I love my old man

I was reading a blog post about a day out with papa and was suddenly inspired to write about MY days out with my beloved papa. :)

The way with typical Chinese family where both parents are Chinese-educated is that the children will never be really close buds with the parents. My family is one of these families. I grew up knowing that my parents love us very much but in their own ways. There never was any outward displays of affection. My father was strict but he never raised his hands on us (except for one time, which I still complain about until today).

So anyway, my siblings and myself were always closer to my mother when we were younger. Then, when my eldest brother and sister went to study overseas, my father must have suddenly realised that children grow up very fast and that he must spend some time with his younger two. So, my elder sister and myself got all my father's attention from the time when I was about 9.

Being the youngest, I got away with a lot of things with my father. And to be fair, my sister was my mom's favourite, and I became the apple of my father's eye. My dad and I used to quarrel a lot...and we actually enjoyed the tongue sparring. =)

Recently, (well not so recently actually), I went on a movie-date with my dad. A lot of people looked at us in a strange manner, possibly thinking that I was my dad's young wife. LOL We were at the airport once and my dad was buying me bottles of perfume when the cashier tactfully asked for our relationship and I had to call my dad "Papa" so many times because people were giving us looks.

And my friends all think that it is so nice to be going out with your dad because our dads' generation just don't do these kinds of thing!

Ooh...I also go shopping with my dad quite often...as in buying household stuff. Hehe...Sigh...and to the little sprouts' mama: don't worry, your children will understand that their papa loves them very much when they are a little bit older. :)

To all you Chinaman papas out there, go take your kids out la. It's really not that bad! ;)

Googled for image. Love the warmth. Can you feel it? :)

Back from the busy days

Phew...it has been a while since I last updated my blog. I really don't know how did time fly by so fast. I was swamped with work because I am teaching 3 Year 6 classes this year. Before I knew it, the UPSR is over and I had to deal with other work such as my university assignments and erm...spending money. LOL

So what has gone on? Well, there is the arrival of my darling niece. Meet Anabelle. Isn't she adorable? She's only a few weeks old and she has stolen the hearts of all who have seen her. She does the cutest things: not suck when her mummy gives her plain water to rinse her mouth after milk, smile and coo when you talk to her, calls for you when she knows that your attention is not on her etc etc. Ahyi loves you a lot!



And then here's something funny to share with you. Look at number 7 and guess what vegetable is the child trying to write. :) Have a great weekend ahead.



Day 3 of Challenging myself - failed

Yup, as the title says, I have failed in the challenge that I have given myself. Everywhere around me is tempting me with sinful, high-calorie, high-fat food! For the past few days, food would magically appear on my table because my colleagues would 'belanja' for one reason or the other. And since my table is in the middle, it is where everyone puts food to be shared by our island. Furthermore, Hari Raya is almost here, so the clerks are giving out samples of kuih or cakes or cookies that they are making to sell on my table.

Hmm...I suppose I have more fate with food than anyone else I know. Hahaha...Jimmy complains sometimes that the photos that I take are always with food or of food. Hahaha...

Which reminds me of a few photos of food that I took when I went to Vietnam last June. Just a random question, when you go for holiday overseas, would you prefer to eat the local food or would you prefer to find a Malaysian restaurant or a Chinese restaurant? I know a lot of people cannot stomach the food of other cultures. I am the more adventurous type. I would prefer local delicacies and would eat almost anything except for raw animals/insects/fish, snake, dog and cat.

And, a lot of people shudder when I showed them that I have eaten this in Vietnam:

Behold the "Duckling Egg". It is an egg with a fully-formed duckling. Specialty in Vietnam. Tastes totally like hard-boiled egg yolk except that as you chew, you would chew soft bones and feather. I stopped eating when my second or third spoon scooped up a chunk with fine feather.

Ok...I'll let you digest on that while I go and digest my food in calorie-burning exercises. Haha...have a happy weekend!

Challenging the pupils

Hmm...Voon, thanks for the comment but you didn't try typing it out. :P

See, what happened was I was teaching a chapter in Bahasa Melayu about lagu kebangsaan. And I think although I could write the lyrics out since my primary years, it was not until my secondary school years that I truly knew what the songs really meant. It is disheartening that Malaysians forget the lyrics to the national anthem after leaving school. Yup, don't deny it...how many of us can actually remember the entire song and our state song if we have not been singing it for years? (I'm glad that both my parents who are in their 60s could still remember the lyrics. I tested on them so many times!)

I digress. Anyway, I was teaching that chapter and the song lyrics were there for all to see. So, I tried my best to explain the lyrics to the Year 6 children and tried to instil in them the love for our country through an understanding of the song lyrics. After explaining the lyrics, I challenged them to write the lyrics of the Selangor song. The pupils were excited. Some started singing the song the moment I challenged them.They have been singing it for 6 years every week, no problem! My old school in a small town had problem after the first two lines and would start to murmur. The headmistress had to hold a competition to make them memorize the lyrics. This school, they didn't have problem with the lyrics, as far as I could see, they just had problem with the pronunciation of one or two unfamiliar words (or so I thought, how naive!).

So, the class of 33 pupils, 19 boys and 14 girls competed to write out the lyrics on the board. All 33 pupils did not get it right. The girls had a good start and wrote the first few lines well but the final 2 sentences were disastrous. The boys were rather hopeless from start to finish. I was laughing my head off. After correcting the lyrics and explaining the meanings, I erased the board and asked them to rewrite in their exercise books. I think many of them cheated, but still, there were still the few over-confident, don't want to listen in class, and do cincai work boys who produced the below for me. Take a look:

Pening oh...

