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February 29 The Need to be ConnectedThe internet at the dive shop was down for 2 days, and I was amazed at how lost I felt being disconnected from the rest of the world. If I'm not by the seaside, then I need to be online and connected, wherever and whenever I choose to be. It's how I keep in touch with friends and family - but that aside, I also rely so much on technology for the bulk of my work-related communication.
So you can imagine the amount of stress not being able to connect to the internet caused me. And I blame it solely on the bastard who installed the anti-virus for Aaron on his laptop. Everything was going fine until Aaron decided to buy this anti-virus software. The guy installed it for him, and then next thing you know, Aaron's wireless can't connect to the internet at the dive shop. So the guy fiddles with our wireless router, and then Aaron's laptop is okay - and whaddaya know - now MY laptop can't connect to the router. So then the guy fiddles some more, and ta-da - our streamyx breaks down completely. Now ALL our laptops and the PC can't connect to anything.
Being technologically disabled, I called streamyx - first call I make, I get an idiot who didn't know shit. So after 20 mins on the phone with him, I say "it's okay" and I hang up. I immediately call streamyx again. This time I get someone who at least knows something. He takes me through some initial trouble shooting, then finds out that nothing's wrong with my connection, so he puts in a technical report for me.
Today, the Telekoms guy comes - messes around a bit - announces triumphantly that there's nothing wrong with streamyx, and that it's the router that's screwed up.
To cut a long story short, one of my friends came over today for lunch, and with just five clicks on the PC, he managed to fix the router, AND the internet connections on ALL our laptops and the PC.
I am happy again!
February 28 Cravings satisfiedWe finally had dinner at The Elephant again last night, after craving Thai food for about a week ... talk about getting my cravings satisfied!
I forgot my camera, so had to use my handphone to snap the pictures - that would explain the grainy quality of the pictures. Thank goodness it didn't mess with the taste!
We had the tom yam seafood soup and a mixed vege dish, which I didn't snap any pictures of because I had already started eating by then and couldn't be arsed to get my handphone out of my bag.
But I did manage to get pictures of the fish cake appetizer - one of Mel's favorite dishes, incidentally. Very aesthetically pleasing to eat here because they bother with all the little touches - a sprig of bay leaves here, some mint leaves there, a slice of starfruit ...
We also had another one of Mel's favorite dishes, the red chicken curry - it comes with boneless pieces of chicken, great for lazy bums like me - as well as brinjal and beans - even potato! Love the rich gravy!
Mom wanted a salad, so we tried the glass noodles seafood salad - also very yummy! Just the right tinge of sourness, and enough herbs and spices to give it the right kick.
Oh oh oh ... and the otak-otak omelette! It's under the "Fish" section of the menu, not the "Egg" section, if you ever want to order this. It's basically otak-otak wrapped in omelette - and SOOOOOOOOOOOOO good, probably one of the best dishes I have ever tasted. I don't know if otak-otak is a Thai dish, per se, but it sure is delicious. The picture doesn't do it justice, but we sure did!!
And of course, we had their signature brown rice - two serves is more than enough for the four of us - but then mom is hardly a rice eater.
What a gastronomical delight .............
February 26 Tioman and stuffI'm back from Tioman!
The drive from KL to Mersing was pretty good - we stopped at Kluang for their famous kaya-butter bread and coffee ... Just LOOK at all that oozing butter ....
Plus they had some funky 3-D deco on the wall!!
Anyways, before I tell you how Tioman was, let me just share this with you - for future reference incase some of us end up as roommates on future dive trips. This is based solely on my night at Mersing, and is a reflection of my needs. I have not taken into consideration the needs of the person I share the room with, as obviously, I am selfish and all-important.
 1. You must not snore. If you do, it has to be at a reasonable level, and not be at a level that breaks sound barriers and achieves tones previously unknown to science. You must definitely NOT make noises like a dying animal.
2. If we are sharing a double bed, you must not kick, toss and turn, or take up more than one quarters of the space I will grudgingly allocate to you. If possible, try not to breathe at all. You must definitely NOT take all the blankets.
3. If the room is airconditioned, you must not set the temperature to sub-zero levels. I happen to like it warm and stuffy, and you'll just have to live with that.
