18 Let me take a ...selfie. Merry Christmas!

This is really all Rose' doing. She asked to see my selfie pics with the pandas, which I honestly didn't have. If there's one thing I rarely do, it is to take a selfie or a wefie. I'll explain why. I find it a challenge to focus my eyes on the camera while trying to navigate my finger to the button on my smartphone. Haha, I know. Anyway, it is Christmas and I am having a jolly good time. Cindyrina sent me a really lovely gift, in addition to the goodies I won from her blog contest. She is awesome! Meet little blue Smurfette! A WE-fie was in order, surely. After 10 minutes, I gave up trying to look at the camera and just found it easier if...

10 The 1600 Pandas World Tour, Dataran Merdeka

These adorable paper mache pandas caused much excitement at Dataran Merdeka on Sunday. It was an event for selfies, wefies and ...just taking photographs. 1600 Panda World Tour Well, that's not the reason why they were flown in. They're here to pass on a message to you and me about conserving the environment. Merry Christmas, y'all In 2008, the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) worked with renowned French sculptor Paulo Grangeon to launch the 1600 panda campaign. 1,600 pandas were made out of recycled paper. Why 1,600? It was estimated that there were only 1,600 pandas left in the wild at the time. This campaign was organised to raise...

17 JW Marriott's Eco Christmas Tree

A long, lonnnNnnng time ago, I worked for a profitable multinational organisation that took ages to approve anything. Oh, the red tape! But Christmas was almost upon us and while the more established offices were having their fun, we were work weary and serious. I decided a little cheer was in order. So, out I went one evening to hunt for a little tree. I was on a tight budget then. A third of my salary went towards my degree education, the rest to managing household expenses, a car and a home loan. Maggi noodles was my best friend! Even so, I never felt that I was short on anything in life. I have only fond memories of my go-getter days. I...

20 The Big Bad Wolf Book Sale 2014

It's happening NOW! My previous adventures here and here. As you can see, I am no newbie to The Big Bad Wolf Book Sale (BBW). I did mention in my previous blog post that I wasn't doing any holiday shopping because I wanted to save all my money for this sale. Well, this is it - check out my purchases. My BBW Book Stash And if you want tips, I say choose to go on a week day or early Sunday morning. Take a day off if you have to. This isn't just any sale. It's The Amazing Spider-man Big Bad Wolf! My other advice? Bring a trolley bag because you WILL get carried away. You can choose to use the boxes provided by BBW to help you with the books,...

8 Christmas at Pavilion, Kuala Lumpur

A day out in the big city. Two girls, window shopping. That was our goal...plus a small spending budget. "It would be folly to 'squander' our savings on a festive whim," so I thought to myself in the seriousness of a puppy chewing on her treats. The truth is, I really wanted to save every penny for a big book sale we were heading to this weekend. Well, we certainly made good on keeping our hands off our wallets! Did we have a great day then? I describe it as magical. We were consumed by the holiday spirit - this, after seeing a beautiful Christmas tree outside a small boutique hotel. I haven't figured out what exactly it was that hit us,...

10 Journey Into The Chocolate Museum

When it comes to museums, I try to be as enthusiastic as I can. The truth is, without good company and unless 'very' interesting, there's a good chance that I will start snoring in broad daylight. I'm exaggerating, of course. The Chocolate Museum by Fidani is a place I'd been pestering my other half to visit for a long time. Chocolate, being the key to my enthusiasm. I finally convinced a girlfriend to go with me, but had no idea how to get there. My hubby volunteered one Sunday. "I'll show you where it is so you can drive there on your own," he said. When we arrived, it just seemed ridiculous not to take a look around since we were already...

14 Popular's All RM5 Book Fiesta

Books at RM5? It's a recipe for getting carried away! I have never not been tempted by anything good that's sold at bargain price, and this has made me adept at sniffing out best buys. I am, however, nowhere near amazing at it though - not like those guys in Extreme Couponing, a TV show that had me in awe. Anyway, I spent my Sunday morning at Viva Home Shopping Centre. They say the early bird catches the worm and this is exactly how I would describe my experience. I was there before the shutters opened. I grabbed what I wanted in under an hour and marched to the payment counter, free from queue and crowd ;) Popular's All RM5 Fiesta The...

21 Up Goes My Christmas Tree!

I'm a little early this year. Our radio was switched on to Lite FM. They were playing beautiful love songs from the 80s that night. The mood was so right for an activity-filled night. Hubby and I decided to put the Christmas tree up. We went with the purple, pink, blue and silver balls. The gift under the tree is from my aunt - it was given to us in September. Yes, funnily early. I have resisted opening it. An 'A' for patience? Well, I don't want to have NO presents to open on Christmas night! In 2013, I had visualised a tree of gold. But ... I missed the clearance sale for the gold baubles! Next year then, if I don't change my mind ;) Our...

15 Kuala Lumpur : Perdana Botanical Garden's Sunken Paradise

One plot of green remains in front of my apartment. It has been earmarked for the development of a slew of high-rise hotels and offices. At the speed things are going, it's safe to say that I will be living in a concrete jungle five years from now. My heart sobs at the thought of losing the sunset view too. There is one place in the city that still holds the charms of old 'green' KL. That's Perdana Botanical Garden, formerly named Lake Gardens, which has been around since 1888. This is a public park that houses many plant collections like Plumerias, Heliconias, rare fruit trees, orchids and so forth. The Sunken Garden is one of my favourite...

10 My HOMEDEC 2014 Adventure

One of the events I look forward to yearly is the the Home Decor and Design Exhibition (HOMEDEC). It's how I keep in touch with what's new and exciting in the decor world. I'm not planning on renovating my home anytime soon, but I can be moved to make little changes if something catches my liking. Grin.  A house is just a roof over your head. It is the little things we put inside it that makes it a home. Little things like laughter, mementos, hobbies, your favourite colour on a wall, a sofa that has seen your friends, stuff that says 'you'  or 'family' . A home is something you build over the years and holds your greatest memories...

8 LIEBSTER Award from Cindyrina

Thank you, Cindyrina, for nominating me for this lovely award. The Liebster award is a cool way for bloggers to connect with each other and increase 'follower' numbers. It's a virtual thing that is passed forward. To accept the award, just complete the requirements and nominate someone else. There are no judges. It's not compulsory, so accept it only if you want to. Lorraine (Wording Well) has a good write-up on what the award is all about. The rules are simple: 1. Thank the person who has nominated you and post a link to their blog. 2. Display the Liebster Award on your blog. 3. Answer 11 questions about yourself given by the blogger...

8 Guardian Walkathon 2014

It looks like it's about to rain again. But I don't see dark clouds, not through this haze that's engulfed our city for as long as ..  I don't remember the last time I saw blue skies out of my dust-stained glass door. The rumbling noise from above signals that we're in for some wet weather. It's a nice time to blog. Another Sunday has passed. Another one is around the corner. I had a pretty good week. I caught up with an ex-colleague, helped my animal-loving friend who needed to send a pair of cats, which she had gathered from her neighbourhood, for spaying and explored several recipes in the kitchen. A girlfriend stayed over for the weekend....