LITTLE PENANG, THAI THAI

My mom often followed us in most of our outing. She doesn't know much about IT or what is a blog, or that I have one. Come to think of it, apart from my husband and children, there are very little people I know here who knows I have this blog. Very often my mom would ask why I am always taking photos and not develop them, or why I need to take this photo of a 'botol kicap' aka soya sauce bottle and what I am going to do with it haha! Yes, it can be a challenge at times trying to be a creative photographer around her :O



At the request of my good friend living overseas, I am doing another post on food. Also for Ann and Xue as I am sure they are very familiar with all these and probably missing and drooling over it :)


The children can eat as hot and spicy as me, so here's Danial insisting of the Curry Noodles, cooked in coconut milk, lemongrass and spices.


I went for the Prawn noodles. The soup was cooked with lots of prawns with shells intact but not served and slightly spicy.


Eli and Emi went for the rice sets, both yummy and delicious.



On another day, eating continued..at Thai Thai Restaurant, not difficult to guess what food it is from the name.
I like the table mat, or in this case, I should say table paper..as it was made from paper. Highly visual and very informative about the year of the Dog. In one single sheet, every characteristics of this particular year is written down in details. Not sure if it is accurate, but this is was not Chinese geomancy, so I am guessing it's the Thai version.




Let's start with the famous Thai Salad, Som Tam. Hot and spicy! Shredded young papaya mixed with crushed nuts, it's dressing was finely sliced very hot birds eye chillis (the hottest of all) and lime juice. You will be sweating away after this dish, and hopefully you can still feel anything on your tongue haha! Here's a tip for those who can't stand hot, do what my children do, stay away from eating any of those small chilies.



What is Thai without Tom Yum with seafood, even hotter and spicier. Thai food is so integrated with Malaysian food that I hardly know anyone here who can't eat Tom Yum, even the kids find it a breeze to have this soup.


Steamed sea bass with more hot chili and lime juice but it was okay and moderate.


Another typical Thai, beef green curry - very mild in spices but heavy on the coconut milk.



This is a common Asian vegetable, the kangkung and I can't recall it's English version but I know Ann and Xue will give me the name after this. Anyone can cook this, though there were way too much gravy here..looks too soupy.


Sorry..the dish was eaten half way when I took this picture. I call this a no-brainer dish, as in everyone could cook it..prawn omelette. If any restaurant can't cook it well, I should ask for a refund :)


The Thais are well known for desserts but this was a huge dissapointment. For such a reputable restaurant, the water chestnut in sweet coconut milk was too bland :(


I always love Thai birdcages due to it's design and one day when I find, I'll lug it back home too.


Part of the Thai Thai decor.



Well, school holidays have started and I have a busy week ahead. Husband and I will have to decide who gets to see Ben 10 live show with Danial...both of us --- > so not looking forward to it. The tickets cost a lot and I am sure either one of us (husband or I) will doze off during the show :(
My cousin's wedding continued with it's Chinese dinner this weekend. There will be a little ceremony before the dinner where the groom brings the bride home officially as his wife in the morning. I will be there with the children, so it will be fun too. Meanwhile, Christmas mood has started with their decor everywhere. We have snow man too..the plastic ones with cotton balls as snow of course.

On Thursday, the girls and I will go and see the very talented Sonia and Irvina's aragetram (dance graduation). Picture courtesy from Dancing sisters, go to link for full infor. It's a first for all of us, so we are very excited over this event.



Rain continued at home..we have the wettest season ever!



However, I do love the rain, especially walks to our nearby lake after the rain. It's great to have cool weather for a change here.


Cheers everyone :P

INACRAFT

For me Saturdays are for sleeping late, but not last weekend. I had to drag 3 sleepy and unhappy kids to the KLCC Convention Centre to have a look at this.....which was Indonesian handicraft week.



Honestly, I was expecting lots of crafts which the Indonesians are so well known for like teak furniture, but instead found plenty of booths selling beautiful kebayas and clothing..and mind you, there aren't cheap at all. Here are some of the handicrafts on sale.

Lots of material used which are very organic and natural.


Lamps made from tree bark and leaves.



