UTC Sentul Immigration Office

Greetings! 

This post was stuck in my draft for quite some time now. I meant to post it a week ago but *insert lame excuse* I have no time in my hands at all. 

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Anyhoos, SCHOOL'S OUT a.k.a. school children are off enjoying their holidays until 2013 comes to an end. Urgh, pfft. *roll eyes*

You know what that means..

1) Shopping malls will not be an ideal spot for leisure & relaxation (no elaboration needed)

2) **No jam

3) I turn my head to the East, I see a screaming kid on my side, I turn my head to the West, a crying kid this time, so I turn my head to the North hoping that no kid will surprise me this round, that hope is dead and gone, their shrieks can't be muted at all. (inspired by T.I. & Justin Timberlake's Dead and Gone lyrics lol. Listen and rap it out)

4) Airplanes will be packed with annoying children

**Who am I kidding? At least, it was believed that there will not be any jam during the school holidays. It doesn't seem to make any difference now. School holidays or no holidays, there will always be jam.

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 Holiday --> Airplane rides --> Air tickets --> Passport 

As a working adult, my annual leaves are precious. Precious, precious gems. Therefore, taking a 'half-day leave' for passport renewal was simply unacceptable. We found one immigration office in Sentul that operates ERRDAY(Gen Y language) from 8.30 a.m. to 10.00 p.m. and that was exactly what we needed. 

So last Saturday (by last Saturday I meant 2 weeks ago kind of Saturday), we dropped baby J off to my in-laws at 11.30 a.m. and made our way to Sentul. 

Without Miss Waze, I honestly believe that we will never be able to find the immigration office.

At last, we arrived! Took us quite some time to locate a parking spot as the area was major packed with cars. 

*random*

Came across this mamak when we were going in circles for parking.

At one glance, I thought it was rather funny. hurhur. 

Btw, the immigration office is located on the first floor, which is the same floor as the food court.

Ta-da!

I've read blogs about UTC Sentul and it seems like everyone's experience at the immigration office are of flowers and rainbows. Seriously. Jealous ttm.

HONESTLY? No offence but, I thought the air smelled rather different in Sentul. *the immigration office is located above the morning market*

Still, that area felt somewhat dodgy and I was longing for a good cup of Starbucks or Maccas just to feel more urbanized. That's probably never going to happen. 

We went in to collect a ticket for passport renewal and….our ticket was #1324. We looked up to the screen and not so much to our astonishment, the running number was #1122.

That's more than 200 people in line before our turn!!!

Well, it's the weekend. What do you expect? Yeah, I thought it was going to be packed. We arrived at 12pm after all. However, I didn't expect so many KIDS to be there. *sings my #3) statement from above*

A gentle advice to parents with children: Please la please, tame your kids. Don't just sit there and let them carry on with all sorts of nonsense. 

FREAKING DIRTY LA THE CHILDREN I BEH TAHAN. CHINESE KIDS & MALAY KIDS. CRAWLING ON THE DIRTY FLOOR WTF. Spare the rod and spoil the child.. this is what you get.  Shame on you guys. If you can't control your children in public, HOW ARE YOUR KIDS GOING TO TRAVEL OVERSEAS WITH YOU?!?!? *SLAP SLAP SLAP*

ANNOYING BRATS.

Fuhhh! Where was I? 

Yeah, our ticket number. We decided to eat at the food court because anywhere in UTC Sentul's 1 kilometre radius consists of construction sites, kampung or dodgy eateries. SIGH. My precious Saturday. I'm beginning to reconsider my decision for half-day leave. 

The food court is divided into 2 sections. Halal and Non-Halal. Initially, we walked over to the Halal side of the food court to go-see what the stalls have to offer. I couldn't find anything I like and would've easily settled for a plate of maggi goreng but nop, N/A. There were mee soto and nasi ayam though. 

In the end, I ordered this from the Chinese side of the food court. 

It's not half bad. I thought it would taste worse HAHA. To think that everything in Sentul tastes bad, that was my mistake. lol. 

No. Just, no. 

This tasted bad. 

