Monkey Beach & Muka Head Lite House

Hiking- Monkey Beach & Muka Head Lite House.

Last year and the year before, we went to Kerachut Beach. As story-moried before, Kerachut Beach has meromitic lake and we were lucky enough to have experienced both the phenomenons.

This time, we chose different track. Our target destination = Monkey Beach but the ultimate goal = Light House. For Canopy Walk, we had to take a different fork but we didn't as were not interested to do canopy walk that day.

Look at the board... Monkey Beach is also known as Teluk Duyung? Monkey is Monyet in bahasa and Duyung is Mermaid in English.... Hmmm.... i still can't figure out how to infer this. maybe there's some logical .. no.. maybe some mythical explanation to this :P

All the way, the sight of the sea can be seen / heard.

After around 20-30 minutes...


What caught our eyes:

We passed this building and the beach.... Continued our hike to monkey beach.

And the track got more challenging. The roots, the rantings... which is which pun tak sure daa..

A bit of stunts here and there:

And finally... Monkey Beach.. see any monkeys or duyung (mermaids) ??
Roughly 45minutes.

Yap..Boat Service is avalaible. But on that day, we decided to hike to and fro...

Rehat kejap.... 15minutes.

Then... Ok.. go on?? Hmmmm... the signboard says 1.2 km.. Well... only 1.2 km left maa..

But... OMG.... so la mencabar!!! curam nyaa.. hukhuk....

I was not prepared mentally for the curam-ness... but.. anyhow... after susah payah.... 3o minutes later.... all of us were up there!!! in the lite house... up and looking down at this:

looking over d horizon

Me in d lite bulp:

hmmm...
if I switch On the lights.. will my shadow be seen in the sky just like batman's?

Going back to Monkey Beach

We had our lunch at monkey beach... (kerusi, bench, meja disediakan)....

Sewaktu aku tgh melahap kepak ayam....

mereka datang untuk membuktikan point: "What? mermaids?? This is MONKEY Beach, ok... our Beach! so now gimmie ur chicken or I shall.......%^^&^%$#"


Agak scary, but pandai-pandai lah ... Finish makan cepat-cepat... they came in a group to get wat's left to be scavenged... diggin in the rubbish bins and all...

We hiked back....and we reached the visitor centre at around 2.30pm...

ERK.... My kasut terkorban otw hiking balik... huhu... Imagine hiking back with one side of the shoes ternganga... of course... by the time sampai balik.. jari2 ku sudah melecet... adeh...


BUT.... summary: MMG besss..... and Puas Hati !! :D

Menuju Puncak Gemilang Cahaya...

Back to Active Mode... Cargas! Cewah ...

I did gain some extra weight lately... but that's not the only reason why I am actively working out these days. There's this Cabaran bulan Mei.... a goal to be achieved and for that, I neeeed lotsa lotsa stamina! Stamina!!! phew.. @_@

Btw, it's kinda hard to keep up with gym since I am always on wheel back n forth from my hometown and cramped with workloads. But gosh, I really have to push myself now... May is just around the corner. Like one of my friends said "Semuanya akan berlaku dalam bulan April" Yessz....for me tooo! cramp lah semuanya. Hmpppt... takper, will have my redemption in May, InsyaAllah. Isytihar ia sebagai bulan bercuti-cutian... hehe...

To feed my rusty blog... maybe I shall update on my "stamina-seeeking" activities hor?

Here's one recent one. Hiking BM Hill, the Bukit Mertajam itself or also known as Hutan Lipur BM, or Cherok Tokun Hill.

The bukit :p on top of d hill, there's a stesen pencawang letrik. BM's trademark

 

With Kak Ilah, Zue, bullert and my sis, we started hiking at 8.30am. Kak Ilah and Bullert took 45minutes, I reached in an hour followed by Zue and Mely 10 mins after that.

