Taiping In 24 Hours

The last trip we went up to see my grandma, to see her for the last time, was evenful enough of a holiday for my boys.

The first thing we did when we arrived at Taiping was to grab lunch before heading to see my grandma. By the time we were done sitting and chatting with her and other relatives, plus getting the boys showered, it was dinner time.

We stayed at my aunt's place, which rendered me little sleep as I suddenly got myself in a spot of a tiny sleeping spot with my 3 boys on a double bed. It was also a sleepless night for me as the boys took turn waking and asking for more space to get comfortable in. The next morning, the two older ones woke up at 7am and played in my aunt's garden while I slept in with Myron till 9am. After breakfast, we went around town.

We were driving around the lake gardens when we I thought, the boys should finally, after so many trips to Taiping, join me and a whole of of other people, from many generations before, to take a ride on their slide in the playground. THE slide have been there for more than 40 years, my aunt recalls, as she went around town with us while her kids were in school.



They have changed all the other parts of the playground, upgraded every few years, but these wonderful enormous slides have been here ever since the days my father courted my mom on his Vespa scooters.

We also stopped by a stone dinosaur to take some shots (this is at another part of the lake gardens). One of my brothers has a photo on the back of this rock dino too, when he was about Micah's age.


It was also here that we spotted some monkeys on the trees. We did not wait for them to come down to see if we have food on us. They are known to be pretty fierce when it come to getting food out of people, and have often "robbed" picnickers.


And finally, as we rounded back towards town, we made an unplanned stop at the museum. All because of this plane on display outside that caught our attention.

L->R: Ee-poh (my aunt), Ah Ma, Micah, Max, Myron, Grandma.

Unfortunately the inside was under repair and only one section of natural history was opened. Still, that was good enough for my boys to look at stuffed wild animals and also some crocs and snake skeletons.

The thing about Taiping is that time almost stands still in this small town. All the sights above, we did them in 2 hours on the morning before heading back to KL. After all that we had a western set-lunch (only RM8.60 each, complete with soup and a scoop of ice-cream for dessert and tea/coffee) at a cozy restaurant.

On the way back, we made a couple of toilet breaks. On one, at the Tg. Malim stop, the boys asked to go have a look at a police motorcycle parked at the side and got a treat!!


Their "boss" (a very high ranking office out with all his stars and colours on display) was very friendly* and actually carried my boys onto the bike and told me to take a photo.


Despite the grave intention of our visit to Taiping this round, it was still good fun for the boys.
In a day, so much can happen.


*This confirmed what Mommy had been saying all the time, that you need not fear the police if you do not break the laws. Micah so excited that the policemen were so "friendly" that he wanted to "visit" the army trucks next. (The police were actually escorting a fleet of army truck, which looked like they were transporting some weapons and explosives. There were parked along the emergency lanes of the highway just beside the rest stop.)
Mommy had to say no to his request.

An Inconvenient Luxury*

As inconvenient as the confinement month is (supposedly 40 days), I am seeing how it was really meant to be a time of luxury and pampering, in the name of taboo, for the womenfolk.

I am sure the womenfolk of the ancient times were the ones who came up with this for themselves, and made sure the men put up with all the inconveniences for 40 days while they recover after giving birth.

No Bathing except for Herbal Baths
- In the olden days, with no running water, at best, a well in your backyard, women still have to draw and carry water for the household's use. To spare the one who had just given birth, she was made to be excused from such hard work. Instead, she is given the luxury of a spa treatment - a herbal bath of ginger and herbs, supposedly to get rid of wind and help keep her warm. Very good if she had had her baby in the cold/cool seasons.

Do Not Touch Cold Water or You may Catch A Chill
- "No need to fetch water from the well. No need to prepare any meals. No need to wash up after your meal. No need to bathe yourself. No need to water the plants or animals. Just enjoy yourself and be pampered. Relax." I am sure that was the whole idea behind this taboo.

Stay within the confines of your Room
-It is believed that if you catch a draft while recovering from labor, you would suffer for a long time, if not then in your old age with rheumatism, back ache or migraine. Well, I think it just gives the mother some time for herself to rest and not be bothered about the everyday chores. Instead, she is given the time and space to bond with her baby and have a good holiday in the comfort and privacy of her own room.

