So, yea, I took a break but with good reasons. Our life in Malaysia started becoming routine and really other than parties portraying the same ole same ole, there wasn't a whole lot to report. Jim was working, I was playing, Sim had left and then returned and then left again, the dogs were happy and life was good. After 2 years, the people we've met and bonded with we'll never forget. We also had American family and friends visit over the never ending holiday season and they all left with memorable impressions of Kuala Lumpur and will more than likely return there again someday if it's God's will. If you're wondering why the title has changed and I'm referring to everything in the past tense, it's not because those events have passed, it's because Malaysia is behind us now and we are now in Jakarta, Indonesia, fondly known as either The Big Durian (if you're familiar with durian fruit, it's a perfect adjective, if not, consider yourself lucky) or The Ring of Fire, which I'm not sure why, could be because of the number of active volcanoes that occupy this archipelago or the fact that the number of natural disasters that occur here means that it's in Satan's grasp. So, how did we end up here? Good question.
Everyone who knows Jim, knows that he's always looking forward, never one for sitting still or retracing his steps. Even though he was gainfully employed with a good reputation to boot, he still entertained offers from other companies (really I think just to evaluate his worth) and mostly those companies wouldn't get far past the head hunter's calls. I believe he had read an article regarding a company that had been around for a while, mostly in Asia, but was expanding it's operations globally, maybe they're called The Fung group but I refer to them as the Fung brothers for some reason. So when a head hunter called he actually gave them the time of day, and while I was visiting the U.S. he flew to Manila, Phillippines and met the head there. And that's when it all started: numerous interviews, video calls, phone calls, offers offered and declined and then...persistence paid off on their part...the offer of Jakarta. One that would be hard to refuse. One that gave the opportunity for personal and professional growth. One that added another impressive entry on his resume. One, that if he succeeded would justify and increase his worth. One that presented us with a new adventure and of course...the pay was great! But Jakarta? What's it all about? What's it like? What are the people like? What will I do there? Questions, and more questions but not really much excitement. I had visited Indonesia with Sim last year and let me tell you, I was not impressed, but that wasn't Jakarta, and really if it's the capital of a country, how bad could it be? I needed to visit and go with an open mind.
Lot of good that did me. Every anxiety I showed up with was intensified. This particular post is really just a review of my first impressions, the stories that caught up with us will come later along with some photos. First: the airport. Coming from Kuala Lumpur, capital of Malaysia, where the airport is fresh, modern, well laid out, and probably better than most U.S. airports; the Soekarno-Hatta was...disappointing. It was ok, I mean it wasn't a dirt runway with a shed for immigration but "modern" is not a word I use to describe it. Kinda dingy, a few shops, a couple of eateries and...that's about it. The line at immigration was frustrating (we flew in late, wasn't a lot of people, but I could have concieved and given birth to a child before we got through this line, like really? how many "bad guys" are trying to get into Indonesia?). Outside, there's a rainbow of baby blue taxis and their drivers all jousting for passengers. We've read that the Bluebird taxi company is the most reputable one in Jakarta and instead of proceeding to one of these cars, what does hubby do? He goes off with a guy who had presented a Bluebird badge. This shyster is escorting us to his "taxi" past the rainbow, through the parking lot, away from other people to what I can only assume is his personal purple minivan. My reaction as I'm following hubby and said shyster, tuned in only to my ipod: OH HELL NAW!! Off come the earbuds and my other alter-ego Sha-Nay-Nay appears. I keep walking past the purple tourist eater annoucing that I'm not getting in, for Jim to grab his suitcase, I will NOT be the next guest on "My Holiday Hostage Hell", and what was he thinking? Acting like he just got off the boat complete with sandals and black socks and digital camera dangling from his neck...like he's never left home. And then, what does he do? He apologizes to the guy who could have robbed us of our money, life, and worse...my virtue (I know, go ahead and LOL.) Back at the rainbow, all of the Bluebird drivers who have witnessed our stroll through the parking lot all swarm while I try to explain to my "just off the boat" hubby WHY I wouldn't get in that car. I'm forced to raise my voice to get them to leave us alone, of course no one knows what I'm saying, this isn't KL, but they get the idea. Finally in the safe haven of our Bluebird we head to the hotel.
Like in most major cities, the streets are usually in some kind of grid pattern, right? Nope. Leaving the airport, everything is normal, we're on a highway and then we exit...maybe. We go left, we go right, left again, around a circle, left again...I have no sense of direction but even Jim is confused. All the streets seem to swerve that way, this way, and they're so tiny, it's hard to imagine 2 way traffic on them but there is, inclusive of the mandatory motorbikes. I have no idea where we are and nothing of the neighborhood looks like a hotel district in a capital city. Remember we flew in late and maybe there were sidewalks, but if so, they're all occupied by people sleeping, street vendors with their pushcarts, mini marts, and God knows what else. It's dark, there's a lot of traffic so that should be a good sign right? I'll admit, at the time I'm feeling very apprehensive about living here. Everything and everyone appears desperate. Finally! The hotel. My safe abode for the weekend. Until...
Hubby wants a beer. The downstairs lobby cafe is closed. We know nothing about where we are but we're going to have to exit those lobby doors if we're going to find medication for our nerves. A staff member tells us in broken English about a pub "down the street". What street? The street I just witnessed destitution and despair? The street with no sidewalks and Frogger-like traffic? The street with only light from the mini-marts and pushcarts? That street, I have to walk down to find the pond of libations to drown myself in? So be it. My husband is a big guy, bring it on. Of course, I leave my wallet, passport, jewelry, and wedding ring behind. The only thing of value I take with me is Jim.
I'm scared. I won't even lie. I've been in some rough places before but nothing like this. Yes, those were people sleeping on the sidewalk, mattresses made of torn up cardboard boxes, occasionally there's half a sofa someone has been fortunate to claim and there's children too. Those push-cart vendors are all selling the same thing 5, 10 feet away from one another: cigarettes, bottled water, noodles, rice, and Coca-Cola. That's not the only thing for sale either, several women we pass permiscuously call out "Hey Mister" to Jim even though I'm clinging to him as if I'm about to fall into one of those active volcanoes into The Ring of Fire. So desperate. We're on a busy street, probably the Miracle Mile of this area but all of this is going on including people barbequeing their meals on make-shift hibachis. I feel as though I got off a plane and walked straight into the halls of pergatory, except this place is lacking in purification and those that inhabit this hall are forever doomed. But we still need a beer.
We find the Stadium Club after walking down the street and then back up the street, of course it's in an alley. We should have known that. And even though that rainbow of Bluebirds keep flying by us, there's also a squadron of motorbikes, but these are taxis, all waiting patiently outside for that drunken patron to come stumbling out and haphazardly accept a ride home, for a fee and maybe some adventure. The Stadium Club is huge (I don't know how we missed it the first time), and styled like a medieval castle with a glaring red neon sign atop. The place is over staffed as is all asian places serving the public and there are 2 areas: The Club and The Sitting Room (these of course are my nicknames for the rooms, I have no idea if they indeed have names. One was loud and crowded, one was not.) and we of course chose the Sitting Room, just to avoid anymore optical stimulation and to let what we have seen sink in. The beer is warm, oh well we're here now, and there is a live jazzy-like duo performing. Not bad after what I just experienced. Jim goes off to the WC (yes, they say WC here or toilet) and then the Aussie appears. I'm not even looking at him, I'm not looking at anyone, I'm in my own world holding my forehead and room temperature beer, minding my own business. He sits. I'm polite as usual, not sure what he wants, he just keeps saying "Whaddya thinking so hard about mate?" Great. Should I say to him "Go away" or indulge his question and unload on him. Jim saves me and returns, makes the guy move out of his seat and we all engage in useless, waste of time conversation. He's clearly inebriated and one second he's a teacher, the next, he's a consultant. He lives in Jakarta, Shanghai, Singapore, you name it, he lives there. He used to be married to a French model (all Aussie men say that) but she left him and he's tired of having random sex with strange women (which is why he's in The Sitting Room and not in the Club) and he just refuses to pay for it anymore (I must interrupt briefly to say that for some reason Jim and I have met this guy before, just not this guy, guys like this guy. It's like we have a magnet for old studs implanted on us along with idiots.) Jim of course is having fun with him but Aussie starts to take it seriously. Things calm down a bit and then Aussie says I'm too tense and proceeds to put his hands on my shoulders and I think I'm getting a massage by a drunk stranger at the consent of hubby when he starts to squeeze my neck and I'm yelping and he squeezes more thinking I'm enjoying it and I started yelling and then Jim jumps up and I'm bleeding and yelling and things are more tense and staff are on alert and it's just a mess. Aussie finally stops, I stop Jim from beating the crap out of him (in addition to not wanting to be on "My Holiday Hostage Hell", I do not want to be on "Locked Up Abroad".) Mr. I'm-white-in-Asia-and-I-can-do-whatever-I-want-especially-when-drunk Aussie is forced to sit at a table alone. Jim is doing breathing exercises and I'm thinking "We haven't even been in this God-forsaken country 2 hours yet!" If you're wondering, No, the Aussie does not get kicked out, no one hardly ever does in Asia. He's given another beer and eventually leaves quietly I'm assuming for lack of entertainment or perhaps to visit the "Hey Mister" girls he refuses to pay anymore. We take the danse macabre stroll back to the hotel and call it a night. Thank God!
The remainder of the weekend we spent going around with a real estate agent trying to get an idea of the different neighborhoods catering to expats. We find out that the area that our hotel is located in is one of the worst in Jakarta (you don't say?). Leave it to my hubby to shop price instead of atmosphere or convenience. Considering this information and the possibilities it could mean for my husband's career and his potential future growth, I reluctantly agreed to move to Jakarta, The Big Durian, The Ring of Fire. I still have my open mind and sense of adventure and now that I've been here a few days I'm slowly getting an idea of how my life will be sans walking around exploring, that's just too risky I believe, I'll definitely need an escort.
So goodbye Kuala Lumpur. I loved being there and I'm sure most other Asian cities will not compare. Hello former home of Obama, I hope Jakarta will offer me more exciting adventures to share with the world, family and friends. Stay tuned, at least to find out if I get hit by another motorbike or flying durians...you never know.
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
Monday, February 16, 2009
February 17, 2009
So...HAPPY BELATED VALENTINE'S DAY!!! Hope everyone had an enjoyable day spending time with loved ones. Jim and I went on a triple date. Weird huh? Actually it was a lot of fun and different from any Valentine's Day I've had. Jim's friend Andy invited us to a dinner that was being held in downtown KL by a designer named Peter Hoe. He designs housewares, lamps, shoes, and jewelry and occasionally has dinners, brunches, and lunches. In Peter's words "He owns a store with a kitchen in the back". He actually has I think 3 locations and some wonderful stuff that I would love to own. I was a little skeptical at first, only I think because I didn't understand the dress code on the e-vite. It only said "dress code: white", so I'm like "what does that mean? white-tie?...No way!! all white clothes?...that's dorky!...what do we wear?" So we went in pink and brown and of course everyone else was wearing all white! Oh well...no one complained and we did look nice. The dinner was held in the store itself and there were tables for everyone to sit at and eat and drink ( it was BYOB, so we came prepared ) and while everyone waited to eat, I shopped. Nothing for myself, just belated birthday presents which at some point this week I have to get in the mail. The party wasn't just eating, drinking, shopping and mingling, Peter also had contests. There was a poetry contest where participants had to write a poem using key words given to them like "durian" and "bailout" and also a song-writing contest where you had to write lyrics based on a song which today and that day I still don't know ( hard to believe, I know ). Everyone who did participate were very creative although the lack of a microphone made it difficult to hear everyone. But overall, it was an enjoyable evening and I'm looking forward to going back and shopping!!
So tomorrow is the big, sad, day. Sim is off to Sydney. We have been hanging out a bit, but our plans to go and see Rihanna in concert were cancelled. I'm sure everyone knows of her cancellation at the Grammy awards because of her altercation with Chris Brown, well she has post-poned her show here in Malaysia to a later date, which doesn't do me and Sim any good because Sim won't be here to go. So now I don't know what to do with the tickets. I guess I could always drag Jim along. But Sim and I have been clubbing, couch potatoes and yesterday she took me to the Kraft Komplex and we both did batik painting. At first I thought it was silly but afterwhile found it enjoyable. I bought a kit to send to my neice for her birthday and although she will require adult supervision, I'm sure Christen will find it fun.
So that's what we've been up to. Jim of course is still finding time to play golf and play poker. After Sim leaves I'll have to find something or someone to help occupy my time. I do plan on taking the cake decorating classes and now that I've discovered the Kraft Komplex, I'm sure I'll be spending more time there, get out of Bangsar every once in a while. So, I'm off, being domesticated today, probably see Sim later on tonight. Hopefully I'll come up with something to write about soon...
So tomorrow is the big, sad, day. Sim is off to Sydney. We have been hanging out a bit, but our plans to go and see Rihanna in concert were cancelled. I'm sure everyone knows of her cancellation at the Grammy awards because of her altercation with Chris Brown, well she has post-poned her show here in Malaysia to a later date, which doesn't do me and Sim any good because Sim won't be here to go. So now I don't know what to do with the tickets. I guess I could always drag Jim along. But Sim and I have been clubbing, couch potatoes and yesterday she took me to the Kraft Komplex and we both did batik painting. At first I thought it was silly but afterwhile found it enjoyable. I bought a kit to send to my neice for her birthday and although she will require adult supervision, I'm sure Christen will find it fun.
So that's what we've been up to. Jim of course is still finding time to play golf and play poker. After Sim leaves I'll have to find something or someone to help occupy my time. I do plan on taking the cake decorating classes and now that I've discovered the Kraft Komplex, I'm sure I'll be spending more time there, get out of Bangsar every once in a while. So, I'm off, being domesticated today, probably see Sim later on tonight. Hopefully I'll come up with something to write about soon...
Sunday, February 8, 2009
February 9, 2009
Well believe it or not but since my last post when I mentioned that it was Chinese New Year that weekend...it's STILL going on!! I believe this past weekend was the last of it but who knows I could be wrong. Apparently the Chinese don't take days off from work any other time of year but when new years roll around they take off like 2-3 weeks at a time. I must say that I was very disappointed. I heard all about festivities going on and was really looking forward to seeing a lion dance but nope!! There were various firework shows which did nothing but agitate Oso and we went to an open house at one of Jim's co-workers, and I know there were lion dances daily at the mall around the corner but I never made it up for one, but really I didn't the "cultural experience" I was expecting. So let me tell you what I did experience...
One night I met Mel at one of her outlets called Rumours for what was supposed to be traditional Chinese New Year dinner. Now considering I don't know what traditional is, I found the food very good but not anything out of the ordinary. On the menu: 1st course was Lo Sang, which is a chinese salad only available at new years, there were some noodles, nuts, sesame oil, abalone tuna and salmon. Really I must say this was the highlight of the meal for me, it was very tasty. There is a ritual that once everything for the salad has been added, everyone at the table takes turns "tossing" it with their chopsticks and the higher you toss the greater your fortune and prosperity will be in the upcoming year. I'm really sad that I can only eat this salad once a year because it was really good!! 2nd course was a ginger, chicken consomme with dumpling, nothing exciting there. 3rd course you had a choice of either broiled cod, braised duck, or beef tenderloin all served with either garlic butter rice or brown rice and veggies and for dessert there was sesame ice cream with assorted fruits. See...nothing traditional except for the Lo Sang and tangerines adorning the table. Tangerines are given as gifts so in all the markets you'll see crates and crates of oranges both symbolizing good health, luck and fortune for the new year. Also single women will toss them into lakes hoping to be blessed with love.
So we all had fun at dinner and afterwards we went and sang karaoke which I enjoyed and then later on to a club which was entirely too packed for my liking. I mentioned that we were invited to an open house also for Chinese New Year. This was held on the actual eve of the new year at Jim's co-workers family home. They call this the "reunion dinner", it's when all of the family get together and have dinner and exchange Ang Pow's; these are monetary gifts traditionally given in red envelopes ( for luck ) to the kids, single persons and sometimes married couples. This was more of the traditional food I was expecting, they of course had the Lo Sang but also whole fish, pork knuckle, prawns, chicken, duck, rice, pork belly, and probably more but I can't remember everything...it was a feast!!! I tried to taste everything and finish it all until I was told that you aren't supposed to finish all your food because then it represents that the year will be plentiful for you. So no one finished everything...instead they snacked on other stuff!! After the main meal was cleared then the nuts, cookies, and crackers came out. I had something a little odd that they considered dessert: peanut soup. Literally it was peanuts boiled in a sweet broth and left whole. Not to my liking but interesting enough. It was also very nice for Kenny to invite us and let us intrude on their family gathering...we had a good time.
