Photoshoot in Taiwan

Leaving on a jet plane on 19 September 2013, the feeling back then hides a little tiredness, probably due to the lack of sleep just because the flight at 7 plus in the morning and we had to make our way there at around 5 plus. For a night owl like me, that’s not easy to take. But somehow, that tiredness feeling was comforted by the presence of my wife-to-be, knowing the fact that we are about to go through what we have been waiting for, while at the same time, worried for the uncertainty such as the typhoon.

8 days trip can be very briefly summarized into one word, memorable. Of course, being our bridal shoot trip, we had expectations, especially after our first trip to Taiwan around 2 years ago. Flight, as usual, on a budget airplane, time would be more well spent sleeping. And we literally slept through our 4 hour plus journey enroute to Taipei.

Reaching Taipei brought us a tint of familiarity. The trip 2 years ago must have brought alive these imaginary anticipation that literally keeps me even more upbeat for my trip. Bought our prepaid SIM card (we definitely couldn’t live without one nowadays) and off we went to our long High Speed Rail to Kaoh Siung, where we were slated to have our wedding shoot done there/nearby.

The rail ride was like a scene plucked off from a Taiwanese romance movie, as I’m sitting by the window, sipping on my hot tea while the train zooms past the wide varieties of farms and scenery.  And in no time, we arrived Kaoh Siung. It was nothing like Taipei, much quieter, more serene and definitely less crowded. With my bulky luggage and her not so bulky luggage, we dragged them all the way to our hotel, Hotel Dua. 

With much expectation, we checked in like eagered kids, excited to know if the hotel room is indeed what we have seen from photos all around the website. And true enough, the hotel room feels luxurious. Dim lightings with nice room décor made us the only king and queen in our room for the next 2 nights. 

Blame it on our planning, we were rushing literally the entire day, just to make sure we had enough time for HER gown choosing and fitting. Of course, as you would have expected it, that wasn’t done in minutes but hours, especially when the one choosing is my wife-to-be. As we continued with our attire choosing and discussions with the photographer, the news of an expected typhoon continued to weigh in on us, leaving having to prayed the entire night and checking in the news channels even until wee hours of the night. I swear to god that I have never checked the weather forecast so often like how I was doing, every few minutes!

The DAY finally arrived and we rushed to the bridal studio. Sky’s dark but it’s not raining. We were given a crossroad decision and in the end, we decided to go ‘SAFE THAN SORRY’. Photoshoot was tiring, and it definitely didn’t help when my nose suddenly decided to pull a prank on me. My fiancée of course, look gorgeous. I have never seen her in such THICK makeup before and to be very honest, I loved it. After all, makeup is created for WOMEN for a reason, isn’t it. Deep down inside, I’m saying to myself ‘You should have put more make up more often right?’, even though I know she’s beautiful the way she likes it to me. Poor on her, the sun shone brightly that day and her hair and perspiration was her enemy while I struggled with my nose. And at last, we shot our last scene in the studio and off we went for a great feast at the nearest night market.

There is just something amazing about night market that always make me feel so excited like a boy to go roam around and tasting food very freely. That night, was the first night we slept real well and nice. A much needed one in fact because after this, we were going to Tai Chung!

Sadly, the typhoon arrived and disrupted some of our plans. Before the trip, I was struggling whether to bring the girl to Sun Moon Lake or Cing Jing Farm but now, god has plans for us, NEITHER. Typhoon made us worried about our plans to rent a car for some good driving time. In the end, guts told me I should not waste the International Driving Permit I registered prior to the trip. We rented, checked in Beacon Hotel much to her disappointment. Somehow, the hotel room I stayed is a vast difference from what I had stayed with my parents 1 year ago. But, I’m glad Tai Chung night market made up for it. More shopping was done here and this is definitely the place to shop and eat at night, no wonder this is my favorite night market in Taiwan.

Driving in Taiwan or specifically Tai Chung is indeed an experience. Taiwanese are generally nice, well-mannered and gentle people but drivers there sucks big time. They reminded me Singapore drivers, which unknowingly made me, drive like how I drove in Singapore. We visited the hometown of Sun Cakes and bought boxes back for families and friends. Seriously, don’t leave Tai Chung without buying them.

And so, we leave Tai Chung bound for Tai Pei in a much heavier luggage. By then, fiancée’s luggage is already almost full and of course, regretting not getting a bigger luggage which I DID advised her. And of course, you guessed it, I was mocking her throughout the trip about the luggage. Tai Pei was a much familiar place to us. Went to our facourite parts of Tai Pei such as Hu Xu Zhang (the always so yummy braised pork rice), Shi Da, Shi Lin night market etc, and of course, not forgetting new places this time, such as the Villa 32 for some nice hot spring, themed restaurant (A380 themed restaurant) and Wu Lao Guo after some recommendations by my colleagues.

