Mission Impossible 3: Judgement Night Out 2013

I was really nervous about the potluck gathering I told you guys about in my previous post and had forgotten to bring along my camera to the gathering. So pictures during the gathering are not mine. They are courtesy of my darling Haru who have so kindly snapped some photos and emailed them to me. 😀

We had plenty of food that night. Most are typical gathering/potluck food like chicken wings, salads, etc. To refresh your memories, here’s my contributions:

Mixta Ensalada as appetizer

Mixta Paella as the main dish. And guess what? The paella was a big hit and as for the simple ensalada? Not a slice of cucumber was left.

A picture of our beloved friend, digging into the last bit of the drumstick from the paella with fervour.

 

Err…I don’t think that’a the right cutlery to dig into the paella with, but she’s beyond caring. LoL.

A tad too hot to handle for her it seems, but all is good, and I heard nothing but praises about the quickie mixed paella that night. Perhaps that’s because despite of the lack traditional paella ingredients, I used Jasmine Pusa Gold 1121 Basmathi Import Rice. It’s well known to not only to be able to absorb flavourings well, but the light texture of the rice is positively addictive as well, making you feel like scooping one scoop after another without having the ‘too full’ feeling plaguing you too soon.

I’m glad that I chose Jasmine Pusa Gold 1121 Basmathi Import Rice for my paella. It’s a lifesaver where cooking a paella with limited ingredients is concerned. The paella turned out very flavourful and rather addictive, and could even tempt even the fussiest eater like my son to eat rice, which is a very good thing as I mentioned before that my son is autistic and have sensory disorder where the mere taste of rice puts him off. 😀 I suppose I can consider making rice dishes out of Jasmine Pusa Gold 1121 Basmathi Import Rice more often as to tempt my family members to eat more rice.

A pack of Jasmine Pusa Gold 1121 Basmathi Import Rice (2kg) costs RM26.99 per pack. Quite pricey, but I assure you that it’s worth every penny. So if you wanna try out my recipe in the earlier post, be sure to use Jasmine Pusa Gold 1121 Basmathi Import Rice.

 

The potluck gathering went well and apart from my paella, dessert was a hit too. This melted Orange Mushroom monster cake ( one of the low level monster from the Maplestory game) won the hearts of many. It tastes so sweet and divine despite of being disfigured badly and was definitely everyone’s favourite dessert that night.

One for the album. The members of Judgement guild and members of the alliance.


Happy faces and crazy, wacky poses after stuffing ourselves with the paella and whatnot from the potluck. 😀 It was indeed a night to remember.

 

Cleffairy: I’ll be doing a lucky draw for all my Mission Impossible posts and get my son to pick a winner.  Everyone who commented on this post or any other Mission Impossible posts will be entitled for the lucky draw. 1 comment= 1 lucky draw entry. So the more you comment, the higher chance you will win. Lucky commenter will received a pack of Jasmine Pusa Gold 1121 Basmathi Import Rice (2kg). 😀 Giveaway is open for those living in Malaysia only.

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Sunday Interrupted

To say that I was really displeased with what happened yesterday is an understatement. I bloody hate it when I can’t even have a proper rest on Sunday. I have no idea who is the uncivilized person who keep blasting my hubby’s phone yesterday morning. One call after another and not on just his business number, but personal numbers as well! Imagine a few phones ringing all at once and my son and I being startled awake because of it cuz my husband was sleeping his fatigue off. Sunday is the only time he could get proper rest, and I hate it when he’s interrupted that way.

I wonder if this person’s parents taught him or her any manners at all, considering that he or she made the insistent phone call one after another as if one must answer their calls at the first ring, regardless of what they are doing. My husband would most definitely give him more than a piece of his mind if I were to do the same thing. I learned that the hard way and these days, I don’t bother calling him anymore if he did not pick up my phone. It’s just not worth the fight or the quarrel and if I desperately need to call someone to talk to, I just talk to my godbrother or something. At least it will take the stress off my head.

I wonder why my husband did not give this person a piece of his mind the way he did me? Was she… or he… so important? Now, that’s pretty curious thought, isn’t it?

