Being at Home 2 (with photos)


This post is a bit backdated. I am back in Singapore job and house hunting. But well, since I’ve taken a few photos, and I have told mum about my blog, I guess I have to update again with photos so that my photo-taking sessions back home are justified. =)

This is the time to introduce moi dad! The father who always wears red tops because he believes that red brings good luck and prosperity. The father who always frowns when it’s business talk. The father who always does not hesitate to chuck us money for fear we do not have enough to spend (but actually we do have enough, we still take anyway. *grin*).

This photo was actually taken during our trip to Genting. He stopped by at his factory (as usual) to check on the work, and I grabbed the chance to take a few photos of his pride and himself! *smile* Been wanting to show everyone what my father does and how his factory looks like, although I do not know much about the operation either. Well, the big structure in the background is supposed to filter and cleanse the sand. My father designed it himself when he started up this business. And he got the idea from tin-mining industry, where they also build this structure to wash the tin ores. I am very proud of his creation and am always amazed at his clever and industrious mind. Engineers from overseas visit his factory, trying to steal his idea to reproduce the same quality of sand, but my dad keeps tens of dogs around the area to bar them from going near it. Haha, wicked him!

Life in Ipoh is pretty boring because the town itself is not as robust as Kuala Lumpur and Penang, thus there are not many new eateries or shopping places to go. Once in a while, there will be new shops popping up but not lasting long. I’ve the opportunity to visit this place called “Old Town Kopitiam” which is really situated in the old town of Ipoh (Ipoh is separated into old and new towns). It is famous for its super silky smooth tea and white coffee. Other titbits such as toast, egg tarts, nasi pulut are also tasty. And I especially like their asam laksa! The ambience is cosy as well, oozing the traditional feel. A perfect place to catch up with family and friends! It’s ideal too for business meetings, as there are smoking and non-smoking areas.

I really hope the shop will withstand the test of time. I, for one, will definitely be visiting it when I am back again.

Hehe…end of updating.

P/S: Sis, remember to ask mum to bring you there when you are back. *smile*



Being at Home…


…means you cannot online 24/7 because dialup is slow and ineffective.

…means you cannot sleep late because parents who wake up in the middle of the night for toilets will reprimand you for not sleeping as early as they do.

…means you have to let your father hold the remote control.

…means you are deprived of all buddy activities you used to do such as suppers and DotAs.

…also means you can eat home-cooked food everyday, complete with a bowl of nutricious soup.

…also means you can watch Astro (read all soccer matches at repeated times and non-stop cartoons!)

…also means you can go shopping everyday (almost) and ooh-aah at the cheap price because they seem to have sales everytime you go back.

…also means you can finally visit the old ‘Pasar Malam’ (night market) and indulge in lots of junk food!

…also means you can taste a lot more tastier and cheaper hawker food! (char kway teow, assam laksa, kaya toast, original white coffee, dim sum, fishball noodle etc.)

…also means you can stay in your room and reminiscence on your childhood while looking at all the photos and collections, which you draw strength from to take on the challenges ahead.

…also means you can help out with the household chores so that it can lighten your mum’s burden.

So…being at home is not so bad after all…you might not be able to interact with your friends, but you get to spend quality time (finally) with your parents.

Go home more often! (and shop till you drop…*grin*)



Brief Update on a 26.6kBps Modem


Been enjoying myself at home these few days. Tried desperately to online despite the old PC left by sister, with a almost-malfunctioning keyboard and a 26.6kBps modem which sometimes fails to transmit any data at all.

In 3 days, I’ve finished reading 3 books. Partly because I got nothing much to do besides watching cable TV and reading. I unearthed books I put in my bookshelf and started reading. They are not the most recent publications but I found them nonetheless an interesting read.

I’ve also bought cross-stitch strands from my ever-trusty embroideiry shop at Yik Foong today. Will be stitching a design so that I can hang it in my new room when we get ourselves a rented unit.

