My "Five" (twenty) Awesome Things I did Today!

I know I haven't posted lately, and I'm sorry for that; but I haven't had too much wifi :/ I have some now though, so I will do my "'five' things!"

1.  Around 6am we went on a walk and saw (literally) thousands of bats hanging in the trees across from our hotel.
2.  Ate amazing food and drank fresh orange juice and coconut water!
3.  Saw Angkor Wat, from a distance, in a HOT AIR BALLOON!
4.  We rode around the Bayon Temple atop elephants! [We met a guy from South Africa who was NOT bothered by bugs-He rode on an elephant with a guy who was able to play music using nothing but a leaf!]
5.  Took pictures at the North Gate
6.  Accidentally took pictures with what we found out were statues of demons, then one with the 'gods'
7.  We took pictures at Beng Melea
8.  Handed out crackers to various needy people.
9.  We went to Ta Prohm where the oh so famous tree on top of the temple is located.
10. We were mobbed by people trying to sell us souvenirs
11.  We enjoyed going to the Central Market where I bought more awesome pants!
12.  We went to the Museum that houses 1000 Buddas. Let me tell you, you've seen one, you've seen 'em all!
13.  We had high tea at the hotel! It was amazingly wonderful! We had a simply marvelous time drinking tea and trying all of the different treats.
14.  We went swimming in the pool while my mom took pictures of us! :D
15.  Played in the pool after my mom brought the electronics inside because it looked like it was about to rain.
16. Saw thousands of bats flying above and around the hotel while we were swimming
17. We ate desserts made from lotus fruits, learned the art of folding the petals of the lotus flower, and laughed at each others oddities in flower folding.
18.  Ate free snacks and ordered watermelon juice
19. Sang some songs to the pianist's playing
20.  Came back into our room and tasted Wonderfarm's Tra Bi Dao tea (Winter melon tea). It did not taste delicious.

Those are the 20 awesome things I did today! Enjoy! I'll try to try more as soon as I possibly can!

My mom gets here tomorrow!!!

Greetings! This is my last day in Malaysia before my mom and cousin arrive!!! I'm so excited for them to get here! I have most everything I can pack tonight, packed! The fact my mom is getting here keeps hitting me again and again. The next two weeks will be absolutely amazing, traveling to two countries I have never been to, back to Malaysia, then back to Texas! I will try to keep y'all updated as to what all is going on, but like the last couple days, I might not do it in a timely manner. 

So....just so y'all know, this is my cousin:

And this is my mom with my nephew, Michael: 

We are all looking forward to the magnificent reunion tomorrow at noon! My mom's friend Ipah and I are flying to Kuala Lumpur at 8:15 tomorrow morning! Which naturally means we must leave by 6:45 at the latest. Splendid. I'm worried about Uncle Wan and Auntie making it... Everything here is a little more relaxed and sometimes that means we're like 15 minutes late. In itself, 15 minutes isn't that big of a deal except when you account lines and everything closing way before boarding time. I think everything will work out, but I'm still a little nervous! Well, I must get up in five hours so I should get off! Goodnight and God bless!

Going away party and Appendicitis!

My night was going to be filled with a going away party with some delicious American foods. I was to make spaghetti with Auntie Nazera and Auntie Tone (English spelling so y'all will know how to say it) then they would barbecue chicken downstairs while the party was going on. Making the spaghetti was no easy task, I could barely speak malay and the aunties could speak some English, but they were not fluent. We spent some time trying to get our message across, something I found incredibly frustrating. We used normal spaghetti sauce, then they added around a cup of extremely spicy chillies, beef, onions, and sausage. After it cooked together for a couple minutes, the aunties tasted it and then had me taste. The sauce was pretty delicious if a bit spicy, I would have enjoyed it had my insides not started burning like a furnace. We finished cooking, then they left and I meandered back into my room where I spent the next couple hours. I eventually began talking on the phone and otherwise communicating with my mom and friends. My mom and I talked about quite a few things, then Syamin knocked on my door and upon opening it said the party was starting downstairs. I wasn't feeling too well, but I got off the phone with my mom and went down. I ate some plain noodles with butter and salt-one of my favorites! I probably would have eaten the sauce anyway had there not been chillies in it, or if I hadn't tried it earlier and felt my stomach explode in pain. I ate on one of the mats and then checked something on my iPod (I know, I know, incredibly rude! ...but everyone was really into talking to everyone else so...). I got up and went around a couple times, one time getting ice. Finally, Auntie Ipah told me I could go upstairs because they were probably going to be a while. 