Some people really have no decency. It’s was bloody Sunday morning, for God’s sake. If  one does not  pick up the goddamn phone call, that means they are either sleeping or is not interested in taking phone calls , so take a hint and send a message or email.  To me, there’s nothing short of your mother’s tragic death or your dad being castrated in public calls for such a drastic and desperate phone call…things can wait til a decent hour, can’t it, even if it’s work related? Say… at least after 10am on a Sunday seems decent enough.

Made me wonder if this person has bipolar or something, to be making a series of desperate phone calls like that on a Sunday  morning. He or she ought to divert his or her bipolar disorder by playing Online pokies. That would have been more beneficial for him or her, in my opinion.

I hate it when my Sunday is interrupted with such indecency. Next time such a thing happened, I swear to God I’ll pick up the goddamn phone myself and give this person a piece of my mind for interrupting our rest, so help me God!

On another note, I feel like I’ve been wasting time a lot of time staying at home on weekends, especially with all the unwelcoming noises…phone calls…neighbour’s drilling the wall…occasional funeral worship songs in the vicinity of the apartment. I’m really sick and tired of complaining as I gets nothing out of it in the end. All my complains are in vain and usually fall on deaf ears, and since the husband also works on Saturday and Sun and I’m bored to tears without much adult companionship, I am now completely open for event invites on weekends and also on public holidays. Priorities will be given to paid event coverage or events where the venue is easily reached by public transport. So feel free to send your invites over and most probably I won’t say no like before.

 

Cleffairy: Some things are not worth my anger, as I could utilize my time doing something much more positive, but sometimes things are really just too much and I have to speak my mind before I go crazy!

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My Very Own Hot Desk at The Nomad Office@Mont Kiara!

Have you ever wondered how your life would be like as an adult when you’re just a child? Well, when I was just a little girl, I’ve always imagined that I’ll grow up to be a journalist. Having heavily influenced and inspired by the famous Lois and Clark The New Adventures of Superman (very famous in the 90s) and Smallville series, I’ve always imagined that I will end up working in an office that is very much like Daily Planet,with a Superman of my own to help me out when I get into trouble with my boss.

My dream office…Daily Planet Newsroom.

But by the twist of fate, I did not end up working in an office like Daily Planet though I did in end up in journalism line for a while. Who would have guessed that I’ll end up being a novelist, freelance writer, a blogger and a work from home mother instead of a top-notch journo who spend her days buzzing around getting news and quotes like Lois Lane did in the Superman series? Nobody would have guessed.

My typical day usually consists of waking up, make breakfast for the kid, send the kid to school and while he’s at school, work on my writing projects while nibbling on snacks, pick him up from school, rush home to cook dinner if I decided not to eat out, make the boy do his homework, kick him to bed, get some minor housework chores done, turn on the laptop, start writing for my blog, finish up all of the remaining work for the day, get some chapters done for my novels and do some reading before finally going to bed and start the whole routine all over the next day without help whatsoever from anyone else. (Geez, some women are so lucky to have hired help or maid to help them out. I’d kill for some help in housekeeping department!)

I am not complaining though…not really, considering that I have flexible working hour and I get to be my own boss. I get to go where I like and do as I please. The only thing I need to do is just hit the dateline given to me. But as flexible as it is, I definitely could use some Superman of my own to help me out with my workload, public relations and not to mention a proper workstation to not only write in seclusion when the house is too noisy for inspiration, but also to conduct creative writing seminars and meet-up with my publishers and editors.

You see, I’m rather eccentric. My house is always in a constant mess, and getting organized is beyond me. The place is never fit to receive guests, I kid you not! So to have meeting with my potential clients and publishers at home is a no-no. I would love to get myself a proper office or a workstation, but then again, my savings account does not exactly stretch a mile. I can’t really afford an office of my own, what more fully equip it with hi-tech facilities of fill it up staff who would do all the menial work for me.

Lucky for me though, these days there’s plenty of companies providing virtual office around. I’ve surveyed a few and discovered that Nomad Office offers quite a competitive package to cater my virtual office needs. I was particularly eye-ing on their latest, the one that’s strategically located in Solaris Mont Kiara and so when I was invited to check out their facilities, I practically jumped at the opportunity. I was thinking, here’s my chance to get a proper office and workstation without having to apply loans and whatnot from the bank just to fund my needs for office.

