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. 

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?

iPhoneography This Week

We were in JB for the wedding of my husband’s cousin. Doesn’t she look lovely?

The mister started a Lamborghini contribution fund at the office. He managed to
collect RM15 in change, a keychain, a dice, a biscuit & best of all, a picture of a
Lamborghini! Our cat doesn’t look impressed but he had fun playing with the dice.

Hassan the cat making his daily inspection of our floor. He takes his job rather
seriously, I’m afraid.

My handmade lip balms cooling down before I start labelling them.

One of the tech rooms at NTV7.

And finally, I was on NTV7’s Breakfast Show yesterday! Did you catch me? To my left
is the uproariously funny Naz & to my right is the vivacious Satira who are both the
hosts of the show. I had a blast with them & showed them how to make an earring
(while shaking quite bad though ahahaha!).

A Little Venting & iPhoneography

Dear readers, not everything in Mimpi Murni land is always happy. I try to keep things light across all my social platforms but honestly, sometimes I wish I could just vent. This last week has taught me a HUGE lesson & perhaps some day I’ll share it here with you but for now, let’s just say I don’t think this issue deserves any more of my attention. I am the perpetual optimist & anyone that tries to bring me down deserves a big fat pfffffffft!On a lighter note, here are some of my favorite pictures I took over the last couple of weeks with my iPhone & filtered with Instagram (look me up under mimpimurni).



My collection of china, spoons & trays for a photo shoot I did for a magazine. They're mostly Ikea purchases with some Daiso pieces thrown in along with some pieces I picked up while traveling.

Place an empty box on the floor & Hassan the cat will find his way into it.

The view of the KL city skyline at sunset from my front door. The sun put on a really good show & I just had to snap it.

One of my bookshelves filled with my knick knacks & favorite books. My precious Brownie camera came with its original packaging.

Went on a quick daytrip to Bonton, Langkawi for work. Gorgeous, gorgeous place.

Dropped by Tioman last weekend to destress & caught this sunset. Love the final streaks of sunlight.

  My view from the hammock in Tioman. That’s all I did all day: look for hammocks to read in.

Flowers I received for my birthday from a very lovely couple. Yup, it was my birthday last Tuesday! Another year older & wiser (hopefully).

One of my favorite perfumes which is Flowerbomb by Viktor & Rolf that I got for my birthday from a family member. This is the Summer limited edition called La Vie En Rose. I love, love the scent but truth be told, the grenade shape bottle won me over.