Life is a Beach...

It's is Friday evening and the LONG weekend is just around the corner. Obviously I'm in no mood to work anymore. Productivity is outta the window.

Not going anywhere far this weekend. I think I've used up my "jalan-jalan" quoata for the first half of the quarter :) Inshallah major travel plans end of this year, so we're saving up and preparing for that trip. Praying hard that the preparations goes well.

Sometimes, it is nice to just stay home and do nothing, especially during weekends. Days are just too hectic of late. I feel there were times when I do everything at once but enjoying none, I'll just end up feeling stressed out at the start of the week, which is so counter productive for me.

So this weekend I plan to take it easy with some just some plans with family and friends. Other than that I plan to stay home and slug around :p Check out the blog updates of our trip to Port Dickson and Penang. Both road trips was to the beach. I guess you can call 2016, the year of the "beach holidays"- Like real, especially since it was just this two trips so far :p

But our little family do have a preference for the sun, sea and sand that is why we always end up going back for more. Alhamdullilah for the opportunity to spend time with my love ones. May we are blessed with more rizq to see the world together...

Road Trip 1.0 : Port Dickson
Road Trip 2.0 : Penang Island 

November S.U.R.P.R.I.S.E

We decided to surprise the munchkins with a trip to Lost World of Tambun last month. We had to attend a wedding of a relative in Tanjung Malim, so I persuaded Lan to go for a quick road trip to Ipoh. Lan was hesitant at first because of the school holidays and the dreaded traffic jam, but he is no match to my power of persuasion :p

Anyway we had tons of fun the two days we're there. The kids did not stop thanking us on the way back which were very sweet, but being stuck in the traffic jam with them was not  fun, esp with the 3 of them refreshed from a long nap and bored to death inside the car haha.

Can't wait for Road Trip 2.0 (Birthday Edition) next week, InshaAllah. May god give me strength and patience to deal with the trio *yes I'm melodramatic like that*

For the ones who has been asking for review of the theme park and hotel, click on the links below for more information. Hope you'll have as much fun as we did :) 

• Lost World of Tambun
• Ipoh Foodpedition 
• Ibis Styles Hotel, Ipoh

Toodles!!!

Keep Calm and Travel On...

I know for someone with 3 little children, we do travel quite a bit. Trust me it ain't easy but I'm currently at that "exploring stage". I don't care if it is  a trip in the country or out of Malaysia, I just want to see new things and expose my children to new experience/places. I would willingly eat out of my brown bag everyday if it means more travel opportunities :p. 

Some people may think that it is a waste of money as they would rather buy new bags/ gadget etc but I really do believe in the quote that "travel is the only thing you buy that makes you richer". 

You'll be surprised of the impact travelling has on little minds. Little children are actually able to absorbed new cultures like a sponge and it made them very inquisitive and will open their eyes and hearts to the different cultures/races/religion around the world. Hopefully it will be less "kau-kau and aku-aku" mentality from my children. Inshaallah. 

Oh well, maybe one day I'll be able to visit more of those "exotic" destinations with my family, as for now I'm more than contend with my "Cuti-Cuti Malaysia" adventures. Finally completed the entries of my hotel reviews and travel diary of the following places I've been for the past 3 months. 

1. iCity- City of Digital Lights
2. Bagan Lalang Adventure and Avani Sepang Hotel Review
3. Hatten Hotel Malacca Review
4. Malacca Foodpedition

So any ideas of where I shall visit next???

101 Japan Trip - Our Winter Holiday

A friend requested that I blog a similar 101 post to my Hong Kong trip, but this time covering our recent holiday in Japan. To tell you the truth, travel tips are pretty much similar from one country to another. My basic mantra is "Be ready, prepare yourself for the worst but pray for the best"

We have a basic travel checklist which we will tweak here and there based on the duration/weather/purpose of our stay. When it comes to my children essential (milk,food and medicine), I rather over pack than under pack because you'll never know when you need things and I hate scrambling in a foreign place feeling lost.

Below are some tips and relevant links for your ease of reference. 

