journeys into the unknown

Crabbing, Dungeness Style

noreply@blogger.com (stephanie) — Fri, 22 Nov 2013 00:14:00 +0000

One recent Saturday, after dropping my son off for a chess tournament, I had a whole day free in San Francisco, unencumbered by responsibilities. I decided to drive to the ocean and take a walk in one of my favorite neighbors-Sea Cliff. I drove around, looking for a parking place, and found a nice big free lot above the picturesque China Beach. As I sat in my car eating my yogurt, a truck pulled up and a man began unloading fishing gear-pole, bucket, and then a metal basket. Curious, I opened my door and asked him what he was looking to catch. 'Today is the first day of Dungeness crab season', he replied. He was very welcoming and friendly when I asked him if I could watch him crabbing. As we walked down to the beach, I asked him questions about crabbing and how he had gotten his start. He had been a fisherman with his dad some years in the past and always loved spending time at the beach. So when crabbing caught his interest, it was a natural fit for him.

I spent a wonderful hour gazing at the Golden Gate Bridge covered with fog, watching the swimmers brave the chilly waters of the Pacific, and learning about and watching crabbing. A perfect day.

crab trap, filled with squid purchased at a chinese market on Clement street

fishing pole and holder

ready to throw the crab trap in the water (it is mating season and the crabs are all close to shore)

female crab bountiful with thousands of eggs

female crab didn't meet the legal minimum measurement (6 1/4") so she got tossed back into the water

male crab (narrow abdominal flap)

lovely San Francisco beach overlooking the Marin Headlands

a cool, crisp, San Francisco fall day to begin the crabbing season

a couple of other crabbers putting out overnight cages with their boogie boards

these two used a combination of raw chicken and squid in their traps

getting ready to put their traps out

and out it goes...

Twitter tour

noreply@blogger.com (stephanie) — Thu, 21 Nov 2013 22:53:00 +0000

Recently, while in San Francisco for a chess tournament (my son), my mom, daughter, and I took a tour of Twitter. It was especially interesting to me since I tweet almost daily and my cousin's daughter just recently started working there. Although we didn't get to see much in the way of work areas, it was a fascinating tour in a beautiful setting in the heart of the San Francisco financial district with fabulous work perks. Do I sound envious? Well I am!

daughter Madeline, my mom, cousin Jen

oh, look! I found a good looking mustache and tie in the twitter lobby (what do you think?)

one of the awesome cafeterias-you can eat breakfast, lunch, and dinner here, daily, for free!!!

behind the kitchen scene making yummy local, seasonal, organic dishes

rooftop hangout with great views

Madeline enjoying the view ; )

twitter's drought tolerant rooftop garden

old twitter logo (with hair)

game room

twitter quotes

LOVE this quote!

great ideal!

Half a Century

noreply@blogger.com (stephanie) — Fri, 08 Nov 2013 06:01:00 +0000

I had a lovely birthday party celebrating my 50th year on the 28th of October. Many women

friends from different areas of my life (family, homeschooling, swimming, Waldorf) joined me for dinner and entertainment at my home. My kids and my daughter's friend provided entertainment (trumpet, piano, singing, and ukelele). In addition, my daughter and other friends and family prepared delicious foods for dinner. It was just the way I wanted to usher in my 50th birthday. And a little levity was had by a few with mustaches...

homemade pumpkin gifts for partygoers

Carolyn, Steph, and Emily

Madeline, Steph, and Petra

mother and daughter

Suzie, Dafna, Steph, Jen, and Cathy having fun

birthday breakfast, care of Madeline

Climbing Mt. Kinabalu

noreply@blogger.com (stephanie) — Sat, 08 Jun 2013 05:59:00 +0000

While looking through the weekly ABWM (Association for British Women in Malaysia) advertisements and announcements one day, I noticed an opportunity for climbing Mt. Kinabalu (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_Kinabalu) with The Shelter Home, a local charitable organization, and thought that it might be a fun and challenging experience.

I had been thinking for some years about hiking 200 miles of the John Muir trail and climbing Mt. Whitney (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_Whitney), the highest mountain in California during my 50th birthday year. Since Mt. Kinabalu is just a bit lower than Mt. Whitney, I thought that climbing Mt. Kinabalu could be the trial run for next year’s half century birthday trip for me.

Joe was totally supportive of my desire to tackle KK (Kota Kinabalu) as it is fondly called. So, once I decided that I would take on the challenge of climbing Mt. Kinabalu, he transferred over the required funds (2000 RM ~$700) to cover pretrip training, food, air tickets, hotel, touring/busing around Kota Kinabalu, and guide fees for the climb up Mt. Kinabalu. Soon I began getting enthusiastic emails from the organizers, Roland and Edwin. I began raising money for the climb and a few weeks later the official training regimen started:

4/7 Bukit Gasing (I missed this hike)

4/14 Bukit Gasing trekking 1hr Leader: Guat Mei

4/21 Bukit Gasing trekking 1hr Leader (Bukit Gasing hiking expert)

4/28 Batu Caves up/down steps Leader: Edwin

5/5 Gunung Nuang (cancelled due to Country elections)

5/12 Batu Caves up/down steps Leader: Roland

5/19 Gunung Kutu 5-6hr trek Leader: Loong Fei

5/26 Directions from our great and wise leaders: REST... No more heavy exercising, just keep fit. Our family went to Tioman Island to rest...

5/29 Started low dose Diamox (altitude sickness pills) which made me a little lightheaded; Air Asia flight from LCCT airport in KL to Kota Kinabalu airport in Sabah, Borneo, Malaysia; lunch at Chinese restaurant, coffee tasting, checked in at Paragon Hotel; 2 hours free to wander around; dinner at tourist restaurant with Chinese food and tribal dancing; back to room by 9pm; (roomie already asleep ; )

5/30 Wake up 4am, early breakfast in hotel; hop on bus and drive 1 1/2 hrs to Mt. Kinabalu park entrance; arrived 7:30am, just after sunrise, took pictures, registered, and began hiking at 8:35am (Selamat Mendaki-Happy Hiking!); my hiking group was Annette and Neal along with our Malaysian guide, Shaftik who carried 5-7kg for each of us (8RM/kg-it was worth it!!!); nice hiking, all uphill, no real switchbacks, and lots of stairs w/plenty of greenery all around; happily, no leeches and perfect weather; arrived Laban Rata lodge at 12:45pm-rain started soon afterwards; checked into dorm w/3 other women; took shower one limb at a time in freezing shower-brrrr!; early dinner at 5pm; to bed and sleep at 7pm wearing clothes for climb to the summit early the next am ; )))

5/31 Alarm woke us at 1:47am (by request of Hayley); quick face wash and bathroom break; small breakfast (couldn’t force myself to eat more); headlamp and rain jacket on; set off at 2:35am w/Annette and Shaftik-no sign of Neal; clear weather again, thankfully; slower pace this am since climb is even steeper, in the dark, with much of it by rope ladder; although climb was slow and seemed endless, I pulled ahead of Annette and reached the summit at 5:25-5 minutes before mountain top sunrise; lots of people on the way up the mountain w/bouncing headlamps-196 people allowed on the mountain each day; stayed at summit for 1/2 hr, granite rock faces now well lit, hands cold; glad climb down is in the light because of potential for slipping, views are incredible; decided not to take my heavy DSLR camera on this trip b/c of the weight and worry about rain, so took pictures with my point and shoot; arrived Laban Rata lodge at 8ish for another bigger breakfast and 1/2 hour nap before the final descent back to Tampohon Gate (where we started); unfortunately, the rain descended upon us shortly after we started and stayed with us the entire trip back with the last 1km being in a downpour; arrived at our entry point at 2:30pm-30 hours after beginning-w/13 hours of hard climbing; had some transportation issues, but finally got shuttle to our lodging at Pine Resort, very close to the park at ~3:30pm; had warm shower; got settled; nice BBQ set up for our group on hotel grounds; last group of climbers straggled in around 7pm (dark!)-totally wiped out, all but 3 or 4 of our 39 climbers made it to the summit; to bed at 9pm.

