Alhamdulilah, done with exams last Thursday, performed at a company's annual dinner on Saturday and basically just lazing around and catching up on sleep. I got myself these books when MPH Online had the Black Friday sale and they arrived via Poslaju earlier today (Roaming Beyond the Fence is on it's way). This will keep me occupied for the next month or so. I am about to finish the I Am Muslim book and shall decide what to read next. Will be busy entertaining family members from JB as they will be in town for my cousin's engagement this weekend, then I'll be away for a week and another cousin is getting married in JB at the end of the month. Hope you guys have an eventful December! Can't believe 2014 is coming to an end so quickly. If I don't have the time to blog, here's an advance Happy New Year to all of you! Wishing 2015 will bring you lots of happiness as it is the key to us being successful in all other areas.
Yesterday was the first day of exams for ACCA students worldwide. For us in Malaysia, exams started at 3pm (it follows the time in UK and is standardised throughout the world). All the future accountants sitting for the same exams in so many different countries at the same time sounds quite cool.
I sat for paper F5 (Performance Management) at SEGi College in Subang. The questions were quite straight forward but I felt like banging my head to the wall when I couldn't remember how to calculate throughput accounting ratio (ini memang nak kena tampar! my mind went blank and the ratio turned out to be some weird number), wasn't sure about the mix and yield variance and a few things on the balanced scorecard. That was when I wished I had repeated more PYQs during revision month. The balanced scorecard question was about a low cost airline company so I was quite happy because it was an industry that I could relate to, having watched the Global Malaysia Series focusing on Airasia a few weeks ago.
The invigilators we had in the F5 exam centre, which was a small room on the 8th floor of SEGi College Subang were the nicest ones I have ever had. They were fluent in English, well mannered, smiled to us and said 'Welcome' whenever someone said 'Thank you'. Makes one feel so good especially when we're already so nervous to sit for exams. I remember an exam experience 2 years back when the smell of cigarette lingered in the whole room as this particular invigilator came back from his smoking break. We were too busy focusing on exams to lodge a complaint. It was very inconsiderate of him to do so and I think it was against the regulations too. Thank God we never saw him at any other exam session anymore.
30th November 2014, ACCA turns 110 ! Arthur Priddle was the first President of ACCA who helped form ACCA's unique core values : opportunity, diversity, innovation, integrity and accountability.
I still am not sure if I will end up being an accountant or venture into other fields but I'm a proud ACCA (repeat) student. All the best fellow ACCA students ! May we all pass these exams!
This little one is 10 months old now and boy, she's such a poser! I used to have a hard time trying to get a photo of her because she'd be gone before I can snap a decent photo. Nowadays, she'd stay still for a few minutes and wait for me to be done taking pictures before she goes off to play with her favourite ping pong ball.
I was watching the Global Malaysia Series on Youtube one night and she came up on the bed and sat in that position for a few minutes. Kemi oh Kemi, who taught you how to pose macam ni?
"She's the girl that believes that what comes around goes around. The one that hopes for a better day. The one that won't give up on you. She's the girl that's unlike the rest. The one that spent her days smiling, and her nights crying. She's the girl that would love to be loved. The one that looks so damn strong, but feels so weak. She's the girl that picks herself up every time she falls."
Saw this quote on Instagram and the first thing that came to mind was 'that sounds so much like me'. This is when I am reminded that I am not the only one having a hard time or fighting a tough battle. There are others out there who are probably going through something similar. I thank Allah for these small little reminders that come my way once in awhile. D-14 to final exams.
In the middle of revision classes for Audit right now. Taking a short break and looking at photographs taken during our trip to Sydney in Winter. Yet to blog about it cos so many things happened after we got back from the trip : my uncle passed away suddenly, fasting month, Raya and the start of the new semester. Time flies so quickly!
It's raining heavily and I think it's time to make myself a cup of coffee cos I feel like dozing off anytime soon. Have a good weekend!
