Chasing Aurora Borealis – Part 1 – Stockholm

December 21, 2013 Leave a comment

The idea of this trip was conceived 3 years ago when all of us dreamt of seeing the northern lights. And here we are 3 years later, stranded at an isolated train station in Abisko. We actually alighted at the wrong train station and next train will only come in another 2 hours. Not bad for me, I found myself a nice cozy warm corner to type this blog. This trip is full of surprises starting from the minute when I booked the wrong plane tickets for Harshad. Every turn has been an enriching “first-in-life” experience like no others.

This is our longest and biggest trip ever, in terms of money, time and distant. In a span of 15 days, we will travel over 27,210km, covering 5 different cities (Stockholm, Abisko, Kiruna, London and Edinburgh).

I have spent a bomb gearing up for this trip. I bought a new Canon 16-35mm wide angle 2.8ft lens, 6 new Canon batteries and 1 battery grip, 1 carbon fiber Gitzo superlight tripod, 1 weatherproof Sony Action Cam, 1 weatherproof LED lantern for the night walk, 3 A3-sized waterproof/anti-condensation zip-lock bags, 1 weatherproof Bushnell binocular, 1 weatherproof Vanguard camera trolley, 2 portable electric pots, 4 sleeping bags for the family and a couple of snacks to last us out in the snow.

By the time we finished packing, we have a total of 14 luggage bags! Dragging 14 pieces of luggage bags was no small feat (even though it sounded quite manageable with 3-4 luggage bags per person). It was a nightmare for all of us to drag these heavy bags up the cab, on the train and in/out of hotels. No regret as all these equipment comes handy for us.

Our first stop is the capital city of Sweden, Stockholm – Home to some of the world’s most famous and notable museums like the Nobel and the Abba, Stockholm city is spread across 14 islands with many scenic parks, bridges, design galleries and beautiful bright buildings. It reminds me of Venice except Stockholm is much bigger and more artistic and “designer-centric”.

I love the streets and interior furnishings of Stockholm. Clean, earthly, natural and simple. I love the Swedish; they are very friendly, helpful and good-looking. My cousin Yei was right about the Scandinavian beauties, the girls here are extraordinary attractive. Even Felicia and Tracy agreed on this point.

We parked ourselves at a very cozy 466-year-old hotel (Hotel Anno 1647) overlooking Stockholm City Hall. I got a big nice room to house all 5 of us. The hotel’s location is superb! The hotel was just 15-min walking distance to most of Stockholm’s city attractions. The shops and subway station were less than 100m away.

We spent 2 days exploring the city, exploring museums and shopping lanes. Like most European cities, the gems are actually hidden within the narrow alleys. There are lots of interesting shops and window displays. This is what I love about strolling and getting lost in European cities – every turn a new surprise.

Here are our top 5 highlights at Stockholm:

NUMBER 1 – THE VASA MUSEUM
This is my favorite museum. The Vasa shared many similarities with the ill-fated Titanic. It was the largest warship built at that time and it sank during its maiden voyage. For over 300 years, it sat at the bottom of the ocean until it was rediscovered and salvaged in 1961. Tons of efforts were made to put all these together. Today, the original 69m-long vessel is being exhibited at the Vasa Museum and it is one of the most popular attractions of Stockholm.

NUMBER 2 – THE NOBEL MUSEUM
Put together by the Nobel Library and the Swedish Academy, the Nobel Museum celebrated the greats works of its past winners. It is very small museum but it showcases many great works/words of wisdom by legendary people from the past and present eras.

NUMBER 3 – THE ROYAL PALACE
This is the official residence of the Royal Family of Sweden. With over 600 rooms, it is the world’s biggest royal residential palace. We visited its Treasury, the Hall of State where we saw the Silver Throne, the underground Tre Kronor Museum and the Guest Apartments. It is grand but not one of the most glamorous palaces I have been. Some of these rooms are old and plain. Maybe it is time for a small little renovation. Photography is a no no in many areas. Just be careful with your camera. No touching on the glass showcases too. Elkan was caught and warned by its security.

NUMBER 4 – OUTDOOR CITY ICE SKATING
Tracy, Elkan and I had our rounds of fun at the city’s ice skating rink. It is one of those impromptu moments when we just put everything down and had fun! For 30sek, we rented a pair of ice-skating shoes for 1 hour. This is another “first-in-life” experience for all of us – our first ever outdoor ice-skating!

