First Trimester of Pregnancy

My first trimester was amazing.

No morning sickness.

No headache.

No weird cravings whatsoever.

I still can focus on my work and still driving and sleeping comfortably on my back and switching positions with zero problem.

One thing for sure, I WAS TIRED AND SLEEPY that I just want to rest my head on my fluffy pillows 24/7.

Other than that, pregnancy was amazing! First trimester was good.

Except for the last one week before I entered second trimester.

Vomiting? Every morning, evening and night, yes.

Headache? One spoonful of it every evening, please.

Cravings? Not so much.

Allergic to certain smell or food? Nope. Nothing. Still surviving with any food.

Tired and sleepy? Lesser and lesser each day.

I was on week 17, my lower back pain started to occur. Was hospitalized and went through for physiotherapy for two weeks. I fell on my back, back in 2011, and somehow I fractured my coccyx (aka tail bone). The pain came back and said hello now, after 8 years, is because my pregnancy.

Well, throughout pregnancy, hormones affect a woman's muscles and joints. The hormones relaxin and progesterone relax muscles and loosen ligaments and joints, especially in the pelvic area. The extra weight and body changes in pregnancy along with these loosened joints and ligaments can cause discomfort and even lead to injury. As your uterus grows and becomes heavier, your center of gravity changes. This can lead to problems with balance and the potential for falls. The weight of your baby and weakening of belly muscles pulls your lower spine forward, adding strain to back muscles. Many women respond by leaning back in an awkward posture. This increases back strain and pain. (Link)

It is not normal to have this back pain early in your pregnancy, it should occur later in second trimester but it is a different case for me because of my previous injury. The pain comes early because the relaxin hormones is released that my muscles could not endure the pain that has been there for years.

Hence, intensive physio sessions.

I still need to apply AcuStop and Perskindol on my back until today and also to wear the pregnancy belt (yes, now as in first trimester). I have to apply hot pack and ice pack every day, twice a day to help ease on the pain.

My husband has been nothing but totally supportive and lovely as ever to help me get through this journey. I had to take sick leaves for bed rest and doctor keeps on giving me MC and ask me to rest.

My colleagues are very supportive and they help me get through my days by tackling some of my workload, which I truly appreciate. Thanks, guys.

At this point in life, despite this painful lower back, I am doing my best focusing on eating healthily for the baby, making sure that I did not miss the multivitamins that I have to take every night, think positively, listening to more Quran verses and also piano classical songs, read more and catching up on news, taking care of myself, try not to stress out so much especially with crazy traffics in KL.

I am doing my best to tackle everything at once. I need to practice this now as there is a new responsibility coming my way. A mother :)


Love, MA
x

I AM PREGNANT!

Being pregnant and knowing that you are pregnant are absolute no joke.

We certainly did not plan or expect this to happen but God knows best and He knows more than you do that you are ready for this next chapter in life.

Being born.

Growing up as a kid.

School.

Universities.

Graduated.

Job interviews.

Getting a new job.

Excited for having a long term relationship with someone who is finally serious with you and you also want him too.

Get engaged.

Being married.

Switching jobs.

And now, being PREGNANT.

God has a beautiful way to guide you through it all and here I am. With the weight of 59kg (previously I was 52kg before I got pregnant) and fluffier cheeks and fingers and toes, huge appetite, wanting to sleep all the time, back ache, vomiting and to have a husband who is extraordinarily nice even sometimes I got superbly moody (sometimes?), God is great.

Never in my life that I could be relaxing, lounging in my bedroom, on this king-sized bed, with Mozart/piano classical songs on Spotify running through my ears and perhaps my growing baby in this belly can hear it too, while blogging this, typing these words... that I am pregnant. With a smile on my face. Happy, motherly smile I would say.

How did I get the news? How did I find out that I am pregnant? Here I go...

I have been having this sore breasts for like a month now and I told my husband about it that he wanted to bring me to see a doctor for a checkup but I said no, every single time. Because I was in denial. I thought it was breast cancer or something. It hurts so bad that it grows and I can feel that it is tight and hard. But never in my mind I would think that it is one of the symptoms of pregnancy. I do not have a regular menstrual cycle so not having my period during that month was just a normal day for me.

A month goes by.

I was at work, it was almost lunch time. I called my husband and told him that I think I should go for a checkup because it hurts like hell. He picked me up from work, I asked for a time off and went to the clinic I usually go to. Told my doctor about it and she said, "I think we should go for a urine test." Still, I haven't had a single clue that I was pregnant. I thought it was something else.

Peed in a small jar. Passed it to the nurse.

