Marhaban Ya Ramadhan

"Wahai orang-orang yang beriman, telah wajib ke atas kamu berpuasa sebagaimana telah diwajibkan ke atas umat-umat yang sebelum kamu, semuga kamu menjadi orang yang bertakwa."
Surah Al Baqarah, ayat 183

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Ditegaskan oleh Rasulullah SAW melalui sabdanya yang diriwayatkan oleh Ahmad, An- Nasa'i dan Al Baihaqi dari Abu Hurairah, yang bermaksud:

"Sesungguhnya telah datang kepada kamu bulan Ramadhan bulan yang penuh berkat. Allah telah fardhukan ke atas kamu berpuasa padanya. Sepanjang bulan Ramadhan itu dibuka segala pintu Syurga dan ditutup segala pintu neraka serta dibelenggu segala syaitan......."

(petikan dari blog Hynhar - Endless Love)

Selamat berpuasa kepada family, sahabat handai dan semua Muslim...

Transfer Order

I've received transfer order to go to Research Division effective 1 September 2008. I was quite shocked at first as I was told (thru the grapevine, actually) that I would go to International Promotions, seeing that I've got good PR (ahem!). Personally, I wanted to go to Domestic Division as I would learn and experience a lot of local tourism products and destinations. Being in the Convention Division for 6 years now, I realized the importance of knowing your local tourism products as I always get to meet top decision makers from around the world. This is where my PR skills become handy as I would bluff my way through conversations pertaining to local products & destinations from reading brochures and hearing colleagues describing about it.

Research Division have never crossed my mind, I must admit that I'm a bit scared of what lies ahead. Going to Reserach is something that is totally new to me and I would have to learn research techniques, SPSS, not to mention new environment, new challenges, new boss and new colleagues. Feels like I'm ready to move....I should move....I have to move since I have already served one division more than 4 years now.

I'm now trying to tie all loose ends on my future projects, hand it over to my colleague, start packing all my things. Most of my contacts and colleagues said that it's a waste that I'm going to Research. Its like I'm being put to cold storage. But I don't think of it that way. I think having a Research background, dealing with facts and figures would strenghten my knowledge in the tourism industry. I start with a clean slate and try to learn as many things as I can.

Turning the big 30

Yesterday was my birthday. I'd turn 30, but I still feel the same ole me. Oh well, age is just a number as the saying goes. Anyway, there were some things that I've thought about achieving when I turn 30:

1. Have a Master's degree;
2. Have kid/s;
3. Buy car.

Obviously, no 3 is easy enough as I've just bought a proton Saga sometime in June. So that's done. I was suppose to do no 1 this year, but due to some financial situation, I had to put it off for the moment. Plus, I'm not so keen on the idea of going back to school, especially when I'm struggling with work. And I realize that I've only been thinking about it but I have not actually desired it enough to actually go for it. I just needed a Master for my own satisfaction of having a Master and be in the same league with people who already have it. Does that makes sense?

No 2 is more tricky. We are not planning not to have a baby, but we still haven't got one yet. Not that we really want it desperately and subject ourselves to all the things that can get one preggers pronto. Maybe it's not my cuppa yet, but who knows in the future. So no 2 is subjective. I don't object to people having babies, but I abhor people forcing me to have one too. Just for the sake of having a baby because I'm already turning 30. Please don't force your ideals on me. I will only have a baby when I'm ready to have a baby. 'nuff said on the subject.

Weekend happenings

Didn't have time to catch up on my DVD collection this week. Over the weekday had my aunty and little cousin at my mum's house, so I pop in for a quick visit on Wednesday and late Friday afternoon. Had Potluck on Thursday to bid farewell to yours truly as I was going to be transferred to Research Division effective September. Sad to go but looking forward for a new challenge.

My sis-in-law came over during the weekend, so I spent all day Friday cleaning the dishes, doing laundry, cleaning out my house especially the spare room into livable condition. She was suppose to receive her scroll in Bachelor of Management from Open University Malaysia. My hat goes off for her as she managed her career, family and study for four years to complete this particular degree. Seeing her and all the other graduates in the Merdeka Hall, PWTC almost make wanna go back to school.

