Vroom vroom

Guess which lucky person got his wish fulfilled on New Year's day 2010??

Ryan wishes he is 17 so he can drive. The hubby and I thought why not give him a cheap thrill now? Let him get a feel of what he thinks he wants. So after a New Year's day brunch of yummy dim sum, the whole family piled in the trusty pick up truck and headed off to a deserted car park. Oh, Ju brought his Ferrari helmet, too!

Anyway, we made a quick stop at the local shrine for prayers...Ryan was very excited and I think pretty scared as well cos he was the first one off the car to light the joss stick!! I think his emotions probably ran the gamut that day.


So....we got off to a slooooooow start. Luckily it was auto transmission, so no 'sei four' !! ( engine dying) , but it was a very very very boring slow drive up and down the car park. I think Ryan didn't bargain for the fact that we made him stop and actually look left ( where there will be traffic on a normal day) before he made a U turn. In short, he thought driving comprises only going straight, without looking for the back and sides!!! Anyway, since there were 2 instructors in the car , Ian and the backseat instructor aka the dad, I kept quiet. Would not help to add to the confusion!!!

Ryan did pretty well. He even attempted parking ( head in first) and on the 3rd attempt ( I think), managed to park it in the box!! And he thought parking was easy, always offering to park for me at Pyramid. Heaven forbid. :)

Perfectly in the box!!

He hasn't asked for a second round...yet. Maybe that was too much stress and excitement for some time.
Success!!! ( That's me in Ju's helmet)

B2

B2? What's that??? Well, for those of you who were not fortunate enough to catch their maiden performance.....by the way,you didn't miss anything..hehe.... ( oops- shouldn't have said that - must give support all the way ...afterall, I dragged them into this...)let me explain.

B2 stands for 'Brothers Yee' ( Not THAT B2 in Bananas in Pyjamas, ok ) - 2 in Cantonese read yee...get it??? Oh well, I am not too creative so that's all I can come up with. Anyway, B2 is a band ( comprising the Yee bros), hastily formed to play at a friend's daughter's 9th birthday party. To elaborate, the theme of the party was 'American Idol', complete with 3 judges ala Simon, Randy and Paula, and all the guests were requested to participate.

So, to oblige the hostess who is a very good friend, I managed to convince the boys to perform, and to put to test all the money I spent on their guitar lessons. Ian (who never had the benefit of any lessons), was given a crash course in playing bass, and they had a grand total of 2 practices before the big event!!! Talk about speed!!

Nevertheless, they gamely tried their best, and with a lot of support from friends on the floor, pulled through the excruciating 2 and a half or so minutes!!! Suffice to say, the express manner in which the whole thing was organised showed, and I have to admit very reluctantly, my boys would have not a very bright future in a music career!!! But they did look good on stage!!! Gaya ada but talent....???? Better stick to skating :) Shucks...I was hoping some talent scout would show up and make them stars....haha..okok.. I know.....back to dreaming. Sooo...the band was just as hastily disbanded immediately after that first gig.

Good news is, they did win a prize ( although the hostess was very diplomatic in not giving any ranking to all the prizes ! All winners were ranked the same) and the sad news is that they did not get any recording contracts!!! ( But if anyone with taste (?) wants them to play at birthdays, weddings, funerals etc... - call me, ya? )

Oh, I want to add that Ryan was so enthusiastic that he snapped a guitar string during the performance although it's not obvious from the video!!!

I want to thank them for being so sporting to do this to please their old mom. Love you guys :) You are always top on my chart!!

Bye 2009 !

2009 is almost over, and soon we'll have a brand new clean slate on which to write a new year. Gee, this year simply flew by . I must admit reluctantly and most unfortunately. I don't have any 'achievements' to shout about nor did I do anything I am particularly proud of. However, I did discover some home truths about myself - throughout this year, I have gotten rather eccentric ( at times), reclusive ( sometimes - some people who have been trying to get me out for dinner will testify to this!) , short tempered ( most times!!) and illogical ( all of the time!). Blame it on the hormones that ran amok during these pre-menopausal times!!! I look at this as a privilege of getting old!!! So, to those in constant contact with me ( especially my family), sorry and thank you for your tolerance in putting up with me.

