Petrina + Phuket = Bad luck

I was supposed to be on a flight to Phuket to join my family who went yesterday. Long story on why they planned to go on Friday and back on Sunday when Monday's the public holiday. But I was really upset with my dad because it's his office trip and the office staff planned it. He's already gotten an earful from me for this. I mean, talk about really dumb travel planning.

So anyway, I was supposed to take the 7.25am AirAsia flight this morning to join them. Then the protests in Bangkok and Southern Thailand close the Phuket, Krabi and Hadyai airports last night.

Initial reports said that they'll reopen this morning so I could still catch my flight. Then around midnight last night, we heard that it might be closed for Saturday and Sunday. So my plans were all cancelled. I was to stay at home.

Around 10am this morning, my mom calls up saying that the airport has apparently reopen so I may be able to catch the 12.45pm flight. A frantic dash to the airport to see if I can make it, only to find that the 12.45pm flight was still cancelled and the next one is at 8pm, which is really a waste of my time since the flight back is tomorrow.

And where is the travel agent all this time? We'd book it through my mom's usual agent but he didnt go this time. Instead, some stupid woman named Lynette was the guide and she wasn't the least bothered to help. She didn't inform Goon (our usual guy) about the whole thing.

So when I called him this morning, he didn't even know that the airport was closed. But at least he rushed to the LCCT to meet and help me check. We both had tried calling AirAsia's hotlines but couldn't get through.

Mom's apparently really upset with the Lynette woman as well over other parts of the tour arrangements that she screwed up. I have yet to meet her but from now on, I'm either never using Goon's agency again or I'll request that I never have her as my guide.

So anyway, enough of whining. There is nothing I can do now (except maybe demand that they take the first flight back tomorrow).

This is not my first failed attempt at going to Phuket. 4 years ago, we were supposed to go there. My parents had been there for some conference and both said it was very nice. Wanted to take us all there but waited until my Christmas holidays.

Somehow, we changed our minds almost at the last minute and went to Japan instead (of which we have absolutely no regrets cos that turned out to be one of the BEST holidays we've had).

We were really lucky because, if we didnt switch to Japan, we would have been among the crowds on Patong Beach when the tsunami struck on Boxing Day 2004.

So there. I think Phuket and I are just not meant to be. I dont intend to ever make any plans to visit there again. What's the point, it's not like it has the best beaches? I'm happy heading to Bali or Krabi or even locally - Redang, Tioman, Langkawi.

Rommel's trying to appease me by suggesting a Bali holiday during the Deepavali break. We'll see..

And so for my birthday weekend, I shall be out partying with Tracy and Kharlene. It's been a while since I've done an all-girl night about town. Right now, I'm going to catch up on something I've been lacking for the past year = SLEEP. Good night.

Piggin' out - Penang food

#1: Nasi Kandar Masjid Kapitan Keling.

Only open from 10pm onwards and when we got there at around midnight (we drove up from KL that night so went there right after checking in), there was a queue already.

One wonders why on earth would anyone eat such a heavy meal in the middle of the night and on top of that, you have to queue for it. Here's the tiny little stall which is on the right hand side of Masjid Kapitan Keling. You can't miss it cos everything else is closed and there's loads of people here.



Sorry no pictures of the food. We drove up without dinner and were starving when we got there so we just dived in at ate. But, it was really really good food. I'm no expert on nasi kandar but Rommel said it was really good. My sis, who usually doesn't like curry stuff, also liked it.


#2 Otak-otak @ Jalan Macalister

This was at the same shop as Sister's Char Kuey Teow. Not too bad but I've had better ones with a bit more fish here in KL.



#3: Mee Jawa @ Jalan Macalister

Again at that same shop as above. We were there for the char kuey teow but heard that this was good too so we ordered one plate. Not too bad la but not really our type of thing.


#4: Sister's Char Kuey Teow @ Jalan Macalister

Recommended by Andy, a Penangite, we decided to try this one instead of going to the Lorong Selamat one (which is probably the more famous one).

Small portion, not much ingredients apart from 2 prawns. Taste-wise, it was so-so only. Pretty disappointing and the lady selling it (see below) was really fierce. tsk tsk.



