Little Jaunt : Lang Tengah Island 🏝

I was at work, in the midst of finishing my tasks (this happened somewhere around July), I texted my husband, "Hey hon, up for a quick summer vacay? Let me know. X" and I continued doing my work. Believe it or not, the fact that I already traveled around Malaysia, Sabah & Sarawak included, I have never traveled to islands on the East Coast. I have been to Kapas Island also Tioman, but not Redang or Perhentian. So I had that idea of sunbathing there since I have never been to that part of Malaysia. Since my husband and I have not went to any beach trip after we got married (honeymoon was in London during winter, so that one was a city trip instead), so we thought, why not. We both love water and swimming, beach vacation would be ideal.

Went home, browsing more on the accommodations, better oceans, better views, more activities, different offers and packages with better price value. I have heard of Redang and Perhentian Island but not Lang Tengah. I may have heard of it but not sure on how it looks like or where does it located. So I Google-d more and found a great package for island tour from Holidaygogogo Tours. We saw a great offer for snorkelling package in Lang Tengah and we booked right away. They have different offers (of nights and hotels/chalets), but we chose the 3D2N in Summer Bay Resort for snorkelling package. The fact that the company put everything with the itinerary and the price, makes me feel like this is pretty reliable. Transparent to customers and easy for people to actually see the activities and decide what's best and what's suitable for them and also very organized, are always my go-to thing.

REASONS WHY LANG TENGAH INSTEAD OF REDANG OR PERHENTIAN.

ONE: Redang and Perhentian are overrated and packed with people. Most people would go there for the hype and crowds or maybe parties. While, Lang Tengah, not many people have heard of it, so expect less crowd and it is awesomely private and quiet. We both were the only Malays there (other than the hotel staff/workers), since most of the tourists are from China or local Chinese and also the Westerners.

TWO: The water is so much more clearer, the corals are better, more colourful fishes, no crazy waves. But then again, I only discovered though snorkelling, not sure if the deeper sea is nicer for divers.

THREE: The snorkelling package that we booked offers deep sea trips; which you can choose to go to Redang or Perhentian. If you booked for the 4D3N, you can go to both! I chose Redang because it has better water and corals and I do not like big, noisy crowds, so I said no to Perhentian. LOL

Decision has been made, now onto the next phase: PLANNING THE TRIP. September's long holidays are coming (in Malaysia at the moment), hence we decided to go before the big wave comes. We took leaves and went during weekdays, before the long holiday starts.

WHY TAKING TRIPS DURING WEEKDAYS?

ONE: Less crowd on the road.

TWO: Less crowd on the boat.

THREE: Less crowd on the island.

FOUR: Cheaper price (basically for everything) due to low demands.

FIVE: You do not have to queue during meal buffets (also for everything).

My husband and I are huge fans of road trip so we decided to drive ourselves to Terengganu rather than taking flights. We took off from KL to Kuantan on Wednesday night after work, it was a two-hour journey via Karak Highway. Reached Kuantan probably around 10pm, checked in at Vivo Hotel via Agoda, and woke up the next day at 5.30am to continue our journey to Merang Jetty via LPT 1 & 2 (Lebuhraya Pantai Timur) until Kuala Terengganu exit. Asked the receptionist upon checkout, how long will it take for us to get to Kuala Terengganu or Merang Jetty and he said most probably around 4 hours via the old, beach route. Which we should be there at 9.30am, with breakfast. So we drove to Merang Jetty via LPT 2, which saved us 2 hours.

BUT, please ensure that your car is in good condition and your body system is in great shape because the R&R or "pitstop" is not properly finished or operated(?) In case if your car breaks down in the middle of nowhere, the patrol car will get some time to get to you. Also, in case if you need to go to the toilet (either for number one or two), the R&R is dark and there are some unfinished part. Please make sure that your car's headlight & taillight are bright enough for you to see the dark road ahead and also for people to see you. We drove early in the morning (5.30am), so the fog was covering the whole stretch of highway and vision is quite limited. Ensure your wipers are working fine too!

We reached Merang Jetty at 8am. Took us 2 hours from Kuantan and since we have plenty of time for our boat departure at 10.30am, we checked out the jetty and where we should park, then off for a hearty breakfast along the roadside in Merang. We had Nasi Dagang with them locals, which was so good, and off back to jetty at 9.30am. Waited for an hour for the boat to arrive and off we go to Lang Tengah!

Arrived at Summer Bay Resorts Lang Tengah at 11am (it was 30-min to 45-min boat journey from the jetty), we were welcomed with a glass of lime juice and a hot towel to scrap off the salty wind on our faces. Followed by a short briefing from the hotel staff for 10 minutes then checked in. Got the keys and freshened up ourselves and off for our lunch buffet. They gave us 3-course meal per day with coupon for each meal, plus with complimentary tea breaks.

Then our beach vacation begins.

