This is our last week in Asia.
Monday 2 March I had scheduled a lunch appointment with one of my old neighbours, Wai Yin and one of her common friends Sook Kuen at The Curve. Wai Yin, NSK and Lian Lee Har are good friends and they grew up together and from memory they were tight. I used to see them at Jalan Brockman when we were living there. NSK was a girl guide from AMC but I am not sure of WY and LLH. Since they were my juniors they were closer to my younger sister than I. But I did keep an interest in their group. We managed to hook up through FB a while back and had set up the meeting in KL.
We decided to have lunch @ Little Penang Cafe on The Street. As if on cue, all of us ordered Char Kuay Teow. NSK said she had curry mee recently and felt like CKT. I was already having my lime juice when they walked in to the restaurant. NSK wanted kopi, her first cup for the day, she said. WY ordered syrup or Bandung the waiter commented. I wondered how one could drink syrup for lunch but she did!
We caught up on old times. There were too many details to record, basically. and so I would only stick to the brief. WY was very reminiscent of our past. She knew my younger sister very well and missed her a great deal I could tell. WY travel extensively and we had a common understanding as I was a travelling executive in my previous life. I could sympathize with her plight. NSK was nice, very lady-like as she always presented. Somewhat guarded person. I am sure I knew her personality when she was a 14 year old girl .....
We had a cup of coffee after lunch at a nearby cafe that served Lavazza. WY said she hardly drank coffee because she often times would "float" after drinking coffee. I took it as she would feel giddy. I ordered her a normal latte and she seemed to enjoy it. NSK seemed like a coffee connoisseur. We talked a bit about their kids and their family lives around the fringes. Soon I had to make my tracks to pick up SM and so I bid them farewell. I think as far as a long lost friendship and a reunion meeting went that was as good as expected. WY was very much the same expressive person I knew and NSK was as much the quieter and reserved type of person that I knew. Why am I not surprised? What about you LLH?
Tuesday March 3 I sent SM to Taman Megah SS24 to look for "Bake With Yen " as she wanted to buy some baking supplies from that shop. We found the shop which was located adjacent to Fatty Crabs. SM was very excited because the products available in the shop were suitable and they were at very reasonable prices compared to the ones in Oz. We also drove past sister Irene and Lee's old house at 44 Jalan SS 24/2. It was their house for a number of years when they lived in Malaysia. Their 2 kids grew up in that house and it was also the last home they had before emigrating to Oz. I stayed with them for a few months when I had my first job in KL.....
Memories Of A Place Called Home By My Sister And Brother In Law
SM took me for breakfast at this little bakery near Dataran Prima. I had french toast with mushroom and cheese, 2 half-boiled eggs and coffee and SM had cinnamon french toast and coffee. All for RM20. SM was quite thrilled to find such a quaint little bakery in KL albeit modern, and started talking to Chui Ping who was one of the proprietors of the shop. It would appear this young lady actually runs two businesses; one would be the bakery selling breads and pastries and light meals. One would be selling cakes! So she would be quite entrepreneurial and passionate about her trade I would assume. SM got her contact details and they promised to write.....
I think SM was quite interested to find out how a bakery business would survive in KL. SM is a good cook but not a business woman. Talking to this young lady would give her ideas about running a bakery business. Not that I wish she would open a bakery business in KL because that would mean having to live in KL! They talked shop about baking and pastry and I sneaked out to look around and found this car wash place in a shop lot next door. I had the car washed and vacuumed for only RM10 in no time and I wondered how the proprietor, a young man who was obviously educated, would pay for his business as I think the shop rental would be at least RM3000 a month! What about other costs like labour, utilities and his salary?? I am still baffled today and I think this young man has guts. Maybe he has no other choices, maybe he is smarter and gustier than many and he is actually raking in tons of money. Either way I wish him success.
We had nothing else pressing for the rest of the day and we lazed around at the condo until Mitch and partner came to pick us up for dinner to Leong Ya Yong Tau Foo @ Belakong.
Mitch and partner sent us to the LCCT for our flight after an uneventful dinner. The flight departure time was to be 00:50 in the morning and soon we were settled in on our flight home. I look forward to going home and have felt this way for a number of days. I think it's very natural that after being away for so many weeks that I want to see what our house is like. Especially because Melbourne has been buffeted with high temperature, forest fires, no rain; in recent days. I am sure we will have to do some work when we get home to get it back up to tip top condition!
The Airbus touched down at 11:25 Melbourne time or 08:25 KL time on Wednesday March 4. We managed to get through Customs and Immigration. There was no problem getting our dried shrimps and dried Ikan Bilis (we declared them as dried Anchovies or else the Aussies would be confused!) through as we do each trip.....
So much for a long 5-week tour of Asia. I planned to meet old friends and relatives and spent time with ones that we do not meet often enough. I think I achieved that goal and I am satisfied. Overall we did have a holiday and we did renew friendships with many people. I believe the older one gets the more one reminiscent about the past. SM also set out to touch base with her friends and relatives and she also was able to fulfill that wish. As in keeping with her trips to Asia she would feel quite depressed for a while after returning to Melbourne as she would miss the familiarity of her Mom and Dad and friends.