5 minutes later. Doctor calls my name. Both husband and I entered the consultation room.

"You see these two lines???"

I looked at my husband, staring at him with my eyes wide open.

"No, doctor. What does these two lines means?". Because ladies and gentlemen, I have never done any pregnancy test before so I do not know what is that stick doing with lines.

"These two lines means, you are pregnant! Congratulations!"

My eyes were wide open, swear to God it looked like my eyeballs are gonna fall out. I looked at my husband again, then the doctor started to explain things, pills, vitamins, dieting, this and that but everything was blur for me. I kept looking at the stick with two lines.

"I'm pregnant? Seriously? There is an actual human being inside me right now?"

So the doctor started asking me when was my last period, I said I don't know because I never keep track on it, never really count the days and what not, never bothers about getting pregnant and all because I just thought that it won't happen to me, yet.

So, folic acid once a day.

Calcium and some multivitamins. Iron. Vitamin C and B3.

It was (& still is!) surreal knowing that I am pregnant.

Out from the clinic, my husband hugged me tightly, "We are going to be parents!"

I was still in shocked and I was laughing scarily, both laughing and crying at the same time. I asked my husband thousands of questions, "Do you think I can be a mom? Like a good mom? Like I mean, really good mom? Do you think I have what it takes?"

That is what I did when I freaked out. I tend to ask millions questions that I know I won't give them time to actually answer me. Those questions were meant for myself, that I just said it out loud.

Back in the office.

Immediately told my teammates because I freaked out. Of course with a smile on my face but... on the inside... it was more than just freaking out. Overwhelming. And I just couldn't remember how the rest of the day went. Maybe I fell asleep in my husband's arms or maybe I cried myself to sleep, I don't know. LOL!

Well, there you go.

A little bit of an introduction of my pregnancy journey.

Day one of knowing there is an actual person inside me.

Alhamdulillah. God is great.

I am truly blessed. No joke. X

2nd Wedding Anniversary

11 November 2017

Two years ago

Married to the most lovable man on Earth

I am blessed

Thank you for making me happier each and every day

Thank you for being the best husband one could ever have

Thank you

& I love you

x

Public Toilet Etiquette

I don't usually post in my blog about daily complaints I have in my life, but when I do, I either must've been so pissed or I have done things to make it better but nope, IT DOES NOT GET ANY BETTER.

From the title itself (see above and come back here), you are well-noted that this girl must have been through a lot the fact that she wants to talk about what happens in the ladies room? The answer is, HELL YES.

Let me simplify this for you, you don't just go in, do your business and go out. No, you thought wrong. There is an art to it. There is a way or shall I say, civilized ways to do it. I don't ask for red carpet or a bow before you want to pee, but there are a lot more than just peeing and pooping.

When you are sharing things in public places, just respect these two things; OTHER PEOPLE'S PRIVATE SPACES & THINGS AROUND YOU.

1. Let's say there are 4 to 10 toilet booths/stalls in each washroom, and all of them are empty (available), please don't go beside the occupied booth. Have some manners. Understand the concept of people's invisible bubbles and spaces.

2. Same goes to the washing basin/sinks. Just go somewhere else. There are always available sinks in there. People doesn't want to sniff you. God knows what you smell like and you don't want other people to smell you too. You are standing way too close with your wet hands and the water might splashes the person beside you and they do not like that. So keep your distance. AT ALL TIMES.

3. Know how to queue if the booths/stalls are all occupied. If you live in Malaysia, especially if you go to Suria KLCC, people do not queue in front of the toilet booth's door. We queue before the booth starts. So just be a lady and queue like the rest of us. If you see nobody's queuing in front of the door, don't be a hero and try to do it because you might get scolded.

4. I know that some of us don't really do business in there. If you did, I know it should be long done, but you are taking too much time in there due to phone usage. I know you have been scrolling around your Facebook and Instagram and there's nothing coming out from your system anymore but little that you know (and how selfish you have been), people actually needed it more than you do. So please mind others.

5. Tissue matter. Well, try your damn best not to wet the whole tissue roll with your wet hands because simple, it is plain disgusting. Bring that tissue roll home because nobody wants to use it anymore, just you.

6. Squatting on a seating toilet. This is the most common issue and I am freakin sick and tired with this. Well there are some of us does not know how to sit on a toilet seat, maybe because either you are from the third-world country or you are disgusted with the idea of sharing bum-prints with strangers. Let's say you are either one of these two, please go to the squat-style toilet OR lift up the toilet seat and squat without the seat OR take off your bloody shoes and wipe it back! Do you know that your shoe-prints are more disgusting than people's butt? So please, kampung people. I beg of you, be civilized.

