Sincerely Yours

Welcoming into the Dragon Year

2012-01-30T08:59:00.001+08:00

It’s kind of “late” but I still want to wish my dearest readers a very Happy Lunar New Year! May the year ahead brings lots of prosperity, happiness and good health to all! And yes, may there be peace for the world too!

I know I had been missing for a while and had not been updating with regular posts here, but that doesn’t mean I had forgotten my passion to blog… in-fact I really do not like the “MIA” mode, because there are lots of pictures piling up and frankly once it started to pile up, somehow I am lost… hahaha… I really do not know where to start… hahaha….

I am now sorting out the Taiwan Pictures & couldn’t wait to blog about it. Haha… okay, I admitted I wasn’t that “excited” as most when mentioned about Taiwan, but I still enjoyed my 1 week break. It was a blessing we had very friendly and responsible tour guides with us from Singapore and Taiwan during the trip & we were also blessed with a group of nice tour mates too. :D

It had been a number of years since we joined a tour group but this round Ang wanted it “stress free” with the planning, that’s how we ended up joining a tour group with Chan Brothers. I guess maybe the previous trips to Japan stress him out! Hahaha… But as usual, joining a tour group can be tiring at times as we were all rushing from places to places… so we decided no more group tour for the time being while in the plane flying back to Singapore… hahaha…. And somehow, I think it is really time to make some serious decision to really work hard for the yearly free (yes FREE) incentive VIP travel… afterall it is all there for us to "take" as long as we work hard for it.

I am sure the whole year ahead will be full of exciting challenges, both in my career and also the “capitalism plans” that both me & my Ang are building on now, but I decided to face it bravely with a positive attitude as I always remembered what my mentor told me, “The more challenges we face, a greater breakthrough is on the way!” Gambatte! :D

Factory Outlet in Thailand

2012-01-05T11:23:00.001+08:00

I think I am quite "turtle"... i didn't even know there is a factory outlet in Thailand! Hahaha... this is just a 5 minute drive from Chokchai farm! How I wish I am on holiday instead of working! :D

BKK - Chokchai Steak house

2012-01-04T11:06:00.003+08:00

This business trip was a bit different from usual.... I have to travel much further than usual, including taking a domestic flight to another province from BKK. While I admitted it was more tiring than usual as I need to take another 3hr on the road after touching down the domestic airport, but in return I experienced a nice cooling weather in the province with temperature of around 23 degree c! And I too have a chance to experience a nice lunch near the factory! Having the best steak in the The famous Chokchai farm! And i really crave for it now when I am writing this! Hahah!

According to my Thailand colleague, this place is always packed with people no matter what time! And it is really true, cos we were there around 2 plus afternoon Thai time, and we still see many people heading towards the steak house.

I really like their decor.... feel so "Europe"... wahahahaha.....

See how crowded the restaurant is? Haha!

See, there is even have a steak burger eating place!

And there are shops for shopping too!

Some hotel just won't fail me

2012-01-03T10:00:00.004+08:00

For a reasonable hotel stay, especially when travelling on business where budget could be a concern due to the company policies, I personally find it is quite a good choice to stay in Novotel groups of hotels. :D So far, I had tried Novotel in Hong Kong, Malaysia, Thailand and even Batam & I really have nothing to complain.... :D

This time round, stayed in Novotel Fenix Ploenchit during my BKK business trip in Nov. The hotel room is great (as it is new) and best of all, the BTS is just right in front of the hotel! Suitable for business and for holiday too! Keke...

Nice big lobby with nice staff

Neat entrance to the room

I realised most hotels have the design of the bathroom hv see thru glass wall... something i do not really fancy although it looks nice... cos I have the habit to on the bathroom light to sleep, so I find it quite "distracting".... haha

The toilet is a separate section... hahaha

Modern design bathroom sink

I realised Novotel Hotel rooms are always quite spacious...

Nice thoughtful welcome snack.... :D

Happy New Year!

2012-01-02T21:56:00.000+08:00

Happy New Year, my dearest friends and readers!

May the new year be a year full of blessing, peace and loves!

