End Of The (October) Road

So, we say goodbye to October. I’ve been pretty ‘cool’ with this month ever since Mummy left... it’s been three years and I still miss her terribly.

It’s not like I’m so looking forward to November. Oh no. That’s when the matches start coming fast and furious and yeah, we do have some tough fixtures coming up. Don’t forget the last Sunday of October always brings with it the end of British Summer Time. And before you wonder how that affects me, well, remember, football matches now kick off an hour later. Ugh.

Two more months until the New Year begins, or rather, two more months until New Year’s Eve. Two more months before we have to think again of new or renew old resolutions and new beginnings (?), and summon new strength to find to face yet another new year.

Let’s just live in the present then, shall we?

A Short Weekend In Penang

I had studied the football schedule and as there was no premier league matches (no thanks to the stupid Interlull), decided to take a short trip to Penang last weekend. The ETA was 2020; however, due to the loading of cargo, we only took off at close to 9. We landed at almost 10 and I waited about 25 minutes before getting a bus bound for the jetty. While waiting, I was approached by a woman who asked if I wanted to take a cab instead. No thanks, I told her.

It was in the bus when I realised that there were so many foreign workers in Penang. For a while, there was only me and two other locals – and one of them was the bus driver! I felt like I was riding a bus in Karachi or Kabul, such was the situation in the bus. After more than 40 minutes, we finally reached KOMTAR/Prangin Mall and I got down. Sighting a 7-11, I made my way to it and consulted my rudimentary map in there. After getting my bearings, I headed out again and made my way to Lebuh Noordin. I stopped once to ask and a few metres away, finally found my guesthouse for the next two nights.

The lady manning the counter said I could check in the next day; however, I told her I doubted it would take long and said I would check-in then. It was already approaching midnight then but I couldn’t resist taking a short walk around and taking photos. The guesthouse was charmingly decorated with antique Peranakan pieces from the lobby to the courtyard, the dining area, small lounge, and even my room. There was an old cupboard, an old dressing table, small frames of people from the past, a built-in bed, a day bed, two chairs, a small table with bottles of drinking water and glasses and a mounted flat-screen TV. Even the door and bathroom door were old-fashioned. I returned to my room after 20 minutes and enjoyed a late-night fruit snack and some Chinese tea.

On Saturday, I woke up for prayers to the sound of the falling rain. Oh no... it continued all the way through breakfast. The guesthouse provides brollies though, placed in umbrella stands outside some rooms. I had one in my room too. After breakfast, I headed out and made my way to the Pinang Peranakan Mansion, stopping along the way to take photos of some cat murals (thanks to Aud for the heads up). I had only just started my walk when I came upon two Chinese uncles. One of them smiled at me and said (in Malay, no less), ‘Basah, basah, hujan dah turun’ (It’s wet, wet, the rain has fallen). I laughed at this very obvious statement and replied, ‘Well, what’s a girl to do?’ and he replied in his sing-song voice, ‘Manis, manis, manis, seperti madu’ (Sweet, sweet, sweet like honey). I walked away puzzling over this.

It took me almost an hour to reach the Pinang Peranakan Mansion. Not because of the distance but because I spent time taking photos along the way. I bought the ticket (RM20 including the jewellery museum) and went in. I spent about 45 minutes there wandering from one room to another (you need to take go bare-footed on the first floor). I wasn’t too impressed with the jewellery museum for I think there were a lot of other non-jewellery items on display which made me feel somewhat cheated. RM10 for that!

I hurried over to Cheong Fatt Tze Mansion about 500 metres away but when I got there, I was told the tour had started at 11 (I thought it was at 1130). You can’t enter unless you follow one of the three tours at 1100, 1330 and 1500 (or was it 1530?). Surprisingly, I didn’t feel disappointed at having missed it and as I wasn’t about to linger there for two hours until the next tour, I left and walked back to KOMTAR. At the bus station, I studied the bus schedule and took bus 103 to Gurney Plaza. The fare was RM1.40.