7. Sit on the toilet seat nicely and properly. I noticed there are some who doesn't want to sit on the toilet seat due to germophobe but please think that your pee and shit are way more than just germs/bacteria. Sometimes there are pee/poop stains. Check before you leave the toilet and see if there is any stain on the toilet, and clean it up before you go. It is not that hard, unless you leave it for days then yeah...

8. Try your best not to wet the floor. I don't understand why some of you like to wet the whole booth area. I mean, you just want to wash one or two places on your body and everything should go down the toilet bowl, not the floor.

9. I noticed this a lot that MANY OF YOU slams the door (toilet booth's door). Once you swing them open, you just smash it against the sharing wall and slams it again when you close it, and when you are done with your business, you slams it open and just let the door slams back without you holding it before it closes. I mean, why? Why, bitches? What are you so mad about that you just want to slams things? Is it because of your diarrhea? Or constipation? Or did you lose your job or your mom never taught you to respect public's facilities? Just, DON'T. SLAM. THINGS. Teach your kids that so that they won't be like you.

10. Learn how to flush down your things. People don't want to see it. You may be proud of what came out of you but honestly, you are the most disgusting person on Earth. If you encounter a problem with the flush that your things just float around and too stubborn to go down for a sewage treatment, ask the cleaner or the management to help you out with it. Don't just leave and let people see it. And no, covering the toilet seat is not a way out. BE RESPONSIBLE OF YOUR OWN SHIT. Make sure to look twice if its gone or not. You know what I mean.

11. Women & their things. You know what I'm talking about. Not all washroom provides the blue bin in every booth/stall so be a proper lady and wrap it nicely with a tissue or two and dump it at the bin outside the booth. The bin should always be there unless you are too stupid to see it. Just wrap it nicely (with a bow if you like), like wrapping a present for Christmas, to put it under a Christmas tree. Wrap it tight and good so that it won't come out even the cleaner is trying to clean it up. Let's say if you are in a situation where the bin is full, don't just shove it there. Ask the cleaner to clear the bin. Yes, it's their job to always make way for new rubbish/trash in there and to make sure that it is always tidy and clean and smells good, but you should make it easier for them.

Take this as your new motto to live in a civilized world with civilized people:

HIDUP JANGAN MENYUSAHKAN ORANG LAIN.

Let us create a better future and a better toilet experience. Cheers to pee/poop in peace! Woohoo!

One year with you ♥

"Aku terima nikahnya, xxx dengan mas kahwin RM xxx tunai."

This happened exactly a year ago. November 11. 2017. #theWanforMalina

It was overwhelming and it still is today though it has been a year been happily married to the most wonderful man on Earth. Every night before we both go to bed, we always talk and say to each other that it is so bizarre that we are now married. After what we have been through throughout the whole two-year journey before we got married, it was amazing how we got to this day.

I leave up to your wildest imagination on the countless challenges and hurdles and shittiest things that have ever happened to both of us. It is true that people said "good things don't come easily", "no pain no gain" and also "diamonds are made under pressure". When you reached to this point of being married, you'll know! This is so true! Diamonds are just ugly, useless rocks without pressuring it and polishing it and cracked it open and get to the core of the rock/stone. Well, here we are. Diamonds. Not literally, but you get what I mean.

Many people asked me, how does he proposed? And how to know if the guy is ready for marriage? How does he knows that you are the one because most guys does not have any idea how to be in a relationship? How can you get him? What did you do to make him want you? You give any hints on getting married anytime soon to him that he is pressured to do so?

Well, let me share with you our story. LOL.

For those who know me, I am not the kind of lady who likes cliche stuff. I do not believe in fairytale, have zero expectation of Prince Charming or knight in shining armour nor the guy has to proposed in some romantic gesture that I should said yes immediately. I also do not believe in arranged marriage. In fact, I did not have any plans on getting married as I grew older. (Fun fact: Back when I was seven, yes SEVEN, I had a dream that I will get married when I turn twenty-seven, which will be in 2017. So I made the calculation in that tiny little brain of mine, 20 years to go until I found my man. Well, dreams do come true then, guys. Literally.)

So I will answer it based on these common questions I often get:

How does he proposed to you?

