Celebrating husband’s birthday at Rest Haus, Melaka

Posted in Food and Drinks, Good Things, Places to Eat by

We’ve been to Rest Haus a couple of times because of its good food and general ambience. The restaurant is air-conditioned with calm music playing in the background. My personal favourite dishes are the Salai and the Rib Eye. I was actually hoping to order the latter but now the menu has changed. There is no more rib eye. So I ordered the salmon dish instead. It was equally delicious. My daughter had the macaroni and cheese whilst Mr Husband ordered the chicken grill. He was disappointed that they didn’t list Mac and Cheese as an adult option. Ha ha.

I bought 2 slices of cake from Secret Recipe but we had that at home. I parked my car at Rest Haus but I walked to Secret Recipe so that I could get my steps in. Managed to get 5K in by walking inside Lotus itself. Makes me feel better devouring the cake afterwards.

I bought an Obermain laptop bag for my husband. I made a really quick trip to Freeport Famosa Outlet Park last Friday during lunch hour just to get it. The salesperson was amusingly inaccurate in her sales pitch and product description. She said things like ‘PVC’ instead of ‘PU leather’. Then she was so confident saying a 14-inch laptop fits in a smaller bag I was looking at just because another customer could fit his. I had to measure the bag in front of her and said nicely, “Look, this bag wouldn’t even measure up to 13 inches, how could you say it fits a 14-inch laptop. That customer must have had a smaller laptop”. And yes, I asked her for a ruler and demonstrated it in front of her.

Thankfully I knew what I was aiming for and got a nice one in brown as opposed to a classic black.

Bright Cow

Posted in Food and Drinks, Reviews by

We’ve always known Farm Fresh as a local company that produces milk products. Despite being local, the price tag is astonishingly more expensive than Dutch Lady, the leading brand in Malaysia. Even then, Farm Fresh has a distinctive taste which is delicious, light and seemingly fresh. It is a very nice milk product to add to my coffee and tea to give it a milky taste.

It was only recently that I found out about Bright Cow. I was doing a search on Shopee for ‘fresh milk’ when this brand emerged as one of the options. Based on the reviews I read, consumers seem to love it a lot and the price is a tad lower compared to other milk brands on the platform. Bright Cow has a dairy farm in Linggi, Negeri Sembilan and they have a range of products from milk to yoghurt and kefir.

I thought I’d give it a try and bought 2 sets of white and chocolate milk in a mini pack of 6 from Shopee. My children loved it. The chocolate drink was not excessively sweet and the ‘normal’ milk tasted nice. It is almost like Farm Fresh but at a lower price range. A set of 6 cartons (200ml) only costs RM10.80. That is less than RM2 per box. Turns out, they are also selling at certain retail stores. I am glad my local Family Store has them too. At least I can buy some for my son. He should have more milk than all those sweet boxed drinks the dad packed him earlier.

So a big thank you to Bright Cow for emerging as an option to moms like me. I wish that they would start selling their yoghurt at my usual aisle.

My way, your way

Posted in All in a days work, Ponderings & Personal Development by

A communication breakdown happened recently. At my workplace. I haven’t experienced such reprimanding from a superior for a while. It felt like I was a houseman back again. Only this time, I am older (by age) with more work experience. This made me feel less intimidated by the attempt of another person wanting to exert their power over me.

There were mixed advice and comments when other colleagues learned of our little meeting. Some said we should resist the authoritative commands and stick to what we have been doing all this while. Others said to just go with the flow as at the end of the day, the superior is the head of the team and anything done needs her approval and clearance. What do I think?

Play safe.

LOCUS OF CONTROL

In psychology, there is a concept known as ‘locus of control’. An individual with an internal locus of control would perceive challenges or life events as something that they could control and change its course. They have confidence that their knowledge, skills or whatever ‘power’ it is that they have in their hands could help them surpass the obstacles. An individual with an external locus of control tends to think that their life events are wholly determined by fate, luck and chance. So much so that even if they pass an exam due to their own efforts, they tend to think that it is because the paper was designed to be easy.

I believe that we all have a mix of both. In fact, as we perceive the world around us, we may have realized that there are certain things that we can control, we can influence and that we do not have control of.

So, back to the problem.

What I can control

I can control my attitude and feelings in response to the reprimanding session. I can concentrate on the facts of the matter and improve on that. I do not need to dwell on the matter for too long and instead take steps to work towards what is required for a fruitful discussion or consultation.

