Melsong

In Prison

2012-02-20T01:06:00.001+08:00

Many people are in prison and they don't know it. So how do you know you are in prison?

You are in prison when you cannot leave any time you want to and when others cannot visit you any time you
want them to.

And you don't need bars or locks or chains for that to happen.

Beautiful In His Time

2012-02-05T19:54:00.001+08:00

Today is a beautiful day. Something happened this morning that put me on cloud nine.

We were having our breakfast at our usual "Sunday" coffee-shop when the boss lady came over with our drinks and whispered in my ear, "You are very beautiful." I was surprised but managed to say, "Thank you."

Then she came around again and asked, "Have you ever won any beauty contest?" I was flabbergasted. I said, "No," and in my heart I thank God for all that He has done for me.

Never, ever in my wildest, craziest dream would I have imagined someone having this conversation with me. Me, whom my relatives labelled as kiapsi, which in Hokkien meaning ugly, hideous or grotesque.

Thank you Lord for making me beautiful in Your time.

This was how I looked today in my red kebaya.

My First Plant

2012-02-05T18:22:00.000+08:00

Today is a historic day. I planted my first plant.

This morning Bro. Fong gave me a few stalks of mint that are supposed to ward off lizards. He also told me that it is very easy to plant them from cuttings of the stem.

I decided to do so since I liked the smell of the plant and it is also supposed to be a good herbal cure for sore throat.

The plant is supposed to grow from all the nodes

By right, I should stick the stem into the soil but lying the stem down in this manner is a fail-safe way to avoid the danger of my planting the stem upside-down!

This way I also get more plants as each plant will grow from each node. I admit I am really kiasu but why end up with one plant when you can have more?

Let's see the progress of this plant 'cos I have a reputation of killing any plant that comes into my care. :-(

This is what my plant will look like when it grows up

Three and A Half Men

2012-02-05T18:09:00.000+08:00

MACC, the Malaysian Association of Chinese Comedians, not the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission, came to town. They were up for a two-night stint at the newly opened Penangpac, Penang's first performing arts centre, at Straits Quay from 3-4 February 2012.

Friday is cell group night so we bought tickets for Saturday night.

Our tickets

The title of the show was "Three and A Half Men." That's a bit strange because it featured 4 comedians. The half probably refers to the newbie Dr Jason although it might be misconstrued to mean something uncomplimentary.

The poster

They kept us in stitches throughout the whole night but we really enjoyed Phoon Chi Ho's act most of all, especially the part where the cockroach becomes the basis for dances like the tango and the twist. And it was so hilarious to see how he used men's "salah parking" to explain the choreography of Michael Jackson's dance in the MTV Billie Jean.

I am glad that there is now a dedicated venue for performing arts in Penang and look forward to enjoying many shows without having to go all the way down to KL.

The Most Pleasant-est CNY Surprise

2012-02-04T17:55:00.002+08:00

It all started with a photo I took of Hubby enjoying his nasi lemak for breakfast. I sent the photo in an sms to 'Bee telling her of our new breakfast haunt. And this conversation ensued.

As you can expect, I got more and more excited and when she got to the part, "Don't leave," I was ecstatic with joy and almost whoo-hooing in the coffee shop.

She's in Penang! And she's coming over.

Hallelujah! Praise the Lord! He hears the heart cry of a mom who longs to see her daughter at least once during the New Year season.

That fleeting meet up on Chinese New Year Eve,

much as we really appreciate it, simply doesn't count.

Yesterday I was just thinking to myself that this would be the first CNY without our 'Bee and I was getting a bit mopey over the thought. But the Lord is good and He knows the desires of my heart. What a wonderful surprise! It won't be a 'bee-less CNY after all.

Peking Duck

2012-02-01T18:02:00.003+08:00

Last week Hubby's friend who came back for CNY gave him a Peking Duck all the way from Beijing. We only ate it today because I could not find any Peking Duck Pancakes at TESCO and had to make them myself using Ken Hom's recipe.

Clockwise from top left corner: The dough resting, rolling the dough into odd shapes and sizes, pan-frying the pancakes, a stack of the cooked pancakes

The pancakes were lousy. Very tough. Maybe that's because they were cold when we ate them. I cooked the pancakes in the morning and we only ate them with the duck after lunch.

Anyway I'm definitely going to try another recipe if I ever have to make Peking Duck pancakes again.

Surprisingly the duck was delicious. I don't like duck so this is high praise. But we were a little disappointed that the duck's skin was not crispy. Isn't the skin supposed to be crispy?

Clockwise from top left corner: The duck with scallions, hoisin sauce and pancakes; the duck in its warpper, the duck out of its wrapper; just out of the microwave, a serving of the duck with scallions and hoisin sauce.

Enjoying the duck

Too Fast

2012-02-01T16:14:00.000+08:00

I woke up and found that we've stepped into February. 11 months to go and it'll be the end of the year again.

Pai Ch'neah from the Senior Pastor

2012-02-01T15:56:00.000+08:00

I have been in Tabernacle of Praise for 33 years and yesterday was the first time that a Senior Pastor came to Pai Ch'neah us.

Clockwise from top left: The guys, the ladies (or beauties as Hubby calls us :-)). and the all of us.

After they had oohed and aahed over Hubby's marine tank and guppy pond we proceeded to enjoy the scones I made to mark this historic occasion. Pastor's elder daughter Elisa really loved the whipped cream so we let her take it home.

When I saw the way she ate the whipped cream on its own, it reminded me of my 'Bee.

She used to eat whipped cream by the bowls.

Hubby also bought ice-cream 'cos the children were coming. He even shared the Lay's potato chips that 'Bee gave him with them. Josiah loved them.

This was also the first in a long time that we had guests and children in our home. On one hand, the children would be afraid of Princess trying to make friends with them.

Now there is no more Princess.

It's been a year since her passing and I still miss her.

On the other hand, the children would be so excited when they saw the colourful fish in the marine tank that they would hit the glass and traumatize our fish.

We ended the evening watching the videos of 'Bee's wedding. Elisa loved the video so much that she applauded when it came to an end.

Pastor's wife Serena then mentioned that it is very important for couples to have a wedding video. Couples should regularly re-run the video and listen again to the vows and blessings of the parents to refresh their commitments to each other. More so when the marriage is going through a rough patch.

Purple-ly Planned

2012-01-30T18:24:00.000+08:00

Hubby chose to wear a purple shirt today and so, to accompany him, I decided to wear a purple dress as well.

Here are the two of us purple-ly colour-coordinated for today.

The raisin and the grape

Hubby said that I'm a grape (so plump and juicy) and he's a raisin (err...I'll leave that for you to interpret).

Sweet Indulgence

2012-01-30T14:17:00.001+08:00

A few nights ago, we were waiting for our food to be served when I suddenly had an urge for ice-cream. So after dinner we headed over to Baskin Robbins.

It was such sweet indulgence. We should do it more often. ;-)

Nyonya Sunday 29 January 2012

2012-01-29T22:58:00.001+08:00

We were supposed to wear kebayas to church next Sunday but Alyna requested that we all wear kebayas today instead because her daughter Deriss is going back college in Kampar today. And so some of us did.

