"I Understand" vs "I'm Worst"

Situation 1.
Person A: I couldn't sleep last night. I'm having a headache and it feels like migraine.
Person B: Why can't you sleep?
Person A: i don't know. It could be coz I drank coffee in the evening.
Person B: You should get some rest. Drink lots of plain water.

Situation 2.

Person A: I couldn't sleep last night. I'm having a headache and it feels like migraine. 

Person B: Owh really? You know what, last 2 days I slept at 10am and woke up at 12am then I couldn't sleep. Then early in the morning I had to drive outstation. I got nauseated and almost vomit after lunch. urgh, it's bad.

Person A: I see. ......

Have you encountered both situations before?

I named each situation as "I understand" and "I'm worst". Sometimes you just wanna share a problem with someone and hope that the person to at least listen and acknowledge it. You don't necessarily want a solution comes out of that person, coz won't it feel better if you tell someone? However, for some people, when they hear other people's problems, they tend to tell that theirs as being worst. They think that it was sort of like a "who-got-the-biggest-problem" competition. I have encountered such people. Sometimes I just get in the game by telling my worst stories. Most of the time I shut my mouth and just listen - what I do best.

Iftar at Rakuzen

Last week 2nd day of Ramadhan aku p bbuka puasa dgn member2 stevens..mula2 nak p Zanmai tapi tak jadi, beralih pula ke Rakuzen kat Empire Shopping Gallery..first time try makan kat situ coz sbelum ni makan sushi kt sushi king je or beli kat hypermarket..tempat dia mmg cantik n cozy..kitorg book a few days earlier, so they give a big table in a room that fits 8 people..good for privacy, so kalau nak borak2 pun mmg comfortable..

while waiting for iftar

in terms of food price, mula2 bila Sureen ckp Rakuzen lg mahal dari Zanmai, n of course lg mahal dr sushi king, ingatkan it'd be more than RM50 for one bento or meal set..rupa2nya mahal sikit je harga kat situ n portion pun sgt banyak n memuaskan..very worth it..rasa macam x puas pun ada sebab x dpt nak rasa semua..al-maklum tgh puasa ni nafsu makan kurang sikit bila tiba waktu berbuka..so, aku cuma order Nabe Udon Salmon set worth RM38..I'm not a pro for Japanese food..but i think the salmon was so fresh!sgt sedap n aku rasa sikit sgt diorg letak..hehe..the udon was good, but i wish they separated the tempura from udon..lotus was good too..but i think the egg pudding(i guess..yg kat hujung kanan dlm gambar bwh ni) x berapa sedap coz i wish it were caramel pudding..haha..overall, sgt mengenyangkan..will come again one day for their sushi and soft crab...

Nabe Udon Salmon set..RM38..

Chicken Katsujyu Zen, RM28

Tenjyu, RM26

Sujiyaki Zen, RM38

Ayam Cajun

Yeay dah tak duduk kat hostel! Dah ada dapur, boleh la masak memasak..but....based on previous experience, rasanya aku suka sgt membazir..beli barang mentah byk2 pastu masaknye skali dua..ye la, sayur plg lama thn dlm fridge pun cuma 2-3 hari..beli seikat bayam..kalau seminggu skali masak, mmg ade la berbaki bayam layuu..ayam pulak enam hari..rempah ratus bagai mane ada jual ciput2.semua beli packet2..pakainye sikit aje..so, i need to find a way to optimize ingredients and tak membazir..on strict budget tu, maybe tak sgt coz sometimes i tend to buy more expensive food coz of its quality.

pandai ke aku memasak?tak pandai pun, cuma tgh cuba belajar2..so, my first try adalah ayam as the main ingredient..tiba2 mood western, so aku malas masak2 yg kena tumis bagai..awal2 ni masih malas lagi, so i tried simple punya recipe..kalau nk makan nasi boleh beli je kt kedai hehehe..mmg simple gile la x sampai sejam pun dh siap..ayam cajun je pun..aku google2 je recipe..

first time aku try mmg a total failure..aku pakai seketul boneless chicken breast..pukul telur and sapu pada ayam tu..sprinkle garam sikit, garlic powder, cajun n thyme..patutnye recipe tu kata salut ngan bread crumb skali, tp aku x beli sbb mcm xde motif lain pulak nak bli bread crumb..aku letak cajun byk gile kot..then dah tabur semua, sizzle atas tefal pan yg baru dibeli (dgn harga bawah RM60!nk sebut jugak coz suka gile pan ni, my first tefal, salah satu penyebab aku smngt nk memasak hehehe)..oh ya, aku x pakai minyak tp pakai butter coz aku suka rasa lemak2 butter yg menggemukkan tu..hasilnya.....super masin ayam cajun!hahaha..aku makan dgn paksa rela cicah mayo..and hey, thyme sgt la x seswai letak kt ayam ni..total off!

