The past two month has been a whirlwind feeling. Like a kid feeding freely on cotton candy land. A part of me is still unwilling to wake up ...
We chartered a boat to fish in the lake. It was an interesting experience for all of us as it's first of its kind experience to us. I tag along even though I have no interest in it but just so that in future I can say that I have done it. My motto in my life is that we should always try everything at least once in our lifetime so that we don't live with regret.
While they fish, I camwhore
It's a beautiful view, if only I have a better camera (and skill of course!)
The best part about chartering your own boat is you even get to man the boat on your own. This is not acting but I'm really taking charge of it although it's just for awhile. Just making sure that the boat don't hit the rock while the driver is busy helping them with the bait and everything else.
Seeing how much I enjoy being in control of the boat, I think I should consider a license when I get back.
We chartered a boat to fish in the lake. It was an interesting experience for all of us as it's first of its kind experience to us. I ta...
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| Gay Ski Week |
P/s: Don't break your back.
Gay Ski Week P/s: Don't break your back.
Greetings from Queenstown, a morning view from the room on my second day here. I'm beginning to love this little town.
Greetings from Queenstown, a morning view from the room on my second day here. I'm beginning to love this little town.
Hello all, I will be traveling for leisure this whole month, so I won't have access to internet as much as I would like to. So I will be posting some back a series of back dated posts that I wrote when I was not connected. Otherwise, happy holiday everyone... =)
Auckland on arrival...
Arriving at the Auckland airport this morning, I got fascinated with the smoke that was coming out from my breath. An indication that there is nothing much fascinating here that’s why I got so focused with things surrounding me. Of all the big cities I have been, this city is different. There is no skyscraper, no crowded human traffic or bumper-to-bumper crawl on the road. People here are more laid back and relax with their lifestyle. I noticed many Japanese made car and the models are quite boring, nothing fancy. Unlike in Asian countries where car are more than just a vehicle. It’s also a symbol of status reflecting your position in the society.
Another thing I noted here, everything seems a little dull. One shade paler, I wonder if this is because of the cloudy weather. This somehow brings out the lush greeneries around here more outstanding. Over here, the surrounding is filled with plants and trees. Air is a lot more fresh, hardly any smell of carbon monoxide.
This is our first meal since we arrived. It's a very delicious Chinese tuck shop operated by a Hongkie. The portion served in this place is really huge for my petite appetite. I've forgotten the name of this tuck shop but we will definitely pay this place a visit again since this used to be a regular haunt for my partner back when he used to live in Auckland.
So it will be 2 nights here before I head off to Queenstown. My hotel is right in front of a beach. Haven’t found out the name of this hotel but the best part about this room is that I can lie on my bed while watching the sun setting down for the day. Reflections from gold ripple in my room lit up my room in romantic yellow.
I’m excited about my trip to Queenstown now. I wonder what’s going to be there.
Auckland on arrival...
Arriving at the Auckland airport this morning, I got fascinated with the smoke that was coming out from my breath. An indication that there is nothing much fascinating here that’s why I got so focused with things surrounding me. Of all the big cities I have been, this city is different. There is no skyscraper, no crowded human traffic or bumper-to-bumper crawl on the road. People here are more laid back and relax with their lifestyle. I noticed many Japanese made car and the models are quite boring, nothing fancy. Unlike in Asian countries where car are more than just a vehicle. It’s also a symbol of status reflecting your position in the society.
Another thing I noted here, everything seems a little dull. One shade paler, I wonder if this is because of the cloudy weather. This somehow brings out the lush greeneries around here more outstanding. Over here, the surrounding is filled with plants and trees. Air is a lot more fresh, hardly any smell of carbon monoxide.
So it will be 2 nights here before I head off to Queenstown. My hotel is right in front of a beach. Haven’t found out the name of this hotel but the best part about this room is that I can lie on my bed while watching the sun setting down for the day. Reflections from gold ripple in my room lit up my room in romantic yellow.
