IKEA - ups
Ikea finally comes to Johor Bahru!! I took leave and brought mummy dearest to the opening day. No, we did not queue for hours to get the goodie bag filled with freebies. We saw the queue and walked over to AEON Tebrau for brunch and when we went back, the queue was gone! But we still needed to queue to get into the store, which was bearable.
We got this free limited edition bag at the entrance.
Cashiers.
This is something I see for the first time in IKEA. An auto cash payment machine where you insert notes and coins and get changed the same way.
PARADIGM MALL - ups
The latest and largest mall in Johor Bahru. I will not elaborate but I do want to recommend the non-halal section at Village Grocer. The husband's uni-mate is the owner of a chain store offering premium good high quality pork and he opened a branch here. You can also dine in and enjoy their selection of Iberico pork chops, gourmet sausage set, salads, pizzas and pastas. Of course not forgetting, bacon and ham!
Their menu.
Not sure if it's new air-conditioning, but it was so cold in the mall! I was shivering after walking around for an hour. I don't do well in cold environment, so I didn't really explore the mall fully. But I know there are a few of the common shops there, like Padini, Popular, Daiso, Komonoya, Cotton On, H&M and Uniqlo. And the first Home Pro and Typo in JB! Now, Darren will remind me to wear a jacket when we go to Paradigm Mall.
DOMESTIC TRAINING -ups and downs
My helper's annual (2017) trip back to the Philippines was a little dramatic. I had booked her usual flight but due to her sister's critical condition back home, she requested to go back earlier. So the initial 15th Dec departure was brought forward to 25th Nov. I kept the duration same, which means her flight back to Malaysia was brought forward too. Then on the day before her scheduled flight back here, she sends a FB message to say that she can't come back to due to the heavy rainfall that made the road difficult to pass, and that her sister was begging her to stay for one last Christmas together. Sad. So, OK fine. Since I couldn't amend her flight anymore because it was less than 48 hours, I booked a new one-way ticket. 30th Dec I said. She asked for 'first week of January 2018'. No, 30th Dec I said. She asked for January again. NO I said. In the end, she agreed.
This is always the debatable topic of domestic helpers. They sacrifice their years to serve their employer's family while leaving their own back home, sending back their salary month after month. Because she has been serving us for years, I give her what she needs. But at times, I must say that they are sometimes stretching their demands. So far, I'm OK with granting her the annual trip home, usually 2.5 weeks with paid leave, flight and a month bonus. By contract, it is supposed to be one trip per 2 year contract. And the one that peeves me sometimes is her endless request for advance salary. I try to control that now because she still has no savings!
So this time when she was away, I trained the boys to settle the men's laundry. I'd settle my own laundry during the weekend and do the ironings. Daniel's daily task was to collect the dirty laundry from all the baskets and wash it in the washing machine, with the appropriate amount of detergent powder and the wash mode. His other task is cooking rice in the evening. Darren's daily task was collecting the dried clothes, folding them, and putting them back in the respective wardrobe. He has learnt to differentiate between his papa and his gong-gong's underwear, and between papa and gor-gor's T-shirt.. hahaha. Proud of them.
I must say, this daily task they did made a significant difference to me and I really appreciate it.
NERF BATTLE - ups
Brought the boys to some good 'ol Nerf battle fun with their uncle ( my cousin ) at the ATV Park, UTM.
Their 'Uncle Ivan' prepping his weapon. He modifies his Nerf guns! Wow, hardcore.
The battleground.
The organizer brings a big box of bullets.
Getting ready!
Briefing by the organizer, affectionately called Uncle Bob (the guy on the extreme right).
The whole session lasted about 4 hours with breaks in between.
If you're interested, join the Facebook page Braveheart (JBNC) War Games where Uncle Bob will post details of latest events. The game are held in different locations depending on availability I guess. This time it was at ATV Park, UTM. The previous one was at Hutan Bandar I heard. So, keep a lookout on their FB page.
FEVER - downs
Right after the game, Darren came down with a fever. Then it was my turn. Then Daniel. THEN the husband. One after the other, just days apart. Unlike other fevers I've experienced, this one was weird! First, it hits you and you're groggy the ENTIRE day, so you practically sleep the whole day. Then you get the tired the next day. For me, what followed was a week-long melancholic feeling, like depression. I just felt meh/blah/sad and I didn't care about making myself happy. So Christmas and New Year went by like there was no hope and renewal. Sigh.
Thankfully, my state of hopelessness improved when I started doing the things I enjoy. Darren convinced me to go to IKEA to buy the popular POANG children's armchair. And I also started another batch of Five Stones project from fabric scraps.
This guy is determined to get what he wants.
Just completed! So this was my craft project that transitioned me into a happier 2018.
DANIEL STARTS SECONDARY SCHOOL EDUCATION - ups
Another milestone! My firstborn. His feet is bigger than mine now.
MUMMY DEAREST'S HOME MAKEOVER - ups
Just a revamp. New curtains, replaced her bedroom old carpet to laminate flooring, new aircon and fans, and awaiting IKEA storage racks to be back in stock. Also, I cleared a lot of her hoarded stuff!
Before..
After!
Old curtains out..
New curtains in! Daniel was a great help.
Signing off...
