A visit to the Clinic!

Sorry for the lack of updates. The past few days, I have gotten my hands dirty and indulged in clay making again. ahhhh.. Wanna see the spoils of my victory? hahaha I'm getting proud of my work! :D

Anyway, today Jay Jay and I spent a fruitful day together. ;) Mother-son bonding.

I brought him by cab to Ikano Power Centre, near Ikea, to visit his most hated enemy, Dr Christopher James, the vet! (Alamak this sentence has so many commas! My HOD will surely shake his head in dismay!)

Anyway, we jumped into a cab after I quickly finished the household chores (wash the dishes, put the clothes into washing machine cum dryer and water the plants) at 1110am. The elderly Indian taxi-driver had no inkling that there was an 'anjing' in the taxi. haha. The ride cost mother and son RM15 (inclusive of Rm2 toll).

We headed quickly to the clinic and I deposited Jay Jay into the good hands of the vet. He is having some skin rashes - suspected mites case, and is also due for his 3rd vaccination. The poor fella wouldb e given his jab after a medicated wash.

I had 2 hours to dispose of so I did what I do best when alone - SHOP!

First stop - Popular Bookstore! It was hUGE and I browsed for all of 1.5hrs! hahaha Bought some stickers to indule in Sticker War with the ginnah (I am still young ok? :p) and a book to keep me company when I am lonely, and also a clay modelling set. Ahhhh I shall be able to make ballerinas soon :)

2nd stop - DaVinci. This store sells craft stuff. I bought a paint palette and also some clay on 50% discount.

3rd stop - Clothes stores - Bought some clothes but all not for me. (see how selfless?)

4th stop- Missha makeup store. Bought my eyebrow liner and also nail polish / hardener.

My lunch was a solo affair. I ate Ikea's delicious hotdog plus a bottle of mineral water (totalled up to RM3). Not only are you allowed to put your own sauces (ketchup / mustard / chilli) like S'pore, here they also provided relish and onions. YUM!

After I chomped down my lunch, I headed back to the animal clinic to fetch my son. Boy was he delighted to see me! hahaha

We crossed the road together in search of a taxi home. The first driver we approached was a suspicious looking tanned chinese who incredulously quoted us Rm30 to bring us back home! I then approached the 'kak' , a tudung wearing lady cab driver who quoted me Rm20 instead. Alright... whatever works ;p

We got home in no time with us trying to communicate using my less than adequate Malayu. ;p She was very accomodating of Jay Jay surprisingly. He was squealling and barking occasionally. Think he was feeling very uncomfortable.. the poor baby!

Anyway I am waiting for Alan to fetch me for dinner now. It's 702pm.

The lowest point of the day - on my journey to the clinic, I saw another accident. There was a body (not sure if he was still alive) lying on the ground, facing down. Another motorcyclist. I said a silent prayer for him....

My Birthday Weekend in the Highlands

25 January 2008 Friday

My Birthday Weekend was spent in the highlands - Camerons- to be specific. :) Alan took the Friday off and carted me away to The Lakehouse. We left Sri Tiara at around 1230pm and got to the small town Tapah approx 2hours later. We ate to live at KFC and then went searching for a very sweeeeeeet jumbu-apple Alan had bought there before, on his way up to Penang.

It was a taxing and painful and winding journey up to The Lakehouse, which was ironically quite near (30 mins drive?) the foot of the mountain. What a quaint and cosy little place it was! We were greeted warmly and presented a welcome drink of iced ginger and sugar syrup and then led to our room.

I slept off my motion sicknes in 1/2 hour and Alan busied himself in the meanwhile taking photos of the room and the view from our window. Then, we went upwards in search of recreation and a late late luncheon.

We drove into a small town Tanah Rata where we had a un-delectable lunch. I had the saltiest noodle soup ever and Alan had fried kuay teow which was oily and unappetising. Then we walked around the area and ventured into small shops in search of things to see/ do / buy. hahahaa

T-cafe was next. As it came highly recommended in online reviews, we were itching to try the "World's Best Apple Pie", as exclaimed by some hungry Americans. However, the apple pie that was served was dry and the apples inside, tasteless. The vanilla ice-cream that accompanied it , however, was its saving grace. Very creamy and probably home-made. Ahhhhh What I loved most was the strawberry tea that came in a tea-bag. Very fragant and delicious! It gave us the extra omph to explore our surroundings more.

We drove in search of strawberry farms in which they allowed self-picking. Raju Strawberry Farm did not seduce us as its strawberries were very small and unripe. Kea Farm, which also came highly recommended online, did not even allow us to enter the gardens to take photos, let alone pluck strawberries. Disappointed, we bought a punnet of berries at a low RM10 for our happy consumption later in the evening. We bought some magnets to add to our collection and also some strawberry items for TK.

