Ni hao! Sorry that the Chatty Chong hasn't been too chatty lately and blogging. With all the stress and the sudden death of my grandmother (Rest in peace, Choon Cha Cho--my mom's mom), I have kind of lost a piece of myself and put a pause button on my life and forgot to get in touch. But, after a fun-filled and needed weekend with my amazing and supportive friends, I feel like I am ready to be back on track..
Although my LA grandmother ( we call her that, cause she lived out in LA) was a small lady and occasionally wore clothes that did not match, she had a heart that weighed her down. Her heart was filled with love, care, and warmth that was contagious. She was the most caring, happy and lovable person. She never used the word, "no" with my sisters and me. It was if "no" was not in her vocabulary. I remember when we were younger, she would take us to the supermarket with my mom, and we would throw random snacks and candies in the cart, and my mom would yell at us to put it back. My grandma would slap my mom and tell her to leave us alone. Another fond memory is the nest she built for this mama bird and her babies. She always had a soft spot for animals. So because my grandpa is literally a carnivore, and rarely eats veggies (just like me hahaha, probably where I get it from), my grandma would cook all meat dishes for.. breakfast, lunch, AND dinner. She was an excellent cook. Her voice was so bubbly and warm. Finding out about her sudden death out here in Singapore crushed me, there are basically no words to describe the brokenness I felt in the first weeks of October. She had a special place in my heart and I felt as if it was shattered. I forgot what it felt like to smile and laugh. But, with a little help from my friends that I have made, I am getting back on life. With the suddenness of death, I have learned a very important life lesson: To just live life simply and happy, why worry about the small things? For, we may not know if tomorrow is our last day. Death is part of life, and I believe my grandma lived a full and happy one. She gave me a blessing, my mother. I will forever love and miss you, Grandma Choon Cha Cho. My love for you is endless and unconditional. You make me stronger as each day goes by. Rest in peace, for I shall see you again--- jump in your warm loving arms and be greeted by your "grandma" kisses.
This past weekend, my buddies, Lizzi, Fiona, Katie, Kirsty, AM, Leo, Kyu, Dom, and I visited Melaka, a very historical place in Malaysia, yet filled with culture, traditions, great food, and even, creepy critters (haha). We took the bus which was fairly cheap, and although it was uncomfortable, it still gave me an exciting feel to once again, travel out of Singapore and into the new!
We stayed at Groven Travellers Home (hostel). It was definitely an experience I'll never forget.... I slept in a bed with a mosquito net. At first, I was in shock, but heyyy when am I ever going to do this again? And, how many people can say they slept in a net?!? It was not as bad as I thought it was going to be. We grabbed dinner the 1st night at a hawker centre, where I ordered a spicy chicken rice. Being Korean, it was not spicy at all! Bring on the spice! After a few Tiger beers here and there, it was about bed time. The next day would be a full day of history, adventure, and karaoke?
After snoozing my alarm clock a couple times, I took a shower, and met my friends in the "living room" area of the hostel. We visited the Porta de Santiago at the foot of St. Paul's Hill (a Dutch and English influence in Melaka). We climbed up the stairs in the hot hot heat and visited museums (thank sweet baby Jesus for air con!). With Deepavali on the way, we were greeted by very friendly Indians who shared their culture with us by serving us free samples and teaching us how to fry up an Indian classic. We then headed into the heart of Melaka, looked around the side markets, grabbed a few waters and icecreams and it was off to Jonker Street.
Dom, our "international tour guide" (I called him that all weekend, hahaha) took us to a traditional chinese tea tasting place called, Zenghe Teahouse (where I was bit by bugs at least 3434039042 times). The tea was really nice. I felt so "zen" and at peace hahaha. I even bought tea leaves for mommy and daddy back at home. Did I mention how cheap Malaysia is?!? When the lady, said "80 ringgit," I was like hold up lady, what?!? In US dollars, that is about $25! SWEET BRO!
For dinner, we had some sort of Satay Shabu Shabu but Malaysian style, of course. The waiter brought a big boiling pot of chili peanut sauce sort of thing, and placed in our table and turned on the burner. We went in the back, picked out what we wanted, from bok choi to prawns to wantons, we put them on a tray, and dunked them in the boiling pot. Can I just mention how much I enjoyed all the spicy foods I consumed? I was born to be Asian! hahaha. After a few seconds or minutes, we pulled the goodies out, and into our mouths (om nom nom)! It was delicious and so cheap! And of course, accompanying my meal was a big bottle of Tiger. I sware Tiger and I are best friends---THE beer of Asia.
Sidenote: The toilets in Malaysia were NOT proper toilets. It was legit a hole on the ground. God bless my dear friends. I refused and did not use them (hahaha, call me a brat!). They squatted and lived! hahaha.
After dinner, we went to a bar to grab drinks. Katie, Fiona, Lizzi, and I downed 4 cocktails together and then chased it with Tiger (of course). We were feeling pretty damn good, then sweet Katie bought us tequila shots (thank girlfrannn, shout out to you!). A night that ends with tequila ends with "shit getting even more crayyy crayyyy." We proceeded to a karaoke bar, and let me tell you, Asia loves karaoke. We played the latest hits with random Eagles and Beatles music. Lizzi, hating Tay Swift, put "Love Story" on the playlist just for me, thanks girlfrannnn, shout out to you too! After an hour of singing on the top of our lungs and crashing another party's karaoke room, it was time to soak our alcohol up with help from our friend, McDonald's. God Bless for McD!
The next day was our last day in Melaka. We all kind of slept in after a wild night, did I mention, I fell off my chair and wiped out at the bars for all of the people in Melaka....ooops??? We grabbed the famous, Chicken Rice Balls for lunch. They weren't that special, but hey, "When in Melaka." Afterwards, we drove to the bus station, and after 5-6 hours of traveling from this bus to another bus to the mrt, we finally made it back in one piece to Singapore and grabbed dinner at Boon Lay. It was a needed weekend, and I am so happy I went, even if I have 2 presentations on Friday (AHHH!).
You know, Melaka is not a very rich or clean place like Singapore, so I noticed lots of differences, such as a family of rats scurrying around, bugs and trash everywhere, and run-down homes on the river. People should not take their lives for granted. We all must learn to appreciate what we have and quit the complaining. There are people out in Asia who clean their clothes without a washer and eat the scraps off the ground. It bothers me so much and even makes me feel guilty to be able to travel and eat delicious dishes, when there are people suffering. I am fortunate and blessed to have the life I have, to come all the way out here in Singapore, learn and appreciate the culture, people, and food with the company of great people who have made an impact in my life. I will never forget what I saw, ate, and experienced. As the one month mark comes up (til I'm home), I intend to make every minute here a worthwhile one. Until next time, Much love from the Chatty Chong!
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