the trail so long missed

What I like most about staying in a hotel while on a vacation is the absolute freedom of lazying   in bed and can be completely oblivious to either the appearance of sunshine or moonlight or both. Because even if the sun is shining brilliantly outside, the perfectly thick and oblique curtains are there to ensure we don't come back from our dreams. Nice ain't it? I'll surely have one of those curtains in my room some time in the future. Maybe like, changing curtains every week, or ever fortnight, or perhaps, every couple of days? I'd like some variations too, you know. Like, lacey curtains and Victorian style ones. ;D

And being left alone by ourselves- me and bro in the hotel room- since momma's main purpose for visiting Penang was to oversee and sort of 'train' the sales person of her office's branch here, so she had left us before I even realized what time it was that she bid us goodbye. So look, me and bro, two not-underaged-but-young-children seemingly having the world to ourselves. ;D Doesn't that sound like The Suite Life of Zack and Cody? (I never watched that series by the way.)

If I was on my own, or if bro would be as adventurous as I had been, and if nothing was planned out already for us, it would surely have been a kick-ass day out! Well, at least I would have uncountable 'plans' that I'd like to experiment and try. ;D But Sis Yem was coming to bring us out that day before momma comes back in the late afternoon. 

How funny yet frustrating it was that we only realized momma had taken her car keys with her just when we were about to leave the hotel. Luckily the office was just the next street across from our hotel and only a brief walking distance was needed. 

We were brought to this cafe for our breakfast. It was the same exact place that Sis Yem took me too the last time I came here. And this time, she ordered Lor Bak for us as well, just as how she treated me the last time. Well, she said this was one of the best she tasted. But really, I find that I'm such an amateur in food-tasting compared to momma, bro and Sis Yem. I mean, for food that I like, I'll just eat them and even if I have any comments or critiques regarding them, it would not be as precise compared to them. 

I'll just eat. ;D

The Lor Bak. I think, they taste almost the same? LOL

This uncle was the one manning the Lor Bak stall, together with his wife. ;)

It so happened that bro and I had the same craving. And here it is, Penang's Hokkien Mee. Quite a surprise to us because it was our first time trying and it is exactly KL's version of Prawn Mee! An exact replica! HAHA

And now we know, Penang's Hokkien Mee is KL's Prawn Mee.

We only had a few hours to ourselves before rejoining with momma later in the afternoon. So the only closest and interesting place left for us to visit was the Snake Temple. Other places will be visited together with Momma and Sis Kelly on the following days.

I just adore this place. Because of the snakes, of course. And how I missed my Albino python! How long has it been since I last saw it! It's not mine, but still, I wanna call it mine. Just because I touched it. ;D

Bro and Sis Yem. ;)

Not for sale? It better not be! Cobras are the only species that I am thwarted from. Frightening as hell. But they're beautiful creatures, when you watch them silently and closely.

Its face looks like an ancient mummified Pharoah. It does! ;D

My lovely fellow. Had we been a few minutes earlier, we would be privileged to witness a feeding process! Oh, such a regrettable thing it was! I would really really wish to see a real live python feeding a chicken. I think it was a dead chicken that they fed it. I think. I'm not sure. HAHA

Some of the reptiles on display. And perhaps, some of my favourites. ;)

A cobra, and I don't know what type this is. Definitely not a speckled, I think. HEEEEEE

No, I definitely know what this is! That's why I said it's the scariest of all reptiles! This King Cobra, its head could be just as huge as my fist. Oh well, my fist could be engulfed by its mouth in no time. That's for sure.

Ooh, and back to my lovely one again. ;D

Bro touched it, cause I asked him to. HAHA. Come on, you just can't not touch it when it's a living one right below your nose! And besides, it's tame. So tame it makes it more lovable. ;D

Yes, I'll bid you farewell for now. Will see you the next time I come. I promise. ;)

Missed out the chance for a feeding process for a python? Well, it was aptly replaced with not just one, but several feeding processes by, well, much smaller reptiles. But still, better than nothing because I have never watched a live feeding process before! ;D

Looks right there! A mouse, or a rat's tail is sticking out from the snake's mouth. 

