life is a journey, not a destination

lots happened but deep down in my heart, i'm thankful to have wonderful friend who was always there, lending me a helping hand & keep me strong.. to be honest, whatever happened, i'm already immuned, thanks to the experience before... so, come what may, it wont affect me much... what doesnt kill you will make you stronger & again, perception wont kill.. as long as i think that i'm on the right track (despite others said no), i'm fine.. however, life is a journey, not a destination.. i want to taste different situation, be able to grow & do what i like most (certainly not facing computers all day long but if that's work, then i had no other option, except to finish it).. it would be a waste to dispose all the experiences & knowledges that i gained before just to please others, so, i'm going to move forward.. nobody can guarantee it would be a path of roses, but still, if it was my choice, then i wont regret it.. whatever happened, i'm going to embrace the future with optimism..

post op: what i know

my friend shared a link about Laser treatment & i found few articles that i think can help.. i share my knowledges so that it may be beneficial to those who may need it(as a guide / another experience of longer recovery rate).. i'm not an expert, but experiences are the best teacher for me.. 1st, i think someone need really strong reason to do lasik/relex smile.. remember, we can only propose but god can dispose our plan.. for Allah is the healer of all kind of ailments, & with 'kun fayakun', something impossible can be possible.. there's an article on optimism & gratefulness correlate with healing rate.. however, in my case, perhaps longer recovery time gave me extensive knowledges in vision (thanks to my optometrist friend who always answer my questions without complaining & thanks to few friends who share their knowledges on food/anything that helped me during recovery period).. 1) lasik/relex smile may have undesirable outcome - visual acuity not perfect, haloes, glares etc.. or perhaps, when the vision isnt 6/6 or 20/20(it's the same), you still need spectacle.. or maybe, after few years of lasik/relex smile, your vision deteriorate & you still need spectacle (some said that this is the reason why optometrists were not keen of doing LASIK/relex smile)..however, having said this doesnt means that i opposed this treatment, just , dont have high expectation..if everything is well, then being grateful is the right thing to do but when it isnt fine and dandy, you wont despair... considering possible complications means luck may play its role in recovery (remember, Allah is the best healer? leave it to Allah & whatever the outcome is, it's good for you).. & talking about cost, it aint wrong to consider the cost of the medicines post surgery (naturale tears eye drop, systane lubricant, if having dry eyes, perhaps genteal ointment & restasis may help (bear in nind that naturale tears need to be applied as frequent as possible for hydration purpose or else, it will affect healing time(mine was every 15minutes and a box of naturale tears last less than a week & i need to continue both naturale tearss & systane for 6month! quite a lot for me! 2) as it's best to go blind for the first few days, sunglass can help too! (previously i wonder some people use sunglass building, turn out that 'silau' can cause pain(different patient had different reaction!)... better to get sunglass with uv protection, so it can be 2 in 1 sunglass (protect from uv light either during recovery period or for holidays!).. i just know that the sunglassess with uv protection are tinted! no wonder xpanas sangat... 3) keep eyes hydrated as much as possible dry eyes can slow the healing rate, so better to invest in naturale tears and sysstane(for normal people) than risking the eys because LASIK dont go well with dry eyes.. 4)eat nutritious food Food rich in vitamin A eg carrot, tomato, lettuce, fish, liver -generally are good for eye health Vitamin C can be useful too! eg citrus food(orange etc), kiwis, dark leafy green vegetables, berries food rich in Omega 3 may alleviate the dry eyes problem (eg salmon, fish, cod liver oil, nuts (walnuts, chia seed, flaxseed) or fortified food rich in omega 3 avoid food that you are allergic to! (eye itchiness may lead to rubbing of eyes & this wasnt good for your eyes!) how to clean eyes? facial before procedure can help you stay refreshed for a while because need to avoid splashing water/chemicals into the eyes.. cotton buds help to clean oily yyeeyees (not directly into ayes tapi area eyelids & nearby areas.. if foreign body enter eyes, use natural tears!

