Yea I AM ONE!! Princess Abigail's 1st birthday

I would just come to realize that this was suppose to be posted 5 months ago! Today my princess Abigail is exactly 17 months old. Wow... I mean WOW... Has she grown so fast???!!! Or have I grown so much older... It was like yesterday when she was still a small baby.

Her full moon

Now the term is TODDLER~ Very soon we're gonna have to pay a lot more for her flight tickets... No more traveling as an infant but as a kid.

Having the first birthday celebration for the first child is definitely a project for the mom. I bet a lot of you have gone through sleepless nights getting the preparation done. I was totally a walking zombie in Dec'14 when getting ready for Abigail's party... a full time working mom + breastfeeding mom + my mom at her final stage of cancer (that was really sad). Days were spent on rushing to work, rushing to hospital, and rushing for the party stuffs. And when I think back, I realize that I was crazy enough to even DIY most of the items!

I came out with the theme of "Safari Princess", where the party was filled with cute pastel color baby animals to accompany my girl the princess. She is one active girl who would not really fit into the normal princess theme, thus I added in the "safari" element.

These were all hand made DIY decorations. Thanks to my aunt, the best aunt on earth I would say, for helping me out with the arts and crafts. Stage deco done by the superb papa and Abigail's uncles on the spot!

And this was the awesome birthday cake made by JooSing from Cupcakes4you!! Highly recommended for those who stay in Penang. Yes it was my idea on the cake design and she made it into an actual cake.

And tadaa~ This is my handmade birthday hat for the princess! Who likes it give me a clap!~

Some snapshots of the birthday girl with friends and family. Thank you all for coming. :)

These photos below are the most precious photos of all time... Mommy we miss you.... We're really glad that you were still able to witness our little girl turning 1 year old.

And the presents... We spent an hour unwrapping them the next day at home.. Phew~

Love you to the max!!!

The mini me :)

Photo credits: LoveMomentsPhotography
Venue: Flamingo Hotel by the Beach, Penang

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World Vision: Open up your world ~ 你看见我的天空吗？

My sponsor kit has arrived!!

This is probably one of the great decisions I made this year - Sponsor A Child.

What does RM65/month mean to most of us today? Nothing... not even enough to pay for a 4pax family meal am I right? Or maybe a dress or your eye shadow palette? Hmm... 

As a parent, we surely understand the feeling of wanting the best for our children. We do not need a luxury lifestyle, but at least we make sure our children can live healthily without suffering from hunger, and also get appropriate education. 

Somehow poverty made this a struggle for many mothers and fathers. They barely make enough to get by each day. Imagine living in a family that suffers from hunger each day... Children who are suppose to go to school have to beg or work to support their families. I've seen it a lot through my travels... It saddened me so much.

Thus I have come to the decision to lend a helping hand through World Vision last week, at least I've deducted 1 out of the few thousands more children waiting to be sponsored. Latest update as of 26/05/2014 is 4249 children in the waiting list.

Why I chose Cambodia out of the SEA country list?

It was back in year 2009 when I visited Siem Reap. There were children everywhere earning a living for their families. Cambodia is so heavily contaminated with landmines as the aftermath Civil War in Cambodia. A high percentage of the population in Cambodia has been struck down by this mines and causing death and disabilities.

The National Level One Survey in Cambodia conducted in 2002 found that 20% (2776 out of 13908) of all villages in Cambodia are still contaminated by minefields and/or cluster bomb areas with reported adverse socio-economic impacts on the community. These adverse impacts included restrictions on access to agricultural land, pasture land, forests, and water resources, with 102,778, 105,707, 172,878 and 84,588 families being affected respectively. A 2004 Cambodia Socio Economic Survey (CSES) noted that households headed by someone with one or more reported disabilities have significantly less wealth than other households. Furthermore, it has been estimated that households headed by a person disabled by war or landmines live in poverty at levels almost three times higher than if the disability was due to other causes.            ....source: Wikipedia 

The photos speak... This is only Siem Reap (so-called town), what about the rural areas?? I cannot imagine...

I am very thankful to be brought up in a loving family. So since my mom has left us to heaven (in March) I am going to help her spread her love to the children in need. She will be pleased I am sure.

If you have extra money to spend each week for an extra cup of coffee, why not give it to the family in need? Your action will change one's life.

For more information on World Vision, check out their pages:

World Vision Malaysia - https://www.worldvision.com.my

World Vision - www.worldvision.org/

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Best casinos to visit in Valencia

Author: Larry Fielding

As the third biggest city in Spain, it’s no surprise than Valencia has plenty to offer its tourists. With a great cultural and historic background, as well having a thriving vacation trade, the city has attractions to keep all visitors busy. But one aspect of Valencia’s social background which is often overlooked is the casino scene, even though the city offers some fantastic gaming halls. One of the more affluent and prestigious casinos in the area is the Casino Cirsa Valencia. Although it was built in the recent modern era, the casino keeps the vintage gaming vibe truly alive with its great array of slot machines and tables for patrons to play on. If you are a fan of occasionally gaming online at sites such as GamingClub.com/mobile-casino, then the Cirsa Valencia is the perfect choice for you, as the casino offers tables for gamers of all levels of poker and blackjack.

