I know the word

Posted in Adult Learning, Hobby/Interest by

I was scrolling down my Spotify list and stopped on this track. I was immediately elated as I realized that I recognise the characters and could read them. I searched for other Mandarin songs on my list and find that I know at least one or two of the characters from the song titles. Honestly, I wouldn’t even know this a month ago. Hence, I am happy that I am making very tiny progress in my Mandarin learning.

Mandarin is hard. But I love it. I don’t how some Instagrammers are able to sit their HSK1 exam in just one month. They seem to be doing it independently just based on apps and study materials they found online. Their brain must be sponges. They could be gifted. I can’t even memorize 20 characters without forgetting them again the next day. I am also keen to learn writing the words because I find that, with digital technology, I am using the pen less than usual. Everything is typed out nowadays. So I guess by practising writing Chinese characters, it would keep my fine motor muscles intact alongside optimising my brain activity.

I found out that HSK1 will be changing its format in December. Damn, I just bought the old textbooks up to HSK4. I am that determined. Anyway, I suppose the goal is to just plough through the pages and learn what I can. I am not competing for anything. This is one of those self-learning activities to hinder dementia. InsyaAllah. And perhaps in the long run, I can read nice Chinese storybooks on my own.

A small nugget of thought

Posted in Everyday Life, Ponderings & Personal Development by

Good mental health does not mean you have to be happy all the time. You must allow yourself to feel sad, angry, stressed out etc. This does not mean I am dismissing those with poor mental health status that could stem from feelings of extreme sorrow, rage etc. Everybody’s reaction towards an event varies, and this could be influenced by their previous experience, knowledge and personality.

Just because someone disagrees with you or their line of thoughts differ, it doesn’t mean it’s toxic. Nevertheless, differences in thought and behaviour does stir one’s emotions to a certain point. But always go back to a baseline where you could just sit and ponder the points. Then, take the good points from the confrontation.

I am not the best human being on earth. I am comprised of both positive and negative traits. Like I’ve always believed in – we can be either a villain or a hero in other people’s stories.

Bank Negara Malaysia Museum and Art Gallery. It’s FREE.

Posted in Leisure & Travel by

This is a cute, family-friendly place that is FREE. I really enjoyed my time there as an adult – with a husband and kid. My eldest was at school because only Melaka had a long weekend holiday. It was a less than 15 minutes drive from Silka Maytower Hotel and we arrived there was early as 10am. This museum is closed on Mondays.

Parking signage for the public needs to be improved. Apart from that, everything else was good. We started our trip on the Ground Floor where the kids zone was. There were a few interactive stations where the kids can learn about spending money, withdrawing cash from the ATM and tracing pictures and stuff. I think some of the adults got way too excited. But it’s alright. Perhaps it’s their inner child coming through for the experience.

The Insta-worthy terowong duit. Husband is snapping photos of ‘old money’

Imagine carrying money in this form a long time ago

You have RM1 million. What would you buy?

Filling in details to withdraw money

The floors above showcased the history of money and banking services in Malaysia. The displays were really informative and pretty to look at. My daughter loved role-playing as bankers, businesswomen and even a robber. Ha ha. I think we spent roughly 90 minutes here by going through the sections at a leisurely pace. However, if it was just me, reading on every single information and absorbing them, I think it would take me perhaps 4 hours. There were so many interesting things to know about the evolving and improving nature of our financial institution.

The museum was air-conditioned. Making it a great place to spend a hot day there. I believe they have a cafe on the ground floor but we had our lunch elsewhere. We saw a few groups of school children coming just as we were about to leave. I thought it was a great activity for them. Thankfully we arrived earlier. If not, we would be competing with them in the kids zone to get our hands on the interactive stations.

I would definitely recommend this place for families with young children and the elderly for a fun day out at Kuala Lumpur.