relex smile: the recovery

i'm one of the complicated patient who can only read on Day 9! the first day, my eyes sting a bit (pedih, blur) & teary at night (akak yang baru buat relex smile masa pegi follow up , mata dia dah berair lepas sejam dua buat surgery but not me!).. maybe reaction depend pada patient jugak kot... 2 nd day afterwards, mata pedih bila apply vigamox but i know its function(antibiotic boleh jadi prophylaxis/boleh elakkan infection), so i continue medication without any doubt.. my vision seemed static for the first week, not much improvement.. everything was foggy & blur, i cant even read the medications box (being a pharmacist, i'm used to study mechanism of action of every medicine that i take, not to mention its possible side effect & just see the brand name alone is frustrating ( of all the details, the band name was the largest !)... that means, i cant read book, not to mention message or whatsapp or tv.. so, imagine a life like that - almost blind,surely it ws abweek of excruciating pain for me! Lucky my sisters helped whenever i need to message/whatsapp anybody regarding works.. oh, almost forgot to inform that wearing old(previous) spectacle worsen the vision( lagi x nampak) , nak buat new spectacle, power xstabil lagi so useless klu buat pun, malah cari penyakit free klu buat sebab power yang xsesuai hanya akan memburukkan keadaan (pening/sakit kepala dll).. so all i did was sleep the whole day, wishing for speedy recovery.. panicked? of course! i expect just two or 3 days to recover (ambik cuti lebih tu untuk standby kot2 xfully recover tapi look like i utilised all the 11 days off from work just at home, staring at the blurry images.. rasa macam dunia gelap seketika sebab xleh buat ape-ape... sungguh, nikmat penglihatan adalah anugerah terindah! dengan nikmat penglihatan tu, macam-macam aktiviti boleh buat (dengan selesa).. & talking about 'blind', perhaps the best ways to kill time for muslim is remmbering god (zikir/anything else that you think is best for you)... i remember the day i went for follow up, an auntie who just finished her relex smile procedure bribg along 'tasbih' & kept using it while waiting to see the doctor.. i'm not saying that you should 'menunjuk-nunjuk amalab' but maybe, this gave rough idea what to do when you think you are at the bottom... & talking about follow up, i also met an auntie who came alone, regret because nobody helped to take videos.. plus her vision still blurry, it was hard for her to call her family member to fetch her.. & she doesnt even know if the naturale tears was empty (serius x nampak ade ubat lagi ke x walaupun solution tu clear!). & that means it's better to come with somevody to assisst you in anything... boleh je berdikari tapi susah sikit klu vision x improve lagi..

relex smile: the day of surgery

it started with adrenaline rush.. Sultan Ismail Petra airport was crowded more than usual, i arrive late & barely had time before the boarding gate was closed.. long story cut short, i arrive at the centre around 1.20pm.. Had several eye assessment tests, from one machine to another machine.. Certainly more sophisticated than the one i had in Penang(my friend recommend that shop & i got great saving thanks to her).. once done, the staff at counter explain about the payment.. however, due to time constraint, i was called for the procedure.. no time to feel nervous or whatsoever, i went straight to the room, wear the gown and cap(much like the attire in the operation theater/ICU.. briefly being explained about what to do by the staffs(focus on the dot after the "Suction on " by the machine), laid on the stroller ( much like the CT Scan machine), face being cleaned by the staff, the stroller rotate 90 degree below thwe machine (i think it's Carl Zeiss machine), the doctor came & the procedure started(with bismillah & zikir) .. after few minutes, the surgery finished & i was allowed to go outside..my first sight after the surgery were the image of the doctor & my father outside the room, blur & foggy .. rest for a while, settle the payment halfway, meet the doctor(to see if there was any improvement in vision) & then finish the payment.. were given Vigamox eyedrop(antibiotic,taken 4times/day for 1 week, together with Maxidex eyedrop(sterooi with antiinflammatory properties), naturale tears & systane eyedrop(both as lubricant).. cant replace naturale tears with eye mo since eye mo had preservative.. was given a piece of paper on what to do before & after lasik but i cant read, so i dont really care until someone helped me to read it.. discharged home not long after that... i forgot to bring sunglass (not provided & nobody told me before the procedure(even the staff yang handle appointment pun xcakap).. Lucky i met a kind doctor who came for her relex smile follow up, she gave me a ride to the nearest destination.. overall, the doctor & optometrist were extremely good but the flow wasnt a smooth one.. nobody told me exactly what the do's and don't after the surgery.. what the point of giving a sheet of paper when the patient cant read?? & more disappointed because i had long recovery but the staff promised something but never do it! so, i think there's not much difference between government staffs & private staffs.. except, perhaps those in private earn more..o in one of clinic in Singapore, the patients were given chance to watch the video first(on how the procedure were performed), & then they completely go blind after surgery (even the eyes were plastered), were given care kit including protective goggle to wear during sleep & sunglass to wear outdoor, plus the face kit(items to clean the face/specifically eyes & the normal medications... most clients/patients were satisfied with the staffs & the outcome (if go blind for the first few days can aid in sepedy recovery, why peedy recovery, why not apply it?).. so, for more info, pwrhaps blog reviews from Singapore can help!

