Beanie's first visit to a farm (and mine too!)

Little Beanie took her feeding duties very seriously and insisted on carrying the feeding bucket.

The little wallaby was SO CUTE! It was a gentle little thing and was very patient with Beanie.

But Little Wallaby was simply too greedy so it went straight for the bucket.

Beanie: "Nah, bread for you!" 

During the Margaret river trip, we visited a petting zoo / farm: The Sunflower Farm. It wasn't really a real farm but more of a touristy petting farm. Nonetheless, it was an eye-opening for me, who have never been to an Angmoh farm or a petting farm.

First, we bottled-fed 2 cute little lambs. OMG, they were so cute and their wool was so soft! And the best part: they weren't smelly at all!

Then the baby wallaby came along and stole my heart. It was such a gentle little creature! It followed Beanie around since Beanie was the one carrying the feeding bucket. And Beanie was very intrigued by her furry friend. They hanged out for a while until... well, the feeding bucket got kind of empty.

Then we saw geese, limas, many different breeds of chickens, ducks, turkeys, rabbits, sheep, a horse and a pony... etc (strangely, no cows) and most important of all, pigs.

I have never knew that pigs can be so BIG. I mean, HUGE. In my mind, I thought pigs are the size of big dogs, but fatter and smellier. But apparently, pigs that are reared for meat are really big animals! They are twice the length of me... Geez!

I stared at the pigs and lambs for the longest time and started to feel bad that I actually eat them. Sigh, maybe I should become a vegetarian but the foodie in me refused to even entertain the thought.

As for Beanie, she had a blast at the farm. She happily carried the feeding bucket, fed the animals, she was not afraid of them (not even the pigs?!) and was constantly interacting with the animals. I was rather proud of her, my little trouper. ;)

I'm now looking forward to visit other farms in other countries and maybe a farm stay too!

Margaret River Trip

Vineyard at Grayln Estate. Fantastic Sweet wines, Love it!

Feeding rabbits at Sunflower Farm. I had so much fun at the farm. More so than Beanie!

 Having Tea at Leeuwin Lighthouse.

Beanie tried on the swing at Cape Mentelle Winery.

Little Beanie trying to follow her Daddy.

At Watershed Winery, trying to take a mother-&-daughter picture.

It has been a long time since I updated my blog!

Sorry for the missing in action. I was rather busy with work and then was away to Margaret River for a week. 

Anyway back to the trip, the vacation was great! As you could see from the pictures, Beanie had loads of fun and it was simply refreshing to breathe in the fresh, crisp air; and to enjoy the wide open space.

We went with our neighbors and thankfully for them, we had the ratio of 4 adults to 1 Beanie. That gave me more room to breathe instead of being driven up the wall by a relentless toddler.

I should nominate my neighbors for the Good Neighbour Award!

I must say that the family trip turned out much better than I thought. Beanie was quite well-behaved on the plane rides (5 hours flight one-way) and the road trip (3 hours ride one-way). I had thought that I would have to deal with a screaming kid, strapped to a car seat.

Surprisingly, Beanie was very thrilled to be in her car seat! She took it as her "special" seat and would INSIST to sit in the car seat, even though it would be a less than 5 mins ride. And throughout the trip, I only had to fish out the iPad at the return leg of the plane ride for about 30 mins. Not bad at all, I must say.

So much so that, Hub and I are thinking about taking Beanie to Japan. A skiing holiday, maybe?

A short getaway to Phuket

A little garland to welcome Beanie to the resort

Family Photo!

Mommy, can I order this?

So after various rounds of debates with the Hub, both of us finally decided to lug Beanie along to our short getaway to Phuket. Luckily for us, our neighbors came along with us and the extra 2 pairs of hands came in very handy to carry Beanie around.

We stayed at JW Marriott Home Vacation Club 4-days-3-nights FOR FREE?! But there was a catch, we had to sit through a 90 mins sales pitch for the hotel's "vacation club points purchase scheme". For Hub and I, both of us went for this free stay with our eyes open but ears closed. So, after 2 hours, we still walked out of the presentation without buying or signing anything.