Then we went to a Bee Farm but it started to trickle before we met any bees. So we headed back to The Lakehouse for a short rest...

Dinner was at Hong Kong Restaurant and we happily tucked into the steamboat served. At an amazingly affordable price (RM12/head) we were treated to a fantastic feast. Vege, eggs, meat, prawns etc.. The best part was the weather - perfect for steamboat-dining, which explains the plentiful eateries serving the same cuisine.

Alan was careful to drive back to our hotel s-l-o-w-l-y that night, lest we incur the wrath of upset bellies.

26 January (my Birthday)

the ginnah was the first to msg me to wish me a Happy Birthday. The msg came in at 12midnight sharp. apparently she had started thinking of what to type from 2330 when on the bus going home. hahahaha.. Thanks ahhh ginnah!!!! :)

We woke up late and were treated to a lovely breakfast in the romantically-set restaurant in the hotel. I swear the pancakes are the fluffiest I've ever come across. We also had an asparragus and salmon omelette each.

Then, after the meal settled, we decided to explore Boh Tea Plantation, to catch a glimpse of the fragant fields of tea plants. The road was trecherous and most of the time single-laned. Alan carefully honked our arrival at every bend, just in case we got in the way of on-coming traffic.

The Boh Tea plantation was very beautiful. Imagine a serene, tranquil environment, overlooking lush greenery, the sun casting its spell...We went for a short tour in the factory and discovered the different processes of making tea - withering, rolling, drying, fermentating and sorting. Then, as true Singaporeans, we of course hit the Boh Tea shoppe and bought tonnes and tonnes of tea leaves as though they are not available in Singapore. hahaha.

A few minutes later, we found ourselves seated in the cafe and taking in the wonders of Nature (ok ok, it's alittle man-made, but use your imagination oK?) Our enjoyment of our lukewarm hot chocolate, chicken and mushroom pie and a fresh strawberry tart surpassed our pleasure of being surrounded by such Natural Beauty. ;) Having been in concrete jungles Singapore / KL for so long, the feelings' amazing!

Next, we went strawberry picking in EQ farm. The closest we have ever come to natural strawberries is those in their punnets in Cold Storage freezers and therefore we were awed by the many potted strawberry plants hanging from the heavens and tempting us. Our task : Pick a minimun of 1/2 kg of the reddest, sweetest, freshest strawberries from their stalks. Don't pluck the fruit by the fruit or risk damaging the very sensitive flesh.
We went all out in search of the ripest, sweetest, biggest fruits and had a field day plucking them from their vines. ahahhaha. My first experience. Fun! :) According to the reviews online, the Multicrop Central Market is a must-visit. We stopped by without any hope of spending too much money there as it looked pretty small and cramped. We were wrong, of course. There were many cute figurines just perfect for our balconey to dress up the area. And into the shopping- cart they went! My lonely duck ornament sitting in the balconey now has company!!! We also bought 3 rock melons which tasted like the sweetest nectar from heavens!

Although the sun was soon setting, a bee farm beckoned next. Tens of sunflowers lined the aisle all nodding their warm greetings to us in the soft breeze. A friendly elderly Uncle was very hospitable and explain to us painstakingly the process of honey-making and showed us his bee farm. Alan risked his life, much to my trepidation, just to capture some digitals of the yellow-blacks.
We bought some honey (we are fans) for ourselves and our family members - goh hui, we bought you a piece of honey soap for sensitive skin! :) Then it was back to the Lakehouse for a scrumptious dinner.

Our 4-course meal was served to us in the restaurant under candle-light. Alan's wild mushroom soup lost to my tomato in gin one, in terms of taste. Our entrees were very tasteful and tasty - caeser salad with salmon and delicious prawn and mango salad. (by the way, the mango in cameron highlands taste like durian / jackfruit!) The main course soon arrived - a beef fillet each with garlic / black pepper / green pepper corn sauce. Yum! Just when we were too stuffed to contemplate dessert the most magical moment manifested -
The Indian waiters all appeared from the kitchen with a huge strawberry cheesecake in hand, belting our their rendition of the "Happy Birthday" song. hahaha. And whilst the other diners looked on in surprise, Alan emerged with a HUGE bouquet of 50 pink and red roses!!! Ahhhhh How well-planned! hahahaha. Truly a perfect celebration of my first birthday as a Mrs. :) *blush*

27 January 2008
We roused late and went down for breakfast. Thereafter, even before our food had settled, we trotted down the short slope and headed for the 'stretch' of 2 shops opposite our hotel for some 'last-minute- shopping'. hahaha. (I believe we have indeed caused a soar in the economy of this part of Malaysia at least.)

