The Karma-matic Mind

Wow…a year has flown by.  How time flies these days.  Pretty scary come to think about it.  I’ll be 27 next year!  Putting that thought aside for a minute, let’s take a look at some of the things I’ve been up to this year.

Travelling has been the highlight for me.  What an amazing hobby to have!  Hahahaha…I wished I did more but I’m absolutely delighted with what I achieved this year.  First of was a family trip to Siem Reap in February.  I must say this place was one of the most beautiful places I’ve seen.  The Angkor temples were a class apart and I urge anyone and everyone to go witness this amazing place.  It’s beyond words; it’s just so mystical.  Not to mention, everything is also pretty cheap!  A road trip to JB and a day trip to Singapore, plus a short stop over in Malacca was next on the agenda.  Going on a road trip with the ‘gang’ is always great.  We had loads of fun and we ate like pigs…the usual combination when we are out. 

Then came the ultimate holiday trip thus far…Bali!!! Bali was great because it was my firs trip with my baby.  So glad she could make it.  The 6 days in Kuta, Jimbaran, Nusa Dua and the works were well spent.  Rowena, Aaron and Sam were great company too.  I got myself a perfectly nice tan, only for it to go away within 2 weeks or so after I came back L Shopping for Quiksilver stuff in Legian Street was great too.  And the best beef burger I ever had thus far was definitely in Bali.  Simply delicious!  Our ‘jumping’ picture taken in Nusa Dua will forever be etched in my memory.

Our next trip together with my parents was to Manila.  It was such an unexpected joy.  Manila was not only cheap in just about everything, the food was simply amazing plus the shopping was probably on par with some other major cities like Singapore, Bangkok and Hong Kong.  I could have shopped till I drop by have to ‘control budget’ in front of parents la…Guess clothes were a real bargain when they had sale.  Seafood in Manila must be some of the best I’ve had.  It’s all about eating in Manila and I gained 4kg during this holiday…and sad to say, I’m feeling the after effects till now.  And this trip was in September!!!  Must thank the Chan family for taking such good care of us.

Next on the agenda was Hong Kong and Macau!!!  I was pretty excited with this trip.  It was my first time to both places.  I’ve heard so much about the notorious Hong Kong sale that I just had to experience it for myself.  And disappointed I was not.  Manila was great but Hong Kong was pretty much better. I blew quite a fortune on shopping but it’s all so worth it.  Let me give you an example.  I bought a pair of Tough jeans and cargo pants there.  I came back and checked the price at both the 1 Utama and The Curve outlet.  It’s a new limited edition arrival here and it cost RM460.  Would I have bought anything that expensive?  Most definitely not!!!  I got mine in Hong Kong for RM150 Nett.  Now who wouldn’t blow a fortune shopping in Hong Kong!!!  Bought a pair of shoes from Acupuncture as well and they are really comfy.  Keeping it for CNY though.  I also blew a fortune having some shirts and pants tailor made.  The TVB function was pretty awesome.  I had a really close view of the live show and even walked next to Macau tycoon, Stanley Ho.  His Rolls Royce (number plate HK1) is by far the biggest car I’ve seen!  Visiting the Jumbo Kingdom, Ocean Park and shopping in Tung Chun were definitely the highlights.  I will do Disneyland the next time with my baby of course.  Food was…too much!  I had good food practically everyday.  Cow’s ligaments (ngau kan) and roasted geese (siew ngor) was on the menu every time.  Hing Kee Restaurant in Nathan Road is pretty awesome. 

Macau would be ideal for only two things – gambling and womanizing (prostitution).  The place is filled with casino and late night entertainment (or should I say all day) on every corner of the street!  I stayed at this place called The Venetian, a majestic new hotel.  Thus far the most beautiful hotel I’ve stayed in.  The whole city itself is a 30 minutes tour.  Food wise, I thought Hong Kong was way better.  I did gamble a bit and obviously lost but no harm done.  I don’t gamble big anyhow.  We stayed for only a night but I don’t think I would want to stay any longer than that.  It wasn’t a bad place but it just didn’t interest me that much.  We were supposed to visit Shenzhen too but we canceled at the last minute due to bad reviews from right about everyone in Hong Kong.  Pick pockets and snatch theft are rampant there and with such a big entourage we decided against going.  Flying business class to Hong Kong was a great experience for me.  The satay on board MAS was really really good.  I owe so much to Wong and Billy for this trip and they have my utmost gratitude for it. 

The yuletide season called for another holiday.  This time round, I drove down to Singapore with Vin Nee and her two friends, Pei Siang and Esther.  What a blast we had!  The Gallery Hotel we stayed in was fabulous.  I loved the décor and the location of the hotel itself.  It’s a 3 minutes drive to Clarke Quay and it’s so centrally located.  The only thing I couldn’t understand was how come there weren’t any MRT stops nearby.  Anyone who says they can’t seem to buy anything in Singapore has either drove to JB and thought it was Singapore (which is not possible) or landed in Uluwatu airport and thought it was Changi.  I was in Bangkok, Manila and Hong Kong and I still think the Singapore sales as well as its variety was up one notch.  I did an amazing amount of shopping (for my CNY obviously) and must say was really happy with my purchases.  Only regret?  I didn’t buy the new limited edition Ralph Lauren polo tee.  That was really nice (the one with the GB, USA, France, Italy and Japan flags).  I would recommend you to shop at Vivo City to avoid the crowd at Orchard.  You get basically the same things there while it’s huge and spacious and air conditioning in Singapore is very much needed.

We went to this place called Pump Room in Clarke Quay and it’s a very nice place to chill out with a great live band.  The lamb cubes were delicious as well.  Hahaha…how not to grow fat with all the food I’ve been eating?  We did the Christmas countdown in Velvet but hell it isn’t the same as our beloved KL Velvet.  I know I’m no expert in dancing but Singaporeans generally can’t dance.  That’s sad since they have 3 really good place in Zouk, Velvet and Phuture under one roof.  My second visit to Sentosa Island after 20 years was also great.  I enjoyed the luge ride very much and once is definitely not enough!  Managed to meet up with my cousin sis Claudia too so it was a great trip all around.

So much for my travel exploits in 2007.  I hope to travel more in 2008 and already have a few dates jotted down.  The usual suspects hope to hit Bangkok some time end of August and we might squeeze in a trip to KK before that.  End of the year, if money and weather permits, I would like to hit Boracay Island with my baby.  Let’s hope everything goes as planned.  Can’t wait for 2008’s travel files!