Medan trip with FKR 16-19 June, 2009

Thanks to FKR & Designed Destination Sdn Bhd, also Tour guides from M'sia & Indonesia: Caryn Lai, Benee & Arifin...

Thanks to my parents who allowed me to join this trip, where I'm not dealing with FKR company.

Only 2 younger girls attended this trip:

1) 6 years old, Esther from Sibu, Sarawak (came with both her parents),

2) 12 years old, Xiao Wei from Kota Bahru, Kelantan (came with her mother, and uncle - Mr. Chua)

Another 2 youths (me belongs to this category) :

1) young man from Segamat, Johor

2) Ms. Wong

the rest are all above 20s and veteren...more men than women...

day to day, from tired trip by bus to luxurious stay

trip by bus from Medan airport to Parapat took around 4-5 hours, from Parapat to Berastagi took around 4-5 hours also...

most luxurious stay was the last night in Medan, JW Marriott Hotel, 5 stars hotel.

the 1st night @ Niagara Hotel in Parapat (along the long and winding road, a lot of churches along the way, and also stalls and wooden houses) and 2nd night @ Grand Mutiara Hotel in Berastagi (also long & winding road, wooden houses, and some better houses, own farms, and churches, christian graves) were 4 stars hotels

Day 1, while waiting for Penang's tourists, went to a Chinese temple & Fashion Outlet (similar to our F.O.S. - factory outlet store), lunch at Hotel, 5 hours tour to Parapat stopped at PATEN (nuts shop) - bought some sesame nuts biscuits...stopped at petrol station for toilet time...dinner at Hong Kong Restaurant.

Day 2, tour by ferry to Lake Toba, Samosir Island, Tomok (bargaining time with seller, best bargain should be 70% discounts from the price offered by sellers, sellers simply drag, touches your arms - way to persuade you to buy souvenir), lunch at Niagara Hotel (with Passion fruit juice) Sipiso Piso waterfall, beautiful view, dinner at Grand Mutiara Hotel, fresh vegetables from farms in Berastagi (similar with Malaysian's Cameron Highlands).

Day 3, Berastagi, fruits market (horse riding available), at fruit market, one lady from either Penang or Ipoh commented seeing a girl similar with my look, during her previous trip with FKR, asking whether I have a sister who study Law? I was like, okay, interesting, but not me nor my sister, however, it's great knowing there are people similar look as me...meaning my look is common.

Gundaling Hill, visited the Istana Maimone, built in 1888 (shoes to be taken off before enter), lunch at Simpang Tiga Restaurant with their special drink Avocado juice with chocolate, Sun Plaza/SOGO @Medan city, GALA night dinner FKR at JW Marriott Hotel, with some entertainment - dancing by children, and songs by FKR's workers and tour guides (mostly oldies, Hokkien, Chinese, English songs, one Indonesian song sang by Arifin, crazy stunts by some FKR employees)

Day 4, luxurious breakfast @ JW Marriott Hotel, Medan City, SOGO, lunch @ a restaurant with mixed fruits juice called Rasa-rasa (6 fruits mixed - mango, avocado, passion, water-melon, etc.)

Meals always started with soup and ended with desserts (usually tropical fruits - papaya, water melon, melon/honey dew, pineapple)

Overall, it's pleasure vacation, below are the leaflet and name tag (to be tied at bag) given before the tour...

lastly, thanks for all the fun, really enjoy the tour...it's nice being the Eastern billionaire in Indonesian Rupiah, great to know some people such as GM and Secretary of FKR.

new vs. old proton saga

4th accident as far as I could remember after 3 years free of accident, sigh...
It happened at MRR2, before the Ampang area, coming back from UTAR.
I only realized that it's accident when I heard the sound of shattered glass,
obviously it's my fault, as soon as I come out from my car after seeing the other front car's owner came out from his car, I automatically apologized to the car owner of new blue proton saga. He is young Malay man about 20 - 30 years old. Praise the Lord for he has let me go for my car was worst than his, only 3 white vertical scratch about 1-2 inches behind his car, still I've done wrong, just that no loss of money for repairing his car. Instead it would be loss of money to repair my old proton saga (it belongs to my dad's company).
After I asked, "Macam mana?" (How?) It's settled by his forgiveness saying, "Tak apa la" (Never mind) of seeing my car worst than his, obviously (new vs. old proton saga), the new one is better. Then he drove on. I was relieved after that, though I hope he could punish me or asking me to pay for his car. Well, God is great, this owner was the only one who let me go when I'm wrong. It reminds me of what I did, few years ago, while I'm still driving the yellow proton Juara, there was once in the morning, it was jammed, out of sudden, my car was banged from behind, It was a red old proton saga (something like what I'm driving now, only different is the colour). Peeping through the rear mirror, I saw that car was o.k. and I guessed mine was alright also. Therefore, I didn't stop my car and let him go, just like that (didn't even bother to get down of my car, because I was rushing to school, obviously he is rushing too, but he went the other way to somewhere after that, we are not going to the same destination).

only able to pick up these (as shown on the photo on top) after the accident, to avoid jam (because I stopped at the most right lane (where car moves fastest), some smaller shattered glass of the left front light were left on the road. Then, I went back, I could hear the pulling sound of front plastic (don't know what it calls, it's attached together with the proton logo), as it dropped down slanting about 45 degree. while I was driving back to my dad's shop. After detaching the front plastic and placed it inside the car. Then I went back home, receive a lot of comments from my dear sisters.