So since then we really haven't had any part of the ongoing celebration. I was surprised that it is celebrated for so long!! Just this weekend Mel was going to an open house...2 weeks after we attended ours! In the meantime Jim and I hosted a Superbowl breakfast party. Breakfast because the game was broadcast live from the States so it started at 7:30 in the morning. Most of Jim's American friends came over ( Jim didn't invite anyone who was not familiar with the game, he did not want to be distracted by answering questions ) and I did all the cooking. I tried to make the meal as american as possible: scrambled eggs, bacon, sausage, fried red potatoes, biscuits & gravy, bread pudding muffins, bloody mary's, screwdrivers, beer, and fruit. Of course we had leftovers! I don't know how to cook without having leftovers! Everything went well until I noticed that Sox's leg was red...really it was bleeding. So after the game Jim took him to the vet to find out that Sox somehow caught mange, probably from the groomers, so the last week he's been bandaged up like a wounded war vet and taking anti-biotics. He'll live.
I've also been getting ready for my best friend Sim to leave me. She's moving back to Sydney in a week or so to study for her masters degree. So she's been at the house almost everyday, we've been watching LOST ( greatest tv show ever!!) from the beginning and planning her farewell party which was this past weekend. I'm really going to miss her and have been trying to branch out and make new friends ( not that I need a replacement for her, Sim will be back) but it's really difficult for me to "click" with new people. I mean I'd like to think that I can get along with just about anyone but to establish a friendship is hard especially considering that I usually hang with the guys before I find one girl that I actually like. Jim of course is just a social butterfly, he's been playing poker and golfing with all of his American buddies and in the last week we have met up with them twice, once for a farewell party for one of them and once for a birthday party. We are going out with them on Valentine's Day after me and Sim go party hard at the Rihanna concert the night before. Our last hoorah before she boards a plane for Australia.
So that's been life up until today...really busy lately, so now I'm just waiting for the quiet AFTER the storm. I know I've missed some birthdays...I'm gonna work on that next week. Ciao!!
One night I met Mel at one of her outlets called Rumours for what was supposed to be traditional Chinese New Year dinner. Now considering I don't know what traditional is, I found the food very good but not anything out of the ordinary. On the menu: 1st course was Lo Sang, which is a chinese salad only available at new years, there were some noodles, nuts, sesame oil, abalone tuna and salmon. Really I must say this was the highlight of the meal for me, it was very tasty. There is a ritual that once everything for the salad has been added, everyone at the table takes turns "tossing" it with their chopsticks and the higher you toss the greater your fortune and prosperity will be in the upcoming year. I'm really sad that I can only eat this salad once a year because it was really good!! 2nd course was a ginger, chicken consomme with dumpling, nothing exciting there. 3rd course you had a choice of either broiled cod, braised duck, or beef tenderloin all served with either garlic butter rice or brown rice and veggies and for dessert there was sesame ice cream with assorted fruits. See...nothing traditional except for the Lo Sang and tangerines adorning the table. Tangerines are given as gifts so in all the markets you'll see crates and crates of oranges both symbolizing good health, luck and fortune for the new year. Also single women will toss them into lakes hoping to be blessed with love.
So we all had fun at dinner and afterwards we went and sang karaoke which I enjoyed and then later on to a club which was entirely too packed for my liking. I mentioned that we were invited to an open house also for Chinese New Year. This was held on the actual eve of the new year at Jim's co-workers family home. They call this the "reunion dinner", it's when all of the family get together and have dinner and exchange Ang Pow's; these are monetary gifts traditionally given in red envelopes ( for luck ) to the kids, single persons and sometimes married couples. This was more of the traditional food I was expecting, they of course had the Lo Sang but also whole fish, pork knuckle, prawns, chicken, duck, rice, pork belly, and probably more but I can't remember everything...it was a feast!!! I tried to taste everything and finish it all until I was told that you aren't supposed to finish all your food because then it represents that the year will be plentiful for you. So no one finished everything...instead they snacked on other stuff!! After the main meal was cleared then the nuts, cookies, and crackers came out. I had something a little odd that they considered dessert: peanut soup. Literally it was peanuts boiled in a sweet broth and left whole. Not to my liking but interesting enough. It was also very nice for Kenny to invite us and let us intrude on their family gathering...we had a good time.
So since then we really haven't had any part of the ongoing celebration. I was surprised that it is celebrated for so long!! Just this weekend Mel was going to an open house...2 weeks after we attended ours! In the meantime Jim and I hosted a Superbowl breakfast party. Breakfast because the game was broadcast live from the States so it started at 7:30 in the morning. Most of Jim's American friends came over ( Jim didn't invite anyone who was not familiar with the game, he did not want to be distracted by answering questions ) and I did all the cooking. I tried to make the meal as american as possible: scrambled eggs, bacon, sausage, fried red potatoes, biscuits & gravy, bread pudding muffins, bloody mary's, screwdrivers, beer, and fruit. Of course we had leftovers! I don't know how to cook without having leftovers! Everything went well until I noticed that Sox's leg was red...really it was bleeding. So after the game Jim took him to the vet to find out that Sox somehow caught mange, probably from the groomers, so the last week he's been bandaged up like a wounded war vet and taking anti-biotics. He'll live.
I've also been getting ready for my best friend Sim to leave me. She's moving back to Sydney in a week or so to study for her masters degree. So she's been at the house almost everyday, we've been watching LOST ( greatest tv show ever!!) from the beginning and planning her farewell party which was this past weekend. I'm really going to miss her and have been trying to branch out and make new friends ( not that I need a replacement for her, Sim will be back) but it's really difficult for me to "click" with new people. I mean I'd like to think that I can get along with just about anyone but to establish a friendship is hard especially considering that I usually hang with the guys before I find one girl that I actually like. Jim of course is just a social butterfly, he's been playing poker and golfing with all of his American buddies and in the last week we have met up with them twice, once for a farewell party for one of them and once for a birthday party. We are going out with them on Valentine's Day after me and Sim go party hard at the Rihanna concert the night before. Our last hoorah before she boards a plane for Australia.
So that's been life up until today...really busy lately, so now I'm just waiting for the quiet AFTER the storm. I know I've missed some birthdays...I'm gonna work on that next week. Ciao!!
Friday, January 16, 2009
Saturday January 17th, 2009
Ok, so I was going to wait to post anything until after the partying was over, but I feel inspired today plus Jim is taking forever downloading something so we can have something to listen to in the car on our way to IKEA. We're going shopping today because Jim has decided to have a Superbowl breakfast buffet and I don't think the house is in proper order to have that many people over. Sure everything was fine when I had people over for my birthday but honestly I don't remember exactly how many people were here. My birthday celebrations lasted 4 days starting on Friday and ending on Tuesday early morning. All thanks to Sim! She showed up on Friday with luggage and a plan. First, we sat around the house all day and watched LOST, my favorite show ever!! Sim has never seen it and when I was home I picked up all 4 seasons on dvd. It was fun watching from the beginning because a lot of parts I'd forgotten about. Finally we peeled ourselves off the couch and walked up to the mall with the intent of bar-hopping...we only made it as far as George & Dragon. I drank a Flamin Lamborghini, Around the World, Sambuca, Capn & Diet, and as a special treat for me, the manager Kabi brought vodka and sugar-free Red Bull!!....wait! Sorry, all this happened ON my birthday on Monday...how easily I forget...oh well I'll go in reverse then. Mel joined us and later Jim came up too. After all those drinks we decided to just bring everyone home with us and continue from there. My friend Scott came by and a few other people who I really don't know but who are friends with Sim, so they were cool, and I talked to my family on the phone and that's all I remember about Monday. I do know that on Tuesday there were still 4 bottles of wine, a bottle of Capn, and a bottle of champagne left so that means I really didn't drink THAT much.
Friday me and Sim went out. Really. We were hanging at the house all day and then decided to go back to her house for a swim before going to dinner. We met one of her friends and he took us to this Mexican restaurant that I really like and then we went to Finnegans in Hartamas. They were having a promotion that night, a popular dj from Italy and a group called the Asia Dolls. The dj was ok, we only heard a little bit and the dolls were similar to the dunhill group I mentioned last post, they played string instruments to club music. That seems to be really popular these days. But really it was disappointing because Sim and I had gotten dressed to the nine's and the show was over before 10:30 pm. We were in the mood to dance so we headed for Bangsar Village to a place called Telawi St. Bistro which is a club late nights with a dj and of course cocktails. Jim met us there and we danced and we played LCR ( greatest dice game ever!), our friend Denesh was there supposedly as a bouncer but really he sat with us and played dice and drank beer. It was a good night although me and Jim got into a "tiff" about something and he left so me and Sim had to take a cab home.
The other two days were really just recouping, watching LOST, eating and sleeping. I really had fun and now I will be all alone next week. Sim is in Singapore and Jim is off to E. Malaysia so I'm unchaperoned. I know I will be at G&D on Monday for their 1 year anniversary party ( I AM a regular ) and Friday I am going with Mel to a traditional Chinese New Year dinner. I'm really excited about the dinner, I'll try anything once...except tripe. In the meantime I'll be working on my plans for Jim's Superbowl party. It's a breakfast because since it will be live, it will be Monday morning not Sunday night like it is at home. On the menu: biscuits and gravy ( if I can find sausage ), glazed ham, cheese eggs, 2 breakfast pizzas ( one w/meat, one veggie ), hasbrowns, fruit, apple cinnamon coffee cake, bloody mary's, screwdrivers, and beer. You didn't think we'd leave the alcohol out just because it's breakfast...did ya? Soon I'll put up the pics from my birthday and CNY...til next time!!
Friday me and Sim went out. Really. We were hanging at the house all day and then decided to go back to her house for a swim before going to dinner. We met one of her friends and he took us to this Mexican restaurant that I really like and then we went to Finnegans in Hartamas. They were having a promotion that night, a popular dj from Italy and a group called the Asia Dolls. The dj was ok, we only heard a little bit and the dolls were similar to the dunhill group I mentioned last post, they played string instruments to club music. That seems to be really popular these days. But really it was disappointing because Sim and I had gotten dressed to the nine's and the show was over before 10:30 pm. We were in the mood to dance so we headed for Bangsar Village to a place called Telawi St. Bistro which is a club late nights with a dj and of course cocktails. Jim met us there and we danced and we played LCR ( greatest dice game ever!), our friend Denesh was there supposedly as a bouncer but really he sat with us and played dice and drank beer. It was a good night although me and Jim got into a "tiff" about something and he left so me and Sim had to take a cab home.
The other two days were really just recouping, watching LOST, eating and sleeping. I really had fun and now I will be all alone next week. Sim is in Singapore and Jim is off to E. Malaysia so I'm unchaperoned. I know I will be at G&D on Monday for their 1 year anniversary party ( I AM a regular ) and Friday I am going with Mel to a traditional Chinese New Year dinner. I'm really excited about the dinner, I'll try anything once...except tripe. In the meantime I'll be working on my plans for Jim's Superbowl party. It's a breakfast because since it will be live, it will be Monday morning not Sunday night like it is at home. On the menu: biscuits and gravy ( if I can find sausage ), glazed ham, cheese eggs, 2 breakfast pizzas ( one w/meat, one veggie ), hasbrowns, fruit, apple cinnamon coffee cake, bloody mary's, screwdrivers, and beer. You didn't think we'd leave the alcohol out just because it's breakfast...did ya? Soon I'll put up the pics from my birthday and CNY...til next time!!
Wednesday, January 7, 2009
January 8, 2009
HAPPY 2009!!!! I know, I know it's been awhile and really I have no excuse. Many of you know that I was away in the States over the holidays and those who I saw already know what I've been up to. Today I'm feeling bored as I try to wake up, hence, a new post. I see my last post was about Langkawi, WOW! it has been awhile! I'm not even sure I can remeber everything we've done since then...I'll try my best. Hope you have some time to read this, it could take a minute.
I guess the main focus of the last few months has been the holiday season starting with Hari Raya which I described last. Well since then there has been Deepavali, Thanksgiving, Christmas, Awal Muharram, and New Years. Since 3 of the 5 holidays are well-known in American culture I'll only tell you about the other 2. Deepavali or Diwali is a major Hindu holiday also known as The Festival of Lights. This holiday signifies the beginning of the financial calendar and is celebrated over 4 days. Each day has a story behind it involving gods and battles, mothers killing sons, and of course blessings. I'm sure there were celebrations, we didn't see any, but I do remember seeing in all of the stores designs on the floor made out of colored rice, sort of like a sand design ( that's what I originally thought it was) but on the floors of the malls and no one ever disturbed them. All in all to sum it up: Diwali is Hindu New Year.
Duriing this time Jim and I were preparing for our trip home. I was shopping for gifts and he was working. One night we were invited by one of his clients to a launch party for one of their products. I'd never been to one so of course I was game. It was for Dunhill, a brand of cigarettes and it was being held on Heritage Row, a neighborhood of clubs and bars near the city center. There was a DJ, food, and free flowing drinks ( Johnny Black only, somehow Jim got vodka). Pretty typical party: loud music, crowd of people, no one dancing, everyone was very clique-y, no one socialized outside the circle of friends they were with. The highlight of the night was an all girl group who, instead of singing, played a trio of string instruments to club music. I'd never seen anything like it...very entertaining, Jim just thought they were pretty. Our host Jade was kind enough to take photos of us which include the one in our Christmas card in front of the Petronas Twin 'Towers.
So then we're off to the States, first Dallas where we visit Jim's family and my brother's family, then on to Atlanta to visit my parents and celebrate Thanksgiving and then lastly to Aurora, my old stomping ground. It was FREEZING!! I saw more snow than I care to ever again in my life. Jim only stayed in Illinois 1 week whereas I stayed 3. It was great seeing everyone and just makes me appreciate my life more that I'm able to go on vacation for a month at a time. I did miss my husband though, and my dogs, so to come home to them and warm weather was also greatly appreciated. The trip home was rough, I had to fly to Houston then to Moscow then to Singapore and finally Kuala Lumpur. Along the way I noticed my insulin pump was low on medicine and because in Chicago they made me check one of my carry-on's which had my insulin in it ( I forgot) I had to go without medicine for about 11 hours of my trip. And then my luggage was lost when I arrived in Malaysia so needless to say, I was not a happy camper when I finally saw my husband.
I got home just in time for Christmas ( I didn't want Jim to be alone) and it was a quiet holiday for us. We had lunch at Chili's, Sim came by for a visit, and then I made prime rib for dinner. We were invited to a Christmas party by Jiim's friend Andy ( Jim and Andy play poker together) so we did spend Christmas Eve with other Americans. Everyone seemed nice but we were the only couple without children so I felt a little out of place. New Years Eve was also quite subdued for us. Sim invited us over for dinner so I whipped up some side dishes and packed our swimsuits and off we went. We ended up playing Gin and watching the fireworks. Sim's house sits on the side of a hill so we had a good view of downtown and all the fireworks. There were actually 3 different sets going on at the same time. Funny part was when the show started the monkeys all gathered on the telephone wire and watched the fireworks too!! I tried to take a picture but it was too dark, it was cute though. Awal Muharram is the start of the Muslim New Year signifying the journey Prophet Muhammed made from Mecca to Medina. What do all the holidays mean for all of Malaysia? Time off from work!! I swear Jim didn't go to work for like 2 weeks, ok maybe he went 2 days out of 2 weeks, but everyone was off from work. I've never seen my grocery store so packed! The malls were all decorated with Christmas stuff and there was even a Santa Claus! Sorry I didn't get close enough to Santa to see if he was white or Malay...a Malay Santa would be weird!
So now the only things I have to look forward to are: my birthday, and Chinese New Year. I'm really excited about Chinese New Year, I want to go downtown to the festivals and see the dragons dance around. I'll be sure to take some pictures, plus I'm almost positive Jim won't have to work. In the meantime, I'm getting my house back in order since Jim was alone for 2 weeks, rebonding with the dogs, and introducing my friends to the greatest dice game ever...LCR!!! And if I didn't see you or tell you: Happy Thanksgiving! Merry Christmas! Happy New Year! Happy Birthday to Me!!
