At the Immigration.

It has been a long, long time that I travel alone abroad. It can be pretty bored. You try to strike conversation with stranger and you don't know if they are interested. The only reaction was to smile or mind my own business.

Recently an opportunity came up for me to travel to New Delhi, India. My coordinator asked if I were interested to attend an HR Network Meeting at our Regional Office in New Delhi. Well, I could not possibly to say no to Delhi. But first I had to renew my passport.

27 April 2015 (as posted in my Facebook but here is the extended version)

It was not a good start to my Monday morning....huhuhu....6:35 am Shakira was left behind by her transporter. So I had to send her to school. Then I rushed back because Shakiel was still in bed (had to leave him alone this morning...huhuhu...I had no choice....my other half has gone outstation) whom I need to get him ready for school.

After dropping Shakira off at school I rushed back and traffic started to build up by 6:50 am....arrived home, woke him up, he had his shower and dressed him and alhamdulillah off he goes to school. It was 7:15 am,...just in time.

Now I need to get myself ready to go to the Immigration Department at Taman Puchong Utama to queue for my passport renewal. I wouldn't be bothered renewing my passport if not for the India trip.
I left my house at 7:30 am and gosh!....more traffic as I exited my residential area.  Did not expect the congestion since I hadn't use this road this early for ages....I NEED to get early to the Immigration to collect my number.

It was the 8 am news on the radio when I parked my car.....and I can see that a long queue stretching from the entrance of the Immigration entrance all the way back 6 -7 shop lots.....hwwaaaa!!!I was informed earlier this branch only accept 110 application daily but I took my chances and waited in the queue. It was moving slow. I tried to peep those who walked out of the office hoping to see what number they are holding....63....74....81....92....so nervous. I prayed and prayed when I finally arrived at the Immigration counter. I was told the first applicant waited outside since 6:40 am this morning and here I feel a bit fortunate that today the Immigration Office is being generous to accept 120 passport applications. Finally I got my number,...112! I was asked to come back at 2:30 pm to submit my application.

So happy that I went to grab breakfast....roti canai and teh ais......Friend on Facebook asked why not go to Putrajaya to renew passport. I explained that I prefer where it is closer to my house...

The 1000 dollar question....110 application per day, that makes 550 a week. A month? 6 months? An average cost of each application for sarenewal or new application is RM300....so do your calculation. Why are there so many passport being issued? SO MANA GAWATNYA?

The curiosity in me said.....lets wait inside the office and see what happened to applicant no. 121....hehehe....

When Words Fail, Music Speaks

Check out my new posting here, http://shs-shark2.blogspot.my/2015/10/dalida-paroles-paroles-paroles.html

More Murals from Ipoh with Love.

As I mentioned in my earlier post, I would like to share here a few more pictures which I am not sure who the artist are.

Marilyn Monroe

Milk Man

A tin mine worker.

There were too many pictures and some I've shared here and in my 2 previous posting. Obviously some of the art works were damage for various reasons. Overall it was not such a bad idea as it gave a face lift to Ipoh town. Ipoh town has so many other landmarks with colonial building structures left by the British. Do come to Ipoh and explore the town.

Blast from the Past # 6 - Chicago Spring Break 1992

Believe it or not this was me.

Yes, it's me in front of Buckingham Fountain in the background.

This was taken during our 3 day trip to Chicago in Spring Break 1992. A bunch of us,..... almost 16 of us stayed at Kak Hasnah's 2 bedroom apartment.  I couldn't exactly remember what we did but mostly hang around the city itself. At night we had dinner at McD's and watch live bands at the Hard Rock Cafe.

Sharing a few pictures taken during our trip.

This was before we left Kalamazoo.

Lake Shore Drive - Lake Michigan in the background.

With Kak Hasnah (middle) and Lian Foong (right) - Chicago skyscaper in the background.

Usop, mon amour and azizul.

The morning before we left Chicago.

The best honey is from my Aunt Aishah's bee farm.

I don't know how many of you have bought honey from our local hypermarket or private wholesalers and you may constantly question yourself if it as original as its supposed to taste? It can get so expensive if it is an imported product but i can never doubt if it came directly from my Aunt Aishah's bee farm.

I have shared before of my trip to Adelaide, Australia in 1988 where I stayed with my Aunt Aishah. So this is the same Aunt Aishah. She has recently retired from teaching and took up this new hobby.
She started a small ligurian bee farm.

From my findings, ligurian bees originate from Italy and was brought to Kangaroo Island which is an island located south of South Australia. They are more friendlier if compared to other types of bees....hihihi....the first Italian ligurian bee hives was brought to Kangaroo Island sometime back in 1884 and only in 1943 did a law was passed on ligurian bee breeding on Kangaroo Island. Ligurian bees on Kangaroo Islands are protected and they are believed to be the last remaining pure stock of this bees found anywhere in the world. These bees produces a superb range of honeys from the various floral sources including sugar gum, pink gum, white mallee and other Australia flora.

Picture from personal album - This is my Aunt Aishah posing a selfie. Behind is the existing bee boxes. Has she been stung by a bee? Of course, she said once her lips was as sexy as Angelina Jolie's....hahaha...

Aunt Aishah said her bees are busy collecting necta and pollen and sometime in mid-November she can start harvesting her spring honey, which can be around 100 kilos

New bee boxes to put on top of  the existing boxes to take advantage of the spring blossoms. Therefore she has 10 boxes to harvest from this spring. 

I asked whether she will be setting up a small business to market her honey, she said no, not yet. This round of honey will be donated in the memory of her mother (my grandmother) who recently passed away. It was because of her mother she started this hobby.