6/1 Gorgeous view of Mt. Kinabalu this morning from viewing deck at hotel; could barely walk to the buffet breakfast this am, legs so sore-quads, knees, and calves; more pictures in front of hotel of our group; onto bus for tour back to Kota Kinabalu; made several stops along the way to wet market, canopy bridge, souvenir shopping, and finally a late lunch near the airport; to airport by 5:30 for 7pm return to KL; all in all an amazing experience with a great group of people. Can’t say I’d do it again, though...perhaps another mountain on another day...

sorry the photos are out of order-hope you enjoy them anyway ; )

flying into Sabah

our bus tour guide in Sabah, Baldwin

Leader, Roland, in front of our bus

Chinese dinner our first night in Sabah

my dinner companions

Radziah and me at dinner

even more dinner dishes...

some of our group with dancers

just before starting the climb

Mt. Kinabalu

our group: Annette, Neal, and me

Selamat Mendaki (happy hiking) at the entrance to KK

ahhhh...made it to the top at 5:25am, just 5 minutes before sunrise

views on the way down...

on the way down

alpine foliage within granite crevices

on the way down

above the clouds...

more alpine foliage

gorgeous views

loved all the granite

climbing buddy Annette and me

if it looks steep, that's because it is!!!

alpine foliage

the valley laid out below us-spectacular!

last checkpoint before climbing the summit, another hour or more...

leaving the checkpoint

using the rope ladder on the way down

Laban Rata dorm lodging

moss covered tree, reaching out it's limbs

gorgeous views from viewing deck at Pine Resort

some of our group at the summit of Mt. Kinabalu

getting ready to start the climb

at the airport after the climb

the canopy bridge

heading back to airport after climb

some of our group

climbers

our very large group

Pei Leng relaxing with a beautiful view of KK on day after climb

me, Mimi, and Janet

our group, post climb

still needing support after the climb

sunrise at the base of KK the morning of our 1st day

me in front of Mt. Kinabalu before climbing

entry gate

on of the guides carrying his group's packs...

my hiking buddy, Annette

an example of some of the climbing we did...

nature art

mountain flower

regular elevation and distance signs kept us current with our position while climbing

me and Hayley, one of our marathon runners

always good to see another sign showing progress....

good signage showing us the way to Laban Rata

almost there...

other types of stairs...

LOVED the fog rolling in, however, it usually brought rain quickly on it's heels!

more lovely fog

our route up the mountain

up we go...

fog and blooming foliage

looking up at the mountain top from our lodgings at Laban Rata

alpine foliage

reception at Laban Rata

dining room at Laban Rata

on the dorm room ceiling-direction for prayer for Muslims...

sunrise at the summit

granite crevices

care to have a try...

alpine foliage

can't believe I climbed up some of these areas in the dark!

earthworm wriggling in a small pool of water near the summit

on the way down

climbing down with Annette

granite rockface

you can do it, just follow the rope....

alpine foliage

beautiful flowering plant

across the street from our first hotel in Kota Kinabalu

Sultan Salahuddin Abdul Aziz Mosque

noreply@blogger.com (stephanie) — Fri, 07 Jun 2013 09:31:00 +0000

Our family spent Mother’s day at the Blue Mosque in Shah Alam, the state capital of Selangor, which is a 25 minute drive from the Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur. We arranged for a taxi driver to take us there, wait for us, and return us home when we were finished all for $40 (about 2 1/2hrs). http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sultan_Salahuddin_Abdul_Aziz_Mosque.

Our arrival at the mosque coincided with the ending of the noon prayers at the hottest time of the day (about 2pm). As a result, Madeline was very unhappy when she learned that her modest appearance was not modest enough :(((. Her arms were only 3/4 covered by her blouse instead of entirely covered, thus necessitating her wearing a long, heavy robe like outer garment over her clothing as well as a scarf to cover her hair. Not a happy camper! The boys got by with short sleeved shirts and long pants. I was able to borrow a *stylish* scarf to cover my head.

We took an hour tour in the stifling heat, took lots of pictures, and then took a short walk along the nearby lake. A very different mother's day for me...

fence around mosque

Muslim design (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Islamic_geometric_patterns)

Muslim men chatting outside the mosque after noon prayers

shop stalls around the outside of mosque

Muslim family outside mosque

unhappy daughter in heavy clothing

me in beautiful mosque architecture

more wonderful architectural features

one of the mosque entryways

inside mosque

almost empty mosque

entry person

vacuuming the carpets after noon prayers

Muslim headgear for men

shopping at the mosque

Blue Mosque from outside

World Dance Concert

noreply@blogger.com (stephanie) — Sun, 12 May 2013 14:17:00 +0000

Madeline took her first school dance class this year at Mont’ Kiara International School (MKIS). The class covered African and Modern dances as well as other dances from around the world. One class requirement was to choreograph and teach her own group of middle and high school students a cultural dance. Madeline chose hula as the dance she would choreograph and teach since she has been hula dancing for more than 6 years and loves it.

All the dancers have been working very hard for the past few months, putting in numerous hours of practice each week choreographing, teaching, and learning many new dances in preparation for the spring concert. This past Friday, Madeline’s hula dancers were the opening number at the World Dance Concert at MKIS. In addition to her hula dancers, Madeline included her brother, Gabriel, in the show. At the beginning of Madeline's dance, Gabe blew the conch shell while Madeline chanted in Hawaiian. Joe and I were both wet eyed seeing her success in this newest endeavor.

The entire show consisted of 16 numbers encompassing American folk dances, hula, Modern dances, African, Bollywood, and K-Pop (Korean Pop). It was splendid and I ended up taking over 400 pictures! I couldn’t believe it when I got home. I’ve now edited the pictures to about 200 and will include 66 of my favorite pictures below. Unfortunately, the combination of a dark auditorium, a dark stage with bright spotlights, and me, a beginning photographer with a standard DSLR camera, the pictures didn’t meet up to my expectations, but hopefully, you will get the “picture”. And now I know what additional photography lens I need for future photography in dark theaters.

Oh, and as an aside, I sewed the 16 skirts and headpieces for the African dances, so pay close attention to those ; ).

dancer/choreographer, Mariana in Yearning

Yearning

dancers milling around during rehearsals

stage manager, Ashley

Madeline's middle/high school hula dancers

Madeline's 'besties' Michael, Jia Yu, and Monica watching the show from the audience

Madeline's hula song: Te Va Nui

Madeline, beginning her chant

Madeline and Gabriel, the dynamic duo (said the proud mama)

chanting Hawaiian and blowing the conch

Madeline's hula dance Te Vai Nui (The Well of Life)

Te Vai Nui

Madeline's solo portion

more solo

Te Vai Nui

dancer/choreographer Aqilah in Reminiscence

dancer/choreographer Lovish in A Fine Line

A Fine Line

Madeline in Props

dancer/choreographer Kate (far left) in Props

Props

the Virginia Reel

Virginia Reel

Madeline's besties (Ahmed, Michael, Jia Yu, Monica

MC's Madeline and Natasha

African dance High Life

High Life

African dance-Yankadi

dance instructor, Nia Womack-Freeman in Yankadi

Yankadi

Bollywood dance Barso Re Megha welcoming the monsoons

Barso Re Megha

Bollywood dance Yeh Ishq Hai- a dance about love

Yeh Ishq Hai

Bollywood dance Chammak Challo with modern and traditional dance elements

Chammack Challo

dancer/choreographer Sua (middle) in K-Pop Queens

Sua

Model United Nations dance Forest (about deforestation and balance between people and nature)

Forest

Forest (Madeline, 3rd from left)

Forest

advanced (IB) dancers Mariana, Kate, Miranda, and Aqilah

dance teacher Nia Womack-Freeman

stage manager, Ashley, with Jia Yu, and Madeline

Mari Makan (Come Eat!)

noreply@blogger.com (stephanie) — Sat, 04 May 2013 14:33:00 +0000

Last weekend, Joe and I attended our first adults only social at the kids’ school. It was a dinner potluck event with dancing. Many people arrived in their country colors and costumes. We Americans were encouraged to wear either red, white, and blue, or Harley Davidson ‘gear’.

