The 12 hour Atrium Marathon Buffet

When it comes to food I have to admit that I'm picky. There's so many types of food that I love, food that I loathe and food that I'm okay with. One thing that I love the most is my dad's western cooking, it tastes absolutely delicious. I've been to many western restaurants there's none that can beat the taste and love from my dad. I can say now that I manage to reproduce his Spaghetti Bolognese taste's after observing him cook so many years. So back to the topic, going to a buffet is not so beneficial for a picky person as me but it's still fun as I can eat the things I like in bigger quantity. Not so long ago, my friends saw a good deal on a website and bought coupons to the buffet mentioned in my title.

Last Sunday my friends made the booking and we went to try this buffet which last 12 hours. Obviously eating for 12 hours straight is impossible therefore participants are allowed to go in and out of the place within the 12 hours. There were a variety of food and Penang food was one of the themes of the week. For a 4 star hotel, the food was just average, not really extraordinary. We dined from 11ish till 2 pm and went to watch Transformers in Sunway TGV which greatly disappointed me as the seats were really uncomfortable. My legs were on the verge of getting cramps as there weren't any space to stretch even the tiniest bit. This is definitely the worse cinema experience I have in my entire life. After the movie we went back to eat again till about 7ish and took a short mall in the mall then continued eating until 10ish. The dishes served for dinner are slightly different whereby the shell foods (oysters and mussels) were presented. Overall it was an okay meal, because of the coupon we paid RM 55 only without any tax. In the end, the thing I enjoyed was the company of friends more than the meal. Below are some pictures I took of the food served:

 My album with more pictures:Food marathon

Just Like Heaven

Marcus was an only child and was raise in solitude since his mother has passed away when he was four. His father Lord Chatteris had never thought of finding another wife and so he invested in his son. He was tutored at home with the best tutors.By twelve he could read Latin and Greek, excel in shooting and fencing,  write lengthy products and sums without wasting a drop of ink. Like every Holroyd boy he went to Eton college as it was time to get the next step in education. It was a happy moment for Marcus as he did not have any friends at all. He was not allowed to play with other children as his father fear of bad influence like running wild in the fields. Marcus had no idea how to interact with the other boys in school. 

On his first day, his father's valet dropped him and saw many boys running around and he said they were like a pack of savages. There was this boy, Daniel Smythe-Smith who knew how to get along with other children, confident, and easy smile. Daniel was a born leader and he was assigned to the bed next to Marcus and they became the best of friends.  Often during holidays it was farther to travel home to Cambridgeshire for Marcus and thus Daniel invited him to his home at Whipple Hill. Daniel's youngest sister (Honoria) had always follow him around as his sister Charlotte who was eleven wanted nothing to do with Honoria and thus wanted to play with the two of them. It was cute of her to follow but annoying to the boys. It was like this all the time and Marcus enjoyed his stay there. He was invited there many a times when there were small holidays and he felt like family there until spring of 1821.

Three years has passed, Honoria was soaking wet for suddenly the rain fell. She was trying to meet up with her cousins and friends which were at the opposite store but heavy rain came and took refuge. Her cousins and she came to Cambridgeshire to do shopping and get ready for the new season, at the same time to scout potential husbands. There were many young fellow there as Cambridge university was located nearby. Honoria was feeling all down and sad not to forget wet thought she would stuck for a long time and missing out on the fun. Suddenly, a carriage pulled to a stop in front of her and it was Marcus. He offered her a ride in the rain and also refuge which was kind of him. She was hesitant because over the years she felt that he was glowering at her all the time like he didn't approve of something she did. Seeing him bring backs childhood memories and she recalled that they both loved sweets and cakes.  He sent her back to where she was staying which was with the Royles and also his neighbour.

Honoria and her cousins were staying at Cecily Royles' family home where they manage to get a professor to tutor them after his usual class in Cambridge university. Cecily was quite interested in getting Marcus as a husband because he is wealthy and handsome, a man with high status. And so Cecily came up with a good idea which was to hold a weekend tea party at their country house and invite some eligible bachelors to it. Her mother was so excited and Marcus was invited but Honoria wrote a letter to Marcus to turn down the invitation.

