it's 9am and i'm all ready to grab the remote to watch spongebob squarepants. but i guess that is the downside to having a baby at home; one is obliged to watch cartoons in general, not necessarily spongebob squarepants.

baby nephew just arrived yesterday. so intelligent and ligat. just sppending half day here with him, i'm already sweating for chasing him around the hall. i can imagine the amount of exercise when he starts walking.

life has been good lately, alhamdulillah. the bumps and adventures along the way helps to put the feet on the ground. at the same time, interesting things do happen and that motivates me.

ouh got to watch the nephew. with having breakfast. he will be reading books and i will be watching cartoon. again.

ah, so many things to write, so little time to do so

i have to thank Tim berners-Lee for bringing the Internet to our lives. i realised that somehow the family ties are getting closer than it used to be. some people may think that updating status 5 times daily on Facebook is totally annoying but i digress. that is actually how i somehow keep up with the family.

my cousin has just completed SPM and is currently going through what i went through after my SPM. i couldn't apply for a job, i was not allowed to apply for a license and i do not have a computer back then. Internet? what? yes, it's frigging boring. and she is going through the same thing. except for the internet part.

if she fells choked, that was exactly how i felt. i didn't find a solution but i pray that she will find hers. ouh how i prayed. i try sharing some things that i know of like Nuffnang for example because i know she has lots of friends who can visit her blog almost daily. i do not know the progress of it. hopefully she is doing ok with it.

but cousin, fret not. this is just going to last for like 3 months. if you are lucky (and i do pray you will), maybe you'll get shipped to a different country to study there. imagine learning a new language; you will soon forget the meaning of boredom.

however, for the mean time, just enjoy the frustration of not being able to do anything. want to get a license? i still believe you have so much more time after this. wants to attend a jamboree? prioritise. we have lots of wants but maybe we should just pay attention on needs.

so cousin, you are not alone. you are going the same thing as i did last time. but you are lucky that you can talk to your brother or even me on some things. me? i can never refer to anyone back then. at least you can talk about it to us. although, i may not be able to keep a serious face. yes, i sometimes laugh in my room when i chat with you.

if you miss the jamboree, who cares? its not the end of the world. there are other ways to achieve one goal. for example, one do not have to just drive to seremban. one can either go on a bus or go on board a train. of course, walking is another form of transportation but lets not go there.

talking of walking, i just felt my legs throbbing with pain. maybe i should stop now and call it a day.

gelpren-gelpren sekalian, esok je la ai upload gamba. itu pun kalau i ingat :P

well, actually we didn't get lost in taman alam although we might as well did. we just went into the taman alam nature park without telling anyone our names and out contact numbers. never mind the phone though because there was no reception in taman alam.

if you look on the right, you can see some kind of a chalet. yes, there is accommodation inside taman alam but you have to make extra, early accommodation as this place is quite a hit among the foreigners.

the trail. woohoo! its practically a forest. i should have looked carefully at the brochure because it said ' expect to see monkeyes, heron bla bla bla and SNAKES.

lots of sunlight because it was 12 at that time T_T

the lake where you can actually see migratory birds. i was really concerned about biawak actually T_T

mangrove conservation place. i think

great for bird watchers. but please bring enough water, sunblock and courage. haha pasti dibenci kerana tidak mahu berjalan kerana ada anjing

and we collapsed after the walk in taman alam.

my laptop is currently dyslexic because it is currently unable to read the memory card. hence, the update on taman alam will be postponed (to a date that no one will know).

dah tak baik mengeluh, terima dengan seadanya dan diam. nufoyashsfh

see that? we arrived at the foot of bukit malawati at 9 am. see the sun shining brightly? yes, semangat tak semangat kan mangket awal gila nak pi berjalan (lps tu esok tu bgn tatau pukul berapa. haha habis homestay jadi mcm umah sendiri)

 

the driver. covers his head with a kind of earphone that will drown down the noise from the bus that will bring us to the top. the charge will be RM 2 if you just want to go up. but for a package to the aquarium,you need to add another RM 1.

during weekdays, tourists can drive to the top of the hill but not during weekends. and wear ample sunblock (don't leave it in the car like some people (points to moi) and also the umbrella). bring tons of water. its hot and time just flies when you are up bukit malawati.

