Tickling My Itchy Feet - Part Three

Let's hop over to more European countries...

10. Germany
Berlin - must see the glorious city...


...the marvelous architecture of the old...


... and the new...

Munich - must see what's all the fuss about in the cities....

... and be blown away by the sheer grandeur of its countryside - in Bavaria
... in Lindau...

... along River Kocher...
... and the ancient castle in Schwangau, Germany

Of course, what visit to Germany woould be complete if you don't take the two-seater Porsche and cruise at maximum speed on the Autobahn.

11. Sweden
The city of Stockholm...

Must experience winter here..

Must go to a pine forest and take deep breaths of the fresh-smelling mountain air...


Must book ourselves a couple of nights at the famous Ice Hotel...


12. Iceland
From the fantastic light plays...

... to the bluest Blue Lagoon...


... to intimidating glaciers...
... and awesome waterfalls and rivers...

... need I tell you more reasons why I or anybody else should (MUST!) visit this blessed country once in their lifetime?

... to be continued...

Tickling My Itchy Feet - Part Two

... continued from Part 1. Again, pictures are from Corbis.com.

4. Netherlands
Amsterdam - must see why it was recently voted No. 1 city in the world...

The countryside - must roll around in a field of colorful tulips...

5. Switzerland
Montreaux, Lake Geneva - must soak in the magnificent sceneries...

Must ride the Glacier Express Train and go over the Viaduct...

Also, must go skiing....

6. Belgium
Must get lost in Brussels...

Must have lots of the famous waffles...

Must visit the quaint canal town of Brugges ....

and the old city of Namen...

7. Austria
Must get lost in the streets of Vienna...

Must stop for some famous Viennese coffee and Sacher Torte (rich chocolate cake with hazelnuts, served with whipped cream...)

Must visit grand palaces of kings...

8. Luxembourg
Must drive along this scenic route...

9. Liechenstein
Must gawk at this fairy-tale scene...

to be continued...

Tickling My Itchy Feet - Part One

Inspired by my brother's blog, I'm doing a list of the places that I would like to visit with hubby.
First stop: Europe. (Ka-ching! Ka-ching! Ka-ching!) Enjoy the pretty pictures I downloaded & borrowed from Corbis.com & Inmagine.com.

1. France
Paris - Must see, must touch, must kiss Dwen under it, at the tip of it, over it and all around it...

Provence - Must run, lie, roll around and have a nice long picnic in a field in the French countryside that looks like this...

Milau Viaduct - Must drive all over the country & see spectaular views like this...

2. Italy
Tuscany... must rent a country house with its own olive grove and have wonderful cook-outs every single day.

Rome... a girl must learn a little world history...


Venice... must get lost in the winding streets and canals in spring, fall or winter. Never summer.

Pisa... must see with my own eyes how far it leans...

3. Greece

Athens - must visit ancient ruins

Elafonisi - Must lie down, must soak up the sun, must sail to the mythical Greek islands and must stare out the azure blue seas...

The hillside town - must see the inspiration for the nation's blue and white flag

To be continued...

Home Reno Part 1 - More Pictures Finally!

It's been almost 2 months now since the renovation but only now have I found the time to download the pictures for you. Everytime I see them I feel utterly relieved that it's all over... until next year when we start all over again when we do the new kitchen... SIGH!!!

Specially designed by yours truly...

The almost completed entrance and front door... also idea from yours truly...

The living room before...

The living room with new paint in mocha...

TV Area - With the new walls and before the wood paneling...

TV Area with the wood pAneling and lick of fresh paint in coffee.

Home Reno Part 1: Pictures, Finally...

These are pictures of our house during the first couple of weeks when the works began... Doesn't it look like a bomb site?

The walkway entrance.

Complete chaos through the blue front door.

Details of the ceiling in our room.

The balcony where the fish pond was being built.

Letters from Jakarta: Part 1

This is the first letter from Baby who is in Jakarta, Indonesia. She took off with a bunch of other Malaysian students last Friday, 24th August 2007 to further her studies in this not-so-foreign land that has been hit by tsunamis, bombings and most recently, earthquakes. For the next 5 years she will be doing her medical studies in UKRIDA, a new university that specialises in medicine.

I will keep posting her letters here in my blog for as long as she keeps writing to us. So keep watching this space for updates from my really, really, really talkative and extremely bright sister-in-law (2006 Student of the Year in Sek. Men. Taman Melawati) who wants to share her new experiences (she's only 18 by the way) as a foreign student, a Muslim, a girl, a crazy teenager, a Malaysian, a daughter, a sister.