What a meal!

After Snake Temple, we headed back to our hotel. Lounged on the comfy bed for a bit before momma came home. Felt so awful because Sis Yem had to wait for us in the lobby because she just didn't want to come up with us. So within an hour, we were heading out again. 

I have been such a loyal fan of 四千金 ever since I was a kid that this song is etched deeply in my mind. 三轮车跑得快, 上面坐个老太太, 要五毛给一块, 你说奇怪不奇怪. ;D

If you know Subang area well enough, you'll be just as amazed as me. I guess. 

Asia Cafe! ;D

But no, this Lor Mee stall wasn't in Asia Cafe. Gee, it's as old as our country's independence! ;D

Just outside this coffeeshop was this uncle selling confectioneries and pastries. They look tempting, really.

So we decided to buy a packet of this. It tasted like red bean paste underneath the tau-sah-peng-like skin. And very delicious! Love at first bite. ;D

 

This was, otak-otak? Is it? My bad, I really can't remember the names for such food. I think they are otak-otak. Or not. Or some other names. I don't know! ;P

According to momma, it tasted so well that they ordered a second piece. And, I just eat. Like I said. ;D

And of course, the never-to-be-missed Lor Mee! Also quite different from KL's Lor Mee from the look of it. Its taste was more of a herbal based gravy and it uses duck meat instead of chicken or pork. But come to think of it, there isn't any meat in KL's Lor Mee, is it?

Afterwards, Sis Yem led us along the streets of antique shops. Antiques are never my fancy, not so much as momma and Sis Yem. But off we went anyway. Some items were really nice to watch, like old radio sets, bicycles and stuff like that. Um, you could say I did not dislike the walk. I guess perhaps it was the slight pain in my back that was disturbing me. Yikesss

And my favourite of all? This vinyl disc! ;D

Penang's buildings have some pretty unique architecture. Look how it curves, with its structure and stuff. Imagine how the people in the olden days have accomplished such a task!

Hello there! You look familiar! ;)

This bicycle is lovely! Reminds you of The Notebook, doesn't it? ;D

There's no way you can't not snap a picture of this thing! 

This shop has some pretty brilliant stuff. 

Pictures! Black and white. Lovely!

And this? No words for that. 

I've never seen anyone enjoying himself so much as this uncle here. That instrument he was so knack at, no idea what it's called, was like a toy version of piano. But he was real good at it, no doubt. 

The long walk through the labyrinth of historical and culturally-rich streets lasted no more than a couple of hours. By the end of it, we were all exhausted and having no more energy left to walk, well except for Sis Yem. Antiques are just her thing. ;)

It was close to evening when we left for our hotel. Not much time left for rest as advanced plan had it that we were to have dinner with Sisters Yem, Kelly and Pastor Sarah. I remember I was starting to feel a little off colour and what's more, my back was hurting me more by then.

Dinner was at a lane just beside a coffeeshop. The speciality and the main dish that they wanted us to savour was the Pork Noodle, if I was not mistaken. However, I did not try that dish because, I don't know, I just didn't feel like having that. Like I said, perhaps it was the pain which was causing it or perhaps, I wanted to leave my dear stomach empty for the food at Gurney Drive. Well, because earlier on, I thought I heard them saying they were going to bring us there and yet we ended up at this lane. Oh well. And because of that particular reason, I only ordered a dish of popiah. ;D 

Worth ordering that too because it's the total opposite of how KL popiah is. Okay, maybe not that different but it has its own uniqueness. A special kind of broth was poured over the dry popiah and that gives a slight wetness with every bite. Something new to try. ;)

This was the Pork Noodle. It has everything in it! Literally, everything! Like, you know, the internal organs and such ingredients and too bad, I seldom eat such organs. LOL

But its soup was tantalizing. The perfect match for the noodles. 