From L to R: Deriss, Serena our Pastor's wife. Emma, Alyna and me. Missing: Evangeline and Doris.

SP Road Trip on Friday (27/1/12)

2012-01-29T17:59:00.000+08:00

It's been quite a while since I've been on a road trip so I was pretty excited. Macam budak!

I was warned to dress comfortable 'cos we're going to attend the CNY Open Day of our client, a property developer, at their site office. The site is supposedly barren and very hot. So I wore long pants, covered myself up, donned sunglasses and even brought along a hat.

All prepared

As it turned out, circumstances were better than expected. Thank God for a strong wind blowing that helped to keep us cool.

After that we visited another client and headed for lunch at Bedong. For me that was the highlight of the trip.

We traveled some distance from SP to Bedong and finally arrived at this unassuming restaurant in the middle of nowhere.

Never judge the food by the stall

We ordered two pots of Ho Yan Hor with sour plum tea which was the perfect beverage for a hot day to bring down body heat.

Hot cooling tea. What an oxymoron!

Then came the appetizer they are famous for looking like happy Pacmen!

The yummiest mantou ever

I posted on Facebook and was told that I shouldn't call them mantou because mantou refers to the bun sans filling. Anyway it doesn't matter that none of us know the actual name for this dish. All we know is that its taste is absolutely fantastic.

The filling seems to be a fritter containing meat and some vegetables

Since it was an appetizer they only allocated one mantou per person. :-( We were tempted to order another plate but had to exhibit great decorum in deference to the client's presence at the table.

Does this mean another road trip to satisfy unfulfilled longings? Next time we'll go on our own and order double, maybe triple, portions of this super delicious mantou and forget about the rest of lunch.

Hong Kong 27-30 November 2009

2012-01-28T19:39:00.000+08:00

Warning! This is a long overdue post left in the drafts folder for the past two years. Skip this post if you prefer something more current. If you are still interested here it is.....

This was our first trip to Hong Kong and it was disappointing.

We realized that there is nothing made in Hong Kong. Look at the labels and you'll find that most of the stuff are made in China or elsewhere like Bangladesh.

Despite the fact that Hong Kong is now a part of China,

I always associate China only with mainland China.

And our timing for the trip was lousy. All the clothing on sale are for fall/winter, totally unsuitable for our Malaysian weather. So we ended up not buying anything.

In fact we had plenty of HKD left over from the trip. Considering the fact that we had to pay cash for everything because most establishments do not accept credit cards, we practically came back empty-handed.

As if that is not depressing enough all I brought back from Hong Kong was a really bad flu.

But we had some good memories 'cos memories are made up of people not things and I had my favourite people with me on the trip.

Like all tourists, we took a photo at the Golden Bauhinia sculpure at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre (top left) and another photo by the waterfront (bottom right). It was so hot so we were all squinting.

As we were leaving the Convention Centre we met a group of Chinese Christians sharing the gospel (top right). They were singing the song "All Our Praise and Glory" energetically with all the actions.

Then we went to Repulse Bay but were bored waiting for some of the people on the bus who went to pray for fortune at a temple there. So we entertained ourselves (middle left) and put up our feet (middle right).

We are lazy tourists so rushing here and there is really not our cup of tea.

The purpose of a holiday is to rest and recharge, not tire ourselves out.

At Aberdeen we saw luxurious yachts and also boats that serve as homes for those who live on the water. We went for a sampan ride and the sampan operator reminded Pam and I of her Kong Kong (middle left).

No visit to Hong Kong would be complete without a trip up to the Peak. It was cold up there (top left) and the view was beautiful (top right).

At Madame Tussaud's Pam had an argument with Michael Jackson (middle left) and tried to sneak a peek under Marilyn Monroe's skirt (middle right). Naturally, as a writer, she couldn't resist the opportunity to have a chat with Shakespeare (bottom right).

Hubby, on the other hand, was overjoyed to find the Beatles and decided to help George Harrison with a chord or two (bottom right).

On one of the days (cannot remember which one), we took the subway to Mong Kok (top right & left) where we went to the street market to shop for souvenirs.

During dinner we over-ordered the dishes even though the waiter was there to help us. We were shocked to see how huge the portions were. The food was delicious but we couldn't finish it hence the glum faces despite the thumbs up (middle left). What a waste.

We stayed at the Renaissance Kowloon located at Tsim Sha Tsui so we only had to walk out to the back of the hotel in order to access the promenade where we could watch the Symphony of Lights (middle left).

At the Avenue of Stars we tried to identify the stars of some of the Hong Kong actors we know. Hubby decided to take a photo with his sword-fighting hero David Chiang's star (bottom right).

We didn't really enjoy Hong Kong and really looked forward to going home (bottom left).

Bug, Rug and Mugs

2012-01-28T13:10:00.000+08:00

Yup, I have been happy as a bug in the rug with my 3 Chinese New Year mugs.

Handbags, sandals and clothes - some of my favourite things

Don't you just love them? They are so Chinese and so shopaholic. I likes, a lot.

Experimenting

2012-01-28T12:27:00.001+08:00

...with photo effects and I must say that I am having a lot of fun and liking it. Very much indeed!

My original photo

Here are some of the effects I tried on out on that original picture above. It's simply amazing! Especially for a non-techy person.

CNY Visit from KenRayians

2012-01-28T11:05:00.003+08:00

It has become a tradition for us to hold an open house on the 3rd day of Chinese New Year for those Ken Ray staff who wish to visit us. And every year I would prepare scones which I will serve with butter, jam and whipped cream.

This year they had an additional special request for lasagne and so I obliged.

The lasagne hot from the oven. Inset shows the meat sauce. I forgot to take picture of the cheese sauce ;-(

I didn't do too badly 'cos I have people requesting to 'tar pau' (means 'pack to take home' in Hokkien) the leftover lasagne.

Gong Xi, Gong Xi from the KenRayians!

Inset on the left shows Jovin, the grand prize winner, surrounded by the rest after the angpow draw. Believe it or not, this is the second year running that she won the grand prize. Last year she just took the left over angpow. This year, for a change, I let her draw an angpow halfway through and she still won. Congratulations, Jovin!

If it's yours, it'll be yours, no matter what.

Inset on the right shows everybody busy discovering the wonders of pathing. In the background is newbie Ee Pheng being shown the ropes by the guru in red.

Baby Brother together with Baby Sis and her dancing partner were also there.

I had a lovely time. I hope everyone did too.

First-time Sang Ni Recipient

2012-01-26T16:41:00.002+08:00

This year Hubby and I received Sang Ni gifts for the first time in our lives.

We received a hamper filled with our favourite things and a big fat angpow each from 'Bee and Son-in-Law. These are not the usual Sang Ni gifts but our daughter knows us best.