#5: Cendol along Jalan Burma

I can't tell you exactly where these 2 stalls are but they are in a small lorong along Jalan Burma. Both facing each other and each sign says that that's the famous cendol. I cant remember now which one did we try from in the end but apparently they both pretty much taste the same. Loads of coconut milk so it was good! and totally unhealthy of course.





#6: Assam laksa and sugar cane juice @ Ayer Itam

After cendol, we headed to Ayer Itam for the famous assam laska right next to the market. The sugar cane juice was also very refreshing, a perfect accompaniment.






Yummmmm..... probably the best assam laksa I've had in years!


#7: Durians @ Ayer Itam
Across the street from the market were some fruit stalls and durian stalls. We went to one that my cousins have been to as they have places for you to sit and also a sink to wash your hands.

Really good durians... Creamy, some sweet, some bitter... I think my niece, Ashley's happiness says it all.


Half her face was covered with durian by the time we finished.

So there, that was Penang.... Always a foodie trip. Would you believe that we'd eaten all of that (except for the Nasi Kandar) in one day??

No wonder why we have trouble losing weight!!

Knit update: Grandpa leaf vest and more yarn!

First up: the Grandpa vest (Grandpa's Cardigan yarn from The Plucky Knitter and the leaf tank pattern from one of my Vogue Knitting mags).

Completed the back portion last week. Just casted on the front. I was afraid I didn't have enough yarn so I simplified the neckline and straps which were supposed to be braided i-cords. Such pretty greys. Perfect for work with a crisp white shirt.



And next, I received these 2 weeks ago from JBW. 3 skeins of Malabrigo worsted merino and 5 balls of Cashmere Handspun by Trendsetter Yarns.

Aren't they gorgeous?? Just haven't figured out what to knit/crochet with them yet!

Oh yes, my second batch of Plucky yarns finally arrived yesterday. You see, I'd ordered quite a bit from her in June so she sent them in 2 parcels. One arrived before I went to London but one never did come at all.

After a while, we emailed each other about it and she's been so kind to send over another batch of the second parcel. That was sent on Aug 8 and arrived on Wednesday. Got Pa and Fatteh to go pick it up for me... Haven't had time to take pictures of the beautiful colours yet but will do it soon!

Piggin' Out: KL - The George and Dragon

Restaurant: The George and Dragon
Place: Bangsar Shopping Centre, KL
Cuisine: Gastropub
Verdict: Probably the closest I can get to authentic pub grub in KL

Last night, Rommel, Fatteh and I had to go out for dinner and buy groceries cos we pretty much ran out of food at home. (The 2 fridges were almost empty, amazingly)

So it was either Bangsar Village or BSC since I don't really buy groceries anywhere else. And then we ended up in The George and Dragon cos Rommel and I wanted to eat there once on a Friday night but couldn't get a table so ended up eating in Alexis (which was disappointing btw so I didn't blog about it).

So anyway, we pigged out big time last night. The table next to us kept looking over to see how much we'd ordered.

The Food:
- Scotch eggs (Pretty good)
- Escargot with cheese sauce (Still prefer Monte's for escargot anytime)
- Caesar salad (Was rather sad, too much dressing)
- Bangers and mash (I had a major craving for it. Not too bad but of course can't compare to what I'd get back in London)
- Steak and kidney pie (This was good stuff, approved by Fatteh who is now almost half-Brit anyway)
- Roasted pork knuckle (Good stuff again. Looked really huge but that's cos there was a really big bone. But the meat was really tender while the skin was still crispy. Took a while to come but it was worth it!)

The Beverages:
- I had a pint of Snake Bite - a flashback into my uni days when I'd gatecrash the Imperial College parties and my BFF Joycie introduced it to me. Loved it ever since. Prety much a girl's beer since its really sweet.
- Rommel had a pint of Kilkenny, same ol' same ol'
- Fatteh had a glass of Old Speckled Hen and one more type of beer but I cant remember its name right now. Starts with B.... Dang I'm getting old. But I remember the Old Speckled Hen because it tasted nice, had a sweet aftertaste similar to the Honey beer in Borough Market.

So yea, I'm definitely going back there when I need my pub grub fix.

