| |
Today's newspapers reports a Malaysian has gone missing while hiking in NZ. When I learned about the sad and shocking news, I couldn’t help but feel thankful. Several occasions, hubby and I agreed the self-guided hikes we took seem life threatening (imagine walking on snow cliffs in the middle of nowhere all alone) and when weather conspired against us with strong wind and rain, we shivered in cold.
The missing Malaysian, Kok Wong, 32 was last seen at Aoraki Mt Cook Village. We stayed at the same hostel as him. We probably took the same hiking trail. In fact, we did our hike 3 weeks before Kok Wong did, much closer to winter season when temperatures are generally colder.
Thinking back, we're lucky to have escaped the many risks we took. We walked beyond warning signs of potential avalanche and never gave up regardless of fog or rain. While it sounds like a macho act of endurance and determination, we underestimated the danger of hypothermia.
Luckily, we didn’t hike alone. Hubby and I stuck together. For full news coverage, read here.
May 21, 2009
While WH’s bestman Eu Chieh handled outspoken task such as wedding toast, my maid of honor Mel was the creative mastermind behind the little details of my reception dinner from table numbers to mini book to the first experience wedding photo cards – all individually hand-made on her own!!! Creating Moments Mini Book - Mel's wedding gift to me & WH. 
Our dating milestone starting from 2000 
and our story continues from 2003 to 2006, 
all the way to 2009 before we got married. 
On the other side of the mini book, Mel wrote us a personal message. Beautiful words indeed. 
Without Mel's help and moral support, I could have turned into a bridezilla no kidding. Not once did Mel say no to my requests or disappoint me of any kind. It certainly helps to have such an accommodating maid of honour cos she certainly does relieve me from wedding stress. Mel also helped me with the wedding song review and she’s soooo resourceful when it comes to MP3 love songs. On my wedding day, Mel arrived Kuang Yee right on time, wearing a beautiful white cheongsam top (which matches my white gown) and a long red dress (which matches my red kwa later that day). I bet that girl had it all planned out, and you should have seen the hair she pinned up – professionally well-done! Along with my chimuis, Melissa assisted me when I changed from white gown to kwa and ensured my lipstick was not too pale so I look my best. While the chimuis had fun playing games with the hengtais, Mel accompanied me in my room until sang keng erm Aunty Lai shooed her out for the veil-wearing ceremony (apparently it is bad luck for single girls to watch the bride wear a veil). The girls flipping through Mel's other scrapbook on me & WH. 
It is the little things Mel did which touched my heart i.e. coming to my wedding prepared with oil blotter, lipstick and staying on with me until the very end of my wedding. There is no one more deserving than Mel to catch my wedding bouquet. I hope she meets her Mr. Right soon. Mel is smart, musically talented, and artistic with proper family upbringing. So eligible single guys out there, Mel is undeniable a single eligible precious gem I promise you. If interested, let me know ;) but if you hurt her in any way, I will hunt you down! Mel, I love you so much!!!
May 20, 2009
Here’s a sneak preview of K-van’s photos captured on my wedding day. This is such a teaser huh? I can’t wait to see the rest. Hopefully the other photos are as great as this one. 
A postcard of me beneath the veil
February 27, 2009
I finally received photos of WH’s 2009 valentines. Thanks to Vopak, WH sure knows how to celebrate his final days of singlehood! ;) Photo was taken on February 14th with the Nikon SLR I bought WH. If you don't know me well enough, sarcasm sure runs in my veins. :) 
One bloody lucky man with four bunny girls & an open minded fiancee.