The tables were beautifully decorated and blanketed with tasty foods and represented about 20 of the countries that partially comprise Mont’ Kiara International School. The American table provided potato salad, pork ribs, chicken wings and drumsticks, sausages, and margaritas.

Joe scoped out the foods while I headed directly to the American table for the margaritas ; ). There were so many tables with delicious foods that we were only able to eat from a few of the tables. Some of the foods we devoured were Thai, Japanese, American, French, and Indonesian. Definitely one of the best smorgasbords I've ever encountered!

It was an enjoyable evening and I even met some new people! And no, I didn’t get up on the dance floor!

Our American table

Our awesome condo next door neighbors, Andy and Rachel

Andy and Rachel are from Northern California

Phillipines!

Norway

France

United Kingdom

Our Head of School speaking

Japan

Building and Abandoning Nests

noreply@blogger.com (stephanie) — Sun, 28 Apr 2013 14:28:00 +0000

I see why birds and other animals often claim nests that have been abandoned. It is hard work building a new nest. And birds have many fewer necessities than we humans do.

For me, building a new nest (setting up a new home) in a foreign country was a difficult experience. The first 6 weeks was pretty unsettling, trying to get into some kind of routine and figure out the basics: where to do my shopping, what kinds of foods to cook, whether the water was safe to drink, how to hail taxis and get to my destination, how to maintain personal safety (esp for the kids), how to find my way around the school, how to get around KL, deciding what to visit in KL, where to exercise, how to pay bills, figuring out what a reasonable budget was, and how to get my social interaction needs met in a meaningful way.

By eight weeks, life solidified into more of a routine and by 10-12 weeks, it became a comfortable routine. Very different from what I had been doing at home in the U.S., but still bounded by Joe’s work, the kids’ school, my exercise, and the constants of shopping, cooking, laundry, and cleaning (fortunately mostly done by the weekly maid service).

Other regular daily, weekly, and monthly events included Mahjong, Bahasa Malaysia, coffee dates, guitar and ukelele lessons and practice, blogging, photography and photo classes, massages, school events, lectures, and skyping with friends and family.

Now, almost 9 months into our year, it is time to begin the process of dismantling our Malaysian nest and plan for our return trip home. It has been a good, though challenging year. I will miss some parts of living in Malaysia like the swimming pool and tennis courts in our backyard, wearing flip flops and shorts year round, having school, the grocery store, and my gym all within a 5 minute walk of our condominium, thunderstorms, no tipping, fruit smoothies, growing orchids, my new friends, daily tropical fruits, easy, exotic travel opportunities, the interesting cultural mix, and not being responsible for any of the maintenance on our Malaysian nest. I will not miss the crazy car and motorcycle drivers, the ants and weevils, the bathrooms, the sewer smells, the uneven sidewalks, the worry about dengue fever, the humidity, ringworm, the cost of the kid’s school, the ineptitude of the computer repair people, the throw away culture, the necessary safety restrictions placed on the kids, the security guards, being followed around in stores, the traffic, mega malls, the difficulty communicating with people, being sticky all the time, the continuous air conditioning necessary, and the weekly mosquito spraying required.

We all look forward to seeing you back in California in the near future (early July)!!!

Chess in Malaysia

noreply@blogger.com (stephanie) — Sun, 21 Apr 2013 14:32:00 +0000

Chess in Malaysia should be a no-brainer, right? Gabriel started playing chess in Northern California about 3 years ago. And his competition there consisted of a majority of Chinese and Indian players. What is the population like in Malaysia? Chinese, Malay, and Indian. So where is the problem? We can’t find the competition!!!

Sure there is a chess school within walking distance of our new home, but they have very few tournaments, the kids are young, and school basketball practice conflicted with it on the weekends for weeks.

Where are all the chess players? Joe has really had to search and search to uncover the few tournaments that Gabriel has played in. But after one recent tournament, Joe finally spoke with the father of one of the chess players and found a good chess site for Malaysia (www.fireyrook.blogspot.com).

After Thanksgiving, (almost 4 months into our year abroad), Gabriel reconnected with his chess coach Var Akobian (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Varuzhan_Akobian) who is 5th in the US. Although Var lives in the Midwest, chess tutoring once or twice a month has been fairly easy via Skype.

Gabe also participates in occasional multiday chess tournaments downtown on Jalan Dang Wangi at Datuk Arthur Tan Chess Connections in the Wilayah complex and at a newly remodeled third floor room in the Taman Tun Ismael area of Kuala Lumpur, not too far from our condo.

Joe also found a weekly informal chess gathering at the formal (guys need to wear slacks and button down shirts) KL Golf and Sports Center just down the road from us. Happily, the weekly get togethers work into our schedule. Hallelujah! So, finally, he is hooked into the chess scene after only 8 months of searching!

One of Gabriel’s goals this year was getting an international chess rating called FIDE which tells the strength of the chess player. His FIDE rating is 1872. His USCF rating (which is the United States chess rating score) is 1966. The FIDE score is usually approximately 100 points lower than the USCF rating.

It seems crazy, but we are now signing Gabe up for his final FIDE rated tournament this month before we leave for California at the beginning of July. What a whirlwind tour of chess it has been for us all. And what do you know, we'll be heading home (back to California), just in time for Gabriel to participate in his second summer session for Masters level players at the Mechanics Institute in San Francisco. Woo hoo!!!

Malaysia Day Chess Champion 9/2/12

Taman Tun Dr. Ismael (TTDI) chess room

TTDI chess room

entrance to TTDI chess room on 3rd floor

Malaysia Day chess competitors

giant chess at Damai Beach in Sarawak, Borneo

giant chess with dad in Sanur, Bali

giant chess at Damai Beach in Sarawak, Borneo

giant chess with dad in Sanur, Bali (M photo bombing)

beach chess on Kuta Beach in Bali

Balinese employee playing chess with Gabe

Off to the Perhentians

noreply@blogger.com (stephanie) — Thu, 04 Apr 2013 13:59:00 +0000

Since we moved to Malaysia, we have been waiting for the perfect time to go to the Perhentian Islands-a snorkeling and scuba paradise on the northeast coast of peninsular Malaysia. Finally, it came last week. We had a wonderful five days with our brave, dear friends, Helen and Rose, who travelled all the way from sunny California to spend a brief but joyous spring break with us swimming, snorkeling, trekking, drinking fruit smoothies, playing volleyball, playing games, taking pictures, reading, and catching up.

Helen on plane KL to the Perhentians

our regular dining table at Tuna Bay resort

beach in front of our resort

crazy girls

Tuna Bay boat dock

sunset from our resort dining room

we were on Pulau Perhentian Besar (the big island)

Gabe and his favorite-mango lassi

Rosie's arrival into KL

Malaysian mother and daughter waiting in the airport

excited girls!

at the dock in Kota Bharu, getting ready to take speed boat to the Perhentians

Joe and Helen

Are we there yet?

in front of Tuna Bay resort where we stayed

beach loungers and umbrellas for Tuna Bay guests

hanging out

Gabe's stuff...

the gang

friendly lizard

starting on our trek around part of the island

oops! Rosie forgot to bring sunglasses

walking away from our beach and resort

Madeline and me

pretty view

if this isn't heaven, I don't know what is...

artsy, fartsy pic

trying for sunglass reflections

oops, Helen had a little fall at the start of the hike :(

island canna

Rosie and Helen

a little island volleyball

here is my reflections picture for my photo group-can you see the monitor lizard in the center?

close up of the monitor lizard

Rosie Posie

sand toys

here's one for Carver...

happy boy...

hiking Helen

what's so funny?

beach scene

technology on the beach

heart shaped leaf (for Jan)

Madeline, Oppa Gangnam style

doesn't look that welcoming...

our girls

Helen trekking through the island

beach volleyball-Joe and Gabe

Gabe waiting at the net

more beach volleyball

coral reef 'graveyard' on the beach-pretty, but sad

our beach

our beach, close to sunset

the girlfriends

uke on the beach

more uke on the beach

cool boat just beyond the coral reef

chillin on the beach

our home away from home

happy boy ; )

my beautiful girl!

more papparazi shots

Rosie

another Rosie pose

the gals, making the most of their youth!

heaven!

too much hair for this hot climate

nifty colorful crab

views from everywhere

ah, the sand

look, I see something...

happy girl

happy Helen

surprise! just a few Swedish hunks we picked up on the beach

oh, and I had to have a pic with them, too

Helen and me

me at sunset at Tuna Bay resort

Helen, on her last day in the Perhentians

Shoe repair

noreply@blogger.com (stephanie) — Wed, 20 Mar 2013 14:33:00 +0000

I guess I’m learning (slowly), that you get what you pay for. I am careful how I spend my money, but sometimes it’s tricky knowing where the bargain is. So far, cheap shoes in Malaysia have not turned out to be a bargain. I’ve already taken my third pair of kid’s shoes to the street cobbler for new soles in 7 months. Yesterday, I took the most recent pair of my daughter’s shoes to the cobbler.

