Back into the employment game

Sunday, September 30, 2012

As you read this, you could be very well informed that I was unemployed for almost 2 months. I left the last job without securing a new one; not that I take pride in that because seeing my hard earned savings depleting so quickly to pay up bills & other commitments is indeed one hell of an experience. Now I can truly relate to people I know who have took this path once. A lesson well learnt - to persevere & never quit before getting the next job. Umm...I could say that my scenario was an exceptional case.

The reason I'm dedicating a post about my career again because I'm so relieved that I finally found a job! After countless rounds of filling up application forms & interviews. Cumbersome it is, but the so-called never ending process makes one weary & panic if you're not called for the 2nd time. You start to question yourself: am I lacking something? Why are these people not hiring me? Did I say something wrong? These thoughts weigh you down miserably, making you feel useless inside out. There wasn't much self-esteem left in me back then.

Fortunately, my luck has taken a turn for the better. Tomorrow will be a new journey for me. I'll be working further from home & it'll be a totally new experience. Is it a good thing? I hope so. Since I'm in need of moolah, I'll just have to bear it for some time. Who knows if I'm gonna fit in better this time? By the way, WL is also starting at his new place too. Praying for a great start for the both of us. Do wish us all the best... =)


P.S. Just found out about my colleague who joined 2 weeks earlier than me in the previous company had also left. I dared not ask her reasons for leaving but I think kinda know why... *winks*

MM Cafe @ Happy Mansion, Section 17 PJ

Thursday, September 20, 2012

The only good thing about being unemployed (for a temporary period) is that I have lots of free time to do the things I enjoy most. And spending time with my old folk, in this instance. The experience gets better when you have extra moolah on hand. A filial grandchild at heart, I took Grandma for another eating out session because her eagerness never seem to wane.

I drove her to MM Cafe, a little restaurant situated or should I say hidden in the heart of Section 17, PJ at this apartment called Happy Mansion. I used to patron this cafe quite often when I was still working in Section 13 because the price is decent & the food is decent. It turned out that there are a couple of new addition to the menu which is definitely a nice change. I ordered newly added Spaghetti Arabiata & picked a healthier selection, Grilled Fish with Lemon Butter for Grandma.

The food usually arrives pretty slow especially during lunch hours. Strange enough, our food still arrived late even though it was almost 1.30pm as the lunch crowd slowly dispersed. My dish is actually spaghetti cooked with mixed seafood & tomato in pasta sauce. It tasted pretty good with the spaghetti cooked al dente. The amount of sauce topping the spaghetti was just nice to my preference, not soaking wet like a bowl of soup. At RM14.90, I couldn't complain at all because the dish was satisfying.


Luckily, Grandma liked her dish pretty much or else I would be in deep trouble as she would obviously express her dissatisfaction on our journey home. I didn't manage to snap a photo of her dish since she couldn't hold on to her hunger any longer & begun chowing away. Her dish is priced at RM15.90 which is another plus point!

I'll probably bring Grandma to MM Cafe again when she craves for outside food again. I mean, she yearns to eat out all the time so hopefully she doesn't mind eating decent, affordable food for the next round.

Address:
AG-1, Ground Floor
Block A, Happy Mansion
Jalan 17/13
46400 Petaling Jaya
Selangor.

Contact:
03-7931 8728
mmcafe88@gmail.com

Opening Hours:
Mondays to Sundays, 11:00am to 11:00pm

Gay guidelines

Sunday, September 16, 2012

After a short hiatus for my Krabi trip, I logged in to Facebook & learned news about two organisations distributing guidelines on tackling the issue of lesbian, gay, bisexual & transgender (LGBT) among students in a parenting seminar held recently in Penang. The guidelines caused an uproar & among netizens, not just local but abroad as well due to its unjust classification of LGBT.

Quoting the phrase from The Star's article, parents were given outlines on how to identify "symptoms" that their children might be suspiciously gay or lesbian. It was suggested that gays have a tendency to wear tight-fitting, sleeveless or V-neck shirts, even colourful attire to show off their muscular bodies. They also have a penchant for carrying man bags or large slingbags. For the girls, parents were warned to pay closer attention to their daughters who prefer hanging out with female friends because they may be suspiciously lesbian.

The Ministry of Education had denied endorsing the guidelines, emphasising the seminar was organised by "concerned" NGOs. Personally, I thought the guidelines were ridiculous & a big joke. Not to mention classifying LGBT with symptoms gives an impression that these NGOs view LGBT as a disease that needs to be corrected & treated. And to be cautious about daughters hanging more frequently among females? If I'm the mother, I would be more worried if my daughter is among the presence of male friends who may take advances on her. I'm utterly confused & the guidelines are just plain bollocks.

These NGOs are obviously not well informed or probably have not done their homework prior to the seminar. Or else they wouldn't have produced such subject of ridicule. What they have failed to understand is that each individual has different sexual orientation - male, female & sexual minorities or LGBT. By categorising LGBT as a group needs to be correct is downright sexual discrimination. To begin with, how can these NGOs educate the public when they themselves are backward thinking & couldn't accept everyone's social backgrounds? There are more problems to tackle as we speak, such as providing proper sex education in schools to curb teen pregnancies, STDs & etc.

