Lombok: Qunci Pool Villas

Lombok
Tranquil and peaceful, a small tiny town with lovely unspoiled and barely commercialised beaches. If I were to compare it to Bali, I would say.... its mre peaceful and quiet and the town is -90% of Bali. There were hardly more than 15 decent restaurants in the main beach area of Senggigi and only 2 decent supermarkets which sold souvenirs as well. Many places are closed due to lack of tourists and the prices of the hotels are rather reasonable. We found a couple of good places to eat and absolutely loved the beach. Since I'm so inlove with Qunci, I'll show you that first.

Qunci Pool Villas: It is prob THE best hotel we have stayed in. Ocean view, outdoor shower, infinity pool, coconut trees..

There's always something so relaxing and calming about coconut trees swaying in the sea breeze dont you think? The sound of the leaves brushing against each other, humming in the wind. The light breeze from the ocean pushes the stems ever so slightly

Even those triangular umbrellas complement the coconut trees. The infinity pool over looking the sea.

The deck chairs are the perfect place for suntanning and chilling out. If you wanna enjoy the ocean breeze without the sun, just hide under the shade of one of those cool triangular brollies.

Here's another look of the infinity pool. I'm so in love with this place.

Breakfast is fantastic! You can have it by the pool, the beach or in the open concept restaurant. Banana juice please! Yumms !

Qunci Restaurant, overlooking the sea. Prices are rather affordable and the food is good. Great standards and service.

The ocean view villas. See that beautiful glass doors? it opens out into the view of the ocean. Can you see the ocean? Open the glass doors and you can hear the waves softly brushing up the white sands of Mataram. Looking for the telly? There aint any! Its just as well! Just watch the ocean.
View from the bed. Our little patio and gorgeous view.Our personal pool villa for one night before we switched to the villa right in front of the ocean. Nice little personal pool with not much privacy but it was fun to have our own mini pool to ourselves for just one day! Just float in the pool and gaze at the swaying coconut trees. I'm such a sucker arent I. Mabbie I should just buy a coconut tree....

Outdoor Shower and Toilet. In the afternoon, you shower under the coconut trees (swaying and rustling in thr breeze), at night, you get to shower under the stars!

End of Lombok Part 1

Khmer

Cambodia

In our recent group trip to Cambodia, my eyes and heart were pretty much torn open by the Tuol Seng Museum and the book "When broken glass floats" by Chanrithy Him. We spent about one week in Prey Veng helping local teachers with English lessons. It was a good week, restful and insightful. Prey Veng itself was a smallish local town with no cause for tourism.

We had a good time with the local teachers and friends. Khmer food was good.... pretty much like Chinese Food. Visited the rural villages and a local primary school. We visited a village in need of help. There was help available but there is so much red tape and mindset matters to consider. There are quite a number of NGOs there, many goodwilled people hoping to rebuild Cambodia after the devastation.



Khmer Rouge
Well, I've never bothered much about history especially when I stepped into my supposedly choice of study in University (why did choose Arts??!!). I only bothered if I visited place of significance in the country eg, Auschwitz- where many millions of Jews were killed by the Nazi in Poland etc.... Ok... Khmer Rouge. Khmer actually means Cambodian and Rouge is Red. So Red Cambodia ruled the country under Pol Pot and basically murdered people of all intellect. Watch " The Killing Fields" for more gory, tragic details. Its sad what the people had to go through and it was such a mindless massacre. The torture, the torment and the tragedy was really heart breaking. To me, it was worse than the the Nazi regime simply cos the people in the Khmer Rouge army murdered and tortured each other. As in one moment you were torturing someone and the next, you were the one being tortured by the next person who was going to replace you as executioner or torturer. I cant express how I feel! Can you?!!!

The heart of Prey Veng

This mud/water filled plains. The tide can wash this place out.

Teacher's Training College, Prey Veng

The teachers we were working with. They were introducing themselves.

Local market selling fresh produce in Prey Veng

Planting Rice in a field off Prey Veng

Tuol Seng Museum aka S21. Doesnt it look like a peaceful serene school? It WAS a school till the Khmer Rouge took over and converted the lovely classrooms into torture chambers.

Inside the Tuol Seng Museum. Our guide was explaining how the Khmer Rouge soldier tortured the prisoners. Basically they were left on those iron beds for 6 months without getting up, tortured while on it and 6 months later killed.

More to come after i finish watching the tennis game of a lifetime on Wimbledon. Watch the number 2 beat the number 1. Did i say beat? I mean, whip. No prizes for who I'm rooting for! Go Matador!!!