It’s interesting watching a street cobbler work. They have tiny tables and/or carts that hold all of their shoe repair goods in various plastic bags. And they do all their work sitting on little plastic stools with just a few implements including: a utility knife, cigarette lighter, brush, polish, sander, needle and thread, tread, glue/cement, glue stick, a straight edge, and some type of pointy end tool! Oh, and of course, the smoking cigarette hanging out of the mouth is a must, as well...

gluing the soles on

the table and cart

shaving the edge of the new sole smooth

shaping the new sole

new leather tie over toes replaced as well

and here are the new soles...so much better than the old ones...

Photography update

noreply@blogger.com (stephanie) — Wed, 20 Mar 2013 13:56:00 +0000

My photography experience is expanding beyond what I had planned or expected this year.

Some of my friends are currently doing daily exercises in photo taking with Flickr (http://fatmumslim.com.au/category/photo-a-day-2/) and I’m enjoying their delight in experimenting and capturing some of their daily activities. And though they live half way around the world from me, I feel that we are experimenting and learning together as we share our pictures and pleasure on twitter.

I have also joined a year long photo project with some of the lovely ladies at the Association for British Women in Malaysia (ABWM). No, I’m not British, but the group didn’t seem to mind and I love the British sense of humour! This photo group began Jan. 1, 2013 and is called Glimpses. It involves taking a photo once a week, for 52 weeks on changing topics. Since the Glimpse site is private and you won't be able to view it, I've included each of the weekly photos I've taken since January 1st below.

At the end of each week, the group leader/coordinator, Chloe (photographer, extraordinaire), takes all the pictures from the week and makes a cool looking collage on our Facebook site. Additionally, some weeks are ‘winning’ weeks where our Facebook *likes* determine a winner for the week and that individual receives an enlargement of their winning photo free of charge from our wonderful leader. It has been a fun learning experience enabling me to see a variety of photos from people both more and less experienced than myself, all with a different perspective on each week’s subject matter. Thus far our weekly topics have been: celebrate, new, bridge, blue, black & white (a street scene), window (looking in or out), red, love, three, motion (to freeze or not to freeze), femininity, supermarket, and this week’s topic: play. Interesting and sometimes very challenging...

I am beginning to appreciate how much time it takes to shoot a photo you want to keep: thinking about the photo, prepping for the photo, figuring out how to take the photo, taking the picture without a photo bomber, keeping still while taking the shot, making sure I have enough light, but not too much, finding the story in the picture, cropping and adjusting the picture, and more.

Just recently, I have also found opportunities to show my pictures in a limited, informal way. Some of my pictures will be included in a school cookbook for our international school in Malaysia. I have had photos published in the ABWM magazine’s March 2013 issue for a Tesco (grocery store) tour I took last month. Additionally, I have contributed photos to our school for track meets some of which should show up in a quarterly glossy school publication, Berita. And just today, I offered to take pictures for a Japanese style flower arranging class that was happening at the ABWM. It sure is exciting to see my work in print! It looks like I will also be contributing pictures for the Mont’ Kiara International school’s spring play-Mulan Jr to go along with the DVD all the actors and singers families are receiving. I’m having fun!!!

Celebrate

Blue

New

Bridge

Supermarket

Window

Red

Love

Three

Motion

Feminine (Mulan)

Black and white street scene (had trouble getting it to b/w on blog)

Mulan

noreply@blogger.com (stephanie) — Tue, 12 Mar 2013 12:55:00 +0000

This year, Mont’ Kiara International school’s play was Mulan Jr. Madeline had months of rehearsals to prepare for her ensemble (singing) part which had her up on stage in numerous scenes for three days of performances. It was the biggest stage production Madeline has ever taken part in and it was a huge success. Madeline groaned over the long hours of rehearsal, but the final result was very enjoyable. I watched it all three days ; ).

The lead character, Mulan, was a 6th grader and had a beautiful voice and was very poised. Other roles went to kids from other Middle and High school grades. Parents took lead roles in the costuming, makeup, staging, and concessions. I lucked out and worked two days of concessions, selling pizza, popcorn, juice, cookies, and my favorites-brownies (that I made) at intermission.

playbill for Mulan show

Mulan's ancestors

Mulan with matchmaker

umbrella song (M is far left w/umbrella)

Mulan with mother and grandmother behind

Mulan (light blue top) with Mushu (her guardian dragon) and the Chinese army (M, back row, right-middle)

Mulan, trying to figure out who she is...

Madeline, shooting off flares (confetti) to warn the Chinese Army

Mulan with the Emperor

Emperor with 2 guards

taking bows after the performance

taking bows

Madeline and Jia Yu (Mulan's mother)

random scene with Madeline and Jia Yu

Mushu, Mulan's dragon guardian

Mulan, trying to remember the qualities of a good wife for the matchmaker

Mulan, being made into a 'good wife' prospect

more umbrella dance

umbrella dance

Madeline, the umbrella dance

Mulan and the matchmaker

the counselor

the Chinese Army (Madeline, back row, right)

Mulan and the Chinese Army

Madeline as a member of the Chinese Army

Mulan, the captain, and his advisor

Mulan, Mushu, and the Army

the Army

Captain of the Chinese Army

the Choir

the Emperor

female impersonators

some of the cast

loved the makeup on the ancestors

musical director (James Instone) and dance choreographer (Nia Womack)

Madeline and cast friend

Madeline and Ashleigh (backstage manager)

Madeline with bestie, Jia Yu

Madeline and cast friends

Madeline and next door neighbor, Ruby

Madeline and the Advisor

Madeline and an Ancestor

the Ancestors

Mulan's goofy family picture: l to r grandma, father, Mulan, and mother

Mulan's traditional family picture

Gabriel's 14th birthday

noreply@blogger.com (stephanie) — Sun, 10 Mar 2013 14:13:00 +0000

Gabe is a pretty low key guy about birthdays. He wasn’t interested in having a party this year or any special kind of activity, so I had to make all the decisions myself. Given that he is a pepperoni pizza lover and the pizza over here*sucks*, I decided to make him a pizza loaded with pepperoni. In fact, you couldn’t even see the crust under the pepperoni when I was finished ; ). That brought a smile to Gabe’s face! I also made a veggie pizza for the rest of the family to share (with sauteed eggplant, shitaake mushrooms, and red peppers-yum!) Dessert was up to me as well, so I made carrot cake with cream cheese frosting since I love carrot cake ; ). After dinner, we shared the birthday cake with some new friends in our condominium.

goofy Gabe waiting to dig into his birthday dinner

veggie pizza

the pepperoni masterpiece before the cheese and baking...

