My daughter is fine. She is not bored. She can survive without having her mobile phone at her grandmother’s house. Stop imposing your own boredom and lack of enthusiasm to connect with other people on her.
Thank you.
Author Archives: Minci 先生
End of year babies
It takes effort to build and maintain a meaningful relationship. The moment you decide that the connection is not worth your time, that is when the bridge crumbles and falls down.
I am blessed to have a younger sister that is always in a high spirit to keep everyone in the loop. Otherwise, we’d be one of those families that only meet during Raya. Or a death in the family.
Amverton Heritage Resort Melaka – an escapade for exhausted parents
The room, food and activities are nice for exhausted parents with energetic children. I booked a room with two single beds on Agoda. Com. Total was RM 442.45 including tax and fee for a 3D2N stay. This time I did not include breakfast. I wanted to see whether the menu is nice. If not, we will have our meal nearby. This resort is located at Ayer Keroh. Thus, near a few main attractions and MITC of course. That is where the food is. However, we did get 2 free waterpark tickets (priced at RM15/each). I bought an additional 2 tickets.
We checked in on Friday just after our Rejab Iftar at Mi Tarik Lanzhou. Mr. Husband brought his inflatable mattress. We pushed the single bed next to each other, giving enough room for the Queen-sized mattress. There were the usual expected amenities: FREE WIFI (with a very long password), a mini fridge, an iron with a board, and a TV. Plus points, a bathtub, and room service! Although we do not need it, the idea of it being available made me happy.
In-house breakfast started at 7am. The price was RM30 for adults and RM20 for children. The options were satisfactory. They had bread but not other forms of pastry. The bihun and curry were delicious. There’s nasi lemak, lontong, congee etc. I loved that they provided mugs for our hot beverages and not those tiny cups. That is the way to go! Mr Husband had a meeting that morning at a nearby hotel, so I didn’t bring the kids for a swim due to safety reasons. I worry that I won’t be able to keep an eye on both. But we did play at the playground and the kids’ zone. The entry bracelet could be worn for both days we were there. In other words, you can enter and exit the park no matter how many times you like, as long as you wear the bracelet. We went to the waterpark later in the evening once Mr Husband came back from his meeting. The employees even use the stapler to make it easy to remove and fasten again.
That’s why I believe this is an excellent spot for tired parents. Personally, I don’t have the stamina to spend over four hours at a water park just to get my money’s worth. But at Amverton, we could enjoy an hour of water play, take a break for a meal and a nap, and then head back in the evening for another session. Later, we’d pause for dinner and even continue the water park fun the next day until checkout. It’s perfect for parents to sneak in some much-needed rest between activities. I believe the adults would enjoy the swim at the huge pool just beside the mini water park. I’ll do that with Haneem once she’s a bit older. Amverton is also lenient with swimwear. I love that we can wear T-shirts instead of a burkini.
We used GRAB for our lunch and dinner. There’s an in-house restaurant and cafe where you can have your meal. I might consider that during our future visits. Yes, we love this place so much that we’re thinking of making it our getaway place at times when we feel that we need to go to a kiddie-themed waterpark.
Housemanship in Kuching
I was scrolling Threads today and came across a post from a medical student, asking where would be the best place to do housemanship. Since I’ve only been in Hospital Umum Sarawak (HUS), my answer was obviously Kuching. Personally, I think Kuching is a great place for a Malay from Semenanjung to work because, despite the cultural shock bound to happen, it should be less intense if you’ve been born and bred in Semenanjung for a while. My husband was from Melaka and he did very well in his housemanship. I ended up marrying him and following him to Melaka. Ha ha ha.
If you are a Malay, working in HUS will force you to learn and adjust on how to work with bosses and seniors who are majority, non-Malay. We do not have as many Sarawakians to cover the whole state in the healthcare industry, especially in the medical role of doctors. The vibe is different. The language you use with the patients is also different. Your interaction with your colleagues would also be enriched as you struggle together to get the job done. Is the workplace environment toxic? If toxic is defined as your welfare not being taken off. The answer is a definite yes. In fact, no matter which hospital you go to, toxicity is part of the training. Like it or not it happens. Mind you, I do not condone bullying or ‘during my time’ gloating sort of thing, but it is inevitable.
