Blog Flashbacks

During the first 8 days of October 2010, we gave the Herbalife 8-day trial a go. It lasted five days, but at least we tried! Here are the links to those five days of shakes, teas and aloe vera drinks:

Herbalife days 4 and 5

Herbalife day 3

Herbalife day 2

Herbalife day 1

Two years ago in October 2009, we went out to the new-look Kuantan post office to pay an amazingly low RM3 water bill for the month, pick up a package, and do a little shopping around East Coast Mall. Here it is recorded in words and pictures:

Out and about in Kuantan, October 2009

This past week's most viewed post was the collection of pictures I took at The Ten Thousand Buddhas Hall. Click the link to view them if you missed it earlier:

Wan Fo Tien Temple, Kuantan

I've entered one of the photos of this temple into a monthly photo competition where the winner receives $100, with a $50 runner-up prize. So if you like the photo, please vote for it entitled 'Duncan Horne' at the following link:

Duncan's photo

CPB members, vote for my photos here

Day 4 with my parents in Kuantan

Day 4 was a slow starter. My wife is now just one week away from giving birth. The date of June 18th has been set when she will be induced and the new baby will enter the world. She's taking plenty of rest. We're all excited but at the same time, can't really believe we're going to be joined by another human life in a weeks' time!

We went out to Kamdar at 3pm yesterday so we could find some material for my mum, and perhaps a belt for my dad, whose shorts are falling down a little!

The following scene inside Kamdar is probably heaven on earth for my mum. She loves materials, sewing, knitting, cross-stitch etc etc. She loved this:

She eventually found some yellow and purple material perfect for what she wants to do. Meanwhile, I tried on a few items of clothing, and when I save up a bit of money I'd love to return and make them my own!

This particular coat was the comfiest I've ever worn, cool and lightweight. You're lucky I'm revealing these new fashion trends right here on blogger! (coughing slightly)

Later in the day we popped over to Carrefour and I introduced my parents to Butterscotch bread:

This stuff is delicious!

Finally, a long-overdue sign in blue which translates as 'don't you feel guilty throwing rubbish out your vehicle?'

Doesn't this just highlight how low we've dropped, that we need a sign to tell us not to litter?!

Day 3 with my parents in Kuantan

Yesterday we went out to East Coast Mall. My mum bought a new purse from Parkson. Whilst waiting Lauren chatted with her grandad for a while:

Grandad had his spectacles tightened so they don't fall off the bridge of his nose every time he looks down. He can actually see through them now! Lauren entertained her grandma this time:

On the way up to Carrefour to buy some food:

We also searched for some sarongs (kain batik) around Malay Town. My mum wants to buy some so she can make cushions out of them. We found a nice purple one and the girls working at the shop couldn't stop telling Lauren how cute she was! Here's a picture of them all:

Later in the evening we took my parents to the night market (pasar malam) just down the road. We bought a load of sugar cane (air tebu), my favourite! And I do like to play with the remaining ice:

We also bought a kilo of rambutan for RM6 (just over one pound sterling). They are funny little hairy balls with a sweet fruit under the skin:

Apologies for the poor quality of this picture!

After dinner of mashed potato with sweet potato (yam) I took a few portrait pictures of us. I used the "soft skin" mode on my Panasonic Lumix DMC-F2 but I'm not sure if it makes any difference to the skin tone in these pictures:

HP Sauce

So I want to share one picture connected to the "H" post for the A-Z challenge. I was supposed to attach it to yesterday's post but I forgot amidst the excitement of the football last night.

I used to love HP Sauce when I was younger. I recently came across it whilst shopping at Carrefour here in Kuantan, Malaysia. I remember boxer Frank Bruno doing a TV commercial for HP Sauce. Here it is:

What's your favourite?

Tomato Ketchup

Chilli Sauce

HP Sauce

The Week In Images

A hole in the sky is formed as the rays of the Sun tear through the feeble clouds en route to the earth's surface.

The fiery ball in the sky emits a distinct orange glow as Malaysia rotates away into the darkness of space.

The Sun's rays strain to reach Kuantan as the earth continues to revolve into darkness.

Malaysia's glaring deficiency in English is once again highlighted rather embarrassingly with this asinine display in East Coast Mall's basement.

Lauren waits patiently as mummy brings the food and drinks for breakfast at East Coast Mall's food court.

Surrounded with toys, Lauren struggles to select an item to amuse herself.

On a display in Carrefour rests a wonderful piece of artwork designed by strategically placing thousands of strands of rice of various colours, in preparation for the Deepavali celebrations.

Assuming it to be her own, Lauren quite readily climbs onto this bed for a lie down and a picture. The Carrefour staff regularly change the quilt; today it was a rainbow design that certainly caught Lauren's eye.

Out and About

Our chosen method of transport is our car. There is no other alternative! Still waiting for Kuantan to grow so that a nice LRT service can be constructed, but I think that might be a dream too far. But there's nothing wrong with our car anyway, except the fact that there's no air-cond so we just wind down the windows and go 'natural.'

I did however, appreciate these beautiful trees lining the roadside near the Post Office, which was our first destination. The Kuantan Post Office has undergone a renovation and is now complete. It's a bigger, cleaner, whiter version of the old one, and is cooler too. Here it is in all its glory:

After paying our water bill which came to a ridiculously low total of RM3 (in Sterling Pounds this is around 60 pence), we walked around the corner to pick up my package from my mother.

The package contained ten lemsips so that I can fight the 'flu more effectively should it return at a later date, and, modelled by her, a bib for Lauren...

Next up was a trip to Carrefour to do some shopping. I am particularly pleased that they have Baked Beans here...

...and these donuts, which actually I don't eat very often anymore. Besides, if I did fancy a donut, it would be a "Big Apple" donut. They taste great, but too many of them have a cloying effect..

Hope you enjoyed our lunch hour dash to the Post Office and Carrefour. This afternoon I will be on the internet for a while, reading "The Garden of Evil" and playing badminton around 6pm. Tonight I should be simply relaxing while my wife has a test at school tonight. That's if 'relaxing' is possible when looking after a baby who misses their mummy!