blog blog with sweec

Best Coasters ever!

2008-04-16T12:23:00.004+03:00

I just got the cutest, most awesome coasters. So cute that I've actually decided to blog for the first time in close to half a year just to show them off! They are made by the talented Amelia Ishikawa in two matching designs. Not sure if I bear to use them. weh.

Tagged

2007-11-20T13:04:00.000+02:00

I've been tagged by my sister, Amelia. She said that I had to talk about 7 random facts about myself. So here goes...

1. I've not updated my blog or looked at others for so many months that I forgot my password and login name, and I wouldn't have known about this tagging until Amelia told me about it.
2. I always drive past the house and miss the turning into our driveway.
3. I used to get sleepy after drinking coffee and if I do not sleep immediately, I'll get a headache.
4. I always miss having local singapore/malaysian food.
5. I only know the directions to my house, work, airport and shops. Sometimes I get lost driving home from the shops.
6. I used to eat ice-cream everyday.
7. I can never remember what movies or books I've watched/read. Sometimes when I'm halfway through a movie/book, I realise that I've seen or read it.

If anyone actually looks at this blog, I'm tagging Ming and Adeline.

Yay!

2007-08-17T03:39:00.001+03:00

Yay!
Originally uploaded by swee

I had to finally take my camera out of its bag when Shiori handed me her toy camera and started posing for me. Besides, Uncle Adib was here.

Strange

2007-06-23T15:47:00.000+03:00

Sometimes I wonder if we have a dog or a cat? When I woke up, I thought I saw Chiko jump off a chair. Later I found her on the dining table, sleeping on Faraz's bag.

Camping at Lake Wivenhoe

2007-04-10T14:38:00.001+03:00

Over the long Easter weekend, we went camping at Lake Wivenhoe with S&J. Queensland has been going through quite a bit of a dry spell over the years and right now we have a serious water shortage. The camping area was not at the main dam area, but a smaller branch off. Here you see how low the water level has dropped and how dry the banks are.

Anyways, the camping was fun. We brought lots of food and the whole trip seemed to revolve around food, like getting firewood and fishing. Also despite the shortage of water, it was a nice place for camping.

Happy Naw Ruz and Mt. Tambourine

2007-03-25T10:17:00.000+02:00

Happy Naw Ruz (New Year) and for those of us who were observing the 19 Day fast, hope it went well and wishing you the best in the year ahead!

It's been quite a while since I've updated my blog. Faraz has been working for a month at a company that creates and tests software for the road transport system in Queensland. eg. traffic lights etc to ease congestion. I managed to find a 3 month temporary position at and archives to do a film appraisal project. Having to work again after such a long break has been hard. Now we totally treasure our weekends. So when it came to Naw Ruz, we took the day off and together with some friends, Josceline, Sanjeev and Soon Kam, we went to Mount Tamborine to visit the town on that mountain. It was most enjoyable and these guys were hilarious! I will pass the rest of the photos to you soon.

At the Tamborine National Park

Picnic lunch at Tamborine Botanical Gardens

Waterfalls at the Tamborine National Park

Cool looking guys at a shop at "the walk" where the row of shops were

Faraz looks great in these blue goggles!!

Looking out at the setting sun on Mount Tambourine

Soon Kam feeling meditative at the end of Naw Ruz

Chiko's new toy

2007-02-26T07:29:00.000+02:00

Chiko's got a new toy! Her 'puffin' toy was getting a little old so we got this for her recently. I think its some kind of bird too.

Drive thru Pizza

2007-02-26T07:26:00.000+02:00

I was intending to post this photo but totally forgot about it until Faraz reminded me. While driving home from Maryborough, I happened to see this Drive Thru Pizza and I told Faraz. He wanted us to take a photo to show Arman. He said that Arman and him always thought it would be a great idea to have a drive thru pizza. So there you go!

Maryborough with grandparents

2007-02-12T11:00:00.000+02:00

Over the weekend, Faraz and I went to visit his grandparents at Maryborough, 3 hours north from where we lived. We had such a great time spending time with them and we were happy to see Agha Jan and Mummy Buzurg both looking so well and healthy. hehe, we also got very well fed with lots of delicious food prepared by Mummy Buzurg. Hopefully we can see them again soon.

black shih tzu

2007-01-14T08:55:00.000+02:00

I've never seen a black shih tzu till I saw Chiko, Faraz's dog. She's really cute and quite a character, her temperament is the opposite of Momo. According to Faraz's mom, she was the only black pup in the litter and they didn't expect that she would remain black.
And here's a photo of us at the beach. The poor dog was getting bullied by the bigger dogs during our little outing.

mom and dad's kitchen

2007-01-14T08:16:00.000+02:00

I have promised Amelia to post some photos of Mom and Dad's new kitchen. Sorry that it took so long and really it is a very nice kitchen!

Hiking in the hinterland

2007-01-02T10:36:00.000+02:00

We went hiking with Josceline and Sanjeev on the last day of 2006 to the hinterlands. We went first to a place got Jowarra but the walking took less than 20min, so we decided to go to nearby hiking trail which had a small waterfall. This was along a much longer trail of at least 6 hours I think. Maybe next time we can attempt the trail or at least part of it. Here are some photos of Faraz in his elements, the four of us, and a tree hugging competition between the guys and the gals.

mom's home

2006-12-28T10:04:00.000+02:00

Mom's back :)
She spent a wonderful month in Israel with Ishikawas, Omeed and Kathryn. The trip home was a little tiring for her as there was a 10 hour stop-over in Bangkok in addition to the long flights. But she's finally home and Chiko is just as excited as we are to see her ;)

It's been one week...

2006-12-09T07:57:00.000+02:00

We've been in Australia for a week. Most of the time we've been unpacking, running some errands for dad, just taking it easy and adjusting to life in Australia. I've already gotten my queensland 's driver's license and opened up a bank account. So far we've been to one devotional meeting, and also a dinner with some of the local Baha'i community and their friends, where the hostess surprised us by asking us to talk about Haifa and the Baha'i World Centre. We wished we were given more warning so that at least we could be prepared for it and maybe bring along photos etc to share with the friends there. But it was all good and it was nice to meet all these people.

