October Trip to Penang

Heart feels heavy thinking about my nephew's cries when we left for the airport. Clutching at my hands through the grilled gates. Heart-breaking. Glad that I was able to spend the majority of my time with him this trip though. He's grown so much and becomes so talkative. So much fun to be with. A lot of whys that I couldn't really answer. (I usually give him some random answer when I am not sure and he'd keep quiet. Probably thinking "This yi yi is no good") *sigh* Missing him desperately.

Dad flew down from Bintulu to join us as well. The vacation this time was more relaxing. Not much rushing about except for the 2 hours drive from Penang to Ipoh. We were late in arriving as the traffic was horrendous. Apparently there were 3 accidents that day. We were so behind schedule that my bro-in law had to drive straight to the hotel where my cousin is holding her wedding banquet. Fortunately, we were given loan of the honeymoon suite to change and make-up at top speed. Embarrassingly though, the bride was still making last minute preparation in the room. Even more embarrassing is the fact that the happy couple left for the banquet before us. Aih...the shame and indignity of it all. The rest of the event passed on smoothly enough. The bride is gorgeous in both the white longish bridal dress and the green beaded knee length cheongsam. The one thing that is stuck on my mind during the banquet is the fact that a lot of people seemed to enjoy singing karaoke on stage. I wonder if it is a West Malaysian thing. I think it's admirable...especially the groom's father who really looked like he is having fun. He sang a military sounding song with gusto. Very cute. I am not sure if the song has any connection with a wedding but wth, as long as everyone's happy. I asked dad if he'd consider singing on a stage. His reply is "If it's your wedding, I will sing"....awww....haha, I'll remember this pa.

The next morning we had breakfast at a famous dim sum restaurant in Ipoh called Foh San. I absolutely love it. The atmosphere, the food....everything about it. Definitely coming back again. We had a great meal and everyone enjoyed themselves. Only remembered to take photos halfway through the meal. After that, we drove to where the bride's family stayed (a house they rented for the wedding) for a quick visit. It was too hot to consider visiting anywhere else so we drove straight back to Penang. The drive back was surprisingly quick as traffic was good.

After a quick late lunch and dropping the guys at home, us girls went to a saloon for hair cuts and perms. I originally planned to have a cut and perm but was told that my curls are still intact. As such, I opted for a cut and a hair dye. Mum and sis had a hair cut and permed their hairs. While on our way to the saloon, sis reminded me not to inform anyone of the fact that I work in Australia in case they decide to slaughter us (price-wise of course). So when the stylist asked where I came from, I smartly answered that I am working in Penang. Let me re-construct (with the help of my sis who eavesdropped from the chair next to mine) the whole conversation.

Stylist : Where do you come from? You dont sound like you come from Penang.

Me : Oh...I come from Sarawak but am working here in Penang.

Stylist : Really...how long have you stayed here?

Me : Um...a year and a half I guess.

Stylist : Where do you work?

Me : (taken by surprise, my mind went "OMG! I didnt think of this!) Um...ah...um...er.....(by now varied thoughts crossed my mind. Should I admit that I am an architect? but I dont know any architectural firm in Penang. What to do?? the only thing that came to mind is my sis's company and as the stylist was looking at me all puzzled, I had no choice but to blurt out the name) errrr...... Avago.

Stylist : Oh? Avago? Never heard of that...?

Me : (oh freaking please dont ask me where coz I have no idea!) Well yeah...it's here...in Penang. An electrical and electronic company.

Stylist : So, you're an engineer?

Me : Um..yeah. (kept glancing over at sis and trying to catch her eyes. She's talking to her stylist and I was sincerely hoping that she wont tell him that she's working in Avago and give us away)

Stylist : ....(here I averted my eyes and tried to look busy reading the magazine. If he asked me what I do as an engineer then I am dead meat)

Luckily my sis overheard our conversation and am smart enough to tell her stylist that she worked in her previous company. If I am holding onto the hope that the conversation sounded normal and not as fishy as what my mind is telling me, it was completely and utterly shattered by my sis. She laughed her head off as she recounted my conversation in the car. Sien. I'm never going back to that saloon.

We did a lot of shopping this time around. I absolutely love every single items that I bought. We once spent a couple hundreds (lol...the figure is too shocking to reveal) in just one shop. Wish there's a lot of events to attend so that I can wear my dresses (fat chance here in Adelaide). No more shopping for me for at least a year.

Besides that I also managed to bake quiche and cook spaghetti australian style (with thickened cream). Speaking of which, the bacon that I bought from Adelaide has been confiscated by the immigration in Penang. Upsetting since I used to think that the rules are pretty slack in Malaysia. They almost seized my 3 expensive sheep skins. I nearly passed out. 'Luckily' they only took my bacon and let the skins pass. They handed me a leaflet and made me sign a form saying that I've been a bad girl bringing illegal things to Malaysia. By right, they should have taken my thickened creams and shredded cheese as well since diary products are in the list of things not to bring. Mangoes are also a big no-no. No animals. No bacons, frankfurts, sausages, etc. Avocado, strawberries are ok. I cant really remember what else but it's a pretty long list. Note to self: do not bring gifts of food or anything even remotely animal like during my next trip.

