Entry @ 26.06.2026

My friend suggested we get together for dinner. Not having a particular place in mind, we headed to a Chinese hotpot buffet restaurant - The Great Tang 龙咸记 at Saradise. We have been here countless of times before in the past. My friend is a regular here. However, it has been a while since I ate here recently. The price per adult was now RM55 nett. 

So the four of us headed there .... 

Starters 
Chicken feet, braised pork leg, fried rice, pineapple, hot and spicy chicken and a dumpling ... 

We had 2 types of soup and a grill ... 

I preferred to dump my ingredients into the hot and spicy broth.  It seemed that only I liked the spicy broth. The other 2 ladies had the chicken broth while my friend G preferred the grill. So it seemed to be a great combination - there was something everyone liked. 

Most buffet places set a 2-hour time limit. We ate here for 3 hours. It's not that we ate a lot but we talked a lot. We left at 10 pm. Lol. 

Anyway, I was so full that I skipped breakfast this morning ... but I salute my friend since she could eat kueh chap for breakfast early in the morning at 6.00 am. Lol. I merely sat and watched her eat while I drank my black coffee. 

Kueh chap Special, RM13 

This morning, we had a small ceremony at school - to give out certificates and cash rewards to our students who did so well for STPM 2025. I think everyone enjoyed themselves at the ceremony. 5 out of my 7 students came. One was absent whilst the other did not make the mark. It was great to see them. Everyone took a lot of photos to commemorate the occasion. 2 of my students are having their university entrance interview this afternoon. I hope they do well and will be admitted for the course of their choice. 

The kiddos came bearing gifts ... how awfully sweet of them ... 

Today's big news, however, was that my immediate superior got promoted to become the principal of a secondary school in another district. Well, it was expected of her. It's just that we did not think that the news would drop today so suddenly. Heh. She was a good colleague; firm but very cordial and a hard worker. We were all glad for her ... only that we were all now thrown in a limbo now since there was no one to lead us anymore. Sigh. The hunt is on for the new middle manager ... 

Friday's traffic was always terrible. I took the long route home ... and then decided to go to my favourite bakery to buy a loaf of bread. So the entire drive home took me 1 hour and 20 minutes. In the evening, my first order from Pinduoduo arrived! I bought a chair ... at RM57.00. It was shipped by sea for free, and took about a month. 

It came in a box, not too big and bulky, not too heavy. I assembled it myself, based on the diagram in a piece of paper inside. Not difficult at all. I could figure it out with my limited knowledge of Chinese characters. The whole process took me about 30 minutes. 

I can't say that it's a really good chair ... but at RM57, who's complaining. I can now use it for my examination work which is starting in 2 weeks ... that's when I have to sit for long hours. 

Entry @ 24.06.2026

Mom and her sisters went on a trip to West Malaysia. So that left me home alone for the week. Honestly, I did not mind being alone at home for a while for a change, since I can do as I like. Heh.

Yesterday. we had a meeting till 2.30 pm ... and I went to the stationery shop to buy some files which I wanted to use for my class. The stationery shop also sold ice-cream .... sometimes I resisted, but sometimes I wanted a sweet treat. 

A classic soft serve cone, RM4.15 after tax

I was a bit confused about the flavour of the ice-cream though. It tasted somewhat salty and cheesy ... was it Gula Apong ice-cream or was it something else. Hmn ... it was not sweet at all and quite creamy. 

Today, I had lunch at my favourite shop in town ... Country Kitchen served riced and dishes. I was there at about 1 pm and it was packed. The shop was really narrow and it was filled with the lunch crowd. I managed to get a table and proceeded to ordered my food. 

I had stir-fried French beans, bittergourd, and paku with my rice. The dishes were all yummy. Somehow I was never disappointed as everything was flavoured and seasoned well. I also ordered a single serving of kacangma chicken. 

Kacangma Chicken

I liked their version of kacangma chicken which used white rice wine; not sweet at all, and very yummy with rice. 

Lunch set me back by RM13.50. Because I sat near the cashier, I could hear his conversations with the customers. He was probably the towkay, an elderly man in his 60s, and he had this indifferent attitude .... perhaps because his business was too good? Heh ..

'No place to sit,' a customer said in Hokkien.

'No place means no place,' the towkay replied. 

'Like that ah?' the customer said. 

