Category Archives: Good Things

November birthday celebrations

Posted in Food and Drinks, Good Things, Places to Eat by

November is the month to celebrate my youngest brother’s and my daughter’s birthday. This time I invited the family over to Melaka. They stayed at my husband’s Homestay (which has yet to be opened to the public). It is a double-storey house with 5 bedrooms and 3 bathrooms. It is in a gated residential area, which is why I am not really a fan of going there.

Anyway, the Moss clan arrived on the Friday evening. Dad already had dinner at my place earlier. Only then did he go to the Homestay with my husband and son. I stayed behind at my own humble abode because I needed to take my daughter to her swimming class the next morning. My sister and brothers arrived much later. The plan for the weekend was to visit the Butterfly Park and then have a birthday lunch and dinner. It was all on me.

Melaka Butterfly and Reptile Sanctuary

The admissions fee has certainly increased since the last time I went here. Adults were RM27 and children were RM22. Our group had 8 adults and 5 children. I thought buying the tickets online would speed up the process of entering the park but turns out you still have to queue in line. I was a bit grumpy because first, the clan was late and second, it turns out that so many kindergartens were doing a field trip that week. Hence, the place was packed. All I wanted was a peaceful Saturday. I noticed that there were a few new attractions such as Feeding the birds, emu and turtles, making origami, a picture with the butterfly fairies and the sight of new reptile species. The food pack was freaking expensive at RM8/pack. I enquired about the group tour but it was only for school and corporate trips.

Find the snakes

The best way to navigate this place upon entering the park is to start from the left where the birds are. Then, once you exit the area, go to where the butterflies are. The entrance is inside the merchandise store. Only then do you go to the tortoise area.

My 30-year-old brother had his first experience of feeding the birds, man – that is a sad childhood. My parents should have brought him out more when he was younger. To be honest, I also had this sort of experience when I got older. Not when I was a child.

I really enjoyed the butterfly area – it felt so magical and the butterflies were a pretty sight. The last time I came here, the butterflies were feeding on soursop. Now they are eating pineapples.

The tortoises were probably feeling very full from all the feeding. Still, the kids were excited with the idea of feeding them.

Lunch at DIMA

Dinner at Ala Kassim, Taman Lagenda

My sister-in-law couldn’t really enjoy the meal because she had a GI upset. I paid a total of RM217 for the meal consisting of a party of 13. We had Pari, Siakap, Jenahak, Sotong, and Sayur Campur with mini nasi lemak and white rice. The night view was nice but there were so many vendors selling their stuff from one table to the other. It is quite merimaskan for me. I just want to have my meal in peace. I realized that we did not have a birthday cake this time – it kind of slipped my mind. Overall, it lacked something in the dishes but the taste was acceptable.

I have yet to plan for the December babies but it should be fun too.

A book haul from Experal Bookstore Malaysia

Posted in Books, Good Things by

I have been shopping across Instagram with my imaginary cart picking out nice book titles. The decision to actually click the purchase button is based on the comments on the recommended book post, the price alongside my budget and the cover of the book. Despite the famous ‘Do not judge a book by its cover’ – I still do that most of the time.

I buy my physical books from Experal because they have the book’s synopsis in the product description. It saves me time from having to search for it on another website. Plus, they tend to send my books in perfect condition and make it clear on some books that it is a ‘pre-order’. Thus, as a buyer, I would understand that my books will not be shipped immediately. Even then I can wait. It is not a problem on my part. I can have delayed gratification.

This was my recent haul of RM 886.69 including the shipping fee. It makes me want to have a book-reading party with Kim Namjoon already.

A wedding weekend in Kuching

Posted in Good Things, Leisure & Travel by

It was my cousin’s wedding that weekend and he had extended his invitation at least 6 months before the date. I asked my husband if he wanted to come along but he said the Deepavali weekend was too short – so I went with my boyfriend. Kidding, I went with my sister and my dad.

I used Batik Airlines for this trip and I bought the ticket at least 2 months before the trip. It costs me a total of RM477.68 for the round tickets including all sorts of fees and charges. I had a 7kg hand carry allowance for the trip and that’s it. I did not buy extra cause I knew I wouldn’t have time to go shopping or anything.

Hence my carry-on bag was very light and minimal. I had to bring my laptop with me because I still have assignments pending submission. I deliberately bought this new backpack from Shopee. I believe it would be handy for someone taller cause, to be honest, it was quite bulky for a short lady like myself. It served its purpose but I am now left to contemplate whether I would like to use it for my upcoming MIRI trip.

I also bought the CUURA Travel pack. CUURA is a local brand and its skincare products are great. I bought the pack out of curiosity although I thought the price was quite steep. It was RM129.00 with a variety of petite products inside the plastic pouch. They could have gone for a more compact pouch although I understand that maybe they wanted other products to hop into the pouch during the travels. It is quite good as an introductory package as well for people who are CUURA-naive but if you intend to travel for more than 5 days, you would need backup. I was rationing mine. If they could market this for just under RM100, I think it would be great.

I only bought the essentials for my makeup as I knew no one would actually be that attentive towards me during the wedding. Plus, I intend to go light for my makeup on the plane. I bought two products from HYGR – a deodorant and a multipurpose lip balm in code Hibiscus. I thought it was a great local product to try and so with just the lip balm, I’ve got my eyeshadow, blusher and lipstick sorted. I brought with me Wawa Zainal’s mascara cause I loved its formula and then I packed together a mini Elianto perfume. I wore jeans with just enough tops for the stay including a set of Baju Kurung for the wedding reception. I did not bother with my shoes since the reception is in the masjid and we need to take off our shoes anyway once we are inside.