4. If there's a tv in the room, and you want to watch it, you have to set it at mute and read the subtitles, or make up your own dialogue (in your head, please, not out loud). I like peace and quiet when I'm reading my book before bed. You must definitely NOT watch a B-grade Malay horror movie at 10,000 decibles and interrupt my reading with comments about the bad acting and improbable exorcism scenes. Your comments are probably not as witty and amusing as you imagine.
5. You must never monopolize the bathroom. That's my prerogative.
If you can't live with those terms, then pay extra and get a single room. Heh.
Now that I've gotten that off my chest ... Tioman!
It was okay ... the weather wasn't fantastic, it didn't rain, but it wasn't hot and sunshiny like I would have preferred. The boat trip over wasn't choppy, but it wasn't all calm either - sort of in-between.
Actually, we didn't tell the divers this, but the ferry from Mersing to Tioman had not been running for the last four days due to strong wind warnings by the Marine Department. Obviously we didn't want to scare anyone, but it was pretty dicey whether we'd actually be able to leave Mersing or not. Thank God everything worked out!
Shore dives for the open water students were horrendous - there were some pretty big waves - like big enough to go over your head and to push you off your feet if you're not used to the elements. I LOVE it! But I can understand that it's unnerving and uncomfortable for most entry level divers. It didn't really help that we had some students who would simply not listen to instructions - and under certain circumstances, that can actually be a dangerous thing.
So no, not everyone met the minimum requirements to complete their open water course ... oh well ...
The leisure dives were pretty okay ... I took my camera and housing and strobe all the way there and all the way back without as much as opening my bag, much less greasing any o-rings! No opportunity to take my camera down, which in the end, actually turned out to be a wise decision on my part, as conditions were not condusive to photography.
Still, we did manage to see cuttlefish on almost every dive, and on most of the dives, they were busy laying eggs and totally oblivious to us. That's always really cool! Then the usual stuff - turtle, shark, barracuda, lionfish, nudibranch, etc ...
All in all, not a bad trip lah ...
February 21 I'm Outta Here!Am leaving for Mersing today, and off to Tioman tomorrow till Monday - please pray for a safe journey, good weather, calm seas, clear water and fun (but safe!) diving!!
Back with news on Monday!
xox February 19 Food FoundryWe wanted to have dinner at The Elephant again tonight as I was totally craving their brown rice - but would you believe it, they were fully booked!! So we went to Food Foundry instead, which was quite good, but because I was craving something else, I still left feeling slightly dissatisfied. Dad had the Moroccon sandwich, which was smoked chicken, some sort of spicy tomato salsa sauce, and salad in foccacia bread.
Mom had the lamb shank with a very generous helping of mashed potatoes. The lamb was succulent and tender, with a rich brown sauce gravy. And I LOVE the mashed potatoes because it isn't of the powdered variety, but made from actual potatoes. They don't completely mash them either, leaving bits of chunky potatoes to bite down into ... heavenly!
Mel and I both had the Chicken Cordon Bleu, which is great for those who love a fuss free meal - no bones to deal with! It comes with two pieces of chicken breast, wrapped in ham, and grilled - then the chicken is served on a whopping huge pile of mashed potatoes, and doused in white mushroom garlic cream sauce. Tres delicious!!
And of course a night out at the Food Foundry isn't complete without one of their Mille Crepes - thus the strawberry and cream, which is my personal favorite out of all their crepe selections ...
And that was dinner! February 18 Goldfish vs PiranhasMel and I were channel switching and Barney was on one of the channels. The kids were singing this song about friendship, and then they cut to a scene of a goldfish in a bowl, and one of the kids said that the poor goldfish didn't have any friends and was lonely. And the following conversation took place between Mel and me:
Melanie: Then put a piranha in the bowl la.
Both of us: MWA HAHAHAHA
Me: Then the piranha will be lonely.
