White Rabbit creamy candy

One of the most delicious sweets in the world.


is. contaminated.

I’m so sad. :'(

I loved this sweet when I was small, and I just bought a packet in Malaysia the other day, after not eating it for years. I brought some to France...only to throw it away. *sniff* (I did eat one or two before I found out)

Edit (17th Oct):
The sweets are cleared! So maybe I'll find new batches in M'sia next year...

Vienna - Day 1: Panic attack

The Wednesday of the final week of my holidays, I set out to Vienna on a 5-day trip. It didn't start off too well...

I took a flight with AirFrance, and there was an option TGVAir. I was supposed to take the train from Lyon to the airport in Paris, then the plane to Vienna (a little complicated, but it was cheaper that way) The train was supposed to reach the airport at 9:30am, and my flight was to take off at 10:40am. Plenty of time.

my train ticket and flight boarding pass, which I got at the Lyon train station

I went to the train station nice and early, with enough time to check in and then call my mother (my phone was down, remember?) But, a few minutes to departure, suddenly my train was cancelled, and I was kinda in a fix... The SNCF (French railway company) people told me to take the train to Paris (town) at 7:30am. But the problem here is that the train station in town is really far from the airport! To go to either station (the one in town or the one in the airport) from Lyon, it takes about two hours, but this change meant that after reaching Paris, I had to take the RER to the airport, and according to the conductor in the train, it would take about 45 minutes (I was to take a slightly longer time)

So I panicked. And spent an agonizing two-hour ride wondering what would happen if I missed my flight.

I must admit though, that the SNCF guys were pretty efficient about this (well, if you don't take the cancelled train into consideration!) When we reached Paris, there were several SNCF employees waiting for us outside the train, and depending on where our original destination was, they gave us RER tickets to the place we needed to go.

my RER ticket to the airport

Upon reaching the airport, I had to go and check in my luggage. I didn't have that much luggage for such a short trip, but I had liquids in my bag (for those who don't know, there are strict regulations on carrying liquids in hand luggage; if you want to know the details, try an internet search, I'm too lazy to explain it :P) As I made my way to the check-in counter, I heard my name being called on the PA system for immediate boarding.

I was already in a panic, and that only added to it. And when I reached the check-in counter, there was no one there. (I mean behind the counter, no one in front of the counter was good news) I asked at the next counter (no one in front of the counter there) and the guy told me I couldn't check in there. I was like "please...I have liquids in my bag!" but he couldn't do anything, he just told me that I could throw away my liquids or miss my flight.

So I dashed off to my flight. (who in their right mind would choose their shampoo and stuff over their flight?) But at the security check, I didn't say a word about having liquids in my bag, hoping that it wouldn't show up on the x-ray (or whatever that's called)

But! They wanted to check my bag. I went again "oh please, I'm already late for my flight, can't you just let me pass?" But they said "okay, we'll just make a quick check". I was thinking that I would have to throw out whatever liquids were in my bag, and probably explain to them why I didn't present the liquids at the security check (I would have had to plead ignorance) But! (again) then the lady who was going to check my bag said "we're just going to see whether you have a device (appareil, she said) in your bag" Turns out that it was my torchlight that they had seen during the screening (I always bring a torchlight when I stay in a hostel, so that I can have a light when I wake up in the middle of the night) I wonder what they thought the torchlight was...did it look like a weapon or something? I don't know whether she saw the liquids, but she didn't say a word about it.

After reaching the flight gate and managing to get through for boarding, my next worry was that my bag might be too big (I brought a bigger bag than necessary 'cos it was made of stronger material and I thought I would be checking it in) But that worry turned out to be unfounded when I got into the plane; the overhead luggage compartment was more than big enough for my bag! So I could heave a sigh of relief, and just wait to get to Vienna.

