Always a Brit at Heart

I can't seem to stay away from Anya Hindmarch. Same goes for the Hubs. 

If we go about in the shopping malls or we go window shopping or even where my supposed 'heart ache' needs to be mended with a new handbag or clutch, our feet takes us to Anya. 

Haiz...and this comes after me telling Husbie that I would like to go for brands other than Anya for my next birthday/anniversary/other special occasions. I've been eyeing another Brit designer since early this year (not available in Malaysia as yet) and I am hoping to grab one of her bags soon. For now, back to Anya.

We always find that Anya's designs can range between bespoke classics and those from the funky side. Of course the Hubs prefer the classic looks. In my case, I can go both ways. I don't mind the classic designs being that it is timeless and easily matched with other outfits. If I ever want to be a bit playful, I can always get the Anya stickers but I find that I'm always reluctant to do that. The bag is nice as it is. Better to get the already embossed designs/stickers on the bags.

Loving the shade of red for this Bathurst Satchel.  It reminds me of chillies. Not too bright and has a bit of a red darkish side. What's even more special is that Anya's signature is on the bag. For now, it's safely tucked in my closet until the rainy season eases off. Wouldn't want the suede in the bag to get ruined now, would we?

Valiram Sale

A few weeks back, Matt invited me and the Hubs to a Valiram sale. I had nothing specific in mind but wouldn't skip a good deal for sure. Once in the showroom, we browsed through the promotion and found many good deals.

Got my first Kate Spade there. Been to their boutiques and even viewed their latest collection as well as the sales when were in HK but somehow I always decided to opt for another. 

There was this huge black leather tote that was on very good offer, so good that you won't believe how much I saved on it, and I've been using it for work ever since. I don't recommend it but it's huge enough to tuck in some of my books or my laptop instead of lugging my bag pack or briefcase around. I don't do it often. I wouldn't want to ruin the bag. It has however, become one of my 'lasak' or casual bags. 

Since we were already there, thought of scoring on one of Kate Spade's flamingo designs. Found out it was sold out on the first day of their sale. Waaaah...economy not so good people can shop like mad ar? Well, I remember the couple behind me, either she was stocking up for her family or boutique, or she and hubs are cray cray.

Nightmare of all Laundry Nightmares!

So, never in my laundry days, have I ever been so worried.

A few days prior to the 'incident',  I soaked some clothes that needed to be handwashed. This was after Hubs told me he will hang it to dry. Two days passed by and in the end, the chore was handed over to me. In that bucket were my baju kurung and floral blouses. Note that my clothes have a white base to it. There were also Husbie's work shirts in different hues of blues and the sin of it all, his red Manchester jersey, the special edition and sold out in minutes kind.

For those familiar with laundry do's and don'ts, you guessed right, there is the dreaded colour run incident. The funny thing is my baju kurung, blouses, his jersey and his workshirts weren't affected except for one.

For two straight days I tried all manner of methods to try and get the pink blotches out. I wasn't about to give up on his work shirt. I googled and browsed blogs. Tried soaking it in warm water with lemon. Tried Vanish with detergent. I read about Dylon S.O.S Colour Run but couldn't find it at the usual supermarkets like Tesco, Cold Storage, Jaya Grocer and Giant. Then I decided to drag Husbie to the closest grocers where I think the mat sallehs or expats would likely to venture. Struck gold at Hock Choon's! Thank God!!!

Results not guaranteed. I gradually tried using the detergent and soaking the work shirt in different temperatures. From tepid to warm, and after, even warmer water. Though it didn't exactly remove the pink blotches, it did  however make them pale considerably. Maybe after a few more washings the pink blotches will disappear totally and life would be all rosy again. 

I definitely will be stocking up on Dylon S.O.S. Colour Run for laundry emergencies from now on.

A trip to Zoo Negara- Our 2nd Wedding Anniversary

Alhamdulillah, both Husbie and I recently celebrated our 2nd wedding anniversary. We were both stumped to how we would like to spend the day together without having to venture out of state or country. Between work, house chores and classes, we couldn't afford to take too much time off.

So, we decided to go to the Zoo.

Yes, you read right, THE ZOO. OUR NATIONAL ZOO.

