Beijing Winter Trip 2016 (With 2 Kids Under 5, No Kidding)

Ni gambar introduction. 

Haha.

Tak mau ulangi kemalasan berbelog pasal Seoul trip, hakak akan cuba untuk berbelog dengan komprehensif trip ke Beijing kami baru-baru ni. Okay, it's not exactly baru-baru ini. It was 4 months ago *face palm*

Anyway, ceritanya begini.. 

Kitorang memang tak pernah terfikir atau teringin pon nak pi China. Mungkin sebab banyak cerita tak berapa best yg aku dengar pasal China kan. Plannya hujung tahun nak balik rumah PIL di Kuching. Tup tup MIL ajak pi berjalan ke Beijing. Ada kawan dia ajak.. Ikut tour katanya. Kitorang on je la asalkan dapat bersama keluarga. Gituh. *calon menantu terbaik please*

Usually when we travel, we prefer a DIY traveling. From air ticket to accommodation to transportation and food.. Semuanya plan sendiri lah. Bila semuanya DIY, memang aku control freak habis. Bukan apa, nak elak tak cukup duit, tersesat and segala macam ketidak-best-an berlaku. You are fully equipped.

Tapi bila ikut tour ni aku jadi cam tak senang duduk. Not much information were shared pre trip (mungkin sebab aku tak banyak tanya.. ye la semua MIL handle. Tanak jadi control freak plak) so banyak bende yang aku tau tak tau. Bila ikut tour ni, semua orang dah sediakan. Aku tak lah research and google apa-apa sangat. Ikut je la. Yang bestnye dah terjaga segala transportation (naik tour bus), makanan Halal and important tourist spots memang ko akan pergi. Kalau sendiri, segala harga tiket, train route, kedai halal ko selidik sendiri maka ko banyak la belajar tentang tempat tu. Gitu la sedikit sebanyak pros and cons DIY travel or tour-guided travel.

Our tour schedule looked something like this:

 Itenerary by our tour agent, Flyworld Travel & Tours

Though the itinerary looks like this, the actual order of program wasn't 100% as per the itinerary. It depended on what day of the week it was. For instance, we were suppose to go tho the Great Wall on a Sunday but the tour guide shifted it to Monday to avoid weekend crowd.

We reached Beijing at midnight. The next day, our tour started at 10am. Macam biasa, kitorang memang lambat lah. Dengan bebudak dan mak bapak tak cukup tidoqnya kan. i don't really remember our exact schedule so i'm gonna comment based on the placed we went to.

We are the back seaters of the bus.

Tiananmen Square

We went to Tiananmen Square on our first morning. It was so cold but sunny at the same time. Dhani cried for the first few minutes of walking towards the square because of the sun got in his eyes. Drama anak aku ni. Afif refused to sit in his stroller, instead he insisted to push the stroller all the way. Haha. Once we got into the square compound, we're a bit relaxed to let the kids roam free because there weren't that many people around. Seronok la diorang berlari.

Overall, Tiananmen Square visit with kids would not be too much hassle. Afif and Dhani enjoyed the space and they were in constant amazement looking at how huge things were (huge gates, huge statues, huge doors, lots of space to run freely..) but they wouldn't care much about history. i had to breastfeed Dhani but couldn't find any nursing room close to where we were at that time, so we sat down on a bench a bit hidden from people and do our business. Only down side is we had to walk a bit, about 15 minutes from our bus to enter the Tiananmen Square. It was a challenge because the kids got excited to walk (and run) along with all the people.

On the way to enter Tianmen Square. In an attempt to carry him instead of letting him run wild.

Marching of the guards and my husband and Dhani were in the middle of it all.

Entering one of the many doors

The kids went crazy here because of all the space.

Running wild

Dhani with his beloved Atok

Half-frozen river

Walking in the park.

Yours truly.

The Summer Palace

The Beijing Summer Palace comprises of a huge land with a big lake, gardens and palaces in it. We went to the Summer Palace on our second day. It was a bit hazy that day but it wasn't too bad. I'd say it's a good recreational place to go for a stroll on haze-free day. Afif and Dhani like the place because they can roam free. There's this long huge padestrian bridge which Afif loved and kept singing London Bridge is Falling Down when we walked on the bridge.

The main bridge at Summer Palace compound.


