will i am's delayed diary

Checked out from The Tudor early the next morning, and headed to Chang Jiang for breakfast. An old  single-storey bungalow serves as a cafe, and coffee retail space. Business was really brisk. I don't recall the food being very memorable, but I can say for sure that the instant coffee is more expensive at the HQ than in KL! Ridiculous. Mum and I attended the 10:30AM Sunday mass at St. Michael's Church. Anyone approaching the church would first be greeted by the Catholic cemetery flanking Church Road on both sides. The main church has two towers, and has a bronze statue of St. Michael Archangel at the entrance. Churches usually have a Marian grotto, but at this Ipoh church, the statue of Mother Mary is located in an oriental pavilion.  The moment we left the compounds of the church, our Ipoh food hunt officially started. KH gave me strict instructions to get his favourite kaya puffs from Sin Eng Heong . BIL dropped me by the road and I hopped into the store. A man with a full ...

We were a lot more prepared for All Soul's Day for 2023 ( yes, I know that I have been slacking a lot! ). By 8:30 AM ( the ground was wet and muddy but the sun was shining brightly ) we were already at dad's grave and had decked out all our offerings. BIL brought a foldable stool for Little Monster who was now my go-to candidate for reciting the rosary. Wrapped things up, and by 10 AM we were having a dim sum breakfast at Teck Kee . The place has a weird self-service system. Generally not to my liking with the exception of the lohmaikai and kopi . The boss seems to have a landscaping hobby judging by the entrance that's decorated with all sorts of animal statues, Chinese proverbs, clumps of bamboo.  Then it was off to visit my aunt and cousin, before buying some Liew Kee CCF, and stopping for some cold desserts at Hawaii . So shocked to find a stray hard-boiled quail egg in my cendol . Next stop, Ipoh! Accommodations were booked by my sister at The Tudor , a bungalow in ...

On our last day in Gopeng, we had another adventure-- spelunking at Gua Tempurung! We were herded there via the lorries again. Equipped with helmets and headlamps, we headed into the limestone cave. The first part was a walk in the park, with flood lights, proper walkways, and stairs. A great way to admire the numerous natural rock formations, and the huge caverns. Ironically, the large caverns felt stifling, whereas the small caverns were cooling. Think its because the air flows near the cave walls. The next section was more treacherous and required guides. Some of the sections required us to slide down from a height of nearly two-storeys high, and also crawl into holes to drop to lower floors. Not something one can do safely without assistance. At one point, we had to do a claustrophobic crawl through a cave filled with water only to emerge into a pitch dark cave. Really quite an experience. When we came out, we were actually below the walkways of the first part of the cave. We were ...

Enjoyed a long, quiet breakfast at the mess hall all by myself. Before long, my colleagues had returned from their tree-planting activity. Next up was some light team-building activities at one of the halls. The usual ice breakers, some IQ questions, a team dance-off, and finally a kind of treasure hunt that had us roaming across the whole compound. The highlight of the day was a barbecue dinner, and a birthday celebration for the October babies ( that's me! ). Some colleagues also lit Kong Ming lanterns, but I stayed back. As the night drew on, we started snacking, drinking, and gossiping. The hottest topic was the supernatural event that happened the night before. The owner of the resort actually organized a night jungle walk. Strangely, after the group had left, one Malay colleague returned. Turns out that the resort owner strongly advised her not to join. According to the story, the resort owner sensed a spiritual presence around her that would not have been compatible with th...

Birthdays are always marked by meals with family and friends. Simple food as I wasn't feeling very well. Been incubating some germs for a week. Gratitude to SK, CK, Lifebook, Bless, Lifebook, Jaded Jeremy, Bunny, and SimonLover for celebrating with me. Goes without saying that KH is highest on my thank you list. And it also goes without saying that SimonLover added more sexy gear to my collection.  About a week after my birthday, I headed to Gopeng for a company team-building trip. A total of two buses made the trip north. Our first stop was at Nasi Bamboo Sungai Klah for lunch. The food wasn't extraordinary, but it gave me the chance to try Ikan Pekasam, a pungent fermented fish that repulses many of my Malay colleagues. At Gopeng, we ditched the buses because the MyGopeng Resort is not easily accessible. We boarded two lorries like how you see pigs being transported to the market. The ride was uncomfortable and bumpy. I was so tired of standing, that I ended up sitting down ...

