Globetrotter

WATCH THIS SPACE. 8PM 5 FEBRUARY.

2012-02-02T00:00:00.014+08:00

Post tag : Beauty In Darkness (Biqque), Chawanna (Chawan & Na), Coco Nutz (Kak Anash), This Is Our Lalaland (Ely), Janggeltrekker's Life (Janggel), Kaki Berangan (John), Kaki Jalan (MasMZ), Traveller's Anatomy (Byya), Journey Of My Life (MasZuber) & Pengembara Tumpangan (Icam).

I Need To Fly Tomorrow (And I Forgot)

2012-01-31T20:23:00.000+08:00

Hemm.... am ranting and rambling.... I forgot that I need to fly for reccee trip tomorrow. With my back pain and the need to clean my house (since travelholics might be dropping by for Gong Xi Fatt Chai ler kan [part nih besh!])... am technically and honestly KANTOI!

And belum pack lagi pulak tuh... doink Lily!

OK! Need to finish work, go home and pack, transportation coming at 7am to take to airport.

DOINK DOINK DOINK LILY!!! (sambil melukukan kepala sendiri) ARGHHHHHH..... UPSET!

Day 7 | Kansai Airport - Gempak!

2012-01-31T01:50:00.000+08:00

This is what I had for last day breakfast and can you see? That's the camera case that I have purchased.

As usual, in Japan; there are few things that fascinates me.... below are collections of stuff I saw near the hotel and at Kansai Airport. Above is parking for bicycles, machine operated... if we have this in Malaysia, it will be spoiled within a week.

After breakfast, we went back to hotel to get our luggage and get a taxi to Sakai Station for the airport train.

Trolley dolly, mine is the one in green (me favourite colour) and orange for sis (her favourite colour).

Their taxi accepts credit card and comes with GPS.

Otoman menyerang tanpa disedari, mana Sami to the rescue nih?

This is the route to the airport and port. Berapa line dah tuh?

For those going to Osaka, Air Asia located at aisle B, from 1-8.

Otoman nye train. Changgih or not this express train.

We arrived at Kansai Airport, most of the toilets in Japan comes with the specification. Am sharing the interesting stuff I saw at the airport... it was fun going around toying with them.

Baby chair for Sami and Aqilah.

So, that you pants or kain don't get wet and you need not bend down that much.

Sami's & Aqilah's diaper changing table, Sami need not anymore kot.

Mind you, all these are in Kansai Airport, the outside of the washroom indicates amenities available.

This is for disable and needy folks. I thought it was very thoughtful and disable friendly of them.

If you must need to refresh, they do have area for that with norminal fee. The Kid's Space is free if am not mistaken.

Kit Kat options available.

We then need to take a monorail to another gate to reach our flight... I was thinking Icam would love all these train ride.

Till next Japan trip.

Summer in Furano, here we come!

Levain Bakery, Willy Satay & Travelholic Meet-up

2012-01-29T23:41:00.004+08:00

I have back problem since last week, but ever since 3-4 days ago, it has gotten worst, like BIG TIME WORST. Reason being I went for brisk walking (jogging was a harsh word since I can't drag my big f_t boddy to jog, let alone run!) with Wahidah and Bukit Kiara, for those familiar or has been there; would know that the journey uphill is really tough, ie SUPER TOUGH.

I have been to this hill for the longest time and after the walk, we normally pekena yummy Laksa Johor at Santai Restaurant in Taman Tun Dr Ismail (behind KFC). The problem this time is that I woke up late and rush over hence, I did NOT do my usual warm-up. Consequences? Muscle-pull on my back, sakit like crazy! I can barely walk... I was lying down on my back for the last 2-3 days. Jalan pun macam orang mengandung, I can totally dig how Ely must have felt now.

This morning my cousin called me and asked for brunch at Levain Boulangerie & Patiserie (the bungalow behind Jalan Imbi), I said no as I need to fetch my sis for work (despite the back ache) but she proposed something irresistible. She will fetch my sis and me, and send sis to work; we were to then proceed for brunch with her 2 lovely daughters and mummy. I obviously say yes, tak yah drive kan.

We head to Levain Boulangerie & Patisserie and ordered makanan omputeh... but orang melayu nih, mana nak konyang kan... we had earlier plan, we are to check-out my aunt's house under renovation and give some ideas or the colour and "decor"... apa apalah.. so drove to Cheras after that.

Levain Boulangerie & Patisserie Sdn Bhd

No. 7, Jalan Delima

Kuala Lumpur, 55100

Malaysia

Tel:+603 2142 6611

When will Pondok Kenangan be ready... cepat ler... nak buat Family Day nih... mode terkinja kinja?

Then Maira showed me the cake she baked with her friends during her stay-over... John's favourite... Rainbow Cake. Nanti I get my niece to bake for Abang John yek.

Smart kid kan, say a non-baker to a 12yr old kid whom baked, hahaha... I was still main kejar kejar and kaler kaler at this age... masak nasi pun belum tentu... ada sedikit malu disini (or perhaps banyak).

Then, received an sms on "pineapple" & choco cupcake available for me to enjoy... err... susah nak tolak ni...atas sebab orang tak pujuk but pipi ni tersorong sorong; I sms-ed that am interested (ceh wahh...) to receive "the" offer and join her at Willy Satay in Kajang, but driving is a problem. Hemmm.... WhatsApp ler to this Guava Korea Artist guy... ask whether would he mind to give me a ride. He said ok, so off we go makan satay!

Satay Willy

Ramal Medan Selera

Ramal Junction, Sg. Ramal

Kajang

We all stayed there for an hour or two and went home to catch Juara Lagu (blogging for me).

Eh! Who do I owe the dinner just now yek?

Hyperlink credit : Levain Boulangerie & Patisseri

Day 6 | Japan Toys R Us, Baby R Us, Studio Alice

2012-01-28T02:18:00.002+08:00

OK! I know some probably waiting for this entry, so here goes...

This is located in Osaka, 100m from where we stayed ie Best Western Joytel Osaka for a night. Will review the hotel later. This was a last min pick as most hotel was at full house due to the new year... worried that we will not be able to get a room, hence we went ahead to book this.

The minute I saw that Toys R Us is a stone throw away from the hotel, I felt it was god helping... that's it! Toys!! Here we come!

Enjoy the pics yah!

HUGE HUH! A mall on it's own!

I have a colleague's son who absolutely loves Cars.

When I was a kid, I love these big foot car.... cool giler.

Tah dah... TRAIN!

Chawan? Mini car right?

Macho most toy I feel.

This reminded me of 2 person, Raiyan (Maimon's son) and of cause Icam.

Icam?

Chawan?

Gundam? I have the game when I was a kid... during those days in school, Gundam is unheard of... giler advance!

They even sold the monster, I didn't know this. I assume Malaysia pun ada.

Even I didn't know Sami likes Otoman, telepathically I can sense...ceh wahh... ramai dak sedara mara Ultraman?

Kesatria Baja Hitam?

Gaban?

The whole crew...

It comes with human? Seriously?

I always tell my bros that this is moi! Hahhah...

Got this for my bro...

Lihat lar dunia ini!!!! Teka sapa lost ?!!?!?

Day 5 | Kyoto's Fushimi Inari Shrine & Deer In Nara

2012-01-26T23:18:00.012+08:00

OK! I have planned this for the longest... WHY? The background colour is gonna be RED, so; my clothing cannot be of the same colour. VAIN traveler & fashionista (perasan max disini!)... after much thought for many weeks (yeah! when it comes to the clothing, I plan it in my head for weeks prior to the trip. KID YOU NOT!) Decided, white light dawn overcoat...mind all set, mood jek ada kacau.

Anyways...off we go, 2 venues to be covered today.

1. Fushimi Inari Shrine - to see the plenty redTorii Gate

2. Nara - to see them lovely deer

Off we went... I think overall, Japan is kinda an easy country for tourist, just follow the crowd. Hheheheh.... even the locals do their version of Cuti Cuti Japan. So, jangan harap tak da orang on a weekday; DREAM ON!

We walk pass few locally own shops & restaurant that sells Inari, for those INTERESTED to buy FRIDGE MAGNETS; this is the ONLY place I saw (there might be other places, wallahuallam...) that sells Torii Gate magnet with the word KYOTO on it. But unfortunately only 2-4 shops selling it and it is not a plenty, expensive? YES! It's Y380 - Y450 per piece, so memang beli tuk diri sendiri je ler (exhange rate of 4.2 in Dec 2011). So, remember to grab it when you are here, there's only 2 types and only 1 type with the word Kyoto on it, the other only the red Torri Gate. Most magnets are of this price range or even slightly more.

There's not much for me to say aside it's a climb upwards just like Miley Cyrus song hahhaha....

Excerpt from Wikipedia:

Inari is a popular deity with shrines and Buddhist temples located throughout most of Japan. According to a 1985 survey by the National Association of Shinto Shrines, 32,000 shrines — more than one-third of Shinto shrines in Japan — are dedicated to Inari.This number includes only Shinto shrines with full-time resident priests; if small roadside or field shrines, shrines kept in a home or corporate office, smaller shrines without full-time resident priests, and Buddhist temples were included, the number would increase by at least an order of magnitude.

The entrance to an Inari shrine is usually marked by one or more vermilion torii and some statues of kitsune, which are often adorned with red yodarekake (votive bibs) by worshippers out of respect. This red color has come to be identified with Inari, because of the prevalence of its use among Inari shrines and their torii. The main shrine is the Fushimi Inari Shrine in Fushimi, Kyoto, Japan, where the paths up the shrine hill are marked in this fashion.

Before you enter the temple/shrine compound, remember to "ambil wuduk" dulu... Hehhehe.... kidding!

Anyway, you will notice this cat/fox like figure there ie Kitsune. Kitsune from Wikipedia are as below (pemalasnye kan, but I thought this way would be better *wink*).

Kitsune is the Japanese word for fox. Foxes are a common subject of Japanese folklore; in English, kitsune refers to them in this context. Stories depict them as intelligent beings and as possessing magical abilities that increase with their age and wisdom. Foremost among these is the ability to assume human form. While some folktales speak of kitsune employing this ability to trick others—as foxes in folklore often do—other stories portray them as faithful guardians, friends, lovers, and wives.

Foxes and human beings lived close together in ancient Japan; this companionship gave rise to legends about the creatures. Kitsune have become closely associated with Inari, a Shinto kami or spirit, and serve as its messengers. This role has reinforced the fox's supernatural significance. The more tails a kitsune has—they may have as many as nine—the older, wiser, and more powerful it is. Because of their potential power and influence, some people make offerings to them as to a deity.

Chup! Reverse abit... What is Inari right? Since the name is being used in most shrine/temple in Japan. Here you go from Mr. Wikipedia :)

Inari Ōkami is the Japanese kami of fertility, rice, agriculture, foxes, industry and worldly success and one of the principal kami of Shinto. Represented as male, female, or androgynous, Inari is sometimes seen as a collective of three or five individual kami. Inari appears to have been worshipped since the founding of a shrine at Inari Mountain in 711 AD, although some scholars believe that worship started in the late 5th century.

OK! Enough geography and history lesson. Now... food pulak!!

Aku sebatang paku.

Am sure most of you have eaten Inari before in local Japanese Restaurant right? Well.... the food apparently originated from here lar... al-kononnye. How does it look like? Tah dahh... below.

Source google

I don't fancy this so much as it is sweet as compared to other Sushi, so; usual I won't opt for this.

The whole distance is about 2hours hike/walk which covers about 4km. Mommy and daddy, remember your kid's stroller yah! As for me, I bet it will be longer, simply because I will STOP EVERYWHERE to take pics plus terhegeh hegeh tak larat! Hahhahha.... Mind you, this is per-way and going uphill, BE WEARY!

