Birthday Fun and Art Attack!

So aside from this week's earthquake event, it was a big week for the Neilson family because our one and only princess turned 9 YEARS OLD on Friday (the 13th)!!  Brenna was on school holiday still and did not want a big party this year.  Instead, she was thrilled to have her friend Lara come over for the day.  Lara and Brenna played all day and looked forward to Rox coming home to bake a cake and take Brenna to ger her ears pierced.  Unfortunately, the day went by too fast and by the time Rox arrived home and threw the cake in the oven, it was time to meet Lara's family for dinner.  We had a good 'ole American dinner at TGI Friday's - it was fun to hang out with some friends.

So Saturday rolled around and, after some morning commitments (more below), Rox and Brenna went over to the mall to do the infamous ear piercing.  It went off okay, though Brenna was a little more anxious this time after having done this once before.  In the end, she was thrilled.  Next it was over to 'Nails by Hansen' to get our nails painted, but they were too busy to fit us in.  We scheduled appointments for Sunday instead.  After that, we returned home to ice the cake and decorate it "Moshi style" at Brenna's request.  So Brenna's birthday was a little drawn out, but in the end she got everything she wanted (and more)!  Thanks to everyone for the gifts you sent.  We are still watching the mail for a few more packages we have been told are coming, so will let each of you know when they arrive!

Sunday afternoon we returned to the mall to get our nails done - a little "mommy/ daughter" pampering:-)  Brenna chose cute little bunnies...adorable and so inexpensive (RM67 or ~$22 US)

Earlier in the week, Brenna attended a batik painting workshop arranged by our friend Michelle.  Brenna had a great time at the studio and not only made a great piece, she also found a great place to hang out and buy exquisite original designs by the owner and other artists.  Can't wait to go check it out ourselves!  Here is Brenna's depiction of "Iggy" from Moshi Monsters (he's the character you see on the website who tries to swallow your mouse cursor).

Rox also got in on the art fun on Saturday morning by attending a class on paper quilling (or curling).  Our instructor had some really nice pieces to show and patiently guided a group of about 6 through the process of creating a beautiful butterfly.  The group was made up of 2 Americans (1 of whom has lived in Japan for over 20 years and just retired in Malaysia 1 year ago), a Malaysian lady who has lived abroad for many years, a Japanese couple with their 9 year old son (who also attends St. Christopher's School) and Michelle's 10-year old daughter Lois.  It was a fun group and lots of banter and chatter, especially when Becky (the American retiree) started speaking Japanese to the Japanese couple.  So amazing to hear it flowing freely, with no hesitation so unexpectedly!  Most of the group were able to complete not only the first piece, but also come up with their own designs.  It took me nearly 2 hours to do the first one (long nails are a hindrance!).  It was a lot of fun and I will definitely do this again.  Here's my work:

Not bad for a rookie and definitely something I will do again!

So that's it for now...will post about our trip to Borneo later this week so we can catch up!

 

Earthquake!

Its a quiet Wednesday. rox worked from home as it was a public holiday, Brenna is on school holiday, and Im just home. Since it was a day off of running for me I decided to do a little core workout here at home, Brenna and Roxanne decided to lay down and read. Suddenly I feel dizzy, so I figure "i must be dehydrated." then I notice that the tv is shifting and things are falling off the desk. I stumble out of the office and notice that Brenna and Roxanne are standing in the doorway of our bedroom. This is not dehydration, its an Earthquake. Having never experianced an earthquake, we were all a bit scared and dissorientated. Brenna was in a panic. So for the next minute we felt three big shakes. Once it stopped we decided to get out, along with a majority of the other residents of the apartment. On the way down the stairs it was all I could do to keep Brenna from a full on panic. we met an older Chinese man that reassured her that we would be fine and that seemed to help. He confided in me however that this was the worst he had experianced in all the time he has lived in penang (he was a lifelong resident). Once downstairs Brenna calmed down, Roxanne had to go back to the apartment to get Brennas hamster, so i think once she caught up to us, Brenna was alot calmer. After about 1/2 hour we decided to go back inside. All of this took place between 5:00pm and 5:45pm. The first aftershock was felt at around 6pm. lasting about 30 seconds and consisting of only one big shake. In the meantime, we had been watching CNN, and discovered that an 8.6 quake had taken place off the shoreline of Indonesia, so the next threat was Tsunami waves. In 2004 a quake had taken place in a similar spot off of Indonesia, and wiped out the city of Ache, Indonesia. This same wave system hit Penang causing some significant damage to the nortn western part of the island and moderate damage where we are. So we were a bit concerned and although we knew an alert had been issued for Penang, everything the "experts" were saying on CNN led us to believe that nothing was going to happen. so we decided to wait it out, being 15 stories up we were pretty confident we were safe. There were no further aftershocks, and by 9:30pm the alerts had been lifted. So chalk up another first time experiance here in Penang.

