We were in KL the weekend of 1st April - and so we brought back a few more cooking pots... which came in useful for our first party!!!
We had our first house-warming party on Saturday 8th April - mostly with my friends from when I was working in Singapore before, plus a couple of 'extras'. And, Yes, I DID do more cooking (!) which was why I was really glad we got more of our pots from KL when we went up!
Food-wise, we had grapes, chocs and crisps for munching; cooked a lamb rendang which was to be consumed with baguettes, and which, from all accounts, tasted wonderful(!!); did my 'famous' mee hoon goreng again; got stuff from Deli France (wonderful little choc and coffee eclairs - I could probably eat a dozen myself!); two friends brought along their own delicious concoctions; another friend brought strawberries and grapes; another brought curry puffs; and another one brought fruit cocktail and sea coconut, but luckily left it all in the tins, as we never got the chance to get to it - as everyone was too full.
Everyone who said they would turn up pretty much did turn up, which was a turn up for the books :-p (so we had 18 guests all told) and we really enjoyed the evening. It has been a long time since I have seen some of these friends of mine, and in fact it has been just as long since some of them have seen each other, so everyone had quite a lot of catching up to do and there was a lot of yakkety yakking and circulating going on.
Next party coming up on the last Friday of April - this time with Husband's colleagues and friends. I will be cooking again, though this time I must also cater for vegetarians (here comes my tasty, even if I do say so myself, tomato curry), and this time round we should have at least 30 people. Looking forward to this too, as Husband's colleagues and their partners (most of whom I have met) are a bunch of fun people too, a mix of locals and expats, and they are really nice.
Before that Husband and I are off to Tioman Island for a 4-day/3-night break. It will be great to get out of SG and go and vegetate on the beach - clean beaches, beautiful water, peaceful atmosphere, no vendors harrassing you, great food... who could ask for more!
So, next update, probably in early May, after we have come back from Tioman and had housewarming party #2.
Till then, have a great "rest of April".....
Wednesday, April 19, 2006
Sunday, April 02, 2006
I COOKED last week!!
Yes, yes, hold the applause (says she, taking a bow).... I DID actually try my hand at cooking something last week - Tuesday 28th March to be more precise. With ONE largish frying pan at my disposal I decided to try my hand at fried mee hoon (vermicelli noodles for those who dont know what mee hoon is). Had to empty out the biscuit tupperware to have somewhere to soak the noodles, and had to fry the omellete topping before I started on the mee hoon! And then the frying pan wasn't quite large enough to hold the mee hoon comfortably, so kinda ended up with bits of mee hoon falling all over the cooker, some veg flying out of the pan, etc, as I mixed it all up.....BUT, it was a great success. Husband loved it and actually said he would be happy to eat that any time I felt like cooking it.
We have also started bowling again - every Thursday evening at Chevrons (right across the road from where we used to work before, in the Synergy building at Int'l Business Park). It has been so long since we last bowled we are still only hovering around the 130 to 150 pinfall mark. Trying very hard to push it back up to 160 and above....
This last Friday evening (31st March) was pretty exciting for us. Husband's colleague got married at the ROM in Singapore (Sean and Jacqui), and did us the very great honour of asking us to be their witnesses.... so we chugged off to the ROM at Fort Canning by 5.15pm... had no problems finding parking at that time... waited about 10 minutes, and then went in for the ceremony. It was brief, but quite meaningful. The official who conducted the ceremony was quite a sweetie, and conducted the whole thing with great presence. Husband was the photographer and he was able to move around and get pics, and was even reminded by the official on several occasions to take photographs (when Sean put the ring on Jacqui's finger, during the signing of the cert, etc).
So, before I forget : CONGRATULATIONS TO SEAN AND JACQUI, and both of us hope that both of you will be as happy as we are, and that every day will be Valentine's Day.
Following that we went to the newly-wed's house for a housewarming for which the entire office turned up - with wedding gifts for them, which did surprise them as they had tried to keep the whole event very quiet... heheheheh, as they say, the best laid plans of mice and men "gang aft agley".