February 10, 2009 Fine, I admit I haven’t been blogging and I have a long list of blog backlog to satisfy. The next few blog entries are delinquent, but rest assured, they will be delivered following event chronology. What am I jabbering about? Using supply chain jargons on my pre-wedding blog??? I must be crazy. Anyways, moving on to more serious stuff… my search for bridal studio! Due to practicality reasons, I wanted to rent my bridal gown instead of getting it made-t0-measure. But I was told rentals don’t come cheap unless you sign up a pre-wedding photo shoot package. So we decided to go with the flow and sign up pre-wedding photo packages. Based on own experience and my friends’ recommendations (just to make things crystal clear, this will be my FIRST marriage. Previous experiences with bridal studios were family photo portraits), I shortlisted four Penang bridal houses – Shalom, Paisano, Aspial and Kuang Yee; each with own pros and cons. Shalom – http://www.shalombridal.com Paisano – http://www.paisano-bridal.com/paisano.htm Aspial – do they have a website? Kuang Yee – http://www.kuangyee.com.my Paisano offers elegant gowns but their collection is limited. Shalom is highly sought after for their photography skill which unfortunately comes with a premium. Aspial has huge collection of beautiful gowns but their packages tend to get expensive. As for Kuang Yee, I thought it would be worth checking it out since Dennis & Jasmine had their pre-wedding photos taken there. It was the sixth day of CNY and I expect most bridal studios to be open. I phoned the four bridal studios. To my surprise, only Shalom and Kuang Yee were opened. Did Paisano and Aspial earn way too much money last year that a few days shutdown is insignificant to their income??? So anyways, mom, Dennis, Jasmine and I set out to check out Shalom and Kuang Yee. My requirements were simple – a gorgeous gown for my wedding day and beautiful pre-wedding photos. Mom says I’m being impossible. I’d like to think I know what I want hehe. Our first stop was Shalom. I have very high regards for Shalom’s photographer, CK. He takes really nice photos – very natural and candid (I’ll post my family photos in another blog). We were served by one of the female sales person. I suppose she co-owns the business, otherwise how would she afford a Rolex? Anyways, the bossy lady boss showed us a few bridal photo album, rushed us through the bridal package and showed us their gown collection just because we requested to have a peep. Mom asked about the evening gowns and extra charges for family photos. She pretended not to hear and totally ignored us. I was so disappointed! Shalom was my first choice of bridal house but sorry CK, I simply can’t accept lousy customer service. I left Shalom heavy heartedly. A drive along Kelawai Road and a left turn to Gottlieb Road later, we arrived at Kuang Yee. It wasn’t my first time in Kuang Yee. I’ve been there once to have my makeup + hairdo done for my brother’s wedding dinner. The whole place has been renovated and I could hardly recognize the bridal house layout! As we approached the counter, we were greeted by their pleasant sales girls and thank our lucky stars, Kuang Yee’s sexy tau keh soh was in office (it helps to have her around cos she’s the decision maker). Most of Kuang Yee employees remember Dennis & Jasmine and to our surprise, we bumped into Mandy & her husband who were there to review their pre-wedding album design layout. After browsing through a few digital photo albums, I was attended by supervisor Peggy – friendly and accommodating. I didn’t plan to sign up any bridal package until I talked to Weng Hoe. But everything felt right. Kuang Yee met my criteria. The gown (they upgraded my gowns yay!!!), the photographer (they promised me fresh talent) and the best part of all, they tailored the whole package to my needs within my budget! And not to mention, I was treated like a customer as opposed to Shalom. What did the title tell you? Customer service sells!!! How true can that be??? It works on me and we sealed the deal. Later that evening, I updated Weng Hoe our bridal package. WH: How many poses did your brother previously signed up for? Karen: 60 poses WH: How many poses do we have again? Karen: 40 poses. WH: I want 60 poses. Karen: Eh, and you expect that within the allocated budget? WH: Pay more la. Karen: I guess it doesn’t pay to be a frugal bride. Bah! I am glad the bridal studio search is O-V-E-R! Choosing pre-wedding gowns next...
Day 11 - 10/10/08 We touched down Bahrain in the afternoon. Dinner was really good (Bahrain cooking is nearer to Malaysian taste). Over dinner with Subra & his wife, we learned that their son Shane was one year my junior in UTM. What a small world! After dinner, Weng Hoe and I walked to the supermarket nearby to replenish our water supply. Also went to Hard Rock Café, thought we could grab a few t-shirts for ourselves and family members. We found out it was more worth while if we made our purchases with Bahrain Dinar instead of U.S. Dollars. So we walked around the vicinity in search of a money changer; a trip worth making. J Once we were done shopping, we headed back to our hotel. Time for bed, thankfully no indication of bed bugs!
