Wow! Time really does fly. With a blink of an eye, 5 nights here in Washington DC has gone by. Yeah, 5 nights in DC seems a lot but not when you consider us flying in late and flying out early....and the spending a day out at the factory outlets. Donno why the day we were due to go out to the factory outlets, I dreamt of Laundryamah. Both she and I were flying to London for shopping and on the plane, I found out that she has bought 2 seats for herself....so that she could have the extra 20 kg baggage allowance!!! She is the most shopaholic friend that I have. I kept telling H that if Laundryamah comes to the states for shopping, she sure will go GILA!!! Espeacially when there is a sale at the outlets. can you imagine Cole Haan shoes at USD 45 per pair???? I bought 3 pairs...I think Laundryamah would buy like 10 pairs!!
Okay lah...continue later. Think my free airport wifi is going to run out soon.
Thursday, July 29, 2010
Sunday, July 25, 2010
NOLA
No la. I don't mean no la. What I meant is New Orleans Louisiana. We have been here for three nights. Today is our last day here....later, we will be catching a flight to Washington DC.
Didn't realise that there is so much French influences here in New Orleans. Even until today, Louisiana State's law of governance is totally different from the rest of United States, under what they called the Napolenic Law or something like that. We have been eating and drinking since the start of our holiday.....really bad!! We've been having grilled oysters, seafood gumbo, fried seafood, crabxakes, crawfish etoufee, and had ourfirst po-boy this morning. Srill havent had jambalaya though...which we will try to savour before we leave the city. Will post photos of all the yummy foods once I geet home.
Okay..better go now. Not very used to the keyboard on this new toy...Yup. Our ipad which we got a friend to order and delivered to our hotel in New Orleans..
Didn't realise that there is so much French influences here in New Orleans. Even until today, Louisiana State's law of governance is totally different from the rest of United States, under what they called the Napolenic Law or something like that. We have been eating and drinking since the start of our holiday.....really bad!! We've been having grilled oysters, seafood gumbo, fried seafood, crabxakes, crawfish etoufee, and had ourfirst po-boy this morning. Srill havent had jambalaya though...which we will try to savour before we leave the city. Will post photos of all the yummy foods once I geet home.
Okay..better go now. Not very used to the keyboard on this new toy...Yup. Our ipad which we got a friend to order and delivered to our hotel in New Orleans..
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
Houston A-Calling...
Arrived in Houston yesterday (Tuesday) afternoon. Was supposed to go and do some shopping at Macy's near our airport hotel. But was soooooooo sleepy. Didn't sleep at all on the 12-hour flight from Moscow. Instead, I watched movies until my eyes popped out. My crying my eyes out made my eyes puffy and small. Aiya...watched this mega sob sob story starring Simon Yam and Sandra Ng. Should have known better when the write-up emphasized that it won a prize in the Berlin Film Festival - winners are always very emotionally intense!
We checked into the airport hotel and zzzzz and by the time I sorta woke up at 7 ish pm, H said too late to go out... What do I do? Plonk back to bed....and then was wide-eyed at 11.30 pm. Sleep. Wake-up. Sleep. Wake-up.
Well, it's only 8 AM now. We have showered, changed and had breakfast. Killing time now till 8.30 AM to catch the airport shuttle...to the airport for our 10.25 AM flight to New Orleans. Probably more twiddling thumbs when we reach the airport. But can't complain. If I didn't get my passport on Monday, we would have to hire a car and make the 6-hour drive to New Orleans as our flights cannot be changed, and a new ticket would be USD 180 per pax! So have to say LUCKY that we can keep to our original schedule.
We checked into the airport hotel and zzzzz and by the time I sorta woke up at 7 ish pm, H said too late to go out... What do I do? Plonk back to bed....and then was wide-eyed at 11.30 pm. Sleep. Wake-up. Sleep. Wake-up.
Well, it's only 8 AM now. We have showered, changed and had breakfast. Killing time now till 8.30 AM to catch the airport shuttle...to the airport for our 10.25 AM flight to New Orleans. Probably more twiddling thumbs when we reach the airport. But can't complain. If I didn't get my passport on Monday, we would have to hire a car and make the 6-hour drive to New Orleans as our flights cannot be changed, and a new ticket would be USD 180 per pax! So have to say LUCKY that we can keep to our original schedule.
Tuesday, July 20, 2010
Back on schedule....
We are back on schedule. I am now at Domodedovo Airport waiting for our flight to Houston. My passport managed to arrive at our Hotel yesterday afternoon (Monday) after traveling from Jakarta to Singapore to somewhere in Germany and then finally to Moscow. It was then a long process of calling Singapore Airlines to switch our flights from Thursday (22 July) back to our original Tuesday (20 July). H's phone bill is going to be astronomical. But have to say Sasha at the SQ Moscow office is rather helpful and speaks fluent English. She handled our case when we were at the office last Friday to sort out my mess. Anyway, here I am.
Four nights in Moscow is indeed enough.... Especially we are not Opera buffs. Not religious nor into Art. The city is tooooooo hot at this time of the year for a comfortable visit as it is not equipped for summers. Ice is really really a scarce commodity here. We were at Cafe Pushkin yesterday, and my 7up came without ice. Asked for some and found that it costs USD 1.30 for the glass of ice. Even our McDonald's soda does not come with ice.
Most of the buildings have no aircons or substandard ones. Even at the theatres. When we went to watch "Nutcracker", I told H to bring my shawl ... in case it was cold. Aduh! It was sooooooo hot! Can you imagine paper fans being sold together with the programs??? When the conductor came up to take a bow, he was absolutely drenched!!
Okay. Continue later. H says to go to the gate now.