We bade goodbye to Taiwan with a familiar sad goodbye because each and every vacation to us meant to much. Every vacation to us, never fails and always bonds us together. It reminded us why we were together, and the time spent together always allows us to care for each other in a different way as how we do it back in Singapore. So one could really understand the post syndrome we faced when we are back in Singapore and it will usually take us days and sometimes weeks to face reality.

It's month since we are back, and definitely, we acknowledge the reality now and we are definitely on route to our dream, our future, as husband and wife.

Gastronomia in Malacca

I’ve heard so much about Malacca since I was young. I was probably a mere teen age when I first heard about Malacca being a small little state, rich in history and of course, its colonial existence. It wasn’t until the spread of the love for their food there that captures my interest for this little place. Known for its historical architecture, my mere impression of this place are little red buildings, standing just inches away from each other, making the entire town a red picturesque.

My chance to visit this much known yet unknown place came when I chanced upon a deal in Dealguru under yahoo. I must say, these promotion mechanics happening everywhere now is really beneficial to us, but unfortunately, hurting to the business, but frankly speaking, who cares. The girl termed me kiasu when I zoomed down to the travel agency on the day the promotion was reflected. Can’t really blame me because I have restricted dates, just as much as the promotion itself.

And so, there we went on a good getaway amidst/after our busy period. We definitely reckon a 4 hour coach ride wouldn’t do much ‘damage’ to us. Even my luggage was packed only at the very last minute. That goes to show how ‘prepared’ we were for this very light-hearted getaway. The coach ride was smooth, accompanied by my ever-so-important iPhone, with music blasting from Singapore to Malacca, straight!

When we arrive, the weather was killing. Less humid yet the sun was harsher to our skin. Our ill-preparation before the trip cause us to kind of lost our way, while wanting to look for that famous chicken rice ball. Thankfully, for a rare Chinese speaking local, we managed to drag our tired body under the killer sun to find that chicken rice ball store, finally! Queue was insanely mad when we got there, and by the time we joined the queue, the piercing heat got the girl so frustrating that she went metres just to buy an umbrella. It was a relatively long queue before we got to our turn and I went ‘finally’ over that chicken rice ball. We increased the number of balls from 10 balls to 15 balls (too hungry due to the queue). Their servings is pretty much standard. Either you get half a chicken or one full chicken, followed by chicken rice balls in the multiple of 5. In no matter of time, we are done with our food and we went on in search of yummy Gula Melaka or Chendol.

With an umbrella on hand, we take our time before deciding not to torture our legs and just settle for somewhere nearer. The Chendol was awesome yet heavenly. Strong sweet taste from the brown sugar, makes the Chendol even more appealing and delicious than ever. With our bodies feeling lethargic, we headed for some photo taking around this small little town before we took a much needed nap. The bed was comfy all because it was a double bed. (One can never understand how difficult it is to get a double bedding request because most operators/travel agents/hotelier alike will simply ignore your request. Therefore, just a tip for everyone, if you ever request a bedding request to a travel agent, chances is that your request will be ignore. Back in where I am, such requests are considered additional word and we simply lied over it. Therefore, should you even want to complain to the travel agent about your bedding request, forget it, because a sentence like “I’ve already told you it’s only upon request, subjected to availability” would have bring you down.)

With soccer action at night, we wasted no time in getting our dinner. Little did we knew that Jonker Street has stores closing as early as late afternoon, and we were very lucky to be able to patronize a store which sells noodles and really awesome desserts. By the time night falls, we can see hawkers laying their makeshift area, cordoned nicely beside the walking path along Jonker Streets. When the dark totally coincides, Jonker Street turns into a buzzling street with food as the main highlights. You can literlly see hawker displaying their culinary masterpiece ranging from Otah to Carrot Cake to even ice pops. Definitely, I sense a hinge on what is it like being a child back in my parent’s younger days where it’s very kampong.

To perfect our soccer watching action, we accompanied it with lots of food. We even had a taste of their Macdonald porridge and Fried Chicken which easily outwin that of Singapore’s KFC’s. We spread the food across the dinner, blasted the TV out loud and off we went, enjoying life like never before. It wasn’t until the first yawn from a full tummy that we realized we had watched two matches back to back. Thank god for Star Sports and ESPN in the hotel. One would and could never image how worse it can get watching local channel when you don’t even understand a single word they are saying due to the language.

Next day was pretty much spent eating and sleeping as we lazed our way until check out. To be honest, 1 night in Malacca is good enough, just for a short getaway away from the hustle and bustle of rubbish Singapore. I swear I’ve gained weight just from this trip alone. However, it’ll probably be some time later before I re-visit this little town again, but one thing’s for sure, Malaysia still has what Singapore no longer have. And because of that, I’m pretty sure short getaway will continue to be on my travel agenda. Till next time…..