Presents, presents, presents

My family loves me! ^O^

Although I complain all the time about petty things, being the youngest definitely has its perks. My brother and sisters have been working long enough to pamper me with some things now and then (not to mention the generous ang paus I've been getting from them for years!) :P My parents are retired and have lots of time for me. Muahahaha....

You know, sometimes, when people say that the youngest are normally the spoilt ones, I can definitely agree to that. :)

My favourite present...Charlie :) 21st birthday present!

My 25th birthday present

On the right, a partial image of my 23rd birthday present. On my right in the photo, my 24th year's Christmas present ;P and in his arms, my 21st birthday present. Hehehe...

Ooh...and my most recent loot. :) A Burberry bag! Love lots!! :)

Funny but true...

Read this in an e-mail and couldn't help smiling. :) Jimmy, study this carefully!

NINE WORDS THAT WOMEN USE:
1. FINE: Used to end an argument and cue for you to shut up.

2.5 MINUTES: Depending on situation. If she wants you to wait for 5 minutes, it could mean 5 minutes or half an hour. If she tells you that you have 5 minutes, it means 5 minutes.

3.NOTHING: The calm before the storm. You should be on your toes. (Arguments normally start with NOTHING and ends with FINE)

4.GO AHEAD: It is a dare, not a permission. DON'T DO IT!

5.LOUD SIGH: In women's vocabulary, it is a word full of meanings but often misunderstood by men. A loud sigh means that she thinks you are an idiot and she wonders why she is wasting her time and effort arguing with you about NOTHING (Refer No.3).

6.THAT's OK: The most dangerous phrase a woman can say to a man. She is thinking long and hard how to make you pay for what you have done.

7. THANKS: Just accept it. Don't question it. Reply with a courteous "You're Welcome"

8. WHATEVER: A woman's way of saying FU** YOU!!!

9.DON'T WORRY ABOUT IT, I'LL DO IT: Another dangerous statement, meaning there is something that she has asked you to do several times but is now doing it herself. This will normally result in you asking her "What's wrong?" for which she will respong NOTHING. THEN YOU SHOULD RUN!

One of my dreams came true

Yay...here's an update of a dream of mine that came true on 11th December 2009. Ever since I could remember, I had wanted to go ice skating with my good friends and they kept ignoring me. So, on the 11th December, during our reunion, we finally did it. Linesh insisted that the first thing that we do at Sunway Pyramid was to go to the ice skating rink. So, confidently the four of us went to the ice skating rink. As we were there looking down, the three of us (Mel, Vilo and I) began to chicken out. Linesh on the other hand, insisted that we go and get the tickets. Why did we chicken out? Well, because the people on the ice skating rink were either teenagers or parents of young children. We were neither here nor there and it was truly intimidating considering that none of us knows how to skate!

So, putting on a brave face, we went to get our rather expensive tickets, socks and gloves. Then, when we went to get our shoes, Linesh freaked out. Haha...how were we supposed to balance ourselves on the thin blades?

After putting on our skates, we practised on the carpet. My one-time experience back in 1999 came back to me. Lock your knees and bend a little, I kept telling them. Marching to the ice, I put one foot in and slid. Hahahaha...fortunately, I caught myself and went back to the carpeted area. Saw a little girl and asked her to show us how to get in. Before we could see what she was doing, she was already off. Hmm...

Putting on a brave face, I led the girls and went in again. Experience had given me an advantage and I could pretty well balance myself on the ice. I needed to hold on to the side because I was afraid of falling. Linesh came behind me, followed by Melwin and I thought I caught a glimpse of Vilo after her. As I was "teaching" Linesh how to balance herself on the ice, I went further and further away from her. Linesh and Melwin were practically hanging on to dear life on the side. They were blocking the way for a whole bunch of people who came behind them and Linesh was shouting, asking them to find a way to get around them because she is not moving! Hahahaha...

It was really comical to think about it now, but at that time, we were just regretting getting on the ice. Vilo had wisely gone in the rink for 2 minutes and reversed her way out. So, with Linesh left further and further behind me because I do not know how to reverse, I tried to finish the round as fast as I could. However, Linesh and Melwin were helplessly blocking a lot of people. Miraculously, at one point, I reversed and was close enough to talk to Linesh. She looked up at me and thought that she had reached me! Hahaha...

After trying to guide her through (she said afterwards that she didn't understand what I was telling her), I left them behind again and finished the entire round. Ithink it took me about 20 minutes to go through the entire round. After getting off the ice, I sat down with Vilo and waited. And waited. And waited. Finally, after about 15 minutes, Linesh and Melwin emerged.

We rested for about ten minutes and told each other that the time we spent on the ice was worth the $$ we spent on the tickets. After that, we just took photos of us with our skates on the carpet. Hey, gotta really make the money worth right? Haha...fun day over all, although bodies ache like grandma's later that day. Should do it again, girls! :)

How I spent one week of my holiday

Dear all,

Holiday has finally started for me. I was at school for the past two weeks, trying to drill subject-verb agreement and sentence construction techniques to 90 unwilling students who were forced to go back to school while the others are on holiday. Hehe...

