e-lifesl

Reunion

2012-01-25T22:24:00.003+08:00

It was CNY eve, I felt some sense of warmth when I saw two young men having lunch with their aged father, not in any flashy restaurant but only a simple coffee shop. I think it is very rare nowadays for parent(s) to be able to have a simple quiet meal their children, especially young working adult children like the two young men. At this lifestage, we (think) we have other life priorities.

Weekdays we'd be out till late at night after work. Weekends we either sleep in late or go out again to run errands or have other social events to de-stress, so to speak. Sometimes, some of us will make a point to have at least one dinner with our parent(s). Ya..we also make sure we all come home for a grand dinner on CNY eve night..for the so called Reunion Dinner.

But .. isn't it much more meaningful for us to be together on 'normal days, normal occasions'? No need to wait till special occasions. I'm sure the father that I saw in the coffee shop enjoyed his chicken rice lunch with the two sons much more than the reunion dinner.

GXFC..from a Sleepy Dragon

2012-01-23T12:30:00.001+08:00

*hick ^.^

Gong Xi Fa Cai !

2012-01-21T20:59:00.003+08:00

Saw this video in another blog, so cool, I've gotta share in both FB and here!

Lion Dancing to Party Rock Anthem!
Wait a minute..comments in you tube are saying that these are Tigers not Lion.

Tiger or Lion..you guys rock!

Here's wishing everyone a Prosperous Year Ahead :)

My Shadow

2012-01-20T18:33:00.001+08:00

I think this is quite funny. You may not think so but I was trying so hard not to LOL during yesterday's Bc class at the gym.

Don't mean to make fun of anyone, but I really think its funny that this man preferred to stand right behind me.

We stand facing a mirror, you see, so most people prefer to be able to see themselves in the mirror. I personally don't look at myself in the mirror all the time but like everyone else I normally don't stand right behind or in front of someone else for various reasons.

It's a matter of courtesy that we don't block someone's view. Secondly, it's always better to have more space around us for safety reasons, don't wanna end up kicking someone.

So, yesterday in the midst of the class I realised this man was right behind me. I tried to move away slightly to the right or left to give him some view but no matter which way I went, within seconds he's right behind me again:D

I could only see his arms swinging about and ocassionally his legs but not his face nor head cos he is about my height :D

Very funny la this man :D

Coffee Galore in Vietnam

2012-01-19T12:17:00.000+08:00

I know I complained somewhere about being tired of Vietnamese coffee and all..well, that was after we had tons of it. In all kinds of shapes and sizes actually.

The very first cup stole my heart. The guide was clever to take us to the best on our very first try..or may be it was a coincidence that it's situated near our first stop - Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum

We opted for the most basic..the traditional way and it costed VND45,000 almost equivalent to a glass of latte back at home.

The very first cup at Trung Nguyen Cafe

Initially, I thought we were being ripped off. Typical mentality of a tourist.

But we realised soon enough that price comes with quality. Through out the trip, we had our caffein fix at different places at different price range.

The cheaper ones were around VND23000

Look the same, doesn't taste the same

They may be using the same brand but the consistency and thickness ain't the same. Not even close.

We even had a cuppa in the village. It's 3-in-1, around VND20,000, about MYR3.00, well we were in the mountains..freezing cold..we were willing to pay for some comfort. It was also a nice experience having coffee in a small hut-shop in the middle of a village.

3-in-1 version at the village

Awesome one.

This was a bomb! I think it's one of the best. I can't remember it's name nor the price..don't remember it being expensive at all. The cafe was located near the Lao Cai-Hekou (China) border.

While we were bored and mission-less during o one night stop at My Tho, we stumbled upon the Lac Hong Cafe. My Tho is an extremely quiet town in Mekong Delta..there's absolutely nothing to do there..apart from strolling by the river watching the locals waiting and boarding the ferry to and fro work / home.

So..we were closed to ecstatic when we found Lac Hong Cafe :D

So cosy...

Drinks as usual were extremely good and inexpensive. I still wonder how they manage to make their iced coffee thick and full of taste ..even after all the ice have melted. It's simple...they don't mind putting in more coffee powder, hence, earning less margins ~

Look out for this sign, if you happen to be in My Tho!

After My Tho, we 'landed' in Can Tho. It's much bigger than My Tho. More people. More shops..but it's like being stranded in Kampar for a night.

This is when the smartphone, WIFI access and Foursquare comes in very useful. We scanned Foursquare for notable places that fellow users had checked-in before, and Cafe Hop Pho was one of the few that we thought we should try looking for it.