So most of the journey up, I was hiking alone tailing Bullert and Kak Ilah and being tailed by the other two. It was tiring - sign that stamina tak cukup? huhu berjaga-jaga lah kamu. It was like neverending hike.. aduih... then after the last pitstop (tempat exercise), I thought it was just a few minutes away.... but no... it was not. But I made a point that I have to continue and reach the top no matter what.. so I just went on and on. "ayyoo di manakah kau wahai pencawang letrik"

Then a girl walked pass me, she looked very determined too. I tried to catch up with her so that I would not be hiking alone somehow.. haha. After a while, she stopped and asked "Berapa jauh lagi?" to which i answered "Taktauuu lah... huuu.. masih tak sampai-sampai ni" Hahhaha.... Her friends had stopped hiking at the last pitstop, waiting for her return from the top...

Catching breath... then both of us continued. She stopped when i stopped to catch some deep breath... and we continued. An elderly couple came down the trail and we asked "How much longer?" When they replied 5 minutes, we got excited... phew.

It took us more than 5 minutes... but we made it finally.....Kak Ilah and Bullert were lepaking, waiting for the rest of us. To mark our kejayaan menuju puncak.... here's a kenangan shot. Her name is May, we got her email to send her this pix. She's from KL and it was her first time hiking there... bagus, bersemangat :-)

Then, Zue and Mely sampai.. aikk with Marlina too... aikk and my bag? Zue was carrying it. Opppss.... Mely gave up on the bag after 3/4 of the journey to which Zue came as savior. And all the while, Zue who got thirsty and kinda dehydrated, carried the bag not knowing there's 2 bottles of water in it... Haha... adeh....all hell breaks loose when I opened the bag and teguk ayaq dengan penuh nikmatnya... wakakaka...

On our way back, we passed by this dog that I saw lingering at the same spot when I climbed. We stopped at the spot to snap some photos. This is view of Mengkuang Dam from Bukit Mertajam. Waa... kalau bleh slide trus sampai ke mengkuang dam kan besss....

Sedang asyik melihat permandangan.... i realised that Toby (yaa.. sudah ada nama, ok) was looking at us with a very sad look. If I was not imagining it, I think I'm kinda sure he was asking for water. Instinct.. hoho. or maybe because I read Toby's mind as his head moved in parallel with my water bottle. I tried pouring some water at the side of the road, but by the time he came near to drink, it was absorbed by earthground. Maka, sebab tu lah terjadinya adegan di bawah ini:

Tuang air dalam petak2 ini... Hehe dan Toby pun minum dengan bahagianya :-) Keshiannyaaa kat dia... Toby si mata Hazel.. This dog looked wellgroomed and had a tag collar. Not sure if he belongs to the stesen pencawang letrik. Guard-dog? But why is he outside the compound and loook so sad and dehydrated and kesian?? :( Marlina saw Toby again few days back and gave him chocolate... (ok, chocolate adalah dilarang ya lain kali sbb nanti haiwan dpt sembelit). Why is Toby still there? Kena abandon ke?? Huhu... sabar ya Toby, kalau aku naik lagi, bawak KFC snack plate kamu mahu tak?

Ok... Till then..

Marilah berlari-lari, berjogi-jogi, berpanjat-panjat.... yeehaaa...

photo credit: BB Fazz

Convent Bukit Mertajam, the old and new.

blog: http://alumnicbm.blogspot.com/

information on the alumni or how to join:
alumnicbm@gmail.com
facebook group id:  Convent Bukit Mertajam Alumni

The Alumni was invited to officiate Convent BM’s PIBG annual general meeting. Our YDP, Irene Ewe (batch 1976) was represented by NYDP, Belinda Gan to officiate the event and myself as another representative from the alumni. When I arrived at the school compound, the same nostalgic feeling hit me, just like how I felt during the 2008 alumni AGM. I was welcomed by a group of teachers. Then, we were ushered to the new hall, together with Dr.Lim (the PIBG’s YDP), and the new headmistress, Pn.Che Azizah.

Walking through the corridors, in between two lines of students from uniform bodies giving the salute routine… makes me feel a lil awkward. It was as though it was just yesterday; I was there as a prefect helping around some events in school; making sure our guests feel welcomed. Gosh… how fast time flies!

The officiating session went on well. Belinda’s speech covered information about our alumni, the vision, the purposes and activities we are/were working on. After that, both of us were ushered to refreshment, while the AGM carried on.