Marcus thought the letter was funny and wrote back to decline the invitation but his real plan was to take a walk in the woods nearby and drop by the party for a while to keep an eye on Honoria. He had to do it because before Daniel fled the country he promised Daniel to take care of his sister and to make sure that she would marry the right person. Over the years Marcus occasionally showed up in London to investigate and scare Honoria's suitors as many were not qualified enough. Marcus was going to drop by to investigate who she was interested this year.

Honoria had a plan to capture her target which was Mr. George Bridgerton. She was digging a fake mole hole and to fake as a damsel in distress. While she was digging, Marcus was watching from far and laughing at her scheme that he easily see through. He laughed too loud which alerted Honoria and she shooed him away. She heard some noise and pretended to fall and yelled for help and in a few attempts which had no effect. She was disappointed so she left and accidentally fell and Marcus tried to save her and in the end landed on top of her. It was an awkward moment but he felt like kissing her but it failed as he twisted his feet because of the fake mole hole. Honoria tried to help Marcus up and he wanted to walk back but it was 3 miles away. She had no choice but to run back for help and things went worse when it started to rain. Honoria rushed to write a letter to his valet to pick him as he insisted.  The next day, Honoria woke up and then insisted to go visit Marcus to check on his condition. Cecily decided to follow with her and Marcus showed that he was not in a bad condition which made Honoria felt slightly better.

Few days later Honoria went back to London to prepare for the season and suddenly received a letter from Marcus's servant claiming that his condition was really bad and indicated that he is near death.  After reading that letter Honoria felt bad and worried as she was the one who caused him to be in that condition. She urged her mother to travel to his home as he has no family to care for him. Her mother got ready within 45 minutes and off they go traveling down to Fensmore. When they reached it was quite late at night and Honoria banged at the door and was answered by the butler. The butler was relieved that they came to help and she was lead by the butler to meet with his oldest maid. Both of them went to check on his condition and it was bad. Honoria was determined to help him heal and stayed by his side.  Marcus was glad to have her by his side but his condition wasn't improving, what was Honoria to do?

Just Like Heaven by Julia Quinn is one historical fiction that got me hook real bad. I really love reading this book as this is my first time reading from this writer and I did not know what to expect. The book presented its story from Honoria's and Marcus's own point of view and how they felt. It wasn't straight to the point like how you can see what will happen in the story. How the character progressed was also at a good pace so from start till end, every chapter it was interesting.  It is obvious that they will end up together but how it happened you'll have to read it.  There are some vocabulary that was tough for me as for the timeline it is in, the words used are more proper and formal. I thoroughly enjoyed this book as it was not too long or too short. I'm looking forward to reading more of Julia Quinn's works.

Kafka on the Shore

Kafka a 15 year old boy ran away from home and arrived in a town called Shikoku. He spent most of his days in a private library reading , sometimes going to the gym for exercise. Kafka ran from reality and from the prophecy that his father made which was "One day he will kill his father and sleep with his mother and sister". It is one weird prophecy but it made him ran away. He was never close to his father and kept his days in school peaceful without making friends and causing trouble but sadly he has violently hurt some classmates twice. There is something dark inside of him which he did not understand and it's also one of the reasons to run away from fate that's to come. 

One night he found himself waking up from a bush nearby a shrine covered with blood that did not belong to him. He didn't want to go back to the motel he was staying and therefore called Sakura whom he met on his bus ride to Shikoku. He couldn't explain completely what had happened because he had no memories but she still took him in and let him stayed for the night. The next day he left the house with a note saying thank you and went back to the library. Oshima who worked at the library could sense that he was in trouble and decided to help him. He arranged for Kafka to live in a cabin that belongs to Oshima and his brother. The land which the cabin resides was a leftover treasure from his grandfather who has passed. Oshima had once spend his younger days living alone there and asked Kafka to stay there for he will make other arrangements for later.

