2014's Investment for the Future..

Over je title kan?

It's 2015. The beginning of the year. And I think I have achieved nearly all the major items that I've been wanting to have.

So finally we have a kitchen cabinet (KC) and a helper at home. The main expenses in 2014 were definitely from the installation of the KC and applying for a helper.

Workmanship and KC installation = RM 12000
Rubine hood and hob = RM1300
Rubine kitchen sink = RM540

So in total we spent RM13840 , that's almost 14k. And the next biggest chunk would be the hiring of our helper which cost us RM10,000. 

Towards end of December I thought that baby L should not just be at home for the whole day so we decided to enrol her in a montessori nearby for a half a day programme. So that took another chunk of moolah. RM1550 not inclusive of January's fees of another RM350.

Finally gotten a KC after almost 4 years of living at the not-so-new house. It's a big investment, hopefully it'll last long :).

So what did i give up in order to buy all this? No designer shoes, not even that many shoes to be exact.. especially not for my baby. Heck I don't even buy clarks for myself..there is no way I would spend a bomb on something as silly as that (unless I earn at least RM15k a month, then maybela). Plus kids overgrow shoes quite fast so rugi belikan mahal..hehe..

Also, have not bought an expensive handbag or make ups for a while now. And that was not a problem for me. Dior, Mac, Simply Siti ke and the rest can wait. 

Latest gadgets?hmm..Let me see.. Well the only thing i bought was the Samsung S5 and yes my old iphone was working fine at the time but I needed a much bigger phone.. susah nak baca kecik2.

The most important thing is, we did not choke ourselves with a big long term liability such as buying a new car this year ( yup, the myvi is turning 8 but it is doing all right). If at all, that would probably be my 2015 goal. Not really a necessity but definitely will be more comfy for the family. Itupun kena kira betul-betul.. whether I would want to separate with an increased amount of car loan installment every month. Hati mau tapi purse kata JANGAN! NEHI NEHI!

So yeah, I think I was quite disciplined last year (eventhough I bought many hijabs :) ). Don't really have to worry about my other half.. he rarely spends on himself too.

Always plan for the future, some are lucky to have people to turn to when they are in need. But those who are independent and want to stay independent, plan wisely (kalau tergelincir sikit-sikit tu ok je).

Tambah lagi satu goal for 2015 - nak save enough for 2016. kenapa? it's a secret! 

Red baby Red!

Finally, the red one is here. Got it before the Xmas holidays.. hehe.. All I can say, I like the bag although I think I should have gotten the biggest size.

One of the cons of having using this bag is - there are no compartments. So for the time being there is a pile of stuff in my bag.. and it's a bit hard to find my car keys and house keys.. i have to rummage through my stuff to get to i.e.: my car keys or my house keys. Urghhh.. I know I can use a bag organiser but I don't think that'll work for me.

Anyhow, here's my baby.. RED HOT and awesome :)

Oh no. Darn it. I can't upload from this PC. Don't know why. Oh well.

The pic in google is a bit different from seeing it in real life. So you just have to imagine how nice it looks..hehe..

Till then, toodles!

Finally, managed to post up some pics. This is once I opened the box from the seller.

Tadaa!!! Again, should have bought the biggest size. Still, love the colour. :)

McCafe Malaysia...a cheaper and yummier alternative to Star*****, Coffee **** and the likes

Ahhh...finally McD opens up McCafe in Malaysia. I think they are still in the testing the market stage because the cafe is available at selected stores. The place that I always frequent is the one in McD Kota Damansara.

McCafe reminds me of my stay in Hong Kong. Every morning before going to the office, I would buy a cup of coffee normally a latte. It's more expensive in Hong Kong though, here, a large latte only cost me RM6.xx (can't remember how many cents).

The only difference here is that they don't sell sandwiches like in HK. Here, they only have a small selection of cakes and muffins. I guess that's okay for a start. I still love it though. Tastewise, well for me it beats Starb****' coffee any day. Sebab si Sbux tu is a bit too thin for me and no, I don't ask for extra shots. 

