Tag Archives: malaysia

The long weekend in Kuching for a wedding

Posted in Food and Drinks, Leisure & Travel, Places to Eat, Reviews by

I was in Kuching over the Malaysia Day weekend. I had a wedding invitation to fulfil. I flew there with Malaysia Airlines. My initial scheduled flights were canceled twice and I almost lost hope of going there. Thankfully, on the day itself, nothing sinister happened and I arrived in KCH safely.

I booked a room at the Grand Margherita Hotel this time.

Once I landed, I immediately walked over to the nearest Bing cafe to get myself a chicken panini. It is my comfort food whenever I am in KCH. As I was too full afterwards, I decided to just stay in and order room service. The rib-eye steak I ordered was disappointing. That will be another post.

The following day, I went for a stroll at The Waterfront. I walked to the end of Carpenter Street and checked out the waterfront mall as well. I bought some T-shirts for my little family and was honestly undecided on whether I should have lunch or wait for my brother from KL to arrive and eat with him. I ended up walking further towards the Borneo Cultural Museum and spent my afternoon there.

Borneo Cultural Museum

I loved the museum. The layout is like Muzium Negara but it showcased more of Sarawak’s history. I enjoyed reading and listening to the explanations about the tribes and their uniqueness. I couldn’t help thinking that if James Brooke never set foot in Sarawak, we’d probably still be fighting among each other for space and power. Somehow Brooke brought in order to the chaos and harnessed the waging spirit to fight into friendly sports like the Regatta we see today.

IG AIS KACANG, Padungan

Once my brother landed and checked himself into Merritin Hotel, we walked along the same lane and came here. They have another nearby branch at Jalan Gambier. I was looking forward to trying their mi belacan and sotong kangkung but they don’t have that in that branch. So we settled for their nasi lemak ayam, Laksa Sarawak, long fries and gula apong ice cream.

The Waterfront and Darul Hana Bridge

Later at night, we walked to the waterfront for photos and went up the Darul Hana bridge. If only they have a food court with more options towards the other end of the bridge in the near future. There was a lantern parade that night and the city was so lively. I felt so energetic during the walk. I liked that this beautiful place is open to the public for FREE. At least, families can come here for low-cost entertainment with their kids.

We had dinner at a halal restaurant. It took ages for the owner to fry our nasi pattaya and daging. Thankfully, it was digestible as sometimes the Sarawak version of these semenanjung dishes can taste awkward.

The Dead Malls

Once my brother checked out from his hotel the next day, I thought we’d go check out the mall. My sister said Riverside Majestic Mall was already dead so we didn’t go there. Turns out Tun Jugah Mall and Sarawak Plaza Mall are equally dead. I suppose the curse of shopping malls set up beside hotels is true after all. So, if say you need to go to a proper mall, my best bets are The Spring or Vivacity. We only had fast food for lunch.

We did get Sam’s ice cream though. The soft serve was OK but I felt Mokti’s gula apong flavour is more intense.

Top Spot

This famous seafood spot was just a 5-minute walk from my hotel. We had our family dinner there. Sadly, Midin was out of stock. But the other dishes that we ordered were, of course, delicious; the Egg Oyster, curry ambal, udang nestum, salted egg crabs, sweet sour fish, crab corn soup, Kerang kicap

I had an early night after devouring all that food. The wedding was happening the following day and I need to get up early.

The Wedding Reception

The event started off early at 830am. Only close family members gather for the akad nikah ceremony. Once that was over, other guests began to come to the hall by 10am for the main wedding reception. It was a short and sweet event, the food portion was adequate and everyone got a photo with the couple.

FujiFilm Instax Share Sp2 photo printer – I choose you!

Posted in Everyday Life, Hobby/Interest, Reviews by

I am not a professional photographer nor a full time blogger. I don’t even know how to reformat my laptop and when it comes to knowing the tech words people who are into cool gadgets know – I’m afraid you need to explain to me again about RAM, WIRELESS, BLUETOOTH and stuff.

But I am passionate about memory keeping, journalling, kawaii stuff and so on.

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It took me a lot of Youtube videos, blog posts and techie articles to go through before finally deciding on getting my hands on the FUJILFILM INSTAX SHARE SP2. Prior to reading the reviews on the SP2 – I had an idea of what I wanted.