"You are clumsy!", "See, again, accident!", "You are not careful enough!", "You are not a good driver!", "Rush, rush again. Drive so fast for what, where are you rushing to?", "Never change for good, after so many accidents still the same", "Still dare to say wanna drive manual gear car (another car, red proton wira, the only car available for me)?" (this old proton saga was changed from manual to automatic gear)

Then I replied, "What to do? It's not that I purposely bang people's car." (thinking back, I think it's either I was doing something else or I was dreaming, that I forgotten to stop, or did I accidentally stepped on the accelerator?) I have no idea, what was wrong, I knew I was wrong, but I couldn't find the cause. 

Reminds me of my sister's friend who recently bang on people's car, but hers was worst. At the same time, they were gossiping about my clumsyness, always like rushing to somewhere (last weekend).

I shouldn't take God for granted, reminds me of what was advised by people around me. Should pray for mercy /safety journey every single drive. Say NO to multitasking while driving!

big laughs after all the mess...still waiting for my dad's response, whether he want to repair the old blue proton saga. Praying hard for no rain, so it wouldn't spoilt the light bulb, while waiting for the car to be repaired on monday.

seems like I have to drive the manual gear car for Monday's examination, more preparation to do...

Don't hide

*only suitable for those who are in same shoe (same situation), don't read if you can't take it.
how could that possibly be?
what I meant was, "how could a person (someone older) asking you to eat what you don't like or want to eat."
I mean, you have your own wants and don'ts, you can't simply compromise to please others!
You have the right, you have what it takes to say NO! You have to make your own choice (even babies would cry if they don't get what they want or got what they don't want)

Respect the older ones? Yes, but (*HELLO! please be awake from your dreams/lies that you've believed in for so long) One day, you have to rise up, step out, and make your own decision. Do what is right! Don't hide!

I was hiding when doing something I want / like / needed to do, and (against what the older one, who'd been ordering me to do something I don't want / like), somehow, suddenly, this older one (being a busy body at home appear beside me while I was sipping the soup & noodle), I "jumped", shocked, because I thought I could hide while enjoying loud speaker songs. Standing beside me, the older one asked, "Do you eat what I've served for you just now?" I said, "No, I passed it to the maid", then I added, "You want to know what happened to it then ask the maid." (Well, I just giving face for saying that, although she suspected that the meal that was served for me earlier was in the rubbish bin - I don't know anything, what I know is I passed it to the maid)

So, it was exposed, I really can't hide what I'm doing. (Good one, at least you know what I don't like to eat) Actions speak louder than words this time. Good thing I was exposed, and thank God for leading the old one to meet me while I was eating something not cooked by her. (Although I was a bit petrified, scared). I'm just doing what I want to do. I don't like it when someone control me even of what I eat...that is a bit too much! You can give your opinion, but don't control me, I don't like being controlled.

Immediately, I heard God says, "Don't hide, just be yourself!" What a good one from God, I really have to be courageous and let no others control my life! I should end the life of pleasing others by pleasing God.

I don''t care being exposed, you want to see what am I doing, you want to know what am I writing, I'm bold enough to be exposed, see what you like to see, I understand it's hard to change the behaviour after so long that you being a "busy body" in this house. I'm used to it. I have no right to control what you like to do.

It was so annoying, can you imagine? when you are eating halfway that someone with huge eyeballs looking at you with some kind of expression. Then, at the same time this someone will comment and "order" you by saying, "Please finish this vege, please finish that, please at least eat two pieces of chicken." I don't know how do you feel when someone say that in the midst of your eating, but I was really annoyed by that. I'm so sorry to say, it really pissed me off!

I wasn't angry, just releasing some sentences after being patience for many years...this is just one of it, why is it so difficult be polite and etiquette while eating? You can use finger for finger food, but main course / food which are served and meant for the whole family to share, you still use your finger? I mean then what are the uses of cutleries? no purpose? living in this high-technology / modern time, we could possibly use what is needed to achieve what we want. Why is it so hard to use fork & spoon? The food is meant for sharing, and you are using your hand to touch it, it's fine if the pieces of food that you've touched, you eat it. However, it wasn't hygienic when you touch the food with your fingers and you don't eat it! If other people see what you've done, do you think the other person would eat what you've touched? More gross, if someone sees you not only touch, but flipped, turned the pieces of food with your fingers. You can do all these while you are eating on your own and the food already at your own plate. I don't mind.

  
Disclaimer: I'm just releasing what had happened in my house, or what has been happening daily.