Feel like having a large cup of McCafe's latte as I'm writing this. Oh yum.

Longchamp Victoire line - RED is My new LOVE

Trying to save enough money to have my new love. (that's why in my previous post I said I rarely say no when he wants to buy gadgets..it's because I have a weakness too!) 

This is under the Victoire line.  Sis in law offered to find one for me (hence I have to make sure I have the $ and can get her help to buy it for me overseas)..when I showed her the picture, she liked it too. Well red is her favourite colour anyway. So yeah, save save save.. must get my hands on this baby soon!

Prefer the long handle..but too lazy to google for the right pic.

Till then, toodles.

The Ipad 2 - time for it to find a new home :)

Well, I have never been a real gadgety person. But whenever he wants to get the latest gadgets/techy stuff..as a supportive spouse (as long as he has the ka-ching for it) then I won't disagree.  Tapi deep down, I knew this relationship of his with the ipad won't last... kekeke.. takat nak surf FB, surf websites, smartphone dah cukup.

But I knew his love for the Ipad won't last long.  It's more of an accessory, something that he wanted at that point of time and not something he needed to have.  After a while, he grew bored ( I think) of the ipad.. download applications banyak-banyak pun boring jugak.  We already have our own laptops so yeah, I don't see a need to have the ipad.  Plus he has S2 so if he wants to surf on the go, I think that it is sufficient enough.

So, we're trying to find a new home for this baby.  It's 64gb, never jailbroken, with wifi and 3G.
Hope it will get its way to a person who needs it more than we do. :)

Ipad cover, the ipad 2 box and the ipad 2. A wholesome package :)

Dad in Law and Samsung Ace PLUS

It's kind of cute when FIL commented that he too wanted to change his phone. No more the old school phone a la Nokia. It's time for a smartphone now. 

On the 4th day of Raya, we went to Setia City Mall (as usual, this is our favourite haunt now) and went into DiGi, Maxis and Samsung to compare packages and prices. In the end, we bought the phone at Samsung and change from hotlink prepaid to maxis postpaid - package for RM48 for 200 mins of calls (if I'm not mistaken) and RM28 for 200MB of internet usage.

Now hubs needs to teach him how to use the phone..only managed to teach him like quarter of the way. Still some more techy stuff to share with him.  Oh by the by, FIL bought Samsung Ace PLUS, which is still new in the market that they have not created a cover yet for the phone. hehe..

So now Ayah, marilah berwhatsapp ok! :) 

Nice eh? we made him choose the white one because it looks sexier :)

Lights...Camera...Action!!!

This year our raya preparation is..hmm..mediocre. Not to complain or anything it's just that perhaps because so many things has happened to the people in our family this recent months, tak feel nak beriye-iye.

My grandma passed away, eventhough we were not that close but still...
Hubs was hospitalised and had a surgery to remove something...
Sis was hospitalised...
and just recently, my lovable mak long passed on.  I love my mak long because she was so sweet eventhough she can be fierce at times..but still, she loved us all and thought of us as her own children.  She even manjakan hubs ( yeah, menantu also she manjakan..tsk tsk..). But that is why we love her.  She was a very loving person. 

Anyhow..ok I don't know how this entry is even linked to my title..I'm digressing, forgive moi! hehe..
I actually wanted to post a few pics of hubs accompanying me to do some shopping a few weeks back.  He is truly a good shopping partner in addition to my kakak... memang can kaw tim with him.  But I think I'm not that good of a shopping partner for him because he likes to go into all those gadgety stores and I don't (because I think they are bo-ring!)... when this happens we would normally split ways and meet up again.

Hmm..wonder if this woman has finished her weekly obligation at the mall today? Lepas raya ni kena ajak dia buat activity lain..panjat bukit ke, running ke, gardening ke.. 



What's with this paparazzi mode? Penat jalan ni ok..dahla puasa :p

Oh, ok, ok.. one for the camera then :)

Till then, toodles!

My Hari Raya budget...

Okay, I have to admit ( no matter how much I hate to) that I may have burst or go beyond my budget in preparation for the Raya celebrations.  You see, I have it all nicely done up. Should not be a cent more. But alas, the lust (amboi lust!) of buying stuff got the best of me.

