Travellogue Taiwan: Taipei & Taichung

Morning call was loud and clear. I even thought it was a real phone call - I picked it up. I hopped out of bed, prepared myself for the day and took a picture of the view from my room window:

Ah, so the body of water on the right side of the frame gave our hotel it's name. Also, let me show you our mode of transport for the entire trip - this trusty bus with not so trusty seats:

First stop for the day:

It was undergoing renovations and we did not have enough time to explore the building up-close.

Surrounding this building is a park. In one part of the park, there were elderly folk having a jolly good time singing, exercising and enjoying each others' company. Furnished with beautiful trees, I was wondering what it was that was leaping from branch to branch. Oh, squirrel! So cute! I noticed they have rounder faces here compared to the squirrels we have at home, which have sharper faces.

Sitting on the other end of the park yet sharing the same compound is this building below. Okay, this pic is a little off-angled but I thought I'd point out that this is actually a performance theatre. Haha, you thought it was a temple, didn't you?

We took a group photo at the entrance of the theatre and I paid NT$200 for it although it was costly and wholly a money-making plot! Haha, because I thought I looked good in the photo!

Next stop of the day was the Fisherman's Wharf at Danshui. The only bell this rang was S.H.E.'s concert held here in appreciation of their fans. Haha, funny how it didn't form the impression of a fish market! When we alighted the bus, Uncle Ding asked the local tour guide: Can I go to my office now? Everyone had a bewildered look on their faces. He chuckled and asked as he was passing me, "You want to go? I allow you to use my office for free." Ah, then I understood. Office = toilet.

Here's me standing solitary at the Lovers' Bridge. So sad. Couples who walk this bridge together are supposed to have a relationship that lasts.

From the wharf (where action was no where to be seen), we moved on to Danshui Old Road.

Danshui Old Road is famous for food. Well, most places in Taiwan would be famous for food anyways so armed with the info I retrieved from Wikipedia, we started our food hunt. Along the way, there was another familiar sight:

Tian Ren Tea Cafe! Yup, yup! Why do I get so excited seeing them? I seriously don't know. Perhaps it gives me the feeling of wow, this is where it came from...

And so, our search for Danshui's famous A-Gei (what is it anyway?!?) continued. Apparently, the last shop on the right of Zhenli Street is THE shop to go to. We spent a good deal of time locating Zhenli Street, totally separating ourselves from the group. By the time we found the bl**dy shop, we were sweating and extremely hungry! When we saw what they were serving, we thought to ourselves: this was what we searched high and low for? Gosh!

We ordered one to try (I mean, we were there so might as well) and even added a bowl of famous fishballs. The A-Gei we order was of the lowest level of spiciness (we didn't want to show off how well we could take chilli...)

And then, we dug into our food and surprise, surprise, the A-Gei wasn't just a plain looking tofu swimming in clear soup and chilli sauce, it had noodles in it! After savouring it, we thought it wasn't too bad, really. I also enjoyed the fishballs - juicy and chewy.

Along the way back towards our meeting point, we stopped at Grandma's Iron Egg Shop to buy some.

Alicia wanted to try the tall ice-cream and I wanted to try their famous sour plum juice. Verdict: ice-cream was tasteless while the juice was full of the sweetish-sour flavour! I loved it! Anyone of you going there soon would have to try the juice.

Mongolian barbeque was on our lunch menu. I wasn't too keen on the meat so I had mostly greens and fruits. Venue was in town so we headed back into Taipei city. Having filled our stomaches, our next stop was the Taipei 101.

I was so excited as I had wanted to ascend the tower! In the end, only three of us from the group decided to head up to the top while the rest opted to window-shop the a very KLCC-like shopping complex downstairs. The view from up there:

The 101 has

And these were thoughtful in a cute way because you could post postcards or letters from the 'post office in the sky'.. hehe..

I would have done so if I actually remembered to bring my purse up with me! From there, we walked up two flights of stairs to reach the outdoor deck. I am unable to recall if it was the 89th floor or the 91st floor but we were pretty close to the top:

When we set foot on solid ground again, it was time for us to bid adieu to Taipei. By the time we arrived in Taichung, it was nightfall. After a long journey on an uncomfortable seat that called for a headrest pillow, soaking in the Chilinfong Hot Spring was music to our ears.

