Sibu Trip - The Last Evening

This is the last of the series I'm blogging about my family's recent Sibu trip. Time passed quickly when everyone was having a good time! Roseline even did some vege pau (steamed dumplings)! On the evening before we returned to Miri, we had a home-cooked meal at home. Photo shows my two sons with their cousins. Roseline's younger brother Jimmy managed to buy a 4 kg Marble Goby freshwater fish (locally called "Motutu" or Soon Hock in West Malaysia) at Batu Niah when he drove back to Sibu from Kota Kinabalu. This was the best steamed fish we had for the year 2008! After dinner we ventured to the famous Pasar Malam (night market). I took this photo facing the entrance. Unlike during my previous visits, I was surprised that there was no bustling crowd and only a few vendors sold food and beverages. Could it be that people now have changed their preference and shop at locations nearer to their residential areas?
We went to Sing Kwong (a supermarket and departmental store) to find out. The huge carpark was full and there were many shoppers there! Shopping in Sibu has always been a pleasure. It is quite common to find the prices of consumables lower than Miri by 10% or more. That's why it's hard not to overbuy, xD.

Sibu Trip - High Tide and Rejang Esplanade

The following day was Dec 27.

I was surprised that the water level outside my parents-in-law home had risen overnight. I took this picture while standing in the middle of the road around noon time. Flooding in Sibu brings back sweet memories for me because I was courting Roseline in Dec 1983 when there was a massive flood in Sibu! LOL! So all of us were stuck in the house until 5:00pm when the tide receded. Without wasting time, we went to Rejang Esplanade for a photo shoot session. According to the information given, the two trees in the background were planted in 1863! The light was perfect for a photo shoot. Now look here, dear. Sons doing a "Sa-rang-hae-yo" leap to the air! The big leap. Reflections. Enjoying the view.

Sibu Trip - Birthday

On Dec 26 night we had a small gathering of close friends and relatives at Sheraton Restaurant to celebrate the birthday of my parents-in-law.

Though the birth dates of my parents-in-law are different, my wife (being the eldest daughter in the family) decided to celebrate the occasion on this day when most of the immediate family members could attend. For birthdays, the first dish was of course the indispensible mee suah. This fried version was served with boiled eggs and black chicken soup. It was superb! I like the Eight-Treasures warm all the time. The pan-fried black cod was beautifully cooked! No wonder my parents-in-law couldn't stop smiling! The #1 daughter-in-law from Brunei serving. This is the best yam cake dessert I've ever tasted! Roseline's youngest sister with her hubby. The beautiful dutiful daughters with their loving parents and Second Aunty. Sa-rang-hae-yo! Two nice shots for the family album!

Sibu Trip - Christmas Concert

Many thanks to my mother-in-law who invited us to a concert on Christmas night organized by Masland Methodist Church at the Dewan Suarah.

We were overwhelmed by the performances from different age-groups! Yes, it was the best concert we have ever attended! I took many photos; enjoy the slides!

If you want a copy of the original photo, just drop me an email. xD

Sibu Trip - Christmas Eve Church Service

Like what we did last year, we went to Wesley again for the Christmas Eve service. In anticipation of a full house, we were there early. I was able to find a good seat to take photos.

The Sanctuary was warm and impressive (WMC underwent extensive renovations), unlike what we saw last year. The acoustics was clear and crisp with no feedback. More importantly I can feel God's love and grace in this beautiful church.

Celebrating its golden anniversary this year, Wesley is one of the most distinguished and oldest Methodist churches in Sarawak.

Here are some of the photos I took.

This young man is a good pianist.

The famous Wesley choir. As expected, they performed well.

This is one of my favourite photos. Spontaneously shot through a glass wall separating the Sanctuary and the Cry Room. The cute girl was one of the "lambs" from the Sunday School waiting for her turn to perform. Isn't she adorably sweet? After that, she refused to a second pose and shied away. xD

The Sunday School children gave an outstanding performance their teachers and parents would be so proud of! It was a priviledge for me to capture the special moments on camera!


The service ended with everyone lighting up a candle and singing. Note the warmness of the Sanctuary when the lights dimmed. It was an evening my family and I enjoyed thoroughly.

Latest updates

We're back in Miri after spending the Christmas holidays in Sibu.

Thank God we covered quite a few "items" during our five-day stay; Roseline went for a new hair perm. The whole family attended the Christmas Eve service at Wesley. The next day we attended the Christmas Day service (conducted in Mandarin) at Xin Fu Yuan. On the same night we attended a Christmas concert by Masland Church (fantastic!).

We also celebrated the birthdays of my parents-in-laws, met up with some Sibu bloggers (for the first time), and "accidentally" had an encounter with my "long lost" cousin.

I took many photos on the different occasions so I would need some time to select the nice ones to post.

Time really flies...I've past the first year of blogging! xD

Oh ya, I've changed the picture of my blog header. It's taken at the Rejang Esplanade around 6:00pm while Roseline and I enjoyed watching the sunset and the river.

The photo is an "untouched-up" picture; I love it! xD