Four nights in Moscow is indeed enough.... Especially we are not Opera buffs. Not religious nor into Art. The city is tooooooo hot at this time of the year for a comfortable visit as it is not equipped for summers. Ice is really really a scarce commodity here. We were at Cafe Pushkin yesterday, and my 7up came without ice. Asked for some and found that it costs USD 1.30 for the glass of ice. Even our McDonald's soda does not come with ice.
Most of the buildings have no aircons or substandard ones. Even at the theatres. When we went to watch "Nutcracker", I told H to bring my shawl ... in case it was cold. Aduh! It was sooooooo hot! Can you imagine paper fans being sold together with the programs??? When the conductor came up to take a bow, he was absolutely drenched!!
Okay. Continue later. H says to go to the gate now.
Sunday, July 18, 2010
Help!
Only two nights here in Moscow and we are bored already. How to TAHAN another four nights???? Initially, supposed to fly off to Houston on Tuesday, but because of my dumbness, we are only flying off on Thursday. Bleah...
Why Bleah?? No.1 problem is language. Russians do NOT speak English and wait staff are generally unfriendly. The whole blardy place is d@mn hot. The air-cons all are of substandard quality. Really can pengsan.
Though lots of nouveau riche here, generally still very "'chamm'". First day we arrived, there was no bottled water at the kiosks by the main railway station, then there was NO soda at the Red Square McDonald's. Today... We were at Bosco Cafe over at GUM where sandwiches start at USD 11 and they have NO ice. Waliow! Not only no ice, the air-con is like non-existent. If go to the toilet (very fancy looking by-the-way), can faint from stuffiness and heat!
Anyway, there was a Bavarian race around the Kremlin today. Didn't see the race...as didn't buy tickets but could hear the roars of the F1 car engines. Tonight, we are catching the "Nutcracker". Nope. Both H and I are NOT ballet fans. But come all the way to Moscow, surely must watch the famous ballerinas la...
Think tomorrow we will join the throngs of tourist and go into the Kremlin. Think H wants to go into Lenin's Mausoleum. And to kill time, we probably will go on a river cruise too. Other than that, what else to do? Fiddle with my Canon DSLR lor....
Why Bleah?? No.1 problem is language. Russians do NOT speak English and wait staff are generally unfriendly. The whole blardy place is d@mn hot. The air-cons all are of substandard quality. Really can pengsan.
Though lots of nouveau riche here, generally still very "'chamm'". First day we arrived, there was no bottled water at the kiosks by the main railway station, then there was NO soda at the Red Square McDonald's. Today... We were at Bosco Cafe over at GUM where sandwiches start at USD 11 and they have NO ice. Waliow! Not only no ice, the air-con is like non-existent. If go to the toilet (very fancy looking by-the-way), can faint from stuffiness and heat!
Anyway, there was a Bavarian race around the Kremlin today. Didn't see the race...as didn't buy tickets but could hear the roars of the F1 car engines. Tonight, we are catching the "Nutcracker". Nope. Both H and I are NOT ballet fans. But come all the way to Moscow, surely must watch the famous ballerinas la...
Think tomorrow we will join the throngs of tourist and go into the Kremlin. Think H wants to go into Lenin's Mausoleum. And to kill time, we probably will go on a river cruise too. Other than that, what else to do? Fiddle with my Canon DSLR lor....
Saturday, July 17, 2010
Dum-Dum
I am a REAL dum-dum.
I knew I was going to Moscow and then the US. And what do you know??? On my flight to Singapore from KUL, I suddenly thought about my US visa. Is it in my current passport or in my old passport? Just 15 minutes before touching down at Changi, I rummaged through my handbag to get my passport. Lo and behold - my current passport do NOT have my US visa. Almost had a heart attack. The moment I got down from the plane, H was waiting at the gate....and immediately could tell something was wrong. Told him what happened and he was pretty calm. I thought he would surely kill me!
First thing to do was to see if we could change our flight to the following day. But flights were full......especially for redemption tickets. Then H said we should get my friend to go to our house to get my passport from our safe. This friend ... Can trust la. Called her up and she agreed to drive to my house. A day later, she would have been away in the mountains with her family. Also, maid was still in the house... So gave instructions on how to open safe over the phone. Aiyo.... Think 5th try only managed to have the safe opened, got my passport, checked US visa in there, close safe then lock it back. Passport then given to H's colleague who was summoned to our house to collect my passport.
Passport then passed to H's secretary on Friday morning to be couriered. It's like a big operation...friend, maid, colleague, secretary and now DHL ... All because of my stupidity!!! And donno why the package has to go to London first....and am told package will only arrive in Moscow on Tuesday. And you know what? My flight is on Tuesday. So what to do? Have to postpone the flight to the US. And since there will not be a flight on Wednesday to Houston, we can only fly out on Thursday. H says my c@ck-up has forced us to stay 2 extra days in this boring city! ;-(
So many things to change not to mention the list $$$$. We will have to rebook our Houston - New Orleans flights, extra 2 nights hotel in Moscow, the prepaid rooms at Houston and one night of New Orleans room. *sigh* really don't know how come I can be so dum-dum. This is not the first time I travel to the US summore!!!
Anyway, the last we checked, the package just left Jakarta this afternoon. Probably going to Singapore then London and then finally to Moscow. Now we are in Cafe Vogue in Moscow, and H is just wondering out loud if he can entice the 3 middle-aged Russian ladies in the other table to give him a cigarette. Told him to go ahead....,
Okay. Gotta go sort out our Houston - New Orleans flights with this free wifi. Tata
I knew I was going to Moscow and then the US. And what do you know??? On my flight to Singapore from KUL, I suddenly thought about my US visa. Is it in my current passport or in my old passport? Just 15 minutes before touching down at Changi, I rummaged through my handbag to get my passport. Lo and behold - my current passport do NOT have my US visa. Almost had a heart attack. The moment I got down from the plane, H was waiting at the gate....and immediately could tell something was wrong. Told him what happened and he was pretty calm. I thought he would surely kill me!
