Hire a Runner for Pasar Ramadhan? Never Again!

 *sigh*

I rarely rant and vent on this blog, but what I’m about to share really pissed me off. If you’ve been following my Instagram, you would have noticed my string of food postings during Ramadhan (license to eat kannnnn) and my excitement over the spread over at Param TTDI. My absolute favorites were pulut udang TTDI and tepung pelita Paya Jaras. And these goodies are not easy to get, mind you. I was constantly turned off by the longgggg queue for pulut udang, hence once I made it a point to queue up early (even before they started the bara api) and was number 4 in queue for approximately half hour in the hot sun. A makcik in front of me told me that she was late the day before and queued for over an hour and a half, only to find out that they had sold out. But the effort, was absolutely worth it. The pulut is plump and firm to the touch, and tak kedekut inti. Pulut pun lembut when you bite into it. It was really really good!

After that Instagram post, a friend told me that she wanted to try the same and shared how she hired a runner to go and get the pulut udang and tepung pelita... Imagine, a runner! I laughed at the absurdity of the idea, but loved her sense of creativity.

After mulling it over and thinking of how we are in the era or GoGets and Grabs, I warmed up to the idea of hiring a runner to get my share of pulut udang and tepung pelita for the day. Coincidentally, we were going to my in-laws for iftar so I wanted to let them try the glorious pulut udang. I contacted the same runner that my friend used and asked whether they could accommodate to my request, and they agreed.

I sent them my order and was very explicit that I wanted everything from Param TTDI. I ordered pulut udang TTDI, tepung pelita Paya Jaras, murtabak, nasi briyani and popiah basah. I was then inspired by one of their postings on IG - about how they could get the famous cheese burger at TTDI as well, hence I added that to my order too. Mind you, they never said that they couldn’t do it. And I in turn never doubted their capability. Yer lah, they delivered on my friend’s order, and even proudly proclaimed on IG that they are able to purchase from any specific bazaar ramadhan, siap hashtag #yesthelongqueueisreal.

At about 530pm, I got a call from the runner. He said that tepung pelita Paya Jaras tak bukak and boleh tak if dia beli tepung pelita Warisan instead. Masa tuh I was feeling quite skeptical already. I asked him a few times, kenape tutup? Because I was just there the day before and it was open as usual. In the end I grudgingly agreed. Then he asked me, ada nak beli apa apa from a different pasar ramadhan ke? I firmly answered no; “Saya nak semua dari Param TTDI.” By then I was already worried - kalau pukul 530pm baru nak sampai at the bazaar, dapat ke dia pulut udang tuh? According to experience, they typically sell out quite early.

7pm rolled in and there was no sign of my order. I called the same number that called me earlier, and got no answer. Nak sedap kan hati, I thought maybe he was driving. I then received a text saying that he's running late. Finally at 740pm (my in laws and my family had to berbuka minum air jer sebab all our food were ordered from them), the runner arrived. Imagine my frustration and anger when I opened the package to discover that I only received pulut udang, burger and popiah basah!

To make things worse, the pulut udang wasn’t even the one that was from TTDI. I tau lah, I queued up for it and know how it looks like and tastes like. I’m not just any jolly customer who wants to jump on the bandwagon and try it for the first time. The pulut udang TTDI is nicely packed and clipped at the ends with lidi, and wrapped in newspaper so that it doesn’t berpeluh. The one I received... not only was it kurus gila tak cukup inti, it was rentung! Ends were clipped with staplers and arrived in a red plastic bag. Potong jari I lah if that is the famous pulut udang TTDI . The tepung pelita yang kononnya dari Warisan tuh, langsung tak nampak batang hidung. The popiah basah was so-so (definitely not from pakcik kepiah in TTDI) and the burger was soggy.

A picture I took while I was in queue for pulut udang TTDI. I was fourth in queue then, and saw with my own eyes how many pieces they brought to site. Memang confirm kalau datang lambat, sure habis! 

See how plump the pulut is? Note that the ends are clipped with lidi.