Source: The Star Online

Step Up Revolution

Friday, September 07, 2012


Sequels, sequels! Haha. Another Step Up movie~ *squirms* A guilty pleasure that I never dared admit - I can't seem to get tired of the franchise. XD This is the first time me & WL actually paid for tickets to watch a Step Up movie in the cinema. We were out shopping for supplies for our upcoming Krabi & that activity didn't take much time to complete. Catching a random movie was the only way to make good use of the parking fees & the only viable choice is a movie dedicated to dance.

The plot is cliched just like its predecessors, but come to think of it, Step Up Revolution is even more outrageous. It's about Emily Anderson (Kathryn McCormick), daughter of a wealthy businessman who travels to Miami aspiring to be a professional contemporary dancer in a production. She meets Sean (Ryan Guzman) who is the leader of flash mob crew called the MOB (*rolls eyes*) & eventually falls in love with him.

The MOB initially strives to win a YouTube contest with the grand prize of a major sponsorship deal. However, the crew turn around their tables when Emily's father decides to buy over the neighbourhood & build a large hotel, eventually forcing the community to move out & lose their jobs. Their theme has evolved from just showing off their dancing prowess to defending their neighbourhood. Don't you think this idea is outrageous? Dancing alone can stop a project development?

You can easily guess what happens next so I shall elaborate no further. One thing that must be mentioned is how hot Ryan Guzman is. XD Superbly hot...

Ryan Guzman (first row, middle)

In person, Ryan can't dance to save his life but he possess the physique because he practises martial arts. He did his own dancing but some of the more intense moves are probably a dance double. Whereas Kathryn was in 3rd placing in So You Think You Can Dance. The rest of the casts are real dancers & I supposed this ain't surprising. Is this fourth franchise better than the previous franchises? Based on personal preference, I preferred Step Up 2 because of the dance moves. Though I'd have to point out that the flash mob choreography in the art gallery is awesome.

Pics courtesy of MoviePosterDB.com & MTV

The Teapot Cafe @ SS2, PJ

Tuesday, September 04, 2012

Grandma has been very eager to eat out for lunch because she hardly had the chance to do so ever since Grandpa suffered from a chronic condition. I decided to take her to The Teapot Cafe at SS2 since she wished for it many times.

I couldn't remember the last time we visited the quaint little cafe. The last we dined in there convinced us that it was not worth the next visit because the food was less tasty than before & not to mention the price getting steep. I thought to myself, perhaps the quality standard might have improved over the years.

I ordered a grilled chicken dish for Grandma while I opted for a pan-fried fish fillet topped with cream sauce. About 15 mins later, the waiter served my dish. Just take a look at the portion.


For the price of RM20+, this is the amount of fish fillet you get with some vege as side dish. The fish fillet appearance looked a little too brown for my liking. It blended well with the cream sauce, however, the fillet must have been pre-marinated with salt, hence rendering the final product too salty. I would've preferred the cream sauce provide natural seasoning flavour to the fillet & a slice of lemon is given to allow me squeezing in some juice for that extra zesty texture.

I couldn't comment much on Grandma's dish because I only took a bite on a small piece of chicken on her plate. Overall, it tasted ordinary. Again, the portion is too small & not worth the given price tag. I don't think I'll ever return for the next meal on my personal visit with friends or WL. Unless it's for Grandma's sake that she finds personal comfort in reminiscing good old times here.


Address:
169, Jalan SS2/24
47300 Petaling Jaya
Selangor.

Contact:
03-7875 3024

Opening Hours:
Mondays, 12:00pm to 6:30pm
Tuesdays to Saturdays, 12:00pm to 10:00pm

Open Day Demo 1: Modern Style Cuisine

Sunday, September 02, 2012

Another Groupon offer caught my attention & this time, it's a cooking demo plus bread & pastries workshop at this school called At 19 Culinary Studio. For a RM50 coupon, I was entitled a workshop & a complimentary cash voucher worth RM50, not forgetting a free one-year membership with the cooking school. I signed up for this workshop which features a chef conducting demonstration on modern day cuisine.

When I arrived at the school, I was impressed that they have a nice kitchen where cooking/baking classes take place. Prior to the cooking demo, we were given a short education on bread & pastries. It turns out that handling bread & pastries is so easy that even frozen types can taste as good as you find from bakeries. It was good to know the secrets behind bakeries & how they create such soft & sumptuous treats.

Soon after that, the chef in charge appeared & introduced himself as Chef Khai. He had worked in several international hotels overseas & even undertaken the role of executive chef during his career. Now he has taken a more subtle role by conducting cooking classes & teaching in a college majoring in culinary arts. Since this was only a workshop & not a hands-on class, it was mainly notes taking & observing Chef Khai cooking the dishes for taste testing. The actual classes will cost more as ingredients & equipment are provided.

Chef Khai showed us how to prepare Roasted Pumpkin Soup which is the appetizer today's showcase (unfortunately I didn't managed to snap a photo because I was too busy taking down notes). He was very generous to share tips & different methods in preparing the same dish. Bravo! What's a meal without a main course? Well, fret not as he quickly moved on to demonstrating to us the steps to preparing Chicken Roulade with Mushroom Sauce. Delicious smells filled the air & everyone got hungry fast as it was close to noon. Before everyone started digging into the chicken, I quickly snapped a shot of Chef Khai's creation.


I have signed up for Chef Khai's class, Cooking British which will be held in October. The recipes will feature Prawn Cocktail, Lamb Sheppard's Pie and Bread & Butter Pudding. Yums! Can't wait for next month to arrive... =D

For more info, log on to www.at19culinary.com.
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