KA-SOH & my friend SIM.

The taste of the food along Jalan Alor did not really quite appeal to my taste buds.

I particularly like eating the food at Noodle House,near the entrance of Sg Wang Plaza.

Apart from the food at the Noodle House , I enjoy eating the food at KA- SOH, a restaurant owned by my friend Sim & her husband,Richard. I didnot have time to go to the restaurant this trip but I went last year to eat the acar timun,curry fish head and Ipoh Hor Fun.Eeemmm yummy! The other food on the menu were equally tasty. Ka- Soh is located at a car park in front of the entrance of RITZ CARLTON Hotel,not far from Dorsett Regency Hotel. It is a single storey eating place. (There's another outlet in Megamall,MidValley.) Once you enter the restaurant,you cannot miss seeing most of the Cantonese series (7pm every evening,RTM2) actors' photos nicely framed hanging on the walls to show that they ever had their food at Ka-Soh's; actors like Jacky Chan, Louis Koo& several others..cannot remember whether there was a photo of Ti Lung,David Chiang,Alexander Fu Sheng or Jet Li.

Oh ya..about Sim,......Her name is Yong Yuet Sim. Back in 1977, I moved to Oxford, after completing my O' levels at St. Joseph's Convent,Haunton Hall, Clifton Campville,near Tamworth,Staffordshire. My friend Jenny Wee (she now runs the ABX courier service in Miri) came along with me in a taxi to Oxford. You see, we both studied together for our O' levels at St. Joseph's..she stayed on to do some courses while I continued on to do a Diploma in Business Studies, offered by Oxford College of Further Education.

After getting my belongings out from the taxi,I knocked on the door of the house where I was going to stay for the next two years and there .....Sim was..coming out from the kitchen to open the door. Our landlady,Mrs. Renee Beckinsale,an Irish lady,welcomed me to her home and showed me my room upstairs,next to Sim's room. There were only 3 rooms upstairs. Jenny left soon after and I was left with Sim who did most of the talking and made me feel welcome. I was also relieved when she told me that we're studying at the same college and that she would show me the way to the college. Since Sim was cooking lunch,it was sphagetti that she was cooking,she offered me some. I did not eat much and gave the excuse that I was car sick. In actual fact,after getting to know Sim well, then I had the courage to tell her that the sphagetti that she cooked when we first met, tasted horrible. Each time we met,we laughed about the tasteless sphagetti and how we could finish eating 1 roasted chicken in one meal most sundays. Our faces 'bloomed' like the chicken breasts after endless eating.. That's how Sim & I got to know each other. She has 2 children. Several times I went to her restaurant and if she's around, I got a free meal. I'd rather pay..malu lah.

Since I have started blogging..................

I wish I had known much earlier to blog but most times,I'd rather lie down on the sofa watching the tv shows than to stare at the computer. All thanks to Nico who helped me create the blog during his recent semester break.
You know how it is,when one is interested in the things that one does, one is determined to see how best to make things work or look presentable. That's what I did this morning..I looked through the instructions on how to create a blog,the templates,settings & so forth. So,here is the result of the trials & errors of creating a new look for this blog. Last night I created a blog for Uchuku...will let you people know her blog once she has started blogging.
I'd like to share with you some of the comments I received through SMS:
Joe's text to Mang on my blog:Aunty Jenny manchal ha!It's very funny. I miss everyone now. Aku menangis.
Joe's text to me:Ha ha. Manchal! I have seen the blog. Very good. I do miss my kopi mornings you know.
Jetli's text to me: Very good. Udah bini aku enggau cousin iya meda. Ni gambar aku deh?
Mang's comment: Luput orang ti nemu nama utai ke paymembay nya.
Plus a few other comments which I have lost track of...
Oh ya.spoke to Audrey on the phone this morning &she told me,"wah!so nice or good your blog......bla..bla..Angela showed to me."
Uchuku called to say she & her colleagues read my blog. Tima acih!!!Tenkiu,munyi ko...?

