what a gem of a birthday

the 35th birthday has come and gone, but the post for it has yet to come ;)

i have the least cake this year, one piece from chengyan who was with me at gemia island. she planned it with the waiter and yup, it got me by surprise. the waiter was really good at his job, coming right from my back and taking me by surprise.

so this was the cake we had. it was a big piece of black forest and that cake filled our tummies to their brim. we had our dinner facing the sea, listening to the waves and being bitten by mosquitoes at the same time. insect repellant is a must when you go.....but again, i heard it depends on the season.

this birthday was really a memorable one. thanks to the turtle hatchlings. yeah, i got to hold one in my hand and got to see their release to the sea. definitely priceless.

so now, let's share more photos taken on the island and of the resort. i am doing non-stop promo for them hor? will i get discount next time i go?

recreation centre where you can book your activities. i also saw a monitor lizard among the kayaks.

muahahaha......this can be the cover of my gemia island photo album on facebook lah.

that is pulau kapas on the background. hmm....i also like this photo ;P

the only time when the weather was sunnier. it was rather cloudy during my stay there. thank god. so no, i did not get any tan.

this is another sort of villa one can rent. i think it is the deluxe one, it is on the other side of the beach, away from the water villa and the room is bigger.

the sea water pool, but no one bothered wading in it.

sitting on the jetty.....posing for the photo. falalalalalala ;p

a big big swing at the reception building.

book corner, but none for me. most of them are in deutsche, french, russian, or some other foreign languages.

the dining area in the reception building. there is less mosquito here and you can get them to light the mosquito coil for you.

another part of the beach, called spa beach because it is near the spa. like how the hole opens up to the other side....but dun like all the accumulated dried leaves and dead twigs here.

the rockier part of the beach at spa beach....my favourite place actually because no ppl come here.

posing on the rocks ;P

this is the spa beach, where they release the turtle hatchlings too. pretty right??

the monitor lizard on spa beach. big.

everyone getting ready for the release of the hatchlings at 7pm. you can help pick them up and put them in the pail. choose the bigger ones please.

was i lucky or what? the release is not done every day but only on selected day when the hatchlings are old enough to survive in the open day. so it is definitely a great birthday due to this event.

the group who came for the release.

go go go.....am praying that you survive out there in the huge sea.

photo of the jetty bathed in the light at dusk.

collage of the turtle release

hatclings in the rearing pond.

the pond in water draining process. they check the pond at night for sights of crabs. crab means bad news because they will eat the hatchlings.

my favourite spot on th water villa. look down, it is clear water and i saw fish and crabs.

we threw some food for the fish and they all came rushing to feed. the crabs found on the rocks under the villa. of course, i used my zoom lense.

another favourite spot on the beach. a bamboo swing.

that is the mainland. only 10 minutes from the island by boat.

the side of the island where most ppl go to sunbathe and snorkel.

some bird sighting in the evening. again, the camera doing its work.

cucumber and lemon juice and the freshest fried squid i have ever tasted in my entire life!!! it is not a hyperbole. guests who went squid jiggling, sent their catch to the kitchen right after that and the cook did what he was supposed to do, and some lucky guests got a taste of this wonderful fresh stuff. the other table generously shared the squid with everyone at dinner. the squid is sweet and juicy. heavenly.

a platform for special dinner with the special one. i wonder if they get bitten by mosquitoes.

we skipped lunch and saved a bit of $$$ but dinner we had at the restaurant. tomato soup, grilled fillet, beef burger and black forest cake. i got my dinner free on the first night, my birthday treat. ;)

breakfast. we chose american breakfast and that was the plate on the right. you can have as many pieces of bread as you want and cereals and fruits too. i brought my own nescafe 3-in-1.

aahh...the bamboo swing corner with 2 hammocks . i had some relaxing time on the hammock reading alone accompanied by the soothing sounds of waves in the mid morning.

