Shoppybag and Google Plus

I received a number of emails from many of you asking me to confirm on the Shoppybag link which was "supposedly" sent by me....

Sorry to say, I did not "intentionally" sent to all of you, in fact I did not know that the link was sent out to each email I have in gmail. I want to apologise for the inconvenience caused, apparently I do not know what this Shoppybag was.... I think I clicked a few buttons to register myself there but little did I know the link was sent to you all as well...

All you got to do is to delete or ignore the email.... guess it is too late to say this, huh.... sorry!

Another thing is.... does anyone of you know about Google + ? I received emails daily citing me to add "friends" to Google plus.... can anyone share more details on this? How does it benefit us bloggers? Something like Facebook?

STPM Following A-Levels Format?

The other day when I went to my girl's school to collect her report card, her form teacher told me that the future STPM (form six) will be following the A-Levels type of format. But she cannot confirm whether it will be implemented by next year or not. Due to the statistics gathered, students are not in favour of form six and most of them prefer to take A-levels in private colleges than sitting for STPM.

My kids told me that the present syllabus is very tough and scoring straight "A"s is like out of the world.. hahaha...

Well, if the government is thinking of changing the format to be like A-levels, then students might stay back to study form six. I hope my girl will also change her mind and stay back in IPOH to do her form six for 2 years. As it is now, she is planning of continuing her studies elsewhere and not in Ipoh... but if she stays back to do her form six in IPOH, I will not be so lonely and alone then....

Well, I really hope the government will implement it next year .... and I will have another two years with her...

Guide to Online Schools is always an option for future education as well. Curriculum is all online, from preschool classes on up to earning a PhD.

Old Rose Among The Young Thorns In Kok Thai Restaurant

Andy's college mates came to Ipoh for a visit two days ago, they are having their semester break and it is sort of a "digressing" trip for them after their exams. I hope Andy has done a wonderful job taking them around Ipoh.... but what I heard from him are normally "food" places except for the Sunway Lagoon, most of the time, he takes them out for food and more food... hahahaa...

Well, I guess Ipoh has nothing much to offer except for the capital "F" ..... and I hope they will bring back good memories of IPOH to the northern region...

Tomorrow they will be leaving and this evening I took them out to our regular restaurant, Kok Thai....

one for the album before the food....

this is the first dish that arrived after 15 minutes...

I like to eat the thinly sliced pork.. it is sort of a cold dish..
with the sea fungus embedded below...

Andy asked why the dish has no taste...
until I told him that it has to go with this sauce...
onions, garlic, chillies soaked in sweet vinegar...

then followed by this dish.. a variety of nuts and vegetables..

WK with his precious "baby"...
Just look at the way he holds it.. style-l0... hahhaa...

sweet sour pork...
Yes, another dish of pork! gosh...

shrimp omelet

fried chicken with crackets...

and bean curd with black fungus plus petula..
"singkwa" is petular, right?

Well, hope you guys enjoyed the meal...
It is not too expensive, only RM131.00
with 13 bowls of rice plus drinks.. hahhaaa...
Nice to see young people eat..
they give me the appetite too!

Aaron, we come here again in October, shall we?

Difference Between Bus Express Terminal Penang And Ipoh

Three of us boarded a bus express direct to Penang and it stopped at Sungai Nibong. The moment my friend stepped down from the bus, she commented that the terminal in Penang is so different from our Ipoh bus terminal.

Ipoh one is an eye sore compared to this Penang one...(refer to this post)

So neat, tidy and systematic too!
The row of lanes and the platform numbers....

whereas in Ipoh, the buses were everywhere...
practically the passengers have to run to search for them!

Penang Bus Terminal with platform numbers...

I remember one time I missed the bus in the Ipoh terminal...
I couldn't locate it and when I enquired, the girl told me that it had left...
That was a few years ago..
but till today, they never improve the system..
Guess you got to be more "alert" in the Ipoh bus terminal...

We Miss You, Till We Meet Again...

After our lunch in Penang Road, we went in search for the "famous" biscuits.... I sms-ed Eugene to find out the whereabouts of these tambun biscuits, the ones he bought for us the last time, they were very nice, fresh.... With his instructions, we managed to find the the shop opposite Bukit Jambul Plaza but unfortunately, they were all sold out.

But mind not, we went to the Jelutong side where they manufactured the biscuits! Aaron bought a few boxes for himself... his all-time favourite!