Before going back, Belinda and I toured around the school compound… cruising down memory lane. She was in CBM from late 60’s to late 70’s, whereas I was there from 1989 to exactly one year before the new millennia. Though we were from different era, we can relate our experiences, but we also compared the environment from her era to mine to now! Haha…

After a week, I went to school again, this time on school day. Looking at the girls in uniforms, I realize, it has been some time… I have sure progressed a lot, mentally and physically (physically? Erk..sensitive issue!) but still the same girl somehow.

Wow… I grew up from a kiddo to a teenager here. I can never stop recalling, talking about it, although it means repeating the same stories over and over again especially with some old buddies. Our past has been somewhat significant and responsible for the bonds we have today. Eventhough we were in the same school for a decade, we went through different experiences, coz even though we were close, we might have different circle of friends and exposures; some of us were not close back in school; and some with whom we might not share common interests.

After going out from school, things change… some remained close, some separated by destiny, some got closer unexpectedly. Whatever differences we had or have, we still have one common ground, our alma mater. Alongside the memories from past, the bonds (friendship & sisterhood) are always revived with new memories and exciting happenings along the way.

A friend recently mentioned that she misses the people back in school, I couldn’t agree more. I miss the people… but yeah... schooling, no… not again :P But I do cherish the school for what it had given me ~ friendship, experience, knowledge, self-respect, cultural understanding, and hehe... education :P and many more I guess. The school itself is a nostalgic figure standing still; quietly witnessing generations come and go… Through alumni, I wish my tiny efforts will somehow help present CBM girls as well as reuniting the former ones :D

So here we go, to the Old and New! Past and Present!


#1 Porch / Front Field

~Once Upon a Time~
If I'm not mistaken, I was told this photo taken in late 70's. Wait, is that a cactus tree in front of the palm tree?

Look at them... wow.... Another Pic to show the stunt: :D

1999.... during my time. Can't see whole view of the porch though. Can u see the cactus popping out from the back row? I think its the same cactus from above pic.

Feb 2008. Taken after Alumni's AGM. Photo- as you can see, I ciluk from Jane. No more cactus... maybe sudah uzur ditelan zaman maka harus dikorbankan.

~Back to the Future~

More upgrades followed... repainted and now we have a podium.


#2 Primary Block

~Once upon a time~
In 1988:

~Back to the Future~
more cars.....

#3 BackField

~Once upon a time~

Late 1950's / Early 60's:
From the class blocks heading to canteen. Have to ask super seniors whether it was a canteen back then. A stretch of mangosteen trees behind the girls, now ladies :-)

Year 1965:
Back field, taken from another angle.
left: the primary block. far left: glimpse of mangosteen tree in front of the field.

1999:
Same angle as the first foto.. not only the trees functioned as shady area, but was also as favourite backdrop for most sport-related events :P
~Back to the Future~

about the same angle as the second foto. as u can see, the primary block building. The border separating the field and the road, is where the mangosteen trees used to be. Haha "Why am I making such a big deal of the mangosteen trees?"... We always thought the trees were a part of the school's heritage. Even Jane was saddd that they're gone. Huhu... but then again, same like missy cactus, mesti dah uzur ditelan zaman...

#4 New HallThis hall is called new hall as it is newer than the other hall :D

~Once upon a time~

1970's / early 80's
Haha... When I was in my early years of primary, I used to fancy over these costumes... dreaming that I would one day have the chance to wear one. Never did! :P (they used to keep em in the music room, then suddenly there were gone) ~ another kes uzur ditelan zaman jugak kot :P

1999:
ok.. forget the costumes... i did perform on stage.. wakakkaka...


~Back to the Future~





#5 Front

~Once upon a time~1965:

1992: Opposite angle from the photo above.
The Pokok Pinang :-) Notice the overhead bridge? The Rumah Rehat?
The District Officer's House? and the trees on the opposite side of the road? Pokok Rhu
The road before reconstruction.

