Taiwan - Day 1

The long awaited holiday is finally here. The first day is basically spent on getting to Taipei from Ipoh. 

Ipoh to Kuala Lumpur

We gathered at Ipoh Downtown Hotel with the rest of group before departing for KLIA at 2am.

Selfie with grandma, mom and sis while waiting for full attendance. 

Soon it was time to leave. 

Some of our luggage

The four wheels taking us to the airport

I was beginning to feel sleepy as soon as I stepped into the bus but the briefing by the tour leader kept me awake somehow. Quite interesting to hear about the programmes planned for the next few days. 

I drifted off to sleep soon after and it seemed like just a moment later that we were awoken for a toilet break at Tanjung Malim. I was expecting another session of briefing about the flight arrangement later on, but the lights were off and I gladly went back to sleep. 

Moments later, I felt the glare of the overhead lights and we were finally reaching KLIA. Richelle, our tour leader shared the details of our flight to firstly Hong Kong and then transit to Taipei 55 minutes later. 

Richelle, our pretty tour leader

It was still before 6am when we reached the departure area on the 5th floor. There was still about two hours before we were expected to be at the boarding gate. We headed to the McD for breakfast.

Kuala Lumpur to Hong Kong

The most anticipated part of a vacation is the flight experience. Being my first time on Cathay Pacific, I was blown away. Truly enjoyed the in-flight entertainment available. 

So many movies and TV shows to choose from! 

I chose to watch "Ghostbusters (2016)" but fell asleep about half an hour later. I only woke up when it was time for breakfast at approximately 10:30am.

Just look at how my tummy was being pampered. How could I go back to flight without meals again?

Clockwise from top: Bottled water, plastic cup, apple juice on request, strawberry yoghurt, bun, rice with Cantonese style chicken, fruits, strawberry jam and butter

I love the yoghurt so much that I had two portions. Thanks to mom for sponsoring her share to me. 

Yummy goodness!

I also requested for a blanket and snuggled under it, getting warm and so comfortable whilst continuing with some movie and music till we landed in Hong Kong. 

Richelle issued us our boarding pass to Taipei upon arrival to our transit airport. 

I have a couple of CX tickets to be added to my bookmark collection now. 

Spying on someone else's movie

The end of my first in-flight entertainment for now. 

Hong Kong to Taipei

It was a brief transit and soon we are up in the air again for another an hour and a half. 

In-flight entertainment looked years older. 

Although the screen is touchable, they are quite insensitive so the buttons helped a lot. 

Once again, I fell asleep watching a classic Chinese comedy starring Stephen  Chow, "The Lucky Guy".  I was awoken by the stewardess to this. 

Some snacks for such a short flight period. They are delicious. 

WELCOME TO TAIWAN!

Finally arrived at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport. 

What a welcoming sight with this artistic architectural ceiling towards the Immigration. 

After more than an hour's queuing up to get past the immigration, we touched base with our local tour guide, 小陈. 

Our transportation for the next six days with cute pandas 

小陈 and Richelle updating us on the order of our trip

We went to Taipei 101 for dinner after being stuck in the traffic jam for some time. We were given 1.5 hours. 

Taipei 101 by night

My pampered stomach began to warn me not to stuff anymore food so I only had a bowl of red bean soup with glutinous rice balls. 

NTD 55, about RM7.70 after conversion

After dinner, we still have about 45 minutes before regrouping so we spent some time at The Market Place. 

The biggest rose apples I have ever seen

Colourful pillars outside the mall

We checked into Uinn Hotel for the night. 

Cool room with a jacuzzi

A small patio with motion sensor light

The toilet amenities provided were quite unbelievable for a 4-star hotel like this

Too bad we will be staying here for only a night. 

Looking forward to Day 2!

Saturday filled with awesome food and quality time with F&F

Another weekend is here and indeed, what a fruitful one this has become. Had tremendous fun with family and friends. 

First stop at Morganfield's. 

Special fries at RM3.90 per basket. Ordered a couple for the four of us hungry people. 

Full-slab Hickory BBQ Rib. Very well marinated and perfectly done.

After loading so much carb and protein, we did our leisurely exercise around the mall. We passed by GODIVA and saw a peculiar sight. There was actual a queue the length of the front of two shops! Eunice went and investigated and found out there was a buy one get one free promotion for their ice cream at RM22. Oh well, we were too lazy to join the queue party so we did not answer to our kiasu-ness to queue along. 

The stroll was pretty quick as there was nothing affordable for me to purchase so we changed our exercise ground to Gurney Plaza.

There was where I found my work shoes which I did not see the previous week I was there. 

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I had affinity with this pair. Please don't hurt my feet! 

I had quite an unpleasant experience with the previous Primavera shoes I bought as the pair hurt my feet for the first two months. It was not so bad to the point they gave me wounds but it could be quite uncomfortable to be walking in shoes that 'bite' your feet, causing a persistent sore unless you take them off. 