I guess the main focus of the last few months has been the holiday season starting with Hari Raya which I described last. Well since then there has been Deepavali, Thanksgiving, Christmas, Awal Muharram, and New Years. Since 3 of the 5 holidays are well-known in American culture I'll only tell you about the other 2. Deepavali or Diwali is a major Hindu holiday also known as The Festival of Lights. This holiday signifies the beginning of the financial calendar and is celebrated over 4 days. Each day has a story behind it involving gods and battles, mothers killing sons, and of course blessings. I'm sure there were celebrations, we didn't see any, but I do remember seeing in all of the stores designs on the floor made out of colored rice, sort of like a sand design ( that's what I originally thought it was) but on the floors of the malls and no one ever disturbed them. All in all to sum it up: Diwali is Hindu New Year.
Duriing this time Jim and I were preparing for our trip home. I was shopping for gifts and he was working. One night we were invited by one of his clients to a launch party for one of their products. I'd never been to one so of course I was game. It was for Dunhill, a brand of cigarettes and it was being held on Heritage Row, a neighborhood of clubs and bars near the city center. There was a DJ, food, and free flowing drinks ( Johnny Black only, somehow Jim got vodka). Pretty typical party: loud music, crowd of people, no one dancing, everyone was very clique-y, no one socialized outside the circle of friends they were with. The highlight of the night was an all girl group who, instead of singing, played a trio of string instruments to club music. I'd never seen anything like it...very entertaining, Jim just thought they were pretty. Our host Jade was kind enough to take photos of us which include the one in our Christmas card in front of the Petronas Twin 'Towers.
So then we're off to the States, first Dallas where we visit Jim's family and my brother's family, then on to Atlanta to visit my parents and celebrate Thanksgiving and then lastly to Aurora, my old stomping ground. It was FREEZING!! I saw more snow than I care to ever again in my life. Jim only stayed in Illinois 1 week whereas I stayed 3. It was great seeing everyone and just makes me appreciate my life more that I'm able to go on vacation for a month at a time. I did miss my husband though, and my dogs, so to come home to them and warm weather was also greatly appreciated. The trip home was rough, I had to fly to Houston then to Moscow then to Singapore and finally Kuala Lumpur. Along the way I noticed my insulin pump was low on medicine and because in Chicago they made me check one of my carry-on's which had my insulin in it ( I forgot) I had to go without medicine for about 11 hours of my trip. And then my luggage was lost when I arrived in Malaysia so needless to say, I was not a happy camper when I finally saw my husband.
I got home just in time for Christmas ( I didn't want Jim to be alone) and it was a quiet holiday for us. We had lunch at Chili's, Sim came by for a visit, and then I made prime rib for dinner. We were invited to a Christmas party by Jiim's friend Andy ( Jim and Andy play poker together) so we did spend Christmas Eve with other Americans. Everyone seemed nice but we were the only couple without children so I felt a little out of place. New Years Eve was also quite subdued for us. Sim invited us over for dinner so I whipped up some side dishes and packed our swimsuits and off we went. We ended up playing Gin and watching the fireworks. Sim's house sits on the side of a hill so we had a good view of downtown and all the fireworks. There were actually 3 different sets going on at the same time. Funny part was when the show started the monkeys all gathered on the telephone wire and watched the fireworks too!! I tried to take a picture but it was too dark, it was cute though. Awal Muharram is the start of the Muslim New Year signifying the journey Prophet Muhammed made from Mecca to Medina. What do all the holidays mean for all of Malaysia? Time off from work!! I swear Jim didn't go to work for like 2 weeks, ok maybe he went 2 days out of 2 weeks, but everyone was off from work. I've never seen my grocery store so packed! The malls were all decorated with Christmas stuff and there was even a Santa Claus! Sorry I didn't get close enough to Santa to see if he was white or Malay...a Malay Santa would be weird!
So now the only things I have to look forward to are: my birthday, and Chinese New Year. I'm really excited about Chinese New Year, I want to go downtown to the festivals and see the dragons dance around. I'll be sure to take some pictures, plus I'm almost positive Jim won't have to work. In the meantime, I'm getting my house back in order since Jim was alone for 2 weeks, rebonding with the dogs, and introducing my friends to the greatest dice game ever...LCR!!! And if I didn't see you or tell you: Happy Thanksgiving! Merry Christmas! Happy New Year! Happy Birthday to Me!!
Sunday, October 5, 2008
Monday October 6, 2008
Ahh, Langkawi ( pronounced: Lang-cow-wee )! First let me give you some information about the island itself. Langkawi is a cluster of 99 islands separated from mainland northern Malaysia by the Straits of Malacca. Pulau Langkawi is the main island where we stayed and is only about 15 miles long with a population of around 60, 000 with the locals being mostly Malays. Only 4 of the islands are inhabited with their source of revenue being padi, rubber, fisheries and mainly tourism. So many people travel here from Kuala Lumpur because it is one of the most affordable and closest beach destinations in Malaysia. It's only an hour's plane ride away plus the entire island is duty free which makes for cheap shopping, drinking, eating, & cigarettes. Of course we took advantage of this perk. Even though it's a tourist hot spot and only a ferry ride away from either Thailand or Penang Malaysia, Langkawi is still considered a rural area with 2/3 of the island dominated by rainforest mountains, hills and vegetation. Most of the structures are located next to or nearby one of the many beaches ( or pantai ), with Pantai Cenang being the most popular. We stayed in Pantai Tengah, which wasn't very far from Cenang at the Holiday Villa Resort which has it's own private beach. Most people come for the beaches and of course duty free shopping but a lot also come to go hiking and scuba diving. Everyone knows how I feel about nature so this of course was not on our list of things to do. I was already afraid because of all the stories of jellyfish infestation but fortunately I did not see any. There's also a huge population of eagles, it is not out of the ordinary to have an eagle fly over your head and if you'd like you can take a tour out on a boat and feed them. There's also another island called The Isle of the Pregnant Maiden whose mountain tops look like a pregnant woman lying on her back from a distance. There are several legends and myths of ogres, gigantic birds, warriors, princesses, battles and romance about Langkawi, one of them being about the pregnant maiden. The lake on the island is supposed to have been the favorite bathing place of Princess Putri Dayang Sari, one day a prince Putera Teja saw her and fell in love but he could not win her over. So he asked a wise man what he could do and was told to wash his face with the tears of a mermaid and soon after they were married and she became pregnant. The baby died and that's when the princess found out her marriage was through trickery so she buried her baby in the lake and blessed the water with fertility powers so supposedly if you swim there, you can become pregnant ( I'm assuming men are excluded ). So naturally this is popular place with tourists wanting to have babies.
Our first day we hung out at the beach and eventually made our way to the pool which has a swim-up bar ( Jim's favorite ) and we met 2 girls. Both were traveling alone and had met at the hotel. Becky was from London and on her way home after living for a year in Australia, and Samantha was from New Zealand and was seeing the world. Since both of them had been there for a couple of days we asked about where we could go and so began our friendship. That night we had dinner at the Boat restaurant where we met the owners Tang and Lim who were both funny and good cooks. Tang explained to us the squatting toilets in detail that had us crying with laughter. Next to the Boat was a place called the Reggae House which Becks and Samantha said had a live band so of course we're going to go there! Walking up to it was creepy, it was a long driveway of mud ( it had rained ) and it was dark with forest on either side and then you saw a shack with lights. It was an open-aired bar with Bob Marley posters everywhere and everyone was friendly. I had to use the bathroom so I walked around back and had to turn around because one look at the "facilities" and I decided that I needed an escort. I got Jim, imagine an outhouse with a toilet and running water on a concrete slab but dark and surrounded by jungle. I had to "hover" and "air dry" while Jim held the door closed and kept watch for any snakes or monkeys. The band did not start until after midnight and they were good, not great. It became really interesting when Samantha left and Becks was approached by a local who just sat down at our table, drunk, and started talking to her. He kept falling asleep and waking up talking, it was so funny! He gave Becks a bracelet and we warned her that she should ask if she should pay him for it because nothing is free. He told her it was a gift, and if she returned tomorrow he might have a necklace for her. Next thing you know, the music stopped, the lights were turned on and the bar became quiet. No one said anything and were just looking around wondering what was going on. Becky's admirer got up, grabbed his unopened beer Jim and just bought for him and said goodbye. After about 5 minutes everyone was whispering that the police were in the bar and were checking the bar's documents and everyone's I.D.'s, then after about 15 minutes they rang the bell and said "Last Call!" Our bartender came over and told us that the police were shutting them down because they were open past 1 a.m., but to wait a while and maybe after they left they would stay open, so we ordered 2 rounds and made ourselves comfortable. I mentioned in my last post that the 27th day of Ramadhan was considered especially holy and technically it was the 27th day since it was past midnight so the police were going around and shutting down all the bars that were still open. The police left and the bartender said we could stay but the band was packing up and it was already late for us so we finished our drinks and walked back down the muddy driveway in the dark back to our hotel across the street. Already we were excited to see what else Langkawi had to offer considering our first night theatrics.
The next day Jim and went exploring the shops that lined the main road. I don't know if I could say shops because most were shacks offering everything from batik prints to scooter rentals and island tours. We were looking for a place to have lunch. Most of the eateries were open-aired and offered a variety of food from Malay, to Chinese and American cuisine. We chose the Sunday bistro which looked brand new, chic and most important, clean. The place on the inside looked like an art gallery with various statues and rattan decor. I told Jim I could buy things for our house only to discover that they did have a store in the back, of course it was pricey. After lunch we found the duty-free store and it was like Christmas for Jim. Normally we would pay RM130 ( $40 U.S. ) for a bottle of Capn Morgan in Kuala Lumpur, here it was only RM30 ( $9.50 U.S. )!! We got a couple of bottles to take home and some to drink during our stay. We spent the rest of the day lounging at the pool bar because the weather had turned and it was cloudy and rainy. That night we met up with Samantha and Becks and had dinner again at the Boat then walked down the street to a place called the Sunbah. Jim and I had discovered it that afternoon but it was not open during the day. It's in a stripmall that one person owns and in addition to the bar there are 2 other restaurants, one I know is called SunKumatra and the other Sun-something I can't remember. The great thing about Langkawi is that it's a party every night. If a place has a band on Friday and Saturday, they have a band Sunday thru Thursday too. Sunbah has a tiki hut feel to it with concrete floors and wooden tables and chairs and a mock thatch roof. They also had a live band and the atmosphere quickly became lively once they started playing. It also became our favorite place to hang out in for the rest of our trip since somehow no matter where me and Jim go, we end up being known by everyone and become "celebrities". Becky again was extremely popular with the men and soon had admirers coming up to her wanting to buy her drinks and dance. We ended up telling everyone Jim was her brother since he is such a big guy, the admirers seemed hesitant to approach her. We met a guy named Sam who was British but had lived in Santa Barbara for a while and we eventually figured out that Sam was "that guy". You know what I mean, "that guy" who everyone knows, who has connections, who has information about anything, who can get you WHATEVER you want?. He invited us to his party on Monday and he and Jim clicked immediately. We ended up going back with him that night to his house for an "after party" and his house was definitely prepared for a party anytime. He had bottles on top of bottles of liquor, cases of water, juice, red bull, beer, you name it, he had it, except diet coke. Becky came with us, Samantha had left Sunbah a while ago because she was leaving Langkawi the next day and was on her way to Hong Kong. Here's where I'll have to be vague because I'm not sure who will be reading but short version: Sam drove, we almost hit some pedestrians, had a few drinks, I'm sure there were some unmentionables floating around, decided it was getting late, Sam drove us back, plopped into bed sometime after 6 a.m. Whew!! End of 2nd day...it's only been 2 days!!
The next couple of days we basically did the same thing: sleep, go to the beach, eat, and then go to the Sunbah at night. The next story I'll have to change the names, again because I don't know who's reading. Unexpectedly, we had a friend fly in from KL, we'll call her Lori. We met Lori at the airport because Langkawi only has one ATM in town and it was broken so we had to go all the way back to the airport to get cash. Lori had another friend, we'll call her Tish, picking her up from the airport so she agreed to pick us all up. As soon as we met her, I knew she was a lil wacky and "out there". We're driving back to our hotel and all of a sudden she slams on her brakes and pulls over. Now, we're out in the country on a dark road and I have no idea what's going on. Tish, jumps out of the car and disappears. I look at Jim like "what the hell?". She returns and she's holding 2 kittens. Somehow she saw them in the middle of the road and decided to rescue them. So instead of going back to our hotel as planned, we had to go to Tish's house to drop off the kittens. Tish does not have a house, she has a compound, there's all this land with 3 or 4 houses built that she owns. There are other people there, all preparing the dinner for the big Hari Raya celebration. Her house again is like a tiki hut but bigger, the living room is actually a covered porch with a pool table, couches, chairs, tv, and refridgerator. Everyone welcomes us with open arms and then it dawns on me that they are Muslim, but I'm confused because they are all drinking and Tish has like 3 dogs which I thought were a no-no. Lori doesn't say much about how she knows Tish, just that she is a friend from KL but somewhere during our stay I hear something about Tish being the wife of a Malaysian politician. WHAT!! It was never confirmed so I'm not sure if it was true. She did apparently have some influence because we spent a couple of days partying with her and once when she went on the dance floor at the Sunbah, all the men cleared the dance floor for her. We also spent Hari Raya with her and ate some of the best food I've ever had along with some Moet champagne.
So the rest of our vacation we spent enjoying all of our new friends. We never did make it to Sam's party. We heard through the grapevine that he is a hustler of sorts and if he asked Jim for investment money to just say no. We ended up staying 2 extra days because we weren't ready to leave, it was just that fun! Jim has plans to spend Christmas in Langkawi and that's fine by me even though it will be peak season, I'm sure we made impressions there and everyone will instantly recognize us once we return. In the meantime, we're back to our daily routines, I think our bodies have detoxed all the Capn Morgan we drank, and now we're looking forward to our trip home in November. So much for "what happens in Langkawi, stays in Langkawi!".
Our first day we hung out at the beach and eventually made our way to the pool which has a swim-up bar ( Jim's favorite ) and we met 2 girls. Both were traveling alone and had met at the hotel. Becky was from London and on her way home after living for a year in Australia, and Samantha was from New Zealand and was seeing the world. Since both of them had been there for a couple of days we asked about where we could go and so began our friendship. That night we had dinner at the Boat restaurant where we met the owners Tang and Lim who were both funny and good cooks. Tang explained to us the squatting toilets in detail that had us crying with laughter. Next to the Boat was a place called the Reggae House which Becks and Samantha said had a live band so of course we're going to go there! Walking up to it was creepy, it was a long driveway of mud ( it had rained ) and it was dark with forest on either side and then you saw a shack with lights. It was an open-aired bar with Bob Marley posters everywhere and everyone was friendly. I had to use the bathroom so I walked around back and had to turn around because one look at the "facilities" and I decided that I needed an escort. I got Jim, imagine an outhouse with a toilet and running water on a concrete slab but dark and surrounded by jungle. I had to "hover" and "air dry" while Jim held the door closed and kept watch for any snakes or monkeys. The band did not start until after midnight and they were good, not great. It became really interesting when Samantha left and Becks was approached by a local who just sat down at our table, drunk, and started talking to her. He kept falling asleep and waking up talking, it was so funny! He gave Becks a bracelet and we warned her that she should ask if she should pay him for it because nothing is free. He told her it was a gift, and if she returned tomorrow he might have a necklace for her. Next thing you know, the music stopped, the lights were turned on and the bar became quiet. No one said anything and were just looking around wondering what was going on. Becky's admirer got up, grabbed his unopened beer Jim and just bought for him and said goodbye. After about 5 minutes everyone was whispering that the police were in the bar and were checking the bar's documents and everyone's I.D.'s, then after about 15 minutes they rang the bell and said "Last Call!" Our bartender came over and told us that the police were shutting them down because they were open past 1 a.m., but to wait a while and maybe after they left they would stay open, so we ordered 2 rounds and made ourselves comfortable. I mentioned in my last post that the 27th day of Ramadhan was considered especially holy and technically it was the 27th day since it was past midnight so the police were going around and shutting down all the bars that were still open. The police left and the bartender said we could stay but the band was packing up and it was already late for us so we finished our drinks and walked back down the muddy driveway in the dark back to our hotel across the street. Already we were excited to see what else Langkawi had to offer considering our first night theatrics.
