Author Archives: Minci 先生

Be my guest

Posted in Everyday Life, Parenting, Family and Relationships by

Hosting comes naturally for some people. Someone could give a heads up within 15 minutes and the house is ready to welcome them. I do not have the confidence to do that yet. I need at least a week’s notice.

Anyway, my sister came for a short visit recently. So I called her over for lunch. I prepared nasi lemak with sambal bunga kantan, shepherd’s pie and a mini fruit tower. She brought doughnut brownies over. Her family was planning to check into Amverton Heritage at Ayer Keroh. There’s a waterpark in the resort.

I used bunga kantan from my garden for the sambal. I really liked its tangy taste and basically cooked up a sambal based on what I read from recipes online. I had no time to fry chicken so I prepared some nuggets and hard-boiled eggs as protein for the nasi lemak. I lack the nuts and ikan bilis though.

My fruit tower was made up of baby pineapples and strawberries. I wanted to indulge my nephew and niece with nice fruits. If only I had durian.

As for the shepherd pie, I used minced meat from the brand Saudi, ready-made sauce from Leggo and chopped in some carrots for texture. I think I did the mash on top pretty well this time. Placed it in the oven for 20 minutes at 200 degrees just before my sister came.

This is what my sister brought. A cute doughnut brownie box. The brownie was a bit hard but the sprinkles made it edible.

They only spent about 90 minutes at my place as they had to get going. I did realize that there are certain mannerisms that I need to teach my children when it comes to receiving guests at home.

  • when a visitor comes, regardless if you know them or not, they must come out of their rooms and pay respect. meaning salam. Do not wait for me to scream and beckon them out of their rooms.
  • if these guests have children, they should not stay in their room. Instead, to try and entertain these children, pique their interest and go along with it.

I cannot manage adult behaviour but at least I can teach the kids.

7 July

Al-Fatihah to my mother, Seniah binti Omar – whose love and sacrifices have been taken for granted by the people around her.

Reminiscing back on what she had to go through as a newlywed, a wife and a mother with no asset in her name nor an income – she could have lived better. But she persevered. As kids back then, all we could do was watch because we had no idea how we could have helped.

Perhaps death was the best escape.

Although she succumbed to her illness due to post-COVID complications, I wished other people had taken her place. Not her. She went too soon.

K-skin, Korean Express Facial at AEON Bandaraya Melaka

Posted in Beauty Products, Good Things, Reviews by

I went for an impromptu facial at K-Skin yesterday. On my day off, I brought my daughter to have lunch at Aeon Bandaraya. I was intrigued by their selling price – RM58 for a 15-minute facial. I could choose between 3 service options: Cleanse, Glow or V-lift. However, they also have another option which is the Combo treatment at RM98 for 30 minutes. I went for the Combo since they throw in a box of mask sheet as well. I chose Combo A.

Unlike other facials I have been to, they don’t pick on your blackheads and acne. I was very thankful for that because the last time I went, my face was really red the next day. It was so embarrassing coming into work like a lobster. I liked that the beautician was not excessively chatty too.

The facial area had private curtains around it and since my daughter is very well-behaved, my beautician loved having her sit near me. She was as quiet as a mouse. The facial was very cooling and relaxing. Maybe because I was the only customer during that time. Anyway, I believe it’s a good place to go if you have a long lunch break on Fridays. It does not require an appointment and you could easily go for lunch afterwards.

I wished I could say there was a glaring difference in my complexion – before and after. Unfortunately, I did not feel that way. Perhaps I could opt for the Pigmentation Service next time. My face did feel fresh though after the 30-minute pampering. And since I did an immediate Google Review afterwards, I received an extra sheet of Vitamin C mask sheet.

Reducing financial burden

Posted in Home Management by

A psychiatrist during my medical student postings once told me that when she was in her 40s, she ‘downsized’ her life. She sold off her Jaguar, bought a smaller home, and spent much less on her clothes and accessories. She felt more content afterwards. Perhaps it was her mid-life crisis, she couldn’t tell. I am feeling a similar urge too. To be content with what I have and reduce whatever extra’s that are not necessary.

I went to the bank yesterday to reactivate my account. It has been dormant for the past year because I need to have a debit card to make online transfers. I did not have one. The lady at the counter was enthusiastic about telling me about their account options and diversifying financial portfolios. She persuaded me to get a debit card too! It got so suffocating that at one point I just stopped her nicely and said, “Let me tell you about my plan. My plan is to transfer the current money I have here to my investment account at ASB little by little as per the allowed limit. And then I plan to close my account here“.

But why? You would need backup.

I then told her about my sibling’s experience sorting out my mother’s will. It was a hassle. My late mom has so many eggs in so many baskets to pick up. Hence, the least I could do is put it all in as little baskets as I can. The lady suggested hibah but it comes with a fee. Which I have no interest in paying.

I also plan to pay off my housing loan as early as I can. At least my financial burden could be reduced gradually for me to enjoy my early pension. (if it happens).

Downsizing the amount of accounts I have will be my financial task till the end of this year. I am also planning to keep the amount of money in my Tabung Haji to its required minimum. Just enough to pay for Hajj expenses. The rest of the money will be put into my children’s TH account so that it can be used for their Hajj and also education expenses.