Weekend Getaway

This weekend, my aunt, dad, sis and I had a short getaway. We went to visit an uncle and his family in Ipoh. This uncle had lived more than half his life in Penang, getting married there and having his four children borned there as well. But when his new job posted him to Ipoh, he had no choice but to move there. Initially, he had stayed by himself in Ipoh and traveled back to Penang every weekend. However, with the petrol costs rising and having to drive to and fro just to spend what little time he had with his family, he decided that it was best that the whole family followed him to Ipoh. After much discussion and planning (and protest from the kids!), the whole family moved to Ipoh at the end of 2008.

Since he moved there, everyone except my family have visited Ipoh. For my family, work commitments and with everyone's different schedules, there was not one time available when everyone could just leave Penang for the weekend and make the trip there. Even this weekend's trip was impromptu. Everything was discussed, argued, negotiated and planned on Friday before we left on Saturday morning. The problem was, my sister and I had thought that it was to be a day trip, with us travelling there in the morning and returning that night. But everyone thought that it would be just wasting time.

When we found out it was a one-night stop over, we were reluctant to go. Furthermore, my sis has her mid-term exams next week; with four papers held over the entire week!! Travelling over the weekend would be wasting time and she would not have the comfort of studying in a comfortable and familiar place. Nevertheless, since we have not visited my uncle since he moved there, we decided to compromise and go. (Plus, another aunt and uncle from KL were going to be there as well.) That way, if ever there was a time that needed us to go, we could always say..we compromised the last time!! Hehehe....very sneaky of us.

Anyway...we left at 10.30am on Saturday morning. The journey was expected to take around 2.5hours. However, as luck would have it, we missed the Ipoh toll and ended up going all the way to Simpang Pulai, extending our journey by another hour!! After numerous calls to my uncle and then waiting for him to guide us back to his house, we reached the house at 1.30pm. Just in time to have a wonderful lunch. After lunch, we had a feast of locals fruits (mangosteens, rambutan, langsat). Then it was time for the customary afternoon nap.

Tea came and we had cendol and various types of keropok. There was also fried nuggets and sausages cooked in BBQ sauce. Then...while the adults watched the MU Vs. M'sia match on tv, some of us played badminton, some played video games and some just hung around. My sis took the opportunity to do some revision.

Dinner was at a Chinese restaurant, paid by my generous uncle. After filling our stomachs with butter prawns, Thai-style fish, petai, vege and Japanese taufu, we all went for a drive around Ipoh town. We then adjourned back to the house. Everyone changed into their PJs. Some slept early, some watched tv while my dad and uncles chitchatted. They chitchatted till 4am!!

I was the first one up the next morning. Then slowly, one by one, my aunts, cousins and uncles woke up. My two aunts and uncle went to the market, while the ones at home just lazed around and ate a breakfast of tosai and coconut chutney.

My sis and I had initially compromised with my dad that we would only agree to the trip if we could leave on Sunday morning. But lo and behold, when Sunday morning came, we were still in Ipoh!! After breakfast, my uncle took us (the Penangites and KLites) to Taman Rekreasi Gunung Lang. We spent about an hour there, taking the boat ride to the park on the other side of the lake, and explored the place.

After that, we went to get the famous keropok that Ipoh is famous for. Back at the house, a lunch of briyani, mutton, fish and vege was awaiting us. After tucking in, we finally left Ipoh! We left at 3.15pm and were home in Penang by 5pm.

Although we had complained and were reluctant to make this trip, I must say that I enjoyed myself. One night is definitely not enough. The next trip (yes..the next trip!!) we would need at least 2-3 nights to fully enjoy ourselves.

It is tiring travelling over the weekend and then rushing back on Sunday so that we can make it in time for work on Monday. Plus, the weekend goes faster and I hate the feeling of "Tomorrow's Monday again!". Oh well...that's life...

