Ipoh @ Perak

I am suppose to wake up at 5.45am later. Nope, I am not waking up that early to break fast or to pray (it's Ramadhan month for the Muslims now), but I am going for a holiday with my colleagues. Yay!! I feel great being able to travel out of town every weekend.

Last weekend, I was back at my maternal grandmother's house for a family gathering cum Malaysia Independence Day celebration. Once my mum and I reached Ipoh, my aunt took us for a reasonably priced and yummy set lunch. Then we went for a Buddha relics exhibition. It was an eye opener and even international actress, Michelle Yeoh was there to officiate the event.

This is from Tibet and it seems that if you turn everyone of them, your luck will change.

Later in the evening, my cousins from Kuala Lumpur arrived and we had the must-not-miss Ipoh delicacy ~ Bean sprout chicken.

Yummy but oily (This photo courtesy of my cousin's girlfriend)

After dinner, we had Fruit ice for dessert. I love the dessert very much because it's healthy yet thirst quenching and able to satisfy my sweet tooth.

There are seven types of fruits. Some more got ice-cream :D

On the next day, with the aid of technology (my uncle's GPS), we manage to savour the very famous and must-wait-very-long Ipoh Yong tau fu at a place known as 'Big tree trunk'. Despite the long wait and we were starving since we sort of skip breakfast, it was worth it because it really lift up to it's fame. Then at night, we had our official family gathering dinner at a chinese restaurant. Things started to heat up after dinner. My cousins and I as well as my very sporting aunts played some childish but really fun games.

On the next morning, we woke up at 6am to go Foh San dim sum, a must try if you ever go to Ipoh. The restaurant opens at 6.30am and we were there at 6.35am but there are only three tables left. Since there are only four of us (my cousins and I), we shared a big table with another family. We enjoyed the really delicious dim sum and snap photographs as though we have never seen a chinese restaurant before. Although the four of us only slept for four hours, we had so much fun waking up early for dim sum.

Foh San Restaurant at Ipoh.

The double-storey building.

The crowd at 6.35am at Foh San dim sum restaurant.



Some dim sum that we ordered.

More dim sum.

A claypot of really yummy porridge. My favourite dish for that morning.

Overall, this family gathering is a very different one because we visited all the famous eateries in Ipoh, which is our first time although we have been to Ipoh umpteen times. It was a totally refreshing experience, especially with great companies.

I Feel Blessed......

I feel blessed to live in a place that is free from natural disasters,
I feel blessed to be born in a country that is war-free;

I feel blessed to have my rights as a human and as a woman,
I feel blessed to live in a diplomatic country where I can voice my opinion freely;

I feel blessed to have mum and dad who try their best to give me the best in the world,
I feel blessed to have a brother with whom I share many fun and memorable moments;

I feel blessed to have the ability and money to pursue my tertiary education,
I feel blessed to secure a job in a happy working environment;

I feel blessed to have a large circle of relatives which make family gatherings fun,
I feel blessed to have friends who are there for me, no matter rain or shine;

I feel blessed to have water and electricity supplies at a reasonable rate,
I feel blessed because there are always food on the table and I have never suffered starvation;

Lastly and most importantly,
I feel blessed to be healthy mentally and physically in order for me to enjoy all the blessings bestowed upon me.

Bro

A pillow, a Garfield toy and a wallet in exchange for a Baby G watch. This was the things I offered to barter-trade and he obliged. Twelve years down the road, we don't trade things anymore. We simply give each other whatever that we want and we often buy each other dinner.

We used to pretend to operate a video-renting shop, be bank tellers and even detectives. But my favourite was when we pretended to stage a circus. We had rehearsals and even invited our parents to watch us as we sing and dance, as I host the show and perform magic shows and he pretends to be lion and tiger, jumping from chair to chair. We also played toys together, my barbie doll will be his batman's girlfriend and we will fight the dinosaurs together. Long before GPS system was invented, we will draw a mock map and imagine that we have some really high-tech machines stuck to the car's backseat that could navigate us to our destination and along the way, we will meet and eliminate many baddies. Then came video games and play station. We never fail to work together to win most of the games and most of the time, I simply enjoy watching him play RPG (role playing games).

