Just read JMz bloggie and realised the poor tortoise which she told Marpigz back in Feb was ill has gone on to the "Animal Kingdom"...
Reminded Marpig of her vow; tt she will never keep a pet (xcept those piggy soft toys :P) bcos she doesnt want anymore animals to "die at her hands". As mentioned previously, itz all bcos of the birdie and 2 guppies she used to have but they have since gone to the "Animal Kingdom"
The reasons for having a pet can be alot; for companionship, to give them a home, as a blind personz guide. But smhow, it still boils down to selfishness and 出发点 is often "I, I, I" Of cos, therez no right or wrong, itz really just how Marpig thinks
Just like babies who are cute, most pple have pets bcos the animals are cute too. Marpig means, if the pup or rabbit or watever isnt cute, why would pple want to buy them?
Then, pple might be thinking, having pets are good as pple give them a home, having the ability to take care and feed the animals... hmmm smhow, itz just like wat sm Muslims believed (no offense); tt they have many wives bcos they have the ability to "take care" of women... duh.
Was reading an article bout a performing killer whale in SeaWorld, Florida, killed itz trainer with 16 yrs xperience during a routine performance. Investigation is undergoing into the "accident". Apparently, the killer whale (actually, itz not a whale but a species of dolphins) had previously been "involved" in another death in 1991
So, wat if the investigation points to the killer whale as responsible? Will pple put it to death? No, itz cruelty to animals. So watz the point in investigating?
Just like sharkz fins and birdsz nests or drugs, when therez demand, there will be supply. As long as therez spectators who wants to watch animal shows, there will be animals in captivity. Of cos, there will be xcuses like "animals sanctuary", "research", etc
Even movies showed tt keeping animals in captivity will result in them going crazy cos just like us, they need freedom!! Not a shoebox or fishtank!!
Marpig must admit she likes Sentosa's Underwater world cos she can see lotsa diff fishies conveniently... How hypocritical!! Ah~~ 做人的矛盾!!
Flipping the coin, it not all too bad... since pple can also argue tt such instituitions/"attractions" doubled as educational; to make pple aware of animals tt are vulnerable to xtinction. And itz true tt ALL such "attractions" have school programmes running. Oh well, we need to cover all grounds isnt it? Ho hum
Still rem eons ago when RIs and such are still in "public consultation" (was there ever one?!) Sansao forwarded an online petition to the MP to request tt they do not keep a marine animal (was it a dolphin or smth? cant rem) in captivity. Marpig signed the petition and even wrote (instead of using the std petition contents) to the MP bout the pros and cons (yeah, Marpig am TT passionate bout ths) However, petitioners never got a response and RIs and such still went ahead. Public consultation, bulls**t!!
Ha, and now the talk of the town is, "is charging an upfront 100 dolla to go into the casino, fair" Wah kao. U see, like wat Marpig said previously, humans like to create solutions for the probs they created. How challenging.
Ah!! Dont noe dont noe!! Itz just one of those rantings of Marpig again...
Saturday, February 27
Monday, February 22
Aftermath of CNY
Itz been a week or so after Marpig came back to Cosy Barn 3. Life is pretty much the same xcept tt Marpig am trying her best to force herself to keep up with the reports (NY resolution!!)
Went back to the office with a box of pineapple tarts for colleagues and itz so funny. All of them saw the pineapple tarts (those small rectangular ones with the pineapple inside) and thought tt they looked like mini sausage rolls :P But Marpig reassured them tt they are not as "intimidating" as mooncakes and taste like strawberry tarts (smth the ang mohs are more comfortable with) And so, being cautious, they ate 1/2 of them ylwols and soon after, the whole box of pineapple tarts were gone!! :D
In addition, being back in the office after only 4 daes of break meant lotsa emails which Marpig dreaded. So much so tt the icon for Outlook seems like a button tt will detonate an xplosion!!
