Back to School 08

Everytime when semester break comes around i would say it has been one of the greatest semester break i had =)

This time was the best so far… (haha!) I think it’s due to the fact that there was lots of new things waiting and i met up lots of friends that i didn’t for a long time.

The new house is great! Very spacious! I think kids can play seek with the adults and still be unfound. Evenings are one of the nicer time to seat outside in the garden to watch the birds chirping and playing before heading for their nest. The pup, Toto was fun to bully! I pulled it’s tail, whack it and drop it by accident (oops!). Too bad i don’t think we shower it enough attention to keep as a pet. Hence it’s given away to someone who can care for it.

Remembered i said i wanted to return to highschool and meet up some teachers? Vic, Vco and Dar went before i came back and how were they boasting that they got treated to a very tall mug of Neslo ice from the teachers at the canteen. Apparently, only teachers who orders can get more in a bigger sundae plastic glass, but students merely get theirs in a small paper cup =p Yeah, we gals had our fair share of fun as well… or shall i say more? Pn.Loy, Pn.Looi, Pn.Chuah all took time to chat with us in the canteen. Not only they treated us to that ‘famous’ Neslo ice but also some hock kien white kiuh steamed with dried prawns and eaten with sambal! Sadly my outrageous idea of going back to school in uniform didn’t work out. No one wanted too =p and the fact that Jea reminded me i may get caught and charge for harming the students by Pn.Chong wasn’t a very tempting idea.

This is the exact class room… last block, highest floor the end of the class… where 5Amanah was in 2004. Now the class is used by 4B, they were having recess then and there’s this gal was so nice enough to help us snap some photos. 3 of us sitting at the exact spot during then.

Rach, Yana and i were reminding each other of what happened before (frankly most of it i forgotten or wasn’t too aware >.<)
 

::writings on the wall::

yes, and the art work of SuSu still exist till this very day! Hehehe… Susu is the only one who can rub it off the wall now, because he was the only ever tall and lanky fella who did it.

Pulau Sempu, South of Malang

I went to Sempu Island a day trip during Hari Raya Haji Korban. The beach is at the South of Malang, 70km from the Malang City itself. I went with some cool people which most of them i don’t even know and paid Rp50k for the whole trip. We booked two cars and drove all the way to the higher grounds to reach Sendang Biru.

Sendang Biru

See those boats? We have to take motor “perahu” to the other side of that piece of land. hehehehe.

Pulau Sempu is that…

Off we go…

Mangrove Forest

before reaching the beach itself we had to hike through the mangrove forest you see. Ok the hiking was bad… slippery, muddy, lots of mosquitoes. This is my 2nd time going hiking. This time it’s better cos there were so many boys to help around. Thankfully not many girls went!

As we went higher the route got smaller and rockier… ooh! ok i manage with lots of help along the way! YEAH!

The beach was spectacular from those i’ve been anywhere so far. Didn’t take any scenery of the beach… but how does this sounds?

Crystal Clear water, secluded beach, with a cove of it’s own.

Some facts of Pulau Sempu, South of Malang
1) South of Malang is an endemic place for Malaria
2) Apparently they have great cheap seafood there, according to my seniors but i guess the group i went with didn’t know.
3) The island is a reserve island by the Indonesian government, hence it’s all natural baby!
4) there’s no resort or sanitation in the island, just the island itself
5) bring mosquitoes repellent, better still minyak angin!

So if you want food and water we got to buy it before going there. We can get stuff from Sendang Biru too but limited variety of food or course, only buns! We brought lots of mineral bottles there, as the hike is strenuous.

They don’t have rubbish bins there either, so kindly take your rubbish with you when you’re leaving the place. The locals here don’t do that, sadly even the people i went with don’t do that. I think someone does goes to the island and clean it up because it is so clean.. unless the waves took it away to the bigger sea.

The crew i went with minus two photographers

These people finished up my bought in Malaysia’s repellent! I will suggest use minyak angin, because it last longer, even when sweating it won’t wear off so fast.

The best part of the end of the whole trip was having to climb the gate to get inside my place with the help of some friends. That was because the caretaker went for holidays and the person in charge was missing in action! Forest climb is definitely better than gate climbing. I’ve short limbs! I can’t reach the other end =(

City

It’s been 5 days since I went online, these days away from virtual reality was much fun! I went for a 5 days 4 nights trip to Surabaya! Best part is, I didn’t have to skip classes as it was a national holiday on Thursday and the lecturer on Friday classes decided to make it a holiday too! My trip to Surabaya is suppose to be a Club meeting but turns out to be more of an outing and a visiting for me than work. I skip most of the meeting because I didn’t understand what was going on and the temptation of being in civilization that closely resembles my origins excites me nonetheless. I’m a City Girl! Only once awhile I like the quiet life.