I was informed that The Nomad Office catered a serviced office, which is the best solution for modern businesses, considering that the office is fully furnished with workstations (desks), phone line and Internet connection, completed with a full range of amenities, services and on-site support. Apart from that, you’ll also be supported by a dedicated team of receptionists, on-site IT support, housekeeping and maintenance. Housekeeping! Now that’s something I really can get used to!

Locker to keep your stuff

The best part of all, The Nomad Offices @Mont Kiara sports a hip and modern interior design, something that I could easily get comfortable with.The Nomad Offices @ Mont Kiara also has lockers and a chill out area with docking stations for tablets and mobile phones.

Definitely great for gadget addict like me who can never part with her gadgets. All this comes with dedicated secretarial and IT support, as well as regular technology upgrades.

My colleague, photocopying something while posing like a model.

Neway, I’ve been given a chance to try out of their service known as ‘The Hot Desk’. Hmm… does that mean I get to be as hot as Lois Lane? Hehehe… I certainly hope so! :P 

Take a look…and eat your heart out! MY OFFICE at The Nomad Office. 😀 Laptop is not included in the Hot Desk, however. The sweet pink Sony VAIO is mine. 😀


Yups, that’s me, at my Hot Desk for a day.

Awesome, huh? I  get to use the phone, which by the way, can be used to call the receptionist should I need any assistance. Blogging this live, I can say that the Internet speed is quite reliable, which is very important if you want to subscribe to any serviced office. There is no point subscribing to an office that has no reliable Internet, right? To me the Internet is the most important thing as that’s where my work actually is.

Pretty cool huh? Here’s a basic rundown of what they had to offer.

Serviced Office suites

Fully-furnished and well-appointed private office suites with dedicated administrative and IT support for your business.

 

 

 Virtual Office

Prestigious business addresses, professional receptionists and available business centres for non-traditional entrepreneurs. Hmm… non-traditional. Now that’s what described me best. And prestigious address would mean that I get to redirect all my mails in the office instead of at home. that would be awesome as I yet to solve the mystery of missing letters, documents and even parcel in the place that I sadly call home!

Conference and Meeting Rooms

Flexible meeting room configurations with audio-visual equipment, Wi-Fi, and complimentary bottled water, flipchart, stationery and mints. Yups, something that I could really use too, considering that there is demands for my creative writing seminars and classes.

Shared Office

Affordable office space with phone, Broadband Internet and networking opportunities.

Hot Desk

Temporary work space as and when required, with full access to office facilities and support.

Video Conference

State-of-the-art video conferencing equipment for rent by the hour at any time of the day.

Business Lounge

Semi-formal chill out area with complimentary Wi-Fi, reading materials, coffee and tea. Definitely great after a long day at work or an intense discussion with clients.

You and your clients can chill out here at the business lounge.

All work and no play makes me a dull person… so I do appreciate the play-station. Ahemm…okay…I admit, I’m impressed with this. I’m all for play while working. 😛

The pantry…fridge, microwave…in case you got hungry.

And there’s even an Espresso machine.

My colleague of the day…chilling out after work.

I may not be a Superwoman or a Supermum,  and the Nomad is nothing like my childhood dream office, the Daily Planet, but The Nomad Office could help me be SUPER by making me look good and provide me a conductive working environment. The Nomad Office is the choice of office that will suit my career. And I’m sure it will be yours too if you’re an aspiring entrepreneur or a freelancer.

 

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Going fashionably traditional

Have you read my earlier post on a ballet performance that I posted up a couple of days ago? Well, being a person who is in creative line, I adore fine arts and things that’s related to it. So, to say that I am really looking forward to the upcoming ballet performance this Saturday is an understatement.

Unfortunately for me, being a person who is in creative line also means that I am quite eccentric in nature. I am not really like your regular fashionistas who have tonnes of clothes or a walk-in wardrobe. The collection in my wardrobe is rather…ahemm…vintage and limited. 😛

Right at the moment, I’m having a tad of a headache cuz the upcoming ballet performance is quite formal in nature and I’m supposed to dress up a little bit for the event. There is no suitable outfit for me to wear for this performance! No little black dress, no high heels and no suitable clutch or high heels to go with them. *SIGH* I am always busy rushing for dateline and stuff and hardly have any time to go for shopping.

But lucky for me, a girlfriend of mine informed me that I don’t actually get out of the house to get my outfit shopping done. There’s always Zalora Malaysia a wonderful online shopping boutique where I can shop for dresses, shoes and many more. There is a huge collection of fashion items from international and local brands, and FREE shipping is available on selected amounts. And the best part? There is also a 30 days return policy. Awesome isn’t it?

