Happy New Year

A fresh new start on a fresh new year. What are your resolutions for 2013?

This year I resolved to:

1. Reduce my intake of fast food, junk food and soda.

2. Learn to make macarons. 

3. Blog at least once a week. 

4. Complete my Korean Language study. 

5. Work out more often.

I decide to keep my resolutions small and achievable, hopefully I can stick to it. 

xx

LadyG

I can haz Macarons?

Macarons seems to be a huge trend this year, I've been reading about it and seeing pictures of these cute, colorful little confectionery delights for quite some times but didn't have the chance to try it. Finally spotted these, ahem, 'Imported French Macarons' at Tong Hing but they were bloody expensive at RM6.90 each, but I gave in and bought some anyway. The holiday season is making me do insane things with my money.

Earl Grey, Lemon, Salted Caramel and Orange

My favorite are Earl Grey and Salted Caramel. I've tried Strawberry and Vanilla too, but I didn't have my camera that time, you could check out the pictures through my Instagram @bloggerladyg.

The verdict: They were a little too sweet and not to mention, expensive, one could only indulged once in a blue moon. Unless I learn how to make macarons myself. I'll make that one of my new year resolution. On a positive note, they photograph so prettily, I'm willing to close one eye on the price of these things.

Spotted some at Le Safran, Suria Sabah at RM3.50 per piece, RM38 per dozen, unless my information is faulty.  Haven't had the chance to try them yet. 

xx
LadyG

Today is the last day of 2012

And tomorrow is the start of a brand new year. 

Lets take a look of the Major Happenings of 2012 that we've been through: 

1. Jeremy Lin lit up the scoreboards on February 6th and hashtag #Linsanity took over Twitter.

2. Queen Elizabeth II's Diamond Jubilee on the February 6th. 

3. Aung San Suu Kyi won seat in Burmese Parliament on April 1st. signifying a historical victory for  democracy in Myanmar. 

4. First Chinese female astronaut- Liu Yang along with 2 other astronauts successfully landed on TiangGong 1 space station on China's ShenZhou program on June 24th. 

5. PSY Gangnam Style released on July 15th took the world by a storm, recognize by the Guinness World Record for most 'like' in Youtube and topped the music charts of over 30 countries

6. 2012 Summer Olympics held in London on July 27th to August 12th. 

7.  Barrack Obama won 2012 election against Mitt Romney on November 6th, adding another four years to his legacy. Big Bird gets to keep his job after all. 

8. Datuk Lee Chong Wei and Wong Mew Choo tied the knot on November 9th. 

9. The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge officially announce Kate Middleton's pregnancy on December 3rd.

10. We survived the 2012 apocalypse on December 21st. (Okay, this one is a joke,) It was not the end of the world, but the start of a new era. 

More good things are upon us, 

xx

LadyG

p/s: Do share with me which event you think is the most significant in 2012. I would love to hear from you. 

My Dad went to Taiwan and all I got is

Nope, not a tee-shirt. It's something far more superior than a tee-shirt. My siblings get a tee-shirt each, lol, not me, cause I specifically requested this:

Olay Pro-X Advance Cleansing System

It was said to be professionally and clinically designed to cleanse 6 times better and can be used with any cleanser. The instructions are simple enough, after spreading cleanser over damp skin, turn on the cleansing brush and run it gently over the face for 60 seconds, rinse face and brush.

By doing so for the past week, I did notice some improvement to my skin, lesser blackheads and more radiance, I believe my skin will get better if used for a longer stretch of time.

It comes with a 2-speed cleansing brush, a 20ml Exfoliating Renewal cleanser, a fluffy pink headband and 2 AA Batteries included. 

I've been pining for a cleansing brush like this for a while, would love to have the Clarisonic Mia but it cost USD $119 which converts to around RM360, so Olay Advanced Cleansing System is the next best thing, it can be found at Taiwan Watson.

As far as I know, this cleansing system is not available  in Malaysia yet so I pestered my Dad to get this for me while in Taiwan. This cost around RM120. 

The bristles are so soft and the rotating brush head gives your skin a deep cleansing massage, it certainly made shower time a treat. Although its waterproof, but I try to keep the body of the brush away from water if possible.

It's also my Christmas Present and I'm loving it. 

By the way, a belated Happy Christmas to you guys.

xx

LadyG

Can't believe it's already December

Annyong! 

