.....times of refreshing.....

Happy New Year from Hello Kitty town!

As the year is drawing to an end, here I wish everyone a Happy New Year 2013! May your dreams come true and may you attained all your goals that you have set! Let it be a great new start again to your life!

2012 has been quite a good year for me though it's been quiet. I managed to achieve some of my goals that I can dream of before this. It also tells me that some goals are not really that difficult to achieve if I really put in my efforts. Will set more goals for myself in 2013. :)

Again, wishing you a great new beginning to your life and throw away all the garbage of the past years!

Merry X'mas to everyone!! Wishing you a great, warm and wonderful Christmas with your loved ones and friends, as well as Happy New Year 2013! Though I was not as active in blogging for the entire year, I really appreciated your visits to my blog. I will continue to visit your blog as well!

A decor from Legoland :)

This is also a perfect Christmas for me as I got the biggest Gift in my entire life. I was baptized into the Christian faith two days prior to Christmas in the church which I have been attending since 2007. The immersion into the small pool of water makes me felt I was in the womb again and when I arose from  the water, I felt so refreshed! It was a great day for me and my family!

Christmas is again, all about the Gift from our Lord Jesus Christ and the gifts we bought for our loved ones are all about the love we had for them, which also reminded us about the Lord's love for us. Let's celebrate the birth of our Lord joyfully and merrily!

Again, Merry Xmas folks! Have a jolly good time! :)

Finally we off to Legoland after purchasing the annual passes months ago. And luckily for us, it was a good day. It drizzled for a short while and then the weather was bright (and hot too) but that was what we wanted. It was a tiring day as we stayed till 8pm from noon. Anyway, the theme park is really meant for kids, though adults can joined in the fun for some activities as well as some are meant for the young at hearts like roller coaster, but it's really, really a kid haven!

The Lego City was the first attraction we stopped by since it was my son's favourite. Both my kids were having a good time 'learning' to drive. lol...However, we disliked the long queues, it was really a long wait before they got their turns.

Learning to drive....

The miniland was great and I was really impressed with the models built from lego bricks. There were moving locomotions around the miniland which makes the models sort of 'alive'. I wonder how it withstand the rains and storms! Really awesome!

That's Singapore!

looks quite real right?

up and below...more models

The twin towers and KL towers looks real in photo!

I must say that it's a great opportunity for family bonding especially with parents and kids, as both can enjoyed the activities together, especially those which requires supervision. For example, at the Lego Academy, it really provides quality time to spend with the children by building structures together.

My princess enjoy playing with the bricks most at the Lego Academy

My kid and his cousin bro boating....

A more adventurous activity .....

The park was huge and my legs were really tired walking around, especially looking for my son and his cousin bro who went from an activity to another one, while my wifey and princess also checks out the kiddy friendly activities like train riding. I was the one searching for them around...LOL...

One of the restaurant around but the food not cheap..

The fire engine game

Airport ......

and the roller coaster..

To really enjoy the facilities, it's best to get the 2-day pass, as completing the park in a day can be tiring, not mentioning the rain in the afternoon. The annual pass is good for those who stayed nearby but I find that going too regularly also can be bored too but that's my opinion only. Anyway, it will be great if they can build more shelters at the park to shield patrons away from the rain and the hot sun, and lower the price of the food and drinks inside the park.

Overall, it's a great place to hang out during  the school holiday season and providing opportunities for family bonding, as well as it's kiddy friendly. Try it out , folks!

Travelling to a small town always have its benefits especially if you are a city dweller. I just love the environment, quietness, the old houses, less jammed roads, simple malls, friendly folks, better air quality as well as the cheaper and nice food.

Well, I am not exactly at a very quiet town but Kulai is still a getaway for most Jb or Singapore folks. The town was no doubt developing with the Johor Premium Outlets around as well as a new township of Inderapura but it's still remains a humble place. I was on the way to JPO and took the old trunk road on a rainy afternoon and pass by Kulai. We stopped by a corner shoplot kopitiam which was famous for its char kway teow.

It definitely whet up our appetite on a rainy day in an old kopitiam, which crowded with the local folks. There were lots of food being sold there. The Char Kway teow really lived up to its expectations and the kway teow was smooth. There's really enough 'fire' in the plate of noodle as you can tasted the burning smell in the noodles.....if you get what I meant. And, you gotta queue for a while before they served you!

Yummy!!! I will come back for it whenever got chance!

As a coffee lover, I order a cup of kopi-O and the coffee was really 'kao' (thick). That's really to my delight. It really refreshes me for the afternoon visit at JPO.

Nice 'kao' kopi

Add extra dish....bbq pork and roasted pork

The bbq pork and roasted pork were good too. We on our way to JPO later.

Again, pay a visit to some small towns can be therapeutic as it can help one to wind down and relax with the slower pace of life, as well as the surroundings. Just give it a try, drive to somewhere near for a day trip and have a good time. :)

The last two days leading to the weekend was quite tiring as I am back to my Toastmaster club doing my presentation on my projects. The last project I did was back in Jan 2011 and I am kinda feeling nervous leading up to the talk as I have been away for so long. Anyway, it was good one and I enjoyed the presentation very much. Then, I attended my company's lengthy Dinner and Dance last Friday evening but didn't won anything. :( It finished around 11pm with the dance haven't kick off yet and I reached home by almost 12am.