First thing to do was to see if we could change our flight to the following day. But flights were full......especially for redemption tickets. Then H said we should get my friend to go to our house to get my passport from our safe. This friend ... Can trust la. Called her up and she agreed to drive to my house. A day later, she would have been away in the mountains with her family. Also, maid was still in the house... So gave instructions on how to open safe over the phone. Aiyo.... Think 5th try only managed to have the safe opened, got my passport, checked US visa in there, close safe then lock it back. Passport then given to H's colleague who was summoned to our house to collect my passport.
Passport then passed to H's secretary on Friday morning to be couriered. It's like a big operation...friend, maid, colleague, secretary and now DHL ... All because of my stupidity!!! And donno why the package has to go to London first....and am told package will only arrive in Moscow on Tuesday. And you know what? My flight is on Tuesday. So what to do? Have to postpone the flight to the US. And since there will not be a flight on Wednesday to Houston, we can only fly out on Thursday. H says my c@ck-up has forced us to stay 2 extra days in this boring city! ;-(
So many things to change not to mention the list $$$$. We will have to rebook our Houston - New Orleans flights, extra 2 nights hotel in Moscow, the prepaid rooms at Houston and one night of New Orleans room. *sigh* really don't know how come I can be so dum-dum. This is not the first time I travel to the US summore!!!
Anyway, the last we checked, the package just left Jakarta this afternoon. Probably going to Singapore then London and then finally to Moscow. Now we are in Cafe Vogue in Moscow, and H is just wondering out loud if he can entice the 3 middle-aged Russian ladies in the other table to give him a cigarette. Told him to go ahead....,
Okay. Gotta go sort out our Houston - New Orleans flights with this free wifi. Tata
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
S1's FIRST Facial
Yup. I took my boy for a facial last Sunday. My SNAG - Sensitive New Age Guy in the making.
I had wanted to take him for some time already, but one day after another...and another, and finally I insisted that he went with me last Sunday. I just couldn't tahan looking at the yellow and black bits all over his face. His forehead. His nose. His chin.
I think he thoroughly enjoyed it...except for the extraction part. He said that it was MEGA painful but I didn't hear him grunt nor scream Ouch! I did hear him snore when the beautician massaged his face after the extraction process though. :-)
You can really see that his face is sooooooooooooo much cleaner after the facial. My H actually suggested that I take S1 facial fortnightly. Even I don't do it that often! Maybe once a month is more like it.
I had wanted to take him for some time already, but one day after another...and another, and finally I insisted that he went with me last Sunday. I just couldn't tahan looking at the yellow and black bits all over his face. His forehead. His nose. His chin.
I think he thoroughly enjoyed it...except for the extraction part. He said that it was MEGA painful but I didn't hear him grunt nor scream Ouch! I did hear him snore when the beautician massaged his face after the extraction process though. :-)
You can really see that his face is sooooooooooooo much cleaner after the facial. My H actually suggested that I take S1 facial fortnightly. Even I don't do it that often! Maybe once a month is more like it.
Stranded!
Are you thinking of taking on a road trip from LA to New York in an rv like I am?
Are you like me? ....imagining the worse that can happen?
...like being stranded in the middle of nowhere when the rv suddenly breaks down?
An rv is not like a regular vehicle that you can call any Tom Dick and Harry tow company and have it towed to the nearest workshop. There is a certain specialty involved and it can be expensive. That is why many rv owners sign-up to a roadside assistance club to minimize cost as well as for the convenience of a well-established support network.
Are you like me? ....imagining the worse that can happen?
...like being stranded in the middle of nowhere when the rv suddenly breaks down?
An rv is not like a regular vehicle that you can call any Tom Dick and Harry tow company and have it towed to the nearest workshop. There is a certain specialty involved and it can be expensive. That is why many rv owners sign-up to a roadside assistance club to minimize cost as well as for the convenience of a well-established support network.
Engagement Gifts
Do you know anyone that is getting engaged?
Are you fretting and wondering what gift to purchase?
Fret not. There are many lovely and personalized gifts available in the marketplace these days, and finding the perfect engagement gift for the couple is not a difficult task. I kinda like something that is personalized ...like a personalized scented candle, or his and hers terry robe with an embroidery of the couple's name, or perhaps a wedding keepsake album with the couple's initials intertwined on the cover. What do you think? You like my choices?
Are you fretting and wondering what gift to purchase?
Fret not. There are many lovely and personalized gifts available in the marketplace these days, and finding the perfect engagement gift for the couple is not a difficult task. I kinda like something that is personalized ...like a personalized scented candle, or his and hers terry robe with an embroidery of the couple's name, or perhaps a wedding keepsake album with the couple's initials intertwined on the cover. What do you think? You like my choices?
We are back in KUL!
Yup. Yup. Yup.
We are back in KUL. Arrived at 3.00 pm at LCCT...there was a slight delay in our departure. I tell you, this was the first time that I got a little scared in the plane. On ascend, I could hear loud thunder and also the rain splashing down hard and loud. I was clenching my teeth and was deciding if I should start praying. But thankfully, once the plane ascended to above the thunderous rain clouds, all seemed calm and normal. Phew...
Can't remember what we did after my mom picked us up from the airport.
But today...have been really productive. Managed to have my eyes checked at The Curve, fixed S1's glasses, changed money at money changer, gone to the bank for some banking, to the post office to send some letters and renewed driving license. Not only that, went shopping and some household items from Ikea for my mom, some stickers from Popular, toiletries from Guardian. Met with my sisters and parents for lunch at Centrepoint, ordered S1's cake, had a short nap, fixed the wifi for the house, and even went out dinner with my girlfriend and her boys.
Supposed to have my MIL over...but my boys preferred to meet up with their friends. As the Chinese say "sang chai lah! sang kau char siew sik chor hei choong hou". My S1 actually wondered out loud why I was staying on for sooooo long when he found out my flight out from KUL was Thursday evening. He had wanted me to dump him with the grandparents and depart immediately!!!!