All things new- Singapore

I'm back from outer space..... !

Pan Pacific@Orchard

Really had to take a break from all the hustle and bustle of work. We checked out the new hotel in Orchard. Good location but the rooms and facilites aint fantastic. By the way, Fullerton has a good room promo with choc buffet thrown in. If I were 10kg lighter, I would have gone for that promotion..... haha....The rooms are super small.

Online Shopping
I love onine shopping! Check out http://www.jcpenny.com.sg/! The prices are in SGD! Good sprees on Forever 21! I bought the Acapella CD by the von Trapp children online too. Bonds from Australia, organic online, so fun!

Bike Trail

-From Bedok to Fort Road to Changi and back to Bedok

We rented bikes from Bedok on an unusually good weathered day but pity it had to be a Sunday (crowd ! crowd!). Had to manouver our way through the crowd. Met the beach babes and a grouchy little one at Carls Junior at the new big splash! Its really pretty the place.... they have this Old Town outlet from Malaysia.... pity it was so crowded.

Anyway, we reached the end of Fort Road then back past Bedok to Changi. The new link is super cool. Could watch the planes take off and land and all the cars and motorbikes racing by. I think it was the same route as the Sun down marathon.

We started at 335 to Fort Road. Took a break at Carl Junior for abt half and hour then all the way to Changi and back at 730pm. Our bikes cost $49. Cost of not storing it at my house..... priceless.....

SONY Vaio

Me bought a new gadget! I love the SZ series..... lovely......

Southern Ridges
After reading about the exciting new route, we decided to check it out! By the way, the info in the Sunday Times is rather vague. We woke up at 630am, picked up the family, had one of the expectedly crappiest breakfast in Tiong Bahru. Parked at VivoCity then took bus 100 to Alexander Road.Unfortunately the directions in the Sunday Times aint too good so we had to walk a bit to Alexander Bridge. Our Route was -one way, from Alexander back to Vivocity.

Start Point: Alexander Arch

Colonial Houses along the way.... I think I came across a gravestone nearby too...... Raised walkway...can be pretty high

Pretty view of the sea


Terrace Garden... It used to be much prettier and "whiter" Along the trail.... lovely forest greens

Henderson Waves. Interesting architecture....
View from Mt Faber

View of Sentosa.... taken 2 june 2008.... i think this landscape will be different in 2 years time..... anyone buying Sentosa Cove?

It was about a 2 hr walk from Alexander back to Harbourfront. But the weather in SG, wat can u expect.

Cant wait for SIL's Wedding this Weekend! Yeah.... Another hotel stay!!!

:)

A Blog of Sorts

Its been such a long time since I blogged cos I have nothing much to blog about really. Nothing's really been happening in my life apart from a few odds and ends.

Basic Massage Course
Well, i really love this course and how it was conducted. It gave me a good view to the human anatomy, bones and muscles, origins and insertions, how to massage, how to ease tension before and after a run or exercise. We are even considering buying a massage bed to practice, so friends, family, countrymen, noblemen, start taking your queue numbers. You can choose from a female or male massuer, air con or non air con room with nice spa music and some wholesome bread and tea after. No children please. :)


Mahjong
I have been playing at the uncommonest places of all, shall not reveal where but having lots of fun! I bought this mini, portable mahjong set which comes with a mini table. Its absolutely fantastic! Admittedly still not very good at it but enjoying every game that I try to win and learning from my stupid mistakes.

Hair
Help! Shall I rebond or do a digital perm? My cranky dry wavelike hair is driving me crazy and with the inflation and all the prices may shoot up in time to come so I hope to do it real soon. Wat shall I do?

America
Do you think the currency will drop further? I do wanna go to San Fran, NY, LA, Chicago, Hollywood, etc, Then again, I can name u a dozen other countries that I wanna go to too.... But since the prices are falling, doesnt it make sense to go.... soon?

Eat Love Pray
All you thirty (or fourty) something babes or gonna be thirty or so babes this year.... yes you....... This is a really good book abt life's little troubles...... I'm only halfway through it (thanks to long working hours) but I love it.

Work
I know some or rather many people who work longer than me but on average, I work like 10 hrs a day. I'm grouchy. Things can be done you know. NOt that I have not suggested. there are times I work for 15 hrs a day. Its tiring. at least 2-3 days i work like 12 hrs. it sucks.