Revision month is when I find myself doing weird things to de-stress and this time round I started rapping and learning different Malay dialect songs. Not that I'm good at it but I guess the thrill of jumbling words up, not being able to keep up with the beat, mispronouncing words and wondering 'Eh what does this word mean?' is kinda fun. These 'loghat' songs aren't that bad after all, you know. I used to get so annoyed by the Rembau Most Wanted song whenever I hear it but here I am attempting to perfect my pronunciation and get the beat right. I even went through the trouble of finding out the meaning of the lyrics because I didn't really understand the Loghat Nogori at first. Then I proceeded to attempt the Botingkek song and I found myself being able to understand the N9 accent better.
I love how W.A.R.I.S writes about his 'state of nine', it's unique adat, the different suku (Did you know there's 12 suku in N9? I found out through his song), the issues about 'ughang kito' and of course the mention of makanan sodap. After listening to Botingkek, baru tahu kewujudan tempat bernama Senaling, where Juzzthin is from.
The thing about rap is that the lyrics is more like a conversation so one can actually write about more informal stuff or maybe I just haven't mastered the art of lyric writing. I'm halfway writing a song about my hometown, Johor Bahru and I'm stuck with the flow of the lyrics. Will have to work on that when final exams are over.
Here's an acoustic version of the Rembau Most Wanted song and my favourite part of the lyrics...
A great reminder for all of us :
Kojo tak kuek tapi berangan nak hidup sonang
Baik poie mampuih dari susah'an semuo ughang
which roughly translates to...
Not willing to work hard, but dream of having an easy life
Don't make it hard for others, You better go to h*ll
Botingkek
'Ado ghoto kalau dibelanjo
Ke jalan boto tak salah tu do
Masalah ughang kito
Takdo duit boghobut ghoto
Duit abih ontah komano
Monyosal kemudian takdo guno
Rumah tergadai nak tinggal kekno
Molopong yolah nak wek camno'
It's okay if property/money is spent on the right things,
The problem with our people is that
They don't have money, they fight for property (I assume inheritance?)
No more money, what was it spent on?
There's no point to regret later on
House is auctioned off, where will you stay?
I'm not sure of the meaning of the last sentence whether it's the standard BM word melopong or it's a loghat. Do drop a comment if you happen to know. Thanks!
This one by Zee Avi in the Sarawakian Malay language entitled Siboh Kitak Nangis meaning Don't You Cry.
Other classic loghat songs that I like would include .....
Found out about this song from Akademi Fantasia 4 champion, Faizal who used to sing many lagu loghat Ganu like Watimang Landok, Itik Gembo Gembo, Anak Udang and many others
Jambatan Tamparuli, a popular Kadazan-Dusun song
Na na na na na Ganu Kiterrrrr
One of my dad's favourite song, Apo Nak Dikato. I remember singing this at a karaoke session with uncles, aunties and cousins during Raya, so much fun!
On the topic of loghat, I still remember back in secondary school I would ask my friends to teach me their loghat because Johor's loghat is quite simple, nothing really fancy (unless you're talking about Bahasa Jowo spoken by Johoreans of Javanese ancestry, susah nak faham, I only know 'wes mangan?'). I picked up a few words here and there from...
Airina (her mum is from Peghok) like teman (saya), kome (similar to korang/kamu orang), ayor(air), deghoyan (durian), nakei (nakal) etc. Time marah or excited memang loghat Peghok keluar hehehe
Nuwaira (both her parents are from Nogori) Her mum cooks the best masak lemak cili api and rendang daging! When speaking to Nuwaira, most of the time I'd refer to myself as Den rather than the standard 'Aku'. We'll say things like 'Nak poie mano tu?' 'Den dah sampai dopan ghumah ni ha'...
Nadia (her dad is from Kedaq and they stayed there for a number of years) like ayer nyok (air kelapa), hangpa (korang/kamu orang), awat (apa hal?), lapaq (lapar), habaq mai (bagitau lah aku) and all the other Utara phrases.
Fatin (who's from Kelate) : kecek (cakap), abe (abang), ambo (saya), guano (macam mana), hite legea (hitam legam) etc. This has got to be the hardest loghat there is coz I couldn't string a sentence together, it took me years to understand them speaking in the first place.
