Update 30 July 2008

Woke up at 6.30am this morning and decided that I'll take the car today and send Ed to work. We left at about 8.05am and reached office at 8.20am. Traffic wasn't too bad coz we were on carpool lanes, yippee!

Then went out to send some mails and pump petrol. Gas price is US$4.53 per gallon today and Lexus needs premium petrol which is 2 grade higher than the normal unleaded. Pumped Shell V-Power. Total for a full tank is US$68.58. The last full tank ran for 299 miles.

Then, came home and change and out I went to Club Sport Pleasanton (CSP) which is like 34 miles away from where I stay and it took me about 45 mins drive. Reason being I wanted to go visit my best friend Belinda who stays at San Ramon and who plays at CSP. Wanted to squeeze in some tennis coz I am bored just staying at home and being on the internet the whole day.

Danny, if you're reading this, you'll be proud of me coz everyone at the tennis center was amazed at how technically sound my strokes were. Wow! that was quite a compliment. Of course, I told them that my coach gets the credit. I played 4 sets with different players and it was short coz each game was 8 pts with no advantage, which means if it's a deuce, they just pick whom to serve to and play it off. They had drop in today thus, my visit. This is what we call a club nite back home in Msia. And to prove this, I am attaching herewith my photo at the court. It's all hardcourt indoors, 10 of them and 4 outdoor courts. I played from 11am till about 1pm. They are all mostly 3.0-3.5 players and they rank me in the 3.5. Not too bad. But I can tell you it was hard adjusting to indoor lighting and the bounce but I think I did pretty ok for a start. They made lots of comments and tho I told them I am from Msia, they are speculating now that I could be from Singapore, from Thailand or even Indonesia. Hmmm.. I didn't bother correcting them.

But the people at the club was really friendly and they are probably just being nice to me coz I keep telling them to be gentle. My friend says I should stop being a sandbagger which means that I tell them I am not good but actually am. Frankly, I've never thot of myself as being good, just average. And then I had problems with my 1st serve and then I started recalling all those pep talks Danny gives me and voila, the next time I served, it was an ace, hahaha. I think it's more of a fluke shot.

After tennis and lunch, left Belinda's house at 3.45pm and went straight to fetch Ed from work. Arrived at Avago at 4.35pm and came home in 20 mins only to find to our horror that the yard was flooded. Sam discovered it when we wanted to push our thrash bins inside the yard. Ok, panic, panic, panic. Whom shall I call? Omigosh, at times like this, I wished Ah Hai, my contractor was here. Anyway, 1st person I called was Allyson, our realtor. She asked me to call the plumbers on the list she gave me. I tried the 1st one and guess what? He's out playing golf. Then I asked from Allyson for the previous owner's number in case he can tell me where to shut the main valve so that water will stop flowing. Guess what? He doesn't know either coz he's never come across a leaking pipe before. Just our luck isn't it? Then I called the Water Dept which is City of San Jose and they are already off at 5pm but they gave me an emergency number and I called and they did despatch someone but guess what? He said he doesn't know where the leak is and suggest we call a plumber. Then, our new neighbor, Mark came along and asked if we're ok and we introduced ourselves (what a weird circumstance for us to have met like this). He was very nice and came over to help, getting wet while trying to find the source of the leak. He tried to shut the main valve but with no proper tools, it was difficult. He then suggest that we call our gardener, Hector coz he said he's 99% sure, the burst could be due to the landscaping work. I called Hector and he came by quickly but he said when he came in at 1pm today, there was no leakage. So, my guess is that it probably started leaking around 2-4pm. Since Hector said he cannot help, I tried the next plumber on Allyson's list and they were quick to respond and said they'll send someone over from Fremont, which is like another 30 mins from where we are and in peak hour traffic!!! Geez, when it rains, it pours doesn't it? So, what choice do I have? Gotta wait for plumber to come. Then, Hector started taking his hoe and dig coz he finally managed to turn off the main valve with a wrench from his truck. Finally, he found the problem, I quickly cancelled the plumber otherwise, it'll cost us $$. Apparently, the leak was due to the molding in one of the pvc pipes wearing off. He showed Ed the size of the pipe and off he went to Orchard Supply Hardware to buy the glue and pipes only to come home with the wrong size. The people at the store gave him the wrong ones in spite of him showing them the size, grrrr.... So, off he went again to change to the correct size. This time it was ok and Hector worked till 9pm and everything's now back to normal again, yay!

Finally can go take my bath. Gotta sign off here, very tired. Been a long day but in spite of all things, can still praise the Lord and count our blessings. I praise God that this leakage happened while Ed was around otherwise, I don't know what to do. I praise God that because of this leakage, I managed to get to know my neighbor, Mark. I praise God that because of this leak, I now know where the main water valve is located so, in future, I won't be so hapless anymore....

After that, headed home to Belinda's house and enjoy lunch there with her. She was very thotful and bought dungeness crab for me coz she knows I love them. Then got a tour of her cozy home which I loved very much and had 1st hand look at the deck that Belinda's husband, Ted was doing and it was really nice. Am sure it will be great when it's completed.

Update 29 July 2008

I know that there's been a report of a 5.4 earthquake in southern California. Don't worry, we are NOT affected. It's mainly in the Los Angeles south to San Diego and some parts of Las Vegas.

The map below shows you where the epicenter of the quake is located. We are about 6 hours from LA. So, don't worry, we are very fine over here.

Life's much better now that we have broadband but still no TV. But that's not as important coz even back in Pg, I hardly watch TV. Today, the weather was as fine as previous days. Temperature is around the high 78's F (25 deg C) with wind blowing so, it's really nice and we're just walking around in our tee shirts. Gorgeous weather. We don't even have to turn on our heater or air-cond coz it's just perfect weather for now. Here's a slideshow (just a short 4 slides for now, more will follow when I have time to download) of what I've been telling you all about. Notice all the choices you have on olives (that really blew me away). Enjoy...

