Friday Lunch at Rooibos Cafe, Ara Damansara

Friday is coming, yeay! Last Friday we are heading to Rooibos Cafe at Ara Damansara for lunch. I have been here for several times. The thing that I like the most about this cafe is its generous portion of  foods J  It is indeed a satisfying and fulfilling experience. 

-Fish and Chips-
It is huge, 3 strips of fish fillets, 2 scoops of mash potato and mountain of salads. The fish fillet is crispy the way I like it.

-Fettucine with prawn in cream sauce-

Oh, I love the texture of the sauce, it is not too cheesy or too thick. It is just nice for someone like me who is not a  fan of milky or cheesy dishes.

-Fried Prawn Spaghetti-

My friend ordered this. I ordered this in my last visit. Another friend plan to order this in our next visit. Thus, you guys should order this if you plan to come here. A Malaysian style spaghetti, tasteful.

-Kedondong Assam Boi-

My current favorite juice, not too sour

- 3 in 1 Rooibos White Coffee-

I bought this. If you are a coffee lover like me, you should give this a try. It has a rich taste and quite milky. I would prefer a bitter coffee instead. They sell this pack at 5.90 for 3 sachet. 

-Ole-ole from Rooibos Cafe-
Other than coffee, they also sell 'acar buah' and variety of fruits pickles. It is all nicely arranged on the cashier counter.

Where it is actually located? Ok, the picture above is not clear enough, here is the address:

A-G-17, No 8, Jalan PJU 1A/20A, Dataran Ara Damansara, 47301, Petaling Jaya, Selangor.

  

Sharing is Caring: How to add "You Might Also Like" widget

I am a new in the blogging arena. All this widgets and html thingy is totally new to me *sigh*. But, I have been blog hopping for quite some times and I know what I like and do not like to see in a blog. So, this "You Might Also Like" widget is one of my favorite. It appears under each post and shows the related entries from the archive. And luckily, it is easy to install J

How to add "You Might Also Like" widget:

Steps 1 - Login to your blogger account

Steps 2 - Go to LinkWithin website and key-in your blog details in the Get Widget column.

Steps 3 - After that, you will be directed to the steps-by-steps instruction page. All you have to do is follow the simple steps and 'voila', you are done!

The step-by-step instruction pages

Simple, isn't it? I have yet to figure out on how to install CommentLuv widget. Tried once but unsuccessful. Till then, bye! 

Jbrought to you by CM in Sharing is Caring

How to open a saving account (not a good experience)

Online banking makes everything easy. Say bye-bye to parking hassle, queuing up and ‘to no smile-talk to my hand’ counter clerk. I do all my banking needs online. Except for my ‘needs’ with ArHB Bank.

Ok, let’s do this straight to the point with no bushy-mushy sentences. The steps on how to open a saving account with ArHB Bank:

Let's the journey begin

Steps 1 – You make a minimum 3 rounds around the bank area to find a parking space, while wishing you can fold your car into a briefcase so that you can carry it around with you.

Steps 2 – After you find the appropriate parking space, you have to go back and forth to pay for the parking ticket and place it back on your windscreen.

Steps 3 – You put your best smiles and ask nicely to the receptionist guy (who looks like he owns the bank and knows every single thing) who you should consult to open a savings account. Here goes the conversation:

Mr R    : Ye cik, boleh saya tolong?

Me       : Err…ok. I nak buka bank account. Nak jumpa siapa ye?

Mr R    : Ooo..kejap ye.

(He goes to the counter and get me a form)

Mr R    : Cik ada bawa surat majikan tak?

Me       : (Blur) No, tak ada. I nak buka saving account untuk buat online transaction untuk bayar…bla..bla..
Mr R    : Boleh bagi IC (With a sarcastic-I know everything-smiles)

Me       : IC? (Blur face, but managed to find the IC in my purse and gave it to him)

Mr R    : Eh, ni tak boleh buka kat sini, kena buka account dekat mana2 cawangan yang dekat dengan alamat dalam IC. 

Me       : Hah? (eyes wide open) Kenapa? Bank you tak suka orang buka account kat sini ke?

