Category Archives: Good Things

My first bellydance fitness session

Posted in Good Things, Hobby/Interest by

Bellydancing is traditionally associated with sensual movement of the hips where the women would expose their mid-rift to demonstrate the shimmies. Egyptian women would entertain the men with fascinating, complex movements of their torso during heavy feasts and such.

Nowadays, bellydancing (BD) can also be a form of fitness for women. something like a cardio workout.

I am very lucky to have known this particular muslimah BD fitness instructor during my blogging days. I call her Kak Syifa. She organizes classes every week at different locations in Bangi and I felt honoured to be invited to one of her special classes today. I was really excited because this would also be my first time meeting her having been cyber friends for more than 10 years. She was everything that I imagined she would be. She had that kind face, bright smile, infectious laugh and voices with many intonations.

This particular BD party is held at Lily Fitness Studio in Bangi Getaway Mall. It is a kids friendly studio hence moms can bring their kids with them too. Walk in fee is RM20 whilst for members it is Rm15. The session is for 90 minutes. The 1st half hour was for us to learn the basics of hip movement. The next hour was a gruelling BD cardio workout with fantastic international music from English to Arabic & Hindi!

The energy throughout the whole session was amazing. When I got there, the ladies were all in hijab and abaya but once the doors were shut, they changed into something more colourful, more revealing (still minding the aurah between women) with a lot of bells at the hips. The regulars were all dressed up and us newbies were in our boring workout attires. HA ha ha.

Our instructor, Zuraiha (my kak Syifa of course) was very very lively, friendly and accommodating. Her passion for this art showed in her choreography and facial expressions. She was smiling all the way while I was huffing and puffing trying to catch my breath and making sure my hips move the right way. In the end, I think I couldn’t make the figure of 8 with my hips as it turned into a 1. Nor could I shimmy and ended up making weird lower body movements instead. LOL

I would definitely sign up for the next session (if any) and will practice my hip movements more at home. Perhaps later I could get for myself one of those belts too 🙂

BD instructor Zuraiha conducts sessions at Fitness Kingdom Studio, Kajang too. If you’re female and looking to be fit the muslimah way, do follow her IG ( setting is of private account) for the latest update. Just make sure you are identifiable as female.

PS : I couldn’t record videos or photographs during the session for privacy reasons.

Ninie’s birthday marathon. She is Two

Posted in Food and Drinks, Good Things, Leisure & Travel, Online Store, Places to Eat, Reviews by
Costume bought at Kaison

She was like a princess. Her birthday celebration was ongoing for at least 2 weeks held at Peringgit, Melaka (DIMA@MITC) & in Kuala Lumpur (Dorsett Residences) with the respective clans. Oh, and a prelim birthday dinner at Vivo, AEON Bandaraya Melaka.

PREBIRTHDAY MARATHON

VIVO had a makeover and it was looking great. Basically it was the 4 of us going out for dinner on the 6th of November itself – having western dishes.

Meatball was delicious but Ninie just wanted fries.. the beef lasagna was also to die for..
A mom very enthusiastic listening to Ninie reciting the dua before meals

PERINGKAT PERINGGIT

This was a shared celebration with her grandfather (husbands dad). We hosted a dinner at an Arabic restaurant in MITC called Dima. As usual we had Maghot Lamb, Mandi Chicken & Lamb. 3 big jugs of juices too.

I ordered Ninie’s cake from Wahdelicious. She is on Instagram . The theme was baby shark. The deco is using fondant whilst the cake is Oreo. There are other options available. I would consider other cakes in my next order as I felt Orea was too sweet for my liking.

Basically I contacted her through watsapp via a link of her instagram. She would ask for a design that I have in mind. Pay her a deposit online and complete the transaction upon pickup at her residence in Bukit Katil. It was a smooth interaction. I was happy with the outcome.

This cake is priced at RM120.

It was a really simple celebration. Wait till you get to the party we had in Kuala Lumpur.

PERINGKAT KUALA LUMPUR

This was a celebration of My Tribe. Lol. It was also a conjoined party between Ninie and her uncle, Matin. Furthermore, it was Matins convocation that particular weekend. Hence, we booked a room at Dorsett Residence, Kuala Lumpur for a mini staycation. I made my booking through the Agoda app and managed to secure a Dorsett Queen Studio Residence with FREE WIfi & Breakfast for 2 at RM364.91 for one night.

Breakfast is packed with people. I mean the spread is delicious hence there is no surprise in that. They have a notice at the front door suggesting hours that some visitors may want to swing by to beat the crowd.

