I think of Mika every now and then since the first day I gave her up for adoption. Although I know she's happy with the new family, the guilt in me still lingers. Afterall, I had her when she was just 3 month old. She's part of our family for 6 years and she would always be my baby.
I miss Mika very much lately. I don't know why. I hope she will remember me when I return home.
Tuesday, April 29, 2008
Friday, April 25, 2008
Fishing
We went fishing at the beach yesterday afternoon. It was our first fishing trip in Algeria. I brought my deck chair, a book and some snacks. I wanted to read while enjoying the sea breeze. But the temptation to join the rest in the water was too strong. I ended up joining the kids in the hunt for sea creatures – snails, mini crabs, fishes, anything that was alive and fascinating. Darling and our driver didn’t manage to catch any fish which was of decent size after a few attempts. Instead, they caught some small fishes which reminded me of the nasi lemak fish we have in Singapore. Okay, maybe they were not that small. But they were just slightly bigger. After we had the kick of catching them, we freed them into the water. But the last fish we freed was damn ‘stylo’. It went home with a ‘tongue stud’ cos we couldn’t remove the hook in its mouth! Ouch!
Our driver in action!
Beni Amar & Yacine searching for mini crabs.
Yeah! Got cha!
Darling holding the mini crab.
Look how happy Kadoussi was even tho it was a small fish!
The fish looks big in the pic but it's not!
Beni Amar caught one too! Yeah!
Starfish!
Our driver in action!
Beni Amar & Yacine searching for mini crabs.
Yeah! Got cha!
Darling holding the mini crab.
Look how happy Kadoussi was even tho it was a small fish!
The fish looks big in the pic but it's not!
Beni Amar caught one too! Yeah!
Starfish!Thursday, April 24, 2008
From SIN with Love
I was literally jumping for joy when Darling arrived home with a big box! The parcel has finally arrived! WOOHOO!!!
The parcel which I have waited for more than a month!
The parcel which I have waited for more than a month!
Can't leave home without instant noodles!Tuesday, April 22, 2008
The Rich Man's House
The owner of this house struck lottery and won 1 million Euro dollars. No wonder his house sticks up like a sore thumb among the many shabby houses in the vicinity. He even has a fantastic view of the Ghazaouet Port and the Mediterranean Sea. What a lucky guy!
Ghazaouet Port
Ghazaouet PortSaturday, April 19, 2008
The Next 10 Things You Should Know While in Ali Baba Land
1. If you see a Mac sign in Ali Baba land, your eyes must be playing tricks on you.There’s no Mac, KFC, Burger King or Pizza Hut. The closest thing they have are the ‘pirated’ versions of Mac which they called Mac Do Night, Mac Simo etc…
2. You are not allowed to take pics with any police officers on the streets no matter how good looking they are(or you are)!
3. There are many reckless drivers on the road. So hang on (literally) to your dear life if you are travelling in a car.
4. Blackouts are common. It would be a miracle if there’s electricity 24/7.
5. Thank God they have Mango, Aldo and even Carrefour in the capital of Ali Baba Land!
6. The most commonly used Chinese phrase (and probably the only one that they know) is ‘Ni Hao!’
7. The folks probably have a high chance of getting diabetics. Their sugar intake is incredibly high!
8. The folks don’t knock on the door. They bang on it.
9. Thursday and Friday are the weekends.
10. Wedding parties are fun! The folks party the night away till 4/5am the next morning!
2. You are not allowed to take pics with any police officers on the streets no matter how good looking they are(or you are)!
3. There are many reckless drivers on the road. So hang on (literally) to your dear life if you are travelling in a car.
4. Blackouts are common. It would be a miracle if there’s electricity 24/7.
5. Thank God they have Mango, Aldo and even Carrefour in the capital of Ali Baba Land!
6. The most commonly used Chinese phrase (and probably the only one that they know) is ‘Ni Hao!’
7. The folks probably have a high chance of getting diabetics. Their sugar intake is incredibly high!
8. The folks don’t knock on the door. They bang on it.
9. Thursday and Friday are the weekends.
10. Wedding parties are fun! The folks party the night away till 4/5am the next morning!
Tuesday, April 15, 2008
10 Things You Should Know While in Ali Baba Land
1. When someone says, “No Problem!”, very often it means, “NO! PROBLEM!”.
2. When certain things need to be done and someone says, “Tomorrow!”, be prepared that tomorrow may never come!
3. A meal is never complete without bread.
4. One can hardly find any litter bin on the streets.
5. There are many police check points along the journey from town to town.
6. NEVER EVER visit any public toilets unless it’s an emergency!
7. You can hardly see any traffic lights on the road. If you do, they are probably not working.
8. The flight is always never on time.
9. They call the Chinese, "Ali Baba", without realising who’s truly the one.
10. "Lean on Me" would most probably be their all time favourite song. Many of them spend their time leaning against a wall or a lamp post along the streets, doing absolutely nothing.