So anyway, what have I been doing for the past two weeks besides torturing myself and the kids? My housemate, Y, was feeling lonely, so we went out almost everyday of the second week because my other housemate (i.e. her usual companion) went to Sabah. So on Monday, we went to Sungei Wang by bus+monorail at 5 and walked aimlessly til 930 p.m. before proceeding to Jogoya, Starhill. The Japanese restaurant was (is) having a promotion buffet supper which starts at 940 and ends at 12 midnight. The 2nd person is only charged RM10+. So anyway, we felt so out of place in Sg. Wang! Haha..talk about feeling old! And we pigged out at the rather posh-looking Jogoya until 1130 p.m. Y can really eat! I mean, she was eating almost non-stop for the 2 hours that we were there - oysters, mussels, crabs, fish, grilled meat, desserts! I made the mistake of getting myself a Japanese hand-roll very early on, so I stopped eating after an hour. But I walked around and took a lot of drinks and snacks for Y! Haha..she was smiling from ear to ear while eating. I think I ate RM 30 worth of prawns that night! Haha..I love my prawns! After stuffing ourselves full, we went for a short walk around Pavillion. The Christmas deco is beautiful. Jimmy came to pick us up and I slept almost immediately. Pig, I know.

The next day, I felt so awful that I slept through the afternon after class. I didn't have anything for breakfast and lunch save a glass of coffee because I was still stuffed from the night before. :-/ When I woke up, Y forced me to have some thing to eat so we went to SS2 and stuffed ourselves with dessert.

The next day, I went for medical check up at a private hospital. I wanted to go to UM Hospital, but the queue was horrible!! So I spent 4 x of what you would spend at a private clinic for a normal medical check up. But everything was completed within an hour. The report was to be picked up the next day, but I haven't gone to pick it up yet. Hehe... My other housemate, M came back that afternoon, so I thought I would have a break from Y, but M needed to go shopping and she didn't have transport, so Super JW was there to save the day. Parking in Mid Valley is a nightmare. We went round for almost 45 minutes looking for a parking. I normally give up within the first 15 minutes, but M needed to buy her wedding stuff. Shopping with my housemates is not something that I can take for more than 2 hours in 3 months. I don't think it is the lack of money issue with them but they are extremely careful with their money but at the same time curious of every little thing that is in the store. You know what I mean? It is quite tiring actually to go with people who have different styles when you go shopping. I can't shop with my mom because she doesn't look at the things that I like to look at and her taste and mine are different. And as she grew older, she loses her patience as well. So anyway, I was saved from further torture by my date with Jimmy at 7. I went back to pick them up at 11 p.m., an hour later than I promised because Jimmy and I were stuck at the place that we were at.

My final day of tuition was spent happily. I was lazy to go in for the first period, so Y took over. I lazed on the bed for a record 3 hours before getting my bum out of the bed and get ready for school. 2 hours later, I was ready for another round of going out with my 2 housemates, knowing fully well that I have to leave them earlier like the day before. Y had wanted to go for a karaoke session ages ago and we were finally going. Because of the price factor, she had chosen Gbox. Neither of us has been there, so we were quite excited about it. Y booked for 3 o'clock and started washing her clothes while waiting for M to come back from her chores. By the time M came back it was 2+ and Y was still washing her clothes. By the time we left the house, it was almost 3 and we were "surprisingly" stuck in the jam. We reached Sg Wang at 3.50 and M wanted to have something to eat. We chose a restaurant that looked quite empty and ordered. We didn't know that the restaurant had another section and it was actually quite crowded. We got our food at 4+ and by the time we finished, it was almost 430. When we went to Gbox, we had to book a room again. And we had to wait til 5. ANother round of aimless walk around Sg Wang later, we finally got into a pathetic small room. Seriously, it's PATHETIC. Pay a little extra and you get better service in other karaoke lounges. So, anyway, when M and I were getting our drinks, Jimmy called and said that he'd be there to pick me up in 15 minutes. Hmm..I just paid my share adn got my drink and haven't even sung yet and it was time to go? Jimmy and I had a miscommunication and dinner was supposed to be at 7, not him picking me up at 7. So, after 2 songs, I left the two of them to go for dinner with Jimmy's parents and client. I tell you, Chinese really eat well. And they would rather the food go to waste just to show that they can afford it. Gosh...5 of us and we ate about RM 600 + worth of food??

So anyway, that's just part of the week of holiday. More later...sorry Ashley, forgot to post this one after typing and I have lost my train of thoughts. Hehe..have fun!

I love hugs

~Sigh~ I so do love hugs... and I just realised this not too long ago. It is not just me. Melwin has been feeling the same way too ever since she came back from Sabah. Too bad it is not in the Chinese culture to hug. Of the Chinese I've hugged, I think my aunt and cousin (love you lots, ah yi and Ashley!) are the only family members (ooh..and Willie). Heck, I hugged my friends' fathers and mothers and aunts and sisters but never hugged my own! I did attempt a half-hug with my father when he gave me my car but I don't recall him hugging me back. And my eldest sister's first hug for me was when she was leaving for UK and I stood there like a log feeling disgusted at being hugged. Hahahaha...that is/was the culture of my family.

Growing up imagining myself being open minded made me enjoy hugs. Somehow the hugs were only shared amongst the ones who went to national primary schools. Very rarely were hugs given to those who went to Chinese primary school unless they were really really close to you. I think the only one whom I hugged from Chinese primary school was Yoke Thing on her 21st birthday. And I remember her feeling awkward because she wasn't expecting a hug. Haha..or maybe it was just me giving her an awkward hug. :P

And then in Maktab days where my closest friends are Indians, I embraced the culture of hugging. Meeting someone after a long time *hugs*, before leaving *hugs*, family members *hugs*, just so that you know you are important and loved *hugs*...Before being posted and separated from my dearest friends, I had thought that it was some kind of obligation or habit for people to hug for no apparent reason. But I have since realised that it is not an obligation or a habit, it is just a need and a rather effective way of showing that you care...

