.

.

Nov 26, 2008

hallo? anyone home? hallo?
huh! dah nak bersawang dah blog nih..heheeehe..bz lar :-
so..apa story ni weih? ntah..hemmm 8-`

citer pasal concert 3Diva lah..ok? citer bersawang last year..but sweet memory untill this moment..peduli haper kan..my blog..my story lar :-P
tapi mesti dengki punyalah korang..hihihihi

Was watching tv that one particular nite, suddenly came accross Muzik @ Ria..tengok2 camtu jer.Then Hani announced 1 contest.Kalo menang dapat backstage+concert ticket jumpa KD! Uthe & Titi :-O whoooooaaaaaa. I love KD so muchhh! my fav singer!I have all her albums. Original of course...
Soalannya:
Siapakah 3Diva dan mengapa anda harus dipilih untuk memenangi pertandingan ini?

kacang jer ;-)

Esok tu lupa pun nak e-mail the answer. After 2 days baru tingat..sajer jer lar e-mail. Salah e-mail plak tu..antar jer to 2-3 different address. kalo dapat, dapat lar.. Tak payah pikir2 pun how to answer the Q. Tulis sekali jer..jeng..jeng..jeng..

Jawapannya!:
Kepada penerbit Muzik@ Ria,

Janganlah "KELIRU" untuk "PILIHLAH AKU" kerana "TAK AKAN ADA CINTA YANG LAIN" dapat mengatasi minatku terhadap ketiga-tiga diva yang luar biasa ini!!!

Pastinya aku akan MENGHITUNG HARI menunggu detik 25 Mac ini kerana MEMORI yang bakal diukir oleh SANG DEWI bertiga ini nanti!

Whooaaaaa! hoyeee..hoyeee...terrer? all those blue highlighted are hit songs of the 3 Divas :-) brilliant? hehehe...

I think 4-5days after that, I received a phone call. Nasib baik hangkat..sebab kalo unrecognized number normally I won't pickup the call. It was Nadia from Astro. AP for Muzik @ Ria and she was telling me that I won the contest with another 2 winners. OMG! I'm so thrilled, excited and it was a goose bumps moment!!!

Each winner is allowed to bring 1 partner..sapa lagi..i bawa kaktah lar..suker dia :-)
It was on 24th March 2007. First, we were suppossed to meet them up at the Palace of Golden Horses for an interview. Plan changed on last minute disebabkan nak beri laluan to Sultan Brunei. Baginda mencemar duli and flew to KL just to meet up the 3Divas personnally before the concert..Whooooaaa! and we headed to Putra Stadium @ Bkt Jalil for a full dress rehearsal. It was fun & great! For the first time I met the famous Indonesian singers in person-Kris Dayanti, Ruth Sahayana & Titi DJ. Wow! A warning- not only a meeting but hugs, kissess and warm friendly hellos.
Kris is so damn gorgeous! with slightly dark skin, medium size just like me :-P But really pretty. It was her birthday that day. When i first saw her my Q was "Kris, can I hug u?" of course I could.. then I cried! huhuuhuuu..(FYI - tengok iklan pun i bulih nangis) happy lar.

Ruth is so fair & very nice skin complextion! petite size and damn gorgeous and so does Titi DJ but with 6feet height. Kaktah sang her fav song by Kris "Mengenangmu"... duet with Kris...so sweet...
We spent only 20minutes taking photos & chit chat due too tight schedule of the Divas, (they were rushing to MBPJ stadium for special appreance at AF concert -Candy sang their song -'Semua Jadi Satu'.
..and that was the day b4 the concert. On the concert day, 25th March 2007 we arrived early at Putra Stadium for tv recording. Yasmin Hani was away so we were replacing her to host the slot for the concert. I was on tv lor :-D
The stadium was so crowded. A lot of local celebrities and VIPs. Among them were Dr Mahathir & Mak Mah, Siti & Dato K, Camelia, Ziana Zain, Sheila Majid and many more. 3-5 busess arrived full with Indonesian fans who flew from Jakarta just for the concert. 2hrs concert seem like 20minutes. Gempak & dahsat giler! Everythings was superb. Right from the stage setting & gimmick, lighting, audio & sound and choices of songs & music arrangement & of course their outfits..awesome! Salute the 3Divas as well as the orchestra pimpinan Pak Erwin Gutawa. So impressed with the 3Divas energy and professionalism and commitment to make the concert a history! fantastic live vocal thru out the concert. 3Divas are fabulous..their vocal proved how divas are they. The songs they sang was uncountable! too many songs that night and i enjoyed myself so much!