 

There are freaking so many malls in Surabaya with lots of sky scrapers to see, weird and Old Dutch architecture buildings to see! Sound and sight of the bustling city, man this is where I should have been! I went most Jakoon to see these! You can get ‘real’ food here! Not saying that food in Malang is ‘unreal’ but proper, nutritious, yummy and good food with variety from tradition- western – Chinese cuisines! I had most self control of my expenditures this time for lodging was provided. I stayed at my friend’s cousin’s place, contract house. Never have I felt comfortable to stay in a Malaysian home here =) Ruban the host was most gracious and attentive to all our needs although I’m not a direct friend of his and I’m feel most grateful and indebt actually. I know I couldn’t be a better host than what he did. I traveling in Surabaya is most cheaper in Taxi when you’re in groups

 

MSCIA club meeting was held in Asrama Haji, part of the Airlangga University, which I’m so wow about! It’s the 2^nd nicest university after Gajah Mada University and mine will probably be the 3^rd nicest university since I’ve not seen the others yet. Medical Faculty students from all of Indonesian came! Hype I was! There were UGM, UnPad, UniBraw,  U.Hang Tuah, USU, Acheh, U.Indonesia… etc. I met really cool smart ass people from UGM! I like them, partly because they have the Malaysian slang when speaking English. Met this cool Chinese Indonesian girl who is able to converse in Hock Kien with me! Finally! Lia is her name, her parents are from Medan but they are staying in Surabaya, hence the ability to talk in Hock Kien with the slang not so foreign to my ears! I had a good time with them there, even if it was a short insignificant while.

 

The next MSCIA trip is in Acheh. Tempted to know more people and to see Acheh but not keen on attending the activities.  

Some of my Favourite morning eats in Jl.Sayang

*pak bubur*

This

the Bubur man *teng teng teng… superhero music plays*, who comes

eveymorning without fail at about 6.30am with his son hitting the

porcelain bowl with a spoon to announce their arrival. By 6am i’ll be

awake laying on on my bed with my audio sensor searching for *ting ting

ting*. Jumps out of bed and shout downstairs to teteh to order one for

me!! *slurps* Bubur man is so nice, you don’t have to pay him

immediately once you get your food.

*bubur ayam*- was the morning before my final examination of mathematics starts…

This

is my usual order. I usually have chicken porridge every morning on

exam days. Never get tire of it. Cost RP3000 only and a packet or two

keropok wil be given, cheap cheap! You can add eggs or gizzards but you

got to pay extra.

*condiments*

This

is not a clear pic but anyway this Indonesia’s style of porridge.

Condiments:roasted peanuts, fried shallots, shredded chicken meat,

lemon grass leaves(i think), a little bit of sesame oil, lontong kari

gravy (abit), ‘kicap manis’-sweet sauce, and not forgetting a spoon of

sambal. *tada*!! Thats is what makes a delicious porridge in Indonesia.

*Bubur hati ayam*

Too

some it may look not pleasing, but it taste good!! I usually have this

when i’m menstruating.Cos i think this will replanish the iron in my

body that i lose to dracula!! This is consider a heavy breakfast for

me, it will last me till late afternoon, unlike if i eat porridge in

Malaysia in a matter of less than 4hrs i’ll be hungry once again.

In Indonesia they do have ‘char kue’, but we know it fondly has ‘yau char gwai’ or ‘yew char kui’.

Theirs come in small and short form, which is about 3 times bigger than

the size of a toothpick only!! LOL, and they don’t come in pair like

here.

Sunday mornings are one of those time i look

forward going to, cos there will be a morning market(PAUN). Imagine

your University campus usually is clean and orderly looking during the

6days and on sundays it turns into morning market!! The first time i

went to the market made me unable to recognise my university the next

day. PAUN is what the locals call the morning market, a short form of

‘pasar unpad’. Lots of wet goods would ve sold then,toys, bags,

shoes,FOOD&drinks, kitchen utensils..etc.

After walking a round then my friend and i will head to this stall…

*kuih-muih*brownies is nice and the white green is good*

Ok,

i don’t have a decent and cheap bakery around my place(don’t get me

wrong,they do have 2 mini bakery but it has less stuff), if i wanted to

go to a bakery i have to go to the city,bandung! The pastries may look

dry, but taste fine. Don’t go comparing this to Baker’s Cottage, Bee’s,

King’s… pastries cos they are diffirent. Of course la those

prestigious bakeries i named are tastier than these but when you’re

there, that’s one of the best stuff you can get. Just have to lower

your expectations.

*molen/bolen*(on the right)

That is one of the famous pastries in Bandung, Indonesia!! Everytime we

will order a few boxes from the famous bakery Mayasari. This molen

comes with various stuffing: banana and cheese, durian, tapai,

apple…etc.Cost abt RP20,000 for a box. It’s so tasty that you’ll get

so hook into
it.My family always ask me to buy when i get back and it will finish in a few days time!!