Potato crisps, KitKat, Chocolates with Macadamia Nuts, Bird's Nest, Bak Kua, cherries and angpows

A whole box of Sweetheart Cherries from our sweetheart & her hubby

Then we had another surprise when God-Daughter, who also got married last year, dutifully gave us a Sang Ni gift of Famous Amos cookies, with macadamia nuts (again!), and angpows as well.

Cookies and angpow

CNY First Day at Work

2012-01-26T16:24:00.000+08:00

There were only four of us at the Front Office when office reopened after the Chinese New Year break. There were also very few phone calls to attend to. So what do we do? The unanimous decision was to camwhore!

Not To Be Shaken

2012-01-26T14:11:00.001+08:00

Last night we decided to consume some Bird's Nest before sleep. Hubby took two bottles out of the fridge, shook them and opened the lids.

We found out too late that Bird's Nest is meant to be stirred, not shaken.

All frothy

It looked like spit. And of course, Hubby had to helpfully remind me that Bird's Nest IS actually swiftlet's saliva. :-(

Transformed Tea

2012-01-26T11:00:00.001+08:00

Lazy morning. No mood to go into office so decided to transform my Teh Si over breakfast.

Which do you like best?

Tiled Mosaic

Yin Yang

4 Colours

Heat Map???

My favourite shot - don't know how to describe the effect

Indian Style Reunion

2012-01-25T00:52:00.001+08:00

I was given the task of planning the Tong reunion this year. Since it is only the second day of Chinese New Year, many of the Chinese restaurants would be closed. So I picked Palace d'India as the venue for our lunch.

Baby Sis and I took the opportunity to wear our sarees and Baby Brother was game enough to buy a men's Indian garment for the occasion. And so we ended up having a theme party of our own.

The three of us dressed to the theme

The rest of the family were surprised by our dressing but we were even more surprised when some of them said that they would have joined us dressing up in Indian garb if only we had told them earlier. I foresee a lot of fun theme parties in the pipeline for future reunions.

Clockwise from top left-hand corner: Koo Chair and Koo Cheong; Yee Sook and Yee Sum; Lillian and Raymond; Sei Sook, JJ and Sei Sum; me and Kenny

We had a really good fellowship. Personally I think it is the best in all the years we've had reunions together. And everyone liked the place and the food. Even Baby Brother managed to eat together with us 'cos they were able to accommodate his dietary preferences.

Clockwise from top left-hand corner: Cauliflower and Potatoes, Bryiani rice, Chicken Masala, Masala Tea, Prawn Curry, Pappadom with Mint Dip, Naan and Fish Curry

I also received an angpow today from my aunt. Koo Chair is a traditionalist and so she gives angpows to all of us who are younger than her regardless of marital status. :-)

My angpow

Then I saw the cutest angpow packet that Baby Brother received from 4th Uncle.

I like!

Before we said goodbye we took a family photo outside the restaurant.

All of us are here except for Ken who was the photographer

Look here for Kenny's point of view of the lunch.

Happy New Year!

2012-01-24T00:44:00.004+08:00

Chinese New Year lasts fifteen days so it's not too late to wish anyone visiting my blog a very

Happy New Year!

Psalm 65:11 (NKJV)

You crown the year with Your goodness, and Your paths drip with abundance.

Song Reunion

2012-01-24T00:33:00.003+08:00

We had our third reunion last night at Elder Song Brother's apartment. Among the boys only Terence and family was missing. However, we were delighted to have Calvin and family with us this year.

From top: Jimmie Song, Grace Soh, Joanne, Jessica and Henry; Grace & Edwin; Calvin, Olivia, Sophie and Emma; Steven, Josephine and Anthea.

Dan Ko and Jenny Soh were also at dinner but they had left when we started taking photos. Calvin's family photo was taken earlier 'cos I wanted to show 'Bee the two adorable girls.

After dinner talk ranged from iPhone 4S's Siri, with Hubby taking centre-stage since this is his expertise, to Edwin showing us some newly released 10 sen coins that don't look legal tender at all.

New 10 sen coins that look, feel and sound like tokens.

The red team

See here for Reunion 1 and here for Reunion 2.

First Reunion Meal of Its Kind

2012-01-23T00:41:00.002+08:00

For the past 27 years Hubby, 'Bee and I have been together for every reunion dinner, except for one that I spent in hospital due to an emergency ruptured ovarian cyst operation. Somehow reunion won't be the same without her.

That's the sad thing about having only one child who is a daughter. Once the daughter marries her parents are left with only each other to have reunion with. But today we are glad to have our first reunion with 'Bee and our new son-in-law.

It was so very thoughtful of Son-in-Law to propose having a reunion lunch with us at CRC Restaurant because 'Bee and him are the closest family we have. Although we have a number of reunions with various family members before and throughout the New Year, this is definitely icing on the cake.

Thank you Lord for a thoughtful Son-in-Law

and for granting me the desire of my heart.

No Longer As Delicious

2012-01-22T00:54:00.003+08:00

We kicked off the reunions for this year with the Tong siblings gathering for dinner at Delicious Straits Quay this evening. We thought that it would be an ideal venue because there are vegetarian dishes for my Baby Brother.

Sad to say, we were rather disappointed with Delicious nowadays. The food is not as delicious as it used to be (is it my imagination or was it ever since the bought over by E&O?) and the service staff is next to useless. We asked the waitress to recommend a pasta dish and her reply was, "Everything is good."

'Bee posted on Facebook that she received the same answer in response to the same question from a service staff at Delicious Midvalley. I thought such ridiculous comments were only confined to Delicious outlets in the Klang Valley but I was wrong. That's their standard reply throughout the whole chain. They should really look into re-training their staff.

The meal started with Baby Brother, Baby Sis, Hubby and I. We had a bonus when 'Bee joined us later.

She ordered her regular Angelhair Pasta with Smoked Salmon. Her pasta came piping hot and definitely looks tastier than the Seafood Linguine and Aglio Olio Spaghetti with additional Shitake and Sundried Tomatoes.

If not for the company around the table the dinner would have been a total disaster. And not cheap too.


'Bee's favourite Angelhair Pasta with Smoked Salmon

Baby Brother's Aglio Olio Spaghetti with Extra Shitake and Sundried Tomatoes

The Seafood Linguine was very oily

A Little Thing, A Big Tug

2012-01-19T13:01:00.003+08:00

Our first piece of rug in a long time

Sometimes a little thing can bring a big tug to my heart. Like this piece of rug we bought yesterday to hide the rust stain left by the old aquarium.

It seems such a silly thing but in the past one-and-a-half years 'bee was working in Penang I've grown used to her opinions and help in decision making on matters relating to the home. This time Hubby and I chose the rug without her input.

It's times like this that brings home the fact that she is married and, even worse, staying far away in KL : (

I miss her and cannot wait to see her during CNY.

Desa Bella Floral Fest

2012-01-19T12:30:00.001+08:00

I love flowers but don't have the time and patience to care for them. But we ae are very fortunate to have a floral fest right at our door-step.

Lovely blooms courtesy of our neighbour

Great Grand-daddy Material

2012-01-15T18:32:00.002+08:00

Last Monday (9 January 2012), sis-in-law was in town so we hosted a get-together for her and her hubby and all the nephews and nieces.