AEROLINE

I remember being asked by some friends how to get the Aeroline coach tickets to Singapore. Well, you may get your tickets at Corus Hotel,Jalan Ampang. AEROLINE has a counter there (near the main entrance door of the hotel) manned by 2 persons. They are there to tell you which coach to hop in to;that you are entitled to have a hot drink(self- service) at the hotel lobby while waiting for the coach to arrive & they hand out the Embarkation forms for you to fill in before reaching the S'pore Immigration & Customs checkpoint. About the coach, the passengers seats are on the top deck while the lower deck houses a mini cafe with comfy sofas plus tv to watch videos. Some of the passengers never went to the top deck,they just sat at the cafe throughout the journey.The travelling time takes 4 hours + 1 hour allowance time for the clearance purposes at the check points both sides. The speed limit for Aeroline coaches is 80km per hour.
The stewardess hands out a bottle of mineral water once you are nicely seated on your seat. Several minutes later she would give out the meals according to the time you board the coach. Say,if you board the coach during breakfast time,then breakfast is served. Like the 3.30pm coach we boarded from S[pore,we're served dinner before reaching KL as we're ETA @ 8.30pm.The ticket costs RM80/- one way. You may get a return ticket from them as well. The coach has a loo for 'light usage only',I repeat,'light usage only'. If you want the loo for the 'heavy usage',please inform the captain of the coach and he would make a toilet stop for you at a convenient spot along the highway.VVrrrrrrooom! STOP! STOP! I want to berak!ZZooommm!
P.S. of course there are other coaches and buses going to S'pore at a cheaper fare but the seats and service might be different altogether.

Meow.............

I made a few phone calls on Monday to Crowne Plaza Hotel in Kuching wanting to book a room for Thursday & Friday nites but was told there was no more rooms left EXCEPT the rooms on the 19 th floor,which of course, would come up to @RM400+. Wow! The reservation clerk said, "All the superior rooms are fully booked...we only have the deluxe But ma'am if you are a gov't servant or if you are working with a company,we might be able to give you the corporate rate." (My husband's firm is too insignificant to be able to enjoy the corporate rate.) Well,thank you very much,I'm just a 'bladi' housewife, who should be given the discount..bla..bla..bla.. Let me ask D first.
D's answer was to go ahead with the booking because the reason we're going there is because he would be attending a seminar organised by one of the banks at the hotel itself. Again...what to do? book lah! "Could I have your credit card numbers,please." KA CHING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!$$$$$$$$$
MMMEEEOOOWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW!!!!!!

Sinu Ngenang (As Time Goes By)-Mount Elizabeth Hospital

In 1994 & 1995,I made several trips to Singapore & during one of those trips,my son came along. The trips were not for pleasure nor leisure but to visit & to take care of my late father who was hospitalised at Mount Elizabeth Hospital . The hospital's just a few yards away from The Elizabeth Hotel where I was staying recently...that's why you are getting this story as I cannot help thinking of that time in 1994 & 1995,while walking along Mount Elizabeth Road to Orchard Road.
Sometime in May,1994, my dad coughed non-stop;he drank bottles and bottles of cough mixture but the coughing just did not stop. He began losing weight as he had no appetite and was weak. In September or was it in October,my brother & my sister-inlaw together with my mother accompanied him to Singapore for check up. My mother was weak on her knees when my brother told her what the doctors(4 or 5 doctors attended to him) told my brother. Yes, my dad had cancer of the lungs. He underwent chemotheraphy & radiotherapy at the hospital. It was such a pitiful sight seeing him fading away right before our eyes;his hair loss,mouth ulcers & the pain he had to endure. The doctors attending to him were hopeful that he could make it through. As far as I could remember, he had never smoked..my mum used to smoke but not anymore after my dad died. But then again I know quite a number of people who did not smoke,yet they got lung cancers. It must be the free radicals in the air. He tried his best to fight the cancer by carrying on his favourite game..GOLF. I think, to have died at the age of 69 was a bit too early but then again I thank God for having given us a wonderful & loving dad ;not only as a dad but a loving grandfather to Jill ,Nico & Aaron.( only 3 grandchildren then) He was very industrious,having done and been to where he had been...an achievement and an act tough for us,kids to follow...most likely not able to,at all.He died on 26th March 1995,less than a year after that unceasing coughing.He lived life to the fullest & very strong willed. I remember that time when he insisted on going to Bintulu even though he was already very sick because his company had some business launching there. He dragged himself to the launching and I had to call Jumau to fetch him from the airport & at the same time to take care of him.
He had been to most places,like to the United States & Zimbawe for official functions ,& toEurope,Australia & New Zealand,China & Japan,etc.
He liked to tell us about the time he had to fly in a Skyvan from Kuching to Johore on behalf of the Sarawak Government to bring some rusa (deers) for the Sultan of Johor. The Sultan of Johor was pleased to see him because when he visited Sarawak as the Agong,my parents were the people in-waiting to their majesties. During that visit, the Agong broke protocol by insisting my dad to sit with him in the limo. He gave my dad a light punch on my dad's tummy and said,"Edward, gemuk." My dad looked at the CM to get his approval,the CM nodded & only then my dad got into the car.
I have a lot of stories about my dad..that's all for now..maybe another time I'll continue.