So, what I did was walk up till the 2 doors meet and did a U-turn back as I assume all will look the same and I need to ensure I have enough time to cover Nara kan.

We rushed down to go to our next destination... NARA!

From Wikipedia :

Nara Park is a public park located in the city of Nara, Japan, at the foot of Mount Wakakusa, established in 1880. Administratively, the park is under the control of Nara Prefecture. The park is one of the "Places of Scenic Beauty" designated by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT). The over 1,200 wild sika deer freely roaming around in the park is also under designation of MEXT, classified as a "Natural Monument." While the official size of the park is about 502 ha, the area including the grounds of Tōdai-ji, Kōfuku-ji and Kasuga Shrine, which are either on the edge or surrounded by Nara Park, is as large as 660 ha.

According to local folklore, deer from this area were considered sacred due to a visit from one of the four gods of Kasuga Shrine, Takenomikazuchi-no-mikoto. He was said to have been invited from Kashima, Ibaraki, and appeared on Mt. Mikasa-yama riding a white deer. From that point, the deer were considered divine and sacred by both Kasuga Shrine and Kōfuku-ji.

Killing one of these sacred deer was a capital offense punishable by death up until 1637, the last recorded date of that law having been enforced.

Post World War II the deer were officially stripped of their sacred/divine status,and were instead designated as National Treasures and are protected as such.

Chup! Officially stripped...? Ish! Sedih ler kan...

The journey took us 1 hour and cost us between Y600 - Y690 depending from where you board the train (I will have an entry on the estimated costing, not to worry). This is our longest and most expensive journey to see some sacred deerSSSSS. Luckily there's no entrance fee (the deer forbid them... Hahhahah... kidding still).

As I mentioned in my teaser entry here on the memories of this place, I will let you enjoy the pics instead (apa nak cite, rusa jek kan... ehehhe...).

Once you reaches JR NARA Station, you will see the Nara Tourism Counter, just ask the person in charge there on how to get to the park. They will advice you to take a loop bus that goes to the 3 temples (temple again...) OR you can jejak bertapak there (walk).

Here's the thing, if you decide to walk, it takes about 1km or so of a very pleasant walk (on a lane ie not road - safe!). Thus, for those who have baby as cute as Aqilah, BRING YOUR STROLLER!! Absolutely NO way you will have the energy to carry your cute baby the distance (slightly uphill too!!!) nor make them walk, mendera baby adalah kesalahan besou!

Once you reached the park area which is SUPER DUPER SUPER DUPER GILER HUGE (thus the convenient of baby stroller here), you will realize that ALL the deers are let lose. And strangely, none that I saw, run to the street nor cross the road despite that there's no wall, fence nor gate! Discipline like the rakyat jelata, impress huh!

You can buy the deer-cookies here (don't bring own human food and feed them, we don't know their diet beside we wouldn't want to harm them right?!) and feed them. You know what is crazy? The minute they hear the sound/smell of food, they will come running and SONDOL-ing you for some/more. Comei ok!

Not only that, they are one of those special breed that OWNS a CAR! Hahhahah....

For more pics on my Kyoto trip, please view it HERE.

For more pics on my Tokyo trip, please view it HERE.

Hyperlink credits : Wikipedia.

Day 4b | The Loft Kyoto - Gadget

2012-01-26T01:10:00.003+08:00

After Arashiyama sightseeing excursion, that evening we decided to venture at nearby mall and shops located about 100m from the guest house. Our mission then was to search for the yummy chocolate and Uniqlo. One thing you need to take note is that the mall and most shops closes at 8PM. This is with exception to Lawson, Family Mart, McDonald, KFC and probably small restaurants.

One mall in particular we fell in love is The Loft in Kyoto.

WHY? Uniqlo is inside (that's one), the gadget area is quirky, the sticker area (no gurl would be able to detach themselves from here), the knick-knacks... so cute, sweet, demure etc etc.

I have posted the same pics in my facebook, so this entry will be for those who missed out on my latest pic upload.

So guys, ogle, droll and wipe your sliver... hehhehhehe..... cos I did the same, but in the shop itself instead!

DSLR , and gurlie too. Awww....

Casing... options options options....

Bought one of this, guess which one was my choice.

Kawada/Lego camera casing...

Strap, fits all need, individual, fashion, trend etc etc etc

I assume this too are casing... anyone reads Japanese?

Lomo...? KEWL!!!

SEE!!!! KAWADA!!!! I have been telling friends and colleague for ages, that my late father bought me a Kawada set, it looks similar to Lego but different material and size (back then, there's no Nano size though). Now I can proof with pictures! FINALLY!

Hyperlink credit : Kawada, The Loft, NexToys

Teaser | My Dear, Nara Deer

2012-01-25T16:17:00.006+08:00

Remembered my late dad's picture here, I know it was in Japan but I was clueless which part or where. My little mind back then think that it must be in Tokyo. Those days we only know the capital of each country, never heard of other township nor prefecture. Thanks to Air Asia & internet and of cause Mr. Google :) now we are smarter!

When I first heard about this park, I knew it was the same one I saw in his pic, but I need to go there and feel for myself and know for sure. The moment I arrived at the entrance, I KNEW this was the place... FINALLY I step foot in a place my dad has been. Now shinkansen ride in autumn (mahai tuh)...

There's a few countries my late dad visited and recommended to me, but for now; let's just do one at a time yek...

And meanwhile, jom enjoy Kyoto....

My New Blogspot Theme/Skin

2012-01-25T03:07:00.009+08:00

I DID IT!!!!

I have finally changed my Blogspot Theme/Skin.... Been trying to do this for almost 2 days with no avail. Finally, today, it took 4 hours or so, ta dah... it was completed (but I forgot to include John in the blogroll pulak....ehehheh Sorry!)

How did I manage to do it this fast?

DANIAL (my nephew) did it for me...

THANK YOU DANNY!

The upah?

Gave him my brand new iPod Nano which I have stored in my gadget box for the pass a year or more. Happy giler!!! (Kan Danny kan...?)

What was the changes which got me super RIAK!!! Even am sure Danny again bosan and pelik looking at his aunt's craziness (this was just being polite.... I seriously think I behaved lagi merapu then what I stated here!)

My HEADER.... matching with my dark grey/orange theme dak?

Check out my LOGO cum BLOG NAME/HEADER....!!! He even did it in/for watermark version... now I need to figure how to use it. Because I am blur and not tech savvy, this was super duper impressive lar kan (rasa nye Danny sure feels "ini kacang putih kot, Uni nih.... sigh...". Tak pa Danny, Uni tetap riak kejap ok!).

Danny, can you do in few colours ie green, red, pink, purple, black/white.... ehhehehe KIASU as usual ler kan! PLEEEEAAASSSEEEE...... (Bayang kan muka Uni cam Puss In Boots tuh.... kesian dak? Hahhahha....)

By the way, I need to highlight this coz I saw John, Biq, Chawanna, Janggel etc etc... having this blogroll at their sidebar; whereby the latest post will be flagged out on the top most list. Am sure that this was the key element (dengar tuh!) that created success(ES) for John to be the #1, #2, & #3 commentor... Dasar jealous, I have gotten Danny to teach me on how to insert this.... Proud giler now ok!!! Move aside John! Hhahahha......

Apparently guys, Danny followed/read some of your blogs before/too, I didn't even know this....hahahha.... popular tuh kite.

Sebab rasa tersangat pandai, I also included those whom I love to read but non-travelholic lar....

Oh yah! For those whom tried to do the same with my blog but the news feed is not reflecting, apparently Teacher John's advice (Janggel sedang MC) is to re-copy my blog link and re-paste into the URL box.

Latest new features to help travelholic will be the TIPS label which encompass tips, things to do in .... and Visa application. Do advice anything else you wish me to label and include yah....

Kesian Danny tak makan sebab he insisted to finish this "job" (umpan iPod tuh), Uni only jamu him Air Longan and Japanese choco yang sedap nak mampus.

Gigih dan tegar, hope time study pun as rajin yek! Anyway, tak pa kan Danny kan; tadi umah Wak, kite dah makan belado, dendeng, sup danging, bubur sumsum berbagai.... Hhehehhe....Nyom nyom...

Luckily we just installed Unifi, so the speed was super fast, and of cause the big monitor helps lor (now I need to find adapter to hook my monitor to notebook lak, makes life so much easier!). Mind the messy room....

By the way, you can check out Danny's blog HERE :)

P/S : Danny nak ikut Uni gi Bangkok? By the way, awat rambut Danny lagi lebat dari rambut Uni, ish!!!!

Day 4a | Winter Breeze in Arashiyama

2012-01-23T02:14:00.006+08:00

Again, we left the guesthouse late (sigh)... today we took the train to Arashiyama, the trip took us 30 mins +. It was pleasant, not that many crowd visiting Arashiyama the day we were there, which fit our plan just fine. It will be a problem if it's too crowded too. Hheheheh....

We took our own sweet time walking and snapping pics at the same time. Do take note that in Japan, you are not encouraged/allowed to speak on the phone out loud in the train (even if you are not on the phone, talking out loud is rude). But you are allowed to eat though, very much different from other countries' train mannerism. But I guess this is to respect public privacy, which I kinda like it.

Once we arrived here, first thing we did was... toilet! Hahhahah....

We check out the surrounding and followed the crowd. Took some pics along the way, noticed that you can rent a bike here too.... ini sudah bagus but obviously not for me lar. You actually do not need to rent seriously, on foot is much better and easier.

Seriously, Arashiyama is an area where everything was done on foot; there nothing much to narrate or explain, it's pretty much scenery all the way. So, enjoy this pic blog entry...

This is the ever so famous Moon Bridge, this bridge was completed in 1934. I think it will look nicer in spring and autumn. Apparently sakura season is the best. I guess Chawanna will snap more and nice pics here, I pray hard.

Saw a man having his lunch... kesian lak... check out the drain... yes! Crystal clear clean drain! Only in JAPAN!

Going to work?

Covered one of the Unesco site - Tenryū Shiseizen-ji Temple. The construction was completed on 1345.... everything here seems old but solid and well taken care of. Hardly see any graffiti, am really impress with their discipline.

You can only smoke at this area despite that it's open ground. Told ya about discipline... believe me now?!

Grave yard.... tak tipu... in the area of tourist sightseeing, temple, gardens, lakes etc...

The famous Segano Bamboo Groove.

One word of caution, a lot of walking here; like really ALOT, wear comfy shoe and look good. For Muslim, food is impossible, please bring some snacks or pack your lunch if you plan to spend along while here. Magnet not easy (alot of shops was close when we were here). We found an fridge magnet in the biggest "tourist" shop facing the Oi River but it was super expensive.

This is the nearest hotel in Kyoto near to train, bazaar, Muslim restaurant, walking distance to Kiyomizu-dera Temple. Not sure of the price though.

Raju Restaurant, infront of Best Western Hotel, Halal sign stated outside.

Bread shop next to Raju Restaurant, convenient.

Bazaar is located further down from Raju Restaurant.

Cheap toiletries here! You can see it anywhere, everywhere.

Hyperlink credit : Wikipedia, Japan Guide

Things To Do In Bangkok/Thailand (Part 2)

2012-01-22T17:23:00.015+08:00

Guys, if previous post with same title was created for Janggel, this time it's for the hottest topic during the last gathering - ICAM. Of cause, also to those visiting Bangkok or Thailand soon.

If previous post was on where I have been, this time I will cover those places am yet to visit and has been on my KIV list since forever. So, for those who wants to go and don't mind me joining them; just give me a tinkle *wink*.

