The cruise ended on Wed. We checked out for Hard Rock on the day itself.
Hard Rock Hotel was really cool and casual from the start. The upsetting thing was that they made us wait for 2 hours getting one of our rooms ready although we were informed that our rooms were upgraded from hill view to sea view!
I decided to ask for a free dinner to compensate for the delay. I learned this from watching the Apprentice. You need to ask for some extras if checking in is delayed as hotels such as Hard Rock has a reputation in the hospitality industry and the comfort of the guests is paramount.
I was glad when the supervisor offered us evening cocktails at the King's Club, a place for the privileged and frequent customers of Hard Rock Hotel.
We had simple meals of spaghetti, fettuccine, prawn fritters, poh piah, cakes and sandwiches and also ordered mocktails and fruit juices. It was as good as a dinner actually and it was on the house!
We then drove down to the stretch of stalls at Batu Feringghi to have a look. It turned out that this place also sells original, branded, fake products. Amanda and I bought 2 longchamps for RM40 plus all in. Well worth it as the longchamp bag is a foldable bag that can be really handy for travel-lovers like us!
Supper was at Mcdonalds. We turned in early as we wanted to go swimming the next day.
Sunday, August 25, 2013
Krabi long tail boat
From a very exciting, colorful and fantastic show in Phuket we sailed into quiet Krabi.
First time in Krabi, we signed up for the longtail boat trip to see stalactites and stalagmites high up in a cave.This cave was used by the Japanese to hide out during the war. We can see why. It was really high up and cooling. Apparently they found tents and equipment used by the Japanese when hiding out in the cave. Statues of the Japanese and prehistoric man were erected in the cave to remember the discovery. Apparently bones of people were discovered along with pots and pans and even jewelry in the cave when it was discovered, thus leading to the belief that prehistoric man lived in the cave before Christ.
I told the guide, Nick about the Bible story of the flood and Noah's ark. He said that he believed it was possible as fossils and shells were found at the top of mountains making it highly likely that the earth was covered by waters at one time many ages ago.
It was also here that I distributed a number of the tracts I took with me.
After the cave exploration (we had to take a long tail boat to the cave and waded through ankle high waters) we were taken a quiet Krabi island. Here we saw all kinds of fishes among which the most interesting was the puffer fish. The puffer fish could survive out of water for a long time. When taken out of the water, it puffs up its whole body like a small ball. It was so cute. I just could not understand why the Japanese would want to eat it!
We had a delicious lunch of prawns, crabs, mixed vegetables, white tomyum, fried cuttlefish at one of the fish farm where we met our first puffer fish and a long black fish that was the length of a hockey stick but as fat as a pillar!
We sat on tut-tuts, tricycles that could take about 3 people on board. The motorbike riders were elderly weather beaten Krabi-ans. The tut-tuts took us past narrow roads with padi fields, bungalow houses, isolated villages and narrowly missed some iguanas crossing the roads!
We then did some shopping at the Krabi fruit market. Here we saw cauldrons of food cooked like the chap fun ready for the lunch crowd. We saw people packing dishes for their lunch (dinner as well perhaps). The cauldrons were huge!
Amanda bought some clothes here. Tim and I bought some cashews and ikan bilis for gifts to Joseph's parents.
It was really idyllic. Krabi - I will not forget you! I will be back to tour your beautiful islands!
First time in Krabi, we signed up for the longtail boat trip to see stalactites and stalagmites high up in a cave.This cave was used by the Japanese to hide out during the war. We can see why. It was really high up and cooling. Apparently they found tents and equipment used by the Japanese when hiding out in the cave. Statues of the Japanese and prehistoric man were erected in the cave to remember the discovery. Apparently bones of people were discovered along with pots and pans and even jewelry in the cave when it was discovered, thus leading to the belief that prehistoric man lived in the cave before Christ.
I told the guide, Nick about the Bible story of the flood and Noah's ark. He said that he believed it was possible as fossils and shells were found at the top of mountains making it highly likely that the earth was covered by waters at one time many ages ago.