We'd throw in words from the whole of Malaysia in our conversations because for most of us who grew up in KL, we get bored of the standard BM we use day to day so why not add in some words and create a whole new rojak language altogether.
When you put us on stage together, slang KL lah of course. This was a musical we put together during our graduation year in 2009 entitled Madu Tiga the Musical.
I really think these dialects are very precious to each and every state there is in Malaysia. With the migration of the orang kampung to bigger cities in search for better jobs, I hope they retain this important bit of them and teach their children how to speak in these loghats. I do know of some people who have moved to KL for many years and they slowly lose their accents because it's "not cool" to have a so called kampung accent but seriously that's what makes you unique.
It really is a nice scene whenever people from the same state meet in a big city like KL and they start talking away in their own distinctive language.
It would have been your birthday today, Mummy. I miss walking into the room early in the morning to wish you Happy Birthday and give you a birthday kiss. Losing you is definitely the hardest thing I have gone through thus far but it taught me many things too. Thank you for being a wonderful mother during the 20 years that He lent you to me. Words cannot express how much I miss you. Happy Birthday, Mum!
I promised to meet up with a friend for lunch at Sunway Pyramid and to have a group study session afterwards at the university library. It took some time for him to find a parking space so I thought I'd pay the bookstore a visit just to browse through some books. I was mainly at the Malaysian authors, biography and the history and politics section when I found a few interesting books that I wanted to buy. Knowing that it is revision month and I should be revising instead of being so nosy on real issues, I told myself that I'd come back after exams were over.
Just then, I saw these two books (I Am Muslim & King of the Sea) by Dina Zaman. Habislah, I thought. Sure enough, my hands reached for the books and without further hesitation, I was at the counter making payment. The number of books I've been buying for the past few months can surpass the amount of books I've bought in the past ten years, I think. *pats back*
My first Starbucks in half a year maybe? Tried out the Christmas Special : Toffee Nut Latte. And yes, this is where we ended up doing our group study. It was effective, surprisingly.
A few minutes after I uploaded this photo on Instagram, I found an emoticon comment by the writer herself! Sharp eyed Kak Dina Zaman ;)
I started reading 'I Am Muslim' on the day itself and I wish that my audit notes were as addictive as this book! Dream on, Liyana, Dream on!
Photo taken in Siem Reap, Cambodia during our Small & Big circuit temple tour
"I learnt the hard way that I cannot always count on others to respect my feelings, even if I respect theirs. Being a good person doesn't guarantee that others will be good people too. You only have control over yourself and how you choose to be as a person. As for the others, you can either choose to accept how they treat you or you can walk away"
I have come to the conclusion that this is the only way for me to be happy, to be able to live freely without expecting too much from others like I used to or else all this excess baggage would weigh me down as if I don't have enough on my plate already. I have dreams that I want to achieve in life, I can't be bothered with people who only belittle my ambitions just because they don't have the courage to chase theirs.
May and November are my revision months, where I spend everyday doing Past Year Questions and try to get myself into the whole 'I need to pass this paper' mode. I am repeating papers F8 (Audit and Assurance) and F5 (Performance Management) this semester. Hope I can finally pass these papers and move on to the other papers.
Oh God, the title of my blog post sounds so corny! Sekali sekala takpe lah ek? Maafkan adinda... I just rewatched the Puteri Gunung Ledang movie when I got bored of studying audit this evening which explains why I'm talking about 'cinta' or love in this post. 'Setiap orang punya impian, Impian itu yang bisa meneruskan kehidupan ini, Impian Dinda adalah untuk mendapatkan cinta sejati' - Gusti Putri Retno Dumillah
I guess we all need that tiny bit of hope that we will one day find true love. I never had a boyfriend as a matter of fact. I always placed importance on studies, family and music that I didn't get into a relationship like many of my peers did. I didn't feel the need to do so because I was happy with how things were. Now that 2014 is coming to an end, my younger cousins reminding me that I'm turning 23 next year and the 'Dah ada boyfriend ke belum?' 'Bila nak kahwin?' questions I constantly get at family gatherings, cousins and friends my age already engaged or about to get married, adalah a slight feeling of 'I wonder when will my turn come'.
