Passport Renewal @ Wangsa Maju

When hubby told me that I needed to renew my passport, of course I reacted with a huge sigh and groan. 

I was thinking about having to wake up early and leaving the house by 6.30am, dragging along a sleepy toddler so that we could queue in front of the Immigration Office just to take a number! 

Last Friday, we initially planned to leave the house early.
Didn't expect our toddler to wake up around the same time, so we got her ready, packed her stuff and off we went, albeit being half an hour later than planned.

We reached the Immigration Office around 7.15pm and parked right in front of the office. 

At that time, there were ample parking space whereby the mamak stalls were filled with office workers grabbing their breakfast and you can see the makcik selling nasi lemak setting up their stalls too, so if you wish to grab a quick breakfast, you have a lot of choices around.

As we climbed the stairs heading to the department, a lady immediately grabbed our attention with "Nak buat passport? Ambik gambar dulu."

I initially hesitated, saying that we needn't take a picture (yes, I've read some blogs saying that you need not bring any photos) as I didn't want to be cheated out of my money for something I wouldn't end up using!

But the lady said "Bukan untuk awak, untuk anak awak. Diaorang tak amik gambar budak bawah 6 tahun sebab susah."

I see. 

So we prepped our toddler for a picture taking session. 

Yes, tough at first as she refused to look at the camera and was smiling AT ME instead! 

"Look at the camera, baby," I told my little toddler.

The lady who took her picture said "Tengok camera, hello! Senyum! Hi." I could see she was also trying to grab my toddler's attention. 

Whilst my toddler and I were in the room taking pics, hubby was outside busy completing forms for both of us which the lady had handed out to him, "Ini borang kena isi untuk apply passport. Nah, percuma."

Wow, very efficient of her! 

It took us around 15 minutes or so to get it sorted and hubby asked me to line up first. 

We were number 13 in the queue.

Two RELA officers were standing guard, asking everyone to get their ICs ready and they ensured that the everyone was in line, not blocking the pathway. 

They also handed out the same forms and requested everyone to complete the forms (which the lady had handed out earlier to us at the photo shop).

The two RELA officers, despite looking serious, are actually very helpful and will most definitely answer any questions you have in the most kind manner. 

Everyone else was very courteous in the queue, like WOW! I'm truly impressed. (Faith in humanity restored!)

Doors were opened around 7.45am.

You need to prepare:
1) IC or Birth Cert for your child
2) 2 Photos of your child
3) Copy of IC / Birth Cert
4) Completed Form(s): Personal details, including your height and also for how long you wish to renew it for. <You can measure your height by yourself in the Immigration Office>

RELA officers will guide you to the counter.

Approach the counter, they'll check that your documents are in order and they'll give you a number.

Take a seat. 

You'll need to wait until 8am, then they'll start operations. 

Wait for your number to appear on the screen. 

We went to counter 11.

Hand over the same documents and you'll be required to take a picture here. There's a mirror too at the counter so you can check your hair before snapping your photo. You'll be required to sign on a document too, along with your thumbprint. 

The officer checked her screen, checked the documents and printed a document, passed it to me. 

Take a seat, again.

Wait until your number is called.

This time we went to counter 8.

Paid RM300 for 5-years renewal.

The officer will return your IC and produce a receipt. "Boleh ambil passport dalam masa sejam ya."

I decided to wait inside the office instead.

45 minutes later, my number suddenly appeared. 

I approached the counter, was asked for my old passport, she looked at it and stamped on it. She handed over my new passport, requested me to check the details on the passport and sign.

Walla, all done by 9.30am! :)

Photo is in black and white so don't worry if you didn't manage to apply your make-up so early in the morning :D


Getting there:

Jabatan Imigresen Wangsa Maju

Aktiviti Hujung Minggu

Assalamualaikum!

Macam mana title blog entry kali ni?
Macam zaman sekolah dulu tak?
Buat karangan BM? hehehe

Ok, hari ni nak free-writing je, suka suki ;)
Takde format, takde tujuan, takde makna
Jika nak teruskan untuk membaca, silakan ... :D

Bangun pagi semalam agak lewat, sebab tidur pun lewat malam sebelumnya. 
Tunggu Mr Hubby balik dari company dinner. 
My brother tidur rumah 2 malam dan akan balik kolej semula petang semalam. 

