她的名字是Muffin

After our morning walk from Punggol jetty, we went to see Josef's new pet "Muffin'.

A Walk To Punggol Jetty

The 3 of us (my mum, desmond & me) went for our morning walk to Punggol jetty. We stepped out of the house at 7am and it took us about an hour to reach there and another hour back, so tiring but its a great healthy morning.

Brand Day 27 Feb 2009

We had our annual brand day held @ the St. Regis Singapore located at Tanglin road. It is a 6 stars hotel that just had its grand opening in April, 2008. Our agency presented us their new advertising direction for the next financial year.


Lunch was served at Yan Ting on the second level of the hotel. The table setting was impressive, the chopsticks, chopstick rests, spoons and plates were in gold and inlaid with jade pieces. And their dining room, while not exactly breathtaking with its low ceiling, it still looked classy. A tasteful chandelier dominates the room and two pretty stained glass panels adorn a wall. The service was sterling. Everyone of the service staff spoke fluent English, a rarity in a Chinese restaurant here, and was ever so friendly without being familiar. As for my meal, I have the double-boiled soup of the day (aka ABC soup), dim sum, crispy soft shell crab, oven-baked silver cod fish with honey mustard sauce and the mango pomelo for dessert. I found that the food served was average, but overall I do like their modern presentation.

Rainbow Spotted On 25 Feb 2009

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

This morning, my hubby and i watched 'The Curious Case of Benjamin Button' at GV Tampines. I really enjoyed the entire movie without falling asleep (which I always do when watching movie) heehee.
The film is based on a short story from 1922 by F.Scott Fitzgerald tells the story of a man born well into his 80s who beings to age in reverse. It is a heart warming movie like 'Forest Gump' with a different twist. This film made you laugh, cry and think a lot about how precious life is about and how people and their actions can affect you. It worth 3 hours of your time and money.

3 Places In A Day

We (my mummy, my hubby and me) went to Crystal Jade at Tampines Mall for our brunch today. Though we have to wait quite a bit (i think the recession did not really affect the mood of having a good meal for singaporeans though) but we still enjoy it very much, and we visited consecutively for 2 times within 2 months, the last time was before CNY, with Josef.


After our hearty brunch, we fetch Josef and together we visited Molly, the above pot of pink flowers was bought specially for her. I don't really know what species it is but it is very cute, fill with alot of tiny little flowers.


In the late afternoon, we brought Yee Hwee out for a shopping cum makan trip at Jurong Point, cannot go far cos her mother only 'rent' us for a couple of hours. Little Yee Hwee was hungry and we brought her to Billy Bombers (newly open outlet in Jurong Point), is our first time there. We ordered Nocho Scottdales, Buffulo Wings, American Brownie, Cookie & Cream Shake, hot Mocha & Cafe Latte. The servings at Billy Bombers is huge thus we did not order alot as the 3 of us still feeling the 'hang over' over our heavy brunch at Crystal Jade. After the dinner, we did some marketing at NTUC Xtra and send our little Yee Hwee back to her mum, whew, what a day.

Botox Is Not Expensive

Looking at the Botox pricing list on the ad, then I realise that having a Botox injection can be so cheap. I always thought it should cost at least a $100-$200 per jab.

Before and After Marriage

Just want to share something funny but quite true which I had received from my friend.

Before marriage
Husband: Yes. At last. It was so hard to wait.
Wife: Do you want me to leave?
Husband: No! Don't even think about it.
Wife: Do you love me?
Husband: Of course! Over and over!
Wife: Have you ever cheated on me?
Husband: No! Why are you even asking?
Wife: Will you kiss me?
Husband: Every chance I get.
Wife: Will you hit me?
Husband: Are you crazy! I'm not that kind of person!
Wife: Can I trust you?
Husband: Yes.
Wife: Darling!

After marriage
Simply read from bottom to the top

I'm Sad

Today, I went to the Garden of Remembrance by myself. Firstly, I had to take a bus to Woodlands, from Woodlands a train to Boon Lay and follow by bus 172, I don't mind the journey as I miss Molly, especially these few days. I was sad, tired, in bad mood too but I'm fine now after letting it out.

Sorry, Mummy & Aunty Jean for making both of you worried.

Day 8 - Hanoi & Homebound

1 Feb 2009

Day 8 which was our last day in Hanoi, we went to Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum for our last itinerary in this trip. It was a large memorial to the Vietnamese leader in Hanoi. Located in the center of Ba Dinh Square, the place where Ho read the Declarartion of Independence on September 2, 1945, which established the Democratic Republic of Vietnam. After the last item of the day, we headed to the airport.

