Thai Steamboat @ Q-Thai Village

Went here about a month ago with my mum & Marsya, right after I came back from Korea. It's a treat to my mum for taking care of Marsya while I'm gone. Didnt actually knew the existence of this restaurant - not until I saw the their banner by the road side around my area. Since it's located in my neighborhood, let's just give it a try. Anyway, steamboat has always been the favourite for me & Marsya.

This restaurant was open mid January this year. It is located in Taman Dagang - near Ampang Jaya Police Station, behind Galaxie Ampang. They occupied two shop lots - one one for the Ala Carte menu whereas the other one is specifically meant for steamboat only.




As planned earlier, we opt for the steamboat. It was quite okay, I would say. Lots of varieties - really a lot actually. They have it all there - seafood, vegetables, noodles, fried rice, those yong tau fu stuffs, chicken, beef plus a lot more. Besides the steamboat, they also have BBQ chicken wings (weekend) and satay (weekdays). My mum loves the chicken wings so much - it was big in size & nice too.



As for the soup, as most of other steamboat operators, they have two choices - tomyam or plain soup. In terms of these soups, Tupai-Tupai still won it by having the coconut juice tomyam soup. But as far as price is concern, Q-Thai is far ahead than them. It's only 22+ for adults and 12+ for children. This is certainly a very good news for all Steamboat lovers in Ampang / Pandan area. With the amount of varieties & the price they are charging, Q-Thai Steamboat is indeed the cheapest in town.

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The Cardi Dilemma

Didnt know buying a waterfall cardigan can be quite challenging. I've been browsing for it since last week since this long cardi is so in these days. I have been a bit skeptical about putting it on me due to my extra broad shoulder. I feared that putting another layer on it would make my shoulder ever wider.

Having a wide shoulder like mine has created a lot of limitation to my fashion collections. Ruffled sleeves, pleated necklines, no shoulder pads - these are among the designs I should be avoiding. I've to be really careful trying out new fashions for I might end up looking disastrously ugly.

The waterfall cardigan has captured my attention quite some time ago for its trendy & stylish looks. The only thing that stops me from pursuing it is the thought that it might not look good on me. All that thoughts just vanished the moment I stepped into Marks & Spencer on Sunday. They have a few nice long cardi there & to my surprise, I looked quite ok in it......phew!

These are my shortlisted choices :



It took me 3 visits to Marks & Spencer before I can really decide which one suits me the best. Among all 3, I would have to admit that A is by far, my favourite. The only not so favourite about it is the price - RM259 ! Well, quality and looks always comes with a price, huh ! B & C are about the same as far as price is concerned - RM 169 each. However, the drawback for B is that it's a 1-pc design - meaning that you cant mix & match it with other tank tops. C in the other hand is more friendlier as it is a 2-pc tops where both the cardi & tops are not attached.

Out of these 3 options, I like C the least. The way it's been designed doesnt makes it fall that nicely as compared to the other two. But then, I still end up buying C. Reason being, A is too pricey & B is not that friendly ( no mix & match possible ).

Honestly, as I'm writing this entry, I'm still undecided as to which ones I should settled down with. The M&S's 35-days cooling off period policy really puts me in a dilemma. Looking back at the above pics, I think I look much nicer in B - but then I've to stick to that only without having the luxury to match it with my other tops. Huhuhu........it's so difficult being a woman, isnt it ! The other solution is to buy both ! Would I? Could I? Or.... should I?

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Lazy Lorrrr.......

I've been asking myself lately - is it the aging factor or have I actually lost the drive & passion in life? I dunno what's been happening to me but I seems to be extremely lazy these days. Maybe this is the kindof mid-life crisis women faced in their life when they turned 40 - specifically for single lady like me. The good thing is, it doesnt involves hurting other people's feeling like the kind of mid-life crisis men had.....duhhhhh!

When I said being lazy I'm not referring to office work coz for as long as I could remember, work and lazy are two synonym words in my dictionary. Lazy here means the way I am whenever I'm at home. I cant even remember when was the last time I baked a cake or making "kuih" or even a simple jelly. I bought this chocolate milk about 3 months ago, with an intention of making a chocolate pudding. Till now, the milk is still there in the cabinet - untouched. I really have to force myself every morning to cook Marsya's breakie & lunch, unlike before where I've always been excited & looking forward to be in my kitchen.

