Happy Chap Goh Meh

Happy Chap Goh Meh!!!Wow..luckily I still managed to post an entry before the CNY ended for the year of 2013!! 

Chap Goh Meh is basically a hokkien word which means the "15th day of the Lunar New Year". This day is also known as the Chinese Valentine's Day. Historically, single ladies/maidens would throw mandarin oranges into the sea or river, not before putting their wishes and perhaps their contact information written on the oranges. On the other hand, the bachelors will all be eagerly waiting on the boats, trying to collect the oranges with the intention of getting more contact information from the girls :). This culture is still being practiced today although it is much more commercialized and staged. I guess the most important information on the oranges today would be the Facebook profiles rather than an actual contact number! LOL.

This year, I have been privileged to be able to visit the annual light-up of the Kek Lok Si temple at Air Itam, Penang again. Expecting a large crowd, instead of going there today which is the last day, hubby and I went to check out the place on the 14th day instead. Although we went there rather late, around 9.30pm, traffic was still pretty bad and the roads leading to the temple was congested at the last 1 km. Not surprising though, as the roads gets narrower as we approached the temple. We remembered that 4 years ago, when we went to check out the place, traffic was smooth all the way and we were able to park right at the bottom of the hill. Time has definitely changed today with more people congregating in Penang today than 4 years back. Not complaining though as this sure is a good sign of Penang progressing well. :)

These are some of the pictures I took with my camera phone. Too bad that all my camera batteries were dead, so these pictures were the best I could capture! :)

Happy CNY 2013!!! :)

Military moth?

Spotted a moth with military-inspired design on its wings. Poor thing, I guess it's trying to blend in to the surrounding jungles, but got lost perhaps and it decided to perch on our car instead..haha... Anyway,isn't it a beauty? :)

I'm backkkkkkkkk!!

Oh gosh...I've left my poor blog alone for almost two months now! Sorry dear bloggie :(...

Now that I'm back home for good ,it's time to get back my life in order.

Having been back for close to 1.5 months now, although it's still rather hectic, I'm trying to sort out all my household matters...Now that I'm married, it's time to review my insurance plan too. My annual health checkup as well as dental checkup is due too..Not to mention, it's time to meet up with all my pals..:)

Almost time to say goodbye

Can't believe 8 months has passed..and tomorrow will be my last day at office here..
Before I leave, I decided to make some thank you cards for my colleagues as a token of appreciation..
Check it out..

Happy Birthday 2012

Happy Birthday to myself!! hehe...

This morning, I got a lovely surprise when I woke up. As I looked out to my balcony, all I see was white!! It was snowing!!! It sure make my day! Only yesterday, we were complaining that the temperature here is too "hot" for winter...temperature was around 3 degrees celcius the day before yesterday..and having experienced below freezing temperature for the past months, yes, this temperature is considered warm for us now! lol!

The snow!!

How I wish this would stay so that I could build my snowman!! :)

Gosh...one year older again...this year, it's my first birthday after my marriage. Also, it's the first time I'm celebrating it here in Hungary away from hubby. How I missed him! :(

Counting down of the days I'm heading home which is another 3 months away!!

I decided to bake a marble cake yesterday inconjunction with my birthday but unfortunately my mission failed!! :(...I must have put too much chocolate and the cake ended up too crumbly and became like brownies instead!

Out from the oven, and the chocolate bits were burnt! :(

Since it's crumbly, it broke into two :(..

Oh well, I'll try again next time....

I was lucky as my colleague decided to cook for me and the best part is they baked me a marble cake too! Great!! :)

Check out the marble cake baked by my friend, SP.

All the mouth-watering dishes!!

Clockwise from top right: Vegetarian tomyam soup, marble cake, belachan chicken wings, fried turnip cake and lastly steamed fungus chicken.

Here's the dish I contributed. 

My mom's specialty: steamed fungus chicken with fermented bean+vinegar.

Yummy!

Thanks to all of them! Great people!

And I know I will miss this experience when I go home!

Frosty Day

Today, I woke up to an -8 degrees temperature outside. When I looked out from my apartment's window, what I could see was only a white landscape..icy, cold and foggy...I initially thought that it was snowing, but apparently that's not the case..it is just freeze or frost or you can call it just ice covering all over the place..The landscape looked surreal, it was really cool to be frank, it's like living in a refrigerator, or perhaps freezer in this case since it is below freezing temperature..check out the pictures!

Remember this picture that I took in my last posting?

This is how it looked like now!!

The frosty landscape at the carpark in front of my company. Yes, even at this temperature, some people still ride a bicycle to work!