I walked around but nothing spoke to me and at 1, made my way to G Hotel next door. I performed prayers there (the prayer room was pathetic; I guess they built it thinking it was better than nothing) then went to check out the new Gurney Paragon Mall next door. Well, I was similarly disappointed. I didn’t spend long here and returned back to Gurney Plaza for lunch. After lunch, I walked to Jalan Burma and took bus 101 back to KOMTAR. I then walked to Penang Times Square (my advice: don’t even bother) and returned to the guesthouse but not before buying some putu mayam (string hoppers) at Jalan Dato Keramat.

I went out again after evening prayers to find dinner. I headed to the nearby Prangin Mall before crossing over to 1^st Avenue Mall. The two shopping complexes are next to each other and yet both have Parkson Grand. And Parkson Grand depresses me. I had a rather unfulfilling dinner before buying some snacks and returning back to the guesthouse. I tried to read but kept falling asleep so I decided to call it a day.

I woke up some time during the night to the sound of rain outside. It was raining when I went for breakfast just before 8 but stopped as I was finishing my meal. I hurried back to get my bag but it rained again and I had to use my small brolly to get to the bus station for the bus to the airport. On hindsight, I could have waited another 10 minutes for the rain stopped then. I got the bus 401E just before 9 and reached the airport 50 minutes later. It rained along the way and got heavier as we neared Bayan Lepas (in fact one cashier at the duty-free told me that it started raining at 2 am and didn’t stop at all. She couldn’t concentrate on her work as her house was already flooded).

The plane from KL landed at 1030 so our 1045 flight was pushed to 1100. We only took off at 1110 and landed at 1150. I missed the KLIA Express train by seconds (reached there at 12 noon sharp and the train was already gone. The clocks in the arrival area all told me I had 2 minutes left) and had to wait 20 minutes for the next train. At KL Sentral, I rushed to the bus platform and found the bus back to micasa waiting (unprecedented). It pulled off just 20 seconds after I got on. Phew!

Right. I still have that Cheong Fatt Tze Mansion, some cat murals and some dishes left to hunt. Another trip to Penang, next year, maybe.

The Pursuit Of Happyness

As mentioned here, my Guilin elderly fellow tour mates were a fun bunch. They were not shy or embarrassed and they were happy to share tips and advices to the rest of us. On our way to Shangri-la Park, one of the uncles shared seven ways on how to be happy, which involve taking care of the following:

1. Mind/mental health by exercising your mind by reading, watching documentaries and sharing experience. If you do nothing but over-analyse, over-worry, and over-think of past events, it leaves time for negative thoughts to form. So don’t let your mind idle; as they say, an idle mind is the devil’s playground. That’s why some people get Alzheimer’s disease and dementia. Also, always forgive. There’s no point in harbouring grudges (I must remember and exercise this myself).

2. Physical health by taking good care of yourself. Always exercise and don’t neglect your teeth either. On this note, I have been advised to consider wearing orthodontic braces by my dentist to rectify the gap on my lower jaw (she also said my lower jaw is sore. Surprisingly, I never noticed this).

3. Spiritual health, this involves having belief in a higher being (God, to most of us) and faith.

4. Financial health and stability by making it a habit to do your financial budgeting and planning from an early age – I had been keeping track of my expenses since I was in boarding school (although it took a while for me to start being financially smart). Aim to save at least 10% of your income. One sister told SM that we should aim to enjoy post-retirement what we earn prior to retirement. For example, if you’re earning five figures before you retire, aim to enjoy earning the same after you retire. Hmm, I wonder if I can do this. I would love to continue travelling until after I retire (if I love long enough) but at the same time, I don’t want to wait until I retire before I start travelling. Either way, I’m going to need a lot of money for this.

5. Social health by socialising. No man is an island. Don’t live in isolation, don’t live like a hermit. We live in a community and we have a role to play in our community. You may want to consider getting yourself involved in voluntary or charity work or joining a group that goes running, hiking, mountain-biking, travelling etc together. I have come to value travelling on my own but there are times when I don’t mind the company (and as proven from the Guilin trip, I gained so much from it besides just experience: friendship and this sharing of knowledge which I’m in turn sharing with you with my additional input).

6. Career by working hard and keeping yourself busy. Muslims believe that we should work hard for our worldly life as if we are going to live forever.

