14 A Horrifying Find On My Curly-Leaf Parsley

I've had this beautiful curly-leaf parsley plant for two years now. It was grown from seed. I'm always beaming with pride whenever I think of it. It has been used mostly as food garnishing and baked in cookies.

Imagine my sadness at seeing it slowly die, stem by stem, starting two weeks ago. There was nothing I'd done differently. Living in a high-rise, the only garden friends I've seen are earthworms and little snails. Grasshoppers make a rare appearance. I was flabbergasted.

" Why now ? Was it our change of weather ? Hah, perhaps it's just old age."  I left it at that.

Curly-Leaf Parsley

The reason was discovered purely by accident! I tended to my parsley plant as usual although it was by then, a pitiful sight. Faith kept me going ; a little fertiliser, loosening the soil. As I watered the plant, I noticed a lot a bugs fleeing out in the open! They look like sowbugs.

Sowbug?

Oh gosh, I wondered if they'd gotten to the roots of my parsley plant since I'd never seen them before. After a night of contemplating what to do next, realisation sank in that it was probably best that I start over.  I took the container of soil and solemnly bid farewell to my parsley as I binned it - soil and plant all in.

Bugs On My Curly-Leaf Parsley

Adios, buddy. You will be missed. I speak only of my curly-leaf parsley. :(

12 CocoMelody - Backless Wedding Dresses That Wow

Earlier in the year, I shared a little about my wedding and how excited I was to come across CocoMelody , a professional online bridal wear provider.

I had mentioned a love for tea length wedding dresses and showed some of my favourite picks. However, it never occurred to me how we looked to guests who faced our backs, from the point where we walk down the aisle until the exchange of vows at the altar. That thought in mind, I believe it is equally important to choose dresses that flatter our backs.

CocoMelody has a beautiful collection of Back Interest Wedding Dresses which showcases several low back and open back looks. For the more demure, this lace back wedding dress would be perfect. I love the buttoned detailing.

CocoMelody | Charming A-Line V-Neck Natural Court Train Tulle Ivory Sleeveless
Zipper with Button Wedding Dress with Ribbons - USD146 (60% off)

After running through dozens of designs on the website, it's hard to ignore the feeling that backless Wedding Dresses release an aura of seductive confidence. These are the few that caught my interest.

"If only I was renewing my vows now.." Just the excitement getting to me.

CocoMelody | Fantastic Sheath-Column V-Neck Empire Court Train
Chiffon Wedding Dress - USD169 (60% off)

A little beading adds sexy elegance.What do you think of this dress?

CocoMelody | Classic Sheath-Column Straps Natural Train Lace Ivory Wedding Dress
with Beading and Bowknot - USD452 (30% off)

You can never go wrong with a little lace to amp up the look.

CocoMelody | Classic A-Line V-Neck Natural Train Organza Satin Ivory Sleeveless
Zipper With Button Wedding Dress with Appliques and Ribbons - USD312 (50% off)*

I could go on but there's really too many to share here. So, check out CocoMelody's backless Wedding Dresses 2016 collection at the link provided below:

Go to: http://www.cocomelody.com/back-interest-wedding-dresses

Finally, CocoMelody is running a sale campaign which ends on 30th January 2016. Use the code below to get a discount. Hurry now!

*Price stated is correct at the time of posting.

This is a sponsored post.

This piece is wholly written by me, and all opinions are my own.
Please read the Disclaimer for this blog under Policies.

17 One Night In Ipoh

My dearest friend's sister was tying the knot.

We were thrilled to receive an invitation. Weeks later, we found ourselves on a road trip down to Ipoh for one night just to attend the wedding. We had planned to do a little sightseeing as well. Who knew that it would turn out to be a food sightseeing trip instead!

It began with these yummy snacks, bunga telur (hard-boiled eggs) and cookies that my friend gave us at the wedding do.

Bunga Telur and Wedding Snacks

After the wedding, we took a leisurely drive around places near the Lost World of Tambun and Banjaran Hotsprings to see if we should book a stay there on another trip.

We headed into town for an early dinner that evening. A banner with a picture of this soy sauce baby octopus dish drew us into Restoran Sun Tuck Kee. We ordered flat rice noodles and braised chicken feet to go with it - a thoroughly enjoyable meal. Am I making you salivate with these pictures?