Today, Faraz took me to a pretty big Asian supermarket and we did lots of shopping to stock up. It was a pretty impressive selection and reminded me of the asian supermarkets that I frequented in Perth. Tomorrow, we might be going to Ikea to just get some storage organisers etc and I like Ikea! fun fun but because we aren't working yet, we won't go crazy in there and just buy what we need :)

Finally to Australia

2006-12-03T02:52:00.000+02:00

After more than two months of travelling and visiting family in Singapore, Malaysia and South Africa, Faraz and I finally got to Australia. We were just thinking that we got to Haifa almost the same time as Arman, but we left 2 months before him and now we are arriving home in Brisbane almost the same time as he is in the US. It is good to not live out of the suitcase (once we unpack) and our home in Brisbane is awesome. Faraz's mom and dad did such a great job with our home and making me feel welcome. Friends and relatives here are so welcoming too. It will be a great time in Brisbane. Oh yah, and Chiko, Faraz's dog, seem to get on well with me so far. hehehe

Never again ....Mandai Orchid Garden

2006-11-27T09:24:00.000+02:00

Orchids
Originally uploaded by swee.

All right, I'm sure someone has warned me about going to Mandai Orchid Garden, but I must have forgotten. I thought it would at least be as nice as the Botanical Gardens and National Orchid Garden. But no, it was more like an orchid farm with the orchids growing in rows. The place wasn't too big either... a very disappointing trip for us and it was really hot, but at least the place wasn't too far from home.

opening rehearsal and birthday

2006-11-17T13:00:00.000+02:00

Last night, a few of my close friends from secondary school met up and it so happens to be Yaomien's (girl in the middle in jeans and green&white tee). The birthday girl and her friend Jo, were also having a rehearsal for the opening of their pub, so we were celebrating Yao's birthday at the soon to be completed pub. They started a successful Chippy's shop (yummy fish and chips franchise) a while ago and hopefully their new business will take off too. So seated from L to R: Jo, Margaret, Lisan, Yaomien, Georgy, me and Faraz.

Birthday of Baha'u'llah

2006-11-12T14:47:00.000+02:00

Today, on 12 November, Baha'is around the world commemorate the Birthday of Baha'u'llah. We were lucky to be able to join 2 local communities in Singapore for the commemoration of this Holy Day. There was a nice dramatic performance and we enjoyed a tea buffet after.
After the event, we met Aunty Christine's son and family. Aunty Christine's youngest grandchild is soooooo cute.

never again

2006-11-07T17:46:00.000+02:00

We've been busy since we got back to Singapore. Some Baha'i activities, visiting relatives, applying for new drivers license, shopping and eating. The good thing about Malaysia and Singapore is that its much cheaper to watch movies here than in Israel or Australia. We watched 'The Prestige" and "The Departed" in Malaysia. Today we watched "Sinking of Japan". Interesting movie and was better than I expected.

Oh and I told Irfan that I wanted to show him how steep Skeleton Gorge was. When we were in Cape Town, we took a cablecar up Table Mountain and we decided to walk across the plateau and climb down the mountain via 'Skeleton Gorge' to get to the Kistenbosch Botanical Gardens. It wasn't the best idea for someone as physically unfit as I was, and my legs were aching for days after. But I'm still glad that we did it and I don't think I'll attempt that again. If anyone ever decides to climb up/down Table Mountain, going up might be much better than climbing down coz it was so steep. Check out these photos, courtesy of Faraz. poor guy, he's resting now because he ate something wrong today. But i'm sure he'll be up and about tomorrow.

Back in Singapore again

2006-11-04T14:47:00.000+02:00

My parents, Faraz and I just came back from a week long stay in Malaysia. We attended my cousin, Paul's wedding. The photo above was taken after a long chinese tea ceremony and shows my uncle, aunty, cousins and Joyce, the new addition to the family. I never knew I had so many relatives as my dad has lots of uncles and aunties, there were some with 6 or even 9 children each. It was a great big family reunion and Faraz's (and sometimes my) first time meeting the extended family. I was very thankful that Faraz and I had a small wedding ceremony last year. But of course, it is a good thing to have a big wedding so that all the relatives can gather and celebrate.

Altogether, we had a great time in Malaysia. Cheap food (yummy local food and seafood!) and movies, lots of shopping and meeting up with some friends too. Unfortunately, my bag was stolen while I was there, so there goes Faraz's new camera :( but hopefully we can get a replacement soon. For now, we will enjoy Singapore for another month before moving on to Australia. Oh and just to finish up this post, here's a photo of a roast suckling pig.

Cape Town photos

2006-10-26T15:02:00.000+02:00

Here are some family shots and funny shots from our trip to Cape Town. I've posted the rest of my photos on my flickr.

After breakfast at a B&B in Simon's Town

Misty morning at one of the lodges at the Fernery. We are supposed to be able to see the sea behind but we had a little bit of bad weather.

Charlie on the edge

Faraz and I at the Fernery in Tsitsikamma

Faraz trapped in our cabin

Faraz likes jellyfishing

Back and off again

2006-10-26T05:15:00.000+02:00

This is one of our favourite places in Cape Town. This little potter's place has beautiful art. Ishikawas and Fanaian-Vafais etc would have loved it! Gosh, i am so jet lag. We arrived in Singapore at 5.30am this morning and it's 11 am. I've already taken a 2 hour nap and my eyes are still closing. Cape Town was a blast and Faraz and I are still feeling the effects of it (probably because we decided to climb down Table Mountain on Monday). We are off to Malaysia tomorrow and will be back next week. So more updates when we get back.

Off to the African continent

2006-10-10T11:41:00.000+02:00

Faraz and I are off to Cape Town tomorrow early morning and we will be going to the airport tonight. This is just exciting as I've always wanted to go to Africa even though some people don't really consider Cape Town as part of Africa. Anyways, to me I'm going to Africa! Yay!

So I might not updating my blog regularly in the next 2 or 3 weeks. But once we get back to Singapore, it should be as per normal. Take care!

My favourite!

2006-10-09T17:18:00.000+02:00

On Sunday night, my parents brought Faraz and I to the "No Signboard" seafood restaurant as shown on the left. It was really nice, as it was in an area called 'Waterfront' just at the Kallang river.