and that is why they deserve to be called the Diva! the 3 Divas!

Nov 13, 2008

Back to Jakarta! After Bandung, I'm headed to Jakarta for another 2nites. Again, checked in at Le Grandeur, Mangga Dua (M2) of North Jakarta. First I wanted to stay somewhere in Central Jakarta since I've stayed at M2 last year... but totally can't resist the shopping temptation...Goshhh! wonderful, awesome & fantastic!!! :-)

If I stayed at Central Jakarta it means I'm wasting my time travel & stuck in trafic jam because no matter how I'm still need & must go to M2 :-) and I've made a wise decision by staying at Le Grandeur, M2 (again). Same as Bandung, Jakarta also is in wet season now. Raining heavily almost everyday..but again it was not a problem since Le Grandeur is interconnected to a computer mall & with other famous shopping centres in this area such as Mangga Dua Mall, ITC Mangga Dua and Pasar Pagi Mangga Dua. So, you don't have to go accross the street :-)

Mangga Dua is one of the most paced up and packed up area in Jakarta. The Mangga Dua district has a lot to offer if you show that you’re really up to it. Beneath its dusty air and ferocious traffic, there are many hidden treasures to find. It's for die hard shoppers! Forget about all the bigscale shopping malls & expensive branded things at Central Jakarta - don't waste your time, u can get all those here in KL. It's someting else that is so different & interesting in Mangga Dua yet very cheap...Yeah!

I left Bandung for Jakarta via Xtrans at 11.30am. One day prior to my departure, I've call the Xtrans (station at Cihampelas Road) & placed my reservation via the phone & my desired seat in the coach- as simple as that :-) The 2hrs trip was very smooth & comfy. My stop at Jakarta is at Blora station. From there I need to get a cab to my hotel for another 30minutes depending on traffic condition (Jakarta traffic flow is really bad!). Fortunately the Xtrans staff were so helpful. Two of them carried out my 5 luggages and look for a taxi for me...fuhhh! "Makasih Pak"I gave them tips for the assistance and within 5 minutes i was in the taxi headed to my hotel.

My room was at 15th floor with a very great view of M2 area. Nice! One thing I like about this hotel is the security. They have 24hrs security guards at the hotel entrance, lobby, restaurants and using lift to access desired floor, we need to swipe room's keycard...and as an added security, the reception will call your room everytime you request room service just to inform that their staff is already in front of your door...bagus kan? jadi, takder lah kita suka2 hati open the door for a stranger ;->

Room view
Lobby

The door at the lobby that connected to the computer mall

Breakfast was great. Basically I have no problem about food in Jakarta as they served Halal food and I do love Nasi Padang & Sunda food...yummmyyy. Here back in Kuala Lumpur, if sometimes really feel nak makan Sundanese food my fav resto is Sundanese @ KLCC. Delicious!

M2 is wellknown for its China Town. Most of the resident here are Chinese & they speak Bahasa Indonesia as their daily language. At first it was a bit difficult to differentiate Jakartan Malay & Chinese women. They all look a like. Fair, gorgeous and curly long sexy hair...hemmm so pretty. During my stay, hotel was full with local especially Chinese and hardly seen any foreigner or Malaysian except me :-P. Many business people since Le Grandeur is a 4star business hotel. Nearby hotel is Novotel (on top of Mangga Dua Square) but u have to take a ride or 15minutes sweaty & dusty walk to the malls that connected to my hotel.