By the way, I was seated in the plane at 10:30am. And it didn't take off until close to 11am. -_-

However, we were scheduled to reach Vienna at 12:45pm, and the air stewardess announced that the flight would only take 1 hour and 25 minutes. So I guess there was ample time for delays... (if you've forgotten, the flight was supposed to leave at 10:40am)

In Vienna I stayed in the Wombat's City Hostel (The Base) It was really clean, but a little far from the Westbahnhof (west train station) - a 10- to 15-minute walk. There is, however, a newer branch that is closer to the station (called The Lounge) I'd recommend that one, especially if you're travelling alone. If you have company, I guess a few minutes' walk won't matter that much.

On arrival we receive a voucher for a free drink in their WomBar. (wombat + bar, get it?) We had four choices: beer, wine, coffee or orange soda. The bar isn't open till 6pm, so I went in to look around...and I saw that there was nasi goreng on the menu :P

the voucher (pretty creative, huh?)
The background's my pillow at the hostel.

See? Nasi goreng. I didn't try it though.

Later I went out to explore the city a little...I didn't plan on much sightseeing that day; I took the tram around the city centre (I had a weekly public transport ticket) and walked around...I didn't worry about getting lost 'cos I had a map and public transport was everywhere!

I got myself one of their famous sausages from a stall; this one is a spicy bratwurst. (there was spicy and non-spicy)


They give bread with the sausage...and loads of ketchup and mustard - too much! I never liked mustard anyway, but this one was at least better than the ones I've tried in France. I didn't use that much of the ketchup either...pity WW wasn't here, he'd have been really happy with all the ketchup. lol

The tables where we could stand and eat, with rubbish bins beneath them. Very practical.

I wanted to stay out later to see the city at night, but finally it got too cold and I couldn't stand it any more...so I went back to the hostel and made my plans for the next day. But then, being nice and warm in my bed...I didn't feel like going out again that night :P

I'm planning to write a post for each day of my trip, so as an "appetizer" for what's to come, here's an interesting clock I stumbled upon on that first walk around Vienna (I didn't see it again, and I would be unable to find it another time)


Remember, you can click on the pictures for bigger versions! (Well, most of them, anyway...)

And it took me AGES to upload these photos! They're not even that big... I've got a friend in the building who's going to get internet...we might share it if the signal gets to my place. Or else...I might go looking for a package that offers free installation (the hefty installation fee is the main reason why I'm not getting internet now...but Parvan says he never paid any installation fee for his internet!)

Other Vienna posts:
Vienna - Day 2: City sights
Vienna - Day 3: Bratislava trip
Vienna - Day 4: Minesweeper Championship
Vienna - Day 5: Schonbrunn Castle

Connected again

My phone finally works! I just called France Telecom again today. The last time I called was Monday, and the guy who spoke to me told me I would be able to use my phone on Wednesday. I had called them about 4 or 5 times in all, and also sent a message through their website (and I still haven't got a reply to that) And each time they told me that I would get my line in one or two days. This time the lady who replied told me that the reason it hadn't worked before because they had considered that my line was a résidence secondaire (second home) line instead of an abonnement étudiant (student package). I don't quite get why that's a problem; I mean, I gave you my phone number and asked you to activate it, so you just activate that phone number! The charges might be different, but that's another matter!

But then, this time the lady told me that I would be able to use my line today, and right after I got back, the line was working. Yippee!! No more going out to use public phones in the cold!

Oh yeah, and I should mention that I also went to their shop (France Telecom, I mean) and asked them to reactivate my line. And that was the worst - the guy there actually told me that my line was already activated! (which was so not true!)

(actually I already ranted a bit about this not too long ago...)

Fattening up

Well, one thing I'm sure to do in Malaysia is to fatten up. It's kinda inevitable. So, here are some of the culprits this time (they aren't all there because sometimes I'm too lazy to take photos, and sometimes I simply forget...and finish eating first :P )

To start, here's an egg tart. I don't care that it's nothing special, I like it! I wonder, can we find it in France? If we can, I haven't seen where...and at any rate I'm sure it'd be really expensive.

and that's what it looks like half-eaten

Char kuey teow, something definitely nonexistent in French cuisine (too oily for them)

this was at Kuantan Garden (I don't know the name of the shop, but it was at the end of the row)

Now this is more exceptional. Sri Gambut curry puffs.

see how big it is?

the filling

It costs RM 1.60 each though...

