Weekend Of Birthday Celebrations

Was back in Ipoh for the weekend to celebrate my little sis' birthday. We headed to Pusing for some fabulous seafood. Apologies as it totally slipped my mind to take photos of the scrumptious. Was just too eager to devour everything served.

I did remember to snap a photo of the cake mummy had bought. Fresh mango but it was missing pieces of mango in it. All it had was mango jelly on the top. Disappointment! We're never going back there for cake next time.

Here's one with the candles lighted up.

And here's my little sis cutting the cake.

And then on Sunday, rushed back to KL to celebrate Steven's birthday with his siblings. Again, we were too hungry and forgot to snap photos of the feast we had. Roast duck and roast pork was on the menu.

Here's the cake.



Little Wen-Burque was fascinated with the candle lighted and was trying to grab the cake. He wanted to blow out the candle together with Steven but I think Steven was too quick :)


Steven cutting his cute little birthday cake. We each had 1 tiny slice. Had to keep space in the tummy for JJ swiss rolls :)

My Little Sis

Yesterday was my little sis' 26th birthday. She's a big girl now but of course still acts like a kid. We'll be having a birthday celebration for her this weekend. Those of you who know me well will know that she's a special child and we love her dearly.

Developments over the past years have been interesting.

1) She's now working as an assistant librarian in Ipoh International School. Our Welfare Department is also kind enough to give her a monthly allowance as long as she's working independently. Their way of encouraging special people to be independent.

2) Her idol is no longer Leon Lai Ming. She's now head over heels for Raymond Lam Fung. So for her birthday this year, Zara and I are getting her a specially imported CD (with postcards and all). I bet she'll be ecstatic.

3) Her favourite cartoon character is still Winnie The Pooh. Getting her gifts with Pooh will always make her happy.

4) Crazy over durians... but this hasn't changed since she was little.

5) She's now developed a knack for throwing tantrums and it's driving us all crazy. We're trying our very best not to get overly upset with her as we understand she's very frustrated deep inside.

6) She's now got more than 100 imaginary friends who seem to be her entourage everywhere she goes. She actually has real conversations with them. She even gets into fights and quarrels with them. Amazing!

7) She doesn't answer to the name June or Junie (that's how we call her in the family). She now goes by her Chinese name, Ah Yan. That's after watching a TVB series years ago where the lead actress was a police inspector called Ah Yan.

Well, that's my little sis.

Malaysia Boleh... Stuff You Will Only See In Bolehland!

Stuff you will only see in Bolehland.... Got this in my Inbox this morning and I thought this should be shared...

Worker taking a nap in a makeshift hammock in the lorry while on the road...

No hands? Fear not... baby's stroller always comes in handy!

When petrol prices soar through the roof, you just have to find the cheapest mode of transportation even for bulky items.

Kids... need to take a nap? With makeshift bolster included :)

Amenities are such a dismal here that broken chairs are not replaced. As typical Malaysians, we just make do with what we have and not make a peep about it.

You know how it is when your contractor charges you for every little task you get him to do? Well, even to correct their mistake they would also charge you, the customer. So you rather just live with an upside-down signboard and business is as usual...

Live carp? Do they look like they're 'live' to you?

Vandalized police shack. What more can I say?

Malaysia's very own version of mobile homes... cable tv included!

You know how it is nowadays when so many English words are borrowed? Well, the latest addition will be 'carpark' but spelt with a Malaysian twist. So now does 'kapak' means carpark or axe?

While mummy shops for household stuff, I might as well give them cushions a test drive...

Probably one of them famous chicken rice stalls that everybody raves about but has no idea how the chickens are prepared... haha!

Every coffee shop or restaurant is required by law to display prominently prices of food and drinks. Very prominent this one, right next to the sistern in the toilet.... sigh....

Who Wants To Win A LV Bag?

Check out ShoppingLifestyle.com latest promotion. Answer 3 easy questions and you'll be in the running to win a LV bag. Contest is open only to Malaysians and Singaporeans. End 31 Aug 2009.

Passed On

Thanks to all who answered to my SOS call yesterday. I was informed early this morning that my friend's cousin has passed on after succumbing to her injuries. My heartfelt condolences to her family. This is a difficult period for them and I hope that they will stay strong.

SOS! Blood Needed In Ipoh GH!

I just heard from a friend that his aunt and cousin met with an accident in Ipoh this morning. Both are in critical condition in the ICU in Ipoh GH. His cousin is only 12 years old and has lost 1 eye in the accident. They are in need of A- or O- blood urgently as there's none available in the hospital.

Donors are very much appreciated... Please help spread the word to your friends and relatives who are in Ipoh or anyone who would know of people in Ipoh.

Thanks! Thanks! Thanks!

Daddy's 61st Birthday

Oops... Forgot to blog about dearest daddy's 61st birthday celebration. It was an intimate celebration as usual. Just the closest family. We had dinner at Moon Palace at The Mines Shopping Fair a few days earlier when the rest of my family had just returned from their holiday in Melbourne. Yes, yours truly didn't go along. Work commitments. Sigh...