After her convo, we went to Petaling street (to celebrate?!). Same old same old Petaling street only a little bit of improvement with the covered walkway but more Bangladesh/Indonesian/ Thais are peddling their fares. Bought a RM50 Gucci watch from original price of RM120. Tip to buy in Petaling street:
1. Never ask for the price of the item unless you want to buy the item;
2. Always bargain at least 50% of the price;
3. If you have bargained for the item, you must be prepared to buy it or feel the wrath
of the owners - heard horror stories about this like there were snipers on top of the
Petaling street buildings to take out annoying customers. May be true, may be an urban
legend, who knows.
4. Best time to shop in Petaling street is when they have just started to open up, slightly
around 7pm. Best time to bargain ridiculously low as the Chinese believed that the first
customer will bring luck and more business, so they are more willing to part with their
goods at lesser price.

Weekend movies marathon

Weekends were meant to be for the movies, or in my case, catching up on my collection of DVDs. I think that my personal pirated DVD peddlar, Raja, is very, very happy with me. I spend at least RM100 to buy his DVDs every month. My choice for last weekend's movies marathon are:

Lars and the real girl
A story about Lars, an introvert guy who has a whole load of intimacy and insecurity issues that lead him to buy a sex doll for his companion. Lars named the doll 'Bianca' (who incidentally looked a lot like Angelina Jolie!) and brought "her" everywhere he goes. Because everybody in his town loved Lars, they decided to humor him in this delusion. Ryan Gosling is brilliant as the withdrawn Lars and notable supporting casts are Emily Mortimer who played the sweet and well intentioned sister in-law, Patricia Clarkson as the local doctor/shrink, Paul Schneider as Lars's brother Gus. The movie is slow at times and a bit on the dark humor side, but it showed the main character slowly and surely finds his own self. Only watch this if you are prepared to follow the story through because the ending is quite sweet.

Penelope
The overall feel and theme of this movie is a lot like 8tv's series"Pushing Daises". In Pushing Daisies, the main character have a special gift in reviving dead people and like Penelope, regards this as a curse. Penelope's curse is that she was born with ears and nose that looks like a pig! Not until she finds true love with "one of her own kind" i.e. the blue bloods. So her mother tries very hard to match make her with all the blue bloods that they could find, right until they meet with Max Campion, played by James Mc Avoy. This story is very fairytale-like. I would've like it better is James McAvoy used his scottish accent rather than using an American accent, sorta losing the romantic factor in my opinion and he was suppose to be play a blue blood. I've yet to watch him in "Wanted" (Angelina Jolie is so overrated!), but he was very intense in Hallmark's remake of Shakespeare's Macbeth.

Juno

This is a really cute movie in terms of dialogue and humor but the issues faced by the main character in the movie is heavy and real. It's about teen pregnancy and giving away the baby to a suitable adopting parents. I really love the characters dialogue especially between Juno, her dad, step mom and best friends. I doubt it in real life you can talk as cool as that. Like when Juno's dad and stepmom (played by Allison Jenney) referred to Juno as " stupid and irresponsible daughter" not in an angry tone but rather resigned. I have to say that I'm a bit dissappointed that Justin Bateman's character turned out to be an ass (spoiler alert!). I loved him in Arrested Devlopment, always trying to be the responsible and sane person in the series.

You Don't Mess with the Zohan

Either you'll love it or you hate it, that's what the reviews said. And it's not because of the Israel-Palestine factor (don't wanna dwell on that). With all the hype about this movie, I expected more from Adam Sandler's movie but I was dissappointed with Mr Sandler. For one thing, his accent in the movie is really atrocious - you can tell that the script are American words but spoken in bad middle eastern accent, nothing much on the storyline, the slapstick comedy is just stupid (banging old ladies in hair saloon!?!!) and what's with his crotch bulging out of propotions??!! Don't expect too much from this movie.

Other DVDs that I plan to watch this coming weekend: Hancock, Wanted, Sex and the City.

A walk down memory lane 2: Kuching

Aerial view of Kuching from Merdeka Palace

I was in Kuching from 6 - 8 August for a conference. There were 4 of us from the office and we stayed at the 3 bedroom suite in Merdeka Palace Hotel & Suites right in front of Padang Merdeka, Kuching. I was very excited to go for this trip because Kuching was another place where I grew up. It really did bring a lot of nostalgic memories, seeing the somewhat familiar places and streets where I used to walk, hearing the oh-so-familiar Sarawak language being spoken everywhere and eating the oh-so-sedap mee kolok....in short, I was happy to be back in Kuching.

