Japan, Anyone?

My mum has always longed to visit Japan for the longest time. It is funny because up to 5 years ago, she didn't go within 5-feet of sashimi but after some persuasion, she is a convert now. Anyway, I'd promised to take her see the cherry blossom next year. At the same time, I'd invited my Dad - thought it would be nice as a 40th wedding anniversary present. And then VT said that he hasn't been before so I'd invited him also. With the 4 of us going, what I am to do with my 2 Bs? Surely we will be gone for at least one week - I don't think it is fair for me to dump both my kids with my MIL for such a long period. We'll most likely end up taking Bryan for two reasons:

(1) He is old enough to enjoy it, not necessarily remember it
(2) He can eat whatever we eat so I don't need to worry about his meals, as long as they are cooked

So with those decisions in hand, now I need to look for a reliable tour company. I didn't think going on a Free-and-Easy tour would be a good idea although it would be cheaper. Afterall, I have two elderly parents to look after plus a hyper-active toddler. So, if you have any recommendations, I would be grateful for some advice.

P/S: If you're wondering whether I had a huge bonus pay-out, or if I striked lottery, it's negative to both. I think I'd just realised that there are somethings in life that I needed to do sooner rather than later, before it's too late and I end up regreting.

My Take on Jakarta

First impressions are often the longest-lasting ones, don’t you think?

Just 2 days in Jakarta and these are my observations:

- The main airport building is very old – it looks like a bigger version of the airport in Bali if you have been there. Quite gloomy and sad.
- Traffic is horrendous. Drivers can turn a 2-lane highway into 4 lanes, or more, depending on how they squeeze. Because of that, there are massive traffic jams everywhere. You’ve got to have guts of steel to drive in Jakarta. Never shall I complain about KL city traffic again or the drivers again.
- The Toyota Innova is called “Kijang”. Other commonly-used cars are Suzuki Swift and Toyota Vios & Alphard.
- I can’t differentiate between the Indon Chinese and the Indon Malays. Even the Indon Chinese have relatively darker complexion than the Malaysian Chinese.
- It is a regulation that vehicles entering malls, office buildings, hotels need to be checked, but the intensity of which it is done ranges. At the hotel where I stayed (Ritz Carlton), the check was very intensive. Afterall, it is diagonally opposite JW Marriott, which was bombed. At Plaza Indonesia, a shopping mall, they only performed a cursory glance-over. Serves what purpose, I don’t know.
- There are metal detectors doors everywhere but again, even if it beeped, they never bothered to stop you.
- There are Krispy Crème doughnuts here though locals flock to J.Co (by the way, the J.Co fad in KL has died. There is barely a queue at the Pavillion outlet).
- Indonesia cuisine is absolutely delicious though the names sound dodgy eg. Sup Buntut (- clear oxtail soup) and Mee Tek-Tek!
- Service in restaurants is worse here than in KL. Thought it could not get any worse, eh?
- I was browsing in a supermarket last night with my colleague who needed to pick something up. Noticed that a bottle of Palmolive body wash costs RM35 equivalent! Plus you cannot find liquid detergent over here. Everyone seems to use only powder detergent. You can’t find Strepsils either.
- The weather is extremely humid, which I found rather strange. Afterall, how much more humid can it get than in KL, which is located in the valley?
- The sun is up, and I mean really high up in the sky, by 5-ish in the morning but it gets dark by 6pm. As a result, I woke up at 5:30 this morning.

The high point of the trip was definitely the Indonesian food. Even for breakfast, I opted for Mee Bandung instead of making a beeline for the American breakfast buffet spread like I usually do in Singapore. Too bad I didn’t bring my camera hence no photos.

Free Wifi!

What do you know - KLIA has free wifi! As many of you know, I am an IT-idiot so probably free wifi to you is something very common but the fact that I brought my laptop out to do some work while idling some time prior to boarding and the computer detected Wifi AND I had managed to connect to it (ok, so it only involves a click of a button), it is an amazing feat for this sua-ku mummy!

So once I was connected, I forgot about doing my work and just HAD to put up a post. I'm going to Jakarta for work - very short trip, just overnight. I have not been to Jakarta before so it's a bit of an adventure for me. Best bit of the trip? I'm looking forward to ONE night of uninterrupted sleep yayyyyyyyyyyyyy!!!!!!!

I just hope that I don't come across anything unpleasant (like, a bomb!) during my stay there. Wish me luck - think I really need it this time!

Our Little Get-a-Way

Here's the post that you have been waiting for.
VT and I went away for 3days/2 nights to BALI.

We flew via Air Asia and my-oh-my, I wouldn't recommend the 3-hour flight for preggies as my back almost broke. I was even willing to pay for a pillow, but they had none. At least on the way there, we managed to get the whole row to ourselves so I slouched and tried to ignore the backache.

