By Petra Gimbad
Dedicated to my sister
“Above all, remember that the most important thing you can take anywhere is not a Gucci bag or French-cut jeans; it’s an open mind.” – Gail Rubin Bereny
It is one thing to shop for the office and another to shop for the jungle: an important realization.
Recently united, my sister and I embarked on a shopping spree long overdue in glitzy Kuala Lumpur.
We would find the best bargains for the best quality, and stuff that was pretty as it was practical for our village, jungle and street environments. We would go where no woman (or man) has gone before.
My sister is the researcher who hikes into villages and jungles at least every second week. I am the child protector who works in a red light area.
She gets to scrub her body frantically at the end of the day to search for leeches, and I get to scrub my head and feet for fear of tuberculosis and needles.
She needed, among other things, a pair of jeans: “I need them to hike in the jungle and to visit ketua-ketua kampung (village heads) – it’s disrespectful to wear track bottoms.”
So off to the mall we went.
First stop: Stage Cosmetics.
“Here, you help her – my sister knows nothing about lipsticks,” said my sister, who reviews skincare and cosmetics part-time. The lovely makeup assistant, B, had welcomed us and introduced an array of pink lipsticks.
“How about this?” B dabbed a shade of pink on my mouth.
“Too Siti Nurhaliza. I’m not a pop queen.”
“This?”
“Alamak, too Mak Datin. I belum cari Datuk lagi!” (Oh dear, too Datin. I have not found a Datuk yet!)
“How about this now?”
“Er, very nice. But… people in my work area will think I’m a sex worker. I don’t want to unintentionally offend some tai kor (gang leader) if I say no when he asks what’s my price.” I was slightly miserable by then.
“Where do you work?”
My sister and I told him.
“Have you ever been asked whether you’re a prostitute?”
“No, but someone I know was.”
B gasped. “Apa jadi?” (What happened?)
“She said she was having her period, so maybe he can ask our colleague instead.”
He laughed.
Next: Caring Pharmacy.
We looked for moisturizers and sunscreen. A sales assistant suggested a brand.
“No, that doesn’t work in the jungle. My skin will peel,” said my sister absently. She turned and pointed to another brand. “Now this brand’s good if you’re planting padi (paddy). Aunty X uses it when she’s in the fields and she’s fairer than I am. But it breaks me out.”
“Maybe it only works if you’re working the paddy fields.” We pondered awhile before realizing the sales assistant had scuttled off.
Third stop: Metrojaya.
The fact that my sister works in an office on weekdays and that her feet are more attractive than mine made me sigh. We discovered a white pair of shoes that fit her perfectly.
I insisted that she purchase them: I cannot wear shoes that show dirt because of the street outreach component of my work and wanted to live vicariously through her feet.
“Value the fact that you work in an office, and able to wear heels and white shoes,” I exhaled dolefully. Her feet did look pretty.
The sales assistant tried to sell me a pair of high heels and I refused. As any clubbing kaki (buddy) would know, most women’s shoes in Malaysia are made for fashion and not function. Wear them for three hours and you will lose your toes.
Many Malaysians do not understand the word “No”. My sister helpfully explained to the assistant: “My sister can’t wear shoes she can’t run after kids in. She works with street children you know?”
The woman was flabbergasted. She tried to sell us another pair of heels, made in suede.
“No, no. I can’t rinse these in the sink. I need to be able to run in them, and rinse them to attend night functions.”
My sister turned to the sales assistant, “My sister is serious, you know.”
We knew we spoke gibberish when the assistant looked confused.
In the end, we abandoned the plan to buy a pair of jeans for my sister at the department store, opting for the market near my workplace instead.
“How much?” asked my sister.
“RM5.”
“Ok – let’s go!”
The writer works at a children’s organization.
Showing posts with label shopping. Show all posts
Showing posts with label shopping. Show all posts
Friday, September 10, 2010
Tuesday, September 07, 2010
Celebrating 300 posts!
This is my 300th post on my lovely blog! And to celebrate, I bought myself this:
Yes, I now have a black handbag that most of you would feel I would never buy! Hahahahaha.....
Ok, ok, I did not buy it to celebrate this post. It was coincidental. I bought it due to several reasons:
1) It looked good and was in a colour that would match most of my clothes.
