Getting ready for an event

Getting ready for an important event is not easy. I thought about the theme of the function; what to wear; what sort of make-up I should use-colourful and sparkling, muted, cool and mysterious; how important is the event; what are the people I will meet - should I make an impression or just melt into the crowd and become a "wallpaper"; the budget I can afford for the event, etc.

Fun in car trip

A trip from Kuching to Sibu usually takes about six hours. To make the trip more enjoyable and not so boring, we took some photos with the newly bought handphone. We normally brought the dogs along for the ride as we don't really want to leave them at home as they are not "stranger friendly".

Felling trees in your backyard

I had three majestic trees that I planted beside my house along the road. Day by day, I watched them grow. They grew very fast. The faster they grew, the more I worry. In no time, they were taller than the telephone and electrical poles. Once the wind blew, you could see them sway majestically against the sky.

I had tried to get people to fell them and finally the day arrived. I was actually amazed at the small sized fellow who was more a monkey than a man. You can't imagine the skill. He did not use any protection and climbed with his bare hands and legs for support. Furthermore, the trees were full of big angry red ants!

The naked guy trying to look like an antelope is my naughty photographer. He's playing with the branch of one of the plants along the fence in the garden that got accidentally knocked off by the falling tree. The white flowers actually had a faint nice smell and in mandarin, it sounds like: ma ti siang. In order to get him to video the incident, I had to get a chair for him to sit down and pour chrysanthemum tea (with ice cubes direct from the fridge) to quench his thirst.

Suan Lum Bazaar, Bangkok

After shopping and haggling over prices, it was good to sit down for some dinner. A loud live concert was going on and there's a lot of stalls offering different varieties to choose from. I always have problems when there's too many choices. I get so greedy until I have no idea what to eat. The soft-shelled crab with the usual Thai sweet sauce tasted alright - they're fried so you can only taste the crispiness.

Coconut ice-cream in Chinatown, Bangkok

Coconut ice-cream: yum yum, really delicious!

Sweet, yet not too sweet. Cool and creamy, soft and melts in the mouth with every mouthful accompanied by crispy nut crunch - it's just heavenly!

Bird's nest and shark fin soup in Chinatown, Bangkok

Before I left for my holiday trip to Bangkok, I promised my husband I'll treat him to bird's nest and shark fin soup in Bangkok. Well, we tried both but the bird's nest was a bit on the sweet side so I'm not used to the taste. The shark fin soup is so nice - words are not enough to describe the taste. It's cooked in claypot and you can see it's the better quality by the whole piece of fish fin you find in the pot. It's cooked with a variety of mushrooms and balls of crab meat. Just imagine - big chunky pieces and big glassy needles of shark fin by the mouthful entering your mouth.

I ordered the lowest quality of bird's nest at 300 baht per bowl and second grade shark fin at 500 baht. Cheap and saliva dripping goodness!!!

Chinatown, Bangkok

Chinatown - this is indeed a busy place. Shoppers' and eaters' paradise. So much food that you wish you had another 2 or 3 stomachs. What a pity we only have one stomach each. A picture speaks a thousand words - here, a photo speaks a million words.

Elephant rides in Bangkok

After my floating market visit, the tour took us for elephant rides. It was an eye-opener. The elephants were well trained but I saw one elephant suffering from some sort of itchiness. If they did not behave, they were canned. Well, I suppose some beings had to suffer in exchange for the enjoyment of others. It was mid-day and I saw some of them bathing. I did not join in the elephant ride cos my husband was afraid of heights and he refused to climb on those huge beings.

An adult elephant had a small baby elephant tagging along, obviously undergoing training.