My contribution

Not only in a form of money to contribute. We could also contribute happiness to a child.

Aleya , cried when her kitten died. She cried as if one of her friend is missing. She needed a company. 2 legged or 4 legged, whoever and whatever was around throughout her growing age is a friend to a four years old girl. With her parents, she came to my house to look for a new companion.

 

The story started when her aunt, my ex-classmate, Amie  http://ammedaj.blogspot.com/  was helping her sister, Nora (Aleya’s mom) to find a pet for her. Last night she found a new friend to take over her love from the old ones. I introduced her through Face book to No-Etika', my most lovable stray cat.

 

Aleya came with her parents and her uncle. Thats how much her family and relative concerned about her feeling.

It was just a quick pickup, as I was getting ready for my Gym session. I took a picture of them and No-Etika before we all left to our destination. I was quite sad to see the kitten left, somehow I'm happy that it has found a  new care taker. I trust they will be able to provide him a better shelter and a better name.

For the 2nd time within a week, I'm saying goodbye to a kitty. Bye kitty cat.

Applying for Visa to enter US

(For Malaysian Only)

I’ve been there and had applied for the same visa before this.

But I was wrong. I still do not know how is the procedure. That because it has been changed.

With the technology, you do not need to go all the way cruising the heavily congested Jalan Ampang Road , look for parking, go thru the tight security who will scrutinized your handbag and scan you. You do not need to fill up the physical form and you do not need to again go through all the above to submit the application.

All those can be done online, if you are willing to read such a wordy web site provided online, and make sure you read and understand. But if you are not into reading, here’s the shortcut:

1. Have these with you before clicking on the http://www.ustraveldocs.com/my/

-Your passport and you old passport that has the previous Visa to US (if any)

-Your ticket to US info

-The name of Your mom’s mother

-Your Mom & Dad’s name and birthdate (b’date is optional though)

-Addresses and full contact info of yours (Home and Mailing), your employer’s, your contact person in the US, your spouse.

-your pets name and address(just kidding)

-Laser printer.

2. Click on the URL I stated above and under title, Nonimmigrant Visa Application, click on Applying For Visa.

Ignore Step 1. (although you might ask why)

Proceed to Step 2.(Nonimmigrant Visa Electronic Application (DS-160)) . Having all those info in hand, start filling the form. Lots and lots of form you need to fill in. Losing the form due to wrongly clicked on others or get timed out is very likely to happen. I experienced 4 X of losing my sessions. When it happens,no matter how loud you swear, it wouldn't help.

Lesson to learn : Keep on saving the info whenever you’ve completed each form and NOTE DOWN the session-ID. It looks like AA005GYK(sample).Its written on the top right hand side of the form when you save it. That the only way to retrieve your previously filled form incase of getting timed out.

3. Once completed, print the ‘COMFIRMATION PAGE’. This page is needed during payment at the bank. Payment can be made ONLY at Standard Charted Bank. As of this posting, it cost RM450(USD150). No payment thru online.Yes, you need to drive to the bank. You may choose to walk there if you wished.

4. Upon payment, the bank receipt consists of the UID (Unique-ID) number. Wait for 4 hours for your payment get updated.

5.Once the payment info got updated you can now schedule for interview. Dont expect a new job. This is interview to get your visa approved or rejected. Scheduling of the interview date is also thru the website.

6. COme on the interview date. Next…

Wait for collection of your Visa.

End of the story.

Good news about the kitten

Through text messages, I’ve been asking the sweet lady, Shereen, who was willing to take care of the kitten, which I found  by the road side, hit and run by motorist last couple of weeks.

MY first question was “Is the poor kitten still alive?”. The first answer was worrying. “Alive but still weak”.

Day by day, I started to get an encouraging news. Yesterday, was the best I heard. The kitty is healthy and walking like a normal kitten and loved by the care taker. Its time for me to stop bothering Shereen with my text messages.

Thank God.

Lumut Vacation without luggage

 

Our recent weekend journey was unusual.

Visiting Nadia, my daughter, at her boarding school wasn't unusual, but the last minute decision to put a night stay in a hotel, unplanned, was.

We reached her hostel at around lunch time. Upon her request, we drove out of the school area to look for exciting place to adventure.

 

I guess the name Bukit Tempurung(Tempurung hill) is named over its look, which resembles a coconut shell. Tempurung is a Malay word for Coconut shell. There is cave there.