During the dinner our grand-nephew Nathanael, on his own accord, just came over, climbed on Kenny's lap and requested that Kenny play scissors paper rock with him. As you can see the two of them had a great time together.


Nathanael with his favourite adult of the evening

Yup, a child insitinctively knows great grand-daddy material when he sees one.

Down to the Depths of Maui

2012-01-15T18:18:00.001+08:00

On our third weekend (second weekend for most of the others) in Maui, a group of us rented a car for a day trip to Lahaina. Our main purpose for the trip was to go on the Atlantis Submarine Tour. The submarine tour is ideal for us ladies because it is the next best thing to donning snokeling gear and getting our hair wet!

Atlantis Adventures for a submarine xperience

First we boarded a boat at Lahaina pier that took us out of the harbour into the open sea to the rendezvous point with the submarine.

From L to R: Madhurita, Tania, Jean, Boey, Norma, me, Swee See and Bongi

We had a funny guide to take us through all the safety drill

On the boat to the rendezvous point

We were all so excited at our first sight of the Atlantis IV emerging from the sea.

The Atlantis IV is no glass-bottom boat. It is really a submarine, albeit a small one, and it is able to carry 48 passengers to depths of 100 feet and beyond. That is good enough for landlubbers like us.

The only thing that disqualifies Atlantis IV from being a "real" submarine is its lack of a periscope. That's not a problem because another boat, the Roxie, that is stationed on the waters above serves as the periscope for Atlantis IV.


That's Roxie beside the Atlantis IV

Going down into the sub

Boey, Tania and I all ready for the dive

We were told to look out for a sunken vessel. The Carthaginian, a replica of a 19th century supply vessel, was deliberately sunk off Lahaina, Maui, to create an artificial reef for the benefit of the marine life.

It was an eerie sight seeing the Cathaginian appearing before us

They really need this artificial reef because much of the reef was lifeless. In fact, hubby's marine tank at home looks better that anything we saw there.

Some of the fish we saw on our undersea trip

This is what we have in our living room

We went down to a depth of 129 feet and then it was time to surface.

The depth meter

We did not really feel any pressure change but at that depth the port-holes were made of thick acrylic.

3.35" thick acrylic between us and the sea

Langkawi Getaway IV

2012-01-13T13:32:00.001+08:00

We're supposed to take the cable car up Gunung Machincang yesterday but it was closed due to strong winds. So this morning we had an early breakfast, called to check that the cable cars are running and sped off for our ride before going to the airport.

The cable cars were running but the sky bridge was closed due to bad weather conditions. : (

We'll have to come back again for our tree top walk.

Hubby in the cable car with the middle station behind him

Tiny toy cable cars going up and down the oldest hills in Langkawi

Putumayo Dinner

2012-01-12T21:54:00.001+08:00

We decided on Putumayo (not Putumayong) for dinner and it was a great choice. Not only does the place look beautiful, the food is also delicious, well presented and reasonably priced.

We liked the curry chicken best of all because it's all made from lean and tender breast meat and floury potatoes. And the curry is really lemak - the way I like my curry. And a nice touch was the star-shaped rice.

Located along Jalan Pantai Cenang, Putumayo truly deserves the Outstanding Restaurant Award for 2010/2011.

The food

The place

Langkawi Getaway III

2012-01-12T14:55:00.001+08:00

It was a nostalgic trip down memory lane for Hubby when he saw the padi fields beside the road on the way to Pantai Cenang. He became a little boy again and even wanted to catch a fighting fish or two!

I dissuaded him and as we went along we passed the Laman Padi so we stopped by to have a look at how padi is grown. That place shows padi at all stages of growth from nursery stage to harvest time.

Hubby trying to snap a photo of his old firend, the Sar Looi Bak fish, at Laman Padi

Next stop was the Underwater World. I must say it's better maintained now than it was almost 2 decades ago when we last visited Langkawi.

And now we have just finished lunch at the Lan Kwai Fong cafe which is conveniently situated opposite the Underwater World. They serve set lunch that is much too salty but the dessert that didn't look appetising was surprisingly tasty.

A copy cat Lan Kwai Fong at Pantai Cenang

My meal

Chocolate oozing from the yummy dessert

Cheesy Breakfast

2012-01-12T10:48:00.001+08:00

I repeated my order for the cheesy everything-pun-masuk-kiasu omelette while we enjoyed the view over breakfast.

Dinner at Wonderland

2012-01-11T21:29:00.001+08:00

Albert our tour guide recommended this restaurant in Kuah town. Its name is actually Wonderland Food Store, which makes me think of a store selling food stuff rather than a restaurant.

The service was super fast despite a full capacity crowd. The pricing was also reasonable. RM58 for Sweet and Sour Garoupa, Steamed Prawns with Egg and Baby Kailan Fried with Garlic and Oyster Sauce.

All good except for the prawns which were not very fresh. : (

Honeymoon Surprise

2012-01-11T16:03:00.001+08:00

We're, ahem, supposedly on honeymoon so the agent booked a honeymoon package for us.

When we returned to our room after the eco tour we found a bottle of wine, chocolate pralines and fruits waiting for us.

We should go on honeymoon more often.

Langkawi Getaway II

2012-01-11T15:33:00.001+08:00

This morning we went on an eco tour to the Kilim Geoforest Park, visited the Crocodile Cave that is no longer inhabited by crocodiles, had a great time at the Fish Farm (surprisingly), and also learned about bats at the Bat Cave.

A not-to-be-missed tour

At the eagle feeding I was reminded that we're to soar like eagles. That was my text for our HI convocation speech.

Thank you Lord for the reminder.

On our way back to the hotel, Albert, our guide gave us an FOC trip up to Gunung Raya, the highest mountain in Langkawi. So kind of him. It was really the favour of God.

Climbed up a tower and we're at the highest point in Langkawi

Langkawi Getaway I

2012-01-10T23:25:00.000+08:00

We finally took off to Langkawi today for our holiday courtesy of 'Bee. Arrived at 2:30pm and checked into Four Points by Sheraton Langkawi Resort.

The room is huge and I simply love the rain shower. It's a luxury to have water cascading down on me instead of the pathetic, powerless spray at home.

Dinner was at Shin Mi Seafood Restaurant where we were served the biggest prawns we've ever seen in our lives. We also ordered two crabs - one was really fresh but the other was disappointing.

Pictures later when we get back. I can't seem to get blogger to upload photos on either iPhone or iPad.

Update: Downloaded Blogger app. Here are the photos.

Fresh giant Tiger Prawns

Grilled Crabs

MissingPamitis

2012-01-04T12:05:00.001+08:00

That's what hubby and I are afflicted with when our 'bee is away from us.

We are happy her long-distance relationship is finally ended and she is together with her husband. But they are in KL. : ( And that spells another LDR for us.

But better us than them, for God has made them one and it is right that they leave others and cleave only to one another.

Highlights of 2011

2012-01-01T16:00:00.001+08:00

The first half of 2011 was pretty uneventful but the excitement upped a notch and the momentun increased once I crossed over into the second half of the year.

