Mencandat 2011

Before I start rambling, photo credit goes to my nephew, Fahmi (in black) for the pics, since I stayed on land at sis-in-law's house :-)

Okay.

This trip took almost a year of planning. Reason? To get all the busy people in the family together for a fun-filled trip :-)

In the end, one still got called off at the last minute for a meeting in KL, and so was replaced by his son, a novice at candat. A total of seven guys were on one boat, ready to tackle the challenge of mencandat, a challenge that only those who've gone will be able to relate to (I've NEVER been, ahahahhahaaa....) And so, here are the six guys (one had to be behind the camera :p), our 'sotong heroes' :-D :-D :-D





These guys are 1. my hubby 2. my bro-in-law and 3. my nephews and four out of the seven made the same trip last year, and plan another one next year. Yep, it's become an annual event for them :-) Hubby's been bugging me to join, but with Aina still so young, I am hesitant as the weather can be pretty unpredictable, and I do not want to risk Aina getting sick just for a bit of fun... We'll see when Aina is slightly older.

It seems hubby was the 'sotong sifu' this time around, having caught almost 60% of the total catch (which supposedly was almost 30kg). At least this was the info related to us on land who weren't there, hehehehee...

This was just hubby's lot!! And the size of the squids were very long i.e. quite large. After dividing the total loot into the respective portions, we still had a bit to shar with our immediate neighbours. Hubby had gone on a trip once and the total catch was close to 70kg, and once he came back with a whole Coleman tub full of squid!! So, in comparison, this trip was just decent and some contribute the recent tsunami in Japan affecting the movement of the squid.

For next year (yes, the ball's already started rolling on THAT trip), we'll see if choosing certain dates will have an effect on the outcome :-)

Cheers!

Another "First" for Aina....

Yup! Took her to the dentist!!

Actually, it was me who had a chipped tooth and broken filling, so I decided to include her in as well, just as a sort of practice session for her to get used to the place.


But, as you can see, it wasn't really a sucess!! ~ LOL

She was fine for about 1 minute, but suddenly just jumped up and climbed over the top of the dentist chair and into Mama's arms!! It was hillarious!!! This was the only pic that Babah could get from Aina's first 'dental appointment' .

Anyway, doctor said her teeth looked fine and healthy, nothing to be concerned about at the moment...

After the (failed) appointment, we took her to Summit since she was asking to go "jalan-jalan". We just walked around a bit (LG floor only) and then had lunch, then headed home. She fell asleep on the way home... :-)



And so ends another "first" for Aina.... ehehhehehee





Cheers!

Ushering in Aina's THIRD year....

A very simple affair for family and immediate neighbours, Aina's third year was ushered in while she was not feeling very well.


She actually woke up that morning with a fever, so I fed her her meds and she was so co-operative since she knew we were having a party for her that afternoon.


I couldn't decide what type of cake to get her, and finally decided on a 1.5kg chocolate sponge with buttercream and jelly icing with her favourite character on it i.e. Strawberry Shortcake. Thanks to Yatt Hellikonia for making the wonderfully delicious and yummy cake, and thanks to Aunty Cik (i.e. my sis) for sponsoring the cake :-D



On top of the usual fare of fried noodles, curry chicken with roti jala, kuah durian with lempeng (courtesy of Kakak Raihan) and the like, I also made chocolate sauce to go with the mini marshmallows and ciggie biscuits :-D



And here is the birthday gurl :-D :-D :-D

She couldn't wait to blow out the candles since Babah had filled up her mini swimming pool, and she was itching to jump in :-p

All in all, it was a great party for Aina with all her family and friends, and she got to do (almost) everything she wanted without getting into too much trouble. It was a shame that soon after everyone left, her nose started to bleed and her fever came back (even tho I made sure to give her her meds when it was time), so she couldn't attend her friend, Qistina's birthday party that night.

Aina did go over to Qistina's the next day to give her present :-)

She'll oficially turn 3 on Thursday, and I hope by then she will be free from her fever and then we can take her out for a treat, just us (plus kakak raihan if she's around.... ehehehhehe).

Cheers!

My Labour Day Program

Yup! Attended The Concert :-D

I think hubby is still trying to understand the woman he married.... LOL LOL LOL

Needless to say, I enjoyed myself tremendously and at the end, I was as hoarse as Awie, Mus and Mel... :-p



Cheers!

p.s. oh yeah... will be having a small family gathering next week for Aina's birthday. No grand do... she's still young. Hope all will go well :-)

Aina @ Bagan Lalang

Aina wanted to play with 'samm' (i.e. sand) and make sam-castles, so we made a (very) short trip to Bagan Lalang recently.

She was Babah's assistant, picking up (flinging around?) sand and providing Babah with the right 'contruction tools' to build the castle...

When she was bored playing with the sand, she'll run on the beach, chasing waves and running from it :-)

She enjoyed walking and running in the sand, flinging sand around and generally running free...

"look at me, world!!!"

Cheers!

Cameron Highlands - Miscellaneous

first light from my balcony

The Orang Asli community While they reside in the jungles in the area, they do come out and sell their wares by the roads leading up and down Cameron Highlands. It is now the durian season, and you'll find many of the huts selling this much sought-after fruit :-) They also sell honey collected from the forest, as well as bamboo shoots.

Honey Bee Farm

There are many places of interests ~ the Butterfly Garden, Rose Garden, Cactus Valley and of course, MARDI. A great place for a family holiday :-)

Cheers!

Cameron Highlands Resort

We arrived at the Resort around 8.15pm, and it was too late to sample the Hi-Tea, which includes scones and pastries with local tea and homemade preserves. Walk-ins are also welcome, and at the time of our visit, the Hi-Tea rate is RM60.00++ for 2 persons. It would have been nice taking pics of the Resort at night as the lights were almost festive! But... 1) I couldn't be bothered to stand in the middle of the road to get a good pic, and 2) I didn't carry my tripod with me. That would have been a bit over the top since it was a working trip for me!! If you've stayed at the Merlin way back those years ago, then you'll know where the Cameron Highlands Resort is.

The cascade breakfast served at The Dining Room starts with your choice of morning pick-me-up hot beverage and juices, with a plate of fruit and bread basket with homemade preserves. The preserves are strawberry (of course!), marmalade and pineapple. The choices from the hot kitchen include eggs with beef bacon and the workd, omelette with salmon and chives, waffles, buttermilk pancakes and noodles. For walk-ins, the rate is RM70.00++ and if you really feel like splurging on a good breakfast, it really is worth it :-D

The bedroom

the welcome platter of fruits and chocolate & strawberries

they can actually fold towels in the shape of an elephant! adorable, rite??

The Japanese Restaurant, Gonbei

The Spa ~ greeting area

the signature tea bath, comes complimentary with all spa packages

the waiting area

the treatment room.

there are also rooms for couples.

The Resort sells rooms and meals separately so if you want to look for a package that includes breakfast, then head up to a local travel agent who can help.

Cheers!

Cameron Highlands - Tea Plantations

As the signage shows, the factory is only open for visits till 4.30pm. There's a cafe also, and that closes around the same time as well. The scones set is supposed to be quite nice, and costs RM12.00 per set. And of course at the BOH cafe there's BOH tea :-) A whole variety of it! Take your pick and enjoy....! BOH TEA SG. PALAS PLANTATION

BHARAT TEA PLANTATION

Cheers!