Spain and Portugal part 5
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travelling
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25th -26th Dec => Lisbon -> Seville -> Gibraltar -> Costa Del Sol
okie so i knoe its a bit late but oh well.. wats a story without an end? so here i am setting my mind to get the whole trip review at least by the next week. lets pray this gets done yar. hehe.
So in this part of the long forgotten journey.. we left the fair banks of lisbon across a long long bridge to the other end beyond the blocks of clouds tt have gathered on the surface of the frigid waters. then we travelled back to Spain to continue on the journey of the capital of Andulusia region - Seville. the ride was long and time stretched on forever. 
Lunch was a problem too as hardly any restaurants nor cafes were open due to the onset of xmas day. In europe, most pple would take xmas breaks tt lasted from xmas eve to new years day itself. we braced ourself to face a ghost town of a city anyway, with a slight dwelling of hope that possibly there would be mini celebrations held in the city.
Meantime, the lunch stop over was at a "ghost-city" look alike settlement with empty dusty streets and closed windows. Scary i might say. the meal was less than satisfactory with its over the top 'lean' cut of meats. Argh.. terribly dry and chewy. so we had no choice but to snack on little tibits to appese the hunger pangs. 'sin'ful of course. but when you're hungry, anything goes!
it was soon after lunch that we reached seville and started our tour of the place. viewing the alcazar and the jewish quarter of Santa Cruz.
dirty little boi.. haha
dun you just love the tiled floors.. adroably cute motifs...
one thing extremely endearings about the town of Seville are the millions of orange trees lining the streets of Seville. Incredibly bright orange, then u may question why these dun get plucked down by residents? well, these are bitter oranges! lyke inedible-y bitter, well, so wat the government does at the end of the season is to gather the oranges and ship them to Britan where they are made into lovely jars of marmalade! how quaint! just love the idea... hehe
the setting sun over the fountain
Seville by night...the next day, we woke up bright and early to get a head start on the journey down to Gibraltar, and independent colony under British colonial ruling. so everyone! get ur passports ready. hehe. as soon as crossed over the narrow strip of land joining mainland Spain and the little rock fortress. a incredible sense of homeliness washed over me. Perhaps i'm too used to living on a little island. restrictions of space and the lack of vastness of the land seems a little appealing. 
this island, though small, had a very strategic part to play in the first world war, proving to be a major stronghold for the British. from this little landmark, you could seee the Mainland Spain, and over the seas, the most northern end of the african continent, Morocco. Amazing ain't it. there was more to it than tt. this island is said to be one of the most densely populated islands in the world and this i agreed upon viewing the houses built on the sloped hills of land. oh gosh, the houses were so tight, driving was an extremely thrilling task since the narrow streets and cobbled pathways made manuevering the streets almost impossible (given my less than perfect driving capabilities. haha)
another star attraction of the tiny island are its large populations of macque, a monkey of course. 
this island, though small, had a very strategic part to play in the first world war, proving to be a major stronghold for the British. from this little landmark, you could seee the Mainland Spain, and over the seas, the most northern end of the african continent, Morocco. Amazing ain't it. there was more to it than tt. this island is said to be one of the most densely populated islands in the world and this i agreed upon viewing the houses built on the sloped hills of land. oh gosh, the houses were so tight, driving was an extremely thrilling task since the narrow streets and cobbled pathways made manuevering the streets almost impossible (given my less than perfect driving capabilities. haha)another star attraction of the tiny island are its large populations of macque, a monkey of course. 
well, i can say tt they are extremel friendly as well. Got mobbed by this one (the one staring at me in the photo). it stared at me for an impossibly long time before putting its tiny little fist on my shoe. the next moment it had jumped onto me and started its ascent up to my shoulder.. argh.. help me. i wasn't exactly too happie about but having a monkey's fist wrapped around your finger can be quite an enlightening feeling. haha. i reckon its my furry collar tt beckoned to it to make the leap. Probably looked lyke a possible mate in some way. gross..*shudders*After viewing St michael's cave and ape's den? we the moved on towards the resort town of Torremolinos for our overnight stay. and since we reached rather early, we made a stop over to view the scenic over view of our rest location from on top a hill. lovely suggestion aside from the fact that it was freezing cold plus the abnormal winds blowing from the seas weren't helping much either. Only consolation.. the roasted honey almond nuts that we bought along the way. gosh.. now tts heaven. hot caramelised sugar coating with every nutty bite. *yumz*..
the usually loud mummy acting shy in front of the camera..
kiosk selling caramelised almond nuts!
and finally, i shall end off this post with a lovely picture of our buffet dinner served up at the resturant. oh gosh.. the spread was gorgeous with the meatballs in tomato sauce stealing the show. hehe. one of the best dinners we had in Spain.
and if you've lost me somehow.. we'll meet at the desserts table! haha.
