Adeline makes some interesting observation regarding her customers....
"The middle-class
I serve some really elderly customers. Some of them can't hear, some can barely see and some can barely move. They probably lived through WWII. Makes me wonder why they are out shopping all by themselves. They are very adorable.
Most of my customers are very obviously middle class (branded stuff, ability to afford good food) and some are obviously rich (there was a woman with 4 children and two kitchens who spent GBP 288 on groceries in one go). She was very friendly and kept saying she had to pack properly because it is confusing to have two kitchens. Who in the world has two kitchens in Britain? People can barely afford one kitchen! Definitely a rich woman.
The chavs
At night I sometimes get the lower classes or chavs as they are known. These are usually single mothers buying the Basics line (Basics is the cheapest line in Sainsburys).
You can tell the stark difference. They dress very differently, speak very differently and look very differently. The class divide is so so obvious in Britain.
The middle class women are usually tanned with dyed blonde hair, slimmer, and dress in well tailored clothing from high street brands.
The lower class women have badly cared for hair (usually spoiled by too much straightening, reheating, perming and dyeing), wear gym pants and sweat suits and have very coarse accents. Your accent says a ton about you in Britain. It is very important to have a good accent.
The Chinese Asian foreigners
As I am a foreigner, I am outside the class divide. Chinese Asian foreigners are usually considered rich (because you know, the Chinese are so enterprising).
They can come on a boat from Hong Kong with almost nothing in their pockets and within a few years, build a sizeable fortune out of running Chinese takeaways.
You will never find a chav Chinese in Britain. The Chinese have a very exclusive air about them and a very strong sense of community (very much like the London Jews). In a sense, the Chinese and the Jews are similar in Britain. Both are minorities, both are enterprising, and both are exclusive."
Friday, November 30, 2012
Differences between British girls & Asian girls
Adeline makes some observation about her British colleague....
"I have very nice colleagues and I usually work next to Becky. Becky is 19 and is really pretty. Usually white girls are tall, blonde, pale etc but Becky looks a little bit Asian by being petite (slightly taller than me) and having dark hair and delicate features. I usually think white girls aren't that attractive and I think it's down to the fact that their features are usually indelicate.They also age fast. Their skin is also not as nice and smooth as Asian skin. Asian girls age a lot better than white girls. But Becky has very nice skin, and lovely grey eyes. And her hair is a very dark brown but sometimes it looks auburn. So I think she's definitely one of the prettier white girls I've seen. I had a colleague in RR who was also very pretty. She had honey gold hair and green eyes that caught the light but her features weren't that delicate and nice.
Becky is working part time, like me, and she's studying English with hopes of becoming a speech therapist. I get to ride home in her boyfriend's car when I have the same shift as her. She doesn't charge me for it (white people usually will charge) so in this sense she is really nice. And she also laughs at everything.
Whenever I see a tanned,slim, mata sepet Asian girl with ebony black hair, she almost always looks way prettier than all the white girls around her. I think it's because she looks diffferent. Among pale skin, tanned Asian skin virtually glows golden. But in Malaysia, such skin would be considered dark and therefore unattractive. And I cannot emphasise enough how beautiful pure black hair is. It's so striking and eye catching. Normal white caucasian hair does not usually have such striking elements unless it is a really lovely golden blonde or beautiful fiery red. Otherwise, it just doesn't catch the eye.
But all the other white girls I have known usually look older than their years, tend towards being chubby, and don't look appealing at all. Maybe they can be called sexy cause they are voluptuous, but definitely not cute...."
Agree? Disagree?
Saturday, November 24, 2012
The iconic Golden Palm Tree Resort
Our first Groupon holiday deal! Well the only thing special about this deal was the free dinner & breakfast that we got. This was because we had to pay RM150 more on top of the RM499 for the 30% Groupon holiday package at Sepang's Gold Coast iconic Golden Palm Tree Resort.
This stunning resort is located barely 30 minutes from LCCT. It was easy to find as there were signboards all the way. We realized that this resort was the location for Lee Chong Wei's wedding photos. Little wonder that he chose this place as the scenery guaranteed a stunning shot!