As we grow up, studies occupied us and we played less. We begin to have our own friends and dreams. We were too busy working, studying and socialising. However, our bond is as strong as it used to be. We talk about everything and we still 'pretend'. Two working adults, behind closed doors, we pretend to be actors in some classic action movies and act as vampires. But my favourite is him being a fish monger slaughtering a cat fish played by me. It's seriously childish but we laughed and had a fantastic time.

If I am given an option, I will not choose to be the only child or to have a sister to share fashion and beauty tips with. If I am given an option, I will still choose this same old brother with a mole to be my little brother, the Best Bro on Earth !

Penang Horse Show and Other Stuff

I abandoned my blog for more than a month, that's why I am compensating by posting two entries in a row. I wanted to blog sooner about an event which I attended and father's day as well as other stuff but I was just not in the mood to write. Plus, it's peak period at work. Had been working late nights for weeks, pity me. But luckily, I have fun colleagues which make late nights less stressful.

I met my big boss from head quarters for the first time since I started working a year ago (well, not exactly a year yet but nearing a year) and he was a very knowledgeable and friendly man. After our brief meeting, i am all inspired to further pursue my current course of study. I am still thinking about it and have yet to make a decision because I don't want to waste anymore unnecessary time and money.

Lets talk about the National Horse Show held in Penang at the first weekend of this month. I was there as a volunteer for SPCA and it was kinda fun helping around. Lets but out the words and get straight to the pictures.

The main entrance of Penang Turf Club

The stage backdrop

One of the many horses

Another horse

One more horse.....

.....and a donkey

Horse shoes

Horse carriage

Michael Jackson, The Great or The Ape ?

It was just another ordinary car ride back home from lunch. The traffic was smooth, the five of us (my family members) were chatting casually and the radio was playing this song which I immediately fell in love with. I asked daddy who is the singer of that wonderful song and as soon as I got home, I looked for the CD, took a brand new exercise book and copied the song lyrics. I re-played the song for umpteen times and had my own sing-along session. That was fifteen years ago and that song is You Are Not Alone by Michael Jackson.

I am sure no matter how old or how young you are, how much you hate or love this guy, we had our Michael Jackson moments. As time goes by and with the emergence of boy bands, I grew out of You are not alone and Michael Jackson. I could not be bothered with news and rumours of Mr. Jackson, I did not care one bit when he was accused of child molest or when he announced his comeback concert, until I heard that he has passed away. It was simply shocking!

Many television channels paid tribute to Michael Jackson by airing a compilation of his 'rise and shine', his concerts, his music videos as well as his not-so-glamorous moments. So it is real, not a prank, not April fool (obviously because it's already June. Duh!). I was glued to the tv to catch updates on what actually causes his death etc.

When he was young and at his peak, he produced amazing music that moves and touches people's heart, no matter what colour their skins or what languages they speak. He did amazing dance moves (especially moonwalk) which no one can perfectly impersonate to date and he made story-like music videos which was an evolution to the music industry. His concerts are always full house and without fail, a couple or more of his fans will faint during his concert. He was labelled the King of Pop and he was honoured for his anti-apartheid acts.

However, his fame deteriorated when he was accused of child molest and when people took too much interest on how he spent his hard-earned money (he splurged on toys and antiques as well as his Neverland Ranch). His obsession with plastic surgery did not help too. Soon, he was entangled in legal issues and was in great debts.

Honestly, i think that he is weird with his over-done plastic surgery and his freaky behaviour of dangling his baby over the balcony. But I am thinking otherwise now after hours and hours of MJ's life story. Here goes why :

- he did not have a pleasant childhood, therefore he is making up for it by shopping for toys and building Neverland Ranch. It's his hobby and it's his money. Why do people have to comment on how he spends his money and what he buys?

- child molest. MJ is so nice to open up his Neverland to local children and when you have an opportunity to be so up close with someone so famous and rich, will you not be tempted to extort his money? Everyone knows he loves children very much, are some people being too overly-sensitive when he hugs or kisses a child?

- plastic surgery. Yes, his new look is a bit scary and ape-like but hey, it's his face and his skin colour and his life. As long as he produces good music, he is a great musician, so why bother about how he looks? By the way, some sources claim that the whitening of MJ's skin is not due to plastic surgery but because he suffered from vitiligo.

Rest in Peace Michael Jackson ! No matter how much people out there hate or love you, it is a fact that you have created history !