Msia Trip
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travelling
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WARNING! the subsequent post contains loads of photos. view at your own discretion...
okie, so lets begin on the trip review. Leaving on Tuesday Morning, our family embarked on a 600km journey up north to K.Trengganu to stay the night before completing the rest of our trip to the island Pulau Lang Tengah.
I was basically contented at the thought of having the chance to catch up with all the lost sleep i had suffered the previous weeks due to my wicked work schedule and numerous tuition assignments. slp craves drove me ard the bend.
After spending a great night at a hotel in K. Trengganu where i went for a 80 mins body scrub treatment. BAGUS!!! a wonderful treat for the body. never felt cleaner in years in fact... sea salt and a healthy dose of yoghurt slathered on the body sure does restore the suppleness of the flesh ( to my dismay, didn't knoe tt all these wldn't matter anymore at the end of the trip. haha). Dinner was great as well and sleep was precious. As soon as my heavy head hit the pillow, i drifted off into lala land almost immediately.
the next day, we took a 50mins boat ride on the high seas to our resort on Pulau Lang Tengah. Apparently, the island won't be open up to tourist until a month later. Hence, there were but a few people scattered about the tiny little island. fyi, the island measuring roughly 3 by 2 km wasn't exactly wat u wld call BIG. but it had everything we needed as you would find out later.
the resort as we approached the beach shores...
view of the hotel and its swimming pool deck
the family... except for I, the photographerthere on the island, we enjoyed accomadation (reasonably sized rooms, fully airconditioned with its own bathroom) as well as in-house meals all prepared for us. Surprisingly, the food was fantabulous. in fact, every single meal was a gourmet feast for us. Whether it was lamb stew, fish curry, pasta, beef stew, the variety never failed to satisfy our insatiable palates. Further more, we were constantly hungry as there was no lack of activity on the small yet amazingly vibrant island.
We took time to explore the island and were delighted to see white sands and calm blue waters tt surrounded. It was amazing to experience the beauty and splendor of such an awesome beach not so far from home. the coconut trees that lined the white sand beaches added to the tropical and exotic feel of the entire place. It was not long before we were all intoxicated by the hidden beauty of the island.
After a quick rest, we headed of to our first snorkelling trip. Sailing on the high seas on a speed boat indeed had its thrills. Sitted at the bow of the boat, i was tossed about with every fluctuations of the waves. Highly thrilling. only qualm was the tiny little jellyfish tt had gathered in the season causing a burning sensation as u waded thru the clear blue waters. other than tt, the corals and multitude of brilliantly coloured fishes were indeed a treat for the eye.
Weiquan however, lost his snorkle equipment on his first jump off the boat, leading on to a frantic search for the missing item. With the rolling waves and strong tidal action at work, it made the search and rescue mission almost impossible. in turn, weiquan turned from one happie boi in the picture above to an uber depressed boi. oh well... kor and I had only one expression ==>
the night ended with a round of 'sunset gospel' a sharing cum bible study session we carried out as a family twice a day throughout the entire trip. Kor lead the sharing sessions with material that he had prepared for us prior to the trip. Truthfully, I have benefited loads from them and I thank God for the wonderful opportunity he had provided us for on this trip. The environment, away from the temptations of the world and with the fermaments standing right in front of our eyes showing off his handywork. It made it much easier to understand his word. Consequently, peace and joy was instilled in my heart. I was happy. Time with family, with God was precious, a rare commodity and i lapped i up fervently. Lets pray tt, this will sustain.
watching the sunsetthe next day, we got up bright and early to enjoy a sumptious breakfast before heading out to explore the island. RAWR!!! lazy bones. did so much lazing ard the day before it was hard to get moving.
but after we found our pace, endured several red ant bites and conquered the hills, we came to the west end of the island which featured a scenic outcrop of rock walls and wave battered cliffs. In contrast to the sandy beaches of the east end, this showcased a very different side of the island. and we were taken aback by the rugged beauty of the coastline. The clear blue waters were alluring yet, the fierce waves tt crashed against the rocks made jumping down a no-go. Still, it looked lyke a scene from the Leonardo Di Caprio film 'the island'.. spectacular scenary...