I went upstairs, miserable. My stomach was on fire and I just wanted to sit and cry. I finally decided I wanted to talk to my mom while I sat there. We talked for awhile, I told her about my stomach issues and she tried to help as best as she possibly could. I supposed it was simply the acid reflux I had developed a couple weeks before; however, while I did indeed have acid reflux, upon further investigation, it appeared I was also having problems with my appendix. My mom was actually the one to discover this horrifying possibility. After talking to Auntie, we decided I would go to the doctor on Saturday and then, if need be (although I was highly against this) the hospital. My mom also suggested a harsh colon cleanse where one abstains from all solid forms of nourishment. While the cleanse would be somewhat extreme, I really wasn't fond of the prospect of having surgery. I went to bed that night, in pure pain, hoping beyond hope the cleanse would work and the pain would stop. 


I slept fitfully at first, but finally found rest. The next morning I came to the amazing realization all my pain was gone! It was a beautiful Saturday morning and I didn't feel like I was going to die, or at least cry from pain! It was an amazing relief. I texted my mom and she quickly informed me that Rev. Peter Ndamba, or "Brother Peter" as I call him, had been praying for me, and that God had probably healed me! I felt like everything had clicked into place and I was thrilled to be well. I decided I would go ahead with the liquid diet for a couple of days until I was sure I was better. This also had the nice effect of deterring the acid reflux- if you don't really eat anything, it's not nearly as bad. Saturday finished nothing like it had begun. I was thrilled my appendix-related pain was gone, however, my body still needed to heal, and it did so by causing me to sleep all day. I woke up at 8, next thing I knew it was 3:30, then again, the next thing I knew it was after 8 in the evening. I spoke with my mom for a little then I fell back to sleep and it was Sunday. 


Sunday morning, I arose around eight (see a pattern?) and began to get ready to go to church. I got completely ready before realizing I did not have near enough strength to go to church. I was deeply saddened as that day would be the last Sunday I would be able to go to church. I decided to "grin and bear it" (to borrow the colloquialism) and just try to get better. I slept the rest of the day excepting a bit here and there where I made I'm-clearly-out-of-it remarks. I ended up trashing my already messy room in an effort to find objects I continually lost! I couldn't keep a thought long enough to remember anything! It was frustrating. I finally went back to bed and thought about my mom coming in just a few days. I fully realized she would be leaving in three days, so I needed to get my act together and get everything done. This meant, getting ready to move out.


Moving out of a room you have lived in for almost six months is not easy! I looked around the room sleepily and tried to figure out where to begin. I still felt unwell and so managing to force myself to get anything done would be considered an accomplishment. I finally made myself a cup of 4in1 coffee, or "pink coffee" as I like to call it because of the pink ribbon on the package. I started working around the room, sorting what I was bringing to KL from the stuff I was bringing home and the trash. I worked almost non-stop for around five hours, accomplishing quite a bit. I felt proud of myself. Now, I am almost completely packed for KL and there are just a few more things around the room that still need to be done so I'll be completely ready to move out of this room for good. Those things can be done tomorrow, or Wednesday, or even Thursday. I will do my best to keep you updated! 

Happy fourth of July y'all!!!
(Yes, I did draw that flag myself using "paintbrush." I'm sorry if it is incorrect in anyway.)

Don't use too much Melatonin...

Lately I have had some difficulty sleeping, so last night I decided to use a little extra melatonin cream than I usually do. While the amount I used is still under the recommended dosage, the amount was clearly too much for me, as I slept for over twelve hours without waking up once. Perhaps I needed the sleep, however, I prefer to make up for lost sleep by going to bed earlier than usual-not during the day! On the plus side, I feel like I have had plenty of sleep! 

 Greetings y'all! Today marks one week and 1 day before Hollis Ann and my mom arrive in Kuala Lumpur! I am so excited!!! :D I miss my family so much, they miss me too- especially Josiah. I was talking to my mom the other day over my iPod and Josiah was there. My mom let him use the phone at which point he asked in the cutest way possible, "will you come here and sleep in your bed?" SO CUTE! Then, the other day he told my sister Marti (the accomplished viola and violin player) 'not to touch his violin!!!' 


