Part 3: Mt Bromo

The minute we got out of the vehicle, I regretted not getting a thicker/warmer jacket....We knew that it is gonna to cold...(well...I was convinced that it will be...haha..) but I didn't expect it to be so cold! At the end of it, apart from the top that I have, my jacket and a shawl, I have to get a pair of gloves and rent a jacket from the locals....=P

Mt Bromo-The most popular and one of the well known East Java's tourist attractions. The pre-dawn departure to catch the sunrise, a full view of the range of volcanoes, a climb up the volanoes and a close up view of the crater-COOL EXPERIENCE! All the panting, climbing, cold and waiting are worth it!

Part 2: Base no. 1

From Surabaya, we move on to Malang which is to be our base for our expedition to Mt Bromo!

This is how our "base" looks like...

But well...this is only how our room looks like. Check out the other parts of the hotel:

Part 1:"Grand Tour"

Just in case if any of you out there thought that I disappeared from the surface of the earth during the holiday season, I actually embarked on a "Grand Tour".

First stop - Surabaya.

And if you are wondering where on earth Surabaya is, it is the Second Largest City in Indonesia (the largest being Jakarta).

So........ Welcome to Surabaya-our gateway to the grand tour of East Java!

As the car passed by the zoo, this statue caught my attention...why these two creatures? Well...the name Surabaya which is made up of the word Sura and Baya actually means shark and crocodile respectively. So, this statue is actually a representation of Surabaya!

*Back*

I am back!

Yes! I will tell you about it all in the next few days....can't really sum up everything in one post(call me Ms Efficient-haha!).

Most importantly, Merry Christmas to you!

How was your celebration? Mine was great. It was a very interesting Christmas celebration at places that I least expected myself to be..haha..

What did Santa deliver this Christmas? Lots of cool gifts! These are what he delivered...a bagful of surprises, beautiful scenaries, smiles, people, experiences and company....^__^

x'mas

Have you done your Christmas shopping? How many gifts do you have to buy? How many have you actually bought? Mine was a super rush one....in between my furniture shopping...keke....

So my dear frens, those who had already received or will be receiving my gifts from someone else...pai sei....=P

Yes...it's really bad...I remember making someone wait for around 15mins just cos' I need to find some boxes for the gifts that I was going to pass to her....one of the gift boxes that I bought was dirty somemore....-_- There's also someone who got the gift in this super crappled paper bag.....but went...38 won't mind right? keke.....BTW, mum like the carrier you bought for me from Japan too! so.....

Perfume

Sis, what's that "diamond-top" perfume that you are talking about? You malu me man....they don't have something like what u had described.....you sure you got the right brand?

But I was recommended to this cool perfume over the weekend....shaped like a giant lipstick, with a twist cum press, wala! you get yourself one of the best fragrance......

-Extracted from the website-

COCO MADEMOISELLE(Limited Edition)

The height of luxury within hand's reach, whatever the time of night or day, whether travelling to the other end of the world or simply resting in the bag that holds our precious daily essentials…

Held in a jewel of a case that's as iridescent as a string of white pearls, the Purse Parfum presents the most precious fragrance concentration in the world of perfumery. This Haute Couture scent contains the very quintessence of the most noble ingredients, such as May Rose Absolute and Iris Absolute. Featuring a discreet applicator, the Purse Parfum is applied to the skin one drop at a time, with a subtle, feminine and absolutely delicate touch.

another activities-filled weekend

The weekend that just passed has been super crazy....imagine this....I walk till I couldn't walk further-that is I had a mucsle pull(yes, I have not only fats! haha!) that hold me to the spot.

The cabs taken, the places/areas and agenda covered is really overwhelming...

J...sorry if I made u spent more than you should or intended but good buys weren't it? =P

Sis, you missed all the "fun"! I almost sprain my ankle while carrying the stuffs....sob

"buddha's hand"

Saw this at a temple....it is called "fo sou", in direct translation...buddha's hand (I know! My hanyu pinyin is really bad.....) Close resemblance to the human's hand/fingers huh?

Hang in there...

So happy to receive her email...

So happy to know that she's alright...

So happy to know that we share a common understanding on her situation....

I wish I know what happened but I shall not probe

cos' when it's time u will tell...

We will meet again my friend....please hang in there.....