"the three musketeers"

compatible to the Him Heang biscuits...

Soon it was time to leave Penang.... we dropped Aaron in Queensbay Mall to meet up a friend.... with heavy hearts, we bade him goodbye.... I wonder how he was feeling the moment we drove away.... As for me, I was feeling kind of "empty" when we said our goodbyes... wishing he could go home with us too....

My two cute babies...

crossing the Penang Bridge... it was cloudy then...
just like our hearts.... moody too...

concentrating on his driving....
while yours truly dozed off... exhausted...

Today, I heard he is down with fever... sigh......
maybe too much durians and not enough water...
or maybe too exhausted??
Flying up and there within 24 hours!
Do take care, B and God Bless you...
Till we meet again in October....

Gurney Breakfast And Penang Road Lunch

The very next morning, the three of them went for the complimentary buffet breakfast at the Gurney Hotel. My girl and I "sacrificed" ourselves and instead had a longer sleep in bed. After we checked out at around 11 plus, our stomach were already "growling." I wanted to eat at somewhere near our hotel but my girl insisted on going to Penang Road... all for Cendol... sigh..

as usual Penang Road is always jammed up with limited parking
and we had to walk quite a distance...

along the way, with a camera in hand...
what better thing to do than to take pictures, right?

we kept on walking and walking....
under the hot blazing sun....

ok... going to approach the shop.... soon...

nearer and near-er......

Finally reached....
the cendol stall hidden by customers...

walked all the way for this bowl of CENDOL!!

and laksa!!
the top 7th most popular food in the whole world!

Very quickly I ordered this to quench my hunger..

But a look on my sons' faces...
not a very positive sign, right?

Either they were still very full from their buffet breakfast
OR
the food in Penang Road is not what they expected anymore...
So which is which?

Cititel and Straits Quay, Penang

We drove up north and Aaron flew up north, yes, we have our family reunion in Penang! We planned it more than a month ago and we were looking forward to seeing Aaron again, it has been more than two months since we last met... all of us miss him very much....

For dinner, we went for a Japanese buffet in Cititel Hotel, recommended by a friend who told us that there was a promotion... but after parking our car and checking in, the promotion was meant for Sunday... and not Saturday! awwww.... too late to "gostan" and since we were inside already, might as well, sit down and enjoy the food and the ambience....

I cannot take much in buffets... little of this and that...

we are small eaters... not worth going to buffets for us..

how colourful can an ice cream gets... gosh!!

but most important, the kids enjoyed....
they can really eat and eat... no full stop.. hahaha...

After our dinner, the night was still young...
Aaron has not been to Straits Quay before..
so naturally our next destination is here...

ahh.....this picture to prove you are here now...

and here too...
something nice in this place.. very high-end..

lets take some more pictures to remember this by...

love the lollipops background..
it is going to open soon....

Ok, let's explore the rest of the building...

the gardens and sidewalks...

and stopping to discuss something...

whether to choose this one...

or this?? hahahaa... lets dream on!!

no need to buy.. take pictures enough...

eh.... what youare looking at??
I have to ask him.. I really don't know...

By the time we left this place, it was almost 11pm... and guess what? We went for our supper along the Gurney road, I wanted to get a bowl of laksa but unfortunately, all were sold out...
Ended up taking some desserts before we called it a night....

Paddington And Penang Airport

Upon checking in to Gurney Hotel around noon, we relaxed for awhile in the room, turned on the computer and checked my emails. My kids were lazing on the couch and bed in front of the television. After an hour or so, we started our next program by driving all the way to Queensbay mall.

We wanted to take something light.... not too full because we have plans to go for a heavy type of dinner later in the evening.... so we came here....

First time coming by...

and we ordered this to share among us...
I forgot the name already...
mixed types of fruits with some mini pancakes...

four types of accompaniment for the mini pancakes..
strawberry, peanut butter, chocolate and... maple syrup..

their happy faces....

and exhausting look!

After an hour or so, we got on to our next mission...

oh... it was under renovation....

The Penang International Airport!
Hope to see a more beautiful airport the next time we come...

It was like a bus terminal inside...

nevertheless we checked out the arrival time....
Oh Yes! The plane has landed... on time!

HERE HE IS!!
coming out from the arrival hall.....
Welcome... welcome.....

more pictures tomorrow...