Yay! *do a victory dance*

But seriously, for a free stay. It was totally worth it. The hotel room was more like a service apartment with a fully a equipped kitchen, 2 bedrooms and decent size dinning & living area. Hotel service was prompt and every staff was polite and helpful.

All in all, this short getaway was very enjoyable. So much so that, we are planning for another short trip to Penang at the end of December!

Haha! And yes, Beanie will go with us too!

False Alarm

Last 10 days have been rather stressful because of a possibility that Beanie might have a little sister or brother next year!

Thankfully, it was a false alarm. *BIG SIGH OF RELIEF*

Don't be mistaken, I do want Beanie to have a younger sibling, but I'm thinking of planning for one when she is at least 18 months old. Just not right now.

Phew... now I can go ahead and plan for a familiy holiday in Dec or early Jan next year. I'm thinking of Penang (especially after reading Petunia's trip). I have never been to Penang and I'm dying to eat the REAL Penang Char Kway Tiao, Laksa, Prawn Mee... etc.

Just the thought makes me very hungry already.

But what about Beanie?

On one hand, I think it's time for Hubba and I to have some romantic, couple time. And nothing bonds us more than good, cheap, solid street food. On the other hand, it will be fun for Beanie to experience Penang's laidback charm and I think she will enjoy the street food too!

Argh. Decisions, decisions, decisions.

To travel or not to travel. To lug Beane along or not to lug Beanie along?

Any suggestions?

And we forgot to bring the stroller... ...

No stroller, so luggage trolley gotta make do. (Bangkok Airport)

No baby chair, luggage trolley to the rescue! (Bangkok Airport)


We had cleanly forgotten about the stroller until we were already in the cab, heading towards Changi Airport. Erm... too late. We just gotta make do with a baby carrier.

We also realized that Bangkok isn't very baby friendly. Many restaurants did not have baby chairs and even if they do, those were high chairs without any seat belts, i.e. they were meant for toddlers who are at least 2 years old. Without a seat belt, Beanie could slide off the chair easily!

Out of desperation, we figured out a way to tie the baby carrier to the high chair and Viola, a baby chair for Beanie! If only we had figured that out faster and not on the 2nd last day instead... ... ...

My favorite wine tasting session of the trip: Domaine Jacques-Frederic Mugnier. He is such a great wine maker, and his wines are characterized by both elegance and power. I was so, so,so happy to be able to meet him in person!

Our group dinner at our "chalet", which is actually an old barn owned by Anne Gros (another outstanding wine maker). We prepared 2 steamed pomfrets, cereal prawns, stir-fried mung bean vermicelli & clay-pot rice!

A famous plot in Chambolle-Musigny.

The youngest and best-looking wine maker of the trip. Well.... the rest are old men afterall! Domaine Arlaud's wines are very elegant, with good length. And since he is still so young, he has great potential...
On my last day, there was a thin layer of snow. Beautiful!

Domaine Ramonet is one of the very best white wine producers in Burgundy. I am a great fan of his wines, and in person, he's such a jovial and warm person, very generous too!

The vineyard of Domaine Romanee-Conti, aka "DRC", the most expensive wines in Burgundy. Every fan of Burgundy wine will defintely come here to take a picture!

France Trip Part 2 -> Burgundy

Part 2 of the trip, in Burgundy was extremely educational. I'm not a Burgundy expert but I sure like to drink wines from this region. It doesn't have to be "Grand Cru", but a well-made AND well-priced "village" will always make my day.

Some of the winemakers are actually in the "Superstars" league of the wine-making world. They are like the Johnny Depp or Brad Pitt of Hollywood, but... hrm, not as good-looking lah. Some are very camera-shy, and extremely down-to-earth. One of them even said that "he's just a farmer who likes to do lab-work"... ... Woah, I wonder whether he is aware of his celebrity status.

Other domaines visited included: Domaine Jean-Francois Coche Dury, Domaine Armand Rousseau, Domaine Roulot, Domaine Carillon, Domaines Mugneret-Gibourg et Georges Mugneret, Domaine Anne Cros and Domaine Comte Georges de Vogue.

After meeting the winemakers in person, in future when I drink any of their wines, will be even more meaningful.