Mr R    : Memang polisi macam ni, Bank Negara dah tetapkan…bla…bla..bla..

Me       : Betul ke? Kalau alamat I kat Sabah, kena balik Sabah dulu baru boleh buka akaun ke..
(Dalam hati: OMG, this is so ridiculous)

Mr R    : (Bla..bla...again)

Me       : Dah la, tak apa la.

(Went out the bank with ‘I feel irritated’ face and can’t wait to go home to do a simple googling to find the truth)

"I feel irritated face"

Am I the only one who does not know this? The last time I check (other bank, of course), we can even open a banking account via online and choose our preferred branch. Are this only applied to this bank, only?

But my personal opinion, for whatever reason that they have to come out with such policy, can they come out with a better solution or process, please. Come on, it is damn tedious to go back to your hometown just to open a bank account. Hometown is where you spent quality time with your family and not doing errands. With that I rest my case *hitting the judge hammer furiously*

Peace.





Job Interview Tips: First Impression

I believe most of you peeps have the experience of sitting in a job interview, have you? Well, I do. Why I am suddenly writing about job interview tips? Well, yesterday, I am on half day leave to renew my car insurance. Thus, I’m sending my leave application to my lady boss for approval.

Lady boss      : Kenapa you nak cuti ni?

Me                   : I nak renew my car insurance.

Lady boss      : (eyeing me) Hmmm…betul ni? Bukan nak pergi interview ke?

Me                   : Errkkk…huh? (confuse)

Lady boss      : Taklah, you pakai cantik-cantik macam nak pergi interview je..

Me                   : No…(Dalam hati: Eh, dia nak suruh aku berhenti kerja ke)

FYI, I do wear a new baju kurung yesterday. A plain light brown chiffon baju kurung with beads and sequins from Butik Dang Anum in SACC Mall, Shah Alam for RM50 only! (I bought two *grins*).

Ok2, my point is, I kind of agree with my boss. What to wear will be the first thing that pops out from my mind after I received a phone call from my potential employer. I may sound like Becky Bloomwood in Shopaholic series or Fazura in Gol & Gincu here..but, let me explain my point of view J

Tips #1: What to wear

The potential employer has selected your resume from the rest of the applicants. They know how impressive you are in a piece of paper. Now, it’s time to judge you in person. First impression is important. You, as interviewer, wouldn’t want to see your potential employee looking shabby, rite? (Err..unless, you are Chris Gardner in Pursuit of Happyness). So, dress appropriately depending on the position that you applied for.

Well for me, I would wear a light color working shirt & dark color pant with blazer. But, I always have this feeling, whether should I put on my blazer or not? How if I look like a CFO wannabe? But, over the time, I understand the concept of ‘you should wear the clothes and not the clothes wear you’. Be confident on yourself and you will be ok. Or else, opt for a baju kurung, a safe choice (but for guys, please don’t wear your baju melayu cekak musang, ok?).

This is perfect! I always wanted to wear a skirt to work, but no, don't worry Papa Ril, I won't do it. Maybe later, when Rara is older, we can play mix and match at home :-)

 Tips #2: Firm hand shakes

Take your potential employer hands and give them a steady hand shakes with a warm smiles and a simple hello. Do not talk unnecessarily or they can sense your nervousness. Watch out people! *evil grins*

Tips #3: Practice the “tell me about yourself” questions, at least twice

It is indeed a simple question. But this is always the first question the interviewer would ask. Remember my first point? First impression is important. Instead of traditional ways of introducing yourself, “Hi, I am Coffee Mama. I am the elder in my family..and..bla..bla..”, maybe you can start with “I applied for this job to explore my potential and develop my skills of..bla..bla…(be creative ppl, but be realistic too, or else you will sound plastic and hypocrite).

Tips #4: Ask questions

Please, please..be prepared to ask questions. It shows that you are interested with the job and not just a passerby. Maybe you can ask; (i) What is the job scope and expectation?, (ii) Career development? (iii) Who will I report to? And etc.  

