Syukur selalu. Walaupun belum lagi cecah ribu-ribu mahupun juta-juta klik, tapi ni masih lagi dikira ada progress. Dari 6 klik, ke 15 klik, lepas tu 58 klik dan sekarang ni 100 klik. Apatah lagi baru je memulakan balik perjalanan blog ni selepas bertahun-tahun menyepi.
Semoga bulan-bulan dan tahun-tahun mendatang blog coffeebreakwithme.com ni akan terus maju jaya setanding blogger-blogger lain yang dah berjaya macam Kak Retna dan Sislin.com. Terima kasih atas kunjungan korang semua ye!
Nota kaki: Rindu dengan domain carneyz.com tapi dah kena hijack dan malas nak layan hijacker tu.
Orang yang beriman kepada Qada dan Qadar sentiasa yakin sesuatu yang terjadi adalah kehendak Allah dan menerima segala yang baik dan buruk dengan positif. Tapi semestinya perkara ini tak terjadi dengan sendirinya melainkan dirinya sudah melatih minda dan hati supaya sentiasa redha serta bersyukur dengan kehidupannya.
Semoga kita semua mencapai kehidupan seorang yang beriman. Amin Ya Rabbal Alamin.
Baru-baru ni Bank Negara sekali lagi mengumumkan kenaikan kadar OPR (Overnight Policy Rate) sebanyak 25 mata asas (0.25%) kepada 2.25% pada 6 Julai 2022.
Sebagai orang yang tak tahu-menahu tentang terma-terma kewangan ni, aku terpaksa Google apa itu OPR. Of course kena ambik tahu sebab hal ni berkaitan dengan hutang bank kan? Dah la tak bekerja, ada hutang rumah lagi. Jadi kena cakna dengan benda-benda macam ni.
So, apa itu OPR? OPR ialah kadar faedah yang harus dibayar oleh bank peminjam kepada bank yang memberi pinjam untuk dana yang dipinjam. Kadar ni ditetapkan oleh Bank Negara Malaysia (BNM) sebagai bank pusat selaras dengan sasaran polisi kewangan. Oo.. barulah aku tau sesama bank ni pun kena pinjam-meminjam sebab bank kena ada rizab tunai (jumlah tunai yang perlu dipegang) seperti yang ditetapkan oleh BNM.
Kita bagi contoh Ali dan Abu ialah pemberi pinjaman wang berlesen. Untuk menjadi pemberi pinjaman wang berlesen, masing-masing kena pegang wang tunai RM2 juta setiap hari. Bila peminjam A datang buat pinjaman dengan Ali sebanyak RM700 ribu, Ali mungkin kekurangan tunai dalam pegangan di bawah RM2 juta, jadi Ali kena pinjam dari Abu supaya wang tunainya mencapai RM2juta untuk elakkan lesennya dibatalkan.
Berbalik kepada OPR, semakin tinggi kadar OPR, semakin mahal kadar hutang akibat dari kenaikan “Base Rate” / “Base Lending Rate” seterusnya kenaikan kadar faedah bank. Jadi, pinjaman bank jugak akan semakin mahal. Untuk peminjam sedia ada, sama ada bayaran bulanan kepada bank bertambah disebabkan kenaikan faedah atau tempoh pembayaran dilanjutkan sekiranya kadar bulanan adalah tetap (fixed).
Menurut CTOS Malaysia:
Contohnya, bagi pinjaman rumah berjumlah RM500,000 selama tempoh 30 tahun, kenaikan OPR sebanyak 0.25% menaikkan pembayaran bulanan sebanyak RM71. Jadi sepanjang tempoh 30 tahun, peminjam perlu membayar kadar faedah tambahan sebanyak RM25,560.
Kenaikan OPR juga akan menyebabkan bank mengetatkan lagi syarat kelayakan minimum untuk pinjaman baru. Jadi semakin susah la nak apply loan bila OPR meningkat. Tapi buat korang yang nak beli rumah baru time ni janganlah risau sangat sebab kadar ni masih lagi OK berbanding tahun 2008 dulu (masa tu kadar OPR tertinggi iaitu 3.5%).
Apapun, berpada-padalah bila buat pinjaman bank ye sebab sekarang ni trend OPR semakin naik, bukannya semakin turun. Kalau sekarang rasa mampu nak ambik pinjaman rumah RM700,000 kena fikirkan sama ada masih mampu kalau OPR dinaikkan lagi, ditambah dengan keadaan inflasi semasa dan jugak beban komitmen lain sedia ada.
“Menjaga sekandang kerbau lebih senang dari menjaga seorang anak perempuan”.
Kami belum rasa lagi kepayahan ada anak perempuan sebab mereka masih anak kecik yang mendengar kata.
Tapi kami risau bila mereka menginjak remaja, bila mereka mula berjauhan dari kami atas tuntutan ilmu atau kerja.
Dugaan dan godaan dunia dulu tak sehebat sekarang. Mampukah mereka menangkisnya dan membezakan yang mana intan dan yang mana kaca?
Kami ibubapa punya anak-anak perempuan. Senjata kami cuma doa, doa, doa. Dan didikan agama serta akhlak. Jaga agama, jaga akhlak, jaga pergaulan. Bawakan mereka ke masjid-masjid agar mereka kenal agama. Berikan pendidikan di sekolah perempuan agar mereka jaga pergaulan. Nasihatkan mereka agar jaga akhlak.
