itu + ini

simple lovely things

2012-01-18T16:13:00.000+08:00

Kinfolk Volume 2- my last online purchase on 2011 and it arrived sometime last week. I've yet to devour every single page but am already in love with what I've seen so far.

This is one very lovely magazine about small, simple and lovely gatherings with dear friends. It inspires one of my 2012 resolutions to hold dinner parties for close friends and families on our lawn, under the starry night sky, eating delicious home cooked meals. Would you like to come? :D

All those postcards and small prints that I brought home from Amsterdam and Paris, and some other trinkets bought during our travels have been kept away, only occasionally visited whenever the feeling of missing those traveling days hit. I decided to paste them on the wall during the weekend, and we just smile every time we walk pass by them now.

I craved for steak one night and this one was perfect.

At times, I really miss the banana and Nutella crepes I had Paris. The best were the ones sold by a stall across the road from the Eiffel Tower, next to a gigantic carousel. It was so good that I had two!

I attempted at making one myself and it turned out yummy although not as scrumptiously yummy as the ones in Paris- hah!

the day before all the la-dee-duhh begins

2012-01-03T10:39:00.001+08:00

another post on food? yup! because that was exactly what we've been doing during the much-needed long weekend- eat!

mushroom risotto- mmm...

THE pavlova.

smiley smiley, yummy itty bity bite..

ngapp time. mouthful of creamy, marshmallowy and berry goodness. yumm umm-umm...

real ngaaapp time! hahaha!

my closet sale has been going really well- thank you, ladies! all are packed and ready to be mailed *woot woot!

p/s: I wore the same scarf again- I know! it's my current favorite ;D

Hello 2012

2012-01-02T00:52:00.001+08:00

These are the takes from our last day of 2011. We ended the year with simple, delicious and fulfilling food from some of our favourite places- yumm!

Lunch at Fat Spoon. We both had the Nasi Kampung, really loved the tamarind prawns and belacan long beans. The ice blended minty lychee was very refreshing- mmm.. And oh, that's my new bag- the Thunder tote by Fieldguided which I absolutely adore. It is so pretty and so dreamy.. (^-^)

We had these scrumptuous chili crabs at Fatty Crab for dinner. They were divine! If you're up for a very fun foodie adventure (see that hammer thingy?) and if it is crabs that you're craving for, this is the place to be.

How was your last day of 2011, by the way? Did you do anything fun?

31st December of 2011

2011-12-31T15:02:00.002+08:00

I have been toying with a few ideas on doing a "fancy" final blog post for this year for quite sometime now but a realization just struck me that a simple post on reflection would be more fitting. And that's what I'll do.

Year end often brings the need to reflect on what and how the whole year has been for us and this year, that need feels much stronger. I am everyday thankful to Allah for my marriage, my husband and his great presence in my life; I am so grateful for the health of my husband, my family and myself; I can now scratch Paris from my long list of places that I dream of traveling to *yeay! ; we moved into a great house which we now call home; and above all, I am thankful for the strength, stability and calmness that 2011 has brought to us in a bigger scale than the years before. Both of us live off our far-than-fancy paychecks, in a place far from our families and their generosity, with commitments that I often times wish are only nightmares. And frankly, it has been an adventure. However this year, the hard days have started to feel a lot lighter and we feel that we can now slowly breath a sight of relief, Alhamdulillah.

THANK YOU for being readers of the blog. The blog is one of the things that I hold very dear to my heart and this is where I have decided, with an open but sometimes nervous heart, to share some great chunks of my life with all of you. So far, it has been great and I have truly enjoyed making friends with the people that I have never met but who share and appreciate the passion that I have for life and arts- THANK YOU.

I'm not big on yearly resolutions but I did make a list of the things that I hope to do and accomplish. Nothing fancy, only simple but hopefully, fulfilling things. Here's praying and wishing for a generous, calm and blessed 2012. Until then, have a great weekend and HAPPY NEW YEAR to all of you!

and the sale is up!

2011-12-29T14:50:00.001+08:00

yello jello! apologies for taking sometime to post this but alas, here it goes. all of the items are in excellent condition, I promise :D these were either worn once or never at all. have a look here and buzz me at harith_hiliza(at)yahoo.com if you'd like to chat about it. let me know! *heee...

p/s: I'm in the midst of sorting out a few more items and will add those from time to time.

she who has been away never really left

2011-12-16T11:40:00.001+08:00

it's just that life has gotten the better of her. and her blog.

now, let's see what she's been up to shall we?

how cute are those tiny little toes? we went to a Thai restaurant during one of the weekends with my family to celebrate my little sister's UPSR result. well done, Yaya- we're SO proud of you!

stopping by for a quick bite on our way back to KL. had really yummy kaya & butter toasts with 3-layer tea- mmm...

celebrated our second wedding anniversary with South East Asian food (talk about weird cravings!). had lunch at Du Viet Vietnamese restaurant in KLCC. overall, the food was just OK though. we dined at Amarin. had our favorite Thai steamed siakap with lime and chili dressing- ever so yummy! and that's my favorite drink- mint and lychee "something something"

some scenes from the house. laundry to be dry-cleaned. new wooden bamboo spoons to add to my wooden cutlery obsession.

my new purchases. I'm obsessed about white tops and this has got to be my favorite so far. Farid and I are going on a gastronomy-filled date this weekend and I'm planning to put these on. oh, I just can't wait! \(^-^)/

did a wardrobe spring cleaning while I was away from blogging. looks like I have been spending my money on impulsive buys and ended up having these (and more which are not pictured here). so, I'll be doing a little "shop my closet" sale soon. are you interested? let me know ;)

and here I am (we are)

2011-12-05T14:37:00.000+08:00

// WE ARE TWO //

bits of my weekend

2011-11-15T10:22:00.000+08:00

licked off spoonfuls of Nutella from the jar on Saturday while watching Masterchef Australia marathon. my house is a bare mess, can you see? (making mental note: that bare wall is in dire need of some arts ASAP!)

had a very rustic lunch on Sunday at Salero Negori in Amcorp Mall- yumm! everything in the restaurant is vintage and old. and for sale! and yes, I was very tempted...

ta-daa! my new vintage art deco chair from the Amcorp Mall weekend flea. I've no idea who the designer was or what it's called, but from the looks of it, this chair is from the 1950's. shopping was absolutely NOT in the plan as I was broke, but for only RM70 post-bargain, I'd be a fool to refuse this. it's in a sturdy condition save for some chips and wear due to its age, but very comfortable. now, I need to go find a foot stool that matches ;)

how was your weekends? did you do anything fun?

p/s: sorry I was away from the blog the whole week. it was a total bleurghh for me, that's why.

randomness never hurts

2011-11-03T12:42:00.003+08:00

oven baked potatoes. an example of very simple but fulfilling and yummy dinner at home. we love it with creamy mayonnaise and spicy chili sauce (our favorite is Heinz).

wordless Monday

2011-10-31T09:57:00.001+08:00

blame it on my wild heart

2011-10-25T14:51:00.005+08:00

I had so much fun popping into the many interesting shops in (mostly) Amsterdam and Paris. They almost always left me smiling widely in awe and excitement every time. The variety of selections and quality of goods was amazing. My shopping conscience was pretty all set earlier on in preparing $$ for the trip. I'd like to share some of my favorite purchases from the 2 great cities if you'd like to see:

Fog Linen Work pouches- I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw these at Leafde in De Negen Straatjes. The linens are so pretty and I still cannot convince myself to put them to good use yet. They're too precious!

