Looking forward to 2016

Soon we'll be greeting the new year. 2016 peeps. Wow!

You'd hear the usual " How time flies" and "Here's to a better year ahead" greetings. Of course, not forgetting friends and families sharing their achievements, or lack thereof, of their 2015 New Year resolutions and setting new ones for 2016. I too am one of those guilty for carrying forward a few of my own personal as well as those listed as HusbieWifey 2015 new year resolutions into 2016.

The year 2015 has been tough to most people I am sure. Especially with our country's current political and economical climate, one will surely have been affected one way or another. However, I will leave my personal views, distress, future hopes and everlasting love for my Malaysia another day. After all, my blog is not the appropriate forum to debate on the matter. I do, however, wish that things will improve a lot more for all of us this new year and that, we the Rakyat of Malaysia will be presented with more opportunities to increase our own ability to pave our own success on our own soil.

There are plusses for the year for all of us too I'm sure.

Bear in mind to have ups and downs are our lot in life.

For me personally, I would say I wish 2015 would have been better for me but nothing can change that. All I can do is learn from the experiences gained this year and try not to repeat them.

I look forward to 2016,with excitement and just a dash of anxiety. Cliche' as it sounds, "Here's hoping for an awesome 2016"...oh, and here's to crushing my enemies and seeing them quiver before me...LOL...NO NO...kidding...or was I?

The Majestic, Malacca

Hello Peeps! We just got back from our hols and I couldn't wait any further to write in my blog again as well as do some catching up on my lappie.

For end 2015, we opted to travel locally. In one week, we went to Melaka and Sabah and both trips turned out to be excellent. 

The last time we were in Melaka or Malacca was two years ago for a day trip. This time around, we opted to just eat and chill and stay over for a few nights. We've gone to the usual historical tourist spots before so we decided to give those a miss, eliminating the need to walk and queue as much under the blazing sun.

We stayed in The Majestic Malacca. Among our initial ideas for this year's trip was to have a staycation in Majestic KL. Since that didn't pan out, might as well opt for the one in Malacca. 

The hotel boasts an old worldly charm with a colonial atmosphere. It is situated right across Kampung Morten where guests get to enjoy the river front from the privacy of their own rooms, cross the bridge to visit Villa Sentosa, the living museum or take the river cruise from Taman Rempah. It's a bit far off from the main tourist trail but with an umbrella and a pair of comfortable walking shoes, you'd get to cover a lot of ground heading towards Stadhuys. 

In our case, we're a bit manja and being local has its perks with the ability to drive around town as well as get stuck in traffic jams during this busy holiday season.

Hotel guests are given complimentary drinks upon check-in. I love how they present tea in a cute basket with the traditional Chinese tea set.

The view from our room.

Our lovely room. See that four-poster bed. Arghhh...I had to hold back from jumping straight into bed!

And that lovely clawed bathtub.

Had to conduct a brief inspection on whether I fit. The usual "I fits I sits" policy.

All nice and cozy for the next few days.

The view of our hotel at night. All prepared for Christmas.

The Mee Goreng Mishap

One night, I decided to finally give home-made Mee Goreng a go for dear Husbie. It sounds simple enough to cook. Tumis some shallots, garlic, chillies, dash of this and that, stuff some fish balls in there and waaalllaaaa...

Uh-uh....Seriously NO!

We were already coughing none stop before I even served it.

Hubs: OMG! B! Pedaaasnyeeeeerrrr!!!

Wifey: I'm sooooo sorry. I think I did everything right. Bawang merah, bawang putih, cili padi...

Hubs: How many cili padi?

Wifey: Five.

Hubs: WHAT?!!!

Wifey: Well, when we had dinner at your mum's last night, your mum put in 10 cili padis and it turned out fine.

Hubs: Mama letak to garnish it! Not to tumis!

Wifey: Ok, ok. Please stop eating the damn thing. I pun dah berpeluh makan. Nanti you sakit perut kang!

Hubs: Takper, I makan. (Bless him. He actually ate the whole thing and told me to shut up when I wouldn't stop telling him to stop eating the awful Mee Goreng).

The next morning, while driving to work, both of us were laughing away from the night's debacle. Well, Hubs did most of the teasing with me trying to not bite his head off. I couldn't help but laugh at myself though. One has to admit when it's superbly funny.

"Well, you can include this with your Cili Masak Ayam. Now, dah ada Cili masak Mee Goreng."

"Can't believe you tumis'd the damn thing. People use it to garnish the Mee Goreng. Nih, Cili garnished with Mee Goreng."