Keeping with my BEC's tradition, Malaysia Day is reserved for our local pilgrimage trip. In 2023, we chose Teluk Intan as our destination. On our way out of Kuala Lumpur, we flew past the famous broccoli-like Giam Kanching trees over the Rawang Bypass and stopped at Kuala Kubu Bharu. We participated in a Malaysia Day mass at St. Paul the Apostle Church , a parish that's as old as Malaya. Fr. VA Michael celebrated the mass, and after that he gave our group a special blessing. On the way out, our bus got caught on a telephone line. Luckily we got hold of some long poles and managed to get ourselves out of the kerfuffle.  Continuing on, we had a short photo stop at Sungai Selangor Dam  before arriving at Church of the Most Holy Redeemer , Tanjung Malim for a private mass. The celebrant was Fr. Vincent Paul. We were a tad late for lunch, but luckily Ban Heong was not far from the church. No complaints about the food in terms of taste and portion.  Pushed on to Teluk Intan, a...

On the last day of our pilgrimage, we returned to St. Francis Xavier Church in Kuta to join the public mass. The parish priest was from Nusa Tenggara, and he was very charismatic. At the parish, religious sisters distributed communion wafers, and they still practiced the blessing of children, which I had not seen in a long time. And they actually collect money for parking in the church compound. Right after mass, the group of pilgrims from East Malaysia left for the airport, while we crossed the road to visit another shopping mall. Quite dead, nothing much at all.  Headed to the Krisna complex for lunch. Above the multiple floors of Balinese souvenirs is a beautiful rooftop restaurant called Ayam Betutu Ajik Asli Bali . We had a good meal of deep-fried duck. Right after that we left to catch our flight home. 

The sixth day of our trip coincided with Kuningan, a major religious celebration in Bali. Everywhere we went, the locals were dressed in either yellow or white. Started the day with mass at Denpasar Cathedral , a fairly new structure with a bare brick facade and white statues. Above the altar was a rotunda with a mural of the Pentecost. While in town, we were dropped off at a shopping mall to do some shopping, and grab a cup of coffee. Shopping never fails to work up an appetite and the choice of lunch at Warung Ikan Goreng Renon was excellent. The fish was fresh and spicy, paired with super crispy bakwan jagung. Evangelisation in Bali was pioneered by two Dutch priests, and through their efforts, the first Catholic church was established-- Gereja Tritunggal Mahakudus . The design is very traditional, and has a Balinese style bas relief above the altar with traditional script describing the Last Supper. The parish priest welcomed us, and even paused an altar aervers camp so that we co...

Sun and skin was the theme for our fifth day at Bali. Pure island excursion with no church visits. Before the crack of dawn, we were herded into our bus with a breakfast box. Pelabuhan Sanur is a busy port, so it was best that we arrive early to beat the crowds. The bus was not allowed in, so we had a brisk morning walk to the port. The port building was obviously brand new, shaped like a sea dragon of Balinese legends. Although we arrived early, it was only 90 minutes later that we boarded the boat to Nusa Penida . Some of us prepared motion sickness medication, but truth be told, it wasn't very choppy. On the island, we broke into small groups of 4 or 5, and got into SUVs. Proper tarred roads were few and far in between, so we were practically bounced for 45 minutes in the vehicle before we got to the attractions. Firstly, we stopped at Crystal Bay , which wasn't an exceptional beach, but there was some eye candy. Compared to the other visitors, we were obviously not embraci...

The fourth day of our pilgrimage brought us to the western end of Bali. Journeyed nearly 4 hours by bus to Palasari with the usual long toilet break at the Alfa Mart outside of Kuta. The architecture of Gereja Hati Kudus Yesus was really unique, imbued with many local artistic influences. Most notable was the array of statues depicting the Twelve Apostles dressed in traditional garb. The church building was built like an aircraft hangar with an ornate altar. Mass was celebrated there followed by Stations of the Cross in the greater church compound. Once we finished the final station, we visited a hilltop Marian grotto with a giant crucifix. The Palasari parishioners showed us excellent hospitality by preparing a traditional, home-cooked lunch for us. The spread included various local salads, satay lilit, and soup. A very delicious lunch. On the way back, we made short toilet stop at Soka Beach .  Our journey back to Kuta took longer than usual due to bad traffic, delaying our din...