Life with the Three Crazy Dogs

Since I came back from my vacation last year, I have not put up my thoughts on how I felt about KL.  When was the last time I was in KL before my vacation last year?  I think it was in 1995, not sure but I have a gut feeling it was ‘95.  I remembered the base of the KL Towers was just slowly erecting from the ground.  The bases of the Twin Towers were sorta constructed.  It seems so long ago.

The Petronas Towers.  Yes, I have been there, finally.  I felt so “jakun” (someone who has not seen a big city) when I saw the two towers.   I actually felt proud.  Can you friggin believe that??  I kinda felt weird myself but I sure was happy to see the towers with my own 4  eyes!

Next is the night lights of the city: the Bangunan Sultan Abdul Samad with the KL Towers in the background.  Again, I was awe on how much KL has changed, more than I thought.  

The above picture was taken on a rainy Wednesday evening (Dec 5, 2007).  It’s not a very good picture but it is still my favorite.

Of all books, I read this when I got to me parents’ home.  The first time I read this was I was 15 years old – Form 3.  This was one of the English book I needed to read during class.  The stories are good.  I forgot how good this book was: it test your comprehension and my comprehension really sucks.  You think I did those questions?  Hell no.

Then, I saw this larder.  If my old brain buckets tells me, this larder has been in this house even before I was born.  My mom repainted it from its original wood.  It used to have a very dark colored wood and it actually makes the kitchen rather gloomy.  But that larder stocks all the daily usage of plates, bowls, oil, sugar and other whatnot for cooking.

The kitchen: not much changes to it.  The marble table dates back from my great grandmother’s time, I think.  And the food cover on the table has been there forever.  The big bulging thing right at the top right of the picture is where all the shopping plastics goes to.  This kitchen is always hot.  For me, I always have the table fan, which is next to the refrigerator, on each time I sit there for meals.

The living room: The two vases between the TV, were from my dad’s father.  I told my mom once I wanted them, but now that I’m here across so many hills, mountains and seas, how to bring them back here lah??  Plus, the four wall panels – I think they are the 4 most beautiful women in China (a million years ago!)  And the painting of the two boats (not sure what you call them things that can be found in HK) were bought in HK so many umpteen years ago.

There are more pictures I want to put here, but there are still in DB’s laptop: that damn laptop is having a fit now.  So, will put up more pictures as I get them downloaded to Photobucket.

Having to go through the hellish travel to Ipoh was so worth it.  Going back to Ipoh for our vacatoin was a very memorable one for us.  Stef took us around Ipoh and on the day she took us for lunch in Chemor, on the way home, she took a turn to the former Seagate plant was located in the Kinta Free Trade Zone.  I can’t remember the name of the current occupant now, but it sure brought a lot of memories during our days in Seagate.  I left Seagate in January of 1997 and the plant was only 1.5 years old.  The trees that facilities planted in the parking lot are now full blown trees and gave shade to the cars parked on the lot. 

Seeing the neighborhood I was living in for 26 years was enough to wonder what else is the city gonna do now.  A lot more I’m sure. The main road where my parents’ home is used to be very quiet.  There were cars but not as busy as what it is now.  DB and I took an evening walk and it was not easy trying to get across the road: motorbikes or I should call them scooters and cars zoomed by left and right and it seems eternity we were standing there.  We walked to Jalan Raja Kam, Jalan Selangor, Pahang, Penang, Johor, Kelantan, and Perak.  The amount of huge mansions dotted along these streets were unbelievable.  Did someone won a lottery or make it big in England and came home and built big bungalows??  DB was very surprised, too, to see these big bungalows. 

The Methodist Church, too, had a lot of changes to it.  Must have a good congregation in that church.  Jalan Atkin had a few nice big ones.  There is even some sort of apartments built at the cross roads of Atkin and Tambun Road.  I didn’t take pictures of these areas coz I was in awe how much Ipoh has changed.  It ain’t a town anymore as I kept referring it as a town.  It’s a damn city now!

This round-about at the inter section of Tambun Road, Brewster Road, Gopeng Road, and Hugh Low, or better still across the Menteri Besar’s residence,  seems to stay the same except for the wonderfully kept garden surrounding it.  The last I saw there were hardly any surviving plants.  Must be all the rain that kept them alive! 

These shophouse that lined Hugh Low Street (Jalan Iskandar Shah, I think) are in bad shape.  DB said they weren’t that bad of a shape back in 1996.  I agree.  There seems to be no one living in the upper part of these shops anymore.  What a waste. 

The above picture was taken at the mall next to my former school, Main Convent.  These Kopitiams are all over the city.  I suppose the good old coffee shops are going to be extinct soon.

Foh San Restaurant, we had our dim sum fix on 11/21/2007.  That place is forever packed no matter how early you get there.  It so happens we were there during the major school holidays.  We managed to find a place to sit and boy did DB get a lot of stares!!!  Guess not many folks seen gwai lohs in a dim sum restaurants?????  I remember when I was still a kid, my dad would wake us up at 5:30 a.m. (there abouts) and asked if we want to go to Foh San for dim sum.  He says if we go early, the food will be fresher where we will not be eating other folks left overs.

Eastern Decorator, a company still standing.  This building is along Hugh Low Street.  My mom and aunt used to shop in this place for carpets, curtains, and don’t know what else.  Anything to do with home refurbishing, this shop will pratically has them all.  If I remember right, this shop used to be on Yang Kalsom Road.  It has been in this current location for many years now, even before I left Ipoh.