Kafka was warned not to simply wander deep into the forest as he can easily get lost. Kafka felt that there was a sort of presence in the forest but it was hard to explain. He spend his days reading on the porch, exercising as usual. He tried to explore the forest but nearly got lost, so the second time he went with a compass but it was still dangerous and he gave up. A few days later, Oshima came to pick him up and have arranged for him to work as an assistant to Oshima in the library and was also allowed to stay there for as long as he like. On the way back, Oshima told him some important things which is that Ms Saeki the head librarian is a delicate person and had disappeared previously in her younger days. The timing and the age of Ms Saeki closely resembles Kafka's mother who had left him when he was four. He had his suspicions and tried to find out more.
 

Meanwhile, Mr Nakata in his 60's who lives in Tokyo is a person who can talk to cats. He is well known by some people that he can easily find lost cats. With the subsidy given by the city because he is considered mentally retarded he lives his life normal and finds cats to earn extra. He helps family find their cat and they just pay him a small amount or some will just provide him meals which is good enough for him. Nakata when young was a smart child but an incident happened when he was around 10 and he lost the ability to read and can't remember how to study at all. Since he couldn't read his parents send him to live with his grandparents. He just sat through school and completed junior high and went on to study below a carpenter. He made old and tradition designed furniture for a living until he was in his 50's and the place got closed down as his boss has passed and the son did not want to continue the business. So Nakata moved to Tokyo with his sibling's help and live alone in a small apartment in Nakano ward.

Nakata search for quite some time for a cat named Goma and got information that at a plain empty land many cats wandered there but a dangerous man lurks there too. This man was known to kidnap cats and Nakata sat there for days to wait for Goma to show up but one day a dog showed up. The dog beckons for Nakata to follow and so he did. He followed it to a house and the door was unlocked and he followed the dog inside. There was a man sitting at a desk and he welcomed Nakata. The man said his name was Johnnie Walker just like the liquor drink . Johnnie Walker told him that he has been hunting cats and cutting  off their heads to collect the soul. He was on a mission to collect cats soul to make a special flute. He expressed that he was tired with what he did but he could not stop himself and asked Nakata's help to stop him and the only way was to kill him. Nakata was troubled as he did not know what to do but that man was starting to kill the cats in front of him and ripped its heart out and ate it in front of him. Nakata could not stand it, there was a feeling burning inside him which made him took a knife and stabbed the man a few times. Blood splattered everywhere including onto Mr Nakata. He collapsed and then woke up in the evening finding himself sitting at the plain field with Goma and also Mimi which was another cat.

Nakata tried to confess his crimes but was ignored by the policeman who thought this old man was senile. The next day, Nakata set out on a journey going somewhere and had to do something. He had no idea where to go but only knew when he reached a place . On his journey he met a young man name Hoshino who assisted Nakata on his journey to Shikoku.

Kafka on the Shore by Haruki Murakami is one of the most unique books I've ever read. I can't really pinpoint the genre, but maybe it's thriller, mystery and also fantasy. The book has one chapter alternately for the two characters and slowly you will find the connection between them. At first you read about Nakata's past in a report and it got me wondering what it was about. Right until I started to read about the character in present time that I knew it was about him. This book has a lot of metaphors which is related to life and how to face reality. The author is definitely really knowledgeable and have quoted many famous people. Understanding the metaphors means you understand how we're suppose to view life and when face with dilemma, struggling with fate we still have to live on. How you choose to live and walk on depends on you and at the end you'll face death.  I can say it's a book that makes you think because you will think and try to understand the quotes and metaphors of the book. Many things of the book are left unexplained but I guess it's up to the reader to figure it out or maybe it wasn't meant to be told. This is an interesting read but not a book that I would pick up again but I still recommend it.

The Ambassador's Mission

 

 Many years have passed since the attack of the Sachakans on Kyralia, Sonea has now became the Black Magician of the Guild. Cery is a Thief who has risen to a high rank in the community. Many surviving magicians have grown old and Sonea's son is now an adult and his name is Lorkin. Lorkin has not much significant things to do in the Guild unlike his mother who will go heal people at the hospice everyday and so he just hangs out with his friends most of the time. An opportunity came and he took it which is to follow Lord Dannyl to Sachaka and be the assistant to Lord Dannyl which has taken the position as an ambassador. Before the decision is final there was a vote and Sonea is very against this idea as Lorkin's father and herself has dealt a lot of damage there. For the people of Sachaka, revenge is a must for the love ones that has perish to the hands of Sonea and Akkarin in the war.