On my first day, I tried the buffet dinner with live performance..Actually wanted to go to Restaurant Garuda for nasi padang but due to heavy rain and difficult to get a taxi (precisely Blue Bird), then I decided to have dinner at hotel...sumptious Indonesian buffet spread just at Rp60k (RM22) with free drink.

This one is my lunch at Restaurant Garuda @ Jalan Hayam Wuruk...fuyyyooo! terangkat cikjah! lazat..slurrppp..gulp..gulpp..Total is about Rp200k (RM70)


Ha! This is the most awaited dish... Fried Gurame + Rice + Lalapan = AWESOME MEAL!
Had this on the last day in the room sbb dah too tired to go out..sedapnya sama macam dulu :-)
Sampai lah kita ke bab Shopping - sajer jer tak nak citer mula2...sat gi ketaq lutut :-D

Basically, I've organized my itinerary sama jer like last year. The places I went for makan & shopping were all the same places sbb I don't want to waste my time searching & looking around since I've limited days at Jakarta.

Tempat wajib mestilar Tanah Abang! This round, I'm a bit prepared. One lorong at a time and floor by floor. More organized...kalo tidak nanti ada toko (shop) yang ketinggalan...

Wow! Tanah Abang is extremely hebat! Sumer ada...Setakat 2-3jam kat Tanah Abang memang tak cukup. You need at least the entire day :-P It's open from 9am until 5pm...If you are here with group & family please bring your compass - u may lost ur way here. Too many shops & floors, new block, old block..hemmmm..pusing. The most lower ground paling best - textile floor. Varities of laces & colour, silk & fabric - Oh goshhhhhh! gorgeous & murah...sesuwei buat baju pen-ghan-thin :-P
..and another tempat wajib to go is ITC Mangga Dua. Warning for ladies! Bring out your credit cardss :-) Segala macam handbags available...But of course not original..tetapi with 1st grade quality..not cheap ok.. The price range between Rp700k - Rp1.5mil ..It's about RM250 onwards...Beside that ada jugak yang murah like Rp50k-Rp100k/each (RM20-RM40)... but still good if you know how to choose.

All handbag shops located at ground floor..kalo Cikjah datang, mahunya taknak balik...best gilerzzzz..Huh! As a present for myself sbb dah alang2 jauh berjalan nih, terbeli lar jugak handbag Rp1.2mil (sebutannya: 1 koma 2)..hehehe...tu pun puas lar tawar menawar :-P
Penat sopping, I decided to wash my hair..it was good kalo kepala ni kena massage2 skit..hehee.
Asked around and they told me at ITC has one famous salon - Johny Andrean Salon. So, I gave a try. Wash & blow only Rp36k ( RM13). So cheap!

On my departure day, it was raining heavily in the morning. Fuh, takut jugak kalo2 terjadi banjir..sbb Mangga Dua ni nearby to beach area, Ancol. It's a low land area. Lagipun on my way back from Tanah Abang, dah ada "genangan air" (local name for Banjir) but still ok for traffic...but that was the day before...huh!
Nak jadi citer - memang ada banjirpun on my way to the airport but luckily only half way. Tapi kira macet jugak lar...
My tips -please allocate at least 3-3.5hrs from you hotel until your check-in time @ the airport. Anything could happen in Jakarta. Tak rugi kalo tunggu lama at the airport. Do you know that missing your flight will cost you hundreds? hemmmm...takder replace2 punyalah...kena bayar penalti Cikjah oiiii...
Photo news about thunder flood somewhere in Jakarta due to raining season.