Other interesting thingies after the CNY trip happened in diff places and 1 of them was on the plane
Rem during the flight back to the UK, Marpig was again, sleeping most of the time bcos shez simply not as young as b4 and was totally worn out. However, she did watch GM Live in London concert on the plane and almost 尖叫 b4 she went on to meet 周公
During the flight over India, there was bad turbulence but Marpig continued to sleep bcos shez really tired. However, she could feel tt Marpigz sis was (as usual) terrified and grapped hold onto Marpigz hand. Strange as it was (yet being discussed in science articles), it influenced wat Marpig dreamt in her dreamy sleep;
Marpig dreamt tt the plane was free falling due to the turbulence and she immediately turned ard to Marpigz sis and told her she loves her. Ah~~ really, sm ths are really 难开口 until itz too late...
Other interesting thingies happened when Marpig TD in LHR. 1st, she helped an elderly lady to book a seat on the coach, conversing with her in Cantonese bcos she cant speak English (strange) and no1 from her family was at the airport to fetch her :P Itz good to noe more languages!!
2nd, she got to noe a guy while waiting for the coach back to Cosy Barn 3 at the airport. The guy is on a monthz visit for his uni project at 清华大学 and hez from Inner Mongolia (which is not Mongolia but part of China...) To protect his identity, Marpig shall not reveal his name (2 words). Chatted over studies, work, etc and he even asked if Marpigz got a bf... hahahaha
The trip back also lets Marpig looks at ths in life which she already knew;
CNY is a period when Marpig will visit the respected elderly relatives. As one gets older, ang pows and the worldly ths arent really the impt thingies. Itz more the sincereity of paying the relatives a visit and making their dae (elderly pple just love the sisters :))
Realised Marpigz aunty (Marpigz momz elder sis) was diagnosed with 老人痴呆症. The sufferer will rem past things vividly but recent memories will be gone as quickly taking a breath
Marpigz sis and Marpig also gave young cousins advices and shared their life xperiences and choices tt they made until now to give them an idea bout making lifez choices... Therez no right or wrong, but when one decided which path to take, he/she must not regret and 坚持到底. Of cos, dont make a silly choice from the start 啦!!
Ah... really... different generations faced different challenges and guess Marpigz at this phase in life where it really takes alot to surprise her (and shez not talking bout comics and toys and food :P) Ah~~ 老了~~ :P
Last but not least, was sitting in Marpigz dadz car and saw a card which Marpigz sis gave him which reads, "Any1 can be a father; it takes sm1 special to be a daddy" *smiles*
True, even the word "mummy" has a special meaning over just "mother". Just like any objects or names which humans associate with ths/emotions/memories tt they are fond of/particularly un4gettable, even a simple name can mean so much more...
Maybe this is the complexity of being humans. Ho hum
Went back to the office with a box of pineapple tarts for colleagues and itz so funny. All of them saw the pineapple tarts (those small rectangular ones with the pineapple inside) and thought tt they looked like mini sausage rolls :P But Marpig reassured them tt they are not as "intimidating" as mooncakes and taste like strawberry tarts (smth the ang mohs are more comfortable with) And so, being cautious, they ate 1/2 of them ylwols and soon after, the whole box of pineapple tarts were gone!! :D
In addition, being back in the office after only 4 daes of break meant lotsa emails which Marpig dreaded. So much so tt the icon for Outlook seems like a button tt will detonate an xplosion!!
Other interesting thingies after the CNY trip happened in diff places and 1 of them was on the plane
Rem during the flight back to the UK, Marpig was again, sleeping most of the time bcos shez simply not as young as b4 and was totally worn out. However, she did watch GM Live in London concert on the plane and almost 尖叫 b4 she went on to meet 周公
During the flight over India, there was bad turbulence but Marpig continued to sleep bcos shez really tired. However, she could feel tt Marpigz sis was (as usual) terrified and grapped hold onto Marpigz hand. Strange as it was (yet being discussed in science articles), it influenced wat Marpig dreamt in her dreamy sleep;
Marpig dreamt tt the plane was free falling due to the turbulence and she immediately turned ard to Marpigz sis and told her she loves her. Ah~~ really, sm ths are really 难开口 until itz too late...
Other interesting thingies happened when Marpig TD in LHR. 1st, she helped an elderly lady to book a seat on the coach, conversing with her in Cantonese bcos she cant speak English (strange) and no1 from her family was at the airport to fetch her :P Itz good to noe more languages!!