Club Med Phuket

Blame it on Club Med Bali for not having a very wonderful first impression of Club Med Phuket. Oh well. Nonetheless, it didn’t fall short much from our expectation as we progressively realize this short getaway was a much needed one, much due to the fact that we know we had been and will be piled up with work. Let’s start off with my clever ‘strategy’ of making full use of Club Med NATAS offer of offering Adult 1-1 promotion. Bought the land package (without the air ticket) and book budget air tickets (with only one check in luggage) ourselves, in the end, it was a great deal. For your information (benefit of my readers), NATAS is having a 2nd Adults stay free again promotion this coming August, therefore, find out more from me if you’re interested.

My first time taking Air Asia. I must say I was actually looking forward to it because other than the shitty Tiger Airways, no other budget airline can be worse, as so I thought. Indeed, it exceeded my expectations. The procedures, the web check in, the stewardess, the menu, the seats, the food, the in flight shopping and last but not least, the experience. All in all, Air Asia became my favourite and most preferred budget airline in one instance of travel one way with them. Definitely a feat for them, and a budget airline that I would recommend it to all my friends.

But in any case, we hoped and prayed for good weather. It turned out God opposed us. DAMN!!! We were greeted silently. It was an unexpected type of reception we received as compared to back in Club Med Bali. It informed us that we had to lower our expectation for the days to come for sure. Imagine a bad weather topped with a cold reception, we thought it’s near over until the room arrives. Comfy bed with a rather nice room with lots of space. So much space, we turned the sofa bed into our ‘wardrobe/cupboard/hanger’. Its toilet, as compact as usual with their usual fragrant shampoo and body wash. We wasted no time in getting our stomachs filled and oh well, the food was rather disappointing, except for the nuggets. It turned out to be a further let down when we realize supper wasn’t available in the resort, and there’s only one restaurant serving all three meals unlike the two restaurants we dined back in Club Med Bali (alright, I know I shouldn’t compare). Rained continued mercilessly. We simply rest and relax in our cosy new ‘home’ before dining dinner and enjoyed their show. Of course, who could have missed the bar. With all inclusive as their main highlight, we spared nothing. It’s only a pity we could no longer drink as well as our hey-days.

Rain continued to greet us early in the morning. Even thought we REMEMEBERED to bring our sports shoes this time round (finally something worth mentioning in comparison with Club Med Bali when we forgotten to bring track shoes), the weather did not support us. Rubbish indeed. The entire day, the rain turned into showers and coming on and off. Nevertheless, we decided to make full use of our time and money – swimming and gym. This may sound common to most but trust me when I said it feels as though I lost 30 kg out of them. That will show you how ‘often’ I exercise.

What we looked forward most is the next day where we head out to play. Patong! Shit the rain of course. We managed to get ourselves a transfer (100 baht cheaper) and head to Patong. We departed earlier than agreed previously because the girl can’t wait to shop. Oh, you know, GIRLS! Jungceylon – she makes me feel that’s a shopping paradise. In the end, it’s the supermarket that we shopped the most. We almost squeezed burst my backpack and yet, we still had to carry three big bags of tidbits. What to do what you have a shopping queen as a girlfriend. I have resigned to my lovely fate long ago, which is why I’m loving it.
Let’s Relax Spa was next. Our nightmare arrived while we’re happy dining in Swensens happy. RAIN AGAIN! Trust me, I hate walking in the rain in flip flops. Imagine getting dirty, sandy, yucky water seeped into your flip flop, polluting that ‘supposed to smell nice’ foot. Oh my. That few minutes of walk felt like years to me. My cursing and swearing finally came to a stop upon reaching the spa. Inside, tranquility filled the atmosphere which kind of soothes my previous angst emotions. Trust me, the next time I hit Thailand again, I will visit Let’s Relax. Their treatments are so heavenly that it entirely re-energized me, except for the facial one which to me, is kind of a waste of money.

We had for some seafood. Walking down along Patong Beach invites recollections when we both were in the exact same route separately years back. Coincidentally, we went to the exact same shop we dined the last time we visited Phuket. We ordered like a total of 6 dishes. It was awesome, except for the dishes she ordered (=p), somehow. LOL. We continued to explore the route and it wasn’t long before we got boring and brought some supper back ‘home’ in our ‘mission’ to get fat!


It was snorkeling the next day. We managed to get our lazy bums out of the bed and signed up for the snorkeling lessons. I am very sorry for perhaps, spoiling my girl’s trip but I simply can’t stand having those rude and couth Chinese in the group. Each time they speak, I feel like slapping or punching them. Grrr!! Nonetheless, our first snorkeling trip together and it was fun. They brought us to Chalong Bay where we took a ferry out to a nearby island, probably 40 minutes away. We snorkeling for approximately 40 minutes and it was definitely not enough. However, the total experience of snorkeling with the girl was a very fun and memorable one.

