Surprise Anniversary Trip - Langkawi

The weekend after we went to Tioman, my husband took us to a surprise vacation in Langkawi. We got married the week after his birthday, so this trip is our 6th year anniversary. Funny how 6 years just whizzed by.

This is the view from our hotel (Westin). He really spoiled us this time. Adam said 'This is the best 'house'* ever!

Cool rock pool in front of the hotel

the children pool

We stayed for 5 days and got to visit all the interesting places in Langkawi.

Kilim mangrove river cruise was my favourite one. I wonder why this place isn;t more popular.

We took a small boat, just the four of us, and it went around the river surrounded by mangrove forest. It was so beautiful there. Reminds me a bit of the Amazon river.

 Fish farm, one of the stops along the river

The next day we went on the round island trip and went for a swim in this lake - Pulau Dayang Bunting. Again such beautiful natural surrounding. Wild swimming at its best, I'd say. The lake is situated in the middle of the island, surrounded by trees and it was so serene and calm. Loved it!

My loved ones swimming in the lake. I've been dreaming about lake swimming in Malaysia and this is the first one I've been to! Does anybody have any recommendation for swim-able lakes in Malaysia?

The day after that we went to Telaga tujuh. This is a place with 7 natural wells/pools that you can swim in. When we got there, we found out that you have to hike up a VERY steep hill to get up to it. I'm talking so steep you can probably fall back down the hill. A very difficult feat especially if you have children hiking with you. Half way there, there is a waterfall. When we got to the waterfall we were so hot sweating and out of breath. Then we see this gorgeous waterfall. Subhanallah it was amazing.

Not a lot of people here eventhough it was tourist season. I'm guessing because of the hike. But it makes for a lovely quiet swim. Nice.

There is a little green pool at the bottom of the waterfall. Beautiful. Makes me think of Survivor. (yes i'm a fan)

A lot of people talk about the taxfree shopping when they go to Langkawi but I'm glad that this time we get to discover some of the amazing natural landscapes and wild swimming spots in Langkawi. Alhamdulillah..

Thank you to my darling husband. This has got to be our best anniversary ever. I'm so glad I married you :) Lots of love and thank you for putting up with me for 6 years!!! (can't have been easy hehe)

His birthday present

Although I sew a lot more these days, the person I sew the least for is my husband. Why is it so hard to sew for a guy? I went looking for tutorials, patterns...and couldn't find any that was appropriate for a birthday present. In the end I decided to make him a shirt, and to draw up the pattern myself.

I traced the pattern pieces from one of his existing smart casual shirt. It's a good thing I've been into japanese garment sewing lately, because it was easier to figure out garment construction once you've sewn a few pieces.

I decided to add some tucks ( is that what you call it) to give it a bit of interest without interrupting the clean lines of a man's garment. I didn't have any appropriate buttons so I picked these out of one of his old shirts that was about to go to charity...

A pocket for good measure

Packed full of love and affection :)

I love you.. my husband, my best friend, my soulmate..

Happy 30th birthday!

Surprise birthday trip

Last weekend we went to a surprise trip for my husband's 30th birthday. 

A little slice of heaven, for the guy who spoils us all year long so once a year he definitely deserves a good bit of spoiling too..

This is Minang Cove resort, Tioman. I definitely recommend this place. The location is gorgeous, unspoilt and the service there is exceptional! They cater only to a small number of guests and we all receive personal, charming treatments from the staff. They know us and our kids by name. Love this place!

the kids think it was their treat instead. We couldn't keep these kids away from the beach the whole time we were there...

beautiful view from the jetty

my little boy goes exploring a lot around the rocks and corals. He had many cuts on his legs, splinters on his fingers, but nothing could stop him from enjoying the place. He fit right in.

the kids having afternoon tea with Sophia, the owner's beautiful 9 year old daughter. She looks english but talks malay fluently and is a real island girl. She knows where all the nemos are when snorkeling, she can dive deep with no equipment to pick up dead corals and sea cucumber.

Snorkeling is really good just off the jetty. Lots of corals and fish and good visibility.


