Perth v.2010

I've left Perth for a good 4 years now, but theres always something alluring...something that brings me back. I think it's the idea of home, a place I'm totally confortable with. 

People often ask what's there to do? Or comment that Perth is slow and subsequently boring.

But you know what? I won't deny Perth is slow moving...infact that's the beauty of it. But I also wont say it's boring. I don't think a city has to be filled with lights and action to make it lively. It's what you choose to do that makes the difference.

So ever since I met H, I've told myself each time he goes to Perth, we'll do something we dont do in our daily lives- whether that be laying by the beach or going somewhere we haven't been.

Come 2010...we took a short trip to Perth during Chinese New Year.

And our new encounter this time?? Bus-sing it. Yes. I've had a good life. I haven't bus-sed in Perth for a solid 10 years atleast. I felt like a school girl going on a day trip. And H? He loved every minute of mocking my weird understanding of bus timetables.

I'm glad years later we still do silly/weird things together. Don't you just love us? Freaky eyes and all? Lol.

Post-Lunar New Year

I have a valid excuse to be missing this time- Chinese New Year got me all worked up. 


New Year + New house = not exactly a good combination when Chinese people love house visits and I'm a spotless kinda girl. Nevertheless, a big wave to those that popped over! Thank you so much for visiting and sorry the house was still a tad messy. [ ok, maybe more than a tad].


I promised H, I would make his favourite cookies and adorn the table with all sorts of snacks and nibbles ...Well, I didn't quite manage to make all the things I wanted..but ah well- life goes on.

This is what Chinese New Year looked like for us this year- yes Tupperware. Full on Tupperware. Colourful Tupperware. Nearly a Tupperware party I'd say- one that promotes my new level of being a domestic aunty. But you know what? I love them. They're reliable. So there.

And cakes...ooh how I love cakes. Some done by me, some by my mother in law and some by a great cake baking friend.

H and I lurve Cornflake cookies- they literally spell New Year for us..and after numerous times of trying, I think I finally have one up my sleeve! 

Chocolate crispies...making full use of my leftover cornflakes.

Pineapple tarts- took me forever..and they're still ugly. Someone help me. But atleast they taste ok. Maybe I just shouldn't cook my own jam next time.

Kueh momo! Three words- soft, soft and Soft!!

I'm not quite sure what you call this. H told me something he ate before..his exact words were 'Longan with this milky jelly thing'- and I was suppose to know?! Thank goodness I got it right.

Here's my love. Cheese-Pineapple Agar Agar..my mum use to make these when I was tiny. So this year I introduced it to H ..and he hearts it too. Hurray! I love the mix of salty cheese, tang of pineapple and sweetness of agar-agar- it all goes together, I promise.


I also did some cheesecake cupcakes..or shall I call them cheesecups? Ah..I don't know...but they were finished in a jiffy and I forgot all about them until now.


I do apologise for the blurred photos..guess my hands weren't up to snaps that day.

And..flowers..a girl's gotta have some sort of flowers for a Valentines new year...ahhhh... but then I realised I left the kitchen strainer sitting on bench and my glass walls reflected it. bleh..

..thats better.


Happy Tiger year!

Complete Housewife & The Accidental Tree

I'm doomed.

I'm Liya and I'm a Domesticalic.

Now that I do have a little shack I'm totally devoted to it. From what I buy to what I make..its all for this darn little shack. Do you think I have some sort of domestic-alic disorder? Like a alcoholic, but I'm just obsessed with my house? You think? And you think I could get cured? Or maybe I could just be optimistic and say I'm all for Martha Stewart. Its undecided. Yet.

Well..besides being busy with contractors still fixing up things here and there..yes...still!...I love my time in the kitchen. I love preparing dinners and all the snacks I've been preparing for Chinese New Year. Ohhh..and I love the lighting too..it's way better for photos wont you agree?

So this was last night's dinner...Fish noodle soup..I had planned to blog a recipe some time down the track..but guess who got super hungry and didn't take the 'after' shots? Another time.

Ok...and here's the tree I have a love/hate relationship with. [Kindly excuse my poor dieing arrangement of pandan leaves and messy living room..thank you..I know I should of Photoshopped...or cleaned up atleast..and did you notice my clock? look at the time!!...Yes..it's midnight...and why am I still up?? Contractors!!..Urgh...!!...Contractors were still at my house at midnight!!.. Urgh...But I will stay composed...I will...I will..]

You see..I got some wall decals some time ago..thinking it would be just perfect against my purple-grey feature wall. I thought it was white. Wrong. I thought it would adhere nicely. Wrong. I thought it was reuseable. Wrong. [All false marketing I swear!] So I hated it..I decided I would tear it down and get it painted over. There's nothing wrong with a bare wall afterall. So I ripped all the decals out..and I got this...

I loved the texture..I loved the white that shows through..I loved it...until this contractor came up to me and said it looks like a unfinished paint job. Hmph. Can't you see its a tree?...So now I'm not sure. ..And being a Domesticalic...the question haunts me. Great.

On this Valentines..

It's funny how things work sometimes. Who could imagine a girl and boy from this class..

