Hang Sung Sot (Sung Sot Cave), Halong Bay, Vietnam

 

We visited Gua Tempurung located in Gopeng, Perak over the CNY long holidays and I will blog about it after this post.  It was an interesting and educational trip for both the boy and the parents.  I always try my best to 'squeeze in' something educational when we go holidaying and hopefully the boy picks up some knowledge and values here and there and not purely to enjoy himself! Okay, talk about a kiasu mother here.. hehehe...

 

What prompted me to visit Gua Tempurung was my amazing experience visiting Sung Sot Cave in Halong Bay, Vietnam 6 years ago.  The view, both inside and outside the cave was simply spectacular and I am still in awe of the calm, serenity and beauty of nature God has created.

 

This post is not about Gua Tempurung, instead it's a post to pen down my visit to Sung Sot Cave located in Halong Bay, Vietnam.

  

 

View of Bo Hon Bay, photo taken from a platform when exiting Sung Sot Cave.

Simply breathtaking!

 

 

Sung Sot Cave, which means Cave of Surprises, is the biggest and finest cave in Halong Bay.  It is located on Bo Hon Island, near the centre of Halong Bay. There is a small pier where boats dock to allow visitors down. From the pier, a flight of 50 stone steps takes one to the entrance of the cave. The inside of Sung Sot Cave is simply cavernous. At many places the ceiling is low, and takes on a wavy appearance. A profusion of stalactites and stalagmites cover the walls.

To ensure the safety of visitors, a path is built to zigzag through Sung Sot Cave. Guide ropes help to keep visitors on the path Multi-coloured lights are also installed to beautify the cave and bring out its grandeur. Coming out of the cave, visitors get a panoramic view of Bo Hon Bay below. It is one of those iconic view of Halong Bay that has appeared in many postcards.

 

Top photo: Panoramic view of Bo Hon Bay from the viewing platform

Bottom left photo: Viewing platform at the cave exit

Bottom right photo: Our friendly tour guide (a very nice local young chap) walking mom in-law to our waiting junk.  She did not join us for the cave tour due to her osteoarthritis condition.

 

Simply lovely though I remember a truly tiring adventure zigzagging the path through the cave with my fellow tour mates.  There's no turning back once you step foot on the cave entrance as the junk that took us there would wait for us at the exit point which was at the other end of the cave.

 

 

These two photos are taken from the internet.  My camera couldn't capture such amazing God's creation.  Trust me, the interior of the cave looks exactly like that if not better.  Simply spectacular!  I would love to visit Sung Sot cave again and this time with my boy tagging along!

 

Next will be on our visit to Gua Tempurung.

 

 

It's The Thought That Counts

 

Be warned!

Read this post at your own risk!  It's a 'syiok sendiri' post alright.  Stay away from this post if you think you cannot stand a mom whose "syiokalingam" mode is activated!  ;) ;D ;P

 

 

 A gold medal for a mom

 

 

My birthday fell on the 7th day of CNY this year, which was also 'yan yat', everyone's birthday according to Chinese tradition.  I slept in that morning as I was nursing a menstrual cramp.  The boy came into the bedroom and greeted me, "Happy Birthday, mommy!  I have something for you but you must sit up first."  I obliged and before I could figure what he was up to, he put something over my neck. A medal, a gold medal!  He then said,"Mom, thanks for taking care of me and guiding me. You are the best mom in the whole wide world. Thank you!" followed by a wide beary hug and kisses planted on my cheeks.  Awww... I was so touched I felt like crying at that point in time. 

 

Daddy was amused to have witnessed the 'prize-giving' ceremony.  He jokingly said our boy was trying to please me to earn himself a "better treatment". Lol..I dont blame you, old man.  It's normal that you are jealous but just don't let the jealousy within you eat you up eh. :P  I also like the birthday present you gave me as much as the boy's. Thank you!

 

Apparently the boy bought the presents from Daiso a day before while he was out doing grocery shopping with daddy.  He was worried I might not like the presents as it was only RM5 each, he bought two items.  I assured him I loved everything and anything that came from him regardless of the money value.  It's the thought that counts!  Really!

 

 

 

And here's the second item from the boy ~ an hourglass.  He explained why he selected this item for me.  It's something about being patient but still I cannot comprehend how on earth to string an hourglass and patience together. *scratch head*   Anyway, I hear you, boy.  I will try my best to take my patience to the next level and not to scream at you at the top of my lungs when things don't turn out the way I want it.  Aha..