So here is how I did my budget.  This is not inclusive of my monthly expenses to go to work and whatnot.

Baju raya (2 pairs) – RM350. 1 pair for RM100 while the other, I got it at RM250

Kuih raya – RM120

Kasut raya – none this year. Just wear whatever new shoes that I’ve bought for work

Duit raya for mum & aunties – RM360

Duit raya for nieces & nephews – RM120. I don’t have to budget that much for this year since I still have a lot of balance from last year :)

Duit raya for kids (other not so close relatives) – RM100

Duit balik kampong  – RM200. I always make sure I have some money when balik kampong, you never know when you might need it..you know, for a roti canai or two J

Duit minyak – RM100

Duit toll – RM30

Unexpected expenses:

Sunnies/shades for hubs – RM410.  This is after 50% discount at an outlet in Subang Parade. I call it unexpected because I didn’t  budget for it. It’s okay, I shall consider this as his future birthday present. Bile time I offer nak belikan, tak nak.  :p                Grrrr!

So in total my raya budget is ……RM1380 + RM410 = RM1790.

When you don’t list it down, you will not realize how much you have or will spend for Raya. So it’s good to do this..at least I know where I am at and whether or not I should be spending any more than what I have (or have not..sebab terbabas jugak ni) budgeted for this year. Moderation is best.

Till then, toodles. Happy budgeting everyone!

Beddinge 3-seater sofabed from Ikea

Finally, I've saved some moolahs to buy the sofabed from Ikea. Why a sofabed? This is so that my sisters/family can sleep on it when they come here for a night or two.  We only have 1 guestroom with a queen sized bed and I don't think that it is sufficient especially when more than 2 guests are around. Some more I felt like I wanted to change my current sofa hence the sofabed is the best choice. 


Probably I'll buy a nicer sofa for the living room once I have the ka-ching and I can bring the sofabed upstairs :). 


The total cost inclusive of the frame, sofabed cover and the bed is RM799.  You have to collect the 3 items yourself from the aisle stated on the tag.  We paid them to install the frame, it's 5% of the total frame cost - only RM12.

What will happen to our existing sofa? Well, I'm gonna send the 3-seater for recycling while I keep the one seater and lounge seat for now. :)

The bedframe..the before look :)

Tadaa! The after look..and no, Ikea does not give a husband as part of the package. :p

The cost price of the sofabed. In total we paid  RM799+RM12 (installation cost)+RM65 (delivery cost)

Till then, toodles!

It's not congrates..it's CONGRATS! CONGRATS!

I keep seeing the 'congrates' word ever so often on FB and it just annoys me. What's congrates? Can somebody tell me where this alien word comes from?  Yes, little things that can drive me up the wall.  Congrats - the short form for Congratulations. Simple as that.  It is not Congrates, Congrat, Congratulation and shall never will be.

Same goes with defination. It's definition. In malay pun ada yang dah sebut definasi..err, setau i masa belajar tak wujud perkataan ni, unless it's recently created and I didn't know about it.
Why o why do I get agitated with small issues such as this? Okay, maybe because I want to stop this 'fever' from spreading to my future anak cucu cicit. Oh, the agony.

So let's all work together, hand in hand and put a stop to all this nonsense.

Till then, toodles.

Random thought on a Wednesday morning

Just a random thought that came to mind recently. One big issue I see with onlilne shopping is……. You don’t burn any fat. It’s because you look at something you like from the comforts of your bed/couch/chair/toilet seat/bathtub etc, click m2u and done!

With real shopping you actually physically go from one store to another  looking for that one (or two) thing(s) that you need (read: want!).  In this case you really do burn some fat (although we recover the lost fat by eating lunch.. and maaaaaaybe some dessert..mwahahaa). 

Aih, I normally plan where I need to go..mindless shopping trips would definitely kill me..or my other half J . Plan, plan, plan..budget, budget, budget. Tapi ade je sometimes terbabas from the planned budget. It's hard to overcome the need to have something new right?

