What I've been up to …

I’ve been very behind with my blogging. A few hectic weeks with occasional slow connection to the website didn’t  help. There are many things that I want to blog about but they just passed by, and by now they are no longer that great to write (or maybe I’ve fogotten about them to..).

Anyway, over a month ago, the company where I work had an outing for all the staff and their family members. We had it at Suria Cherating Beach Resort. The resort was a bit run down, but otherwise, it was very private and cosy.

Nuni blogged about it much earlier here.I thought it was well written. Nuni even put a link to her gallery of pix of the day here.

I am going to use some of Nuni’s pix in my blog here.

We had so many games for our telematch. We had to even cancel a couple of the games (much to the disappointment of many of the kids!) because we were running out of time.

Water-filled balloons:

It was about 3pm, but we lucky to have the shade:

Limbo Rock:

The ever favourite tug-o-war (ladies version):

I was one of the organising committee members and was given a hat to wear that day. Nuni happily called me Makcik Sayur (The Vegetable lady), obviously referring to the lady vegetable growers who normally wear similar hats!

But later that day Nafis enjoyed wearing it too:

Later in the night we had a BBQ dinner with some shows planned. I was in charged of the “Costume Show” by the kids who were below 9 years old – now.. that was fun!

And here’s me busy calculating (manually!!) the marks given by the judges:

We also had some lucky draws (EVERYBODY stood to win something, only the values of the gifts varied). Mine was among the last 10 and I won an Electrolux Fruit Juicer (which is still in tact in its box – no attempt to open it, since we prefer to eat the fruits than to juice them).

Kudos to us, the committee members :

The above pic was taken at almost midnight!!!

For more pix on the games, etc.. please visit Nuni’s Gallery.

I am too tired and sleepy…

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I knew this weekend and the next 2 weekends are going to be busy weekends for me, despite being long weekends.

Yesterday, we started the day by having breakfast at the mamak stall in Setia Alam. After that we went to our new home nearby and got a few chores done. WE were supposed to meet the aircon guy there,but he was early (he was late last Monday), and we ended up meeting him at the mamak stall instead.

We went home briefly, before we went to Subang Jaya, to meet up with the built-in cabinet guy to look at his proposed desgin, and sign a contract with him. We went through his proposed solutions to our main bedroom, thr family area, Aina’s built-in wardrobe and a few other things that we asked him to do for us. We accepted his designs with a few changes.

In the afternoon (yeah, despite being a public holiday) I had to (wo)man our booth at the Karnival Iktiraf. Halfway through my duty, it rained and the area became very windy. I then saw our balloon came down very low:

Initially we thought the wind blew it down and it would fly up again. Unfortunately, it was losing its gas, so to avoid any unwanted accidents, we had to pull it down. I managed to capture a few shots of my colleagues pulling it down:

It was no easy task:

It took 3 wise man to do the job:

We finally took it back to our booth:

I came home at about 6.30pm. There was my alumni AGM later in the night. I tried my luck and asked DH if he could send me to the AGM (Bukit Kiara Equestrian and Country Resort). He agreed, so l actually attended the AGM despite my earlier con-committed stance on attending it.

I however left the meeting at 10pm. I was told that the meeting finished just before midnight!

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DH has been working very hard to get the house habitable BEFORE Christmas, so that we can spend the 2 long weekends there. Nuni has already told us she would love to have some of her colleagues there for Christmas eve – to hang out and have a great time with the Wii.

Last Monday the grills were assembled (for the sliding door) and the security tint guys came to tint all the other glasses (windows and glass panels).  The sofa arrived on the same day. The boy who does the curtain railings came to take the measurements, and so did Martin, who’s going to build the some of the other fittings.

Anyway, here are some of the shots taken last Monday.

The lorry that brought the grills:

The door grilled fixed:

The door grill from inside:

Grills for the side doors:

The security tint guys busy in the master bedroom:

There was a time when both teams were busy at the almost the same place:

And here was our resting place upstairs when downstairs was dusty and noisy (aina accessing the Internet using my notebook and Maxis broadband):

At the end of the day, the main lobby looks like this:

The other sliding door:

We try to minimise the need for the grills, hence only the sliding doors are “grilled”. Now, all the other glasses have security tint.

