Things getting better

Alhamdulillah, I feel good today.

My helper is getting better. She has started to sweep and mop the floor and everything else. Alhamdulillah...  She even wanted to start cooking but I said it's OK. I'm getting the hang of waking up early to cook and actually feel satisfied that I get to cook for my kids.

Lutfi is looking forward to school. No need to go to the convenience store beforehand. Alhamdulillah. He even asked me why I took a different route on the way to school worrying we would be late. He said the teacher would say 'Mana Lutfi ni?'....... I just wanted to go to the gas station to refill fuel so I convinced him that we were ahead of time.

Work, nothing pressing so no stress.

Weight. I've started to go the gym again although just for 1/2 an hour. I'm planning to help my colleagues to lose weight as well.

Maybe I should start planning for the spa treatment, mani & pedi and holidays! :-)

Milk Moustache Cafe

I've been eyeing this cafe since I knew the place when I sent my kids to Smart IQ in Kajang Putra. It serves korean dishes which I've been wanting to taste to know how different the dishes are compared to Japanese. I didn't have the guts to step in though as I wasn't sure whether the prices were on the steep side  similar to Japanese restaurant.

Then one day I wanted to treat my youngest brother after his exams. I was thinking 'what's different, seems special and nearby?' and the Milk Moustache Cafe (MMC) came to mind. Yah! Why not!

It was about less than 10 min drive from my house (the road was clear). The dining area is actually upstairs, downstairs is the kitchen. We were the only there; my brother, Kasyif, Lutfi and myself.

Menu
Looking at the menu, I can say it was totally a new experience for me. Definitely different from Japanese food. Given the menu, we didn't have a clue what to order. I knew I wanted to know how kimchi tastes like.

By the picture, the food seems to have lots of red in colour, look spicy and the names are... only known to Korea fans. Luckily there were pictures to guide us what the dishes were. Because we were not familiar with Korean food, we just ordered what we used to: fried rice and noodles while the kids ordered spaghetti carbonara. Yes, they do serve western menu but the choice is limited. The menu maybe a little under in terms of variety compared to menu of a malay food restaurant. Though I was totally new to anything related to Korea, so the menu that day seemed interesting and exciting.

Interior
Lots of cartoons and drawing on the wall, the colour is also vibrant. There is a kid's corner which has racks of toys but the space is rather limited. It has this cosy and relaxed ambience. We were the only ones there, so my kids were immensed playing with the toys.

TV shows to kill the time waiting for your food. Of course its Korean.

 It was Running Man when we were there.

My brother checking out the world map.

 

I find this cute.

The kids corner

If this cafe is inspired from their travel and love for Korea (or K-Pop), I really respect that. There are many pictures displayed which you can tell the travel maybe the most memorable one and they are K-Pop die hard fans.
 
Price
Looks OK to me if you feel like getting something other than the usual meal you have everyday.
Price per dish starts at RM7.90. I think mine was about RM9.90. Can't remember the drinks but they have  Oreo Cookies Milkshake at RM13.90.

Food
Food is acceptable, bearing in mind I've never tasted any Korean food before. I liked what I ordered because I like instant noodles and it tasted GOOD. I'm not sure whether the real stuff uses instant or fresh noodles. Will come back again to try the 'pancake'.

Mandu Raymun Kimchi Soup RM9.90 (could Raymun means Ramen in Japanese?)

Pasta carbonara with a touch of black sesame seeds

After 3-4 visits, I might not visit the place for a long time as there may be no more in the menu that I want to try. I might come back purely for seeking advice on traveling to Korea and repeat my previous order.

Overall, Yah! why not!

Getting anxious?

I have been doing the house chores for nearly 4 weeks now. I was not smiling this morning. Has reality started to kick in? Am I wearing off? I was complaining as things didn't go as I expected.
 
The challenge
Thanks to public and school holidays and me taking annual leave, last 3 weeks were not that bad. I seemed able to cope with the chaos.


 
For tomorrow however, I have to attend a training (change in my normal schedule) which means I have to leave early. I have to leave the house about 7.30am in order to send Lutfi to school and reach the place on time. It doesn't sound possible with current routine unless I skip either sweeping or cooking.

Alternative
In order to leave the house early, I can either get up really early (earlier than 4.40am) or skip one of the activities.

Skip cooking
I want to skip cooking because I didn't get to sweep the house this morning.

1. I remembered the 'mangkuk tingkat' service which may enable me to skip cooking. I called a service near my house. They only accept orders for weekly (5 days) or monthly (30 days) whereas I only want for 1 day.
2. I could call Pizza Hut or Domino's in advance?