The party was such good fun... Jacqui had done an amazing job with the food, and there was enough there to feed an army, with plenty left over. Good food, good drinks, good music, pleasant location, great company - what more could anyone ask for! Thanks again Sean and Jacqui, we really enjoyed it.
Well, that's it for this round of news... more updates in a week or so.
We have also started bowling again - every Thursday evening at Chevrons (right across the road from where we used to work before, in the Synergy building at Int'l Business Park). It has been so long since we last bowled we are still only hovering around the 130 to 150 pinfall mark. Trying very hard to push it back up to 160 and above....
This last Friday evening (31st March) was pretty exciting for us. Husband's colleague got married at the ROM in Singapore (Sean and Jacqui), and did us the very great honour of asking us to be their witnesses.... so we chugged off to the ROM at Fort Canning by 5.15pm... had no problems finding parking at that time... waited about 10 minutes, and then went in for the ceremony. It was brief, but quite meaningful. The official who conducted the ceremony was quite a sweetie, and conducted the whole thing with great presence. Husband was the photographer and he was able to move around and get pics, and was even reminded by the official on several occasions to take photographs (when Sean put the ring on Jacqui's finger, during the signing of the cert, etc).
So, before I forget : CONGRATULATIONS TO SEAN AND JACQUI, and both of us hope that both of you will be as happy as we are, and that every day will be Valentine's Day.
Following that we went to the newly-wed's house for a housewarming for which the entire office turned up - with wedding gifts for them, which did surprise them as they had tried to keep the whole event very quiet... heheheheh, as they say, the best laid plans of mice and men "gang aft agley".
The party was such good fun... Jacqui had done an amazing job with the food, and there was enough there to feed an army, with plenty left over. Good food, good drinks, good music, pleasant location, great company - what more could anyone ask for! Thanks again Sean and Jacqui, we really enjoyed it.
Well, that's it for this round of news... more updates in a week or so.
Monday, March 27, 2006
To KL, and back again
Well, husband was off to Montenegro for a week (from 11th to 16th March ( I can just hear some of you saying "Huh? Where?"). It is on the Adriatic Sea right next to Bosnia, Croatia, and Yugoslavia. Apparently it is the latest place for European holidaying. Well, it took 24 hours for him to fly there (including 10 hours waiting at Frankfurt airport for a connecting flight), meetings on 13th and 14th, and then 24 hours to fly back - with the same waiting time in Frankfurt. Talk about TIRING!
Anyway, while he was there, I decided to head back to KL... no point hanging around SG without him - no fun at all! So, I had a peaceful week in KL - stayed with my parents for three days and stuffed myself silly with my Mum's great cooking - met some friends, vegged out, and generally ate too much! Phew, talk about "piling it on"... and NO exercise to counteract all that food either.....
Husband arrived back in SG on 17th, went to work on 18th morning, and drove up to KL on 18th afternoon. Spent Saturday wandering around 1-Utama with him, then he went to the F1 on Sunday. Drove back to SG on Monday afternoon... sigh... back again.
Since then, we have been spending some time looking around for little things to put into our apartment to brighten it up. We bought loads and loads of picture frames for husband to print out his photographs, frame them, and put them up on the walls (our landlord having left a million hooks/nails in every room for us to hang up things!) We also got cushions, a colourful carpet for the sitting room and a rug for the dining room, and another one for the study. A really fantastically priced 3+1+1 sofa set in maroon leather, and some colourful little knick-knacks. The place looks nice and welcoming now... all the better to welcome our friends WHEN you all turn up (just try not to turn up all at the same time!). Yesterday (26th March) we got everything pretty much into place and can now relax and enjoy the apartment.
Husband is still terribly, terribly busy, while I am still tai-tai'ing around (well, sort of!). I do have a part time maid who comes in once a week to vacuum, mop, do the bathrooms, and iron the clothes. If anyone here in SG wants a part time maid I would definitely recommend her. She helped us out the last time we were in SG, and she is helping us out again, and she is truly a lovely lady - very honest, very hardworking, and a genuinely nice person. I make sure the bills get paid, run the errands (bank, post office, grocery, etc), go for my hot yoga (ouch, stretch to the max!!), go for 1 hour walk/jog on those days that I don't do yoga, hop into town and go for a wander now and then, meet up with husband now and then for lunch, read books, do sudoku (yes, I am addicted now), and generally find enough to do to pass my time reasonably. Definitely cannot complain!