I have a few items that I’ eyeing on right at the moment. I think it would be great for me to wear them during the ballet performance. 😀

Yes… I love to go traditional and this Saree looks so amazing, don’t you think? It’s simply exquisite and charming.

This party slip on will complement the Saree just fine

 

And the Saree would definitely goes well this clutch too. 😀

And no harm to complete the look with these darlings.

They’re lovely, don’t you think? Do let me know what you think of these lovelies…would they be suitable for me to wear to the performance?

Cleffairy: I can’t wait for the ballet performance this Saturday! I’m so excited! 😀

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Celebrate Ramadan and Togetherness at OldTown with MyDulang

OldTown is not always my favourite hang-out place as the one near my home is always full-house and I can’t always get a seat whenever I want to hang out there. The Platinum Walk branch service is not very satisfactory too, apart from the fact that their seats and air-con are not properly maintained. The WIFI speed in Platinum Walk is also at snail pace, so the place is not an idea place for me to hang out cuz I usually like to go online with my gadgets while having my meals there. As they say, one bad apple will spoil the whole bunch, and because I usually have bad experience with the branch near home, I usually avoided going to other OldTown Kopitiam franchises.

But I changed my mind immediately when I stepped into Paradigm Mall branch. I thought perhaps I made an error in judgment. One OldTown was bad, but that does not mean that ALL of them are bad as the one in Paradigm Mall was definitely in a tip top condition, and the service is comparable with a hotel. The staffs are mostly locals, and are eager to please. I did not say this merely because I went there as an invited media, but I say this because I’ve observed how they serve other patrons who were there that day. I was really impressed with the speed of the OldTown staff’s service in Paradigm Mall. Food was served in a timely manner and no diners went annoyed while having their meals there.

Unlike the OldTown  that I am familiar with, this particular branch is surprisingly spacious. The lighting was not dull and shoddy either.

There are ample of comfortable sofas for you to lounge on too.

Apart from the fact that the OldTown in Paradigm Mall is VERY urban professional friendly; where the WIFI speed was excellent and they provided power point everywhere for your gadget’s usage, I was particularly impressed with this. A locker that you can use to charge various kinds of smart-phones. Pretty awesome for people like me who usually had her smart-phone battery drained but never bothered to buy a power bank for it. OldTown in Paradigm Mall is also different from OldTown that I’m familiar with in a sense that you do not need to write down your orders on an order sheets and call the waiter to get the order for you afterwards. In Paradigm Mall, things are done differently and you order from the cashier counter instead.

Anyway, I went there to review their latest Ramadan offering, known as MyDulang.They have two set of MyDulang on offerings this coming Ramadan. One is Family MyDulang while another one is individual MyDulang.

This is the family MyDulang offerings.

It consists of: a choice of rendang chicken or rendang beef, curry chicken with potato,chicken satay with satay sauce fried keropok lekor, cucumber strips, egg skin strips, cooked long beans, kangkung sambal hae bee, two portion of nasi kunyit and sambal sotong. And then there’s the dipping sauce, of course. The set also comes with lekor chilli sauce and sambal belacan.

Inclusive in the set is 4 Beverages: 2 Rose Nata Selasih. (There’s three in the pic cuz these was served to us bloggers who were early for the media preview that day)

2x OldTown White Coffee/ OldTown Teh Tarik.

Apart from that, there’s also 2 dessert treats: 2x OldTown Ice Kacang with Rose Syrup/ 2x OldTown Ice Kacang with Gula Melaka.

The indidual MyDulang offerings is much more modest. If you’re to order the individual MyDulang, you will have a choice of rendang chicken/ rendang beef, chicken satay with satay sauce, fried keropok lekor. some cucumber strips, egg skin strips, cooked long bean kangkung sambal hae bee and nasi kunyit. There is of course the dipping sauce for the keropok lekor and sambal belacan for you to go with your meal. You will also get 1 beverage of your choice: Rose Nata Selasih/ OldTown White Coffee/ OldTown Teh Tarik and one dessert of your choice: OldTown Ice Kacang with Rose Syrup/ Ice Kacang with Gula Melaka.