My "Carpet"

We missed Rex so much that we decided to check with his nanny on how he is doing....although the nanny mentioned that he's doing fine.....still can't help wondering if boy boy is really alright....maybe he misses us too? Or rather he misses the snacks that we had been giving him....-_-

The field

This was what I saw at the field in front of my block the week before we moved out of BP..

This was the sight on the day that we moved out...

A week after we moved out, it was out in the newspaper that they are gonna build EC at that plot of land...

Muffins

Be sure to check this out when u return ya? They are really yummy! I thought they are as good(if not better) as those that we ate at K.R.


We wiped out like 9pcs for breakfast on Sunday-Thanks to my colleague N who went to pick them up before the shop closes at 2pm.

AAL

AAL, if you are reading this, please give me a call!!!! Where have you disappeared to? Called and msg u like crazy but think your phone is off. Are u in Japan already?

Be prepared for some "scolding" when u call though...

Finally fixed on a date!

We finally agreed on the bbq date and what makes it even better is that every turns up at the bbq! Hooray!

My apologies on the marinating if it didn't turn out to be what you had expected ya? But well... we had great fun, didn't we? =P

So much fun that our CL was aching like anything the following day. As for me...I was too "high on activities" that I dreamt of the whole preparation process! Haha!

interesting conversation(part 3)

The lady continues to stay with the bro and mother-in-law after the husband death....Over the years, the bro-in-law had been playing the role of a father to the little boy. He did everything a father would had done. Read to the boy, tution the boy, chauffeur the boy and the mother, bring him and the mother for holiday...etc, just like a family....He developed feelings for his sis-in-law.

The little boy likes his uncle but the mother reminded him..."No matter how much you like uncle, u can only call him godfather, not father. You had a father but your father had passed away"

This man had waited for her for the past 16yrs and is still waiting....

interesting conversation(part 2)

What happened to the wife? My first qns to the person was "She remarried right?"

Well...she alone, raised up her kid. The boy is 16yrs old now. Guess what? Since young, she had been telling her mum " I want to be a monk one day"

For some reasons, the mother is prepared. She's prepared for that day to come.

another interesting conversation

I met her again...another incredible story....

The story goes that a person made a vow to become a monk when he was a kid. He was into all the buddha's teaching and all since young till he met her. He broke his promised. Fall in love with this lady and got married. 0.5yr later, on their delayed honeymoon, the lady found herself pregnant. The guy was so happy he piggybag his wife around in a native country. It was an interesting experience for her. Realised that she's pregant and been piggybagged around on their honeymoon. Till now, she couldn't erase this part of her memories....it never fails to bring back a smile onto her face.

When they got back to Singapore, a few months later, on the day of her follow up sessions with the gynec, she was being told that the baby is a boy. she called the hubby who's at work at the moment. He was so excited. He told he colleagues that he wanted to go home to see his wife ASAP. So despite the heavy rain and the persuasion from the colleagues to go home slightly later when the rain is not as heavy, he left the office.

The wife waited at home. She received a call from the police station that her husband had been strike by the lightning.

When verifying his belongings, they were presented with a burnt top that the hubby was wearing that day...What puzzled everyone at the mortuary was that the body was intact. No sighs of burnt at all except for a red line across the chest...

At the wake, someone passed a comment,"He shoudn't had broken that vow he made"

New place

This is what we had to put up with first week at the new place(well...at the balcony)....

The sight that greeted us everyday....still so, but getting better....

wow....

I just realised something! Victoria's Secret's lotion and body mist is available in Watson!

Impressed man....Watson's variety of merchandise is getting wider and more adventurous....and that is really to the advantage of us- THE CONSUMERS!

The BIG day

SR, just wanna say

I AM TRULY SORRY

buy u dinner when I return k? I know it's a super duper special day for you and I have been looking forward to it but I 'm afraid I will have to give it a miss....

"surprises"

Have been living with surprises since I moved...

To start with, there's this "alarm clock from the wild"(some super loud and high pitched bird that will wake up the neighbourhood up at around 6am)....the good thing is that is around the time that I have to get up for work...hehe..

Secondly, bro and myself are always looking forward to going home-cos' there will be something new or a new development in term of the renovation. Of course, there will always be things that are still not done...well...we expect this to drag on for around a month or so...