Looking forward for my next stock of honey when Aunt Aishah comes back to Malaysia in December before she, my mom and a few other of their bothers and sister head for Mekah for Umrah, insya Allah.

My honey supply is running at critical low level....we enjoy the honey with pancakes and hot tea. It is so pure that not even a single ant came close to this bucket of honey which placed on my kitchen counter.

The honey 'bee hive' ceramic container was given to me by Aunt Aishah during recent raya. The honey is D E L I C I O U S! 

Pancakes, honey with blueberries and strawberries.

Pancakes with bananas

Wall Murals by Local Artist in Ipoh.

Picture from personal album.

Sharing a few more wall art murals done by local artist  from Persatuan Pelukis Perak. Please correct me if I got it wrong. I hope I am giving credits to the appropriate organisation here. They deserve all the credit because we took pictures after pictures. Love them all!!!! Job well done. Most of their pictures are located in a back alley right after Jalan Mesjid. Pictures were not taken from any sophisticated camera, just by my cheap mobile phone. If you wish to 'borrow' these pictures by all means go ahead but please, please I, too, deserve some credit.

There are a few more we accidentally stubbled upon while walking around Ipoh which I will share in my next posting. I am not so sure whether the work came from the same artist we found here.

Night guys it has been a pretty long night....sometimes when you feel like expressing and sharing....this is how it has been.....

Concubine Lane (or Lorong Panglima)

While we were looking for Ipoh wall art mural, I stumbled upon this....

Picture from personal album.

Picture from personal album. Market Lane (2nd Concubine Lane)

SO what's the history about these lanes? Obviously they are about concubines and mistresses! Ipoh was once rich with its tin mining business opened its doors to foreign traders and immigrant workers. This is where Chinese businessman (or merchants as they were known back then) and British Officers would keep their mistresses.

Located in a narrow alley line with 2 rows of 2 storey pre-war houses, the lane apparently also operated as a gambling and opium dens. I wonder how it was like then. Tried to look for pictures which I can share but nothing really strikes me as being the very old Concubine Lane, well at least how I imagine it should be...

And what's Market Lane? Well it was also known as 2nd Concubine Lane. What else? To keep 2nd  mistress....

There are on going restorations which could be helpful to retain some of its rich culture and history before it is gone forever. I am glad I learned something about Ipoh because before this I never knew there was Concubine Lane......

Day 2 - Our trip to Ipoh

I seldom travel to Ipoh unless I had too....like attend relatives wedding or so forth. This time I want to go to Ipoh old town and search for the 7 wall art mural drawn by Ernest Zacharevic. We found the location map but it isn't easy as it may seems to be....frankly speaking we can never win an Amazing Race challenge, me and my other half that is....!!

Credit to www.emily2u.com - We parked our car at Jalan Mesjid which you can't see in the map...and decided to walk.  It was a good idea though because we were surprised to find other wall murals done by local artist along the way.  I will share more of the pictures in my next posting.  However, the below was only 5 of the 7 murals we manage to find.  They are numbered accordingly to the map above. These wall murals were drawn by Ernest Zacharevic, The murals depict a sense of nostalgic events related to Ipoh's heritage and culture.

Mural # 2 - 2 boys on Paper Plane. I went through so much anger looking for this since my other half was not being cooperative. It's like he totally gave up. Kept on saying, "I don't know where we are?" Duh! how big can Ipoh old town be? Come on, you can travel across the world alone and you gave me such lame excuses? Puhleeezzzz!!I had to stop at RHB Bank and asked if they can point me to the right direction. Of course I had to withdraw some cash at the ATM machine to 'cover line' and with my expensive handbag and scarf (if anyone would noitce...hahaha) I trot myself to this young lady sitting on a stool next to a ticket number dispenser machine. Thank you mam, I wish I had asked for your name. You were very helpful. 

Mural # 3 - Kopi 'O' to celebrate Ipoh as the birth of the famous white coffee. I was lost but I never gave up walked and found two chinese Uncle who manages a private carpark behind Maybank. They too were very helpful and told  it is just located next block. 

Mural # 4 - the Humming Bird.  Here was where I got lost and stuck. So I decided to stop at a small convenient store at an alley and bought 4 bottles 100 Plus. Hey why not ask the lady behind the counter.... and her son was very helpful instructed us where to turn after a coffee shop across the street. Finally I found it but  I was expecting a huge tree next to the mural just as what I saw in the internet. Then I realized now the car park vendor has chopped down the tree. The bird was flying towards the tree in search of food. Now, with no tree, it seems the bird has no purpose being there.

Mural # 6 - The girl and the bird cage. Hahaha....this was located in a really an unexpected spot.  I wasn't looking for this mural and all of the sudden as we turn to this corner ....taa daaa....well, there was supposed to be a red stool where the girl was tip toe-ing but gone missing.

Mural # 7 - A man collecting rubbish and recycle items on a trishaw.....but not the boy ya....This was the last one and I gave up after the clock showed almost 2 pm....it's lunch and we want to have dim sum at Greentown Dim Sum Cafe.

You can actually surf for more information about the mural at http://www.kenwooi.com/2014/07/7-ipoh-wall-art-murals.html In my opinion his information was very helpful especially with Google Maps. It was just me who did not take the advantage to benefit this form of free information.

I had a great time....I was not worried about work ...well at least during the day time....Not worried about the haze as there was none in Ipoh. I missed 2 other murals which I will conclude one day...and the next plan is to conquer Penang where Mr Zacharevic first started his wall mural works. I need to do more research...I know Penang old town very well....but then I got shock when I found the map below.....which one is his....???

credit to www.penang-discovery.com - ooohhh myyyy,.....berpeluh Mak tengok!!  My other half may not like it but our vacation has to be educational and full of adventure.