Tea For Two

Today, we opened all the gifts under the X'mas tree as we need to unassemble the tree and the decorations, pack them into their boxes and keep them in the store room for the next 350days before they see the sunlight again :-0

the most special gift we received this year

Christmas Day @ 2008

Came home very late from uncle's place..slept only at about 2 am....woke up at 8am and after a simple breakfast, we were off to P Jaya to attend the Christmas church service at 10.00am

This year, the sunday school children did a sketch on the 'NiTe Before Christmas.. it was a very interesting play, depicting the story of Mary, Joseph and baby Jesus..the 3 wise men and the sheperds whom witnessed the birth of Christ the Saviour.

after church, we were wondering what to eat for lunch...since we were not so hungry (yet to fully digest the eve dinner & breakfast) decided to go for some simple food

Popped by Atria Damansara Jaya for the chinese fruit rojak, with tau foo fah and soya bean milk..

simple, delicious and very economical Christmas lunch..

back home to catch up on my beautiful lost sleep...

Merry Christmas & Happy New Year

To All My Friends & Everyone

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays !

Langkawi / Dec 4-6-2008

Mahsuri Tomb


Potrait of Mahsuri

Mashuri Well

The tomb stone of Mashuri

Field of Burnt Rice

(but no burnt rice can be found)

Mount Cincang -

The Oriental Village in the upper northwest of Langkawi Island, near Pantai Kok, is the entrance for the cable-car ride, which takes visitors all the way up to Mount Mat Cincang, Langkawi’s second highest peak.

Observation Deck - Hanging Bridge

View at top of Mount Cincang

Hanging Bridge

Our Entourage at the 'top of the world'

Perdana Quay

Water fall at Telaga Tujuh

Enjoying a feet dip only

Sands at Pantai Cenang

so soft & fine

The 'Kodak' post

(managed to capture this shot after umpteen times)

JJ Lin - Meet The Fan @ Sg Wang

Last Saturday – 13/12/2008, I went to Sungai Wang Plaza to meet up with my sister from Malacca. My sister is a homemaker and she seldom comes up to Kuala Lumpur. This time, my nieces (her two daughters) had to pratically dragged her here.

My daughters initially did not want to tag along cause they said they will feel bored since they will be accompanying two Ah So jalan-jalan. Somehow, I managed to overrule their decision -- Mummy is always right !

We arrived at Sg Wang Plaza about 2pm My eldest needed to wee-wee…Off she went to the loo and she came back with a grin and this silly look on her face…Guess what…she saw a poster at the loo mentioning that her idol ‘JJ’ would be at SG Wang on the same day for a meet the fan session at 2.30pm…it was definitely a windfall for her..to meet her idol ..

Sister & me decided to have a tea at DeliFrance while the girls get their fill of JJ at the concourse area…

When JJ came on stage, those girls really can scream and scream and scream…mine mine..wonder if any one of them broke their vocal cords..

Some of them bought his album for RM40/- .and had JJ autographed it..i wonder does their parents knows how their children are spending their hard-earned $$, especially at the time like this..

Kedah : Paddy Museum

After lunch, with still time to kill before the night fall in Alor Setar, we decided to visit the Paddy Museum (Muzium Padi), which is at the foot of Gunung Keriang. I have heard so much about this place from neighbours and friends, so it was a must visit on my list this time.

This museum was built in 2004, on a land belonging to MADA (Malaysian Agricultural Development Authority), for RM24.7 million. The museum itself resembles bushels of harvested paddy stalks. As you explore the Paddy Museum, you will find the rice motif repeated everywhere, on the banisters (like in this photo), and even on the fence and gate outside.

Opening hours : daily 10am to 6pm,
except on Friday, 12.30-2.30pm break.
Admission : RM3 for adult / RM 1 for children
Distance from Alor Setar Town : +/- 10 kms.

The most hype and talked about murals is located on the top gallery, via a spiral staircase. This is a massive circular mural measuring 103m in circumference and 8m in height. The viewing gallery is a revolving platform that complete a circle in 30mins. Sitting in the chair on this gallery gives one a feel that one is looking at the kampong scenes surrounding Gunung Keriang.

The mural was painted by 43 Koreans artists and it took them 9 months to complete.

paddy field



kampong at the foot of Mt Keriang

villagers having fiesta time

On the ground floor, there is a information centre.

Exhibits shown are the tools used during the olden days to cultivate this crop, different methods of transportation etc.

