Sandakan Adventure

We're back in KL after a last-minute decision to make use of the long Maulidur Rasul/Thaipussam weekend by striking Sandakan off our bucket list. It was a fantastic trip until we got hit by a nasty bout of food poisoning. Ironically, it wasn't due to all the seafood we ate (which by the way, is yummy & cheap in Sandakan) but due to the water or most likely, the ice! Well, that's what the doctor said & we're sticking by it because the thought of any of that scrumptious seafood we consumed causing so much agony is just heartbreaking. I'd never look at another oyster the same way again! 

With all that happened at the last leg of our trip, I really enjoyed our Sandakan trip. Our hotel room at Four Points by Sheraton, had spectacular views of the Sandakan Bay & we spent a lot of time at their infinity pool, soaking & waiting for sunset. We of course visited the Sepilok Orang-utan Rehabilitation Centre (which was our main objective), Rainforest Discovery Centre & Labuk Bay Proboscis Monkey Sanctuary.  We had a lovely time watching wild Orang-utans & Proboscis monkeys feeding albeit from afar & we spent the most time at the RDC doing some light trekking following the calls of the Hornbill & observing nature. We also visited the Sandakan Heritage Museum, World War II Memorial as well as a few of the popular eateries recommended on Trip Advisor such as Ocean King Restaurant (so-so),  Sim Sim 88 Restaurant (highly recommended & cheap), English Tea House (scones were bland but the place is nice) & Ba Lin Rooftop Bar & Cafe (wonderful place to chill with great view of the bay but food was a little meh!).

We will definitely be heading back to Sandakan as we really really want to do the Kinabatangan River Cruise & stay in a forest resort instead of in town. It will take a little more saving up as it can be quite costly even for us Malaysians with all the discounted rates & park entry fees. I hope it'll be soon but in the meantime, I'm going to need to get over this food poisoning. 

The Best Is Yet To Come

I've always believed every difficulty is followed by happiness. So if something has got you down in the dumps, don't worry… Something good is just around the corner, waiting for you. 

Photograph by Alicia Bock, via Design Is Mine. 

Cameron Highlands Family Trip

I took a couple of days off over the Merdeka weekend (Happy belated Merdeka, fellow Malaysians!) & traveled to Cameron Highlands with my very large, fun loving family on my mother's side. It was heaps of fun & we stayed at Wuthelam Villa of Tanah Rata which I haven't visited since I was 5 years old! Judging from my childhood pictures, the place still looks the same except for a few minor interior changes but the lovely garden has not changed a bit. The Villa is kept pristine by the same housekeeper since it was built in the late 70's & she does all the cleaning & cooking for guests as well so we were properly pampered. Man, her cooking is fantastic! We were fed 4 times a day & I think I easily put on a kilo or two over the weekend.

Above are some pictures I took during the trip. Clockwise from top: 1. The sprawling lawn & garden of Wuthelam Villa overlooking the only golf course in Cameron, 2. A lovely Zinnia bloom, 3. A corner of the Villa's roof & the blue, blue sky we were blessed with during the trip.


On Day 2, our group of 15 (ranging from 16 - 60+ years old) agreed that a nice, easy trek would be a great change from all the eating we've been doing. Little did we know what was in store in the supposedly "easy" trek we were pointed out to which was trek # 3 & 5 of Cameron's well marked treks. Altogether, it was approximately 5 km & took our group a good 3 hours to complete with a lot of huffing & puffing, a stumble here & there plus a tonne of sweat. Needless to say, we were very sore at the end of the trek but elated even though we ended up in the middle of a chilli farm by taking a wrong turn! Clockwise from top left: 1. Sign board at the start of the trek, 2. On the way to the trek, we were already a little winded thanks to the uphill climb which was a precursor to even more obstacles ahead, 3. My up-for-anything family, 4. Sun filtering down to the jungle floor, 5. A caterpillar on its merry way through the moss & ferns.


More pictures from our trip. From left to right, top to bottom: 1. A piece of old brass machinery used for making tea on display at the Boh Tea Plantation & Factory, 2. The ultra-modern Boh Visitor's Centre overlooks the sprawling green hills of the tea plantation, 3. Old quarters of the tea plantation workers, 4. A trip to Cameron wouldn't be quite complete without a stop at a plant nursery to pick up some cacti.

Loved spending time with my family & wish there were more opportunities like this to bond over laughter & memories.

Raya iPhoneography

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.


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.


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*




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.



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?

Quick Getaway

Thank goodness for scheduled posts! At the last minute on Tuesday, my hubby decided that I could tag along on his business trip to Singapore the very next day so I had to run helper-skelter to get ready. Now we're back in KL but the whole time I was at the Lion City, I blessed my lucky stars I scheduled a bunch of posts beforehand hence no one would be none the wiser (unless you follow me on Twitter or Instagram that is!).

