az lunar new year lunch

so full until my stomach's going to burst.
just look at the portion of this Yee-Sang,
salmon fish, cod fish, and even gold foil!!!

pre jo's recital check

before going to josephine's studio for recital check,

we went to a vietnamese cafe for a drink.
ordered a FLU FIGHTER JUICE...
well, tasted quite good...

sentosa flowers 2008

went with all antipation, but ended up with disappointment

most of the flowers were not as bright as i thought, most even whithered.

only managed to capture that few photos.

CNY: trip up north

on the 1st day of chinese new year, i went on a short trip to north malaysia with my parents, relatives and friends. well, we're not avoiding the chinese new year, 避年 as the chinese would call it. we still do our new year visiting in the day set off in the evening. basically, we're visiting 2 places: kelantan and trengganu. kelantan being the state run by the opposition islamic party has always been rumoured with horror stories of the strict muslim laws they impose on the people and how the locals, esp the women, are unjustly treated. we were surprised to find that the local malays are much more friendlier to chinese compared to other states in malaysia. in general, they're very tolerant of other races. because of its close proximity to thailand, buddhism in kelantan is much influenced by thai.

the structure of the temples, the style and the buddha they worship are soooo thai....



the sitting, the standing and the sleeping buddhas....


fortune telling the thai way...


the wishing tree. seems familiar right? resembles scenes from hongkong TVB dramas.


a night market in kota bharu...


they sell many of these fried seafood along pantai cahaya bulan (beach of moonlight).
nearly ALL the stalls sell the same stuff....


asam! yep, you use this to cook asam curry.
here's the fresh, unpeeled version


i better give him a hand, coz he can't handle such sudden
big orders.... phew....


rantau panjang is the duty-free zone at the border of thailand,
where an assortment of goods is available at attractive prices.
we're really spoilt for choice at this bustling market





in trengganu, the tian hou gong, or ma tzu as termed by the taiwanese,
blesses fishermen who regard the sea as their livelihood


checking into hotel grand continental, can finally rest well....


the trengganu state museum complex is the largest museum complex
in southeast asia. it offers a glimpse into the rich history of the state
religion, royalty, culture and economy



coincidentally, my cousin and i were wearing number 33 on the same day!!!


steven giving it a shot at the batik making factory


here's the end result.... not bad huh? ;-)


end of journey. accompanying me throughout my 4 day trip:
my zen v plus, oakley shades, bottle of water and travellers' guide

seng poh cantonese porridge

initally michelle wanted to bring to have teochew porridge,

but we went to the wrong place and ended up here...

but the porridge's really not bad. it's very smooth and

the ingredients are very fresh. the raw fish is good.

ambience's very rustic as well.

if you're looking for simple, plain food and quiet environment to have

your lunch, look no further. seng poh rd at tiong bahru.

team dinner at indochine @ ACM

yeah, here's the photo taken during our team dinner
at indochine. food's nice, ambience's even nicer...

officially 26

hey guys, a big thank you for the kind wishes.
here's the list of well-wishers whose
wishes reached me on 4th Feb...

Abigail, alright, u're first!
Sherine
Thai Ha
Sherry
Huifang
Wesley
Xiaoyu, Alicia
Zhiyun
Rafael
Bertram
Mummy
Daddy
Amutha
Razia, all the way from Mauritius!
AZ Colleagues. Michelle Ow, you're the 1st in office!
Mei-Bao
San Wee, my little bro
Grace Tan
Minghui
Vern Howe
LingZhu
Jipson, thanks a lot for the chocolates!
Tim Go
Flora
Calvin Ng
April Rheiboy
Mr Chu Wee Yong
Last but not least. Harmonica Orchestra!
Thanks a lot for the cake and birthday song,
esp to the juniors.

our mini recital practise with our conductor

it was the first time we went to our conductor's, josephine, studio at bkt timah.
the first impression that struck us.... HOMELY & COSY! too bad, we didn't
take any photos. it was really a very comfy studio, with nice cushion, soft
carpet and exquisite decor.

tequilla's invitation to burglar

yes, you're not seeing things. tequilla (my housemate) actually left the keys on the lock,

closed the door and went to bed! caught her red handed when we got back!