Vineyards at chateauneuf Du-Pape (CDP). Golden leaves against the bright blue sky. This picture doesn't do justice to the beautiful scenery!

The "mansion" that we stayed at Avignon, near CDP. This mansion is now a Best Westin Hotel, very charming with a big courtyard.

Walking along the street in the city center of CDP. We were on our way to visit Domaine Henri Bonneau.

And this is the legendary Mr. Henri Bonneau. He is known as the best wine-maker of the CDP region. Already 72 yrs old, I feel extremely privilege to meet him in person!

Walking along the river in Lyon.

Lyon's city center.

France Part 1 -> Paris, Chateauneuf Du-Pape and Lyon.

We spent 4 nights in Paris, 1 night in CDP and 2 nights in Lyon, before heading to Burgundy. What I can deduce from the 1st part of my trip:

1) Paris is still the most beautiful city (to me) day and night. There is just something about Paris... the old buildings, the lights, the small streets and the River Seine make Paris beautiful in her own way.

2) There are still tons of dog shit all over Paris?!?! This is one thing I do not understand... why do Parisians allow their dogs to treat beautiful Paris as 1 big toilet bowl?

3) Parisians are a bunch of super angsty drivers. Chill it, dude!

4) I cannot eat another Foie gras . In fact, I've concluded that I am not thaaaaaat into French food. The more I eat, the less I like. I am a china woman at heart, Chinese food is da best!

5) Do check the internet for the latest updates with respect to the museums. We spent the whole morning walking to the Picasso Museum and it was closed for the next TWO years for renovations!

6) I'll like to visit CDP and Avignon again. Hopefully with more time to walk around.

7) Lyon has better food than Paris. Not kidding. And Lyon is almost just as beautiful too, and with slightly nicer people.

8) I discover the peasant in me. I prefer simple food and small villages. I enjoy hanging out at the vineyards while freezing my ass off. As much as I like Paris, I think I'll give Paris a miss if I ever come to France again.

Part 1 of the trip was basically a prelude, the real action was in Burgundy! I'll update in another post. ;)

I'm going to Paris! Tickets booked... and euro is cheap. B.E.S.T. Will start to change some euros soon...

Some pictures that I've collected from the net to remind myself why I love Paris so, so much.

J'adore la Paris...

My 1st trip ever… with Mum.

Coming this Jan, I’ll be on a 9-days trip to Taiwan with my mother, my 1st younger brother (I have 2 younger brothers) and his girlfriend (my future sister-in-law??)

Although I’ve been to Taiwan before, and I’ve also traveled with my brother before, but this is the very first time that I’ll be bringing my mum on a holiday. And since brother is bring his GF along; I guess Mum will be MY primary responsibility.

I’m excited and apprehensive at the same time. I’m excited that I can dote on my mum and finally sponsor her holiday but I don’t whether my mum will drive me crazy with her usual nagging or her typical-auntie remarks or actions of extreme frugality…

We (my 2 brothers and I) took about a month to convince my mum to take a holiday to Taiwan… My long-suffering mum has never boarded on a plane in her life nor has she ever traveled anywhere further than M’sia. And yet she kept telling us not to waste money, and insisted that she did not want to go.

It was only after I lied that I’ve already bought the tickets that she finally relented and agreed to go on a “waste money” trip to Taiwan.

Then she started nagging on who’s going to look after the cats while she’s not around in Singapore, who’s going to clean the house... …etc. Thankfully, this is when a 2nd brother is most useful. Ha.. ;).

I just hope that this trip will not ruin our existing, fragile mother-and-daughter relationship!

Rider’s Lodge

Finally, I made my way to Rider’s Lodge in Johor, Kulai. Courtesy to D who organized the 1/2 day trip and to K who was so nice to be the designated driver.

We headed off early, meeting at 6.15 am and everyone was punctual! A great start to a good day, in about 1.5 hrs drive, we arrived at Rider’s Lodge.

This was my first official riding class ever since I came back from the US. I did a crash course previously somewhere near Boston where we did a trail to the mountains to enjoy the dazzling colors of the fall. The slightly cool air, coupled with the amazing colors of red and orange was simply breath-taking. We even spotted a deer and a wild turkey. I still remembered that my horse was a clam, old chestnut, and we were riding “western” style, ie: cowboy style, which is different from the English method that is more popular in this part of the world.

