Chicago-Tribune-kisich

I don’t know why but it seems that, I tend to D.I.Y a bank bag for myself every year without failing. Like this one I did in 2008. My current one looks like this now…

 

Another hamtam-hamtam DIY project, wrapped coloured paper around envelope and also another plastic cover then bundle with my cute Minnie Mouse band. Totally looks like salted veggies now.

So I came up with a new one today.

It’s really easy to make. I finished this in about an hour.

All you need is just some envelopes (again) and a piece of paper (as the cover), double tapes and scissors. No sewing or stitching needed. I used like, 10 envelopes.

First of all, cut off the sealing part of the envelope. Actually, I have no idea what is it called but you get the point.

Get some double tape and attach them all together,

like this.

Get your card stock/paper out. Measure the size of the base and also the cover.
(You saw that 4 creases on the card stock? That’s what I’m talking about)

Cut away the extras again.

Stick your bundle of envelope to the card stock.

You can now slot in your bank books and whatnots.

Labeling! I wish I have nicer handwritings.

Almost done~

Now, you can either use ribbons, buttons and threads, velcro or anything to stick them together.

I picked velcro but it was a major fail. Apparently, the velcro sticks better than double tape.
-___-“

Decorate it.

*ta da*

Think this is like the most beautiful bank bag / accordion folder I’ve ever made. And it’s going to be so easy to find my bank books and slips without tugging it all out and later struggle to put it back.

My father passed away a week ago, on 15th of December 2010.
It was really sudden and all unexpected.

I really don’t know how to write a post about his death, his funeral and what I’d been through for the past week because no matter how I put it, it’s still going to be heart-wrenching. Just like how every time my mom told me that,

“From now on, it’s just going to be only you and me. No one there to quarrel with me, no one there watching TV till late night, we got to be strong because we’re on our own from now onwards.”

It’s like, someone just gave me a big punch right on my chest.
I just couldn’t battle the feeling.

I tried not to cry in front of my mom and everyone else. I had so much thing to do and I don’t want to spend time feeling helpless and for those that I could do for my father’s funeral, I did it all. Instead of staying at home waiting for people to come over, my mom and I were almost out whole day running errands. We picked his head to toe attire, including a cowboy hat and suit that we had to drive all the way to BSB to get because we couldn’t find any that fits him in Belait. We brought him back from Ripas back to Belait. We picked his “big-house” ourselves and all the little little things, all the little little decisions made. It was hectic.

Then, there’s so many different versions of my father’s “stopping point”. Some said he fell into a big longkang while cycling, others said he was cutting grass at that time, and the funniest that I’d heard was… I was in Canada / Kuching!

After making the whole incident clear, the next question that would be asked will be… “Did you dream of your father?”, “Did he go home?” and the worst worst worst question that my mom had was…

“Auntie, give me 4 numbers/words!”

Seriously, what the fudge!

That particular person drove off before I could say anything, else I would reply him… “You want 4 numbers/words? There, 迟早到你！(Sooner or later your turn)”

There’s just so so so so so many people out there who showed no empathy and I’m glad my mom and I have so many awesome friends, especially my mom. I guess her biggest wealth in life, apart from having me, is popularity among friends. My mom’s friends actually came over and kept us company from 10pm to 2am, brought some hot coffee and cakes so that the night will be easier to pass. Not forgetting to mention my relatives who came all the way down from BSB too, helping out, taking turns to keep us companied. And friends who gave me a tight big hug, making me realized how important, how powerful the support was with their presence.

I might not reply all the condolences messages but I read them all multiple times, getting me through all the pain. And I thank you all, for showing concerns and care with or without me knowing.

Life goes on. Our lives are now slowly getting back on track and some even commented to my mom that she’s being “daring”, for having breakfast and doing groceries shopping in public. My mom replied, “So, we have to stay at home and cry whole day to show that we miss him and we’re very kasian? Food will automatically appears on the table? House chores will be done? Life goes on and for now, the only thing we can do for him is not to make him worry about us…”

I heart my mom.

She might appear to be this kampung auntie but her positive-ness is something that really inspires me. She’s well-loved because she’s funny, friendly and not calculative. Tell you all one funny thing, my mom actually asked me to tell my father while burning incense sticks, “You come back home don’t get so rough ya, be gentle and don’t scare us ah. Only left two women at home now, be considerate ya.”

