Bahasa Malaysia and Bahasa Indonesia part 1

Many people think that Bahasa Melayu (Malay language) spoken in Singapore and Malaysia is the same with Bahasa Melayu in Indonesia. This is actually not right. The 2 languages are similar but not the same. Most Indonesians can understand the Malay language spoken in Singapore/Malaysia but on the other hand, the people who speak and understand Malay don't necessarily understand Bahasa Indonesia especially when Bahasa Indonesia is spoken very fast. This is because some Indonesians (those who live in Sumatra Island) do speak the same kind of Malay language like in Malaysia and Singapore. To them, the Malay language is their dialect so they still have to know Bahasa Indonesia as their national language. But in Malaysia and Singapore, the Malay language is their national language.

Because of the similarity in the 2 languages, we often go ahead talking to each other with our own languages thinking that the other party will understand what we talk about forgetting the fact that many words have a completely different meaning and some words are not used in the same way. But we just don't care. The Indonesians go ahead talking to the Malaysians/Singaporeans using Bahasa Indonesia, and the Malaysians/Singaporeans talk to the Indonesians using their Malay language. Sometimes, this thing poses no problem at all; but some other times, this can create a misunderstanding and miscommunication problem.

Just to give example on how different the languages are:

1. In Bahasa Melayu: budak means 'children'
   In Bahasa Indonesia: budak means 'slave'
   So, the Indonesians can get offended if someone calls their children 'budak'.
2. In Bahasa Melayu: boleh means 'you are allowed to/you can'. In Bahasa Indonesia: boleh means the same thing but we don't usually use 'boleh'. We use 'bisa'. 'Bisa' means 'poison (usually referring to snake poison)' in both languages, and in Bahasa Melayu, bisa is only used when someone is referring to poison, not to say 'you can/you are allowed to'.
3. In Bahasa Melayu: polisi means 'policy' - like insurance policy for example. In Bahasa Indonesia: polisi means 'the police', while the police in Bahasa Melayu is polis. But polis in Bahasa Indonesia means 'policy', for example: the insurance policy - polis asuransi in Bahasa Indonesia.

Before I got a chance to live in Singapore and Malaysia, I always thought that I would not find any difficulties talking in bahasa Melayu. But I was wrong because when every time I try to speak bahasa Melayu, many Malaysians still don't understand me. Apparently, I speak in Bahasa Indonesia but trying to use Melayu accent and it turns out to be so weird and I get people staring at me trying to understand what I say... :)

For example when I wanted to order a bowl of cold Leng chee kang dessert, I said, "Kak, boleh kasih satu leng chee kang, dingin." - (May I have a bowl of cold leng chee kang, mam?)
I heard the lady asked me again, "sejuk kah atau panas?" - (cold or hot?)
Hmmm... I wondered why she still asked me again when I have clearly said "dingin" which means "cold".
So, I repeated "Dingin". I made mistake here by forgetting that in bahasa Melayu, cold is translated into 'sejuk' not 'dingin'. While I do understand the word 'sejuk' refer to 'cold', I am not accustomed to use the word 'sejuk', so I kept on repeating the word 'dingin' instead.
Then the lady changed the word to "ice or no ice". I replied to the lady "Ice". Both of us understood this one so I finally got my cold leng chee kang... :)

Another time when I wanted to buy an oil splatter screen but I did not know what is the name for it so I said, "I nak beli tutup minyak yang bolong-bolong." - (I want to buy oil cover that has holes on it) trying to explain what I wanted to buy. Bolong-bolong is a slank in Bahasa Indonesia for 'holes'.
The shop keeper stared at me and asked me back, "Apa itu bolong-bolong?"
I stared back at her trying to remember the malay word for bolong-bolong and I could not remembered it at all so I kept on saying "bolong-bolong is holes". Then I heard the lady said "Oh, lobang-lobang. Kita tak cakap bolong-bolong lah. Kita cakap lobang-lobang." - (Oh, the holes. We don't say bolong-bolong for holes. We say lobang-lobang).
I was so relieved she finally got what I meant. I said to her, "Yah. Tutup minyak yang berlobang-lobang."
The same reason as the above example, I do understand the word 'lobang' for 'hole' but I don't remember to use it because I am so used to say bolong for 'hole'.
At the end, I found my oil splatter and bought it.

For the past 2.5 years living in Malaysia, I have learned a lot about the differences in our languages and now I am very careful if I want to speak in Malay language. I will make sure to use the words that can be understood by both parties. If I get stuck, then English is the common language.
So far, I notice that more and more people who speak Malay language are willing to adapt the words and accent of Bahasa Indonesia. I can see that they have no difficulties in doing so. As a result, the Indonesians feel more comfortable and a lot more confidence when talking to them.
The Indonesians also on the other hand, are trying do the same towards Malay language.

Understanding and willingness to adapt to each other language are the best way to bridge the differences of the 2 languages so at the end we will not have miscommunication and misunderstanding toward each other.

My choice of Kuala Lumpur hotels

As for the hotel, my favorite hotel in KL is Prescott Inn ( http://www.kl-hotels.com/prescottinnkl ). You can book online from that website. It's a 3-star hotel so it is cheaper compared to the rests but the location is very convenient. It's near Medan Tuanku monorail station so it's easy for you to go around KL. It is also near SOGO shopping center, Pertama Kompleks shopping center, and Maju Junction Mall. There is Nasi Kandar stall that opens 24 hours in which you can find your typical Padang food there (of course it's not exactly the same like in Padang but it is close enough). My parents love to go to this Nasi Kandar stall. They said the food suits their taste.

My next choice hotel in KL will be Corus hotel (http://www.kl-hotels.com/corus/rates.htm ). This is 4-star hotel and link to KLCC (Petronas towers) and Putra LRT station. If you take Aeroline bus, Corus hotel is the start and final destination in KL to Singapore vice versa. So, when you arrive in KL from Singapore by Aeroline, you can check in immediately into Corus hotel and start everything else from there.

If you are into shopping, you can check out many hotels around Bukit Bintang area ( http://www.kl-hotels.com/accommodation/accommodation4.htm). My choice will be Berjaya times square hotel ( http://www.berjayaresorts.com/timesquarekl/rates.html). This hotel shares the same building as Berjaya times square mall. Berjaya times square mall is my favorite mall. It's big (but not the biggest. the biggest is Midvalley mall) like that mall in BSD tangerang in which you can find roller coaster inside the mall. There is 3D imax cinema in there too. I would love to watch Harry Potter there... :D

Adjacent to Midvalley mega mall there is Cititel and Boulevard hotels. Both are 3-star hotels but Cititel is cheaper than Boulevard. Midvalley has a link to KTM komuter that will bring you to KL Central station. From Central station, you can go anywhere in KL/Malaysia and even check in your luggages if you fly with Malaysia Airlines then take the KLIA express to KLIA airport in 27 minutes only (as compared to 1 hour by taxi/bus). To go around KL is very convenient using its train system(http://www.kiat.net/malaysia/KL/transit.html ). If possible, don't take Taxi in KL because if you don't know the exact price to your destination, the taxi drivers will be happy to give you their price which will be a lot higher than the original price. But in places where you must buy coupon first before you take a taxi, such as KL Central station and Berjaya times square mall taxi stand, you are safe to take taxi from there.

Depending on where you want to go and which places you love to visit, you can decide which one is more convenient for you, book local tour or tour on your own. You can visit this website for reference: http://malaysia.travel/consumer/vmy/default.asp

The haze is back...

and it brings all kinds of sicknesses to test your body resistant.

My whole family are down with running nose, sore throat, and sticky red-eyes! My husband got it first, then passed them to my son. Since I am taking care of my son, I get it too now. My runny nose really gets into my nerve. My throat is so painful I'm struggling to talk, and to make it worse, my son keeps on asking me to sing for him. What a great way to celebrate my coming birthday... :(

Take care yourself and drink plenty of water. I'm going to see my GP now.

Indonesia National Anthem

I just received a link to a video of the first and the original version of Indonesia Raya, my country National Anthem.

When I watched it, honestly, I got goosebumps. I have never heard this version before. During my school years, I had to sing the shorter version every Monday during Merah-Putih raising flag ceremony. To be able to watch and listen to the original version of Indonesia Raya today, it made me realize that I have been away from my country too long. The last time I sang or heard the shorter version was around 11 years ago. Oh my God! It's been ages! And for 11 years, I have learned to sing other countries' National Anthem: Majulah Singapura, The Star-Spangled Banner, God Defend New Zealand, and Negaraku.