Aih, I am already missing everyone back in Malaysia. Dad, da jie...and my precious nephew. Till my next trip again everyone!

p/s: It's great having mum back in Australia with us again! She complained about our lack of housekeeping and proceeded to bring everything under control again. Long live parents of the world!!

Life is good!

First off..Congrats da jie for moving into her new apartment! Whoop! Whoop! Cant wait to go back and check out their new abode. Mum reported (via dad as there's no internet connection yet in the new house) that it's very cool (as in no need for air-cond. cool) and looks great. Makes me itch to redecorate my own home as well. I want new bookshelves, lots of lamps and more porcelain dolls!

It's nearly the end of the year. Many things have come to pass and many more to look forward to. My trip back to Malaysia in October, mum's trip back to Australia with me, brother's graduation at the end of the year and our family trip to Sydney and Gold Coast. Unfortunately, da jie and her family wouldn't be able to join for various reasons. Have no fear jie! You will not be forgotten! We will think of you when we are having fun! >_<

Ahh...all in all an up and down year. Some excitement (not a lot though) and some very low lows (quite a lot). However, am still glad to be alive regardless. "Every cloud has a silver lining" don't they say? I love that. I think that it's true to every aspect of life. Sometimes, something happens and you think that your life is over..or that you will never be able to smile from the heart again...never find joy in life. Hmm...wait, that sounds kindda superficial. Rephrase----Something happens, and you feel like...you cannot see an end to the tunnel of despair (lol..sorry! my brain kept spouting these cheesy lines!) Well anyway, something happens that makes you feel like being alive/dead makes not much difference. I think everyone has gone through such phase before. Life is full of ups and downs, curves and bumps. Of course, everyone experiences different things and to say that you understand is a little presumptuous. However, whenever I hear or read about people committing suicides, I felt really regretful. For the poor guy/girl who must feel like they have reached the end of the road. To be so overwhelmed with despair that they cannot see a way out other than dying. But most of all, I regret the life that they could have had. If I could say one thing to them, I would say...Please, ride out the pain and suffering for there will surely be a day when you will be glad to be alive.

-__-"..Boy, am I glad I am not a suicide helpline volunteer. I really can't think of anything else to say besides that. Anyway, that topic's way off from my first paragraph. I am listening to this song (林宥嘉 - 神秘嘉賓) and it's so good it made me feel all fuzzy and warm.

I bought a painting kit last week. Suddenly felt an itch to rediscover the joy of painting. I'm basically finished with the sketches (something I liked and grabbed off the internet). No..it's neither landscape nor still life painting. I am not that profound. It's a cartoon that I think looks cute. haha...I'll donate it to my nephew's new bedroom if it comes out ok. If it doesnt come out ok you'll still have to keep it jie. Treat it as...a lesson of not to do when painting. =p

Yum cha tomorrow! Yes! Life is good!

The FLU *eerie scream*

My facial bones hurt. My muscles ache. My nose has turned into a running tap and is sore and red from continuous rubbing with tissue papers (more like sandpaper). My lips are cracked and sore and to close them or pucker up hurts like hell. My chest is congested and I cough like an asthmatic old man. (or lady..whatever..sounds the same anyway) My throbbing head feels like lead and I can feel my eyes rolling around in my head occasionally. Fingers and toes are frozen and numb. Cant breath through my nostrils so mouth opened like a fish gasping for air at night. (which resulted in a parched dry throat that makes me cry when I swallow in the morning)

Oh yeah..the yearly cold is back with a vengeance. Every single freaking year without miss. Yeay to predictability and to Vitamin C supplement that I take without fail everyday..mlm. That is all. The end.

p/s: On a happy note, the good thing about a cold is the verrryyy sexy hoarse voice that comes with it. hubba..hubba.

Long Weekend

14^th June was a public holiday as Australians celebrated the Queen’s birthday (as well as Volunteer’s Day in SA). The long weekend started typically for us. After work on Friday, we went to Chinatown for some grocery shopping and dinner as usual. The rest of the night at home was spent webcam-ing with brother in-law in a Q&A session about home loans. I am in awe of people who are really quick with numbers. Whenever he gave me examples on interest calculations, I had to stop him while I let my brain and calculator churn out the figures and try to make sense of what he said. *sigh* I am an embarrassment to my fellow Chinese who are known to be good in maths. My brain automatically shuts down and my eyes glazed over whenever anyone starts talking in numerical terms. My boss probably knows that well enough. A few days ago, we were discussing about one particular project and numbers came up. In answer to his question (can’t remember but it’s a multiply equation---real easy) I shoot off a number, looked at him and he was like..huh? and I was like..why huh? and he said..no, it’s xxx and I was like (in my mind of course) WTH..how could I have gotten something like that wrong?

