Domestic Help...

So today began our entrance into the world of the "oma" or is it "ohma"...not sure, for us it is "Rita". She was on time today and really did a great job, even taking care of some things that we had not discussed when we first spoke. Folding clan laundry, doing dishes...she was a huge help! I am still not all that comfortable with sitting around while someone else does stuff that I can (and have) do. Because of the construction going on next door our porch has been a filthy mess, covered with all this black dust, she spent a good 20-30 min cleaning the porch as well, and it looked awesome...Rox and I actually sat out there together tonight...it was nice. I could get used to this whole "Oma" thing, and next week she will begin to cook for us, she insists on only fresh produce, fresh spices, and nothing that comes out of a can...I really do like this lady, my hope is that she is not too good to be true! So The first part of the day was my morning run, then meeting with Rita, then Brenna came home from school...she actually walked up on her own...I don't like that though, so that is the last time for that, Brenna asked if she could come up on her own from now on...ah no...I am really proud of her though, she has started to just come home and do her homework without even being asked...it is so nice when she does that!! Sometimes she just flat out surprises me...I love my Brenna Boo! So dinner was simple, the BBQ chicken and duck from the market, with rice and steamed pole beans...awesome!! well it should be an early night, but Rox has a call tonight and I have a new episode of the AMC show "The Killing" god bless Itunes!! so it is goodnight gang, I hope you all had a great memorial day, not something that is celebrated here, but we recognized it in our own way. Brenna does have off at the end of the week for her mid term break, and then Monday is a national holiday...I think its called "Kings day" not sure about that...I really wish that some of you could see this place, Penang has more to offer us every day, and although we know this might be the only way to share it with some of you...deep inside it is a dream for the three of us that we will have visitors here, just so we can share with you this beautiful and magical place!! Until tomorrow, Goodnight!

Monday at the Market!

A very gentle morning, Rox off to work and Brenna off to school, no problems...I was feeling a bit run down after our exciting weekend and my early Sunday wake up call. It was a market day though, and I had to get some fruit as well as produce today...before my visits to Pulau tikas were just fruit and veg, today it will also include some chicken, duck, and fish...That will be interesting!! So on the way up to the market, my walk has become somewhat routine...there is always this little old Malay man just outside the market, an he has fruit also, I usually try and buy at least one thing from him, today it was a huge papaya, and some more of the longan fruit that I got last time...he says they are from his own farm...not sure about that, but ok. The funny part is he tries to hit me up again when I come back out...I don't think he remembers me...Anyway, I got going a bit late, so the lady I have gotten duck and pork from the last two Mondays, was not there anymore and the husband and wife right behind her were still there, but nearly everything that was there was spoken for, I did get some duck, and also some chicken from them, already BBQ, so that will be good, but I have to get there earlier...to get the good stuff!! So the uncooked chicken lady was right at the front and she had only two full birds left, so she cut up one for me...I wanted two full breasts on the bird, but she cut them up too...something got lost in the translation...I think that there are times when I need to speak slower, and listen more attentively! Onto Dallas, my veggie guy and the stall next to his for my fruit...picked up corn,sweet potatoes, baking potatoes and tomatoes. Again I got there late so the broccoli was gone and his stuff was pretty picked over. The fruit guy was no better, got banana, mango, blueberries (from Plant City, no less)...not as much as last time as the selection was poor...late, damn!! Onto the fish...very first guy i came to had a beautiful cut of snapper already filleted, and tried to give me the head also, I said no thanks, we are not at the stage where we can do the fish head curry at home yet. Ok so this was a heavy bunch of stuff, and by the time I made it back home I was drenched...good workout!! So the next bid was to change and then off to the gym for a workout, see running blog. Back home again and almost time for Brenna to get off the bus, when I get a very odd email from my bride, she is begging me to take our lovely peach of a child, to McDonald's...and get this, so she can get a coke-a-cola glass!! McDonald's has glasses that are part of a meal deal giveaway, they look like coke cans, and come in a variety of cool colors...Roxanne wants the neon green one. the reason why this is so funny to me is that this is a woman who never has a want for anything...they only time i see her truly excited about "stuff" is artwork and pictures...so for her to be that much enamored with a glass from McDonald's, that's just funny!! so Brenna got McDonald's again tonight so Roxanne could have a neon green Coke glass...Brenna was thrilled!! Well we have continued to think and plan for the summer, and what we are going to do to make the time go a bit quicker, and we have lots of ideas...we just need to get 2 nailed down and then book them so we don't miss out on the good airfare and the good hotel rates. Our Oma starts tomorrow, this should be interesting indeed!! Early night to bed...Another great day in Penang!! Goodnight all, until tomorrow!!