Adam jumping in. He was fearless! water was 5-10m deep. my little island boy.

the birthday boy with his surprise birthday cake. The staff picked it up for me far from Tekek, they had to take a boat. tq guys!

don't know why this pic is coming out senget. My girl wearing her sunhat that she requested urgently and was sewn by a very tired mama the night before we go on the trip.

one of the highlight of the place - nighttime fish feeding off the jetty. We could see some big black tipped sharks!

time passed by way too fast on the island. It's time to go home...

we'll be back little fishies...

Yay!

My blog has been renovated! These are definitely more my colours, don't you think?

Thank you to my husband who made all the changes....muah!

Super Daddy

Kesian Super Daddy...fell asleep with Mia..he's really tired and sleep deprived...but don't they look cute napping together there?hehe..

Did I tell you how much I appreciate everything you're doing for us? because I do! muahs!

Post-birth

After birth I was transferred to the post-natal ward. The room has 6 beds, but it was quite spacious, and there were only 2 other patients there. I get to choose the bed next to the windows. There was a small bassinet for Mia. When we got there it was around 7pm, and visiting hours was going to end at 8pm. Immediately upon getting there, I went for a shower (mandi wajib terus) while my husband looked after Mia. Last time with Adam I was scared to have a shower, scared to go to the toilet to pee etc...I had a terrible first night as a mother, feeling sickly and unable to sleep..but this time, I was determined to feel fresh and healthy as soon as possible. To my surprise, the showers and toilets in the hospital was in excellent condition, even though they are shared toilets. in fact, they are more well-equipped, modern and cleaner than the private bathrooms in Ampang Puteri were. I had a wonderful, revitalising shower...even put on a little bit of lip gloss ;) and afterwards I felt great....I felt fresh and clean..even energetic, despite the fact that I just battled through the long painful labour...

I totally recommend this to anyone. Don't be scared to pee...insyaAllah it won't hurt..and the shower would really help soothe you aches and make you feel fresh..plus mmg wajib pun..

Mia is a wonderful baby...she is true to her name, a very peaceful baby...alhamdulillah..up until now, she hasn't been crying for no reason...or caused me any trouble...she barely cry at all...when hungry or in need of something, she only makes small sounds...the only time we hear her cry loudly is at bath time, and nappy changing, because she doesn't like getting cold...even the midwife who came to visit me at home yesterday commented ' Is she always this peaceful, or did I just come at a good time?' Alhamdulillah...I am so grateful for this miraculous gift...

You might be wondering how Big Bro Adam is reacting to this new addition to the family..hehe...the first time Adam saw Mia, he looked a little surprised..and then immediately he wanted to kiss her...Mia was in her moses basket..Adam made kissing sounds muahs muahs..hehe..I picked her up and then he kissed her...comel jer...

His life basically goes on as usual...main mcm biasa...he is quite caring towards his sister...when she cries Adam try to pujuk...peluk...and he'll tell me...'Baby, ngis (=nangis)'..then ckp kat Mia ' ok? ok? (are you ok?)'. Only at night, at bed time, he wants me alone...no baby...this is the only time I can see him wanting full attention from me...if I'm feeding baby, he doesn't care..angkat kaki peluk Mommy...so we take caution now...when it's close to bed time, I make sure i feed Mia properly...then passed her to Daddy...then I stay with Adam in the bed room just the two of us...until he falls asleep...Alhamdulillah Mia is ok with this arrangement :)

You know, the real hidden hero in this story is....MY HUSBAND. He has been such an amazing father and husband....He is taking care of all of us in every way...he's doing all the cooking, breakfast lunch and dinner...he takes care of Adam, changing his diapers, layan his kerenah....he bathes Mia in the morning...he lets me rest and nap...he takes out the garbage and does the grocery shopping..right now he's at the market buying fish and even took Adam with him so that I could rest..at night when all of us are asleep, he is on the laptop doing his office work...

To my wonderful SuperDaddy, thank you so much!!!!!!!!!!! I cannot tell you how much I appreciate what you're doing for us...I love you bang...

AzFiqs Photography

Check out my husband's new photography blog - AzFiqs Photography.

He's very passionate about photography. Especially with the upcoming arrival of our Baby girl, he's been inspired to start a new blog, ready to document of all the beautiful photos of a fresh newborn...we can't wait :)

I think he's very talented...I keep telling him he should begin taking photos professionally, or at least part time. In an ideal world, he'd be a professional photographer and i'd be a professional..err..crafter?haha...

