Life Love and Me » Holidays

Part-time Cook

celine — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 10:18:00 +0000

Whenever we holiday overseas my husband would always take over the planning of all our meals. He would do some homework before the trip and speak to the locals when we get there, just to ensure that we do not miss out any of the must-eat places. He would also find out the opening hours of the local markets (for fresh meat, seafood and vegetables). Yeah, he loves to cook and does a much better job than me. Whenever he cooks fresh ingredients is a must and a never to be compromised quality. He makes an effort to get all ingredients from the fresh market unlike me where convenience is always my priority. I like my vegetables and fruits thoroughly washed and nicely packed which means from the supermarket.

He enjoyed himself shopping at the Subiaco and Fremantle weekend markets. He was busy shopping for vegetables and fruits whilst I was pre-occupied at Angry Almonds (awesome place, Daphne …)

My younger girl trying to act like a big-girl, eating her grilled by daddy steak, with mustard instead of ketchup.

Found the mustard a little spicy but was pressured to join us.

Enjoying their supper – daddy cooked creamy chicken soup by the balcony.

We were waiting patiently for our meal.

Yeah, its the infamous Cicerello’s at Fremantle.

Definitely worth the wait. Super yummy delicious …..

Delicious food plus awesome view & ambiance, simply perfect!

Chasing birds ……. my girls favourite past-time. *scratching head*

Acting silly purely for my lens …….

Animals Overdose

celine — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 23:40:00 +0000

Since young both my girls love animals very much. They would get very excited whenever the opportunity arises for them to visit the zoo. As both my husband and I are not animal fans, they rely on school trips, and visits from family and friends. As they grow older, they started to negotiate visits to wildlife parks and/or farmstays when we travel overseas, as their reward for doing well in their school exams or in exchange for a month of washing toilets at home. I still have not figured out where their love for animals came from, as I am someone who would scream my head off whenever I see a cat, dog, et cetera.

Before we got into Perth, my younger girl (the more crafty one) “sweet-talk” her dad for a day at Caversham Wildlife Park. As promised, we spent an entire day right from opening hours of the park right till the very last minute of their closing. If not because of my Nikon camera, I would fallen asleep standing.

I had a hard time getting them to stand still for a picture. They just cannot wait to get into the park to meet their “friends”.

Even though I stayed in Melbourne for many years, I have yet to go near a kangaroo. Give them a pat? No way ….

“Mummy, can I sleep over with my friends?”

Having a chat?

Laughing over a joke?

“Mummy, another shot before we go, please?”

Farm shows a must-watch and must participate in all events if possible, even though it is the tenth time.

The Food and Wine trail – the more interesting part of our Swan Valley stay (for me). We thoroughly enjoyed ourselves visiting chocolate factories, vineyards, breweries and fruit orchards. I especially like having lunches at the cafes.

Burnt Out!

celine — Sun, 07 Jun 2009 23:04:00 +0000

Hubs and I were totally burnt-out from our daily routine, him from “his grind” and me a little bored with everything from the domestic front. We decided to take a short break with the girls. We got into Perth early this morning and will be here for the next ten days.

Normally we would prefer to either go to Sydney or Melbourne whenever we visit Australia. We consider Perth a little “slow” (no offense meant) for us. Probably it is a sign of old age, spending 10 days in a slow and laid-back place with moderate winter conditions sounded rather appealing to me.

Actually it has been ages since we last visited Perth. If my memory does not fail me, Erica was only 18 months old then. She is 11 years old now. All I remembered about that trip was the service apartment that we stayed in. It has an awesome view fronting the Swan River. It was The Peninsula at South Perth. We never thought of going back as I would imagine that the place would be a little “run-down” by now. Daphne of More Than Words gave some interesting options, and we like her Subiaco idea.

When we arrived this morning, hubs suggested that we should check out the condition of Peninsula. I didn’t realize that the place left such an impression on him as well. We were delighted when we saw the place. It was surprisingly well maintained. I was thrilled because I absolutely love the river fronting view and its neighbourhood. It is awesome…

At the KLIA (Kuala Lumpur International Airport) before departure.

While waiting for breakfast when we arrived in Perth.

It was Majestic indeed!

celine — Fri, 31 Oct 2008 13:28:06 +0000

The Malacca River fronting the hotel

We took a short drive out of Kuala Lumpur, and spent the weekend in Malacca Town, one of UNESCO’s World Heritage Sites. It is considered one of Malaysia’s most interesting city as its buildings and streets have strong influence of its founder Parameswara (a Javanese prince), the early Chinese migrants, and the three European colonial periods of Portugese, Dutch and British.

