Photobook Cover

 Be still. 

Stillness reveals 

the secrets of eternity

Feel your emotions,
Live true your passions,
Keep still your mind.

Durian Season in Penang

 

June 2015, my cousin's wife Dawn took us to visit Rumah Batu, a durian plantation located at Balik Pulau Penang. It was probably my first time officially visiting a durian plantation. I've probably casually stroll into one before while I was hiking around with my dad when I was younger.

  

They have a nice balcony over looking the plantation which you can sit and eat your durian. There were a variety of durians you can pick from, and they serve nutmeg water (a Penang specialty drink) there as well. It is kinda expensive to eat there, cause these were branded durians, and the view was something to be experienced too.  You can see nets being tied everywhere to protect the durians when they drop from the trees. You can even see workers climbing up the tress without any safety nets, manually tying the more expensive durians one by one to ensure they don't hit the grown when the time comes for them to drop. And at the back of the house, there is  large cooking area, probably a place to make durian cake when there are surplus of durians. It was definitely a worthwhile trip. If you visit Penang during durian season, you should try vising some of the plantation there.

  

The above photos is more of the usual way I eat my durian, walking out with my aunt to buy packet durians from the nearby seller. I have to bring my aunt to ensure that we get a better deal as she knows the seller since he was a kid. Usually we can get a few boxes for RM50, which is ridiculously cheap compare to in Singapore. Plus, these are Penang durian. I'm a durian snob too, I only eat Penang durian. I can totally ignore durians my husband buy in Singapore, or just eat one and stop. But when in Penang, I can eat a whole box and keep going.I like the bitter sweet type, and the seller always know which to pick for me. Yes, you tell him what is your preference, and he picks it, cuts it up and box it for you to take home. If the durian is bad, he will usually replace one for you, no question ask.  We'll walk back happy, and sit around my aunt's living room eating those delicious fruit. Usually we buy some extra to keep in her fridge so she has some to last her a few days. It's one of those little joy of my visit to Penang. I never did enjoy durians from other places, not even from the plantation of my cousin's place in Kuantan Penang where they grow branded durians. I'm a simple person. I only like simple Penang durians.

Ref:
Rumah Batu
Durians of Penang
Article in Strait Times about Penang Durian

Relaxing in Penang June 2015

2015 was quite a stressful year for me. The first half of it was spend in a job I hated. It started in 2014 when I was seconded to another department to run projects. As much as I love implementing projects, I did not enjoy managing one. Although it did gave me a lot of time running around outside of the office visiting clients, hence providing me opportunity to attend my fave yoga teacher's lesson more often, it was still stressful, and I hated it. So in May 2015, I quit my job, and traveled to three places: Melbourne to visit my husband's cousin prior to officially quiting but already knowing I'll be more or less leaving, Penang to visit my parents before I start my new job with no leave for 6 months during probation, and my annual cruise on the Quantum which I should really start blogging about (I have a backlog of 4 years of cruise adventure that  I have yet to document here!)

Anyway, it was good to be back in Penang in June 2015. And this trip was slightly different. We didn't head to  my parents place as usual. Instead, we went to spend a night at my cousin's place in Balik Pulau. The above photos is a photo taken on our drive to see the sunset at Pulau Betong. It's a sleepy town, with sleepy cows. It felt relaxing watching them on the road somehow.

 

My cousin's wife took us to this seafood restaurant for dinner. I've visited it before in my previous trip to buy seafood, but not to eat there. This was my first time here. It was a nice setting for dinner, with the fishing boat just parked nearby. It is non-air conditioned, and quite laid back. But the food was good, and it was unique.  It was nice catching up with relatives once in a while.

  

After dinner, we took a drive to see the sun set off Pulau Betong, that's the island out there. My aunt's husband who passed away about 5 years ago on  29th October 2010 had his ashes sowed at the waters here. It is a beautiful place to rest for eternity. 

We also visited a Durian Plantation the next day, but I thought I'll leave that for another post.

Whenever we're back, we usually stay a night or two in a hotel to relax. Usually we stayed at Flamingo as I have a special interest for this hotel to stay in business. And I love the fact that its balcony over looks the bay of Tanjung Bungah. This is my home, and it is always beautiful to me. I guess one day I'll return to live the remaining of  my days here. But for now, I seek sanctuary here, as I geared myself up to start a new chapter of my life in a very different company....

Ref:
Balik Pulau
Pulau Betong 
Jia Siang Cafe

Memories in JCS (2014 & 2015)

Since I've been housekeeping my laptop and photo album and catching up on my backlog blogging, I finally managed to organized all my photos together and thought I'll do a post on my memories in JCS. I've only been two years there, and I'm hoping to survive another 3 years there. It's more of hard work then passion at times cause let's face it, its a damn hard language to learn. But it's satisfying when you realize you can now read a bit or understand a bit here and there. Just yesterday I read "Cinderalla", "Rabbit and the Turtle" and "Beauty and the Beast" in Japanese! Anyway, the above is a photo taken of my year old class together with our teacher Nanako Sensei.

 

It was the last year she was teaching in JCS, so during our last lesson, she gave us all this snack below. I really like it cause it's sweet instead of salty. 

 

Above is the cert they actually issue you when you pass your final year end exam. I really really like the cert. I'm collecting another one in March 2016 for my Year 2 exam too. I love calligraphy. Maybe I should consider taking it up. And look, my Chinese name in calligraphy! So pretty.

 

This next photo is of my Year 2 class with Yuki Sensei. I wasn't so social with the rest of the classmate, them being mostly in their own circle anyway. But I like the fact that we manage to get a photo with with our teacher together at the last day of lesson. I will probably be continuing on my 3rd year with the same sensei.

 

And this is what I do when I'm taking notes in class. This was part of the teaching material that the teacher was using, and I thought it was so cute how they draw different expression. So I copied it. I guess I should be more serious about my lesson moving forward. It's not like its getting any easier, and it's not like I'm improving much either, lol. It all boils down to me being lazy, simple as that. Let's hope 2016 will be better ya! 頑張ってください愛ちゃん!


Ref:
Japanese Cultural Society

Handmade Key Pouch

I'm still sewing my own bags and pouches. In fact, these days, I make them by a dozen each time! Cause it's easier than making them one at a time. Factory mode saves time! And from time to time, you make something that you just love so dearly and take so much pride in it. And this post is about one of those time - my handmade key pouch. Everything about this creation just blend in so well. The color, the texture, the design, the size.

My Picard key pouch was dying, and I wanted to cut down on my animal product. So I decided to make this key pouch. The size is model after my beloved Picard key pouch, as per the design as well. The color is soft yet bright and just makes me so happy just looking at it. And the Hello Kitty sewed on just makes it something that people might actually pay good money for to own it! Sadly I couldn't find the same Helly Kitty button any more, they were bought in shop at KSL Johor Bahru long time back. I wish I had got more now. They are so very very cute!

This is what the inside of the pouch looks like. All my pouches are double layered with a different design inside. And I decided to use a label ribbon to hold the keychain. It turns out quite nicely too. Very professional if I may say so myself!

I have been using it ever since it was completed, and I totally love it. I love the fact no one else in the world has a designer key pouch like this. It is handmade and yet looked like a designer branded bag. I should really make more of these. Maybe one day I can even make a living out of them. Exclusively designed bags.

Ref:
Picard