Medan Kota

It has been many many years since we last applied for a credit card… we hold the HSBC and Citibank.. and is given to us since we have accounts with them… the application for the cards were applied on behalf for us by relationship manager or the RM which is safe and sound…

anyway, about 3 weeks back… we had lunch at Taipan… as we were leaving the restaurant, we were approached by the Mega credit card people… 2 youngsters who definitely have no appeal as a banker at all… came to us… saying “ko.. cie.. free first year and now with Mega cc, it’s 50% off at Taipan”… hubby looked at me… father-in-law turned and said “50% off leh…“… so I said to the salesperson and asked..” how do I cancel it should I want to discontinue the service after the 1st year”.. (after that BCA incident… it’s gonna be my first opening question to all these people..)… anyway… I am not that keen…and I didn’t want to manage another account… but the in-laws and hubby went ahead…

First they asked to fill in the standard information on the form that has the usual empty dotted line for address, billing address, income etc… next, copy of the personal identity card.. which obviously we don’t carry the copied version… so they ended taking out their handphone and capture the ID… Third, asking for a copy of the credit card that we already hold… and again, since none copying machine insight, again both guys used their mobil phone to capture the front and the back of our credit card…

I was sitting nearby and seeing how the whole thing being process…. something striked me that could these people be a fraud?… darn.. they took all our details!! …including our credit card details for both front and back!!… as an online person… what we gave them is more than enough for them to go online and have a big shopping extravagenza!!!..

I seriously didn’t feel right about the whole thing… so I turned to Hubby… explained my whole concerned .. and asked them both if they are those freelance credit card salesman employed by the Bank? or the full time employee…. well.. they replied ‘No’… which was not a relieved to be honest…. whether they are one or the other… they definitely have more than what is needed to be known….

somehow… hubby went ahead with the application… he just received a call about further verification… and frankly… this will be our last … the more I think of it, the more I feel unsecured !!!… well.. do take precautions… Medan does has scammers… actually in all places around the world… but it’s the way they do things here that make it worst… and the law does not protect the credit card holders like how it used to be…. so watch out…

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I have a rather balance appetite for food… I am open to options .. Chinese, Indian, Indonesian, French, Spanish, Mexican… all are fine for me… though my daily diet mainly involve soups, pizza, pasta and salad…

I was just looking through my bills last week…. only to notice that we have been dining at just Trattoria and Sushi Tei routinely for the past 2 months…. just as I was craving for something new… an email came informing me of The Royal Middle Eastern food promo at JW Marriott Hotel Medan..

frankly.. I have little clue to what exactly Middle Eastern cuisine is… from my times spent in UK… all I can think of are just Hummus… Kebab and Fafale… oh…  and of course the pita bread…

then came the food tasting day…. while everyone was breakfasting… I was break-dieting… the food was full of flavor, sweet.. sour.. touch of spiciness… it’s utterly yummy…!!!.. at least there’s no kecap manis used…  I had a bowl of lentil soup… and 2 plates of pure savory… okay… I can hear some of you saying… ‘Vic… come on… you are not being frank again… you are writing just as you need to report again….’

2 plates of the above plus a bowl of soup… surprisingly I was not at all bloated… mainly becoz… the dishes had little carbohydrate…. lots of veg… so it’s a real healthy choice…

well… for this one… you all have to take my words for it…  if you like vegetables and salads that involved lots of cucumber, tomatoes, bell pepper, onions, garlic, lemons then seasoned with fresh herbs and exotic spices… Middle Eastern food is definitely for you…. I tried all the dishes on the buffet spread… apart from the Moutabel which is rather bland for me… others are undoubtedly perfect…. I am not a meat person… so it definitely suit my diet perfectly…  for the full review and food photos, it’s on at MedanKu.com …

If it wasn’t my diet mission for the week… I would have easily continue with the 3rd plate… dipping the pita bread into the heavenly Hummus, Mushwieh and wrapping it around falafel… I could just go on and on and on…. as most of the dishes were either cook in its original form… i.e no prior frying.. steaming etc…  else its grilled or pan fried …. and with the drizzle of olive oil… it’s totally healthy to the body and soul….

mini falafel sandwich

the offer is on till 20 September…. well… if you have not try ‘Middle Eastern’ cuisine before… get adventurous and have a go at it … whether you like it or not … at least when someone asked you ‘what Middle Eastern Food is?’… well.. you know what and how to reply… take the opportunity to explore food of other cultures… at least it won’t break your wallet to try it out in Medan at just Rp 128.000++ pp….

feel free to leave comment after your trial… I’m curious to know if it’s just my tastebud or everyone feel the same way… ^-^

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With Piaget students celebrating the Teachers’ day on Monday, 31 August … and that my boys are not in school to show their appreciation, well…. on behalf of my 2 sons, Jadon and Elson, I am dedicating the poem and this blog post to ALL teachers of Singapore Piaget Academy Medan..