It was also here that I distributed a number of the tracts I took with me.
After the cave exploration (we had to take a long tail boat to the cave and waded through ankle high waters) we were taken a quiet Krabi island. Here we saw all kinds of fishes among which the most interesting was the puffer fish. The puffer fish could survive out of water for a long time. When taken out of the water, it puffs up its whole body like a small ball. It was so cute. I just could not understand why the Japanese would want to eat it!
We had a delicious lunch of prawns, crabs, mixed vegetables, white tomyum, fried cuttlefish at one of the fish farm where we met our first puffer fish and a long black fish that was the length of a hockey stick but as fat as a pillar!
We sat on tut-tuts, tricycles that could take about 3 people on board. The motorbike riders were elderly weather beaten Krabi-ans. The tut-tuts took us past narrow roads with padi fields, bungalow houses, isolated villages and narrowly missed some iguanas crossing the roads!
We then did some shopping at the Krabi fruit market. Here we saw cauldrons of food cooked like the chap fun ready for the lunch crowd. We saw people packing dishes for their lunch (dinner as well perhaps). The cauldrons were huge!
Amanda bought some clothes here. Tim and I bought some cashews and ikan bilis for gifts to Joseph's parents.
It was really idyllic. Krabi - I will not forget you! I will be back to tour your beautiful islands!
Phuket Fantasea
If you haven't seen Phuket Fantasea then you haven't seen Phuket or even the cultural aspect of Thailand.
We decided that we were not going on any shopping trips as per previous but we decided to watch Phuket Fantasea. Never mind if we had to get down at 4 pm when the ship had docked at 9 am in the morning. Never mind if we had to get home minutes before the ship sailed for Krabi. Never mind if this was the most expensive of all the tours. We had to see Phuket Fantasea.
Anyway let's start from Monday morning.
At 6 am in the morning while it was dark, I went up the highest level on the ship and walked a few rounds. The wind was absolutely relaxing and I had a wonderful time with the Lord. I also met a group of 12 from PJ - Catholics who prayed with the rising of the sun! I was to bump into the group a few times during the trip.
I then did my devotion and the 40 day prayer and fasting prayer focus. The sun began to rise from behind dark clouds. It was an awesome sight. Believe me there is nothing as beautiful as sunrise on a ship!
We decided to have a continental breakfast at Four Seasons. 3 restaurants serve free meals on the ship. Four Seasons - European cuisine. Ocean Palace - Chinese cuisine and Mariner's Buffet which services an international cuisine. You can eat 5 meals a day on a cruise and still be hungry because there is just so much to do to work off the calories.
We had a lovely leisurely breakfast of eggs, tea and fruits. Nothing much but very filling.
At 9 am we had a dancersize with the crew to the tune of Gentlemen. Now I had earlier thought that because of the name Gentlemen, the dance exercise was only for men! How naive I was! Gentlemen was actually Psy's latest song! Anyway I think gangnam dance steps are so much easier! I love line dancing or simple dance steps as it is the best form of low impact exercise for me.
You see I suffered mild arthritis after my trip to Beijing. The doctor prescribe me Viatril-S. After taking it for 2 months, the condition of my knee improved. He said that the arthritis was due to age and it was normal. In fact there was a crick sound when he moved my knee! Getting old! However after a 2 month dosage, the sound left my knee.
Tim and the children went for a dip in the jacuzzi in the blazing heat. Me....I chickened out as I forgot to bring my swimsuit. I watched TV till 4 pm....the time to leave the ship for Phuket.
At 4 pm we were guided off the ship and taken to a van. About 11 of us had signed up for Phuket Fantasea.
I guess the small number must be due to the fact that this was the most expensive tour organized for Phuket.
We had a friendly tour guide who spoke American English by the name of Woody. He allowed us to go shopping at Patong beach and a shopping complex in Phuket before taking us to Phuket Fantasea.