2) It was reasonably priced.
3) I needed something that I could bring to fancy dinners, to work and to functions.
Called the 'Plain Jane' from Nine West, it is a new arrival and is not even up on their online store yet. Housemate also bought herself a 'Sitting Pretty', which I thought was lovely, too.
Hm, I wonder which occasion would the virgin appearance for my little Jane be?
Yes, I now have a black handbag that most of you would feel I would never buy! Hahahahaha.....
Ok, ok, I did not buy it to celebrate this post. It was coincidental. I bought it due to several reasons:
1) It looked good and was in a colour that would match most of my clothes.
2) It was reasonably priced.
3) I needed something that I could bring to fancy dinners, to work and to functions.
Called the 'Plain Jane' from Nine West, it is a new arrival and is not even up on their online store yet. Housemate also bought herself a 'Sitting Pretty', which I thought was lovely, too.
Hm, I wonder which occasion would the virgin appearance for my little Jane be?
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
Starting the new year...
On a sunny, breezy Tuesday evening, a young lady received a call from her friend who had just got off work. They were ecstatic to finally spend some time together after nearly half a year of not meeting up. Her friend came up to her apartment for a short chat and to have some water. They then decided to head out for their dinner.
While waiting for the lift, the young lady noticed that the door to her apartment won't close and decided to check. Unknown to her, the lock was locked on the inside. When the door slammed shut, she tried to turn the knob and found that, she could not open the door. She tried all the keys that she had. None of them worked.
She made an emergency overseas call on her mobile to her friend, who is the actual tenant of the unit. She managed to get her agent's contact and tried to work things out directly with the agent. As the agent could only arrive 2 hours later, the young lady and her friend went for their dinner at an Indonesian restaurant and after that, an evening walk.
When the agent arrived with another key, the young lady thought that the sky had cleared. However, to everyone's dismay, that key did not turn the knob, either. Heartbroken, the young lady made her way down to the lobby where numbers to locksmiths were made available on the notice board.
First number... could not connect. Second number... could not connect either. Okay, so she tried the third number, which was a 1300 number. Nope, no connection. Thinking that her mobile had no reception, she checked her phone to find that she had full signal. Could it be out of credit? No, normally there would be a verbal message informing you of your low credit. Okay, call the phone company to check the account balance... could not connect... what?
The young lady had no choice but to use her friend's mobile. They managed to get a locksmith who could make it in 30 minutes. Okay, no worries. So they sat at the stairs facing the entrance, to wait.
While waiting, the young lady checked her mobile again. Why couldn't it make outgoing calls? What about incoming? Her friend tried by calling. Yup, phone rang so should be no problems with the network. Let's turn the phone off and back on again. Right, nothing. Before this it decided to not show anything on the memory card and now this!??!?! Try again, off and on again. Same thing. Maybe it's the SIM card, not the phone? They swapped SIM cards and found out that it was the SIM card that was faulty.
When she put her own SIM card back into her own phone again, she thought she should try texting to see if it worked. She sent one message to a friend and miraculously, he replied! Wow! Okay, let's try calling again... finally, it made the call!
It was such a relief when the locksmith arrived! His advice was:
1) Get a key for the lock.
2) Change the lock to a new and better one.
He made the young lady fill up a form to prove that he wasn't liaising with her to break into the unit. He was also nice enough to write her a tax invoice to see if she would be able to get the agent to reimburse her as it really wasn't her fault for not having the key to that lock.
So now, that young lady is AUD150 poorer and believes even more that this new year of the tiger is not going to be a good one for her.
And that young lady was me.
While waiting for the lift, the young lady noticed that the door to her apartment won't close and decided to check. Unknown to her, the lock was locked on the inside. When the door slammed shut, she tried to turn the knob and found that, she could not open the door. She tried all the keys that she had. None of them worked.
She made an emergency overseas call on her mobile to her friend, who is the actual tenant of the unit. She managed to get her agent's contact and tried to work things out directly with the agent. As the agent could only arrive 2 hours later, the young lady and her friend went for their dinner at an Indonesian restaurant and after that, an evening walk.