Both of us: MWA HAHAHAHAHAHAHA
Melanie: But he'll be full
Both of us: MWA HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA
So obviously she has outgrown the obnoxious purple dinosaur and his green nail polish ... !! Bane of my existenceYes, I am talking about the proverbial EX-husband. Despite my personal opinion that he is a spineless, ambition-less, lazy, good-for-nothing, character-less moron of epic proportions, I have never even once slagged him off in front of Melanie. No matter what my differences with him are, he is still her father, and she still needs to learn to give him the respect that his title deserves. She often could not be arsed to see him or to keep in touch with him - but I try and encourage her to keep her Sunday appointments with him.
I work almost seven days a week to pay her exorbitant school fees - I take care of her on a daily basis - I feed her, dress her, send her to school - when she is ill, I take her to the doctors - when she is upset, I comfort her - I do the disciplining, the entertaining, the punishing. With lots of help from my mom, of course, God bless her! But what I'm saying is that I am responsible for every aspect of Mel's life. Her father sees her once a freaking week, sometimes once a fortnight.
I had two full days on Saturday and Sunday. On Sat, I had pool training from morning to evening. It was hot, the students (oh okay, just one in particular) were testing my patience, I was sunburnt and dehydrated and exhausted - both mentally and physically.
On Sunday, I had pool training again in the morning, and then had to rush back to office because I had made appointments with other students, and then I had a pre-trip briefing to conduct for my up-coming trip this weekend (I SO can't wait to go).
So anyway, as I was just about to leave the pool, Melanie calls. Apparently, her father, who is supposed to have her till about 5pm, wanted to go watch a movie. And he wanted me to pick her up from 1-Utama at 3pm. No prior arrangements made with me or anything. And so I said I couldn't because I was already late, at that point, for an appointment with my students, and I was rushing back to the dive shop. I told him to drop her off there.
I was driving like an F1 racer all the way - of course got ALL the red lights, except one, which I flew - and in that 15 mins it took me to get there, I received FIVE desperate sms-es from Mel. One said 'Hurry up!', another said 'he's getting angry', another said 'please mom faster' - and I could sense her desperation. So when I finally pull up at the dive shop, before I've even had the chance to park the car, he literally tells his daughter to get out of his car. So she's standing by the side of the road, in tears, by the time I get out of my car.
My students were already waiting for me, and Mel was upset because her father was being an absolute jerk, and I was PISS MAD.
He is responsible for her just ONCE a week. He doesn't have to help her with her studies, make sure she'll be sent to and picked up from school, he doesn't have to make arrangements for someone to watch her, he doesn't have to deal with her tantrums and moods, he doesn't lie in bed at night worrying about her when she's ill - ONCE a bloody week is all he sees her.
And even then, waiting an extra ten minutes for me to rush from one busy appointment to another is too much. So how can watching a movie be more important than spending time with your child ONCE a week? He has Mondays to Saturdays to watch his fill of movies - why on his one day with his daughter??
So I have decided that from now on when Mel says she doesn't want to see him, I'm not going to try and convince her anymore like I would have done in the past. If she doesn't want to see him, then fine. From now on, it's her call. At dinner last night, she mentioned to mom that she would like to attend church with her instead of her father - she said it calmly, without drama, without theaterics. My mom raised her eyebrows, but didn't ask. Mel will tell her when she's ready to.
In the meantime, if he couldn't be arsed to take the responsibility for her once a week, then screw it and screw him.
Mel is growing up fast, and is an intelligent, matured, witty, out-going, confident young lady. It's his loss. February 15 Election FeverThe local politicians are gearing up with their campaign speeches and promises and stuff due to the coming elections. I decided to get into the mood and flow of election fever. This is my political jargon for Scuba Zone and our diving courses ....
Our comprehensive programs and activities will help develop high performance individuals, enhance racial integration, improve communication and reinforce on-going learning initiatives within the community spirit of 'muhibbah' ....
Now tell me you won't vote for me!
RandomSo I go out for dinner last night with the most BORING company I have ever had, I swear ... a night home would have been way more entertaining and fun ... but this is all I'm going to say about that because this blog is accessible to all, and while I want to be honest, I don't want to hurt anybody's feelings either. I mean - hey, it's not your fault if you're boring and don't have any character. Blame it on an uneventful childhood or too much parental coddling or whatever.