We sat at the outdoor area which had a great view of the city which was nice especially after sundown. The food was just great! we had chilli crab, pepper crab, prawns, scallops with kailan vege, and homemade tofu. Just too yummy. Faraz blogged about it already, so I won't repeat it. But unlike him, I love seafood! Eating crab and prawns and fish is worth the trouble. As I was eating the crab, i was thinking that I prefer crabmeat anytime over a beef steak! hahaha and Faraz was just thinking the opposite.

too used to khamsin or sharav

2006-10-08T08:25:00.000+02:00

Singapore and some of the countries in this southeast asian region are now experiencing haze from land/forest fires in Sumatra, Indonesia. It got pretty bad these few days and doctors have advised people not do strenuous activities outdoors.

It reminds me of khamsim when we were living in Israel. "The Sharav or Khamsin, is a scorchingly hot, dry desert wind which blows from the Arabian Desert from May to mid-June and from September to October". So I didn't really care too much about what I was doing here. Yesterday, Faraz and I were meeting some friends for lunch. After lunch, they wanted to visit a nearby Buddhist temple. It wasn't too far, and I suggested walking there, and the rest felt that it would not be advisable because of the haze. Haha... and Faraz and I have been walking everywhere even going for a BBQ/Braii that evening.

Momo

2006-10-06T06:09:00.000+02:00

So my silly dog, Momo, loves runnin out of the flat through the metal grilles, and the problem is he can't come back in. last night he went out to see this DHL delivery man and then he couldn't make his way back in despite wanting to. I tried enticing him with his dinner and still he couldn't bring himself to come back in. Here are a series of photos showing him stuck outside. In the end, I had to go out and give him a helping hand. Momo's more than 10years old now but hopefully this old dog would learn new tricks.

hubby hates my shoes!

2006-10-05T06:18:00.000+02:00

He rants about his dislikes about Crocs here
I bought a pair of brown 'professional' crocs yesterday. So far I'm still getting used to the chunkyness and lightness of it. I think it'll be great as my flip flops get too slippery when it rains,

Unagi Burger temporarily unavailable

2006-10-03T18:13:00.000+02:00

Here's me getting upset with Mos Burger. They didn't have my favourite Unagi (eel) Burger available. According to the menu, its "temporily unavailable". Oh well I had a fish burger today and it was pretty good, tasted almost like McD's but has a better cheesy sauce. I enjoyed it and Faraz certainly enjoyed his meal too.

Oh a side note, i just realized that I forgot to take photos when I met up with 2 of my secondary school mates, Margaret and Lisan for lunch today. Oh well next time. After lunch we watched the "Night Listener" in a very comfortable theatre and it was less than half the price in Haifa! The movie was all right, about a radio DJ's experience with one of his listeners. It's supposed to have been inspired by true events.

Meeting Ming & Aunty Betty

2006-10-02T17:07:00.000+02:00

This morning I called Ming and she just happened to be meeting up with Aunty Betty. These two wonderful people used to serve at the Baha'i World Centre. sorry that we seem to be squeezing ming out of the photo but the first photo didn't turn out well. It turns out that Aunty Betty will be making a presentation on the Baha'i Faith, I hope Faraz and I can make it.

butter colored crocs

2006-10-02T16:51:00.000+02:00

I was thinking of getting a pair of crocs here and I had a hard time choosing between the butter colored ones and the brown ones. Shingo, what do you think?

Let sleeping dogs lie

2006-10-02T06:24:00.000+02:00

This is my dog, Momo, having a little nap after his walk. He's getting old (around 10years old or more) but still pretty cute.

Better than bobo chacha

2006-10-02T06:03:00.000+02:00

Hehe... this post is especially for my brothers coz they know they are really missing out. This is a sweet dessert that is almost like 'bobo chacha' coconut cream with cooked yams and sweet potatoes, except this has cooked bananas in it too. Very yummy and its a dessert that we would usually have on the last day of the Chinese New Year in my hometown, Penang. It just so happened that my mom had some suitable bananas to make one of my favourite desserts!

another successful shopping trip

2006-09-30T19:03:00.000+03:00

Today was another successful shopping trip. Faraz managed to get his camera, we also bought some polo tees and pants for both of us. It was really crowded and there were all these kids around. sigh... reminds me of Shiori chan. So I thought I'll post this photo of Faraz and I and little Shiori. Amelia and Shingo, how is she doing anyways?

In the evening, we went to our first devotional meeting after leaving Haifa. It was really good. Started off with some Chinese/Persian/Indian food, and then we had prayers and stories and the theme tonight was 'happiness'. It was really nice to meet all these people.

no luck with snacks

2006-09-30T05:35:00.000+03:00

Yesterday, Faraz and I had a most enjoyable time shopping and eating of course. Lots of stores having sales and Faraz managed to buy 2 bermudas, 2 shirts and 3 pairs of socks for just S$60 or less than usd38.

We had some Mos Burger (Japanese fast food) for lunch and then some japanese ice cream (green tea and black sesame). However, all those snacks that we bought the day before, we haven't had a chance to have any. Most of the time we are too full! oh will... today would be camera shopping :)

snacks galore

2006-09-28T15:21:00.000+03:00

yes! gotta have some of that mochi ice cream
Originally uploaded by swee.

We got to my parents' home this morning before 9am. Unfortunately i didn't take my camera along to take photos or the kaya toast, half-boiled eggs, kopi and teh.

But we had time to go shopping after breakfast in the shopping mall in my housing estate. Here's one of my favourites, mochi icecream. we also bought a lot of snacks like marshmellos filled with strawberry jelly, jackfruit chips, pocky pretzel sticks covered with chocolate. Also, my mom went to visit her neice who was making mooncakes, so we got some of those to eat too. YUM.

Faraz biting into yummy mochi ice cream

with my mom

snacks we bought and received on the first day!
Originally uploaded by swee.

just a few orchids at the singapore airport

2006-09-28T14:23:00.000+03:00

just a few orchids at the singapore airport
Originally uploaded by swee.

I like orchids and its just nice to be welcomed by the sight of so many orchids. Faraz asked me, "how does it feel like to be shorter than an orchid?"

Leaving Israel

2006-09-28T14:02:00.000+03:00

last arcaffe cuppucino at ben gurion
Originally uploaded by swee.