Maka, kakak yang baik hati ini (chewah), tolonglah tengokkan assignment yang si adik siapkan pada sebelah malam. 
Dah lama tak buat kerja kan, jadi bila baca soalan dan tengok jawapan adik tu, agak lah lembab kakak dia nak rumuskan atau beri pandangan. 

Adik dan kakak tengah sibuk tengok assignment, budak kecik pun sibuk jugak kacau pakcik kesayangan dia tu. 
Mr Hubby pun tolong layan budak kecik tu sambil2 memberi juga pandangan dia untuk assignment adik.

Amik masa lama juga, dalam 3 jam kot nak semak dalam 30 soalan macam tu. 
Habis diskusi dalam 1.15pm, maka cepat2 lah kami bersiap sebab kena pergi majlis tahlil kat TTDI dan adik pula kena balik rumah our parents kejap untuk lunch sebelum bertolak balik kolej.

Tak dapat nak join lunch sebab kitorang kena pergi majlis tahlil tu. 
Masalahnya, ada barang2 yang belum siap pack lagi sebab lepas majlis dah ada plan singgah butik kawan.

Dalam pukul 2pm baru selesai solat & packing.
Mr Hubby set GPS kat phone sebab tak tahu jalan ke masjid di TTDI tu.

Makanya, amik masa juga.
Signal phone pulak boleh "No Service" semalam untuk set Waze! 
Adoi ...
Tawakkal je lah masa drive ke TTDI tu. 
Nasib baik masa dah sampai area Kepong, signal dah ok.

Bila sampai je masjid, majlis dah selesai, jadi kami singgah juga jumpa kawan dan beri buah tangan.
Masjid tu agak besar, senang nak buat majlis tahlil dan ada juga tempat untuk letak meja panjang untuk sediakan makanan. 
Diaorang bungkus semua makanan jadi orang2 yang datang bawa balik makanan tu.

Tengah2 borak, tetiba hujan lebat.
Cepat2 bawak budak kecik masuk kereta sambil tunggu Mr Hubby borak dulu dengan kawan2 dia.

Dalam pukul 3.30pm barulah gerak ke butik kawan di area Damansara.
Duduk sana agak lama, siap Asar & Maghrib kat situ.
Sangat selesa sebab tak payah pakai kasut kat dalam, ada washroom, pantry dan play area untuk budak2.
Budak kecik pun suka je main blocks & toys yang ada.
Siap ada sofa tu, jadi kalau Mr Hubby tertidur pun ok je, boleh sambung shopping hehehe

Balik dalam kol 9pm++, walaupun diorang patutnya tutup pukul 6pm!!! 
Diaorang cakap, "Takpe, kitorang pun tak rush nak pergi mana2."
Ok, sangat awesome service!

Dalam perjalanan balik, memang lah pening nak decide makan kat mana.
Dalam 15 minit dalam kereta, budak kecik pun tidur!
Cancel plan untuk makan kat kedai makan, terus gerak balik rumah. 
Singgah beli nasi kukus ayam dara kat Taman Melati (sedap hokeyy!!) untuk makan kat rumah.

Oh ya! 
Dalam kesibukkan di butik kawan tadi, Mr Hubby keluar kejap pergi ke IKEA.
Tak sangka, bila dia singgah kat section "As Is", ada EMPAT (4) unit dapur untuk budak2!!! 

Harga asal: RM 388
Harga promosi: RM200+

Siap ada kabinet kat belah atas dapur tu. 
Apa lagi, Mr Hubby angkut satu untuk dibeli.

Dalam perjalanan untuk bayar, dia disapa beberapa parents ... diaorang semua tanya harga! 

Mr Hubby sampai je rumah, terus bersihkan dapur untuk budak kecik, dengan penuh kasih sayang :)
Usahanya berbaloi, sebab dapur tu sekarang nampak baru!

Budak kecik bangun dalam tengah malam, nampak Mr Hubby susun barang2 kat dapur, terus budak kecik excited (walaupun tengah mamai), nak tolong susun jugak barang2 tu. :)

Terpaksa tarik budak kecik masuk tidur balik tak lama lepas tu sebab dah nak dekat pukul 1am masa dia nak main. 

Inilah rupa dapur tu ...