7. Family by spending quality time with family. Set aside time to do things with your family, pick up the phone and talk to your family members. Again, this is something I must start doing myself too.

~~~~~

Another aunt stepped up and shared the ways we can keep ourselves physically and mentally healthy. She said imagine yourself planting a fruit tree. You’d buy the best seeds and fertiliser, look for a good plot to plant the seeds, water the seeds and watch until the shoots push themselves out of the ground. You’d continue to watch and care for the plant until it grows bigger and finally, until it bears fruits. That is how you should take care of yourself too: partake good quality food, get enough rest and sleep, exercise, and take care of your health and yourself physically, mentally, emotionally, spiritually, socially and even financially. So these are among the things you should do:

Sleep between 6-8 hours (sound soundly); siesta. Recharge at least 1/2 hour in the afternoon.

Exercise at least 1 hour daily or 4 hours in a week/ 30 minutes a day (10 minutes each warming up, low impact aerobics and relaxation).

Observe good eating habits: eat a lot of fruits, vegetables, fish, chicken. Minimise red meat and seafood. Eat in moderation. If you like eggs, avoid eating yolk every day. The aunt also shared her special daily concoction of juice: blend one bitter gourd, one stick of celery and one apple together every morning and drink the juice.

Drink a lot of fluid - 8 glasses daily. I know a few people who already have kidney stone problems so it pays to drink. It’s advisable to drink before meal so you feel full. Avoid soft drinks as they contain 7 tablespoons of sugar. Reducing your sugar intake week by week.

Those with diabetes should avoid rice, and go for alternatives like sweet potato or yam (less carbohydrate).

Perform prayers to de-stress. It also gives you a good opportunity to talk to God.

Smile - it takes less muscles to smile. Smiling helps produce endorphins which are the happy hormone which can help with good blood circulation. Have very close friends who can help cheer you up.

Take supplements because as we age, our body does not absorb vitamins and nutrients as well as before. For elderly people, take glucosamine 1000mg/day after meal; for others, take also Omega-3 and vitamins.

Try to grow old gracefully and try to avoid bed-ridden diseases/illnesses. I for one do not want to spend my time in hospitals, suffering from some illness.

For those who are married, take care of your sex life. I can’t elaborate here as I’m not in the position to. Heh.

Just Enjoy The Show

Ramsey is going through a renaissance and is enjoying playing in his favoured position. He’s enjoying himself so much that he’s also scoring for fun now. The re-signing of Flamini has turned out to be another brilliant move and he’s been flaming in the midfield. And Gnabry who was thrust into the side in the absence of Theo has been determined to prove himself. The calm Per-Lolo partnership, the much involved Giroud, the solid Sagna and Gibbs... all make for a good viewing indeed. And I am, as I’m sure all Gooners are, just enjoying the show.

Swansea-Arsenal (1-2)

Arsenal-Napoli (2-0)

Once Upon A Time In China, Part II: Guilin, Guanxi Province

Monday, 16 September 2013

We had breakfast in the hotel as there is a halal restaurant there. After breakfast, we drove to Shangri-la Park about 15 km from Yangshuo, a park showcasing the minority people (primarily the Miao and Dong). In the park, we boarded boats to cross the lake and visit a cave. Along the boat ride, we were treated to folk performances from the minority people. We also participated in a folk dance and a game to win the silk balls (didn’t win though).

After Shangri-la, we visited a bamboo factory. The Chinese have invented quite a few inventions from the humble bamboo tree – bed linen, t-shirts, innerwear... and we were given some demonstration to show the wonders of those inventions and later some time to purchase the bamboo products. We then drove back to Guilin for lunch. Thank God, for I was sufficiently hungry after all that bamboo stuff. Lunch was had at Endian Halal Restaurant again. No complaints as there were some cute lads in the restaurants. Our tour leader, Zali, also packed some raw meat and chicken from the restaurant for our dinner that evening and lunch the following day at Merryland Theme Park Resort as there was no halal restaurant at the resort.

After lunch, we visited a silk factory and given a demonstration on silk quilts. There has been improvements in the technique and technology of making silk quilts (wouldn’t you know) and I was sufficiently persuaded to purchase one (oh no!) and part with a bulk of my money...