27 September 2006. We left for the airport at 3am in the morning. Thank you Saba, Arman and Ishikawas for waking up so early. Thank you all the friends who dropped by to say goodbye during the last few days too.

Faraz and I took a cab to the train station and had a nice ride to the airport. The check in and security checks were most painless. It was the easiest checkin ever for Faraz and I. We had so much time to spare and did some shopping. I had nis20 left so i asked the staff at Arcaffe in the airport what i could have. he gave me a yummy croissant ( i chose vanilla) and a small cuppucino. I'm sure i had a discount as cuppucino was nis12 already. Such a nice experience leaving Israel.

Back to blogspot

2006-09-20T10:45:00.000+03:00

All right, I'm back to using blogspot, that is till I get my own site.
I guess its just easier to post photos from my flickr onto blogspot, rather than uploading them again on to msn spaces.

So Faraz and I are getting ready to leave the Baha'i World Centre next Wednesday. I'll try to have constant updates once we leave Haifa. Till then....

Leaves

2006-06-04T22:20:00.000+03:00

Leaves
Originally uploaded by swee.

and returns. just testing out the posting of photos to blogspot option from flickr

moving on

2006-02-08T20:04:00.000+02:00

Blogspot has served me well for the past few years... but i think its time for me to move on. I'm going to try msn spaces. lets see if i get better at updating...

http://spaces.msn.com/sweecheng/

Happy New Year 2006

2006-01-01T14:57:00.000+02:00

Happy New Year to all!

Can't believe that it's already 2006. This is my third new year in Haifa. This year on new year's eve, I didn't stay up to watch the fireworks. It was a most normal day, I went for morning prayers, then home to sleep. In the evening, Faraz and I went to watch "Chronicles of Narnia". I thouroughly enjoyed it and i just can't to wait to read the books! we were sorry that the Ishikawas couldn't join us but we were pleasently surprised to be sitting next to Lessan, Moghbelpours, Tysons and Roya, even though we didnt go together.

even today 1st january seems like a typical day. went to work and i'm gonna go to the Shrines now before going home to make some dinner.

have a good year ahead!

moooooooooo

2005-12-22T17:53:00.000+02:00

Italy

2005-12-14T17:35:00.000+02:00

After our folks left Haifa, Faraz and I went to Italy for a 4 days :) We had an awesome time taking in the sights, eating, shopping, going to art galleries and more eating. Italian food is just too yummy. Too bad we were only there for a short time - 2 days in rome and 2 days in florence. But we had a great time and I'm sure we both would love to go there again! Oh and this image on the left is a fabulous eating place! we had lasagne, beans, ravioli, spagetthi and steak, all in one sitting! We went in early before the lunch crowd and when we came out, we saw all these Italian people either waiting to get into the little restaurant.

Finally! Wedding photos are up.

2005-12-02T14:11:00.000+02:00

Yay finally I've posted our wedding photos :)
This is just a few of the many photos that our photographer Ryan Lash took for us. We have some photos from Saba Mogbelpour's camera too.

Faraz and I had a fabulous time in Italy. It is a must go for all. Hopefully I can post some photos from there soon. We also had a good 9 day Bahá'í pilgrimage in Israel. Now we are back to work. Sorry about the late posting.
Hope you enjoy the photos.

5 November 2005

2005-11-15T14:03:00.000+02:00

I've been trying to post some wedding photos on Flicker and I only uploaded 6 when it tells me that I've reached my quota for the month. Oh well, I'll deal with it when I return from honeymoon in Italy. After that I'll be on Bahá'í Pilgrimage in Israel and will only be back in the office in December. So I'll wait till then before putting out photos from our photographer McfLash, I've decided to link to my in-laws, Ishikawa blog where you can see cute pics of little niece Shiori too. So click here for photos of our wedding too.

Akka photo outing

2005-09-14T14:06:00.000+03:00

Last Saturday was our last photo outing and we went to Akka. Well....frankly it was way too hot! noon time in summer was just kind of unbearable. Not only was the light too intense... I just wasn't focused in doing my homework but just took photos of whatever I felt like taking. My favourite subject was this cute little girl and she was just posing happily.

Reality of big dogs

2005-09-08T10:22:00.000+03:00

Big dog = Big crap
I had a nasty surprise on my way out to work this morning....some damn dog had to crap on the mat outside my main door. I've been noticing this gross smell everytime I step into the corridor. The reason being that cats have easy access to my building and I suspected that they were peeing at my corridor. I guess cat pee attracts dogs. So this morning I almost died with the stench and I realised the stench was coz of the dog poop. Really gross and I almost puked coz it stank so bad (corridor wasn't very well ventilated). So I had to throw out the mat and I'm not impressed by the neighbour who let his dog/bitch loose or even worse, if the owner was there, letting the dog do his business there. Time to get some clorox to clean out the area.

So if I get a big dog, it will be one well trained bitch.

photo outing 2

2005-09-06T16:08:00.000+03:00

I was on my way to a photo outing when I

came across this dog lying lazily on a step of

some stairs. It didn't even bother to lift up

its head. At the Hadar (down town), we had

to take photos of a fountain which I thought

was pretty ugly. This is my favourite shot out

of the whole roll of film.

Big dogs!

2005-08-31T11:19:00.000+03:00

After the photo outing on Saturday morning, I join FnA for a brunch at this cafe called Mandarin. No, they don't speak Mandarin and they don't serve chinese food either. It was a real nice cafe and this dog belonged to a lady sitting at the next table. Her poor doggie, jodie, wanted someone to take her for a walk. I just like big dogs! oh wait i just like dogs!

i love having my own google

2005-08-10T15:18:00.000+03:00

yeah....from now on it's going to be swee-oogle yay!!!!!

oh and just a shout out to amelia chan and shingo san =) I'm happy that the little ishikawa family is together once again.

shark attack!

2005-07-19T08:42:00.000+03:00

I hope this can explain my disappearence for the past few weeks. I had to recover from the shark attack during my vacation. Arman had diligently come up with a vacation log. Seeing the lazy person I am, I have linked his blog for your viewing pleasure. Do look at the May and June posts. As for the photo above, I must say that I was not impressed with either of them. One seemed to be happy that I was being eaten alive and the other seemed to be pushing both of us towards the shark.