In case you're curious about what California's all about, here's some mind blowing facts about it. Happy Reading...

GENERAL FACTS
Capital: Sacramento
Entered Union: Sept. 9, 1850 (31st state)
Motto: Eureka (I have found it)
State Colors: blue and gold
State Song: I Love You, California
Nickname: Golden State

GOVERNMENT
Governor: Arnold Schwarzenegger
Senators: Barbara Boxer, D , Dianne Feinstein, D
State Symbols Flower: Golden poppy
Tree: California redwood
Bird: California valley quail
Animal: California grizzly bear (1953)
Fish: California golden trout (1947)

GEOGRAPHY
Land area: 155,973 sq mi. (403,970 sq km)
Water area: 7,734 sq mi.
Coastline: 840 mi.
Shoreline: 3,427 mi.
Highest point: Mt. Whitney - 14,494 ft
Lowest point: Death Valley - 282 ft below sea level
Geographic center of state: In Madera Co., 35 mi. NE of Madera
Number of counties: 58
Largest county by population: Los Angeles, 9,519,338 (2000)
Largest county by area: San Bernardino, 20,062 sq mi.
National forests: 18
State parks and beaches: 264

POPULATION
2000 state resident census population: 33,871,648

10 largest cities (2000):

Los Angeles, 3,694,820
San Diego, 1,223,400
San Jose, 894,943
San Francisco, 776,733
Long Beach, 461,522
Fresno, 427,652
Sacramento, 407,018
Oakland, 399,484
Santa Ana, 337,977
Anaheim, 328,014

By Gender:
Male: 16,874,892 (49.8%)
Female: 16,996,756 (50.2%)

By Age:
18 and over: 72.7%
65 and over: 10.6%
Median age: 33.3

By Origin:
White: 20,170,059 (59.5%)
Black: 2,263,882 (6.7%)
American Indian: 333,346 (1.0%)
Asian: 3,697,513 (10.9%)
Other race: 5,682,241 (16.8%)
Two or more races: 1,607,646 (4.7%)
Hispanic/Latino: 10,966,556 (32.4%)

Update 26 to 28 July 2008

This morning, 1st thing we did was visit Starbucks so that we can use the internet facilities but alas, it only has T-Mobile as the wifi provider iso the AT&T wifi provider which we have bought a card for. But luckily, Ed, with his hindsight, bought the T-Mobile card and we could surf the net for 24 hours at US$9.99. The 3 of us shared the internet facilities, which means, when 1 of us are logged on, the other 2 couldn’t and we just went around for the next 2.5 hours and then decided to go shop at Office Depot for Ed’s L-shape table with 3-drawer filing cabinet. Found it at Aborn Square Office Depot and it cost us a total of US$276.87 after tax. Delivery is due on Tue, 29 July.
After that, we went to Target to buy 2 body pillows, a wireless keyboard, 2 wastepaper baskets n 1 car duster (boy! It’s really dusty over here due to the forest fires that’s been burning in California) and it came to US$67.59. Everything’s just so expensive. Gotta start shopping with coupons.

After Target, we went to Cosentino’s again and bought sushi home for lunch s well as tar pau ribs, lemon herb chicken and tri-tip BBQ beef for dinner. Had a nice 2 hour afternoon nap and then evening, we went for a walk around the neighborhood.

Had dinner in front of our PC and all thanks to my sister, Hoon, was able to catch up on CSI NY season 3 watching it on Sam’s PC. It was a nice change coz at least we could do something routine but instead of watching TV, we’re doing it on PC coz TV’s not hooked up yet.

27 July 2008

Morning went to church. Visited South Hills Community Church which is located at Almaden, about 30 mins drive from where we stay. We used to visit this church when we’re living in the Bay Area back in the early 90’s. It was good to be back in the house of the Lord and tears flowed easily coz I really missed being in the house of the Lord. Message today was by Dave Gschwend who talked about discipleship. Really missed GBC. But this time around, I felt different. This church is a bigger church than Blossom Valley Bible Church which we visited whilst here to look for our home back in late April 08. BVBC consisted mostly of seniors while SHCC is more balanced as age ranges from youth to seniors and a better mix but being a big church, I felt totally lost and the people seemed to be less warm. The message was pretty straight forward. 3 rules basically to be a true disciple. God looks for the non-believers to start with. Then he looks for those who’s really spiritually hungry. Message was derived from Luke 15:1-11. And God test our time, our obedience and success. Service was at 10am and ended around 11.40am and we headed to Deer Hollow where our 1st preferred home was selected and found that it’s still up for sale. No takers. Then we headed for lunch at Pasta Pomodoro near our home to have lunch. Ed and me shared Linguine Vongole with white wine sauce while Sam had penne with Portobello mushroom. Lunch came to US$35 after tax and tip for the 3 of us. Gotta remind myself not to convert lest, won’t eat and won’t survive.

Watched 2 more episodes of CSI NY and then off for afternoon nap again. Once recharged, managed to unpack 2 bags of cosmetics and important documents and put them where they belong. It feels good to find all my stationeries coz I really missed my stapler and it’s good to finally have things at hand to use and organized my filing. Now, I feel at ease that I know where all the documents are when I need them instead of just shuffling them into the envelopes.

Dinner was sourdough bread with Di Parma prosciutto bought from Cosentino’s. If any one you love salamis, olives, hams, cheeses, this is the perfect haven for all these food. They are a little pricey but this is likened to a butcher shop. They have everything under the sky.

Watched another episode of CSI NY and off to “work” Ed went as he has several telcons. Customer escalation is still ongoing and issues not solved. My poor husband, working so hard even on a Sun, sigh. Gotta pray to the Lord for strength for him.

