Happy Merdeka Day...

Today is Merdeka Day in Malaysia...celebrating Malaysia's independence from British rule. Flags are flying everywhere and there should be lots of fireworks tonight.

This was outside of San Francisco Coffee

I've joined two gyms here in KL - Crossfit Vidatha and Fitness First. When I joined Fitness First I received 6 free personal training sessions - which I didn't really care about. (I know how to kick my own ass when I'm so inclined.) But, I did finally get a session scheduled with my trainer...Suresh - scheduled for 9 a.m. this morning. I arrived and introduced myself - and really appreciated the fact that he did all his 50 questions while I was working out. (I did not want to spend 30 minutes doing the par-q and stuff). It was a good workout...I actually enjoyed it more than I thought I would. We worked with the ViPR...which was fun and functional.

These are ViPRs and seem to be all the rage in the clubs over here.

And then...I got to box! Gloves on - hitting! So fun! I think I may look for a boxing gym around here because that was a good time! Who knew hitting and kicking someone would be so much fun! But, there is something about making contact that just made me want to do it again!

Took the boys - all three of them for haircuts. Now, my kids (and husband) don't require a fancy salon...set the clippers on a 1 or 2 and have at it. So we found a place over at Publika (Big surprise!) that cuts hair for 15 RM. (For those doing the math - that's about $5 USD.) Woot! Woot!

Nothing like a fresh haircut

OH! I wanted to share a few funny things that Blaine and I have noticed! Here's the first one:

McDonald's VIP and KFC CEO - Chicken Employment Officer! Hilarious!

We now live in a country where you can get VIP stickers for McDonald's and other fast food establishments. We asked Elizabeth what these stickers were all about. She told us these are for frequent drive-thru customers and allow them discounts or promotions through out the year. (In America I don't think there is enough plastic to print the stickers if they give them out to "frequent" customers!)

The other thing we've been laughing about is that native Malaysians who speak English have this tendency to add "la" or "lah" to the end of their sentences when speaking English. (Think "eh" in Canada.") So you'll hear:

"Would you like to get dinner, lah?" or "Grab some coffee, la?"

So Blaine and I have been adding it to our sentences - and only when we're being very inappropriate.

"Hurry the fu*k up, lah!"  or "What the hell was that, la?!" or "Can you fu*kin' believe that, lah?"

We probably should stop this - as I'm sure is will come back to bite us in the ass, lah!

Phew...We made it to Friday...

It's Friday evening here in KL...and it seems like it has been a busy week! Super busy! But, so much better than last week - no major meltdowns to report!

Today's blog post sponsor is:

Chilla Cup...They are located in Solaris...this is where we had coffee this morning

Let's see...what's been happening? I have a list a mile long of things I could blog about this evening, but I'll just pick a few and try and hit the rest this weekend.

So Tiger Movers were responsible for the unloading of our shipment when it arrived here in Kuala Lumpur. Overall, I was really happy with the job they did...very few broken pieces (a platter, a couple of glasses - nothing major). But, then they unwrapped my dining room table - and what do I see? A nice gash out of the top of my table! Arrggghhhh!! So pissed off!! Needless to say, we've been jumping through the hoops of filing claims and trying to get the table restored (or show me the $)...and so far - we've heard nothing. Although, yesterday, a very nice Tiger rep stops by the house with these:

Yeah, pretty, pretty. And I'm sure all the expats who use Tiger receive these flowers. But, guess what? I'd just like my table fixed!! Or the claim settled. Let's just dispense with flowers and get this show on the road! 

Okay...enough venting. 

Today was the Swim Carnival at the kids' school. A great activity for all levels of swimmers. (They provide kickboards if a student is not too confident in his/her ability.) And the school has awesome facilities to do this - a beautiful 25 meter pool, outside - lots of seating for spectators. Just really great! Caleb and Grayson did a rockin' job - each of them grabbing at least one ribbon in their heats. Grayson did the freestyle with a kickboard (which he does not need - not quite sure who he conned to be allowed to do this!) and he tried the breaststroke (he struggled here, but he made it - so glad he tried it!). Caleb did freestyle, backstroke, and breaststroke. Here's a few pics from the day:

The facilities, Grayson and his kickboard, Caleb doing freestyle

Grayson after freestyle, Caleb after breaststroke receiving his ribbon

Grayson trying breaststroke and rockin' the kickboard

Caleb receiving his ribbon for backstroke

Caleb - One happy kiddo

So there's your Friday wrap-up! I'll try and post over the weekend...we've got some things planned which may prove to be worthy of blogging! (Or they won't be - and you'll hear about it anyways!!)