Especially for bossy

2005-07-01T08:28:00.000+03:00

Manijeh was asking for photos....
hehe... i'll just post one of the orang utans for now....

2005-06-29T17:37:00.000+03:00

If you are in Singapore and walking around Scotts road looking for a quick bite to munch on, try Chippy's at Far East Plaza basement. Very good value for money. I tried the fried calamari and fish and it was mouth watering. Not to mention the friendly owners would cook your order right there and then! i want some now!

Ok ok. i was promoting my friend's shop.
I'm here with my gang and we've been hanging out since we were 13. It's great that we are still good friends. (Jo, far right has just joined the gang). but seriously... i really like the food in Chippy's.

Back in Haifa

2005-06-17T13:33:00.000+03:00

All righty, i'm back in Haifa from my way too short vacation. I had a fabulous time in Queensland, Australia, and Singapore with Faraz, Arman and our families. Sorry to my dear friends in Australia and Singapore/Malaysia that I wasn't able to contact you or meet up with you. but 6 days is really short with all the jet lag etc....
To make up for it, i shall be posting some snapshots of my vacation, after i get my CD-R of photos from Arman. ahem... yes you Arman.

Another point of view

2005-06-17T13:29:00.000+03:00

Just received this photo from a friend. it was taken the same time as the Ridvan photo that you can see a few posts ago. i think its hilarious shot. Edit is taking the photo that i posted earlier, and Ryan is clowning around. in the background is Nadia and Merhdad.

Going for vacation!!!!

2005-05-26T08:14:00.000+03:00

Yay!!!! i can't wait to leave for my 2 week vacation! All i have to do is to survive this crazy day at work! So i'll be getting to Singapore on 4th June early morning. Just in time to go home to put down my stuff, rest, wash up and dress to go for Thing Ping and Ajeet's wedding!

I'm not looking forward to the long flight down under. but at least there is Arman Imani for me to drive him crazy. hehe

Okies so 6 days in Singapore is not too much. i hope i can at least meet up with most of my good friends and make sure that Faraz and Arman have a most enjoyable time there. see you soon, kawan in singapura.

Cab drivers

2005-05-16T12:22:00.000+03:00

Cab drivers never fail to amaze me. Like in Singpoare or Malaysia, they tend to chat you up by asking a question or two, and then they talk non-stop for the rest of the journey. But sometimes, you meet some who just clam up.

So last night, I was just walking on my way home when I met a friend, D. we were walking past Golomb Gate when this cab just stopped a little before us. We thought it was kind of strange and when we got closer, P stepped out of the cab looking really pissed. We found out that P had just gotten on the cab at the bus stop before, when he saw D. Since P & D were living in the same area, P wanted to give D a lift. The cab driver refused saying that it is not a sherute. So P paid the amount for getting till that point and got off. Now it wasn't as if P was taking a sherute (mini bus that goes by bus routes and charges NIS 5 per person), but he was actually going by taxi meter. So doesn't that give him the right to stop wherever or pick up friends if he wanted to? I think the cab driver would have earned more stopping to pick up D.

But oh well its just wierd. but i guess its not just israel as wierd cabbies are everywhere. However i have to mention that i met a real nice driver the other day here. we were going to the mall and using the taxi meter. The cabbie felt that the traffic that day was heavy so he stopped the meter while we were waiting at the lights. Of course he didn't have to do that and it was his every right to charge us exactly what the meter said. so there, there are nice cabbies in Israel but those are the rare ones.

Where's Shingo?

2005-05-13T11:41:00.000+03:00

I got this picture off an email from Arman. Can you find Shingo? Ishikawas and family have already done this exercise so no hints from you guys :p

www.bahai.org

2005-05-10T10:42:00.000+03:00

9th Day of Ridvan, 29 April 2005. Ming and I posing at Bahji, Israel.

Japanese name

2005-04-26T14:07:00.000+03:00

Hee... I went to this site and found out my Japanese name, i.e. Yumi Masachika. whats your japanese name? oh and my question is, should i include my last name?

Happy Ridvan!

2005-04-22T08:36:00.000+03:00

Happy Ridvan everyone!!!! =)

April 21 1863 marks the declaration of Bahá'u'lláh of His mission to the world that He is the Promised One awaited by all the past religions.
Serving at the Bahá'i World Centre in Haifa, we were priviledged to join in the celebration held in Bahji at the gardens surrounding the holy precints of the Shrine of Bahá'u'lláh
So i will post photos when i receive them but first of all, I'll like to share the launch of the new Bahá'i website!

when will i get to the African continent?

2005-04-20T16:30:00.000+03:00

So I saw Charlie online the other day and he gave me the link to his site. I would have checked it out much earlier if i knew that he had some nice photos in it. Yeah... it so happens that my family decided to have a nice time in Cape Town without me. Oh wait... this isn't the first time it happened either :p
So I finally saw photos of their vacation in South Africa. Now when will I be able to get there. It won't be a possibility this year though as I've got other plans...

2005-04-10T14:44:00.000+03:00

Happy Naw Ruz! Yes this post is kindof late since the photo was taken on Naw Ruz (Bahá'i New Year, 21st March). This Holy Day, we decided to go Japanese with the majority wearing Yukatas, followed by Chinese and Australian. Spot the Japanese...

Pig

2005-04-10T14:36:00.000+03:00

Georgy would be so proud of me.
Afterall, she's the one that taught me to draw the only thing that i can draw nicely.
We sat next to each other in class in Secondary 1 & 2. So i've been drawing this pig that you see at the side for more than a decade now! whoa!
So since this is the only thing i can draw, i have it on all my note papers, whiteboards, messages to other people. its like a little signature item of mine.

Thanks to Faraz for putting it up on my blog for me.

2005-03-23T17:41:00.000+02:00

I was my way to my friend's home one night when i spied an object on the ground. I thought it was a brush and suddenly it moved! Awesome! I haven't seen a hedgehog before. I got all excited and called Ming and F&A. Photos are from Faraz's camera and Arman has named the hedgehog, Pokey.

2005-03-23T17:37:00.000+02:00

Awwww.... Isn't it cute? I just want to bring it home and keep it as a pet.

