Tuesday, May 25, 2010

Mikasa Serving Hostess Set… I like!!


Have you ever experienced, when u dine at one place, or even at your own home, the serving spoon flop into the dish, or drown inside the gravy that you have to use your hand or another spoon to rescue the drowning spoon? It happens to me several times and what's more embarrassing, those incidents happened when I was dining and entertaining the guests!! Of course I have to use the bigger serving plate / dish bowl when having extra people eating at my house, but due to my ignorance I never bought a proper set of serving flatware (yg ade couple of pieces tu orang hadiah ye… obviously tak cukup lah kalau ade 3-4 hidang) so as usual, I just use the tablespoon instead. Maka kejadian2 itu sering lah berlaku time orang datang.

Oleh kerana saya selalu menerima tetamu, maka keharusan membeli serving flatware telah bertukar menjadi satu kemestian. Dan oleh kerana saya saya tidak mampu membeli sterling silverware (walaupun saya SANGAT SUKA!) dan saya tidak pula akan membelinya (kalau pun mampu) kerana ade hadith sahih yang menegah penggunaan bejana serta peralatan makanan yg diperbuat dari emas dan perak…. So the stainless steel is the way to go!




But good stainless steel won't come cheap either. Apa tah lagi yg designers brand! That's why I was so overjoyed when Mikasa Serving Hostess sets was having clearance sale up to 80%!!!!... Yummmeehhh!!! Maka akak telah memborong beberapa set utk diri sendiri, utk ibu mertuaku dan ibu tiriku, and for a friend whose running a restaurant called Garam & Gula (hehhe Jie… aku promote ko nih).

I thought barang yang elok akan jadi lebih baik jika lebih ramai yg dapat memilikinya, so I spread the news to my friends and family di Malaysia (sharing is caring kan… and yes I'm a caring person… hehehe poyo). The feedback that I get was overwhelming! I've been told that a piece of Mikasa serving spoon the cheapest you can get is RM60! Iye ke?... Gosh!!! So for RM80 per set (original price was around RM350), no wonder I have to buy another 15 sets for them!! And more orders coming today… Insyaallah, I try to fulfill their request while the stock last. You readers (yg tak dapai email i) kalau nak order pun boleh lagi. Give me your email and I give you the details about these products.

Mikasa Hudson Tabletop Serving Set (Stainless Steel 18/8)


Few things that I learn and I wish to share with you about buying the flatware. Apart from considering the design and the number of pieces, the quality of stainless steel is another most important thing to consider. The quality is determined by the mixture of alloy and the weight of the piece. Stainless steel is a metal alloy containing at least 10.5% chromium and more than 50% iron, with nickel added to help protect against rust and corrosion while adding a subtle, silver-like shine. The best stainless steel flatware contains 18% chromium and 10% nickel (usually 18/10 is engraved at the back of the spoon showing the percentage of chromium/nickel), followed by 18/8 then to the lower quality of 18/4 and 18/0 (no nickel – giving the matte finish of dull and darker color).

But some 18/10 (normally of an average brand) are much less expensive than 18/0 of the high end brand. JANGAN TERTIPU with the only look of shine and luster! Examine handles for durability. Durability of a flatware comes with weight! Solid steel pieces are the safest options; flatware with riveted handles can chip or break more easily, particularly with inexpensive handles. That's why it is always good to hold flatware pieces properly to test them before buying. The balance, weight, and proportion of the pieces should be comfortable to grip and turn.

Semoga bermanafaat… :)

Wednesday, May 19, 2010

Letter from Pauline...



Siapakah Pauline itu??! Cuba teka?...
hehe..heee
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I received a letter today...

Sender address: COACH, Madison Avenue NYC...

Tiba2 excited!! Ada nak bagi discount lagi kah??... UNBELIEVABLE!!.. normally it's only once a year...


Sekali bukak...

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Pauline is my personal shopper... customer service mmg terbaekk!


Alaaaa... anti-climax btol la.... thank you card je rupanya...

Maka buat kesekian kalinya saya menjadi Ms. Bin Saadun !
... kwang...kwanggg... kwanggg.. ;p



Monday, May 10, 2010

Mommy's Day Everyday...

Ok la... mmg saye bersalah sbb saya malas mengapdet.... malas segala2nya infact... (uhh... sgt dosa!!)