2nd, she got to noe a guy while waiting for the coach back to Cosy Barn 3 at the airport. The guy is on a monthz visit for his uni project at 清华大学 and hez from Inner Mongolia (which is not Mongolia but part of China...) To protect his identity, Marpig shall not reveal his name (2 words). Chatted over studies, work, etc and he even asked if Marpigz got a bf... hahahaha
The trip back also lets Marpig looks at ths in life which she already knew;
CNY is a period when Marpig will visit the respected elderly relatives. As one gets older, ang pows and the worldly ths arent really the impt thingies. Itz more the sincereity of paying the relatives a visit and making their dae (elderly pple just love the sisters :))
Realised Marpigz aunty (Marpigz momz elder sis) was diagnosed with 老人痴呆症. The sufferer will rem past things vividly but recent memories will be gone as quickly taking a breath
Marpigz sis and Marpig also gave young cousins advices and shared their life xperiences and choices tt they made until now to give them an idea bout making lifez choices... Therez no right or wrong, but when one decided which path to take, he/she must not regret and 坚持到底. Of cos, dont make a silly choice from the start 啦!!
Ah... really... different generations faced different challenges and guess Marpigz at this phase in life where it really takes alot to surprise her (and shez not talking bout comics and toys and food :P) Ah~~ 老了~~ :P
Last but not least, was sitting in Marpigz dadz car and saw a card which Marpigz sis gave him which reads, "Any1 can be a father; it takes sm1 special to be a daddy" *smiles*
True, even the word "mummy" has a special meaning over just "mother". Just like any objects or names which humans associate with ths/emotions/memories tt they are fond of/particularly un4gettable, even a simple name can mean so much more...
Maybe this is the complexity of being humans. Ho hum
Saturday, February 20
CNY 2010: 趣事一箩箩, 好运即将落!!
Is having a bad cold bcos weather in the UK has been crazy. 1st there was snow, then sleet, then rain, sm teeny weeny hailstones and snow again, all in 1 dae. Marpig almost lost her nose and ears. Watz sleet? Hmm... itz a mixed btw snow and rain... smth like 7-11z Slurpie
Anyw, just been back home for CNY and back to the UK in 短短 4 daes (effectively) and despite the short and tiring trip, therez lotsa 趣事!! (^_^) Here goes:
1) TD on 10th evening, had dinner with Marpigz dad and sis and chatted to the 粄面 lady boss for a good 1/2 hr on running biz and babies. Marpigz dad and sis (and actually Marpig) loves 粄面. They also ordered fried (black) carrot cake and 蚝煎 :D__
2) Met PS for supper @ Bedok 85. Had a difficult time hailing a taxi in Singapore, much more difficult than the UK!! Anyw, got to her place in a daze cos Marpigz batt was running out. Luckily shez got a visitor and so Marpig am able to catch 39 winks b4 they embark on the Bedok 85 supper trip
Marpig got over-xxxcited and they ordered a bowl of 瘦肉粥, a bowl of 肉搓面 (Marpig didnt eat the noodles at all, just the meatballs!! :P), otak otak, BBQ chicken wings, stingray, mussels!! Actually, it isnt alot but considering PS isnt a bottomless pit and Marpig wasnt ready to 发功, itz pretty much there
After supper, they went to Marpigz fav Mt Faber (Marpig likes 山 and 水!!), hoping to find a dark enough place to play sparkles!! However... everywhere they went, itz either the street lamps were too bright or they were "too bright" (playing gooseberries 啦!!)
And so, in the end, they went to TBPark at 2ish am
3) At TBPark, they met a young Malay boy, height bout 1.3m, age 12(?) Small build. Watz so strange was, itz 2ish am on a Wednesday and he was in the park alone!! "Interrogating" him, they got to noe tt hez:
4) He saw Marpig holding 6 boxes of sparkles and he also wanted to join in. And so, Marpig suggested having a competition with him in lighting the sticks of sparkles. At 1st Marpig was using the lighter but itz crap, so she "cheated" and used lit sparkles to do the rest. Guess wat, PS helped the dark side!! Referee kayu!!
