Unfortunately they ran out of their Nasi Lemak which we remembered to be really good to this day. So settled with some English cakes & scones & tea... How pretentious! ;-p
Showing posts with label My travels. Show all posts
Showing posts with label My travels. Show all posts
Friday, 25 November 2011
Wednesday, 23 November 2011
Cameron Highlands Trip - Day 2
We really maximized our day. We woke up bright & early (thanks to Kun Sam - natural alarm clock) & started the day by going down to Ringlet to the Boh Tea Plantation cum Factory. Alas, we found that they're closed on Mondays. So we went to the cafeteria of Bharat Tea Plantation instead (mid-way between Ringlet & Tanah Rata). The view from the cafeteria is truly majestic! Hills & valleys of age old tea tree of almost the same height. It looked like a huge patterned green carpet!
Food is pricey though. You'd have thought that the tea being so near, it should be cheaper than KL! No Sir-ee! The teas (though wide selection) was so expensive. We took among the cheaper ones -Massala tea; which is really creamy & tasty & 2 packets of Nasi Lemak. It cost us nearly RM20 all in all. As much as I wanted the scones, butter & jelly set, it was too pricey too. So with breakfast nicely tucked in, we took a stroll down the steep steps towards the tea plantation. We snap some pictures with Kun Sam "busy" hitting the tea "bushes". It's really painful because there were many twigs growing upwards, so hitting it would be like having a wooden fork poking at your palms. Yet Kun Sam seem to be oblivious to all that & continue "whacking" like no body's business. I tell you... this boy is truly destined for the drums (no piano for him)!
After breakfast, we visited a strawberry farm & have strawberries! It was sourish, but delicious with cream. Kun Sam loved it so much, his face is all smeared with strawberry juices. Don't belief me? Take a look:
Yummy but so sour mummy! See my eye?
We then went up to Brinchang and had a simple lunch of rice, boiled vegetable with oyster sauce & stewed pork leg in vinegar, near the local farmer's market so it's not as pricey. Not knowing where else to go, we went to another strawberry farm (cum cactus cum rose garden cum hydroponic vegetables cum restaurant cum cafe etc) nearby. After walking around, we found that the scones set & pancake set in this cafe is much cheaper than Bharat. So, we took tea! A pot of tea + a hot scone + butter + strawberry jam + 2 pcs of pancakes with pieces of strawberries in the bater + vanilla ice cream & more butter & strawberry jam! Kun & daddy loved the fluffy pancakes with ice cream. Mummy is contented with the hot scones - ahh... finally...
After stuffing ourselves with sinfully delicious desserts, we visited a temple in Brinchang & took a meditative stroll around the compound. We then head back to the hotel room for a little snooze & clean-up Kun Sam.
We ended the day with dinner at Brinchang - a restaurant we've been eyeing the previous night but did not go because it was jam packed with people. I'm happpy we went there. It's really delicious. We had "Indonesian" fish curry, stir fried "dragon whiskers" vegetable (only available in Cameron apparently) & errmmm... can't remember the third dish... if not mistaken, it's mantis prawns. Kun Sam? Teething biscuits & milk for dinner. :-)
Really a relaxed family outing.
Monday, 14 November 2011
Cameron Highlands Trip - Day 1
I know... it's stale news. What with my trip to Cameron being last month in Oct, but really didn't have the time nor the mood to write since coming back... Until now...
Before heading up, we had dim sum for breakfast, then took a slow drive via the trunk road towards Bidor. Upon reaching there, we stopped by to have a quick lunch of "wu kok" (fried savoury yam dumplings) & wan tan noodles at the famous "Pun Chun". The "wu kok" was as good as we remembered, but the wan tan noodles is really not recommended. I'd rather have only "wu kok" for lunch & nothing else than to attempt eating the noodles again. Kun Sam had his teething biscuits - boy he loved them. He had 5 sticks in 1 sitting!
After lunch, we continued our journey up the highlands via Tapah. Gosh... I was really sick on the drive up. I know I tend to have motion sickness but it's a first going up to Cameron - I didn't have it in my past trips. Partially thanks to Kun Sam actually. He just refuses to seat in his car seat. He has somehow learned to pull & kick & tug at the seat belt till it's so loose that he can squirm out of the seat belts & wriggle out of the car seat. I just can't describe it more accurately but suffice to say if I had left him to his own device he would have fallen out of the baby car seat & on the floor!
So I had no choice but to carry him. Bad move...
On top of the safety risk, he was just super hyper! I'm not sure if it's because he's super excited to be travelling & not cooped up at home or everything he sees out of the windscreen is just super interestingly new to him. He was jumping, clambering on & off my lap, peek at his dad over the rear-mirror, clamber to the window on the left & then to the right & the whole "process" repeats again. Golly... Upon reaching Ringlet, we just had to absolutely stop because I was really close to vomiting in the car! So Kun Sam... If you read this when you're older - you really owe mummy this!
Anyway, it was with much relief to all of us that we reached Heritage Hotel in Tanah Rata safely & me without vomitting. The hotel is ok... A bit old, but it's spacious & has all the basic things we need - fridge, TV & clean bathroom. That's more than enough for me.
After putting down our bags & enjoying the fresh cool air from our balcony (yes we had a balcony but not much of a view though... It's facing the car park though, so at least we get to see our car); we left the hotel for Brinchang. We drove around just to survey the area & start planning (loosely... not a regimental plan) where we want to go in the next few days.
We then took a walk at the Pasar Malam - bought some fried mushrooms & steams sweet potatoes for Kun Sam. Poor Kun Sam by then was so tired that he fell asleep on dede's shoulder as we walked around the stalls of the pasar malam. Finally we adjourned for dinner at one of the restaurants in Brinchang. We had steamboat! It was nicely cold - not too cold that you'll need a sweater but cool enough to want a nice hot steaming soup. Not to mention it was drizzling slightly. Parking was atrocious though. We waited for nearly half an hour for a space to park.
With Kun Sam asleep in the stroller we had a nice steamboat for 2 consisting of prawns, fish, pork fillet, pork balls, fish balls, vegetable, eggs, noodles etc. We were so stuffed! Not to mention tired. The 3 of us fell asleep almost immediately after washing up, changing & feeding Kun Sam!
Before heading up, we had dim sum for breakfast, then took a slow drive via the trunk road towards Bidor. Upon reaching there, we stopped by to have a quick lunch of "wu kok" (fried savoury yam dumplings) & wan tan noodles at the famous "Pun Chun". The "wu kok" was as good as we remembered, but the wan tan noodles is really not recommended. I'd rather have only "wu kok" for lunch & nothing else than to attempt eating the noodles again. Kun Sam had his teething biscuits - boy he loved them. He had 5 sticks in 1 sitting!
After lunch, we continued our journey up the highlands via Tapah. Gosh... I was really sick on the drive up. I know I tend to have motion sickness but it's a first going up to Cameron - I didn't have it in my past trips. Partially thanks to Kun Sam actually. He just refuses to seat in his car seat. He has somehow learned to pull & kick & tug at the seat belt till it's so loose that he can squirm out of the seat belts & wriggle out of the car seat. I just can't describe it more accurately but suffice to say if I had left him to his own device he would have fallen out of the baby car seat & on the floor!
So I had no choice but to carry him. Bad move...
On top of the safety risk, he was just super hyper! I'm not sure if it's because he's super excited to be travelling & not cooped up at home or everything he sees out of the windscreen is just super interestingly new to him. He was jumping, clambering on & off my lap, peek at his dad over the rear-mirror, clamber to the window on the left & then to the right & the whole "process" repeats again. Golly... Upon reaching Ringlet, we just had to absolutely stop because I was really close to vomiting in the car! So Kun Sam... If you read this when you're older - you really owe mummy this!
Anyway, it was with much relief to all of us that we reached Heritage Hotel in Tanah Rata safely & me without vomitting. The hotel is ok... A bit old, but it's spacious & has all the basic things we need - fridge, TV & clean bathroom. That's more than enough for me.
After putting down our bags & enjoying the fresh cool air from our balcony (yes we had a balcony but not much of a view though... It's facing the car park though, so at least we get to see our car); we left the hotel for Brinchang. We drove around just to survey the area & start planning (loosely... not a regimental plan) where we want to go in the next few days.
We then took a walk at the Pasar Malam - bought some fried mushrooms & steams sweet potatoes for Kun Sam. Poor Kun Sam by then was so tired that he fell asleep on dede's shoulder as we walked around the stalls of the pasar malam. Finally we adjourned for dinner at one of the restaurants in Brinchang. We had steamboat! It was nicely cold - not too cold that you'll need a sweater but cool enough to want a nice hot steaming soup. Not to mention it was drizzling slightly. Parking was atrocious though. We waited for nearly half an hour for a space to park.
With Kun Sam asleep in the stroller we had a nice steamboat for 2 consisting of prawns, fish, pork fillet, pork balls, fish balls, vegetable, eggs, noodles etc. We were so stuffed! Not to mention tired. The 3 of us fell asleep almost immediately after washing up, changing & feeding Kun Sam!
Sunday, 30 October 2011
Pangkor Laut Resort
Day 1 at Pangkor Laut. This place is fantastic. If only it doesn't rain so much.
Kun Sam was fortunately behaving himself. He surprisingly allowed himself to be strapped in a lifejacket for the trip to Pangkor Laut too! He was so tired that he fell asleep half standing though, with his chin supported by my hand. :-)
Wish I can upload all the pix from here now, but alas I don't have the cable with me.
Jeez... It feels a little uncomfortable updating my blog in such a public space. Maybe I'll update when there are less people around me / after going back (hopefully I have the time!)
