My bro's new place~

My brother finally got his own place, and had just moved in to his new home recently.. Staying not too far off from us, he's now staying at Esparina, an EC at Buangkok..

We visited him sometime back to check out his new place..

There are a few pools and gaccuzis scattered around..

Enjoying the view and breeze..

Happy parents!

Exploring the amenities around..

Has a water playground too.. A family-friendly place..

Then we proceeded up to his place at level 8..

Has a small balcony too~

Interesting light feature for the dining table~

And a good view from the balcony too..

Admiring the wall feature..

And the huge toilet in the master bedroom!

Simple kitchen~

Most importantly, the highlight is.. This 60 inch tv! Haha.. It's a home cinema!

 

Family trip to Macau and Hong Kong!

We try to have a family trip to somewhere nice each year =) think it became more regular since few years back.. Started with Hong Kong 3 or 4 years back, then it was Taipei 2 years ago, and more recently last year (yes, it's 2014 now) we headed over to Macau and Hong Kong! Haha..

Heard much about Macau, seen much pictures too.. And unlike many friends who said that there was nothing much to do in Macau, I had a great time there! Weather wasn't perfect (it was raining for all the days when we were in Macau and Hong Kong!!), but we had a great time! Before stepping foot in Macau, I was attracted to the pictures I found online, the Portuguese and European inspired architecture, pebbled/tiled walkway, bold colours on buildings, etc.. Macau, as I imagined, is an interesting place to be at.. A mini Europe maybe? Haha..

A place rich in heritage, and of course juxtapose with the modern and luxurious casinos! I'm intrigued and can't wait to explore Macau.. However, keeping in mind that I'm traveling with my folks, itinerary must be suitable for them.. But since cab fares are cheap over there, we cabbed everywhere! =)

*warning.. Photo-storm ahead*

Here are some pictures taken with my trusty iPhone.. Haha

7早8早 at Changi Airport.. Our flight was at 6am..

And we arrived at our destination.. Hello Macau! =)

Coz it was cold.. 15 degrees, we bought coffee to warm our bodies..

Checked in our hotel, and headed to the first stop on our itinerary.. Haha Ruins of St. Paul! A stone's throw away from our hotel.. Just 5 mins walk!

Must-take photo! To show that I was there! Haha

All in!

Weather was cold and nice.. Before it started to drizzle and refused to stop for the next 3 days =p

The drizzle didn't dampen our spirits and we continued to our next destination.. Macau Fisherman's Wharf! Supposedly a shopping street with shops and restaurants, but it was oddly quiet.. Running man was here some time back.. But that's not the reason why I chose to come here.. Haha I read online that this place is like a mini Europe, with many pretty man-made European inspired houses and buildings.. More of a tourist attraction and a place to take pretty pictures.. Haha

The colosseum! I'm in Rome!!

Taking occasional breaks.. Haha

There were many other pictures we took there and it's beautiful! Do check out my Facebook for more pretty pictures!

A Macau trip is never complete without Casinos! Haha.. And of course, one cannot miss The Venetian!!! I love this place... If there's anything I dislike about it, it's the cigarette smoke... Without that, this place is heaven.. Haha..

We went to Sands Macau Casino before The Venetian, but that place is boring =p and oh, all the major casinos offer free shuttle services to other major casinos.. So we took a shuttle bus from Sands to the Venetian..

Ok, back to Venetian.. this place is beautiful beyond words.. The owner must be filthy rich to build this place! Even the toilet taps and dustbins are gold plated, or painted.. Either way, I'm in awe.. Haha

Oh and I gambled too! Haha.. In a lucky game of 大小.. Hee.. Won 100HKD only~

No photo taking allowed in casinos, so this is the closest I can get

Look at the ceiling!

It's always daytime inside the Venetian.. With Mummy dearest~

So pretty, and the gondoliers sing very well!

Why is Venetian so pretty???!!!

Family Selfie! =)

Day 1 of Macau ended with Venetian and I had such a wonderful dream that night.. I'm not kidding, I dreamt of fireworks, it was like I was in a glittery and magical land~ woah! I'm impressed.....

Ok Day 2.. We headed to Ruo do Cunha, a narrow pedestrian street that sells souvenirs, littered with Portuguese restaurants and shops selling local snacks like almond cakes, peanut candy, egg rolls etc.. Pretty interesting place.. I didn't take pictures on my phone but I have them in my Facebook =)

Next stop.. Macau Tower!