I just finished packing my luggage for my business trip tomorrow. :) Thinking of just blogging 1 post before doing a relaxing DIY hydrating mask.... Haha.. yes, I am quite a "vain pot" in some sense... haha... I just simply cannot allowed my face to look "dry" when meeting people especially after a long flight.... :D

I try to schedule some posts for the week... cos as usual, i am totally cut off from my blog and Facebook when I in China... something that I am quite "frustrated" over with....

Now I praying hard there will be no delay in my work schedule so that I am able to fly back as plan & do not have to extend my trip to another week.... cos I have so much things to do this month, including fulfilling a personal goal that I badly wanted to achieve! :D

Been a long time

2011-12-28T08:27:00.002+08:00

Merry Christmas to all my dearest readers and friends.... ya, I know it had been a bit "late" hahaha...

Times flies, I didn't even realise I had not been in the "blogging world" for more than a month! Do you guys miss me? lolz!

I have been getting real busy recently, travelling quite a bit... yes, few business trips, and of cos the recent 1 week holiday in Taiwan.... Work had been really challenging cos kena "hop" on quite a bit of big & tough projects to work on, plus some personal goals that I wanted to fulfill by Aug 2012.... so it is going to be busy year ahead but I believed it is going to be very fulfilling and fruitful year!

I have so much to blog about it... hahaha... I will try to make use every moment of time I have to update those exciting places I been to for the past 2 mths.... :D Am jetting off next week right after the new year holiday for my 1st business trip for year 2012, something I am not so excited about cos i will have to MIA from the blogging world for a week as I can't access my blog and Facebook in China. :(

Signing off for now, and I promise I load in my blogs soon! Muacks!

BKK - Oct 18 to Oct 21 - Time to be pretty pretty... :p

2011-11-19T12:39:00.000+08:00

Guess what the girls want to do today? After the hectic shopping the day before, the babes just wanted a relax & pampering day today! And the guys wanted to go explore a place they always love! The IT mall! Hahaha....

Love this picture taken....

Many told us that we must try doing Pedicure and Menicure in BKK, so we went around the mall to search for a nice decent one that match our "standard"... hahaha.. ya, we quite "atas" & very particular with the the "standard" on this area... :)

We found a place we like in Siam Discovery center, and the lady boss is also very nice and friendly... cos we have 4 of us, and we sure make the place noisy... wahahahaha....

Cheryl is always our "image consultant" as she really have quite a bit of "standard and style" with fashion.... :D

Some of the nice nail art designs the lady boss put up.... :D

The babes were all happy with the end results.... :D

BKK - Oct 18 to Oct 21 - Roadside seafood at Chinatown

2011-11-11T09:09:00.001+08:00

One of the main itinerary we wanted to do during this BKK trip is to have our favorite roadside seafood and bird nest at Chinatown. Somehow, personally I always find going Chinatown is quite a bit of "stress"recently, cos that place is not very easy access by train, and recently taking cab in BKK can be a headache, as most taxi drivers will give excuses not to go there, or insist a fixed price or bring you to somewhere else giving silly reasons that Chinatown is close due to road washing. We encountered several times, and frankly I really "hate" it.

This trip we also encountered a nasty cab driver. When we reached the destination, he said we must pay him fixed rate that is double the price instead of the meter fare (we know the meter fare cos 3 of our friends were in another cab and meter fare shows THB 100 for the trip), and he yelled at us when Ang refused to pay him THB 200. Luckily Ang was fiercer than him and he keep quiet especially I mentioned the word "Police".... Lots of BKK taxi drivers had become quite nasty as compared to 8 years back where Ang was posted there for work, that time we seldom encountered such cases... and I still remembered I feel safe even I took cab alone.. but now I think I will not dare to take cab alone.

Anyway, back to one of the dinner we enjoyed most.... :D

BKK Oct 18 to Oct 21 - Shopping

2011-11-07T16:17:00.000+08:00

Shopping in BKK is "shiok" to the girls....