The ambiance there was quite nice...

Love this cold ladyfingers dipped in sweet chilli

Here's mine... semi fat braised pork meat in claypot

The set came with some 'small dishes' like the above .. vegetables and dumpling

..and soup with rice

whereas my wifey goes for another braised pork claypot , with 'foo yee'.

Didn't really have much time to update my blog all the time lately and moreover, not to mention last week. I just got back from the Klang valley, Seremban and Genting Highlands, celebrating my dad in law birthday. Back at work, it was as usual a busy week and after my usual workout, I was really tired to write, except to read and facebook-ing and 'instagram-ming.'

It was a packed trip last weekend, going to so many places in a short duration. Anyway, have a had a nice meal in Umai-ya at Bandar Puteri for Japanese buffet. I always love Japanese buffet though it's costly but the sushi intake worth all while. However, they also charged my little princess for RM30+ which is definitely not worth it. She only consumed a little chawanmushi, ramen and two ice-creams.hehehe....

Assortment of Sushi ...yummy

Enjoying her chawanmushi...just like me.. we love chawanmushi

My boy busy makan-ing...

Off to Genting for a day trip at 4pm and reached there around 6pm as my in laws going for Sally Yeh's concert while my nieces checking out the Halloween party there( Dunno what event is that but it was really long queue with lots of teens). As for me and family, I brought my kids to the indoor theme park for some fun (and $$$$.....) since I don't gamble and nothing much for me and my wifey to do there. :(

My kid enjoying his Merry Go Round ride

while my princess having fun with the 'Eiffel tower' car ride....

It's been years, since 2007, since I have been to Genting for Kitaro's concert and most of the attractions there are more or less the same, sort like a time-warp. Guess it be great if they add more new stuffs ! Anyway, it's nice to be back again and enjoy the cold climate!

Have a good week, folks!

It was another good weekend for me last week. By the way, my definition of a good weekend is I spent my rest days well and utilised it to the best that I can as I used to be inactive for the most part of this year's weekends and wasting it. Anyway, not just weekend, but we should also lived to the fullest daily as in Psalm 118:24, This is the day the LORD has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.  

My kid, wifey and yours truly....

My little princess receiving her award...

It was not a pleasant drive to Kluang last Saturday as it was raining heavily all the way till we almost reached Machap R&R.From there, it was just a few Km to the Ayer Hitam toll. I was there to bring my kid and sis in law for their chinese sinseh checkup as well as have my pulse checked too by that famous sinseh in town.

Once done, I was back to Kluang Railway Coffee again after almost a year. It was refreshing to enjoy the kaya toast and a nice cuppa of coffee , though I have been cutting down to 2 cups a day. I simply love the kaya, it was so delicious!!

A cup of nice coffee with healthy toasted bread in kaya spread

My wifey was a fan of mee rebus and thus, she ordered, which was one of the specialty there. Somehow I find that the food at the original Kluang railway coffee are much better than their branches like those in Ikano Power Centre and etc. Let me know your opinions too if you have been to both.

Mee Rebus

While we are enjoying our food, my little princess was playing 'masak masak' and even made me a 'cup of coffee'..hahaha...  We drove back to JB in a nice cooling weather after the rain before entering Senai (U) interchange to go to Johor premium outlet. It was tiring when I got back but then, it's been awhile since I drove around like this.

Then, woke up early on Sunday but still late for church service. However, I still persisted to go to service as I do not want to skip too many services. It was a great sermon by an invited Pastor, who talked on Spiritual maturity. After listening to it, I don't really think I am that mature...hahaha... After service, I packed some chicken rice home for lunch before going back to church again for my baptism class, all happened within 1.5 hour. It was a great sharing and time really passed without me noticing it  and I am back home again .Took a quick nap before taking my family out for dinner and came back to Singapore after that for another work week.

It was a good weekend for me. Have a bless week!

When you mentioned laksa in JB (not the Penang Assam Laksa type), almost most of the folks here will recommend this place, W.W.Laksa House at Jalan Kolam Air. My wife and I were there last Monday for lunch before my medical tests (see my previous post). I guess it was the second time I had it but this time round I really felt it was delicious, though my wife don't think so.

Otah-Otah

 It's quite normal in JB to have freshly grilled otah-otah placed on the tables in kopitiams. There were some nice hot ones on our tables and we decided to try it. The otah-otah were really fresh and hot and not too spicy. (For those unsure what it is, otah-otah (Chinese: 鲤鱼包) is a cake made of fish meat and spices. source - wikipedia)

Fish meat and spices grilled in banana leaves. Just freshly grilled and it's so yummy!

Finally, the wait is over and here comes our delicious bowl of Laksa. 

the 'short' wait is over..... yummy....

delicious!!

