May Day Specials..

Ever since Anthea lost her “sovereignty” at my In Laws house, she hardly had chance to spend time with her 爷爷和奶奶。This week, my mother in law emailed me and told me that she will be attending a church wedding on May Day and asks if Anthea would be interested to go along with her.

I told Anthea of my MIL email and asked if she likes to go for the church wedding. She said “YES” and also told me that she wanted to wear the wedding dress (this dress was worn at my BIL's wedding on 10 May 2008 as she was the flower girl).

I know this would be a good chance for her to spend quality time with her grandparents, as now she only get to see them on weekends for those rush rush dinners.

This morning, my In Laws came and picked her up around 9.30 am and off they went for the church wedding.

Xian is currently undergoing chemo and hair lost is inevitable. So last Sunday, Adrian went with my MIL to Geylang Serai market to buy some scarf for her to cover her head. My aunty has a garment stall in the market and she managed to recommend them to a Malay stall that specialized in all different kind of head scarf. My MIL bought 1 of each variety and finally aunty SK mentioned Xian like one of the design over the others.

So after Anthea left for the wedding this morning, we went to Geylang Serai market to stock up more of the head scarf for Xian. After buying the scarf, we delivered them to aunty SK house.

They were doing major spring cleaning to the house as they wanted to buy an extra bed for the room. There were so many toy stuff and Wen Yi asked Anders if he would like to bring home some. Yes, he did – he chose the Lego and a Robot. Aunty SK also gave me a sandwich maker.

Then we left their home and went to the HUB for lunch. Then it was shopping time at Kiddy Palace – bought some children plates for Anthea and Anders.

After getting all the stuff, we went over to my In Laws house to pick Anthea back home. We had a good afternoon nap and after the nap, they had a fun time playing with the recycle toys.

In the evening, we had a simple dinner at the HUB and then it's back home for Anthea revision lesson for her SA next week.

We had a simple May Day and its special in its own way.. : )

5 Days/ 4 Nights Club MED Bintan, 2 – 6 November 2008

Back from the wonderful “beachy” experienced in Club Med Bintan. We had such a fantastic and memorable time at the resort that Anthea and Anders felt so reluctant to come home.They were so sad on the day of departure, so to make them feel better, I told them we can plan another Bintan trip again when daddy is home with us, next year.

This is a truly FREE & EASY vacation for us, so there is no fixed itinerary like our previous trips. I just noted down our daily activities.

Day 1: Sunday, 02 Nov

Singapore → Bintan (Tanah Merah Ferry Terminal) Dep: 1400 / Arr 1345

We had an early lunch at the TMFT with my 2nd brother in law family. Both Anthea and Anders were excited and waiting eagerly to go on board the Ferry. We checked in our luggage and started our boarding. The Ferry – Indra Bupala departed on time at 2pm and it was about another ride. we arrived at 1.45pm – Bintan local Time. The time difference is -1 hour. There was a Club Med counter at the arrival terminal and we got our room keys and beach towels card from the counter. Then we boarded the bus and the journey from the ferry terminal to Club Med was about 10 minutes.

Upon arrival at the resort, there was a team of GOs (gracious organizers) at the reception area welcoming our arrival. We were given towels and welcome drinks. The Club General Manager was there, personally, to do the welcome speech. Then we were leaded to our rooms by the GO.

In Club Med, the guests are all known as GM (Gracious Members) and the staffs are all GOs. Everywhere you go around the resort, they will be mingling among the guests. All of them wear the GO T-shirts, so it's very easy to spot them. Each day their T-shirts are in difference vibrant colours.

We had 2 rooms and it was connecting room. The rooms are seaview rooms and each room has its own balcony. While waiting for our luggage to be delivered to the rooms, we headed to the Zentika restaurant for our tea-break. It served finger food and light meals. After eating our tea, we went back to our room to have a quick rest before exploring the resort.

At 5pm, we changed and went to the beach. Club Med had its private beach and the beach was very clean. Anthea and Anders had a fun time playing with the small waves.