Tickets were approximately $25 per adult, and we bought the package that included high tea buffet and telescope viewing.. And up we went, to a height of 338m!

Pretty view with my big head!

Went to the outdoor area for a short walk.. It was cold!!! *brr*

Finally, we were done touring the tower and it's time to fill our empty stomachs.. The high tea ended at 7, so we hurried into the restaurant before 7 and treated it as our dinner! Haha..

Breath-taking view..

We watched the skies slowly turned dark.. While we enjoyed our food, in an empty restaurant =)

Such bliss!

Casinos galore!

Look at the stretch of colour fully-lit casinos! Very pretty..

Last shot before leaving the tower

Our night activity was the same for both nights.. Casino hopping!! Next stop.. Grand Lisboa... My second favourite casino.. Haha.. I won in Jackpot too! Haha small amount only~ am not a huge fan of gambling..

Gorgeous Chandelier

金碧辉煌

It is definitely very grand looking! - Grand Lisboa

And that concluded our 2 days in Macau.... I enjoyed our days there~

Day 3 saw us catching a ferry over to Hong Kong (first time taking their ferry, and it was pretty efficient.. Took approx ah hr to reach Hong Kong, minus the waiting time..

OOTD at hotel room in HK

As we've been to HK previously, and had visited the usual street markets and attractions, we decided to visit the less popular street market - Fa Yuen Street.. I'm surprised that they sell almost everything, at a cheaper price too.. Think most locals shop here too..

Next, Sisi brought me to this bugis street like mall at Mongkok called new town mall.. Shioks!! Things are really cheap.. My loot after 1hr of shopping.. Impressive right? Haha.. I could have gotten more, if the season was right =p

We turned in early that night as we were exhausted..

Day 4's plan was simple, we headed to Stanley village for a nice exploration.. I was here with Mr Koh during our last HK trip and found this place simple and nice.. Most importantly, it's not very crowded..

Took a city bus over..

More pictures of Stanley on Facebook =p

We made our way back to Mongkok.. And headed to Langham place, coz daddy read much about the long escalators on the internet..

Guess what, my favourite hello kitty had her exhibition there! Haha.. I had to take a few pictures with her =)

The weather finally took pity on us and gave us good weather for the last few hours of our last night in HK.. We couldn't be more thankful for that.. Haha..

Rest of the night was spent roaming the streets of Mongkok and Yau Ma Tei.. At temple street and ladies market specifically.. Where daddy bought a truckload of polo tshirts and shirts.. Haha.. That was his aim and he was a happy man that night! We savoured street snacks and I had my cold cold bubble tea.. Haha.. Cold drink on a cold 10 deg weather.. Double shiok!

All smiles~~

Posed for a shot at the lift lobby mirror outside our room, before we washed up and enjoyed our supper - food and beer bought from a nearby 7-11 =)

Day 5 - Bye bye HK

Caught an early flight back to Singapore.. And it was such a pity coz the weather that day was perfect and sunny! Wished we could stay for another day or two =p

Our loot!

Home sweet home!

Looking forward to the next trip!!! =)

 

Happy New Year 2014!

Happy New Year to everyone dropping by! =) hope 2014 started out well for you.. It's the time of the year where most people would think about their new year resolutions, new targets, goals, etc. I've decided not to have a list this year, coz it's depressing to look through them a year later to see how many I haven't achieved.. Haha =p

Saw this article about new year resolutions on 'thought catalogue' and found it inspiring~ The title says it all, you don't need 1st January to start over, dream, try and take control of your life everyday! =) Do have a quick read!

Meanwhile, Happy 2014 again! May the year ahead be a great one for all of us =) cheers!!

(Recap: how we spent New Year's Eve)

Decided to have dinner at this cosy Italian restaurant before the year ends =)

Seafood pizza

Carbonara

Headed over to Marina Financial Centre, and found a good spot to catch the fireworks.. We waited for approx 4 hrs, since 8pm.. Had fruit beer, chips and of course good company, to last us till midnight~ haha.. Chilly and breezy night..

Yearly affair to countdown and catch fireworks!

New fire works location - Marina Financial Centre

 

You don't need the first of January to start over

By Katrina Tamondong

I have probably made—and broken—over 20 New Year’s Resolutions in my life; 2014 will undoubtedly be no different.

On Thanksgiving I lay awake for hours, imagining what the next year would be like. I explored all the opportunities that 2014 would bring me, the clean slate I would have, how I would start over.