The next day Jim and went exploring the shops that lined the main road. I don't know if I could say shops because most were shacks offering everything from batik prints to scooter rentals and island tours. We were looking for a place to have lunch. Most of the eateries were open-aired and offered a variety of food from Malay, to Chinese and American cuisine. We chose the Sunday bistro which looked brand new, chic and most important, clean. The place on the inside looked like an art gallery with various statues and rattan decor. I told Jim I could buy things for our house only to discover that they did have a store in the back, of course it was pricey. After lunch we found the duty-free store and it was like Christmas for Jim. Normally we would pay RM130 ( $40 U.S. ) for a bottle of Capn Morgan in Kuala Lumpur, here it was only RM30 ( $9.50 U.S. )!! We got a couple of bottles to take home and some to drink during our stay. We spent the rest of the day lounging at the pool bar because the weather had turned and it was cloudy and rainy. That night we met up with Samantha and Becks and had dinner again at the Boat then walked down the street to a place called the Sunbah. Jim and I had discovered it that afternoon but it was not open during the day. It's in a stripmall that one person owns and in addition to the bar there are 2 other restaurants, one I know is called SunKumatra and the other Sun-something I can't remember. The great thing about Langkawi is that it's a party every night. If a place has a band on Friday and Saturday, they have a band Sunday thru Thursday too. Sunbah has a tiki hut feel to it with concrete floors and wooden tables and chairs and a mock thatch roof. They also had a live band and the atmosphere quickly became lively once they started playing. It also became our favorite place to hang out in for the rest of our trip since somehow no matter where me and Jim go, we end up being known by everyone and become "celebrities". Becky again was extremely popular with the men and soon had admirers coming up to her wanting to buy her drinks and dance. We ended up telling everyone Jim was her brother since he is such a big guy, the admirers seemed hesitant to approach her. We met a guy named Sam who was British but had lived in Santa Barbara for a while and we eventually figured out that Sam was "that guy". You know what I mean, "that guy" who everyone knows, who has connections, who has information about anything, who can get you WHATEVER you want?. He invited us to his party on Monday and he and Jim clicked immediately. We ended up going back with him that night to his house for an "after party" and his house was definitely prepared for a party anytime. He had bottles on top of bottles of liquor, cases of water, juice, red bull, beer, you name it, he had it, except diet coke. Becky came with us, Samantha had left Sunbah a while ago because she was leaving Langkawi the next day and was on her way to Hong Kong. Here's where I'll have to be vague because I'm not sure who will be reading but short version: Sam drove, we almost hit some pedestrians, had a few drinks, I'm sure there were some unmentionables floating around, decided it was getting late, Sam drove us back, plopped into bed sometime after 6 a.m. Whew!! End of 2nd day...it's only been 2 days!!
The next couple of days we basically did the same thing: sleep, go to the beach, eat, and then go to the Sunbah at night. The next story I'll have to change the names, again because I don't know who's reading. Unexpectedly, we had a friend fly in from KL, we'll call her Lori. We met Lori at the airport because Langkawi only has one ATM in town and it was broken so we had to go all the way back to the airport to get cash. Lori had another friend, we'll call her Tish, picking her up from the airport so she agreed to pick us all up. As soon as we met her, I knew she was a lil wacky and "out there". We're driving back to our hotel and all of a sudden she slams on her brakes and pulls over. Now, we're out in the country on a dark road and I have no idea what's going on. Tish, jumps out of the car and disappears. I look at Jim like "what the hell?". She returns and she's holding 2 kittens. Somehow she saw them in the middle of the road and decided to rescue them. So instead of going back to our hotel as planned, we had to go to Tish's house to drop off the kittens. Tish does not have a house, she has a compound, there's all this land with 3 or 4 houses built that she owns. There are other people there, all preparing the dinner for the big Hari Raya celebration. Her house again is like a tiki hut but bigger, the living room is actually a covered porch with a pool table, couches, chairs, tv, and refridgerator. Everyone welcomes us with open arms and then it dawns on me that they are Muslim, but I'm confused because they are all drinking and Tish has like 3 dogs which I thought were a no-no. Lori doesn't say much about how she knows Tish, just that she is a friend from KL but somewhere during our stay I hear something about Tish being the wife of a Malaysian politician. WHAT!! It was never confirmed so I'm not sure if it was true. She did apparently have some influence because we spent a couple of days partying with her and once when she went on the dance floor at the Sunbah, all the men cleared the dance floor for her. We also spent Hari Raya with her and ate some of the best food I've ever had along with some Moet champagne.
So the rest of our vacation we spent enjoying all of our new friends. We never did make it to Sam's party. We heard through the grapevine that he is a hustler of sorts and if he asked Jim for investment money to just say no. We ended up staying 2 extra days because we weren't ready to leave, it was just that fun! Jim has plans to spend Christmas in Langkawi and that's fine by me even though it will be peak season, I'm sure we made impressions there and everyone will instantly recognize us once we return. In the meantime, we're back to our daily routines, I think our bodies have detoxed all the Capn Morgan we drank, and now we're looking forward to our trip home in November. So much for "what happens in Langkawi, stays in Langkawi!".
Friday, October 3, 2008
Saturday October 4, 2008
So we have returned from Langkawi!! We are tanned, dehydrated, tired, lazy, but unregrettful. Sorry this post will be short. I am in the process of trying to remember everything we did and all the new people that we met, plus download the pics that I did manage to take, and with the Malaysian internet this can be a chore. So I'm off to a mall where the internet is better and work on my new project. Trust me it will be worth the wait, lots to tell! So much, I think Jim has forgotten that he is now 34!! Stay tuned.
Thursday, September 18, 2008
Friday September 19, 2008
Selamat Ramadhan, Selamat Hari Raya!! Yes, we are in the midst of "holiday" season here. Let me start with Ramadhan, it is the month of fasting where Muslims around the world abstain from food, drink, smoking, and sex from dawn to dusk ( for some reason when I ask, everyone always mentions the sex part...didn't know the people here really enjoyed afternoon "quickies" ). Fasting is one of the Five Pillars of the religion and one of the highest forms of worshipping. Abstinence from earthly pleasures and desires is regarded as an act of obediance and submission as well as atonement for sins. It starts in the 9th month of the Islamic calendar although the date changes every year according to the moon, an Imam ( holy man ) will declare the exact date. So early in the morning families will have a meal ( Sahur ) before the sun comes up and then pray, throughout the day when they show signs of thirst or hunger ( or horniness) they will pray and then after sunset they have a meal ( Buka Puasa ) and pray again, five prayers total p/day. Ramadhan lasts a month but the last 10 days are considered highly blessed especially the 27th day which is called the "Night of Destiny". It is believed that on this day Muhammed received the first revelation of the Qur'an, subsequently during the 30 days of Ramadhan, the entire Qur'an is read aloud in the mosques. In addition to fasting Muslims are encouraged to help the needy and homeless financially and emotionally because they feel their reward will be 70 times greater ( don't ask, I don't know how they came up with 70 ). At the end of of the month is a celebration called Eid-ul-Fitr also known as Hari Raya.
Hari Raya means "Celebration day of Fasting", to me it's like Christmas for Muslims. At the end of 30 days everyone gets together in their new clothes, exchange gifts, go to mosque, and then have feasts. All of the malls have promotions, decorations, and play Hari Raya music. People also do renovations on their homes during Ramadhan so they can be ready when their families come to celebrate Hari Raya ( we have about 5 homes around us that are construction zones ), so much for giving up earthly pleasures. I don't mind all of it, I get some good deals when I go shopping because of it all plus when they're done for some reason, everyone gets into the Christmas spirit. Muslims don't celebrate Christmas but from what I've heard they do exchange presents.
Now back to our life. Oso is a fixed man now with clean teeth. He had his "surgery" and seems to be doing better although his patience with Sox is thinner now. I feel bad for him but I know it's all for the best. Jim had a first last week. He was driving somewhere and got pulled over for talking on his cell phone without a headset. He didn't have his passport or license so the officer had to call his supervisor over. He started explaining to Jim how much he was going to have to pay in fines and such so Jim asked what could they do to fix the "problem", he had already taken some money out of his wallet and was holding it discreetly close to the inside of the car door. The supervisor whispered for Jim to hold the money lower, then the supervisor said "You can buy me a drink sometime" and took the money, then sent Jim on his way. Jim's first bribe! I thought it was funny. Something not so funny was the other night we were watching tv downstairs and we had the patio door open so the dogs could in and out when all of a sudden I saw something fly into the house. Everyone knows that I hate bugs and lizards, but this was a bat! I freaked out and laid down on the floor. Jim was like "What's wrong!" and I'm like "There's a bat in the house!". Next thing you know we're both on the floor crawling until we can run upstairs and locked ourselves in the bedroom. I had just seen an Ellen show where a man had a Malaysian bat on and all I remember him saying was that they could get so big where their wing span would be 6 feet long! We waited for a while and then I sent Jim downstairs to check everything out. Thankfully the bat found it's way back outside but nowadays when I go outside I'm checking every corner for flying rodents.
So that's been whats happening with us. Only other thing I can think of is recently we were warned of upcoming riots. Apparently the political opposition says that they have enough members to take over the government. Odd enough, they announced the date they were planning the riots to everyone but at the last minute it was changed and rescheduled. I don't know, if I was planning a coup I don't know if I would call up the newspapers and announce it, wouldn't you want it to be a surprise? Rest assured that we are keeping up with the updates so we can avoid going out when it does happen, if it happens, although a lot of people have told Jim that no one will riot in Bangsar where we live. Supposedly this is an affluential area so we should be safe. I'll let you know. We have also booked some flights home so we'll be seeing everyone soon enough plus we'll be in Langkawi next weekend for Jim's birthday. I probably won't post anything until we come back and hopefully I'll have some delightful stories to tell.
Hari Raya means "Celebration day of Fasting", to me it's like Christmas for Muslims. At the end of 30 days everyone gets together in their new clothes, exchange gifts, go to mosque, and then have feasts. All of the malls have promotions, decorations, and play Hari Raya music. People also do renovations on their homes during Ramadhan so they can be ready when their families come to celebrate Hari Raya ( we have about 5 homes around us that are construction zones ), so much for giving up earthly pleasures. I don't mind all of it, I get some good deals when I go shopping because of it all plus when they're done for some reason, everyone gets into the Christmas spirit. Muslims don't celebrate Christmas but from what I've heard they do exchange presents.
Now back to our life. Oso is a fixed man now with clean teeth. He had his "surgery" and seems to be doing better although his patience with Sox is thinner now. I feel bad for him but I know it's all for the best. Jim had a first last week. He was driving somewhere and got pulled over for talking on his cell phone without a headset. He didn't have his passport or license so the officer had to call his supervisor over. He started explaining to Jim how much he was going to have to pay in fines and such so Jim asked what could they do to fix the "problem", he had already taken some money out of his wallet and was holding it discreetly close to the inside of the car door. The supervisor whispered for Jim to hold the money lower, then the supervisor said "You can buy me a drink sometime" and took the money, then sent Jim on his way. Jim's first bribe! I thought it was funny. Something not so funny was the other night we were watching tv downstairs and we had the patio door open so the dogs could in and out when all of a sudden I saw something fly into the house. Everyone knows that I hate bugs and lizards, but this was a bat! I freaked out and laid down on the floor. Jim was like "What's wrong!" and I'm like "There's a bat in the house!". Next thing you know we're both on the floor crawling until we can run upstairs and locked ourselves in the bedroom. I had just seen an Ellen show where a man had a Malaysian bat on and all I remember him saying was that they could get so big where their wing span would be 6 feet long! We waited for a while and then I sent Jim downstairs to check everything out. Thankfully the bat found it's way back outside but nowadays when I go outside I'm checking every corner for flying rodents.
So that's been whats happening with us. Only other thing I can think of is recently we were warned of upcoming riots. Apparently the political opposition says that they have enough members to take over the government. Odd enough, they announced the date they were planning the riots to everyone but at the last minute it was changed and rescheduled. I don't know, if I was planning a coup I don't know if I would call up the newspapers and announce it, wouldn't you want it to be a surprise? Rest assured that we are keeping up with the updates so we can avoid going out when it does happen, if it happens, although a lot of people have told Jim that no one will riot in Bangsar where we live. Supposedly this is an affluential area so we should be safe. I'll let you know. We have also booked some flights home so we'll be seeing everyone soon enough plus we'll be in Langkawi next weekend for Jim's birthday. I probably won't post anything until we come back and hopefully I'll have some delightful stories to tell.
Thursday, September 4, 2008
Friday September 5, 2008
Well right now I am at G&D with Mel hanging out while she does a photo shoot for the new menu they have rolled out recently. I decided to come up and offer some of my advice to her and to keep her company. My activities have been limited this week due to a foot sprain. Last weekend Sim and I went for massages which I was really looking forward to because I really enjoyed the last one. Unfortunately for me I did not get the same masseuse. This time I had an Indonesian woman who gave me an Indonesian massage which consisted of her walking on my back ( which honestly felt great!), twisting my arms and legs in ways I didn't think they could go, and most painfully of all: torturing my feet. I swear she had my feet in a pair of vice grips! And even though I was yelling and screaming in pain she kept going. Funny thing was she asked Sim if she was hurting me! So my reaction was "No I always scream this loud when I feel good!". She said that she could tell by touching my feet that I have a lot of internal problems and she was trying to work the "stones" out of my feet. My reply was that I'm aware of my internal problems and unless she was going to cure me in an afternoon, I'd live with them. The entire massage wasn't complete torture, just when she touched my feet, I swear her thumbs are made of steel. After all that pain we decided to treat ourselves to an indulgent lunch at the Telawi St. Bistro. Sim and I sipped Moet champagne, nibbled on some wonderful tapas, and indulged in Thai chicken & asparagus risotto. It was a lot of fun, and we got to catch up because Sim has been traveling with her job lately so it hasn't afforded us a lot of time to spend together. And that's when we decided to continue our afternoon at her house in the pool.
We got Jim to come along, originally he and I were supposed to go to a movie ( it dawned on us one day that we hadn't been to the movie theater since we got here and thought we would enjoy the experience even though the movies are censored to high hell ) but he wanted to go swimming. We taught Sim how to play Spades and she picked it up pretty quick. There is a swim up table and stools in her pool so we were playing there and drinking when I fell over the side! I didn't see the step that leads into the main pool and I banged my foot. I didn't think anything of it until we got home later and it was swollen. So all this week I've been limping around while my foot changes colors. Everyone thinks I need an x-ray but I've injured myself enough to know when I've broken a bone or not. We have learned that Malaysians will go to the doctor for any reason whatsoever so of course my friends want me to go and see someone.
So that's why I haven't really done anything this week, plus for some reason even though it's not the rainy season yet, it has been raining cats and dogs everyday. I really hope that it clears up by the time we go to Langkawi in a couple of weeks. I would hate to be at the beach and not be able to enjoy the sun and surf. I also know that I have missed some birthdays and I'm sorry but everyone knows by now how I feel about the post office here. Jim has also decided to apply for a new position here, if he gets it he would become the director and of course that would extend our time in Kuala Lumpur, I also suspect it would require more of his time and right now I'm feeling selfish because of a crisis that happened at one of the warehouses I haven't seen too much of him lately. He is trying very hard to not make me feel neglected but I know he has to do what he has to do and I'm fortunate to have some friends to help occupy my time as well as the dogs. Speaking of the dogs, Oso has really taken a liking to Sox, I mean REALLY taken a liking to Sox, like in a boyfriend-boyfriend kind of way. I had to separate them for a couple of days and now I think the worst is over but poor Oso has an appointment this weekend so we can strip him of his manhood. Til next time...
We got Jim to come along, originally he and I were supposed to go to a movie ( it dawned on us one day that we hadn't been to the movie theater since we got here and thought we would enjoy the experience even though the movies are censored to high hell ) but he wanted to go swimming. We taught Sim how to play Spades and she picked it up pretty quick. There is a swim up table and stools in her pool so we were playing there and drinking when I fell over the side! I didn't see the step that leads into the main pool and I banged my foot. I didn't think anything of it until we got home later and it was swollen. So all this week I've been limping around while my foot changes colors. Everyone thinks I need an x-ray but I've injured myself enough to know when I've broken a bone or not. We have learned that Malaysians will go to the doctor for any reason whatsoever so of course my friends want me to go and see someone.
So that's why I haven't really done anything this week, plus for some reason even though it's not the rainy season yet, it has been raining cats and dogs everyday. I really hope that it clears up by the time we go to Langkawi in a couple of weeks. I would hate to be at the beach and not be able to enjoy the sun and surf. I also know that I have missed some birthdays and I'm sorry but everyone knows by now how I feel about the post office here. Jim has also decided to apply for a new position here, if he gets it he would become the director and of course that would extend our time in Kuala Lumpur, I also suspect it would require more of his time and right now I'm feeling selfish because of a crisis that happened at one of the warehouses I haven't seen too much of him lately. He is trying very hard to not make me feel neglected but I know he has to do what he has to do and I'm fortunate to have some friends to help occupy my time as well as the dogs. Speaking of the dogs, Oso has really taken a liking to Sox, I mean REALLY taken a liking to Sox, like in a boyfriend-boyfriend kind of way. I had to separate them for a couple of days and now I think the worst is over but poor Oso has an appointment this weekend so we can strip him of his manhood. Til next time...