After an hour of fun by the sea, we went back to change and got ready for the Information Meeting at 6.30pm. It was a very useful meeting and the GO provided us with all the information on the resort. Then we headed to the Waterfall restaurant for our Buffet dinner. The spread was really sumptuous and there was free flow of RED/WHITE wine during dinner.
After a very fulfilling dinner, we headed to the Trapeze area for the show. It was very entertaining. Then after the show, we were guided to go to the poolside where there were games booths. Anthea and Anders had a great time trying the different games. It was so much fun. We went back to our room almost near midnite... : )

Day 2: Monday, 03 November

We woke up to a bright and sunny day and had our breakfast at the restaurant I brought Anthea and Anders to the Mini Kids club and let them joined the activities. I tagged along with them as I know Anders needed time to warm up to strangers.

They had morning games - for Anders group, they played balls and badminton. As for Anthea group, they had kid's archery. Anthea enjoyed the archery session. Anders was a bit in tear when I met up with them at sports centre.

Then they went to the Trapeze area to do the rope walking. It was the 1st time that Anthea and Anders tried these kinds out outdoor sport and I am glad they had fun at it.

The GO brought them back to the Kid club area and they had pool time@ mini club pool. They played water games and also had a chance to do the slide.

After a quick shower, they were brought to the restaurant for lunch. I signed them out after lunch. We met up with my Parents in law for lunch. My parents in law went for the different sport session in the morning. My FIL did the kayaking and my MIL did the aerobic class. They had a good time too... : )

In the afternoon, we had our afternoon nap. In the evening, we went to the beach and did some swimming. My FIL discovered that there were many fishes in an area. So he brought the children there and we feed the fishes with bread. The water was so cleared and we can see the fishes and they were beautiful.

Anthea and Anders had a good time by the beach. Then we went back to our room to change and get ready for a BBQ dinner at La Terrasse restaurant. (For this BBQ dinner, advanced reservation is required.)

The BBQ dinner spread was good – BBQ Squid, Crab, Fish and grilled lamb with herb. We had a good time and of course, a good Rose Wine to go with the dinner.

After dinner, we went to the theatre to watch a dance show performed by the GOs. After the show, the GOs leaded us to do the Crazy Sign dance and it was really fun. Then there was FREE foot massage by the poolside and some other programs for the GMs. Most of the cocktails were FREE from the bar. So we really drank to our heart contend. Anthea and Anders had a good time ordering their juices. Again we went back to our room near to midnite... : P

Day 3: Tuesday, 4 November

In the morning after breakfast, I left Anthea and Anders at the kids club. I went on with my own agenda. I started with the Step class and then continued with the abdominal class.

Then I went to the beach and did the aqua aerobics. After the aerobic, there was game session organized by the GO and I had great time at the games by the beach. The Sun, the Sun and the Sea felt so great and energizing... : )

Then I went to the restaurant to pick up Anthea and Anders as requested by them. We had an eventful morning.

We took our afternoon nap and then went to the beach again in the evening. The children just love the beach. They also took a quick swim in the pool.

Dinner was at the Waterfall restaurant. Although we ate 90% of our meals there, the food changes every time and the International spread choices was very wide.

After dinner, we went to the theatre and there was a children Bingo game in progress. We joined in the fun.

There was an Asian Dance show performed by the GOs and it was really entertaining. After the show, we were leaded to the Bagus Bar for Casino Night. Chips were given to all the GMs and we were told to collect as much chips as possible for the Final Lucky Draw. It was a fun time for the family, we played Black Jack and excitement was in the air. Too bad, we miss the BIG Draw by 1 digit...: P

We had our drinks by the bar before calling it a day.

Day 4: Wednesday, 5 November

Anthea wanted to join the Kids club again, so I left both of them there in the morning after breakfast. I went to try the Golf and it was tough. Then I went to gym and did my gym routine.

Then I headed to the poolside where my Mil was doing her aqua aerobic session. I picked the children after their lunch and met up with my PILs for lunch.

We had our usual nap after lunch. In the evening, we went to the pond side to feed fish. There was a Komodo dragon and the children had a good chance to see the real thing, other than from the books. There were also monkeys and squirrels in the woods.

After feeding the fishes and Komodo dragon, we went to the beachside for waves playing again.

We had our dinner and then watch the Trapeze show. The night continued with the GO's doing Sport Theme at the Bagus bar. There were different sports at a corner. My FIL tried the table tennis challenge. Anthea and Anders tried a table game that needs them to throw the token into individual slot. Not sure of the name. .. : )

When I told the children it was time to go back to rest, both of them were so reluctant to go back to the room and wanted to play more.

