My Journey…

I am back from San Antonio. It’s such a beautiful city! Since Adam was there for a conference, every morning he will leave for the conference and I will do my own sight-seeing. We met some days for lunch and every night for dinner - some nights were business dinners which was good fun.

Since Adam was occupied with the coference, we didn’t do anything out of San Antonio - which is a shame. Downtown San Antonio is very touristy, but I love the Riverwalk. It’s such a beautiful setup and it’s just so nice dining and shopping along it.

River cruise for those who are interested to get a ride along the 2.5 mile long river.

Bars, restaurants and little shops along the river in a lush green environment.

I ate alot when I was there. San Antonio is known to have really good Mexican food and that was what I had most days. Damn yummy! I feel I have put on some pounds because of that

Adam and me on a bridge across the river.

The Menger Hotel is great! No - I didn’t see any ghosts (thank God!) but one day when I was walking out of my room, I thought I saw from the corner of my eye a chambermaid in blue walked out from the room opposite of mine. When I turned, the room door was open but no one there… I believe it’s just optical illusion. (yes, I am sure it’s just that…)

The Menger Hotel which takes up a whole block. The little alley at the corner leads you to the Riverwalk Mall.

The hotel is just strategically next to a Riverwalk Mall - shopping and part of the Riverwalk, how convenient is that! It’s very close to many tourist attractions like the Alamo, Ripley’s Believe it or Not, the Convention Center, Little Village, Tower of Americas, many other attractions and many many souviner shops.

The Alamo

An interesting structure next to The Alamo with The Emily Morgan, a very beautiful hotel, at the backdrop.

The Tower of Americas and a Mexican Art Gallery at Hemisfair Park

San Antonio is a beautiful and fun city. Adam and I left with a bad hangover from over partying the night before. We had a great time with his work mates and are looking forward to going there again for a real vacation next year.

Adam and I will be leaving for San Antonio tomorrow. There’s an SPE (Society of Petroluem Engineers) Conference that Adam is there for and I’m there for a well-deserved break (of course!). San Antonio is about 3 and a half hours drive west of Houston.

We will be staying at the historical Menger Hotel. This hotel was built in 1859 and is famous for its list of guests like Theodore Roosevelt, Sidney Lanier, Babe Ruth, Mae West, Ulysses S. Grant and Sarah Bernhardt, just to name a few.

The Menger Bar is a replica of London’s House of Lords Pub with cherry paneling walls and ceiling, booth seating and glass cabinets. This is where Teddy Roosevelt recruited his Rough Riders.

But those are not the only highlights of this hotel, this place is known for its resident ghosts! (eeee…..). This is known to be home or is regularly visited by 32 different entities! (who is counting really?)

This is one historical site that is in the visitor’s guide which many people rave about and I am lucky to get to stay there but lets just hope I don’t meet any ‘entities’ and no unwelcomed guests in my room.

I have heard many wonderful stories about San Antonio and how beautiful it is. I have a rough itinerary planned with some walking tours, some visits to the market square and some restaurants and clubs that we have to go to.

I am looking forward to this trip and I will be back next Wednesday with photos - I promise

Event: SSA Fall Social

Venue: Falcon Drive Club

Yup! It’s that time again, a social gathering for the Schlumberger spouses. Time to get together for some good food with some great company. Also a time to meet new people and make new friends.

The Fall Social was held at this very nice clubhouse at a golf course but it’s freaking far for me to get there. It was estimated by the interactive map that it would take me 45 minutes but since I got so lost (I have to call a friend 3 times to finally get there!) it took me more than an hour. Long, tiring and frustrating drive getting there.

Food was yummy. We have a buffet spread of salad, pastries, wild rice pilaf, pecan crusted chicken (very delicious), pastries, fresh fruits and different types of fruit cobbler with vanilla ice cream (yum!). There’s also an omellete station, omellette made to your liking.

It’s nice catching up with people I know and also meeting new spouses. There’s always so much to talk about. Here are some photos of the ladies.

The Venezuelan Ladies

American, French, Palestinian (Raja), French (Marie)

Both ladies on the left are from somewhere in the Middle East and the other is American.

It’s obvious that I can’t remember many of their names. These are the ladies I get to meet for the first time today and I am having difficulty remembering names especially when there are so many of them! But most ladies have the same problem as I do, so no one gets offended if I ask them for their name again the next time we meet.

It was a fun gathering indeed. The next social will be in December which I won’t be able to make it, but it’s ok because then I will already be back in KL enjoying the company of my friends.

Remix of a classic. It’s either you love it or you hate it.

I love it the first time I heard it, that was about 2 months or so ago on BBC UK Radio 1… and I still do.

Check it out here.

So an update on my previous post, I did go to the management office to lodge a complain and get the answers I needed - no drama.

• The management told me that they have identified those stupid tenants and have told them to leave the property as what they did was a violation and a breach of the lease contract. So those people were evicted.
• I was told that in future if I see anyone violating residential laws (i.e partying by the pool after 10pm, people looking suspicious…etc) I can call 911.
• The gates to the pool will be chained lock at 10pm, so no one can get in after its closing hours.
• The management office organised a talk on law violations which will be presented by the Houston Police Department in our clubhouse.

I have to say the management office here is very efficient and does a good job. I feel bad those people were told to leave, but they asked for it. This will serve as a deterrant to other tenants.

I think I have mentioned before that my apartment overlooks the pool. It has such a nice view and it has always been so quiet and peaceful in winter and spring as the water is too cold for anyone to get in and the sun isn’s strong enough to give anyone a tan.

Come summer, people flock the pool to get a tan and there will be pool parties and such, which is all fun and good. But all these turn really ugly when people  decide to move their party to the pool late at night and start getting drunk after midnight on a weekday and behave like hooligans!