Sunday, August 24, 2008
Sunday August, 24, 2008
It's a nice, cool, Sunday evening and we just finished watching the closing ceremonies of the Olympic games. The games is one of the reasons why I haven't posted in a while, we've been watching quite a bit. The satellite company here Astro developed 10 interactive channels specifically for the event. There is a red button on the remote control and if you pressed that twice then you would get a screen showing all the events taking place and then you can select the one you want to watch full screen. It was pretty cool especially since we're on the same time zone as Beijing. I don't think I've ever watched this much Olympic coverage in my life. Even though the Chinese dominated the games it was full of drama as well.
We haven't really been up to anything special lately. Jim has been dealing with a crisis at work the last couple of weeks so I haven't really seen all that much of him. Sim was working in Penang, which is north of Kuala Lumpur all last week so I was without my homie until she returned on the weekend. That just leaves Mel, who I talk to on the phone at least once a day and text message constantly. I had a couple of doctor's appointments just for check ups on my diabetes and everything seems to be well in that respect. Friday night Sim spent the night after keeping me out late til 5 am, then Mel spent the night on Saturday after a relaxing evening at City Golf. Jim has met a group of Americans who play poker twice a month so he invited them to join him in a fantasy football league. No one here besides Americans understands the NFL and it's pointless to even try and explain it to them. To them it's all about the soccor or cricket field which I just can't seem to get into. I'm not sure yet what Jim is working on so somehow, some way we can see the games. It would be great if we could, it would be just weird going through September to February without it...
I have managed to book us a trip to Langkawi next month for Jim's birthday. It's one of the popular island destinations in Malaysia, and it's duty free so supposedly everything is cheap. Even thought we live in a tropical site, where we live it's mostly like a city built in the middle of the rainforest so I'm really excited about going to a beach where we can snorkel, jet ski, drink little cocktails with umbrellas hanging off them. Should be a good time. I've decided to board the dogs because of the last incident with a house sitter. It's worth it just to be able to come home and relax instead of cleaning and mopping for 5 hours.
My brother Nicholas who is in Baghdad has encountered his first casualty of the war. He lost his platoon sergeant this past week and I know it's really bothering him. I would like to ask everyone to continue to pray for his safety as well as his sanity. I know it can't be easy for him and he does hide it well. We all would just like to see all of our troops return home safely to their families. Thank you and God bless.
We haven't really been up to anything special lately. Jim has been dealing with a crisis at work the last couple of weeks so I haven't really seen all that much of him. Sim was working in Penang, which is north of Kuala Lumpur all last week so I was without my homie until she returned on the weekend. That just leaves Mel, who I talk to on the phone at least once a day and text message constantly. I had a couple of doctor's appointments just for check ups on my diabetes and everything seems to be well in that respect. Friday night Sim spent the night after keeping me out late til 5 am, then Mel spent the night on Saturday after a relaxing evening at City Golf. Jim has met a group of Americans who play poker twice a month so he invited them to join him in a fantasy football league. No one here besides Americans understands the NFL and it's pointless to even try and explain it to them. To them it's all about the soccor or cricket field which I just can't seem to get into. I'm not sure yet what Jim is working on so somehow, some way we can see the games. It would be great if we could, it would be just weird going through September to February without it...
I have managed to book us a trip to Langkawi next month for Jim's birthday. It's one of the popular island destinations in Malaysia, and it's duty free so supposedly everything is cheap. Even thought we live in a tropical site, where we live it's mostly like a city built in the middle of the rainforest so I'm really excited about going to a beach where we can snorkel, jet ski, drink little cocktails with umbrellas hanging off them. Should be a good time. I've decided to board the dogs because of the last incident with a house sitter. It's worth it just to be able to come home and relax instead of cleaning and mopping for 5 hours.
My brother Nicholas who is in Baghdad has encountered his first casualty of the war. He lost his platoon sergeant this past week and I know it's really bothering him. I would like to ask everyone to continue to pray for his safety as well as his sanity. I know it can't be easy for him and he does hide it well. We all would just like to see all of our troops return home safely to their families. Thank you and God bless.
Thursday, August 7, 2008
Thursday August 7, 2008
Well right now I am supposed to be grocery shopping but one of our afternoon downpours came so I find myself back in front of my computer. A few weeks ago Jim found a wi-fi connection that was great and I could use my laptop downstairs but alas! We've been discovered and blocked so I'm back to using the desktop upstairs. One day we will get our connection improved so in the mean time I'm still going to G&D if I need to make phone calls.
Last Friday was the 80's party at Finnegans. I invited Sim and Scott over to our house for dinner before we left and so we could all get dressed up in our costumes. Sim was indecisive as ever on what she should wear so I had to help her out. I gave her a corset and told her to wear her bra over it like Madonna. She was hesitant at first but she went for it and then decided to cover it all up with one of Jim's shirts tied in a knot. I went all out! Oversized shirt layered over a tank top, big white belt, headband, neon pink earrings, leggings, fishnet socks with ballerina shoes. I look ridiculous! But it was all in spirit for what was to come. Jim did the layered polo shirts with the collars stuck up complete with jeans rolled up at the bottom, suspenders, and a bandana wrapped around his wrist and sunglasses, very Corey Haim I must say. So off we go! We get there and the place is completely packed! We could barely walk through the crowd as we were looking for Melissa, one thing we did notice was that no one else was dressed up besides us and the staff! That just made me look more ridiculous. People were staring at us, especially Sim with her purple wig on, looking like we just stepped off of a spaceship. We made the best of it anyway.
Finnegans was having an air guitar competition and I sorta coaxed Jim and Sim into entering. They did pretty good, Jim pulled a muscle in his thigh, Sim stayed in rythmn and we all laughed. Jim came in 3rd place and received 300 ringitts worth of male spa services which he'll never use. The pub was so hot that we were all sweating through our costumes and going outside was no better. The winner of the air guitar contest was a guy who stripped completely naked in the pub! I was getting drinks for everyone and suddenly everyone started cheering and clapping so I turned around and all I saw was someone's ass on the dance floor! I ran over and lo and behold there was a naked guy. I missed it all! I'm really pissed because I videotaped Jim and Sim but after they were done is when I went to the bar. I think Jim would have won had the other guy not stripped down to his birthday suit but you can't argue with NAKED! I won first place for best dressed 80's person which means that I also got spa treatments that I will probably use since Sim has introduced me to 2 hour massages. She took me last weekend and it was great! The 2 hours went by so fast I didn't want it to end. Kinda weird though, the masseuse asked if I wanted my belly rubbed so I said yes, next thing I know she's rubbing my breasts and I'm thinking "That's not my belly!" but when in Malaysia...
So tonight we're all headed off to a restaurant called Rumours. Melissa like a mentioned is a PR manager for the Finnegans Group and Rumours is part of that. She is treating us all to dinner and drinks so she can take photos to put on the restaurant website. Imagine, me and Jim representing a place we've never been to! What if we hate the food? Are we supposed to smile and act like we're having a good time. I'm not worried because Scott and Sim are joining us along with Mel and Kenny and all of them are funny and we always have a good time. I'll let you know the website so everyone can see when it's published.
This weekend we are having "Girls Day Out". Me, Sim, and Mel ( I think from now on whenever I say "we" I'll be referring to the three mentioned because it's too long to type ) are going for breakfast on Saturday, then fish pedicures, then eyebrow threading and then up to City Golf. Sim and Mel have never been there and I think it would be a good place for them to meet guys. Yes, I'm playing match maker, there's no reason why Jim and I should be the only fun couple in the bunch and Scott's wife works in Saudi Arabia so she can't very well join us. If it happens, great then I can take credit for it, if not then at least we can have another good time!!
Last Friday was the 80's party at Finnegans. I invited Sim and Scott over to our house for dinner before we left and so we could all get dressed up in our costumes. Sim was indecisive as ever on what she should wear so I had to help her out. I gave her a corset and told her to wear her bra over it like Madonna. She was hesitant at first but she went for it and then decided to cover it all up with one of Jim's shirts tied in a knot. I went all out! Oversized shirt layered over a tank top, big white belt, headband, neon pink earrings, leggings, fishnet socks with ballerina shoes. I look ridiculous! But it was all in spirit for what was to come. Jim did the layered polo shirts with the collars stuck up complete with jeans rolled up at the bottom, suspenders, and a bandana wrapped around his wrist and sunglasses, very Corey Haim I must say. So off we go! We get there and the place is completely packed! We could barely walk through the crowd as we were looking for Melissa, one thing we did notice was that no one else was dressed up besides us and the staff! That just made me look more ridiculous. People were staring at us, especially Sim with her purple wig on, looking like we just stepped off of a spaceship. We made the best of it anyway.
Finnegans was having an air guitar competition and I sorta coaxed Jim and Sim into entering. They did pretty good, Jim pulled a muscle in his thigh, Sim stayed in rythmn and we all laughed. Jim came in 3rd place and received 300 ringitts worth of male spa services which he'll never use. The pub was so hot that we were all sweating through our costumes and going outside was no better. The winner of the air guitar contest was a guy who stripped completely naked in the pub! I was getting drinks for everyone and suddenly everyone started cheering and clapping so I turned around and all I saw was someone's ass on the dance floor! I ran over and lo and behold there was a naked guy. I missed it all! I'm really pissed because I videotaped Jim and Sim but after they were done is when I went to the bar. I think Jim would have won had the other guy not stripped down to his birthday suit but you can't argue with NAKED! I won first place for best dressed 80's person which means that I also got spa treatments that I will probably use since Sim has introduced me to 2 hour massages. She took me last weekend and it was great! The 2 hours went by so fast I didn't want it to end. Kinda weird though, the masseuse asked if I wanted my belly rubbed so I said yes, next thing I know she's rubbing my breasts and I'm thinking "That's not my belly!" but when in Malaysia...
So tonight we're all headed off to a restaurant called Rumours. Melissa like a mentioned is a PR manager for the Finnegans Group and Rumours is part of that. She is treating us all to dinner and drinks so she can take photos to put on the restaurant website. Imagine, me and Jim representing a place we've never been to! What if we hate the food? Are we supposed to smile and act like we're having a good time. I'm not worried because Scott and Sim are joining us along with Mel and Kenny and all of them are funny and we always have a good time. I'll let you know the website so everyone can see when it's published.
This weekend we are having "Girls Day Out". Me, Sim, and Mel ( I think from now on whenever I say "we" I'll be referring to the three mentioned because it's too long to type ) are going for breakfast on Saturday, then fish pedicures, then eyebrow threading and then up to City Golf. Sim and Mel have never been there and I think it would be a good place for them to meet guys. Yes, I'm playing match maker, there's no reason why Jim and I should be the only fun couple in the bunch and Scott's wife works in Saudi Arabia so she can't very well join us. If it happens, great then I can take credit for it, if not then at least we can have another good time!!
Thursday, July 31, 2008
Friday August 1, 2008
Sorry for the delay on my most recent post but lately Jim and I have had a full social calendar. It all started when my friend Sim got a part-time job as an MC doing pub trivia. So last Wednesday was her audition and she needed support so me and Jim joined her at a pub in the Village called Ronnie Q's. It's definitely an expat bar with a mix of foreigners from all over. We have been here before on the night we did our own pub crawl. Sim was nervous but she got through it and was hired.
Jim has a colleague that used to work for DHL named Sanjay and his boss is American, also from Chicago, so Sanjay thought it would be good idea to introduce us. We had dinner with John and his wife Christen on Saturday. They seemed like a nice couple and we enjoyed ourselves. The highlight of the evening for Jim was when John mentioned that he plays poker twice a month with a group of other Americans. We had dinner at La Bodega and then drinks at Finnegans both in the Village. Later after we parted ways we stopped by a club called Absolute Chemistry. I have several pages on the web like MySpace, Facebook, and Tagged and I met a DJ on one of them. Well I didn't meet him on the internet, I actually met him at Sim's birthday party. Since then he sends me updates about various clubs that he spins at so that's how we ended up at Absolute. It's mainly an Indian club, me and Jim were the only non-Indian in the place. Kris ( the dj ) plays pretty good music and he even sent a shout out to us when we first got there. Funny thing is, while we were sitting there several men kept coming up to Jim and introducing themselves. I'm not sure why, it may be because Kris said Jim was with DHL, but they kept buying him drinks and one even sent over nachos to him. I almost thought we may have been in a gay bar all the attention they were giving him. Later on we went closer to home and ended the night up at City Golf which seems to be our new hangout over George and Dragon. G&D just isn't the same since Sim quit, and while we were up at City Golf, a girl named Kat who we've seen there before invited us to a Facebook mingle they were having on Tuesday.
So then Tuesday rolled around and in the meantime I had been communicating with Kat on Facebook so I was looking forward to the event. Normally City Golf is where Jim hangs out and occasionally I'll join him but now that I've made some friends there I can go hangout without him. The mingle was held there so I got to meet some new people and before I knew it I looked up and Jim had gone home without me! I was too busy running my mouth that I didn't notice that he said goodbye.
Wednesday I went back down to Ronnie Q's to keep Sim company. Her new boss wants things done a certain way so he told her that she was just to observe instead of MC so we took it as an opportunity to drink and hangout. He wasn't too happy that we were socializing more than paying attention to him but we didn't care. Our friend Scott joined us which was great because we have never hung out with him outside of G&D ( he's the head chef there ). We took some photos which I will put up but we really had a good time and before we knew it we were one of the few people left in the pub.
Thursday night I went to Finnegans in Sri Hartamas because Sim was working trivia plus I wanted to hang out with Melissa. I think I've mentioned her before, she is like the PR manager of Finnegans and G&D and really funny! We just click. Jim had received an email from John that there was a poker game going on so of course he jumped at the chance to play. He didn't do so well but now at least he has something to look forward to twice a month. He is thinking of getting poker table custom made and having his own poker night. Plus this group is mostly Americans so now we can mingle with other expats. Finnegans was fun, me and Mel partnered up to answer the questions and we cheated a couple of rounds but in the end we won the bonus round only because I recognized the questions from one of the nights at Ronnie Q's.
I also finally got to go and get the fish pedicure I've been talking about. I was shopping in the Village for something 80's like because there is a party tonight at Finnegans commerating their 8th anniversary. I had a little time on my hands so I went to the spa. I was the only customer there. I washed my feet and legs and dipped them in the pool and the fish came right for me! I was creeped out at first especially by the bigger fish, it kinda tickled but mostly creeped me out because fish are chewing at the dead skin on your feet and legs. The lady in the spa suggested a get a magazine so I couldn't see them and that did the trick. After about 5 min. it felt like jacuzzi bubbles on my legs but really fish. I'll probably go back again because it does make your feet soft and it feels better than a pedicure, I still have to paint my own toes. Maybe I'll suggest that they add a manicurist.
So that's been my life the last week and like I said tonight is the 80's party plus Sim is sleeping over so who knows what we'll end up doing tomorrow. I'm going to try to get her to go to Absolute Chemistry so I can attempt to hook her up with Kris the DJ, it all depends on what condition we make it home in tonight. I'll take photos and put them up next time. Check you all out later!!
Jim has a colleague that used to work for DHL named Sanjay and his boss is American, also from Chicago, so Sanjay thought it would be good idea to introduce us. We had dinner with John and his wife Christen on Saturday. They seemed like a nice couple and we enjoyed ourselves. The highlight of the evening for Jim was when John mentioned that he plays poker twice a month with a group of other Americans. We had dinner at La Bodega and then drinks at Finnegans both in the Village. Later after we parted ways we stopped by a club called Absolute Chemistry. I have several pages on the web like MySpace, Facebook, and Tagged and I met a DJ on one of them. Well I didn't meet him on the internet, I actually met him at Sim's birthday party. Since then he sends me updates about various clubs that he spins at so that's how we ended up at Absolute. It's mainly an Indian club, me and Jim were the only non-Indian in the place. Kris ( the dj ) plays pretty good music and he even sent a shout out to us when we first got there. Funny thing is, while we were sitting there several men kept coming up to Jim and introducing themselves. I'm not sure why, it may be because Kris said Jim was with DHL, but they kept buying him drinks and one even sent over nachos to him. I almost thought we may have been in a gay bar all the attention they were giving him. Later on we went closer to home and ended the night up at City Golf which seems to be our new hangout over George and Dragon. G&D just isn't the same since Sim quit, and while we were up at City Golf, a girl named Kat who we've seen there before invited us to a Facebook mingle they were having on Tuesday.