She turns all tears to all smiles.

For now, I’m slowly getting used to, registering the fact that my father is not here anymore. It’s not going to be easy but ya, I’m sure my mom and I will get through it.

Lastly, heartfelt thanks to all those who helped and cared. And, I’m sincerely apologize if I’d been rude, harsh or insensitive for the past week. I don’t mean to hurt anyone’s feeling with my grief. 

Spent a meaningful weekend with the Garden Circlings. 做了个小小的突破， 那40分钟不知让我死了多少细胞，但，都值得了。布偶戏也的了热烈回响，美中不足， 短了点。 认识了新朋友， 做（报纸）编辑的。 学了很多 (包括，意大利文，笨蛋怎么说），得了很多 （肚子一圈肉）。

That’s Chau McDotty.

Just finished watching my final 2 episodes of “Gun Metal Grey”, quickly unpacked and packed again for our getaway trip. That means, I’m going to neglect this blog for another few days again.

And, I want to get a photo printer! It’s (sort of) a better option compare to Polaroid, I think.
It’s all the Tang Sisters fault. Hahhahahaaa.

Bah, gonna catch some sleep and wake up at 6am tomorrow.

Good night little angels~

我今天做了件，我一直没勇气做的事。
可能你会觉得，那也没什么大不了的。
可是，我却感到非常的开心，因为，我终于突破了！

刚才下午，我到一家本地超市，找了个车位，下车时才发现有一只黑色小野猫。
它动也不动，仔细看了一下，才发现它头部流了血，已经完全没有了生命迹象。
我有一股冲动，很想把那小野猫的尸体放到旁边的草丛，以免它的尸体被车辆不小心碾过。

可是，看了不到一秒。。。 我就超想吐的！

于是。。。 我就走进超市，心里一直想，可能等下就有清洁工人把尸体处理掉。
可是，又觉得好自责哦。

买完了东西，又要回到停车位了。
心里一直想，如果，猫咪还在，该不该把它移走呢？

就在这时，我看见有位叔叔好像很嫌弃得把手挥了挥，
他的车就停在我隔壁
我想，应该那位叔叔把猫咪处理了吧。。。
果然，猫咪真的不在原来的位置！
开心！！

可是，再走两步，我就再次得看到猫咪。。

原来，那位叔叔把猫咪丢到了大马路！
是那种，在中间，肯定不知道会被碾几次那种！

老实说，我有点生气那个uncle咯
猫咪顶住你的路，你既然要移，就干脆好人做到底啦。
嘎纳赛。

我回到车上，想了想。。
算了。既然给我遇上，那就是我的责任！
我鼓起勇气，随便在车上找了些纸张，
把猫咪捡起来。。按耐着想吐的心情， 放到草丛。

其实。。 我也不知道应该丢进垃圾桶还是怎样。。
当然，就好是把它埋了。

但，起码。。。 我把我认为应该做的事给做了。
可能一点也不圆满。。

我尽力了。

This is a aimless post with recent photos taken in restaurants. You know, filler post.

Last week, oh wait, it’s already last last week (!), Bobby and I decided to try out Bann Nucha Restaurant in the Mall while waiting for our movie (Rapunzle/Tangled) to start since we’d heard a lot of positive reviews about this restaurant. Even a couple of my Thai friends who’d been to Brunei said Bann Nucha serves authentic Thai food that tastes no different from those at home.

Bobby’s hot tea and my super yummy lime drink.


 
When no one is there to take photo for us, I can only resolve to this and act as if it’s a photo taken together.

Papaya salad, LESS SPICY because both Bobby and I can’t really take spicy food. Still, it was too spicy for me to handle, it’s still pretty good nonetheless.

Pandan Chicken. Tad oily but the sweet chili sauce is something to die for!

Kampung style tom yam soup. It’s not totally clear nor red, it’s just right with a generous amount of seafood in it. Squid, fish, prawn even CRAB!

RUBBIESSSSSS! I love love love rubbies! It’s actually water chestnuts coated in this QQ glutinous coating. I fell in love when I first had it in Bangkok and this particular bowl had jackfruit to go with it. I was in heaven!