2 years later

For those of you who have been reading my blog, you'd have notice that I have had one or two entries venting out at my missed opportunity of having my graduation ceremony. I finished my final exams in June 2007 and got my results in September the same year. By right, in October or November of that year, I should have been worn my graduation robe and celebrated with my friends, our success at having survived the gruelling three years of law school. Instead, we were "asked" to wait for our juniors and that we would have a combined graduation ceremony the following year, for the simple reason that my graduating class was too small.

One year later and we were still waiting. Even the juniors started wondering whether they would have their ceremony. And as expected, there was no ceremony or even news about it. Weeks passed, months passed and soon it was 2009. All that time, I was e-mailing my ex-lecturers, asking them about our ceremony. I think my "questioning" bordered on harassment!!

My ex-classmates (now close friends) told me to forget about it coz the college was obviously not going to grant us one. But I felt cheated. I mean, when it came to paying our fees, they were so insistent and strict, to the point that they would hold on to our results until we made a complete payment. But now that we have paid our fees in full and have actually finished our course, they cheat us out of a well-deserved, well-earned graduation ceremony. Having a photo with me wearing a robe and the mortar board is no big deal; but then again, I want to have that picture!!

I could not let it go. My friends went on to do the CLP and with that, they got to have some sort of graduation, complete with wearing the robe and taking pics. I did not have that opportunity, so I wanted my ceremony! It came to a point when I almost gave up. But I decided to try one final time. I asked my mum to call the college and talk to the principal. She was assured that there would be some sort of "gathering" for the graduates to "acknowledge" us, sometime around June. The call was made in January or February, I can't remember.

June came and went. And I too gave up! Heck, I actually forgot about it being so involved and busy with work. Until I got a call from an ex-lecturer yesterday afternoon, informing me of the "good news"!! Imagine my surprise and excitement!! I was told that it would be in the next 2-3 weeks at one of the hotels and that currently, the college is doing a headcount to determine the number of attendees. I of course immediately contacted my friends (who told me it was no big deal). But then again, it is a big deal to me! I've had almost two years of answering queries as to why I have not had a graduation and how come I do not have a picture!! Well...come August, I will no longer have to answer them. I can just show them the pictures!! :-)

I'm so excited! Finally...I get to wear the robe and mortar board, have a belated celebration with my friends and finally put it all behind me!!

The tears are gone but the memory lingers

So I watched the much anticipated memorial to MJ last night and as expected, tears did wet my cheeks. Though I've seen snippets of the memorial over a few channels and heard some of the speeches on the radio, it did not lessen the sadness or prevent the tears from falling.

It was clearly visible that everyone on staged was touched, inspired and influenced by MJ, and it was clear as crystal how affected they were by his demise. For a no one like me to feel so deeply about MJ's passing, I can only imagine how the people he knew feels.

Yes...I'm getting a little carried away with my grief as can be seen from the comments garnered on my FB page; but then...the KING did die.

Anyhow...I can go on and on about how I feel, what the world has lost and how there will never another MJ. But I stop here. For I believe that there is no need to add on to what is already out there. How we feel individually and as a whole about MJ...I'm sure he knows it and can finally see it for himself from up above.

And my tears continue to flow...

It's been two weeks since Michael Jackson's shocking death; and in those two weeks, I've heard his songs over and over and I've read news about him from every available newspaper, magazine etc.

Early this morning, there was a memorial for him, broadcasted live all over the world. It was too early in the morning for me to watch and so...I have to make do with the repeat later on. However, though I missed it this morning, I saw and heard snippets of the memorial all day, online and on the radio. The memorial, sombre, solemn and poignant was a fitting send-off for the King of Pop. Though I've yet to watch the entire memorial, I already shed tears more than once: on the way to work when I heard the King's daughter speak for the first time, when I heard Brooke Shields' speech and when I heard the entire stadium sing We are the World.

