Monday 31 August 2020

#BabyMoon : Afternoon Tea at the Orchid Conservatory

Google afternoon tea / high tea in KL and this place would definitely pops up. You can choose from the 3 venues available at the Majestic Hotel; the Colonial Cafe, the Drawing Room and the Orchid Conservatory. The most sought after venue is the Orchid Conservatory which only accepts patron above the age of 18 (similar to the Drawing Room). 

The rate is also different according to the venue ; 
  • Colonial Cafe - RM70 nett per person
  • Drawing Room - RM90 nett per person
  • Orchid Conservatory - RM120 nett per person

You'll get the same spread consisting of finger sandwiches, scones with clotted cream and a selection of decadent cake, pastries and savouries. The difference in price is only due to the venue.

The Majestic Afternoon Tea is available every weekend (Saturday & Sunday) with two sessions daily. The first session is at 12.00pm - 2.30pm; while the second session is at 3.00pm - 6.00pm. Also, remember to reserve your place early as it's always fully booked!

So we book ourselves some seat (3 weeks earlier) and we chose the Orchid Conservatory experience, noon slot (right after we checked out of the room). FYI, there are only 6 tables available per slot!

wnfdiary.com



Upon arrival, you had to choose from their selections of tea. And they'll brew the tea for you. I chose Strawberry Mango while N sticks with English tea.  The scones, they're so good!! The pastries can be hit and miss, though.


The savoury selection. The quiche and puff pastry were good! Their version of the scotch egg (I think) was not.


The room was well ventilated with AC despite having natural lighting. So if it's raining, I reckon it will look a bit gloomy inside the Orchid room. 



It is a great experience. Highly recommend it!!
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Sunday 30 August 2020

#BabyMoon : The Majestic Hotel, Kuala Lumpur

Another post-MCO promotion that we took advantage of! I have always, always wanted to spend a night here and finally, we did! 

In June, I've gotten a promotion email from the hotel. They had a special offer for the Deluxe Room / Junior Suite which includes in-room served breakfast and an upgrade to the Majestic Wing for only RM365 nett. That is such a steal, I tell you! I immediately made a booking and I would have to say, their customer service is simply the best. Prompt reply, courteous and attentive. 

However earlier this month I got another email from the hotel saying that the Majestic Wing is now closed due to lower demand (I totally understand with the impact of COVID). Hence, my room is changed to Deluxe King at the Tower Wing with the same room rate. So I replied to the email (kindly, if I might add) asking if there is anything I could do the make the stay more enjoyable as I felt it's a downgrade from my original booking. Frankly, I'm prepared to pay more to get a better room. 

Then..... They decided to upgrade my booking to the Junior Suite, including breakfast! And now it only cost me RM345 nett due to service tax exemption (Normally, the rate is RM660 all-in). Rezeki!

So the check-in time is 3pm and check-out at 12pm. Slightly better than Grand Lexis 😎

But, to my dismay .... It took a while to check-in. The queue was long, even with 4 counters and it was moving sooo slowly. Nearly half an hour later, we finally got into our room. We got the corner room yeayy!! *natural lighting*






There was a TV in the bathroom as well so you can soak for a long timeeee in the bathtub (with entertainment)😊The next day, breakfast was served at the Colonial Cafe where you had the option of either Western / Malay breakfast. We both opted for the former.

Bento-styled breakfast



The swimming pool and gym are still open, but you'll have to reserve as they are limiting the occupancy at any one time. 

We really do enjoy our stay at The Majestic; albeit the fact that patrons still need to pay for parking (RM15 per day for multiple entries). You would have thought it's included in the room rates πŸ’ Still an awesome stay though πŸ’“
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Wednesday 26 August 2020

#ProductReview : Bird's Nest by Halal Chinese Confinement Food

I knew how beneficial bird's nest is to one's health and wellbeing but the fact that most of the instant bird's nest drinks on the market are loaded with sugar (and not to mention contains very LITTLE of actual bird's nest), always made me think twice before actually buying em. That's until I came across Halal Chinese Confinement Food (HCCF) on Instagram. 

They are selling many products including confinement meals, lactation cookies/brownies, bird's nest drinks, red dates drinks and various types of dumplings. What I'm focusing on today is their instant bird's nest drink. 