 Mr Tempe is located right beside the Immigration Office. 

Has anyone tasted this? LOLOL I thought this tempe shizz was keropok lekor!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Since they were selling a cup of tempe for RM1, I bought 2 cups *gluttony.

Obviously, it wasn't keropok lekor. It looked like thick cut fries and I smothered it with chilli sauce.
It tasted pretty bad. Later on, we found out that Tempe is actually beans. Okay, at least we're  pretty adventurous to try it out haha.


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By the way, we waited for more than 5 hours at Sentul Immigration Office. It was a nightmare, one that we couldn't get out of. We left at about 5-6pm cause we had other arrangements so we didn't manage to collect Collin's passport on that day itself.

He went back to Sentul the next morning (8.30am) and told me that the queue was ridiculously long to the point where the line reached the food court outside. It was crazy. In the end, he walked up to the counter and told the P.I.C that he wanted to collect his passport. Instead of queuing up, he managed to collect his documents within half an hour. PHEW.

In case you didn't bring any passport photos, services are provided for a round figure of RM10 at the ground floor.

I hope your experience in Sentul will not be as dreadful as mine was.

UTC Sentul Immigration Office

Level 1, Pusat Transformasi Bandar

Jalan 2/48A, Sentul Perdana

Bandar Baru Sentul

51000 Kuala Lumpur

JxHappy Holidays,

KyoChon Malaysia @ 1 Utama, Bandar Utama

Annyeong-haseyo! 

Ate @ KyoChon a week ago. 

It's funny how hubbs & I agreed on dining at KyoChon in 1 Utama. 

Random fact #1: Collin dislikes Korean food. (wae Oppa, wae?!?!)

Random fact #2: Jessica is not a fan of chicken. (unless if it's steamed herbal chicken. Strictly no breast, tq)

KyoChon on the other hand happens to be one of South Korea's restaurant chains and their specialty is none other than Korean Fried Chicken. *ba dum tsss*

KyoChon's menu. 

Doesn't comprise of a wide selection to choose from but really, that's not going to be a problem at all in this restaurant.

Meet Choi Siwon. Not only does he possess a chiseled chest & a smokin' hot bod, *wipes drool.. I still remember him walking out to the hall with just a towel clad around his body in Oh! My Lady* Siwon Oppa has killer looks too. 

Wait a minute, what if this creepy-looking doll isn't Siwon and I have been going on and on about the wrong K-celeb?! Erm, that's just too bad, I guess. 

Though, I'm not sure why KyoChon would want a life-sized K-Pop heart throb to greet their customers. Not all of the male patrons would be psyched to fix their gaze on a Korean man doll. HAHA. 

Anyway, I would've jumped for joy if the man-doll was Song Seung Hun, Lee Dong Wook or Kwon Sang Woo instead. But that's just me. Feel free to jump around like a crazed-monkey, ladies. 

Plus points awarded to KyoChon even before our orders were taken. They have hooks under their tables, which really is a rare sight in Malaysia. *thumbs up*

It's able to support the weight of my auntie-looking-baby-bag (Thanks for the bag, Roy. lol) which means that the hook can take on quite a bit of weight 'cause God knows what's in that bag! I mean, look at the size of that thing. We have a bottle warmer, baby bottles, diapers, LOADS AND LOADS OF NAPKINS, CLOTHES & BABY WIPES so you can only imagine how heavy it is. 

May I present to you another photo of the restaurant's table. If you look closely, hooks are jutting out of the table stand lololol. Hang your shopping bags there, humans.

Butter rice (RM4++)

Probably not worth its price. You can skip this. HAHA

Kimchi fried rice

Would've loved the kimchayy fly lice in KyoChon if it tasted more sour than spicy. Don't get me wrong, I love spicy food. LOVE. However, anything kimchi should taste sour, right? It's not bad, but it definitely has room for improvements. 

Can somebody kindly remind me what I ate? Grilled chicken? I should think so. Yep.