The list does not end here. More will be coming soon. Be patient. Akan Datang!
2. When certain things need to be done and someone says, “Tomorrow!”, be prepared that tomorrow may never come!
3. A meal is never complete without bread.
4. One can hardly find any litter bin on the streets.
5. There are many police check points along the journey from town to town.
6. NEVER EVER visit any public toilets unless it’s an emergency!
7. You can hardly see any traffic lights on the road. If you do, they are probably not working.
8. The flight is always never on time.
9. They call the Chinese, "Ali Baba", without realising who’s truly the one.
10. "Lean on Me" would most probably be their all time favourite song. Many of them spend their time leaning against a wall or a lamp post along the streets, doing absolutely nothing.
The list does not end here. More will be coming soon. Be patient. Akan Datang!
Drama in EL Class
I have been teaching English to a group of kids since I moved to my new place. Initially, they came to my house almost everyday and would refuse to go home, not until late in the evening. So, I told them that they could only come to my place on every Monday and Thursday afternoon. Such arrangement is better as I have more time to myself.
Words spread and soon more kids attended my English lessons. The once at the door step ‘classroom’ upgraded to a decent ‘tuition centre’ in my house, equipped with proper table, chairs and stationary. However, that was not good enough. Yesterday afternoon, 2 more new kids came to my house and I didn’t have enough chairs for all. So, I instructed the little ones to sit on my deck chairs since they were not here to learn English. They were merely tagging along with their older siblings.
One of the kids, let’s name her F, didn’t bring her exercise book. I asked her why. She said she had lent it to K cos K wanted to copy what was taught the previous lesson. I asked F to go to K’s house to get her exercise book since she would need it and at the same time asked K to come along for the lesson. After 10 minutes, F returned empty handed. She said K was sleeping and she couldn’t get her book back. I let the matter rest and began my lesson.
Halfway through my lesson, I was startled by a woman’s shouting. K’s mother was standing at my kitchen window and was shouting at F. She was obviously chiding F for some reasons. So I walked to the kitchen and asked her what happened. She spoke in arabic which I didn’t understand. But with her exasperated gesture, I finally understood that F had told K not to come for my lesson because there were not enough chairs. So, K was deeply hurt and was crying at home. Damn those chairs! It was also then I knew F was not telling the truth. K was not asleep at all. Anyway, I told K’s mother that K could come to my house. It was not a problem at all. I could get more chairs from Darling’s office.
K appeared at my door step, teary eyed. The other kids were all staring at her in a rather hostile manner, probably because they thought that she had been such a baby. And probably, the rest of the kids including F came from the same extended family. So the immediate instinct was to protect your own family member. I made K sit beside me, hoping that it would make her feel better. I then asked K if she had brought F’s exercise book. K said F didn't lend her any exercise book at all. Immediately, there was a fierce exchange of gibberish which I didn’t understand again. Sigh! I didn’t expect my English lesson would be so exciting!
Anyway, throughout the whole lesson, K was very quiet while F and her cousins were engaging in some exciting conversations. They would look at K occasionally and snicker. Obviously, K was being obstracised. I knew it was a perfect moment to teach them the value of honesty and friendship but I couldn’t. I don’t speak their language and even if I try my best to speak to them in simple English, they wouldn’t have understood me. I felt helpless.
After the kids left, I took a hair band which I bought from Tlemcen and headed to K’s house. I wanted to make sure she was ok. Her mum invited me into the house and began narrating (in arabic) what had happened to her daugher that afternoon. I kept gesturing and repeating, “Pas probleme! Come my house! Pas probleme.” I think she got the idea as she replied, “Oui! Oui!” and smiled broadly to me. K was happy to see me and she seemed more relaxed in her own home. Anyway, I ended up having coffee at her house while having a conversation(which I didn’t understand what they were talking about most of the time) with her family members.
So, that was the drama I had in my El class. Hmm...I must definitely ask Darling to get more chairs for me!