5) Was really tired, hence went back to PSz and attempted to race 100m with her on Mario and Sonic at the Olympic Games on the NDS. Watz so funny was tt (all along) she didnt noe tt NDS has Wi-Fi ability!! *faints* Anyw, she won the 100m race even though she didnt noe how to play; all she did is to follow wat the screen instructed: "Rub!!" hahahaha
6) Went home at 4am, slept until 6am, woke up and had bf with Marpigz dad and sis. Then went to SNEC to speak with doc bout Mapigz dadz glycoma. Everyth was ok, his condition is not serious. Will be helping them to do research by doing laser (not the laser pple do for myopia) on 1 eye. Researchz objective is to find out the effectiveness of laser treatment on glycoma. He will be monitored for 5 yrs and within the 5 yrs, if his condition worsens *touchwood*, they will exit him from research and immediately do laser on his other eye
7) Whilst Marpigz dad was away @ work, both Marpigz sis and Marpig 打扫除 in order give the 兰花 sm space :)
Marpigz dad bought a pot of purple orchid and itz sooooo pretty!! :D Taking a close-up:
Seems like the flowers are smiling :)
8) Was throwing many ths which Marpigz dad had amassed and saw the HUGE jigsaw puzzle hanging in the living room which was pretty dirty. Marpigz sis told Marpig tt it will stay bcos itz the product of every1z effort *smiles* Indeed, itz was completed many yrs ago by Marpigz dad, mom (shez still ard, cooking for us :)) sis and Marpig
9) Marpigz dad cooked her fav food again!! Yumyumyum!!
10) Met JM at her momz stall and helped her. Itz a fun and interesting xperience, much to JMz disagreement :P Also had a quick snack with JM at TBMarket where they had 水粿, cheng teng and 一点红!!
The name of the dessert is really 一点红!! 
11) After meeting JM, Marpig wanted to go home to prepare for dinner later with XT, Sansao and MW. However, Balachan called Marpig and told her bout Piglet and Whinnie the Poo(h) Bearbrick toy. Hence, Marpig met Balachan @ TBPlaza and even jioed her to play this!!
Game was introduced by fellow gaming 发烧友 XT and boy itz fun!! :D Balachan and Marpig played the game and guess wat, they ranked 1st!! ahahhahahah
11) Managed to meet up with Sansao, XT and Mr and Mrs Tan for vegetarian steamboat and German Bridge!! The already-sensational game was made even more xhilerating when they used "choc chips" which XT bought from Las Vegas!! Show hand!!
As usual, when Marpig plays German Bridge, she will always bring the game to another 高潮 by 出乎意料的 bidding!! :P
Marpig holding a set of full of aces and Ks, Qs, etc :P Throughout the game, Marpig 咸鱼大翻身 twice!! However, she still cant beat the power of MW in her new love nest!! Sansao wasnt too bad either at "一路發"!!
12) XT and Marpig missed the last train to go home after the game!! Luckily XT is a NR veteran!! And so they took NR7 home. Ah~~~ Must thank XT!! She shared her scarf with Marpig so tt she will not get too cold from the blastering aircon in the bus. At tt time, Marpig, due to xtended period of not sleeping, was in a zombie stage, with stomachache. Rem she did speak to XT on the bus but really cant rem wat she was saying hahahaha itz like Marpigz drunk!! Only rem she was so tired tt she slept until itz time for XT to alight
Anyw, the bus driver was really kind and let Marpig alight at Hong Lim so tt Marpig didnt have much to walk home :) On her way home, Marpig took a pic of CNY 夜景 in Chinatown which Marpig am so fond and familiar with...
13) Was so tired tt she didnt meet up with Dingko Nut to conquer tt stretch of road :( Didnt go anywhere on 除夕 but slept from 2am to 1030am, had bf with sis and went back to sleep from 11am to 330pm!! Woke up and realised Marpigz dad had came home earlier to continue 打扫除 with Marpigz sis
Now, Marpig actually likes to 打扫除 with Marpigz dad and sis :) Why? Bcos it can be hilarious!! The story goes tt Marpigz dad loves hoarding thingies; whether they r useful or not, in good condition or not. He will try to keep everyth while Marpigz sis will analyse b4 she throws ths away while Marpig just throws ths away (cos she noes for sure which r the ths tt arent to be kept) Quoting MW, Marpig also wants the house to be "minimal"!! hahahahaha
Marpigz dad: *Sitting on the armchair, feeling tired from all the pack-a-packing*
Marpigz sis: *Looking at the 2 BIG DVD players* How? Are u going to sell them or keep them?
