My Home Hotel Kota Damansara

Hehe.. Just came back from our quick trip to KL.. Expressly just to check out our new old car.. The peugeot 306.. Hubby did the test drive as I only know how to drive cars.. Not check or maintain them hahahaha :P

Anyway.. As we basically touch n go in KL.. Arrived around 6 pm then out again early in the morning.. We opted for budget hotel.. This time we tried My Home Budget Hotel..

Main agenda - shopping at IKEA :)


Well, the family&s growing.. A queen bed or king bed is not enough for us anymore.. Sleep is more important for us but money, of course, always a constraint..

Overall, I am satisfied. We pay RM160 for a family room (usual RM140 but we went during the weekends) so they surchaged us abit :(

Anyway.. For breaking fast, they did gave us 4 mineral water and 4 small packet of dates so it's a plus :)

Inside.. They have a lift! Another plus for a family with small children like me.. Lugging Haikal the baby and this pack of milk etc is not good..

Then, they offer free wifi :)
There's a water dispenser for both hot and cold water :)
The decor is nice.. White with some red.. Feel like I'm in Tune Hotel..
The bathroom is nice, no bathtub but the toilet is of quality and spacious.. Not cramped like the one I've stayed before..
The two beds are nice.. Kids love jumping on them :)
Ambiance is nice though we do not have windows in our room :(
There's a flat screen tv.. But reception not so nice :(










Overall, I am still satisfied. For a budget hotel, I give it two thumbs up..

For those interested to learn more, just go to their website www.myhomehotel.com.my. I'll definitely go back should I want to cure my IKEA fix :)



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Bunga Kantan - Laksa Flower

I am in the process of deleting my snapped pics from my BB. Uploaded them yesterday to my PC - all 2,600 of them. Hahaha.. I am trigger happy with my mobile's camera :P

So, I am in the process of deleting the picture when I came across this laksa flower or bunga kantan plant.

Truth to be told, this is the first time I saw it during my lifetime. Usually we bought it at the markets just like that. I always thought that it was some sort of lotus (teratai) buds. They kinda look the same for me.. You know.. Pink etc.. So, I had imagined that the farmers need to row across the lake to get to them.

Anyway, I snapped this when I ventured into mom in law garden in the back of her house. It was some sort of small jungle there hehehe.. She said that she wanted to get something to cook singgang (a type of boiled dish for meat or fish) and needed some laksa flower.

So, I follow this and rewarded with this picture. The laksa flower plant looks like an ornamental type of plant and seems to like shady places. This one grow underneath the coconut tree.

Hmmm.. I gotta get some for my garden to soon :)

p/s - sorry the blurry pic - I was happily snapping away when my mom in law warn me that pacat (leech) is prevalent here so I rush back to the viccinity of the house pronto. Sure enough there's a pacat on one of my leg. A second check, I discover a baby pacat (the smallest I've seen) on another leg. Yikes!
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Planting my Frangipangi or Kemboja

If you like everything Balinese.. You would love the frangipani like I do.

As you might notice, I just moved to my new home (haha at least my hubby did as I usually touch base on the weekends only).

I love the frangipangi since I was a child. However, then Frangipangi is sort of a taboo flower as it associated with graves. Yes folk! For Malays, Frangipangi or Kemboja especially the ones with the white flowers are planted in graves, supposedly its fragrances are to counter the smell of the dead bodies.

Pontianak, a Malaysian female ghost wich appears as a beautiful girl with hair adorn with a frangipangi. Then, when they have the mens (usually) in their trall, they would appear in their true form.. A gruesome ghost with long black hair and nails.. With sharp tooth for them to suck blood from their victims.

Haha.. Enough of the horror tale :)

Nowadays, with the popularity of the Balinese garden, people in Malaysia start to add frangipangi in their gardens.

I am happy too as I would therefore be able to enjoy their bloom. Here is one that I paid only RM18 that I had planted in front of my house. I had another taller one for RM50 that I hadn't decided on where to plant.