Gabe blowing out his birthday candles next to the pool with our new friends

birthday scroll of Gabe's Chinese name: Sha Tin

all Gabe's presents...

that's a surprise-a japanese chess game!

and finally, badminton racquets (in preparation for badminton season)

Track and Field

noreply@blogger.com (stephanie) — Sun, 03 Mar 2013 12:47:00 +0000

Wow! That must have been the world’s shortest sport’s season ever! Two practices at school, a few practices at home with dad, then the Championship meet. And to top that off, Gabe (despite his ridiculously short ‘season’) decided to run the 800 and the 1500 on what was to me the hottest day I had experienced thus far in Malaysia :(((. Below are some of the pictures from his Championship meet and a school track meet that coincided with the track season...I practiced motion photography (on the manual setting of my camera) since I had lots of opportunities at both of the track meets. I still have much to learn with the manual settings on my camera, but am feeling a little more comfortable with some of them now.

getting instructions

Blue Devils and Green Goblins-G is in top row, far left on Blue team

Yellow Fireballs and Red Zeppelins

high jump

PE teachers

athlete/cheerleaders

other teacher helpers

start of the 1500m

Gabe in the 1500m

Gabe's math teacher and track meet helper

post 1500m recovery

discus

shot put

measuring for the javelin

the javelin

long jump

walking to the start of the 4x100m relay

waiting stances...

Gabe with classmate Kyohei

start of 4x100m relay

800m start

Gabe with starter

Gabe

running the 1500m

Gabe running the 800m

Gabe and his running cohort

finally, a smile, waiting for the 1500m-last race of the day for Gabe

coming into the finish line for the 1500m

starting line for the 1500m race-Gabe is in lane 4

Sweet 16

noreply@blogger.com (stephanie) — Sun, 24 Feb 2013 09:33:00 +0000

My sweet little girl just turned 16. She shared the day and weekend with friends, new and old, as well as her family. Here was Madeline’s birthday in a nutshell...dance practice, school, play practice, nose piercing, dinner with family and friends, present opening with chocolate cheesecake, skype date with Rosie, and a home Disney movie marathon (Lilo and Stitch, Brave, High School Musical 3, and Lion King). Needless to say, she was exhausted the next day when I woke her up for belgian waffles from her new birthday belgian waffle maker ; ))). Here are a few of the pictures from her day...

Monica, Madeline, and Jiayu

something funny is going on...

Mont' Kiara

Dragonfly Tattoo and Coffee in Love for nose piercing...

Madeline and her support system for nose piercing

here's the much desired pierced nose!

Speak no evil, hear no evil, see no evil

Michael Han, Ahmed, Madeline, and Jiayu Hong

one brief moment together for mother and daughter...

Frasier's Hill

noreply@blogger.com (stephanie) — Thu, 14 Feb 2013 09:32:00 +0000

Chinese New Year's holiday gave the kids and Joe a couple of extra days off, so we decided to visit Frasier’s Hill for a change of pace and a bit of cool weather. Our weekend get away was at Ye Olde Smokehouse near the top of Fraiser’s Hill-about 62 miles from KL at an altitude of about 1200-1500m above sea level. Nice and cool! As the name implies, it is a very British residence in it’s origins, furnishings, food options, and host manners.

In the 1890’s, Frasier’s Hill started out as an area for tin mining. As tin mining dropped off, it was opened to visitors as a cool, easy retreat from the lowland heat. Today, the hill station continues to be visited by folks who want a weekend away from the busyness, heat, and humidity of KL. Birding (270 species of local and migratory have been seen here), jungle trekking, and golfing are some of the most popular activities offered in this area.

We had a very relaxing visit, doing a little jungle trekking and bird watching with a self taught naturalist, general exploration, and some archery at a local archery range. And mostly just enjoying the cool weather...

street sign coming into Frasier's Hill

Madeline in our room

fresh bouquet of flowers in our English bedroom

our room at Ye Olde Smokehouse

love the roofs

getting ready to leave our cool weekend retreat :(

outside Ye Olde Smokehouse

front entryway, Ye Olde Smokehouse

loved the cool weather in our British weekend residence (1200-1500 meters above sea level)

Ye Olde Smokehouse

lovely entryway with swing

wood fungus in the forest

here are a few of the many species of birds found in Frasier's Hill

loved the entry gate

my lovely daughter, looking relaxed before she knew about the leeches!

cool, tarzan style forest vines

green laser light being shined on the web entrance to tarantula tunnel hole

...and here is the tarantula...

native orchid

more roofs!

trapdoor spider

same door, now open...

where's waldo??? can you see the camouflaged catapillar?

leech-Gabe's pants saved him from an attachment this time, but Joe,
Gabe, and I were all bleeding after at least one encounter with a leech!

partially decomposing building in the jungle

peacock fern

jungle ant nest in the tree

unfurling fern

pitcher plants, in situ

another trapdoor spider, even more camouflaged!

surprise!

he looks worried...

she looks ???

hey, this is fun!!!

not my cup of tea...

can you believe the view here?

the mountain man...

beautiful flowering vines spilling over mossy wall

back staircase at the Smokehouse

graceful tree ferns abound in the forests here

cool moths captured in the stairwell at night

night moth

bleeding heart

Hibiscus, the national flower of Malaysia

Silver eared Mesia

Long-tailed Sibia

Happy (Chinese) New Year 恭喜发财

noreply@blogger.com (stephanie) — Tue, 12 Feb 2013 11:42:00 +0000

In Cantonese, Happy New Year is pronounced Gung Hay Fat Choy and in Mandarin it is Gong Xi Fa Cai. Chinese New Year is the most important and longest festival celebrated by the Chinese. It begins the first day of the first month of the Chinese Lunar calendar and lasts 15 days.

February 10th, 2013 marked the beginning of the Year of the Water Snake. The snake is one of the 12 animals of the Chinese zodiac and symbolizes cleverness and tenacity, and is associated with fire. http://www.travelchinaguide.com/intro/social_customs/zodiac/ This year is also associated with the element water, making 2013 the Year of the Water Snake. Combining the elements of water and fire may signify upcoming turmoil worldwide.

Prior to the beginning of Chinese New Year, families will do a thorough cleaning of the house to get rid of bad luck and make room for good luck. Chinese people will buy new clothes, shoes, and get haircuts symbolizing a fresh start. The house will be decorated with red paper cut outs and written characters (called couplets) that will bring good luck, happiness, wealth, longevity, and more to the family.

There are traditional activities that happen on each day of the new year beginning with the reunion dinner which occurs on Chinese New Year's eve. At the reunion dinner (which is similar to Christmas dinner), special foods symbolic of surplus, good luck, wealth, and happiness will be served. The first day of Chinese New Year is a day to honor your elders. Ancestors are also honored at temples. Lai see, the good luck red envelopes, are given out by the elders to children and unmarried relatives. On the second day, people visit their friends and relatives, taking small gifts like oranges, candies, rice, and special cookies or cakes. Married women are expected to visit their own parents and relatives on day three. Other days have Lion and dragon dances. People stay at home or work on days the God of Wealth is expected into homes and businesses. The final day of Chinese New Year, day 15, is the Lantern Festival when special foods are eaten and lights and lanterns are lit or carried in the streets to help lost souls find their way home. In Malaysia, the final day is a sort of Valentine’s day where singles look for love partners.

special rice flour cookie

good luck money tree

lion at lion dance

drummers at lion dance

lion checking out the offerings...

lions sharing the offerings

musicians at lion dance

part of our Malaysian Cultural Group (MCG) after the lion dance

Yu Sheng/Lo Hei-the higher you toss the salad, the greater your luck and prosperity

we made a mess! but we it looks like we will all have a lot of luck and prosperity

this is the lion dance national champ for Malaysian in 2004

lion dancer at our condo

lion dancer 'standing' is actually 1 person being held above other
person who is standing on the platform...

can you see it here?

drummer, mid stroke

our 'light refreshments' after the lion dance left us heavy

some of our condo gang waiting for the CNY festivities to begin

more of our gang

Penang

noreply@blogger.com (stephanie) — Thu, 07 Feb 2013 14:14:00 +0000

Madeline and I took our first trip outside of KL together last weekend when we went to Penang in the north of peninsular Malaysia. It was a short hour flight on the local low cost carrier, Air Asia. And we only took backpacks so we didn’t need to fuss with baggage claim upon arrival.