Mom and sis got me a Christmas present too. So happy to receive it and I immediately use it right after purchase. 

Wanted to shop for slippers too but time wasn't enough. Our stomachs were complaining once again. 

Gurney Drive's mini buffet which cost us about RM50. 

Nowadays, RM50 is akin to RM10 in the past. What a sad thing to see. 

Had a second round of dinner with friends at Wendy's. The very first one in Penang. 

Look at the crowd trying out the 'new toilet bowl'. 

I just had chilli cheese nachos with honey green tea as the mini buffet from Gurney Drive was still not fully digested yet.

Ji Mui Association gathering came to an end for this time. Wendy and Wendy at the back. :D :D :D

Countdown to Taiwan trip: 4 more days!

Masquerade 80's @ Pelangi Ballroom - Golden Sands Resort's Annual Dinner 2016

What a lovely evening! Had my share of good food and beer and the best thing to do now is to lie in bed and doze off to wonderland. 

Cheers, it's Phantom of the Opera night. 

Oh, the mask met another feathery, glamourous looking friend.  

These two masks have been abandoned by their owners so Jamie and I adopted them.  

Me, Shidah and Jamie before the Masquerade Night starts. 

Of course, we have to selfie before the lipsticks disappear. 

MASKS ON!

Everyone waiting in anticipation for the opening and without a doubt, the FOOD! 

Who is that guy who seemingly posed for my shot? Hmm....

If you work at where I am, the MC will never be a surprise. Every year, the same jokes, the same Michelle Goh. I didn't get a shot of her but you can Google her up. She's real funny but I got used to her humour as years go by. 

Department heads' opening performance

The best part about working in hospitality industry: everyone is sporting enough to perform on stage just like how we love delighting guests off stage. 

The top management performed a sexy number, "Lady Marmalade". I could still hear the tune ringing in my ears. I enjoyed all the performances, good or bad. Kudos to the operations teams for putting up such great performances! I left early therefore unable to announce the result of the winning team for Talent Time.

Oh yes, where are my manners? I need to show the real highlight of the evening. 

My main point to any party. Always. 

Caption? Some meat, fish, chicken, prawns and pasta. There was some coleslaw below the prawns too.  

Here's a funny picture of the HM being splashed before the event. 

This is splash zone of revenge! Ha ha ha!!! Stay away if you do not want to be hit by merciless water balloons. 

Speaking of games, we played Bingo during the dinner. I love their creativity in making a formal dinner so exciting. 

Definitely looking to the next party.

Coincidentally, it's Rasa Sayang's 43rd birthday today. HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

From porridge to KFC to end the Blue Monday

Started yesterday with a bowl of porridge to warm my hungry stomach on this cold, rainy day. If I did not spend some time to take a picture, the porridge would have been steaming hot. 

I am hungry all over again looking at this. 

Lunch selection was just okay. Not as good as breakfast. You can imagine what kind of variety was available based on my house. 

MAGGI! This is a favourite whenever there is nothing else good to eat. 

The taste was quite good but if you didn't get past the fact that it's instant noodles...  

Who would have thought dinner would be a surprise? Thanks to Tasphorn who decided to head out so I got to pamper/spoil my stomach with some KFC. Not Korean Fried Chicken but the original 'Finger Lickin' Good' Kentucky Fried Chicken!

Snacker box including fries, cheesy wedges (absolute yum), a piece of chicken plus carbonated drink for RM8.95.

We also had some desserts.

Chocolate lava cake and lemon tiramisu, each at RM3.90. 

 

Thank you for the wonderful treat, Tasphorn! 😘

Tuesday, 8 November 2016

Was running late today so I only managed to have two glasses of water. Might snack on something later.

Kinda a summary of what we did today

Finally I am home after the whole day of fun at the mysterious place yet to be revealed.

Still couldn't guess the place right? Okay, I have decided to be kind and reveal the identity of the place.

 

So here is a couple of tickets for Ouija at TGV Gurney Paragon. I only like the seats there as they are more velvety and won't make my hands and feet sweat.

I have mentioned briefly in the previous post about the movie and how I enjoyed the suspense throughout. A simple action such as doors being opened and shut abruptly nearly made me jumped off my seat. Just imagine the level of intensity the scriptwriters and director have put into the story for an engaging cinematic experience. Well thought off, really. 

However, we were not really lucky with the bunch of crowd who were in the same cinema as us. They freaked out at the slightest motion on the screen even when there was nothing to scream about. 

Speaking of screaming, watching horror movies can actually make you lose some calories; about 20 cal every 10 minutes of screen time. Make sure you scream to shake the 20 calories off. I think it will not make any difference - you will gain instead - if you are chomping on rich caramel popcorns. Best to do it on food-free days. 