SOURCE: www.ikea.com
SERIES: DUKTIG Mini-Kitchen

Sitka @ Jalan Batai, Damansara Heights

Maybe it wasn't our lucky day.

We walked into Sitka cafe around 10.30am and saw the "Open" sign on the door.

One patron was seated outside enjoying his coffee and reading the morning paper.

We decided to check out the place for breakfast as hubby read a review on Eat Drink KL

Of course, hubby checked the business hours which was 9am-6pm daily hence we decided to go in around 10am+.

The signage at the entrance reminded me of a Japanese restaurant.

As you step inside the cafe, you'll notice that the walkway was slightly narrow from the main door to the counter.

We were greeted by a friendly barista who advised us that the kitchen was not opened yet, however, the pastries, cakes and coffee were available.

Hubby and I love the glass casings which houses the pastries & cakes.

The names and prices are clearly written for you to decide. 

One thing though, the barista is a bit clueless on the ingredients of some of the pastries. 

We ended up ordering pastries which we were familiar with so as to avoid disappointment. 

After all, it was still a new cafe so we'd want to give them a chance.

I ordered their long black whilst hubby ordered macchiato.

Choosing a place to sit was a wee bit challenging. 

We're not picky. 

Actually, we were the only patrons in the cafe that morning. 

There were 2 guys fixing a photo frame where they had combined 1 or 2 tables to support the frame so they were working on it. 

Another table by the window sill was already occupied with a few papers scattered and a cup, but no one was seated there. 

We chose a table somewhat near the counter.

The view of the counter is nicely decorated and if you're like me, you'd consistently check out the cakes and pastries, thinking of what to order next. :)

As our pastries arrived, we noticed that they hadn't warmed up the smoked salmon quiche and croissant.

Consuming cold quiche and croissant just doesn't cut it. 

So hubby took both plates and requested for them to heat the pastries.

They mentioned that since the kitchen was not opened yet, they couldn't warm it up.

*Sigh*

Both of us went ahead eating the cold quiche and our toddler ate the cold croissant.

Hubby didn't enjoy the quiche so I had to finish it :(

My long black arrived not long after but hubby's macchiato hadn't.

When another couple walked in and received their pastries and coffee, hubby walked up to the counter to check on his coffee.

As they saw the receipt he brought (as the barista asked him to confirm if he had indeed ordered it), they quickly fixed his coffee.

What we ordered

When they delivered his coffee, there were no apologies offered by any of them for the delay or oversight. 

I guess it's not that we expected them to apologize but it's just common courtesy.

Throughout our entire dining experience, there were people walking around trying to figure out where to hang the picture frame and also people fixing the tables etc.

It wasn't quite comfortable for us so we left the cafe without really enjoying our breakfast :(

It was our first and will be our last visit to Sitka cafe, unfortunately.
 

For those of you who'd want to give it a try, do check them out below:

Sitka Restaurant

8-5, Jalan Batai, Bukit Damansara, Damansara Heights, Kuala Lumpur

Tel: 03-2011-4788

Downtime & Dateline!

Our toddler had the sniffles first.

I continued to give her soup, honey + warm water and warm baths.

I got the sniffles not long after.

It was downtime for the both of us until the following day, I just couldn't stand it and ended up lying down most of the time. 

My brain was working hard as I was preparing for a project and had to be completed within the next 3 days :( I had SOOOO many things to do!

I had actually slept around 3am the night before to get things done, but obviously failed. 

I tried completing my task during the day but was in between laundry & cooking & cleaning & changing diapers, not to mention bf our toddler.

Hubby came home from work early after I sent him an SOS.

He played with our toddler whilst I caught up on some Zzzz's and nursed my cough and flu. 

I took air asam jawa 3 times daily, warm baths and honey + warm water too. 

When I was recovering but still felt weak with a slight headache, I decided, "Ok, I still can't focus on completing my project so I'll watch my favorite TV series."

It felt like AGES since the last time I watched my TV series. 

Thankfully, our toddler was super tired and slept early, 8pm (yes! that's early!) since she refused to nap during the day as she was busy playing with Daddy. 

I ended up sleeping at 3am ... yes, talk about wanting to recover from flu and here I am, burning the midnight oil with the TV! 

