Bintan 2009

Back to Bintan first time after the tsunami. Before the tsunami, my friends and i had been spending Xmas in Bintan for 2/3 years. Last visit was during that fateful year and on that fateful day we were on the way back to Sg. We didn't know what had happened but the sea was unusally choppy that almost all felt horribly sick. So much so that i didn't want to go back for a while. Well, that was end of that.

Anyway, back to Bintan for 3D2N of sun, fun and golf! i had not played since like >1 year ago. Thanks to CQ, we got a really good deal for the accom and game! :) Just that the food is real exp in Bintan!

As i didn't want to miss my dear jap class, we took the 5pm ferry to Bintan on Sunday 19 Jul. Reached there about 5pm Bintan time and checked into Bintan Lagoon Resort. Had wanted to laze around at the pool but it was drizzling so went for dinner after a short rest. And back to the room as i watched Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire on channel 5. :p

Monday 20 Jul. Woke up at 6.30am so that we can be in time for 8.15am flight. First time played 36 holes in one day! Got really bad arm muscle ache that night so much so that i couldn't sleep! Yikes!! And a nasty suntan "bangle" on both my wrists. Anyway, the Ocean Course at Ria Bintan is really nice.

Today 21 Jul. Simply could not lift my arm so i didn't join CQ for another 18 holes. Just ventured around the resort, took a short nap and more of channel 5. Haha... Couldn't believe i watched so much Sg tv while in Bintan.. lol. :p

Checked out at 12.30pm, ate our lunch at the Miyako, the Jap restaurant at the Resort and took the 4.45pm ferry back home.

Bintan by weekday is really deserted, unlike the weekends. Very good for relaxation. Not much people. Not many S'poreans. More Japs and Koreans.

This is me posing for the shoot. You can tell i'm posing cos the photo is missing something very crucial! The ball! Haha... which has already flown over to the other side... or did it drop into the sea?? :p

心花朵朵开 III

Wow! Didn't know that flowers from the same plant can change colour! Until heard from mummy that the first one died... Ya.. forgot that it was mentioned on my blog before... Lucky i got this online diary! Anyways, isn't this pretty? (^^) i would not have discovered it if i were not sick (again!?) at home! At least some good came out of it!

Phuket/Langkawi Cruise (Day 4)

Ran 2.4km first thing in the morning! :) Would have ran on the open deck if the floor was not wet from rain the night before. Feels so good after the run. Can eat more now! haha...

Change of breakfast from the usual buffet to Western. The best breakfast onboard! You get to choose a main and from the buffet bar. The spread here is much better than at Mediterranean. More focused. There's the usual bread, toast, cakes, cereal and yogurt.

My main dish of omelette with cheese and baked beans and grilled tomato

After breakfast, we went around exploring again for one last time. i finally found the helipad which i was searching the other night cos there was a special under the stars disco party held there. Not that i wanted to attend as it is specially for the majority 600+ nationals.



For the last lunch onboard, we went for Chinese. Can see from the photo the food is not that fantastic...


After lunch, we basically wandered from place to place dragging our luggage since we had to check out of our rooms. Finally the ship docked at 3pm. Long queue at customs cos of the solitary temperature scanner that was holding everyone up. Went for Mac hot fudge sundae the moment we touched down cos we had lost too much energy in queuing and waiting... Need a dose of sugar! hehe...

Slept all the way on the train ride home...

Home Sweet Home.... why do i feel like i'm still onboard?? having seasick on land. (X_X)

Phuket/Langkawi Cruise (Day 3)

Had a late night so didn't do any exercise this morning. After breakfast, the ship reached Langkawi. Instead of waiting in the room, i made the girls enjoy some sun and sea breeze. :p

We joined the Langkawi Highlights and Shopping tour. As with the previous day, we waited at The Lido to disembark. But the authorities are slightly stricter due to the virus, and we were made to wait for almost an hour.

First stop, Underwater World. For a moment i thought we were at the bird park. hehe...

This is sea urchin!

Nemo!

Next we went to the Princess Mahsuri's Tomb that was built in honour of a legendary maiden who lived on Langkawi more than 200 years ago... After which, we dropped by Galleria Perdana which is a museum housing more than 10,000 state gifts and awards presented to the ex-PM of M'sia, Dr M.

Then, we were brought to Kuah Town to have our late lunch (we had Macdonalds!) and some quick supermarket shopping.

Last is a photo stop at Eagle Square, Langkawi's most famous landmark.


After back to the ship, we quickly washed up in time for the gala dinner! But before that was the cocktail at the Grand Foyer where the Captain and other main crew meets the guests, followed by a magic show cum comedy performance at the Lido. And then comes the highlight of the evening! The Gala Dinner. We chose the western menu at Bella Vista. There was a "turmoil" initially cos SY wanted Chinese while SL and YV were ok with both. After looking through the menu again, we decided SY and i decided to go for western cos of the desert, Baked Alaska! We didn't know what is that but the chinese translation sounds quite interesting... hmm.. seems like grilled ice cream! Yum!