I was so disappointed. Dah la Hubby and I dah canang nak jamu my in laws with food yang viral from Param TTDI, but in the end this was what we got. Memang bengang sangat but thinking that this is our test for Ramadhan, I calmed down. I texted them to say that I didn’t get my full order. They replied and said “Let me check with them”, but of course lah, no feedback afterwards. The next day and two days after I even texted them to ask how much was the total and how can I pay, but didn’t receive a reply. You can view my WhatsApp conversation below:

Eid came and went, and last week I received a text from a completely different number, and this one had the cheek to say, “Hi! XXX from lazybum here. Just checking, For your pasar Ramadan orders on 10/6 the other day u have not made payment right?” And then she listed my full order... including those that I did not receive!

Oh I went livid. I got so pissed off. Dah la your service sucks, with zero apologies whatsoever, you advertise of your ability to purchase something that is viral and deliver something completely different .... and now you have the cheek to charge me for something that I did not get???!!! What kind of communications do you run in your business? I absolutely lost it. And when I protested, he/she said, “I’m just collecting the bills on behalf of Puan XXX, u can bring it up with her.”

Wow. Just wow.

In the end he/she said that they’ve gotten to the bottom of the issue, and apparently my order was delivered to someone else in Subang. I finally got my bill (with zero offsets despite my sheer show of displeasure with their service... tapi takpe, I pun tak hadap nak discount bagai)... And I’ve made my payment hence I’m now free to speak my mind. You can view the WhatsApp conversation below:

Why am I so unhappy? I am unhappy on so many levels. The first one that irked me the most is the fact that they blatantly lied about the service that they can deliver. Kalau memang tak boleh nak dapat kan viral food that require long queues and all, then just say so. Jangan pulak pegi beli pulut udang tempat lain and try to pass it off as the correct order. Don’t advertise something that you can’t deliver.

Secondly, poor customer service. I clearly said that I didn’t get what I ordered. Zero follow up whatsoever after that. I asked for the bill, no replies. And then two weeks later you bill me for something that I didn’t get. And when I protest, you say you’re not aware. Yes I know, don’t shoot the messenger. But sometimes being a tad more sensitive on how you reply to messages can go miles in customer service.

And of course I saved the best for last. This one absolutely takes the cake. Why am I so unhappy? Well guess who’s photo they used to advertise their so called Param service for pulut udang TTDI? MINE! Hey, give credit where credit is due. Jangan main cilok gambar orang jer and then use it to advertise your service. Here’s a snapshot of their IG posting. Despite the photo being zoomed in, I know it’s the same photo that I posted on my own personal IG. Feel free to compare it at your own time and leisure.

OK, end of rant. Thanks for reading.

Tips to Conceive a Girl

Despite my clear disclaimer that baby AY is an accident baby, I received quite a few requests about sharing tips on how to conceive a baby girl. Well, I’m never one to disappoint and truthfully, I did do my due diligence before embarking on my baby-making journey. It’s just that Allah didn’t want to bless me with a baby during that period. Bukan our rezeki at that point of time...

Well, there are a few old wives’ tales that I usually joke to. My favorite would be the ‘curik senduk’ from a person who had only birthed girls. Despite joking about it quite extensively, I have never done this before.

The second would be the Chinese Fertility Calendar. Well... this one is much more believable than the senduk. Like seriously! I have had a 99% accuracy with the calendar. Out of the gazillion (okay I’m exaggerating) checks that I’ve done with my friends and family, only one was wrong and itu pun was a borderline case (baby was born premature). So here’s how you read it. The Chinese believe that your life starts in the womb so if you have celebrated your birthday this year, you plus one from your actual age. So for instance, since I celebrated my 35th birthday in Nov, I have to +1 year in the womb making me 36. Hence according to the 36 line, as baby AY was conceived in Dec, the Chinese Fertility Calendar predicts that she will be a girl. (But if say, AY was conceived in March - before my birthday, then I should be reading the 35 line (34 sebab belum birthday +1) which means it will be a boy.)