I've been really lucky that I have been able to meet up with many of my closer ex-coursemates over the past 2 weeks. And I had a glimpse of the very different culture of the 3 main races in our beloved country:

My first outing was with Daus, Aisyah, Azee, Hakimi, Apai, Ikin, Sarah, Is (and Nana) and Vilo. Yup, a rather muhibbah outing we had at KLCC. Even though I was not close to some of them, we met and shared the particular 3-time hugs of the Malays. And even though it looked like standard hugs, the different levels of affection could be felt. For me, it is very natural to hug the one I am closest to or am friendliest with first before hugging those whom I am not that close to. And the ones I am closer to will hear the "muah, muah, muahs" while those whom I am not close to will just feel me doing the obligatory three time hug. Haha... Of course, religion and culture dictate that guys and girls shalt not hug (or touch) each other, so this "culture" was only exchanged among the girls. I would not mind giving Daus a hug though...hahahahahhaha...he's such a great friend! Besides the hugs, it was great to be able to meet and chat with them about everything and nothing again. And to go to the Skybridge together (the ticket collector was surprised that Vilo and I were together with them). Too bad Daus and Aisyah want to keep our photos close to their hearts and do not want to share them with others *hint*. ;P

The second outing I went to was with the Indian girls...the ones whom I almost always went out with. I am very bad but I would always try to hug the person that I miss most first even though it would be out of the way. So, without noticing it, I (kind of) ignored the person who was standing closest to me and went and hugged Melwin first. The Indian hug is different from the Malay hug that it is only done once but is felt by intensity. So, if I hug Vilo (hahaha) it would be a tight squeeze as opposed to me giving the obligatory hug to erm...Vilo's aunt. Great fun to be with the girls again...Mindy, Vilo and Melwin, we should go bowling and watch movie again soon! Miss chatting with you gals and laughing for no apparent reason! Haha...

The third outing which lasted for almost a week was with the Chinese gals. Siaw Hui, Hwa Cheat, Sin Yuan and Woon were in KL. And guess what? No hugs at all. Hahaha...we just waved and stood awkwardly saying hi to each other even though we are quite close, closer than I am to the Malay girls, at least! I only hugged Sophia and Dasha in the outing but not with any of the others who joined us after that...Ming Keat, Mei Ju...It's a little sad because now I regret not giving them a hug. But something about the culture holds us back... Chinese just don't hug...

Like, the culture in Chinese school is to stay away from the teachers. The children just don't want to get to know the teachers better. It is very different from national school children who would love to be closer to their teachers. The Yr 6 graduation ceremony is so stiff and awkward compared to the time when we left our practical school with hugs and kisses from the children. Sigh...it is sad that we don't adopt some of the better cultures of other races. Perhaps one day...one day, Malaysia will be truly be made up of Malaysians...

Bangkok Shopping Tips

Dear friends,

Sorry for another late post. The caged bird got to go Bangkok with her mother and her friend for 6 days at the end of last month. Between the Singapore trip, the moving back home, the wallowing in self-pity and the trip, I have had the busiest time! So, anyway, before I forget the details of the Bangkok trip, let me give you (and myself) some tips to having an affordable and enjoyable shopping trip to Bangkok.

1. Get cheap air tickets

- My mom and I had decided to go to Bangkok since last year. We booked the AirAsia tickets last November for only RM 6. Of course airport tax and fuel surcharge and what-nots came up to RM 270 per person...but the RM 270 is for a two way ticket. When I thought I couldn't go with my mom last April, I had wanted to book the same flights for my sis (as the tickets are non-transferable) and it would have cost us RM 600++. So, book the tickets early!

2. Travel by taxi (even to and from the airport)

- Yup, most of us would think that taking the tuk-tuk would be cheaper, but in actual fact, the taxi is often the cheaper option. The Thai taxis are almost all very comfortable and trustworthy. The starting price is at 35 baht which is about RM 3.50. A helpful fellow Malaysian told me to go to the 4th floor of the airport (the departure hall) and take a taxi from there. This is because most taxis at the departure hall are waiting for customers to go back to the city and would charge slightly cheaper and according to the meter compared to the ones waiting at the arrival hall (which I read somewhere on the internet that you have to buy tickets or coupons to board). Maybe those taxis waiting at the arrival hall are those limousines or minivans (?). Don't bother asking for directions from the officers in the airport because they will direct you to the coupon-ed taxis. Just go to the 4th floor and walk out of the airport. You will see lots of taxis waiting there. The taxi fare from the airport to the city inclusive of toll is about 200-250 baht. The taxi fare from the city to airport might set you back at between 300 to 500 baht because most taxis do not want to go there.

Taking the metered taxis around the city from shopping mall to shopping mall will be less than 100 baht at all times. The tuk-tuk will charge you at least 50 baht per person even for short distances. Don't be lured by touts who charge 10 baht per person to any shopping malls because they will first drive you to jewellery or silk factories that will give them coupons and benefits for bringing in customers. Always, ALWAYS, flag down taxis with a red light on as this will signal that they are using the meter and also that they are available.