Even in a small town like Can Tho, almost every hotel and cafes have free wifi access, some do not even need passwords.

So..we managed to locate Cafe Hop Pho using Foursquare's map direction ..it was just a short walking distance from our hotel.

Ta daa..we were so impressed when we saw the place !

I miss Vietnamese Coffee now : '')

SOPA

2012-01-18T16:12:00.000+08:00

Find out more, go HERE

Mobile Office

2012-01-16T16:32:00.000+08:00

The other day I was arranging for a meet up point with an associate. He setup his own co. quite some time back but have yet to have a proper office.

He told me he will be 'parked' at an Old Town White Coffee outlet for the rest of the day, so I can drop by anytime. When I asked if that's his 'Office', he said yes..ad that particular outlet is one of his favourite due to its quiet environment, relatively cheaper F&B, and most importantly it has unifi connection :D

He said I can 'share' his office too whenever I need a place to work while on the go.

But..I prefer LATTE wor...

These were from Coffee Chemistry Signature, superb latte!

Ya..I know I know..as my friend said.."when operating on your own, you need to learn to appreciate White Coffee more"

Well, cheapest is to stay home... I'm aiming to do more of that this week. Moved around too much last week and didn't get much done at all.

Even if it means...working on the floor :D

Don't Wait

2012-01-12T17:17:00.001+08:00

If there's something you are doing, or want(ed) to do, just do it and do it the best you can.
Kick the habit of "I'll do better next time" cos we never know if "next time" will ever come.

March last year I did the Energiser Night Run Half Marathon, I was probably at my fittest (ever) by my standard but I chose to take it easy not pushing hard enough to complete the race to my greatest effort. That was the last time I ran a Half ...

Not sure when I'll do it again...or if I'll be able to build enough stamina to run the distance again.

If I don't. I'll never know ..what's the best I can do, I missed the opportunity in March.

Similarly, in life, when you see an opportunity - grab it..cos an opportunity may not come by so easily and may be never again.

We are so good at pondering and pondering and most time ended up not doing anything out of convenience and comfort, "not doing anything" always seems like the best thing to do, isn't it?

Quit pondering ..Just Do It. Fast.

Elife : Just Photos

2012-01-11T11:26:00.001+08:00

I just started a separate blog just for photos - http://elifejustphotos.blogspot.com/

Just photos.
Just for fun.

Will see how it goes :)

Vietnam, In Summary

2012-01-09T16:42:00.000+08:00

I know I know, this is really outdated.
Better late than none, right?

So..we were in Vietnam for about 10 days.

http://www.vietnam-travel-guide.net/vietnam-map.html

Day 1 : Arrived at Hanoi in the morning, did some sightseeing, had lunch, watched the water puppet show, had dinner, checked in hotel ..we were so tired that most of us fell asleep during the water puppet show.. sorry, but we really had a loooong day as we had to be at the KL airport in the wee hours..in order to board at 6am

Ho Chi Minh Mausouleum - a 'must-go' to pay a visit to the much respected Uncle Ho.

Walking along the streets of Old Quarters was quite an experience

We checked out the next morning and headed to Halong Bay.

As expected, the scene was breath taking, that's why it is a UNESCO World Heritage

The weather is very cold at this time of the year. So, we couldnt do any island hopping nor snorkelling.
We had a boat all to ourselves..lunch was on board..visited some caves, fish farms and headed back to Hanoi for early Dinner.

Why early dinner?
Cos we had to board a night train to Lao Cai which is about 254km from Hanoi.

I can't remember the exact time we boarded though..I think it was around 8ish. The 4 bedded cabin was quite comfortable much to our relief. Each coach with about 4-5 cabins has one toilet. No..there wasn't any shower facility..so we could only 'dry clean' and went to bed.. As always..I don't normally fall asleep easily =.= so it was a bumpy night for me

We arrived at destination around 5am (I think)..we were hoping that we had time to wash up but..NO..we were basically shooed off the train ! Haha..that was another memorable experience!

So..with us all groggy and blur..we boarded a bus arranged by the tour agency for another 1 hr journey to Sapa.

Beautiful landscape

We enjoyed Sapa most. Despite the cold weather, it was around 6c in the morning and we were trekking up waterfalls and muddy village lands. My lungs almost froze.

Muddy muddy

Pigs!

The villagers were also very happy to see us :P

Red Dzao Villagers - waiting for us to buy souveniers from them

I like the pics from Sapa more, but I shall refrain from posting so many here but you can check out the video I did earlier - HERE

We had about 3D2N in Sapa, on the 3rd night we boarded the night train back to Hanoi and departed to HCMC by flight.