relex smile: the decision

to be honest, i just know LASIK(laser-assissted in situ keratomileusis) at first & it was my younger sister who suggested me to do LASIK.. most patient recover just in one or two days, so i thought it's a simple procedure (without researching more).. The story began when my spectacle accidentally broke off(jatuh), new spectacle would take at least one week (having high astigmatisme means i need to reduce the thickness of the glass but concave lens/kanta cekung doesnt help at all, thick at the edges & thin in the middle) & i'm not suitable for contact lens (silau tinggi/dazzle) & this time, doing relex smile is faster than getting a pair of new spectacle.. i'm tired of spending more than RM 1k everytime i made new spectacle, so that called for an unplanned relex(Refractive Lenticule Extraction) smile(small incision lenticule extraction). Moreover, spectacle wont allow me snorkel (i just pay for the snorkelling trip in previous short holiday, but i dont dare to dive, so no shark/beautiful corals/fishes for me).. i made appointment & doing 'homework' (just a bit on what it is & other people's experience) about relex smile & lasik. The 4mm incision & no flap in relex smile means faster recovery rate ( there's you tube by prof muhaya & more in Alumni Lasik & Relex Smile Prof Muhaya facebook page, not to mention the overseas page!), so i dont think i need to elaborate further).. but what attracted me most was a video on you tube by Ustazah Isfadiah on 'anugerah penglihatan' & that enhance the intention to do cosmetic surgery(either relex smile or LASIK).. However, i have thin cornea (tapi still boleh buat surgery.. kornea nipis sangat xboleh buat surgery) & large pupil, so LASIK was a no-no for me.. another advantage of relex smile was the convenience of doing it on the sane day without the hassle of coming again on a specific date.. speaking of cosmetic surgery, that means government hospital dont offer this kind of surgery( i dont know if any gov institution offer this surgery, but my optometrist friend said no).. Translated, if there's any problems, you cant seek advice from government hospital (maybe just few consultants have extensive knowledge on Lasik/relex smile) & should your condition not improved in specific time, no doctor dare to give MC(perhaps ade, tp i x jumpa(.. needless to say, in my case,no MC was given because different patient had different recovery rate & you cant expect when exactly you'll fully recover.. So, it's better to prepare for the worst (extra days off from work) & having understanding bosses will give extra benefit (& helpful colleagues too!).. regarding o this matter, i'm eternally grateful to colleagues who help to cover my work when i'm not fit to go to work..

jakarta

a city of 'macet'(jammed), congested & high living cost. I made mistakes by coming back after trip to Bandung.. Better plan should be staying in Jakarta first, then move to Bandung & go home via Bandung.. higher airport tax (150 000 Rupiah/person), carrying heavier luggage (add on in Bandung) & extra cost for supir ( 5hours from Bandung because macet).. No time to go to Puncak since the alterations of my jeans takes time & this means my original tentative goes down the drain. Jakarta can be divided into 5 districts- Jakarta Utara, Jakarta Pusat, Jakarta Barat, Jakarta Timur & 1 more( forgot -maybe Jakarta Selatan?).. Each region was quite far away (consider the traffic congestion!), so it would have been better to allocate 1 full day for places of interest in different region. My initial itinerary included 1)Rumah Mini/Taman Mini Indonesia Indah(Jakarta Timur) , 2) Museum Fatahillah/Cafe Batavia/its surroundings(Jakarta Barat), 3) Ancol Seafood passing by Ancol Dreamland(Jakarta Utara) and 4) the remarkable MONAS & Masjid Istiqlal(Jakarta Pusat).. Shopping complex - Tanah Abang & Mangga Dua.. For more shopping, perhaps Sarinah Mall & Thamrin City should be added to the list.. However, as for me, i spent 1 extra day in Bandung & 5 hours journey to Jakarta (arrive around 12midnight at Jakarta) & 2 subsequent days at Tanah Abang, plus public holiday on Thursday, so most shops & places of attractions were closed). Not much experience in Jakarta . For Mangga Dua, there were lots of Mangga Dua , namely WTC Mangga Dua,ITC Mangga Dua and Mangga Dua Square.. We just went to ITC Mangga Dua but few section closed due to public holiday.. The same goes to Pasar Baru in Jakarta, some shops were closed.. As for the big building of Tanah Abang, i cant remember how many sections were there. i only know Pusat Grosir Blok A, Pusat Grosir Blok B (grosir = borong) & Metro Tanah Abang. Limited choice for kain sulam (or maybe i dont know the exact location?). Need to know exactly what you want because it seemed as mission impossible to explore the whole Tanah Abang building, unless you are energetic & full of stamina. Some locals may not helpful, so that call for better planning.. it's a waste of time to wander around , not knowing where to go & not to mention, walking around was tirung.. By the way, iTanah Abang was very busy, both with vehicles or locals doing their activities - selling at stalls, packing goods & so on & it was more crowded than chow kit.. if the supir wasnt there, i wouldnt dare to cross road! (parking inside Tanah Abang may consume time (one way road, no other exit. I dont dare to waste time on last day because i need to take heavily congested traffi into consideration... perhaps if i'm not rushing, it was okay to park inside the building.. Talking about pusat grosir, the prices were cheap when buy in bulk. Depending on your haggling skills,the price may go down sometimes. But going together with supir on last day, there were difference up to 50 Rupiah between the price of grosir & buy in small quantity ( or perhaps because i dont have haggling skills, i need to pay more & not much discount. when talking about wedding stuff, jakarta had lots to offer, especially lace & wedding gifts.. As for souvenir, MONAS offered wide array of t-shirts; fridge magnet, keychain, pen & other souvenirs at cheaper price compared to mall/ shopping complex