But is a "torture" to the guys.... wahahahaha

See the difference on the faces of the girls and the guys? ;p

BKK 18 Oct to 21 Oct - Cabbages & Condoms Restaurant

2011-11-07T12:50:00.000+08:00

I believed those who frequent BKK would have heard of this restaurant. This place is being mentioned in most travel books, and it is mostly a place in the itinerary if it is your first trip to BKK. To some, it may be classified as a "tourist place", and I do admit the price is on a much higher side. But once in a while, I like to go there for dinner cos of the ambiance of this restaurant.

We decided to have dinner at this place, since it is just besides Lavana SPA and also the rest had never dine in this restaurant yet although they often heard people mentioning this place. :)

Most of their decors are made from Condoms... actually we quite like this lamp... hahaha

At the end of the meals, they actually give each a condom to bring back! wahahaha

There is an outdoor sitting with live music.. nice place to have beer with a group of friends... :D

Notice the decors? all made of condoms.... :D

BKK - 18 Oct to 21 Oct - Lavana Bangkok SPA

2011-11-02T12:03:00.000+08:00

It would never be completed if you didn’t visit a SPA when you visit BKK… ha-ha!

Lavana SPA is one of our many favorite SPAs that we always like to visit when in BKK. It is situated in Sukhumvit area and it is just within walking distance from Asoke BTS station. They have a building by itself, and I really can feel myself start to relax once I stepped into the compound. I heard this SPA is opened by a Singaporean, but I didn’t verify this myself.

All of us booked a 4hr SPA at S$ 110 net each. It was really a good deal; think we will never be able to enjoy a 4hr SPA in Singapore at this rate! I feel so pampered after the 4hr session.

It’s good to email them to reserve a slot with them to avoid not getting the timing you prefer. They can get crowded during certain time of the day. I usually email them before the trip, and everything would be nicely taken care of.

Checked out their SPA treatment menu and price here.

All ready to go for a 4hr pamper time! :)

This is the couple room.. apologise for the messy room as I only remembered to take a picture after tha SPA.. hahaha

Besides the herbal ginger tea they served, they also served this nice desert... haha

Their large and comfortable waiting area.. and they sell the oils for massage too... :)

All freshen up after the SPA.... :)

It is so beautifully lighted up at night....

BKK - 18 Oct to 21 Oct - cheap & yet delicious!

2011-10-30T19:05:00.001+08:00

We deeply missed those simple food that are easily available in most food courts in Bkk... So, it is something we 'die die' must eat during this trip in order to make us 'happy' Haha

And a trip to bkk is 'not completed' if we didn't take their famous delicious glutinous rice with mango.... Yummy! A perfect ending to our satisfying lunch! Haha

I am so 'in love' !!!! :D

2011-10-30T08:50:00.001+08:00

Gosh! I am so in love with this.....Hahaha

It's so light to carry around, able to get connected anytime I want, suddenly blogging is so easy, n I can get many things done even I am on the move, including watching download movies & playing games! Haha! I am glad I made this choice! Haha!

What's next? Haha! Maybe Mac book Air??? Haha!

BKK - Oct 18 to Oct 21 - NaRaYa

2011-10-27T13:45:00.000+08:00

I am sure almost all who been to Bangkok will get crazy over this brand. Haha! And it makes all of us "broke" cos this 2 storey shop is just less than 100meters from the place we stayed in!

So what do the guys do when the girls went crazy shopping at NaRaYa? Luckily got iPhone to keep both of them occupied.... Haha

My loots! And I confessed I did "pull" handbrake, else the damages is beyond my imagination.... haha

BKK - Oct 18 to Oct 21 - V Residence

2011-10-25T08:25:00.002+08:00

I totally enjoyed my stay in V Residence this trip. A nice and comfortable apartment with lots of space. People are friendly and most important, the apartment is clean. It gives me the feeling of "staying at home" and the feel of being an "expat" in the country.... wahahaha...

It is within 5 min walking distance to BTS,Phrom Phong Station. Big shopping mall "The Emporium" is just 200m away! And the famous Naraya is just nearby... haha....

However, do not expect nice and big lobby as hotel as this is a service apartment. :)

The entrance to V Residence

The small yet cosy lobby

Total 12 floors in this service apartment, and we stayed on the 9th floor.