In love with mccormick products!rasa mcm nak kumpul semua je hehe

sizzling chicken..the first attempt

masin gile! sampai kena scrape off the spices..

second time try quite a success..aku potong panjang2 chicken breast tu dan sprinkle garlic powder n cajun je kali ni..before that sapu ayam tu dgn melted butter..sizzle pakai butter jugak..perah lemon juice n cicah mayo+chilli sauce..lovin it!baru la sedap..hehehe..simple gile kan?x sampai setgh jam siap..aku rasa kalau masak nasi n lauk pauk satu jam kot aku buat..nak potong memotong, tumis menumis..yg tu belum cukup rajin..mulakan dgn yg paling simple..di sini x ada pembaziran..lettuce tu tahan seminggu n sgt2 crunchy (love!)..buat sandwich pun leh letak..makan mcm tu saja or buat ulam with nasi pun sedap..

almost perfect..suka2 :D

untuk puasa ni, aku buntu jugak sebenarnya..xtau sama ada berselera ke x nk wat benda sama..tapi biasanya dulu nasi panas ngan telur goreng ngan kicap pun sedap sgt utk sahur..berbuka pun boleh..hehehe..tengok la level kerajinan macam mana nanti..anyone ade idea utk masak time puasa yg simple n x menyusahkan leh la sharing2..(silap2 hari2 aku beli kat bazar ramadhan)

Spider webs

gile bersawang draft post ni..aahhhh post je la gambar2 yg aku tempek ages ago..hehehe..

Ho Chi Minh City Trip - Mekong River Tour

The next day after p Cu Chi tunnel, kitorg p Mekong river pulak..We booked with the same travel agency through Gia Huy hotel..Kena bayar VND273,000 per person all-in..kalau mcm Cu Chi, had to pay the transportation and ticket separately..Mekong trip pulak bayar sekali harung..bwk duit utk berbelanja je..nak belanja apa kat Mekong river? keep reading...

Kali ni, tour guide sudah bertukar to Mr Fu..Masa Cu Chi trip he was the one on the first bus that we took..English dia better than Mr Tung, tapi aku lg suka Mr Tung sebab dia byk buat soundtrack yg best2..hehehe..

Mekong river ni took 2 hours bus ride..mmg jauh lagi drp Cu Chi..n the bus took a highway to go there..so, before departing, make sure perut tu x meragam n apa2 yg patut dh dibuang..it took about an hour for the bus to stop at the first destination which is a lacquerware factory (again, but different place)..lepas dpt pegang ular, kitorg gerak ke tempat buat coconut candy.....yg tu lain entry la..to be continued...

group pic!

Ho Chi Minh City Trip - Cu Chi Tunnel Tour

Dah masuk dlm bas, Mr Tung sambung lagi cerita pasal kampung dia kat Cu Chi..and some stories of his family..along the way, the bus stopped for a while kat some random place coz Mr Tung nak beli snacks since dia dah lapar..He bought some fried bananas bersalut tepung pulut..nampak besar2 jugak for each piece..sama je mcm pisang goreng, tapi this one was a bit nipis..quite greasy tapi sedap..Mr Tung beli byk then he sold them to the people inside our bus..VND10,000 for 2 pieces..sringgit lebih je tu..so, eisha n i bought and have one piece each..gambar x amik pulak sebab syok sgt bila layan makan..then Mr Tung mintak VND80,000 each for Cu Chi tunnel entrance fee..

before sampai Cu Chi, lalu kat kawasan kampung..rumah2 kat sini besar2 n nampak la rumah2 lot yg x akan kelihatan kat tgh2 bandar HCM..kubur2 pun bersepah2 kat kawasan rumah, estate or sawah..aku xtau la pulak pasal significance kubur2 diletak kat kawasan2 camtu..kalau sesiapa tau, habaq mai la ye..

dah sampai Cu Chi tunnel, kitorg diberi 5 mins utk p toilet near the entrance..no worry, toilet kat sini bersih n ade air utk mencuci..so, xde la rasa kurang selesa kalau nak membuang..lepas Mr Tung membayar entrance fees, kitorg pun jalan la masuk...