What a Day!! (Sunday)

May be one of the best Sundays in Penang, thus far!! I had my first race here this morning, so I got a very early 4:30AM start to the day, The race went very well, and I finished 9th in my age group, and from the looks of it, in the top 25 overall, so not a bad start to the racing part of this adventure!! I got home to find my girls still sleeping in, as it was barely 9:00AM I cant blame them!!. We had two things planned for this afternoon, Brenna and I to the Soccer experience, and Roxanne to the Gym! We figured it would be a light day at the experience as the Mn U vs. Barcelona game was on at 2:00 this morning, so we figured some parents and kids would be sleeping it off. Brenna and I had a good time, she had a tougher time today, getting hit once in the face and another time in the chest, the latter a pretty hard knock...she soldiered on though and kept playing...I really hope that this team sport experience gives he a bit of a tougher exterior and may be, just may be, puts the kibosh on some of the drama. Brenna played well and got another assist...her first goal is coming, I can feel it!! We had a nice lunch with out Friends Jo,Simon, and their son OB and Kevin who was headed to a play date with OB and is another kid in Brenna's class. Subway was the choice today as it is reasonable inexpensive, and close to the soccer experience. We had some good conversation, discussing some of the destinations around to visit over the summer. We walked back home, showered and changed quickly and got over to Gurney Plaza to check out Kung Fu Panda 2...The movies here are very different, as I think I have said once before, other than the cost which is very inexpensive. There is the process...seats are assigned, you must wait for them to open the theater that you will be seeing the movie in, no going in early, and the sound is at times unbearable, but we seem to be the only ones who have a problem with it...It was a really good movie, I recommend seeing it!! We exited the movie and then went right to get some groceries...just provisions, fruit/veg/meat this week will all come from the Pulau Tikas wet market!! That will be my adventure tomorrow. A nice relaxing night at home, followed by early to bed, we were a tired crew after a long day in the sun for Brenna and I and a good workout at the gym for Rox!! Great day in Penang today!! Goodnight all!! Will try and post Mondays at the proper time...I am even getting a bit screwed up with which blog goes with which day....

Saturday!!

So nice to have a day off with the family...it was a long week for some reason, still just 5 days, but felt longer. So we watched the Lightning game this morning, ASTRO, the local cable company picked up the feed, so disappointing...The Lightning had a great year, and although the talking heads have had Boston picked to go to the final all year..The lightning gave them one hell of a run. Its looking like the days of being bottom feeders is over, hopefully the fans will continue to support them. I just have one  thing to say to the Boston fans though...at least the ones that I have seen post on the social networking sites, where do you get off calling us bad fans...you guys jump on and off bandwagons so much its almost criminal...Tim Thomas is a perfect example Rask was the second coming all season and into the first round, Tim Thomas was washed up, too old, DONE. now he is your hero and savior, so don't act so high and mighty, besides the only thing that was ever good that came from Boston was the Dropkick Murphys...and you know it!! ok that's enough of that...So we headed off to the Youth park, so I could pick up my bib, and stuff for the race tomorrow. The bib was cloth, I have never seen that before, we usually have paper bibs, or that weird plastic paper stuff...no chip either so it is not a timed race. The Youth park was really nice, and the Monkeys were everywhere, and not the singing kind either!!