The Summer Palace.
We only viewed it from across the lake. Look how hazy it was.


Afif's 'London Bridge'


Girls and selfies :/

The Great Wall at Juyongguan

It took us around 2 hours to get to the Great Wall of China at Juyongguan Pass. Okay, honestly i'm not sure which Great Wall that we went to (was it Badaling or Juyongguan?) but based on my search on Google, our photos look like the one at Juyongguan.

There are ample of parking space for buses and private vehicle, two or three coffee shops just by the entrance and a mini photo studio where you can pose with traditional costumes. And of course, the Great Wall of China..

The Great Wall look as majestic as i imagined it would be.

It was a cold day. Temperature was around 3C. The kids were well behaved at first. They just had their lunch, so Afif was his usual jolly self and Dhani was half asleep in his stroller. Butttttt the Great Wall, being the Great Wall with steps and all, it is NOT suitable for stroller usage. We parked the stroller at the little photo studio but as we began our walk, Dhani cried and cried. He just wanted to breastfeed and nap. He demanded that we return to the bus. It was not an ideal situation for a hike up the Great Wall. My husband and i decided that i go back to the bus with Dhani and he went up the wall with Afif and the rest of our family. i admit i was so bummed to have missed hiking up the Great Wall but a crying baby will make the experience even worse.

When we got to the bus, our driver was nowhere to be found. Upon seeing the bus is locked (and a bit of explanation from me), Dhani suddenly forgot that he needs milk and a nap. He was suddenly okay again and wanted to walk (-_____-)

So i made my way up the Great Wall AGAIN, carrying a 12kg baby in my arms (i fully regretted that we left the baby carrier at home). So up we went.

At first i carried him..

..and then we walked.
The walk is the good part. The stairs is the hard part!


Half way through the wall, we finally saw Mr. Chenta and Afif climbing up the stairs.
Look how steep the steps are!


Afif and his Atok

Bertabahlah sayang mengangkut anak naik Tembok Besar Cina


Jendela istana konon.

Family!

Moh balik. Penat dah!

This is my review of our Great Wall visit in Tripadvisor.

Beijing Snow World Ski Resort (Caution: Scammers Alert!)

Before we went to the Great Wall, we went to Beijing Snow World Ski Resort (BSWSR). It was a bit of a joke, really, because 1) even though it's winter, it wasn't snowing. So instead of real snow, we have man-made snow at BSWSR, 2) there's no resort whatsoever. Just 2-3 buildings and 2 snowy slopes for skiing.

It's a good thing that we had our tour guides. We were informed that the workers at the resort will charge you for every little things they do for you. It is their way to earn a living as they can only work during the winter months because only in these months the ski resort is opened. If money is not a problem for me, i won't mind but i'm not a rich girl so yeah.

Scammer alert #1:
After you put on your rented ski boots, the ski resort workers will escort you to the 'travelator' that will bring you up the slope and  will offer to teach you to ski down. While they don't really speak English, they all looked so friendly and sincere but this won't be for free. They will charge you for the ski 'lesson'.

Instead, we straight away refused their offer to accompany us. We climbed a little bit up the slope (our first time skiing actually so we're nervoussss) and tried to ski down on our own with guidance from Ustaz Shahul, our tour guide. Even for first timers, none of us fell down. This built our confidence so we took the travelator to go higher up on the slope.Not to boast or anything but even for first timers, we didn't fall on our asses at all. i mean i'm so natural at skiing i should compete in the Winter Olympics *blows nails*

Scammer alert #2:
After you've done skiing, make sure you receive 3 cards upon returning your ski gears; one for the ski sticks, one for the ski, and one for the ski shoes. Only when ALL 3 cards are collected by the gate bouncer, they'll let you leave. USD25 will be charged if you miss a card and believe me, they'll make you miss a card. My husband didn't receive his ski card after returning the ski and after we really insisted on it, the old man finally gave him the card.

Baru sampai

Fefeeling jadi teenager balik.Excited laki bini.
Thanks Mama and Babah for entertaining Afif and Dhani while we ski!


Travelator that takes people up the beginner slope.


Teehehe.

Keras di situ.
Ok belum cukup layak bertanding Olympics.