 

 

 

The 9th Day Of CNY~An Eventful Day!

It was a holiday yesterday at the boy's school in conjunction with the Jade Emperor's Birthday which was also the 9th Day of CNY.  

We had two hours' revision in the morning before heading out for lunch at the boy's favourite Chilli Pan Mee shop.  After lunch, I drove to the nearby CIMB to deposit the boy's savings from his accumulated monthly allowance.  The area was so packed with cars and I failed to get a legal parking lot after making a couple rounds, ended up I double-parked by the roadside and asked the boy to wait for me in the car with the engine running.  I was the fourth in line at the cash deposit machine but as the machine kept rejecting notes, it took at least 5 minutes to complete each transaction.  The traffic condition outside the bank was horrendous with cars honking non-stop.  I peeped from behind the glass to the direction where my car was double-parked and everything looked fined, no towing trucks, no signs of the two cars that I blocked wanting to come out and all. 

I continued to queue patiently, now the 2nd in line.  Suddenly, I heard a familiar voice calling mommy, I turned around and to my horror, I saw my boy standing beside me.  He told me I was blocking the whole road (He assumed it judging from the car honking from all directions!).  He then decided to LOCK the car door manually with the car engine still RUNNING and rush in to alert me.   When I asked if he took the key with him, he said he thought the key was with me!  Boy, I was so mad with him that I couldn't stop nagging at him.  I ran back to my car and true enough the car was locked with my handphone and handbag inside!

A young man who worked nearby saw the situation and offered to lend me his handphone so that I could call hubby.  Lucky me he was at his office not far away but then it still took him an hour to come to our rescue due to the havoc traffic condition everywhere and having to make a trip back to our house to get the spare car key.  The young man and a security guard at the bank assured me that the two cars that I blocked (I double-parked, you see) would not leave so soon as they were staff at the bank.  That brought some relief but my greatest fear was still the towing truck, they wouldn't care less what your story would be, they only know that for every illegally parked car they tow, they get paid.  Overhearing my conversation with the guard, the boy offered to pay the fine should my car gets towed.  He knows he has a 4-digit savings with the bank and he thinks he is rich!  That sparked my anger even more and  I raised my voice and carried on with the nagging. 

He then offered some solutions, one of which was to borrow the car key from the same car model as mine. *rolls eyeballs*  Only if it could be that simple... *Sighs*.  Next, he walked to the car, peeped through the car window in deep thoughts, trying to figure how to get the door open.  When he realised nothing worked, he mumbled to himself.. I am stupid, I know I am stupid.. I am stupid.. the sky then suddenly turned gloomy and started to pour.  Not raining la.. just that someone was sobbing away. :(  What a day!

Signs And Directions

I headed to MAEPS in Serdang after dropping off my boy at school to attend Big Bad Wolf (BBW) preview sale yesterday.  Traffic was a breeze and with several missed turnings and all, I finally made it there in half an hour.  It was some form of achievement for a person who suffered no sense of direction syndrome like me.  Hubby was surprised too I could indeed make it there without any help, help as in having to send him SOS calls or make him draw me a map the night before.  :)

After hitting Puchong-Cyberjaya Toll, I drove straight all the way, I could see McD and Petronas on my left.  I slowed down and kept to the left lane after passing through Sierra 16's overhead bridge and tried looking if there was any BBW business signs on display.  I spotted the first BBW vertical banner hung on a lamp post and quickly pulled my car over to that direction.   I turned into the exit to NKVE and saw more banners along the highway.  I was led by the banners all the way until I lost them. Yes, I lost sight of those banners!  Damn..  As I was on a highway, it left me no choice but to soldier on. 

Not long after the missed turning, I spotted name plaques of MARDI/MAEPS on my left and quickly turned in.  Lucky me and voila! I found the Big Bad Wolf finally!  Hey, I am not that bad in directions after all! ;)

Time For A Change

I have been driving my mini MPV for almost 7 years now.  It died on me twice throughout the years I own it.

The first time was on my boy's first day of preschool.  It was an orientation day for the children that lasted 2 hours so I tagged along father in-law.  After hanging around at the kindy for a while and seeing him settled in quite comfortably, we went for breakfast at a coffeeshop within the neighbourhood.  While on our way back to the kindy after breakfast, I sensed some abnormalities of my car from the engine sound that prompted me to pull the car to the side of the road before it stalled. 