The grilled chicken & kimchi fried rice comes in a set (approximately RM27?) Can't quite recall the price either hurhurhur, MY BAD. The grilled chicken looked way different from the 'illustrated picture' in the menu, which obviously isn't something any restaurant should practice. The poultry that landed on my plate looked rather measly in comparison. 

Oh well, now for the compliments. It's decent and aromatic. Grilled well and tastes more or less average (meh). This was what I ordered, though I wouldn't have recommended this if it wasn't for the kimchi fried rice. I was sold as soon as my sight was set on the word 'kimchi'. 

Anyhoos, Nando's chicken definitely tastes better than KyoChon's grilled chicken. Sorry. This isn't exactly Korean food. Not worth its reflected price too. 

Honey Wings

Slightly pricier than Original Soy & Spicy Wings, the Honey Wings was my least favourite amongst the three. Hubby thought that the honey wings were his second favourite as he isn't the biggest fan of anything extravagantly spicy.

But here's what I think, the Honey Wings placed itself on the number three spot as it tasted sweet,…and... it pretty much ends there. 

Original Soy Wings

No doubt, this was goooooooood. I'm no chicken lover, so you can take my word for it. ha-ha
*MUST TRY

Spicy Wings

Needless to say, the spicy wings infused with Korean chilli peppers captivated my heart. CHILLI FTW! As I chewed on the perfectly fried wings, the hot spice started creeping up my cheeks. At that moment in time, I didn't mind having a few zits pop out the next waking morning HAHA.
*MUST TRY


Anyhoos, I think KyoChon needs more exposure as its location isn't the best to say the very least. It's located in front of Cold Storage and some sort of organic shop. Near the arcade? You'll know how to get there. Just look for Choi Siwon's figurine at KyoChon's entrance and you're right on track.

Did I mention that the staffs over at KyoChon are mighty friendly and polite? We were rushing to finish our meal before closing time PLUS I had to bottle feed my baby while we ate (we were the only diners left in the restaurant) and they asked us not to worry and to take our time :P

Overall, I had a nice time over at this restaurant. I'm going to be a hypocrite and say that I'll be back for more wings on my next visit.

See you soon, Siwon Oppa!
Jx

Labour Pains Part I

Hello hello! 

Before I grow old and forget what labour pain was like,….*pause*.. hmm, hold that thought. Actually, it all seems pretty vague now. HAHA

..But anyway! I'll squeeze my brain to gather whatever #throwback I can possibly recall as a future reference to you women out there and also, to remind myself why I never want to be pregnant ever again. (For now la, not never. I'm sure Jaden would love to have a younger sibling.. *crosses fingers for a baby girl*)

Okay. 

When I first gave birth to Jaden, the common questions that followed suit were, "Pain ah?"....."Natural, Epidural or Caesarean?" .…"How does it feel like?"

As my wound was in the process of healing, I often shudder when it was time for story-telling. 

Why? Because everything experienced was still RAW and FRESH IN MY MEMORY. As long as your wound hasn't completely healed, you would probably shudder every single time you try to recall what happened that night too.  

*Note: The story that you are about to read contains explicit details (draggy, at the very least). Also, every woman has her own tale so go ahead and bombard your mother, aunties, colleagues & friends. 

Honestly, I want to scream profanities when it comes to certain parts of the story but hold back, I will. #yoda

So anyway, Jaden's expected due date was 27th of September. 

He was born on the 26th of August @ SDMC Hospital, Subang. 

It was a Monday. 

Woke up in the morning, there was some bloody discharge from my Vajajay (*vagina), which could easily pass off as period blood. I'll have you know that a pregnant woman is not supposed to have her period until after she delivers. You can only imagine how I feel when I saw patches of blood on my stained knickers. Effin' Heart attack. 

Anyway, hubby brought me to the doctor for a check up. Doc measured my Vajajay after I told him about the incident.

Doc: Your cervix has been dilated by 3 - 4 cm. That's the first phase of dilation. You can deliver anytime. You can even deliver today if you want to. However, you're only 36 weeks. It would be best if you are able to deliver next week. Do you feel any contractions at the moment?