Next year we plan to be in KL, Chiang Mai and Bangkok (with Kee Mun and Kim). Maybe even a few days in parts of China, this we are not sure. Whatever comes our way I hope we make the best of our days. I hope we see a better Asia next year. I hope all who do their best get to enjoy the fruit of their labour .....
We decided to have lunch @ Little Penang Cafe on The Street. As if on cue, all of us ordered Char Kuay Teow. NSK said she had curry mee recently and felt like CKT. I was already having my lime juice when they walked in to the restaurant. NSK wanted kopi, her first cup for the day, she said. WY ordered syrup or Bandung the waiter commented. I wondered how one could drink syrup for lunch but she did!
We caught up on old times. There were too many details to record, basically. and so I would only stick to the brief. WY was very reminiscent of our past. She knew my younger sister very well and missed her a great deal I could tell. WY travel extensively and we had a common understanding as I was a travelling executive in my previous life. I could sympathize with her plight. NSK was nice, very lady-like as she always presented. Somewhat guarded person. I am sure I knew her personality when she was a 14 year old girl .....
We had a cup of coffee after lunch at a nearby cafe that served Lavazza. WY said she hardly drank coffee because she often times would "float" after drinking coffee. I took it as she would feel giddy. I ordered her a normal latte and she seemed to enjoy it. NSK seemed like a coffee connoisseur. We talked a bit about their kids and their family lives around the fringes. Soon I had to make my tracks to pick up SM and so I bid them farewell. I think as far as a long lost friendship and a reunion meeting went that was as good as expected. WY was very much the same expressive person I knew and NSK was as much the quieter and reserved type of person that I knew. Why am I not surprised? What about you LLH?
Tuesday March 3 I sent SM to Taman Megah SS24 to look for "Bake With Yen " as she wanted to buy some baking supplies from that shop. We found the shop which was located adjacent to Fatty Crabs. SM was very excited because the products available in the shop were suitable and they were at very reasonable prices compared to the ones in Oz. We also drove past sister Irene and Lee's old house at 44 Jalan SS 24/2. It was their house for a number of years when they lived in Malaysia. Their 2 kids grew up in that house and it was also the last home they had before emigrating to Oz. I stayed with them for a few months when I had my first job in KL.....
Memories Of A Place Called Home By My Sister And Brother In LawSM took me for breakfast at this little bakery near Dataran Prima. I had french toast with mushroom and cheese, 2 half-boiled eggs and coffee and SM had cinnamon french toast and coffee. All for RM20. SM was quite thrilled to find such a quaint little bakery in KL albeit modern, and started talking to Chui Ping who was one of the proprietors of the shop. It would appear this young lady actually runs two businesses; one would be the bakery selling breads and pastries and light meals. One would be selling cakes! So she would be quite entrepreneurial and passionate about her trade I would assume. SM got her contact details and they promised to write.....
I think SM was quite interested to find out how a bakery business would survive in KL. SM is a good cook but not a business woman. Talking to this young lady would give her ideas about running a bakery business. Not that I wish she would open a bakery business in KL because that would mean having to live in KL! They talked shop about baking and pastry and I sneaked out to look around and found this car wash place in a shop lot next door. I had the car washed and vacuumed for only RM10 in no time and I wondered how the proprietor, a young man who was obviously educated, would pay for his business as I think the shop rental would be at least RM3000 a month! What about other costs like labour, utilities and his salary?? I am still baffled today and I think this young man has guts. Maybe he has no other choices, maybe he is smarter and gustier than many and he is actually raking in tons of money. Either way I wish him success.
We had nothing else pressing for the rest of the day and we lazed around at the condo until Mitch and partner came to pick us up for dinner to Leong Ya Yong Tau Foo @ Belakong.
Mitch and partner sent us to the LCCT for our flight after an uneventful dinner. The flight departure time was to be 00:50 in the morning and soon we were settled in on our flight home. I look forward to going home and have felt this way for a number of days. I think it's very natural that after being away for so many weeks that I want to see what our house is like. Especially because Melbourne has been buffeted with high temperature, forest fires, no rain; in recent days. I am sure we will have to do some work when we get home to get it back up to tip top condition!
The Airbus touched down at 11:25 Melbourne time or 08:25 KL time on Wednesday March 4. We managed to get through Customs and Immigration. There was no problem getting our dried shrimps and dried Ikan Bilis (we declared them as dried Anchovies or else the Aussies would be confused!) through as we do each trip.....
So much for a long 5-week tour of Asia. I planned to meet old friends and relatives and spent time with ones that we do not meet often enough. I think I achieved that goal and I am satisfied. Overall we did have a holiday and we did renew friendships with many people. I believe the older one gets the more one reminiscent about the past. SM also set out to touch base with her friends and relatives and she also was able to fulfill that wish. As in keeping with her trips to Asia she would feel quite depressed for a while after returning to Melbourne as she would miss the familiarity of her Mom and Dad and friends.
Next year we plan to be in KL, Chiang Mai and Bangkok (with Kee Mun and Kim). Maybe even a few days in parts of China, this we are not sure. Whatever comes our way I hope we make the best of our days. I hope we see a better Asia next year. I hope all who do their best get to enjoy the fruit of their labour .....
No comments:
Post a Comment