Monday: Up at like 4:30 to say goodbye to my dad and Nisa, as they were leaving for the honeymoon. Back to sleep. Slept in for the first time in a quite some time, which was absolutely wonderful. We got up and there really wasn't much here for breakfast, so Tie and I decided to walk over to Mines to get something to eat and look around. About 2 minutes out of the door and it starts pouring down rain. Of course. We had umbrellas but it really didn't do much good. After almost losing my flip flop to the mud, we made it there. Completely drenched and coming in to air conditioning is not a pleasant feeling. We went over to Old Town White Coffee and I had some delicious french toast. It was stuffed with Peanut Butter :-) Love me some peanut butter. We sat and talked for about an hour or so, which was wonderful. I don't get to see her as often as I would like so it was good to just chat. We walked around and did some shopping, took care of getting some souvenirs and found some pants to wear so that we could ditch the nasty wet jeans. I bought my bag of Milo to take home! yummy!!! Walked back to the house, and thankfully it wasn't raining this time. We hung around the house for a while. After dinner Nisha, Tie, Siti, Rabitha and I piled in the car and headed over to this place called Jusco to look around maybe do some more shopping. Their mom and Aunt Sal and Duan and Nana met us there and we all walked around for a bit. Eventually Nisha, her mom, Rabitha, Sal and I went and got traditional Thai foot massages. OH MY GOODNESS soooo relaxing. I am still shocked that I didn't fall asleep in the chair. The rinse your feet over these stones, and then lead you to the massage chairs. They then wrap your feet in towels and bring you this lovely tea to drink. It was a roughly 25 minutes on each foot/leg and then 10 minutes on the shoulder/neck/scalp area. I wish I could have someone do that for me every day. Once we left there it was back to the house where Tie and I had a date to watch the Amazing Race. All in all a fantastic day!
Tuesday was really low key... went over to Sal's for lunch and then lounging around watching TV. It was rainy and kind of dreary. After that we went to Aunt Ina's house to say goodbye to Ayin :-( It was her last night in Malaysia before heading back to school in Australia! I already miss that girl so much!!! I unfortunately had a splitting headache so fell asleep in car on way back, and then straight to bed.
Wednesday was another active and amazing day! Nisha, Tie, Rabitha, Siti and I headed out for adventures around KL. Our first stop was the Kings Palace. You can't go inside the gates, but you can look through them and we took pictures with the mounted guards outside. After there it was off to the Muzium Negara (National History Museum) of Malaysia. It was a really interesting place to visit. Outside they have three different trains from Malaysia's history. In the main museum there are four separate halls: Gallery A: Early History, Gallery B: the Malay Kingdoms, Gallery C: the Colonial Era, and Gallery D: Malaysia Today. I learned a lot of things about the country and its history. Next stop was this open air aviary, but we only had lunch. We ate at the Hornbill restaurant ! It was sooo good. I had mushroom soup with bread, and chicken satay with peanut sauce. We ate out on the balcony and birds would fly right up and sit on the railing beside you. Such beautiful birds. After that we visited the KL war memorial. It was a very nice war memorial, with purple water and fountains and a statue honoring fallen soldiers. On the way back to the car we stopped at a chocolate shop, so I was in heaven. During the evening we went to Petaling street, which is a small line of "shops" near Chinatown to buy cheap souvenirs and knock off purses and watches and that kind of thing. Almost like a flea market. It was a bit too confined and hot for me. Next up was a fruit stand on the side of the road so that they could get Durian. That fruit tastes good, but oh the smell is atrocious. I tried this fruit called mangosteen and it is amazing. Sadly I don't think I can find it at home in the US. It looks like a plum with leaves on it, but the bottom has a flower design and depending on the number of petals it tells you how many pieces are inside. If you don't crack it right I learned it turns your fingers purple. I don't care, it was so good. Since eating never stops we went to another side of the road/hole in the wall food place and met Sal, uncle Raus, Duan and Nana and had some food. I had roti canai with condensed milk. MMMM! Another great but exhausting day.
Today (thursday) We went out to finish up some shopping and took their mom with us. We went to Central Market first which is a small indoor shopping center. I got almost all of the rest of my souvenirs there, plus a purse for myself. My new grandma (their mom) bought me this beautiful ring with an amethyst type stone in it. It is so lovely. Ate lunch again at Old Town White Coffee (another franchise that need to be stateside), where Ina met us. Next stop was India Town again to get the rest of the items I was looking for for people. Grandma bought me a nice blue top and Ina bought me a gorgeous turquoise scarf. I just about finished up all my shopping for people. Came back and did a bit of packing/re-organizing of items.
Just sitting around watching TV right now and getting a bit sad that the trip is almost over. Tomorrow brings last minute shopping, packing and getting Dad and Nisa from airport. Having a big dinner with all the family and then flight 9:40 Saturday morning. :-( I will try to update before I get home, but doubtful. I will likely have a trip wrap up within a day or two of getting home.