Me: *eyes wide opened* Wait, what? Deliver anytime? Meaning? Uh,.. how does contractions feel like? I had stomach ache and lau sai 3 times in the morning but I highly doubt that was contraction. HAHA. I don't feel any pain now.

Doc: That could be a sign of contraction. Usually, the hardest phase is the first phase whereby the cervix opens 3 - 4 cm. Some women struggle to even reach the first phase and need drips for dilation. In your case, you aren't even aware that it has been dilated and it is actually a good thing. I'll write you a medical leave. In the mean time, try not to move about so much and just rest at home. I'll see you again on Wednesday for another check up. 

Me: Am I still going to bleed?

Doc: I've cleaned the blood from your cervix so there shouldn't be anymore bleeding. Perhaps just a bit of spotting. 

After that, I wanted to go home and rest la, right? But noo, Collin wanted to eat dim sum at DJ.
So we went. I wasn't hungry but ate one egg tart anyways (YUMS). Halfway through my tart, I had stomach ache & lau sai AGAIN. Like, what was wrong with me? No idea.

When I reached home, it was probably noon-ish. Mum was super shocked when she heard that my cervix was already dilated 3 - 4 cm and she said I needed to go to the hospital. Pronto!
Was getting ready, packing all necessities when I had stomach ache AGAIN. Lau sai AGAIN.
All in all I lau sai 5 times la minimum. FML.

Still, I didn't feel any contraction.

Collin went to work after dim sum whereas my plan was to stay home and not move kind-of-thing.
But as I went to the toilet, I still had bloody discharge! DOC WAS WRONG. WHO CAN I TRUST NOW? So finally, I gave in and told my mum that I wanted to go to the hospital. Collin came home and we left for Subang at about 5 in the evening. No jam, thankfully.

Anyhoos, arrived at SDMC. Went to the receptionist and told her about my bloody condition and that I was 3 - 4 cm dilated. She asked if I was in pain, I said no. She continued to process the paperwork. I sat there blankly, totally clueless on what lies ahead of me.

Receptionist lady: You will be admitted to the delivery ward. Only your husband can go in with you.

Me: Uh huh, so does that mean I am delivering like.. now? Today? You mean I won't be placed in a normal hospital ward? I don't have any contraction wor.

Seems like that was the plan. Shortly after, a man walked over with a wheelchair and before I know it, I was wheeled into the lift and on to the delivery floor. It was weird, sitting on a wheelchair. I wasn't feeling any pain or contractions anyway. After that I walked into a delivery ward and changed into a patient-outfit. *those hospital gowns where your bare ass peaks and says hi to everyone behind you*

Nurse checked my cervix and OMG it was already 5 cm dilated (BY THE WAY, once the cervix dilates to approx 10 cm, the baby is ready to come out). I said I had my period and she said it wasn't period and that it was actually.. lochia. <--- Totally googled that up because I forgotten the actual word. HAHA

Still, no pain. No nothing. 

After that, I just lay there. On the hospital bed. She fixed some sort of fancy apparatus on my big round belly to monitor my contractions. She was looking at the contraction reading-thingy on the printed paper (similar looking to those fancy equipments that records earthquake reading) and told me that I was having my contractions and asked if I felt it. Nope, no pain. *For a brief moment I thought that my delivery process was going to be easy peasy as there weren't any signs of pain and that I would just sneeze and the baby would pop right out and land on the doctor's welcoming arms.
 BOY, WAS I WRONG ABOUT THAT.

My doctor came at about 9pm dressed in slacks and a casual polo shirt. He then proceeded to cut my water bag. *Collin missed the water bag cutting part cause he went down to pass a set of keys to my family. HAHA he's still holding a grudge about that. Guess he really wanted to see my water bag break. HAHAHA*
Anyway, the doc said the walls of my 'water bag' was really thick. I'm guessing that's why it didn't break in the first place. After he managed to cut it, WHOOOOOOOSHHHHHH, felt like pee but it wasn't la duh. HAHA. I was still on the bed when the doc cut it so wtf almost the entire lower part of the bed was wet. Can you say yuck?