Words spread and soon more kids attended my English lessons. The once at the door step ‘classroom’ upgraded to a decent ‘tuition centre’ in my house, equipped with proper table, chairs and stationary. However, that was not good enough. Yesterday afternoon, 2 more new kids came to my house and I didn’t have enough chairs for all. So, I instructed the little ones to sit on my deck chairs since they were not here to learn English. They were merely tagging along with their older siblings.
One of the kids, let’s name her F, didn’t bring her exercise book. I asked her why. She said she had lent it to K cos K wanted to copy what was taught the previous lesson. I asked F to go to K’s house to get her exercise book since she would need it and at the same time asked K to come along for the lesson. After 10 minutes, F returned empty handed. She said K was sleeping and she couldn’t get her book back. I let the matter rest and began my lesson.
Halfway through my lesson, I was startled by a woman’s shouting. K’s mother was standing at my kitchen window and was shouting at F. She was obviously chiding F for some reasons. So I walked to the kitchen and asked her what happened. She spoke in arabic which I didn’t understand. But with her exasperated gesture, I finally understood that F had told K not to come for my lesson because there were not enough chairs. So, K was deeply hurt and was crying at home. Damn those chairs! It was also then I knew F was not telling the truth. K was not asleep at all. Anyway, I told K’s mother that K could come to my house. It was not a problem at all. I could get more chairs from Darling’s office.
K appeared at my door step, teary eyed. The other kids were all staring at her in a rather hostile manner, probably because they thought that she had been such a baby. And probably, the rest of the kids including F came from the same extended family. So the immediate instinct was to protect your own family member. I made K sit beside me, hoping that it would make her feel better. I then asked K if she had brought F’s exercise book. K said F didn't lend her any exercise book at all. Immediately, there was a fierce exchange of gibberish which I didn’t understand again. Sigh! I didn’t expect my English lesson would be so exciting!
Anyway, throughout the whole lesson, K was very quiet while F and her cousins were engaging in some exciting conversations. They would look at K occasionally and snicker. Obviously, K was being obstracised. I knew it was a perfect moment to teach them the value of honesty and friendship but I couldn’t. I don’t speak their language and even if I try my best to speak to them in simple English, they wouldn’t have understood me. I felt helpless.
After the kids left, I took a hair band which I bought from Tlemcen and headed to K’s house. I wanted to make sure she was ok. Her mum invited me into the house and began narrating (in arabic) what had happened to her daugher that afternoon. I kept gesturing and repeating, “Pas probleme! Come my house! Pas probleme.” I think she got the idea as she replied, “Oui! Oui!” and smiled broadly to me. K was happy to see me and she seemed more relaxed in her own home. Anyway, I ended up having coffee at her house while having a conversation(which I didn’t understand what they were talking about most of the time) with her family members.
So, that was the drama I had in my El class. Hmm...I must definitely ask Darling to get more chairs for me!
Saturday, April 12, 2008
I'm Still Waiting...
Received sms from sis this morning. Got the tracking no. for my parcel. Checked the website and guess what...the parcel is still in transit to Algeria. It's been 3 weeks already and I'm still waiting. Sigh! Never mind. At least, they didn't lose my parcel. I miss home.
Friday, April 11, 2008
Tlemcen
I like Tlemcen. Compared to Algiers, Oran and Ghazaouet, it is a clean and beautiful town. I love the romantic streets that are lined with lovely trees. The Moorish buildings which are well maintained is a refreshing change from the usual ones I see in Algeria.
Yesterday, we went to Tlemcen town after sending one of darling's colleagues to the airport. We visited the lively Kissaria (the market area) for some shopping. We bought quite alot of stuff but mostly for our driver, Kadoussi. He has been performing well in his job so we rewarded him with a smart long sleeves shirt, a pair of Nike shoes and a pink Barbie tri scooter for his daughter, Nabila. I'm sure Nabila will be very happy to receive her new toy. =) Other than that, I bought some girlie hair bands for the kids, a traditional costume for Glenn, a painting for the living room and some food stuff. We met some very friendly store owners (I'm sure they are! $$$$!!! DINARS!!!!) and took some pics with them.
Kissaria (the market area)
Fruits stall
They thought that we were from China and had never heard of Singapore. Darling had to show them his IC to convince them that we were indeed Singaporeans.
Mustafa. Owner of the shop where we bought the shoes for Kadoussi.
