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Busy Nights Ahead

5 Feb

This year, it’s an important exam year for M2 and she has taken the initiative by enrolling for extra tuition classes. And when I say extra, it certainly is. What this actually means is hubby and I will have to dutifully play chauffeur to send and pick her up from these weekday night classes, and it has been three days in a row starting this week!

As a result of this new schedule, my Wednesday gym session was cancelled and shifted to a new slot, Monday, the only tuition-free night. On top of this, there will also be a Friday night class and this will commence after Chinese New Year. Dang… It makes me feel like it’s a marathon studying period and we are part of it as well.

It has been hectic for M2 lately because everyday she finishes school at 5.30pm having to stay back for games and sports practice. This is how the routine has been the past few weeks, coming back later than usual after school. Add in the new extra classes… Tiring. And it will be like this until Sports Day in March. After that, school hours are back to normal but tuition hours continue.

Well, it’s for a good cause and we have to do what is necessary to ensure she is well prepared for the big exam.

Thank goodness, next week is Chinese New Year and we look forward to the week long break. But once the festivity holiday is over, the hectic schedule resumes with the busy nights ahead.

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I Could Get Used to This

26 Jan

It was another three-day weekend (the first being the New Year stretch) as yesterday was a replacement holiday for Thaipusam which was celebrated on Sunday. But going somewhere is just not viable especially when it is only two weeks away to Chinese New Year. So we went about doing our stuff over the three days.

I got most of my Chinese New Year preparation done, played a round of golf, had a massage, went shopping and basically enjoyed the three day break with hubby and M2. M2 completed her art assignment, reproducing an existing packaging and I think she did a good job!

I also caught up with my virtual games, bull-dozing my way from Level 1460 (Divine Diner, Episode 98) into Dessert Desert for Candy Crush and 844 for Monster Blasters. However, still stuck at Level 854 for Farm Heroes, 603 for Soda and 56 for Jelly. But I’m not worried. 

Come next week, we will be having yet another three-day weekend because Monday is another public holiday. Back-to-back three-day breaks! I could get used to this. Am pretty sure those stuck levels will be a thing of the past by the time next weekend comes along.

 

We get to eat the Kit-Kat after this!

  
 

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Quite the Movie Buff

7 Jan

Within a week, we became quite the movie buff! The three of us watched Star Wars The Force Awakens and The Peanuts Movie last week; and on Tuesday, hubby and I watched Ip Man 3 with some friends after dinner.

I think this is by far our best run. Three movies within such a short time span. Dad, the movie buff, would be proud of me finally catching his trait.

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Sleepless Nights

29 Dec

Monday morning was a zombie day for me because the night before I did not sleep at all and a little headache was building throughout the day. Anxiety, fits of cough and stomach cramps all rolled into one the whole night as I willed time to speed up a little so that we can know M1 is safe. 

Thanks to technology, we were able to track her flight path through flightaware.com and managed to connect with her when she transited in Narita. She told us they departed 20 minutes late from Changi but yet managed to arrive 20 minutes early. Amazing.

Even with such connectivity, there was worry in us. Parents. I simply cannot fathom back then how Mom and Dad felt when I went off to college with the wait and anxiety. Maybe like this but worse without the two things we have nowadays, technology and instant connectivity.

There was one year I came home for Christmas and it took a total of 36 hours, starting with a bus ride down from Flagstaff through the icy roads to Phoenix to catch my flight at LAX but was rerouted via San Francisco instead to head on to Hong Kong, Singapore and finally, Kuala Lumpur. 36 hours, what a marathon.

M1’s journey was not as crazy as mine, thank goodness but still, it’s a long way. It was slightly after 1.40am my time when she landed and two hours later, we heard from her. I then slept better. 

No more sleepless nights!

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Christmas Eve

24 Dec

I cannot believe it’s Christmas Eve already and tonight’s the big family Christmas dinner at my only sibling’s house. This also means we have three days left with M1 before she returns to university.

Every year over at the Lee household, they would roast a turkey which has become a tradition in our family to dine on during Christmas, and I would supply the sides, the salad and hams, along with the wine. Mom would bake dinner rolls.

It will be a merry time with everyone around – the boisterous eating, chatting and laughing; followed by the present opening occasion and you can see everyone ooh-ing and ahh-ing at their presents. But it will also be a special time as M1 spends time with the whole family when she was not supposed to be back now but Summer next year. Oh well, plans change. 

Three more days… let’s make it memorable.

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Noo… It’s Raining

17 Dec

Lone Pine is nice, very nice. It’s actually one door away from Shangri-La Golden Sands Resort and a much smaller outfit than Golden Sands; in other words, less crowded which suits us fine.

Our room is great! Comes with a balcony and big enough to fit four, it’s definitely comfortable. The sun was out only for a short while and by dinner time, it rained. I guess we will just dine on premise at The Bungalow and later enjoy the room. Tomorrow I hope the weather will be kind and let the sun come out!

  

  

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Eat Again!

17 Dec

It is literally a gastronomic adventure. We detoured to Ipoh for their famed Chicken and Beansprouts Kueh Teow. Stopping at Restaurant Lou Wong, which we did several months back when we came to Ipoh for golf, we can never be tired of this combination. Ipoh has the best beansprouts!

Coupled with Fish Ball soup and Chicken Feet, all I can say is burp!

As we make our way slowly into the island, just catching the rush hour traffic, the warm sun greeted us. I am simply dreaming to be by the poolside with a cold beer in my hand. Mmm…

Lunch in Ipoh

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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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