Leather bag from Caroll, Paris. A great bag was in my must-find-and-must-buy list and I stumbled upon this gem in Saint Germain, sitting prettily behind the shop's display window. We popped in, inquired about the price, inspected the bag, said "OK", paid for it, filled in the VAT form and walked out of the shop with my new purchase. A huge grin was plastered on my face throughout the day ;p Happy day!

My vintage and handmade purchases from Juffrouw Splinter. The cotton throw was knitted by the shop owner's grandmother and as you can see, it is very lovely. It's been keeping me company during rainy days (^-^)

These are some of my loot from De Waldaad. They're not vintage but made to look very much the part. I really love the iron and ceramic hooks and wish I had bought more. I did shriek a bit when I found the cake stand, have been looking forever for it.

I bought these cotton fabric cuts from Albert Cuypmarkt. Aren't they gorgeous? I really must kick myself. Really should have bought more! T_T

We bought this Scratch Map in a shop whose name I no longer remember in Amsterdam. The map was such a huge hit among the bloggers when it first came out and it was such a nice coincidence to have found it during our travel. Yippee!

This vintage wooden embroidery hoop was from Marche Aux Puces de Vanves and it was my only purchase from the flea. It is very cute, isn't it? Wish I'd arrived earlier and bought more.

This purse was my biggest splurge during the trip. Just like the bag, a great purse was one of the things in my must-find-must-buy list, and so I found it and bought it ;D

Remember Laura and Anton? The Parisian duo that performs in front of Shakespeare and Company? Well, I bought their CD for 10EUR and it has 8 really beautiful tracks. I listen to them whenever I-really-miss-Paris moment strikes ;)

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~~There are more and I wish to do another post about them. Would you mind? Coming back and read/ see about the trip again?~~

So, this is it. The end to my blog posts about the trip. I hope you’ve enjoyed your time visiting and reading about it as much as I did. Europe, you are surely and will be sorely missed. I look forward to the day when I buy those tickets to see you again.

the weekends

2011-10-18T16:01:00.003+08:00

Everyone has been so sweet and kind about the posts on my Europe trip- THANK YOU and HUGS! I do have one more post to blog about but I'm going to save that for later.

Before these become old news, I'd like to share some bits of my past weekends which were spent mostly bookworming at the super cheap and gigantic Big Bad Wolf Book Sale for 2 consecutive weekends. We had my sister over during the last weekend and we brought her to Fat Spoon on Saturday for yummy lunch (and dessert!) before headed for some home-improvements shopping ;p. I had a sudden craving for delicious Asian dishes on Sunday so we headed to Amarin and had some of the best Thai cuisines for dinner. "What a great discovery and money well-spent", we thought.

Fat Spoon Cafe. I had steamed chicken with spicy lime and coriander dressing, Farid's was nasi kampong and Chicik had sambal fried rice. We also ordered the homemade popiah for the sides. We had banana and cempedak spring rolls with vanilla ice cream for desserts and they were so, SO good! Simply a must-try!

Simple dinner on Saturday

Big Bad Wolf Book Sale- some of the loot from our first trip. I got several more on our second visit but the selection was quite limited as it was the last day of the sale.

Post-bookworming- ice cream and planning another dream gateway..

Amarin- we really loved the tom yam goong. Hands down, the best tom yam I've ever had. The steamed siakap with ginger lime and chili was the biggest hit. It was VERY delicious- the fish was so fresh and the broth had us all salivating for more. No picture though, sorry!

Did you have a nice weekend? I'd love to know ;)

stay hungry. stay foolish.

2011-10-14T10:08:00.006+08:00

I didn't want to blog about this earlier when it happened but it finally hits me that I really should.

Thank you, Steve. For the many great things you did for us and for this:

"Your time is limited, so don't waste it living someone else's life. Don't be trapped by dogma- which is living with he results of other people's thinking. Don't let the noise of others' opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already knew what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary."

An inspiring excerpt from his commencement address to Stanford University in 2005.

Read the rest of the text here.

May you rest in peace.

Picture

Paris je t'aime

2011-10-12T15:07:00.011+08:00

Paris was every bit as decadent and lovely as I had always pictured it in my mind all this time. It is full of centuries-old charms and patina, and is truly, truly breath-taking. I would dream and read and plan about visiting Paris everyday, all day. I would literally felt my breath shorten whenever I see beautiful pictures of Paris. Being able to finally step foot and see Paris was absolutely a dream come true for me. No word will suffice to describe my gratitue for this gift, alhamdulillah.

The weather was perfect during our visit- sunny and breezy all day long. We knew that it would be impossible to cover all grounds for a mere 4 day-stay so we picked out places we'd like to see and things to do much earlier.

We did the most cliche of it all (well, why not?)- gigling, posing under and going up the Eiffel Tower. Despite of the crowd, it felt so romantic up there and the vast view of Paris was simply splendid. The lift ride to the second floor costs 8.20EUR and 13++EUR for the top floor.

We journeyed out a bit and went to Versailles. It has always been in my Paris must-visit list and true to my expectation, Versailles is magnificiently grand and beautiful. We paid 18EUR each for entrances to the chateau (palace) and jardin (garden). I cannot say enough of the magnitude of grandness of both. The interior decor of the chateau is the cherry on top of any French decor and the jardin is the whale of all gardens.

We had a lunch picnic at the chateau courtyard with food cooked and brought from home. We went on rented bicycles around the huge jardin and had ice creams. I wish we had more time to spend here to lay around the green grass and go boating in the lake. Next time, perhaps? ;p

We stopped by the Louvre on our way back from Versailles. We felt tired from the earlier trip and decided not to go into the museum. Something that we're saving for our future trip *winks We purposely chose to leave Paris on a Saturday so that I'd be able to check out one of Paris' famous weekend fleas, la marche aux Puces de Vanves. This one is way smaller than the gigantic la marche aux Puces St-Ouen de Clignancourt. We woke up early on the last day to pack and left the apartment shortly before noon. I somehow misread the opening hours, thinking that it would last until late afternoon and was therefore unlucky because the flea actually ends at around 1-2pm. When we arrived, all the vendors were already packing up and getting ready to leave. It was such a frenzy.

With the remaining goods still left unpacked by some of the vendors, I asked and bargained but didn't pursue further as the prices were too steep. There were some really nice vintage paintings and picture frames but too expensive for my budget. I saw some really nice vintage wooden hangers but before I could even touch any, they were quickly snapped by a French women in front of me T_T I left with only a vintage tiny wooden embroidery hoop which cost me 5EUR post-bargain. "au revoir Paris"

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On a rather slightly unpleasant note, I'd like to share a couple our personal experiences in Paris which left us (me, mostly) feeling sad and frustrated for days.

Despite all the beautiful and charming things that Paris presents, safety was an embarrassingly one of the major discredits to the city. We nearly fell into becoming victims of mafia-controlled pickpockets, who were mere little girls in the metro train. Alhamdulillah, a couple of undercover policeman busted their attempt before any unfortunate event took place. It was such a horrible experience- we were so scared when they surrounded us two and not a single Parisien in the train said anything to warn us although they knew. The aftermath left my heart pounding so hard, I was terrified and so angry, my body trembled non-stop and I was almost on the verge of bursting into tears.