Shopping...

Happy to say that we are back to our regular sponsor today:

San Francisco Coffee - Mo' Mocha and O.J. Did It

Blaine has a meeting in Ipoh this afternoon with a catfish/tilapia farmer, so he spent the morning at home - which means we had a coffee date over at San Francisco Coffee today. I went the cold route with a Mo' Mocha - AWESOME! And Blaine had some orange juice frappe...which was like a Dreamsicle in a cup!

I didn't blog yesterday as the day seemed to get away from me, so, I'll work to get you caught up today!

My car arrived on Tuesday! Woot! Woot! Give it up for having a vehicle!! Now, this car is much nicer than the car I will have. It's called a Proton Preve...no sure who manufactures it, don't really care. We're renting it until my Myvi arrives. (My Myvi will be new, but it will be tiny - which I'm really happy about because parking is crazy and the spots are very tiny and getting into the parking garages is like walking a tightrope with your car!) Anyways, here's my car:

Could not be happier to have a car!!!

Wednesday morning Trang took me to the wet market in T.T.D.I. I really should've taken photos...sorry about that! This is the market where Trang told me we can  get pork, beef, shrimp, spices and produce for prices that are much better than the supermarket. Since I have never driven out to T.T.D.I. - she graciously offered to be my navigator. We left once the kids were at school and arrived to find the place already bustling with activity and having to patiently wait for a parking spot! But, patience won and we got our spot!

This is a picture of the outside of the market. (I found this online.)

Once inside, we went to the pork butcher where Trang's family buys their meat from...all sorts of cuts of pork - and good prices. (Yes kids, mommy can afford bacon if she buys it in T.T.D.I.!!) I got some bacon and pork shoulder (so we can make pulled pork sandwiches). I'm definitely sending Blaine back for the ribs!

The pork butcher is essentially in the basement of this building, so we headed upstairs to go to some of the other vendors. We went to see a woman who sells all sorts of spices - and the yummiest fried onions (like for casseroles and salads - but, think real fried onions - not those fake things in a can!) The vendor was very kind and also gave us each a package of curry spice to try. We hit the fruit stand - which had all sorts of fruits. I picked up another watermelon - because Grayson eats watermelon almost everyday - and he eats a TON of it! I also bought a small amount of cherries for Blaine - as they are still rather expensive, but he just loves them. (I don't even think he knows they are in the frig!) Trang picked up some asparagus and limes from another vendor (You need limes for margaritas, afterall!!) and then we headed back to Mont Kiara. She gave me a quick tour through Sri Hartamas and showed me a restaurant that they really like called SOULed Out - which we may try this weekend.

I then drove to Fitness First for a little time on the elliptical. (Mainly, I just wanted to drive my car!) I only turned on the windshield wipers once - not too shabby! As I said above, maneuvering down into the parking garage makes me nervous due to how narrow it is - but I made it. I put in a brief workout - as my quads were just on fire (and continue to be) from Crossfit. I picked up a few items at The Village Grocer and headed home. 

Yesterday Blaine flew to Butterworth to visit a plant, so it was just me and the kiddos for dinner. Sometimes I just love those nights. No cooking - cereal for dinner - easy peasy.

Today was Day 2 of my on-ramp session at Crossfit Vidatha. Yeah, my quads were aching from Tuesday's workout, but I pushed through. It was a good workout! 

Then it was coffee date with Blaine. Over at Publika they put up this art piece this week:

Yeah, I'm not sure what it's supposed to represent. Maybe it has something to do with the Malaysian Independence Day celebration - which is this weekend, on Saturday. Merdeka Day commemorates the independence of Malaysia from British colonial rule in 1957. (Yes, I looked that up!) Anyways, your interpretation is as good as mine!

After coffee we headed to B.I.G. so I could enroll in a few more cooking classes.They have some fabulous classes coming up! I'm so excited! I only was able to register for two today as they didn't have the registration forms ready for the others. Currently, I'm enrolled in "Tea Time Treats" - which will have me making: Vegan Coconut Cake, Gluten Free Banana Muffins, Rustic Carrot Cake, and Decadent Chocolate Brownies 

And, I'm registered for "Scrumptious Dinner" on September 19th where we'll be making: Potato & Broccoli Quinoa Salad with Garlic Aioli , Apple Cider Chicken with Caramelized Shallots and Churros with Dark Chocolate.