Fruitful shopping in Singapore

Was in Singapore over Thurs - Saturday. Lil break while Mommy's there for a conference Technically I did a bit of work too cos I had lunch with some corporates on Friday, albeit I was in jeans and came to the restaurant with a bag full of dresses from Blum. But my mom has been following the progress of this particular company for many a year now and we know them pretty well so they were cool about me being so casual.

Shen, sorry for waking you up so early (was it 7am your time when I called?) but I had to find out what sort of patterns did you want from Golden Dragon.

Anyway, here's the damage done in less than 3 days:

Blum at Hitachi Tower
(My mom's favourite place to shop for dresses and office suits. Walking distance from The Fullerton. They also have other outlets all over SG.)

I got 7 dresses - 3 work ones and 4 casual. Shen I got a yellow and white halter neck dress which is more you than me actually and it's a bit loose for me in the chest area so you should try it on when you get back for Xmas! I'm actually wearing one of the work dresses right now.

Ma bought countless dresses and suits and cardigans and I dunno what else but we had to buy a new Mandarina Duck luggage to fit everything she'd bought. Luckily, we flew Business Class so the luggage went through with no issues. It was 26kg - all new clothes okay!!! (Btw, Shen, we bought another one exactly like the one you brought back to London.)

Charles and Keith (at Changi airport)
SALE: 50% off for most shoes!! The sale was also on in the other C&K shops in the city but since I knew we could get them at the airport, I decided to wait until we got there. I bought 1 pair of cream-coloured shoes with a brown buckle.

Ma got 2 pairs and Grace got 6! We now know who is a shoe-a-holic!

Golden Dragon at People's Park Centre
Of course, I had to make a trip to GD and so I went on my own.
Bought 8 types of cloth materials for Shen (will take pics and post them when I have time).
Also got 10 balls of Jaeger Merino DK Aran in black for S$75 and 10 balls of Jaeger Merino DK in teal also for S$75!!!!! Damn good bargain and I couldn't stop myself.
And, I bought some really pretty Japanese yarn - 6 balls which the shopgirl said would be sufficient for a vest / tank top. Pics to come.
AND, 5mm and 4mm bamboo circs in 100cm lengths (I couldn't find them in KL and I already have 6mm and 10mm ones in that length).
And one more - a little Clover kit with stitch markers, stitch holders and bunch of other things. So cute.

Spotlight, Plaza Singapura
I had dinner with Aunty Lena and family and mentioned my trip to GD. Uncle Jude immediately mentioned Spotlight at Plaza Singapura for a good selection of yarns. Of course, I had to visit there too and went on Saturday morning!

So much choice!! I must say that the yarns sold at Spotlight were cheaper than GD but not as luxurious. I didn't have much luggage space left so I only got 6 balls of Lion Brand's Vanna's Choice in a nice lavender. Should be sufficient for a shawl. Will definitely be visiting Spotlight the next time I'm in SG to take advantage of the great discounts they have!

Louis Vuitton in Ngee Ann City
Ma attacked the LV store first without me since she flew to SG earlier. She came back to the hotel with a pair of jeans, belts and shoes.

Then I wanted to check it out too so we went there again on Saturday.

Nothing new to buy so we finally got the Monogram Speedy 40" that Ma always wanted (okay there are loads of bags that "she always wanted" but this is what she's been talking about for the past few weeks).

I also got the latest small Monogram Mini bag in dark brown (the one that matches my wallet and the shoes I got in Harrods last year). Used it over the weekend and for such a small bag, it can fit loads of things! Shen, you'll like it but it's MINE! =P

Other stuff I bought:
- A pair of flat white pumps from some shop in Wisma Atria (am wearing them now actually)
- 2 dresses from Hula & Co in Wisma Atria (beach dresses for Phuket this weekend)

Now, wasn't that a great shopping trip or what!?

RIP: Sister Bernadine

Sister Bernadine passed away last night. She has not been feeling well for a while now, what with diabetes and a weak heart. When she last came to visit during Chinese New Year this year, we could already tell that she was getting weaker.

Still, she was her joyful self then, still loved to giggle at the funny things we tell her, still loved to gamble (she always lost because she actually didnt know how to play but wanted to join in the fun), still loved to have her little sips of wine or brandy...

When we went to visit her in the Infant Jesus Convent in Balik Pulau 3 weeks ago, despite her poor health, she still looked happy and was always smiling. Reverend Mother had said she wasn't eating too well and was still as fussy as ever about her food.