So, folks, that's the latest. We hope to see you all sometime this year in good ol' Sinjapoh - we should be here at least till end of this year.. no guarantees yet for next year.
Till next time... take care, and have a great life.
Anyway, while he was there, I decided to head back to KL... no point hanging around SG without him - no fun at all! So, I had a peaceful week in KL - stayed with my parents for three days and stuffed myself silly with my Mum's great cooking - met some friends, vegged out, and generally ate too much! Phew, talk about "piling it on"... and NO exercise to counteract all that food either.....
Husband arrived back in SG on 17th, went to work on 18th morning, and drove up to KL on 18th afternoon. Spent Saturday wandering around 1-Utama with him, then he went to the F1 on Sunday. Drove back to SG on Monday afternoon... sigh... back again.
Since then, we have been spending some time looking around for little things to put into our apartment to brighten it up. We bought loads and loads of picture frames for husband to print out his photographs, frame them, and put them up on the walls (our landlord having left a million hooks/nails in every room for us to hang up things!) We also got cushions, a colourful carpet for the sitting room and a rug for the dining room, and another one for the study. A really fantastically priced 3+1+1 sofa set in maroon leather, and some colourful little knick-knacks. The place looks nice and welcoming now... all the better to welcome our friends WHEN you all turn up (just try not to turn up all at the same time!). Yesterday (26th March) we got everything pretty much into place and can now relax and enjoy the apartment.
Husband is still terribly, terribly busy, while I am still tai-tai'ing around (well, sort of!). I do have a part time maid who comes in once a week to vacuum, mop, do the bathrooms, and iron the clothes. If anyone here in SG wants a part time maid I would definitely recommend her. She helped us out the last time we were in SG, and she is helping us out again, and she is truly a lovely lady - very honest, very hardworking, and a genuinely nice person. I make sure the bills get paid, run the errands (bank, post office, grocery, etc), go for my hot yoga (ouch, stretch to the max!!), go for 1 hour walk/jog on those days that I don't do yoga, hop into town and go for a wander now and then, meet up with husband now and then for lunch, read books, do sudoku (yes, I am addicted now), and generally find enough to do to pass my time reasonably. Definitely cannot complain!
So, folks, that's the latest. We hope to see you all sometime this year in good ol' Sinjapoh - we should be here at least till end of this year.. no guarantees yet for next year.
Till next time... take care, and have a great life.
Sunday, March 05, 2006
Apartment living in Sinjapoh
Yippeeeeee, we are finally OUT of the service apartment we have been living in for the last two months. Now, don't get me wrong... it was a nice little apartment, but the operative word there is LITTLE!!!! Definitely better than a hotel room, yes, but 2 months in an area that is only a little larger than the sitting/dining room area back in our apartment in KL, is NOT my idea of fun.
Of course, to add to that, the bed was a right 'killer'. Killed my back, killed our sleep. It was kinda like sleeping on a trampoline. If either one of us turned over in bed, the other one would be bounced and jounced up and down several times. So, as said earlier, sleep was definitely killed.
Well, we are now in a nice apartment near Holland Village (just 10 minutes walk from the Holland V shops and restaurants), in our VERY OWN BED. And, Yes, it is our OWN bed as we bought it specifically for ourselves - our very first water bed, and it is SO comfy! The apartment is about 2000 sq feet, 3 bedrooms, all with en-suite, though the 3rd bedroom en-suite is also the visitor bathroom, as it has 2 doors access - one from the bedroom, and one from the hallway. A very nice big living area; a decent sized dining room; a smallish, but decent, kitchen; laundry area; a maids room the size of a postage stamp; a bathroom for the maid (which is about the same size as the bedroom!); a balcony outside the dining area; and a balcony outside the sitting room which the landlord converted into a small study with loads of built ins. He supplied the basic furniture requirements (except, of course, for our bed which we wanted to get for ourselves)... so we have 3+2 black leather sofa, small dining table with 4 chairs, bunk bed in one bedroom, queen size bed in the other bedroom, washing machine, dryer (does anyone actually use a dryer?), microwave, oven, fridge, phone.