So right after dinner, we took a ride towards Gurney Drive. All the while during the journey, my back was hurting so much. Momma helped me massage it but its tingling feeling was reaching its height already. Even walking ached it. =(

Not to mention it was another long walk that we all did. From one end of Gurney Drive to another end. Well, okay, not that far. Just from one quiet end to the middle section of it, where G Hotel was. And so we went into G Hotel and 'borrowed' their restrooms. That's another joy of visiting hotels. Because hotels are beautiful and so it makes sense that their restrooms must have some beauty and elegance in it as well. So, I like visiting hotels' restrooms. HA!

Surprise! Surprise! A mini fish tank with only ONE goldfish in the ladies. Poor fishie, its world is full of people coming in and out just for one common purpose- bowel business. LOL

Another pretty Christmas tree! This was so tall, but not as tall as the one in South Quay, but still as beautiful! G Hotel was really an elite place. Really it was, from the look of it. Its design, its service, its entrance, so grand, so exquisite. Its lounge, its staircase, its counter, the staff working there, and the lights! Simply put you in awe.

Even a stand lamp is bigger than my head. 

Creative max! 

Time for food again after our mass toilet break. HAHA

This time, we proceeded to another place. Initially, I thought we were going to eat at the food centre along Gurney Drive, but no. We were headed back to town and arrived at what I later knew was the Esplanade. Oh, surely I remember! It was part of my first venture there the first time I came. ;) I never knew there was such a busy food court in the night! There were actually two sections; one part was dominated with Malay and Indian food while the other side was the majority of Chinese food. We had Chinese food and since I had only a small portion of so-called dinner earlier on, momma made me have something more filling. Like, fried rice! Ooh, fried rice is always one of my favourite food. No reason, I just seldom turn them down. ;D

Then rojak and fried oyster were ordered for communal sharing. They said the fried oyster wasn't that nice, if I wasn't mistaken. Not much oysters. Oh wait, or was it the one at McAllister street that they said? Man, I need some stimulant to boost my memory!

Bro always has noodles, while it's usually rice for me. Gee, what does that make me? ;P

Such a long day, and more to come for the next! 

Oh by the way! One funny thing that happened was the melted chocolate. You see, momma wanted to return Pastor Sarah's kindness by giving her a bottle of chocolates. It's not a can, it really is a plastic bottle. And so a bottle of chocolates! But she mistakenly put it in the car while we went for our cultural trail in the afternoon. 

Momma: I thought we would go for dinner right after this ma.

Me: Of course it will melt la! 

Momma even said I got my wish granted because ever since I first laid eyes upon that bottle of chocolates, I had been bugging her for it. Well, even though I never meant it seriously and knew full well it was for Pastor Sarah. But still! ;P And now, I need not bug her any further and that bottle of chocolates is now ours. HAHA

Melted, and hardened again. Until now, I haven't touched it yet. They're all coagulated and one of these days, I'll just have to cut open the bottle and chop them into smaller, edible pieces. ONE OF THESE DAYS. WHEN I HAVE NOTHING TO DO. ;D

the appearance from disappearance

Ola! ;D

Dear me! How long has it been since this partial deterrence from the normal operating connection? I really could not tell, even though it's obvious I have been so much frustrated by it that it becomes a wonder now if I can easily access any websites at all. Oh well, just be thankful for it. 

It's been what, more than a month! Now that I have mentioned it, I shall just have the pleasure of reminiscing my second trip to the northern skies but this time, it was me driving and in the company of my beloved momma and bro. ;)

Holidays for myself and my bro and hence that made it inevitable break for momma too. Because, well you see, we just have to go together. So taking leave from work was NECESSARY. ;D

This time, we stayed in a hotel that momma's colleague, who was based in the branch in Penang got for us. At first glance, this building looked nothing like the perfect hotel that you, as a tourist, would want to take shelter in. No, far from any hotels with grand ballrooms, exclusive service, acceptable if not good-looking jockeys, butlers, chandeliers that you can only find other than in palaces and of course, restrooms that have you go "WOAH!" So, I had to admit there was a slight drop in my heart when my eyes caught sight of "So Hotel". A little, before my conscience and reminder for gratification set in. ;P

So I was searching through my photos from trip and realized... there's none of the hotel. LOL

Anyway, this trip was kinda meaningful to me because I wanted to challenged myself for driving all the way up to Penang and back to KL again. Oh well, that's the love for driving. ;)

And I did! It took me 3 hours plus to reach Penang. I even surprised myself, but that felt really great. It felt like setting a Guinness record for myself. I guess now I know how Olympic athletes feel after achieving terrific records. The maximum speed I hit was 140km/h ONLY. The only time where I could do so, but when momma and Sis Yem and Sis Kelly knew about it, the drive back home was constantly and incessantly under scrutiny by momma. 