hahaa......the pair of slippers i brought along. my house slippers actually, did not bring the shoes i packed from bidor, left the whole shoe bag in the house.

the last day on the island....again at my favourite spa beach. lying on the rocks, sipping iced cold beer and reading mills and boons. bliss.

this is gemia island.....the water villas are on the other side.

my roommate for the weekend and she was the one who made my trip possible.

we were lucky as her friend was in kuala terengganu and he drove us around before our boarding time. so i got to see a bit of the town.
china town in kuala terengganu. the chinese temple which came into news few years ago as it was burnt. now it has been rebuilt but it is no longer a woodern structure but all concrete. what a pity.

got some fish crackers from this shop here in chinatown. the owner also makes fresh kaya for sale and the kaya kuih in the transparent container on top left. she let us try a piece because all had been reserved by her customers.

everything fried at teluk ketapang. fresh coconut water, fried crab, fish, squid, prawn, cucur pisang, pisang goreng, lekor and noodles. a bit too oily so definitely not for those with high cholestrol.

near the terengganu river mouth where they have beautified the area.

well, i guess that is the end of my post. so are you tempted to visit gemia island now???

turning 35 on gemia

greetings from pulau gemia, terengganu. not many ppl have heard of this place, but mention kapas, they will know it. well, pulau kapas is only less than 1km away from gemia and from my room here, i am facing kapas directly.

it is my birthday and this year, there is a getaway. have been hoping that i could get one due to all the busy work schedule at school and i guess someone listened to me and it is really happening now. i am here with another ex-student of mine. i have never actually taught her but somehow we chatted in facebook and she invited me to this trip when her friend cancelled. just my luck.

so yesterday went down to klcc to meet her before going to her house in ampang. had dinner at where else.....ben's lah. there was a queue but we did not wait long. phew.

had chargrilled seafood spaghettini, wild mushroom salad and banana cake topped with walnuts. the cake sucks, too dry....but the other 2 dishes were great. yummy.

oh, i got this when i got home on friday. such a lovely card and sent via post laju. mom said the kid was nut to spend so much on the delivery for such a small card....but i called it very very thoughtful of her. i love it soo soo soo much! don't you love those mini balloons and the shape of the card?
have received many smses and wishes on fb as well. very very touched and happy. i feel so serene turning 35 this time around. haha...the ambience and the waves help in making me feel that way. damn, i don't think of myself as a 35. most of my birthday wishes tell me to stay young. some kind of pressure that is....but one kid said.....that is how everyone remembers me....hence they wish me that. oww......how sweet.

so this morning, we were sent to the airport to board our flight to kuala terengganu for the extended weekend. i will be here till monday. woohooo!!! 3 days of paradise. this island is really a gem. yup, that is what they call it here. gem island. if you are looking for a quiet place, this is it. definitely wanna come back here again....and again.....and again.

marang jetty. the boat to the island is included in the price we paid. i think we paid rm390 each. the package comes with breakfast only.

what is the focus ah?? my bracelet of course ;) i need to have an accompanying accessory everywhere i go, and this chunky bracelet is my choice.

the boat ride at the beginning was so choppy that my heart was shrinking and expanding. luckily it got better as we were further on the sea. phew!

this ticket stub i will keep. paid rm400 for my return flight via klia. so now you can do the maths and calculate how much i have spent at the moment for this escapade.

the reception building of the resort.

the water villas. i think the occupancy rate this weekend is only 40% as what the receptionist said. ppl prefer the bigger islands i guess.

hmm....i wonder if i am taking a photo of the guy in locks or the recreation beach behind ;P

the kind of boat we took to reach the island. it is only about 15 minutes away from the jetty.

look at what we have on the verandah. but sunblock and sunglasses is a must when you sit on the swing.....the heat will get to you. the weather is rather cloudy and i dun think i see any blue patch on the sky. great. i don't want to get tanned. hope it will maintain this way. it is breezy too.

the walking path outside our villas.