When the agent arrived with another key, the young lady thought that the sky had cleared. However, to everyone's dismay, that key did not turn the knob, either. Heartbroken, the young lady made her way down to the lobby where numbers to locksmiths were made available on the notice board.
First number... could not connect. Second number... could not connect either. Okay, so she tried the third number, which was a 1300 number. Nope, no connection. Thinking that her mobile had no reception, she checked her phone to find that she had full signal. Could it be out of credit? No, normally there would be a verbal message informing you of your low credit. Okay, call the phone company to check the account balance... could not connect... what?
The young lady had no choice but to use her friend's mobile. They managed to get a locksmith who could make it in 30 minutes. Okay, no worries. So they sat at the stairs facing the entrance, to wait.
While waiting, the young lady checked her mobile again. Why couldn't it make outgoing calls? What about incoming? Her friend tried by calling. Yup, phone rang so should be no problems with the network. Let's turn the phone off and back on again. Right, nothing. Before this it decided to not show anything on the memory card and now this!??!?! Try again, off and on again. Same thing. Maybe it's the SIM card, not the phone? They swapped SIM cards and found out that it was the SIM card that was faulty.
When she put her own SIM card back into her own phone again, she thought she should try texting to see if it worked. She sent one message to a friend and miraculously, he replied! Wow! Okay, let's try calling again... finally, it made the call!
It was such a relief when the locksmith arrived! His advice was:
1) Get a key for the lock.
2) Change the lock to a new and better one.
He made the young lady fill up a form to prove that he wasn't liaising with her to break into the unit. He was also nice enough to write her a tax invoice to see if she would be able to get the agent to reimburse her as it really wasn't her fault for not having the key to that lock.
So now, that young lady is AUD150 poorer and believes even more that this new year of the tiger is not going to be a good one for her.
And that young lady was me.
Saturday, June 06, 2009
Study trip: Back to Shenzhen
The buffet was packed this morning. We were making wild guesses as to how many of the other guests were Malaysian as well. I did not enjoy the breakfast this morning for some unknown reason. Perhaps it was the thought of them ferrying us to yet another money-sucking factory that spoilt my appetite.
Bao An Tang was the first stop of the day. Despite being one of the two supposedly approved Chinese medicine manufacturers in China, I did not buy a single word they said. However, some other members of our group did and we waited 1.6 hours for them! We wasted so much time waiting for them to finish with their consultation, after which we headed to the statue of five goats or whatever it was called to have a quick photo session.
Mr. Chan did not even bother explaining its significance as he quickly gathered us for lunch, which was at the same restaurant as last night's dinner. That was where Steven joined us after handling our freight.
We had plenty of fruits as Mr. Chan bought two big bags of longan and lychee. It was on the journey back to Shenzhen from Guangzhou that the fruits became handy, especially the lychee. Steven was bullied to the max (we forced lychees down his throat - he hates them)! Ok, I did not particularly condone the act and was zoned out most of the time anyways.
Halfway, we stopped at a place called the Saigon House. I actually cannot remember the significance of this house but it served as a working museum, much like the Peranakan Heritage Museum in Melaka.
We arrived in Shenzhen at 5:10pm at Dongmen.
We were lucky to have a full moon on the night. Perhaps it was the 15th day of the lunar calendar. I headed straight to Sun Shopping Complex to buy the dress I saw a few days earlier and was so disappointed when they would not accept my credit card without the presence of my passport! In the end, I paid in cash, which I had to borrow from Miss Sik. After dinner, we skived off again to buy a pair of shoes from a local sports brand called Anta. I so love it! It was not only comfy and light, it was in the colour I wanted - yellow! Yes, finally a pair of shoes to match my uniform!
The last night in China was spent in room 1101, which to us was terrible. Oh well, it was our final day there so better not to complain. It was great fun traveling with people of different backgrounds doing the same thing.
The next morning, we bade farewell to the mountains that kept Hong Kong out of view.
We bade farewell to the mosque a few streets away.
We bade farewell to the wonderful people and new friends we've made.
Steven, when and where to will be your next educational outing?
Bao An Tang was the first stop of the day. Despite being one of the two supposedly approved Chinese medicine manufacturers in China, I did not buy a single word they said. However, some other members of our group did and we waited 1.6 hours for them! We wasted so much time waiting for them to finish with their consultation, after which we headed to the statue of five goats or whatever it was called to have a quick photo session.
