Gambang Safari & Hyatt Kuantan Trip

Helooooooo, it's been really tough to blog now that I am a mother of two, it's really really challenging. I don't know how those blogger moms does it , this blog post took plenty of will power and loads of delay and hurdles. Alhamdulilah, I manage to steal some time now, they are all asleep. Here goes.....

Ok last school break , we visited Kuantan again ! Well with Kefli who only turned 6 months recently , i am a little nervous taking him to places. My sons suffers from motion sickness, naik kereta jea nangis , just a short trip to the shop pun nangis, apatah lagi 3 hours to Kuantan. Tapi i gagah kan jugak, tak kan nak dok rumah jea kan ?

So we booked Kuantan Hyatt for our 3D/2N rendevous. I was really looking forward to the sea.
It's been 2 years now since our last dive in Tioman. I miss the white sandy beaches and the crystal blue water of our dive destinations. Ada hati nak ke Redang, but with lil Kefli, we thought we'll wait till he's a bit older. Although Kuantan beach may not be crystal blue, but tak pe, beach jugak.

If staying in Hyatt with kids, I really think that Village 1 has got the best view and location. We will only go for these rooms facing the sea and on the ground floor. On this trip we were allocated room 1006 and 1007. It s really easy for the kids to run around and the pool is just next to the room. Saves you the time and troubles to get in and out of the lift to the pool. The view is just breath taking too !

Plenty of eateries around Teluk Cempedak , there s this ayam penyek stall just by the corner of Hyatt entrance which is pretty good. Otherwise, TC is populated by mainly fast food restaurants. Your usual Colonel Sanders, King of burgers and Mr Ronald is there too !

We made a trip to Gambang Safari the next day, my sister who took the Gambang resort package recently, had plenty of good reviews and recomended that we visit the Safari. And we did!

Gambang Safari is huge ! You can spend the whole day there, they have a Zoo concept and a Safari concept. The entrance fee is rm 28 per adult with Mycard and free for kids under 3 years old.

As you can see from this photo , just behind my husband is the Safari bus. There's a long queue tho and probably about 20 people can fit the bus at one time. Remember , if you are bringing along your aging parents , it's advisable to request for a wheel chair, it's a long way up to the Safari check point.

I couldn't snap any photos of the animals cause Kefli hated the bus ride and he was wailing all the way #stress jugak lah . I was so glad that the whole 30 mins journey was finally over. If your kid suffers motion sickness like Kefli, you are better off spending time at the Zoo.

Ok one one family #selfie. This is just after the bus ride.

Back to the hotel later that night, Kefli terus demam , oh dear , cuti -cuti pulak nak deman. Ini lah cabaran menjadi ibu bapa. That's why we must respect and take care of our parents, we sacrifice so much and do all we can for our kids. I only realised this when i became a parent. So that night , 2am his tempeture rose, we took him to a nearby clinic.

The next day was spent leisurely on the beach. Thank god, Kefli got better. We couldn't swim due to the strong tide, tapi hang out kat beach pun macam dah best. Do visit around June when the water is calmer and clearer.

We bought a paper kite and look, Mommy managed to keep it flying high up in the sky !

This is one of our favourite holiday destination. With a baby and a toddler, this is manageable for us. It's not so much a holiday for us , sebenarnya penat gak lah nak melayan kerenah depa so depa lah yang holiday sebenarnya. I always believe that time invested with the family and your children is time and money well invested. If you don't spend time with them now , don't expect them to do the same bila kita dah tua nanti.

We'll definitely return to Hyatt , Kuantan.

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Kaseh Dalam Iklan , ha ha so cute !

I did this with Kaseh when she was 8 months old. She's all grown up now. Melts my heart when i watch this. Kefli looks exactly like his sister . Sigh...they grow up so fast . Shot in 2010.

Selamat Hari Wanita 2014 #womensday

Feminis ialah mereka yang membentuk, memperjuangkan dan mempertahankan hak politik, ekonomi dan sosial seorang wanita. Lelaki pun boleh jadi feminis, kalau mereka percaya dan perjuangkan hak wanita. Kenapa ? Tak salah kan lelaki perjuangankan hak wanita, bukan kah kami ni isterimu, ibumu, kakakmu, adikmu, rakanmu, girlfriendmu, anakmu  dan banyak lagi peranan kami dalam hidupmu.
Kenapa tak boleh sama-sama bersuara pada mereka yang melakukan keganasan terhadap wanita, merendah-rendahkan wanita, buat joke sexist pada/tentang wanita - tak kelakar pun. We are laughing at you , not with you.

Sempena dengan International Women's Day 2014 ni ( sambutan sejak 1911),  perjuangan harus diteruskan. Jangan putus asa, jangan letih dan jangan harap agar orang lain yanh akan memperjuangkan hak kita.