2009, despite no high points in my personal agenda, was indeed a milestone of sorts in my family. Ian turned 21. We had a little surprise birthday party for him - some very close friends and some of his Bestari school chums - many thanks to Evonne for helping to organise this part and on such short notice too. Julian turned 12 - old enough to get his IC !! My babies are growing up !!! Sometimes I look at the old photos and reminisce about when they were small. Bitter sweet really ....

My cousin Lina from Sydney was here for a visit. Gosh, it was last year since Ian and I visited her and Uncle Eric in Sydney!! Still remember the lovely time we had. Uncle Eric has since passed on and I am so glad we took the time to visit him.

I live my life through my kids. Ian is currently home for his internship and will be here until after CNY 2010. He graduates next year and will ( hopefully) remain in Australia after that. So, I aim to savour this time he is at home. He may not have so much time to be at home next year on!!

Ryan is loving school and all its activities. Was Sportsman of the Year for lower sec in school and has excelled surprisingly in middle distance running!! He has had a great year, was the Nationals Novice champion for figure skating and was voted Most Promising Skater. He passed his Freestyle 9 test, which makes him one of the highest level skater in the country. We are now aiming for Freestyle 10 next year and hopefully he can be the first Malaysian to achieve that. Fingers...and toes crossed!!! But all these are not without its price - he suffered injuries to his knee and for a while had to do physio every other day. Now we are very careful about not over training. Ryan is also selected to attend the Korean Dream Program next month in Korea.

Julian graduated from Primary school and will enter Year 7 next year. He, too had a good year. Was Head Prefect in school and graduated with a special award for achievements in skating. He, too won his category in the Malaysian Nationals. He attended the Korean Dream Program in Korea this year. Did ok in his UPSR , no flying colours unfortunately but nothing to be ashamed of either. He is very excited about entering secondary school next year. He is really growing up and so fast too.

Blue's year was so-so. Affected by the economic turndown and still trying to get back up. He has lost a bit of weight and this troubles me . Firstly for his health and secondly, I am jealous cos I am not losing any!!! He has 'rediscovered' his old school chums, attended a big school reunion recently and is now in constant touch with his mates. Bugs the hell out of us with his repeated requests for help in his emails and facebook journeys. This does not happen everyday - it happens every other hour in a day!!!! Help!

As for myself, I started a blog !!! A total of 49 entries , including this and I have passed the 1000 hits mark. Yay.....my only lapse was during this recent school holidays which threw a spanner in my works!!! Haha...hopefully I will persevere on. I have also added on in the weight category , and am now about 7 kg more than what I should be, or rather what I want to be. People who are kind say I look better but I look in the mirror and am not too happy with what I see! Took a trip to Melbourne earlier in the year for a mini school reunion of sorts!! Mini, cos it was only 4 of us - Cheng Kim, Jow Mee , Hock Poh ( Joni) and me!!! Still, it was fun. Now planning for the big one in 2011 - St Marians reading this please contact me so I can keep you gals updated!

Celebrated my 25th wedding anniversary this year - no do. Just a very quiet dinner for 2. Infact it wasn't even on the actual date cos that day I was flying off to Hong Kong with the boys for a competition!!! This reminds me of my 1st anniversary which I celebrated all by myself in Northampton ( work) while Blue was home in KL !!!

Discovered a new 'friend' who turned out to be really a friend in the true sense. Met up with old school friends whom I have not seen in a very very long time. Made some new 'friends' whom I don't really care for ( Nor they for me, I'm sure - haha) .

Cheers people - here's to a sparkling New Year and many more happy experiences !

Merry Christmas!!!

What???? My last post was Nov 5?? Gosh, I didn't realize it has been thaaaaat long ago! Oh well, the school holidays have thrown my usual schedule off and I am kinda in limbo since. Anyway, MERRY CHRISTMAS everyone....expect more posts from next week on...after school reopens ! Hehe...this is not a New Year resolution, so .......:) I stopped making New Year resolutions long ago...but then that's another story.