1999: Same angle as the first photo (1965).
The road after reconstruct into higher flyover

~Back to the Future~

same angle with 1992.
no more pinang on field... but there's one outside :P
Overhead bridge- new look (now with CCTV)
the area opposite school (D.O house etc) was cleared for roads and development (few years back dah)
oh ye.. now the school has guard room ;)

the opposite angle...
:-) the bukit

Adeh... tedious man... so enough for now :P (rajin pula wat evolution track)

Strolling and Rolling

Once upon a time… on a bright sunny day…. My younger sister and I tailed our dad to his football practice. Was it a match or just a practice? I can’t remember. But we went to this place that had a very big, big humongous field. A field that stretched to infinity as I remembered it to be…

I was 5… what seemed like a vague memory happened to be quite significant, in a way that it reminds me of how meaningful this place was and is for me….

Watching my dad and his peers, my sister and I sat under the trees… the sight of falling and fallen crescent-shaped leaves was captivating. It was a beautiful day with a beautiful weather. We entertained ourselves, running around just around the corner. Something got my attention; my eyes were fixed to this magnificent logo I saw carved on the slope at far end of the field. Curious. We were asked not to run around too far… but after continuous pestering… finally, my dad allowed us to roam after they have finished their match/practice. Jumping, skipping and running… we headed to the slope.

I was proud.. phew, what a long run! I didn’t know how to read…. But I knew it was some kind of alphabets which I couldn’t depict. “Wow… the logo sooo big above my nose… high up on the slopes”. At that time, it was such a big discovery and an amazing sight for me. Excitedly, I started to climb the slope and rolled back down, my actions being mimicked by my sister. We were laughing, rolling here and there…. and running carefree… just the two of us. We had to be chased down by our dad to make us go back.

Sad that I had to leave that place, I hoped that I would be back… It felt like a very special place, I didn’t know why… it was just a simple afternoon with a simple activity of running around crazily… but it was preserved in my memory.

Years went by… isolating this “childish hope” I had… Upon deciding on tertiary studies, this place was not in the list at first… then…

Tup tap tup tap….

I enrolled as a student at this place (... ermm... 3 times)…. kuikuikui…

As my loyalty to this place grows… I realize it’s not only because how I learned to love this place at present… but also because how my past cherished it…

Oh yaa, my younger sis attended this same uni but was in different branch :D coincidence? :P

photo credit: google image :P

Buai Laju Laju

Another Kiddie-oriented Post, hehe... is it because I'm getting more kiddo or more motherly somehow? haha

One late nite, Ainaa was bored. She was hovering around me who was the only batman still awake. She started drawing.. few artpiece until she came to this. Haha... dah kekeringan idea la tuh. I have no idea what this is. Orang dimutasi jadi Cacing ker? Coz ada tangan ada mata mulut siap... kekkeke...

Aku nampak mcm stack , data structure jer.. ker array? erk... She asked me to help her color. Then finally she was sleepy... before she went to sleep, she sneaked in my room and left this on my bed.

Ouh...sweet. To repay her sweetness, following day, I told her I'd bring it to my campus. Siap ada pesanan pula, she asked me to show it to my friends and ask them to complete the coloring. Being a good obedient aunty, I showed it to Aunty Ilah and Aunty Aca... whom got excited with ainaa's request.... and project artsyfancy took place on spot.

The result: (artist siap sign masing2 punya masterpiece)

left ~ Kak Ilah's (siap ada corak bendera selangoq plak... cecewah).. but kt bawah2 tu i tolong kaler sikit okay :P

mid~ ainaa's and mine

right~Aca's. solid coloring.

showed ainaa the end result... she liked both left and right but when asked to choose the winner... it was Kak Ilah's that won her heart. I guess u have to share ur victory with me then, kan... haha...

More Kiddiness??

Need I say more?? :P :P~

Buai Laju-Laju
Sampai Pokok Sena
Apa dalam baju
sekuntum bunga cina...
Pelik pulak lagu ni.. ade ke nak tau apa dalam baju org... eee.. pervert punya lagu :P

Kiddie outing:

Plan pergi ayaq tejun.... but due to my workload... others waited for me, so kluar umah pun dah lambat... petang. So we could oni go to the nearest ayaq tejun in taman rimba , teluk bahang. Sadih!! sikit gila spot... ramai gila orang... huwaa waaa... namun sebab kan dah sampai and the kids were all excited nak tejun ayaq... maka tejun la jugak sekali... huhu... (Rasanya masih dendam nak gi ayaq tejun yg lebeh besh)

And... yaa... Shameem sempat la muntah sikit... saya pulak adalah si badang perkasa yang bermandikan muntah shameem.. weee... haha...