NUMBER 5 – SIGHTSEEING ROYAL CRUISE
We boarded a 50-min sightseeing cruise where the boat took us along the key water channel of Stockholm. Along the riverbank, we saw many iconic houses for the rich and famous (holiday homes for Abba, the royal families and the local tycoons). With only 850,000 people staying in Stockholm, it is a very quiet, beautiful, peaceful, safe and comfortable city to live in.

Next stop – Our long 15-hour ride from Stockholm to the northern tip of Sweden, Abisko! And hopefully, we will be able to catch the magical Aurora Borealis (Named by the French scientist in 1621, Aurora is the name of the Roman Goddess of Dawn and Borealis is the Latin God of the Northern Wind! We certainly need tons of divine’s blessings in this. We can have the best planning but without Mother Nature’s luck, we might just end up here fruitlessly waiting in vain. Crossing my fingers now!)

Filed under Cool Stuffs, Family, Life in Hong Kong, Travel

Bags of Joy – It’s time for Christmas

December 8, 2013 Leave a comment

It has become our little Hong Kong Christmas tradition when Felicia will create something special every December. This year, she put up another creative and unique Christmas Tree on our little wall. Made of old shopping paper bags, Felicia cut and pasted the bags on the wall. Now the tree is lit and the weather is cold & cozy, it is time to play some lovely Christmas songs and have ourselves a merry merry Christmas!

Filed under Cool Stuffs, Family, Life in Hong Kong

Something from the Archive – Our First White Christmas 2008

December 3, 2013 Leave a comment

The recent Maldives video editing gave me so much joy that it motivated me to dig out all the past video files from my photo/video archive. This is one trip that should earn a special spot in my blog. That place was YongPyong, Korea – it was there where we celebrated our first white Christmas. And this was the trip that set off our tradition of Christmas traveling since.

Took me a couple of days to locate the messy archive and went through more than 460 video files. These footages are priceless. It captured a very chatty and playful young Elkan and a chubbier Tracy. Of course, Felicia and I looked so much younger (and fitter) then. Last night while editing the video, the family was having a great time watching these “almost-forgotten” fun images. It was a good experience to revisit the past – especially the beautiful and significant ones.

During the edit, I didn’t show much of Korea or the ski resort we went. I put in a lot of footages of young cute Elkan and all the funny things we did. It is less of a travel video but a very precious family Kodak moment. Bet the grannies will enjoy this post.

Filed under Family, Jo's Thoughts, Life in Hong Kong, Travel

Back from Paradise – Maldives (HD Video)

December 1, 2013 Leave a comment

Filed under Family, Travel

Happy Moments with My Jolly Old Man

November 29, 2013 Leave a comment

It was never easy to invite Daddy to Hong Kong. This was his third winter break in Hong Kong. And it was the longest one ever. Usually, dad stayed for only 3-4 days but I managed to prolong his stay to 30 days this time! Yes, one solid month! Thanks to my good friends – Harshad, Tracy, Jimmy, Gareth and Chowpo – you guys showered so much joys on my dad – he had such a great time here in Hong Kong. Special thanks to my colleague Paul who postponed his flight so he can accompanied my dad from Singapore to Hong Kong.

Over this short 30 days, I saw many positive transformation in my dad. I saw a new side of him. He is more hip, playful, younger, happier and bolder now! Dad isn’t an avid traveler, I am so proud that he is able to fly and travel on his own. He is also more technology savvy too – I managed to teach him new ways to socialise online. This is one rare chance of the year when I get to spend good quality time with him, one to one. Throughout the hectic year, we hardly had any opportunity to spend time with one another. My dad has aged so much over the years and I am so thankful that he is still healthy and in such a good spirit.

Keeping up with my dad’s stamina is a challenge, he wakes up very early and he sleeps late at night. We didn’t have much chance to hike this time but I am still very happy to watch many sunrise and sunset with him. We traveled to many places this month – Guangzhou, Dongguan, Zhuhai and Maldives! We combed many new places and tried many different new beers! And for the first time since the mid 90s, dad cooked lunch and dinner for me. It has been over 18 years since I last tasted his cooking! I actually walked home to have lunch with my dad. It is good to have family close to you and I cherish every single moment with them. Enjoy the pix! See you again next year, my jolly old man!

Filed under Family, Jo's Thoughts, Life in Hong Kong

30 years later – now it is my turn to bring my dad to the zoo.