I admit I have been incredibly lazy lately, haven't blogged for absolutely ages. There are plenty of photographs that I haven't got around editing, and they do need some editing since my new genius camera setting was messed up.

  I thought I could brighten up pictures taken in dim lights by tweaking the exposure compensation a wee bit higher, the pictures does turn out nice and bright but there are hell lot of noise when the pictures are enlarged. Editing is a pain in the arse right now. 

December is always the funnest  month in a year, it was my birthday on the 1st, and Chinese Winter Solstice on December 21st, Christmas on the 25th and Boxing day on the 26th. December is the month of celebration and it also signifies the end of a fruitful year. It's my favorite month. Haven't been doing much though, just chilling, working on my Business Statistics with a tutor so I may actually pass this subject next January, reading lots just like usual, I have also start learning Korean language from Korean Language School.  I'm doing Christine's Fun-Fun Basic Korean Conversation and Jenny's 10 minutes Korean. The lessons are easy to understand and anyone can pick it up in no time. The internet can teach us so much, it's a waste not to take advantage of it. 

 I do update my Tumblr more frequently than my blog, it's where I re-post stuff I like from around the interwebs and my favorite blogs, do check it out if you're interested. 

Anyway, here's a picture of my Baby- Timmy, He is so adorable. My Dad once asked "This cat is HUGE and yet you still call him Baby?" I call him Baby because he has a tiny squeaky voice, although he is eldest of 3 brothers and he is bigger and heavier than any other male cats. He would be alpha cat after his Dad, but the voice...

This picture represents what I did all day

Komapsumnida and Jal-ga

xx

LadyG

My current addiction

I think I had finally managed to shrug off my addiction to coke, but now I have a new addiction.

Good thing about it, they are more expensive than coke and not available in many places, so I'm less likely to indulge.

Introducing: Bundaberg Lemon Lime and Bitters.

I love anything with lemon or lime, this is a combination of both. It's not too sweet and the fizzy bubbles inside gives me a refreshing kick whenever I need it. 

xx

LadyG

Your Just Desserts

Totally went nuts grabbing these at the Promenade Hotel's bakery section.

Everything 40% off after 6pm.

We had dinner at Dynasty Restaurant for my grandpa's birthday in August.I was sick as a dog that day, feeling feverish and also a mild case of diarrhea. However there is no getting out of the dinner even though I threw up at least twice before we head out.

My mom made me go to school even when I'm feverish with chicken pox, I was Seven! Ya think she'll have some mercy on me now? 

*snort* 

Not. A. Chance.

So off I went, dragging my sick butt to attend le birthday dinner. 

To make up for my obedience, I decided to reward myself with the dessert selection there.There are four types and I bought 2 each.It all round up to less than RM20. Bargain! 

Promenade cake box

Rude cream puff, it's sticking it's tongue out at me. 

xx
LadyG

Luigi Malones

We have went there four or five times, the food is great and the best thing is they open till very late, sometimes 11-12 a.m, which is cool since we prefer to have late dinners. Not a lot of places open late, but Luigi is located in a tourist-centered area, naturally they open a little later. I suspect other restaurants near-by like Texas open till rather late too.  

While the food is great, I declined to take much photo's because of the garish orange lighting, which is depressing. I dislike the outcome from orange lighting, its a pain in the butt to fix it after (it might not even look good after editing) So, I figure, rather than having orange pictures, I'd rather have black and white, haha. The effect turns out rather artistic, I might do it again whenever I encounter places with bad lighting.

Luigi Malones serves a variety of western food, they boast having the best pizza in town. Although Bella Italia and Little Italy also have great pizzas, Luigi Malone's Pizza are not bad either. One more place to get pizza, especially for late night supper. I like Michaelangelo and Salsiccia Fennel Pizza. Michaelangelo is similar to Hawaiian Chicken pizza with bits of chicken and sweet pineapples, while Salsiccia Fennel Pizza is topped with homemade fennel sausages, both are yummy. There are other choices of pizza too, would like to try Patata with potatoes on it. The prices are quite reasonable too.