We hung out for a bit watching them until the officers that patrol the park chased us away...I think they are really trying to keep them as wild as possible and avoid them getting aggressive with anyone, they can mess someone up if you piss them off!! We headed back home and decided that we would try and go to see Kung Fu Panda 2, and after waiting in a really long line for tickets, we found that almost all the shows for the rest of the day were sold out, so we bought tickets for Sunday. We headed home and cooked dinner and headed off to bed early, as it was an early day for me Sunday, up by 4:45am out by 5:15am...so off to bed, goodnight you guys!! until tomorrow! another great day here in Penang!!

Not much going on...

So Friday has been a really laid back day here, Run this morning, to give me at least 1 day off before the race on Sunday, Then some relaxing on the porch and by the pool. Brenna got home and we hung out and played some games, then Rox got home. we booked our flight home for Christmas time, and then went and got some dinner. Early night to bed...not much really going on today, the weekend should be more interesting with the Lightning playing game 7 tomorrow morning, heading out to the botanical garden, and then the race Sunday... Good day in Penang!! Goodnight all!!

No Show...

So today was the day our domestic help was supposed to start, This is really something that is very uncomfortable for me, I think more for me than anyone else, because I have to be here when she is. I really feel that I should clean up my own mess, I know that sounds juvenile...I guess this is just a very different part of this experience for me. So Brenna got off on the bus fine and Roxanne got off to work, I had a good workout at the gym, and a nice bit of people watching at the coffee bean, I really love their Jasmine tea, I'm sure that there is better tea around, but for now this is my BEST. So Rita was supposed to come by at 12:00...12:00 came and went, no Rita, 12:30, no Rita...13:00, no Rita...your getting the idea...I really hate that our first experience with domestic help is such a negative one, especially when she seems like such a nice woman...Maybe when I cancelled for Tuesday, she thought that it was for the week...for now we are going to see what happens next week, and if she does not show next week or we don't here from her...we will go in a different direction...Now the discomfort for me is rising...I need to just let it go. Oh, I got to watch the lightning win this morning, that was really cool, I liked the fact that our fans threw stuff at the Boston players, not because I think that it is right, but because we have always been seen as a bandwagon sports market, and I think sometimes we are...but throwing stuff at the opposing team puts us with the Philly and New York fans...in a really bad way, but still...I think even if they lose in game 7 this season is a win for them! Brenna got home, she finished her homework, so glad that is getting easier!! Rox got home and we again were in no mood to cook, so we went and got some food, and then spent a relaxing night at home. Well TGIF tomorrow, and a big race this weekend!! Another great day in Penang, goodnight all!!

Wednesday!

I look forward to Wednesdays, Brenna is home from school early, and i get to play some football also, both are good things!! Got a run in this morning, which was good, came home to the ants in the kitchen, which sucks!! Not like I can run to home depot and get some any bait, or call our pest control people to get a treatment...We will figure it out though!! Anyway. Brenna was home at 1:00, she got her homework done no problem...i am so glad that that is getting easier, wish this was the beginning of term and not the end, we are going to have to re-establish all these good habits that she is finally practicing, after the summer is over. Nina was again nice enough to agree to keep tabs on Brenna for the 2 hours that I was at the Soccer Experience, We are really going to miss them, It is nice for Brenna to have a playmate so close, they go back to the US at the end of the school year. Soccer was fun today, I still stink out loud, but I am getting better at the game itself, and i got to play goalie today...I did not do to bad, but I still have the hockey goalie mind...I still move in small arcs around the goal, and this is a much bigger goal. Still i made some saves, and did not make others...not bad though. It was a good run and a good sweat, walking here is a good sweat for me...I noticed that I sweat a lot, which id good I guess, effective cooling, but its uncomfortable... So back home, got Brenna from Nina's, and she had a great time with Katie, it seems they had gotten a care package from home and it had some of Katie's things in it and she and Brenna had fun with all of her new things!! Roxanne was home not long after that, and Dinner was on the table not long after that, and then it was family game night, and an early night to bed for us all...Good day in Penang today, tomorrow our domestic help starts, that will be very very weird, I don't know if I will be able to get used to that...Well until tomorrow! Good night you guys!