don't ask me what was i doing...
the rugged coastline
the fierce waves
Kor and I
three = trouble
following tt, we came round to the other side of the island. Pristine beaches with clear blue waters. Though the sun and its reflection off the fine sands were blinding, i was simply captivating by the color palate of my surroundings. The picture in comparison pales in comparison to the real experience there. Some things just cannot be replicated thru a shot or photo.
such as the piercing of the warm sunrays as it touches your skin, the chill of the sea breeze, the feel of the fine sand as it fills the spaces btw your toes, the tranquility and peace in the environment. I embraced the moment as we treaded down the long stretch of beach.
I was thankful the most for the absence of any crowds of throngs of people on the beach. The rarity of such a beautiful island away from an overdosage of commercialisation was certainly hard to come by.
and as usual, kor kor still does the stupidest things... and i served the purpose of being his photographer to his dare-devil stunts and photo-wrhoring nemesis.
but of course there were still photos of my mother and i! haha. wldn't happened if i didn't insisted of course. once a slave.. always a slave. *sighs* hehe. kidding...
in actuality, i'm always on top! haha. hmph...
and in my free time, i do stupid things as well...a special msg to babe made with coral pieces... *smilez*
in the afternoon, we boarded the boat for the second snorkeling trip which was much more rewarding due the skools of fish tt swam round the clear waters of the island.
more stupid stunts...
it wasn't long before i joined in the fun. after about 20jumps, we came to the realisation tt mummy wld never master the art of taking jump shots on the camera. Argh.. drank several mouthful of seawater for nthing. *bleah*.. still it was adrenaline rush with every plunge into the sea.
mummy and i at the swimming poolto end off this uber long post, i shall share my favourite pictures of the entire trip. Sunset!!! watching the amber glow of the sun as it sets swiftly casting a blanket of glitter on the highseas. it is easy to be enchanted by the glamor and beauty within the mundaneness of such a daily task. Ironic...
a lone fisherman sitting in the blanket of gold cast upon the lands by the setting sun.
as we trudged down the beach, fatigued from the entire day of hardcore activity, the ambience and the incredulous splendor of such an event definitely lifted our spirits... coupled with the amazing sea breeze. i honestly cldn't ask for more...
i lyke this photo a lot. to me it symbolises man's need to be close to God. His never ending search for answers to understand the Lord. like walking on a gold cast path. one tt never ends...
on the whole, the trip was a super rewarding experience. the rest ample, the scenary breathtaking and most importantly, the company of my family, priceless.
definitely looking forward to exploring new grounds with my family in future. so.. chinese new years in spore? neh.. i'll give it a miss anytime...
Happy CNY
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travelling
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Happy Chinese New Year
(from Pulau Lang Tengah -- Redang)
okie. so wat are we doing here in Malaysia when its chinese new year?
oh well, guess its family practise.. cny escapism. hehe. parents joke tt they ain't have enough money to pack red packets but in actuality, this trip probably costs more. (i think). but its rewards are more as well. Binding as a family certainly ain't easy now a days. Even simply getting the whole family here to have dinner together is a rare occasion. So here are some snippets of the trip. Promise i'll load the rest of the photos upon my return. *smilez*
so wats the trip about. Lets put it simply.. its about the sun and beaches! gimme more!!!
about good food! and erm.. MORE good food!!!
and wats more impt.. sunset gospels.. and sharings with the family. ... tts more impt than anything else in the world..
photos at random
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my phone camera? haha. gosh. just praying tt these wld add to the fading colors on my blog. Haven't exactly been faithful in blogging about activities and others. But oh well, who's to blame? with a crazy schedule like mine.. one only dreams of sleep.. rest and snoring away on bus rides. haha.
can't wait for the msia trip. i certainly need a good break... and plenty of slp!
so back to the photos. lets see.. from now till lyke eons ago. here are just some random photos. hehe.
went to the zoo ytd with my cousins Yilin, Si Hui, Babe and his 3 maldivian frens. a treat for them certainly since there was hardly any animals to be found on the small islands there apart from snakes and fishes. haha. loads of fun definitely with the cousins.. always succeed in making me feel so washed out. they are lyke energizer bunnies. my gawd. somebody call an ambulance...