And my mother made lor bak (it's minced meat inside a soybean wrap, and the whole thing is fried):


For those who don't know, it's cut before being served.


Another thing she made was sausage rolls!

those two on the bottom left are my brother's "special recipe"; he added cheese on top

nice fluffy pastry

And peanut puffs. It's like curry puffs but with crushed peanuts inside. And it's smaller.


As for fruits, here's a cempedak:

That's my father cutting it open

opening...

done!

That's about all the photos I have of food in M'sia...I just came back from Vienna on Sunday, but I haven't had time to look through my photos, let alone post them! So that will come later...hopefully soon! (what's more, I had some "adventures" on that trip...)

My return to Lyon

First impression: It was cold! It's usually pretty cold in Paris, but in Lyon not so much... but this year it's about as cold as Paris. What's more, I only had a thin jacket with me.

Well, once I reached my room I could get a warmer jacket when I wanted to go out, so it's okay now.

Second impression: (well, maybe not really an impression, more like something noticeable) The building opposite mine is almost completed! There was construction work going on for about a year now, I think...and it looked more like a ruin than anything else. But now it actually looks like a building (almost) ready for habitation.

*rewind*

scene: KLIA

When I went through immigration, I was surprised to see that they stamped my boarding pass instead of my passport. Er...why?? I'll just throw away the boarding pass later...

I'm not kidding you!

Anyway, whatever.

*fast-forward pulak*

In Lyon, my bed right after I changed my sheets.
See my dear friends? ;P

That's my comforter cover from M'sia :)
(brought it last year, actually)

And after that, zzzzzzz...
(this post is late, 'kay?)

Why paper is better than any electronic system

Write something on a piece of paper, and as long as you don't lose that piece of paper, you've got it somewhere.

However, if you keep it on your computer, once it crashes you don't have it anymore, or if you can retrieve it, you might have to wait for quite some time... What about keeping it online (like in an e-mail account) then? Yup, you'd still have it if your computer crashes...but even if your computer's working fine, if that site's not working...you still have to wait for some time till it's working again.

(this comes from losing some "unimportant but handy" stuff on my computer, and also some sites being down when I want to check something... :/ )

By the way, my phone is still not working! Aaaaaargh!!

Stupid France Telecom, the 2nd

France Telecom again shows its incompetence!

I suspend my phone line during the summer holidays, since I'm not there for 2 or 3 months. Usually it goes off quite well, but this year, I've been here for 3 days and I'm still unable to use my phone!

To reactivate my phone line, I called the France Telecom customer service number. That was Saturday, the day I arrived in Lyon. I had to go to a phone booth to make the call, since my phone line was still suspended. Now, even that was hard. The number I called was the 1014, but after making my choices (you know, if you want this, press 1, if you want that, press 2... that kind of thing) they transferred me to the 3000 (another customer service number, I don't quite know what's the difference) And the problem was that that number kept telling me to call the 1014 instead! They use voice recognition or something like that; you have to say what you want to do. But I have no idea how they sort through the replies. My reply musn't have been in their "library". Then suddenly they (the automated voice, I mean) said that I could talk to a conseiller (sorry, what's it called in English?) anytime just by saying "conseiller". Why didn't they say so before? So I finally managed to talk to someone (it wasn't that easy though, the first time they said that all the lines were busy and that I had to call back, and to call back I had to go through all the maze of automated voices and choices till I could again get to a human voice) So finally I got through and that person told me that my line will be reactivated by the end of the day. First ordeal over. (it was over, but it's worth mentioning that when I went out to make the call, it wasn't raining, but by the time I finished, it was!)