God granted me many desires of my heart last year.

Never in my wildest dream did I imagine that Hubby would don a traditional garb to take a photo with me. Much less pose like this.....

Baba Kenny teasing his nyonya

Thank you darling! You didn't know how happy you made me.

Last year the most talked about wedding was Prince William and Kate Middleton's wedding. For me, the wedding of the year was that glorious day when my 'Bee married her beau after a long, long (in terms of time + distance) courtship with many ups and downs.

Lord, bless them with a long and loving, faithful and fruitful marriage.

Our first family photo with our brand new son-in-law immediately after the solemnization of their marriage

Hubby then indulged me with a Glitz & Glamour themed 55th birthday celebration at the G Hotel to make up for my botched 50th birthday celebration.

I feel so pampered...but no more big parties until I hit 60. : (


My super indulgent Glitz & Glamour themed 55th birthday celebration.

It has always been my dream since young to be a singer even though I cannot sing really well. In September last year I not only sang but also danced at the China International Travel Expo (CITE) that was held in Guangzhou.

I consider that "ahem, ahem" my debut as an international performer.

Another dream come true.


Performing in Guangzhou

Despite my involvement in church and ministry, spiritually I was heading nowhere until I attended the month-long Haggai Institute Advanced Leadership Seminar in Maui, Hawaii. I came back transformed and with a purpose. Outwardly everything is still the same but the seed has been planted and time will see it grow and bear fruit.

Lord, help me to be all You want me to be!

... where I found my destiny and renewed my commitment to my Lord and Saviour

Not Ready

2011-12-23T18:39:00.000+08:00

Christmas is sneaky this year. It crept up to me unawares. I'm not ready.

Best Christmas Present of All

2011-12-15T16:41:00.002+08:00

At Ken Ray, the Christmas season offically begins with the putting up of our Christmas tree. Then we draw lots to pick someone we have to buy a Christmas present for. This year the budget is not less than RM15.00.

Tradition demands that on D-Day you must identify the mystery giver of your present failing which you will be penalized. If you manage to identify him or her then the giver is penalized. Under such circumstance everyone lies. No one could be trusted to tell the truth.

Our Christmas wish list

Wishes range from the outrageous to the more realistic and affordable

This was my wish: I really want a holiday in Venice...but I wouldn't mind a trip to Bali. Ok la, I close one eye for a holiday in Langkawi.

After weeks of subterfuge and investigation the day finally arrives when we submit our guesses and open our presents. And that's today!

Lots of presents were already waiting for me at my table

bright and early in the morning

Tension mounts as we get ready to collect our presents

knowing that a penalty awaits us if none of our three guesses are right

Our Christmas tree laden with gifts

All of us with our presents

My gift wrapped in a an AirAsia advertisement torn from the newspaper

To my surprise it's really an air ticket to Pulau Langkawi!!!

Courtesy of my 'Bee

Never in my wildest dream did I expect my wish to be granted. This only goes to show that no wish is too ridiculous.

All things are possible.

Dreams do come true.

And you cannot trust anyone this time of the year - not even your nearest and dearest!

So THANK YOU VERY, VERY MUCH 'bee for making my wish your command - Siri-style! Please keep it up and you'll have a happy bunny for a mommy!

And now our Christmas tree stands forlorn denuded of gifts

Backfire

2011-12-14T14:56:00.002+08:00

I planned a surprise for Vive but it backfired on me.

So here we are...

...an Indian dressed in China man baju and me in a saree

How was I to know that he was thinking of dressing cross-culturally as well? Anyway, this was 1Malaysia and muhibbah demonstrated at John Loh and Hui Min's wedding dinner.

I think I should wear the saree more often

Iron Therapy for Sleepless Nights

2011-12-13T19:13:00.000+08:00

I had one of my sleepless nights last night. I was so fed up tossing and turning, trying to sleep that I finally resorted to my tried-and-tested Iron therapy. It works without fail. Every time!

My best buy of the year

Raymond's Forty-Sixth Birthday

2011-12-12T00:12:00.001+08:00

We took Baby Brother to Delicious to celebrate his 46th birthday. For once we managed to take him somewhere nice instead of the normal coffee-shop-style vegetarian restaurant. (That is due to his dietary preference which restricted our choice of venues for meals.)

The Tong siblings from Lto R: Baby Brother, Baby Sister and me, Big Sister

After a delicious dinner we proceeded to order dessert. We were so kiasu that we ordered 3 different types of cakes for him - Coconut Cake, Macadamia Cheesecake and Peach Frangipane with Vanilla Ice-Cream.

The birthday boy with his cakes

We then asked him to make a face and this was the result.

After that he couldn't hold back his laughter.

Then he made a comment. Couldn't remember what he said.

Then he laughed again.

I love my Baby Brother and I love to see him laugh even more. I think he needs more exposure to both his siao sisters to bring more laughter into his life.

My share of the yummy cakes

Finally we had afogato to end the wonderful meal.

I hope you enjoyed yourself, Raymond! I did. And here's a Hokkien blessing for you that's worthy of our Mom.

Sin Ku Eong Eong. Choot Jip Peng Aun. Kee Tar Loh Ooi Too Tio Ho Kooi Jin.

Literal Translation: Body strong, strong. Safe going out and coming in. Everywhere you go, you meet people who will bless you.

Happy birthday, Baby Brother! We love you.

24th Peranakan Convention in Penang

2011-12-07T16:15:00.000+08:00

I did not sign up for the whole convention but only appeared for those events where I have a part to play.

Somehow the convention this year did not stir up as much exceitement for me as the one held in Phuket last year. Baby Sis also shared my sentiments. Going away for a convention helps because the novelty is missing when you are on home ground.

25 November 2011

Sunset Welcome Dinner-By-The-Sea at Tanjung Bungah Beach Hotel

Dressed for the beach

Dressed to participate in the mock "sang jit" ceremony

26 November 2011

Gala Dinner and Dance at Khoo Kongsi

We were dressed in "baju panjang" for our dance

We couldn't resist fooling around with the sedan chair

More fooling around

Our scarf dance

27 November 2011

Baba Nyonya Morning Bazaar at Upper Penang Road

Fan dance from the Sayang-sayang Nyonya Dancers

Peranakan Mansion Book Launch

2011-12-07T13:04:00.001+08:00

Received an invitation to the book launch on 24 November 2011. It was a totally nyonya affair.

The CM Lim Guan Eng receiving a copy of the book.

Fr L to R: The author of the book Chan Suan Choo, the Director of

the NUS Centre for the Arts Ms Christine Khor, Soon Jr., Mrs Soon, Mr Soon,

the CM, a descendant of the original owner of the Peranakan Mansion,

the Museum Director Lillian Tong and Baba Peter Wee from Singapore

The CM also launched the newly formed Persatuan Peranakan Baba Nyonya Pulau Pinang.

The CM unveiled the logo for the society and it's the very appropriate nyonya kerosang!

