MM - Right Now (Na Na Na) by Akon *

R&B is definitely my favourite music genre and Akon is one of my favourite R&B singers so this week, I think I will have a rhythm and blues theme for Music Monday. Head over to MPG for yet another awesome R&B selection from me. Have a good listen and here’s wishing you a great musical week ahead!

Oh I also wanna wish a very HAPPY BIRTHDAY to my BIL Ali aka Felix who turns yet another year older (and wiser) this Halloween! We celebrated his birthday yesterday so if I’m not too lazy, I will blog about the birthday dinner at Makan-Makan @ Mariuca. See ya!

Come join Music Monday and share your songs with us. Rules are simple. Leave ONLY the ACTUAL LINK POST here and grab the code below and place it at your blog entry. You can grab this code at LadyJava's Lounge Please note these links are STRICTLY for Music Monday participants only. All others will be deleted without prejudice.



PS: Because of spamming purposes, the linky will be closed on Thursday of each week at midnight, Malaysian Time. Thank you!

MARIUCA LOVES

Weekend Apart

Last weekend, B was away in PD for some work stuff. I believe it was the Boot Camp session for this year’s Idola Kecil.

Me and Haris, reigning champion of Idola Kecil!

Me & Deera, my fave female contestant on Idola Kecil 2010

I was contemplating tagging along for a free hotel stay but one of my cats Pablo was sick so last minute I decided against going and opted to stay behind. PD is nearby anyway so being apart from B on a weekend won’t be that hard, I figured. Besides it’s not like he’ll be staying in one of the gorgeous hotels or apartments in Paris so hopefully I won’t be missing much.

Thank goodness I stuck to my gut feeling because when B got back, he told me that the hotel they stayed in was old and very colonial-like, almost haunting if you know what I mean? And ever since I added the Metro Channel (BIO and CI) to my ASTRO subscription, I have been watching quite a few interesting stuff including Celebrity Ghost Stories, which trust me is scary and I have been picturing a lot of ghostly things in my mind when home alone at home! So imagine if I was stuck in the hotel room, with ‘friends’ who appear any time they wish. Even as I’m writing this, I'm getting goose bumps!

Another reason for my thankfulness in staying behind during our weekend apart is that one of his colleagues reported swimming with a monitor lizard in the swimming pool, yowzaaaa! As it is, I am already afraid of water and what if the huge lizard had crept up to my hotel bathroom or something like that? You never know with these huge lizards!

I guess it was a blessing in disguise that Pablo fell sick and I decided to stay at home with my baby boy right? After listening to B’s horror weekend story, I am now thinking twice about vacationing in PD. Plus, I am not a beach kinda gal so even if I do head out to PD, it will be solely to enjoy the beautiful vacation home with private swimming pool attached I have my eyes on. Like I mentioned earlier, I am afraid of water so having a private swimming pool would be great for me to test my so-called swimming skills without making a fool of myself at the beach!

Anyone here heading to PD any time soon? Make sure you book a nice safe lizard-free hotel like one of the Paris apartments online okay? Don’t get caught waking up to a huge monitor lizard in your bed! Happy weekend!

-FC Scoreboard points for my first THREE commenters-
LADY JAVA
MONICA

MM - Fly by Hilary Duff *

I find this song so inspiring and it makes me feel young, almost like I am 21 again! Plus, Hilary Duff looks gorgeous in the video don't you think? Love her and have a great listen you all!

Come join Music Monday and share your songs with us. Rules are simple. Leave ONLY the ACTUAL LINK POST here and grab the code below and place it at your blog entry. You can grab this code at LadyJava's Lounge Please note these links are STRICTLY for Music Monday participants only. All others will be deleted without prejudice.



PS: Because of spamming purposes, the linky will be closed on Thursday of each week at midnight, Malaysian Time. Thank you!

MARIUCA LOVES

Memory Lane

Last night, an old university friend tagged me and two other friends in one of our pictures when all of us were studying in Widener University, PA. I was immediately transported back to the good old days of hanging out with friends, partying all week; only stopping to worry about cramming and studying for exams in pursuit of my International Business degree.

Of course I got all nostalgic thinking about my friends and classmates and the international students advisors we Malaysians were so close to at that time. I vividly recall the farewell gathering held for me and a bunch of us who were heading home to Malaysia, the themed parties we attended and the many sunny-day picnics we all enjoyed in beautiful spring weather.

I have to say that staying in the US was a great experience for me and those wonderful memories seriously got me yearning to head back to my university town one fine day; this time for a vacation of course!

Besides amazing USA, I would also love to vacation in Rome; staying in one of the many beautiful Rome apartments there. Perhaps it is the romantic in me that’s leaning towards this city of love but visiting Rome is definitely on my list of things to do during this lifetime. I just hope I can make it happen one day.