By the way, made my first ever purchase with Princess Stylo Victoria (such a mouthful) and got this Coach bag for RM5XX, can’t recall the exact price. So okay, it’s a trusted seller. Kalau tak, confirm duit lesap bag pun tak dapat.  But i did my research first before ordering so okayla kot :) Kind of used this bag nearly every single day now..macam boleh koyak je because I put so many things inside! Sometimes I event put an umbrella in my bag… :p Mesti nak kena utilise fully :)

Just a short  note for today.

That reminds me, I've paid our Indah Water bill, have you? hehe..

Till then, toodles!

It does not look that sexy now that I've used it ever so often.

Scarves from Opsie Daisy :)

I befriended Opsie Daisy (an online seller of clothes and scarves and other things i think) on Facebook and on certain occasions I would buy stuff from her. I bought one fancy schmancy kaftan (which I don't know when I will be wearing it) and then recently I bought 2 scarves from her.

I saw her posting the scarves on FB and sort of liked them. I spent about RM78 for both scarves. Maybe I could have gotten it cheaper outside but it's more convenient to buy it online. And yes, try to do your homework before buying things online. I asked around about Opsie Daisy where I've a friend who had bought stuff from her before.

Boy o boy. It's so easy to get hooked on online shopping. It's a good thing because it's convenient. The cons would be of that we can't see what it really looks like until after we've bought it and that, duit senang sangat keluar sebab asal nampak cantik menarik nak beli. Must always make it a point to check our bank balances and see if we have sufficient funds for shopping. Pay our monthly commitments/ debts first baru boleh shop dengan senang hati. Yeah!

Till then, toodles!

Scarf numero uno. Chubby wubby face I have. :p. I like this one sebab dia tak lembut sangat and easy to shape.

Scarf no 2. A bit too lembut for me..soft cotton.  had to struggle to find a way to wear it.

Setia City Mall review

I have gone Missing in Action (M.I.A) for a few months now and my first entry is about a new shopping mall? Maybe because I just like the new mall so much that I have to write something about it.

This mall has nearly anything and everything under the sun. Love it. We reached the mall around 10.30am and most of the stores are already opened and ready for business. Yes, we were really early because a bit kiasulah..and also because we thought it was far from home. We took the NKVE towards Klang, took the Setia Alam exit and if I am not mistaken, we went up the first flyover (to turn right) after Setia Alam toll to get to the mall.

Parking wise - i think ample space. But I just don't know why people still want to park outside. Bayar sikit la for keselesaan masing-masing and also to not inconvenienced other people who want to park inside. Weekend rate is RM3 for the first 3 hours and RM1 for every hour after that. Can't recall the weekday rates.

We went to the GSC cinema.. love it. Probably because it's new. :) Oh yes, what about facilities? LOVE the restrooms! They have many cubicles in every restroom and they have it at every floor. So even when there are many people, you can always go to the upper floor to have a more comfy time in the loo. Lol :)

F&B? So many so many so many choices! Nando's, Mcd, Delicious (yummm), Pho Hoa, Starbucks, Pacific Coffee Company, Auntie Anne's, Sweet Chat, Fullhouse, Carl's Jr, Teh tarik Place, Papa John's, Tony Roma's and many more. 

Shopping? You name it, they have got it. Love the Parkson store here because they have a lot of choices (yes handbags and shoes!!!). Zara, Crabtree and Evelyn, Bobbi Brown, MAC, Niichi, Mango, a whole line of shops for baby/children's clothes..I can't list everything in here but I think you get my point.

Setia City Mall's website also has an app - if you download it, it's easy to find the store that you want to go to. They provide the directory in the app. So easy peasy. 

If you want to know more, go to http://www.setiacitymall.com/ Have a funtastic time at the mall y'all! this will be my second favourite to Subang Parade :)

Wan Two Three is engaged!