We tried nearly every pool there was! Yes, quite suagu, eh? The first pool we went in was incredibly cold! I was expecting it to be lukewarm.. so yes, the facial expression of both Alicia and I were hilarious. The pool next to it was warmer. Much warmer, in fact. Then, Nicholas came over to tell us that he just got out of a seriously hot pool. Okay, how seriously hot is seriously hot? We went over to try and gosh, it was SERIOUSLY hot!

After having relaxed our muscles and calmed our senses, it was time for some chow. Supposedly famous restaurant, Five Cent Driftwood House had a unique set-up, which made you feel like you were in a cave.

Interior and exterior designs were unique. Well, let you be the judges of the place:

You'd think that the guide would allow you to rest after a hearty Chinese dinner and not to mention a long bus-ride. Well, think again. We were ferried to an area situated right in front of the Fengjia University, apparently popular with Malaysian students. Yes, we were brought to Fengjia Night Market, famous for a delicacy called the 'Big Sausage Wrap Small Sausage'. Looking at the long queue at the stall (can you even see where the stall is?), we decided to give it a try.

And wait we did!

While standing in the queue, Alicia went off to buy more food and drinks for us to nibble while waiting. While I wasn't big on the tidbits, I enjoyed the pearl milk tea. The stall she bought from used fresh milk hence my satisfaction in drinking it. So to all other pearl tea sellers out there: use fresh milk!

Okay, so now back to that funny sausage thingy. Verdict: not worth the queue time. It basically was just a piece of Chinese wax sausage wrapped in a layer of glutinous rice. Wah, super jelak I tell you.... lemang with rendang is WAY better. But hey, at least we tried it.

By the time we got to Royal International Hotel at 11:00pm, we were literally drop dead tired. I don't know how I still managed to stay up to watch an entertainment program.

Travellogue Taiwan: Taipei

My China Airlines flight for Taipei left KLIA in the afternoon. Having not flown in an airlines other than MAS for 12 years made me skeptical of the quality of service and plane maintenance. My worries were for naught as I found the aircraft to be new with comfortable seats.

It was a five-hour flight so I opted to watch one of the longer movies available - Australia. Watching it made me miss the Australian accent I've been listening to for the past five years. Having Googled China Airlines' history, I began to worry about the landing of our flight (their record has several big accidents that led to everyone on-board the plane to have perished in crash-lands).Yikes! Again, I was relieved when the plane reached solid ground with ease.

By the time we managed to clear immigration, our local tour leader, a Mr. Anthony Ku was waiting for us in arrivals. As we stepped out of the terminal, I was confused - there was a layer of something in the air. Was it mist or was it haze?

Now, Mr. Ku is an experienced tour leader, with 15 years under his belt. Before this, he worked in at a television station, which meant that he is well-connected with all that happens around him, from politics to entertainment gossip. He also explained to us how the expiry date of foodstuff is labeled: the present year minus 1911. So if we see something like best before 1998, do not fret, it's still edible. Haha..

The tour manager from Reliance, Alicia, on the other hand, was a young girl who hails from JB. Believe it or not, she is younger than I am by three years.

After the hour-long bus ride, we arrived at Taipei Riverview Hotel.

I checked into room 1123, put my luggage down and off I went again. My first night in Taiwan must not be spent in my hotel room doing nothing! First stop: Ximending!

Ximending reminded me of Petaling Street, just a cleaner and more happening version of it.

There certainly were bigger crowds, more colour and sound, more 'professional buskers' and more junctions for you to turn off! Gosh!

My first try of the trip: bitter gourd juice with honey.

Verdict: not too bad, surprisingly! Alicia tried too but she could not overcome her phobia of bitterness...

We also tried the famous meesua down a different lane.

Called Ah-Chyung Mien Sien, the queue was long and there were many people standing around the shop tucking in the delicious bowlful.

Some other things we tried was something that looked like roti canai, but much fatter and not to mention fattening.

It comes with all sorts of additional flavours and the vendors have a tough time trying to balance their selling and running away from enforcement officers. Life is tough, eh?

And, there was this:

Easyway!

We were very impressed with the small things they do to help Mother Nature. Something like this...

... could help with lots. They seriously do re-collect everything, re-sort them and re-cycle! Incredibly good impression of their recycling campaign.