He said that I was about 6 cm dilated and that he expected me to deliver after midnight (27th August).  Logic behind this is, women's cervix generally dilates 1 cm every hour so 9pm + 4 hours = past midnight. Simple theory. He then bid his goodbyes and sauntered off the delivery room. I've never seen a happier and a more relaxed-looking doctor.

SO I LAY THERE. AND NOW I CAN FEEL THE CONTRACTIONS COMING. FML.

Okay, continue next time.
HEHE. suspense.

Bye bye.
-Jaden's officially 3 months old today. HAPPY HAPPY JOY JOY.

Dayre is The New Black

Hehe. Hi. 

Just going to make this a really short one.

Ever thought of keeping a diary but you simply don't have the time to pen it down on a piece of paper? 

.."I'll jot it down later.."

.."Diaries are for girls.."

.."Who keeps a diary anyway?.."

Here's a gentle reminder: As the end of the week approaches, you'd probably think to yourself.. 

"Hmm..What did I eat on Tuesday?.."

"How did I blow my budget this week?.."

"What was the joke my friend told me about again?.."

Hey, what about that funny lil' blooper in your life that made you laugh so hysterically? Don't You want to cherish that moment forever? Don't You want to track your accomplishments on a day to day basis? Let's just assume you'd want to.

..what? Blog it out?

Everything these days are commonly associated with 'On-The-Go' concept and unfortunately, it's a little tiresome to sit infront of your laptop for hours recollecting your daily activities after a loooooong day at work. You just want to kick back and relax, y'know? Enjoy the company of your family & friends.

Well now, introducing a relatively new app- Dayre, is a solution to everyone's needs.

Dayre simply combines your updates, videos and pictures into a daily log in the span of 24 hours. 

It's mad easy to use and super convenient as you can update it whenever and wherever you are (AS LONG AS YOUR PHONE IS BY YOUR SIDE AND IT'S CONNECTED TO THE INTERNET.)

Did I mention it's free? Cause everyone is a sucker for free stuffs.

Here's a little snippet of my 'Day 324' in Dayre. 

BTW, they have stickers available for updates too, which is quite relatable to our daily lives. 

So,.. since I spend majority of my time with my phone (live, sleep & eat with it. literally). I'm going to be updating my Dayre much more than any other social media(s) presently available. 

If any of you kepoh (busy body) eager to know about my adulthood, you have my permission to follow me on Dayre.me/jessicaloh ...HAHA

Ok. Alright, Ciao.

Baby Talk

Aren't you glad that you're living in a modern world? 

*Spreads arms & twirls like how Julie Andrews would in the Sound of Music*

Some of you may wonder, "Why should we be glad when criminal cases have been escalating and our country's wealth is depleting as we speak?"

*sigh*

Okay, black hole.. Geez, thanks for sucking the fun out of everything. If you pay too much emphasis on all the negativity that's going on in the world, you're going to miss out the little things in life that might just tickle your funny bone, losing that chirpiness that we all possess (deep down somewhere, at least). Nobody deserves to be a glum and if you happen to find one, maybe you can hand a hundred bucks over to him just like how Vitaly & Jerome Jarre did to 'make someone feel better'. *Haha, I soooo wouldn't..*

"But aren't you being a little oblivious to what's going on around you? All the human trafficking and what not?", says the reader who-has-his-heart-set-on-being-a-black-hole.

HELLO. THE KEY WORD IS TO APPRECIATE WHAT YOU HAVE. May it be a little or a lot. 

*ahem*

Seems like I have digressed quite a bit from my intended post. 

Yes. Living in the modern world. One of the best inventions that technology can offer (in my sweet little opinion) is a camera phone. Although, admittedly, staring at my iPhone all day has had a negative impact on my vision. 

Still, I'm super thankful that it exists. 

Why? Simply because it has helped me to capture thousands and thousands of my baby's photos. Not to mention edit them into schuper-cute little comic strips. Love love love. 

This boy, the little thing that breathes. My little human. Words can't describe what a significant being he is in my life. (Hi mum, I know how you feel now. lol. love you.) 