November 10, 2013 1 Comment

It was very difficult to persuade and convince my dad to visit me in Hong Kong. He wasn’t keen to fly alone and it was very difficult to find another person to fly with him. I was so thankful to my creative director, Paul who accompanied my dad from Singapore to Hong Kong. My intention is to “keep” him here as long as possible so we get some quality father-and-son bonding. Dad is working in Singapore and I am away in Hong Kong. There isn’t much chance for us to connect. So far, so good, I managed to “encourage and train” my dad to explore Hong Kong on his own. Felicia and Elkan (not forgetting Gareth and family too!) are flying in this Friday and I intended to keep him here for another 2 more weeks. Both Cousin Mike and Harshad were kind to offer their extra bedroom for my dad.

Dad had no idea about this weekend’s itinerary. He kept asking me what’s there in Guangzhou. I decided to bring him to one of the best zoos and circuses around this region. He was skeptical about this week’s trip when I told him it will be just zoo, animals, flowers and parks. Surely, it does sound a little too “old and boring” for 2 old boys. (Well, we did the more “manly” karaokes and bars last weekend.) I wasn’t too worried about his reservations. Knowing him well enough, I know he will be excited the moment we arrive at Chimelong Hotel. My old man is just like me – we love to experience and see new things.

I was absolutely right. The moment we arrived at Chimelong Hotel, dad was happily snapping away with his iphone. He was impressed by the hotel’s massive structures and its unique white tiger cafe. We dropped our bags in our room and rushed to the zoo. We were like 2 little boys. On the tram into the open Safari, he was video-taping throughout the entire tour. I have never seen him this excited with zoo animals. Later that evening, I gave him another spectacular treat at the Chimelong Circus. It was all wows and laughters for him. I was so glad that he enjoyed himself a lot.

The next morning, we took a 1-hour train from Guangzhou to Zhuhai. The new and massive Guangzhou South Train Station was an eye-opener for him. For a spilt second, he thought I brought him to an airport. I knew he will be impressed by all these mega-structure. Along the way to Zhuhai, dad was snapping and video-taping the farms and old houses.

We didn’t do much at Zhuhai as we had only 3 hours of daylight. We did a quick 1-hour tour at the plantation, went shopping at Gongbei border shops and went back to the hotel for a nice dinner. Just before we hit off to bed, dad and I went to the hotel’s gym for a game of table tennis. He was panting so much that I worried about his heart-condition.

This was a great weekend for both of us. 30 years ago, he brought me to the zoo and today, it is my turn to show him around. Who knows, maybe if time permits, Elkan will be bringing me and my dad to another zoo in another 20-30 years time! Dad is a great companion. I just have to bear with his constant, long lectures on tea leaves and tea pots. Trust me, after 10 days of Chinese Tea Leaves lectures, I consider myself quite an expert.

Filed under Family, Life in Hong Kong

Home Yummy Home

October 9, 2013 Leave a comment

28 hours to be exact. This was my shortest home trip ever. I was so proud that I was able to attend 5 special “yummy gatherings (including celebrating 3 advanced birthdays)” with my closest friends and families.

As usual, I wanted to give my dear folks a sweet surprise with my presence. Trust me, it was priceless to watch their expression every time I appeared out of the blue. They did that a couple of times to me in Hong Kong too. Those surprise appearances are the most memorable. Until now, I remember all of them – how Felicia appeared outside my bedroom door during her Perth university days, how my mum and aunties “ambushed” me at the garden below my office late one night and how cousin Chester and auntie walked into my office on my actual birthday. Those are the most special moments of my life.

This time, my sister and Auntie Amy planned everything for me. My sister tricked everyone to a late lunch at Tampines while Auntie Amy and Uncle Benny picked me from the airport. My mother even thought about organising a “surprise birthday celebration for Elkan”. What she didn’t know was I was going to surprise her later.

Surprise, surprise. I was the victim of my own surprise. I managed to surprise everyone in the family with my sudden presence except the smartest woman in my life – that is my wife! I made one of the most stupid mistakes by making a tele-booking at Jumbo Seafood. I totally forgot that I have transferred the membership contact number to hers. So, when my dear buddy Jimmy helped me with the restaurant booking, Felicia received an auto SMS alert 2 days before I arrived! She knew it all along. The minute I stepped into the cafe to surprise my family, Felicia gave me that sly look on her face.  She handed me her mobile phone and I saw the SMS. At the moment, I knew I was exposed. My sister and auntie shook their heads, clearly very disappointed with my careless blunder. Sigh….Can’t beat my wife in such game.