Marpigz dad: ... Just pack them and I will see if my frens want them lah
Marpigz sis: Yr frens wont want them lor!! They are so old and big!! And if they want, they will buy new ones!! Even if u sell it to garung guni, he will also think twice!!
Marpig: ... Think daddy wants to set up an electronics museum where he has different generations of DVD players. *Pointing to the biggest Pioneer DVD player* This one is generation 1, then therez generation 2 *pointing to the slightly smaller don-noe-wat-brand* and then therez also the latest generation *pointing to the slick and small A5 sized DVD player hez using currently*
All: *laughs* hahahahhahaha
14) Had 团圆饭 @ Marpigz auntyz place. Food was great, just tt Marpigz batt still wasnt fully charged. Anyw, after dinner, Marpig caught the movie, 錦衣衛 with JM!! Ah~~ it was eons since Marpig caught a chinese movie in the cinema at home!! The movie was great!! Recommended!! :D
15) JM also gave Marpig a snack which Marpig thought was funny enough to be mentioned here!!
大三巴!! hahahahahaha
16) Marpig did mention in her previous bloggie entries tt she loves shopping downstairs at the CNY stalls during 初一 wee morning with Marpigz sis. Not so much the cheap goodies (not cheap anym!! No more 50 cents goodies!!) but more the time with Marpigz sis *smiles*
Anyw, they didnt manage to find anyth worth 扫货 xcept durians!!
Ah~~ Actually, Marpigz sis wanted to just get 3 for 10 dolla. But the durian uncle, eager to go home asap, packed 3 more into the bag and told them all for 10 dolla!! hahahhahahaha When they went home, the crazy sisters sat down and took photos b4 devouring 1 of the 6 boxes of durians, at 3ish am!! hahahahhahaha
17) On the day tt Marpig was to fly back to the UK, Marpigz dad also flew to Penang in an earlier flight to visit his frens. In addition, PS came to see her off immediately after touching down from Auckland!! They then took a photo tog with PS in her Singapore Gal uniform!! The last such photo was taken 5 yrs ago when Marpig just left for the UK. Wow!! How very different!! Marpigz sis also took a photo with the Singapore Gal as she cant resist the chance!! :P
18) Marpigz sis bought the M&M choc toy for Marpig when Marpig told her itz nicer than the rest *beaming like a child* :D In front of the Viking is wat JM got for her when she went to Thai :D McDull!! Yeah!!
19) Marpig also bought 2 packs of Myojo prawn noodles from Singapore!! Out of so many instant noodle brands, therez no Myojo in the UK!! Why?! :P Anyw, itz the flavour Marpigz mom likes :)
20) Finally, wat CNY without sm CNY goodies?!
Anyw, just been back home for CNY and back to the UK in 短短 4 daes (effectively) and despite the short and tiring trip, therez lotsa 趣事!! (^_^) Here goes:
1) TD on 10th evening, had dinner with Marpigz dad and sis and chatted to the 粄面 lady boss for a good 1/2 hr on running biz and babies. Marpigz dad and sis (and actually Marpig) loves 粄面. They also ordered fried (black) carrot cake and 蚝煎 :D__
2) Met PS for supper @ Bedok 85. Had a difficult time hailing a taxi in Singapore, much more difficult than the UK!! Anyw, got to her place in a daze cos Marpigz batt was running out. Luckily shez got a visitor and so Marpig am able to catch 39 winks b4 they embark on the Bedok 85 supper trip
Marpig got over-xxxcited and they ordered a bowl of 瘦肉粥, a bowl of 肉搓面 (Marpig didnt eat the noodles at all, just the meatballs!! :P), otak otak, BBQ chicken wings, stingray, mussels!! Actually, it isnt alot but considering PS isnt a bottomless pit and Marpig wasnt ready to 发功, itz pretty much there
After supper, they went to Marpigz fav Mt Faber (Marpig likes 山 and 水!!), hoping to find a dark enough place to play sparkles!! However... everywhere they went, itz either the street lamps were too bright or they were "too bright" (playing gooseberries 啦!!)