The resort had the most unusual roofs I had ever seen. Conical tipped & thatched roofs made with brown hay the resort reception area was airy & had a great sense of openness of space. There was no airconditioning just cool breeze blowing in from the Straits of Melaka. Standing at the centre of the circular reception area, one could see rows of chalets on concrete pillars gently fanning out into the sea. Iconic!
Our chalet was 006 just 2 mins walk from the reception area. We were on the main branch not the leafy fronds of the palm tree! From the sky the entire resort looked like a palm tree with chalets hugging the sides of the main trunk. At the end of the main trunk was the clubhouse with the infinity pool, gym, spa & restaurants. If it was a palm-tree this part would have been the part where the palm fruits grow!
Continue walking beyond the clubhouse and you will find yourself in the midst of the branches of the palm tree-like structure with the higher-end chalets hugging the palm fronds!
These chalets had sunken baths and 2 rooms unlike ours which had only one room.
Our chalet had windows opening out to the sea. We were facing the rising sun but could not see it as the sky was cloudy throughout our stay.
A lovely 4 poster bed with lacey drapes greeted us. There was also a palanquin or a day bed. 3 people can enjoy a most comfortable stay in the room.
After checking in we checked out the free activities. Not all activities were free. The X-treme park with paintballs, go-kart & archery required payment. However cycling tours were free. We opted for the advanced tour which took us single file into palm oil estates & the Sepang countrysided. We saw bungalows & large sprawling homes as we cycled around the aread surrounding the resort. We realized that the bungalows were being auctioned for about RM140k per home! A deal by any standard!
After a good ride, we got ready for our dinner. Dinner was at Stimbot, a 2 mins walk from our chalet. I love steamboat as it is light & nutritious & healthy. The restaurant was also open-air without airconditioning. High ceiling fans hung down from thatched roofs. Come to think of it, all the resort venues had very high ceilings with interesting thatched roofs made of brown woven hay. The design was not only unique but kept the place cool without the need for usage of electricity.
We then watched a lovely dance performance by the staff. 1Malaysia dances from the Malay, Chinese & Indian community were presented. There was also the Ngajat, a hunter's dance from East Malaysia.
While Tim watched his shows late into the night, I was fast asleep by 9 pm!
Morning broke & we had a good & leisurely breakfast at Bila-Bila Restaurant. The variety was just great. However most of the food was Chinese & Western. Apparently many of their guests were from Taiwan. Porridge, rice, hai lam mee, koay teow soup, waffles, omelettes, baguettes, salads...left us full!
We needed a good walk-around after breakfast & went for some photo-shoots.
That very much ended our 2-day one night holiday at this iconic resort.
We will be back with the children....if there is another offer!
This stunning resort is located barely 30 minutes from LCCT. It was easy to find as there were signboards all the way. We realized that this resort was the location for Lee Chong Wei's wedding photos. Little wonder that he chose this place as the scenery guaranteed a stunning shot!
The resort had the most unusual roofs I had ever seen. Conical tipped & thatched roofs made with brown hay the resort reception area was airy & had a great sense of openness of space. There was no airconditioning just cool breeze blowing in from the Straits of Melaka. Standing at the centre of the circular reception area, one could see rows of chalets on concrete pillars gently fanning out into the sea. Iconic!
Our chalet was 006 just 2 mins walk from the reception area. We were on the main branch not the leafy fronds of the palm tree! From the sky the entire resort looked like a palm tree with chalets hugging the sides of the main trunk. At the end of the main trunk was the clubhouse with the infinity pool, gym, spa & restaurants. If it was a palm-tree this part would have been the part where the palm fruits grow!
Continue walking beyond the clubhouse and you will find yourself in the midst of the branches of the palm tree-like structure with the higher-end chalets hugging the palm fronds!
These chalets had sunken baths and 2 rooms unlike ours which had only one room.
Our chalet had windows opening out to the sea. We were facing the rising sun but could not see it as the sky was cloudy throughout our stay.
A lovely 4 poster bed with lacey drapes greeted us. There was also a palanquin or a day bed. 3 people can enjoy a most comfortable stay in the room.