Anyway, tomorrow I will leave for SIN to meet up with H for our trip to Moscow/US in the evening. Boys will both probably have a full day as well...with S1 meeting up with his friend for swimming and S2 going for the Summer Camp program.
Update later...
We are back in KUL. Arrived at 3.00 pm at LCCT...there was a slight delay in our departure. I tell you, this was the first time that I got a little scared in the plane. On ascend, I could hear loud thunder and also the rain splashing down hard and loud. I was clenching my teeth and was deciding if I should start praying. But thankfully, once the plane ascended to above the thunderous rain clouds, all seemed calm and normal. Phew...
Can't remember what we did after my mom picked us up from the airport.
But today...have been really productive. Managed to have my eyes checked at The Curve, fixed S1's glasses, changed money at money changer, gone to the bank for some banking, to the post office to send some letters and renewed driving license. Not only that, went shopping and some household items from Ikea for my mom, some stickers from Popular, toiletries from Guardian. Met with my sisters and parents for lunch at Centrepoint, ordered S1's cake, had a short nap, fixed the wifi for the house, and even went out dinner with my girlfriend and her boys.
Supposed to have my MIL over...but my boys preferred to meet up with their friends. As the Chinese say "sang chai lah! sang kau char siew sik chor hei choong hou". My S1 actually wondered out loud why I was staying on for sooooo long when he found out my flight out from KUL was Thursday evening. He had wanted me to dump him with the grandparents and depart immediately!!!!
Anyway, tomorrow I will leave for SIN to meet up with H for our trip to Moscow/US in the evening. Boys will both probably have a full day as well...with S1 meeting up with his friend for swimming and S2 going for the Summer Camp program.
Update later...
What is the total cost?
Did you read my last post?
The one about our idea of traveling from LA to New York in an rv?
I've been thinking....., even if we can afford to purchase an rv, there is still the question regular maintenance cost. Worse - repairs if the rv breaks down. I think rv repairs can cost a bomb...Unless I can find some kind of insurance that covers repairs when the rv breaks down. Seriously have to calculate the total cost of owning an rv before a purchase is made.
The one about our idea of traveling from LA to New York in an rv?
I've been thinking....., even if we can afford to purchase an rv, there is still the question regular maintenance cost. Worse - repairs if the rv breaks down. I think rv repairs can cost a bomb...Unless I can find some kind of insurance that covers repairs when the rv breaks down. Seriously have to calculate the total cost of owning an rv before a purchase is made.
LA to New York!!
No. No. Not going to LA nor New York this Summer.
But I've always wondered what it would be like to drive across continental USA from LA to New York. It's a total of 3933 km! Yes that's a lot of road to drive. H and I have always talked about taking the boys on this road trip in an rv....not just any rv, but something like the one in Universal Studio's movie "Meet the Fockers". It just looks so comfortable and luxurious. But at a cost of USD 131,000 upwards to purchase, either we have to win big bucks at the lottery, or more realistically - get rv financing!
But I've always wondered what it would be like to drive across continental USA from LA to New York. It's a total of 3933 km! Yes that's a lot of road to drive. H and I have always talked about taking the boys on this road trip in an rv....not just any rv, but something like the one in Universal Studio's movie "Meet the Fockers". It just looks so comfortable and luxurious. But at a cost of USD 131,000 upwards to purchase, either we have to win big bucks at the lottery, or more realistically - get rv financing!
Water Supply for my Home
Did I ever mention to you that the water supply system in the current city I call home is appalling? Most homes do not have piped water from the public water supply mains, and those who do would have to contend with foul water. My house? Nope. No water supplied from the mains. In fact, I have a deep groundwater well in my backyard. Water is pumped out from the ground by a positive-displacement pump and through a water filter. I guessed my landlord gets huge discounts for wholesale water filters as he has over 200 houses in his portfolio. Talk about well-to-do!
Anyway, though we do brush our teeth with the filtered groundwater, we don't cook nor drink from this source. To be safe, we use spring water from the mountains. I supposed if we had a better filtration system that can disinfect the water, we might think otherwise.
Anyway, though we do brush our teeth with the filtered groundwater, we don't cook nor drink from this source. To be safe, we use spring water from the mountains. I supposed if we had a better filtration system that can disinfect the water, we might think otherwise.
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
Too Excited?
Am I too excited for my trip home to KL today...and my Moscow/US trip in 3 days?
I couldn't sleep last night...only went to bed at about 1.30 AM, and even then tossed and turned for a while before going to La-La land. And this morning was up at 7.00 AM - that's why all the early morning 'dui' posts.
I just woke the boys up but as usual both are still lazing in bed. I supposed it's okay lah. We intend to leave the house at 8.30 am, drop H off at his office at 9.00 am and then proceed to the airport. If traffic is fairly okay, we should arrive at the airport about 9.45 am. Good enough for our 11.30 am flight. Just gotta drop the bags as I've already checked-in online. Oh yeah..gotta sort out the tax exemption thingy too.
Okay lah...better go kick boys off their beds now.
I couldn't sleep last night...only went to bed at about 1.30 AM, and even then tossed and turned for a while before going to La-La land. And this morning was up at 7.00 AM - that's why all the early morning 'dui' posts.
I just woke the boys up but as usual both are still lazing in bed. I supposed it's okay lah. We intend to leave the house at 8.30 am, drop H off at his office at 9.00 am and then proceed to the airport. If traffic is fairly okay, we should arrive at the airport about 9.45 am. Good enough for our 11.30 am flight. Just gotta drop the bags as I've already checked-in online. Oh yeah..gotta sort out the tax exemption thingy too.
Okay lah...better go kick boys off their beds now.
Dirty Dirty...
Do you recall the colour of my sofas?
