Wales

Although I am determined to write more often but there hasn't been any opportunity to do so.

I've been to so many places and taken so many pictures yet haven't had a chance to post them.

Today I will try to post some pictures of Wales. It's an awsome breathkingly beautiful country. Lots of space - as far & wide as your eyes can see. I felt so close and at one with the Creator. Seeing is believing!

For the first time, I had a walking holiday. Every single day, we walked an average of 7 hours - up hills, mountains, forests, jungles, rivers. So peaceful and quiet. Yet, there were moments of challenging terrains we had to endure to get to the other side in order to continue our journey. There was just no turning back but only forward ahead. That taught me alot about life, too.

An interesting walking holiday!!! All we had was only a map and ourselves.

Thanks to Angela for making this trip to Wales possible.

Pareo Magic

All the pieces of pareos I brough with me was not used as a 'sarong' or wrap-arounds as I would usually use (as in Malaysia) but as you can see, we used a lot of them in our play. Saffy & Oscar enjoyed buiding their little tent - a little shower & bathroom area, sleeping area and work area.

We had to use whatever we could think of or could find at home. We used Grandma Nancy's little tables, little chairs, cloth pegs, plastic bag cut into long strips to tie one end to the other side to make a room.

In the beginning, it was Saffy's play and Auntie Lay Hoon was her construction worker and eventually Oscar got intersted too which was just wonderful !!!

Oscar directed with lots of ideas to the construction of how the tent should look. Saffy... she must have her roof top to every tent we've built !!! *Smiling*

Since I had a few extra pieces of Pareos, I gave them to choose one just for themself. Oscar chose the green-blue-purple with circles on them (you can see it very clearly in the picture). Saffy chose a red one (which is just at the back of Oscar's in that picture).

I do miss Oscar very much. He's now in the hospital and we won't be able to see him for the next 6 months as he's in an isolated ward only parents can go in.

Tracing back ...

I haven't posted for ages!!!
Can't seem to find the opportunity to update this as often as I would like to. Will have a lot of tracing back and shall try to post as much as I can with what has been happening since I last posted.

Easter Weekend

Mommy & Finn















Saffy going to the garden to play
Oscar & Saffy discovered a wind chime on the tree branch






Play hide & "peekaboo" with my camera

A Day In London

Fruit Stall along Oxford Street in London














Oxford Street, London


On Tuesday (11 April 2006), I went to London with Yvonne on the train. The fare cost £14.50 for the day. You can jump onto any trains and tubes to wherever in London. She did a lot of shopping for herself & children.

We met up with Lorna & Elisha (her daughter) at 'Noa Noa' shop and went for lunch at 'Cafe Rouge', a French cafe. They served one of the best onion soups I've ever had and their dessert was just 'heavenly' !!! I had a chocolate 'something' - can't remember it's name now!

The train journey was very beautiful. Lots and lots of countryside landscapes and we chatted all the way. It took 45 minutes into London. We got off at Bond Station and walked to Oxford Street. Although it rained all afternoon, freezing cold and windy I had a lovely day out in London.

We came home at about 6pm-ish. Phil was at Leigh Station to pick us up and we went back to U.Pat & Kor2's for dinner. Dinner was lovely too - Kor2 cooked plus some Indian take-away.

Afternoon in Southend

Southend shops & cafes

















Along the Promenade in Southend looking for 'Rossi's Ice-Cream!

















From Southend shopping area looking down at the Promenade & beautiful houses along the road.


I went into Southend with Kor2 last Saturday (08 April, 2006) on her day off work. Went to do some window shopping, walked all the way to the Promenade and we found a place which had 'Rossi's Ice-Cream'. It's the best ice-cream in the UK.

One of the other reasons why Southend has this attaction we keep going back to every week apart from the weekly food supplies at Sainsbury, is this shop called 'Tchibo'.
It's a favourite amongst Kor2, Yvonne and now ... me!

'Tchibo'. A cafe with merchandise on sale. Every week, they have new items on display (from assesories, fashion stuff, DIYs, home decoration/furnishing to whatever you can think of), a catalogue of what to expect next week & a lovely place to sit down to enjoy your coffee breaks with some light snacks.

Everywhere I've been, there seem to be a cafe in most of the shops. Be it a travel agency, a book shop, an apparel shop or whatever. This sort of business seems to be booming here.

Missing Malaysia

'Pasembor'-Indian Rojak and Chinese Rojak (Gurney Drive Stalls, Penang)


















'Otak-Otak' & 'Pie Tee'-Nyonya Favourites (P. Tikus Night Market & Gurney Drive, Penang)

















Popiah & Penang Laksa (Gurney Drive & Penang Road, Penang)






















Penang Curry Noodles (Hillview, Penang) & Ipoh 'Fu Phei' (Pasir Pinji Stall, Ipoh)


















Chinese Nasi Lemak (Fantasy Restaurant in Ipoh) & Penang Nasi Lemak (P.Tikut Morning Market, Penang)

















Banana Leaf Rice (Thilla Restaurant, Ipoh Garden South)


Needless to say, I miss Malaysian food very much and I know U.Pat & Kor2 misses them even more. So, this is dedicated to them !!!