bandung

Bandung needs no introduction.. Culinary, shopping & sightseeing were the main attractions. If you do internet search on factory outlet , you will eventually come across to Bandung , thanks to rave online reviews that it has received from its loyal patron.. So, why i choose Bandung instead of thousands other destination in this world? 1st, it's situated in South East Asia, just nearby Malaysia, so the language doesnt differ much (although they converse in Bahasa Indonesia, it's still understandable!).. So, it's a shame if i never set my feet there.. 2nd, its Rupiah currency vs RM allow me to kill 2 bird with one stone, shopping while enjoying the nature it has to offer.. Having experiencing shopping spree in Vietnam, why not consider shopping in my itinerary? 3rd, it's accessible via Jakarta. Jakarta was the capital of Indonesia, so, i can proudly say that i used to go to MONAS at the capital city of Indonesia. What to shop depend on your favourite. For me, i consider kain sulam first (i know Bukittinggi offer more kain sulam but hey, i'm more attracted to inactive volcano & highland of Bandung with strawberry farm & tea plantation more than shopping alone ).. Different shops/outlwts have different design & pattern, so it's best for you to grab the pattern that you like straight away.. I leave some spaces for Jakarta's kain sulam but there were limited choice for me ( i dont know if i went to wrong location but not much choice at Pasar Baru Jakarta, Tanah Abang, IT Mangga dua(the section for kain sulam closed that day) & few other places) The lists continue with 1) telekung solat- Telekung travel is cheaper here(light & isnt bulky, helpful to reduce a kilogram or few gram in your luggage while teravelling here & there) For ordinary telekung, sulam dominated most of the pattern, some even have bag for that telekung & some contain sejadah.. The same item was expensive in Malaysia ( expensive is subjective ) 2) perfume - i'm not a fan of branded perfume but here in Bandung, you can request any smell that you want, just name your favourite perfume brand, be it Lancome, Christian Dior, Anna Sui, Hugo Boss or any brand that you like, chance are, they'l be ready in just few mibutes!(if the queue isnt long).. The extra feature that i like most is, i can request for alcohol free perfume! Although they are colourless ( the coloured one usually contain alcohol- that was what the boss at In Parfum told me) & the price tag for alcohol free perfume doubled than normal price (the price doubled because they use more concentrated essence & skip the alcohol diluent), believe me, it's worth it. In fact, i cant differentiate the original brand with the fake one. The smell of my perfume lasted for 1 - 2 days & i love it! If you bring along your original container, no one will say that you use imitation!( oh, exception for those yang brand conscious, maybe this cheaper alternative doesnt suit you!) 3) jeans Tailor-made jeans are widely available here.. as for me, i made few items, including peplum & overall(being a copycat, 100% copy the idea of my friend).. i can choose the material & the design. For the peplum, i googled the design & choose one & gave the picture to the staff & i'm satisfied with the outcome. Even my mother & my friend's mother complimented that my choices were good (not fit & design ok).. However, that was the result of fitting, alter, fitting & alter again.. the reason? the owner was a chinese, & usually, the Chinese love the design that fit your body perfectly ( showing every curves that you have) & when she measure, she use that 'fit' measuring & note 'lebih longgar'.. However, that lebih longgar wasnt loose at all, so need to alter it.. Both my friend & i said add 2 inches but 2 inches in Indonesia means 2 cm & that 2 cm doesnt make any difference.. & that call for 2nd alteration! The best solution here is to give 2-3 daus extra time so that if you need alteration, you still had plenty of times to wait.. Bring along the sample for measuring purpose if you dont believe their measuring skills! 4) Factory outlets' items like branded clothes/ trousers/children attire/ leather products, shoes, bags & the leist continue.. 5) Souvenirs - Fridge Magnet & keychain are cheaper in Bandung than Jakarta. For those who love to collect FM as a proof that you had once being there, it's advisable to buy it in Bandung because it contained Jakarta's FM as well . For nature, i want: 1) volcano & the breathtaking scenery along the journey to the volcano Kawah Putih located in the suburb of Ciwidey.. The journey to Ciwidey was a pleasant one, woth its natural bauties / well preserved nature.. The sight of tea plantation areas, strawberry farm, horse with carriers ( i dont know what's the name but it's common in the outskirts of Ciwidey.. Bajaj(bajai?) & angkut were available in the town but not in the village) .

