Valen’s Vanity Square

I’m taking my first break from work after working for 5 months, and am now on my way for a holiday in Penang!

Actually today is still a working day for hubby. We are now at Butterworth. I’m now sitting at one of the staff’s desk in hubby’s company office, while he is attending a meeting upstairs. After the meeting, we will head off to Penang for a 4-night stay.

We foresee Penang to be cramped with cars and tourists this weekend, as tomorrow (Friday) is a public holiday, and many people took Monday off because Tuesday is our National Day, which is another public holiday. Sometimes I have to admit that I enjoy being a Malaysian because of the number of public holidays we observe in our country! Haha!

To avoid the crowd and traffic jams, we probably will just chill around in the hotel room, the beach or nearby food outlets. It doesn’t matter that we don’t leave the hotel, as we are taking this as a time to relax our mind (no work!) and rejuvenate our body (sleep more!).

Some people will take a short break like this as a good opportunity to relax, refresh and perhaps reflect and ‘review’ their life, their goals and purpose.

May be you can use this period to consider how to upgrade your knowledge and qualification, perhaps through an Online Education program. Or, you can examine your achievements so far, and set new goals in life.

There is a lot personal thinking that we can do when there is a chance to break away from the daily hustle and bustle. For me, I should use this waiting time to think of what we should eat for lunches and dinners over the coming 4 days. Haha!

The world’s climate is turning upside down - that’s how it appears from what we read in the newspapers or saw in the TV recently. My sister is scheduled to fly to London this Saturday for a working trip again. But there is a possible chance that the trip might be postponed due to the weather. How cold is it in London now? I think it must be terribly freezing!

If you happen to plan for your very first early vacation in 2010, it seems there is no good place to visit at this time, considering that snow’s everywhere, there’s flood, there’s earthquake…. quite depressing eh?

Well, let’s us just hope that the weather will get better soon, and that by March the season is all bright and sunny again for anyone to enjoy a nice holiday, perhaps at a nice waterfront home in Outer Banks North Carolina USA… For those who intend to have their for a first-quarter holiday there, you can always check out Outer Banks rentals online.

Lucky me, traveling in Malaysia is possible any month, any time of the year.

Will be setting off to Cameron Highlands tomorrow morning, but we have not packed our bags yet. Well, it’s just a one-night stay, so don’t think there is a lot to bring.

But I do need to find out from hubby whether we will be heading straight away to his friend’s wedding dinner in the evening after we come down from the hill, or if we will come home to freshen up ourselves first. I need to know what I should wear as we drive back to the city (and put on my evening make-up in a moving car, haha).

I think it’s going to be a ‘fattening’ weekend for me - spending hours traveling in the vehicle, eating scones at the tea house, a good dinner at the Equatorial Hotel, more scones before we leave the hills, and an eight-course dinner at a friend’s wedding banquet. Wow, looks like this time I can make use of some fat burners to keep the calories off, haha!

But no worries, I will stack up on lots of natural fat burning foods, such as guava, grapefruit, apple and oranges after I come back. I should be able to get fresh and cheap guavas at the hills.

My sister has been away in London for work since last month. This time, she’s staying there for 2 months! She’s coming back end of this month, I wonder if she’s getting my any gifts, but I doubt there will be any this time since she has to watch her spending.

I heard from my mom that this time she’s not staying in a nice hotel like she did in her first trip. Her company is renting a room for her. So she is living like any other people working in London - spending after-office hours in a small room, taking public transport to work, munching on sandwiches… Well, I think it will be a good experience for her, whether she likes it or not.

Some people do like to move from one place to another, to experience the way of life and learn to appreciate the culture of the locals. Of course, in order to get prepared for that, one has to do a thorough research before making the move. First of all, one definitely has to find a job, unless he or she has strong financial backup. So, let’s say if you want to experience the life in Philadelphia, you might want to first browse for jobs in philly area on the internet, and learn some of the basic information e.g. weather, history, population, place of interests, etc.

If my sister do plan to work in London in the future, her 2 months living there will certainly help her a lot in understanding the city and its people. Or, perhaps she can be my tour guide if I ever go to London?

Time flies! My long awaited quiet beach holiday is finally happening… next week, that is.

But before that, I’m going to make a trip to Penang island tomorrow! Wow, so much of traveling this month. It is not a holiday trip though. Hubby has to be there for a company conference. His colleague who will be sharing room with him is from Penang, and he chooses to sleep with his wife at home rather than my husband in the hotel, haha! So that’s why I get to tag along hubby without having to pay for my own room.

However, I don’t foresee myself going around places in Penang. Firstly, I had been living there for more than 2 years and just came back last year, I’ve seen what I needed to see. Haha! Secondly, the hotel - Hydro Majestic Hotel at Ferringhi Beach - is far away from town or any nearest eatery or whatsoever, so I will be sort of stranded in the hotel room most of the time. No worries though, as long as I have my laptop with me, I know how to entertain myself. And hey, there’s a beach across the road, I can always take a walk there and back - exercise I call it. Haha!