As a Muslim traveler with scarves around my head, I have never felt unaccepted in my travels but the Parisien has greatly succeeded in making me felt so. What a shame! Putting on a brave face and all the negativity aside, taking it all in a stride, I walked tall and went on and continued admiring Paris.

These are some of the "encounters" we had, which in a way served as a great lesson for us personally. Some of you may have experienced the same or worse, or none at all. I thank God Almighty for keeping us safe and strong, and my husband for being such a great, funny and protective travel companion.

I am still very much in love with Paris. I do hope to return someday and see Paris again. I still have a lot in my must-do's and must-go's lists that I wish to fulfill. InsyaAllah :)

Paris oh la la!

2011-10-10T15:11:00.015+08:00

bonjour Paris!we rented an apartment at Rue des Goncourt. it sits in a beautiful centuries-old Haussmanian building on the sixth floor (with no lift!) and has the most amazing view of Paris rooftop. we had dinners on the balcony and they were ever so lovely and romanticthe lovely Shakespeare and Company, and Lauran and Anton playing music and singing up front. I didn't want to leave but had too ;)

our favourite patisserie downstairs. we popped into this bakery everyday and I always got my favourite buttery palmiers- yumm! I really miss it..Merci has always been in the list and it was the first shop we went to in Paris. as vastly written about, it was indeed lovely and full of charms but the price tags were just too much for my purse (and my husband's wallet) to handle the purse that got me hooked at Merci

we were off next to APC. the clothes are so pretty and very well made, but really pricey. well, everything in Paris is too pricey T_TLes Enfants Terribles- the restaurant and dinner that we'd been so looking forward to. it is run by two Algerians and serves Halal traditional French cuisines *yeay!

we had- seared duck breast with peach sauce and basmathi rice, seared veal with purple mustard sauce and (the most amazing) french fries, and a big profiterole with vanilla ice-cream and chocolate syrup for dessert. I also had my first ever mojito cocktail which was really yummy!

the breath-taking Louvre at sunset

Bookhou

2011-10-04T16:40:00.006+08:00

I'm taking a little a break from blogging about the trip and wish to share my recent Etsy purchase, a wall art printed linen 2012 calendar by Bookhou. The idea of a fabric calendar is so appealing and the prints are so adorable. 2011- how time really flies!

Amsterdam: Photo Diary I

2011-10-04T09:09:00.012+08:00

Amsterdam is a city that rewards aimless wandering. Narrow alleys contain random art installations. Views shift as you mount canal bridges. And the Dutch custom of curtainless windows seems designed to entertain flaneurs*

Scenes from our many strolls. Getting lost in Amsterdam is the best experience ever. Enjoy, feast your eyes and your wandering hearts! (winks)

Leafde- one of my favourite shops in Jordaan. My loot- a couple of handmade natural linen cases by Fog Linen Work. Happy days!!
Next door to Leafde is Juffrouw Splinter. My loot- a couple of vintage tea cups and saucers, a couple of vintage 1930's traditional Dutch biscuit plates and a gorgeous hand-knitted cotton throw. Love this shop!
De Negen Straatjes- my favourite shopping streets. They really stunned me. Love!De Waldaad- another favourite shop of mine at De Negen Straatjes. It stocks amazing home decor items. My loot- ceramic knobs and hooks ;)
We bumped into the Spui Art Markt on a Saturday morning stroll. My loot- a gorgeous tiny handmade etching print. Precious!
well, need I say more?

* Zora O'neil, Lonely Planet's Amsterdam Encounter

Amsterdam: our abode

2011-10-03T08:50:00.019+08:00

We decided to rent an apartment in Amsterdam so that we would be able to put on simple cookings and simply feel at home in a foreign city. This was our first experience and it had been nothing short of lovely.
The apartment is located in an area called De Pijp (pronounced as "de pipe"), a lovely neighborhood and home to one of Amsterdam's famous markets, Albert Cuypmarkt. We were really taken by how spacious, spotlessly clean and very well-equipped the apartment was. The trams pass through just across the road and this really made mobility an absolute convenience. Interestingly too, the apartment sits on the first floor atop a bento and sushi restaurant. I'd like to share the pictures of our rented apartment which I found on Airbnb and some scenes around " our home" and the area. Enjoy!

"we're home. yeay!"the huge terrace. we had a lovely, hearty breakfast here on one of the sunny and breezy days. the pastries were from a Halal bakery shop across the streetthe view from our bedroom balcony

our street

the staircase leading up to the apartment was very steep. it was freaky in the beginning but we got used to it eventually

getting take-away pizza for dinner from Paolo's pizza parlour downstairs. this must be the best margherita pizza I've ever had in my life- bonissimo!

scenes from the Albert Cuypmarkt. it's just a few minutes walk from our street and sells amazing things. happy days! one of the many chocolate drinks we had- yumm! dear Moose, thanks for the tip ;D

the Trip: in polaroids

2011-09-25T15:49:00.023+08:00

HELLO! I must be having a terrible post-vacation blues that I've neglected to blog earlier and it's a bit odd to blog on a Sunday although I've done that in the past. But hey, I feel like it and so here I am ;)

We took a lot of pictures of the trip, mostly digital but I'm going to start with the polaroids. We brought 2 cameras- a polaroid and my ever-reliable Canon digicam plus my iPhone and my husband's. He bought me this on the day we were flying off and it's been on my wishlist for a while so big *yeay! to that. The films are so expensive though and I'd been quite selective and careful while snapping around Amsterdam and Paris with it (I did wasted a few in the beginning *boo!). I really love how saturated the colours are and dreamy the pictures turned out. Although I cannot say the same about some of the digitalised outcome of these. Sorry that they're a bit grainy and darker than the original films. Anyhow, enjoy!

AMSTERDAM

Hello Amsterdam! This was taken at Schiphol Airport on the day we arrived. We landed at 6.10am. Can you tell how giddy I was? Yup, I know ;p The Damsquare. I really loved it here, despite it being a tourist magnet cliche.I really loved the square's ancient hand-laid bricks. There were days when we had Turkish kebabs for lunch sitting at one of the many tiled concrete benches there while people-watching and feeding the pigeons. Those times were absolutely lovely and I'm really missing them.

Us at the Waterlooplein Markt. I had read about it earlier and as luck would have it, we bumped into it by accident when we got into the wrong tram. It was very windy and cold that day.
The many beautiful canals and some of the many breath-taking places in Amsterdam. Getting lost while strolling was a lot of fun and we could never enough of it save for the sore achy feet.
Amsterdam Centraal
Dutch cats are huge! I was dying to bring one home ;p
De Waldaad, one of my favourite shops at De Negen Straatjes (9 Little Streets). It sells some of the most quaint quirky things that I'm very, very fond of.
Amsterdam has some of the most beautiful Vespas and this red found at De Negen Straatjes was one of those.
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PARIS
Bonjour, Paris! We took the Thalys train to Paris from Amsterdam and the 3-hour journey went on in no time at all.
The breathtaking view from the balcony of our apartment. I took this on the day we were leaving Paris with the very last film we had and it turned out amazing. I really love the Haussmanian architecture that surrounds Paris.
Well, if it's not the Eiffel Tower ;) We got tickets to the second floor and being up there made us felt like we were on our second honeymoon. It was very romantic *woot woot!A trip to Merci on our first day in Paris. I've been dying to go since I first read about this shop a few years ago. The interior was truly amazing but the price tags literally murdered my curious soul. Literally :'( Hence, I left empty-handed.
Shakespeare and Company has always been on my Paris must-visit list. And voila!, there we were ;D
This group is called Laura & Anton. They perform in front of Shakespeare and Company and they're very lovely. It made the journey finding the bookshop worthwhile.A little shopping at Champs Elysees which left a huge dent in my purse *wink

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I cannot wait to share the rest of the digital pictures we took and a story about the trip-, my experience, the good and the bad. Till then, much love and have a great Sunday ;)

well, hello there!

