Kings Green Hotel – a hotel near home offering a lifestyle membership

Posted in Everyday Life, Leisure & Travel, Reviews by

Initially, I booked a hotel in Putrajaya because we had a batch reunion at IOI. However, the venue was changed at the last minute because it felt wrong to be singing your heart out when a friend is in sorrow. Her son was admitted to the hospital and diagnosed with a rare disease that caused multiple episodes of seizures and general body function. Since the new venue seemed a bit far off from what I am used to, I decided to cancel the booking. However, my daughter was already looking forward to a hotel stay that particular weekend, which is why I booked a place in Melaka itself, the Kings Green Hotel.

It is a 4-star boutique hotel situated in town. Check-in time was at 3 pm. Unfortunately, we were told that the next day, the water supply will be cut off by 10 AM due to some pipe work. I was a bit disappointed as that means that our little staycation will be cut short.

After lunch and a Super Mario movie at Aeon Mall, we drove our way to the hotel. I booked a Superior room that has 1 queen bed and 1 single bed. The rate was RM 154.62/night, including taxes and fees. This covers breakfast for 2. I paid an additional RM18 for my daughter’s breakfast. The usual amenities include Wi-Fi, a mini fridge, and beverages. Upon checking in, guests are required to pay a deposit of RM100. I thought it was quite a hefty amount for a deposit. To be honest, not many people carry that much cash around anymore. I transferred the money through their QR code, and I received my deposit back in cash on checking out.

The room was cosy, and most importantly, we saw so many dining promotions for the month of May.

Breakfast starts at 7 AM at the Hibiscus Cafe on the ground floor. The food selection, in my personal opinion, is alright. There’s a good balance between Western and Asian options. Especially with the price tag. If guests demand more, I think that would be out of touch. Having an omelette station and a coffee machine is good enough already. I really enjoyed my simple breakfast.

I saw that there is a pool, and I believe a gymnasium? I did not have enough time to check it out. It seems that the hotel offers a ‘lifestyle membership’ programme where members are eligible for some perks and vouchers. I read about it on their website. I suppose gym-goers would find it interesting, yes?

We enjoyed being in our cosy room a lot. The shower gel and shampoo have this pleasant scent that kind of reminds me of the ones they had at Limetree Hotel in Kuching. It was that nice. Overall, it was a great staycation in the city. We had dinner at Pak Putra Tandoori, which is less than 20 minutes drive away. Now I am browsing for other hotels in Melaka for our future staycation.

Craving for butter cake

Posted in Food and Drinks, Good Things by

I found a great recipe for butter cake on Instagram a few weeks ago. Everyone should know one good recipe that they can make during craving times. Initially, I was torn between spending some money to order it from a home baker or just making one myself. If I order it, it would take a few days to reach my hands. If I bake it, I could eat it in a few hours.

Thankfully, I have all the ingredients I need at home. Lately, I have this habit of making sure that I’d have at least a block of butter and some Grade A/B eggs all the time. This is because I have recently become very interested in baking. Baking is precise. You just need to follow the instructions to the dot, and the results will almost always come back perfect. Cooking, on the other hand, requires some form of agak- agak in the steps.

I decided to give my butter cake a dash of green colour. Perhaps later, I could make it in purple as Malaysia welcomes BTS in December. The butter cake is best served warm. Even though I kept the leftovers in the fridge, it still tastes great once I’ve heated it in the microwave.

This year, I have tried brownies, lemon cake, apple pie and this butter cake. I am now searching for a good chocolate cake recipe.

Here is the recipe;

S.i.S

Posted in All in a days work by

The brisk walking challenge has started. I joined for two reasons.

  • To support my colleague. The ‘champion’ of this programme.
  • I thought it would be a great opportunity to start getting active again. I have been on a very long hiatus since my umrah last year. Prior to umrah, I was on a roll, walking a few thousand steps per day. After umrah, I got a bit lazy. So this would hopefully be a great adjunct to my meal plan in the hopes of (again) losing weight. minciBMI25 is still a goal.

I did not manage to get even 5K steps today. I had less than 3K, but it is OK. I will build the momentum daily and see how it ends in 3 months. On the other hand, my husband has been very enthusiastic about this challenge that he is hoarding the treadmill in the early hours of the morning and night. It’s a good excuse for me to get a walking pad and put it in my study. At least I can watch Netflix or enjoy a YouTube video on my PC while walking. I am still waiting for it to arrive. After that, I can create another piggy bank to save up for one of those fancy watches that count steps.

The 4 people

Posted in Everyday Life by

At the moment, there are 4 people who are driving me insane. Truly insane to a point that I feel my death is better than being alive. Interestingly, these 4 individuals have a few common traits and way of thinking.

  • They are powerful. They are invincible. They put themselves on a pedestal at all times.
  • They like to think that they have me twirling at the end of the fingers. I know their game, and I am playing it willingly because my peace of mind is more important. To me, only Allah is my protector, and He knows best the outcome of the ongoing drama.
  • The more you get involved in their lives. The more they are willing to hurt you because they think they own you.
  • They have no idea that they are hurting the people who care about them.
  • They are always innocent.
  • They have zero insight that they are terrible people, driving people up against the wall.

With time, I am going to end up with an autoimmune disease or end up dead in my sleep.

6-year itch?

Posted in All in a days work by

The longest time I have stayed at one workplace is 6 years. That was a district hospital setting. I was beginning to feel the itch 5 years in, instead of the infamous 7-year itch. Simply because I was beginning to see more of my great colleagues leaving one by one. Most left for private practice. If I had not given birth to my daughter, I think I would still be there to continue serving the district.

However, I, too, left due to family commitment. My family was growing, and my husband’s career was already finding its footing in Public Health. Since anaesthesia was no longer an option for me, we felt that serving in a clinic setting would be more practical. Hence, I took the plunge and began my journey in Klinik Kesihatan (KK).

I served 3 years in my first KK. In my second and current KK, it is approaching 6 years, and I am already feeling the itch. Every year, we have medical officers coming and leaving. Sadly, those who left surpass those who came. Some chased dreams. Some had to fulfil work obligations. With each person, they bring in skills and experience from their life. And left with hopefully good memories of our workplace. It is hard to ignore this itch, as I felt that it has started to affect my ‘jiwa’ for this line of duty. A dedicated healthcare worker needs to be passionate and knowledgeable in their work. I don’t even have the urge to keep up with the latest guidelines and clinical management of diseases.

Recently, we had a farewell and Eid celebration at the clinic. Two pensioners and a few transfers. I have to say that it is too early in the year to have so many staff reshuffled and moving away. The workplace dynamics have certainly shifted, and the tension is palpable. Office politics are inevitable as work must go on. I mean, I make the roster for the medical officers. Honestly, I feel sorry for my friends because on most days, we are always short on people. Sometimes I wish that instead of the minimum 3 or 4 people we have in each zone, we could have at least 5 or 6 people to support the team. This is not always feasible as we have courses, special clinics and people on leave.

This 6-year itch has become increasingly noticeable and annoying. Will I make it to 8 or will I succumb to the 7 year itch?