Can't wait to share all the beautiful pix of this area. If the pix didn't turn out nice, it's the camera & camera man. Definitely not because of this heavenly place.
p/s: heavenly if you can afford it... Not so heavenly if you can't! ;-)
Kun Sam was fortunately behaving himself. He surprisingly allowed himself to be strapped in a lifejacket for the trip to Pangkor Laut too! He was so tired that he fell asleep half standing though, with his chin supported by my hand. :-)
Wish I can upload all the pix from here now, but alas I don't have the cable with me.
Jeez... It feels a little uncomfortable updating my blog in such a public space. Maybe I'll update when there are less people around me / after going back (hopefully I have the time!)
Can't wait to share all the beautiful pix of this area. If the pix didn't turn out nice, it's the camera & camera man. Definitely not because of this heavenly place.
p/s: heavenly if you can afford it... Not so heavenly if you can't! ;-)
Wednesday, 5 October 2011
Mid Week Rambles II
I was just thinking to myself this morning that I really need to post some comments on road etiquette in Malaysia (or KL specifically) but never got around to doing it. What better time to do it if not now while I'm waiting for the cumbersome processes do its work.
Some of my observations of KL's roads & its many users:
1) notice tht when it's gridlock jam, the emergency lanes just disappears?
2) the jam escalates to a standstill because people jump que via the emergency lane
3) when faced with a 3-lane road where 1-lane is to turn out (& is jam packed at the moment) while the other 2-lanes are to continue straight (with no traffic beyond the fork), all 3 lanes will be on gridlock because motorists use the 2nd & 3rd lane to jump que into the 1-lane. So despite having dual carriageway to handle the massive traffic flow, it's still of no use because it's being exploited by the inconsiderate few (or rather, many...).
4) the motorcycles are not on the inner lanes but in between cars of a 2-3 carriageway & there were a constant stream of them that despite putting on corner lights, you'll still get honked. So in the end you're confined to the lane that you got yourself in until you come to the junction that you absolutely need to turn. Then how? Turn very slowly & risk getting honked by the motorcyclists + the cars behind you + the cars at the junction where you want to turn in to.
5) you'll need to watch out for the safety of the motorcyclist. Their safety is YOUR responsibility, not theirs. If the motorcyclist suddenly swerve out of a junction into your path, it's YOUR responsibility to slam on the emergency brakes & risk getting hit by the car behind you. If the motorcyclist overtakes dangerously close to your car, it's YOUR responsibility to swerve as well to avoid them (but at the risk of driving into the car on the lane next to you).
6) Yet, if a motorcyclist were to fall near you within 50m radius - BEWARE! the blame will be on you. Despite stopping in time, the fingers will immediately point to the car nearest to the fallen motorcyclist because it's always assumed that the big motorist always "bully" the smaller motorist. Err... Who's the bigger bully here (refer to 5)?
7) Despite having Puspakom checking our lorries & trucks & buses, we still hear a lot of traffic reports over the radio that announced "a stalled trailer is currently obstructing traffic on xyz road" / "if you're coming from abc, pls be aware that there's a stalled bus on your right lane....". I'm not accusing / claiming anything... I'm just stating the obvious. If someone "tasted" the heat / spice, well it must have came from somewhere... **wink**
8) When a motorist spots a traffic police, the speed will suddenly reduce from 180km/hr to 18km/hr; resulting in a massive crawl 10km away at the back. Why bother slowing down in front of him. If indeed it's a speed trap, slowing down will not change the result - you're still getting that ticket... (or... **wink** I didn't say anything...)
9) Potholes the size of a sinkhole! How can the road ever qualify being a KL road if there aren't any! My suspension suffers
10) Heaven forbid if there's a night market nearby! Double & triple park is legal, as long as there's still 1-lane left for the motorist to move... it's fine to continue encroaching the main roads.
Well, I've finally got all of the road frustrations off my chest... night night...
psst... & I finally get to finish work & leave! Hurrah!
Now to face the dreaded traffic I listed earlier.... sigh...
Some of my observations of KL's roads & its many users:
1) notice tht when it's gridlock jam, the emergency lanes just disappears?
2) the jam escalates to a standstill because people jump que via the emergency lane
3) when faced with a 3-lane road where 1-lane is to turn out (& is jam packed at the moment) while the other 2-lanes are to continue straight (with no traffic beyond the fork), all 3 lanes will be on gridlock because motorists use the 2nd & 3rd lane to jump que into the 1-lane. So despite having dual carriageway to handle the massive traffic flow, it's still of no use because it's being exploited by the inconsiderate few (or rather, many...).
4) the motorcycles are not on the inner lanes but in between cars of a 2-3 carriageway & there were a constant stream of them that despite putting on corner lights, you'll still get honked. So in the end you're confined to the lane that you got yourself in until you come to the junction that you absolutely need to turn. Then how? Turn very slowly & risk getting honked by the motorcyclists + the cars behind you + the cars at the junction where you want to turn in to.
5) you'll need to watch out for the safety of the motorcyclist. Their safety is YOUR responsibility, not theirs. If the motorcyclist suddenly swerve out of a junction into your path, it's YOUR responsibility to slam on the emergency brakes & risk getting hit by the car behind you. If the motorcyclist overtakes dangerously close to your car, it's YOUR responsibility to swerve as well to avoid them (but at the risk of driving into the car on the lane next to you).
6) Yet, if a motorcyclist were to fall near you within 50m radius - BEWARE! the blame will be on you. Despite stopping in time, the fingers will immediately point to the car nearest to the fallen motorcyclist because it's always assumed that the big motorist always "bully" the smaller motorist. Err... Who's the bigger bully here (refer to 5)?
7) Despite having Puspakom checking our lorries & trucks & buses, we still hear a lot of traffic reports over the radio that announced "a stalled trailer is currently obstructing traffic on xyz road" / "if you're coming from abc, pls be aware that there's a stalled bus on your right lane....". I'm not accusing / claiming anything... I'm just stating the obvious. If someone "tasted" the heat / spice, well it must have came from somewhere... **wink**
8) When a motorist spots a traffic police, the speed will suddenly reduce from 180km/hr to 18km/hr; resulting in a massive crawl 10km away at the back. Why bother slowing down in front of him. If indeed it's a speed trap, slowing down will not change the result - you're still getting that ticket... (or... **wink** I didn't say anything...)
9) Potholes the size of a sinkhole! How can the road ever qualify being a KL road if there aren't any! My suspension suffers
10) Heaven forbid if there's a night market nearby! Double & triple park is legal, as long as there's still 1-lane left for the motorist to move... it's fine to continue encroaching the main roads.
Well, I've finally got all of the road frustrations off my chest... night night...
psst... & I finally get to finish work & leave! Hurrah!
Now to face the dreaded traffic I listed earlier.... sigh...
Thursday, 31 December 2009
Pullman Putrajaya
Last Christmas weekend, hubby & I stayed in Pullman Putrajaya using the free night stay voucher he got. Based on the name, I was expecting an ultra modern / minimalist / all straight lines & muted colours type of hotel. Boy was I way off the mark!
Not tht it wasn't beautiful. Far from it... It's majestic (in size) with traditional themes. It has several blocks named after different types of flowers... Let's see if I can remember most if not all of them...
1. Lotus (this is where the lobby, swimming pool, ballrooms, gym other than rooms are located) - in Chinese / Japanese theme
2. Raflesia (this is where we stayed) - in Sabah / Sarawak style with traditional motives on the pillars
3. Bunga Tanjung (this is where the 24-hour restaurant & also where we have breakfast is located. Of course it has rooms too) - Malay themed
4. Jasmine - Indian themed
These blocks surrounds a beautiful pillared clock tower, with a fountain at its base & overlooking a beautiful lake where a restaurant on stilts can be found. Beside the lake, there's an open air "amphitheatre", game rooms, children play room, bicycles for rent etc. There's also a Maritime centre next door (don't know wht's in a Maritime Centre; it's still empty at the moment).
It was a peaceful place to be in (but probably attributed to low number of occupants / the grounds is so big tht we didn't bump into many ppl). I think I see more cleaners & maintenance folks than guests; but it's no wonder considering the size of the hotel. It certainly needs an army to run / upkeep the place. The most surprising thing I found? dumbbells & yoga mats in the room's cupboard (no I didn't take them home... behave guys...).
Several down sides though:
1. I remembered I commented in Krabi tht Malaysian tourism's most successful area (better than our neighbours) is tht our staff has good command of English. The staff here (especially the night shift... Morning shift is much better) proved me wrong... They either take time to understand us / understand us but don't know how to reply / give us the wrong information (e.g. we wanted to know the room rates if we're a member of their chain of hotels & was told it's RM100++ but when we asked again in the morning, we were told tht it's actually abt RM250++!! Jeezz....)
2. It's a new hotel, yet the room had faulty security lock / things needing repair
3. Food is generally too salty. Other than tht, it's normal hotel fare with nothing to rave about. But hubby praised tht it's the first hotel he'd been so far tht managed to produce a proper half-boiled egg on the 2nd try! (other hotels keep giving him hard-boiled eggs because the chefs insisted the right time to cook a half-boiled egg is 3 mins & refuses to change the timing despite producing hard-boiled eggs everytime they cook it for 3 mins)
4. There's nowhere to go out for good food in Putajaya! Or maybe we don't know where to find them. We went to Alamanda Putrajaya mall & had our dinner there instead.