Steamed Baby Octopus

Braised Chicken Feet

Flat Rice Noodles

Sun Tuck Kee Restaurant

There was a local fruit and snacks store along the same road - Chop Wong Yew Kee. We dropped in for a look-see and brought home these goodies! I could not resist buying the chicken lap cheong (Chinese sausage) and pumpkin crackers. It was my first time seeing it. The pumpkin crackers were so yum that my girlfriend and I finished it in one sitting during our chitchatting - this was after I had returned to KL. The lap cheong? It sits in the cupboard waiting for Chinese New Year. That's when I will eat it!

Chop Wong Yew Kee - The Fruit and Snacks Store

Spot The Chicken Lap Cheong and Pumpkin Crackers?

The next morning, we headed into town to dapao (takeaway) the famous Tau Fu Fah (tofu pudding) from Funny Mountain. We breakfasted nearby with wantan noodles whilst waiting for the shop to open.

Wantan Noodles

Behold, the silkiest tau fu fah I have ever eaten!

Funny Mountain Tau Fu Fah

I made my way across the road to order one salted chicken to take away . We drove back to KL that afternoon. The salted chicken was our dinner that day. 

Sin Tat Seng Salted Chicken

Nom nom  ..

About to Be Devoured - Salted Chicken

Writing this post has made me miss Ipoh! I'll be back ....soon, I hope!

28 The Eating Never Stops - Birthday Food!

" The thought of food makes running a marathon through the jungles of Borneo look attractive! " I grumbled in exaggeration to a friend over the phone as we rambled about the the seemingly never-ending feasting we have been made to partake, in the name of tradition and bonding. 

It begins in December with the Winter Solstice festival, followed by several Christmas dos and doesn't end until February, after the Chinese New Year festivities are done with. In between all that, there's several Birthdays to be celebrated. Mine included!

"There, there..", I consoled myself non-too seriously with the knowledge that from March onwards, I would be missing all these and ironically, wishing it was  December again! Funny me! I love food gatherings, but too much of a good thing is like putting too much air into a lovely balloon. It'll reach its limit soon enough.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Here I am at Garden Cafe, Midvalley last week for my Birthday makan (eat). I had a brilliant time with Hubs, whom I sometimes call machoman because of his attachment to Wrestlemania. The day started with little sleep the night before. It was the excitement - friends, family, surprises! I was too happy to get any shuteye.

Oh, check out my Birthday meal!

I went with Chicken Teriyaki, a bestseller. Hubs ordered a roulade, which I remember was yummy but for the life of me, cannot remember the name of the dish.

Chicken Teriyaki

A Roulade

I have always loved coming to this cafe. The ambiance is perfect for long conversations, and the food is good too. It's our (GFs and I) regular spot for shopping breaks.

Garden Cafe, Mid Valley

Garden Cafe, Mid Valley (left) and The Birthday Girl (right)

Me, pictured above, looking like, "Muehehe, it's my special day." Lol.

Back at home, a  florist arrived at my doorstep bearing gifts from my cheeky cousin who'd sent a bouquet of chocolates over, for my complaining jeans! I had posted on FB days before about my pair of jeans begging me to eat salads instead. 

Well, that's just a small part of how I spent my Birthday, which went on for some days. In fact, I have just received another surprise today by mail - another Birthday present, which I will tear open right after this!

Wishing everyone a pleasant weekend!
 

25 3 Bags Full, Kota Damansara - A Valentine's Day Gem

A cosy ambiance, beautiful food and impeccable service - all the qualities for romantic dates and our emotional well-being. 3 Bags Full is a neat little restaurant located in Kota Damansara. The underrated facade gives no clue to the warmth that it will bring to the heart once you step inside.

There are days my moods call for something out of the norm; away from hawker fare and the ABCs. Something to revitalise my spirit. That I saw in the shape of a monster milkshake (picture below) that looked like my plant. Greenery is a mood booster ........ I read it somewhere! It was topped with cucumber and fresh mint; two ingredients that are known to invigorate our senses. I decided there and then that I would come here for the benefits it will bring to my health. You should too. It was good.

Nonsense aside, this is called The Green Goblin. It's a monster milkshake of avocado-bananas sinfully topped with Kit Kat, marshmallows and a macaron along with a flourish of whipped cream. Extremely delicious! My mental health was restored instantly.