The main reason was 2 of their favorite “GO teachers” were there – Peter and Hiro. Peter is very good with children and he can do “magic” to entertain them, so the children likes him a lot. Hiro is also a very nice teacher and she is also very hands on with children. I would say that all the GOs in the Mini Club are very professional. That's why parents are confident to leave their children at the club.

Day 5: Thursday, 06 November

Bintan → Singapore Dep: 1435 / Arr 1630

This was the last day of our vacation. We had breakfast and then did our check out at 11am. Anthea and Anders wanted to say good-byes to their “teachers”, so we went to the kids club to say Bye-bye to Peter and the rest. I know both of them will miss the fun “teachers” and also the great activities that they had enjoyed.

Then we went to the Bar for drinks before having our lunch.

After lunch, we went to the reception area for our departure bus to the Ferry Terminal. The teams of GOs were there and they were clapping and waving Bye Byes to the GMs who were leaving. The ambiance was great and the feeling was sad.

This had been a wonderful vacation for the family and I know that one day, we will be back.

I felt renewed and recharged and I look forward to another vacation experience in Club Med again.

Thank you for the GReAT Fun time, CLUB MED GOs. You GUYS are fantastic!!!

Leavings / Club MED...

31 October 2008 will be a special day for me to remember – it is the last day for me at Philips. Luckily for me, few of my department colleagues were either travelling or on leaves, so I was not too emotional at the Leaving hours. I left the office at 5.30pm to go to the PPS to do my exit clearance. Then it was all the way out and no more looking back... : )

I received a very meaningful gift from a colleague from another department. A small notebook with these words:

For I know the plans I have for you”, declares the Lord.
“Plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to gives you hope and a future.” Jer 29:11)(NIV)

I am a free thinker and I really appreciate these words of encouragement.
Thank you very much, Jee.

Yesterday was also the day that my parents left for the 45 days 探亲trip to Hainan Island. I will miss my 老爸 home cooked meals and my 老妈 weekdays house cleaning. My mom even asked me if I needed to engage a Part Time cleaner to clean the house. I told her I am the one for the job...haha.

Last evening, we had the chance to do a video conference with Adrian. He is very well, judging from the video and the food they were cooking for lunch – Bak ku teh.
He will be joining a Full day tour to the borders of Lebanese today. I am really happy for him as the 2nd trip seems to have trained him better for the cooking part, especially.

Today is the End of term 交流会for Anthea's 天下lesson. There were simple performances put up by the Nursery/K1/K2 children.

We met up with my PILs for dinner after her class. Then we went home for me to complete my packing for our 5 Days 4 night Club Med Bintan trip.

I am looking forward to a relaxing break and hope the children will have great fun too.

We are off to Club Med Bintan ...till we update again - Selamat tinggal !!

Club Med Inaugural Getaways

I will be leaving my current job on 31 October and planning to take a week break before starting my new appointment.

I am planning to take a short getaway with Anthea and Anders on the 1st week of November. Adrian will be leaving for his 2nd work trip on 19 October.

I did some research on Club Med as I have heard very positive feedbacks on the resorts. Also we had not been to any Club Med resorts so I thought “why not give it a try.”

One of my colleagues has a personal friend who works in Club Med and she managed to “Connect” us.

When I did the initial enquiry about Club Med Cherating / Bintan. I was recommended by Elaine, the consultant, to go Bintan since I am alone with 2 children. I was happy with her proposal and she gave me the offer package:

This package price show price per person and includes the following:

Return ferry tickets
Accommodation
Sumptuous buffet Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner with free flow of red and white wine, beer and beverages during Lunch and Dinner
Bar and Snacking Inclusive **
All sport activities with expert tuition
Kids Club (4 - 11 years)
Travel Insurance - Membership is effective for one year, commencing on the date of payment of deposit. Membership renewal is valid for one year from the date of payment.
Nightly entertainment

The best deal is there is a 50% discount on 2nd person (adult/child). I shared with my families regarding the Special promotion and my Parents in law are confirmed joining us for the getaway.
This will also be our last window of opportunity to go vacationing on our own Free & easy schedule, starting 2009 we will need to follow SCHOOL HOLIDAYS Clubbers...haha.

We are booked and confirmed for our Inaugural Club Med vacation from 2 – 6 November. I told Anthea and Anders about the getaway and they were excited about taking Ferry.

I had been to Bintan many times but this is my (ours) 1st time staying in a Club Med resort. Honestly looking at the kid's club program and the resort facilities, I am quite excited about the trip.