I feel that we were kinda UNDERdressed for the dinner. i was in a mini sundress while people around us were really aptly dressed for a GALA! Tux and all.

The menu

Appetiser - Spring salad

Clear Oxtail broth - this is the first time i'm drinking oxtail... doesn't have much of a cow smell...

Shitake mushroom - this is one of the reason i chose western over chinese but the mushroom (hidden under the rosti) is a little disappointing...

Baked alaska - it's only ice cream cake... -_-"

Petit fours

The lighting at dinner was too romantic to be taken well...

Phuket/Langkawi Cruise (Day 2)

Started the day with a 30min session of Hatha Yoga! Must keep healthy with all the binging! Went for breakfast at the Buffet right after the yoga! lol. Spent some time lazing around after breakfast. YV and i went to the slot machines. As usual, no luck. But it is more for the fun of it. My first go at the machines. (x_x)

The ship docked at Port of Phuket soon after our buffet lunch. We had signed up for the Shop till You Drop tour so we promptly gathered at 3pm to disembark.

First stop was Wang Talang. This is those high-class touristy shops selling the local products at exorbitant prices. Needless to say, we didn't buy anything cos most of the stuff were pearls, jewellery, Thai silk, etc.

Next were the Sri Burapa Cashew Nut Factory and Pornthip Sea Store. The former is a cashew nut factory cum retailer. You get to see how the nut was extracted from the fruit and cleaned for retail. The latter sells local dried produce like crackers, pork floss, etc. i've been to both places before when i first visited Phuket in 2003. i think these are probably the few touristy places that all groups would go. Didn't get much. Only two bottles of cashew nut and a pack of cuttlefish.


Dinner (another buffet) was served in the Thai Naan Restaurant. Tried the tempura flowers! Not sure what flowers are they but it tasted ok with the chili sauce. "花吃" hehe.


Our next destination was just cross the road to Central Festival shopping centre. This is supposedly the biggest in Phuket. Bought some toiletries and mister donut! i bought some home to eat and it is still soft and fresh after 2 days! i like the Pon De Ring! it is very chewy and unlike normal donut! Must-try!


Final stop for the night is Patong Beach. We spent the one and half hours practically walking up and down the streets. Most of the shops are selling similar stuff. And it is a MUST to bargain at least half the price down! Anyway, most of the activity concentrates on a walking street (can't remember the name). Especially in front of this pub/restaurant. They were standing outside their pub asking people to go in. BUT it is practically deserted inside while the row of pubs across the road are PACKED. And the seats are all facing these "girls". Those are the "best" seats! i was trying to take a pic of the girls without offending them. But then EVERYONE was whipping out their cameras and blatantly shooting away. It was very hard to take a good pic cos they won't keep still. And with people walking around, that's why the pic turned out to be so ghastly.


Oh! Saw reese's peanut butter cup at the local 7-11. Bought 4 cups back. Should have gotten more!

Finally left Patong around midnight. Was really knocked out after a day's tour. After supper, turned in at 2am... Was trying to watch the HK drama but too tired..

Phuket/Langkawi Cruise (Day 1)

Knock knock!


This is our cabin for these 4 days! Quite squeezy for 4 of us but we won't be in the room for most of the time anyway! :p After putting down our luggage, off we go for lunch!


First meal onboard - Chinese cuisine at The Pavilion. Food is so-so only... Surprisingly the nicest are the tofu and bun.


Went exploring the ship after lunch...


i like the feel of the library. :)


Watched a ballroom dance performance @ Galaxy. First time i'm seeing professionals dance live. WOW! i've gotta dust away the cobweb on my dancing shoes when i get back!


OMG! Is this how much we eat!?

After the walk, lunch was somewhat digested so we went for the tea break @ Mediterranean Buffet! hehe...

Managed to catch the sunset! The wind was VERY strong. Very hard to keep steady hands. My cam almost went for a dive!




Decided to go for western meal for dinner at Bella Vista.


Shrimp and corn soup


Baked(?) fillet


Crackers and cheese

Went for foot reflex and bingo after dinner. And after that watched HK dramas in cabin. hehe. Ended the day with Supper @ Mediterranean Buffet. :p

Clouds... Stuff Dreams are Made of

i won a million dollars and went for a holiday at the Alps!



April's fool! haha...

Ok this isn't the Alps but nearby Genting Highlands. This is a bad pic taken from indoors but it is much nicer seeing the view than from this photo.


First family outing with my parents together with a whole bunch of aunts and uncles and cousin in a long long time. Took a coach to and fro. About 6hrs each way but it's not that bad. There's entertainment on board! Erms.. not that it was any good. Watched Dance of the Dragon (huge major real disaster! simply horrible!) and The Nanny Diaries (slightly better)

We got a free upgrade to luxury class on the trip up. Nice seats, ample of legroom!