Welcome to the beginning of Baby's journey and adventure.

(Oh, by the way, her level of fluency in Bahasa Indonesia is amazing. It was all self-taught by watching tonnes of Indonesian daytime TV series and listening to their songs for the past year.)


Assalamualaikum,

Apa kabar nya orang Malaysia? Baby di sini sihat aje... Cuma kureng makan kerna makanannya pelik bangat... tapi ngenggak pape si, bias kurus lagi 2-3 bulan jika gitu... =)

Ini reportnya yang pertama buet keluarga tercinta... Let’s see... Bisa mudah dimulain dengan keadaannya di rumah... Rumah Baby geding (besar) bangat... Dalamnya ada orang dari Korea, Indonesia dan kami dari Malaysia tapi kami aje yang Muslim di sini... Orangnye baik aje kok... Sumanya ganteng (muda) lagi... Majoritinya mahasiswa tapi universitasnya laen-laen... Biliknya oke aje... Cuma tilamnya ngenggak empok... Cuma tilam keras dan berbonggol gitu... Tandasnya pula ngenggak bisa dipam tapi harus jirusin air selepas ehemm...ehemm... Tapi overall, bisa dihuni...

Seterusnya Baby mau ajarin kalian sedikit bahasa yang ude dipelajarin di sini. Pertamanya bahasa terlarang... Ada kok bahasa di Malaysia yang ngenggak bisa diguna di sini kerna maksudnya beda bangat... Ini sedikit contohnya...

1. Seronok - maksudnya ghairah
2. Comel - orang yang suka bergossip dan banyak mulut
3. Kawin - berzina – digelar jika mahu sampekan maksudnya bilang
aja nikah di sini
4. Budak - hamba

Kemudian pelajaran kedua adalah alphabet nya... Sebutannya beda dari Malaysia... Seperti...
A – aa
B – be (as in be-rak)
C – che D – de
E – ae (da-e-rah)F – same aje
G – Ge (as in ge-we in kelantanese)
H – ha
I – ee (as in ikan)
J – je (as in Jason)
K – ka
L – same aje
M – same aje
N – same aje
O – same aje
P – pe (pear)
Q – ki
R – err (e is pronounced as ‘ae’ in endah)
S – same aje
T – te (as in teh)
U – uu (as in u-dang)
V – ve (as in vest)
W – we (wear)
X – ekc
Y – ye (tem-pe-yek)
Z – jek (jack)

Ketiganya pula perkataan yang baru buet Baby...
1. Gratis – free
2. Nyesar – sesat
3. Nyrocos (ni-ro-chos) – membebel
4. Penyakit maag – gastric
5. Formulir – borang
6. Dan laen-laen yang banyak sekali...

Kini saya ingin minta ijin ibuk untuk mula ngomongin dalam Bahasa Malaysia kerna ceritanya banyak bangat si dan jika mau dingomogin dalam bahasa Indonesia bisa bikinin gue capek...

Ok...

Cerita seterusnya... kat sini, Baby naik Angkut everyday to get around. Angkut ni macam van yang dah modified jadi bas mini. Kalau nak gi rumah Baby kene naik Angkut no 14. Colour die merah... If angkut 24 colour die biru... Driver angkut ni suke bawak macam orang mabuk... Selalu bawak macam xde brek... b jai n b wan boleh ar apply to be one of them... hehe... and if naik angkut ni memang sesak giler... die amik sape je yang diri kat tepi jalan... if time peak hours orang sampai bergayut-gayut kat luar pintu angkut. Tapi there are two best things about it... 1st, tambang die memang murah to the max... If hari-hari gi UKRIDA harga die Rp. 2000 = RM 0.80, tapi paling-paling mahal pun Rp. 3000 – only charged if gi Carrefour... 2nd lak, nak naik angkut ni tak yah kene gi kat bus stop ke or sewaktu dengannya. Tunggu je kat tepi jalan di mana-mana saja... Paling max selang 5 minit lalulah sebuah angkut... Angkut ni kite bleh turun di mana-mana saja. At one time Baby naik, orang tu die turun kat tengah-tengah cross junction selambe je... Nasib baik x kene langgar...