..would end up getting married some twenty years later?

I know, I look kinda fierce and H as usual looks darn cheeky. And I utterly remember that horrid orange pant-shirt ensemble I was wearing- 80s people! 80s!! But hey...we were young.

As fate would have it...a short email ignited some flames [ok..I drew the pink heart.]..and there you have it..a short anecdote of how H and I met.

..For this Valentines, I don't wish for anything more. Just you and me..in our humble abode and I'd be content.- Oh, and maybe that prune cake you promised dear. lol.

Happy Valentines and Happy New Year!

House: ..Drumroll Please..

WE'VE MOVED INNNNNN!!! YAHHHHOOOOOO!!!

After months and months of agony, despair, waiting, frustration and excitement, we've finally moved to our new, humble abode.

Life is still pretty hectic though- scrubbing windows and toilets aint fun and some of our stuff are still at our parents place.

But atleast we've got this...

We've managed a few meals on this so far...I love my solid timber table and deliberate two toned chairs. I got them custom made by different furniture makers as I didn't see anything off-rack I liked..bliss...

And I wasn't sure about this chandelier...but it fits right in, at the right place.

I finally have a place for my nic-nacs though I'm still missing some furniture... 

..And let me present to you my new love....yes...hello sexy!! Well..its still missing some lights, but we're getting there...

For now..back to mopping, cleaning and scrubbing- Cinderella style.

Part IV: We're ONE!! [Cards and such]

I don't know. This is a tough one.

If I give H a card and he gives me one back, that's the norm right?

But what happens if I made him a card..

Complete with a custom made brad I might add..

.. and he gives me a freebie postcard from the hotel? Is it just short of him sending me a free 123greetings.com or Bluemountains.com card?

Just asking.

I choose to think atleast he drew me hearts on the freebie postcard. I choose to look at the glass half full- though its very close to being half empty. But no, half full, hallf full....I'm sure.

Or shall I cast a vote?!

Part III: We're ONE!! [Accomodation]

Ocean view, king bed, walk- in-wardrobe and a butler. What more could you ask for in a hotel room?

Just kidding about the butler. We didn't get butler service in this hotel...not that we ever do. That's just H peering out the window.

...And this is where I went crazy.

I have a thing going on with double vanity basins. It's just cute to be brushing your teeth together. Ohh...and did I ever tell you about my love for long bathroom benches? It's just a necessity.

Then its a whole other issue when you get to soak in a bathtub overlooking the ocean. That's personal space.

Part II: We're ONE!! [and food adventures]

Did you like my Princess story? I actually skipped the part about food because I wanted to tell you about my nearly-there encounter with a Princess. Slighty lame, but hey, it's something different.

Our first stop during the road trip was at Kuala Berait, to a Japanese restaurant- Excapade Sushi. This place is basically full on weekends from all the 'cross-country' drivers that come solely for cheap, great quantities and delicious Japanese food.

This is a staple for H- every single time. Funny how things change. When we first started dating, he hated the taste of Ikura. I think he nearly spat it out- but I guess impressions were important then! lol. Ikura- is otherwise known as fish roe.

Nother staple of ours would be Tempura Shisamo..yes, we love our fish roes. Sorry little future fishies.

I wouldn't say Excapade has 'authentic' Japanese food. By that I mean its somewhat commercialized and altered for South-Asian palates. Nevertheless, it means I get to try new concotions of traditional dishes and different flavours. Here's sushi- a mix of crispy salmon skin, raw salmon, avocado and fish roe. Loves!

They also have very creative means of keeping our order...hmm.

Didn't see..?? Look..I'll show you.

During the evening, H booked Spaghettini- a Italian restaurant sitauted right in Empire Hotel. Just a word of warning, no slippers or jeans. A window seat guarantees a view of the Atrium. Nice!

I love fresh bakery bread aromas..and this was greeting us the whole evening. They have their own wood oven! I haven't tasted bread this good for a loooong time!! The rotating antipasti serving tray definitely impressed us and filled us up. But sorry, no photos.. I think I was at awe and forgot all about it. So by the time the mains came, I was secretly hoping it was small serving. No hope, Calzone Pizza is mighty huge and so was H's main. Ahh..then it was tiramisu... I couldn't imagine a better ending. [Despite taking one hour to walk off the unwanted and uncomfortable over-full feeling. Bleh.]

Ps. Once again..sorry about the bad photos...sighh..my bad.

Ohhh... When we got back to our room, we were pleasantly surprised with this...compliments of Empire Hotel. Awww.....Seewettttt...

Part I: We're ONE!! [and other Princess fairytales]

Can I tell you about my road trip? Please Please Please? 'Cos H and I turned one- legally. That means we've been married for one year! Fast huh? And to celebrate, H secretly booked a little getaway. Awwww.

I love road trips. I love them more than plane trips anyway. Cos planes are boring- I don't get to move, all I see are clouds, clouds then more clouds and I can't get to stop when I want to. Road trips are all within our control- theres no delays unless we delay it and theres definitely no overweight luggage.