Tomorrow, looking forward to having some internet service at home. Life’s been pretty miserable without it. Won’t take internet for granted anymore. Can die without it over here. Good nite…

28 July 2008

Woke up with much anticipation this morning coz today’s the day for internet installation, yay! Asked Ed to take the car to work coz I have to be in the house in case UPS comes with our internet router and I’m not at home to receive it. Knowing our luck, they’ll come when I’m not around. So, lunch is gonna be something bread again, oh no! Well, gotta get used to it, no hokkien mee or laksa or char koay teow. Doesn’t this tell you I am missing home already?

Did I tell you that on Thu, I had to stay indoors the whole day coz the furniture ppl were delivering things and guess what? I ate 11 pieces of butter with strawberry jam the whole day thru. The good news is, I have not grown sick of it yet but the bad news is, too much carb for the system, help!!! Anyway, the 11 pcs was spread out for bfast x3 pieces, lunch x4 pcs and dinner x4 pcs. You were shocked at first too right? Gotcha..

This morning, had Sam’s apple jacks for bfast. This is the same like froot loops back home except this is apple and cinnamon flavored, yucks! But gotta eatlah, otherwise, hungry mah. Lunch was 2 pcs of bread with parma ham while Sam had katsu udon in a bowl cooked with the microwave oven.

The UPS guy finally came at 12.30pm and I set up the router and everything else only to find out that the broadband service won’t get started till 8pm tonite, arghhhhh……………
OK, ok, gotta chill and be patient. So, will write more tomorrow when the net’s finally UP, hallelujah!

Update 25 July 2008

Today, Cort will be delivering Ed’s office chair which they will replace coz the previous was torn. The new one was slightly better but not perfect. But am too tired to go shopping anymore. This is so much hardwork. I hate shopping.

We’ll probably have to go shopping for L shape office table for Ed this weekend. And Ken Harte, our carpet cleaner came by to let me sign the check which I issued without signing it. Talk about senior moments. Well, this is one of them. Age is really catching up.

Also, Mr Eloy, the handyman whom Allyson referred us to came by and I asked him to give us a quote on the hanging of pictures, repairing the warped front door which we need to yank at it everytime we want to open it and I fear that one of these days, am going to yank the door off its hinges. Also, need to install a shower door over Sam’s bath tub coz right now, it’s using shower curtain. Don’t trust Sam with curtains coz water can seep out if one is not too careful in placing the curtain properly in the tub. Also, I realized that the shower heads here are fixed and not retractable like the ones back home which makes cleaning the bathroom an ease rather than have to fill up the pail and clean if the shower head is fixed. So, am changing the shower heads in the master and guest bathroom as Sam’s already retractable. Also, need him to hang up our 46” Sony LCD tv in the den area.

No swimming for now as Sam and me don’t have our swimsuits. Only Ed has his. The pool needs cleaning as there are some leaves in there and don’t see Ed being too enthused about swimming or cleaning it. Btw, it was no joke coz we tested the pool to see if it was warm enough for a swim and we put our toes in it and brrr... it was so cold even tho that day, the day temperature was up to 99 deg F. We shall see… For now, just putting chlorine in there and necessary chemicals to maintain it. Just wished the pool was a tennis court, that would have been IDEAL.

The hills around the house is really parched and brown. Hopefully by winter, it’ll be rainy and green again. So far, driving around hasn’t been a problem and I am kinda used to my surroundings already and have demarcated where I want to go shopping and groceries and pool supplies etc.

Still no broadband at home and no TV, arghhh.. life is boring...

Update 24 July 2008

Ed went to work today and Western Appliance sent the washer and dryer. Today is my 1st official day doing my laundry and it worked perfectly, yay! Then came the rest of the furniture for Sam from Cort. They delivered her dresser, mirror and 2 night stands and now, Sam has a complete room set and it looks good for a steal of a price at US$600. Unfortunately, 1 of the single seater sofa (we ordered 2) was torn on the side so, it was rejected by me but I accepted the 3-seater and 1 single seater. These 2 costs US$800. Ed’s L-shape table was not available so, we cancelled it. The 4 lamps looks acceptable and as always, with our lives, the office chair that was delivered was also torn at the back so, it got rejected and they’ll bring a new one tomorrow. At the rate we are going, we’re never going to have complete sets of furniture we bought coz there’s always something wrong somewhere, arghhhhh….

Ed came back from work about 4.30pm and as promised, he took us to Eastridge mall to buy our mobile phones. I can use back my Dopod and my new mobile number is 1-408-597 7778 while Sam got herself a Samsung 737 slider phone and her number is 1-408-597 7339. We wanted an iPhone but was advised against it coz apparently, it’s not as good as everyone thinks of it to be. The only advantage is that it has 3G but it can’t send pictures or videos in MMS and cannot forward sms-es but the good news for you guys in Msia is that apparently, we’ve checked and they say we can get the phone without subscribing to a call plan. The 8GB is going for US$499 and 16GB for US$599. But I gotta check with Apple coz this guy who sold us our mobile phones is working for AT&T and until I hear it from someone reliable, don’t be too happy that I can buy yet ok?

Now, as I sit here typing this log away, I have come to realization that life will never be the same again. Just found out that our shipment won’t come in till next week. Can’t bear eating out anymore coz food here are not as colorful and flavorful as those back home. Maybe I am just not used to it. To me a sandwich is a sandwich no matter whether it is subway or club or whatever they call it here.

I am so boringly tired that I wanted to tell Sam the story about how we slap each other whenever we see a “singh” and I forgot that it’s called a turban and told Sam that “it’s the bump on the head.” That’s how “mor” I am.

And talking about living in dinosaur age in Pg, over here, I can’t believe it that we signed up for broadband services with AT&T and it’ll take them 5 days/3 biz days before they can activate it, duh!!!

Also, I need to compile a list of vocabulary they use here coz we call it a boot and they call it a trunk. We call it a plaster and they call it a Band Aid. We call it a tap and they call it a faucet. We call it bolsters and they call it body pillowsand the list goes on. You don’t want me to start on it otherwise, you’ll be online the whole night just reading about it.

