Creating The Mood..

Chinese New Year is just about 8 days away. The weather has changed. Monsoon season is just gone. In the morning it is so cold and very misty, and during the day, it is so hot. Flowers starts to bloom especially those green plants where it seldom bears flowers normally. You can feel it. Chinese New Year is coming. I remember when I was still young, I look forward for CNY, hoping to visit relatives and collect angpows and more angpows. This is the time we wish our parents would bring us along visiting relatives and friends. As I reach my teen age, I look forward to buying new cloths. Then when I started working, I want to have 15 new shirts and pants for the 15days CNY. Our parents thought us to follow the traditions.. to wear red for prosperity, not to sweep the house during the 1st day of CNY, to wish everyone Kong Xi fa Cai during the CNY especially the elders and so forth.
But today, with CNY just about 8 days to go.., I don't even feel or look forward to the occasion. I still have my new shirts which I bought last year from the last CNY. Not even wear it yet. Maybe I am just getting aged... CNY mean spending more money, buying new cloths and giving angpow monies. The kids just want to have something comfortable. A pair of faded jeans with t-shirts. Just imagine, faded jeans and pastel colour t-shirts. No red and bright colour shirts anymore. My daughter just want to have comfortable blouses with long pants. Most of the clothing we buy only during the mall's sale or offer.
How about food ? Just biscuits and that will be just a few days later. No more sending greeting cards, just a phone call will do.
I guess everything have to be created nowadays. CNY is all about shopping, buying red decorations such as lanterns and hangers, hanging red "fook" at the wall.. meaning prosperity everywhere.., playing CNY songs, buying lots and lots of food and biscuits and throw to waste after the occasion, and lots of visiting.
So, I decided to start repainting my house so that my teen age kids will help out and feel the mood the traditional way just like I used to do when I was their age. The mood has to be created..
What do CNY means to you ?

Mental Asylum

During a visit to the Mental Asylum, a visitor asked the Director what the
criterion was which defined whether or not a patient should be institutionalised. "Well," said the Director, "we fill up a bathtub, then we offer a teaspoon, a teacup and a bucket to the patient and ask him or her to empty the bathtub. "Oh, I understand," said the visitor. "A normal person would use the bucket because it's bigger than the spoon or the teacup. "No." said the Director, "A normal person would pull the plug. Do you want a
room with or without a view?"

Journey Back Home - From Ipoh

After breakfast with my colleagues, we break away on our own heading our way back home. I managed to buy some famous Ipoh biscuits. I decided to go to Tambun to buy some Pamelos too to bring home. I ended spending another few hours there as I met my old colleague there. He brought us for lunch and visited another cave temple. I left my camera in my car, so I didn't managed to snap the photo there. We left Ipoh city at about 2.30 pm, quite late to start off our journey home.
In my opinion, I think Ipoh is quite a nice place to stay as they are quite a developed city with no traffic jam. The city is clean. The food is cheap and I heard the houses are cheap too. They have more shopping malls compared to KB. They have Tesco, Tesco Extra (a new Tesco outlet), Jusco, Giant and Ipoh Parade.
On our way back, I decided to stop at the Banding Lake again to snap another photo before the sunset. We arrived home at 9 pm.

Ipoh, Perak

Above: View from 7th floor of Ipoh City Hotel.

The first thing we did when we arrived at Ipoh is to look for food. After travelling for more than 7 and a half hour, what else to do beside looking for a good lunch. I heard Ipoh offer lots of good and cheap food, that why I feel that we shouldn't miss this opportunity. Most of the shop is closed at the old town since it is a Sunday. So, we went rounding with our car and finally found a hawker centre with lots of people. We end up having lunch twice before heading for the hotel. We took sometime looking for our hotel Ipoh City Hotel, by asking around people at the street.

This is the hotel reception of Ipoh City Hotel. It cost us RM93.50 nett per night for a twin bed room.
The hotel lounge provide free wifi service. Even though I found that the rate is a bit expensive for a simple hotel like this, let me compare the room condition as with Casuarina Ipoh Hotel, a 5 star rated hotel.
This is our room at Ipoh City Hotel. Looks clean, simple and spacious and located in the middle of Ipoh Old town.

On the second night, I shifted to Casuarina Ipoh Hotel as it was arranged by my company. The hotel is located slightly further from the city, which is not convenient at all for a person without a car. This 5 star hotel looks very impressive from outside. As you enter inside, the reception and the lounge looks very old and rundown. The corporate rate is at about RM165.00 nett per night for a twin sharing. They claim that they have already refurbished the room, but as I enter the room, they do looks very old and rundown as well. Not worth the money as compared to Ipoh City Hotel. See below at the hotel room.

At night, we visited the nearest shopping mall which is the Ipoh Parade.

On the next day, we visited the Sam Po Kong Temple and the famous Ipoh caves, before shifting to Casuarina Hotel and to join my company colleagues for lunch before starting off for the meeting at the same hotel
At the famous Sam Po Kong Temple.

Photo: Inside the temple.

At night, after our group dinner, we went clubbing until 2 am.

Journey To Ipoh

The scenery from the peak of Banjaran Titiwangsa.

Well, I was required to attend the company's Mid Year Review meeting In Ipoh recently. I have not drive to Ipoh for so many years already. This time I decided to use the same old route, East West Highway as I believe they offer nice scenery as compared to the new route KB-Gua Musang-Simpang Pulai-Ipoh route. I think the distance is about the same, except that the road from KB to Gua Musang is so boring, and it will take me about 3 hours there there. That's too long for a stretch road, with all plantation and lots of lorries and buses.