It was such a pleasant experience that I’ve always wanted to go it again. And finally, at Rider’s Lodge, I get to learn how to ride again.

Just sitting on a walking horse isn’t that difficult, but sitting with the correct posture and LOOKING graceful is rather hard. Learning how to move with the horse while it’s trotting/galloping is even more challenging.

I was having such a hard time trying to stay in rhythm and half the time, I thought I was going to fall off the horse. Since I’m like the most accident-prone person in the world (according to my hubby), I was really scared that I’ll fall off and break my hip or leg or anything.

Nonetheless, it was a really, really enjoyable experience! I’ll definitely want to do it again. Heard that the new Equestrian Centre at Kranji will be opening in Nov that will save the hassle of driving up to M’sia.

Wana post some pictures from Ipoh (part 1) before I proceed to Part 2!


Monster Sea Cucumber at Teck Kee Ipoh. My hand is barely half its length and not even as wide! This dish is ROCKS!

Monster chicken from Man Zhong Ipoh. This is ONE chicken, NOT TWO. How can a single chicken has so much meat???!! Nuts....

Beek Noodle at Tungkak.

Monster prawns at Tangjong Tualang. A close up pic where you can see the roe of the prawns at the heads if you look carefully enough.

Ta-dah! Monster prawns. Some are even bigger than my hand. Geez....

Food trip to Ipoh & KL. (Part 1: Ipoh)

Ok… this is not for the faint hearted. I know this bunch of people are serious foodies, but seriously, our food guide, Dr Wong, in my opinion, the is ultimate Food God who really knows where are all the good stuff.

Warning: super long post.

A total of 12 of us, packed into 3 cars and 2 bikes headed to Ipoh and KL for the ultimate 5-days-4 nights of mega-pig-out sessions.

The very 1st pit-stop was at Tungkak, which is famous for its beef noodles. The version of Tungkak’s beef noodle comes in the form of a super tasty clear broth, with beef and noodles. It was pretty good, but this dish didn’t rock my world. Personally, I will not drive all the way to Tungkak just have a bowl of Beef noodles.

After that, we basically “cheong” for the next 3.5rs to Gopeng (outskirts of Ipoh) to Tanjong Tu-alang to eat some monster prawns. And Geez…. These prawns were indeed the gorzilla types. Each prawn was longer than my hand??!! In fact, the gem lies in the prawn roe, they were so sweet and fragrant that they could easily be mistaken for crab roe!!

This Zhi Char place at Tanjong Tu-alang was indeed fantastic. It was super ulu though…. So ulu that even the GPS didn’t have its address. But, of course, our Food God can always find his way to good food.

After that, another 1 hour’s drive and we hit Ipoh. 1st dinner was at Public Restaurant, aka “Man Zhong”. Due to a special request from our good friend, Porky A, Dr. Wong ordered 2 roasted suckling pigs. TWO??!! Who in the right mind will eat TWO suckling pigs in one sitting??!! Well… this bunch of crazy people actually did. Dr. Wong also ordered a sterilized-rooster steamed in chicken broth, and the chicken was basically a cousin of Gorzilla. It was the size of 3 chickens combined??!! Seriously… Everyone almost fainted when we saw the size of the chicken.

HOW CAN ANYTHING GROW SO BIG??!! Apparently, sterilized cocks can.

The gorzilla chicken was too tough for my delicate palate, and basically I think this chicken had died in vain as most of us didn’t/couldn’t appreciate it.

Next day’s breakfast was a military exercise. All of us gathered at 6.45 am and “cheong” to this kopitiam, located at the Old Town of Ipoh. I’ve forgotten the name of this Kopitiam, but it is directly opposite of the famous “Nan Xiang” kopitiam.

According to Dr Wong, we had to arrive early because this place would get really crowded after 7 am, and he was right. Shortly after we were seated, there was this tour bus that dumped tens of local tourists and the kopitiam got really busy.

