The “Real” Essence of Chicken Soup

        

        Chicken soup is a random dish in my house. I treated it so normal until I didn't really appreciate it anymore. However, ever since I come back hometown this time, I truly understand the hidden meaning of my mum real essence of organic chicken soup. Part of it is because I had left hometown for more than 4 months, missing home badly when looking at people went back home every weekends, mid-semester breaks, Raya breaks and some public holidays. I always tell them they are so blessed even when their mums scolded them and nagged at them, it shows that mums care for them so much, especially when they can have hot mummy’s home-cooked food. When my feet stepped down the newly renovated Sibu Airport, I knew my mum was waiting outside the immigration hall, and the warm feeling just rushed up to my mind.

               

          The first thing that noticed me was the chicken soup on the table. Mum told me that " Daughter, you must be tired."Mum kept saying that it’s the chicken that she reared for xx months and started her stories again. I looked at her and smiled. I started to appreciate every single moment with her as I really don’t know what will happen tomorrow. Of course, both of us know that how difficult to wait for us to meet again. Mum changed a lot when she started her career as service advisor for a funeral corporation. She treasures and teaches me to spend my day to the fullest. Unnecessary sadness and anger will just waste the happiness of the day. The chicken soup is cooked with her love- the motherly love that can never be substituted.  

              

               Mama, thanks so much. <3 

A trip to Gua Tempurung,Perak

This is going to be my major trip during the semester break(if i am not getting to Terengganu to visit my eldest sister).This vacation was planned by my family members during my exam week and I was extremely excited and looking forward for this since ALL of my closest cousins are going to be there...Although we rarely visit each other (actually that is what makes this trip meaningful to me)because they are staying at Perak and here I am in Shah Alam but we know exactly what is happening there and they know what is going on here.

So, back to the trip, the whole journey was very tiring and exhausting. I will simplify the whole excitement to a much shorter story here. If you would like to find out what this cave is all about you can easily savor all the information available in Google but I am here to share the experience and feelings that I went through. There were a lot of up and downs. I mean real up and downs..! We were told by our supportive tour guide to climb up the steep stones and glide down the slippery ones. My family wouldn't have made it to the end if my father and cousin brothers weren't there to assist us to pass through the tough areas. Trust me, I was almost helpless when it comes to the slippery gigantic rocks because we were not provided with anything to hold on and my shoes were not doing much help. Not to mention that my sister sprained her ankle in the process. But I will have to admit that the challenge wasn't really complained by the male group although they were asked, maybe forced, to go through the obstacles by themselves without having anyone to hold them if they were to fall off.


The journey got more thrilling when we entered the dark area. We were told to solely depend on the only light source we had which was from the torchlight. We brought only three torchlights which we thought was enough but we were proved to be wrong when we were told to cross certain passages individually. Some part of the cave was very low which required us to do duckwalk. Some of the tourists were shocked by the need to travel down the low rocks but they should have noticed that they might be stuck in there if they were to decide not to travel the way as shown by the tour guide. These are some of the pictures we took inside the cave.

ALMOST THE WHOLE GROUP

MY SISTER AND MY ELDEST COUSIN BROTHER

MY JOYFUL EXTENDED FAMILY

Thats all from me for now. Hope you enjoyed reading.

Smiles,
Dursharl

I watched Superman fly away.

Sometimes in life, there's just so many things I want to fit in a short period of time. 3.15 AM and I'm still busy with DC Bodybuilding Clothing. One week of Sem break has passed and I could have been in Palembang now or even Medan.

For what it is worth, I hope that I could see the effort and investment being paid off in the near future. And so it is, I wish you all the best in your public launching tomorrow Beh. May you be a successful entrepreneur.

As for now, my friend Superman even told me that he is tired already. That makes the both of us. Tonight, I watch Supeman fly away.

With warm hugs & a smile,

Darryl 'Ashton' Chin

Going for a movie?

For whatever that's worth watching in the theater this school break, you lads might want to think twice before queuing up for some snacks.

As long as you workout and share the joy of eating popping corns with your friends, then it should be okay 'lah'.

With warm hugs and tiny smile,
Darryl 'Ashton' Chin

To love is to share.

“Happiness quite unshared can scarcely be called happiness; it has no taste.” - Charlotte Bronte

It was my mum's birthday yesterday (4th of October). I've been anticipating this day since the start of the year. Those close to me would know even better due to the number of times I have mentioned it in my daily conversations in the past one month. LOL. 

If you guys don't know yet, my mum is a teacher. And she loves flowers. So I decided to surprise her at school with a bouquet of roses. I love surprises. The person who is going to be surprised must mean a lot to the person who makes the surprise, or the entire event will not even happen in the first place. Because planning a surprise is not easy. It takes love, time, and sufficient knowledge about the person to plan a surprise (referring to pleasant surprises). So yeah, we love you Sara! Which explains the pleasant and mildly thrilling surprise at Cyberia Crescent that day. ;-) 

On a different note, I'd like to share something that I have come to realize recently. Often we take things for granted, like the people we love. We tend to expect them to know their significance in our lives simply because you know they will always be around, such as, you don't tell your siblings or a good friend that you love him/her because you thought it comes without saying. While that may be true in certain ways, I think we still need to remind these people of their greatness and express our love and appreciation for their presence. I mean, how would they know if we don't say it or show it? And vice versa. We'll never know how much others love us till they tell us.   