Prior to the movie, we hung out at the plaza and found this exciting place which would transport you back to old Penang. 

Days without computers and printers when posters are all hand-drawn. Technology has ruined creativity to some extent, don't you agree? No doubt it has brought us great convenience in our current lifestyles.

A food festival is about to be held here on the 6th floor of Gurney Paragon on 19 and 20 November 2016. Do mark your calendars! 

We did some touristy shots too. 

Pretty interesting, right? Do come by and visit! 

Dinner - Korean Fried Chicken

I have always been a fan of KFC so anything that goes by this initial will capture my attention. 

Behold...

Salivating dinner for two. We are the poor sisters hence, a bowl of rice is enough for our economic stomachs. :D :D :D

The chickens were a mix of two different flavours; red chilli which was quite spicy but I love it and soy garlic, mellow but perfectly marinated.

Thanks to Eunice for introducing this place. Will come again when my pocket feels rich. 

It's past 12 midnight and my mind is still active. Fingers still smell of KFC. I better get rid of the fragrance before I lose my fingers to the ants before dawn. 

Good night!

Sisters day out!

Guess where we are at?



We also had the drink below right now. It's not too tough to guess right?



Waiting for dinner time soon. Stay tuned for the next post!

Highlight of the weekend - Ouija: Origin of Evil

Week by week passes by at the speed of light. Another Saturday is here but, with the initial weekend plan changed. Hopefully this change will be an interesting one.

To be honest, I am slightly lazy right now to get ready to head out due to the rain. Such weather should be spent in the dreamland, recharging the week's worth of energy drained in the office. It's tempting but has its side effect which is worse than spending the rainy day outside.

I don't want MONDAY to be here so soon without my realising it.

Back to the changed plan. I have been waiting for Ouija: Origin of Evil and it's finally out in the theatres. Can't wait!


The rain seems to have stopped now. Better get ready before my head decides to touch the pillow again.

Go Indian!

I am excited to talk about foodie today. So we had Indian cuisine at the cafe and the dishes really taste delicious!

Got a lousy photo as I was too eager to tuck in. Yum!

Note to self: I should stop eating like this.

But I can't help it. Too good to resist although I feel lazy after the meal.

This post is typed on BlogGo. It's a blogging app I bought at USD0.99. Not bad at all. ☺️

Three years later, not too late, I hope.

The white elephant will not remain white forever. With a little human touch, it is ready to be something useful once again. No more inches of dust concealing the beauty of what lies beneath.

I had a sudden urge to write today, of all days, on Halloween. It's purely a coincidence. When I began to scroll down my previous posts of yesteryears, I figured I have changed to some extent. I am no longer an open book, willing to share all of my thoughts and cracking jokes does not come as easy anymore. Getting older slows down the train of thought. That is highly probable. There's one excuse of my absence from this blog for three years. No matter, I will try my best to update as and when I thought of something interesting.

Empty promises, I hope not. ;)

The past three years have been an eventful journey with eye-opening experiences, trying out new things and going to places. Every moment is a treasure. I learn to be more appreciative towards things that do not really matter in the past; socially mostly as quality time spent with family getting scarce - true for most people I know who leave home to pursue education and career to widen their horizon in the greener part of the world. Most importantly, everyone is willing to make the effort for reunions in my case, such as going for long haul trips together. Well, that's something not everyone has the opportunity to do so and I am grateful for it.

At the mention of travel, I get all excited at the idea of experiencing a different climate and culture. The language barrier can be intimidating but the former two triumphed. Been to a few cities in China and Hong Kong. Next destination, Taiwan!

Just look at that. Takes my breath away even before I step foot there. *dreamy eyes*

Image courtesy of http://globalriskinsights.com/

Cronuts

I would like to introduce the new addition of the Rasa Deli family. Cronuts!

So, what is a cronut exactly? It is a hybrid of a croissant and a doughnut. From its appearance, it might look like any ordinary doughnut that is sold everywhere but once you take a bite, you are in for a surprise!

Rather than the expected soft-like bread texture a doughnut usually has, cronut has a flaky and layered texture that gives one who has never tasted it before an interesting gastronomical experience.

It is a rave in the west but not so much in the eastern part of the world. However, the popularity of cronuts is definitely growing and you are in luck if you are in Penang. Cronuts are available at the Shangri-La's Rasa Sayang Resort & Spa for one hour each day between 3pm to 4pm.


There are six flavours to choose from:

• Toffee Orange
• Lemon Raspberry
• Nutella Banana
• Apple Crumble
• Chocolate Brownie
• Vanilla Oreo

So far, I have tasted the chocolate brownie and the apple crumble. Both were yums! I am sure the rest of the family members can be accredited to the same quality and goodness.



Have a cronut-ty dream, everyone!