We were told by the ship entertainment director that we could buy original branded fake stuff at Patong beach. He was right! The choices were just mind boggling. The haggling was fierce and furious. Amanda bought a Jimmy Choo wallet for RM30. I almost wanted to buy a Jimmy Choo handbag for RM70. Decided not to at the last minute as I had just ordered an Oppo bag from Living Social.
Phuket Fantasea is about 40 minutes away from Patong. When we reached the place it was packed with people.
Some amazing things:
1. A musical mountain at the entrace. Rows of lights on a mountain forming shapes of musical instruments that played music became a favorite picture taking spot. The musical instruments looked like the traditional instruments. I just could not describe them.
At the little lake below the mountain, fat (I mean really fat) goldfish of many lovely golden, white and orange colors swam happily.
2. We went inside the Phuket Fantasea cultural village. Now this is a village like no other. Shops had beautifully colored facades. At first look they did not look like shops. They look like fancy buildings from a children's story books!
3. There was a sort of like a miniature zoo housing a white tiger. After dinner at the biggest restaurant in Asia (really humongous) we went through dark tunnels and caves to see the most beautiful pair of white tigers ever seen! I have seen white lion at Bukit Gambang (not exactly white) but these tigers are really white!
4. The Kinnaree restaurant serves the best tom yum. I mean the best. The food was absolutely scrumptious. Dot said that it was even better than the ship. I just loved the tom yum soup!
5. Phuket Fantasea started at 9 pm (Phuket time). We had good seats. The show was fantastic. Elephants marched in. Thai dancers in resplendent costumes of ancient Thai kingdoms danced all over the stage. The dancing actually told a story but I could not make it out. I just knew that the magic shows interwoven with the dancing were funny and comical. The dancing was really beautiful, full of Thai charm and grace. There was a part where pictures of the smiling Thai people were shown. It was like a patriotic concert like no other!
I particularly like the bamboo dancing which was executed with great finesse. Elephants performed sit-ups, waved their ears, marched with their tails linked to each other, put their feet on each other's back. Chickens ran in rows along the stage in a village scene. Kambing or goats jumped over obstacles. Birds flew in pairs over our heads. Rain also fell on the stage!
I really like the padi harvesting dancing and singing scene. They sang in Thai but it was so lively and sweet and captivating and really sweet!
The finale was a magic show of a live elephant dissapearing on stage!
All I can say is if I come for another cruise, I would like to watch this show again in Phuket!
We decided that we were not going on any shopping trips as per previous but we decided to watch Phuket Fantasea. Never mind if we had to get down at 4 pm when the ship had docked at 9 am in the morning. Never mind if we had to get home minutes before the ship sailed for Krabi. Never mind if this was the most expensive of all the tours. We had to see Phuket Fantasea.
Anyway let's start from Monday morning.
At 6 am in the morning while it was dark, I went up the highest level on the ship and walked a few rounds. The wind was absolutely relaxing and I had a wonderful time with the Lord. I also met a group of 12 from PJ - Catholics who prayed with the rising of the sun! I was to bump into the group a few times during the trip.
I then did my devotion and the 40 day prayer and fasting prayer focus. The sun began to rise from behind dark clouds. It was an awesome sight. Believe me there is nothing as beautiful as sunrise on a ship!
We decided to have a continental breakfast at Four Seasons. 3 restaurants serve free meals on the ship. Four Seasons - European cuisine. Ocean Palace - Chinese cuisine and Mariner's Buffet which services an international cuisine. You can eat 5 meals a day on a cruise and still be hungry because there is just so much to do to work off the calories.
We had a lovely leisurely breakfast of eggs, tea and fruits. Nothing much but very filling.
At 9 am we had a dancersize with the crew to the tune of Gentlemen. Now I had earlier thought that because of the name Gentlemen, the dance exercise was only for men! How naive I was! Gentlemen was actually Psy's latest song! Anyway I think gangnam dance steps are so much easier! I love line dancing or simple dance steps as it is the best form of low impact exercise for me.
