Shanghainese Feel At Tu-Long

On Saturday, my friends and I went to Mid Valley. When we reach there, it’s already lunch time. One of them suggested we go for the Chinese restaurant, “Tu Long” which famous for its “La Mian” and “Xiao Long Bao”, which both is Shanghai cuisine. The restaurant is situated opposite Mid Valley Megamall.

When we stepped in to the shop, the attendants keep on saying “Welcome” to us. I never had been to a restaurant where so many attendants greeted me at the same time and non-stop. All the female service attendants are dress in Chinese traditional clothes and surprisingly they can speak very well Mandarin (some are even speaking Mandarin in China slang). I think perhaps they are from China. :) The atmosphere was relaxing and looked classy because of the background music and the attire of the service attendants.

The attendants are always in stand-by mode because after we finish order, there are still two to three waitresses standing near to our table, prepare to help us refill our drinks or help us out. I had the “La Mian” with vegetables and minced pork which the broth was tasty. Unfortunately, the bowl of “La Mian” is big, but the food is only small portion, was not enough for me. L

I had to say the waitresses are really alert. When she saw my friend and me trying hard to cut the big piece of meat, she automatically walked to us and asked us whether need her help to cut for us. Wow, good service! Although one of my friend feel uncomfortable to have so many eyes looking at her when she is eating.

We ended up paying RM92 for four people. It’s a bit expensive I would say but if looking at it’s services, it is worthwhile. The entire dining process was pleasing, just that when we leave the restaurant, I nearly slipped off because of the wet floor. They did not put a signage there. This was the only thing which I was not happy with.

Boomer's Medical Crisis

When my kitten, Boomer got hurt, it was 8.30 PM. He had a very bad wound, his flesh was torn out of his body near the right leg. We didn't even know what was the source of it because 10 minutes ago he was playing and running and having fun. Worst of all, he just got well from a bad diarrhea problem he had one week ago.

Me and my boyfriend panicked that our baby kitten was hurt so badly. Boomer in his carrier and brought him to the vet. Baby Pets was closed, so was Tickle Pet house (another vet in the same area).

We went back home and got on the internet to search for any other vets the area. One was open and charged RM53 for consultation fees alone.The other vets were closed. We had no choice but to wait the next day,and sprayed our little baby with an animal healing spray that we bought at the pet store.

It was very stressful because he was hurt and we could not do anything.He did not seem to be in a lot of pain and my friend who was studying veterinary in UPM told me cats don't feel the hurt on superficial wounds.

So the next day we waked up early and took Boomer to Baby Pets which is a vet near Jaya Jusco in Sri Kembangan. The doctor said that Boomer's wound was bad and it was a clean cut. It needed stitches. He told me for the surgical procedure, it will cost RM150. Then he had to wear the Elizabethean Collar which is like a plastic cone over the cat's head so that it won't lick the wounds. That was RM12. Then his ears was infected by ear mites and the medicine cost RM28. In total it would cost RM190.

But since we love Boomer so much, he is priceless so even though I am avery poor student, I still signed the consent form for the surgery anddidn't mind paying. 3 hours later I picked up Boomer and he was stilldrowsy from the anesthesia. The poor thing had a cone-collar-likethingie over his head and he looked so sad and depressed. The fur wasshaven in the area of his wound and there were 6 stitches. His ear wasnot full of the puffy fur, but instead it was all oily and shrivelledbecause of the medication. I was so heartbroken, but happy because thewound was close and everything seemed to look well and I know thedoctor has done a good job because he is an animal-lover himself. The doctor said Boomer never made a noise. But Boomer is like that, he is brave and not talkative.

There were so much medication, pills, and external medication to bring back. I requested pills because it is easier to feed than the normal syrup (Boomer loves spitting it out onto his white fluffy fur!). There was another great surprise, I told the doctor's wife (who is also a vet there) that I am a student in MMU. So for everything they charged onlyRM140!

Baby Pets is a great and reliable vet. They gave me a discount just because I am a student and they could see how much I loved by baby cat.So far this is the best vet I've visited. Boomer is recovering slowly now, he seems depressed with the collar on his head but if I take itout he will start pulling and biting his stitches, but he'll be OK. He will have a nasty battle scar, and his thick fur will grow back soon.Right now there is still the mystery on "What wounded Boomer?"If anyone could comment on what they think happened, that'd be great!