I had some trepidation about traveling without Joe since he arranges most of the hotels and taxis, pays bills, negotiates new places, and arranges many of our daily activities when we are on vacation. But Madeline and I negotiated the airports, taxis, bills, neighborhoods, and activities like pros.

It was great to have only two agendas to manage and to enjoy some nice girl time. My Penang agenda consisted of visiting the huge Kek Lok Si temple and statue of Kuan Yin and most of the surrounding temples on day one. On day two, we went to the Hindu Thaipusam celebrations going on near the Waterfall temple in the Botanical Gardens, had food and drink, and took lots of pictures. In between these big events, we bought some clothes and nail polish, polished our nails, did some yoga on the floor of our room, and watched some fun t.v. shows including Glee, Bunheads, New Girl, and How I Met Your Mother. All in all, a great weekend!

you can buy wishing ribbons to hang on stick trees
at the Kek Lok Si (Goddess of Mercy Temple)

Steph in front of cool wall

hawker stall mango juices in plastic bags

Chong Tian Heritage Hotel-our residence

decorations around Kek Lok Si, largest Buddhist temple in Southeast Asia

coconuts for throwing onto the street to cleanse it for the Hindu parade (starring Lord Subramanium/Murugan)

Kek Lok Si

Madeline walking around temples

some of the 1000 Kuan Yin statues at Kek Lok Si

Kek Lok Si surroundings

worker sitting on rooftop doing repairs

vibrantly colored decorations

so much color!

even the temples have to be kept clean

praying with incense

containers for prayer incense

ribbons with wishes for the wishing tree

temple candles

the largest Kuan Yin here at 30.2 meters tall

funicular up to Kuan Yin

another face of Kuan Yin

view of Penang from top of Kek Lok Si temple

eating some complementary porridge at Kek Lok Si

prayer incense

with my Chinese Zodiac sign, the harehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_zodiac

Madeline with her Chinese Zodiac, the Oxhttp://fengshui.about.com/od/fengshuigoodluckcures/qt/Chinese-Zodiac-Signs-Feng-Shui-Good-Luck.htm

you can find beggars everywhere, even at the temples...

hawker stall where all kinds of delicious juices are made

temple roof tiles

juices from hawker stalls-watermelon, nutmeg-sour plum (ick!), and mango

hawker stall dinner: corn, apple crumble, red bean donut, and stir fry inside the newspaper cones

free vegetarian Indian food offered in numerous places around the Thaipusam celebrations

2 sisters dressed up for Thaipusam

meal time at Thaipusam

huge amounts of free vegetarian Indian food

you caught me eating without utensils like all the Indians do....

kavadi
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kavadi

resting on a long, hot day of celebrations

thousands of people, both foreigners and Indians walk
the long path to the Waterfall Temple for Thaipusam

more kavadi

everyone is dressed in their finest

Indian God Ganesha being honored

I imagine there must be amazing stories of penance with some of the kavadi

welcome refreshment stands on this long, hot, crowded, noisy day

kavadi

sweet!

tent decorations for Thaipusam

Indian leggings? ; )

loved the colors!

kavadi with shells

amazing!

individuals practicing kavadi are said
to be in a trance and don't feel the pain?!

ice on a hot day

another god being honored

trying to stay out of the hot sun

street scene in Georgetown, Penang

cool, street side facade

some of our neighborhood stores in Georgetown

Chinese New Year cakes-Nien Kao
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nian_gao

I love seeing the things people carry on the backs of their motorcycles!

empty hawker stall

street scene-businesses on bottom, living quarters on top

tuk-tuk- not nearly as decorative
at the ones in Melacca or Thailand

our first waffle in Malaysia-yum!!!

decorative baskets for anything

front lobby of our Heritage Hotel in Georgetown, Penang

Ganesha

Tesco tour

noreply@blogger.com (stephanie) — Mon, 04 Feb 2013 13:26:00 +0000

Several weeks ago, I was on the ABWM (Association for British Women in Malaysia) website and noticed that they were offering a tour around the local, recently enlarged and remodeled Tesco store which included lunch, wine tasting, and a goodie bag-all for only 20RM (~$7). Knowing how I am about good deals, how could I pass up a great deal like that?!

Tesco is a retail chain store that was started in the United Kingdom and is the 3rd largest retailer in the world after Walmart and Carrefour. The first store was opened in 1929 in England and it now has stores in 14 countries around the world including Malaysia.

Our group consisted of about 20 women, mostly from the UK, all expats living in Kuala Lumpur. The general manager of this Tesco store guided us around the store giving explanations about many of the different areas including the toys, electronics, kitchen and bedroom items, a special baby/toddler area, bath and body products, optometry, clothing, and foods.

Thirty minutes into our tour, we stopped at the in store restaurant for complementary snacks (the Malaysian way is to eat whenever there is an opportunity). Once seated, they served us coffee, tea, sodas, and sampler foods from their restaurant, bakery, and food aisles. We worked off the calories following the head cook around the large produce area as he gave colorful explanations about the local fresh fruits, vegetables, spices, herbs and more. He even invited us back for cooking classes at a later date!

The general manager took over again after the head cook finished his spiel. He took us to the huge fresh seafood area where we learned that the female crabs which are easily identifiable have more meat than the males. Then we did a little wine tasting in the non-halal area (foods not permissible for Muslims to eat or drink under Islamic law) of the store. After identifying the rather limited organic food area, we headed back to the entrance where we were all given goodie bags with Swiss chocolate, ramen noodles, a bottle of walnut oil, and a 50RM gift coupon for the store! Which I naturally spent later that day.

To conclude the tour, our group was led downstairs to a restaurant outside of Tesco where they served us a lovely meal-unfortunately, not many of us had much of an appetite...

Tesco tour group with general manager

checkout stands to the left

Chinese New Year specials

'girl' toys (what gave that away?)

and 'boy' toys

moving around the store

this is where we bought the kids their telephones when we first arrived in KL

kitchen to the right and optho to the left

our snacks...

head cook

local root vegetables

can't remember what this one is...

all kinds of chili peppers-Malaysians like their food SPICY!

fresh noodles, tofu, fish balls, and more

prepared tofus, veggies stuffed with fish paste and more

banana leaves to cook in or use as plates

local fruits (left to right: jackfruit, dragon fruit, and durian)
I don't like any except the purple dragon fruit

dried processed foods that can be rehydrated and added to cooking

fish

crab on the left is the female with the large triangle on the underside

our group

wine tasting

lunch

gift bag treats

lunch

Thailand

noreply@blogger.com (stephanie) — Mon, 04 Feb 2013 10:50:00 +0000

Our trip to Thailand included a 5 day stop in Bangkok where we celebrated New Year's (asleep...), saw some awe inspiring temples (Wats) and beautiful Buddhas, took public transit (train and boat), visited Chatuchuk, an enormous outdoor market where we bought great souvenirs at amazing prices, people watched, ate great food, and loaded up on Thai iced teas and tapioca ball drinks. The second half of our trip, we flew north to Chiang Rai in the Golden Triangle area of Burma/Myanmar, Laos, and Thailand for a 3 day, 2 night trek to experience hill tribe living among the Akha and Lahu tribes. We fished, tried our hand at using a machete, cooked in bamboo, used bamboo walking sticks, played with bamboo flutes, made bamboo cookware, slept on and under bamboo, and trekked through bamboo forests. Thankfully, we saw very few insects of the biting variety. Below are some of the pictures that tell the story of our trip to beautiful Thailand where the people are friendly, the beds are uncomfortable, the food is excellent, and the streets are clean...enjoy...

our train stop in Bangkok

figuring out the train in Bangkok

our happening street in Bangkok (5 Suhkumvit Rd)

Bangkok train, clean and convenient!

construction street scene from the train in Bangkok

long boat on Chao Phraya river in Bangkok

engine on long boat

tourist boat on Chao Phraya river

another pic of the beautiful long boat

Madeline's camisole was prohibited at Wat Phra Kaew (Temple of the
Emerald Buddha), so she ended up in line here to borrow a proper shirt

Enormous Reclining Buddha at Wat Pho in Bangkok- Thailand is 95% Buddhist

me, beside the Reclining Buddha which is
46 meters long and covered in gold leaf

statue at Wat Arun in Bangkok- Wat means temple in Thai

Wat Arun-Temple of Dawn

Hair on the Reclining Buddha-thought this was cool!