So, whoever is attending an interview any time soon, good luck! If you want to hear the words “You’re hired”, be prepared for the interview and make a good first impression J   

*All images are courtesy of Mr Google

Gin & Jacqie Christmas Contest: The prizes

In my previous entry Gin & Jacqie Christmas Contest, The winning photo  , I have not written on the prizes that I won. It’s simply because, the prizes are too fabulous and it needs its own entry  J . Ok2, maybe I am a bit exaggerating here. But hey! It’s not every day I’m being showered with lots of bags worth RM400! Thank you to Gin & Jacqie J

So, let’s take a tour with me.

Megan Travel Clutch

This is my personal favorite. The size is just perfect for a short trip to the mall with my little Rara. It has several inner compartments which can nicely fits my wallet, hand phone, make-ups, plus a diaper and a wet tissue for Rara. It is minimal with styles J

Rebecca Tote

What I love the most about this bag are the colorful prints. Usually I will shy away from these types of prints, afraid that I won’t be using it. But since this is FREE, I won’t regret much..haha. I will definitely use it for a walk to the park or, our Saturday breakfast trip. If I will to choose, I would prefer the pink and black color combination J

Organize Jacq

Oh, I just love this. This is indeed a great companion for someone like me, who always lost her keys or lipstick in a bag. It has small, wide, big, narrow compartments, you name it. I usually use it with my Jodie Tote (also from Gin & Jacqie).

Anna Jewellery Holder

Do you carry around your jewellery or accessories with you while travelling? I don’t. I have yet to figure out what should I use this case for. Errmm…on a second thought, maybe I should keep my brooches in this.

Multi-purpose Cindy

This is not one of the prizes. I bought it myself. And I just need to share this collection of mine with you peeps! I love this Cindy, it is cheeky, girlish and cute! They are having promotion on this now, go grab one J. They slashed the price from RM69.90 to RM41.90.

You can find all the bags at Gin & Jacqie website. Have fun shopping!

*all images are from Gin & Jacqie.

Friday Lunch at Serai, Empire

I love to eat. I have an endless list of favorite foods and restaurants. My recent food crave is a pot of hot steaming steamboat with a lot of seafood and vegie. I even "steamboating" in my house using rice cooker! That is how crazy I am over steamboat nowadays. Oh, by the way this entry is not about steamboat anyway, sorry peeps (actually, I am reminding myself before I go on and on about steamboat..SsssSssshh).

Can I have this? I can do steamboat & grilling at the same time!
*Google image*

OK, here goes the story. My colleagues have been  bragging on a restaurant called Serai in Empire Shoppping Gallery ever since Christmas (they went there without me of course). Being me, I was so tempt by their yummylicious stories! So, off we go for our Friday lunch to Serai (don't ever think that I'm forcing them, ok? :-P)

Serai is located on LG37 of Empire Shopping Galery, Subang. The restaurant serves variety of dishes, from malay authentic dishes, to western cuisine, to middle east styles and to variety of cakes. And all looks nice on the menu, you can hardly decides what to eat! After spending a good 15 minutes on the menu, this is what we ordered:   

-Seafood Marinara Spaghetti-
This is superb, the tomato sauce is just nice, not to sour, huge prawns, huge clams, huge portion. I'm full :-)

Sang Har Yin Yong
Kueytiau & crispy beehon with prawn and vegie. It's OK, not bad, you can see the prawns are all over the plate waiting to be eaten (Err...my point is the dish has a lot of prawns)

-Aglio Olio Spageti-

Ok, I know it doesn't look anything like aglio olio *grin* But, but..we order it and it is yummy and satisfying!However, the one in Marmalade, Bangsar Village II is the best ever aglio olio I ever tasted. And this one in Serai is 2nd best :-)

-Pavlova Cake-
This is the highlight of the day. OMG! I love this cake, everything about the cake is mouth watering. I will definitely order this pavlova again. I'm not good at describing food, but this is a must try cake.Full stop.