Many may ask what it feels like being a mother. Honestly, I could write a thousand words on how I feel but when it comes to your turn to experience parenthood, a thousand words will never seem to suffice. It's different. It changes you into a new leaf, a better one I might add. I can't say that I deserve a 'Best Mummy Award' as I do explode from time to time..(anger management, ha-ha..less occurrences now, I swear.) Though, I do sincerely hope that in Jaden's eyes, I'm all he needs. *wouldn't hurt if he gets me a #1 Mummy In The World <3 mug tho'

*wipes soppy smile off your faces*

Anyway, Jaden's a little over 2 months now, growing more and more each day. Here's some pics!

His hair is naturally like that. Douchey Gangsta..HAHA

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*Short comic strips I made last night. The pictures totally fit the context, no? Totally get why Xiaxue does all these comic strips for Dash. SO ADDICTIVE. Plus, there's only so many things you can do when your baby is asleep for 2 hours tops. 

Comic strip #1: Get Me Out Of Here.

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Comic Strip #2: Passport Photo Day

BY THE WAY, i made his hair like that with a wet cloth.
HAHAHA. SUPER CUTE, RIGHT. Melt with me.
I think the passport hairstyle is way cuter than his douchey hair.

 .

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

*snap*

1..2..3.. 

*snap*

I'm SUPER in love with this photo. Baby smize.

CAN STARE AT IT ALL DAY *crazy mother*

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Okay! That's all for now. heh.

Jx

A Trip to the Dentist

When's Your last visit to the dentist?

...Mine was 2 years ago. 

I know, I know. Before you give me any disapproving looks, yes... we're supposed to get our teeth cleaned & checked every 6 months. Honestly, who does that? HAHA..Please tell me I'm not the only procrastinator around here O_O

How did I end up at the dental clinic anyway?

Just a couple of days ago, a portion of my lower gums felt uneasy. So I decided to wait it out and monitor my gums for a day or two before seeking le dentist. *Days passed* ..Sad to say that my condition didn't improve la right?! Or I wouldn't be sitting here writing this post in the first place.

Funny how I seem to always delay the process of curing whatever problems I have until the very last minute before it reaches an alarming stage. Seriously, what's my problem? Let's take for example, I almost! *note: almost had abscess milk duct due to the blocked ducts in my boobs last month. FYI, when a woman has abscess milk duct, she needs to undergo surgery, OK!? Not a laughing matter. Will totes blog about that horrible horrible experience next time. Shit, life isn't easy.

Where was I? Oh right, gum problem. 

I went to the dentist today. Costed me a mini bomb (RM225) on top of my other commitments that I already have. *blows dust out of empty wallet* T_T

OK. RIGHT. DENTIST. NOBODY LIKES GOING TO THE DENTIST. Unless you're there to remove your braces, heh. 

// My dental experience after 2 long years //

There I am, sitting on a dental throne with my mouth agape (not glam at all) while lady dentist checked my gums.

..Turns out I have 'serious gum problems'. Omo, what does that even mean? *heart sinked*

She said my gums aren't healthy and experienced inflammation due to the accumulated tartar. Probably a result of inadequate brushing & not visiting the dentist often. 

**HAHA on a side note,.. I just realized that tartar on gums and tartar sauce have the same spelling. How ironic. Ew. 

Since my gums aren't healthy and bla bla inflammation, it started receding. AND SOMEONE MY AGE ISN'T SUPPOSED TO HAVE RECEDING GUMS! Eff Efff Efffff!!! It's like saying to a 22 year old's face that he has receding hair line. Oh, the venom! *ouch

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So I got this off the internet to what causes receding gums:

Hormonal changes. Fluctuations in female hormone levels during a woman's lifetime, such as in puberty, pregnancy, and menopause, can make gums more sensitive and more vulnerable to gum recession.

Tobacco products. Tobacco users are more likely to have sticky plaque on their teeth that is difficult to remove, which can cause gum recession.

Grinding and clenching your teeth. Clenching or grinding your teeth can put too much force on the teeth, causing gums to recede.