Without sounding too much like a travel agent, our destination: Brunei. Brunei is approximately 30 minutes drive from where we live and if you were to go to their capital city- Bandar Seri Begawan, that would take about 2 hours. Politically, this road trip means I'm entering another country- from Malaysia to Brunei. But geographically, all is close and easily accessible.  Roads are generally easy to drive and theres usually not much hassle with customs. Infact, alot of Mirians drive 'cross-country' just for day trips and their famed foods.

We checked ourselves in at Empire Hotel & Country Club- and about a second later I already wished we could stay there a few more days. The place is huge!

They've even have their own bowling alley, cinema and lagoon pool complete with kayaking facilities. Uber cool! Oh..and to get from the lobby to our room, we managed to squeeze in about 1 million buggy rides.

Now, I would of shown you more photos, but my camera ran out of batteries and all I had was my Iphone. My bad. Note to self- Always check camera battery before travelling.

We didn't have enough time to check out all the facilites, but we managed to watch Avatar in their cinema..and here is where I have to tell you another story all together...

You see, H and I arrived at the cinema [in a beloved buggy] and had attendants waiting. So we thought 'Wow! 5-Star service!' only to be greeted by another attendant a minute later who seemed to be looking frantically for us. We're wanted!

Sir, Ma'm we're sorry to inform that your VIP seats will no longer be available. Can you kindly sit in the normal seating area. We'll give you free popcorn and drinks of your choice.

Why? We paid extra for these tickets and don't want to move. We bought our tickets this afternoon!?

Sorry Sir, we've been notified last minute, that the Princess is coming and she'll be sitting in the VIP seats. So you'll be relocated.

What? Princesses aren't suppose to sit on other people's seats?! They're suppose to wear glass slippers, sleep and look for their princes in castles?!

-No, not really. I didn't say that.

..Without much choice, we waited in our fold-down cinema seats and whinged how we should be in mega sofa seats instead. About half a hour later, movie time being delayed, it was announced the Princess was no longer coming. Yahoo!..H and I could have our big sofa seats back!! I was nice..I asked the attendant..

So do you want your popcorn back? -to which in my luck she said no.


{To be continued...}

House: Kitchen Wares and Toilet Seats

Alas. We're finally down to the nitty and gritty of House. This means, making sure our furniture arrives on time and the interior is atleast liveable. At this point in time, I can't think of building a new house again. Never. Maybe ask me in a few years time and I'd tell you otherwise- but house building is not fun. Don't say I didnt warn you.

I've really loaded my parents place with household items we buy on sale. From pots to plates to err..larger items like our oven. Rest at ease, we've since installed the oven. Hooray!

You know what I'm dreading now? Clean up and packing-un-packing time. Geez that would be fun. Not.

Ps. The pic above? That's H looking at kitchen goods. And um, under no influence from me, we bought some..well, a whole box of pots..and sat on a flight back with us. It was on sale!?!

Damask crazy?

If you haven't noticed, I love the Damask pattern. [ie. Look at my blog header.] It seems to have taken over the scrapbooking and wedding industries too! 

I contemplated using it for my own wedding invites last year, but somehow things didn't go my way and I ended up with floral swirls instead. So, I tried to con my brother into using it for his wedding. No, not really. But I should of..and I still possibly can. Or maybe I'll use it some other time.

This is what I've been busy with..doing my brother's invites..and here's a sneek peek..one thats rejected. It was suppose to be for his invitation envelopes. Poor Damask pattern. I promise I will see you again.

Our conversation went a little like this:

Me: How would you like you invites? Colour? Theme? [Me being enthusiastic and all]

Future Groom: Anything. Ask my fiance. I don't know. [Groom being completely normal and ignorant when it comes to weddings]

But alas, the future bride saves the day- red, champagne, floral themed and rectangular shaped.

Word to future brides- this is normal. Trust me.

Balek Kampong- nearly

This, is the king of fruits! I don't get why it is named so, but I presume it has something to do with its pungent and lingering flavour. I'm not a fan of Durians. At all. My life would be just fine without knowing the existance of this. Bleh. But my parents love it, H loves it, my in laws love it..and so do many other Malaysians.

Ironically, after going to Singapore- a vibrant city full of life and new technologies, a flight and long car ride later, we were literally at a kampung- a small village inhabited by few and most probably back-dated a decade or two.

My uncle had arranged a local fruit tasting session at a village near Kuching because it was none other than Durian season. My mum and H had such a Durian buffet- and trust me, its just not fun to be surrounded by Durian lovers. -It's a whole other gastronomical issue all together, but I wont go there, not today.

My father and I were more reserved, sticking to mangosteens and langsats- all of which were grown and plucked on the spot. [We had a pending wedding reception following, and stinking like Durian wasn't our thing. Then again, Durian is never my thing]

Now, if you haven't seen a Durian tree, this is it. Right in the 'backyard'. The villagers tell us each tree produces Durians differing in texture or flavour. Either way, I wasn't keen on trying it.

Mangosteens- love love love! Not too sweet, not too sour. I could eat this everyday!

Slurpsss..ps. thanks mum for modelling this.

Langsat- petals of juicy white flesh awaits.

It reminded H and I of our late grandparents houses. Oh how far we've come.