The next morning and afternoon was free & easy. Most of our tour members hired cabs to sight see the place. Weng Hoe and I decided to walk all the way to the financial district. We easily covered 5-6KM on foot under scorching sun. Weng Hoe seem to have more enthusiasm than I did, insisting we take the longer route. I was tired. I wanted to get back to the hotel, the sooner the better. We visited several mosques, malls (most shops were closed because it was Friday), the financial district and Little India. Many Indians migrated to Bahrain to work in construction field or F&B businesses. The Indians sure know how to seize opportunities abroad, reminding me ‘Who Moved My Cheese?’ 
The economy, the people, the religion. Back in the hotel, I realized I was two tones darker and my body was covered with layers of dust, parts and parcel of a desert I suppose. Pigged at lunch, took a long shower and napped for a while before waking up to discover an interesting non-fiction book on Bahrain in the dressing table drawer. Read a bit while WH enjoyed the uncensored MTV videos (who said Middle East was conservative?) and before we knew it, it was time to say goodbye!
Part 12 of 12
Day 10 - 10/09/08 Sob... Sob... Today is our last day in Egypt and it was free & easy. Our hotel was close to Giza pyramids but far away from Cairo action. So Weng Hoe and I put away our hyperactive character and enjoyed the morning in a relaxing manner; waking up late and reading newspapers over breakfast. Newspaper headlines came as a big shock to me! The papers reported a building in Alexandria tumbling down same time we were in Alexandria, bringing twelve fatalities and many casualties. Thank goodness we were safe. I wasn’t sure if my parents got worried so I messaged my brother assuring them, we were safe & sound and will be on our way to the airport soon.
Besides the building collapse headlines, we were surprised to learn that Cairo METRO was down, causing traffic chaos and many people failing to flag down cabs. Once again, we were thankful. I am glad we decided not to stay back in Khan Al Khalili shopping while the rest of the tour went back to the hotel. Should we have taken the shopping spree option, it would have been impossible to cab back to the hotel! Oh well, everything couldn’t have been any better. Deep down my heart, I was thankful the entire trip went smoothly. Weng Hoe and I weren’t mugged. We weren’t cheated or maybe we did since we weren’t that good in bargaining. Most importantly, neither were we kidnapped for ransom nor did we fall sick due to heatstroke. Thank God for all that. 
Cairo's poorer neighbourhood + black-and-white cabs - luggage goes on top :) We checked out the hotel and waited for our airport transfer. As I made notes on my travel expenses, tour representative Tony shouted ‘Yalla Yalla’ meaning ‘hurry up let’s go.’ It was probably the last time I was going to hear that Arabic phrase. From that moment on, I knew I have fallen in love with Egypt – their history and the friendly people. Truth be told, I won’t be missing the verbal harassments and long-winded haggling though. ;) We hopped on the bus for one last time and sat on our usual seats. The bus took us to the airport, bypassing suburb of the city of Cairo Heliopolis neighborhood. Arrived at the airport on time, checked-in our bags and the next thing I knew, we were on our flight to Bahrain.
Part 11 of 12.
Day 9 - 10/08/08 Weng Hoe and I woke up after the second or third snooze of the alarm clock. We wanted to stay in bed but realized it was our only opportunity to soak in the sun at the beach by the Mediterranean Sea. So we washed up, went for a quick breakfast and went straight to the beach. Protected with ample amount of sun block, I slept on the deck chair while WH walked down the beach, snapping pictures of the ocean and seagull.