Lie On Your Back as Much as Possible
Oh, I suppose it is just good to be off your feet. But one is asked to lie down so that you do not suffer from severe backache in days to come. How often would a woman who has to run the household gets to sleep in anyway? Now is the time and you are given the privilege.

Eat While the Food is Hot
- In ancient times, most likely the men who labor in the fields or trades would be the first to sit at the dining table. This is a good time for a woman to enjoy food hot from the pot.
:)

Certain Diet Prescribed
- Kidney, stomach, pigs' trotters in vinegar, chicken in rice wine and lots and lots of ginger and sesame oil. These are sure rich food, and food for the rich. It definitely is a luxury in days when there were no national nor international trades and definitely no supermarkets. Items as these on menus were scarce. I am sure they were costly too.

Pigs' trotters and ginger in black vinegar stew

Having thought of all the above, my mother told me a story of a lady in her old fishing village who had a baby every year. She had in total about 9 children. My mother knew this woman while she was a young girl, and later on was told by this lady, that she wanted her one month of good food and pampering every year. That was her motive of childbearing.
What do you think of that?


* Of course the whole idea of luxury and pampering for us now is so different because we live in a time of modern facilities and the utilities like plumbing, electricity and running water is a norm. We can't imagine a life of luxury and convenience and pampering without any of these three essentials of modern, clean and healthy living.

Like A Desperado

Date: Federal Day, 1 February, 2009.



Gadget-daddy wanted to take the boys to a waterfall.
I asked him to ask his brother to go along to help watch the boys.
He said he could handle them.

I then decided I would go too... at least, maybe, Max and I will just sit and play in the stream at the foot of the fall.

Wonderfully, an answer to my prayers, Gadget-daddy's bro wanted to come along too, so we all made the trip to Gabai Waterfalls, Ulu Langat.


And since the uncle was good in going along with the boys, running up the steps, Gadget-daddy and I took a leisurely climb up the fall.

Noticed a unique snail along the way up.

Also noted the many different foliage above our heads.

The trail up to the falls now is good and proper steps compared to the days when we went up a few times in our teens. It was then a jungle trail. More exciting, but less accessible to the public. I definitely would not have made it if it was as then, as I recall a section of the trail required you to climb over a huge fallen tree and then under another.

Anyway, we all made it up and down. We counted - 367 steps in all!!


Quite an achievement for a then 34 week preggy Mommy!!
(Does this sound like I'm trying to achieve something before the arrival of the 3rd boy and having to be home-bound for a month? *grin*)

Micah enjoyed the water, but complained it was too cold.
Max had refused to get in altogether and cried when Gadget-daddy took him one round down the natural slide.



For them the real thrill was discovering and handling a giant millipede and their snackie of sausages and crabsticks.



On our way back, we stopped at this place called "the Look Out Point" and had lunch there.
The food was nothing to shout about, but it was still part of our outing. It was just different to be a place where we could see our city's skyline quite clearly.

There's actually a look out tower, but I did not manage to get to the top fast enough as the four boys raced up. But I figure the view is probably pretty much the same.

All in all ,it was a pretty good and tiring trip.
Both the boys slept on the way home.

CNY Crafts For Show

These were the crafts the boys came back with last Friday.

Micah is actually quite possessive of his and would check his name to make sure he is holding his and his brother his own.

Anyway, Here they are on display:

Lanterns made from ang-pow packets.


The greeters for the New Lunar Year.

Getting Into The Festive Mood

Last Sunday, because a relative was visiting from Penang, we took her out to Midvalley to see the decorations.

Of course the crowd was just unbelievable
(you mean there is an economic crisis going on?)
and we had only a couple of hours to walk before heading back to Ah Ma's house as she had an appointment.

The boys behaved unbelievably well and we did not need to do any running-after-a-run-away-boy scene. Maybe because we had a "stranger" among us.


The next day, while Gadget-daddy worked from home, Mommy slipped out to do a few thing: to meet up with a friend (we were to meet at Ah Ma's house as it is more convenient geographically), and to get a hair cut.

But when I arrived at my mom's a little earlier, Ah Ma's was busy in the kitchen and I ended up doing one extra thing:

Making kuih-kapit (love letters) with Ah Ma.

She handles the batter and the molds over the charcoal...


and I fold the hot fragile biscuits and store them.


Of course Ah Ma kindly gave me a tin to bring home for her grandsons who have been "raiding" her kuih-kapit tins when they came over the last couple of times.

