Random Thoughts

“Memegang pom-pom while cheering “chaiyo-chaiyo” macam heroine wayang Korea member semangat to hero Korea.

I guess that wasn’t enough.

Pooped.

While I was putting on makeup for work this morning.

EK: Mommy, when you were in primary school, was CL5 (my youngest sis) in kindergarten?

Me: No.

EK: Then in Mama’s tummy?
Me: No. Mama have not bought CL5 from the supermarket yet.
EK: Mommy, I know there is no supermarket. The stomach makes the baby and the mommy poops the baby out.

Me: *chuckles* Poops? Who told you this?
EK: My friend.

Me: How he knows the babies were pooped?
EK: He knows, because he is the smartest boy in my class.

So, I am not the only one who fabricates “baby” stories huh?

Marital Status

One of the inappropriately yet frequently asked questions is,

“Are you married?” or “Is she/he married?”

Like,

When someone passed away, most people would ask, “Is the deceased married?”

When you comment about someone b****y, “Is that person married?”.

When you complained about someone who is giving you a hard time, “Is that person married?”.

When someone isn't behaving with the opposite sex, “Is that person married?”.

Seeing you walking around with any kids, "Are you married?"

Heck, even when I told the doctor I am experiencing abdominal pain, he asked me if I am married.

And the unfortunate thing is some people tend to use your marital status to determine the kind of person you are.

A divorced woman will try and “steal” your man away.
Single women after 40 will turn temperamental.
Women who do not marry are too choosy.

Or like what I recently heard, women who do not marry are actually mean and horrible people who are paying for their karma.

Silliness is them.

Midlife Crisis

They laughed and called me silly.

Here I am, really worried about my “situation” and they think I am being dramatic.

Can’t a 34 year old woman experience a mid-life crisis?

According to the good ol’ Wpedia,

Midlife crisis is a term coined in 1965 by Elliot Jaques stating a time where adults come to realize their own mortality and how much time is left in their life. A midlife crisis is experienced by many people during the midlife transition when they realize that life may be more than halfway over. Sometimes, a crisis can be triggered by transitions experienced in these years, such as andropause or menopause, the death of parents or other causes of grief, unemployment or underemployment, realixing that a job or career is hated but not knowing how else to earn an equivalent living, or children leaving home. People may reassess their achievements in terms of their dreams. The result may be a desire to make significant changes in core aspects of day-to-day life or situation, such as in career, work-life balance, marriage, romantic relationships, large expenditures, or physical appearance.

And since I am some-what an “old soul”, it is only natural for my “midlife crisis” episodes to come early no?

No matter how I prepped talk myself, it is difficult for me to just bounce back to my annoying self.  I keep telling myself my infamous lines “Do what makes you happy” or “Forget and move on”, well, it is easier said than done. *rolls eyes* A role model I am not.

My dad is right. I am a very stubborn person.

So right now, I am searching for the solution to world peace, because that would be an easier task. As well as Christmas tips, etc. Inspired by the word “Quirky” which most of the contestants in some top model do not understand *boo*, I am still determined to make this year’s Christmas the best ever. 

Sharing is Caring

Fueling my high expectations of men and love with Korean dramas.

Matchmaker's Lover (a.k.a. Love and Marriage)
KBS World
Monday - Thursday
11.15pm (depending what day it is)

Can you hear what I hear?

Yes, the Christmas bells are pealing. *Yay*

Just what I needed.
A distraction.

A holiday would be better, but I decided to have an AWESOME Christmas this year instead.

Life is short. We need to CREATE good memories no?

Yes, I will try not to be hangat-hangat tahi ayam.

I was at the Hitz.FM Birthday Invasion last week. I felt really bad about Ekiel missing Greyson Chance’s showcase the other time, so I managed to get some tickets and persuade the sister to drive us there. I was happy to see other parents waiting patiently for their kids, outside and inside the concert ground.  Some parents were even dancing to Jakeman towards the end of the concert.

Surprisingly, Ekiel did not enjoy himself one bit. He complained the music was too loud and the girls next to us were annoying. They were. Like MTV kids gone mental.

The saddest thing was he just stood there all grumpy, and even disapproved my dancing with his evil eye. He said “Don’t be stupid Mommy!”

Wait till he starts clubbing, I am so going to give him hell.

** I just found out that my parents want to “match make” one of my brothers with their friend’s daughter.

“Why they no match make me and my single sisters?”

Gayang Seafood

With my mom’s allergy to seafood and dad’s barely-there cooking skills, we took dad out for some serious seafood binging the moment mom went out of town.