Well, it USED to be a light cream colour BUT now.... it is sort of a light brown.
When my friend Laundryamah was in my house a couple of months back, she actually exclaimed "your slipcovers are soooooooo dirty!. I actually replied that they are not dirty, and it's just the lighting reflection on the suede-like material. Then other day, when I was sitting on my sofa and flipping off the arm covers, OMG!!!! The contrast between the original colour and the dirtied colour was very very distinct. Definitely NO light reflection tricks here! I immediately summoned my hired help over and gave instructions that they should be laundered whilst I am away. I will see the result when I get back. Should it still be unacceptably dirty, I will either have to get it laundered professionally or order new custom slipcovers! Let's just hope that the hired help does a good job. I really don't fancy spending money on the sofas...
Well, it USED to be a light cream colour BUT now.... it is sort of a light brown.
When my friend Laundryamah was in my house a couple of months back, she actually exclaimed "your slipcovers are soooooooo dirty!. I actually replied that they are not dirty, and it's just the lighting reflection on the suede-like material. Then other day, when I was sitting on my sofa and flipping off the arm covers, OMG!!!! The contrast between the original colour and the dirtied colour was very very distinct. Definitely NO light reflection tricks here! I immediately summoned my hired help over and gave instructions that they should be laundered whilst I am away. I will see the result when I get back. Should it still be unacceptably dirty, I will either have to get it laundered professionally or order new custom slipcovers! Let's just hope that the hired help does a good job. I really don't fancy spending money on the sofas...
Shopping List...
I have made a mental shopping list on what to buy when I am in the States in a week's time. Wow! One week. That is soon! Okay. Let's see.. baby clothes for a newborn nephew (whom we've not seen nor given a gift!), cool teenager garb for S1, iTunes Card for S2, iPads, posture pump for my stupid neck, more scrapbooking stuff including a trolley bag, pimple creams and wrinkle creams. I figured that there would more options of wrinkle creams over there. "Which brand to buy?", I hear you ask. Well, I actually went into one of those wrinkle creams review sites to check out the available brands, their efficacy and most importantly the prices! I've narrowed down to a couple of affordable brands. Check out my blog later for my shopping loot!
Thursday, July 08, 2010
Bad Customer Service!
I have to blog about this.....because I really cannot TAHAN.
Firstly, I have to admit that I do not speak English the PROPER PROPER way. But some people really do have appalling language skills. A skill that is of utter importance in the hospitality industry...especially when it caters to foreign tourists.
As I mentioned previously (somewhere on my blog), I have made plans to visit Penang with my boys and extended family in early August. So... booked four rooms at a beach hotel through a well-known website. I then proceeded to email the hotel directly to request for 3 spare beds and a baby cot for the rooms.
This is the reply that I received from the Reservations Department:
Dear mrs numadic mom (notice WRONG spelling of Guest Name!!!)
Warmest Greetings from XYZ Hotel, Penang
Thank you for your email,futher the below email,for the extrabed subject to
availbility you can double confirm open arrival only.
Thank you & Best Regards
Look at the number of spelling and grammar mistakes!! Aduh!!!
I then wrote back to ask that a REQUEST for spare beds to be input into their reservation /housekeeping system. And this is her reply....
Dear mrs nomadic mom (this time she spelt my name correctly but in lower case. Never heard of Proper Nouns?)
Warmest Greetings from XYZ Hotel, Penang!
regret to inform our inentory show no extra bed.
Looking forword to hear from you soon.
Thank you & Best Regards
Again... Mistakes all over!
And what kind of hotel is this? No spare beds? Surely they do not expect families with young children to accommodate their children in separate rooms?
So is she just being lazy to put in the request?
Or what???
Firstly, I have to admit that I do not speak English the PROPER PROPER way. But some people really do have appalling language skills. A skill that is of utter importance in the hospitality industry...especially when it caters to foreign tourists.
As I mentioned previously (somewhere on my blog), I have made plans to visit Penang with my boys and extended family in early August. So... booked four rooms at a beach hotel through a well-known website. I then proceeded to email the hotel directly to request for 3 spare beds and a baby cot for the rooms.
This is the reply that I received from the Reservations Department:
Dear mrs numadic mom (notice WRONG spelling of Guest Name!!!)
Warmest Greetings from XYZ Hotel, Penang
Thank you for your email,futher the below email,for the extrabed subject to
availbility you can double confirm open arrival only.
Thank you & Best Regards
Look at the number of spelling and grammar mistakes!! Aduh!!!
I then wrote back to ask that a REQUEST for spare beds to be input into their reservation /housekeeping system. And this is her reply....
Dear mrs nomadic mom (this time she spelt my name correctly but in lower case. Never heard of Proper Nouns?)
Warmest Greetings from XYZ Hotel, Penang!
regret to inform our inentory show no extra bed.
Looking forword to hear from you soon.
Thank you & Best Regards
Again... Mistakes all over!
And what kind of hotel is this? No spare beds? Surely they do not expect families with young children to accommodate their children in separate rooms?
So is she just being lazy to put in the request?
Or what???
Major Acne Problem
Who?
Not I. Well I do have some acne problem when it is nearing to the time-of-the-month. But it's nothing compared to my S1. This boy is really going through adolescence in full force....He is shooting up overnight, and is really having a MAJOR acne problem. I have bought numerous anti-acne cleansers and creams for him but somehow they don't seem to work. OR maybe he has been lazy in the usage. I don't know... Maybe I should get him some pronexin from the States when I am there. I heard that it is highly rated and can clear acne in 72 hours. I guessed it is worth a try.
Not I. Well I do have some acne problem when it is nearing to the time-of-the-month. But it's nothing compared to my S1. This boy is really going through adolescence in full force....He is shooting up overnight, and is really having a MAJOR acne problem. I have bought numerous anti-acne cleansers and creams for him but somehow they don't seem to work. OR maybe he has been lazy in the usage. I don't know... Maybe I should get him some pronexin from the States when I am there. I heard that it is highly rated and can clear acne in 72 hours. I guessed it is worth a try.