Food Review

It has been a long time since I wrote in. Here's some

Crab Party
Location: opposite serangoon stadium
Ambience:7/10 (alfresco, aircon and non aircon
Food:
Javanese Crab Curry. The sauce was rich and creamy with that light lemongrassy touch. So darn good! 8.8/10,
Prawn Paste Chicken. Well fried and just well coated with prawniness 8.2/10
Bill: Crab, chicken and spinach and 2 beers $79!
Return factor: Definite! With family too!

Vittles
Location: Sembawang
Ambience: 6.8/10
Food: Steak (portion was pretty small) but good. Burgers, really good with a one for one promo with Citibank. Overall 6.8/10
Price: about $35 for 2
Verdict: Good food but not really worth the drive.

Ginga Japanese
Location: Riverview Hotel
Ambience: 6/10
Food: there was teppanyaki buffet but we were a bit late so we had the set meal instead. My teriyaki chicken was good. but the teppanyaki beef wasnt very good. Chawanmushi was goo but not worth the bloody $8. Prawn tempura had standard but wasnt worth the price.
Price: utterly ex and not worth the money
Return factor: Mabbie not

Astons Express@Serangoon
Location: serangoon gardens
Ambience: kopitiam... so go figure...
Food: Good steaks, just dont go for well done. The porterhouse( most ex $25)is great! Forget the soups. The grilled chik pasta was good too! Love it!
Price: cheap to reasonable
Return Factor: Always

Botanic Garden Noodles at Serangoon HawkerCentre
Location: Obvious
Ambience: Hawker Centre.......
Food: I love the soup! esp the mini hot pot
Price: $3-5
Return Factor: Always!

Durian 717
Location: highland centre
Ambience: alfresco
Durian: All sorts.... as long as its durian.... its definitely good
Return Factor: as long as there is durian, its definitely definite.


Korean Food at Novena Square II
Not good, not worth the money, eat maggie mee better, dont bother about it.

I cant wait for this Sat. A treat for us decade away cousins.... yay..... more soon...

A Day In Time

Know how i come up titles for my blog? Just whatever that comes to mind, especially if I have nothing in particular to write about.

Lunch with the babies
This is the first time in my entire life bringing them out. They can finally talk and walk properly and dont need a diaper change. Cool. I just came back from lunch with them so memories are still fresh in my mind.

1135am: I picked them up at their grandparents place. The main gate opened and the first one to run out was Ginger.... the dog. She must have been frightened by the three noisy children in the house. Anyway, they were ready, shouting and trying to run away from me. Thats funny i thought, there were coming out for lunch with me. By the way, if you are wondering why they are running away from me is cos they call me the Kissing Monster. I used to run after them and kiss them. Not that traumatic right? I think it was more traumatic for me to run after them, cutting through their ear piercing screams and having to hold them down (they can be pretty strong with their kicks) and plant a kiss on their cheeks. Nah it aint as bad as it sounds.

Right. Since it was my first time, I decided I could only handle 2 out of 3 of them. Before you run, you gotta see if you can walk.... know what I mean? They were ready with their waterbottles, jackets and enthusiasm. So cute and in a second we were about to cross the road to my car. It was then when I knew its gonna be alright cos they didnt immediately run across the road. They stopped. I asked are there any cars? NO! they said and ran into the car. No one wanted to sit in front... which was just as well. The older one, JW sat in and you know what he did? He immediately buckled up!!!! JY the little girl followed suit. A quick wave to Grandma who I suppose was happy to have some peace and a zen moment before she went to work. Their oldest brother, as soon as I arrived said Hi and as soon as his siblings were about the wear their shoes, he ran to the computer room shouting "YAY"! So I suppose I'm doing him a favour too. Ginger went back to her quiet spot to chill out before the screaming returned.

1140am: We were driving along. For like 30s alls well, was talking to them about art class and what they wanted to buy (we were going to shop for their birthday pressies) They were talking to each other and within 5 minutes, JY took JW's toy and he started screaming and whining to get it back. It was more amusing than annoying. By the way, JY is younger then JW. So they had a hide and seek and a name calling thing going on at the back and the last I knew someone was calling the other stupid. Sigh.... the next thing I knew,the object of their affection was thrown to the passenger seat next to me, on the floor. More screaming of "where is it?!!" So i said, you need to be quiet because I'm driving. Immediately, there was a hushed silence, led by JY. She's an angel isnt she? Surprised, I turned around and JY had her finger over her mouth saying, Shhh.... driving... So cute!