Crooked teeth or a misaligned bite. When teeth do not come together evenly, too much force can be placed on the gums and bone, allowing gums to recede.

Body piercing of the lip or tongue. Jewelry can rub the gums and irritate them to the point that gum tissue is worn away.

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Okay, seems fair. I did experience a major hormonal change & still have a misaligned bite. Not sure if I grind or clench my teeth tho'.  

Anyhoo, what's done is done. Gums can't grow back to where it formally was and now I'm stuck with a receding one. Oh well. The only thing that can be done by the lady dentist was  major scaling on my less-than-perfect set of teeth. Was it painful? Nahhh, I tend to shift my attention onto something else (not the dental apparatus) in hopes that fairies will take me to their wonderland and away from the torture chamber. It works. However, I had to open my mouth so big to the extend that the sides of my lips were going to split. It was uncomfortable. Also, I didn't put any moisturiser on my face so imagine having your mouth wide open with super dry skin as an extra touch. Not the best combo. 

Now, my teeth is clean again. Will definitely not neglect my next visit to the dentist 6 months from today. I can already foresee that one or two of my lower teeth might go missing when I'm older if my gums continue receding. Guess I've got to start setting aside some money for fake tooth implantation in the future. *labels jar & tosses in some coins* 

Whoa, such a wordy blog. 

Sorry, I doubt you'd want me to post a picture of my teeth or gums, right? Don't so disgusting ah. 

bbye. 

Runaway Thoughts

Hello there.

As you may have noticed, my last blog entry was on the 14th of August.
So, this blog has been pretty much dead ever since.

*brushes off cobwebs from every corner of the blog*

Ahem, why the sudden revival you ask? Well, I prefer the term 'reconstruction'.

On 26th of August, I went into labour (a month early I might add) and gave birth to a beautiful baby boy named Jaden Liew K.J.. Following the Chinese tradition, I was quarantined at home for a little over a month (aka confinement). Will probably blog about confinement & my labour experience in the near future for new mothers-to-be. HAHA. You'd need as much information as possible, trust me. *serious tone*

So anyway, I haven't been out for 2 months since delivery as baby J has been quite a handful!
Hence, unable to eat any good food = no food posts to blog about.
NO FOOD POSTS means DON'T NEED TO BLOG LOR, RIGHT?

WRONG.

I want to blog because I like to type and typing games bore me(that's probably the lamest reason). Plus, I don't physically own a diary and my head almost always explodes with too much thoughts cramming up my brain. Women in nature I assume(unless it only applies to me), think too much and if we do not have a channel to vent out to, we'd probably go a little nuts. But hey, maybe that's what Twitters are for. I don't own one so I don't particularly know. HAHA. Ok.

This is in a nutshell the reason for my recent hiatus and a peek of what my blog posts will be like in the future..Be it foodie posts, girly rants, baby progresses or reminisce of the past, this blog will no longer be a food blog but my public diary.

Jx

Maria's Restaurant & Café @ Metropolitan Square, PJ

Ever heard of this song by Santana back in the year 2000? 

♫ Maria Maria, she reminds me of a west side story.. ♫ 

As I purchased Maria's Restaurant & Café's Groupon voucher a couple of weeks ago, this tune was stuck in my head. Well, 'Ave Maria' by Kim Ah Joong managed to creep into my musical system as well but Santana seemed to have a better grip, holding its spot on my mind whenever my eyes are set on the word 'Maria'. 

Let's cut to the chase. 

Located just above Citibank & Old Town White Coffee, I had my lunch at Maria's.

All items are subject to 10% service charge. Check out their full menu. Yum yum.

Random pic of Maria's table setting along with their purple menu.  

Urk, my iPhone 4's camera doesn't do any justice to this restaurant's beautifully decorated interior. 

I liked what they have done with this place. If Maria's Restaurant was a girl, she'd be characterized as a non-pretentious individual & you'd definitely like to hang out with her. Yup, this place gave me a cozy vibe and relaxes my nerves. 

Fresh Pumpkin Soup (RM9.00)

If it's not the month of Halloween, I'm generally not a fan of pumpkins..

