Customer's always right..

Went to the Biggest Hypermall for the umphteenth time. Hubby's not feeling well but he had promised the boys for jalan-jalan and to the fun fair. So we had dinner at
(Both pics above are courtesy of Azlena's blog and that's her kid with the burger)..

The key word and point for this entry is "CUSTOMER SERVICE"..

1) This particular restaurant has a very good promise and potential by looking at its interior design and menu..it looks very inviting and enticing..BUTTTT
1.1 - once seated you have to crane your neck to get the waiters to notice you..

1.2 - They have set up the steak knives in advance at each table. This poses some kind of danger to families with small children dining. They should've only change the to the necessary / sharp cutleries after customers have made their orders.

1.3 - The waiters must know what to recommend and speak up clearly to the first timers who doens't know what to order from the long list of "good things to eat".

1.4 - The burger was dry

1.5 - The signature root beer float was "tawar" / tasteless and flat. I'd rather have A&W rootbeer.

1.6 - The Coney Island Dog was mediocre..

1.7 - The waitress waiting for us to fork out money to pay the bill should've waited at the table and not wander off and had a merry time cit chatting with the kitchen staff and forget about the customer who was looking at her waiting for her to come and get the money.

2. 1 Borneo has very smelly toilets / washroom, wet ponding floor and insufficient cubicles in the ladies. I do not wish to part with my 30 sen to pay for this. It will never fail to give me a stressful time to bring my boys to the loo. Imagine walking pass the washroom and be greeted with the horrible smell of urine wafting out until few feet away and to top it off, it is located right next to an eatery. I'm embarassed for the tourist who have to come here and find this.

3. Declaring itself the Largest Hypermall..but it doens't even have a baby nappy changing room. Or at least a separated corner in a clean washroom for mothers to prep their babies.

I have placed my complaints online to their website. I hope they got it and take it seriously into consideration as I believe I'm not the first one who have voiced this out.

The Green Acre..

This lovely home is beautifully located on a hill facing a clear white water river and lush jungle. The air is cool and fresh, one will feel peaceful and serene. This is where our family will gather every Christmas and every other festive holidays as it is the perfect getaway from the hustle bustle of the city and provides all the comforts of home.

I always admire my aunt's (the tuan rumah) home decorating sense. She has the eye and the touch. The gift of using delightful knick knacks to turn a plain spot into a corner that is so pleasing to the eyes and soul (chewah..betul ni..i'm not exaggerating). There is no dull spot in her home. Her theme??...is definitely authentically her own.


The kumbang here is always around this bunga..all day long buzzing from blossom to blossom..


This is the middle lawn where we use to set up camp for the kids sleepover..guests will arrive from the left hallway and passby this lawn.

Green green grass of home..

The view from the verandah..after the football field is the river. You can hear the sound of the gushing river from here. I love to dip in the cool waters..huge slippery rocks though, I haven't got the nerve to bring my boys down there yet. One sweet day I will..


Cozy open concept..all the fresh air and natural light that you can get. Plus the kids have all the space to run free.

Male model of the Year..

Christmas at the Green Acre

(The OBS pics will have to wait...I'll do this first.)

This year we had a Merry Jolly Christmas at the Green Acre a.k.a my aunt's hilltop home at Kiulu..all of us looking forward for this annual gathering at her beautiful home. And of course the kids waiting excitedly for their prezzies.

Can't wait to rip it all open
Part of the menu..fresh tiger prawn grilled to perfection, juicy tender moist..I love..

Orang lain still opening their prezzies, my boys awaaaaal lagi suda settle theirs...I enjoyed their happy faces lit up when they got their gifts.

Love this scene...

Many-many-many gifts for all the good boys and girls under the tree...

Bryan and Daniel..

Foozball!!!! Apalagi the kids..

After gifts from Santa the kids thought they can just get away..but nooope you all have to sing together hehehehhe itu Santa Claus is itching and sweating underneath sudah tu..

Ladies...

Ahhhh...this year ah...got pocho-pocho pulak..

OBS Teaser..

I'm back from the jungle..I think I've lost some kilos and inches and a shoe..brought back some scratches and asthma attack. This particular shoe just saw daylight after 5 years in the closet heheheh. We haven't even began our 1st activity when the left sole flipped open..dang! After the icebreaker, the right sole gave way..double whammy..have to make do la until afternoon when my bro send me an extra pair..

More updates and pics coming up soon..stay tuned!

Anticipation..

Couldn't sleep last night, I was too excited just thinking about our programme this coming weekend. So I packed and did some house chores till 3am. Sedang mengambil approach buang yang keruh ambil yang jernih..don't want to dwell on negativity...life is too short and there's nothing more I can do to make the situation better anyway.
Will be doing these..






Will be dining here..

Our refuge for the nights..


And finally after all the hardwork, I shall reward myself with bliss..

I just don't want to hear it anymore

Sometimes work can be really frustrating, especially when I have put so much effort in organizing (higher up instructions), made sacrifices (weekend with family and expenses incurred to accommodate, arguements with the other half, hardship at many peoples' cost) just to show commitment to the company...and then the higher up decides not to go...and made allowances for the others to follow suit with lame reasons like sis-in-law's wedding, heading the rombongan meminang of a relative, Uni registration in KL (seriously?), sons' circumsition. I don't blame those who have no desire to participate because frankly, almost everyone feels the same.

In the first place it wasn't the staff who wants this but the bigger boss(es?). And then when the time comes, they bail. How can a leader be so irresponsible? Can that person be called a leader having this as an example? After almost all tactics used to try and get him to come, all that was said was "Don't cry and weep for those who doesn't want" something like that lah...So many things went through my mind at that exact moment..If the leader show his commitment and support, naturally his followers will gladly commit.