Ya Allah Maha Pengasih lagi Maha Penyayang,
Semoga Engkau terus pelihara anak-anak perempuan kami dari sebarang kejahatan dan perbuatan jahat, pelihara maruah mereka dan maruah kami, dan kurniakan jodoh yang mukmin serta anak-anak yang soleh untuk mereka. Amin Ya Rabbal Alamin.
CAUTIONS ⚠️ : This post contains descriptions of biological / bodily terms that may offend some readers. Please skip if you are not comfortable with the content. This is not a paid review.
Last night’s post on menstrual leave totally reminded me that I haven’t reviewed about my recent experience of switching from sanitary pad to menstrual cup.
It took me 2 years to persuade myself to change, mainly because I wasn’t convinced that the cup could fit me (it looked big and the silicone material is thick and so impossible to insert in!). Eventually after hundreds of reviews later from menstrual cup users, I plucked up my courage to buy one from Shopee.
Why do I switch to menstrual cup?
It started when a friend of mine posted in her Facebook that she was lovin’ her menstrual cup. It is environmental-friendly (no more throwing away used pads) and convenient (no more ‘oh no i forgot to bring my pads’ when traveling or going out). She also gushed about how comfy it is (no ‘icky’ feeling of wetness, skin rash from wearing thick pads or you know, when the pad shifted because it doesn’t stick to the panty properly or after going to the toilet).
Additional plus points for me are no more ‘leaks’ during night time or any other time (I once had the horror of my pad soaking through and leaving a mess on my office chair!), nor washing the used pad before throwing it away like my mom taught us to, nor dealing with blood smell every time going to the loo. Also, it’s much cheaper in the long run (imagine saving thousands of RM because each cup can be used up to 10 years and you only need one cup!). It just made so much sense to use a menstrual cup!
After doing some research on the menstrual cup brands out there (both in Malaysia and overseas), I decided to purchase ‘Saalt’ menstrual cup from Shopee:
Available in regular / small size and a few pastel colors
BUT. Despite the reassuring reviews from the users, I was still not buying the idea that I could fit the regular size, so I bought the small soft cup. It’s because the website describes the small size as suitable for those who have not birthed before (technically I had never birthed my kids NATURALLY because they were C-sec babies! 😂).
Description of each size (Credit image: saalt.com)
The good thing about Saalt is their easy-to-navigate website packed with useful information for newbies like me. They also have a quiz to help users to find out the right size before purchase. Most importantly they include videos to show step-by-step how to insert and take out the menstrual cup properly for a more pleasant experience:
Anyway, I had to wait for several months before the cup that I wanted was in stock (wow, so many ladies out there are switching as well). Of course it has to be purple because it’s my favorite colour 💜. Finally it arrived in this cute recycled packaging. The cup comes with a pouch to store it when not in use.
Unboxing Saalt menstrual cup package
It just so happened that I was on my period when the cup arrived, so first thing first was to sterilize the cup by boiling it for several minutes. This is where I found it slightly inconvenient because it doesn’t come with a microwave sterilizer container. Alternatively you can also buy sanitizing tablets and soak the cup in it. For me, I just soak in diluted Dettol liquid followed by a quick rinse.
The first few attempts of trying to insert the cup was a steep learning curve for me. The first time it felt uncomfortable and it leaked. So I rinsed it and tried again. It took me 3 attempts before I figured out the correct angle and how far to insert before I got it right (Tips: Find your comfortable position, relax your pelvic muscle, take a deep breath and check it’s properly sealed by giving the tip a gentle tug).
The first few times of wearing it, my mind kept reminding me that I had a cup inside me every time I move about. After a while, I soon forgot about it and hardly felt anything at all. I can lie on my front, roll around, lie on my back and nope, it doesn’t feel a thing. That night, I had the most comfortable sleep knowing that I will no longer have accidental leaking! 😂
By the second month, I began to wish that I had bought the regular size because I experienced heavy period flow on the first 2 days. So instead of emptying the cup every 6-8 hours, I had to empty the cup every 3-4 hours. I also woke up in the middle of the night to empty my cup (I knew when the cup was full because the cup would be push lower and then I could feel it). The frequency of emptying the cup was reduced by day 3 to 8 hours and by day 4, I only needed to empty the cup once in the morning and once at night. There is no risk of infection from prolonged usage because the cup sits inside your body and not exposed to airborne germs and bacteria.
So, is it a worthy investment?
It’s a huge YES for me because of the 3Cs and 1 E = convenient (no more stocking up on sanitary pads, forgetting one when I am out and about, or not to forget the rush to put on panties right after taking a shower before it starts leaking 😝), comfortable, cost-effective and environmentally friendly. Not to mention how it is more hygienic and less messy compared to using a sanitary pad.
Is there any ‘But’ moment?
Yes. Despite its many advantages, I wouldn’t buy one for my teenage daughter. It’s fine if you are already married to switch to menstrual cup but it’s a whole other argument for unmarried ladies to use the cup. Anyway this is just my opinion, perhaps a trip to a gynecologist office can confirm whether it’s safe for unmarried ladies to use a menstrual cup.
If you are thinking to get one for yourself / family member, the cup that I bought retailed at RM180.90 (yes, a bit pricey but can be used for 10 years) on Shopee (click here for the Shopee link).
Definitely not going back to using sanitary pad if I could help it 😉