Hmmm.. But remembering the horror story, I choose only red and yellow frangipangi. I wouldn't want the white ones even though it smell the best, it is the one most favoured by the Pontianaks hahahaha :)


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Rats in My House

Hmmm.. I'm actually a weekend mum. I stay at Kuala Terengganu during weekdays and back to my family during the weekends. Most of the time I would travel all over Kelantan, Terengganu and Pahang (the 3 states in the eastern coast of peninsular) that my rented house would be empty most of the time.

I got a nasty suspicion that my house is invaded by rats when I saw their poop underneath the sofa. Well, nowadays they wenta whole step further.. Eating my food! On the dining table too!

I supposed I have to do major spring cleaning exercise after this. I did put some poisened bait. They eat those and didn't come for a while (maybe some died) but then, I think a new batch is here again. Hmmmm.. Pesky!


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My Sportage..

Sportie, my nick name for my ride is getting old. She's my second car after a Proton Iswara that I now given to my younger brother.. Some sort of emergency car for my dad and sister as well..

But Sportie is getting old.. She's born in 97, clocked around 336K nowaday so like old people, her frames rattled and her engine aka heart gave her troubled. She did have a heart attack when I drove her to KL last year but had the grace to do it at an R&R. Thanks Sportie. It gave me the experiance of riding on a tow truck hahahaha.. And made me RM2K poorer..

Lately, her engine problem indication is always on and the aircon is becoming hotter. So, me and family might go to KL this weekend to search for a younger replacement. Think I want to try another budget hotel in Kota Damansaran, thought I would love to tour IKEA hehehehe :)

Don't worry Sportie, we will still retain you as our 3rd car.. A leisure car for the beaches and our small orchard.. Still love to drive you around but on less rigourous routine.



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Why Ramadhan is a Wonderful Month

Another good article of why I love Ramadhan as well as why tourist shout visit Malaysia during Ramadhan. I mean look at those yummy food! :)

TRULY SPOILT FOR CHOICE
By HAN KAR KAY and KOW KWAN YEE
north@thestar.com.my
Photos by G.C. TAN and CHAN BOON KAI


THE spirit of the holy month of Ramadan is in the air with Ramadan bazaars selling a myriad of colourful and flavourful delicacies to Muslims and their non-Muslim friends.

One such bazaar is at the Masjid Imar Ibnu Al-Khattab in Bayan Baru which features more than 100 stalls selling mouth-watering dishes such as satay, murtabak, popiah, ayam percik, grilled fish, fried noodles, kebab and a variety of local kuih.



Stall operators there were spotted opening their stalls as early as 3pm on the first day of the fasting month on Monday.

A large crowd of Muslims and non-Muslims were seen thronging the bazaar from 5pm onwards to buy their favourite delicacies.



Farizan Chehassan, 22 and Mohd Firdaus Abdul Hammid, 21, preparing grilled chicken.

A check at the bazaar also revealed that most of the stall operators did not increase their food prices.

Among the popular stalls at the bazaar with patrons seen queuing up was the one operated by Rosmi Hussein who sold traditional savoury dishes such as curry chicken, rendang, chilli fish and a selection of cooked vegetables.

“I have been operating the stall here for the past 17 years, offering more than 40 dishes to satisfy our customers’ craving,” he said when met at his stall.

Dates seller Jamaludin Ali, 48, said the juicy yellow dates were popular during this year’s fasting month.

“Although other variety of dates are sold, the ones in demand are the big, juicy yellow dates as customers prefer to go for the fresh ones,” he said.

In Alor Setar, the Ramadan bazaar at the open space of Darul Aman Stadium also drew a lot of people.

One stall, operated by Noor Fatin Marzuki, 20, and her brother Nazrie, 23, was a hit for their ‘laksa buyong’.

Noor Fatin, who hails from a family of laksa sellers, has been selling laksa at the Ramadan bazaar for seven years since she was in Form One.

Her mother, Rosinah Ahmad, 40, and sister Noor Izzati, 21, operates a laksa buyong stall at Simpang Kuala, Alor Setar, while her father, Marzuki Ismail, 46, runs another laksa buyong stall at Tandop, Alor Setar, for the past eight years.