I’m excited about my trip to Queenstown now. I wonder what’s going to be there.
Hello all, I will be traveling for leisure this whole month, so I won't have access to internet as much as I would like to. So I will be...
Got up 5AM this morning to watch Up in the Air (and it’s a weekday). Not exactly something I have plan but due to some unforeseen circumstance. Lucky for me, I don’t have to work after this, so I plan to hit back to bed after blogging. Just realized that it’s going to be a month since I quit my job. Many friends have asked me how does it feel being jobless or what have I been doing.
These days I spent my time traveling a bit, doing tourist stuff and spending time with family. So I did stuff where I used to excuse myself of doing because I was having a day job. Traveling is always fun when you have someone around, so I got my family to Singapore and we all had a blast.
Some things I learnt:
These days I spent my time traveling a bit, doing tourist stuff and spending time with family. So I did stuff where I used to excuse myself of doing because I was having a day job. Traveling is always fun when you have someone around, so I got my family to Singapore and we all had a blast.
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| Family @ Singapore Zoo |
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| This is me getting a kiss @ Singapore Zoo |
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| Fooling around with my brothers doing some cam-whore... always awesome, always accommodating |
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Having fun with street performanc  |
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| Strolling along Sentosa beach |
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| While she enjoys by kicking sand |
- Singapore feels like a giant shopping mall.
- Singapore Zoo is better than Underwater World and it's cheaper.
- Carrying a kid while traveling on a crowded train can be daunting,
- luckily people do give up their seat.
- But not to senior citizens.
Got up 5AM this morning to watch Up in the Air (and it’s a weekday). Not exactly something I have plan but due to some unforeseen circumstan...
The weather today is awfully hot but that doesn’t stop me from making my way to Penang. The land of my favourite CKT, after my last trip here, I’ve been missing it. Actually there is a stall in my hometown, Kluang with very good CKT too. But the one here, I have very good memories of it partly because I came here with a group of good friends and Ron. We had lots of fun while here but this time round I came with my parents (and Ron too!). After my previous trip here, I was determined to bring my dad here as he is also a fan of good CKT like me, like father, like daughter. Penang is now a place where I have lots of good memories now.
We arrived here at about midday today but we didn’t venture around much other than having dinner at Restaurant 77 that’s along Gurney Drive for the famous curry fish head. Then took some picture with my parents along the coastline while waiting for food to be serve.
I’m feeling very happy and contented today because finally I manage to accomplish my personal goal that is to bring my parents out for a trip but this also means they have to be separated from my cute niece (this trip is their first time they are away from her for more than 24 hours since she were born). Although this is just a local trip but it is still a personal milestone for me but I know all this won’t have happened without Ron, so I really want to thank him for this and for being such an understanding boyfriend. I know how some boyfriends can be very dreadful when they have to go out with their girlfriend’s parents.
It’s getting late and I should get some sleep for my food adventure tomorrow (and pray hard that I my cholesterol and sugar level won’t climb higher than before).
My parents =)
The weather today is awfully hot but that doesn’t stop me from making my way to Penang. The land of my favourite CKT, after my last trip her...
I’m a dessert loving person. When in buffet, I’m always the first person from my table to breeze through main course and dive to the dessert spread. In Macau, you can easily see many shops selling Portuguese tart. These egg tart are more caramelized then the standard egg tart you get from Hong Kong. During my stay there I’ve tried the tarts from a couple of shops such as Koi Kei but the one that I truly like is the one from Margaret’s café.
Margaret’s Café e Nata (瑪嘉烈餅店)
This quaint café is situated at a back alley behind some very busy roads. The façade of this place is very distinct and has a very casual setting. They offer mainly western spread such as sandwiches, quiche etc. but their best seller is without a doubt the Portuguese egg tart. As the egg tart here sells very well so one may need to wait a while for their kitchen to replenish the stock. On my first visit there, I was slightly disappointed, as their egg tart has all sold out.