Now, all I want to do is lie down & relax. Every weekend, all I end up doing is lying on my sofa & watch movie - one after another, while browsing the net intermediately. At least when Marsya is around, I would still need to get up to prepare her food. Without her presence, it'll be ultimate freedom for me. I'll be a couch potato for the entire weekend - to the extend of feeding only on plain water & Ping Pong biscuit. Yeah, I'm that critical !

It's quite scary thinking of what I've become. This has somehow makes me realize how great God laid his plans for everybody. As the saying goes, things happen for a reason. Imagine, if I'm still married...... damn, what a messy situations I would be in right now. I obviously cant just sit on the sofa all day long through the whole weekend, cant I? Let alone feeding myself & my hubby plain water & Ping Pong biscuits. For all I know, I'll be flying (without wings) from the 8th floor after being thrown out by my husband !

Sometimes we questioned God as to why he let bad things happened to us without even realizing the blessings that comes along with it.

God, I am grateful.......

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The Dark Side Of A Training

Wow! I have not written any entry yet this week. K.Mimi must be cursing me by now for not having any reading materials while having her breakfast every morning. Am so sorry darling.....just cant help it! So, what seems to be the reason that's been keeping me off from writing?

A few reasons actually with "plain lazy" being the major one......hehehe. Apart from that, I was not in the office for 3 days - had a training to attend. And speaking of training, I can only think of one good thing about it which is the knowledge obtained ( provided that full attention being given throughout the whole period la).

All I'm saying here is that there are more bad than good to trainings. First & foremost - too much eating. 2 breaks + 1 lunch - certainly makes me feel like a pig. Well, I cant just look at the food, isnt it? Membazir itu kan amalan syaitan ! Not that the food are so good - but then, what else you wanna do when everybody else around you are eating? You dont really have a choice but to blend in !

The second not-so good thing about training is that it'll make your brain goes dormant. It's even worse for somebody like me whose brain are forever inactive (when it comes to work la). For 3 consecutive days, I'll be sitting there in the training room, doing nothing but listen to the trainer. So on the fourth day, to immediately start kicking with the office work is quite a challenge, I would say. The engines up there definitely needs some warming up before it can be fully throttled - at least that's how my brain works.

Finally, the last reason why training can sometimes be a suffer rather than pleasure is the workload piling on the desk when you're away. I'm referring this scenario to my own self coz I dont have anybody else that could attend to my work when I'm not around. As it is, the brain is still in its hibernation state and having a pile of due dates to meet are certainly not something to look forward to.

Anyway, I'm actually feeling very sleepy now which ends me up with this entry. I just need to blog in order to avoid myself from continuously hitting my head on the desk due to extreme sleepiness. I'm putting the blame on those dim sums I had over lunch earlier. And the by the way, the dim sum buffet lunch was quite good & one of these days, I'll try my best to write an entry about it.

Cheers !

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The Chronicles of Mr. Lumpy

Day 5.....

Mr. Lumpy has yet to make peace with me......though he's now less meaner. I guess he's just giving me a friendly reminder of his existence.....or just to make his presence felt. Lumpy, dearie, trust me......you will never be forgotten....not yesterday, not today and definitely not tomorrow either. You're more than my own flesh & blood.......you're part of me. Or should I say....you complete me !

Even the 3 year old Suri uses heels !!!

It's my 5th day of consolation with Lumpy and the fifth day I'm using flats to work. Ooohhhhh...... I'm so missing my heels & platforms & I'm very sure they are missing me as much too. Me with flats...... is so not me !

From a vavavoom, I'm now a plain Jane. I missed swaying my hips to the left & right, while balancing my steps on those heels. Yes, you can still sway your bump with flats but the thrill is so not the same. Being on heels gave me that extra boost on my confidence. It makes me feel sexier.

I cant dressed up to the max with flats. I cant put on my trendy tops & match it with flats. It just dont feel right..... in fact, it IS not right. It doesnt go in sync with the style. Vogue does not walk hand in hand with flats. No matter how stylish your outfit is, the look will just die once you put on a flats on your feet. Period.

So Lumpy......please be a good boy, will you? Please let me slipped in my heels back. I missed walking down the street on those platforms. I missed walking down the street feeling good of myself. I missed walking down the street feeling extra confident. And above all, I just missed being myself.........