Ok, tadi citer pasal angkut sekarang ni Baby citer pasal bas pulak... Bas lagi gler... die x stop sangat... just slow je bile ade orang nak naik... So memang jadi cam citer James Bond + Mission Impossible la if naik bas. Kite kene kejar die pastu belum sempat kaki naik betul atas bas driver da bawak laju balik... Time nak turun lagi giler... this time jadi cam citer James Bond + Mission Impossible + Indiana Jones cuz time nak turun motor and ketreta lain banyak giler... diorang bukannya nak stop kasi orang turun bas dulu ke ape... just jalan je... So terpakselah kitorg turun from bas (yang masih berjalan) sambil elak motor and kereta lain... adventurous giler kan? Tapi best cuz dapat test reflex baby... And along the way, time bas tengah gerak laju giler tibe-tibe ade je orang naik jual barang la, mintak sedekah la and macam-macam lg... If x ade orang beli die turun camtu je from bas eventhough traffic sibuk gler time tu... Nway, tambang bas memang standard Rp. 2000 sorang.

Still focusing on Jakarta’s road, Baby explain pulak pasal driver kat sini... Orang Indon memang tak boleh bawak kete if xde honk... Dorang memang every minute mesti ade bunyi honk. Sebabnye orang kat sini kalau bawak kete or lintas jalan or jalan kaki memang x pandang orang lain. So driver terpakselah honk untuk alertkan orang-orang tersebut... Driver dorang pulak bawak kete memang macam orang mabuk. Main squeeze je kat mane-mane and even kat lorong yang sangat sempit pun die speeding gak padahal die nampak kat depan jalan jam gler ni... Pelik? Tapi benar... One of the most interesting pasal kete kat Jakarta ni is baby x jumpe lagi kete rogek or gegek. Paling cikai pun kete Honda Jazz. Yang lain memang hi-claz gler ar... Mers... BMW (Be – em – we), Honda and Toyota... Taxi dorang pun sume Vios tau... Jangan main. But sedih jugak tengok beza darjat kat sini camne... Yang mampu beli kete boleh beli yang mahal-mahal – yang murah sikit langsung x nak and yang x mampu tu memang x boleh beli langsung... So terpakse la dorang settle for motor kapcai or macam kitorang ni naik angkut je...

Now, we go to the environment... Orang kat sini memang friendly gler... kat pasar ke, kat tepi jalan ke... sume mesti tegur and senyum... and orang kat sini sume kurus... size baju if nak beli paling besar pun yang ade majority size L je! One more thing... perempuan kat sini memang kuat gler... die kendong anak die yang besar cam Aira kat dalam kain batik macam bawak handbag je... Ade one time baby cari rumah kontak, ade sorang bibik ni tolong guidekan... die boleh kendong anak die sambil jalan laju giler and jauh gler. Ktorang time tu memang dan pancit sangat tapi die steady je...

Mummy ingat x dalam citer Bawang Merah Bawang Putih? Baby cakap x logic nape rumah Siska yang buruk boleh duduk sebelah rumah Alia yang besar gler? Rupenye kat sini memang camtu! Die xde sangat area orang kaya or miskin but cam rumah kat area Baby ni, ade rumah yang besar gler – lebih kurang cam size rumah Uncle tu duduk opposite rumah yang size lebih kurang rumah kite... Memang camtu kat sini, rumah besar and rumah kecik duduk boleh selang-seli in one neighbourhood. And yang besar besar gler and if kecik kecik giler... Memang kesian orang miskin kat sini...

Lagi satu orang Islam kat sini macam atas dasar nama je banyak... Surau die if pegi kat shopping mall dan sebagainya memang tragic habis ar... Ade yang atas bumbung, kat luar parking, etc. Sedih ktorang tengok...

But shopping mall kat sini memang grand habis... Kalah KLCC or Mid Valley or OU... cuz sume besar giler, lawa giler and kedai die memang banyak yang belum sampai Malaysia lagi... Ada satu mall ni yang dekat dengan rumah baby name die Taman Anggrek, ktorang panggil Tae-aa je or maksud sebenar T.A. (orang indon memang suke short formkan bende... Jakarta Barat jadi Jak-Bar dsbg) Die punye lantai parking lot bukan letak simen but letak tiles macam kat dapur... Die susun lawa gler for a 4 storeys high parking lot... And kat situ ade ice skating rink yang kecik lagi than Sunway Piramid but actually d biggest in Jakarta...

Barang kat sini jangan cakap ar... memang murah giler... Kasut Nike, Sketchers ori sume below RM200... + lak skarang ni dorang ade Merdeka Sale... Memang sangat sangat teramat lah murah to the max... Tapi fast food die mahal... Makanan kat food court shopping mall pun harga if convert standard harga food court KLCC ar...