HCMC is like Shanghai of China..i.e. it's the business hub if the country. So..it's a shopping haven :D

But.we did the 'necessary' first before indulging in Shopping..

Check out the traffic!

Notre-Dame Basilica

Like...being a typical tourist visitng the typical attractions in HCMC :P

Main Post Office

Reunification Palace

And de-touring a little further to Cu Ci and Mekong Delta..

Traffic jam at the canal

People of My Tho

Cai Rang Floating market..was more like a wholesale place

In conclusion, it was a well rounded trip.

If you are planning to go to Vietnam..consider spending more days in Sa pa and Halong Bay.

As for HCMC, don't bother bringing any luggage nor bags..just come with lot of VND and shop till you drop..luggages, backpack, knap sacks, and handbags are all very cheap..decent quality of 'branded' goods...

So...just come empty handed..buy a back pack or luggage ..and fill them in :D

Status: Unemployed, Working

2012-01-07T17:39:00.001+08:00

This is for those who had been asking "what have you been doing?"

Well..I've been working. Yes..quite hard too, lol.

In fact I'm working now on a Saturday afternoon. Was working on Thursday night too.
Unbelievable eh?

The upside is that I have some flexibility in time e.g. instead of having to "robotically" to report to the office every morning regardless of work load, I've had the flexibility of offering my help to send and pick up the niece to and fro kindy every day.

I still manage to go to the gym, in fact I may have more flexibility to go to different time slots instead of the only evening ones.

So..that's my status... for now =)

Alf

2012-01-05T16:57:00.001+08:00

Do you remember him?!

We stumbled upon an episode of Alf recently..it was hilarious!

I used to wonder if we had simpler minds during our younger days cos we used to enjoy simpler things more.
McD, KFC, a trip to Sungei Wang plaza, a trip to the cinema, watching TV3 ..all these simple things were our only entertainment..

As time pass, as I grow older..I find McD less tasty, KFC isn't as tasty as before, TV3 is crap now..

Until I saw Alf in TV recently...so so glad I still find him hilarious ..phew. At least I still have a sense of humor!

Don't believe? Watch this:

BODYATTACK 2.0

2012-01-04T21:38:00.000+08:00

I just did my second BODYATTACK class.
My first experience was back in April last year once upon a time when I was much more fitter.
This time around I'm probably a few kgs heavier all built up around the abs and thighs!

It was TOUGH! But I made it \o/
It's a 55 mins class (compared to 60 mins for BODYCOMBAT) but I was looking forward to the end after only 10 mins

Imagine doing these for 55 mins NON STOP , exactly at this pace.

I'm not exaggerating. Neither is the video.

If I can find time to do 2 or 3 classes a week, I'll definitely lose that spare tyre around the abs and surely be fit enough to go back to running ;-)

Here's to fitness!

It's complicated

2012-01-03T12:31:00.000+08:00

And so..it's the first day of work of the year.

I was being lazy to 'sort things out' during the NY holidays.

So I woke up today wondering where to start my year :D

There are at least three 'urgent assignments' that I need to look at this week, should be able clear one in the next hour. (I'm working in the almost empty office now). Aiming to officially move everything out once I've sent out this final request.

But what's next?

Been wanting to come Coffee In Love
Today should be a good day, but can I work in this jungle like place ?

Ha ha..

It's a beginning, not an end

2011-12-30T15:05:00.000+08:00

Today is officially my last day as an employee.
Today is also the last day of a company that I've been part of for the last 8 years.

Many have asked about how I am and how I feel about the ending. Some sounded concerned. Most were interested to find out what I will be doing in future.

..what are you doing now?
..are you still working?
..what are your plans?
..do you feel sad?
..where are you now?

I think most imagined that I will be idling now, having coffee or drinks as a lady of leisure. I'm not. I've written in the last post, I've never been busier than this in the last 360 days. Work is still on-going. In fact I have things due on Jan 2nd itself and the rest of the month but I'd be office-less by end of today :D Where do I work on the stuff ?! I wonder..

I personally do not wish see it as an end. It's a new beginning. A beginning of a new path. New relationships. New experience. Whether it will be a smooth or rocky path, I'm not sure.

We shall re-visit in six months to a year :)

Happy New Year.

4 days to 2012

2011-12-28T18:06:00.000+08:00

I don't have a title yet, neither do I know what I am to write exactly.

It's now 5.40pm, about 4 more days to a brand new year. For some reasons, I've been busier than all of the last 360 days~

I did eventually catch a cold and was sneezing away during Christmas. It wasn't too serious so I managed to do what ever I needed to do / play over the long weekend but decided to skip coming to work yesterday :P
It was a good decision, had good rest and I'm fully recharged, sort of.