Overall it was a good & relaxing retreat. If you can afford the price, it's a good place to relax & do nothing! :-)
Not tht it wasn't beautiful. Far from it... It's majestic (in size) with traditional themes. It has several blocks named after different types of flowers... Let's see if I can remember most if not all of them...
1. Lotus (this is where the lobby, swimming pool, ballrooms, gym other than rooms are located) - in Chinese / Japanese theme
2. Raflesia (this is where we stayed) - in Sabah / Sarawak style with traditional motives on the pillars
3. Bunga Tanjung (this is where the 24-hour restaurant & also where we have breakfast is located. Of course it has rooms too) - Malay themed
4. Jasmine - Indian themed
These blocks surrounds a beautiful pillared clock tower, with a fountain at its base & overlooking a beautiful lake where a restaurant on stilts can be found. Beside the lake, there's an open air "amphitheatre", game rooms, children play room, bicycles for rent etc. There's also a Maritime centre next door (don't know wht's in a Maritime Centre; it's still empty at the moment).
It was a peaceful place to be in (but probably attributed to low number of occupants / the grounds is so big tht we didn't bump into many ppl). I think I see more cleaners & maintenance folks than guests; but it's no wonder considering the size of the hotel. It certainly needs an army to run / upkeep the place. The most surprising thing I found? dumbbells & yoga mats in the room's cupboard (no I didn't take them home... behave guys...).
Several down sides though:
1. I remembered I commented in Krabi tht Malaysian tourism's most successful area (better than our neighbours) is tht our staff has good command of English. The staff here (especially the night shift... Morning shift is much better) proved me wrong... They either take time to understand us / understand us but don't know how to reply / give us the wrong information (e.g. we wanted to know the room rates if we're a member of their chain of hotels & was told it's RM100++ but when we asked again in the morning, we were told tht it's actually abt RM250++!! Jeezz....)
2. It's a new hotel, yet the room had faulty security lock / things needing repair
3. Food is generally too salty. Other than tht, it's normal hotel fare with nothing to rave about. But hubby praised tht it's the first hotel he'd been so far tht managed to produce a proper half-boiled egg on the 2nd try! (other hotels keep giving him hard-boiled eggs because the chefs insisted the right time to cook a half-boiled egg is 3 mins & refuses to change the timing despite producing hard-boiled eggs everytime they cook it for 3 mins)
4. There's nowhere to go out for good food in Putajaya! Or maybe we don't know where to find them. We went to Alamanda Putrajaya mall & had our dinner there instead.
Overall it was a good & relaxing retreat. If you can afford the price, it's a good place to relax & do nothing! :-)
Friday, 13 November 2009
Business Trip to Manila, PH (9-11th Nov)
The last time I was in the Philippines, was in 2006 with my previous department for a meeting. Can't belief tht I'll be having another chance of visiting this country again in 2009.
I was really nervous leaving for this trip because it's to attend a meeting among my boss' peers. What if the ideas I have to contribute is too shallow? What if I don't portray the standards tht they expect of me (like the last disastrous encounter that totally demolished my self-confidence in carrying "intelligent conversation")? What if my performance in these 2-3days became the lasting impression on my overall performance / work, that even if I do a thousand good, 1 err here would turn it to dust (forgotten)?!
Sigh... since when was I so pessimistic & unsure of my abilities?.... Oh yea... tht stupid comment from an ignorant fool who formed his opinion in the first 10mins of my conversation with the top management rep. Jeezzz.... I shouldn't allow myself to be "stepped" on & remain down forever... I should redeem myself & show everyone tht I have something to offer & tht fool was wrong!!
& with that thought, I tried my best to mingle with everyone, get involved in as much discussion / conversation, share my views & thoughts, ask questions & try not to be too quiet. The only part I struggle was when there was a game of "LaserExtreme" as part of the team building activity. Picture this, it's a game similar to paint ball but less messy & a whole lot less painful (I dunno tht paintball was painful since I've never played it, but the rest of the team who did, profess to it, so it must be true). We have to wear a jacket with lighted sensors on our shoulders, ribs & back. The aim is to "shoot" our laser to the sensors & for each "hit", the lights of the "victims" vest would turn off for 3 seconds where he / she can't be shot at & can't shoot others as well.
Those who knows me, can confirm tht I hate combat games. Though I'd say it's not rough, but it involves shooting at ppl / be shot at & tht in itself is not my favourite (not to mention I got among the lowest 2 scores). However, since everyone had fun & it was really a good workout - I sweat buckets, I'm happy.
I also notice tht the weather was exceptionally humid this time. The last time in 2006, it was cooler & easier to walk. Now, it's so hot & humid tht I can feel my foundation dripping down my "valley" (hehe.... sensor... sensor...) & if it gets any hotter, my mascara would run & I'd look like a wreak. I mentioned this to the PH colleagues & they said tht it's normal especially right after a typhoon. Hmm.... interesting fact.... So to those who plan to travel to PH, pls make sure tht it's not immediately after a typhoon. Give it a rest till it's less humid.... :-)
Unfortunately in this trip our meeting schedule was quite packed & after dinner, all the shops / malls are closed, so I didn't get to do much shopping. Was hoping tht I can stock up on my spices (McCormick spices in PH is really cheap... like half the price we got here) & buy some stuff for mum, dad & bros. The only shopping I did (if you can call it so) was at the airport where I bought a key chain (for a friend who collects it) & some bookmarks for my nieces & nephews back home.
Though I wished I could stay longer in Manila to do some shopping & walking around, but I must admit tht I love being home & being with hubby... It's good to be home...
I was really nervous leaving for this trip because it's to attend a meeting among my boss' peers. What if the ideas I have to contribute is too shallow? What if I don't portray the standards tht they expect of me (like the last disastrous encounter that totally demolished my self-confidence in carrying "intelligent conversation")? What if my performance in these 2-3days became the lasting impression on my overall performance / work, that even if I do a thousand good, 1 err here would turn it to dust (forgotten)?!
Sigh... since when was I so pessimistic & unsure of my abilities?.... Oh yea... tht stupid comment from an ignorant fool who formed his opinion in the first 10mins of my conversation with the top management rep. Jeezzz.... I shouldn't allow myself to be "stepped" on & remain down forever... I should redeem myself & show everyone tht I have something to offer & tht fool was wrong!!
& with that thought, I tried my best to mingle with everyone, get involved in as much discussion / conversation, share my views & thoughts, ask questions & try not to be too quiet. The only part I struggle was when there was a game of "LaserExtreme" as part of the team building activity. Picture this, it's a game similar to paint ball but less messy & a whole lot less painful (I dunno tht paintball was painful since I've never played it, but the rest of the team who did, profess to it, so it must be true). We have to wear a jacket with lighted sensors on our shoulders, ribs & back. The aim is to "shoot" our laser to the sensors & for each "hit", the lights of the "victims" vest would turn off for 3 seconds where he / she can't be shot at & can't shoot others as well.
Those who knows me, can confirm tht I hate combat games. Though I'd say it's not rough, but it involves shooting at ppl / be shot at & tht in itself is not my favourite (not to mention I got among the lowest 2 scores). However, since everyone had fun & it was really a good workout - I sweat buckets, I'm happy.
I also notice tht the weather was exceptionally humid this time. The last time in 2006, it was cooler & easier to walk. Now, it's so hot & humid tht I can feel my foundation dripping down my "valley" (hehe.... sensor... sensor...) & if it gets any hotter, my mascara would run & I'd look like a wreak. I mentioned this to the PH colleagues & they said tht it's normal especially right after a typhoon. Hmm.... interesting fact.... So to those who plan to travel to PH, pls make sure tht it's not immediately after a typhoon. Give it a rest till it's less humid.... :-)
Unfortunately in this trip our meeting schedule was quite packed & after dinner, all the shops / malls are closed, so I didn't get to do much shopping. Was hoping tht I can stock up on my spices (McCormick spices in PH is really cheap... like half the price we got here) & buy some stuff for mum, dad & bros. The only shopping I did (if you can call it so) was at the airport where I bought a key chain (for a friend who collects it) & some bookmarks for my nieces & nephews back home.
Though I wished I could stay longer in Manila to do some shopping & walking around, but I must admit tht I love being home & being with hubby... It's good to be home...
Wednesday, 7 October 2009
This Is It! I'm Going To Krabi....
My flight will be at 1+pm today. This is it! Hubby & I will be boarding the plane (AirAsia) via LCCT in a few hours time. Just finished packing & finishing some work assignment at 2am in the morning.... :-p
People normally say, if you don't feel good about a trip, don't go... It might be a premonition. I can't say I don't feel good... but I can't say I feel good either... There's only... err... how to describe it... nervousness? Not sure how to describe the mixed feelings. But it all came about because ppl keep harping abt how "dangerous" the place we'll be visiting...
Indonesia just experienced a quake... Samoa experienced it too... What is to stop the area between Sri Lanka to Krabi to have the same quake? There's even prediction tht says a quake as huge as 8+ Richter will hit North East of India some time in Oct. Errr.... It is Oct... North East of India is kinda close to Thailand don't you think?
Aiyo.... all these talks just makes me nervous, but we've already made all the bookings... Oh well... Just some ramblings while waiting for my file to slowly load... Man... the connection is ridiculously slow even at this hour of the day!
People normally say, if you don't feel good about a trip, don't go... It might be a premonition. I can't say I don't feel good... but I can't say I feel good either... There's only... err... how to describe it... nervousness? Not sure how to describe the mixed feelings. But it all came about because ppl keep harping abt how "dangerous" the place we'll be visiting...
