Kuala Lumpur

GOODBYE 2015! HELLO 2016!

January 1, 2016 by Little Miss Honey 1,761 Comments

Goodbye 2015! You have been a challenging year for me. But you made me stronger and taught me a lot of things about life, my strength & capabilities and my weakness. Being a new mom, a wife, a full-time doctor, a blogger and all the other hats that I wear can test my ability to manage my time and priority-setting. You have opened up opportunities for me and new horizons that I never ventured before. Overall, you were a good year that made me a better person and well-equipped to face 2016.

I love looking back at the highlights of my 2015 before venturing into the fresh new pages of 2016. Here we go:

NEW BLOG LOOK

For 2015, one of my new year resolution is that I will have a blog makeover and that I will be more consistent in blogging. I ask help from Martine De Luna and Patricia Alix-Villa in improving my blog. Martine gave my blog a clear direction while Patricia gave me a fantastic blog design that resonates with my blog manifesto. Like wonderful (blog) fairy godmothers, they worked their magic in my blog and soon after, I have consistent blogger invites, collaborations and sponsorships. It kept me busy, happy and satisfied. I am really an authentic blogger now! Hahaha! I gained a lot of new blogger friends, created great relationships with brands and discovered new restaurants/boutiques/spas/salons/brands. But I also realised that I don’t want to blog because I want to be famous or use it as my sole source of income rather it is my outlet for inspiration and creativity. I am extremely proud of what Little Miss Honey blog has come about this year. I hope for more collaborations, more invites, more opportunities and more inspirations from me to you & from you to me.

2. NAJ’s BAPTISM

I was happy that Naj this year became a member of the Catholic Church. My religion and faith are very important to me. I want Naj also to be part of something that I strongly believe in. I would love to raise him to be a good Catholic boy and have a close relationship with God.

3. NAJ TURNED ONE YEAR OLD

Wow, I can’t believe I have a one-year old son! Time does fly so fast. He was just this teeny-weeny fragile baby that I use to carry with my K’Tan carrier and now he is this self-efficient toddler who can run faster than me, climb chairs to get what he wants, dance, say a few words and give you the cutest smile that will melt anyone’s heart. We celebrated his birthday in Kuala Lumpur . It was a simple but fun travel birthday for our 1-year-old adventurer.

4. BABY #2

We did planned for Baby #2 this year. We hoped that I would get pregnant by the end of the 2015 but Baby #2 came a few months earlier than we expected. But hey, it was such a beautiful surprise! We were ecstatic! I am currently 7 months pregnant now and I will be giving birth soon this year. We are having another boy! We will name him Howell Fynn. We are so excited to meet him. I am grateful for this gift of life God has showered into my family. Please keep praying for both my health & my baby’s health and also, a safe delivery.

5. MALAYSIA TRIP

We went to two places in Malaysia this year : to Kuala Lumpur for Naj’s 1st year birthday and to Malacca for babymoon. I think travelling is the best teacher. It teaches you of new cultures and new discoveries. You also learn more about yourself and your travel partner along the trip. Few of my best realisations often happen in my travels.

In Kuala Lumpur, we got a taste of the urban vibe of the city that is very similar to Manila. We got to have a quick trip to the windy Genting Highlands and visited the entrancing Batu Caves. Of course we got to see the beautiful Petronas Towers.

In Malacca, we were able to see the rich culture & colourful ambience of the place. We enjoyed taking lots of photos, walking around the streets, eating lots of satay, eating coconut ice cream and learn more about the Peranakan culture. Too bad, we weren’t able to try their famous Gula Melaka Chendol.

6. OLD & NEW FRIENDS

I also realised that I am grateful that I kept a wonderful group of friends that I have been friends since I was in Grade 1, friends in high school in Saudi Arabia, friends in medical school and friends I met in my clinic in Singapore (some have left the clinic already but we still keep in touch). I also gained new friends this year which gave my life more color and happiness – blogger friends, new doctors colleagues, new sisters in Christ, etc. Friendships should be nurtured and valued. Friends should not be taken for granted nor used. Keep people in your life that will give you inspiration, support and love. Avoid toxic people as much as possible.

7. RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD

One of the most rewarding aspect of my 2015 was my relationship with God. I promised that 2015 is the year I will try to cultivate a more personal relationship with God. No lukewarmness or being a “cafeteria Catholic“. I have to say it is getting better and better everyday. Like any relationship, it takes time. But I am happy that it is in the right track. I am putting all my trust, my obstacles in life, my plans, my fears all up to Him this year.

So there is it, my 2015. So 2015, I am letting go of the past; letting go of the things that we don’t have control of or we cannot change; letting go of dreams that is not for us. This 2016, I am opening my world to new adventures and new challenges; opening my heart to a different type of love; opening my mind to a whole new way of thinking. 2016, I welcome you. Be gentle to me. Be kind to me. I am ready!

I can’t wait for what 2016 will bring for me. I am excited to make my new resolutions tomorrow. I may have not mentioned to you that New Year is my favourite holiday. So tell me, what do you expect for 2016?

NAJ’S KUALA LUMPUR BIRTHDAY TRIP

September 22, 2015 by Little Miss Honey 1,499 Comments

You know that a few months ago we celebrated Naj’s first birthday in Kuala Lumpur. My hubby and I decided to do away with a big extravagant birthday party which Naj wouldn’t appreciate yet and opted for fun family travel in country we never been to. A day before Naj’s birthday, we rode plane to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia!

Travelling with an active 1-year-old in tow can be intimidating but we were up for the challenge. We arrived at around 10:30 AM in Kuala Lumpur. We bought our KLIA Ekspres Ticket going to KL Sentral.

In KL Sentral, we bought coin passes at the monorail to Imbi, one stop from Bukit Bintang to go to our hotel, Berjaya Times Square Hotel. It was easy to locate. It is right there when we go down the monorail and near the Berjaya Times Square Mall. We got a Hot Summer Nights accommodation deal from Entertainer App. We got a one night hotel stay and the next night is free! We are ecstatic that we got to save for a one night stay.

We were surprised and happy with our room. It was huge! The living room is spacious with a small dining table. It has a little room for a mini kitchen where it has a refrigerator and a sink. The bedroom is large as well, with a vanity table on the side of the room. The television comes in a rotating stand so if you are in the living room, you can rotate it facing there and return it to its original position when you are in the bedroom.

The bathroom is large too. It got a separate tub and an enclosed-glass shower. There is a separate room for a toilet with a separate bidet. It also has its own wide sink and big mirror similar to the main bathroom.

We are overlooking the hotel below and Naj loves the big glass windows which allows him to view the scenery outside.

After fixing our luggage and had a few minutes of rest, we headed to Nando’s for some Peri-Peri Chicken. I know what you’ll say, why dine in Nando’s when we already have tried it in Singapore. But we can’t help but take advantage of the half price value of eating in Nando’s compared to the price in Singapore.

After lunch, we went back to our hotel and took a nap to energised ourselves before exploring more of Kuala Lumpur. Late afternoon after our needed power nap, we went to several malls in near Bukit Bintang area. We explored a bit of Berjaya Times Square Mall and then headed to Sungei Wang Plaza, Lot 10 and Pavilion.

We just did some window shopping but we didn’t manage to buy anything at the malls except for a pack of Famous Amos cookies. We were so tired from walking about and we were famished. I heard of the Jalan Alor Food Street. We asked directions from friendly bystanders how to go there from Pavilion. It was really tricky getting there especially with all the constructions going on in the streets. We were almost about to give up looking when we finally found the place.

Jalan Alor is a tourist food destination where you can find a variety of food stalls to try Malaysian cuisine and seafoods. They are also known for selling grilled bbq pork that looks like bacon but taste like bakwa. I bought one pack of the bbq pork and I liked it. Remind me of the Philippine tocino.

We chose a food stall and ordered some dishes along with some drinks.

Sweet & Sour Pork

Beef in Black Pepper Sauce

Pineapple Rice

Iced Tea & Lime Juice

That night, I was actually not feeling well. I have a grumbling stomach that has been annoying me the night before our trip and I also was having a bit of fever, so I didn’t really get to enjoy the meal that night.