Wat Arun

Buddha figures everywhere...

hawker stall selling fruit near Chao Phraya river

getting some pomegranate juice to rehydrate

Gabe with the setting sun at Wat Arun, necessitated a step scary climb & descent

Wat Arun

Chatuchuk Market in Bangkok-the best outdoor market I've ever visited, it had EVERYTHING! Thai iced teas being made for us here-very cheap, but way too much sugar!

cooking sunny side up quail eggs at Chatuchuk

Madeline even found ukeleles at Chatuchuk!

massages at Chatuchuk (if you can find some room...)

entrance to Chatuchuk Market, open only on Saturdays
and Sundays is just 10 minutes by train from where we stayed
http://www.chatuchak.org/clothes.html

even Ronald Mc Donald gets into Namaste in Thailand!

picking up tickets for the Hobbit, 3-D, in Bangkok-check out this theatre...
http://www.majorcineplex.com/cinema/paragon-cineplex/

jack fruit hawker stall-eww, smelly!

Buddhist monks waiting for a taxi

street market

Chinese herbs, dried fruits and mushrooms, noodles at a street stall in Bangkok's Chinatown

Classic Gabe-bet you haven't seen bottled coke in a while...

walking saleswoman

the promised tuk-tuk ride in Bangkok

Madeline, enjoying her ride ; )

our room in Chiang Rai at Akha house before our trekking trip

morning vista from our Chiang Rai room

steps up to Akha House office & meal area

our guides, Ako, Win, and Ja'u standing in front of tea plantation

market in small village

day 1, beginning our trek-3 guides, 6 guests

a new experience-fishing by digging, not with hooks!

did you find anything, Joe?

preparing lunch on banana leaves with machete

cooking our lunch in bamboo-look, Joe's got tiny crabs to contribute!

Ako with lunch prep-cabbage and carrots being stuffed into bamboo for cooking

making cups with machetes from the ever useful bamboo

they look so easy to make, but we tried and they aren't!
it takes a skilled hand to work the machete :/

the bamboo, filled with water, cabbage, carrots, and
plugged with leaves gets heated over the fire for lunch

bamboo leaves to cook the noodles in for lunch

Madeline, finding rest wherever she can on the road

there's our lunch, nearly ready...

Gabe holding his newly made cup and chopsticks made from bamboo by our guides

lunch!

Gabe and Ja'u with machetes-guides made
Gabe bamboo gun, flute, and bow/arrow for him to take home ; )

Thai rice wine with bamboo 'shot glass'

Joe placing a banana leaf on top of our
bamboo shelter the first night of trekking

Gabe balancing his load while trekking

part of the bamboo forest that provided stalks for our walking sticks

bamboo shelter with banana leaf roof and fire pit

our breakfast set up (hard boiled eggs, white toast,
margarine, and marmalade) on banana leaf and tarp

our bamboo shelter with bamboo floor and very thin mattress and no pillows :(((

bamboo cooking containers stuffed with leaves and bamboo toaster below

we cheated a little-the structure was already there; we just
put some new leaves on top and added the blue tarps

glad we only saw one of these...

Gabe with his homemade bamboo flute

forest fungus

the talented Ja'u making our bamboo containers for eating and drinking
out of-he also made most of the instruments, chopsticks, and weapons

Madeline trying to make music

lots of construction going on in various hill tribe villages

hanging banana with edible banana flower

storage portion of hill house shelter

trek consisted of lots of ups and downs and despite the look of our protective clothing, it was hot

here is the banana & flower hanging over our trail path

piggies lazing about our home on day 2 of the trek

pig and trough

village view from our Lahu hill tribe home on day 2

Joe and Gabe playing cribbage on homemade board w/homemade cards

our home, the second night

lots o piggies enjoying their slop-day 3, we were woken
early by a cacophony of roosters, dogs, cows, and pigs

our picturesque view from home, day 2/3

Lahu hill tribe village home

indoor kitchen for our hill tribe guest house next door

village dog

village children with puppies

one of the village bathrooms ('toilet' and shower all in one)

bamboo slingshot

darling children-loved seeing their faces on my camera

lots of nursing animals

babies!

the common place slingshot as toy-the kids are good shots!

wandering cow

adorable

breakfast

washing station for rich family who own the guest room we stayed in

shopping on our balcony after breakfast before last trekking day

the government provides solar panels to hill tribes for lighting in each home

Ako adopted one of the puppies from the last village where we stayed

ride on the long boat across a river channel to ride the elephants

Madeline and Joe enjoying their elephant ride (it's challenging getting in focus
shots when riding an elephant and taking picture of someone else riding another elephant)

Gabe and I, having fun

can you believe how deep they go in the water?

beautiful, gentle creatures

Akha hill tribe salesperson

is that coke???

buy an egg and boil it in the hot springs...

boiling eggs in sulfur springs

hot springs-nothing special!

eggs in baskets ready for boiling

Grand Palace and Wat Phra Kaew (Temple of the Emerald Buddha) in Bangkok

Madeline got her wish granted to ride in a pink taxi car also ; )

Gabe's new favorite drink-anything with
tapioca balls makes drinking a new experience

Ja'u with a small fish

Gabe with bamboo gun

Madeline with bamboo walking stick

down the trail

Eight Days in Bali

noreply@blogger.com (stephanie) — Sun, 13 Jan 2013 13:43:00 +0000

Impressions:

Hindu temples, palm leaf offerings, stray dogs, garbage strewn, small money, beeping cars, family motorbikes, reaching, begging hands, friendly smiles even after hard bargaining, hands in prayer...giving thanks for all

Bali is beautiful and the Balinese are lovely, gentle people for the most part. In Sanur, we stayed at a very nice hotel, Villa Puri Ayu, that was quiet and roomy and had lovely buffet breakfasts. However, the nearby beach was not a good place for lounging, beach combing, or surfing.

Day two saw us in the nearby touristy Kuta beach area where we found a lovely (if crowded) beach perfect for surfing. We all took surf lessons with Alex at the Big Kahuna surf school. I proudly stood up on the board my first time out. Madeline improved her surfing skills, Gabriel found a new favorite water sport, and Joe enjoyed his first time surfing.

Gabe also lucked into a group of chess players playing chess on Kuta beach and came out the all time winner in Gabriel vs. Bali while Madeline and I practiced our hard bargaining in the shops adjoining the beach.

Our residence in Nusa Lembongan (a small island off the east coast of Bali) was perched on a cliff overlooking the beautiful Bali sea. Much smaller than our prior villa, the bedroom was just a bit bigger than the queen sized bed plus an adjoining private (semi open air) bathroom. There, we learned about gecko night sounds and experienced the unfortunate heckling and hassling that accompanied our accommodations. We attempted surfing here but without success. However, the snorkeling was terrific! Great conditions-smooth, warm water and lots of colorful, friendly fish.

Tourism has only come to this place in the last 6-10 years, so it is not nearly as built up or overrun with tourists as other places in Bali which was good (fewer people and a slower pace of life) and bad (not as many resources and options for activities). Besides tourism, seaweed farming is the other cash crop for this little island. Apparently, Indonesia is the largest producer of seaweed in the world. We watched the seaweed being farmed and dried on the island. Later, it would be shipped away to be used in all varieties of products like toothpaste, ice cream, jelly, salad dressing, soap, and in glass production.