Uwaaa waaa... alamak keje tak siap gi nie.... sayang holiday wooh... ehehe but sempat gak la kuar2 jap ngan femili coz i wouldnt want to miss it :D (dan update blog?? eh?)... selit2 :P~

merry merry

Merry go round.

Yeehaaa... I get to ride on one fancy one :P Bringing kiddos / babysitting em gives me the chance to be a kid myself haha.

Oh ya... and those indoor playgrounds. Never seen one when I was a kiddo... Anyways, using the reason u need to look out for them... u can join in the fun too!

Just dont over do it, like this: (kalau mcm ni budak-budak pun lari ingat penculik kanak2)

Bazinga!!

ini photo from 3 years back, time ni alisa lom jadi mak org.. kuikuikui

Salah satu entri tanpa motip jelas

Mandi Lotion.... Kawan-kawan, marilah kita mandi lotion....

Aku beli "shower gel" ni last week. I was sure... sangat sure yang memang kt rak tu ada botol2 sebijik mcm ni tertulis kt situ shower gel... I tested satu-satu bau dia... then ter berkenan dengan yang ni... tgk harga, aik apsal lebih RM 1 daripada yang lain... ooo maybe sebab wangi kot dia lebih mahal sikit... maka dengan konfidennya aku grab and paid... Baru malam ni teringat nak pakai... masa tuang, kuar la cecair putih pekat... hmm, ni shower gel ke shower creame? hmmm tak kesah la... but mandi punya mandi... buih tak kuaq pun... Skali tgk label, Lotion daaaa..... HaiYaa... tapi hikmahnya: wangi la aku sepanjang malam ini bermandikan lotion.. sekian, terima kasih.

Alang-alang dah buka kamera utk mengambik gambar shower-gel ajaib berbau semerbak itu... Aku pun teruskan membelek-belek kamera dengan setting aparture yang masih aku tak terrer2 ituw....

Nampak sabun ni... tiba2 fobia...
Cream parfume? ni Sabun ke Lotion? Hoho :P (btw, thanx Aan :*)

== Tamat Kisah Sabun ==

Harijadi adik dan kakak, both in January. Kakakku request kasut... Bila diberi pilihan kasut or baju kepada adikku, si adik juga mahukan kasut. Cari punya cari... I really donno why I end up pilih kaler itam jaaa... hahaha... safe choice. To be safer.. untuk sangat sangatlah memastikan tiada sebarang pilih kekasih atau kronisma berlaku... maka kedua-dua pasang ni adalah kaler sama, cap sama, tinggi heels sama, harga sama... Cuma dsign je lain sikit.. Hahaha.. dah la duduk serumah, kalau pagi2 nak gi keje, terkopius kasut... aku tak bertanggungjawab naa... hohohoho... Sebenarnya memang tadi nak amik kasut cap lain-lain, kaler canggih2.. tapi tu la, nak wat camna, nampaknya ada deria2 tertentu kurang berfungsi dengan cekap sejak dua menjak nih... Tapi walaupun kurang colorful, aku rasa ia agak praktikal aar, senang nak match dgn baju dan selesa pun selesa (pujuk diri sendiri)

Hihi.... Happy Besdays ya sistas... Muaahhssss.... Love Love.... :D

== Tamat Kisah Kasut ==


Reading mode:

Hehehe.. Filem pun dah kuar lama dah... baru nak baca buku dia. As mentioned before in previous posts... I "dig" dinosaurs haha... never too old for that ;-) Dah baca book 1. berbeza dengan citer movie. Byk plot lain and even watak pun banyak yang lain. like both versions.

Talking about something I'll never get tired off.... or never too old for...
is this:
Doraemon... kau tetap di hatiku...