All four of us were looking forward to the trip for our own reasons, the girls imagining their history books coming to life, for me its the hotel, a refurbished 80 year-old used to be mansion belonging to a rich tycoon, and for my other half, an escape from the depressing financial markets!

The Majestic Hotel lived up to its name in all sense, aptly described in YTL Life as; “…… a lovingly restored, utterly charming and exclusive boutique hotel”.

My girls had a good time harassing Uncle Donovan, the hotel guide, with all the why-s, but-s and how-s, during “The Historical Tour Walk”.

The Christ Church of Malacca, the oldest surviving Dutch church building found outside the Netherlands.

Queen Victoria’s Fountain, one of few surviving architectural footprints from the British colonization.

Part of Porta de Santiago built in 1511 by the Portugese, as a fortress to protect the spice trade route.

Ruins of the St. Paul’s Church. St. Francis Xavier was enshrined here in 1553 before being shipped to India.

Malaysia’s Independence was announced at the Warrior’s Field on 20th February 1956

A library along Jonker Street, a street famous for selling antiques.

A trishaw puller taking a nap after a hard day’s work.

Sunset by the Straits of Malacca

We'll be Back!

celine — Mon, 01 Sep 2008 10:13:39 +0000

We wanted to do a 3-hours massage at JivaRhu Spa, thus were thinking of ways to occupy the girls while we were gone. I was thankful, and impressed with level of customer service, when the reception made special arrangements for the girls to participate in the mangrove tour without us. While they were given a two hours private guided tour of the botanical and zoological wonders of the mangrove ecology, bat caves, eagle feeding, macaw monkeys and fish feeding stations, we spent our time at JivaRhu Spa, for a 3-hours couples massage.

After lunch the girls were busy at the beach collecting sea shells and participating in the activities planned for the day; henna painting, necklace making, games by beach, etc. They even had a go at the play-station challenge.

As we were taking the 10p.m. flight back to KL, the duty manager allowed us a late check-out at 6p.m. So incredibly nice of them, right? In addition, we were invited to continue to use our all inclusive package till departure at 9p.m. to the airport!

All of us enjoyed ourselves so much that we were reluctant to leave. TRR, though aged a little, managed to retain its “magic” that attracted my hubby and I, during our previous visit – quiet and unpretentious, surrounded by the best of mother nature. It’s simplicity at its best, with a generous dose of luxury. On the plane ride back to KL, my hubby said to me, “Maybe we should spend Christmas there, this year….”

Postcard Perfect!

celine — Sun, 31 Aug 2008 03:40:57 +0000

Tanjung Rhu Resort (TRR) brought back many wonderful memories for both my husband and I. It was the first luxury, 5-star resort that we stayed. We went there 7 years ago, in awe and a little “uncomfortable” of the service that we got from them. Maybe it’s because we were a young couple with a small bank balance then. We could only afford a night stay, and had only one meal at the resort – the buffet breakfast that came with our package! I vividly remember walking past Rhu (french fine-dining restaurant with awesome view), took a look at their menu, and were scared off by their sky-high prices.

Coming back again made me realize how much we have progressed. In a way, it was like walking down memory lane for us, recalling what it was like 7 years ago, when we were still struggling a little more to make a living. My mind stopped momentarily and I can’t help counting the many blessings that I had in my life. I should be contented with what I have….. easier said than done.

This time we paid for the all-inclusive package. We had unlimited access to all the 3 restaurants in the resort – Sands (asian food), Saffron (mediteranean-could not afford the last time) and Rhu, plus the 24 hours in-room dining. I strongly recommend this package, truly value for money – my girls were thrilled that they could have all the chips, chocolates, nuts and drinks from the room minibar, were able order anything they like by the pool, by the beach, in the reading room, in the games room, etc.

We had a romantic dinner for two at Rhu yesterday as the girls wanted room service while watching the DVDs that they borrowed from the Reading Room. We were lucky to get a table fronting the Andaman sea at the upstairs balcony of the restaurant, and was captivated by the sunset view. Stunning, huh?

Dining at Rhu was a little hilarious for me. It has lost all the grandeur that it held in my memory, most definitely not in the tier of fine dining restaurants that KL has to offer. Food wise, Rhu was a let-down, but the awesome view more than made up for the food.