I'd like to thank all the strong and women out there , who made it possible for woman like me to drive, get an education, work, vote, participate in nation building, speak up and walk freely on the street. Believe or not once, women aren't able to enjoy all these , and some other parts of the world , women still aren't able to do all that.

I specifically hope for Kaseh ( my elders) daughter to continuously to enjoy equal opportunities and fair treatment in whatever she does, despite being a woman. We, would try our very best to give her the best education, to aspire her to reach her highest potential, encourage and support her to achieve the highest leadership position in what ever field she wishes.

I hope during her time, more woman will lead and not limited to secretarial or administrative role only. I remembered during my time, some questioned my position of School Head, simple because i was a girl. Girls were meant to be secretaries or treasurer only. I am glad , teachers in my school was quite progressive at that time. But that was an isolated case. Still today , Head or President are as thought reserved for only men.

I hope Kaseh does not have to face all  that we have to face - sexist joke, sexual harassment, gender discrimination, gender stereotype and those other crap that we have to face. She will be respected and seen for her capabilities and not because of her looks. She can stand up tall and be proud of her achievements and not be afraid that boys might be intimidated with her intelligence and vocalness.

For my son Kefli, we will give the best upbringing that we can , so that he grows up to be a gentleman, who is strong and who respects women. He's not pressured to join his peers in putting women down and will think that men who shows violence are losers. There's no need to put down others just to feel powerful. Don't let Mama catch you , making remarks at women - nak kena cili ? He will help me with my house chores, he will clean the kitchen and wash the dishes, just like Mama and Kakak. There's no preference here, and don't let me hear you say - itu kerja perempuan Mama ( that's a woman's job). Nak kena cili ?  He will grow up strong a gentleman and responsible.

Gender equality begins at home. Happy International Women's Day!

Inspired after reading Lean In by Sheryl Sanberg : My story

How are you? I hope it’s not too late to wish you a happy new year ! May 2014 bring us more luck and happiness. Perhaps this is the year to make our wishes come true.  The last 4 months of my 2013, I was lucky enough to be on maternity leave.

During these period my attention and energy was diverted and concentrated on my family.

I spent quality time not only with my now 3 months old son (fully breast feeding – add on to the tired ‘O’ meter) but also my elders daughter who just turned 3 years old last Christmas. They both require different sort of attention and this often zaps out mommy’s energy.

With modern technology and ALWAYS ON society that we are, I did try to “curi-curi” check and reply my work emails and calls. I much prefer whatsapp cause a couple of times during my telephone conversations, Kefli would be wailing away in the background and a few times where Kaseh would be distracting me. I kept apologizing profusely to my caller and request to return their call when it’s more convenient. Unfortunately there’s never a more convenient time. 

Luckily, it’s not always crazy. Occasionally I do get lucky where both of them would sleep simultaneously, giving me some room to bathe, nap and catch up on some reading.  Even though I do have a helper to assist me with my kids, but most often mommy would be the preferred person they want to hang out with (I am glad). So, during my maternity, my maid was kind of left doing the other house chores like doing the laundry and cleaning up the house and I took care of my babies.  It was time well spent and invested on my children.

With the recent ushering of 2014, my maternity leave ended. I started work on the 2/1/2014, after almost 4 months of maternity leave (2 paid and 2 unpaid).  

I am blessed to be kicking off this New Year with a brand new career and a newborn baby boy. Come Chinese New Year, we will be moving to a new place (our current place is getting a bit cramp now).

Somehow a new workplace and a newborn doesn’t usually sound that exciting, new responsibilities at work combine with sleepless night and nursing? I’ am already tired thinking about it. How does mom divide time for both?

Well exhausting it may sound, but we mothers, will always have that extra energy and will power to make that extra effort and pull everything thru.

I don’t know how we do it, but we just do it.

For centuries, childcare and household responsibilities are a mother’s playing field. Some fathers do help out, but more on a voluntary basis, but the core custodian is still the mother. She’ll be the one anchoring, maneuvering, planning, and executing the household day-to-day operation. COO of the house.

However, in the past years, women have been entering the work force as women received better education opportunities and compensation. So, there’s nothing extraordinary about a mother who works now as compared to before, where there are less women in occupation.

Nothing extraordinary? We hell, I think it’s amazing that these women manage to juggle multiple roles and still keep their sanity intact. As Sheryl Sanberg wrote in her book Lean In –

“Give us a world where half our homes are run by men, and half our institutions are run by women. I'm pretty sure that would be a better world.”

― Sheryl Sandberg

In 2014, you might think that the above have materialize but the truth is the scenario have not much shifted since the days of our moms.