Why I'm attracted to their Bird's Nest Drink?

  • 100% pure natural ingredients (no preservatives and stabilizers)
  • Low in sugar (less than 4g of sugar in each bottle)'
  • They are super transparent about their bird's nest content. Each bottle contains 1.2g of dry bird's nest and they usually expand 15-20 times. Which makes the total bird's nest content in each bottle is at least 30%.
  • Beautiful packaging!
So you can get the bird's nest in a box (6 bottles) or a carton (36 bottles).

I bought a box of the bird's nest drink to sample both variations of the drinks; rock sugar and honeycomb sugar.


Look how pretty!!!!



The benefits of these drinks are as follows;
  • Stimulate cell growth and reproduction
  • Strengthen the immune system
  • Restoring fine complexion and youthfulness, thus slowing down the ageing process
  • Contributes to neurological and intellectual development in infants
I kept them in the fridge and had a bottle first thing in the morning. And I love them so much! I've finished all my 6 bottles and already ordered a carton to drink during my confinement next month! 

Price-wise, it is a bit up there compared to those drinks you can easily find on the market. But with the quality, you really get your money's worth.  

The bird's nest box is sold for RM218 [RM36.3 per bottle or RM0.61 per ml]
The bird's nest carton is sold for RM1000[RM27.7 per bottle or RM0.46 per ml]
So evidently, the more you buy, the cheaper it will be.

For the bird's nest carton, you have the option to mix the flavour or choose a single flavour (I chose the honeycomb sugar variation). 

But for this whole month, they are offering 10% discount!
Definitely not to be missed!


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Tuesday 25 August 2020

#BabyMoon : Grand Lexis, Port Dickson

Post MCO, a lot of hotels offer promotion price/package to entice the travellers. We managed to buy the Grand Lexis 2D1N stay voucher for only RM280 (Deluxe Pool Villa) whereas the original price would be around RM490. Buying the voucher is one thing, but securing the date is whole another issue.  They never picked up the phone, and it takes weeks for them to reply to an email. Thankfully, I tried contacting them a month and a half in advance so my preferred date was still available.

Upon check-in, we found out that we've been upgraded to the Deluxe Suite in the Garden Wing. No issues as the room was bigger and we could park right in front of our room. The check-in process didn't take too long albeit the fact that there were tons of people. They had a queuing system and our number was 46! But it took less than 15 minutes all in all. 

The room was very spacious, with 2 king beds. The layout is slightly different from those published in their website (picture below) but nonetheless, so big and comfortable. I only took a video of the whole layout of the suite.

Oh, 1 thing to note. The check-in time at Grand Lexis is at 3pm and check-out time is 11am. I know, I know, it sucks right? Merely 20 hours only! Hoping they will extend the check out time in the future. 


The best part of the room? The private swimming pool of course!




So in the suite, there were lounge area, bathroom with separate shower, the private pool, outdoor rain shower, and the bedroom itself. Safe to say, N enjoyed himself so much. Hahaha

So at night, we went to have seafood dinner at Medan Ikan Bakar Majlis Perbandaran Port Dickson, stall number 3 (Persatuan Nelayan). It's relatively cheap and tasty. Would definitely recommend. 


Then before we left Port Dickson the next day, we had lunch at Warung Salai. Would also recommend! Not to forget the kuih keria they sold outside their premise. 5 stars!!


It was a short vacation, but we definitely enjoyed every second of it!
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Tuesday 18 August 2020

#Pregnancy : Antenatal Class(es)

Apart from buying pregnancy and parenting book, I've also joined several antenatal classes which really helps a lot especially for a first-time mother like me. 


Antenatal Class (Andorra)
Fee : RM100 per couple (for patients) or RM200 per couple (for non-patients)
Location : Pulse Grande Hotel Putrajaya
Payment Includes : Theory and practical classes, meals (breakfast, lunch and tea), lucky draw and gift bag.


The highlight of the class (for me) was the session by Dr Asmiati and Pn Jasmeen. Dr Asmiati explained the common neonatal problems, what you should do if you notice any health issues with your babies for the first few months; when you should worry and when you shouldn’t.  Pn Jasmeen led the breastfeeding slot. Honestly, the session was too short (this is a topic close to my heart) but she’s so good. It was entertaining yet a lot of salient information was shared. And oh the CPR class was also very helpful! If you haven’t gone to any antenatal classes this could be a venue for you to learn more about pregnancy and childbirth. As I’ve attended several other classes, I would say the only new knowledge I gained was from Dr Asmiati’s session and also the CPR class. 