Sigh. If not for the nice food served here, I suppose no one would put up with his attitude. 

After eating lunch like this, it would not be necessary for me to have a heavy dinner. I'll probably just have fruits and maybe some oats. I went to a travel agency nearby after lunch. I had wanted to enquire about a travel package. My friend actually asked me to join her for a trip at the end of the year. I am interested and I wanted to know more ... but it was quite frustrating that the agent did not tell me anything helpful. Not to say that the lady I spoke to was rude and sarcastic. I could see that she was restraining herself from scolding me. Lol. 

'11 hours on economy class is not so fun,' I said.

'You can upgrade to business class,' she replied. 

'Would there likely to be a surcharge?' she said.

'I don't know what you mean.' she replied. 

Urgh. I left the agency with a bitter taste in my mouth. I do not think I'd join the trip just yet. What's wrong with today? People just seemed to be so discourteous and impatient. 

Oh yeah, my colleague performed the Hajj .... and she came back with gifts for us .... cashews, pistachios, gram, chocolates and keychains. 

Souvenirs from Mecca 

Dear You

Mom was busy going out with her sisters. I was glad that she got to enjoy some time out. They went to the movies and then for dinner. That left me alone to handle my own dinner. Sometimes, I would raid the fridge to see what I can concoct, but at times, I just feel so incredibly lazy. That was when I would turn to Grab. Honestly, I was sick of Ayam Penyet and Ayam Geprek and Nasi Lemak and Chicken Rice for there seemed to be so many vendors selling the same thing. So I ended up ordering from a 煮炒 shop nor far from my house. Thanks to a few discounts, I paid about RM26. 

I ordered a Yangzhou fried rice and a Nanru pork. The portions were rather generous, and I divided them into 2. I ate half for dinner and refrigerated the rest for the next meal. 

Well, Mom and her sisters went to watch Dear You 给阿嬷的情书 at  the cinema, at TGV Vivacity Megamall. I had actually wanted to bring my mom to watch it,  but my cousin beat me to it. He bought the tickets and sponsored all the aunts for a movie treat. I, on the other hand, brought my Fourth Aunt - my dad's sister - to watch it. We watched the movie at GSC The Spring instead. 

Why had I wanted to watch it? Well, my curiosity was piqued when I noticed that it when it was trending on Rednote - that a low-budget movie was making waves in the cinema. I figured that if it was trending, there had to be special. And I wanted to find out what was so special about it. Next, I noticed that it was Teochew. Well, that interested me even more since I'm Teochew. 

That aside, I did not really bother to find out what it was about. I did not want to read spoilers since I wanted to watch the movie to find out for myself. But Fourth Aunt, after I invited her for the movie, did her research and read the synopsis and some trivia about the film. Lol. So she was worried that she would not understand the story and thus, would not enjoy the show. Heh. 

Dear Year is essentially about a Teochew man named Ten Bak-seng who migrated to Southeast Asia in the early 20th century. He left his wife in China, Hioh Sok-jiu and maintained communication with her via remittence letters. Later on after he died, his friend Xia Nam-gi wrote those letters on his behalf. The two women had never met, but became each other's sources of hope and inspiration. 

Personally, I found the story was straightforward and easy to follow and also deeply poignant. Bak-seng seemed to be a carefree and happy person. How brutal life must have been for him as he left China to work in a foreign land for survival. How must he have pined for his wife and children whom he left behind in China. In the end, he never got to return to them in his lifetime. He left home and never got to go back. How heartbreaking. 

I marvelled at the profound connection the two women shared via the letters they wrote to each other. I deeply empathised with their hardships and admired their strength and resilience in bringing up their child / children by themselves. It was bittersweet when they finally met later in life, and Nam-gi did not remember who Sok-jiu. But it's comforting that Sok-jiu's misunderstanding about her husband cleared up. 

The use of Teochew dialect felt incredibly authentic. I could not understand their version of Teochew ... since I only know our localised version of Teochew. So I relied on the subtitles. Yet, hearing it felt so familiar - at time I felt like I was listening to my late grandmother talking to me ... due to the more traditional choice of words used. Oh and I learned that 走囝 zhaogia refers to a daughter - it means a child that will go away, since daughters customarily leave the family when she marries off. I always thought 走囝 and 查某囝 chaboukia were the same. Heh. 