Again, I went there with my son, and although I have assured that my son and I will be fine with just one set as I’m pretty much a small-eater, the Old Town folks has generously offered my son a set of his own to sample while chiding me gently, saying that my boy is a growing boy and he’ll probably needs to eat more. Very sweet of them, isn’t it? Neway, these are what’s on our plates:

My son had the MyDulang with the rendang chicken option. The boy finished up everything besides the rice, the cucumber and the long beans.He’s not much a green eater, and the rice portion was too much for him, I suppose… he only managed to eat half of it, but polished off everything else. His favourite was the chicken satay and he loved it so much that he hijacked mine after he was done with his. Geezzz…somehow I was really glad that he had his own plate.

While my son had the MyDulang set with chicken rendang, I had the one with beef rendang. Now, having the dish served in dulang reminds me very much of my growing up kampung days where meals were served in dulangs during family gatherings or wedding feasts. You see, my grandparents lived in a Malay kampung and whenever they are invited for a wedding reception, the dishes will be served just like this. I enjoyed those dishes very much back then as a child, and it’s nice to see that OldTown came up with such a nostalgic theme for their Ramadan offering this year. We don’t get such treats these days. People pretty much go modern these days and buffet is much more preferable in weddings or family function.

Anyway, enough trip down the memory lane. Here’s my comment on the dishes that’s served to us that day: The rice was exceptionally fragrant and the hay bee kangkung complemented the kunyit rice very well. The cucumber was refreshingly crunchy, but I did not touch long beans cuz they usually make my tummy bloated. The beef rendang was sensational, and I definitely would not mind ordering an ala carte top up of the rendang. The beef was surprisingly tender and the rendang was wonderfully flavoursome. Thumbs up for the rendang. They’re positively addictive and I bet will go well with toasts and roti canais too.

The keropok lekor deserves a big mention too. They may look unappealing but don’t let the looks fool you. They’re absolutely divine and authentic. It may arrived at our table rather cold, but it was still wonderfully soft and crunchy. On top of that, it’s very fishy and tiny bones were absent! They’re just the way I like it and a taste of it makes me feel like running to the kitchen and ask the chef where he gets a supply of these keropok lekor! The keropok lekor dips was wonderfully spicy and sweet too, and I wonder if OldTown  will consider selling em in bottles? I certainly won’t mind buying them, that’s for sure!

These were our desserts

My son had the ais kacang with syrup

While I opt for the ais kacang with gula melaka topping and mistook it for being cendol when it arrives at the table. 😛 They’re really nice and refreshing, definitely repel the heat that came from eating the spicy stuff earlier on. My son loves this too, and again, he hijacked mine though he had his own ais kacang; the one with the syrup topping.

Overall, the dining experience in Old Town Kopitiam Paradigm Mall was wonderful and I love how nostalgic the MyDulang offering made me feel and at some point, it made me feel wistful cuz people no longer serves food in dulangs for sharing with family and friends. The MyDulang is great for sharing and definitely will bring the sense of togetherness this coming Ramadan. And apart from doing from fasting from sun up to sun down and doing good deeds, togetherness is just what Ramadan is about.

The Family MyDulang is priced at RM39.90

And RM16.90 for the Individual MyDulang set. MyDulang @ OldTown will be served from 11AM daily at all OldTown.

The Ramadan offerings will be available from 8th July onwards. So do give it a try yea? 😀

Cleffairy: Ramadan is not just about fasting, but also about being a good individual in whole.

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A Pleasurable Chocolaty Experience in Thirty8, Grand Hyatt

This is a yet another one of those backdated post. 😛 I’ve been really, really busy lately so I don’t really have time to do any proper write-up. You know how it’s like for you, don’t you ladies? Being a mother always means that you have to invest all your time on your spouse and kids rather than yourself, and by the time you really have time for ‘ME’ time, you battery is already depleted and no amount of ‘recharging’ will get you right back on track, unless you do the recharging AWAY from your spouse and kids. Oh! How I wish I can be like the Duracell bunny… can go on and on and on and not feel tired!

 Like I said, this post is kinda outdated a lil bit. See the picture?  A friend invited me and my son for a sinful afternoon tea in Thirty8, Grand Hyatt. The place has a really great view, on normal days, but the Petronas Twin Tower is shrouded in haze. Not a very pretty picture, isn’t it? Well, to me it’s not really pretty, but I’m sure if you’re to visit Thirty8 in Grand Hyatt right at the moment, the view would be magical, especially at night. I imagine that the night-view would be very romantic…romantic enough for you to plan a proposal to your intended.