1. Winter Clothing and Essentials for Small Children

This is our first time traveling out of the country during winter with the the kids. Preparations started 6 months before our trip in terms of research and shopping. The best trick I learn from most parenting websites was to layer. This works real well because though it may be super cold outdoors, trains and buildings are heated so putting on super heavy clothing on your child which can't be removed may make them very uncomfortable. 

We always start with an inner shirt below their normal clothes/shirts, a vest (depending on the weather forecast of the day), and add on the final layer which is the jacket. Hats is a must because we lose heat mostly from our heads, so insist that your child put it on. Alternatively you can also get an outer jackets with hoods. Get scarfs and mittens which are made from non-scratchy material. Test it out by rubbing the material on your hands, if you don't find it comfortable, your child won't be either.

This time we lugged our double stroller,the buggy and ALL of our stroller accessories. I have to admit  having the stroller helps. Since my children are creatures of habit, the 1 hour time difference totally wrecked their nap schedule, so they took turns napping in the stroller. The rain shield helped during super windy and cold days too. You just need to be extra careful (and fast) when handling your children and the stroller in the subways.

The problem with traveling during winter is that you have to deal with heavy coats and boots, which means a lot of luggage. Since there's a lot of walking from the airport to the station to the hotel, we packed our luggage in such a way that we'll be more mobile, we used two backpacks, one large trolley bag and a large carry-on to cater to 5 people. We even had a test run to ensure that we'll be able to carry all of our luggage + handling the stroller  and the kiddies. 

2. Weather Forecast
We religiously checked the weather forecast 2 months before our travel date to ensure that we packed right. It was raining on and off  and the temperature was around 2' to 12' . We made sure everyone had a rain jacket/poncho, waterproof jackets, foldable umbrellas and extra shoes. Better be safe than sorry I say because if you think having to walk outdoors in the cold sucks, try walking outdoors in the cold while it is raining :p 

My favorite weather forecast website : Click Me

2. Pocket WiFi

Alhamdullilah we managed to find our travel locations easily, thanks to the help of internet. Despite having a very detailed itinerary and travel plan prepared, I still depended a lot on travel apps and internet search to get me from one point to another. I decided to rent a pocket WiFi for our use in Japan, for easy and multiple connectivity. The pocket WiFi is able to connect up to 8 devices at once, so between the 5 smartphone users in the family, we managed to safe quite a lot.

I pre-ordered my WIFI from the company's website,2 days before we left for Japan. When we arrived it was already waiting for me in the airport. To return I just dropped the package at the post box before boarding 

Check out website for more info:  Global Advanced Communication

3. Travel Apps
I downloaded several key apps before leaving just in case there's any problem with the WIFI. I also subscribed to Celcom roaming in case of emergency (you can never be overly cautious when traveling with 3 small children)

Anyway these are the apps that I found most helpful while in Japan:

• Japan Trains - This is super awesome because not only will it tell you the time and name of the train to take, it will also detailed out the platform/station PLUS the cheapest route to get to your destination PLUS options. Take note the different type of trains while purchasing tickets, there's express (no stops in between of stations), rapid (limited stops), local (stops at every station, cheapest and takes the longest to your destination) tickets.
• Solat/Qiblat/Halal Food Guide- There's a few options but this is good to help determine qiblat for solat and will alert you of the time. The halal food guide comes with a list and some is even linked to its location + GPS 
• Currency Converter- Oh well if your Math sucks as mine, any assistance with the numbers and figures are most welcome :p 
• Waze/Google Maps-In case you need extra help to point you out in the right direction. I did use this a few time because the road signs can be quite confusing and in Japanese

Check out website for more info on train routes : Hyperdia

4. Halal Food

You can't find Halal food easily in Japan. I would say that it is more easily available in tourist spots like Dotunburi Street and Namba. I did manage to find some Halal kebab, tempura and udon while I was there.

We were lucky that our hotel is equipped with a full kitchen, so we  prepared our own breakfast, dinner and pre-packed our lunch. We brought the normal essential like rice, pasta and Brahims (chicken because you can't bring in beef due to the mad cow disease issues) We bought the rest like veges, fruits and eggs at the nearby market.

