Dec 29, 2008

Malaysia Road Trip

7 days. 5 hotels. This road trip was the best one yet.

Went to Malaysia with my nuclear family. Yupp. Just the 6 of us. We didn’t make any hotel reservations, just our necessities and an open mind to whatever that may come. Did a lot of new stuff. Scaryy to do but I did it nonetheless. Feel so proud of myself hahha.

Day 1

Departed at around 6 plus to beat traffic at causeway. It was okay, not as bad as the one when we went to Port Dickson. Took my turn driving for one hour plus before we reached Ancasa Resort. Mom left her handphone there from the previous trip, so we had to go back there to retrieve it. Anyways, the drive to PD shall not be wasted, so we did GoKarting! hahha. Went to the same place a week back. Guess the drive at the north-south highway was good practice cause I was first to finish 8 laps! hahha okay, maybe it was because Ngah's kart was spoiled and she kept skidding off the track, while Abah's had his whole rear wheel coming off the kart. The state of the karts was terrible. But still cheap nonetheless.





By 1 we were off to Perak for our stay there. Made 2 stops to eat at a roadside stall and then at Jejantas. Coconut plus lekor makes for an incredible combination. It was really nice to sip coconut drink and eat the chewy fish lekor. The greenery and cooling kampong environment in the area was simply refreshing.



And I miss A & W already!

After dinner at around 11, we checked in to our first hotel in Ipoh, Perak. The room rates at Hotel Excelsior were pretty reasonable at RM 135 plus buffet breakfast with one king sized bed to be shared by the four of us.

Day 2

Woke up early for breakfast and we packed our stuff again to head for Gua Tempurung in Kampar. Unfortunately, we were late as the group heading for the grand tour for caving had already left. They only have one slot which starts at 9am and lasts for about 3 and a half hour. So we looked for a place to stay for the night and were led to the only hotel in Kampar. The Grand Kampar Hotel. This time instead of two rooms we got a family suite at RM207 for 2 nights. Pretty reasonable considering that there were 2 single beds, one queen sized bed, a bathroom consisting of a bathtub, a shower area and private cubicle plus a living area. It was the best accommodation we’ve had so far.



So we rested and headed for Lata Kijang Waterfalls. We had a light lunch first, which was chappati. Mmm. Real delicious with an empty stomach. The waterfalls were amazing. Had seen it while we were travelling on the north-south highway many times before but to see it up close was pretty special. The water was crystal clear and soaking in the cool mountain water with the slight drizzle that was showering us was simply incredible.



Day 3

Woke up real early so that we won’t miss the tour group this time. Ngah told me all sorts of stories of the things to expect when we go caving, so I was pretty nervous about the whole idea but hey, there must always be a first for everything. We took the hardest tour available there, even mom said why not. Lols.

And what do I think of the tour? Breathtaking. Stalagmites and stalactites and everything. It was magnificent. At first we walked the track that was already paved within the caves. That was pretty easy as we went about snapping whatever photos we could in the dark. Then, things got really scary.



It all started when we went off the paved track and was made to follow the guide with the help of our torchlights. We climbed up steep rocks in the dark. I had to try to find rocks and indents to grab hold on to while we climbed up. We slid down steep crevices in the dark. All had to be done slowly lest you risk plunging down into the darkness below. We went up, and up, then down and around rocks after countless rocks. We went on our kness in water and even crawled through cubby holes with water up to our chests. Even Ngah who was doing this for the third time admitted she was still terrified as we went through the whole thing. Maybe it was because this time we were going with our loved ones who we are not exactly confident of being able to endure this task. Mama isn’t exactly the fittest person around and zirah is only ten. Tuhan sahaja tahu how scared I was for them and myself.





But I must say all the hard work and constant prayers we silently made throughout the process was worth it. To witness the grandeur of God’s creation and the realise how beautiful the earth is was certainly a humbling experience. Felt so proud of the 6 of us. We soaked ourselves in the water to our hearts content at the midpoint of the tour.