The Green Goblin - A Monster Milkshake By 3 Bags Full

And then, there's the other stuff. You'd think I'd be pretty full from the milkshake, but I wasn't. I started with a meat appetiser and ordered two mains. Machoman went for salmon, I had the chicken.

Apple Mint Lamb RM16

Chicken Roulade RM25

Griddled Salmon Fillet RM38

The waitress who took our order was down-to-earth friendly and attentive. I loved her smile.

Not an extensive menu, but the food was good. Personally, I feel that they could have included at least two more chicken dishes for me to choose from - something simple and at a cheaper price (because I love chicken ..haha...).

Food prices were a little steep but this was a special occasion. I knew what I was getting into. It was a soul treatment that I gladly paid for as I would a body massage. I enjoyed my makan (eat) session tremendously.

Here's a pic of the cozy interior.

3 Bags Full - Neat And Cosy

This is a wonderful place for a mental recharge and as you can see, romantic dates too. It is a Valentine's Day gem. I'll be back to try the rest of the monster milkshakes on the menu!

Facebook : https://www.facebook.com/3bagsfull.my
Address : 38, Jalan PJU 5/10, Kota Damansara, 47810 Petaling Jaya, Selangor, Malaysia (a couple of blocks away from Sunway Giza Mall)

8 CocoMelody - Dream Wedding Dresses You Can Afford!

I've always been the kind of girl who believed in down-to-earth weddings. A fairy-tale wedding to me is all about heart and goodness. It means not burdening our parents with a marriage ceremony bill, not asking friends and family to subsidize the dinner we invited them to, not starting married lives with a bank debt from an extravagant do. To me, this is the moment to be lavish with love - it's about 'giving'.

We flew our relatives in and told them - this trip and the dinner was on us. We wanted to share our joy with them. We wanted to begin our married life on a good vibe.

I walked down the restaurant aisle with my best friend of ten years. I'm a simple, practical person. People worried about my hair which wasn't salon-styled and what I wore for the wedding, which I had gotten off the rack of a regular boutique. I didn't pay for a rented dress that had been worn countless times or fork out an exorbitant sum for a new one. 

How I wish I'd known about online stores like CocoMelody then! It never crossed my mind to purchase a wedding dress off the internet. A good friend recommended me to this website; I was really impressed with the designs and affordability of the dresses. Keyword: affordability. And the fact that these dresses are new.

Here are a couple of my favourite picks:

CocoMelody | Left: Pretty A-Line Strapless Knee Length Wedding Dress - USD69(60% off) *
Right: Sweet A-Line Strapless Natural Knee Length Tulle Ivory Sleeveless
Zipper Wedding Dress with Appliques and Removable Train - USD134 (60% off) *

Born and bred an islander, a beach wedding had been on my mind since I was a teenager. This was before I moved to the big city. Dreams change. But, should things have turned out differently and the wedding by the seaside made true; if I had to choose a gown, beach wedding dresses would have been my preference.

These dresses are light and airy - perfect for outdoor settings. The material is designed to compliment the Bride's figure so that she will still look ravishing against the gust of wind or breeze.

CocoMelody | Pretty A-Line Illusion Natural Knee Length Chiffon Ivory Sleeveless
Zipper With Button Wedding Dress with Beading and Flower- USD89 (60%Off) *

I personally prefer short wedding dresses or tea-length wedding dresses for freedom of movement. I'd want to be able to stand up quickly to greet the elders as they approach as I feel it is the respectful thing to do. I'm completely in love with this one (pictured below) which I saw from CocoMelody's 2016 wedding dresses collection. It was going  for only USD139, at 60% off its original price!

Which begs the question - why rent when you can buy? It's affordable as you can see from the prices I've shared here. One beautiful dress of your dreams (that you actually own) for your moment of a lifetime. A memento to be kept for next generation.

CocoMelody | A-line Illusion Natural Tea Length Lace Ivory Half Sleeve
Zipper With Button Wedding Dress with Ribbons- USD139 (60%) *

Aah ..although my special day has passed long ago, it doesn't mean that I can't still get a dress. Perhaps a wedding vow renewal at the tenth year mark? That's not too far away.

Meantime, I have good news for those planning to purchase a dress now - CocoMelody is running a sale campaign which ends on 30th January 2016. Use the codes below to get a discount!

*Price stated is correct at the time of posting.