1. Bangkok Train Market

I seriously don't know how far is it from Bangkok (watch this video he narrator will advice you - I think) but I don't mind giving it a try. Mind you, it's 2 video (a must watch for both, it can take a while to download)

Excerpt and pic credits from/to : OddCulture, PrimeUrTravel & PixGroove

The Maeklong Railway Market in Thailand is a very curious food market located in the province of Samut Songkhram. Also called Mae Klong Market or Talad Rom Hoop Market (“Talad” is “market”, “Rom” means “umbrella” (awning) and “Hoop” means “pull down”), it’s composed of stalls that are set up right along train tracks selling vegetables and other foods.

Train Market of Thailand (Part 1) - Credit to Arezeo

Train Market of Thailand (Part 2) - Credit to Arezeo

2. Bat Temple

Don't ask me why, I just simply thought it was cool. Hhahhahah... BATMAN!!!

Located at Bat temple, Wat Kao Song Pian - Rachaburi, Thailand. Apparently at about 6 - 6:30pm they will fly from one cave to another (something like that lar). I was told about this by my colleague which intrigues me. Hence.... (pic credit to mccraze)

Bat temple and cave, Thailand - Credit to Ansdeblauwe

3. The Scenery Resort

They use to allow guest to stay overnight (they have few rooms available) but apparently ever since mid last year or so, they are going thru some changes and only allows day trip guest. This is a sad news of cause but still worthwhile to visit.

Not only New Zealand have sheeps okay!! Hehhehe....cute huh! (pic courtesy of TripAdvisor).

4. The Swiss Valley Hip Resort

Read it somewhere that it is near The Scenery Resort, so you can kill 2 birds with 1 stone then. Beautiful huh!

4. Cha-am

Yet to check, but heard oit so much from a friend who work there for 5 years.

Let me research this a bit more. Credit to The Star.

Day 3 | Higashiyama And Kiyomizudera Temple

2012-01-19T09:16:00.007+08:00

First warning, lotsa pics in this entry.

Second warning, pics taken in few mode (mostly nostalgic)

Third warning, I'm cute. HAHAHHAHAH....... Temple = confuse (way too many)

I start walking from the guesthouse at about 2ish in the afternoon, we kinda expected that we will not be able to cover anything much as it will get dark at around 4pm. Earlier on, upon checking in at Khaosan Guesthouse Kyoto, we asked the girl at the front desk on where is the nearest area to cover, and she recommended us Chion-In Temple and nearby it's area as it have no closing time. Looking at the map and direction given, we agreed and start our temple hunting journey.

After walking for 5-10 mins (plus all the stopping at shops around along the street), we reached this bright red coloured temple entrance which I believe is Chion-In Temple.I tried googling for temple name but (no, I didn't take any pic of the temple name as I thought having the map will do, but little that I know....) couldn't find it despite having the map with me NOW by my side.

My pic might look uninteresting but the coverage area is SUPER HUGE and have more to offer, it will take me approximately 3 days and 3 nights to blog about this. Hence, am recommanding you to check out this site to know more. Dasar pemalas dak?

I will upload more pics on my facebook for your viewing over this weekend (that's what I kept reminding meself the last 2-3 weeks). Truthfully I didn't venture the inner area of this site (apahal masuk temple bebanyak, masjid pun tak penah masuk sebanyak ni I pikiq dalam ati. Lebih kurang sudah ler... segan kat Tuhan).

Anyway, sis and me decided to detour and take this small lane on the right side (inside the compound)... because we figure that if we go forward, we will go "deeper" into other temple area and wouldn't be able to turn back before it gets dark. SMART MOVE! I seriously think I am psychic. Will tell you later why I so perasan on this.

Chup! Before that, the street I took to Chion-In Temple passes by a longkang (drain), yeah! This clean clear water is their LONGKANG... whole Malaysia need to be sent to Japan to learn a thing or two on green environment. Giler bersih, my bro kata leh ambek wuduq siap ari bulan.

We took a stroll not knowing where it leads to, all we did was making sure how many right or left turns we made incase there's a need to reverse the route. Oh yah! Not to worry, we make sure we follow the crowd and the lanes are safe and full of people.

My sis tengah feel apa ntah, insisted I took her pic by the wall like that. Hhehehe....

There were few interesting scenery that we passed by, autumn leaves trees leftover (nampak dak!), gated old traditional houses and clean lanes, old Japanese houses. This area is a MUST visit guys.... make you feel you are IN JAPAN. You will be running everywhere wanting to take pics of everything, kid you not.

This whole area of houses and shops are of this nature or feel, really old Edo period. The Edo Period was from 1603-1867 and it reflected the richest time in the history of Feudal Japan. Am sure you have watched the movie or read the book - Memoir of Geisha. I suspected it was shot here in Kyoto, I thought I read this somewhere larr...

No no no no this is not a house that we passed by, it's actually a restaurant... as usual the price for tempura with rice & soups cost slightly more then Y1000. RM42+.

Then we kept on walking, following the crowd of 2-4 people or/and following the lane (always keep to the main lane/street, street-smart rule), not knowing where it'll lead us to again!. Konon konon nak impromptu lerr... Then we saw this beautiful denai going up the hill on our left, you've guessed it...!!! We ran in and start snapping pics like nobody's business. WHY??? Autumn leaves on small denai?!?! How perfect can this be...

Jeng jeng jeng.... this is the Daidokoro-zaka that connects Nene-no-michi road and Kodai-ji. JAKUN with capital J.A.K.U.N. Need I say more?

Once we reached up there, more temple and temple and temple.... ok! Enough temple updates and just check out the map above. And no again, I didn't walk and cover all the temple. If you ever set foot in Kyoto, you will learn and understand the amount of temples there are here (banyak giler), my personal rule is be selective and choose the popular and prominent and have a unique history/structure temple. Like what I say in my visit to Italy, once you see one church, you see them all. You'll tend to get confuse of the temples (nothing against the temple, churches and religion yah! Don't get me wrong).

The consoling part was that (aside from seeing more temples), you get to see the "view (so called) of Kyoto (we think, can't be Hiroshima right?! Hahhahah...)". The sun was almost setting obviously.... apa lagi, tembaaakkkk.... you know I LOVE sunsets right.

Drama dak? I uses nostalgic mode and enhance the pic, this is to give the old yet drama effect. Ceh wahhh.... Seriously, it's not thaaaaat dark actually tau.

Since no where to go, we went down to cover other areas, then we bump into the man-carry rickshaw. We were tempted but the cost.... phew!!!! We don't know actually. Hheehehehehe..... saja bikin gempak.

We walked further and further from out starting point, without the slightest worry despite the daylight is saying goodbye; night time will be greeting us soon, I guess this is the part I LOVE about Japan, the secure and safe feeling it gave us. Sikit pun tak takut. Suddenly, unknowingly.... we arrived....

This really old Japan street with tea houses and souvenir shops, we even saw the locals in kimono dress. Kira cam orang pakai kebaya lama jalan kat Jonker Street gitus... JOM buat!

What area is this?

Ninen-zaka and Sannen-zaka street, so guys; do whatever it takes; make sure you cover this area if you want to feel the old Japan. Enuff said. My pic sexplain it all.

Then we realised the street move uphill, dah sudah... nak ke mana pulak nih. We have detoured sooo far and sooo much now that it kinda got us worried despite that we still want to follow the crowd. On the other hand, it's getting dark... hemmm...without giving much thought, we proceed with the hike upwards following the crowd, am sure there's a good reason why the crowd is flocking the area right. Pepandai jek!

Tah dah...... we saw this. Hehheh..... time not wasted walking up (with lotsa huff and puff).

We saw this temple, and YES, it was dark already by then. Seriously I think we walked for 2 hours or so covering more then 1km.

To our surprise, we arrived Kiyomizu - dera Temple!! Below excerpt from Japan Guide.

Kiyomizudera (清水寺, literally "Pure Water Temple") is one of the most celebrated temples of Japan. It was founded in 780 on the site of the Otowa Waterfall in the wooded hills east of Kyoto, and derives its name from the fall's pure waters. The temple was originally associated with the Hosso sect, one of the oldest schools within Japanese Buddhism, but formed its own Kita Hosso sect in 1965. In 1994, the temple was added to the list of UNESCO world heritage sites.

Kiyomizudera is best known for its wooden stage that juts out from its main hall, 13 meters above the hillside below. The stage affords visitors a nice view of the numerous cherry and maple trees below that erupt in a sea of color in spring and fall, as well as of the city of Kyoto in the distance. The main hall, which together with the stage was built without the use of nails, houses the temple's primary object of worship, a small statue of the eleven faced, thousand armed Kannon.

Hours : 6:00 to 18:00

Closed : No closing days

Admission : 300 yen

Spring and Fall Illumination

Hours : 18:30 to 21:30

(mid March to mid April and mid November to early December)

Admission : 400 yen

All Maps will be included in next entry.

Things To Do In Bangkok/Thailand (Part 1)

2012-01-16T01:06:00.022+08:00

This entry is dedicated to Janggel and those visiting Bangkok/Thailand soon or near future.

At first, I wanted to share only what I do or normally go to in Bangkok but when I rethink, neh..... just load whatever and wherever I have covered in Thailand that can help Janggel or travelholic out there. Might as well, huh!

Just to set the expectation right, there are STILL plenty of places and things that I wanted to see and do but have yet to cover, WHY? Because, I suppose at every trip to Bangkok, Chiang Mai or any other part I set foot, it was limited days traveling. The longest was close to 1 week. Hemmm.... next time I'll try a 10 days Thailand trip pulak kan.

Accommodation

I guess, first of all; you'll need to know what you want and like to do then only find a hotel located within that vicinity to ensure minimal dollars spend on transportation.

I actually have no favourite place, I actually change hotel at every visit. Yes, HOTEL; half my trip was under company. The one I traveled on my own, I still stayed at hotel because I took Air Asia Go Holiday. Don't get me wrong, there are cheap/reasonable hotel out there. It's individual preference mah... However, the below is where my sis researched and stayed before (Lub d).

Bangkok

Siam Square Area (recommended-visual above) : Lub d Hostel

Khaosan / Wat Area : NapPark Hostel, LoogChoob Hostel, Feung Nakorn Balcony Rooms And Cafe, Baan Dinso Hostel

Silom Area : Silom Lub d Hostel, Saphai Pae Hostel, Smile Society Hostel, Take A Nap Hostel, HQ Hostel,

Phaya Thai / Chatuchak : Udee Hostel

Others : Refill Now Hostel, Just Beds Hostel, Pridi Hostel

Chiang Mai

Anusarn Area : Small Hotel

My recommendation is to stay near Anusarn Night Market area as it is much more convenient (Never stayed in any hostel in Chiang May before this).

There's also few Muslim restaurant there and open air foot massage service for those tired shopaholics.

Environ

Ayuthayya : Baan Lotus

Sukhothai : Lotus Village

If you noticed that, we tend to choose slightly fancy hostel, seriously; just because we travel cheap, doesn't mean our hostel need to look boring right...? *wink*

Sightseeing, things to do in Chiang Mai, Bangkok and environ

What I will be sharing is what I have experience and plan to do here, there are more options for everyone to choose from, the list is bottomless.

Bangkok

Own Experience (hyperlink)

IMAX 3D Movie (Malaysia only have 3D)

City Sightseeing (yet to blog)

Temple Sightseeing (yet to blog)

Chiang Mai

Own Experience (hyperlink)

Flight Of The Gibbon (Flying Fox [where The Amazing Race took place])

Microlight Flight

Cherry Blossom (yet to blog)

Bamboo Rafting (yet to blog)

Jungle Elephant Ride (yet to blog)

Second Hand Bookshop (yet to blog)

Longest Night Market (yet to blog)

Environ

Own Experience (hyperlink)

Sukhothai Historical Park (Day 2)

Chiang Rai (yet to blog)

Golden Triangle (yet to blog)
Sunflower Field Elephant Ride
Day Trip to Pattaya
Ancient Kingdom of Ayutthaya

That's about it so far, I will blog about the rest once am done with Osaka/Kyoto. I haven't even blog about Perth, Shanghai, Orlando, Vietnam... etc etc... goodness gracious. Insyaallah soon.