Looked like it's snowing, don't you think? But no, it's definitely not snow but purely just ice covering the whole area! :P

Change of Seasons

Wow.. 4 months have passed...
I still remembered on the first day I arrived in this country, my heart was filled with trepidation and anxiety...
However,4 months later, and reflecting back, I'm glad I've made this decision to come. How often do we get the experience of living in a foreign country especially in a country where people don't speak English right? :)

As of now, most of us are able to understand some basic Hungarian language and we have adapted to the Hungarian Culture especially food-wise..we must have gotten used to the saltiness in the food! haha..Walking on the street alone is no longer a concern since we could understand and speak a smattering of Hungarian! yay! :D

From summer to autumn and now winter is coming real soon..time fliesssss...Next, I can't wait for the fluffly snowwww!!

Here's some pictures I've dug out from my vast collection on the season of change!


Summer time: View from my balcony


Autumn : View from my balcony



End of Autumn: We see the freeze everyday and the leaves, grasses and ground are always wrapped in a layer of ice every morning..simply beautiful! Temperature has dipped below freezing too!And it's getting so much foggier...

11.11.11

Since this only happens once a century, here's wishing everyone a
Happy 11.11.11!!
I'm definitely lagging behind my posts!!I need to get back to you soon dear bloggie!

12-9-2011

12th Sept 2011.

A special day.

For one, it's Mid-autumn festival! Mooncakes & Lanterns!
And also,D-Day I shall remember forever *wink*
The very day I ended my singlehood too!
Yep, the day I registered.
My ROM.

I'm officially married now! :)

Time flies.. 2.5 weeks to go!

1.5 months whizzed by too quickly in which I think is a good thing. It just meant that I'm enjoying myself here and settling well.

It's funny to think that before I came here, my mind was shrouded with all the negative thoughts and I gave my worst expectation when I came here.
I expected my life to be such a bore since they aren't that many things to do here as Debrecen is a small city. Also, language barrier may complicate matters as not many people speak English here.

Little did I know that in 1.5 months, I've learnt to actually love this place! I was definitely wrong to think that this place will be a boring place! In this summer time alone, I've attended countless festivals and celebrations! People here are really warm, nice and friendly despite the big cultural and language differences! I've come to love the Hungarian language too! Initially I had complained about how difficult the language was. But with constant practice and many good "teachers" helping, my command of language have improved tremendously! As of now, I actually felt like "home" here. And indeed, I am loving it here :).

Tomorrow, I will be heading back home for 2.5 weeks for my home trip. I rarely mention about this, but the main reason is because, I am getting married!! :) Yes, in 2.5 weeks time!

It's indeed a challenge to do my wedding prep many miles away from home. Thankfully, with the advent of technology, almost everything could be done from the internet!

Hopefully, I will have a safe trip home.

Dang! Now I really miss home, as in my home sweet home in Penang!

Vislat! (Goodbye in Hungarian)


Look how tanned I've become!! :|



Scottish thistle thriving at Hungary!!

Happy 3rd Birthday Bloggie!

Wow..time really flies..it's the 3rd anniversary of my blog!!
Happy to note that it's still active for now! Reminder to myself, I have to keep on writing! :)


Here's a pic of myself on a 3-wheeler inconjuction with my blog's 3rd Birthday!!
Woo hoo!!

What a long hiatus!!

(......Clearing away the cobwebs....)
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Oh my gosh!! Has it been that long!??

...I'm really sorry dear bloggie, I have forgotten about you..

Time to set my calendar, I need to post in more entries here soon!!

Will be right back!!

Happy Birthday to myself!

Wow...it's the new year..and that's when I am one year wiser too...

The new year started pretty rough for me in that one of my colleague just announced that he is leaving the company and I would have to take over his responsibilities..This means a heavier workload and responsibilities..Well, looking on the bright side, I belief I can handle it, and I am going to be positive about this new change..as the saying goes, there's always a blessing in disguise for things that had happened...I just need to hang on..

That aside, I'm not going to forget that I've been blessed with a wonderful family, friends and colleagues..
You guys just made my day, and you know who you are!

Thank you so much! :)
What a great brand new year!


My Vanilla Cream Crepe Birthday cake . It was yummy!!


A great lunch at Lae Sang Lae Thai Restaurant at Tan Jetty. Thanks to my wonderful colleagues!

Goodbye 2010!

Wow...once again, I'm writing on the eve of the dawn of the new year. This is the second time I'm doing it, which means my blog has been around for more than two years! Unbelievable..

Although I have not been faithfully updating my blog on a monthly basis, this personal blog of mine does serve as a diary for me where I can read back my thoughts/writings from time to time..Most of the time, by reading back my old postings, I can't help but have a sense of dejavu..to be able to rekindle my memories and feelings at the time and place when I pen my thoughts is a good way for me to revisit my experiences in life...

In another week or so, I will be in another age bracket, gasp!...This is the moment when I should take a pause and see if I have lived my life in a meaningful way..I think reflecting back of my life is also a good time that I count my blessings of the many good things that have happened to my life...

So...Rewind.....