All my life, I had only been to five seafood restaurants here in KK. Sad but true. So when my brother recommended Gayang, we agreed. He assured us the drive wasn’t that long.

A short drive would be nice I thought.

First of all, my sudden runny nose was a pain. Then it rained. Heavily. The short drive was anything but short plus my sister somehow got lost so we had to make an ever longer drive. Like Ekiel said, why did we drive to the end of the road just to have crabs?

Now, when we finally reached the restaurant around 6.45pm, the place was super packed. Because I was nicely sneezing away, I didn’t go ohhh and ahhh over the aquariums with the fresh “dinner”. I did manage to order my Kam Heong mud crab in between my sniffs because a lot of blogs gave it a thumbs up.

Service was not their biggest plus point.

-          They do not clear the mess the moment the guests left the tables

-          We had to find an empty table on our own

-          We were seated for almost 30-min without anyone taking our order for drinks, nor set the table with cutleries

-          Due to whatever service system they were using guests who came later was served first

-          The no smiling staffs get another two points deduction

The good things.

-          Plenty of parking

-          They take your order before you even find yourself a table

-          The bill comes immediately after you ask for them J

My family are not really adventurous when it comes to food. My son didn’t even want to try any of the dishes so we had to order omelette for him.

Kam Heong Mud Crab

1kg – RM30 (4 medium-sized crabs)

There was a lot of curry taste going on for my liking. But the crab was meaty and sweet.

Buttered Milk Prawn

1kg – RM35 (Medium-sized prawns more than enough for 5 persons)

I imagine buttered prawn should be salty but this dish was sweet. The prawns were definitely fresh.

Battered Soft Shell

1kg – RM50 (4 medium-sized crabs)

This was my favourite. The taste was just right and the crunch was just perfect.

Sabah Vegetable with Egg

RM8 per plate (Enough for 5 persons)

Wasn’t the best I ever had but it was good

They also served coconut pudding (chargeable) for dessert.

The ambiance was like any other seafood restaurant. Minus the few tissues on the floor, the place was fairly clean.

One thing to do is check your bills before paying. I’m sure it was just human error but they charged us for peanuts and fruit pickles which we didn’t get. 

Opens daily from 11am to 10pm.

I'll be back...

Re-prioritizing and making things happen.

I miss blogging

Things have been SUPER DUPER CRAZY.
More of that later. For now...

Have you registered for the 12th Sutera Harbour 7K Sunset Charity Run 2012?

mini update

Between my last post to today, I turned 34, went to Bali and... that's about it.
I enjoyed my trip but since I got back, things are just not right.
Like someone said to me "dalam kepala banyak benda".

I am pretty sure the Universe is doing her Happy Dance for my headaches.
*dumdumdum*
Oh well.

Welcome Dragon

The fireworks and firecrackers display wasn't as great as the CNY Dragon in 1988. This year was just average. There was only one home at my lane who burnt some crackers. The rest of us just enjoy watching other people 'burning' their money.

Happy Chinese New Year

Thank you SpongeBob

You know your kid watches too much TV when…

He tell you that the clam meat is the clam’s tongue and the clams have little TV under the shell.

The North Borneo Railway, your passport to the British Colonial Era.

The first and last time I took the local train was to Papar more than 20 years ago for a school trip. I don’t remember much from that experience except for the uncomfortable seats and the tunnel.

There is something about tunnels that excites me till this very day.

Some historical facts on the railway system in Sabah can be found here.

The North Borneo Railway (NBR) steam train ride is only available every Wednesday and Saturday. The train departs from the Tanjung Aru train station at about 10am.

When you reach the train station, get your ticket and your ‘train passport’ at the NBR Counter, opposite the entrance to the train platform.  Before you board the train, remember to get your ‘train passport’ stamped.

The atmosphere of the station is lively and fun with the music from the colonial era blasting over the speaker. The friendly train staff dressed in white and khaki uniforms complete with the pith helmets welcomes you to board one of five the carriages.

As the train slowly departs from the station, a continental breakfast of assorted pastries and croissant is served with coffee or tea.

The view along the route changes as you pass by each station. From the Kota Kinabalu International Airport to the Petagas War Memorial, commercial centres to water villages and the glittering waters of the South China Sea to the delightful paddy fields.

One thing that doesn’t change though is the friendly faces of the locals who eagerly waves at the passengers as the train pass by. Even after riding the train many times, it doesn’t get old.