To all my Indo friends where ever you are,
Do watch and listen to this song. I hope you'll never forget it even if you hold a different passport and sing a different national anthem now. It's a reminder where you came from.
Just click this link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hkxehrXU3tM
kudos and terima kasih to krawul258 for sharing this precious video. I don't know where you got it but it sure brought back all my memories about my Indonesia.

REVIEW: Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows

Finally, after 3 days of intense marathon reading of Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows, I have about 2 hours to write the review of the book before I go to sleep. It's quite a great accomplishment for me to be able to finish reading a 607-page book in 3 days because I have my duties as a mother to be fulfilled before I could have my time to read the book.

As an avid Potter fan, I know how bad it feels to read a review full of spoilers about that book, so in this review, I will avoid mentioning anything that can be considered spoilers.

Let me start my review by giving a standing ovation to J.K. Rowling for her greatest accomplishment in writing this fantastic magical world of Harry Potter. In the 1st 24 hours, this final book of Harry Potter has been sold for 8.3 millions copies in United States alone. Making it to be the fastest-selling book ever in the history. Congratulation, Jo! I tip my hat to you. She is the most genius writer I have ever known. By reading all Harry Potter books, I realize how broad her knowledge is because she does not just any how conjure things to make the story more interesting. Her choice of words, her writing style and the way she develops the suspense really mesmerize me. I think the Harry Potter series should be included in must-read books for your literature references.

Just like the previous books, this final book of Harry Potter series is really engaging. The moment I started reading it, it is extremely hard to pause it. I literally had to scream to myself that my duties as a mother should be my priority. The story is so intense making it so difficult to put down even when my son was running around naked waiting for me to shower him. My son has been very cooperating. He understands how I really wanted to finish reading the book a.s.a.p... ;)

The closure of Harry Potter series is just like what I always wish it would end. It's quite ordinary and I'm sure many of the readers have predicted that way but the way Jo Rowling brought the series to an end is exceptional, definitely beyond what every one could every imagine and think of. The way she convey the message of LOVE AND DEATH is remarkable! It makes a new reference on how you should love and how you should deal with death. It's about who the true master of death is. Deathly hallows versus horcruxes. There is an interesting twist about Severus Snape and Dumbledore in their relationships to Harry Potter. This book is very emotional. I did cry alot reading this book. It is not scary though it's quite bloody. The description of each place or situation is so detail you can even imagine yourself there next to Harry on his adventure to meet Voldemort. It's absolutely fantastic!

On the downside, I think this book is like a summary of all previous books. It's not good though because once you have finished reading this one, you don't feel like you need to read the previous books.

But overall, this is an outstanding book. It's a must-read book for those who still learn to love and still don't know how to deal with death. It's very encouraging and very inspiring. The story and the characters are so rich considering it is a kid-teen story book. The Harry Potter series are my favorite series of all time. I surely will let my son read them and I hope he will love them. If you still want to know who dies at the end, Harry or Voldemort? Get the book and read it! If you can't afford to buy it, try to borrow from your city libraries and be patient. I'm sure the paperback version will be cheaper.

Happy Belated Birthday, Dan!

I know you don't know me and you won't even notice that I exist, I still want to say:
Happy belated birthday, Daniel Radcliffe! You are 18 years old now. I hope you won't change your wonderful personality and will always keep your feet on the ground no matter how famous and how rich you are.
I'm sorry to miss your birthday but Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows is so engaging it is very hard to put it down.

Harry's birthday is coming and so is Jo Rowling's and mine. We are all Leos... :D
Unfortunately, that's the only thing I have in common with you... :)


Love,
your number one fan

Harry Potter Book 7 Launching Party cancelled

I...CANNOT...BELIEVE...THIS!

Just when I was about to close my eyes and ready to sleep, my hubby asked me to read the news from The Star regarding the cancellation of launching party for Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows at all MPH, Popular, Harris, and Times book stores across Malaysia. And to make the news sounds more devastating for Potter fans in Malaysia, these bookstore chains will not sell the last instalment of Harry Potter books at all. Apparently they do not like the move from Penguin Book Malaysia for letting Tesco and Carrefour selling the book at a very cheap price.

This is a big disappointment for Potter fans like me who has got so excited with the launching party because I thought this will be a way to have a big meeting with other Harry Potter fans.

Anyway, just read the news here:
http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2007/7/20/nation/20070720172429&sec=nation

Great family outing

I believe I am a very lucky person to be able to experience loads of good things in my life. The latest one was a one-day family outing at Gopeng Durian farm. Gopeng is about 30 minutes drive south of Ipoh in the direction to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

I am a durian fanatic and can go crazy over this spiky stinky fruit. To be able to spend the whole day eating durian as much as my stomach could take is one of the wackiest dreams I always have.
It is not a dream anymore when my hubby is nice enough to take me and my son to visit Gopeng Durian Farm. To me, this was one of very important things he can do to show how he loves and cares about me so much. He was invited by his friends to join this trip. So there were 3 families heading to the farm that afternoon. I was very excited and I just can't hide my excitement at all along the way. I got even more excited when we approached the farm. I could see the durian jungle is so thick full of durian trees with some rambutan and banana trees among them. My eyes were round to see so many durians hanging on the trees.

Led by the durian farm owner's car, we drove into the durian jungle. It was an off-road track which was great if we drove a 4X4 vehicle. It was quite funny though when we felt so worry that durians might just drop on top of us. We occasionally ducked our head inside the car when we drove passed under many durians hanging on the trees... :D

When we arrived at the 'end' of the jungle, we found an open space with a very beautiful view across the river which flowed quite heavily because of the morning rain. There is a hut complete with a traditional barbecue equipment and a kampong style restroom.
The farm owner and his family greeted us and explained to us that this place usually was rented by nature lovers to spend the nights while enjoying the fruits.
While waiting for the farm owner to go to collect the fallen durians and to pick up so many riped rambutans, we went to play in the river. For my son, this was his 1st time to be so near to river. I still didn't allow him to play in the river because I'm afraid he would be sweep away by the strong current. He just stayed behind the wall and threw some rocks to the river while watching other kids having fun with the water. He was ok. He understood that he was still to small to join the fun.

About 30 minutes later the farmer and his wife came back with 1 big bag full of durians and 1 big basket full of sweet rambutans. The farmer then chopped open all durians and gave them to us. Without any further delay, we attacked the durians and ate them until we could not breathe for eating so much. Once in a while we ate the rambutans as well to get a different taste for our taste buds.

There is no doubt that eating too much durian made me feel hotter and hotter. To cool down the heat from eating durian too much, I had to drink cold water using the durian skin bowl. This traditional method really gives a quick effect cooling down my body. I had to use the durian skin to contain some cold water and drank it from there. Pour some more cold water in there then wash your hand after you finish eating durian. By doing this, your hands will be free from the stink durian smell. I don't know why these work but they do work... :D

Finally we reached the maximum level of how much our stomach could take durians. We could not eat any more durian at all. So we returned to the river while the rest packed the left over durians and rambutans and put them inside the car trunk. On the way back we still collected many more fallen durians. Gosh! It's a lot of durians and rambutans to bring home.
Everyone said that they had enough durians for this season, but not for me...whe..he..he..
Even at home, I was the only one finishing off all the durians we brought from the farm... :D
Yay! More durian please... :D

Jusco Ipoh Shopping day

Women love to shop, and today, all women in Ipoh, especially, are having all the time in their live shopping at Kinta City shopping mall because today is Jusco J-card member's day. All items have discounts up to 70% not only from Jusco but also from most of stores inside Kinta City mall. When you purchase more than RM50, you are entitled to loads of free gifts. Each merchant offers different kinds of gifts to attract more customers. Not only that; if you spend more than RM100 from Jusco you can redeem a RM10 voucher for pink-receipt (non-grocery items) or RM5 for green-receipt (grocery items). If you spend more than RM80 from other stores in Kinta City which participate on this programme, then you can get a free cuddly bear while stock last.

With loads of fantastic offers going on inside this Kinta City mall, everyone suddenly thinks that she needs to buy everything even if she doesn't need it and so do I.
At the moment I am having a break at The Coffee Bean and Tea leaf writing this post trying to cool down from my shopping anxiety... :D

I arrived at 11 am only to find out that I didn't get car park because these people have flocked the shopping mall since before the opening time. Crazy! This is mad! Every time I followed someone out of the mall to her car park, she actually didn't want to go out. She just wanted to put her items inside the car and returned to the mall to do more shopping. It took me quite sometime to finally get a car park. Once I parked my car, I quickly sprinted to join the crowd.

Before taking a break, I managed to buy 4 handbags, 2 lipsticks, 1 blush powder, and still spent less than RM200 and have got many free gifts! I really felt great and can't wait to go back for more shopping spree... :D

I need to go now. Run!! Run!!