I LOVE KL!!!!
Thursday, October 1, 2009
the Reception
This was the day I was kind of dreading. It was going to be outdoors and hot and lots of people and that's all I knew going in. Thankfully it was really amazing and not terrifying at all. My dad and Nisa had traditional Malay wedding attire they wore, and both of them looked wonderful. I was in another Baju and Tie fixed my hair in a bun type up-do. My dad had to leave to go to Aunt Sal's to await the start of the reception. When he came back, we escorted Nisa down. He was waiting with his procession of guys and we had to walk her over to meet him. Then they were to walk over to greet people together. An amazing drum troop had been hired to play as they walked in. I want them at my wedding! :-) They sat down on these chairs in the middle of the parking lot area where the reception took place and a traditional wedding martial arts performance was done. It was really neat to watch. After that they greeted the elders and then off to the head table to eat. I actually got to sit at the head table as I was my dad's closest relative there. The food was absolutely amazing, especially the roast chicken. I even tried some fish. Of course the photographers were taking pictures the whole time and filming video. They did capture the impromptu singalong to "Stand By Me"! The song came on while a bunch of us were up there taking pictures and we all started singing! It was just a classic moment. The reception was mostly eating, greeting people and taking picture after picture. Eventually they went upstairs to change into different outfits to come down and cut the cake. OH MY the cake!! So yummy!! It was a bit different than the cake cutting at an American ceremony. Here the bride and groom feed each other and that is it. In this one they feed a lot of people and those people feed them. I didn't care so long as I got cake! hahaha!!
It was a blast, but it was sooooo hot. Thankfully people kind of came and went and it was never an overwhelming amount. That wrapped up around 6 and we all got to go change and kind of relax. Ate some more food of course. Later that evening when all had calmed down a bunch of us went outside with little cherry bomb type fireworks and sparklers and played with those on the playground. Played on the playground too! It was a blast!! (pun intended) I was exhausted that night and while we intended to just nap, Tie and I both passed out.
Sunday was just kind of a more relaxed day. We got KFC for lunch, and it was yummy!! A bit different than the KFC in the states, but not much. We also had these donut type things that you dipped in this mango sauce. Delicious! It was mostly family in and out saying goodbye and things. In the evening, Tie, Atin, Nana,Ayin Dyana, Ikah,and myself went to MINES and went bowling! I wanted to steal the purple shoes, but alas I didn't. Bowling is also different here. If you are playing teams on two separate lanes and one lane gets ahead, it stops them and sends the other teams bowlers to that lane to catch up. Often times you would be bowling on one lane and then switching over to another. It was quite odd. We ate corn in a cup (something I am determined to franchise in the US) and the waffles filled with chocolate! MMMM!
The rest of the evening consisted of my dad and Nisa packing for Phi Phi Island and just relaxing with leftover family. It was a really nice day.
I will update this weeks festivities later!
It was a blast, but it was sooooo hot. Thankfully people kind of came and went and it was never an overwhelming amount. That wrapped up around 6 and we all got to go change and kind of relax. Ate some more food of course. Later that evening when all had calmed down a bunch of us went outside with little cherry bomb type fireworks and sparklers and played with those on the playground. Played on the playground too! It was a blast!! (pun intended) I was exhausted that night and while we intended to just nap, Tie and I both passed out.
Sunday was just kind of a more relaxed day. We got KFC for lunch, and it was yummy!! A bit different than the KFC in the states, but not much. We also had these donut type things that you dipped in this mango sauce. Delicious! It was mostly family in and out saying goodbye and things. In the evening, Tie, Atin, Nana,Ayin Dyana, Ikah,and myself went to MINES and went bowling! I wanted to steal the purple shoes, but alas I didn't. Bowling is also different here. If you are playing teams on two separate lanes and one lane gets ahead, it stops them and sends the other teams bowlers to that lane to catch up. Often times you would be bowling on one lane and then switching over to another. It was quite odd. We ate corn in a cup (something I am determined to franchise in the US) and the waffles filled with chocolate! MMMM!
The rest of the evening consisted of my dad and Nisa packing for Phi Phi Island and just relaxing with leftover family. It was a really nice day.
I will update this weeks festivities later!
Let the Frenzy Begin
So things had been semi-stressful most of the week with wedding stuff. Most nights there were so many people here, I couldn't think straight, but I started to learn how to adapt to it. We had a lady come over to do henna for Nisa and my dad for the wedding, but she also did, Nisha, Tie, myself and a few of the other girls. I loved my henna hand! :-) We also went and got our eyebrows threaded.. which was interesting. Not as painful as tweezing or waxing ladies!
We did have a bachelorette party type evening for Nisa. A large group of us, Nisa, my dad, Tie, Nisha, Boy, Bad, me, Zaileen,her sisters, Ayin, and Nalin all went to this restaurant called the Sky Bar , and let me tell you it was wonderful! Amazing view of downtown KL and stunning pool in the middle of the place. Food was yummy. I had 2 French Martini's, so good! Strange being the only one drinking though. After dinner we split up. The boys took my dad out and us girls took Nisa out. We went to this club called the Loft. It was odd though, because of the H1N1 outbreak we had to have our temperatures taken before we could enter the club. Got a nifty fever free sticker though. This place was more like a R&B dance club. We had a great time just dancing and enjoying the night life. "Single Ladies" came on and we all just went all out, and of course poked fun at Nisa's last days of being single. Afterwards we went to this side of the road soup place, and it was delicious. I actually ate a lambs intestine...
Thursday was really just a day for last minute running around and getting wedding stuff taken care of.
Friday was D-Day so to speak... wedding day. The religious ceremony wasn't until 6 at night, which meant up early and lots of waiting around. If there is one thing my dad and I have in common it is a deep hatred of sitting around waiting for something like that. Thank god for Nisha, because she took me out to run last minute errands which got me out of the house, which was full of people. The men all went to Friday prayers around 1, so that helped calm things down for a bit. Around 3 we all started getting ready, which meant putting on our Baju's. Plus since we were going to the mosque I had to keep my head covered. The scarf we initially got didn't seem to want to stay on at all. So after a little switching around we found a good one for me, but it made me look like Little Red Riding Hood. We got to the mosque around 4, and it was so beautiful. Went inside and the women and men were separated into rooms to wait. Eventually we were called down into this little hall where the ceremony was being held. It was a nice, short service, but we sat on the floor so my leg kept falling asleep. The way it worked was my dad, and Boy and her dad all sat on the stage with two of the elders of the family and the man that presided over the ceremony. Nisa sat on a pillow on the floor with her closest female family around her. Her dad and my dad both had to recite some things, and Boy read this long list of things. Upon offering a gift of 80 RM, it was official. They exchanged rings
and he kissed her forhead and they were married! :-D Afterwards there was a lot of picture taking up on the stage. Then back to the house for another giant feast and lots of people.
I am so lucky to have Nisa as my step-mom! I love her so much and I welcome her to the family with open arms. I also have wonderful Step-Aunts in Tie and Nisha and great step-uncles in Boy and Bad(even if he is younger than me). My new grandmother is an absolute sweetie and I have an abundance of new cousins to love!
We did have a bachelorette party type evening for Nisa. A large group of us, Nisa, my dad, Tie, Nisha, Boy, Bad, me, Zaileen,her sisters, Ayin, and Nalin all went to this restaurant called the Sky Bar , and let me tell you it was wonderful! Amazing view of downtown KL and stunning pool in the middle of the place. Food was yummy. I had 2 French Martini's, so good! Strange being the only one drinking though. After dinner we split up. The boys took my dad out and us girls took Nisa out. We went to this club called the Loft. It was odd though, because of the H1N1 outbreak we had to have our temperatures taken before we could enter the club. Got a nifty fever free sticker though. This place was more like a R&B dance club. We had a great time just dancing and enjoying the night life. "Single Ladies" came on and we all just went all out, and of course poked fun at Nisa's last days of being single. Afterwards we went to this side of the road soup place, and it was delicious. I actually ate a lambs intestine...
Thursday was really just a day for last minute running around and getting wedding stuff taken care of.
Friday was D-Day so to speak... wedding day. The religious ceremony wasn't until 6 at night, which meant up early and lots of waiting around. If there is one thing my dad and I have in common it is a deep hatred of sitting around waiting for something like that. Thank god for Nisha, because she took me out to run last minute errands which got me out of the house, which was full of people. The men all went to Friday prayers around 1, so that helped calm things down for a bit. Around 3 we all started getting ready, which meant putting on our Baju's. Plus since we were going to the mosque I had to keep my head covered. The scarf we initially got didn't seem to want to stay on at all. So after a little switching around we found a good one for me, but it made me look like Little Red Riding Hood. We got to the mosque around 4, and it was so beautiful. Went inside and the women and men were separated into rooms to wait. Eventually we were called down into this little hall where the ceremony was being held. It was a nice, short service, but we sat on the floor so my leg kept falling asleep. The way it worked was my dad, and Boy and her dad all sat on the stage with two of the elders of the family and the man that presided over the ceremony. Nisa sat on a pillow on the floor with her closest female family around her. Her dad and my dad both had to recite some things, and Boy read this long list of things. Upon offering a gift of 80 RM, it was official. They exchanged rings
and he kissed her forhead and they were married! :-D Afterwards there was a lot of picture taking up on the stage. Then back to the house for another giant feast and lots of people.
I am so lucky to have Nisa as my step-mom! I love her so much and I welcome her to the family with open arms. I also have wonderful Step-Aunts in Tie and Nisha and great step-uncles in Boy and Bad(even if he is younger than me). My new grandmother is an absolute sweetie and I have an abundance of new cousins to love!
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