So then Tuesday rolled around and in the meantime I had been communicating with Kat on Facebook so I was looking forward to the event. Normally City Golf is where Jim hangs out and occasionally I'll join him but now that I've made some friends there I can go hangout without him. The mingle was held there so I got to meet some new people and before I knew it I looked up and Jim had gone home without me! I was too busy running my mouth that I didn't notice that he said goodbye.
Wednesday I went back down to Ronnie Q's to keep Sim company. Her new boss wants things done a certain way so he told her that she was just to observe instead of MC so we took it as an opportunity to drink and hangout. He wasn't too happy that we were socializing more than paying attention to him but we didn't care. Our friend Scott joined us which was great because we have never hung out with him outside of G&D ( he's the head chef there ). We took some photos which I will put up but we really had a good time and before we knew it we were one of the few people left in the pub.
Thursday night I went to Finnegans in Sri Hartamas because Sim was working trivia plus I wanted to hang out with Melissa. I think I've mentioned her before, she is like the PR manager of Finnegans and G&D and really funny! We just click. Jim had received an email from John that there was a poker game going on so of course he jumped at the chance to play. He didn't do so well but now at least he has something to look forward to twice a month. He is thinking of getting poker table custom made and having his own poker night. Plus this group is mostly Americans so now we can mingle with other expats. Finnegans was fun, me and Mel partnered up to answer the questions and we cheated a couple of rounds but in the end we won the bonus round only because I recognized the questions from one of the nights at Ronnie Q's.
I also finally got to go and get the fish pedicure I've been talking about. I was shopping in the Village for something 80's like because there is a party tonight at Finnegans commerating their 8th anniversary. I had a little time on my hands so I went to the spa. I was the only customer there. I washed my feet and legs and dipped them in the pool and the fish came right for me! I was creeped out at first especially by the bigger fish, it kinda tickled but mostly creeped me out because fish are chewing at the dead skin on your feet and legs. The lady in the spa suggested a get a magazine so I couldn't see them and that did the trick. After about 5 min. it felt like jacuzzi bubbles on my legs but really fish. I'll probably go back again because it does make your feet soft and it feels better than a pedicure, I still have to paint my own toes. Maybe I'll suggest that they add a manicurist.
So that's been my life the last week and like I said tonight is the 80's party plus Sim is sleeping over so who knows what we'll end up doing tomorrow. I'm going to try to get her to go to Absolute Chemistry so I can attempt to hook her up with Kris the DJ, it all depends on what condition we make it home in tonight. I'll take photos and put them up next time. Check you all out later!!
Thursday, July 24, 2008
Thursday July 24, 2008
Well we returned from Hong Kong on Sunday and I admit I have been a little lazy since we got home. It usually takes me a few days to get adjusted once I've been on a trip. I like to say " I need a vacation from my vacation!" We really enjoyed ourselves and tried to see as much of the city as possible. Jim was fortunate enough that his business portion of our trip was short so he got to spend a lot of time with me when originally I thought I would be sightseeing mostly on my own. We arrived on Wednesday, early in the evening. We decided that we would not hire a driver or rent a car because we heard so much about how reliable the Hong Kong public transportation is. We took a train from the airport which took us to the central subway station in downtown Hong Kong. We then transferred to a different line which took us directly outside of our hotel. It was very simple and easy to figure out how to get around so we purchased public ride cards or Octopus cards as they call them which gave us unlimited rides for the duration of our trip. Along the way I picked up pamphlets and maps so I could plan for the days I thought I would be going it alone.
Thursday morning I booked a couple of tours for me and Jim to take. Whenever we go to a different city I find that this is the best way to decide what you want to do. They take you different places and you can always go back if you want to spend more time at a paticular place. In my subway card packet there was a pamphlet highlighting places you could ride the train to so my first excursion out was to Lantau Island to see Ng Ping Village, the Po Lin Monastery and the World's largest outdoor seated bronze Buddha. The subway in all it's simplicity and efficiency is very interesting particularly the hoards of people walking through. Picture if you would a cartoon where people are going to and from work, walking in step, and singing a song, yet being quiet. I took the blue line out to Lantau where I had to ride a cable car to get up to the mountain. I met a family from Wisconsin on the way. It's funny, when you don't live in the States you can definitely hear an American accent. Even though they were going to the same place as me, I just had a short conversation with them and ventured out by myself. The cable car ride took about 25 minutes to get to the top and along the way you can see all the outlying islands, skyscrapers, the China Sea...really beautiful! And just when you thought the view couldn't get any better, there perched on top of a mountain is the massive Buddha. There's nothing else around it, no cities, no residential neighborhoods, just the monastery and the village which is more like a strip mall with stores and restaurants whose sole purpose for being there is to cater to the tourist coming up to see Buddha.
I stopped and had lunch in a Chinese restaurant ( I'm trying to get as much practice as I can with the chopsticks ) and then I walked through the village where I bought a Chinese hat and some fortune telling sticks, then I made my way to Buddha. I thought for sure there would be an easy way to see it but NOPE!! Just like at the Batu Caves in Kuala Lumpur, standing before me is a half mile of steps. I almost didn't go up but figured I was there so I might as well. Good thing this time is that there were no wild monkeys along the way. At the top was Buddha and six demi-gods giving offerings to him. Below and inside the buddha was information on how and why it was built and of course gift shops. It was a great view of the mountains and sea from up there but after a while the clouds started rolling in and I figured I'd better start making my way back down in case it was going to rain. I went to the Po Lin Monastery next where I toured the prayer halls and watched people buy and burn incense as offerings to the many gods for answers to their prayers. Needless to say, the entire area was very fragrant and smoky. I saw Monks doing Tai Chi but felt it would have been disrespectful to take a picture of them, so I didn't. It was getting late so I headed back to the hotel to meet Jim and have some dinner. Every night in Victoria Harbor they have a light show at 8 pm so we went to the rooftop to watch and found ourselves very disappointed. I mean it's cool to see all of the skyscrapers light up and shoot off lasers but the hype that is built up around the nightly event is grossly exaggerated.
The next day I couldn't decide if I wanted to go to Ocean Park to see the Pandas or to the Central District which is the financial hub of Hong Kong to see the world's longest outdoor escalator. I opted for the escalator. Just as I was about to leave, Jim returned to the hotel and said that he was done with work so he could go with me. Once again we took the subway and walked a few blocks until we found the travelator. It's 800 meters long and was built for the residents because it sits on a steep hill which can be tiresome if you had to walk back and forth each day. It isn't one continuous escalator, it's made up of about 20 different ones with stops along the way so you can get on or off at different points. Also from 6 am to 10 am it only runs downhill, from 10 am to midnight it only runs uphill, so once you get to the top you have to walk back down. This is to accomodate the times people are going or returning home from work. This is also where we came across Soho. Jim found a tavern called Cochrane's so since it was past noon we stopped for a beer. As I was reading the menu I noticed all the mugs hanging from the ceiling and asked what they were for. I was told they were members of the Painkiller's Club. If you drink this cocktail made with some british rum, coconut milk, brandy, and some juice then you're in the club. So I figured why not? Jim bailed out, the drink wasn't all that bad but it was d-efinitely strong so I just drank it as fast as I could while holding my breath so I couldn't smell it. Now I have a mug and a membership card which entitles me to a 10 % discount on purchases anytime I'm in Cochrane's in Soho. I bought a couple of dresses and then we headed towards the harbor because we signed up for a night cruise with the feature being the Symphony of Lights light show which I already mentioned.
The cruise boat was in an old Chinese theme and served unlimited drinks (woo hoo!!). It sailed Victoria Harbor from Kowloon Island to Hong Kong Island. The best part was just looking at the shorelines of both islands. I told Angela that if the inside of a tv was a city, it would look like Hong Kong. All of the neon lights and skyscrapers boasting every name in electronics imaginable, plus all the signs for the Olympics. Hong Kong is the co-host for the games with Beijing, they're hosting the equestrian portion. There is so little land mass, it's hard to believe that 7 million people live here until you go into the subway, which explains all of the high-rise buildings. You can only own a house here unless you're rich and then you have to live up in the mountains. The average size of an apartment is 800 sq/ft and that's for a family of 5 imagine that? On the cruise we met a brother/sister from Australia and hit it off right away. We talked so much that we didn't notice the boat dock to let the passengers off and then leave with us still on board! The crew wouldn't turn around to take us back so we had to ride to the other side of the harbor and then take a separate ferry boat back. The crew acted like it happened all the time, maybe because of the unlimited cocktails. We invited our new friends to have dinner with us ( I can't remember their names...go figure!) and talked and laughed until late where we said goodbye. They are planning on being in Kuala Lumpur next week so we gave them our info so we could get together and show them around. After that me and Jim went back to the hotel and passed out.
The next day we signed up for an all day tour that covered land and sea. Little did we know that our first stop of the morning was the same cruise that we took the night before. The morning cruise did not offer unlimited cocktails but it was a little longer than before. It went through a couple of typhoon shelters for the fisherman and also we got to witness the tiniest cannon blast ever. We spent almost 2 hours on the boat this time and we did get off when we were supposed to. After that we had chinese dim sum lunch at the Hong Kong Cultural Center. It was 8 courses and surprisingly Jim liked everything except dessert and any dumpling that had green color in it. From there we got on a tour bus which stopped at other hotels to pick up more passengers and then we all headed off to Victoria Peak. It is the highest point in Hong Kong and named after Queen Victoria ( for those who didn't know, at one time the area was part of the Briitish colonies ). From there you can see everything! It is really beautiful up there but we could only spend 20 minutes there and then it was back on the bus. After that we went to the Aberdeen Fishing Village where for centuries fisherman have lived on their boats called a samban with their families, dogs, cats, whatever. Even now they still live on the boats but some have washers, satellite tv, and little outdoor patios. We paid a fisherman to take us out on his samban around the village where we also got to see the Jumbo Restaurant. It's a huge floating restaurant that can seat 3000 people at one time. Several movies have featured the place including the upcoming Batman movie. We could have eaten there but didn't have enough time left in our trip to get a reservation. From the fishing village we got back on the bus and drove by Repulse Bay which is named after a naval vessel that docked there throughout the Japanese occupation of Hong Kong. That part wasn't really all that interesting considering the bus never stopped, we just drove by. The last part of the tour was the Stanley Market, a street bazaar selling all kinds of goods from clothes to purses to sunglasses. Me and Jim walked around and shopped a bit and decided that we would not take the tour bus back to the hotel we would just hang out and grab some dinner. Jim wanted to watch a rugby match so we walked along the bay walk where there were several restaurants and pubs. Of course the one place that was showing the game was packed and we got in just in time because shortly after we sat down it started pouring outside. Since we were right on the water and the restaurant was open-aired, the restaurant got more packed as people were trying to move from the outside to the inside. I started to get a little crabby but I calmed down after I got some gumbo in me. So after dinner we went back to Kowloon to our hotel and prepared for our trip home the next day.
We took the subway back to the airport. One thing that I really appreciated was something called in-town check in. We could check our luggage and get our boarding passes from downtown Hong Kong, a 28 minute train ride away from the airport. It was very convenient, definitely a great idea. We got back home and our boys were happy to see us. I did have some mopping to do because my house smelled like dogs. So hope you all like the photos we are happy to be home. Hong Kong is a little too crowded for my tastes but I would definitely go back to do some shopping!!
Thursday morning I booked a couple of tours for me and Jim to take. Whenever we go to a different city I find that this is the best way to decide what you want to do. They take you different places and you can always go back if you want to spend more time at a paticular place. In my subway card packet there was a pamphlet highlighting places you could ride the train to so my first excursion out was to Lantau Island to see Ng Ping Village, the Po Lin Monastery and the World's largest outdoor seated bronze Buddha. The subway in all it's simplicity and efficiency is very interesting particularly the hoards of people walking through. Picture if you would a cartoon where people are going to and from work, walking in step, and singing a song, yet being quiet. I took the blue line out to Lantau where I had to ride a cable car to get up to the mountain. I met a family from Wisconsin on the way. It's funny, when you don't live in the States you can definitely hear an American accent. Even though they were going to the same place as me, I just had a short conversation with them and ventured out by myself. The cable car ride took about 25 minutes to get to the top and along the way you can see all the outlying islands, skyscrapers, the China Sea...really beautiful! And just when you thought the view couldn't get any better, there perched on top of a mountain is the massive Buddha. There's nothing else around it, no cities, no residential neighborhoods, just the monastery and the village which is more like a strip mall with stores and restaurants whose sole purpose for being there is to cater to the tourist coming up to see Buddha.
I stopped and had lunch in a Chinese restaurant ( I'm trying to get as much practice as I can with the chopsticks ) and then I walked through the village where I bought a Chinese hat and some fortune telling sticks, then I made my way to Buddha. I thought for sure there would be an easy way to see it but NOPE!! Just like at the Batu Caves in Kuala Lumpur, standing before me is a half mile of steps. I almost didn't go up but figured I was there so I might as well. Good thing this time is that there were no wild monkeys along the way. At the top was Buddha and six demi-gods giving offerings to him. Below and inside the buddha was information on how and why it was built and of course gift shops. It was a great view of the mountains and sea from up there but after a while the clouds started rolling in and I figured I'd better start making my way back down in case it was going to rain. I went to the Po Lin Monastery next where I toured the prayer halls and watched people buy and burn incense as offerings to the many gods for answers to their prayers. Needless to say, the entire area was very fragrant and smoky. I saw Monks doing Tai Chi but felt it would have been disrespectful to take a picture of them, so I didn't. It was getting late so I headed back to the hotel to meet Jim and have some dinner. Every night in Victoria Harbor they have a light show at 8 pm so we went to the rooftop to watch and found ourselves very disappointed. I mean it's cool to see all of the skyscrapers light up and shoot off lasers but the hype that is built up around the nightly event is grossly exaggerated.
The next day I couldn't decide if I wanted to go to Ocean Park to see the Pandas or to the Central District which is the financial hub of Hong Kong to see the world's longest outdoor escalator. I opted for the escalator. Just as I was about to leave, Jim returned to the hotel and said that he was done with work so he could go with me. Once again we took the subway and walked a few blocks until we found the travelator. It's 800 meters long and was built for the residents because it sits on a steep hill which can be tiresome if you had to walk back and forth each day. It isn't one continuous escalator, it's made up of about 20 different ones with stops along the way so you can get on or off at different points. Also from 6 am to 10 am it only runs downhill, from 10 am to midnight it only runs uphill, so once you get to the top you have to walk back down. This is to accomodate the times people are going or returning home from work. This is also where we came across Soho. Jim found a tavern called Cochrane's so since it was past noon we stopped for a beer. As I was reading the menu I noticed all the mugs hanging from the ceiling and asked what they were for. I was told they were members of the Painkiller's Club. If you drink this cocktail made with some british rum, coconut milk, brandy, and some juice then you're in the club. So I figured why not? Jim bailed out, the drink wasn't all that bad but it was d-efinitely strong so I just drank it as fast as I could while holding my breath so I couldn't smell it. Now I have a mug and a membership card which entitles me to a 10 % discount on purchases anytime I'm in Cochrane's in Soho. I bought a couple of dresses and then we headed towards the harbor because we signed up for a night cruise with the feature being the Symphony of Lights light show which I already mentioned.
The cruise boat was in an old Chinese theme and served unlimited drinks (woo hoo!!). It sailed Victoria Harbor from Kowloon Island to Hong Kong Island. The best part was just looking at the shorelines of both islands. I told Angela that if the inside of a tv was a city, it would look like Hong Kong. All of the neon lights and skyscrapers boasting every name in electronics imaginable, plus all the signs for the Olympics. Hong Kong is the co-host for the games with Beijing, they're hosting the equestrian portion. There is so little land mass, it's hard to believe that 7 million people live here until you go into the subway, which explains all of the high-rise buildings. You can only own a house here unless you're rich and then you have to live up in the mountains. The average size of an apartment is 800 sq/ft and that's for a family of 5 imagine that? On the cruise we met a brother/sister from Australia and hit it off right away. We talked so much that we didn't notice the boat dock to let the passengers off and then leave with us still on board! The crew wouldn't turn around to take us back so we had to ride to the other side of the harbor and then take a separate ferry boat back. The crew acted like it happened all the time, maybe because of the unlimited cocktails. We invited our new friends to have dinner with us ( I can't remember their names...go figure!) and talked and laughed until late where we said goodbye. They are planning on being in Kuala Lumpur next week so we gave them our info so we could get together and show them around. After that me and Jim went back to the hotel and passed out.
