Monday, August 27, 2012

Raya iPhoneography

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Hello folks! How was your nice, long Raya break? The photo above was just something I whipped up in between courses of lemang & rendang on the 1st day of Raya thanks to a nifty little app, Phoster. It's USD1.99 if I'm not mistaken but well worth it, especially if you like to play around with graphic design & want something simple on your iPhone or iPad to create posters, announcements or just to jazz up your pictures with some text.

Anyhoots, the hubby & I spent the first day of Raya quietly stuffing ourselves silly at his parents' place here in KL & giving ourselves major tummy problems. We keep falling into the same trap year after year, I'm afraid. After a month of fasting & abstaining from rich, fatty food, all the good work is undone in a course of a single day. Don't get me wrong, I love Hari Raya but I wish I could exercise some self-restraint when faced with lemang & rendang which are my favourites (including my father's ketupat daun palas with nuts. Yums!). It's futile & even to this day, I'm suffering the consequences. Yup, it's not pretty but do I learn? Never! Hah.

Here are some pictures I took over the Raya week with my iPhone. Do look me up on Instagram (@mimpimurni) if you'd like to see more.

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The picture above is me at my in-laws' in my Siobhan baju kurung by the talented Nurita Harith. I'm not usually one to cam whore, but I love my classically elegant baju so much I just had to (at least I'm not pulling a duck face, ok!). Ladies, if you ever want an impeccably made baju with top-notch service, I urge you to set an appointment with Nurita & her assistant, Ian. I only had one fitting with them & my baju fit me so well, I was ecstatic. Yes, the prices are a little on the high side, but do what I did: save up. It was well worth it.

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This is what happens when adults get a hold of some sparklers. The "boys" were attempting cheerleading moves & I think I split my stomach open from laughing. I wish I took a clearer picture but I do have a video that I'm saving for the right moment *wink*wink*

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We also spent a few days at Redang island for some R&R plus being avid divers, a little diving of course. I brought along my travel hammock & planted myself in front of our chalet at Redang Mutiara Beach Resort in between dives with Seamonkey Dive Centre. Now, the resort itself is not much to shout about but there are only 2 resorts in this particular stretch of beach (the other being Amanagappa which we love but couldn't get a room) plus it has one of the only two proper jetties in Redang. Needless to say, the beach is not overcrowded like at Long Beach (where most visitors to Redang will end up in), it's quiet & clean and most importantly for divers, getting on & off the dive boat is easy thanks to the jetty. Also, if you are a diver, you'll want to dive with Seamonkey at some point. They are one of the few consistently good dive centres in Malaysia & they usually have some pretty awesome deals & packages. If you're thinking of diving, do check out their HQ at PJ Palm Centre, next to Shah Village, PJ.

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And just for good measure, here's a cute kitty demonstrating various yoga moves in its sleep. So, that was my break, how was yours?