Here are a few shots I took with my iPhone during my quick getaway which was spent mostly at Marina Bay Sands while the mister was at his business meetings. It was my first time there & boy, it is HUGE! "Checked" out the casino (and won SGD50 at the roulette table by the way), enjoyed the scenery from the 57th floor of one of the towers, took my own sweet time at the Art Science Museum lingering over every little display, window shopped at the Mall & finally traipsing through the trees & flowers at Gardens By The Bay. My feet hurt from all the walking I did (I kid you not, that place is enormous) but I had a lovely time. Enjoy the pictures!

The view from Marina Bay Sand's Sky Park at night. Can't believe this was all bare just a couple of years ago (or so I was told).
 

As I'm a big Potter Head, I had to check out the Harry Potter Exhibition at the Art Science Museum. It cost SGD24.90 to enter (which if bought at the promotional counter, entitles you to enter the Andy Warhol exhibition too) & SGD6 for the audio guide but it's worth every penny.

Loved the exhibition but couldn't help feeling the souvenirs were waaaay overpriced! SGD75 for a wand that wasn't even wood but cheap plaster?? I just got the exhibition book as photography is not permitted & I wanted a little keepsake. Almost bought this poster too but I felt it was too somber & hey, it wasn't moving like it should ;)
 

The Marina Bay Sands towers as seen from the top of the SuperTrees, Gardens By The Bay at sunset. Honestly couldn't believe I was at that overhanging tip the night before alongside so many people & the whole thing didn't just break off!

A view of the Singapore Flyer, a small cluster of SuperTrees & the Flower Dome.

I paid SGD5 to access the Sky Walk which is a bridge linking a few SuperTrees. If you are scared of heights, it's best to avoid this as it's pretty high & it moves a bit with the wind. I loved it though, and spent an hour up there, waiting for the sunset, taking pictures with my Olympus PEN & admiring the view.

Took this shot as I lay down at the foot of one of the SuperTrees, waiting for the sound & Light show to start. The show wasn't all that great but I was there & needed to rest a bit so no harm done. This one is my favorite shots from the whole trip. 

DIY: Camera Strap

It has proven super hard to find lovely yet affordable camera straps so when faced with that problem, what do I do? DIY of course! Stumbled on this awesome little tutorial that I'm itching to get started on thanks to Design Love Fest. Try it out with me, why don't you? 

My Week In Instagram

March is going to be quite a doozey but I feel so very blessed that I get to do what I love, every single day. I really couldn’t ask for more. Here are some shots from last week taken with my iPhone & edited on Instagram (look me up @mimpimurni).

The look my cat Hassan gives me when he’s hungry.

Baklava for breakfast.

With Aida & Rozaila at the Smokehouse, Cameron Highlands.

My new pair of shoes that the hubby picked out for me. I must say my man has good taste.

Some succulents I repotted.The little tea cup one is my favorite.

Stargazer lilies my husband surprised me with & it’s favorite flower.

My little stall I shared with Aida at the Markets. As usual, we had lots of fun!

My Week In Instagram

My favorite notebook of all time. A special edition Little Prince Moleskiene.

Finally made the trip down to I Love Snackfood & was duly blown away. Super love!

My tea time snack: a tiny Passionfruit Meringue tart from Petit Sucre at Isetan KLCC

  A week never goes by without a shot of my furbaby, Hassan.

Have a happy weekend dreamers!

Sky Series

Something about Eric Cahan’s Sky Series takes me away to dreamland & I don’t want to come back. I’m going to start paying more attention to the sky now & hope to someday capture these dreamy hues that Cahan has mastered.

Fireflies

Mother Nature never fails to impress the pants off of me! These photos are actually long exposures of fireflies in Japan & I think it’d be awesome if someone could do the same at the Firefly Park at Kuala Selangor. Any takers out there?

Via Fellow Fellow.

Christopher Boffoli

Go ahead, play with your food. Look what Christopher Boffoli came up with in his photography series titled Disparity. He paired ordinary groceries, food & drinks with miniature human figurines doing all sorts of activities, making everything seem surreal.



 

Ladurée Macarons

I had my first taste of macarons at Ladurée Royalé Paris in 1995. Ever since then, I’ve loved these crunchy, melt in your mouth little pillows of heavenly confectionery & rejoiced when macarons finally started making waves in our shores last year (thank you dessert gods). So imagine how I squealed with delight when I discovered a lovely little branch of Ladurée at Harrods during my recent trip to London (read Part 1, 2, 3 & 4). I can’t believe I never knew it was there before but if you’re in the neighborhood do look for it at the right-most corner of Harrods on Brompton Road or hey, here are all the addresses of the many Ladurée branches around France & the world while I’m at it. These are the pictures of the small box of macarons I carefully hand carried home with me from London. Trust me, I savored every bite of these babies! Hehe.

Psst! Scroll over the pictures for little description.