Yes!! Gua Tempurung (Tempurung Cave) sounds exciting, its not too far from the hostel. But then we had a 2nd thought because it was raining. How about Hot Spring?, yeah.!

Where is it? none of us know where to find the so called hot spring. Up ahead, a sign board ‘LUMUT’.

Fine.! Lets go to LUMUT, where the naval base is. Lumut is where the jetty  going to Pangkor Island located.

It took us about 1 hour from Gopeng, to reach there. By then, lunch time was almost over.

“Come back in the evening”.The friendly restaurant owner said. Great!

     

Off we left the place. We just missed his local dishes.

It was drizzling adding more butterflies in our tummies. My loving son, Adri helped to protect his mom from the rain. Thanks boy.

At last, we grabbed whatever served at one of the stall. Fried rice with salted fish, Laksa (fish based noodle soup), Fried noodle, Cendol (coconut milk based desert) and young coconut drink it is.

    

After lunch we made a few circles around the tiny downtown. Lumut is a cute little town.

My son wanted a fishing rod. He got his wish approved by his father, while my daughter and I waited in the car wondering what was his fishing plan.

Shops selling dried seafood, among others, are everywhere. Its a widely commercialized small town. What a nice place to visit.

                

Next…..Now what.?

“Can we stay one night here?”

“OK, lets check in to the hotel”.  “YEAH…!!!!”, the kids and I were excited. Never come across our mind, that my hubby would agree to such impromptu journey. Checking in to hotel without luggage? hemmmmm.. I know its weird, but its fun though.

The Orient Star (or Star Orient) Resort Hotel. I forgot the exact name of the hotel , but I will never forget the picturesque view seen from the room’s balcony.

 

Following the order of the earlier restaurant owner, we returned to his restaurant for grilled seafood dinner. It was not bad.

After dinner, we stopped by the night market.Nadia and I, of course, LIKE…!!.

Spoons made of sea coconut trunk, swords, sun glasses, T-shirts, watches, many more are sold there.

          

When we returned to the hotel, both my men went fishing by the beach. To be exact, they went to feed the fish. Their bait kept on missing. Not a single fish got hooked. Waaakaka….!!

Nadia and I played with the torch light and seashells. It was too dark to capture a photo.

In case you are wondering….. yes we didn't have any extra clothing. No slippers. No tooth  brush. No facial cleanser. No lotion. No toiletries. For those items that we could live without… we spent the night without them, as for others, we bought them there and then. Shopping is always fun especially to us, ladies.

The next morning, we spent a couple of hours by the beach. The beach provides a nice view, somehow, its a regret to see rubbish on the surrounding.

       

Adri and I found no edible shell.

12 noon.Time to check out from the hotel.

On the way out from Lumut, we stopped by a durian stall. Yum….yum…. even a lizard was enjoying the fruit (you will notice a lizard sitting on the Durian peel, in one of the photos).

 

An aunt of mine taught me the tips on how to get rid of Durian’s pungent smell from you hand. Wash you hand by water flowing from the peel. Believe me, IT REALLY WORKS .

 

After 3 durians, we drove Nadia back to her boarding school, and  we continue our journey back to Kuala Lumpur. Another 2 hours drive. Bye girl.

Ops.. I almost forgotten to tell that we also found a stall by the roadside, selling pillows stuffed with natural cotton, gotten from the cotton tree planted by the stall owner. I bought 2 of the pillow with a price of RM25 (usd 8) each.

 

The cotton tree found in Malaysia is tall and huge. I tried to capture the tree but, my hubby was driving too fast for me to get a clearer picture.

Back to my story about our journey back to KL, it was raining heavily throughout our trip. As we reached the house, the rain stopped. We were tired, but, it wasn't time to rest yet, as we had another gathering to do.

We had a quick shower and went to my inlaw’s house, invited by my sister inlaw, Tuty, for another Durian treat. Wow…! HAPPY DURIAN DAY.!

I love glutinous rice eaten with Durian gravy. I learned eating this from Kedah state, long ago.

However, since I just had durian in Lumut, I could not eat too much, this time. I chose to have more noodle, instead.

It was actually a birthday treat for Zulaikha. Happy Birthday Laikha…!!

It was only 8:30 in the evening when we reached home. And we were exhausted. For the first time in many years, our house were quiet by 10pm.

I had a chance to say good night to all my Facebook friends before retiring to bed. (YAWN..!!!)