By the time we headed back, it was noon and we finally played some sports, many sports of course and just in case you thought we’re very fit, no, you are wrong. We played Tennis, Basketball, Golf and Soccer. Each not lasting more than 15 minutes. LOL. Yes, our ‘mission’ is to get fat, so what do you expect. The entire experience was brought to an end just like that. Like they always say, time flies when you are enjoying, and I cannot help but agree with it totally. The night shows with the funny music and sounds like ‘Push! Push!’ and ‘In Phuket!! In Phuket!!’, that definitely got the girl laughing. Plus the cute little young ones from Mini Club, oh how we love this place actually, plus the nightly slacking and watching of Nat Geo, awesome. Now that we’re back to reality, we really dread because we really done nothing but enjoyed the entire Club Med Phuket totally. Till our next holiday…..

Viva-Sydney

It was a long awaited trip. I had to 'earn' for this so called half leisure/half business trip. I had to get myself recognize as an Aussie Specialist (a learning manual of 19 modules to get myself claimed as Aussie Specialist, including planning an itinerary from scratch). The completion of this entire modules are by means no easy feat, which makes this trip extra satisfying and meaningful.

It's hard to come by such opportunities, therefore, it explains the envy of many. I'm happy and glad to be given this chance, especially when the Familiarization was nearly fully paid for. Three of us, Ray, Gary and me went for this trip, which consist of a pre-tour as well as the actual event trade show where I get to meet tour operators and suppliers from all over Australia.


To kickstart things off, it's my first time taking Qantas and the flight delay definitely did not helped. It delayed our entire self drive itinerary but nevertheless, it did not dampen our mood. Onward we proceed to Sydney centre for a very brief tour about by one of the supplier. Nice lady I would say, who brought us to eat what she presume the best Vietnamese food in Sydney.

It's not long before we embark on a few hours drive to Salamander Bay, Port Stephens. We went to the Australian Reptile Park before that to expose ourselves to the Tasmanian Devils, Wombats, Kangeroos, Koalas, Pythons and so much more reptile. Eye opening indeed especially the Wombats because they all look so cute!

Oaks Pacific Blue resort was cosy and it definitely helped in our much needed sleep. We had a good hold of drinks before we turned in. Chivas was indeed a good sleep inducer.



It was para-sailing the next day, nothing new to me as I've done it before back in Thailand few years back, except for the crystal clear waters, clear blue skies and serene blissful that makes me feel really zen. We are even able to sight dolphins while on the Dolphin watching cruise. My first time 'chasing' dolphins in such a manner but definitely unforgettable. Not forgetting to mention the locals are especially nice, making me feel disgusted with some of the people we had back at home in Singapore. Of course, I'm talking about their comparable Top Notch service in comparison with those I've seen in Japan, what's the next best is of course their abundance of yummy food all around. You name it, Oysters, Prawns, Beer, Seafood, Beef etc...I had a hard time spelling hungry over there. Food aside, I got to bear myself with a bunch of DAMN Chinese while doing my 4WD over at the sand dunes with sand surfing. My virgin try on it and not something very interesting, much thanks to those Chinese. DAMN!

It pretty much concludes the entire Port Stephens that we had before we proceed to the much acclaimed Hunter Valley for nothing but its vineyards and wineries. Indeed, the air is fresher here and it's no wonder why this place is perfect for those yummy grapes. Too bad, harvesting period was over. Nevertheless, we had the luck to be hosted to a wholesome lunch. Fish and Chips in huge portions and ice cream for me to indulge. Please tell me, what else can I ask for more?!?!

It's pretty boring in Hunter Valley if you are not a wine person. But Hunter Valley Gardens is definitely a place for you to kill your time. Beautiful gardens with lots of pretty flowers and plants. A heaven for the girls I would say.

Wine is not the only 'treasure' you'll find in Hunter Valley. The GM from Hunter Valley Resort brought us a whole new experience of beer tasting and it's aspiring to see what his vision is for his resort. It's pretty interesting and definitely a good 'starter' for a well self hosted fine dining by him. Had a great meal feeling 'atas'.

It was a disappointing morning the next day as we sacrifice hours of sleep just to take my first step on a hot air balloon. In the end, it was cancelled due to strong wind, so strong a disappointment that I can still feel it now. =( The next long near 5 hours of drive definitely did not help make my mood better. What's worse it by the time we reach Blue Mountains, it was so foggy that visibility became limited.

The 3 rides we tried to take in Scenic World proved to be a waste of time as we couldn't even see anything at all, not to mention the 'three sisters'. Fairmont, the resort we put up that time though, was an awesome resort to make up for whatever we lose/missed during the day.

Time flies when you are enjoying and it's driving back to the city. But before that, we en-route to Sydney Fish Market for some really fresh seafood. You literally see nothing but really fresh seafood around. We got our hands busy picking on the freshest and set our tummy ready for the feast thereafter. Did bridgeclimb of the Sydney Habour Bridge and the view it has to offered at the summit was definitely something I wouldn't exchange for, even with money.