 I don't know how other folks thought of it but I find that the laksa gravy was just nice! Not too salty, not too 'lemak' , not too spicy (there's belacan for the chilli padis...) while the fish cakes and fish balls were delicious! No wonder there was a designated parking space for their patrons as well as it was so crowded during lunch time. This place also being advertised in the local papers.

Address: 36A& 36A1, Jalan Kolam Air, Taman Water Works, Johor Bahru, 80100, Johor Bahru, Johor, 80200

oppps.... it should be termed as the last coffee for the day. Went for a heart scan just now which consisted of a 10-15 minutes scan of the entire heart, resting ECG and treadmill ECG at a nearby hospital which cost me RM560 in total, including the cardiologist's fees. I was complaining of irregular heartbeats for the past two weeks which scared the hell out of me, though two doctors assured me it's mind over matters and asked me to cut down on caffeine intake. Anyway, one of the docs suggested I do a full heart checkup to ensure there's really nothing wrong with the heart before he prescribed relaxing pills to me, and again less coffee.

The three tests turned out to be allright and infact as someone who ran on the treadmill regularly, I continued to run till the end of the stress test, though the nurse told me I can stop if I feel tired...hahaha... Well, can't help it, have to show off a bit to the young, petite and cute hitam manis malay nurse. Seeing nothing wrong with me except probably stress and high caffeine intake, I was asked to relax more and cut down on coffee, tea or coke. The doc asked me to substitute with green tea instead. Ok, not too bad as I love green tea too.

After the checkup, my family and I were slightly  hungry and we drove to Taman Pelangi for Niniq bistro. We  ordered a focacia turkey ham and cheese sandwich to share (as below) which tasted good!!

Turkey ham and cheese focacia

 And well....I was uneasy when the waiter asked us for our order for drinks and when wifey said coffee, I told him two coffees please. Then, wifey gave me a short stare and well, I told this will be the last one for the day..... sigh...  It's rather unusual not to order coffee in a place where they make good kopi....

Flat white

Ok, I keep to one cup per day from tomorrow onwards first and see how.... Have a good week, folks!

In a span of two days, two incidents occured to me which enlightens me of having a plan B in my career. No worries, these are not bad things that happened to me but rather it stimulates my mind to be aware of uncertainties in working life, which contributes income to us and family. It's nothing new to have a plan B but rather, due to the busyness in work, we hardly think about it. Somehow, this leds me to recall some of my friends who took part-time courses in other skill enriching programs as well as involved in part-time work to learn a new skill and gain new insight.

I was interviewing some candidates for a junior position where a 50+ who has experience in working at a higher management level attended one of  my interviews. He has vast experiences in  both technical and management skills and I was shocked to see someone of his calibre here. He should have gone for management position at least. However, due to the tough job market and competitive environment, he has to make ends meet.



Before that, I was in a cab chatting with the driver who was a retired engineer. He enjoyed driving and drove to earn some pocket money and work for short hours. Then, he will go home to enjoy his leisure times. I told him I envy him that he no longer have worries about financial commitments while I still got a long way to go before my kids grown up. We discussed about doing part-time job to supplement my income and learn a new skill. He even asked me to get a taxi license just in case something bad happened to my current job. :)

Sometimes it's not easy to continue doing the same work in the same line as you grow older and uncertainties are inevitable. Maybe it's wise to check out and spend some time on learning  other skillsets while continue to enjoy our current career. Sales, property agents, teaching, writing, consultancy and etc..... there are endless possibilities? It's up to us to find out!

Have a good weekend!

September is a month where most of my family members' birthdays fall on! I'm leading the pack on the  first day followed by my bro in law on the 2nd. The nephews and nieces followed subsequently by my dad in law with my wife closing the birthday celebration curtain by end September. And, not forgetting my son whose birthday falls on last Saturday. Well, he did had a jolly good time with his presents and almost slept at 2am playing with his toys, especially the lego set  that I bought.

For the rest of us, well, it's time for me to give everyone a treat on his birthday. Since he wanted to have western stuff, we decided to go to Yew's Cafe at Taman Molek. It's been awhile since we been there!!

Above and below...entrance of Yew's Cafe

This bistro offers both western and oriental cuisines and I think their prices are reasonable for such a classy place. I love their jazz music which really gave the place a relaxing mood. In my opinion, there used to be quite a crowd here but due to new shop lots and new eateries nearby, there were more choices now for diners. Nonetheless, I still find quite a number of folks here.

The interior... and upstairs of the bistro

Here's the birthday boy... he really grown up!

Taken with his pretty cousin sis and of course, his baby sis... :)

And here's yours truly with the birthday boy...

Up and below.... my little girl can't wait for her yang chow fried rice

yummy.....she's a rice cooker.... love rice!

And, here are our main courses ......

Fish and Chips for my kid ....which eventually shared with my wife...

Chicken Chop for his pretty  cousin sis....

And ...I had Sirloin steak with butter herbs.....yummy... love the butter herbs!

My son can't wait to go back after the dining though we are heading to nearby Jusco for a walk. He  was really excited to unwrap his presents.. :)

Have a good week, folks!