Taiwan in October

We are going Taiwan in October!

I'm excited to be going on a holiday. Our last vacation was more than a year ago - Switzerland last May.

And I really like the food in Taiwan so I'm glad we are going there.

I'm worried at the same time though, because we'd be going there with Little N.

She'd be slightly over 1 year old by then..

What if she doesn't take well to the flight?

What if she can't sleep in a hotel?

And if the travel tires her out too much and cause her to be cranky all day..

Oh dear. Our trip is 10 days - will I end up wanted to fly back on Day 3?

So I have been asking around for travel tips from friends and reading up on some tips from mums online.

Here are a few I find particularly useful:

Feed during take-off and landing - Babies don't know how to pop their ears, so it's helpful to feed them - milk or water when the plane takes off + just as the plane begins to descend, to help ease the ear pressure.

Sit apart on the plane with your spouse - so if you switch the baby between the 2 of you, you each get some time off in between and are not on co-baby duty throughout the whole flight.

Ask for a baby cot at the hotel - so that you don't share the bed with your baby during the vacation and then end up having to do that when you return. Particularly if you don't sleep on the same bed at home. If you can't get a baby cot, invest in a travel cot.

Consider renting an apartment - it'd give you more space and you can have a meal in the dining room or watch TV in the living room whilst the baby is sleeping.

Do you have other tips for travelling with a baby/ young toddler to share?

 Passport photo shots of Little N - I love the photo on the bottom left! Hahah..

Food in Ubud

I was looking forward to eating lots of Indonesian food everyday when I was in Bali, since I love Indonesian food.

Sadly, my appetite wasn't up to mark. (Although that didn't stop me from ordering Indonesian food every meal.. I just didn't manage to finish everything..)

Balinese food seems a little different from the Indonesian food that we know in Singapore. Balinese food seem to use a lot more fresh coconut meat and herbs, which I thought made it very distinct and different from the Indonesian food I know.

Ubud is not exactly a cuisine paradise but there are a few famous places that everyone else seem to say you have to visit in Ubud.

Top on the list is Ibu Oka.

Some say it's a must eat when you visit Ubud. Others hike across the island to visit this place. I could be prejudiced since I don't like pork anyway. But The Husband appreciates this meat and he thinks that the Chinese version of roasted suckling pig with the crackling on the skin is way better.

But to be fair, I think the roasted pork at Ibu Oka, with all the condiments on the side is very "Balinese" and is worth a try if you are in Ubud.

Another famous restaurant in Ubud is Bebek Bengil , aka the Dirty Duck Diner.

This is a beautiful and massive restaurant with a padi field right behind the restaurant. I thought the Bebek Bengil Crispy Duck was nice and crispy. It was a little on the dry side though and I think whilst the taste of the coconut oil makes it rather special, it isn't something that I really like in a crispy duck. But I did really like the chilli and onion condiments that came with the duck. An Indonesian friend tells me the barbeque pork ribs are also excellent, though we didn't order that.

We also tried a few other restaurants in Ubud - they were mostly pretty decent although not extremely memorable or special.

Ibu Oka

Jalan Tegal Sari No 2 Ubud
(Opposite the former Royal Palace - just ask if in doubt)
Be sure to go early as they apparently sell out by 2pm

Dirty Duck Diner

Padang Tegal - UbudTel: 62361 975 489
(It' not fair away from the Monkey Forest)

Villa Sarna, Ubud

Last week's trip to Bali was a very relaxing one for me.

To be honest, I wasn't looking terribly forward to it because the thought of having to travel again just having been home from a 12 hour flight the Sunday before didn't sound terribly appealing. And I still suffering from a bit of a jet lag on the day we took off to Bali.

And Villa Sarna didn't give me a good impression right from the start. The journey from the airport at Depansar took about an hour and a half. And then, whilst Villa Sarna was located right in the middle of nowhere, there was a very loud and irritating sound of someone cutting down trees nearby.

Exhausted from the travel as I was, I couldn't wait to get out of my room into the heart of Ubud village for lunch and to avoid that horrible noise.

But as dusk fell and we returned to Villa Sarna, it transformed into a most charming oasis. Apart from the sounds of crickets singing and toads croaking, it was really peaceful and quiet.

Each room in Villa Sarna is a little standalone hut. There weren't many rooms to begin with and ours was right in a corner of the premises. I slept really soundly that night and every night in Bali.

