Adventure Park in Bukit Gambang

OK, don't talk so much, pictures coming up...

Wait, how can not talk, right? After all, I've been silent for so long. You guys deserve some explanation. No, I did not contemplate go jump building or jump sea after the previous emo post, but bugger (I'm not naming anyone here), I was out of action from blogging and FB and sabotaging because the new screamix line wasn't up. (Don't they know I have fanses here waiting for me to talk crap or see nice pics??!! Never mind count lei count hui doe hei you 5 people, ok?)

Well, apart from that, I took the kids for their much awaited long adventure break, or so I promised while encouraging them to study hard for their exams.

It was a long car ride from KL, in the direction to Kuantan, about 3 hours drive when we finally see this signboard. Finally, else I really have to serve the kids alcohol in the car to make them sleep. They were driving me nuts!

Hurrah! Finally! Whew!

We had our lunch in Gambang town about 8 kms away from the resort. It's just a 1-street town with a row of shops. Spotted a chinese kopitiam with quite a crowd of customers seated inside, so we thought the food must be ok. Well, we ordered some fried rice and noodles to satisfy our hunger pangs. Don't say I don't advise, don't order the hokkien mee, it was bad! Fried rice is pretty good, recommended.

Wasting no more time, we headed straight to the resort for checking in. The rooms weren't ready yet, and boy! are those rooms dirty! Like bits of maggi mee thrown all over the place!

Anyway, it wasn't our worries, we just leave our things behind in the apartments and went off looking for adventure.

Just across the road, there's the Adventure Park in the forest park. We settled for a jungle trekking, said to take around an hour or so. Sound good to us.

Part of the entourage, the same group which went sabotaging
Sentosa Island in Spore last year, if you notice.

Since there were nothing much to do while waiting for the guide to con more customers for the trek, we took pictures lor, what else.

The trek started off with a few series of "fun" activities for adults and kids alike to "warm up", I suppose.

The kids loved it so much. Really much better than playing Wii or computer games all day at home.

Didi was shaking tremendously all the way from the start line to the finish line. I was equally scared for him. I keep hearing myself telling papa to go help him all the time. Sometimes I just wonder, if it's better for them to face the challenge and overcome their fear or assist them until they build enough confidence to do the tasks. I think most of the time, I was tempted to choose the latter option.
This is one of the easiest challenge. But a bit tough for meimei, and again, I was barking at papa to give her a helping hand. Where was I and what I was doing, I hear you ask? I was taking pictures la, what else! heh!

Didi saying "easy nia, adults, don't try this at home..."

Try swinging yourself from one end to the other. Not that easy, well, maybe my legs are too long (chiu!)

Ah.. almost there! Just don't know what to do with the legs when you are there.

Mommy giving her dotter a big push. Same result: the legs get in the way when reached the other side.

We finally started trekking in the small forest and the kids really enjoyed themselves a lot. Meimei was on her own in no time, walking in a fast pace catching up with the rest of the people most of the time while scurrying up after falling down time and time again. Really cute.

When we arrived at a junction, the guide asked us if we like to go for a more challenging route or a easypeasy one. Without giving us even a second to ponder about it, the kids immediately yelled "Challenge! Challenge!". I actually wanted the easypeasy one, but very no-face to say that out at that critical moment, haimai? Sigh... die die la, see how things go.

And this is the part. It's a very steep slope and you use the rope to assist you down the slope. Seems hard at first, then watching one after another going down, hard becomes easy, or so it seems.

The kids were very excited yet scared about this whole new challenge, but they conquered! How proud are we moms of them. The dads... no feelings one..hmm..

The youngest one to climb down on his own. He's the same age as didi actually, just a few months younger.
His mom proudly recording down their first steps. While she loves recording every precious moments of these, I prefer freezing the moments in pictures.

Didi was the last kid to go down. He really looked awfully cute to me, trembling with fear yet smiling in ecstasy, and going down each step with care.

Almost there, what a relief! It's time for the adults to go down! Oh shit! I wanted to turn back to that junction to take the easy route timmm...

Another moment frozen together with his grin. Looked very happy to me.

Meimei can't manage on her own, so the guide took her down with her holding on to him like a koala bear.