The cold weather makes my kids constantly hungry, instead of eating and snacking every 4 hours, they need to be fed frequently especially after naps.  We made sure we had snacks like cereal and cheese crackers in hand.

Just a  reminder for people who choose to eat at seafood restaurant and buy seafood/vegetarian based food, the Japanese sometimes uses alcohol during food preparations especially in rice and sauces (most fish sauces used on takoyaki contains traces of alcohol). 

Even pre-packed food which does not contain meat, sometimes use animal fat or lard. One instance was when we were in USJ and asked the popcorn vendor if the popcorn is vegetarian friendly and his answer was no. I'm not sure if it was a mistake on his part but suffice to say we decided againts buying them for the kids. So unless you read or speak Japanese well, I advise you stay clear of things that may fall under the "vague" category. This is also based on the advice from my friend who's in Japan.

Check out website for more info : Halal Kansai Restaurant List

5. USJ Tickets
We pre bought our Universal Studios Japan Tickets from Japan Travel Bureau (JTB) in KLCC. As you know, I AM ALLERGIC TO LONG QUEUES so I made sure that we secured our tickets to USJ a month before we left (Yes I'm super serious when it comes to Harry Potter preparations :p).

Check out website for more info:  Universal Studios Japan and JTB Malaysia

6 . Train Pass
You should take advantage of the train pass packages available for tourist when traveling in Japan. Before choosing a Travel Pass, make sure that it is the one that will work best with you travel route. Based on our itinerary, I choose Kansai Thru Pass because the station is the closest to my hotel. It was also the cheapest option for ticket price for our travel route. Another plus point was they offered discounts vouchers on entrance ticket to several attractions around Kansai. I purchased my tickets at the Kansai Airport itself. There's a 2 or 3 days pass available depending on your needs. You also do not need to use your tickets consecutively.

Check out website for more information: Kansai Thru Pass

You can also purchase the JR Train Pass through JTB. If you're traveling in the Kansai area you can consider the JR Kansai Area Pass available for exclusive use by foreign visitors to Japan. It provided unlimited travel on local JR trains and the Haruka limited express train in the Kansai region around Osaka, Kyoto, Nara and Kobe for one to four days, consecutively. 

One thing I like about the JR line was its loop lines, meaning you do not need to make a lot of train change to get to your destinations.

Check out website for more information: JR Kansai Pass

7.Travel Diary
For our travel diary check out the following links:

• Osaka
• Universal Studios Japan
• Kyoto
• Nara 
• Hotel Review : Mystays Otamae, Osaka  

Fuh!! super long post, it took me 3 days to finish typing this, so hope that it helps someone :) Happy weekend everyone....

Our Cuti-Cuti Malaysia : Johor Adventure

OMG I can't believe that it is already end of November 2014. In just a blink of an eye it will be 2015. So much happened and I have yet to find the time to sit down and properly blog about it, the usual year end work rush, I guess :) 

Anyway I will start with our Q4 family holiday. The initial plan was for us  to go to Penang but with the bad weather and last minute changes to our plans, we decided to visit Johor. Johor is the best choice for the kids as there's plenty of things to do and visit and the 3.5 hours drive there won't drive Lan and I nuts :p

No drive to Johor would be completed without a visit to JPO. We got my sister a new Coach bag for her birthday (yes I'm awesome) and we did some shopping for the kids and my parents. Lan also bought me a new bag from MK which I love because it is HUGE :) All in all a satisfactory visit for this lil' old shopaholic...

We stayed in Doubletree by Hilton. Loved the location of the hotel which was right smack in the city. We really enjoyed our stay in the hotel and would definitely come back. For full review: Press Me

The next day we went to Legoland and Legoland Waterpark. This is our first visit to the waterpark and we loved it as much as the theme park (maybe a bit more hehe). We were in the waterpark for 3 hours and went on to spend another 5 hours at the theme park. It was so much fun but my legs were like jelly at the end of the day after all that walking :) The most important thing is the kids had fun and since Iman and Ranya is older we managed to do a lot more as compared to our previous two visits. For more pictures and review of Legoland Waterland : Press Me 