In the early months of 2010...January-March 2010

I have visited some new places in the world that I have never imagined I would have visited..especially for work! Guadalajara, Mexico, a wonderful place for creative people! Nice arts and crafts, nice and friendly people (as opposed to what you may have imagined) and great metropolitan city with really cool Spanish-inspired architectures!

Stepped foot on California again, especially San Francisco my favourite US city apart from Boston! Also visited Copenhagen,Denmark during the coldest months...love the snowy landscape,not to mention a surprising detour that brought us to Legoland Hotel for free!I only got back home on the first day of CNY, where my wonderful parents came over to Penang to picked me up. Still remembered that the first CNY meal I had was McDonald's as most of the Chinese shops are not opened!!


In the mid-months of 2010.. April to Sept 2010

Most of the time I was preoccupied with work and more work.
Also, I have moved to a new office location after sitting at the visitor area for at least half a year! Loved the new place.
Also, attended my friend's wedding in KL and at the same time attended a 5-day training in KL on fibre optics.
Multiple managers visits to Malaysia, which means we're blessed with good food, plenty of tours around Penang Island.
Did a full package medical examination. My cholestrol level has dropped! Woo hoo!!

Towards the end of 2010..Oct to Dec 2010

My parent's home back in my hometown was flooded for the first time in 30 years! :(. Helped to replaced some furnitures and do some cleaning up, luckily things have pretty much restored now.
Final training from my Danish counterpart in which they will be laid off by the end of the year..will miss them loads..
Also completed my home's phase 2 renovation. Hurray! At last, I have a proper wardrobe for all my clothes! :)
Visited my sis' new home in KL. Be able to hug my lovely nephew! *heartmelts*
Finally,I guess the most memorable event would be this.



Yep,I'm finally getting married... :)

So, this pretty sums up my year 2010...quite eventful eh?

Thinking...

I don't know why but I tend to think alot lately...about my future especially..
I'm still not comfortable with where I am now, and I am still searching for my real calling...sigh...at this point in time, I'm still as confused as ever..not knowing what I really wanted in life...

Do you always have thoughts like that? Or it is just me?

Anyway, year 2010 is coming to an end...and yes, timeflies really fast..I really need to figure out my plans and my resolution for next year!

Right, time to get back to work...

It's been awhile..

Wow..if I don't come here anytime soon, I'm sure you'll see some mould growing on this blog here...:P

I've always wanted to put my thoughts into words, but by the time I turned on my laptop, I'd rather do everything else rather than writing after a tiring day of work! Whoopps, procrastination..definitely...

Anyway,I've been listening to some really nice country music and I'm hooked to Rascal Flatt's "Bless the Broken Road" and Carrie Underwood's "Temporary Home" & "So Small" currently...
Love the lyrics, love the meaning behind them..That's the reason why I simply love country music. For this genre of music, it's not always about love stories but more to real life experiences that we could relate to!

If you have the time, please go to youtube, and search for the songs I mentioned.

The chosen path

If given a choice, do you opt for a relatively stress-free,easy going 9-5 job or a hectic schedule kind of a job with unpredictable load of tasks and workstress? You might be thinking, siao ar (crazy) ... ? Of course it's the easy going job lar...who wants to have a hard life when you can have a relaxing job,right? Well, in this sense, I sometimes think that I am insane...

Personally for me, I prefer the more hectic lifestyle, hence the more stressful job. Yes, you heard me right. For some reason, I can't seemed to be able to adapt to a relatively free and easy job. The first job that I switched to fits the bill of a 9 to 5 job. And guess what? I didn't last very long in that job, as I felt bored. To me, being bored with nothing to do is worst than being super busy.

My current job, is what suits me the most. Being in the job for barely 7 months, I have transfered 3 product lines from across the globe. Challenging and stressful? No doubt about that. But no I am not complaining, as the satisfaction that i get after a day's hard work is definitely worth it.

Anyway, I don't know if all this will change when I have a family of my own. At that time, maybe a decent 9-to-5 job should suit me well.

We'll see... :)

Being sick in a foreign land

My medicine written in Spanish...

Beautiful sunset

Life's beautiful... :)

Kong Hey Fatt Choy!!

After a daunting 24 hours travel time from Copenhagen to Penang with 5 transits in between, I made it back home without much hassles on Chinese New Year eve! The plane touched down in Penang at 10pm, and I was surprised that my luggage survived the long journey too and flew with me at the same time across a few different airlines!! It was great to be able to meet up with my dear family and friends. The best part is that I did not miss my reunion dinner as my parents decided to postphone the event to the first day of CNY instead so that my sis,bro-in-law and lil' nephew could join in the dinner too! We just had a great sumptous dinner at our neighbours' restaurant, today and the food tasted great!


What a great lunar year to start with in this roaring new year!

Here's wishing everyone a great Chinese New Year 2010!!

P/S: Sorry I know it is a lil' out but still I can't help but to post a picture of my dear nephew here...gosh..he never fails to put a smile on my face... :)