There's also this little hill for sledding at the ski resort. Unfortunately it has a separate entrance with the main ski area and you have to pay 10 Yuan for 2 rounds of sledding. Memandangkan kesian Afif excited nak main snow tapi tak dapat sentuh snow pon kat tempat ski tadi, kami bawak la dia pi main sledding ni.

The sledding area.

Preparing to sled down.

Jyeahaha!

He asked me to build Olaf. But notice my ungloved hands there? i only managed a small snowman and Afif wasn't impressed at all (-___-)

Dia paling bahagia bila jumpa salji. Sampai skang ajak pi main salji.

Panda Visit at the Beijing Zoo

What's a trip to China without looking at the pandas right? We went to see only the panda at the Beijing Zoo. Dhani missed all the fun because he slept all through the visit. The panda center biasa je la nothing wow to shout about. But i guess visiting zoo in Beijing is much nicer than our KL zoo trip because it's so hot in KL. Kat Beijing nyaman ja. Gituh!

Pandas are so lazy they just sit around. i don't know how they came up with Kungfu Panda. Haha.

Tengok panda dari jauh.

Dhani tido don't care about no panda

Silly picture is a must.

All in All..

.. we had a blast during the Beijing trip! i think you'll have a blast anywhere as long as you're with family right? A few things to note tho:

- Beijing air is always polluted because of the limitless factories in Beijing and its surrounding area. Some days you'll get clear day, but most days are hazy. It's always a good idea to bring face masks to Beijing.

- Traveling in winter could be a challenge if like us, you're from a tropical country. During our trip, the temperature ranged from -7 Celcius to 7 Celcius. Naturally, the kids were our main concern. For each of them (for 6 days duration), we brought 3 sets of thermal inner and long johns, 2 winter outerwear (fleece and down jackets), 1 pair of fleece lined jeans, lotsa gloves, 1 pair of scarf and winter hat. Other than that, we brought their normal jeans/khakis and long sleeve t-shirts. The key to winter wear is LAYERING. Layer your usual outfit with thermal wear and jacket and you'll be fine.

- Also bring along lipbalm and moisturizer for the kids. And feed them lots of water. It can get pretty dry.

- Trips to Beijing memang tak sah kalau tak melawat kilang teh, kilang sutera kilang jade dan kilang bamboo charcoal. These are like a requirement for all the tour agents to bring the tourist to these places. Kitorang tanak pon, diorang kata kene jugak bawak. Dah la barang mahal kat tempat-tempat ni. Haih.

- I'd recommend our hotel especially if you're a Muslim looking for affordable accommodation in Beijing. They serve halal breakfast spread, a halal noodle restaurant and Tesco are next door.

- There are LOTS of Halal Chinese food in Beijing if you know where to look. Because we traveled with a travel agent, our meals are all taken care of. We went to various Halal restaurants but unfortunately i didn't really take note of the restaurants' names.

My Tripadvisor review of City Inn Beijing Hotel.

Beijing on hazy days.

That's all for now. Til next post!

teefasays [dot] com

Hello y'all!

Just a quick update: i've gotten my own domain name.

Instead of looking for this blog by the old http://www.princessofbabbles.blogspot.com, my blog website is now www.teefasays.com.

If you're already following me, please change the address n your reading list.

i mean, teefasays sounds a lot more cooler that princessofbabbles right?

Bahaha.

Okay that's all for now.

p/s: my Beijing trip blogpost is rusting in the draft folder. Promise i will publish it ASAP.

p/s lagi: meanwhile, i still write at https://zcoop.zalora.com.my/. Check it out!

March 2017 is the Month for Afif

i officially dedicate the month of March 2017 to my eldest son, Afif Haiqal.

It's a big month for him as on 7th of March, he underwent his second cochlear implantation surgery. This time, in his left ear. 

If you're my friend or my existing blog reader, you would know that Afif is deaf from birth. He has cochlear implant (CI) on his right ear and hearing aid on his left ear to help him hear and speak. Alhamdulillah, he now can speak in 3-4 word sentences but his speech pronouncation is not as clear as kids his age. He is still pelat and his speech development is equivalent to 3 year old kids. So much catching up to do!

Last year, through series of tests, we found out that his hearing in the left ear had worsen and hearing aid can not help him to hear well. Thus, the ENT specialist and speech therapist suggested him to get CI on his left ear as well.