When you talk to these people, if you use a different term, they’ll give you long stare and I know I’m mixed up alright!!! But the good side is that these people here are very helpful and even though they don’t sell the things you want, they can always refer you somewhere else. They are just not afraid of competition. Back home, the usual retort I get is, “Out of stock”.

What else is different? Well, for starters, they drive on the wrong side of the road ie. on the left. They have lots of choices for everything under the sky. I went to Target to buy some bedsheets for our new mattresses and they have things ranging from fitted sheets to flat sheets to flannel sheets to bedskirts to shams to comforters to goose down comforters to bedspreads to godzillion of choices so much so, I was overwhelmed. They have our conventional comforter sets and they have sizes from full to double to queen to king to California king to oversized. Frankly, I just want to buy a quilted goose down comforter but hey, they don’t come in sets. Which means, I have to buy everything separately. In the end, bought a fitted sheet, a goose down comforter and a set of duvet cover that comes with pillow shams. Sam’s set costs $151.97 while our Cal King set costs $164.97, ouch!

And when Ed called for TV services, they give you so many packages, in the end, I think if you’re b’ng by the time they finish, you’ll probably sign up for everything. Ah, but we’re smart. We check on the net 1st and then call them. That way, we won’t get overwhelmed and say “yes” to everything.

And I went to Body shop to get lip balm and came out with 6 more items because with membership, one has to cumulate 8 pts to renew the membership and if you buy less than $50, u get 1 pt and if you buy above $50, u get 2 pts and membership comes with 10% discount and on my birthday, can walk into any Body Shop and buy 1 item for only US$10. U can betcha I will go and buy the most expensive item in the store! Talk abt being kiasu, hahaha. And I spent $49.36 so, gotta go pick another item to make $50 so I can get 2 pts. Oh! Man, what a drag.
And talk about choices, even where food is concerned, they have godzillion of choices if you were to have dressing for your salad. They have from thousand island to French to Italian to blue cheese, honey mustard and you name it, they have it all. And they take it for granted that we know them all, they will just blabber it off and I’ll be in a daze at the end of it that I’ll have her repeat it slowly again and then decide what I want. So, in other words, DON’T EAT SALAD, too many choices!!!

They will also give you a store card for purchases above x amount and if I were to sign up for every each one of them, I’ll probably have more than my fair share of cards. Or worst still, I need a new wallet to store all my useless cards. You name it, they have it all. Target Card, JC Penny Card, Macy’s Card etc etc.

Over here, it’s all about credit. If you have no credit standing, if you apply for any bank cards, it’ll get rejected. I was offered an Amex for free (you know me lah, being the cheapskate I am, anything free is a yes answer) at Costco (that’s the only card they accept at Costco apart from cash) but got rejected becos they cannot check my credit rating s I had none. Just received my HSBC credit card in the mail yday so, hope to use it today. With all the BIG things we are buying now, the credit limit was reached very soon after 2 items with Ed’s card. After that, we had to switch to Msian credit card. What a drag….

But above it all, for those of you who like shopping, it’ll be heaven on earth here coz there’s just so much “toys” one can buy. It’s the fear of not having enough money to spend it all on shopping coz the variety is just awesome.

Also, the people here talks very fast. The guy whom we bought the mobile phones from talked so fast, I could barely get a question in and half of the things he said was in one ear, out the other. And most people here speaks very fast and it’s hard for me to understand them. But it was so ironical that on day 1 I was shopping for furniture at Cort, this lady came up to me and asked, “Are you Msian?” And I replied, “yes, how did you know”. She said I sounded like one. She was from Johor and have stayed here for over 10 years. She told me to go to Craigs List to look for things coz they are cheaper there. Hmm.. I’ve learnt a lesson here: “good things, no cheap, cheap things, no good.”

Also, it’s ok to be stupid and ask questions if one don’t understand and they are actually a patient lot or they just love to talk. I think it’s more of the latter. So, trick here is ASK if you don’t understand and they’ll be delighted to tell a short story long just to make you understand. I love this coz over here, I seem to be less of a chatter boxer compared to when I am at home.

Another uneventful day, hahaha... just a lot of blabbering from my end....

Update 23 July 2008

Today is the day that we move in officially to our new home at 5230. We checked out of the hotel, went to return our car rental, had breakfast for 1 more last time at Homewood Suites and off we went to Target Store to buy a couple of things and then head on home. It feels good to be going home finally but sigh, still no shipment to unpack but hopefully, we’ll get ourselves busy, I am sure.

For starters, the mattresses from Mancini’s and our bedroom furniture from Furniture Discounters was delivered. That’s the good news. But, as with all things in our lives that’s never easy, Mancini’s forgot the headboard for Sam’s bed and they will deliver next week Tuesday as it’s currently out-of-stock. Then our bedroom furniture came along. And guess what, the dresser’s door was dented and I refused it so, they have taken the door back and will get it replaced. And then I realized the lamp shades they brought was of 2 different colors, grrrr! So, here we go again and they promised to bring it back the next day. Now, as I sit here writing, am still awaiting their delivery. Have already called them up twice to check and they say, “coming, coming.” We’ll see.

Afternoon lunch was at Cosentino’s where the 3 of us had sandwiches. My roast beef was good, Sam’s cheese sandwich was too rich (very “jelak” she says) and Ed’s salami was too salty. 3 of us shared a lemonade smoothie and off we went to Costco, this shopping place that sells things by the bulk, just like our very own Makro. Bought a ton of household goods, you knowlah, the bath tissues, the Kleenex, the fabric softener, the shelf liners, shampoos, conditioners, body shampoo, body lotion etc etc and it costs us US$267.42, ouch!