I also miss Mama's 'Fu Phei' and cooking, Sheila's curry dishes and Western meals we have every Sundays & whenever we find time/space to meet in between. Not forgetting the Sushi & occassional meals (lunch & dinner) with Sandy and 'Lion' (Lai Yin), with Chie and Lai San wondering what to have for lunch everyday (with Chie, our 'tummy-guide for the day'), 'Laksa-Day', every Tuesday/Wednesday with Chie/Mama/Hwa occassionally at the Pasar Malam (Behind Jusco or the Stadium).

Coughing Bad

Yesterday and today I spent all day at home. Am trying to recover from the bad cough & slight flu I'm having. Yesterday, Uncle Pat had it bad. Today it's me!

When Kor2 came home after work yesterday she said, 'I've brought you a present'. To my wonderful surprise ....... it was Saffy !!! She wanted to sleepover at Grandma & Grandpa's. She found a pink teddy in a bag by the side of my bed. Adopted Pink Teddy, and we all slept in my bed.

I gave her some 'Winne The Pooh' stickers, some coloured papers and a black marker. She made Easter cards for her Daddy, Mommy, Oscar & Finn. She's good at drawing. Drew lots of stars, kisses, clowns, aliens and figures which she knows they will like very much. Chose the exact colours each of them liked and she had a wonderful surprise to take home this morning.

After she left, I went back to bed and didn't wake up till almost 1pm. Cooked myself some noodles-vegs-button mushrooms, a slice of bread, half an orange & a pear. Had my warm honey & lemon drink and another parasetamol.

Yvonne & family will be coming over for dinner tomorrow. Kor2 will be cooking roast beef & lamb and some minced pork dish for Oscar. I will prepare 'Sheila's Exotic Salad' and a triffle for desert.

Library Park in Broadway, Leigh-on-Sea

I had a lovely time with the children (Oscar, Saffron & Finnian) yesterday afternoon. We (Kor2 & I) took them on a single and double stroller each, walked all the way along Leigh Road to Broadway into Library Park and played in the park for more than an hour.
They went on the swings, merry-go-round, see-saw, slide and ran around the area ...
Finn had fun on the swing, watching the children play and playing with Oscar & Saffy.

Walking there and back, we had a stroller race!!! Can you believe it?! We actually did. The children loved it. People just looked, some stared and smiled at us, some even laughed and enjoyed watching the little race while Saffy was on top of her voice with such excitement!

On the way there, I had Oscar on the single stroller. Kor2 had Saffy & Finn on the double stroller. He held on tightly and kept asking me to 'Go faster... faster... Auntie Lay Hoon !!! Don't let Grandma Nancy overtake us.....' I kept checking with him, if he was alright if I ran faster coz I didn't want him to feel scared or dizzy with excitement. But he just had such a great time, enjoying himself, laughing all the way while I got him to hold on tight to his blanket & the front.

On the way back, I had Saffy. She kept shouting & screaming on top of her voice as we raced along the streets 'Auntie Lay Hoon, run faster....!!!! Faster.... Auntie Lay Hoon! Grandma's catching up. Don't let her win! Faster........ Faster... Auntie Lay Hoon. Faster....'
It was so funny and so much fun.
At one point i said to Saff, 'Why don't you get down and help me push the stroller so we can be much faster!!! Come down and help me run faster...!!!' She was puzzled by that but anyway...
Oh it was so much fun........... with the children !!! :)

I enjoyed myself so very much. I had a great time too, doing all the silly stuff racing up & down the side road with Kor2 and the children.

Broadway, Leigh-On-Sea

I spent a good whole 4 hours in Broadway shops. Just walking into shops, charity shops, art galleries, art shops and etc. Finally, managed to find some textured coloured paper and some drawing boards from an art shop and a stationery shop.

There are so many beautiful shops there. One of them is 'Natural Edge'. It's the kind of stuff I like to look at and enjoy them. But if I had a house here, that would be altogether a different story!

Managed to make some cards this morning with the coloured papers. Went to Southend with my Auntie to do some shopping. Today's weather is not as hot or sunny but rather cold and gloomy. For the past 2 days, we have had frost. It rained a little - they are called sleet (little rain droplets of ice instead of rain drops). I found that rather amusing, so I sat at the end of the glass door facing the back garden just watching them fall on the garden and shack. Just marvelling at them!

Was planning to go to Brugge, a Belgian town via ferry for a day trip on the 15 April but decided against it as it's Easter weekend and I want to stay back to attend Mass and experience Easter celebrations here with the family. The day trips by coaches, trains or ferries are between £25-£40 (Boulogue/Le Touquet in France, Cruise-Lunch-London Eye, Countryside-riverside drive-cruise & etc.). Shall plan one for another date.