Looking forward to the Sun, Sand and Sea.

4Days / 3 Nights Phuket Family Special

We are back from the Phuket – “Pearl of the Southern Thailand”. It was a very interesting and eye-opening experienced for our family.

We would like to share our experienced with all of our friends and families.

Day 1: Wednesday, 25 June

Singapore → Phuket (MI 754) Dep: 1320 / Arr 1410 hr

Upon arrival at Phuket airport, we were transferred to our hotel – Laguna Beach resort.
Welcome drinks was served while the hotel reception assisted us with the checked in. We had 2 rooms and we were upgraded to Sea view deluxe room. The rooms were very spacious. There are 2 queen sized beds in the room, with an additional sitting/dining area inside the room. Also each room comes with a balcony.

It started raining upon our check in, so we decided to have a quick rest before dinner. As recommended by Louis & Eve, we went to the Watermark restaurant for dinner. We had a very good meal of Tom Yum goong, keeyo wan; Pan roasted golden chicken breast on creamy parmesan risotto, Chinese aromatic duck kway teow. The children had the children set and ice-cream was included. The dinner was delicious and we had a great time watching the huge yacht that was at the dock. The restaurant provides free shuttle transfers to the hotel.

Day 2: Thursday, 26 June

PHUKET Safari (including ½ hour Elephant ride)

After a good hotel buffet breakfast, we met up with the local tour representative for our Safari tour. We were brought to the Siam Safari meet up point. Together with few other tourists, we boarded a special jungle car for our ride up the jungle.

Both Anthea and Anders were very excited as this was their time to a real Jungle. The ride up the jungle was quite a thrill and the children kept making noise (like they were on a roller coaster). Luckily the few tourists on our car were quite accommodative and after a quick chat, we realised that they were from SG too...haha. They are a family of 10 pax and the woman we chat with mentioned that they are US citizens and her husband is working in SG. She was a very nice lady and even volunteered to help us take family photo.

The Safari tour was very interesting and it included:

- How coconuts are processed to make coconut milk and oil
- How Thai Curry was made
- How rubber trees are tapped to produce natural rubber latex
- How monkeys are trained to pick coconut and learn about buffalos
- How young baby elephants are trained. Anthea and Anders had the chance to feed the elephants with fruits that we bought at 50 Baht.

-Trek on Elephant back in Chalong Highland. Anthea and Anders thoroughly enjoyed the elephant ride and I know the memory of this ride with stay with them for a long, long time. As the elephants were trekking in Chalong Highland, at some point along the trek, we were able to get a good view of Phi Phi Island.

After the Safari tour, we were transferred to a jetty for our cruise on a traditional wooden junk in Chalong Bay. A sumptuous buffet lunch was served on board the cruise. The cruise was very relaxing and the children had a great time riding with the Captain of the junk.. : P

We were transferred back to our hotel after an active, educational and rewarding adventure.

In the evening, we decided to go to Phuket town for dinner and also to see the place. After checking a few options, we finally decided on taking the Local Taxi. There was a “taxi stand” in front of the hotel but the drivers had never once crossed the “borders” and touts. I believed there must have been a mutual agreement. We agreed on the price of 1500 baht for a return trip for our party of 4 adults and 2 children.

The trip to town was about 30 minutes from the hotel and the taxi driver dropped us at the Robinson shopping centre and we would meet him at the same venue for return. We walked around the area and decided to eat Pizza, as requested by Anthea. Luckily, my parents were fine with Pizzas and Pasta.

After dinner, we took a walk around the area and we saw many roadside stalls selling Thai local dishes. I was telling my parents that all these stalls reminded me of my childhood days when SG was still very “kampong” and we ate from all these stalls.

We ended at Robinson shopping centre and there was a counter selling all the local products. I took the opportunity to buy some to bring back SG for the family.

We met up with the taxi driver at the time arranged and headed back to the hotel. Upon arrival at the hotel, the driver was very kind to tell me that for his car, we will only need to pay 1200 Baht. We had a good night rest after a fun filled day.

Day 3: Friday, 27 June

Phuket City Tour & Phuket Fantasea Theme Park

After breakfast, the local tour guide met us at the hotel lobby. Together with us, there were 4 British tourists on the city tour. The tour provided us with the opportunity to be familiarize with the holiday island and take in the island natural beauty as we drove along the beach roads through Patong, Karon, Kata and Rawai beaches. When we drove passed Patong, I was quite impressed and told Adrian that if we ever visit Phuket again, we should stay in one of the hotels there. We had a photo stop at Karon viewpoint and the views were magnificent.