Breakfast Part1: Curry Chee Cheong Fan (really good!), with super “gao” (Ie: thick) Old Town Kopi-O, M’sia style French toast, more kaya toast. And some even ate Hakka Yong Tau Foo.
After that, we hopped over to Nan Xiang Kopitiam and continued with Breakfast Part 2:
Penang style Char Kway Tiao, more Old Town Kopi-O, peanut pancakes (super crispy and fragrant).

By then, I was kinda bursting already.

Then we went for breakfast part 3: Another kopitiam to buy more Chinese pastry and Dr. Wong ordered a plate of roasted pork belly.

Argh…. How can these people eat like that??!!

Just when I thought I’m going to skip lunch, Dr. Wong bought 5 salted chickens, supposed to be really famous in Ipoh.

And fuah, IT WAS THE BEST SALTED CHICKEN THAT I’VE EVER EATEN IN MY LIFE. The meat was soft and yet firm (typical of kampong chickens, different from the “factory” chickens that we eat in Spore), it was nicely flavored with Chinese herb and, of course, salt. The chicken was done is a semi-steam/baked style, so the texture of the chicken is similar to our Hainanese chicken rice, but trust me, the flavor was like 100 times better.

It was so incredible… I think I ate almost 1 whole chicken by myself.

And just when I thought I REALLY couldn’t eat anymore for dinner, Dr. Wong brought us to Teck Kee Restaurant, one of the very best in Ipoh. And fuah, it was the best restaurant for the whole trip!

Every dish served was fantastic but the star dish is the monster sea cucumber braised with scallops, chicken and chestnuts (aka Gao Luck). The flavor was robust and sweet-in-the-savory way. The texture of the sea cucumber was chewy and “Q”… really really delicious lah. By the way, the sea cucumber was about 14 inches long??!!

And the best part, each of us only need to pay 30+ sing. Best!!!

Ok, and after that sumptuous dinner, we still manage to find some room to squeeze in Supper: Ipoh Horfan with chicken, porkballs and sprouts. There’s something about the water in Ipoh that the horfan was super silky and the sprouts were super fat and juicy!!

Ok, after that. I simply cannot eat anymore. In fact, I began to feel a bit ill…. We headed back to the hotel and I had to take a indigestion pill to keep my system going.

And that was just Day 2 in Ipoh.

Conclusion: I’m not a beach person…

D and I took a short trip to Langkawi to attend a friend’s wedding during the Easter holidays and we have agreed on the following conclusions:

1) Both of us aren’t big fans of beach resorts. I always break out in heat rash when ever it gets really hot and humid. As for D, he needs his wines and beers CHILL…. And these babies don’t stay chill for very long when it’s 33 degrees. No cold beer and you’ll get a grumpy D.

2) I simply cannot stand screaming kids in the pool. I’m not the kind to soak in the pool and do nothing. When I go to the pool, my focus is to swim and exercise. Thus, I get really irritated when kids dash around the pool, or swim zig-zag around me while I’m panting away doing my lap swims. And I thought I’m quite maternal.

3) Sentosa is actually quite a nice beach getaway too if you can block out those oil tankers.

I can take the cold winter in Japan… but the heat simply drives me mad. Nonetheless, it was a really beautiful wedding.

Just that D and I were wishing that the theme of the wedding to be "bikini babes and beach hunks - Zouk Out Style!".

Looking forward to the cold

It has been 5 years since I last visited a country during winter. I think I’ve forgotten how it feels to have snow melts in my hand…

Thus, Im looking so forward to a cold, cold winterland trip to Japan! Wooyoo! I’m NOT going to Hokkaido though… yeah, I know that’s the REAL winterland. But, Tokyo, Hakone, Kyoto, Nara, Osaka, Kinosaki and maybe, Hiroshima will be good enough for me!

I really do hope that there will be snow though!

I can’t wait to freeze my ass off!

Last night, I had so much fun digging out all my winter stuff, my knee-high boots, my scarves, my overcoat, my gloves, my hats….. On top of my new, kick-ass jacket from Mango and 2 new additional sweaters, I am good to go!