Located on the Mediterranean coastline, Valencia is the perfect destination to soak up some sunshine as well as enjoying a great gaming experience. So the fact that some of the casinos are open until the early hours of the morning means you can enjoy the sun in the daytime and the casino floor through the night. Although it is one of Valencia’s smaller gaming establishments, the Gran Casino Monte Picayo offers gamer to chance to play until the break of dawn. One of the more common games on the European continent is punto banco and you can get a great experience playing this at one of the tables here. The casino has little variety in terms of the games it offers, but you can still play the classic such as the slot machines and poker.

Similar to the Monte Picayo, the Casino Mediterraneo Torrevieja is a small, low-key establishment, but offers gamers an earlier opening time than both the Picayo and Cirsa. The casino opens to gamers at 4pm and closes at 3am, so there is plenty of time to enjoy its fantastic gambling facilities. However if you are looking for a casino with a bit more on offer, the aptly named Casino Valencia would be best suited for you. Although it is not as large as the Cirsa, there are still 83 slots and tables ranging from American roulette to punto blanco, it is a great option for more casual gaming.

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Bali weekend getaway with family (April 2014)

Since mom has left us to heaven weeks ago, I decided to pull my dad along for a short trip. And we're now in Bali.

Back to Bali after 4 years. Welcomed by flower garland.

My girl is in her toddlerhood now. A 15mo cheeky pie~

What is better than a bottle of chilled black tea + fried pork skin at Ubud?

Babi guling Ibu Oka! The juicy suckling pig.

Avocado shake is always my first choice in Bali.

Super trio at Jimbaran Bay for seafood.

**More updates in future hopefully... Motherhood and working life has taken all of my time and it's a super bonus that I still manage to update a bit in my blog.

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Withlocals.com - Find the ultimate experience in travelling!

Get Local: new website brings tourists in contact with locals!

Have you ever heard a tourist tell a story about his most memorable travel experience? It soon became clear to me, that the experience with the ‘most local’ touch has the upper hand. Apparently, in this age of many-to-many connections, booking a mass-organized tour is not the dream of a traveller anymore. People worldwide look for one-to-one connections. 

Locals can give a far more intense impression of a country than any guidebook or big tour operator. These days, there are more and more companies which are started in the spirit of ‘social sharing’ such as Airbnb or Couchsurfing. Recently, we found a new platform, called Withlocals. An organization which connects travelers and locals from all over the world, through food and experiences. Locals can offer tours, workshops and even home dinner experiences directly to tourists. 

Withlocals.com gives you the opportunity to explore a city in a whole new way. You can book home dining experiences, activities and tours in Singapore, Vietnam, Malaysia, Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Nepal and Thailand. 

Win-win situation 

For the locals: They can earn some extra money in a creative and fun way by simply showing or teaching tourists their daily activities. Think about fruit carving in Bali, a lesson in Thailand’s National Sport Muaythai, or go for an authentic home dinner in Vietnam!

For the tourists: It is the ideal way to explore a culture up-close. You will discover non touristic places, of the beaten track! It seems like a cool project to try out ourselves sometime! Definitely worth to check out the site and see what kind of options there are to become a host or guest.

Photo courtesy of Withlocals.com

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Valentine's Day 2014 - celebrating at home

Happy Valentine's Day baby!
We had home fine dining this year~

 

And of course with our little one.

Starter: Broccoli cheese soup

Appetizer: Cheese bake shrimp crackers

Appetizer: Bacon wrapped mushrooms

Main course: Linguine with shrimp scampi

Main course: Braised chicken drumstick with truffled mash

Main course: Seared garlic salmon

And paired up with Chandon Brut Classic

Cheers and love you! Happy Valentine's Day~

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Homemade pancake for my girl

Yum

Decided to make some pancakes for Abigail since she's a fan of pastries.

Recipe: Ingredients:- 
1. 120g all purpose flour 
2. 1 big egg 
3. 2 tablespoon sugar 
4. 1 teaspoon baking powder 
5. A pinch of salt 

Instruction:- 
1. Mix the baking powder and sugar into all purpose flour. 
2. Beat the egg and pour into the mix. 
3. Mix all ingredients together until uniform. 
4. Heat the pan with some oil or butter. 
5. Use a ladle to scoop the pancake mix and pour onto the pan to form a round shape. 
6. Wait until bubbles are observed on the surface, then ready to flip over. 
7. Cook until both surface turn light golden brown, then remove from the pan. 
8. Ready to serve. 


 Abigail enjoying her pancake!

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