Baby Sis and I with Ms Tan Siok Choo

At first I was a a bit overawed to find myself seated beside Ms Tan. After all her grandfather was Tun Tan Cheng Lock, who together with Tunku Abdul Rahman was instrumental in Malaya's fight for independence. Her father was the late Tun Tan Siew Sin, the country's longest-serving Finanace Minister (1959-1974).

Beyond her illustrious heritage, I later found out that Siok Choo herself is also a very accomplished lady. She had been trained as a lawyer and then became a journalist. She is now director of United Malacca Berhad and OCBC Bank Malaysia Berhad.

My first impression of her was that she is a regal and refined lady but as the evening went on I was even more impressed by her friendly and unpretentious manner. She is so humble and unassuming.

How appropriate the Malay proverb that says: Seperti buah padi, makin berisi makin rendah; jangan seperti lalang, makin lama makin tinggi. (Translation: Be like the padi that bends down as ripens, don't be like the lalang that grows tall but is useless.)

Me with Dr Lee Soo Kim, author of Kebaya Tales

I also had a fun time showing Dr Lee around Little India while we waited for the event to start. We dropped by a Bubur Kacang stall for tea and mooted the idea of taking the Peranakan Convention back to China!

Glassy Problem

2011-12-05T13:17:00.001+08:00

I hate these glasses of mine. They don't suit me at all.

I don't understand why some people can look so gaya in glasses whereas I look so dungu in them?

But I can't change them for the moment because of the cataract on the left eye.

If I remove the cataract, I cannot wear glasses because of difference in power for both eyes will be too great. According to the optometrist that'll cause me a lot of problems.

I can wear contacts on one side, which I do, but I don't want to wear contacts all the time.

All I want is a pair of glasses that makes me look good and is not too heavy so it doesn't press down and leave two depressions on both sides of my nose.

Susah la.

A Visit to a Hawaiian Church

2011-11-30T16:35:00.001+08:00

On 9 October 2011, which was our second Sunday at Maui, we had the privilege of attending a Hawaiian church at South Kihei Road.

This kind lady took 8 of us to church. That's the church behind us.
She had to make 2 trips.

The church also calls itself

"The Little Church by the Ocean Spray"

The church bulletin

One of the musicians with her ukelele

The whole service was so laid-back and casual. We were each given a flower to wear in our hair and most of the people involved in worship were bare-footed!

The service started out with the members of the congregation choosing songs and choruses from a song book for the band to play and the whole church to sing along. Then they sang their church song.

After that the they blew the conch shell and the service proper started with a procession of Hawaiian girls saying some chant in Hawaiian followed by an elder and the Pastor who came down the aisle with a staff in his hand. That reminded me of Moses and his rod.

One of the many hula dances during the service.

Click here to see the hula dancers dancing to the church's theme song.

An elder (or was he the ex-pastor?)

giving announcements barefooted!

Shaking hands with the pastor. Notice the staff in his hand.

When You Are Undecided...

2011-11-30T15:09:00.001+08:00

...a simple and speedy solution is to get one of everything.

From L to R: Water, red wine, Chinese tea and sarsi

It Followed Me Home From Maui

2011-11-30T13:23:00.001+08:00

The week after I came back from Maui was super hectic. I was recovering from jet lag, settling back to the daily life, preparing my lesson plan and slides for FIS (Facilitator Initiation Seminar) on 10 November and getting to preach on 13 November.

I only had time to finish my unpacking after all the hoo-ha was over. I was clearing the handbag I used in Maui when, to my horror, I found.....

...my room key at HI!

I was very certain that I handed in my room key so why is it still with me? It must have followed me home!

That started a whole process of getting the key back to Maui via King, our HI SEA Regional Representative, and Albert Cheam, an ex-TOPian now residing in Johor Bahru, who was heading for Maui to attend the M1111x session.

From 2 Pieces to 20 Kg

2011-11-03T11:51:00.002+08:00

Speedi shuttle came to pick us from HI at 5.30am on Sunday, 30 October 2011. That's 11.30pm on Sunday night, Malaysian time.

After 4 planes and many hours of waiting in between, I finally stepped out of the Penang International Airport at 3.30pm on Tuesday, 1 November 2011. That's a total of 40 hours of traveling!

The actual flight time was only about 32.5 hours. The rest of the time was spent waiting in transit. We even had to spend a night in Manila because there was no connecting flight to KL when we arrived at 5pm.

To complicate matters, Hawaiian Airlines would not hold luggage for more than 4 hours so we could not check through our luggage all the way back to Malaysia. We had to collect our luggage and check-in again the next morning at 4am!

That was the start of our problem. We were only allowed 1 piece of luggage weighing 20 kg per person on Malaysia Airlines whereas we checked in 2 pieces of luggage on Hawaiian Airlines from Maui to Manila.

Malaysia Airlines wanted to charge us for excess weight. Thank God for steady Jean who stood her ground and went on like a broken record insisting that they allow us to check in 2 pieces of luggage each because we were coming in from the US. They finally gave up and she got her way. Kudos to Jean!

Moral of the story: It pays to trust in the Lord, persevere and have two ohers pray while you fight the battle. Reminds me of Joshua and Hur holding up the hands of Moses.

2 pcs check-in luggage + 1 pc hand carry per person

for the 3 of us added up to a huge mountain of luggage

All that's left of our luggage after we won the check-in battle.

That's super steady Jean with me.

Last snapshot of the 3 Haggaians at KLIA before Jean left

to collect her luggage. Boey and I had a 3-hour wait

for our flight to Penang.

Last Night at Maui

2011-10-30T17:17:00.001+08:00

Tonight is my last night in Maui. It's amazing how time flies. 28 days went in a flash.

I leave tomorrow morning, spend a night in Manila and I'll be home!

Maui 4-8 October 2011

2011-10-14T14:03:00.000+08:00

Opening Lunch for sessions 911 (mine) and 912 was held on Tuesday.

The 4 Malaysians (L to R): Nancy, Boey, Jean and I

Soyolmaa from Mongolia, Herda, Mercy and Roma

from Indonesia and Munguu from Mongolia

Mantinti from Zimbabwe is our Resident Coordinator.

Beside her is Anna and Junisas from Indonesia

and Bongi from South Africa.

Sal from Philippines said I look like her daughter-in-law!

Table-setting and the delicious meal during the Opening Lunch

On Saturday classes ended at 5pm so we had time

to walk to the beach

Posing beside a Maui Police car

Caitlin, one of the volunteers, taught us how to make gift boxes

Last Taste of Home

2011-10-14T00:30:00.002+08:00

Kacang putih with compliments from 'bee!

Maui October 1-4

2011-10-05T15:47:00.001+08:00

...a simple and speedy solution is to get one of everything.

From L to R: Water, red wine, Chinese tea and sarsi

Nyonyas Dancing at Mid-Autumn Festival

2011-09-26T19:20:00.001+08:00

The nyonyas were invited to dance at the Mid-Autumn Festival Charity Concert 2011 that was held at the old Town Hall (where my dad used to work many, many years ago) on 10 September 2011.