Sr Bernadine was coughing pretty badly then. And I knew it was durian season and that she loved the fruit. So I quietly asked her, "Sister, have you been eating too much durians?". To which she giggled and nodded her head. "And why have you not been taking your medicines?" I prodded. She made a face and said she didn't like the taste.

She was as how she has always been, innocent, playful and always a smiling face for everyone.

Mom and Auntie Annie went up to Penang this afternoon to visit her as she was their godmother but it was too late. Still, they paid their last respects and while they were both at the coffin, praying for Sister, Mom said she saw a slight movement in Sister's eyes, as if to tell my mom that she knew they were there to see her.

Mom didn't say a word to Auntie Annie until after they'd left the hospital. Then, Auntie Annie admitted she'd seen something too.

But what Mom said was that Sister looked peaceful. That's what's important, at the end of it.

We'll miss you, Sister Bernadine. May you rest in peace.

Hotel review: Lone Pine Penang

Hotel: Lone Pine, Batu Feringghi, Penang
Website: click here
Occasion: Annuar's wedding
Dates: 25-27 July 2008
Conclusion: Really nice and homey hotel - will definitely go back for a chill out weekend!

Rommel and I were invited to Annuar and Mariana's wedding in Penang and the wedding was to be held at the Lone Pine Hotel. Reviews said it was pretty nice but rather old/dated. We chose to stay at the same hotel for sheer convenience. And also, Shen and Patty came along so we could just leave them in the room with the Maxis broadband we brought from home.

We drove up on Friday night itself and arrived at a rather dim-lit hotel. Cosy for some but can be a bit scary (especially of people like me who can "sense" things sometimes).

The 2 king-sized beds in the Executive Suite was just perfect for the 4 of us (Mom was in Hong Kong and Dad was in Chiangmai that weekend). Here is Shen giving me a pose right after we checked in.


And here is Rommel in the living room. The furniture and electronics are rather tired looking and dated at the first impression.


But what was great about the hotel was..... the ambience. All over. Totally relaxing, beachy chill-out blah blah blah.. Check out the view from our balcony.


Although the balcony wasnt really a balcony... more like a little cosy corner, complete with a day bed. Perfect for lazy afternoon knitting!


For the wedding party night, Shen and Patty decided to order room service instead of going out around Batu Feringgi. Our whole family somehow makes it compulsory to try the room service of every hotel we stay in - it's like one of our criteria upon which we judge the hotel.

And I must say this one passed our grading! Shen ordered the tom yum seafood soup and lambchops. Patty had the French onion soup with burger.


In case you're wondering why we were in Penang and they were eating room service Western food in a hotel rather than all the yummylicious hawker food that Penang has to offer, we'd had a feast that whole Saturday before retiring back to the hotel in the evening. (Char kuey teow, mee jawa, cendol, assam laksa and a durian feast - pics to come in a separate post as I wanted to highlight Lone Pine here)

Sunday morning was a pretty relaxed and lazy one. We slept until about 10am. Fatty and Rommel then headed to the beach cos Patty wanted to go paragliding (We'd done the Viper and jetskiing the previous evening).

Shen and I bummed around in the hotel's hammocks just outside the rooms.


Just looking at this picture actually relaxes me... I think I'll plan another trip to Penang sometime soon just to chill here. Definitely stress-free.

And now back to reality, another 14-hour day at work tomorrow... :(

Monday jinx, monday blues

Talk about being jinxed! And downright lazy...

I'm talking about my brother.

He was supposed to have extended his UK student visa in preparation for A-Levels. The old visa was for 2 years of GCSE (the SPM equivalent in the UK).

He had 2 months to get it done. And what has happened? Nothing as usual....

.... until last night that is.

I didnt even know that it hadn't been sorted!

So at 1am last night, I was still struggling with his visa application form while my mom was scrambling around for his USPR certs and whatnots.

Then this morning we found out that you have to get it done online and you're encouraged to book an appointment to go there.

So another round this morning of scrambling and phone calls and mother getting all annoyingly upset over everything.

Finally all done by 11am and we managed to get an appointment for 2pm. Off went Pa and Patty to Wisma MCA.