Anyways, here's some pics. Of course food pics will be at my food blog as usual.

Daddy & Mummy enjoying a bit of karaoke together

Some fruit cake from a nearby stall in The Mines. Wasn't too bad. Not sweet at all.

On the actual day, Steven and I bought another cake for daddy back in Ipoh from Kings Confectionery. Chocolate & Banana... actually it's much better than the one from Secret Recipe.

Here's the cake!

Who Wants To Be Superman?

I have seen this ad for days and never had the opportunity to snap the pic. Finally the traffic lights turned red and I managed to stop right at the correct position to snap this pic. If you guys are keen to take a look at this ad for real, this is at the road coming out from OUG to Old Klang Road, right in front of the turning to Parkson.

In the spirit of Malaysia Boleh, they preach Lelaki Boleh!

Zzzz.....

Ok. I know I've been silent for a while since Cats. A lot has happened in that time and it'll take me ages to write about. Nothing major has happened to me but it concerns a very good friend of mine. Which is also why some of you might have noticed my IM status... I'm pondering...

I am pondering about life basically. Pondering on why bad things happen to good people. Pondering on why life is unfair to good people. Pondering on the fragility of life.

I won't go into details of what happened but those few of you whom I have spoken to about this matter will know what I'm talking about. After all it's still the private lives of others and it's not my position to divulge publicly.

Certainly I do hope that things will turn out well for my friend. I hope and pray that she will stay strong and know that she has a friend in me to count on no matter what happens.

Stay strong, my friend! No matter what, Life Goes On...

How Apt...

Just found this quote:

In three words I can sum up everything I've learned about life: it goes on. - Robert Frost

I think it goes really well with the theme of my blog. Don't you think so?

Cats Was Amazing!!

Am back from Singapore after Cats on Saturday night. Flew out on the first flight to Singapore. Met up with Max and his daughters for breakfast at Toa Payoh. Had some pretty good dim sum at Crystal Jade compliments of Max. (Max: Next time let me buy la!)

Breakfast was barely digested and it was time for lunch with Ivy and Tommy & family at Atria. We decided to head up to Food Republic for more choices and cost effectiveness. Not fantastic food but it's quite ok actually. We had a great time catching up although we're quite new friends to be frank. But what the heck, we had great fun. Tommy's daughter is the absolute cutest. Rolling big eyes just like her daddy.

We adjourned to Coffee Club at Takashimaya and it was packed! Luckily there was still 1 more table available for the 4 of us. Sadly we had to call it a day by 4pm as I had to rush back to Toa Payoh, freshen up and get ready for Cats.

Fortunately from Max's place, there's a bus that goes straight to Marina Square. Nice! It was a 40 minute bus ride. Stopped by the food court for a quick bite in case I got hungry halfway through the show.

Arrived at the Esplanade with 5 minutes to spare before the show started. Just nice.


Right on the dot, 8pm, the show started. I had decided to splurge this time and got really great seats. 10th row from the front right in the middle of the hall. The view was just nice. Not too near and not too far. No heads blocking me in front too.



I have to say the entire show is very entertaining and fun. The songs and dances all beautifully choreographed. The vocals were amazing too. The sound system in the hall was up to standard. No echo and bounceback so we could hear everything clearly.

During intermission, I was sooooo thirsty I had to get something to drink. I was quite flabbergasted at the prices but then again I really didn't have any choice. So I ended up with a very expensive can of Diet Coke. Quite unlike me to have Coke but it was either that or even more expensive mineral water or wine or beer.

Just as the break was ending, I entered the hall. There were some of the Cats roaming around the hall. I managed to snap a pic with one of them.


And by the way, I also splurged on the program booklet which cost me SGD 20.

Cats! Here I Come!

Yikes! It's tomorrow. Collected my tickets yesterday from the agent. Talk about procrastinating. Well, at least I didn't wait till today :)

Now to head off to the money changer. Believe it or not, this is what I do all the time. I won't prep until the very last minute. Let's just hope I get a good rate. I still remember one time I went to the money changer 2 days before my trip, she told me, "Singapore Dollar, sudah habis. No stock!"

I nearly fainted. Luckily I still had 1 more day...

Tonight will be just packing and an early night. Catching the first flight out tomorrow morning.

Cats! Here I come...

Countdown to Cats!

Countdown officially begins for me. 6 more days to Cats. I can't wait.

Cuteness

I couldn't resist taking this pic last week when I saw a little white thing hanging at the bottom of this pick up. I couldn't get close enough to take a clearer picture but that white thing is actually a Mashimaro soft toy which I suspect was one of those McDonald's collectibles a few years back. What a waste!

Kiasu-ness

This pic was taken a few months in Ipoh about 2 streets away from my house. Couldn't resist myself when I saw this. Talk about kiasu-ness and protectiveness over one's belongings.

Aka Momiji

Pics taken at Aka Momiji are up at my food blog.