how i survive in jakarta & bandung

1) Hotel 101 Bandung Dago Hotel was good, be it the room & amenities or location.. All is well for me & the breakfast was marvellous ( i dislike indonesian cuisine, the hotel breakfast was the only 'close to home' food that i had - the menu were almost similar to Malaysia & staying in Indonesia for 1 week, made me appreciate local cuisine ).. I'm not a fan of Maggi, so no stock of Maggi .. when it comes to food, i just grab whatever that the cafe /restaurants offer.. Back to hotel, my supir said that he can book 2 room at Aston Marina Hotel Apartment for RM200.. Suitable for a family / a gang of travellers.. I dont fancy apartment for 3 person because i care about safety most(scary if there were only 3 of us!).. The price for 101 Hotel is a bit pricy for me but that was okay because i paid just 1/3 of the total cost! Location wise, hotels in Dago were more expensive than other areas/roads because there were lots of Factory Outlet there.. If you want to save cost, better to stay at Jalan Cihampelas or Jalan Riau (Factory Outlet banyak jugak, cuma x sebanyak Dago).. But if you aim for XL-sized clothes, i think FOs were not suitable for you... most of the clothes are small & fit your body perfectly (i dont like that type of clothes!) In Jakarta, i stayed in Hotel 55 Mangga Dua, but frankly speaking, i dislike the environment.. Much like a typical budget hotel but the environment outside was similar to Chow Kit.. Stayed for 2 night there, for me was more to 'have a place to sleep & rest' since we came back to hotel late ..not recommended for fussy traveller & even if you are a backpacker, for me, better you choose a hotel with a safe environment like near shopping complex or nearby decent restaurants.. i cant complain much since i dont know where to stay in Jakarta & there were lots of bloggers stayed in Hotel 55, so i thought it should be okay.. Please take note that the decorations of hotel was full with Buddhist statues ( nampak patung mcm patung Buddha je).. Another alternative was to find a good deal/promotion at Traveloka, indonesian based website with no hidden charge.. My supir told me that it was a new website that always come up with fabulous & attractive prices for hotel.. 2) Simcard SIMPATI for 5 days was my choice but using too much internet lead to overuse of credit ( bila kuota internet habis, kuota untuk call ditelan).. So on Day 4, i was out of credit & hence, need to top up ( takut bila lost contact & xdapat hubungi sesiapa especially in emergency).. 3) money exchange My friend teach me about TT rate (telegraphic transfer) -, so that i got good deal.. However, considering the location, i cant apply it but I'm grateful because he shared this precious knowledge. Boleh cuba tukar duit dengan TT rate lepas ni bila nak travel oversea (dengan syarat bukan kat location yang tersangat strategik - mesti laa pengurup wang tu action & insist bagi normal rate bila ramai orang tukar dengan dia). In Malaysia, i change my money at UO Chow Kit (rate paling murah yang dijunpai di Malaysia lepas survey kat airport, area Chow Kit & Quill city Mall tapi x semurah di Bandung).. Golden Money Changer near Pasar Baru was my choice in Bandung.. That was the cheapest rate that i could find .. I think the company operated using TT rate because i got the same rate when i withdrew money from CIMB in Bandung ( i dont convert all my money to Rupiah because my friend said that some shop accept RM in Jakarta).. Bila Rupiah di tangan sudah habis tapi xsampai Jakarta pun lagi, memang terpaksa withdraw dari mesin ATM laa.. I activate my card the night before departing to Jakarta in case of emergency & it turned out to be useful.. Minus the RM10 charge for withdrawal through Atm, the rate was okay.. Baik withdraw banyak klu nak ambik thru CIMB sebab rugi charge RM10 tu.. Lagi untung tukar duit kat money changer sebab xde hidden charge.. Rate Jakarta agak mahal, jadi lebih baik tukar duit di Bandung.. But if you are rich & doesnt care about rate, just change your money at airport @ maybe use your ATM card at CIMB, request to dispense Rupiah currency ( ade mesin ATM khas untuk dispense dalam Rupiah, Saudi Arabia Riyal, Hong Kong Dollar, US Dollar, Euro & few other currencies.. 4) Food Choose the cafe or restaurant that you can tolerate rather than stall or masakan Padang (serve all sort of food, you choose what you want to eat & paid only for the portion that you eat@ choose few side dishes & not touch the side dishes that you dislike) to avoid risk of AGE/acute Gastroenteritis @ cirit birit(diarrhea) + sakit perut(cramp).. If you want to cut coat on food, avoid a well known restaurant.. Just choose a regular cafe.. I made mistakes by choosing few popular restaurants but the food wasnt up to my expectation... & talking about Kampung Daun restaurant in Bandung, i think it was overrated.. Lebih kurang Puncak Mutiara Cafe kat Penang je tapi harga mahal.. Environment? Lembang Floating Market & de Ranch offer better scenery. 5) Supir Pak Rudi in Bandung & Pak Nono in Jakarta were both good & dedicated to work.. In Bandung, there was another guide in Pasar Baru,Mas Gono (price already included in supir cost - s

