LamBerry

Today, another busy weekend. Wake up around 6am the morning, to prepare for Tomb Sweeping. Everyone in the family is going except for Carmen, dear and my 2nd sister in law. 17 family members plus 3 relatives, total 5 cars.

Initial plan was start our journey at 7:30am, but we delayed 15 minutes. Nirwana Memorial Park, 45-60 minutes of car journey from my house, located in Semenyih, further of Kajang. At first we followed each other closely, but not even 10 minutes later, I lost them, they are further in front of me. Luckily I still remember the way to Semenyih, because my colleague stayed in Kajang, in the middle way to Semenyih.

After passing by my colleague house, 10 minutes later I saw the road was jam of cars, all stuck in the traffic. That’s the only way to Nirwana Memorial Park, so have to queue. After hour and hour later, I still stuck in the traffic jam. This time, my relative call me, he asked me to use the outer lane, then only queue in front of the junction, else queue like that will don’t know what time only reach there. I follow his advice, so drive out to the outer lane and queue back in the junction, it was really fast. I know is bad, but something have to act bad.

At last we reached the Nirwana Memorial Park at 12 noon. Almost 5 hour’s car journey. We do praying in front of father graveyards. We spend another hour there, the traffic outside still jam. We took another way back, some sort of jungle road.

After another hour plus of car journey, we reached home around 3:30pm. We had lunch on the way back home. Is really tired after driving whole day. We hope next year we can go early to avoid the traffic.

Today received bill from Astro. RM270, my first month Astro bill. That’s really a lot. Must find out how the bill was calculated. I subscribed to AOD (Astro On Demand), additional RM39.95, monthly package fee is around RM95, so my first month charges should be around RM140, but it turn up to RM270. They told me it charged for the coming month, so total is 2 months bill. I don’t know why they charge like that, but have to pay, if not the service will be interrupt, very painful.

After 2 weeks stay in New Zealand, 1st and 2nd day back from there is still feeling different. Time still follow New Zealand time. These 2 days didn’t go anywhere, just stay at home to rest. Carmen birthday also didn’t really organize. Just at night brought her out to shopping mall to buy some stuff. Basically want to get her 1 bicycle. Her 2 old bicycles can’t ride any more, is either missing screw or seat broken. Below is her new bicycle. Hope it won’t spoilt so soon. Happy Belated Birthday to Carmen. Her actual birth date was 7th of March.

At last, today is my last day in New Zealand. My flight back to Malaysia is 14:10pm, so have to reach airport 2 hours early. We booked a taxi and the taxi will wait in the hotel at 11am. Wake up too early, so I take the last opportunity to walk around the city, plus last minute shopping.

As usual, I can’t walk too far, so the nearest shopping mall is about 10 minutes from the hotel. Farmers, that are the shopping mall that I went, are only 2 floors. Very quickly I bought 3 shirts, 1 for my mum, 1 for my wife and 1 for Carmen. Is not cheap after convert back to Malaysia Ringgit. On the way back to the hotel, I went to the 2 dollar shop to get some goodies.

After stuck all the stuff into the luggage, then is time to check-up the room. Hotel room charges per day is NZD 175.00 and plus some room services and phone charges, my bill total up equal to NZD 2080 and my colleague bill went up to NZD 4000. Total around NZD 6000 all charge under my colleague credit card. She was worry about her credit card is over limit, but luckily her credit card still can accept that huge amount. Buzzy Bee, it was a gift from my colleague from New Zealand to Carmen, because the day before I told her I am celebrating Carmen birthday on this weekend, so she bought this as a birthday present to Carmen.

When we check in our luggage, we have to pay for the airport tax which is NZD 25.00 in another counter. We hang around inside the airport for 1.5 hours, at least this airport is much better than the Shenzhen airport, more side seeing.

The flight was delay for 15-20minutes. So we expect reach Malaysia will be 15-20minutes late.

I was so tired after sitting inside the plane for 10 hours long, backside also pain. I didn’t enjoy the dinner, too windy that cause the flight not stable, feel like wanted to vomit.

First step out of the plan, my phone already ring, guess who? Is from my wife, she asked why coming back also don’t want to let her know, is it looking for other girls? OMG, I thought I wanted to give her some surprise, who break my surprise? Yes, my mum. My mum told her I am coming back this evening, no more surprise.

After took my luggage, checking up, take KLIA transit train and at last I reached KL Sentral. But then now have to queue for the cab. It was rainy day so traffic was jam, so might have to wait for the cab for long hours, depends on fate.

I reached home around 9:45pm and I am hungry. First thing I did when I step into the house is go into the kitchen and drink soup, really long time didn’t drink soup, miss it very much. Maybe because of this, so I finished the whole bowl of soup in short while. After filling up my stomach, I played with Carmen, and wait for my wife to come back from office. I miss her, I miss my mum and I miss Carmen, don’t know they all miss me or not?

Tonight will be my last dinner in New Zealand, as I will be flying back to Malaysia tomorrow afternoon. The Narrow Table, is our tonight dinner place. We tried to book table in Sky City but unfortunately the restaurant was fully booked.