After checking in we checked out the free activities. Not all activities were free. The X-treme park with paintballs, go-kart & archery required payment. However cycling tours were free. We opted for the advanced tour which took us single file into palm oil estates & the Sepang countrysided. We saw bungalows & large sprawling homes as we cycled around the aread surrounding the resort. We realized that the bungalows were being auctioned for about RM140k per home! A deal by any standard!
After a good ride, we got ready for our dinner. Dinner was at Stimbot, a 2 mins walk from our chalet. I love steamboat as it is light & nutritious & healthy. The restaurant was also open-air without airconditioning. High ceiling fans hung down from thatched roofs. Come to think of it, all the resort venues had very high ceilings with interesting thatched roofs made of brown woven hay. The design was not only unique but kept the place cool without the need for usage of electricity.
We then watched a lovely dance performance by the staff. 1Malaysia dances from the Malay, Chinese & Indian community were presented. There was also the Ngajat, a hunter's dance from East Malaysia.
While Tim watched his shows late into the night, I was fast asleep by 9 pm!
Morning broke & we had a good & leisurely breakfast at Bila-Bila Restaurant. The variety was just great. However most of the food was Chinese & Western. Apparently many of their guests were from Taiwan. Porridge, rice, hai lam mee, koay teow soup, waffles, omelettes, baguettes, salads...left us full!
We needed a good walk-around after breakfast & went for some photo-shoots.
That very much ended our 2-day one night holiday at this iconic resort.
We will be back with the children....if there is another offer!
Monday, November 19, 2012
Competent Chinese @ work in England
Adeline writes on David's job...
"They say that the British Economy is so bad and a million are unemployed.
Strangely, two of David's co-workers have resigned in the same month. Apparently,the job is too demanding for them! When I heard this news, I thought 'Then how are they going to survive?' and 'A lot of jobs out there now meh?'.
Anyway, David is the only competent worker left and his supervisors like him a lot. Can bet that if he didn't need to go back to Msia, he'd be made supervisor too (higher wage). Looks like jobs can be few but that don't prevent people from being picky."
Note: I think they can afford to quit as they are on the dole
"They say that the British Economy is so bad and a million are unemployed.
Strangely, two of David's co-workers have resigned in the same month. Apparently,the job is too demanding for them! When I heard this news, I thought 'Then how are they going to survive?' and 'A lot of jobs out there now meh?'.
Anyway, David is the only competent worker left and his supervisors like him a lot. Can bet that if he didn't need to go back to Msia, he'd be made supervisor too (higher wage). Looks like jobs can be few but that don't prevent people from being picky."
Note: I think they can afford to quit as they are on the dole
Physical labour
Physical nature of my job, Adeline writes....
"It's tough. I carry heavy boxes all day. I sustain cuts all over my hands. These are painful. At night when I wait for the bus, I see my co-workers waiting with me. While I like they're contentedness, I wonder how they can stand working in this kind of job permanently. They have nowhere to go. What goals are there to achieve? If I were them, born into a family that didn't expect me to achieve, working in such a job would do the trick. I'd save up and get myself a degree. I can take a loan after all, if I were British. I would hate to be stuck in this job forever. This makes me think that the cure for laziness is hard, physical labour. Few months working in a construction site and I am sure, nobody will ever take anything for granted.
I always need something to motivate me. Mundane jobs are the worst. So even in my own mundane replenishing job, I think of things to keep it more interesting.
Like developing a system of working the replenishment carts, giving myself a time frame in which to work them, memorising item locations so that I can help customers. I am just a small girl with skinny arms and I am lugging very heavy carts and carrying heavy containers. But then I think, this is a free workout.
I think Wei Wei needs a taste of hard physical labour. No offense."
Note: Wei Wei is the nickname for my son.
"It's tough. I carry heavy boxes all day. I sustain cuts all over my hands. These are painful. At night when I wait for the bus, I see my co-workers waiting with me. While I like they're contentedness, I wonder how they can stand working in this kind of job permanently. They have nowhere to go. What goals are there to achieve? If I were them, born into a family that didn't expect me to achieve, working in such a job would do the trick. I'd save up and get myself a degree. I can take a loan after all, if I were British. I would hate to be stuck in this job forever. This makes me think that the cure for laziness is hard, physical labour. Few months working in a construction site and I am sure, nobody will ever take anything for granted.
