Category Archives: Everyday Life

Tun Fatimah theatrical play

Posted in Everyday Life, Reviews by

I have always admired actors who could perform in theatres. It is astounding for them to memorize and deliver their lengthy lines promptly. A musical theatre demands more of them especially if they have to sing and dance at the same time.

The first local play I went to was Cindai. The set was huge and colourful – almost 2 hours passed and it felt like nothing. Then, I tried watching another play that was broadcast online called Puteri Santubong. The trailer for that play was intriguing. Unfortunately, it wasn’t delivered well. I feel that when it comes to promoting a play online – our Malaysian production team should learn from the South Korean. See how they can enhance choreography and work around the performance by capturing their best shots. Puteri Santubong’s set appeared childish and the musical aspects of it sounded mediocre – from the online point of view.

Tun Fatimah play was held at Kolej Yayasan Saad. An acquaintance from school told us about it and thought it would be a great idea to have a mini gathering amongst us. Especially since I did not attend our school reunion a month ago to commemorate being 40 years old. She helped me buy the ticket online. It was priced at RM50 and offers a fast lane and a goodie bag.

30.09.2023

I informed my husband beforehand regarding the play so that he would know that the wife would be stepping out of the house after Maghrib’s prayers. KYS is located within the Alor Gajah district and although the route there has no traffic, it can get very dark. The auditorium at KYS seems equipped to organize a there-there with all its lighting, sound systems and all. If only the temperature was a bit colder as the crowd caused it to be quite warm.

The play itself was OK. My expectations were high because reviews were saying that they cried. Honestly, I did not cry but I applaud the actors. They were all good at delivering the lines. My favourite parts of the whole show were the dance routines and the soundtrack. Then there were special cameos by our national silat team. I mean, their silat performance was of gold quality. The show duration was nearly 2 hours including the curtain call. It started roughly at 845 p.m. and ended just a few minutes before 11 p.m. I did not waste my time afterwards and decided to just shoot off home. I wantish to reduce the risk of inevitable danger.

In the goodie bag was a glass cup and bottled water. The cup was a beautiful merchandise of the play. I loved it. Looking forward to more small-scale social events in the months to come. Insya Allah.

Family commitment

Posted in Everyday Life by

A few weeks ago, a colleague told me,

“You look so calm and your manners have always been so accommodating to other people – I had no idea you had struggles of your own. You looked like you had everything under control”

The moment you decide to build your own family – that is the time when you decide that other people will somehow matter more in your life than yours. It is an unpopular opinion in the Western world but this is what the Collectivistic Culture of Eastern civilization is built upon. Hence, to have a mix of both cultures is actually good. You do not want to be too Individualistic and self-centred either because a lot of people are making the mistake of taking self-love too literally.

I realized that it is important to plan your family especially when you DO NOT HAVE ALL THE MEANS in the world to build your life around it. Especially the commodity of money and time. That means planning the spacing of years between your kids, their education goals, future financial support, their baseline social circle etc. About the latter, there will inevitably come a time when they find their own wings and create their own social network. As parents, it is important to reassure them that despite their adventurous and tortuous path navigating childhood, adolescence and even adulthood – their baseline social support will always be around for them. It could be parents, siblings, grandparents, favourite neighbours and such.

A few weeks ago, my son and niece had their Sports Day at school. My son, not wanting to trouble me said, “You can just drop me off here and then come back later in the afternoon”. Obviously, I had a different opinion. I told him I was staying because I wanted to watch him in the parade with his costume on. I also want to see him participate in Tarik Tali. He gave one of his cheeky smiles because obviously, that was what he wanted without being too direct.

The weather was hot. Thankfully, I bought my coffee in the Tyeso Tumbler. It has become my favourite because of its straw with the cover feature. I chose it in the colour bora because I am ARMY. hahahaha. There’s a YouTube video on that soon – just wait for it. I bought one for my husband too. His is in black. My colleagues at work loved it too and they have bought one for themselves too. Talk about micro-influencing.

Getting back on the topic, I have a few social events as well towards the end of the year. There will be a wedding in Kuching (November) and Miri (December). There are going to be birthdays and other forms of socializing. The highlight every year : Wedding Anniversary.

Then there is this sibling issue going on that needs taking care of. My sister and I have a sibling matter to sort out that involves another sibling. It is a matter that needs to be handled delicately. In short, almost all of my weekends are full of family commitments. When can I retire?

Celebrating September babies at AHA

Posted in Everyday Life, Food and Drinks, Places to Eat by

It was my first time trying AHA. It is a restaurant that serves steamboat and chicken covered in cheese. My sister booked a table there in conjunction with the birthday celebration for September babies. This time round, Brother D could not join us because he was working.

The newlyweds
Sister and fam..

We ordered the served-buffet meal which was priced as below.

I was not a fan of the sauce but it wasn’t that horrible to begin with. Overall, it was a splendid meal and we surprised our dad with coconut ice cream for his birthday.

I managed to record a few clips for my personal vlog. Something to look back on in the future. Insya-Allah.

Paramount Coffee House – Conezion

Posted in Everyday Life, Food and Drinks, Places to Eat by

Upon returning from my course at UPM, I indulged myself in a hot shower. It has been an exhausting day and all I wanted was a nice meal and dessert! I’ve already set my eyes on Paramount Coffee House, located just 2 minutes walk from my hotel. It is a restaurant owned by Ebit Liew, the Muslim philanthropist who got caught up in a few controversies lately. I have heard raving reviews about it a lot!

However, since I was alone, I knew I couldn’t eat too much. Plus, my sister was saying that they serve really big portions. I am not a fan of eateries that serve huge portions because subconsciously, this is linked to me being the NCD champion of my clinic. Patients eat too much and it is challenging trying to advise them to eat less.

Anyway, I finally decided on a menu – Laksa Pahang. It was my first time eating it and I thought it was like Laksam’s cousin. They taste similar. Only Laksam has those little rolls and this one is served with noodles instead. I ordered apple peach tea as well. I was contemplating having their famous waffles as well but it looked too much for someone my size. I am, after all, watching my calories. They also have Western options but that is for another time. In the end, I still had dessert but I bought it at a different store – The Harry’s.

My verdict on the laksa is a SO-SO. I will need to taste the other food on the menu with my family later.

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.