Friends and Family Get-togethers

Nothing is more joyful than to get together with friends and family.  It doesn’t always have to be a special occasion.  However this time it so happened there were two special occasions which took place in Kuala Lumpur.  Before I left for KL, two of my old friends gave me a treat.

 The first one was a get-together over lunch to meet up with a former classmate in our class of ’59.  She was on transit before returning to Sydney and this was the first time I was seeing her after 54 years!!  We were teenagers when we parted after secondary school.  Now I’m a grandma!!

The next occasion was a meeting of former college mates on my birthday.  They didn’t know it was my birthday but when they saw me looking at the many messages on my phone, I had to tell them that they were birthday greetings.  So they got me a slice of cake to commemorate the occasion.

My birthday dinner was celebrated together with my family, siblings and nieces who happened to be available that evening.  Some were still in Melbourne so could not join us.  My son caught a bus up from Singapore to host the dinner and my nieces gave me a birthday cake.

It was a multi-course dinner which had us stuffed to the gills!!  Among the dishes was the roast suckling pig which was a favourite among all present.  There were birthday noodles with small longetivity buns & a sweet dessert to round off the evening.

 My two brothers gave me red packets while my two sisters gave me pretty gifts, one a beautiful bracelet and the other a lovely pair of dangling earrings.

Best of all was the company of my dear and loved ones.  My friends are special old friends who go back a long way and it was most joyful to catch up reminiscing over old times.

The Lord has blessed me richly with loving family members and wonderful friends. Praise be unto Him and Glory to His Name.

My Favorite Products From Penang

Penang is well-known for its cookies and nutmeg.  Visitors will not leave Penang without bringing some home.
These are my purchases: cookies and nutmeg.

 What’s so special about these cookies?  It’s the contents within the cookies that make them so delectable.  The Hiong Pneah as it is locally known has fillings that are sweet, sweet and spicy, spicy, onion flavored, prawn sambal flavored.  There is also the cookie that has brown sugar filling.  This is very delicious and is my daughter’s favorite.

There is also the Beh Teh Saw which has a flaky exterior and its filling is sticky molasses.  These are very tasty when fresh.

The important thing is that it has got to be fresh.  Sometimes those that are displayed on shelves in other towns are not fresh so the taste is not as nice.

The nutmeg is processed into different products such as pickled nutmeg, nutmeg with liqorice, shredded, sugared nutmeg, nutmeg oil for aches and pains, and nutmeg balm for insect bites and itchiness.  There is also nutmeg juice.  

                                               Sliced sweeetened nutmeg
 There is also the famous Penang belacan, a solid block of prawn paste which is usually toasted and ground with chillies to make a delicious condiment.  I forgot to buy this!!   The other product is the Otak Udang, another type of sticky black prawn paste which is a must for fruit rojak or fruit salad.  This is available in local supermarkets so I didn’t bother to buy it.

Another two products I bought were dried mango and crispy peanut squares ( Kong Thng )

These are all very yummy snacks, whether for tea or something to munch in front of the t.v.

Only Memories Left

What I miss most is my garden and the plants I had to leave behind or gave away.  I also miss the space we had in our home but it was time to move on.  What is now left are the memories of those plants and the rooms left behind.

I miss breathing in the fresh air and the cool breezes in the early mornings. Sometimes the moon is still hanging there in the sky.

I also miss the spectacular sunsets that are different each evening.

The garden is big and green grass covers most of the area.  The children had their friends running all over as they played games during their birthday parties.

I miss the aromatic leaves of  the curry leaf tree, the lemon grass, the pandan leaves (screwpine) and most of all the fragrance of my beautiful pink and red roses as well as the jasmines.

                                                        The Curry leaf tree and its flowers

Then there are the different varieties of house plants which are pleasant shades of green that give a cool ambience to the house.

Outside the gate is the Flame of the Forest which I planted when we first moved in.  It now flowers beautifully, giving clusters of vibrant red blooms.

What made me most happy was that my 23 month old grandson was able to visit us and get to know the house his papa grew up in.  That was the first time he could climb up stairs to get to his papa’s bedroom.

 It was also the first time he saw so many green plants and mango trees.

 It was also the first time he walked on grass!  At first he was loth to put his feet onto the grass and walk but his papa and grandpa soon had him at ease as they walked with him, holding his hands.

 After a while he was confident enough to walk on his own and to go after the bubbles his mother blew into the air for him to catch.

 I still remember the first time I carried him a few days after he was born.

 Now he's a sturdy toddler, so like his papa when his papa was little.  He probably won't remember the few days he came to visit but I needed to have him see and stay in his papa's home and to know what a garden is like and how it feels to walk on grass. 

 We are truly blessed that our son brought his little boy to visit before we vacated it.  We moved out the following month.

A very Special Young Man

Last weekend I was delighted to meet up with my former MGS class mate in Penang. We left school in 1959 and never met again until last year at a get-together organized by the old girls in KL.  Her sister from New Zealand had flown into KL so we all, i.e. those of us who are still around met up for lunch. From there we decided that it would be good to meet up again, so when my spouse and I were in Penang, we caught up with her.

My FB friend whom I got to know sometime last year was so kind as to ask his nephew in Penang to meet us at the airport and to look after us during our stay in Penang.  This young man who did not know us and had never seen us, waited for us at the airport and sent us to our hotel, after which he took us out for dinner.

Then he said that inland tours had been arranged for us for the next two mornings. We were overwhelmed by his graciousness and generosity.  He made our stay in Penang a truly enjoyable one. When he found out about my classmate, he invited her to have dinner with us and fetched her from her home.

He hosted us to a sumptuous dinner at the Penang Swimming Club where we not only enjoyed the food but also the beautiful scenery of the sea and Pulau Tikus. 

 It was such a friendly and enjoyable evening for the four of us.  Conversation flowed naturally and there was no awkwardness at all.   We somehow clicked and I think it had a lot to do with this gracious young man who was very unassuming and made us feel very welcome and at home in his company.

 When it was time for us to return to Kota Kinabalu, he sent us to the airport early in the morning, patiently driving through the traffic snarl.  Then he made sure we had a good breakfast before making sure that we entered the departure hall. 

Thank you very much, Andrew and I would also like to thank your Uncle Greg who made it possible for us to meet.  We are blessed to have you as our friend.

I’m posting some photos that have colored our weekend with joy and delight, thanks to Andrew.

We used to have this kind of stove during my childhood days.

 The other places which we visited can be seen in my blog at http://swingingby.blogspot.com