We had another stop on top of the mountain where people worshipped the God. There were a lot of elephants sculpture and according to the guide, people who had their wishes fulfilled will return to thank the God with the small sculpture.

After this, we visited the Buddhist Temple – Wat Chalong. Tourists of different nationalities were offering their prayers at the temple. I also prayed for good health for the families.

Our next stop was the Cashew nuts factory. It was a real treat for the children as both of them get to sample different kind of cashew nuts and local products. At the same time, we were shown how a cashew nut is hand pick out by the local. No wonder this nut is so expensive. We bought some goodies from the factory outlet.

Then we were brought to a GEM Factory. Honestly I would think not many tourists will buy gems during these kinds of exotic vacations. Nonetheless, we were provided with free drinks… : P

The tour ended with this as the last stop and we were transferred back to our hotel. It was bright & sunny when we reached the hotel, so I brought Anthea and Anders to the swimming pool. Adrian brought my parents for a Tom Yam lunch at the restaurant by the beach.

The pool was lovely and it even had a slide. Anthea tried it and she loves it. We played for a while and went back to change and rest before our next event. The children had cup noodles in the hotel room and they simply enjoyed the meal. (Ps: I packed along some cup noodles and they came in handy..hee.)

We were picked up at 6pm to Phuket Fantasea theme park. Upon arrival at the park, we went to collect our tickets and entered the park. We went for our buffet dinner and it was really a grand feast. The foods served were international and included some Thai dishes. Coffee & tea were also served at the dinner buffet. I ordered a glass of Red Wine for my dad. After a full meal, we walked around the theme park, there were many carnival stalls and tourists were enjoying the games. We had the chance to take a photo with a Baby Tiger @ 400 baht.

The show started at 9 pm. Phuket Fantasea not only showcases the charm and beauty of Thailand, but also enriches ancient Thai Traditions with the wonder of cutting edge technology. The 1 ½ hour show was truly mesmerizing and I am glad we had the chance to watch it.

Day 4: Saturday, 28 June

Phuket → Singapore (MI 753) Dep: 1455 / Arr 1740 hr

In the morning at breakfast, Anthea and Anders had the chance to see the “residence” Elephants and they even managed to feed the elephants. As the weather was very good, we decided to take a swim by the pool and Anthea had fun at the water park slide. Then we went back to our room to change and get ready for our departure pick up at 12.15pm.

The flight back to SG was also very smooth and Anthea helped herself with the juices that were served by the stewardess.

When we reached SG, our usual welcome gang was there to receive us. My eldest brother came to pick my parents for dinner.

Overall, it had been a very enjoyable and memorable trip for the Aces family and I do hope that my parents enjoyed it as much as we did. True to the advertisement promotion – it was indeed a HOLIDAY Planned for the KIDS (Big & small..haha)

The 3 top most things that we did during this trip:

1. See the most Elephants. (everywhere we go, elephants are all over the place, you can feed them and ride on them at your own expense)

2. Tip the most (as recommended on our travel brochure – it is a custom in Thailand to tip for good services and it helps the local eke out their somewhat meager income.)

3. Going on the same road the most (it seem like there is only one road to and back the hotel and so we travelled this road the most)

Off to..Land of Thousand Smiles

We are all set & ready for our family trip to Phuket.

Flights checkin and boarding passes had been printed..haha. : )

Our tour dates are from 25 to 28 June 2008. I am really looking forward to a good relaxing trip. Hopefully can get a TRUE Traditional Thai Massage at the hotel.

Will be in silence mode for the next few days and will catch up with all the blogs reading when i am back on Sunday, till then, lao jer gun !!

Side Track a little :
Today, i heard a piece of Bad News from my Blog Twins - LZmommy . Z hurt his elbow and was due for an operation and i think by now, he should be out of the ops room.

I wish Z a speedy recovery and may LZmommy remains as strong as ever to go through this ordeal. Take Care!!

Gold Coast - Ultimate Theme Parks Trio

We are back from our Ultimate Gold Coast Paradise experience. It has been a very enjoyable and wonderful family holiday. Many 1st times experience for our family and also we learn a lot more for our travel pattern.

Now it’s time to do our Aces family ATR (after tour review) and hope that it will be a good sharing experience with our family & friends.