The Narrow Table located in another area which near to our office, around 20 minutes car journey. Is really narrow, I mean the internal design, not spaces but fully of peoples having dinner there. Luckily we make booking else we might need to wait.

The waitress are very friendly, recommend some main course to us, we ordered one bottle of white wine, we have half dozen of oysters, garlic bread and steam fried eels as our starter. The oysters are fresh and juicy, taste great, garlic bread is different from what I usually have in Malaysia. In Malaysia normally the garlic bread you can find lots of garlic on top of the bread, but this one you can’t find any garlic on top of the bread, but you still have the garlic taste. Steam fried eels, another great choice we make. Eels normally we eat in Japanese restaurant, but this type of cooking method is totally different, is soft and fresh, really can’t describe, is better you try it yourself.

Main course, my main course is Pork Valley, and my colleague is duck leg. Pork Valley, few slices of pork and crispy fried pork skin plus some sources and vegetable leafs. Good choice, very filling. According to my colleague, her duck leg also taste good, the skin and meat also very tasty, not like those fried chicken which the skin is tasty but the meat is tasteless.

Dessert time, we ordered chocolate cake, taste not sweet, but good for health.

At last but not least, we ordered coffee, I ordered Mocha.

We are really enjoying the dinner, is like having proper western dinner, from starter to main course, then dessert and coffee.

Great dinner.

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To night what are we going to have for our dinner? A barbecue dinner at my New Zealand colleague house. Today, another day that we can go back early. My colleague drove a BMW car to work, so this is my first time sit inside 2 doors BMW car. From what I know, the car is a 2nd hand car, he bought it from Auction website. Quite good condition and the price is NZD10,000 cheaper than 1st hand price. We asked him, you don’t worry buying a car from auction website? He said, they have an agreement that the car must pass the BMW car test, if failed it will be fully refund back to him, good deal?

He migrated from South Africa, it is because he and his family feel unsafe living in Africa, many rob cases, break into the house cases. He wan his children to have a good living house, he sold all his properties and migrated to New Zealand. It was 5-6 years ago. Giving children growing up in secure environment, I’m agreed too.

He is a friendly guy, and we know he also very pressure working in the office. We know that a lot of jobs have been assign to him which he actually can ignore that, but he didn’t.

The journey from office to his house took around 15-20 minutes car journey. Is a residential area, on the way to his house, I noticed that most of the houses did not have gate, is it telling us that it is very safe staying there?

We meet his wife, and 2 children, Bryan and Lian. We have some conversation while preparing for the foods, mainly topics on company. We have a great dinner at his house, we have barbecue beef, barbecue sausage, salads and baked cheese potatoes. Another proper and relax dinner we have. After dinner, it was 8pm, and it was their children bed time. What?! 8pm? Carmen bed time is between 10pm-12am. I think is time to train Carmen sleep early.

After dinner we have game session, X-Box. We only play 1 game which is Guitar Heroes 3, using a guitar look device to play the game. Is my first time playing this game. We have some fun time, and are good to have our brain stop thinking of office work, that is like never ending story.

It was a really good dinner we have, sitting there relaxing, forgot all the office headache work. Rolf, thank you very much for preparing a very nice dinner for us. See you.

Today we have booked the ticket back to Malaysia on this coming Friday, ticket was booked but tomorrow only confirms issue the ticket. A very different feeling after we know we are going back soon.

Today do not need to work so late because one of the supervisors here wants to buy us dinner as a farewell to us. She is Chinese but do not know how to speak Chinese. She sent us a web site link about the Chinese restaurant that she is going to bring us there. The restaurant name call Grand Park.

7pm dinner time, she booked a table for 3 at 7pm, so we start our journey from office at 6:30pm. The restaurant is in the other island which needs to cross the bridge.

Destination reached. The restaurant is the most proper and similar to the Chinese restaurant in Malaysia. When we step into the restaurant, we can see a lot of fishes and lobsters inside the aquarium. All the waiter and waitress speak mandarin. Each of us order 1 meal but we ended up 4 meals, the supervisor said 3 meals is not enough order 1 more. We ordered pork, vegetables, sweet and sour fish slices and chicken cube in chilli flavour.

We have Chinese tea and chatting will waiting for the foods to be served. Mainly talk about work, what she should do with our absence. Dinner served in 15 minutes time after we ordered. I think is because other table’s meal has been served and we are the last order for them. Currently only 7 tables seated with peoples, inclusive we.

Hmmm….. long time never eat the pork, sweet and sour fish. I had a lot of it, rice added as well. The portion was big and we should order 3 instead of 4. We can’t finish all the meals. What we finished was pork and fish. The way they cook the chicken is totally different from our style, maybe their style is from Hong Kong. Lot of nuts inside the chicken, bite until my teeth also tired. But we still enjoy the meal, at least is like eating at home.

After dinner we did not go anywhere, she straight sent us back to the hotel. After such a full dinner, really tire, better sleep after take bath. That’s why I think I am putting on weights, sleep after meal. But one thing, cold weather will make people gain weight easily!