Momma, I can see you spying from the rear view mirror you know? ;P

Upon reaching the iconic Penang bridge was the greatest feeling ever of the entire trip. I believe it was, since we didn't visit any beaches anyway. ;D

Waiting at a petrol kiosk for momma's colleague to guide us to THE hotel.

This hotel, well, it's actually pretty accessible as it was quite near to town. No, it IS in town centre itself. It may not be easy to find if you're a tourist (apart from seasoned tourist, of course!) because it's practically sandwiched between two buildings. But the up point is that it's quite tall among this row of shophouses. If I have given an earlier negative impression to you about this hotel, then fret not. The interior of it is not that bad after all. In fact, the receptionist (a guy) was the most friendly and helpful one I've ever met. (not that I've stayed in many hotels before anyway) We had the highest floor, which was the fourth floor and had the perfect view of the whole town (almost) and Penang hill.

Oops, just spotted one of the entrance of the hotel. So Hotel. ;)

I've asked the receptionist. This uncle, whom I call him, told me that the word "So" is taken from a Japanese word. Um, I think that was what he meant because he told me in Japanese, it means comfortable. So a comfortable hotel it is! ;D

  

Optical illusion or the fault of camera angle. The basin blocked the view of another queen-sized bed, which bro was sitting on. So basically, the room, from an aerial view, was in the form of a reversed L shape. One down point about this was the air-conditioner being on the other side and that resulted in the single bed on this side pretty stuffy. But overall it was acceptable. ;)

There, the queen-sized bed with the super large window on its side. Sleeping on the inside with the curtains drawn seems pretty scary because, well, imagine leaning against a piece of glass on a fourth-storey building. 

The view. Told ya it oversees almost the entire town!

And this is how it looks from the other side of the building. Not to forget, there was a balcony provided on that floor too. Pretty nice view from here too. ;)

When people go for vacations, I assume that the first thing they do after checking in and being showed to their individual rooms would be to unpack and do stuff like that. But for us, nay, no unpacking. Drop everything we were holding onto the floorboards, switch on the TV and air-cond to full blast, surfing through the channels hoping for some decent movies to watch, pounce onto the comfy bed and just lie there, forever. No, not forever. I just HAD to find something to munch on minutes afterwards. ;D

That late afternoon, I brought momma and bro (yes, me! ;D) to this cafe that I came months ago. Just beside this cafe boasts the all-time famous Penang cendol. Joo Hui's cafe has other stalls selling different kinds of typical Penang food as well. Among those we tried are...

The Cendol, of course, was the main item that drew us there. 

Momma wanted Penang Rojak, so I ordered this one for her, which contained an additional amount of jellyfishes. ;) It was quite crunchy biting into the jellyfish and that gives the dish a special twist. Gee, talking about jellyfishes now gives me goosebumps, after last night's National Geographic on how Box Jellyfish can kill a person within minutes. Absolute respect for these guys! Oh but it's definitely NOT Box Jellyfish that were included in this fruit mix. ;)

Penang Lobak! You definitely cannot miss this dish when you're on this island. The sauce has something to do, which I cannot pinpoint. It's just this uniqueness that blends so well with the hot fillings. Slight cool and warm insides. That kind of taste is what you'll get. 

The last time I came here for this dish, I was sure it tasted real good. Bro tried it this time. Well, from its look, it didn't look so promising. Not to mention this uncle was pretty scornful and unfriendly towards his customers. What happened was, we simply intended to remind him that we had an order with him, just in case he had forgotten, like how we often encounter in KL. In return, we got a stern tell-off from him. Oh well, since momma was indifferent, that left me becoming like her as well.

