thoughts on semester 4 so far

1. Surprisingly, this semester our allowance came in earlier than we expected.

2. I still haven't decide which school to go for my final SBE.

3. I'm waiting for the day when the air-con will be fixed.

4. Funny how much stress is put on the importance of a conducive classroom, yet sometimes we find ourselves crammed in an unfitting space.

5. Cambodia? Would love to see it happen!

6. New tender for cafe needs to happen ASAP

7. I miss Sir Shekar & Mdm. Carmilla teaching us

8. Constant fear of having the other class' lecturer instead, for that certain subject lol

9. New juniors in our dorm. Finally seeing the 2nd floor light up again.

10.  Gala Night / Farewell party is in the process of planning for the TESLian family since our seniors would be leaving soon. So far people are showing 50/50 enthusiasm. 

11. RPH for assignments. yay.

12. I miss calling my father to talk about what's going on here. I really do.

Ramadhan Bazaar | Nasi Kerabu Ayam

Some time during the first week of Ramadhan, I had my first nasi kerabu for sungkai. And I swear it tasted divine even if I didn't have it on a proper plate in a fancy restaurant. My first choice,though, was not the nasi kerabu. The stall, Gerai Makan Lapuasa , in Balung Bazaar that was selling nasi kerabu was also selling nasi lalap ayam madu which Echa and I both had our eyes on but I chose the nasi kerabu ayam at last because the blue rice looked inviting.

No regrets I tell you.

The Nasi Kerabu Ayam was neatly covered and separated inside which is a thumbs-up because you know the person who made this was thorough and careful. Other than that, it makes the food lasts longer.

The kuah sambal tumis is really something special. It's one of those kuah you can eat with plain rice alone; it is that mouth-watering. The sambal cili and sambal ikan compliments the whole meal as well. 

The ulam-ulaman which consists of kacang panjang, cabbage, taugeh, and bunga kantan added the extra flavorsome crunch.

If I were to pick between this and the usual nasi ayam lalap; I would definitely pick this.

However, I couldn't find the stall that sells this nasi kerabu the next time I went to the bazaar. I'm convinced that everything has been bought and we came too late. I hope I get a second dose of this very appetizing Nasi Kerabu Ayam before Ramadhan ends :)

UPDATE:
The evening after I posted this I had the chance to drop by at the bazaar and I immediately went to find Gerai Makan Lapuasa. As predicted, all the nasi kerabu was sold out but I had the chance to talk to the makcik who runs the stall. She was kind enough to give me her number so either me or any of my friends can reserve her nasi kerabu before it finishes again. So nice of her :)

Food Review : Restoran Balikpapan Seafood,Tawau

I intended to post this review some time after the previous food review but something came up so I had to step away from blogging for a couple of months to get the blogging spirit back. I might not recall the correct name of the dishes/drinks since my memory has fogged up a bit. 

***

I came to eat lunch here at random actually. Didn't have any exact places where I wanted to eat but it turns out to be a decent dining experience. 

Es Jakarta. 

Before ordering this, I don't know how it was supposed to look or taste like but the name sounds so inviting I had to find out. It tasted no differently than other ABC but the toppings certainly made a difference. Its a good idea to have plain water on the side because the sweetness might be too much for some people.

ABC Pulut Cendol (name may not be correct lol)

The pulut gave an interesting taste to this dessert which makes it delicious. I recommend this for first-timers to the restaurant especially if you enjoy pulut. 

Ayam Masak Merah.

Not exactly the kind of ayam masak merah that I had in mind but it was good.

Ikan Bahulu (boneless)

Delicious. Especially with lime drizzled on top. Order this individually because sharing might not be enough cos its that good haha

The restaurant is a humble place. Nothing fancy schmancy but their food speaks for their reputation. 

You can find this restaurant on a commercial area at Jalan Budi (in between Jalan Kuhara, if you're coming from the main traffic lights at Jalan Sin Onn-Apas and Jalan St Patrick, if you're coming from the Fajar Complex).

Since its Ramadhan, I think this would be one of the nice places to break fast with friends.

Oh and with that,

Happy fasting to all my Muslim friends :)

Food review: Indo-Taste Restaurant, Fajar

I should at least do one food/restaurant review here in Tawau. I don't think I've done a proper one before since most food posts are updated straight on my Instagram.

Where I dined:

The second Indo-Taste Restaurant branch at Fajar (same row as Maxis Center). Recently opened  on October last year.

The interior and decoration of the restaurant; a nice contrast to its other branch near Giant Tawau. A very comfortable place to dine in with friends or to hangout alone since it is quite spacious and there are plenty of sockets around (to charge whatever devices you lug around). Its a non-smoking restaurant since the place is indoors and air-conditioned. 

