Omigosh! I'm close to my flight back to Malaysia!!!! I'm super excited and I can't wait to get some gift shopping done as well as a few remaining chores in my house..oh and also packing! But before the plane arrives at the "land below the wind" (Sabah, Malaysia), I'll be staying over at Tokyo, Japan for one night! TOKYO!!! This is actually my first time flying overseas alone, so I'm both nervous and excited, hopefully I'll have a safe flight and not being involved in a heart-wrecking accident like the MH370 aircraft. Speaking of this, the excitement storm of this news has diminished and I don't think there is not a single drop of hope left that the victims are still alive. Okay, I apologize for bringing this tragedy up.
So...in this post, I'll be sharing about my trips to Tokyo as well as several places around Malaysia and also Singapore (which I'm not sure about it because my sisters and I haven't booked tickets yet). I'll be posting food, tourists attractions, and anything interesting or anything that carries me back to memory lane. And man I miss home! I've never knew it has been like two years since I went back! There is definitely so much going on and I don't know whether I've changed or not; I think the people I once know back there have changed a little or perhaps a lot. But anyway...when I see them, I know that I wouldn't want to miss any opportunities on knowing their new experiences and stories in life.
The journey begins....now!
July 18 2014
Here I am, my first time in Japan and my first experience of flying overseas alone! It was at first chaotic for me because my luggage was not on the conveyor belt of Narita Airport but was to be sent straight to the Malaysia Airline aircraft the next day, and then I was all freaked out because I had no idea where I was heading when I board a train to a station where I suppose to meet with a couple of Japanese church saints. Everything was in Japanese (with mini English words at the bottom of the big Hiragana+Katakana+Kanji which I don't know most of it characters) so I had this really bad feeling that I would get lost. But hey, I'm not a child so I asked some airport staff and security guards for directions. At first, I regretted for not jotting down the saints' phone numbers so I had to email them in the airport for some instructions before buying a train ticket. And then when I board the train, Japanese words were all over the signboards that made me feel like I was visiting Mars or something. There was another train moving on the opposite side and I had this queasy feeling that I was on the wrong train. So in the middle of my trip, I got out of the train and looked around that unfamiliar station for 15 minutes or so like a lost puppy. I finally moved my feet down the stairs and get help from a security guard for directions. I arrived at my destination at around 6pm and I was all panicky again when I couldn't find the saints. I searched all around a part of the Tsudanuma town and found a phone booth. But then I remembered that I hadn't had the Japanese brother's phone number, so I had to walked to the nearest McDonalds place, jot down the number from my email inbox, and went back to the phone booth to call the brother...twice. Let's just say I learn to use three 100 yen coins instead of just a 10 yen coin...
Anyway, I'm glad that this secret bad mood of mine had faded because I was relieved when I met up with the saints. We had this dinner at the meeting hall which was not far from the station, and then we sang some hymns. The Japanese sisters were so happy to have me in the blending, and I must say, I was happy that I was there with them. Even though we speak different languages, we have this same purpose of knowing and loving the Lord.
22 July 2014
Hello, Kuala Lumpur! You're still as dangerous as usual, eh? I heard the robberies and murders are still as high as ever. But still, you hold the memories where I first start college.
I have finally found the time to write about my next day in Tokyo (July 19). I didn't get to Tokyo Tower or any tourist attractions, but I get to go to a typical Japanese mall. The church guardian took me to a food court where mouth-watering food was presented before my eyes. I wish I have the empty stomach to try them all. The mochi wasn't the colourful ones in a box like I expected, but it was good. It was white with red bean fillings in it.
There was one Japanese dish that I've heard of but never get to try it. It's this cute fish-shaped pancake called Taiyaki. I wonder whether it tastes like fish? =P
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| So many Takoyaki!!! |
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| Final product! Hungry yet? =P |
I've composed a poem about Takoyaki, and the process of creating this is challenging because I have to think of suitable words to describe the appearance of this dish.
Golden brown spheres sit on a plate.
Their rich crisps are drizzled with accessories
that will melt and dance in your mouth.
Let's say soy sauce coated with an unspeakable energy
and a long mayonnaise snake brings an indescribable inquisition.
How about a cluster of Bonaito flakes sprinkled with an immeasurable pleasure
or a pool of grated cheese decorated with untamable beauty.
Two of these makes a great combo,
yet a choir of everything creates a perfect symphony
like a musical fountain serenades in the dark.
Your magical taste never fail to marvel my heart.
I wonder what is the secret behind your words
like a phrase of an unfinished prose.