“The special recipe of laksa buyong was passed down from my mother’s father. Laska Buyong is a traditional way of cooking laksa or laksam. Its taste is much better than laksa or laksam cooking using ordinary pot or aluminium cooking ware,” said Noor Fatin, whose laksa buyong cost RM2.50 per packet.

Ramadan is a time of repentance and prayer, of performing good deeds and charity.

It is also the month when Muslims fast to experience what hunger is like and to learn self-control.

What I Love About Ramadhan

Ramadhan is now on its 3rd day, another 27 to go. Some might dread its arrival judging from the number of gastratic cases (favourite excuse of not fasting but I really love Ramadhan). Here are some of the reasons why:-

1) Work is less busy (I was soo very busy nowadays handling the 3 states under my care).. So I sort of can look around a little and smell the roses :)

2) I can diet. Actually Ramadhan is a reminder that you could refrain from eating and you are actually healthier for it. For me, being around entreprenuers on the east coast whom consist prodimently of food & beverages.. Food come easy. After Ramadhan I always thought I would start puasa sunat on Monday and Thursday but business and temptation of available food dash my hope for that.

3) It is said that the devils are locked up during the month of Ramadhan so you have less temptation from the devils. Therefore, I should be able to refrain from doing bad things such as gossiping about untrue things, skip my prayers and such.

4) Ramadhan is also a good point to increase your good points for the afterlife especially during the terawih prayer.. Also you are encouraged the read the Quran, the Muslim holy book til the end. Even giving your neighbours the extra food earns brownies points.

5) Availability of variety of food during bazar Ramadhan - special food markets offering breaking fast food items are mushrooming everywhere and food item be it traditional to modern is everywhere. Also beverages (the most imported as for me, being parched is more serious that the hunger) are numerous and multicolour.

6) Fireworks.. Kids are most happy as well as moms and dads. Nowadays, police has ensure that no harmful fireworks are available unlike my childhood day longgggggg ago. But it is a good things as not many cases of children losing hands or eyesights due to harmful fireworks as before. But kids are creative especially the kampung kids who love to build the meriam buloh or bamboo canon - a device made of bamboo.. Put some carbide concotion in it.. Light it up and BOOM! Still heard it last night .. Very loud and for me, ANNOYING!

7) The Raya shopping.. Well, thruthfully, I neglected to even order myself a baju kurung (traditional Malay dress for ladies) these year, but maybe I'll buy one ready made. Still being a mom, providing for my two boys are more imported. Kids enjoy more the Raya preparation with the new cloths and angpow packets (containing money).

8) The Raya itself! Well, after fasting for a month.. Feasting on hari Raya or Eidul Fitri with many yummy dishes available is a MUST! Think the majority of Malaysian would gain back their shed kilos during the first 3 Syawal (aka the Raya month) which usually due to eating the food at home and near families while the last 27 days of the Syawal month visiting the rumah terbuka (open houses) of friends and corporate sectors. Usually we will have free lunches during the whole month!

Hahahaha..

Actually, there are still many things to add such as making the Raya cookies.. Preparing the house for Raya.. Malam 7 likur when you would light the pelita.. But I wouldn't stop if I wrote all that :)

So.. Happy Ramadhan everyone!

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Oren Bodo.. Stupid Orange??? :)

Yesterday, I had an impromtu factory visit to one of the most famous and succesful kropok (fish crackers) supplier in Bachok, Kelantan - Mak Wan.

I was very excited when spotted around the keropok, these priceless treasures - oren bodo. I remembered that these carbonated drinks were the treats I look forward to when I went back to my cousins' kampung in Kuala Krai.. I think the last time I took a sip was when I was around 11 or twelve.. Which is about 25 years ago.. Yikess!!!

But I am very glad I found these and had several glasses of them to sooth my parched throats. Yes, the bottles are a bit different (previously it was dark) but the taste still remain. Yummmmmmyyyyyyy!!!

Anyway, happy Ramadhan to all muslim friends out there. Hope we all are blessed during this holy month :)

More on others nostalgia on Oren Bodo: http://mohdnadri.com/2010/02/siapa-oren-bodo/


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