Day 1: Good Friday, 21 March - Singapore → Brisbane (QF 52) Dep: 2105 / Arr :0655 hr

This is my 1st time travelling on Qantas flight and I must say – the service was very good. The air stewards were very friendly and served with sincerity. The service crew was made up of about 90% male and 10% female. It was a 6 hours flight. There was a menu cum journey planner given to all passengers. It indicated the schedule for the 6 hours flight and also the supper and continental breakfast menu was provided. Both Anthea and Anders had child meal requested for the flight.

The children enjoyed the In-flight entertainment which had all their favorite movies – Enchanted, Mr. Bean, Disney Playhouse and games as well. Luckily they managed to catch a few hours of sleep on the plane.

Day 2: Saturday, 22 March - G’day Brisbane → Sea World

Upon arrival at Brisbane International Airport, we proceeded to the Coachtrans counter for our seat-in coach transfer to our hotel, Courtyard Marriott. It was about 10 am when we reached the hotel and the room was not ready. So we decided to do our SeaWorld tour. As we had the 5 days Super Pass, we had unlimited door to door coach transfers to the Theme Parks and unlimited use of the local Gold Coast bus network. We got directions from the hotel concierge and we were on the bus to Sea World.

In Sea World, we managed to watch the Fish Detective Sea Lion Show. Anthea and Anders also saw Dolphins swimming in the Dolphin Nursery. Then we went to the All New Sesame Street beach for all the children rides.Both of them enjoyed the different rides. Then we took the cable car to the Aquarium and see the Dugong. We had 3 hours of fun at the park and then returned to the hotel for our check in.

Courtyard Marriott is centrally located along Surfers Paradise and there is a main shopping mall by the hotel. Hard Rock café is also located by the hotel.

The room that we had was very spacious and we had 2 queen sized beds in the room. Every room had a private balcony. Noticed that all hotels and service apartments in Gold Coast come with a Balcony, I reckon people simply love the sun and the sea.

After checking in, the children had a short nap before we headed to a Chinese restaurant for dinner.

After dinner, we took a walk along the street and I am quite surprised and pleased that shops in Surfers Paradise do not closed at 5pm, like those in Perth & Melbourne. Matter of fact, there are so many 24 hours conveniences stores and also late night pubs.

On the way back, we even had Baskin Robbins ice cream and the children simple love the kid’s cone. Then we went back to the hotel to rest for the night.

Day 3: Sunday, 23 March - Gold Coast → Paradise Country Farm

We had booked a morning tour to the Paradise country farm. After a sumptuous hotel buffet breakfast, we were picked up by the coach to the Paradise Country farm. At the farm, Anthea and Anders had the chance to see Koalas and hand fed the Kangaroos. They even had chance to feed milk to the baby sheep’s via the milk bottles. It was a lot of fun for them. Then we saw farm shows – Billy tea making, stock horse, and sheep shearing and finally boomerang throwing display. Lunch was included and we had BBQ steak and chicken. It was indeed a “Paradise Experience” for the family.

After the 3 hours tour of the farm, we returned to the hotel. The children had their power nap before heading to the swimming pool for a quick water play. The sun in Australia is very scorching and sun block is a must.

Dinner was Japanese noodles at a noodle outlet very near to the hotel. Then we bought some supper back to the room to enjoy life. We had pizzas and chicken burgers. There is a pizza outlet that sells pizza by slice and each coast AUD$2.80. Consider quite a good deal and there were many selections. There are many fastfood outlet around the hotel, so getting food is not a problem.

Day 4: Monday, 24 March - Gold Coast → Movie World

After a good hotel breakfast, we went to a designated bus stop to wait for our coach to Movie World. This is a day of Action packed fun. We started with Batman Adventure – the Ride 2. Anthea and Anders had so much fun with the simulated ride and were all geared up for more. Then we watched Shrek 4D Adventure show. It was a real thrilled for the children to watch 4D shows. Then we went around the Kids Fun zone and they both had fun going on the different rides.

We had lunch in the park and for a kid’s meal that we ordered, we had a Batman mask.
After lunch, we watched the Street Parade and the children were so happy to see all the familiar characters up close and personal – Batman, Wonder Woman, Sylvester & Tweety, Bugs Bunny and many more. What a Treat for the eyes!!

After the parade, we carried on with a few more adventure rides before we ended our day and returned to our hotel. They went for a quick swim before we had dinner in the room. The children slept early after a full day of fun.