I admit, even thought my husband does a lot more than what my father used to do for my mom – like bathing, changing, feeding, playing with our kids and washing the dishes whenever he can, I still wish that he could help out more with grocery shopping, cooking and spearhead some household projects like beautifying the garden or remembering when the kids visit to the doctor should be.

If mothers can contribute their fair share into the household income, can fathers please take charge of the other half of the household chores? It’s only fair right? 

For any working mother, the support system surrounding her is extremely vital and it must come from fathers (who else?) and then family and then friends.

Who will be taking care of the children? Who will ensure dinner is served on the table? How about the daily house chores like cleaning up the house and ensuring the dirty clothes are washed? All these are issues that do not usually effects  working fathers.

My support system may differ from yours but, there’s nothing unusual about it, as I know some friends who shares similar system. And this system is very common in Malaysia (I’m not sure how it works in other countries, but yes I would love to hear from you – please email me).

In Malaysia, there are mainly 4 common supports systems for working mothers.

1.     Daycare centres

2.     Live in maid

3.     Grandparents

4.     Live in maid plus grandparents

I am once again blessed that both my parents are residing in KL. It’s becoming rather common these days for senior citizens to be living in the Klang Valley, simply because they have move to the city to stay with their children. In my case my parents both from Perak , moved to Kuala Lumpur to seek better employment opportunities during their younger years and now have permanently reside in Bandar Utama.  

My mother is 66 years old and my father is 71 years old. At such golden years, I don’t expect them to be running around taking care of my super energetic kids, I hired a maid and send them off to my parent house where, they act as supervisors and keep and eye on the maid and my kids.

My elder sister and my younger brother observe the same system too because their in laws are staying in Johor.  They both send their maids to our parent too.

It’s a mini daycare at my mother’s from Monday to Friday with 6 kids and 4 maids.

We ferry them early in the morning, drop them off at Bandar Utama and go to work and pick them up after work and usually return home after Isya’ prayers and dinner. We reach home almost close to 10 pm, just in time for bed and start the routine all over again at 7 am the next day.

Sounds tiring? Yes it is, but it’s the only system that gives me that piece of mind at work. Knowing that my children are in safe hands and grandma and grandpa

Are monitoring and nurturing them with good values, while we go out there to make ends meet.

I know of a friend whose parent’s houses ten kids and five maids - three are hers and the rest are her siblings.

My parent has been the backbone and pillar to my support system. They have given me the best education that they can provide (equal opportunities given to my brothers too), push me to excel and now take care of my kids so that my sister and i can Lean In.

Thanks Mak and Abah ! I don’t know if I can do the same for my children. But I know in order for my daughter to Lean In and rise in her career, I need to do the same for her. Not only I aspire for her to be in the workforce but to hold a leadership position in the field of her choice.

I also pray that when her time comes to juggle between a career and family, we can see a significant shift in roles and major support from policy makers, society, husbands and companies so that more women can strive at the work place.

Note :

I am blogging this after getting a chance to read Sheryl Sanberg – Lean In. My boss, Lina was the one who urged me to read it.  She is so inspired by Sheryl’s

experiences and thoughts on how working mothers can strike a balance – work and family and how women can get ahead in their career.  I picked up the book the next day at Borders Mutiara Damansara.

The views and opinions of the above are solely the views of the author.

Golden Palm Iconic Resort and Spa, Sepang - best ke ?

Wow , lamanya tak update blog, been a few months since i note down my travels. So what happened ? If you read my blog , you would have known that i got pregnant , but i did some travelling during those 9 months but i got lazy..... Well it's not really lazy but pregnancy really took a toll on me , fatigue, work stress and etc , hence the mia act.

Yes i gave birth recently - 8/9/2013! A baby boy @ 2.5 kg and we name him Kefli. One month earlier than expected date , hence he is so tiny.

Still in my 2 months maternity leave , i decided to take an extra month by clearing my annual leave and taking some unpaid leave .So in total i'll have 3 months leave , yahoooo. Still this is uncomparable to other countries like Uk and Australia which allows up to 6 months maternity leave. Malaysia is also one of the country with the least maternity leave in comparision to some of her Asian counterparts.It's my only opportunity, once work commence i don't think i'll be able to just take off like that .

Coming to Kefli's 2nd month , i decided to take a short vacation . Kefli can't travel far or take the plane - i don't want to stress him out too much . Plus if he gets cranky , i'll be effected too ! Port dickson Avillion would be our first choice but we've been there many many times. thus we wanted to explore new places.

I googled and thought Sepang Gold Coast would be the perfect choice . I booked a 3D/2N stay at the Golden Palm Iconic Resort via Agoda (soon to be Avani due to change of management) despites various negative reviews we went ahead anyway.

