Wednesday, February 29, 2012

Happy 29 February 2012!!

So dad might have attempted to pour some cold water over the day by making fun
on the fact that I'm working for free today but...


it's alright with me!


Because I have been hen-picked to be
Nando's Weekly Business Card Lucky Draw Winner!



Except I kinda dropped my card in the bowl many many many mooooons ago.

*sweats*

But who cares!



That just means it is meant to be!

29 February 2012 is an awesome day.
Can't wait for the next one to happen... umm... in four years. Dang!



Sunday, February 26, 2012

Every Cloud Has A Silver Lining but Sometimes If You're Lucky Enough You'll Find Gold :)



Good Morning Penang on a Friday morning!

It's things like these that make waking up wee early and travelling across
the sea every morning to get to work that wee bit more worthwhile.
That and the fact that I need to earn a living. :P



Saturday, February 25, 2012

[L.E.P.A.K series: Amsterdam] Chap 19: Zaanse Schans!


Eeek! I got distracted from blogging once again. The enthusiasm to finish up
my L.E.P.A.K series had to make way for a new excitement in life. 

 Hehe

Hold it. 

Hold it! 

 :D 

 I BOUGHT PLANE TICKETS! 


 Yes yes. I’m flying again. Weeee… but it’s not till end of the year and this time it’s a family trip! Which means more responsibility. Yikes! So obviously, all that excitement got me into researching mode once again which totally eat into my blogging time. And I don’t even blog thaaaat often. *hopeless* But I can’t help it! I turn into this mad scientist, crazy planner, travel enthusiast whenever it comes to things like these. Though two days ago, I found out Cik Ipoh’s sister is at a whole different level from me. *respect* 

 So yeah. This blogging thing that’s happening right here. This is a result of discipline.
I told myself  “You gotta do it this weekend yo!” So here I am and here we go,
off to Zaanse Schans!


Zaanse Schans is only four stops away from Amsterdam Central Station and approximately 20 minutes ride by train. The station to hop off is Koog Zaandijk. I don't have the faintest idea how Dutch words are pronounced. How do you even pronounce 'dijk'? Hmm... 

 From the station, we just followed the signs, enjoyed our stroll and took in the views. But we didn't make it very far before we got distracted. Right next to the station was a field of gold, so pretty enough that had us two silly girls wondering into it for some silly shots.




Right out of a Hindi movie. Hehe.



There were many interesting buildings along the way.
From a cute 'tak-halal' house sign to...



...a vine-wrapped home that screams "Stay away!" with a sense of artistic appreciation.
Everything just seems a tad more interesting when you are away from home.



Finally we saw the first sight of a windmill! Peekaboo! See how empty the road is, that's the beauty of beating the morning crowd. It's like having the entire place to ourselves.



"Look ma! That's a windmill."



As we made a turn towards the bridge, we were immediately greeted by an outrageously beautiful scene in front of us. So outrageous that we can't helped continuously exclaiming our awe to each other. As for our inner thoughts... all I had was "You gotta be kidding me!"



How can a place be that tranquil and beautiful where everything is just so calm 
yet so breathtaking? We tried to capture this beauty with our cameras
but I doubt our photos can do this place justice.



Is this even real? *sigh*



One compulsory "I was here! This is amazing." shot.



Look at that smile on Cik Anai's face. She is at a photographer's heaven.
Her shutter just kept on going. *click, click, click*



*points* We are here! 

We actually downloaded this map from Zaanse Schan's website prior to our trip and had the print in our hands but to be honest you can just throw that away and explore the place on your own. It's basically one main trail that works its way around the entire village, so you won't actually miss anything. 

There was actually no one around so it was a pleasant surprise when we were
greeted by a 'local'. Well, sort of... hahaha



Meet our feline friend who came forward without hesitation as we approached the village. Very manja and totally not shy of strangers. Well, I believe it sees thousands of guests every day. We're probably very insignificant to it after all. :P



While we were busy entertaining the cat. Yup, definitely not the other way round. We finally met the first group of people here at Zaanse Schans. A group of young and joyful teens cycling merrily around the village.  

How much countryside can it get?

*hearts* 

 Notice the unique architectural style of the Dutch since the last post? From the signature tall and narrow buildings along the canal to these unique green cottages, you can easily get fridge magnets of all the different types of building as cute little souvenirs to take home with you. All I have to say is that I regret not buying more of these little fellas.



Even the trees are a tad eccentric, don't you think?



Here's one last picturesque shot before I end this post. *sigh in contentment* Cik Anai commented that this was the best 'walk' yet because it was the most relaxing and 'crowdless' of all which brings out the lovely countryside beauty even more. Because seriously, imagine this place filled with tourists at every corner you turn, it just ruins the mood don't you think? 

 So like how 'Tai-lou' Big Bird had said it,
"The early bird do catches the worm." 

Till next time! :)



Sunday, February 19, 2012

The Surprisingly Sappy Sisters


Seriously. Me and sis. We don't do mushy mushy stuff. We're even awkward giving each other hugs. It's not like we don't love each other. We do. In a weird understated kind of way. We're just not very good at showing affection. Hah! So it was weird that after a 4-day trip sending younger sis back to KL plus a short family trip to Melaka thrown in together that I came home feeling what I'm feeling right now.



And it's not just me okay! :( 
We sad face together-gether.

Betul-betul sungguh tak sangka.

*sigh*



That little space she occupied on my table while she was home for the past 
three months is now empty. T__T I remembered how I complained she was invading 
my space back then. And I must say looking at the photo now, that's a tiny little space 
I managed to offer. =P 


The only thing she left me with?



One used game cash card. 
That tiny bottle of hand sanitiser was mine to begin with anyway. 

*sigh*

Oh adik.



Sunday, February 05, 2012

They Rise to Take Over the World


Woke up this morning to a Facebook wall filled with standing eggs. 

Apparently, this phenomenon marks the start of the spring equinox. 

Here's an extract from an article from New Straits Times,
"When the sun crosses the equator, making night and day equal on all parts of the earth, 
an egg can stand due to gravitational forces of the sun being aligned with the earth. 
Auspicious to the Chinese, Feb 4 is also known as Lup Chun day which marks 
the beginning of spring. A standing egg is seen as the symbol of spring and a sign that 
all of nature is balanced and in harmony." - Read more here.


Well, I'm not too sure about being in harmony.



They look like an army of eggs ready to seek revenge 
for all the eggs we have eaten. 

*shudders*

It is indeed a little freaky don't you think? Or is it just me and my crazy mind? 
I mean it sort of feels like it is something against nature yet it is in fact, 
occurring because of nature. Hmmm.

That aside, among the many photos I've seen on my Facebook wall, I had to say 
the above taken by Yen-san is my favourite one among all. I knew I had to 'stole' it 
with permission of course because I didn't managed to get a shot at this little 
phenomenon myself. 


Well there's always next year...