The airport was small and nothing much to do or shop. So while waiting for our flight back home, we entertained ourselves to kill time heehee.

The 8 days trip fly so fast, but i am eager to go back home. Also a mixed feeling that you are going to start the same old routine again. Haiz! No job means no income and with no income you can't travel.

Day 7 - Halong and Hanoi

31 Jan 2009

Checking out from Bach Dang Hotel, we headed to Halong Bay, a well-known scenic spot located 150km west of Hanoi, was an area of immense beauty dotted with thousands of islands rising dramatically from the sea. Vietnamese acclaims it as the eight ‘Wonder of the World’. The best way to tour, see and enjoy Halong Bay scenery is to board a junk boat and cruise around the bay's islands. Lunch was served on the junk boat.

Around 3pm, we left Halong Bay and made our way to Hanoi. Before taking the trishaw ride, everyone of us went to the public toilet near a park (see the third row, last pic) 1000 VND per pax to use. Me and my hubby shared the same toilet which can be used by 2 person at one time, the cubicle was very tiny and smelly too. We had the trishaw ride which took us on a dusty street in the city's old quarter, also known as the 36 Streets. This is the area which carries the most original architectural and lifestyle flavor of Hanoi and should not be missed. Many of Hanoi's original trades are still represented in the streets bearing their names, and several large markets give a good feel for shopping Hanoi-style.

Day 6 - Nanning, Dongxing and Vietnam

30 Jan 2009

We reached Nanning early in the morning 2am, took a 5 hours bus ride from Yangshou after watching Liu San Jie. Is kinda scary to travel on a bus at night, I was awoke throughout the journey. We checked in to Huaxing Hotel, washed up and slept for around 5 hours before checking out again, journey to the border of China Dongxing. Haiz, this is the best hotel we had stayed so far but yet only for such a short time :(

Before we headed to the border, we had our last meal in China and we took a transport bus together with our luggages to the custom (10 RMB per pax). At the custom entrance, we made our way to the custom counter by pulling and pushing our luggages across, it was quite fun though :) And in the process of doing so, the wheels of my hubby luggage were damaged, the rubber wheel worn out and one of the wheel was flattened. My poor hubby was struggling to drag his luggage from point A to point B.

After passing through the Vietnam custom, we had another bus ride. This round has to travelled almost about 6 hours to Halong. Half way thru, we stopped at a petrol station to relieve ourselves...(first row, second pix). The ride to Halong was an breathe taking hell ride, the road was extremely bumpy, narrow, and our driver kept horning througout and overtaking whatever vehicle in front. My hubby told me he kinda felt a little bus sick due to the winding road. Along the way, while everyone was dozing off, out of a sudden we had an awful bumps that shock all of us, and my hubby injured his forearm during the bumps by hitting at his arm rest, he suffered blue black. Vietnam look so much like our 60s Singapore just like our Vietnam tour guide, Ah Tu (see second row, centre pix) agree? He gave each of us 2000 VND note (equvienaint to 0.17779 SGD) for good luck cos it was still Chinese New Year.
We stayed at the Bach Dang Hotel, a 3 stars hotel located along the main Halong road in Bai Chay, facing the Halong ferry station. It has a very retro feel, you have to start the switch board before you can turn on the lights. The bath tub was horrible, it had black stain on it, I have no choice but to wear slipper to shower. After our dinner, we went to the Vietnamese amusement park for a Water Puppet show, the show started with the musicians playing a Vietnamese folk song with traditional instrument. Through out the show I did not understand a word as it was in Vietnamese, therefore I couldn’t follow the story line. From visual perspective I think it’s fantastic. The puppets were very colorful. I found the puppeteers very skillful and clever on how they are able to move the puppets in different and accurate way. I think water puppet is a lot harder to operate compare to land puppet. In the Water Puppet Show there were many complex moves. Imagine trying to control and manipulate the puppets of using a long pole against resistance of the water. Also the movements have to be in harmony with the music. Even though we didn’t understand a word we enjoyed the show because it was different and I respect the puppeteer’s skill. Where else can you see puppets show performs on water. They say if you haven’t seen Water Puppet Theatre you haven’t come to Vietnam. After the puppet show, we proceeded to the cultural show where dancer perform various dances. Me, my hubby and another couple went for a coffee at one of the cafe before heading back to our hotel.