Our stay was not without its fair share of troubles though. We had the aircon dripping with water one morning . and then an army of ants carried a dead cockroach right by our door on another morning.. and we had no water in our room on our last night in Bali. And of course, throughout our stay, the tree cutting noises continued every morning and afternoon.

But the peaceful surroundings each evening, the wonderful breakfast every morning.. and the very friendly staff at Villa Sana made it impossible for me to like the place.

Villa Sarna is very pretty, with lots of lush greenery and very Balinese decor

The outdoor bed just outside our room. I love lying down on it

At dusk, the whole place becomes extremely peaceful and charming

Even the little plunge pool looked better in the evening

The breakfast was simple but good. I especially loved the homebaked donuts and fresh juices

This lily flowered on the day we were leaving. 

It's really beautiful, isn't it?

New York New York

I've just realised I didn't manage to post about my trip to New York in May this year.

It was my first trip to New York - The city of Sex and The City.

The city felt new and distant to me, yet strangely familiar as well.

There are many corners about the city I feel I've seen before. May it is because I've seen so much of them on TV.

I had a weekend to roam about on my own, along with a camera on very low batteries.

So, I don't have too many pictures as a result - but enjoy!

 The symbol of New York - or rather of the US

Central Park. I really enjoyed my very long walk there

Central Park - see the famous fountain? That's the one from Friends, I think

The famous Times Square - it's surprisingly small!

The 911 memorial site

 Wall Street - where all the recent bout of financial troubles began

 Broadway!

A Tourist in Singapore

The Husband and I decided we'd go to the Titanic Exhibition at the Art Science Museum at Marina Bay Sands, based on Petunia's recommendation.

I felt like a tourist in Singapore because everywhere we went today were not familiar to me. We had lunch in a Japanese restaurant we have never visited at the Millenia Walk, then went to the museum which I've never been to. The Titanic Exhibition was an interesting one, but what was more interesting to me was the view outside - a view of Singapore's financial district and key landmarks from a totally new angle.

After the exhibition, we went for tea at the Marina Bay Shopping Centre (The Shoppes at Marina Bay Sands). I was surprised to find an ice-skating ring and a mini-canal (like those you see in Venice) in the mall! I didn't know you find these things in Singapore!

On my way home, I decided that I should start 'exploring' Singapore a bit more. There are still lots of places in this small island I've yet to visit.

Top 10 buys from Singapore - Part 3

Continued from Part 2

6. Hai's Mee Siam Paste
Mee Siam is actually a noodle dish made with rice vermicelli in a spicy, sweet and sour light gravy. It is often served with eggs, beansprouts and dried beancurd.

Hai's Mee Siam Paste is my favourite. They can be found at most large supermarkets. I like their laksa paste as well but their mee siam paste is the best.

7. Orchids
The national flower is Ms Vanda Joaqium, a type of orchid, of course.

If you can bring home some fresh orchids (you can buy them at the airport), it's great. But if you are looking for something a little more lasting, I think that Risis' gold plated orchids make beautiful gifts.

8. Flip Flops
Maybe it is the casual way Singaporeans like to dress.. maybe it's the hot weather.. In any case, flip flips are the preferred footwear for many Singaporeans.

I seldom wear flip flops myself.. but when I do, I wear Ripples flip flops, of course.. And of course, these are 100% designed in Singapore!

9. Pandan Chiffon Cake
Pandan is a tropical plant used widely in Southeast Asian cuisine. The leaves are green and fragrant and also strangely a natural repellent for cockroaches.

But don't be mistaken, pandan chiffon cake is delicious! They dry out pretty quickly so it's best to buy them at the airport before you leave Singapore. Bangawan Solo, a popular bakery chain store, has outlets in Terminal 1, 2 and 3 of the Changi Airport.

10. Yu Sheng packs
Yu Sheng, also known as Lo Hei (or Prosperity Toss)is a Chinese-style raw fish salad. It usually consists of strips of raw fish (most commonly salmon), mixed with shredded vegetables and a variety of sauces, condiments and even crackers.

Around the Chinese New Year season (from January to February), supermarkets all around Singapore begin to sell packs of the ingredients you would need for Yu Sheng. You only need to shred some cucumber, carrots and add some raw salmon slices to enjoy Yu Sheng at home.