Mango sticky rice. Now this one was a big disappointment. Of course there’s nothing wrong with the mango slices, but the glutinous rice was so hard and dry that made it so difficult to chew and swallow.

The total bill (plus 2 bowl of plain rice) was BND30.00. Pretty reasonable I guess.
And I think I’ll go back there for more of those rubbies!

---

Next, photos of my colleagues and I hunting for breakfast. This was when the school holiday started and we’re not “curi-tulang-ing” okay.

Arina and Sheepy

The male teachers and Princess Syara.

Aww… how adorable is that little girl! (Tag for some unknown baby photo contest what the fish. Hahhahaha. No lah, just kidding)

Had breakfast together again the very next day because the colleague unsuccessfully belanja us because a parent footed the bill. So we had another breakfast session, which.. we all jokingly said must find a restaurant with parents inside to try our luck, see got free meal again or not. Muahahahhaa.

Oh, 8 of us squeezed inside the car and it was like a road trip once again. So fun!

The very same bunch of people.

Lunching out in Excapade, where else?
Excapade is just so near to our school so it becomes a popular lunch-out place for us.
And, we’re so not ready to give Misato another chance. Sorry Misato.

Oh, that’s a puppet bunny that Zeti was holding. Teachers keep all sort of nonsense in their bags.

Okay, that’s all for now.

Will blog again soon, I hope.

 

Finally, the last day of my Taiwan trip. Plus a little of the following day of the day I boarded on the plane actually. So, since it’s the last day, I’d dedicated it specially for “ching-chai-wanna-go-where-then-go-where, wanna-eat-what-then-eat-what, no schedule, no plan, go with the flow”.

A bit sick of typical Taiwanese breakfast and so we picked the good ol’ McD.

On our way there, passed by the police station and there was a big crowd.

Protesting. About foreign laborers overstaying and basic salary if I’m not wrong.

Breakfast!

 
Mc Muffin with egg

Mc Bacon eh this one?

Passed by 50嵐 and Bobby wanted to give it a try.

If you’d read Food-Hungry’s post about ordering pearl milk tea there, you should know what am I going to say next. I like to see Bobby’s clueless and helpless face when people talk to him in Chinese and he has no idea what the person is talking about, then turn his head and look at me, hoping some rescue from me. Hahhahaaa.

In short, to order a cup of pearl milk tea, you gotta be really really specific in your order, like..

Ice cubes: Big or Small
Sugar level: Full, 70%, Half, 30% or none.
Pearls: Big or Small
Cup: M or L

Ordering in Brunei is just so much easier, people only ask.. “Mau chili?”, the rest is all standardized. I guess we’re all just used to not having a choice. And when given, we get all puzzled.

The reason why we continued lepak at that area was because we’re waiting for the shoe cobbler, whom we’d been trying to find the previous day but in vain. Rupanya, he only starts working at 10am.

 
Sifu working, shhhhh, DND.

Instead of spending another thousand of Taiwan dollars on a new luggage, we only paid him NT150 to fix it! He stitched the bag back, used some unknown black thick glue and voilà! Miracle~ 

It was hard work and I was thinking did he charge a little too cheap for the repair? Then 48 and I went calculating how much he can earn a day and man… better than those teens working in a fast food restaurant I tell you. His business sibeh good okay! We saw like 2 plastic bags of shoes repaired waiting for collection and every 3 minutes, there will be people passed by and asking for his service. A man even asked if he can repair a broken zip of a luggage after seeing him fixing my mom’s.

Put the luggage back to our room and next, Ximending!

Ximending has been called the "Harajuku of Taipei" and the "Shibuya of Taipei". Ximending is the source of Taiwan's fashion, subculture, and Japanese culture. Went there look-see-look-see. Well, there was a big fat reason why it’s a must-visit place though. You’ll know later.

Plastic surgery clinic everywhere. Did you see that before and after photo???

Here here, an enlarged version.

What do you think?

 

Walked walked walked.. then went in don’t know what building and Bobby found a perfect anniversary gift for me from Mia.

Something like this, but if you’re in my fb, you should have seen mine.

Bumped into Cookie Monster, Thanis.

