Teachers – Gems in My Schooling Years

Teachers played an important role in my schooling years.

In fact, I would say they came in third (after my parents and friends) as the most influential figures in my life.

Academic-wise, they were my guardian angels.

Madam Dolly was my class teacher cum tuition teacher in my primary schooling. A sincere and soft-spoken lady with a heart of gold, she treated me like her own daughter. I remembered there was once when I was sick and absent for class, Madam Dolly called my house to ask about my condition. I was moved by her kind concern. I was taught by her for several years and because we lived in the same neighbourhood, we bumped into each other occasionally way after I completed UPSR (national exam for primary education).

Mr. Kung from Martin tuition centre in Pudu was my favourite maths teacher. Not only he was gifted with a handsome face and manly physique, his teaching method was fantastic. He made maths as simple as 123 and if students follow his guidance faithfully coupled with one’s own effort, it was just impossible not to score in the exam paper.

Mr. Siva from the same center taught me History for four years. I loved his smart way of effectively encoding all the facts contained in a hundred-page sleep-inducing text book into an interesting compact mini bible that saved up hours of revision time.

Mr. Murugan from Kasturi tuition centre in the city was another great teacher whose lessons I truly enjoyed. It was because of him that I found the beauty of English and my subject improved tremendously onwards.  Of course, best sellers novelists gave me great inspiration too.

In varsity, all (maybe minus one or two) my lecturers and tutors were awesome. They taught us about the real thing in the real world or so it seemed :p.

I hope they are still teaching. A good teacher is a rare gem.

Of all teachers in the world, experience is the best one 🙂

Happy Belated Teacher’s Day!

Couple Footwear

Although couplewear isn’t a mainstream fashion in the local scene, most couples own a form or two of couplewear of their own. It could be matching Tees, watches, rings, necklaces, bracelets or even key chains.

For Luv and I, we’ve got ourselves the first pair of self-matched couple footwear! ^^

Actually, we’ve worn it for quite a number of occasions.

Lacoste shoes are comfortable to wear. However, the rubber material of this particular design has been giving us hassles when we walk on wet surface. As we stroll, it flaps the water upwards to the back of our legs (Eww).

Nonetheless, we’ll still wear it hehe.

Chow Down: There is Free Lunch in this World!

Yes, you heard me right. Free meal does exist ^^. Fortune Land Vegetarian Restaurant in Sri Petaling offers gratis a la carte and drinks to diners. Meanwhile, a plate of vegetarian mixed rice of 3 dishes costs only RM2.

I reckon the restaurant owner is doing this in the name of charity and compassion.  

Mum had rice and I ordered kway teow in clear soup. It was a healthy lunch. The noodles were fresh and tasted homemade.

Here, for the first time, we tried pumpkin barley. Not bad!

Those who have a strong palate might find the food tasteless but then, those who look for variety and chef recommendation are unlikely to patron such humble restaurant.       

We had our Sunday lunch in peace with soft Buddhist mantras aired in the background.   

These mantras are recorded in CDs which diners could bring home to share with family and friends of the same religion. Besides, books on Buddhism are also available.

Be cautious of whom you share the religious contents with. In this country, one is not allowed to propagate religion other than Islam to a Islam devotee or else one will face legal actions (it’s complicated).    

Well, back to the vegetarian review, although the restaurant operator charges only RM2, diners may pay more on goodwill and insert the money into a donation box provided.

It’s good to go meat-free occasionally if we can’t do it regularly. After all, vegetables are good for our body, mind and soul (it is said that people who eat more vegetables and less meat are calmer and even-tempered).   

Location: Jalan Radin Anum 1, Bandar Baru Sri Petaling, 57000 Kuala Lumpur.
Nearby landmarks: Same row as Ho Ho Steamboat Restaurant, Fusion Haven, Nalanda Book Cafe, opposite VBuy.

Beauty: Facial Treatment@My Beauty Cottage

As far as my research on organic facials has yields, the number of beauty centres offering such treatments are relatively low in the city. My Beauty Cottage is one of the few renowned salons in KL that uses organic products in its treatment. Down with limited choices, I decided to give it a try at its pioneer outlet in SohoKL, Solaris Mont’ Kiara.