Back track---back track. I only went to bed around 2 something and had to wake up early the next day. We rented out yet another room to one of my brother’s friend and had to clear out the front bedroom. I re-organized my walk-in robe to make space for my brother and sister’s clothes. Brother starts complaining about how we always fret that we have nothing to wear when our wardrobe is already packed to the rafters. Note to boy : Most of the clothes are only for shows and not for wear. This is perfectly NORMAL FOR GIRLS! Anyway, I had to pack away all my summer clothes to make way. We also moved the furniture around and now the room looks more spacious. It feels like I’ve moved to a new bedroom. Everything looks different.

We went to Sunday Mass the very next day and did some ingredient shopping for vegetarian kuey teow and mashed potatoes to bring to the picnic on Monday. Hanging out with vegans made me more aware of what to actually look out for when preparing vegetarian foods. Who knew that even sauces (fish sauce the obvious example, sweet chilli sauce which contains garlic the not so obvious) may potentially render the dish unedible. After that I went back to the office to save some drawing that I need to complete for Tuesday’s meeting.

We made plans with another group of friends (about 10 of us) to have buffet at Fresh Choice that night. A friend’s boss recommended the place so we thought we’d give it a go. I’d rate it a 5 out of 10. The food’s nothing special and it comes at a fairly high price in my opinion ($21.50 p/p on weekends). I foolishly wore a tight skirt and halfway through the meal, I had to consciously stand/sit up straight as my sis told me that I’m beginning to slouch like an old man. (Standing straight made me feel like my stomach’s about to burst). Pure torture…Never again! Until the next craving that is. (refer to previous post about buffet). Well, after that, everyone decided to hang out at the Pool Lounge at West Terrace. I’ve never been to a pool lounge before and thought that it’d be a really shady place but it’s surprisingly interesting. Go google up “Empire Pool Lounge at West Terrace, Adelaide” and you’ll get to see the interior picture. I tried my hand at pool but I suck. At some point, even managing to get a white ball in is preferable. My brother played a really good game and my sis did ok too. Overall an interesting night out.

On Monday we had to wake up early to prepare the food to bring to the picnic. It starts at noon and took place at a park NEXT to the Botanical Garden. We ended up walking around in the Botanical Garden with the foods for up to an hour getting lost as we assumed that the picnic will take place IN the Botanical Garden. That walk serves its purpose though. It whipped up our appetite. Everyone prepared a sumptuous feast and I especially like the vegetarian curry. There’s also curry puffs, chocolate fig cake, fried bee hoon, our kuey teow and mashed potatoes, palm sugar and santan jelly, ‘luo han guo’ drink, fried mee and some snacks. It’s a beautiful day out if a little cold.

By the time we reach home, it’s nearly 5 and I was exhausted. Took a nap and woke up to do a bit of work that I’ve put off until the last minute. Back in bed by 12am and spent the next half an hour stressing about work.

Argh… no more holiday till October!

Potty Conversation

Conversation that took place between my mum and nephew while he was sitting on his potty.

Joel : Everyday you have to let the stool come out huh.

Mum : Who said that? (She actually meant 'Who told you that?')

Joel : Joel

He then saw the cross on my mum's necklace and pointed to it.

Joel : Why is Jesus on the cross? (and proceeded to answer himself) Because Jesus can protect grandma. Jesus died on the cross. (awwwwwww)

He's so cute and innocent!! I feel like I could float over and give him a mighty hug. My sis told me that I cant call him a baby anymore since he is turning four in December. Well, makes no difference to me. He'll forever be a baby in my eyes. Ah man...I miss him!

First Post in 2010 (haha...lame title but I cant think of anything else)

Oh man...it's been ages since I last visited my own blog. Imagine my surprise when I see that I’ve acquired one spanking new follower while my blog is rotting away. Thank you whoever you are! (Ma, if it’s you, I don’t want to know)

Anywayyy, very sad to say that we’re already 5 months into 2010 and this is my first blog of the year. It’s not from lack of things to write about, that much I can say. Our end of the year trip back to Malaysia is but a distant memory. My birthday has come and gone. Our Easter trip to Melbourne has also come to pass. And this year sees a lot of activities in the social front especially with the Fringe, Clipsal and the much anticipated SkyShow making a comeback. *sigh* I’ve put off writing about all those for too long and there seems to be no point in even trying now. I’ve posted all our photos in fb to make up for the fact that I’ve turned my back on blogging. The only sad note is that mum’s not with us in Adelaide this year. She’s back in Malaysia babysitting for our sister. Poor mum. Hope she comes back to us soon. And then it’ll be poor sis as she’ll have to cope with everything on her own again.

Tomorrow’s going to be another full Saturday with 大扫除 in the morning, an appointment with a hair stylist in the afternoon (I’m going to get a haircut! Doki doki…hope I don’t get suicidal with the result) and dinner at a family friends’ house. We have been hanging out with them at least once every week for dinner/movie session/karaoke(they sing and we listen). It kindda feels like we’re ‘going out’ if you know what I mean. Haha…weird.

I could go on and on about everything and nothing at all but I haven’t taken my bath. =p So adios for now~

p/s: *sniiffffff* my birthday perfume that I sprayed on this morning still smells so good! I LOVE Kenzo Amour’s Indian Holi!! Thanks bi!