#Frust #Cissss #WhenwillIevercooklikeanexpert

The In Colonial - Intermark, Jalan Tun Razak

It's end year, so most work places would be rushing to wrap up the year and ensure they meet their intended KPIs.

Things have been packed for the both of us. 

 I have officially begun my sabbatical leave. I was given leave earlier but work kept on calling as they were not confident in handling this one particular portfolio I left for them to continue. Well, things have more or less settled. Classes are back-to-back and I am now focused solely in completing my studies and achieving success.

 Through everything, fortunately, we both managed to take some time off to meet up for lunch. 

We decided to go to the In Colonial restaurant located in Intermark, Jalan Tun Razak. The restaurant serves Chinese food and is Halal. We've been here before and the food is really good. One thing I have to warn all prospective patrons intending to dine here though, the price is slightly more towards the expensive range. However, you won't be disappointed with any of their dishes. Service is excellent and coupled with the luxurious and old-world charm, you'd be leaving the restaurant with a big smile and totally satisfied.

Hmm...the lighting sure is harsh on Hubs. Here he is happily waiting for lunch with Wifey.

My drink for the day. I decided to order a Mocktail aptly named 1000 Punch. No punch or kick just awesome watermelon-ny goodness mixed with other fruit juices. Very refreshing indeed.

Our fave for the day. The restaurant's crab claw was generously filled with crab meat and prawns and fried to perfection. 

We opted for the Seafood Fried Rice for lunch. If you're a small eater, you can do it like we did and share between the two of us and add more side dishes to sample the rice with. 

So, for those interested, their opening hours are 10.30 a.m. - 11 p.m. everyday.  Definitely a must try. Good food with a chilled enough ambience without having to strain your voice or hearing to enjoy your conversations with your other half and friends. 

P.S. They also have private rooms for private functions. Definitely a place I recommend for family gatherings.

Welcome to the Family, Valorie!

Since I've come on home,
Well my body's been a mess
And I've missed your ginger hair
And the way you like to dress
Won't you come on over
Stop making a fool out of me
Why don't you come on over, Valerie?

Valerie [x3]

This was the song which ran through my mind as soon as I walked out of the boutique. Well, to be honest, just the chorus bit alone. Physically, I was swinging both our held hands and couldn't stop smiling away like what we Malays would term as "kerang busuk".

I absolutely am crazy for clutches. Once, right after our honeymoon, Husbie thought I could spare two of the three Indonesian Batik clutches I chose from one of the Batik factories in Bali for his mum and sister-in-law as he thought the Bali shirts we gave as souvenirs weren't enough. 

My response was a dead stare. No way!

Anyways, enough side-tracking.

Crazy for clutches. Some might easily dismiss it as impracticable or only reserve it for special events (Well, I'm partly guilty for the latter. Won't be doing this anymore as much). A clutch is an excellent and awesome way to spice up the wardrobe instantly without having something slinging on your shoulders and taking away the attention from you and your clothes. It can be worn with anything including jeans. 

Behold, say hello to my Valorie Rainbow!

Anya's Valorie is always an instant hint. A year or two ago, I remember holding one of them in my hands and contemplating between the multi-coloured, dark blue and black Valorie. In the end, I didn't purchase either. Only later, when I heard it ran out-of-stock, there was a twinge of regret in not purchasing it earlier on. Oh, nothing to worry about. Just a teeny-weeny bit of regret. Though they were beautiful, they didn't exactly stopped me in my tracks. Unlike this Valorie Rainbow.

We knew that Anya was having a 50% storewide sale so we intended to just pass by and view their collection from afar. Zero intention of buying anything. The moment we passed by their window display in Pavi, I had to back-track. Even Husbie, who usually prefers the classic look and designs, couldn't deny that this is one piece that I must absolutely get. 

Hell yeah!!!

Before this, the only 'near-funky'/fun design bit in my bag/clutch collection is my Anya Valentine clutch which he gave as part of the hantaran for our akad nikah, with my initials and the date of our akad nikah engraved in it. My most 'favourite-test' of them all. Yes, not enough with stating it as the 'most', must add the "est" in my expressions too. Still is my ultimate fave and forever will be.

Next to it, will be my new Valorie Rainbow. Just a dash of "fun" with elegance and class. Arghhhh...just writing about it makes my heart go "dup-dap". Hahah!