Okay, okay… I know, I know. I’m straying. Let’s get back to business. I was there for a chocolate buffet. It was a hazy noon. I have no where else to go and my boy was practically restless at home due to the emergency holiday declared by Malaysian government. So what better way to spend such an afternoon in a chocolate buffet? Yups, you’re reading that right. Chocolate buffet! All you can eat chocolates.

Sinfully exquisite Valrhona chocolates to be exact. Valrhona is a French luxury chocolate manufacturer based in the small town of Tain-l’Hermitage in Hermitage, a wine-growing district near Lyon. Valrhona focuses mainly on high-grade luxury chocolate marketed for commercial use by chefs as well as for private consumption. See the picture up there?That’s unadulterated Valrhona chocolate right there. The dark is 100% cocoa. I wanted to try it out, but the pastry chef in charge told me that it would be very, very bitter, and I probably won’t like it, so I gave it a miss.

Will you just take a look at these…

They’re just lovely, don’t you think?

And divine.

Chocoholics would definitely approve these artfully created treats.

They’re sensational and I swear that one could have an orgasm from having these, and these alone.

I did not managed to have a slice of these, but it was definitely in my son’s good books. He was full of praises for it.

The Guanaja chocolate tarts were exquisite indulgence. I had a slice of these and thank God that there’s still room in my tummy for seconds.

Macarons lovers would approve these.

There’s plenty of macaroons for you to indulge in. The macaroons are made from white, dark and milk chocolates. I had one of these and they practically melt in my mouth.

Beautifully crafted cake with restaurant signature printed on it. Talk about taking art and printing to the next level! This was amazing.

And these are no less heavenly either.

Dark chocolates aplenty

Chocolate truffles

There’s chocolate dip section where you can select a variety of fruit to be dipped into Valrhona chocolate dips.

I’m a big fan of strawberries, be it fresh or cooked, so I had a few rounds of it. The sweet and sour strawberries complemented the chocolate pretty well, I must say.

 

White chocolate lollies

The rocky road is really fabulous, and not something you can compare with the ones you can get commercially.

The Caramelia chocolate soup topped with milk chocolate cigars are just sensational. I had two of these and they’re positively addictive. Definitely a stress-buster that will send you to heaven and back.

These was what on my plate…

And second plate…. 😛 Oh dear, the diet police will definitely be horrified if they’re to see me sinfully indulge like that!

Apart for the chocolate buffet, we were also offered the afternoon high-tea set that comes with the typical British high-tea offerings.

Macaroons and almond biscotti

Sweet cake pastry and flower pot.

The cake slices was of course present.

And what’s an English afternoon tea without delicious scones with jam and cream?

There was the usual sandwiches too.

Our afternoon tea set came with a pot of tea, Chamomile tea and Pu-Er tea. Actually you will only get a pot if you opt for the afternoon tea set with the chocolate buffet.  One post was complimentary, especially for us.

And here’s the man who was responsible for me moaning and groaning in pleasure that afternoon, Chef Brett Muller. So if you’re a chocolate fan, and wants to fly to heaven and back, be sure to hop over to Thirty8, Grand Hyatt Hotel. A good place for you to chill out with your girlfriends or your lovers, I reckon.

The Chocolate Buffet at THIRTY8 Grand Hyatt Kuala Lumpur  is priced at RM78++/per person. If you’d like to go all English madam while you’re at it, I would recommend you to go for go both for the chocolate buffet with afternoon tea for just RM98++/per person, from 2.00pm-5.00pm daily.

The hotel is ideally located in the city centre, adjacent to the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre and surrounded by the lush gardens of Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre Park, so getting there should not be a problems. Give it a try, ladies and gents. 😀 Your dining pleasure is guaranteed in Thirty8.

