Christmas In Ipoh! >.<

Merry Christmas, everybody! (There are 12 days of Christmas, my dear.)

Ahhhhhhh... It was on! Christmas was going to be held in Ipoh. And considering I have never been to Ipoh, the anticipation was a whole lot more consuming. So we were scheduled to departure from the house at 0730 but (biasalarr, most Malaysians where got leave on time? Heck, even movies in Malaysian cineplexes don’t start on time!) Heh, so we finally left the house at about 0750. Since it was Christmas and still rather ‘early’, there weren’t many vehicles on the road so we reached grandma and grandpa’s place in good time. Initially we were suppose to have breakfast in Ipoh but then bearing in mind that the journey there would take roughly ‘bout two hours, daddy decided we had something to eat first. (As alas perut, not meant to eat full full.) We headed off to Bangsar for Pan Mee and pork noodles.

At about 9-ish we took off for Ipoh. Hahahaa… traveling north is a bit of a change for me cause I usually only travel southwards. And this was practically what I saw (mostly), hehehe: trees, trees, ooo big tree… more trees. Ooo look, some kampung houses. Some cows grazing on grass. Oh and I saw a truck loaded with (pink) piggies!! So cute weii but felt sad at the same time ‘cause we all know where these cubby li’l mud-lovers are going! Yikes! Oooooooh and I forgot to mention how common it is for one to see Limestone Mountains on the way to Ipoh and in many parts of Ipoh as well. Some are HUGE while others are normally-sized. Here’s one I managed to catch on camera:

Didn’t sleep much on the way there ‘cause excited marr. =P

Okay… Fast forwarding >>> Fast forwarding some more >>>

Finally, we reached Ipoh! Wheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeh! Met up with Uncle Fish and his family and we went for some good Ipoh food. Although it was only a two hour ride or so, we were famished. They decided to bring us to Ipoh Old Town! (And darn the real thing is so much better than all them adaptations and franchises in KL.) I had the authentic Ipoh Kai See Hor Fun with fresh tauge, some Popiah and the (fuyoh must try) Rojak! Food was goooooood! (But… the guy who served my cousins and me our drinks was better! >,< style="">red clogs totally potong stim laaa… but he was hot nonetheless.)

Moving on! Haha… Okay, so Auntie Val insisted that we try this one particular kopitiam’s koh-pi. We went to Kedai Kopi Sun Yin Loong to sip (non-ridiculously priced) coffee. And whoa, their kopi peng can compete with Starbucks or whatever-bucks on any given Sunday mann! And this is coming from a non-coffee lover! Here’s proof: So after lunch, the adults decided to visit Kong Kong’s late uncle’s house and my late great granduncle’s children and at the same time, they have also decided to put Bonnie, Amanda and I in Jusco, Kinta City. (Apparently the hot spot for teens in Ipoh.) The high of my visit there: I managed to spent some quality time with my cousins and I got myself a new pair of shoes!! Whooooooooh! *Ru went home smiling*

So after everything, we went home for some yummy soup (which was tender-lovingly boiled by Auntie Valerie) and some much-anticipated Secret Recipe’s Moist Chocolate Cake! Then after much persuasion by Kevin-boy, we played Junior Monopoly with him. Hehehehe… It was so fun! The rules ain’t complicated. The board is cutely-small and user-friendly, the cheapest property is $1 and the most expensive property is $5! Very easy to gain rental money from other players but even easier to lose all yer money to those who collects these rentals! Sheeeesh!

Mm hmmm… and you know how they always say, “Time passes fast when you’re having fun.” Well, it’s true ‘cause it did. Shortly after that, it was about 1840 and we were told to freshen up as we are leaving for dinner at 1900.

We ate dinner at this restaurant where they specialize in claypot rice (chicken).

And Shan and I were recommended by Auntie Val to try a drink (a very popular drink in Ipoh, mind ju) called sa lei. It’s also known as Great Hog Plum or Ambarella. If you still aren’t sure what I’m talking about, then maybe you have heard of or are more familiar with the fruit called buah kedondong.