3. Get a hotel near the shopping area

- My father's friend recommended Bangkok Palace. We got a Deluxe Room which is about RM 250 per night. But you can actually get it cheaper over the internet. The hotel is only a 10 minutes walk to the Pratunam shopping district where we did most of our shopping.

4. Exercise

- This is to prep you up for a lot of walking in Bangkok. Bangkok utilizes its spaces so well that a shopping mall half the size of MidValley Megamall may have up to 3000 stalls/shops. And they have many, many malls in concentrated areas.

5. Plan to spend a weekend there

- The Chatuchak or Jatujak Weekend Market is a must-go for all! From pets to kitchen ware to toys, you name it, they have it! But get there early (preferably Saturday morning) to avoid the afternoon crowd and the price hike by some of the sellers.

6. Bring lots of money

- Shopaholics will die happily there! You have so much to choose from that no wonder it is a shopping haven if not THE shopping haven in South East Asia. The things are even cheaper than the things in China! And the sellers are not so rude too!

So, a summary of the places that I went to:

- I booked an 10 o'clock flight so that by the time we reached the city, it would be just nice to check into the hotel at 2. After a short rest, we went to Pratunam market. Pratunam area is a wholesale area. They have stuffy backlanes and dark alleys where tiny shops and stalls line the way selling mostly clothes. The market is sectioned so you will find clothes and only clothes in one area, tailors in another area, and shoes and bags and accessories in another area. Don't be fooled by the prices there though. Not so organized environment does not mean that they sell their goods at the lowest prices. If you are looking for things at a reasonable price and a more comfortable shopping experience there is a small shopping centre called Indra right next to the Pratunam market. You will find a food court there too.

- The second day, we went to the city. Bangkok authorities are very forward thinking in that they have a walkway called the Skywalk which stretches at least 4 kms in the directions that the Skytrain goes and connects ALL major shopping complexes in the city! The shopping complexes in the city are for those who are looking for more high-end products such as Jimmy Choo (ironic that he does not own an exclusive shop here), Ferragamo, Coach etc etc. Although you may not want to buy any of these things, it is worth a walk. Of course, being in the city we also went to the famed four-faced buddha in front of another shopping complex to offer some very expensive flowers. My advice, the Buddha will know your sincerity even if you don't offer the flowers sold at exorbitant prices outside.

The best thing about these seemingly expensive shopping malls is that they have huge supermarket and they sell so many different brands of things from so many countries that you would just wonder why you were so impressed by the things they have in Cold Storage at the Gardens. And they sell the things at reasonable prices too. The aunty bought a bag of 1kg glutinous rice (don't ask me why) and 2 guavas for less than RM 6!! The food court there may cost a bit more though.

Since we were not very interested in high-end products, we walked to a shopping mall called MBK (Moh Boon Krong or something like that). It is similar to Times Square but has more stalls in a smaller area. Things there are quite reasonably priced.

- On the third day, the aunty and I went to Pratunam area again but to a shopping mall called Platunum Mall. It is also a wholesale area but you can buy things separately or mix things up and get the wholesale price. Very worth the visit. Too bad I went with the Aunty who did not look very interested in the things that I was looking at and made me feel guilty for dragging her along for almost 4 hours before we sat down to have something to eat. (Shopaholics would understand the special energy that flows through their body when they see lots of good stuff at low prices that they do not need to sit, go to the toilet or eat =P)

At night, we went to a touristy area at the other side of the town called Suan Lum Night Market. If you are looking for the touristy stuff, you can go there from 6 p.m. til daybreak. But as in all touristy area, this place sells things at a high price and it is up to you to slash the price. I won't recommend that place though...

- On the fourth day, which is a Saturday, we went to the Chatuchak Weekend Market. They open from 8am to 6pm only on Saturdays and Sundays (GMT +7). You can spend the whole day and all your money there. Shirts as cheap as RM 5 or 50 baht and shorts of good quality only at 100 baht! CRAZZEEEEEE!!!

- Mom, Aunty and I went to Indra Mall again on Sunday because we didn't want to go too far and because I didn't want to (couldn't) buy anything anymore because our bags were full to the brim and might be overweight! Haha...imagine, I only brought 3 change of shirts and a jeans to Bangkok and my bag was filled with nearly 40 pieces of clothings and 5 pairs of sandals on the trip home!

- On the last day, book an afternoon flight so that you can do some last minute packing and leave for the airport at around the check out time. The airport's name is Suvarnabhumi but pronounced as SuwarnaPUNG.

I took some photos of the stuff that I got but, you know me...I hate to upload photos, so maybe in the distant future, I might post them here. Hehehe...have fun!

Supposedly photo-filled post about Redang

Ok, so I finally got the time to go and get these photos from Woon who lives downstairs. Hehe...yup, I am still in denial and living in Cheras. I was just talking to her just now and we agreed that we will be living with our families again, cooped up like we used to be once we get posted. *Cross our fingers* Hope that we still may have our social life once we are back at home. Thinking now, most of my classmates are either first-borns or the youngest. The first-borns set a precedent to their younger siblings - still living at home with mom and dad, and probably still have a curfew at the age of 24; and the youngest (like myself) well, our parents just don't want to let go of their youngest "baby" so soon because they have no other children to hang on to by now.