I always need something to motivate me. Mundane jobs are the worst. So even in my own mundane replenishing job, I think of things to keep it more interesting.
Like developing a system of working the replenishment carts, giving myself a time frame in which to work them, memorising item locations so that I can help customers. I am just a small girl with skinny arms and I am lugging very heavy carts and carrying heavy containers. But then I think, this is a free workout.
I think Wei Wei needs a taste of hard physical labour. No offense."
Note: Wei Wei is the nickname for my son.
"Chappies, pet, nooh, gooh & tah!"
Adeline finally got to do check-out at Sainsburys which is not so tiring...
"On Wednesday (yesterday), I was till trained to handle the checkouts. I must say I prefer checkouts to replenishing goods on the shopfloor. My store, Sainsburys Heaton is a superstore which means it is very big. Sainsburys today posted a high profit.
I got to interact with a lot of (elderly) customers who were very patient with me because I told them it was my first time on the checkouts. They smiled a lot and chatted with me. There was a very very elderly gentlemen who had trouble packing his own goods. I offered to help but he said he was okay. The Sainsburys customers are so civilised and polite. They are mostly elderly, and mostly middle class with money to spend. Sainsburys is known to be somewhat high end.
My supervisor said it's a shame I am not officially a part of the Checkouts team because I have a very good customer manner. (I am smiley, greet customers, say good bye and have a nice day etc). So when I say good bye etc customers naturally say goodbye and smile a lot to me. David says stores employ girls because they are more approachable. So girls on the checkouts make sense.
My supervisor called everybody pet. She called me 'pet', she called the customers 'pets' and a very old gentlemen, 'pet'. "Don't forget to say bye, pet" "Don't forget to ask for their nectar card, pet" "Good days, pet" and she calls little baby boys "chappies" ie "so that's why he's not a happy chappy".
Anyway, I booked myself in for some overtime on the tills next week. This week I made GBP 169 from 16 hours of work. I hope to get more in December.
However, liking the tills does not mean I am spared a shoulder pain once I'm done. But the fact is, I enjoyed it so I could deal with the pain. I don't enjoy working in Dry Goods because the nature of the job is so mundane. I actually dread going to work those days. I also get all sorts of cuts from dealing with boxes etc.
My HR trainer asked me how I found the tills training and I told her honestly I preferred it to working in Dry Goods. She looked thoughtful and said she'll see what she can do about it.This time around I am a bit more outspoken (having been 'brainwashed' by RR) so am more noticeable in my group of trainees. The HR trainer knows me by name cause I ask lots of questions, greet her, say thanks for the training etc. Maybe it helps to be outspoken after all.
My colleagues are very nice and down to earth people. They've got strong geordie accents. You know, I like people in the North so much more than people in the South or the Midlands.
The people here are humble and friendly. They are not pretentious. They have a very heavy accent and have bad partying and drinking habits but they are not snobbish. It's nice to mingle with this section of society. They are not competitive, they are contented with their jobs (even if it doesn't pay that highly) and they are very happy people. They can even go on holidays etc. I see that they enjoy their lives even though others might think of them as low class.
Also, when around them, I talk a bit like them. Which means my sentences end with a lilt. One sounds like 'wun', no sounds like 'Nooh', go like 'gooh'.
Okay that's all for now.
Tah!"
The best fish & chips in England dates back to the 1800s
When mummy & daddy visited England, Sar Ee (my 3rd sister who is married to an Englishman) told me that the fish & chips in South Shields is the best. Although we did not have a chance to go there, Adeline did...read on....
"On Saturday (10/11) David and I visited North and South Shields. These two seaside towns were amazingly lovely and beautiful.
We had a nice day out by the seafront at North Shields and took a ferry to South Shields which is just across the river. The River Tyne joins with the ocean at North Shields, Tynemouth and South Shields.
We then had a nice stroll in South Shields Square, located an amazingly cheap biscuit shop (foods near expiry or expired, but biscuits/cereal bars can last).
Then we had the best fish and chips in all of England.
They've been around since the 1800s and have been awarded best fish and chip shop a few times. During the Queens Birthday celebrations, they were the official fish and chips providers."
Yum..yum....
"On Saturday (10/11) David and I visited North and South Shields. These two seaside towns were amazingly lovely and beautiful.
