May

Hello! Let me tell you a story.

Once upon a time, in a land called Malaysia, a baby girl was born. Her name is May.

(Fast forward a lot here.)

She married and is now living in a small town called Kota Kemuning. She goes to a church called New Life and met another girl. A few years later, she was working with this girl she met in church. They get to know each other pretty well and became the best of friends.

The girl is me. =)

Nice story, right? Okay, it isn't much of a story. Just an introduction of my friend, May. See, today is her special day. It's her birthday today! I am dedicating this blogpost to her and I want to tell you what an awesome person she is.

She is a teacher. A teacher who teaches not only through words but also through actions. I learn so much just by watching her. I learned how to communicate with children because I watched her conduct her kindergarten class. I learned how to be a better housekeeper because I watched her keep her house neat and tidy. Of course, she also imparted wisdom, knowledge and strength to me from time to time through our conversations.

She lives a simple and humble life. I learned to count my blessings and just be content with whatever I have. She never boast or brag. She taught me to have faith in the Lord and pray whenever I am in trouble. She is caring, gentle and kind. She is always there with a smile, ready to listen to you and help you out.

I am who I am today partly because of her. If I hadn't met her when I met her, I really don't know what I will become today. She kept me in line, watching over me. We would spend time together and just talk about life. She would counsel me and guide me to make the right choices. We would laugh together and share our life stories with each other.

She might be a lot older than me but somehow we just clicked. She is my teacher, my sister and my friend. She is also my role model and my guardian angel that watches over me. She is another important person that God has placed in my life for which I am so thankful for.

Hey, May! Sorry there isn't any cupcakes or handmade stuff for your birthday this year. Nothing in this world can represent my appreciation, gratitude and respect for you, my lady. All I can do is to just write this blogpost and tell everyone that I know what an awesome person you are and how lucky I am to have you in my life. This is the best way I know to honour you. Thank you so much for everything. You are so awesome, May.

God bless you, May. Happy birthday! Love you lots! =)

Because she is just so awesome! =D 

(That kid is not me, by the way. Just a student in the kindergarten we worked in. xD)

Taiwan

Hello, my dear readers! Plenty apologies for starting the new year with an extremely sad post. Things are, more or less, settled down. Now, let me tell you about this beautiful country I went to during Christmas last year. I spent a week there with my family and had a fabulous time. Yup, you got it right. I went to Taiwan! To be precise, I visited Taipei and Taichung. Both places are really awesome and unique in their own way. An ancient Chinese proverb said: "One picture is worth ten thousand words". So, I am going to show you pictures of the places I visited with simple captions. The pictures are going to worth more than ten thousand words. =)

Taipei

The 2 pictures above was in a little town called Rui Fang. Our main destination wasn't here, though. This was just a stop. But the dessert they sell in that shop was awesome.

This is Shi Fen, a small little town tucked in the outskirts of Taipei. This was our main destination. Yes, that is an actual train track. Yes, trains are still using that track. No, nobody died. When the train is coming, an officer will blow the whistle and the people will go to the side.

One of the famous night markets in Taipei.

Of course, the famous 101 Tower. We had to go there and take pictures of this tower. Otherwise, who would believe we went to Taipei? Going to Taipei without going to 101 Tower is equivalent to not having been to Taipei before. (So everyone says...) 

The National Music Theatre. Very ancient and Chinese looking.

Ahh.. C.K.S Memorial Hall. A whole big building dedicated to the man who founded Taiwan.

The Palace Museum. There were a lot of people there that day. So, we didn't go and see the exhibition. But we did enter a garden shown on the second picture. Very beautiful, quiet and peaceful.

We only spend 3 days in Taipei. 2 and a half days to be exact, because when we arrived it was late afternoon already. There were so many places we didn't get to visit in Taipei. We also couldn't stay long at each destination because we were trying to go to as many places as we can. Taipei's public transportation is very convenient. We took the MRT, high-speed train and bus to go to all these places. The MRT practically linked everywhere together. 