Day 1
The driver from The Ahimsa was already waiting for us at the arrival hall, with our names nicely printed on a shout-out board. We were pampered with ice-cold towels and a bottle of mineral water each for the quick 10 minutes drive to the villa in Jimbaran. Now, the villa was really something. The villa is designed with maximum air-flow and generous open spaces, complete with a private plunging pool. The bedroom is the only area of the villa with air-conditioning, which also opens up directly to the pool. The bath has an open-air bath tub and shower with twin sinks. What can I say? We were truly pampered!

We headed out to Kuta for a late lunch after dumping our bags and oohing-&-aahing the villa. The villa even provides a personal van cum driver. After lunch, we walked around hunting for a shop selling Polo shirts, which cost only RM80 over there. Grabbed a few as pressies and walked some more....ok, not a WHOLE lot more as I was tired. So took a taxi back to the villa to rest before heading out to Ku De Ta for a lavish dinner by the beach in Seminyak. After dinner, we watched "Vantage Point" in bed and zzzzzzz........


Day 2

Breakfast was served in the private enclave of our villa (cooking was also done in the villa by 2 cooks, who promptly arrived at whatever time you preferred). After breakfast, this lazy mummy promptly declared that she was tired and went back to bed for a snooze. I woke up just in time for lunch, and upon wandering, found VT lounging by the pool reading his book. We headed back out to Kuta for a light lunch. It drizzled in the morning so weather was cool but not wet. Having been to Bali before, we did not do any sight-seeing hence walked rather aimlessly, stopping ocassionally for coffee & ice-cream.

We had initially planned to have seafood for dinner but ended up in Hard Rock Cafe, where I'd indulged in a pork sandwich. How to find it here, right? We lingered till 10pm when the live band was supposed to come on, but after 15mins of waiting, we decided to leave. I suspect it was because the crowd was thin (only 2-3 tables). Back to the villa to watch another DVD - "I Am Legend".

Day 3
We were both eager to get home as we'd missed our little boy very much. Funny how when we're with him, I whine of being tired and at times, frustrated with his never-ending supply of energy. But when we're not, all I did was to talk about him.

We bade good-bye to the lovely villa staff as I dreaded the 3-hour flight home. It was definately a holiday to remember as it rejuvenated me physically and emotionally. Afterall, there will be no more holidays in the next year or so!

Tak Jadi Pigi

We didn't end up going to Penang afterall.

On the morning of departure, first I missed a step while carrying Bryan down the stairs and twisted my ankle. I must had been still very sleepy as Bryan woke up many times the previous night, crying. Which turned out to be because he has an ear infection and a fever, as a result. Dr Kwan advised us against travelling for the next 48 hours so we took heed of his advice.

The whole of yestesday was spent at home, entertaining and consoling a very cranky toddler. Luckily for me, after just one dose of paracetamol Bryan was back to his usual self - jumping around and smiling. Today, he's completely back to his usual self so that is a real blessing.

Initially, VT thought that he caught the bug from my niece, who just recovered from a similar ailment but Dr Kwan confirmed that it is not contagious.

Anyway, looks like my meeting with Sharine & En En kena postpone, sorry girls!

Away Again

VT and I are bringing my in-laws (or "out" laws keke) to Penang for a short trip - together with Bryan lah, of course. I am quite nervous as it's our first time stuck in a car with Bryan for more than 1.5hrs (furthest trip so far was to PD). Fingers crossed!

We leave tomorrow mid-morning and back on Sunday. I'm looking forward to meeting Sharine & En En. Too bad Alice & Darrius will be in KL that weekend.

I'd been spending a lot of time packing the little boy's stuff - wah, like moving house only!!!! So I apologise if I've not dropped by your blog for a while. I'll definitely do so next week.

See you later, aligators!

Many First's

After some minor hiccups, Yee Keng who is Bryan's Godma & my long time friend from uni who also coincidentally shares the same surname, and myself are headed to Bangkok this weekend for some serious girly fun! We went to Reliance this afternoon but was told that they need at least 10 working days to arrange for flights & accomodation. BLEHHHHHHHHH!!

YK and I came back to my place, propped ourselves in front the computer and sorted everything out in less than 20mins. Who needs travel agents anymore when I have the world at my fingertips (also having a credit card helps greatly!). So we're leaving on Saturday morning and returning on Monday night. We've booked ourselves into a chic, boutique hotel called "The Davis". I've also made arrangments to have dinner with my colleague on Sat night. Looks like we're all set! I'm feeling excited because it will be my first trip to Bangkok (I know, you can gasped in amazement). I am feeling a tad guilty for leaving both the men of my life behind. But I think I need this trip to refresh myself.