We arrived in the afternoon on 6th August and immediately checked in Merdeka Palace. That same afternoon we went for a city tour and one of the places we get to visit was the Semenggoh Wildlife Centre. We went there to observe the orang utan during its feeding session around 3pm. I was gawky eyed, eventho' I used to live in Kuching but I've never seen a wild orang utan up close. Of course they were dangerous but we were able to observe them in their natural habitat. We were told that there was a dominant alpha male called Ritchie, who weighed around 100kg. Other orang utans were afraid of him, therfore during feeding time the others would run away when Ritchie came. We were told that the difference between a Borneo orang utan and the Sumatran orang utan is that the Borneo orang utan would grow cheek pads as they get older. Thus the younger orang utans look more or less like a monkey, only bigger in size.

Ritchie during feeding time

Orang utan with a 2-week old baby gripping hard to its body

Another highlight during this conference was its headhunter's theme party. We were taken to an Iban Longhouse in the Sarawak cultural village at 8pm. Upon arrival, we were dressed in a native top and kain batik bottom and a headress. Weird combination but it did got us in the mood to party, Iban style!

The native gear

Then, an Iban warrior, or Sea Dayaks, as they were known, gave our group a blessing in Iban language. They were a lot of "ooohaaaa" going round which was a form of greeting other people.

The Iban warrior

Setting in the Iban longhouse, seating on the floor

The Sarawak cultural village troupe entertaining us with traditional sape and singers

Proud of my Sarawak pouch which I bought for RM10 at Waterfront

Later, we were asked to dance following the steps of the Iban warrior and there were some games played. All in all, a very memorable night with a lasting impression on Sarawak's culture. Sadly, I was in Kuching only for 3 days and our conference schedule was very hectic with dinners. I wish that I had more time to walk again around Kuching going to all the old haunts which I'd love. I'd walk from pasar Satok through the National Library, through Jalan India and past the Charles Brooke memorial, through the Main Bazaar and waterfront....the good old days....

Right now listening to cd called "The Primitive Sound" compilation of traditional music of Sarawak ethnic group.....aduh...rinduk hati.......

Snorkelling in Pulau Lang Tengah

View in front of the resort

Two weeks ago I went snorkelling in Pulau Lang Tengah, in the east coast state of Terengganu. The island was only about half an hour away from another well-known island in Terengganu, which is Redang. Lang Tengah Island was a relatively untouched and less people visited it than Redang.

It all started when I bought the Redang Lang Island Resort package in MATTA Fair in 2006 for RM257, which I thought was a steal because it included two-way boat transfer, accommodation, 2 snorkelling trips and meals. Two colleagues joined for the trip and we were all so excited as it was our first time to go to Terengganu by bus! The ride was surprisingly pleasant and cheap (only RM30 via Sani Express) and also very scenic. Going up the east coast, we saw a lot of places in between like Kemaman, Cherating with all the resorts including Club Med, and passed by Paka & Kertih, awed by the oil refinery.

Enroute to Kuala Terengganu, we stayed one night in Awana Kijal resort, where an old uni friend worked in the Sales department and broughts us round the resort. Too bad we were only staying for one night because the resort is so beautiful and the pool was just so tempting!

The next morning we contined via hired car straight on to Merang Jetty. If you are travelling to the islands in Terengganu, make sure you have the proper name of the jetty. A common mistake even the locals make is being confused between Merang jetty and Marang jetty. The two jettys with identical names brings you to different island - Merang jetty brings people to Redang and Lang Tengah. Whereas, Marang will bring you to Kapas island.

Anyway, we boarded an overcrowded boat to the island which was supposed to carry only 12 pax but it carried almost 50 pax on that trip! This is a very hazardous condition to the passengers because the engine of the boat might have an internal combustion due to the overweight condition. This was something that we didn't foresee and we should have insisted for another boat to come, instead of boarding the overcrowded boat. My advice if a similar thing happens to you, please insist for another boat.

Note: Overcrowded ferry, not enough space to sit, no ventilation, people got sick and puked.

Two hours later, we arrived at the resort which was basically a two-story chalet complete with air-cond and in house bathroom. There was only a communal tv and karaoke room, but then who needs tv when you are on an island as beautiful as Lang Tengah.