We had a nice day out by the seafront at North Shields and took a ferry to South Shields which is just across the river. The River Tyne joins with the ocean at North Shields, Tynemouth and South Shields.
We then had a nice stroll in South Shields Square, located an amazingly cheap biscuit shop (foods near expiry or expired, but biscuits/cereal bars can last).
Then we had the best fish and chips in all of England.
They've been around since the 1800s and have been awarded best fish and chip shop a few times. During the Queens Birthday celebrations, they were the official fish and chips providers."
Yum..yum....
Thursday, November 15, 2012
A good & polite young man
Well its confirmed...my youngest daughter has got a beau!
He is polite, well-behaved and handsome. And studying medicine!
The youngest girl actually wanted to study medicine until the father stopped her. According to daddy, he is doing her a favor by saying NO to her accepting the offer to medical school. Firstly, doctors lead stressful lives (remember the doctor houseman who died of an overdose)? Secondly, she is not a 10 A1s or 9 A1s scorer like her elder sister in England.
I was going 'rah-rah' for her to do medicine. Imagine no queuing in the clinics. No paying consultation fees at the clinic. Free vitamins & medication when sick! Tons of health benefits for sure.
Instead the daddy insisted she do either dentistry or pharmacy instead. My daughter eventually opted for the latter. She is really a good girl with a big heart doing a good deed for a friend who needed the last place in dentistry badly. She decided to make way for her friend!
I must have brought her up correctly despite being a career mum.
Anyway one day my sweet 20-year-old brought home a polite, good-looking young man from her Uni who turned out to be a medical student! God has heard my prayers after all!
This young man has been exemplary the day he greeted us. He made sure that the door to their room is open when they are watching movies on the computer. He greets us when they come back from dates. He drives her all the way from his home to PJ to our place in Ampang. He has a curfew to keep. He enjoys going out for meals with the family. In short we enjoy a happy camaderie with him.
I am glad to see my youngest daughter so happy. Indeed she has found her match, a perfect gentleman & a model young man with a bright future.
Oh...not forgetting to mention that he comes from a family of believers & all his brothers (like him) have names from the Bible.
I have the peace concerning my daughter's life partner...now to work on my son...
Anyone know a godly girl?
He is polite, well-behaved and handsome. And studying medicine!
The youngest girl actually wanted to study medicine until the father stopped her. According to daddy, he is doing her a favor by saying NO to her accepting the offer to medical school. Firstly, doctors lead stressful lives (remember the doctor houseman who died of an overdose)? Secondly, she is not a 10 A1s or 9 A1s scorer like her elder sister in England.
I was going 'rah-rah' for her to do medicine. Imagine no queuing in the clinics. No paying consultation fees at the clinic. Free vitamins & medication when sick! Tons of health benefits for sure.
Instead the daddy insisted she do either dentistry or pharmacy instead. My daughter eventually opted for the latter. She is really a good girl with a big heart doing a good deed for a friend who needed the last place in dentistry badly. She decided to make way for her friend!
I must have brought her up correctly despite being a career mum.
Anyway one day my sweet 20-year-old brought home a polite, good-looking young man from her Uni who turned out to be a medical student! God has heard my prayers after all!
This young man has been exemplary the day he greeted us. He made sure that the door to their room is open when they are watching movies on the computer. He greets us when they come back from dates. He drives her all the way from his home to PJ to our place in Ampang. He has a curfew to keep. He enjoys going out for meals with the family. In short we enjoy a happy camaderie with him.
I am glad to see my youngest daughter so happy. Indeed she has found her match, a perfect gentleman & a model young man with a bright future.
Oh...not forgetting to mention that he comes from a family of believers & all his brothers (like him) have names from the Bible.
I have the peace concerning my daughter's life partner...now to work on my son...
Anyone know a godly girl?
What would you do if you were me?
So what would you do if you were me?
Your son has been skipping classes every day. He takes out the car and says he is going to college but he goes to play badminton. At the end of the term, his lecturer gives you a letter listing the dates he 'pontenged' class. Although he had reasonable passing marks for his subjects but he was marked as having failed his papers due to the high standards set by the examination board. (Above 80 is considered a pass).
