Monday, 26 March 2012

National Book Week in Almere


It was the National Book Week in Almere. I was at the library and was enraptured by the colourful decorations. Generally most Dutch people like to read. It is common to see people reading in trains, at the bus stop and in the parks. Lately I've taken more to reading too. I've been reading self-development, novels, current affairs, travel and history books. I wish I had more time for reading. It seems I tend to borrow more than I can finish reading. I have a 50 cents fine from the library because I forgot to return the Times magazine I borrowed; thinking that I had already returned it earlier. Here's to reading - let us all be bookworms. It increases knowledge and instills compassion in us by stepping into the shoes of characters in stories which we read. Like Alexander the Great said, "I came, I saw and I conquered." Never mind that we do not do travelling of great proportions like he did. We did and could say, proudly, "I read, I knew and I enlightened." Let us enlighten ourselves and others by reading and promoting a reading culture in our daily lives. 

Saturday, 24 March 2012

Assam Laksa and Church Tower in Utrecht


On Friday, I went to the city of Utrecht, the medieval Roman town with many churches. Surprisingly though, in one of the shops there, I chanced upon Assam Laksa Maggi Mee made in Malaysia. I felt like it was a sign. I just had to buy a packet. I have never seen Assam Laksa Maggi Mee sold in Holland before.


The St. Martins' Church had a beautiful courtyard.


The tower of the church was imposing. It dominated the whole city. Houses paled in comparison.


The tower loomed over the streets wherever you are.


At night, I made...guess what? Assam Laksa for dinner. Heerlijk...that's what they say in Dutch - meaning delicious!

Wednesday, 21 March 2012

Humorous Philosophical Scribbles on Pen and Paper


Last Friday, I sat down and did some whimsical jottings on the sofa quite in the dark with only the standing lamp on. It was nearly sunset and the sun shone through the side window and onto the front rattan chair. This straight ray of light made only part of the living room light up. I was inspired. One part was in darkness whereas the other part was lighted up.

I wrote down some humorous quotations which came into mind. Lately I was worried about being absent-minded and forgetful. Hubby and I also caught the flu fever last week. Glad to say that we are already better. So I wrote stuff light stuff which I strongly believe in though. Life must be viewed from a humorous point of view. No point being too serious!


Man is a thinking creature, but has the liberty not to think...So sometimes when I am just not in the mood, I'm like a buffoon. I have to bear with myself. Brain activity only 5 % today; come back tomorrow after full battery recharge for optimum usage of brain.



Not knowing is great for the philosopher...there are so many things that I do not know. The future; in which direction does it go? Whatever the answer, let's just say it's every philosopher's passion to ponder over the meaning of life. Once its meaning is found, philosophers will have no work to do. They will be lazy bones instead.



Failing is another way of saying I love to put in extra oil  in my car engine and use it all up...there are never too many times which one can fail. Failing is strength training without the sweat comparable to a car engine which exhausts all its oil but manages to drive the extra destination anyway. At least it is going somewhere. Nobody can fault you for that ridiculous effort, and should you fail, do fail splendidly, then you get the depths of it; understanding why you failed. This paves way for enlightenment to success.

Inspirations from Animals

Dear husband and I went to the Amersfoort Zoo on Monday, March 19th, 2012. Initially I thought of going to a castle, but hubby preferred to walk in nature. It was by far the best experience with animals that we had in the Amersfoort Zoo. Every time we observe more and see the beauty in their eccentricities. We are by now couch potato animal experts. Here is what we saw. 


The brown bear reminds me of hubby when he is asleep in the mornings. Let him wake up gently on his own, otherwise he will bite! Like this bear, with its head on the big boulder, he tries to get as much sleep as possible, stretching time to its limit. Nothing could wake this bear up.



This swamp mouse is looking for his girlfriend but he cannot find her because she is so well camouflaged, just like he is!



Could not resist a wooden cart with bulbs planted inside. Imagine it filled with flowers in summer! How lovely...just waiting for the extra oomph factor. The twigs and shrubs upon the brick walls heighten the rustic atmosphere.



This magpie is balancing itself only on one leg. Anyone for a yoga tree position? Benefits? It goes without saying - balancing body and mind...



Look at all the fur these chicken have on their feet. It made me wonder if they were wearing a suit on top. I guess it kept them warm during winter.



Getting obese is no fun as you can see in this rabbit's eyes. May I suggest a diet of only two carrots a day, dear rabbit?



Who is going to jump first? Every penguin is waiting for the one brave show-off to go first....



Penguin see, penguin do, after all. Splash!



Baby rhino just loves to look at people watching him. Mama rhino is oblivious to the attention, looking instead over the bushes for something to eat!



Yes, it really is a dinosaur in the woods.


He blends in so well with his surroundings.



This dinosaur has chicken pox!



These two dinosaurs have hit their heads hard enough on each other till they become bald!



The giraffe, antelopes and birds live in harmony with each other in the desert as one big happy family.



A meerkat is sitting all alone waiting for his family to come home...



When they are home, all of them look at the direction of what brought them away in the first place. Human attention is the culprit!  


Tree with acorns at the zoo. They stood out in the sunny skies.



It was one of those rare sunny days. I enjoyed seeing the contrast in sky and tree.



We were at the zoo for four hours. We enjoyed ourselves a lot. We liked the fact that every nook and corner of this zoo were full of surprises. They love their ruins here. They had a Roman garden and Japanese temple ruin where animals roamed. Glass mirrors were built so that people could get a real close look at the animals as opposed to the more conventional island over water method which most zoos incorporate to separate animals from humans. That way, animals are seen only from a distance. 

I also liked nature here. It seemed friendly and approachable. The trees were every day trees you see in the forest. Because of the familiarity, I felt very much like I was in a pine forest where animals roamed wild. 


Saturday, 17 March 2012

Time is gold

2 weeks ago, I made this one night for hubby and myself after work...
 Two weekends ago, hubby cooked this for dinner. Yummy. ;-))
Sweet hubby got me flowers on my last day in my former office. ;-))

Rest time is a luxury nowadays. The meals above was prepared 2 weeks ago and everything seems like a history now.

Tawau's Adventure (Belated post)


After our sweet escapade at Kapalai Resort, we put up a night in Tawau before flying back to Kuala Lumpur.

The locals told us there's nothing to see or to do in Tawau except to try their seafood. So we heed their advice and it was indeed a "tasty-fying" = tasty + satisfying meal!

We ordered fresh & live oyster, lobster and flower crab. All steamed so we know it was fresh and able to taste its natural sweetness.



The next morning, we went to Tawau Hill Park to see the tallest tropical tree in the world.



Nothing special about this tallest tropical tree in the world... 


What was the "interesting" part? The mud and leeches.... Urgh.... it was very scary to me.

Goodbye Tawau! Thank God i live in the city! ;-p

Baby Weng's Fullmoon Party

Today my hubby's family is throwing a fullmoon party for baby Weng, sis-in-law newborn. She's turning one month old on 20th. We all indulged in her. ;-))
Whilst the caterer set up the buffet line, i am writing away here. I miss our little blog here very much!

I've been busy in new office and every time i had some free time, i am either sleeping or having meals. Other than that, i don't have anymore spare time! Well other than adapting and coping in new office, the highlight at the moment is baby Weng. She's a new addition to the Ooi's family tree and she's a sweetie pie!
 *Pic taken after the buffet line is ready. ;-)) *

* Hello, i am baby Weng and i am turning one month soon. Yay!*

I will post up more photos of baby Weng soon... XOXO!