(Btw, I found out that: Menurut kepercayaan masyarakat setempat, buah kedondong sedap dimakan, tidak sesuai untuk wanita hamil kerana tumbesaran bayi akan terbantut, TETAPI tidak terdapat bukti saintifik mengenai hal ini.) ...And this was what I had:

It's sourer than it is sweet. The color puts many people off. It’s got an ‘unripe banana’ aftertaste. It’s high in Vitamin C and can be a bit unpleasant to some but I like it! Dinner was delectable and laughing and reminiscing about our childhood throughout dinner with Shan, Bon and Manda was icing on the cake.

We hug hug each other then departed for KL. Shortly after we passed the toll, I snoozed off. But I woke up (much later) when I heard my grandfather's voice saying something about a possibility of an accident. Then dad, mom and grandma started talking too about all the possible reasons for the jam... ALONG THE HIGHWAY! (Yup, a highway jam.)

The ride home felt so loooooooooooong. Plus, my iPod Shuffle—battery kong!

It was fun larr basically. An eventful and tiring day but we had a blast celebrating Christmas in Ipoh. It was my first time there and probably will not be my last!

Here's to a jolly season—Cheers!

I Still Love Him Dearly But Where Has My Gung-ho-ness For Church Gone?

As much as I dislike asking myself this question, “Not going to church this weekend arr?”, I ask it anyway. And it’s not because this question has hit me numerous times in the face but mainly because I don’t (really) have a decent answer for it.

Thing is... I was attending Youth and going to church regularly at one point of my life... but then, something happened and suddenly I realized that church was no longer a part of my weekends. And every time I urge myself, “You’ll make a point to go back to church this weekend, ‘kay?” …When the weekend comes, I just… don’t.

I’m not saying I have completely disconnected myself from Him, ‘cause I haven’t, and probably never will. I still have Him in my life and in my heart, we talk, I say my prayers, I say grace before I eat and stuff liddat, y’know, it’s just that I don’t attend church anymore. So is that like a ‘bad thing’? I mean like, (if it ain’t ‘bad’ or sinful even) then how is it that I personally know (spirited-churchy) people who have stopped talking to me just because I have not been attending church and cell?

Plus, it’s not like I’m dodging church on purpose. I like church, I like getting hyped ‘bout Him and whatnot but I have no freaking idea why I have yet to step foot into church this year. Believe it or not, I haven’t been to church this whole year! I know!! >.<

“A whole freaking year, Ru?”
“Yup!” *lip biting*
[Awkward silence.]

Argh… Have you ever been in a situation where although you are in a room crowded with people (be it strangers and or acquaintances), you somehow STILL feel lonely and a li'l 'lost' even? I mean, you can be like literally standing in (more like with) a group of people and yet still feel somewhat lonesome. And as you take a glance across the room, everyone just seem so 'at home' and like they understand what's going on but there you are, feeling so forlornly alone and stumped (as if like you are the only one who feels that way) and somehow, in some strange way, you just can’t tell anyone in that room how you really feel.
Well, THAT’S how I feel, more often than not, when I’m in church. (Mind ju, this applies to both the churches I’ve attended ever since I’ve moved to KL.)

Guess that’s probably why I don’t mind NOT going to church sometimes. Call that a poor reason for not being there… Idc.

I stumbled upon this quote and it caught my attention:
“Perhaps you ask: “What if it is not possible for me to attend Church?” Well, why can’t you attend? Is it because of sports, irregular work, sickness, or is it due to laziness, a lack of desire or what people might think or say? Perhaps you have been disappointed by people. Such things happen far too often, but these are not valid reasons for failing to seek and find a true Church and worship the Lord! If a doctor disappointed you, you do not give up going to doctors. Seek and ye shall find!”

It’s strange lorr how I use to have an overwhelming gung-ho-ness for such things, many things in my live back when I was younger… but as I grow older, I slowly discover that I have lost interest in oh so many things, most of which I once had great passion for.

So, is it or is it not a sin if one doesn’t attend church?

I know it’s healthy to attend church and we are strongly encouraged to do so as attending church is an expression of our love for Him and it builds up our spiritual strength. On top of that it provides fellowship with other Christians and is like an act of obedience to God.