Alhamdulillah, the expenses of the surgery and its external device (almost RM90k) was funded by my employer. i am forever grateful for that and will stay loyal to this company forever #darahhijau

Alhamdulillah the surgery went well and the implant will be switched on this Thrusday. i can't wait for Afif's new ear!

i will tell you more about the experience of his first and second CI surgery in the next post.

My strong boy.

In the operation theater, just before his surgery.

 

A day after surgery.

Can smile, can play already.

Aside from that, for the first time ever i was invited as a forum panelist representing parents of deaf kids at UKM. The forum is about rehabilitation in community for disabled people and was held to help UKM students in various courses to better understand the needs of OKU children. 

It was an honor to be invited among the experts; Dr. Sazlina from Permata Kurnia, Miss Angie from KIWANIS, and Cikgu Ros from Sekolah Pendidikan Kiu. i learnt a lot from the forum.

During the forum.

March is ending soon. Time flies so fast isn't it?

Lunch at Nobu KL

If you're into Hollywood celebrity gossip, you would've known that Nobu is a restaurant that they frequently dine at. Nobu opened in KL, specifically at Tower 3 KLCC, sometime in late 2014. With 33 restaurants all over the world, KL's foodies were excited for the opening and so many blogs reviewed on their food.  

Naturally, being a celebrity foodie kepochi that i am, i've been wanting to go and try their signature dishes since day one. But of course, as a mere rakyat marhaen i always wondered "Mampu ke nak makan kat Nobu?" i ain't no Marion Caunter, you know.

At last, bertemankan Amal (seorang kawan yang juga Hollywood kepochi), i got to dine at Nobu today at lunch. Amal made a reservation yesterday (Nobu is so cool that you have to book ONLINE), and at 12pm sharp, we're in the (dedicated) lift, making our way up to the restaurant which is located on level 56, Tower 3, KLCC.

For appetizer, we ordered two of Chef  Matsuhisa's signature dishes, which were claimed as the dishes that changed his career as a chef; New-Style Salmon Sashimi and Rock Shrimp Tempura. And they didn't disappoint. The salmon sashimi is made of fresh salmon sashimi that is poured on with a sizzling hot sauce of what taste like sesame oil mixed with soy sauce, some ginger and garlic.The Rock Shrimp Tempura is basically shrimp tempura coated with a creamy sauce that taste like mayo-chili sauce.

New Style Salmon Sashimi, RM65

Rock Shrimp Tempura with Creamy Sauce, RM60

For main course, we decided to order Bento 56, to share. This bento consists of Salmon Sashimi Salad, Spicy Tuna Cut Roll, Assorted Tempura with Ponzu Sauce, and Beef Kushiyaki with Teriyaki Sauce. After our delicious appetizers, we're a bit disappointed with this bento. No doubt, ingredients taste fresher than your average casual Japanese restaurants but taste-wise, there's nothing to shout about. The bento is served with miso soup which came after we've finished all our food and ready for bill and it taste no better than the miso soup i always make at home with miso paste bought at Isetan.

Bento 56, RM125

We also ordered a tuna dished called Toro something. We asked the waitress because we're unsure of the exact name but we did mention a Toro in small bowl. We were served with this instead:

Chu Toro, RM70

Basically a tuna belly cut. Not what we expected because the picture we saw online is different. Again, the fish tasted fresher than the ones i always have at Sushi Zanmai but at the end of the day, it's still just freshly cut tuna.

Overall, we had a good time at Nobu. If you know what to order, you'll end up with explosion of taste in your mouth, like we had with the sashimi and shrimp tempura. Our two other dishes were rather plain. Still, no regret whatsoever. The prices are a bit steep but it is expected at a fine-dining restaurant. i'd go again, tho not too soon (probably in a year time).

i look fat here but i swear i'm not actually that fat.
*memang ayat in denial*

Lazy Girl's Guide to Lose Weight

Ladies, let’s admit it: You are obsessed with your weight. Well, if you are not, you belong in the 5% of women who don’t really think much about their weight and i can't relate with you. 

Everyday we are bombarded with images of perfect, thin-but-with-lush-bossoms-and-bottom women in TV, Instagram and YouTube that makes us think “Why can’t I look that hot?”

The truth is, you can!