It has a beautiful kitchen, mini washing machine (which we dont use), 3 bedrooms with 2 bathrooms. one of the bathroom has a bath tub which I used to soak myself. The view was acceptable meaning we had to see the constructions nearby. Despite that, I could still enjoy star gazing before dozing off at night.

It is walking distance to Pavillion and all sorts of eateries which means parking and traffic is horrendous because its in the city – hence Dorsett adopts the automated parking space like Japan.

The residence has a pool at Level 30. There is also a cute little gym for fitness enthusiasts.

My little family traveled from Melaka at noon and arrived nicely for check in by 3pm. Check out is at 12noon. I brought with me sandwiches and fruit tarts I ordered from my friends aunt & the latter from a colleague I knew in my previous workplace. Her IG handle is @hidayah_tan_509.

The fillings I ordered : Tuna chilli, Scramble egg cheese, chicken fillet, chicken grill (spicy)
Single Filling (24pcs) RM 35 per box
Double Filling (16pcs) RM28 per box
Double Filling (24pcs) RM42 per box

Order from Puan Aisyah 019 680 1585
Fruit Tarts : RM1.30 per piece. I ordered 50 pieces.
Do visit her Instagram

The initial plan was to also cut the birthday cake that my sister wanted to sponsor. The cake sadly did not arrive on time. Very poor services and the baker was not even apologetic in the first place – saying the cake has been sent by the runner and that there is no such thing as a refund. We were disappointed, frustrated, angry. Somehow, we received another call a few minutes later and it turned out that the cake was still with the runner and has yet to be delivered. This time she apologized profusely.

Ninie received a lot of presents that day

Seeing the very positive comments on this bakers social media account, we decided to forgive her as this could be a one off mishap. Thankfully, the cake was delicious. So, I will not name this baker. But you guys can enjoy the picture. We ended up cutting the cake at 0700am the next morning just before my brother, Matin heads off for his convocation.

Ninie is Two
CONGRATULATIONS BROTHER
ALL SIBLINGS OF THIS TRIBE HAS NOW GRADUATED !!

We had a convocation celebration dinner at a nearby buffet restaurant, Chatz Brasserie in Park Royal Hotel. Dad was generous and paid for everyone. I have no idea how much it costs per pax but you could always check with the hotel.

November has been great. Next month we will have an EE Birthday Marathon. Hurray..

Weight watching. #BLS 2020.

Posted in Everyday Life, Good Things, Medicine/Health by

My weight loss support group BLS 2020 just had our first weigh in a few days ago. This is after a month into the programme. It’s basically us girls who are trying to lose weight with a coach minding our progress. The coach is none other, also our friend of the same study batch. HA ha ha.

We are free to choose whatever fitness programme we like. Be it keto, paleo, GM diet, Intermittent Fasting and what not as long as it supports the idea of a CALORIE DEFICIT.. We can do whatever physical activity to our liking. The ultimate goal for the support group is to motivate each other, exchange recipes (if any) and hope to lose at least 10kg within this 6 months. Just in time before our reunion in April 2020.

For the past one month, I find that I am more obsessed to understand my eating habits and food of choice. I did not do much on physical activity yet. I incorporated a bit of the Smartlife programme I did back in hospital as a facilitator. Part of the strategies from Smartlife include;

  • Calculate your calorie requirement per day in line with your lifestyle. I lead a sedentary lifestyle now that I am working in a clinic setting and my requirements came up to only 1285kcal/day. Knowing that, I should aim for a deficit.
  • Having a food diary. Everything is online now. Find an app and just record your meal intake/calories. I use the inbuilt Samsung Health app. There’s not much Malaysian food in it so most of the time I just record it manually.
  • Set a small, achievable, measurable health target every week. Two, if you’re ambitious. It can be an eating habit, a lifestyle change, a spiritual boost et al. If I could go beyond, I feel great.
  • Physical activity log. I still have a lot to improve on this area.