Homemade Yu Sheng - My parents don't eat raw fish so we usually add abalone instead.

We like adding shredded carrots, radishes and cucumber to this salad. 

The rest of the ingredients come from the Yu Sheng pack.

Top off the salad with the crackers, sauce and peanuts from the Yu Sheng pack 

and the salad is ready for tossing!

Top 10 buys from Singapore - Part 2

Thank you to those who responded to my question on what are the top buys from Singapore.

The top 10 buys in my list are very similar - mostly food items as well.

Whether you are buying a small souvenir for friends or a really nice gift from Singapore - I hope this list will be useful to you.

1) Bak Kwa, or Barbequed Pork
Bak Kwa, or barbequed pork, is somewhat similar to beef jerky. It is thin slices of barbequed pork that is a little salty, rather sweet, somewhat dried but yet juicy and coated with honey and oil. It is in short, yummy.

These are very popular around the Chinese New Year period, and their prices and the queue for them really go up during the festive season. The best place to get these are from Lim Chee Guan - the old store is located in Chinatown but they have a branch right smack in the centre of town, in Ion at Orchard Road.

2) Kaya, or Coconut Jam
Kaya is coconut jam that is made from coconut milk, eggs and sugar. It can either come in a greenish colour (flavoured with pandan, a fragrant type of leaves used in many South east asian bakes) or brown colour (flavoured with palm sugar).

The most popular kaya amongst tourists will be Ya-kun. Ya-kun is a chain store selling traditional coffee and kaya toasts. Their outlets can be found everywhere - from the airport to most shopping malls. I don't like buying their jam for my friends though - they have a short shelf life and expire all too soon. If I have to, I'd buy the mini bottles from Ya-kun.

My preferred choice for friends would be kaya from Glory Food. These can be found in most large supermarkets.

3) Prima Taste
Prima Taste is a Singapore brand that produces ready-to-cook pastes and premixes. I find that their "Complete Sauce Kits" make wonderful gifts. When I was living in Beijing, I love to use their Laksa kit and Chicken Rice kit to whip up food that really taste as good as those you'd find in Singapore.

They also sell very good pre-mix and noodles. The Sister-in-law love their latest product - Laksa La-mian. This is packaged like a single pack of instant noodles and taste almost like a really good bowl of laksa!

4) Purple Gold
If you are looking for a really nice gift, I think purple gold is a great idea. Purple gold is pioneered in Singapore and is an alloy made of 80% gold and 20% other metal components... and it is of course, purple. It is more expensive than your normal yellow or white gold and is usually used in small parts of an accessory (e.g. a flower or butterfly). It can be found in local jewellery stores like Lee Hwa and Goldheart.

5) Singapore Shawl
This is another item that can make a good gift from Singapore.

Shawls are pretty common everywhere but this Singapore brand makes really delicate shawls with designs of the National Flower of Singapore. Personally, I like their simpler shawls with bits of Swarovski Crystal or little embroidered flowers.

These shawls are not really cheap but they do make special gifts for mothers, sisters, aunties or girlfriends.

To be continued in next post..

 My version of homemade fried laksa, made with store-bought laksa paste

Top 10 buys from Singapore - Part 1

I have family and friends who sometimes travel to Singapore.

And sometimes, I fly to where they are to visit them.

Very often, I try to buy them a nice souvenir from Singapore..

But it is very hard to think of something special to get.

Well, I decided I'd compile a list here on my blog so that others like me can have more ideas about what to get from Singapore for their friends.

Do you have any ideas you'd like to share?

Sometimes, I feel like buying Singapore food over for my friends

Long Flights

I never liked flying too much. Long flights are especially nasty.

On my first long haul flight to Australia as a teenager, I threw up 9 times on the 9 hour flight.

Man is made to roam on the ground, not in the air, I think.

Flying SQ business class though does make it a lot easier to endure long haul flights.

But still - the humming noise on the plane, the weird smell of the aircraft and the horrid tasting orange juice (which for some reason inevitably taste odd in an aircraft) - even SQ couldn't take those away.

I flew SQ Business from Singapore to London this time, and from New York to Singapore.

Between the 2, I must say I liked the flight originating from Singapore a lot better. The food was better, I thought - they served satay as snacks instead of the usual peanuts or pretzels. And the appetizers and desserts were pretty good too. I never liked mains on flights - there is always some sort of "microwave smell" about them.