We had a great 2-hour lunch gathering. It took my family a little while to get used to my new rugged look. We celebrated 3 birthdays in advance for my mum, brother-in-law and Elkan. When we were lighting up the birthday cake, my mother took out a carton of eggs. Most of us thought those were the traditional birthday egg. It was only when we put the eggs in our mouth, we realised they weren’t real eggs! My gosh! My mother mastered the same imitation skills like the Chinese. Her egg-jelly really looked like the real egg! They were so real that my sister-in-law Chups thought they were salted eggs!

Right after my late lunch, I went to visit my in-laws. Later that evening, we planned to have dinner at my favourite Japanese restaurant, Watami at The Central, Clark Quay. When we were at The Central Shopping Mall, I went to fulfil a promise that I made to a friend a year ago. It was one of the top “must-do” items on my list. One of my ex-interns at VOXmedia, Gin Oh (who won 3 consecutive years of Best Singapore E-Commerce Blogger Awards) has opened her own retail outlet “Shinnpark” last year. And I have promised to visit her shop since last Sept. I came by this May but the shop wasn’t open. Fate was kind to us this time. Gin happened to be at the shop and we finally met – after 10 long years since 2003. We chatted like old friends and I was very proud of her success. Best of all, I found something I wanted at her shop! For those who love designer’s goods and Singapore Designs, please go visit her shop at The Central!

Next Stop – Gareth came by my hotel and drove me to Mustafa where I bought new earphones to replace the one that I stupidly damaged on my flight to Singapore (I plug my earphones into the seat socket and the high voltage burnt the earpieces). It was so good to reunite with my Brother Feng! We were taking shortcuts to Mustafa and accidentally discovered some extraordinary colourful vices behind the back alleys. Later that night, we dragged Lionnel out to have a short midnight supper at Boon Keng Hawker Center. Thanks Gareth for the supper treats and ferrying me around!

The next day, I went to accomplished the work that brought me to Singapore. Just before I headed out to the airport, I went to visit my dear old-&-pretty friend Joanne at Ogilvy Singapore. Just like my family, it took Joanne quite a while to get used to my new rugged look. Anyway, who cares. I was there for the free lunch treat!

Finally, time’s up! I spent my last 3 hours at the airport, ferrying my little boy around the airport on the trolley. I made a couple of calls to a couple of good friends who I couldn’t meet up. When it was time for me to depart, Felicia and Elkan gave me a cheeky farewell at the viewing gallery on the 2nd storey. No goodbye tears this time as they knew they will see me again in another 4 weeks.

This was a very fulfilling and meaningful trip. I left with so much love and happiness. It was as warm and beautiful as the departing shot I took up in the air.

Filed under Family, Jo's Thoughts, Life in Singapore, Wahbiang

A Surprise Adventure for Felicia and Elkan – Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam (11th – 14th Sept)

September 14, 2013 13 Comments

It was September School Holiday, Felicia and Elkan were in town for 10 days. I was clueless where to bring them around Hong Kong. For the first 5 days, Elkan was lazing at home playing console games. I decided to give both of them a small surprise – their maiden trip to Vietnam!

As usual, I planned this trip at the very last minute. I am always seen as an impulse traveler. More than 65% of my travels were decided and departed within 48 hours. Let me correct my critics here, I am not an impulse person. I don’t like planning a trip many months ahead (unless it is a long difficult journey). Planning is for those who take a long to decide something. A long wait can develop different types of expectation that may leads to disappointment. When I want to travel, I just pack my bags and go. I like the feeling of freedom and instant gratification. There’s no need to plan, just do it. I like to discover as I go along. It feels more like an adventure.

Elkan was very excited when I told him that we would be exploring the underground-forested tunnels and swampy waterways. He likes adventure but he remains a very timid and careful boy. As much as possible, I would want to expose him to different parts of the world so he get to experience life outside his little shoebox universe in Singapore.

Day 1 – It was a short 2.5 hour flight from Hong Kong to Ho Chi Minh City. We arrived and checked into our hotel at 11:30am. By noon, we ventured out and I gave them a quick 4-hour city tour. I brought them to the city’s most popular tourist spots – The Central Post Office, Notre Dame Cathedral, Saigon Opera House, Ho Chi Minh City People’s Committee City Hall, Reunification Palace, Ben Thanh Market and Dong Khoi shopping street. (Felicia and Elkan managed to recognise the location where Harshad shot his infamous conference video 2 years ago.) All the tourist attractions were located within walking distance from our hotel, it was very easy to explore the city center on foot.