A week in bandung & jakarta: part 1

Firstly, this isnt a post to show off because i just go to bandung & jakarta. i dont work there/dont have relative in bandung or jakarta .. However, experiencing the ups & down for a week, i think it's better for me to share the experience here. Because for a free & easy traveller who want to experience something that package wont offer ( most packages offer almost similar tentative & i want more than that!) , going on your own was 100 times better.. Moreover, i hope this can help the first timer to decide & arrange your vacation (i always depend on blogger review to arrange itinerary & hotel/find uaeful tips) Although i dont go through package, this trip cannot be classified as backpacker trip either. For a group of first timer, hiring supir is a better option to move around. I decide the itinerary, my friend handle the booking(hotel, flight ticket etc) & the other one handle other details.. Overall, Day 1: boarding train ( Argo Parahyangan) from Jakarta to Bandung. From airport, the initial option was taking Damri bus to Gambir station. However, upon arrival, we dont know where to take Damri bus or bluebird taxi since there were lots of taxi with blue colour & not to mention the huge parking areas (2 level). So, we opted for taxi driver outside airport. Our luck: the driver was okay. Actually, need to be careful with the taxi apart from bluebird because sometimes, let's say they quote Rupiah 200 000, when you reached the destination, the' ll request 200k per individu.. Talking about a scammer! & if some people wonder why we dont hire supir upon arrival, my answer is, we wanted to go to bandung via train to view the breathtaking scenery during the journey, so hiring a supir was redundant (paying extra for airport transfer is not preferable since that amount would help me to shop more =). & another remark, when i hire a supir, i dont expect him to be just like a taxi driver, transporting us from one destination to another destination without any guide/useful information.. Translated, why pay more for a supir who just act like a taxi driver? Better to save cost & channel your money to items that you like most (i mean shopping!).. & my two cents' worth: better hire a supir with good reputation & dedicated to his work rather than going for a cheaper alternative but the supir leave you alone not knowing where you want to go & worst of all, waste your precious times there & turned your holiday into a sour experience since you were exhausted exploring an unfamiliar places but that wasnt up to your expectation! & to top it off, you got nothing at the end.. So, my advise, choose your supir wisely.. If your good supir offer a slightly higher or more expensive quotation, just accept it or you'll end up with nothing (oh, maybe an unforgettable memory of being lost in huge shopping complex/place of interest!).. Talking about itinerary, please bear in mind that we only propose but god dispose! An accident occured at one of train station, causing the train to delay for 3 and half hour, so we end up viewing the darkness of Jakarta & the whole route to Bandung! Lucky our supir in Bandung was cool enough to wait until 9pm(expected arrival time: 6pm).. & lucky the process of check in went smoothly & the dinner was okay. Thinking back, i was relieved that we hire supir that day because arriving at an unfamiliar place at night , of course there were risks of danger (criminals/overpriced taxi/ exhausted & hungry since most cafes/restaurants closed early)... By the way, for those who still dont know that 5pm in Bandung was equal to 7pm in KL/Peninsular Malaysia, be careful when you make your own itinerary.. Avoid arrival at night if you wish to view scenery from train (like us).. & another note, i think 'sedekah ' to a foreigner is a a good way to do charity(since our train was delayed, we were hungry but not really sure if the food at train station were halal or not, so we go for a temporary hunger strike =).. Lucky a local sitting beside me offer her pisang bollen keju .. Enough to gave energy to continue our journey.. I'm thankful for that an unexpected 'rezeki' & i think, that was a good way to do charity.. 'Sedekah' halal food for a muslim foreigner (first timer)..

random

already end of March & thay marked the beginning of Gaji Sudah Tiada nilai lagi(GST) season ..... HOnestly, i'm fed up with current scenario, except for the news regarding hudud .. but i'm not going to ramble about current news since nothing will change.. well, i dont know what i should write here.. the Putrajaya Hot Air Balloon Fiesta? i went there just for the evening session on 2nd day.. so, nothing much to write actually.. but i'm grateful to the person who helped to dispense Methadone when i had my days off from work..& said that i never go through tough housemanship period when i complained that all work made me a dull person =) Indeed, my PRP moments wasnt as tough as the houseman in term of not having enough time to sleep/socializing, but still, it was a tough year for a beginner like me..but then, 5 years had passed & it was enough to erase all those memories.. guess it's true that the environment during your early days could leave a big impact to your life.. you may fall in love with the condusive environment at certain department & decide to specialize in that area & vice versa.. oh, already 1.30am in the morning & i had to work tomorrow, so, i'm signing off for now

pulau perhentian

look like i wont finish writing my ho chi minh trip.. a bit lazy.. by the way, perhentian island was an unexpected trip.. thinking of visiting friend near my ex school but chinese new year was the balik kampung season, so traffic congestion was unavoidable... 2 hours to KT could be more than 4 hours.. so, quickly switched to the nearest place rather than wasting my annual leave... the place was my hang out port in the evening after finishing work.. i mean, another alternative than driving to Pantai Bisikan Bayu/Tok Aman Bali Beach Resort (a spot for water activities here!),jeti Kuala Besut / Pulau Perhentian, Pantai Air Tawar, Bukit Keluang or sometimes choosing different route @ Tok Bali & Pantai Irama... Since the place was quite near & i have to work in the next 2 days, i decided to choose a one day tour (boat 8.30 am & 4pm)... thinking of it now, perhaps the trip to Perhentian was the cheapest holiday for me rather than going somewhere else... no flight /bus ticket, not much budget for food/lodging & not much fuel consumed to go there... Back to my trip, we head to Taman Laut @ Perhentian Besar, had breakfast near Abdul Chalet, start snorkelling at 10am - 5 different points(shark point, turtle point & 3 more -x-ingat-point), lunch at Kampung Nelayan(Perhentian Kecil), taking water taxi to Perhentian Besar & spend the remaining time at Perhentian Besar.. indeed,the azure blue sky & crystal clear water(with different colour tones!) were the main attractions at Perhentian Island.. one day trip certainly wasnt enough!