Satay - something I always look forward to

Prawns with pomelo - not too bad

Mango and crabmeat salad - this one is really yummy

Ben and Jerry ice-cream is always good

Meet King Kong

Meet King Kong - A giant Harrods bear.

And in case you are wondering..

Nope. I didn't buy it from London. Neither do I know anyone who is crazy enough to buy it home. King Kong belongs to a friend's brother (ops, I didn't mean to say he is crazy... I hope he doesn't read my blog). King Kong is occupying a significant corner in my friend's spare bedroom at the moment.

King Kong is HUGE - see the picture below with the iPhone on his nose for size comparison. He is so huge he got stuck at the door when my friend tried to move him into the room. He is a Harrods 2006 Christmas bear and comes with his own little bear in his left pocket. If you google "Harrods bear 2006", King Kong's pictures will show up.

I have never seen something like this in a friend's house. Every visitor to my friend's house, including all delivery and repairman, have requested to take a photo of King Kong.

I'm of course no different.

I'm lucky to have a few very good pictures of King Kong before he gets "mummified" to keep him less dusty. (Imagine having to give him a bath!)

King Kong with an iPhone for size comparison..

A bad ankle and the A380

I am finally back!

It's great to be back home although I must say I most certainly didn't arrive home in style this time around. Nope. I hopped my way out of the plane, bought some duty-free, collected my luggage and hopped out to meet the Husband.

I had twisted my ankle coming out of the service apartment in London, just before I got on to the car that was waiting to pick me to the airport. I had missed a step just outside of the apartment and my right foot twisted, sending me tumbling like a drunk with my 30kg luggage.

Miraculously, I was able to limp around in Heathrow Airport, collecting VAT, checking-in my luggage and then buying some perfume and duty free my colleagues asked me to before slumping into a sofa at the SQ lounge.

I had been really looking forward to this flight back because it was on the A380 plane. The plane was so huge that they had 2 different doors - one for the upper deck and one for the lower deck. I was on the upper deck and whilst the seats for the business class weren't any different from that of the Boeing 777, the plane seemed to be a lot more spacious in certain areas.

Unfortunately, the cabin pressure on the flight affected my ankle so badly that even standing on my left leg, with minimal pressure on my right leg was really difficult. Mid-way through the flight, I asked if I could have something hot to apply for my legs. The steward came up with a creative solution of 2 tied rubber gloves with hot water put into a cloth bag. That really helped quite a bit to relief the pain but I was barely able to walk out when the plane arrived in Singapore.

This left me limping badly whenever I wanted to go to the rather spacious bathroom. Unfortunately, it also meant I wasn't able to roam around the huge A380 aircraft.

A380 or not, the service level of SQ business class left a big impression on me. All the stewards and stewardesses were pretty nice and treated this limping passenger really well.

The food on SQ business class is really quite good!

Whilst the Ee fu noodles taste distinctly like plane food, the lobster tasted surprisingly fresh. 

My favourite is the green peas though - sweet and crunchy!

Breakfast was good too - fresh fruits with yogurt

 Pancakes with clotted cream

 My innovative pack of heat treatment

10 things to do before I die - Part 2

A follow-on from my previous post.

6. Take 6 months off to travel around
 No real itinerary here.. but just travel around for 6 months.. to experience life in other parts of the world.. to visit old friends I've not seen for a long time.. to revisit some places I've been to in the past.. try new things I've never done. 6 months of minimal planning and doing things I like. An ex-colleague of mine is doing that right now.. and it looks like so much fun.

7. Fly
Well, not fly as in take a plane.. but more like fly the way birds do.. with wings.. But I'm also a real scaredy cat so perhaps... I'd just take a hot air balloon?

8. See a glacier
Geography was my favourite subject when I was in secondary school.. and I really liked learning about glaciers. I've always been attracted to glaciers because they are very ancient, somewhat mysterious and very breathtaking (in the photos I've seen, at least). I want to see one for myself!

9. Stay in a castle
Just for the fun of it

10. Travel to the city of Jerusalem
To understand the place where Christianity began..

I have to get started on my list soon....

Some pictures from my previous travels..

10 things to do before I die - Part 1

This came about from some movie.. I can't remember which one.. but I'm someone who likes to make a list of things.. There is a to-do list every week for work.. a to-bake list that I go through and update from time to time.. a to-buy list when I go to the supermarket.. and so on.

