Hence, the equation was pretty simple. More money in, and sadly to say more money out due to higher cost of living. So again, Orang Kaya Baru was not necessarily the right title just yet hehe. When I first came here, I was having shopping culture shock. Normally, back home, for full trolley of groceries, it would have cost me RM 150-RM 200, depends on what goods I purchased. If my grocery list involved pampers and formula milk or anything that known as costly item, it would cost me more that stated. Here, for the same amount of items, we need to fork out around KD 50 ( RM 500 +/-). So every time I did my groceries, KD 40 to KD 50 was expected.

As an example :

{ This two trolley cost us KD 100 plus. U do the math how much RM involved }

This post does not mean to scare you or to plaster bad image on Q8. No no no no no no.. no at all. Please do not take me wrongly. I just explaining cost of living here. Please dun have this thought, U come to Q8 lah, U'll died starving heheh. That isn't the case at all. My girls are living proves that despite the higher cost of living here, their weight grows steadily and followed exactly the kids growth chart. Keyword here is adapt. You need to really adjust and adapt to the way of living here, the sooner the better. Furthermore, we decided to come here in the 1st place, thousand miles away from family, in a place where we dun spaak their language, we dun understand their cultures, we're not familiar with their foods, was to save most money we could and improves our life. If we go back home, poorer and more broken compared to before we came, it's kinda defeat the purposes.

We love to eat out back home a lot specially when En Muddy @ home. At least 2-3 times per month. U know, TGI Friday, Tony Romas, Chillies, Nandos and such. Arghhhh such a bliss. Unfortunately, living in Q8, where a plate of meal could easily cost you the bomb at times, we just need to re-adjust our way of eating life by cook and eat in more, less eat out. No big deal for me and no bigger deal for En Muddy. Eat in means less fast food for us. Healthier lifestyle I must say, for our stomach and indeed healthier for En Muddy's wallet heheh.

Enough with my yawn-boring rambling. To more interesting matters. Case in point, I'm not sure if we have this kind of system in Malaysia. Here, normally entrance to ATM machines in local bank will be locked after office hours. Owh you can still withdraw money but you need to swipe/insert in you credit card or debit card or ATM card into a slot embedded in a wall nearby, which then will trigger the automatic door alarmed to open for you. No other way. I may sounded a bit jakun but I was pretty amazed when I 1st encountered this unique system. I went like " Wahhhh canggihhh!!! " and kept blabbing about how the system awed me. Jakun it is. I swear if Kuwaitis there can understand a single word that came out from my mouth, my husband would disowned me there and then hahahhaha.

{ This simple invention definitely bring out the jakun-ness in me}

A little but important info, specially for Syerah and to everyone, Maybank system will go offline at 12 midnight sharp in Malaysia and it does effected us in Q8 too in a sense that we cannot do any transaction during the offline period. However, as Q8 was 5 hours behind Malaysia time, it will be 7pm here. Hence, for maybank card holder here in Q8, U cannot withdraw money between 7 pm till 8 pm. Make it before 7 or after 8. Quoted from a movie which the title seem to slips from my mind, If you cannot be on time, be early!. Or in this case, be early or be late kah kah kah. Trust me, we tried and decided to trick the system. We tried withdraw at 7.01 pm, request rejected. Bleargghhhhh ! We tried on other day at 7. 55pm. Guess what, rejected again so we have to wait till 8pm onwards to do our withdrawal and wallaaaaa the system co-operate with us and granted us dinars we wanted hehehe. So to save up your time, DUN EVEN TRY TO WITHDRAW MONEY USING MBB CARD DURING 7pm-8pm. However, you're welcome to do your own experiment :).

Anyway, let's peek inside City Centre, Salmiya for some interesting stuff I snapped and not getting caught doing it. Well I found images below interesting in my own opinion. If somehow you find it un-interesting, I'm sorry for disappointing you.

{ For Pyrex lover( read: my mum), lo and behold, the whole stretch for your eye candy. So many size and shape and purposes. Actually the rack was longer, I snapped from middle part. Owh attention for ladies, Corelle, Luminarc, Tefal, Kitchen Aid mixer and many many electric gadget for your kitchen was way cheaper than Malaysia and comes in more varieties too. I think if not many, this one reason should be sufficient enough for you to love Q8 :) }

{ TV for your little one. The two models there was trying to decide which one they want. However they came back with huge dissapointment and empty hands, as approval not granted by chairman kahhhh. Nonetheless, will persuaded En Muddy to get one for the girls. Too cute isn't it? There Pooh theme, princess theme, Garfield, smiling red car.. and few more}

{ They picked Thumbelina, of course !}

{ Mummy want the pepel karer flowery design on the bottom rack pehlisssssssss... *wink* *wink* *wink*}

{ Pirates theme. Ni boley bg Ajiq ngn Ariel. Cuma tunggu Mak Long bank-in dwet jek kahhhh}

Barbie was famous among teenager and young girls in Malaysia and world wide. However in Q8, they have more decent version of doll named Fulla. Barbie have Ken as partner, Fulla I dun think she has boyfriend. Not that I know off. Last message they wanted to spread to youngsters here I guess. How about us mummy?? Don't we deserve a doll to play after whole tiring day in kitchen? I'm sure they come up with something for us married woman.

{ Meet Jamila :). Vogue mummy with twin. Siap ade stroller bagai. Sorry for the over-exposed and blurry picture. Using phone camera sahaja. }

Eh Jamila sorang je ker? Is she single mom? Where's the husband then??

Owh dun panic. No sympathy needed. She have husband definitely.

{ Meet Jamila's husband, Jamil. Betcha their twin names must be Jamal and Jamaliah! Owh it's not his fault they were separated few box away. Blamed it on the sales assistant that place him in between hot lady in a very short pepel spaghetti strap and a giant baby . Hello woman! Have some respect will you? It's Ramadhan after all. Owh, dun worry, he doesn't even look a her, not even a single glance. His heart was all for Jamila. So sweet.....}

Akhir kata... yuk balik yuk...