When I got to Ipoh, I felt like I’m a tourist, a visitor.  The town/city looked so congested with cars and my most hateful vehicle – the damn scooters.  The Tiger Lane and Tambun Road intersection is now decorated with overpasses/fly overs, and the same with the road heading to the Menteri Besar’s office to Kuala Kangsar Road.  There is also another area I think is around Gopeng Road and Tiger Lane.   Those overpasses really screwed me up!  The signboards are the not best in Malaysia.  They are plain crappy.  Those who do not know their way around Ipoh, will end up like me roaming around till I see a familiar landmark.

We both aim to get back to Ipoh in another two years.  Wonder what else will change.

Continuation from here…

Here are some of the pictures taken in Ipoh:-

1. DB after we returned from Jaya Jusco with the new camera (Sony Cybershot) (11/19/2007)

2.  Outside IMAX on a rainy afternoon (11/20/2007)

3. My ala mater (11/21/2007)

4.  At the Temple of Godess of Mercy (11/23/2004)

5.  At the temple in somewhere in Gunung Rapat (I think) (11/23/2007)

6. Steps going up to the top of Perak Caves to view Ipoh city (11/23/2007)

7. Outside the Thai temple along Jln Kuala Kangsar (11/23/2007)

8. Thai temple along Jalan Tambun (11/23/2007)

*I’m now writing my recollection of our trip  to Malaysia so I can always go back and read them whenever I want.  They are going to be long posts, so if you feel like it’s too much, you may skip them.*

Both Db and I had a very enjoyable vacation.  The start of our vacation, the day we left Minneapolis, was way too stress.  Read here and here for on our hellish experience trying to get transportation to Ipoh.  Lesson learnt – never trust those Malay buggers telling us this and that.  The best thing to do is, call up my folks and have them mail us bus tickets from this bus company call YOYO.  YOYO, you rock!

Once we got to Ipoh, to my parents’ home precisely, we were both so relieved.  I’m sure the cab driver was happy to unload us off with all the heavy luggage that barely fit the trunk and also the back seat.  I paid RM280 for that taxi ride which includes his tips.  Once inside the house it was lunch time.  Mom was prepping Kerabu Meehoon.  It was so good.  DB had two heaping plates, plus we had coffee, pak kor yee mai (gingko with barley) and nyonya cakes.  Mhmmm, so yummy.  Didn’t take any pictures of these food bcoz of the damn camera konked out on us. 

DB took a nap but I didn’t, Mom and I were yakking away and I brough out all the stuff I bought for family and friends.  Mom had the first choice of what to pick first!  While mom was looking through the loot, I was looking around the house.  So much changed – good thing my sis took some pictures of the house for my preview.  I sure like the air-conditioning in every room, living room.  Make’s it really cool and so relaxing.

When mom and I sorted out what and who gets what, it was time for dinner.  Yeah, that’s what vacations are for and coming back to Ipoh and not eat??  Never!  We got ready and left for Wooley at Ipoh Garden.  It was so like a parking lot.  The cars were not moving.  Are they giving away free food??  Wooley looks nice, more presentable, unlike the old Wooley that looks so dreary, dark.  Dad had to drop us off to look for a table.

Found a table and started ordering food but I told mom not to order too much as I was still a little full from lunch and jet lag too.  We had our first dose of char kuey teow and rojak (M’sia style fruit salad), lobak (fried tofu, fishballs, shrimp) and ABC – ais batu kacang with gula melaka.  So good. 

Once we got home, I  hit the sack and the light was out in a heart beat.  I wanted to make phone calls to my friends but I was too tired.  My eyes needed toothpicks to keep them opened.

The following days in Ipoh were so relaxing.  No rush of any sort.  Called up Stef, whom I have known since we were 13 years old at Main Convent.  She is such a sweetheart, very thoughtful, so caring, loyal, and just a god-send friend.  She even comes to my parents’ home to visit them.  That’s what I say god-send.  She and her hubby, Patrick, together with Stef’s mom brought me along to Cameron Highlands (Nov 24).  The last I was at Cameron’s was in the early 90s’ maybe?  Or late 80s.  I will post some of the pictures up later as they are all stored in DB’s laptop, especially pictures taken in Ipoh.  Db brought along his laptop hopefully to be able to connect to someone wireless network, but no luck.

Anyway, Stef took DB and I to see the temples in Ipoh.  I being in Ipoh for so many years forgot that there are so many temples that existed in the town, or I should say city now.  We went to the Kuan Yin (Goddess of Mercy) temple along Jalan Gopeng; another temple which her MIL goes near Gunung Rapat, I think; Perak Caves which I tried to climb to the top but I didn’t coz it stank so bad and there was water all over the place; Thai temple along Jalan Kuala Kangsar that has the sleeping Buddha, and finally to another Thai temple on Jalan Tambun, the temple that sits opposite SRK Marian Convent and Tambun Inn.  The day we went temple visiting was a hot day.  Click here to read here rendition of our temple trip.  Thank goodness for air-conditioning.  Stef also took us to this restaurant where everyone seems to know her.  I forgot the name of this restaurant.  So, Stef, if you are reading this, please chip in!

DB didn’t come with us to Cameron as he had fallen ill.  Must be the

We both spent a fair amount of time at IMAX in Ipoh Garden East.  IMAX is an internet cybercafe thingy.  I don’t mind that place but it’s just too many school kids cursing and swearing (in Chinese) every second we were there.  Even a Mat Salleh was able to figure out what the kids were swearing about.  It cost RM2.00 per hour and the computers are in good condition with speedy connection and wide flat screen monitors.   Both DB and I were so lost without the internet.  We rely so much on the internet that without it, it’s like we lost a limb!

(Will continue later….)