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

For the first time in my life, I have got my self so ready to watch a movie even a night before the movie started. I arrived in front of the cinema exactly an hour before, ready to watch Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. As a huge Potter fan (books and movies), I determined to concentrate fully on everything about this movie so that I can give a fair review on this fifth installment of Harry Potter movies.

As usual, I prefer to go watching Harry Potter movies by my self because to me, this is the time when I can see my imagination comes to life. It's my private moment where I could make connection with all my imaginary characters.
Thanks to my hubby, I got the worst seat in the cinema. He was the one that chose that seat for me the night before when he collected the ticket for me. I wonder if he did it deliberately because I refused to take him along... ;)
Luckily, I could move seat to get a better view though at the end, I encountered a much worst disturbance right next to me when the person sat next to me fell asleep and snored so loudly through out the 3/4 part of the movie... :(

Anyway, the movie started 5 minutes earlier than the scheduled time. For 2 hour and 18 minutes I was blown away by the spectacular visual effect and by the marvellous acting of all casts, old and new ones. I definitely see how Daniel Radcliffe's acting has improved tremendously. He really was successful to bring out the deepest emotion of Harry Potter in the most perfect way. Dan is brilliant! Dan embodies Harry Potter perfectly. He has made me even more difficult to separate him and Harry himself. This shows how he really is serious about taking his career as a great actor.
Emma Watson is superb and Rupert Grint are great too. Basically, all old casts really did their job marvelously. I can see how they have become 1 big family.
The new casts are comparably wonderful too. They are perfect for each role they portray.
There is one particular new cast that really drew my attention: Evanna Lynch as Luna Lovegood. She has done a great job as Luna Lovegood.
She is so successful in portraying Luna Lovegood just like what I imagined when I read the book. To me, she has acted far better than Katie Leung who plays Cho Chang.
Imelda Staunton as Dolores Umbridge and Helena Bonham Carter as Bellatrix Lestrange are successful in making me hate their characters so much. They both looked so evil and cruel.

The fighting scene at Ministry of Magic office was cool with all the visual effect but unfortunately it was too short and quite abruptly cut to quickly end the movie.
And for the script, this movie was not great either because it has removed too many important moments and scenes on the book and replacing them with a different version to build up and to connect the storyline which was quite disturbing for those Potter book fans. Understandable though because it is so impossible to fit every thing in a 2hour and 18 minute-movie.

But overall, David Yates has done a marvelous job. He has his own vision on book 5. It was a great movie to watch even if you never read any of Harry Potter books before. This movie sends a very good message about conquering the evil within and also about love and friendship. I laughed, I cried, I got mad together with all characters in the movie. I felt I was there with them until the movie ends and I reluctantly had to get back to the reality.
Oh I wish it never ends. I have to wait for another year at least to be able to jump in to my imagination. I hope next week when the last book is out, I am able to find Harry smile because he finally finds his true happiness in life. I literally held my breath and I was so intense when I saw him fighting to conquer the evil inside him. I wish I could just hug him and give him strength and tell him that everything is gonna be alright. Unfortunately, it's all only in the movie.

One advice before you decide to watch this movie, just like the book, every Potter movie gets darker and scarier than the previous ones. It is definitely not a children movie at all. It's good if you can watch it alone so that you can connect your feeling privately just like I did... :)

Before the show...

Got my ticket last night. Got my hair washed. Got my new dress. I am all set to meet my prince Potter...Harry Potter...in 2 hours. Yeap... I got a 'date' with him at the cinema near my house...;)

I've been waiting for this moment since the last time I met him at Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. I really can't wait. I am so excited and my excitement has started to get into my nerve since a week ago. I can't sleep. I can't eat. I can't concentrate to do anything at all.

I can't wait to see how Daniel Radcliffe performed in this movie. Will he act better than the previous movie?I know I don't really like his hair cut!It's too short!
I prefer to see him with long hair like the one in Goblet of Fire. He looked so gorgeous!

Gosh! Harry (read: Dan)! You really make my heart skip a beat!

Gotta go now to take shower and get ready to go to cinema. I hope I will have a marvelous time with him... ;D

Tiramisu and bird flu

I was crazy for this particular dessert. To me, Tiramisu was heaven in my mouth. I have dreamt to be able to make my own Tiramisu so that I could eat it as much as I want. When I visited Italy, I definitely did not forget to buy the original Italian ladyfingers (biscotti) to make my favorite dessert, Tiramisu and I really couldn't wait to start 'creating this heaven' in my own kitchen.

With guidance from Cooking a commonsense guide recipe book, I got all the ingredients prepared and mixed together. Even before I kept it in the refrigerator, I already could see my 'heaven' formed. My mom helped me with the preparation.

While helping me preparing the coffee and dipping the biscotti, she threw a question about the way this dessert was created that actually 'knocked' my head so hard and got me to think and rethink and keep on thinking twice, thrice, many times, every time I want to enjoy this piece of heaven.

My mom asked me, "Oh, you really use raw eggs to make this tiramisu and you don't bake it at all??" I said, "According to the recipe book, yes, I don't have to bake the cake. It just needs to be refrigerated. No baking at all." then my mom asked me again, "What about if the eggs were infected with bird flu disease?"
I was dumb-struck to be asked like that. I could understand why she came up with that kind of question because she lives in Indonesia, the country where the number of bird flu victims is sky-rocketing and many poultries are infected with H5N1 virus in there.

Damn! I never knew that Tiramisu contents raw eggs inside until the day I tried to make it myself. Oh no!! My mom has just made my sweet relationship with Tiramisu turned very very sour... :( and I lost my interest in the Tiramisu I made almost instantly.
Oh no! My Tiramisu is the biggest Tiramisu I have ever seen. Who is going to eat it if it's not me??...oh no! I feel very sad.
After it was refrigerated for 24 hours, I forced my self to try my Tiramisu. I also asked my hubby to try it. Both of us agreed that my Tiramisu is very delicious! Oh no! I wanted to eat alot of it but every time I took it out of the fridge, I keep on remembering my mom's question about the bird flu. I know the eggs I used were not infected with H5N1 virus, but the fact that I actually eat raw eggs every time I eat a piece of Tiramisu has made me loosing my interest to Tiramisu slowly and gradually because I NEVER LIKE EATING RAW EGGS!!!

Oh my Tiramisu,
Shall I say good-bye to you?
Even when you don't contain bird-flu?

Ipoh Open International Run

If you still cannot find any reasons to come and visit Ipoh in Perak, Malaysia, here is 1 very good reason for you to start packing your bag and running shoes and head to Ipoh to join Ipoh Open International Run which will be held on 1st July 2007 at 06.45am at Dataran Ipoh, Greentown.

This international event is worth to join because there is cash prize for the winners! Besides, you will be able to enjoy city of Ipoh in the morning while trying to complete all routes.

You need to submit an entry form together with a photostated copy of your NRIC or passport and pay the registration fee by postal order/bank draft/Cheque to "IPOH INTERNATIONAL RUN" BEFORE SATURDAY, 23 JUNE 2007 before 12.00 noon.
Otherwise there is a late registration fee of RM 7.00 / USD 2.00

For more information, please visit http://www.mbi.gov.my/dataaccess/iir

Sorry to inform this so late. It's better late than never, isn't it?... :P

A nearly perfect vacation

After a long vacation, I am finally back home and I have tons of things to post to my blog but time is not on my side yet. I still have to clean up my smelly house and help my son and my self to cope with the terrible jet lag. We still sleep and stay awake at odd hours...:)

On the day we arrived back home, my son and I slept for more than 15 hours!! When we woke up, we were starving and were very thirsty. We just woke up to eat whatever we had and drank a lot of water to avoid dehydration then went back to sleep...:D Amazing!...whe..he..he..

This vacation was one of the best vacations I have ever had in my life. My son and I have discovered and learnt so many new things in life; different food, drinks, people, places, cultures, languages, habits, etc. It is amazing that we managed to stay fit and to go through every challenges that arose during our trips, especially for my son (he is not even 3 years old yet).

On the first week of our vacation, my son and I didn't have problem with the food and drink because I brought 1 tin of Pediasure milk from home for my son. Pediasure really helps maintaining the important nutrition in my son's body to boost his immune system. So, he could stay fit and strong to do all activities such as climbing the mountains, playing and running around in the forest collecting wild strawberries (things that he wouldn't do at home).