Unfortunately, we couldn’t find light bulbs coz we have lamp shades and we need to turn on the lights for the night so, off we went to Safeway, no bulbs. Then finally found it at Walgreens and bought 4 for US$2.15. Came home and put on the beddings for our bed and Sam’s and then had dinner where we bought char siew and siew bak with kai lan (total US$18) and a rice shared between us 3. Quite miserable I would say but the char siew’s not too bad. Bought it at a Vietnamese shop. After dinner, off we went to take bath but realized there was no hot water. Went looking in the garage for the heater and found it and turn it on. It was past 10.10pm before we all retire to bed but poor Ed got a telcon at 9.30pm and again at 12am. I slept in my huge gigantic bed and it makes me feel on top of the world. Needed a ladder to climb up to it coz it’s about up to my waist high so, go figure….

Goodnite....

Update 22 July 2008

Today was a boring day. Sent Ed to work in the morning and then off to highway US-101 where there was a major jam heading south due to an accident. We were stuck in the jam for 1/2 an hour and was late for our appointment with the carpet cleaning guy. Appointment was for 9am but I arrived only at 9.15am (left at 8.40am). Anyway, luckily Ken Harte was also late coz he was lost as he couldn't find our home. He came at 9.30am and he measured the areas where the carpets needs to be vacuumed and came up with a quotation for US$753 for approx 2,500 sq ft. If I wanted to protect the carpet with Teflon, it's another US$388 and I agreed but unfortunately, he said he doesn't have enough of it to coat all the carpets. So, in the end, settled for just cleaning and vacuuming for now and should we do it again in a year's time, we'll ask him to coat it with Teflon then. He told me it'll take 3-4 hours to complete but in the end, he started at 10am and didn't finish till 3.30pm. I was in a hurry to quickly pay him and leave the house coz I had another appointment back at Homewood Suites Hotel at 4pm for the Lexus to be delivered. And guess what, I gave him a check but didn't sign it. Now, how silly of me!!! Anyway, managed to call him upon reaching the hotel and told him about my boo-boo and he said he'll come by again the next day to get it signed. That's really nice of him. Anyway, I like this guy coz he's very professional and doesn't goof off on the job.

Luckily, US-101 highway wasn't jammed on the way home so, made it back at 3.58pm to collect my Lexus. Black sapphire is the color we chose. Looks almost like black but sexier, hahaha. The car is nice - has moon roof, GPS, heated and leather seats.

At night, all of us ate in the hotel. Was too tired to venture out. Ok, adios for now...

Update 21 July 2008

Today was "D" day as Ed and me braced ourselves to sit for our DMV written test. I can't tell you what a nervous wreck I was this morning. But the most important thing is, I PASSED, I PASSED. That's the good news. The bad news is, I have to take my test twice coz I flunk the 1st one. Made 4 mistakes (one is allowed ony 3 wrongs). What a stupid idiot I am. Not trying to make excuses for my idiocy but can tell you that this test is no road test coz it's all about English test as I don't understand some of the questions asked and I had to check it through like a million times b4 I handed it in. It was altogether 18 questions and 3 mistakes the most to pass. My heart beat so fast and so loud when I handed in my paper the 2nd time around and I was so nervous, I had to ask permission to go the restroom so that they can mark the paper and I don't have to wait around for the result coz I may "pee" off in my pants if they tell me I fail once again. I think by then, I will cry. When I walked out, Sam and Ed both clapped their hands. They must've thought I had died inside and wondering what took me so long. In fact, it's no fun taking the exam coz there were so many distractions with announcements over the PA system being so distracting and a child running around while her mom took the exam didn't help either. But luckily, the inspector came and chased the little girl out. There was some peace but not entirely the whole time the exam was being conducted (no time limit).



I drove again today and it's getting easier but still don't know my bearings coz am dependant now on the GPS. Perhaps I should get a map so that I know where places are (N,S,E,W) located. We bought our washer and dryer today at US$1,300 for both items and Ed got himself a 46" Sony LCD TV for US$1745.



Went to finalize all the details for our banking as they messed it up when the account was opened at HSBC. Also, went to close another account coz realized that no point opening so many accounts when we don't have so much money to spread around, hahaha.

Sorry but no Lexus was delivered today as the insurance guy couldn't get the paperwork done on time, no thanks to his bad time management. As a result, no car for today. They will deliver it to us at our hotel tomorrow evening at 4pm. Tomorrow, is carpet cleaning and Wednesday, we should officially stay at 5230. Can't wait, no fun living out of a suitcase. Also, will have to take Sam to VCHS to finalize her course selection and to Gilroy Outlet Mall for linen shopping.

Sorrylah, no pictures yet to share as eveything's in my camera and can't synchronize without my desktop computer. Be patient, it'll be forthcoming soon...

OK, will touch base again tomorrow. Adios! Gute nacht!

Update 20 July 2008

Today's our 3rd day in USA. Boy, how time flies. And I still haven't had time to call all my dear friends in Bay Area and catch up with them coz it's just been crazy as we've been out 9am till 9pm the past 2 days, running around like headless chicken looking for bedroom furniture and cars.

For starters, we've bought our cars. I've got a hybrid Camry and Chong got a Lexus ES350. You guys in Malaysia will die for the price we are paying but shan't rub salt into the wound, hahaha! My car won't get in till mid Aug (no stock) but Chong will get his on Mon, 21/7 around 3pm. For those of you who says I am crazy for buying such el cheapo cars when cars r so cheap over here, don't say that coz you wouldn't believe it but petrol price here is US$4.50 per gallon and so, my choice would be any car that's not a petrol guzzler and has good mpg (miles per gallon) for highway and city driving would be good for me. Until I have settled my mortgage, I will not buy anything fanciful. No money lah, hahaha. You know, the Audi A6 is good, the Merc ML430 is wonderful and BMW Z5 is sexy but can see, cannot buy, arghhh... Hey, I've got good taste for cars but no money, no talk.