The horror of the boat transfer almost forgotten, we went round island snorkelling! We found rainbow coloured fish and live corals. The marine park in Redang island was also fantastic because of the variety of fishes. The water was so unbelieveably clear that you can see the inai on my feet.

This picture was taken on top of the jetty.

The jetty
Footsteps in Lang Tengah

Terengganu is a really nice place to unwind, get out from the hustle and bustle of the city and just enjoy the nature.....my next trip to Terengganu will be to Tasik Kenyir or Pulau Tenggol for diving. First, gotta get the diving licence first.........

Homade chocolate chip cookies

Last weekend, I tried my hand in baking choc chip cookies. Quite easy recipe, but for me I like to use the hand mixer rather than use your hand to mix the ingredients together. To do a simple homemade choc chip cookies, you'' need:

For dough (makes about 30 pcs)

280 grams plain flour

225 grams butter, softened

140 grams caster sugar

1 egg yolk

2 tsp orange extract or any other flavour (i used strawberry)

A pinch of salt

100 grams choc chips

For coating

2 tbsp caster sugar

2 tbsp cinnamon powder

1. Add in sugar and butter and mix well with wooden spoon/hand mixer.

2. Then add in the yolk + orange extract + pinch of salt.

3. Mix everything until the caster sugar has dissolved or till the batter turns white.

4. Then add in the choc chips.

The mixture became a very, very soft dough.

Do not, I repeat, do not be tempted to add in more flour as the ingredients are just nice

Form the dough into a small ball like so

Roll the ball in caster sugar + cinnamon powder

Arrange the balls spaced apart to allow it to bake properly for

15-20 minutes in a preheated 190 degrees celcius oven.

The cookies after 15-20 mins....

...not so beautiful, but they taste good!

Allow the cookies to completely cool then store it in airtight container.

The end product!

My Kitties

The naughty kitties

Them again

Milking Mummy


Only 2 months old



Mummy the cat

The orange kitty sleeping

The tri-color kitty sleeping at a very odd place

Awww, my favourite kitty, the black one, very independant.

The three kitties were born by Mummy sometime in February. I have actually given away two of the kitties to a friend of mine, the black and the tri-colored one. The orange kitty were intended for my sister in-law, but never get to give it to her because somebody stole him.

Anyway, Mummy the cat is pregnant again. So, I'll get another litter of kitties again sometime in August. Anyone interested to adopt some kitties, please let me know.

Got the Monday blues?

Delayed in posting. I was recuperating after being involved in a car accident.

It all started last Monday, 16 June 2008. We were supposed to go to Saloma Bistro @ JalanAmpang for our senamrobik cum Perhimpunan Pagi. Who else, but 'twas our Minister who lead the senamrobik session. I guess she needed to relived her days in the Sports Ministry.

The three of us were running late. I was riding with my officemate's brand new Toyota Vios to Saloma, we weren't rushing as we decided to skip the senamrobik session. The road wasn't jammed, and we were coming from Rennaisance about to turn to Saloma, which was a 3-lane road. The cars on the first two lanes had already stopped to give us way. As we were about to turn into Saloma, a Satria GTI from the third lane rammed into the front part of my colleague's Vios. He was going, maybe about 60 kmph, and couldn't stop the car in time.

I was sitting on the front passenger and hit my head on the side mirror from the impact of the accident. My friend, who was the owner of the Vios sprained her neck and had to wear neck brace for two days. The driver who hit us didn't have insurance and roadtax for his car. Said that he was on his way to renew his insurance. Too bad for him, but he could've killed somebody.

This incident really unnerved me, and I couldn't work for the rest of the day. I kept having the incident played in mind, over and over again. Now I understand why people get traumatized by an accident. I have felt it. Thank God, we were ok considering we were involved in a car accident.

A very bad start for the week. Couldn't wait for the week to be over.

My own personal Threshold

As we grow older, our threshold for pain substantially lowers. This may not be an accurate fact, but it’s an observation from my own personal experience. I feel that as I grow older, my body’s threshold for pain plummets down, be it physically or mentally. I discover that the monthly period pains won’t go away, instead I’d have to take painkillers to relieve me. I discover that I absolutely cannot tolerate grotesque pictures of accident victims that you normally find in forwarded emails. Or I’d have nightmares for nights. I also find that I’m more paranoid than usual when I read reminders in emails, especially one that says you need to lift up public toilet bowls to look out for venomous spiders that might be crawling under it, and might bit you to death when you are doing your “business” there. Scary.