The dining table will arrive on Saturday. The curtain railing boy will the the fitting on Saturday.The house will be lit on Saturday too. The fixed phone line (and Streamy-X) will be available next week. The new HD Astro dish will be mounted within 10 days. So, I guess we are on track…

By the way, last weekend we spent 2 nights in Fraser’s Hills. Both MIL and FIL came with us while BIL came with his missus and their 2 kids. It was indeed a cool weekend. When we left the place, it was only 18C and we came down to a scorching 36C in Shah Alam .

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Yesterday (Monday) I managed to have lunch with a close friend, Aisyah, who was my colleague during my UNISEL days.

She wanted to have Curry Mee so we went to one of the outlets at SACC Mall (arg, forgot the name of the restaurant). I became a bit adventurous and ordered Thai Laksa. It was not that bad, really. Here’s my lunch yesterday:

I also had a glass of soursop drink which was a bit too sweet to my liking. Aisyah paid the bill! Thank you, my dear friend.

And today, I had lunch with 3 of my current colleagues at one of the stalls in front of our office block. I seldom have my lunch there simply because it’s usually full during lunch time, and it can be a bit hot on a sunny day. Today we were almost famish and went out slightly earlier, hence we beat the normal lunch traffic. By 2.10pm we were back in the office (note: our lunch time is between 1pm-2pm)!

Unfortunately, of all days, today it rained .

So, there we were, sitting under one of those gigantic umbrellas, but next to me the bench was wet (wiped it up just before we sat down):

My lunch was very simple, “Nasi goreng kampung” and plain tea:

Tomorrow will be my last day of work for this week, and I wonder what I’ll have for lunch then….

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Last Monday, my company started a training session at the new Pullman Putrajaya Lakeside The buildings are impressive, and I was told that their food is great, so that was why we opted for the place. We are there from Monday to today (4 days) followed by another day next Wednesday.

It’s our first time there, and we were looking forward to having the training session there. Last Thursday (despite promising to pay only on Monday), I came to the place with the payment cheque (since our Finance department got it ready that day). I was hoping for a good service, knowing that this is a brand new (5-star?) resort/hotel and having paid in advance.

We had the first hiccup when they didn’t call me last Friday (as promised) to inform me the time for my staff to go on Sunday to do all the preps. When it was past 6pm, I had to call several times, just to get the promised info.

The second hiccup was when my colleagues called the given numbers on Sunday, just to be told that those guys were on leave! Wrong guys! My colleagues had to enquire at the reception to get access to the rooms (we are using 2 romms) and to get assurance that the networks and servers that they set-up will be secured in the locked rooms.

The third hiccup was last Monday, when the welcoming breakfast (which was promised to be ready at 8am) was only ready at 8.30am, and we were starting our session (with a VIP!) at 8.30am. As if that was not enough, the rice noodles that came was not enough! Even the sugar packets were not enough! And that day several of the participants were fasting, can you imagine that?

Last Monday the noodle was served in this warmer:

To see how big (or rather how small it is), see here the actual container, with a little bowl:

Do you seriously think this container is big enough to put noodles for 35 (YES, I MEAN THIRTY FIVE) persons? I think Pullman’s chef needs to go back to culinary school to learn basic arithmetic!

The last 2 days I was not there, but this morning I went back to Pullman to see how things are. The final hiccup (you can say the final straw) was when I was greeted by some participants who told me that they didn’t get to eat the breakfast because there was no more left. Today they served fried yellow noodles, AGAIN  in that little container. Can you believe that?????

I was so embarrassed, and angry too, that I immediately went to the reception to lodge my complaint. As usual, with their smiling faces, they promised me that it will not happen again.  Those were the same promises that I got last Monday, from another Pullman executive (whom I’m directly dealing with). Anyway, I firmly told them that they have next Wednesday (our final day there) to deliver their promises. I’ll update here in my blog, for sure.

NEVER IN MY LIFE I’VE COME ACROSS SUCH A BIG HOTEL/RESORT THAT UNDERSERVES THEIR PATRONS! I’ll definitely think many many times before I agree to organise another event at Pullman Putrajaya Lakeside, despite their food tasting great! I remember the Monday afternoon break when ubi ketuk was one of the two items  served, and there were exactly 35 ubi ketuk (no more, no less!) – so stingy….