After lunch, we had a session on birthing technique. The slot lasted for about 3 hours. For the earlier parts of the session (theoretical), they should have let the parents sit on the chair (especially as the classes is only opened to mothers who are at least 28 weeks pregnant). Instead, they have removed all the chairs and table after lunch, asking the parents to sit on the yoga mat for the whole 3 hours. It was very uncomfortable. 

Then there was the lucky draw session. We got a night lamp. Yeayy!! Rezeki anak. Both me and Nazli  had hardly won any lucky draw, ever. Hahaha



Parentcraft Online Class (Motherhood)
Fee : RM50
Location : FB Private Group
Payment Includes : Classes and gift box (posted to my house)


The videos are available on the private FB group. Among topics discussed includes nutrition while pregnant, delivery process, antenatal exercise and breastfeeding.


Kelas Bersalin Tenang (Eja Confinement Helper)
Fee : RM100
Location : FB Private Group and WhatsApp Group
Payment Includes : Online classes, Whatsapp support group for up until giving birth, then switch to Telegram postnatal support group


Heard so many good reviews and I decided to join her class. No regret! Even if you don't join her class, you can find many helpful tips on her iG page. The aim of her class is for you to give birth (and go through confinement) calmly. And the key to that? Knowledge and tawakal. Can't really recommend her enough!! She's so interactive both during FB Live sessions and in the Whatsapp group.


Antenatal Breastfeeding Workshop (Dr Nurhaya)
Fee : RM99
Location : FB Private Group 
Payment Includes : Online classes and e-book


For those with zero breastfeeding knowledge, this class is very helpful as it covers the basics. Among the topics shared were the importance of breastfeeding, the biology of breast milk, latching techniques, baby’s needs and the issues you may face while breastfeeding. The e-book is clear and helpful. However, after a month you’ll be removed from the FB private group so it’s better for you to quickly catch up with the FB videos. 


Working Mom and Breastfeeding (Dr Nurhaya)
Fee : RM99
Location : FB Private Group 
Payment Includes : Online classes and breast pump measurement kit (posted to my house)


Honestly, I’ve learnt a LOT from this class. Though it was supposed to be from 4th – 12th August, your membership in the FB private group is permanent and the Live FB videos are saved there. So, I can always refer to the videos from time to time (usually the live session is conducted during office hours). So far there have been 8 modules, covering topics like how to choose your breast pump and your breast shield size, introducing milk bottle to your baby and preparation to send your baby to the nanny. This group is highly, highly recommended for working moms!


Breastfeeding Class (Nad Masrom)
Fee : RM79
Location : FB Private Group and Website
Payment Includes : Online classes and e-books


There are 14 modules in the program, each module lasted for about 30-50 minutes. The video for each module is available on the website which you'll get access to once you've made the payment. The e-books were also very helpful (and interesting!).  The topics covered are shown below;

I slightly like this class better as it's more fast-paced. And I felt like it covered a bit more topics compared to Dr Nurhaya's class.



So if I had to recommend antenatal classes to others, I'll definitely choose Kelas Bersalin Tenang, Dr Nurhaya (Working Mom module) and Nad Masrom's class πŸ’“
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Tuesday 11 August 2020

#BabyMoon : Tanah Aina Farah Soraya, Bentong, Pahang

This was our long-awaited holiday post-MCO and we were sooo excited to tell you the least 😁

A bit of a background, Tanah Aina has a few resorts; Farah Soraya (Bentong), Farhana (Pengerang), Farouq (Raub) and Fahad (Raub). Each of the resorts has its own theme and Farah Soraya's was 'Exclusive Eco Resort'. They host guests in groups of all sizes, from couples and families to small and large parties which makes it ideal for a weekend getaway as well as a teambuilding event (They can fit 140 visitors at any one time). 

The price of the accommodation package ranges from RM290 to RM360 per person for a 2D1N stay. This includes accommodation, meals (Lunch, Tea, BBQ Dinner and Breakfast), guided trekking to waterfall, guided night walk and guided morning walk. 