There's also this cool thing about getting home without having to take the LRT..(it's hard to explain....after having to do so for the past 18yrs...)

Wonder what's next for us.....

Happy Birthday!

Today's post has to go out to my dearest bro....why? cos' it's his special day!

Happy Birthday to you!

Thanks for putting everything together(mission impossible)...
Thanks for the patience(esp during time of serious miscommunication..hehehe)...
Thanks for the time(for scouting around for items and ideas)...
Thanks for not going crazy after subjecting yourself to our nonsenses(we tahan yours as well)..keke..
Thanks for just being just my(our) brother..

Birthday celebration

An early birthday celebration might be a good idea given that everyone needed some sort of break...and really...the cleaning up and unpacking is getting a bit too much...thanks to sis who came back to help....my legs were swollen from carrying all the heavy stuffs...

The meal was great till....We dared my family members to the Buffalo wings-Chef Challenge at Jerry's. What was the outcome?

All paused after the 1st two bites..started to drink like crazy...faces turn red...and grabbing of tissues...keke....Mum was caught "washing" the wings with water-wahahah! Bro surrendered...without finishing the wing, he excused himself to go to the toilet...sis? one bite and I took over...keke.... At the end of it all, we have only one hero who took 3 wings...keke...I salute you man! From a non chilli-taker to a Buffalo wings' chef challenger!! woohoo!!!

Well...another interesting sight-all of us left the restaurant with pouty lips. =P

FINALLY!

Hooray! We have finally moved! It was almost mission impossible at one point in time but we managed to! Er....even when the renovation is not completed.....

What actually happened....I will save it for my story-telling sessions with u. As for my condition....I can only say that my whole body is aching...especially so for my feet...they are swollen....the aching was so bad that even though I was dead tired, the pain kept me awake...sob sob...

Siblings...don't worry about it k? remember my role? I am the "insertion". We all know what it meant right? keke...

"must have"

This is the one of the "must-have" that I have missed this week....think I will miss it for another week given the activity level....sob...

Common sense

What is Common Sense?

Something "interesting" happened today to make me ponder over this word. I realised that people tends to complicate things and do things that doesn't make sense at all.

Weekend

I thought the weekend that just passed will give me an opportunity to rest....but no....it left me totally exhausted....All the packing, travelling, finalising, compromising and waiting is just overwhelming....for me and everyone else..

The question is:

Will everything be on time?

Will everything be in accordance to plan?

Can't wait for Thursday to come.

Can't wait for everything to be over.

Or do I really want it to happen so soon? There's just so much memories tied to this place...

something I am gonna miss...

From a piece of empty field to what it is today....and I heard there will be further development but I don't think I will be there to witness the construction....This is the view that I am gonna miss....

"Ripper"

That's Rex "playing" with his toy-that is to rip his toy apart.... -_-

peanuts with garlic?

It was a gift from the Indonesia. I was sick then so I took it to the office to share with my colleagues. Apparently it was good...before I know the 2 packets were gone. But the smell is really overwhelming...you really don't wanna talk to those who are eating or had taken it. The smell...arghhh.....I seriously don't wanna TRY to recall....

so...is it another case of the fermented tou fu?

walnut bread

Provence Cafe & Bakery -It may be called Provence, but its European breads are given a Japanese twist. Owned by qualified Japanese baker Yoshiaki Matsumoto, 36, the bakery employs seven Japanese and local bakers in its kitchen behind. It uses high-quality wheat imported from France, and every loaf is measured, mixed, kneaded and finished by hand.

My colleague, CL happened to be their supporter cum promoter....haha...

I tried their walnut bread the other day. I must say-It's good. Really good. So, check it out. Gather from CL that their wassant is really popular-so, if you are intending to make a trip to H.V. just for that, my suggestion will be to be like what CL did-call to confirm. =)

The Green monster

I found my green contact lens while packing the other day....as I looked at them(before dumping them into the trash bag), I realised I didn't miss those glasses-less days....keke...

But the infection then did leave behind "traces"-red veins in my eyes, that creates some issues for me though...

These red veins becomes more obvious after staring at the monitor for a few hrs or simply when I am tired.....that in a way, makes me look even more tired.

Looking tired is one thing.....but lately, I have people who suspected that I was crying cos' of those bloodshot eyes...sigh.... -_-

little money

You could tell that he likes Rex very much. He was scared of him but at the same time wanted to stroke Rex. We reassured him that it's ok for him to stroke any part of Rex....slowly...the fear disappeared....