The rink's Christmas show was last weekend. It was enjoyable while it lasted, as usual but this year I felt it lacked some 'oomp'. Can't put a finger on it but something was missing. Last year's show ( Jack in the box) was more interesting and Christmassy although we dind't have a Santa Claus. This year, we had Ian as Santa ( Thanks dear, appreciate it ) but somehow the Christmas feel was not there. Anyone who saw the show care to share your thoughts on this?

One more week to go before we have a brand new year to start afresh. Time really flies...hope to make the most of next week to have a memorable 'old' year. Am planning to do a summary of what I have been up to in 2009, so watch this space. Again, fingers crossed...soon, I hope!!!

Was told by hubby yesterday that we had an invitation to attend someone's 70th birthday party next week. 70 !!! Was going to say no, cos I don't even know who the old geezer is, but on 2nd thoughts - hey, I'll be one of the youngest people there!!! Haha....cheap thrill :) And the do is at Jarrod and Rawlins - I like that place, so why not? Maybe I will have more tales to tell after that...hopefully...that is if I don't fall asleep in the middle of it. What to talk to old people ar? (So mean, hor - I forget I will be 70 one of these days, and you young chicos will say the same about me ...sigh..:(

Merry Christmas folks, and have a great day !!! Ho Ho Ho .....

Boring dinner

Attended a very very very very....boring dinner last night. It's that kind of dinner where you don't really want to go but have to. I'm sure you know what I mean. Anyway, the hubby called up in the afternoon and said that his friend had invited the whole family for dinner with some Korean friends. Venue - some Korean place in Taipan. I was debating whether to say yes or not, especially when Ryan was having exams. Hmm...lucky him, he got off!! My sweet Ju offered to accompany me! I was wondering whether the 'family' meant that everyone was bringing their brood or was it just us?

Anyway, it does not really matter cos it turned out exactly what I envisioned it would be - BORING!! Koreans are notorious for being male chauvinists ( and I have not come across any exception yet) , and their women pretty much have to stay behind the limelight. This was from personal experience when I was working in GEC - our Korean counterpart thought I was the secretary and my assistant ( a guy) the Engineer. Even when he discovered I was the one he was supposed to deal with, he kept asking me if I was really an engineer!! What the.....

Anyway, coming back to the present, when we got to the restaurant, there were 3 tables reserved. One was for the Korean guy's family, in the middle, a big table were for the men, and another table on the other side for us!!! We were a bit late - that's another long story why - will save it for another time!! So everyone has started eating. Guess, it was a blessing in disguise cos that means I don't have to make small talk with other people. Just a big 'hi hi' and hello to everyone present and I can settle at our own table and eat!!! Thank God for small blessings!

Luckily Julian was with me cos the hubby 'abandoned' us right after eating and sat with the guys! Aiya, if they want to talk guy talk, why bring the family leh? Furthermore it was a week night and is usually not family day. Sometimes I wonder...does this make them feel better and convince themselves that they are not 'neglecting' the family??? Or they think we are so dumb that we can't see through their badly executed attempt to justify to themselves that they are giving us time? Hmm, I'd much prefer quality time over senseless quantity time.

So overall summary - food was ok, liked the Bulgogi and the BBQ beef. Sang gei tang was a bit weird, not like the ones I am used to. ( This one had a very thick soup ) Dessert was completely yukky - I have never seen or tasted it before , some kind of noodle in a cold sour spicy soup. Tasted a bit like sour plum but then again not quite. Don't know what it was. Will not eat it again. Ju very gamely finished half a bowl although he didn't like it . He said he wanted to be polite - he is sooooo GOOD!! So happy for his presence, otherwise, I would be bored stiff!!

Not a great evening and one that I would not care to repeat.

Hanging Monastery of Mt Heng

Another place to add to my 'to visit' list is the Hanging Monastery of Hengshan, or Mount Heng in Shanxi, China. It's an engineering marvel, just imagine building on a sheer cliff face, 50 m above the ground. That translates to roughly 15 stories up above the ground.!!