You see I suffered mild arthritis after my trip to Beijing. The doctor prescribe me Viatril-S. After taking it for 2 months, the condition of my knee improved. He said that the arthritis was due to age and it was normal. In fact there was a crick sound when he moved my knee! Getting old! However after a 2 month dosage, the sound left my knee.
Tim and the children went for a dip in the jacuzzi in the blazing heat. Me....I chickened out as I forgot to bring my swimsuit. I watched TV till 4 pm....the time to leave the ship for Phuket.
At 4 pm we were guided off the ship and taken to a van. About 11 of us had signed up for Phuket Fantasea.
I guess the small number must be due to the fact that this was the most expensive tour organized for Phuket.
We had a friendly tour guide who spoke American English by the name of Woody. He allowed us to go shopping at Patong beach and a shopping complex in Phuket before taking us to Phuket Fantasea.
We were told by the ship entertainment director that we could buy original branded fake stuff at Patong beach. He was right! The choices were just mind boggling. The haggling was fierce and furious. Amanda bought a Jimmy Choo wallet for RM30. I almost wanted to buy a Jimmy Choo handbag for RM70. Decided not to at the last minute as I had just ordered an Oppo bag from Living Social.
Phuket Fantasea is about 40 minutes away from Patong. When we reached the place it was packed with people.
Some amazing things:
1. A musical mountain at the entrace. Rows of lights on a mountain forming shapes of musical instruments that played music became a favorite picture taking spot. The musical instruments looked like the traditional instruments. I just could not describe them.
At the little lake below the mountain, fat (I mean really fat) goldfish of many lovely golden, white and orange colors swam happily.
2. We went inside the Phuket Fantasea cultural village. Now this is a village like no other. Shops had beautifully colored facades. At first look they did not look like shops. They look like fancy buildings from a children's story books!
3. There was a sort of like a miniature zoo housing a white tiger. After dinner at the biggest restaurant in Asia (really humongous) we went through dark tunnels and caves to see the most beautiful pair of white tigers ever seen! I have seen white lion at Bukit Gambang (not exactly white) but these tigers are really white!
4. The Kinnaree restaurant serves the best tom yum. I mean the best. The food was absolutely scrumptious. Dot said that it was even better than the ship. I just loved the tom yum soup!
5. Phuket Fantasea started at 9 pm (Phuket time). We had good seats. The show was fantastic. Elephants marched in. Thai dancers in resplendent costumes of ancient Thai kingdoms danced all over the stage. The dancing actually told a story but I could not make it out. I just knew that the magic shows interwoven with the dancing were funny and comical. The dancing was really beautiful, full of Thai charm and grace. There was a part where pictures of the smiling Thai people were shown. It was like a patriotic concert like no other!
I particularly like the bamboo dancing which was executed with great finesse. Elephants performed sit-ups, waved their ears, marched with their tails linked to each other, put their feet on each other's back. Chickens ran in rows along the stage in a village scene. Kambing or goats jumped over obstacles. Birds flew in pairs over our heads. Rain also fell on the stage!
I really like the padi harvesting dancing and singing scene. They sang in Thai but it was so lively and sweet and captivating and really sweet!
The finale was a magic show of a live elephant dissapearing on stage!
All I can say is if I come for another cruise, I would like to watch this show again in Phuket!
Superstar Libra - Aug 18 to Aug 23
Well I can't remember how many times we have boarded the Libra but I think this must be the 4th time.
We were excited because this time we were trying out a Groupon deal. This deal cost us only RM1,200 per person (inclusive all the port charges). A normal deal is about RM2k per person.
Will it be value for money, we wonder?
From the first day we were not dissapointed.
On Sunday 6 of us (Dot and Fong Cheh included) boarded the Superstar Libra. We had a quick bite at the Chinese restaurant and were pleasantly surprised at the size of our rooms. Usually we were given levels 3 and we had to sleep in double deckers that were really narrow. This time there were no double deckers, just 2 L-shaped beds and even a TV!