Then it hit me—there are no real do-overs in life. If becoming a new, better person was so easy, we’d all be angels by now, earning whiter wings every new year. We’d beat out Apple for records of the latest improved model ever—for instance, I would be Me v. 24S or 25.0.

But it’s nowhere near that easy. January 1st isn’t a ticket to a better life.

I pulled a lot of shit this year. Did a lot of crazy stunts that I can’t even begin to explain, much less apologize for. I made some new friends, lost a few. Gained a lot of weight and got so out of shape. Opened some new doors for my career and locked a few dreams away.

As I lay in bed that night, I thought about what I would do come 2014. I planned to really, really focus on improving myself, to become a real good, if not better, person. I would move on from lost friendship and take care of the good relationships in my life. I would start a healthy lifestyle and do an everyday work-out routine that would put VS Angels’ abs to shame. I would explore more options to develop my career. I planned to take complete control of my life as soon as the first day of next year rolled around. Then I realized…

What is January 1st, 2014 if not a date? Yes, it is a calendar date that marks the beginning of a new year for the whole world, but it is still just a calendar date. It is merely the day after December 31st. If things were different, February 1st could have easily been the first day of the new year, as could the 1st of March or the 1st of April. So why January 1st?

Why did I need to wait for the 1st of January to take control of my life? If anything, it made more sense to use birthdays as the benchmark. They, at least, mark your next year of life. And each year, if not each day, you have to keep learning and to keep growing.

The thing is, one thing that the 1st day of the year and our birthdays have in common, is that you can use them to check on your development. Compare your professional growth in the new year to the previous year. Think back to your personal improvements from one birthday to the next.

But taking (or regaining) control of your life can start now.

Say goodbye to negative thoughts and actions that never really did you any good. Start becoming a better friend as a mark of the lesson you learned from old friendships. For so long, I cared too much about people’s opinions and let them affect me. I focused on impressing people who never liked me much to begin with and left the ones who really cared about me on the back seat. Well, not anymore. I will put my attention on keeping the good people in my life and let go of toxic relationships. If there’s anything I’ve learned about friendships, it’s that people who want to be in your life will truly make an effort to be in it.

Begin a healthier lifestyle today along with that work-out you’ve been studying for ages. Start reading up on marketing and branding to help you learn more about your career path. Make time in your schedule for stress-relieving parties and coffee dates. Remember to also pencil in a lot of time for yourself, to think about changes that you need to make or what you really want out of life.

To borrow words from Mr. Feeny: “Dream. Try. Do good…” Now. Do-overs might not be real, but you don’t have to keep making the same mistakes over and over again, just waiting for a new year to stop you or breathe a new life into you.

Start today; start now. Just as it’s never too late to begin again, it’s never too early to learn and be better.

You don’t need the 1st of January and you never really did. Enough with the excuses and the pointless New Year’s Resolutions. Just promise yourself that you will take full control of your life, and keep that promise. That’s all the resolution that you need.

 

The hunt for our wedding bands

It was an unexpected quick purchase (last month), for something that we will wear and hold dear for the rest of our lives.. The wedding bands~ =) the hunt for our rings took 3 days.. I'm surprised with our efficiency.. Haha..

We started with a random visit to a jewellery shop at Wisma, while we were enjoying our weekday afternoon leave.. We casually checked out and tried on some wedding bands, for fun.. It wasn't part of the plan/schedule, haha coz we still had some time to our wedding day.. So it wasn't urgent.. That random visit was slowly followed by a few visits to other jewellery shops, for the next 3 days.. Haha!

We started out as noobs, knowing little about the kinds of finishing available, materials, designs and price.. By the end of our wedding bands hunt, I must say our knowledge on wedding bands had increased by ten-folds.. Haha

There were a few options for us.. The 'safe' designs, as he would call them, they are simple and designs are usually popular and hard to go wrong, either Matt or glossy, with diamonds or not, etc.. By the end of a few visits to different shops, all rings look almost the same as one another to me.. I remembered none of those that I saw previously vividly, except for this specific ring with a unique finishing that stands out from the rest.. The hammered finishing =)

Not the kind most people (especially ladies) will like or choose, coz it looks rugged and don't really go well with the solitaire proposal ring.. Haha.. But I just can't stop thinking about it after 2 consecutive days of ring shopping =p We saw such hammered-finish rings at Larry's and Love & co. We both felt that the hammered finishing is unique and we want the rings to mean something to us - resilient, sophisticated and with character~

Hammered-finish ring from Larry's

Extreme right - hammered finish ring from Love & co.

