Close to heart....

They say spending time with your loved ones are really special and I must agree fully with that statement. From the hot sweaty afternoon on the highway to the dawning breezy streets of Penang, it was really delightful being able to catch some much needed rest and relaxation. Driving long distance is interesting to me as I get to see the views, sights and even get my adrenaline pumping just thinking of the food I'm gonna have for the week. You see, I am a food junkie and I like food. Sorry, I love food. I may not partake much or be seen like a glutton slob in stalls or restaurant but I really love food. That's why travelling to Penang is such a joy to me, Not only will I get to spend time with my "family" - Vive, Sathy, BA , Jessy and a host of friends, I get to sample some of the finest food available. I am not talking about food from some fancy restaurant though I must admit that there are certainly a lot of good quality restaurants in Penang. I am talking about the simple fares such as char koay teow, koay teow theng, assam laksa , fried mee sua, fried tang hoon, cendol, rava thosai, Indian food, the Chinese food fare, the nasi kandar, the seafood fare, ambra drink, buah pala drink, the durians and the list goes on. 

I must say that I am just so blessed. Many would choose wealth over a lot of things but I chose simple things in life - being happy with family and friends. Never mind if the months have been very challenging for me and SLing but God is more gracious to us , I guess. I must admit that my family may not be rich and yes, we do struggle like any other family but it's the great bond both family and friends helped us a lot to enjoy our outings/holidays. I guess, God has been really good to us despite our difficult times as He provided to us for this holidays as I received my incentive just in time. If you really know me, these are things I treasured the most - the memories of friendship and sharing good times together. I was glad to have Wei, Jade, Ryan and Ashley plus mother-in-law joined us in Penang for a great time of outing. My sis, Lee Lee was our tour guide for the weekend and it was fun being able to travel from one end to another end to have fun. Staying at Vive & Sathy place was heavenly to my family as the morning breeze and view are just so refreshing. That is the epitome of a great holiday , actually. BA & Jessy are just lovely as they brought us to sample simple home cooked meal in a restaurant tucked in one corner of the town.      

There was one morning, I woke up quite early to enjoy the view and it was raining cats and dogs.There was just so much of blurriness and massive outpouring of tears from the clouds. The water droplets were simply torrential, continuous and huge but at the end of the day, there was clearing of the hazy surroundings and everything was cleared up and you could see the mountainous landscape ever so clearly. It was just so beautiful. These are simple things that I just love, I tell you. 

Anyway, spending time with Wei, Jade, Ryan, Ashley and mother in law in our short tour at Penang Hill and Toy Museum was fun especially with the antics from the two tiny tots. They were indeed a handful but stupendously charming and fun to be with. Food time was fun while the sea food fare we had were interesting. Getting the children to eat wasn't fun but humorously funny.The cajoling, the incentives and the persuasion techniques used were astoundingly fun. It was really satisfying and heart-warming for me to see Wei & Jade having fun at the foods and just enjoying their holidays. They really deserve a good holiday and I am so glad they took this holiday. I have seen how much they had sacrificed for their children just as SLing and myself had done over the years when our children were younger. They do deserve a good break to refresh, rejuvenate and restore. Nevertheless, I could see that they enjoyed themselves and at least, this will be a good start for them to get more holidays and much needed rest. 

Personally, for me, I am very happy to be able to share some time with my sister, LeeLee. I am very proud of her and her achievements over the years. So glad that she has been where she was due to her hard work and sheer determination in life over her years of stay in Penang. We had some good time of bonding as family and that was priceless, I guess. 

All in all, SLing and I had a great time in Penang. Even eating rava thosai can be such a delight to us as we spend our time in Penang. Personally, I wish I had more days to enjoy my holidays but I guess, the memories are more precious. That, I will take it close to my heart!~