Eminence, an organic skin care made in Hungary has a wide range of fruit-based products targeting at different skin conditions of both males and females. In fact, it’s well known and popular among celebrities such as Paula Abdul, Megan Fox, Maggie Q, Katherine Heigl, Peter Facinelli, Lance Armstrong and more.

When I stepped into the store, I was greeted by the strong fruity smell in the air. As its name suggests, the interior of the store assimilates a classic European cottage home with an evident flower theme that reflects not only on the expensive furniture but also some accessories in the W.C. and treatment room.

The reception area.

The reception/waiting area was lavishly decorated with expensive furniture, floor timber, modern lighting and cute teddy bears which I was inwardly urged to purchase *hehe*.     

The beautician was extremely polite as she extended her greetings in her best professional manner.  For a start, I was introduced the Citrus-C Refreshing Treatment that claims to restore hydration level, tone, balance, heals and prevent blemishes, tighten and firm skin. After changing into a rose-printed robe before the treatment, I was given a warm footbath for relaxation. It did me good since I was pretty worried of the beautician’s skills especially the extraction part!

As per standard procedure, the treatment started off with cleansing, exfoliating, extraction, eyebrow trimming, massaging and mask.

While I love the fruity smell of the products, I find the exfoliator too rough for my skin and the extraction was damn painful! Perhaps it is just me who couldn’t bear that kind of sharp painful feeling of being squeezed and pricked. Other than that, everything else was excellent. I also like their facial massage as the technique is milder and more gentle. 🙂

At My Beauty Cottage, beauticians don’t use steamer before extraction. It’s not a bad idea though because othwerwise the heat of the steamer might stimulate highly sensitive skin like mine.

The treatment took about 2 hours. I came out from the room with an ugly face full of “post-torture” marks and spots. Back to the reception area, the marketing talk began. I listened to the beautician while enjoying a cup of warm tea and chewing grapes (at other saloons, clients are given only sweets. Price difference hmmm..) as she explained about my skin condition before subtly introducing the packages they have.

Their facial service ranges from RM288 to RM388 per session. Definitely higher than other centres in the current market but if you’re looking for highly pampering treatment and services especially organic products, it’s one that’s worth signing up for. While the products have been receiving numerous compliments and recommendations, no one product is perfect for all. So, do go for its trial before investing in this high end beauty service.  

 Anyway, living on moderation, I guess I won’t spend RM2,000 for a total of less than 10 treatments.  As the saying goes, Beauty always promises, but never gives anything.  ~Simone Weil

Chow Down: Little Korea@Sunway Mentari

Malaysia is a haven of food and its people are constantly spoilt by the vast selections of all the yummy food around us, day and night. Always preferring low-key dinners on ordinary days, Luv and I seldom step into expensive eateries.

However, on one lovey-dovey Saturday after 3 rounds of pool game, it was time for dinner and we found Little Korea in Sunway Mentari. Craving for something different that evening, we gave it a try.

Korean meal is never complete without its iconic dish of Kimchi, the traditional dish made of fermented cabbage with seasonings. Ironically, both of us aren’t fans of that. Fortunately, it was served in a small plate as one of the many side dishes. Yeah, one good thing about Korean cuisine is that diners are presented with a variety of complimentary side dishes. They come in small plates and each could be refilled once!

Besides kimchi, our side dishes consisted of fish cake, brinjal, cockles, pancakes (nice!) and vegetables. For the main course, we had rice with soup, seafood noodles and stir-fried rice cake.

So much for two!

Two thumbs up from Luv.

Seafood noodles

Stir-fried rice cake

Towards the end of the meal, we were surfeited. No enough green tea could catalyse the digestion.

Slouched in our chair, we were further surprised by the waitress who came to our table and put down two bowls of dessert and a small plate of watermelon slice.

“This is like a fine dine. We’re continuously served with dishes that we don’t order,” uttered Luv.

At one point we hesitated on those gratis servings until the bill came to RM62. For so much food, it was truly reasonable.

The cozy ambience of Little Korea, Sunway Mentari.

Personal ratings:
Food – 7.5/10
Price – 7.5/10
Service – 8/10
Ambience – 6.5/10

Location: No. 28, Jalan PJS 8/18, Dataran Menteri Sunway, 46150 Petaling Jaya Selangor Tel : +603 – 5630 0848.