A BIG 'Sigh of Relief!'

Time flits by... It has been nine fabulous, great, stress-free years since I quit my job!  November 1st marked my freedom from working life, a life which still brings chills from the edges of my ears to the tip of my toes.  This is an experience which many won't understand, except for those few who have ever been in such a working environment.

To get the details, check it out in my earlier blogs as listed below:-

1. 15th November 2008 - A 'Diffucult & Bitter' trod down memory lane....
2. 31st October 2009 - Three years ago....
3. 1 November 2010 - Remembering those 'bitter-sweet' moments....
4. 2 November 2011 - Five years ago....
5. 5 November 2012 - More to look forward with contentment towards a stress-free life....

The decisions and action taken nine years ago comes with no regret.  I found real happiness instead....

Yes, I dare say that money is also equally important, but then again, can money buy everything???

It's indeed A BIG 'Sigh of Relief' for me as I continue my glorious walk into the 10th year of a stress-free life full of contentment, joy, peace, happiness and freedom.  Praise The Lord, Amen.

Exploring Asajaya

Asajaya is a small town located in the Samarahan Division.  Kota Samarahan, previously known as Muara Tuang is my mum's birth place.  During my young childhood days, roughly about 3 to 5 years old, I remember travelling there via river to visit my grandparents, who owns a grocery shop and we really enjoyed our visits as there are so many types of sweets and tit-bits for us kids to munch! Today, it is easily accessible through the 25-kilometer road linking Kota Samarahan and Kuching.

It's a Sunday, after sending Aaron off at KIA we started our journey roughly about two in the afternoon to Kota Samarahan.  Our first intention was to cross over Asajaya by Ferry and made a return trip by land, but upon reaching Kota Samarahan Ferry Point, we learned that the ferry will only start at 3 pm. as the tide is still low.  Instead of waiting we decided to drive straight to Asajaya.  The journey by road is much further as compared to the ferry ride but along the way we get to view and experience the lifestyle of the people there.  

The first spot of interest.....

This signboard tells us that the Chinese Temple is somewhere ahead, so we drive on and on until the end of the road, looked and looked but see no temple.  Then we realise "The Temple is at the other side of the river!"  We all have a good laugh and decided to come back for it another time.  

It is indeed interesting to see the villagers crossing the river by motorcycle in a small boat.

We continue on with our journey to Asajaya Town, which is just one straight road with lots of coconut trees, maize plants, banana tress and others being planted along the side of the road.

Finally, we arrived at Asajaya Town, Pekan Asajaya in Malay.....

We queued at the Ferry Point to cross over Kota Samarahan.....

vehicles disembark at Asajaya

driving into the ferry

off we go...

disembark at Kota Samarahan

It is an interesting afternoon exploring Asajaya, We stop by Summer Shopping Mall before making our journey back to Kuching.  As it is nearly evening we decided to have dinner at Stutong....

Free and Easy Sunday drive to the Kampung along Jalan Borneo Heights, Padawan

On a lazy Sunday we decided to spare our afternoon for a car-ride along Jalan Borneo heights, Padawan, a free and easy drive which hubby have been wanting to pursue for quite a while. Though we experienced slight drizzle on our way there, but soon enough the sun started to shine again. Here's to share from the photos which I've captured.....

Kpg. Benuk

Crossing Sg. Bakam

Taken a turn to Kpg. Semadang

Starting and ending point for canoeing  

The hanging bridge to the other side of the Kampung

The canoeing will pass through here...

The Kampung houses behind the trees

Moving towards Kpg. Temurang

Kpg. Bengoh

Kpg. Danu

Another pass through of the canoeing

Hanging bridge to Kpg. Danu

/The beautiful limestone mountain behind this Kampung

It's a worthwhile road-trip, we enjoyed the beautiful scenic views throughout our journey.....

The duo Outing.....

With the strong heat this time of the year, we will normally stay indoor during weekends or even on Public Holidays, most of which my hubby will do some light gardening in the shaded area of our garden.  However, during a recent public holiday, the 'tender sun' gave us a positive change of mind and we made our last minute plan to go for a slow drive,  a little bit further out of Kuching City.

Our first stop, Pasir Pandak......

As it is a public holiday the area is rather crowded, many family enjoy their day out picnicking with their young children.  Small stalls are being set up by local businessmen to cater for the needs of the picnickers and passers by.  The authorities are coming up with lodgings which is still in progress, as such I believe that Pasir Pandak will be open up and more people or tourist will love to visit and enjoy this beautiful. quiet and serene place.

After capturing some photos, grab something to munch, we then made our way to our next stop.....

Damai Central......

This outing is awesome and I love this Mee Mamak as it's deliciously tasty!  

Wow! How fast time flies...... [Final]

Experiencing light drizzles the night before, the morning is much colder as compared to the couple of days ago, but we love it!  Just before we left the house for breakfast uncle announce our itinerary for the day, STANLEY....  WoW!! Whispering to hubby "Stanley is a beautiful place!"

As usual, after breakfast we take a slow walk to one of the bus stand, board a bus to the bus station. and waited for another one which took us to our destination, Stanley.  

The photos tells it all......

view captured from the top of the building

On our way we made friend with a cat too, such a cutie!

Uncle's next stop after lunch is Harbour Road, it is where the Government Departments are situated....

the glass walls and windows are sparkling clean....

Fire Station

Hongkong Convention and Exhibition Centre (Entrance)

the inside is huge and beautiful.....

The Golden Bauhinia Square, it's real gold!

New World First Ferry Pier, facing the Avenue of Stars

It's another fruitful day for both me and hubby, and special thanks to uncle for being our personal guide ~ smile ~  

We have simple stir-fried rice vermicelli and kway tiaw for dinner as we have been having too much meat for the past couple of days.... YUMMY!

We spend the rest of the night chatting as usual before we knock off to bed.  

Waking up earlier than usual on 12th March (Thursday) as our holiday is coming to an end.  We have breakfast nearby....

Get back home, relax for a while, with all our bags packed and we are ready to go......

Uncle Kee insisted to see us off at the airport, so we walked to the nearby bus stand, hop into the 9.30 am bus and off we go,  More sharing continues throughout the bus journey to the airport.....

After check-in we need to walk to the opposite side of the building for departure.  As we are still early uncle suggested to have lunch, then proceed to the departure hall.  Bye uncle, we will be back again.....

Supposedly, our flight is at 1.15pm but due to congestion at the runway our plane took off an hour later, thus arriving KLIA2 about 6.00 in the evening instead of the actual time of 5.05pm.  The weather in KL is fine, photos taken at 5.14pm.

Our next flight back to Kuching is at 8.15pm, thus, we have our dinner at KLIA2, slowly made our way to the departure hall and ......

we are arriving Kuching "Home Sweet Home!"