Michaelangelo RM20.90

Michaelangelo and Salsiccia Fennel Pizza RM19.50

Omigod the sirloin steak is really good, the sauce that comes with it is also super awesome, I truly regretted that I did not order that. Next time, next time I will order that for sure. The Spaghetti Bolognaise is rather nice too, and I absolutely love the breaded mushrooms with garlic mayo. The mushrooms are crispy and fragrant, I don't know what the heck they put in it, but it's love at first bite. For desserts we ordered Profiteroles, my absolute favorite! Chewy puffs with melty vanilla ice-cream and a drizzle of chocolate sauce, forget what I said about the garlic mushrooms, these Profiteroles are the LOVE of my life! (okay, I may be exaggerating too much, but I ain't no joking when I said they were awesome.)

Steak RM49.90 Have it with fries or potatoes

Sirloin Steak

Garlic Mushrooms RM9.90

Profiteroles RM8.90

Tempted to give them a try? They are impossible to miss at:
Jalan Tun Fuad Stephens, Kota Kinabalu.

xx
LadyG

P/S: Is it Halloween today? Happy Halloween peeps! 

Thursday Plantation Nuffnang Giveaway

"Tea Tree Dry Skin Relief from Thursday Plantation" Twitter Contest, I am one of the winners.

But I'm not sure whether I should be happy, or disappointed. Saw a post from Nuffnang Malaysia from it's Facebook Page: 

Sounds easy enough doesn't it, since I'm a big fan of Thursday Plantation's tea tree oil, I decided to enter for fun. I did not have much expectations about stuff like these cause I never won anything before. 

 And a few days ago, I got this email from Nuffnang saying that I'm one of the winners. I won 5 bottles of Thursday Plantation Dry Skin Relief worth RM165! Woots, I totally did not expect to be chosen! 

I was ecstatic, this is the first time I've ever won anything from a contest before! Until I saw this:

They're not going to send the prize to me? 

But...but....I live in Sabah, which is across the sea from Kuala Lumpur! 

There is no way I can go there myself without a plane ticket, and I haz no friends in KL. 

Sigh

I've just written to Nuffnang, hopefully they could help.

Otherwise, I should just let it go, maybe they could give the prize to someone else. 

xx

LadyG

(sadness overload) 

P/S: You know what sucks more than not winning? Is to win but couldn't claim the prize. 

Pancake House

While shopping at 1 Borneo, we happened upon this new restaurant, the large pictures decorating their walls are quite tempting so we decided to dine here, shopping is a hungry business. I didn't have my camera that time, so this is the second time we've been there.  We desperately wanted the Daing na Bangus (Vinegar marinated milkfish) but they are out of fish that day, dang it. 

I later discovered that Pancake House originally started in Philippines, it was more common over there and was only recently being introduced to Sabah. They have a branch at Karamunsing too, right next to KFC. 

They served both traditional and international food, a pancakes, loads of pancakes. 

Shrimp salad

Fried Chicken set, the sauce is very tasty, it's not only good for chicken.

Beef strip cheese pancakes set with sunny side up

 I preferred the one with maple syrup and franks from the first time I ate there. 

Seafood Gambero

 This I love, it's a very simple dish but was surprisingly delicious. 

I'm now partial to pasta with red sauce compare to the white, which I used to like. I need a break from Carbonara and Alfredo occasionally. 

House special set

 Made up with several of the house special in one dish. Tacos, spaghetti, fried chicken and a garlic bread.

Beef tapa

 The beef tapa is very tasty, my dad and brother love this. They ordered it both times. 

xx

LadyG

p/s: The orange lighting is bad for photography, no amount of editing can save them. Only Pixlr's default effects.

Malisa Flame Grilled Peri Peri Chicken

I'm rather ashamed to say that this post is long overdue. We were hoping to dine at English Tea House but the notice at their door said they have moved to Perdana Park. There was a funny story about the process of find out just that. We are so desperate to go but you know how hard it is to find a good parking spot near Jesselton Point. So we drove around for several time and finally found a spot quite a long walking distance away, in the end we reached the restaurant only to find that they've moved. 

This is pretty much how we look like.
 (Btw that's Oruchuban Ebichu, I don't know what the Japanese words mean, tho)

Oh well, since we've never been to Perdana Park, we decided to go with it. 

(The things we did for the sake of good food.) 

I took tons of photo's but only a few of them are good enough

We got there, wandered around and finally located the place, however when the menu was presented, it wasn't of English Tea House but Malisa Flame Grill Peri Peri Chicken. Never mind that, we have already been all over the place to finally have our butts firmly planted on the seats, we can't just get up and leave, right? 

