Here and There

We were out and about for the last two weeks. First mom, sis, nieces and nephew came visiting for about a week.

Henry (right) and Brian (cousins) really adore each other :) Can't bear to let Brian go home.

 

Earlier, they were at the crocodile farm - more pictures here. It was really hot and humid so we didn't really stay that long and the boys were restless almost immediately wanting to go to the next stop.

Pink face due to the heat.

Notice William's new teeth. Hope they are not "wai wai" one.

Then, last weekend, me and hubby went looking for fresh fish...

No! not on this boat...Am just playing around with the camera..

 Stop by the jetty at Kpg. Rambungan and have a 'long walk' right to the end of the jetty.

Several people were fishing there and one of them caught a kilo+ fish.

 

  There were lots of fish at Kampung Sempadi but not our type of fish...catfish...yikes!

Still at Kampung Sempadi, we met an old man busy building this long boat.

Talked to him for a few minutes...hmm...hubby likes to talk to strangers who turned out to be his friend's uncle...small world...

Then, its home sweet home without fresh fish.

Wet! Wet! Chinese New Year

Today is the 4th day of Chinese New Year (CNY). The rain didn’t stop and it is still raining this morning. The sun only managed to show itself once or twice since the first day of CNY.

The last few days was spent indoors, visited few relatives and friends as well as the temples. Today, we would like to visit some more but we are still waiting for the rain to stop. Here are some pix taken the last few days.

Happiness is........

.....when the boys are happy and I am with them...yes simply that!

Yesterday I took William and Henry to MV Doulus. Doulus is stopping over in Kuching till 3rd Jan 2009. Been here since 10th Dec.
The last time I was on it was more than 5 years ago when William was still in my" womb" :).
They have never been on a "big" ship before so this is such a special occasion for them.

Want to Know How to Catch Crabs?

We used to do this a lot before the boys came along. I think it's earlier than that....about 10 years ago. Hubby and I love to go out fishing, prawn fishing or catch crabs. Then we got busy, then came the first baby then the second and now they are little boys and we are even busier. And of course, in between that I got addicted to wire jewelry....hehehe...
Anyway, today hubby decided to go catch crabs and asked me to tag along. So, we did just that (took the older boy along - William). First we went to purchase six crab traps and a stingray head for baiting. Here are pictures showing the whole process....

What We Did Today

Nothing much! We went out for a ride up country looking for buah langsat (a local fruit), but ended up with bananas instead.

Henry really loves bananas, wall up two at one go. William is not a fruit person so he didn't touch the bananas.

He'd rather pretend to be sleeping...................
Comfortably napping on grandma's lap after the two bananas....
and very happy after that..........................

Two Little Bicycles for the Boys & Durians

Today I only managed to make these two little bicycles, one each for William and Henry. It was like a "commercial break" for me before getting into more "serious" wire wrapping. But when they were done, headache decided to pay a visit again. So, I went to lie down (because I feel weak and its better to lie down) till almost 4pm when hubby said he wants to go find some durians. Since I am only required to sit down in the car (and continue with my sleep), I decided to tag along. 

Scroll further down for durian pictures.

Here are pictures of the durians. If you are wondering how durian taste like, look at the last picture :D - Henry said it all.

Random 6 Things

I've been tagged by Corra, and I supposed I'm gonna tell you 6 things about me.

Here are the rules:

1) Link to the person who tagged you
2) Post the rules on your blog (this is what you are now reading)
3) Write 6 random things about yourself (see below)
4) Tag 6 people at the end of your post and link to them
5) Let each person know they have been tagged and leave a comment on their blog.
6) Let the tagger know when your entry is up.

Here's the random 6 things about me:

1. I collect pens, expensive or cheap, branded or unbranded.
2. I keep very short hair to save time, contrary to what some people think – to save shampoo! Lol but that’s what I tell people.
3. I love carpentry work (woodwork).
4. I am a very patient person (extreme), that it can be annoying sometimes.
5. I prefer comfort to fashion but don’t mind if I can get both.
6. I love to laugh out loud.