 

see if you can read it. but if you can't here's a snippet. there used to be lots of wars or rather, fights on bukit malawati. it was taken from one hand and passed on to another. don't miss out on the museum of kuala selangor that tells a lot of stories about this place. 

 this is the view from the top of the hill. you can actually see the straits of malacca from here so one can imagine that this used to be a perfect place to see when the enemy is coming and such

 

balai cerap.

 lighthouse. feel free to tilt your head around 45 degrees to the left (footnote: malas nak edit)

 

 

 in the kuala selangor historical museum. not sure what this is because we are more concerned on taking pictures.

this is actually a 50-gallon fire extinguisher, imported from the UK to be used by the police force in Malaya

 

 reenactment of what happened here. oke, actually we do not know exactly how the battle in bukit malawati happened but good effort people.

the most appropriate caption should be: the murder of mineral water - the fight for basic needs of life

macam hape je kau ni T_T

 

this is the place. the kota malawati fort. there are still several canons up there but we are not sure whether its the authentic or not. 

 

trying to steal the sepak takraw (hobi saya adalah letak gamba senget tengs)

 

 yes go syud go!

next picture: zahidah trying her luck.

 tarik jgn tak tarik. at another museum showing games played by kids.

 

 they sure are thirsty playing congkak. let me help you with the drinks

 

poisoned well on kota malawati. this is the place where they torture the criminals. the well will be filled with things that will slowly but surely kill the criminals. criminals will be put in the well with the water well up to their chin. they will be placed under rain and sun, waiting for the death. 

 

mouseloum for the royals

 

and we wonder who actually wants to live here because its kind of scary

 

 with huge gargantuan rocks. haha gargantuan adalah melebih-lebih

 

 we had this after the trip, which is so really hot. don't leave your umbrella at home but make sure the umrella is a lot bigger than this blue umbrella. ngehehehe

 

 next up: visit to the aquarium and taman alam

'engkau tibaaaa bagaikan pelangiiiii' -- oke lagu main tibai

we just left the so-called resort. it cannot be locked, there were no keys and it was totally scary. i know i know, i was actually thinking of staying there because i have no idea to stay anywhere else.

  so we left that scary looking place yang sumpah sebenarnya ko bole jumpe dlm movie je. and we head to hotel kuala selangor that looked really out of a 70's movie. i mean its cute but shared bathroom? thanks, but no thanks, darl.

  we went back to de palma hotel. again, i was actually thinking of staying there because its already 6pm but luckily, the two beautiful ladies said 'let's try and ask people'. we went to the petrol station. i can't think on an empty stomach. during that time, my stomach was empty.

mari kita cuba dalam bentuk penaakulan mantik:

premis satu: jika saya lapar, maka saya tidak bole berfikir

permis 2: saya adalah lapar

kesimpulan: maka, saya tidak boleh berfikir

ye, adik-adik yang nak ambil spm, ini penting ye.

hey buang tebiat betul. menyimpang jauh gile mementang pegi melawat sekolah lama jugak di kuala selangor.

 back to the story, so we bought muffins, twiggies (i heart twiggies, it makes me happy), water and something else. and we tried asking the people at the counter where can we get a place to stay.

and due to the fact that i have to get ready for bed, let's not dwell into the conversation (which was mundane and insanely boring) and we were directed to kg kuantan.

  durng our arrival, the rainbow was there to greet us. we dragged our tired feet to the fireflies conservation centre (or something). it was getting dark and we only had a muffin and twiggies.

  it must be a sign from God because

  ' there's a homestay programme here, we can try. but i don't have her number but we can try'

 and tears welled in our eyes. oke nampak sgt tipu sebab ade orang di belakang saya sibuk ambil gamba rainbow (saya jeles. perhatian)

ouh this is not the owner of the house. but this cute little thing lives here. very playful and naughty

 so we stayed here. picture was not taken during arrival. we were too busy wishing that we do not have to sleep in the car or in KUSESS or in the mosque T_T. sedih gile kalau kene tido kat semejid lps tu cite kat anak cucu 'dulu nenek kene tido kat mesjid besar kuala selangor masa pegi tgk kelip-kelip'