For now, I'll first and foremost improve my relationship with God, finish off the remaining ACCA papers, travel to countries I have never been to, do more community service work, start my family history project and contribute back to the society in any way that I can.
I believe it has all been written by the Almighty so my other half will come at the right time. So here's to hoping I meet the one who would be my best friend and my Imam at the same time, the one who would believe in me even when I doubt my abilities, the one to share my joyous and sad times with, the one who would love me for who I am and the one who would grow old with me. Dah dah cukup, the list will keep going on sampai esok pagi pun tak habis. Since I'm on the topic of PGL, can't wait for the PGL reunion concert next March. Praying for Tiara Jacquelina's speedy recovery!
I found this amazing video of an orchestra performing the various songs from the Puteri Gunung Ledang movie. Soooo goood!
As an 'Anak Johor' who spent her first seven years living in Johor Bahru, I wanted to do something special for the JDT football team and the Johoreans who will be going out full force at the final match of Malaysia Cup in Bukit Jalil tomorrow night. Right after the semi final match between JDT and Felda United, I composed this simple song and recorded it quite last minute. My prayers are with you, JDT! Luaskan Kuasamu ! Feel free to drop a comment and tell me what you think about the song :) Have a great weekend!
When I first heard that P Ramlee the Musical was going to be restaged, I immediately thought of Alysha, my partner in crime when it comes to going to concerts and musicals. We have attended dozens of concerts as well as musicals such as P Ramlee and Cuci (I don't remember why I kept missing PGL). We first met in the Sri Inai school back in 2004 and due to our common interest in music, singing and the entertainment industry, we normally end up going to these concerts and theatres together.
I went to her house in the evening to catch up with her since it has been so long since we last met and started to get ready at about 5.30pm. We had early dinner at home together with her mum, Aunty Suliana and we left the house to pick up Abang Kazran and Kak Ema before heading off to Istana Budaya. Abang Kazran checked Waze beforehand to avoid any jam and we managed to arrive at Istana Budaya just in time to pick up tickets and take photos before entering the theatre.
#OOTN photo before we left for Istana Budaya
Ready to enjoy the show
The entrance to the theatre, P Ramlee days feeling sudah mari
View from our seats. Sat behind Deborah Henry...she is so tall ! Spotted my senior from Sri Utama school, Adib who was there with his family, Erra Fazira, Umie Aida and hubby, who sat one row behind us, Dato' Sri Shabery Cheek and a few other politicians.
We gave a standing ovation for the amazing cast, ensemble, back stage/production crew and the Enfiniti team at the curtain call. Every time I leave Istana Budaya after watching a musical, I am inspired by these passionate people who painstakingly hone their craft and present to us an entertaining piece of art.
This season, the scenes with his respective wives : Junaidah, Norizan & Saloma and his first love, Azizah has been reduced but nevertheless with the new cast, we got to see something slightly different in the characters that they portrayed.
Tony Eusoff who played the legendary P Ramlee sounded so much like P Ramlee when he sang. His acting is no doubt, superb! Lisa Surihani acted as Junaidah and I must say I have never seen her being this gedik. It's my first time hearing her sing live, it was really good! Tiara Jacquelina played Norizan, the consort to the Sultan of Perak who left the life in the Istana to be with P Ramlee. We could feel her loneliness and frustration during her big fight with her husband which eventually led to a divorce. Nadia Aqilah Baijuri who acted as Saloma, was the star of the night. When she started singing, I had goosebumps! She hit the high notes effortlessly and was so professional even when her dress sangkut at the heel after she stood up from a sitting position. I've been her fan since the Emil Emilda drama days and I was privileged enough to have a chance to sing in front of her at Alysha's birthday party a few months back. In fact, I was seated next to her at the table and we talked about music and she motivated me to keep working hard and that she liked my song 'Fly High'.