ho chi minh in general

1) it's okay if you have no feeling to convert RM to Dong if you go via agent/ package because RM are widely accepted.. except if you go backpacking, youneed USD &Dong to pay food & transportation .. my friend paid our Mee Pho at Hajjah Basiroh & i paid our bingka ubi (soft,delicious!) & 'kopi susu' using RM but of course the price were slightly higher!to be honest, during ny trip, i never use Dong & still clueless camne laa rupa Vietnam Dong .. i paid everything in RM & got the balance in RM too! err, that double trip @ pre and post shopping at Hajah Basiroh were the outcome of shop till drop & last day dah nak balik tp kitorang xde beg pun lagi.. so, we skip breakfast, went to Saigon Square tapi tuﹰtup.. Round Ben Thanh tapi harga mahal.. so we stick to our original plan, pegi balik Saigon square.. tak tawar sangat sebab Singaporean yang kitorang jumpa the night before advise us tak yah tawar sangat sebab dah murah.. He said 50 boleh dapat beg Samsonite yang paling besar.. Tapi bila sampai baru sedar, he mean 50 SGD... mestilaaa dia kira based on duit dia.. tapi still cheap compared to Malaysia... our tour leader, Tory said that vietnamese xheran pun dgn Chinatown Malaysia sebab kualiti barang kat Pasar(Cho Ben Thanh & Cho Binh Tay) jauh lagi superior dgn harg yang jauh lagi murah.. 2) Speaking of luggage, i yang xpernah bwk luggage ikut limit berat redah je bawak naik 35++ kg bag kat KLIA on our way back from KL (balik Vietnam cukup cukup 30 kg,tp pegi tambah masa transit KL) ... rupenye 1 bag xleh lebih dari 30kg sebab nanti beg tu xbergerak bila letak dkt tmpt kita check in luggage.. so, terpaksa laa bukak beg & susun balik.. again, skali lagi beg xlepas sebab they need proper packaging ... tp sebab dah lambat, staff lepas je tp warning : klu xsampai, jangan blame kitorang ye... Lucky that 6 kg bags(3 Deuter for me & younger sister& brother, embroided bags & 4 in1 bag from Mekong) arrived , safely! Oh yes, there are Northface bag, Kipling& so on but the design of Deuter bag are attractive ( in my eyes)... bila selamat sampai baru sedar bag alone dah berat.. patutlaa rasa sikit je beli barang tapi luggage lebih limit.. So, another tips, choose a light but big bag if you want to shop till drop.. sebab klu shopping banyak, rugi kg luggage je.. silk agak berat, so if you buy lots of silk for family, luggage pun sah sah berat.. 3) if you think that the price are already cheap, if you dont have time, just grab the items that you want.. sebab price dari 1 kedai ke kedai lain dekat Ben Thanh lebih kurang je.. kecuali embroided shirts & simple bag, the cheapest that i found was at Mekong.. but too late, Meking takes 2-3hours by bus(or more), & the shops were closed in the evening, so agak rugi di situ.. tapi walaupun mahal kat sane, still cheap compared to Malaysia.. Slash the price 50% were not applicable at Mekong/boutiques.. 3) beware of everything -bawak beg menghadap ke depan untuk elakkan dicuri.. biar strange asal selamat.. say no to beca-tempat dekat tapi harga mencecah ratus RM.. not my experience , tapi pengalaman kawan. Begitu jugak klu diorang offer kacang utk dicuba atau nak kilatkan kasut lelaki.. just be cautious.. penipu & penyangak pun ramai kat tempat ramai pelancong...

random: clinic vs hospital

just finished a short trip to pantai bisikan bayu / tok aman bali beach resort area, jeti Kuala Besut ( jeti popular klu nk pegi Pulau Perhentian), Pantai Air Tawar & Bukit Keluang... just realized that all the beaches are less than 30 minutes' away... & Pantai Irama is quite near too! no traffic jam, breakfast mostly at RM2 / RM3 instead of RM4/5 @KB, spacious clinic, a calm surrounding, wonderful friends & not living alone anymore, it's 100 times better at clinic than previous hospital..

ho chi minh through my lens

Truth to be revealed , when my friend asked me if i'm interested to join her for a Vietnam trip, i was like "vietnam? Sound tersaangat tak best.. different language, negara tak maju sangat, glamour dengan komunis & all sort of the 'tak best' side.." Since one of my Langkawi travel mate went to Bandung earlier & gave 5 star review, i searched for flight tickets but the prices are more expensive than going to Vietnam through package..so, i decided to join my friend.. After all, bila lagi nak kenal vietnam.. not long after that, agother friend said that she want to join us too, so that made 3 of us... but why join Tabung Haji Travel & Services? Simple! My friend worked with TH & she was close with 'orang kuat THTS Zon Selatan", so automatically THTS was in our list.. & turned out that the tour members sume golongan berpendapatan tinggi tapi saangat low profile... kitorang bertiga je yang kerdil.. tapi sume baik-baik.. calon mertua yang baik, bak kata my friend..heheh.. tapi really grateful sebab ade auntie tolong slash price deuter beg lebih drp separuh( sane perlu bijak tawar menawar &she has really good bargaining skills.. sebab masa kat Taka Plaza, she doesnt want to buy anything, i asked her help to hunt for Deuter bags & bargain... she even helped me bila luggage lebih limit & i have extra bag for hand carry.. Kastam Vietnam suka pow duit klu beg besar & banyak.. so, nak tak nak terpaksa cari alternatif klu.tak nak byar - mntk dia tolong hand carry utk lepas kastam.. her family pun tolong, so sume brang selamat sampai tanpa bagi duit kat kastam Vietnam & Malaysia.. another auntie & her family tolong jadi bodyguard masa 1st day pegi night market kat Ben Thanh.. yang lain tolong ambik luggage my friends yang terlebih jugak & checked in as their family's luggage.. Pendek kata, nice tour group! Back to the attractions, Ho Chi Minh adelah shopping heaven bagi wanita - Vietnam Silk, bags( kilang Deuter kat Vietnam, so boleh dapat imitation dengan kualiti ori[beza sikit je] at reasonable price ),travel bag, embroided shirts/bags, jewellery box, cotton(just name it- english cotton, japanese cotton, viscose cotton), ready made baju kurung yang lawa lawa, telekung/kain sembahyang, alas meja panjang dengan motif lotus atau corak lain, ao dai yang lawa tapi kena pandai pilih saiz untuk nampak macam jubah seluar - sebab fit & vietnamese slim, xjumpa yg obese langsung & so on.. taapi since ikut pakej, of course pegi places of interests lagi banyak dari shopping - Mekong (naik bot & perahu pegi pulau-pulau kat sane adalah pengalaman yang jarang didapati di Malaysia), Chu Chi Tunnel ( inovasi vietnamese untuk survive masa perang sangat bijak). Saigon River Cruise, masjid dll... flowers & fruits are fresh& big... coffee lover would enjoy the 'kopi susu' to the max.. dried lotus seeds are tasty, perhaps another souvenir that should be added to.shopping cart..