After 10 years of being together with 2 of them of being married together, we finally got a date at the zoo. I remember requesting a visit to the zoo in the early years of our relationship. Well, better late than never!

The last time I went to our zoo was when I was 9 or 10 years old. Now, with my love and better appreciation for animals, I got to enjoy the visit even more. 

Here are some highlights and dislikes of my visit. The 'dislikes' had nothing to do with the special date but some observations I had of our National Zoo and some tourists' attitudes and behaviours.

Highlights

1. The entry fee, including for access to the Panda sanctuary, is in general, affordable. I don't mind contributing to our zoo. 
2. I can see some improvements are being done at the moment. A good sign perhaps that the zoo is looking into improving enclosures for the animals and efforts are underway to make visits for tourists even more memorable.
3. We got to ride a PINK tram, to Husbie's dismay.
4. LOVE the picture souvenirs. There are different types of frames to go with your polaroids. My ultimate fave would be the Panda frames. RM30 each.
5. Many of the animals are generally well taken care of with some exceptions. Further elaborations on the matter will be under my 'Dislikes'.
6. Staff are super helpful and friendly.
7. Mid-way during our visit, my feet were hurting so bad I just had to go back to the car to change into my FlipFlops. The security marked my ticket, allowed me to go to the carpark and come back in to continue with our day. Wohooo!
8. I got to feed the Orang Utan which was good. However, my actions raised some minor confusion with one Australian couple. They thought I was feeding them on my own accord for our own entertainment. The person even narrated it in her video cam for the folks back home! NO WAY OK!!! I know better. They didn't see the caretaker standing next to me and passing me the bananas to feed Maya and Rukiah (the names of the female Orang Utans). The caretaker was not as fluent in English so I had to explain to them that the zoo has a very strict policy in feeding animals and the caretaker next to me was the one who gave permission and passed me the bananas. Hmpphh! Perhaps, the caretakers and staff at the zoo should update their uniform to a green coloured shirt with khaki pants. The black staff shirt clearly doesn't work!
9. We almost got Hippo Poop splattered on our persons. Yes, this is a highlight I guess cos' it was funny. We escaped of course but the Hubs couldn't stop laughing.
10. We got to spend a whole day at the zoo! Due to the rain, we had to take shelter in one of their restaurants. I think it is the only restaurant there ala-ala KFC. Hmm...I remember a KFC or was it an A&W in the zoo when I was little. What happened? Sayangnyer!

Dislikes

1. Finding out that tourists continue to disregard notices and throw ciggies, plastic, aluminium cans and rubbish into animal enclosures and feed the animals junkfood. 
2. Tourists not respecting animals. There was this couple who posed for pictures with their foot on top of the Galapagos Turtles' back. Shame on you!!! 
3. The male lion looked old or sickly. I mean it's well enough and I know the Zoo is trying their best with limited funds. 
4. I observed for myself, for the first time, how animals in the zoo, specifically the Malayan Tiger and the Grizzly Bear in our National Zoo, are suffering from what they call stereotypy. You see, this happens a lot to captive animals. The animal would pace back and forth or in circles continuously. Some may even proceed to self-harm or injury and even excess self-grooming. Major factors to the cause of stereotypy include small enclosures, artificial environments and lack of mental stimulation. There are solutions to stereotypy. Just hope the zoo's veterinary team is in the midst of identifying the best method to help the animals or execution for a solution is already underway. 
5. The food and drinks in the zoo are too expensive. A drink can cause up to RM5. Haiyohh!
6. Repetitive types of animals in different enclosures. I think there were three separate enclosures for tapirs alone at different areas in the zoo.

So, here's a picture of the corny picture with the Panda frame we took at the Zoo. Currently residing at the Hubs' office, hopefully making him smile everyday when he gazes at it.

Do visit and support our National Zoo. It is worth it! In fact, if you can spare the time, they even have volunteer programmes for those interested.

It's Hard to Part Ways

I just had to write this post and publish it today. Deviating a bit from my usual "Happy Jar" focus. I think so far, maybe twice I've written with an angry or somber undertone. Today's post will be a mixture of happiness, feeling blessed, sadness and anger all at the same time.