Luckily, the next day after some paracetamols and antispasmodics, I was feeling much better and was ready for a day trip to Genting Highlands to celebrate Naj’s 1st Birthday. We had our breakfast at the hotel and then headed back to KL Sentral to get bus tickets to Genting Highlands. It would take less than one hour from KL Sentral to Genting. It cost 4.30 RM for 1 adult from KL Sentral to Genting Skyways. When we reached Genting Skyways, it was unfortunate that the cable cars were under renovation so we took another bus to take us to Resort World.

Climate in Genting was a nice change from the hot Singapore. We enjoyed the cool weather that reminds us of Baguio in the Philippines. We saw an establishment where they sell durian fruits and people get to eat it in the tables & chairs prepared for them. My mother would love it here. They also sell durian ice cream. We managed to take a lot of we-fies as a family in the nice weather.

Too bad, the main theme park is still closed until 2016 but the in-door theme park is open located at the First World Hotel.

The indoor theme park got a lot of food establishments and rides for kids to enjoy. The design of the place shows a lot of reference of the famous spots in New York City.

Naj enjoyed eating ice cream and riding on the floating boat that goes above and around the whole indoor theme park. We can’t wait for the outdoor theme park to open soon. By 8:00 PM, we headed back to Kuala Lumpur. We had a very nice dinner at Outback restaurant complete with balloons for Naj. We had one of the best steaks we ever tasted and we got a nice chocolate ice cream cake that Naj couldn’t get enough of. The waiters were very nice to us and even sang Happy Birthday song for Naj.

We are very simple people. We enjoy quiet celebrations like this and just being together as a family. Before heading back to the hotel, we ended Naj’s birthday celebration with a picture at the Petronas Tower. It was funny because by the time we were about to take our picture, the lights of the tower went off.

The next day was our trip back to Singapore. We had a hearty breakfast at the hotel.

Since our flight is still schedule late afternoon, we headed to Batu Caves for our last hurrah in Kuala Lumpur. Going to Batu Caves is by going back to KL Sentral and riding the train to Batu Caves.

There were a lot of tourists going to the cave. Batu Caves is a popular Hindu shrine. Before climbing up the 272 concrete steps to the caves, you see a big golden statue of Murugan, a Hindu diety.

It was challenging to walk up 273 steps to the caves. We were out of shape. My poor hubby has to walk up the stairs carrying Naj too. We were both sweating as we reached the top. There were also a lot of monkeys roaming around the vicinity. It was great to visit the site. It was such an accomplishment for us to reach the top, haha. I recommend any visitors of Kuala Lumpur to visit the place. It is for free!

We rushed back to our hotel and grab a taxi to take us to the airport. We almost were late for our flight. Phew! Good thing, we were able to make it.

Thank you, Kuala Lumpur for a wonderful time! We shall see you soon.

THINGS THAT INSPIRED ME THIS WEEK

July 5, 2015 by Little Miss Honey 1,524 Comments

This Monday, my baby turned one year old! We spent his birthday in Kuala Lumpur , Malaysia. It seems like yesterday that I was carrying him in my womb, impatiently waiting for him to come out. Oh what a joy, Naj brought to our lives. He is one of God’s amazing blessing to us.

We had a fun family vacation in Kuala Lumpur. We stayed there for 2 nights and 3 days. We strolled around their streets, we visited the Petronas Towers and Batu Caves and we had a day trip to Genting Highlands. We can’t wait to have more family vacations.

This week, I was invited to a blogger event by Go60, Singapore’s only fixed-priced (at $60) lifestyle spa by Mary Chia Holdings Limited. I got to learn more about their new Hydrating Facial using the Lymphatic Drainage Massage. I can’t wait to try it in a few weeks. I made an appointment already. I also got this treatment masque from Go60. This is just what I need with my skin now being too dry and parched.

Here are a round-up of links I found online that inspired me this week:

5 Ways to improve skin through food

5 Ingredients Healthy Breakfasts

I appreciate living in Singapore

For the bookworm in me. What is the best book you have ever read?

Have you read any of these books?

Saving tips from billionaires

Next week, my schedule would be filled with things to look forward to: an organic facial, a coffee date with a work friend and two food photography classes. Hope you all have a lovely week ahead of you.