Gin & Jacqie Christmas Contest, the winning photo

Yes, I won a contest J Happy, happy, happy (who won’t, rite?) I can’t recall the last time I win any contest. Oh, but I do remember the last time I win a lucky draw! It was during an annual dinner in one of the Company I worked for. I won a PlayStation Portable, PSP y’all (errr…but, I don’t really play those PSP thingy though)!

Representing to u the Golden PSP for the upcoming CNY celebration..hehe 
*google image*

Ok, back to the contest that I won. Gin & Jacqie has organised a Christmas contest in their Facebook Fan Page. I love Gin & Jacqie bags, a lot! It is a very practical bag for a mama like me, who always need to carry more than just a lipstick. I need room for Rara diaper, Rara bottle, Rara toiletries, Rara clothes and so on…

Me, being an avid collector of Gin & Jacqie bags, has decided to give it a try! It is a simple contest. All I need to do is take a photo of my bags and post it in the fan page, easy peasy. Despite the entire creative concept which I plan to do for the photo, I settled with this photo instead. I took out all my G&J collection and arrange it nicely on my bed J The next thing I know, I am the lucky No. 2!



The Winning Photo, Gin & Jacqie Bags mingling on the bed J





Fun time with Rara at Kidz Sports & Gym, One Utama

Happy Rara, swimming through the colorful balls

Rara is my daughter (yes, u will be reading a lot about her in this blog J). She loves playing with balls. We brought her to Kidz Sports & Gym, One Utama, a few times.  There, they have a balls pit with lot and lots of colorful balls! She truly enjoys her time there. Jumping in and out of the balls pit, cruising around the play field and chasing other kids (older kids included, huh)!

The entrance fee for kids below 2 is RM10 only and subsequently, the fee will be RM25 (err…I think so, don’t really paying attention, haha) There are lots more to play with for the older kids, hence the higher fees. You can even drop your kids here and go for a shopping spree in One Utama (but not sure whether they are reliable or not).

Stunt 1: Rara 'willying' with her ride..Vrrrooommm!

Stunt 2: Ok, got bored with riding the ride, get creative, trying pulling the ride into the ball pit

Stunt 3: Huh...Style no.1 not succeeded, trying very hard to lift it again. Come on ridey, join me in the ball pit (Rara says to herself). 1...2...3...!



Yeay! Mission accomplished. Safely landed into the ball pit.
Roger & Out...

My Blog Hopping Journey

I love blog hopping. I hop around the cyber world almost every day, without fail! I dreamt of having my very own blog, always. I make a few attempts, but ended up nowhere. Now, here I am trying again. Finger cross :-)

Little baby steps:

Babyibu – I can’t recall how I stumble upon her blog. This is among the very first blog that I read. Her writing is simple yet informative. She talks about her baby a lot and I was pregnant with my 1st baby and there goes our chemistry. Her blog is my 'magic' link to other blogs. 

Restless toddler: 

Red Mummy – I was introduced to this blog by one of my officemate. I must say this is one of my favorite blog back then (back then? am I still reading this blog? Go figure :-P). Red Mummy shops a lot and I love shopping. I always refer to her blog for shopping tips and her daughter was adorable.

I want it my way teenager:

*Google image

Izzy – This blog resemble my teenage year in blog hopping arena. Haha, sounds melodramatic :-P This particular blogger is actually a friend of mine. She introduced me to many other interesting blogs! Be it gossips, or mommyhood.  And my passion for blog hopping grows tremendously with her guidance :-P Thank you Izzy! Err…the actual truth is I switch to a new jobs (from “no weekends” job to 9-5 jobs!) and I have all the time in the world to pursue my passion

Mature adult:

*Google image

I am undecided on which blogs among the many blogs that I read should be put under this category. But, there is one blog that get me back down to earth, Doa Buat Alanna. It is indeed a very heart wrenching blog and among the few blogs where I drop my comment more than twice! (It is an achievement, usually I just read and never leave any comment, bad rite?). When I started reading her blog, she had just lost her daughter due to a rare illness. Her writing touched my heart and made me appreciate whatever I have in my life. Rest in peace Alanna Qish.

That is my blog hopping journey! Wish me luck to my next journey as a blogger :-)

*Google image