I had this give special praise to the hotel we put up with, thanks to Tourism Australia. The Observatory Hotel, a 5 star property, literally had anything a guest need, and even a turn down service for all guest. This hotel makes me feel like king and it's the experience that one would definitely pay for.

The event officially started the next day and it was busy whole day from morning till evening, with hosted dinner and events thereafter. I must say it's all so tiring but I had fun, really lots and lots of fun.

This trip earned me an experience I wouldn't forget, meeting wonderful people, learning awesome stuff, seeing breathtaking scenery and tasting marvelous food. I will come to Australia again and this time, I'll hit the romantic Melbourne and fun-filled Gold Coast. Wait for me!!!

Shopping Spree @ Land of Smiles

Once again, we embark on our next trip within the span of 1 week, on Singapore Airlines. It was a total feeling pre trip as compared to the one we had one week earlier to Bali. We woke up hours earlier than our usual day we do when we had work. Thankfully for online check-in, we reached airport @ 6am (woah, damn early).

The girl by then, was already so excited over the breakfast, repeatedly wishing they're going to serve her carrot cake. SADLY, to her GREATEST disappointment, carrot cake wasn't the meal. Perhaps it was too early into the day, we basically just slept through the flight.


Barely opened less than a month, we tried out the Airport Rail Link @ the airport upon arrival in Bangkok 45 Baht (approx S$1.90) and 30 minutes is all it takes to reach the heart of Bangkok. We had a tiring yet fun time, dragging our gigantic luggage (the girl brought a luggage that has size bigger that half of her, all because of her hobby, SHOPPING) all the way from the station to our hotel. We were pretty impressed with the way we did it anyway.

I'm pretty impressed with our hotel - Grand Diamond Suites Hotel. Equipped with a small cosy living hall, which we never used at all, and a bedroom with all the necessary. Somehow, I love this hotel for its location and configuration although the girl never pretty much looked back at the latter.

First up, Earawan Shrine where Four-Faced Buddha sits nicely over there. We offers our prayers and sweet girl allows my A&W cravings to be satisfied over at Pantip Plaza (Yums!). Slowly, we made our way to Siam where the rich visits (only the rich). Nothing much there except for my KRISPY KREMES which I totally regretted not laying my hands on it. Wonders if the girl shares the same regret as me (probably she's didn't as she could be dwelling over the loss of a dress she yearn to buy). Cheers to the girl again, she brought me to this nice Japanese restaurant called Fuji Restaurant where Japanese food were cheaply priced and tastefully done. We had a yummy room service to end the first night which somehow was memorable.

Second day arrives faster than we thought. Included breakfast took us by surprise with their amazing spread, especially for that porridge that appears so silky. Lunch on the other hand was even a better meal when we visit this Thai Restaurant, although the smell almost turned us off (most of their restaurant has this weird smell). Coconut Ice Cream, probably one of the best food I've eaten for this trip. Topped over glutinous rice, the coconut ice cream is not only sweet but when combined together with the 4 toppings they provided, it tasted heavenly. Along with the Phad Thai as well as her '4 Levels of Spiciness' Tom Yum soup. It boosted us for some crazy shopping later on.

Platinum Mall, the girl's favourite haunt was enough to ache our legs, dig a hole in our pockets and cause much happiness with so many variety and cheap buys. Bags after bags filled our fingers and it didn't took us long before we had a handful of loots. We go back and fro from the hotel and Platinum Mall which is just right beside each other. Finally, we decided we had enough and we hit back to MBK, where shopping continues (the girl just can't stop shopping?!?!?!). Happily, we ended the night with some Prison Break dramas.

Rise and shine early the next day (orders passed down by the Queen) because we need to get to Chatuchak by 10am, which we really did. Phew! And boy, I don't remember it being so big the last time I came here. Probably, I should have known better who I'm with. And so, the shopping queen, dragged me and we made our way around the maze. We got lost a number of times but that definitely did not affect our shopping mood. Yet again, we filled our hands with loots before having a pit shop at an Air Conditioned restuarant. You'll never know how previous air conditioner can be until you've been to Chatuchak. The shrimp cakes and the oyster omelette cast an unforgettable memory in our head as it satisfy every aspect of our tastebud together with her Tom Yum soup (yet again) and my Phad Thai (Yes, yet again). We are loyal, period!

Shopping continues before we rush for our long awaited Spa @ Let's Relax Spa Palour. Recommended by the girl, we went through near turmoils to get there as evil taxi drivers 'tok' us off our Bahts. My first time in a couple room doing massage with the girl. It was indeed as very relaxing experience as the name of the palour suggest before the real pain comes in. However, I felt pretty relaxed after everything and they concluded the session with a wonderful plate of Mango Sticky Rice. Yums. I still can't forget the amusing moments when the girl was eating hers.