Hand made and painted little wooden animals, those elephant fits perfectly into my growing collection.


Wood carved and batik inspired trays or bowls.


I love this - Indonesian puppets used for shadow hand puppet shows but yet to see a real show so far.




Silver necklaces which were elaborate and used mainly for special functions and weddings.


These beaded case and tissue box holder looked exactly like the ones in East Malaysia during my recent trip there and when enquired, I was told the exhibitor was from Kalimantan. It made sense as Kalimantan/Indonesia is borders with East Malaysia, hence the cross culture and art.



I don't think I have seen Christmas decoration like this..



Then..it was show time when the pretty Indonesian lady came up to do the announcement. Seen here, wearing a kebaya (top) and batik skirt - an outfit which is exactly the same as what we would wear, well, the skinny ones would anyway. With a huge population of Indonesians - both legal and not here, there is a strong influence and mixture of both Malaysians and Indonesians culture, food and art - not to mention we speak all almost similar languages. The show that I wanted to see was their wedding showcase.


Each costume represented a different wedding attire from a different province, but I was busy photographing them so can't remember exactly where they were from. I could not resist doing a close up. While the weddings in the West are often around a white theme or something similar in their bridal attire, this is one thing you hardly see in traditional weddings here. It's always a burst of colours and texture everywhere.




I love close ups and here's some shots.





Another couple in purple, looks exactly like our Malay weddings here. No tiara or flowers in the hair but more elaborate headgear for sure.




Final couple for the catwalk.




Finally, an interesting backdrop made entirely of peacock feathers..and they were real, every single one of them! Imagine having this in a wedding as the colours were amazing.


Meanwhile, monsoon season continues at home - with non stop rain everyday without fail. My garden has turned into a mini pool and clothes had to be sent to the laundry for drying.


Even my bali pot is full and I don't need to fill it up with water everyday..


..the lake nearby my house overflowed but this 'birds of paradise' plant was thriving, just about everything else is growing abundantly at home too, including weeds...



For Ann, who liked the previous shot and tried to replicate it...but it was not a yam but a lotus plant...maybe she can find one in NZ :)


School holidays is up next week but plans to the East Coast had to be shelved for now due to the rain..I don't think I like the idea of my car floating in the flood. Bye for now :)

FOODIE POST - KINSAHI AND BALI

I have many interest, one week it's gardening, another sewing and the following something else. However, one thing is always constant and that is food..which I think is the same as everyone else. I have not met or known anyone who is not keen about food. Husband says he is waiting for the day when I get interested in exercising...soon it will be, just don't know when. I did try to diet and found that after being carbo deprived for 2 weeks and losing a miserable 2 kilos..and then continue eating and putting on the same 1 or kilos, suddenly it became a new revelation for me, that I could live with that 2 kilos...so why diet right. Might as well eat and be happy :) I have way too many food pictures so here I post my two fav ones, Kinsahi - a Japanese restaurant and Ole Ole Bali - Indonesian food.

KINSAHI JAPANESE RESTAURANT
Nothing like having wasabi to spice up an otherwise bland sushi and sashimi, great for nasal clearing as well.


Why do they call this California roll when it's Japanese food, it should be Tokyo roll of something like that.


Our salmon sashimi came prettily decorated...looks too good to be eaten.



My bento box, cod fish in teriyaki sauce.


Nothing like a good bowl of rice...


Emi's bento.


Eli's favourite - beef udon in miso soup.


Of course eating with chopsticks is common...a must actually here.


Their semi open kitchen.


A fav shot of Eli in black and white.


Another prominent figure in all shops, the lucky cat grinning at you when you pay so you won't faint when you see the bill.


OLE OLE BALI RESTARANT

As expected, eating with a restaurant of this name, there will be plenty of calming Buddha images to greet us. While Indonesians and Malaysians shares many things in common from language to food, their food presentation was quite different but interesting too.




I thought of Elisa Day when I saw this statue of Ganesha.


Loving this picture but I'd rather see the real thing, Bali's got to be on my list soon!


The entrance and if you did not get any service just bang on the gong - loudly!


There was a shop nearby too owned by the restaurant selling all things Bali.