Looked how cool and gaya! I reminded myself to keep that composure!

But dammit! When it was my turn, it really wasn't so easy peasy, for a second, I really wanted to cry out loud! Haha! And I do know, my "stylo mylo" was all wrong for that descent of mine! Have to tell my friend to delete any vid or pic of me if she has. Oh shit!

And that's the slope we went down one by one. Hurray! We did it! And no thanks, we are not going back there again!

Back to the center in no time and we just hang around chilling out. Girl playing with the musang pet by those staff.

The boys had a go at paintball. Really endless fun time for them.

2 papas with their 2 sons on each side of them. No quali, but got gaya.

The ATVs that are available for hire. With the hefty fees of Rm30 for 10mins ride or RM100 for an hour jungle ride, we didn't ride on them. But it's free to take pics with them, so here they are! Went back to the hotel and changed to our swimsuits, charging all the way to the hotel's pool. After a cool dip, and a shower back home, we had dinner back at the same place where we had lunch and ordered a few dishes. This time, the food was yummy. I liked the lemon chicken especially. The steamed fish was very fresh and nice too. Good food and good company really makes a good holiday indeed.

Next day, the Bukit Gambang water theme park.

I used to be a nice person, seriously.

Until I got married and have 3 kids.

Now I'm just a couldn't-care-shit, selfish, lazy, uncaring, unloving and mute-black-long-face woman whose husband feels sien to come home to every day after a long stressing day at the office.

Maybe he deserves someone better to look after him. I'm just too unqualified for this job.

I've just finished reading...

Truly a good novel. Jeffrey Archer hardly fail me so far. Thankful for the library too, can read a good book without paying for the book. Plus, it's a good time-killer for long car rides and boring hours back at hometown.

Hardwork paying off after all..

It seems like a sudden 180' change in didi's attitude on his homework. I wonder why and how.



When he's home from school, he doesn't need much pestering to get his homework done now. He would be quietly sitting down finishing off his work and he would ask me if he can go and play when he is done. I would tell him to clear his mess on the table first and soon, he would bring the game of chess to ask me play with him. I do feel quite amused seeing his interest in every new game/ activity that I introduce to him. He would be on it over and over until he thinks enough is enough.



I'm glad my patience with him paid off too, stressing that homework must be done before any play comes.



The test results are back, and I shall say, the boys made me proud indeed. Not a very huge achievement in them, but overall, I can see improvement. However, while I try to focus and help them in BM, sadly, korkor's English paper came back with a dip. I was mildly shocked, but that's certainly a good indicator to remind me his English command is going down the drain. It's a good wake up call that we shall not neglect that language, while we are working hard to bring him on par on the other subjects.



The other day, he read to me an essay that he wrote for the Chinese paper. The question is "One day, I come home from school and I find...." He continued the story with "... my mom sick'. He continued reading to me what he wrote. It was something like his sister had to cook lunch and it wasn't very tasty since it was her first attempt. Then they helped to do housework etc, and called their dad to say mom's sick. Later, dad took her to see doctor and bla bla bla...



OK, it wasn't a very interesting plot, but I admit, I felt mighty amazed!! OK, I think it's because I can't write a sentence in Chinese, and to see my son, my baby, at 10 years old, wrote a lengthy piece of essay in Chinese, that was like... seeing him getting a PhD. It's definitely no regrets starting them off in a Chinese school.



To say korkor's command in Chinese is not bad, then didi's is very good. So far, he has scored straight 100% in all his "ting-xea" (hear-write), and expectedly, his marks in the paper is the best. Nevertheless, there are others in the class who are better than him, I suppose. Then again, who's comparing.



With another week of schooling, they are most certainly looking forward to the 2 weeks school break. We already have a plan when it begins, and I am really looking forward to it too, after which seems like a decade ago since we last had a holiday. After the 3d/2n trip, we would just be hanging around at home. I am wondering if I should go back to Ipoh and spend a few days at home, just chilling out with the old folks and old friends. But here I am, in Ipoh now for the long weekend, and I feel damn bored already. Not very keen to embark on that idea though.

Hari ini dalam sejarah.

11 years ago on this day...