Dancing to the song Ikan Kikik

Lanterns were the right prop for the occasion

Our second dance was a Fan Dance, which we danced
to the music of a Chinese song.

The ending of the Fan Dance

Cat People

2011-09-26T18:37:00.001+08:00

Some people are like cats. They always land on their feet.

They are never stumped, even when asked questions which they don't have the answers to. Somehow they are always able to come up with a convincing and "correct", albeit unconventional answer.

Daughter-in-Law vs Daughter

2011-09-26T18:17:00.000+08:00

Congratulating a friend after her son and daughter got married within a month of each other, a woman asked, "What kind of boy did your daughter marry?"

"Oh, he's wonderful," gushed the mother. "He lets her sleep late, wants her to go to the beauty parlour regularly, and insists on taking her out to dinner every night."

"That's sounds lovely," said the woman. "What about your son?"

"I'm not so happy about that," the mother sighed. "His wife sleeps late, spends all her time in the beauty parlour, and makes them eat take-out meals!"

We laugh but this is not funny when it happens to you.

This illustration posted on Pastor Albert Kang's blo g clearly shows the marked difference in perspective between a woman's view of her daughter-in-law and the same woman's attitude towards her daughter. Unfortunately, in many cases, such double standards are a sad but accurate depiction of female relational dynamics in family life.

They Told Me

2011-09-26T18:12:00.000+08:00

...that when your daughter marries you gain a son. I wish it was true 'cos it sure doesn't feel like it.

Sorry

2011-09-26T18:09:00.000+08:00

This reminds me of the look our Princess would adopt whenever she is guilty.

I'm sorry

Nyonyas in Guangzhou

2011-09-13T19:39:00.001+08:00

Baby Sis, Niece and I were part of the Penang contigent participating in the China (Guangzhou) International Tourism Industry Expo from 1-5 September.

It felt like a homecoming of sorts because our grandfather came from the Pun Yue district of Kwangtung. If only my dad was still alive, I could imagine his excitement over our trip.

SEPTEMBER 1

Upon arrival at Guangzhou airport

The bus was on the other side of the road. We had to walk down the whole length of the airport, take a lift up in order to cross via the overhead bridge and then take another lift down to get to our bus.

We stayed at the Kairong Du International Hotel, a 3-star hotel about 15 minutes away from the expo site. We were delighted that the room was spacious and clean and we had a double-bed each! The only complaint we had was the leaking bath-tub that flooded one side of our bathroom.

The room I shared with Ms Coffee Lee

First excursion was to Shangxiajiu Road that literally means

Up Down Nine Road. I believe there must be an intriguing story

behind its strange name.

Bright lights and lots of people all over the place

Strange offerings like those you find in Taiwan

SEPTEMBER 2

That's me beside one of twin towers decorating

Malaysia/Penang's booth at the CITIE 2011

The Chief Minister of Penang Lim Guan Eng
officiated at the opening ceremony

Nyonyas dancing to Ikan Kikik music. There were no pictures
of our second dance with the fans.

Nyonyas posing with dancers from Jabatan Kebudayaan

At Beijing Road

Plaque with the name of the road on it

Waited a long time for the right colour combinations
to appear on the roof-top of the tunnel
leading to a shopping center

Strange-looking pair of shoes on sale

His momma tried to sell us the commando toys
crawling on the floor but...

we were more interested in the kiddo.
Unfortunately he was not for sale.

Since it is a pedestrian street there were shops
on the road itself

Glass panels on the road gives a view of actual roads
from the Tang, Song, Yuan and Ming dynasties

SEPTEMBER 3

Posing for pictures with the crowd

I was an international singing star!

Nyonyas doing the joget. Apa pun boleh!

Our beading attracted many curious passerbys.
That's when I used up all the mandarin and
cantonese in my vocabulary

Went for a night Pearl River cruise on the "Lam Hoi San"

This bridge looks like our Penang Bridge

Guangzhou Tower in the distance

Another beautiful bridge

The stadium with panels that show pictures. I think they show
the match when one is being played on the field

SEPTEMBER 4

Showing off our beading

Posing with the Kebudayaan dancers

A world famous photographer (in the middle),
whose name we don't know, took photos of us beading so,
in return, we requested to take a photo with him

Very tired at the Tee Mall 'cos we wasted time
at the cloth warehouse that was hot
and full of cigarette smoke

SEPTEMBER 5

In the morning we did some last minute shopping at the Living Mall, the nearest shopping center to our hotel before the bus took us to the airport for the trip home.

Birthday at KR

2011-08-11T11:31:00.002+08:00

No birthday is complete without a birthday cake. So despite having had my birthday bash the weekend prior to my birthday, I ordered a cake from Secret recipe on my actual birthday so I get to cut a cake again!

Sounds like second childhood has arrived.

My poor mutilated cake. First I dug a hole in it on one side then, to balance the damage, Hacker shoved his whole thumb in on the other side.

The design on the cake was a huge let down. So plain.

But tastewise it was fantastic

Look at the chunky bits of macadamia nuts inside! Yums. I am nuts over nuts so this White Chocolate Macadamia Cake eventually won me over.

We really enjoyed the cake

A photo of the KR gang

Another photo of us looking going wild

Update at 6.16pm: Hubby is caught on film trying to cekek me in the last picture!

More Presents!

2011-08-10T17:57:00.004+08:00

I received a present last Sunday.

Silver and purple. Nice!

Something from Charles & Keith. Yay!

Time to change my wallet

Then on my birthda Baby Sis gave me a present wrapped a la India, inspired by her latest India adventure.

My gift from Baby Sis. So beautifully wrapped I could not bear to open it

I was so blessed by the message on the card

Korean BBQ Birthday Lunch

2011-08-10T17:37:00.004+08:00

Baby Sis took me and the family for a Korean barbecue lunch to celebrate my senior citizenship status.

Daorae Korean BBQ Restaurant along Jalan Tanjung Tokong.
5 minutes away from home and we've never been there before.

My Baby Sis and 'Bee. Those exhaust fans sure look like
gigantic alien worms. Shudder.

Hubby and I. The poor dear looks so tired.

3 bowls of soup for me. The extra 2 with compliments
from Hubby and 'Bee.

The beef being barbecued

That was what's left AFTER our lunch. Exotic food is wasted on us.

The only item on the menu that received a thumb's up
from these two was the dessert - watermelon!

Thanks Lillian, for taking me down unfamiliar, adventurous trails in an effort to spice up my otherwise bland and colourless life. Love you, always.

Nyonya Heritage Golden Trail - 7 July 2011

2011-08-05T13:54:00.011+08:00

Sis roped me in to be one of the nyonyas participating in this year's Georgetown Heritage Day celebrations.

Dressing in nyonya garb is always a fun thing but this was an extraordinary experience because we were bedecked with multi-million ringgit antique jewellery from the private collection of Mr Soon of the Peranakan Mansion. So, even though it was a mere 2 days before my 'bee's wedding, I agreed to to be one of the nyonyas.