Chef at work and with millions of Indonesians working here, you can't know the difference if they are Malaysians or Indons.


Ah..what is a post about food, if there are no food pictures. The squid salad came with a peanut sauce and lots of birds eye chillies (the hottest of them all). No, you won't find mayo dressing here for sure.


A complete meal on a tray with banana leaf, not just Indonesian but typical Malay and Indian over here. I was wondering if Eileen and Melanie could eat this hot and so spicy dish :P


Close up of the satay, it was huge and juicy..not the average sized satay for sure.



Argh..nasi lemak, or rice cooked in coconut milk with some chilli on top! My children could eat this for breakfast everyday, delicious and good to eat, just don't ask about the calorie intake. Don't worry Eileen, I'll have bread standby when you are here.


More food, hotter and spicier than ever...honestly, way too hot for all of us too and we can eat hot. I am guessing Eileen and Melanie won't be visiting this place when they are here :P Okay, go for Japanese, it's quite safe..but then I don't know if they eat sushi too.


Decor in the restaurant.



By the way, I won't be complaining of hot weather till end of the year. Monsoon season is here and it's been raining every day without fail. Huge rainstorms are predicted in the East Coast.

These water lettuces seem to be growing non stop due to the rain.


So are the lotuses...


Bye for now, have a happy week ahead...M

WEDDING

My cousin, Marcus got married last Saturday. Here are some of the pictures taken.



Emi and Eli.





Danial.



The beautiful bride...



Getting ready..



The children with the bride :)



The tea ceremony.



For those with me on FB, you can see the entire private collection there.
Happy week ahead.

JONKER STREET, MALACCA

Going to Jonker street is a must when one is in Malacca.


I've been here many times and I still love the feeling of walking around here..walking on narrow lanes..



...and narrow streets..


..walking between shops selling many things, and in between people's houses with original floor tiles - I think those tiles are beautiful, giving much character to the houses.


Looking at colourful Chinese temples and there were plenty here.


Walking along colourful streets and looking a old signboards which we almost never see in the urban area we lived in now.


Looking at antiques and those flower shaped iron cast are used to make local biscuits, you dip it with the batter into a frying oil and then you'll have a flower shaped type of biscuit.


While doing this post, I am wishing how nice it would be if blogger will allow me to upload 30 pictures in 30 seconds or when this blog will be self expire or terminate due to too much photos, much like Melanie's first blog. Yes, it will happen one day. I've seen porcelein in plates and bowls but not in doors as in this picture.



In all streets, one find both commercial and houses sit side by side, a reminder of the old charm or old China in Malacca.




Or going to this cafe named Cheng Ho with terracota statues outside.


I should sit on one of these tricycles with their disco music blaring away, here a tourist humored me with lots of posing and dancing while seated on one.


Lots of Chinese inspired antiques around in every corner. I was thinking of Lisa everything time I saw them...in fact, I thought of her all the time, from the Majestic Hotel's pistacio coloured theme to these wonderful history-laden items from China. Somehow, I am sure she will spend hours if not days here browsing through all these stuff and buying them too.









Even the Chicken Rice shop screamed for attention..


Street food. A man selling steamed peanuts on a trishaw.


After walking under the hot sun which seem forever with the 3 grumbling kids, we finally reached our destination - Hotel Puri. I told my husband last year that I wanted to stay here, another classic old mansion cum hotel, with lots of charm and antiques inside..but then Majestic Hotel popped open and we changed plans.





We stopped for lunch here and this is a peek of what's inside. Will do a separate post on Hotel Puri, which is always fully booked as the pricing is very affordable and gives tourist a good insight into the Peranakan Nyonya Baba culture which is so well known here.



A MUST visit to the Peranakan house but no photographs are allowed inside.


Trust me, if I could I would, buy this huge antique urn used to store pickles or preserved vegetables from China..it would be a perfect home for my lotuses.


The Hokkien association was elaborate and didn't shy on it's decor.


An old man outside another temple.


Why not buy a pair of Chinese clogs and wear it at home :)


Loved this very old blue tiffin carrier which was so heavy and expensive too!


School children on a tour buying jellied fruits on a stick..