Dah masuk tahun 2010... Kenapa kucing robot yang ada poket yang ada pintu suka hati masih blom kuar dalam pasaran ye.? hmmm.....musykil.....

== Tamat Kisah Buku ==


== Tamat Entri ==

+ve energy lookout

Where do I begin… most of the things I want to write has been posted by Jane… so maybe fewer photos here to avoid redundancy? Jane has safely arrived in NewYork, marking the start of her journey to pursue her childhood ambition in fashion. Good Luck Dear... A few days before she left, we had a small get together in none other than our very own hometown, Bukit Mertajam. Three of us, Jane, YingSan and I. Elena was supposed to join, but she is currently based in KL… Why is everyone moving to KL haa? grr grr….

I had a great day with u girls… I was actually at the verge of exploding with ton of worries and doubts in my head. The new semester, the papers… bla bla.. urgh!

So last week - attempt of redemption… This week, kinda redeemed... i guess...

Redemptions:

Attempt #1: Going out with the Girlz
Yap… a great day! Made me forget all those fuzziness… Felt so carefree. Non-stop coffee, yakking, and sunset in Mengkuang Dam… not forgetting the jumping-mania sessions. I couldn’t ask for more. Hehe… Compared to how we were in school 11 years back, I don’t think much have changed… the semangat, the beria-ia-an… the laughters…

Gonna miss u Jane..... YingSan, jom pi Nuyork jom... haha... ya rite...

Attempt #2: Going into Seclusion

Ok.. The girly-session therapy seemed to work well… until something made me feel low and dejected on Friday. adeh... I figured maybe I needed some "alone-time". Hopped in my car, drove straight to Queensbay and watched Sherlock Holmes. Alone and tired, the seriousness of the movie almost made me doze off… Nasib baik kau hensem wahai Robert Downey Jr… YOU kept me awake haha…

Then instead of driving back to my lab, drove to Georgetown. Wanted to stop dekat this ais kacang place near roadwalk…but I missed the place so I drove straight into the hearts of Georgetown. Saw Malilia Bakery… I heard the roti benggali’s good. Went to buy, but they don’t have roti benggali with kaya at that time.. so had to resort to normal bun instead. Geesh, anticlimax. Bought it anyway and ate while driving in slow moving traffic.

Note: All pictures that follow next are courtesy from random people posting it in the world wide web... as I was camera-less and my henfon tak cukup teknologi gituw.. auwww...

 

But then, was it Malilia Bakery (pix above) or Ismalia Bakery (pix below) yang Zue and Kak Ilah mentioned before? Both in Transfer Road. Hmmmm, tak kesah lah, but need to check out both places for their roti benggali next time :D

Rojak! That’s it! That's what I needed! Yes ada rojak sedap kt Feringgi! Serios ke nak gi Feringgi?… Haha.. Drove to Feringgi, my tongue receptors dancing in delight, craving for Rojak. A friend called, so I was on the phone until I reached Miami beach. Eh, I thought I was not supposed to be in contact with anyone during my "alone-time"? Reached the beach… and… Dang! The Rojak takdak! Super anticlimax weh! Ape kes… haih… Since dah sampai kan.. hmmm thought maybe I’d cekaud the beach (it looked safe, few groups of small family) and decided to wait for sunset. And again... I was on the phone all the while with 2 different people who happened to call. Alone-time sangat laa kan :P

Sunset…I waited…. And tadaa… today no Sun! erkk.. mana pi matahari eh? Matahari pun bleh main cak-cak ke? As I remembered, sunset can be seen from Miami beach maa… or was I confused? Delusional? adoilaa… I laughed at myself… tough luck :P

Ok… Maybe fine-dining then… After maghrib, I had no idea where to dine, texted Aca who suggested Marco, Italian restaurant or Tarbush, Lebanese restaurant. I chose Tarbush for the location- nearer to night market. Dengan berbaju kurung sejak pagi tadi ituw… dan refresh sikit after maghrib prayers... pergilah daku makan sensorang pada malam weekend ituw… Sgt kasihan tp macho okay :P