I am an organized traveler, whenever we traveled (with or without family), it is always me who works on the itinerary and budget and places to go, to visit, to eat, to see. So of course, I will share you the basic itinerary for this beach vacation in a new post :)

The best part about this trip was the fact that it was only the two of us at the beach, nobody was really there until sun is set. Most of the tourists there were Chinese and I noticed that they don't really like going out under the sun until it is 6.30pm or something when the sun is already set. I'm not judging or complaining, its good because more beach spaces for us both! Whee!

Three days in Lang Tengah are over. Checked out time at 11am. The boat leaves at 12 noon. We continued our journey in Kuala Terengganu bound. Visiting places and eating what locals eat. The trip was awesome. Decided to stay one night in Kuala Terengganu and it was the worst hotel ever (DM me to ask what hotel is that so that I can share with you! Hint: the tallest hotel room overlooking the river to Pulau Duyong). We booked earlier before the trip started, and when we were there for check-in at 3pm, the receptionist told us that our room is not yet ready. Can you imagine, check-out time is at 12 noon, check-in time is at 3pm. What did your housekeepers do for the whole 3 hours? I specifically mentioned to have a non-smoking room and he said "I can give you smoking room if you cannot wait for your room to be ready". WTH? I specified what room I wanted, so don't tell me otherwise. The room was ready after waiting for 45 minutes, went upstairs and the access card does not work. Went downstairs again to change to a new card for our room and the same receptionist said to call the maintenance number at the back of the card if the card still does not work. The guest should call the maintenance? Shouldn't it be you, the staff? Went upstairs, card still does not work, called the maintenance but could not reach them, went downstairs again to find that my husband went up with the maintenance guy. So... I already hate the hotel. Got inside, room smelt so dusty, furniture was old, TV was still with the big black box at the back, carpet was full with iron-burnt stamps, etc. Will never stay there again.

Well, anyways, my Terengganu trip was amazing (despite the hotel mishaps), I really needed that sun, sand and salt on my skin. I may be tanned AF right now, but I am happy AF too! Thank you to Mr Khor, Ah Haur, staffs in Summer Bay for the great hospitality, I will definitely come back again! Last by no means least, to my husband, MSA, thank you for exploring the world with me. Could not have it better without you ♥

Some photos to share; more on my Instagram: 

Officially a Full-time Housewife

- @achievetheimpossible on Instagram

I had a job.

& now I have a new one, a housewife.

And one of million things I did first when I woke up last Friday morning was, I was wide awake at 6am. I was feeling pumped and so excited to spend the day as a housewife and my ambition was to be a housewife my whole life. BUT, that doesn't happen until last week.

I am blessed. 

Some of you might think that, "Girllll, everyone desperately wants a job but you just want to stay at home and do nothing? Nuh-uh. That ain't badass. Get your poop together and work your butt out, girllll."

Umm, first of all. This is my life, so it is entirely up to me what to do and what not to do. I am not living yours, so yeah. Second of all, doesn't mean I am quitting, I am not a badass woman. Doesn't mean I am resigning, I don't have money. Doesn't mean I do not have a job, I am a loser. Doesn't mean I am not working in an office, I do not have a productive life. I could have way more productive things to do than sitting in an air-conditioned room with the sound of people speaking (indistinctly) or phone vibrating against the cubicle tables or keyboard clicking, mouse scrolling through unfitted page in a browser or the sound of someone's flushing down the toilet in the washroom.

All that, I have been there and I was there, experiencing it each and every day and I could say that it gets pretty exhausting. I was a busy idiot rather than a productive human being. Maybe I do not belong in an office or maybe it is just my brain tells me to stop. "This is not you, Malina.". I need more than just that. Life is more meaningful than just this. I need to grow and where I came from, it has entirely outgrown me. I just want something more.

So, I took that big step of resigning and I just need to "defrag" my brain and treat it like how it is supposed to. My brain gets too tired and chillin' at home is just what I need.

I just got married (well, almost 6 months now, but yeah...), so I feel like the need to brush up my "wife" skills. Cleaning, cooking, trying out new recipes, baking, taking care of pets and plants, arranging furnitures, selecting the perfect furnitures for every nook and cranny of the house now that we own our own place and especially to spend sweet time with my husband, also my own time to workout, read, writing, learn new things, etc.

The fact that I really love being productive but in a more relaxing kind of way, housewife would be a perfect job for me (for now). I am not planning to be a housewife forever, but, just enough time for me to defrag before taking my next step.

The idea of having more time with writing and reading, that's what excite me the most. Away from people, just me spending time at home while my husband is out working his heart out for his little family, cooking when he gets back from work are just what I want. My husband and I are learning/focusing on being a better partner (of course, a better human being too, at the same time) before we proceed to be parents.

Different people craves different things. Different people have different kind of rezeki. You have your own, we have ours and we believe our plans at the moment really works out for us and Alhamdulillah, God eases it all. 