After checking out the shops around Ximending, we decided to call it a night and headed back for the hotel, which was just down the road. We needed our rest. Our day was to start at 6:30a.m. the next day...

Qing Ming 2009

It was super hard having to drag myself out of bed at half past five in the morning. I guess jet lag takes some time to be rid off when you're 'old'. KL is a breeze when there's no traffic in the wee hours of the morning.

The scenery that morning made me realise how much I miss driving down the Karak Highway at 6:00am. The lush greenery and the mysterious mist that garnished the rainforest made me imagine busloads of tourists stopping to get their perfect postcard angle. What they find extraordinary, we drive past without thinking twice.

The drive also made me realise that I've not experienced Qing Ming for quite some time. I've missed a total of 5 Qing Mings in a row!

Uncle Fatt, Samuel and Samantha were there waiting for us. As the maintenance of the cemetery had improved over the years (for a measly RM10 annually), we've stopped bringing our tools to hack tree branches and to cut grass. The place was clean and there were additional parking lots for vehicles.

When we arrived at Gong Tai (grandpa's dad)'s grave, we saw that Suk Po (Grandaunt) had been there before us. If we had been slightly earlier, we could have caught them for a chat. Suk Po left for Gong Tai a box of roast pork with rice! Haha! The same went for Po Tai (grandpa's mum)'s grave. Love the attention paid to ensuring they eat well even after death.

But what I loved more was what I observed: the people around me. Families of different generations, from all walks of life, observe this sacred day. Why is this day sacred? It does not hold any religious significance. Instead, the cultural importance of filial piety and respect shines through. It is the one day in the entire year whereby family members from far and near come together to say hi to those before them. It is to say thank you for all the hard work and perseverance and for bringing us into this world. It is to let them know that we have not forgotten them and neither shall we forget our place in this world.

The spirit of Qing Ming; the atmosphere of togetherness. The celebration of life. The respect for the past and the betterment of the future.

A reminder to appreciate what we have and to not lose our heads should we achieve success.

We're in the papers!

Well, it wasn't very obvious but our parents could tell that it's their children's school by looking at the uniform. The news wasn't about us. Our children were 'borrowed' to represent Persatuan Tadika Malaysia (PTM).


Free injections for poor kidney patients

SERDANG: Poor kidney patients receiving haemodialysis treatment at NGO centres can look forward to a better quality of life.

The Government will spend RM12.6mil a year to provide these 2,700 patients with free erythropoeitin (e-poeitin) injections beginning April 1.

“Haemodialysis patients generally have anaemia problems and need the injection to increase their haemoglobin level to help them enjoy a better quality of life,” said Health Minister Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai.

“Currently, patients at the NGO centres have to pay between RM30 and RM60 per injection or be referred to a government hospital.”

Speaking after launching the World Kidney Day celebration at Serdang Hospital here yesterday, he said the free injection would be for all patients at NGO centres currently receiving the RM50 government subsidy per treatment.
Quality of life: Liow at the launch of the World Kidney Day celebration at Serdang Hospital yesterday.

Haemodialysis patients at government dialysis centres are given up to three e-poeitin injections a week.

Disturbed by the increasing number of patients every year, Liow called on Malaysians to practise a healthy lifestyle as well as go for regular check-ups.

“Every year, about 3,500 new patients require dialysis treatment,” he said. “Currently about 18,000 people are undergoing dialysis treatment.


“High blood pressure, diabetes and obesity can contribute to kidney disease. All three chronic problems are on the rise due to our unhealthy lifestyle and food habits.

“In 2007, 57% of new dialysis patients had diabetes while 7% had high blood pressure.”

Eight more dialysis centres will be set up at hospitals in Pahang, Terengganu, Malacca, Negri Sembilan and Sabah to meet the increasing demand, Liow said.

Life #1

This was taken from my front gate.

Sometimes, we just need to stop and pay attention...

25 random things about moi

I did this in fb and I thought I'd be a nice addition to the blog, too!