My fitness state had taken a toll since 'don't know when'. Can't recall when was the last time I felt FIT. Well, basically I can't remember anything before Vietnam ..haha.

Felt pretty good during the trip though. Good news is the back injury seems to have healed very well. I haven't been doing any of the rehab exercises in Vietnam and there wasn't any soreness. But had some discomfort when I had to bend a lot to nurse the dog's wound over the last week.

Been trying to get back to gym regularly..but oh..so many holidays and eating. They are still doing the latest les mills releases at the gym. BC 50, RPM 52 - TOUGH! Was breathless during warm up stage itself =.=

Different people had asked me about half marathons and badminton recently. I gave them the same answer, "I'm retiring".

Is this sign of old age?

Foodie Trail : Vietnam

2011-12-26T18:17:00.000+08:00

For some reasons I was least excited with my food adventure here in Vietnam compared to other countries that I visited recently.

All meals were provided (part of the package) during the the first part of the trip (Hanoi-Sapa-Hanoi), so there's really nothing to shout about. Well, food were great, I don't remember ever feeling hungry.

We saw the largest buffet set up ever..not even in Malaysia's biggest hotels! I've never seen so many many different kinds of food served in a buffet.

Many of these 'stalls', but we concluded that they all tasted the same, chicken, beef, seafood, all same taste.

I think I spent more time taking pictures than eating.

But I won't post much here cos the food were nothing to shout about. Typical buffet food.

Vietnamese Spring Rolls - eat all you can..

I'm not saying that the food were unsatisfactorily. They were just typical tour package food. I guess they can't take the risk of taking us to road side stalls.

So grand.

Lunch on-board - Halong Bay Cruise

Hanoi-Halong Bay-Sapa after some time every meal seemed pretty standard. Fried cabbage. Clear soup with chopped vege. Fried fish. Pork. Prawns / Squid.

Well, we did go goo goo gaa when these were served after our visit to Mekong Delta canal.

But..the foodie in me was yearning for some adventure.

Saw these in a village in Sapa.. did we try?

Nah..we only opted for a pork skewer ..

And sweet potato

In Ho Chi Minh, we had more flexibility as only lunch was provided. So we were free to explore at night. A friend took us to Nha Hang Ngon, a great place for typical Vietnamese street food. The total bill was about 1.4 mil VND! That's about RM200+ for about 11 of us. Pretty good deal. Finally, I got to taste real Vietnamese food! Nha Hang means Restaurant - I only found out towards the end of the trip :D

Some info about Ngon - HERE

Just in front of our hotel, we spotted this shop that serves BBQ seafood. Different types of clams, snails, scallops, you name it they have it. Ermm..actually we can't name anything cos they won't understand. So, we could only point to what we want :D

Typical Vietnamese way of eating..sitting on stools by the road side. This is what I want when I travel..

We came here twice! We even witnessed live, how the DBKL equivalent authorities came to 'perform their duties'. In seconds, stoves, trays, stools, tables were moved back into the tiny shop. We stood up from our stools to make way but were told to SIT. Haha..apparently the authorities won't touch tables seated with customers.

At the night market, we tried Vietnamese popiah..so-so only for me. I didn't like their strong coconut taste.

Also tried the baguette, something very popular amongst the locals.

Tasted quite good at first bite, but not something I will miss though.

On our one night stop at My Tho, we were on our own with nothing to do. Lonley Planet recommended two places apparently good for Hue Tieu. Just did a quick internet search and found out that Hue Tieu actually means My Tho soup noodle. Go HERE

Definitely better than our version of Pork Noodle!

Well, my travel mates will tell you that I was complaning ALOT about eating anything that starts or ends with Tieu or Pho. Can't blame me... it had been over 10 days.

An Aussie Burger at a back packers joint in Can Tho called Cappucino...was heavenly!

Tried more hawker stuff at Can Tho.

Not sure what's the name of this food but his stalls was the busiest. Locals come on foot and motobikes to take away packets from him.

It's glutinous rice with quail eggs and 'etc' toppings...taste wise..so-so only

And finally...our highlight in Can Tho was a hot pot dinner on-board a boat sailing along Mekong river!

I feel like an Octopus

2011-12-23T18:04:00.001+08:00

Quite a few things are happening at the same time. Can't believe Christmas is in a few days time. I was still looking for presents at lunch time just now. Hope I'll remember to collect them from the gift wrapping counter before I leave the building.