We've also bought our bedroom furnitures from Furniture Discounters. We've got our California king bed which measures 72"x84", 2 night stands (side tables), 1 dresser with mirror and 1 chest and we paid US$2400 for it, ouch ouch ouch! We've got our king size mattress and Sam's queen size mattress with headboard for US$4795.44 from Mancini's Sleepworld, another ouch ouch ouch! The unfortunate thing is I can't buy all these furnitures from Penang otherwise, I would have saved so much. On top of that, we've got Sam's bedroom furniture at Cort Furniture for a cheaper price at US$600 coz they had a sale that day. She's got a 2 night stand, 1 dresser and 1 mirror. Chong got his office chair for US$200 and L shape table for US$500, 3 seater sofa and 2 units of single seaters for US$1200 for our formal living and 4 table lamps at US$100. So, as you can see, it's been 2 day of madness shopping and we are all very "b'ng" at the end of the day.

Sam has been really good to follow us to all the shopping and she's usually sitting in one corner and busily writing her novel away to keep herself entertained. Chong on the other hand is still suffering from jetlag altho I think he's stressed out thinking about home and work coz the latter's been having lots of challenges prior to our departure. Do keep him in prayer coz I think that's causing the sleepless nights. For Sam and me, both of us are coping well, don't worry about us. After my bout with gastric last 2 weeks, I have learnt my lesson well and so far, have not gone hungry at all and have been eating well.

Today, I drove for the 1st time from shopping places to another and also went back to our home to unpack some of the boxes. Tuesday, the carpet cleaners are coming to clean it and by Wed, the furnitures and mattresses will be in. Slowly but surely, things are taking shape and it's all credit to the Lord for HIS guidance, grace and mercies. I definitely can vouch for that coz without HIM, I am sure I can't move forward and I am only here because HE's walking alongside and I always relying on HIM everyday. So, thanks to all of you who have been covering us in prayer, can't tell you how much I appreciate that.

Tomorrow another round of running around for banking and shopping for linens at Gilroy n collecting Chong's car. Yay! finally can have a nice car to run around in.

Until then, will keep on posting and I hope you will enjoy reading my blog... God bless...

We're here, we're finally HERE!

After all the luggage fiasco, all the swollen eyes, we're finally here in San Jose, California. The flight was nice and I played catch up on all the TV programs onboard watching Friends, Grey's Anatomy, Bones and Curb Your Enthusiasm. That was during the flight from SIN to Korea. The 2nd part, I watched the movie "Over my dead body - starring Eva Longoria". Movie was boring and the storyline was so passe. After that, it was back to studying the CA Driver Handbook 2008 to prepare myself for the driving theory test which I think we'll probably do on coming Mon, 21 July so that we can get our driving licence. We arrived at 12.30pm on Friday, 18 July SFO time and Ed had arranged for a limousine to pick us up as well as rent a car coz one car won't be enough to put all our baggage. I sat in the limo (costs us US$147 in total, ouch! ouch!) with 8 boxes and my 2 tennis rackets but it was a smooth ride to Homewood Suites, the hotel where we'll be staying temporarily till our home is ready and cleaned. Ed and Sam took the rest of the luggage and rented a 4 wheel drive and I met them at the hotel b4 we took everything that was not needed in the hotel to our home at 5230 Thorncreek. Met Allyson, our realtor cum coordinator at 4pm and she handed us the keys to our home together with tons of mails for our reading (omigosh, the sales people here are super efficient as everybody seems to know that we're new and that ranges from the handyman to the grocers to the gardeners etc advertising their products). Also, taught us the ropes of the house as to how to maintain the pool, set the house alarm on and off and letting us know where all the fuse boxes are etc. We realized that the house needed carpet cleaning and a thorough washing so, will probably do that next week. We also found out that our shipment that was shipped from Malaysia on June 13 have arrived. So, tomorrow, gotta give Crown the relevant documents so that they can proceed with the customs clearance and hopefully, by end of next week, we can start unpacking.

Tomorrow, we will be visiting Costco, CK Furniture, Toyota Sunnyvale, Thomasville Furniture, Giorgi Bros Furniture, Macy's Union Furniture, Magnussen Toyota and Sleeptrain. I guess you know what we're buying right? Yup, furniture, particularly bedroom furniture for Sam's and master bedroom and cars. Thanks to Belinda and Pat for showing us the ropes as to where to buy furniture. Hopefully, we'll have some luck and can find some C&G (cheap and good) stuff. There are some sales on this weekend at JC Penny and Macy's so, may go there too for linen shopping. Got too much to buy and I am overwhelmed. But gotta take one baby step at a time.

Oh, b4 I sign off, here's the good news. We praised God that All my curry pastes (curry kapitan, gulai tumis, fish curry and sambal belacan) went through customs without a blip and in fact, out of the 10 baggage we checked in, they only scanned 2 and no major questions asked, phew! That was my main worry coz the box that contained the curry was really looking like a belacan itself as it looked and smell soggy (more like wet socks, ewwww....). The Jack Russell Terrier at the airport which was trained to smell drugs must've got it's senses knocked off when it smelt that box, hahaha.

Last but not least, all praises belongs to God for granting us journey mercies, patience in the eyes of impatience and lotsa grace and mercies taking us all the way from Penang to San Jose, CA. Good nite and miss you all...

Goodbye Penang, Hello USA - Part 2

After all the farewell dinners and the crying sessions, the day have finally arrived for us to leave good 'ol Penang. As I am writing this, it is Thursday, 17 July 2008 in Singapore. Am staying at Shangri-La Hotel at Orange Grove Road as our onward connecting flight to San Francisco is on Friday, 18 July 2008 at 9am.