I cannot tell you exactly how he proposed because it was more like a discussion between two of us rather than a "Will you marry me?" proposal. It was at night, we just got back from a dinner date, he sent me home. On the journey back home, he asked, "How about we get married in November 2017?". Yes, out of the blue he asked me that question. It was around August 2016, and we have been together for a year and six months at that time. I told him, "So it will be about a year plus to go. You're okay with it? Wait for me? What if there are some other bitches who want you? Will you still want me to be your wife?". I did not treat his question as a proposal because I genuinely think that was just a discussion and somehow he has that crazy idea of being married to me because I am honest AF and sometimes can be so straight-forward that people might think I am rude. But, yeah. I did not pay much attention to it because if he's serious, he will show me. Not just say things out of the blue like that. I would like to see some actions, baby! LOL!

So, it was December 2016. He asked me again. This time he said, "I told my parents that we are getting serious and my family would like to meet your family, some time in January. Is that okay? Could you please ask your family?". Err. Okay, this guy is serious. Honestly guys, I have no expectation and never think of a life being married and married Malina is not fun. I don't know how to be a wife. I mean, living in a house with a stranger? What the hell? No way. I am the type of woman who will never meet my boyfriend's family, will never go to their place and my boyfriend is not allowed to meet my family. I will never bring my boyfriend home because he is a complete stranger to my family and he will invade my family's space. So no. He asked me to discuss with my family about this and I gave it a go. My family is keen to meet him and the whole clan, so we did. January 7th 2017 was the date. We had dinner at my family's place and then they talked about being engaged on the next month.

After they went back, I couldn't believe that my family met his and my brain could not stop thinking that, "Eh am I getting married soon? Is this for reals?".

Then came a week after that. He came to pick me up and we went out for breakfast at 6.30am. I still remember that morning, he just got back from work at 5am, haven't got his sleep yet and called me at 6am to go out for a breakfast date at the nearest Oldtown in our neighbourhood. Both of us went out unshowered, with a hoodie on and still in my PJs. While waiting for our meal, he asked, "Are you busy on November 17th, 2017?". I replied with "I am not sure, let me check my organizer." (yes, I bring my organizer everywhereeee). Whilst I was checking it, he said "Let's get married?" with a question mark. I was stunned. OF COURSE I WAS STUNNED! That came out of nowhere! My eyes were wide open, froze, I swear to God I did not blink for like 10 seconds. My body was sliding down from the nook chair in Oldtown. Swear to God I looked like that!

He was laughing and said again, "Let's get married in November!". I sat up straight, and said "You never give up, do you?". He said "I know you are the one for me. So yes, I would like to marry you and have you as my wife. Will you?". And next thing, there's the engagement ring he bought earlier and went to buy it behind my back. Damn. So yeah. That's the proposal story. I still checked my schedule in my organizer and November 17th is wide open, no bookings made. So what did I say to him? I cried and said, "So I will be free on November 17th but are you sure? Aww, thank you for not giving up on me. Of course I would love to be your wife." Wow. How time flies.

For those who doesn't know why it was 17th and we were married on the 11th, the initial plan was on the 17th but there are no halls available as we went to find the venue after the engagement in February, they were only available on the 11th. So we brought it a week forward.

How to know if the guy is ready for marriage? How does he knows that you are the one because most guys does not have any idea how to be in a relationship? How can you get him? What did you do to make him want you?

I once asked him this question and I swear this is his answer. This does not comes from me. It's my husband's. Here we go. I went on few dates before I met Malina. By few, I mean a lot. I went on dates and met some women and had some conversations but none of them have the quality of being interesting. I usually do the talking, maybe they are shy but I don't feel the mutual feelings. Sometimes they like me too much or maybe they do not care at all. When I met Malina, she has different set of mind and mentality that cannot be found in others. She is different. We clicked right away and she made me laugh with her jokes and the vibe that she gave me is beyond anything else. She is not afraid to be herself and I know that she is confident by the way she talks, walks and laughs. That confidence she has, she wants people around her to feel that as well. She does not care what others think about her because she knows what she's doing. She has that good vibes and stuff that she talked about, I know she's different and smart and knowledgable. She doesn't do small talk or talk about other human beings. She focused on her goals and self-improvement, which not many can do this. She reads a lot so she knows what she's talking about. She has her own words and nothing can stop her from growing and moving forward in life. Those qualities are somehow what I was looking for to make somebody as my wife.

You give any hints on getting married anytime soon to him that he is pressured to do so?

I think he was the one who feels pressured that he is not married to me yet. LOL! I was busy focusing on myself because I was unemployed at the time and I need to find my passion and travel around before I settled down. Save up more money and to reach my certain goals first. Which I was busy with working out at the time, just to get myself sorted out by leading a healthy routine. Also to have a rockin' body for myself. Why not. Hahah! But not now though... After being married, I gained so much weight that I looked like a skinny balloon. Still skinny but bloated. You get what I mean? Sigh.