Next will also be where and what I plan to cover in Bangkok/Thailand.

Teaser | Arashiyama Panorama

2012-01-15T01:41:00.004+08:00

Couple in traditional clothes that we bumped into. Sweet huh!

Leftover autumn leaves.

The whole area or at least majority of the temple is a UNESCO site.

Awww.....

Day 2c | USJ - When Kitty meet Snoopy (Cute to Death!!!)

2012-01-13T00:39:00.003+08:00

Hahhahah...... Kid you not. If you hate cute stuff, this will be over-does-death-by-cuteness entry. But I suggest you to browse thru as this are the things you will see in Universal Studios Japan. Betul!!!!!

This will be a pic entry... nak comment apa sangat kan.

Do you think the people inside feels hot? Hahahah.... One thing I have to admit, they are full of characters.

This is actually a frame and fridge magnet but mahai giler... my sis bought this.

This is what I bought for USS trip at Osaka City Walk... Osaka is written at the bottom.

For more pic, please click HERE.

Day 2b | Universal Studios Japan (USJ) & Hotel on Osaka City Walk

2012-01-10T23:20:00.001+08:00

Been sleeping early everyday (11pm is NOT that early LILY!). Hence, the stagnant of this entry. Let's start!

The shuttle bus from where we stayed have 1 pick-up service to and fro ie 8:30am & 9:30pm respectively. Of course it doesn't come free despite we are the hotel guests (sigh... Eh! Line Chawan kan kan). The cost is Y5000/RM20 per trip, agak mahal lar....but to take a train on a morning working day is almost suicidal in Japan. After a lot of consideration (a kelecehan yang akan di terjah), we decided it's okay lar to take the shuttle. Journey was about 20-30mins with the heavy morning traffic.

Since we arrive at around 9am, the park is empty... well, ALMOST EMPTY! Memang gempak lar sebab, we felt as if we were so rich that we made USJ close it JUST for us. Hahhahah.... this is what we say, perasan MAXIMUS PRIME baik punya.

So, if those coming here to USJ or USS (wink wink), make sure you go in early yah.

We walked with no pedoman in life hahhahha.... (guidance), mainly because we were too excited and wanted to go with the flow (konon!). Bad move! Anyway, we were snapping photos like there's no tomorrow, testing alllllll camera functions (you guessed it right, I am using a compact cam - dasar pemalas!). Very old-skool huh this pic!

CHUP! Guess what we bump into?

Tah dah..... Spiderman!!! Don't worry, it's not real! It's an "it". Okay! Tak kan ler mamat tuh dok upside down berjam jam, get real guys! Kesian wor... But we all cam jakun jek masa tuh, ingat kan betul. Tipah tertipu tertipu tetipah! Ceh!

OK! You must try this ride!!! MUST MUST!!!! You will regret if don't.

As usual, toilet is a must go. Why the pic? Wanted to show Chawanna and Ely that they have babysit attached. Hhahahahha... COMEI!!!

Once I was done with my "small business", I heard loud noises and saw people rushing out from toilet. I too kepoh lar and did the same (not wanting to miss anything, ANYTHING!).

SURPRISE!!!

Tah dahhh!!!! Parade!

I kept hoping my sis & Anna would come out in time and enjoy the parade but they took soooooo long. You know what???? They came out the moment the parade ended. Apparently they heard the noise and the rush BUT they decided to WAIT for me in the toilet. WHAT??????? JUJUR NYE! Of all the time.... DUH!

I told them, I MUST MUST MUST go to the Back To The Future ride area to buy a car, obviously they go like "HUH?!?!?!", "Ada orang nak" I said (malas nak explain). Senang giler nak jumpa BUT, there was so many option aside from the one Cawan wanted... "Yang mana lak ni, should I pandai pandai or ikut instruction!??!". This time around, I JUJUR! Hahhahah.... Bought the unit Cawan wanted. But still lupa nama kete! AGAIN!!!

Cawan, what's the car name? (Cam tak leh google but tengah malas leh),

Jalan again.... suddenly we felt it was raining.... what a way to spoil the day huh! BUUUUUUUUUT..... it actually snowed!!!! Not rain!

For a brief 1-2 mins.... bikin gempak jek... kesian my sis. Hhehehehe.... bukan rejeki!

Not only the snow stopped but the sun decide to come out again and smile.... ek elllaaa..... Tak pa tak pa.... jalan jek.... blessing.

This is amazing as I didn't see this when I was in Universal Studios LA nor Singapore's, basically.... "dinosaur having a stroll" around the Jurassic Park area.... got us wondered, human inside? or mechanical? or.... momok? Hahhahahah.... Rasa in USS ada dak? Dulu tak ada...

As usual, ini is a kemestian. Apa ntah nama dia... churros kot.

Anna spotted a show airing at 3:30pm, so we plan our route accordingly to make sure we do not miss this. Ok lar... biasa biasa ajek, but what impresses me most is the below pic.

No safety net or wired support. GILER APA!?!?

This too, Ely & Chawanna... parking bay for stroller. Changgih tuh!

So you all know, we do play some of the rides, not all lar though. Sebab some we have tried in other countries plus Jurassic Park rides will get us soaking wet. Errrr.... so not a good idea in cold weather and foreign land. Sakit nanti seksa jiwa raga.

The good rides will be Spiderman & Jurassic Park, and another one will be mentioned below. Hehhehe...

By this time, it's getting dark and we almost complete the whole park/area.

This was the one I mentioned earlier, Hollywood Dream, my sis took a ride on this. She loves it, rollercoster freak she is. Look nicer at night. This game is the first one from the entrance, hard to miss it. Yes, ada somersault and all.

Semua poser poser belaka.

My sis searching for souvenirs.... apa lagi nak tuh!

I tried this at Disneys and Universal Studios... we all thought we rather give this a pass, lebih kurang jek semua. Bunyi eksen dak? Hhehehe...

Elmo characters for those trying hard to remember.

Balik ler apa lagi... penat wooh...

CHUP! Continued with The City Walk outside USJ, it's similar to the one in LA. However, the one in Singapore looks very different. It's row of shops & a HRC. No big deal lar...

Tak beli pun...... Japan HRC is very expensive.

This hotel is really outside USJ on Osaka City Walk, don't know the price. Please google it yah. One word - CONVENIENT!

This too, few pintu down. Hhahhahah....

Next to them (not directly of course), anime shop.... I pun kepoh skali. They have almost everything and anything! Man/boys/MALE would love it here.

Dah cukup! BALIK! (Out of cash too).

USJ URL HERE

For more pics, please visit HERE

Travelholic. Ke"Murni"an

2012-01-07T22:50:00.007+08:00

Been discussing and we settle on 5 cars. Siap bawak kete lagi, I want the Le Mans!!!! Not Leman! Ada yang jeles kang, like Icam say - awek! Hhahahha....

At the same time, eating eating, munching munching, talking talking.... ie isi minyak in car term.

Err... whose bread was this again?

"Even the thunder knows when to stop" that's what my late uncle (I call him Papa) always say if us families chit chat non-stop.

Once finalised the details, we balik lar. So I decided to go to office to clear some work. Then I figure why not I go for reflexology before heading for seafood dinner with Grace.

As he presses and massages my leg, I scream and whine; so you know how bad my internal organs are... bladder, neck, head, segala gala nye lar..... Ish! Dang!

After that, I got a call from Grace that her car something is spoil and need to cancel our dinner and send straight to a workshop in Cheras. Arghh....Sigh.

Since I was in SS2, without hesitation I decide to proceed having lone ranger dinner of Loh Shih Fan at Murni Restaurant.

Ako, check out Chicken Napolean... The Nasi Goreng version is with this chicken lor *wink*

And the drinks?? As changgih as the dish.

How does these drinks look like? Tah dah..... below...

What did I order?

Loh Shih Fan...

To go along with watermelon special drink.... SODAP!

Day 1 & 2a | Osaka Arrival and USJ Intro

2012-01-06T09:23:00.010+08:00

So you see, am combining Day 1 & Day 2 for a very simple reason, despite that we flew off at 8ish morning on 26 December, we actually arrived kinda late ie at 3ish evening... well, close to 4 in fact. Taking into the fact that the luggage, the immigration, the finding out how to get to hotel etc... YUP! We kinda left the airport around 4ish or so. ANNNNNNND..... that's not it, the daylight ends at..... jeng jeng jeng (ala ala drum roll)...... 4ish too. You heard me right, 4PM!!!! (Bukan 2PM cam band Korea tuh tau!).

It look superbly dark (take note of the word "SUPERBLY") out side, we know that we will lose 1 day traveling (due to winter mah, daylight SHORTER). Thus, for those going there soon on the same AA flight... plan well on day of arrival yah!

I told a couple of you guys (or perhaps only Chawanna cos they will be going in the near period) that for this trip, I intend to plan it LOSE. No timing, pre-booking etc, no nothing; we just go with the flow. Nama pun holiday kan kan kan.... Actually, there's a reason why I plan it in such, but can't pen it down, I kan cercite verbally jek.

Here's my rough itinerary (shopping will take place celah celah bedah during the daysss [teringin nak guna Biq nye line]) :

Day 1 : Arrival Osaka

Day 2 : Universal Studios Japan (my sis will mangok if I skip this)

Day 3 : Depart to Kyoto & Sightseeing

Day 4 : Arashiyama

Day 5 : Fushimi Inari & Nara

Day 6 : Depart to Kyoto & shopping

Day 7 : Depart from Osaka (balik Malaysia ler tuh)

Few things I did not get myself prepared, simply because this too was a very last minute trip and also because I did not travel with my usual travel partner kot, mood agak terjejas. Hence, the modus operandi has to be tweaked ler obviously.

First, Osaka.... Osaka in my view is an INDUSTRIAL or PORT town ie cam Port Klang or perhaps Penang (minus the sites and foods). So, agak bosan for me.... asyik nampak serombong asap jek... the high rise can be seen in town itself but it wasn't the same feel as Tokyo though. So, obviously Tokyo will win hands down ler kan kan kan... to me that is.

We arrived at Osaka Station yang nala punya besau, KL Sentral tuh kira child play jek, bear in mind that we arrive on the land platform, not knowing how many stories there is further underground. But, what we saw is that Isetan, Uniqlo and a Mall is in this building. Train track berjimba jimba you, first thing that ran in my mind - ICAM & RAIYAN (anak Maimon, case suka choo choo nih). It was a facinating sight EVEN if you are not into train, sumpah tak tipu.

Over description on top lak, sowweee....

Osaka's train & exit direction was very detailed, they even put it on pillers (this doesn't happen in all station yah, so keep the expectation right *wink*). I think because of the station scale thus the thorough and overcommunicated info. Baguis ler kan tuk traveler cam kite nih.

Screen detail? In Japanese obviously, it DOES change to English but not THAT detail, will do for common travelers. I believe we are smart enough to gauge and interpret kan. Hahhahaha perasan tuh...

This impresses me kay, the lines indicate where for you to stand, so jangan pandai pandai nak diri luar dari line. Depa discipline giler. Don't ask me what the direction on the floor means, am clueless as well but I assume suruh kite line up ler kot. Hahhaah....

Train map will be included in next entry yah.

