Sunday, August 24, 2008

Awana Kijal

Awana Kijal in Terengganu was fun. The fine, pristine sandy beach a pleasure to be on in the evenings. (Too hot to even venture there after 10 a.m.). The turtle-release event that was part of turtle conservation was a real treat for Kayrin. It was done at about 8:30 p.m. the night we arrived, Aug. 20. In pitch dark, it was difficult to see much but what a mini-adventure it was for Kayrin to be traipsing on the beach without much lighting, except for daddy's cell phone light.
I'd say Awana Kijal is worth venturing out to, despite the almost five-hour journey which includes a lunch stop in Kuantan.
There were two Chinese restaurants and a KFC outlet within a 5-minute walk from the resort and that made mealtimes very easy. Our lunch and dinner ranges between 35 ringgit and 50 ringgit each. Not bad. The kind of price we pay in KL.
Great four-day break in Awana. Total cost, a bit below 1,000 ringgit for a room with a roll-away bed and buffet breakfasts for all three of us.
The point of holidays, as I re-discover, is how nice the home is. Nothing beats having..
1) Air-cond thermostat that needs no fiddling
2) Pillow with just the right firmness
3) Lighting that doesn't need you to wake up in total darkness
4) And knowing which side of the bed to roll out from.
Welcome home!

Sunday, August 17, 2008

Terengganu

Ahh, the beach at Terengganu, here we come! We haven't had a beach holiday for so long. The last one must have been in Penang, and that was almost two years ago. Wow. We went to Cameron Highlands this time last year, went to Hong Kong in March. Finally, the seaside again. It will be the Awana Kijal. Looks pretty from its Web site. And it has the Taman Sari spa. Oooh..that's more important than any food outlets. It's a branch of the Taman Sari under Mustika Ratu in Jakarta. I'm a big fan of the Taman Sari in the Indonesian capital. Yes, I even memorised how to tell the cab driver to get there: Jalan Wahid Hasyim, menghala Tanah Abang.
That's how big a fan I am. Used to religiously go when I was travelling to Jakarta. These days, I can't even find time to go to Phillip Wain at Jalan Raja Chulan for a massage. Then again, these days I have a 5-year-old to keep me floored with her antics.

Saturday, August 16, 2008

Weak in the Presence of Beauty

This Alison Moyet song makes me close my eyes, and right away I get transported into the 80s. It's not corny like Duran Duran's The Reflex (that's sure to get me blasted by fans of Simon LeBon, Andy Taylor, et al. Try listening to this Moyet song again if you haven't heard it awhile. Could even bring tears to your eyes. May be I'm just old and sentimental.

Monday, August 11, 2008

Three As and Three Es

I'm making this my mantra for now, where SF is concerned. It was given by Paul J, someone I go to to reflect on my doings, my behaviour, myself. Paul says:
Increase the 3 As:
Action
Attention
Affection
..and reduce the 3 Es:
Ego
Expectations
Emergency (or urgency).
These should make me a better partner. I crave attention but am I giving the same? The not-so-nice bit about me is that, I also have huge expectations when I give affection or attention. If I remember these 3 As and 3 Es, I'd be better to live with, I hope. So let me report back on this two or three months down the road. That's how long before I forget my resolve, based on the frequency of rows at home!

The Clever One at Home

When it comes to numbers, I win at home. So far, anyway. I know my mathematics. But when it gets to survival, SF wins handsdown.
Food: SF whips up lunches and dinners when he's home. When he's not, Kayrin has to eat tuna-in-rice for both meals.
Baby: SF kept Kayrin and I well fed, after my mom left for home following a six-week stay with us in Singapore following Kayrin's arrival. He single-handedly did the marketing, cooking and washing. All I could do then was profer my breasts to Kayrin. I always consider the 13-month breastfeeding part to be my biggest achievement.
Baby-food: SF cooked all of Kayrin's lunch as she was weaned off milk full time. All I could do was squeeze breastmilk into a cup of cereal the one time I was at home with her alone. Well, at least it was fresh and warm. I didn't have time to warm up the breastmilk from the fridge after having to bathe her that morning.
And yesterday, SF stunned me once more. I've been working on pairing my Bluetooth earpiece with the HTC Diamond phone he gave me for my birthday. I tried it at work, tried it at home. I really did try!
SF took over, and within 2 minutes, managed to make it happen. My hero! Ya, anyone reading this is going to think me a tech idiot. Don't think I am but my spouse just happens to be smarter, of course.
He ties knots really well too. Me, well, I couldn't even name the one I use to tie up shopping bags.

Thursday, August 07, 2008

Your Spouse, Your Friend

Do you see your spouse as your friend? We all started as friends, but how many, after grandly and happily signing on the dotted line, think of the other half as the best friend?
It's a nice, warm feeling inside when we first get to use "my husband" or "my wife" in conversations. Then it all gets too ingrained in us all. And so the friend faded into the background as our role as the husband or wife comes to fore.
Here's for you:

A friend's message gets promptly replied,
My text messages fly out of sight;
A friend's birthday greetings makes you pleasantly surprised,
Mine -- I wasn't even sure it arrived;

A hotel's birthday cake was a delight; worth a mention to all alike,
Mine, the night before, was perhaps a little too slight;
While waiting to get onto the clouds, you update the world on your whereabouts,
But to let me know, that's a chore you'd prefer to do without;
It's fun to comment on pictures of friends' hotels and holiday meals,
Yet too much to ask about my daily 59-minute traffic ordeal.

So here's a plea,
Perhaps you could reach for me
upon waking,
And not pick up the super-duper phone
to know what's buzzing;

Cos I'm a friend when we're biking around,
Perhaps I can still stay one now
We laughed, and each moment was treasured
as an ode to a best friend found.

Tuesday, August 05, 2008

New Member

We're about to welcome a new addition to the family. Right now, under our roof on weekdays, there's Kayrin's grandparents, the maid, Shaw Feng and myself. Soon, there will be Kuaci Ham-Ham, the name Kayrin has picked. I'm trying to figure out the breed. It could be a Russian dwarf hamster or a Roborovski.
I was quite adamant on getting a pair for Kayrin but thank goodness the sensible one at home (yes, SF is sometimes the less-emotional one) said one for a start is good. They can live solitary lives, these hamsters. I'm envisioning a little thing scurrying about on weekends, tree shavings all over the floor and a certain smell permeating the living room.
Now we've got to worry about Kuaci's diet (no fruits as it may get diabetes), check out where the nearest vet is (for emergencies), and having to comfort Kayrin when she loses her pet, either through death or when it runs out of the home.
So, welcome Kuaci, and may Kayrin learn responsibilities! We've already convinced her that for a hamster to want to come and live with her, there has to be no binky in sight. She still misses the pacifier, weeks after bravely giving it up on July 20, at the ripe old age of 5 1/3 years. In return for a Nintendo DS. And yes, I paid 830 ringgit to swipe that binky!