Author Archives: Minci 先生

The long weekend in Kuching for a wedding

Posted in Food and Drinks, Leisure & Travel, Places to Eat, Reviews by

I was in Kuching over the Malaysia Day weekend. I had a wedding invitation to fulfil. I flew there with Malaysia Airlines. My initial scheduled flights were canceled twice and I almost lost hope of going there. Thankfully, on the day itself, nothing sinister happened and I arrived in KCH safely.

I booked a room at the Grand Margherita Hotel this time.

Once I landed, I immediately walked over to the nearest Bing cafe to get myself a chicken panini. It is my comfort food whenever I am in KCH. As I was too full afterwards, I decided to just stay in and order room service. The rib-eye steak I ordered was disappointing. That will be another post.

The following day, I went for a stroll at The Waterfront. I walked to the end of Carpenter Street and checked out the waterfront mall as well. I bought some T-shirts for my little family and was honestly undecided on whether I should have lunch or wait for my brother from KL to arrive and eat with him. I ended up walking further towards the Borneo Cultural Museum and spent my afternoon there.

Borneo Cultural Museum

I loved the museum. The layout is like Muzium Negara but it showcased more of Sarawak’s history. I enjoyed reading and listening to the explanations about the tribes and their uniqueness. I couldn’t help thinking that if James Brooke never set foot in Sarawak, we’d probably still be fighting among each other for space and power. Somehow Brooke brought in order to the chaos and harnessed the waging spirit to fight into friendly sports like the Regatta we see today.

IG AIS KACANG, Padungan

Once my brother landed and checked himself into Merritin Hotel, we walked along the same lane and came here. They have another nearby branch at Jalan Gambier. I was looking forward to trying their mi belacan and sotong kangkung but they don’t have that in that branch. So we settled for their nasi lemak ayam, Laksa Sarawak, long fries and gula apong ice cream.

The Waterfront and Darul Hana Bridge

Later at night, we walked to the waterfront for photos and went up the Darul Hana bridge. If only they have a food court with more options towards the other end of the bridge in the near future. There was a lantern parade that night and the city was so lively. I felt so energetic during the walk. I liked that this beautiful place is open to the public for FREE. At least, families can come here for low-cost entertainment with their kids.

We had dinner at a halal restaurant. It took ages for the owner to fry our nasi pattaya and daging. Thankfully, it was digestible as sometimes the Sarawak version of these semenanjung dishes can taste awkward.

The Dead Malls

Once my brother checked out from his hotel the next day, I thought we’d go check out the mall. My sister said Riverside Majestic Mall was already dead so we didn’t go there. Turns out Tun Jugah Mall and Sarawak Plaza Mall are equally dead. I suppose the curse of shopping malls set up beside hotels is true after all. So, if say you need to go to a proper mall, my best bets are The Spring or Vivacity. We only had fast food for lunch.

We did get Sam’s ice cream though. The soft serve was OK but I felt Mokti’s gula apong flavour is more intense.

Top Spot

This famous seafood spot was just a 5-minute walk from my hotel. We had our family dinner there. Sadly, Midin was out of stock. But the other dishes that we ordered were, of course, delicious; the Egg Oyster, curry ambal, udang nestum, salted egg crabs, sweet sour fish, crab corn soup, Kerang kicap

I had an early night after devouring all that food. The wedding was happening the following day and I need to get up early.

The Wedding Reception

The event started off early at 830am. Only close family members gather for the akad nikah ceremony. Once that was over, other guests began to come to the hall by 10am for the main wedding reception. It was a short and sweet event, the food portion was adequate and everyone got a photo with the couple.

MREC – Applying ethical approval for my FYP (OUM) research study

Posted in Adult Learning, Ponderings & Personal Development by

I am currently in the final year of my psychology studies. Initially, I wanted to complete my degree in 4 years but I underestimated the challenges that ensued when you’re a part-time learner. Studying while working is no easy feat. The stress gets to you. A fellow learner was even admitted to the hospital because of hypertensive urgency. I guess this is what happens when your students are in the slightly older group population. Sometimes I took only two subjects in a semester because I anticipated that my work burden would be massive in the upcoming months. Hence, the delay in completing my degree. Nevertheless, this is not a race. There is no rush as there are students who studied for up to 7 years to complete their journey. I am only up against myself to ensure I reach the end with a scroll.