Our last stop for the day – We visited the War Remnants Museum. Through the rich war history of Vietnam, Elkan learnt the important lesson of peace and harmony.  There, we saw many disturbing war photographs. This is my second visit to the War Remnants Museum and it still evokes a deep sense of grief and anger in me. These war stories reminded us the true value of peace and the pain of wars. For a country that went through 2,000 years of war (first against the Chinese, the Mongolian, then the French, the Japanese  and finally the American), Vietnam underwent many generations of untold and unimaginable sufferings. The last war may have ended more than 20 years ago but the aftermath of the chemical war crimes continue to haunt its victims and their next generations. It is a lesson that Syria must heed from Bosnia and Vietnam. War is simply senseless and victory-less. No one wins – except those merchants of wars.

Day 2 – We woke up at 6:30am and went on a half-day tour to the Cu Chi Tunnels. Along the way, the travel guide brought us to a Vietnamese lacquer-ware factory where handicapped war victims work. There, we were given a brief introduction of lacquer-ware making. Despite the emotionally story of supporting the war-victims through purchasing these products, I didn’t buy anything from this factory. The prices of these handicrafts weren’t cheap. All the items were priced 300% more than the ones in the city. Clearly, this was a “tourist-shopping-trap”.

We had lots of fun at the Cu Chi Tunnels. The Viet Cong built these tunnels as a defence network against the offensive American troops. During the war, the tunnels served as a communication and supply-routes for the Viet Cong. The tunnels housed soldiers and their families. Some of these tunnels extended over 200km long and 10m deep. Presently, many of these tunnels were lit with lights and made wider and taller to house the bigger-sized tourists.

Both Felicia and Elkan successfully descended into the original A4-size ground hole. I didn’t bother to attempt, as I know my chubby body won’t fit into the small entrance. Tunnel walking was a breeze for Elkan but not for the adults. Almost all the adults came out of the narrow 40m long tunnel with tiring perspired expressions, except for Elkan. He was the only one who wanted to go for a second round. Elkan was bursting with energy. Instead of doing 1 underground tunnel crawl, he managed to persuade the tour guide to let him explore more underground tunnels.

The weather was unpredictably hot, humid and stormy, I was too tired to go anywhere else. After Cu Chi Tunnels, we headed back to our hotel where I took a short nap. Later in the evening, I met up with a good Singaporean friend, Kelvin for dinner. He brought us to a very cozy and beautifully decorated shop house for authentic Vietnamese food.

Day 3 – We joined a group of Australian and Singaporean tourists to Mekong River. It was a full day tour. We started the day at 8am and returned at 6pm.

We had an excellent English-speaking local guide. The trip to Mekong River took 2 hours. Along the way, we saw many rice paddy plantations and old towns. We stopped by at a temple of giant Buddha and Goddess statues and a bus depot where I saw a kind tourist guide entered a lotus lake to retrieve a young girl’s watch.

All was well until Elkan broke down in tears at Mekong River. He was having a really bad stomachache. His frantic cries made everyone worried. The Australians and Singaporeans travelers were very kind and offered medicines and ointment oil. Even the local drink stall owners made hot ginger tea for him.

Elkan struggled the pains throughout the Mekong tour. His cries frightened the boatmen. Imagine this, we were the only one with a crying boy along the peaceful, scenic Mekong River. Every passing boat gave us that strange look. Elkan was screaming and crying on the boat.  We had an extraordinary express tour, the boatmen sensed the urgency of his condition and rowed the boat super fast. We reached the jetty ahead of everyone else. There, Elkan vomited and made a couple of “emergency toilet breaks”. It was so bad that we have to make an instant “temporary toilet shelter” for him out on the jetty. Fortunately, we were in this village where there were stalls selling t-shirts. We bought him a new t-shirt (as he vomited on the one he was wearing). This is certainly one painful and unforgettable trip for Elkan and his poor parents. Thankfully, the whole group of travelers was very understanding and kind towards our plight.