I was ambitious; I almost ordered appetizer+main course+dessert+drink. The waiter was concern enough to suggest that I scrap off appetizer as they serve in big portions. I ordered briyani Lamb + mango lassi and caramel-something-ish for dessert. Maybe kesian kot tgk aku sorang2, he offered to give me free dessert…hehe… (finally something delightful). Nan-bread is complimentary appetizer, for dine-in... I think. Then, main course pun sampai…. It was 3 times the normal portion I eat. Gila kah, mampukah aku makan semua ituw… *choke choke*

 

http://chriscctan.wordpress.com/2009/08/15/tarbush-lebanese-food-penang/ (Tarbush Restaurant)

Sedapp… delicious, the lamb nicely done… mango lassi so pekat… Slurrppyy… the rice so tasty, but I couldn’t finish it. Tried my best though. I ate only 2/3 of the briyani… I don’t think I have as much space in my tummy as I used to. (too much space taken by existing lipids). Ouh, the interior exterior tempat tu memang canthek. Hehe, sekali sekala, terasa mcm Genie in a bottle... ahakss..

After dining, I swept through the crowd in night market to get to a specific stall to get a specific stuff and quickly made my way back. I don’t want to drive too late at night in Feringgi alone so by 9.30pm I fled. The whole Saturday I hibernated in my room until I realized I had exceeded my “alone-time”… so I packed, jumped in my car and rempit back to my hometown. Once I was back in my safe and comfort zone… I felt wayyy better… Usually in this stressy-messy situation, I go out and meet people or rest at home or divert by trying to entertain people. But once a while, Alone-Time can be refreshing… though I may not be so much of a Alone-Time person… it's refreshing...

Well.. small scale and ad-hoc though... coz I can't have long holidays for the time being... ok now... papers to be read.. papers to be written.. back to work deii :D

flickr.com/photos/ariffjrs/309038733/ (miami beach, penang)

Photo: Star Online (Ismalia Bakery)
http://food.malaysiamostwanted.com/venues/mallia-bakery-transder-road

Printin it on a business card

I know people mean no harm when they ask me these two "I-consider-major" questions:

1. When are u finishing your studies?
2. When are you getting married?

But am kinda growin tired answering them, not because of annoyance towards those asking nor reluctance to answer... I know most of them ask with best intentions.... some want to keep updated, tanya khabar... with concern... and all... in which I'll be more than happy to share....

huhu but like those video cassettes we had those days kan... when we play it over and over again, the videotape tend to get stuck or go totally screwed kan.. ala dvd pun main byk kali bleh scratch2 aper :P~ So imagine have to repeat the same template over and over and over and over ag....ZZzzzzzz....gain.....

Solution:

1. -> finish it up , my studies that is....

2. - > get hitched ......


However... the MAIN REASON I usually have this "erk..." or blur-face on whenever asked is: I really don't have an answer... :D kuikuikui.... I really don't know when exactly... haha... but I cannot simply brush off people's question by saying "I donno" rite :P

By the way... for now... these are the answers:

1. Just completed my first year...
If I'm lucky (it's efficiency & hardwork actually), 2 more years to go...
Best Case: 2 more years
Worse Case: extend?... uwaa...scary

2. Can I say no comment.. ala2 selebriti jawab soalan Melodi... erk... saya no komen... erh..

Best Case: anytime? asap (as wished by family and frens)...
Worse Case: lets not go there..... @_@
Reality: not so soon la dearies....still in 'the hunting' or 'waiting to be hunted' mode :P~

Ok.. now... should I print it somewhere... like on a business card or some sort ... and professionally hand it to people when they ask me? Hehe.. ok tak? kuikuikui....

the Ayam land - it's all about the chickens (# 1)

The Present

I have been having this feeling of wanting a pet recently. Why eh? I kinda miss those days when we used to have quite a number of pets. Am I influenced by my niece? She is pestering for a pet… first she wanted a chicken then a dog (which we can’t keep as a pet), and now a cat.