Professional Sales Assistant @ SEED

I couldn’t manage to take any photos this time because it’s the policy of the shop which does not allow shoppers to take photos. 

Since now is Malaysia Mega Sales, and my hobby is shopping, for sure I will not miss out the chance to grab all my favorite clothes, shoes, bags, etc. I went to Mid Valley during the weekend. There were so many people because this was the first day for the sale. I managed to grab some of my favorites.

Many people think that during sales period, the sales assistants are busy, tiring of serving customers, and normally customers will not be treated as good as non-sales period. In fact, I also have the same opinion before this. But not all the shops are same. I had a different experience in SEED fashion in Mid Valley. At first, I just think of go in and had a look, never think of buying anything.

When I walked into the shop, the sales assistant welcomed me in a good manner. Although I only have the intention to buy those clothes at cheaper price, she still served me with good manner. Unlike some sales assistant who will ignore customers who buy cheaper products. She helped me to find the suitable size of the shirt, matching colors, and introduced me some of the discounted apparels (because I tell her my budget :p). She is really professional in her job. If every salesperson in our country has the same attitude as her, I am sure Malaysia will be a real shopping paradise.

Personalized hair style is good : )

Ok, back when I was in primary school and secondary school student, I used to had my hair cut in the classic Indian Barber shop where you can usually find in town. With those red,white and blue roller thing outside the shop, its pretty easy to spot one. As u might know, they cut your hair without question asked. They would just assume you want your hair cut like everyone else.

Nowadays, I being introduced to a friend of mine, Dino who running a saloon. I like the service his offer and I patron his service. The thing I like about hair stylist is, they listen to my opinion and request. Sometimes I can even enquire information about styles while Dino gives some recommendation to me.

Special request like trimming the hair or even the length of the front part of the hair are all responded and executed nicely. Detail customization like: whether how long I want to keep my side burn is all taken into consideration.

Some times cross selling to your customer might sound a bit business minded, but for me, I like myself to be exposed to extra information. I don’t find products offer annoying, offers like styling gel and special hair treatment is worth a try because who know I might try some day.

And as I visit Dino's place often and we knew each other more, I get special a special shoulder massage as a value adding service. And that’s the reason why I switched from the cheaper barber hair cut service. Customization is important especially in service.

Dino's Saloon, Dino de Art

Inconsistent Services During Sales

Like everyone else in this planet, who doesn’t love a good sale? Getting stuff for a bargain price, paying half price instead of full price. 10% or 70% or whatever value it may be, we feel good shopping and knowing we save some money or we bought something expensive for a lesser price.

I won’t complain about KL sales. They are awesome! I get great discounts and usually I run to their bargain bin or 70% of section to find a deal I can’t resist.

However the only thing I want to complain about is the inconsistent service at department stores. Do you notice how you go shopping when there is no sale, the salespeople treat you like a king? And during a sale, they sometime ignore you and it’s so hard to find assistance?

I guess it’s not them to blame. During a sale at any department stores the retail workers are usually more busy then ever because of the volume of people which suddenly floods the store, some going amok when they see the discounts. And they also have to re-arrange some items,making them extra tired as usual. And also they have to run around to meet the customers demand.

But sometimes I wish they DID treat you like how they would during non-sale days during their big sale. It just makes you feel more appreciated. After all, we do spend more during the sale season right?

dragon-i

The other day, I was celebrating my friend's birthday in 1utama. I walked past Dragon-i, and I had this sudden craving for xiao loong bao (steamed pork dumpling shanghainese style).



The shop is closing by the time I went in. They are letting the customers to have the last call of food. So i ordered two dish of xiao loong bao.

After that I asked for the bill. What I don't like about this restaurant is they tend to accumulate all the bills when there are customers asking for the bill the same time as you. I was rushing to get to the carpark but instead I have to wait for the waiter to slowly collect the money from other tables and slowly preceeding to the cashier.

And then slowly, he distributes the change and receipts back to the customers.

Frustrated!