An important component of this degree is to do the Final Year Project (FYP). Open University Malaysia (OUM) would provide the list of supervisors to choose from and I was so glad when I saw Dr Juliana’s name on the list. I have been eyeing her since the second year of my studies when she taught us Social Psychology. If her name wasn’t there, my next option was the HOD himself, Dr Wong.

I contacted her through email. There were a few forms to fill and I managed to submit my topic to OUM’s research unit. Next came the stressful part.

All research studies conducted at any KKM facility must have approval from the Medical Research Ethics Committee (MREC). I had a look at the requirements through the National Medical Research Registry (NMRR) website and was astounded by the amount of documents I have to submit for the approval process. What happened next was a race against time.

Thankfully the Clinical Research Centre at Melaka Hospital was of great assistance. They guided me when I had to amend my study protocol and patient consent form. I was relieved when my study was approved after 1 major and 1 minor revision. This is because, by the time Dr Juliana gave her clearance for me to collect my data, the MREC approval had come through. It was a 3 month process. At the same time, I also had to complete the Chapters as required by the FYP assessment scheme. That means preparing 2 sets of different things for the respective bodies.

Once MREC gave me my letters, I submitted a site approval form to the district health office for further action. Hence, here we are now. In my data collection stage. I am trying not to get myself too overwhelmed by taking it one step at a time. Thinking too far ahead would be distressing. Furthermore, I have my supervisor to advise and guide me accordingly. My aim is to send a weekly update so that I remain motivated and on track with my project.

CTDK – Cinta di awan concert

Posted in Good Things, Just For Fun, Music by

A million thanks to this SitiZoner who shared her moment at CTDK’s concert at Genting Highland. The concert lasted just over 2 hours and it definitely showcased CTDK’s strength as an experienced performer. There was never a moment of boredom. The songs were sung beautifully and putting lyrics on the big screen was a genius touch!

I had no idea that I still remembered some of the song lyrics on top of my head although I haven’t listened to it for quite a while.

CTDK’s cute personality came through which is why she is Malaysia’s songbird, loved by all. Including those who were born past her prime times. I hope that one day I get to see her in a live concert again.

Our stay at Hotel Rosa Passadena, Brinchang

Posted in Food and Drinks, Leisure & Travel by

This is probably one of those older hotels in Cameron Highland. My good take on this hotel is that it is within walking distance of Big Red Strawberry Farm, Centrum Mall and lots of eateries at the nearby shop lots. My idea of walking distance is less than 20 minutes walk. There’s even a huge Mr DIY beside the hotel in case you forgot to bring your toothpaste. Like we did!

Mr Husband booked a triple bedroom that comes with a bathtub. He paid more than RM200 per night. Like other hotels in CH, there is no AC unit in the rooms. However, this hotel was considerate enough to provide a little fan. Although the cold atmosphere would be sufficient and comfortable to sleep in at night, the room needs ventilation during the day. We do not sleep with the windows open at night because of mosquitos despite there being a netting on the window frame. Our net had a hole big enough for mozzies to enter. Each room has a WIFI connection, a mini fridge that is not working and a TV unit. Complimentary beverages and bottled water are provided daily. Housekeeping services also replenish empty shower foam and shampoo bottles.

There is no parking space at this hotel but there are ample public ones outside the hotel. The coupons can be purchased at the hotel reception. They have room service but we didn’t require any.

The breakfast spread was commendable for this classic hotel. I particularly enjoyed the sambal for the nasi lemak. I also liked that they fry their eggs in advance. Normal fried eggs for our mains. No such thing as having to wait for the cook to prepare an omelette.

On the first night, we had dinner at the nearby Tomyam restaurant. We had the tomyam, egg bistik, sotong tepung and rice. Of course, it was delicious. Pernah ke kedai tomyam tak sedap?

The following night, we had Western food at Pizzarella Misokimchi. The pizza had a thin crust and our toppings were tomato cheese and Hawaiian chicken. Haneem chose chips. The pizza was not so bad. I actually loved it.

We didn’t do much at CH this time. It was more of a visit to go somewhere with a cool temperature and have strawberries. I will write about our mini-activities later.