When asked if he likes dogs and if he keep any...he paused and reply: "I like dog but my father has little money to get a dog..."

He pointed to his dad who was sitting on a bicycle a distance away while he stayed for like 15mins to stroke Rex....

Wedding by the Reservoir?

While waiting for them to complete their run, I was given the opportunity to admire the sunset, the change of the sky colour and the reflection on the water surface...since my Doreamon bag is always equipped, I had the opportunity to capture this serene scene....

That was what I was facing...and behind me was a tentage set up for a wedding...but for some reason...I felt sad for the couple..the logistics wasn't well taken care of...the solomization seem to have been delayed for some reason. The lighting wasn't sufficient. The guest looks "sian"...seriously....there's were quite a bit of mosquitoes around. I got bitten at a few spots. Right after the solomization, some guests left immediately. And FYI-solomization is the first activity that started the whole celebration.

How do I know? cos' I was there watching the whole process....keke...

Walking cum/or Jogging

nope....I wasn't forced to go for a walk at the Bedok Reservoir....I am needed cos' Rex needed a walk cum run..-_- (well done...)

Since no amount of persuading can get me to jog(not to mention I wan't in proper attire), I ended up walking...but it wan't easy k! Not to mention that the floor was wet from the previous day rain and our waterboy was trying all means to get into those puddles of water....

Actually, I pity boy boy. Unlike myself, where I am allowed to rest after a round of walking, he had to continue with another round of running(dist is pretty long...1 rd of running will take approximately 0.5hr)....when they return, they were totally exhausted...as usual boy boy attracted a crowd but he was too tired to entertain them..keke...

When we got home, he was whining(really pathetic) like crazy for food. This time even daddy gave in...poor boy boy...

Lustion Caution

"You should go watch the uncensored version of Lust caution to update your 'skills'!" That was part of a conversation among a group of gals I happened to sit beside over dinner the other day.....

Mission Impossible

Once again...I am being tasked to be the SALT(sound and lighting team)..in fact it's SALAD(sound and lighting, acting director).....the target? The king of all tricks-HP!

What kind of a promotion....

It's one of the most challenging and "impossible" birthday surprise task given...but it's also one of the most interesting and memorable one. =)

I guess what happened today had brought the team into limelight again...

If that was a game, it was one with numerous backup plans but the risk not calculated...that's why-when the mission was accomplished, I found myself to be....like a deflated balloon...

I can't put everything in words now...but CL and JL who went thru all those planning together with me would know.....haha....JL...I felt like killing him......wahaha...

Can't be Doreamon

I concluded that I can't be like Doreamon cos' I am not a fan of Tong Ruo Shou-actually red bean paste...

Super overweight

"Wow! What happened to him?! He's getting bigger!"

That was my first reaction when I pick up Rex. As he run towards me, it wasn't hard to notice that his tummy had grew even bigger compared to last week...just one week...

Nanny reported that Rex stole food from the kitchen again...though they had tried to camouflage the new pack of dog food...

Greedy boy....

entertainment at the cemetry?

Heard on the radio this morning that Indonesia will have the world first cemetry with "entertainment" facility...Based on the information provided, it will include facility and infrastructure for running, swimming etc and there's even a convention centre/hall...-_-

And all these with the intention to motivate the family, relatives and friends of the deceased to visit the cemetry regulary...and to ease the tension, stress level of the visitors....

er....huh? well... What do u think?

Lao po pi

I tried this before when I was a kid...but didn't know that it's actually lao po pi....I thought it was just some kind of biscuits back then...

Comparing them to the famous Hongkong lao po pi, I actually prefer this. It yummy... ^_^

Traditional look, taste and all...the one that my colleague had bought happened to be prawn flavoured. Just wondering...does it come with other flavours too?

an hr's wait

How will you be like after waiting for more than an hr for a person?

Well...I caught someone smiling after over an hr of waiting...no complaints at all...and the first thing said was "You must be tired. Are u hungry?"

DnD vs Dn"P"

A DnD can turn out to be stressful if it becomes DnP-Dinner and Performance...that's what happened last Sat. But we had great fun. The team spirit keeps me motivated and optimistic though my flu wasn't doing me any good. My nostril was fuming, eyes were red from the flu...the veins were really obvious....that makes putting on my contact lens a challenge...