Anyway, there was an obvious hush till we arrived at United Square. Phew.

1200pm. One thing about kids and cars, u tend not to speed. Dunno why. Mabbie cos I wasnt on the highway. So we parked on the 4th floor and took the lift down. They wanted to shop first before lunch so we went shopping. I thought JY wanted a pink shirt. But after looking at some shops with really cute pink shirts she kept on saying NO! so i figured she changed her mind. Went to Toys R Us and they went off. Played with toys etc etc. JY initally wanted this pseudo daytona for babies thingy which was really pathetic to some Little Pet Store. JW has been buzzing about this Maple Story thing eversince he got into the car. There werent any in the store so he settled for some action figure with an interchangeable blade. Before we could pay, JY wanted to open her toy. As MJ would say.... ** faint** .....

By the way, they can jump on to escalators by themselves too! We went down and passed this anime store and sharp eyed JW spotted.... " MapleStory"..... and wanted it. So I said, ask they lady at the counter if she had any. He refused to ask. JY spotted this Princess card thing and wanted it. I told her to ask the lady and she did. So I encouraged JW to ask too, only after seeing his little sibling go for it did he ask. Sigh.... Apparently this game, you can buy online credit points to buy stuff online. And this game.... is so lame. Kill sheep and goats? Ok, non violent, I'll give you that and it allows kids to communicate online. Just didnt click with me.... I guess playing Mr PacMan will not click with many people either... It costs $10.70!!! ok.... He wanted one for like $32+ bucks.... I'll leave that to his mother.... So I bought that and walked out of the shop wondering how much this Maple story creators are worth.


1245pm: So we went down to their supposed "Chicken Rice!!! Chicken Rice!! shop" but as any kid would do, changed their mind when they saw Mc Donalds. Not even my ultra super Jedi Mind Tricks could change their minds. I doubt even Yoda could. So Mc D's it is. It was so cute. JY wanted chicken rice but JW wanted McDs so they had a quick conference. They huddled together and whispered and agreed. Should have taken a pic. They went in an somehow, seem to know where the Happy Meals toys were on display and decided that what they wanted. Mc Nuggets Happy Meal with Milo and 2 toys. Pity they only had one kind of toy. Suddenly during the meal, I forgot to ask if they wanted to pee. JW said no but pointed at JY and said she did. JY said no. OK, not good. At times like this i wish they had their diapers on. Ok, so after the first part of lunch, we went to the loo and JW hurriedly went in.... hmmmm.... Then we went back to Macs for dessert of Ice cream. Only JW wanted a sundae so we both watched him eat. JY tried to open the packaging of her toy with her teeth. You know how some toys are packaged, sealed with hard plastic, without a cardboard backing. So she tried to hack her way through with her teeth. She started trying at Mc Ds.

1pm. I went in to Just WholeFoods to check out the organic flours for my bread. Prices have increased!!! I told them to wait outside while I went in. By now, JW had his toy out too, ( his packaging was made of cardboard backing, so he had an easier time) and JY was still hacking her way in. I decided to buy some unprocessed bran and was outta in 3 mins. Decided it was enough for the day, though I had a lot of fun just watching them. Went up to the parking lot. Decided to belt JY in a little tighter so she wouldnt be so squirmy.

130pm: we were headed for home. It started raining. By the time I reached SIF building, JY had hacked a large hole in her toy packaging and JW helped her to tear it up using his Chi Aikido power. She thanked him sweetly(after my prompting) and he said " whateverCome" ....* rolls eyes* I supposed she assembled the toy too cos once in the house, she told me to push a button and the whole toy opened to some mini playground for monkeys.

Got them safely to Grandma's House. And true to his word, JS was happily at the computer killing sheep and buying magic shoes...( for a bargain of 200k too!) online. JW happily announced his newly acquired 10000 credit points to his brother who replied with a "mmmm" without looking up from his game.

It was a good rainy afternoon to snooze... so I.. will after I blog this.


Melt- The World Cafe Oriental Hotel
SS treated me to my bday dinner. Lotsa food. Pretty good quality too. Loved the slipper lobster and the waffle and icecream. Should go back on thu to suns for the bbq as well. Cool.

Chillie Padi
Had dinner with the family for my birthday there. Good food. GOod durian chendol and lovely petai. Had fun. Must go again.

NO Signboard
Fil treated to celebrate Women's Day. Yay!