Day 5 - Yangshuo

29 Jan 2009

We had our lunch in Moon Hill Village at one of the farmer restaurants - which local farmers open their own restaurant featuring authentic local dishes. We could even see the Moon limestone formation right in front of the restaurant.

After lunch, we proceeded to the Big Banyan Tree(Da Rong Shu) - this ancient tree is over 1,000 years old and one of the most unusual natural sites in Yangshuo. This spot is also famous because the popular chinese movie 'Liu San Jie(3rd sister Liu)' had some scenes filmed there. See the man in the colourful costume on the 3rd roll of the picture? His name is Ah Meng, he was a funny and happy uncle as he love to laugh. His wife kept asking him to close his mouth when taking pictures. He did a superman posed in that costume as requested by my hubby and another couple, can you imagined that? heehee :)

We headed to Shangri-La(Shi Wai Tao Yuan) which means a ideal living place, equivalent to heaven. A beautiful landscape kingdom of Guilin, Shangri-La is located not far from Yangshuo(10mins by bus) along Guiyang road.

Night

We watched the Impression Liu San Jie Sound and Light Show. The show goes on every night except for the first and second day of Lunar New Year. The entire performance was 1 hour, and the entrance ticket cost 200 RMB; the set site was at the Li and Yu Long Rivers, south of Yangshuo. This is a major production with a cast of 500 singers, dancers, bamboo boats and cormorants. However, the stand out performer is definitely the background scenery. The lighting of the karst peaks was truly amazing and was the main highlight.

The show was designed and directed by Zhang Yimo, who has been awarded to task and direct the opening ceremony at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. The performance was based on a Chinese musical movie made in 1961.

The story was about a lady called Liu San Jie who lived in the city of Liuzhou (2 hours from Guilin) where she worked in the fields. Liu San Jie was well known in Liuzhou for her great singing voice. She would always sing while she worked in the fields. One day she left Liuzhou and came to Yangshuo on a bamboo raft and settled here. Then under the Big Banyan tree, Liu San Jie tossed her love ball to her loved one, which he accepted and they lived happily ever after.The show itself tries to show how the local people live. There are some people from different minorities wearing their tradition costumes singing their festival songs. You will also see a display of bamboo rafts.

Day 4 - Yangshou and Lipu

28 Jan 2009

After breakfast, we went on another cruise along Li River Park (Lijiang). You can even see mountain that resembled 'King Kong' (see the center picture, on my left side). The scenery was beautiful, looked so much like a chinese printing.

Next, we visited the Silver Limestone Cave at Lipu. It consisted of 3 parts, the lower cave, the grand hall and the upper cave. It collects stalactites of different geologic ages and some tens of remarkable scenic spots.

Day 3 - Guilin and Yangshuo

27 Jan 2009

Early in the morning, we took a strolled along the Ronghu area and visited some of the local factories. From Guilin, we travelled a few hours down to Yangshuo. There is a local saying on Yangshou, 'The landscape in Guilin is the best under heaven, the landscape in Yangshuo is the beat in Guilin'. Yangshun is the place which I had enjoyed most for this trip, especially when you are tired of the hustle and bustle of city life. In the 1980s, many foreign backpackers were drawn here by the introduction of the county in the 'Lonely Planet'. We took the Bamboo rafts and with 'Ah Mei' (the locals) on broad and sang 'San Ge'; and she would pick a 'Ah Ge' (guy)to sing along with her, very amusing.
Drifting along the river, we even had the chance to witness the boat man using cormorants to catch fishes. They do this by tying a noose around a bird's long neck to prevent it from swallowing its catch.

Night

We had a 3 days & 2 nights stay in Yangshou at the Yang Shuo Li River Hotel. During the stay, our dinner was taken in a restaurant called 'Meiyou Fan Dian'(Meiyou means: we don't have), interesting name. The reason for this shop sign reflected the promise of the host: 'Meiyou warm beer, meiyou lousy food, meiyou rip-offs, meiyou bad service'. We were served with their Yangshou's specialty food, the Beer Fish - fresh fish caught from the clear water of Li River, with a delicate sauce, the fish tasted great with beer. It was a wonderful dish to stimulate your appetite.