the wash basin outside the toilet

a lounger on the left of the room....where i am sitting now since i have to charge the notebook at the same time

the bed with mosquito net. i heard the mosquitoes are quite active...but so far, there is none disturbing me. keeping my fingers crossed that i am not their 'good friend'.

every room is named after a gemstone and ours is jade.

toilet cum bathroom.

the view outside my room. that is pulau kapas....i think you can even swim there

a mini turtle sanctuary!!!! i want to watch turtles lay eggs!!! i hope it is possible in this trip. can you see the hatchling on the top right??? yes yes yes, it is a baby turtle!!!!

all my snacks for the trip ;P brought vitamin c along too. just had a bar of sneakers for lunch. since we have to pay for lunch here, we have decided to save a bit of money. these are all comfort foods. how i wish i have lots and lots of beer here. it is just so right to have only beer in this trip. aiyoh....regret!

nice hor??? i love it so much out there....

my entertainment for the trip.....no brainer mills and boons, community season 2 and 3, and my macbook with modem.

ok, now the power has been cut off. they do that for three hours from 2.30 to 5.30p.m. i am just going to take a nap in the heat and get all sweaty. i don't care. it is my holidays ;P

have a good weekend!!!!

my busy busy 2 weeks

i had been extremely busy for the past two weeks that i really had no time to blog. well, there is a part of me which is guilty too for spending quite some time to finish goals and catering orders on the game cafe world instead of writing and updating. there is a time limit for all the goals, hence, those have to come first. hehe....yes i am an addict.

but i will be slowing down this week. i won't be that busy anymore with extra activities, it is now back to the core business. and the pressure begins as well to produce some results. haiz.

anyway, here are some of the things that had happened in my life for the past two weeks.

first up, i celebrated the 11th anniversary of my career in teaching on 18 june. waaa.....i was reminded of the date actually by a colleague who entered on the same day. i was too busy that i had forgetten the significance of that day.
so in the end, i got to have some kind of 'celebration', with 2 ex-students and some beer and chips. it was nice getting to do something on that day. and it had been ages since i got tipsy from drinking too. it was fun going to bed with a heavy head and just drop dead once the head hit the pillow. gosh, i need those sound sleeps!

next, this is a random photo.
bought myself some propolis. google what it is if you have no idea. it will be another health supplement i am taking almost daily. it is so easy to take and has many health benefits. i just need to put 5 drops into my drinking water and that's it. it does not taste bad as well. you will get used to the smell. so every morning, when i fill my water bottle before going to work, i also add in 5 drops of propolis. easy. it is not that expensive anyway, i got mine for rm56....but just 10ml ah from an organic shop here in bidor. have given my mom a bottle too.

now to all the things that kept me really really busy and making me a skin tone darker.

sports!

i really love it but it was really exhausting.

there was the training, selection, getting body aches, painful soles of feet, discussion, persuasion, comforting, scolding, jesting, etc.

but i was really happy seeing how all the kids who were really interested listening to every word i gave and following my instructions. my pride. and i was happy to see them learning in the process, not that they know that they are learning....but i hope they will get to see all the benefits when they grow up.

and oh, there were also those touching moments when the kids came to show you all their medals and bowing and saying thank you. i almost choked. some were nobodies in form 1 and i managed to make them champions and some although did not win, they still enjoyed themselves in the competitions because i did not stress on winning. i only wanted them to try and learn and have the confidence that they can do it. it was really good and i hope i will still get to see them on the field and coming to me telling me that they still want to practise. keeping my fingers crossed.

some photos from the sporting activities i was involved in.

the kids getting ready in relay race at a neighbouring school. good exposure.

someone called this gangsta group. hehe.......on our way to collect banana leaves for a project.

gathering free banana leaves courtesy of another colleague who helped us to saw them off the plants.
discussion time.

halfway there ;) i stayed back in the evening to offer my support and help. my ideas ain't that bad.

and here are the photos taken on annual sports day.