Let's just see what they got and give them a try. 

The interior, we are the only diners there

There are many side dishes to chose from

Besides, the seat we took gave us a good view of the musical fountain blaring out local traditional and international classical musics synchronized with the interchanging patterns of the water and colored lights. It was kinda pretty. Sadly my skills on the camera is inadequate to take good pictures in the dark, but I'm improving.

Complimentary olives

 I love olives! I think I'm the only one in the family who appreciate these. 

Garlic Bread! 

 I love garlic bread too!  

Couscous

 This is something new to me, but I sort of like it. The crumbly texture and various fragrant spices made this an interesting side dish. 

Beans

 Not a big fan of this myself, but my parents did.

Beans, beans, good for the heart, the more you eat, the more you- sorry, that was inappropriate

Got too carried away

Pink Lemonade

 I always wanted to know what is the big deal with pink lemonade, I still haven't found out yet.

Taste wise, like any yelllow lemonade, but the color sure is pretty. 

For every order of chicken, you get to chose 2 side dishes

Quarter chicken with Peri Peri sauce

 I couldn't quite accept spicy food, so I chose the quarter chicken with yogurt sauce below:

Quarter chicken with yogurt sauce

It was quite yummy, the sauce wasn't too empowering and the chicken was nicely tender.

The overall experience dining there is rather nice, and it's great to walk around the park, enjoying the music.

xx

LadyG

p/s: Usually I would painstakingly edit the colors and brightness of the pictures with Picasa's creative kit if they are taken in dimly lit restaurants, but since these are okay, I just used the Pixlr's Default effects (Josh), it gave the pictures a softer, brighter look you can get it for free at the Chrome Appstore. 

Sadly to say I never master the art of Adobe Photoshop, I even have the book- Adobe Photoshop For Dummies, haven't got past the first page. Sigh. Thank God (or more accurately, the creators of Pixlr and Creative Kit for foolproof editing apps.

L'Atelier French Restaurant

Discovered a new French restaurant in town, I wanted to try it since I saw it last month. 

Heard some good reviews from a friend, so here we are. 

Leek and Potato soup RM8

Our new favorite, it could use a bit more flavor though.
(Had to admit I'm guilty of abusing the salt shaker, a bit, just a tiny bit)

Grilled Fish Fillet with Herb Sauce RM35.90

The fish is done perfectly, succulent and  not too flaky. I'm not so used to the herb sauce, it's a bit sweet. I might try the other Pan fried fish with white sauce or their pasta next time. 

French Sausage with Mash RM35.90

Very meaty and flavorful. 

We also tried a Steak Au Poivre RM38.90 but I failed to capture a good shot (my bad). The steak is good, it has a tangy sauce, which taste suspiciously similar to Big Mac Sauce. My sister loves Big Mac, I might be able to persuade to try that. 

Canapes, complimentary from the Kitchen

Little tartlets filled with jam and a walnut. At least I thought it was jam.

Creme Caramel RM8.50

This is really nice, a very creamy texture.

Apple Crumble, also complimentary from the chef

Another dessert on the house, seriously why are they so nice? 

The food is great, the chef is literally running a one-man-show that night, playing the waiter, the cashier and cooking for us too. He made us feel welcomed.

Do support indie business like them, they are located at:

Lot 10, Block F,
Lintas Jaya Uptown, Kepayan
88300 Kota Kinabalu
016-8281712 or 088-725525

xx
LadyG

10 am Cafe

My sister had a day off, so we went out to lunch together. We used to lunch at 10 am cafe frequently but haven't done so for a long time. They used to have this Cha Soba Prawn Noodle which is really nice, but they don't have it anymore.

They serve a mix of Western and Asian cuisine, open everyday from 10 am to 10 pm, except Sundays and Public Holidays.

For more information, go to their website HERE.

Nasi Lemak

Spaghetti Bolognese

My Pasta Marinara

A stuffed chicken with vegetables inside

 This is really nice, I must order it next time if they still have it.

All the food are great, price is quite reasonable too. I like that it's in a quiet location, not much people and plenty of parking. If anyone wanted to try out, it's located at:

Lot 10, Blok B,
Lorong Plaza Permai 1, Alamesra,
Sulaiman Coastal Highway, 88400 Kota Kinabalu. 

xx

LadyG