OK! Our hotel indicated that it is located near the bay area. Agak riak masa dapat tau, Oh yah! my accommodation on the first 2 nights in Osaka was courtesy of Anna - my old travel buddy. She was claiming her loyalty card points, meaning memang FREE ler kan kan kan.... Muahhaha.... am sooo sayang-ed, jangan jeles. Keh keh keh....

So, this is the view from hotel, boring kan? The blurred building is a mall, a small-boring-nothing-inside-close-at-8pm MALL!!!

But since god gave us rejeki, jangan complain, redho jek. Hhehehhe.... ayat cover line takut tuhan mawah!

The great thing about this hotel is that they are affiliated with USJ, meaniiiiiiiiing....... I can buy the USJ tix at the business centre!!!! PERFECTO MUNDO!

Tix cost are as below (so far, I noticed there's no online purchase) :

1 Day/Studio Pass - 6200Yen (A), 4100Yen (C), 5500Yen (S)

2 Day/Studio Pass - 10700Yen (A), 7200Yen (C)

1.5 Day/Twilight & Day Pass - 8200 (A), 6100 (C)

This is a building next to our's, wallahullam apa dia but I was bored while waiting for the shuttle bus to take us to USJ, soooo... snappy snap ler kan.

This is my shuttle, okay lar. Gambar ekcelli nak tunjuk rambut baru with a bang. SHE BANG! SHE BANG! Ricky Martin yo! Lepas nih, rambut sure berselerak, biasa ler, cantek masa pagi jek lepas tuh - *berdengus*. Hahhahaha......

We passed by this building, siap nak bangun dah nih sebab ingat dah sampai; maklum ler excited kan... rupa nye bukan... CIS! tipah tertipu! You wanna know what this is? HOTEL!!!! Abit rundown as we got closer, but it is near USJ ler kan.

Hotel nearer to USJ akan di khabor kan in next entry.

REACHED! Ntah apa ler depa promote nih...

Hello Kitty in USJ okay! The only one in da world!!

Eh! Snoopy tuh... they all in USJ PLUS Sesame Street! Yang kat US ada Simpsons & Dora if not mistaken. I haven't blog about USLA pun... pemalas nye....

Next entry on USJ over the weekend kot, will be on what to buy, see, rides and shows.

As well as Universal City Walk and hotel nearest to it.

Teaser | Fushimi Inari - Red Torri Gate

2012-01-05T09:33:00.002+08:00

I shall tempt you with TEASERS, hehehhe...

Twin peaks (gates) ?

Every pic I see is of inside, so I decided I must, must, must take the outer instead to create a different. Am lucky the sun is shining bright thus the red gate pic can be beautifully taken. Thank you god.

Teaser : Captivating Kyoto

Teaser : Universal Studios Japan (USJ)

Teaser | Captivating Kyoto

2012-01-04T11:30:00.004+08:00

Bump into some Geisha (we think).

The last autumn leaves we saw.

Passing by Edo period street.

Am still sorting my pics, will select a few as teaser; download some maps to help travelers and do estimate costing as guidance. Mark this page and keep a look out, I will try to post every alternate day and upload my facebook for viewing pleasure.

Misi Tak Mustahil : Hantu BerProtokol

2012-01-02T19:27:00.003+08:00

Entry nih lawak badoh giler merepek, if tak da sense of humour, baik jangan terus kan membaca. Else sure nyampah kat I nyeee.... Muahhahah.....

How this started was while driving home today lepas makan kat Sambal Hijau Sg. Penchala (mode rindu makan Mesia during travel as usual, lepas nih roti canai lak), obviously I did massage as well as my Baskin Robbins treat ler kan, else rasa tak lengkap sesi makan. OK, over melalut lak.

Masalah nye hak ni hah..... As I was driving home, nampak advert on those screen board on MI : Ghost Protocol; of WHICH alot of my FB friends has been updating status on this movie. Wonder best ke dak... since thriller dia cam best giler plus the movie title yang sungguh memberangsang kan!

Then it strikes me, how in the world will the people translate this movie title... Hantu Yang BerProtokol?!?!?!

I burst out laughing masa cakap ngan adek dalam kereta.

"Amboi, berhemah sungguh hantu hantu nih..." Hahhaha.... sambung ketawa, tobat kete sebelah ingat I nih saiko sebab dok ketawa kuat kuat sambil tepuk tepuk steering kereta. Chup! Motor sebelah actually turned his heard, ane tuh sure leh dengar I dok ketawa ngilai ngilai (nama cite pun Hantu BerProtokol, hantu tuh dah betul, bab ngilai tuh cam tak da protokol lak.... bawak bertenang Cik Bulan-Ku oooi! Sigh.... Hihihiiiii....)

Sambung lagi (jangan ingat I am done with it, bab lawak nih; I sejibik cam arwah my dad). "Adek, kot kot hantu tuh bila nak cross jalan or lawan lawan nanti, dia akan mintak permission nak lalu or nak lawan, submit form nak perang etc.. kene ada protokol ler kan kan kan" Lagi kuat I ketawa, adek I yang dok control macho sebab bosan tengok kakak dia merapu pun tersengeh. YEAY! I made her smile, I siap suruh dia letak dalam FB and tanya kawan kawan dia nye opinion. Dalam ati dia [adek I] berkata kata "Uni aku buat hal dah... this will be on going for hours or even for few days". She knows me so well *smile*.

Ada sapa sapa dah tengok cite nih? Kabor kan ler.. I curious nih. Hhehehhe.....

Have you seen bad or worst Malay translation?

By the way, how do you translate - Action Comedy? My brother slalu gets upset with how this being translated!

Hahhahahha.... Cepat jawab!!! *wink*

P/S : What a way to start my first entry of the year, but tak pa... I start it with loud bom bang joke. Semoga my 2012 will be happy happy jolly jolly trolley dolly!

Lepas nih, I upload gambo Kyoto yek....

Bulan-Ku @ Mai-mon in Paksa Rela 2011

2011-12-30T23:41:00.000+08:00

Nih keje giler, so far memang sahih sahih tak penah buat entry opening or closing of any year. New year pun I tak celebrate, selalunye tito sambil di-iringi oleh dengkuran sendri sendri (sambil 3 ekor kucing memerhati dengan pelik nye).

Akan tetapi..... jeng jeng jeng...., kali ni lain skeeeet, baru kenal ramai blogger baru - Rodiah bersama partner nye Hamid, Fattimatunzaharah, Leman Yusop, Aaron@Harun, Cik Aloyah, Osman, Cik Puan Lela Manja, Mutalib@Ghafur, Rofe'ah Kutip (punya malas nak type, siap copy/paste dari Chawanna nye blog, tak authentic langsuang - nama sendri pun almost nak copy/paste gak, cam bodoh boleh?!), tengok depa nye entry cam best lak; ala ala kekonon nak turut serta berduet (or berboria reramai) in this trending but cam payah jek nak crack THE brain for ideas; lagi krek otak nih (short circuit) ada ler.

Pikiq punya pikiq, memula nak buat cam si polan nye entry, then si minah tuh kot, then cam si dia nih lah... ish! ish! Nak bertolak ansuq ngan kepala sendri memang tersangat ler payah nye. At the end, entry ngek ngok nih jek ler noh...nasib ler korang. Nih pun dok pikiq gambar apa nak letak (lagi satu masalah pulak doh!!!). Hemm... susah susah, gambar-less ler jawabnye. CHUP!!!! Yang best nye, si Icam pun ada this trending entry.... ARGHHH!!!!!! Pressured!

But one thing for sure ler kan, I suka sangat meeting all the folks yang not only shared the same passion but also sekepala. Seriously, even I nih ENVY kat DIRI I!

Bulan-Ku, sila JANGAN jealous terhadap Mai-mon OKAY!

I tak sabo sabo tunggu Redang & USS (dah siap pikiq nak pakai baju apa, DRAMA dak?!)

Pendek kan cite, this year I took up regional job (Asia Pacific konon ler) dengan harapan nusa & bangsa tuk menerjah negeri lain (ie mencapai 47 negara(s)); but punya ler sebok memanjang, tak dapat ler travel under company (nak bernapas dalam lompoq pun payah masa nih, bab cuti tuh kirim salam awal awal ler). Cuma gi Hong Kong & Japan as hadiah MVP jek...

Atas dasar stress yang tak terhingga, I return back to country role! Hasil nye, dengan serta merta cabut gi Greece & Romania (jakun lama tak travel kan), for a travelholic - kompem penyeksaan masa tuh sebab tak leh jengjalan!

Skarang lak, sebab kesian kat adek plus nak maximise cuti wajib nih, angkut bag again gi Japan, cuma kali nih Kyoto & Osaka. Nanti kan entry I yek yek yek.... tunggu tauuu...

Next year nye plan ADALAH.....

UNTUK TAK ADA PLAN!!!!

Changgih manggih dak!!!

Psst : Sebenar nye sebab tak da duit dah and nak cari kaki gi Taiwan & Xian.

Teaser | Universal Studios Japan (USJ)

2011-12-30T08:19:00.008+08:00

Some teaser pics on USJ for those making plan soon, REAL SOON...

Very common here in Japan, you'll see the same in Disneyland or DisneySea Japan as well. Regardless female or male, they dare to wear! Ko berani?

OPS! Censored! Dare you too...! Jaws tuh macho woo...

Confuse huh! Hello Kitty in Pink Panther, Elmo in Hello Kitty and Hello Kitty in Elmo.... wolf in sheep clothing ler kot kan...

The dino walks OK! REALLY!!!

Nih comei gak kan...

This is even comei-ler

OK! That's all I will share for now.... nitey nite.

Mamak! Roti KLCC Satu!!! Travelholic share-share

2011-12-29T07:47:00.003+08:00

Senang cite, jeles tengok meja sebelah makan sodap.

Biq pun ajak order ler, apa lagi... dengan kiasunye we all agree... And by the way, it's Roti Tissue kan? But tak kisah ler, Roti KLCC bunyi glam sket. Hhehehee.... credit to Cik Biq kite.

Masa sampai tuh, tuh dia... mata terpaku pakis kat KLCC nih (ke KL Tower, Janggel?). Maka gambar harus tangkap kan... I pun snap ler snap....ala ala jakun gitus...

Nak baring kan pun kene ada TIGA pinggan ok!

SATU, DUA, TIGA PINGGAN

Finally, dah tito kan KLCC nih.

Cepat Janggel, tangkap gambo tuh, sebab agreementnye kan Janggel yang kene blog coz I dah sub-con to him ler. Cam nih pun boleh kah??? Nanti I hyperlink kat SINI entry si Janggel nih, korang baca tuk tau lebih lebih ovest lagi yek.

NGAP!

Masa tuh, si TravelTodd nih, tak kisah dunia lain... janji dapat naik swing portable mak nye.

Siriosa muka tak kisah!

Pendek dak entry nih? Hheheheh...

Day 9 & 10 | McArthur Glen Designer Outlet

2011-12-27T23:38:00.004+08:00

Day 9

We got an early flight out of Bucharest, I buffered this incase of any flight delay; and that we will still be able to catch it home (which is the next day dawn). PLUS to give Zali 1 day to cover Acropolis as he didn't manage to (being 3 days lesser then us girls). Everything went well, on time and no hiccup NOR strike. AMIN...

To avoid of being summon again, we decided to book the hostel taxi (splitting cost by 4pax kinda untung) to the airport. Why didn't we think of this earlier, bengap betui!

Our plan was that Zali will catch the Acropolis and us girls will be jalan-ing at Plaka, we will then meet up at Syntagma Square to catch the shuttle to McArther Glen Designer Outlet... tuk shopping sket sket. So, while Zali was discovering Greek early civilization, we decided to check-out the Acropolis Museum at the foot of Acropolis. Guess what? That day was FREE (AGAIN!!! cam na ler negara nih nak kaya, preee memanjang!)!