..or buying miniature metal art.


Passing through an old Chinese medicinal hall.



The yellow sign translated means the name of the Chinese traditional man and him specialising in herbs, and me thinking of Diana in the states..rabbits aside, she is the person I go to for traditional advise. Funny how it is, there's tons of them at my town and I am consulting Diana across the pond and oh yes, she will fit in here perfectly :)


My Malacca is still not over. I loved this old photo from the Kebaya book and want to re produce some of the most beautiful images in the next post.


Another image from the Kebaya book. I told my husband that the next time I see this image, it will be me taking the actual photo, not from a book. This is an iconic picture of a another old and well known mansion in Penang, often reproduced in postcards.


Bye everyone, happy weekend.

THE MAJESTIC HOTEL, MALACCA

We spent last weekend at our historical city and state, Malacca. When I read that the Majestic Hotel was opened under the YTL group, which are well known for luxurious and some of the best hotels listed here and in the world, I just had to go and see for myself. You see, I don't have a great passion for very old stuff, especially old houses or hotels. Maybe the ones I knew are never well maintained, but this 1920's mansion was different. It was YTL's first classic hotel. I fell in love with it without a doubt. While the reception area was an old and beautiful mansion, they had built a separate hotel which houses less than 60 rooms. This was copied from their room's book/reference and it was on the first page. I thought it was really beautiful and had an accurate description of this place.

VISITING MALACCA
By Shirley Geok-lin Lim
from Monsoon History

Someone lives in the old house:
Gold-leaf carving adorns the doors.
Black wooden stairs still stand
and winding like arms of slender women
Leading to the upper floors
It is as I remembered
But not itself , not empty, clean.



Since I have scrubbed the sand-
Stone squaqres and turned them red
The marble yard is stained with rain,
But it has not fallen into the rain.
Weeds have not seeded the roof nor
cracked flowered tiles Grandfather
Brought, shining in crates from China.




Since I have saved the old house
It is no longer dark with opium
or with children running crowded
Through passageways, the well has been capped
the moon windows boarded
Something of China remains,
Although ancenstral family is gone


I dream the of the old house
The dreams leak slowly like sap
Welling from a wound. I am losing
Ability to make myself a home
Awake, hunting for the lost cousins,
I have dreamed of ruined something
And am glad to find none..

--- the end---


I love this reading room, cosy and perfect for tea. Never thought I would love this colour but I do, and remembered Lisa's pistacio's post too.





Every corner of the reception and I do mean every corner, there is something for you to snack on for free. Be it nuts or just old fashioned perserved plum from China..it makes me very nostalgic, even munching on such comfort food and snacks. Snacks that reminded me of my days staying with my late grandparents in their old house...I think that's the feeling one gets from staying here, the good mixture of old and new.




The service was perfect. This pretty host in kebaya and sarong escorted us to our room and I was called by my first name throughout the two days, that's how personalised it was. If I was this slim, I would be wearing the kebaya too :P



And the room was one of the best I have ever stayed. Spacious and luxurious, with great attention to details. They will turn down the bed at night and serve you nyonya cakes...yes. Xue..nyonya kuehs!


Bathroom with sliding wooden doors and claw footed bath and separate showers..wow!! I was very impressed.


I can spend the whole day lazing here near the window reading..and with a view of the Malacca river.


Oh, did I tell you they have my favourite coffee table book of all time, a book about the beautiful KEBAYA..worn by the Nyonyas, Chinese descents who embraced the Malay culture.


Here's a peek of what's inside the book..and I love everything Nyonya, the food, decor and culture as my late grandmother was one.





...and then, there was the Spa Village.


No, I didn't try it but I got to go in and wander around to take pictures and see the display -- some antique Nyonya slippers. A spa using all natural ingredients and lots of spices for the weary body.



Those spa beds all facing the pool...



A private room inside the spa and I love that Chinese Nyonya basket filled with more spices!



Bye to Majestic Hotel..but I shall be back again.