http://edition.cnn.com/video/?/video/world/2012/04/11/cabrera-8-7-magnitude-earthquake.cnn

If you look next to his left shoulder you see "Pulau Pinang"...thats us.

Our New Family Member

Since we Neilsons have always had pets, one of the hardest parts of our decision to come to Penang was to decide what to do with our beloved cats (well, one of them) and Brenna's hamster Alex (a/k/a Buddy Boy).After investigating what it would take to bring the cats to Penang, we decided we just couldn't put them through that - the flight is long enough, but they would also have to stay in quarantine for up to 30 days upon arrival.  It just didn't seem wise as long as we could find someone to take care of them for a 2-year stint.  It was fairly easy to find a temporary home for CeCe - she's very laid back and never caused any harm.  Rox's dad and stepmom (Diane) agreed to take her in (provided we were coming back in 2 years to reclaim her!).  After an initial settling in period and getting used to living with two dogs, CeCe is quite happy living in "LA" and has staked her claim to the two screened porches.

Lucy was a bit more difficult due to her reputation for urinating on rugs, any papers lying around, on Chris' flip flops and in any object with a slight depression (bowl, plastic storage bin, box, laptop sleeve, and more than we care to remember).  Hence the reason she was slightly less loved than CeCe:-(  We tried various techniques to stop Lucy's bad behavior, but it seemed to resurface every time we went away on a trip.  We thought maybe she was just lonely and acting out, so we tried finding a family that was home more than us.  We tried many channels, and finally Rox's mom found an elderly woman who was looking for companionship - perfect!  Unfortunately a few months after our arrival in Penang, this kind woman was no longer able to live on her own and moved in with family who already had several pets.  Rox's sister Bonnie stepped in and took Lucy back into her own home rather than let her go to the SPCA.  Lucy has had some trouble adjusting to her new multiple pet household, but things seem to be fairly stable at the moment and we are praying for the best.

Finally, Brenna's Buddy Boy was taken in by a friend of Chris' for her 13 year old daughter and seems to be doing well.  The only problem is....we all REALLY miss our pets, but we can't have a pet in our condo and we would then have to face the question of what to do with them when we leave Penang.  So we resisted all the temptation (there is a great SPCA here in Penang, as well as a couple of private shelters, with many beautiful animals in need of homes) until just after our trip home.  We had promised Brenna we would consider getting another small pet (not fish - we stink at raising fish - see early blogs) after our trip home for the holidays.  So about two months ago, we finally allowed her to go pick out a new hamster and welcomed Perry to the family (named after Perry the Platypus from Phineas and Ferb Disney show).

Brenna has done a great job handling Perry every day and he is extremely docile - no biting at all - even when she carries him over to the neighbors house to show him off (which is now banned since he pooped in their play tent and it's just not a good idea to carry a little guy like him around).  Even Ms. Devi likes little Perry and will feed him while we are away.  So, we're a one pet family again and loving the little fluff ball and his cute little squeaks and chirps (never heard a hamster who chirps, but this one does).  Just watch out if you've just woken him up as he will use your shirt as a toilet (keeps his cage really clean and stink-free though!).  He'll be hard to leave behind when it's time to leave, but at least we have several friends who have offered to take him in when the time comes.