Few things I observed, the security "forces" (note I did not use the word GUARD) was all in black coat & tie, some with sunglasses, and of cause a walkie. Serious look like CIA or something.

We felt that, if anyone were to knock down ANYTHING, they will rescue the artifacts before us. HAHHAHAHHA.....

The above 2 was how it suppose to look like then and now.They have a step by step on stages of Acropolis construction.

This is the cool part, one section of the museum is glassed so that one can view the archeology digging that is still going on. In fact, come to think of it, the whole museum MIGHT have built on an archeology ground. Cam na ler depa bina tuh agaknye.

Once we were done, we took the train to Syntagma Square to meet up Zali.

The shuttle came on time and took us here, rasa cam padang jarak padang terkukur looking at the scenery to the venue... wondering whether is it worth it ke dak masa tuh... hemm....

The selection was decent, what we wanted was there and murah, just don't compare to US FOS ler, but still murah banyak.The choice not as much though, but then again, if banyak pun; bukan ada duit nak nyopping.

Wonder whether the Johor Premium Outlook looks like this dak?

I thought think brand was worth it, curi curi took some pics so that you guys can gauge.

Apparently, shirts like these; if it's new arrival, the cost will reach between RM500-800. Murah kan... I think this is 1-2 season backwards, but OK ler, cam ada orang nak perasan.

I bought this for work.

Nasib masa ni tak da BF, else sure dah beli dah nih, murah tuh.

Tak beli ler kan hak ni, was waiting for Zali and Wahidah to finish their shopping. The bench was in front of this shop, snap pics je ler. As you know, am a travelholic not a shopaholic, sooo.... leh bosan gak masa ni. I shop ala-kadar jek. Some might beg to differ sure nye.

Once we completed or should I say broke, we took the shuttle back to our hotel. We pecah pukal berbagai kat bilik and start packing as we have a super early flight the next day. Where to?

Balik Malaysia ler....!!!! (This is the Day 10 lerrr)

Hyperlink credit : MrArthur Glen Designer Outlet

It's MINE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2011-12-23T21:44:00.000+08:00

Since am not bounded to open my Christmas pressie on Christmas day; so I opened all up just now... excited giler sebab tuh ler. Most of my colleagues a non-Muslim, and somehow when they gave away gifts to family, friends and colleagues, they tend too include me as well. Baik kan... but I obviously did the same on Raya lar, I bawak kuih, rendang, ketupat for them. Fair ler kan... after all, kite rakyat Malaysia kan! *Slang minah salleh dalam cite Makanik*

They knew I like the character Stitch, so as you can see... I received a number of them goodies. Hhahahah... I loike.

The umbrella and cutlery set tuh I bought in Watson few weeks back, but the rest was pressie. So sweet of them.

OK! My favourite in this collection is the Plugy. Apa tuh? See below....

This is the Plugy...

To be use on my handphone... (Stitch gak!)

Supposed to plug into an iPhone so that water unable to sip in, else the warranty void ler.

This is how it'll look like, can you see it?

Tah dah....

Hehhehe.... I got the hairband in Japan DisneySea as well... comei dak?

Day 8b | I Almost Comolot in Bucharest

2011-12-21T23:03:00.002+08:00

I will keep this short & simple.

One trick to cut cost on traveling is to visit parks providing that you love them of course. Else it will be a bore. For me, it's a walk in the park - literally. Hahhahah.... What makes it perfect, Wahidah do not mind! YEAY! Way to go Wahidah!

Anywayssss.... we saw a museum earlier yesterday so we decided that since we "cancelled" our Brasov, why not we take a walk in the city during the mid day and the park after lunch. Sounds like a good idea huh! (And cheap, smart Lily [Dengan nada perasan])

This entry am going to do a reverse... so, for you to know on comolot, you actually need to read the whole entry thru (tak leh skip skip).

This is how big the museum is, and that is definitely not the lake size mind you! Agak agak bila nak habis jalan ni.

We paid and went in, obviously we tend to see houses and houses and house of yesteryears as well as of different circa. One thing caught my eyes was that they have alot of locals visiting them AND..... they are mostly students!!! I know, I know.... nothing wrong with this but they were there for assignment bukan dating. You got it! They are architecture student... hardworking architecture student.

Strangely, I don't remember seeing this scene in Malacca Museum (we have similar kan?).. it was kinda a nice sight.

Siap measuring tape berbagai, ada yang lukis lukis lagi.

Ayam den lapeh...heheheh.... check out the leg! Pegi gym ke apa!?!?

If you want to see more, check out my Facebook album HERE as usual.

Before we get into the museum, we actually have to cut thru this super HUGE park, REALLY HUGE! You can even ran a bike in the park, begitu besau nye. But this is not the story-mory obviously, the real story is that we saw many LEADER HEADS in the park, apparently they're always there for people to visits (ala ala bertegur sapa gitus, to build rapport ler), I pun apa lagi, ambek kesempatan tuk COMOLOT with them ler kan.

HASILNYE.......

HAHAHAHHAH........ tuh jek cite nye... marah ke?

Day 8 | Hunting for Dracula Castle, Souvenirs & Postcard

2011-12-20T01:40:00.001+08:00

This is so long overdue, I need to finish all these entry before my next trip. Oh by the way, I now tweet too. Learning still and having lotsa fun with it.

Focus LILY! The story entry!??!

Here goes... We started our day abit late, we also decided to split with Zali & Wan. WHY? The boys wanted to go shopping and us girls wanted to go find a way to Brasov ie where Dracula Castle situated (without doing sufficient research prior, tetiba awat over confident for this trip). DECIDED! Split we did, happily looking for our own path (ceh waaah...), hahhahah.....

Hotel didn't come with breakfast, so we did the next best thing, bought a bun from the pâtisserie and took a stroll to the train station. The route was not that "friendly" nor welcoming, kinda worrying as today was our first day doing own public transportation. With this feeling, hemm.... not helping most certainly.

Felt a bit dodgy right, we start pulling our backpack to the front, panic nye pasal.

Upon reaching the track, Surprise! Surprise! It was actually clean, punctual & decent. We got panic for no reason. Ek elaaa.... memang overst!

The train/metro we took obviously was underground, for us to visit Brasov, we need to take the "normal" land train, but this was not done until I try their hot chocolate vending machine... GOODNESS GRACIOUS! It was super YUMMY! I got so ADDICTED! I always think that Europe vending machine drinks taste better then our Starbuck! Murah lak tuh!

We start looking for the ticket counter to get the direction to Brasov, the understanding was that it will take 3-4 hours, hemmm... what silly me fail (FAIL!!!) to find out is that the train does not depart half hourly, hourly etc etc... then of course to make things harder, there a express train and normal train which stops at ever station. Complicated lak nih! After calculating the journey, the time required to roam around and the train back... apa lagi....

CANCEL!

So, cite nye we all tak pegi cari si hensem dracula! Hahhahah.... Good excuse to revisit Romania dak? Or perhaps, I go neighbouring country and drop by Brasov?

So we decide to just take a walk in the town and look for souvenirs ie fridge magnets and postcards.

Above is the bus/tram ticket counter.

Jalan lar punya jalan.... we bump into Volksbank, eh! Volkswagen also have a bank?

Tak pa! Jalan lagi, I think we walked about 5km minimum overall. We saw this, I can't resist!

And this pub! Giler comei!

Apparently this is very popular... tak try, still full at that point of time.

I thought this name was good! Good creativity! Hands down y'all.

Check out the background!!!!!!!!!!!! Nampak dak?????

Genius Travel & Banca Transilvania.

PERFECT!

We finally reached Piaţa Universităţii. I have to tell this story, of which I have been telling tones of folks; for those hearing or reading this YET again, SORRY lerrr... ehhehhe...

Hatta, arakian... cam real!

Obviously the name says it all, it a universities arealar... we were cool about this (really!). After snapping few pics, we said let's go and take the train to HRC as I need to buy some magnets and take a walk in the park (the biggest park I ever seen; it will be an entry on its own for this). Still cool here.

Down we head, as we reach the foyer, we FINALLY saw the tourism information counter. GERAM!!! Of all the places!?!?!? We found few infos nevertheless, so for those planning to visit Bucharest or Brasov... :

1. The tourism information centre is located at University Square or Piata Universitatii

2. Next door sells souvenirs (small shop) - postcard & fridge magnet (MAHAL!) but no stamp

3. There are packages offered to take you to Brasov BUT MAHAAAAL.

4. Their conversational English is perfect, no worries here

Back to my story, after buying and inquiring, we went to the station to take the train; as you guess, the amount of passengers are namely STUDENT, STUDENT and STUDENT! But here's the thing.... they are LANKY/ PRETTY/STYLO... I felt sooooo SHORT/UGLY/BURUK... talk about being intimidated, having low self-esteem, high sense of envy. Tension masa tuh okay!

Not just that, depa berdiri ala ala Tyra Banks, jenis yang sangkut bag sebelah tangan; kaki bent down sket, bahu senget sebelah, ala ala pose maut cam nak masuk cat walk gitu. Ish! Rasa hina sat!

Atas sebab GERAM yang tahap dewa, balik malam tuh, gi H&M shopping, konon nak boost self confident!

Yup! Cam nih pun boleh!

Hyperlink credit : Wikipedia

Japan VISA Application

2011-12-16T22:22:00.025+08:00

Let's pen down the process/tips of Japan VISA Application for Malaysian, this is is correct (at least to my knowledge) as of todate. I would not be liable of failing application yah, this is purely base on my experience (and luck *smile*). You can also get more detail from Embassy Of Japan link HERE.

Ok. First thing first, the location/map and address are as below.

For those not familiar with KL route; It's opposite US Embassy (across Jalan Tun Razak that is) OR next door (corner lot) to Bombay Palace (also corner lot). If you come from Jalan Binjai and turn into Persiaran Stonor, the embassy is on right hand side after Eaton Pre-School. If you still unable to locate, use GPS lar...

Embassy Of Japan

11 Jalan Tun Razak

50450 Kuala Lumpur

Tel: 60-3-2177-2600

Office Hours (Monday - Friday)

08:30 am - 12:00 pm

02:00 pm - 04:00 pm

CRUCIAL INFO :

- Parking is limited (outside the embassy ie by the street - about 5+ car slot), best is to come very early "early bird gets the worm" (the queue is not long in the morning, hence no worries)
- There's 1 (one) payable parking "field" further down near Jalan Binjai, you will need to walk between 5-7mins. Take care of own safety when walking by the street
- Alternatively, you can try your luck to park in Bombay Palace (not sure whether they allow this). However, note that their gate close in the morning (I think)

- The TAT is 3WD (subject to approval)- There is no interview required. Really kinda easy

- Overall process EXCLUDE waiting for your turn is less then 5mins (SERIOUS) ASSUMING your document is complete and according to the requirement.

- Travelers can stay up to 15 days per visit

- VISA is valid for 3 months (so plan well when to apply your VISA)

- The VISA is FREE

SUBMISSION STEPS :

- Go to Security Guard >> Fill in form & hand in your IC (you will be given a tag to claim your IC)

- Enter the side door on the left >> Hand in your handphone (you will be given a tag to claim your phone) and scan your bag (notebook bags or handbags - these you can bring in)

- Walk towards the main entrance >> Take a number once inside and wait to be called

- Submit the form >> With all the supporting documents, you will be given a receipt on collection time and date (keep the receipt safely)

** Do the reverse when exiting

COLLECTION STEPS :

- Go to Security Guard >> Fill in form & hand in your IC (you will be given a tag to claim your IC)

- Enter the side door on the left >> Hand in your handphone (you will be given a tag to claim your phone) and scan your bag (notebook bags or handbags - these you can bring in)

- Walk towards the main entrance >> Go straight to COUNTER 5

- Hand over your receipt >> And collect your passport (hopefully approved *smile*)

Easy peasy huh!