Our final destination in Bali was Ubud, the craft and dance center of Bali. Here, I found my spiritual center. With yoga studios, lovely handicrafts, friendly people, and a fantastic ‘hippy restaurant’ (wholesome western and eastern foods served in a comfortable, clean environment, and free wifi), Ubud felt the most comfortable to me. Certainly, it didn’t hurt that our last ‘home’ in the heart of the rice paddies with ducks, cows, and geckos abounding felt like a 5 star resort. We shared the place with one young honeymooning couple, so our stay was very peaceful. We preordered all of our meals and they arrived with beauty and grace to be set upon our outdoor patio table-delicious and nutritious-just like I love!

We spent one day on a bike trip with a delightful British expat family with kids similar ages to ours and the couple from our villa. We began the day breakfasting with a view of Mt. Batur volcano and finished the day viewing the Kecak (Fire) dance at a local outdoor venue where I got pooped on by a gecko! Our bike guide shared information about the Balinese, the Hindu religion, rice fields, and much more.

On our other full day in Ubud, we all biked to a local craft market where Madeline and I once again tested our bargaining skills while Gabe and Joe searched out chess players with some success. Madeline and I found wonderful wood carvings and jewelry for ourselves and others and after a sweaty bike ride back to the villa, we jumped in the pool to cool off in time for our in room facials. Wow! $10 for an hour facial without having to move an inch ; ))). Joe and Gabe returned to wolf down their BLT’s and tropical mocktails. Later, the villa driver took us downtown for more shopping, another meal at our favorite restaurant, Kafe, and then to dessert and the Frog dance at Laka Leke restaurant.

our hotel in Sanur:villapuriayu.com/

our hotel in Nusa Lembongan:songlambungbeachhut.com/

our hotel in Ubud:http://www.mandaladesa.com

gecko sounds: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Leuvmyly7xk

Joe, Gabe, and giant chessboard

Hindu temple with black/white protector cloth

Sanur, seaside

Kuta beach pathway

chess at Kuta beach

perfection

Gabe playing chess

waiting for a game...

motorcycle baby

me, catching my first wave (I know I look like a speed skater!)

surf teacher and students

Joe, in action!

Gabe in balance

Madeline, doing her thing...

yummy buffet breaky at Villa Puri Ayu

our private pool at Villa Puri Ayu

birds at our bird bath at Villa Puri Ayu

me, in front of Villa Puri Ayu

Villa Puri Ayu

street to Villa Puri Ayu

Song Lambong bedroom

seaweed on Nusa Lembongan

breakfast buffet at Villa Puri Ayu

M & G's bungalow at Song Lambong

seaweed harvest

M with new dress purchase

carrying the seaweed harvest

M walking down the beach

drying the seaweed

palm leaf offering holder

making the palm leaf offering holders

view from Song Lambong

making the holders

welcome snack of local goodies at Mandala Desa

surfboard, anyone?

in Ubud with teens

Mt. Batur

at Mt. Batur

the herded ducks, searching for snacks...

local Jack fruit

our very expressive bicycle guide describing local roots/herbs

flight of coffees and teas at coffee plantation

me with different coffee beans

yard of Hindu family

bike group on rainy day

rice paddy fields

unripe rice

more rice paddies

biking through a wedding celebration

delicious lunch buffet

peaceful Buddha

rice paddies

still peaceful Buddha, even after I knocked it down (can you see the stakes?)

serving breakfast at Mandala Desa

our private courtyard; G playing chess with employee

exit to our outdoor shower

M and me at Kecak dance

putting out the fire in the Kecak dance (barefoot!)

Kecak dancers in the pervasive black/white (good/evil) cloth

more dancing

street kids

duck herder (for real!)

papaya tree-yum!

cow in the rice paddy outside our place

breakfast at Mandala Desa

wood carvers

sweet Balinese women

shopping in the local craft market in Ubud

me and the dancers at the Frog Dance in Ubud

Gabe's ham and cheese jaffle with chips

Nusa Lembongan

offerings

dining area at Song Lembong

Catch of the Day

noreply@blogger.com (stephanie) — Thu, 10 Jan 2013 04:24:00 +0000

Recently, I visited the home of artist Datin Eliza Tajuddin from whom I am commissioning a painting. She is a gentle, warm Malaysian woman whose art I fell in love with a couple of months ago. We met at her first solo art exhibit. The wife of a retired diplomat, she has traveled extensively including expatriations to Serbia, Mexico, and Africa. After retiring to her homeland, Malaysia, she took up painting. Teaching herself, she let her own passions, experiences, and ideas guide the development of her artwork.

On my first visit to Datin Eliza’s exhibit, I was lucky enough to be a lone visitor. The artist discussed many of her paintings with me, explaining the background of each painting. I was entranced by the vibrancy of her colors and the detailed cultural aspects that helped me better understand her culture.

I knew that I wanted to bring home one of Datin Eliza’s paintings. But which painting should I choose? So many of the paintings had struck a chord with me. Especially the pictures of the Malaysian Kampung (village) during a wedding ceremony. The detailed pictures of the village, musicians, cooks, wedding presents, wedding guests, and bride and groom drew me to them. Pictures with women in colorful garb performing cultural activities also caught my attention. In the end, a simpler composition of water, fish, and women won out. I chose Catch of the Day as it had both women conversing about meal preparation (fish) and my favorite theme-water. Because the original picture had already been sold, I commissioned a copy of the original. And as a result, I was able to see the work in progress at the artist’s home.

The website for the artist is: elizataj.blogspot.com. Below are a few of my favorite pictures from Datin Eliza's portfolio of paintings.

The Malay Wedding Preparation

Malay Ladies Series 5

Coming Home

My Daughter's Wedding

Artist Datin Eliza and me at solo exhibit

one of the artists home studio areas

Datin Eliza finishing my "Catch of the Day" painting

Hello KL

noreply@blogger.com (stephanie) — Thu, 27 Dec 2012 13:56:00 +0000

A couple of months ago, I joined the Association of British Women in Malaysia (ABWM). They are a fun group of women who get together at different venues throughout Kuala Lumpur for coffees, Mahjong, dinner socials, charity events, running clubs, book clubs, photo clubs, and more.

This past month, I was lucky enough to take part in a 4 week (once per week) introductory tour around KL with two lovely British guides from the ABWM-Mandy and Pauline. Our group consisted of seven expats from Australia, America, Scotland, and England. Together, we traveled around different parts of the city including Chinatown, Central Market (Pasar Seni), the light rail, the Taman Tun Dr. Ishmael (TTDI) wet market, a traditional Malay house, the Bangsar neighborhood, and a variety of stores and shops that a new expat might find useful. A good time was had by all.

first day of Hello KL tour

popular expat store for home decorations

our lunch at the Malay house

Jalan Alor area

gorgeous mahjong set at Ambiance

LRT at Bangsar station

stopping for a drink at an old salon-hotel

Central Market

not quite my idea of Christmas trees, but very colorful!

fish balls cooking?

TTDI wet market

the baking store at TTDI

TTDI veggie stands

more veggie stands at TTDI

fish stand at TTDI

florist at TTDI

poultry area at TTDI

the spice lady at TTDI

beautiful displays at Allison's

loved this acupuncture family (at Ambiance)!

some of our group in Bangsar neighborhood

Photography

noreply@blogger.com (stephanie) — Fri, 14 Dec 2012 12:37:00 +0000

I enjoy taking pictures and try to photograph what I am looking at in an artistic way. Sometimes photos just jump out at me until I stop and try to capture that moment in time.

Moving to Malaysia for a year seemed like a good reason to buy a nice camera. So I decided to buy my first digital SLR camera before we left home. After doing some online and in store research as well as getting personal recommendations, I purchased a Canon Rebel T-3. I like it’s moderate size and ease of use, but I still don’t know very much about it. As I take pictures this year, I am trying to experiment using different settings on the camera. And with the help of my daughter, I am also learning more about photoshopping. Additionally, I have started taking photo classes at the British Women’s Association in Kuala Lumpur and am loving it. In our first two classes, we covered some aspects of photo composition and evaluated professional photographer's works as well as some of our own. In the new year, I will be taking classes on movement, portraiture, street photography, aperture and macro, and Light Room (a cataloging and editing program). I am excited. Below, I have included several of my favorite shots. Hope you enjoy ; ).