bit because the rooms were not yet ready as the previous customer was a bit late for her appointment and therefore dragged all the later appointments later. We were given brochures to see, and the treatments are indeed quite impressive.

So, I was led to my room - which had a shower area, a bed, a sink, a mirror with hairdryer and shelf, and a whole lot of candles and pots and pans arranged neatly on the floor around the room.

Okay, here, I'm gonna be as descriptive as I can - because I've surfed but can't seem to find anyone who's blogged or reviewed the massages in Rustic Nirvana. I shall do just that.

Scrub

The girl, Beverly, told me to change into these disposable bra and panties and showercap. She took my body weight with this machine that requires your age and height. Then, I lay face down on the bed (with that hole to put my face in), and she preceded with mixing (yah, she mixed it with some ingredients she found from the cabinet under the sink) the body scrub for me. It was a "Sea Salt Scrub" (RM200 for 30 mins) which is apparently very good for detoxification and aids in the skin's healing processes. She then rubbed it into me, really scrubbed every inch of me. Took her about half an hour to do that and I could see beads of sweat on her forehead. Then I stepped into the shower to rinse off all the scrub. Wah, my skin has never felt so clean and soft and so smooth!

Massage

Then I dried up, put on another new set of disposable stuffs, and watched her scoop some black thick liquid stuff from a claypot in the corner of the room (okay, Nat, I know you will so not like the smell, but it sure smelt nice and herbally to me). I then lied down again, and she began the Jamu Body Massage (RM350 for 45 mins). Oh, here I have to say that my voucher originally allowed me for the Chopsticks Healing Massage (RM350 for 60 mins), but my therapist said my skin felt too soft and she said I probably wouldn't be able to take the pain of the chopsticks as it was similar to "guasar". So okay, I didn't mind a more relaxing treatment that costs the same :P

I didn't fall asleep though. There was this one part after she'd massaged my tummy - she told me she was gonna "push my womb". She poked her fingers at 2 points on my lower tummy (I presume they are where my uterus is) and told me to breathe in, then she slid her 2 fingers upward towards my chest and told me to slowly breathe out. But I ended up giggling because those 2 points she was poking just felt far too sensitive. So I guess that "pushing womb" thing didn't succeed with me. But apparently, that's one of the specialities of massage in Rustic Nirvana, they cater for women's pre and postnatal needs - for slimming, women wellness, detox, womb enhancement, etc.

Wrap + Steam

Okay, next up the therapist again dug in the cupboard under the sink and mixed up a bowl of sticky black herbal stuff that smelt even stronger than the Jamu oil. This was the Jamu wrap (RM240 for 30 mins). Apparently this treatment is good for cellulite reduction, detoxification, and of course, womb wellness (I haven't heard the word "womb" so many times in a day before in my whole life). The therapist rubbed the black stuff all over me, then proceeded to Gladwrap me all over, and all over again. After that, I awkwardly tumbled onto the bed, and she put some kind of dark tent over my body, with a rice cooker pot of more hot steaming black stuff at the foot of the tent, thereby effectively "cooking" me in the tent. I was cooked in this Steamy Wonder (RM180 for 20 mins) and can you believe it, I actually fell asleep while being cooked?!

But I felt real good after that. The tent was dripping wet when she lifted it off me, and well, I was wet as well. She cut off all the Gladwrap and then I hopped in to shower again. After that, I really felt refreshed. Stepped on that weighing machine again - I'd dropped a whole kilo! I really have a water retention problem eh. Then I trooped happily out to the reception area, where I sat down for a really nice cup of ginger tea (I so love ginger tea, anyone know where I can buy them?) and listened to the salesgirl Carmen try to sell me a package.

Actually, the package they offered was quite good. But, too bad, Solaris is just too far, making a Saturday appointment for treatments is just too difficult, and I really dunno when I can find so much time in my Saturdays to actually go for these treatments. The whole thing lasted about 3 hours. Sorry I didn't take pictures. But the room was quite spartan, cement flooring with cement-like walls, but generally, a nice ambience. I particularly liked that they use local Chinese women (who I think are about my age, or even younger) as therapists.

I think it was one of my most well-spent RM34 ever, especially for something of which the retail price is RM970! Only thing is now, about 7 hours later and after my 2nd bath, I can still smell that Jamu ...

Moonlight Resonance

We watched 2 episodes of this last night. Like the hubby says, it's been a long time since he's watched such a good TVB drama. It's full of drama (duh), really. I can't wait to go home tonight to watch more! Actually, I can't wait for the weekend when I can do a TVB-marathon! (like so free liddat) :D

Review fuel prices every 15 days??! You know, as a non-policy-maker, I sure have a lot to say about those actual policy makers. Are they dumb or what? Either you make the petrol prices run at market prices OR you fix it properly. I DO NOT want to be caught in a petrol-hike and fuel-guzzling jam EVERY 15 DAYS!

And can you believe that the moron who suggested this 15-day review is someone who's looking to lead the Chinese component in the ruling party? He seems to think he did us a favour!

On the opposite end, someone actually thought threatening us would make us stop complaining. Hah! The Sunday papers sure are a joke. If people didn't have to work so hard to feed themselves, I'm sure smarter people would be running our government.

Petrol in the news, again!

Gosh, our PM is proving to be a compulsive liar! Petrol price will be reduced to RM2.55 per litre starting tomorrow (I presume it'll be in a couple of hours at midnight). And our dear PM (and his Ministers) repeatedly told us the past couple of weeks that they'll revise it down on August 31st (or is it 29th, I forget, too many dates being published in the paper these days).

Today, after announcing a 26-year high inflation rate of 8.5% (26-year high out of 51 years!), he tries to cushion the blow and say we get a present of reduced petrol prices because he understands the plight of the rakyat in these challenging times. Like hellooo ... inflation went sky high only because he pushed up petrol prices so drastically in June!

See, our PM was so shortsighted to not have foreseen market oil prices would go down. Okay la, people in the street like us don't know about how market oil prices work. But you'd assume a country's HEAD would have intelligence to advise him on whether pushing the burden of petrol prices onto his citizens was a right step or not. Obviously he's either not very intelligent or his intelligence wasn't intelligent enough, since immediately after that oil prices went dipping dipping down down (and meanwhile, the government's cash register kept ringing in the windfall income). So, his shortsightedness caused sky-high record inflation rates immediately after he pushed petrol prices up. Smart. Our dear PM caused companies to suddenly incur extra costs and caused living expenses in the country to suddenly increase - apparently for no reason at all except to break a 26-year record of inflation rates.

Now he reduces petrol price a few days before the mother-of-all-by-elections. Doesn't take a genius to see the obvious connection here.

I think if he could, he'd even bring forward the Budget announcement and put in all kinds of goodies "to reduce the burden of the rakyat" - if it ensured he retained his seat as PM til his planned retirement.

Dear Datuk, please realize that your PR ploy of riding on the trains brings you no brownie points, merely emphasizes what you should have and could have done when it mattered most. To be fair, whatever you do now will just be too little too late, and will be criticized to no end by most. Just go with dignity - the earlier, the lesser mistakes you'll make, the less criticisms you'll take, the better.

(And on that note, I hope too, whoever goes up into that hot seat, will have good economic sense and have a love for Red Bull to be able to last thru briefings and meetings).