Indonesia just experienced a quake... Samoa experienced it too... What is to stop the area between Sri Lanka to Krabi to have the same quake? There's even prediction tht says a quake as huge as 8+ Richter will hit North East of India some time in Oct. Errr.... It is Oct... North East of India is kinda close to Thailand don't you think?
Aiyo.... all these talks just makes me nervous, but we've already made all the bookings... Oh well... Just some ramblings while waiting for my file to slowly load... Man... the connection is ridiculously slow even at this hour of the day!
Thursday, 17 September 2009
Planned Holiday to Krabi - Oct'09
Hubby's friends invited us to join them for an outing in Krabi (4D3N). Of course, hubby being the diver was excited by the place. He has been pestering me to get the leave to join him since the idea was brought up! I finally relented.
However, I don't want to be stuck just reading novels around the hotel compound / seaside while hubby & the men goes diving (which I don't mind to be honest, it's my form of relaxation - but it would be a waste considering it Krabi). If anyone has been there, do suggest if there are any particularly good places to visit in Krabi.
I'll also do some research on-line.
However, I don't want to be stuck just reading novels around the hotel compound / seaside while hubby & the men goes diving (which I don't mind to be honest, it's my form of relaxation - but it would be a waste considering it Krabi). If anyone has been there, do suggest if there are any particularly good places to visit in Krabi.
I'll also do some research on-line.
Wednesday, 9 September 2009
Holiday in Penang - travel home
Although we had good breakfast of Curry Mee, an equally fantastic Chicken curry lunch (home cooked) & we rested before starting our journey home, but the incident on the way home snatched the highlight of the day.
We crossed the Penang bridge without much special incident, but just as we cross the slight slope near AutoCity Juru, the cars in front suddenly braked. Hubby braked & swerved to the left to avoid head on collision, but we still rammed on the left rear of a black Honda City. The sound was deafening but surprisingly hubby & I were not badly "flung" forward by the impact. The seat belts must be very good. Fortunately the airbag did not get blown up as well (I was told tht airbags could cause slight scrapes / superficial injury especially since both of us wear spectacles). I can't describe how I felt at tht time, but I was more shocked from the sound of the collision rather than the collision itself.
The sound was so scary tht I dare not even get down from the car to take a look at the damage. Immediately there's a whole group of ppl with walkie talkies on motorbikes swarmed our car offering towing & repair services. Goodness, I've not even recovered from the accident & all these strangers keep bombarding us with "advise", questions etc; tht I'm amazed hubby still had the presence of mind to calm me down first, said sorry & leave the car to talk. I was still zoning out, when hubby asked me to take the details of the car we bumped into.
Anyway, after much discussion with my brother-in-law over the phone, hubby finally decided to just clear the metal pieces tht got partially torn out from the front right corner of the car to avoid it scraping the tyres & continue driving back to KL. Of course the buzz around us intensified scaring us with "advice" tht we will cause more damage & we should wait for a tow truck. We left anyway, but we stopped by at Bukit Mertajam police station to lodge a police report (apparently because the accident is in Juru, we must report in the same area & not in KL). It was at the police station tht I caught the first glimpse of the damaged area. Wahliao! Like someone took a can opener & open the whole side cover above the right front wheel. Even the headlamp & cornerlight was crushed out of shape. Surprisingly, the headlamp is still functional; which is a blessing cos' by the time we left Bukit Mertajam & head back to the North South highway, it's already 6+pm.
Just when we start to settle in to our journey, with the torn metal flap protruding to the side (from the force of the wind as our car move forward) & ppl from other cars pointing at us. Smack! Crack! Suddenly a medium sized solar system appeared on our windscreen! A %$@$#@$% lorry drove over a piece of stone & it sling shot against our windscreen... Really really like the Malay saying "Sudah Jatuh Ditimpa Tangga"... Real Soey.... I think if we're more traditional thinking, we might have said "Aiya... we didn't check the lunar calendar to see whether it's safe to leave the house or not... That's why lar..." :-p
Anyway, we finally reached home without much incident. Phew... whattaday.... Fortunately we took an additional 1 day leave to run some errants. Now we have 1 additional errant... repair car!
We crossed the Penang bridge without much special incident, but just as we cross the slight slope near AutoCity Juru, the cars in front suddenly braked. Hubby braked & swerved to the left to avoid head on collision, but we still rammed on the left rear of a black Honda City. The sound was deafening but surprisingly hubby & I were not badly "flung" forward by the impact. The seat belts must be very good. Fortunately the airbag did not get blown up as well (I was told tht airbags could cause slight scrapes / superficial injury especially since both of us wear spectacles). I can't describe how I felt at tht time, but I was more shocked from the sound of the collision rather than the collision itself.
The sound was so scary tht I dare not even get down from the car to take a look at the damage. Immediately there's a whole group of ppl with walkie talkies on motorbikes swarmed our car offering towing & repair services. Goodness, I've not even recovered from the accident & all these strangers keep bombarding us with "advise", questions etc; tht I'm amazed hubby still had the presence of mind to calm me down first, said sorry & leave the car to talk. I was still zoning out, when hubby asked me to take the details of the car we bumped into.
Anyway, after much discussion with my brother-in-law over the phone, hubby finally decided to just clear the metal pieces tht got partially torn out from the front right corner of the car to avoid it scraping the tyres & continue driving back to KL. Of course the buzz around us intensified scaring us with "advice" tht we will cause more damage & we should wait for a tow truck. We left anyway, but we stopped by at Bukit Mertajam police station to lodge a police report (apparently because the accident is in Juru, we must report in the same area & not in KL). It was at the police station tht I caught the first glimpse of the damaged area. Wahliao! Like someone took a can opener & open the whole side cover above the right front wheel. Even the headlamp & cornerlight was crushed out of shape. Surprisingly, the headlamp is still functional; which is a blessing cos' by the time we left Bukit Mertajam & head back to the North South highway, it's already 6+pm.
Just when we start to settle in to our journey, with the torn metal flap protruding to the side (from the force of the wind as our car move forward) & ppl from other cars pointing at us. Smack! Crack! Suddenly a medium sized solar system appeared on our windscreen! A %$@$#@$% lorry drove over a piece of stone & it sling shot against our windscreen... Really really like the Malay saying "Sudah Jatuh Ditimpa Tangga"... Real Soey.... I think if we're more traditional thinking, we might have said "Aiya... we didn't check the lunar calendar to see whether it's safe to leave the house or not... That's why lar..." :-p
Anyway, we finally reached home without much incident. Phew... whattaday.... Fortunately we took an additional 1 day leave to run some errants. Now we have 1 additional errant... repair car!
Monday, 7 September 2009
Holiday in Penang - Day 3
Ming's back in Penang in the early morning! hehe.... mummy's "kai toi" (i.e. naughty boy in our dialect). We went to Ayer Itam for dim sum breakfast, then to Batu Lanchang to buy Nasi Kunyit & angku for prayers. We the crossed the bridge to Sungai Petani to pray at Datuk's worshiping place. Not tht we're very holy lar... go to 2 worshiping place in 1 holiday to Penang, but just thought of praying for my father-in-law's health, mummy & daddy continued good health & hopefully hubby & I can have a child for them to play with soon.
After prayers, we adjourned to a local banana leave rice stall for lunch. We had chicken vareval (dunno if it's spelled so, but it does sound so...), mango lassi & lime with mint! I must say, the best part of the lunch was the lime with mint.... It's so yummy & you don't feel so jelak after the heavy lunch. Most importantly, thanks to the mint, we had fresh breath as well (or so we thought)! :-)
We came back to Penang Island by around 3-4pm cos' we wanted to catch a Cantonese movie at the Cinema - "On His Majesty's Secret Service". I'll provide the review to this movie separately. Anyway, so we went to Queensbay again to have dinner (Japanese food) & then adjourned for movie at 9.30pm. Before dinner, we managed to go shopping for Ming's stuff at Padini's. He actually only wanted a long sleeved shirt for presentation, but we found a really nice & cheap coat on 70% off! Can't resist it, so insisted tht I buy it for him.... See... this che che so nice.... :-p but then... like tht easy to take advantage also.... ;-)
Before leaving for home, we again found a live stage performance for you-know-who/what near Sunshine Square (Bayan Baru). hehe... we stayed there till they finish at 12midnight, had supper at a nearby mamak place & back home to zzzzzzzzzzzzz.............
Sadly, the next day is time to leave.... so fast! I thought 3.5days is long enough.... sigh.... Oh but wait.... the story did not end with just a simple drive home.... wait for my next post to find out....
After prayers, we adjourned to a local banana leave rice stall for lunch. We had chicken vareval (dunno if it's spelled so, but it does sound so...), mango lassi & lime with mint! I must say, the best part of the lunch was the lime with mint.... It's so yummy & you don't feel so jelak after the heavy lunch. Most importantly, thanks to the mint, we had fresh breath as well (or so we thought)! :-)
We came back to Penang Island by around 3-4pm cos' we wanted to catch a Cantonese movie at the Cinema - "On His Majesty's Secret Service". I'll provide the review to this movie separately. Anyway, so we went to Queensbay again to have dinner (Japanese food) & then adjourned for movie at 9.30pm. Before dinner, we managed to go shopping for Ming's stuff at Padini's. He actually only wanted a long sleeved shirt for presentation, but we found a really nice & cheap coat on 70% off! Can't resist it, so insisted tht I buy it for him.... See... this che che so nice.... :-p but then... like tht easy to take advantage also.... ;-)
Before leaving for home, we again found a live stage performance for you-know-who/what near Sunshine Square (Bayan Baru). hehe... we stayed there till they finish at 12midnight, had supper at a nearby mamak place & back home to zzzzzzzzzzzzz.............