Moving to the scientific stuff aka the Shettles method. So the boy sperm (Y) apparently swims faster but survive for shorter periods of time than the girl sperm (X). Hence if you want a girl, do the deed before you ovulate. The idea is that the boy sperm will swim so fast and find no eggs to penetrate and then they die. While the girl sperm swims slowly and surely, and by the time it arrives tadaaaa you’ve ovulated and you get a girl. (Unfortunately with PCOS I couldn’t predict my ovulation so I couldn’t do this one.)

Other than that, there is the acidic versus alkaline diet. Apparently male sperms are less able to survive in acidic environments, so start consuming acidic food if you are hoping for a girl. Some schools of thought also believe that getting your man to eat more chicken will give you a girl, red meat will give you a boy. This was tough for us to follow as Hubby lovesssss a good steak. But I then banned all meats at home and started serving only chicken for dinner. Unfortunately I forgot to inform my husband of the intent, and he conveniently had his share of red meat during lunch at the office! *chuckles*

Oh there is also the bath time method. Many believe that boy sperm are heat-averse, hence having a soak in a hot tub prior to doing the deed may help to weaken the male sperm awaiting release. Excellent way to start the night too!

And lastly but most importantly, the spiritual tip. Kirim kan doa to anyone going to Mekah; mine is as simple as “Doakan that my third baby will be a healthy baby girl.” Itu jer. Tak payah panjang panjang. Permudahkan for the person you are asking help from. And the other thing I did between the doctor confirming the pregnancy to receiving the call to confirm that it is a girl, was to perform solat hajat everyday. Alhamdulillah, after a few rounds of solat hajat, ada a few times I dreamt of carrying a baby girl. And memang rasa tenang after those dreams.

Hope this helps, good luck!

Report Card Day

Last weekend both our boys had their dreaded report card day at school. Ian’s session was especially exciting for us, as it was his first ever Parent Teacher meet. Aiden on the other hand has had this numerous times, and truthfully I don’t get much from his class teachers in public school - which is quite frustrating really. For example if the class teacher teaches a particular subject then he or she can dive in on how Aiden can improve, but that’s about it. Very rarely the class teacher knows much about his performance in other subjects, other than from the grades listed in the result slip. I remember back when I was in Seri Puteri, the subject teachers were on standby (in the school hall) to clarify specific concerns. I wonder why they don’t do that anymore.

So anyway, as expected I didn’t get much from Aiden’s class teacher, other than the usual fact that he lacks focus in class and needs to improve on his Malay (what else is new). His results; Alhamdulillah string of A’s for English and Maths, two more marks to an A for Science, and a B for BM Pemahaman (wowwww). Unfortunately his BM Penulisan dragged him down significantly. Which was frustrating for me cos we had practiced the essay “Aku Sebuah Basikal” a couple of times but in the exam he went and embarked on a completely different essay question instead. *pulls hair in frustration*

Kiasu Mummy was first in line. Ian kept me company while Aiden was still at Friday prayers with his Daddy.

Thankfully I bumped into his Malay teacher, and as expected memang Aiden banyak main in class and due to his lack of focus, selalu tak sempat copy things from the whiteboard nor finish his homework. *stress* I guess I can’t really blame him - if he doesn’t understand the language, memang concentration pun akan ke laut lah. Masuk telinga kanan, keluar telinga kiri. *sigh* So, in a nutshell, more BM practice needed for Aiden! But anyhow, I’m still a proud Mummy. Due to the pregnancy I did not prep his as well as I usually did for his past exams, so I still believe his results are quite commendable given the situation.