I have prayed, I have cajoled, I have persuaded...but I realize that a 20-year-old is not a little boy anymore. He has his own mind.
It turned out that he was not a bit interested in aircraft engineering. Dirty/dusty/having to work shifts. There is nothing glamorous in this type of work.
"I want to work in an office" that's what he has been saying to me and the daddy.
Sigh..I guess his action, his grades and marks left us with no choice.
We had to take him out for University and enrolled him in another Uni nearer our house. Now he is settled down doing a business course which he likes.
Is this common among boys? My girls don't have problems with their courses, in fact they are usually among the top!
A friend of ours just told us recently that he also switched course after his first year. I also recalled some of my law classmates who were at first enrolled in Science faculty. One or two of them switched to law mid-way.
How should I react? Such a thing would be unthinkable if I were like my parents. They would not be able to afford any change of courses!
Just have to bite the bullet and accept him as he is...SIGH!
Your son has been skipping classes every day. He takes out the car and says he is going to college but he goes to play badminton. At the end of the term, his lecturer gives you a letter listing the dates he 'pontenged' class. Although he had reasonable passing marks for his subjects but he was marked as having failed his papers due to the high standards set by the examination board. (Above 80 is considered a pass).
I have prayed, I have cajoled, I have persuaded...but I realize that a 20-year-old is not a little boy anymore. He has his own mind.
It turned out that he was not a bit interested in aircraft engineering. Dirty/dusty/having to work shifts. There is nothing glamorous in this type of work.
"I want to work in an office" that's what he has been saying to me and the daddy.
Sigh..I guess his action, his grades and marks left us with no choice.
We had to take him out for University and enrolled him in another Uni nearer our house. Now he is settled down doing a business course which he likes.
Is this common among boys? My girls don't have problems with their courses, in fact they are usually among the top!
A friend of ours just told us recently that he also switched course after his first year. I also recalled some of my law classmates who were at first enrolled in Science faculty. One or two of them switched to law mid-way.
How should I react? Such a thing would be unthinkable if I were like my parents. They would not be able to afford any change of courses!
Just have to bite the bullet and accept him as he is...SIGH!
A little more functional than a mashed potato!
Adeline started work @ Sainsbury on Nov 8. The pay: GBP 6.5 an hour. The job: sales assistant aka salesgirl.
"Work is so tiring.
I had to attend two days of induction on Thurs and Fri prior to starting work. We were given health & safety training, how to operate equipment training, good customer service training, how to spot shoplifters training, how to deal with aggressive customers training and general familiarisation with the store.
I started work yesterday (Sunday). I worked from 10 am to 6 pm. The only thing my job consists of is replenishing stock. I had to carry very heavy loads of goods and replenish shelves constantly. Heavy bottles of olive oil, heavy bottles of sauces. It was very tiring. I left work with a bad ache in my shoulders and feet.
I had to attend two days of induction on Thurs and Fri prior to starting work. We were given health & safety training, how to operate equipment training, good customer service training, how to spot shoplifters training, how to deal with aggressive customers training and general familiarisation with the store.
I started work yesterday (Sunday). I worked from 10 am to 6 pm. The only thing my job consists of is replenishing stock. I had to carry very heavy loads of goods and replenish shelves constantly. Heavy bottles of olive oil, heavy bottles of sauces. It was very tiring. I left work with a bad ache in my shoulders and feet.
The only good thing I can take from this job is that by the end of my shift, some items are reduced drastically. So I can buy these items. They are usually bakery bread and pastries. I am also super aware of the offers going on since I am the one replenishing the shelves so I can buy these if I wanted to.
Some customers came and asked me for help but I could only say 'So Sorry, it's my first day here. If you want, I can get my colleague to help you'. We need to practice good customer service and have a set of principles to follow when dealing with the customer. Every week, a Mystery Shopper comes in and asks for help to assess our customer service level.
Still having remnants of back ache from yesterday. Working the night shift today. I am being till trained on Wednesday. Working the tills is scary because you can get prosecuted if you accidentally sell to underage customers.
I feel like a manual labourer :(. At least the pay is something to look forward to.
Okay, that's all for now. I got lots of cuts on my fingers from handling sharp packaging.
Love,
Adeline (now little more functional than a mashed potato).