The entrance to the apartment.

Fully equip small kitchen, that comes with a fridge, microwave, small cooker, coffee maker, toaster and even a washing machine cum dryer :)

Even the toilet is those Japanese style ... hahahaha

The spacious hall...

Entrance to the bedroom

Although there is a big LCD TV in the hall, but there is another one in the bedroom.... Channels are okay, including TVB8, CNN & CNA....

The dressing table in the bedroom

The comfy sofa in the hall.... keke....

The small dining table

We have our breakfast at the 3rd floor, small and not much selection as the hotel but I think is just enough for breakfast.... :)

As we confirmed the accommodation many months on advance, we managed to get this 1bedroom apt at a very reasonable price... total 3 nights stay is THB 8,097 (est S$ 112/night), includes breakfast, free Wifi, and taxes. I booked the stay thru http://www.booking.com/ :)

BKK - Oct 18 - Oct 21 - Airport link to the city

2011-10-24T09:58:00.000+08:00

It was quite a smooth clear from immigrant when we reached Bangkok. :)

The hotel we were be staying is very easy accessed by their BTS, and since we do not have heavy luggage with us and it was still early, we decided to try out their new airport link from the airport to the city. It turns out to be fast and easy. :) If we opt for the expressed train that does not have any stops in between, it only takes 17 min to reach the city train station, Phaya Thai station.

They have promotion currently where you only need to pay THB 90 per pax per way. If you get 2 way, it is THB 150. Personally I think it is good to try this if you are rushing against time, or wanted to beat the traffic on the road, and when the hotel you staying is easy access by train. :)

Dearest Ang is our "leader" for this trip and he bought our train tickets... :D

That's the tickets...

The train was not crowded... so we just leave our luggage near the seats... hahaha

Be sure to ask for express train if you are rushing, if not there are 5 stops along the way

We are all excited... keke...

Dragging our luggage from the train station... :D

This is map that shows link from the airport link to the BTS station

Short Trip - BKK - Oct 18 - Oct 21 - Part 1

2011-10-23T21:40:00.000+08:00

Just back from our short 4 day break from Bangkok (BKK). :D

For those who closed to me will know that I usually will take 2 breaks in a year, 1 short trip during the 1st half of the year and the other "longer" one will be towards the end of the year where most of my KPIs had been completed... Need these breaks to re-charge myself else I think I will have no more "energy & drive" to meet the daily challenges.. :)

This short trip had been delay a bit, as this was supposed to be "completed" during the 1st half of the year. Haha.... The tickets & accommodation were all booked and confirm many months in advance, however even 1 day before departure I weren't even sure whether are we proceeding with the trip due to the flood situation in BKK. But Praise The Lord, this fun trip with Ang and friends was blessed with good weather (we didn't even used our umbrella and rain coat), and we didn't even encounter any flood at all.... According to the locals we made friends with during this trip told us the flood will only "entered" into BKK after we fly back to Singapore that night.... :)

Our flight out of Singapore was 715am in the morning... we all met around 515am in the morning and it was a smooth check in process... Had our breakfast at Burger King and soon it was boarding time... :)

Busy time at the runway, all planes queueing to take off... :)

Bye bye Singapore, back in 4 days time.... :)

Hakka "Thunder Tea Rice" - 客家擂茶

2011-10-23T20:29:00.001+08:00

My first encounter with this Hakka dish when I was in Poly. I have a classmate who keep saying this is a tasty dish and even told me as a Hakka myself, I will & should appreciate this dish. One day after lecture, she invited all of us to her house to eat this, and her mum really put in lots of effort to make this. Yes, it was not an easy dish, in fact it takes time and patience to prepare especially the paste for the soup.

However, I totally "hate" it when I tasted it... hahaha... in fact I went home and asked my daddy how come this famous Hakka Dish tasted so yucky... hahaha... and since then the mention of this dish really puts me off... hahaha...

Guess taste bud change as we "matured"... lolz! I started to love & appreciate this dish recently & in fact I "crave" for it at times... wahahahaha.... I am still not getting use to eat the rice together with the soup, but I find it taste nice to just have the vegetables, peanuts & the brown rice together.... hahaha.. even right now writing this, I am craving for it... hahahaha...... I am really looking forward to eat this next sunday, hopefully Jas & Eben will be able to join us too... hahahahahaha.....