1. Most of the friends I have today have gone through 18 years of trials and tribulations with me.

2. Some of the nicknames my friends gave me include Guinea Pig, 'Sai Jing' (as in Small Jing), Papan and CNN.

3. According to close friends, I have not changed one bit since the day they got to know me (especially my hairstyle).

4. Apparently, I sound like a 5-year-old over the phone.

5. I love chocolate, especially when put together with banana or strawberry!

6. I prefer cold over hot weather as I can put on more layers but can only take off so many...

7. I have a terrible temper, one my brother likened to a pot of water that will boil if put on my head when I'm angry.

8. I have been driving my Toyota since the day I received my Ps and I don't think I'd sell it.

9. Oh, and it's manual. Auto cars just don't give me the umph..

10. I'm 100% Hakka.

11. I need my sleep. The only time I don't need it is when there's a drama to watch on YouTube.

12. I'm into music but I'm not musically-inclined.

13. I love dancing but I totally suck at it.

14. I just adore children! Come to my workplace and I'll teach you to love them, too!

15. According to some sources, I have OCD. To me, I think I'm just a clean and tidy person.

16. I am careless with my choice of words and even less so with my facial expressions. I apologise to all whom I may have disheartened.

17. My sense of dressing is plain. Give me t-shirts and denim skirts with sandals anytime!

18. I do not know how to apply make-up. I save lots on cosmetics. HAHA!

19. I am proud of my good sense of direction and my memory - birthdays and landmarks, I'm very good at!

20. I've travelled to a few places on my own - Sydney, Melbourne, Hong Kong, Adelaide and Christchurch. Hoping to add Taipei to my list soon.

21. It is difficult being my friend because I'm a difficult person to be with. Therefore, I'm grateful that I have my handful of friends I can fall back on. Thanks, guys!

22. I love to talk! I don't blame people for asking me if I'm okay when I'm quiet.

23. My favourite colour is pink but I somehow end up buying mostly black, blue and white.

24. I've never studied at a Chinese school but ahem, my Chinese is not too bad! Hey, I can read and write also ok?

25. I've been falling sick constantly for the past 6 months. I think I need to go consult a Chinese medicine practitioner now...

Wait?

As the amber and gold fade into turquoise and sky blue, a new day unfolds. Bringing with it pocketfuls of mystery and adventure, a new day is for us to unravel into memory. And with much of what me remember of life, it is filled with bittersweet moments.

Listening to the shrill calls of the hummingbird that comes daily to drink nectar from the flowers hanging off the pergola, I close my eyes and take a deep breath. It has been two months since I put my foot down. I look back not to ponder on whether my decision was wise but to re-establish my forward journey. Like the hummingbird that tirelessly flutters from blossom to blossom, life is passing by and does not wait.

So why do people wait for the world to become a better place? Why do people wait for money to duplicate itself? Why do people wait for a fat paycheck to land in their laps? Why do people wait for lady luck to help them strike it big at the lottery? Why do people wait for others to provide better service, cleaner environments and less toll gates?

Why wait at all? There are things to be done in this world. Maybe not for others but for yourself. The patches of white in the sky will fade away whether you like it or not. The rain will stop but the water will flow away into oblivion.

So wait you say? I'm sorry but waiting takes too much time off of my hands.

CNY in Bukit Rimau

And where's that?

Initially, I had no idea as well. It sounded like it was a world away. I mean, I'm sorry but anywhere considered near Klang is a world away from where I am. Surprisingly, it took me only 30 minutes to arrive at this gated community situated next to Kota Kemuning.

I was impressed with the facilities around the area. It wasn't as nicely planned or as beautiful as Gita Bayu but it wasn't all too bad. There is a huge Buddhist association there, as well as a purpose-built kindergarten (envy betul...). There is plenty of greenery coupled with proper walkways and parks for recreation. In fact, on the way in, I noticed people with fishing rods at the waterway.

Jenny's house is right at a corner and is tastefully furnished. Well, if your family is in the construction material business, your house would have nothing but the best, ey? Her doors are solid wood, not just wooden panels! Oh, and the fish pond flows into the house, under the main stairs. Wah, so grand... My house is I think, a third of what her house is and that's only the building. The land outside is.. hmm.. incomparable.

I was worried that I might be out of place but hey hey, Angeline and Chee Sing came to save the day!

I couldn't stop serving myself friend rice noodles with chicken curry. Oh, and not the mention I greedily gobbled up two big pieces of 'yong brinjal'. If you're a foodie, you'd know what it is. Uncle Tan was busy serving us wine and sparkling wine juice. Made us wonder if he was trying to clear his cupboard of hampers.