We decided to watch the early show of Zee Deneck. For shows on board ships, one had to book seats as early as an hour especially for the front seats. Zee Deneck combines humor, magic and pick-pocketing as his show.
Guess who were selected to take part?
ZD pick pocketed Tim's room key card from his pocket and poor Tim had to go on stage to claim it back! Whilst onstage, Tim got his belt removed.
It was absolutely hilarious to see Tim trying to hold up his pants cos his belt was taken away! As for yours truly, ZD gave me the mike to hold and requested me to say "O my God!" every time he pointed to me which was quite often!
After the show, we had dinner at the pool deck. It was a good barbeque dinner and we met the captain.
We then decided to visit a Bollywood meets Hollywood event at Boomers Disco and instead met up with a group of 55 people from Chennai celebrating the 50th birthday of one of their family members. We had fun learning how to bollywood as well as eating their delicious nuts from Chennai!
We were excited because this time we were trying out a Groupon deal. This deal cost us only RM1,200 per person (inclusive all the port charges). A normal deal is about RM2k per person.
Will it be value for money, we wonder?
From the first day we were not dissapointed.
On Sunday 6 of us (Dot and Fong Cheh included) boarded the Superstar Libra. We had a quick bite at the Chinese restaurant and were pleasantly surprised at the size of our rooms. Usually we were given levels 3 and we had to sleep in double deckers that were really narrow. This time there were no double deckers, just 2 L-shaped beds and even a TV!
We decided to watch the early show of Zee Deneck. For shows on board ships, one had to book seats as early as an hour especially for the front seats. Zee Deneck combines humor, magic and pick-pocketing as his show.
Guess who were selected to take part?
ZD pick pocketed Tim's room key card from his pocket and poor Tim had to go on stage to claim it back! Whilst onstage, Tim got his belt removed.
It was absolutely hilarious to see Tim trying to hold up his pants cos his belt was taken away! As for yours truly, ZD gave me the mike to hold and requested me to say "O my God!" every time he pointed to me which was quite often!
After the show, we had dinner at the pool deck. It was a good barbeque dinner and we met the captain.
We then decided to visit a Bollywood meets Hollywood event at Boomers Disco and instead met up with a group of 55 people from Chennai celebrating the 50th birthday of one of their family members. We had fun learning how to bollywood as well as eating their delicious nuts from Chennai!
Saturday, July 6, 2013
Grandma
Dear children & grandchildren
When we grow old we hope that you will take care of us just like the way we care for our mother, Madam Khoo Siew Tuan.
She is in her late 70s and she is my mother (Ruth writing).
At first I did not understand why she did not want to stay with anyone of us, did not like to be house bound, did not like to be bed-ridden, did not like to be in a wheelchair and takes her vitamins diligently.
I did not understand her daily schedule of waking up early, sleeping early, going to her favourite coffee shop for her morning coffee ( a glass of hot kopi O with a glass of water), eating 'beh' or oats, eating simple meals or also her preference of taking a bus to town to walk around, drink her coffee, chit chat with friends and then taking a bus back. A simple chore of paying bills in town is a break to her monotony and something to be looked forward to.
I also did not understand why she wanted her independence and has set ways of doing things. Neither did I understand her home remedies to cure colds, fevers and like sicknesses. I normally do not follow any of them or go to the medicine shop to buy the various herbs she recommended me to buy for general health (being a modern person who believes in modern medicine).
However things became clear to me when I watched the show "Carnation".
This Japanese show about 2 generations of fashion designers in Japan really touched a chord in me. The 3 girls, Yoko, Naoko and Satoko became top designers in Tokyo and London but the mother refused to give up working at an old age. Even when she broke her leg and suffered from ill-health she continued designing clothes and even launched her own line of clothes!
This true story really touched me because I saw that the mother behaved just like my own mother. When the 2 eldest girls asked her to go to Tokyo to stay with them she refused and call them her "enemy"!
When they offered their brand names to launch her clothes line, she refused preferring to use her own name instead. When they asked her to retire, she refused flat-out. She forced herself out of bed and called her daughter in Tokyo to remove the hospital bed from her house!
