You Have Finished The Race

BEFORE I LEFT FOR US in August, I told Nancy to wait for me to come back.... my trip was a short one this time, two months and one week....

I landed in Penang on the 9 November and came back to Ipoh on the 10th the next day.  I went to see her around 2pm, she was still conscious though most of the time, her eyes were closed.  I called out her name, she opened her eyes and nodded.... but she could not talk anymore.  A week before I came home, I messaged her through voice whatapp, she could still respond then.  She told me that her situation was going downhill, she knew she could not last long.... and that was the last I heard her voice.

The next morning at 7.30am, I received a call from her husband, the moment I heard his voice, I knew Nancy has left and returned to our Lord.  Two days of wake service and she was laid to rest on the third day.  

Rest in peace, Nancy, you are truly a wonderful lady!

Our last picture together..... 

Our Bundle of Joy

YES... THAT'S THE REASON I AM HERE...

To welcome this innocent angel baby and being here to carry a newborn grandchild for the first time!  

I have two other grandchildren born under the Covid pandemic season and I couldn't be near to them when they were born.  So this is considered my first time being present to hold the newborn baby in my arms.... as the saying goes:  Fresh from the oven... and for this case, Fresh from the Womb!   LOL.... 

Thank you Baby came on the due date, not one month earlier as her brother did.  I flew in two weeks earlier before the date, just in case... praying that the baby wouldn't come out before I reached otherwise the brother does not have anywhere to go when the parents go to hospital.  Anyway, all was good.... the parents were in the hospital with the baby for two days before they were discharged while both of us were in the house waiting patiently for them to come home.

Once the baby came home, no more peace.... LOL.... little innocent baby filled the house with her shrills, screams and cries.  Time flies, Baby now is more than a month old.... transition period.... from more sleeping time for baby to more sleepless moments for adults.  No more peaceful full night rest for the parents...  As for me, I have to tend to the Brother, waking up very early for his first morning milk!

Anyway, Thank God.... All is good and well... for now, at least.... I can go home soon!  LOL... 

Our bundle of joy... 

Plus sleepless nights.... 

LOL... 

 

Food Inside And Outside Our Home

TIME ROCKETS...  I am here for more than a month already without realizing it until now... 

What have I been doing all this time... besides cooking full time, cleaning up house and having fun with the naughty cheeky boy?  Yes, those chores definitely occupy my mind here, no time to think of non-sense stuff such as my mental and physical health.... practically all were brushed off from my mind.  Focusing on other essential stuff really works!  By night, I am totally exhausted and there is no time to linger on unnecessary problems except to think on what to cook the next day... LOL...

Here are some of the food pictures from the inside and outside the house.... 

Homecooked Hokkien Prawn noodles... 

Paste bought from Penang.... 

Kangkung is expensive and rarely found here...

So we used spinach instead.... 

Tuna mini pies.... 

So easy to make the fillings... 

The pastries are bought and they taste so good... 

Indian pizza... 

Delivery to the house.... 

Asian Indian pizza....

Very generous with the meat.... 

I took two pieces.... 

And their Spicy wings... were so spicy!

I stopped after taking one...

I think the top one bitten one was mine???

Outside in Westfield mall...

Very quiet... 

We were the early birds, most shops were not opened yet....

My daughter in law and I shared a big bowl of Ramen....

Both of us are light eaters... LOL....

Completed our lunch with Cold Stone ice cream!

Fun And Stung At Gilroy Gardens

WEEKEND FUN AGAIN... not so much for me cos I have to do most of the chasing!

This time we went to Gilroy Garden, a family themed park for kids mostly.  There are many fun rides but the most liked one is the train which goes through a dark tunnel and round the park for 10 minutes.  I video recorded the train ride and I had to play it again and again for the umpteenth time.  Babysitting an active two years plus boy is no joke, he loves running and being chased around.  

The cheeky boy upon arriving at the Gilroy Gardens... 

Getting ready for the train ride after queuing up for nearly 20 minutes....

I guess the adults looked more excited here than the kid himself....

Oh... I didn't realize this has an interesting background until now... LOL.... 

The next attraction....

This was where I got stung by a bee.... 

Not in the pool but by the lazy chairs when I was eating... 

The bee also wanted to eat my food....

I was definitely not prepared for this.... 

Joined him nonetheless....

Have to do this too.... 

Safer over here....

So in the end, all was good except for the bee sting...

After applying ice pack and a band aid, my palm was better....

The itchiness lasted for a couple of days....

Next time I know better....

Look at it first before I bat anything away with my hand!

Losing Calories At Rancho San Anthonio

KIDS' STUFF... no more shopping or city tours for me...

It is all about kids, one kid, the Boy... 