  1. Easily available and maintained. Meaning no weird batteries or films or repair centres.
  2. Small and handy. Easy to use.
  3. Print nice photos.

and later of course.. you learn new things along the way. I think a particular video got me sold on the SP2 – about a girl walking in a park, saw a nice flower, took a photo with her SMARTPHONE, got the SP2 out of her handbag, printed out the picture and put it in her scrapbook.

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I bought the Instax on SHOPEE for RM699.00 and the retailer threw in 20 pieces of instax film for free. Here is my take so far;

PROS;

  1. Instructions were quite self explanatory in the pamphlet and also the INSTAX app on GOogle PLay Store for a noob like myself. Especially when it comes to setting up the printer and its connections. It seems that I have to turn on my GPS as well to make it work. I’m using a Samsung J7 Prime by the way.
  2. Printing does take only 10 secs. And there’s an indicator on the app to tell us how much films are left in the printer. You shouldn’t open the hatch prematurely as it could ruin the leftover films.
  3. The polaroid films are easily available online. You just need to be wary of those trying to sell nearly expired ones. Check the dates.
  4. You can print photos not only on your device but also the ones on your social media accounts.
  5. The app has made photo printing more exciting as you can add your own text and filters to the photos.
  6. You can share the printer with your friends. As long as they download the app and bring their own films of course.  So it’ll be a great attraction to any planner meetups or social party.

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CONS;

  1. Its really expensive. To me. Both the printer and the film. You could get alternatives like Pringo I think, but there weren’t much reviews on that in the local scene #malaysia. I did consider getting the Instax Mini (camera) but since I’m very shy to take out that bulky camera and take a photo – I ditched the idea.
  2. The printer tends to time out really fast, so you might need to switch it on and reconnect it before printing another photo. Unless you’ve organized your photo already.
  3. The pictures are of the size of a mini credit card. So details in the picture can vary.

These are a few points I could think  of right now. I don’t think I would paste these pics in my HoboMinci. But I’ll definitely display them on the kitchen table or something using one of those stand alone albums. They’re very cute.

.. of ikon belia

Posted in Current Events by

If someone is nominated as Ikon Belia – you would expect that person to be kind of famous and is contributing something extraordinary to the Belia nation.

Recently I had to not only Google Ikon Belia – I also had to Google “Who is Dato N ? and her contibutions”

I am already struggling to find a proper website or page that lists down the names of Ikon Belia each year. Now I’m not quite sure if this is a formal recognition or just a title you give somebody when you introduce them on TV. I even went to the extent of putting ‘define: belia’ in the search box. Even then regardless of popularity, since mainstream media nowadays somehow love celebrities more than real news, an icon should be someone who when we read about them, makes you say ‘wow’ and want to find out more of what they do.

And they may not need be someone who is a doc like Dr Amalina the genius child who studied medicine in Edinburgh , or prominent names in sports like Dato Nicol David or Pandalela Rinong or Farah Ann although that is like glaring icon material to the face – It can be those 3 young gentleman who tours around the country cleaning madrasahs and suraus. They could be someone like Syed Azmi who advocates kindness and charity. Sometimes a simple person like the lead singer of Caliph Buskers can be an icon as well. And let’s not forget the husband and wife team of Bella Ammara or Fashion Valet. Did you think it was easy to build an empire and franchise yourself? Thou shalt not also discard Khairy Jamaludin who is not a Dato by the way but at his ‘belia’ age is already a minister front page model and a good one (so far) at it too.

These are people who manage to achieve extraordinary success despite their ordeals and limitations. Most importantly their success gives a positive ripple effect to other people. If you succeed on your terms but only benefit yourself – that is not an icon. You should be able to inspire at least a small community let alone the whole country. You should be able to give back to the rakyat in your own way. Be it through glory, dignity or visible aid.

So here I am trying to understand this twisted world.

While she said the recognition was a gift – shouldn’t you give it back if you think you don’t deserve it. Or if giving back is not an option, shouldn’t you validate that gift and vow to do more so it is deemed worthwhile and meaningful?

Instead, you chose the road not taken which is heading towards a ditch.

I strongly acknowledge and believe that as human beings we are susceptible to mistakes and wrongdoings. But to strip it bare and parade it to the public? Surely ikon belia resonates positivity and greater good. Why would you want to play the ‘its personal’ card when already your life and your family’s is already an open book? lets hope the next chapter becomes more promising instead of cheap entertainment. I’d rather buy Eh! magazine if that’s the case. A second chance maybe for Dato N?