Football, rain and diet plans

So not much has been happening in the Neilson household these past couple of weeks.  Chris continues to pursue his running and is slowly building up his stamina and muscle strength - looking forward to his first "post accident" race next weekend (see more on Floridian Runner blog).  Brenna has been studying dinosaurs, fossils and now plate tectonics and is fascinated by this topic (just like her mom and dad!).  It's been a rare treat to see her so excited about her assignments.  Roxanne has been very busy at work, with many night calls and lots of things happening simultaneously now that the shared service center has been up and running for almost 8 months now.  Things are really starting to fly and expectations are high for everyone.

Last weekend was quite busy as well as Chris was asked to be the "team massage therapist" for the Soccer Experience team in the Carlsberg International Football (soccer to us Americans) Tournament here in Penang.  Rox tagged along as the team photographer.  We arrived on Saturday morning to a nice cloudy day and found a spot under the trees to camp out.  Each game lasted only 30 minutes, so there was lots of time for hanging out with the team and their families.  Chris was busy rubbing out sore calves, backs and various other muscles from the time he arrived til the time he left.  It was a great day for him and he really enjoyed the action.  Rox got lots of great photos of the guys and Brenna ran around all day with some of the other children.  Saturday night was an early one for all.  Sunday we were back at it by 10 AM.  Shortly after arriving, a heavy thunderstorm rolled through and we had to find a new camp as our nice shady spot under the trees turned into a swamp.  Also had to rescue the massage table from the encroaching waters!  Fortunately, one of the food vendors is a friend of Martin's and he let the team move under their tent.  The games continued despite the heavy rain and eventually the pitch became quite difficult.  After a brief lull, another strong storm moved through and soaked all remaining dry spots.  Again play continued, so it was a soggy affair for Rox and the camera as well as Chris and the table.  Unfortunately, the team also succumbed to the poor field conditions and was knocked out of the tournament, so our day ended a little earlier than we had hoped.  We headed home for a nice hot shower and a drying out spell!  Fun was had by all and we hope to join them again for another event soon (if they'll have us).  Later that night we met Rox's colleague David and his wife Jennifer (who just moved to Penang from Scotland) for dinner at our favorite Indian restaurant.  They were kind enough to bring Brenna some Moshi Monsters surprise packs from the UK- bonus points for them!

Not much to report for the remainder of the week, but one thing that caught our eye was the ad from GNC that arrived in the mail this week.  It's true that we see many health trends and supplements that we don't have in the US, so it's kind of interesting to see an ad for a US company adapted to the Asian market.  Bird's nest supplements are very common here in Asia, both in culinary form (bird's nest soup) and supplements from GNC.  Bird's nest has been a part of the Asian health regimen since the 17th century and is said to enhance immunity among other things.  Biologically, it is made from the saliva of swiftlets (the birds secrete their saliva, which hardens into a cup-shaped nest attached to a cliff wall) and contains glycoproteins, amino acids and minerals.  The GNC ad is promoting it for skin health.  Also unique is the plethora of skin whitening agents and treatments - now that's different from westerners, who tend to want darker or "tanned" skin!  What inspired us to share this post is the one thing "westerners" and Asians seem to have in common-dieting.  Here you will see a 7 Day Diet Plan for Women, so for those of you looking for a new diet plan, give this one a whirl although we challenge you to find roti canai or nasi lemak in "the States"!

Chinese fried rice and noodles aren't what we would think of as breakfast food, but here it is quite common to eat rice, noodles or porridge with fish for breakfast.  Even salad for breakfast is pretty common and can serve as the main daily intake of veggies for for some.  Now we just have to figure out how to reconcile this to the fact that the Chili's "guiltless grill" menu is only visible on the lampshades in the restaurant and not on the menu you can order from!  Guess we all have our guilt pleasures when it comes to food...