I'll stay in Kuala Lumpur for a few days and hopefully I'll see my friends who are currently studying somewhere around here.
July 23 2014
People says that once you find yourselves back home after a certain period of time of transitioning in another place, you'll realize that you've changed either a little or a lot. I'm not too sure whether this applies to myself but once I return to Malaysia, memories of my childhood start flooding in like a waterfall. I mean imagine yourself walking through a familiar store and then you immediately halt, reminiscing the times you have at that particular place. I believe this brings a good sort of feeling to you, and you will somehow realize that life is too short and you want to roll back the tape of nostalgia.
One place that stores most of my childhood is at Sutera Harbour Resort.
This symbolic statue stands as proud as ever. I'm not familiar with the myth that hides behind the statue, but oh boy, this is one picturesque structure!
When you're in Malaysia, you should take note of this one very important travel tip: try the local fruits! I realized that I rarely get such fruits back in Canada, and it definitely draws a bold line over the fading sketches in my cerebral cortex. For example, I applaud you if you're daring enough to try the king of fruits, which is also known as the badass "durian".
The church sisters, who live in the same house I used to live in back when I was a Canadian Pre-U student in Taylor's College three years ago, brought two containers of freshly-cut durian. That explained the overpowering stench which swirled all over the living room. I guess I fail the "Are you a real Malaysian" personality test because I've never tried a durian and I don't even want to try one. The skunk perfume from that fruit had poisoned my nose! (No offense, durian.)
If you don't want to get your clean hands on the durian, you can try this grape-like fruit called the "Longan". It's also known as "Mata Kuching" in the Malay language. It's composed of a yellowish hard shell with a soft, Rambutan-like texture ("Rambutan" is another Malaysian fruit made out of red hairy shell with soft flesh inside).
24 July 2014
After two to three years of separation, I was overjoyed to see two of my precious secondary school friends once again. My back was all sweaty; even my black cardigan was stained with stinky perspiration. And yes I lived in Kuala Lumpur for six months back in 2011, but I was surprised that yesterday was my first time taking a taxi with a stranger driver. I mean, I usually book a ride with a taxi driver who is my father's friend. So when I found myself walking down to the roadside of Taylor's College (Subang Jaya campus) and called a random taxi to drive me to MidValley MegaMall, I never knew that I was daring enough to do such a thing.
Anyway, before I met up with my two friends, I decided to go to a bank to withdraw cash. And then, when I arrived at the bank and inserted my debit card through the slot of a machine (it was a deposit machine, not an ATM machine. Turns out that the ATM was out of service. Pfft...) , I felt a person standing behind me. I turned my back while waiting for my card to be read, and to my utter surprise, one of my friends was a few feet away from me! She was staring straight ahead, unaware of her sides. I called out her name, and there was a short silence. She looked at me with her eyes bulged like golf balls. Both of us didn't expect this to happen, we laughed for like a minute or so. To me, giving her a hug felt like being transported back to the old days by a time machine.
Despite the broken ATM, we were told by one of the bank staff to try withdraw money from the bank next door. And so we did as he told. We then went back to the mall to meet up with the other friend. It was a sweet reunion. We stopped by a Tony Roma restaurant, a Sweet Chat cafe, and a Oasis food court that day, plus a grocery store where one of us reminded me her constant enthusiasm in food. Speaking of food, I had indulged myself into Malaysian cuisine once again with this fishball noddle soup dish and the famous Milo Ping (or Bing) drink! However, I accidentally deleted the photo of the food...my bad...
It was great that we caught up with each other's lives. College life is what we're currently facing, and I'm positive that we'll get through our conflicts. And it was also funny because my friends smelt the perfume sprayed on their wrists for like two or three times throughout the hangout. Long-lasting is indeed a quality of the perfumes. Thank you, Bath & Body Works!
29 July 2014
One thing I wouldn't want to miss while returning to Malaysia is looking at a sandy beach and rolling waves. Despite the haze that overcome not only Kuala Lumpur but also Kota Kinabalu (I guess Malaysia is currently suffocating under the curse of harmful grey blankets), the land below the wind never fails to lure me into the serenity of the ocean.
And nothing gets better when there's local food served in front of you after a long day. I'm glad that I have finally encountered real Malaysian food, because seriously, the Malaysian food I have tasted back in Vancouver are not as "Malaysian" as here in...well...Malaysia.
August 5 2014
The first thing that I encounter once I stepped out of Sibu Airport in Sarawak is my grandpa's lucky number. His trusty Toyata car still runs like a machine! I think he owns that car ever since my dad was still a child. I don't know the full brand name of the car. And the whole mobile was in good condition too. I wonder if Grandpa has some tricks in his sleeves of taking such good care of his car.