As the night grew older, more familiar faces trickled into the fenceless house compound. There was Michelle (who gave me such a huge bear hug I nearly fell over);

there was Galven, the other Macquarian;

and there was Puei Yan, Josh's friend.

It was nice to meet up with Sydneysiders in KL. Felt a tad weird but somehow, the time in Sydney tied us all together and made the atmosphere comfortable for us.

CNY... would be nice if we could maintain the CNY mentality throughout the year. Then, we would always make the effort to meet up with friends and kin, know what is going on in each others' lives and care just that little bit more. Life is too short for us to just turn a blind eye and think 'oh, there's always tomorrow or next year'.

How was your 15 days of CNY? Hope you had a blast. Happy CNY to everyone and may you face the coming year with a positive outlook and a smile on your face.

CNY with a high school feel

I didn't drive but I still managed to end up in PJ. My destination was a spacious house tucked away in a corner somewhere in Kampung Tunku. The person who was sweet enough to drive me all the way there was Pin Kean. You see, who says knowing your younger brother's friends is bad? It's so good!

It was great catching up with Mr. Bong again after a few years. For those of you who follow my blog and who had the pleasure of being taught by this witty Chemistry teacher, he is now retired. So, don't go returning to school thinking of visiting him. His lab is now used by a young Malay chap.

We were lucky that the whole family was there when we were. Diane, Malcolm and Mrs. Bong were all on a CNY break from Singapore. We were told that Mr. Bong now spends half the month here and the other there. Enjoying Singaporean PRship helps, which according to Diane, isn't all that hard to acquire. Hm, I think my Australian PRship is enough for now, eh?

We were given a tour of the house and I confess - the house is SUPER SPACIOUS! However, other than the size, everything else wasn't over the top. We reminisced over 3-in-1 coffee and Kuala Selangor prawn crackers. We talked about ex-classmates and ex-schoolmates, ex-teachers and present ones. Without realising it, we spent over an hour there!

Thank you, Mr. Bong!

Next stop, Taman Desa. The person we were visiting was a pretty lady with long hair and fair skin. She used to come in the morning driving flashy cars and we used to wonder why she bothered teaching us rascals when she could be a tai tai. Gosh, what's with being a high school teacher? You get to live in big houses and drive flashy cars! I think I should reconsider my career.

Yup, you guessed right, we were visiting Pn. Phang.

Although she was going out for dinner, she still spent some time talking to us, asking me questions regarding students she used to teach. She offered some tidbits but we were too full to consume much of it. As Pin Kean was also going to Sungai Besi for a mahjong session, we took our leave after I confirmed with her that she has my number saved in her mobile.

Pin Kean dropped me at MidValley where I met up with Yeow. He was in Carrefour shopping with two friends. One of them, Jet, was buying supplies to donate to the temple in conjunction with his birthday. Yeow and I spent the entire night together at the shopping complex. We had dinner, walked around, window-shopped. I bought a pint of rum raisin ice-cream from Häagen-Dazs for dad as it was his birthday.

When Yeow brought me home, he came in to wish Dad a happy birthday. Mum gave him an angpau in return. Haha, fancy that! I think Yeow is the only guy friend I have who would do that - I mean the going into the house to wish my dad thingy.

Thanks, Pin Kean. Thanks, Yeow.

CNY day of sorts

Friday started with a breakfast in PJ with Rick. Don't ask me why we went all the way there but we did. He wanted to go to Digital Mall to exchange the DVDs he bought earlier, so I tagged along. While walking through a pavement, I saw something mind-boggling:

Rick couldn't understand what I was saying for a few seconds. He actually had to look quite hard to configure what it was I was referring to. Don't you think it's weird that the stairs are leading to a wall?

Rick was also sweet enough to accompany me to Shaun's house. I wanted to pay a visit to Aunty Vivien despite it not being necessary anymore.

Yin Lee then joined us for lunch, which was at Sushi Zanmai. Which outlet? The one at 1U. Yes, that's even FURTHER than breakfast at PJ! But we enjoyed ourselves! Yes, yes, there was next to nothing on the conveyor belt but still, we walked away happy people, didn't we?

We also did some window-shopping and played around with the camera when Rick wasn't watching... hahahaha...