Just for fun, I checked out the rates on gorgeous apartments in Rome available for rental and though the prices are reasonable, it is the flight ticket to Rome that will burn the bigger hole in our pocket. Unless we get a windfall sometime soon, exploring Rome and its dozens of museums, theatres, monuments, bars, clubs and sports centres seems far-fetched for us right now. I can’t even begin to imagine the amount of money we’d need to bring to fund this vacation, if ever.

So Rome remains a distant dream for now. Meanwhile, I am indulging my nostalgia of USA by using my newly-purchased scanner to scan some old photographs to remind me of the wonderful moments I spent abroad when I was young free and single, living on my own for the first time! At 5am yesterday while B and my cats were fast asleep, I was busy rummaging through boxes in my home-office; searching for old pictures.

Are you ready to walk down memory lane with yours truly? Here is Mariuca at 21 years young! Sigh …

Me and my friend Billy in front of the library where I used to work after classes were over.

My friend Rafli and me on Valentine’s Day. We stayed at his house for about two weeks when we first arrived in Chester before finally finding our own apartment. I've lost touch with him now and often reminisce our clubbing weekends!

My first Aidilfitri celebration in Temple University, PA where I bumped into Shazreen, an old friend and classmate from Assunta.

Celebrating Raya in Temple University

Visiting friends in London since I could not return home to Malaysia for the holidays.

Shopping in London!

Shopping at Harrods, London where I purchased more than a dozen perfumes. Yes, the passion for perfume stemmed from way back then!

Celebrating New Year’s in London with my friend Wafa, who also happened to be my sister's housemate in UK. I really have to find other photos of my London days in the 90s!

My apartment complex

Me and my friend Zue who is currently residing in the US with her hubby and kids. We dined in Planet Hollywood, Washington, DC where we met a friendly waiter who upon finding out we were from Malaysia, immediately and happily whipped out this Selangor football team T-shirt he apparently owned and kept with him at all times for some reason!

-FC Scoreboard points for my first THREE commenters-
BLUEDREAMER
MONICA

European Escapade Mug

After a week of waiting, my European Escapade mug has finally arrived and it is safe and sound in my box of mugs as I write this post. This is also the prize I had sent to my EE winner Monica, whom I chose to receive this lovely mug as a token of appreciation for being the Top First Commenter on my EE posts. Congrats Monica and I hope you are enjoying sipping our favourite coffee from your EE mug!

As you can see, I have one too. This mug I ordered from my favourite artist and my BFF Emila, who does everything Mariuca for me. She designs my blog banners, cards, badges and all the personalised Mariuca gift items I sometimes give out to my readers in contests held here.

Do you remember the Mariuca Halloween Mug? Well, that used to be my favourite but now, with this shiny new European Escapade Mariuca Mug, I think I have a new favourite! Isn’t it gorgeous?

I had asked Emila to draw Mariuca with the beautiful Milan apartments … oooops, I mean Amsterdam apartments in the background. I wanted to give this EE mug a touch of my Amsterdam vacation and since I really love the gorgeous apartments and buildings we had seen on our European Escapade last year, I wanted them featured on my latest Mariuca mug.

This EE Mug makes for a wonderful reminder of my vacation in Europe, don’t you think? Whenever I am sipping coffee from this mug, I will remember all the beautiful memories and awesome adventure I shared with the love of my life in Amsterdam.

Speaking of which, I was expressing my sadness to B last week; us not vacationing any time soon and he agreed that we are in dire need of a getaway. Nothing too expensive or nowhere too far of course so the affordable apartments in Milan available for vacation rental will have to wait. The only location I can think of at the moment is PD.

Anyone heading for a domestic getaway soon? Do share your location with me; I need some great holiday destination suggestions and don’t forget, cheap and near is what I’m looking at right now!

Happy weekend.

-FC Scoreboard points for my first THREE commenters-
BLUEDREAMER
LADY JAVA
ANE

MM - Larut by Dewa 19 *

I am totally in the mood for a love song from Indonesia’s rock band Dewa 19 this Music Monday. How I wish ALL my readers could understand the lyrics to this beautiful number; truly simplistic and yet so deeply meaningful. I am dedicating this love song to my Darling and hoping all goes well at work today… ILY!

Come join Music Monday and share your songs with us. Rules are simple. Leave ONLY the ACTUAL LINK POST here and grab the code below and place it at your blog entry. You can grab this code at LadyJava's Lounge Please note these links are STRICTLY for Music Monday participants only. All others will be deleted without prejudice.



PS: Because of spamming purposes, the linky will be closed on Thursday of each week at midnight, Malaysian Time. Thank you!

MARIUCA LOVES