Now here's the list of unfortunate six.
1. Henry from Borneo Pitstop (Henry introduced me to the world of blogging)
2. Mei Mei from Story of My Life (William’s favorite Cece)
3. Bell from Forever Warm, Forever Autumn
4. Adam from Ah Ok-lah
5. Putty from Make Up and Beauty Tips
6. Szarka from AskSzarka

My Dream of Becoming a Jewellery Maker

Well, I should have posted earlier but my internet access at home was not so good for the last few nights. And now its lunch time so I steal some time to tell you what happened yesterday.

First of all, I thought my dream is really turning into reality when I saw a position vacant for a Jewellery Maker in the paper last Friday. Interesting right? Without wasting time, I called the number and arranged for the interview. The voice on the other side said that it is ok if I don't have the qualification as training will be provided and I can bring some of my pieces as proof of my creativity or ability in making jewelry....No problem there.

Packed all my pretties (remaining ones) and yesterday, at 2pm I showed up at the place for interview. Nice place and jewellery on display and for sale. Salivating already...:). I introduced myself and apologize that I didn't bring my resume as it will be irrelevant with the post I am interested with....yeah! an environmental management and social study background wouldn't help me in this application...I think...hoho. And it was proven when I showed him my pretties. To make the story short, after some chit chatting (yeah the interview is very informal), I am hired on the spot! WOW! What a great feeling...feels like jumping up and down really.

THEN, we came to discussing the wage, a very important part as you know the current economic condition is not that good...fuel price increase, followed by others, etc. etc. at the end of the day, our pay is just enough to pay off loans and other basic necessities of life.

My shocked when I heard what he will be paying/month must have shown very clearly on my face as he did say "By the look on your face, I think you will not accept this offer" (Note: must try to hide my true feelings better next time). Oh well, this is the first time where I am hired on the spot in an interview, so its such a waste that I really really! really! really!need to reconsider the offer. To pursue my dream or........I did not tell him this but what he is offering is just enough to pay for my monthly car loan. So, you can imagine roughly how much it is.

I didn't know jewellery maker is being paid this low (less than RM1000k/month). Maybe its fair as he said, he hires inexperience people and they will provide all the training needed. Do you have any idea how much is a jewellery maker being paid? Leave me a comment...

All in all the interview went smoothly and I am happy to know this young man. He is a gemologist and the owner of the jewellery outlet/s. He is hiring 7 jewellery makers this time around for his business expansion.

Finally last night I decided to decline this offer (must call him tomorrow), although with a heavy heart. I don't think I can survive with that salary. If I don't have to consider the pay, I would have accepted on the spot. But that is life. We need to weigh between reality and dream.

Drawings by William & Henry

These are drawings by my two little boys.
This top one is by William, 5+. Mummy looks like a duck or is it a chick? :) The black dots are navels according to him while I am holding the wires with my left hand. Wow! My wire working left some marks on him.....hmmmm! is that bad or good I wonder?
This one at the bottom is drawn by Henry, 2+. These are mommy, daddy, William, Henry, mama (grandma) and dada (grandpa). We all looks like potatoes! :D

Blooming Orchid

Planting orchids is hubby's hobby. This is one of his orchids currently in full bloom. Not sure of the name of this species - hubby gone fishing so can't reach him to ask...:) Anyway, this is just too pretty to ignore. So, I want to share the bloom with you here.

At Work Today

Here are some pictures taken on my trip to Bintulu this weekend. Am still here and will only be back to Kuching tomorrow evening.

Sarawak has LOTS of rivers. These pictures show tributaries of Batang Rajang (Rajang River), the longest river in Sarawak. Pix on the left shows Sibu Town, at the banks of Rajang River.

View of sunset from my hotel room. We attended the Makan Tahun, an annual fest at one of the villages north of Bintulu. Today is the preparation day and tomorrow we will be there again for the feast :)

Local kueh known as "Kelupis" (left) will be given away to the guests tomorrow.

Poor buffalo. Buffalo Horns anyone?

Prepared for the Ancestors

These dishes were prepared by mom in law this morning for the annual prayer. Do they look familiar? Yummy! Yummy!
Have a prosperous and healthy Chinese New Year! Gong Xi! Gong Xi! Angpow gia lai! :P
More yummy stuff tonight - the reunion dinner.......