Coming to second week, I started to see problems because I couldn't find the same type of milk for my son. I went around to every supermarket around the place I stayed and had to stop ladies with toddlers same age as my son, using my body language to ask which type of milk is suitable for my son cause I didn't understand the language at all... :(
I grabbed every kind of milk recommended by those ladies and tried them to my son but to my horror, none of them suited my son's taste! He vomited and refused to drink milk at all unless the milk has the same taste as his Pediasure or his Progress (from S-26 family), which has Vanilla taste. I was so hopeless. I couldn't find vanilla milk for 1-3years old kid. So, I tried to look at the UHT milk counter and I found them! I could read the word "Vanilla Milch" and "kinder" there!Thank God! I bought 1 first to see if my son would like it or not. I gave it to him and he liked it!Thank God again!
So, this vanilla milch u.h.t has solved my son's milk problem.
But there is another problem; food. My son got tired of eating potato and bread on every meal and he kept on asking for some rice until he dreamt about it. While asleep he kept on telling me that he wanted to eat rice. Oh no!
The restaurant in our B&B does serve some rice but it's definitely not Asian style rice. Occasionally, my son did take it when he was very hungry and desperate for some food but when he is not desperate, he is one very picky little man!
The nearest chinese restaurant is 1.5 hours away by foot (by taxi is less than 10 minutes but too expensive for such a short distance). Everyday, I had to walk for 3 hours, rain or shine, up and down just to get my son a bowl of rice. It was a really really good way to loose some weight for me...:D I did loose 3KGs! I really didn't mind at all though. I walked through the corn and strawberry fields. The view was amazing and the air was so fresh, apart from the smell of horses... :D The sky was the limit. I also had to walk along the train track and my son just loved it so much because every time the train passed us by, he would see the train engineer waved at us and my son would just so happy to wave back at him.
So, that's how I solved the rice problem and at the same time solved my overweight problem as well. Kill two birds with 1 stone indeed.. :D

During our stay in Austria, we visited Salzburg and Vienna as well. Too bad I missed visiting Innsbruck, Linz, and Klagenfurt. Not enough time. Innsbruck is more than 400km away from Graz. It's around the same distance to Venice in Italy. I was thinking to go to Venice but traveling only with my son would not be a convenient way to enjoy the trip. Besides, I was afraid my son would be too tired. It was very important not to stretch his immune system too much.

We visited places near Graz such as St. Jacob im Walde (my previous post), Austria Open-Air Museum (Österreichisches Freilichtmuseum) in Stübing, Zotter chocolate factory, Riegersburg, and Elfenberg (zoo on top of the mountain). Of course I didn't miss out Graz itself. My favorite hang out place in Graz are Mur island, Hauptplaz and Jacominiplaz (where I could enjoy the best ice cream in the world so far, "Ice temmel"). This ice cream is best to be eaten during cold weather otherwise it melts too quickly.

Until now, I can still 'imagine' the taste of ice temmel... :P
My son and I really enjoyed our trip to Austria. The country is very beautiful, clean, and green but the living cost is very high. If only Ringgit is accepted there...hiks..hiks.. :'( I can not afford to stay too long there. I had to go home quick before running out of cash... :D

So, now I'm here back in the lovely small city of Ipoh. Honestly, Ipoh is comparable to Graz because Ipoh is also clean, beautiful, and green. Living cost is extremely cheap too... :D Oh, we also have tunnel here on the way to Penang but of course it's not as long as the ones along autobahn A9. There is no radio and phone receptions when you are in.

Just when I was about to say "what a perfect vacation", I had a bad news from the airlines I took on the way back to Malaysia. They could not find my luggage still!! Aiyaaaa!! What a nightmare!! Yeap! Lost my luggage and all the things inside including all souvenirs I bought for people I love. Crap!Crap!Crap! Nothing is perfect in this world anyway. I just have to accept it that way... :(

Oh, before I end this post, I want to recommend some great websites for more information about cities in Austria:
http://www.graztourism.at
http://www2.salzburg.info
http://www.wien.info
http://www.elfenberg.at (zoo on top of the mountain)
http://www.zotter.at (zotter chocolate)
I highly advise you that you plan your vacation well. Just Google it if you need more information. You can save time and money by planning your vacation and get as much as information you can get about the places you want to go.

Hiking@St.Jacob Im Walde

Last weekend, my friends invited me for a barbeque at St. Jacob Im Walde. I never expected that we've got to hike the mountain first before we did the bbq. I had chosen to wear a skirt and a pair of slippers. It was definitely not an attire for hiking, but they didn't see any reasons why I shouldn't go for hiking even with my 30 months old toddler...:-{

My friend lent me a pair of boots and asked me to don my jacket to cover my skirt so that my beautiful skirt would not get stucked on the pine branches.
I was quite worried about my son because he has never gone for hiking before and I was thinking about how to carry his bag full of his nappy, his milk, his lunch, his jacket, his toys, blah..blah..when my friend told me that I had to carry only necessary items for my son and left the rest in the car.

So, finally of we went for hiking the hill full of pine trees. My friends always hike this hill with his family so they are very familiar with the situation there. I was glad because my son was so keen to walk on his own and got excited along the way. He stopped, touched and picked pine fruits, tree branches, and anything that amazed him. My friends explained things along the way.

I had to walk up to the hill, go through the jungle, swing through the trees just like a monkey, and jump accross the river full of big rocks and very slippery ones. (To me) The terrain and the jungle were very difficult to go through especially when we had to go through the pine jungle. I had to give my son to one of my friend who was able to carry him and at the same time walked trhough the jungle. Many times I had to ask him "Which way should I go? How can I go?" To me, it's rather impossible to walk through the pine branches which were entangled to each other. There were times I had to scream so loud because I didn't jump high enough and a sharp pine branch poke my beautiful butt...:D
Not just that. Because this was my first time wearing a pair of boots, I was not used to it and forgot about it. I jumped from one rock to another while crossing a shallow river and I fell down. My friend had to remind me that I was wearing a boot so it's ok to just walk on the river. D'oh!

When we arrived at the top of the hill, the view was breathtaking! I felt like singing "the hills are alive with the sound of music" just like Maria from the movie The sound of music. I actually did run around the green land with my arms spreading (like Maria) when I first reached the top.It was magnificent view! Many times I told my friends it's like in the movie! My hand couldn't stop taking photos and video of the beautiful view.

Then we had to continue walking down the hill. My friend never stopped explaining things to me and even took a piece of soil and squeezed it. There was some water out of that soil. He told me that I could drink that water. I was like "yikes!". How can I drink a water from a soil??But that's what hikers do when they couldn't find a river. My friends showed me some blueberry trees that I have never seen before. Man! I really know nothing about nature, don't I?!

Finally, after 2 hours of walking up and down the hill, we arrived back at my friend's cottage. My son and I did it! Yay! I was so glad that my son didn't give us problem at all during the hiking. He even still had alot of energy to run around the cottage and played ping-pong with my friends. All friends gave 2 thumbs up for my son. I'm so proud of him too. While all the men were preparing for the fire, the women were busy in the kitchen preparing for the salad and the sauce for the bbq. My friend gave me her recipe of greek salad. Greek salad is easy to make and it's sooooo yummy! While waiting for the meat and the fire, another friend of mine showed me the bee farm. Man! I have never seen so many bees before! I also saw a humongous beehive on the tree near the bee farm and the farmers were trying to capture the beehive with a net. It's an extra daring job! I will remember that every time I drink honey. The moment I saw the gigantic beehive on the tree, I run as fast as my legs could take me!! I got so afraid with the bees! My friend told me not to make noise and to keep calm because when I am afraid, the bees can sense that and they will chase me instead.Gosh! How am I supposed to keep calm when there were million of bees flying on top of my head!!
My son and I really did learnt alot about nature and how to conquer it during this trip. I told my friend, "I think I can write a novel just from this hiking experience." and he said, "Don't forget to give me one of the novel then."....:D Sure...I definitely will if I manage to finish one...:D

This was one marvelous experience my son and I have while we are here in Austria. It's definitely hard to forget.

Grüsst, Österreich

or Graz, Austria, is a wonderful place with a beautiful landscape where people are super friendly. I mean it! They are extremely friendly and helpful. They are ready to lend a hand for me even without me asking for their help. This is great because I always go every where only with my son.

Where ever I go and meet people, they will smile and greet me by saying "grüss gott!" or "morgen!". It feels awkward not to reply to them or to pretend that you don't hear them because every one says that to you and this great custom is contagious.