Since there were no big-name actors and actresses, I felt that the story-telling was very raw and real. It was depicting the lives of ordinary people. It could even be the story of my family. Ten Bak-seng could very well be my late grandpa. My grandpa migrated from Anpu village near Shantou. When my parents visited the village years ago, they were purportedly shown a handwritten letter by my grandpa. They said that my grandpa wrote it himself. Later on, they brought the letter back to show it to my grandpa. I haven't seen the letter myself though.

The film is reminiscent of films made in the past - there was absolutly no CGI - just story-telling in its purest form. In an era dominated by blockbusters with massive budgets, heavy CGI, and star-studded casts, we often forget that the core purpose of cinema is simply to tell a good story. In that sense, Dear You was incredibly refreshing. 

The local Teochew Association was great to encourage the public to watch the show so they were ever so generous to sponsor free tickets. When I exited the cinema after my show, there was a long queue for those free tickets. I even saw my colleague there waiting in the line. The only reason I was not getting those free tickets was because I had already bought my tickets very early on - before news of this freebie was published. Lol. Otherwise, I would also be queuing. Heh. 

After the movie, it was only natural for Fourth Aunt and I to look for food. I wanted to eat at Sushi Tie but there was a long queue ... sigh .... so Fourth Aunt insisted on eating at The Grass ... 

Fourth Aunt's Favourite Black and White Dessert, RM16.90

It was yummy - soy-based shaved ice, soy curd and grass jelly, matcha jelly, yoghurt boba and fruit

We decided just to have a simple dinner afterwards. So we went to Zok Noodle House ... I had the BBQ Pork and Fresh Prawns Wonton Dry Noodles whilst Fourth Aunt had the Fresh Prawn Wonton Noodles in Soup. 

I did find the food palatable, only expensive. First Aunt's noodle cost RM19.50 while mine was RM20.50. On top of that, there was RM4.00 service charge and RM2.40 service tax. Worth a try but not cost effective to eat too often. Afterwards, we went grocery shopping at Ta Kiong gand went home. 

Celebrating Achievements

Yesterday, the STPM 2025 results were announced. My centre, with a total of 57 students, achieved an impressive overall CGPA of 3.22, ranking fourth in Sarawak. We had 12 students who obtained straight As with a perfect 4.0 CGPA, while 27 others scored a 3.0 and above. Overall, we are incredibly pleased with their achievements.

As for my own form class, I managed a small group of seven. When I first met them on July 1, 2024, they were absolute angels—well, mostly! I initially started with about 12 students, but a few left for UiTM, IPG, polytechnics, and Swinburne, and one dropped out. I was ultimately left with a core group of seven. I am so glad they were such a pleasant bunch, making them a true joy to manage.

Let me tell you a bit more about my seven wonderful kids:

• Student A: A lively and enthusiastic boy whose voice would ring through the corridors from afar. He was playful, and I always enjoyed our banter. He was a special student who needed a little extra attention to ensure he didn't fall behind. He truly appreciated our efforts and never failed to express his gratitude. He ultimately achieved a CGPA of 2.50. He is applying to UNIMAS, and we hope he gets a course he loves. Comparing his STPM results to his SPM, I dare say he has truly bloomed under our care.

• Student B: A quiet girl who needed extra guidance, especially in her weaker subjects. Despite the struggles, she persevered and earned a 3.34. She applied to study computer science at UNIMAS, and I am keeping my fingers crossed for her.

• Student C: A very private and quiet girl. We knew she worked best at her own pace without added pressure, so we let her be. She kept to herself, never caused any trouble, and scored a solid 3.17.

• Student D: The class joker. He was highly sociable, witty, helpful, and universally liked by both teachers and peers. Highly proficient and a clever wordsmith, he was always a delight to converse with and managed a 3.0.

• Student E: The aspiring teacher. He wanted to join the profession so badly and even attended two IPG interviews. Because he was such a good student and a potential top scorer, we tried hard to retain him. When he wasn't offered a spot at IPG, he stayed with us to the very end—and earned a flawless 4.0 CGPA.

• Student F: The heartthrob, very popular among the girls. He performed quite well in his first semester, though he seemed a bit distracted later on. Still, he managed to secure a 3.17.