We had Kam Pua noodles for breakfast which was one of the dishes I love since I was a kid. It was savoury yellow noodles combined with green onions and sliced meat.
You might say that this looks like some typical Asian noodle dish. But to me, this is so far the best noodle dish in the world. Within the home of the hornbills and a majority of Chinese in Malaysia, Sibu is such a lucky genius for giving birth to this marvellous delicacy! I mean, once I eat it, it's like tasting childhood!
August 8 2014
Once I'm on vacation, it is hard for me to catch up with my workout schedule. All I did these past few days was eating out and meeting up with a couple of friends who I haven't met for so long. Good thing I did a couple of pilates workout yesterday! I was relieved when I did the 4-minutes workout to tone up abs and arms. Anyway, I didn't get to take photos of the places I went to but I did take snapshots of food.
One of them is a must on your food list, that is satay.
Two days ago, an old friend of my mother's was thrilled when she encountered me after a few years. She took me to an awesome "Jalan-jalan cari makan" road trip, introducing me to Sibu's finest food. One of them is this:
August 15 2014
I know it's been more than a week since I posted details about my vacation in Malaysia, so I'm going to add what it's left in the photo gallery of my phone. Once I arrived back in Kota Kinabalu, one of my former tuition teachers gave me a ride to the nearest coffee shop from my house for lunch. This dish brings back memories!It's called Wan Tan Hor and it's basically noodles soaked in soup-like sauce with veggies, egg, and chicken.
And also, I was taken by a church family to a coffee shop where they had this great buffet ready for locals and tourists. I think it's called Foo Ip? Anyway, the food served was just amazing!
So what I did these past few days was doing chores, keeping up with Blogilates' "GiveItYourAugust" workout calender, movies almost every night, and working on my TMMP series. And also, I went for a sleepover at my best friend's place (just like what we did back in the old days). It's funny that I had this feeling that she's going to take me to this tortilla place called Chihuahua. I mean, I remembered her posting one or two statuses on facebook someday last year or this year that she missed the food there. And guess what? That night, her family took me to the restaurant! I forgot to take a photo of what I had, but it was "Sizzling Lemongrass Chicken Chop" with mashed potatoes (not bad though, but I still prefer the mashed potatoes in Ikea XD).
And I'm not surprised that I'm still an early riser as ever. I woke up at 8am and I brought my laptop to the dining room to carry on with my usual routine of Facebook. Youtube, Gmail, and Yahoo Mail. This is what I do every morning; I always check my social media for updates. Anyway, it had been two hours and I was watching a list of new videos posted by Kurt Hugo Schneider and Sam Tsui, Ryan Higa, and Cassey Ho @ Blogilates (check out her BODYPOP music video! She has launched her own activewear line and I'm so proud of her!) while eating buns for breakfast. And then, the Dell's battery life was about to subside so I had to bring it back to the bedroom to charge it up to reincarnation. Ivy was still sleeping (well looks like my younger sisters are not the only sleepyheads I know) but I didn't care. I continued on watching videos while my laptop was charging, and I took quick glances on her to see whether she's awake. Finally, she rose up and placed her pillow on my bed to bury her face on it. Then, her hands snaked out of her sleepiness and reached forward to tickle me (It's a long story, I can't escape from her playfulness). But it definitely reminded me of the old days.
We spent that afternoon watching "Guardians of the Galaxy", which I have to admit, it was good. Pardon me, Marvel fans, but you'll probably going to kick me out of earth. I'm not a fan of superheroes, but hey, fairies and Japanese magical girls are superheroes too! Sailor Moon is the first Japanese chick to kick a bad guy's butt! But anyways, the movie was good and Groot touched my heart because of his loyal character. The way he died after sacrificed himself for his friends got me a little teary and his reincarnated self (he's called "Baby Groot" I think) was SOOO ADORABLE!!!! At the end of the movie, Baby Groot was dancing to Jackson 5's "I Want You Back" and OHMYGOSH that was adorably awesome!!!
I don't think I've mentioned here in this blog that I'm not an animal person (except rabbits). I don't know, they just give me the jitters, especially pouncing cats...and dogs. That night after the movie, I had dinner with her family at a coffee shop (yes, another one). There was this orange cat walking casually under my feet. Seriously, that furball triggered my nerves to kick his tail. But I didn't do anything, I just let it lazily linger under the tables. My best friend noticed it and she said the cat's probably attached to me. Or maybe it's because it wants the fish bones I've left on my plate, I thought to myself. The cat walked under my chair once more and I take it as a major creeper of all cats. GROSS.