At 3am this morning, I was rudely awaken by loud laughes and some people yelling. I gotta get up to see what was going on.

One older resident was by the pool scolding a group of people, who obviously were drunk students, for making too much noise at such hour. Some of them didn’t want to leave the pool as they thought it was their right to stay if they wanted but some were ready to leave. Those who didn’t want to go would make really rude and insulting remarks (some of which I thought was threatening) at that lady.

Most of the guys were naked and the few ladies I saw were in bikinis and one were wrapped in a towel, whom I believe was naked underneath. They were a group of loud, inconsiderate and rude people whom I truly can’t believe are residents here.

So that brave (but angry) lady was scolding and scolding and scolding and those idiots finally left. Not long after that, the police arrived… too late actually, I wished the police arrested all of them.

You know what? I think those hooligans live on my block! Not long after the police arrived, I heard alot of footsteps and people cursing and doors being bang shut. Such luck.

So, today a new episode of drama will unfold. That drama involves me making a complain at the management’s office demanding they find out who those hooligas are. I want them to tell me how they intend to deal with this incident and if those hooligans will be evicted.

I demand to know what the management plan to do to stop this from happening again. I, a resident here, will not put up with such behaviour!

I get really bitchy and cranky when I don’t get enough sleep. Today is that day…

I found a job! I am excited that I have found something to do. I’ll be the new International Welcome Coordinator for the Schlumberger Spouse Association (SSA) Houston.

OK, it’s not quite a job. I volunteered to take up this role in the SSA as I have too much time at home. I need to do something and this came along and I can see myself enjoying doing it.

Since it’s a job within the SSA, we don’t get paid but what the heck, I get to meet many new people, I can assist the spouses who are new to Houston, I will definately learn something along the way and I can take a day off (or 2) whenever I want to and this job will not affect my travel plans!

My job involves (but not limited to):

• Tabulating bi-monthly information from Schlumberger relocation company on families who are transfered from International locations (outside of US) to Houston
• Maintain a list of SSA members who are arriving and leaving Houston
• Contact spouses when they first arrive to Houston and help them settle in as soon as possible
• Introduce the new spouses to ladies who lives in the same area that she is in so that she knows she has someone closeby whom she can call if she needs help or advice on school, groceries, car…etc
• Submit monthly report to Schlumberger (ask for more funds if needed)

On top of all that,

• I will be on the Board of SSA Houston
• Have to attend monthly board meetings, quarterly Welcome Coffee Sessions (welcome those who have arrived to Houston in the last 6 months with coffees and cakes), the 3 SSA Socials (brunch or lunch gatherings for spouses) and monthly coffee mornings.

Sounds fun isn’t it?

I feel there is so much more that the SSA can do to help the ladies who are newly relocated to Houston to settle in faster. My job starts soon and I am so looking forward to it!

I have been back from my Labour Day vacation for close to a week now. I should have blogged about it earlier but I have been pretty occupied and was also being my usual lazy self.

Austin is the capital state of Texas. In its travel guide, it claims to also be the Live Music Capital of the World. Austin is only 3 hours drive northwest of Houston.

We stayed in a hotel next to the State Capitol Building. This is the building made of pink granite.

This is the largest state capitol in the United States, and the fifth tallest. Like most other state capitols in the U.S, this one is based on the capitol in Washington, DC. (though Texans like to boast that it is seven feet taller). The basement and foundation are of limestone, the rest in pink granite.

The main entertainment district in Austin, 6th Street, is just 5 blocks away from where we stayed. Another entertainment district called the Warehouse District is 2 blocks away from 6th Street. Needless to say, we spent every night there checking out the pubs, bars and live bands.

In 2 nights, we have been to 6 bars and of all of them we liked an Irish Pub called B.D Riley’s Pub the best. The performing band we saw was the Altar Boys, they do some really good blues music! A night of great entertainment, not only from the songs but from 2 fights which broke out really close to me. It all started because the bouncer asked the drunk patrons to leave the premise…

Adam and I went to Inner Space Cavern, which is 30 mins drive north of Austin. This cave was discovered in 1963 together with a massive collection of fossils of ice age animals. 95% of this cave is still growing.

The hour-and-a-half tour takes us through the cave and our guide is good at explaining the beautiful cave formations and telling stories of the discovery of the cave. Here are some photos we took which turned out ok…

That’s our guide in blue shirt.

That’s the ceiling of the cave, with rippling looking waves formation. I forget the story now why there’s such effect.

We didn’t take many photos this trip, but we did alot! We did….

• Self-guided walking tour of downtown to look at buildings built in the 1800s
• Kayaking - which I enjoyed very much
• Tasted the original Mexican Martini at Cedar House - rated the best in Austin
• Walked around the University of Texas area - huge area, beautiful university but very basic restaurants and no good bars around.. pretty unfortunate for the students
• took a ride on a peddy cab - very fun but pity the guy. We gave him a good tip for all his hard work

There are still alot more that we didn’t get to do or see in Austin but I am sure we will be back there again next year.

Just got to share this… woo hoo!

Happy Merdeka Day Malaysians! Selamat menyambut Hari Kebangsaan!

It’s Labour Day on Monday in the US, Adam and I will be heading to Austin for a short weekend getaway.

Happy Holidays everyone and have loads of fun! (I know I will)

Sample # 12 - Haagen Dazs Butter Pecan (Cost $2.88)

Vanilla ice cream lovers, what do you think of a cremier version of vanilla ice cream? Ice cream not too sweet but has a milkier taste to a more creamy textured ice cream with sweet smell of vanilla? YUM!

Buttery, sweet cream vanilla ice cream with roasted pecans.

Verdict: Absolutely love it! Ice cream so creamy and yummy with generous pecans in it. Simple but awesome. I just can’t put it down - YUM YUM!