The next day we signed up for an all day tour that covered land and sea. Little did we know that our first stop of the morning was the same cruise that we took the night before. The morning cruise did not offer unlimited cocktails but it was a little longer than before. It went through a couple of typhoon shelters for the fisherman and also we got to witness the tiniest cannon blast ever. We spent almost 2 hours on the boat this time and we did get off when we were supposed to. After that we had chinese dim sum lunch at the Hong Kong Cultural Center. It was 8 courses and surprisingly Jim liked everything except dessert and any dumpling that had green color in it. From there we got on a tour bus which stopped at other hotels to pick up more passengers and then we all headed off to Victoria Peak. It is the highest point in Hong Kong and named after Queen Victoria ( for those who didn't know, at one time the area was part of the Briitish colonies ). From there you can see everything! It is really beautiful up there but we could only spend 20 minutes there and then it was back on the bus. After that we went to the Aberdeen Fishing Village where for centuries fisherman have lived on their boats called a samban with their families, dogs, cats, whatever. Even now they still live on the boats but some have washers, satellite tv, and little outdoor patios. We paid a fisherman to take us out on his samban around the village where we also got to see the Jumbo Restaurant. It's a huge floating restaurant that can seat 3000 people at one time. Several movies have featured the place including the upcoming Batman movie. We could have eaten there but didn't have enough time left in our trip to get a reservation. From the fishing village we got back on the bus and drove by Repulse Bay which is named after a naval vessel that docked there throughout the Japanese occupation of Hong Kong. That part wasn't really all that interesting considering the bus never stopped, we just drove by. The last part of the tour was the Stanley Market, a street bazaar selling all kinds of goods from clothes to purses to sunglasses. Me and Jim walked around and shopped a bit and decided that we would not take the tour bus back to the hotel we would just hang out and grab some dinner. Jim wanted to watch a rugby match so we walked along the bay walk where there were several restaurants and pubs. Of course the one place that was showing the game was packed and we got in just in time because shortly after we sat down it started pouring outside. Since we were right on the water and the restaurant was open-aired, the restaurant got more packed as people were trying to move from the outside to the inside. I started to get a little crabby but I calmed down after I got some gumbo in me. So after dinner we went back to Kowloon to our hotel and prepared for our trip home the next day.
We took the subway back to the airport. One thing that I really appreciated was something called in-town check in. We could check our luggage and get our boarding passes from downtown Hong Kong, a 28 minute train ride away from the airport. It was very convenient, definitely a great idea. We got back home and our boys were happy to see us. I did have some mopping to do because my house smelled like dogs. So hope you all like the photos we are happy to be home. Hong Kong is a little too crowded for my tastes but I would definitely go back to do some shopping!!
Sunday, July 13, 2008
Monday July 14, 2008
Well, it's Monday again and so begins another week of cleaning, ironing, laundry and pet training. Sox so far has turned out to be a wonderful pet. Only 10 weeks old and he has already grasped the idea of being house-trained. After the first day of taking him outside to do his business we found that if we let him loose downstairs with the patio door open he would go out on his own when the urge hit him. And so far there have been no accidents in the house. He is having some issues with walking on a leash. Every night we usually take Oso for a walk and we're trying to get Sox used to this but when we put the leash on him, he'll just lay down in the street. If you take it off he'll happily follow you around the block usually with no problems. He's also mastered how to get up the 3 stairs from the living room to the dining room but getting back down seems to be a problem, we are working on that. At night he sleeps in his little apartment downstairs with no barking and no accidents so we're really happy with the way things are going. Oso on the other hand came down with something and on Saturday we had to take him to the vet because he vomited like 8 times and was being completely unsociable hiding under our bed. The office is right down the street and we didn't need an appointment. When we got there the doctor was finishing up with some bunnies and then it was our turn, we were surprised there wasn't a longer wait. But the vet drew some blood and performed the lab work himself while we waited and then he gave Oso some medicine to stop the vomiting. The cost very cheap too about 140 ringitts ( $45 U.S. )You'd never be able to have lab work done and a visit for that cheap back home. He seems to be doing a lot better now and is even starting to tolerate Sox jumping all over him. Oso won't however allow Sox to come under the bed with him. It's like he tells Sox "Stay out! I don't go in your apartment, you're not allowed in my condo!"
W
So last week was the same old same old, nothing exciting going on. I didn't even spend that much time up at the mall. I've been going to the gym early in the morning with Jim. I find that if I do this I will go more often since he goes every morning before he goes to work. Otherwise I get up and keep putting it off and then I never go. I'm not sure yet if I like this gym yet. Since we've joined we've received several telemarketing calls from them trying to sell us personal trainer sessions and this morning as I was working on the ab machine one of the staff came over and tried to help me out. First of all I am not a morning person, anyone who knows me knows that untill I have a cup of coffee don't say anything to me. Second, if I wanted the advice of a trainer I would have taken advantage of the 2 free training sessions they gave me when we signed up. I just want to go, work out, and come home. I'm convinced that had I let the guy help me, he would have tried to sell me some sessions with him.
Sim stopped by yesterday since we haven't seen each other in a while because of her new job. I wasn't really in the mood for company since me and Jim had been out late the night before and all I wanted to do was lay in bed and order Chinese food. But I was glad to see her anyway plus she has agreed to house sit for us and watch the dogs when we go to Hong Kong on Wednesday. I am getting excited about going. Jim of course will have to work so I'll have 2 days to wander around the city all by myself. I'll probably sign up for a tour to get some ideas and then go back later to all the places I'd like to spend more time at. We have been to China before and enjoyed ourselves in Shanghai but I hear Hong Kong is totally different. I just have to make sure I keep an eye on my wallet and hope I don't have problems with the taxi drivers like I did in Shanghai. Supposedly if they take somewhere, on top of the regular fare some of them will try to charge you a fee so that they can return to where they picked you up at. If that happens to me I will have to learn about their subway system for other means of getting around. We will be gone Wednesday through Sunday so I probably won't write again until we get back and hopefully I will have some good stories to tell plus some new pictures.
Jim found a wireless internet connection at our house so now hopefully my phone calls will sound better than they have in the past. If not I have figured out how to forward my Skype calls to my cell phone so I don't miss anymore calls plus it sounds 100% better only bad thing is I can't do video calls on my cell phone. Hope everyone enjoys their week and I'll post again when we return from our trip.
W
So last week was the same old same old, nothing exciting going on. I didn't even spend that much time up at the mall. I've been going to the gym early in the morning with Jim. I find that if I do this I will go more often since he goes every morning before he goes to work. Otherwise I get up and keep putting it off and then I never go. I'm not sure yet if I like this gym yet. Since we've joined we've received several telemarketing calls from them trying to sell us personal trainer sessions and this morning as I was working on the ab machine one of the staff came over and tried to help me out. First of all I am not a morning person, anyone who knows me knows that untill I have a cup of coffee don't say anything to me. Second, if I wanted the advice of a trainer I would have taken advantage of the 2 free training sessions they gave me when we signed up. I just want to go, work out, and come home. I'm convinced that had I let the guy help me, he would have tried to sell me some sessions with him.
Sim stopped by yesterday since we haven't seen each other in a while because of her new job. I wasn't really in the mood for company since me and Jim had been out late the night before and all I wanted to do was lay in bed and order Chinese food. But I was glad to see her anyway plus she has agreed to house sit for us and watch the dogs when we go to Hong Kong on Wednesday. I am getting excited about going. Jim of course will have to work so I'll have 2 days to wander around the city all by myself. I'll probably sign up for a tour to get some ideas and then go back later to all the places I'd like to spend more time at. We have been to China before and enjoyed ourselves in Shanghai but I hear Hong Kong is totally different. I just have to make sure I keep an eye on my wallet and hope I don't have problems with the taxi drivers like I did in Shanghai. Supposedly if they take somewhere, on top of the regular fare some of them will try to charge you a fee so that they can return to where they picked you up at. If that happens to me I will have to learn about their subway system for other means of getting around. We will be gone Wednesday through Sunday so I probably won't write again until we get back and hopefully I will have some good stories to tell plus some new pictures.
Jim found a wireless internet connection at our house so now hopefully my phone calls will sound better than they have in the past. If not I have figured out how to forward my Skype calls to my cell phone so I don't miss anymore calls plus it sounds 100% better only bad thing is I can't do video calls on my cell phone. Hope everyone enjoys their week and I'll post again when we return from our trip.
Saturday, July 5, 2008
Sunday July 6, 2008
Hello, hello, hello! If you haven't seen our new son yet, scroll down a lil bit and meet Sox! I said before that I thought Oso needed a brother so sometime last week after leaving the gym I visited the pet store. There was Sox and his sister just as cute as pie! I fell in love immediately and when Peter, the store clerk took him out of his pen for me he just fell into my arms and showered me with kisses, an instant match. We had to wait a couple of days to bring him home because he is still young but we're really happy to have him all settled in now. He still has a long way to go as far as training goes like last night when we took Oso out for his walk, Sox wanted nothing to do with the leash, he would just lay down in the street until Jim picked him up. Eventually he'll start looking forward to walks just like Oso does. Oso is a little on the jealous side right now but only when he sees me holding or playing with Sox, he doesn't care if Jim holds Sox...Mamma's boy! I would have loved to take Sox's sister home with us too but Jim wasn't having it plus she's a girl. Anyway we are thrilled plus Jim is happy because Sox doesn't bark in the middle of the night, come to think of it, he doesn't bark much at all he just waddles around.
So this past weekend was the 4th of July and it was uneventful. Even though there are many Americans living here there was no advertised celebrations going on. I was a little disappointed, it's like celebrating your birthday by yourself: you want to be happy but there's no one around to share it with. Jim was on a business trip to East Malaysia and a friend of mine Melissa had invited me to go see a Doobie Brothers cover band in Bukit Bintang but by the time Jim got home he didn't feel like driving me so I watched a MTV marathon of Debbie does America. I did manage to have a couple of glasses of wine at Georges, like my own private celebration, and Jim went to City Golf and played on the simulator. I hope everyone else had a good time, I should have had the BBQ where I invited all my Muslim friends but I was afraid they would be scared of the dogs plus I really wanted pork ribs which is a no-no.
Earlier in the week we had dinner at Sim's to celebrate her new job. Yes she has resigned from Georges to get a real job. I'm happy for her but I must admit that I miss not being able to see her when I want. It was me and Jim, Sim's mom and grandparents, Melissa and Kenny ( guy we met on Sim's birthday) and a couple of Sim's mom's friends who are from Denmark. Sim did all the cooking and had a lot to say about her first day of work, mostly complaining about how no one was friendly. I could have told her that considering the number of unfriendly people I've met. We all had a good time plus I think me and Melissa hit it off well. I've met her before but we never really sat down and talked so this gave us the chance and we figured out that we really like each other. She is Chinese but she reminds me of the comedian Margaret Cho from the States, she's really funny. Ever since then we have been texting one another, she doesn't drive here either.
I did have a strange incident happen to me last week. I was at Georges, I think I was writing my last post, I was sitting outside and a man came up to me and asked if I would like to join him and his lady friend. I told him that when I was done writing, maybe, so I did. I can't remember his name but the lady was Brook and she was from Australia and had travelled throughout Asia. The conversation was pleasant enough but then it started getting weird. The guy kept saying to Brook "She's cute, isn't she?" referring to me, and they would look at each other like they were talking with their eyes in code. I started getting a bad vibe, and when Brook went to the bathroom I tried to keep the conversation going. I asked him a couple of questions and his response was very defensive like "Why are you interrogating me?" I apologized and explained that I didn't mean anything by my questions, I was just making conversation. I asked for my bill but the staff at Georges told me that the guy paid my bill. I hadn't ordered anything since coming to sit with them so I didn't think that it was right he picked up my tab so I insisted that he take my money which he took offense to. Finally, I put the money in his shirt pocket and told him to buy some shoes or something with it and they both laughed and he said "My shoes cost more than 120 ringitts", like I insulted him. I quickly said it nice meeting them and goodnight. My impression is this: I think they were swingers and were trying to pick me up. The next day Sim text me to tell me they were in the restaurant again asking for me. Hopefully I will not run into them again, I think it would be awkward.
So that has been my week and I feel pretty good about it, although going to the gym has made me ask myself if it's worth it considering how sore I am. But I really want to stop shopping in the plus size section. Probably won't happen considering I've never been a size 2 or 0 in my life!
So this past weekend was the 4th of July and it was uneventful. Even though there are many Americans living here there was no advertised celebrations going on. I was a little disappointed, it's like celebrating your birthday by yourself: you want to be happy but there's no one around to share it with. Jim was on a business trip to East Malaysia and a friend of mine Melissa had invited me to go see a Doobie Brothers cover band in Bukit Bintang but by the time Jim got home he didn't feel like driving me so I watched a MTV marathon of Debbie does America. I did manage to have a couple of glasses of wine at Georges, like my own private celebration, and Jim went to City Golf and played on the simulator. I hope everyone else had a good time, I should have had the BBQ where I invited all my Muslim friends but I was afraid they would be scared of the dogs plus I really wanted pork ribs which is a no-no.
Earlier in the week we had dinner at Sim's to celebrate her new job. Yes she has resigned from Georges to get a real job. I'm happy for her but I must admit that I miss not being able to see her when I want. It was me and Jim, Sim's mom and grandparents, Melissa and Kenny ( guy we met on Sim's birthday) and a couple of Sim's mom's friends who are from Denmark. Sim did all the cooking and had a lot to say about her first day of work, mostly complaining about how no one was friendly. I could have told her that considering the number of unfriendly people I've met. We all had a good time plus I think me and Melissa hit it off well. I've met her before but we never really sat down and talked so this gave us the chance and we figured out that we really like each other. She is Chinese but she reminds me of the comedian Margaret Cho from the States, she's really funny. Ever since then we have been texting one another, she doesn't drive here either.
I did have a strange incident happen to me last week. I was at Georges, I think I was writing my last post, I was sitting outside and a man came up to me and asked if I would like to join him and his lady friend. I told him that when I was done writing, maybe, so I did. I can't remember his name but the lady was Brook and she was from Australia and had travelled throughout Asia. The conversation was pleasant enough but then it started getting weird. The guy kept saying to Brook "She's cute, isn't she?" referring to me, and they would look at each other like they were talking with their eyes in code. I started getting a bad vibe, and when Brook went to the bathroom I tried to keep the conversation going. I asked him a couple of questions and his response was very defensive like "Why are you interrogating me?" I apologized and explained that I didn't mean anything by my questions, I was just making conversation. I asked for my bill but the staff at Georges told me that the guy paid my bill. I hadn't ordered anything since coming to sit with them so I didn't think that it was right he picked up my tab so I insisted that he take my money which he took offense to. Finally, I put the money in his shirt pocket and told him to buy some shoes or something with it and they both laughed and he said "My shoes cost more than 120 ringitts", like I insulted him. I quickly said it nice meeting them and goodnight. My impression is this: I think they were swingers and were trying to pick me up. The next day Sim text me to tell me they were in the restaurant again asking for me. Hopefully I will not run into them again, I think it would be awkward.
So that has been my week and I feel pretty good about it, although going to the gym has made me ask myself if it's worth it considering how sore I am. But I really want to stop shopping in the plus size section. Probably won't happen considering I've never been a size 2 or 0 in my life!
Sunday, June 29, 2008
Sunday June 29th, 2008
So I was all excited about my weekend and it was for nothing. I mean we were out and about but nothing special. Friday night I decided to something special for my husband since he finally bought our tv for the living room and Astro ( the one and only television provider in all of Malaysia...talk about a monopoly!) came out to the house and hooked up our service. By the way, the reason it took so long for us to get a television for our living room is because Jim is in charge of the LG warehouse and they promised him a discount by buying direct from them, so it took about 2 months for them to provide a list of models we could choose from and then Jim had to comparison shop in the mall for the best deal. Once he paid them, they delivered the tv right to him and he brought it home in the back of his HOOPTie ( that's what I'm calling it now since it's been in the shop more times than I've been to the doctor. ) While the installers were in the house I had them move our other tv from the guest bedroom to our master bedroom ( don't worry if we get a good deal on an extra tv we still have the wiring in that room so our guests can watch tv.) but when I asked them to do the extra work, the installation fee damn near tripled! It was a flat rate for the extra decoder box and then to move the box we already had that cost twice as much and then for some reason because the tv downstairs is larger, it needed a lightning bolt protection something or other which was about the same price as moving our original satellite box. Of course since the installer was an independent contractor he wanted cash but I wasn't expecting all of the additional costs so while they were doing there work I ran up to mall to use the ATM just to find that both machines ( only 2 in the entire mall ) were out of order so I had to forge my husband's signature on a check. Hopefully it will not bounce considering the episode of the stolen check from our wallet. So anyway, that was the long version, the short version is I made Jim lasagna and brownies for his reward and later on Friday night I came up to George's to visit with Sim. Exciting...huh?