And so, in the end, they went to TBPark at 2ish am
3) At TBPark, they met a young Malay boy, height bout 1.3m, age 12(?) Small build. Watz so strange was, itz 2ish am on a Wednesday and he was in the park alone!! "Interrogating" him, they got to noe tt hez:
- Waiting for his gr (he meant gf)
- Hez in Sec 1
- Hez name is Samuel Tan
4) He saw Marpig holding 6 boxes of sparkles and he also wanted to join in. And so, Marpig suggested having a competition with him in lighting the sticks of sparkles. At 1st Marpig was using the lighter but itz crap, so she "cheated" and used lit sparkles to do the rest. Guess wat, PS helped the dark side!! Referee kayu!!
5) Was really tired, hence went back to PSz and attempted to race 100m with her on Mario and Sonic at the Olympic Games on the NDS. Watz so funny was tt (all along) she didnt noe tt NDS has Wi-Fi ability!! *faints* Anyw, she won the 100m race even though she didnt noe how to play; all she did is to follow wat the screen instructed: "Rub!!" hahahaha
6) Went home at 4am, slept until 6am, woke up and had bf with Marpigz dad and sis. Then went to SNEC to speak with doc bout Mapigz dadz glycoma. Everyth was ok, his condition is not serious. Will be helping them to do research by doing laser (not the laser pple do for myopia) on 1 eye. Researchz objective is to find out the effectiveness of laser treatment on glycoma. He will be monitored for 5 yrs and within the 5 yrs, if his condition worsens *touchwood*, they will exit him from research and immediately do laser on his other eye
7) Whilst Marpigz dad was away @ work, both Marpigz sis and Marpig 打扫除 in order give the 兰花 sm space :)
Marpigz dad bought a pot of purple orchid and itz sooooo pretty!! :D Taking a close-up:
Seems like the flowers are smiling :)8) Was throwing many ths which Marpigz dad had amassed and saw the HUGE jigsaw puzzle hanging in the living room which was pretty dirty. Marpigz sis told Marpig tt it will stay bcos itz the product of every1z effort *smiles* Indeed, itz was completed many yrs ago by Marpigz dad, mom (shez still ard, cooking for us :)) sis and Marpig
9) Marpigz dad cooked her fav food again!! Yumyumyum!!
10) Met JM at her momz stall and helped her. Itz a fun and interesting xperience, much to JMz disagreement :P Also had a quick snack with JM at TBMarket where they had 水粿, cheng teng and 一点红!!
The name of the dessert is really 一点红!! 
11) After meeting JM, Marpig wanted to go home to prepare for dinner later with XT, Sansao and MW. However, Balachan called Marpig and told her bout Piglet and Whinnie the Poo(h) Bearbrick toy. Hence, Marpig met Balachan @ TBPlaza and even jioed her to play this!!
Game was introduced by fellow gaming 发烧友 XT and boy itz fun!! :D Balachan and Marpig played the game and guess wat, they ranked 1st!! ahahhahahah11) Managed to meet up with Sansao, XT and Mr and Mrs Tan for vegetarian steamboat and German Bridge!! The already-sensational game was made even more xhilerating when they used "choc chips" which XT bought from Las Vegas!! Show hand!!
As usual, when Marpig plays German Bridge, she will always bring the game to another 高潮 by 出乎意料的 bidding!! :P
Marpig holding a set of full of aces and Ks, Qs, etc :P Throughout the game, Marpig 咸鱼大翻身 twice!! However, she still cant beat the power of MW in her new love nest!! Sansao wasnt too bad either at "一路發"!!