Some of the things to note;

  • The rooms are only equipped with fans (but trust me, you don't need no AC)
  • Most of the bathrooms are unattached (except for the 6-pax Bamboo House Kesidang & Melor, 8-pax dorms Kesum & Sireh and 10-pax dorm Pandan & Kunyit). The bathrooms are scattered nearby the accommodation. And it's clean!! They provided organic shampoo and body wash too. 
  • No hot shower 
  • From the car park, patrons will be picked up by a 4 wheel drive/lorry to the resort via 1.5km off-road path 
  • All the outdoor activities are weather dependant
  • You can add-on candlelight dinner for RM100 per couple. 


We chose to stay at the Honeymoon Chalet and had direct access to the river! The picture above depicts the interior of the Honeymoon Chalet (from their official page). 

I love the place very much. Service was top-notch and the food was great (they even served delicious sup tulang and pengat durian). We also can't finish the candlelight dinner spread. It was ridiculous the amount of food served! Hahaha

We didn't join any of the outdoor activities though, seeing that I'm pregnant but would love to join the next time we're here. #eh






My overall rating : 5 stars.

Would love to visit other Tanah Aina Resorts 😍

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Friday 7 August 2020

#Pregnancy : The Big Ticket Items We Bought

So these are the big-ticket items we bought during my pregnancy.

Child Car Seat
I'm a child car seat (CRS) advocate. I truly do not understand parents who are willing to spend their moolah on travelling and shopping yet did not invest in the safety of their own child. I know, for each his own but, safety first please people! 

Okay, so basically the 2 main types of car seats are the infant carrier and the convertible car seat.

Infant carrier
  • Portable, easy to move around
  • High mobility, some may even be compatible with a stroller (reducing the risk of waking the baby up when you want to move them)
  • Limited usability (usually until the baby is 10kg or outgrew the carrier) 
  • Quite heavy (around 4kg-7kg) and that's without the baby. Can't imagine lunging the car seat around
  • Products from reputable brands (Chicco, Graco, Peg Perego, Maxi Cosi) may be expensive
Convertible Car Seat
  • Can be used for a longer period (depends on the model)
  • Safer as some models offer both rear-facing and forward-facing position
  • Worthy investment (price ranges from RM500-RM1800)
  • Various choices in the market
  • Bulky and heavy (but not an issue because you fixed it inside the car)
  • May be too big for some infants
After much, much consideration, we chose the convertible car seat. 

Chicco NextFit Zip Max



Why we choose this model;
  • Accommodate rear-facing up until the baby reached 22kg. Did you know that children are 75% less likely to die or sustain serious injury in a rear-facing car seat? This is because it spreads the crash force more evenly across the back of the car seat and the child's body.
  • Longevity. It can be used until the child is 30kg.
  • Easy to install. Super important. If it's complicated, the possibility of mistakes during installation heightened!
  • Offer more legroom. In case our baby is tall (like us), the CRS offers extended legroom, up to 25% more compared to its predecessor model. 
  • As we foresee the car seat will be used for a long time, it definitely helps that the fabric is machine washable and can be removed easily with the zipper mechanism
  • It has 9 recline position which will accommodate newborn 
  • It comes with removable full-body newborn inserts for the safety of the newborn baby

The picture shows how a newborn baby would look like inside the CRS, with the newborn padding. I'm immediately sold. We bought the CRS at MyLovelyBaby, OUG Parklane. They do offer to install it in the car but since I bought it super early (in my 6th months of pregnancy), I'll visit them again in September πŸ˜‚. 

The recommended retail price for the model was RM2,599. The promo price was RM1,799 but we managed to buy it during the super promotion period for RM1,499. It's a worthy investment I think, knowing that we will use it for a while and the fact that we'll be using it almost every day.


Baby Cot
Some people think it's unnecessary and a complete waste of money. But in our case, we opted for the baby cot. The CDC in the US recommends that newborns sleep in the same room as the parents, but in a separate sleeping space. 

We purposely search for a baby cot that is convertible to a toddler bed so it can be used for a longer period of time. It also goes without saying that we wanted a real sturdy bed. And the most important criteria for us is the highest (adjustable) bed level must be tall enough for us not to bend so much when picking the baby up. 