2005-03-23T17:36:00.000+02:00

Byeee little hedgehog

New found Fear

2005-03-16T11:03:00.000+02:00

Ok... I've turned a quarter of a century old and yet I'm still acquiring new fears. It just seems to get worse as you get older. SO now, I'm scared of getting zapped by static electricity. I used to think nothing of it as it would be an occasional zap here and there. But recently I've been working in an area with doors and door handles made of metal, steel, I presume. So when you are fasting, I guess you won't have much body fluid, and in a dry and cold environment, static electricity is just a lot more common.

I'm not talking about little zaps but these static electric shocks are pretty painful. I had to go in and out of rooms so that was like 20 zaps in the afternoon because i had to open/shut the doors. arrrghhhhh.... so i started using my sleeves and gloves to insulate my hand, but i could still feel it!!! My hip accidentally touched a metallic surface and i got zapped too! Yikes!!!

Right now, I'm paranoid about opening doors. My natural reaction is for my hand to pause just before i open a door and all this time I'm willing my hand to just open it normally. I've become one of those laboratory rats undergoing some kind of scientific treatment, and after a while just reacting by instinct/habit.

Thankfully I've found a solution while I'm working. Rubber gloves! sure makes my hand stink... but at least i can be a little normal now. So i'm looking forward to getting used to open door handles normally soon. very soon i hope.

2005-03-15T13:54:00.000+02:00

Here's a tribute to my dear friends, Amelia and Shingo. So happy for them as Baby Ishikawa will be arriving sometime in September this year. Baby Ishikawa will be the cutest thing ever!

2005-03-15T13:41:00.000+02:00

Here's Aunty Christine with her Haifa Idol.

Fasting

2005-03-04T10:24:00.000+02:00

Oh boy its that time of the year again :) Fasting before our Baha'i New Year.
Its really fun to be fasting here as everyone else is too.
So the fast starts from sunrise to sunset for a period of 19 days and today is Day 3 already.
Though its not as hot as in singapore, its much dryer and i think our bodies get dehydrated faster. but its all good. i'm enjoying having the extra time to run errands, go to pray and do my own stuff. all i need to do now is to get my reading done.

So this year, i want to be able to get up all 19 days to eat and start the fast with prayers. usually if i lived on my own, i would be unable to get up after the 3rd day. so i have to get up tomorrow.. i think i'll make pancakes... yummmm.....

moving on

2005-02-06T13:11:00.000+02:00

Oh boy, I seem to be making monthly updates on my blog. What's new? Well, my entire family is in Cape Town now and I would love to be there at this moment too :(
But I'm happy for them. I have heard endless stories about how beautiful Cape Town is blah blah blah.... so whats 3 additional people to the list of Cape Town lovers? I think Charlie and Nika are excited too... Charlie was telling me about where he plans to bring them to, safari and all. Man! i'm so envious. But I am sure I will make it there eventually... maybe end of this year or next year at the end of my service.

But I am excited actually... I'm moving flats, maybe tomorrow actually. I've spent a large part of my weekend packing and cleaning. So if my flat inspection is approved, i get to move tomorrow :)
If you are wondering what is wrong with my present flat, well nothing actually... it is a little old and often needs repairs for either the sink, drainage, air conditioning, fridge etc, but its a great location and has a great view, and i was happy living there.
But i was planning to move to Ming's flat on account of me spending more time there than my own flat, except now her flatmate has extended her service, so it would be hard for me to get there. Under the persuasion of one of the staff members, i went to take a look at this other flat, and man! it was beautiful! I could live in the bathroom, the bedrooms were carpeted, it had a great view and extremely clean and tidy flatmates! Score!
So I'm excited now about my new place... i think only thing is that the elevator is kind of slow and small so if i ever get stuck in it, i'm gonna get caustophobic! yikes touch wood! But its all good :)

2005-01-21T13:34:00.000+02:00

TC & TP visiting Ming in Haifa. Thats how i get to have photo with the yin sisters ;) We just had a sumptious dinner on Ben Gurion (street). Behind us you can see the lighted terraces and the Shrine of the Báb in the middle.

2005-01-21T12:38:00.000+02:00

Here are Things in the Dead Sea. Yes, from top, its Thing Chieh, Thing Ming and Thing Ping at the Dead Sea. The temperature was 17 degrees celcius so the the water must be much colder..... i think they look cold... but hey! its the dead sea!

2005-01-21T12:31:00.000+02:00

Yin sisters and I in Haifa. Building in the far background is where the Baha'i administrative centre is, the Seat of the Universal House of Justice.

Phew

2005-01-21T11:16:00.000+02:00

The past 3-4 weeks have been so hectic. U see, my brother and his wife came to visit. Also, they were on a 9-day pilgrimage together with her family. This was the first time i met my sis-in-law's family. They were really really nice. i'm gonna talk more about their visit in following entries. But let me just comment on the the day they left. Their departure date was the worst possible ever. It was raining cats and dogs for the whole day! In Singapore, it would rain and then stop. But this was just a continuous torrent of water from the skies.

So half hour before i went to see them off, my brother calls me to tell me that they have decided to take the train instead of the sherute (minivan). this is insane as these 2 people had sooooo much luggage. like at least 5 pieces each! so anyways... it was raining hail (very painful) instead of water when we were trying to load their luggage into their friend's car (he was taking them to the train station). i couldn't come along as there was no more space in the car (see how much stuff they had?)

so i say good bye and15 minutes later, my brother calls me to say that it was snowing up the mountain! I got all excited as it hasn't snowed in Haifa in i think 30 years. So i called 2 of my photographer friends to inform them.

5 mintues later, laoba calls me and he thought i was playing a prank as the whole video crew was out in the rain soaking wet and there was no snow to be seen. it was just rain =( I feel bad about that actually.

Anyways. i write an email to my brother to tell him about it. he said he will send pictures. but also another person here has said there was snow! so the question is when will i see snow in Haifa. and if does snow.. i want to have a camera with me.