We bought a lovely green plant to add to our collection and some fruits and dried plum to help me combat my motion sickness for the return journey. I also bought afew 'ai xin guo'- love fruits? They are supposed to taste like kiwis. We shall try them tonight.

The journey back to KL commenced at around 1230pm and we arrived at 3+pm, making good time and going at top speed. The speedometer had read 160km/hr at one point. Ahhhhh..fast cars, fancy melons? haha We stopped by the one and only waterfall and beseeched the macheks to move so that we take some photos.. then we zoomed off again.

We fetched Jay Jay from Robin's at 5+pm and then had dinner at Robson's again. To make up for the dismal lunch (of maggie mee), we ordered fried hokkien mee for two, drunken prawns and mushrooms with fish maw. The total bill? Rm70!

Now how I wish every weekend was a celebration of some sort! hahahahaa Thanks Laogong, I had a lovely time. *muacks* Thanks too to all those who dropped me an sms - all 19 of you. And the tonnes of facebook posts of birthday greetings from my ex-students. I LOVE YOU ALL LAH! heeeee

I'm Proud of All of You! YiPeeeEEeeeEeee

Today's entry is dedicated to all the gals who have just received their O Level results 1 hour ago. CONGRATULATIONS!!!! hahahhaa.. I had a weird dream last night... dreamt of modest (just afew percent enough lah) improvements in English and Pure and Elective Literature results and MSG in my subjects. Woke up and soon Wee Suan's message beeped its arrival in my inbox... even before I could shake the sleep from my eyes.

My first reaction - OH MY GOD!!!!! Immense disbelief and extreme happiness flooded through me.

Jay Jay was left unfed as I hopped up and down . The teachers and students had done it again! We had created another miracle! I contemplated rushing to the airport and buying my plane ticket home, in time for the 2pm results annoucement in the school hall. But then realised that my passport was still in the custody of the department producing my dependent pass. A fleeting thought of swimming back to Singapore was entertained. hahahaa

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My ex-students have just called me admist their joy to share with me their pleasure and excitement. XGG's handphone was passed around and the girls happily announced their fulfilment of promises to get their distinctions "for me". I almost had tears in my eyes when they took turns to thank me. Strange, I am so far away and yet feel so close by.

Girls, I am grateful for my decision to stay back to teach each and every one of you. It was something I knew I had to do. And I am glad that those few months which Alan and I endured had paid off. Thank you. :D

Happie Thaipusam

I'ts a public holiday again today. Jealous? hahaha Well, we accomplished quite a fair bit today.

Firstly, we went to the temple (Tian Hou Gong) a few lanes from our place so that I can change my cheena name. hahaha you can ask me what my name is personally face to face ;p Alan was trigger happy again after we asked for blessings.

Then we went to the nearby nursey and bought some potted plants for me to kill. I've no doubt that they won't last very long in my hands, but I'm keen to develop green fingers. We bought a stand to put our pretty pink and bright red plants (dunno what they are called technically) and a pot on 'bonsai-lookalike', together with some fertilizer and a watering spray can. They are now sitting contentedly in our spacious balcony. Ahhh our house is becoming more and more like a
H-O-M-E.

After depositing the above stuff at home, we gave Jay Jay 3 cheese biscuits to munch and then set off to Mid Valley Mega Mall to run some errands.

We had a sinful and unfulfilling lunch at Mr Ho's fine foods at Basement One. The creamy wild mushroom signature soup was delicious and oozed with all natural goodness but our main course, the pork knuckle we shared was given the thumbs down! :( Our Singapore's Werner's Oven at Upper East Coast Road is much better. But of course, the one we had in Germany, on our honeymoon, takes the cake!

Some last minute shopping - Alan needed a jacket for tomorrow's luncheon and we zipped into Zara and got one for RM499. Apparently, G2000 jackets cost more, amazingly! We saw them retailing for RM699 and more!!! The Zara one was on sale and it was a great steal!!!

Then, I bought a pair of shoes for CNY from Vincci. 50% off and only RM37.90. How touching!