Our final destination on our weekend "jalan-jalan" list is to visit the Angry Bird Activity Park in Komtar JBCC. The kids had fun despite the time limit imposed by the park. The activities are a bit different as we have yet to see it in other activity parks in Malaysia. So it is worth the visit if you're around the area. More information on the park : Press Me

At the end of the day, what I cherish most about our weekend break is not the places we've been or things we bought but the gorgeous memories we get to have of each other. Hopefully Ryan, Iman and Ranya had as much fun as I did. Love love all my babies so very very much. Alhamdullilah, thank you Allah for another day with them :)

Wordless Wednesday #20

For hotel review and more photos of our Singapore trip in March 2014 check out the following :

• Festive Hotel, Resort World Sentosa
• Universal Studios, Singapore
• Sea Aquarium,Singapore

Just because I feel like posting....

Plan A fell through at the very last minute but instead of sulking I'm moving on to Plan B :) May Allah help us make this journey easy and safe....

Anyway the pictures from our short anniversary break is up on my Travel Diary :) The reviews on travel blogs was not really convincing, but based on friends feedback and our own experience, I have to say that we had tons of fun in Gold Coast, Morib :) Do try it out, though maybe not during the peak seasons...

Hmmmmm...... writer's block :p
Oh yeah will be updating on Ryan's progress + things I learned during "A day in their shoes-V.2" session at his school soon...

Take care everyone *muacks*

Of Traveling and Turning FIVE

People always say one of the worst things about getting married and having children is that you can no longer travel. I disagree...

It is not that you cannot travel, it is just a bit more difficult to do so :p The hassle of packing milk and diapers, the dreaded airplane tantrum (horror to horror) and probably the cost, with all the hassle, I do understand why some parents would just throw their hands in the air and give up.

People always equate traveling as going abroad. So their excuse for not traveling much is the cost. Experiencing new places need not be expensive. I bet there's a lot of places in Malaysia itself that we have yet to discover,right? 

I personally look forward to any day trip during weekends because sometimes I just need a quick change of scenery, to recharge, try out new food, smell new scents so that I can further appreciate this gorgeous place called Earth. I also love the effect of traveling on my children, because every time we visited a new place they'll ask gabijillion questions and learn new things. I  hope they'll build little memories of the fun times they had with mummy and daddy through our "jalan jalan sessions".

So I've come up with a new resolution, to visit more new places or revisit old ones at least once in every quarter and download more pictures in my travel diary. Looking at pictures of our family together and having fun is a great stress reliever, and hopefully something for my children to remember me by when I'm gone one day *inShaAllah*

Today marks the 5th year where our marriage turns 5 years. Alhamdullilah. I pray that Allah protects our marriage always, bestow us with more taqwa and iman so that we'll both be more obedient muslims, improve our bad habits, and make us better husband, wife and parents. 

We're both far from perfect, but I know we're perfect for each other. My only complaint for you is to make  more effort to smile in photos and learn how to aim and shoot while snapping pictures of me. Haha our constant source of argument  :p anyway love you B, May we be together forever till Jannah... *inShaAllah*

The one on travelling Hong Kong with small children

Since I came back from Hong Kong, I've received several request to do a short review of my trip and to share travel "tips". Since several of my mates is planning a trip down to HK in December and early 2014, I shall do some community service (like real) and share my 5 days 4 nights travel experience with 3 children in tow.....

1. Check the weather 

Hong Kong is affected by the four seasons. Winter (Dec-Feb), Spring (March-May), Summer (June to August) and Autumn (September- Nov). According to the travel blogs, autumn is the best time to visit Hong Kong as it is not hot or cold with sunshine. I can attest to that as I find the weather very comfortable to travel in and despite the sun, it was not to humid. Typhoons seasons is in May - November so keep that in mind before booking your tickets.

2. Pre book/buy your tickets online
I bought my Ocean Park and Disneyland tickets at a discount from this site Hotel in Hong Kong, not only did we save some money on the purchases we also save a lot of queuing time, especially if you plan to travel during the weekends.