Once the tour ended we headed back to the hotel to clean ourselves up. Then I drove us to Ipoh for dinner and shopping!! Lols. We are 4 teenage girls after all.

Day 4

Checked out of Grand Kampar and travelled down the coastal highway to Lumut jetty. We were going to Pangkor Island! Hahh. It was decided the night before. Parked our car there and the parents left us at the terminal and disappeared for almost an hour before coming back with a booked hotel room and tickets to ride the ferry. Not bad huhh.

Once we reached there I had the gut feeling that we won’t be that comfortable there. We took a taxi which pretty much looked like a pink van just so that they could carry more passengers and luggage. The ride to our Bay View Resort was a nice 10 minute one as we drove past the beach. Then came the hotel. No wonder it was unbooked. RM 135 with no breakfast included. Okay. I admit I am used to comfortable hotels. So this one was not my favourite. All 6 of us cramped in a room no bigger than a normal bedroom in a HDB flat, with not so great toilet facilities. But we shall get past that.





Anyways, after lunch headed off to Coral Island for snorkelling! Yess. I know I can’t swim. But that won’t stop me ehh. Dad got a deal from some guys at the beach who’d send us to and fro Coral Island nearby by motorboat. And that includes snorkelling gears for all 6 of us. This at a price of RM50. Couldn’t get my specs into the the snorkelling thingy so had to be myopic throughout my first snorkelling adventure. Hahha.





Honestly, the corals aren’t that great. Even my sis with 20/20 vision said the corals weren’t colourful or lively at all. The only nice thing was the fishes that would swarm under you when you feed them with the bread. But it was still fun nonetheless. Then we went on the boat back to the Pangkor beach in time to play by the swings at the beach. Ahh.. felt like little kids all over again.





Day 5

Merry Christmas! Had brunch at a roadside shop and we ate overlooking the beach.







Dad had pulled strings and managed to shorten the stay at Bay View and switch to a Coral Bay Hotel. Thank God! The girls got one room with 2 single beds and a decent toilet. Yayy. It was at RM 165 with breakfast included. Dad also rented a small white proton saga of which all 4 of us girls cramped at the rear seat. Oklah, we’re pretty slim girls.





Then the 3 girls and abah went kayaking at the beach. All for RM . Not bad huhh, especially since you’d need way more money and be a certified kayak-ist/ canoe-ist to be able to do it in Singapore. Hahh.



Day 6 and Day 7

Headed for KL and got caught in traffic. Ugghh. Terrible. So we shopped a bit and ate a lot. Hahha Almost couldn’t find a place to stay for the night. Finally found a room, a family room at a budget hotel Bintang Warisan. The price was pretty expensive at RM250 breakfast included.



It was a wonderful holiday. Loved the view on the road at the highway. You’ll never get it in Singapore. Can’t imagine this holiday to be any longer cos I started missing my bed already. And school is starting soon. Uggh.

Badd typing@ 10:38 PM | comment

Dec 18, 2008

Port Dickson Getaway

Day 1
So yess, the holiday was a superr nice one. There was alot of travelling, since negeri sembilan is pretty far, especially if you've got vans that can't even go over 90km/h. But it was fine though. Mostly slept and listened to music in the car. Got to take over my dad when he got sleepy. Seriously, driving on the north-south highway is superr funn! yupp, mostly because it was just a straight road and you can speed up without a care in the world. hahh. Exhilarating.

Kids are so adorable. Babies and little toddlers to be exact. They get so excited over the littlest things. We checked in at Ancasa Resort Allsuites at around 5 plus and the place was soo crowded. Maybe cos it was an apartment resort and facilities are so limited. The kids were like so awed when they saw the swimming pool.

The apartment was pretty spacious too. A 3 bedroom one plus a kitchen, big living room, small balcony and 2 toilets. Not bad for RM328 huhh. And the view was pretty awesome. Kak mimi had her's even better with a view of the sea.

Anyways, the first night we walked more than 1km from the hotel to look for somewhere to eat. hmpph so much for the only 500m that the reception people claimed.