ta-da, what we did with our hut. there were photos hanging on the wall....photos of everyone involved in making this project a success. we also had a few live tortoises in the pail there. although quite simple, it is a very soothing and calming corner to be at. okokok.....i am blowing my own trumpet....just slightly lah.

the winning goal-post-cum-hut on the actual day. congrats.

this year they even had a theme and mascot for every sport house. gosh, so much headache and effort and money too. my house did not use much as we recycled a lot. i don't see a point in wasting resources and only making things beautiful on the outside only. this win is not the kind of victory i am looking for.

yellow fighting bee.

loyal ladybird red.

slow and steady turtle green.

marine world blue.

all neatly in their lines....on a fine saturday morning.

balloons for the officiating ceremony. nope, there were not released into the air. they made some kids very happy at the end of the day.

yours truly running the last leg in the relay race for staff. first time taking the last leg. still felt extremely nervous with palpitating heartbeat and cold palms. well, it was a win again ;) but not because of my leg alone, all my other team members were good as well. unity and enthusiasm won us the hamper.

my girls doing me proud. we won both the tug-of-wars for boys and girls. nobody expected us to win in the boys category, but it just went to show that one could never count the chicks before they hatch.

oh, our hamper from the relay race. to be shared tomorrow. i am aiming the packet of mamee snacks.

see, the swing was very durable indeed. it took some courage to sit on it haha. i had some scouts in the team and also my neighbour, a kid from another sport house who helped. shhhh.....don't tell his teammates.

the winners!!!!! time to blow the trumpet really loud this time.
champion in the cross-country competition.
champion in sukan tara where every member in the house had to run, jump and throw to accumulate marks.
champion in the athletic events.
and of course....without a doubt, we became the overall sports champion for 2012. haha........we won that too last year.

we did not expect to get such excellent results at all at the beginning.....but just like the tortoise, slowly and steadily we faced all the obstacles and emerged victorious. sweet.

ok, i was not trying to show off with the two big trophies. they were left on the field and nobody was planning to collect them that i ended up doing it. haiz.....so much for sporting spirit. and no, it was not special effect on the photo. only when going through the photos that i noticed how over-exposed this shot was. not sure what happened.

so that was sports.

now let me continue and finish this post with non-sport related stuff.

;) all the way from england. sent to an address there, brought back by a kind friend.....who kept the paper bag and box all in its original form. thank you thank you thank you.

just couldn't resist myself from taking out that credit card when i saw sale on mulberry.com and the sale is still available....so go and check it out.

i got this small pouch. i was smitten when i saw love and peace. that was it. it broke all barriers and off i went frantically thinking of ways which could get me the cheapest shipping cost. not sure how i am going to use it yet.....maybe to keep loose things inside a bag.....or on its own......well, it is to be decided when the time comes.

hmm......can i call this pouch the first birthday gift to myself to be revealed here? after all, it is 1st of july now and it is also my birthday month. ;) kakaka......excuses.

some green after the black. this is the dying passion fruit plants in the house now. a hole had been cut in the middle of all the vines as they were drooping too low and they were already drying up, turning all yellowish and brownish. i guess it is just a matter of time before we chop them all off. it is good to let some sunlight finally get to the bare ground too. i can see grass already started growing. yippee!!!

what is this??? can you guess?? it is like a defibrillator that is keeping my phone alive. you can call my phone brain dead now and is only kept alive by this external battery charger. i cannot charge the phone by plugging the charger into the charger port. nope, the connection is broken. so once the phone runs out of battery, i have to take out the battery pack, slip it into this external charger, and plug it to the power point, switch it on, wait for about 3 hours for it to be fully charged, and then put the battery pack back into my phone and turn my phone on again.

so now, the clock on my phone is all wrong. once you take out the battery, the clock goes off and i am too lazy to reset the time everytime it happens. i guess my messages sent out will have weird times attached to them. kakakak.....one way to make ppl confused.

i am just patiently waiting for the release of iphone 5. so please......survive!!!!