Wednesday 2 January 2013

What's New on New Year's Day ?

    2012 has gone by, and 2013 is here. And this is new. I stopped blogging on 17th December, 2010 and I am trying to write again, and this is new. It's a kind of awakening after a long slumber, a two year slumber to be exact.
    This morning I was in Melaka with my better half and eldest daughter, spending 3 nights and the long weekend. At last, after a month of renovation works, the house finally looks okay except for the curtain railings in my Mom's room and the flooring in my second daughter's room. Gemuk a.k.a. Mr Lai the contractor ( who is my cousin actually ) promised to finish all works ( even the pile of broken concrete, sand and cement in front of the house had disappeared ) by the end of the week. That was comforting to know, at least I won't be receiving calls from my wife ordering me to order Mr Lai to do this and do that ! I will get some  peace now. It was a good closure for 2012 at the home front. However, not to my delight, Gemuk said that the budget for all the works has escalated another RM13,000 ! That was the downside for 2012. I promised Mr Lai, I will settle it because he is a nice guy.
    After the usual goodbyes to my wife, mom and second daughter ( she was half asleep at mid-day due to her night duty at the hospital the previous night ), I got into the "tank" around 1pm and leisurely made my way to Kuala Lumpur to join the rat race again. I did some ( maybe a little ) spring cleaning of the KL apartment where I got the "slave" to sweep the floor and arranging ( piling is a better word ) some foodstuff into the fridge and ordered the eldest daughter to clear the cat's litter. That's that. And I called my second son             ( Wan ) to meet up for supper at NZ Restaurant around 9 pm so that I can give him some winter clothing for his upcoming trip to Korea ( I understand later that he and wife intend to ski....). NZ Restaurant is a mamak joint close to our rented condo which we occupied about 2 years ago. So, more or less my intention was also to visit the place after this while. I figured that this would give me an opportunity to see whether there are changes in that area, which is the other side of town from where I am currently having a bed space in Kelang Lama.
    Interestingly, Jalan Genting Kelang has transformed. The stretch of road along Genting Kelang is busy with people and cars. I can see restaurants and shops brightly lit up and neon lights and people lining the streets and crossing the road dangerously. It's insane to notice the number of vehicles being parked haphazardly. Just too many cars around. It was reported that Kuala Lumpur and the Federal Territory has some 5 million registered vehicles and in December 2012 alone, we have close to 32,000 new vehicles being registered.
   At NZ Restaurant, the soup I ordered looks like dish water, the noodles I ordered is too bland, the teh tarik was not "pulled" to the desired level. Even Wan, agreed to my remarks. No more NZ food for me, that's for sure.
                                                                        The Tank

                                                                       The Slave
                                                               Along Genting Kelang
                                                               Along Genting Kelang

  I hope that tomorrow at the office, things will be better. Happy New Year !
 

Friday 17 December 2010

Amsterdam

Cruising down the many canals in Amsterdam

A village across the lake

Windmill in a village

Zuidee Zea - the habour
One of the many canals in Amsterdam

Bicycles all over downtown Amsterdam

Outside Amsterdam Video - Amsterdam Travel Videos - Tripfilms

We visited Amsterdam after our stop in London. We saw the much talked about canals, museums and bicycles, bicycles and bicycles. Our guide said, the canals of Amsterdam are 18 feet deep on the average. It comprises of 4 feet of water, 6 feet of mud and 8 feet of bicycles ! But what gave me greatest pleasure were the country side and villages situated by the lakes and seaside towns. Tranquil and calm, and those trademark windmills were sights to behold. And the varieties of cheese, of course.

Wednesday 15 December 2010

Istanbul, Turkey Part 1



We spent 3 days in Istanbul after Eskisehir. As most tourists would do, we visited the mosques, churches, cruised the Bosphorus and the food were wonderful. Perhaps, the videos may help to get an insight of this wonderful country.......( I may do an injustice should I try to write on Istanbul and Turkey ! )