As both of them had prior engagements, I was left to my own devices. I decided to risk it and gave Peter a call. Yes, and it paid off! He was home! Jolly good to be able to see him again after a few months and so I was off to Salak South Garden to his humongous dwelling.

His parents could recall me quite well. They remember me as the girl who used to cycle to their house. Gosh, so paiseh...

While Peter replied his numerous calls from his colleague in Penang, I took a few shots of his koi...

I thought he'd be finished by the time I took my millionth shot but no, he was still on the phone!

Sigh, well, I know you're not looking forward to going back to work but you have no choice, do you? Life is such. Bitter will always come before sweet so suck it up and hang in there, alright? One day, you'll realise that every cloud has a silver lining. Peace!

CNY inTemerloh

CNY is not complete without a trip back to Temerloh. Yea, grandpa, grandma and greatgrandma may not be around any longer but that doesn't mean that I can't pay a visit to my dear uncle there, right? Besides, there are added incentives - Siew Chi and Chee Sing are back in Malaysia!

Yup yup, so in addition to seeing my beloved cousins and smelling fresh air again, my second cousin Siew Chi (who is always away on assignment) and my Sydney friend Chee Sing are back in Temerloh and Mentakab respectively.

After having steamboat lunch at home with the family and bringing Samantha to her friend's place, we went over to granduncle's house to pay our respects. I was delighted to be able to catch up with Siew Chi again after 2 years. Actually, I don't even remember when was the last time we saw each other.

Chee Sing came slightly after 4pm to the house to bring me out for a cuppa. It was great to see him again, as well. It felt slightly weird though, as I am used to seeing him in Sydney, not in Malaysia and in MENTAKAB for that matter! He took me around Mentakab for a drive including Bukit Bendera where the rich and affluent people live. As Temerloh and Mentakab is famous for its timber and rubber industries, there are many 'unknown' millionaires living there. The garden of one of the houses was so vast, we literally had to drive from the back door to the front entrance!

Initially, we wanted to have a drink at Old Town but it was packed with people! So, we ended up at a Chinese tea house diagonally across the road. It wasn't too bad really. We also spoke the Angeline who was alone at home (God knows doing what).

Chee Sing then brought me to his house and there, I met his mum whom apparently knows who Dad is! To be exact, she knows the entire family! I found out that her family used to rent a room from grandpa when they were living in the new village. Also, Chee Sing's dad use to be First Aunt's classmate back in high school. What a small world this is!

Chee Sing, no wonder you're so good-looking ler, your mum is so leng lui!

We stayed on in Temerloh for dinner after which we detoured to Mentakab to stroll at the pasar malam. Not many stalls were open mainly due to the Chinese still being on holiday. We left after Bro bought some apam.

It was totally dark on the highway as we set off on our journey back to KL. Pitch black, really. Luckily, I chickened out from the driving before we hit the highway. Otherwise, I think I'd be petrified. Halfway through our journey, it started to drizzle. Mum was telling us that it was raining dogs and cats in KL. Pretty unusual phenomenon for CNY. The effects of global-warming, perhaps?

Right before the last toll, bro just had to make a stopover at the rest stop for his favourite tidbit...

... lemang! There was also some sambal and petai for sale at the stall manned by a young Malay man, a pakcik and a makcik. It was late in the night but business is as usual for them.

I like this pic I took. To me, it is a picture of perseverance and hard work, something we, the young do not seem to fathom. And if we, the young Chinese forget our roots, we will not be able to hold on much longer to the luxury and wealth we enjoy now.

Day 2 of CNY

Everybody knows that the first day is reserved for the paternal side of the family. I mean, yea, it's a patriarchal society we're in no matter how hard we fight for it to be fair. So, the second day is reserved for the maternal side of the family to balance things out. Why not do both sides on the same day some of you may ask. Hm, well, if you ask me, I'd say why not have two days of fun?

I think having reunion lunch is becoming the thing to do as both reunion meals were lunches. It was so merry at grandma's place as everyone was there except for Youngest Aunt's family. As there were so many of us, we had to take turns to eat at the table! I'd have to say that the spare ribs pepper soup my aunt made was mouth-watering!