And finally, she drove me home and gave me a short but good hug. My glasses nearly got squished against her arm but I didn't care. I really missed her hugs!
17 August 2014
Malaysia may be happy to finally see the earth overcame by downpour, but all I'm feeling right now is this gloomy face. Well I'm not that depressed; I take rain as a happiness killer. I know that rain does bring peaceful sleep and relief to dryness, but a whole year of same old rain somehow discourages me to feel positive about life. In my opinion, I like the four seasons better than just years of sun and rain. Different weathers and conditions on earth makes me curious of what's hidden behind each unique season, like snow that will soon turn to ice when you forgot to shovel. And funny that, I actually like winter. Unlike most Canadians who are somewhat sick of blizzards in weeks, I actually like seeing the white gliding and crashing down to earth.
Okay, why am I talking about weathers? I think I'm a little obsessed with the four seasons, or maybe it's mood swings...Anyway, six days left till my flight back to Canada. And I think this is so far one of the best summers I've ever had. And this is actually even better than last time. I get to meet more people who were once poofed away from my memories. And thank God that after I've taken Creative Writing's Personal Narrative class and Memoir Writing class, I've finally had sudden flashbacks of a very important part of my childhood: the Girlls' Brigade. I mean it has been six years since I went to their meetings! Thank God that I've finally meet the people of the Girls' Brigade once again last night. To find out more, check out my latest blog post here: http://thetruemichelehii.blogspot.com/2014/08/congratulations-15-years-of-girl-power.html
And as for today, I get to meet an old friend who will be leaving tomorrow. I was a little annoyed when she and my best friend ate food from KFC right in front of me. Well, I didn't mind, I was too full to eat! Let's just say I ate a little too much noodles at a coffee shop my church friends brought me to after Lord's table meeting. And then, they talked about their college lives and their futures while I was sitting nearby, being the creeper. And then, out of nowhere, they discussed about crashing into my house in Canada for some sort of surprise party. The conversation just gets weirder and weirder...I don't wanna talk about it...
So basically what we did besides watching Guardians of the Galaxy for the second time was walking around the mall. I never knew that I've spent so much this afternoon: more gifts for Canadian friends and a laptop cooling pad. I can picture my parents staring at me with furious flames in their eyes.
I can't believe I am being so forgetful! I had my smartphone with me the whole time and I forgot to take pictures with my friends. Damn..Michele Hii...what the hell is wrong with you??? You're here for five freaking weeks and you still haven't take one single picture of your close friends who you've missed for two freaking years!!!! Somebody just launch me off with a catapult to the island of nowhere!!! I don't know why I say in this way, I think I'm getting a little paranoid. 0.0 Why why why oh just why I can't even set my camera phone on in front of people??? Instead, all I took pictures with was food and scenery.
I get to see everyone with my own eyes, but I didn't pause the moments (faces) on pictures. So yes, call me lame. I can't believe I got so distracted...easily. That's it! I have to stop this secretly-sensitive heart from cracking by reminding myself to take more selfies during my next homecoming, probably...next year...hopefully. It's decided. I want to come back next year.
August 22 2014
My last week of vacation was a little boring because I spent most of my time at home doing chores and sticking to my laptop. But the good thing is, I get to spend a little time with a couple of Girls' Brigade officers and my former tuition teacher. I get to have lunches and dinners with my old "caretakers" and it does feel great to reunite with them after a long time. I vow in my heart that I'll visit them once again when I come back for another summer vacation.
It's a pity that I didn't get to see my friends this week, but I know that they have their own things and the most important thing is I have seen them during the last four weeks of my vacation and that has been ticked from my wish list. I regret of not taking more pictures with them (why I can't even take a break from "Instagram-ing" food?), so hopefully I come back next year to fill up my photo gallery with more face-based photos. And actually, it's weird but the Girls' Brigade officers gave me an idea of what will I do when I return for my next vacation. A volunteer or part time job at a newspaper press like The Daily Express??? Why I never thought of that before??? I'm so in! Well...wait till next year...
Sadly, my vacation must come to an end. I have one of the best summers of my life, and one of them is the people I have reunited with. I pray that I'll have a safe flight tomorrow back to Canada, and Malaysia, hang on, I'll be back soon! I'm looking forward to see the food that I miss, the people that I love, and the places that I reflect in my memories. Selamat Tinggal! Saya akan balik lagi! (Goodbye! I'll be back!)
