Sight Seeing in Singapore

I am more than 1 year behind in my postings but then again better late than never right ? :)

I met up with Bernard (Jeh's bestest buddy) when he came back to Singapore last Nov'08 and we had a great time with my cute & naughty Nicole.

November 2008

I consider myself a frequent traveller to Singapore, for work and also to visit my brother and family at least once, sometimes twice a month. So I don't consider myself a tourist when in Singapore cos I don't go to Singapore as a tourist.

So when Bernard came home to Singapore to visit his parents, and I so happened to in Singapore at the same time this is what he said to me...."Hey, accompany me to the tourist spots in Singapore cos none of my Singapore friends want to do so. You also tourist in Singapore right?"

My first reaction was like "No! I am not a tourist and also not interested to go sight seeing in Singapore, what is there to sight see??

His reply - "Singapore Flyer, Sentosa, Singapore Zoo - come la"

Ok ok.... So, I became a tourist with a Singaporean who wanted to go sight-seeing in Singapore. Anyway, I could not resist taking Nicole for a great day out.


Nicole immediately warmed up to Bernard when she met him. Well, since she adores Jeh and I told her he is Uncle Jeh's friend from States, Bernard became her best buddy real fast!

The three of us went to a Peranakan Baby Nyonya buffet at Swissotel and my oh my when Nicole saw the chocolate fountain, she went a little too excited.

She gobbled down the chocolate marshmallows as fast as she could so she can go back to the chocolate fountain again and again. I had to stopped her after the 4th chocolate marshmallow.

She had chocolate dripping out of her mouth, on her shirt and hands. Luckily I bought an extra change of clothing for her. Phew!



Next to the Singapore Flyer!!

So, was it scary to be thousand of feet up in the air?

Does Nicole look scared? Or she is just being her cheeky self?

Obviously she was being her naughty self. We had the whole coach to ourselves us so we could do anything, run around, sit on the floor, roll around if we wanted to. :)

The view was beautiful and here you see Bernard posing with the F1 Singapore site where he was sitting a week earlier. He saw the first night race in F1. It was cool!

You see how fast Nicole warmed up to BH? Or maybe she is just a super poser when the camera is on!! :)

Guess where we went next??!!! This is really BH's request. Fish Spa!!!!

Look, Nicole and her pose for the camera! She's really good on camera yeah!!

I am not a super fan of the fish spa but BH kinda enjoyed his first experience. Much for the fishes to chomp chomp chomp on his death skin.

Of course Nicole was too young to put her feets to the fishes so she was a good girl, enjoying herself while we spa spa.


All in all it was great day. I am sure Nicole truly enjoyed herself. She went home and she quickly drew her experience on the drawing board. See her illustration of the Singapore flyer and the 2 big feet??!!! She is becoming quite an artist!!

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Since I've been back - My Family

Sept / October 2008


I came back from USA in Sept '08 and trying to be the good daugther (I act like a rebellious daugther - hehehe just to "torture" my mom and dad! but really I am good at heart), I decided to spend my quality time with my parents.


So, I took them for a "Rendevous in KL". I did not want to go far and exploring KL is something that my parents don't do often either. Their world is confined to PJ, PJ and PJ. So, I booked a night at Westin KL.



Don't my parents look like they are enjoying their stay?? My dad is not really into relaxing at these places but I think he enjoyed himself though I know he would prefer to stay home anytime!

We went for Dim Sum at Shang Palace which got my dad saying why is the dim sum so expensive?? :)

But, he is a food lover so he was pleased with the food though he would have preferred a cheaper place then he would feel better if he ate more.

As part of my "Rendezvous in KL" itinerary, I included a 3 hour spa for mom. Ahem! She was extremely pleased.

Look at how grumpy my dad looked! He just don't understand why women would pay for someone to press on their bodies. Therefore, spa was definitely not for him.

Instead, I took him to Pavilion shopping. Not that shopping is his kind of thing at all but I told him that Pavilion is new and he should explore a place and see how people spend money on expensive branded items. I think he was quite pleased with himself cos the next day, he told my mom that he can take and show her around in Pavilion!

All in all, it was a fun outing in KL with my parents. I don't think city life is their kind of thing but at least they got to enjoy the KL life.

Next destination was obviously Singapore! To see my naughty girl Nicole and see how much Daniel has grown. Miss them much while I was away and it was great to know how much they missed their Ku-ku too.

Daniel has grown up so much, very boyish and cheeky. And my oh my, does he have an appetite. He is a eating machine, put anything in his mouth and he will gobble it down! Total opposite from his skinny sister.

As for Nicole, she is as naughty as ever :) , mischievous and absolutely love High School Musical!! Can't believe she is 6 already.

Here, she is pretending to be a mermaid, in her SEA kingdom!

She is very artistic, often drawing visuals of what's happening around her.

Look at what she drew........ Nicole and daddy sending Ku-ku off to the airport. My niece is the cutest!!

I had a wonderful time with my family.

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Let me tell you what's been happening....

So much have happened since I came back from USA in Sept'08.