30th Anniversary MIWU Dinner & Dance

2011-10-12T18:32:00.000+08:00

Had been attending MIWU Dinner & Dance for many years already and every year I truly enjoyed the dinner and their programs, especially their lucky draws (wink wink) part. And I am also quite excited to be able to meet up with some friends that I made over the years, and it's kind like a "once a year reunion" for me. Hahaha....

This year, we have some of our friends joining, and all of us have some fun and laughter during that night. While I was sorting out the pictures, I just realised we didn't have a group picture taken (aiyoyo.. why forgot???), and I didn't get Cheryl to take a picture too as she was late due to rushing a report at work. :(

The grand ballroom at Ritz Carlton

We got a nice table no! hahaha... 68!

Nice table setting!

Sweetie Jas!

With Eben...

A lovely couple, Diana & Ben.. :)

Ang with David... :)

That's me with Ang

Sister Noelle and Brother Andy... :)

Dun know why only took the 1st dish picture.. hahaha... no time to take the rest... hahaha

The 30th Anniversary cake.. actually quite yummy leh! hahaha :)

David opening up the table prizes...

And this is what each of us have... :)

Our table quite "lucky"... Diana and Cheryl each won a lucky draw prize, including us too.. guess what we have? hahaha.. a S$ 100 Ritz Carlton F&B voucher... :) Ang said just nice for our anniversary in Nov... *bish* hahahaha...

We shall see whether shall we organise again next year... keke... :)

2D1N KL Trip - Part 5

2011-10-04T19:01:00.000+08:00

I quite look forward to the breakfast at the hotel whenever I travel... Haha! Not sure why and I also dun eat that much too.. hahaha,, Perhaps the main reasons is the available choices where I can choose from & not restricted to any food that I may not like to eat and affect the most important meal of my day... yes, I am a breakfast person, and I make sure I have good breakfast everyday... hahaha....

After breakfast, all of us went mid valley to do our last minute shopping before Uncle Edmund and Auntie Pauline picked us at 130 to the bus station for our coach back to Singapore. 2 days 1 night trip was just too short, and I am sure we will be be back soon. Thank you uncles and aunties for all your kind hospitality during this short trip, and I am sure we will meet again soon!

2D1N KL Trip - Part 4

2011-10-04T13:01:00.000+08:00

I always enjoyed food whenever in Malaysia, not sure why.. perhaps food always taste nicer when you don't have much chance to eat it? hahaha....

Some nice food we had for dinner... :) Really loved the salted egg crab... hahaha....

This honey chicken may not look presentable, but then it really tasted yummy! :)

2D1N KL Trip - Part 3

2011-09-30T13:52:00.000+08:00

Auntie Edna & Uncle GK will only be picking us up at 5pm to visit Granny, which means I have some "me" time for shopping! Hahaha.... Although I know I won't enjoyed that much without my shopping kakis, but I still managed to get a few things within the 1 hr plus... hahaha... I think I should be able to buy more if my parents were not with me.. wahahahaha....

Not much pictures to show here since I was busy shopping, but just some shoots when we were trying to figure out how big is the shopping complex in mid valley! Haha

Behind where I was standing is the mega mall where we all had problems to go thru every shops, yet opposite there is another big Garden Mall, where Isetan and Robinson are there. No, I didn't explore there eventually.. think shall leave it till next time with my shopping kakis and I have time to be there for more days... Haha

Too bad we don't have much time, I actually love to enjoy sitting at one of their many out doors cafe to enjoy some "people watching". :)

Interested to see some of my loots? hahaha.. most of them are below, except for one skirt where I got it very last minute on the day of departure. Haha!

Simply love this! Haha! I was infact "surprise" to find some clothing this trip ... haha

And of cos, my favorite VINCCI shoes where I never failed to get whenever I am in Malaysia.