Or I can skip sweeping and start cook at 4.30am. I should cook very simple meals. Maybe chicken kurma and fried fish. And wraps for  breakfast (use leftovers from today).

My point
I was not very positive this morning. Grumbling, blaming, feeling as if I'm doing things all alone. I need to change those feelings and think positively. I'm reasoning as this is the 4th week thus I might be wearing off. I need to be able to realize that sometimes all the negativity is because I'm myself tired from the house routine, not because of what others do or don't do.


I need to learn to focus on getting things done, not complaining on what should have been done or who should do it. And remember, everyone is playing their part. Everyone is chipping in.

Coping as working mum

Since my helper fell sick 2 weeks ago, we've been doing the house chores by ourselves. Everyone was giving a helping hand although most of the time we forgot we need to do things ourselves.

House chores
I've been getting up at 4.30am to sweep, mop and cook for lunch. Surprisingly, I don't find this a burden and sometimes I'm enjoying it. I feel satisfied seeing my house cleaned and get to cook for my kids. I get a bit pressured though when I haven't shower as the clock shows 7.30am.
 
Sometimes I get home around 7.00pm tired yet there are still things I need to do such as dry the plates, sorting folded clothes. I could get a bit tense looking at my messy house but I told myself to just let it go. Do not force myself, I can get it done tomorrow. There's no point getting angry unnecessarily. I will spoil the mood of my kids and husband.

The kids
Irdina helps to dry the laundry, Jasmin helps to sweep her bedroom and irons her own school uniform. Abang, well... he still think bibik is around so sometimes he can be demanding. Sometimes he helps too by putting his towel to the rack and dirty clothes to the right place.
 
Things to ponder
I found that I've changed my thinking process thus make me a more positive person in facing current situation. I'm comparing myself to how I was when I wanted to get a maid 7 years ago.

1. Delegate chores. I can't do everything and expect others to do it for me. I need a helping hand (i.e cleaner) to do things like clean the bathroom, porch, crook and corners, ironing.
2. Take less time on planning. It's all in the action. Get things done!
3. Don't burden myself as I will grunt and feel dissatisfied thinking I'm doing it all alone. Just do what I can sincerely because all these count as my deeds towards my husband and family. Grunting will only make everything I've done goes to waste.
4. Reward myself after working hard looking after the house. I can go for manicure,pedicure, spa, facial and slimming treatment without guilt!
5. Don't expect too much from my husband and kids. It's a learning process and we need time to adapt. Make this a fun learning experience for everyone.

I used to feel dissatisfied thinking my husband is not helping out with the chores. Now I understand why by accepting him the way he is.

I deeply believe that Allah SWT is showing a glimpse of our life without our maid right now. This is our opportunity to correct and instill good habit and behaviour in our kids. May Allah SWT grant us the will and patience to achieve this.

I hope the enthusiasm lasts and does not wear off!

Challenging September

So many things happened in one shot in Sept....

1st, my maid's work permit has expired and I had to take EL on Friday 4th. Then suddenly on Saturday, her left leg hurt and couldn't do anything. I've been running around between chores and work and I'm hanging on till today.

Life was lightened up when my brother and parents came on 14th. My brother attended his degree convocation at PWTC and stayed overnight until 16th morning. I feel satisfied for being able to cook for them, although it was just rice porridge.

Then I received sad news from Batu Pahat that my beloved auntie passed away on 16th. We were at Mitsui Outlet Park, Sepang. Suddenly I shed tears because I was thinking about my dad. He's 71 now. Will I be able to be beside him when his time comes? At that moment, everything seems meaningless....My life, my job, my goals.... All I want is spending time with my dad.

Is this a sign?

Just last 2 weeks, my bibik informed me her intention to go back to Indonesia for good next year.

And last Thursday, we just noticed her work permit has expired 20 days ago. We had to take EL to settle this matter the immigration called as 'overstay'. We read many versions of the procedures, some said it was straight forward, some said their maids had a one night stay at the lock up (scary!), some said we need to bring the maid as well to the immigration, some said we don't have to.

Since this is like a sudden, my husband went to the immigration with bibik while I had to stay home to make sure everything at home was in order.

Random cooking

What I've cooked this year. Most of them I did during Ramadan:

Making use of the muffin tin

Broccoli nuggets

Mini bread pudding

Roti John

Roti John on the plate

Stuffed Mushroom, before bake

Stuffed Mushroom, after bake.

Making use of Toblerone chocolates, souvenirs my husband bought in UK.

Melted white choc to cover chocolate pop cake

Pop cakes! Looks colorful!

However, it didn't last long. My cakes disintegrate!

Making use of tortilla wrap as 'cups'

With fresh seafood as fillings