Seriously, how small can Ximending be? I was there for 7 days already and in Ximending, we (me, mom, Bobby and 48) all met someone we know from Brunei/Miri!

All near Ah Zhong Mee Sua.

Yeap, that’s the big fat reason why I must must must must must go there!

OMG! It was so delicious can! The crowd just kept coming and go, people just stood there and indulged to that little bowl of goodness by the street.

Comes in 2 prices, NT45 (smaller bowl, topped with parsley) and NT60 (bigger bowl, topped with chives).

There, bumped into a bunch of Seria aunties (the famous Chung-lao-shi) and they all know 48. Hahahhhaaa. Ah-Fu’s daughter, what you doing in Taiwan ah?

And Bobby bumped into his ex-uni mates. Small world huh.

Nom nom nom nom!

See, everyone was just eating casually by the road side. If you’re lucky, you might get a chair to sit. After eating, just throw the bowls, spoons and tissues into their respective bins.

After few rounds of shopping in Ximending, next… SOGO. Went to B2 food court to grab a bite again.

A call-waiting buzzer given to us and when it vibrates, that means your food is ready for collection.

Another famous snack of Taiwan, Tian-bu-la, which can be directly translate into English as “Sweet, not spicy”, or more widely known as “Taiwanese tempura”.

It’s like, boiled fried-food (fish cakes, radish, fish balls, and so on) topped with a sweet sauce.

My set .. umm.. brunch.
Barely finished half of those because it’s so starchy!

The soupy Ding-Bian-Zhuo, another tian-bu-la and the super starchy ba-wan (meat ball).

My mom’s vegetarian kimchi pot was pretty good though.

Pet friendly mall I guess. How often you see a dog in a food court I ask you.

During my stay in Taiwan, I’d not seen a single ugly kurap stray dog.
Mostly cute, fluffy, tame and trained puppies!



My best friend since 1995, who has not emailed me, msn or fb-chat/message me for a really long time!!

Oi! lei chou meh mmm choi ngo?  - cantonese
Ngi cho makai mau lau ngai kong fa? – hakka
lu zho hami boh kah wa kong weh? – hokkian
ni zho miang mo kin ngui pang kong? – foochow

Okay, it all means the same anyway… which, I just realized that girl won’t understand hokkian and foochow. Hhahahhahaa.

Starbucks, which both my mom and Bobby (the coffee addicts) need. Basically, I gave my mom a sip and she downed it all and baru realized it was Bobby’s.

Oh ya, I just remember something funny. Can’t remember why and when, Bobby was helping me to ask from some sugar from a counter. And the waitress gave him long string of choice again.

“You want white sugar, brown sugar, fruit sugar or liquid sugar?”,
when all he asked was.. “Wo yao tang” (I want sugar)

This is Sogo, nothing we can afford inside.

Went to Breeze and Bobby was super fascinated by this poster.

*cough* read this bi.

Too tired to walk anymore and had a nice tea break in Kinokuniya.

My wafer! This is really nice.

48’s macha ice cream and condiments.

 

Remember me saying that the building I stayed is a little dodgy? This is how it looks like from the main entrance.

With a fortune teller who charges NT100 for a question, snooker place, massage parlor in the basement and 1st floor. But, there’s a whole lot of minsu in that building. I wouldn’t mind staying there again because the location is simply the best!

Then at night, our last dinner in Taiwan.. we went for something more luxurious.

SHIN YEH JAPANESE BUFFET!!!!!

You see the size of the oyster????

I asked the chef which of the sushi are vegetarian one and she pointed out a few for me, and later made a vegetarian handroll without me asking!

Seriously, there’s just nothing to complain when it comes to the service provided in Taiwan.

Bobby’s first round, got 2 plates there you noticed?

Mine and 48’s first round. Just so many food, so many choices!

Big kan? But after a bite, 48 gave up.

My second round. I love those deep fried have-no-idea-what-balls!



Sashimis! All you can eat!

Just go to the counter, choose your fish and the chef will slice it for you.

The bar counter.

Again, all you can drink!
Not just bandung, orange syrup mixed with plenty of ice and plain water.

Can you see that menu?! I was ecstatic with all those choices!