Jack & Jill

Over the weekend, rushed back from Ipoh and decided to send Jack to the vet for a checkup. Had called up vet few days earlier and told him about the miracle puppies. As Jack was castrated way back 2007, it was quite impossible for him to impregnate Jill. But it did happen. Vet insisted that it's impossible but my response was.. how do you explain 7 puppies?

So off it is to the vet. He did a check on Jack and still insisted it is impossible. He tried to extract his semen but was unsuccessful. Jack just wasn't excited :)

Anyhow, decided then to bring in Jill for spaying and the 2 pups for vaccination. Vaccination and deworming for both of them cost RM80 which is quite a good price. And for Jill, she spent the night at the vet's and will have the procedure done the next morning. She'll be back at home in the evening.

Jill is recovering well. Back to her active self. Still caring for the pups but weaning them. Much better than when Jane had the procedure done on her. It was such an experience then.

Grandma's Birthday

Apologies for the silence but work has been hell with quarter close deadlines. And yours truly here is down with the flu. Wonder where the bug came from.

Anyways, was back in Ipoh over the weekend for my beloved Por Por's birthday. It's her 83rd! We had been cracking our heads where to head to for dinner. Knowing my dad, we'll end up in either Sun Lee How Fook Restaurant or Overseas Restaurant. No way!

So I thought hard and finally decided that Japanese it is. Por Por has never tasted Japanese food so I thought this would be a great time to expose her. But then the problem is I'm not at all familiar with the Jap food scene in Ipoh. Up went a post in FB and Twitter and lo and behold, the replies started flooding. Ah! The wonders of social media marketing.

We finally decided to go ahead with one of my schoolmates, Yin Fong's, recommendation. After all she's lived in Japan for a period of time so she would know how authentic the food is. It's a new restaurant called Aka Momiji somewhere behind Tesco.

Off we headed to the restaurant. We were lucky to be just slightly early as it was almost full house. Very good variety of food and bento sets available. Price wise is also good value for money. For 8 of us, the total bill came up to RM300 and that includes a bottle of sake which my dad ordered.

Por Por was very adventurous that night. She even dared try sashimi with wasabi. When we brought out the cake and sang her the birthday song, she was absolutely estatic.

Later, one of the staff offered Por Por a small tub of imported Japanese ice cream. Even June got a tub. We shared it among the 8 of us as we were just too stuffed from all the food and cake. Delicious!

Oh yah, the cake we bought was from JJ Cake House by Jennifer Liau. Pandan layered cake without colouring and preservatives and also low in sugar. Lovely!

Pics to come soon.

Carelessness...

You guys wouldn't believe it but yours truly here forgot to put back the fuel cap after pumping petrol yesterday morning. Happily drove off and headed to Barcamp in the morning. I did get a funny feeling but couldn't really tell what it was until I decided to check and found that the fuel cap is missing.

Panic!!!

Headed to Tesco and they had replacement caps selling for RM7.90. But I thought I'd want to get an original replacement. So I called up Perodua this morning and you wouldn't believe how much they're selling it for.

A whopping RM99.00 for a fuel cap! I told them no thanks. I'll find another one.

Called up the spare parts shop that I frequent nowadays and they had 2 versions. RM10.00 and RM32.00. So I opted for the more expensive one since it is of better quality.

That's a lesson to be learnt. Never pump petrol when you haven't gotten a good night's sleep.

Another great lesson... (Part 3)

*** Warning! Continuation of a super-long post. Be warned! ***

Part 3 of my experience in Bali

When I signed up to crew at EBS, I knew I was in for a great time. But I never expected the exhilaration that I felt over the next few days. I sort of knew what I was in for but the emotional journey was just something I never expected.

It's really tough for me to refrain from telling people the right thing to do when they are going the wrong way. Believe me, it's really tough for me. So I know that's going to be my greatest challenge over the next few days.

Day 1 went on rather well. The team seemed to work pretty well together albeit being strangers. Some of them kept on asking what is going to happen next. But as crew, we cannot tell. They have to find out for themselves and learn the lessons themselves. All we can do is guide them. We cannot tell.

Le Meridien observed Earth Hour so lights were off in the whole resort from 8.30pm for an hour. Some teams took this time to really get to know one another more while some just went about and did their own thing.

For me, this EBS has given me a lot of clarity especially on the content. I guess it's because I'm able to pay full attention to the content and not working on a business plan. And with some new content, it's now even clearer.

But the biggest lesson is not in the content. It's about the journey one goes through at EBS and it's different for everyone. I learnt how to let go and allow people to make their mistakes and learn their own lessons.

I also learnt that in giving we receive more. So the more I give the more I receive. I received so much love from my team and though we've all gone back to our own lives, I still feel their love. Although I don't believe that I have given that much to my team but to see and hear their appreciation really makes me appreciate each and every one of them for who they are. Some of us shared a very deep connection in those few days and I believe this connection will stay on no matter where we are. After all, we have the internet and XL Nation and that's how we will all stay connected.

I am looking to crewing again for the next EBS. I have registered my interest. Hope to see some of you there.

Till my next visit to Bali.... (I hope I will get to see the dolphins then)