Weekend in Phuket - Day 2

Does anyone read this anymore or did we lose everyone when we got busy?  Will post anyway as I think we have a few readers out there still...

Our second day in Phuket found us riding the hotel shuttle bus into Phuket-town, hoping to walk a bit and check out the beautiful Wats (Thai Bhuddist temples).  We find these temples so exotic, yet so peaceful.  However, things got interesting as the shuttle pulled to a stop in front of a "tourist office" in town (we thought we were being dropped at a hotel) and we were greeted by enthusiastic taxi drivers/ tour guides who offered to squire us about town for a mere 300 bhat for the day (~ $10 US).  We thought... well, okay, air conditioned ride beats roasting heat and getting lost.... so we agreed.  Then our trusty guide asked "What you like to see - you want shopping, yes?"  Well, uh....no, not really.  But somehow we failed to convince him and our first stop was a large tailor shop to order a custom-made suit for Chris.  Now we felt just awful as the saleswoman tried so hard to show us the fabulous material and patterns we could choose from.  They could make a suit by the end of the day and send to the hotel before we left the next day for about 10,000 bhat (~$330 US).  Only problem was, we didn't come to Phuket to buy a suit!  Sensing our hesitation, our eager saleswoman asked, "How much you want to spend?"  Roxanne, being unable to lie, answered "Well, actually we didn't plan to order a suit at all, so we don't want to spend anything."  So much for tact.... so out the door we went, feeling rather small, but hey, we didn't want a suit!!  Next stop was the "handicraft" market - this place was full of gemstones and jewelry, textiles and wood carvings - with everything "50% off"  Again, Rox's cheap accountant ways and distrust of any sort of large jewelry outlet in a foreign country (too many fakes!) disappointed the hard-working salesfolk, but we did pick up some pillow covers, a doll in traditional Thai dress for Brenna and a couple of carved elephants.  So, it wasn't a complete loss!  Next, our driver proposed to take us to a shopping street full of inexpensive clothing stalls, but we pled hunger and asked him to take us to lunch instead.  He dutifully took us out to the waterfront, where we proceeded to this open-air seafood spot where you pick your dish from the fresh catch.  Brenna was completely turned off by choosing her food and refused to eat anything but a plate of french fries.  Chris and Rox went with the flow and chose a half dozen tiger prawns, a large lobster and pineapple fried rice (Rox's favorite),washed down by tepid Coca Cola in a glass bottles.  Delicious, fresh and a great view to boot!

After lunch, our trusty guide aimed us back at the shopping district even though we asked about the wats/ temples/anything cultural or historic....please.....His reply was, "You want Chinese temple?"  Well, umm, not really - we have gorgeous Chinese temples in Penang.  We want to see some Wats!!  To which he replied, " They not open."  Huh?  He was so determined to drop us at Robinsons.  We just didn't get the logic- how would he earn a kickback from a department store?  We changed tactics and let him drop us at the corner, paid him and told him we'd walk back to the shuttle stop by 4 PM.  The lunch was worth the aggravation.  So, with two hours left, off we went in search of the nearest temples.  The Chinese temple was actually very interesting - similar to Penang Chinese temples, but different at the same time.  Then we decided to give one of the Wats a try and walked a route that would take us into an older neighborhood with "Sino-Portuguese" style shophouses (according to our guide book).  The shophouses were lovely and very similar to Penang's architecturally and we stopped in a great antique shop along the way.  What a temptation that was, but again, "skeptical Sally" was afraid of getting duped and the only thing we really loved was out of our price range (although considering what you would pay for it in the US, it wasn't bad - maybe next time).  So, on to the Wat we went.  Unsurprisingly, it was not only open, but welcomed visitors (obviously the monks offer no commission!).  The complex included a primary (elementary) school and active monastery.  It was quite lovely and certainly worth the walk.