Same thing again, the taxi drivers there somehow hated Chinatown, due to the jam as well as long distance away from the city. We were bluffed, cheated off our money before we painstakingly reached T&K Seafood. Heard so much about T&K Seafood, we told ourselves to wait no matter how long is the queue and indeed, it was worth every penny we spent on it. From crab with glass noodles, to sharksfin, to prawns, to cockles, to bird nest etc...we truly enjoyed that meal, probably the most expensive meal we had spent and guess what, it's less than S$35 per pax. Awesomeness! Looted on some local chinese produce before we head back to our hotel for the very last night (sobs).

Guess what's for the next day? YES! You got it, it's shopping again. A day where the girl changed for more $$ and of course, spending more on her loots. By the end of the day, I think she got more than 20 clothings. It was however, an easy feat to fit all the loots into our huge luggages but dragging it from the hotel to airport was a hassle as taxi driver attempted to ruin our day. Thankfully, everything went smoothly as we finally reached Singapore on time.

In short, enjoyable trip, great companion (for shopping, make sure you got the right companion), cheap loots and food and great hotel. Can't wait for my next time back to this pretty land of smiles!

Club Med Bali

Thanks to some, I managed to go on this trip, FOR FREE, along with the girl. Both of us paid less than $200 for a $3000++ trip. Air tickets, accomodations, all meals (mind you, it's 5 meals in total) and activities are all covered and paid for. What we need to do is simply just to ENJOY and INDULGE.

Nothing probably beats Club Med when it comes to their inclusions. Personalised greetings made us feel welcomed after that 2 and a half hours flight on Singapore Airlines. However, still on my mind was the guilt brought along when I unknowingly tipped the guy who helped us with the luggage onto the taxi with 5000 Rupiah (FYI, it's only a mere 70 cents). Blame it on the number of zeros they have on their note =p


We managed to check into our room early. Disappointing enough, the first day/night was not as good. Air conditioner was not working and we had to inform them time after time before finally, the air conditioner was working way better than we expected. The worst thing of the trip was probably the lack of track/sports shoes. Without that, we basically can't do much in the resort.

Nevertheless, we managed to make the most out of what we had. Therefore, we focused on the food. We ate as much as 4-6 meals a day and ate so much that we literally forgot how to spell HUNGRY.

Being a popular destination for beaches, ironically, we did not hit the beach. All because we had such a wonderful swimming pool. We can't helped but laid our beach towel early on the benches. Imagine having a cool cocktail, with a book on hand and sun that seems brighter than ever. Now that's life. And it seems like only the Ang Mohs know how to enjoy LIFE much better than we Asians.

And when night falls, the whole resort seems to come to life with nicely lited interior and exterior. Especially the main bar where they serve free flow of wines, alcohol and cocktails etc, even the snacks got our tummy growling. Music blasted set us into the mood and their nightly entertainment never fails to amuse or amaze us. Especially the last night where the girl insist in playing the haunted maze where she got herself so scared while I got myself insanely happy, patting and pulling on people's hair. Woops.

What's memorable is the cooking class which both us attended, learning how to cook an Indonesian dish, PEPES! I've yet to try at home but someday, I will. It's interesting to see how Club Med has everything packed together for everyone, from young to old. Imagine having petit Club, mini club for children so parents can conveniently and happily leave their children on good hands while they go and enjoy themselves and spend some romantic couple time.

It's such a relaxing holiday that make me so fully recharged that I refused to go to work where my recharged body will be burnt down again. Nevertheless, my first time holidaying on leisure purpose on Club Med and definitely, I will go back to Club Med once again. Club Med Phuket perhaps?

안녕하세요, 대한민국

My virgin time in the land of idols, where hunks and babes were simply over-rated. Girl's Generation (they're still awesome, ok), Rain, Super Junior blah blah blah, the list goes on. I still thought at the very least, the babes there would distract my vision a little. Turned out, none of which are what I thought. Not that disappointing because afterall, I have to keep my eyes on 34 passengers. Not the biggest group, but definitely the worst.

Due to the peak season, itinerary were changed and off we set to Mount Seorak. I expected snow to touch ground and temperature to be harsh, ultimately, only the latter came true. Temperature was hovering between -3 to -8 degree celcius.

Although it's something special, I never like Ryokan style (Japanese Style/Korean Style) rooms. It's like I'm trapped in a huge box and I'm given a few mattress to configure around with. That makes two nights out of the six an rather eerie and uncomfortable one.

However, the disappointment left as soon as it arrives. On the 3rd day of the tour, snow greeted us where temperature plunge into the lowest I've encountered, -18 degree celcius. Contradicting enough, I remained resistant enough not to use any of the heatpacks, however, I neglected my ears so much so that I couldn't feel it anymore. I almost thought it's dropping out.