Pasir Panjang Wholesale Centre
Its so huge! But we went a bit later cos it was raining in the morning and early afternoon. I dont think its much cheaper but its hard to compare cos prices of many things are going up. Its scarry. 5 apples for $3. two peppers for like $2. $3 for a large yam. $2 for 1kg of bread flour. I dunno. Tell me.

Well, thats all for now.

The Gap Year

Well, basically a GAP year is .... i took this off Wiki... so all rights go there... Its so right :

A gap year (also known as "year out", "year off", "deferred year", "bridging year", "overseas experience", "time off" and "time out") is a term that refers to a prolonged period (often, but not always, a year) between a life stage. The most popular gap years are taken pre or during matriculation in a university or college, between college and graduate school and a profession, during a career change, pre or post marriage or having a first child and pre or post retirement. It is generally a practice undertaken by those from developed countries.

Look at the last line... it says DEVELOPED COUNTRIES. I wonder if Singapore falls into that category. I know that at least the mainstream bulk of singaporeans dont do it. There are many an adventurous souls who have taken their own GAP year or years but its still not as popular here than overseas. I would love for singapore to have that. As in, take a no pay leave just to do a GAP year. Why dont we?

Mahjong
What a lovely game! It all started when me and SIL taught MIL how to play mahjong during CNY. It was hilarious, me and my mediocre mandarin, not fully knowing how to play the game but trying hard. But MIl was good.... she won quite a bit on her first lesson. What were the men doing you may wonder? If only they could start their own game!! I mean, I know a whole bunch of guys who play, like my uncle and at least quite a handful of my male colleagues..... Perhaps they world shouldnt be segragated by male and female species... just those who play and those who dont. Admittedly I'm not good at it but i really enjoy it.....

Played with my cousin too and we decided that we'll bake CNY goodies during chinese new year, make a bundle then play mahjong for the rest of the year.... throw in some SPA and we're good.

Then the icing on the cake was playing at Gracie's. With the help of my new shifu... Diane. She's good! I learnt many tips. Then went to play with my mother and her friends. haha.... Shall we have a game too SIL? :)

Breadmaker
Breadmaker breadmaker, bake me some bread....I seem to be buying all sorts of electronics eh. From my 3 in one waffle, grill and sandwich to my ice cream maker, to my photoprinter, to my top of the pops Panasonic digital camera and my 8 gig memory card, my Philips hair curler and straighter etc, to my Osim massage belt( which i gave my dad, cos i figured his fast growing watermelon compared to my.... well shall i just call it a flabby belly..... ), to my hand massager. Anyway, I din pay full price for everything..... I had vouchers for some and if you know the nature of my job, I have to spend some money to buy techno stuff so there.... Thats how i can effort it all.

Anyway, back to my lean mean bread making machine. I LOVE IT! Breville. Bought from Tangs. Baked lotsa bread. But mainly I'm trying to go for the wholemeal organic thing. By the way SIl, the bread i made u guys was from organic whole wheat flour.... mabbie thats why its so good... :)) I cant wait to try more. So fun! Its like u dump all the ingredients in the container, plunk it into the machine, press buttons and off it goes. U get bread when u want bread. :)


Birthday
It seems like just yesterday that i celebrated my 24th birthday. I still feel 24. Well.... mabbie more like 14. I still hop, skip and jump. Run, prance and leap. Have a care free attitude on life (to some extent) and feel as young as a horse.... literally. But since this is therapeutic blog, I need to come to terms with the fact that I have left the 20 something club and just submitted my registration form for the 30s club. I got a shocking " hello Ms think u are still young" letter from the immigrations department, telling me to change the photo on my ic etc. They will be shocked! I look almost the same. ... ok ok... rounder in the face and fatter around the hips, thighs and belly area, not to mention arms, butt and calves and everywhere else.... but spiritually i look the same.... they should have a machine to take a photo of the soul.... it will be young..... Sighs.... so there... i've said it all. As i'm one of the few who have my b day earlier that most of my friends..... I just have one thing to say...... it aint over till its over!!!! go figure....

Those of u who are still in your 20s... treasure the number (20 something) and how physically fit you are, how good your metabolism is without working out much, how you can just go to a club and enjoy ladies night with heart thumping music, dancing with strangers and just getting drunk stupid, and puking into drains without anyone giving u strange looks. That all changes when u have a reputable career and have to wake up at 6am the next day and watch your life pass you by while u stroll through the agonies of life. bleah....