Day 5: Tuesday, 25 March - Gold Coast → Dream World

This is supposed to be our Free & Easy day, so we decided to go ahead with a tour to the Dream World.

Upon arrival at the Dream World, we took a ride on the train to the Australian Wildlife Experience. Anthea and Anders had chance to see Kangaroos and Koalas at this place. Then we headed to the Tiger Island and saw some white tigers. We had lunch at the theme park. After that, the children had some fun on the rides.

We ended our tour around 3pm and returned to the hotel. Children went to the pool again before dinner. I managed to squeeze in some shopping time for my MIL’s shopping list. I bought back some chocolates for my colleagues and Adrian bought some for his collagues.

Day 6: Wednesday, 26 March - Gold Coast →Brisbane → Singapore (QF 51) Dep: 1345 / Arr 1930

Our coach picked us to Brisbane International Airport for our Qantas flight. We had a very good flight home. Upon arrival, Anthea and Anders were happy to see yeye & nainai waiting for them at the arrival hall.

It was Home Sweet Home.

It had been a fun 6 days for the family and there are things that we learnt from this holiday. I was quite glad that we did not follow guided tour as original planned. I think F&E still suits us better.

Gold Coast is indeed a Surfers Paradise and definitely a good option for family with children to visit. Mainly because of it theme parks. Otherwise, it’s also a good place for people who love the Sun, Sand and Sea.

I do hope that we will be able to visit Australia again and perhaps does a farm stay on our next holiday...hee : p

We are OFF.

Quite thankfully Anders fever had subsided and his temperature is back to normal. I am keep my hopes high that he will be well to enjoy Gold Coast.

We are now all packed and in about an hour time we will be making our way to the airport for our Qantas flight to Brisbane. This is our 1st time taking a "Red-eye" flight and i do hope that the children will be able to sleep on the plane..hee. Being a mommy, it's natural that we worry of this and that...hee : P

Last night, Adrian even went over to my BIL place to pick up a Travel Medical kit, it has everything inside and along side, i packed along paracetemol and Ibufen (i hope that i do not need to use them...)

Thanks Louis & Eve for your thoughtfulness !! & Aces Family wishes:

"Happy 1st Birthday to Faith on 23 March 2008. May our little niece has a wonderful day with her LOVE Ones. "

Okie dokie...Aces Family will be signing off from now till next week. As the famous quote "I (WE) will be BACK!! "

Cheerios !!

Easter Holiday In Down Under

On Friday morning, I had an appointment to consult an orthopedic for my hip issues. I was referred by my company clinic to go to Changi General Hospital and I am happy to be able to have an early appointment for the review.

The orthopedic review my X-rays and asked me a few questions concerning my exercise routine. It was confirmed that I had a muscle strained and I was advised to stop my yoga sessions. Most importantly, he gave me the “GREEN LIGHT” to go ahead with my holiday plan….yippy.

We had planned to go for a family vacation to Gold Coast, Australia. Our travel dates are set for 21 – 26 March 2008. The main reasons for going for a holiday during this time is because comes 2009 onwards, we will need to follow school holidays for our family vacation as Anthea starts primary school next year…: P


On Saturday morning, we went to the travel agent – Jetabout Holidays to collect our tour tickets & vouchers. We had booked our F&E package through this agent. Originally, I had planned to go on a packaged tour but it seem like most of the agents do not have a confirmed groups departure on 21 March 2008. So we had to make do with the 2nd best alternative.

We booked the Gold Coast plus Warner Village Ultimate Theme Park Trio from the agent.

I guess going on an F&E tour would be better for Anthea & Anders, so they can spend all the time in the Theme Parks, which is our main target. As for farm stay, we will try to do it in our next family vacation. (I got good tips from my Blogger Twins – LZ mommy of the theme parks, I know Anthea and Anders will enjoyed the parks.)

After collecting our travel details from the agent, we had lunch at Crystal Jade Kitchen in Takashimaya. Then we headed to Tangs to shop for present and shoes for the children. Anders was totally engrossed with the Transformers toys while I shopped for both their shoes.

We had a fun time shopping and after getting what we wanted, we went home to rest. In the evening, Adrian brought the children for dinner with the extended families while I rested at home. I had simple meal of porridge with some home cooked chickens that my mom brought over.