Hair bands for the kids 
Traditional costume for Glenn 
Painting for my living room We ended our shopping with an early dinner at our usual fast food restaurant, Mac Do Night. No Mac, KFC, Pizza Hut or Burger King in Algeria. Just Mac Do Night, Mac Simo and other similar variations. Darling usually orders the Big Burger while me, the Royale Pizza. The burger resembles the Ramli burger in taste. But personally, I think it tastes better than the Ramli. The thin crust pizza tastes a little sweet. You will be surprised that they use egg as one of the toppings. Weird eh? But it tastes quite good, really.
Menu @ Mac Do Night
Big Burger 
Royale Pizza
Headed back to Ghazaouet after dinner and fell asleep in the car. It was raining and the journey was longer than usual. It was dark when we reached home. Before Kadoussi left, he pointed to the plastic bags in the car and said, "Janet, one thousand thank you." I could sense the sincerity in his voice. " Pas probleme!", I replied. Well, it is really a blessing to give than to receive, isn't it?
Wednesday, April 9, 2008
Tuesday, April 8, 2008
Blackout
I have moved to my new place at the countryside for almost a month and I have experienced a total of 4 blackouts. It's about 1 blackout per week. Each blackout lasted about 4 - 5 hrs. Cool eh?
2 weeks ago, at about 6 plus in the evening, there was a blackout. I couldn't cook and had to get our driver to buy dinner from town. We sat in the dark, waiting eagerly for our food to arrive. We were famished. After more than 2 hours, we heard the car pulled over outside our house. Our driver appeared at the door and passed us our dinner, 2 white candles and a match box. "2 white candles? Only 2? Cannot give more meh?", I thought to myself. Then I thought, maybe he needed to ration the candles. Afterall, he had many (extended) family members who stayed near him and needed the candles too. Anyway, we went into the house and had our first candlelight dinner in Algeria. Romantic, isn't it? Ha!
There was still no electricity after dinner. We couldn't shower cos there wasn't any hot water. Forget about taking a cold shower. The water was icy cold. So, we decided to wait for a while more, hoping that we would get electricity soon. At about 10 plus, we gave up. We decided to just wipe ourselves with a damp towel and head to bed. But before we could snuggle under our blanket, the lights came on! Aaaarrrrrgggghhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!
So, it is a blessing to stay in SIN where you have electricity 24/7. I'm glad I'm a Singaporean!
2 weeks ago, at about 6 plus in the evening, there was a blackout. I couldn't cook and had to get our driver to buy dinner from town. We sat in the dark, waiting eagerly for our food to arrive. We were famished. After more than 2 hours, we heard the car pulled over outside our house. Our driver appeared at the door and passed us our dinner, 2 white candles and a match box. "2 white candles? Only 2? Cannot give more meh?", I thought to myself. Then I thought, maybe he needed to ration the candles. Afterall, he had many (extended) family members who stayed near him and needed the candles too. Anyway, we went into the house and had our first candlelight dinner in Algeria. Romantic, isn't it? Ha!
There was still no electricity after dinner. We couldn't shower cos there wasn't any hot water. Forget about taking a cold shower. The water was icy cold. So, we decided to wait for a while more, hoping that we would get electricity soon. At about 10 plus, we gave up. We decided to just wipe ourselves with a damp towel and head to bed. But before we could snuggle under our blanket, the lights came on! Aaaarrrrrgggghhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!
So, it is a blessing to stay in SIN where you have electricity 24/7. I'm glad I'm a Singaporean!
Monday, April 7, 2008
I'm Waiting...
I called sis this afternoon. She asked if the parcel had arrived. I said no. I've been waiting for 2 weeks already. It should have arrived yesterday. I've checked with the hotel but they said they did not receive anything from SIN. Hopefully, Mr. Postman did not lose my parcel.
I WANT MY PARCEL!!! =(
Saturday, April 5, 2008
Friday Afternoon
We went to Tlemcen yesterday and it was a big mistake. Almost all the shops were closed. We couldn't find a restaurant to have our lunch. We then learnt from the local peeps that the shops opened in the morning, closed at 12 noon and would only resume business at about 5 in the evening. I have been to Tlemcen twice but never on a Friday. Lesson learnt - Never go to Tlemcen on a Friday afternoon.
So, after an hour on the road and 30 min of futile search for restaurant, we decided to go Hotel Les Zianides for lunch. Les Zianides is the best hotel in Tlemcen. I have been there once to use the loo and I swear I would never want to go there again unless I REALLY have to! Anyway, our driver had gone to the mosque and we had to make our way to the hotel ourselves. We asked a few peeps along the way in our pathetic French where the hotel was and eventually a kind couple volunteered to lead the way. On the way to the hotel, we were harassed by a group of teeanagers. They shouted at us, blocked our way and one of them even waved a swiss knife at us and did the 'slit the throat' gesture. We kept our cool and carried on walking. In times like this, you just have to walk away calmly.