Oooh, just heard from Christine (who runs the cooking classes) and registration will open tomorrow morning for the other three I want to take: Bread 101, Cook with Beer, and Italian Table.

So, I talk about B.I.G. a lot - mainly because it has a lot to offer. But, as I was over there this morning...I took some photos - so you can get a sense of what this market looks like:

This is near the entrance. They have an Italian theme going on right now featuring all sorts of Italian cheeses, olive oils, vinegars and other products.

A small portion of the gorgeous produce section.

There are several small restaurants located inside the store. The kids particularly like the pizza from this one - while I'm a fan of the quiche.

All sorts of yummy chocolates and other stuff.

My favorite part of B.I.G. - the bakery! The most delicious muffins, breads and pastries. 

(I really try to stay away from here! Way too tempting for this carbaholic!)

There is a beautiful, although pricey, selection of wine, beers, and liquor.

 (Kamal will continue to be our hookup for these such things!)

This is the non-halal section of the store where you can buy your pork products.

And a few more random photos from around the grocery store! 

(I'm sure people were like "Really?! Has she never been in a grocery store before? Why the hell is she taking photos?")

So there you have a brief tour of B.I.G.! By the way, Christine from B.I.G. just called me and they need one more person to register for Tea Time Treats (Friday September 6) - so if any of my local friends are interested, please go register! Come on! Carrot Cake!!

Big Smile...

Today's blog post is sponsored by:

What you say? No San Francisco Coffee? Not today peeps...needed something cold today and this did the trick!

Yesterday was a rather relaxing day - morning workout, coffee and blog writing and then spent the afternoon at the pool.

This was my view as I read the newest issue of "Triathlete" magazine.

As I was enjoying the pool, the Fedex delivery dude arrived! Package from the U.S.A.! Woot! Woot! And what was in our package?

Cleats for baseball, a new Wii controller, pool toys and candy!

 (Along with some damn Red Sox propaganda and a Hawkeye mint! Ugh! I'm blaming Customs for those things making it in the box because surely my FRIENDS would not send such crap!!!)

The boys were thrilled to see new pool toys when they got home - which made homework time much easier! If you're homework doesn't get done - you can't go to the pool. Needless to say, we made it back to the pool.

Blaine came home while we were at the pool. He had some meeting with McDonald's execs...la-ti-da! (Really, he said it went well and he's pretty excited about the opportunities.) But, here's where the big smile comes into play...I'm getting a rental car!!! Today! Yes, I said rental car. My leased car will not be here for at least another few weeks. (Remember what I said about Malaysian time?! If someone tells you 2-3 weeks, in reality, it's 3-5 weeks.) Anyways, Blaine knew I was going a little crazy without wheels and figured if we could rent a car until my leased one gets here - why not!?!?! Woot! Woot! (Blaine also believes that this feat of greatness should allow him to wear a big "S" on his chest! I may allow it - just for today!)

And, then we got another delivery. 

Our beer delivery guy, Kamal, brought our liquor delivery! And then our passports were returned to us with all of our official stickers and our new Malaysian identity cards that we can carry with us instead of our passport. WOW! Good day!!

This morning I completed my first of 6 on-ramp sessions at Crossfit Vidatha. It was hard, but I enjoyed letting someone else dictate the workout and put me through my paces. 

Madhu is my Crossfit coach...and he seems really good. I enjoyed him. He has a good sense of humor, knows when to push, and provides some good cueing. I go back on Thursday morning and I can't wait!

So now I spend the rest of the afternoon waiting for the rental car company to come and drop off my car. Oh, please don't let me down! You said this afternoon and I want to believe you! No Malaysian time today! PLEASE!

Weekend Fun...

Why do the weekends always seem to go by so fast? Sunday night – with all it brings (think packing lunches and food prep for the week) – is just a drag!!

But, it was a great weekend! The boys had baseball practice Saturday afternoon. And, while I didn’t go (I was home waiting for our beer delivery - important stuff, you know!), Blaine said they each had a good practice. We still don’t have enough kids to field a 10U team, but Trang is helping Blaine get a notice in the school bulletin – so, hopefully, that will help.