I was starting my new life as someone's daughter-in-law, obediently helping out in cleaning up the mess in the kitchen and the whole house after the ceremony was over. It definitely did feel funny and weird to be in a home which doesn't seem like home to me yet, and my position in a different role. The weirdest thing is when I have to call her as "lai lai" instead of "auntie" jor.. I only called her the 2nd time when we were about to go back to KL.

When back to KL, life was resumed back to its normal state, nothing else much changed. And I was so looking forward to our honeymoon, a long long flight to LA. Those were "those" days.

So, in celebrating our 11th anniversary, we went for a nice buffet dinner, complemented with a bottle of wine and a moist, yummy carrot cake. Life's been treating me well so far.

Stress over, happy now.

For the boys. Probably me too.

With the mid year exams over yesterday, we can all relax now for awhile. Not that I'm stress out to ensure they bring home flying colors, but surely, all other pleasurable activities had to be onhold to drill some last minute revision into their daily routine.

So, after coming back from school, they shower, eat their lunch and start doing their homework and more homework (from me!). Not only they sien, me also sien. It's very potong stim to cajol, nag or threaten them to finish off the day's work. After they are done, I need to go through the answers and explain to them where they are wrong. It's so tedious. It takes equal amount of effort on my side as well as theirs to get these 2-3 hours of work done.

However, it does give some satisfaction and results (I so hope!). Korkor came home after that maths test and told me luckily I taught him how to shrink a division to a smaller number for easier problem solving, and also teaching him the trick to know quickly if a big number can be divided by 3. He said he was quickly done with that question while the rest were still spending a lot of time on that one. Really kembang wei.

They were so happy that they have the day free now, and keep asking me to let them play games, watch tv, totally chilling out. I introduce the game chess to them and took out the free gift from some credit card bank new application from the storeroom.

The whole board and pieces are made of glass. Though pretty and dainty, they only spell trouble! Cause we need to ensure extra care not to drop them and cut ourselves with those small pieces of glasses. Just brand new for a few hours and *piang* one little pathetic pawn was broken into 4 pieces. I sighed but watudo, that's life with kids around! Can't really expect things to stay their original way for over 24 hours, really. Unless it's child-proof. But sometimes child-proofed, they too manage to spoil them, it might just be their expertise.

I glued it back and the boys were happy, good as new, they said. *roll eyes*

Friday is Teachers' Day party at school, and I was being reminded over and over again by korkor to make homecooked food for his friends. Boy! Almost 40 people in his class, and another 40 from didi's, that would be enough to keep me occupied for the whole day in the kitchen!

It had been yoga for a year now.

Today marks the last day of my membership in the fitness center I go to for my weekly dose of yoga and zumba. I'm still undecisive whether to continue or not, as the fees are steeper by almost 70% than what I had paid for when I joined.

One year had passed, I still have that picture I took that time before I started on the quest for a more flattering figure. One thing for sure, there's a significant difference there indeed, though it can't be said it's BIG. Thus, it can be said the small affordable fees I paid for it was worthwhile. Other than having a curvier line, compared to the straight one before, my knees also strengthen up now and I don't have much backaches. With all these changes I feel them myself, it's no secret I do enjoy practising yoga.

The instructor sometimes would show us how to partner up and help the other to do handstands, elbow stands or tripods. Yesterday, it was the first time I was chosen to demonstrate the elbow stand together with him. I have to admit I feel tremendously honored. And very happy that he compliments me for the nice posture I make with some of the poses.

Being a regular there many mornings, I made a few acquaintances. It's not very pleasant in the beginning when I knew noone there, but later on, we nodded at each other, which later turned to a smile, then some "Hi" and small chats and now, we can gossip and talk more. I feel very sad indeed that I won't be seeing them anymore, and yet, I didn't tell them so. That's because I still am not decided to continue with it or not. I do wonder if I would be missed. It's a weird peculiar feeling I can't even find the word for. Kinda mm-seh-tuck to let go?

Well, with RM150+ a month, I think perhaps I can save the money to buy more dvds to work it out myself or join some other yoga club. It might be eye-opener to learn from other instructors, who knows, right? Moreover, I will be saving on the carpark fees and the laplapjubjub food I pamper myself after each session. With that in mind, I keep my options open. See how things go.