2011-09-21T15:48:00.003+08:00

Just wanted to pop in for a quick "hi!". I'm back at work today, am still adjusting to the timezone and feeling so sleepy right now. I didn't get to sleep on the appropriate times since I'm back 2 days ago, so I guess that'll take sometime. Will blog more with pictures later. Right now- work, work, work!

a big HELLO from Amsterdam

2011-09-12T04:44:00.002+08:00

well, hello! apologies if I've left anyone high and dry for updates on the blog ;p I did not bring my laptop along for the trip, just the iPad. it's a bit difficult blogging with this tablet but thankfully I've downloaded Blogger for iPad, so it's a lot easier now. no pictures though, sorry about that. but I have those my Instagram in case you'd like to see ;)

so, it's the fifth night of our stay in Amsterdam and it has been nothing short of amazing. everywhere we go and everything we've looked at so far have been truly great. my feet are aching from the many walks and strolls we've had for the last 5 days. but my heart and my head tell me not to stop but to keep strolling. we had to stay in last night as both of us were so tired to walk.

we're so in love with the city- it's amazing and quaint architecture, the receptiveness and helpfulness of the people, shops that are so unique you wish you had had a million Euros to spend, Dutch cats that are so big and seriously cute, the abundance of bicycoholics on the streets, beautiful canals and the boathouses, the temperamental weather, arrays of grocery items at the fresh markets you wish you could bring all back home, the flowers and blooming florists everywhere you go- ah!, public transportation system so efficient that makes mobility equally efficient, our rented apartment, its terrace and the view and so many more!

2 more nights to go and I'm really hoping for time to go by so slowly. we're definitely going to miss this city so much. I had very little expectation but now filled with this throbbing love for Amsterdam and wish I'm rich so I can come back anytime I want ;p

I haven't been to any of the museums. don't feel like doing so. the strolls and scenes are too precious to let go..

till then, perhaps I'll pop in again later to tell you if I change my mind :) daa!

today's the day and tonight's the night

2011-09-06T15:19:00.006+08:00

.. and we'll be flying off to Amsterdam in less than 10 hours from now!
We finished packing at around 1 am last night and there are a couple more items that need some last-minute shoveling into the luggage bags. I'm really terrible when it comes to packing light. I would pack the whole closet if I could ;p and I always (always!) overpacked beyond the List. But this time around, I've been giving myself a hard lecture about packing only what I need and what I would actually wear.

Can't really promise that I'll blog all the time, but will try to pop in now and then, whenever I can. Do peek into my Instagram for instant pictures ;)

Pray that we'll fly off and arrive safely, will you?

Will definitely be missing my family and the cats. Here's Comot. She's such a fluffy ball!

Eid al-Fitr

2011-09-05T11:23:00.009+08:00

I've been meaning to blog during the last few days of Ramadhan from my hometown but the Internet connection was a total letdown hence the no posts. Apologies for that ;)

Regardless..

I'd like to wish all Muslims "Salam Lebaran Mubarak" and hope you had a great time celebrating Eid al-Fitr this year. Here are a couple of pictures of my husband and I on the first day of Eid. We wore soft pink this year ;D The last one is of my baby sister, brother and I. These were taken shortly before everyone received their duit raya packs except for moi ;'(

Err..I also realize that I owe the blog the promised sneak peeks of our apartments in Amsterdam and Paris. My husband and I will be flying off tomorrow night and I've decided to post about them later when we're finally there. Makes more sense, I figure ;p

Ok, off I go. Loads of work to do, luggage bags to fill and stuff to get before we depart. Time really flies and I'm so nervous (I get that all the time) and excited at the same time (!).

Oh, did I mention that I just had my (not so wise) wisdom tooth pulled out yesterday? I've been suffering the toothache since first day of Eid! It was such a nightmare not to be able to eat properly :'( But all is fine now, alhamdulillah ;D

In case you'd like, you can check out my Instagram to see more pictures *heee..* The link is available on the top left sidebar of the blog. Happy browsing!

where art thou?

2011-08-24T12:52:00.006+08:00

Apologies for lack of posts. My plate's kinda full right now with workloads and errands that need to be completed before I take off for Eid and of course, the Europe trip (!). heee..

My mom, sisters and baby brother came to visit us and the new house last week. I was craving my mom's delicious asam pedas and she came all the way to KL bringing fresh ikan jenahak for us and cooked asam pedas with it- yumm!! Thank you, mak. YOU are The Best! It was really fun having them around. Here are some of the scenes from last week.

Look who's been shopping ;p

We popped into Vincci Accessories and were delighted to see so many pretty things, like this fabric flower headband my sister tried on

These kitten heels are so pretty

Them

Things have been quite chaotic lately- prepping for Eid and the Europe trip. Two huge undertakings at once. And of course, getting the $$ ready for both :'(

Alhamdulillah, we're slowly but steadily getting everything into place. I'm thinking of sharing some teeny tiny sneak peeks of our visiting accommodations in my next post. Till then, cheers!

and another week begins

2011-08-16T13:42:00.008+08:00

a glimpse at how the house is progressing so far

my favorite top in my favorite color and pattern. dots get me everytime (^-^)

what we had for iftar yesterday

pretty girl

i heart the weekend

2011-08-12T17:28:00.004+08:00

the things I'm looking forward to this weekend:

- wake up early
- clean the windows. they're so cloudy *eww!*
- vacuum the house. I am obsessed with vacuuming, just so you know ;p
- watch movies at home
- unpack some of the books and read on my upcoming travel *weee..*
- cook on my new stove. anyone up for gnocchi this weekend?
- hang the new curtains for the living room
- declutter the guest bedroom and set it all up pretty
- water the outdoor plants and flowers.
- and daydream and secretly wishing for my dreams to come true, insyaAllah

have a great superb fun-filled weekend, everyone!

i miss you like crazy even more than words can say

2011-08-12T16:49:00.007+08:00

a few cute scenes from my past weekend

I'm really missing my baby brother and sister :'(

my baby sister has grown so big now

I took to many pictures of the cats and thought I'd share some here

you may say i'm a dreamer, but i'm not the only one

2011-08-05T12:58:00.003+08:00

So, about the big news. Heee...

I'm so excited to announce that we will be going to Europe in September! We will be leaving in exactly 31 days from today and we're both so psyched about it *shrieks like mad!!*

To where exactly, you might ask? Ahem...
It's going to be Amsterdam and Paris (can I jump like mad crazy now? can I, can I?)

There's quite a story behind all this but for now, all I can really say is- have the biggest faith and always, always, always believe in your dreams. The rest will take care of itself, insyaAllah.