For alcoholic beverages, there’s:
1) Taiwan beer
2) Plum Honey wine
3) White wine
4) Red wine

Coffee:
1) Italian Coffee
2) Latte
3) American Coffee
4) Cappucino

Ice Cream:
1) Red bean and vanilla
2) Strawberry
3) Macha with red bean

Fruit juice:
1) Watermelon
2) Cranberries
3) Orange

Others:
1) Calpis
2) Coke
3) Sprite
4) Apple Cidar
5) Red tea
6) Milk tea

Steady or not? A lot leh!!!

And when I was admiring the bar counter thinking what should I order, the female chef tapped my shoulder from behind and I was shocked. I quickly turned my head and asked, “Err.. I cannot take picture here is it?”

She smiled and said, “Of course you can. Just that I’m worried that your mom will have nothing much to eat and still get hungry, so I made some more vegetarian sushi for her. Enjoy your meal here.”

So nice kan? She did it on her own without me asking.
This baru is called good customer service mah!

My mom’s special sushi.

That’s the lady chef who made those lovely sushi, the one on the right.

And that’s the made-to-order counter. Just go there and order any handroll sushi you want. 

Fruits and chocolate fountain.

Grill and deep fry food.

Soups. Miso soup, herbal soup, chicken soup and I can’t remember what else.

Chawan mushi and Dobin Mushi on hot steamy tray.

 

Passion fruit, star fruit, dragon fruit, grapes and a whole lot more of other stuffs.

Chocolate fountain with marshmellows and guava slices.


Desserts!

More cakes, pudding and mousse!
Even macarons!

 

Wen and I sharing this plate of goodies.

 
Ice cream, to end the perfect meal.

 

So yeah, if you’re going to Taipei, give Shin Yeh a try. How much is the buffet? Have a wild guess.
Good service, good food, no “wastage charges”, nice environment… And it’s cheaper than Empire’s seafood buffet (and way better too).

Meal	Time	Monday to	Friday	Saturday to	Sunday
Lunch	1130 - 1400	NT620 (Adult)	NT250 (Kid)	NT750 (Adult)	NT330 (Kid)
Brunch	1430 - 1630	NT460 (Adult)	NT200 (Kid)	NT460 (Adult)	NT200 (Kid)
Dinner	1730 - 2200	NT750 (Adult)	NT330 (Kid)	NT750 (Adult)	NT330 (Kid)

Price inclusive of service charges.

---

The receipts I kept during the trip.

Don’t throw it away yet! It’s LOTTERY! Yes, no kidding! LOTTERY!

Read this if you don’t believe me.

If you don’t want them, donate them to those charity. The boxes are everywhere in MRT stations.

And, my cute Doraemon clock pen from 7-11. The one you have to collect stickers and exchange.

Gonna use them in the cinema later. Show off~ Hahahaha

---

Took a bus to Taoyuan airport. The cheapest mode of transportation. Available every 15mins from 5am in the morning. Can you spell C.O.N.V.E.N.I.E.N.C.E? And the bus terminal is just right next to the Taipei Main station.

Goodbye Taiwan.


Hello crowded airport with no proper signage and instructions.

Wah.. look so thin eh Bobby here.
 
Our last meal in Taiwan.


The famous Hello Kitty gift shop.

My birthday gift from Bobby, bought last minute when we’re about to board.

I don’t know why the Chinese name of the company is “Phoenix” but in English, it becomes Pinoy.

All the ojipalas I bought…

 
Shoes and apparels

Someone going to Taiwan or Singapore soon? Get me these!

 

Phew… that’s all folks. All the tiny details of my trip blogged, for the sake of my own memories.

Related Post:

Day 6 (12.09.2010) : Jinguashi, Jiufen & more of Taipei
Day 5: Longshan Temple, CKS Memorial Hall, Jian-Guo Weekend Flower Market, Danshui, WuFenPu, RaoHe Night Market
Day 4: Taiwan Storyland, NPM and Hello Hebe
Day 3: Taipei 101, Eslite, Shihlin Night Market (part 2)
Day 3: Alishan sunrise (Part 1)
Day 2 : Up up and away to Alishan
Day 1 : Kao Hsiung
How much to travel to Taiwan?
My Taiwan Itineraries