At 2.45pm, I get a phone call from Ma saying they didnt do something right and didnt print some bar code or something. I did call my dad just before 2pm to check about it because my intern who'd just went to get her visa done had to go there a few times too. But anyway, they needed the bar code thingamagic.

So after all the trouble, it's a no-go. Then luckily I checked with Kharlene again.. They needed the payments to be made via bank drafts only. So Ma again flipped and was rushing cousin Melissa to sort that out too.

This is what you get when everything's done last minute.

And amidst all that, I had an annoying request that took the whole morning for me to do.

And it was raining all morning too.

So... yep, am definitely suffering from Monday morning blues..

Wish it was the weekend again. We ate crabs at Kuchai (again I know but hey, it's good!) and Shen, Pat, Rommel and I had kobe and wagyu at Angus Steakhouse, Pavilion for dinner last night. I also got to watch Wall-e (can be cute but rather annoying too).

Oh, and I totally forgot about my cousin Celine's birthday yesterday. So I'm rushing to crochet a little tote for her. Hope to finish it in a couple of days.

And now... it's back to work!

Kevin's wedding

Rommel and I attended Kevin and Elvira's wedding last Saturday. My bag was too small to fit the camera and he refused to carry one. So I "stole" some pics off Lina and Tarry from Facebook!

The wedding theme was 'Fairytale Wedding" so I decided to dress for the occasion.

My outfit: Baby pink dress from Lipsy at Topshop Unique, London
My shoes: Louis Vuitton mini monogram pumps in dark brown
My bag: Stuart Weitzman bronze clutch
My accessories: Pink dangling earrings, LV bracelets in cream and light pink with matching ring.

Couple shot:

With Fai...

Pretending to be Jap with Lina...

*Apologies for the red face. That's what happens after too much alcohol!

Piggin' Out: Four-day binge

I think we've overeaten these past 4 days.

1
It all started on Wednesday with dinner at Gu Yue Tian. This was a farewell thingy for Fr Albert (remember the scarf?), attended by him of course, my family, Datin Pauline and Aunty Sherece and Fr Simon.

My dad, as usual ordered all our favourite dishes there:
- the steamed egg yolk with foie gras reduction sauce
- the very crispy and well marinated deep fried pork ribs
- the pig stomach and pepper soup with sharksfin
- cold abalone, served on a bed of shaved ice
- some special fried rice, which I cant remember the name of right now
- mini pan fried char siew pau for dessert
- sea coconut and ginseng soup (cold and refreshing) for dessert

2
Then the next day it was dinner with Uncle Lee at Pik Wah Lau. This restaurant is located near the Methodist Boy's School around the Chinatown area of KL. Apparently it used to be extremely popular in its heyday but on the night we were there, we were practically the only table (only 2 other tables with 2-3 ppl and they ate and left early). Rather disturbing and probably not very safe since anyone could have come in with parangs, robbed us all and tied us up and no one would find out. (That was what my dad was thinking btw)

But the food - yup still pretty good "like the old days", according to the uncles. 14 ppl in attendance - My family, Uncle Lee and Yen Ling, Uncle Max and Aunty RubyAnn, Uncle Watson and Aunty Annie and Uncle Michael and Aunty Diane.

Dishes that were memorable were:
- The sharksfin with fish lips soup
- The four seasons dish that came with frogs legs
- Deep fried tiger prawns
- The fried rice

Conclusion: Pretty good but am not sure if we'll go back simply because we didnt feel comfortable eating there!

3
Then Datin Pauline wanted to buy us dinner on Friday since the siblings are back from London. And she wanted us to choose the restaurant. I've been meaning to take them to Sao Nam in Tengkat Tung Shin so this was a good opportunity to let them all try it. (Check out my previous review on them!)

I ordered the banh xeo, the goi cuon, the pomelo salad and the mangosteen salad as starters for all to share. Mom loved the mangosteen salad so much that she ordered another one for herself.

For mains, we had the different types of noodles, all for everyone to share. My dad was being his usual self and didn't want to eat the other noodles, settling happily for his pho bo.

One main highlight was that the desserts seemed to have improved from my first visit there. (On my second visit, I actually didnt order dessert but instead walked over to Max for dessert instead.)