Nasi Ayam Penyet.

They serve a variety of Indonesian dishes but I opted for this instead since you can never go wrong with Nasi Ayam Penyet especially when dining at unfamiliar restaurants. 

Avocado sago

It tasted different (milkier maybe, if that's a word)  compared to Indo Cafe's version of this. Maybe it has something to do with the chocolate syrup and chocolate chips but its yummy, nevertheless.

The prices are standard, still in the not-too-pricey range (pricey is what you get at L.A Rooftop). The service is okay, didn't take too long to wait. My first time dining there had been a pleasant experience so far. Indo-Taste's food never fails to be appetizing, this includes my experience dining at the first branch where I ate the best Nasi Ayam Cendawan, in my opinion.

Maybe more food review soon (stress on maybe), since its such a pity to not blog about the food where you can't find its competition at your own hometown.

***

Dental Technology Training offer

During the 2 week holiday, I got a surprise when my mom gave me this letter. 

Turns out I'm still receiving offer from SPA.

This letter sparks that train of I-could've-have-been thoughts since this was the same course that I got when I applied in SPA after I finished my SPM.

Imagine that instead of going to Tawau, I would be experiencing life in Penang (since the only training centre specializing in this course is at that particular state).

I would be getting a monthly allowance of RM835 for 3 years instead of struggling to budget one semester's allowance until the end of my degree.

Not that I'm ungrateful, but knowing how the struggle is and looking at the constant changes in the field that I'm currently studying makes me think that there's something else out there that I could be pursuing.

I feel blessed because of the people I got to know for the few years that I have been here

but at the same time, all the things that I love became the things I can't bear.

For example, this semester I thought I'd be happy learning about Visual Arts, but the opposite happens. 

Stop.

I shouldn't go too far

(because our obedience is worth thousands,no kidding)

Now you have a hint that I feel there's something more to this that I could (and supposed to) be experiencing.
Anyway, my interview is going to take place by the end of the month but I can't attend it, like it or not, because I'm already bound to a contract.
But thank you,SPA, for letting me have the chance even though I have to reject it.
I wouldn't mind getting more offers just to see what I can get.

School Based Experience III

Recently, I went to SK Puun Tunoh for my 3rd SBE. I'm not sure whether everyone has heard of this school because it is situated  far from Kota Kinabalu. Think hills and paddy fields; that kind of rural. There were only 4 of us ; three (2 of them happened to be my secondary schoolmates) from IPG Keningau and then there's me. We went there for a week but I only managed to take decent pictures using a proper camera on the last day we were there.

Somewhere not far from the school ground. The view of paddy fields and distant hills is pretty amazing but I can't imagine the heat one has to endure when taking the shortcut here.

Is it me or there's an eerie charm to old,abandoned buildings? I couldn't resist to take pictures of this abandoned teacher's quarters. I do hope that the school would demolish this building because the space that it takes could be a lot more useful for new classrooms or parking lot. Not to mention the safety hazards will be eliminated.

The view from the school on top of the hill. The panorama is breathtaking from here. If you drive along the Jalan Pintas Penampang, you can spot this school from afar.

Preschool kids. There's always that one kid that has to stare.

"Psst, I heard she called you an ass." "What!"

- An imaginary conversation

You do not know how amused I was when I saw these at the preschool.

Among all the classes that I could have had as class relief, I was given PJ classes to handle (once alone, the other times were thankfully, with my friends). That one time when I was on my own, I brought these Year 5 kids to the field and the boys and girls fought about who gets to used the field since the boys wanted the whole field to themselves to play soccer while the girls needed space to play netball. Thankfully, I managed to let both use the field without having them hate me (I think.)

My angels :) They are so good in terms of proficiency and participation. The little girl in glasses, Aishah, is a good singer. She's the first one that caught my attention when she sang "Let It Go"  for an audition in the school. I found out that she's a mix of Dutch and Bajau after asking one of the teachers 

there. 

I also met her older brother, Hakim, who is in Year 5. Eurasian genes mannn, definitely going to be future eye-candy with that.

A side job for a week at the school.

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There goes the 2nd update for 2014. I'm on a roll, yes it's slow, but an improvement nevertheless. 

More to come (hopefully).

confessions, lies and half truths

As a comeback for 2014, I made a new header/banner for my blog (and a few other minor changes). No more "blog rabak" for 2014. Felt like forever to finish it but I could say I'm pretty satisfied with the outcome. A better quality than the last header since I used Photoshop CS6 this time rather than Photoscape (it looks less tacky,right).

I still feel the need to change something though. It doesn't reach the same standard as Reese's blog which I  outrageously set for myself and I have so much yet to learn.

So this is AGAIN another attempt in trying to revive that blogging spirit back. Wish me luck that it will last longer.