Not giving it up so easily, on my 2nd visit to the stall Ron and myself bought 6 egg tarts to eat, each of us having 3 tarts. This is after our very fulfilling lunch eating the oyster noodle that I mentioned in my earlier post. I can be quite a glutton when it comes to food that I like eating. It’s as if my stomach have this amazing way of expanding itself, or rather I force it down my throat through to my stomach, just like my trip to Penang last year Dec, where I walloped a bowl of prawn noodle and 2 plates of char kway teow, all these within the span of an hour. Of course I try not to do it often and only do it when I know that those nice food are hard to come by.
OoOooo Look at the flaky yet buttery skin. Don’t you want to just sink your teeth right on to it now?
The next day after my 2nd visit to the stall that is also my last morning in Macau, Ron and I headed there again for our second round of egg tart (also eating 3 egg tart each). We really enjoyed the egg tart very much. I heard there is another famous egg tart shop by the name Lord Stow’s but unfortunately I didn’t have time to try that and it’s on another island in Macau. Apparently this 2 shop owners used to be husband and wife. After the divorce, that did not end up amicably, the wife opened her own shop.
Getting there:
From Grand Lisboa main entrance, stand at the position where the casino is behind you and you’re facing the road, turn right and keep walking along the road until you come to a road with a traffic light. Look out for an alley directly opposite where you are standing; you should be able to see a sign pointing in the direction of the café. That’s the café that you should head to for that oh-so-delicious egg tart.
Margaret’s Café e Nata (瑪嘉烈餅店)
This quaint café is situated at a back alley behind some very busy roads. The façade of this place is very distinct and has a very casual setting. They offer mainly western spread such as sandwiches, quiche etc. but their best seller is without a doubt the Portuguese egg tart. As the egg tart here sells very well so one may need to wait a while for their kitchen to replenish the stock. On my first visit there, I was slightly disappointed, as their egg tart has all sold out.
Not giving it up so easily, on my 2nd visit to the stall Ron and myself bought 6 egg tarts to eat, each of us having 3 tarts. This is after our very fulfilling lunch eating the oyster noodle that I mentioned in my earlier post. I can be quite a glutton when it comes to food that I like eating. It’s as if my stomach have this amazing way of expanding itself, or rather I force it down my throat through to my stomach, just like my trip to Penang last year Dec, where I walloped a bowl of prawn noodle and 2 plates of char kway teow, all these within the span of an hour. Of course I try not to do it often and only do it when I know that those nice food are hard to come by.
OoOooo Look at the flaky yet buttery skin. Don’t you want to just sink your teeth right on to it now?The next day after my 2nd visit to the stall that is also my last morning in Macau, Ron and I headed there again for our second round of egg tart (also eating 3 egg tart each). We really enjoyed the egg tart very much. I heard there is another famous egg tart shop by the name Lord Stow’s but unfortunately I didn’t have time to try that and it’s on another island in Macau. Apparently this 2 shop owners used to be husband and wife. After the divorce, that did not end up amicably, the wife opened her own shop.
Getting there:
From Grand Lisboa main entrance, stand at the position where the casino is behind you and you’re facing the road, turn right and keep walking along the road until you come to a road with a traffic light. Look out for an alley directly opposite where you are standing; you should be able to see a sign pointing in the direction of the café. That’s the café that you should head to for that oh-so-delicious egg tart.
I’m a dessert loving person. When in buffet, I’m always the first person from my table to breeze through main course and dive to the dessert...
I’ve recently just came back from the Las Vegas of the East and I’ve decided to blog about part of my food experience that I had there, in a way, keeping my promise to a friend and also to remind myself to go there again if I am ever there again.
Hou Zai Meen (Little Oyster Noodle)
My favorite bowl of steaming, hot little oyster noodle with a generous amount of little oyster and huge "juicy" beef balls. Definitely should eat this with extra dash of chilli flakes for that added spiciness in your soup... Thinking of it now makes me drool also...