Makes me think that this world is not a safe world anymore. I really do pity our children who can’t enjoy their childhood for fear of being kidnapped or molested by a pedophile or contract some weird disease when they are playing outside. Scary.

I used to torture myself when I was a teenager. I wanted to test my threshold for physical discomfort. Nothing drastic, I just switch off the fan in my room in the sweltering heat of Alor Star. It used to drive my sister crazy. I wanted to ready my body in case there was a blackout, so I won’t feel so hot. Now, I can’t live without a full speed fan. Slow air-cond in the car suffocates me. So much for my “training” for threshold. I guess your body does change as you grow older. Just accept the fact and try to take care of it, as best as possible.

Just a reflection on my self…….*sigh*

A walk down memory lane: Kota Bharu

Year 2008 is a really the year for me to take my own personal trips to wherever I fancy, if the purpose suits me . Last week I was in Kota Bharu, revisiting some of my past haunts. The roads haven’t change much, I can still remember the roads to our old houses in Telipot and Kubang Kerian, to my primary school and to the small shops behind the school that we frequent once school’s out. Also, the best thing from this trip was to find my best friend’s house, whom I had lost contact. And that was 18 years ago when I left Kota Bharu.

Some other things that don’t change much was that people still go around the town in trishaw. I remembered when I was living in Kelantan in the late '80s, I used to go to school in a trishaw. It was kinda embarrassing, especially when the pakcik beca decided to stop in front of the boys school to pick up something:p another, it's the general laidback atmosphere. I can see that everybody is at home in Kelantan.

Our plans in Kota Bharu was to eat all the varieties of food that we can find there: nasi kerabu, nasi dagang, laksam, nasi air, nasi berlauk. Well, we did ate some of the food that we set out to eat…but it seemed different from my childhood memory. The nasi air MakSu Nab didn’t taste as good as it was then. My mum said I should’ve kept my memories instead of eating the nasi air. Maybe she was right, but I needed to taste it again! Next, we head on to Zakini’s Nasi Kukus. My mum picked out a few things and the next thing we knew, the Kelantanese had a field day overcharging us for dinner. Oh well, what do you expect, being in a foreign land during the school holidays?!

Funny that when you were a child, you’d perceive everything as very big or very tall. When I went to Pasar Siti Khadijah, I was disappointed to find that it is only 3 floors, instead of the 7 floors that I had imagined all these years. I was also expecting that batik sutera in Kelantan would be ridiculously cheap, but the tag price was the same like the ones sold in KL. Or maybe I didn’t know how to bargain. Or maybe I didn’t have enough money to bargain in the first place. Shopping is only fun when you have money to spare....*sigh*

Me thinks Kelantan’s charm is mainly due to the general laidback atmosphere, the culture, the food, the language, the sweetness of the people. None of that political crap if you are visiting for a few days. The Kelantanese are peaceful people. Go ahead, give Kelantan a try, you might like it.

More stories on our trip to Kelantan, please go to Kerabu Jantung's blog.

Trivia

Since I got time to kill, waiting for my other half to come and fetch me I decided to do a trivia, stolen from Ziah's blog, which she stole from Mrs C, which she stole from Ash. So here goes:

IF YOU COULD GO ANYWHERE RIGHT NOW, WHERE?
Back to Jakarta again, I want to buy more tudung, more kebayas, more telekung sulam.....

NAME A PERSON WHOSE NAME STARTS WITH THE LETTER “J”?
Joyce from Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre...because we were discussing about KL Convention Centre for a possible dinner venue.

WHAT IS THE FIRST THING YOU USUALLY PUT IN YOUR GROCERY CART?
Cat food..because it's always at top of my mind and the reason why I go to T.S. Mega.

WHAT WAS YOUR FAVORITE SUBJECT IN SCHOOL?
History, Geography and English.

WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO TOMORROW?
Definitely wake up late because it's a weekend, then laze around all day in front of the tv and maybe some badminton with Ms Fantaghiro in the evening.

FAVORITE DAY/S?
Weekends and public holidays, go figure haha

ARE YOU EASY TO GET ALONG WITH?
Yes.

