Archive | December, 2015
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Penang Again!

17 Dec

I’ve lost count the number of trips we’ve made this year to Penang! But it doesn’t matter, the place is awesome. 

I must say it’s not a habit that we practice often to have back-to-back trips, it’s just too tiring. But here we are, doing a back-to-back road trip, with a day’s rest in between upon returning from Singapore. All for M1 because she’s back for a break from university.

Our last back-to-back trip was early this year: flying off to Hua Hin/Bangkok for golf and then a week later, to Tawau in Sabah, East Malaysia also for golf.

Penang is a food haven. It is for this reason we are going there. Forget my scale’s wrath. I should live life to the fullest, eat and worry later! Otherwise when M1 returns to the US, I’d just go play golf more to work off all the intake.

This trip we are not staying at our usual Shangri-La Golden Sands at Ferringhi but at a different hotel. Looking forward to sun, sand, surf and of course, food!

Almost reaching the island. Yay…

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A Food Trip

17 Dec

Singapore was exhausting, filled with lots of walking, eating and very little shopping but we had a good time. We left the island on Tuesday to come home, having a huge Nasi Lemak for breakfast to kickstart the journey. And we had a lunch stop at Tangkak for beef noodles after an hour or so into the drive. When we were arrived home by six, a good rest to recharge and we were out again at the mall for some shopping and dinner; choice of porridge this time, with Kung Po Frog, Fu Chok and a side of vegetables.

I know my scale in the bathroom is just fuming at me, with all this intake. So to kill the guilt, we actually had a gym session last night to work off the Roti Bom breakfast and Steam Chicken, Siew Yoke, Char Siew Rice/Noodles lunch. As there’s less walking somehow when we are back home, a more conscious effort is needed to burn all those calories.

But it doesn’t stop here! Surprise… Surprise…

We head up north to Penang today for more foodie adventure and hopefully some sun. It rained the whole time we were in Singapore. A good tan would be nice especially with all my uneven golf tan lines but I suspect we are all looking forward to the food more than the sun. With a planned lunch stop at Ipoh, it will indeed be a gastronomic trip!

 

Biggest Nasi Lemak pack in Singapore!

  

Claypot Beef and Beef Koay Teow

  

Porridge time at One U, LG Level

  

Very good Siew Yoke in SS2, PJ

 

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What to Do in Singapore

15 Dec

It has been a precious family time together in Singapore doing what we normally do: eat, shop and enjoy the attractions. 

It used to be we would take in the zoo or Night Safari (when the girls were much younger) or simply enjoying Orchard Road for its shopping and Christmas decor, this time it’s different. With the new Gardens by the Bay, we spent quite a fair bit of time at this new attraction.

Not to mention, the food that we savored, all for M1’s sake, nothing was holding us back. Not even the daily rain. I remember when I first came back from college for my holidays, Mom and Dad would indulge me when it came to food. Likewise, we are doing the same now as parents for my firstborn.

The list is rather long to check off but we are managing. Although we leave Singapore today, it is with fond memories that the last three days has been wonderful as far as food was concerned.

 

Food court in Bugis Junction for dinner

      

Gardens by the Bay

 

 

Parma Ham pizza and Bento box dessert for lunch

 

Choices for dinner at Satay by the Bay

   

Mee Hoon Koay and Singapore Laksa for breakfast

 
    
 

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A Long Day

14 Dec

Saturday had never felt like such a long day. We had a hearty Indian breakfast before leaving home, taking a leisure drive to Singapore to meet M1, due to touchdown pass midnight at Changi Airport.

Along the way, it rained making the drive not so pleasant but we prevailed and got to the hotel by mid-afternoon. After checking in, we rested a bit but then decided to head out to kill time. Can’t be cooped up in the room twiddling our thumbs while tracking her flight path. She was delayed at Narita. This was what I had feared earlier. The 50 minute gap is just insufficient but thankfully, her ETA stated half an hour late.

It was only six o’clock and we still had seven hours to kill. We had local food at the food court in Albert Centre, close to where we opted to stay this time, Ibis Bencoolen. Away from our usual choice of Shangri-la, Bugis Street was a new place to explore.

The shops along this tourist attraction reminded me of Chatuchak in Bangkok. The only difference being here, the overall place is smaller and most stalls have air-conditioning. We explored as much as possible but there was only so much walking we could do and decided to head back to the hotel. 

By nine, hubby and M2 were sleepy but we had to stay awake. One decided to watch a movie, the other gave in to forty winks.

In the end, the anxiousness got the better of us and we left Ibis at 10.15pm. We decided to take the SMRT to the airport and then later, catch a cab back. By 11.15pm, after one train change at EW4, we arrived at the airport.