And so it kind of makes sense for me to make such a list.

Hm.. so here goes my list..

1. Visit Victoria Falls - the Smoke that Thunders
Someone I know who travelled around the world on her own visited this place and was the one who told me about this. Since then, I've always wanted to visit it to see this falls. I've also seen some really fantastic photos of the Niagara Falls.. which I would also love to visit if I can't see Victoria Falls.

Photo sourced from travlang.com

2. See the Neuschwanstein Castle in Germany
I've managed to visit a good deal of castles - castles in Japan and France. But I really want to go see this castle, which was the inspiration for Disneyland's Sleeping Beauty Castle. As with all castles, there is an interesting story behind this castle and the king behind it - King Ludwig II, The Swan King.

Photo from deskpicture.com

3. Visit Prince Edward Island
Just simply because I'm such a fan of Anne of Green Gables.. Even though I know the story is fictitious, it'd be nice to visit the place where the story was set in.

4. Climb a mountain
I've never done this before.. I'm sure it'd be really tough.. but I would really like to do it.

5. Run a marathon
Again, I'm sure this will be another really tough thing to do.. but this is something I'd like to do... so I'm planning to slowly be able to run a marathon one day..

There are only 5 items in my list now.. I'm still thinking about my other 5 items..

What are the 10 things in your list?

Changes Ahead

I am back!

One of the best thing about vacation I think, is the coming home..

Our 2-weeks vacation was good.. but I started thinking about home on Day 10.. and was really excited to be back early this morning... even if it is to a very dusty house.

When I came back this time, I know things will be different from now on.

There will be changes ahead in my lifestyle come mid-April.

I'm going to miss my regular gym schedule... baking as and when I feel like.. going to town in the middle of the day when the malls are empty.. having lots of time to read and blog..

Changes are scary stuff.. but on the bright side, I guess I have lots of new things to learn and experience come mid-April.

Melting snow and ice - a sign of change in weather

Mum and Zip-lock Bags

I have found 2 good solutions for my plants whenever I travel..

The first solution - MUM. Yup. I gave my keys to my mum, who promised she'd drop by occasionally to water them.. and of course, she did. And she tidied up my garden too.. Thank God for mothers and especially for mine...! :)

The second solution - Zip-lock bags. These ones I weren't so sure about.

But, after my recent losses to soil mealies and red spider mites, I have no more edibles in my garden, apart from my mint collection, a lonely parsley and 2 purple chilli (who have survived most amazingly... I was going to throw them away when I spotted new baby leaves).

Most of them are currently planted in small pots, so before I went away, I gave them a good watering, put them into a few ziplock bags and told my mum to skip the watering for these plants. I did the same to the african violets I was propagating.

And oh... when I came back, my plants were growing well and comfortably inside the zip-lock bags. It was like a little greenhouse for them, keeping them in a humid environment and protecting them from the strong winds and heavy rains.

April is sakura month

Sakura, or cherry blossoms, are one of my favourite flowers. For one thing.. they are pink! And they look so delicate and ladylike.

I was going going through some old photos and came upon these ones, taken in Beijing about 2 years ago in April at this park called 玉渊谭公园. It is extremely crowded in the weekends.. But weekdays are less scary.. and it is nice to visit when the sakura flowers are in bloom in April.



Of course, I love the sakuras at Shinjuku Gyoen in Tokyo as well.

Thought I'd use a picture of these as my blog's header and share some pictures as well.. :)

Gardening and Travelling

Gardening and travelling, i found out... doesn't go well together. Like rice and ketchup, soy sauce and pasta, business suits and slippers... oh well, you get the idea.

I went away to Beijing for about 9 days.. and during that time, left basic instructions for my busy husband on how to take care of my plants. He did a really nice job. Really. And I really appreciate his efforts.

But my plants are all spoilt by my daily tender loving care... or what I like to think it is what I do. I would rush out into the balcony at the slightest sign of rain and hustle them indoors. On days when it is just too hot and sunny, I'd give them an extra sip of water... If pests come near them, I'd spray, catch and kill..

So, after 9 days.. my plants are well but they looked at me reproachfully.. for neglecting them and leaving them.

And now I'm thinking of I should do when both of us travel together back to Hong Kong in early May..