By the time we got back it was close to 11, and we played ping pong! hahha especially fun if you dont know how to play it. Balls went flying everywhere, even mak long, mak ngah and mama played. The guys and dads played pool too.

Day 2

Started the day with a buffet breakfast at 7.30am. We wanted to beat the crowd you see. Turns out we were the first ones there. Breakfast was ok, with quite a variety of things to eat. Adam was the happiest.hahaa. And ooohohh the bilik bujang kena kacau *shudders*! They were telling the story over breakfast. Heard women's voices crying and stuff. uggh scary.





The first stop was Ostrich Farm. It was quite a disorganized place, with messy enclosures. Entry was quite cheap with RM8 for adults and an even cheaper price for kids. It was different from the ones back home cos you can actually come up close to the animals. Animals included goats, monkeys, rabbits, hens,a horse, pheasant and a turkey. Jakun Singaporeans like us fed these animals with practically the same 2 ringgit corn kernels sold at the door lah. The little kids were so inquisitive, touching and petting the animals. Adults were no less curious too, snapping photos incessantly.







Pak Ngah befriended a goat which escaped from its enclosure too. haha.It was chewing away on the leaves so he helped carry it to reach the unaccesible places. lols. Kak Aisah said he smelt of kambing the whole day.

Next we went to Eagle Ranch in hope of playing some fun games like paintball and gokarting, but the games were pretty expensive so we ditched the idea and travelled back to this place which had an awesome gokart just the same. Plus, the price was really cheap. Digg this. 15 ringgit! That's like 7 sing dollars lah. We get 8 laps for that price. Even the makciks took their ride. Abah and mama rode together too hahh.. For the first time ever I didnt get stuck on the track. Yayy! haha though I had to refrain myself from being cautious at bends or checking blindspots. Good driving habits need not apply here haha.

The cousins then went swimming at the beach near our hotel later in the afternoon. The parents were not around cos there were planning something special for that night. We took a banana boat for RM20 each, 9 of us. They brought us really far out to sea, we couldnt even see the beach. The view of the greenery was spectacular, and the rush of wind against your face was so cooling.

Then on the way back we capsized. We were told to tilt so that they could turn a bend. It all happened soo fast. Suddenly heard the rush of water into my ears and mouth. Realised we capsized and I almost panicked. Two things went in my head. Shitt. I cant swim. And nisah and zirah are so small. Told myself to reach for the water surface. Once above water, looked for zirah and the rest. We were practically out at sea away from the beach. Everything was so blur, my specs had been lost during the fall. So were Nisah's and Amin's.

Luckily Adam had held on to Zirah when we capsized, cos he said she was almost flung out lah. *Shudders. Once all of us got to the surface we called each other out. Alhamdulillah everyone was ok. Even though nothing was said, we were pretty alarmed. The Banana boat guy tried to get us back up. Everyone helped each other out. Noh took care of zirah, and all the guys helped bring the girls up. Even zaini who couldnt swim took my hand when I asked him to bring us back to the banana boat. Then once we all got back up they brought us back to land and capsized us for a second time lah, this time purposely. haiz. I was so scared ah, Adam pulled me back to shore cos I couldnt swim back. After the whole thing everyone said that was fun. Uggh. And that was the scariest thing for me. Amin was pissed cos his new specs got lost at sea lah. Kesian dia kena rabun mata throughout dinner time lols.



Dinner was seafood and there was a special cake-cutting event for the couple kak Edah and abang Khairil. It was their 5th anniversary. Celebrated Mak Ngah's birthday too. Special speeches were made and tears shed. Then we had a karaoke session. There was a small stage at the restaurant for people to come up and show off their singing prowess. lols. Song dedications were made for the cute couple and the wonderful mak ngah. Even Husin bawled his eyes out when he sang for his mom. hahaa. And the part where abg khairil sang for his wife was so touching. Kak Edah was trying very hard to hold back her tears. They went through so much. Semoga kekal hingga ke akhir hayat ya. InsyaAllah.

Anyways, almost everyone sang. Even the little ones, Iman went up to sing baby talk on the microphone. Ultimate cuteness. I went up like 4 times too lah, mostly to accompany people.