Sadly, the next day is time to leave.... so fast! I thought 3.5days is long enough.... sigh.... Oh but wait.... the story did not end with just a simple drive home.... wait for my next post to find out....
Friday, 4 September 2009
Holiday in Penang - Day 2
It's Saturday, day 2 of our trip. It was 1 of those days in Penang where we do nothing but eat! We started our feasting with Hockien Mee (Penang term... KL-ites will call it Prawn Mee aka Har Meen). Then we went to pray at the oldest Kun Yam temple in Penang. Felt an itty-bitty guilty cos' we had beef last night & Kun Yam preaches against taking beef. Oh well, the deed is done... I'm sure being the forgiving goddess she is, she'll be merciful on the slight errr... :-)
Oh... By the way, this is where I got my ears pierced... cried buckets then, but not because of pain... more because of the fear of it... hehe. Can you imagine the scare I got when I saw some stalls using fish-hook-like needles 'stabbed' into pieces of ginger & these hooks are then used to pierce some poor kids' ears?! Horrors! Although my parent finally brought me to the stall using more modern equipments - a 'gun' loaded with earring studs - & due to the accumulated fear from walking the "Green Mile", seeing the gruesome sights along the way... I was so scared tht the fella suggested to have 2 guns piercing my ears at once (I guess he's afraid tht I'll balk for the 2nd piercing & left with only 1 ear pierced). So imagine a small kid of 9 or so (tht's me), having 2 'guns' pointing to her ear lobes & BANG! Waterworks lar... :-p (my mum always said, how to have baby lar like tht... pain threshold so low...)
As usual I digress & now back to present. We then went around the Indian streets, where most of the spices, silks, saris, bangles, food, sweets - everything of Indian culture is there. It's just walking distance from the temple. The spices there's so cheap! 1 big bag of cinnamon sticks is just RM5! Naturally we bought tht. Then, there's my favourite Indian sweets - bought some of tht too... We had a good time exploring the streets with mum & dad - if only the continuous drizzle & occasional downpour would just cease! sigh...
We then drove to Chowrasta on Penang road to check on the favourite 'Tau Sar Peah' shop (Ping Kuan), but it was closed. So we adjourned to our favourite old establishment - Cintra Street Bachang! We've been going there since my childhood & grandpa's still around. Unfortunately the Chu Chap Chok stall is not open (another old establishment known only by locals).
My parent by always obliging their precious beloved daughter's every request ( :-p yeah... am quite spoiled I know...), we went to Penang Ayer Itam dam. I love this place. It's always cooling, breezy & I always loved walking around the dam (not running... just strolling... ahhh....). It's the best place to bring a book & just read (which I did! while the rest of the family napped in a small 'hut' / pegola) beside the dam.
As usual, my dad gets restless after a short period of inactivity (speed up by the flies & mosquitoes - Note to Self: remember to bring insect repellent in future). We then adjourned to Ayer Itam market area (at the foot of the hill Penang dam is located) to see if there are good Tau Sa Pea shop around. Unfortunately because it's so near Kek Lok Si, it's at touristy price. So we ended up....? Eating again! This time Char Kway Teow, Curry Mee & good thick Hainanese coffee. Wah... really no rest in food leh....
After resting for a bit, we went out for dinner at Relau. Funny thing was, we didn't plan to stay back late, but a nearby temple is hosting a live performance (singing) stage show & the music was blaring really-really loud, so we went & take a look. The performance is actually staged for the spirits, but I think there are just as many people as there are spirits watching tht show. The singers are surprisingly good. We ended up staying there till about 11pm! hehe... zzzzzzzzzzzzzz
Oh... By the way, this is where I got my ears pierced... cried buckets then, but not because of pain... more because of the fear of it... hehe. Can you imagine the scare I got when I saw some stalls using fish-hook-like needles 'stabbed' into pieces of ginger & these hooks are then used to pierce some poor kids' ears?! Horrors! Although my parent finally brought me to the stall using more modern equipments - a 'gun' loaded with earring studs - & due to the accumulated fear from walking the "Green Mile", seeing the gruesome sights along the way... I was so scared tht the fella suggested to have 2 guns piercing my ears at once (I guess he's afraid tht I'll balk for the 2nd piercing & left with only 1 ear pierced). So imagine a small kid of 9 or so (tht's me), having 2 'guns' pointing to her ear lobes & BANG! Waterworks lar... :-p (my mum always said, how to have baby lar like tht... pain threshold so low...)
As usual I digress & now back to present. We then went around the Indian streets, where most of the spices, silks, saris, bangles, food, sweets - everything of Indian culture is there. It's just walking distance from the temple. The spices there's so cheap! 1 big bag of cinnamon sticks is just RM5! Naturally we bought tht. Then, there's my favourite Indian sweets - bought some of tht too... We had a good time exploring the streets with mum & dad - if only the continuous drizzle & occasional downpour would just cease! sigh...
We then drove to Chowrasta on Penang road to check on the favourite 'Tau Sar Peah' shop (Ping Kuan), but it was closed. So we adjourned to our favourite old establishment - Cintra Street Bachang! We've been going there since my childhood & grandpa's still around. Unfortunately the Chu Chap Chok stall is not open (another old establishment known only by locals).
My parent by always obliging their precious beloved daughter's every request ( :-p yeah... am quite spoiled I know...), we went to Penang Ayer Itam dam. I love this place. It's always cooling, breezy & I always loved walking around the dam (not running... just strolling... ahhh....). It's the best place to bring a book & just read (which I did! while the rest of the family napped in a small 'hut' / pegola) beside the dam.
As usual, my dad gets restless after a short period of inactivity (speed up by the flies & mosquitoes - Note to Self: remember to bring insect repellent in future). We then adjourned to Ayer Itam market area (at the foot of the hill Penang dam is located) to see if there are good Tau Sa Pea shop around. Unfortunately because it's so near Kek Lok Si, it's at touristy price. So we ended up....? Eating again! This time Char Kway Teow, Curry Mee & good thick Hainanese coffee. Wah... really no rest in food leh....
After resting for a bit, we went out for dinner at Relau. Funny thing was, we didn't plan to stay back late, but a nearby temple is hosting a live performance (singing) stage show & the music was blaring really-really loud, so we went & take a look. The performance is actually staged for the spirits, but I think there are just as many people as there are spirits watching tht show. The singers are surprisingly good. We ended up staying there till about 11pm! hehe... zzzzzzzzzzzzzz
Wednesday, 2 September 2009
Holiday in Penang - Day 1
Took Friday off to go back to Penang during the Merdeka w/end (was there from Friday till Monday). As usual, a trip to Penang means eat-eat-eat & eat.... We practically didn't have the chance to have an empty stomach for even a short hour in a day! :-p
Wah, very long oledi... I think I better break my updates on my trip into several 'bite-size' portions... Otherwise would be too long. Day 2 coming up...
Day 1: Didn't do much on Friday.... We started around 7+am in the morning. Stopped at Simpang Pulai (I think....) to refill petrol - we tried Ron95 on Camry for the first time!... (che..... a bit of advertising... Camry oso can use Shell Ron95 wooo.... no problemo....). Oh... forgot to mention... It rained the whole time we travelled from South to North tht we were amazed the Peninsular did not "drown" from the amount of rainfall it's getting! Choi!....
Stopped at another rest area right before Ipoh cos' hubby is getting sleepy & finally entered into Ipoh town for dim sum b/fast. Whenever we cross Ipoh early in the morning, hubby will definitely make it a point to visit Foo Shan (an apparently famous & long time establishment) to have dim sum... Took us a while to find though, cos' they've moved to a new building. When we found it (thanks to the help of a local uncle & auntie), wahliao! The crowd! It was drizzling on a weekday & yet it was so packed, we can't find a seat in the 2 storey, 3-4 shoplot space area! You know me... I'm always the type who just hates it when I have to stand/walk around hunting for place to seat & the waiters / waitress are just too busy (or too good business to bother... you-don't-wait-it's-your-loss-I-have-100-lining-up-outside-attitude) to assist. I mean, I'm paying good money & yet need to go through the stress of "fighting" stares with other ppl who are equally trying to get seats? No way... So despite hubby's fixation of having Foo Shan & the mentality tht the neighbouring dim sum shops (long tht street alone, I think there are 3-4 other dim sum shops) will never beat Foo Shan, we left. I can't remember the name of the restaurant we went to, but the dim sum is delish! The "wu-kok" (fried yam pastry filled with savoury "chasiew" pork) is the size of our fist! eh wait... to be more accurate, hubby's fist... mine is small in comparison! :-p
Wow... Can't belief I used 1 whole paragraph writing up just on my 1st day b/fast! Oh well... The rest of the journey was uneventful & we reached Penang around 1pm & had lunch with mum & dad at a local economy rice stall. The day is then spent on doing banking work & renew our Touch & Go card (we just found out tht the card has 10-yrs expiry & ours will be expiring in Oct'09 - better change now) since it's a working day.
After dinner of Beef Kway Teow, we went to Queensbay Mall just to walk off the dinner... :-) Did more window shopping than serious buying. Oh! found Judith McNaught book at a bargain in Borders, so I bought it for my collection. Also bought a pair of knee-length shorts cos' I didn't pack extra shorts for travelling on hot days - just in case...Wah, very long oledi... I think I better break my updates on my trip into several 'bite-size' portions... Otherwise would be too long. Day 2 coming up...
Tuesday, 25 August 2009
Packed Like....
I'm referring to the packed condition of our commuter. I know I know I've ranted enough on this topic, but just want to add another comment.