WHOSE BIRTHDAY IS COMING UP?
Err...not good at keeping birthdays but mine's on 25th August. So...hint...hint

HAVE YOU EVER BEEN TO SEA WORLD?
Which Sea World? (copied Ziah's answer)

HOW MANY KIDS DO YOU WANT?
With God’s permission, 3 or 4. (copied Ziah's answer)

TIRED OF WHAT?
My body and how it refuses to slim down (hah!)

THINGS YOU SPEND A LOT OF MONEY ON?
DVDs, books, shoes, handbags, more kain.

LAST FRUIT YOU ATE?
Strawberries from Puncak in Jakarta. Yeah, I malas makan buah.....

WHERE DO YOU LIVE?
In a pigeonhole. Dreaming of a better home...

LIKE MOST ABOUT YOURSELF:
I'm easy going.

HATE MOST ABOUT YOURSELF:
Not being able to stand up for my self especially in the work place where you are just the ikan bilis.

CAN YOU PLAY POOL?
No.

CAN YOU SWIM?
Yes, I can do breast stroke very well. Not so good with freestyle.

DO YOU MISS SOMEONE RIGHT NOW?
Yup, my other half who's suppose to pick me up right now. And also Lisa, who's in Adelaide. Sob..sob...miss you lisa.

DO YOU HAVE A SISTER?
Yup. She's thinner and prettier. She's my soulmate, but damn I can hate her so much if she's on one of her mood swings.

WHO IS YOUR CLOSEST COUSIN?
Faris who is in Rompin now.

WHAT WERE YOU DOING 10 MINUTES AGO?
Discussion with the boss about a dinner event that we have to organize next week. Maybe include Noryn Aziz to perform, Alan Bligh to MC, and some batik fashion show on stage.

Jakarta

Tehbotol in a box

Yet another trip that I made to Indonesia, just 3 months apart from the last time I went to Bali in January this year. I guess I like going to Indonesia because: 1. Its cheap (RM100 = IDR284,000) 2. Language is not a barrier 3. So many things to buy (textiles, handicrafts, even branded goods are cheaper here) 4. The people are nice and hardworking. Just beware of pick pockets and your belongings.

This time around, my sister-in law initiated this trip after her last one in Jan 2008. Basically, this was supposed to be a purely shopping trip for the girls. But we went sightseeing, so at least we visited some tourist attractions. Some tips if you want to go to Jakarta for a trip:

1. Buy cheap airfare
This is always the major chunk of expenditure for any trip, be it overseas or domestic travelling. With the latest fare squabble between this region’s mightily successful low cost carrier AirAsia and the 5-star airline, Malaysia Airlines, the consumers have a very good chance to get the lowest airfare ever to the destinations of their choice (domestic/international). With the Zero Fares promotion, a trip to Indonesia can easily set you back RM200. As Tony Fernandez said it: Now everyone can fly!

2. Surf the internet for cheap accommodation
To save more money for shopping, you don’t need to stay in 5-star hotels. As long as the water runs, the bed’s made, there’s tv and aircond in the room, provide breakfast, then the hotel’s ok. Extra perks if the hotel got additional facilities like free internet or pool. You would only be back to the hotel at night to sleep. So, staying in a 5-star hotel would be a total waste.

3. Transportation
Book a transport to make sure you don’t get ripped-off by taxis. Easy to get MPV’s like Suzuki Arena or Kijang (Unser). Can book this thru a travel agent on the internet. Normally, it can cost you about Rp500,000 per day, minus petrol (about Rp100,000 per day), toll (less than Rp5,000 per toll) and driver’s overtime (about Rp50,000 per day ). Additional charge about Rp200,000 if you want to go to Bogor or Bandung which is about 1 hour out of Jakarta.

4. Shopping
Textile: Tanah Abang complex. It is complete with about 10 floors, ranging from textile (laces by the metres), ready made blouses, kebaya with beautifully intricate sulam, telekung with sulams, tudung, baju batik Indon, suit for work, shoes, curtains. Cheaper to buy the stuff in 3s or by the kodi.
Handbags: Head to Mangga Dua mall if you love designer handbags like LV, D&G, Gucci, Prada but can’t afford the real thing. The place is really like a pasar, but you can get really good bargains and latest designs for handbags, wallets and some designer sandals.
Handicrafts: Jatinegara mall. If you want to buy handicrafts in bulk for weddings or just for giveaway items, head here to buy it in the minimum 100 pcs. Cute batik purses, woven fans, keychains are some of the items.
Branded items: Plaza Senayan or Pulau Indah mall for real branded goods. Case in point: Lacoste ladies t-shirt costs about RM180 in Indonesia, compared to buying it in KL, which is about RM300.