BUT, right up till the next day (and night) I still couldn't use my phone. I figured, okay, it's the weekend, and they probably don't work on Sunday, so I might have to wait till Monday. Monday morning (this morning) the phone wasn't working, so when I went to Part Dieu (the commercial centre) I dropped by the France Telecom shop and tried asking them again to reactivate my line. But after checking, the guy there told me that my line was already working. Fine, I thought to myself, so they waited till Monday to do it.

BUT (again), when I got home the line was still not working! So I went online and sent an e-mail to France Telecom through their website. A little later, having nothing much to do, I went out to call the customer service number from a phone booth again. This time, the person who answered told me that I would be able to use my line by tonight. When she was trying to reactivate my line, she came across some problem and she said that maybe the other person had the same problem on Saturday (I only told her that I had already called on Saturday) So I really hope that this time I'll get to use my phone!!

Animal tidbits

No, not to eat, just some pretty interesting facts about them.

Fish do not have eyelids and therefore cannot blink. Since
fish live in water, they have no need for the hydration of
the eyeball that an eyelid provides.

Makes sense, huh? Anyway, this one I've heard before, the others were new to me.

Next!

Australian scientists have identified some species of baby
spiders that bite off the limbs of their mothers and eat
them slowly over a period of weeks. The researchers state
the maternal sacrifice keeps the young from eating one
another.

Um, do the limbs grow back or does the mother only have one batch of babies?

A cat wags only the last two inches when it is happy. When
it wags its whole tail, it is angry.

Ah, now I know when I should approach a cat. But first I have to find a ruler. lol

Elephants are particularly fond of beer and other forms of
alcohol. They are known to seek out fermenting fruits in
Asia. In India, where elephants are regularly paraded,
onlookers occasionally offer them beer and liquor; many
times, a drunken elephant has 'run amok' and has had to be
shot in order to protect the crowd.

So, do NOT feed elephants liquor!

The hippopotamus is, next to the elephant, the heaviest of
all land animals. It may weigh as much as 8,000 pounds
(3,629 kg) and is also a close relative of the pig.

They're related?!

The kinkajou, a nocturnal fruit-eating mammal of South
America, has a tail twice as long as its body. Every night,
it wraps itself in its tail and uses it as a pillow. The
kinkajou is related to the racoon.

Wow, that's useful. I'd like one too! :P

School holidays are useful

In a way, I'd better write something now, so that I don't get lazy and group a whole lot of stuff into one post later. I've been taking several photos of food during the holidays, but I just don't know how to put them here. (we'll see about that) But today I'm going to post about another meet-up.

During the school holidays (the Malaysian one) I had dinner with Geok Ching and Ying Sim. They're both working now...so I'm about the one who has the most free time on her hands.

We met up at Megamall (for lack of a better place to meet :P) and ended up eating at Pizza Hut.

Just for the sake of having pictures (I think you can tell what these are without further explanation):




After that, Ying Sim insisted on going to Teluk Cempedak for dessert (not that anyone put up any resistance :P ) It had been such a long time since I had been to Teluk Cempedak, I had even forgotten what it was like. This is what we had:

red bean ice

some honey dew dessert

drinks, with the people involved ;)

Just read this, don't read the book

Note: this is a sort of rant about a book, it isn't a summary so the whole story might not be clear. If you plan to read the book, what follows will certainly contain spoilers.

I do not recommend A Stain on the Silence. (see previous post) Not only is the skipping between the present and the past extremely frustrating, the ending is really lame (and to me, meaningless)

This is the synopsis on the back cover:

You can run from a guilty conscience, but you can't hide...James wasn't much more than a child when he had an affair with Lily. And now, twenty-four years later, Lily confesses to James that their affair led to a daughter, Kate. And Kate desperately needs her father's help: she's wanted for murder. But there is no room for murder in James' life. He has a wife, a good job, a nice house in the country...As Kate comes crashing into his world, so she lights the fuse under his ordered life. Because James has also been keeping a secret - a very dark and deadly one...