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Shop For Less

Last weekend while waiting for Marsya celebrating her fren's birthday, I've decided to kill my time by going to the most happening mall in Ampang - Pandan area......where else but Ampang Point la. It's quite an okay place actually - lots of makan place & shops where you can spend your money at. The only drawback to this place is its limited parking space - I mean free parking space la....heheheh.

For the past few weeks, I've been looking for tights for my precious. Been to everywhere - KLCC, Pavillion......couldnt find any decent one. A friend of mine then suggested that I might find what I've been looking for in Ampang Point. True enuff, she's precisely right !

It was in Royel Departmental Store where I found it. I was so thrilled & relieved when I finally found those tights that I bought four different colours - black, white, grey & pink. The pink one is my fave - it's so sweeeeeet ! They have a lot of other colours but at this point of time, I'll just stick to these 4 basic colours - though it's only RM15.90 each. Dirt cheap kan?

Marsya's favourite was the first one on the top left - very nice indeed

After gotten those tights, I need to find the tops to match it with, right? One thing with me is that I dont like buying expensive clothes for Marsya. Look...she's my only daughter and on top of that I dont have any niece - only nephews. Marsya is only 11, which means she's still in the process of growing up. Hence, I dont see a point buying expensive clothes for her when in the end they'll end up in somebody else's closet !

And with that thought in mind, I stepped into Royel's 10 Ringgit Shop. To my surprise, they actually have quite a collection of children's clothing. Not only that, they are not bad at all - in terms of quality & looks. I went bonkers for a while looking at all those nice, cute tops - wish I could borong all of them. RM10 each......can you imagine that? Who wouldnt get crazy?

So, I end up buying 8 pcs of tops for Marsya......yoo hooo! I was so happy & what makes me even happier is that, Marsya loves all of them very, very much. Those who are looking for a nice & cheap clothing for their kids, can check out this place - you'll be amazed with their collections. Not only they're good to your eyes, they're also kind to your pocket !

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My Sad Story

Object : Gladiator Heels

Brand : MNG

Price : RM189

Plus Point : Look gorgeous on my feet !

Negative Point : Mahal nak mamposss !!!!

Verdict : Just an eye candy je lahhhh.......huhuhu

p/s Special thanks to Farrah for lending me her shoe for this shot !

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Seoul Subway

I’ve decided to blog about this as a guide for myself and others who might be traveling to Seoul in the future. Though I’ve used this service but I wouldnt know when would be my next trip to Seoul, if there’s any. So, by putting it here I could at least refer to it when the needs arise.

I’ve been into various of metro or subways in a few different countries so far & from what I see, they are pretty much the same. Taking the subways to get you from one place to another is not only convenient & fast but also cheap (except in Malaysia where everything is expensive….duhhhhh).

The most important thing when travelling via subway is knowing your final destination. In every station, there would definitely be a map of the tracks which shows which line to take & which station to alight or transfer. Besides knowing the destination, being alert to the signboards is also vital. Keep close track of the stations you’re heading to & make sure you’ll get into the right train whenever you’re required to change the train. Read the signs !

Unlike Japan, Korean’s subway has both language (Korean & English) written on their signboards. So, as long you read & follow the correct signboards, rest assured you’ll get to your destination safely.

Below are the steps as to how to purchase the subway tickets from the vending machine.

1. Selecting the language. In my case, it’s of course English.

2. Select the desired service. As a tourist, I dont think I really have much choice here but to select the Single Journey.

3. Search for station. The name of the stations are arranged in alphabetical order for an easy tracking. Should your desired station is not available on the screen, dont panic. Take note of the buttons on the right hand side of the screen for all the 26 alphabets from A to Z. If your desired station is Yeoksam, press the button Y~Z & search for it accordingly.

4. No of tickets purchased. Select how many ticket you intent to buy. Once selection is made, the total price of the tickets will be displayed & you can proceed with the payment accordingly by inserting the money into the machine. Dont worry if you dont have the exact amount as change is provided.

5. Once the payment has been settled, the ticket will be generated out from the machine. Take note that for each subway ticket purchased, an additional 500 won will be charged as a deposit – which can be refund once you arrived to your final destination. A different vending machine is provided specifically for this service.

So, there you are ! Easy isnt it? As far as Seoul is concerned, subway would is the best & highly recommended mode of transportation. Give it a try!

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Seoul City Tour Bus

This is one service that has becoming very popular as most of the major cities in the world has it including our very own city, Kuala Lumpur. The Seoul City Bus Tour links most of the city`s major sightseeing and shopping areas, including the Gyeongbokgung and Changgyeonggung palaces, the Namdaemun and Dongdaemun markets and Seoul Tower.