This hotel was once named the Crown Prince Hotel on Orchard Road where we stayed during dad's hosptilisation.

Orchard Road by night

Singapore Tourism Board offers foreigners a free ride on their double decker topless/roofless bus. One has to register at the STB booth in Orchard Road,not far from the Rolex centre. After issuing you a ticket,you're asked to produce your passport before you board the bus for the free ride to see the Xmas lightings and deco along Orchard Road & to Marina Parade area. The ride starts at 7.00pm until 9.00pm.This ride will end on 5th January,2008.

The electricity bill for the Xmas lightings is under the sponsorship of HITACHI,so said the tourist guide.

A lot of mat salleh tourists in S'pore.








Tourists waiting patiently outside the STB booth for the topless double decker bus to arrive.

Here it comes,....the topless double decker bus.

Snow icon

The ballerina..if you wish to know more about the ballerina,please go to the Singapore Tourism Board website because all the figures along the road have a story to tell.

gETTING OFF THE TOPLESS DOUBLE DECKER BUS.

Could she be the ballerina that the people were looking for?

Orchard Road by day

The Lions..the singa,protecting Singapore...taken near Meritus Mandarin Hotel.

People strolling along Orchard Road

A very happy Nico..di bai ke S'pore. Ti iya udah kerja ila, iya mai aku raun. Deal?

HITACHI making it known that it is footing the electricity bill for the lightings at Orchard Road.

Never a dull moment..watching people from both ends waiting for the traffic lights to turn green before crossing the road.

Takashimaya shopping Mall

The tallest Xmas treee at The Paragon

The Elizabeth Hotel,Mount Elizabeth,S'pore.

The Elizabeth Hotel is located at Mount Elizabeth, which is only about 5 mins walk to Orchard Road. It is a convenient location but quite quiet. The staff's very helpful and I recommend people to stay here. It is about the cheapest along Orchard Road...about RM500 a night..my 2 nights' hotel room stay in KL. Like I said,what to do....afterall the visit was to see the xmas lightings & deco on Orchard Road.The time taken from Harbourfront to the hotel's about 15mins.

Harbourfront,Singapore.

Aeroline coaches drop their passengers from KL at Harbourfront,Spore. Those from Johore Bahru itself stop somewhere else. After alighting from the coach,look for the sign board that says Harbourfront Centre & follow the arrow..and you are on your way to the bigger picture of the city by either taking the MRT (Mass Rapid Transit) something like the LRT but this has more carriages & is fast and mostly underground system or by bus or taxi.

Taxi stand - we took the Mercedes taxi,because there was no other taxi then. We're charged $35 ($25 normal fare) to our hotel at Mount Elizabeth and the driver was very courteous & at the same time became a tour guide explaining and showing us the history of the buildings & places that were on our way to the hotel. "That place over there,is where Lee Kuan Yew stays. It is heavily guarded by soldiers..and you know how much he earns in a day? $10,000 a day. Goh Chok Tong & Lee Hsieng Loong also earn $10,000 a day. Itu Lee Kuan Yew,very clever. Bla..bla..bla.."said the chauffeur(remember I was in the Mercedes),while chauffeuring us to our destination.

Cable cars to Sentosa Island

Harbourfront is a place where people take the boats,ferries,cable cars,etc to places like Sentosa Island,Batam & a few other places. The place is very busy; a shopping complex cum mini sea port. Things are much cheaper than in Orchard Road's..

Semalam di Singapura ( a night in Singapore)

Pictures taken from Corus Hotel,KL to Harbourfront,S'pore.
Singapore Science Park
S'pore Immigration & Customs checkpoint at Tuas.

Malaysian Immigration & Customs Checkpoint

Inside Aeroline coach

Light refreshment provided by Aeroline coach

Pagoh,midpoint for people to make toilet stop from/to KL & S'pore.

A single seat in the Aeroline coach..there are 3 seats in a row.

Passengers getting into the coach.