Day 3

Mostly R & R as we did many things on our own after breakfast. Played pool and ping pong. Checked out at 12 plus and had group photo!

The kids were obviously reluctant to leave, as the 3 days felt so fast.

Then we travelled to Mahkota Parade Melaka and had Kenny Rogers! yumm.

Drove again all the way to Pagoh at around dusk. So funn. Changed drivers when night came. Not ready for that yet, with no street lamps. Scary. Gelang Patah was our last stop before the 2 vans and our mpv parted ways.All in all it was a wonderful holiday. Bila lah nak pergi lagi.

Badd typing@ 1:49 PM | comment

Nov 29, 2008

Das Experiment: Black Box

Yess. I've splurged on another play to watch.

Presenting the World-Wide Theatrical Premiere of Mario Giordano’s novel and film; Das Experiment: Black Box. A group of men take part in a scientific study discovering the fine line between play-acting and reality. Volunteers arrive at a makeshift prison to take part in a two-week experiment analyzing behavioral patterns of a controlled prison environment. Half the volunteers pose as prison guards and the other half their prisoners. Two days into the experiment personalities and situations begin to get out of hand with the threat of complete chaos and death.

You can also watch the trailer here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yDKvyrNYiGM

Spent almost an hour looking for Far East Square the pavillion. The show was adapted from the german novel Das Experiment(the experiment). Watched the german film version years back, hardly remember it anymore though.And the theatre version was sooo amazing. Disturbing too, but I still think pillowman was better hahh.

So the show was about an experiment carried out by a university as mentioned in the synopsis. There were 8 men role-playing the prisoners, and another 5 the prison guards. At first it was all fun and games as the men did whatever they were asked to do, wearing the prisoner dresses and officer outfits. Then, things started to get intense as the participants took their role too seriously, and even resorting to violence.

At first thought the play being nc16 only meant there might be f*-ing of sorts in their dialogue. Hahh ya right. Its a prison stimulation show, so obviously there would be stripping ah. So when the men stripped down to their white underwears, I was like alamak, where to look ah. And being the only 2 malay girls with tudung and all makes it even more uncomfortable.But what the heck. Still want to watch the show, so just focused on their faces and don't look down lah. haha.

It was so amazing to see how man can turn 180 degrees around when there are desperate, like how the prison guard was so petty when he was initially bullied by inmate 77 and ended up to be the meanest officer ever. The physchological trauma he inflicted on the inmates were like making them eat like dogs, embarass them by making them do degrading things like cleaning the filthy toilets with their inmate uniform. uggh. Yet, we also saw human compassion among the oppressed inmates, like how inmate 77 tried coaxing 69 when he was on the verge of a breakdown.

The theatrical physchological thriller got the audience on the edge of their seats throughout. It was so depressing to see inmate 82 and how this nice man who volunteered to get some cash to treat his dying wife get tortured by the officers, or how 38 can remain so calm and seem unaffected with all thats happening around him. There were also some funny moments as we saw the different characteristics of both inmates and officers though.Half the time I was so tempted to just jump into the set and stop the torture that was unfolding right in front of me lah.

And yeah, the actors were incredible too, like claude gerardi, inmate 77, who may be all noisy and a joker at times, but actually had a kind soul. Or R chandran, inmate 82, who is your average nice married man guy who just had a poor memory in remembering the rules but had to suffer because of it. And the only good officer played by rodney oliveiro was an endearing one too. Jonathan Lim, the officer whom you'd just love to hate, was very talented too. Beatrice Chia was also great though she was only in certain parts of the play.

The stage was pretty cool with a 2-tiered stage, level 1 the main stage- the prison cells, and the balcony level 2 had the officers' lounge and the doctors' office. There was also gun powder fired, like when there was a struggle to get hold of the gun. The sound was booming in your ears lah. The black box where 77 was isolated into was also freaky, anyone can get claustrophobic lah. Pretty cool how they had live feed on tv to show his reaction when he was imprisoned there. The fluorescent lighting and sound effects made the stimulated prison environment even more believable too. There was a blunder too, when towards the end of the show, one of the poles of the make-shift prison fell apart. The actors were stunned for a while, but it was so unfortunate that the audiences had to laugh at it. haiz, manners please. Several people died too, 82!