Mr. Chan did not even bother explaining its significance as he quickly gathered us for lunch, which was at the same restaurant as last night's dinner. That was where Steven joined us after handling our freight.
We had plenty of fruits as Mr. Chan bought two big bags of longan and lychee. It was on the journey back to Shenzhen from Guangzhou that the fruits became handy, especially the lychee. Steven was bullied to the max (we forced lychees down his throat - he hates them)! Ok, I did not particularly condone the act and was zoned out most of the time anyways.
Halfway, we stopped at a place called the Saigon House. I actually cannot remember the significance of this house but it served as a working museum, much like the Peranakan Heritage Museum in Melaka.
We arrived in Shenzhen at 5:10pm at Dongmen.
We were lucky to have a full moon on the night. Perhaps it was the 15th day of the lunar calendar. I headed straight to Sun Shopping Complex to buy the dress I saw a few days earlier and was so disappointed when they would not accept my credit card without the presence of my passport! In the end, I paid in cash, which I had to borrow from Miss Sik. After dinner, we skived off again to buy a pair of shoes from a local sports brand called Anta. I so love it! It was not only comfy and light, it was in the colour I wanted - yellow! Yes, finally a pair of shoes to match my uniform!
The last night in China was spent in room 1101, which to us was terrible. Oh well, it was our final day there so better not to complain. It was great fun traveling with people of different backgrounds doing the same thing.
The next morning, we bade farewell to the mountains that kept Hong Kong out of view.
We bade farewell to the mosque a few streets away.
We bade farewell to the wonderful people and new friends we've made.
Steven, when and where to will be your next educational outing?
Friday, June 05, 2009
Study trip: More serious business in Guangzhou
The breakfast buffet was good at Rosedale. Haha, I suppose it really does make a difference how many stars the hotels are rated. Here, have a look at the view from up above. Can you see the mixture of old and new?
As the weather was good, I quickly took a picture of our hotel:
After breakfast, we visited a kindergarten called JinBaoBei.
Also part of a big group of schools, this group is much bigger than the one in Shenzhen, as it encompasses education from the kindergarten level right up to secondary school level.
It was totally different to the one in Shenzhen, as they cater to a different market. Located in the heart of a village, their children do not arrive in flashy cars and they do not need to pay their fees bi-annually. Fees are paid monthly at a reasonable rate. All their teachers looked young, including the principal.
The visit was short as the principal did not have much to share. Hence, we had early lunch, after which we visited the stationery wholesale market. Boy, there were so many shops to choose from!
I only bought some photo paper and skived off with Steven in search of a place to sit down for a drink.
Next stop: Guangzhou Book City.
Fuah, you should have seen the size of this place. I purposely sent an SMS to Jie Hui to tell her that I'm in HER heaven. And I thought the place in Shenzhen was huge - this place was MUCH BIGGER! And, I was so happy to be able to use my credit card!
After dinner, I quickly went to the T-shirt shop to buy a few t-shirts as souvenirs. I flagged a cab to head towards 上下九步行街 to meet up with Kei Kei and her colleague for dimsum at a restaurant called 陶陶屋. Gosh, you should have seen this place - it was grand and even at such a late hour, it was full with yumcha diners. It was so good to catch up!
By the time I got back to the hotel, it was 11pm. Upon exiting the lift, I could hear the three Johorean girls still packing their luggage. I had to pack my luggage, too, so I hastened my pace...
As the weather was good, I quickly took a picture of our hotel:
After breakfast, we visited a kindergarten called JinBaoBei.
Also part of a big group of schools, this group is much bigger than the one in Shenzhen, as it encompasses education from the kindergarten level right up to secondary school level.
It was totally different to the one in Shenzhen, as they cater to a different market. Located in the heart of a village, their children do not arrive in flashy cars and they do not need to pay their fees bi-annually. Fees are paid monthly at a reasonable rate. All their teachers looked young, including the principal.
The visit was short as the principal did not have much to share. Hence, we had early lunch, after which we visited the stationery wholesale market. Boy, there were so many shops to choose from!