Not only that, the dessert that followed were delicacies you'd get only during CNY. Some of them included this 'beehive biscuit':

While munching on bickies and crackers, we talked. Oh yes, we talked a lot. We also had Pu Er tea. Ah, what a way to relax and reconnect with family and kin. Speaking of family and kin, here's a pic I took with my maternal grandparents:

And here's Momo, the family dog!

He's such a poser, isn't he?

When we've had our fair share of gossip and food, we scooted off to Brickfields. We were a little worried as the sky threatened to pour. It was all gloomy as we drove out of Serdang town.

Luckily, not many cars were on the road and there were plenty of parking spaces at the temple. We come every year to pay our respects and say our thanks for the wonderful year we've had.

Thankfully, not a single drop of water fell from the heavens above while we were saying our prayers and putting in our donations at the temple. Sadhu!

Day 1 of CNY

This year, in preparation for the new year, I did the following in addition to the usual stuff of buying new clothes and shoes:

1) Dyed my hair in a tinge of black/purple.

2) Had my toenails done.

3) Had my fingernails done.

I can see a few heads shaking already. Haha, let me explain. They are so red because it's CNY!

Must haves for the new year would include a reunion meal of some sort. Traditionally, it would be a reunion dinner on the eve of the new year at the patriarch's house. This year, we tried something different - we had reunion lunch on the first day of the new year at a vegetarian restaurant. No, it's not weird.

They even served lou sang!

Apparently, the higher you toss the ingredients in the dish, the better your year would be. You can imagine the competition to 'pull' the things upwards... just hilarious!

And if you think vegetarian food is disgusting, think again.

Don't you think it looks delicious? The restaurant we went to uses beans in their cooking, not the usual flour stuff you'd get at the local mixed rice vegetarian places. This place, on the other hand, uses mainly organic produce and keeps oil to the minimum. It was interesting how they managed to make the food taste like the real thing - my aunts were wondering what type of fish they were eating!

Oh, and I thought this looked cute:

After all the yapping and laughing, it was picture-capturing time! Let me use this opportunity to introduce my dad's side to you:

The two female Voons of this generation - She Ying and Shi Jing.

Anti-clockwise, from bottom left: Li'l bro, Mum, Dad, dad's first younger sis, myself and dad's second younger sis.

The whole family (almost):
Front row, left to right: Samantha Voon (my only Voon cousin sis, Adrienne Voon (dad's first younger sis), Alicia Voon (dad's second younger sis), Mum, Aunty Siew Choo (uncle's wife).

Back row, left to right: Myself, Li'l bro, Dad, Nicholas Lee (Alicia's son), Aaron Lee (Alicia's husband), Uncle Lett (dad's younger bro), Samuel Voon (my only Voon cousin bro).

More to come tomorrow!

Imagine this post in red

It is scorching hot. The air is humid and all you feel like doing is sit in front of the black box with your feet up. All doors are closed, curtains drawn. The fan is turning at a faster speed than usual. While channel surfing Astro, you browse the bottles and containers of goodies on the coffee table. Hm, should you eat the prawn cracker? Or maybe the chicken floss? Nah, you'll have the mandarin orange. No, no, the groundnuts would be better. But those are addictive! Hm, the sunflower seeds or kuacis? Same addictiveness...

Gah! Okay, maybe no food. Drinks, maybe? Shandy? Or maybe some juice? Yea, juice would be good. We'll leave the Shandy for later in the evening over a card game of Dai Di or mahjong.

Oh dear, I hear the sound of a car engine. Are they here already? Haha.. yes, more pocket money! But before they give any to me, I would have to go through a series of traditional questions..

1) So, back for good or still going back there ar?
2) Finish studying already ah? Still going to study somemore or not ar?
3) How old are you this year ha? Oh, big girl already lor!
4) So when is your turn to tie the knot ar?

And I'm sure there will be other questions as well, just let me get through the first two days and I'll put more questions up here.. haha..

In the meantime, I'd like to take this opportunity to wish all my family and friends in KL, Langkawi, Penang, Temerloh, Mentakab, Kota Bharu, KK, Kuching, Tanjung Malim, Singapore, Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide, Sunshine Coast, Auckland, Christchurch, Bristol, Ireland, Hong Kong, Shanghai, Beijing and New York a HAPPY CHINESE NEW YEAR! Gong Xi Fa Cai!