I am learning to greet people and learning some of important words spoken in here, such as: morgen/guten morgen for good morning, guten abend, grüss gott, Bitte schön/danke schön (or just bitte/danke in short) for thank you, rechnung for receipt (because I always want to get receipt when ever I pay for something.. :) ), Auf Wiedersehen for good bye. It seems 'Bitte' is used almost in any situation not just to say 'thanks' because I think it can mean 'please' as well. Not many people can speak good English here and the only English-German dictionary I have at the moment is the SlovoEd mobile dictionary installed in my mobile phone. So, most of the time, I just guess what people say to me and so far, there's always help whenever I need someone who can speak English. It's like God's guardian angels who are assigned to follow me where ever I go... :)

Food wise, hmmm...what can I say??This is the land of apple strudel... and I definitely grow fatter and bigger now...wha..ha..ha.. :D
I love the food here especially the ones from the restaurant of my hotel. It's so famous and all taxi drivers know about it. So, I have no problem going back to the hotel because of this famous restaurant. There are 1/2backhendl, the juicy and tender steak, chicken cordon bleu, the wiener schnitzel, grünen Salat with pumpkin seed oil, and many more.
The dessert? Apple strudel is the signature dessert... :D The other types of dessert are just as delicious as the apple strudel and I don't know their names... :)
The drinks? The signature drink is schilchertraubensaft (I'm still learning to pronounce this word..he..he..). Schilchertraubensaft is like a berry juice, only made in this restaurant. I haven't tried other drinks because I just like this signature drink. It is served in 0.5ml-glass and I always finish it all... :D
The beer? The famous one is Puntigamer and it's really good! I don't actually drink beer, but I do like this Puntigamer. The only beer I like before Puntigamer is Snake bite (this beer is served in one of pool bar in Sunnyvale, CA-USA).

Ok, I think I am hungry now for talking about food so much. I'm going down to the restaurant and am going to order Wiener schnitzel this time!
I will post about the beautiful landscape of Graz tomorrow if I have time.

Arriving in Austria

Oh man!! My blogger is in German! Gee...I hope I click the right menu... :\

Last night we went to bed at 8pm because we were extremely exhausted after a more than 20hours flight from Kuala Lumpur to Graz via Rome and Vienna.

2 days before we departed Kuala Lumpur, I had to take care and finalize everything by myself. No maid’s help. I got frustrated and agitated so easily because I haven’t had enough sleep for a week preparing for this trip.

I was very worried about my son and whether I would be able to control him during the flight. I was very worried that he might get tired or sick before we arrived in destination.

Thank God everything was perfect yesterday. My son slept most of the time. He slept along the way from Ipoh to KLIA. When we arrived in KLIA, he woke up and got excited because I told him we were going to take a plane. He loves planes so much.

He requested to drag his own baby bag full of his diaper, toys, books, and some extra cloths. He obediently followed all my instructions. He felt so responsible of his own bag and he didn’t want to be helped at all.

After checking in, we went to Golden lounge to wait for boarding time and at the same time we wanted to have dinner because we were starving already. I was so hungry I ate so much until I didn’t have an appetite for my aircraft meal anymore… :)

My son was happy playing inside the children play room in Golden lounge until boarding time.

During the flight from KL to Rome, my son slept again until 2 hours before landing. So, I really didn’t have any problems with him. The only problem was that he got so excited until he lost his appetite for food. Even when he woke up, he was busy playing with the in-flight entertainments.

When our Boeing 777-200 touched down very smoothly at Leonardo da Vinci airport, it was 20 degree Celsius and the weather was fine.

After clearing the immigration check point, we had to wait for another 4 hours before our boarding time to Vienna. My son still refused to eat anything other than an apple I brought from Ipoh. I let him run around the airport to release his energy so that he would sit down or sleep on the flight to Austria and it did work. He slept again for 1.5 hours from Rome to Vienna. Our Fokker 100 arrived in Vienna late for half an hour so the moment we landed in Vienna, I had to carry my son, his bag, my bags, his stroller and run to the gate after we cleared the immigration. Thank God we made it.

It was raining heavily and the clouds were so low when our small propeller aircraft was en route to Graz. Along the flight until we landed in Graz, our small plane shook violently up down, left right, and I got so afraid my heart nearly stopped pumping. As for my son, he got all excited for the first time taking a propeller plane which landing gears are kept inside the wings. For 30 minutes flight, he sat still and was busy playing with his sticker book. I swore and cursed for choosing a plane from Vienna to Graz instead of the train. Man! I really don't like the propeller aircraft.

When we landed in Graz safely, my knees were so weak and my hands were trembling. I could not stop messaging my chest. I took a deep breath and felt so relieve that I finally arrived in Graz. We got a Jaguar taxi to take us to our hotel. Damn! It was really a Jaguar! I never sat in a Jag before… :D

I was so afraid the taxi driver would scold me for carrying too heavy bags. But no, he was so nice and so friendly.

The moment our taxi headed to our hotel, I felt ‘home’ immediately. When I looked out the window of our taxi, it’s deja-vu. I felt I’ve been here before. I feel like I am back in New Zealand. Everything reminds me of New Zealand except that everyone speaks German and I can’t speak a word at all… :-|

I immediately felt in love with Graz especially when we were greeted personally by the hotel owners like their daughter who just returned home. They were so happy to see my son. They said my son has grown up so fast. I wondered when they saw my son before. They told me that my husband had shown them our pictures. They hotel owners are very very nice people. The whole family members stay in the hotel as well. Apparently this hotel is very famous for their food.

We had dinner in the restaurant of our hotel. I ordered the signature dish of this restaurant which is so famous in Graz, the Backhendl. Backhendl basically is crispy fried chicken with bread crumb. It’s very yummy. If you have a chance to visit Graz, do stop by this restaurant and order 1/2Backhendl.

Packing nightmare

For an ex-flight attendant who has traveled across continents many times in a month, packing and traveling should be a piece of cake.
But unfortunately, that is not the case at all because since the last time I traveled across continent, the aviation rules and regulations have gone through dramatic changes for the safety of all passengers and crews on board. This has made traveling is not too convenient anymore, especially when you travel with children.
You don't know how your kids will behave during the flight. Of course you'll pray for the best attitude so that you don't have to carry too many things to distract him or to keep him busy along the flight not too mention his non-stop requests for milk during the flight. You also pray that your kids won't get fever or any sickness on board.

That's what happened with me. Packing has become a nightmare since I have to make sure I do not put banned items inside my luggages accidentally. Every item that looks suspicious and dangerous will be subjected to a thorough check and investigation which will cause delay. This gives me headache because I have to remember my kid well being during the flight and along the entire journey. You have to know which items will be allowed to be put inside your hand carry and which items are not allowed. Oh man...Headache!Headache!Headache!

Now that almost all airports in the world have adopted the 50ml per LAG (liquid, aerosol, gel) regulations, women really have to pay attention when packing their cosmetic items. It's OK not to put on make up and look natural during the flight rather than missing a flight because of a thorough check on your cosmetic items. So, I have to put away all my lipstick, my mascara, my moisturizer and anything that is in the list. I just hope that my hubby will not look at other women when my make-up starting to go away revealing my natural look... ;)
He told me once he likes to see me without make up and I hope he remembers that along the flight... :)

I also have to make sure that my laptop is in good working condition and need to be taken out from its bag during the screening of bags. This is an old rule and usually, it was not a big deal for me because I traveled alone. But this time, I have my 30 month old toddler traveling with me and he is ready to run like a shooting star whenever I do not hold his hand tightly. Besides, I have to clear his stroller and his bags, my bags, and I have to remember to present the LAG items if I have them inside my bag. Though this is not my first time traveling across continent only with my son (the first time I had to travel alone with my son was when I moved house from New Zealand to Malaysia. I had to carry everything by myself. At that time my son was only 2 months-old and I already had to pay fine NZD400 for overweight luggages), I don't think I can ever get used to it yet... :( Oh God help me...

Happy Mother's day

To all mothers where ever you are:

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY
MAY GOD BLESS ALL MOTHERS IN THIS WORLD SO THAT THEY ARE HAPPY AND HAVE ALL THE BEST THINGS IN THEIR LIVES.

I love you, mom! I miss you always.

Where is your dignity?

When I clicked on the links my good friend forwarded me on her email, I felt so embarrassed that I thought I would vomit if I continued reading the content of a website that 'promote' the Indonesian women (in a degrading manner).
That friend of mine felt the same way, and I believe, all respectable Indonesian women will feel the same way as I did.

It's disgusting and it's a disgrace to Indonesian women every where. That's my comment to my friend. Why? because I am Indonesian woman and I fought for this better life I have at the moment using my brain and my talents, while still upholding my dignity.

If only Kartini were alive, she would feel very sad reading this news.
All her efforts to educate Indonesian women were full of ups and downs.
Even so, there are many Indonesian women who continue her efforts so that Indonesian women will have a better life with good reputation and good names every where in the world.
Unfortunately some women have no patient and chose to do the shortcuts (the easy way out).
They are willing to 'trade' their dignity with s*x. They can be reserved just by paying £200.

True love and a better life are something that you have to look and fight for. They don't come easily and cannot be found anywhere these days. But you have to keep your spirit up and use your brain and good talents while upholding your dignity. Don't give up easily!