12) XT and Marpig missed the last train to go home after the game!! Luckily XT is a NR veteran!! And so they took NR7 home. Ah~~~ Must thank XT!! She shared her scarf with Marpig so tt she will not get too cold from the blastering aircon in the bus. At tt time, Marpig, due to xtended period of not sleeping, was in a zombie stage, with stomachache. Rem she did speak to XT on the bus but really cant rem wat she was saying hahahaha itz like Marpigz drunk!! Only rem she was so tired tt she slept until itz time for XT to alightAnyw, the bus driver was really kind and let Marpig alight at Hong Lim so tt Marpig didnt have much to walk home :) On her way home, Marpig took a pic of CNY 夜景 in Chinatown which Marpig am so fond and familiar with...
13) Was so tired tt she didnt meet up with Dingko Nut to conquer tt stretch of road :( Didnt go anywhere on 除夕 but slept from 2am to 1030am, had bf with sis and went back to sleep from 11am to 330pm!! Woke up and realised Marpigz dad had came home earlier to continue 打扫除 with Marpigz sisNow, Marpig actually likes to 打扫除 with Marpigz dad and sis :) Why? Bcos it can be hilarious!! The story goes tt Marpigz dad loves hoarding thingies; whether they r useful or not, in good condition or not. He will try to keep everyth while Marpigz sis will analyse b4 she throws ths away while Marpig just throws ths away (cos she noes for sure which r the ths tt arent to be kept) Quoting MW, Marpig also wants the house to be "minimal"!! hahahahaha
Marpigz dad: *Sitting on the armchair, feeling tired from all the pack-a-packing*
Marpigz sis: *Looking at the 2 BIG DVD players* How? Are u going to sell them or keep them?
Marpigz dad: ... Just pack them and I will see if my frens want them lah
Marpigz sis: Yr frens wont want them lor!! They are so old and big!! And if they want, they will buy new ones!! Even if u sell it to garung guni, he will also think twice!!
Marpig: ... Think daddy wants to set up an electronics museum where he has different generations of DVD players. *Pointing to the biggest Pioneer DVD player* This one is generation 1, then therez generation 2 *pointing to the slightly smaller don-noe-wat-brand* and then therez also the latest generation *pointing to the slick and small A5 sized DVD player hez using currently*
All: *laughs* hahahahhahaha
14) Had 团圆饭 @ Marpigz auntyz place. Food was great, just tt Marpigz batt still wasnt fully charged. Anyw, after dinner, Marpig caught the movie, 錦衣衛 with JM!! Ah~~ it was eons since Marpig caught a chinese movie in the cinema at home!! The movie was great!! Recommended!! :D
15) JM also gave Marpig a snack which Marpig thought was funny enough to be mentioned here!!
大三巴!! hahahahahaha16) Marpig did mention in her previous bloggie entries tt she loves shopping downstairs at the CNY stalls during 初一 wee morning with Marpigz sis. Not so much the cheap goodies (not cheap anym!! No more 50 cents goodies!!) but more the time with Marpigz sis *smiles*
Anyw, they didnt manage to find anyth worth 扫货 xcept durians!!
Ah~~ Actually, Marpigz sis wanted to just get 3 for 10 dolla. But the durian uncle, eager to go home asap, packed 3 more into the bag and told them all for 10 dolla!! hahahhahahaha When they went home, the crazy sisters sat down and took photos b4 devouring 1 of the 6 boxes of durians, at 3ish am!! hahahahhahaha17) On the day tt Marpig was to fly back to the UK, Marpigz dad also flew to Penang in an earlier flight to visit his frens. In addition, PS came to see her off immediately after touching down from Auckland!! They then took a photo tog with PS in her Singapore Gal uniform!! The last such photo was taken 5 yrs ago when Marpig just left for the UK. Wow!! How very different!! Marpigz sis also took a photo with the Singapore Gal as she cant resist the chance!! :P
18) Marpigz sis bought the M&M choc toy for Marpig when Marpig told her itz nicer than the rest *beaming like a child* :D In front of the Viking is wat JM got for her when she went to Thai :D McDull!! Yeah!!
19) Marpig also bought 2 packs of Myojo prawn noodles from Singapore!! Out of so many instant noodle brands, therez no Myojo in the UK!! Why?! :P Anyw, itz the flavour Marpigz mom likes :)
20) Finally, wat CNY without sm CNY goodies?!
