Category Archives: Everyday Life

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

My bora glasses

Posted in Everyday Life by

A few months ago my spectacles broke at the handles – the part that goes over your ears to secure it at its spot. I tried holding it together with a few wraps of washi tape. It worked for a bit but it was really uncomfortable on the visual acuity. It wasn’t balanced and I got really frustrated. I was honestly just trying to buy time to go to the optometrist. I wasn’t keen on having to go for an eye test and buy a new pair of glasses. I thought it was tedious.

The inevitable came. The handle was so broken and beyond patching up.

So I went to a local optometrist and was prepared to endure the projected experience. I told the young man that my spectacles broke and I needed a replacement. The young man questioned me back, “Just the frame?”. I was a bit puzzled but I answered with a confident ‘YES’.

He reached down to a cabinet and searched for frames that is similar to the one I had. I had an immediate liking for one particular frame in bora (purple). It was priced at RM60 and just like that, my lense was put inside the frame, ready to use. I did not know that was possible. No need for a new lens, just get a new frame. I was delighted.

I guess sometimes what you think is normal and the usual may not turn out like that every time you experience it. It is easy to be fooled into thinking that the outcome of a certain situation will be the same all the time. There are always extraneous factors weighing into the problem that may or may not contribute to the outcome. Hence, the key message here is to just be confident and go for it. JUST TRY.

What was she made for?

Posted in Everyday Life by

My (late) mom’s birthday was on the 31st of July and a thought passed by. I wondered how she celebrated her 40th birthday before because, to be honest, I don’t really remember what happened back then. I was 16 when she reached 40. I was a 16-year-old at boarding school so there is a likelihood that I wasn’t there when she had her birthday.

That is if she had a celebration. I couldn’t find a picture or documentation of how it was back then. I just hoped she enjoyed her 40th birthday.

Sometimes as a person looking at another person’s life from the outside – it is easy to just say something about it. For example, when you see adultery, it seems logical for the victim to make a report and just leave. The fact is, it requires a lot of courage and determination on the victim’s part to make a very big decision especially when you have put up with it for so many years.

Similarly, it seemed easy to just tell my mother to seek divorce from my dad, at the time. However, when you’ve spent more than half of your life with someone called a husband, things get a bit complicated to dissolve. Especially when it involves children and extended family members. I am sure for her there was this part in her that kept saying to her to be patient, and that all will be well one day. Only that day never comes.

From her story alone, I learned that Love, Affection and Respect can stand alone. You do not need to Love someone to Respect them. Affection is enough. Although Respect is stronger.

Meet Jasmine

Posted in Everyday Life, Hobby/Interest by

This is one of my Jasmine plants that has been with me for at least 3 years. It has it’s own ups and downs as a plant. Once, it nearly died due to drought but I managed to revive it. I find that with Jasmine, it tends to bloom the best when it’s roots are in a tight spot in a pot. Yet it still needs external human support in terms of hydration and appropriate exposure to the sun. I have another Jasmine tree, outside the pot, planted in the soil. That one has a different character – it’s pretty wild. It just grows and stretches as further out as it can. I have yet to see it in full bloom although the buds seem scattered everywhere. Maybe it will give me a nice surprise one day.

As for the bunga kantan? The shoots are growing very high but the pink flowers are nowhere in sight.

Chicken Pox, varicella zoster

Posted in Everyday Life, Medicine/Health, Parenting, Family and Relationships by

My daughter’s chicken pox came without a warning. It just erupted on one fine day without her getting a fever. I should have taken note when she mentioned that a few of her friends were off from school because they had chickenpox.

I was picking her up from daycare as usual in the evening after work. Suddenly the teachers stopped in their tracks as they sent my daughter out to the gate. They appeared concerned as they looked at her face. I thought she had another episode of epistaxis. Then one of the teachers brought her to me quickly and said, “We just noticed this on her face but she was well today”. A quick glance showed several vesicles on her face. It was undoubtedly chickenpox. I reassured the teachers that it was okay, she is bound to get it one day and that I was actually glad she caught it now. At least I don’t have to worry about it once she gets into formal schooling.

I messaged my husband to bring back some calamine lotion from his place of work. If I knew earlier, I would have written a prescription at my own clinic. I brought her to see the doctor at a nearby clinic the next day as my own place was closed on Saturday. The reason being I wanted to collect a letter to certify that my daughter has chickenpox and that I needed a few days’ leave of absence to take care of her. It was a straightforward process and we were done in less than an hour. I then informed my superior via phone regarding the leave and uploaded the form onto HRMIS. It was also my first time downloading my e-GL from HRMIS for that clinic visit. Things are so easy nowadays with the technology that we have.

My daughter is well with a low-grade fever. The vesicles are coming out very fast and drying up just as quick. Her appetite remained normal although I do have to remind her from time to time to keep hydrated. One thing that is giving me a headache in the morning is that she wakes up at 2am asking for cookies and a glass of water. It is usually very hard for me to go back to sleep after that. Anyway, there is always a silver lining to the cloud. At least I get to polish my assignments and do my revisions for this exam month peacefully for the next few days.