In the process of learning about food intake and calories, I discovered that;

  • Healthy eating need not be expensive. Yes, you see people take shakes, almond milk, organic this and that, avocado, berries, greek yoghurt and chia seeds. If you’re on a budget, then my advice is go for real food. Meaning tak salah nak hirup sup bayam as snack. Nak telan tofu ngan sos tiram bawang putih masa lunch. Nak minum kopi O satu sudu teh gula as breakfast. Nak minum smoothie jambu batu dan epal. Cause we know in Malaysia, things like avocado and berries are kinda premium purchases, apatah lagi almond milk. So choose food according to your own budget. Make it local. Yet healthy. I think there are more and more trainers/coaches in Malaysia that are trying to make meal plans more local, more Malaysian. If budget is not an issue, then go for it. I personally loved Velvet’s Almond Milk with that nectar thing in my morning coffee.
  • Hydration is really important and is a miracle. Apart from water being good for your skin, it suppresses hunger and make you eat less. Sometimes I add a drop of doterra Grapefruit EO or Lemon inside my drinking water for a tinge of flavour.
  • I need to slow down and be more mindful of what I eat. I have always been fast ever since I was a houseman. Including my husband. Back during the times when we were dating, we’d be walking in the mall like we were tracing blood investigation results. Laju semacam. Makan pun laju. So having to consciously remind myself to sit at the table and have my meals S.l.o.w.l.y kills me a bit, knowing that it is important for proper digestion to occur. I even find 7 mins to make my perfect half boiled egg very agonizing.
  • When you are just starting, try not to have cheat days first. Cause it’ll kill the momentum. It is undeniably difficult during long weekend holidays. But, TRY.
  • Food prep helps. A LOT. When you plan ahead of what you want to eat, it keeps the motivation high to see the numbers on the scale change. You are less likely to give in to the temptation of tapau-ing food or grab fast food. Come to think of it, I haven’t had McDonalds for quite a while now. But I still have KFC from time to time. The breast part without the skin in my sandwich.
  • I should eat less bananas and less snacking on almonds if I want to use my calorie bank for other food items. 13 almonds is 100kcal. I can have like 2 kiwi fruits to substitute for that. In other words, I learnt to switch and prioritise my meals.
  • Once I am firm and consistent with my regime, my family especially my husband tends to follow suit. Lately, he has been getting less portion of food from pasar malam and is more thoughtful of the types of food he wants to buy for dinner. Of course he still buys Tam Tam and Super Rings but not as much as he did before.
  • I can still eat out but I must be smart with my food selection.

To warm up my engine, I just made sure I was eating on a calorie deficit and that my meals were before 730PM. It’s because I tend to reach home just before 6pm and would need to do prayers first before I prep dinner. I wasn’t confident nor ready to commit to a GM diet or a keto yet. Once I get the hang of eating on a calorie deficit on top of HYDRATION with light exercise ( a bit of dumbbells and planks) – I feel I am ready for more.

So I tried Intermittent Fasting. I downloaded an app called Zero to help me get started. I managed it for 3 days in a row until I got my period which kind of tipped things a bit differently. In a way, I need to modify how and when I eat so I wouldn’t get symptomatic anemia while I bleed for the next few days. I figured eating regular meals on a deficit would be better for now. Until I find new ways of how to diet safely while menstruating. Ha ha ha.

Wish me luck. I have 5 months more to go.

Getaway to Genting Highland

Posted in Good Things, Leisure & Travel by

When we only had Ee, our firstborn, planning for a holiday is much easier. Now that he has gone for formal schooling on top of us parents shouldering more responsibilities at work plus the addition of little Ninie, it is not that simple. We have to think about his attendance at school and also our absence from work. The timing has to be right. And of course our bosses approval to take leave.

Genting Highland was the least on my mind when it comes to a family holiday as it almost always associated with the place where people gamble and have extreme fun. Interestingly, it is possible for families to have enjoy an innocent time there too. I know I did. The kids too and even my elderly mother in law was overjoyed.

We were a party of 12 people. 1 senior citizen, 6 adults, 3 kids, 2 toddlers. We departed from Melaka at 0800H and arrived at Genting Skyway by 1030H. Mind you, at this time of the year AWANA IS STILL CLOSED FOR RENOVATION. Gosh, the pain of driving up to Genting Premium Outlet (GPO) and then going down again to the original skyway is so grrrrr..

We bought a return ticket for the cable car at RM16/pax. Kids are priced at the same rate. The view from it was amazing. I love how the thick fog hugs the jungle and terrain underneath – it is so beautiful. If only, I knew how to take better photos. Temperature was a nice sort of cold. The kids did not even have to wear their jacket. takyah bawak, semak. dahlah semak, berat lak tu.

Once we arrived at the stop, we had lunch at McDonalds. My diet was naturally ruined.

Our first adventure was The Skytropolis.