Thank you, Ah Ma.



Psst:

The secret to Ah MA's delicious kuih-kapit:

1. The coconut milk must be hand squeezed in your own kitchen. The machine squeezed ones are not fragrant enough.

2. Charcoal fire is the only way to bake them.

3. Must be made on a fair weathered day. On a rainy day, the biscuit will be soft before they cool due to moisture in the air.

Seafood Special

The day Gadget-daddy went off to camp, Mommy took the boys to Ah Ma's for a visit and we had the most delightful surprise in her kitchen (she had just come back from the market):


Gigantic Mantis Prawn!!


They are over a foot long each.
Sold by weight, she had paid RM46 for the four pieces!!
Talk about indulging the palate!


At the end, she just had them steamed and we ate them without any sauce nor salt.
It was just superb as it was!!

Doing The Touristy Thing.

On Boxing Day, my niece declared she wanted to go up to the Kuala Lumpur Tower. It's a structure we could see everyday whenever we journeyed out of Ah Ma's house.

So we all had a visit. It was the first time for all of us except Gadget-daddy who had been there a couple of times before for his company function.

So we paid the fees (RM38/adult for a package), got our paper binoculars and headed up.


There were actual binoculars for anyone's use at the observatory deck. Gadget-daddy showed the boys where our house is located.


The other attractions there were the winterland display
(terribly disappointing as everything is just cut out of Styrofoam and plastered with cotton and silver dust, and it's in the open air of which, knowing our weather, was just swealtering hot and nothing like winter) ...


... and an animal expo, called the Animal Zone.
This was actually quite good.


We all had a couple of breaks for the kids mainly.


By the time we were done, all the children and adults were exhausted but happy.



For me, there was just one tinge of sadness.

This bird's eye view shows where my school used to stand - now just a horrid red patch of dirt under construction.


Yeap.
The wonderful old building of St. Mary's Secondary School,
and also the primary school, the fields, the old bungalow on stilts and our small canteen
no longer exists.

MERDEKA!

Happy Merdeka!!

It's our Independence Day.

For all the mess that's going on in the political scene, all I have to say is Malaysia is hitting puberty at 51!

So now we are seeing all these signs of growing, painful as it is,

Changes and challenges,

Emotional turmoils,

A lot of uncertainties,

Still struggling with an identity crisis,

Can't get your priorities right,

Can't stand to be criticised,

and

Where's all the money?!!


Seems to have all these physical developments but the maturity definitely still not there.
Looks like a "grown-up" but still thinks like a child.

Doesn't that sound like a teenager's set of problems?
Anyway, ...

Happy Birthday, Malaysia.

Hope you bloom into a beautiful nation that is useful to the rest of the world ant not just be stuck in the rut always looking only inwards.

National Museum

We were suppose to meet up with jlow and another of his and Gadget-daddy's friend. Our plan was to go to the Aquaria KLCC. Unfortunately a few things turned up and were had to put off our get-together.

So instead of going to see the fishes, we decided to take the boys to see some trains and old cars and other stuff - to the museum.

I was already imagining the dark corridors of the natural history gallery, mainly stuffed animals and insects and eggs behind glass cases, apart from the displays of old retired mode of transportation.

To the boys' delight we took our time on the trains and road transports displayed outdoors.



To Mommy's disappointment, the lower galleries were under renovations. I asked the lady at the ticket counter and she said all the displays on natural history are being moved out (did not mention where to), and the whole place will be just to focus on the Malaysian history.

Sigh... so all the images I have of what the museum used to be is also history. The trips I made as a child with my family, a few with different school groups as an excursion. We even played tour guide a few times to some foreign friends and brought them there. all are now but memories.

Well, I hope it'll be better when things are all done up.

Anyway, a visit to the museum is always marked by a photo taken at the main entrance (although it's been closed for renovations and we entered from the back).
(Oh, here the boys were too busy looking at dragon flies and water gliders in the fountain and I just got a candid shot. Gadget-daddy actually took a family photo later with his camera set on a timer.)

We did buy kacang putih (friend peanuts) from a stall. The lady had them in bags and on a wooden table, more like a desk, and you can just imgine her walking away at the end of the day balancing the table on her head. (Sorry, too busy to take a shot of her and the stall) So we had old style kacang putih at the museum. How appropriate. :)




So that was our kinda adventurous morning.