Being a full time housewife is what I always wanted to be and needed to be. I really enjoy cleaning the house and cooking, well you know, just be a housewife. Not for long, inshaAllah, Allah has the best plan for me and I know what I have now is the best. Alhamdulillah.

Let's see what awaits tomorrow x

Love,

Malina A.

April showers, no rain no flowers.

"Greetings. I shake you warmly by the hand." - Willy Wonka

Warm green tea, cute lil succulents, April calendar, smartphone, MacBook Air & some thoughts in my brain. 

Oh boy, it has been ages, ain't it? Not apologizing for being busy and productive in life, but I do apologize for not having much time to write a post on this blog. The last post was my wedding updates, which was happening almost 6 months ago.

Oh wow I have been married for 6 months now? How time flies!

Alhamdulillah, life has been good, been treating me and my husband well. More updates! Since the last posts, many things have been going on. Honeymoons, trips with husband and family, events, big events and also some small incidents and good times and more great times. So far, alhamdulillah, living life with no regrets.

A week (or two) after the wedding, we went on our honeymoon, just in the city area. We wanted to go celebrating our "penat lelah" with the wedding and what not. It was very hectic with the preparations months and months before the November 11th, so we decided to just go chilling and relax at the hotel for two nights. Went touristing with my lawful wedded husband in our very own Kuala Lumpur city.

A few weeks after that, we went to London & Paris for the real honeymoon-ing. LOL. We were there along with my family. The five of us were exploring entire London (& Paris) for approximately around 17 days(?), if I'm not wrong. Didn't get the chance to explore other European countries because we just loved London so much that we couldn't get enough just being there. (No, for real). 

Fast forward to January. Well we got back from London on January 7th and then whole entire month feels like whole entire year. Is it just me or last January really felt like forever? Oh well, survived January like a shero and continue with more city trips with my husband. We had this crazy (but fun) idea of swimming in at any rooftop/infinity pool, every weekend. We both really enjoy swimming (like so much) and it is one our favourite past time and ways to spend a quality time together. So we both agreed and we checked in to different hotels every weekend for their amazing pools.

Then February 27th came. Celebrated Mommy's birthday and we spent two nights in a 3-bedroom water chalet. It was nice, spending the time with family, playing cards and asking general knowledge questions, lie down on an open-sky balcony with the lights off, talked about stars and universe and how Earth exists, discussed of current issues, what's happening to the world, to our nations and what not. It was very calming yet interesting and beneficial things to talk about. I love how my father really explains and shares all information and knowledge that he knows to us kids. He is very wise and certainly a knowledgeable man.

And then March approached. Survived another month.

And we are here, in April. Like the Zoella lifestyle's calendar's saying "April showers, no rain no flowers." Now I know what it meant when I entered this month. It was horrible and exhausting at the beginning and I took a leap of faith that I know if I already decided I want to go through it, might as well just get through with it as soon as I can (in a fabulous way). I decided to quit my job and be a fulltime housewife. It was raining at first, now that I stayed at home, yes, it is full with flowers now. I live my life and I love it.

Do not worry, I am not jobless, I am just taking my time off and get ready for something bigger & sweeter :)

P/s: More blog posts coming up! 

Love,

Malina A.

♥ 18:11 : Reception Day (Two)

18 November 2017

Saturday

11am - 4pm

Family, relatives, friends, neighbours, colleagues, schoolmates etc.

My husband's place

♥ 12:11 : Reception Day (One)

12 November 2017

Sunday

12.30 noon - 3.30pm

Family, relatives, friends, neighbours, colleagues, schoolmates, etc.

Grand Hall, D'Tempat Country Club

  

We hired a photographer and couple of videographers for this reception ceremony, so we are still waiting for the end result in a few weeks time. Hopefully it will turn out good and I can share with you here once I got them. These were all photos captured by personal phones and cameras, so let's be patient and keep spreading the good vibes! ♥

♥ 11:11 : Solemnization Day

11 November 2017

Saturday

10am - 3pm

Family, relatives & closest friends

My parents' place

• L’amour de ma vie, je veux être avec toi pour toujours.

♥

♥ 11:11, 11 November 2017

Je vous déclare mari et femme.

Alhamdulillah.

We are officially married on November 11th, 2017 at my parents' home in the morning. Alhamdulillah, Allah has the best plan for all of us and He brought Syazwan and I, here to this whole new level that we have been impatiently waiting for. Three years of knowing this man, I know he is the Wan for me. Couldn’t ask for more, Allah has bless us with this marriage and hopefully until His Firdaus. Massive thank you to family, relatives and friends, not to mention, my in-laws for your endless prayers and kind wishes. May Allah bless you all for being so supportive and helpful. I pray nothing but the best for all of you who were attending the solemnization ceremony. It’s a beautiful moment for Syazwan and I and we are grateful to share and celebrate this union with you. Thank you for coming all the way and thank you for your amazing effort in making sure that the ceremony went smoothly. Alhamdulillah. 

I am a wife now! ♥