Unexpectedly, I am still here in Malaysia. :) Prayfully, God will open the right doors for the future. Meanwhile, let me pen down some highlights of my last few months. Yeah, much have happened and I have not blogged about it.

1) My Family

2) Singapore sightseeing with Bernard

3) My "Bad Boy" came home. Hurray! For one month at least!

4) Our Holiday in Hong Kong

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Breaking News : The Star Today - This is my PLEA too!

I am proud to say I know Anas Zubedy. He is a senior from another university UM. We joined the same international association AIESEC. I remember him as the long curly haired guy who is creative, eccentric and definitely one who wants to make a difference. I was not wrong.
He has taken a full page advert in the STAR today. Making a stand for all Malaysians! I am proud to know Anas Zubedy even though he most likely may not remember me :).


Dear Malaysian Politicians,

Please stop the power chase, call for a truce and focus on the economy.

I do not claim to speak on behalf of all Malaysians, but I have strong convictions that many share my sentiments. Our concern today is not who rules the country or heads the state governments but the looming bad economy.

Whether Barisan Nasional or Pakatan Rakyat leads, it is meaningless if Malaysians have no job to go to, no money to pay rent and no means to put food on the table.

I am a business owner, like other business owners and managers of corporations I have a responsibility to ensure people under my care and payroll continue to have jobs and a decent income to take home. We work hard and willing to go the extra mile to make sure our nation not only survive this crisis but come out stronger and wiser. We need your help.

Let me explain. I am in the business of Training, Development and Consultancy and have 20 people in my team.

Saedah is 42. She keeps the office clean and helps organise the training rooms. She has four children and her husband is unemployed. She was first hired on a part time basis, because she is very hard working and has a great attitude, we offered her a full time job to help provide a stable income for her family. Even then, when her third child started school this year, it was a struggle for her to buy new school uniforms and other necessities. Saedah lives on a ‘kais bulan, makan bulan’ basis, so, if she is jobless, her tap runs dry.

Samsuri is 27 years old. He lives with his sister and her family in a low cost government flat in Sunway. He does our despatch, helps with various clerical works and occasionally acts as a driver. During the first week at zubedy, we learned that he not only did not have money to buy new clothes and shoes for work, he had no money for lunch. Like Saedah, if he has no job, his tap runs dry too.

Alicia in Client Servicing turns 26 this year. She lives with her dad who is 71 years old and retired. Her mom passed away when she was little. Alicia is a hard-working team member, has a gentle caring outlook and fun to be with. (We like to poke fun at her as she blushes easily). Last May her dad went through a major operation, thank God he has recovered well. Alicia needs a job, both for herself and her dad.

Sudesh, 38, is one of our facilitators. When his father passed away last year, he moved back and lives with his mother in Seremban. He shuttles between Kuala Lumpur and Seremban daily, leaving home sometimes as early as 4 in the morning and returning late at night. He is no stranger to hard work and sacrifice, he knows what he needs to do to survive and to care for his mother, but he too needs a job.

Like fellow Malaysians, every one of us in zubedy needs employment, those that live from hand to mouth like Saedah and Samsuri and others like Alicia and Sudesh with family to care for. We Malaysians need the Malaysian economy to be strong. We need you, our leaders, to work hard and to work together to make our economy viable.

So this is my plea.

Pakatan Rakyat, please stop your attempts to take over the federal government and persuade BN’s lawmakers to join you. Stop all legal proceedings, no more 916 and let go, just let go. The nation can wait till the next general elections if they want change. By doing so, Malaysians will see your party as caring, unselfish and gracious and give you their support in the next elections.

Barisan Nasional, please stop any attempts to take over PR states and win over PR’s lawmakers. You have proven your point with Perak. The nation can wait for the next general elections if they want your party. Focus all your talent, energy and hard work in steering the country out of an economic downturn. By doing so, Malaysians will see your party as caring, unselfish and smart and give you their support in the next elections.

BN and PR! Call for a truce. Get together and compromise. Someone has to give in. Or has hate consumed your heart till it blinds you? You can do it. You have enough intelligent people between you. I am sure you can find solutions. Take the nation to heart. That is why you are in politics in the first place.

Focus on the people.

Focus on the economy.

Anas Zubedy
Managing DirectorZubedy (M) Sdn Bhd

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Guess who's coming back??

Bad Boy is coming back from USA...hehehe...that's my hubby!! Can't wait!

And guess where is the surprise holiday trip that I have planned for the both of us?

It is so fun to keep him guessing. Click here and here to make the guesses. So if my Hubby-D sees this posting, the secret is out!! :)

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More... more..cam-whoring with Hong Kong celebrities Part 2

This year must be my lucky year. Early in the year, I had a quick run in with some popular HK celebs at the airport (read about it here) and recently in early Nov, I took up the offer to attend an Astro dinner.

Those who know me, would vouch that I am usually to busy working to socialize :) but I took this opportunity to meet my business colleagues in Astro for the TVB Super Trio special dinner celebration. Basically the Hong Kong variety show Super Trio was shooting 4 epsiodes in Malaysia and Astro decided to host them a dinner while they were here.