I still cannot accept that he has died. And I can't help wondering, if I feel this way, me..someone who didn't even know him personally....how then would his children, parents and subling feel? How would his loved ones feel about losing their most cherished, most loved and most famous brother, son and father? I don't think that question will ever be answered.

I'm waiting for time to pass so that I can watch the memorial. And I'm sure that I'll have tissues around me and probably swollen eyes tomorrow morning, as I watch the world celebrate the life of Michael Jackson.

8 years on....

It has been 8 years since my schoolmates and I were together in the same place and at the same time. 8 years ago, it was during SPM that we were all gathered in one venue. 8 years on and the very same schoolmates gathered at a different location, at a different time. Although not everyone from the batch were there, the crowd that attended the 2009 MGS Gathering was quite good.

The venue was a friend's house in Tanjung Bungah. The time: 6.30pm. The gathering was a sort of potluck, with everyone bringing something to the table. However, being Malaysians, ALL of us were fashionably late!! Even I was late. I arrived at the house at 7.10pm, 40 minutes later than the stipulated time...and believe it or not...I WAS THE EARLIEST!!! The host was still having her bath when I arrived!! 15 minutes later, another three friends arrived. However, the full crowd actually peaked at around 9pm, I think. People came and left at intervals, so much so that it was difficult to keep track of who actually came and didn't!! In fact, I think I missed a few faces, saying only "Hi" to them coz by the next minute, I realised that they've left!!

8 years since high school is indeed a very very long time. Time in which two of my schoolmates have gotten married and are now mothers. Some are attached, while many others are like me, still revelling in singlehood. Faces have changed; hairsyles are different; some have put on weight, some have lost weight. Talk now revolves around work, with business cards passed around. I actually felt old!!

But it was fun meeting up with the gang, although I have to admit that most of us there were never close during high school. Yes, we were classmates/schoolmates, but most of us were never really buddies. Nevertheless, when it comes to meeting up after a long long time, we do find that we still have that 'bond' that kept all of us together all through high school. Of course, we can never really break the "groupings" or "clicks", which of course was evident as the crowd grew. But then, that's life. You tend to stick to the people you're comfortable with, and I did the same.

It was really good catching up with the gals. Listening to their experiences and the different paths that they have taken. It makes me smile when I think of how we have all changed. One example is of a friend, who was rough and tough during high school, played netball with such intensity and now...she's a registered nurse!! I never thought that she's choose such a noble profession. It just doesn't seem like her; but then again, people change.

:-) I enjoyed myself, although it would have been more fun if more people were there. Some were missing, so the "true" feeling of actually 're-uniting' wasn't that great. Nevertheless, it's only Year 8 since we left high school. Maybe in Year 10, the crowd would be bigger!!

The "early" group

How time flies...

It's already July 2nd!! We're actually in the second half of the year!! Where did the time go?? It was as though it was just yesterday that I was celebrating New Year's (well...not exactly celebrating since I ushered in the New Year with a horrible fall that has scarred me for life!!). Anyway, back to my whining...WHERE DID THE TIME GO??

This Saturday, there'll be a sort of reunion of my high school friends. We have not had an official reunion as you see on TV or read in the newspapers. Some of us friends do meet up on occassion, however, we've not had a whole class reunion. So this time, it'll be different, sort of. Everyone from two classes were invited but of course, not everyone can attend. So...it'll be a mix of girls from two classes attending and reminiscing. The great thing is...we can all click! And...even though I'll be the only Indian there...I don't think I'll feel left out. [It was difficult to invite the Muslims as the host is Chinese and so, having halal food is a problem. Anyway, we couldn't contact them either].

I'm excited. I can't wait to see all the change that has happened in 8 years!! Can you believe it? I can't believe that I've left high school for 8 years already!! 2 of the girls coming are already married and have a kid each. Some are attached while there are still that are single.

I can just anticipate the hugs, laughter, loud talk and camaderie!! I'm so excited!!

Will update you guys on how things went, along with pics!! :-)