An indoor fun fair if I may say. I am not really a fan of rides. Nor is Ee. Ninie had height restrictions. So Mr Husband had the most fun there while I take photos of his embarassing blood curdling screams. It’s either you pay for a combo ticket or you pay per ride, which is a freaking RM10 each. Gile. Nama pun Genting. On weekends & public holidays, the rate climbs up to RM15 per ride. So, get a combo priced at RM90 to give you access to rides in Skytropolis, the SnowWorld and an exhibition. Or any other combo of your choice.

Later we stopped by at an exhibition featuring local art and culture called Senikome Peng Heng.

Boring. No crowd. Maybe we missed the timing for the guided experience tour. So you might want to arrange your activities accordingly as you might feel that your RM9.50 admission fee a total waste. What was more jaw dropping is that my dear Ninie (who is barely 2 and understand nothing much) was also charged RM9.50. Like, wadahek.

Can you appreciate Ninie’s artistic pose for the camera? lol.. we certainly did not coach her..

SnowWorld was most fun.

Luckily Ninie was more than 73cm – so she could enter the place. We are allowed 30 mins in the dome to experience the subzero environment and play the Toboggan slide if you like. Jacket, boots and gloves were provided. They even have Ninies size. You can place your personal belongings in the locker provided too. All this at no extra charge. Inside, there will be professional photographers helping to take your photos but you can bring your own phones too. After all, they charge RM50 per photo once you collect them. It is advisable to bring your own pair of socks as the boots can be quite damp and soggy. Plus,you wouldn’t want your feet to get icy cold. Admission fee is a flat rate of RM45 for visitors as small as Ninie to someone as old as Tun Mahathir.

The fake overseas scenery.. and snow covered pavements..

We spent 5 hours in Genting Highland without the visit to the premium outlet and there is still so much more to explore. Personally, I feel a trip here would be more happening if I were to go with my friends and do more adult-like activities such as the Void, listen to a symphony and such.

We spent 2 nights at a 3 star hotel outside Genting called S Damansara. It is because after Genting we had other mini trips as well in nearby areas.

It was a comfortable hotel which also caters for group tourists. We opted to have in house breakfast as well and I feel that the spread was adequate. The options are pretty much like what we had at Silka Cheras.

Our rooms were a Superior Twin with no windows and we were lucky to have interconnecting rooms close to each other. Price wise can go as low as RM92 per night and up to RM150 for bigger rooms. The most expensive room they have is the VIP Suite which can amount up to RM500/night which could appeal to larger family groups. There is also FREE WIFI access in every room.

The kids find the vendor machine so fascinating..

The trip to Genting was fun yet tiring. We were on our feet for the whole day but I was glad to burn some calories. On another note, I feel this years themed holiday is Tempat Perjudian considering our earlier family vacation was to Macau.

After Genting, it was to Kidzania and Petrosains. That is another blog entry.

Hobonichi Weeks MEGA 2020. Making mine Malaysian-ish

Posted in Books, Good Things, Online Store, Reviews by

As mentioned before , my Hobonichi’s name is HoboMinci regardless of the type of planner I choose to use for the particular year. In 2020, I would be trying the Weeks Mega for the first time and see how it fares compared to my current Cousin Avec. I love that Cousin Avec has the kind of layout I need but in terms of portability, it can be quite a challenge to bring around especially when it’s bulking up. Perhaps Mega Weeks would bring out that more professional look to it as a so called organized person. Duh.

This video is also available on my Youtube channel

As usual, once I receive my hobonichi, I would need to make a few tweaks to it. Most importantly, the public holiday part of it.

I will need to update this calendar once the schedule for school holidays come out
Last year, I used this space to track and plan my blog post here on WordPress. It did not turn out so well. I was not consistent. This year I will be using it to track my studies, classes and courses since I am only getting 1 planner this year.
The monthly spread to jot down birthdays and important events. The space is small. I will have to write in an 8 sized font. LOL.
My emergency contacts!
My 100. I am going to use it to list down my bucket list of various categories. Perhaps a new book, a vacay location, someone famous to meet, or a special event!

Hobonichi also has a few informational pages which looks interesting. Only, I haven’t learn the language. MAYBE just maybe I would try to pick up on it since my friends in school could read, write and speak it in just 2 years. I took Arabic instead of Japanese during that time. Those who chose the Japanese language had really fun lessons and sensei! We, the ‘Arabs’ and ‘French’ were terribly jealous. Haih.. japanese boyfren come translate for me the pages and teach me..

I really hope I got this last page right. The biodata page..

Big Bad Wolf is coming to Melaka soon. It would be a good time to search for language books, coffee table books etc.. perhaps studying Japanese could be on my bucket list next year on top of Mandarin. Until that happens, sayonara for now.