Next up, Ian! We teased him mercilessly the day before his report card day, asking whether he behaved in class and whether his teacher was going to say good things about him or not. *chuckles* But I shouldn’t have worried at all, because his class teacher gave him an absolutely glowing report! Hubby and I were both quite shocked! Honestly, we know that Ian is quite the opposite of Aiden; he listens to instructions and is a bit more reserved when in the company of others. He even recognized alphabets before we enrolled him in school. But we certainly didn’t expect such great feedback! Ian’s teacher even expressed that she was impressed with his development and progress especially since he wasn't enrolled in any schools prior to this one. Even his motor skills and social skills are at par with those who have been in school since they were 3 or 4. I guess there really wasn’t much harm done by us deciding to refrain from sending him to school too early; my helper’s ‘homeschool’ was just as effective! *giggles*

Cheeky boy decided that he loves all subject, except for music!

Other than that, we received feedback that Ian loves writing, mixes well with others (walaupun dia lambat sikit warm up and he has a certain chosen clique that he plays with) but barely speaks Malay (sebijik macam Aiden). He participates and even volunteers in class (wowwww). His ustazah said that he shared in class about his solat experience whilst his swimming coach said that his confidence level in the water has improved significantly - now dah boleh blow bubbles from the surface but is still hesitant about putting his head underwater.

Super proud of you my boy!

English memang takde masalah lah, especially writing. Interestingly, he loves numbers too! Just like Aiden. (Confirm anak-anak engineer!)

Full marks for "cooperates with teachers"! Well, this one I've never seen with Aiden, ever!

My only request to his class teacher was for her to coax Ian into trying out the food at school. Yer lah, sampai bila nak makan Oreo, ChocoTeddy or KokoKrunch for breakfast kan! Even she agreed that Ian is such a picky eater! But she shared that once, Ian out of nowhere agreed to try porridge and the teacher got so excited about it! *chuckles* If I were in her shoes, I would have been excited too!!! For the record, Ian still doesn’t eat rice or noodles. He lives on biscuit/cookies, bread, cereal, milk, macaroni cheese and his absolute favorite - roti canai. *smacks head in dismay*

That wraps up the boys’ mid year performance. On the same note, I’m scheduled for my own mid year performance review with my boss next week. Wish me luck!

Eid 2018

Selamat Hari Raya peeps!

Overdue as usual, tapi raya kan sebulan. *chuckles* Hope you guys had a great Eid with family and friends.

Our days leading up to Eid were relatively uneventful. Despite being maidless (helper balik raya for her yearly holiday), I managed to take two days off before Eid for a facial plus manicure/pedicure. Dragged the kids with me and had to give them gadgets to keep them occupied. The fact that I managed to sleep throughout my mask was a sure sign that they behaved really really well! Iftar and sahur were purchased from various pasar ramadhans. Aiden pun dah big enough to help me with house chores - dah boleh harap to basuh pinggan, jemur kain, lipat baju (pants only!) and siram pokok.

Alhamdulillah, I also managed to tunaikan our nazar to donate a sum of money to anak-anak yatim. With the help of a neighbour, we bought Happy Meals and gave duit raya to the kids, while the balance went to the upkeep of the children’s home. Even though I wasn’t there physically, I certainly hope apa yang kami niatkan made their day.

Menunaikan nazar.

I was so so so very tempted to buy baju raya - rambang mata with the various designs and discounts too. But the fact that I don’t know how much I will slim down post pregnancy (I certainly hope I’ll go back to my original size *cries*), terus tak jadi nak beli walaupun jari gian jer nak click the Add to Cart button. Instead, I went crazy over the FashionValet sale with Duck scarves (cos you know, my head won’t grow bigger)! Handbags were also calling out to me but I’m eyeing something quite special but pricey - so I decided to sell some of my handbags on consignment to ease my finances for the next handbag. Other than that, my brother’s kontena finally arrived so that eased my shopping temptations oh so slightly. What did I get? A diaper bag, baby swing and Trunki for baby AY, solar lights for Hubby and of course - the latest addition (and hopefully final) to my kitchen countertop... my KitchenAid diamond blender! 

My handbags on consignment - they placed it on the floor jer! *amused*

Check out those Fashionvalet shopping bags!

After all the analysis on diaper bags, my Jujube BFF is finally here.

Current situation on my kitchen countertop.

