18 Of Pets And Pest

It has been my morning ritual to walk outside, admire the plants and breathe in fresh sun-blessed air.

Imagine my surprise at seeing several pak choy leaves with chomp marks one day - in both planter box!

"It couldn't be the snails. They're too little. Plus, buddies don't do this to each other!" I was miffed.

I squinted my eyes to look for my friends to see if any one of them had magically grown in size like Alice In Wonderland.

Then, I saw it. Camouflaged in plain sight. I left Mr. Grasshopper where it was. Perhaps it needed some food before it continued on its way. A high-rise apartment isn't exactly 'home' for a hopping free-spirited pest . A couple of days later, it disappeared as mysteriously as it arrived.

Vegetable Grasshopper on my White-Stemmed Pak Choy

I'm glad it wasn't my friends who did this. We have an understanding. I leave them some food and they party all night in this one corner. My pak choy vegetable is left to flourish in peace.

Meet Anna, Beth and Charlie. Dave is somewhere. It seemed fitting to name them since we've become close chatting buddies, even if the conversation is wholly one-sided. I can't tell them apart. I just know that these are my people and we love chilling in each other's company.

My Buddies Having A Feast

24 Magnum Ice Cream For Pleasure Seekers

Magnum puts me in a special place of wonderful. I think, "How luxurious the taste!" ♥

These are my three most pleasurable moments with Magnum.

When I brought my aunt to the Magnum Cafe at Mid Valley Megamall, Kuala Lumpur, it was an experience I couldn't forget. We got to choose our own topping. Pistachios, golden crunch pearls and rose petals were our pick. We sat down and savoured every bite of this gorgeous stick of ice cream. Oh, I cannot get it out of my mind how yummy this was.

My Magnum Creation- RM9.90

Magnum Cafe, Mid Valley Megamall

On one of the days my cousin (who flew in for a vacation) was here, I took her and my aunt shopping at 1Utama. We chanced upon a Magnum road show whilst walking about. It was an interesting event with many activities. Guess what we did? ...We headed for the photo booth because we're camera-loving people! 

From left : Me, Cousin, Aunt Having a Bit Of Fun

Finally, and this happened last week. I received a package by courier which contained a limited edition sweatshirt.  It was part of Magnum's Celebrate Chocolate Pleasure promotional campaign.

My blogger friend, Emily, had written about this on her blog. It was there that I read about an online 'Pleasure Hunt' to win exclusive pieces of wear by fashion designer, Dato' Farah Khan. The digital hunt was run using Google street view. It felt like I was actually walking the streets myself as I searched for the prize based on clues Magnum had posted Facebook and Instagram.

Lucky me spotted the Magnum logo, clicked on it and won this piece.

Magnum Pleasure Seekers

I don't eat ice cream all the time. It's something I savour when I need a pick-me-up or when I feel like celebrating something special. So far, Magnum's my favourite.

Do you have a favourite ice cream?

12 Rain, rain, come again!

How nice to play in the rain when it is without lightning and thunder. I used to do that!

I'll never forget the time when, in my early twenties, a senior citizen, with a twinkle in her eye said to me, "Let's do it." Next thing I knew, we had our yellow raincoats on and we pranced, and laughed under the pour of heavy rain. 

Two days ago, Kuala Lumpur was hit by a thunderstorm. My balcony was flooded with about an inch of rainwater. It brought back memories to when I was a kid. After heavy rain, the grassy field outside would be filled with huge puddles of water. I would make paper boats to play with.

I decided to see if I could remember how to make paper sampans. Except for the last couple of folds, I had almost gotten it all right. I had to turn to Youtube for help!

I think I folded it pretty well.

Paper Sampan

This is my favourite part - to see it float.

Floating Paper Sampan

What's your favourite memory of rain?

12 A Sunday At The KL City Grand Prix

VrooOoooom! That's how my weekend went. I spent it at a car racing event. Roaring engines give me an adrenaline rush. I fall into this dream state where I imagine I'm Speedy Gonzales. That's about it. Don't mistake me for a car enthusiast. I'm not ..not the kind who memorises car make and the deets on the drivers.

Lamborghini Super Trofeo Asia Series

The KL City Grand Prix had many Kuala Lumpurians who worked in the golden triangle grousing about the road blocks and traffic congestion. I guess the mood would have been better if we had efficient public transportation services. Whilst I sympathised with those who were affected, I was also secretly pleased that the race was this close to home. Haha.

We braved the LRT (Light Rain Transit) to get into the city. Sunday afternoon proved no different than other days. I had expected it to be less crowded. Packed in like sardines, I had one hand on the rail handle and the other on my bag - my eyes keeping a sharp lookout for pickpockets.

We got off at KLCC and walked out to find a good spot to watch the race. After half an hour of surveying, we settled under a bridge outside Wisma Cosway where it was shady. We, as in hubs and I.

Here is a short video of the race where the cars slowed to turn the corner.

Grandstand tickets are priced at RM350 for three days - steep!

Grandstand

The scene.

Hospitality Club

And how was your weekend?

18 Royal Floria Putrajaya Festival 2015

Every middle of the year, a little corner of Putrajaya is transformed into a garden paradise. Beautiful landscaping, creative planting, competitions, handicrafts, garden supplies, souvenirs, food and live performances bring the place alive with feelings of wonderment and excitement. One word describes Floria Putrajaya - 'happening!'

Visitors come from afar and the place is packed on weekends. The best time for a quiet walkabout would be to come on a week day.

Floria Putrajaya 2015

I paid a nominal price to enter the site. The stroll along the walkway took more time than I intended because it was hard not to stop and admire the flowers.

Flowers Along The Walkway

It was very thoughtful of festival organisers to leave name tags identifying the plants and flowers around.

Painted Nettle Name Tag

Interesting landscaping ideas fill every corner of the festival. Taman Kufi Perbadanan Putrajaya won the Outstanding Garden Award in the Special Garden category. This was one of my favourites.

Taman Kufi Perbadanan Putrajaya

I thought that Taman DiRaja Negeri Sembilan was quite beautiful too. It's neat and very local. My family has a similar gazebo built in our garden back in my hometown.

Taman DiRaja Negeri Sembilan

Other competitions such as the Dining Room Design, Innovative Wall Art and more were held indoors.

Venise Bee from Singapore won the Gold award for the Princess' Headwear category. This is her entry - Enigmatic Empress of the Gold Sands. A beautiful piece.

Venise Bee - Gold Award Princess' Headwear

With flowers come many shutterbugs. There was just so much to snap. This shutterbug was no different. Below are some pictures to give you an idea what this festival is all about.

1) Flowers to feast your eyes on.

Royal Floria Putrajaya 2015

2) Landscaping ideas.

A Landscape Design By Majlis Perbandaran Johor Bahru Tengah

3) Creative gardening.

A Design By MBPJ

4) A glimpse into the art of floral designing.

Designed By Rudy T. Mintarto (Indonesia)

5) Supplies that will excite any avid gardener.

Gardening Supplies At Royal Floria Putrajaya Festival 2015

That's that on my walkabout at our annual flower festival which ran from May 30 to June 7 this year. Are you marking your calendar to attend next year's? I am!