Although I have to admit that my winter overcoat looks so passé that I’ll most prob save that for a trip to Russia instead of Japan. To go Japan, gotta travel in style!

http://www.blogthings.com/whatamericancityareyouquiz/


This is so weird… all along I have a “love-hate” relationship with New York. New York is like an abusive, manipulative, bad-boy BF who is brad-Pitt-gorgeous and great in bed.

Seriously.

I still remember vividly when I first arrived in New York; I was like “Yeek, UGLY city!” So god-damn dirty and people are ridiculously rude AND pretentious. It took me almost 3 months to appreciate New York for its buzz, diversity, fuck-it attitude, and its… *gasp* beauty.

New York is really, truly amazing. Shopping is great (if you can afford it), food is fantastic. You can find GREAT and I mean, blow-your-mind-GREAT restaurants of different cuisines all around the world. The nightlife is unbelievable. I watched so much ballet and opera to last me a life time. I watched Madonna LIVE in concert at Madison Square Garden.

Everyday in New York is exciting and you'll never know what/who is going to throw in your way.

THAT is what I love about New York.

And after staying in New York for slightly over a year, many people have asked me whether I will like to stay there again.

Strangely, the answer is “no”

I don’t think I can handle its craziness, noise, filth, zest and energy. They are all too much for me.

Given the choice, I’ll rather stay in the country-side, some place like Margaret River in Perth or Burgundy in France, where I can breathe fresh air, eat my home-grown vegetables, drink my self-made wine; where I can play with my 2 dogs and 3 cats in the morning sun; where I can look at endless greenery and feel my space and existence in this world and not having to share that with anyone.

Guess I am not that competitive anymore. Guess I am getting old.

Some of my pictures from Perth (Aug2007)

I just came back from Perth, Australia and it was one of my best holidays! Although most of my "happy times" were spent in Margaret River (3 hrs drive away from Perth) instead of Perth's Perth.

Totally unexpected.

Days before the trip, I thought I would be so bored that I would chew off my fingers. And the weather during our first two days didn't help as it was rainy, grey, cold and totally "london weather" - a.k.a sucky weather.

Thankfully, by the time we hit Margret, weather was really wonderful. Sunny, blue skies with the cold winds. Wah.... shiok. Natural air-con is the best!

So BF and I spent 4 days 3 nights in Margaret River and stayed at The Central Avenue Apt. Totally recommended! It was just really close to the main town, the apt was tastefully furnished, everything was new and fully equipped. Our daily routine included - wake up, go wine tasting, eat lunch, go wine tasting again, get high, drive back to our apt to cook dinner, drink even more wine and then knock out.

And that was like the most relaxing holiday ever! I guess being high most of the time kinda helped... ...

All in all, we had a great trip and BF is already planning another trip to Margaret River again in another few years' time. However, the next time round, we'll like to have another 2 mates to travel with us as that will be much. MUCH cheaper with the car rental and the apt.

O yah, hopefully they will be wine lovers too. =p

Shanghai trip LAST year!

Last year, my company organized and paid for a 3 days-2 nights "incentive trip" for all employees to Shanghai. That was sometime in Sept06, I think... I remembered that the hairy crabs were in season.

Before I know it, a year has passed and for this year, I am entitled to go to Perth. As my dept is extremely lean, basically it's just me and my boss right now as the other fund manager has left us to relocate to HK.

So, I'll be traveling to Perth with BF, just like what we did last year for Shanghai.

This is a picture that BF took while he was wondering on his own and while I was somewhere in Jiangsu attending a meeting. This is "lao Jie", which means Old Street. It is situated just next to Yu-Yue (aka Jade Garden in English), which is a tourist trap. I've never seen more tourists in any other parts of Shanghai.

However, just a street away, Lao Jie managed to retain some of its old charm where locals were still cycling away, no tour group leaders waving their flags and you can find rather cheap items to buy. I bought a traditional Chinese tea cup for only S$3, which can easily cost 3 times more in Singapore!

Anyway, I just wana post something about my Shanghai trip b4 I go for my next one in Aug.

Someone once told me that once you hit 25 years old, time will just fly and b4 you know it, you will be an old fart and that's provided that you are lucky enough to be still alive and kicking!

Yup, I do begin to feel like an old fart.