We also did not ask for a TV, as husband wanted to get another one for ourselves, smaller than the one we currently have in KL - so we have a Sharp Aquos 32" LCD TV now. We had to go and get lots of small things (plates, sheets, dustbins, etc) but, luckily, Ikea in SG is VERY cheap for most things (a lot cheaper than in KL anyway), and Carrefour, and Giant are cheap for most other stuff (kettle, vacuum cleaner, towels, etc). Anyway, all the small stuff has been acquired, EXCEPT for cooking utensils, as husband wants to get them himself as he is the cook, not me! We have cable TV, broadband, phone - what more could we ask for :-)
We had our first visitor yesterday - a really good SINGAPOREAN friend of ours - thanks for the beautiful plants Ah Peng, I hope that I can keep them alive, and we really enjoyed having you here. Remember, anytime you need a break from home, we have two spare rooms for you to come and spend the weekend with us. And I must say tha the plants are cheering up the sitting room considerably.
We are now waiting for the rest of our friends to turn up and visit - as long as we are in good ol' Sinjapoh, you are all more than welcome to visit, and, as you would have noticed in the earlier paragraphs, we do have facilities for our friends! So, come on folks...make the trek... and we will welcome you with open arms.
Where work is concerned, husband is so flat out busy - he is at work from 7.30am to 7.00pm most days, and is constantly on the move. No breaks in between, barely enough time for lunch. Next week he is off to Europe (Montenegro - next to Bosnia and Croatia I think), for meetings et al, and it is going to take him 48 hours there and 48 hours back, for 2 days worth of meetings. I'll head back to KL during that time... no point hanging around SG without my beloved.
That's it for today folks, and till the next time, hope you all have are having a great year so far.
Of course, to add to that, the bed was a right 'killer'. Killed my back, killed our sleep. It was kinda like sleeping on a trampoline. If either one of us turned over in bed, the other one would be bounced and jounced up and down several times. So, as said earlier, sleep was definitely killed.
Well, we are now in a nice apartment near Holland Village (just 10 minutes walk from the Holland V shops and restaurants), in our VERY OWN BED. And, Yes, it is our OWN bed as we bought it specifically for ourselves - our very first water bed, and it is SO comfy! The apartment is about 2000 sq feet, 3 bedrooms, all with en-suite, though the 3rd bedroom en-suite is also the visitor bathroom, as it has 2 doors access - one from the bedroom, and one from the hallway. A very nice big living area; a decent sized dining room; a smallish, but decent, kitchen; laundry area; a maids room the size of a postage stamp; a bathroom for the maid (which is about the same size as the bedroom!); a balcony outside the dining area; and a balcony outside the sitting room which the landlord converted into a small study with loads of built ins. He supplied the basic furniture requirements (except, of course, for our bed which we wanted to get for ourselves)... so we have 3+2 black leather sofa, small dining table with 4 chairs, bunk bed in one bedroom, queen size bed in the other bedroom, washing machine, dryer (does anyone actually use a dryer?), microwave, oven, fridge, phone.
We also did not ask for a TV, as husband wanted to get another one for ourselves, smaller than the one we currently have in KL - so we have a Sharp Aquos 32" LCD TV now. We had to go and get lots of small things (plates, sheets, dustbins, etc) but, luckily, Ikea in SG is VERY cheap for most things (a lot cheaper than in KL anyway), and Carrefour, and Giant are cheap for most other stuff (kettle, vacuum cleaner, towels, etc). Anyway, all the small stuff has been acquired, EXCEPT for cooking utensils, as husband wants to get them himself as he is the cook, not me! We have cable TV, broadband, phone - what more could we ask for :-)
We had our first visitor yesterday - a really good SINGAPOREAN friend of ours - thanks for the beautiful plants Ah Peng, I hope that I can keep them alive, and we really enjoyed having you here. Remember, anytime you need a break from home, we have two spare rooms for you to come and spend the weekend with us. And I must say tha the plants are cheering up the sitting room considerably.