It sounded pretty interesting to me...but the problem is that there was no murder, and Kate isn't really wanted for murder. And you don't find that out until more than halfway through the book.

The story starts with James getting contacted by Lily, who tells him about Kate and how she needs his help. Then James meets Kate and Kate tells him she really needs his help, bla bla bla... But when James helps her, she disappears without telling him where she's going. So he has to go looking for her. (this actually happens a few times) And he can't even tell his wife, for some reason we don't know (and that we think might be about the "secret" mentioned in the synopsis) So his wife thinks he's cheating on her with Kate and leaves him. And somehow he can't even tell her that Kate is his daughter, until halfway through the book.

All this time, the book alternates between the past and the present, while we wonder why James is so stupid, not telling his wife (whom he obviously cares about) the truth, and running around trying to help Kate, who doesn't seem to really want his help anyway. (she keeps running away, remember?)

So bam! At the end we finally find out that what James was trying to hide was a car accident, where he was driving on his own before getting his license, and he hit his ex-best friend's sister. But Lily said that she was driving to protect him. Somehow the sister disappeared after the accident and no one knew what had happened to her. (seems that she managed to get away from the accident scene, but died somewhere else. And James wasn't sure whether he had really hit her because he was injured in the accident) So the book ends with the ex-best friend trying to kill James, and Kate stabs him to save James. Or so she says. There's a question of an inheritance, so it might have been that she wanted him dead. The book simply ends there, abruptly.

In the end, the book is basically about finding out why James is acting so queerly (or so secretively) And I find the reason really inadequate. The only character I kinda like in the whole book is Nicky, James' wife who doesn't know anything about his past. Everyone from is past (including Kate) seems crazy in some way.

The present, the past, and the present

I'm tired of books that skip between the past and the present. At the moment I'm reading A Stain on the Silence by Andrew Taylor. Maybe the storyline isn't that bad, but the problem is that first we're in the present, then a moment later the narrator tells us about something from his past. And so it goes...a few pages about the present, then a few pages about the events in the past. Okay, so it's a way to get the reader hooked. But the thing is, after I read about the past and he starts again on the present, I no longer know what just happened in the present. And when I get to the part about the past again, the "recent" happenings in the past have already been pushed to the back of my mind...

What's so frustrating is that his actions in the present are somehow connected to past events (as they always are), and he keeps referring to them but not telling us what exactly it is! And the past events aren't flashbacks, memories related to what he's doing at that exact moment in the present (otherwise I wouldn't mind) It's like there's a whole story in the past (an independent one) that's being narrated alongside the present. So you just have to get to the end of the past before you can understand all that has been happening since the beginning of the present. So why not just tell us all about the past before starting on the present? Maybe the beginning wouldn't be so interesting as to urge the reader to continue. But there's a simple solution: give us a bit of the present until we're hooked, then tell us the past - the whole past - before continuing about the present. I've read books like that before, and they work just fine.

Oh yeah, and I probably should mention that this book starts with a short scene (the prologue) that I believe is actually in the future (since I've already called part of the book the "present"). I'm still wondering when the story will get to that...probably right at the end.

There's another book I read not very long ago that is a bit like this one chronology-wise, except that it's probably even messier. It's The Rule of Four by Ian Caldwell & Dustin Thomason. The past is written like the narrator is looking at a shelf filled with past events, and choosing certain episodes to show us. Which means that there is no real sequence in the past, and when you start reading a new passage you have to first determine whether it's in the present or the past, then if it's in the past, figure out whether this past was before or after the past you read about earlier. (or between two bits of the past, to cover all possibilities)

Unfortunately, the only way to know whether the author has decided to mix the past and the present in his book is to read the book. If I could find out beforehand, I just won't bother starting a book that jumps between the past and the present this way. It just gets on my nerves, and that takes some of the pleasure out of reading.