As usual, I saw in on TV - what a marvelous invention that idiot box is!! And so wonderful for armchair travellers like me. What I saw really intrigued me - the whole building is made of wood, save for the roof tiles and is very cleverly cantilevered out from the cliff face. The long poles you see in the photo only 'appeared' to be supporting the structure but in fact, they are there only to give the illusion of security. In reality, the poles are merely wedged between the platform and the cliff face. They are not even buried inside the rock!!!

The whole monastery is actually very spacious as the monks apparently burrowed into the cliff face to make cave rooms. This is so ingenious, and to think that the building was built 1400 years ago!! That means practically no machines and super tools. Just imagine the amount of manpower and time it required. And it is still standing..or rather hanging today! ( Of course it has been repaired, restored etc but still...) I am really impressed and I want to go and see it for myself.

The whole idea of building it against a cliff is for protection from floods and strong gusts. As it is a Taoist monastery, the idea of calm and serenity is also very important - who is going to come and kacau such a precarious location!!

If you are thinking of going there, it's roughly 300 km west of Beijing, near a town called Datong, in the Shanxi province. My idea is to go before my legs give way and cannot make the climb up....but that's only a plan. Hope it materializes!!! See you there! :)

PS: Meanwhile, I'll still be slogging in the gym to make sure my legs are still working!

(Extremely) Noisy St Marians

9 ladies and a ton of noise!! That's what we do best!

Had a lovely afternoon today. Met up with 8 of my classmates from my secondary school days for tea at House & Co in Bangsar Shopping Center and had a great time catching up and generally behaving the age we once were!!

FYI, classmates mean my Form 1 to 5 buddies from St Mary's. Some of us meet up once in a while and we are pretty much up to date with each others' lives. But it was a real treat to catch up with Liz, whom I have not seen since Form 5 and YS, whom I met briefly many years back!! For those of you who know my age, you can pretty well do the math and guess that's it's been almost ?? decades !! It was wonderful to be able to sit down and yak yak yak away!!

The noise we made was horrendous, not unlike what we used to do many many years ago and got reprimanded by the teachers in school. Ryan and Julian dropped by and refused to sit with us. They preferred to go home than be embarassed!! It was certainly most 'unladylike' and definitely not what was expected of 'ladies' like us!! (To digress, this reminded me of a girls trip we took to Myanmar some years back and a guest in the hotel room next to ours complained that too much noise was coming out from our room!! Now that is another fantastic trip to reminisce about. ) A trio of customers walked discreetly passed our table and elected to sit outside....to get as far away from the din as possible!! The owners must have not been amused :)

We exchanged stories of kids, families but most of all juicy gossips about other classmates who were not present! Well, what do you expect if you do not come and defend yourself??? SK also related embarrassing stories of her misadventures and we had such a good laugh over it. Most prominent was the fact that she missed her own birthday party we gave her many many years ago cos she lost her way and somehow ended up driving into the motorbike lane along the Federal Highway!! She will never live this story down, and all our kids knew about it!

Then came stories of our kids and what stress they have given us! LK was relieved to hear that little boys do eventually grow up and make their moms proud instead of stressing them out with bad results and undone homework. I am certainly glad that phase for Ian has passed and I am so proud of him now. So there is much hope left for LK!

It's so nice to know that we can like practically picked up from where we left off , way back in Form 5. And looking back, we realized that we were a very Muhibbah lot those days. I think I have written about this before....that we were 1Malaysia way before we were told we have to be 1Malaysia. There are plans afoot for a reunion trip in 2011 to commemorate a milestone, and a spa trip to Thailand won hands down over a 14 day trek to Base Camp!!! Yours truly was elected, erm... more like forced to organise it!! Fingers crossed and hope it materialise...should be tons of fun. Oh yeah, someone suggested we book the entire place cos other guests would definitely not take kindly to our decible levels!! Especially if they are there for some R & R...we might even get kicked out!!! Yikes...would be most malu but what the heck as long as we had fun!! Might make a great story some day for the grandkids.