While I was there, the weather was chilly for me. Temperature was between 18C – 20C, so this bowl of noodle serves as the perfect warm-me-up lunch.
Also, when making your order, be sure you asked for the beef balls to go together with your noodles.
It’s actually beef ball within beef ball, there is also soup in the beef ball. So, be careful when eating it else the soup will squirt out and stain your clothes. Notice my generous amount of chilli flakes in the background. If you're someone that can take spicy food, like me, then the chilli flakes is a "must add" condiment in your bowl of noodle.
Getting there:
The shop is at a corner that is diagonally opposite the huge Goddess of Mercy statue on the Macau city island. The statue is a tourist spot in Macau, so you shouldn’t miss it. The nearest casino to this shop is perhaps MGM Grand. So spot for the casino then the Goddess of Mercy, you should be able to find the shop that sells this noodle. Otherwise, just hop on a cab and asked them to drive you to the statue.
Hou Zai Meen (Little Oyster Noodle)
My favorite bowl of steaming, hot little oyster noodle with a generous amount of little oyster and huge "juicy" beef balls. Definitely should eat this with extra dash of chilli flakes for that added spiciness in your soup... Thinking of it now makes me drool also...
While I was there, the weather was chilly for me. Temperature was between 18C – 20C, so this bowl of noodle serves as the perfect warm-me-up lunch.
Also, when making your order, be sure you asked for the beef balls to go together with your noodles.
It’s actually beef ball within beef ball, there is also soup in the beef ball. So, be careful when eating it else the soup will squirt out and stain your clothes. Notice my generous amount of chilli flakes in the background. If you're someone that can take spicy food, like me, then the chilli flakes is a "must add" condiment in your bowl of noodle.Getting there:
The shop is at a corner that is diagonally opposite the huge Goddess of Mercy statue on the Macau city island. The statue is a tourist spot in Macau, so you shouldn’t miss it. The nearest casino to this shop is perhaps MGM Grand. So spot for the casino then the Goddess of Mercy, you should be able to find the shop that sells this noodle. Otherwise, just hop on a cab and asked them to drive you to the statue.
I’ve recently just came back from the Las Vegas of the East and I’ve decided to blog about part of my food experience that I had there, in a...
Just came back from a road trip to Penang on Monday. I was there with my buddies from my company, together with our partners. It was a trip that is most memorable and lots of fun. Most importantly, I didn’t realize I can love char kway teow so much, that I think of it day and night. All the food that I have now, after the trip just dulls away while my mind thinks of the sizzling hot char kway teow I had at Lorong Selamat.
The taste of the huge, fresh succulent prawns that burst in my mouth when I chew on it. Then the smell of the charcoal fried char kway teow that wafted through my nostril while I anxiously waited for one hour for it to be served to me. The many hours of wait for the one plate of big char kway teow is all worth it. My friends have always known me as someone that east very little but on my last day in Penang, I have walloped 2 plates of CKT bearing in mind that I already had a bowl of prawn noodle I less then an hour before that.
After all the damage done, it’s time to get back into shape and I know the road ahead of me is going to be difficult moving ahead. I hope there will be another food road trip like this again soon.
Char Kway Teow from Lorong Selamat
The taste of the huge, fresh succulent prawns that burst in my mouth when I chew on it. Then the smell of the charcoal fried char kway teow that wafted through my nostril while I anxiously waited for one hour for it to be served to me. The many hours of wait for the one plate of big char kway teow is all worth it. My friends have always known me as someone that east very little but on my last day in Penang, I have walloped 2 plates of CKT bearing in mind that I already had a bowl of prawn noodle I less then an hour before that.
After all the damage done, it’s time to get back into shape and I know the road ahead of me is going to be difficult moving ahead. I hope there will be another food road trip like this again soon.
Char Kway Teow from Lorong SelamatJust came back from a road trip to Penang on Monday. I was there with my buddies from my company, together with our partners. It was a trip...