But 'tis the season to be jolly as this particular pumpkin soup tasted as if it was made with heart. It tasted homey and sweet. Although it might be a tad too sweet for my liking, I gotta give Maria's some credit for not serving us diluted soup (which is what I absolutely loathe when dining in a restaurant). 

Quality: Check! 

Fresh Mushroom Soup (RM9.00)

mMmm, nothing like a hearty bowl of mushroom soup to cheer up your day. 

Pity I didn't get the chance to taste the croutons. The soup was not as thick as the pumpkin version but it wasn't diluted either. Which meant that the pumpkin soup was really concentrated whereas the former was just right. I really liked this one. As a fan of mushroom soup, Maria's version has definitely secured its spot as one of the better ones out there for its stated price above. 

Grilled Chicken with Honey Mustard Sauce (RM20.00) 

The mains were served with sauté vegetables and a couple of wedges were tucked beneath the meat.

I've read several reviews regarding this place prior to my visit at Maria's and realized that most diners recommended Maria's Honey Mustard Sauce over its Mushroom Sauce. Not wanting to challenge the people's choice, we too ordered honey mustard! 

Verdict? All of us liked it. I'm not a fan of chicken meat but this could be an exception. Along with it's accompanying sauce, the meat was pleasantly tender. The sauce was sweet but I wished there was a stronger punch of mustard in it (I friggin' <3 mustard). Overall, this was an enjoyable meal. If only the portion was a tiny bit bigger :p 

Pan Fried Canadian Seabass (RM58.00)

Premium white cod served with sake sauce. Wa wa wa, the dish's name alone has managed to successfully capture my undivided attention. Question is, does it taste as good as it seems? Yeh, pretty much. Albeit the slightly salty potato wedges, everything on the plate was spot on. What can I say? The cod was fresh and well prepared. Its skin was crisp yet the flesh tasted juicy. Come on, who doesn't love cod?! 

By the way, I would say that this meal is worth every penny as Maria serves a pretty generous portion of cod to their diners. Look at that slab of fish!

I know many restaurants that are extremely tightfisted when it comes to serving cod, leaving customers unsatisfied at the end of the day. *the portion can be extremely miserly at times! Which makes me sooooo angry* 

Australian Chilled Fillet (RM59.00)

Usually, I would prefer having a medium-rare steak but I opt for a medium one today. There were two slabs of steak fillets stacked on one another but I have to comment that one of it was medium-rare whilst the other was medium. Fine by me, as long as it wasn't well done. 

Quality wise, you can't expect it to taste like wagyu as the price would've been double or triple its original price. It tasted like an ordinary piece of steak that I bought from the meat department in  Coles while I was in Australia. (It is a chilled fillet after all.) 

Sorry, this is a miss for me. ý ý ý  

Apparently, the menu stated that the chilled fillet is served with red wine sauce. If that's what red wine sauce is supposed to taste like, I am a little speechless. In my opinion, it tasted like mushroom sauce... At least the chefs managed to get my order right-ish? 

One of Maria's waitresses seemed to be in a rush to clear our plates though,.. my mum was chewing on what's left on my plate (snow peas) and a lady walked over & said "Excuse me", picked the plate up & walked away without any signs of hesitation while mummy was still holding her fork with a snow pea stuck on it. 

Mm seng muk. 

Lemon Cheese Cake (RM9.50)

On a lighter note, I really enjoyed this dessert! Was looking forward to Maria's tiramisu but it wasn't ready yet :( 

Was aiming for their moist chocolate cake too but the crowd seemed to prefer lemon cheese instead.  No regrets tho'! It was a real joy to eat. The cake wasn't too sweet and the cheese tasted light. The lemon wasn't overpowering either so everything came together really well. 't was gooooood. 

Maria's Restaurant & Café

Lot C131A, Center Wing, Level 3

Metropolitan Square

No. 2, Jalan PJU8/1

Bandar Damansara Perdana

47820 Petaling Jaya

For reservations: 03-7725 2313

Yours truly,

Jx