THIRTY8
12 Jalan Pinang
50450 Kuala Lumpur
Operating hours: 6am-11pm
Reservations: 03-21821234 or email kualalumpur.grand@hyatt.com

 

Cleffairy: Thank you Auntie Becky for the invitation and Grand Hyyatt the lovely and sinful treat. You’re the best. *Muacks*

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Finding Balance

I’m a freelance writer, novelist, and a working mother. Instead of going to office for a 9-5 job like everyone else, my work is pretty flexible and I get to stay at home while doing my work. Contrary to popular beliefs that stay at home mums or working at home mums have it easy, being a working at home mother is not a walk in the park. Okay, maybe it’s a walk in a park, but not without a dinosaur or two in it. 😛

It’s really not easy being a work at home mum. Being someone who loves to be outdoors more than indoors, I find that being cooped up at home most of the time is really torturous, especially when you have to be with your kid almost 24/7. You don’t exactly have a ME time at all and if you even have a 2 hours breather every day to do whatever things that your like just for yourself instead of your kids or the rest of your family is a gift from heaven!

My typical day usually consists of waking up, make breakfast for the kid, send the kid to school and while he’s at school, work on my writing projects while nibbling on snacks, pick him up from school, rush home to cook dinner if I decided not to eat out, make the boy do his homework, kick him to bed, get some minor housework chores done, turn on the laptop, start writing for my blog, finish up all of the remaining work for the day, get some chapters done for my novels and do some reading before finally going to bed and start the whole routine all over the next day without help whatsoever from anyone else.

Sure, the perks of working from home is flexibility and I get to go anywhere I like anytime I want, but frankly speaking, I don’t have much leisurely time for myself, and I do get sick of eating my own cooking every now and then.

Don’t get me wrong. I love cooking, but it is too much at times and cooking just me and the boy is not really worth the energy. I usually spent more time cooking than to eat, imagine that! Things can be overwhelming at times and eating out is much more preferable than cooking as there’s no cleaning up involved after that.

But lucky me, when things are too much to handle and I want something different from something I churn from my kitchen or eating out in a lousy, crowded restaurant with crappy service, there’s always Foodpanda.

Foodpanda is an online food delivery website in Malaysia. It now offers diners more variety with 100 food joints in its website since its recent debut on 26th March 2012.Customers are spoilt for choices as the website now provides pickings which include cuisines such as Chinese, Indian/Punjabi, Thai, Malay, Korean, Japanese, Middle Eastern fare and more.

Ordering with Foodpanda is easy. All you need to do is just head over to their website, enter your area in the selected box, select the restaurant that you want to buy your food from and the Panda will have his crew deliver your food to you in a jiffy and you pay for the goods upon delivery. Basically speaking, you can order directly from your laptop or mobile. You don’t even have to call up to place an order. Cool, isn’t it?

I’m not sure what you think of it, but I certainly thinks that Foodpanda is not only cool, but my saviour when I’m desperately in need of some balance in life; where I get to put my feet up and tuck into the delicious food instead of working in the kitchen, and if you feel that your life is out of balance too and need to indulge in some good food without cooking or stepping out of your home, be sure to check out Foodpanda. Cooking for the family is great, and more often than not, I prefer to cook than eating out than order takeouts, considering that I’m one fuss pot and not all food from outside agrees with me but I think you get what I’m trying to convey.

It is good to take a break from the kitchen once in awhile to ‘recharge’ your cooking batteries. 😀 It is important that you find balance and get a break every now and then. You are a human after all, and loving yourselves a little bit more does not mean you love your loved ones less.

 

Cleffairy: Ladies, get some ME time before things drives you crazy!

 

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If the shoe fits

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Guess whose? Well, those who knows me personally would definitely know that these does not belong to my daughter, as I don’t have any daughters. They’re actually mine. Yup. You’re reading that right. The Angry Birds slippers is mine. Lovely, aren’t they? When I saw these, I knew that I must have it. I know it looks childish and probably looks better on a kid instead of an adult, but heck, what do I care about what people thinks? I will do as I pleased, especially when it comes to dressing up.

Why in the world should I stick to the status quo when I am comfortable being uniquely myself? A lot of people tend to follow what the rest of their world does…and does that make them happy? Honestly I don’t think one could be happy being a hypocrite!

Neway…back to the slippers. I’m a very petite person and I have small feet. A size 4 and I always have difficulties finding the perfect pair of shoes whenever I shop for one in the adult department, so more often than not, I ended up buying little girls shoes and slippers to wear. 😀 Ah! The advantage of being petite! I get to wear cute stuff all the time. 8)

Cleffairy: If the shoe fits, buy a pair in every colours.

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