 

 

comel gile umah ade mushroom

ouh makcik, we can't thank you enough. it was really a relieve that she accepted her as a her guests, a few minutes before maghrib prayers. we were hungry but the call of fireflies were too strong. we ate bubur asyura (it was our luck she just finished cooking the incredibly tasty bubur asyura), took a bath and head to the fireflies area.

  there was already a bus full of tourists before we depart for the homestay. there were no queues, we just need to pay RM 40 for the whole perahu (literally perahu tanpa motorbot dan ada pendayung. boleh la berangan naik gondola di sini dan abaikan bahawa malam gelap pekat) and we got four bottles of water too.

  subhanallah, the fireflies were beautiful. its like watching christmas tree in january, which was exactly what we were doing. it was so exciting and yes i tried to capture the fireflies but of course, consider RM1,000 flyiing out of my pocket if i accidentally killed one.

  i tried capturing the vieo (of course without lights) but to no avail. and our guide did say that it is impossible to capture fireflies on photograph or video. but still, it was an experience to remember and i'm proud to say that fireflies in kg kuantan is the most you can find anywhere in the world. it was really kept in a good way; no motorboat or any development nearby, making the long stretch of river as the perfect place for fireflies to live.

  i'd recommend the spot for married couples because its so bloody romantic. i mean very romantic. not some kind of a gothic idea of romantic with blood smeared on your face.

  is it the moon that made me type like this or is it just me? why do fell distracted and keep putting unrelated points here and there. darn it. this must be the after-effect of reading dilbert.

anyways....

oke sambung esok saja part panjat bukit kuala selangor dan sesat di taman alam. esok itu kalau rajin. hihi

Kg Kuantan is well known for its fireflies protection place….
adventurous. It was supposed to have a good start but well, if it was really smooth than it will be really boring.

I booked the place to stay about a month earlier, after failing to secure a room in Taman Alam. If you plan to stay in Taman Alam (for nature lovers’, highly recommended), do not call 1 month before your vacation. Make it more than 3 months. We actually were planning to stay in Kem Mega World Crystal but guess what? The rooms were without locks and we were the only people who are supposed to stay in that place for the weekend. Three people without anyone else, with rooms that were without locks and suddenly, here we go, attack of the apes.

backstage. eh bahagian belakang resort. scary

 

fragile looking lock. and can you believe it that the door can't be locked? WHAT?

 

 

totally deserted resort

 

can't see the lontong. we had to run to the car

We didn’t last. We last for about 10 minutes before fleeing from the place.

Did we end up sleeping in Masjid Besar Kuala Selangor? Did we end up sleeping in the car? Wait for the next entry.
Such fancy introduction. Thi hi hi. It was a great trip and seriously was really

day 7 - wow! a week without coffee?

i'm struggling with the bag. might as well pack the whole wardrobe into it

day 6 - i'm super sleepy. hitting the sack at 10 pm. i'm seriously a wreck

p/s: waiting with excitement for friday!. woohoo

day 5 - mental breakdown

tower
Originally uploaded by uculer

parting ways with coffee is really not easy. i was nauseous the whole day, its just lucky that i still manage to put my brain to work.

my mouth is just full of saliva all the time and i have this crazy cravings for food. this is totally uncool.

apparently, i'm not imagining things. its normal for a person to experience some kind of withdrawal symptoms once they cut the coffee. the symptom can start as soon as 12 hours after the last cup of coffee and can last up to nine days (gulp! that's very far to go).

i'm trying green tea. hope it works.

one of it is get really irritable. that explains my blue mood until 11 am everyday. bwahaha! three hours of being extremely agitated.

check this (http://coffeetea.about.com/od/caffeine/a/symptoms.htm) for some of the withdrawal symptoms.

day 4 - coffee withdrawal syndrome

tired feet
Originally uploaded by uculer

i'm a coffee addict. see? declaring your illness (in my case addiction to coffee), is the first step of healing.