Oh! Someone asked about my Facebook post and the need for a bottomless Diet Coke – which should not seem like such a strange request when you go out to a restaurant. BUT, most restaurants serve Coke Light by the CAN – so when I can find a place with fountain soda – I take full advantage of it! Hence, why we had to hit Tony Roma’s for a late lunch on Saturday.

Saturday night was a relaxing evening at home. Everyone was tired from getting up early to go pack meals and no one had the energy to do much of anything. Fine by me! I watched “Pitch Perfect” and “Rock of Ages” on HBO - AND….booked our fall break trip to Penang. Woot! Woot! We’ll be staying at the Hard Rock Hotel in Penang. I’m pretty excited. Blaine will be able to work for a few days while there and then we can relax for a few more. We’ll do some site seeing and enjoy the beach and pool. We’ve heard good things from some of our local friends, so we’re looking forward to it.

This is a night view of the Hard Rock Hotel in Penang

You can read more about Penang by clicking here: http://www.tourismpenang.net.my/

Sunday morning rolled around and we decided we’d go explore 1 Utama – another shopping mall. (I swear that the Malaysians love to shop more than anyone I know!)

Just a big, ol' beautiful mall...with every store under the sun!

We had intentions of taking the kids to see “Planes”, but, I misread the movie schedule and the first English showing of the day was at 2:30 p.m. (Seeing the Malay version would not have made the kiddos happy and I’m sure they would not have appreciated my unscripted translations!) Since the time didn't work, we decided to bowl. Now, I’m not a big bowler, but I will say we had fun with the kids. And it was SUPER CHEAP! For about $13 USD we all bowled one game and rented shoes. (Yes, that’s $13 for all 4 of us.)

Happy Boys!

Can someone please create attractive bowling shoes?!?

After bowling, we went to find the batting cages that are here at the mall. No sweat…head on up to the roof and there they are. We ran into the kids’ coach, Coach Rob, who was there with his son. Chatted with him a few minutes – learned about the discount card you can buy for the cages – and told the kids we’d bring them back next weekend. (We were totally unprepared for the cages – no gear, no bats, the kids were in flip flops – so it will have to be next weekend.)

As we were leaving 1 Utama, we saw Big Apple Donuts. On Friday night, our neighbors had told us about this donut shop…so we couldn’t pass up buying a half dozen. The flavors are AMAZING! Very different, very gourmet. And the donuts are just visually stunning!

This is where my Nutella donut came from (if you happened to catch my Facebook photo)

After the mall, we just came home and had a lazy Sunday afternoon. The boys played with friends and Blaine and I got caught up on “The Next Food Network Star” and “Top Chef Masters.” (Don’t judge! I haven’t watched an episode of RHOOC since I’ve got here – so a little reality t.v. won't kill me!) Sunday night brought the importation of Thai food from Zap Zap and the Blackburn family was ready to kick off another week.

Need more gong...

First off...a big thank you to all who commented, Facebooked me, emailed me - just reached out in some way. I've got to say that the day got better once I finished that blog post. (I hate pity parties - and whoa, was I having a big one yesterday! But, I swore that I wouldn't paint this move as all sunshine and roses - because we all know that any move brings its challenges! So you will always hear the the whole truth and nothing but the truth in my posts!)

Blaine was home earlier than usual yesterday -so we grabbed a late lunch at S.Wine (yes, as in swine - here piggy, piggy!) together. And yes, they serve pork - and lots of it. It's located in Ben's Independent Grocer (B.I.G.) and was scrumptious!

(Yeah...I'm playing with my new PicFrame app in this blog post)

Blaine ordered the grilled ham and cheese sandwich and I had the chorizo burger with bacon - and we shared. We'll definitely be going back!

After my most pathetic blog post, our neighbor, Trang, and her husband, Kevin, invited us over for drinks last night. It's amazing how much better a few margaritas and good conversation can make you feel. It was just what we needed! And once again, we scored valuable information - like the name of the beer guy who will DELIVER Tiger to your house by the case for $85 ringgit. Yeah...we sent him a text right away. He's delivering to us this afternoon. And, how there's a yummy place across the street which makes great hummus and shawarma. We were sad that we had to cut out early, but we were heading to Westport early this morning to package meals for the homeless and the boys were tired after their first full week of school.

We got our butts out of bed early this morning and headed to Westport with the Carlsons to package meals. It was a pretty smooth process. There were five tables set up and basically it was assembly line style...you got some soy product, dehydrated veggies, rice and a vitamin packet. You weighed it and sealed and kept on going. By noon they had packaged 20,000 meals for homeless and needy people in Klang valley.