After dinner we went to 'West Street' just around the corner of our hotel, it was the oldest street in Yangshuo with a history of more than 1,400 years! Streets in Yangshuo are well kept in the original style, presenting the simple and primitive atmosphere of the ancient town. West Street was the most exciting one that locals call the 'Global Village'. There are not only many foreign tourists, but also quite a number of foreign residents managing cafés and restaurants. There were lots of stores selling all sorts of things like winter clothing, chopsticks, luggage, embroidery shoes (i like) & souvenir etc. On our way back to the hotel, I bought some fresh strawberries, 10 RMB (equivalent to $2 plus) for 15 strawberries, and it's so sweet.

Day 2 - Guangxi, Guilin

26 Jan 2009

We have our breakfast at the second floor of the hotel.
The restaurant has got a nice interior :)


After breakfast, we went on a scenery tour in Guilin. There were alot of caves and stones sculpture in Quilin, we visited quite a few on the same day. We even went for a foot massage, I have my feet soaked in the pail of so called herbal water (it was black in color, not sure if it was really herbal though) and I skipped the massage as I'm afraid of pain :(

Night

Guilin's hills came 'alive' during the night, colorful lighting casted on it. It was a beautiful sight travelling around the city area. The magnificent Sun and Moon Pagodas were to be found in Banyan Lake in the city of Guilin. The Sun Pagoda was the higher of the two standing nine storey high and was the tallest copper pagoda in the world! The Silvery Moon Pagoda was only seven storey high. Taking a wonderful walk along the lake's edge at night was just magical and is popular with the locals and tourists alike.

Day 1 - Singapore to Guangzhuo and Guangxi

25 Jan 2009

Beginning our trip to China, we left for T3 early in the morning around 5:30am as we have to assemble at the airport at 6:15am for our check in. There were 31 of us in total for this package.

Touching down in Guangzhou around 12plus, and before we head to our domestic flight to Guilin (transit), we filled up our tummy at the airport McDonald. We had a cup of hot chocolate, some fries and nuggets, it's more or less the same price as in Singapore. From Guangzhou to Guangxi took us approximately another hour, oh well is better than some of the locals; they travel 10 over hours to reach there by bus.

Night

We stayed at the City Garden Hotel for 2 nights. For the first time, we have our reunion dinner with such a huge group of people at 'Xishan Business Hotel'. After dinner, we headed for a ballet circus show called 'Dream of Lijiang'. I don't really enjoyed it as I fell asleep many times during the show, haiz! Waste of $. But i think my hubby enjoyed it though, he kept snapping pictures till a guy walked over and stop him.

My New Shoes

My 2 pairs of new shoes, Sui bo? Bought the turquoise heels from Charles & Keith to match my bag and the gold shoes is from Cottonon; bought it because it is very comfortable to wear :)
Haiz! Any women can come out with lots of excuses just to buy something which they already have, heehee.

Saturday 7 Feb 2009

3:30pm
We(my parent, my fourth auntie, my hubby and me) visited Molly and my third Uncle. After the Garden Of Remembrance we went to the nearby cemetery to visit my paternal grandmother and great grandmother too.


4:30pm
We were being invited to a laksa feast at Aunty Jean's place. Aunty Jean bought the laksa paste from Prima Taste Ready-to-cook at Cold Storage, each package can served up to 2-3 persons. She then added coconut milk, laksa leaves and dried shrimp to add fragrance to the gravy. The laksa was served with vermicelli or noodles with a range of ingredients such as prawns, shredded chicken, Yong Tau Foo and 'An Chun Dan'.
The taste was extremely delicious and pretty amazing considering it came right out from a box, instant and hassle free :)

Goodbye Shin

Aunty Jean told me that Shin had passed away on last Tuesday. Shin was a breast cancer survivor and a mother of two kids age 5 and 3. She was diagnosed on the same year same month as Molly. I have been following her blog since then.
In February last year, her cancer had spread to her brain, liver, lungs and bones. During her last journey she had drainage of fluid from her lung and Molly had that too from her tummy, I guess once the drainage of fluid is require for any cancer patient, it is definitely not a very good sign.
Shin had gone to a better place with no pain and no suffering. For those who were left behind is never easy to deal with the loss of their loved one.

I'm Back and I'm Sick

It's great that i am finally back in Singapore after an unforgettable tiring 8 days trip with my hubby to China and Vietnam. Still feeling sick, I went to the doctor today with a slight fever, a running nose and a throat inflammation for the past few days during the trip. I think my body is not strong enough to 'tahan' the cold weather as the lowest temperature is 2 degrees with frequent drizzling rain. Well, stay tune for my upcoming story on my trip with a group of aunties and uncles, and a pair of newly known interesting couple.