Taichung

This is the Rainbow Village. All the drawings you see are done by one man. Yes, you read right. ONE man. The short version of the story: A bunch of old houses were going to be demolished. A guy came and started drawing. Government decided not to demolished the place anymore. Instead, transformed it into a tourist area. Awesome, right?

The Strawberry Farm. The strawberries are really sweet, you know. Unlike those in Cameron Highlands. xD

Is the first picture a real living sheep? Yes, it is! The Sheep Farm up in a mountain a little away from the city centre. Beautiful scenery and of course, many sheep around for you to touch and feed.

The Swiss Garden. Again, it's very.... green. Very nature. Flowers, tress and grass everywhere.

The Carton King! Everything you see here is made of cardboard. Very artistic, right? If I didn't remember wrong, it's also a guy's work. Very unique.

The Lavender Farm. Too bad we couldn't stay here for long. It's a very beautiful place. Very "nature" too. Very beautifully structured. It's the work of 2 young ladies. They are very successful now, considering the number of tourist they attracted.

No, I didn't suddenly end up in some Western country. I was still in Taichung. This is Xin She castle. Very antique, don't you think? The scenery is tops here too. So peaceful and quiet. I would love to live at a place like this.

Again, I was still in Taichung. This is The Old England. The buildings here are English style. Beautiful scenery too. 

We spent 3 days there. A full 3 days. Also, we hired a driver to drive us around. So, we get to see more things. Taichung's public transportation is not as convenient as Taipei, though. Taichung, like Taipei, is city-like but there are more nature places. 

We went to famous night markets in both Taipei and Taichung. Food there was awesome. You want to eat authentic beef noodles? Go Taipei. You want to get delicious pastries that cannot be found here in Malaysia? Go Taichung. The finger food (or rubbish food, as my parents like to say) in the night markets are fantastic too. Just a note here. If you ever pass the smelly toufu stalls there, don't wrinkle your nose or pinch your nose or show a disgusted face or say it's smelly. It's an insult to them. Their smelly toufu is one of their signature finger food.

So, this is my adventure in Taiwan. Would I go back again? Definitely. There are still many places I have not visited. You should consider going to Taiwan too. I would say it's worth it. =)

Tribute/eulogy

Her name was Tan Wei. She was 20 going on 21 years old. She was my high school friend. Not a close friend though. She.......died. In the Shanghai stampede on New Year's Eve. She was the only child, full of energy and life. She was studying Biotechnology in Zhejiang University. She was too young to die. There were still so much to see, to learn, to do. She was a budding young lady, full of promises for the future. Yet, she has left this world, away from her loved ones. 

I smiled,

Because you had lived.

Because of your life.

Because I had the honour of calling you "friend".

Because of your impact in everyone's lives.

Because of our memories together.

I cried,

Because you are gone too soon.

Because I never get to know you more.

Because I didn't keep in contact with you after graduation.

Because you didn't deserve this ending.

Because your loved ones will never get to see your smile or hear your laughter again.

Because you had so much to live for.

People live. People die. While we mourn for the dead, let us also remember and cherish the living. We cry but also rejoice and celebrate at the same time for her life. She had lived. She was in our lives. We were privileged to have known her and called her our "friend", "sister", "daughter", etc. We remember the memories we had together with her. 

My friend Tan Wei,

Your sunny smile and infectious laughter will be greatly missed. I couldn't be more honoured to have you in my life for a short period of time. I am sorry I didn't get to know you better. I am sorry we didn't keep in contact. I will always remember the memories we shared. The good times, the laughter. 

We really won't know what is going to happen in the next second. Make peace with anyone that you had a fight with. Contact anyone that you hadn't contact for a long time. Tell the people around you how much you love them before it's too late.

My friend Tan Wei,

You will be greatly missed. 

Rest in peace, friend.

Farewell.