But then at the end, everything comes back to you and your own good judgment. Only you know how much you're worth.
I hope you'll find your true happiness even if you have to chose the shortcuts.

My one fine day

On Sunday morning, I was reading a newspaper when my husband asked me to quickly take shower because he wanted to take us all to Sungai Petani, Kedah (north of Penang). Sungai Petani is about 2 hour-drive from where I live.

I asked him why he suddenly wanted to go to Kedah and he told me that he saw in the newspaper there is a new big shopping mall just open in Sungai Petani and thought I would love to visit the mall.
I was like "what the hell has happened to you??". I am shocked that he cared about visiting a mall to make me happy. Usually he would just drop me at the mall and pick me up again later after I finished walking around the mall (I prefer to walk around the mall by myself though because my husband will put his boring face every time he accompanies me walking around the mall and I really hate that).

I took shower while still pondering what made him decided to drive for 2 hours just to visit a new mall. He didn't do that when 1Utama Mall in Petaling Jaya was opened and PJ is also 2 hours away from my place. This mall must be special. Was this mall really big and grand?? I just kept all the questions in my thought.

We departed at noon and stopped by at Bukit Gantang for a quick and simple lunch. After about 1.5 hour-driving, we entered Sungai Petani in Kedah.
Sungai Petani is quite big and a bit more crowded than Ipoh. The city is cleaner than Ipoh (D'oh, I thought Ipoh is no.2 clean city after Malacca).
We drove towards the city center by following direction to go to Tesco because according to my husband, the new shopping mall is just next to Tesco. So, if we can find Tesco, we'll find the shopping mall. Ok, no comment from me.

I asked him what the shopping mall name because I don't understand why I never hear about this mall before. If it is so big, new, and grand, I, as the shopaholic, should have heard about it somewhere. My husband didn't know the name of the shopping mall. Ok, understandable.

So, we kept on driving passing by 2 The Store shopping complexes. We thought that was the one. I was like "Why the hell we have to drive 2 hours just to visit The Store!" because we have 2 The Store shopping complexes in our town and they are very near to where we live.
Luckily, those were not what we were looking for because after making 2 rounds around the Store, we could see the billboard of Tesco saying that Tesco is still 4.7Km away. Ok, continue driving.

Finally, I saw Tesco and my husband quickly drove towards that big Tesco sign. When we approached Tesco, we saw there was a huge building was under renovation. Looks like it was going to be a huge shopping mall. I started to feel there is something wrong here...hmmm...
I asked my hubby "Are you sure the mall has been opened already?Are you sure the mall is next to Tesco?" He said yes to both questions and I continued "but I only see this big building STILL UNDER RENOVATION!"
Then my husband smiled...whe..he..he..He said "Yeap! I see it too!" I think the mall has not been opened yet." GUBRAK!!
I suddenly exploded in laughter! I really couldn't stop laughing! Oh my beloved husband...I don't know what is wrong with you or with your eyes...
So, we drove for 2 hours just to visit a building under renovation? I asked him. He still tried to convince me that there was something else he could show to me in Sungai Petani. He started to mention about Bujang Valley as a very historical place, but it's 23Km away. Noep...I didn't think it was a good time to visit it. I didn't bring my camera. He mentioned about the big big houses in Sungai Petani and actually these big houses were not far from Tesco. So, we drove inside and he was right. The houses were huge and beautiful. For a while we were entertained by the sight of those big houses.

When my son was awake (he was asleep along the way), he wanted to eat M (McD). So, we decided to stop by at the Store. Unfortunately, we could not get a car park, so I asked my husband to just proceed to Queensbay Mall in Penang island. Queensbay Mall is the biggest mall in the northern part of peninsular Malaysia so far. So, he drove towards Penang island.
When we arrived at Queensbay mall, we couldn't find McD but we found Swensens. So, we ate there. After that we took our son to play at Kiddie's land inside Jusco.

At the end, we drove back to Ipoh at around 9pm. We were exhausted but we were happy. And for me, it was a one fine day.

Spiderman 3

Last Saturday night, my husband took me out to watch Spiderman 3. He managed to get the last 2 tickets for the 8pm show at a cinema near our house. It is really not easy to get the ticket for this movie. Since the 1st day it was released last week, the movie tickets for Spiderman 3 have been snapped up so quickly though all cinemas have added more show times for this movie to accommodate the heavy demand.

My husband and I were so eager to watch this movie so when we finally got the chance to watch it, we were so excited. We came just in time when the movie started. The cinema was pack. It was full house! There were many children watching this movie. There were 3 sitting just behind me and my husband and they made so much noise!

Anyway, my husband and I tried our best to concentrate on the movie. We definitely didn't want to miss any bits of it.

In my opinion, the 3rd installment of Spiderman movies is the best one. It is way much cooler compared to the 1st one which to me was already quite cool.
I like everything about it; the storyline, the movie effect, the script that will make you laugh so hard and cry afterwards. This movie is fantastic and hilarious as well.
I really like the part when Peter Parker's boss is reminded by his secretary to keep himself cool and the part when Eddie (the freelance photographer) is about to take photo of the Spidey (and he asked Spidey if Spidey was smiling - because he can't see Spidey's mouth)...wha..ha..ha..:D
Those 2 parts are so funny. I can't describe exactly how funny it is. You should go and watch the movie yourself.
On this movie, we get a chance to see the 'black' side of Spiderman (which is very cool... :D) and 3 new villains (the new goblin, the sandman, and the venom).
This movie delivers a message about love, friendship, and sacrifice for the people you love in a simple way that makes you able to connect to this movie well.
I personally like the new goblin (one of the new villains)...wha...ha...Why? I'm not gonna tell..he..he..he..If I tell you, I'll be the spoiler... :P Well, ok, 1 reason is because James Franco (the actor who plays New Goblin) is handsome!! :D But the main reason? I seal my mouth :|

Tobey Maguire is cool to be the Spidey (especially when he is a black spidey), but unfortunately, I think he is quite short. Does it matter?? Not really..whe..he..he...because he doesn't have to 'stand tall' and protect the victims. He crawls and swings using his sticky spider-silk.

Apart from the 3 kids that kept on making so much noise behind us, my husband and I really did enjoy watching the movie. In fact, we wanted to watch again if we can get the tickets.

Deep vein thrombosis (DVT)

This morning I received an email from my hubby forwarding me a news about a girl in Singapore who died after she sat 8 hours non stop in front of her laptop. Deep vein thrombosis is suspected to be the cause of her death but it's not sure yet. You can read the story here.

That story really got me to think and pay attention (again) to deep vein thrombosis.
Before this, I have read about this deep vein thrombosis many years ago from an in-flight magazine. Passengers were advised to walk up down the aisle or do some light exercises during a long-distance flight so that they would not get DVT.

What is deep vein thrombosis and how can it kill you?

According to wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deep_vein_thrombosis):
Deep vein thrombosis is a formation blood clot in a deep vein commonly affects your thigh and calf. Occasionally, it can affect your arm too.

The blood clot forms in deep vein because the blood flow in the vein is slow or even stops. When clot blocks the blood flow in the vein, the blood will build up below the site. It causes pain and swelling in the affected leg.
If the clot breaks free and travels through the veins to your lungs, it is called a pulmonary embolism (PE).
When PE happens, you will feel short of breath and your chest is pain. If your lung is damaged, you can be killed within hours.

This is why it is extremely important to take a break, take a walk, do some light exercises, especially leg exercises, and have some water to refresh your body, when you have to sit for a long period of time.
Even a machine needs a break and so does your body. Be more sensitive to your own body and listen to its signals. No point pushing your self too hard to achieve your goal but at the end, you can't be there to enjoy your accomplishment.

I know my legs are quite prone to DVT. They swell so big as if I have a pair of elephant legs every time I sit too long in 1 position at home (in front of the computer) or in the car (during long distance traveling). When my legs swell, I won't be able to feel my toes and I feel pain every time I move my legs.

This post is also a reminder for my self that every time my son cries for my attention, it is a break time for me. It is time for my legs to move and for my body to be refreshed. So, I should not feel irritated at all.

Trip to Malacca

I departed Ipoh on 15 April at 11am and drove my proton car all the way to Malacca (south of Kuala Lumpur).
I stopped for lunch at Sungai Buloh rest area after around 2 hour-driving. I like Sungai Buloh rest area because it has many choices of food/fast food inside the bridge across the North-South highway, such as Burger King, A&W, and some local food restaurants. So, you can enjoy your food while looking down the cars passing the highway. The restrooms are clean and very big with many rooms for ladies and gents. There is a separate surau for male and female. The baby room is quite complete too. It provides powder, soap, and moisturizer for free to freshen up your baby.