I stayed at my sister’s place the night before and my brother sent me to the airport the next morning. I had breakfast at KLIA1 minus the coffee because I fear I might pee too much. I had water instead. I checked in online the night before and since I did not want to risk it, I printed my electronic boarding pass as well. I could choose my seat when I checked in online but the only seat available for me was the 29F. LOL.

The flight from KLIA1 to Kuching International Airport took about 1 hour and 55 minutes. On arrival, I made the biggest rookie mistake. I took an unmetered taxi to Vivacity Shopping Mall which was less than 15 minutes away and was charged RM30 for the trip. My advice is to get a GRAB or a MAXIM. The MAXIM seems to be very responsive in Kuching. I used MAXIM for my trip from the mall to my hotel and later for my trip back to the airport.

TAKA PATISSERIE

Apart from lunch, my main objective going to Vivacity was to visit this bakery on the LG floor. I have seen it’s beautiful pastries on Instagram and I really wanted to try them. I have to say, the setup is so magnificent and the pastries were decently priced. The cakes were pretty and even normal pastries looked extravagant in the display cabinets. I ended up buying one of it’s speciality, the Sambal Laksa bun and a few others. I was tempted to get more but since I was planning to get coffee afterwards, I stopped myself from impulsive buying.

BING COFFEE, PADUNGAN

This is a very nostalgic cafe. I have been a fan of it since houseman-ship years. I really loved it’s chicken panini, cakes and coffee. I ordered the iced latte and the panini of course. I wanted to enjoy it in my hotel room which is just across the road. I like how the taste remains the same over the decades.

WEDDING

The wedding was held the next day at masjid Al-Abyad, Matang. We went there in my dad’s rented Pajero – man I hate the doors, it makes me claustrophobic because the only way for you to open the backseat door is for the front passenger to open theirs first. It was a seated wedding and I really loved the vibe of the wedding. I loved the food as well. It was also a very short and sweet ceremony. We arrived there by 1030am, ushered into the hall to our tables, he emcee made his opening speech at 11am, then the couple walked in, received some blessings, had their food, cut their cake and by the time it was 12pm, everything was done. Leaving just enough time for photos and the caterer to sort out the leftovers. We should do more itineraries like this. We were literally done by 1230pm.

When I reached the hotel, I actually managed to stop at Bing again to get coffee and cake. This time I settled on a caramel macchiato and a slice of carrot cake. It was delicious.

In my next entries, I will write about the hotel and what I ate whilst I was there.

Reducing travel anxiety

Posted in Everyday Life, Good Things by

It used to be a time when if say, I had a weekend course in certain parts of the country, my family could follow suit and enjoy their leisure time in the hotel. However, things have changed. Ever since the kids have grown up and the husband has been a certified specialist in Public Health – they have other commitments that demand their time. Similarly, some matters beg my attention too. Therefore, I have to accustom myself to the idea that I would have to attend certain courses, or even family events on my side, alone.

Despite being a fearless person, there is still an ounce of anxiety whenever I have to go to new places alone. It is crucial to me that whatever I get myself into – I should return from it safe and sound. Hence, some form of planning is important to ensure that all contingency measures are in place to enhance that.

  • fill up the fuel tank to the maximum to avoid making stops at the petrol station unnecessarily. It is common to see how ladies are robbed during moments when they are focused into filling up the car fuel tank
  • top up my touch and Go. Not all highways accept debit cards for now. But most shopping malls use T&Go, so there is no harm in depositing some money in there
  • pump the tyres – I would be so panicked if something happened to me on the road
  • identify Safe Stops at the destination area and the roads that go towards it. On the highway, we know the PLUS Patrol is available but once you enter a new city, it is good to find out where are the nearest masjid, gated residence, shopping mall, any public building or better, police station is in case you need to make a run. Gated residence being my choice as well since they have security guards.
  • do not wear heels
  • wear pants
  • have a water bottle on standby
  • carry light and always the key in your hand – for faster access inside the hotel room or homestay
  • stay calm and collected – I had a spider in my car the other day, I was able to NOT SCREAM and be frantic. I did pray that it’ll go away quick.
  • inform a family member of your whereabouts and turn on ‘device location’ intermittently to allow tracking of some sort. announce it to only trusted people of course.
  • meaning do not share LIVE updates on social media. Which is why my activities are usually up the following week or once I have returned from a place a few hours later. Digital predators are everywhere and they come in all types and harmful intentions. They are either interested in your money, your body or your life in general. The scammers, the se-xers and the imposters.

I am sure there are various other measures one can look into.

Be independent, travel if you like.. but be safe at all times.

Lunch break mini haul

Posted in Everyday Life, Good Things by

I started with lunch at Vivo. I ordered a salmon dish, a slice of pistachio cake and a soda. I took the time to chew my food because even V Bangtan chews his food more than 40 times. I wanted the digestive system to warm up properly. I was surprised with the huge turnout at Vivo today – patrons were singing ‘Happy Birthday’ from almost every corner of the restaurant. After the satisfactory lunch and leaving Vivo a 5 star on Google Reviews, I started my stroll in the mall. There was a clearance sale at Komai-So’s branch at Aeon today. Komai-so is planning to move a level up because the current space will be rented out to another store. The items were on sale for up to 50% so I got a few birthday party items and cute stationeries. I also bought tumblers for the kids since they were always hinting for one when I got one for myself and my husband.

This was my favourite pick from the clearance sale. A banana milk memo.

I also went into Kaison to look at the cute stuff. I ended up buying a few hair clips for myself and my daughter. It was a great, uninterrupted lunch break at the mall.

The pistachio cake