If they know of Lorkin's background he will not be safe in those lands as there will be many enemies. Sadly the guild has voted and Lorkin was to go there. Lord Dannyl promised Sonea that he will take care of her son but before they left Sonea sneaked a blood ring to Lorkin so he could contact her anytime he liked. So their journey begins where it took a few days to reach there. When reaching the land their duties were to meet with many high rank Sachakans and do diplomatic duties. At the same time, Lord Dannyl was interested in doing some research called High magic which could be a valuable source in obtaining better magic to help heal lands that perished to the war.

At the same time, danger lurks around for the Thieves as many have been targeted and murdered. Rumours has that there is a Thief Hunter and he/she uses magic to kill. Cery is next on the target and he went to meet with another Thief by the name of Skellin who also wants to investigate on the matter. Therefore they made a pact to share any information obtained. On the way home, Cery received bad news where his home was broken in and the whole family have been murdered. It was terrible news and Cery needed a new hideout. He went to give Sonea the news and asked for help at the same time but it was difficult for her as she cannot leave the guild besides going to the hospice. She said she would try if she could.

In Sachaka, slavery is still a big thing and many nights Lorkin and Dannyl were offer sex by the slaves but it was decline because it was not right in principal to Kyralians. One night when Lorkin was sleeping soundly he started to have weird dreams as he was attracted to one of the slaves and so he dreamt of her sexually. The dream felt real and when he woke up from shock there was a woman on top of him and with a dagger on her hand readying to stab him in the heart and he could not move or use magic to repel her. Suddenly someone bust into his room muttered a few words to the lady and she dropped dead on him. Tyvara was her name and she was to protect Lorkin from being killed by another slave which they both belong to the same clan. It was a secret clan where women had more power than man and they were all taught magic. The clan was known as the Traitors. The faction of Traitors were in a disagreement whether to kill Lorkin for revenge as his father Akkarin was saved by them and in exchange were to teach them healing magic. But Akkarin broke that trust and ran back to Kyralia. Lorkin and Tyvara have to run because they will be hunted by the faction. For saving Lorkin, Tyvara would have to face trial and might be sentenced to death. Lorkin did not agree and asked to be taken to meet their leader. Lorkin wanted to go there to learn their special magic where could protect themselves from having their mind read. So their journey begins to the Traitor's secret hideout while running away from being chased by magicians who are assisting Dannyl in locating Lorkin.

In the mean time there were more information about the Thief Hunter where they found out that it was a female and using magic without the Guild's permission is illegal. It seems that this woman is buying books related to magic and learning from it. This really concerns the guild but Sonea did not know what to do with the information and so asked Lord Rothen for advicewhere he told her to talk to Regin which was her rival. Lord Regin bullied Sonea a lot during their schooling time and it has been a trauma for her which made her dislike him. Regin suggested to help hunt down the rogue magician before announcing to the guild. This way Sonea could prove to the guild that she was trustworthy and that they allow to go out of the country to help locate her son that was lost. In Kyralia, the hunt begins for Sonea to track and capture the Thief Hunter/ Rogue magician with the help of Cery and her arch enemy Regin.

The Ambassador's Mission by Trudi Canavan, it's been many years since I've read on Sonea and this is the continuation from The Magicians Guild trilogy. Sonea's child is all grown up and she herself is in her thirties. The guilds is totally different after the invasion and rebuilding, restructuring has been made. I'm thrilled that after the gap I still love the characters in the story. Sonea though missing Akkarin still strives to live and care for her child. The changes for her are mostly her appearance and also her maturity but it's still the same girl I used to read about. I love how the author can pick off where the readers left off, continuing how the guild progress and how the situation is in Imardin and also Sachaka. It's also nice to learn more about the Traitors where the women who wanted to pursue magic ran off and that was related to the book The Magician's Apprentice. What I like about this book is although we have Lorkin in the story, Sonea is not left out because I totally love her personality. The ending of book keeps readers hanging and wanting more, it's definitely a good ending to me. 