New Office Furniture Required
No. I don't mean furniture for H's office at work. What I meant is our home office. It's actually quite nicely decked out with the usual office furniture accessories that you see in real offices. I've got a large workstation complete with desk lamps and high-back swivel chairs, computer desk and the usual office equipment such as laptops, printer and fax machine. What do I need to get?
Well...another swivel chair. I don't know how my S2 managed to break the back-support from his chair. Perhaps from swivelling from one end of the room to the other! And while I am at the office supplies store, I might also upgrade our printer to one which has wifi capability.
Well...another swivel chair. I don't know how my S2 managed to break the back-support from his chair. Perhaps from swivelling from one end of the room to the other! And while I am at the office supplies store, I might also upgrade our printer to one which has wifi capability.
Getting Frustrated
Yes. I am getting mightily frustrated with my weight. When I found out that I was pregnant (which resulted in a miscarriage at 9 weeks :-( bleah... ), I indulged in foods that I normally do not dare take....which obviously added more weight to my already heavy frame. With no pregnancy now, I have no excuses for those extra kilos. I have tried to cut down on my food intake, exercise regularly at the gym...but the weight doesn't seem to be shedding. What do you think is the problem? Do you have the same problem? Maybe we should just click here to get the strongest weight loss pill that is available in the market today! Perhaps then we would see the much coveted reduction on the bathroom scales!
Wednesday, July 07, 2010
Times have Changed
Times sure have changed. I remember the time when my greatgrandma required the use of oxygen tanks at home. This was over twenty years ago. Actually, we still had the old oxygen tank stored in the downstairs bathroom up until a few years back, not realising the potential risks. Can you imagine what would happen if there is a leak or rupture in that old thing? I supposed that is why these day, many opt to use respironics oxygen concentrator should the need arises. I hear that it's way safer, not to mention more convenient and economical.
Tuesday, July 06, 2010
First Few Days of Summer Break...
How have we been spending the first few days of the boys' Summer Break?
Bright and early on Saturday morning, we were off to the Ice Rink at MTA for a birthday party. Was there till about 1.30 pm. On the way back, there was a MASSIVE traffic jam. I think took us more than an hour to get home. All three of us (H stayed at home to finishe off some work from the office) slept like babies in the car. :-)
H was supposed to cook dinner - Spaghetti Vongole but he got lazy when we were out at the supermarket to buy the ingredients. We ended up having Singapore Char Kway Teow down in town. It was raining cats and dogs when we arrived at the restaurant...wasn't sure if we could make it out of the car. Ngeh-ngeh-lai ...we did. The alternative was to be sausages at Paulaner Brahaus again.
Made the boys do some work on Sunday morning...before heading out to Table 8 at Hotel Mulia for Chinese buffet brunch. Have to say the spread was pretty good with Roast Pork, Char Siew, Roast Spare Ribs, Suckling Pig, Black Pepper Beef Ribs, Porridge, Dim Sum (steamed, fried etc), Noodle Bar, Selection of cold starters (century eggs, duck tongue, edamame, baby octopus, jellyfish, etc etc), grilled items (fish, squid, clams, meat), yong tau foo, fried rice on order, seafood on order, and big spread of desserts. Needless to say, the four of us were stuffed! Nope. I didn't have dinner that night. Neither did H....but boys had pasta for dinner.
Monday... Oh I was lucky. My friend offered to take both my boys to the Dufan (Dunia Fantasi) - a theme park.... leaving me to go for my Monday Art Class, followed by a wonderful 90 minute massage at the spa. The alone time was pretty good...H was also out on a dinner meeting... leaving me sufficient time to clear a whole load of paper on my study desk. I only picked the boys up form my friend's house at 7ish pm.
And today started off easy. I took boys to T's house ...boys hung out while I had a cappucino with T's mom and another friend. Then I had to rush off to take S1 to the mall. My boy has certainly grown...his FIRST mall visit with his friends without mommy nor any accompanying adults. Then I had to rush to the money changer, and then to the bank...and then to pick S2 from Laser Tag. S2 had gone Laser-Tagging with T, his siblings and some friends. And what do you know? My S2 'lau-sai', and I had to rush home for him to clean himself up... ADUH!!! and then rush to the mall to pick S1.... and away we go to their mandarin class which is 40 minutes away.... Got home, cooked dinner - noodle soup (maid prepared but I wanna cook it...otherwise the noodles sure 'lam-pek-pek')...and here I am.
Errr....actually I should go and shower. I was at the gym when boys were at their Mandarin class... Sweat plus cooking smells... YUCKS!
Will continue later when I am smelling like roses....
Bright and early on Saturday morning, we were off to the Ice Rink at MTA for a birthday party. Was there till about 1.30 pm. On the way back, there was a MASSIVE traffic jam. I think took us more than an hour to get home. All three of us (H stayed at home to finishe off some work from the office) slept like babies in the car. :-)
H was supposed to cook dinner - Spaghetti Vongole but he got lazy when we were out at the supermarket to buy the ingredients. We ended up having Singapore Char Kway Teow down in town. It was raining cats and dogs when we arrived at the restaurant...wasn't sure if we could make it out of the car. Ngeh-ngeh-lai ...we did. The alternative was to be sausages at Paulaner Brahaus again.
Made the boys do some work on Sunday morning...before heading out to Table 8 at Hotel Mulia for Chinese buffet brunch. Have to say the spread was pretty good with Roast Pork, Char Siew, Roast Spare Ribs, Suckling Pig, Black Pepper Beef Ribs, Porridge, Dim Sum (steamed, fried etc), Noodle Bar, Selection of cold starters (century eggs, duck tongue, edamame, baby octopus, jellyfish, etc etc), grilled items (fish, squid, clams, meat), yong tau foo, fried rice on order, seafood on order, and big spread of desserts. Needless to say, the four of us were stuffed! Nope. I didn't have dinner that night. Neither did H....but boys had pasta for dinner.
