Tis the season to be merry, fa la la la, la la la la! Every year, we have our family Christmas Eve dinner, and it’s a time to be together and be thankful.
This year, I’m baking my version of meat pies to add to the menu. I have become better at preparing a meat-based dish for the occasion.
In the past, I used to buy ready-to-eat ham from the butcher. Then I progressed to making ribs and meatloaf. This year, meat pies. And they look good and smell good!
Here’s wishing all a Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays! Be safe wherever you are celebrating Christmas.
Once in a while, some spicy food is good. Day in and day out, we eat the same thing – it can be mundane and predictable. Even when I don’t cook and eat out, we go to the same restaurant and order the same thing! Life is such when you are a creature of habit.
Over the weekend, we decided to be more adventurous and try something new. A different location from our usual spots to a new restaurant with rave reviews. Why not? Let’s be a bit more adventurous, right?
The Indian curry house turned out to be a gem of a discovery! But goodness me, the fiery spicy flavors had us sweating profusely and our mouths burning! Everything on the table was oh-so spicy.
So many bowls, quite a spread, isn’t it?
Luckily, the four types of curry were served in individual bowls instead of the typical method of dousing the rice on the banana leaf. I think we wouldn’t be able to take the heat! Despite it all, the best discoveries were the crab curry and fried lamb, not grilled. Both were very flavorful and, of course, spicy!
It was good to be adventurous with the pleasant discovery, and we look forward to returning.
It is always wonderful to be back home after a holiday. Japan was enjoyable, but home is where the heart is. On the last day at the airport, while waiting for the check-in counters to open, I overheard a tour group leader telling her entourage they would need three days to recover from the trip.
Three days?! Wow. If this is true for an hour’s time difference, no wonder I take longer to get over my jet lag when I return home from countries with time zones that are more than an hour. However, I don’t recall needing such length to recover when I returned from Bangkok, Hanoi, or Jakarta this year. Hmm. Recovering from golf trips and non-golf trips could be different.
We departed from Narita International Airport on Friday at 10.30 pm with good memories and touched down at KLIA the next day at 5.00 am. Whether I liked it or not, the next few days were a blur, and I felt like a sloth. So yes, I did take three days to recover. Dang! The lady was correct.
Homeward bound!
How fast the holiday went by! Japan was fascinating, fun, and enjoyable. We lucked out with substantial savings for our flight tickets and a good travel deal when we signed up for the Omakase package to Japan, where we didn’t have to follow a fixed itinerary but customized to our preferences.
We had a comfortable MPV and a driver to drive us around to see what we wanted to see, stop to buy things if something caught our eye, and eat whatever we fancied. There were places we spent longer than intended, but our driver patiently waited for us. Such is the beauty of customizing a travel package.
The weather was excellent, contributing to our enjoyment for the first few days. Rain was predicted only for the last two days, but it never happened. Eventually, it did rain when we were already on the aircraft, ready for departure!
Now that the family holiday and recovery are over, it is back to routine, and I’m happy to be home until my next trip!
Today is our last day in Japan. How quickly a week went by. We had an incredibly fabulous time with great weather and mouth-watering food. Even the McDonald’s here tasted good! Hahaha.
A McDonald’s dinner
After the many shrines, temples, and landmarks, it was time to explore the city. However, we did not see much as shopping got the better of us!
Crazy crowd at the famed Shibuya Crossing
At Ginza, Shinjuku, and Shibuya areas, we spent two hours or more at each stop on our checklist: Don Quijote, GU, and Loft, to name but a few. I bought several knick-knacks to add to my wanderlust collection while the girls did a little better than me.
We leave Japan this evening with good memories of what we saw and ate and plans to return to this spectacular Land of the Rising Sun again.
The past few days, our excursions have been very leisurely paced. We stop to see what we want to see within the original itinerary and eat what we want. If we stop at an attraction that mesmerizes us, we stay longer. Our tour group is only the four of us with a dedicated MPV and driver, hence this flexible schedule.
The journey to see Mt Fuji was arduous as traffic was heavy. Holidaymakers were leaving for their escapade for the long weekend because Monday was a public holiday.
Mt Fuji was very picturesque and worthy of many pictures from different angles. But could it be the distance, seeing it from afar, that I don’t feel moved? It was rather odd.
Hi! Mt Fuji is behind us!
Nonetheless, it was enjoyable as we had lovely weather, and it was not too crowded at the places we covered – Oshino Hakkai and Arakurayama Şengen Park.
Lovely colors
We stayed at a whimsical accommodation called the Bunny Villa, where everything in the villa was bunny-themed. Even the plates had bunnies! I would have loved to stay longer, but we had only one night.
Of bunnies and Miffy at the Bunny Villa
The next day, we checked off more places of interest before returning to the city.
Our first night in Tokyo was in the Asakusabashi district. The neighborhood was quiet with narrow streets, and it reminded me of the streets of Hanoi when we were there earlier in the year, but much cleaner. There’s not a spec of rubbish on the roads here.
We ventured out in search of food and stumbled upon a ramen shop. Ravenous after such a long day, we each ordered a bowl, unaware of the serving size. When the bowls of ramen came out, they left us speechless.
The picture doesn’t quite show the sheer size of this
How do we manage all that ramen, four bowls at a go? Typically, we’d order two to three portions during meals for sharing. But we didn’t think that sharing bowls of ramen was doable with us sitting at the counter. Oh well. I could only eat half of my choice, as it was too much. I couldn’t even slurp loudly like the lady seated next to me at the long counter!