I seriously need a Part Time Domestic Helper

2011-09-30T09:03:00.001+08:00

My part time domestic helper had been with us for more than 6 years... I appreciated her a lot as she never fail to manage my house well, and most of the time I don't really have to tell her what to do. And she always initiate to clean additional items like the fan, lighting, windows without being told.

And over the years, she gained our trust and now I can simply leave her in my house if me & my ang needs to run our errands or do marketing. Even at times if we have something to attend to, we can just continue with our appointments with a peace of mind as we know she will lock up the house nicely for us after she completed her work.

However she fell down last week and was being hospitalised for almost a week already. She only called me yesterday to tell me the bad news, and I feel so sorry for her. She told me her hand's nerve was badly hurt during the fall and she will need physiotherapy for the next 6 mths! She was so apologetic that she cannot work for me and asked me to go look for someone else as she said is not fair for me to just wait for her for 6 months.

I pray for her speedy recovery, although I know this is going to be a long & difficult journey...

Now I need to start looking for another domestic helper to help me with the household chores. The thought of manging housework chores on my own frankly frightens me as I have not done it for years.. hahaha... Ya, it is just so embarrassing to admit that... wahahahaha..... I know we will be starting the cycle of getting use to a new domestic helper and gaining the trust all over again. I am also praying the new helper will be as good as my current one.

My sister & close friends have been very nice, they responded almost immediately after I send out sms to them for help & suggestions.. Jasmine even offered to come help me.... :) Thank you babes, you know who you ae :) Muacks! I feel so touch with your help. It may be just a small matter, but nothing can really describe my appreciation now. :)

2D1N KL Trip - Part 2

2011-09-28T14:03:00.001+08:00

We decided to stay in Boulevard Hotel as it is in the Mid Valley itself and I think shopping is much easier.Lolz! There are 3 hotels in Mid Valley ranging from 3 stars to 5 stars hotels. Boulevard is a 4 stars hotel, and I think the hotel rooms are reasonably clean, and the staff are all very nice and friendly. :)

You may like to check out the details in their official website here :)

I realised I didn't have much pictures of the hotel lobby as I was busy with the hotel check in... Not sure what Ang is doing actually, maybe busy talking to my parents... hahaha....

We booked an executive room at the executive floors.... speedy checked in and they gave us high floor too! :)

Entrance from the door

Room is simple decorated, but clean and comfortable. :)

Bathroom are quite "practical" in some sense cos don't have to "climb in & out" of the bath tub. Less worry if you have older people travelling with you. :)

Views from the hotel room... nothing great to mention except u can see further a bit. But then KL was quite hazy during the days I was there...

Actually I like to pamper myself to stay in the executive floors whenever there is any chance. :) Not only the special privileges you get to enjoy staying in the executive floors, it is also so relaxing to be able to sit back to enjoy some quietness in the executive lounge for drinks and snacks especially after a busy day at work or shopping if you on a holiday. :) Most of the time such snacks and drinks are already included in the hotel fees. If you have some friends visiting you, it is also a very nice to bring your friends to the executive lounge for some catch up time. More privacy I think. :)

Some snacks for the tea time but I didn't take the full range... not really a lot of food like breakfast or dinner but i think it is enough to fill the stomach for tea... :)

2D1N KL trip - Part 1

2011-09-26T11:35:00.001+08:00

Accompanied my parents to visit my 101 Year old granny in KL over the weekend. Overall it was a nice trip, enjoying moments of catching up with my uncles and aunties, of cos some "exciting time" shopping & eating in Mid Valley... wahahahaha....

It's nice to see granny again, although on & off she have problems recognising us.... But I guess, it is just part of getting old, especially she is now 101 years old! :D

We took coach from Singapore to Bangsar, and it was really a very smooth ride. Depart Singapore 730am and we reached KL around 1230pm. Uncle Edmund and Auntie Pauline picked us at the bus station and they brought us nearby to have a nice yummy lunch, especially my plate of "maggie mee goreng"... wahahaha...

I am missing this plate of noodles... hahaha

Uncle Edmund ordered this, and although I am not a "bone person" but then it taste nice... :)

After lunch, Uncle drove us to hotel to check in.... :)

Part 2 continues.....