#3.29 The Smurf Trips

"Waking up early in the morning with too much free time on my hands, I browsed through my draft list and realised that there was one unfinished post eons ago, so I decided to finish it and added new happenings to it. "

After discussing among ourselves, we unanimously came to the decision that we would visit Sekinchan, SinChie's hometown. It was a town that I had never heard of considering my bad geology. So, I just followed blindly as I usually would since everyone else was going. It was the first time that all 14 of us from the Smurf Village (in case you're wondering where it is, it is magically hidden remember?) to go out on a trip together.

Inside the Train. ^^

For accommodation, we stayed in a big house (excuse me for the bad description) where the paddy fields were just a stone's throw away. For dinner, SinChie bought lots (no exaggeration mind you) of noodles and beehoon besides setting up our own BBQ. We had the shock of our lives and almost fainted when we first saw the noodles that piled up like a mountain. However, it's not her fault either (This must be highlighted so that she would not be pissed) but I figured it would be something that we would laugh out loud in 10 or 20 years to come, if we still see one another of course.

The next morning, we woke up very early (at least it was early in my own definition) to avoid being roasted under the scorching hot sun while taking photos in the paddy fields. However, it was drizzling so we had to wait for a while before we proceeded to the paddy fields. It was quite embarrasing to admit that I had never stepped into a paddy field before despite being born and raised in AS. To be frank, I did not expect much initially but the spectacular scenery of the paddy fields literally took our breaths away. I tried to picture the way paddy fields look like in AS but to no avail. However, I did wonder if they would be as beautiful as those found in Sekinchan. 

Inside the paddy field. ;)

Stephanie looked so happy. LOL!

With my beloved smurf family~

We had a whale of a time taking photos with the paddy fields in two different spots which were both equally charming and captivating. Sadly, we did not make it to the bridge in time as the weather was getting way too hot for anyone to bear. Unbelievable but true, I did make a mental note to work in a fully air-conditioned workplace in the future or else I would definitely die from the heat wave.

The height difference. =D

With Strawberry and Fake Hebe.

Shortest coconut tree ever seen.

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Fast-forward 1.5 years later, we finally had the opportunity to go on a second trip together although this time Hongjian was not able to come with us due to his family matter. The destination this time was none other than Genting Highland. Actually, we had made lots of plans to visit Genting together since Ethan and Vivian had never set foot in it but all of them had failed miserably. After finishing our medical checkups in Gleneagle, we decided to park the cars in KLCC and had lunch there but decided against it since the parking fees appeared to be way too expensive. 

After parking the cars in a car park near Pavilion, we walked back to KLCC using the pedestrian walkway before reaching KL central to take a bus all the way up to Genting. It was the longest distance I had ever walked in months but thank God we made it anyhow. After checking in and having the funny toilet incident, we went down to have our steamboat dinner. 

In the cable car~

My favourite Teppanyaki~

After walking around and taking photos, we decided to visit the Snow World. We could hardly contain our excitement before going in and enjoyed ourselves tremendously. The downside was that there was significantly less snow everywhere compared to the last time we visited. The funny thing was that I kept asking Carmen whether she had visited Genting before when the fact was that she and Phey were the ones who accompanied me to Genting during A-level.

All of the smurfies in Snow World. =)

Happy moments~

Inside the snowhouse~

In front of Snow World~

My smurf family ~

So far, we have successfully gone on 2 trips together (technically only one in which all members are present). I fervently hope that there would be more trips in the future with my smurf family before we say our final goodbyes 2 years later. Another good thing about writing a blog: you will realise how lucky you are to have such a wonderful family that you have always taken granted for. =)

Next To Me - Emeli Sande

#3.28 Almost Home

"The time has finally come to leave my smurfies family (temporarily) and fly back to my family. Home is where the family is. If that's so, I guess that means that I'm always home. "

After surviving the 5-day BTN camp and rested for a day, we went to Time Square and Sungei Wang and I managed to grab a few items that my family had requested me to buy. It was also the last day that I spent with my remaining Smurf family before I left Semenyih. To our surprise, there was now a Tiny Taipei in Times Square. It even had my favourite food: pork sausages but to my disappointment it did not taste as good as I had imagined it would be. However, it was still a relatively exciting concept in the otherwise dull shopping complex.

At the entrance of Tiny Taipei.

Tiny Taipei~

After wandering around the mall aimlessly for quite some time, ChongHorng and Carmen went on their little missions of going rounds and rounds of "stealing" free tidbit samples from a few stalls. Carmen became so good at it that she didn't even have to stop walking while grabbing the free food. In fact, she did not even have to glance in the tidbit's direction but she was still caught in action. Haha. At dinner time, we finally gave in to Phey who had intense cravings for Barbeque Plaza. 

BBQ Plaza.

Last dinner before leaving Semenyih.

The next day, I was forced to wake up early in the morning to rush to KLIA for my flight. I was seated beside a nice Chinese couple who were visiting the states for 10 days. The wife struck up a conversation and frankly it was a pleasant chat that made the 16 hour flight a little less boring. We somehow came to the agreement that Malaysia (minus the g********) is indeed the most beautiful country . They were in their 40s---I assumed---and yet they were too sweet for couples who had been married for so many years, not that there's anything wrong with that of course. Besides treating the wife with respect, patient and love, the husband also made it a point to take care of his wife first in terms of everything before himself. They were so cute that they even offered me their food but I was too full to accept it. 

Another lucky thing was that the entertainment system in the two connecting flights somehow contain different types of movies so I managed to catch up on a few movies (Hansel and Gretel, Warm Bodies and Jack the Giant Slayer) that I had always wanted to watch. And geez, I could still tell that the same actor acted in both WB and JTGS so I guessed my facial recognition skill wasn't half as bad as how my friends had described it.

Overall, besides the slight delay in Narita airport, countless air turbulence and a little trouble at the custom, the whole journey was smooth and pleasant and I really needed to thank God for that. However, there was one thing that will never ever change--- how much I loathed long-haul flights.

I guessed it was all worth it when I saw Dad's face at the airport as I knew I would be once again be reunited with my family. The unique smell of the air---a mix of spring and summer---reminded me that I'm finally home, not because of the location but because of my family. As they say, home is where the family is. =)

Live It Up (ft. Pitbull) - J. Lo