Comatosed from the gastronomic feast, we decided to call it a night after such a long day of traveling. Furthermore, we have a packed itinerary the next day.
Our hotel had a compact but practical room layout and was comfortable. We stayed only a night because the next day, we checked out and headed towards Mt Fuji.
I have to say Japan is fascinating and fun! Our adventure did not start well, but I’m not complaining.
We woke up at 4.00 am because our ride to the airport was coming at 5.00 am to have us arrive four hours before departure to avoid unnecessary hiccups. The queue to check in was not too long because we arrived early. So that’s good.
After checking in, we decided to have a McD breakfast. However, the ordering kiosk was down. We had to walk further down the terminal to its other outlet. It wasn’t the best tummy filler, but something light was better than nothing.
The wait was typical, likewise the routine. I got padded down the front and had to remove my Blundstone to send it through the X-ray machine. The rest of the family did not encounter this. Maybe it’s boots versus sneakers that was the reason.
Boarding was routine also, but upon strapping down, an announcement stated that we had to wait for half an hour before being cleared for take-off due to heavy traffic. Promptly after half an hour, MH70 sped down the runway of KLIA, and we were Japan-bound! Yay.
I had fish with potatoes for my on-board meal
We arrived on schedule at Narita International Airport. The airport is huge! It took us forever to walk upon disembarkation to get to the immigration counters. The queue was very long, but everything was so efficient and fast, it’s impressive.
Pokémons welcomed us at Narita!
Our checked-in luggage was out without having to wait, and we waited for our transport to pick us up to send us to our hotel. Our adventure has finally begun!
My plans for a round of golf yesterday didn’t quite work out because Mother Nature had other ideas. It was an afternoon game, not my usual morning tee-off, and the outing was a complete washout.
We had three flights – only the 12.30 pm flight managed 15 holes, while my flight did 12 as we were two slots behind them. I’m unsure how many holes the third flight completed because they started on the back nine.
It was quite a sight to see all the fairways inundated with water! That’s how heavy the rain came down, as there was insufficient time for the excess water to drain. Some holes even had their tee boxes immersed in water as well. There’s no way we could have resumed.
The buggy ride back to the club was not the most pleasant as we had to deal with pelting rain from the sides and driving through big puddles of water. Despite the situation, everyone was happy with an early happy hour! Hehehe.
Drinks and titbits were on the table, and eventually, dinner. The chatter and camaraderie were most enjoyable. Sometimes, we don’t need to complete a round of golf to enjoy the company of friends.
Last Friday, hubby and I celebrated our anniversary a day early. A toast and happy anniversary to us! I had a Frozen Strawberry Daiquiri, and it reminded me of the first time I had this drink. Ahh, those were the days.
It was during the Summer when I was still in college for my final year. That year, I visited the bar with my roommate, who introduced me to this delicious cocktail. Back then, it only cost a dollar!
A brain-freezing Strawberry Daiquiri. Nice!
The drink I had on Friday cost more than that without question. Nowadays, I hardly drink cocktails anymore, but an occasional one for a special celebration is always nice. Happy anniversary to us again, and many more to come! Cheers.
Going away for a golf vacation is supposed to be enjoyable. Unfortunately, this trip has not been quite the case. Only the first day was a good experience. Well, it is the fourth and last day of the trip. I decided not to have any expectations for what was to come.
After a hearty breakfast, we checked out and headed for the Valley course of The Els Club, a short drive from the hotel. Again, the clubhouse was not grand but rather plain. I wouldn’t call it modern because it didn’t come across as one.
Top: my breakfast choices, bowl of porridge, mini vadai; bottom: Singapore Hokkien Mee and Soto Ayam for lunch
We arrived early but decided against teeing off ahead. After two days of things turning out for the worse, I think it’s better to stick to the plan to avoid disappointment. The Valley course is known to be more challenging because of the terrain, but I started with a bogey, par, par. It didn’t feel that difficult.
When there’s no expectation of any sort, things go on smoothly. The day was perfect – our pace was excellent, the weather was cloudy, the caddy was good, and our duel was intense. After two losses in the last two games against hubby, I had an uphill battle to even the odds.
I had bunker issues, as always, because my typical game plan for these situations is to avoid them. But avoid them, I couldn’t, especially for the Par 3s. Luckily, the Par 5s saved me, and we battled until the last hole. I won in the end. And we completed the round in three and a half hours! The outcome from the four rounds: we won two games each for our mini-golf challenge.
Looking back, I think next time, whenever we plan an outstation golf trip, there shouldn’t be any expectations, especially when visiting a new golf course. Forest City was better than before, I have to say. The pace of the golf game cannot be a factor to fault the golf course. After all, it is a popular destination.
As for The Els Club, to say it was a disappointment is an understatement. The upkeep of both the courses was not the best, and they were not picturesque for photo opportunities like Forest City. At the signature hole of the Ocean course, we encountered a baby snake right off the bunker on the greenside. So there goes the photo opportunity! I’d say we will give the place another year before returning.
Uphill hole guarded by bunkers & a downhill snaking terrain, green on the right. The Johor River bridge Senai-Desaru Expressway
While there were complaints and angst on this trip, it wasn’t that bad or unpleasant. It was simply a change in environment to do the things we enjoy most together. Will we plan another golf trip before the year ends? Well, I have to find the window, and if our daily routine becomes monotonous again, why not?
Angieneering 
Remarks