You get what you always get from Trudi Canavan, events happening to different people from different places and with so many featured she does not fail to mention minor details. When fantasy books have too many characters the focus is spread but not her, every character is important and they all have a part and that is why I love reading her books. When you move from one character to another and a different scenario you would not get confused or lost. This is definitely a book that I would keep in my shelf and pick up to read again in future.

LeSportSac Spring & Summer Collection 2011

It's the season where you'll find plenty of people visiting the beaches, wearing shorts, tank top, spaghetti straps, bikinis, wearing colours that are vibrant. Of course I don't get to see these from where I am, but in Europe, US, Asia countries with seasons, it's everywhere. Fashion is a major part of life for the people who lives at those countries as the clothing changes with the weather it's best to follow. Every year every season will feature certain design, colours that influences the fashion line, be it in make up or clothing. This year orange is the thing but not every fashion line comes out with orange. Other than that, vibrant colours are still the thing, yellow, bright green, bright red, orange red. The colour trend can be spotted in make up, nail polishes, clothes and shoes.

Every brand is bound to release a new line in the season and this year I've gotten the LesportSac Spring & Summer Collection magazine from Kinokuniya again with a free bag. I really like these magazine that the Japanese publish. Most of their magazine always come with free stuff, like fashion magazine or catalog on a brand usually gives free bags. Magazine on Japanese animation gives free t-shirts, some card collection of an animation that is feature on the front page. I like this concept because it's a reasonable price and you only have limited quantities depending on how many magazines they have printed. Here are some pictures of this magazine I'm blogging about:

 

The front cover of the magazine

 

This is how the bag is in compact size where you can fit it inside another bag.

 

It shows other design patterns that were available

 

Instructions on how to fold up the bag and store it.

 

The bag in full size

 

Close photo of the pattern

 

How big the bag is inside

Model with all three designs

 

The model that was in the front page. Below are some of the bag designs which I really adore. It's all in the tote range which I really love the size, not too big not too small.

In the middle of the magazine there is a catalog on the patterns and what bag shape it is available in. I find this very informative instead of going to the shop and asking here and there. You see what you like, go to the shop and purchase it, no stress =P. For this season LeSportSac have some patterns that are really striking and some patterns that are subtle which brings out the sweet of a girl who carries it. The patterns that are simple are just so nice to look at, gives the mind a calm, soothing thought like "Ahhh I'm at a beautiful meadow", sadly it doesn't have a flower smell =P.  I like the pattern I picked as last year I picked a more vibrant and eye catching pattern. This pattern is just simple and nice.

Just a little haul

This is my first time blogging on this, it's more pictures than words actually. Last weekend, Isetan had a special member 3 day sale where members get extra 10% on certain items. If you shopped on Friday itself there were more deals and special discounts. On Saturday seeing that my uncle and family came back to KL we meet up in Mid Valley Megamall for lunch.  My sister and I went earlier before lunch to shop a bit or at least just walked around and enjoy the aircon instead of the hot humid weather at home =P.

So we head to Isetan first and looked the special deals and so I ended up purchasing some skin care and make up. Below are some pictures:

I'm a fan of Estee Lauder and my skin care is the Hydration range. The big cosmetic bag came with buying the moisturizer and it also had the cleanser, eye cream and serum given for free. Usually for the same price you would not get any of those items. Upon purchasing the BB Creme from Estee Lauder, Isetan had a special deal where by you get a eye shadow palette, a mini size mascara and a full size lipstick. As you can see from the pictures, the colours in the palette are wonderful, so worth it. I know I looked like I spent a lot but it's not too much because I have saved up a few months before considering purchasing all these. I would also like to share my Sephora haul as Sephora Malaysia officially opened here at Starhill Gallery, KL right across Pavilion Mall. 

The scrub and shower gel from Soap & Glory absolutely smells great and works like a charm too. After using the scrub, my elbows which are usually rough have softer and smoother skin. After using the shower gel for about 2 weeks my skin feel smoother and my legs are more moisturized even without body cream. Other than that I bought two items which I adore months ago, I think it's about 3 months ago.