• Student G: Pleasant, impeccably polite, hardworking, and exceptionally proficient in languages. I appointed her as the class monitor, and she proved to be incredibly responsible. She also scored a perfect 4.0 CGPA, which thrilled me. I had been worried because she received a B- in one subject during the semesters, but thankfully, everything turned out beautifully.

Throughout my years of service, I have rarely managed classes, as I am usually tied up with management duties. I recall managing a class of girls at my former school where we didn't quite click. However, this group was truly special. We had fantastic dynamics and chemistry, making them my best group of students ever.

Yesterday, everyone—except E and G, who were attending the state-level results announcement ceremony—came back to school to collect their documents. I hadn't seen them since February, so it felt wonderful to catch up and tease them a bit. Today, E and G finally came to collect their documents from me.

Got these for them for their graduation ceremony at the end of last year ... my friend J and I sat at Cuan Yue Malatang one afternoon and wrapped these graduation dolls ... lol ... I knew B was so happy when she got it cause she jumped with joy and gave me a hug ... lol ... 

As I bid them farewell, I wished them all the best in their future endeavors. May they find great success in whatever paths they choose. This is just the beginning. They still have their whole lives ahead. 

Entry 17.06.2026

Yesterday, my school celebrated Teacher's Day officially. Traditionally, students would organise class parties to celebrate the occasion. I went to a total of 5 classes ... 

Curry noodles

At the sciences, I had curry noodles - cooked by my colleague. At the arts, I had fried meehoon, ayam masak merah, fried chicken, curry puff, a piece of kek batik, and tuna sandwiches. Then I went to the seniors', and tried a bit their spaghetti carbonara, fried rice, chicken curry, brownies .... it was quite fun to try a bit of everything ... 

My favourite would be the fried rice and chicken curry .... the students said they catered the food from Yummy Cafe. Afterwards, we headed to the hall for the official assembly. The school gifted each teacher a pen and a 1 kg packet of Haryana rice. Lol. We laughed at the gift but at least it was useful. 

Today's Awal Muharram, so it's great to get the day off. Mom wanted to head out for breakfast. After all the disappointing eats last week, I did not know where to bring her anymore. Really, it's not advisable to just order from any stall since there was no guarantee that the food was good.

I first brought her to Geylang Cafe but she said she did not want to eat kueh tiaw soup. So we headed to Padungan. She decided that she wanted Noodles Descendents for breakfast. 

I sat down at 8.22 am at a vacant but uncleared table. Someone had previously sat there and had finished eating and left. The coffee shop was full, but everyone was waiting. Outside the shop, there was a long table occupied by at least 10 people. And only their table seemed to be eating. Not only did they eat there, they also took away packets and packets of noodles. 

And so, those of us in there could do nothing but wait. It's a norm here. Wait. 

Coffee came at 8.57 am. 

Heh. When I come to Noodle Descendents, I like to time them. Heh. Today, we had to wait for a long time for the coffee because the drinks crew came in late. Today's price - black coffee was RM2.40 whilst milk coffee was RM2.90. 

Finally, at 9.06 am, my food arrived. I waited a bit more than 40 minutes, heh ... which was considered not too bad. The noodles were as satisfying as ever! The soup also was packed with ingredients, all fresh and nicely flavoured. Noodles were RM8 per bowl, while the soup was RM13. 

I suddenly thought of Fu Lok's kolo mee ... they charged RM11 and yet compared to this RM8 bowl, Fu Lok's did not seem to be that enticing ... will post Fu Lok's the next time I visit. 

If you asked me, I think Noodle Descendent is really worth the wait. That's why people queue patiently for tables all the time! Best noodles in Kuching still. 

Entry 15.06.2026

I'm feeling a bit low. It's been a week since work started. Today is Monday again, and I am feeling blue.

Kolo Meehoon, RM5

Mui Chin's kolo meehoon is yummy; there is chopped dongcai in the broth which flavoured the noodles well. 

Kueh Chap

Thompson Corner's kueh chap; my friend J ate this. She liked eating this once in a while 

Laksa, RM10

Mui Chin's laksa is my favourite; hot broth and old school taste

Sharon's Mushroom Pork Noodle, RM6

I liked the texture of the noodles - very springy; the seasoning and the mushroom sauce was so-so; overall pleasant to eat

Kolo Meehoon, RM5

This was from Ying Wah Yuen; it's my first time ordering from this stall

It tasted weird - not like kolo mee at all; the noodles were soggy and the meats were also not yummy; first and last time for me ... 