After our long day in the city heat, we stopped for a cold juice and then hopped the shuttle to the hotel where Rox had scheduled a "balancing" facial and foot massage at the spa.  It was a terrific way to cool down and revive tired feet.  Dinner at the Thai restaurant completed a lovely, but tiring day.  We had a great time in Phuket and plan to try the water activities like snorkeling and kayaking on our next visit!

Catching Up...Weekend in Phuket Day 1

We are far behind on our blogging, so we hope to catch up over the next few days.  Nearly two weeks ago, we were finally able to take advantage of two "public holidays" and get away for a 4 day weekend to Phuket, Thailand.  We originally had no intention to visit Phuket since, coming from Florida, we have been spoiled by some of the most beautiful beaches in the world.  We had also heard about the wild party atmosphere in Patong and didn't think that was what we were looking for.  So, we started out planning to visit Krabi instead (last summer's trip fell victim to Chris' accident).   Unfortunately, flights were difficult to find on the dates we wanted and were a little more than we wanted to pay.  So, we consulted the trusty travel guide and some friends and decided on Phuket instead.  The direct flight from Penang to Phuket was the clincher- no transfer in KL to deal with - and the price was great!  So off we went in our Aerospatiale twin prop for the short flight...

We stayed at Hat Mai Khao on the northern coast of the island, away from the more popular Patong and Kata Beach areas.  The resort was right on the beach and we had it nearly all to ourselves.

The resort was beautiful and we enjoyed swimming and relaxing by the pool; the restaurants and the spa were fantastic (Rox finally indulged and had a facial and foot massage; Chris had a full body massage to loosen up some of his sore muscles from his renewed training).  But, the highlight of the trip by far was the elephant trekking and the canoeing in the Thai jungle.  We had some initial reservations about the elephant trekking - after all, we've always read that it's not fair to keep these beautiful animals in captivity, even when well cared for.  But, we decided that it was an experience we did not want to miss.  We did agree that if there were any signs of mistreatment, we would get out of there fast!  Fortunately, the company we selected was top notch - picked us up on time, stopped for coffee and restroom break on the way (1 1/2 hour drive to the camp) and provided a very enthusiastic young Thai lady as our guide.  "Oo Oo" was great - good English and bursting with enthusiasm.  She made the long ride fun and educational.  We were very pleased with the conditions we found at the camp.  The facilities were clean, the trainers (or "mahoots") live with their elephants in small bamboo structures within a large enclosure, which was much cleaner than we expected.  So here we are about to head off on our trek:

We headed into the jungle along a wide path, but we were very impressed by the way the mahoot allowed the elephants to wander a bit.  They grazed and pulled up vines and small plants to snack on as they went and as long as they stayed near the general path, there was no pulling or shouting.  It was actually quite a partnership to witness and we thoroughly enjoyed our 45 minute trek.  What a beautiful jungle unspoiled by man!

After returning to the camp, we were treated to a delicious Thai buffet and  then walked a short distance down to the river where we met our river guide.  It felt great to be out on the water, looking up at the gorgeous limestone cliffs and hearing the hoots and shouts of a troop of gibbons (monkeys) in the distance.  It was a little unreal and though we were sweaty and tired, it ended too quickly...

We made a short stop back at the camp for cold drinks, frozen chocolate bars and another restroom break before heading back to the hotel.  The whole vanload of visitors was asleep within moments.  Nothing like a nice car nap after a day full of outdoor adventures in the Thai heat.  We thoroughly enjoyed our day and were sad to see it end.  If you ever get the chance to do this, we highly recommend it!

Will share day 2 tomorrow...

When is enough, enough.