She insisted in carrying on her business, meeting her customers like she used to do and even scolded the young people who worked under her!
Finally she got her way and at an age when people should be retiring and taking things easy she continued designing, making clothes and teaching the young men that worked with her the ropes of her trade.
Even her rebellious granddaughter Rika changed from a girl who only wore jerseys and got into fights to a lovely obedient girl. Rika was touched by the guts of her grandmother and her stubbornness to let others to do things for her. In a way, Rika saw herself in her grandmother as wearing jerseys day in, day out was a sign of rebellion.
In Itoko Ohara's words "I am just too busy to die"!
When my mum had her fall last 2 days, suffered a blood clot in the brain and had to have stitches to her skull to stop the bleeding, I am thinking that my mother's spirit is like the spirit of Itoko Ohara. Finally I understood why my mother behaved the way she did. Itoko refused to have a sick bed in her house or to move around in a wheel chair opting to risk falling down rather than be pushed around! Every morning Itoko would go through a set routine of talking to those who had gone before her, talked to the pictures of those who had died, eating her meals in front of the TV, speaking to her 2 faithful employees, speaking to her clients and barking orders to her employees.
I rushed back to Penang when I heard the news. Grandma said she fell when boarding a bus. Witnesses said she was hit and grazed by a hit and run. She fell and suffered a knock on her head. The bleeding could not stop.
I decided to stay with my mother in the hospital as I felt that it was what the Lord Jesus wanted me to do.
I prayed for my mother throughout the night as it was most difficult to sleep in the hospital deck chair.
I offered my younger sis to pay for my mother's medical fees and then to claim it from my other siblings. She said to me "Good luck to you". Somehow I knew what she meant. One of my siblings will make comments about the hospital charges. Some will say that they do not have the money. Some might not even pay at all. This was from a previous experience I had when 'collecting' money from them for a previous hospital stay.
I want to thank God for showing me that its not just enough to pray for my mother but I must love my mother with my actions and my words. Going to Penang at short notice is an action of love, speaking to her and praying for her is my words of love.
I was encouraged when my mum lifted up her hands and said "Hallelujah" after I prayed for her.
I had to rush back the following day as I had things to do that day but I promised my younger sis who is giving grandma loads of love and care to keep in touch and to come back soon to see her.
Younger sis says we have to work out a solution otherwise she will keep falling down and the next fall could be more fatal than this.
I hope that you will not abandon me and your father when we are old. We do not like to depend on people but there will be times when we will need your help. Will you be there to help us?
Love
Ruth & Tim (parents & one day will be grandparents)
When we grow old we hope that you will take care of us just like the way we care for our mother, Madam Khoo Siew Tuan.
She is in her late 70s and she is my mother (Ruth writing).
At first I did not understand why she did not want to stay with anyone of us, did not like to be house bound, did not like to be bed-ridden, did not like to be in a wheelchair and takes her vitamins diligently.
I did not understand her daily schedule of waking up early, sleeping early, going to her favourite coffee shop for her morning coffee ( a glass of hot kopi O with a glass of water), eating 'beh' or oats, eating simple meals or also her preference of taking a bus to town to walk around, drink her coffee, chit chat with friends and then taking a bus back. A simple chore of paying bills in town is a break to her monotony and something to be looked forward to.
I also did not understand why she wanted her independence and has set ways of doing things. Neither did I understand her home remedies to cure colds, fevers and like sicknesses. I normally do not follow any of them or go to the medicine shop to buy the various herbs she recommended me to buy for general health (being a modern person who believes in modern medicine).
However things became clear to me when I watched the show "Carnation".
This Japanese show about 2 generations of fashion designers in Japan really touched a chord in me. The 3 girls, Yoko, Naoko and Satoko became top designers in Tokyo and London but the mother refused to give up working at an old age. Even when she broke her leg and suffered from ill-health she continued designing clothes and even launched her own line of clothes!