2004-12-23T16:24:00.000+02:00

Awww.... here's a photo of momo.... little black/white shih tzu. I miss disturbing him!

vacation over all too soon

2004-12-23T14:14:00.000+02:00

Back in Haifa already.
Vacation over all too soon.
Miss the warm humid weather.
Coming back to cold windy city.
No more yummy local food.
Or homecooked food by mom.
Never craved the falafels, swarmas and kebabs.
Never loved my own experimental cooking.
Writing in point form sums it all...
Give me my favourite grub.

2004-12-08T19:20:00.000+02:00

okies... so i had decided that my blog shd be dedicated to the food that i'm tasting....so lunch is at Sakae sushi. Some nice tempura and chasoba. I also had some deep fried softshell crab and excellent agedashi tofu not shown in the photo. too yum.

2004-12-08T19:16:00.000+02:00

Back in singapore/malaysia for a short vacation. This is one of the specialities in Singapore.... Chilli crab! YUM. check out the 'man tou' aka fried buns that u dip in the sauce and eat.

2004-11-24T08:24:00.000+02:00

The making of Mega Sushi I. In the land lack of affordable asian cuisine... sometimes it can be really fun to DIY....

2004-11-23T14:12:00.000+02:00

Imani posing with Mega Sushi II made using the Giant Flying Crane technique

2004-11-17T16:34:00.000+02:00

Flatmates photo shot after the holy day commemoration of the Martyrdom of the Bab. Its Noushin from Canada in black, Melanie from USA in sari and moi.

KDU bloggers

2004-11-17T08:20:00.000+02:00

A tribute to my former classmates from KDU/Murdoch.
I was surprised to see a comment from Elsa a few posts ago... and when i finally go to check my friendster accont, I see that she's also added me as a contact ;)

So I was feeling bored this morning and I decide that I should check out other blogs.
So Elsa's blog led to Sarini, Helena's etc... whoa!!!! I didn't have time to check out all the blogs but thank you for linking my blog and others as well so that i get the gist of whats happening with u guys. For the frequent updates that you all make to your blogs. i must be a real slacker =P

But its great to know that everyone seems to be doing very well and Fatimah's a mom and loving it! i really should learn how to use this blog thing properly and put up links etc. i guess the blogs of my classmates can be a source of inspiration to better my own ;)

slippery-do yay

2004-11-10T11:25:00.000+02:00

This is too funny for me to not write to remember....

If you have eaten in one of those counter-top/bar places where the cooking is done right before your eyes, u'll know what i'm talking about. So last night, I went for a walk with a friend and we go to a little pastabar for dinner (in fact is called Pastabar). By this time, i'm feeling tired from walking up 9 terraces up the mountain to get up there. So I decided that i needed a drink. I get off the high stool to the cooler to grab a bottle of grapefruit juice. To hop back on to the seat (yes i'm kindof short and it helps to hold on to the stool when i'm trying to sit), i place my drink on the counter. The juice bottle skids beautifully across the counter top, hits the slight edge of the counter and tips over, plopping right into the container of tomato sauce.

I watch this unfolding before my eyes in disbelief...its like you know whats going to happen next but your reaction is not fast enough to stop its momentum. i was really apologetic and trying not to laugh too hard. The cook was really nice. He rinses the bottle, dries it and returns it to me. I guess the worse thing from this incident was that he did not dispose of that container of tomato sauce and he promptly dished out a ladleful to make the pasta sauce for the next customer. Yum.

Weekend

2004-11-07T15:08:00.000+02:00

I had a pretty packed weekend... so packed that i can't even remember what I did.
I was just gonna write about this fabulous dinner i was at last night, when someone walked in and thanked me. I was like, "thanks for what?"

i think i'm going senile already. I sort of forgotten that on Friday night, Ming and I had a devotional meeting. It was really nice.... we had some Writings, prayers, music and chanting for a gathering of ten people. Ming's best friend, Aida was there with her mom. Her mom is the cutest signiorita around =)
Anyways.. it was nice a cozy and we had some fried bee hoon and soup (hippotamus restaurant)....After which we rushed to watch a classical performance. A few of the staff members collaborated with some professional musicians to throw us a concert. It was really good!!! my favourite was the string quartet and the clarinet player.

After the concert, we went over to place Laoba was housesitting to watch Grosse Pointe Blank.
its pretty funny movie but ended up way too late coz i almost didn't make it for dawn prayers at the Shrine of Bahá'u'lláh. I woke up at 5.40am to catch a 5.50am sherute. But i made it thanks to my flatmate waking me up.... and after prayers it was Gardening Day.
Raking pebbles, sweeping up dead leaves and repotting little seedlings... very fun.

I'm writing all this down on my blog before i forget what i did.... so if u get bored from read... too bad. OKies... so finally to the original subject of this post. My department dinner last night!!!
It was so yummy!!!!! Chris and Susan were the hosts and boy can Susan cook and bake!
we had a traditional roast chicken supper... and the chicken was nice and juicy....
for dessert was this heavenly Apple Pie!!! it was sooooooooo good... NYDC etc can't compare to this... the crust melts in your mouth the apple filling was in this gravy and there was ice cream to top it off.... truly amazing....

So obviously i ate till i almost popped and after dinner we were just chilling and listening to music...it was most enjoyable evening... have to thank Paul coz this dinner was sort of a goodbye dinner for him....

i want more apple pie.......

Raindrops....

2004-11-01T17:37:00.000+02:00

....are coming this way.....

what? u'll say if you are living in S.E. Asia but in Israel its a different story.
It hasn't been raining for months! maybe 6 months or more. So on Saturday morning, I was awoken by a pleasant surprise of the sound of splattering raindrops. Rain comes down hard and fast! its not fun to walk in the rain here....almost painful when its a heavy rain.

Anyways.. it was great to see the rain again (especially since i was keeping dry and cozy at home) , it keeps Haifa clean... and i could see the other side of the bay. But come winter, i'll be cursing when i get drenched =P

Backstage

2004-11-01T16:52:00.001+02:00

Last weekend was my first time helping out as part of a stage management crew. It was for a South-east Asian performance of dances, singing, acting and powerpoint presentation. The show, entitled Breezes & Breezes was amazing! All the performers were just wonderful and they worked very hard indeed.... the best part of it all was that it wasn't just people who were from south-east asia, friends from other regions also helped out.