Till then, have a great weekend. We're going back to my hometown, I'm missing my family and the cats so much.

x.

when we were young, we were small but we didn't know it*

2011-08-05T08:54:00.009+08:00

I never liked yogurt before but I really do now (!). I've found the perfect brand that I absolutely love and the perfect way of eating it. yumm!

our nightly rituals- hanging in the bedroom and marveling at the great world wide web. last night, we had fun watching movie trailers on Youtube ;)

the colour contrast between the our bedroom wall, the door and this necklace is great. too bad it wasn't pictured well here

my ever beloved pair of heels. they go wherever I go that they got so worn out now. I ordered a new pair and they arrived last week- yeay!

*a line from a song that I'm constantly humming. it's such a happy song and I love it (^-^)

Salam Ramadhan Kareem

2011-08-03T14:36:00.005+08:00

I'm a tad late but nevertheless, I'd like to wish all my dear Muslim friends and readers "Salam Ramadhan Kareem". It's been going on smoothly so far for my husband and I, Alhamdulillah. And it feels great to be able to celebrate it in our new house, despite of tons of things that need to be done. But we're taking our sweet time with it. We don't wish to be in another stressful state after the move ;p

So, this was what we had last night for buka puasa (break fast). A simple chicken, watercress and avocado sandwich with fresh watermelon and mandarin salad.

This vintage brass buck arrived yesterday. Isn't it lovely?

I found this globe recently and but it's too expensive :'(
Added it to my wishlist though ;p

And oh, I have a huge big happy news to share. It's been around for quite a while and believe me, it's been so hard to contain it any longer. But just a tiny bit longer, okay? Heee..

moving in and moving on

2011-07-29T10:52:00.008+08:00

Moving is really hard. And massively tiring and hurting. My whole body is sore and I have this huge pain in my backs and neck from cleaning the new house yesterday (ouch!). It's not at all as easy and simple as I thought it would be. I just hope everything will turn out great eventually and worth all the pain.

In the spirit of being hopeful and staying positive, I'd like to share a few pictures on the move. We had officially moved into the new house yesterday. I had trouble sleeping soundly as I normally do in new places. But I'm really happy to see all of our belongings are there in the house, though scattered around like slight madness attack.

the retro armchair- restored and reupholstered and looking cuter than a button ;)

our new vintage teak dining table. I fell hard for the wood grain on the solid legs

my favourite flea find. aren't those legs sexy?

my recent etsy purchase- a vintage teak dansk tray. it arrived this morning and left me grinning from ear to ear

a peek at the other side of the living area. we really love how the paint colour turned out. I had wanted a pale grey (and actually thought I had picked one) but this one is slightly blue-y, but it's great. the effect is so soothing and calming. that light needs some upgrade though ;p

a random shot- kitchen clean-ups

this is the fabric swatch for the living room's curtains. it was such a pleasantly surprising find, I'd say. I'm a bit nervous now to see how will it blend along with the room

well, just cause ;)

Here's to bright sun shiny days ahead!

it's almost time

2011-07-22T15:07:00.004+08:00

time to move on, time to immerse ourselves into the abundance of spaces and lights so natural that it makes our hearts skip so many happy beats and most important of all, time to start anew. it's going to be happy days, insyaAllah..

1/2/3

blush

2011-07-15T16:33:00.003+08:00

ooh la la

2011-07-14T14:28:00.010+08:00

Kota Kinabalu- good food and great dive. Every time.

and a happy belated birthday celebration too

not all who wander are lost

2011-07-12T14:25:00.017+08:00

my recent weekend trip to Kota Kinabalu in pictures

perfection

2011-07-04T15:21:00.003+08:00

what a lovely healthy-looking gorgeous silky long locks!
via

bits of my weekend

2011-06-27T10:39:00.016+08:00

Shoving all the craziness at work into a deep dark hole I wish to never revisit (fingers crossed), I must say I had an awesome weekend. The main reason being, it was the payday weekend- ka-ching!!

I think I'm obsessed with cream blushers. This is called Pot Rouge for Lips and Cheeks, and my shade of choice is Powder Pink *yummy*

Sparkly party heels on sale *yeay!*

Once a week- hehehe...

All lit up

Dinner on Thursday night

My new read. Watched the movie and fell completely in love, it's so beautiful but sad. I got so emotional and cried so hard at the end of it. Watch the trailer here

Some tiny progress on the move. Note that these are not even close to being complete and there's a ton more to come *shrieks*

happy feet

2011-06-22T13:27:00.003+08:00

Look what came in the mail for me this morning! These made me so happy and I'm instantly feeling better- yeay!

wonderful Wondermilk

2011-06-22T10:55:00.010+08:00

Yesterday was awful *bleurghh!*. There is only so much I could take. All hails broke loose and I lost it at work. I don't wish to dwell more about it here but I'd love to share these pictures taken during my "recuperation process".

Wondermilk is seriously wonderful *weee..*

hot chamomile tea

pesto chicken surprise sandwich

sloppy hotdog with homemade coney sauce

super fries with pesto aioli dip
sloppy fries with homemade coney sauce. couldn't finish this one off, we were too full

and here I was looking all blotchy and tired :(

of birthday weekend and moving on

2011-06-20T16:02:00.024+08:00

I had a very casual birthday celebration during the weekend. And thanks to my husband, the spa date was superb. Ab.so.lutely superb. I had head-to-toe treatments and it went on for an amazing 3 hours. It got me so addicted now that I'm already thinking of going again next month- hah!

Me beaming post-spa *weeee*

Late lunch

Instant birthday gifts *grins*. I was never really big on make-ups and cosmetics. But I've just converted ;p

Found this at Borders and it reminds me of Julie and Julia the movie. Really love the prints on the cover.

We had to travel quite a bit just for dessert but it was worth it.

Alexis serves THE best berry pavlova ever. Have you tried?

Look who's enjoying it besides moi?

Excuse my expression *winks*

I stained my silk shirt with my new cream blusher *pfftt!!*
-----------------------------------------------------------------

On another (happy) note, we're moving- yeay!! After years spent living in an apartment, my husband and I are super psyched to have more space and living on the ground this time around. It is such an exciting prospect for us. Personally, I'm thrilled to begin the decoration and I hope to share some photos of the house once we have finally settled in.

So last night, we started with the first box and packed all the books. We just can't believe that we've accumulated so many over the years. There are still more scattered in the bedroom and old boxes in the storeroom ;p

Some of my vintage collectibles. Can't wait to have them displayed around the house.

We ended the first official packing with a simple supper.

So that's my weekend spent. How was yours?

let's get fat

2011-06-18T00:32:00.009+08:00

We headed to the much-talked about Fat Spoon Cafe after work on Friday and agreed that the buzz was indeed justified once we stepped inside. The small cafe has quite a unique ambiance, combining vintage modern decor. I love the mixed-matched chairs and dining tables, and the old trinkets laid around. The ambiance is so laid back that we almost felt at home during dinner. And the food was not bad at all- I had flat rice noodle in beef broth with the most succulent beef tenderloin slices and meatballs, while Farid went for the asam fish belly with rice and fried mackerel. We even had double servings of dessert- banana spring roll with vanilla ice-cream *yumm!*

Instagram has got me all addicted and I couldn't resist snapping around during dinner. It's just so lovely, you must really go. Here's a peek-

I've got a birthday spa treat tomorrow- am psyched and nervous at the same time- it's my first ever spa date and it's going to be a 3-hour session *haaa!!!*

Have a great weekend, peeps!