3. Octopus Card

You can buy purchase octopus card/ airport express card package at the counter right outside the Arrival Hall, the staff speaks English so they can help you choose the perfect package for your needs. We depended a lot on the MTR to get from one place to another. Even if you're traveling with children, the public transportation system is very comfortable and trains usually pass each station frequently (every 3-5 minutes). They don't accept credit card so make sure you have enough HKD to cover the expenses.

Make sure you do not dispose the card and return it to the Airport Express Counter at the end of your trip and collect your HKD 50 deposit refunds. For more information check out this link MTR Tickets

Ranya enjoying her train ride with daddy :)

4. Traveller's Sim Card

I did not subscribe to Celcom roaming, so I bought myself a broadband sim card from Smart Tone to ensure that I'm connected to the people back home (Actually I did not care much about the people back home, I'm just hooked to the internet haha) The sim card is HKD80 (around RM40), and the maximum charge per day is  HKD 24 (around RM 8 per day). There are other brands offering the same packages for consumption.

5. Halal Food

I won't say that halal food is easily found in Hong Kong but it is available. There's halal restaurant in Disneyland (Tahitian Terrace and Explorer's Club), Ocean Park (Lakeside Restaurant) and Airport T1 (Popeyes). Anyway while restaurant hunting and if you fail to find the venue, just remember to look up, based on my experience some of the restaurants is situated in 1-2 floor and may not be accessible to strollers.

Since out hotel suite has a small kitchenette we brought food from home like packets rendang, curry, cereals, soups etc.  If you have small children do remember to bring an extra packet or two of milk formula if needed and do bring some of their favorite snacks like cookies or treats for them to munch in between rides since we can't just readily buy anything we see in the cafe's or stalls (this is mostly to minimize temper tantrums due to hunger :p) Chocs like MnMs sold in 7Eleven do have halal signs so that is mostly safe to feed the kiddies (though not advisable because they'll be on sugar rush haha)

Check out this page for more info : Halal Restaurant List

p/s: mineral water in Hong Kong is crazy expensive (around HKD 20 per bottle =RM8). My advice is to bring empty water bottle from home and fill it up in the hotel. Most restaurants don't mind you bringing in your own water.

6. Travelling with small children

There's no such thing as "traveling light" when you have a pre-schooler and 2 toddlers tagging along. We practically brought everything but the kitchen sink with us :p You don't have to actually bring EVERYTHING with you as you can buy things like diapers in case you run out but just keep in mind most things in HK is a tad more pricey than in Malaysia.

Anyway I find Hong Kong to be a pretty child friendly place. They have "family restrooms" in the malls, airports and theme parks which means daddy's can come in and help change diapers too which I find very handy (imagine going in and out of the toilet 3 times.. horror to horror). You should bring your own strollers to ensure your child comfort but I suggest a small umbrella stroller because most of the streets and doorways are quite narrow for bulky double strollers.

If you plan to visit Disneyland I strongly suggest that you opt for the 2 days tickets instead of 1. Reason being the park is quite big and it would be very tiring and rushed if you plan to do a one day tour (especially if you want to go on the rides and since 80% of the rides are kid friendly I'm sure you would want your little darling to go on all of them) Anyway it is just an additional of RM50 so I say it is truly worth it :) 

If possible plan your visit to the theme parks on weekdays. At least you can avoid the crowd and minimize queuing time which can take up to 30 minutes or more. We were so lucky that we only waited up to a maximum of 10 minutes in both Ocean Park and Disneyland because we were there on work days.

First in line for the Disneyland Express Tour :)

Be flexible and be ready to change your perfectly scheduled itinerary on short notice. Alhamdullilah our trip went smoothly despite some minor temper tantrums due to overtiring and over excitedness :p I also found out on this trip that the twins especially Ranya are nervous fliers. I'm so spoil by Ryan being an awesome traveler that I expected the same experience from the girls. Thank god for 3 Tabs, smart phones and an Ipod for distractions during the 4 hours flight.

For more pictures and some commentaries on our trip, please check out the following links:
Hong Kong Day 1
Hong Kong Day 2
Hong Kong Day 3
Hong Kong Day 4&5