Thursday, February 18
Valencia Day 1
The next dae, JM and Marpig took a morn inter-city train to VLC. Gosh!! Marpig had been on sm trains (not alot but more than average) and tt was the 1st time Marpig felt tt the train is so much roomier than A380!! :D
The seats are wide with lotsa leg room!! In fact, so much leg room tt Beenie will be laughing!! :D
JM also had the opportunity to say hi to a cute leetle boy whoz as curious... :)
Cant rem how long the train ride took... think itz bout 3+ hours? Passing through sm of the orchards in the suburbs...
Itz the 3rd largest city in Espana and itz Latin name means "strength"/"valour". As mentioned, itz the birthplace of paella as well as Orxata aka Horchata (will talk bout this drink in detail later)
An interesting thingy bout paella is tt itz NOT Espanaz national dish; itz a regional Valencian traditional dish and Valencians considered it their identity symbol. Therez 3 widely known types of paella; Valencian paella, seafood paella (Marpigz 最爱) and mixed paella (Marpigz sis would love this). The 1st has chicken, rabbit, snails (smtimes) and duck (smtimes too). Seafood paella is self-xplanatory while mixed paella is basically combining both Valencian and seafood paella
Anyw, JM and Marpig reached the hotel, checked in and chatted (for quite sm time!!) with an interesting and funny receptionist (guy named Alvaro) Ooo~~ :P Found out from him bout places to visit in VLC and places for makan
Cant really rem watz their plan. In fact, think there wasnt much of a plan as to where to visit (Marpig surely noe naught) but think itz to visit 1 of the UNESCO place again. But prior to tt, they had a quick paella for lunch (again!!) with Marpig ordering this as well:
Think itz preserved cod with red peppers in olive oil and salt... OMG!! Itz nice but VERY VERY saltish!! hahahaha
The cafe where they had their lunch was along Placa del Mercat where 3 attractions are within a stonez throw away (literally!!) and directly opposite the Mercat Central (central market, very interesting, will blog bout it in day 2!!) Therez the Mercat Central, the UNESCO Llotja de la Seda as well as Sant Joan del Mercat (below)
On the way to other attractions which JM and Marpig wanted to cover on dae 2, they passed by a wall with a "drawing", made simply out of peeling paint. How original!!
They then came upon Torres de Quart, 1 of the remaining towers in the old city walls. As compared to the grander Torres de Serranos, Torres de Quart is not located in the touristy area of the city which is good, since it gives a much interesting feel to the surrounding neighbourhood
Marpig didnt noe wat xactly is bullfighting and has always thought tt itz simply a person wearing fanciful clothing, waving a red cloth and bull charging at the sight of the red cloth. End of story. However, now tt Marpig reads a leetle bit more into it for this bloggie entry did she realise itz so cruel and gruesome (in Marpigz own POV)!!
Anyw, enough of bullfighting!! JM and Marpig rest in a park and played see-saw!! Yeah!!
Eh... the drink is like milk with a very slight sour/sweet after taste but not as thick as milk, hence, itz ez to drink. Itz often served cold in summer and canbe used in place of milk for pple who are lactose intolerant
Anyw, JM had been "raving" bout beach in VLC which was a must-go. Marpig also fancied the idea since she longs for the sun, the sand and the sandy beach too!! :D And so, making their way to the beach which was far far away from the city (since itz also the site of the F1 race track in VLC), they met a "fren" whose surname is "拉" and her name being "彩霞" (see below)
After a metro and tram ride, they finally arrived at the main beach of VLC, Playa de Malvarossa which is also linked to Playa las Arenas
By the time both of them finished dinner, itz already bout midnight and they missed the last tram back. Actually, Marpig quite like the idea of being stranded bcos itz just so fun!! But of cos, itz time to rest and despite Marpig being always the UNIQUE one with lotsa silly ideas, they took a taxi back to the hotel. However, they did plan to get back to the beach in the wee morning to enjoy sunrise!!
Guess wat, they were too tired tt they continued to sleep even though the alarm went off (cant rem if JM did but Marpig did set alarm to wake up early!!) muhahahahahaha
Next up!! The last entry on VLC will be a photos feast!! But prior to tt last dae in VLC, Marpig shall bloggie bout her tornado 4-dae back (again!!) during CNY 2010!!
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