Much coordination needed and timing was a very important factor. I would say my team mates took it really cool. Way to go guys!

All went well till someone dropped the guitar...think that sort of affected HP....he's all so precious guitar...I felt bad....cos' SALT (sound and effect) had failed, indirectly...

But there were things that happened that diverted my attention from that-the support from those that weren't performing. Words of understanding and reassurance, people saving food for us, people standing at the "frontline" with viewcams and cameras during our performance...*touched*

So much seen, felt, tasted(coldest shark fin I had even eaten) and touched(the most sticky "foundation")...Went home exhausted by satisfied from an eventful day... =)

Dream

I dreamt of him again....back in the hospital. We were talking. Just like back...in the hospital. He was lying on my lap after he finally open his eyes. He told me he needed something...Just as I was about to respond, I woke up to find myself in the room...

The fact that he's not around anymore hit me real hard this time...cos' he felt so real in the dream.

I hate this feeling...

Pine nut cookies-Yum Yum!

Miss "protect-me look", I was thinking...seriously thinking of what I have bought and tried in Shanghai then and this came to my mind! Pine nut cookies! The pine nuts are very fresh. So, check it out when u are there ya? They are available at those confectionaries...try them when they are fresh ya? Cheers!

Chef challenge

Wasn't feeling too good on Friday....but my craving for those Jerry's Buffalo wings was overwhelming.....bought half a dozen each of Intensive Fire and Chef Challenge.....and now I am sick. Sick since last Sat. I know what you wanna say.."Serve u right"?

Birthday celebration-further update

What did we get in return? The sweetest sms:

"Thanks. I am the happiest birthday gal ever"

It's worth it.. ^_^

Birthday celebration

I had one of the coolest birthday "celebration" yesterday....A beautiful plot that requires some rules to be broken, a rush against the limited time we have, good coordination...er....in fact excellent coordination and timing.....cos' that's what spoilt the plan...

Yes-We broke the rules and were "discovered" somehow...but we went ahead with the plan....=P

It was drizzling, we run around around the premise like kids....trying to locate the unit...in fact everyone expected HP to remember the unit....but well....er...after standing outside a few units, checking out the slippers and all, we decided that HP should go back to the car to confirm the unit #(he had conned the BD gal to gather the information....) We made a few phone calls to try to buy time and to make sure that the BD gal is still at home....rushed like crazy and got to the destination on time but we missed the birthday gal. who would have guessed there's so many lobbies around!

We were coordinated. Let me recall...we had people holding on to a guitar, food, cake, cameras, standing outside the door. In fact we had the ideal formation to surprise her! All ready to sing, present her with the cake and food and to capture her reactions with the camera....but.....no one came to the door after we knocked and ringed the bell a few times....

I turned to look at everyone else....all looked helpless and disappointed somehow...decided to call her to confirm our fear....yes, she's out already, on the bus somemore!!! arghhh!!!!

We weren't ready to stop there....we had went too far....we agreed to proceed to destination 2...we waited at the restaurant that we expect her and her friends to have lunch at but they didn't turn up. We waited like close to an hr? We decided to have lunch there....

But...I realised something.... Good food + lousy mood= bad food

We decided to let her know that we're waiting. Can't afford to wait any longer for OBVIOUS reason...We called many times trying to locate the bd gal. That's when we felt reallyyyyy helpless and disappointed....

We decided to give her one last call before we leave the place with the cake and food...she picked up the phone!!!!!!!! When she finally showed up, we were really glad! You can't imagine how excited and relief we were....

Empty trains during peak hrs

Do you know that everyday, between 7am and 9am, 11 empty trains head from Yishun MRT Station to Marina Bay station - two between 7am and 8am and nine between 8am and 9am?

I didn't know that...just read about it from the newspaper today that this was in place to meet the higher passenger demand during the peak hours....lucky Yishun-ers!

"giant" at carpark

First, they send u a letter for you to vote for an upgrade..then they send u a letter informing u about the results of the voting exercise...Majority goes for an upgrade? So what'z next?

Some time later u will find your carpark been taken over by a "giants"...overnight...wala! You get your extension. This is how fast things happen....feels like lego....

Rex's secret admirer??

hmmm....