Was supposed to be in church on Sunday, 13 July and say all the goodbyes but unfortunately, was konked out the whole of Sat/Sun due to a bout of gastric, diarrea and vomitting. And how did that happen? Well, trying to be superhero lah. Went to play tennis from 7.30am till 9am on Sat morning on empty stomach and then off to durian party at 10.30am. With all the rushing around, the gastritis acted up and I can tell you it was no fun sleeping the whole day when there's so much yet to be done. Looking back, it did me a world of good coz I had lots of rest and after a jab on Sun morning at Tejani's, by Monday, am back on the tennis court playing again.

Tuesday, 15 July was a day that the 3 of us was dead tired due to all the running around closing all the loops. Ed had a bad day at the office due to escalations everywhere. In short, a day that everything went wrong. So, we didn't pack our stuff as we intended to.

Wednesday, 16 July was the day I met with an auto accident just at the traffic lite outside Leader Garden. It was red light so, I stopped. This red Proton Wira driven by this Indian lady by the name of Sarah Chettiar was behind me at the lights when she decided to be smart and wanted to move her car to the outer most right lane but her estimation was so bad that her left front bumper grazed my right back bumper. To make matters worst, she was supposed to stop but instead of stepping on the brakes, she stepped on the gas pedal and bumped into the front white Proton Wira. Naturally, a loud bang ensued and then Sam and me just looked at each other and wondered if she banged into my car or was it the front car? The 3 cars then pulled over to the kerb so as not to create a traffic congestion and I came out and saw that indeed my rear RH bumper was dented and grazed a little. Called up my friend who loaned me the car and told him about the accident and he said to take RM150 as compensation but she said she doesn't have the money. Then, upon closer inspection by Ed, he realized that the bumper was not the only issue coz the rear RH wheel was also crooked. I tried to drive the car to my friend's house but couldn't go more than 200m as it was like trying to steer a snake on a straight road. I finally called my friend and asked him to tow the car away and go negotiate with Sarah with regards compensation etc. That's the story of our lives yesterday. All in all, we are still counting our blessings that we came out of the accident unscathed but I pity Michael my kind friend who loaned me the car coz later on, I found out that the damage was quite extensive as fixing the rear RH wheel alone will cost RM800 and Sarah's only willing to pay RM400. Whatever happened next, frankly, I don't know but praying for Michael that justice will be done.

After the accident, went for lunch at Hot Bowl and then off to STM to clear my Streamyx bill but guess what, they can't tell me how much I owe them as it'll take 3 months to generate the bill. Sometimes I wonder if we are still living in a dinosaur age when these days of information technology, they still use this same kind of excuse on me. Since it's my last day in my tanah air, I tried to be nice and not create a ruckus so, I gave my mom's address for the bill to be sent there when it's ready. I could possibly just "run away" and they won't find me but of course, cannot lah, I am a law abiding citizen, hahaha!

At Maxis, at least they were efficient and gave me my postpaid phone bill but they still owe me money from the deposit I paid them. As always, it'll take forever b4 they give me back my deposit. Same goes for TNB, PBA, IRD, STM...sigh!!

Came home at 3.30pm and started the most dreaded job, PACKING away "leftovers". That was only completed at 1.40am and I only had 3 hours of sleep and woke up at 5.15am on Thursday, 17 July. It was a horrendous packing experience coz when everything's in the cupboards, it all doesn't seem so much but the more you take out from the drawers, the volume seems to swell to double what we anticipated. And guess what? My tennis rackets won't fit into my largest suitcase. I have to handcarry it in the end. Finally, it was all 5 boxes and 4 luggages and I almost forgot my precious sambal and curry paste in the freezer. Gotta handcarry again coz really, there was no more space in any of our luggage.

Got out of the house at 7.40am to the airport. Hoon and my parents came and help us clear the house and help with uploading our baggages. My dad was shocked to see how much we have to carry. Thank goodness there were 2 cars. Ed checked in 8 of the baggages and 1 to Singapore for our 1 night stayover and then I got stopped at immigration as they won't allow me to carry the curry paste and insist I checked it in. So, here I go again running out to SQ counter, have the curry packed in a box and strapped and run all the way back to the departure gate.

As we were boarding the plane, it started raining heavily and I was just reminiscing about how poignant it felt coz it was raining in my heart to leave good 'ol Penang and it seemed so final. But I am now refusing to say goodbye coz I don't want it to be final. I still want to come home and play tennis with all my tennis buddies, to be "manja-ed" over when I'm sick by my mom and sis, be laughing away at breakfasts that never seemed to end and lunch dates to all the new haunts in town.

I am now writing this in Singapore and our flight to SFO is tomorrow, 18 July at 9am on SQ16 via Seoul, Korea. I will continue to update all of you from time to time and hopefully, you'll write back in return.

We're gonna miss all the great times we've shared together. Hopefully, I'll be back by Dec for Christmas hols and we can all "seow" again.

Thanks Danny for sending me off at the aiport. Appreciate that you cancelled your lessons to come see me off. I will miss your coaching but your words of advice will be remembered always.

Thanks to you too Peng for sending me off and making the effort to come even though I know you were busy with LJ. Thanks for being there for us and for taking care of my family.

Most of all, thanks to my dear sister, Hoon for taking time off to send me to the airport and helping with the packing and uploading and unloading. I really appreciate it very much and love you always.

To my mom and dad: Thanks for your love. I will always cherish it. Am crying buckets just thinking about it. I will miss your love much but remember that I am never too far away from your hearts.

God bless all you good people out there. I miss you...

Goodbye Penang, Hello USA

Well, it's been a really LONG time since I've updated my blog page. So, are you ready for a very long winded update? If yes, read on...

As you may already know, we are emigrating to San Jose, California, USA this Thursday, 17 July 2008. Yes, San Jose again. We were there back in '93-'95 so, this is like going "home" again altho no place will be able to replace good 'ol Penang (yes, with all its bad mud slinging politics, sad state of education, yearly haze etc, yes, I still love it dearly coz this is the place where it all started. Born here, educated here, worked here, married here, gave birth here and the list goes on...). As I look back, tears wells up in my eyes as I will be leaving very dear friends and my family as well as Ed's family behind. These are the people who have made my life more meaningful in one way or the other and I just wanna say thanks to you, my dear Mom/mom-in law and Dad/dad-in-law, my sister, Hoon/sisters-in-law, brothers-in-law. Thanks for making this transition as painless as possible and thanks for all the great dinners and most of all, for making time to meet up with us, we really appreciate it.