Yilin with the cut-out of a polar bear
White Mice put on exhibition in favor of the year of the Rat!
Watched 'Waitress' on DVD. it was a fantastic film... a bit abstract especially from a bakers point of view. Thoughts, provocative ones, spun out in thin threads, tied intimately to baking and its processes. I loved how the lead actress conveyed her emotion thru the baking of pies. and gorgeous lucious ones i must say. Vanilla Custard Banana Pie, chocolate Caramel Pie, Strawberry Chocolate Pie... my eyes were certainly treated to a spectacle and wide array of lovely desserts.
Jenna (Keri Russell) is trapped in an unhappy marriage with a controlling,
jealous husband and the last thing she wants is a baby, so when she discovers she has fallen pregnant, she’s terrified of what the future holds.
In an effort to escape her husband, Jenna saves what money she can by working at Joe’s Diner where she creates amazing pies which she names after circumstances in her life like “I-Don’t-Want-Earl’s-Baby Pie”; “I-Hate-My-Husband Pie”; and “Falling-in-Love Pie”.
Jenna finds support in her friends Becky and Dawn, working southern women trying to make the most out of the little they̢۪ve been given in life and Old Joe who owns the pie shop where Jenna works.
Things seem hopeless for Jenna and dreams of a better life lost until she meets gynecologist Dr. Pomatter, a good looking man who treats her with love, generosity and simple kindness. He’s handsome. He’s kind. He’s neurotic. He’s married.
some quotes tt i loved from the filn include Jenna the lead actress saying to her unborn child still swishing away, "Dear Baby, I hope someday somebody wants to hold you for 20 minutes straight and that's all they do. They don't pull away. They don't look at your face. They don't try to kiss you. All they do is wrap you up in their arms and hold on tight, without an ounce of selfishness in it. " .. orh.. how true.. Another of my favourite is when she had enough of her sickening abusive husband right after giving birth and says 'I want you the hell out of my life. You are never to touch me, ever again; I am done with you. If you ever come within six yards of me, I will flatten your sorry ass and I'll enjoy doin' it. '.. and as she says tt, the husband jumps up in rage, all whilst the lovely orchestra serenades and the lady stares at her newborn child in awe and admiration. there was so much love in her eyes... it was a moment where nothing in the world mattered anymore except for the lovely thing in front of her. Oblivion...
totally watch-worthy this show! plus it send u on journey of sugary treats for the eyes. ca-ching. one more plus point!
okie, back to nonsensical stuff (hmph.. lyke any of it makes sense anyway), here's a shot of my work desk at Embraer. hehe. a cosy little corner just for me. but there's no avoiding the prying eyes of pple walking pass. sigh.. so much for privacy. haha. doesn't help tt many websites are blocked by the local server. haha.
this is Danny the bear.. he's a gift for Jaryl (my colleague) from his kids on father's day. isn't tt sweet. hehe. Danny keeps me accompany most of the time. haha. to everyone's delight of course. a little childishness in the workplace does wonders to relieve stress some times. Helps having the farniest boss and jovial colleagues ard. hehe. *smilez*... i lurve my job. tee hee.
this is the view from my office pantry on the 24th floor of Takashimaya. coffee from the coffee machine is lyke a fountain, free flowing. Thick and generously choking in a way. Brazilians sure dun like their coffee watered down. Its good nonetheless. Bak Kwa was brought in recently for the office staff. the Brazilians were awe-d by the sweet meat which was a far cry from the salty savoury stuff served up in most Brazilian Churrascaria. hehe. was a pretty entertaining experience to watch their faces twitch as they made their way thru the cut of barbequed pork.
now, for some reallie back-dated shots. hehe. All the way from the Spain trip. which reminds me! I have yet to finish blogging about it! RAWR. haha.
A quick trip to the other end of the world. now's tts a little more color and scope injected. hehe. Hope u guys enjoyed ur weekend! 2 more days of work before its back to holiday-ing! *woots*.. hehe. can't wait to catch up on some more slp. Meanwhile, its back to fulfilling the cny orders. Tata kiddos!
nanyang chronicles
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events
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SUPRISE!!! here's my very first publication on the Nanyang Chronicles!a big thank you to all those who have supported me in my venture. to my lovely aero mates who trust me and dared to try my cakes. Xie xie ni!. hehe.
to those who are stranded at home with no access to the nanyang chronicles. here is the pdf version. do read the article!
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