Some update:

On the same day, we had better (in quantity too) food. We were served chicken pies, plus 2 other kuih.

For the afternoon tea, we were served 3 items: fruit tarts, turkey-filled croissant sandwiches and CHICKEN KEBABS!! The participants of our training programme were so surprised, and some of them told me that I should have complained much earlier.

Here’s the shot of the kebab:

While we were having our afternoon tea, the Marketing director of Pullman Putrajaya came to meet us. She told us that The Chef offered us buffet breakfast at the Cafe for our final day (21st Oct). I politely declined. I thanked her for the generous offer, but we were therre for a training, and we were not asking for extras – we just wanted what is due for us, and what were promised to us. If they say there should be 2 items for breakfast, or any of the breaks, then we really wanted them to be enough for 35 pax, as requested.

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Note: I’ve updated my blog on my birthday here.

Today is the 25th day of fasting. We will be celebrating Eid soon. I have wanted to to blog about iftar (the breaking of fast) for some time but didn’t really get to do it. I might as well do it now, before Ramadhan is over.

Actually it’s the buffet iftar offered by hotels and similar outlets that I’d like to talk about. The prices range from about RM50 to well over RM100 per head! On average, if I go to the Ramadhan Bazaar to but food for iftar, I would spend  RM25 to RM30 only for the 3 of us at home!

People have talked about thw gluttony of hotel iftars, but at the same time people still attend them. It’s a free world, so I guess they are entitled to spend their money on the grand iftars if they can afford them.

Anyway, here are some reasons why I hate iftar at a puvlic place (as stated in my Facebook wall):

1st, I hate the queue for the food, as everyone tries to get the food at the same time (proven tonight, though I was lucky because we had a private function in a room rather than joining the masses at the public buffet). 2nd, the need to pray within the short time. 3rd, i don’t eat that much, so it’s not worth the trouble of going to the place (the road would normally congested, or we had to go much earlier). 4th, normally ther would be some other sessions (speeches, religious lesson) while waiting for the breaking fast time. 5th, normally the plates/bowls for the buffet are too small. we’ll need to make a few trips to get the food that we like. Today, after a plate of gado-gado (local vegetable dish) and a little bowl of bubur chacha, I just went home. I like the latter, but the bowl was too small, so one helping was not enough, and I was too lazy to go to the table and queue again for seconds. 6th, I hate the bloated feeling if I eat too much- in the case when the food they serve is nice!

I personally avoid iftars outside home. I just prefer the privacy of breaking my fast at home. Unfortunately last Friday I had (it was compulsory) to attend the company’s iftar function at one golf club here.

The function kicked off with the late afternoon prayer at 5pm. It was then followed by some company speeches, and a short tazkirah (religious lesson).

It was a simple one, and was held in a separate room. Even the buffet was held in the room (at the back of the room), and not together with other patrons. I am really grateful for that, because I can’t imagine the queueing that I’d have to do to get the food!

There were other programmes after the iftar, but  left for home early. I just hate to have to pray there.

Anyway, here are some shots using my Nokia phone:

Quite a big crowd:

And here’s the CEO giving his speech:

Many of us was held up at the office, and only managed to join the function just in time for iftar (abt 7.15pm).

Next week will be the Muslim month of Shawal, and the celebration month (celebrating the end of the fasting month), and from then onwards, we will be busy with “Open Houses”. Sometimes I wonder, why can’t companies just have the Open House, and make sdo without the Iftar? Don’t worry, it’s just ME thinking.. I am sorry if I offend those who love iftars!

Here’s

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And this time the poor victim was my own MIL. It happened yesterday, just before dawn, as MIL was walking home from the nearby madrasah, after the morning prayers.

She was almost home, when a motobike suddenly stopped in front of her. The pillion rider came to her and snatched the tote bag she was carrying on her shoulder.

She was so scared that she didn’t resist. She just let the bag go, and at the same time told the boys/guys that there’s no money in the bag. Inside the bag was her long sarong for the prayer and her house keys. FIL had already came home much earlier. MIL came back later because she stayed back to recite the Quran with her friends.

MIL is still very shaken. No money was lost, but her confidence and strenth are obviously affected. Poor lady!