I have stayed in many other hotels in Malacca, but the Majestic beats them all. It is the most expensive so far in Malacca, but you will not get the same atmosphere, experience and feeling elsewhere. There are still plenty to blog about, Jonker street - a shopping heaven for antiques and handicrafts, and of course...food, so stay tuned :)

DEEPAVALI

Still on Deepavali - the festival of lights and lots of colours too. My weekend was spent still chasing kolams. Beautiful floor art work in coloured rice, handful by handful, grain by grain, each design different and better than the last..to make these kolams.



A pair of Phoenix and Peacock..especially the Peacock is particularly significant in Indian dances and kolams.


Things got a bit 'exciting' when I visited a mall near my home...


I was peeking through pillars to take snap shots of this beautiful dancer..


The song was very familiar..and you may have heard it many times. Written by renowned composer - A.R. Rahman, with the title Jai Ho...


..which means 'victory' in English..


..the soundtrack from the multi-award winning movie, Slumdog Millionaire.


You see in multi-cultural Malaysia, you don't need to be an Indian to be an expert in Indian dancing..as proven by these very talented children from a local dance school..here is one doing a solo.



You just need to have a passion for dance..and they can sing all the songs too - I am very impressed indeed :)



The kept the best for the last..as usual. Wow..some pretty indecent exposure I think, one which may be frowned upon in our society.


However, seriously who cares...I was more interested in this close up..dazzled by the colours and details.


You see, she was the youngest of them all...4 or maybe 5 years old.


Oh, she was a cheeky girl and dance so well....


..doing lots of moves I could not do for sure..the crowd went crazy over her :)


Later, I asked her to pose for me..obviously a favourite star of everyone!


Wouldn't you want to take a picture with her too...


With this I wrap up my post for Deepavali...and to plan for more travelling...up north or down south..somewhere .. and a cousin's wedding coming up soon.


Have a wonderful week ahead everyone :)

FESTIVALS - MOON CAKE AND DEEPAVALI

It had been a super busy week and I hardly had time to post and blog hop, so I'll do two festivals at one post. Two weekends ago, we celebrated this...



Plenty of paper lanterns everywhere.



Mooncakes of every flavour came in the most delightful boxes.


The children played with their lanterns and here are some night shadows, I remembered the same afternoon shadows from last year's SSS.




Meanwhile, before the shopping malls could take down the Mooncake festivals decorations, another festival has already started...Deepavali, or Divali, the festival of lights celebrated by Indians worldwide.


The children and I were interested in people doing hand henna for a small fee.


Here's a picture of someone's hand....loved the design!


Meanwhile, you will find beautiful 'kolams' or designs with coloured rice in every mall. Everything is colourful and stunning!





A group of South Indians playing traditional instruments shoeless...


I was mesmerised by these beautiful children dancers, doing the Classical Indian dance, Bharata Natyam.



After the dance, they were very friendly and posed for me...



Beautiful headgear as usual.


The solo dancer even did a pose for me :)


Here's Eli getting her hand henna-ed.


With that, happy holidays...again...to all local Malaysians.

HYATT REGENCY, KUANTAN

On the recent trip to Hyatt, Kuantan. The weather was super hot - as usual, and I was thinking of Tracy's SSS. So, here are some of my favourite shots. Staying at the East Coast in Kuantan, the Hyatt is the best place to be.

Took a picture of Danial when he came out from the pool, he looked like a big boy in this picture though he is only 8, my favourite shot so far!



From the lobby, I like to look at all those very old frangipani trees which gave plenty of shade everywhere.




I was reminded of Tracy's Sunday Shadow Shots everywhere..even on the beach.



In the evening when the weather is more tolerable, it's fun to sit here at watch the sunset.


Kids were only interested in swimming and food..


and me, interested in the 'ice kacang' or shaved ice with plenty of everything inside :)


At night the locals were performing some traditional songs in conjunction with Ramadhan holidays.


When morning came, I tried to practise some 'qigong' unsuccessfully from my room balcony, they have a morning session every day at Hyatt for all their guest at no cost.



Another fav shadow shot of me and the kids...only because it made me looked so slim hehe :P


View from the breakfast deck.



I could stay here forever...during sunrise and sunset, other time, I'll move away from the heat.


All the frangipani trees casting lace like shadows everywhere..