Yes, I know, my brother is the cutest :) Actually, all of my siblings are absolutely amazing. They are also amazing at everything- including driving me nuts more than occasionally! 






This morning, I bought a copy of "Amarillo by Morning" and subsequently decided to write a parody for my vlog. As soon as I get everything finalized I'll record me singing it and upload it to youtube! Without further ado, here are the lyrics: 


Amarillo by Morning Parody
By Lisa Hands

Amarillo by morning, up from K. Lumpur

Everything that I've got is somewhere on the plane.

When that sun is high in the Texas sky

I'll be chillin' with my family there.

Amarillo by morning, Amarillo I'll be there.

I went to Thailand in April, bought some gifts here and there

Lost my water and chicken, somewhere along the way

Well I've met many friends and seen most states

Now, I'm just ready to be back at mine

Amarillo by morning, Amarillo's on my mind

Amarillo by morning, up from K. Lumpur 

Everything that I've got, is somewhere on the plane 

I'll be looking for friends when I leave that gate

I miss beef, but not for long

Amarillo by morning, Amarillo's where I'll be.

Amarillo by morning, Amarillo's where I'll be.

 leave me a comment if you have any comments or suggestions :) 

Also today, my aunt and I decided we needed to celebrate, so we went and got "free coffee" at Sweet Recipes, a wonderful place where you can get cheesecake! We had a marvelous time hanging out while eating cake and drinking coffee (actually the coffee was a horrid idea...).  

Night y'all! 

Hey y'all! Today was interesting, I did some pretty awesome things!

First, I woke up around 7:45am
Second, I talked to my mom for a bit
Third, I talked to Peter (yes, both 2 and 3 interfered with each other)
Fourth, I tried to work on my blog
Fifth, I talked to my mom on the phone
Sixth, I went to Queensbay to hang out with one of my friend from Coffee Bean
Seven, I watched "Green Lantern." Parts of it were creepy. I do not like creepy.
Eight, I drank a Chai Tea Latte with an espresso shot added in!
Nine, I unsuccessfully tried to convince Uncle Wan and Auntie Ipah to go on a date to night
Ten, I used my puppy-dog eyes and face until I effectively coerced Uncle Wan to promise he would go out on a date tomorrow. Auntie said she would if he would, so I had to!

Here are some pictures of my Coffee Bean!

 My favorite table is the one closest to all of those shelves! The first time I went to study, that was the table I was at because I wanted the extra room. After I tried that table, I tried a ton of other tables, but this table was just perfect- not too hot and not too cold, but just right ;)

 I may come back and edit this later, but right now it's 12:23am Wednesday morning and I want to sleep! G'night all! 

Saturday through Monday!

Last weekend I spent the weekend with one Auntie Nazirah. The weekend was interesting, I spent my first night under a mosquito net, so that was awesome. We also went to the border to Thailand where I bought some...Interesting pants and a ton of fruit (5kg or around 11lbs). After shopping, we trekked back to A. Nazirah's house and stayed there until around 9:30 in the evening. Pretty much the entire day I had a stomach ache, so I was ready to leave, so by the end of the day my emotions were wild. Oh! And the grandma fixed a special dinner because I was there, so I couldn't NOT eat despite my stomach. The food was pretty tasty, but unlike my brothers and Peter may have been... I didn't want to eat. I also had a ton of fun playing with this adorable little girl... I blew bubbles :) And I have pictures!

My last paragraph was a summation of last Saturday and Sunday. Now, I will begin a brief summery of Monday.
1.   I got up around seven-something, beginning my day right after dawn.
2.   I talked to my mom, Hannah, and then Peter. I especially enjoyed the last conversation, although I    thoroughly enjoyed them all.
3.   After I finished talking to Peter, Marti called me on skype and we talked for three hours and 27 minutes! It was awesome!!!
4. I peeled all of the lychee fruit I bought.
5. I decided lychee is my favorite fruit I have tasted in that family.
6. I began to once again feel my homesickness boil over.
7. Peter and I talked again!

I know, I said I was going to be INTERESTING. I'll try with the next post about today!