However, it is what you get out of the housemanship period
- the empathy towards our fellow Malaysians upon realising that we still have a long way to go in empowering healthcare literacy among patients and the community as a whole
- Malay supremacy means nothing in this part of the state
- racism exists but tolerance is a must to live in harmony. Raya, Christmas, Gawai and Chinese New Year is so meriah here. Deepavali not so much because there’s not many Indians but it is still celebrated by them on a smaller scale.
- housemanship is hard everywhere but being in Kuching gives you that unique experience when it comes to the people and the natural beauty of the state. Do visit it’s local islands, caves etc. As for the people, they are the true embodiment of Bangsa Sarawak. You couldn’t tell if they were Iban ka, Malay ka,or Melanau ka. It kind of reminds you of Indonesia. They talk in the same language and turns out to be of Chinese ethnicity and all. The only difference is we are not compelled to have Indonesian names like they do in Indonesia. So you could still guess their ethnicity. And did I tell you Sarawakians talk so soft and gentle? They have a beautiful rhythm to their speech.
- if you’re Muslim, you would InsyaAllah become a better Muslim as you would be creative in thinking how, when and where to perform your prayers. Be extra vigilant in choosing places to eat or cooking your own stuff. Cause honestly the nasi paprik I bought in Kuching tasted weird. Halal eateries are easily available in certain areas only. Otherwise, you would need to check with the local website. Ha ha. But the local dishes are to die for.
What if you are a non-Malay or non-Bumi? I would recommend Kelantan. Don’t worry. You wouldn’t be Islam tiba-tiba. Somehow I think the locals would adore you and want to give you their best hospitality. That is what I THINK. PLEASE DO NOT TAKE IN EVERY WORD OF IT. The dialect will be challenging but just like in Kuching, it is nice to see everyone of all ethnics talking in Kelantan. I am saying this because I used to have a Chinese colleague coming from Kelantan. Talking to him in Malay with a tinge of Kelantan accent sounds so cute. He could speak Chinese too.
Housemanship is intense. You will feel stupid. Your feet will swell. You will feel that you want to quit or die. But just hang on. Pray. Doa. The hardship will pass and you will reminisce on the good times. Entah2 jumpa pasangan hidup. Macam tu lah.
Unseen Blessings
As a mark of respect, I approached my superior a few months ago to request a particular leave. I wanted to go to Umrah. Knowingly, the date my husband chose for Umrah fell during the Chinese New Year holidays. I was aware that my Chinese colleagues would be taking leave during that time but I thought if I could negotiate in the sense that I would give up my Raya holidays instead, I could go for the Umrah during CNY.
My superior however suggested that I choose a different date instead.
The reason is, it is not about CNY leaves but it is about how much manpower is left to run the clinic with our colleagues going off for the festive season. After relaying the matter to my husband, him being him, decided to proceed with the booking for himself and my son, Ee. Haneem will stay behind to accompany me. Thus, I consoled myself into thinking that ‘Allah belum jemput. Nanti ada rezeki lagi‘.
After a few months, today, I discovered that 2 non-CNY celebrating colleagues had their leaves approved by my superior in addition to those who are celebrating. On the same date that I have requested a few months ago.
I am not going to lie. I felt slighted. I was numb for a while but I still completed my task at work. At the same time, I tried to justify the decision and it came to this. Maybe my request was not approved because my plan was to stretch it out for at least a week after CNY. After all, performing Umrah takes some time. As opposed to my colleagues who are probably on leave for only that one Friday to enjoy a longer weekend.
Yes, maybe that’s the reason why. Sounds just.
Now my hope lies in the ASB Simpan dan Menang contest. If I don’t withdraw my ASB dividend and manage to save RM5K/month till March, I might have a chance to go for Free Umrah. Ha ha ha ha. In the end, I reminded myself that everything happens for a reason, and perhaps this delay is part of a greater plan yet to unfold.
Minci Moss 