Hmm..I am guilt-ridden. I miss my family and wish I could spend more time with my mom because she is so lonely. On the other hand, I can't give up my freedom - just yet. Besides, I don't have a room to myself at home still. It's not like I'm trying to get rid of my sister but now that her husband works the night shift, it means that I could not even use what used to be my room too in the afternoons! Ahh..the dilemma of a young chick who has somewhat learnt to fly but is still stuck (or going to be stuck) in the nest for the next few years!

Well, we all have our problems. But, let us not dwell too much into it and enjoy these wacky photos my friends and I took in Redang. You can actually rent the cameras with water-proof casings at the reception. And it's quite cheap too. RM 35 for 50 photos, Rm 45 for 80 photos and RM 60 for 130 photos. They also give you a CD and a free folder of professionally taken photos of the underwater world.

*Ok, I've tried uploading the photos so many times and failed that I give up! So, no photos this time. Wait for the next post or when I have a better internet connection. =)

Redang, Kuala Terengganu, Dungun Day 3

Ok, back in Redang...the third day we didn't do much. Brian and I decided to go take photographs and just walk around after breakfast. Laguna Beach Resort is really a nice place, I bet the price is nice too. =P

Laguna Beach Resort...nice.

Here is the famous MoMoCha Cafe. I never did finish watching the movie because I dislike Sammi Cheng's acting (although the movies that she was in all have rather nice plot).

A couple of jumping photos before we left:

We left Redang Island at around 9:30 a.m. in a speedboat which took us only half an hour to reach the mainland. Compare that to an almost 2 hour journey to reach Redang Island on the ferry! Brian's GPS showed that the speedboat was only going at 60km/hour. It was a rather bumpy ride but I enjoyed every moment of it. MeiJu didn't know that sitting at the front of the boat meant that it would be a bumpier ride and happily sat across from Brian and I. Haha...she was "faint boat" for a while (haha..classic translation from YiLoon to mean sea sick).

Meiju feeling "faint boat"

What is a journey to Redang without souvenirs? We went on a shopping spree at the jetty. Advice: Never buy things on the island itself because it would cost more. MeiJu and I bought a cuddly turtle each.

On the way to Woon's house in Dungun, we stopped by in Kuala Terengganu for lunch. We had steamed lekors (which didn't taste too good).

On the way to Dungun from Kuala Terengganu, we stopped by one of the many stalls by the roadside to buy satar. It tastes a little like otak-otak but it has some glutinous rice and very spicy chilli padi in it. We also bought corns. At the stalls, I wanted to try air nira kelapa which I've not heard of and bought a bottle. MeiJu warned me that its taste needs some getting used to. The moment I opened the bottle, I regretted my purchase. It smelled like the ammonia stuff hairstylists put on your head when you go for a perm. Drinking the air nira wasn't too bad. It just leaves a weird after taste. I gave the bottle to SinYuan who seemed to enjoy it when we stopped at Rantau Abang beach.

Satar

Corn, satar and air nira at Rantau Abang

After that it was an hour journey to Woon's house. We settled in and took a rest before going out for dinner with Woon's family at a Chinese restaurant. You would think that we would have stopped eating after dinner, but no, we went on to eat lekor and drink fruit juice for supper. Oohh..and nangka juice is not as bad as it sounds. It is actually very good. Do try it if you find a stall which sells it. It was only after that that we said enough and went to Woon's house for a good night's rest. Talk about eating non-stop!

Redang Day 2

The 2nd day in Redang cannot be just narrated with words. You have to look at the photos, which of course has not been uploaded yet. Hehe...I will, I will...

So anyway, the snorkelling session for the 2nd day started at 9 a.m. We headed off to the marine park for this session. I was a little disappointed with the marine park condition as there are not many live corals there anymore. Too many tourists shh shhing there perhaps? Hehe...but Brian and I had fun looking at swordfish swimming among snorkellers who did not notice that the fish was around them because they kept looking down instead of near the surface where this fish is normally found.

After about an hour, we headed back to Redang Beach Resort for lunch. Brian left the lifevest that we rented on a bench at the beach while we went snorkelling (Oh, I didn't mention that Brian can float?). When we came to take it, someone had mistakenly taken the lifevest and left his own, which is boldly marked BRBR for Berjaya Redang Beach Resort. Grrr...talk about being blur! So, after asking the resort people for advice of what to do next, we took the much smaller vest and headed back. On the way back to the hotel, the "captain" of the boat suddenly stopped his engine in the middle of nowhere. We thought that there was something wrong with the boat when one person pointed into the sea and said "turtle"! Everyone rushed to one side of the boat to take a look that the boat was not balanced for a while. Haha...great luck that we could see turtle in the clear waters though.

About Brian floating, I believe his father has done a great job at training his children to be good swimmers since they were young. Brian and his sister can float in deep waters without the need of a life jacket. FuSeng, who is a capable swimmer himself tried to imitate Brian's "floating style" insead of treading water (because it is very tiring treading water for a long time), nearly drowned. Hahaha...Brian just has to kick occasionally to stay afloat. I tried that too but in a faster pace and I too nearly drowned (all the swimming lessons gone to waste as I did not think of treading when I was panicking).

After a good lunch, Brian and I went snorkelling in the areas that he missed out the day before. We saw three baby sharks and many many other beautiful fishes. After that, we went snorkelling in another spot in the deep sea. The spot on the second day is more beautiful than the place where we snorkelled on the first day. There were many corals but not too many fishes. Brian dove a couple of times to collect rubbish from the seabed. He attached them to the back of my life jacket which fell off during my attempt to do "stunts" and take underwater photographs. Haha...