He goes daycare during the weekdays and when weekend comes, we think of some place he loves to go.  No more I love but he loves and he likes to go to see animals and that was what we did on the first weekend I was there.

Rancho San Anthonio is the place we went to, other than a farm, it also provides activities for jogging and hiking.  Nice walk for families with kids too.  We parked our car some distance off and walked for around 15 minutes before reaching the farm.  I heard the farm is operated by volunteers, not many animals cos most of them are in the wild fending for themselves.

We spent a couple of hours there before making our way out, it was a tiring walk for me, at my age... LOL... but good exercise.  After that, we had a scrumptious lunch at a Chinese restaurant and I only managed to take one picture!  Imagine how hungry I was.... then.

Parking area....

A long way in to the farm.... 

Feeling very fresh initially.....

Must remember the name of the ranch....

And the walk begins.... 

Stopped for rest room... 

After 15 minutes walk, we reached the small farm....

The kid is let loose.... 

Ducks and geese....

Where is the other leg?

The big fat hairy pigs.... 

The kid likes to look at them...

Chickens/hens..... too...

I get to lose weight chasing him around.... 

My lunch among other dishes...

So yummy I could finish both of them at one go!

 

Olive Garden For Italian Food

ON LEAVE... 

My daughter-in-law took me out for lunch since she was taking two weeks off work.  We went window shopping at the Great Mall, yes... just window shopping cos everything seems to be very expensive, the prices are not within my expectations, no more like even a year ago where the stuff were worth buying.  So window it is, just walking around and then when it came to noon, we had our lunch at Olive Garden within the same vicinity.  

The entre in the menu was still pretty much the same, the prices, thankfully, were around there though other places have increased a few dollars or so.

As usual, one main dish comes with free soup or salad, we opted for the soup and both of us like Minestrone which could never go wrong with us Asians, no cream, no cheese in it.  LOL... Free cheese stick bread were served and they could be endless if we could finish them all.  

One of my favourite spots to visit.... 

As usual, we were one of the early customers.... 

I took one helping whereas the young lady took two.... 

Cheese stick bread on the house.... 

Her Lasagna.... not a big portion...
Just nice for us.... 

My angel hair with shrimps and asparagus.... 

Nothing fancy but something Italian for a change....

Both of us with the three course lunch cost RM27++

How I Pass Five Hours At Changi Airport

TWO FLIGHTS IN A DAY...

I started flying with SIA in 2019 and ever since, I always go for this airline for my own convenience.  Sometimes there are offers but most times, it is a bit more expensive than other airlines.  I like to take SIA because it stops over in Singapore and after that, all the way to San Francisco direct.  Furthermore, I don't feel so "alien" in Changi airport, after all, we are neighbours, right?  LOL....

My flight from Penang was at 11.50am and I reached the airport around 9.30, I had ample time to check in.  The flight from Penang to Singapore is around 1 hour 25 minutes and by the time I reached Singapore, it was almost 2pm.  I was very hungry by then and I quickly took a skytrain to terminal 1 where the plaze premium lounge is located.  

My next flight from Singapore to San Francisco is around 7pm plus, and that is more than 5 hours for me to rest and relax.  I went into the lounge, chose a nice private cubicle to myself, took some food and watched a movie on my iPad.  Food and drinks are free flow and that is one of the reasons too, I like to layover in Changi!  

At around 6.30pm, I walked to the gate which was just below the lounge, to my surprise!  I remember the last time I had to walk quite a distance to my gate.  No flight delay... and I always forget to take pictures of my seat and the aircraft food which have nothing to shout about really.  Even though they serve Asian noodles or rice, I just could not finish them except for the Haagan Diaz ice cream cup.  In the end, I always end up eating more snacks than snacks.  Watched a couple of movies  on and off while dozing in between with music in my ears to ward off the airplane noise.  

Landed in San Francisco at around 8.15pm and I quickly made my way to the immigration, overtaking as many passengers as I could to avoid the long queue.  *kiasu me*  Surprisingly, the foreigners line was not as long as the citizens/PR line and I was cleared to go within 15 minutes.  Another surprise, the trolley was free this time!  Cost me $8 to get one for my bags the last time...  

Anyway, Thank God I have a smooth journey and immigration process was fast.... I will be here for a couple of months, not so much to travel but to be homebound!  LOL.... 

Checked in my two big bags...

And only settled for the backpack on my back... 

Bye Penang... for now....

Singapore, here I come....

My private cubicle at the Plaza Premium Lounge... 

First round... Chicken Rice...

Small portion just nice for me...

Then my second round..

Noodles soup and some condiments.... 

No third round... I was full by then... 

See you again in a couple of months!