Next week will be the last week of the year as well as my last week as an employee...until I decide to rejoin the workforce again. Yes, I took the plunge. Will be starting 2012 fresh as an entrepreneur or sole proprietor..whatever it is.. it's gonna be something new for me. I can;t tell for now how fruitful it's gonna be. Neither do I have concrete plans. Lol.. yes, I know whatcha thinking....I think I'm crazy too.

The good news is I'm still busy with work. There will be work from the current employment carried forward from now till end Jan, which means I have 'revenue' in Jan :) I'm also in the midst of a small project, considered as the first job as a sole proprietor.

So, it gets a bit tricky. E.g. I have a few appointments and tasks for the weekend, some for project A under current employment and some for project B under my future setup. Confusinng..I know.

Also been busy helping out the office with our version of 'year end' closing.

After next week I'd be office-less but I've on going work. No idea where I'm gonna based myself! Things are like hanging loose or floating in the air. Many open endeds.

Oh ya, I've also been bz playing nurse to my dog phoebe. She has a huge maggot wound in her right foot :s

So, I'm an octopus...I feel so.

And of course..I won't miss out the Christmas and NY celebrations, I'm coming down with a cold though =(

Life's a Journey

2011-12-22T00:46:00.002+08:00

Source of quote : quotegarden.com

I noticed something when we were hiking in Sa Pa recently. It was drizzling, freezing cold at 6 degree.

Some parts of the journey were extremely muddy and slippery.

So, we really didn't have a chance or need to look or think ahead about the destination but instead concentrate on each and every little step right in front of us.

Every baby step counts. Where and how we step determines whether we slip, fall or stand ..or how much more mud our shoes accumulate :D

It's all about the current. Not the future.

I also realised a similar mindset when the trail gets steeper, no point looking upwards and wonder when we will reach the destination and so on. Just march on..one step at a time..and enjoy the journey.

So is living life.

Life's a journey, not a destination says Aerosmith.

Got it! - Nike Eclipse ll

2011-12-21T11:04:00.001+08:00

How do you like my VND700,000 Nike :D

VND700K ~ RM105

I'M BLUE ♩♫♪

Sapa, Vietnam

2011-12-20T11:10:00.001+08:00

Latte

2011-12-18T11:58:00.001+08:00

After rounds and rounds of Vietnamese coffee we started to crave for a dose of latte.

So we wandered into a place called Cappuccino take a break from Vietnamese food and ordered Latte of course.

The Latte arrived and looked like this :s

Learning.. just stick to local Vietnamese coffee unless you see or hear a coffee making machine at work.

Guess where I am now :)

We were busy..

2011-12-17T01:28:00.001+08:00

We were back in HCMC but haven't been updating this site cos we were really busy ... Shopping!

Christmas shopping done !

P/s: I found my Nike eclipse ;)

Check out santarina returning after her "harvesting"

Mỹ Tho

2011-12-13T23:42:00.001+08:00

Pit stopped here for a night after visiting Mekong Delta. Mỹ Tho is the capital city of the Tian Giang province which is part of the Mekong Delta region.

We will be on our own for a few more days visiting a few more places before heading home.

The guide told us that we will have nothing to do in Mỹ Tho but we wandered out anyway and enjoyed our lil adventure^^

We saw villages boarding their version of ferry by foot as well as two wheelers.

Then we stumbled upon a super cool cafe cum jazz place. I think it's the hottest place in Mỹ Tho. May even be a hit in bigger cities too.

I'm so overdosed with Vietnamese coffee ...

Oh dinner was fun too with over friendly locals teaching us what and how to eat their food.

Heads turned to look whenever we entered a shop.

FAQs:
Are you Chinese?
How do you like Vietnam?

They always beam with pride whenever we tell them that we enjoyed ourselves very much ^^

Agent Orange

2011-12-13T02:40:00.001+08:00

Today we learnt about Agent Orange, a type of chemical herbicide used during the Vietnam War.

The chemical was sprayed from the air to destroy forests and farms where the Vietnamese were taking cover.

Millions of Vietnamese as well as American soldiers were exposed to the chemical.

The war ended eventually but the highly toxic chemical left behind devastating side effects not only those directly exposed but also to their future generations.

At the war Remnants museum, we saw devastating evidence and photos of many examples of victims of those directly exposed as well as innocent children who were affected when they were conceived.

The stories and sights were heart breaking...

Some info here: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/227467.stm

Our tour guide said that the younger generation had decided to forgive and forget, and is moving forward to better days.

But deep down every Vietnamese know that the history is here to stay and remains as a fact that has to be accepted.

The baby girl below was born without proper limbs in 2008 ...