Our lunch at Les Zianides was a disappointment. No doubt the interior design of the restaurant looks good, the food is below expectations. I ordered mixed grill and something caught my attention - sheep's balls! I immediately thought of Fear Factor and dared myself to try it. I did and ......no comments! Darling tried it too and he said it was actually quite nice! EEEwwwww!!!
Restaurant @ Hotel Les Zianides
Grilled sheep's ball. Anyone?!
This is where I bought my flowers, orange tree and lemon tree.
Leafy Plant
Carnation
Purple Flower
Red Flower
Presenting to you VAINPOT! My fav!
So, after an hour on the road and 30 min of futile search for restaurant, we decided to go Hotel Les Zianides for lunch. Les Zianides is the best hotel in Tlemcen. I have been there once to use the loo and I swear I would never want to go there again unless I REALLY have to! Anyway, our driver had gone to the mosque and we had to make our way to the hotel ourselves. We asked a few peeps along the way in our pathetic French where the hotel was and eventually a kind couple volunteered to lead the way. On the way to the hotel, we were harassed by a group of teeanagers. They shouted at us, blocked our way and one of them even waved a swiss knife at us and did the 'slit the throat' gesture. We kept our cool and carried on walking. In times like this, you just have to walk away calmly.
Our lunch at Les Zianides was a disappointment. No doubt the interior design of the restaurant looks good, the food is below expectations. I ordered mixed grill and something caught my attention - sheep's balls! I immediately thought of Fear Factor and dared myself to try it. I did and ......no comments! Darling tried it too and he said it was actually quite nice! EEEwwwww!!!
Restaurant @ Hotel Les Zianides
Grilled sheep's ball. Anyone?! After lunch, we headed back to Ghazaouet. About 5km before reaching Ghazaouet, we stopped by the road side to buy some lovely flowers for my garden. I bought 4 types of flowers (one of them is carnation. The others, I dunno. Ha!) and a leafy plant. Very happy! At least, my Friday afternoon ended on a pretty note.
P/S: WIDS!!! If you are reading this, I have planted something for you and named it VAINPOT!
This is where I bought my flowers, orange tree and lemon tree.
Leafy Plant
Carnation 
Purple Flower 
Red Flower 
Presenting to you VAINPOT! My fav!Thursday, April 3, 2008
Junk Food
JUNKIE QUEEN. That's what Swee calls me. She knows how much I love junk food. Back in school, she was my supplier for junk food. She had this tupperware filled with junk food at her work station. After a tiring day of teaching/scolding/nagging, I would walk over to her desk, reached out for that plastic box and started munching away. I like that part of the day. Me, Swee, junk food and our full of rubbish conversation.
I have finished all the junk food which I brought from SIN. I desperately need to get some. But the junk food here doesn't look delectable at all. Often, the packaging is coated with a layer of dust! If you look hard enough at the details printed on the packaging, you may find that the expiry date is long due.
This morning, 2 of Darling's colleagues from SIN arrived from Algiers. I was extremely happy cos one of them brought Pringles potato chips for me from SIN! Finally, I have chips to munch on. My eyes were fixated on the green and red cans when they were placed on the dining table. I wanted to quickly bring them into my room and hide them! I didn't want to share them with anyone, not even the adorable kids. (Hmmm...on second thoughts, maybe Darling can have a few pieces!). In Algeria, these are rare commodity. You may never find it here except in Algiers airport. But they cost about S$7 per can. It's daylight robbery! So, you can't blame me for being selfish. Now, the chips are placed right in front of me in my room. Awww...I am a happy woman! =)
WOOHOO! I love Junk Food!
The View From My Kitchen
This is what I see when I have my lunch everyday in the kitchen. This afternoon I had lunch alone. Darling was out visiting a China construction worker who was jailed for a month. He committed a rather silly offence which could be avoided. I shall not elaborate on it.
With the sound track from the movie 'Lake House' playing in the background, a series of questions ran through my mind. What's on that mountain? How long does it take to reach the peak? Would it be dangerous? Blah blah blah...I heard the folks here go hunting up on the mountain. Hmm...it would be exciting if I could tag along one of these days. We'll see...
Wednesday, April 2, 2008
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