My lips are really pigmented and this lip gloss from MAC works wonderfully. Even their lipstick can't cover my red lips and this one had it's beautiful shade retained and so I purchased it. Also it was limited edition, Wonder Woman inspired for the Spring Collection. High Beam is from benefit and it's a highlighter which you use on your cheekbones, brow bone and your nose usually. After using it I notice the difference in my pictures and with the highlights my skin looks healthy and naturally glows.

These products lasts me a long time, like more than a year so I won't be spending on cosmetics and skin care for a long time =).

The Wedding Girl

 

A group of tourist was staring at Milly as she stood at the registry office steps with a wedding dress on. One or two of them even took pictures and Milly smiled happily with the attentions she is getting.All pretty in her dress Milly looked at her soon to be husband Allan feeling excited. Three week ago, when Milly just graduated from high school and arrived at Oxford. While her friends are spending the summer having fun in Ibiza, traveling Europe she came to Oxford to study a secretarial course.  On her second day there, she saw at the campus grounds two men having a picnic and one of them approached her to ask to borrow a lighter for his cigarette and sure Milly had it and then she was invited to join them. She gladly accepted and spent her whole day in the sun with them and then went to a bar at night. She had a lot of attention from the men there and she loved it. She spend most of her free time with two of them Allan and Rupert. Allan asked for her hand in marriage and shocked in the moment she said yes without asking why. Apparently it was to help Allan stay in the country as he came from the states.

Forward ten years, Milly and her mother is preparing for her wedding to Simon which will happen in a few days time. It's going to be a grand one where her mother Olivia planned it. Simon's father is a well known business man Harry Pinnacle who is the owner of Fruit 'n Smooth. he started with a small juice bar which serves healthy drinks and it became an instant hit. Soon the business multiplied and it had many franchises around the country. Olivia planned the reception dinner with ice swans, beautiful decorations and secretly planned a helicopter for them to leave for honeymoon.  Everyone was excited about the wedding especially Olivia but only one wasn't too much which was her father as he questions her many times that whether she is sure of her decision. Her father James was having bad days where he felt he was too distant from his wife and it was hard to talk to her.

Milly's older sister Isobel was going to fly in for the wedding as she was her maid of honor but sadly she has some bad news herself. She was with child and does not know what her next steps would be. In all the excitement, everything seems too good to be true, the photographer hired (Alexander) says he knew a secret of hers. Alexander was actually one of the spectators during her wedding at Oxford ten year ago and he advised that she should have told Simon which she hasn't. After consulting with Isobel, Milly realized that she might be still married with Allan and she had to find out whether the divorce went through. All Milly could do was track down Rupert which was Allan's partner. Milly went to London as she couldn't get him from the phone and so she had no choice with just three days before the wedding. After tracking down Rupert she found out that he was a married man with a woman and things have changed. she advised him to tell the truth as she should have done it herself. Sadly she couldn't find Allan and her divorce was not finalized and Milly went into a state of panic.

How things went on with the wedding well I won't tell. "The Wedding Girl" by Madeleine Wickam AKA Sophie Kinsella is not like her current books. It wasn't as funny as The Shopaholic series or others. The Twenties girl was by far the funnies one for me. This book is more on things being dramatic and also more realistic about families, the problems some family have and how the children are affected. I did find one similarity in this book with her latest which was Harry Pinnacle's business story with "The Twenties Girl" main character's uncles who successfully opened a chain of coffee shop like Starbucks. Other than that, it was all really new and refresh for me. This book shows that Sophie used to write in a more serious manner regarding relationships and how real people can behave towards gay issues, father issues and spouse issues. It's not a book that I would read again but it was an eye opener to a different type of writing that Sophie used to have.

Donations to Japan

Just a bit of update on what is our country's approach in helping Japan. So far I've seen some organisation collecting donations. Here are some pictures that I've taken:

 Bangsar Village collecting donations for Japan

I find the above activity useless as what Japan needs now are food and resources to rebuild Sendai. I doubt that these 1000 origami cranes will contribute in rebuilding the country. If only everyone just donate RM 1 and I'm sure that is much more useful to them. These cranes will just end up in the dumpster and it's also a waste of paper. Don't tell you'll ship these cranes there, it's a waste of  money on logistics too. If you don't have the ability to donate, pray for them everyday.