5. Food
Donuts: Jakarta people sure like their donuts! Dunkin Donuts shops are practically everywhere. Other local brands like J.Co Donuts, Ring Master, i.crave which offers really soft and creative donut toppings are also available.
Baso: Noodle soup with beef balls are a must have when you’re in Jakarta. Try the Baso by Es Teller branch. Another one is Bakmie, noodle with chicken strips and clear soup on the side.
TehBotol: Indonesian national drink in a bottle. I was hooked on this throughout my stay. Even brought two kotak back, courtesy of my sis-in-law.
Special Roti bakar: thick slices of breaded toasted with cheese and chocolate rice, and a dash of sweetened milk on top. One word: Yummy!

6. Must see attractions
Safari in Bogor: Superb open zoo where you go thru the animal’s habitat and can even feed the animals with carrots and bananas sold by the peddlers outside the safari. Mind you its illegal to feed the animals, because they are well fed and taken care of. But if you don’t feed the Llamas and the zebras, they’d block your car and you won’t be able to move. Naughty creatures, but I’m sure some conservationist would say that we have spoiled the animals’ natural instinct by feeding them. Same thing like eagle feeding in Langkawi, the new breed of eagles doesn’t know how to hunt for their food. Instead they just wait around Sg Kilim at 10am for their breakfast. Nonetheless, it’s amazing to see wild animals up close and personal.
Puncak in Bogor: The scenery is quite similar to Cameron Highlands where they plant tea and even strawberries. Cool climate to enjoy, but beware of peddlers selling knick-knacks. Its sad, but the peddlers only make about Rp20,000 – Rp30,000 per day, which is only about RM10 ringgit per day.
Taman Mini Indonesia: Life size traditional Indonesian houses for a cultural tour.

7. Tipping
Tipping is a must, it’s a way of life in Indonesia. Our driver have to tip the attendant at parking eventhough we have paid the parking, then another for stopping the traffic. Bell boys should be tipped at all time. Drivers should be tipped by the end of day or for meals (about Rp50,000 per day or whatever amount you think fit. Mind you, each meals costs about Rp10,000). Our driver said he earned as much as a Lacoste t-shirt, which is about Rp550,000 rupiah per month.

Now, to plan for my next trip, for next year……….

Cleanliness is next to Godliness

I had half a mind to report to the authorities about the conditions of our pantry, which is quite abominable, and I’m sure breaking a lot of health code. For starters, it is overrun by cockroaches that can be seen running freely up and down the countertops where people are having breakfast. In the area where they prepared hot drinks, again the cockroaches running about as usual among the cutleries and bread and butter.

By the way, this pantry is operated by an individual who got the contract thru a tender process, and who supposedly had a connection with a minister. That’s why he got this contract in the first place. And that’s why the service is so lousy. He had no previous background in catering, and his staff was equally as bad in delivering their service.

Case in point: the pantry have to provide our meetings with refreshment, normally hot drinks plus 2 types of kuih or sandwich. They would always deliver the refreshment at least half an hour late, when you’ve already started the meeting, especially with outsiders or foreign guests. I almost died of embarrassment when the boys sending the refreshment, late by half an hour, setting the table with cups and saucers, their bodies very smelly from the sweat, wearing white shirts which was almost grey, their fingernails dirty. Setting up the glass for mineral water holding the mouth of the glass. The foreigners wouldn’t dream of drinking from that glass. I wouldn’t drink from that glass. Other horror stories such as the cup smelling of cockroaches (probably from the cockroaches running up and down the pantry) and my colleagues have discovered cockroaches legs inside the hot drinks (eep!).

Last week I was surprised to hear that his contract got renewed even though the service was so bad and that the minister who’d be able to influence the appointment was no longer in service. Reasons for renewal was because he hadn’t been able to pay up his loan that he took when he started this service. Go figure, with bad service and cleanliness issue, people aren’t going to the pantry to eat. I for one have stopped going there for ages. People should boycott him so that his service can be terminated and end our suffering. Period.