Basking in the sun by Mediterranean Sea – if this is not bliss, what’s bliss? ;-) We cut short our morning at the beach and explored the hotel vicinity. We walked to the bridge nearby the hotel. Aside from a few old men fishing from the bridge, there was nothing interesting. So we walked back to our hotel room, showered, watched TV and packed up. Our bus left Alexandria at 10am, heading back to Cairo. Our first stop was Citadel of Salah El-din. Security was tighter here compared to the other places of interest and photography was strictly prohibited at the security area. After going through the metal detectors, we walked up the slope and saw the mighty big Alabaster Mosque of Muhammad Ali standing at the highest point of the Citidel city. The mosque exterior is light brown in colour, and inside the mosque courtyard lays the broken clock given by the the French (Napolean) and a place for Muslims to wash their hands and legs before entering the mosque. Conservative clothing is required inside the mosque, otherwise you would need to wear those smelly green colour batman-looking robes.
 
The majestic Muhammad Ali Mosque The mosque is fully carpeted and decorated with hanging oil lamps which have now been improvised with electric lamps. The four domes and four semi-domes inside the mosque were beautiful painted with geometries and Arabic language, using base dark green base colour symbolizing peace, unity and faith. From the mosque entrance on the right, you will find the tomb of Mohammed Ali. You won’t exactly see the tomb, as doors have been built to close up the tomb. And if time permits, hug the mosque pillar – as cold as ice, confirming alabaster to be excellent heat dissipater. Fine, I exaggerated but trust me it’s nice and cold.
We got back to the bus and went for lunch on a boat parked by Nile River. The restaurant environment compensated the food quality and from the corner of my eye during lunch, I spotted an ibis! J Ibis is a sacred animal in ancient Egypt and regarded as God of Knowledge. What a pity I didn’t have my camera ready that time!
Cairo's biggest market - Khan Al Khalili Souq After lunch, we headed to Khan Al Khalili Souq, a place Safwat believes to be a tourist trap. Most of the merchandizes here are made in China. The souq was exceptionally crowded with tourists. The shops sell brass, copper, papyrus art, Egyptian cotton, jewelry, traditional attire, blown perfume glasses and sheesha pipes. You can find everything here except books, the most important item on my shopping list. L After bargain shopping for more magnets, key chains, t-shirts and tie pins, Weng Hoe and I explored the Klan Al Khalili maze. We got lost as we were caught up admiring the local market selling clothes and food, as well as the hidden mosques nestled inside the souq. I panicked for a spilt second and made a few wrong turns. Thankfully Weng Hoe retrieved our steps and found the way back to the meeting point. Laden with our purchases, we hopped back on the bus and headed back to our hotel. As soon as we left our bags in our rooms, Weng Hoe and I set on foot exploring the hotel vicinity in search of Egypt books. We were leaving Egypt the next day and I was worried I would be going home empty handed. We found a one-pound souvenir shop at the corner of our hotel and hallelujah, God answered my prayers! I spotted the book I was looking for, wrapped in plastic and partially hidden at the bottom shelves. I was happy and the best part of all, the shop owner (a retired teacher) offered me a discount! J In addition to the book, WH and I picked up a few more souvenir mugs and plates and more key chains. We wiped off all our Egyptian pounds and used some of our spare US dollars. We bought lots of stuff, so the shop owner gave us a souvenir papyrus bookmark each.
The tour operator brought us to a Chinese restaurant for dinner. The restaurant setting resembles typical Chinese restaurant. Although the interior was painted with red and decorated with paintings of hills and cranes, the food did not live up to its theme! The food was not similar to Chinese cooking, and the root cause? The chef did not use garlic! It’s amazing how an ingredient can make or break a dish. We got back to the hotel around 10pm. Thanks to our lady luck, we had the opportunity to witness another Egyptian wedding reception. The bride and groom were making an entrance to the hotel banquet, walking through a zaffa which carried out with loud singing and enthusiastic dancing as festive music continue to play on the background. As the bride and groom scaled up the hotel stairs, Weng Hoe and I took the elevator to get first class view. J The bride and groom danced with the zaffa which comprises of family, relatives and friends attending the wedding banquet. We stayed on to watch the entire zaffa process until the newly weds entered the wedding hall. The zaffa took at least thirty minutes; much longer, louder and traditional than the one we watched in Alexandria. 