Did I mention my craving for lemang periuk kera??? Just a few days before Eid, I saw some photos of it on Instagram and started salivating for some. The last (and only) time I tried it was in Cherating Kuantan, and upon memory the lemang was super lembut and lemak bersantan - it was even good to be eaten on its own! Posted my kempunan and so so many people stepped forward to suggest locations to purchase, and even some offered their Raya lemang orders to me. Awwww I was so very touched. In the end, I went with one of the suggested Instagram pages who was willing to still take my last minute order, and tadaaaa... kempunan resolved! Honestly this is the first time in this pregnancy that I’ve felt a craving for something. Usually anything goes for me, as long as it's Melayu food (no steaks, Western salads or even barbecued food for me)!

Thanks to Husna for accommodating my last minute request. Two thumbs up for her lemang periuk kera and daging dendeng.

Talking about the pregnancy, Alhamdulillah baby AY is growing well and according to her week age. Despite puasa penuh, I was honestly struggling between fasting and the pregnancy, and even at the tail end of Ramadhan I started losing my appetite and felt as if I didn’t eat as much as I usually did. Hence I gained less than 1kg from the last month’s checkup! (I typically gain ~3kg per month.) But even thought I didn’t gain much weight, my tummy has ballooned so much - I only discovered the sheer size of it when I was trying to shave. Thankfully I am still able to see my toes! *giggles* Baby AY is approximately 770gm now, and her latest scan showed a very prominent nose! Hidung macam Abang Aiden agaknya... can’t wait for her to arrive in our arms!

Check out that nose!

I digress. Back to Raya stories! We headed for Teluk Intan the day before Eid. All of my sister-in-laws beraya in Teluk Intan this year, so it was wonderful to get everyone under the same roof. Unfortunately, I wasn’t much help in the kitchen - blame it on the pregnancy. *sigh* We all also managed to have one last moreh/supper before Eid at McDonalds Teluk Intan (possibly the most happening place in town). The durian McFlurry was soooooo good. Absolutely worth the price tag. Siap sendawa durian lagi!

The morning of Eid, we got dressed and then discovered that we were the only ones not in biru (lebih muda)! Apparently my MIL changed the colour scheme two weeks before Eid. But in retrospect looking at photos, I think our peachy outfits certainly stood out from the pale blue everyone else was wearing.

Balik kampung macam nak pindah rumah. And a group photo of our last supper at McDonalds!

Official 2018 Eid photo.

Peach versus light blue.

We left Teluk Intan on the second day of Eid and headed to Ipoh to visit my stepmother and step siblings. Headed straight home that very same night and found myself doing already doing laundry on day three of Eid! Surprisingly, not many open houses invitations this year - which is just as well, since I don't have that many outfits to accommodate my bulging belly. *sigh* 

Last weekend, I managed to host my stepmother and stepsister at our humble home. Despite being maidless, I served Nasi Arab (of course beli!!!) and some homemade ayam kuzi and rendang that my helper had thoughtfully made ahead and frozen in case of impromptu visits just like this one. (Loveeeee my helper to death!)

One of the few outfits that I could still squeeze into. And Aiden and Ian posing with their cousin.

Nasi Arab spread.

Last but certainly not least, I'll close this blogpost with how the kids spent their duit raya. This year, Aiden was really adamant about spending his duit raya to his whim and fancies. I was having none of it, so we negotiated to a mutual agreement that half of his money goes to the bank while he has control of the other half. Ian, of course followed suit. Monkey see monkey do!

They pestered me for a trip to ToysRUs daily, and I finally relented. Imagined my shock at the price of the Minecraft set that Aiden chose. But a deal is a deal, and I allowed him to purchase it since it was still within the budget he had. But seriously, those are crazy pricey figurines!

I think that should summarize my past few weeks. Looking forward to my helper coming back home this weekend, so that I can stop juggling house chores and work at the same time. I am really feeling the heat at the office, especially when I have important meetings to attend and a team to manage. *sigh* I miss my laidback days in Upstream!!!

Here's hoping that you guys have a good Syawal ahead. Until next time, take care!