Somehow, this move is nothing new as I'm going back to familiar places and we've bought a new home there. This is supposed to be a permanent relocation and not on expat anymore so, whatever that we planned, it's supposed to be on a long term basis. Ed's job is the same, that of GM/VP for Navigation interface at Avago Technologies but now based out of US instead of Penang, Malaysia. My "job" will be the same too. That of being a mother, a gardener, a driver, a cook, the ironing lady, the maid, the doctor, the lawyer "buruk", the tennis player etc etc. Sam's "job" will be slightly different as she's enrolled in grade 9 at Valley Christian School (www.valleychristian.net) which is a mere 15 mins drive from where we're staying. Her school is awesome, sitting on a 54 acre land on a hill overlooking the valley. I keep telling everyone that I wished I could go back to high school as they have an outdoor 53 meters swimming pool, 6 tennis hard courts and various stadiums for baseball, football etc. Sam has a placement test for English and Geometry scheduled for Aug 6 so, she's busy homeschooling on her own right now (her last day at MGS was June 27, 2008)with Ed as her tutor.

There's just so much to say and yet so little time for me to convey my heartfelt thanks to all you great people out there. So, here goes the list:


TO MOM: Remember that I'll always love you and you'll always be in my heart. Distance won't break the bond we shared and I know the Lord will keep you sane and safe. Know that I am always a phone call away if you ever need to talk to me about anything.

TO DAD: Take care of your health and visit a doctor if you're not well. Don't worry about the costs coz now is the time for us to help you out for all the sacrifices you've made for us.

TO HOON: Am sorry that I've got to leave mom and dad in your good hands. I know patience is not your virtue and I know it'll take years to develop. Even at 44 years of age, I am still learning, so, at 34, you're still not there but will get there some day (that's the good news). Do be patient with mom and dad coz they love you more than you know. Think before you speak, scold, murmur. Most of all, I wanna thank you for being my only sister whom I will always love and treasure and know that if you ever need me, I'm always here for you through good and bad times, we can shoulder it together.

TO CHOY PENG: Thanks for always checking in on mom once in a while, I really appreciate your doing that and hope you'll continue to do that. Sometimes, mom can be quite lonely. Thanks too for being a great friend to Hoon. All the best to Hock and Liu Juin.

TO UI MAY: Thanks for all the delicious cookies and home cooked food you shared with us so generously. Can't find another friend like you who's always there for me no matter what the circumstances I am in.

TO HARRIET: Thanks for always thinking of me at your shopping sprees and always being my sounding board whenever I have a complaint. You always spared the time no matter how "cheong hey" I can be, I appreciate that.

TO DANNY TOH: Thanks for being the greatest tennis coach thus far (haven't met anyone who can match you yet). You've always pushed me to the limit and I hated it but, looking back, I have you to thank for coz it did me a world of good and I improved tremendously. Thanks for all the fun tennis I've had the past 6 years. We've had our differences of opinions, but I think it's this that made me a better tennis player than what I can dream of achieving. Whenever I am on court in USA, will treasure all your good advice and keep those Tennisone coming along my way ok?

TO BRENDA, CHOO ENG, JILLIAN & SUE HEE: Thanks for all the great games we've shared and thanks for whopping me from time to time. Keep going at it pals and here's a toast to you power hitters....



TO CHAI GIM: Thanks for being my spiritual buddy and for great memories all the way back to college days. You're always very "sung seng". Keep it that way.

TO SYLVIA: You're a miracle worker for all things AUTO related. Be it selling, buying or renting, you've got answers to it all. Thanks too for being my shoulder to cry on, appreciate your advices and listening ear.

TO SAW AI: A great mom to all her 4 kids and thanks for being my transport manager during Perkim-Goon days. Still remember that small and cute bike of yours.

TO WENDY: You're always so colorful and always livening our gathering with all your "Hokkien dictionary". There's never a dull moment with you as you always have so many stories to share.


TO WILLIAM/CONNIE, KAY PING/JUNE, AI NEE/RICKY, GOON GHEE, ADELINE: It was really an honor to have known all of you as part of Vincent's CG. Those days were the best where I really felt all of you were part of God's one big happy family and till today, you guys are still. Those days we spent sitting together for worship at the GBC's pews, our sharing of thoughts and burdens as well as those great laughter along the years, oh! it's just so sweet. Thanks Ghee for being my faithful prayer partner and thanks to all of you for praying for us and for others. May our good Lord bless all that your hands finds to do and may the fruits of the spirit continue to be real to you as you walk in spiritual obedience with Him alongside.

TO HOCK SOON/SIEW BEE: Thanks for all the great meals we've shared together. Where there's a new makan place, we'll be there to check it out. Make sure you fill me in when I'm back in Penang and we can do it all over again, hahaha! But I think I better lose some weight 1st before coming home.

TO ANDREW KHOO: Thanks for being Sam's bowling coach all these years. Thanks for all the dedication and motivation you've put into Sam to make her the champion she is today. She won't be up there if not for you. Words alone cannot describe our gratitude but we hope she'll continue to make you proud when she continues to bowl at USBC (United States Bowling Congress).

TO KATHLEEN: Thanks for being my financial advisor and always being the usual efficient person to update me on what's happening in the financial world. Also, thanks for all the yummy lunches we enjoy till we gotta be chased out of the restaurant coz we don't know when to stop talking, hahaha! I really enjoyed those moments.

TO CLAUDIA: Thanks for the many years of coming along for lunches with Kath and me and for sharing all of life's adventures with us.