We were running late to fetch the boy and worrying sick that the boy would cry, I turned the key frantically that I almost broke it, helplessly hoping the engine would start but to no avail. That left me with no choice but to flag down a passing cab and send father in-law off to the boy's kindy.   I then called AAM for its towing service and they arrived almost 4 hours later!  Gosh! How I wished I had My Mechanic at that point in time.  Hubby arrived not long after but he couldn't do much as the engine just wouldn't start.  I was RM1,800 poorer when I claimed my car from the workshop.  The problem lied on the broken timing belt but then I only had had it replaced slightly over a year ago!  Blame it on bad luck, guess those part wasn't state farm approved. Dang!

The second time my car engine died on me was a few months ago when my boy have had his first day of exam.  We were on our way to school and the car engine died about 500m from our destination.  As we were running late, I ran my boy to the school before walking back to my car to try my luck.  Vroom.. Vroom.. Wow, words couldn't explain how relieved I was at that split of seconds, not for long though.  The engine died again in front of the traffic light, a mere 500m away before I could reach My Mechanic.  Hubby was not in town so I had to keep a cool head.  I got out from the car, dug out my triangle reflector from the boot, put it a distance behind my car and locked the car before I jogged to the nearest workshop.  This time, they suspected of weak battery, had the battery changed but still the temperature meter shot up, in the end they changed the cooling fan motor and problem solved.  So, bye bye RM600++.

Don't you think I need to have my car changed? *wink*  Any sponsors? Mr Jack(Pot), will you pleassseee?

Young Kids Should Be Banned From

Thanks Yan for tagging me and my apologies for taking a while to respond to the tag.

Here it goes..

Young kids should be banned from:

1.  Staying up late but instead a bedtime routine must be strictly adhered to.
2.  Babysitting by TVs, computers or any electronic gaming gadgets.
3.  Throwing tantrums and whining to get what they want.
4.  Being disrespectful, especially to elderly and parents.
5.  Talking with their mouths full of food.
6.  Interrupting one's conversations.
7.  Being rude and boastful 
8.  Access to social networking websites such as Facebook.

That's all I can think of for now.  Thanks again Yan for tagging me and it has been quite a long while since I was last tagged. :)

What Matters Most In My Life?

I have been asking myself the same question over and over again for the past month. I was offered a highly paid, flexitime home based job by my ex-colleague who now holds a key position in an international company.  As it is home based, I can practically work from home with my pyjamas on.  Sounds too good to be true, right, don't you think and I am sure any SAHM would sure jump at the chance. 

But then, I had to turn down the job offer mainly because the job scope requires me to travel overseas extensively.  If I were single, I would have taken up the offer without hesitation but now I'll have to give it a miss.  My family especially the boy still matters the most to me.  I hope I would not regret in the later part of my life for letting go such a golden opportunity.

I have seen and witnessed working mothers who still do a good job raising up their children despite having to juggle between work and family but not without supportive spouses who involve themselves actively in parenting their children.  As for my spouse, work keeps him away from home more often than not and he thinks that I can do a better parenting job than him. :( 

*To Be Continued*

When Mommy Is Sick...

Both my boy and I were down with flu last week but had since recovered from it after paying a visit to the doctor.  Unfortunately, as though not enough being sick, my monthly menstrual cycle that followed made me a sick woman yet again. I still get severe menstrual cramps (Dysmenorrhea) due to the presence of several fibroids (uterine fibroids) within my uterus. It has been a year since my last medical check-up and I am due for another check-up to monitor if there's any growth in the fibroids and  whether a surgical treatment is required.

Due to my poor health condition lately, I have skipped the morning exercise routine with my boy for two weeks now.  Being a very active kid that he is, he hardly gets enough exercise and to make things worse, the Tuesday PE classes in school too, always get cancelled due to the raining season.   Haiz..

The other day while I was nursing the menstrual cramps in bed in my room, my boy came in :

Ian: Mommy, how are you feeling?  You need some water or not?

Mommy: Yes, please, boy.

Ian: (Runs to get my cup from the kitchen and fills it up with water).  Mommy, your cup of water. (Again, dashes off)

Mommy:.......

Ian: (Comes back with a damp towel in his hand). Lie down, mommy..

Mommy:  Ok.  (I tell ya, I am so touched by his little caring gesture)..

Ian: (Presses the folded damp towel on my forehead) Are you feeling any better now?

Mommy: (Just to please him for being so thoughtful).. O, yes, feeling a lot better now.

Ian: Then, can we go to the park later?

Mommy: *_*

Poor boy, I took him to the park in our condo last evening after school but it drizzled not long after.  This morning when I woke up to a bright sky, I quickly got him to change into his swimming suit and off we went down to the pool.  He had so much fun!