Baby banyak lagi bende nak citer ni but tangan da lenguh and mata pun da ngantuk. Rite now the time is almost 3 a.m. time Malaysia, esok Baby ade class, have to sleep early... Nway nanti Baby hantar lagi email camni k cuz experience kat sini is something other than what i’d experienced before...

Nway, I love you all soooooo much and miz you even more.... Miz mummy nye ketiak, cooking and face, miz b wan nye annoying perangai bile balik kerje malam-malam, miz b jai nye tenungan maut if baby buat salah, miz ka ah nye mulut bising, miz podot nye bau and muke time die geram gler... Miz b bu and kak lina... miz ter-ter yang sangat menggelabah, miz the house, miz Malaysia, miz everything... But since I’m doing this for all of you, it’s worth missing some comfort for a whole new adventure...

So, love you all soooo much... Muah-muah...

Love,
Baby

I Screamed for Ice Cream

Tuesday afternoon I almost participated in my first live girl-on-girl cat fight. A few of my colleagues and I just had lunch at Uncle Lim's in Subang Parade and as a special treat to ourselves, we thought we'd have some ice cream for dessert. It was the 31st of the month so Baskins Robbins was having their usual 31% off day and the place was overcrowded with people pushing and shoving trying to buy ice cream by their pints and gallons as if they would never get to eat ice cream ever again. I could sense a bit of hostility but we were determined.

A notice on the counter said that if you're eating in, you don't need to take a number but "Go straight to the Express Counter". So that's what I did. After almost losing an eye getting poked by an umbrella trying to peek at the display glass, I finally decided on a scoop of Raspberry Cheese Louise and jumped in line.

There were a few people just crowding around the counter and really, none of us could tell where the line began. So, me, Chong, Azah, Yee Mih (pronounced "yee mee") and Murni created a line in front of the counter. Chong was waiting for the girl to take his order when Butthead just cut the queue in front and said he wanted to pick up his order and shoved a receipt into the girl's face. Chong just glared at him and then looked at us with his eyes wide mouthing "What is this???". The girl got someone else to search for his order and attended to Chong immediately.

"Jap ye Kak, semua orang sibuk sekarang ni, tak boleh ambik order lagi," the girl said to me when I came up to the counter.

"OK, tak pe," I said with a smile.

One minute.

Two minutes.

Three minutes.

Four minutes.

Five minutes.

"Kejap ye Kak. Semua orang sibuk lagi ni," she said again.

I smiled.

Six minutes.

Seven minutes.

Without so much as a dollop of hesitation or guilt, out of nowhere Two Piggies went ahead and cut the queue in front of me.

Didn't they see me lining up? I'm as tall as a lighthouse and wearing a bright red blouse for gossakes! Standing right in front of the counter. You gotta be kidding.

"Excuse me. We need to change our order," one of the Piggies squealed as she pointed to her receipt with one of her hooves.

"Look, I don't care how many hundreds of fucking ringgit of ice cream you're buying but you've got to get in line. I'm just getting one scoop," I snarled glaring at the Pig.

Both Piggies looked at each other surprised. Dumbfounded perhaps because this "timid" and "shy" Malay woman in her tudung used the "F" word! I could feel Azah and Murni trying to squirm away.

"Maybe you should get a number and then they'll attend to you," the other Pig oinked.

"Don't be teaching me. I read the stupid rules. This is the Express Counter. I'm eating in. I just need one scoop of ice cream on a cone. That's all!" I hissed back.

Silence.

Just then, the girl at the counter came to my rescue. By that time I almost turned around and said I did not want any. Just didn't feel like having it anymore. But since I'm already there, and I don't want to hold the line, why not. I ate the ice cream anyway but the Two Piggies succeeded at taking any enjoyment left out of it. Stupid Pigs! Stupid. Stupid. Pigs. Hope they'll get so fat on their tubs of ice cream they can't even get out through the front door.

Yes, fine, I do feel a tad guilty using the "F" word. Yes, I agree I do need to keep my sudden bursts of temper in check from time to time. But some people do need to be taught a thing or two about courtesy.

OK. I promise. Next time, I'll not use nasty words. I'll remember to channel my anger and frustrations using other methods more physical like... shoving the scoop of Raspberry Cheese Louise in their face. Maybe that'll teach them to line up.

What I'm Reading Now

While the rest of the world is scrambling to finish the final book of the Harry Potter series, I am hooked on "Teacher Man". Half way through and can't get enough of it.