You can if you work for that dream body. Looking good doesn’t come easily (except for those lucky few who are blessed with good DNA). Those beautiful models, celebrities and Insta-famous people you see work really hard to look good.

However, let’s admit it. Not all of us have the time and willpower to religiously work out for 2 hours a day and be on a diet. i know i am not that determined. 

Through most of my adult life, i make sure i weigh no more than 55kg. But once i stopped pumping breastmilk at work last October, i weight has gradually increased. Now i'm 57kg! It feels like the end of the world.

Tapi masih malas nak workout dan diet. For me, dieting doesn't do the body good because i know i won't be able to switch to Atkins/go vegan/carb-free for good.

So what can a lazy girl like me do? A subtle change of lifestyle. Here are 10 everyday realistic things you can do to help you lose those kgs: 

1. Load Up on Protein

As Malaysians, we tend to have a bigger portion of carbohydrate (rice and noodles) on our plate. Change this! Instead of rice, load up your plate with protein. Instead of having one piece of chicken with a bowl of rice, try to have two pieces of chicken with half a bowl of rice. This simple switch will keep you full longer that you eat up to 441 fewer calories per day according to a few studies including this one. Meanwhile, according to one study from University of Missouri, high protein diet reduces obsessive thoughts about food by 60%, while cutting the desire for late night snacking in half.

Eating a high protein diet has been shown to boost metabolism by 80 to 100 calories per day, thus helps you feel full longer.

2. Drink More Water

Drinking loads of water immediately before meals tricks your body into thinking that you are full faster because water fills the space in your tummy.

Not only before meals, drinking lots of water throughout the day helps reduce water retention (that adds extra inches on your arms and waistline).

3. Less White Carbohydrate Intake

We all know this: white carbs means calories, and lots of them.

Studies show that refined carbs like sugar which exists in cakes, cookies, chocolate bars and fruit juices, and also rice and pastas can spike blood sugar rapidly, which leads to hunger, cravings and increased food intake a few hours later.

For healthier choice, replace sugar with honey and brown sugar (in limited quantity, of course) and take brown rice instead of your usual white rice.

 4. Tea, Tea, Tea

It’s no secret that green tea helps weight loss and fat burning, thanks to the powerful antioxidants called catechins that is found in green tea.

Aside from green tea, black Chinese tea called Pu-Erh Tea also helps to aid weight loss. i learnt this during my trip to Beijing last December. Our tour guide told us that they (especially young girls) drink Pu-erh tea to lose weight and maintain the ideal weight. The best time to drink a cup of Pu-erh tea for weight loss goals is one hour after a meal so that the Pu-erh tea can remove excess grease and help your body eliminate unwanted and leftover, hard-to-digest fats.

i've never been a fan of tea (i'm more of a coffee person) but i guess i have to start now.

5. Smaller Plates for Smaller Portion

This might seems like a no-brainer but using smaller plates at meal times will lead you to eat less. This, researches has found, is caused by a simple trick of the eyes (you can read about it here). At meal time, we tend to fill our plate and do not stop eating until the plate is clean. The bigger the plate, the more fill it with food hence the more we eat. By using smaller tableware, people will put less food on their plate in the first place. A research by Cambridge academics found that simply by switching to smaller bowl or plate, we reduce food intake by 9%.

6. Spice Up Your Life

News flash: spicy foods help in weight loss! There are many ways spicy food can help you to shed those extra pounds. Firstly, spicy stuff like chilli and cayenne contain a substance called Capsaicin which boost metabolism. High metabolism enable the body to burn more calories. Secondly, Capsaicin also reduces your appetite.

This is good news for us Malaysians because we love our spicy sambals and asam pedas!

7. Stairs Instead of Lifts

This is the ultimate shortcut to working out if you are a lazy girl. Take the stairs! Your apartment is on the 6th floor? No problem. Take the stairs instead of lift and you got your 5 minutes of exercise without even trying.

8. Avoid Stocking Up Your Kitchen With Unhealthy Snacks

This includes those so-called healthy biscuits and energy bars, ice creams, cookies and white bread. Instead, stock up on fruits like banana, apples and raisins, nuts, wholemeal breads and yogurt. These are healthier options especially when you’re on the go.