Just when we decided to cut short our tour and head back to the city, Elkan’s tummy wasn’t painful anymore. He was back to his old self – noisy, jumpy and naughty. My son is indeed a big joker. He certainly got everyone’s attention. He is one big chaotic charmer.

On our last night in Vietnam, we met up with my primary school friend, Rosline Heng. Her husband and her were stationed in Vietnam for many years. We missed an opportunity to meet up with her last month when they visited Hong Kong. Guess fate gave us a second chance to meet.

Tomorrow is the last day of our short adventure. We will be packing and heading back to Hong Kong for one more night. On Sunday, Felicia and Elkan will be flying back to Singapore and I will be heading north to Shanghai for a short business trip.

Guess I will be missing them for another 2 months before their next return in November. By then, I will be making another impromptu trip. Surely up north where northern lights glitter – the only questions are which country, with who and when.

Filed under Family, Travel

A Surprise Treat for Elkan in Jakarta – Blog by Felicia

August 11, 2013 Leave a comment

BLOG BY FELICIA (11th Aug 2013)

A week before when I told Elkan, I need to go Jakarta for a 4-day work trip, he was reluctant to me go. He asked several times if he could come along as he didn’t want to be lonely during the long National Day holiday break. Unfortunately, I turned him down.

On Wed morning, I planned for my mum and Elkan to send me off at the airport first, before my mum fetch Elkan to school. At the check-in counter, after the usual procedures, the airline stuff called out Elkan and my name and passed him our passports. He took them, held my hand and was ready to go. I asked him to check the passports for me. He opened the first passport and read out the seat and gate number, read my name…. he opened the second passport, read out the seat and gate number and he slows down, read his name…. gave me a blank look…. frowned, smiled, frowned again and looked worried…. “Mummy, I’m going to school right? Why the boarding pass has my name? Why you have two passports?” I gave him a big eye look with a smile. “Ooooh….. I’m going to Jakarta with you!!!!” he exclaimed.

I was expecting a big hug from him, but instead, he started to cry and buried his face in my tummy! Confused, I asked him why. He said he will miss his friends in school and will have no chance to get his trophy for this year… He explained he was participating in the school’s sports event celebrating National Day. I didn’t realize that I’ve spoilt his day…. I felt really bad about it. This is one surprise that surprised me! But there was no turning back. So he walked in with me to the departure gate and waved a teary goodbye to his Poh Poh.

I tried to cheered him up saying he could watch a movie on board the plane and eat nice food. I’m glad he quickly became excited about the trip and was looking forward to it. In a short one and half hour flight, we arrived at Jakarta! Shin brought us out for brunch and some shopping.

This was a trip for me to take a look at the design and decor, and display of food in the cafe. And I get to sample lots of nice food too. Sounds all fun and eat non stop. Yes it is. While I was busy taking pictures and checking out the display at the cafe, Elkan warmed up in no time and made friends with the waiters. They helped him put on an apron and started to compete with one another to see who could give out more flyers! The most happy moment came when he gets to order any food he liked. He tried all the nasi dishes at Blacklisted on the first day. And his final verdict, the Nasi Campur (Steamed rice with Beef Redang, peanuts and sunny side up egg) is the best! He even liked the plain croissant which was an unlikely choice of his food.

Thanks to Dendy and Shin‘s hospitality, they brought us to different malls in town and we were cafe hopping. Elkan most enjoyed his morning motor scooting with Dendy and Wii time with Edward (Dendy’s brother). 4 days trip came to and end so quickly with our busy schedules. On the last day, Elkan was reluctant to return to Singapore. He played till the last minute on the motor scooter until the cab arrived to pick us up to the airport. It was a foodfulling trip! Enjoy the tasty pictures!

Filed under Family, Travel

Last Action Conquest – Langkawi

July 30, 2013 Leave a comment

Langkawi – This will be our biggest and last Action Conquest. A total of 26 Action Heroes conquered the northern island of Western Malaysia. A perfect mixture of work and fun with great people, perfect weather and loads of chaotic fun and incredible moments!

Day 1 – The flight to Langkawi was bumpy and dreadful. The plane struggled badly in the stormy weather. David announced officially that he will not want to travel with me on the same flight anymore. After his last Shanghai trip and including this one, David is so certain that I am cursed with typhoon and rain.

Thankfully, all of us arrived safely at sunny bright Langkawi. We had a sumptuous welcome dinner at a local Thai seafood restaurant. Most of us had little sleep the night before due to the “Pitch Bitch Contest” that we have to present on Day 2. I had only 1 hour of sleep in the past 48 hours, I was so lethargic that I misplaced my iPAD. Thanks to Harshad and Alwi, they managed to locate the bus driver and returned the iPAD to me.