Out of billions of people in this world, we are so blessed to have come into each others' lives. Born with feelings and emotions, it is perfectly natural for a person to feel unloved or unimportant at times, just like how we think the world hates us on our bad day. The need to express our love and appreciation is crucial. Spare the time to listen to your sibling/ a friend/ someone who needs a hand, to find out about their lives, and to be the light in their darkness. You'll be amazed by how much joy you bring to people when you shower them with love. 

In the midst of our insanely busy lives, spare the time to tell your loved ones that you love them!

I LOVE YOU GUYS! I mean it! ALL of you! =)

'How come we don't say ''I love you'' enough?' - Kris Allen.

Sincerely,
Yvonne.

Adam's trip

As requested, a post about my short, budget trip to Singapore!

First day in Singapore, I was at Universal Studios Hollywood Singapore (duh!) I think most of you have been there, or at least heard of it. The games are cool, but the weather was not. It's killing !

Okay, back to the themepark, we were lucky that it was a weekday, so that indicates LESS PEOPLE ! No queue, can repeatedly play all the games and lockers are available ! My most favourite ride would definitely be Transformers, and Shrek, Jurassic Park comes second and third (because it will make you wet, oooh aaaah). The rest are still fun, never under-estimate them (Battlestar, Ancient).

Food journal: The night before USS, I had myself the nicest, most colourful, scrummiest, most delicious, highly pleasant, most delectable, most scrumptious, yummiest and juiciest ABC I have ever tasted ! It came from heaven. God sent it to me as a sign that EXAMS ARE OVER (well, the last paper was that morning) lol. I have never tasted any ABC that delicious, SERIOUSLY. The best part, they only cost you RM3 ! RINGGIT MALAYSIA THREEEEEE. Not even a three fifty. I paid him three fifty (Read: RM3.50) then he told me, "Adik, it's only three ringgit", or Sara if you don't understand, he said, "Kiddo, it's only three ringgit". Three ringgit for the special one with ice cream ! So the normal ones? Free? Lol

He should pay me commissions for that review. Well, move on, I tried McCafe ! Though we have it in Klang Valley now, but my first cup of McCafe was in IFly Singapore, in Sentosa. My first kiss with McCafe was with Caramel Frappe. Taste good. Worth buying. I also tried Mango Frappe and Mocha, but I less preferred Mango. The next day, we dropped by at another McD in Orchard Road, as WE ARE ADDICTED. It's relatively cheap compared to Starbucks, and it tastes nearly the same, well at least according to my taste buds. I tried Double Chocolate, and this would be my favourite among all four I have tasted. My next McCafe experience would be to try their hot drinks.

This is a long blog post. I have not even finished my first day. After USS, we went downtown Singapore. We parked at Suntec building, and walked to Merlion Park. Yes, it's super far, we should have worn track suits and sportswear, and join some Singaporeans jogging along the waterfront.
The view there is breathtaking. Million dollar view ! Singaporean or US Dollar? You decide. I would love to be on top of Marina Bay Sands, the one they call it like a ship landed on top of three buildings. The skypark. The skyline is mesmerizing too. I love to see skyscrapers and tall buildings.

Third photo: Fountain of Wealth. We had the chance to be in the middle of the fountain and perform the 'rituals' there. We were asked to circle the mini fountain inside, three times, with right hand inside the fountain. Probably wealth will come after you, LOL. And finally, after a long walk, we met Merlion. I felt the breeze of Merlion's saliva.

It's about time for the second day in Singapore!

A day dedicated for shopping. First stop: Bugis Junction area. It's like our own Sungei Wang Plaza, they have alternatives for things you can't afford to own. Relatively cheaper than Orchard Road. Second pitstop: Orchard Road. This is their premier shopping street, just like Fifth Avenue in NYC, Oxford Street in London, Champs-Elysees in Paris, Via Montepoleone in Milan, Ginza in Tokyo and Jalan Bukit Bintang in KL.

 Third day of the trip was not in Singapore. Its a day dedicated for Johor Bahru. First stop was Johor Premium Outlet. It's my second time here. For those who asked me about the price there, not everything was marked down and affordable. But one shop you must enter is Pedro. All shoes are the type of shoes I would wear (mens, of course) and the price could go as low as RM 110.

 I took a train ride to get back home. I took the one with bed. The upper bed is RM 37, while the one below is RM43 or RM45 can't exactly remember. I would prefer train than bus, because I could sleep happily on my bed. They also serve food at the train cafe. They have toilets! I actually had enough of bus trip, because previously I took my diploma in Kedah, and that was 3 years of travelling using bus and it bored me to death. I would rather take a slow train, but I can sleep on a proper bed. So far I had no problem with the sounds and minor vibrations of the train, but just make sure you are ready to sleep (tired). If you want to save money, you can take the normal seats, they are cheaper than bus tickets, but it would take longer to reach your destination.

Hey, that's the end of my story. Now, I want to eat some ice cream. See you soon !

All work & I'm waiting to play...

It's 1.20am on the 4th October 2012 and it's my dad's birthday today. We just finished discussing about the DC COMBAT selling prices and I'm getting ready for bed. Do support the launch at 10 pm later today.

My holiday has been all work so far. Of course I get a little time off to the gym and I like how my strength is improving even after not working out for a month due to our previous finals. I miss Penang so much right now and I can't wait to be done with my suppliers and clients meetings so I could be bound for Penang.

Have I told you guys that I am going to workout in www.xtremefitness.com.my when I get there?! The first 24 hours gym in Malaysia. Facing the sea FYI!

PS: Earlier on I was in H&M, after today I think I will be one of their regular customer. I am so metrosexual lately.=p Filled up my closet with 2 pieces of their fall collection.

With warm hugs and a sweet smile,

Darryl 'Ashton' Chin