I only bought some photo paper and skived off with Steven in search of a place to sit down for a drink.
Next stop: Guangzhou Book City.
Fuah, you should have seen the size of this place. I purposely sent an SMS to Jie Hui to tell her that I'm in HER heaven. And I thought the place in Shenzhen was huge - this place was MUCH BIGGER! And, I was so happy to be able to use my credit card!
After dinner, I quickly went to the T-shirt shop to buy a few t-shirts as souvenirs. I flagged a cab to head towards 上下九步行街 to meet up with Kei Kei and her colleague for dimsum at a restaurant called 陶陶屋. Gosh, you should have seen this place - it was grand and even at such a late hour, it was full with yumcha diners. It was so good to catch up!
By the time I got back to the hotel, it was 11pm. Upon exiting the lift, I could hear the three Johorean girls still packing their luggage. I had to pack my luggage, too, so I hastened my pace...
Wednesday, June 03, 2009
Study trip: Serious business in Shenzhen
Morning call was at 7:00a.m. Brekkie was nothing to shout about. Well, I was comparing it to those I had in Taiwan and without salad and coffee, I would not even bother considering it breakfast. While waiting for our van at the entrance of the hotel, I quickly took a shot with our local guide:
On this day, we were to visit a well-known kindergarten in Shenzhen. Although the kindie was expecting us at 9:00a.m., we arrived earlier. The kindie we visited is part of a big group of kindies (similar to franchises here) called Jingjing Education Foundation. They have 20 branches in Shenzhen and its surrounding areas. They ferried us to another branch in a different suburb before they took us on a grounds tour of the main Shenzhen branch. I found the principal of this branch helpful and appreciated her willingness to share:
Like any other typical kindie in China, they have the facilities and not to mention ample space, both indoors and outdoors. It certainly helps to have a government that channels funds into the proper development of early childhood education, one that takes education at that level seriously.
Jingjing's main selling point is their special class of arts. When they say arts, it more or less means a separate class of children who go through intensive dance training (an hour each in the morning and afternoon). They get invited to perform at public events, as well as for CCTV. The children are able to execute stunts such as fold their bodies in half, bend over in a full arch etc. Although they also have specific Montessori classes, their main framework is based on the thematic and High/Scope methods.
Personal observation: I wonder if it creates a gap between the classes of children. I mean, they have say, three classes of 6-year-old children. One class is a normal class, one is a Montessori class and the other is the Arts class. I wonder if there is a comparison between the children, if not the teachers. Would they not wonder why they do not get to participate in the extra dance classes? Would they not wonder why they do not get to use the attractive shape sorting apparatus? After the discussion session with the company's director, it became clearer that it is about business expansion. They were talking about buying another kindergarten in another suburb to convert into their own. I guess it boils down to your own philosophies and motives, ey?
I made another observation during lunch: they like to serve celery and also use plenty of salt in their cooking. We made a short stop at a jade factory before proceeding to the Shenzhen Book City. It actually is a shopping complex that sells only books and reference material in audio-visual form. So, you'd get things like the electronic dictionary. I bought RMB607 worth of CD/VCD/DVDs and RMB344 worth of books. Too bad they did not accept credit cards issued by non-local banks. Otherwise, I'd earn more points and would have more cash.
After dinner, Miss Sik, Miss Cheong, Miss Liew and myself ventured on our own to Dongmen.
It felt like the Chinese version of the Taiwanese Ximenting. Inside Sun Complex, I found a sweet English-style dress that was going for half price. Too bad they didn't have my size.
It was pouring by the time we headed back outdoors. Good thing Miss Sik brought shoe protectors (the water that flowed out of the drainage systems was black in colour!). That night, I went to bed with the dress in mind...
On this day, we were to visit a well-known kindergarten in Shenzhen. Although the kindie was expecting us at 9:00a.m., we arrived earlier. The kindie we visited is part of a big group of kindies (similar to franchises here) called Jingjing Education Foundation. They have 20 branches in Shenzhen and its surrounding areas. They ferried us to another branch in a different suburb before they took us on a grounds tour of the main Shenzhen branch. I found the principal of this branch helpful and appreciated her willingness to share:
Like any other typical kindie in China, they have the facilities and not to mention ample space, both indoors and outdoors. It certainly helps to have a government that channels funds into the proper development of early childhood education, one that takes education at that level seriously.