Bouquets
This is really a tribute to my little learners who did so well for the recent exams. I'm so proud of all of you... them actually. They dont know i have a blog..... haha...One of my students got 6 As. And some were so sweet, they messaged me to thank me. Such dears. U know, when i was a student, I dont ever remember hugging my teachers. Nope..... And one of the most heart warming things is that your students come up to hug you or ask if they could have a hug. Eversince I started, I've hugged some of my students... girls of course.... from the crying ones to the ones who were leaving, to the ones who needed comforting. In the beginning I never really thought much about it. But it suddenly dawned on me that I took this hugging thing for granted. Cos there were students there who are so loving and thoughtful and sincerely sweet... of course there are students out there who are not... haha...

Anyway, I'm happy for them and I want to say that I replied them saying that it was really through their hard work and effort. If I could make them get good grades, everyone in my class should get an A. Not everyone did.... so their fantastic grades had nothing to do with me. Love them.... really really do.


Metaphysics
The book that i was looking for in Borders was in that category. So all i can say for now is I;m looking into it and not a total disbeliever.

BSM
I'm doing a really fun and exciting course right now. Its the basic sports massage course. Conducted by SSC and the lecture is given by Aized! She's like the guru of sports physio or something.... I remember those days when she was still in CJ and me and Az would like hand around etc. I just realised that they were all zeddy, azzie, tazzie and rizzie.. so cute.... I love the hands on session. Fun fun fun!

Old Airport Road Hawker Centre
We discovered this really fantastic kaya toast! I shall take a pic and send it in. Forget Yakun!! The bread is crisp yet had that nice texture of bread. Good butter but a little to little kaya. But it was good. And the lor mee is also good. yumms.

No Signboard
We had crabs! I think i must have crabs everyyear for my birthday. Yumms. the one at geylang is the best of the best. Thanks for the Nigella Express SIL! I've been so eyeing that book!!! Yay.... Shall I email Nigella to get her to do an Asian tour? Would so love to meet her and be her little helper. I'm just waiting for her to come up with slightly healthier recipes. Butterscotch banana muffins looks so good in the book but not on my flabby belly.


Vacationless on a Vacation
It isnt as depressing as it sounds. I'm actually happy to spend sometime at home to sort out my life. Need the break to wonder that ever happened to the last 4 years of my life and if it needed to be changed. Still wondering.....

Well, i think that was quiet a mouthful for the day. Take care and i'll see you soon.

A World of Goodness

Cant really think of a proper title but many good things come with feeling good. What are the good things? Well one of them is that wedding bells are in the air! Sil's (finally) getting married after months of speculation and rumours..... haha... yes..... and to the delight of Mil especially, who seems to be smiling non stop from ear to ear.....

Another was my short getaway which almost didn't happen to Bintan. See the pics, enuf said.... Especially for my dear pres.... sorry for taking so long.....

The Pool at Nirwana Garden Resort.Its facing the open sea and had little jacuzzi bubbles along the sides and even a pool bar! Just soaking in the pool was so therapeutic!

You just wanna soak in these bubbles forever.

There's something about the coconut trees swaying in the breeze that gives you that relaxing feeling.

Thats me by the hammock by the beach. Its so relaxing! This was just after a fantastic breakfast buffet and just before my trip to the spa at Mayang Sari for a Javanese Massage. The massage was ultra fantastic I tell you.....

Lovely view isnt it! I wish I could stay there forever. To be honest, one night was good enough. We went on Friday afternoon, went to the pool to chill, then went for dinner at the Kelong, went to to Pasar Oleh Oleh which seems to stand in the still of time. Not much of a change since I went there many years back. The next day after breakfast, went to the spa for a great massage, came back to soak in the pool some more then had lunch at what used to be Mana Mana Beach Club now known as Nirwana Beach Club. Took the ferry and came home. By the way, you can give the Bandung factory outlet a miss..... Oh on our way here, met my dad's pal who gave us free ice cream and coke on the ferry. How superb is that!

Ong Lai and Kuih Bangkit

I was delighted to have so many people helping out-- I had my cousin, niece and nephews, uncle and (ss to some extent ) and MJ! to help out. It was fun! I basically followed the same recipe as the last time. In total I had some what of a baking marathon. Started on Sat to make Pineapple Tarts, Sun to make Kuih Bangkit, Mon to bake some cakes and took a break on Tues and baked on cake on Wed just before reunion dinner. I love baking!

My cuzz and MJ hard at work. Check out the metal press in the centre..... Not for the faint hearted ok....... I'm a serious Pineapple Tart maker......