We are now waiting for the rest of our friends to turn up and visit - as long as we are in good ol' Sinjapoh, you are all more than welcome to visit, and, as you would have noticed in the earlier paragraphs, we do have facilities for our friends! So, come on folks...make the trek... and we will welcome you with open arms.
Where work is concerned, husband is so flat out busy - he is at work from 7.30am to 7.00pm most days, and is constantly on the move. No breaks in between, barely enough time for lunch. Next week he is off to Europe (Montenegro - next to Bosnia and Croatia I think), for meetings et al, and it is going to take him 48 hours there and 48 hours back, for 2 days worth of meetings. I'll head back to KL during that time... no point hanging around SG without my beloved.
That's it for today folks, and till the next time, hope you all have are having a great year so far.
Wednesday, February 08, 2006
Back to KL for the weekend
Well, employment pass and dependents pass are now physically in hand. The apartment tenancy agreement has been signed and deposit paid. Mobile phones have been acquired for both of us (if you want to know the number, call our Malaysian mobile phones, and I've recorded greetings which will give you our Singapore numbers). Next step, wait patiently till month-end so we can move in and get ourselves organised!
In the meantime... husband very busy at work. He is heading off to Perth on Sunday, for a course, back only on Wednesday... so I will be heading off to KL on Friday, as it is my Mum's birthday, and will be back in Sinjapoh either Tuesday or Wednesday. Must make the most of my few days in KL - family to spend time with, bills to be paid, pedicure and manicure to be done, friends to be met... phew... it IS all good fun.
I'll be driving to KL this time - as it is easier to chuck things into the boot of the car to bring back to SG, rather than having to pack things into a suitcase and then have to haul it around with you - onto and off taxis, up into the plane, try and push it into the overhead compartment, etc....Nah... car is easier! We've hired a Merc - nice, comfy, solid car. We are waiting for the car hirer to get back one of their other cars (Honda Accord 2.3) to try that and then decide whether we want that or we keep the Merc. In the meantime, we have the Merc. Yeah, I know, I can just hear most people saying, "But you don't NEED a car in Singapore..." but, what can I say? Have you ever tried getting a cab on Friday evenings after work? None to be had for love nor money. Have you ever tottered out of the supermarket with 10 heavy plastic bags full of stuff, all awkwardly shaped, and had to wait for a cab? OK, I know, in reality, I am just a spoilt Malaysian... too used to having a car at my disposal. Well, I have to say that is true - and I enjoy being a spoilt Malaysian too..... :-)
Before I sign off, I want to wish my Mum a VERY HAPPY 69th birthday, and may the coming years be blessed with good health and much love.
In the meantime... husband very busy at work. He is heading off to Perth on Sunday, for a course, back only on Wednesday... so I will be heading off to KL on Friday, as it is my Mum's birthday, and will be back in Sinjapoh either Tuesday or Wednesday. Must make the most of my few days in KL - family to spend time with, bills to be paid, pedicure and manicure to be done, friends to be met... phew... it IS all good fun.
I'll be driving to KL this time - as it is easier to chuck things into the boot of the car to bring back to SG, rather than having to pack things into a suitcase and then have to haul it around with you - onto and off taxis, up into the plane, try and push it into the overhead compartment, etc....Nah... car is easier! We've hired a Merc - nice, comfy, solid car. We are waiting for the car hirer to get back one of their other cars (Honda Accord 2.3) to try that and then decide whether we want that or we keep the Merc. In the meantime, we have the Merc. Yeah, I know, I can just hear most people saying, "But you don't NEED a car in Singapore..." but, what can I say? Have you ever tried getting a cab on Friday evenings after work? None to be had for love nor money. Have you ever tottered out of the supermarket with 10 heavy plastic bags full of stuff, all awkwardly shaped, and had to wait for a cab? OK, I know, in reality, I am just a spoilt Malaysian... too used to having a car at my disposal. Well, I have to say that is true - and I enjoy being a spoilt Malaysian too..... :-)
Before I sign off, I want to wish my Mum a VERY HAPPY 69th birthday, and may the coming years be blessed with good health and much love.
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