And yess, several eye candy too. Inmate 77 was hott, and oliverio was cute too.haha..and ohoh! there was the 2 guys from the starhub tv ad. Remember the guy who made his wife faint when he doubled and tripled into the same man? hahh. he was an inmate. and the other starhub ad guy played the officer.lols

Badd typing@ 11:26 AM | comment

Nov 2, 2008

Gemuk Girls

So fahimah and I watched Gemuk Girls at the necessary stage black box in marine parade community building yesterday.

Here's a short synopsis of the play.

Kartini and Juliana are not your typical mother-daughter pair- one loud and overbearing, the other straitlaced and on the threshold of entering politics. Together they are Gemuk Girls and proud of it.

One day, they receive shocking news about Kartini's father who had been arrested and detained in the 1960s. Suddenly the floodgates of the family's emotional past are thrown open. Can a family survive as they struggle to reconcile the past with the present? Will Kartini and Juliana continue to be Gemuk Girls?

Gemuk Girls is a bold and often darkly humourous look at family politics and the politics of the day.

We were slightly late for the show, hmm about 15 minutes? The place too far lah. Anyways, the play only had 3 characters, the mother-daughter pair and their grandfather, Marzuki. Loved how the mother Kartini exudes such confidence as a Gemuk girl. Her character was pretty funny, and how she kept engaging in witty banter with her daughter, Juliana aka Jules.

The first scene of the mother-daughter that I saw had Juliana, (remember tahu-nahu on suria?) wearing just a white bra and an undergarment shorts, as she was getting ready to get to some political meeting or something. I was like woaahh. So that's why its nc16. There were other scenes where she had just a towel wrapped around her, in all her gemuk girl glory. Was quite impressed with her daring-ness i must say. Got me a little uncomfortable though, but its all in the name of art i guess.

There were quite a lot of instances where they poked fun at the Singaporean malays. Like how the MP-to-be was proposing the malays to stop reproducing like rabbits, since they have the highest birth-rate, but one of the lowest-educated group in the country. "Stop at 2" hahh. There was also one where they said how the malays think when a malay is doing the O levels, they make such a big deal about it, as though they're taking their pHD.hahaa. But actually, it is a step forward now as compared to the past whatt. At least an education is valued more now.

Kartini the mother played by Alin Mosbit had great humour and sarcasm, but had a dark past too. Her opening up about the anger and hurt that she harboured for her dad who was detained really pulled me at the heart strings. The conversations between the dead grandfather and his grandaughter Juliana was also sweet and endearing at times too, like how he shared his experiences of living in prison with Juliana.

And Marzuki played by Najib Soiman (or bijaN as said in the programme, lol) was also very talented as he acted as a detainee who was accused as a communist in the 60s. The pain that he suffered as the officials made use of his loved ones to get him to do what they want was deeply frustrating to see. And his crying as he was forced to leave his family behind was so heart-wrenching. I almost wanted to cry lah.

The cast actually spoke a lot of malay, and there was dialogues in chinese, and of course english. It was cool how they made use of hidden cameras within the set to show close-ups of the actors and screening it at the projecting screens surrounding the walls of the set. And the shifting of 'rafts' on wheels on the set floor made it easier to recognize scene changes, without the need for any backstage people.

All in all, it was a wonderful play to watch, though I think Fah and I spent a longer time travelling there than the duration of the show. And yayyness for still being a student! Got tickets at concession price, at 25 bucks. Hmm expensive but definitely cheaper than adult tics. Think I wont go to any plays this year or in the near future. Need to save up again now that I cant use my duit raya anymore...

And yess! I cooked sambal udang (spicy prawns) today! haha I'm so domesticated.