Oh my aunts said that they saw thomas ong in the casino playing the jackpot with his legs propped up. i saw him walking lazily in flip flops around the mall.

and i do wish i had won a million dollars. alas, i'm poorer by RM150.. :(

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OH OH! i forgot to mention that i was stopped at the casino entrace and asked to check my passport!! *grin grin* You mean i look younger than 18!? LOL. (^^)

What Is This?

心花朵朵开II

The other plant i brought back from the Garden Fest finally bloomed!! :) But the first one wilted.. :(

Singapore Biennale 2008 (Part 2)

The round's completed! Went to the last venue at Central Promontory Site along Marina Boulevard. It's a Containart Pavilion made of containers and reusable paper tubes just for SB08.

One of the most striking exhibit is the Location (6) where you are transported to a snowy landscape. It does feel like vast snowy land but the tunnel in which this exhibit is housed is really stuffy. So you just can't helped but be brought back to the reality of humid warm Singapore.

Singapore Biennale 2008

FINALLY visited SB08! Started off with a cool outdoor installation at Raffles City Shopping Centre (it's free btw, go see it!). Paid $7 for entry to City Hall next. We were lucky to be in time for a free hour long tour to selected pieces. The guide was very good and informative. Otherwise i think i wouldn't understand most of them. Spent about 3.5 hrs to cover all the 31 installations in there. Proceeded to the South Beach Development after a short refuel. Took only about an hour to finish all 26 pieces. Most of them are video installations which mostly are un-understandable or simply weird. And the South Beach site is really WARM and stuffy. It's really unbearable to stay in the room for long. Anyway if you don't mind spending $10 or $7 if you have the passion card or $5 if you are a student, go visit the City Hall and enjoy the art installations in air-con environment.

The theme this year is Wonder. i really wonder why are there so many pieces that have a seemingly morbid and melancholy tint. Many pieces also act as channels to express mockery for the artists. As the guide said, there's no right or wrong to modern art. The intent is to evoke deeper thoughts and wonder.

Anyway here are some photos i took today.

Maggots were given the red carpet treatment in te restaurant of the former Supreme Court. A dig at the artist's home country's judicial system. The presence of the maggots signals the rotting and corruption of the system. The fact that they are given the red carpet, cynical. This is one of the site-specific installations in the Biennale. And i think the effect is simply brilliant! (Well only if you understand the artist's background and the site history).

erm... the centre purple looking thing is not a maggot! :p

Guess where the maggots are headed to? The toilet!

My two fave exhibits are side by side. Pity for my incompetency in photography... The photos turn out less than satisfactory...

Blackfield is really pretty! These thin metal plants are planted black on one side and a myriad of colours on the other. i was sitting on the floor at admiring them for quite a while. (^^)

This exhibit, I'm Not Expensive, looks ordinary at first glance. But when you walk pass it, the car simply pops out at you! Amazing! i was really amazed by it i was staring at it from various places till i got dizzy! hehe! :p Oh! Apparently this piece is so massive that it could not fit the lifts, so they had to use cranes to install it!

You call this art!? it's one of the few nonsensical installations. i think the rationale behind this site-specific exhibit is that... oh i can't remember.. i only recall the guide saying that the disc thingy behind is the new supreme court so that is the best place to take over in a country. And something about the aliens looking backward.. as in, not futuristic. more like the ultra-man era...

There's a google earth map where you can vadalise as you wish. i indicated where SP is staying. Oops! Stuck on the wrong place initially.. :p

Don't miss the Kids Biennale which is at level 1 of City Hall. The nicest photos are taken here! hehe. cos they are so cute!

This is a pic done by kids who visited the Biennale. Isn't it CUTE!? :p

A watercolour painting done by a Pri 5 student. i forgot to take down his/her name to give him/her credit. i like this piece cos it reminded me of the patchwork fields in Biei, Hokkaido!

This is my fav corner in my fav room. It's all done up in Alice in Wonderland theme. Very colourful. Very cheerful!

Went over to the Esplanade Bridge to view the last two installations for the day which are best viewed at night cos they are light performance. Wanted to catch the Fog Sculpture #48687 "Noontide" which supposedly will take place under the Esplanade Bridge at 7.15pm and 7.45pm. So we waited... and waited... and waited... after almost an hour... still nothing happened at the spot which we thought was supposedly the location... and that ended my day at SB08. (T_T)

This is the other installation Lightlines under the Esplanade Bridge. It was to be viewed at the Merlion side but was too tired to walk over when it could be viewed from the Esplanade end... Don't ask me what does it mean... i would have thought they were meant to illuminate the sea for some night divers if i'm not on the SB trail.. -_-"

[SP's note on 8 Nov] Finally managed to complete this post! one week later... haa... Hope i can still catch the rest of the exhibits before it ends... Had planned to go this weekend but i'm grounded for health reasons.