Changi is huge. We had to walk quite a distance to get to T1. In the process, all three of us got hungry! Well, dinner was at 6.30pm earlier so that can’t hold the tummy with all this extra walking and anxiety.

ETA showed 0057am, Sunday morning. We still had time to kill. Gosh… It’s rather excruciating when every minute stretched and felt like an eternity. We found a great spot at Starbucks, overlooking Belt 20 where the flight’s bags would come out. Tick… Tock…

By 0056am, her flight from Narita touched down! Yay… finally. It took a while before we spotted M1, sauntering cooly towards Belt 20. She didn’t look tired or zombied after that 24-hour journey. Phew. After lugging her bag off the conveyor belt, and in a blink of an eye, all that waiting and worried thoughts (especially on the delay) vanished when she came through the doors and we hugged her. Relief and happiness set in but the day was not done yet!

We took a cab back to the hotel and with all this excitement, it was hard to wind down. But when it finally did, it was 3.45am when I hit the pillows.

What a long day.

Together again!

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I’m So Excited

11 Dec

It’s so cliché to say how fast time flies but it’s true. Tomorrow my M1 returns from the USA for her Christmas holidays! Whee… and when she comes back, she has gotten this whole lot of Oreos for us! Double whee…

We will of course be tracking her flight and arrival. It will be an anxious time especially when she has that connecting flight to take at Narita International Airport with just a 50 minute gap. I don’t want to dwell on this and just hope no delays in between.

Can’t wait for the moment when the family gets to hug her again. And all that glorious Oreo… Wheee…. 

 

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Oreo Galore

10 Dec

We were at our neighborhood grocery store one evening and came across U.S. imported Oreos. Not the usual flavors, being mint and lemon, both M2 and I oohed and aahed over them. But we didn’t buy them because they were priced rather exorbitantly.

We asked M1 about the same flavors and she shared her neighborhood grocery store’s display with us.

Ooooh….

    

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Argh… Why?

8 Dec

It’s upsetting when I used up my precious gold bars in an attempt to pass a level and failed. Argh. Level 1316 is really tough! I was so close yet so far. 

With the four cherries almost towards the bottom, I used my 9 precious gold bars for the extra five moves but I failed.

I don’t normally purchase gold bars, I get them occasionally after collecting enough sugar drops to win boosters, so to waste them like this, it’s painful.

And upsetting. Argh…

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Toothless

7 Dec

It wasn’t as bad as I had anticipated. Sometimes the anticipation of the unknown is more fearful than the actual act itself. The dentist injected the gum area and within a short moment, numbness set in; he then extracted my pre-molar and that’s it. I am now toothless.

It wasn’t even painful.

It feels funny to have a gap and especially so when I gargle my mouth. Water keeps gushing through the side. And I simply cannot recall how it feels like when I had gaps in between my teeth during my younger days. It was dinosaur years ago.

So I will let the gum heal before the next step of action. Initially I am leaning towards getting an implant but now, having second thoughts about it. A girlfriend told me that having an implant done is far more painful than giving birth! Coming from someone who had gone through three childbirths, I think I ought to weigh her advise seriously.

Gulp.

She said the pain stays with you and if your tolerance level is not up there, the suffering is simply horrible. In fact, indescribable as horrible cannot even describe the pain.

In comparison, after enduring childbirth, you can see your child grow and the pain is worth it. But an implant? It’s just a tooth in the mouth.

Hmm. I may end up not doing anything and just let it be. Live with the gap and be toothless.

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D-Day

4 Dec

Today is the day! I will have my pre-molar tooth removed. Brr…

The appointment is scheduled for late afternoon. Brr…

Yes, I am having the shivers thinking about it. Brr…

Brr..

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Overcoming Hard Levels

3 Dec

Sometimes when I am stuck at my games and cannot figure out how to go pass that level, especially the two candy games, I would go to YouTube to see what or how others have done to tackle the challenge. Recently, Candy Crush added a ‘Hard Level’ mention and Soda added a skull icon to levels that are really hard.

Maybe to preempt or remind one that it will be tough? In one way, it helps because I now know that it will be hard and I won’t feel so aggravated. Then again with the skull, it’s as if it’s telling you, you’re gonna die trying, bwahahaha!

Mean, isn’t it? When all attempts fail, either I YouTube for help or stay away from the games for a few days.

I was stuck for the longest time at Level 813 for Farm Heroes, Level 516 for Soda and Level 1242 for Saga but thanks to YouTube, I became unstuck and have progressed on. But now I find myself stuck again at Level 829 for Farm Heroes, Level for 563 for Soda and 1313 for Saga. Never-ending woes…

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