Kuching 2015 : 56 Hotel

Posted in Everyday Life, Leisure & Travel by

I chose 56 hotel primarily because it is within my budget for a long stay. It is located in town with nearby 2 shopping malls and plenty of other small eating outlets. Initially it was a choice between the Lime Tree Hotel and this one but I ended up choosing 56 hotel because its 8km from the wedding venue I was supposed to attend.

56 hotel rated themselves as a 3 star hotel. I agree. Any room without a mini fridge is a 3 star hotel.

But it has a few plus points;

Breakfast like a little- King

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There should be something for everybody especially for kids. I am not hoping for 12 different pastries for breakfast or 19 types of fruits in a salad. Variety is the key even though its a choice between ‘two’. Throughout my 5 day stay, I get to sample food like Nasi Goreng Dabai, Nasi Lemak, Mi Kantonis, croissants, koko krunch, porridge… with fruit juice and hot beverages. Needless to say, it was a great start everyday as we fill up our tanks early on. The selection is admirable for a 3 star hotel like this one. I praise them for the effort and hopefully they would keep it up.

In house toiletries

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.. including self-embossed towels! Although we bring our own shower gels, it is always nice to have new ones to try – be it a shower cap or a cotton bud. I also loved their prompt housekeeping – very fast, efficient and the room always smells nice. Crumbs swept away, pillows and mattress fluffed up for another snooze fest at night after a tiring day. They also earned brownie points by providing an in room kettle – very important for parents with children who still drinks formula milk. As for the complimentary beverages … well well.. thank you very much for replenishing them without fail daily.

Location

Not that we were planning to shop at the malls or anything -but having not only one, but two shopping complexes in less than 5 KM radius of each other is a delight. Food seems so nearby and it does provide an avenue for a short brisk walk to get rid of the extra calories. These malls are The Spring and One City Mall. All within ‘free hotel shuttle distance’. Which brings to my next point …

Shuttle Service

56 hotel provides free shuttle service to these 2 malls and also airport transfer  – on allocated hours. I did not use the service myself but I suppose you could always make arrangements at the front desk.

I made my booking through Agoda.com. The website has great deals on Fridays especially to members and the membership is FREE. As long as you have a safe and fast internet connection, the online booking process should be without hiccoughs. I paid a total of RM 538.44 for the 5D4N stay in Kuching.

Our little family would like to thank 56 Hotel for the wonderful hospitality. Hope to see them again soon.

My next entries will be about places we eat and places we went. Cheerios..

Mini Project : Buku2 Malaysia

Posted in Mini Project by

It is time to get acquainted with our talented writers in the local scene. Hence, I couldn’t thank enough lejenpress for restoring my faith in reading Malay genre books after Kapal Angkasa Yang Terhempas Di Subang Jaya .

But lets not be greedy. Let’s take it one step at a time and make some ground rules regarding what kind of books I’d like on my shelf. Ones that I wouldn’t feel embarrassed to share with other people or show around when visitors come over to the house. We do want to appear well read, huh? HIhihihi..

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Avoid picisan.

Avoid poor language. Slanga driven books. Im reading a book. Not a diary.

Avoid books that start with Tales of malaysian bla bla bla.. . In a way, avoid anecdote-like books. Or compilation of short stories.

Oh well. Talking about avoiding. I did start off the year with a book that himpunkan kisah2 pendek. It was by a blog writer. I was swooned by the title : Desaturasi Merah Jambu. It felt poetic and indie. I used to read Perempuan JOmblo’s blog religiously some time ago when I was a medical student but then I got absorbed into my daily routine as the nonappreciated, burnt out, love-less house officer working in a busy hospital. Thus, have missed out quite a lot over the years.

Now that I’m more stable *ahem* , I am able to indulge in my favourite pastime of scrap-booking, blog writing plus hopping and book reading. So it was nice to reconnect with her stories and boy.. a lot has happened it seems.

Anyway, this year will be an ode to our local writers. I welcome suggestions of books to read. Nothing too extreme I hope. Something different and mind-opening I plead. It doesn’t have to be written in Bahasa Melayu. In fact, some of our local writers write excellent English books. Here’s to a year of Buku2 Malaysia.