Every year there will be parents passing comments on Facebook about how displeased they are when their kids receive junk food as goodies during the end-of-year class party. The way I see it, if you have been feeding your child with mostly quality food for the whole year, then I believe that even if the child receives those goodies, he/she will know which ones she could indulge in more, and which ones to space out in terms of its consumption frequency.
Ramadan is coming soon. I think that is a good month to train ourselves as adults and our kids to make better meal choices during Sahur and Iftar. Malaysia has a very food-orientated scene during Ramadan. The bazaar keeps popping up more than the year before. I would expect the prices would be freaking expensive as well. Sadly, this is where food wastage happens as well. I feel that as Malaysian Muslims, we need to focus on sweetening the ibadat component of Ramadan.
Food should be back to what it is – a form of sustenance to feed the soul and body. Not as a means to satisfy cravings per se. Having said that, I am not against the idea of organising Iftar to form meaningful connections with family and friends. If it is well-planned and promotes togetherness, then that is also a form of Ibadat.
The life we live is based on the choices we make along the way. Make better food choices. Live a better lifestyle. That is what I am aiming for in 2025.
Zoo Johor had a makeover. The first time I went there was when I was heavily pregnant with my daughter in 2017 and the second time around was when she turned 3 years old. Now, the zoo looks more modern although it is way smaller than Zoo Negara and Zoo Melaka. Of course, the fees have gone up but it was still a great place to spend the day out with the kids. Tickets can be bought online or at the premises using the kiosk. The zoo will be closed every Tuesday starting November 1st.
I liked the part where we hovered over the Gladiator-like rings to see the lions, tigers and bears.
Another great feature is that visitors get to snap photos with the birds and snakes (in a glass box) without concerns about paying extra or being in a queue. I would say it is a minimalistic zoo that is equally entertaining. As it doesn’t have the ritual photography sessions at the front gate or the ‘come here buy your fridge magnet‘ salesperson at the zoo exit. It’s just a place where the family could hang out and get excited over the animals at a small cost. I like that. Animals should be accessible to all classes of citizens. Rakyat Johor sangat bertuah.
We spent roughly an hour at the zoo and managed to put in about 5K steps into our daily walk routine. Afterwards, we made a quick stop at Mid Valley South Key Mall for lunch. We had Nandos and even ordered the bottomless drinks and yoghurts. The vanilla yoghurt had a smooth taste and not too sour. My husband loved it. He also shopped for new work bags and a luggage bag for his sister. I didn’t get anything. I am being very mindful of my spending lately because I have a bigger financial goal in a few months to come.
The beautiful posh mall
Thankfully with Deepavali decor instead of Halloween
Our bottomless yoghurt
During this staycation in Johor Bahru, we stayed at The GBW Hotel. I will blog about it in another post.
Ever since the Khazanah x PNB investment loss of 43M came to light, netizens have not stopped asking for an explanation of what went wrong with Fashion Valet. Many have demanded that the husband and wife duo/founder of the company step forth and clarify the news to the public.
I thought it was interesting to discover that a lot of people actually do not want FV to succeed. So many people were talking trash about her. In fact, ever since Vivy was portrayed in mass media at least more than a decade ago for her bright idea of championing local designers to Malaysians through an online platform, people were still sceptical of her talent. She had the privilege of using Daddy’s money (which is true) and that somehow placed her in a rank similar to those who are not regarded as true entrepreneurs. For example, celebrity turned businesswoman or brand ambassadors etc. As opposed to those who have trouble securing a grant or a loan to kick-start their business. Even then, I still thought that if someone used Daddy’s Money and lacked entrepreneurial talent, the money would still go down the drain. Instead, Vivy’s business thrived and more people began to appreciate the works of our local designers. We should applaud that.
Even I was influenced to grab something from FV or more precisely dUCK. Too bad, I am not a fan of their collection and just bought a few scarves packaged beautifully in their signature purple boxes. Enough to convince myself that I was once part of the crowd. The interest towards the brand waned off sooner than I thought simply because of the high price tag. Although I could afford it, I did not think that it was worth my hard earned money. And so, FV or dUCK was just a ‘catalogue’ I enjoy browsing from time to time because of it’s aesthetic nature. While it’s visually appealing, it requires considerable contemplation before making a purchase. A RM300 scarf or RM400 tote could get me quality groceries for two weeks.
Over the course of time, it is expected that the designers no longer need FV to grow their brand and presence as digital technology has become more accessible and cost-effective to manage on their own. This was what I grasped from her book, The First Decade. To me, the book did not have a forceful presence like Michelle Obama’s ‘Becoming’ or “My Name Is Hasmah” by Dr Siti Hasmah Mohd Ali. It felt like reading her blog as the tone is perceived as quick-paced. I could actually hear her voice in my head while reading. Even then, it wasn’t a book without substance at all. There were poignant moments that made you understand that running an online business is not as easy as it sounds.
Investments are bound to succeed or incur losses. What angered the public was that the loss was too huge and FV’s apology was deemed childish. What’s more, Vivy parades her luxurious lifestyle which gives an ick to those who have always been against her from Day 1. I honestly feel bad for her because I feel that she is receiving an inappropriate amount of hate simply due to her being already rich (generational wealth) and yet still being able to secure funds from Khazanah x PNB. In other words, using taxpayer’s money. According to the public, it should have been put to better use by these investors to support other promising and viable ventures. Honestly, I am not affluent in the business world. Hence, I trust that Khazanah X PNB would know what they are doing. Still, this issue does give me this unrested feeling that privileged members of society do have it easier sometimes. Thankfully, the investment made by PNB did not come from our ASNB subscription.