After the silk factory, we drove on to Xingan and it was such a hot afternoon that I felt drowsy and dozed off most of the way there, despite the bad road conditions and the honks liberally applied by our driver.

We reached Merryland Theme Park Resort at about 5 and checked in. We enjoyed free speedy WiFi here; alas Twitter, YouTube and Facebook are banned in China. SM and I then went for a walk around the hotel grounds (it looked deserted enough although we did meet a group from Indonesia). We headed for dinner at 1930 before retiring to our rooms later. Dinner was prepared by Zali and I must say, it was quite good for we finished everything.

Tuesday, 17 September 2013

This morning, after breakfast, we walked over to the adjoining Merryland Theme Park. Some of our tour mates opted to ride the park’s buggy (there’s a charge for this. I have never taken a buggy in a theme park before, not when I have two good legs). The theme park was also deserted and we walked around, practically having the park to ourselves. We sighted the theme mascots and took pictures with them; SM then wanted to take a photo wearing a traditional Chinese costume and while we were waiting for her photo to be developed, she took some of me too in my casual wear but with the studio background. I then rode a rollercoaster all alone (seriously, where were the other park guests??) then both SM and I rode another ride together. I was feeling increasingly uncomfortable as I was perspiring heavily (it was too hot and there was hardly any breeze) and hurried back to the room to shower again.

We left after lunch (again, cooked by Zali) and headed back to Guilin. We stopped at a traditional medical centre and spent some time there before making our way to Hotel Universal Guilin. We were given an hour to freshen up. Dinner was had at the restaurant where we had lunch on the day we arrived in Guilin. After dinner, we went for an acrobatic show called Mirage Guilin at Lijiang Theatre. The show lasted an hour and I thought it was way better than the show at Yangshuo. Oh well, maybe I’m in the minority in this thinking.

We returned to the hotel and SM and I ventured out again to the pedestrians only shopping area. We returned to the hotel well after 11 pm, after checking out the area near to the hotel (it reminds me of Bukit Bintang area with its various massage centres).

Wednesday, 18 September 2013

Another breakfast at Endian Halal Restaurant before we set off for Elephant Trunk Hill Park, so called because the shape of the hill resembles that of an elephant drinking water from the river with its trunk. We spent 45 minutes here before continuing on to a tea showroom where we were given guide to drinking three types of tea: the Osmanthus tea, the Oolong tea and Pu ’Er tea. I didn’t buy anything because I’m bad at buying food and not consuming them.

After the tea experience, we went to a jade showroom. I had been wanting to replace my jade bangle and spent time browsing before enlisting Alex’s help (told you the locals hardly speak any English). I finally bought one and bargained the price down (despite the ‘Fixed Price, Nor Bargaining’ signs around. I know it can be done because I had done it before) and after consulting the manager and much Mandarin consultation, they agreed to let me have it at my bargained down price. Success! Alhamdulillah.

Our next stop was at a silk shop but we were there all of ten minutes before we left. Lunch was next, yes, at Endian Halal Restaurant again (the food was better there and the chaps in the restaurants were good-looking so no complaints from me) and then we paid the nearby mosque a short visit before heading to the South Sea Pearl Museum (museum? Indeed, that was the name). I already have enough pearl necklaces and bracelets and a pair of pearl earrings (I wouldn’t protest if someone wanted to buy me a pearl ring) so was just content to browse and admire the gorgeous pearl jewellery there. We stayed for close to 45 minutes before making our way back to the hotel to rest. Not enough time to grab a siesta though. We went to the lobby at 7 and walked to a nearby halal stall selling ‘hand-pulled noodles’. I had mine in broth and must say I enjoyed it very much.

Back to the hotel to meet a local woman who came to sell us souvenirs and then we left again and headed for the night market. I managed to buy some silk fans and an embroidered panel of some water-lilies at the night market. There were some seriously rude sellers at the night markets and I got a bit angry and scolded one of them. Really, there was no need to be so bloody rude. We then walked to the massage centre where we had massage on the first night but apparently, the prices quoted for walk-in customers differed from what we were told on our visit that we left after 15 frustrating minutes of attempted conversation. We headed back to the hotel and settled in for the night.