Sunday, November 4, 2012
Great Groupon deals in Europe that are not practical!
I was telling Adeline that I managed to book a really good Groupon holiday at the 5-star Palm Villa Hotel in Sepang. I kept her updated as she was the one who actually introduced me to Groupon Malaysia. Read about Groupon deals in Europe....
"Yeah, Groupon deals are really cheap. I can actually fly to Budapest for GBP 99 per person for two nights, flights and hotels and breakfast included! Cheap or what? But it's in January la. Who wants to go to Budapest in January? It would be a total waste of money. The other deal I was eyeing is Istanbul for GBP 122 per person for two nights, flights, hotels and breakfast. But again, in January. What's there to do in January right? Some more, what are we going to do in Istanbul besides look at mosques and rugs? Perhaps the notion of going to Istanbul sounds very exotic and whatnot.
There was another one, go to Berlin for GBP 119 per person, flights, hotels, breakfast covered for 2 nights BUT also in January. Haiyo, if stay in January might as well don't go out of Newcastle to begin with. Winter is even more miserable in Europe than it is here. There are even deals to go to New York from GBP 500+ per person with flights and hotels covered, but thanks to Sandy the Storm, this notion is *puff* gone.
Aiyo, the rain so heavy until your shoe rosak? Why don't you wear some more durable footwear? Got anything like that?
Mummy's comments: One stormy rainy day, my expensive sandals broke when wading through fast-flowing waters. On yet another stormy raining day, the bottom part of my beautiful summer sandals came off so much so it looked like an "open mouth"...he..he...
Here in Newcastle, it's gotten much much more colder. I am frozen half the time, no kidding. It snowed for 5 hours the other day, courtesy of winds from Norway and Sweden. Since it's so cold, I can leave food out 2 nights in a row, and the food won't spoil. My living room has become a makeshift refrigerator.
Mummy's comments: Ai Yo....if I leave my salads out for one day in our place....stinko la...Must be nice to live in a makeshift refrigerator! No mosquitos for sure. Savings in aircon. Electric and power bills will be cut by 50%!
If such a thing happened in KL (which is unlikely thanks to Malaysia's excellent geographical location), you would have stocked up on tons of food and water already la. And our house would still be standing since it's a block of apartments.
Mummy's comments: Not so sure. The other day it rained and rained until the car park was flooded with water. The Honda was soiled with flood waters. Good thing it did not flood away!
Thanks to living in Britain, I am not so scared of such a situation and have more survival skills in this area. Since I know how to make meals out of very little food (I am the poor student pro at making food last on a cheap budget). Make lots of porridge, cook with lots of potatoes. All poor people food but still tasty. I would also like to grow my own veggie garden (if I had my own land) and maybe have a few chickens to give me eggs (and be the occasional roast). So would be less dependent on supermarkets and more dependent on myself. Malaysian weather so good, sure can yield some tomatoes, basil and chillies one. Maybe even lettuce.
Mummy's comments: My survival skills consist of turning on the torchlight in my handphone when the power is down. Not sure what else I can do as we don't have a garden to grow vegetables. Probably will fly to Hyderabad to stay with my good friend and sister, Lata Lincoln.
Yeah, sandwiches are tasty. I make them for David for his working lunch. He likes my roast chicken (I roast chicken and shred it for the sandwiches) and says 'Mm, it's so tasty!' whenever I make it but actually, very easy to make one. Apparently, his colleagues think his lunches are very interesting and tasty looking (ehem, the chef is yours truly) but no credits there because British lunches are really really boring.
Mummy's comments: Yes, that's true but boring is the new diet. Malaysian food is so fattening that its good to have plain sandwiches once a while. Nowadays I go to Subway to buy my salads. Expensive but healthy but don't overdo on the salad sauces...
I am making coq au vin tonight. It's a French chicken stew dish with red wine. David's friend's mom came to Newcastle and visited us and gave us a bottle of red wine (Shiraz Cabernet 2008 from Australia). So I bought some garlic herb bread, chicken, and rocket (a type of vege) today. It's very suitable for winter. I hope it turns out well. The highlight of my day today is making this dish. That is how my life is currently peaceful and devoid of irritating challenges (but not for long). "
Mummy's comments: YUM YUM....I can imagine the coq au vin. Adeline - you can open a cafe when you are bored of practising law. I volunteer to be your chief waitress.