I was trying to come up with a term to describe a condition that is worse than the term "packed like canned sardines". I came up with the following... For those who often / had the misfortune to take our public transport at rush hour, namely the train... take your pick :
Packed like....canned tuna???
Packed like....canned anchovies???
Packed like....vacuum-packed sausages???
Packed like....the rubbish on dump-sites compressed by bulldozers.... :-p
I can just imagine some minister / official saying "You already know it's rush hour, don't travel at tht time lar!" (which was exactly the phrase used for a major public transport "melt-down" during some festivities some time back)
Well buster.... unlike you, who can probably move freely without time constraint, we have fixed office hours to adhere to. Even if we staggered the time we leave office, the trains are still packed between 5 - 8pm! So what you want us to do? Leave at 4pm (only ministerial position has tht luxury)? 10pm where the zombies come out & play (& we die of starvation / become obese fr late dinners)?
Sigh... I know I know... why bother ranting... Their skulls are too thick to penetrate & their bums too precious tht it has not graced the seats of public transports in M'sia (oh wait a minute... u mean there's seats?!? Oh can't see them amidst the throng of ppl).... :-p
I was trying to come up with a term to describe a condition that is worse than the term "packed like canned sardines". I came up with the following... For those who often / had the misfortune to take our public transport at rush hour, namely the train... take your pick :
Packed like....canned tuna???
Packed like....canned anchovies???
Packed like....vacuum-packed sausages???
Packed like....the rubbish on dump-sites compressed by bulldozers.... :-p
I can just imagine some minister / official saying "You already know it's rush hour, don't travel at tht time lar!" (which was exactly the phrase used for a major public transport "melt-down" during some festivities some time back)
Well buster.... unlike you, who can probably move freely without time constraint, we have fixed office hours to adhere to. Even if we staggered the time we leave office, the trains are still packed between 5 - 8pm! So what you want us to do? Leave at 4pm (only ministerial position has tht luxury)? 10pm where the zombies come out & play (& we die of starvation / become obese fr late dinners)?
Sigh... I know I know... why bother ranting... Their skulls are too thick to penetrate & their bums too precious tht it has not graced the seats of public transports in M'sia (oh wait a minute... u mean there's seats?!? Oh can't see them amidst the throng of ppl).... :-p
Thursday, 9 July 2009
Penang Trip & Mum's Progress
I was back in Penang from 1st-3rd Jul for training held at Evergreen Laurel. It was the hotel we had our graduation dinner....
Anyway, we started our journey by car after work at 6.30pm & arrived Penang around midnight - stopped at Tapah for dinner & strong tea to keep us awake. Struggled to wake up the following morning because I thought I was told that the training starts at 8am. Rushed through breakfast & sit myself in the training room only to find out at 8.30am, that the training is actually at 9am - sigh.... How come the communication so bad wan.... I could have slept an additional hour.
Fortunately the training ended on time at 5.30pm & I rushed home to have dinner with mum & dad. Mum just got discharged on 1st Jul & is still feeling the pain on her elbow despite the pain-killers. We also had to be cautious on the food we order so tht she doesn't take food that can aggravate wounds (the Chinese said - food tht got "poison"...) such as duck (#1 in the list), yam, chicken, eggs etc...
Day 2 & Day 3 is the same with the day starting with training followed by dinner with parent. Day 3 dinner we however had durian feast along Macalister road. We were so stuffed by durian & was so "heaty" that I got a headache.
Saturday, we went to the Balik Pulau stall tht my dad was talking about since the day he found out I'm coming to Penang. For RM15, we can eat all we want.... & all of them good quality.... D24 lar... Pig fat lar (sorry I didn't coin tht name, the seller says it's named so cos' the durian is so white like pig fat, but taste fantastic)... Red flesh... bitter sweet, sweet only etc etc.... Wah! By the time we finish I felt the heat up to my head again. Fortunately we walked to a coffee shop nearby & had "Ambla Somboi" - ahhhh..... It cooled me down & surprisingly elliminated my headache.
After stuffing so much durian & food in the past few days, I left Penang feeling a few pounds heavier & not craving for any durians at all (at least for this year)!
Sadly, had to leave on Saturday itself because we want some time to rest from the travel. Mum was naturally not happy & poor hubby got most of the "blame" for not wanting to stay longer, although I stressed tht it was both our decisions to rest before work on Monday. I guess it's the pain from her elbow making her crave for company. Fortunately Shen is going back to Penang the following w/end, so at least she has something to look fwd to.
Anyway, we started our journey by car after work at 6.30pm & arrived Penang around midnight - stopped at Tapah for dinner & strong tea to keep us awake. Struggled to wake up the following morning because I thought I was told that the training starts at 8am. Rushed through breakfast & sit myself in the training room only to find out at 8.30am, that the training is actually at 9am - sigh.... How come the communication so bad wan.... I could have slept an additional hour.
Fortunately the training ended on time at 5.30pm & I rushed home to have dinner with mum & dad. Mum just got discharged on 1st Jul & is still feeling the pain on her elbow despite the pain-killers. We also had to be cautious on the food we order so tht she doesn't take food that can aggravate wounds (the Chinese said - food tht got "poison"...) such as duck (#1 in the list), yam, chicken, eggs etc...
Day 2 & Day 3 is the same with the day starting with training followed by dinner with parent. Day 3 dinner we however had durian feast along Macalister road. We were so stuffed by durian & was so "heaty" that I got a headache.
Saturday, we went to the Balik Pulau stall tht my dad was talking about since the day he found out I'm coming to Penang. For RM15, we can eat all we want.... & all of them good quality.... D24 lar... Pig fat lar (sorry I didn't coin tht name, the seller says it's named so cos' the durian is so white like pig fat, but taste fantastic)... Red flesh... bitter sweet, sweet only etc etc.... Wah! By the time we finish I felt the heat up to my head again. Fortunately we walked to a coffee shop nearby & had "Ambla Somboi" - ahhhh..... It cooled me down & surprisingly elliminated my headache.
After stuffing so much durian & food in the past few days, I left Penang feeling a few pounds heavier & not craving for any durians at all (at least for this year)!
Sadly, had to leave on Saturday itself because we want some time to rest from the travel. Mum was naturally not happy & poor hubby got most of the "blame" for not wanting to stay longer, although I stressed tht it was both our decisions to rest before work on Monday. I guess it's the pain from her elbow making her crave for company. Fortunately Shen is going back to Penang the following w/end, so at least she has something to look fwd to.
Monday, 8 June 2009
Hong Kong Biz Trip - Last Day
Again I had breakfast in bed (can't help it. I love being pampered.... :-p) before heading off to the short walk to Times Square again. We target to stop work at 11.30am so tht I'll have enough time for lunch & catch the plane back to KL. My colleague was kind enough to send me all the way to the airport by car because he stays near Tsing Yi (which is on the way to the airport). So he'd work from our Tsing Yi plant after dropping me off at the airport.
We finished around 12noon & was worried we'll be late & thought of skipping lunch (since b/fast was really good). But my HK colleagues are confident there's more than enough time, so we finally had the infamous HK Dim Sum for lunch somewhere within Times Square as well. It was really good, but I think Malaysian's Dim Sum (the high end restaurants tht is... not the cikai RM3/plate variety) are equally good (in taste & price!).
Off we rushed to the airport (no last minute shopping for me). It would have been an uneventful check-in & flight back if not for a "leak" tht was detected from the aircraft I was on board. Fortunately they found it when the plane was still on the ground & the plane was not cleared for take-off until the cause of the leak is found & repaired. The pilot was communicating to us over the PA system throughout the whole 1.5hrs delay - updating us on the status of the repair, while apologising profusely each time he's on air to update. Chronology of update :
1. Technicians found source of leak
2. Engineers inspected the leak & identified repairs / spare-parts to be obtained
3. Awaiting the engineers to secure the spare part required
4. The efficient ground crew & engineers of HK airport has finally managed to repair the leak. The flight is now fit for take-off (hurrah! ;-))
Throughout the whole announcements, I keep whispering inside - take your time.... no need to apologise. Just get me back in 1 piece & alive, I'm happy. Who cares if I'm delayed for 5hrs, rather than not arrive at all!
A lady sitting in the other side of the aisle was a bit worried though. She & her family were suppose to board a plane (Air Asia) fr LCCT to Kota Bharu. With the delay, she may very well miss her flight. So throughout the 1.5hrs wait, she was asking the steward on what can be done for her tickets (which understandably she was a bit agitated cos' she'll burn 4 Air Asia tickets because of this delay). As much as he tried to help, the fact tht it was Air Asia, the steward was not able to help her much (or at least tht was as much as I managed to pick - not tht I was eaves-dropping, but the conversation was occuring right beside me!). I was praying tht she'll not make a fuss because I don't want to put too much undue pressure on the steward, which will then transfer it to the pilot, which then transfer tht pressure to the engineers, who'll then do a shoddy job just to shut everyone up (I certainly hope not even if this does happen!)!
Sigh.... This happens too close to the Air France incident to bring comfort in air travels. However the fact tht I can relay this story on this blog, shows tht I got home safely.... :-)
Thanks to the engineers & all the working crew of the airline who helps ensure tht every aviation trip is a safe one. Am also glad tht I managed to always remember to tell my hubby I love him every chance possible... so even if (touch wood) anything happened, there won't be any regrets tht I didn't say this / express tht etc... etc...
Around 7.15pm, 4th Jun'09... Home Sweet Home....