And of course it TOTALLY did not help that Kriss and Allister were having a rocking good time getting sloshed in Tawau - and I kept getting these sms-es which showed me they were doing some serious partying - and I was SOOOOOOOO jealous!! I wanted to be there with them, not stuck in some dinner where the people had a sense of humor equivalent to .. oh, say a dead cockroach, or a dent in your car bumper, to pick two totally random things - which was what last night was - just so RANDOM.
In any case, am off to Tioman next weekend for the first dive trip of the season - and I can't WAIT to soak in that ocean! Despite diving Tioman on average twice a month for the last 4 years, I still get excited about going - this diving business definitely never gets old, I tell ya what! And I won a coin toss, so I'm doing the leisure diving instead of the students ... and there are TEN students - heh heh - AND to top it all off, will be staying back an extra day to indulge in some fun diving and, of course, photography!
Yay!
February 10 BackfiredMy plan not to eat anything yesterday was an absolute flop, as I'm sure you would've imagined. Infact, it was a bigger stuff fest than the day before - oh well ... that's the point of chinese new year, I suppose!
Mel and I had a mamak breakfast this morning - and then on the way back, on a whim, we decided to drop by Food Foundry in Section 17 to see if they were open as I was craving their Mili Crepes ... I thought it was a shot in the dark, being Chinese New Year and all - but VOILA! They were OPEN ... so we bought a Chocolate Orange Mili Crepe and a Vanilla one ... I actually really really wanted the Strawberry & Cream one, but they were out.
Just LOOK at those layers of crepe and cream ... yummmmmmmmmmm ...
How not to stuff myself, you tell me??!
Anyways - Mel went out with her dad this afternoon, so I had time to myself. Since it's been SO freaking hot, I went for a swim. Basically it was also to ease my guilt conscience from my CNY binge fest. I had a leisurely 45 minute swim in the hopes of burning off all that fat from the crepes. Then I baked in the sun for 10 minutes by the poolside, but it got too hot - so I came back upstairs, had my shower and now I'm blogging.
I need to get back to work leh!!
February 08 Groannnn ...I think I must've put on at least 2kg today ...... I feel like such a PIG!!
It started this morning with my usual cup of coffee when I got up (or - more accurately - when I got out of bed). Then we had the "hoi leen" - or "start the year" breakfast - at my grandpa's house. We had potato & pork, vege, soup, lap cheong, lap ngap, fried vege, leeks, fried chicken ... and we also had to have two bowls of rice, as tradition dictated. So I was already full from that.
But then we went home, and had visitors - and so we were constantly snacking on new year goodies - love letters, cookies, cup cakes, potato chips, the white biscuit with the red dot thingy, the fried yam thing ...
Mel had pizza for dinner - where she fit it all, I don't know!! I had a cup of green tea and a plate of "chai choy" - and I was STUFFED beyond belief.
I shall not eat at all tomorrow!! First Day of CNYWell - it was a scorcher of a day yesterday, as it always is during CNY for some reason. Anyways, we had a late start, as we were all a little sluggish in the morning (oh okay, not ALL of us, just Mel and me!). We did our round with the relatives - ate non-stop - then came back home. Mel went off with her dad for her second round with his side of the family, and Melissa came over to my place.
The poor girl has been abandoned and orphaned by her parents this new year, and since no one should be alone for CNY, especially not one of my bitch sisters - we invited her to hang out with us. So Melissa came over while Mel was still out, and we hung out half naked by the pool side, soaking in some sun, and gossiping and giggling and bitching, and everything else best girlfriends do with each other. What FUN!!
Then Mel came back, and so we went swimming with her and soaked in the jacuzzi for a while, and then we went back to play some board games - which ended up leaving us in stitches cos Mel was SOOOOOOOO funny. All in all, it was a good day la.
Incidentally, when I was in my dad's stepmother's house (the Black Widow, haha) - one of my aunties, whom I only ever see once a year during CNY, remarked that I "look much happier this year" - and asked if I had gotten myself a boyfriend. And I was "NO - actually, it's the first time I've been single in years during CNY" ... and she was all flustered and embarrassed - and my cousin, her daughter, was like "You go, girl!" ... and the old folks launched into this dialogue about "the young generation" ... VERY typical.