Hence, this trip will mark many 1st times for me:
- 1st time to Bangkok/Thailand
- 1st time to LCCT
- 1st time travelling on Air Asia
- 1st time on holiday without VT & Bryan
- 1st time travelling with just another friend

I Need A Holiday After A Holiday

The three of us just spent a weekend at Port Dickson. It was really good fun - away from the hustle & bustle of the city, massive car & human traffic jam in 1-Utama/ the Curve, idling around. Of course, it also meant we were taking care of Bryan 24/7 which proved to be quite challenging particularly for me. Since he was 5-6 mos, he developed this incredible need to be joined at my hip. I thought my being away on business trips would help ease some of those "stickiness" but lo & behold, my plan back-fired! He's now stuck to both my hips & waist!! Anyway, I ended up having to carry him around the resort a bit plus he is still down with a runny nose & cough. So he was particularly clingy & whiny.

Which brings me to the title of this post - I feel quite exhausted after the holiday. I reckon it was also contributed by the fact that I had only returned home the previous night at 10pm and 12 hours later, we were in the car headed south on the NKVE.

Nonetheless, we did find out a few things about our little one during this short trip:

(1) He hates the sand & sea combo
(2) Ditto to scrambled eggs
(3) Loves swimming....but we knew that already since his first encounter with chlorine at 7mos.
(4) Loves running around the room naked. Somehow he doesn't get to do this at home - dunno why.
(5) Sleeps very well in a strange bed (!!!)

We took some photos and videos - will attempt to post them onto the blog very soon.

*Sigh* back to work tomorrow and again to Singapore on Thursday.......cest lah vie'!

I Am Whoozy

If there was something that I really dislike doing, it is flying in a plane. Now, I am what most people would term as "chicken sh*t" as my sense of balance is really poor so I get motion sickness extremely easily. I stay clear of coller-coasters, swaying bridges, boats of any forms, shapes & sizes and where possible, aeroplanes. I'd just returned from Singapore less than an hour ago. I'm still feeling giddy! When I flew in to Singers in the morning, I had a dull headache the whole day. I should really get my ears checked-out but don't think that would had made a difference had I aspired to be a pilot/air stewardess (of course with the latter, I would have lacked the height and the demure-ness as well!).

The most extreme case had to be when I stepped on a chair to change a light bulb....I think I almost passed out!! Oh, I forget to tell you that I am afraid of heights too :)

Observations of Hanoi

I had always wanted to pen down my thoughts about Hanoi, Vietnam as it is such a quaint and lovely city.

My first visit to Hanoi was probably 5 years ago before I was married. I'm responsible for the operations in Vietnam so I try to make one trip there annually. And I had been, save for the year that I was preggers.

Hanoi steeps in culture & history, and natural beauty (if you ever visit Hanoi, you MUST go to Halong Bay - a UNESCO Heritage site). But I'll leave those with travel guides and instead, focus on my own observations of the city.

(1) Hanoi-ans LOVE their horns. In fact, I think they are a bit obsessive about its use. From the moment you wake up, you would be able to hear honking from the street about 20 stories below. However, they use the horns as warning, rather than as a sign of anger. I was told this joke recently of how if the brakes and horn were broken, Hanoi-ans rather get the horn fixed first!

(2) There is "free preaching" every Sunday. Yup, as a capitalist state with heavy influences of Communism, the public PA system disseminates doctrines every Sunday morning.

(3) Food in Hanoi goes so much more than spring rolls (Nem) and beef noodles (Pho Bo). Northern Vietnamese cuisine is simply superb, though you must like fish sauce as it is often used in replacement for soya sauce. I would recommend this restaurant called "Wild Rice" - I never fail to pay a visit each time I'm there. The best thing is that food is relatively cheap in Hanoi. Other must try are fried fish with dill (cha ga) and grilled pork with noodles (bun cha).

(4) Commas are used, replacing full stops in numbers. So if it's 16.5, it would be written as 16,5. I don't know the reason.

(5) People are genuinely nice and keen to find out more about you & your own culture. So don't be offended if they ask you what we view as personal questions, like the forbidden "How old are you?". That's their way of simply getting to know you.

(6) There's a huge population of motorcycles on the roads in Hanoi. So to cross the street safely, just close your eyes and walk forward. The cyclists will know how to avoid you!

8 Girls Loose in Bali

(This is a very backdated post)

Seven girls from work plus myself spent a long weekend in April in Bali to celebrate the weddings of 3 of the girls (Hooi Wan, Li-Ching & Teik Sim) this year. Imagine........8 crazy girls let loose in Bali only spells trouble. HOWEVER, before you think there was anything dodgy about the trip, all we did was shop, spa & makan. Of course we had to have the obligatory clubbing and getting sloshed.

Those weren't the hightlight of the trip though. It was this.....




That is the entrance of the villa. Yup, we rented a private villa in Seminyak and it was simply unbelievable. The villa has 3 rooms, each about to comfortably sleep 3, with ensuite open air shower and bathtub and the best bit? - the personal swimming pool complete with a day bed for massages (which was also by the way, complimentary)! We could just stay in the villa and do nothing as each room had a LCD TV (a bigger one in the living room) complete with cable. When I got home, I hinted to VT that I cannot NOT travel in style anymore...kekekekeke.


The pool