28 years ago today

2011-06-14T23:51:00.010+08:00

I was born. It's been quite a journey, I must really say. I owe this life greatly to the Almightly God. To my mom and my dad, thank you for loving me and shaping me into the person that I am today. To my soulmate, my best friend and my love, thank you for your unfaltering love, endless support and generous, generous heart. To the many beautiful people in my life, thank you for accepting and acknowledging my existence in yours.

We have yet to formally celebrate but here's a little humble sneak peek of the highlights of my birthday so far. I fell sick on the day itself (pfft!) but these really made my day *grins*

And of course, my new iPhone 4 is the best birthday present e.v.e.r!

bits and pieces

2011-06-13T15:56:00.010+08:00

DIY mini flags on toothpicks for a special yummy project

dragon fruit leftover. or none.

a pretty hand bouquet for a bride friend

my first ever piece of macaron. a little bit too sweet though

the heavenly slice of tiered berry pavlova. I can never get enough of this

what a burger. those shoestring fries are truly addictive!

how p-interesting!

2011-05-31T10:58:00.004+08:00

Following countless amount of oohs and aahhs and I-want-this-too's, I have now happily pinned myself at Pinterest. And let me tell you, it is so addictive and I'm totally hooked! Feel free to follow me and my new catalogue of musings. Here's a peek.

today

2011-05-26T21:58:00.015+08:00

was a (pretty) good day

got my first ever pair of Raybans. and i was (still am!) in love. the dinner was just decent, but it didn't matter. i was just so in love.

KK in May: Part 1

2011-05-24T11:51:00.009+08:00

So, HELLO there! Apologies for the silence and despite feeling guilty for reiterating that work has been the culprit (again!) but that's the truth. Moving on, I'd like to share a few first shots from my recent trip to Kota Kinabalu last 2 weekends ago. As usual, it was awesome and I had so much fun as far as the-much-needed-soul-rejuvenation goes *yippee!*

This was the morning scene at tamu (morning market) in Kota Belud.
Loving the style of these ladies below. And the amount of fresh produces was just mind-blowing.
And just how cute are these horses riding quietly on that pick-up truck? Shot this on our way back to KK.

I'll share the rest of the shots in a later post. A bit of a warning though; they are going to make you salivate with gastronomic envy ;P

weekend at the beach

2011-05-11T09:31:00.008+08:00

We drove to the East Coast for a wedding on early Saturday morning and headed over to the beautiful Cherating afterwards. It was a short beach weekend gateway but was definitely fun and relaxing. Huge fat thanks to The Husband for arranging this.

So long Cherating, till we meet again..

sparkly nails

2011-05-09T15:43:00.013+08:00

I've always wanted to try this (I wrote about it here) and so I did.

It was just OK though, nothing great. Perhaps I should've spent a bit more and gotten myself a better brand of glitter nail polish. This one was really hard to remove, but all in all, it's a nice first try. Gotta experiment more!

p/s: my fingers are not looking their best in the pictures- boohoo!

let's get pretty

2011-05-05T15:03:00.006+08:00

I'd love to share with you a great beauty blog called The Beauty Department, founded by former MTV reality TV star and one of my favorite girls and who models (yippee!) for the blog Lauren Conrad, beauty experts Kristen Ess and Amy Nadine. The blog is all about everything beauty and pretty- hair, skin, nails, make-ups, etc. I just love how fresh the look of the site is. Drool on ladies and learn well!

via

i dream of

2011-04-26T13:19:00.008+08:00

having this beautiful dress hanged in my closet

getting lost in beautiful places

colorful and lovely walls to look at

having my braids tied with beautiful fluffy pale pink ribbon

waking up in the morning to a beautifully wrapped surprise

feathers intricately drawn and painted on my kitchen linens

sparkles

2011-04-25T14:03:00.012+08:00

The past few weeks at work have been awfully chaotic and tiresome. I'm betting it will still be this week :( So here I am hoping for magical wonders and sparkly days ahead..

a : b : c : d

i got mailed

2011-04-19T11:43:00.006+08:00

the beginning of my affordable arts/ prints collection

From the top, left to right:

Birds in the Bush by Susan Schwake via The Working Proof for Japan

Imagination by Mossiere

Space Cat by Clever Nettle

Only at Nightfall by Obsolete World

making up for lost time

2011-04-18T10:38:00.017+08:00

we had this for brunch on Sunday. The Husband went gaga over it- ha!

dragon fruit slices flushed all the fats away- lalala...

late night snack for Saturday movie night

vintage dresses recently scored adding to my little collection

can you spot the camels on the dress? no? let me show you more then *winks*

scenes from past weekends spent with the family

of late

2011-04-07T11:46:00.030+08:00

magical tiny bubbles appear in my bedroom walls everytime the sun goes down

constantly decorating and re-arranging furniture in Mental Home. and doing some shopping too

celebrated The Husband's birthday last week with our permanent object of desire and love

the beforesand the afters feeling full and snapping randomly at random uninteresting thing

have a great weekend

2011-03-25T17:42:00.005+08:00

Sorry for lack of posts this week. Work has been quite crazy around here at my end. I'm hoping to do something interesting and relaxing this weekend to take my mind off the workload.

Have a great weekend, everyone!

Picture Via

blush

2011-03-23T10:40:00.006+08:00

I thought it would be fun to share what my sister lucked out during our shopping trip last Saturday for her school's dinner party this weekend.

This one's a real beauty, so dreamy and romantic, and the blushing pink tone is just perfect.

p/s: To Chicik, I'm sure you'll look gorgeous in this and have fun at the party!

i have my eyes on

2011-03-17T10:03:00.008+08:00

this handstitched Wiltshire Tie by Anabela. The prints and colours are just too lovely. I might keep this for myself!

this gorgeously eclectic home of Christiane Boerdner and Marcus Gaab. I'm really loving the mixed-matched vintage chairs and wall-mounted bookshelves- simply rad!

this dreamy printed silk kimono

and this camel square-shaped jersey top

now and then

2011-03-14T13:50:00.015+08:00

deep breath. behold. and here goes

last weekend in kota kinabalu a book and a print which I hope will arrive soon the basil pot. it's grown bigger now and has a companion in the form of a cactus

random pics of dinners at home

new cottons. love. love.love.

one of my favourite vintage bags

dim sum in kota kinabalu is the best!heavenly crabs fried with salted eggsvalentine's night spent at little italy by accident. whoops!my favourite ice-cream place last month's big sale purchase

my favourite boy

my favourite little buddies

my favourite furry thing that lives and moves and whose heart is made of goldnot my favourite. the looks lied. big time :(

my heart goes out to

2011-03-12T23:44:00.003+08:00

our dear friends and the people in Japan who's been badly hit with earthquake and tsunami on Friday. Let's pray for their safety and courage to go through this hurdle and let's also find ways to help.

wood accent

2011-03-09T12:42:00.003+08:00

1. 2 3. 4 5.

department of entomology

2011-03-09T11:55:00.002+08:00

This got me thinking of creating a new hobby and collection. Interesting.

Via

Sale: Part 2

2011-03-07T14:31:00.005+08:00

Yeay! I've managed to upload all the photos and details of the rest of the sale items here. Feel free to browse through and let's hope you'll find something that you like.