ticketing booth

Ho Chi Minh City Trip - Cu Chi Tunnel Tour - laquerware place

In HCM, you can find a lot of travel agencies that offer Cu Chi Tunnel tour..You can try survey around the city to get the best price, or if you want the easiest way, just ask the receptionist of your hotel. For transportation, the price would be between USD9 and USD14. Kat Gia Huy Hotel tu, ade jugak this tour. The transportation is USD13..Tapi receptionist tu ckp abg dia ada organize such tour for USD9..so, kitorg pun amik la dgn receptionist tu..reading at some blogs, ada yg aku baca bas dia air-cond rosak or maybe xde air-cond..so, dlm hati takut2 jugak coz the fee sgt murah..tapi kitorg book je..we paid in VND for 168,000.. booked a night before, and the next morning kena tunggu kat lobby between 7.45-8.15am..Someone would come and take us to the bus..


The next morning, lepas breakfast we waited at the lobby..Ade org dtg asking for us 5 girls..we followed him to the bus..and unexpectedly the bus looked new and with air-cond..memang selesa..i think our bus is the only bus with shocking yellow color and somewhat looked new; coz bila dia stop kat kilang lacquer, bila tgk deretan buses, nampak agak obvious..maybe travel agency tu baru lagi kot..At first, the bus stopped from a place to another around the city area to pick up other people..Then we were dropped at a place to move to another bus..Coz the first bus was going to Mekong river..

Ho Chi Minh City Trip - Arrival n Gia Huy Hotel

Dah lama x update blog. So, since baru je balik from Vietnam vacation, terasa nak share about the trip. Trip kali ni pergi 5 girls: me, eisha, sureen, tim n nadirah..kitorg beli ticket dah lama, i think around end of 2011 masa air asia buat RM0 promotion. So, the ticket was really cheap RM146 for return..I think the original price is about RM300+..We pre-booked our hotel from agoda.com, a superior room with one extra bed (for 3 ppl) RM250 per person for 4 nights..

This was my first time visiting a country which has way too many numbers for their currency with a rate of RM1=VND6452..Got me a headache coz I didn't know how much I should expect to spend for a 4-day trip..So, I brought VND5,000,000(whoaa a millionaire!) and USD30 for the trip..


Arrived HCM at night, around 9pm..Took a cab that could fit 6 ppl from Saigon airport to Gia Huy hotel (15-20mins journey)..The cab drivers in HCM don't speak or understand English much..It's advisable to prepare the address of your destination (with their spelling) and show it to them..Along the way, sgt culture shock coz the traffic was crazy! The road was packed with motorbikes and mmg tak sah kalau tak ada bunyi hon..cab kitorg naik tu pun sentiasa hon2 kat motors or other cars..Kena charged VND200,000 even though kat meter dia cuma 139,000..Tapi xpe la, since it's just approximately usd2 per person..x igt cab ape yg kitorg naik..but it's advisable to take Vinasun cab..diorg x tipu n x charge lebih..harga sebenar tgk kat meter je..

So, sampai2 hotel, masing2 kagum coz bila tgk dari luar, nampak slim sgt, tapi kat dlm rupa2nya agak luas..Kalau tgk kat gambar bwh ni, satu column tingkap tu la the whole hotel..Ada 9 tingkat overall, with  4 rooms for each floor..

the front view of Gia Huy Hotel

Citrus Hotel, JB

Dah lama nak buat entry JB trip tapi asyik tak jadi je..So today nak review sikit pasal hotel yang kitorang duduk masa kat jb dulu, Citrus Hotel. Firstly, nak booking hotel ni memang senang, boleh p kat website diorang n terus book. Can look up for their promotions. Masa kitorang book tu ade early bird price. For a family room with a queen size bed and a single bed, dpt rm175 per night. Stayed there for 2 nights, dah plus2 tax total up to RM360. The reason pilih hotel ni sebab tgk kat website tu nampak sgt menarik. Dia punya interior design sgt modern n chic.
Some pics grabbed from the site:

Twin deluxe room

Bring It All Back

A song by S Club 7 to boost up energy when I'm about to give up on something..