As Alan neded a haircut badly, we went to his fav stylist, Bill, on level 1. I decided to colour my hair for cny as well. This decision was to be regretted deeply. I sat there for around 4 plus hours and had almost 1 roll of aluminium foil on my head. After I washed my hair, I was astounded by the colour. I looked strangely like the hooligans in the drama serial we are watching nowadays. My ash coloured highlights left me in great shock. Depression followed suit. Oh well, at least it's much cheaper than in SIN. ;p

We tapaoed dinner at our fav Robson Restaurant again. Alan had his craving fulfilled and ordered Hokkien noodles. Oh, by the way, the hokkien mee here is like udon and fried with dark sauce. Very tasty, but I still prefer our Singapore style. I had fish head beehoon soup. My comfort food.

After picking up our dinner, we arrived home, dragging the Philips Home Theatre system with us. Alan set it up in no time and now we can enjoy an even more decadent lifestyle! I like!

Discuss Disgust

Yooo... I've been meaning to post this entry for quite some time.. but amazingly it has slipped my mind. ahahaha.

I bring you back to afew weeks ago. Location was at the Mid Valley Mega Mall car park. Alan and I had zoomed in for some dinner and shopping in the early evening, perhaps on a weekend.
We were scouting around for an available parking lot (it's rare, especially in popular shopping mall) and we were doing circles and getting increasingly frustrated.

Then, suddenly, at the corner of my eyes, I spotted a middle-aged man with thinning hair behaving extremely suspiciously. He was facing a green wall (we were in the Green Zone lah) and leaning very close onto it, so much so his whole face was covered. He kept apparently quite still and rigid. His male friend was a few steps away, a nonchalent look on his oily face, but keeping a close eye on the on-coming cars and passers-by.

The first thought that came to my mind was that errr... the guy was touching his privates in public. (ok ok don't ask me why that immediately came to mind..I have yet to explain the wonders of Sharon Goh's mind) Then suddenly, my dear husband deafened me by exclaiming loudly "HE'S PEEING!!!!"

O my god. I was flabbergasted. My jaw dropped and my tongue rolled out and 4.87 seconds later, when my brain fully registered that gruesome fact, I let go a very loud "EEEEEEEEEE!" By then, the man had zipped up (no, you curious monkey, I didn't see his nuts) and grinning, left with his friend.

Can you just imagine? A supposedly progessive country. A huge money-spinning mega mall. And yet how does Man behave? Quite badly, I must say. Of course, the toilet conditions in Malaysia, even KL, are hardly anything to boast about. Most of them are wet and occasionally, one can even see footprints on the toilet seats. But this urinator has disgraced his fellow countrymen with his uncivilised answer to Nature's Call. I'm sure you'd agree with me that his Mate in Cahoots also has to share some blame. I mean, why should you stand on the look-out for The Pee-er? Will you warn him when innocent passers-by get in his way of a good pee? Will you even pass him a tissue when he's done?!?

In Singapore, we have the famous No Littering sign. In China, the notorious No Spitting sign. and soon, I guess, exclusive for Malaysian car parks only, the No Pee-ing sign. hmmm.. come to think of it, maybe not so soon after all. ;p

We shook our heads and sped away from the Pee Zone, our disgust evident admist our prayers for an available parking lot.

Jay Jay's New Album

A Fulfilling Monday.

hey folks..

It was a busy Monday. We went to Uptown for me to apply for a Dependent Pass. Guys, in a few days, I will officially be DEPENDENT ON A MAN. YIKES. ;p Alan then met up with his tax attorney and found out just how much tax he has to pay. Depression hit after that.

Lunch was a quick affair in a nearby taiwanese 'restaurant'. Spicy beef tendon noodles, cold tofou with century egg and steamed dumplings made up our brunch.

Alan tried to get me the Callaway golf shoes after that but the shop didn't carry ladies shoes at all. ahahha. I wonder how women in Malaysia play golf? The golf shops here are numerous but the ladies' stuff they sell, limited. You can see why golf is known as a gentleMAN's game. ;p

Anyway, he dropped me off at Pavilion where I self-entertained from 130pm-6pm. I watched a movie, The Golden Compass which left me puzzled and very unfulfilled. Nicole Kidman could not even save the show. However, I loved the cute lil' polar bear. (Have I ever told you I've always wanted one as a pet since young? hahahaha)

Then I visited my favourite shop in Pavilion - Elements and tried on dress after dress, top after top. Minutes later, I emerged a poorer but happier lady. ahahhaa. Bought 2 dresses and 2 tops. My excuse - CHINESE NEW YEAR MAH! hahahaha

Alan picked me up promptly at 615pm, beating the traffic jam cleverly but avoiding though congested roads. My husband is getting smarter, I must say. hahahah. Then we went to dinner at Robson again. This time, we ordered a HUGE FROG (steamed with chicken essence), hot plate venison and some kailan with garlic. YUMMY!

Then it was home sweet home to play with our beloved son. :)