Besides rice from paddy fields, the farmers can also catch fishes from the sawah as supplementary food

Containers made from mengkuang leaves to store rice in the olden days

Paddy processing

(separating the paddy from stalks)

Kedah / Penang Holiday : Dec 2008

Dec 03, 2008/Wednesday
7.30am@ started our journey to Alor Setar, Kedah today, with my best friend and her family.
Two families = 2 cars = 10 paxes

2 pees stopped at NS H/way, a lunch break at Bukit Mertajam and we were Alor Setar, Kedah at about 2.00pm.

Our first stop was at Tun Mahathir’s family house located in Kota Setar.

The surrounding areas has been acquired and beautified to make this a tourist attraction. Beside the house, there are a few structures showing some of Tun's belongings and souvenirs

Entrance is free

Visiting Hours :
Tuesdays – Sundays : 10am-5pm
Fridays : 10am-12noon/3pm-5pm
Closed on Mondays, except during public & school holidays



(No photography allowed inside the house)
I do not have the slightest clue how these photos ended up in my possession ;p



Living Hall

Result from University of Cambridge,

when Tun was 21 years old

Tun's teacher from Sultan Abdul Hamid
College ,
the late Mr Ch'ng Chin Eong

Tun Mahathir's and Dr Siti Hasmah's bridal room

(the curtains & bed sheets looked new, so I guess they are not the originals)









TBCont

South Germany

After Paris, we took a normal train (not ICE as it was too expensive for us) to Munich, south of Germany. The journey took about 6 hours. The coach was very comfortable with plenty of leg room.

On reaching Munchen, after checking into our room, we walked around the nice old city, visiting the Olympic stadium ..unfortunately, photos taken did not turn out good.

(picture pinched from wikipedia)

A friend recommended us to visit Neuschwanstein Castle, located in Fussen, which is about 87 miles from Munchen.

Fussen is the highest town in Bavaria, sitting at a lofty 808 meters (2,650 feet) above sea level.

It was said that this castle was the inspiration for Sleeping Beauty Castle and Cinderella Castles at Disneyland Parks.

(picture taken from wikipedia)

Neuschwanstein Castle is a 19th-century palace on a rugged hill. The palace was commissioned by King Ludwig II (August 25, 1845 – June 13, 1886) of Bavaria, later known as Mad King Ludwig.

The foundation stone of the building was laid Sept 5, 1869. Neuschwanstein was near completion when, in 1886, when the King was declared insane. He was found on June 13, 1886 in shallow water in Lake Starnberg.

As castle is located on hill top, hubby wanted to take a horse cart.

but we ended up trekking up as the horse decided to desert us..
(castle in the far distance)

this view was taken from a window at the castle. The lake is where King Ludwig II was found drown.

Paris

Some years back, the company sent me to Germany HQ for some training...it was more of a incentive trip actually, to meet my German colleagues whom I corresponded daily about business and sometime shared private nonsense jokes, etc

The HQ is located in a small city about 70km away from Frankfurt.

We, hubby tagged along too, took the opportunity to divert our journey abit. To sit in an aeroplane for 12-13 hours and see my colleagues and some productions procedures, that would really be a waste of the resources. So we synergised by flying into Paris, took a train to Munich (south Germany), bused over to Salzburg in Austria.

Our trip was in May, which was early spring, and one of the most comfortable time to travel. This was also our first free and easy overseas trip. We booked our hotels, did some online research on the transportations and planned our itinerary.

First stop was Paris because it is one of the most romantic cities..

Eifel Tower is at the far background

strong hubby supporting Tower with one shoulder ;-)




On Eifel Tower- Outdoor Observation Deck (276 meters), part of Paris & River Seine on background

The Arc de Triomphe (Arch of Triumph) of Paris, one of the monuments left to the city by emperor Napoléon.

La Pays France Miniature
one of my favorites place





Paris Disneyland
Pinnochio & Me

Cinderella Castle

Academi Nationale De Musique



My reaction on the first 'naked' statue I saw in Paris ---
(ellloo,,,in my country no chance to see this on every street!)

My first encounter with fresh tulips





Les Invalides, Paris


This building was initially a home for the aged and hospital for the invalid . Now it is a military museum and tombs for Napoleon's family, several military officers who served under him, and other French military heroes


The sarcophagus of Napoleon Bonaparte (1769-1821)
(his remains are inside)



This is the coffin of
Joséphine de Beauharnais (born Marie Josèphe Rose de Tascher de la Pagerie (1763-1814) the first wife of Napoleon Bonaparte, thus the 1st Empress of France.


Psst: This couple sure died young...Mr Bonaparte @ 51 years old and Mrs Bonaparte @ 50 years old.

TBContinue ( don't know when)