Have a great week ahead everyone....hugs/M

KENYIR LAKE, TRENGGANU

I've been back a few days and when going on a blog break, it seem to take forever to gain momentum and swing back into blog land. Our trip to the East Coast had been fun, going to my husband's family home and enjoying our Raya break there. Despite the long journey, it was good to have a change of scenery when one is traveling and seeing lots of palm trees and paddy fields.


I love to see traditional old Malay houses.


Plenty of beautiful mosques everywhere.


Saw lots of colorful fishing boats.


With no rabbits at home, the children were very happy playing with this newly adopted kitten at their grandmother's home.




During an unexpected trip home, we stopped by Lake Kenyir. Though we have passed this place for more than 10 years, this was the first time we stop over to have a look and we knew that we will be back the next time for a longer visit.


There wasn't enough time for a long stay so we decided to take short boat ride nearby. This is the largest man made lake in South East Asia surrounded by some of the oldest rainforest in the world and part of our National Park.


It was good to get away from the stressful life of town living and experience tranquility.


The Lake and park has more than 7800 species of flowers, plants and trees, thousands of old and new orchid species, hundreds of species of birds and fresh water fishes. To really enjoy nature, one need to stay for a few nights and go island hoping within Lake Kenyir.


It has 340 islands spread out in water catchments areas of 38000 hectares with the largest island the size of Singapore. A 2 hours boat ride will take anyone to Taman Negara or our National Park. There will be endless activities here, jungle trekking, cave exploring, fish feeding or simply stay in some of the few private islands.


The next time I come, I want to stay here, the Kenyir Lake Resort and Spa!


Live in one of these lake facing chalets among palm and coconut trees.


Or stay in one of these houseboats and go island hopping and fishing. The boat ride lasted 45 minutes but we were convinced that we will return soon for a longer stay, to enjoy nature at it's best!



Husband and I want to come back again not only to the Lake but to Kelantan to experience the wonderful Malay culture and see how handicrafts made. For the longest time I wanted to see this, Wayang Kulit or Malay Shadow Puppet play. Picture courtesy from Wayang Kulit | Salam Ya Hamim. As Emilea has finished her big finals exams for UPSR, there will be more traveling :)


With hundreds of emails to read, I hope to visit everyone soon :P

RAMADHAN ......................and a break

It was a whole week of breaking fast with friends, colleagues and families, lots of eating, so much for diet control. The staff and I headed to Pan Pacific for a gathering so I'll show what are authentic Malaysian food as most of my blog friends are familiar with the Western version.

A miniature Malay kampung house greeted us. You can read the description in the second picture.



You may want to beat the gong to announce your arrival and get some attention ..we did :)


Making pancakes...Malaysian style, with crushed peanuts and sweetcorn inside.



Typical local Ramadhan appetizers (clockwise) serunding or dried meat floss, salted eggs, mango salad and keropok..


What is Ramadhan without beef rendang, beef cooked in lots of spices and coconut milk. I am sure Willow's rendang is as good as this.


Or this, mee rebus, noodles with thick coconut milk..so much for cholestrol control..


...and chicken curry...



There was more eating at another venue, this time a taste of Nasi Padang which was actually Indonesian. I thought of Willow when I was there.


Lots of curry based and pounded chillies on almost everything and very hot.


A collage of some of the food we had.


Ah..the 'air bandung' which is popular here and you get that shocking pink color from mixing rose syrup with evaporated milk. Their version came with fruits, nuts, raisins and many other stuff.


Husband was interested in the beef tendon curry, a first for me and it was very good. Cooked in lots of spices and delicious.



Going to any malls here and you will see plenty of mini indoor and outdoor bazaar, people selling Raya cookies and clothing.



Even found this new outlet selling cold drinks and ice cream, now how cool is that.


When they are not at each others throat...no just kidding, children clowning around at dinnertime.


I will be on a blog break soon and hope to visit everyone when I am back :D

Happy holidays to all Malaysians.

SRI AYUTTHAYA

When I came back from the hospital with Eli, the first thing that caught my eye was this...I have waited for it to bloom for months.