Tips - Do carry your foldable bag (red) with you as it is so useful. My luggages...huh! but no excess weight woooo :-P (not like my Bali trip)

Finally, I was on flight back home on time. Tapi satu jer tak puas hati mesti komplen kat Abang Tony as the staff never mentioned to me that I need to wait at separate hall for express boarding (JKT-KL)..nasib baik aku tanya! chitttt...
and the worst is from KL-JKT they never repeat the announcement for the express boarding to onboard the flight...I was at the boarding gate sharp at 8.30am (the required time) tapi nobody announced for express boarding and of course i thought maybe later...Tetiba jer sumer orang rushing to the gate & walk out...chiiittt...hanjennggg betoi! Woiii..tak kan sumer benda nak kena tanya..aku bayar extra RM25/way from others tau :-O
Ni dah takder fuel chargers ni ntah apa pulak lar lousy service provided to cover up the lost...hemmmm
Argghhh..malaslah citer pasai airline nih..maybe next time try naik KLM lar plak...better kot :-P
But no matter how, Jakarta is definitely a great place for shopping & they have amazing food to enjoy. Walla Jakarta :-)

Nov 11, 2008



My revisit trip to Kota Bandung was awesome even though it was raining season.  When I was there it was heavily raining on every single day in the afternoon but not a problem to me....I've got my foldable umbrella..ella..ellaaaa...eeeeeaaa..aaa

 Reception hall @ Geulis Hotel

The most fantastic was my HOTEL! again, I've choose the right place to stay (alhamdullillah...) As usual I've make a lot of effort in choosing a hotel, getting info about shopping & eating places, transfer & transportation and bla..bla..bla...so worth it!

Actually ramai yang panic about transfer from Jakarta to Bandung (just like me masa mola2 dulu) hihihi..well, nak bagi tips skit nih..if u don't hire a driver (which is not necessarry unless u r in big or family group), just take the scheduled shuttle service every 1/2 or 1hr but definitely not a taxi! You can choose either Xtrans (ala2 standard-Rp90k) or Cipaganti (ala2 premier gitu Rp115k)..Both are comfy ride in van or MPV and their station counters is located at the airport. Jakarta to Bandung is about 2hrs via toll road (highway). Jammed is pretty normal until the toll plaza but once u entering highway - all look good & smooth.
As an another option, u could also take a train at Gambir station for only Rp50k (executive class) for 3hrs journey or by bus.

I took Cipaganti (MPV Avanza) this time instead of Xtrans because it was the ealierst departure. It cost me Rp150k from jakarta airport until right in front of my hotel. Normally it is a station to station service but with extra money they can send u right to your door :-)
Pastu bagus plak tu..he knows the shortcut routes within Bandung and we managed to avoid the most terrible weekend jammed in Bandung town...yeee hoyeee...save my time

Lobby & reception hall

This round I stayed at Geulis Hotel right smack in the middle of many FOs at Jalan Dago - Among the best place to shop at Bandung beside Jalan Riau & Setiabudhi. Great! I've been sorrounded by FOs left, right & front and a great Sundanese restaurant just a few step next to my room. How wonderful & easy it was :-) No need to think about transfer from one road to another.
Geulis means beautiful and its name absolutely represent the hotel. It's a 4star gorgeous boutique hotel and tastefully decorated in lavish victorian style. Only 24 suites & 2 presidential suite rooms available here in a 3storey building right in front of the main road. It's about Rm300/nite inclusive breakfast. Pretty small compound but very spacious & gorgeous room. Swimming pool tersangatlah comel.. baru 2 depa dah sampai ujung ;-P (but who's bother about the pool? I'm here for shopping...)

Here are some photos of my suite room...


Sampaikan bila dah tak larat nak carry shopping bagsss, I went back to my hotel to drop them off and start my shopping all over again :-P

Makan? Fuh! best. Real Indonesian breakfast of course... Everyday ada Nasi Uduk (just like Nasi Lemak in Malaysia but nasi lemak lagi besttt). Geulis also is well known for its steak house.