Of Bulan Ramadhan And Shorter School Hours

Bulan Ramadhan starts today and my boy's school will be dismissed early at 5.30pm everyday until the start of the school holiday on 4 September 2010.  That simply means we have exactly one hour spare time before going back to our eat, bath, homework, revision, read and sleep routine. 

Ramadan is the holiest of months in the Islamic calendar. Fasting in the month of Ramadan is one of the five pillars of Islam. The month is spent by Muslims fasting during the daylight hours from dawn to sunset. The name came from the time before the Islamic calendar, when the month of Ramadan fell in the summer. Fasting during this month is often thought figuratively to burn away all sins.

My boy was all excited about it and made sure he wore his watch to school and confirmed and reconfirmed with me on the dismissal time. :P  I have promised to take him to the nearby library to borrow some books and our plans for tomorrow will be going for a stroll at the nearby park.  Who says going to a Chinese school has got no life? Not really that bad what, agree or maybe he is just plain lucky that his mom is a SAHM. 

Apart from the bonus time that we get to enjoy during the Ramadhan month, we also look forward to frequenting those food bazaars, yes, bazaars that come only during the month of Ramadhan.  They are set up everywhere throughout the country during this period of time.  The varieties of food are unbelievably aplenty, from traditional kueh mueh (cakes) to ikan bakar, from crispy fried chicken to popiah, the list goes on and on. 

How about you? Do you love Bulan Ramadhan as much as I do?

Young Lady (Xiao Jie) Not Nice?

I like to let my long hair, about the length of the girl in the picture, dry naturally after a hair wash.  When it's still damp, I like to braid my hair just like the picture minus the ribbon to give my hair a bit of curly and wavy look when it's all dry.

Ian: Ewwww... mommy.. not nice. I don't like you to tie your hair like that.

Mommy: Nice what..

Ian: No.. It's so ugly.. Just like a "Xiao Jie".. Hehehe...

Mommy:  "Xiao Jie" means young lady and young lady means pretty, right?

Ian:  No... "Xiao Jie" means ugly... Hahahaha... *Can't stop laughing*

Mommy: *_*

The Versatile Blogger Award

Thanks Adrine for having me in mind. This will be my first time doing a tag.  Really appreciate it. Muaks..:P

Rules : To accept this award you must:

1. List 7 random things about yourself
2. Share the award with up to 15 other bloggers
3. Link to each of the recipients and let them know they've won via comments on their blogs
4. Thank and bring the love back to the person you won the award from by linking back to them.

1.  I am 5'6" tall and one of the tallest among my friends.  I used to slouch until I met my then boyfriend (now hubby) and he would constantly remind me and correct my posture.  The slouching started way back in my primary and secondary school years when I was teased by classmates about my height and I thought slouching would make myself looked a little bit shorter then. How silly!

2.  I like attires that are comfortable and easy to move about.   I dislike wearing something that looks gorgeous but a physical torture to myself.  I love wearing flats now that I am a SAHM.  I only remember wearing high heels during my working days.

3.  Some of my friends call me "Ah Man" as my name ends with Mann.  Another reason was because I am a non-calculative, straight forward, no nonsense person, just like most men but physically, I don't look a bit like a man. Ahem! 

4.  I am a boring person.  I don't go window shopping and go shopping only when there is really a need.  I still remember during my working days, whenever I found myself short of working clothes, I would go on a one day shopping spree to replenish stock regardless of whether there was a sale on.  That's why, any good bargain wasn't really for me..    

5.  My ex-boss offered 3 months' paid salary as "cooling-off period" when I tendered my resignation last year. That simply translates to sitting at home and yet still get paid for 3 consecutive months while I took my time reconsidering my decision.  But no, I turned down his offer straight away.  Looking back, how hard-headed I could be at times...  Muahahaha...

6.    My most embarrasing moments was when I donned in a Sonny San's silky soft long dress, a gift from my husband, my then boyfriend  with a matching 3" high heels.  I was walking down the office staircase with my hands full of files when my 3" heel got caught on the hem of my flattering dress.  I tripped and "pukai"  shoving off few steps bottom down to stop the impact.  Ouch!!  In the process, I made a hole on my lovely dress and worse still, the heel gave way and I sprained my ankle~:(  That's why I always stick to No. 2..

7.  I love books.. and more than willing to spend $$$$ on books than branded goods, any time! 

I am not tagging anyone here but you all most welcome to pick it up.