Crashing in someone's Zaffa ceremony... ;-) Another day passed just like that. When you’re having fun visiting new places, learning new cultures and shopping till you drop, time flies. Spent the rest of the night packing – we sure bought plenty of souvenir; hopefully our bags have space to spare. Good night in Egyptian Arabic - Tisbah ‘ala kher!
Part 10 of 12
Day 8 - 10/07/08  Save the best for last. Known as Pearl of the Mediterranean, Alexandria is a popular holiday destinations in Egypt. According to Safwat, Alexandria has a population of 8 million people and the numbers would swell to 15 million people during summer. Our first stop was Pompey’s Pillar which turned out to be a huge disappointment – there’s a pillar and two sphinxes on each side of the pillar. Beneath the pillar is a library, empty today and lit up with yellow lights for curious tourists who wish to explore the pebble-floor library. The site also displayed broken pieces of wall carvings and scarab granites.
 Next stop was the Roman Amphitheater, a social place which theater plays and public baths used to take place. The amphitheater displayed monuments found on the seabed of Mediterranean Sea. Not only was I unimpressed, I was lazy to listen to Safwat’s introductory speech of the places we visited today. My mind wandered away admiring the place without the ‘uuhhh’, ‘ahhhh’, ‘wow’ expressions. In a way, I am glad the tour operator put Alexandria towards the end of the trip otherwise I would have missed out the history lessons of important Egypt landmarks.
After visiting the amphitheater, the bus driver took us through the narrow streets of Alexandria. I was surprised car owners here park by the roadside and leave their handbrakes down, just in case their car needs to be moved to allow bigger vehicles pass by. Such road ethic is certainly unique in Egypt and I suppose that explains the reason I haven’t seen cars without scratches. The traffic worsened as we got nearer to the seashore. It was the first day of school/work after the long Aidilfitri holiday and traffic somehow got out of control. Even Safwat claimed he was surprised by the abnormal traffic. So we got off the bus and took a short ten minutes walk to Atheneos Restaurant for lunch. Oh finally, I am breathing the Mediterranean sea breeze. Refreshing! J Random photos of Alexandria buildings, taken from the bus. 
Massive jam by the Mediterranean shore, photos taken during the walk to Atheneos  
We were served grilled fish and deep fried calamari for lunch, our very first seafood dish throughout the tour. My seat by the window offered sights of locals walking along the pedestrian walkway and vehicles squeezing their way through to escape the massive jam and from a distance, I could see Fort Qaitbay. After lunch, we checked in Mediterranean Azure Hotel at PO Box 247, Corneish Road; www.azuregypt.com . The hotel was brand new and exceeded everyone’s expectations. According to the frequent travelers in my tour group, travel operators usually arrange the BEST accommodation and food towards the end of the trip, so you will go home remembering your last moments of the trip (recent effect). What a smart way to fish for more tips! J Fort Qaitbay, believed to be the location of The Pharaohs Lighthouse of Alexandria (300BC), one of the seven wonders of the ancient world 
Enjoying sea breeze from our room balcony. 
We gathered at the hotel lobby at 8pm to visit King Farouk’s Palace, 10 minutes drive from the hotel. If my memory serves me right, the King was a playboy and built the palace for his mistresses. Dinner came next and was ala carte. J I chose fish fillet as my main while WH opted the beef kebab. Both were well done. Upon returning to the hotel, we witnessed an Egyptian wedding themed Love Actually (weddings in Egypt start 10pm). Enjoyed the boisterous wedding music (drums and trumpet), snapped a few photos and returned to our rooms to maximize our stay in the beautiful sea-facing hotel room. Lights off for now! Egyptian wedding of Amy and Ameed 
Part 9 of 12
Built by many generations of Pharaohs near a lake surrounded with palm trees, the principle elements of Karnak Temple include pylons, obelisks, colossal statues, hypostyle halls, shrines, and avenue of ram sphinxes all the way to Luxor Temple! Sections of the hypostyle roofs still have paint on it. Pharaohs including Ramses II and Tutankhamun left their marks here at Karnak, erecting temple architecture nearby existing ones. Queen Nerfetiti also built temples here, but was later demolished because she’s a female pharaoh and apparently followed a different God cult.
|
|