Monday

2011-03-07T11:58:00.006+08:00

Two of my favourite vintage bags. The front one was thrifted yesterday

Ribbons I made for fun out of some new cotton fabrics while watching 500 Days of Summer sometime a few weeks ago

A few things I'm loving from Tommy's blog. The glitter nail polish is so rad. And I love the dreamy peachy top. Makes me feel like going for a romantic date night with the husband wearing them both.

sale: part 1

2011-03-04T09:59:00.005+08:00

I could never comprehend how tedious it is to do an online closet sale- merchandise clean-ups, photographing, editing, getting all the details right and finally posting them online. That said, I figure I should let you know that I have managed to do all the above but for uploading everything online. So, I've decided to start the sale off with most girls' best friends (or in this case, my former besties)- shoes. More details and pictures here. And FYI, I'm open to negotiate the prices in case you think they're too pricey for you. Let's talk.

2011-02-25T15:10:00.011+08:00

Hiya! I've got news- since I will no longer be required to work tomorrow *yippee!*, I'm planning to do a spring clean of my wardrobe to make ways for, umm, the rest- I'll be doing a sale on my closet items next week! Items up for sale will include tops, bottoms, jackets, shoes.. well, let's just see what I'll be able to find inside the piles. So, stay tuned and you're welcome to come back next week in case you're interested.

Cheers and have a great relaxing weekend!

p/s: and oh no, that is not my warbrobe up there. it's just a teaser- hah!

(source: somewhere in Tumblr but totally unknown)

the formula of happiness

2011-02-25T10:43:00.003+08:00

according to Moritz Resl

[via]

a story of boy meets girl

2011-02-24T10:28:00.008+08:00

Truthfully, I could never say enough about my infatuation with 500 Days of Summer. Evidently, you might have read about it now and then here *hee..* So last night I revisited the film for the umpteenth time, just 'cause. This time around though, I had a small notebook by my side and scribbled in it the things that made me fall in love with the film time and time again.

1. The mood setting of the film. You might think that you know how it will end in the beginning but find yourself pleasantly suprised as the scenes take off and eventually smile all the way to the end.

2. Zooey Deschanel

3. Joseph Gordon-Levitt

4. Their chemistry

5. Summer's hair and bangs and curls and ponytail and headbands and hairclips

6. Summer's wardrobe- vintage, beautiful, quirky and relevant

7. Summer's blue, dreamy, cozy apartment

8. Tom's mid-century modern-meet insustrial, eclectic loft

9. Tom's hopelessly romantic self

10. Rachel- Tom's wise, boyish, brave little sister

11. Summer's encouragements for Tom to pursue his dreams, become better and his obliviousness to it

12. When Summer let Tom drew LA skylight on her arm

13. Carla Bruni's Quelqu'un M'a Dit was playing in Tom's car when he asked for Summer's clarification about their relationship status while on their way to the movies

14. Ikea plays quite a substantial role in the film- love!

15. When they competed who could shout "p*nis" louder in the park, around the public- hilarious!

16. Broken-hearted Tom wrote "roses are red, violets are blue, f*ck you whore!" in a Valentine's greeting card- hysterical!

17. The "Expectations & Reality" scenes at Summer's rooftop party when Tom, hoping for the romance to rekindle, eventually got his heart broken

18. Millie's beautiful summer wedding and dreamy dance floor with all the light bulbs lit

19. Summer looking beautiful and happy on her wedding day

20. Songs in the film

21. How romantic, hilarious and relevant the film is

Pictures sourced from Google

right this second...

2011-02-17T16:41:00.002+08:00

I'm so uninspired despite the many things I wish to share here. For now, excusez moi. I shall be back, hopefully soon..

adorable

2011-02-02T17:26:00.004+08:00

A few doses of adorableness before I take off for a long Chinese New Year break. Drool on..

1/2/3/4, 5, 6/7

Have a great weekend!

i heart scallops

2011-01-26T11:22:00.011+08:00

I've always wanted to know how to sew a beautiful scallop hemline and the talented Hannah Elise of Hetterson blog is so generous enough to share her practical sewing tutorial on making one! Yeay!

Gives me good reason to drag my sewing machine out and start sewing one! I'm thinking of making pillow covers with scallop shams..lalala...

at home

2011-01-20T14:14:00.011+08:00

Today's a public holiday. We're spending the day at home, woke up late, had breakfast of fried eggs on top of toasted wholemeal bread and chocolate drinks, watching TV, reading travel magazines, not doing anything fancy. For lunch, I made a simple tomato + garlic + basil penne pasta. It's a good break..

We had pan-seared marinated lamb leg chops for dinner with steamed carrots and two dips for dinner. It was super delicious!

food galore

2011-01-18T10:17:00.008+08:00

1. Last night's dinner of pan-seared chicken breasts with garlic and thyme, steamed carrots and sauteed chili mushrooms- yuhuhumm! 2. Beef ribs stew I made on Saturday. It was my third time making it and like the saying goes, third's time a charm. It turned out the best of all three- yippe! 3. Ingredients used for the stew. 4. Dessert on Sunday at Delicious. The lemon meringue looked really pretty and inviting but it turned out to be..err..let's just say, not my thing. Too sweet and way too sour for my liking. 5. Hence, I did not finish it. 6. My second trial at the beef stew a couple weekends ago. It was yummy but the beef was hard because I forgot to boil and tenderize it first :( 7. Dinner some couple of weeks ago. Marinated lamb with sauteed french beans and grilled tomatoe slices. Yumm!

sew in love with..

2011-01-14T17:29:00.007+08:00

this gorgeous Singer Featherweight 222K vintage sewing machine

FACT: My dear husband gave me a modern Singer sewing machine last year for my birthday, one that's been sitting neatly in its box, hardly ever brought out to work on its magic. BUT: This beauty just melts my heart. I'm sure it's going to sit so prettily placed anywhere at home, and sews marveluosly..

(The beauty is proudly owned by Tommy. I've always loved her blog and personal style. And now her sewing machine.)

Anyone knows where can I find such a piece here in Malaysia? Do let me know!

And have a lovely weekend, everyone!

a talented girl named Yuna

2011-01-13T16:16:00.003+08:00

Love her dress by Syowir Izwa. It's really nice to see her evolving style- ~~eccentric~~ edgy and practical .

And I still think she should have won.

Pictures credit.

Follow her.

lunch theft no more

2011-01-13T15:18:00.003+08:00

Brilliant

mr and mrs globe trot

2011-01-12T11:30:00.003+08:00

This morning's blog surfing brought me such a delightful discovery of globe trotters Julia and Yuriy Manchik's travel blog. The newly-wed couple, who happen to also be amazing wedding photographers in Seattle decided to travel the world for 6 months shortly after getting hitched in September last year. So far, they have been to France (where the travel saga originally took off), England, Croatia, Montenegro, Italy, Greece, Turkey, Austria, Hungary, Ukraine, Hong Kong and Thailand! Wow, isn't that a.ma.zing?

And the couple shared: "We were originally thinking to travel for a year but realized that we would need a lot more finances than we could come up with. Because of this we started saving early on for our travels. But the biggest financial boost came from our wedding guests. We decided that we didn't want any wedding gifts since we have everything we need and if there is anything additional we want, we would rather pick it out and buy it ourselves. So we created a travel registry where our guests could see what we wanted to do around the world and contribute financial gifts towards our travels."

I'm all inspired now. But first, I need to set up a travel registry for friends to contribute $$ to..

