TRAVEL AND LIFESTYLE DIARIES

Malaysia is such a lovely surprise. A multi-faceted country with diverse colourful cultures enterwined together to make a lovely concoction of a country. This is what Malaysia is now. The original plan was a trip with my mother only but when lovebirds grow old they are hard to separate, so this became a parents + me trip to Malaysia (and Singapore). Here are a few shots during our week in Malaysia. Postcards from Malacca (Melaka) Our trip started in Malacca (Melaka in Malaysian), well actually in Singapore but we only stayed a night and did not do much as I had to go to the doctor to be treated. Malacca is actually a state and its capital is also called Malacca City. The senior citizens in front of the Christ Church in the Red Square, commonly called by the locals as the Dutch Square. The Chinese 'Hungry Ghost Festival'. Malaysia has a high concentration of Chinese ethnicity especially in Malacca. Here at Jonker Street they are burning paper money to offer to their g...

I guess I was an accident waiting to happen! So I had food poisoning in the Philippines. The day before leaving for Singapore I became really sick, with fever and chills. I was bedridden and slept like a koala bear the whole day and into the night. At this point we did not know that I was food poisoned. My mother was already thinking of cancelling our flight. It was that bad. When we arrived in Singapore my fever came back and my body was again asking for sleep. Lots of sleep, I never went near anywhere except the bed. And I reeked with vinegar. My mom did a vinegar hot compress on me (she said apple cider was better but she used what was readily available at the house) and I was not allowed to take a bath (really!). I think the whole airplane smelled vinegar during our flight? lol Worried, my mother insists we visit the nearest open clinic or hospital from my sister's place in Singapore. So to cut the story short, I got treated and was given medications which includes antibi...

Yes, where else? At the Cafe Laguna   (Garden Cafe) at The Terraces, Ayala Centre. My parents picked us up in the airport and BrotherJ together with smart aleck nephew were waiting at Cafe Laguna. Whenever I/we arrive in the Philippines, the family always treats us to Filipino dinner or lunch outside the house (because my mother is not the greatest cook, haha) straight from the airport. This is the first thing we do as a family. Eat together =). The family that eats together, stays together! During events like these, Cafe Laguna has become a staple for us because they serve authentic Filipino food. When you live abroad far from the familiar fares that you know and grew up with, the hankering stays and grows (even if they are unhealthy) and reaches to a climax upon setting foot in the homeland. We eat here at least once or twice during my entire short vacation stay in the country. This is what we ordered for dinner: Sweet and sour fish, fish tinola soup, chop s...

I’m not very fond of airports. Forget that last-minute shopping, the free wifi and café-ing, they are just lures to get us to part from our hard-earned money. I mean who fancies queuing up for security control and immigration? If the airport is big like Amsterdam Schiphol Airport you will have bear the long walk and even perhaps running to your gate. Upon arrival there is more waiting and queuing up again for boarding. Teleportation is the way to go in the future. I also don’t fly business or first class unless the company I work for pays for it. When I have at least 2-3 Million Euros in my savings account (or upon medical advice) then I will start paying for a first class ticket, and only for long haul trips. That’s why I don’t understand people flying business and first class for personal when they don’t even have a hundred thousand Euros in their savings account. Because I fly cattle class, I normally wait until most of the passengers have boarded the plane. I board last to avoi...

This might be a little bit late as I am now in the Philippines but here are some shots I took when we were in Macau last week. For those who don't know where Macau is, it is located in China (southern part) and the country is a Special Administrative Region (Macau SAR), the same as Hong Kong SAR. Macau was once a Portuguese colony and the influence can be seen in the historical buildings around the city, as well as in its cuisine. A visit to Macau is not complete without visiting the casino hotels and shopping malls. The 'Venetian' is the most popular among the glitzy and gaudy lot. An exact replica of the Venetian in Las Vegas I must say (I was in Las Vegas in 2010). Family shot (excluding the brother and his family who did not join us in the HK-Macau trip). A selfie shot. It was outrageously packed here at the Venetian, especially on the ground floor near the entrance and the casinos. The opulent ritzy Venetian casino - hotel - shopping mall. Right picture is ...