Prior to arrival , i requested for a room closest to all facilities . We were granted the first room and the closest to the lobby ( room 001) . Hubby was concerned that our room is far from the buffet restaurant Bila Bila and the pool . It turned out that the location of our room is actually the best for us , cause it's walking distance from the lobby , near the beach and kids club. We recceed the pool , not only it was small and crowded but the water is dirty and murky too . So we are better off filling our time by the beach.

Super crowded pool . In this case Avillion PD and Hyatt Kuantan tops our list .

Ok here's what i like about the hotel

1. Room was spacious and tastefully decorated. Build on sea, thus you get that cooling breeze. My daughter loves chilling by the balkony and watch fishes swim by.

2. Bed - we loved the bed ! Huge and comfortable , all 4 of us slept soundly thru out the 2 nights we were there ( of course i have to wake up every 2 hours to breast feed Kefli ) .

Barely 2 months old Kefli is enjoying the cosy and comfy bed.

3. Bikes - there's bicyles for everyone to use . Nice and enjoyable , also because the buggy service is rather poor . During peak period , you might have to "berebut" the bikes with other guests, unfortunately.

4. Beach - the private beach belongs to the resort is well maintained and filled with kids and adults activities such as beach soccer, batik painting, drawing, kite flying, swimming, bouncing castle and etc. I found these most exciting especially for family with young children like us.

Bouncing castle by the beach.

5. Kids club - the best so far for us compared to many other hotels we've been to. Spacious and located in the resort beautiful land scaped garden.

Plenty to do at kid's club.

What i don't like about the resort

1. Service - poor , extremely poor . May be it's because of the high occupancy and staffs can't manage the over whelming demand . It took them almost 6 hours to bring our extra blanket and our kettle ( the room's kettle was missing , so we asked for one to be send to us).

2. Distance - it's a long walk from all facilities especially if your room is located at the end of the palm. We were lucky that we get room 001. Tips - get room 001 - 008 to be near to the lobby and the beach . But if you want a better view and don't mind walking then get the rooms further down.

3. Buggy service - really slow , management should increase the amount of buggy. There's a waiting time of at least 15 mins. There are also times where there's no buggy at all. So you won't have a choice but to walk or take the bike ( not elderly friendly).

4. Food - the breakfast buffet is nothing to be shout about , for a resort such as these the quality of food is 1 star. The best buffet breakfast for us is from Golden Sands Penang . Even Avillion PD is better.

5. Lalat - flies Omg, this is such a turn off. During our breakfast buffet we were accompanied by ga zillions of lalat. We decided to skip breakfast on our second day . I cooked magee curry in the room instead. At least we know that our food isn't contaminated.

6. Parking - we got lucky and parked in the hotel compound. But many people complained that they had to walk very far to park.

Ok on average , it was a pleasant stay. We had a wonderful time. Bare in mind that this review is written from the point of view of a mommy and it's targeted towards family with young children.

I brought my 55 days old son and for those of you who are superstitious, this resort is absolutely all right , nothing spooky happened to us. Kefli did cry but that's because he is hungry and not because he sees .......muaha ha ha , just kidding.

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Baby Names - Any suggestions ?

Can preggers fast during ramadhan ?

Assalamualaikum and salam ramadhan, it s my 4th day fasting and things are going smoothly , alhamdulilah ! When i told some people that i am fasting and almost 7 months pregnant , they gave me the "you crazywomen" look . Then i feel oblige to justify that i have no intention to harm my baby , and it's absolutely all right for preggers to fast.

At first , i thought i couldn't do it , i didn't have the confidence . When i consulted my doctor , she assured me that it's ok to proceed with fasting if i think i can persevere and have the will power to do it . In fact research have shown that , fasting does not harm the baby , it s really up to mom if she think she's up for it.

I tried fasting when i was carrying Kaseh. I didn't want to push myself and gave myself the option to break fast , if i feel tired or hungry . Surprisingly , i did feel a lil tired but my tummy wasn't growling like it used to . Amazing and unbelievable , cause i swear on normal days , i would usually have to munch on something every 2 hours. I don't get it , but i guess due to it's spritual nature, the al mighty is watching over me and making the journey a lot easier . Tq.

Thus , with this pregnancy i don' t see any issues in completing my fast thru out the holy month. However , a few tips for preggers who decide to fast this Ramadhan :

1. Sahur is a must ! Eat some carbo like rice or bread with something hot like milk or coco.
2. During sahur , eat some dates, they are really really good for you , gives you energy thru out the day , it s amazing !
3. Eat your obimin at night ! This is because obimin can increase your appetite and make you hungry , thus better consume before bedtime and not during sahur.
4. Nap , don t feel guilthy , just nap if you need to , 45 mins is good . And i have found a cosy corner in my office where i can just doze off in the afternoon . Improves my mood and productivity too !

So preggers happy fasting and take good care of yourself ! Xoxo

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