We finished around 12noon & was worried we'll be late & thought of skipping lunch (since b/fast was really good). But my HK colleagues are confident there's more than enough time, so we finally had the infamous HK Dim Sum for lunch somewhere within Times Square as well. It was really good, but I think Malaysian's Dim Sum (the high end restaurants tht is... not the cikai RM3/plate variety) are equally good (in taste & price!).
Off we rushed to the airport (no last minute shopping for me). It would have been an uneventful check-in & flight back if not for a "leak" tht was detected from the aircraft I was on board. Fortunately they found it when the plane was still on the ground & the plane was not cleared for take-off until the cause of the leak is found & repaired. The pilot was communicating to us over the PA system throughout the whole 1.5hrs delay - updating us on the status of the repair, while apologising profusely each time he's on air to update. Chronology of update :
1. Technicians found source of leak
2. Engineers inspected the leak & identified repairs / spare-parts to be obtained
3. Awaiting the engineers to secure the spare part required
4. The efficient ground crew & engineers of HK airport has finally managed to repair the leak. The flight is now fit for take-off (hurrah! ;-))
Throughout the whole announcements, I keep whispering inside - take your time.... no need to apologise. Just get me back in 1 piece & alive, I'm happy. Who cares if I'm delayed for 5hrs, rather than not arrive at all!
A lady sitting in the other side of the aisle was a bit worried though. She & her family were suppose to board a plane (Air Asia) fr LCCT to Kota Bharu. With the delay, she may very well miss her flight. So throughout the 1.5hrs wait, she was asking the steward on what can be done for her tickets (which understandably she was a bit agitated cos' she'll burn 4 Air Asia tickets because of this delay). As much as he tried to help, the fact tht it was Air Asia, the steward was not able to help her much (or at least tht was as much as I managed to pick - not tht I was eaves-dropping, but the conversation was occuring right beside me!). I was praying tht she'll not make a fuss because I don't want to put too much undue pressure on the steward, which will then transfer it to the pilot, which then transfer tht pressure to the engineers, who'll then do a shoddy job just to shut everyone up (I certainly hope not even if this does happen!)!
Sigh.... This happens too close to the Air France incident to bring comfort in air travels. However the fact tht I can relay this story on this blog, shows tht I got home safely.... :-)
Thanks to the engineers & all the working crew of the airline who helps ensure tht every aviation trip is a safe one. Am also glad tht I managed to always remember to tell my hubby I love him every chance possible... so even if (touch wood) anything happened, there won't be any regrets tht I didn't say this / express tht etc... etc...
Around 7.15pm, 4th Jun'09... Home Sweet Home....
Hong Kong Biz Trip - Day 2
Day 2 & I was too lazy to go wandering the streets of Causeway Bay to find for breakfast. So I had Breakfast in Bed courtesy of Excelsior's Room Service! (boy.... this is so not the Hong Kong experience).... I ordered for it to be delivered at 6.30am so tht it can serve as a wake-up call as well. I guess the guy who delivered the food must be cursing cos' I asked for food to be delivered so early in the bloody morning when I'm not even awake to have it yet (judging from my disheveled hair)...
Anyway, after a most satisfying breakfast of eggs (sunny side up), pork sausages, grilled cherry tomatoes, muesli, danish pastries with assorted butter & jams, orange juice & hot chocolate - I felt like curling back in bed!!! Freshen up my face & slap on some make-up & off I left for Times Square again on on foot.
The discussions were good & I'm at least comforted tht the work indeed requires my travel to HK. Released some of the "guilt", tht I was spending precious travel budget for things tht can be done remotely via net-meeting; but it felt good to know tht I can say on my conscience tht it's less effective & more time wasted if we went on the option of me working from MY. I'll not understand what they want / the help needed....
For lunch we went to a Yunnan restaurant serving spicy food. It's right in Times Square. Because it was raining, we couldn't be bothered to waste time driving out. The food was quite good & it was packed! You can hardly find a place to eat without reservations!
By the time we finished it was around 7pm & was in no mood to continue working. So packed my bags & left to scout for places to eat. This time I asked my colleagues for recommendations. I was given 2 places in the World Trade Centre building tht is directly opposite to Excelsior Hotel. The first recommended place was a Japanese Restaurant, but there were abt 200+ waiting list number being handed out & I was number 100++. I couldn't be bothered to wait even if they said it was the best Tongkatsu in the whole of Hong Kong.... So I went scouting for the 2nd recommended place - a restaurant serving Shang Hai noodles & other specialties. It was just 1 floor below the Japanese restaurant but same phenomenon... 100++ ppl in front of me. My God!! & they said the economy was bad... These are considered high-end restaurants & we have 100+ppl lining out in front of it!
So I just randomly picked another Jap restaurant situated on the 13th floor, way above the shopping complex in 1 of the tower blocks. It serves grilled meats, so thought of splurging on Wagyu beef. It was quite good, but it's no fun grilling your meat on a hot grill alone & getting your mouth burned (alone)... Wished I brought my story book along.... Oh well...
After dinner (& after all the time wasted on finding for a place to eat), I didn't have much time left to shop. Was attracted by several shops but can't buy anything :
1) A shop selling Shoes & Bags on 70% discount.... but Nine West after 70% sale is still RM200-300 for something tht's not even leather & with killer heels that can either sprain your ankles / cause you to lose 2 front teeth on the sidewalk (knowing how uneven our sidewalk surface in MY is)... So no thank you....
2) FrancFranc - wow this place is heavenly! The designs are so beautiful, finishing well made, but the price is also sky high! I love the designs on the stationery, the glassware was classy & divine, the bath products (bath salts & aromatheraphy stuff) were so tempting! It took all my restraint not to splurge there. Walked out empty handed but am proud of it.
3) Sasa - yea.... I know we have Sasa in MY too.... but the prices here is CRAZY!! Imagine - Elizabeth Arden's 5th Avenue (75ml) is only RM50 & Elizabeth Arden's Green Tea (100ml) is only RM55! Regretted I did not buy more. I just bought a bottle each (5th Avenue for mum & Green Tea for me) cos' I thought there's only so much EDT tht a person can use.
The Green Tea fragrance brought back sweet memories.... :-) I remembered hubby (then b/f) loved tht fragrance very much. He used to hold my hands & later bring it over to his nose because he loved the fragrance so much (admittedly I was freaked out at tht time - "err.... why are u sniffing at me? Am not a bitch in heat ok!" hahahaha..... but now I thought the gesture to be so sweet.....)
Anyway, by the time I got back to the hotel it was about 10+pm. Just enough time to bathe & cuddle in bed for a midnight movie..... zzzzzzzzzzzzzz...............
Anyway, after a most satisfying breakfast of eggs (sunny side up), pork sausages, grilled cherry tomatoes, muesli, danish pastries with assorted butter & jams, orange juice & hot chocolate - I felt like curling back in bed!!! Freshen up my face & slap on some make-up & off I left for Times Square again on on foot.
The discussions were good & I'm at least comforted tht the work indeed requires my travel to HK. Released some of the "guilt", tht I was spending precious travel budget for things tht can be done remotely via net-meeting; but it felt good to know tht I can say on my conscience tht it's less effective & more time wasted if we went on the option of me working from MY. I'll not understand what they want / the help needed....
For lunch we went to a Yunnan restaurant serving spicy food. It's right in Times Square. Because it was raining, we couldn't be bothered to waste time driving out. The food was quite good & it was packed! You can hardly find a place to eat without reservations!
By the time we finished it was around 7pm & was in no mood to continue working. So packed my bags & left to scout for places to eat. This time I asked my colleagues for recommendations. I was given 2 places in the World Trade Centre building tht is directly opposite to Excelsior Hotel. The first recommended place was a Japanese Restaurant, but there were abt 200+ waiting list number being handed out & I was number 100++. I couldn't be bothered to wait even if they said it was the best Tongkatsu in the whole of Hong Kong.... So I went scouting for the 2nd recommended place - a restaurant serving Shang Hai noodles & other specialties. It was just 1 floor below the Japanese restaurant but same phenomenon... 100++ ppl in front of me. My God!! & they said the economy was bad... These are considered high-end restaurants & we have 100+ppl lining out in front of it!
So I just randomly picked another Jap restaurant situated on the 13th floor, way above the shopping complex in 1 of the tower blocks. It serves grilled meats, so thought of splurging on Wagyu beef. It was quite good, but it's no fun grilling your meat on a hot grill alone & getting your mouth burned (alone)... Wished I brought my story book along.... Oh well...
After dinner (& after all the time wasted on finding for a place to eat), I didn't have much time left to shop. Was attracted by several shops but can't buy anything :
1) A shop selling Shoes & Bags on 70% discount.... but Nine West after 70% sale is still RM200-300 for something tht's not even leather & with killer heels that can either sprain your ankles / cause you to lose 2 front teeth on the sidewalk (knowing how uneven our sidewalk surface in MY is)... So no thank you....
2) FrancFranc - wow this place is heavenly! The designs are so beautiful, finishing well made, but the price is also sky high! I love the designs on the stationery, the glassware was classy & divine, the bath products (bath salts & aromatheraphy stuff) were so tempting! It took all my restraint not to splurge there. Walked out empty handed but am proud of it.
3) Sasa - yea.... I know we have Sasa in MY too.... but the prices here is CRAZY!! Imagine - Elizabeth Arden's 5th Avenue (75ml) is only RM50 & Elizabeth Arden's Green Tea (100ml) is only RM55! Regretted I did not buy more. I just bought a bottle each (5th Avenue for mum & Green Tea for me) cos' I thought there's only so much EDT tht a person can use.