This tour bus is highly recommended to those who doesn’t want to go through the hassles of taking the subways & getting themselves lost in a quest for the tourist sites. Also, to those who doesnt have the luxury of having a few days to tour the city, this tour bus is an absolute answer !

The bus stops at 26 different locations of which most of them are the tourist attraction places like palaces, museums, galleries & shopping centres. For that kind of service, you only have to pay 10,000 Won for a day trip. You may hop on & off the bus as to where & when you like it. All you need to do is to wait at the designated bus stop where the bus will be available every 30 minutes or so. Hence making it easier for you to plan your visit at each place.

The journey starts at the Dongwhamun station @ 9 am every morning. If you’re taking the subway, once you alight from the train, take Exit No. 5. Upon emerging out from the station, you can see the Tourist Information centre to your right where tickets for the bus are sold here.

To be honest, I dont think one could finish all the destinations in one day. Therefore, if you only have one day for the tour, be selective. My advise is to finish up all the museums & palaces first as these places will be closed by 5 pm. I got a little bit carried away in Insadong that I missed out the Changgyeoggung Palace & Cheongwadae i.e. the President’s office. Well, what can I say……. any women would get carried away while in Insadong – there are too many sights to see & too many things to buy !

Besides the palaces & museums, the Seoul Tower is also a nice place to be at. You can even ride the cable car at the top of the tower if you have the time. Otherwise, you could always enjoy the beautiful view & scenery of Seoul from up on the hill.

I’m not a museum kindof person, so I just strike out all of them from my list. My main purpose of the tour is to visit the palaces. Was a bit disappointed for not having enuff time to visit the last palace though. Anyway, there’s always a next time. At least I now have a reason to go back to Seoul next time.

For more information on this tour bus, please refer here.

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Where To Go In Seoul

Honestly, my initial travel plan in Seoul was visiting Nami Island or Namiseom as the Koreans called it. Nami Island becomes famous after the most romantic scenes of the drama Winter Sonata were shot here. Funny thing is that, I've never ever watched that drama - in fact, any Koreans drama. The reason why I wanna go there is simply becoz the place is just so beautiful. Anyway, since my Koreans colleague advised me not to go (fearing that I might get lost getting there), I decided to abide to their advise then. When the time came, I know I would eventually set my foot there.

In this entry, I'm gonna write a short summary on some of the places I've been to while in Seoul two weeks ago. I hope this entry would somehow provides some tips to those who would be needing it.

Palaces

There were five grand palaces built in Seoul during the Joseon Dynasty. The good thing about these palaces is that they are located within the city area which makes them easily accessible. Out of these 5 palaces, I only managed to visit 4 of them. By the time I arrived at the fifth palace which is Gyeongbokgung, it was already over 5 pm & hence, closed.

Generally, all of the palaces are very much alike - the design, architecture & are all made of wood. Deoksugung Palace is by far, my favourite of all Seoul’s palaces. For a start, entrance is cheap - 1000 won is all it takes. Another thing that makes this particular palace special is the Royal Guards Changing Ceremony which is happening at @ 11 am, 2 pm and 3.30 pm everyday (except Mondays). It is a bit of historical drama mixes with Seoul's modernity which is really amusing.


I was so lucky during my visit there for I'd been given the honour to start the ceremony by hitting the big "gong" for three times. For the said ceremony, I need to put on a special costume which is an outfit worn by the Empress. Isnt that cool? It was indeed one of the most memorable experience I had in Korea. For a moment, I felt like a star - with the costume & a big crowd swarming all over the place, who wouldnt?

Namsan Seoul Tower

This is one of Korea's important landmark besides being one of the most popular place for couples. Besides the beautiful view of the city, you'll see thousands of lock attached to the fence at the viewing deck. These locks symbolizing the love between couples. Promises of love are written on a lock and the key thrown away. Superstition holds that their love will hold fast; like the lock left behind on the fence.

Insadong

Insadong is the place to go if you want a truly "Korean" experience. It is most widely known for its attention and preservation of the Korean Culture. Here is the place for your traditional shopping and Korean specialized items. They have everything from eating, household items, souvenirs and collectibles. It's a great place to stroll and take in the pleasing mix of traditional and contemporary Korean culture.

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