Anyway, as always, I couldn't wait to get out of that house. I swear it's haunted because it's an amazingly oppressive house - there's just something about it that saps your positive energy when you walk through the door - the atmosphere is heavy and gloomy, and it's just awful. A reflection of the occupants of the house, perhaps?
So after the customary half an hour, or a length of time deemed reasonable, we left for my mom's side of the family - which is always great because that side of the family is loud and eccentric and cheery and dramatic. When we laugh, it's always loud and hearty and explosive - we never tee-hee-hee or hoo-hoo-hoo ... it's always slap your knee, tears rolling, laugh from your gut ... you get the picture, I assume. Everyone talks at the same time, and it's loud and chaotic - and I LURVE it!
Today being the second day of CNY, we have a "hoi leen" breakfast back at my grandpa's house - so more food! Then we go back home and wait for people to come visit us (my dad and mom both being the 2nd eldest in their families, we get a lot of visitors during CNY!)
February 04 Pre-CNY OutingMom and I spent the day doing some last minute shopping for Chinese New Year today. Actually, that was just an excuse we used so that it would seem cool to be hanging out together!
We had lunch at American Chillies - we shared a Mushroom Jack Fajita, which is sooooooooooo good. It came with tortilla wraps, guacamole, sour cream, cheese, tomato, salsa and lettuce on the side. On the hot plate, we had sizzling chicken, onions, green & red pepper, mushroom and melted cheddar cheese on top. SOOOOO delicious. Will snap some pics for you the next time. Chillies is great because the fruit juices are bottomless. Mom had apple juice, which was actually a bit watery - I had green guava, which was pretty good. I certainly drank my money's worth, even if it meant 3 toilet stops all in the next 2 hours!
But that's not why I'm writing about Chillies. There was this young chap who was serving us - he looked like he was about 12 - really boyish and cute, with a great smile and sparkling eyes. And I commented about it to mom, and we were both talking about it. And then when he brings us the bill, to my chagrin, mom says to him, "We both think you have really nice eyes and a wonderful smile" - and the poor chap turned bright red - and I was filled with horror, and I was like "Mommmmmmm - you don't say that to pre-pubescent boys!!" ... and she was like "What?? Encourage him mah." - and I'm like," Did he LOOK encouraged to you??" ...
Anyway, we spent about two hours shopping, which is pretty good, considering mom has a bad knee. Mom wanted to pick some peanuts from the supermarket, and we got a trolley, and she was going from aisle to aisle - and she was taking soya sauce bottles off the shelf, and soft drinks, and fruits, and I was like, "Mommmm, are you browsing??" - because you know what? I am SO not a browsing person - I have a list, and I'm in there and out there as quickly as the crowds and the lines at the cashier will allow me - and she gave me a guilty grin - and I said, "I'm not Uncle Chee Peng or Auntie Anne" - who are her brother and sister respectively, and who are very accomplished browsers ... so we finally got to the peanuts shelf, grabbed a couple of packets - and I wrestled the trolley away from her and went straight to the cashier. Unfortunately, there was quite a long line, and by the time it was our turn to pay, she had managed to grab and add another couple of items to what was already in the trolley. I was like, "You lied! You said we were going to buy peanuts!" .. and she just laughed.
But she made it up to me by buying me my Starbucks latte fix for the week - and then we went to pick Mel up from school.
So that was my day! Pret-ty darn good, actually!
February 03 CNY PreparationsMel and mom were busy baking today for Chinese New Year, and the house smells ABSOLUTELY WONDERFUL. I wish I could capture the aroma of freshly baked cookies and put it on here for you guys. The smell of freshly baked cookies is second only to freshly baked bread ... breathtakingly superb! But since I can't post smells on this blog, pictures will have to do.
So here's mom mixing the batter ...
And here's Mel cutting out the shapes ...
And here's mom putting the tray in the oven ...
And here's the cookies being baked ...
And here's dad helping in the best way he knows how ...
Which is generally to keep out of the way ... hehe ...
And here's the grand finale ...
YUMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM .... LOVE Chinese New Year!!
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