I also talk to parents a lot since we always travel in car, eat meals together and being at home. Politics and soccer with my dad, cooking and life perspectives with my mum. Of course, other than all these, we also gossip. Surprising right? My parents know a great deal of my hometown friends. No matter how close or distant they are from me, as long as my parents know them, I can always count on my parents to update me on them. Somehow, their resourcefulness reminds me of Periwinkle. *grin*

All in all, life at home has been rather slow. I realised nothing much has changed since I left 6 years ago. The current infrastructure has definitely not been upgraded despite the old wear and tear signs. New buildings, on the other hand, keep booming at the other end of Ipoh. My dad often commented on the effectiveness and the “hangat-hangat tahi ayam”-ness (temporary excitment over something new and fresh) of the government and I can’t help but to agree with him. Although after much complaints, my dad will still prefer to stay in Ipoh and I still love the carefree environment that I was brought up in. =) 

A bit more reflections instead of a brief update. Haha. Will post photos after I arrive back in Singapore.



Home Sweet Home!


Hall seems painfully quiet nowadays. No more tea, no more table soccer, no more kakis for late night DotA.

I MISS ALL THOSE!!!

Going back to Ipoh tonight for about a week. Then I will be back job- and house-hunting in full force. While I am away, I won’t be able to update the site as my home’s connection is still a dial-up with 56kbps. The PC is old as well, making internet accessing terribly slow and I would rather choose not to online.

Here is a few sites that are worth browsing through while I am away. The first site, egg3 is a local shop, selling artsy crafty decorative stuff. It’s located at 33 Erskine Road and is currently having a sales. I saw it in the newspaper today. But can’t remember it’s until when though. The next three sites are from overseas: Oh Joy!, Print & Pattern, decor8. Beautiful swatches, patterns, designs updated almost daily. And I totally fall in love with them! *smile*

And then there is Mother’s Day this Sunday!

This is moi MUM! Chubby and friendly looking one! Sis wrote about mum in her blog, I read it and felt that I got to do something too! Haha…and thus this little header for her. *smile* She is one hell of a strong woman and she inspires me with all her struggling stories. Ma, thanks for your encouragement and support all this while. Love ya.

Oh…and the egg stench still stinks. *grin*



WTF?!


At 4am plus this morning, I was scrubbing and cleaning egg stains in Sucker’s room. Some nuisance had decided to throw a few eggs into his room and messed up the whole room.

While I was doing the cleanings, I made up my mind to write about the incident here, and was thinking of a tone to present it. Should I be angry, sympathetic, or just take things cool? I decided not to get angry with the pranksters. After all, they are just a brainless and childish bunch.

It is sort of a blessing in disguise though. Sucker’s room is finally free of dust. We had to clean it because the area near the window was full of egg yolk stains, and the ants were helpful in identifying the egg whites because it’s sort of transparent and difficult to see at night even with lights on.

It pains me though, when I see the Japanese lamp (from Ikea) we love so much was stained with egg yolks. And since the cover is made of paper, we can’t really clean it and have to discard it. We are keeping the lamp stand though, Sucker said I can do a cross-stitch design and mount on it. The yolk stains on the wall was especially difficult to wipe off! They stuck onto the wall like glue! I had to scrub it with water with all my might! And my latest CLEO magazine pages got stuck together because of the egg white. I didn’t notice it because I was busy cleaning other stuff which needed more immediate attention.

Oh ya, one of the power point got short-circuited too due to the eggs and it cannot be turned off from now on. His laundry and pillow was also stained. The displacement of the tranjectory motion is so great that it actually reached the bed and laundry basket which are about 2m away from the window. The throwers, we suspect were from a lower ground about 5m from the window (It’s a slope and there is another room below Sucker’s room). How far they stood from the window is undetermined. But I am still amazed nonetheless by their immaculate strength and precision. If they are Singaporeans, they should contribute their running and aiming skills to Singapore Arm Force (SAF). They threw the eggs, ran up a rather steep slope and reversed car at full speed and were gone in about 2 minutes! Amazing huh?

Talked to our RF today. Apparently, there were also cases in other halls. And it reminds me of an incident last year during the float-building period. SH and TH tentages were bombed by eggs by a black sedan (ours is a silver sedan). The halls did a police report because it happened to them more than once and it hampered their float construction process. Sucker also reported to Campus Security and now they are investigating the matter and checking the camera. I hope they will be able to obtain the number plate soon and lodge a police report. Our RF told me that we should catch them and make them wash toilet for 10 weeks! Haha.

Advice to pranksters out there, if you want to be naughty, rebellious and do something stupid, please do a survey of the surroundings first. CHECK WHETHER THERE IS ANY CAMERA NEARBY. You really don’t want to get caught because of a stupid action. Promise me ya?

Oh, and one more thing, don’t come and kena Sucker again. I don’t want to be a free maid again.

Signing out.