I'm deeply dissappointed. And I cannot take anymore excuses that started to come my way just to excuse themselves anymore. Because I know it is very hard for me to go to this programme (leaving my commitment at home) and I know that those who have confirmed will be making sacrifices in their own way too.

Moments I love last week..

My boys turned the house upside down, made Mummy's hair add strands of white, made Daddy double his inhaler dosage but the cute stuff they did just melt all those craziness in a blink of an eye..

I love to put Ariff in this pyjama..make him look like a grown-up..pindik-pindik gumuk.
Nabil in his own world..si halus ni..kurus tapi yang paling sensitif. Lately he likes to sing "Kwinkle kwinkle little star" to his baby brother everynight before sleep.

All excited with this old life-vest..tapi perut buncit cannot fit in.

Buaian k.n Cradle / Swing (Oxford Fajar Dictionary)

This is not tali gantung ya Puan-Puan..but an antique cradle used by generations. This cradle has the most prestigious location, placed at the main living room of my hubby's Grandmother's home. He himself was rocked to sleep since babyhood. It was still in use until recently because all the babies have grown out of this phase. I find it so affectionate and a warm symbol of love. A matriarch still very much in touch of the lives of all her descendants..Nenek yang masih lagi membuai lelap cucu-cucu dan cicit-cicitnya. And the family will gather around this very Buaian everytime during kenduri or family occasions. No matter how grown up or living in a modern brick house, I think, all of us will feel at home here (even I, the cucu menantu)..

I myself was rocked peacefully to slumber with this similar cradle, my Grandma would use her softest kain sarong. I remember her scent still..and the calming coolness of her sarong..She lived in a water village, and typically hot and humid especially in the afternoon when the sun is always burning at its hottest..I miss her sarong.

The Wall of Fame above shows the Grandchildren and Great-Grandchildren of Hajah Amirjan..these are not all..yang sudah pernah dibuai dalam buaian pusaka Nenek *wink wink* Masih kuat lagi ni..and my Hubby is so protective of his buaian, he won't have it taken down..ish ish ish macam mau masuk buaian balik pulak.

Min Kutta..

Burppppp....Alhamdulillah..my ex-boss was so generous to invite me along for a Fish Head Curry Banana Leaf Lunch at Jothy's..kalau suda lama tidak pekena kari kepala ikan ni, memang confirm minta nasi tambah kan *wink*.

This is the Chicken 65..

Pic is self explanatory..but it was quite pricey for the size..RM50! And it was only a quarter of a head...

My Lovely Leaf..had telur ikan there, it doesn't look photogenic huh? And I just learned to eat curry with yogurt (that white stuff at the side), supposedly to mild-ify the curry..nice.

Here's the banana leaf table manners I read long ago..when you're done and happy with the food, fold it towards you like this, it means you're coming back for more. If you think it's not sedap then fold it upwards and you won't be coming back. According to Mr. Boss (who's a Chinese speaking Indian), if you fold it sideways, then they should close shop lahh..*kidding*..

Always a hearty finger lickin' lunch with you Mr. Boss..semoga murah rezeki to you..

Have a nice day to y'all :-)

The Beach, the Unfortunate Cow and two birthday cakes...

3 days of weekend and public holiday. Truly enjoyed our family adventure. At the last minute hubby decided that we shall check into Nexus REsort Karambunai..yay!! And we were given a very pleasant surprise when they upgraded us to the Borneo Room. The view from our balcony was perfect.


Without wasting anymore time than necessary, we brought the kids to get wet and dirty!




The next day it rained while the kids were still in the pool so we scurried off to the Nexie Club..what a shame, we were supposed to meet up w Michele n her bunch at the Lagoon. But hujan ka tak hujan ka te boys didn't care much coz they were having a blast indoors too!

I so adore this little angel who liked to tag along my Ariff, her name is Lucy. Punya cute her golden locks, geram I..she will ring the bell in one of the "houses" and say LUNCH TIME!!! (say it in British slang)

So instead we met for lunch at 1B kopitiam and had a boisterous time with 5 kids and 6 adults squashed into a booth..kecoh! Barulah betul-betul rasa macam kedai kupi. There are 2 birthday boys in this pic..Happy Birthday William & Samir!

Monday, Aidiladha..morning we went to hubby's kampung in Tg. Aru Lama..homecooked soulfood..I dug in like no tomorrow..I wonder when will I be able to contribute dishes to the buffet??? *sigh* hopefully next year I have more free time to cook.
Si Nabil followed his dad to the surau to see the orang kampung sembelih lembu..it was blood everywhere!! Aiyerr so gory..that night he had a nightmare eheheheh kesian..traumatised I think to see the "moo moo" being cut to pieces.

His elder brother didn't bother, he was having fun with his cousins under the house.

On our way out, we bumped into these 2 boys carrying something in a cardboard box when the box gave way (bocor), imagine nokotigog my heart tengok kepala kerabau tergolek-golek. Then this one smart boy took off his baju and made a makeshift "whatcha-ma-callit" to carry the cow's head to where ever it was going..I think his mum will have a heart attack.

Then finally we were at my kampung and just in time to celebrate two beautiful ladies' birthday..yang belakang tu pura-pura lagi inda mau blow the candle (that's one big bday girl) and the sweet Alysha standing at the far right was trying hard to blow her candles.. As usual it was a gluttony fest whenever we are here..and couldn't get enuf of the good food, we tapau home some more..sedap bah..didn't even had the time to think about taking photos..next time lah.

The happiest moment for me was to see my kids enjoying themselves so much, having great fun with their cousins and kampung halaman. I don't want them to grow up into a total "city mouse", they must have some part of the "country mouse" in them as well and have a wholesome life. Much like what I had while growing up.