Just hoping that when we check out on Sunday, we will be able to visit one or two of our favorite food stalls in the town. What food? Yam cakes and Char Keoy Teow at the New World Park!

My sister’s honeymoon to Japan this Friday is a self-planned trip. Don’t get it wrong, neither my sister or her husband can speak or read Japanese at all! But they’ll survive, haha!

These days people actually like to plan their own holiday even in totally foreign speaking countries. It is more exciting, more fun and time better utilized than joining group tours. You get to see places and sites you truly interested in, and plan the holiday itinerary according to your leisure and pleasure.

Of course, this also means you need to do your research weeks before your planned holiday. This is not a daunting task since traveling information is easily available and accessible today. Making accommodation reservation is easy too because booking online is very common now.

For instance, if you are going to North Carolina for a beach vacation, then you might want to survey rentals of the beach homes at Outer Banks, and find out which are the must-visit attractions or must-do activities. When you have all the information in hands, you are able to decide on the duration of your stay and estimate your travel cost.

I do sound like an expert in planning my own holiday, eh? Hahaha! But too bad, I’m not going anywhere far this year. Oh well, I guess I will just stay put back at home and enjoy receiving gifts from those who came back from oversea holidays.

Paris. In the past one year or so, I kept having people telling me that they went to Paris. My mom, my ex-colleagues, my husband’s colleague, and now, my sister!!

My sister is spending 3 weeks in Dublin/London for work. She had just gone to Paris to visit Eiffel Tower last weekend. *Sob* When will be my turn?

It’s so expensive to travel in Europe nowadays. Lucky for my sister, she only had to pay for the train ticket from London to Paris. Her accommodation is provided by her company. So darn lucky!

Hmm, I wonder if some day she will tell us that she is going to visit New York and stay in some nice New York City hotel and everything is paid for by her company…. perhaps I should start saving some money so that I can go along with her then? Haha!

AirAsia just had their fly free promotion recently, and guess what? I will be going to Langkawi Island again next February! Yoohoo! I had a short holiday there with hubby early this year; the next trip will be more like a family vacation with my mom, sisters and brothers.

Hubby and I stayed in a hotel in the town during our trip, but this time we will try to get chalet-type rooms right next to the beach. I don’t think we need to read up any travel guide this time, because hubby and I can actually be the walking guide for them, haha!

I know it’s still more than 6 months to go, but I’m excited about staying by the beach, and already started to think about what kind of beachwear and other ‘necessary’ things to bring, so that I can look spectacular under the sun, haha!

I will try to find something similar to one of these from Elizabeth Hurley’s Beach Collection.

Paris Bikini with python print
This bikini looks great, but don’t think I want to spoil it by putting it on my body. So, not in my must-bring list.

Carissima Tankini in chocolate
This one looks more like what I will wear while strolling down the beach.

Keira Towelling Jacket in pink
Put on a pink jacket and short pants for a sporty look.

Seahorse Kaftan in white and pink
I think EH looks totally sexy in this white and pink kaftan… I wonder how I would look in it.

Trinny Sundress in petal pink
Hmm, dare I wear this out to the town for shopping? To bring, or not to bring?

Other than the necessary beachwear mentioned above, I must not forget also to throw into my luggage a beach hat, beach bag, sarong, a pair of flip flops and sunglasses, a couple of bottles of suntan lotion, … Ah, the list just goes on.

For more beachwear selection, visit elizabethhurley.com.

You’ve probably heard too much about Paris Hilton - her songs, her fashion sense, her perfume, her boyfriends, her wild and crazy party life and, errr, her Chihuahua named Tinkerbell.

Now, have you ever heard of Hilton Head? No, I’m not talking about Paris Hilton’s head.

I just got to know about this today – Hilton Head, or Hilton Head Island, is actually one of South Carolina’s most beautiful barrier islands, making it a rather popular vacation destination.

Whatever you have in plans - be it a family vacation, a romantic getaway, or even a dream wedding ceremony - the island seems to be a wonderful option besides other famous islands worldwide.

Be very financially well prepared though, Hilton Head rentals for a 1-week stay can cost you a bomb. The cheapest price for a 2-room apartment or villa may range from USD700 to USD1,050 a week. But they surely look nice, for example like this one:

Lagoon Villa at Hilton Head Island
* 2 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, sleeps 6 persons
* 3-minute walk to the beach
* Scenic lagoon view - cool!
* Wireless high-speed internet access - super cool!

While you and I can never afford to have a holiday at Hilton Head, it is definitely not an issue for Paris Hilton if she wants to spend months or years there (which I doubt)!