Jingjing's main selling point is their special class of arts. When they say arts, it more or less means a separate class of children who go through intensive dance training (an hour each in the morning and afternoon). They get invited to perform at public events, as well as for CCTV. The children are able to execute stunts such as fold their bodies in half, bend over in a full arch etc. Although they also have specific Montessori classes, their main framework is based on the thematic and High/Scope methods.
Personal observation: I wonder if it creates a gap between the classes of children. I mean, they have say, three classes of 6-year-old children. One class is a normal class, one is a Montessori class and the other is the Arts class. I wonder if there is a comparison between the children, if not the teachers. Would they not wonder why they do not get to participate in the extra dance classes? Would they not wonder why they do not get to use the attractive shape sorting apparatus? After the discussion session with the company's director, it became clearer that it is about business expansion. They were talking about buying another kindergarten in another suburb to convert into their own. I guess it boils down to your own philosophies and motives, ey?
I made another observation during lunch: they like to serve celery and also use plenty of salt in their cooking. We made a short stop at a jade factory before proceeding to the Shenzhen Book City. It actually is a shopping complex that sells only books and reference material in audio-visual form. So, you'd get things like the electronic dictionary. I bought RMB607 worth of CD/VCD/DVDs and RMB344 worth of books. Too bad they did not accept credit cards issued by non-local banks. Otherwise, I'd earn more points and would have more cash.
After dinner, Miss Sik, Miss Cheong, Miss Liew and myself ventured on our own to Dongmen.
It felt like the Chinese version of the Taiwanese Ximenting. Inside Sun Complex, I found a sweet English-style dress that was going for half price. Too bad they didn't have my size.
It was pouring by the time we headed back outdoors. Good thing Miss Sik brought shoe protectors (the water that flowed out of the drainage systems was black in colour!). That night, I went to bed with the dress in mind...
Friday, May 08, 2009
Jennie's in town!: Putrajaya and Kuala Selangor
We were supposed to visit Putrajaya on Saturday but since Belinda wanted to meet up for brekkie on Saturday, we changed our itinerary. We had to do Putrajaya today and for once, I was happy that it isn't that far away from home.
What can one say about Putrajaya? Well, it's like Canberra, just much newer and exaggerated. Oh, we have many bridges that connect the 'island' floating in the middle of the man-made lake. Many buildings are still under construction. Some plots of land are still vacant.
As usual, we had to stop and take photos of the mosque. It has to be THE most photographed mosque in Malaysia.
Also, we took notice of some of the many bridges in the administrative city.
There was the convention centre, which looked like a manta ray. I think passers-by must have thought we were crazy to be taking photos under the hot sun.
We drove around the place and being the blur person I am, we were unsure of where we were supposed to head to. Oh well, we thought we'd follow passing cars and we stopped by a pier when we saw this:
Yup, we decided to be busybodies! Our tummies started to rumble and so we took that as a sign to head home. After having pan mee for lunch, I took Jennie to Wangsa Maju. "Wangsa Maju, what's there?" you may ask. Ah, well, this:
Yes, Royal Selangor. You won't get this anywhere else in the world, trust me. Inside, we were taken on a personal tour of the company's history. There were many things on display, showing how pewter was mined and used.
They had a wall covered with the prints of all staff members, which I thought was a good idea to promote a sense of belonging in the company:
I was impressed with the designs of the following trophies:
Both of us came out with a bag of something. I bought something that was on sale and Jennie bought a pair of really suave cuff links for a someone back in HK...
We rushed back home to shower and headed straight over to Hartamas. We were meeting up with Max and Catherine. Max drove my car and we headed to Kuala Selangor for some seafood! So happy! And when you're there, you wouldn't miss the chance to sight fireflies. Although Jennie was afraid of the sampan sinking, she was still amazed at the small flickering lights. However, it is sad to note that this time around is the least bright of the three times I've been there.
By the time we got back to Hartamas, it was past midnight. Drove over to KPMG so that we could meet up with someone we have not seen since he left Sydney three years ago - Ta Seng!
Thank you for driving all the way up from JB!
