To university

On 14 August, the entry to public university via UPU online was announced. To our surprise, Jan was offered a place in Universiti Malaya (UM), one of the top public universities in Malaysia. 

Actually this university was her 2nd option when she applied through UPU early this year. Her first option was USM in Penang but she didn't got that offer. Anyhow after juggling the pros and cons, she decided to stay put with Swinburne University of Technology; pursuing Bachelor of Science in biotechnology. 

With Sarawak government offering free higher education through FTES which covering tuition fee, it is sure easing our financial burden. 

24 August (next Monday) is the orientation day; daddy will accompany her along. One week of orientation and welcoming programmes at the university and she will officially start her first semester on 1 September. Oh my! My girl is all grown up now. I am excited and anxious for her at the same time. 

Jan has her driving license now, upgraded to full fledged driver this year after 2 years of P license. So on transportation part, she has to settle herself as I can't manage hers, since I got to take care of her younger brothers' transportation. 

Both boys aren't in same school and furthermore they are in different session. Jay will finish his secondary school this year, so I didn't bother to change Jamie's school there since he will be in afternoon class. 

Latest update on haze: as of today, all schools in areas with unhealthy API reading in Sarawak are closed since yesterday. So both boys are having online classes from home today. Praying hard that the situation will improve and everything get back on track soon. Miss the beautiful, clear sky and fresh air. 

The sky this morning

ABC

{Back dated post} 

If you are a fan of Indian cuisine (like I do), then this place is worth a try. Located in Pines Square, ABC Indian Cuisine is a fine and cozy restaurant to enjoy a good authentic Indian food. 

Located in Pines Square, its impressive menu consist of diverse Indian dishes from tandoori, banana leaf, naans to briyani. 

If was a date night with my man, and he suggested this place as he heard good recommendation from his friend. It wasn't that far from our home, so it was a premium fine dining place to enjoy good Indian dishes. 

The cheese naan was good. Thick naan with generous cheese serving. Great starter to share around. 

Whenever we hang out at Indian eatery, we never miss its addictive fried spiced bitter gourd. Loved its special made yogurt dipping. 

Our main course: briyani! That is one big serving of briyani rice. 

The meat was hiding in the rice. And don't forget to top the rice with a piece of papadom. 

Hubby opted for the lamb while I went fof the chicken briyani. Overall it was quite a portion and we were having hard time finished our dinner. 

The owner was very friendly and accommodating. He would recommend and brief us on the menu and what is what, so you know what you are eating. A good dining experience. We did enjoyed our time there. The place was air conditioned, and tastefully decorated. A nice place to wind down and enjoy some good food. 

 

Check in: Kuching Fest 2026

Yes, we have visited Kuching Festival 2026 before it ends next week. I don't remember the last time we went to this annual food fair. Somehow the crowds, parking and price weren't that attractive for us to make the trip.

Anyway, someone was craving for certain food so that was a good reason to go to the food fair in MBKS this year.

We reached the venue around 530pm last Saturday. Luck was on our side as we found a nice parking at the roadside next to St Peter's Church. 

We thought we were early but no. We can't escape the Saturday crowds. The place was already full of visitors. 

We only managed to walk one part of the festival, hardly able to squeeze with the crowds.

Yes, super warm Saturday evening. Forgot to bring out umbrellas. But that didn't hinder more visitors to the fest. 

Here were few stalls that I took before I got both hands full. Lol. 

Tong Sui stall. My first purchase from Kuching Fest was here. 2 tub of peach gum snow swallow. 

The kids' favourite!! Fried potatoes. 

I had one of this deep fried eggplant from the same stall. Choice of 2 sauces, I went for salad and cheese sauce for me. I finished up my eggplants on the spot. 

This was what we came for. I mean, someone's craving. Hubby waited more than 30 minutes for his stinky tofu!  

His serving of stinky tofu. Not that smelly according to him. 

Dessert were here and there, but we prefer this lovely tiramisu and ice cream from this outlet. 

It took us about 2 hours there. We brought our food home to enjoy. By the time we walked out, it was almost 730pm. Beautifully lit up MBKS building overlooking one part of the Kuching Fest. 

Looking back and what ahead

I have been contemplating whether to continue writing my blog for quite sometime now. Hardly have the energy and time to do so last year and during first half of this year. No inspiration and you can say I was running out of ideas to write. So pardon me if my vacabulary and grammar aren't that sharp anymore. My writing skill is kind of rusty right now. 

Life has been busy and repetitive over here. I have been operating my coffee shop for slightly over 3 years now. Other than managing the shop (now it is 2 shoplots with around 30 tables), my health hasn't been optimal in 2025. 

I went for a Hormonal IUD procedure, a non surgical procedure last October. As mentioned previously, I had a very low blood count (HGB less than 5.0) for few years and under advice of my family doctor, I seeked advice from a gynae in Borneo Medical Centre last August. The male gynae advised for IUD to balance my hormone and improve my blood count. I used to have a very heavy menstrual but after the procedure in October, my monthly menstrual was lesser and not much in pain. And after the blood test in January 2026, my HGB blood count improved to around 12.0. My health has improved since. I am less fatigue now. I am also on high blood and cholesterol medication since early 2025. 

As for Jamie's eczema, he has also improved after more than 1 year medication course. Since last month, he has stopped taking his medication as his skin has improved alot and his eczema is under control. He will be turning  13 years old next month. My youngest is now a teenager.

His brother, Jay will be taking his SPM this year. In few months time, he will finish his Form 5 studies and graduated from secondary school. Gosh, time really wait for nobody.

This month he would be celebrating his 17 years old. Of course I am turning 49 at the same time. Double birthday celebration this month. How do we plan to celebrate our birthdays? Like in the past, we will have a birthday dinner. No idea where to enjoy our birthday feast yet. But my birthday wish? Everyone stays healthy, happy and blessed, and everything is smooth and well!!

Jan has accepted the offer from Swinburne University of Technology, and she will attend her orientation on 24 August. Oh boy! And it is so coincidentally that it is my birthday as well. This is a good day to remember for me and her. Am excited for her as her university journey is beginning soon. She is pursuing her degree in Bioscience. Wishing her all the best!! 

Back to my blog, I may not going to give up. However when I have the inspiration and time to write, I will be around. The notebook that I used to write has broke down since last year, so that was one other reason for me not to write this blog. Typing and drafting a post on phone aren't that easy. However I will try to make time to blog and do some blog hopping. *fingers cross*