Next will be the list of things you need to support/include/bring.

REQUIREMENT

1. Original passport

2. One (1) visa application form (downloadable from this website HERE)

3. One (1) photo (4.5cm x 4.5cm) with white background which is taken within 6 month from the visa application and must be pasted on the application form

(PLEASE INFORM THE SHOP/PHOTOGRAPHER, IT'S FOR JAPAN VISA. THE SIZE IS SQUARE!)

Pergi ke kedai yang bertauliah else kene reject kan baru tau!)

4. Itinerary in Japan (downloadable HERE) and for transit purpose, copy of visa to the main destination (USA, CANADA, etc)

(Itinerary sample is attached below)

5. Employment certificate stating your position, department in the company and length of service(using the company letterhead)

(This is also know as employment letter, reference letter, visa letter etc etc)

*If you are a sole proprietor/partner/owner of the company, you need to submit a copy of your business registration (And also write OWN reference letter on letterhead, if I am not mistaken)

*For those who are not working: a self explanatory letter stating how expenses will be borne, name and relationship of person(s) accompanying (if any)

6. Personal savings, latest current account statement, fixed deposit, Tabung Haji or Amanah Saham Berhad (ASB) (original certified true copy by the bank [banyak kantoi yang nih sebab lupa]) (need to show the applicant’s name as the account owner, account number and current balance)

7. Copy of marriage certificate (spouse) or birth certificate (children) to show proof of relationship between the main applicant and the person(s) accompanying

NOTES :

1. Please arrange all the documents according to the sequence. Documents submitted will not be returned.

2. All photocopies must be on A4 size paper.

3. Collection of passport will be three (3) working days for Malaysian (subject to approval).

*THE EMBASSY OF JAPAN HAS THE RIGHT TO REQUEST FOR ADDITIONAL DOCUMENTS OR CALL THEAPPLICANT FOR AN INTERVIEW*

TIPS :

- Write clearly (I wrote in CAPS)

- FOLLOW the sample CLOSELY

- Supporting docs to check x100

- Make sure your CTC it (saw a few didn't, delayed the whole queue)

- Ensure your photo is in the WHITE background and square in size

- INCLUDE YOUR FLIGHT TICKET (RETURN)

Please visit Japan Embassy regularly incase of changes in requirements.

So far all mine has been approved (syukur...), hopefully this benefited and able to help you guys.

501 Doesn't Mean Levi's OK!

2011-12-16T03:00:00.007+08:00

Saw this series a couple of times, bought one for work purposes (betul, tak tipu! Hehhehe... sambil sambil tuh I layan ler).

I won't write a review on this since I don't get paid hahhaha.... (hint) actually I feel it's subjective that's all. In other words, one version of 501 might be different from another. Or if I named a must visit places of the type I fancy schmancy might be totally different from my best travel buddy Wahidah. Yeah lar.... I love oriental country since I studied them but she doesn't, I shouldn't judge her on that kan? Reason being she enjoyed Tokyo gak apa. But it too can flip the other way ie... she managed to prove me that New Zealand was a worth while place to visit (I took the ferry from South Island to North Island tau, did any of you tried that? Cool kaaaan..... but bumpy giler despite the ferry can fit even coaches of train) when I have a wee bit of doubt (heran dak?).

So, my suggestion is to go to the bookshop, flip the book, check out the places, increase your knowledge, put back the book and gi tengok wayang cite Puss In Boots. Hahhaha......

Lain kali I'll update on DK Eyewitness lak yek (my favourite nih, sure bias).

By the way, do you know there was a large contest on naming the NEW wonders of the world? *wink*....

Passed x3. But....

2011-12-14T23:04:00.000+08:00

Panic ended.... but before this - tiap ari rissau giler.

I have no idea why I still feel this way, walhal dah passed twice before this. Technically this shouldn't be a problem, it should be a walk in the park. REALLY! After all, they know my records mah... but I can't seem to shake this feeling away.

WHY?

WHY?????

Arghfvnrlcigom.....!!!

Now I know why they say, penantian adalah satu penyeksaan.

I am a piece of pebble (amongst the sand)!

My High Society Life in Singapore

2011-12-11T21:28:00.032+08:00

Singapore.... yet AGAIN!

Sounded actsy kan?!?

As you know, this is my entah berapa kali datang Singapore for work, hence am not going to update so much on Singapore unless am here on personal trip. So I will update you how my high society life here in Singapore and what I get for some travelholic and of course traveltodd.

I took the longest train gerabak I ever experience in Singapore that's for sure, I think there's about 5 coaches at least. But this is no big deal lar... I took the train to Harbour Front and swap to monorail to proceed to Universal Studio - Sentosa. Check out what I got *wink wink*.

Oh! The new Circle Line is ready and now I can get to HP office via train instead of cab. YEAY!!! Check out the NEW SINGAPORE MRT MAP (courtesy of Singapore MRT/Google).

Reached there, that's when I realised (datang sini banyak kali skarang baru noticed) that there's a map telling what is where.... cis!!! Selama nih I dok jalan cam giler wondering cam orang bodoh. Ek elaaa....

Anyway, I came here with a mission that is :

1. Get the car for Chawan (dia kirim 2-3 kali dah but luggage was heavy each time)

2. Magnets & keychain from Universal Studio for travelholic gift exchange OR contest ?!??! TUNGGGGUUU

3. Cute gift for smallest travelholic ie TRAVELTODD - Aqilah (but secret worrr)

Bump into this but dah ada dah, just so you know; there's 3 HRC in Singapore:

1. HRC at Orchard Road

2. HRC at Changi Airport

3. HRC at Sentosa Island

Pulau sekecik nih pun ada sampai TIGA. Giler apaa...

Just remembered the new ride is open - TRANSFORMER, my bro is going to be sooooo EXCITED!

Dia suka Transformer giler!

As some of you know, I stayed at Marina Bay Sands, yang atas rupa cam kapal tuh (the top look like a ship!). For those wondering how it looks like, please check out my last year entry HERE where I came for the same conference (Yeah! It's annual). And if you need to know on which floor the SKYPARK is located - 57th FLOOR.

OK! Let's talk about my High Society Life here *sambil flipping hair dengan muka angkuh giler & tersangat perasan*. Actually.... It's just a desert shop lar, I jek over giler. HAHHAHAH.... actually I tak masuk pun.

Saw this as well at Marina Bay Mall. Wolfgang Puck restaurant... tobat mahai kan. Jenguk pun segan, lalu je lerr...

Then.. atas sebab I know where I stand *dengan nada humble lagi sopan santun*, I am NO High Society, I pun join ler Black Sheep Society, this is more me ler kot kan... Hahhaha....

Sapa sedar diri and nak join????

In between the days was conferences that I need to attend thus no pic. I also thought I should share on Singapore Airport T1, T2 & T3 location AND that apparently they're building T4 as well. Banyak nye traffic kat sini, KLIA sepi jek, silap ari bulan bunyi cengkerik pun leh dengar. There's a train running between these terminals, kite should do this between KLIA & LCCT kan kan kan... gomen!

For those going to Singapore, the airlines departs from these terminal, jangan gi salah terminal lak. Check out the flight tix betul betul tau.

That's my short Singapore updates, ingat nak update blog semalam but ada kuliah agama and..... yang best nye (aside from ilmu downloading) auntie gave our family some bubur Asyura (utara/manis version).

YUM YUM!

If I Visit China Again, This Will Be The Provinces...

2011-12-10T00:18:00.003+08:00

Just take a look, wouldn't you terliuq... I have been aiming this for the past 3-5 years (seriously, Santorini was even longer ler kan), wouldn't you too.

This place is located in China and it is called Jiu Zhai Gou Valley or literally "Valley of Nine Villages" is a nature reserve and national park located in the Aba Tibetan Qiang Autonomous Prefecture of Sichuan Province, Jiuzhaigou Valley was inscribed by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site in 1992 and a World Biosphere Reserve in 1997. It belongs to the category V (Protected Landscape) in the IUCN system of protected area categorization.

How to get here?

Since 2003, it has been possible to fly from Chengdu or Chongqing to Jiuzhai Huanglong Airport on a 11,311 ft (3,448 m) high mountain side near Songpan County, and then take an hour-long bus ride to Huanglong, or a 90-minute bus ride to Jiuzhaigou. From 2006, a daily flight to Xi'an had been opened in peak season and new flights are being added all the time from different parts of China. In October 2009 new direct flights were added from Beijing, Shanghai and Hangzhou. Jiuzhaigou or Huanglong National Parks did not experience any damage during the earthquake of May 2008 and never closed after the event.

All above content is from Mr. Wikipedia, another interesting site is Jiuzhai Valley National Park. My suggestion is to do a DIY trip and then get local agent to take you here on a day trip, reason being my friend whom just got back was upset with our very own country travel agency as they did not take her up the cable car nor up to the highest level. I remembered she saying that went up to the 3rd station and was rush down to proceed to the next itinerary (that's why I do DIY nowadays, duh!).

Another place would be the above....Xian. I dream of this since school days.... I studied them but successfully failed to remember with flying colours, bila ler agak nye dapat jejak bertapak kat sini(s).

So, sapa sapa nak pegi sini, jangan lupa I tau!!!

Kemang & John, Xian - 2012 on? Others?

Bongok & Bongkak In KLIA

2011-12-08T20:46:00.025+08:00

Note : This is the cleaned up version, below earlier entry was blogged via iPhone, hence seksa giler nak edit grammar and spelling error. But most blogger sungguh cekap and understood my frustration very well and shared the pain. I suppose "Hanya jauhari mengenal manikam"?

*****************************

I just touched down at KLIA half an hour ago, rindu dendam kat blog dah 3-4 hari. Apa leh buat, network kat Marina Bay Sands (ala hotel yang macam kapal kat atas tuh) was soooo sesangat bad that I can't book the Air Asia latest 10cent promo....

Cis, baca somewhere that Travelholic Chawanna kata diarang dah book 3 flight... Confuse gak, 1 destination for 3 pax or 3 destination for 3 pax .... ke book nak beli 3 flight/aircraft (Amiiiin.... ahhahahhah). Jagung dibuatnye. Apa apa pun, sampai umah nanti baru check yang mana rasa nak gi then terus book. Tapi tak brani nak book sebab next year dah plan gi Scandinavian countries ngan few friends ie Finland, Norway, Sweden, tapi rasa nak lajak to Estonia and Russia. But then again, rasa cam plan ni leh turn 360 degree jek.... ie to New England, Vermont and Canada instead. Anyway, tak kisah kot, janji dapat jalan kaaaaaaaaan!!!!

Sebenar nye I nih tengah GERAM sesangat. Ceritera nye begini, kite travelholic memang memahami orang yang travel beranak pinak ni, so selalu nye nak tolong depa nih especially if nampak muka cam baik and bersih. Tadi kat KLIA, tengah tunggu lift nak turun gi ERL station (from 3rd floor [Arrival] to 1st floor [ERL]), nak jadi kan cite, lift tak leh tekan turun; dia stop tuk naik jek; THUS I pun bawak turun luggage gedabak dari trolley and ikut lift untuk NAIK, dengan harapan that bila nak turun tuh; leh TOLONG TEKAN TINGKAT 3 so that orang yang dok tunggu bersama sama tadi tuh leh turun ler (since button rosak kaaan).