Day 2 – It was Pitch Bitch Day. All of us arrived at the conference room in white translucent tight-gay-looking mini-tees. I hated the choice for this year’s attire – the slim tight fitting cut certainly didn’t look good on my fat body. Worst of all, I received many rude stares from other hotel guests when I was wearing this attire. The ambigram logo spelled “Pitch Bitch” but most people read that as “Bitch”. Imagine 26 of us walking around in the resort donning this “Bitch” tee, I bet the onlookers were puzzled which notorious organization or triad we represented.

“Pitch Bitch Contest” was intense and very educative. We learnt a lot from one another. The stakes were high and every one put in their heart and soul in this exercise. The winning team gets to win a 3-day trip to attend the SpikesAwards 2013 in Singapore. The judges (Subu, David and Danny) gave very honest and insightful comments to our ideas and presentation skills. The overall standard surpassed what David expected and we did generate some awesome good ideas. Congrats to Paul, Kelly and Olivia for winning the first prize and Harshad, Tracy and Marlon for taking the 2nd prize!

After the intense contest, we hopped onto a boat where it took us on a sunset dinning cruise along the strait. There, the judges announced the results of Pitch Bitch Contest and we “invited” the winners (Paul, Olivia and Kelly) to tryout the Ocean Jacuzzi. It was a terrible experience for the trio as they were attacked by jellyfish just minutes into the water. A sizable jellyfish stung poor Paul and Kelly. It was a comical sight to see Paul jumping out of the water. Only when I saw the big red swollen scars later, I realized this was no joke.

The cruise was smooth and very relaxing. We saw showering clouds at the horizon, rainbow over distant hilly islands and mesmerizing sunset at twilight. No work, emails or deadlines, we found ourselves happily immersed in this beautiful setting – BBQ dining, drinking, chatting, cheering, laughing and photo whoring. Simply awesome, this was one of the best programs of the itinerary.

Later that evening, a group of us went out for some causal night shopping and supper.

Day 3 – Island Attacks! We were grouped into 4 coloured teams to conquer 3 islands and 9 mind-blowing and body-breaking challenges. Flag signalling, leopard crawling, canoeing, tray-balancing and swimming – some of these games were a lot tougher than the ones I did in Phuket. “Chaotic Harshad”, “Lazy Marlon” and “Bossy Joe” didn’t have any chemistry. Despite having one of the most disorganized and chaotic team members, we won first place (thanks to our wit and some magically influence)! Surprise, surprise! David wasn’t pleased about the results. His team lost to us the last time in Phuket!

Burnt and half-broken from the morning “Island Attacks”, we took a nice relaxing dip in the swimming pool before the finale dinner. There, we attempted some awful underwater team photo. It didn’t turn out well. For the least, beer drinking by the pool was great. Food feeding by the pool was even better!

At dusk, we had our finale dinner at a nice pavilion restaurant by the ocean cliff. There, David presented all the awards and prizes to the winning teams. I managed to “spot and steal” the grand prize (which is an iPAD Mini) in the lucky draw. Unfortunately, I confessed to my “crime” and gracefully gave it away to Chowpo who helped to organize this marvellous trip for the company. Harshad and Alwi were punished to dance for their late appearance. A great night for the deserving winners and wonderful bonding time with the newbies!

Day 4 – Time to say goodbye. The group spilt and flew out separately. A group of us flew to Kuala Lumpur for a day trip while some stayed on in Langkawi and a couple returned to Hong Kong.

Day 5 – Kuala Lumpur was short but good – I met up with my old Malaysian friends (Hong Fei, Sherry and Josephine) and cousins (Lita and Jacqueline). Thanks to my Malaysian relatives, I got to feast all my favorite local dishes! Best of all, I managed to convince Kelly to take a bite on the durian! Just hours before departure, Phylis and Chowpo parked themselves at a very deluxe Jojoba Spa while poor Tracy, she is still nursing a bad tummy at the Hong Kong hospital (as I type), possibly due to an overdosed of durian-cocktail.

What a great rewarding time in Malaysia! Time to make my way to Singapore for another short stopover for an important presentation and quality time with my family and friends.

Filed under Family, Life in Hong Kong, Travel

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