This is a sponsored post.
That said, this piece was written by me and includes a personal account of my life.
All opinions are my own.
Please read the Disclaimer for this blog under Policies.

24 To The Kuala Lumpur Bird Park With The Nephews

My nephews were here for a week and boy, did they bring the sunshine!

I took them to Kuala Lumpur Bird Park one morning.  It's a beautiful aviary garden spanning approximately 20.9 acres of land that's located smack in the city.

Most of the birds roams free and have gotten used to human presence. I say this because they were sneaky enough to come close and bite off a cookie from my little nephew's hand the moment his face was turned the other way. It happened not once, but twice! Cheeky birds.

Here are some photos I took. 

Blue Pheasant

Yellow Billed Stork

Flamingos

Egrets

My nephews were excited, of course. It was up close with the birds. Both of them started mimicking how the birds walked. They followed quietly and slowly from a distance. Too cute to watch!

Nephew Doing The Bird Walk

Although it was a sunny day, we didn't find it too hot to walk about  as the area is well shaded by trees.

Kuala Lumpur Bird Park

Kuala Lumpur Bird Park

There is no shortage of bird food as you can see. One of the Do's and Don'ts, as written on KL Bird Park's website.

"PLEASE DO NOT ATTEMPT TO FEED THE BIRDS 
We strictly monitor the diet of our birds. Wrong type of food may cause serious problems to the birds. Do not attempt to feed the birds on your own without supervision by our authorized personnels."

If anyone is keen, there are plenty of opportunities to do so at specific areas. Proper bird food can be purchased directly from the staff that is stationed there.

Papayas - Bird food

There is also a duck pond with lots of fish. This shot was taken along the path that had a cascading rock fountain. Fish food can be purchased from the vending machine which is located close to the ponds.

Fish

Let me list down the activities that you can do here with the kids - Bird/Fish feeding, watch the Bird Show, play at the Children's Playground, Souvenir shopping (maybe?), Dine at the Hornbill Restaurant in the company of birds.
 
Tickets are priced at RM27 for locals. It's about half the price for kids.

All in, we had a wonderful time here and my brother said that this place was worth the visit. It was a lovely experience to watch the birds. We would have stayed longer but it was lunch time and the kids were hungry.

That ended our bird watching adventure. We zoomed the two boys home.

19 Banana Leaf Rice At Krishna Curry House

Happy 2016!! I'm saying this with fireworks going off in the sky - imagining it, of course. It's been a joyful hectic week with two extremely active nephews around.

My New Year resolution is just to get by January without signing off any document with the year 2015. God knows I've done it year in, year out. 

Right, that out of the way, begins this story of my makan (eat) session at Krishna Curry House. Machoman and I are spoon-and-fork people except when it comes to Banana Leaf Rice. How can I say this. There's this extra yumness to our meal when eating with hand. Maybe it's the warmth of our fingers or the absence of metal touching our lips .. I don't know.

And then there's Jen, who  raised an eyebrow at me - I know, I know. Hands, right!  That settled, the food was served.

A jovial waiter attended to us. Three fresh banana leaves were slapped onto the table; he proceeded to spoon rice on to it. Then, the curries were brought out. Cukup?  which means 'enough?' was asked several times as he scooped ladlefuls of curry onto our rice.

This is a picture of Jen using her hand to eat. I giggled at her attempt to do it prettily.

Jen, doing it daintily!

Banana Leaf Rice is basically white rice served on a banana leaf along with an assortment of pickles,  vegetables, papadum and curry gravy. Here's what my meal looks like.

Banana Leaf Rice

The salted dried chili pepper (pictured below) isn't as spicy as it looks. It's like adding that bit of salted fish to our rice. Good stuff!  

Pickle, Chutney, Salted Dried Chili Pepper

In addition, we ordered mutton curry and a fried fish cake. We also tried a cup of flavourful crab rasam.

Vegetables, Fried Fish Cake, Mutton Curry

Krishna Curry House is a nice spacious restaurant  with a laid-back atmosphere.

Krishna Curry House, Petaling Jaya

The bill came up to RM60+ which I thought was reasonable, although not affordable, considering the extra dishes we ordered.

Here's the restaurant address, in case you're keen to try: Jalan SS9A/14 Seri Setia Section 51A, 47300, Petaling Jaya, Selangor.

Have you eaten Banana Leaf Rice before, and did you like it?