It took us three hours to dress up before we assumed our positions beside the portraits of elegant and dignified nyonyas of bygone days at an exhibition on the Peranakan Straits Chinese: The Women. These portraits were part of a private collection and were only displayed in public for the first time at the the exhibition which was held at the Peranakan Mansion.

Living nyonyas beside the protraits of nyonyas of bygone days

The Chief Minister Tuan Lim Guan Eng
admiring the many rings adorning Lillian's fingers

One ring caught the CM's wife's eye.
He told her, "Look only."

Lillian dressed as the 3rd day bride
with Auntie Rosie beside her

Lillian's attire and jewellery were the most elaborate and expensive among the five of us. But the most expensive piece of jewellery was worn by Auntie Rosie. She was the only one who could wear a pair of 8-carat diamond earrings that cost more than half-a-million ringgit! The rest of us oiled the posts (pantat) of the earrings and pushed with all our might (until we cried) but our ear holes were too small and the pantat could not go in in.

Auntie Rosie was a true grand lady that day
with her 8-carat diamond earrings

Lillian sitting in the bridal chamber
in her full 3rd day bride regalia

Lillian's 3rd day bride's head-dress
with golden birds with dangly decorations

My not-so-elaborate head-dress

Our gold-threaded slippers and anklets

Auntie Rosie, Irene and me

Close-up of Irene's jade jewellery set

Rosie, Dorothy and I. Dorothy was dressed
in nyonya mourning attire with silver accessories

I was privileged to be the first person
to wear this rich wine-coloured baju panjang

Close-up of the jewellery I wore

The hong buey or phoenix tail earring I wore
that reminded me of the pair mom had

After the CM had left, we spent time taking fun pictures.

Two nyonyas gossiping

Baba teasing Nyonya

And Nyonya loves it!

Fifty-Five

2011-08-05T13:52:00.001+08:00

I woke up 55 today. I don't feel any different. It's all in the head.

Glitz & Glamour Nite

2011-08-02T16:40:00.007+08:00

This is what my e-card looks like.

Few people dressed to the theme and even fewer people believed me when I said I would be wearing the bling-est dress of all until they saw me on the night of the party.

I will never forget the awestruck look on my Pastor's 4-year old son's face when he saw me. His jaw dropped and he was speechless. He couldn't even wish me "Happy birthday!" despite the prompting from his parents. Never in his life did he imagine that there are people who would wear such bling-bling clothes in real life.

Thank God for family who dressed to the theme

If you think the dress looked bling you should have seen the actual dress.

A Bouquet From Singapore

2011-08-02T00:26:00.005+08:00

I received a lovely bouquet of roses and lilies from Mel that was delivered to G Hotel in time for my pre-birthday bash last Saturday. I invited her for the party but she was not able to make the trip back to Penang so she sent flowers instead. So thoughtful of her.

Such beautiful flowers

I just love the fragrance of the lilies

A photo of me with my bouquet the morning after

Thank you, Mel!

Oh Sushi

2011-08-01T22:37:00.007+08:00

I wanted to take Hubby to Delicious for a delicious dinner but the crowd of people waiting to be seated made us change our minds.

So I pandai-pandai suggested Oh Sushi instead.

The table setting

Hubby ordered this with plain rice

He got this glob instead. The pieces of prawn were raw!
I had to eat them.

I ordered this...

...and was not disappointed. At least the food
looked like the photo in the menu and the portions
were generous compared to Hubby's meagre portion.
But taste-wise it was just as disappointing. : (

'Bee's favourite maki that we tar pau-ed back for her

Dinner cost us RM68.45 with a plain rice and 2 ochas. Not worth the money. We shall never go back to Oh Sushi.

In my opinion Edo-Ichi at Island Plaza serves the best Japanese food on Penang Island. Taste-wise it is worth every ringgit you spend there.

Everybody, Somebody, Nobody & Anybody

2011-07-31T23:25:00.002+08:00

Found this among my collection of stories, illustrations and what-nots.

Once upon a time, there were four people;

Their names were Everybody, Somebody, Nobody and Anybody.

Whenever there was an important job to be done, Everybody was sure that Somebody would do it.

Anybody could have done it, but Nobody did it.

When Nobody did it, Everybody got angry because it was Everybody's job.

Everybody thought that Somebody would do it, but Nobody realized that Nobody would do it.

So consequently Everybody blamed Somebody when Nobody did what Anybody could have done in the first place.

Author Unknown

Gifts from London and Paris

2011-07-27T11:39:00.004+08:00

I love gifts and the honeymooners are back bearing gifts from London and Paris.

Another William & Catherine souvenir to add
to my collection and a Longchamp coin purse

I'm gonna tell my grandchildren that the reason for grandma's Kate and William obsession is 'cos their mom and dad were married the same year as Kate and Will and only a mere 2 months apart.

And the Longchamp coin purse is such a timely gift to replace my already worn, shabby and grubby coin purse.

Thank you both!

Angpow and Dream Come True

2011-07-27T11:28:00.005+08:00

Yesterday I received my second angpow for my birthday from the wonderful people at Ken Ray.

My beautiful, beribboned angpow

I'm gonna be a movie star, a glamour queen for a day. Thanks everyone for making my dream come true and for giving me something that will bring back plenty of good memories in the years to come. : )

Angpows and Wedding Gifts

2011-07-23T10:45:00.006+08:00

Angpows are the norm nowadays when it comes to gift-giving. It's more convenient and practical both for the giver and the recipient.

In the past, the giver would have to crack his or her head to think of and purchase a suitable present within his or her budget, wrap it and lug it to the wedding venue.

The recipient then has to transport all the cumbersome packages home after the party. Since there are bound to be duplicate presents and presents that one cannot or do not want to use, storage then becomes a problem, especially if space is limited at home.

The Chinese, being smart and pragmatic people that they are, solved all the above problems with the angpow.

The practical angpow

For the giver, it saves time and effort. And no matter how big the gift is, when converted to cash or cheque, voila, it is still small enough to fit into the pocket or a purse!

Likewise, the angpow slips easily into the pocket of the recipient and the cash can be converted into something that the couple really needs or desires. It can be easily "stored" or invested and, for many couples, is a timely help to defray some of the cost of the wedding.

I am glad to say that the majority of our guests were very considerate to give us angpows for our babee's wedding and we only had one huge present to bring back with us after the dinner.

40 Green Apples

2011-07-23T08:14:00.005+08:00

Today is Day 3 of our "Eat One Green Apple a Day for 40 Days" project.

38 more to go including the one for today

The reason for embarking on this project is for weight loss 'cos most of us (at the office) have a lot of "sai tor" to get rid off. We're optimistic that we should see results in time for my birthday bash which is a mere week away from today.

The project is going well and should be a great success because there are five of us on board and we're reminding and encouraging one another to fulfill our daily quota of apples.

In addition, the apples supplied by one of our gang are really delicious. I normally find green apples too sour for my taste but to my surprise these are crunchy, juicy and not sour at all. Yums!

And they are so much cheaper than red apples. Yay!

I can truly say that I'm looking forward to sinking my teeth into my apple for today.