For those close to me, two of my cats gave birth to kittens totalling to 8 little furries, all male except for one. Husbie wants to keep one so I had advertised on my FB since July for the seven for those interested. With help of friends and my own screening process, we allocated them to lovely homes and loving owners. Alhamdulillah.

This picture where Husbie was holding the Ginger bou-cats sealed the deal. I was relieved cos' I had many queries about the others but very slow response to the Gingers. 

Below is a picture of Aswad, one of the earliest to be adopted. I don't advertise the breed mixture on FB due to concerns that some may just adopt those which are assumed more special than others. I don't charge money either as I believe that a life is not to be sold. My only condition is that one can commit to taking care of it whole heartedly.

Below is a picture of what the new family has called "Blackie". The only female among the lot.

It was hard for me to part ways with all of them but with baby planning on the way and studying part time as well as taking care of household chores, I know I will not be able to manage.

This is Yoda in his new cat bed at his new place. He was the earliest to be adopted.

Same goes for Yogi, the earliest to be adopted.

What grinds me was the update on Yoda and Yogi I received this morning. To cut the story short, though the owners suspect it was the doing of other bigger animals, I am of the view that it is someone sadistic living nearby. Both Yoda and Yogi were found dead, bleeding with scratches and cuts this morning. The new owners and I are of course devastated.  The funny thing was the cage they were kept in was neatly opened and shut. No noise whatsoever, no messed up areas near the cage. The other cats in the cage next to theirs were not even messed about. It was as though they were marked. Thinking how afraid they were at their last moments makes me want to go find the culprit and kick him/her/them in the teeth! Cruel cruel just plain cruel! You will get yours soon!

I warned the owners that they better bring in the other cats into the house today. Whomever might just come back for a source to vent their sadistic nature.

R.I.P. Yoda and Yogi. 

Vanilla Sky - Laksa Sarawak

It was one of those hectic Fridays at work where generally my appetite had gone out the window and the Hubs had to forced me to have lunch. Yes, forced, I kid you not. If not for lunch, we wouldn't be able to have any sit-down meal together that day as in the evening he had a corporate-do he had to attend to.

I couldn't go far from the office and so did he. So, we opted for this new place he heard about, Vanilla Sky, located at G-residence, one of my "dream-to-own" properties. Supposedly famous for their Laksa Sarawak.

I totally fell in love with the ambience. Love, love, love, but Husbie still had to ask me to put down my phone and "take-a-break" from work. Just focus on having lunch with him. Anyways, getting sidetracked here. I absolutely adore the decor and colourful walls. It does give life to the restaurant. Worth the break time. Definitely worked in calming my nerves.

To bring some Sarawak flair to the restaurant, they even have a dedicated corner for tribal masks.

Now, on to the good stuff. Their Laksa Sarawak. I've had Laksa Sarawak three times in my lifetime. The first time was from my Sarawakian Aunty's cooking for raya many years back. The second was during my visit in Sarawak where I got dissapointed, maybe cos' I went to the wrong place or something. The third was again during Raya a few years back at a friend's.

For this, I must say it is pleasantly good. Enough of the trimmings without the thought "Aiyoo, so kedekut one!". The mihun was nicely cooked. The gravy...goodness gracious, NYUMSS! Add some sambal to your liking and walla...PERFECT! I didn't even waste any on my white blouse...must have slurped the whole bowl without any spills. 

If Laksa Sarawak or any kind of Laksa was never your thing, they have other options too. Their lunch promo looks interesting and I see the girls next to my table ordering some of it. They left earlier and I saw that their plates were clean. Definitely a good sign.

Oh, and another plus to their many plusses. See that painting at the corner there? The one where the dude is dressed up in a dress (my fave painting in Vanilla Sky by the way)? If you go further in, you can see that the walls are decorated all the way up to the washroom. Here's the plus, their washrooms are super clean and well managed. I can see no probs in having long girly seshs here.

If you ever want to sample a fusion of Borneo fare or any other comfort food with local flavours, then this is the place to be. The address of Vanilla Sky and opening hours are as follows:

G10 G Village Desa Pandan

55100 Kuala Lumpur

Mon-Sat- 9.30 a.m. - 9.30 p.m.. Closed on Sundays.