The first stop the steam train makes is at the Kinarut Station. Passengers are encouraged to visit the small town of Kinarut or the Tien Shi Temple located nearby.

The second stop is at Papar station. I recommend you to talk a short walk to the nearby market where you get to see the colourful everyday lives of the locals. They are very friendly, helpful and always ready to pose for the camera, if you ask them nicely.  There are also handicrafts, food and fruits for you to buy as souvenirs.

Try and look for the local Sabahan offerings like fruits: - Tarap, Bambangan, Durian, Rambutan. Snacks – Kuih Cincin, Kuih Lidah, Kuih Amplang, Penyeram.

Thirty minutes is not enough to see everything but it is sufficient to see a little bit of everything.

You could also stay at the train station and watch the head of the steam train making it's turn at the turntable to pull back the train back to KK.

On our back to the Tanjung Aru station, a delicious Tiffin lunch of Chicken Briyani Rice, vegetables, fish and satay with fresh fruits are served. For dessert, there is ice cream! What a joy it is to enjoy the ice cream onboard the steam train on a hot afternoon.

The view is pleasant and the experience of boarding a steam train older than my grandma is definitely one of its kind. I sit on the train and I forget about the rest of the world. The sound of the engine is surprisingly comforting. For real.

 There are not many steam train left in this lifetime, be a part of this British Colonial history in Sabah.

Price List

RM250.00 nett per adult

RM150.00 nett per child between 3 to 12 years olf

Complimentary for children under 2 years old

Contact

North Borneo Railway

Level 2, The Magellan Sutera Resort

1 Sutera Harbour Boulevard

88100 Kota Kinabalu

Sabah, Malaysia

Tel: (60 88) 308 500

Fax: (60 88)  311 136

Email: nbrinfo@suteraharbour.com.my

Chinese Horoscope

When I read my Y! Chinese horoscope prediction for this year, I must admit it put a smile on my face. Almost did my happy dance when I read the other animals’ sign.

Wedding bells are ringing for everyone.

*rolls eyes*

Funny phrases

I was google-ing for some Iban phrases when I stumbled upon this particular phrase.
“Anang negu aku diak!”

It meant, “Don’t touch me there!”

My imagination runs wild as I try to understand the need for tourists to learn that phrase.

marriage and babies

To an almost 7-year old, the world is simple.
Man meet woman. Fall in love. Get married. Have kids. Live happily ever after.

So when things didn’t work out that way, they would innocently question the whys.

The day I dreaded arrived not so gracefully.
We were having our nightly ‘talk’ when he whispered to me.
“Mommy, who did you marry?”

My heart literally sank.

“Why?” I asked.

“People get married and have children. So since you gave birth to me, who did you marry?”

I, Clara Lim, actually pretended to sleep and ignored the question.

And because he is my son who inherited my stubbornness, he asked me the question again few days later. This time I distracted him with something on TV.

By now, I can tell when he is about to jump into this topic. Like the other night. I quickly change the topic when he suddenly starts talking about marriage and babies. I have never been more thankful for his short attention span.

For a boy his age, he is sure thinking about this a great deal.

I had 7 years to think about this and yet I have come up with no solution. Maybe I should use the ‘seed story’ like in the movie, The Switch.

Either way, I need to come up with a solution quick. 

entry one 2012

I was the Christmas grouch and paid my Karma during the New Year.

So this year, I promise to be nicer during the holidays.

Ekiel started his Year One with much excitement. By 2^nd day of class, he was determined not to go to school. Ever. It was really difficult to convince him that education is the best thing I can give him.

He even went all ‘reverse psychology’ on me.
“I don’t need anything else except you and my family mommy”.

“I miss you so much”.

“All I need is your love”.

Yes, such a sweet talker that boy.

I do feel bad I don’t get to spend much time with him during the first few days of school. In fact on the first day, I had a function and was only able to send him to class and pick him up the first day. Second day onwards went downhill according to my mom.

One time, in between his sobs, he brought it up, about me not making time for him and what not. My heart breaks but I really had no choice. *sighs*

If this is how the rest of the year will be like, I will lose my sanity in a couple of weeks. The only thing I am very certain at this point.

Cannot believe CNY is coming soon which means…
 I am not ready.

Happy New Year People

Have...

A Joyful January

A Fabulous February

A Marvellous March

An Awesome April

A Magnificent May

A Jovial June

A Jolly July

An Amazing August

A Superb September

An Outstanding October

A Nice November

A Delightful December

My New Year resolution?
Get my Mr Right.

Boleh? LOL.