All the pretty tarts lined up in a row(s)



My secret helper. She is really efficient and a really good worker.... You just have to put up with her whines once in a while but she is really good..... She's cute too


Dont worry, my stuff are not for sale so dont go calling the Ministry of whatever or Stomp.... but according to family reviews, I gather they are diarrhoea-free and yummy! And a bonus is that its preservative free...... cant make it calorie free though......

Dr Png is back!

Yay! After years of studying in a foreign land, Berber is back as a doctor. Congrats love! Nothing better to chat with a babe you knew since JC. I also had a nice long chat with YY on msn on one of the dull mornings about matters of the heart. Sweet......

Chloe

That sweet child.... I must blog about this.... I dont ever recall having been kissed on the lips by a one year old. So sweet..... such a darling.....

A proposal

I propose that CNY be declared a three day holiday. And Hari Raya and Deepavali be at least 2 days for everyone to bake healthy treats (instead of buying off the shelf ones) and visit families.... Of course its not enough you might add...... just vote me for presidency and I'll make the relevant changes to the holiday structure..... why dont you......

Till the day I decide to upload my eastern europe pics....

GONG XI FA CAI!!! TIAN TIAN FA CAI!!!

Eastern Europe Photos Part 1

Lets start at the very beginning, a very good place to start.....

Its gonna take forever to upload. My comp's pretty fast I must say (can be faster I suppose) but with 8mps... Its agonizing... but for you I will......

I'm gonna write a little bit more abt my travels instead of just the title ...so.... one day, hopefully, if my blog is decent enough, I'll get some advertisers, some sponsers, some free trips and perhaps even some money. Yeah, that's my resolution for the new year..... lets see how long it lasts. By the way, are there any openings for a travel writer Azzie? I'm up for it!

You know, this is really taking a long time to upload. Any one knows how to compress the pics and is willing to tell/show me how? Picasa doesnt work for me...... I have no idea why. Well, you realise that after 2 pics the image sizes have become smaller. Feel free to click on it and look at it. I think it takes a shorter time to download ( or so I say)

Bonn, Germany : Beethoven's House

We went there cos FIL wanted to go.... you know me... I dont even know the difference bet Beethoven and Mozart etc. We were not allowed to take photos of the interior of the house so I only have some exterior shots. The interior was very well maintained I must say. There werent many photographs around at that time so it was a lot of hand drawns and paintings. Well maintained..... its a good thing he wasnt born in Singapore..... his precious house would have been demolished to make way for some road or highway.

Christmas Market in Cologne

One gorgeous thing about travelling to Europe in winter is that there are Christmas Markets everywhere! It makes the cold more bearable I suppose..... Run into the market to grab a bratwurst and gluhwein(hot wine) and paddle around the crowds..... Its really fun. The trick is to look around and try not to buy too many things.... and dont freak out when you pay like 3.50 euros for a sausage and a bun.... take it or leave it......

Automatic Bag Storage in Cologne

This thing is truly amazing. Only the germans can pull this off with such precision too. What happens is that you put in like 4 euros and the box will open, chuck in your luggage and collect a card. The door closes and then reopens again but your luggage has magically disappeared. Chuck in more of your luggage and the same thing happens. When you are ready to collect your luggage, go to ANY of these boxes, slot in your card and your luggage will magically appear within 40 seconds!!!!!

Its snowing in Krakow, Poland

I spotted the snow on the plane before we landed, though I was sitting in the centre aisle. The flickering of the lights from the wings reflected blots and spots of beautiful whirls. I told SS it's snowing..... I dont know why he refused to believe me.... We landed on a bed of snow... soft and white..... hmmm.... like a cross between marshmellow and ice kachang.... It was such a blessing..... dint have to dream of a white christmas anymore..... These European pilots are fantastic thay can fly in all sorts of weather...... Anyway, this was taken at a park near our hostel. Lovely isnt it......

At night in Krakow

This was taken from our hostel/apartment in Krakow. Like many places in Europe, they can build up to around 7 stories or more without the need for an elevator. Lugging up my backpack wasnt hard I must say but with all the weight of the thermals, down jacket and hiking boots it was like wearing an armour.... And though the outside is cold, as soon as you enter the building, you'll become warm rather quick, cos you're sheltered by from the winds. And with a backpack and many layers underneath, your cant possibly take everything off, so its like a sauna in there. Our apartment was neat.. literally.... had a basic kitchen and roomy bedrooms. Nice place...... The heaters are really good. And in every hostel that we went to, no matter how cheap, there was a very good heater, so much so that in some places, we had to open the window!