Whereas, the East West is across the Titiwangsa mountains and the whole journey takes about 7 hours with tea break and resting and driving speed of about 100km per hour. However the scene is so beautiful and if you are lucky, you may get to see wild elephants. My first stop was at the peak of Banjaran Titiwangsa. Above is the bridge linking the mainland to Banding island.

The view of Banding Lake. A very popular spot for fishing enthusiastic.

Boats for hire at Banding Island for fishing and lake tour.
A cheap floating challet. They also sells fresh water fish such as Kelah, caught by the orang asli. After Grik, we stopped at Lenggong, a small town just before Kuala Kangsar to get refresh. The photo is the Jambatan DiRaja Lenggong taken just next to the R&R.

We finally reached Ipoh after about Seven and a half hour drive This photo is taken from the Seventh floor of Ipoh City Hotel.

A Note To Read and To Share..

Two men, both seriously ill, occupied the same hospital room. One man was allowed to sit up in his bed for an hour each afternoon to help drain the fluid from his lungs. His bed was next to the room ' s only window. The other man had to spend all his time flat on his back. The men talked for hours on end. They spoke of their wives and families, their homes, their jobs, their involvement in the military service, where they had been on vacation. Every afternoon, when the man in the bed by the window could sit up, he would pass the time by describing to his roommate all the things he could see outside the window. The man in the other bed began to live for those one hour periods where his world would be broadened and enlivened by all the activity and color of the world outside. The window overlooked a park with a lovely lake. Ducks and swans played on the water while children sailed their model boats. Young lovers walked arm in arm amidst flowers of every color and a fine view of the city skyline could be seen in the distance. As the man by the window described all this in exquisite details, the man on the other side of the room would close his eyes and imagine this picturesque scene.
One warm afternoon, the man by the window described a parade passing by. Although the other man could not hear the band - he could see it in his mind ' s eye as the gentleman by the window portrayed it with descriptive words.
Days, weeks and months passed. One morning, the day nurse arrived to bring water for their baths only to find the lifeless body of the man by the window, who had died peacefully in his sleep. She was saddened and called the hospital attendants to take the body away. As soon as it seemed appropriate, the other man asked if he could be moved next to the window. The nurse was happy to make the switch, and after making sure he was comfortable, she left him alone. Slowly, painfully, he propped himself up on one elbow to take his first look at the real world outside. He strained to slowly turn to look out the window besides the bed. It faced a blank wall. The man asked the nurse what could have compelled his deceased roommate who had described such wonderful things outside this window. The nurse responded that the man was blind and could not even see the wall. She said, "Perhaps he just wanted to encourage you."
Epiloque:
There is tremendous happiness in making others happy, despite our own situations. Shared grief is half the sorrow, but happiness when shared, is doubled.
If you want to feel rich, just count all the things you have that money can ' t buy.
"Today is a gift, that is why it is called The Present.

At The Beach - P.C.B.

Went to the beach today. Nothing much to do, as the boys were still on holidays. And myself off from work for the weekend. Took a drive up to the beach. The water is still rough and the wind is strong. I guess the monsoon season is still on, and will only be over till February.

Receive An eMail today.. In Pursuit of Happiness

IN PURSUIT OF HAPPINESS

We convince ourselves that life will be better after we get married, have a baby, then another. Then we are frustrated that the kids aren't old enough and we'll be more content when they are. After that, we're frustrated that we have teenagers to deal with. We will certainly be happy when they are out of that stage. We tell ourselves that our life will be complete when our spouse gets his or her act together, when we get a nicer car, are able to go on a nice vacation, or when we retire.
The truth is, there's no better time to be happy than right now. If not now, when?. Your life will always be filled with challenges.
It's best to admit this to yourself and decide to be happy anyway. Happiness is the way. So, treasure every moment that you have and treasure it more because you shared it with someone special, special enough to spend your time with...and remember that time waits for no one.

So, stop waiting

--until your car or home is paid off
--until you get a new car or home
--until your kids leave the house
--until you go back to school
--until you lose ten pounds
--until you gain ten pounds
--until you finish school
--until you get a divorce
--until you get married
--until you have kids
--until you retire
--until summer
--until spring
--until winter
--until fall
--until you die

There is no better time than RIGHT NOW to be happy.

Happiness is a JOURNEY, not a destination.
So -- work like you don't need money,
Love like you've never been hurt,
And dance like no one's watching.

Wish List For 2008 and A Belated Happy New Year !

Well, I know it's a bit late to wish everyone Happy New Year. Anyway, as the past few years I do my countdown at the Buddhist Temple at Pengkalan Kubur. I am not a good follower, but at least we just sit and listen to the monk chanting with prayers, give me the feeling of peacefulness.
1st day of January 2007.
1st day of January 2008. Not much changes, every beginning of the year we go to the Wat or the Buddhist Temple at Pengkalan Kubur to offer food to the monk. And I think I will continue doing the same every year if time permit. And everyone is talking about New Year Resolution. Ho.. ho..! Nothing much from me, just a Wish List for 2008. I wish to travel to:
A. Somewhere Near: 1. Yogjarkarta 2. Siem Riep

B. Somewhere Far: 1. Beijing to Tibet by Train 2. Nepal

How to do it ? Start Saving and Find Time. I think I can save some money for that. But I am only allowed 22 days for annual leave, and not allowed to take all at one time. So, if I don't go now ( I mean this year), when is the best time ? Somehow or other.., I must do it !

My Home Town Flooded !

The moment I step into the arrival hall of LCCT Airport, from our Hanoi flight I received the SMS telling us that KB town already flooded. Can't help much because we are still on transit for another night flight from LCCT to KB. Anyway, the next day I decided to explore a little bit to see how bad the situation is. Looking at it, I think it is not as bad as the previous years.