How do you keep the relationship healthy and interesting after marriage?

Until the next post! LOL!

Thanks for stopping by to read this! And thank you for the lovely wishes I received via text, Facebook and Instagram!

X,

Malina

101 Beach Essentials

   

 

What did I bring during my recent beach vacation? I had two luggages: Travel backpack for my trip to island & wheel hand-carry luggage for my city trip once I back to mainland. One rattan bag to be used for both trips, also wearing the same pair of black sandal, black hat, shades

ISLAND TRIP: What's in my travel backpack.

(I put my clothes in different plastics for different days, so that I could use those plastics back to put all the dirty laundry)

CLOTHING:

Day 1 - 1: Black coverups, arena wetsuit, a pair of bikinis (top and bottom)
Day 1 - 2: Same dress I wore upon arrival, long cardigan

Day 2 - 1: Playsuit, same long cardigan. A pair of bikinis, same wetsuit
Day 2 - 2: Same playsuit, same long cardigan

Day 3 - 1: PJs (I only brought one PJs). A pair of bikinis, same wetsuit
Day 3 - 2: Blouse, jeggings

Just in case, two sets of undergarments. Aaaaand, that is all for clothing.

TOILETRIES: (everything put in one zipped pouch)

Toothbrush
Toothpaste (in case if the hotel does not provide any)
Facial wash
Comb
Conditioner (sometimes the hotel only provides shampoo w/o the conditioner)
Deodorant
Sun lotion (I used SPF 50)
Aloe vera gel (for soothing your sunburnt skin)
Pencil eyeliner (upon checkout, if you want to look prettier. LOL!)
Lipbalm/lip oil
Hair scrunchy
Hair pin
Tissue
Wet wipes

WANNA GET A LIIIIL BIT FANCY:

Beach mat/beach towel (for you to sunbathe or lounge around the beach, read a book by the beach, etc.)
A book
Floaties (some hotels have them to be rented out but its FCFS basis)
Air pump
Your own goggles/snorkelling mask (I brought my own because I don't like the fact I share with strangers)

DEVICES:

Phone
GoPro
GoPro stick
Waterproof phone case
Chargers (phone, GoPro, etc.)
Multi-outlet socket

FOOD ITEMS:

Energy bar (for a quick snack in-between activities)
Mint

A-MUST:

Print out of your bookings (make two copies, the other one put it in different place)
A copy of your IC, driving license, marriage cert (if you are married) - in case if your purse/wallet lost or stolen
Dry bag for your purse, keys, money

CITY TRIP: What's in my wheel luggage.

Two undergarments
PJs
Day 1: Flare pants, blouse
Day 2: Dress, cardigan

*Put (last) your toiletries bag at the top of your backpack, so that you could throw that into the wheel luggage.

Basic Itinerary : Trip to Terengganu

Beach #OOTD

I like something bright or pop-up colour along with black and white or with any b&w stripes. Mix & match everything. But most importantly, feeling confident and comfortable for you to walk around the island!

Black hat : H&M

Rose Gold glasses : Zalora

Yellow long crop top : Bershka

B&W stripes sleeveless dress : Cotton On

*Rattan bag : H&M

Black sandal : Jelly Bunny

Since the wetsuit is quite tight for a Muslim lady, I covered it with a coverups/dress until I dunked myself in the ocean. LOL!

Black coverups dress : H&M

Black wetsuit : Arena

Black tights : Arena

Out for a tea break before you go for a quick dip in the ocean after. I absolutely loveeeee long, flare cardigan especially this one, it really looks nice to wear it at the beach. It is not thick that you can still feel the wind but not too thin or see-through that you can wear it with a tight dress or playsuit/jumpsuit.

Long cardigan : Bershka

Blue and white stripes playsuit : Cotton on

You can always wear the same cardigan (so that you do not have to bring all cardigans you have!), but just change the inside dress. Since the cardigan's stripes pattern are vertical, I chose to wear a horizontal stripes dress with a black hat.

Dress : Cotton On

Again, I chose to wear something bright. Totally love the yellow-mustardy colour to wear at the beach because the colour complements the colour of the sea and the sand. I wear jeggings on my last day on the island so that I would look normal when I arrive on the mainland. I don't want to look weird with long dresses or with long, flare-y cardigan when I am in the city.

Yellow top : Miss Read

Jeggings : Uniqlo

*Note: The rattan bag from H&M originally do not have the white pompoms, I added it myself to make it more suitable for beach trips :)

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: