I've heard of his name since I was like, 4 or 5?
This was because my dad bought his concert VCD and we played it like everyday! My dad, wasn't really into Chinese singers then, other than Teressa Teng. He knew more English songs and I've seen pictures of him when he was in his 20's. His hair was, maybe, the latest fashion then. But not the afro kinda hairstyle, which would look really scary! =P In the picture, he was posing next to a motorcycle or "jumping" with his buddies. And boy, could he dance! So I'm not surprised that he danced when someone pulled him out of the crowd to dance at a hotel Christmas Eve party.
So back to MJ. I have memories of watching his MV's on TV, or was it my dad's VCD?
I remembered the MV of Black or White where the little guy who acted in Home Alone was in the MV before the song started. His dad was calling him to turn off stereo because it was too loud and asked him to go to bed. But instead of turning it off, he pushed the larger stereo system into the living room, put on his sunshades, pulgged in his electric guitar, and tuned the amplifier to the loudest. When he played, his father who was sitting on the couch, flew off to Africa. And that was where MJ started singing. I also remembered the part where he was singing on top of the Statue of Liberty, dancing with the Thai's, the Indian, the Red Indians and the part where they took shots of people of various races singing and that was really funny! This was one of my favorite songs!
Thriller! I didn't remember much of the video but I remember the song. Scary MV even when I watch it now... There was the typical high pitched scream from a girl which became like the symbol of horror movies then. I saw those dance moves in 13 going on 30 and thought that it was really funny... Lol! But still, that was classic!
Then, there was Remember the Time. The Egyptian King (who I recently realized that it was Eddie Murphy) was looking for a entertainer to like cheer the Queen up, but no one impressed him. But then someone came in with a cape. He turned into golden sand and became MJ... That was what I remembered, but I'll watch the video again..
You Are Not Alone, I am here with you, though we're far apart, you're always in my heart... I remembered watching this MV too. But the only thing I remembered was he was singing in a pool with a waterfall and in a hall.
Heal the World and We are the World were two of my favorite songs by him. This showed how much he cared for the poor and needy around the world.
Michael Jackson held a World Record for the celebrity that donated to the most charities and also many more world records including, he most Grammy Awards won in a year, most hit singles in the UK charts in a year, best selling album of all time, longest span of No.1 hits by an R&B artist, best selling music video, highest annual earnings ever for a pop star, and most successful pop music family.
As a child, Michael Jackson was abused by his father who hit him with his belt whenever he did some wrong moves in rehearsals. He didn't have a happy and carefree childhood like every one else. Instead, he was always in the studio recording or filming.
Together with his brothers, Michael was like the lead singer in their group, the Jackson 5. My mum told me about this group when I first heard of Michael Jackson. They sang numerous classics such as, I'll Be There and ABC.
A fan or not, I give him my highest respects and feel sorry for his heartbreaking and tragic past. It's all behind him now and I hope that he is living life the way he wants now wherever he is. I give my deepest condolences to his family for such a loss. He will be forever missed.
May your soul Rest In Peace, the King of Pop.
Sunday, June 28, 2009
Saturday, June 27, 2009
Friday, June 26, 2009
Death of another King...
Michael Jackson
Aug. 29, 1958 - June. 25, 2009
Yesterday was my mum's birthday. But at the same time, it was also a very tragic day for everyone. The King of Pop, Michael Jackson, died at a young age of 50 due to cardiac arrest in his home in Los Angeles.
I heard about this from the news on the radio and I couldn't believe my ears! It felt so surreal as he was like, doing fine all this while. This news will leave girls all around the world crying and mourning his loss. I'm sure that his family, especially his brothers and little sister, Janet, will be heart-broken.
Michael Jackson was said to rank alongside Elvis Presley and the Beatles as the biggest pop sensation of all time. He was born into a family of singers. At a young age of 4, he started singing with his brothers in a group called, the Jackson 5. They sang timeless classics and the one which I loved the most was I'll Be There. His little sister, Janet Jackson, followed his brother's footsteps and became a star that shined on her own.
Michael Jackson was known for his dance moves, like the Moonwalk, and songs like, "Thriller", "Beat It", "Billie Jean", "Black and White", " Heal the World" and also "You Are Not Alone", "Man in the Mirror" that dazzled the billboards at that time. His 1982 album, "Thriller" is the best-selling album of all time, with an estimated 50 million copies sold world wide.
Not only his songs and dance moves became an influence to people around the world, he even became a fashion icon. His red-leather jacket which was seen on the music video of Thriller had made everyone wanting to own a leather jacket like him. He was commonly seen in jackets sewed with glittering gemstones and sunshades. Also, he was often seen in a white t-shirt, which was always "flying", and glossy leather shoes which was ideal for his dance moves.
He married Lisa Marie Presley, the late Elvis Presley's only daughter. But they were divorced in 1996 after two years of marriage.
Jackson caused a furor in 2002 when he playfully dangled his infant son, Prince Michael II, over a hotel balcony in Berlin while a throng of fans watched from below.
In 2005, he was cleared of charges he molested a 13-year-old cancer survivor at Neverland in 2003. He had been accused of plying the boy with alcohol and groping him, and of engaging in strange and inappropriate behavior with other children.
I was not a huge fan of his but I respected him for making such a change to the music industry. Also, I do not know whether the rumors are true, but he was still a man of many talent.
The world had again lost a true musician after the death of Elvis Presley.
He bid us goodbye too soon and he will be deeply missed.
To the King of Pop, may your soul rest in peace... =(
Aug. 29, 1958 - June. 25, 2009
Yesterday was my mum's birthday. But at the same time, it was also a very tragic day for everyone. The King of Pop, Michael Jackson, died at a young age of 50 due to cardiac arrest in his home in Los Angeles.
I heard about this from the news on the radio and I couldn't believe my ears! It felt so surreal as he was like, doing fine all this while. This news will leave girls all around the world crying and mourning his loss. I'm sure that his family, especially his brothers and little sister, Janet, will be heart-broken.
Michael Jackson was said to rank alongside Elvis Presley and the Beatles as the biggest pop sensation of all time. He was born into a family of singers. At a young age of 4, he started singing with his brothers in a group called, the Jackson 5. They sang timeless classics and the one which I loved the most was I'll Be There. His little sister, Janet Jackson, followed his brother's footsteps and became a star that shined on her own.
Michael Jackson was known for his dance moves, like the Moonwalk, and songs like, "Thriller", "Beat It", "Billie Jean", "Black and White", " Heal the World" and also "You Are Not Alone", "Man in the Mirror" that dazzled the billboards at that time. His 1982 album, "Thriller" is the best-selling album of all time, with an estimated 50 million copies sold world wide.
Not only his songs and dance moves became an influence to people around the world, he even became a fashion icon. His red-leather jacket which was seen on the music video of Thriller had made everyone wanting to own a leather jacket like him. He was commonly seen in jackets sewed with glittering gemstones and sunshades. Also, he was often seen in a white t-shirt, which was always "flying", and glossy leather shoes which was ideal for his dance moves.
He married Lisa Marie Presley, the late Elvis Presley's only daughter. But they were divorced in 1996 after two years of marriage.
Jackson caused a furor in 2002 when he playfully dangled his infant son, Prince Michael II, over a hotel balcony in Berlin while a throng of fans watched from below.
In 2005, he was cleared of charges he molested a 13-year-old cancer survivor at Neverland in 2003. He had been accused of plying the boy with alcohol and groping him, and of engaging in strange and inappropriate behavior with other children.
I was not a huge fan of his but I respected him for making such a change to the music industry. Also, I do not know whether the rumors are true, but he was still a man of many talent.
The world had again lost a true musician after the death of Elvis Presley.
He bid us goodbye too soon and he will be deeply missed.
To the King of Pop, may your soul rest in peace... =(
Thursday, June 11, 2009
Do you believe in ghosts?
First of all, I would say that I'm not really a fan of the superstitious and ghost busters or anything, but it's like they've always say, curiosity killed the cat.
As stated in the books, ghost mostly won't harm people unless they are disturbed or is seeking for vengeance to those who murdered them. Not being superstitious or anything, but it's better to believe in spirits than not believing in them. There are some things that can't be scientifically proven. Myths continue as myths.
I like to watch Ghost Whisperer although the ghost always scares the heck out of me when I watch it alone, but there's always a happy ending.. ;) There's also the series of the True Singapore Ghost Stories, which are, like the titile, True. True or not, most are the stories are absorbing and tantalizing. Although most of the stories send shivers down my spine, most of it teaches us valuable lessons. But, I wouldn't like to encounter those spirits myself, no thanks!
On second thought, there is this 1 ghost that I would like to meet. Elvis Presley's! And I think I know where to find him. But it'll cost me fortune to be able to travel to that part of the world, Las Vegas, USA! Plus, according to research, he is mainly spotted at the hotel suites. I can't even afford a plane ticket there! Moreover a hotel suite, at the Hiltons?! Needless to say...
For you all to read it, I'll just type out the summary of it, not the whole story.
ELVIS LIVES ON IN VEGAS
Melody Teo, 28, kindergarten teacher
My husband Kim Seng is a technician with the Republic of Singapore Air Force. Last year, he was sent to the US to upgrade his skills at the major air force base there. It was a one-year attachment. The months dragged on until he was finally due to return to Singapore. I was so happy.
Kim Seng had a surprise for me. "Honey," he said over the telephone, "we're going to have a second honeymoon in Las Vegas."
I was over the moon. It would be a romantic reunion.We would spend four nights in Vegas, followed by a short stay in San Francisco before returning home from Los Angeles.
I joined Kim Seng in Vegas where he was waiting for me at the airport. The clink-clink sound of the jackpot machines were evident as they were scattered around the airport. People who were about to leave Vegas were still caught up in the gambling fever as they deposited coins into the machines, clinging on to the hope of a little windfall before they left.
Kim Seng had spared no expenses to make this a memorable week for me. He had booked a suite at the luxurious Las Vegas Hilton. It is a magnificient hotel with world-class amenities.
World-class stars perform at this hotel, which is situated along Paradise Road. It was not an apt name because I felt I was in paradise. One has to visit Vegas to appreciate its allure. There are so many world-class hotels, casinos, restaurants and attractions for tourists.
At night, it's like a magical kingdom. When the sun sets, Las Vegas is so brightly lit as the casinos try to lure visitors in their own special themes. It has been estimated that it costs US$265, 000 to light up the streets of Vegas for just one hour!
On our last night, we were on our way back to the hotel room after another session at the casino. Standing in front of us was someone who looked like Elvis Presley, in his heyday, with his trademark sideburns and all.
For the younger readers, Elvis was nicknamed "The King" and was a lengendary singer, entertainer and actor. He died in 1977 at the age of 42.
My parents had been huge fansof his. I saw some of his movies and I thought he was incredibly handsome when he was young, before he started boozing and getting high on drugs.
My husband and I assumed that this guy was one of the thousand of Elvis impersonators around the world. I waved to him and he gave us a smile. He looked like he was in his early 20s, just like Elvis in his prime. This guy was gorgeous. If I weren't a happily married woman, I wouldn't have minded going out on a date with him.
Anyway, "Elvis" suddenly started singing. He delivered a lovely rendition of the classical hit "Love Me Tender". It's one of the greatest love songs of all time. Not only did the guy look like Elvis, he sang like Elvis.
We were touched. My husband took out a $20 bill as a tip, thinking that he was one of the hotel's staff, paid to serenade the guests. But this dead-ringer for Elvis declined the tip. He said in a distinctive Southern drawl, "You all have a lovely evening. This song's on me."
I whipped out my handphone and asked my husband to take a picture of me with Elvis. I wanted to show it to my parents when I got home.
My husband did as he was told but Kim Seng looked pale after taking the picture. I thought he was jealous because "Elvis" had his arm around my shoulder. I thanked Elvis and said goodbye. He walked away towards the lobby and dissapeared among the crowd.
My husband still looked stunned. I asked him what was wrong.
He showed me the picture on the screen. I looked at it and I felt goose bumps rising on my arms. There was no sign of "Elvis" in the picture! I was all alone, smiling like I was the happiest person on earth!
A member of the security personnel saw us standing there and came over to ask if we were all right. We told him what had happened.
He laughed. "Oh, you guys aren't the first and won't be the last. The King lives on at the Hilton."
Apparently, Elvis was a frequent performer there back in the 60s and 70s when the hotel-casino was known as The-International. It later made way for the current day Las Vegas which stands on the same site. But Elvis never left. According to the beefy-looking security specialist, Elvis made it a point to serenade unsuspecting couples at the Hilton.
Kim Seng and I made our way back to the hotel room. That song had been a karaoke favourite of his. But after the experience, he's since changed his. "I'm never going to sing 'Love Me Tender' again," he said.
We laughed it away. It had not been a scary experience. We felt privileged that The King had chosen us as his audience for his encore.
Wow! I wish I had that privilege of listening to The King himself singing to me... =) Although not a really big fan of his, I still enjoy most of his songs, like Lilo from Lilo and Stitch. =P So to prove that Melody wasn't dreaming, here are the articles of other visitors' encounter with Elvis in Las Vegas, Hilton.
Ghost Stories:
Elvis has not left the building. Yes, The King of Rock n' Roll himself is said to haunted the Las Vegas Hilton. He is said to haunted numerous locations in the building. His ghost has been seen in the penthouse suite. Initially all one suite it is now divided into smaller suites. (One of them is occupied by Barry Manilow at the time of this writing.) Elvis' ghost has been spotted in a freight elevator that he often took refuge in from his adoring fans. He has also been spotted in the basement area underneath the theater where he would hang out with the musicians, and backstage where he has been seen by stagehandds. It has even been reported that Mr. Las Vegas, Wayne Newton has seen the ghost of Elvis at the Las Vegas Hilton. (these stories all assembled from the Haunted Vegas Tour.)
As stated in the books, ghost mostly won't harm people unless they are disturbed or is seeking for vengeance to those who murdered them. Not being superstitious or anything, but it's better to believe in spirits than not believing in them. There are some things that can't be scientifically proven. Myths continue as myths.
I like to watch Ghost Whisperer although the ghost always scares the heck out of me when I watch it alone, but there's always a happy ending.. ;) There's also the series of the True Singapore Ghost Stories, which are, like the titile, True. True or not, most are the stories are absorbing and tantalizing. Although most of the stories send shivers down my spine, most of it teaches us valuable lessons. But, I wouldn't like to encounter those spirits myself, no thanks!
On second thought, there is this 1 ghost that I would like to meet. Elvis Presley's! And I think I know where to find him. But it'll cost me fortune to be able to travel to that part of the world, Las Vegas, USA! Plus, according to research, he is mainly spotted at the hotel suites. I can't even afford a plane ticket there! Moreover a hotel suite, at the Hiltons?! Needless to say...
For you all to read it, I'll just type out the summary of it, not the whole story.
ELVIS LIVES ON IN VEGAS
Melody Teo, 28, kindergarten teacher
My husband Kim Seng is a technician with the Republic of Singapore Air Force. Last year, he was sent to the US to upgrade his skills at the major air force base there. It was a one-year attachment. The months dragged on until he was finally due to return to Singapore. I was so happy.
Kim Seng had a surprise for me. "Honey," he said over the telephone, "we're going to have a second honeymoon in Las Vegas."
I was over the moon. It would be a romantic reunion.We would spend four nights in Vegas, followed by a short stay in San Francisco before returning home from Los Angeles.
I joined Kim Seng in Vegas where he was waiting for me at the airport. The clink-clink sound of the jackpot machines were evident as they were scattered around the airport. People who were about to leave Vegas were still caught up in the gambling fever as they deposited coins into the machines, clinging on to the hope of a little windfall before they left.
Kim Seng had spared no expenses to make this a memorable week for me. He had booked a suite at the luxurious Las Vegas Hilton. It is a magnificient hotel with world-class amenities.
World-class stars perform at this hotel, which is situated along Paradise Road. It was not an apt name because I felt I was in paradise. One has to visit Vegas to appreciate its allure. There are so many world-class hotels, casinos, restaurants and attractions for tourists.
At night, it's like a magical kingdom. When the sun sets, Las Vegas is so brightly lit as the casinos try to lure visitors in their own special themes. It has been estimated that it costs US$265, 000 to light up the streets of Vegas for just one hour!
On our last night, we were on our way back to the hotel room after another session at the casino. Standing in front of us was someone who looked like Elvis Presley, in his heyday, with his trademark sideburns and all.
For the younger readers, Elvis was nicknamed "The King" and was a lengendary singer, entertainer and actor. He died in 1977 at the age of 42.
My parents had been huge fansof his. I saw some of his movies and I thought he was incredibly handsome when he was young, before he started boozing and getting high on drugs.
My husband and I assumed that this guy was one of the thousand of Elvis impersonators around the world. I waved to him and he gave us a smile. He looked like he was in his early 20s, just like Elvis in his prime. This guy was gorgeous. If I weren't a happily married woman, I wouldn't have minded going out on a date with him.
Anyway, "Elvis" suddenly started singing. He delivered a lovely rendition of the classical hit "Love Me Tender". It's one of the greatest love songs of all time. Not only did the guy look like Elvis, he sang like Elvis.
We were touched. My husband took out a $20 bill as a tip, thinking that he was one of the hotel's staff, paid to serenade the guests. But this dead-ringer for Elvis declined the tip. He said in a distinctive Southern drawl, "You all have a lovely evening. This song's on me."
I whipped out my handphone and asked my husband to take a picture of me with Elvis. I wanted to show it to my parents when I got home.
My husband did as he was told but Kim Seng looked pale after taking the picture. I thought he was jealous because "Elvis" had his arm around my shoulder. I thanked Elvis and said goodbye. He walked away towards the lobby and dissapeared among the crowd.
My husband still looked stunned. I asked him what was wrong.
He showed me the picture on the screen. I looked at it and I felt goose bumps rising on my arms. There was no sign of "Elvis" in the picture! I was all alone, smiling like I was the happiest person on earth!
A member of the security personnel saw us standing there and came over to ask if we were all right. We told him what had happened.
He laughed. "Oh, you guys aren't the first and won't be the last. The King lives on at the Hilton."
Apparently, Elvis was a frequent performer there back in the 60s and 70s when the hotel-casino was known as The-International. It later made way for the current day Las Vegas which stands on the same site. But Elvis never left. According to the beefy-looking security specialist, Elvis made it a point to serenade unsuspecting couples at the Hilton.
Kim Seng and I made our way back to the hotel room. That song had been a karaoke favourite of his. But after the experience, he's since changed his. "I'm never going to sing 'Love Me Tender' again," he said.
We laughed it away. It had not been a scary experience. We felt privileged that The King had chosen us as his audience for his encore.
Wow! I wish I had that privilege of listening to The King himself singing to me... =) Although not a really big fan of his, I still enjoy most of his songs, like Lilo from Lilo and Stitch. =P So to prove that Melody wasn't dreaming, here are the articles of other visitors' encounter with Elvis in Las Vegas, Hilton.
Las Vegas Hilton
The ghost of Elvis is said to haunt the entire top floor of the hotel (now broken up in to smaller suites with one occupied by Barry Manilow at the time of our visit) He has also been seen in the basement near the theater and in a freight elevator that he used to ride in to avoid the crowds of fans hat would follow him.Ghost Stories:
Elvis has not left the building. Yes, The King of Rock n' Roll himself is said to haunted the Las Vegas Hilton. He is said to haunted numerous locations in the building. His ghost has been seen in the penthouse suite. Initially all one suite it is now divided into smaller suites. (One of them is occupied by Barry Manilow at the time of this writing.) Elvis' ghost has been spotted in a freight elevator that he often took refuge in from his adoring fans. He has also been spotted in the basement area underneath the theater where he would hang out with the musicians, and backstage where he has been seen by stagehandds. It has even been reported that Mr. Las Vegas, Wayne Newton has seen the ghost of Elvis at the Las Vegas Hilton. (these stories all assembled from the Haunted Vegas Tour.)
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
Finally! Music Man Concert Pictures!
Finally. here they are! The long awaited pictures for "some of you guys". Sorry that it's already 1 month ago. Yeah, time flies, doesn't it? Well, better late than never, right? Most of the pictures weren't taken by me. Their names are on the pictures, =) Credit goes to them! Thanks to them, I can remember the memorable night, with pictures! Because the security was pretty tight that night. They don't allow any photography and video taping, even at my seat where I can't even see him.. . =___= Therefore, these pictures are really precious and rare! =P
So here are the pictures so that you can have a better visual in your mind instead of me just blabbering about it in my previous post. And oh, mind you that the pictures are not arranged according to order... ^^'
Boston Restaurant, one of the main sponsors for the MM concert.
The entrance to my seat.
4 eager HOManiacs cant wait to get the party started!
Me and Si En.
We thought the Xpax logo behind us was nice, so we... posed...
The stall that sells RM10 dinner set with 2 bottles of mineral bottles, 1 packet of nachos and sandwiches to win a chance to go to the after party and it's right in front of the entrance to my seat.
Leehom and his violin! The perfect pair! =) 落叶归根 and When You Wish Upon A Star... Ahhh....
The scene where he fell through the stage, "into the water" after 安全感 and this is when the phrase "当Music-Man卸下他英雄外衣时，他也是一个需要爱情的普通男人。" was shown.
Lol! He said: "祝大家身体健康！"after he drank.
Usual/common pose made by Leehom when he raps/sings.. =P
Dramatic entrance made by the Music-Man and this, is when the yelling and screaming started! *Ahhh!!! Leehooommmm!!!!!!*
Leehom imagining himself playing 爱你就等于爱自己's piano ending.I love this shirt by the way! It's sold at the concert but it's really really really expensive! RM80! There's the Bahamut "slinging" over the back of the T-shirt, pretty cool huh?
*要不要我继续？要要要！真的要我继续？要要要！当我说KL你说, Yo!*
Cool shades! *女朋友！！*
One of my favourite outfits for the night.
Jamming at the piano. *Baby 想给你 爱的鼓励！*
Sparkly hair... =)
Your friendly neighbourhood, Spiderman! *Spidey!!!*
Ironman! *theme song playing*
Bruce Lee & Jackie Chan! *kung fu song*
Superman! *superman's main theme*
Last but not least, the real hero of the day, Music-Man!
Happee birthday, Leehom!
4 Leehoms on stage simultaneously?! I must be dreaming~ *pinches myself!* Presenting, the Change Me band!
The main singer of Change Me band, Leehom! =P
172 secs of Birthday wishes for Mr MM by HOManiacs.
Bahamut's first "Roar"!
水墨画 guitar! Loved it... =)
Leehom rocking out on his guitar.
Tuesday, June 9, 2009
Vote! Vote! Vote!
金曲奖's around the corner and the competition begins!
The online website for the ceremony is always lacking because the Leehom fans (one of them is me) and Jay fanskept refreshing the page to vote!
The vote for
Jay for this sec: 4018468
Leehom: 4016617
The next sec,
Jay: 4019883
Leehom: 4019860
O.o How many people exactly is on this page frantically clicking away?! Well, I'm one of them. I've opened 6 new tabs to click and refresh after every click! This is cheating! You'll be saying. But this is competition! =P
So, go go go! Go vote for Leehom! He can't be behind Jay!!!
http://ent.qq.com/zt/2009/20gma/index.htm
The online website for the ceremony is always lacking because the Leehom fans (one of them is me) and Jay fanskept refreshing the page to vote!
The vote for
Jay for this sec: 4018468
Leehom: 4016617
The next sec,
Jay: 4019883
Leehom: 4019860
O.o How many people exactly is on this page frantically clicking away?! Well, I'm one of them. I've opened 6 new tabs to click and refresh after every click! This is cheating! You'll be saying. But this is competition! =P
So, go go go! Go vote for Leehom! He can't be behind Jay!!!
http://ent.qq.com/zt/2009/20gma/index.htm
Sunday, June 7, 2009
I visited 1 of the World Heritage!
Woah... Big title, huh? It's nothing big actually.
Did you know that Gunung Mulu National Park, Kinabalu Park, Melaka and Georgetown are 4 of the 878 properties forming part of the cultural and natural heritage which the World Heritage Comittee considers as having outstanding universal value?
Haha! Malaysians! Stand proud against the world! =P
So anyway, as usual, we were 1 hour behind our schedule. My dad planned to wake up at 6am and get going at 7am. But we woke up at 7am and got going at 7.30am.
When we reached Melaka, it was raining. Quite a good start actually. Melaka is usually HOT! I wonder whether it's because of their geographical position or what? But who cares? I'm in Food Heaven and surrounded by cool antiques and buildings! =)
Actually, we wanted to eat the Chicken Rice Balls at a restaurant but then there was a line outside.. O.o So we ate at the other restaurants, just beside The Orangutan shop if you know where that shop is.
The Orangutan shop is actually an art gallery selling T-shirts with the owner, Charles Cham's art works. He believes in the balance in life and Yin and Yang and was in France some years back. There was a shirt saying, "Play Safe. Use Malaysian Rubber." =_= You know what it means, don't you?
Next, my dad went looking for this shop of another artist. Jehan Chan? According to my dad, he was quite famous even back in the 1990's. His art gallery is quite far from the restaurant that we were eating at and we have to walk there.. @_@ On the way there, we stopped by many many shops and we weren't exactly looking for the gallery, just my dad was the only one looking.
Then we stopped by the cendol shop... =D Yummy! The first time I went there was 2 years ago? I think. With my choir buddies when we finished our concert, we celebrated by going for a trip, FREE! =) But we have to pay for the food and all that. After that, I fell in love with that Cendol there.. I ate 2 bowls yesterday, by the way. RM1.70/bowl. Reasonable, right?
Then we checked in the hotel at about 2pm. Avilion Legacy, Melaka. I have to say that that hotel is really... dirty. The carpets were dirty and stained. They even have a weird, old hotel kind of smell. Yuck! We didn't even want to swim in the pool. Small.. The lobby was dimly lit and looked really like a place that Malays liked. No offence!
We stayed in the hotel till 5.30pm after finish watching Rogue, the croc movie based in Australia. I think it's called Rogue. My cold-blooded sister laughed throughout the movie. =__= She said the croc was too fake and when the croc ate one of the people, she laughed... Swt! Then, we went to the Portugese Village for dinner.
There were still Portugese here, but mixed with the locals. They even still speak Portugese! You would think that they are Malay if they don't speak. But they speak better English. Fascinating History!
Then, we went to Jonker Street which was PACKED, CROWDED with people! Maybe it's because it's Agong's Birthday. But anyway, I saw my cousin brother and a friend there. What a coincidence! I didn't buy anything to eat because I was too full. My sister and I walked around and saw the LeSportsac selling almost in every stall! The first stall when we asked for the price, it was RM45.. O.o That expensive for a fake one?! We walked on and saw those little lamps made from rice paper. My sister wanted to buy one but they designs was limited. So I suggested that we walk on and see if other stalls sell them too. But then we stumbled across a stall which sold more designs of the LeSportsac. I've seen some of my friends using it and I liked the designs. We asked for the price, and guess what, it's RM28! HUGE difference! My sister and I each chose 1 and they sold the bag at RM 50 for 2 bags. I loved the little girl at the stall. Her mum was busy chatting away but she was selling the bags. Cute girl! =) In the end, we decided not to buy the lamp since we don't even know where to put it and our room's already full with this-and-thats.
My dad didn't want to walk with us. Instead, he sat at the Pub. After our stroll, we went back to the pub to meet him and there was a LIVE band there singing. Well, not exactly a band but a singer. So we sat there and enjoyed the music. My mum was singing to each song and was reluctant to leave after that. The traffic jams there made us reach the hotel at 1am when we left Jonker Street at 11pm.
A little history: Jonker Street used to be a street where the merchants and sellers live so the houses, which are now shops, are not that big. But the street where the rich and famous live long ago was way bigger. They use to go around in horse carts so they have stables for their horses.
I have to say that the shops there are just really, really old. They were actually houses where the rice merchants used to live in. There's an air well in the house, so it's pretty cooling. The shops are LOOOONG... Divided into several parts of the house. There's also a well in most of the shops where they used to draw water from. Cool!
There were lots of pubs, Nyonya restaurants, art galleries, cookie and local delicasie shops, batik shops and lots and lots of antique shops. I went in one of the antique shops and took a trip back to the olden days. I saw a gramaphone and some old records. I even saw one record which plays Elvis in Concert. I saw old cameras, telephones, safe boxes, lamps, jewelery, forks, spoons, knives, glass bottles, clocks which are still working, pictures, signs, weapons, toys, magazines. There were also the Wang Pisang which was mentioned in the History text books. I also saw a "medicine cabinet" where old Chinese doctors used to keep their herbs. I'm sure you've seen this in those Chinese movies set in ancient China. And again, COOL!
My mum said my grandpa used to have some of the antiques there but most of it was broken. My grandpa's old house is an old colonial style bungalow wher ethe British used to live before they went back to England. They left behind their furniture and my grandparents used the furniture instead of throwing it away.
The antique shops were dusty and I can hardly catch my breath in there. But it's really cool to think of who used to own all those and it made me want to really go back in time to see how people used to live.
The Nyonya food there was one of the main attractions there. The Chinese came from China when Cheng Ho and Hang Li Po came to Melaka back during the days and brought servants and armies. Most of them got married with the locals and there you have the Baba and the Nyonya. Which was a "mix" of the Malay and the Chinese. They experimented with the food and the spices we have here and came out with mouth watering dishes, a fusion of the Chinese and Malay. There was also the multicoloured kuihs which are oh-so-delicious! The Cendol is also one of the Nyonya delights. Genius inventions~
I ate lots of yummies there, saw lots of foriegners there, saw lots of eye opening antiques there, took lots of pictures of the antiques , too! Even though I think that is not really allowed... ^^' The place was as usual, HOT and old and mind boggling. The mind boggling part was when I imagine myself back in the days when I look at those antiques. COOL STUFF! The crowd this time made me not wanting to go back there soon and the traffic jam back to Klang was just -- ugh!
So I hope the next time I go there, I won't have to squeeze shoulder-by-shoulder with the tourist. And I hope my dad can get a bigger car real SOON so that we won't have to stuff all 6 people in a Mercedes. Why, oh why did he sell his Innova! T_T
Did you know that Gunung Mulu National Park, Kinabalu Park, Melaka and Georgetown are 4 of the 878 properties forming part of the cultural and natural heritage which the World Heritage Comittee considers as having outstanding universal value?
Haha! Malaysians! Stand proud against the world! =P
So anyway, as usual, we were 1 hour behind our schedule. My dad planned to wake up at 6am and get going at 7am. But we woke up at 7am and got going at 7.30am.
When we reached Melaka, it was raining. Quite a good start actually. Melaka is usually HOT! I wonder whether it's because of their geographical position or what? But who cares? I'm in Food Heaven and surrounded by cool antiques and buildings! =)
Actually, we wanted to eat the Chicken Rice Balls at a restaurant but then there was a line outside.. O.o So we ate at the other restaurants, just beside The Orangutan shop if you know where that shop is.
The Orangutan shop is actually an art gallery selling T-shirts with the owner, Charles Cham's art works. He believes in the balance in life and Yin and Yang and was in France some years back. There was a shirt saying, "Play Safe. Use Malaysian Rubber." =_= You know what it means, don't you?
Next, my dad went looking for this shop of another artist. Jehan Chan? According to my dad, he was quite famous even back in the 1990's. His art gallery is quite far from the restaurant that we were eating at and we have to walk there.. @_@ On the way there, we stopped by many many shops and we weren't exactly looking for the gallery, just my dad was the only one looking.
Then we stopped by the cendol shop... =D Yummy! The first time I went there was 2 years ago? I think. With my choir buddies when we finished our concert, we celebrated by going for a trip, FREE! =) But we have to pay for the food and all that. After that, I fell in love with that Cendol there.. I ate 2 bowls yesterday, by the way. RM1.70/bowl. Reasonable, right?
Then we checked in the hotel at about 2pm. Avilion Legacy, Melaka. I have to say that that hotel is really... dirty. The carpets were dirty and stained. They even have a weird, old hotel kind of smell. Yuck! We didn't even want to swim in the pool. Small.. The lobby was dimly lit and looked really like a place that Malays liked. No offence!
We stayed in the hotel till 5.30pm after finish watching Rogue, the croc movie based in Australia. I think it's called Rogue. My cold-blooded sister laughed throughout the movie. =__= She said the croc was too fake and when the croc ate one of the people, she laughed... Swt! Then, we went to the Portugese Village for dinner.
There were still Portugese here, but mixed with the locals. They even still speak Portugese! You would think that they are Malay if they don't speak. But they speak better English. Fascinating History!
Then, we went to Jonker Street which was PACKED, CROWDED with people! Maybe it's because it's Agong's Birthday. But anyway, I saw my cousin brother and a friend there. What a coincidence! I didn't buy anything to eat because I was too full. My sister and I walked around and saw the LeSportsac selling almost in every stall! The first stall when we asked for the price, it was RM45.. O.o That expensive for a fake one?! We walked on and saw those little lamps made from rice paper. My sister wanted to buy one but they designs was limited. So I suggested that we walk on and see if other stalls sell them too. But then we stumbled across a stall which sold more designs of the LeSportsac. I've seen some of my friends using it and I liked the designs. We asked for the price, and guess what, it's RM28! HUGE difference! My sister and I each chose 1 and they sold the bag at RM 50 for 2 bags. I loved the little girl at the stall. Her mum was busy chatting away but she was selling the bags. Cute girl! =) In the end, we decided not to buy the lamp since we don't even know where to put it and our room's already full with this-and-thats.
My dad didn't want to walk with us. Instead, he sat at the Pub. After our stroll, we went back to the pub to meet him and there was a LIVE band there singing. Well, not exactly a band but a singer. So we sat there and enjoyed the music. My mum was singing to each song and was reluctant to leave after that. The traffic jams there made us reach the hotel at 1am when we left Jonker Street at 11pm.
A little history: Jonker Street used to be a street where the merchants and sellers live so the houses, which are now shops, are not that big. But the street where the rich and famous live long ago was way bigger. They use to go around in horse carts so they have stables for their horses.
I have to say that the shops there are just really, really old. They were actually houses where the rice merchants used to live in. There's an air well in the house, so it's pretty cooling. The shops are LOOOONG... Divided into several parts of the house. There's also a well in most of the shops where they used to draw water from. Cool!
There were lots of pubs, Nyonya restaurants, art galleries, cookie and local delicasie shops, batik shops and lots and lots of antique shops. I went in one of the antique shops and took a trip back to the olden days. I saw a gramaphone and some old records. I even saw one record which plays Elvis in Concert. I saw old cameras, telephones, safe boxes, lamps, jewelery, forks, spoons, knives, glass bottles, clocks which are still working, pictures, signs, weapons, toys, magazines. There were also the Wang Pisang which was mentioned in the History text books. I also saw a "medicine cabinet" where old Chinese doctors used to keep their herbs. I'm sure you've seen this in those Chinese movies set in ancient China. And again, COOL!
My mum said my grandpa used to have some of the antiques there but most of it was broken. My grandpa's old house is an old colonial style bungalow wher ethe British used to live before they went back to England. They left behind their furniture and my grandparents used the furniture instead of throwing it away.
The antique shops were dusty and I can hardly catch my breath in there. But it's really cool to think of who used to own all those and it made me want to really go back in time to see how people used to live.
The Nyonya food there was one of the main attractions there. The Chinese came from China when Cheng Ho and Hang Li Po came to Melaka back during the days and brought servants and armies. Most of them got married with the locals and there you have the Baba and the Nyonya. Which was a "mix" of the Malay and the Chinese. They experimented with the food and the spices we have here and came out with mouth watering dishes, a fusion of the Chinese and Malay. There was also the multicoloured kuihs which are oh-so-delicious! The Cendol is also one of the Nyonya delights. Genius inventions~
I ate lots of yummies there, saw lots of foriegners there, saw lots of eye opening antiques there, took lots of pictures of the antiques , too! Even though I think that is not really allowed... ^^' The place was as usual, HOT and old and mind boggling. The mind boggling part was when I imagine myself back in the days when I look at those antiques. COOL STUFF! The crowd this time made me not wanting to go back there soon and the traffic jam back to Klang was just -- ugh!
So I hope the next time I go there, I won't have to squeeze shoulder-by-shoulder with the tourist. And I hope my dad can get a bigger car real SOON so that we won't have to stuff all 6 people in a Mercedes. Why, oh why did he sell his Innova! T_T
Monday, June 1, 2009
Summer's Near!
Summer! =)
Bah... It's summer all year round here, but to celebrate the end of Spring and the beginning of a whole new adventure, Summer's here!
With the bright sun and the packed beaches, ice cream stalls everywhere, sun shades and sun hats can been seen on beach-goers lazing around soaking up the sun, naked on the beach.. =P
With the new arrival of a new season, I'm changing the picture of my blog...
Theme: Summer Sun...
ps: I'm on holiday too! Not a summer vacation or anything, but just a 2 week holiday... i hope i'll enjoy it and recharge to get back to school 2 weeks later! =)
Bah... It's summer all year round here, but to celebrate the end of Spring and the beginning of a whole new adventure, Summer's here!
With the bright sun and the packed beaches, ice cream stalls everywhere, sun shades and sun hats can been seen on beach-goers lazing around soaking up the sun, naked on the beach.. =P
With the new arrival of a new season, I'm changing the picture of my blog...
Theme: Summer Sun...
ps: I'm on holiday too! Not a summer vacation or anything, but just a 2 week holiday... i hope i'll enjoy it and recharge to get back to school 2 weeks later! =)
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