But for the past 11 days till now, mmg hakak bz... ulang alik beli handbags... Alhamdulillah... order bnyk masuk... more than 20 biji... and beberapa accessories yg lain. Ye.. orang kedai tu sgt suka hati la melayan aku bagaikan mak datin... dapat business banyak giler, ape taknye!! Dan hakak pun sukerr... coz customer service baekkk punyer!!... They give me 2 dedicated personal shopper's assistants setiap kali aku dtg, after i brought a long list during the 1st sale visit. Tp discountnye ttp 25% jugak!!!... Takdenye nak bagi lebih... huhuhuuu... sekarang tgh terkial2 nak packing n shipping... ditambah pulak dgn Hanna yg amat suka "membantu" (she insisted!!!) Arrgghh... pengsan... suh main jauh2 tak moh...

Anyway, apart from Raya n birthdays, our family don't really celebrate other occasions as much. So my Mother's day was like every other day... after bangun yg sangat lambaattttt, I was out having my own sweet time in that evening with final round of visiting Coach boutique (last day sale...) dan kemudian mencuci mata di Prada, Michael Kors dan Cole Haan yg berdekatan.

Abaji gave me an extra good back massage treatment early in the morning (Mommy's Day treat??... hehehe) membuatkan aku rasa sgt best mau tido dan tido lagi... malas nak bangun... sampai ke tgh hari...

Seb baik la Hanna dgn rakus dan excitednye kejut mak dia yg lena diulit mimpi di siang hari sebok nak bagi card... sambil molot mengomel "Happy Mother's Day - Happy Mother's day" berkali2 with hugs n kisses... (sambil terkiss air liur basi ku?... hahha!! nasib la...)
Hahaha... kreatif btol anak aku x dpt cari envelope ngan reben.... sgt comel dia balut ngan towel Mikey Mouse yg dah lusuh tu dan ikat ngan belt dia... konon nak bagi surprise... Thank you for your effort anak mak sayang... hati mak berbunga2.... :D


Bangun2 kuar bilik je, nampak fresh colorful roses nicely blooming depan pintu, kak Wan hadiahkan last nite sempena Mother's Day.... rumah ni mmg sengaja dibiar kosong tanpa dekorasi ape2... so sesekali dapat, suka jugak... sejuk mata memandang... makin berbunga la hati aku.... I loike.... :)


Lepas makan lunch nenet masak... then bawak Hanna turun bwh gi makan eskrem sedap kat Tasti D' Lite. Biasanya Hanna la yg suke pow aku eskrem ni... Aku main colek2 sket je dia punya slalunye... coz dia makan sorang agak terhegeh2... cair je kang... sbb agak besar saiznya bersesuaianlah dgn harganya yg agak (gulpp!!) $$$ as compared to Baskin Robin or Haagen Das. Tapi akak suke sgt mother's day ni, coz moms eat free!!!... yg anak punye kena bayor lerr... maka kitorang tapau bawak balik... dan sambung makan secara berjemaah di rumah.

...hanya bekas yg tinggal...

So kesimpulannya... apart form having extravagant "me time" and delicious cooking from nenet everyday... today I got extra special back massage treatment from Abaji, beautiful pretty flowers from Aunty Wan, a nice wonderful card from Hanna and free ice cream treat from Tasti D' Lite.
Ohh.. yaa.. dan tak lupa juga great free stuff and goodie bag I got from NYC Family Club yg organized Mother's Day Fiesta Expo minggu lepas. Sukaaa!

Alhamdulillah.... saya terima semua ini dengan penuh kesyukuran. Dalam pada itu, saya perlu kembali merefleksi diri dgn persoalan... "as a mother, have I done best enough for my little one??!"

Dan jawapan yg saya temui lepas muhasabah diri amat menginsafkan... dengan kurniaan anak inilah Allah menaikan mertabat saya sebagai seorang ibu... dan dengan segala kemudahan, kesenangan, kelapangan dan peluang.... saya sepatutnya boleh menjadi lebih baik dalam menjalankan kewajiban bukan sahaja sebagai seorang ibu, tetapi juga sebagai seorang anak, cucu, isteri dan menantu... malangnya saya selalu lalai dan leka serta gagal mengoptimumkan segala peluang yg ada... :(
Semoga Allah mengampunkan saya, dan semoga ibubapa, atok, mertua, suami dan anak saya ikhlas dan redha dgn saya dan memaafkan sekiranya saya gagal melunaskan hak2 mereka yang sepatutnya saya tunaikan....

At this moment... deep down inside my heart... I'm crying missing my EMAK.... :'(
Alfatihah...

My beautiful Emak in between her cancer treatment in 2007... she was a strong woman!
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Oppsss... terlupa nak call mak tirisss wishing Happy Mother's Day... aisehmen... itu la pasal... leka lagi!!!