Well we like to tease her and call her Wan Two Three.  The future husband's family asked for her hand in marriage just over the weekend. For the Malays, you have to go through at least 2 ceremonies before you can be wed. One is the merisik ceremony, simply put, the guy's family asking whether the girl is available and whether they can proceed with the engagement ceremony which will be done later. This is my very layman understanding, there's actually a lot of do's and dont's of the ceremonies, too long to write and too lazy to research for more info.


Then, there's the engagement ceremony. Eventhough nowadays young couples already come into an agreement whether or not they want to get married, the engagement cannot be formalised by only kneeling on one knee and proposing..like how we see in those TV series/movies.


During the engagement ceremony, the guy's family will come to discuss with the girl's family to formalise the engagement and set a date to be married. Normally both families do not speak but are represented by another person close to the family to do all the talking. Well, the points have already been discussed earlier on so the representative already knows what to say when speaking for the family they are representing. If there are any discrepancies, the representative can always refer back to the parents he is representing to get their okay.


Basically that's a very layman and short description on the Malay engagement ceremony. I might have missed out a lot of points :)

All dressed up in Pink :)

Us with our over the top pose :)

The guy's family and rep discussing with our family and rep.

Both families looking on

And now after an agreement has been finalised (i.e.: dowry amount, date of  solemnisation, what happens if the engagement is called off and etc), the mother of the future husband puts on the engagement ring on her ring finger. And no, the man cannot be the one doing it because he is not allowed to do so.

These shoes are made for walkin'...

and that's just what they'll do. I think this is the second time that I've written the same title. Oh what the heck..


I know..lame! I saw these at Voir the other day and they had an offer of 20% discount if you buy 2 pairs of shoes. They didn't have the size for the shoes that Sis liked..but I managed to work my magic and Voila! Jumpa  pulak sizenya..so she got hers, and I got mine. It's basically 10% off for each pair..


I still need to break the shoes/wedges takut melecet (blisters) bila jalan banyak-banyak..so far so good. Wore them to walk around Subang Parade the other day..boleh tahan. This time I bought a size 6 instead of my norm size 5. Takut ketats!

If you like them you can get them at Voir at 20% discount (if you buy 2 pairs at the same time).

Introducing the newest member of the family :) I hope you will have a long prosperous life with us..hehe :) Don't bite me ok!

cintacoffee.blogspot is now dianatza.blogspot

Changed the name of the blog for no reason. Did not realise that my reading list all disappeared once I saved to the new name. Silly me. Well a lesson learned every day, no matter how small it is. Had to redo a few things..or perhaps I was the one who didn't know how best to do the changes without things going missing. 


Anyhow, this is going to be a short one. Changed the blog name...still in love with coffee no matter what. :) Toodles!

Terracotta warriors jadi pak guard?

Look who I bumped into when I sent my car for its routine checkup? This pic was taken at one of the factories/offices near the Perodua Service Centre at Seksyen 15. I don't know what factory it was, could not see any signages but I guess the business owner thinks it is better to put these terracotta warriors at the entrance than hire the normal security guards. Extreme cost cutting measures? Maybe. :)


A snippet of info taken from Wikipedia on terracotta warriors:
The Terracotta Army or the "Terra Cotta Warriors and Horses", is a collection of terracottasculptures depicting the armies of Qin Shi Huang, the first Emperor of China. It is a form offunerary art buried with the emperor in 210–209 BC and whose purpose was to protect the emperor in his afterlife, and to make sure that he had people to rule over. A common misconception was that the such said "Army" wasn't just full of soldiers- there were entertainers, and their purpose was to entertain the emperor.


I just copied a bit. Way too long to have them all placed in here. 

Come rain or shine..we will jaga this place with all our might!