So the stage manager for the show asked me to help out one week before the show...
The overall experience was fun but very tiring and time consuming.. during the initial rehersals it was boring to be waiting around to sort out the logistics and also waiting for performers to get accustomed to the stage.

But its pretty similar to video production... pre-production takes a lot of time and is very essential to ensure that the final show goes smoothly. but there's no post production at least :o) and the actual show is it! no re-shoots or having many takes...
there's the thrill of production too....so maybe this is not something bad to get into....

but then again.. where's the fun that comes with editing i.e. seeing the same video over and over again till u go crazy? or seeing the final cut that makes the effort all worth it? =P

Going home......

2004-10-25T09:12:00.000+02:00

Yes u read right! i finally made up my mind on where to go for vacation.
Home sweet home. Where the shopping is good and the food even better ;)
South Africa can wait a bit.... i can go sometime next year... hopefully my brother and his wife don't move away before i visit =P

I have applied for vacation time, booked my airticket and am on waiting list right now i think... hopefully i get a seat before my enthusaism wanes and i change my mind. right now i'm just thinking of the yummy char kuey teow, assam laksa, chee cheong fun, cheese naan, kerabu, hokkien mee..... the list goes on.....and i have to stop before i drool all over my keyboard.
hey.. maybe i shd just stay in penang the whole time since my favourite food seems to be from there. i think some of my SGP friends would be too happy to hear that.

of course i'm back to see family, relatives, friends and dog too. i think leading a slacker lifestyle for a week or two would be most enjoyable. yeah!!!!
dear kawan in sgp and msia.... guess when i'm coming back??? =PPPPP

2004-10-11T10:22:00.000+02:00

Here are a series of pictures taken at a hike in Yehudiya, near the sea of Galilee. Faraz and Arman pose at the start of the hike. It looks very dry here .but it was an interesting hike as you'll see.

2004-10-11T10:18:00.000+02:00

Taking a breather before we carry on.The trail compromised of parts where u had to swim through. Very fun... no one could stay dry.

2004-10-11T10:15:00.000+02:00

Hiking group looks on as DJ makes a flying start to the hike.

2004-10-11T10:13:00.000+02:00

Yehudiya Diving Championships - score 8, 8, 9 and 7

2004-10-11T10:11:00.000+02:00

Swimming in a pool and trying to get closer to the waterfall.

Its been....

2004-10-04T13:06:00.000+02:00

A while since I have posted a message on the blog.
But yes, still alive in Israel and have been here for more than 10 months now.
Last 2 weeks have been really crazy at work but that project's almost done now and hopefully I could get back to my normal work schedule pretty soon.

One thing I can say is that silverfish is my enemy... exterminate them if u see any!
they thrive on cardboard boxes, the coagulated kind.... any archiving or library shouldn't have such boxes around.

Ok... can't wait to post picture of my recent hiking trip to Yehudiya!

what's my temperment?

2004-09-14T11:34:00.000+03:00

My dear big sister, Ming, had her parents visit her for 11 days. They left early this morning... and just before leaving, he was speaking to a small group of us about this website that u can take a little test to see what temperament you are. (click link above)

Its not 100% accurate of course and we are just trying it out for fun. But anyways, i took the test and it seems like i'm an Idealist. Pretty true i think.... i have all these great ideas on how cool everything could be... but getting down to doing it etc really kills me sometimes...

so the idea is to find out your type and try to balance it out... coz your 'apparent strength could become your weakness'. And being too extreme in one area isn't the best option..... everything seems to be about balance, no?

Shopping?

2004-09-05T13:20:00.000+03:00

My dear big sister, Ming & I wanted to go to a supermarket on Friday afternoon to buy some groceries for a dinner that we were preparing for later that night. So we get on to a bus and alighted at the destination, only to find this Israeli security person blocking our way.
There was a group of Israelis around us too and no one could get through.
At this point, Ming and I were trying to figure out what was happening and this Israeli just kept driving us all away and he shouted something in Hebrew. That was when everyone around us started to move away.

Curious, we asked this lady what was going on. She went, "uh... umm..... u know BOMB. Bomb" with large hand movements to emphasize what she was saying. We got the message and abandoned our shopping trip for now, walked across the road to this Hamburger place for lunch.The burger place was really good and after lunch, we discovered the supermarket was back to business and so we went shopping for groceries.

What I learnt from the bomb scare, in Israel, Life just goes on.....

9 Months!!!!

2004-08-25T18:01:00.000+03:00

Goodness its been 9 months!!! yes, 9 months since I have stepped into Israel.
The funny thing is that i thought i was here for 10 months already and my friend was arguing that it was 11 months. Only when talking to some of our other orientation mates did i realise that i was counting wrong. oh well.

Its amazing... its been a long time since I've stayed in one country for so long =P (i'm counting the frequent trips to Malaysia of course. hee) But despite living here for 9 months, i must say that i still dun know much about this country. My hebrew doesn't go beyond 10 words and i know zilch of arabic. haiz...

Ok enough rambling abt my disbelief about the length of time that i've been here.
Recently i was required to use this reel tape player... you know, one of those audio tapes in a reel and not cassettes tapes. so i was so excited that i could use it and was trying to dub something. That was when i discovered that my tape was playing at 3/3/4 ips (inches per second) but my reel tape players only had 2 speeds, 7/1/4 & 15 ips. sigh... so i couldn't do it after all. technological woes.

So i thought it would be easier to make a cassette dub. I mean how hard can it be? Pop 2 tapes into a double deck player and do a dub, yah? I was wrong.. .fast dubbing doesn't give you such a great quality and then i discovered that there are Type I, II and IV tapes. Type IV being metal tapes and Type II chromium dioxide, while Type I is for standard iron oxide tapes. Sigh and then i don't know if the original recording was recorded with or without Dolby B/C. arrrghhhh... i dun even understand all these terminology.

2004-08-22T18:43:00.000+03:00

Just to let you see what some of the older buildings in Haifa look like. This was taken at the Wadi, its an older part of town with few new buildings...

Ain't my flatmate pretty??

2004-08-22T18:33:00.000+03:00

Here's my flatmate Noushin. she was in the same photo class too and was nice enough to pose for me :-) I think that she's really photogenic, i had a candid shot of her which i posted a while back. she looks just as good.