Bring it all back now

Don't stop, never give up

Hold your head high and reach the top

Let the world see what you have got

Bring it all back to you 

Hold on to what you try to be

Your individuality

When the world is on your shoulders

Just smile and let it go

If people try to put you down

Just walk on by don't turn around

You only have to answer to yourself 

Don't you know it's true what they say

That life, it ain't easy

But your time's coming around

So don't you stop tryin' 

Don't stop, never give up

Hold your head high and reach the top

Let the world see what you have got

Bring it all back to you

Dream of falling in love

Anything you've been thinking of

When the world seems to get too tough

Bring it all back to you

Na na na na.. 

Try not to worry 'bout a thing

Enjoy the good times life can bring

Keep it all inside you

Gotta let the feeling show

Imagination is the key

'Cos you are you're own destiny

You never should be lonely

When time is on your side 

Don't you know it's true what they say

Things are sent to try you

But your time's coming around

So don't you stop tryin' 

Don't stop, never give up

Hold your head high and reach the top

Let the world see what you have got

Bring it all back to you

Dream of falling in love

Anything you've been thinking of

When the world seems to get too tough

Bring it all back to you

Hart of Dixie

ade skali tu sharer kat uni aku ni lama sgt x update2 favorite tv series..so, cari2 la crita lain yg boleh tgk..try download one episode of Hart of Dixie..melayan la during the weekend..mula2 layan sebab aku suka kalau Rachel Bilson yg berlakon..dia jadi doctor yg berhijrah dari Manhattan to Bluebell, Alabama..lepas layan satu episode, rasa cam best je..so terus la melayan..tapi aku lebih suka Lemon Breeland, acted by Jaime King..suka dia punya character; her perkiness and bossiness..aku suka juga her outfits in each episode; vintage n cantik2 semua..sometimes i'll go like "oooh i want that trousers..i want that blouse..that skirts!"..bestnye baju2 dia..hehe..

nak tau crita ni pasal ape, p la tgk sendiri..hehe..some pics utk hiasan....

di komuter....

masa naik komuter tadi, ada sepasang suami isteri Indonesians masuk dlm koc wanita..ada org masuk check (mr A)..

mr A: encik, sila tukar koc..ini koc wanita..
si suami: encik (muka tertanya2), saya ada sijil nikah (tunjuk kat isteri di sebelah)..

nak tergelak besar aku time tu sebab org tu kelihatan sgt innocent bila ckp dia ada sijil nikah..muahahaha..nasib baik leh control lg tadi..

Sugar, Straits Quay

Omg, tak ada mood dah nak buat kerja coz the holiday is coming sooo soon!got a great plan with some friends, can't wait!So, hari ni dok susun references je sambil melayan kembali some big bang theory series n italian job..oh work mood, why u are being cruel to me..

Just wanna share about an interesting baking ingredients shop in Straits Quay. I never found such store as interesting, but Sugar is very unique and how they pack and display their ingredients look awesome. Let the pictures do the talking:

the front display

cute christmas deco

the chiller

some of baking ingredients

pre-mixed ingredients..easy, already mixed, no don't-know-what-else-to-do left-overs

one of the pre-mixed recipes

red velvet cupcakes packet with recipe

pretty n functional kitchen stuff

got studio at the back..i guess it's for baking classes

The Help

1st book of the year: The Help by Kathryn Stockett. On the first few pages, I almost put the novel down and find another because I felt like reading a trash since the language was kind of hard to understand. However, I forced myself reading more from this book. I started to familiarize with the African American's slang and imagining how the people talk in tv while reading Aibileen's and Minny's chapters. Then it was hard to put it down. Thus, I managed to finish up reading this 444-page book in a month when it usually took me more than that to finish up a novel.

It was a story of how African American people, especially the helps, were treated in 1960s in Jackson, Mississipi. The story went around from the perspective of two characters of the helps, Aibileen, a motherly and calm person and Minny, sassy and a great cook; another character is a white woman, Skeeter, who wanted to make a change by writing the story about Aibileen and her friends. Every character is explained vividly in this book, and I could laugh my heart out or cry for some parts.

There's a film based on this book that scooped 3 awards at the Oscar and I'm sure looking forward to watch it.

Charlie Brown Cafe, Straits Quay

If you ever love the cartoon of Charlie Brown, do come to this place. I didn't recognize Charlie Brown and other characters since I only knew Snoopy and the yellow birds during my childhood. But seeing all the characters being visualized in this place is so eye-catching and brought back memory. I'm not sure about the food coz haven't tried it before. However, judging from the menu, some of the food have had the shape of characters in Charlie Brown. Enough said, enjoy the pictures!