One of the many things we enjoyed while our trip in Japan is the はなみ (Hanami, Japanese word for flower viewing). Our last few days in Tokyo coincide with the bloom of Sakura flower. It’s a sight to be seen by one’s own eyes. No camera will be able to capture the beauty of the flower, to enjoy it; one must really see it yourself. The sight of thousands of Sakura flower in full bloom at once is a breathtaking and mesmerizing moment.
One good place to enjoy a good はなみ is Ueno Park. On my last day in Tokyo, Ron and I make a trip there to see Sakura flowers. We initially planned to go to Tokyo International Anime Fair 2008 and even bought the ticket before that but we make away with the plan because we have decided to spend more time at the park enjoying the flowers, after all not a fan of anime either.
To get to Ueno Park, we took the JR Yamanote Line from Shinjuku station to Ueno station. Japan subway station is huge by size, so be careful of getting lost while there. We were a bit lost when arriving at Ueno station as there are more then one exits in the station but only one leads to the park with minimal walking distant. So, coupled with Ron’s maps reading skill and my half bucket にほんご. We manage to make our way there and spend some a lovely time there.
The entrance fee to Ueno Park is free, so save a bit on the pocket but the food is worth every penny to try. So, don’t pinch when you are on holiday.
A close up shot of the Sakura flower, this was taken outside the hotel that we are putting up
A shot of several Sakura flowers together
Sakura that I have seen are mainly white, so this is something different from the rest. A little of pink tint.
Another variation, stronger tint of pink slowly turning white towards the inner of the flower
The sight of a thousand flowers
The enormous amount of people from all parts of the world crowding together to see the Sakura flowers
The Japanese with their quirkiness. We had to take a shot of this seemingly "dead"frog, probably due to alcohol overdose. The locals here fancy picnic in the park during the はなみ season. They are seen everywhere in the park feasting and having a good time with their friends or family.
P/s: Looking at how all these flowers suddenly spring into life out of sudden as compared to the days before I left Tokyo for Osaka, I somehow have this nudging feeling that these flowers have a secret pact or something to bloom and wither together all at once.
One good place to enjoy a good はなみ is Ueno Park. On my last day in Tokyo, Ron and I make a trip there to see Sakura flowers. We initially planned to go to Tokyo International Anime Fair 2008 and even bought the ticket before that but we make away with the plan because we have decided to spend more time at the park enjoying the flowers, after all not a fan of anime either.
To get to Ueno Park, we took the JR Yamanote Line from Shinjuku station to Ueno station. Japan subway station is huge by size, so be careful of getting lost while there. We were a bit lost when arriving at Ueno station as there are more then one exits in the station but only one leads to the park with minimal walking distant. So, coupled with Ron’s maps reading skill and my half bucket にほんご. We manage to make our way there and spend some a lovely time there.
The entrance fee to Ueno Park is free, so save a bit on the pocket but the food is worth every penny to try. So, don’t pinch when you are on holiday.
A close up shot of the Sakura flower, this was taken outside the hotel that we are putting up
A shot of several Sakura flowers together
Sakura that I have seen are mainly white, so this is something different from the rest. A little of pink tint.
Another variation, stronger tint of pink slowly turning white towards the inner of the flower
The sight of a thousand flowers
The enormous amount of people from all parts of the world crowding together to see the Sakura flowers
The Japanese with their quirkiness. We had to take a shot of this seemingly "dead"frog, probably due to alcohol overdose. The locals here fancy picnic in the park during the はなみ season. They are seen everywhere in the park feasting and having a good time with their friends or family.
P/s: Looking at how all these flowers suddenly spring into life out of sudden as compared to the days before I left Tokyo for Osaka, I somehow have this nudging feeling that these flowers have a secret pact or something to bloom and wither together all at once.
One of the many things we enjoyed while our trip in Japan is the はなみ (Hanami, Japanese word for flower viewing). Our last few days in Tokyo ...