So Saturday came and instead of waiting until Sunday, Jim went up to City Golf for a couple of hours. I was planning on meeting him up there but after I did some laundry and cooked my new favorite ramen noodle dish I was full and sleepy so I took a nap. When I woke up, for no reason at all I was irritated, I don't know if it's because when I walked around the house I could tell what room Jim had been in, or the construction noises that are continuous around our house or if Oso's barking at all the noise was bothering me, but needless to say I wasn't in the greatest of moods and Jim knew right away to tread carefully around me. He suggested we go to Outback for dinner down in the Village since we haven't been there yet. Their menu is slightly different than the restaurants in the States, like instead of real bacon they serve beef bacon which totally changes the flavor of the food. And as usual when we ordered soup and salad to start with, they brought everything out at the same time. The odd thing was while we were eating dinner we could hear like a flock of birds above us and all of a sudden one fell from the trees smack into the pavement. At first I didn't pay it any attention until I noticed that it didn't get up and fly away. It's back was turned to me and for a moment it looked like it was headless but Jim pointed out that it probably broke its neck when it fell and that's why its head was at an awkward position. Since it fell on the pathway leading up the entrance of Bangsar Village mall a security guard came over with a piece of plastic and picked it up and threw it into some bushes. I felt so bad for the bird and even after we finished dinner, went to Dinty's and shot some pool, checked out a gym ( which we joined, for some reason Jim has put on 7 lbs since we moved into our house, I think it's from eating curry for lunch.) the bird was still on the sidewalk fluttering about trying to fly away while a kitten was stalking nearby. So sad, if I had the heart I would have put it out of it's misery.
So now it's Sunday and we awoke to a very gloomy, overcast day. It's been raining off and on all day. We did manage to make it to Mid-Valley mall ( the location of my robbery) because I needed a vacumn cleaner. I've decided that my house is too big to try and sweep everyday considering that Oso sheds and it's a pain in the butt to try to get it all up. Jim also decided that I need wireless headphones for the tv downstairs. Because our house is made up mostly of concrete, marble and tile floors, there is an echo through the house and when I came home from George's the other night he could hear the Asian Food Channel upstairs as though he was watching it in our bedroom. The cool thing about the mall is the parking garages, they have car washes in the parking garage so while you shop your car is getting cleaned and afterwards they will park it for you...pretty cool, why hasn't anyone in the States thought of this? I also bought a new Ipod since I can't find my other one, which makes me angry because Jim gave it to me for a birthday present and had it engraved. Hopefully I will be able to transfer my music library into the new device. Jim also got his hair cut and the place we went to was definitely a first for us. It advertised a haircut for 13 Ringitt in 13 minutes. When you walked in there was a machine that you fed your money into, much like a change machine, once you did that you received a ticket and you sat on a sensored bench. Depending on the number of people waiting for a haircut, there was a traffic light that signaled the wait time. If the light was green, it meant that your wait time was nothing. If the light was yellow, you'll have to wait 5-10 min. If the light was red, your wait time was 15 min. or more. If you didn't purchase a ticket you couldn't sit on the bench because then you would throw off the wait time which was displayed in the window of the salon for other customers to see passing by. They even advertised an air wash shampoo system which was basically them applying a vacumn cleaner to your head to get rid of all the cut hairs. Great idea for a salon especially for customers like Jim who just want to get their hair cut, no conversation, no shampoo ( he doesn't appreciate the neck massages like I do ) and get the heck out of there. I wish I would have brought my camera, I'm sure he'll go back next time he needs a haircut.
After that we came home, went to George's because I thought Sim was working but she wasn't ( She called in on a family emergency which was taking her mom to see Beauty and the Beast on ice.), Jim went home early and I talked to some of my family because I've been out of touch for a while because of my internet connections. So I am attempting to write as frequently as I was before but don't get your hopes up, I've just been inspired lately and I hate to disappoint.
So Saturday came and instead of waiting until Sunday, Jim went up to City Golf for a couple of hours. I was planning on meeting him up there but after I did some laundry and cooked my new favorite ramen noodle dish I was full and sleepy so I took a nap. When I woke up, for no reason at all I was irritated, I don't know if it's because when I walked around the house I could tell what room Jim had been in, or the construction noises that are continuous around our house or if Oso's barking at all the noise was bothering me, but needless to say I wasn't in the greatest of moods and Jim knew right away to tread carefully around me. He suggested we go to Outback for dinner down in the Village since we haven't been there yet. Their menu is slightly different than the restaurants in the States, like instead of real bacon they serve beef bacon which totally changes the flavor of the food. And as usual when we ordered soup and salad to start with, they brought everything out at the same time. The odd thing was while we were eating dinner we could hear like a flock of birds above us and all of a sudden one fell from the trees smack into the pavement. At first I didn't pay it any attention until I noticed that it didn't get up and fly away. It's back was turned to me and for a moment it looked like it was headless but Jim pointed out that it probably broke its neck when it fell and that's why its head was at an awkward position. Since it fell on the pathway leading up the entrance of Bangsar Village mall a security guard came over with a piece of plastic and picked it up and threw it into some bushes. I felt so bad for the bird and even after we finished dinner, went to Dinty's and shot some pool, checked out a gym ( which we joined, for some reason Jim has put on 7 lbs since we moved into our house, I think it's from eating curry for lunch.) the bird was still on the sidewalk fluttering about trying to fly away while a kitten was stalking nearby. So sad, if I had the heart I would have put it out of it's misery.
So now it's Sunday and we awoke to a very gloomy, overcast day. It's been raining off and on all day. We did manage to make it to Mid-Valley mall ( the location of my robbery) because I needed a vacumn cleaner. I've decided that my house is too big to try and sweep everyday considering that Oso sheds and it's a pain in the butt to try to get it all up. Jim also decided that I need wireless headphones for the tv downstairs. Because our house is made up mostly of concrete, marble and tile floors, there is an echo through the house and when I came home from George's the other night he could hear the Asian Food Channel upstairs as though he was watching it in our bedroom. The cool thing about the mall is the parking garages, they have car washes in the parking garage so while you shop your car is getting cleaned and afterwards they will park it for you...pretty cool, why hasn't anyone in the States thought of this? I also bought a new Ipod since I can't find my other one, which makes me angry because Jim gave it to me for a birthday present and had it engraved. Hopefully I will be able to transfer my music library into the new device. Jim also got his hair cut and the place we went to was definitely a first for us. It advertised a haircut for 13 Ringitt in 13 minutes. When you walked in there was a machine that you fed your money into, much like a change machine, once you did that you received a ticket and you sat on a sensored bench. Depending on the number of people waiting for a haircut, there was a traffic light that signaled the wait time. If the light was green, it meant that your wait time was nothing. If the light was yellow, you'll have to wait 5-10 min. If the light was red, your wait time was 15 min. or more. If you didn't purchase a ticket you couldn't sit on the bench because then you would throw off the wait time which was displayed in the window of the salon for other customers to see passing by. They even advertised an air wash shampoo system which was basically them applying a vacumn cleaner to your head to get rid of all the cut hairs. Great idea for a salon especially for customers like Jim who just want to get their hair cut, no conversation, no shampoo ( he doesn't appreciate the neck massages like I do ) and get the heck out of there. I wish I would have brought my camera, I'm sure he'll go back next time he needs a haircut.
After that we came home, went to George's because I thought Sim was working but she wasn't ( She called in on a family emergency which was taking her mom to see Beauty and the Beast on ice.), Jim went home early and I talked to some of my family because I've been out of touch for a while because of my internet connections. So I am attempting to write as frequently as I was before but don't get your hopes up, I've just been inspired lately and I hate to disappoint.
Friday, June 27, 2008
Friday June 27, 2008
I welcome the upcoming weekend, this past week just seemed to fly by and I didn't even do anything special. Jim did his thing: wake up at 5:30, get dressed, get online for a little bit and then leave for work around 7 am. Go to work, sit in meetings, meet with clients, wonder how DHL has stayed in business so long. Drive home, sit in traffic, curse out some motorbikes ( I found out this is the proper term for scooters, they don't like it when you call them scooters ), get home, eat dinner, watch a lil tv, walk the dog and then read a book until he falls asleep. Me, a couple of times this week I strayed away from Oprah and Ellen. I think the urge to get out and do things is taking hold.
Sim came and picked me up one day because I mentioned to her that we were looking for a brother for Oso and her friend Pri, her mother had rescued 2 puppies and was looking for homes for them. The house was absolutely gorgeous!! It was situated at the top of a hill but the front was covered with tall palm trees and other tropical flowers. Once you got past the gate and walked past the carport there was a 2 story house that looked like something out of a travel guide. It was Balinese style so lots of dark wood and a pool that ran the entire length of the house, big exposed walls from the living room and dining room so you could just jump right in the pool from the living room. It was awesome! The dogs were cute, but I couldn't take them because they were both girls and Pri's mom did not want to separate them so I'd have to take both, plus I wasn't sure about how big they would get. We had a tough enough time finding a house that would allow Oso, imagine if we move somewhere else and we had 3 dogs. So I'm still on the search for one, boy, toy-sized dog that Oso can manipulate. Sim was disappointed that we didn't take them because she was excited about dog sitting when we go out of town.
Speaking of going out of town, Jim just asked me this week if I wanted to go to Hong Kong with him on a business trip next month- like I'd say no! So I have that to look forward to plus I'm still planning our trip to Penang and Langkawi for August. I've been straying a little bit from Oprah because most of the shows I've already seen, so I've been watching the Asian Food Channel. Similar to Food Network but with shows I've not heard of. My doctor tells me that I have to cut back on eating meat because my protein levels are elevated and I'm like "Do you know who I live with? Me put a plate of pasta and veggies in front of Jim? That ain't gonna happen!! So I've been watching this show called the Veggie Table which is produced here and it is hilarious!! Not only do I get to learn new vegetarian dishes that I can cook for myself for lunch, but I get a good laugh out of it because of the 2 hosts. One is the host and one is the chef and they couldn't be more different. Basically the host stands there and talks nonsense about cooking and stirs something every once in a while, while the chef who is Indian tells you how to cook the dish. Most of the time she skips how to do something because of the time limits but I have found the recipes easy enough that I can handle. I have also been experimenting with my favorite ramen noodles. Most hawker stalls here either sell rice or noodles so I've been paying attention to what they serve it with. I usually cook the noodles and drain them, then in a skillet I saute whatever vegetables I have on hand, maybe some leftover chicken or tuna, scramble an egg, then I throw in the noodles with the flavor packet, some other spices and sprinkle either some green or fried onions on top YUMMM!! When I come home I will gladly make it for anyone.
Once again this weekend we were invited to Harald's and Susan's for pizza and beer and once again they have cancelled. Not sure why this time, I know before it was because they were arguing which seems to happen often. It could be that Susan also works full time and just doesn't feel like entertaining anyone on the weekends. It's ok with us, sometimes I'm the same way, I just don't want to be bothered by anybody. I did go shopping in the Village this week, I had some other things to do too. 3 people have sent me packages and I only received 1 from Jayson in Chicago. The other 2 were sent even before he mailed his so I had to go down to the post office to register a complaint. The reponse I got was the mailman came by the house to ask me some questions and I have to admit that I wasn't all that nice. I wanted him to know that I meant business, it's not cheap to send anything here, ask my brother Chris who has vowed to only send me stuff that he can order online with free shipping. Anyone have the email address for the makers of Kool-Aid?
As you can see I have posted some new photos. I still haven't figured out why my camera won't download to my computer anymore but I bought a memory card reader so that seems to be working for now. I'll also see if I can send out the movie of our neighborhood fumigation which just recently happened again, of course I had clothes out on the clothesline drying so I had to wash them all again. There is a break in my case of the stolen wallet, someone last week tried to cash the check I had in my purse from our Malaysian bank account for 5000 Ringitt ($1587 U.S.) so the bank called Jim to verify that it was legit. Now I'm waiting for the bank to send us a photocopy of the check so I can forward it on to the Inspector whom I haven't heard from since I filed my report. I just want my driver's license back!!
Enjoy your weekend and I'll try to post again soon. See ya!!
Sim came and picked me up one day because I mentioned to her that we were looking for a brother for Oso and her friend Pri, her mother had rescued 2 puppies and was looking for homes for them. The house was absolutely gorgeous!! It was situated at the top of a hill but the front was covered with tall palm trees and other tropical flowers. Once you got past the gate and walked past the carport there was a 2 story house that looked like something out of a travel guide. It was Balinese style so lots of dark wood and a pool that ran the entire length of the house, big exposed walls from the living room and dining room so you could just jump right in the pool from the living room. It was awesome! The dogs were cute, but I couldn't take them because they were both girls and Pri's mom did not want to separate them so I'd have to take both, plus I wasn't sure about how big they would get. We had a tough enough time finding a house that would allow Oso, imagine if we move somewhere else and we had 3 dogs. So I'm still on the search for one, boy, toy-sized dog that Oso can manipulate. Sim was disappointed that we didn't take them because she was excited about dog sitting when we go out of town.
Speaking of going out of town, Jim just asked me this week if I wanted to go to Hong Kong with him on a business trip next month- like I'd say no! So I have that to look forward to plus I'm still planning our trip to Penang and Langkawi for August. I've been straying a little bit from Oprah because most of the shows I've already seen, so I've been watching the Asian Food Channel. Similar to Food Network but with shows I've not heard of. My doctor tells me that I have to cut back on eating meat because my protein levels are elevated and I'm like "Do you know who I live with? Me put a plate of pasta and veggies in front of Jim? That ain't gonna happen!! So I've been watching this show called the Veggie Table which is produced here and it is hilarious!! Not only do I get to learn new vegetarian dishes that I can cook for myself for lunch, but I get a good laugh out of it because of the 2 hosts. One is the host and one is the chef and they couldn't be more different. Basically the host stands there and talks nonsense about cooking and stirs something every once in a while, while the chef who is Indian tells you how to cook the dish. Most of the time she skips how to do something because of the time limits but I have found the recipes easy enough that I can handle. I have also been experimenting with my favorite ramen noodles. Most hawker stalls here either sell rice or noodles so I've been paying attention to what they serve it with. I usually cook the noodles and drain them, then in a skillet I saute whatever vegetables I have on hand, maybe some leftover chicken or tuna, scramble an egg, then I throw in the noodles with the flavor packet, some other spices and sprinkle either some green or fried onions on top YUMMM!! When I come home I will gladly make it for anyone.
Once again this weekend we were invited to Harald's and Susan's for pizza and beer and once again they have cancelled. Not sure why this time, I know before it was because they were arguing which seems to happen often. It could be that Susan also works full time and just doesn't feel like entertaining anyone on the weekends. It's ok with us, sometimes I'm the same way, I just don't want to be bothered by anybody. I did go shopping in the Village this week, I had some other things to do too. 3 people have sent me packages and I only received 1 from Jayson in Chicago. The other 2 were sent even before he mailed his so I had to go down to the post office to register a complaint. The reponse I got was the mailman came by the house to ask me some questions and I have to admit that I wasn't all that nice. I wanted him to know that I meant business, it's not cheap to send anything here, ask my brother Chris who has vowed to only send me stuff that he can order online with free shipping. Anyone have the email address for the makers of Kool-Aid?
As you can see I have posted some new photos. I still haven't figured out why my camera won't download to my computer anymore but I bought a memory card reader so that seems to be working for now. I'll also see if I can send out the movie of our neighborhood fumigation which just recently happened again, of course I had clothes out on the clothesline drying so I had to wash them all again. There is a break in my case of the stolen wallet, someone last week tried to cash the check I had in my purse from our Malaysian bank account for 5000 Ringitt ($1587 U.S.) so the bank called Jim to verify that it was legit. Now I'm waiting for the bank to send us a photocopy of the check so I can forward it on to the Inspector whom I haven't heard from since I filed my report. I just want my driver's license back!!
Enjoy your weekend and I'll try to post again soon. See ya!!
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