This true story really touched me because I saw that the mother behaved just like my own mother. When the 2 eldest girls asked her to go to Tokyo to stay with them she refused and call them her "enemy"!
When they offered their brand names to launch her clothes line, she refused preferring to use her own name instead. When they asked her to retire, she refused flat-out. She forced herself out of bed and called her daughter in Tokyo to remove the hospital bed from her house!
She insisted in carrying on her business, meeting her customers like she used to do and even scolded the young people who worked under her!
Finally she got her way and at an age when people should be retiring and taking things easy she continued designing, making clothes and teaching the young men that worked with her the ropes of her trade.
Even her rebellious granddaughter Rika changed from a girl who only wore jerseys and got into fights to a lovely obedient girl. Rika was touched by the guts of her grandmother and her stubbornness to let others to do things for her. In a way, Rika saw herself in her grandmother as wearing jerseys day in, day out was a sign of rebellion.
In Itoko Ohara's words "I am just too busy to die"!
When my mum had her fall last 2 days, suffered a blood clot in the brain and had to have stitches to her skull to stop the bleeding, I am thinking that my mother's spirit is like the spirit of Itoko Ohara. Finally I understood why my mother behaved the way she did. Itoko refused to have a sick bed in her house or to move around in a wheel chair opting to risk falling down rather than be pushed around! Every morning Itoko would go through a set routine of talking to those who had gone before her, talked to the pictures of those who had died, eating her meals in front of the TV, speaking to her 2 faithful employees, speaking to her clients and barking orders to her employees.
I rushed back to Penang when I heard the news. Grandma said she fell when boarding a bus. Witnesses said she was hit and grazed by a hit and run. She fell and suffered a knock on her head. The bleeding could not stop.
I decided to stay with my mother in the hospital as I felt that it was what the Lord Jesus wanted me to do.
I prayed for my mother throughout the night as it was most difficult to sleep in the hospital deck chair.
I offered my younger sis to pay for my mother's medical fees and then to claim it from my other siblings. She said to me "Good luck to you". Somehow I knew what she meant. One of my siblings will make comments about the hospital charges. Some will say that they do not have the money. Some might not even pay at all. This was from a previous experience I had when 'collecting' money from them for a previous hospital stay.
I want to thank God for showing me that its not just enough to pray for my mother but I must love my mother with my actions and my words. Going to Penang at short notice is an action of love, speaking to her and praying for her is my words of love.
I was encouraged when my mum lifted up her hands and said "Hallelujah" after I prayed for her.
I had to rush back the following day as I had things to do that day but I promised my younger sis who is giving grandma loads of love and care to keep in touch and to come back soon to see her.
Younger sis says we have to work out a solution otherwise she will keep falling down and the next fall could be more fatal than this.
I hope that you will not abandon me and your father when we are old. We do not like to depend on people but there will be times when we will need your help. Will you be there to help us?
Love
Ruth & Tim (parents & one day will be grandparents)
Tuesday, July 2, 2013
Night Jungle & fire show
Night Jungle
If your vision is not so good its best to give this a miss.
Most of the time I found myself doing eye exercises like squinting into the glass enclosures and second guessing where the animals were hiding. The tapir was visible because of its size but it was sleeping when we saw it. The skunks on the other hand were having a great night foraging for food and releasing their smell, the armadillo, hedgehogs, porcupines, squirrels, racoons and other marsupials were busy trying either to eat, sleep or hide from us.
Anyway all I can say is that the selection of animals in the night jungle is really great although it does take time to stare into the glass enclosure before one can start detecting shapes or movements among the rocks, trees and shrubs in the animal enclosures.
Fire show
The fire-show was something else. 5 young men from Australia or some foreign country gave us a stunning performance of fire-blowing and fire-eating (a very dangerous act).
Blowing fire from their mouths was just as easy to them as blowing air or blowing bubbles!
Most amazing was this young men who ate fire! He would wipe his mouth each time he put the fire torch into his mouth as though he relished and enjoyed the taste.