Monday... Oh I was lucky. My friend offered to take both my boys to the Dufan (Dunia Fantasi) - a theme park.... leaving me to go for my Monday Art Class, followed by a wonderful 90 minute massage at the spa. The alone time was pretty good...H was also out on a dinner meeting... leaving me sufficient time to clear a whole load of paper on my study desk. I only picked the boys up form my friend's house at 7ish pm.
And today started off easy. I took boys to T's house ...boys hung out while I had a cappucino with T's mom and another friend. Then I had to rush off to take S1 to the mall. My boy has certainly grown...his FIRST mall visit with his friends without mommy nor any accompanying adults. Then I had to rush to the money changer, and then to the bank...and then to pick S2 from Laser Tag. S2 had gone Laser-Tagging with T, his siblings and some friends. And what do you know? My S2 'lau-sai', and I had to rush home for him to clean himself up... ADUH!!! and then rush to the mall to pick S1.... and away we go to their mandarin class which is 40 minutes away.... Got home, cooked dinner - noodle soup (maid prepared but I wanna cook it...otherwise the noodles sure 'lam-pek-pek')...and here I am.
Errr....actually I should go and shower. I was at the gym when boys were at their Mandarin class... Sweat plus cooking smells... YUCKS!
Will continue later when I am smelling like roses....
We love to Travel....
Yes we do...both H and I. In fact, we will be going for a two-week vacation next week.... We will meet in Singapore, then off to Moscow for four nights followed by Houston, New Orleans and Washington DC before making our way back via Houston, Moscow and Singapore. Yup. That's a lot of flights.... I hope our luggage will not go awol. I hate it when the luggage doesn't make it on the plane... Happened to us a couple of times, but at least the bags were delayed and NOT lost. I supposed that is why it is soooooooooooo important to have luggage tags with your name and contact details. Perhaps I should order some custom luggage tags with a special family crest. Or do you think the family crest is overkill???
Housekeeping...
...of my study desk at home, that is. At the moment, there are piles and piles of credit card statements, bank account statements, insurance claims, City of Melbourne Rates Invoice, boys' school reports, hotel voucher print-outs, and a whole load of other stuff. Some are crap that can be thrown, but some are real important documents. I am trying to scan the important documents in order to paperless...making my study desk spic and span. But this is a rather time consuming task...scanning, naming and then filing them into proper folders on the hard drive. I wonder if there is a document scanning software that can make this arduous task easier
Friday, July 02, 2010
Some Updates.... 2 July 2010
Last Day of School
Yup. Today is the LAST day of the school year....and then it's a loooooooooooooooooooooooooong Summer Break of games, TV, and what-nots till the boys' eyes pop out! Any ideas of how to entertain them outside the realm of electronics? I've signed (or rather got my sister to do the leg work) at a Football Camp for only four days. What about the other weeks?? Need to put them in Mandarin Classes too....
Guessed the boys are also gonna have a ball of a time at school today... no studying. Just fun fun fun. They ditched their school uniform for casual clothes this morning, and brought cupcakes to be shared with their friends.
Closure
There was a small service at school for Sei Young yesterday.... Only Year 8 students and family were invited. I supposed this service is to provide some kind of a closure for the school and the students. Before I even went into the theatre, I already started crying. I just broke down when I saw her parents walk into the foyer....her father carrying a photograph, the way how we Asians carry the deceased's photograph. A parent is not meant to do this for their child!
The service started with her friends describing how she was, her smiles, her antics...and how they missed them. We had speeches/ prayers by the heads of the school and and also the key SAR coordinator. When the photo presentation of Sei Young came up on screen, I could see her mother breaking down.... Oh how I feel for her. As a mother, you can imagine her pain, sorrow and grief.... But we really cannot imagine how she is feeling. I am sure the pain is too great to put in words. When the service ended, I just had to give my S1 a big big hug.
There was another service yesterday at the Korean Union Church...opened for all. I forgot about this one, and when my friend texted to ask if I was going, I absent-mindedly said YES as I was thinking of the service at school. .... May Sei Young be at Peace....
Terrible Terrible
Don't know why suddenly why all my PY2B posts are of the sad sad topics....which require me to write about the recent tragic events. It feels absolutely terrible to use these tragic events to earn a few bucks. Please forgive me.....
Time for GoodByes...
This year the turnover of expats is especially HIGH. I have so many good friends leaving. I supposed we feel it more this time because this posting is by far the longest for both H and me. Previously, we are the ones that would leave after 1 1/2 to 2 years....
This year, many people are leaving...both at school as well as H's office. My poor H has no more good pals at work that he can go out drinking or gila-ing with. He used to play in every Tuesday in the pool league but not anymore....as his kakis have all gone to the Middle East. And yesterday, he was at a farewell for another colleague/friend who will return to Australia. And another colleague/friend who will be off to South Africa in August. What about us? You ask? I don't know when or where we will be going next.... Yes. He was offered to go to the Middle East. And Nope. He doesn't want to go there.
Both S1 and S2 have very good friends leaving too. I am sure you have heard me mention S1's friend T who lives down the road from us. The family will relocate to Seoul.... Not only the boys will miss them. I will too! T's mom had just given me her Klik-n-Kut Cutter!!!! I came home one day, and there it was ....RIGHT at my door! Eh. This thing costs a few hundred dollars. Told her I couldn't accept it...but she was adamant that I keep it. She said she wouldn't have space in her shoebox apartment in Seoul. I will post a pic later...
Well...THANK YOU, S!