Penang: Part Two

2011-01-11T15:41:00.005+08:00

Overall, Penang is plesantly quaint and full of great tiny surprises- just as I had expected. We had so much fun driving around the many tiny alleys, sight-seeing all the quaint colonial buildings and exploring the island. The guesthouse we stayed at was really lovely and we love every bit about it. Gastronomically, Kapitan's has the best fluffy naan bread and most succulent, juicy chicken tandoori I've ever tasted. Not to miss the lightest and tastiest mango lassi- yumm! I'd say it's my favourite eating place in Penang. We absolutely fell head over heels with the island and made a promise to return as often as we can.

Penang: Part One

2011-01-06T11:49:00.005+08:00

what a year!

2010-12-30T13:18:00.009+08:00

Ahaha! Hello there, it's been so long- I know. Well, cutting the chase short, here's my very brief summary of what I think this year has brought (I'm keeping it super light to avoid acting and sounding all melodramatic ;))

Best discoveries:

1. Living ETC magazine 2. An awesome mid-century modern furniture shop in the heart of Kuala Lumpur 3. Travel magazines 4. Typewriters 5. Never-ending emergence of inspiring blogs- I'm hooked! 6. Sewing

Best movies I've watched and love:

1. 500 Days of Summer 2. Julie and Julia 3. An Education

Best books I've read and love:

1. Khaled Hosseini's 2. Eat Pray Love

Best purchases that are worthy of every penny spent:

All things vintage from flea markets and bazaars around

Best birthday present:

A sewing machine from dear husband

Places I love:

1. Seoul, South Korea 2. Green parks for weekend picnics

Most memorable moments:

1. Waking up every morning and going to bed every night knowing that I'll always be next to my soul mate and best friend 2. The passing of my dear father-in-law 3. Celebrating my birthday, Ramadhan, Eid and the new year with dear husband

So, that's it. Of course there's more to this year than just the above but like I said earlier, hassle-free is what this space needs this time! And oh, dear husband and I'll be heading up North for a short road trip celebrating our wedding anniversary, the new year and trying to see and do as much as we can and eat to our hearts content!

To everyone, Happy New Year and have a great one.

p/s: Have you decided on your new year's resolutions? I do. But I'll share more on that later. One thing for sure though, I need more picnics!

still here

2010-12-03T16:41:00.002+08:00

Apologies for not updating for a month. I've been too preoccupied with life. Don't wanna say much, but I'll see you again soon..

vintage cravings

2010-11-01T11:17:00.013+08:00

things I'd love to own laying around the house from some of my favourite Etsy sellers

old wooden shoe forms

a collection of vintage skeleton keyspaper parasolglobe

glass display globe

silver tablewares

windsor high back chair

glass bell jar, dome and wooden base

rustic wooden divider box

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10.

have a great weekend

2010-10-29T16:10:00.004+08:00

the meteorological department forecasts heavy downpurs throughout the weekend so make sure you stay dry and keep away from the cold. here's wishing everyone blessed rainy weekend!

Dear Dena@cicayanki

2010-10-29T14:36:00.004+08:00

This post goes to you. Here's a peek at the finished custom-made headbands project.

Drool on *heeheee..*

Amongst the things that will be on their way into your arms soon *woot woot!*

Friday House Love

2010-10-29T11:52:00.015+08:00

The great bohemian house of Sarah Illenberger

I'm so blown away by how relaxed this home is decorated and the stunning, quirky things placed around it. Invitingly homey. I could totally see myself living here, enjoying every minute exploring the brilliant and almost hippie-like interior. Sarah has some really great eyes for style, just look at her!

Found via

More stunning interior pictures here

Thursday Marvel

2010-10-28T10:54:00.007+08:00

Gorgeous paper sculptures by Anna-Wili Highfield.

These sculptures of birds are beautifully haunting and hear this- they are all made from cotton papers!

She also makes copper pipe sculptures and they are equally spectecular.

Peek into her website for more magical arts.

Wednesday Jewelry Love

2010-10-27T09:09:00.010+08:00

Those who know me best know that I'm not a delicate-jewelry-pieces-kinda girl. I'm more prone to chunky and quirky pieces of necklaces, rings and bracelets. Here are some of my favourites pieces handmade by some of my favourite bloggers/ jewellers out there:

Odette NY

The Kissing Birds ring is my favourite. Some say that it'll make a perfect wedding ring and I couldn't agree more. Here's a closer look at it *heart melting*

This here is called the Standing Fox ring- how cute! These rings come in sterling silver and gold vermeil.

The Vamoose by Kathryn BlackmoreThe single pom pom necklaces are my favourites. Her quirky jewelry pieces are also made from various kinds of precious stones and they're stunning. Her blog is equally amazing- something you should never miss paying a visit to.

Kate MissThese are the final pieces by the students of her recent jewellery-making class. Oh how I wish there's one here in KL!

Magnifying glass pendant necklaces by Species by the Thousand. Just how magnificent are these? Find more here

Monday oh Monday..

2010-10-25T10:15:00.006+08:00

Depending on the mood and what transpired during the weekends, Mondays can be dreadful and surprisingly awesome at times (read: not all the time). That aside, here's a peek on my crafty weekend bits and a couple shots on fashionable feet on the streets to brighten up the gloomy and dreadful. Cheers!

I was working on some orders from dear friends

Sexy heels and skinny denims Via

Have a Great Weekend

2010-10-22T16:57:00.011+08:00

it's friday and yeay, the weekend's almost here! so i'll leave you to your lovely weekend with a post on all things adorable. enjoy!

adorable Wendy

visit Kate Miss's adorable blog for more on Wendy and never ending dose of adorableness

adorable elbow-patched sweater

super adorable baby Toby. my husband and I just drool over this perfect little dude..my heart hurts- he's just too cute! his mother, Joanna is equally adorable and her gorgeous blog is a daily must-read for me!

and...

my (very) amateur attempt at new fabric flower making- so not adorable!

guess I really need to work harder on it!

Have a great weekend, everyone!

i'm falling for fall..

2010-10-20T13:58:00.004+08:00

fall fashion from Zara

simply fab

2010-10-19T13:34:00.009+08:00

The perfectly styled home of professional food photographer and food stylist, Katie Quinn Davies. It literally sums up my idea of a perfect home- love, love, LOVE! And oh, she has an amazing blog too- one that is sure to leave the tummy growling..

Chic French chignons[1+2: SourceS unknown/ 3]

Dreamy, lovely crochetted doily coasters

[1+2: Source unknown/3/4]

Fab nail polishes I'd love to try

[1/2+3]

yes, i'm still here..

2010-10-19T11:20:00.003+08:00

and to be perfectly honest, yes, the thoughts of ending the blog have been bugging me for quite sometime now. I just can't keep up! it can really get too overwhelming sometimes, not to mention how stressful, needy and frustrating work and overall life have been lately.. it's draining me, literally.

I love this blog, I really do. and I love readers (you!) who keep on coming back and visiting- it means so much to me to have my postings read, adored and even commented on (ooh, that's the best part, really..)

but for now, please know that those bugging thoughts have not gotten the best of me (yet!) so I'll continue my best to keep the blog alive.

thank you for visiting. see you soon!

a place of my dream

2010-09-21T13:11:00.005+08:00

my heart aches wanting badly to be there. I have to and I will.

(stunning captures by Brooke)

Dear readers and my Muslim mates

2010-09-07T15:05:00.003+08:00

Salam Lebaran 1431HMaaf Zahir & Batin

Design Via