I decided skiing is not my kind of thing ever since I fell countless time back in March last year when I visited Club Med for the first time in Hokkaido, Japan. Funny to see how first-timers would walk like a turtle/crab in their ski suits.

Babes and hunks remains nowhere to be seen (I still refuse to believe my eyes), all that was around me are single eyelid-ders who really look like they're from China. Apart from the people, I really got sick and tired of seeing Kimchi for each and every single meal. Plus the numerous side dishes, I must I'm pretty impressed with what Korean cuisine has to offer. Of them all, the BBQ meat as well as the Ginseng Chicken with Abalone stole my heart totally.

Food aside, the scenary that places like Jeju has to offer, it's totally awesome. It's a pity I didn't managed to get on to any rides @ Lotte World or Everland, even though, I badly want to get myself into that thrilling gigantic roller coaster @ Everland. Enough of regrets. One thing I'm glad I did was the NANTA Cookin' Show. I missed it the other time, and was full of regrets. Thankfully, this time round, I managed to catch it in Korea with much enthusiasiam, delight and excitement. The whole near two hour show was nothing but comedy and laughter.

Finally, I hit Seoul, the long awaited capital of Korea where babes and hunks are supposed to exist. Yes, indeed they filled the malls and streets but I reckon most of them went under the knife and are probably plastic. Back @ the shopping areas, I got my hands full of bags as I desperately fight against time to grabs any possible loots I can find, from posters to metal chopsticks to food. Awesome!

In short, I've climbed mountains, seen snow, tasted the best orange in Korea (suposedly), seen Liger and wild mammals in a different way, experienced the coldness and loneliness, the plastic people and of course the ugly side of the travel industry in Korea. So people please, if you are travelling as a group tour to Korea and being introduced to Ginseng, and whatnots, chances are, you will be 'chopped' and have a crazy hole dug from your pockets. Imagine me earning a bountiful $1.5k just from this trip. It's a hideous scheme behind the beautiful pictures alongside.

안녕하세요 (An nyoung ha seh yo)

In few hours time, I'm going to fly 6 hours to South Korea with much uncertainty - the terrifying weather (at least it's very terrifying to someone who's so afraid of cold like me), the environment, the language, the culture, the place, the tour guide, the tension between the two Koreas. But whatever it is, let this be a peaceful and good one, before I happily reach back to this Hot Hot Singapore for my festive seasons of joy!

Come to think of it, it's nearly 40 degree celcius difference between the two lands..Brrr...can't imagine the -11 Degree Calcius there...God Bless.

Life So Far..........

The remaining last quarter of this year has been pretty filled up. I had my so called 'Graduation Trip' because it was a trip just right before my Convocation. It's the same day both events are happening. I'll reach Singapore that very morning, just minutes past midnight with my convocation happening that very evening. It was full of ups and downs as Tiger Airways has given me headaches in finding alternatives just in case they played punk.

I've been checking my mobile as well as flight status before my trip every now and then and I definitely lost count the number of times i did just that. Thankfully, everything was smooth, but I told myself, that is going to be the last time I'm taking Tiger Airways, for they sucks in every aspect I could possibly think of.

Very much like Bangkok, Penang lived more Chinese than other parts of Malaysia, which was rather a relief for us both. Our Hotel, Berjaya Hotel (Booked at an incredibly cheap rate) was awesome. High floor with nice view and it was indeed spacious. With the main purpose of going for their food trail, we wasted no time.

We tried all that we possibly could, but the most disappointing out of the entire trip is probably the seafood we ate over at Batu Ferringhi. Nevertheless, the rest of the food, mostly hawker fare, made up for it.

We ate from Satay to Cockles, to Penang Char Kway Tiao to Chendol. All in all, it was a good food experience to us. I also found my legendary Orh Chian, which probably is the best oyster omelette I've ever eaten in my entire life (if only i can bring that Auntie back to Singapore).

Besides the food, we also went to Gurney Plaza, where we had out Movie fixes there. Their movie is dirt cheap, not forgetting their popcorn as well (bet the girl is going to go gaga over those popcorns if she's there). Fort Cornwallis as well as the rest of Penang didn't really have much to offer, other than the yummy yummy food.

Went to the Kek Lo Si too to pray. The Godness of Mercy statue was really huge and up on the top of Penang, it offer a spectacular view as well. Too bad it wasn't fully constructed.

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And I finally had a taste on how's it's like to put on that Mortar Board. The taste of success is even sweeter after what I've gone through. The feeling of having your loved one there witnessing this glorious moment of yours, is simply indescribable.

And so, topped with a few gifts from the girl, it concluded my academic life, seemingly with a good ending.

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25 came popping by, sending a silent alarm that I could possibly already been one third of my life. No longer am I the same age as many of my friends out there, the girl including. It was kind of crisis when I still can't feel I'm my age yet. Men in the past could have already been married at this tender age.