They had to change the house keys yesterday.  So much hassles…

And yet, I was told by my religious teachers that Satans are chained in this holy month of Ramadhan! *sigh*

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I’ve not blogged for a couple of days. It’s not that nothing much happened. It’s just that I was plain lazy to blog, despite having a few topics that I wanted to write about. One of them was this one:

Never mind the whole content. The news is ONE week old. The topic says it all. and that’s exactly how I feel. Like Tok Guru, I too feel thst if I have extra money, it would be more meaningful if I can give it to a close relative who can’t afford to pay for his/her haj. Unlike Tok Guru (well, at least he didn’t say) I feel that even Mecca is not the only place for me to see God’s greatness. In fact each time I go to s spectacular place (even the Mulu Caves), I am always re-reminded of God’s greatness. Being is the plane makes me think of God more often that usual. What more with more frequent aeroplane mishaps and disasters!

Anyway, this blog is not about Tok Guru’s statement (I am only mentioning it on passing now that I am not going to go back to the old draft of the blog that I never finished). This blog is about today. I started the morning with a simple breakfast date with Yi at the Masjid Negeri’s cafe (Cafe Mawaddah aka Mawaddah Catering).

When I came back ,I brought back roti canai for Aina and DH.

At 1pm, we went out (yeah, just the 3 of us ) to get some KFC for lunch. I promised Maz (she’s married to DH’s younger brother) to bring KFC for her and kids. Her hubby (my BIL)  had gone back to Kelantan for some errands. It was probably my last meeting with them before they leave for Auckland on Monday night. Maz is going to study for her PhD in Waikato, NZ.

As our parting gifts, we gave her boys (3 of them, the eldest is Aina’s age) some Aussie $. We didn’t have any NZ$, but we thought the AUD would be easy enough for the boys to change there . As usual, I also gave Maz 2 of my brooches. Maz’s mum was there too and she got 2 of my brooches (it’s really handy to have those brooches around!).

On our way home, we bought 2 durians and 2 cempedaks. It should cost me RM28. When I gave the seller RM50, I somehow thought it was RM32, and was expecting RM12 for change, which he actually did! Only when we got home did I realise that my change should be RM22! Too lazy to go back to the place, so I guess the extra RM10 is the seller’s “bonus” (rezeki dia lah..).

Today I did some tatting, and some embroidery. If I remember to take some pix tomorrow (now is too dark for my old Lumix), then I’ll put up here with my tomorrow’s blog.

Tomorrow will realtively be busy for me because I need to do some preparation for my Monday & Tuesday training sessions. Wednesday will be my working day at my office and early Thursday morning we are off to Guilin (China). Why, you might ask. Well, to see God’s creating and strengthen my faith in God!

By the way, yesterday I had lunch with Ewa, my ex-student (A-Level, InTEC). She went to Germany for her degree. Now Ewa is a research assistant at UNITEN. She’s also teaching the German Language at UiTM as a part-time lecturer.

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I am now at the Penang International Airport, waiting for the flight home.

This is this morning shot from my hotel window:

Can you see the mountain peak at the back? I think it’s Jerai Mountain, what do you think?

It’s much clearer today, compared to the pic I took last Monday:

And before I forgot, I took the shot of my bed (the 3rd/additional bed in the room):

OK, the bed was in a mess, because the shot was only taken this morning.

I totally forgot to snap any pic during training, and almost forgot to distribute the evaluation forms!

The hotel conciege and En Ahmad was smart at optimising the space in the boot to fit in our stuff (we are bringing the server home – a huge bag to carry it). As En Ahmad offloaded from the Perdana that sent us to the airport:

I’m coming back to Penang next Saturday (not tomorrow). This time will not be for training, but to attend Nuni’s convo.

To be continued later – if I remember!

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OK, not really Penang, but the down town near Komtar.

It was last Tuesday evening. We wanted to look for dinner, so we thought we’d go to the nearby Perangin Mall.

Once inside, we couldn’t find any interesting eatery – we’re not interested in McD, nor Pizza Hut nor KFC (though we didn’t see KFC). Inside the mall:

Another view:

We were not interested to shop.

WE then walked out of the mall, and ended up going  round the mall:

between Perangin Mall and KOMTAR:

And we saw our hotel in the background:

We eventually ended up at a Nasi kandar stall in front of Gama. Here’s one of our plates:

A snapshot of Gama after our dinner:

And KOMTAR as we walked back:

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