Anyway, I look forward to the turnaround of FV in the hands of NXBT Partner as the majority stakeholder of the business. I believe despite the setbacks, the couple will find a way to rise up again. True entrepreneurs always do. Perhaps in the future, the founders can approach matters with enhanced perspectives and establish an online presence that focuses on less contentious issues with other local e-commerce players.
Since celebrities are inevitably in the spotlight as part of their career demands, Malaysian netizens have been reading about their divorce cases almost on a daily basis. So much so that memes begin to crop up to the extent of degrading the lady divorcee. Words like ‘mari semua, semakin ramai janda untuk dihalalkan‘ seems like a poke of fun when in fact, no one would ever know the harm it has brought to their emotions and their family. Especially when children are involved.
Some celebrities and bloggers have even tied the knot for more than 15 years and still decided to call it an end. Either way, there must be a good reason for it. I mean, no one wants a divorce because there is too much at stake. Perhaps their Sabar has gone up to its max that no amount of reconciliatory effort is able to fix the broken marriage.
As outsiders reading about this news on the feed, it is easy to be influenced by such ‘trends’ as the divorced beings would cough up reasons such as ‘self-worth’, ‘self-happiness’ and ‘forever is a long time’. While it is empowering to create your own happiness, sometimes you need to step back and look at other empowering examples around you where they fight for their marriage behind the cameras.
Where husbands lower their egos and wives lower their tones. This may not happen all the time but it is the imperfections of the marriage that keep us occupied to mend it, upgrade it focus on it for the rest of our lives. All happens in ordinary living circumstances where the houses are not aesthetic, you don’t wear couple outfits and the meals are not always nutritious. A situation where the working lady of the house makes or buys meals for family dinners. The working man trying to get DIY done but never fully completed. Or in cases where an elderly wife dutifully serves her husband and the husband returns the favour by putting empty dishes in the sink with no attempts to wash them. Followed by the husband bringing home snacks while the wife nags about its horrible taste endlessly until the next morning.
And yet the marriage holds up and the couple stays together.
Orang kata, “kalau hidup berpaksikan artist, influencer, selebriti.. maka itulah kehidupan sama yang kita akan ikut dan jalani. Maka kenalah pandai memilih apa yang kita hendak ikut “
A life centred around public figures often places more emphasis on appearances and external success, which may not align with our personal values or goals. This can create pressure to maintain a certain image, even if it doesn’t truly reflect who we are. However, if we can take inspiration from public figures without losing our own core values and principles, it can be a positive motivation to achieve our own life aspirations.
My dad is driving me nuts with his holier-than-thou attitude. I am trying my best to not snap back at him like any respectful daughter should be. So is news about Fattah Amin. How do I stop reading about him on my feed? It has started to become so irritating to see the public putting him on a moral pedestal.
On a different note, my dad introduced us to his girlfriend a few weeks ago. We had tea together at Secret Recipe, Alamanda Mall. Our prospective stepmother is from Acheh, Indonesia. They were introduced to each other via a mutual friend. She comes across as a lovely lady, a single mother who single-handedly raised 2 children for the past 10 years since she divorced. She earns a decent income working in administration to support her living expenses.
On the day, we exchanged pleasantries. My younger sister and my niece joined us too. Throughout the meeting, I couldn’t help wondering why is it of all the ladies that my dad could have met, he decided to go for a relationship that crosses international borders. To be honest, I have some concerns about how my dad plans to navigate his life as an elderly, married man with 2 stepchildren later on. However, I think it is something that we will address later on. We ended the session amicably and parted ways.
Although the meeting was short, I took the opportunity to bring my husband and daughter together with me to Putrajaya. I booked a room at The Everly Putrajaya Hotel. This time hoping for a better experience than the one we had before. Indeed, it is much better now. The hotel and Alamanda Mall are so close that I could walk there. We had dinner at Sepiring that night out of curiosity. Mr Husband had his nasi lemak pandan and my daughter went for curry noodles. I had the kid’s menu mac and cheese. We had a really rested night afterwards.
The Deluxe room
Dinner at Sepiring
The Deluxe Twin Room was priced at RM 299.92 per night. Breakfast was included for 2 adults. I had to pay extra for my daughter. There’s a mini fridge and we get two key cards. I love that the hotel is putting in an effort to become more sustainable by serving their drinking water in glass bottles. Which could be refilled from a water station near the elevator.
The hotel lobby was quirky yet welcoming. The aroma of coffee from its cafe was so enticing. The check-in process was incredibly fast. So are the lifts despite the high volume of visitors using it during the peak hours of checking-in.
Breakfast was satisfactory. Nothing very memorable or nasty either. However, I do have to mention that they have a huge selection of pastries to choose from. The seating arrangements felt a bit crowded though. The space from one table to another is quite narrow. Just enough for a pair of buttcheeks to walk by. The coffee dispensed by the machine tasted horrible. Even instant coffee sachets were better.
This hotel is convenient to choose if say I wanted to go to Alamanda Mall for a mini staycation. Although the mall is not that huge as compared to IOI City Mall, the shops there are still OK for families to go to and enjoy their weekends. Sadly, the GSC cinema has closed down. So the only thing that can keep you entertained is yourself with your family. Ha ha ha.
Parking is free. Just hand in your touch-n-go card to the reception.
Minci Moss 