 

The typical eternity rings that are adored by many ladies look good and matches well with my proposal ring, but with my lifestyle and 'chor lor' behavior, I don't want to constantly worry about diamonds falling off or turning yellow as the years go by.. I'd prefer a more durable ring with a lasting design, that I can wear for many many years ahead.. Also, I want a matching ring that looks similar to his, no point getting a pretty ring that looks different from the man's.. Haha.. Most importantly, we have to like it.. =)

The glittery eternity ring

 

So, it's been decided. We didn't take too long to decide, It's calling out to us~ we decided we buy the hammered-finish platinum with gold trimming rings from Love & co. on the 3rd day of our ring shopping 'adventure'.. Haha.. The pair from Larry's too chunky, and is not made of platinum (which is a precious metal)..

Presenting to you.. Our wedding bands! (Will be ready by March next year)

Engraving to be done at the insides

Our wedding bands

Wedding bands? Checked! =)

 

His birthday!

Finally had time to blog about his birthday, that took place more than a month ago.. Haha.. He is slowly creeping into the '3's group.. So fast, another year had passed~ I still have another few more years before I'm invited to join the '3's group.. Haha

This year we celebrated his birthday at Sentosa! A staycation at siloso beach resort! Woots~ time to relax and recharge the weary bodies.. Haha yes, mine was celebrated there at Sentosa too~ sometimes I wonder if we should apply to be an 'islander' since we frequent sentosa that much.. =p

Highlight of his birthday was 'Adventure Cove' =) was looking forward to having much fun playing with water.. Haha like little kids =p For the fun, I'm willing to go under the sun without complaining.. Haha..

Changed into bikini and sexy board shorts respectively, we dived into great fun! Whoosh.. Haha.. I bought a waterproof camera so that we could capture the beautiful memories and fun we had at adventure cove..

It was fun to just sit on the float and let the water waves push you around the perimeter of the park.. There were many water features and installations along the way, overhead aquarium, stingray bay, etc.. Weather was good that day! Sun was kind enough.. Haha

The man made wave pool! With man made waves coming on at regular intervals.. Haha see how everyone rushes to the pool when the waves are on..

I didn't take more pics in my phone, more were taken using the water proof camera.. Haha.. Love the pictures taken that day! =)

Would like to share this terrifying experience of mine at the snorkeling pool.. It was horrifying! But we'll always laugh (at myself) whenever we think back about it.. Here's what happened.. It was supposedly a key attraction at the park, up close and personal with the exotic rainbow fishes.. Snorkel round a pool that was actually very safe.. The signs indicated a few basic requirements: good swimmer, height requirement, etc.. Sounds simple and good right?

I didn't know where I got the courage from, I wasn't even a swimmer (I once was.. Haha but suddenly forgot how to).. We queued up for it.. All was fine until I started to snorkel.. Hahaha! Omg.. U give me 100 bucks now, and I'll tell you I won't do it again =p

I felt helpless!!! It suddenly dawned on me that I can't swim.. And my legs can't touch the ground.. I didn't like the idea of having fishes tickle my legs! I suddenly realized what I got myself into.. I struggled with breathing through the equipment provided.. I wanted to die! =p Hahaha.. Thankfully I had the life jacket on me, that kept me alive.. I was in a state of frantic and breathlessness, I swear I was doing very embarrassing 'somersaults' while struggling... Life guards all ready to rescue this helpless creature - me... I just wanted to finish the round and get to shore =p

While on the other side of the house, the birthday boy was frolicking around like a dolphin.. How jealous!!

Haha.. Many times I had to hold on to him just to stay afloat.. But he corrected me, saying that I literally pushed his head down the water countless times during my struggles.. Hahaha!

Ok.. It was hilarious! =p But I won't do it again......

We tried most of the rides and ended our adventure at the cove near dinner time.. Haha! It was fun!!

Dinner time~~

Brought him to Museo at Sentosa Cove! Lovely place~ First time for the both of us.. Food was not bad.. Casual fine dining experience.. Fat die us! Haha..

Didn't have much time to stroll around sentosa cove coz we had to catch the last shuttle bus back to siloso beach.. We'll come back again! =)

Next morning~ we had the hotel breakfast and headed for a swim again at the hotel's beautiful pool.. There's a mini waterfall and water slide too!

We enjoyed our mid day coffee! and a complimentary cake for the birthday boy.. Haha.. Such an enjoyment~

So happy~

Happy birthday my dear! *muacks*

May the year ahead be a great one for you~~ and me too! Haha