4
And then finally, last night was Rommel's friend's wedding, held at Sunway Hotel. I dare say it was probably the most OTT wedding I've attended in my life. For starters, the entrance of the bride and groom was accompanied by ballerinas prancing around the stage and they appeared from the top of 2 staircases on the stage. Then there were performances by rather random groups - there were people doing pop dances, break dancing, a bunch of cheerleaders etc. We figured that since the groom's dad was in events management that the wedding seemed to be sort of like one of the events they'd do for clients. Exceptional decor and light work though and complete with loads of little fireworks and confetti being strewn about.

The food - not the best I've had for wedding dinners but it was alright. A typical Chinese style dinner with the usual four seasons, sharksfin soup, roast chicken, steamed cod, fried prawns etc...

The one oddity was the belacan fried rice which did not have any belacan taste and was rather bland.

But a wedding is a wedding and in true style, the boys all drank. And drank. And drank. Until we pretty much got kicked out of the ballroom at 1am. tTen almost everyone headed to Euphoria, the MoS club.

Rommel's been meaning to check Euphoria out for a while now so this was a good opportunity. I wasn't too keen because I've been to the MoS in London and didn't think it was all that great. True enough, the crowd was barely a crowd, it wasn't packed and the music wasn't my type of thing.

So Rommel, Fai and I left early and headed to Bangsar for Nasi Lemak. There goes my once-a-month nasi lemak quota! Met up with Shirin and Dinesh and their friends there. They'd gone for the Kent event at the Mines and were raving about how good the place was.

So there. That was my weekend. Time to figure out what to eat for Sunday lunch!

Knit update: Grandpa's Cardigan - the beginning

First I start with a shot of Grandpa's Cardigan - 1 skein still intact and 1 skein freshly wound.
Picture includes a pot of chrysanthemum tea I'd just bought from Hojo at the Gardens and the uber-cute teddy bears in kimono book Shen and I bought from Kinokuniya.

And here it is... work-in-progress as of last night. In the background is a picture of how it will (hopefully) turn out..

And next, a sneak at the scarf I'm knitting in a stockingnette check for Rommel. Love the yarn cos it's so light. Am planning to make a camisole for myself with the remaining yarn as I doubt I'll need to use all 10 balls that we'd bought at John Lewis for the scarf!

Cant see the pattern really well so will have to take better pics next time!


Good night!

Knit update: The Green Fairy

Finally, had time to take pics of the Green Fairy shawl. (dont ask me why I called it that. It just came to mind when I saw how the shawl was turning out while knitting it!).

The pattern is called Huge triangle shawl taken from "Greetings from Knit Cafe" by Suzan Misher.

Really simple pattern. Start by casting on 2 stitches. Make 1 increase at both ends on each row in a stockingnette stitch. Continue until the shawl is large enough for you (or when you run out of yarn!)

I added 2 rows of single crochet as a simple border to keep the edges from curling up too much.

Simple, easy and requires minimal thinking. Perfect for knitting while stuck in a traffic jam or watching the telly.

Knit update: Grandpa's Cardigan is turning into a vest!

Remember Grandpa's Cardigan from The Plucky Knitter? (It's the name of the yarn for those who're getting confused)

Shen and I finally wound 1 skein last night and I have casted on my first vest. We're just praying that 580 yards of yarn is enough because the pattern called for >600yards but Im shortening it a little and making some small changes to the straps.


Such gorgeous shades of gray - cant wait to see how the colourway turns out!

And I just realised I forgot to take pics of Father Albert's scarf before giving it to him. So these are all I have of the scarf.. Really simple design and a really warm scarf!

Piggin' Out: Barcelona - La Boqueria market

La Boqueria market, Barcelona: Probably the best thing about Barcelona in my opinion, apart from the gorgeous architecture throughout the city.

The fruit stalls: super fresh fruit in an array of colours.



Simple seafood breakfast - just cooked with olive oil and a bit of sea salt and pepper. Some might find it a tad too oily but we liked it! Also ordered mixed wild mushrooms stir fried with olive oil, omelette with bacon/sausage/ham and frites.

My favourite stall in the whole market: ESlice pizza.

Fresh fresh fresh seafood. Cant get anything like it in London.

Wondrous foie gras. We lost count of how many cans if it we brought back - bought from various places - Borough Market, Lourdes and Barcelona. But nothing beats the size and freshness of the ones in La Boqueria.