We worked with Stop Hunger Now - a worldwide organization - on this project.

Caleb working with Beth and Brian

Hairnets are just not attractive

Now, if you are wondering where the title of today's blog post comes from - it comes from packaging meals for the homeless. Every time we hit 1,000 meals packaged - they would ring this gong. It would scare me each and every time, but Blaine and the kids and I could not stop thinking about the Saturday Night Live skit with:

So we said "I need more gong!!!"

That's the gong!!!

And finally, a few updates on the kids. We spoke with Grayson's teacher. His handwriting is an issue -which makes his writing of sentences very slow. She gave us the name of a woman who can help with his handwriting so I've contacted her and he'll be evaluated this week! As for Caleb, he had a much better day on Friday...got his chance to play soccer at recess with the kids...had a big smile on his face when he came home.

Life is looking up! (Our beer delivery just arrived!)

Grouchy and grumpy...

So the last 24 hours have been horrible. The entire group of us seems to be in a bad mood. (Hence, my Facebook post about not having nearly enough Absolut. But, at $40 a bottle...I need to ration that a bit more.) Caleb came home from school yesterday and we were working on his homework and he was super snappy. When I asked what was up...TEARS. Once again, he said no one would let him play soccer at recess with them. I felt horrible. We have a couple of good days - then we have a bad day. To top it off, he lost his second water bottle in the last 10 days - and I'd already expressed my displeasure about this. (I know lost water bottles are not the end of the world...it was just adding to my grumpy mood. And guess what?! His bus driver had it for him when he got on the bus this morning!)

Grayson and Caleb - First Day of School 2013

Mont Kiara International School

Then there's Grayson. He misplaced his lunchbox. (Again, not a big deal...I know this.) So, I emailed his teacher because he thought he knew where he left it and asked if he could run down and get it early in the morning. She responded nicely and said no problem. BUT...she would like me to come in next week and "chat" about Grayson so she can help him be more successful. Yup, the teacher in me knows that's code for: he's weak in a few areas. I knew his handwriting was an issue. (The kids in his class all have EXTREMELY neat printing skills - and Gray's - well, not so much.) And, I'm going to say that for the last two years I've not been thrilled with Grayson's teachers - especially last year, but, I'm trying to move on. I'm half a world away and that teacher is no longer relevant. So, let's see what the current teacher has to say about my little man and what we can do to help get him on track. (Blaine says I'm overthinking her email...he didn't read it that way...but the teacher in me thinks I'm dead on. I bet dollars to donuts that my teacher friends would agree with me!)

(And, the lunchbox was found this morning in the courtyard at school - in case you were worried. I'm really surprised that a monkey didn't take it as he never finishes his lunch and 9 times out of 10 he leaves a piece of fruit in it!)

And then, there was me. Just in a bad mood. I'm bored. I'm without a vehicle. I miss my friends and family. I paid $34 for two packages of bacon and some salami. What else can I say?! I'm downright bitchy at the moment...

So...I'm currently writing to you from San Francisco Coffee...

Mainly because I need a change of scenery. (It's rainy here today and I'm all caught up on "True Blood" so it's time to get out of the house.)

I snapped a few photos as I was coming over to Publika for coffee. (I think Kristi - my photographer friend - wanted some more photos of life here in KL - so I will work hard to post more photos of the everyday things - buildings, people, scenery!)

This is the main entrance to Publika - where we come for just about everything - groceries, Crossfit, restaurants, coffee, manis and pedis. If they only had a movie theater it would be just about perfect!

This is an additional picture of Publika and a partial view of the street we cross to get there. (The traffic lights were working this morning! Bonus!)

This is a view in the distance of the Petronas Towers. (The two identical buildings in the distance.) You can read more about them here: http://www.petronastwintowers.com.my/

Just another shot from the Publika side of the street.

Anyways...I will try and take more pictures. Tomorrow we're heading to West Port to do some community service work. We will be helping to pack 20,000 meals for people in need. It will be good for us all to get out of our heads and not think about all of our first world problems and really do something meaningful.

And a big thank you to all who are reading my blog and drop me notes or leave me Facebook messages! It really helps when I'm missing all of you...like right now as I'm crying here in the coffee shop and the Malaysians seated near me think I'm one crazy American woman!