Badd typing@ 2:41 PM | comment

Sep 14, 2008

Love's Labour's Lost

Yesterday night was pretty fun.
So ya, watched a play with Fahimah that night. Love's Labour's Lost. Yess, during bulan puasa pulak tu. I know i know . Should be going terawih or something but its been ages since i went to play and fah needed company, so yeah.

Here's a short synopsis of the play:

The King of Narvarre and his three lords - Berowne, Longaville and Dumaine - swear an oath to study three years, and during that period renounce earthly pleasures. However, the arrival of the Princess of France and her three lovely ladies-in-waiting will prove to be a formidable distraction indeed...

Follow the exploits of the four would-be scholars as they attempt to woo these girls of France, and still keep to their very public oath! With mixed-up love letters, an overly-excited Spaniard, a play within a play and at least one false beard, will the hopeless lovers get the girls? Will they even get the right girls?

SRT's The Young Co. presents William Shakespeare's charming comedy Love's Labour's Lost this September at the DBS Arts Centre - Home of SRT.

Fah and i were slightly late so entered the DBS arts theatre during one of the first scenes. Our row was like the 2nd row lah. Sooo near. Had to strain my neck abit to see the actors. And ya, there were quite a few malay actors sey. Tak sangka. Read the brochure, and discovered the cast were from Young and Co., mostly made up of theatre students i think. There were graduate students in the cast and crew and even first year students. Not sure which school they're from though.

Fahimah was supposed to go to at least one play and write a review about it for her theatre studies module.The show was ok, i guess. Yupp, Love's Labour's Lost was a romantic comedy written by Shakespear. So, being a Shakespearean illiterate, couldn't understand like half the dialogue. So much flowery language lah.

So struggled to understand what they were talking but then again, the Language of Love. Aaah. That's something that can be understood by anyone no matter what language it is spoken in.Haha. I'm such a sucker for love stories. Anyway, the chemistry between the various couples were evident, not exactly 100% believable but still believable nonetheless..Like I said earlier, i struggled to understand what they were talking, while Fah was like making mental notes already, all the tema and persoalan stuff i guess.

Next up, probably gonna watch another play in oct or nov. Praying the tickets wont be too costly. And that people will be generous for duit raya this year. Yess, this other play, I'm anticipating for it. The Vagina Monologues. Sound so vulgar right? And its m18 lah. Mesti best. Saw the brochure, and guess who's the main sponsor lah. Vagisil! lols.

Badd typing@ 2:56 PM | comment

Aug 29, 2008

Wohoo! I passed!

Now I've got the license to drive(:

Badd typing@ 8:42 PM | comment

May 12, 2008

The whole of Saturday was spent "upgrading" myself, part of my transition to adulthood. Wont be long before I hit the big two-one. So in my relentless pursuit to better prepare myself for the future, went to a seminar that had something to do about life investment. And this one is about real-estate investment.

Yep, it was pretty good. Brought Hana along since she went to the internet business course with me last feb. It was great to have her along. At least I wont have to keep acting too old among my dad's friends. hehe. So the beginning of the seminar was pretty redundant cos the speaker, Steven Molnar, made exactly the same introduction as he did during the NAC.Think I dozed off a bit there.

Had lunch at Simpang Bedok. It's just like Adam Rd except its in Simpang Bedok. A round foodcourt with a seats at the centre after which you would never know which exit you came from when you want to leave. And the choices of food were pretty wide. Rambang mata jadinya. So in the end Hana and I chose the same food. Chicken cutlet with rice. The plate was humongous! Was real full when we went back to expo.

So the seminar became real techy and very detailed after lunch, which was good, since that was what I came for. But I felt really sleepy and had trouble concentrating. Written notes turned into scribbles and I gave up writing anything altogether. There were times when audiences were asked to shout whatever suggestions they had. Dad gave one, but he wasn't heard so he stood up and shouted his idea. Then people started to shout for him since he wasn't heard by the speaker. So enthu seh. But I still love him. Anyway,I was able to focus again after buying a drink from coffee bean. I really did learnt alot from the seminar. But I couldnt really implement the things they taught us just yet. Probably will after I start working. For now, studies first!

Badd typing@ 11:20 AM | comment