The Green Tea fragrance brought back sweet memories.... :-) I remembered hubby (then b/f) loved tht fragrance very much. He used to hold my hands & later bring it over to his nose because he loved the fragrance so much (admittedly I was freaked out at tht time - "err.... why are u sniffing at me? Am not a bitch in heat ok!" hahahaha..... but now I thought the gesture to be so sweet.....)
Anyway, by the time I got back to the hotel it was about 10+pm. Just enough time to bathe & cuddle in bed for a midnight movie..... zzzzzzzzzzzzzz...............
Hong Kong Biz Trip - Day 1 (Part II)
I checked in to Excelsior Hotel in Causeway Bay. It's the nearest hotel within walking distance to office, but the rates is pricey - HKD1,000 (i.e. abt RM500) per night's stay with no breakfast included! The service is superb though. I lost count of the number of times the reception says "Thank you" & "Miss Boey". She said it so often tht I grew dizzy fr it after some time. Good directions & complimentary maps to help me on my walk to office. Well with the price they're charging, they better at least have free maps! :-)
On the way to Shell Tower in Times Square HK, I "bumped" into Gigi Leong doing some event on stage with some fans. Wished I could stay but I was already late as it is. So I just caught a glimpse of her very tall & fair self, then rush off...
I also noticed tht although not everyone is using face masks (probably only those having flu / cough - which is very thoughtful of them), hygiene is certainly top in the agenda. Examples of the extent of their precaution:
1) Lift buttons are "sanitized" every hour & some lifts are manned by someone to press the buttons for you (this person wears gloves)
2) Around the lift area, you'll find an automated alchohol based non-rinsing soap / sanitizer to clean your hands
Anyway, by the time I was finally united with my host, thank God they confirm they had the charger tht I need. As for my lack of hp.... Well, maybe it's for the best.... No distractions during discussions (but sure miss talking to hubby in d evenings though).
In the evening, I wandered the area around my hotel for place to eat. As I only brought limited cash (HKD500 - reserved for taxi rides to airport etc), my options are limited to restaurants tht accepts credit card. So as much as I'd like to try the local cuisine tht costs HKD30 or less per bowl, I was scouting for the bigger restaurants. I found some neon signboards advertising Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Thai & Indonesian food & they are all on the 11th-20th floor!... Trouble is, I can't seem to find the entrance to this place. Found escalators... but I can't be going 20 floors by escalator! The lifts seem to be hidden.... somewhere....
So guess what.... Instead of a nice traditional Hong Kong style chinese food, I found myself in a Japanese restaurant called "Sen-Ryo". I consoled myself tht I know for a fact, Hong Kong has many good Japanese restaurants.... Maybe I got lucky & found 1 of those? Tough luck.... It was towards the end of the meal tht I found out it was operated by Genki Sushi.... sigh..... I can get this back home!!! Wel... there's always Day-2....
On the way to Shell Tower in Times Square HK, I "bumped" into Gigi Leong doing some event on stage with some fans. Wished I could stay but I was already late as it is. So I just caught a glimpse of her very tall & fair self, then rush off...
I also noticed tht although not everyone is using face masks (probably only those having flu / cough - which is very thoughtful of them), hygiene is certainly top in the agenda. Examples of the extent of their precaution:
1) Lift buttons are "sanitized" every hour & some lifts are manned by someone to press the buttons for you (this person wears gloves)
2) Around the lift area, you'll find an automated alchohol based non-rinsing soap / sanitizer to clean your hands
Anyway, by the time I was finally united with my host, thank God they confirm they had the charger tht I need. As for my lack of hp.... Well, maybe it's for the best.... No distractions during discussions (but sure miss talking to hubby in d evenings though).
In the evening, I wandered the area around my hotel for place to eat. As I only brought limited cash (HKD500 - reserved for taxi rides to airport etc), my options are limited to restaurants tht accepts credit card. So as much as I'd like to try the local cuisine tht costs HKD30 or less per bowl, I was scouting for the bigger restaurants. I found some neon signboards advertising Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Thai & Indonesian food & they are all on the 11th-20th floor!... Trouble is, I can't seem to find the entrance to this place. Found escalators... but I can't be going 20 floors by escalator! The lifts seem to be hidden.... somewhere....
So guess what.... Instead of a nice traditional Hong Kong style chinese food, I found myself in a Japanese restaurant called "Sen-Ryo". I consoled myself tht I know for a fact, Hong Kong has many good Japanese restaurants.... Maybe I got lucky & found 1 of those? Tough luck.... It was towards the end of the meal tht I found out it was operated by Genki Sushi.... sigh..... I can get this back home!!! Wel... there's always Day-2....
Wednesday, 3 June 2009
Hong Kong Biz Trip - Day 1
Yesterday, 2nd June was my first of the 3-days tht I'm in HK for business trip. Quite a bumpy start to the day, because before I can even land on HK, I already forgot to bring along 2 things :
1) My h/p - used it as my alarm clock & after tht forgot to put it back in my h/bag... sigh....
2) My hp charger (;-p) am refering to the hp laptop charger... To lighten my laptop bag, I often removed the charger, since both my Cheras & PD home has chargers, so I don't need to carry it around. You know how heavy a charger can become when you're standing for about an hour on the train to Seremban?!
I was so worried tht the HK team has upgraded their laptops (like KL), cos' in KL it's impossible to share chargers in meetings when most of the others are carrying new laptops & mine (thank goodness) was still the older model. Why thank goodness? Cos' the new one is damn heavy & bulky.... I'll be drowned by the size of the bag!
Anyway, I'm digressing. Back to the topic. Nothing exciting after tht throughout the plane ride. Read a book - Cecelia Ahern, eat, watch a movie (Wall-E... I know, very kiddy... but...) & napped a little towards the tail end of the 3hrs 45mins journey. Ppl used to say, "haiya! a few mins shy of 4-hrs only!!", because our company policy says, when travel over 4-hrs, staff gets to sit biz class. I don't mind though... To be honest, even 4-hrs is not worth biz class.... You don't get to enjoy the extra service much + I can bear with the lag of leg room when it's 4hrs journey (but of course, tht's because I don't have tht much legs to "store" anyway... hahaha). Am digressing again...
Then I reached the airport. The signage was superb! KLIA should learn from them. I went through immigration, bought the airport express train to HK station & found the platform to the train easily! Best of all, immigration was a breeze. The minute there's a flood of passangers, I saw with my own eyes, men / ladies personel starts entering the cubicles to start processing entries (unlike MY). Upon reaching HK station, I was told to take the cab. However I found a free ride to the hotel tht I'm staying. So I thought I should take tht, check-in & walk out again to Times Square where Shell HK is located. Boy! Bad move... It's good when you're on holiday. But when you're going for a biz meeting, it sure is not relaxing to see the bus go from 1 hotel after the other & still not arriving to yours. It was about 40mins later tht I reach the hotel (when I'm sure it takes say 10-15mins direct drive?). So.... I sheepishly entered Shell HK very late & my host - very worried (I forgot my hp remember?)... sigh.... all in a day's work.... (& actual work has not even started yet!!) :-p
Ok.... Serious meeting going on. Will update the evening activities & Day 2 events later.... Bye....
1) My h/p - used it as my alarm clock & after tht forgot to put it back in my h/bag... sigh....
2) My hp charger (;-p) am refering to the hp laptop charger... To lighten my laptop bag, I often removed the charger, since both my Cheras & PD home has chargers, so I don't need to carry it around. You know how heavy a charger can become when you're standing for about an hour on the train to Seremban?!
I was so worried tht the HK team has upgraded their laptops (like KL), cos' in KL it's impossible to share chargers in meetings when most of the others are carrying new laptops & mine (thank goodness) was still the older model. Why thank goodness? Cos' the new one is damn heavy & bulky.... I'll be drowned by the size of the bag!
Anyway, I'm digressing. Back to the topic. Nothing exciting after tht throughout the plane ride. Read a book - Cecelia Ahern, eat, watch a movie (Wall-E... I know, very kiddy... but...) & napped a little towards the tail end of the 3hrs 45mins journey. Ppl used to say, "haiya! a few mins shy of 4-hrs only!!", because our company policy says, when travel over 4-hrs, staff gets to sit biz class. I don't mind though... To be honest, even 4-hrs is not worth biz class.... You don't get to enjoy the extra service much + I can bear with the lag of leg room when it's 4hrs journey (but of course, tht's because I don't have tht much legs to "store" anyway... hahaha). Am digressing again...
Then I reached the airport. The signage was superb! KLIA should learn from them. I went through immigration, bought the airport express train to HK station & found the platform to the train easily! Best of all, immigration was a breeze. The minute there's a flood of passangers, I saw with my own eyes, men / ladies personel starts entering the cubicles to start processing entries (unlike MY). Upon reaching HK station, I was told to take the cab. However I found a free ride to the hotel tht I'm staying. So I thought I should take tht, check-in & walk out again to Times Square where Shell HK is located. Boy! Bad move... It's good when you're on holiday. But when you're going for a biz meeting, it sure is not relaxing to see the bus go from 1 hotel after the other & still not arriving to yours. It was about 40mins later tht I reach the hotel (when I'm sure it takes say 10-15mins direct drive?). So.... I sheepishly entered Shell HK very late & my host - very worried (I forgot my hp remember?)... sigh.... all in a day's work.... (& actual work has not even started yet!!) :-p
Ok.... Serious meeting going on. Will update the evening activities & Day 2 events later.... Bye....
Friday, 27 February 2009
Honeymoon Pix
Pix from my honeymoon... Though it was 4.5yrs ago, I think it was among the best vacation I took in a long-long while...
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