Thats all the patience I have for now..... more to come soon.....

:)

Gatherings

It has been a pretty exciting week with the mahjong gathering and the family gathering part I and II. Hopefully the mahjong gathering can expand into many parts and subparts too!

Mahjong@Gracie's
It was the last day of the week, a short week but with enough excitement with the new faces and long (draggy) meetings. After a long rather entertaining wait (went to check out CE's new room and having a girl to girl chat) we went to Gracie's house for a nice therapeutic game of mahjong. It wasnt very therapeutic at first cos I was still trying to pick up the game and trying to recall the basic strategies, in addition to reading the chinese charac and to remember which wind will get me one or two doubles etc. But after my darling pres left, my luck seemed to have changed and I fulfilled my goal of winning at least one game ( I won a total of two) and another for 8 doubles cos I picked up the winning card myself. Yay! More mahjong sessions to come. Its only the warm up for the New Year. :)

Supper@ Thomson
Another small last minute gathering but it was really good to see you again MJ. Through sleepy and tired eyes we managed to catch up and munch on an unfantastic Bak Chor mee. Where have all the good bak chor mee's gone? Take care my dear and don't overwork. You only have one life..... LIVE it!!!


Sil's B Day
Finally, I get to eat crabs! You can tell how much seafood we ate in Eastern Europe by the stuff MIL ordered for dinner. I don't recall seeing an ounce of meat. No signboard has THE BEST crabs in the world! It was a good meal, everything that I was longing for the the land of beer, wine and meat. Happy Birthday SIL! I hope you like the bracelet. If its too big, let me know, they can remove more links.

Khoo Gathering
Another 2 birthdays, one for my uncle, Sunny and my dear long lost cousin, A. Again, another good resturant and more good food. We went to Bumbu at Kandahar Street.... did you read about my haunting stories? Bumbu has one of the best Thai-Indonesian food at good prices. We had lots of food and lots of fun catching up, in addition to the noise created my the 3 youngest babies. There were about 18 of us and we had the privilege to sit at the kid's table. Literally. No matter. There was more food since the kids... let me rephrase that, since 2 of the 3 kids dont eat that much. We had a lot. Steamed fish, pandan chicken, beef rendang, 2 salads, seafood curry, green curry, prawns in chili sauce, brinjal, kangkung, olive rice, garlic chicken etc. Not to mention 2 types of cake at the end. It is a rare occasion we were just missing 3 more cousins and one cousin-in-law and one spouse. After dinner everyone came back to my place to check it out. Thank goodness I was trying to clean it up (early start to the CNY). Took a group photo and printed it out. I wish we had more time together.

Stainless Steel
It must have been a traumatic year, 2007, that I hadnt noticed the trend in stainless steel jewellery. Now, to make up for lost time, I feel the need to buy more. There are a couple of stands in Suntec selling them and in Czech, there was a pretty upmarket store selling really nice patterns. So I spent over a hundred bucks buying stainless steel metal, of which could have been put to more use somewhere in my house. ( either... the money or the steel.....) But I'm happy.... and happiness they say is in your hands......I bought stainless steel rings to decorate them.... :))

Von Trapp Family
I'm utterly in love with the von Trapp family. Maria von trapp inspired the musical, The Sound of Music and after my SOM tour in Salzburg and buying the necessary kitsch SOM souvenirs and overpriced goods in addition to an autobio written my the real Maria (not Julie Andrews) I was also truly inspired and touched. I kept singing ... the hills are alive and my fav things and the lonely goatheard all day ( at least in my head) and I'm so into it so much so that I even dreamt of the von trapp family. Will tell you more about the book and her life in time to come.

Sales
When we came back from Europe, I had the urge to shop. Even I was surprised at my desperate desire to give away good money for clothes and jewellery. Then I realised why. I hardly did any shopping in Europe. There were 2 trips to H&M, a couple to the stainless steel jewellery shops there, and the SOM souvenirs, a couple of wines. Those were my main shopping highlights cos either the things to too expensive, not worth the effort of lugging it in my backpack or that I simply had no space cos my backpack was full of winter clothing. So when I came back the mere sight of the word S-A-L-E made my heart leap and sommersault, and tumble with joy. No more Euros!!! Yay!

Pics
I have about 16gigs of photos. some are worth 8megapixels each. It will take years to upload it. But I will. For you, I will.

Have a happy week ahead.