After having lunch, I continued the journey to Malacca from Sungai Buloh by taking the highway that leads to KLIA/Seremban/Johor Bahru (E6), then in Dengkil, I had to take highway E2 to Johor Bahru.
About 1.5hour later, I got out of high way at Simpang Ampat to take road 19 that leads to Malacca Town.
After about half an hour later, I arrived in Malacca town. Geez...many of the roads are 1 way road, so if I want to go to a specific road, I have to make a big loop to get there. But driving in Malacca town is pretty easy because not many cars on the road.

Finally I arrived in the hotel at around 4pm. I checked in and had a rest for an hour then went out to see Malacca town before the sun set.

Malacca town is such a historical town. The city has a very heavy influence of Portuguese/Dutch and Chinese peranakan cultures. All the historical buildings are preserved and are accessible for tourists.
I parked my car in front of St. Xavier's church (was built in 1840 and is still used until now) and paid a parking coupon. Then I walked down to enter the historical zone. At the entrance of the zone, it's written "Selamat Datang. Anda kini memasuki zon warisan sejarah negara (Welcome, you are now entering national heritage zone)".
The city is literally painted in red. All historical buildings/houses are painted in red. It's magnificent! It's just beautiful. My hand just couldn't stop taking pictures.
There is Melaka Art Gallery, Christ Church, and Stadthuys. These buildings were very old and they are painted in red. There is a small windmill too.
Then I went up to St. Paul Church to see the sunset and also to see this oldest church in Melaka (was built in 1541). After that, I quickly went down to see the most famous fortress gate in Melaka, the A Famosa (in Portuguese language it means The Famous).

From there, I took a trishaw ride to go back to where I parked my car. The trishaw is beautifully decorated and full of music too. The trishaw driver is a Portuguese decendant. It cost me RM20 to go around from Dataran Merdeka to in front of St. Xavier's church.

After that, I had my dinner at Newton, traditional food village, where I could find the delicious local dishes. The grilled fish is so delicious but it's a bit too spicy for me.

The next day, I started my day at 10am. After I checked out of the hotel, I parked my car in front of Dataran Merdeka Melaka megamall. I had to display an hourly parking coupon so that I wouldn't get a ticket... :) It cost RM60cents per hour or RM5 for a whole day parking.
I had my breakfast and lunch inside the foodcourt of the megamall. The food there is not bad, especially the fried rich from the Hainanese Chicken rice-stall. I love the soft bun kaya too.

When I got tired walking around the malls (there is another mall called Mahkota Parade), I drove my car around the city trying to visit more tourist attractions (which are so many!!).
But since my driving skill is limited, I just opted to visit Baba and Nyonya heritage museum which is not too far from the heritage zone and the Maritime Museum.
Unfortunately, when I arrived there, both museums were closed. So I just walked down the street where the chinese peranakan are lived. I went to a Mahjong shop where a couple made the Mahjong by themselves. I bought a set of gin rummy cards and a set of Mahjong cards.

After that, I had dinner at Nancy's kitchen restaurant, No.15 Jalan Hang Lekir (3rd Cross Street) off jalan Tun Tan Cheng Lock (just 2 door away from the Mahjong shop). At Nancy's kitchen restaurant, you can find all the delicious authentic nyonya cuisines (chinese peranakan dishes). I was lucky because usually, this restaurant is not open for dinner. On that day, they had to open because a bunch of Australian tourists had booked to have dinner there. Nancy herself greeted us together with her husband as if we visited her house as a family. This restaurant is quite famous even the president of Singapore has visited this restaurant before. I found it by accident (lucky me!!)... :D

I ordered assam fish, dabel curry chicken (devil curry chicken - it's called 'devil' because it's bloody spicy), nyonya soup, kacang botol with sambal belacan, and of course for the dessert, I ordered bubur chacha. Bubur chacha is actually the same as kolak in Indonesia. The food is just so so so delicious. I ate like a pig! The price of the food is very reasonable. I think it's quite cheap :)
I also bought Nancy's homemade cookies such as kueh bangkit, kueh nastar (pineapple jam cookie), and fried shallot. Nancy's cookies are very very delicious!! Honestly!
Nancy and her husband give cooking classes as well. They can be contacted at (606)2836099/ (606) 2844462. The restaurant is open at 11am - 5.30pm everyday, except Tuesday.

At around 7pm, I drove back to Ipoh and arrived Ipoh at around midnite after 1 stop to take a leak at Tapah.

I really had a great time in Malacca. I do recommend you to visit this most historical city in Malaysia. The people in Malacca are just super duper nice and friendly. I am sure you will have a wonderful experience in Malacca. Don't forget to check out the photos here:

MalaccaTripApril2007

For more information about Melaka, please visit: http://www.melaka.net or http://www.melaka.gov.my

Finding Nemo - Disney on Ice Asia

Last weekend we drove 2.5 hours from Ipoh to Kuala Lumpur to see Finding Nemo Disney on Ice at Stadium Putra Bukit Jalil. Since the Malaysian F1 Grand Prix race in Sepang was about to begin on the same day, we decided parked our car in the hotel and took LRT to Bukit Jalil.

My son did not know where we were going and why he wore that special Finding Nemo T-shirt. He had no idea that his parents were about to give him a wonderful surprise.
He was just happy to take the LRT train. He said he rode on Thomas train (Thomas the tank engine & friends).
When we arrived at Bukit Jalil, we headed to the Ice ring stadium right away. Along the way my son was very happy to see Nemo posters leading to where the show would be.

Once we were inside. There were sooooo many kids running around with their parents and many people selling Finding Nemo characters. My son was blown away. I saw his big smile on his face. He was soooo excited. He run like a shooting star the moment my husband put him down.


These are Marlin and Dory soft toys. BTW, these soft toys are not cheap!

We got VIP seat near the ice ring, so we could see the show clearly. My son was ecstatic when the show started. He screamed and clapped so loud on his daddy's lap, especially when he first saw Mickey, Donald, Minnie, and Goofy to open the show. He was more excited when Dory, the huge turtle and the huge whale came out.
I could see that my son was extremely happy. My husband and I were even happier. We knew he would be very excited to see this show. My son loves Finding Nemo. He knows almost all the name of the characters and he remembers the story line.

From KL to Singapore, vice versa

I love to visit Singapore at least once a year, not only for shopping but also for visiting my friends or for just a trip down the memory lane. Yeah...I used to work and stay there for 3 years. It was 3 years of hard working but at the same time it was also 3 years of gaining marvelous experience in my life.
I have many friends in Singapore and they are very happy to see me each time I come. To me, they are not just 'friends', but they are more like a family to me.

Since I moved to Peninsular Malaysia about 2 years ago, it is so much easier and cheaper to go to Singapore. There are many ways to go there other than just taking a plane which is quite expensive for a 45 minute-flight from Kuala LumpurInternational Airport (KLIA).

Last year, I went to Singapore twice, in January and in May.
In January, I took Senandung Malam train from Kuala Lumpur sentral Station to Singapore. I bought premier night deluxe tickets for me and my maid. My son didn't need a ticket because he was under 4 years old. We got a private cabin with 2 beds and a toilet. There was a TV as well. We were given toileteries, some snacks and hot drinks. The journey was quite long but most of the time we just slept and when we woke up in the morning, it was at Johor Bahru already. The Malaysian Immigration officers went up to the train and chopped our passport to get out of Malaysia. 5 minutes later, we arrived at Woodlands, Singapore immigration check point. Here, we had to take our passport to get chop to enter Singapore and we had to bring all our belonging down to get screened.
The train departs from KL sentral at 10.00pm and will arrive in Singapore at 08.20am
The ticket ex-Kuala Lumpur is RM130 (for lower bed)/RM110 (for upper bed). If you want the whole cabin by yourself, the ticket price is RM180.
The ticket ex-Singapore is the same but the currency is in Singapore Dollar.
For more information, please visit KTMB website (www.ktmb.com.my). Train to Singapore is catagorized as intercity train.

In May last year, we took Air Asia. At that time, there was still direct flight Ipoh-Johor (Senai International Airport)-Ipoh. Unfortunately, now this route is not served anymore.
From Senai, my Singaporean friend picked us up and drove us to Singapore.
On the way back to Senai, Johor from Singapore, I took any morning train from Singapore to Kulai, Johor. Kulai is the nearest train station to Senai Airport. The ticket price was SGD12/person one way. From Kulai, we had to take a taxi to Senai. The taxi price was RM10.