Teachers

Paint their minds and guide their thoughts
Share their achievements and advise their faults

Inspire a Love of knowledge and truth
As you light the path which leads our youth

For our future brightens with each lesson you teach
Each smile you lengthen  Each goal you help reach

For the dawn of each poet each philosopher and king
Begins with a Teacher
And the wisdom they bring

by: Kevin William Huff

and special thanks to;

Ms Renalyn who has great teaching skills, BIG heart and been a great influence to both my boys life… when they both first entered the school with just  A, B, C… 1, 2, 3… within a short time that they spent with you … you have transformed them into a great reader, a true eager learner and an awesome calculator (by the way readers, she comes highly recommended for K1 students.. hahahha)…

Ms Riris.. thank you for being there for everything… any questions, concerns, you will always have an answer and are always readily to help..  your fun, energetic, loving nature has made my boys demand going to school even when they are sick… you mean a lot to us…

Ms Florinda.. without you, the class will not be such a joy to be in… you ensure that the class go smoothly without a hinch… boys are boys..I bet they had been a handful to you.. but your patience and that pretty smile of yours has surely brighten up their time in the classroom..

Ms Rita.. a big THANK YOU for the ways you have care, the things you have taught and do …. and for giving your heart so unselfishly…..  you have make learning an adventure to Jadon which was exactly what he needed… the hundreds of hugs that you have given to my son will never be forgotten…

Ms Pida.. your encouragement, your kindness, your constant understanding …. and for always being there for Jadon simply showed him that you care… as a mum whom find it real hard to do just half of what you have done, I’m grateful for your hard work in helping Jadon to grow …

Ms QiuLi and Ms Xie ….. oooh… you both are truly ’special’… ‘amazing’ to be exact!… no kids in this world will not not want to be your students.. you have turned Mandarin, a language that they dislike so horribly into one that they are embracing with interest… xie xie

and to all the new MSss…..  this new academic year has been going great .... both boys are constantly bragging about how much they are enjoying their time in their new classes… Thank you

and to Mr Raja, the principle… when I was young, a principle is one person that if I saw you coming, I will walked to the left if you walked to the right… but now… the kids are simply running towards you… you have made the school into a warm fun environment for learning and not one to be feared as remembered by me…

and here below is something that both the boys have promised…( just hope that they can keep their words… )

My School Promise

Each day I’ll do my best
And I won’t do any less.
My work will always please me,
And I won’t accept a mess.

I’ll color very carefully,
My writing will be neat.
And I will not be happy,
Till my papers are complete.

I’ll always do my homework,
And try my best on every test.
I won’t forget my promise,
To do my very best!

www.kinderthemes.com

‘Happy Teacher’s Day’

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remembering my previous post about me doing something crazy to my credit card?.. well, here’s the story…

it began during June holidays…. 3/4 of hubby’s brain was in Medan working… 1/4 was in BKK vacationing… 2 weeks into the fun, he blurted out how he needs another Blackberry… I was speechless… and go on explaining that he needs it for marketing purposes…  I am someone who’s not into spending some Rp 5JT for something that depreciate in price overnight… in fact the moment the phone box is opened… at least 10% is gone…

so understanding his needs, we agreed… and after we got back to Medan, we were too busy to get one and 1 week on, hubby received a call from Citibank Medan saying we won a LG phone... we went to collect it and was told that there is this program going on for Citi card holders… with the CC holders who swipe the most transactions in a day won..

the Citibank Promotion Terms & Conditions are:

1. for everyday till 31 July 2009, Citi is giving away 1 BlackBerry  + 3  LG phone

2. Mon to Sat is BB Curve and Sunday is BB Javeline

3. max. of only 1 BB can be won for each card holder, but no limit for LG

4. min. per swipe is Rp 150.000

5. this is valid for competition within the Sumut area… including Aceh, Padang etc… excluding JKT

so.. it’s real simple… it’s not lucky draw, it’s something that you can win guaranteed if you work on it…  well… since hubby needs one, we plot out a way to win it… so we went interrogating the citi girl to make full clear understanding of the T&C..