Thursday, 19 September 2013

We left at 0715 and headed to Endian Halal Restaurant for breakfast. After breakfast, we drove to the airport. We reached the airport just after 9 and lined up our bags for checking in. We had to put our bags through the security check before going for the group check-in counter and as weak and hungry as I was getting (yes, despite the breakfast just consumed!), I helped with the lifting of bags of some tour members and then I helped the useless man assigned to sort out our passports and boarding passes. Really, men can’t be trusted to do anything at all.

After all that had been done and the bags all checked in, we went through immigration and waited at the boarding area. Thankfully, there were only two shops there and I wasn’t tempted to shop. We boarded after 1115. I read and even managed to nap before resuming reading.

We landed at 1515 and I rushed to clear immigration. The bags were out after ten minutes or so and after shaking hands with some of my tour mates, I rushed off and just about made it for the 1545 bus back to KL Sentral.

Once Upon A Time In China, Part I: Guilin, Guanxi Province

I had initially planned a trip heading elsewhere for the Malaysia Day weekend (as early as back in February) but eventually decided not to utilise the ticket (the colleagues I invited for the trip presumptuously invited two other people to join the trip despite my misgivings. I can’t and won’t travel with people who can’t respect me like that). At the MATTA Fair back in March, I booked and paid the deposit for a package tour to Guilin in China. I then asked another colleague if she wanted to come along (Abah changed his mind as usual) and she agreed. Why a package tour? Well, I suppose I could perhaps travel on my own in China but I didn’t feel like struggling with the language barrier and having to find halal food when I don’t speak the local lingo. This turned out to be a wise decision as unlike Beijing and Shanghai, hardly anyone speaks English in Guilin except for our tour guide and some hotel staff.

Saturday, 14 September 2013

After spending a sleepless night at KL Sentral and being chased away every time I was settling down by idiots in uniforms (ever noticed how pompously one behaves when in a uniform?), I boarded the 0245 bus to LCCT. Arrived at 0330, half an hour before the assembly time outside McDonald’s. SM arrived just before 4 and we collected our boarding passes and immediately went in to drop off our bags. We then went through the usual process and waited for morning prayers in the prayer room. AirAsia’s departure times to a lot of its destinations are at ridiculous hours.

I tried to sleep during the flight but it was a futile attempt. We landed at 11 but were only out at 1115. I quickly made my way for the immigration before the rest of the plane descended upon the counters. The bags took a little while to emerge (I think it was because some of our tour members brought in some fruits in their check-in baggage). SM and I then went out to join the rest and meet Alex, our local tour guide. I had actually met Alex a week earlier at the MATTA Fair in KL.

We finally left at close to 12 and boarded the bus to Guilin city. Gui is the Chinese word for the Osmanthus flower and Lin means forest so the name literally means ‘forest of sweet Osmanthus’ due to the abundance of the flower tree in the city. The city was a 45-minute drive away from the airport and we were immediately brought to a halal restaurant for lunch. If you have been on any China package tour, you’d know meals in China are a lavish affair indeed. After lunch, we drove to Yao Mountains and rode the cable car up to the summit. I was a bit apprehensive especially as it was an ‘open’ ride (i.e. there was no barrier) and to make things worse, it was such a scorching hot sweltering afternoon with hardly a breeze. For some reason, I had thought that I’d enjoy an early autumn weather in Guilin but no, it was just as hot as, if not hotter than, Malaysia! We stayed for about 45 minutes before making our way down. We then drove to Hotel Universal Guilin. There was no WiFi in the room (only in the lobby and only if you were lucky) but there was a prayer mat and the direction of Qiblat provided in our rooms.

We rested for a bit, then went down again and boarded the bus to a massage centre where we enjoyed a complimentary foot and back massage. After that we went for a rather hurried dinner before making our way to the river to board our 1930 cruise around the four connecting lakes of Guilin. The cruise lasted an hour and we were back at the hotel by 9 pm to rest. I wanted to watch the Arsenal match what with Ozil making his debut and all but there was no match shown at all (there was a Bundesliga match shown though if I recall it correctly).