it all started when i started working. in my mind, coffee is the perfect stimulant and a great way to start a day. and since the habit has been ingrained for more than two years, its very difficult to shoo away.

i started seeing the effect of coffee because sometimes its too difficult to monitor water intake and resulted in my skin being very dry. to make it worst, my skin is already easily irritable and the result is not pretty.

hence, i make it a point to stop taking caffeine this year.

omg, this is not easy. moi without coffee is cranky, grumpy and just moody. this is not easy. walking to the pantry sans-coffee felt weird. i kind of lost myself a bit (yah me being the drama queen). but seriously, i keep thinking about coffee.

i keep having cravings throughout the day. my mouth is full of saliva when i think of coffee (i'm actually drooling right now, trying hard not to drool all over the keyboard). and i nearly, literally jumped at every chocolate i see.

if this is how someone goes through when they stop smoking, gosh this is not easy.

finally, a resolution

a reason to cherish
Originally uploaded by uculer

less coffee. i want less coffee this year. i've come to convince myself that i really need coffee in a order to start my day. what if i don't really need them? what if i just need a small amount of caffeine.

like tea perhaps?

i actually really like this tea in the picture that is being served in aster spring. maybe its herbal tea, i'm not sure. but i really do like it.

more tea, less sugar. see if we can do it. but maybe not cold turkey.

wish me luck people. the resolution seems small but this is the mountain that i had to move. i'm a coffee addict.

ye, itu dia. mengambil masa berhari-hari nak sambung entri

baiklah, kita sambung penceritaan (sbrnya nak tulis kat due org je tapi sukehati la)
eh dah no berapa hari tu? tak ingat la. oke kite mule dr 1 la

1. pakaian - ini sangat penting ye. perlu ada baju utk cuaca yang sejuk dan cuaca panas. pastikan baju yang sedikit tebal dibawa bersama, manalah tahu hujan pulak kan. dan baju yang tidak begitu tebal juga diperlukan utk acara makan secara pukal. kejap lagi dah makan banyak-banyak, panas pulak kan?

seluar juga adalah penting. kalau boleh bawak seluar jerut (kalau berani, pakai la) semasa aktiviti makan juga. ya, jgn nak tipu. mesti makan dgn byk masa cuti, lebih-lebih lagi bukannya nak pegi island. lagi la byk nak makan.

dan memandangkan lokasi kita adalah kuala selangor (sape-sapa yang tak ikot tu buat-buat la mcm nak ikot), kita memerlukan seluar yang sesuai utk memanjat bukit malawati yang bersejarah itu ye. jeans pun bole juga tapi kalau nak amek feel outdoor, mungkin cargo pants boleh juga digunakan.

memandangkan kita akan berjalan (dan membawa perut yg bakal lebih had muatan), adalah penting utk memakai kasut yang sesuai. sandal dan sneakers adalah pilihan yang bijak. selipar bilik tidur juga bole digunakan tetapi jangan menangis kalau kaki anda dipijak semasa si pasar malam,ingin membayar ayam percik yang dibeli

HEY, BOLE TAK JANGAN FOKUS PADA MAKANAN SAHAJA

2. adalah penting utk anda memastikan kamera anda berfungsi dgn baik, memori cukup utk mengambil gambar sampai lebam dan bateri cukup hebat utk berfungsi sepanjang masa. jgn jadi mcm satu kes di mana sepupu-sepupu saya bergaduh kerana kamera tak cukup bateri di aquaria. lps tu nak nangis. aku pukul kang saje je. oke sori teremo pula

3. stick to the budget-mmg susah nak buat tapi cuba oke cuba? ye syud, anda perlu halang saya kalau nmpk saya mcm dah tak stable.

4. minum air yang cukup-ini adalah amat penting. syud dan zahida, jgn minum air sg kuala selangor. hiks

dan saya rasa itu sahajalah anda berdua. kalau ada pape, sila msg saye

p/s: tak payah la torch light kau nak buat ape torch light, syuhada? nak pergi taman alam ke memlm buat sesi burung hantu?

ter pergi makan lebih drpd sehari pulak
tapi tgh tade mood

my feet are so painful, the toes are screaming out for help independently