I then went back to look at the transactions that I made that won us the LG… so it was on Sunday with 7 swipes…easy, simple and straightforward … my mind was working on the vengeance..  initially, we were aiming for only the BB Curve… since its on weekdays and will definitely be easier to win… but having thought through… it became.. why settle for the second best if you can have the BEST…

and oh… saying it all was real easy…. but on the execution day… it was a nightmare for me….  I dis-heart shopping!!!! yes… I am not a shopping person… so it was not pleasant for me… I only shop when I need something… knowing my needs and wants…

I was ALL OVER Medan… I have a list of things that I need to buy… so my shopping lists include stuff that I planned on purchasing anyway… it wasn’t like… swipe aimlessly…  I went about from 10 am till 9 pm…  let’s just say.. I went to 5 supermarkets, making 8 transactions… Sun Plaza making some 10 transactions… Cambridge Adidas with 4 transactions..  the trick I did was to make transactions averaging more than Rp 150.000 per swipe as required …. plus several other online purchases, I made a total of 28 transactions on that day… (you have to turn on your kia-su ness mode to full speed for this)

Win BlackBerry Javeline

Yes.. we won….. for the swipes that we made on Sunday 12 July… the winner announcement is only for purchase made till 17 July…. well, after the D day, we went about planning our shopping & swiping again…..   so I have another 2 dates awaiting for the confirmation for the LG..

by the way… it’s not greed ooookayyyyy…..  it will be silly knowing that I can try getting more and didn’t take the chance isn’t it…. hhaha…

so… you guys have like 3 more days… I did not post this up at MedanKu.com… I want to keep it quiet so that it will be easier for everyone to win … hahahah… and if you choose to do it like us… two words from me… GOOD LUCK..!!!!

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Before I went on the seminar, I vow to send the boys over to Singapore regardless of whatever it takes… in fact, I was already looking out for a property and planning to move myself and the boys in like 2 years… and let’s just say, we are staying put as a family in Medan.. till the right time comes to move as a family..

When I read the rich dad poor dad many years back, I did things differently and couldn’t be thankful enough …. and hearing live from Robert Kiyosaki himself, have greatly affect my life in a positive way.. ..

His theory has it that you make money work for you.. and that going to school, get good grades so that you can get good jobs is not the ideal thing to do… and yes.. I do agree with that..

My husband and me stayed at the Swissotel hotel in Singapore, so for 2 days, we took a 25 mins MRT ride to the Singapore Expo, back and forth for the seminars…  on my first morning, at 8am, being a tourist, I sort of able to see things differently..  its peak hours, so you see a lot of office workers having the morning rush..  this is before I went into the seminar… as I stood in the train, and as it passed all the housing areas where the real normal Singaporean live, it shows how life is so sucks for many people… I was telling my husband that these people look so miserable early in the morning…. they were sleeping on trains, looking blank into the morning sky, grumpy face, looking lifeless, emotionless and no smile.. nothing!!!!  It was an eyeful for me though, as many times that I am in that country, we often just wonder around the popular places during the happy hours… my head was going like.. thank god I am not one of these miserable people…

Then on second morning, after being told repeatedly from the previous day seminar of how going to school will not help your true real world situation, it just put things into perspective…

by second evening, I was convinced enough to gladly informed my hubby that he can stopped worrying and that we no longer need to argue over the boys moving away from him, as I sincerely telling him from my heart how the boys are staying put in Medan and that we are staying as a family… ‘for the moment’

You see… Singapore is known for good education system.. no doubt about it.. I was there to experience it for like 8 years, from 9 yo -16yo…  initially, it was fun.. then when I entered the secondary years, I was faced with friends who were sosososo kiasu (afraid to lose) and remembering how we were being told to memorize words for words for many things including history.. god… I can still remember clearly how I had nightmare and blurting those essays out loud during my sleep…

But having said all that, this does not mean that we don’t need to go to school….. we all need the school education to process all the INFORMATION around us and put it into meaning to understand… e.g Fibromyalgia… we may know the words, but we need the education to make it into meaning for us to understand…

I admit that I am born privilege.. so, its sort of like I have the Rich dad and the Rich husband too…  but to come and think of the less privilege people who has no one to tell or to guide them what real life is like…  its definitely like running around the rat race…

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