Even though P Ramlee's first love, Azizah didn't have many scenes this time round, Ruzana Ibrahim played her role really well. She stood out in the other scenes as well as part of the ensemble together with Safia Hanifah, who was my senior in Sri Utama school. There was something about them that captures your attention. P Ramlee's best friend, Sukardi was played by Iedil Putra. He was outstanding and brought a more youthful interpretation of Sukardi. Dia punya lawak memang buat hangpa ketawa. Pak Nil (Aznil Hj Nawawi) played Junainah & Junaidah's father, D Harris. He was hilarious especially the scene where he made P Ramlee choose the coffee so that he could marry him off to Junaidah. If you have watched the previous seasons, you would probably have realised that Chedd (he played Sukardi in the earlier seasons) had a cameo role as the Tok Kadi when Junaidah and P Ramlee got married. #SukarDiLupakan
The few favourite scenes would definitely be....
1) The scene where P Ramlee leaves Penang with his best friend, Sukardi. The train with TJ 1010 (which is Tiara Jacquelina's number plate btw) appears and you can hear the audience clapping away
1) The scene where the Shaw brothers throw a party to congratulate P Ramlee on his marriage to Norizan. 'Lamree ah Lamree...' and the Cantonese parts in that scene
2) P Ramlee's conversation with his second wife, Norizan
Norizan : You balik lambat, I keluar!
P Ramlee : You keluar I balik lambat!
3) P Ramlee and Saloma singing 'Gelora' and they kept going P Ramlee...Saloma...P Ramlee....Saloma until one of the guys had to say sudah mau cut ke belum?? Hahahaha
During the intermission, Alysha managed to queue up at the photo booth and 'we travelled back in time to Studio Jalan Ampas' with the help of the props that were available. It was a fun night out, ended it with a sleepover just like old times.
I've been a firm believer of 'beauty is what you feel about yourself not about what you see in the mirror'. My late mother would always remind me that it is more important to be beautiful inside, to have a heart that forgives others, to help those who are less fortunate than you, rather than having a pretty outer appearance, nice clothes on but have a bad attitude. After she passed away, I valued these principles that she taught me even more and aspire to be like her as I grow older.
There was a time during my teenage years when my face was very oily and filled with pimples. I would be embarrassed when I meet people because they had flawless complexion and here I was with a face that 'shined bright like a diamond'. K that was lame, sorreh. Thank God by the time I was in Form 4, my pimple issue was resolved and my skin was less oily. Hip hip hooray!
As the years passed, I slowly learned to appreciate myself including my flaws because God had created me the way I am for a reason. By doing so, I began to become a more grateful person, I stopped comparing myself to others and I started to live life one day at a time at my own pace. Trust me, it feels really good when you're comfortable in your own skin. Don't listen to what people have to say about you because you must be doing something right for them to start talking about you.
People who have known me for a long time would know that I'm the laziest person when it comes to make up and dressing up. Most of the time, I'm in t-shirt and jeans and my friends would complain that it is so hard to see me in a dress! I can actually count the number of times that I've worn a dress in the past few years.
In April this year, I was shortlisted to be part of a reality singing contest on Astro. During the time I was part of the contest, we attended singing, dancing, make up, styling, body language and communication classes. We were advised on how we should carry ourselves in the outside world in terms of personal grooming, our daily outfit and how to present ourselves to people that we meet. It was really interesting to be able to ask questions to industry professionals and to gain knowledge from them.
Singing classes with Bo Hwa lao shi
Media communication classes with MY FM DJ Jeff Chin
The profile shoot for Top 18 of Astro Star Quest 2014
Nowadays I spend a little more time to choose what to wear, put on basic make up for outings with friends but that's about it. I don't intend to change my style 180 degrees right away because that would not be me, that would be a totally different Liyana so I just pick clothes that would suit my body shape and my taste. I tend to go for light colours, white being my favourite colour for tops but there are times when I venture out of my comfort zone and buy clothes that are more colourful. I normally go for the casual chic look, a simple top paired with skinny jeans and flats and I'm ready to go.