In order to make the fire bigger all the fire blowers would drink kerosene and then put the fire torches into their mouth before blowing out fire.
I knew it was kerosene because each time they drank from a bamboo tube some of it spilled onto the ground and I went forward to just see what it was....it smelt like kerosene.
This is a very dangerous act and must have taken many years to master. Surely not for a novices but for skilled masters of the act....
If your vision is not so good its best to give this a miss.
Most of the time I found myself doing eye exercises like squinting into the glass enclosures and second guessing where the animals were hiding. The tapir was visible because of its size but it was sleeping when we saw it. The skunks on the other hand were having a great night foraging for food and releasing their smell, the armadillo, hedgehogs, porcupines, squirrels, racoons and other marsupials were busy trying either to eat, sleep or hide from us.
Anyway all I can say is that the selection of animals in the night jungle is really great although it does take time to stare into the glass enclosure before one can start detecting shapes or movements among the rocks, trees and shrubs in the animal enclosures.
Fire show
The fire-show was something else. 5 young men from Australia or some foreign country gave us a stunning performance of fire-blowing and fire-eating (a very dangerous act).
Blowing fire from their mouths was just as easy to them as blowing air or blowing bubbles!
Most amazing was this young men who ate fire! He would wipe his mouth each time he put the fire torch into his mouth as though he relished and enjoyed the taste.
In order to make the fire bigger all the fire blowers would drink kerosene and then put the fire torches into their mouth before blowing out fire.
I knew it was kerosene because each time they drank from a bamboo tube some of it spilled onto the ground and I went forward to just see what it was....it smelt like kerosene.
This is a very dangerous act and must have taken many years to master. Surely not for a novices but for skilled masters of the act....
Simba and the meerkat
Well it was worth it to pay RM38 for the Savannah, the white lion in the glass enclosure, the night jungle, the animal show and the fire show, all of which were housed within a huge building before the start of the Savannah.
One cannot walk through the Savannah as the animals are wild animals but the animals in the huge building at the entrance of the Safari Park were placed in cages or enclosures for public viewing the petting.
The white lion named Simba was taken out of his natural habitat and placed for public viewing in a glass enclosure. He had a nonchalant look about him but he was really magnificent-looking. Like I said he does remind me of Aslan in Narnia.
The restaurant is just side by side with his enclosure. For RM48 you could buy yourself a buffet dinner and 'dine' with the lion.....
Animal show
What do you call a bird who can count, add, multiply and identify pictures? Well this beautiful blue bird could do all the sums given to him. Even more amazing was it was the audience who gave him the sums to do not his keepers!
The meerkat was another popular animal with the young men. They spent a relatively long time stroking her and playing with her. Yes, the meerkat was like a half cat half tiger but really domesticated and kind of lazy. When Tim tried to hold her for photos she rebelled so these photos were taken only after patiently 'coaxing' her to pose for us.....
Simba is my favorite animal in the Safari Park, the meerkat is the children's favorite....
One cannot walk through the Savannah as the animals are wild animals but the animals in the huge building at the entrance of the Safari Park were placed in cages or enclosures for public viewing the petting.
The white lion named Simba was taken out of his natural habitat and placed for public viewing in a glass enclosure. He had a nonchalant look about him but he was really magnificent-looking. Like I said he does remind me of Aslan in Narnia.
The restaurant is just side by side with his enclosure. For RM48 you could buy yourself a buffet dinner and 'dine' with the lion.....
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| Simba |
What do you call a bird who can count, add, multiply and identify pictures? Well this beautiful blue bird could do all the sums given to him. Even more amazing was it was the audience who gave him the sums to do not his keepers!
The meerkat was another popular animal with the young men. They spent a relatively long time stroking her and playing with her. Yes, the meerkat was like a half cat half tiger but really domesticated and kind of lazy. When Tim tried to hold her for photos she rebelled so these photos were taken only after patiently 'coaxing' her to pose for us.....
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| Meerkat |
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| "This is better than my hamsters back home....." |
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