In March this year, I wanted to try something different. So, I took an executive bus from Kuala Lumpur - Singapore and back. It's Aeroline bus. This super executive bus is really comfortable. The bus has LCD screen, meeting room, toilet, and even kitchen with microwave and water boiler. Each seat has plug point for your laptop/electronic gadget.
The ticket price ex-Kuala Lumpur is RM80/person and RM50/child one way. The ticket price includes food, snack, hot drink, and a bottle of mineral water. The bus departs from Corus hotel in Kuala Lumpur and arrives in Harbourfront, Singapore. From Singapore, the bus departs from Harbourfront and it arrives at Corus hotel, Kuala Lumpur. The journey takes 5 hours with 1 time stop to take a leak... :)

For more information, please visit Aeroline website (www.aeroline.com.my/www.aeroline.com.sg).

The bus stops at Johor Bahru for Malaysia Immigration check point and at Woodlands for Singapore Immigration check point and vice versa. We need to bring all our luggages down for immigration inspection at the country entry check point.
Along the way, you can see the beautiful scenery of Southern peninsular Malaysia.



When you are in Singapore, you really do not have to worry about public transportation there because Singapore has the best and most convenient public transportation in the world!! Anywhere you want to go in Singapore, there is always an MRT, LRT, buses, and of course, taxis. For the taxis, if the queu is long, I suggest you call the taxi and within 5-7 minutes, you'll get on to your taxi. The taxi phone numbers are Taxi comfort: (65) 6552 1111 / (65) 6552 2222 or SMRT taxi: (65)6555 8888.

But if you are in Kuala Lumpur, try to go to places where you don't have to take a taxi. If you do need to, then it's better for you to just rent-a-car. Otherwise, Kuala Lumpur has a good train system. There is LRT, monorail, KL Express (from KLIA-KL sentral).
For more information and directory or map train system in Malaysia, visit this website: http://www.malaxi.com/Map_transit.htm

Souvenir from Jakarta part 2

The last time I went back to Jakarta, I got a chance to spend 3 weeks there. It was the longest period I've ever stayed in Jakarta since 2003.
Since I left Jakarta 10 years ago, I don't go back there too often. But everytime I go back Jakarta, many things have changed that make me feel more and more like a stranger there. I am even 'a guest' in my parents' house because I do not know anymore how things are run there.
Many times my dad scolded me for spoiling things at home or for opening the door for a salesman who pretend to be an officer from Pertamina. Luckily nothing bad happened.

I have forgotten that you just can't simply trust anyone at all in Jakarta. So many people will do anything, I mean anything, you can never imagine to get some money the easy way.
My mom has kept on telling me to stay alert ("don't let your mind go blank!" that's what my mom says) everywhere I go to avoid being hipnotized and robbed.
One of her friends has been hipnotized before and she was asked to withdraw all her money from the nearest ATM. Luckily, she was alert and she even said a prayer out loud to scare the person that hipnotized her.

Everytime I go back Jakarta, I'm always stuck at home unless my parents or my friends are nice enough to take me out for a drive or just for a walk in the malls.
There are too many shopping malls in Jakarta. Around my house alone, there are 3 shopping malls considered the nearest to the neighborhood.
There is good and bad. The good thing, you don't have to go too far to enjoy shopping/meet friends who lives in the same area/spend time with family or just to enjoy the cold Air Conditioner inside the mall when the weather is very hot/when there is an electricity black out at your neighborhood because usually, the malls are immune to the black out (My dad likes to go the nearest shopping mall when there is an electricity black out in my neighborhood because at home, we can't open the window to let the air in. If we do open the window, the mighty mosquitoes will be having a party inside my house the whole night).
2 obvious bad things of having too many shopping malls are:

1. There is less and less area for water/rain water retention that can cause flood in Jakarta.
2. Heavy traffic jam.

The high living cost in Jakarta is also another thing that I am not familiar with. Coming from Ipoh (which I think has the lowest living cost in Malaysia), I am not used to spend so much money for a bowl of noodle. Just for a comparison, a very big bowl of noodle complete with big prawn and fish cake, in Ipoh, it will cost me RM4 (= 10,000rupiah), but in Jakarta, a small bowl of noodle will cost me minimum 18,000rupiah. In some places it even costs 25,000rupiah(= RM10)! And still people buy...

The last time I was in Jakarta, the price of rice was sky rocketing. Government has tried to control the price and helped the poor to get the rice, but unfortunately, there are some people who just don't care about anything else in the world other than their own bloody fat tummy and they bought all the cheap rice from the Government and sold it to the poor with a high price.

But then, despite all these still many people survive in Jakarta. One example is this family who lives in the neighborhood I grew up in (my previous post). They are the 'orang asli' (origin) of Jakarta or the popular name is Betawi people/Batavian.
They have become my neighbor since I moved to the neighborhood when I was 5 years old.
I honestly am amazed with their spirit to survive the high living cost in Jakarta with only a non-fixed income job.

Here they are:

This is Kong (Mr.) Nyamus and Mak (Mrs.) Nyamus.
Kong Nyamus used to work as a school gardener
to feed his children. Mak Nyamus massaged people
to get some money. When I was small, mak Nyamus
used to cook for me. Her sayur asam is the best sayur asam
I've ever tasted.


The one in motorbike is one of many Nyamus' sons. He is twins. The other one doesn't live there anymore. He grew up with me and my brother. He used to take my brother to school everyday. His job now is a motorbike taxi (or 'ojek' in local language) driver. He is married with 2 sons. Both don't go to school because this guy doesn't have enough money to pay for his sons education.

The lady in pink shirt is Nyamus' youngest daughter. She is the same age as me. We grew up together. The other lady works as a domestic helper for my neighbor. I don't know when she came into the neighborhood.









These 2 boys are cousins. One is son of the ojek driver above, and the other one is son of the pink shirt lady.

My neighborhood

This is the neighborhood I grew up in. Yes, I don't come from a rich family, so I don't live in a rich neighborhood. These houses have been there since I was 5 years old. It sustains the development of high rise condominium and big shopping mall nearby. The kids there were preparing to go for fishing. They are my friends' children. The one with the blue door is their house. They were very happy to see me. They have never been in a photograph before so they were very excited when I took their photographs. And when I told them that their faces can be seen by people from all over the world, they got even more excited.

Doner Kebab@Puri Mall

My mother has reminded to put this story here to give another example of jungle life in the city but this time happened in Jakarta.

At that night, I took my parents for a walk at Puri Mall and we decided to have dinner at the foodcourt there. Before we went back home, my mom wanted to buy a lamb kebab for take-away. My mom has been longing to have a lamb Kebab from Doner Kebab restaurant. She's been dreaming about it and promised to herself that she would only have it with me.
I accompanied her to order 1 lamb kebab. At that time, there was another customer before us who ordered 4 vegetable kebab. After I placed an order and paid, the cashier asked me and my mom to step aside and wait for the lamb kebab. We followed the instruction.

After for about 20 minutes, we still haven't been called for our lamb kebab while we have seen many other customers ordering different kinds of kebab and I could see that Doner Kebab crews were overwhelmed by the orders. It was very chaotic because some people have come back because they got their kebab different from what they had ordered earlier.
My mom came forward and asked if her kebab was ready or not and instead of asking an apology or giving some nice explanation to my mom, the cashier shouted at my mom to step aside and just wait. I got pissed off and stepped forward to face the cashier. I tried to explain nicely to the cashier what we have ordered and how long we have waited patiently.
The cashier also shouted at me to wait because the lamb kebab not ready. She was extremely rude! I did not move and stared at her. She quickly went to the kitchen and came out again with a package of kebab. She gave me the kebab and said "this is your lamb kebab!" and pushed the kebab to me. I still stared at her but I took the kebab. Meanwhile, there were other customers who yelled at her impatiently for their kebabs.

I walked off together with my mom and went back home.

At home, my mom quickly opened the kebab and ready to enjoy her dream kebab while telling me all stories about how long she had dreamt of eating that kebab. Once she bit her kebab, she realized that her lamb kebab was not lamb kebab. It was vegetable kebab. The vegetable kebab is alot cheaper compared to lamb kebab I have paid for! She got soooooo upset. She thought that kebab was one of the vegetable kebabs ordered by the customer before us. She was extremely upset and disappointed. She was very angry with her self for wanting to eat kebab so badly. I felt bad, terribly bad. I asked her if she wanted to return to Doner Kebab restaurant to change the kebab and complain and talk to the manager. My mom refused. I was disappointed too. My mom blamed me for staring at the cashier that made the cashier went to the kitchen and took any package of kebab to make me go away.

I really didn't like the attitude of Doner Kebab cashier. I really do not recommend Doner Kebab to anyone! That's how you will be treated! No apology or explanation! Just plain rude!
What a jungle way of life in the city of Jakarta!