Just An Ordinary Girl

Life is good when alcohol and cookies are combined. My good friend sent me a box of alcoholic cookies from The Alcoholic Baker on my birthday this year.  Alcoholic cookies sound pretty interesting. Furthermore, The Alcoholic Baker actually claims that the cookies are better than sex. Well, I can't really compare these cookies to sex because they are totally different things, but I would say the cookies are equally as good as sex. 

As soon as I opened the box, the scent of heavenly chocolatey goodness instantly hit my nose. These cookies not only smell heavenly, but they are also visually appealing. They look and smell sinfully delicious with immaculate attention to details. 

Each flavor of cookies comes with its own alcohol infused sauces.  You can request extra shots of liqueur in the sauce at only RM 5 each, but I don’t think it is necessary because the alcohol taste is already very strong without the extra shot. 

From left to right: Bailey's Irish Cream infused dark chocolate glaze for the NUT Job, Jim Beam's Bourbon infused caramel sauce for the OR-gasm and JACK Daniel's sour mash Whiskey for the JACK-off. 

Among the three, the JACK Daniel's sour mash Whiskey has the strongest smell of alcohol. It has a distinctive sour taste to it and has a slightly bitter taste. The taste of it was so overpowering that I can't eat the sauce on its own. 

The Bailey's Irish Cream infused dark chocolate glaze has the least alcohol taste. It is sweet and rich, and tastes absolutely like chocolate. 

The Jim Beam's Bourbon infused caramel sauce has a slightly sweet and salty taste. The taste of alcohol is also strong, but not as overpowering as the JACK Daniel's sour mash Whiskey.

Nongshim Chapagetti is Nongshim version of Korean Jajangmyeon  (or Jjajangmyeon) noodles. For those who do not know, Jajangmyeon is black bean noodles. Needless to say, the sauce of the noodle is made with Chunjang (black bean paste), which consists a mixture of soybeans, flour, caramel and then fermented. It is black, salty, slightly sweet and earthy. 

I have never eaten Jajangmyeon  before, so I don't really know how the actual thing tastes like. However, it is said that the Nongshim Chapagetti is the first instant noodle product to resemble Jajangmyeon in South Korea. Therefore, I guess the taste would be very similar.  Can anyone tell me whether the Nongshim Chapegetti tastes like the actual Jjajangmyeon?

The black bean sauce comes in a sachet, in a powder form. Other than that, it also comes with a sachet consisting chunks of dried potato, onions and carrot flakes, as well as a sachet of oil that is said to be  olive oil, which I guess made it 'healthier'.

Based on what I usually saw on Korean TV shows and dramas, I supposed this should be eaten dry, just like Jajangmyeon.  Well, not entirely dry, but definitely without a broth. 

You will need to cook the noodles in water just like the usual instant noodles, but don't put the seasoning in it yet. Once the noodles are cooked, pour out most of the water. You will only need to leave a few tablespoon of water and add in the pack of seasoning and oil to create the sauce. Then,  mix the noodles and seasoning well. The remaining moisture in the noodles will turn the powder into thick sauce.

Even though the gravy is not extremely thick, the noodles are still nicely coated with the sauce. I like the texture of the noodles very much because they are thick, soft and chewy just like the usual Nongshim Shin Ramyun. The black bean sauce (seasoning powder) has a sweet taste of onions, but it is neither spicy nor salty. I would say that the taste was very mild and has a 'healthy' taste.

To be honest, the taste is not really to my liking if I eat the noodles without any side dishes.  But with Kimchi, it becomes really tasty. As the noodles are rather flavorless, or probably on the sweeter side, the sourness and saltiness of the Kimchi goes pretty well with it. Even so, I don't really enjoy eating it as much as the Shin Ramyun. Although I am not a big fan of it, I might still buy it occasionally because it still taste nice with Kimchi. You can get this from Lazada or Shopee. But for now, I would like to try other brands of instant Jjajangmyeon first.

The time I have dreaded the most has arrived again. It was the time to renew my Long Term Social Visit Pass (LTSVP) and work endorsement. I felt especially anxious this time because we are currently still in the midst of a pandemic, and walking into the immigration office for renewal is currently not allowed. In order to visit the immigration, we are required to make an appointment via STO now. However, it is very hard to get a slot at the moment, especially at Jalan Duta immigration where my original file is located. 

Fortunately, a few months ago, the immigration announced that foreign spouses of Malaysians are now allowed to go to any state immigration offices in Malaysia to renew our LTSVP and work endorsement.  We are no longer required to go the immigration office where our files are located to renew our LTSVP. 

So, I immediately booked an appointment via STO to renew my soon to expired LTSVP at Putrajaya immigration office. Believe it or not, it is relatively easy to get a slot at Putrajaya than Jalan Duta or Sham Alam. I have booked the 9 am - 10 am slot, but I arrived at around 8.30 am and found that there was already a very long queue outside the immigration office. 

After queuing up for an hour and a half, we finally managed to speak to the officer at the counter. However,  we were told by the officer that LTSVP that are yet to expire will need to submit the renewal application online. According to the officer, this is a new process that they have just implemented on the 6th September 2021.