Ok so i have something on my mind today that i really need to get off and although I love Roxanne to death she does not always (ok, she never does) have an appreciation for my rants, now this does not have anything to do with being in Penang, other than for me Penang offers me time to think and contemplate. So I look on the front page of "The Sun" this AM to find a tribute to Mrs. Whitney Houston, her tragic death at the age of 48...really..."The shocking news" of her death...really. I am sorry, I feel horrible for her family and everything they have had to endure, I feel bad for her fans, as they are probably the only ones who will know even one song off of her 2009 album "I look to you", except maybe the title track. Mostly I feel bad for Whitney, I mean not to quote one of her own songs, but "didn't she almost have it all" . The last 10 to 15 years of her life have been a train wreck, lets be honest. the failed reality show, a really, really bad marriage, and a really, really, really bad drug problem. I know in our country Politically correct is the norm, but this is not someone we should be crying a great deal of tears for, this death although tragic, is NOT Shocking. I mean come on, she was a crack addict who was on the express train to dying the moment she put the crack pipe in her mouth and could not put it down. I hope that any medical results following her death indicate that she was sober, i really do...anyone want to bet on that though. I'm not! Even if she did leave this world sober the insurmountable damage that she did to her body, most specifically her heart with years of cocaine dependence, was surely going to cause her untimely death. Another celebrity/pop star/rock star dies in a hotel room all alone, not a friend or family around them, and what do we do, "oh she was so beautiful", oh the death of a wonderful talent", No, i am sorry, its the death of a good and talented person who was hijacked by a chemical that eventually took her life, or at least was in some way the cause of it. We have lost many talented people, many REALLY talented people, Mrs. Houston one of them, to the same horrible, CURABLE, condition. Her death will be met with an outpouring of emotion and tributes, however when all that is over we will go back to our lives and think nothing of the cause and the consequence of the loss. Is there ever public outcry for more drug treatment centers, and better techniques and technology, is there ever a call for more research and education...the answer...NO, there is not. Do we open more drug treatment facilities to deal with this growing problem in our country, that even our own government in their infinite wisdom called "an epidemic"...no, no we don't, we take beds from treatment facilities, we take money for programs that attempt to help people dealing with this problem and we force them to the medical profession that uses drugs (more often than not) to deal with a drug problem...that would be like sending a fat person to a bakery to lose weight. Or we send them to Jail/Prison, and as you know there is tremendous education and rehabilitation that goes on there, i think he last recidivism statistic for the state of Florida was like 79% repeat offenders...yep that system is working. So what will we do, this great nation of ours to deal with this "epidemic" that affects every aspect of our society, from celebrities to the hell's kitchen junky...nothing...I'm sorry Mrs. Houston, your death was not a shock to me, it was however tragic, the big book of AA says "There are such unfortunates. They are not at fault". I failed you Mrs. Houston, because as a professional in the field of addictions I should be working smarter, not harder. Your country failed you, because we have a leadership in this country who cares more about what happens in China and Iran than they do in their own backyard...i mean do you really think that President Obama has been to the "bad" part of DC since he was on the campaign trail?? Mit Romney?? oh yeas I'm sure that this trust fund baby knows the plight of the working man, who sees the destruction of his livelihood, his family and his community all at the same time...I saw a commercial on "You Tube" that was broadcast during this years Superbowl, it was about Detroit, and it featured Mr. Clint Eastwood, he talked about how it is "halftime in America" and that we need to decide what we are going to do in the second half. i liked the message and could see the appeal, however the problem is that in that "American Stadium" most of those people are out of work and have no idea when they might find it. most don't have health insurance and no job that will offer it to them, some are homeless, some are hungry and a good deal of them are addicted to some chemical, and are finding it tough to quit....I digress...and Mrs. Houston you failed you, I'm sure with your wealth and fame, you were offered the best treatment money can buy, the top notch specialists in the discipline using the most up to date methods and research, but i don't think anyone of them ever told you the truth, and made you look at yourself, stripped of all your fame and notoriety, because you see Mrs. Houston that crack/cocaine, it never cared who you were, it never mattered, it wanted you dead. Without help, addiction always gets what it wants. We were all a party to the failure that led to your untimely death...I will however continue to do my part in being the solution I can only hope and pray that the rest of our country will wake up and do the same...maybe then we will never again have to say, "she/he died tragically...of their addiction."