When the shoes are comfy...

you just have to buy more than 1.  Bought these shoes (are they called platforms or wedges?hmm) from Vincci at RM59. I bought the black pair a few months back with 10% discount. They are just too comfy that I can even go shopwalking at 1Utama from morning till late afternoon. Then I decided that I just need to get another pair since it is always so hard to find good and comfy shoes. I can't wear heels nowadays..so I reckon kalau ada yang dah tau comfy baik beli banyakkkk banyakkkk. The good thing about these shoes is that they have rubber layer so when you walk InsyaAllah tak jatuh kat lantai jenic licin. Something that always happen to me..gagaga.. Thinking of buying another black pair for backup..in case yang hitam sekarang ni rosak nanti dah takde kasut yang comfy lagi :( Takut Vincci dah tak jual lepas ni...oh decisions, decisions. Lol..macam masalah dunia je.. :p

Rack/Organiser from Ikea at RM149 (if I'm not mistaken..can't remember). You can also use  this to store clothes or stuff at home that needs to be hidden/organised. For me, I use this to keep our shoes. :)

Voila! My all time fave for now. Simple and comfy :) Maybe I should get another extra pair..just in case.

Women & clothes

Finally got myself to sort our clothes out. I don't have a cupboard..we hang our office and outing attires on these racks and place them in the spare room.  The room is considered as our walk-in wardrobe.. :)
Actually I need more of these racks because I think they might collapse any time now.. 


Women.. we can never have too many clothes now can we? We just love to buy clothes right? As for me, I love to collect baju kurung. Don't know why though..It's not as if I have to attend a wedding ceremony every weekend. I have so many kurungs..I have kurungs for work (read: less bling a.k.a less sequins and glittery stuff)..I have kurungs for weddings/kenduris (read: as many blings as I like!). I also have many dresses which I'm wearing lesser and lesser by the day. Maybe I need to pack them up and send them somewhere.


I need to google for tips on how to organise stuff. I can do it, but not exactly as nice I would like it to be.
Okay, till then..toodles!

Super disorganised! His & Hers wardrobe.

Whack them onto the bed.  More like exercising my arms..penat!

Finally! Phew! Hasil of my hard work. Now they are colour co-ordinated. For now! Let's see how  long this can last. lol...

Women & hair

There is no doubt that women are vain beings. Kalau tak banyak pun, sikit mesti ada. Tipula kalau lalu shopping mall ke, when you go inside a lift and see the mirror that you never check yourself out. I do that..nampak cermin automatic kena tengok. On my part, I would say that I want to make sure that everything is where it should be..no wardrobe malfunctions. Hehe..


Well, hair and I...hmm.. Sometimes my hair is my own enemy. Don't know when I can stop going for treatments. I envy those with straight or less problematic hair :p
I have to do some touch up on my rebond hair twice a year. Yes, I am blessed with frizzy and degil hair..got it from my dad's genes. Sungguhlah time and money and energy consuming. Tapi kalau tak buat..this hair of mine, will be poofy and so hard to care for.


For some women, they go for the routine visit to the stylist either for some hair treatment, the usual wash + cut + blow, perming, colouring etc. We just want to look good..for our own self and/or our partners (read boyfriend or husband) hence it's a norm to be spending just a little bit on our crowning glory.  It depends on the needs and wants of each person. For me, dah bukan wants dah..memang its a need to go through this grueling session twice a year. 
Here is what I have to go through each and every single time. Dah tak heran dah..siap boleh discuss dengan stylist how best we could get through the session. hehe.. Roughly the whole process will take about 4 to 4.5 hours.


1. wash
2. the stylist will put some cream on the hair. leave it for 10 minutes
3. wash again
4. the stylist (sometimes 2 stylists will do my hair at the same time..rambut tebal!) will use the hot iron to straighten my hair. This takes the LONGEST time. 30 minutes macam tu.
5. apply the cream that neutralises the first cream. 
6. Under the hair steamer for 15 minutes
7. wash AGAIN
8. Blowdry
9. Iron one last time. Tapi the recent one that I went to skipped this part sebab ramai customer. Geram betul. So if lepas cuci in a few days tak straight I will go back to them to redo. 


So here is a few pictures of step 5 to 8. Didn't take the ironing part because I was shy..nak snap sana sini, segan. :)

After the ironing. Boleh casting horror flick ni. 

Erykah Badu lookalike? 

They put on some treatment cream before...

....steaming my hair. I like this part. So soothing :)


AND Voila! The 4 hours torture's done. And no, I was too lazy to snap the end result piccie. Straight hair je, nothing  extravagant :)