What I can influence

I can influence how we choose to continue our meet-ups or modes of communication. I can influence how my team members work with me. I can try to make them like me or avoid me at all costs. The key word here is influence. Thus, I must be prepared to accept that despite my attempt to influence, some people just wouldn’t budge from their actions and stand.

What I cannot control

Which brings on this part of the challenge. I cannot change everyone’s school of thought. Everyone has been brought up in a certain background and exposed to a variety of life circumstances. This forms their personality and perception of the world. While I may attempt to influence, it is something that I cannot control.

The ultimate controller lies in Allah S.W.T. He who moves the world and the hearts of people. This is why although sometimes I think I cannot control something, I still believe in the power of doa, the power of prayer. Ask from HIM all that your heart desires and if it is something meant for you, InsyaAllah it will be granted. It is only a matter of time.

Serapi Hotel

Posted in Leisure & Travel, Reviews by

Serapi Hotel is the best choice of hotel (so far) if your travel plans involve a lot of visiting relatives who are staying around Matang or Petra Jaya. That was the uttermost decision-making point that made me choose this hotel as opposed to my usual selections around the Padungan area. This hotel should not be mistaken with another Serapi (Verdure) Hotel at Hospital Umum Sarawak. Our hotel is located near Satok.

Waiting for our rented car
The lobby

I booked 2 Twin Rooms at the hotel for a 5D4N stay. It costs me a total of RM 1526.40. There was free parking space for our rented car (limited), breakfast and WIFI (too slow, we used our own line). I had one room with my daughter and my husband shared another room with my son. I decided to book two separate rooms for comfort because the kids are growing and the bed is too small to fit all of us together.

Check-in was at 2PM. We had a few minor inconveniences upon checking in. My room couldn’t be opened because the battery for the door was out. So, the hotelier gave me another room on the same floor. My husband on the other hand had a non-functioning air conditioner in his room. They had a really warm night and were so hot that they had to open the windows. They were given a new room the next day.

At this hotel, housekeeping is not done daily. You need to put in a request before 4pm. I just wished they would clean the bathroom better. The walls need some scrubbing.

Breakfast was ok. We really loved the chicken and fried dumplings. The selection was acceptable. The coffee was ok. Of course, the coffee I make at home tastes better. The location was great considering the activities we planned. Serapi Hotel is a bit further than town but there are plenty of eateries to go to nearby. Understandably, these places are not open on Raya. So, we really missed out on delicious mi kolok and laksa Sarawak. But I look forward to my visit in September for my cousin’s wedding.

Another area of the lobby
Checking out

Syawal 2024 – Changing family dynamics

Posted in Everyday Life, Parenting, Family and Relationships by

As a child, I remember celebrating Eid very differently. It was a festive occasion that I looked forward to because I knew there would be plenty of delicacies to eat and of course, the most awaited duit raya. As I got older, especially recently, I realized that the vibrant and energetic aunts and uncles I knew were getting more frail. They have aged. So was I. Their vision is getting worse. Their steps are getting slower as they have a painful back and wobbly knees.

Their kids are part of the Sandwich Generation – myself included. We divide our attention between our parents and our kids. Sadly also to our jobs. Previously, hosting an ‘open house’ was a breeze for the elders because they have their kids to help them. Now that with added responsibilities, with their kids securing a job and raising a family – it is not that easy.

I suppose this is where traditions will begin to change for the family.

Similarly the death of an older family member – that too will change the family dynamics and how a certain occasion will be celebrated. The Sandwiches will gradually take the lead and create their own traditions and way of life depending on how they like it.

I’ve made it a mission to celebrate Eid at Kuching this year. I felt there were many days for us to travel and enjoy the festive season without compromising the kid’s school days. I used my WPUA this time and travelled with Malaysia Airlines. We departed from Melaka as early as 8am and arrived at Salak Tinggi Park and Ride. Then we took the KLIA Transit train to KLIA1.

At Kuching, I booked two rooms at the Serapi Hotel. There will be a separate blog post on that.

Most of our days are spent visiting relatives on both of my Dad and late mom’s side. It was a worthwhile visit. The kids love it too as they get a lot of packet money. They also enjoyed eating the kuih lapis. I mean, what is Raya without Kuih Lapis right?