A full day out in the sun. We headed back to Redang Beach Resort and went to the baby-shark-infested area. Hehe...we took a couple of photos and went back to clean up. Dinner that night was not good. SiawHui's skin has begun to react to the sunblock that she is allergic to. The girls had to take her to see a doctor. Brian dragged me to the beach for a moon-tan and I insisted on buying a can of beer. While happily sipping on the beer, Brian came up with a box and voila! a diamond ring for the full second year anniversary of our real date. Awww...is the diamond ring real? Well, that's for me to know and for you to wonder! ;)

Sunburnt but happy.

Diamond ring. Real McCoy or fake?

Love you sweetheart!

Redang Day 1

So, right after our final paper, when everyone (almost everyone) cried their eyes out, 6 chinese girls were gleefully laughing away at the excitement of going to Redang some time very soon. Yup, the 6 girls were myself, Woon, HwaCheat, Meiju, SinYuan and Siaw Hui. As our peers bid tearful goodbyes, we were smiling and saying "see you on Wednesday!!". Haha...

Brian, FuSeng, Woon and I started our journey from Cheras at 11 p.m. Tuesday night, the others were taking a flight straight to Kuala Terengganu the next morning. So anyway, we left Cheras at 11 p.m. and reached FuSeng's house in Dungun at 4 a.m. That was Brian driving after a full day's work. So, we took a nap at FuSeng's house and left for Kuala Terengganu at 6 a.m. because we didn't know the way to the Merang Jetty. I valiantly fought sleepiness from KL to Dungun because I know how drowsy it would make the driver feel if all the passengers in the car were asleep but I could fight it off no longer and left Brian to fight fatigue on his own from Dungun to Kuala Terengganu (of which I got an earful of complaint after that). The bus was crawling and we only reached the jetty at 9a.m., the same time as SiawHui and the gang arrived.

I napped again on the ferry and got another earful of complaint from Brian because having been knocked out meant that he had to stay awake to watch over our belongings. Hmmm...

OOh...the fun part about Redang jetty is that it is a mobile one! And it stops halfway so you would have to step into water to get to the hotel! Fun right? Good thing Woon told us or we would be all wet in our jeans!

We stayed at Redang Beach Resort which is a very nice place at a very reasonable price of RM 300 per person. The way the cafeteria is runned reminds me of a camp site. You know, bread available all day, Meal time from what time to what time, self-service and clean up after your own mess kind of thing. But the food was superb. So, after munching on a bit of bread and attending a short briefing, we checked in into our rooms and prepared to go for our first snorkelling session.

Having an energy-giving ice-cream before going for a snorkel.

Snorkelling was fun. Hmm..the photos of the snorkelling session are not in the computer yet. I'll upload them in a post later. After about an hour of snorkelling, we went back, took a rest and had BBQ dinner. Yum yum...Brian threw a tantrum because of lack of sleep that day. Haha...but all is well during dinner after he had a nap after the snorkelling session while I went snorkelling at the beach with FuSeng, Woon, MeiJu and YiLoon. Hehe... I may sound like a horrible girlfriend but you spend the amount of money to have fun, right? After all, he was cranky because of lack of sleep ma, so let him sleep la while I have fun for the both of us. :P Love you, sweetheart!

Before getting a sun tan, on our way to the deep-sea snorkelling spot.

The location for our snorkelling activity that day. Beautiful place. Too bad my camera couldn't capture the different shades of blue and green of the water.

More in the next post!

Graduation dinner 2008

Dear Ashley, this is an update for you. Hehe...

I just came back from Terengganu with a stomachache that lasted for 1 week. So this is an update of something that happened way before...even before the trip to Terengganu. Yup, it is the night of our graduation dinner. The night which many have spent hundreds to dress up and to attend. The night which caused so much heartaches and arguments between the "committee".

Actually, it was a rather successful night considering that many did not turn up and that there were so many dramas involved prior to the night. Whatever happened, everyone breathed a breath of relief once it was over. It was not a night of crying or sadness for most of us because we still had to sit for an exam on the following Monday, and anyway who wants to have mascara run down in two black streams? Haha...

It was lucky that DD and Esun managed to scrape up with something that looks like a door gift with the limited funds that they have. But the magazine looks fabulous. No doubt about that. And I got an award : Einstein Award. Haha...that's for being the one of the more notable "brains" in the cohort. Nah...they practically gave awards to everyone, so nothing to be too proud of.

The door gift that is the magazine and some ja-jans.

The highlight of the night must be that we hadto stand for almost ten minutes singing the national song, the UM song, the IPIK song, and Kami Guru Malaysia! Haha...I thought it was awkward but fun because we would not have much chance to sing these songs after graduation. But then it was Awkward with a capital A.

Having to sing patriotic songs before the dinner. Weird.

The food was all right considering it is hotel food. I had a taste of heaven with the payassam...Yum yum...There were actually two bands performing while we pigged out. Friday's was actually quite good compared to the band that jarrod was in. Unfortunately, not many paid attention to either of the bands because we were famished. The dinner was scheduled to start at 8 but Malaysian timing meant that we could only start eating at almost 9:15p.m.

The buffet food that I took before wolfing it down.

After eating, most people were busy taking photographs with each other rather than to pay attention to the bands or to the games that or award-giving ceremony at the front of the ball room. Haha..tough luck la that our cohort isn't too into these kinds of things. Leave us be in a room with soft music playing and lots of cameras and we are happy. The initial plan was to have soft music and maybe a band playing at the end, which would have saved us a lot of money but...