Restaurant


Personally, I think this year Bandung has a lot of choices and quite up to-date fashion stocks compared to last year. My choice is definitely Rumah Mode. Lama tak lama ada lar 4hrs pusing2 kat situ & 'menderma' for almost Rp1mil to Rumah Mode alone..hihiiii :-D tooooo maaaaany things to buy..paling best sbb ada Zara & Bcbgmaxazria, Old Navy, Guess and etc. Accross my hotel is FO Grande - a must go! Then ada Jetset, Episode, Blossom, Glamour, Level, Victoria, Edward Forrer and many more.

...and as a result, I arrived with 2 luggages and left Bandung with 5 luggages! oucch! Blum campur Jakarta lagi....aiyo!

Payah nak describe lar betapa siokknyer bershopping @ Bandung...hemmmm dasat :-P
Not only for women but men also bulih tahan hebatnya..yes! really..silap2 ngalahkan isteri.

If you have kids - OMG! lagi crazy...too many choices, ALL r sooo cute, branded & good quality yet cheap. And some of the design u coudn't get here in KL especially GAP & Esprit, Oshkosh & etc.

Another famous place @ Bandung is Cihampelas. They have something like Bintang Walk in KL called CiWalk (now in upgrading construction). But nothing interesting. Infact Cihampelas that wellknown for jeans product pun tak best. Nothing lah. Ada jeans cap ayam jer...lagipun I'm not a t-shirt & jeans lady..ouchh :-P

During my stay, I used Angkutan to move around. Senang, cepat & mudah. It's only RM0.50-1.00/trip. Hardly seen taxi while I was there. Need to wait about 10-15minutes for a cab..no way I've got that much time. It was so easy taking angkutan as long as you are not shy asking locals or driver to show your way or where u suppose to stop. From Geulis to Rumah Mode, I need to take 2 different Angkutan and cost me about Rp4k only.
I met many locals and they are all so friendly and helpful and they became more friendly after noted that I'm a Malaysian...If u want to take angkutan, don't get advice from hotel as they may not able to help u. It's a wise way to ask local in the angkutan or the driver himself since it's their daily transport - they know better :-)


Few FOs around Bandung

Next to my hotel is a classy authentic Sundanese Restaurant "Rumah Makan Dago Penyawangan". Totally no idea about this resto but since baru sampai and looking for lunch place, I just stepped in and oh my goshhh! - full house, nicely set-up with indoor waterfall, cozy & awesome ambience. Apa lagi my favourite is Gurame larrr..."bapak kasi saya Gurame Cobek satu, kangkung pedas satu, lalapan sama sambal merah ya" fuhhh! tu dia..



And rasanya a part of main reason for this revisit trip agaknya sbb teringin nak makan kat Restaurant Bumbu Desa @ Rumah Mode. This is the place where I fall in love with Gurame at the first sight :-) -padahal hakikatnya i DON'T eat fresh water fish!

Still the same ambiance and same food.. and I've got the same table like last year...yeah! Dah nak jadi rezeki, i think for the past 10yrs tak penah makan masak lemak siput paip (orang kedah lar) Ya allah! sedapppnya...(syukur rejeki Allah)...sbb sekrg ni kalo balik kedah, dah tak der orang jual siput paip ni lagi dah..susah nak cari..tak macam dulu..paling best siput paip masak lemak dgn daun kaduk...aduh! jatuh terduduk you :-D



Overall of this revisit trip - "nyaman & gampang skali di Bandung, Ada Rejeki bisa ketemu lagi kita deh :-) "
Whatever it is just go slow & steady so that u don't get tired at the end of the day - remember...u have so maaaaaaaanyyyyy places to 'donate'...remember?

Nov 1, 2008

My photo
Malaysia
I don't remember a witch ...but there was a black adorable cat who sat down beside me and told me that "I'm a cat who has strong legs, beautiful heart and the ♥ of thrills, I like to climb things - including hills. I ♥ pink and I ♥ cat and again the black cat told me that I'm a lovely friendly Pienkcat"