Then again, must we be in church to praise, thank and worship Him? Why can’t one just do it from wherever we are? They often say; “He is everywhere.” …There you go. IF He is everywhere, then why must one be IN church just so one can have fellowship with Jesus Christ and have his/her prayers answered?

Nonetheless, I’m still working on it. Come 2008, I’mma gonna try and make it work (somehow).

LRT Seats...

...offending for middle age people to be offered one?

Okay, so I was in the LRT the other day and I was timely enough to be given a seat on the train. But just as my buttocks were warming up the seat the train arrived at the following station and wahh so many people started rushing in! And the next thing you know you’re scanning around for a ‘perfect candidate’ to kindly give your seat to. So after a quick scan around the LRT… “Oh, no popo, kongkong, preggy lady or disabled person in sight… O-kay…”

Then tiba at the next station liao, I notice larr that there was this lady standing somewhere near me (okay honestly she did look a li’l haggard to me larr ‘kay) and I was about to offer her my seat but then she didn’t seem that old lorr and like it’d be really offensive if I offered her my seat (when padahal she’s younger than some of the people standing near her) and like what if she throws a fit in the train accusing me of calling her old? Plus, I was still like 7 stations away from my stop. So I was like, “Okay larr Ru, leave her be larr… She’s a grown woman… She can hint for a seat if she ever needed one.”

So my bum was still plunked on the LRT seat but moments later my conscience started talking to me again… Imagine if she was really as old as she looked and no freaking body bothered to give her a seat and she’s like all spaghetti-legged now and I (the youngest person sitting in that row of seats) was ignoring the needs of an ‘elderly’ and needy person on board. Some more the “Utamakan warga emas, ibu mengandung, golongan kurang berupaya, etc.” sign was plastered big big behind me! Argh… [Seriously, something so small liddat was able to keep my mind occupied for a good half an hour! Hahaha…] Ohhhhh… and then just as I was about to ignore this matter… she stared into my eyes weii!! She just hadddd to do that larr… I was like, “Darn, why did she have to look at me liddat? And I could feel her eyes burn through my skin as if like, “Aiyoyoh… look at this heartless youngster… good for nothing. See a person like me also dowan get up!”

And then… “Bing Bong, Bing Bong” … the LRT doors open and it was my station!! Hahahaha… As I shoulder-grazed my way through the crowd, all I could think about was, “Sooo… is it offending ‘not, if a middle age person gets offered a seat in the LRT?” ‘Cause I watched this plastic surgery program once and there was a lady who decided to opt for plastic surgery when she was offered a seat in the train! Like damn! That was all it took mann… One younger person to offer her a seat in a public transport! Haiyoh, didn’t know a ride home in a train can be so “interesting”. Hah!

Oh my gawd! Ru, you blog ge mehh?

Mm hmmm... It hit me yesterday night in my sleep that blogging is going to be a part of my 'now' life. Back when I was in school, numerous people have urged me to start a blog but I always brush 'em off telling them that a blog is something which required time, attention and commitment and that with having to concentrate for SPM then, I just wasn't up for it. BUT NOW... SPM is no longer in my hair and I (seem to) have time to spend (even on unnecessary stuff), a whole lotta love and attention to give and can be like damn committed to this kinda stuff. Muahahahahahaaaa...

Just like some of you, before I started blogging, I viewed it as a time-waster and like, “Why? Why would anyone wanna tell the whole world about the little details and whatnots in their lives? …And who wants to read about them anyway?”

But then, I came to realize that blogging can be viewed and used for many other purposes besides using it as an online “diary” (kononnyer larr, cause like diaries are not meant to be read by anyone else besides the person writing in it, right?). O-kay… so, where was I? Oh right, so basically a blog is where people spit their (innermost) thoughts out; be it for the world to read, to gain popularity and attention, to be accepted socially and or just cause.

So jeah, I’ve decided to give blogging a shot… Bite me! *ru sticks tongue out*

“Cheers everybody… a toast to all you bloggers out there and also to mark the end of school uniforms (for us lepasan SPM folks)—whoooooooooooooooh!!”

**I’d like to dedicate this post to a dear friend of mine, Speedy, who unfortunately couldn’t share the excitement with me (today) on posting my first post.