While I was having my dinner, my mobile rang and Anthea was on the line – she was crying and I thought what had happened to her. Then she said: “I missed you, mommy…” Think my little girl is really starting to mature. I told her not to cry and I am fine at home.

On Sunday morning, I received a sms from my brother that my dad had made Bird Nest soup and asked us to go back and drink it. So in the afternoon, while the children were napping, I went back to my parents place to pick up the soup. My brother told me that he had booked a Vietnam package tour for my parents and himself. The departure date is on 21 March as well.

Wow….this Good Friday; we are all busy doing something or going somewhere.

In the evening, we had dinner at Vittles and I had an enjoyable meal with the families.

Looking forward to a good family holiday & "Howdy Mates!!"

Holiday Special - Superstar Virgo

We are back from a very wonderful 1st time cruise experience. Both Anthea and Anders Love the cruise and said they want to go for another cruise again.

Our Free & Easy cruise trip became a FUN PACKED schedule. Well, all because, Star Cruise had planned out so many events for the family.

23 Nov – Day 1:

5 pm: Check in at Harbour Front Cruise centre with my parent in laws. We booked a maxi cab since there were 6 of us.

Upon boarding, the children were excited to see such a big Ship and they were sleeping onboard.

Went to our cabin and it had whatever a normal hotel room had plus a Balcony. (This is my 1st time in a cabin so all these while, I had imagined otherwise. The children were happy with the cabin and they started playing their toys in the cabin.

6 pm – 8 pm: Met with my in-laws for dinner at the Pavilion – Chinese set dinner. Food was good.

9 pm – 9.15 pm: Meet and Greet with Mr. Bean.

9.15 pm – 9.45 pm: Family Funtime Welcome party

9.30 pm - 10.45 pm: Showtime : The Musicians of Bremen. It was a Live Musical and we were all impressed by the cast.

11.30 pm – Supper on board. The spread consisted of congee, fried noodles, pizzas, prata and desserts. After supper, we headed back to our cabin and the children slept almost near 1 am. (Record time)

24 Nov – Day 2:

Woke up a bit late, almost 9.30am and then realized that Breakfast serving ends at 10 am.
We quickly washed up and headed to Bella Vista for our continental set breakfast.

Both Anthea and Anders had their usual half boiled eggs with serving of sausages, baked beans and bread. There are side tables which had cornflakes, salads, fruits and bread. So we had quite a filling breakfast.

11.30 – 12 noon: Mr. Bean show. Anthea had the chance to take photo with Mr. Bean, Mrs. Wicket & Erma, Mr. Bean’s girlfriend.

12.30 pm – 1.30 pm: Fun at the Wet & Wild pool.

2 pm – 3pm: Tea break at the Taverna. We had club sandwiches, pizzas and burgers. As we had credits, thus we can use it on dinning.

3.30 pm – 5.30 pm: power nap

While the children and Adrian had their power nap, I went to the gym and did some workouts. After so much of food, I need a jog badly…hee : P

7 pm – 8.30 pm : Dinner at Bella Vista ( Had Western set meals – Prawn cocktail, soup, Snapper Fillet and crepe with Ice-cream)

9 pm – 10.30 pm: Watched movie at the picture house “Jump In”. Anthea requested that she wanted to watch the movie.

Then after the movie, we went back to our cabin to change and the children had their milk. Then Anthea went to my In-laws cabin to room in with them. The reason is on the 1st night when she slept with Adrian, he could hardly sleep as she tends to move around quite a fair bit.

So my in-laws were very nice to offer to let Anthea sleep with them. So Adrian can have a good night of rest. After we brought Anthea to my In Laws cabin, 3 of us went to the lounge for congee buffet as Adrian need to take some food before his medication. I bought some fed tablets from the Duty Free shop.

25 Nov – Day 3:

8 am – 9.30 am: Breakfast at Bella Vista

10 am – 11 am: Prepare for disembarkation

11.30 am: Home sweet home

It was another fruitful and eventful trip / cruise for the Aces family. We had loads of fun and most important, we spend quality time as a family. And for the children, having their ye ye and nai nai with them were additional bonus.

NOTE: one of my colleague is quite a regular at Star cruise. When she knew that i got my cabin card, she told me to go & buy 4D. She said so far Cruise numbers are quite LUCKY. So upon hearing her GOLDEN ADVICE, we bought the cabin number & we hit the "Starters Prize"..hmm, no bad for a 1st time cruisers.