 

Well, everyone's been talking about Teach You A Lesson. So I decided to watch it. Hmn, I do think that the education issues were real and need to be dealt with. Some parts of the drama were rather unbelievable. But I'm glad I watched it cause I was superbly entertained. I find it so satisfying to watch when the inspectors serving justice. 

Entry 07.06.2026

Fourth Aunt wanted to go to the Natural Farmer's Market at the MBKS covered carpark. It is held twice every month, on the first and third Saturday. So I brought them yesterday - my Fourth and Fifth Aunts and my mom. 

Fourth Aunt was one who wanted to see everything - so she patiently went from stall to stall to view and enquire the goodies on sale. I merely browsed on my own, while looking out for my Mom, since she could not walk or stand for too long. 

Amongst the things for sale are plants, fruits and vegetables, roselle products, baked goods, dairy items, pet biscuits, organic cosmetics and so on. 

Kale 

There was also a cooking demo yesterday morning ... the mayor helped grill the chicken patties ... 

And afterwards we could all taste the food. 

There was also ayam pansuh for tasting .... Both the chicken patties and the ayam pansuh tasted quite bland. We left after about an hour ... Mom bought a pineapple and a soursop, while Fourth and Fifth Aunts bought some pastries. 

We drove away .... not knowing where to go. We were all quite stuffed from the market, so we thought it would be too early to go for brunch. Fourth Aunt wanted to go to Luisson at MJC so I brought here there. Luisson is a lifestyle store, I think. I had not been there too. 

We reached there a bit early and the shop was not opened yet. But I saw that there was Lorong Coffee nearby. So we headed there first. 

Lorong Coffee at MJC

I bought everyone a cup of coffee .... 

Iced Nanyang Coffee

Mom liked the coffee, which she said was very thick and fragrant. 

Fourth and Fifth Aunts shared the pastries they bought at the market .... 

Angku, RM1.20 each

Not too sweet, soft and chewy skin and filled with homemade mung bean paste

Cheese scone and carrot cake 

I loved the cheese scone, as it was savoury, the baked cheddar cheese was also very fragrant; the carrot cake was crumbly and not sweet 

Chicken pie and chicken  sio bao 

Of the 2, I like the sio bao more; the filling for the sio bao was a tad peppery, and I thought it was yum; the pie had a lot of potato inside ... so I did not like that much. 

I would go back to the market in 2 weeks to buy the sio bao and the scon. Heh. 

Luisson was not that fun .... the shop sold lifestyle products from China - those kinds often featured on Tik Tok or Rednote. We browsed and did not buy anything since everything was expensive. 

Next, I brought the folks to Emart Batu Kawa. There was a parking spot as soon as I turned into the premise. So lucky! We spent quite a lot of time here buying fruits and vegetables .... then we headed to the new food court here. We bought rice and dishes from the Nasi Kukus stall ... the cooking was quite nice! I enjoyed the stir-fried long beans, the sambal eggplant, and the chicken curry with my rice. I only paid RM8 for my plate. I forgot to take a photo though. 

From the Tas-Tin stall, I bought a portion of cangkuk manis and a drumstick cooked in a forgettable sauce - and that cost RM10.80. I thought it was expensive. 

ABC Special from Dou Dou, RM11

Free slushy from Caring Pharmacy 

Fifth Aunt bought something and got this mini cup of slushy for free 

Lemonade from Mixue, RM3

My first cuppa from Mixue Malaysia! 

Keropok lekor from Jedy Lekor, Rm1 for 3 pieces 

I enjoyed this lekor as a snack ... 

It was a hot day, and we headed home to rest after that .... 

Today, Mom and I went out to buy a few stuff and to eat lunch. I brought her to Peach Garden Jalan Song ... and she ordered a noodle soup ... 

Pork Noodle Soup, RM8

Heh ... no good comments came from Mom; too much noodles, not enough ingredients; the meats were not fresh enough and the liver pieces were too tiny .... heh ... I must make a mental note not to come back here for this next time. 

Nasi Lemak Ayam Berempah, RM11

I suppose my nasi lemak fared better; only that at RM11, it's really not worth eating.

I won't come back to this food court for lunch ever.