What made me happier was these lotuses bloomed as a pair :)


With everything well and finally back to normal, it was time to continue our culinary journey to a favorite Thai restaurant. It is being featured here for the second time.


From outside, I had a peek of their 'spirit house' though I think this one here is more of a decoration rather than for actual prayers.


You see them in every corner in Thailand, from homes to streets to outside the shopping malls.


This one was surrounded by kois everywhere.


Walking into the restaurant, I expected to see all the waiters etc., dressed in full Thai traditional clothing but was surprised that for this whole month..everyone was dressed in our Malay clothes. It was a promotion for our fasting Ramadhan month. Here seen the waiter complete with his baju Melayu and songkok.


This shy waitress wore a fitting Baju Kebaya with pretty jasmine in her hair. I could smell the flowers from where I took this picture.


The pineapple boat.


Of course a post on Thai food cannot be complete until I show the food itself. Some of the food we liked, clear tom yum is a must - hot and spicy soup, just stay clear of those very small chilli.


Something new for us, deep friend fish wrapped in lotus leaf..I wonder if I could cook the same with those leaves at home.


A new and fav dish, young coconut salad with cashew nuts and black mushroom.


Finally, someone have fully recovered from the virus and back to her cheeky self again.


Talking of food...there's still plenty of eating going on this whole week. Bye for now.

THANK YOU

Firstly, Elissa has been discharged from the hospital since this Tuesday. She has been cleared of any H1N1 virus, recovering very well and fulfilling some of her 'to do wish list if I get out the hospital'...starting with learning the guitar today :D We are all so happy and thank everyone for your wishes and prayers, they meant a lot to our family here. It's been more than a week since I went to work or even visited anyone in blog land. All those prayers have been all powerful and wonderful, I don't know how I could go on then without the support of the family and you all. I will continue to be on leave until next week and hope to visit everyone then.

When Elissa was at home on Tuesday, there was an unfortunate accident for me. I had a huge cut on my left thumb (I shall spare everyone of the details..) which required a tetanus shot, antibiotics, painkillers and daily visit to the local clinic until next week to change the dressing. So driving is off for now and typing with one hand is no fun. However, worry not about me, I am fine and will survive this slight misfortune :D

All I can say is that I am so happy that Elissa is back and well...and I love you all. Happy weekend my friends.....Hugs....M

ELI

Quick update. Thank you everyone for your prayers. We are both in our Isolation room
at the hospital. Elissa 's fever has stopped and making good progress but both of us still have to be warded until she completes the Tamiflu vaccine. I have to wear both surgical mask and gown full time to ensure I won't get the virus from her. When she saw my eyes getting teary once I heard the test was positive for this virus, she assured me not to worry and that she will be Okay. She's stronger than me. The rest of the family members sre still under home quarantined.


I just hate it when my sixth senses are right. I have been very worried about this H1N1 virus and that this uneasy feeling that one of us will get it. Worst fears confirmed. Elissa has been admitted to the hospital for H1N1 and the whole family will be quarantined for one week. Please pray for us. Will miss you all......

ORANGE

I am playing ORANGE today with good friend, Annette of In This life........ Some of my favourite pictures in orange.


Monks inside Grand Palance in Bangkok - Thailand.




Kids snorkeling in Pulau Kapas.


Orange Kebaya in Malacca.


Kites sold at Central Market, Kuala Lumpur.


The hotel reception of Hotel De La Pais, Siem Reap - Cambodia.


Monks sitting on the edge within Angkor Wat.


Painting of Buddha in orange on the streets of Banteay Srey, Siem Reap - Cambodial


A little Indian dancer during Deepavali last year, which Malaysian will celebrate soon.


Some Indian prayer box.


Another fav shot, an orange boat in Trengganu.


My lucky orange koi at home :D


From September to October will be special months for many here. The Muslims started their fasting last weekend and as usual, that will mean lots of gathering and eating during breaking fast in the evening. In between, we have the lantern festival and then Deepavali in October. For us, it will mean a celebration of all as everyone loves to eat and have plenty of public holidays here. There will be trips to the East Coast (finally a break -- seems like a long time since I've taken one!).

Happy week ahead.