So, ada satu family of 3 adult and 2 kids nih (with luggage berbagai); I tolong ler hold the lift bagi depa masuk (niat baik sebab tadi noticed diarang tak dapat masuk coz lift was fullhouse kan- cam kesian pulak). Bila sampai jek tingkat 1 ie ERL station, trolley anak dia block ujung pathway I, I suruh ler ngan baik "I think you need to get out first" sebab alang alang diarang nak turun at 1st floor. Si anak keluar then followed by 2-3 lagi, THEN dia masuk balik lift and mengata "Patut nye dia keluar dulu" to me!!! Ek ellaaaa.... eh diarang ni nak gimana? Nak naik balik ke? If so, awat lak ikut lift turun kan???

Punya ler GERAM, mulut terus kata "apahal korang ajar!".

Dah ler barang shopping dia jatuh tadi kite tolong angkat!!! Hajat hati memang nak tolong senang kan keje dia anak beranak, bongok nye orang.

If one naik lift dari arrival hall floor, I assume the person akan turun ke carpark atau ERL, bukan nye ada tingkat bawah from ERL train tuh (ie Basement "0" or "-1" ?!?!). So I ingat kan diarang nak naik ERL ler.... Awat tak cakap kat I that whole family nak naik tingkat atas instead, tobat I sure akan JULANG LUGGAGE GEDABAK tuh so tak menyusah kan dia... Geram sangat sebab dia sempat sound orang yang nak nolong ARGHHHHHHHH....

Ok, train dah nak sampai KL Sentral, chat malam ni kay!

Air Asia 10 CENT flight* on DEC 8, 2011

2011-12-07T23:49:00.001+08:00

I got this from Malaysia Asia site thus reposting.

AirAsia Sale Celebrating 10 Awesome Years with 10 sen* fares where you can fly from Kuala Lumpur to various exciting domestic and international destinations. AirAsia, the world’s best low cost airline for 3 consecutive years (2009, 2010, 2011), is offering an ‘Awesome Sale’ in conjunction with the airline’s 10th Anniversary on 8 December 2011.

For fares from as low as 10 sen*, fly from Kuala Lumpur to various exciting domestic destinations such as Penang, Langkawi, Kota Bharu, Kota Kinabalu and Kuching, plus international destinations such as Singapore, Jakarta, Bali, Medan (Indonesia), Bangkok, Hat Yai, Phuket (Thailand) and Hanoi (Vietnam).

Booking period for this Awesome AirAsia Sale will be from 8 – 11 December 2011
Travel period from 1 July – 27 October 2012
For more information: Log on to AirAsia to find out more on this Awesome deal
*Excluding airport tax & fuel surcharge and other optional fees / charges
For one way travel only

AirAsia Regional Head of Commercial, Kathleen Tan said, “2011 is certainly an amazing year for us. We are proud to remain as the popular choice among travelers for 10 years now, and we will continue to do our best for many years to come to provide everyone with the exceptional ‘AirAsia Experience’ via Awesome low fares, consumer-friendly products and services, a modern fleet, extensive network and great flight frequencies, convenient booking and payment channels, and choose-your-own features for meals, seats and baggage allowances.
“In conjunction with our 10th Anniversary, we are offering the public with the opportunity to fly to various exciting destinations with fares from as low as 10 sen. This is our ‘thank you’ to all our guests for the support given all these years. Apart from this ultra low fares, we will also be reducing our processing fee which is applicable for all online transactions made via credit or charge cards on our website from RM8 per guest per sector, to only RM5 per guest per sector. Direct debit transaction remains FREE of charge with seven of our bank partners+ in Malaysia. We always listen to our guests’ needs for lower fares, so come and grab this splendid offer to realize holiday aspirations to exotic and invigorating AirAsia destinations!”

The promotion is also available via mobile at mobile.airasia.com, and via AirAsia apps for Blackberry, iPhone and Android phones. The apps are available for download at Blackberry App World, iTunes App Store and Android Marketplace by searching for the keyword AirAsia.

To make holidays more interesting and memorable, guests may log on to www.airasiago.com to be able to mix and match their preferred tour and activities, apart from affordable holiday packages and lodging from over 70,000 hotels worldwide. Together with the partnership with Expedia, the travel portal has 140,000 hotel partners around the world.

AirAsia’s operations are anchored in its mission to democratize travel, encapsulated in its tagline Now Everyone Can Fly. AirAsia has also established itself as the Truly Asean airline, with its unmatched connectivity in the region and its “sky bridges” – routes – that link the capitals and communities of Southeast Asia to each other and beyond.

The journey of connectivity for AirAsia Budget Airlines started with one of its first routes from Kuala Lumpur to Kota Kinabalu in 2001. AirAsia grew from two aircraft and three destinations in December 2001 to over 80 destinations across 24 countries and 107 aircraft group-wide today. It has been 10 great years for the airline that made it possible for over 130 million people to fly affordably across the globe, especially in the ASEAN region.

AirAsia keeps abreast with the social media community via their Facebook and Twitter accounts. Guests are able to receive real-time updates on latest promotions and interact with AirAsia Facebook and AirAsia Twitter. Don't forget to catch the AirAsia Sale celebrating 10 Awesome Years with 10 sen* fares.

Sapa akan book in 1mins???? Cepat share, I pun nak gi gak!

But line kat Marina Bay Sands ni giler lembat, dapat ke book? Ish!!!

World Wide Cheap Flight

2011-12-04T19:07:00.005+08:00

STICKY POST!
I have mentioned this during our travelholic (ceh wahhh...) gathering at Baroque Restaurant in Danau Kota. I think when I posted this last year, most yet aware of my blog so am reposting for those doing Europe next year. Hope this helps in your preparation.

************************************

Recently I got a suggestion from Eugene to have a blog on travel tips, as much as I wanted to, I don’t think I have the bandwidth hence I figure I should share travel tips on this blog as well. Having said that, am sure you guys out there are very experience traveler and probably can advice me better or perhaps more. I too want to learn from you all - Master Yoda :D .

I have blogged about this before here but I thought I just reblog with slightly more visual and link.

For those who love traveling or do geographical expansion whenever they've reached a country, then I would like to recommend the below website for cheap flights or low cost carriers available around the world.

There’s only 2 sites I would like to highlight, of cause the first one will be Air Asia (NO! Am not being paid by Air Asia on this) as I think it’s the best low cost career in Asia especially since they covers all the countries in Asia region.

Secondly would be Attitude Travel (NOPE! Not paid by them either), they covers all region in the globe and have a listing of airlines operating in each respective country. I thought this was good especially when I travel to Europe.

Attitude Travel

Attitude Travel for Asia

Attitude Travel for Transatlantic

Attitude Travel for Middle East

Attitude Travel for Europe

Attitude Travel for Oceania

Attitude Travel for Africa

Attitude Travel for British Isle

Attitude Travel for Caribbean

Attitude Travel for Latin America

In fact, that’s how I got cheap flight from Barcelona to Casablanca, Amsterdam to Stockholm, Stockholm to Paris as well as Brisbane to Christchurch.Hope you guys give it a try the next time you travel, it can be even cheaper then land travel.

Hyperlink, site & pic credits : Attitude Travel, Air Asia

Puss In Boots Movie Day

2011-12-03T16:00:00.003+08:00

Just got back from Puss In Boots Customer and Media Movie Day event 3 hours ago, to wake up early on a Saturday for work is sooo blah... Anyway, it was a great event and am kinda proud as it was using our company technology etc etc etc....

It looks easy but process and getting to the event day was hell, obtaining the content on HP technology collaborating with DreamWorks and the visual, premiums approval, printing and inviting our customers and media friends was not a walk in the park. That was for sure! Giler time consuming.

But the end result - everyone was happy, smiling and enjoyed the whole show. Aaahhh..... made all my team hard effort worthwhile.

Did Puss In Boots non-woven bag & notepad for customers, media and kids. They we pretty happy and surprised... yeay!!

I so love the notepads, the inlay paper was of the same pic with orange spot colour. Comeiii...

Once they all went in the cinema, I go get me self a brunch and went home to wash my tones of clothes (giler berguni guni). Basically I am hinting that I have NOT watch this movie!!!!

JOM!!!

Day 7 | Bucharest At Night, Is It Safe?

2011-12-01T13:30:00.010+08:00

Panjang ler pulak Day 7 nih, yeler kan, alang alang gi 3 hari jek; cover kow kow tuh (cam tak ingat donia)..... hehhehhe KIASU maximum babe!

Gambar nih cam masuk lane Dracula dak? Heeheheheh skeri gak masa tuh, idak ler jalan ujung ujung tuh; takat ambek gambo jek ler...

We all turun kat area nih sebab from top view nampak lawa, kelam kabut turun masa tuh dari top deck takut bus jalan; maklum ler; kat Europe tak sama cam Malaysia - main ikut suka nak berenti jek, depa strict giler, nak lintas jalan pun cari lintasan kuda belang okay! Skali saman kat Bucharest siang tadi is more then enough (YUP! Masih upset!)

Turun tuh we all terus ronda ler, sini ada few pub cum restaurant; memang tempat yuppies lepak ler. We all memang tak fit in and tobat mahai kan, asal nampak cantek jek we all tangkap gambo. If tak tau we all nih tourist memang bongok ler kot.

(Sila baca signage bumbung kedai ini tuan tuan & puan puan)

Dah habis Al-Ronda, jalan on the other lane nak gi balik bus HoHo tuh, then baru jumpa signage gedabak nih... ek ellaaa... dah habis baru nampak! But kira INSTINCT TRAVELHOLIC gempak ler jugak kan, leh sense ni sure ada significant nye. HUAHAHAH.... self-justification is NO justification Cik Lily ooooiii...

Balik tuh, gebussshhhh... tito atas tilam paling best dalam trip nih - HEAVEN!

By the way, it's safe here (so far), just be street smart like in any other country yah!

Esok?

Finding ways to Transylvania to visit Count Dracula... berjaya dak?

TUNGGUUUUUU.....

Click HERE to view more pic on my Facebook.

DSLR Travelholic. I am?

2011-12-01T10:47:00.000+08:00

Sticky Post

(Is this the right way to use? Hehheheh... memandai jek!)

Gambar hadiah Crabtree & Evelyn at the bottom of this entry.

It’s been awhile

That I smile

Looking forward for trip

To a country where my pocket will rip

Is this a toy?

Or is this a hoax?

Boy, oh boy!

It does come in original Pentax box,

A DSLR that truly rocks!

To be used by a cute-sexy-fox (Me! Me! Me!)

Lie to Travelholic I will not

To OWN this I must “GOT”

Been giving this loads of thought…

Searching for days on Mr. Google

Till I get it, I can only ogle

Else my dream pop like a bubble

Which one should I get?
The Robot - when our eyes first met?
Wonder how much this cost nett nett?
But… the last time I check,
No more stock, oh so sad!

Oh! Then there’s the Rainbow edition
…. the Robot succession?
Aggressively hunt with lotsa passion
To fill my crazy obsession
Too “far & crazy” to hit my nation
Owning it, I guess… out of question!

Latest I just saw

Oh! Sooo wanna know more!

Got it! Baby P it is known for

Am going crazy over it loooor

Here I am doing my tedious chore

Finding out more till it’s a bore

Hope - I must own one lor horr !?!

Would you have guessed where my next destination is?

No more going to Middle East

Because it’s too expensive… CIS!!

Sigh… So it shall fall in my next year’s list

With Anna - my “join-by-Jaipur” sis

Soooo…. Where I am going is not that far

Asia Pacific region only maahh…

Cepat! Cepat! Cepat teka ahh…

OK lar, I disclose to you all je larr..

Tah daaaahhhhh…….

Me be going to OSAKA

Kah Kah Kah……

Who dare to comment in pantun version, dapat FREE Crabtree & Evelyn!! Ada berani!

Hadiah tuk 3 orang pemenang ajek tau, yang banyak banyak tuh untuk team I kat opis (Xmas gift diarang)

Credit Hyperlink : Pentax K-R