I must say, Birthdays to me are just like any other occasion that happened yearly. I did have my fair share of celebrations with my friends. Kickstarting it with MR, we headed down to Novena, at the same time, finally welcoming the return of our long beloved friend, Ethan from UK, well, this time round, for good. Rock band was seriously not my type of game as we muscled our fingers till it almost gave in.

Just days before my actual birthday, I received one of the most shocking birthday surprise ever. I shall skip the details but everything in there was sweet and I must say, lots of effort put in. First, there was the Birthday Card, then followed by a puzzle which I've to solved before the Answer sheet conclude the night. A trip to Bintan! It's like a wish come true and a VERY BOLD move as well.

It was just a mere simple affair on my very birthday itself. Went to Yuki Yaki and feast in, where I fell in love with the Sashimi, the Pork Bacon and of course, the ice cream too!

Days later, it's Bintan. The ferry was rather early, therefore, we both got hit my deprivation of sleep on our way to Bintan. We were welcomed by the luxurious room. It was not only spacious but also luxurious in a way. Practically, I see this as a short getaway (rest and relax). It's indeed just pure rest and relax as there's really basically nothing much to do out there, plus the rain almost spoilt our day. But we managed to fruitfully spend it well.

The biggest surprise came as a different one compared to the previous one. Now imagine this. You are just watching television, when late at night, someone came knocking on your door. You have no idea who the heck would knock on your door at this hour. Feeling pissed, the door was opened, in came this gentleman, with a tray. On the tray was cutlery and a box.

I look at the girl in shock, whereas she's was giggling away. I knew something was 'wrong'. Indeed, by then, my mind was cleared and I guessed it just the way it is. The surprise left me speechless and all I could hear was my heart doing the talking. My first, only and last birthday cake this year specially for me.

Too bad the next day, it was infested with hungry ants, which must be feeling just as sweet as me. Having a nice meal by the poolside was a rather good experience. Relaxed, carefree and simply no worries at all. All in all, a wonderful getaway.

The dudes also celebrated my birthday for me, this time round, back at Yuki Yaki. It was whole lot of fun. My birthday present, for the first time ever, it's cash from the dudes. Cool hard cash, plus a birthday card of course.

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Have been going on several dates before my frequent travelling out of Singapore in this last quarter of the year. Starting from K-pop concert. Can't believe we managed to get such a cheap seats. $15 is all we paid per ticket for a $100++ seat. Cool stuff, thanks to my colleague, our dream of watching SNSD LIVE came true. It was a awesome atmosphere and by the time SNSD appear, it was pink sabre-torches all around, with screams so deafening. 4 songs was enough to make us both go high!

Also, we visited the Science Centre and Omni Theater after the girl managed to get hold of tickets through corporate rates. Searex show was really nice, although it did cause some discomfort to my neck ultimately whereas poor girl dozed off as this is definitely not her cup of tea. Pray 'Walking with Dino' will not do the same to her as well.

The rest of the exhibition was rather interesting but it get mundane in awhile. CSI was rather interactive and engaging, prompting to solve crimes in a unique yet simple way. But the crowd is enough to turn you off. You are solving crime are a very SLOW rate because of the crowd, which in logical sense, doesn't sound logical at all. Therefore, we gave up ultimately.

Have been into Harry Potter as well. Made advanced booking of Harry Potter and counting down, I only had approx 1 week to catch 3 more episodes of it. I can do it! YES!

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Finally, I had this little wish came true by bringing my parents out of Singapore as well. They hardly travel, therefore, it's of no wonder why both my parents are smiling from grin to grin, right from my house to the airport. Indeed, they appeared much more excited than me.

I'm glad I had this opportunity to bring them abroad to see and eat, somewhere where they've never been before. Fruitful trip I supposed.

Apart from ShenZhen which I vowed never to step foot there again, we had our foot in some of the nicest eateries as well as even a 1 star Michelin restaurant which serves awesome roasted meat as well as beancurd.

Can't believe my parents fell for 许留山 when they aren't even for sweet stuff back in Singapore. But no doubt that the desserts there are nice. I missed out on the porridge when I was in Hong Kong last year, but this time round, I had porridge for supper every single night.

My first time watching the symphony of lights as well after my parents shocked me by wanting to visit the wax musuem. Again, after that trip to the peak, I laid my hands on the legendary watermelon beancurd which fully satisfied me again, like how it did back last year

Did not do much shopping this time round, as my mum headed home with slight disappointment. However, I'm sure the company of their son and all the yummy food did make up for it.

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It was indeed a long entry but I look forward to the remaining days of this wonderful year to me as I still have trips pending - Cruise and Korea. At the same time, I can't wait for festive seasons gatherings and of course Xmas shopping once again and I look forward to ending this wonderful year on a good note. Till then..........