And then there's another family....who will relocate back to Switzerland. These two families are the ones that the boys usually have sleepovers with... Either at their place or ours. *sigh* ...
Well, will definitely visit them one of these days.. Hey. Maybe end of this year SKIING holiday for the boys? Both Seoul and Switzerland and both SKIING destinations. Can plan, yeah?
Another family...also leaving to go to Singapore. This friend of mine has been here for the longest of time, think maybe 9 years? Ever since I knew her four years ago, she has been saying that they are leaving. They are leaving...and never happen. This year...finally confirmed.
And then there's of course the other families that are leaving...that I am not to close with...
You know what sucks? It's when your friendship has grown a little closer and then you find that you will have to lose the friend....Okay. Maybe not lose lose per se. But you know what I mean, right???
Travel back to Malaysia
Boys and I will be going to back to Malaysia on Tuesday, 13th July...on one of the AirAsia flights...don't know which one; and staying on till the 11th of August. I actually leave for Moscow on the 15th of July.... and will only get back on the morning of 1st August 2010...and off to Penang on the 7th. I supposed that leaves me only 5 full days in PJ to do what I wanna do..... Yeah. Sounds kinda packed...
Okay lah. Later...
Yup. Today is the LAST day of the school year....and then it's a loooooooooooooooooooooooooong Summer Break of games, TV, and what-nots till the boys' eyes pop out! Any ideas of how to entertain them outside the realm of electronics? I've signed (or rather got my sister to do the leg work) at a Football Camp for only four days. What about the other weeks?? Need to put them in Mandarin Classes too....
Guessed the boys are also gonna have a ball of a time at school today... no studying. Just fun fun fun. They ditched their school uniform for casual clothes this morning, and brought cupcakes to be shared with their friends.
Closure
There was a small service at school for Sei Young yesterday.... Only Year 8 students and family were invited. I supposed this service is to provide some kind of a closure for the school and the students. Before I even went into the theatre, I already started crying. I just broke down when I saw her parents walk into the foyer....her father carrying a photograph, the way how we Asians carry the deceased's photograph. A parent is not meant to do this for their child!
The service started with her friends describing how she was, her smiles, her antics...and how they missed them. We had speeches/ prayers by the heads of the school and and also the key SAR coordinator. When the photo presentation of Sei Young came up on screen, I could see her mother breaking down.... Oh how I feel for her. As a mother, you can imagine her pain, sorrow and grief.... But we really cannot imagine how she is feeling. I am sure the pain is too great to put in words. When the service ended, I just had to give my S1 a big big hug.
There was another service yesterday at the Korean Union Church...opened for all. I forgot about this one, and when my friend texted to ask if I was going, I absent-mindedly said YES as I was thinking of the service at school. .... May Sei Young be at Peace....
Terrible Terrible
Don't know why suddenly why all my PY2B posts are of the sad sad topics....which require me to write about the recent tragic events. It feels absolutely terrible to use these tragic events to earn a few bucks. Please forgive me.....
Time for GoodByes...
This year the turnover of expats is especially HIGH. I have so many good friends leaving. I supposed we feel it more this time because this posting is by far the longest for both H and me. Previously, we are the ones that would leave after 1 1/2 to 2 years....
This year, many people are leaving...both at school as well as H's office. My poor H has no more good pals at work that he can go out drinking or gila-ing with. He used to play in every Tuesday in the pool league but not anymore....as his kakis have all gone to the Middle East. And yesterday, he was at a farewell for another colleague/friend who will return to Australia. And another colleague/friend who will be off to South Africa in August. What about us? You ask? I don't know when or where we will be going next.... Yes. He was offered to go to the Middle East. And Nope. He doesn't want to go there.
Both S1 and S2 have very good friends leaving too. I am sure you have heard me mention S1's friend T who lives down the road from us. The family will relocate to Seoul.... Not only the boys will miss them. I will too! T's mom had just given me her Klik-n-Kut Cutter!!!! I came home one day, and there it was ....RIGHT at my door! Eh. This thing costs a few hundred dollars. Told her I couldn't accept it...but she was adamant that I keep it. She said she wouldn't have space in her shoebox apartment in Seoul. I will post a pic later...
Well...THANK YOU, S!
And then there's another family....who will relocate back to Switzerland. These two families are the ones that the boys usually have sleepovers with... Either at their place or ours. *sigh* ...
Well, will definitely visit them one of these days.. Hey. Maybe end of this year SKIING holiday for the boys? Both Seoul and Switzerland and both SKIING destinations. Can plan, yeah?
Another family...also leaving to go to Singapore. This friend of mine has been here for the longest of time, think maybe 9 years? Ever since I knew her four years ago, she has been saying that they are leaving. They are leaving...and never happen. This year...finally confirmed.
And then there's of course the other families that are leaving...that I am not to close with...
You know what sucks? It's when your friendship has grown a little closer and then you find that you will have to lose the friend....Okay. Maybe not lose lose per se. But you know what I mean, right???
Travel back to Malaysia
Boys and I will be going to back to Malaysia on Tuesday, 13th July...on one of the AirAsia flights...don't know which one; and staying on till the 11th of August. I actually leave for Moscow on the 15th of July.... and will only get back on the morning of 1st August 2010...and off to Penang on the 7th. I supposed that leaves me only 5 full days in PJ to do what I wanna do..... Yeah. Sounds kinda packed...
Okay lah. Later...
Thursday, July 01, 2010
Importance of Insurance
I can't stress enough about the importance of insurance...be it life or disability insurance. Take the poor guide that recently passed away for example. I doubt he has any personal insurance.... Even if he had survived, he probably would not be able to work due to the extent of his injuries. And without a disability insurance, his situation would be quite dire. I can emphatise with the loved ones he has left behind. I am told that his wife is due to deliver their first child soon. It is indeed tragic. The only consolation is that a fund has been set up by the school to help out his widow and unborn child.
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