What can one say about Putrajaya? Well, it's like Canberra, just much newer and exaggerated. Oh, we have many bridges that connect the 'island' floating in the middle of the man-made lake. Many buildings are still under construction. Some plots of land are still vacant.
As usual, we had to stop and take photos of the mosque. It has to be THE most photographed mosque in Malaysia.
Also, we took notice of some of the many bridges in the administrative city.
There was the convention centre, which looked like a manta ray. I think passers-by must have thought we were crazy to be taking photos under the hot sun.
We drove around the place and being the blur person I am, we were unsure of where we were supposed to head to. Oh well, we thought we'd follow passing cars and we stopped by a pier when we saw this:
Yup, we decided to be busybodies! Our tummies started to rumble and so we took that as a sign to head home. After having pan mee for lunch, I took Jennie to Wangsa Maju. "Wangsa Maju, what's there?" you may ask. Ah, well, this:
Yes, Royal Selangor. You won't get this anywhere else in the world, trust me. Inside, we were taken on a personal tour of the company's history. There were many things on display, showing how pewter was mined and used.
They had a wall covered with the prints of all staff members, which I thought was a good idea to promote a sense of belonging in the company:
I was impressed with the designs of the following trophies:
Both of us came out with a bag of something. I bought something that was on sale and Jennie bought a pair of really suave cuff links for a someone back in HK...
We rushed back home to shower and headed straight over to Hartamas. We were meeting up with Max and Catherine. Max drove my car and we headed to Kuala Selangor for some seafood! So happy! And when you're there, you wouldn't miss the chance to sight fireflies. Although Jennie was afraid of the sampan sinking, she was still amazed at the small flickering lights. However, it is sad to note that this time around is the least bright of the three times I've been there.
By the time we got back to Hartamas, it was past midnight. Drove over to KPMG so that we could meet up with someone we have not seen since he left Sydney three years ago - Ta Seng!
Thank you for driving all the way up from JB!
Sunday, April 05, 2009
Travellogue Taiwan: Back in Taipei
This corridor between the two blocks of buildings may not look like much but walk through and you'd find a treasure trove of food!
We walked quite deep in before we found what we were looking for:
Grandma Lai's Taro Balls!
They came in an assortment of colours and flavours! Personally, I thought they looked very much like our tangyuan.
There was also a funny and definitely memorable character at Jiufen - this funny-looking aunty:
Apparently, she dresses differently in exaggerated costumes to attract customers. She even sings songs! Dui mian de nan hai kan guo lai....
There were ocarinas for sale as well!
I couldn't help but buy myself one. Don't be fooled by it's attractive appearance and deceptive melodies. I mean, of course the people at the shop could play it with ease - they sell the thing! When I tried to play Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, gosh, I found out the reason I played the piano better than the flute...
We collected our things from a dessert shop (I bought over a hundred ringgit worth of dessert!) and headed back for Taipei city. We had to rush to catch the change of guards at erm, I don't even know what that place is...
Of course, a must-see in Taipei would be their world-famous museum. It houses the most valuable artifacts from China. Artifacts, which we may not see today if not for some visionary men who sacrificed their own lives to protect the Chinese heritage and history. And then it was makan time again. On our final night in Taiwan, we were brought to the largest night market in Taiwan - Shilin.
Just look at all the foodstalls! This is what you'd call a gigantic hawker centre!
Originally, we were supposed to spend out last night in the same hotel we did on our first night. However, there were some plumbing problems so we were switched to a 5-star hotel called Brother Hotel. And my, 5-star it was! Blessing in disguise, I'd say.
After putting down our luggage in our rooms, we headed out again to experience their MTRs. It was pretty straight-forward getting from our hotel to Shilin. Why did we head back to Shilin? Well, all we saw was the food centre. We did not get to see the shopping district. I ended up with two souvenirs for myself - a pair of Adidas and an ODM watch. Muahahahaha....
All in all, I'd have to say, it was a fun trip. I was lucky to have had that particular group of people on the trip. I am particularly thankful for the friendly tour guide. Although it was tiring due to the long rides on the bus, the sights and sounds made up for all of it.
Taiwan, I will be back and this time, I'll concentrate on just Taipei and perhaps I'd head up to Alishan!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)