Well, cool and dampening responses or not, here are some of the many photographs I took that night...

Almost everyone important in my Uni life in the photo. Meiju, HwaCheat and Woon are missing.

Sempat lagi smile in this random photo.

Look at the butterflies syuck to the eyelashes. Classic. :)

With the Bollywood beauties. :)

Bad Hair Day

I did a stupid thing over the weekend...I permed my hair. Yeah...I got talked into it by my sister who wanted to perm her hair and I got excited because HwaCheat's hairstyle looked so cute on her. And not to mention, I felt like experimenting/rebelling with my hair, like how Woon did with hers. But you know what's the stupid-est thing with my hairstyle? Not many who knew me before I straightened my hair noticed it. Hahaha...why? Because my natural hair is curly. And in those days when the straight hair-style was In, I straightened it. And now that the straight hairstyle is Out, I spent 200 bucks to perm my hair so that I look like my old self. Stupid right?

HwaCheat looking cute with her new hairstyle...kawaii neh

Woon a.k.a Storm or any anime character...wild and cute at the same time

My hairstylist reassured me that I will get used to my look after a few days. But I turned to my mother and said, I don't feel weird about my "new" hairstyle because that's how I used to look after coming out of the shower! Of course, my curls weren't that aunty-ish and were a little flatter compared to the one that my hairstylist styled for me. Coming back to Cheras, my best friend Woon and her boyfriend noticed a change in me but could not point it out. And my aunty thought I did not dry my hair before meeting her that day. Hahahaha...

Sigh...the pursuit of fashion and beauty is truly a waste of time and money! I bet you would remember the times when big hair was in in the 1980s. Or the scary, over the top make up of the 1980s through 1990s. And some of you may remember the hiphop clothings...big top, skinny jeans or miniskirt. Urgh...thinking back and looking at old photos make me laugh til I faint. :)

Well, I don't have photos of my old self with long-hair untied. But here, look at this photo and imagine it on a slightly slimmer face and you'll see me 5 or 6 years ago. :P

Same hairstyle! That's me on the left and Vilo on the right. Hehehe..

Kedah - Day 5

Day 5 of Kedah trip started with all of us moaning about being tired. But there was not a moment to be wasted! Early in the morning that day, we set out for Penang! And it was the first time for me that Penang meant that we were travelling south!! But before that...how can we forget breakfast? Hehe..and breakfast was northern style prawn mee!

Northern style Prawn Mee which is very different from what you find in KL.

Our first stop in Penang was the obligatory Snake Temple which has lost its charm from many years ago. There were a few small snakes in the temple whose owners were trying to get us to take photographs for a charge of RM 25! Cut throat o! There wasn't much of a scenery to take photos there too. So, after using the toilet and going one round, we left to find the famous Penang Cendol in one of the alleyways. It tastes special because they add a bit of Tuak in it. DE-LICIOUS!

Very good Cendol!

What is a trip to Penang without having the famous Char Koay Teow. We had to wait for almost 45 minutes for the famous Char Koay Teow even though not many were there. But...our expectations must be too high coz it was not as good as we expected it to be.

Waiting for the Char Kuay Teow took so long that it made the stuffed us sleepy!

Then, we went to Kek Lok Si temple. Much has been improved since the last I went with my schoolmates back in '96. There is even a cablecar-elevator thingy now!

Posers!

In the elevator-cable car thing.

After Kek Lok Si temple, we went to eat Asam Laksa! It was good but I think the one that my mom makes is better. :P

The famous Asam Laksa.

By then, the sky has turned slightly dark. So, off we went to Gurney Plaza for a walk before setting out to Gurney Drive to eat again. I was actually a little disappointed with the lack of good food that day. The only delicious food we had there was fried chicken skin. The others were mediocre.

With a full belly, we went for a walk along Gurney Drive.

Aduh! Sakit kepala!

And after that, we headed back to Kedah.

On the ferry to get back to the mainland.

Tired. But still want to gamble. Hahaha...

Kedah - Day 4

Day four in Kedah was still in Langkawi. This time, we woke up early in the morning and went on the island hopping package we signed up for. First up was to Pulau Bunting, where we stopped for an hour at the freshwater lake in the middle of the island. We decided to go "cycling" in the water. Brian and I were so heavy that we had to paddle two times harder than the others to go the same distance. :D

Before setting off for our island hopping trip.

Beautiful lake in Pulau Bunting which we paddled on.

The others reached the jetty way before us and went in for a dip.

Continued our island hopping looking at eagle-feeding area. It was a very awe-inspiring sight.

Eagles coming in to feed.

We ended the island hopping trip at the Bras Basah beach. The water was so shallow that you can actually walk to the nearest island! And the water was crystal clear too!

Reluctantly we had to end our island hopping and head back to the hotel to check out. Alas! we had an adventure when we realised that the van keys were lost!! Haha...just kidding, we just sat around at a stall and waited for the man to come with the replacement keys. Back to the hotel for a quick shower and off we went to the Mahsuri's Museum. That I thought was another rather sad gimmick to cheat tourists of their money. It wasn't very bad, just that it needed more attractions.

Then, it was time for us to leave the island for the mainland. By then, we were famished and quite tired. We practically wolfed down our dinner prepared by MeiJu's grandmother atMeiJu's house when we reached at around ten that night. But then again, what was a little starvation when you are with your friends enjoying yourself?