life goes on

Again , nothing much.. already end of january 2015..time flies really fast .. Feeling like i had worked for ages! Maybe the freezing of annual leave gave a negative psychology effect .. not that i dislike the environment .. it's just , all work and no play make a dull life .. Honestly ,intention of going to NZ was ruined(for the time being )... found cheap ticket to Auckland but for me, just travel to Auckland isnt enough .. at least, circle the South Island ... but, travelling from Auckland to Queenstown, Dunedin,Lake Tekapo, Lake Wakatipu,christchurch & so on need few partners - both for driving companion & safety purpose (hard to get public transport , NZ is not lively at night~ sunyi & the cost( value of RM compared to NZD ).. not that i have lots in my account , but the model of dividing salary into 6 part,namely Financial Freedom Account , necessities, long term saving for spending, fun(@ PLAY), education & charity helped.. i mean , of all finance model, this one was the best - not neglecting the PLAY part .. what's the point of having lots of money but your life is boring . Life is too short & kejar kekayaan semata -mata xde guna jugak .. take the natural disaster(flood ) for example ... in a blink of eyes , house can be damaged , food destroyed ( supermarket xde barang, jadi nak beli ape?), atm tenggelam , duit xleh withdraw..nak gadai perkakas emas? Bila sampai tahap tu, hanya materialistic people yahg peduli pada harta benda sebab makanan & tempat berteduh je yg paling penting... bezanya , mereka yang berduit boleh beli balik apa yg rosak ... tapi my point here is, tahap ujian kehilangan tu berbeza &rezeki tu sebenarnya dari Allah &semestinya rezeki setiap orang tak sama .. so, it's better to enjoy life to the fullest sementara boleh..

of flood

i was in a foreign land (maybe not foreign for the rich lads), so i seize the chance to.get to know about the country more.. rarely online although almost all places provide free Wifi - the bus, the cafes, the hotels & so on... frankly speaking, after the 1st wave in Pasir Puteh, i thought the situation was better.. Wrong.. it turned to be the worst nightmare for other district.. flying at low altitude when approaching Pengkalan Chepa (because the weather is bad) , I had a rare opportunity viewing flood from the sky.. & as many already know, KB, from sky, look like a new island,surrounding by rivers & sea!! yeah, it was that BAD.. something that i never guess nor do something expected.. the reality struck me like a lightning.. this wasnt the worst flood in lifetime just for me, it was the worst nightmares to most of the victims.. what used to be a smooth road/the way from airport to my house, was a journey of 'Duck Tour' (resemble the amphibian vehicle @Duck Tour in Langkawi) - alternating road, water, road, water again & the cycle continue.. UMK students brought their bag, a mother with her baby struggling in the flood, to reach the main road (cold & 'sehelai sepinggang) & thousands of scenario that i havent face before... it's lucky that i arrived safely, but beyond that, i'm grateful that i made the decision to move to clinic (risk of being a flood victim @ kuarters if i still stay there - in the event of flood, i believe the Primum non nocere concept, indirectly - save the medicines to save lives).. talking about medicines, i remember having an uncle who got his supply of medications from Ipoh, but trapped in Kelantan because most roads are closed to light vehicles, coming to clinic to get his 'staple food @medications) but all i can do is offering alternative since clinic doesnt have the List A medications. & for the pregnant mother who had just having an episode of status epilepticus few weeks before, no alternative suit his condition, so, ringing the original hospital was the only option available.. Perhaps some doesnt realize the importance of saving medications in flood, but believe me, witnessing that two scenarios, that was a noble job- be the unsung hero who save lives or preventing emergencies when the hospital building was drowned.. , post flood, the food supply was scarce ( almost all food section in supermarket here are empty), people queing a long queue to get fuel @ petrol stations, most of ATM run out of money, at some places,the prices daily food/necessities spiking, & keep sky-rocketting