Money from all around the world

Silka Maytower Kuala Lumpur

Posted in Leisure & Travel, Reviews by

Melaka had a long weekend just before the recent school holidays. So I drafted an itinerary for a short trip to Kuala Lumpur. I specifically chose Silka Maytower due to our planned activities. I booked a Deluxe-Triple Room with breakfast included for a 4D3N stay. The total was RM 726.75 plus taxes. There is parking on-site with a flat rate applied to in house guests. The room was spacious and breakfast options were OK. There wasn’t a lavish spread but it was enough to fuel our day. The hotel is walking distance to India Street, Jakel and SOGO. If you’re willing to walk further, you can reach Petaling Street by foot.

There’s a gym and a swimming pool as well at the hotel. I loved the pool. The depth was just over 1m. It was really clean as well with great aesthetics. I did not get to go to the gym but my husband managed to snap a few photos there. Guests need to tap their access cards to use the elevators. So, I was thrilled when we were given 2 cards. The fridge was functioning and thankfully, there is a hairdryer. I was in near anguish when I thought there were none until my daughter discovered it in the drawers near the beverage counter.

The hairdryer has played an important part of my marital life. I did not own one during my single years because I did not think it was necessary. Everything changed after I got married cause girls just need to dry their hair fast before putting on the hijab. Furthermore, it was only later that I learned that if you blowdry your hair, it makes your hair more silky smooth and protects the scalp from fungal growth that could lead to dandruff.

Anyway, the main objective of the stay was to visit the Bank Negara Museum and KLCC. I was thinking of bringing my daughter around KL on the transit trains. Our hotel is located close to them stations. However, my husband does not seem to be up for it and prefers to travel in his car. So, I’d probably do it with my daughter at another time later. Apart from the two places mentioned earlier, we also made a visit to Zoo Negara. All this I will write about in my next post.

Disappointing aircon service

Posted in Everyday Life by

I am a person who is very particular with my time. And others. The clinic opening times start at 8am. I would be at my desk usually by 745am. In the afternoon, I would return after lunch hour at 2PM by the dot. Latest at 205PM depending on the traffic heading towards my workplace. The respect towards time extends to family occasions, school reunions, appointments and such. Of course, living in Malaysia, I still need to accommodate those who follows the Malaysian time. However, the most I could tolerate is 30 minutes late. After that, usually my internal punctual Hulk would start fuming.

I requested an aircon service recently. I asked if the company did weekend services. They said they do. And so I made an appointment for 2PM. One week in advance. I sent the location of my house via Whatsapp the day before as a form of reminder that we have an appointment the next day.

The day came.

I was already in my hijab by 2pm. At 230pm, there was no sign of them coming. So, I sent a Whatsapp asking if they are coming after all. They said they are ‘on the way’. Being the husnuzon person that I am, knowing that traffic can be wild over the weekend, I gave them the grace of time for another 30 minutes. An hour passed and there was still no sign. Sarcasm took over. I asked them, ‘on the way dari Siam ke?’ They arrived promptly after that.

The employees were a lady and a man. They sauntered into the house without an apology for being late. I was beginning to doubt if they actually knew what they were doing because of all the servicemen that has come to my home, none of them needed to take my blinders off. Yet, they had to take my blinders off. I was still being kind and let them be. Because maybe they needed this experience to be better at their job. It took them nearly 90 minutes to service ONE AIRCONDITIONER. The airconditioner was making noises as they were assembling the unit and they kept fiddling with the screwdriver to GOD KNOWS WHAT! Then they tried to blame the previous servicemen. Excuse me, the unit wasn’t making any sounds before you guys came. On top of that, I caught them VAPING inside my house!! While working!!! IN MY HOUSE, WE DON’T SMOKE OR VAPE!!

My inner Hulk could not take it anymore. I was still able to remain civil and calm. I did not raise my voice and told the lady grimly, “tutup je balik benda tu, saya rasa awak tak tahu awak buat apa. Saya bayar awak untuk servis yang awak dah buat”. They reassembled the unit. They preferred QR as a method of payment. I asked for a receipt or invoice. They could not provide it on the spot. The lady said Monday. I gave them time till next Tuesday. Let’s see if they could follow up on that. If they fail to do so, I am going to make a formal complaint.

For not providing an invoice.

For being late.

For vaping in a customer’s house.