Pregnancy Photoshoot

Actually dah lama plan nak buat photoshoot perut besar ni...tapi susahla pulak dgn weather yg asik sejuk jer..asal keluar je tak tahan nak amik2 gamba, terus jalan/balik sbb sejuk..tapi kang lambat sgt kang terpop pulak baby ni..tak sempat nanti..i'm already 35 weeks pregnant..so last weekend i booked photography session jugaklah with Aidafiqs Photography...hehe..

sayangnye semua gamba terpaksa pakai winter coat..

actually i dah siap pakai knitted top yg show off my belly tak sanggup nak bukak winter coat in this weather..tapi oklah, nampak jugak perut makyong..lgpun this is probably the only time i'll ever be heavily pregnant in winter so adelah kenangan nanti boleh tunjuk kat Baby..

haritu pulak hujan..dahla mendung..tapi makyong still posing jugak, tak kire...

Adam was oblivious to the whole photoshoot. sbb dia sibuk nak naik rides. actually we went to a park la konon nak amik gamba..tgk2 park tu dah di convert jadi funfair..tak dpt nak amik byk pics ngan adam..tgkla mata dia melilau je..tanak dokong...tanak amik gamba...nak naik carla..nak naik trainla...nak naik horselah...

tq bang for taking my pregnancy photos :)

ok...i should be packing my hospital bag soon...any day now this baby can come...

Happy Father's Day

To three of the world's Best Fathers...

My husband - Adam loves him, respects him and listens to him. He is a wonderful father and watching him with Adam makes me a better mother too..I am so lucky he is the father to my children..



My father - There is nothing in the world he wouldn't do for his children. I cannot wish for a better father. He was always there for me, proud of me when i was at my best and to support me when i was at my worst. I love you so much, Abah...and i miss you so much..

My father in-law - He is a great father. He is patient, respectful and down to earth. I am so glad my husband inherited many of his wonderful traits..

Happy Father's Day!

My day off

Portman Centre hosted a day trip to an indoor swimming pool on Thursday. It's just for Daddies and kids...isn't that cool? So the boys went swimming together..sayangnye they were not allowed to take photos at the pool..my husband said they had a lot of fun...gambar diatas masa diorg dlm mini-bus..

While they were away.....heheheh...

Mommy had fun too...heheh...

I washed the bathrooms..clean the house..do 3 loads of laundry..folded the laundry..had a long shower..watched 2 episodes of House..sewed myself a skirt (almost done then i run out of threads..hehe..will post pic when i finish it)..watch an episode of Gossip girl!

fuh! best giler..the ultimate relaxing day for me..

Thank you Daddy for taking Adam out :)

Anniversary Trip

The last time we were in Venice, we were on a budget europe tour - Kelana Konvoy with our friends. We were not a couple yet, but about to fall in love :) Venice means a lot to us. I've always thought it's the most romantic city in the world..maybe because of the memories we had there..

Here we are, 6 years later. He definitely chose the best place to go for our anniversary. Thank you bang :) He's a romantic at heart, really..hehe..thank you..love you so much!

We went to Murano island too this time, popular for Murano glass. The jewelery made from Murano glass are absolutely stunning..

Adam had the most fun at S.Marco square, where there are a lot of friendly pidgeons. He fed them biscuits..byk gak biscuits yg masuk mulut adam sendiri..hehe..dia tak takut langsung nak pegang birds..

From Venice, we took the midnight train to Rome. Oh God, Rome is...how do i describe it..majestic, yes. All the buildings are old and beautiful, and so well preserved, even the shops. These buildings are made to last. You cannot help but admire the powerful civilisation that once was here..

We had a terrific time there as you can see..hehe..

May our love last forever...insyaAllah...

Happy Anniversary!

3 years ago tonight, I slept with my best friends in my room, nervous about the next day. Feels like not too long ago.

I'm kinda nervous tonight too. My husband is sweeping me off my feet yet again, taking us off to a secret holiday. Can't wait!

The Love of My Life

To my husband, my soulmate, my bestfriend, the father to my son, the love of my life;

You're the best thing that ever happened to me..I don't know what I've done right to deserve you, I am forever grateful..I wish you all the best things in life and the hereafter..

Love you so much bang..

Happy Birthday!