9. Break Up With Your Yoga Pants

For real, ditch the yoga pants and any pants or any clothing made from jersey or stretchable materials. Yes they are so, so comfortable when you’re pregnant, when you’re bloated during your period or bloated with the all-you-can-eat buffet. But it’s easy to lose yourself in those.

Firstly, they don’t really look good (unless you have a lean, cellulite-free backside). Secondly, its stretchy material means it will still fit you comfortably even when you put on extra inches without realizing it. Your slim fit jeans, on the other hands, will never lie. When you have accidentally gained an inch, it will let you know “Nope, you can’t fit in here. Try again when you’ve lost the extra inch.”

10. Try the 7-Minutes Exercise

As lazy as we may be, in order to slim down and stay slim, you have to incorporate some exercise in your routine (that’s why this point is the last on the list). If you’re not a fitness junkie at all, try to go for a 10-minute walk around the block or the mall, at least twice a week. Over time, increase the duration and pace. Many have sworn by this 7-Minutes Exercise. Come on, 7 minutes out of 1440 minutes a day is not that much, isn’t it?

There you go. 10 simple things you can do daily to slim down. Remember, getting slim and fit won’t happen overnight or even a week. It takes a change in lifestyle.

Pray that i can adhere by these too so that i can lose these evil extra kgs.

*this article originally was written for ZCOOP My. i republish it here with some changes.
 

Writer for Zalora Online Magazine

Yup.. You're reading her blog right now!

Hehe.

Alhamdulillah. After my sponsored-by-Zalora post last December (you can read it here), they invited me to be one of the writers for ZCOOP. i guess they like what they read! 

What is ZCOOP MY?

Basically ZCOOP MY is an online community (or online magazine) by Zalora Malaysia. They have a panel of editors and a bunch of writers who contribute articles for the online magazine. There are many topics - not just fashion- including beauty, lifestyle, and entertainment. Zcoop My is hosted at Medium.

 Zcoop MY

That's my article right there! 

And my writer's profile on the right!

Honestly, i think not many people have heard of Medium or Zcoop. Nevertheless, i am thrilled to be part of their team. i take this as a platform for me to brush my writing skill and learn from others. Who knows one day i can be editor for Cosmopolitan magazine right? Bahaha. A girl can always dream.

Wish me luck, guys!

My 2016

Hope it's not too late to wish ya'll a very Happy New Year!

Alhamdulillah, my 2016 has been smooth-sailing and great. Just to recap:

1) i got back to work in January 2016 after 8 months of being a stay-at-home mom (2 months maternity leave, 6 months unpaid leave). Feel so good to be back in the office (a new office, new boss, new colleagues..) and to finally receive my own paycheck at the end of the month!

2) Afif started school. It's just playschool but he adapted beautifully. He loves going to school and making friends. At first he's in the mainstream class but in August, after much deliberation and feedback from his teachers, we moved him into Behavorial Modification Program (BMP) because we feel he would benefit in the class. Speech, occupational and water therapies are included in the program and he seemed to be happier. Except for water therapy class. He hates it.

3) Mr. Chenta advanced in his career woohoo!

4) i advanced in my career. Woohoo!

5) We get to traveled to 2 foreign lands which the main languages are not English; Seoul and Beijing. But we survived! What with language barrier and traveling with kids. The experience are priceless. 

6) i gained 3 kgs in 2016. Bahahahaha.. Dear God, help me shed these kgs off, please! Before this, i swore i'd rather die than let my weight touch 55kg. Now i have to find a way to lose those excess weight. Anyone wants to fund my liposuction? Anyone?

7) Alhamdulillah for my healthy family. We're blessed with good health, both parents and kids did not encounter major health issues and not hospitalized. This is the biggest blessing.

8) We celebrated our 10th year of being together and 5th year of marriage! Alhamdulillah. 

9) But on a sad note, my sister-in-law (my brother's wife) was diagnosed with stage 4 kanser pangkal hidung. We got this news in Ramadhan. She had undergone rounds of chemotherapy and radiotherapy. She is truly a strong and beautiful human being. Please pray that she would recover soon and be cancer-free.

i think that's all the major events in my 2016.

i wish and pray that 2017 will be better; Better health, blessed with endless rezeqi, more happiness and more contentment in life. 

Dear 2017, please be good to us.