Yesterday's purchase, the Porefessional primer which I normally use for outings and the Gimme Brow in medium/deep (it's the Chinese side of me, I have sparse eyebrows). I only use the Gimme Brow for events. Got a sample of their new product : they're Real push up liner
It all started with Nadia sending me a Whatsapp message which sounded like 'Ticket to Siem Reap on Airasia murah, RM 298 je'. At that particular time I was running errands outside so once I reached home, I immediately checked the Airasia website and booked the tickets for both of us. Honestly, I didn't know what to expect from this trip because I do not know much about the country except for the fact that it is home to many ancient temples such as Angkor Wat and also the Tonle Sap lake. I would normally plan my trips way in advance but this time round I decided to just go with the flow. I did check up the 'must visit places' on Tripadvisor and a few other backpacking sites for ideas of what to do when we are there.
While waiting to board the flight
Arrived at the Siem Reap International Airport after a two hour long flight at 4pm local time (Cambodia is GMT +7). We were greeted by our tuk tuk driver, Radi who brought us to The Siem Reap Hostel which was a 20 minute ride from the airport. This is a complimentary service for guests at the hostel (please remember to email them to request for pick up service). Checked in and was brought to the 6 bed Deluxe Dorm that we booked. The rates are USD 10 per night and I would highly recommend this hostel for those of you planning to go to Siem Reap on a budget. Comfy mattress and pillow, spacious room, air cond & ceiling fan, reading light, lots of power outlets and the most important thing for me : clean toilet, bathroom, water heater and good water pressure! #win We didn't spend much time at the hostel anyway, it was just for sleeping at night, there was no point booking a hotel for this trip.
We were the first two occupants of this room, later joined by others from US and Scotland
We unpacked and went downstairs to get some leaflets to decide on what temple tours to take the next day and also to ask for directions to the nearest restaurants as we were very hungry! We kind of got lost and walked into a quiet street with guys offering us to get on tuk tuks to go to nearby makan places which we declined and turned back the opposite way and continued walking until we managed to get directions from a stranger to get to Pub Street. Thank god! I was quiet worried at one point because it was only two girls wandering around a place we have never been to but alhamdulilah all was good.
Pub Street, Siem Reap
Our first meal in Siem Reap was vegetable soup with noodles, a bowl of rice and fried eggs because we couldn't find a Halal restaurant and this place we went to served things like frog and pork so tutup mata and order je lah while keeping fingers crossed. Gobbled down the food because we were too hungry! After that we walked around the area and found many shops offering manicure, pedicure and massage services and it was dead cheap! To top it all, they had free wifi! We walked in and sat down to enjoy a mani pedi session and Nadia did a foot massage while waiting for my nails to be painted. Yes, I have that girly side of me at times hehe...
We later found out that this is the smaller branch of Blue Pumpkin. They only serve ice cream and a limited selection of bread and pastries. A single scoop ice cream costs USD 1.50 and we decided to try the coconut ice cream, it was so sedap! The ice cream cone wasn't as good as I expected, though.
I have made it a habit to bring a book along during my travels. Finishing up the Ampun Tuanku book
Beautiful pop up cards with many different designs going for USD 2
Abang Baki also suggested two different restaurants which we didn't have time to go check out, maybe during my next trip
We later walked over to the Angkor Night Market nearby and shopped a little bit. At 9pm, we made our way back and nearly lost our way in the dark but luckily we managed to get our bearings right and made it back to the hostel in one piece! Phewww....survived the first few hours in Siem Reap. Alhamdulilah
One of the shops which sells 100% cotton and silk products hand made in Cambodia
We walked back to the National Mosque after spending about an hour at the Islamic Arts Museum. Took some photos and explored the outdoor compound of the mosque.
I was wondering where the Makam Pahlawan was as I've been wanting to visit Arwah Uncle Ghafar's (the late Tun Abdul Ghafar Baba, Malaysia's 6th Deputy Prime Minister) grave which I have never gone to since he passed away in 2006. He was my late mother's boss when she was working at Pegi Malaysia Berhad back in the 1980s. I grew up knowing him as Uncle Ghafar and he called me Miss Kong's baby. I remember sending him back to his house in Jalan Duta after having dinner at the restaurant in Lanson Place together with Uncle Eng, Uncle Kamal and my parents. There were several occasions when we visited him at his Bukit Pantai house and the time we attended his 81st birthday party at Prince Hotel in KL. He surely was a very nice person who inspired me to take an interest in politics (at some point, I even wanted to be the first female Prime Minister of Malaysia). Don't ask me what happened to that political dream of mine.
We discovered a staircase leading up to the Makam Pahlawan. Unfortunately, the area under the dome where the graves of the late Prime Ministers (Tun Abdul Razak & Tun Hussein Onn) as well as Deputy Prime Ministers (Tun Dr. Ismail & Tun Ghafar Baba) are was locked. I could only say a silent prayer outside the locked gate. May their souls be blessed by the Almighty. Al-Fatihah
The area outside the covered dome where the graves of other national leaders such as Tun Syed Nasir Ismail, Tan Sri Khir Johari, Tun Ghazali Shafie (King Ghaz), Tun Omar Ong Yoke Lin etc are.
Ok, Nad, where to next ?
Walking back to the bus stop
Only had to wait for about 5 minutes for the bus to arrive. Air cond, we needed you badly!
Next stop, Sultan Abdul Samad Building. My favourite building in Malaysia mainly because of it's Mughal architecture (I am no design/architecture expert, source : Wikipedia)
The building was declared as a National Heritage in 2007 by the Minister of Culture, Arts and Heritage, Datuk Seri Utama Dr. Rais Yatim
Any building with red bricks like this, iLike!
The best shot of our national flag, the Jalur Gemilang at Dataran Merdeka. Selamat Hari Malaysia, tanah air tercinta! Semoga bendera kita terus berkibar megah di persada antarabangsa.
Next stop, KL City Gallery. I didn't know about the existence of this place. You should definitely check it out the next time you're in town as you can learn a lot about the history of KL especially.
A video of the installation of our very first Yang di-Pertuan Agong, Duli Yang Maha Mulia Seri Paduka Baginda Yang di-Pertuan Agong Tuanku Abdul Rahman ibni Almarhum Tuanku Muhammad (not to be confused with our first Prime Minister, Tunku Abdul Rahman)
Managed to find it on Youtube. What a gem!
Other historical events that were categorised by the year
I know it's senget but it's the only photo I have of this. We did it! If you don't have anything to do on a weekend, I suggest you go on a tour in KL just like you would when you go overseas. If you can do it in a foreign country, why not do in your own 'tanah tumpahnya darahku' ? You will appreciate the beautiful buildings, see things you never slowed down to see and learn something new about this amazing city that we live in.
Got our 'semangat patriotik' all pumped up!
That's the Royal Selangor Club on the left
KL Tower in the background
Syafiq with his hat, all of us in sunglasses and with a camera hung on my neck, TOURIST mode : ON!
It was about 5pm when we decided to call it a day. Waited for the bus for nearly 20 minutes, turned out it was their break time.
Based on my observation on that particular day, the GO KL bus was mainly used by Malaysians of the lower income group with a few exceptions : a Korean couple who happened to sit in front of us and I overheard them talking to each other in Korean, a Middle Eastern couple who brought a shopping trolley filled with things and us, the youngest riders on the bus for the day. Our bus ride back to KL Sentral took us around half an hour and since we were sweaty and hot, we decided to go to Bangsar for ice cream! Took the LRT to the Bangsar station which was one stop away from KL Sentral and walked all the way to Inside Scoop in Jalan Telawi. At least we burned off the calories before having the sinful desserts! Hehe
Waiting for our waffles & ice cream and resting our tired legs
Nadia and I shared this. Green tea ice cream for her and salted caramel ice cream for me
Syafiq ordered the blackberry ice cream
Walked back to the Bangsar LRT and went our separate ways back home. The next day I KO-ed with cough and flu. Glad we went for this heritage walking trail though. Would love to walk around other parts of KL in the future. Anyone wanna come with me? :)
KLCC on a hazy Wednesday evening, a day before Syafiq left for JB