Our first night was spent eating at McAllister Street's hawker lane and admiring the beautiful and expansive South Quay. It was this Christmas tree that shined the brightest in that dark blanket hanging above. Being overpowered by such a Christmas tree was such a wonderful feeling. So magical it was that it made me go speechless. I guess. ;)

Momma loved the pearl so much!

This picture is just another proof of my height. No good.

I never realized this is such a nice shot until I looked through all of them. Ha, at least I find it pretty. ;D

That awkward moment when you're playing the grand piano and a guy is watching you. Only to find out later on that they were acquaintance. LOL

And I was like the joker from the future sticking her head into a scene of the past. 

The favourite two among all pictures! ;D

Me and momma.

Me and bro. ;) 

They have like, the most adorable wall art I have ever seen! Snoopy and, the gang, for I have no idea what they are all called. ;D

Sailboats! They keep sailboats within the building's compound! Some elite place it was.

Boys will always be boys. A picture with the sailboats. ;)

"Last Christmas, I gave you my heart. 

But the very next day you gave it away.

This year, to save me from tears

I'll give it to someone special."

Hello, I'm doing pretty good here. ;)

P.S. This Christmas tree is so very beautiful!

rejoice this revelry!

HA! So much frustration that I should be venting about all because of a problem that until now, I still could not tell the main source of it. This problem, is what have been depriving me from my lovely blogging space and that so totally explains the absence of any updates ever since the last of our Beauty and the Beast performance. 

My sincere apologies. To any readers (if there are) and especially to myself and my blog. ;D

I'm just THAT good. ;P

Anyway, it's the LAST day...

on earth.

Okay, not. But I wish someday I could say that. Well, in a good way of course. ;)

It's the last day of year 2011. Gee, how quickly that seems to be. First it was "Last Christmas, I gave you my heart..." and now "Should auld acquaintance be forgot...".

Ahh, a year has passed in the blink of an eye. I suppose it's the time of the year when people act more differently than usual. They just lie down on their couch and a gazillion of things run through their mind. Or for some, they have the favourite pen in hand, twisting and turning, flipping through pages of diaries and penning down their heartfelt emotions and thoughts. Or still there are those that finally found the super PERFECT time to get out, get wasted, and spin out of control for once and the final time for that year. 

As you involuntarily keep your mind active pondering over the little things that have happened to you over the year, you begin to doubt, question, chastise, blame, understand and of course, to love yourself even more. You think of some events that lifted you up but brought you to a downfall as well. You think of the things that made you feel like an angel dancing amongst the fluffy white clouds but also those that broke your heart into splintering pieces. You think of how easily some people came knocking upon your door and allowing themselves into your precious life and yet, how in a split second their presence left no mark that you can trace anymore. You think of how filial you have been as a son, as a daughter, as a grandchild, as a sister, a brother, a cousin, a friend, a best friend. You think of all the choices and decisions you had to make, easy or difficult. You think of the last day of the previous year. You think of the first day of this ending year. And now, you're thinking on the last day of the year for the first day of the next. How ironic and how confusing yet deep it sounds to me. ;D

For the previous years, mum has always mentioned to us about setting our resolutions. But surely most of us know that resolutions are among the hardest things that ordinary people like us can and will adhere to. So, she didn't mention it this year and I don't think I'll have any specific resolutions that I need to make for now. Because after this entire year of happenings, ups and downs, I realized that even with resolutions, some things are just not in our control. 

They just happen.

Yes, that's the phrase for it. They just happen. Not that you want them to happen anyway. That's why, "Man proposes, God disposes." Um, I think it should sound that way. ;)

This time last year, everything was so different. This time next year, I'm sure I'll be saying the same thing. ;)

See, told ya! 

By the end of tonight, I would want to say to myself, "Gee, you made it through a year!"

;)

Let bygones be bygones. ;)

See you next year folks! ;D

With lotsa love. ;)