For all those other Anya fans out there, you better get it fast. It's not on sale but I heard other regular customers have booked it in the hopes of buying it later at a discount or maybe buying them later with their next paycheck. Don't know how that would work. Don't think you can pre-book and wait for a discount. By then, it would have all flown off the shelves, even at full price. 

I am my Father's Daughter

"I may be a woman, Sir William, but if I choose I have the heart of a man! I am my father's daughter, and I am not afraid of anything."

Annnnnnddd....SCENE.

This was and still is my most favourite quote from one my favourite movies, Elizabeth, starring Cate Blanchett.

I was supposed to upload another different post today. Instead, I decided to write one where this exact quote ran in my mind this evening and where it is slightly skewered towards the realm of seriousness with a dash of (I hope) inspiration for others out there. This blog, as my regular readers know, is a record of my happy moments. With a recent event and previous ones having similar conclusions, it's impossible to not include this proud moment of mine in my blog today.

I intend to make it clear...

Yes...

I AM MY FATHER'S DAUGHTER

Yes...

I AM THE WIFE TO MY HUSBAND

More importantly,

I AM JANNAH SABRI.

The event which led to this posting was a phone call from D informing that some M.O.N.K.E.Y.S. were trying to poison the well of the firm by using the excuse that this firm hired this person's daughter, me.

D, of course, did not deny it, and made it clear she knows who I am when it all began and it was due to my professional capabilities that got me through. It was clear some people were trying to use this 'tit-bit' to take away some projects the firm was vying for. D and her colleague/ long time friend just laughed away thinking how narrow some people are and how they thought they would garner the reaction they expected from D's friend.

In my case, nothing new. No hal, no problem, no drama.

People in politics have different agendas for doing so. Sadly to state the obvious, but when the subject is Melayu, irrespective in politics, business or workplace, the element of 'dengki (envy)' overrides everything and anything and reigns supreme. A fact I myself had become a victim to such people who basically bathes in 'dengki' vibes. A very ugly thing indeed. Even called me a "Babi (pig)" openly. Oh well, you won't go far for sure. With that ugly behaviour,  directed not exclusively to me alone back then but others in the same place you cari rezeki, and having that important person's ears, can only take you so far. Oh my, ok, enough reminiscing and wasting time thinking about such individuals.

Of course, as a favour to D, I am not to share this recent news to my father due to the risk of offending him.

Growing up in a politically oriented family, has its ups and downs. Not just from outsiders, family members too to be honest.

In the period after leaving a very well established organisation but before joining the firm, I had encountered similar 'treatments' in the workplace and even when going for interviews. In fact, there were three occasions whereby I was outright rejected in interviews because of who my father was. I was called in, prospective employers all impressed with my work experience and capabilities, and then towards the end, "I know, in fact, I was just googling on my phone about your father while this interview was being conducted, but can I confirm, are you XXXX's daughter?" or "I am reluctant to let you go but ...(trail off to something inaudible)."

Hmm, funny but my reaction was never contempt. Looking back, maybe it was more towards sympathy and if such an organisation took such a narrow approach to hiring people, to the point of enquiring how I deal with confidential and secret documents (yeah, disregard the fact that I've dealt with cross-border, international agreements for the country's future for years with no info leakage, intentionally or like other ministry's officers, negligently, leaving info lying about for counter-parties to view), made it even more clear that such organisations were not for me.

Instead, I smiled, confidently answered yes and expressly stated how proud I am of my father.

Yes, I don't have that typical father-daughter relationship. Hell, I can even admit that generally my relationship with both my parents are not THAT great. My father is a hard man. I would even go so far as to label his parenting skills as old school. No hesitation to give me a wallop when necessary. Oh, the types of wallops you only hear what your granddads would experience during their days.

A friend once asked whether I should tell my father.

Why bother? To blame him? Of which I do not. Never even crossed my mind to be so stupid. My parents raised me better. Sway him from his goals? Never!

I will make it on my own. I am myself, I have my father's blood in me, I am a wife to my husband and future mother to my future children.

What I can take away from all these experiences is that my parents granted me the fortitude to handle anything. For that, I am thankful. Yeah, at times things can get depressing or demotivating. Oh my, the level of sadness, THAT you can only imagine. So what? Take the time to cry... a lot or a little, then shut up and get up.

The simple truth is, circumstances will not dilute my potential. Some circumstances will even take a LOOOOOOONG time to overcome or resolved. Nonetheless, I will chart my own path, thankful of my background, where I came from and all those bitter as well as happy experiences.

All this, one day, with Allah's will, will bring me to the best path. I have to at least, believe in that.