In case you don't know, we're tall. I'm 172cm while N is 180cm. And both of us had a history of slipped disc πŸ˜†. Therefore we wanted to minimise bending as much as possible. 

We finally found the perfect baby cot that ticks all of our requirement. 

Did you know that the drop-side cribs are banned in the US as they are dangerous and has been linked to many infants' untimely death? So don't buy drop-side cribs ya. 


We bought the baby cot from Twins Baby, Puchong. The original price was RM1,599 but there was 20% discount so it comes down to RM1,279. Thinking that the baby will spend a lot of time in the bed, we felt that the price is justified. It is super sturdy, I kid you not.


UV Sterilizer
The baby will definitely drink milk, be it au-natural breast milk or formula milk. And the bottles (at least) will need to be sterilized on a daily basis. I had difficulties imagining both of us, boiling the pot to traditionally sterilize the bottles at night after a long day at work and then letting them dry. Mind you, it has to be air-dried, as the use of tissue or cloth may transfer germs on the bottle. So much hassle! Well, thank you technology, for the invention of UV sterilizer. 

Why we opted for UV sterilizer;
  • It comes in bigger sizes, so many things can be sterilized at once
  • As it uses UV, we can use it to sterilize other things as well, breast pump parts, phones, toys etc
  • Most of the UV sterilizers have storage function, dryers etc. So convenient!
We bought the Haenim 3G sterilizer during the promo period.


It can fit 16 bottles at once! Yeayy. You'll have to change the UV lamp annually though but for the convenience, I think it's worth it. 

Can't wait to put all these things to use.

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Wednesday 5 August 2020

Review of EZ Qurban

Penning down my experience with EZ Qurban for your reference. So EZ Qurban offers the service to do Korban / Aqiqah for you in foreign countries. The main reason? It's cheaper over there. They have presence / representative in 35 developing countries including Cambodia, Bangladesh, Ethiopia, Mali and Palestine. 

It is highly encouraged for Muslims to sacrifice 1 part of a cow during Aidil Adha. Locally, the average price for 1 part is RM700. In comparison, through EZ Qurban, it only cost RM290. The company quoted the cheaper cost of poultry in the developing countries that contributes to the lower price. To sacrifice a cow in Malaysia (7 parts) it would cost RM4,900 but with EZ Qurban, it's only RM2,030.

So, the process.

The registration process is done online on its website : www.ezqurban.org.


Upon registering, you have to choose the category (Korban biasa / Korban nazar / Aqiqah) and made the payment accordingly. Within a day, the officer will call and confirm your details. A receipt will also be generated via email and if your registration is successful, you'll receive a notification via email and SMS. 

For 2020, we engaged them for Korban (nazar) and Korban Aidil Adha. Difference between the two is Korban Nazar can be done at any time, unlike Korban Aidil Adha. 


For Korban Nazar, we got the report a day after they conducted it in Telok Ambon, Maluku, Indonesia [You can't choose the country for the Korban to be performed as the admin will determine the country based on the needs]. We also got the softcopy picture as well as the video 'evidence' via email. 



I chose Korban Aidil Adha for myself, and it was done in Bangladesh. For Korban Aidil Adha, due to the sheer number of participants, they will not send the pictures individually. However, the pictures are shared on their FB page. The certificate and the location details of the Korban are also available on their website when you check for your status in 'Semakan' tab. 

I would highly recommend their service πŸ‘. Trustworthy, value for money and easy to deal with. 

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Monday 3 August 2020

#Pregnancy : 3D/4D Scan at MyFamily Clinic, Ampang

Tell ya the truth, I really like this clinic and the sonographers. 

I set the appointment online, via this website. Very easy, no deposit required. The sonographer was very accommodating, lively and tried her best to get a better picture of the baby. 

I went for a 3D/4D scan in my 31st week of pregnancy and did not disappoint! Hahaha! Would you believe me if I said the baby was a carbon copy of me πŸ˜‚ We quickly realized this as we have been looking at my baby photos months ago.

The charges for 3D/4D scan was RM120 and you'll get 1 colour photo of the baby, 1 black and white photo together with a simple growth report. 


Highly recommended!!

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