The following day, hubby prepared our meals and kept our toddler busy whilst I slept most of the time.

When I felt better, I managed to complete my project and realized that:

As a SAHM, I have to juggle my time in completing my tasks as a mom & completing my project. 

I'd more or less have to stop from time to time as I need to put my daughter as top priority, however, at times, I'd need to tell her that I was working so she'd give me time.

If she takes her afternoon naps, I'm able to focus but not for long as I'd most probably need to do some cooking / cleaning / laundry.

I would already be tired by the time our toddler goes to sleep at night so completing the project in the wee hours of the morning isn't such a great idea.

I admire SAHMs who don't have helpers at home, who mind their own children and are either studying / running their own business at the same time. 

They don't have the luxury of break times to take a breather.

They don't have the luxury of time to really really REALLY focus on their studies or business as one child might come to them asking them to read or one child might be hungry or another decided to poop right after diaper change...

They don't have the luxury of having other people help out with the cooking and cleaning and laundry if their time is spent on studying or running their business. 

They still have to bathe and feed their kid(s), not to mention run the household. 

Of course, they're the go-to person if someone can't find something in the house. 

I believe it takes time for them to establish a system for them to mind their kid(s), manage their household and run their business at the same time. 

Phew! It's a lot of work and requires a whole lot of patience too! 

I do hope I can find a system that works for me.

Easy Friday

Today was slightly free & easy for me in comparison to yesterday. 

I woke up and immediately put the kettle on boil, cleaned up the kitchen and washed whatever dirty glasses or bottles left in the sink. 

As our toddler was still asleep, I could shower in peace without having to multi-task to shower her too!

After getting dressed and preparing her milk, she suddenly woke up and looked at me in the face, saying "Ummi, I'm hungry. I'm really hungry" whilst touching her tummy. 

Got her into the bathroom for a shower and brushed her teeth, of course, she wanted to play with the shower head so I ended up taking another shower!

She chose her own outfit, a green long-sleeved shirt paired with blue jeans and a pair of white socks.

As I was combing her hair, she wanted to use the hairbrush too so both of us ended up combing her hair.

I ushered her to the sofa and gave her 2 slices of bread, she didn't want it toasted this time around. 

She finished her bread and was following me around whilst I got her bag ready for us to go out. 

We drove to THE SCHOOL @ Jaya One on Jalan Universiti in PJ around 10am.

The traffic was slightly congested, probably as it was a Friday, so it took us approximately 30 minutes to reach our destination. 

She finished her formula in the car and we talked about the things we could see on the road and she'd mention things which I myself wouldn't have noticed. 

ie 
"Ummi, there's a cat over there!" a poster with 4 kittens
"Ummi, look, a parrot!" a truck with a parrot painted on it

Her observation skills and memory is really good, Alhamdulillah!

For lunch, I decided to check out a restaurant selling nasi campur, called CHEMUMUR. 

From THE SCHOOL, we walked towards a kopitiam and took the escalator which was right next to it. We passed by a Korean restaurant and took another flight of stairs. 

Take a left turn, walk straight and you'll pass SUSHI KING on your left.

CHEMUMUR is just right next to it.

Trust me, of all the cafes selling sandwiches & coffee or even pasta and other Western meals, nothing beats good ole' Malay dishes :)

I had my white rice + grilled chicken + sambal + kuah asam pedas + sayur pucuk paku downed with air sirap bandung. 

OWH EM GEE! Alhamdulillah! Delicious!

As I was super happy with my meal and drink, I passed on my compliment to the cashier :)

The next visit here, I'd grab hubby along :D

I managed to feed some chicken and rice to our toddler before she got all excited and played with another kid who was slightly older. 

After lunch, we walked back to THE SCHOOL and checked out the toys section on level P1.

She got on some slides, rode some bicycle, played in some playhouse and was mesmerized with the toy robot and toy cars. 

No, she didn't look twice at the dolls which were also nearby...

Some snapshots of the toys available (the place is soooo huge so I didn't manage to capture ALL of it).

Ok, THIS is cool!

The prices are quite affordable, especially if you're thinking of birthday gifts / gifts for the lil' ones.

As it was nearing 3pm, I told her that we needed to head home. 

The drive home was smooth and she fell asleep in the car within 15 minutes. 

It was a great Friday indeed :)