Sunday, 15 September 2013

This morning, we were given two wake-up calls (and we would be given two wake-up calls every morning throughout our trip): one at 5 for morning prayers and the next at 6 for us to get up and get ready. We had been told to leave our bags outside the room by 7 am and come down to the bus by 0710. It was as bad as going to work, I remarked, except it was doubly worse as it was a Sunday. No such thing as an easy Sunday morning in bed, no sir.

We left the hotel and went to Endian Halal Restaurant for breakfast. The Muslim population in Guilin is quite small: out of half a million of its population, only up to 30,000 are Muslims and there are not many halal restaurants and of these, only two open sufficiently early for breakfast.

After breakfast, we drove to the Crown Cave Scenic Area where we boarded a ride (a bit like those at amusement parks) and ‘drove’ it ourselves into the Crown Cave. We then walked in the cave, marvelling at the lighted stalactites and stalagmites (some of the rock formations like real). There is an underground river and we then boarded boats to get to another cave. After exploring this other cave, we waited for the underground train to the elevators to exit the cave. You could enter the cave from this other entrance and I suppose the cave experience will be reversed. And get this: the Crown Cave is apparently listed in the Guinness World Records as a cave with the most ways of travelling. From the elevators, we walked out into the mid-morning sunshine and walked down to the river before boarding one of the boats for our cruise to Yangshuo.

Our bus and driver were waiting for us and we continued on to Yangshuo. We had lunch at a restaurant in a big building before checking into Yangshuo Sovereign Hotel. We only had 45 minutes to freshen up as we were told to meet at the lobby at 1530 for a bamboo raft ride and trip to the Silver Cave.

Now, a word about my fellow tour mates: 18 of them are from Shah Alam and know each other. They are at least above 50 years old with some pensioners amongst them but my, were they a jolly lot. They even brought some karaoke DVDs which they asked Alex to put on and which they later sang to. Who knew travelling with such a big group of senior citizens could be so much fun? I was laughing so much and really, they really had me and my mate in stitches throughout with their antics and dry humour. I also loved that I learnt a lot of things from them through interaction during meals and their sporting attitude (sharing tips and advices during the bus rides). I think they made the trip so much more fun, really.

So, they put on a karaoke DVD (turned out it contained a lot of songs by Engelbert Humperdinck - way before my time of course) and a few of them sang and entertained us. It took us 30 minutes to reach the river where we got down and boarded bamboo rafts for a brief river cruise. We also sang (competed more like between the four rafts) and were treated to some entertainment and a demonstration of fishing with cormorants. Cormorants are black birds which dive underwater in search of fish. Fishermen there use the cormorants to catch fish and return them to the boat. The fisherman we saw drove the birds into the water where they dived below the surface in search of fish. When the birds caught a fish, they returned to the boat and the fisherman removed the fish from their throat and placed it in the basket. The fisherman had a cord around the bird’s neck to keep the bird from swallowing the fish. It seemed a complicated way of fishing to be honest and I doubt fishing this way yield many fish. Why not just cast your nets?

Anyway. We returned after an hour and boarded the bus to the Silver Cave, with its crystal clear and silver-sparkling stalactites which gave the cave its name. The cave is a floor-type cave, with three layers and more than ten scenery spots and different types of stalactites. The most three famous scenic areas include snow-mountain with waterfall, music stone screen, and Jade Pool Wonderland. We took about 45 minutes to explore the cave before joining our fellow tour mates who opted not to enter and driving back to Yangshuo.

We headed to the same restaurant where we had lunch for dinner and after dinner, we went to the Liu Sanjie Light Show. There were two shows that night (we went for the second show) and there were so many people there, we were advised to stick closely to avoid getting lost. The show lasted an hour. We returned to the hotel well after 11 pm. It had been a tiring day.

To be continued

A Little Less Talk And A Lot More Action

I’ll let the pictures do the talking again today.

Sunderland-Arsenal (1-3)

Marseille-Arsenal (1-2)

Arsenal-Stoke (3-1)