The 3 important men of Super Trio show

Eric Tsang - I made sure that I had a photo with him. Now you must understand that he may not be dashing good-looking but he is a HK TVB veteran and extremely popular. This may came in handy to show my kids in the future :)

Bosco was definitely the sought after man of the evening. He is rather popular nowadays as he has good leading roles in recent TVB series.

Now this guy Shek Shau (pic above) is another veteran in TVB. He has been acting for so many years but hey, he maintained his looks pretty well. Still handsome.

I have to admit I don't know his name. Still don't. Can someone tell me? But for sure, I have seen him acting in many series but mostly in non lead roles. I remember him usually acting as a young punk in TVB series but in real life, he looks kinda old...I can see the wrinkles...ooops!

The whole TVB celebrities who were there there. Anyone important I missed??

Well, that's it, I cam-whored myself and not embarrassed to blog about it.

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Sampuoton Fish Spa

I was pleasantly surprised. And trust me, I am not easily surprised. It was a lazy Saturday afternoon and I was given this free spa treatment by the company so I drove my way to Sampuoton Spa. Seriously, I had very low expectations when I walked in. Since it was a fish spa, in my mind it was like those fish spas that have mushroomed out at all the major shopping malls.

No big deal, fish biting at my legs ...been there, done that... and since it was a treat by the company, it would be a nice relaxing afternoon.

It is located at Merchant Square, a relatively new block of shops at Tropicana PJ. After a quick registration, I was taken inside.

Surprise # 1

The overall setting was very beautiful, despite a modest size, the decor was worthy of a mid to high range spa. It immediately gave me a calm and serene feeling. The was a big pool at the center for the fish spa. I guess it was the open unisex pool as there was 2 men sitting and chatting. Hmmm.... so is this where where I would be dipping my feet??

I was taken in to the ladies changing room. Surprise! Surprise! There was another pool of fishes inside and this is special just for the ladies. Naturally, I would be opting to dip my feet inside this private sanctury vs the unisex pool.

I was given a locker and inside there was 2 towels and a green kimono. My usher gave me a very nice swim suit (which I was thinking I should get it for myself) and she asked me to take a light shower before going to the pool. Hmm...at this point, I did not give much thought to why the swim suit or the light shower.

Surprise #2

Seriously, I thought I was only dipping my feet in the water. This was what I had experienced before in the other fish spas. After a few minutes of dipping my feet in water, the nice uhser came over and said, "You can get into the water now".

"What?? You mean this is not only for my legs. I am supposed to actually put my whole body in the water??" Ok..ok...after a second of hesitation, I braved myself and did it.

It is the same feeling, a bit ticklish at first but you will get the hang of it pretty soon.



Surprise # 3

I had other fish spa experience twice before. However, when I first put my feet into the Sampuoton fish pool, I could instantly feel the difference of the fish's bite. I asked my usher "hmm, the bite of the fishes feel different, where are the fishes from? She said "these are the authentic garra fura fishes from Turkey, as you may have heard there are many fake fishes from China out there"

Hmmm...I instantly remembered yukitee blog posting on the fake fishes from China.

Alright, I am extremely pleased with my authentic fish experience now. The best thing was that I had the whole place to myself at the time I was there. It was lovely! Naturally, I started snapping photos of the place and the fishes. I was having a great time and I was thinking I would definitely be coming back real soon.

Nice...nice....everything turned out better than expected. After 30 minutes of the fishes feeding on my body, I was asked to take a good shower before my massage. Haaaa.......the shower was fantastic and then I wore my very nice and comfy green kimono.

I was ushered into the lounge area for some hot tea while my massage therapist prepared the room. I was ushered into a nicely decorated room and enjoyed a good one hour of aromatherapy massage. Bliss!


After one hour, I was again ushered out into the lounge and served again with some hot tea. Apparently, Sampuoton is working with the Malay Tea House by Forest Institute of Malaysia (FRIM) to revive the ancient art of Malay tea drinking. They also have 18 varieties of organic tea on sale.

I decided take my time at the lounge and read some magazine before I left.

Surprise #4

My earlier usher came over and asked what I wanted to eat from a list of menu she was showing me. "AHH...you mean food is also included in the package?" Cool!! There was a list of light food like spaghetti, sandwiches, fish fillet, hash brown etc....

As I was deciding, Sherena from the front desk came over and recommended me to take the fish fillet with rice. I gladly went with her choice and it was definitely the right one.



Sherena sat down with me and asked me how was my whole experience. I glad complimented the place and the experience. I proceeded to ask her about the packages available.

Long story short....it was an unexpected surprise at Sampuoton Fish Spa and I must say it was a really lovely experience. I ended up spending an additional RM1000 on a spa package. It's my mom's birthday so this will be a nice present for her and myself too :)

The Sampuoton Spa

No. B-G-23 & 23A, Merchant Square

Jalan Tropicana Selatan 1

47410 Petaling Jaya,

Selangor

Tel : +603-7885 0691

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