Being persistent… she finally made my parents buy her 2 chicks few months back. Of course, I was horrified at the sight of the 2 little fragile looking chicks in a box. They were toooo small… (cute…but…) how could the guy in the market separate them from their mother and sell it? I was mad at first but then tried to adjust to the idea of having those 2 chicks as a pet... Maybe buying them would save them from the miseries of being some form of display-material in the market. Then the nightmares began… the chicks wouldn’t stop chitter-ing. Not that I’m annoyed (actually, kinda…) but I was more worried about the chicks’ conditions. Why wouldn’t it stop making those sad sounds? Lerr..ye aar… They still need the comfort of a warm feathered mother rite…

So what I did – I tried putting my palm in the box to provide some warmth… and they’d come sit close to my palm and stop the chitters…. Then once I remove em, they’d start all over again… I even slept late trying to comfort them but I couldn’t leave my hands there forever aite. Then weekdays came, I needed to get back to campus… and so I left; at the back of my head, worried about the fate of the chicks. Night came… I called home… and was told that one of the chicks died. Mom said Ain was crying dramatically and gushing in tears…Her first loss. Next day, the other chick died… and this time, Ain was calmer. Mom said it reminds her of how we would cry ‘dramatically’ every time a pet died or suffered an injury. Then... old memories come flushing down…

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The Past

We had quite a number of cats and chickens as pets, ermm.. Kiki was the mother of all cats, and there was one rooster named “Kelthe” meaning ‘the old one” which lived for a record of 10 years, (has the same birth year as me) and was the head of the chick-o-tribe.

Kelthe ~ My father got him when he was still a chick, before I was born – basically making him older than me. As he grew, he became the mighty superstar rooster in the quarter’s area. There were plenty of other broods of chickens in the neighborhood. Kelthe always put a fight with other roosters from other broods. In his record, from the series of fights, a serious fight caused one of his eyes to go blind. Because of his poor vision, a few years after that, he was hit by a car… but survived…. A tough guy he was… but he was a bit crippled due to the accident.

The fact that he was getting older made him stopped fighting and stayed in our lawn most of the time. Then, his other eye and vision deteriorated, looked like it had Cataract. So he became more inactive. But we always brought him for a short walk around the lawn… He would use his “touching” senses through his beak or claws to look for food. Sometimes, my sisters and I would feed him by placing the grains on our palms, making him feel through his beak. Memorizing the position he’d start eating them. Sometimes we kinda teased him by changing the position of our hands and he’d be hitting on air, then looking for it all over again. We’d be laughing, pet him and place our palms under his beak again. Forgive the immaturity…kiddos maaa….

Kelthe... macho kan...

Maybe not many people opt for chickens as pets… ehehehe…. truth is, they are just as entertaining as other pets.

My sisters and I enjoy playing with them,, feeding them. They have their own characters. Some very memorable.... Oh ya, collecting their feathers that fell off from their skin and doing some creative things with it. Haha... those days without internet, huh....

Unforgettable Incident:

One day, the neighborhood was visited by an unwanted guest, a big iguana (biawak gedik) from a bush nearby… the whole neighborhood went panicky. “Go to the chickens!” was my mom’s first reaction.

The chickens were squawking in trepidation. It was a 2-storey coop, so the younger chickens had all climbed up, but Kelthe couldn’t make it. It so happened, the iguana was already in our next door neighbor’s lawn, right behind our chicken coop. As we were running out from the back door, two of the younger chickens jumped back down, and started making loud alarming noises, at the same time, trying to cover him with their wings. Then, I saw a glimpse of that big biawak, (mungkin kah bayangan ngeri itulah mbuatkan aku takut cicak sampai skarang?? hmm.. possible kan?) it ran away as we were shouting frantically and I guess someone was throwing some stones or some sort to its direction. Ouh.. I was very very proud of those chickens... macho siot. Harapan bangsa ayam-ayam sedunia...

Btw, the filthy looking biawak, was finally caught, efforts of the whole neighborhood. They used a reban rotan to trap the biawak inside and guarded it. I waited anxiously as the iguana relentlessly tried to escape… and I wondered why they didn’t just kill it? Later came a few chinese guys in a lorry, taking back the biawak. I heard that they were taking it to a restaurant to be made into exotic meal… for a small girl like me at that time; it was horrifying to discover that people eat lizards… what an adventurous way of discovering new knowledge…

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