"Yeah, Groupon deals are really cheap. I can actually fly to Budapest for GBP 99 per person for two nights, flights and hotels and breakfast included! Cheap or what? But it's in January la. Who wants to go to Budapest in January? It would be a total waste of money. The other deal I was eyeing is Istanbul for GBP 122 per person for two nights, flights, hotels and breakfast. But again, in January. What's there to do in January right? Some more, what are we going to do in Istanbul besides look at mosques and rugs? Perhaps the notion of going to Istanbul sounds very exotic and whatnot.
There was another one, go to Berlin for GBP 119 per person, flights, hotels, breakfast covered for 2 nights BUT also in January. Haiyo, if stay in January might as well don't go out of Newcastle to begin with. Winter is even more miserable in Europe than it is here. There are even deals to go to New York from GBP 500+ per person with flights and hotels covered, but thanks to Sandy the Storm, this notion is *puff* gone.
Aiyo, the rain so heavy until your shoe rosak? Why don't you wear some more durable footwear? Got anything like that?
Mummy's comments: One stormy rainy day, my expensive sandals broke when wading through fast-flowing waters. On yet another stormy raining day, the bottom part of my beautiful summer sandals came off so much so it looked like an "open mouth"...he..he...
Here in Newcastle, it's gotten much much more colder. I am frozen half the time, no kidding. It snowed for 5 hours the other day, courtesy of winds from Norway and Sweden. Since it's so cold, I can leave food out 2 nights in a row, and the food won't spoil. My living room has become a makeshift refrigerator.
Mummy's comments: Ai Yo....if I leave my salads out for one day in our place....stinko la...Must be nice to live in a makeshift refrigerator! No mosquitos for sure. Savings in aircon. Electric and power bills will be cut by 50%!
If such a thing happened in KL (which is unlikely thanks to Malaysia's excellent geographical location), you would have stocked up on tons of food and water already la. And our house would still be standing since it's a block of apartments.
Mummy's comments: Not so sure. The other day it rained and rained until the car park was flooded with water. The Honda was soiled with flood waters. Good thing it did not flood away!
Thanks to living in Britain, I am not so scared of such a situation and have more survival skills in this area. Since I know how to make meals out of very little food (I am the poor student pro at making food last on a cheap budget). Make lots of porridge, cook with lots of potatoes. All poor people food but still tasty. I would also like to grow my own veggie garden (if I had my own land) and maybe have a few chickens to give me eggs (and be the occasional roast). So would be less dependent on supermarkets and more dependent on myself. Malaysian weather so good, sure can yield some tomatoes, basil and chillies one. Maybe even lettuce.
Mummy's comments: My survival skills consist of turning on the torchlight in my handphone when the power is down. Not sure what else I can do as we don't have a garden to grow vegetables. Probably will fly to Hyderabad to stay with my good friend and sister, Lata Lincoln.
Yeah, sandwiches are tasty. I make them for David for his working lunch. He likes my roast chicken (I roast chicken and shred it for the sandwiches) and says 'Mm, it's so tasty!' whenever I make it but actually, very easy to make one. Apparently, his colleagues think his lunches are very interesting and tasty looking (ehem, the chef is yours truly) but no credits there because British lunches are really really boring.
Mummy's comments: Yes, that's true but boring is the new diet. Malaysian food is so fattening that its good to have plain sandwiches once a while. Nowadays I go to Subway to buy my salads. Expensive but healthy but don't overdo on the salad sauces...
I am making coq au vin tonight. It's a French chicken stew dish with red wine. David's friend's mom came to Newcastle and visited us and gave us a bottle of red wine (Shiraz Cabernet 2008 from Australia). So I bought some garlic herb bread, chicken, and rocket (a type of vege) today. It's very suitable for winter. I hope it turns out well. The highlight of my day today is making this dish. That is how my life is currently peaceful and devoid of irritating challenges (but not for long). "
Mummy's comments: YUM YUM....I can imagine the coq au vin. Adeline - you can open a cafe when you are bored of practising law. I volunteer to be your chief waitress.
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