However, this online renewal option is only available for LTSVP that has yet to expire. For people with LTSVP that has expired during the pandemic, they will need to book an appointment and renew at the counter at any immigration offices. As far as I know, the online renewal option is currently only available Putrajaya. So, I went to home and submitted my renewal application to the e-services website provided by the officer.

To submit your renewal application, you will first need to sign up a new account on the website. Under Application Type, choose Social Visit Pass (Spouse of Malaysian Citizen). After registration, you will receive an email from the immigration with your password to log in the system. The immigration will also inform you whether your application is approved, rejected or pending through your email, so make sure your email address is correct.

After you log in the system with the password that you received from the immigration, click on "PLS RENEWAL APPLICATION" under New Application and search for your passport number and nationality. If your LTSVP is available for renewal, you will be able to submit in the system. Please note that you are only allowed to renew your LTSVP online one month before your current LTSVP expiry date. 

You will need to upload the following documents in PDF or JPEG for renewal. Please get these documents ready before you submit your application online.

1. IMM Form 38

2. Marriage Cert

3. Your Passport Biodata Page and Current LTSVP 

4. Malaysian Spouse's IC

5. Surat Akuan Form (Commissioner For Oaths)

For Surat Akuan form, you will need to get it stamped at a Commission of Oaths office and attach you and your Malaysian spouse's passport photo on it. I have previously heard that Putrajaya immigration office only accept the Commissioner for Oaths stamp in Putrajaya, but I got the form stamped at a Commissioner For Oaths office located in UTC Sentral. Luckily, they accepted it. So, if you want to play it safe, just get the form stamped at any Commissioner For Oaths offices in Putrajaya. 

I received the approval email from the immigration three days later. In the email, there is a payment link to make the payment online. After you have made the payment, remember to download and print out the receipt. 

I paid RM 270 in total and 2 years and 3 months, which is the remaining validity of my passport. The fee used to be RM 90 per year, but I believe it has now been increased to RM 120 per year. 

After making the payment, you will need to make an appointment via STO under "Collection of Passport" to collect the LTSVP sticker on your passport at Putrajaya. Unlike the appointment for LTSVP renewal, the appointment to collect your passport is very easy to get. Please bring along all the original and photocopied documents that you have uploaded on the day of collection.

Although you can submit your LTSVP renewal online, you will still have to do your work endorsement at the counter. However, you can do your work endorsement right on the day you collect your LTSVP sticker. 

For work endorsement, you will need to submit the following documents:

You don't have to submit another Surat Akuan form again if you are renewing your LTSVP together. 

You will have to buy these documents from SSM MYDATA.  The forms needed are:

- Form 9 (Certificate of Incorporation/Registration)

- Form 24 (Particular of Shareholders)

- Form 49 (Particular of Director/ Officers)

- Company Profile 

- Particular of Company Secretary

Make sure you have the latest version of these documents. I am not sure what the immigration means by "latest", but try to get the latest ones for the renewal even though there are no changes made to the documents.

This must be printed on your company's letterhead. I would advise including your company stamp on it. In the case of a renewal, I have submitted a Confirmation of Employment letter instead of a Letter of Offer. On the Confirmation of Employment letter, I have listed out the starting period of my employment, my current salary and job position in the company. 

Employment contract must also be printed on your company's letterhead and get a RM 10 duty stamp from LHDN. Please ask your company to amend the date on your original employment contract to current date to avoid a stamping penalty. 

To avoid the crowds, I booked the earlier slot available, which is 8 am - 9 pm. Collection of the LTVSP  took about an hour and a half. I was given a number to collect my LTSVP, and once my number was called, I went to the counter to submit all the photocopied documents and my Work Endorsement renewal application. I am glad that everything was fast and smooth on that day. 

By the way, the immigration has recently changed their rules on the work endorsement. No matter how long your LTSVP is, your work endorsement will only be for a year. The validity of the work endorsement used to follow the validity of the LTSVP in the past. However, they changed to a year now, so that means I will have to visit the immigration every year to renew my work endorsement in the future. 

If you want to avoid hassle of visiting the immigration every year to renew your work endorsement, I heard that Shah Alam immigration is the only one that give work endorsement based on the validity of  your LTSVP. However, I don't know how long they will continue to do this. Furthermore, it is also very hard to get the appointment for Shah Alam during this pandemic period. I may try my luck at Shah Alam immigration next year. 

For foreign spouse who plans to marry and reside in Malaysia on a long term basis, you may wish to learn more about the following topics too. If you are interested to know how to:

1. Register your marriage in Malaysia: Marrying A Malaysia Part 1

2. Apply for a Long Term Social Visit Pass (Spouse pass) with a work endorsement: Marrying A Malaysian Part 2: Obtaining A Long Term Social Visit Pass (Spouse Pass)

3. Renew Long Term Social Visit Pass (Spouse Pass) Malaysia: Marrying A Malaysian Part 3: How To Extend Long Term Social Visit Pass (Spouse Pass) Malaysia

4. Applying For Permanent Residency in Malaysia: Marrying a Malaysian: Applying For Permanent Residency (PR) In Malaysia

5. Immigration interview for permanent residency: Marrying a Malaysian: Immigration Interview For Permanent Residency (PR) In Malaysia

6. Renewal of Long Term Social Visit Pass (LTSVP) Malaysia  - New Updates! (As at August 2018)