Starting Work On The Last Day Of The Year

I don't believe how fast time flies. Blink, blink, blink. One year has passed and tomorrow comes 2010. Sigh.

Today was our first staff meeting to start off the new academic year. My 11th year. This time, I am embarrassed to say that I'm not enthusiastic, to say the least. My morale is at an all time low.

I glanced around the meeting room, envious of the fresh young faces around me. There were teachers who were newly posted to my school - so hopeful to start afresh in a new environment. There were fresh graduates, just about to begin their teaching careers - so energetic and enthusiastic to start. There was an experienced teacher who just got promoted to be Head of the Department. "I'm already thinking about my lessons Monday," she enthused. And there was me - tired, bored, and just going through the motions.

To my horror, registration for the students was YESTERDAY! And I did not even go to school for it. I expected to be called into the Principal's office. I expected to be grilled about missing a day at work. However, none of that happened. For I had not a single good reason to defend myself. I simply forgot about it. I was out shopping, for goodness' sake! Parkson Members' Day! 5 times Bonuslink points! Buy RM150, get RM20 vouchers!

Maybe we had not OFFICIALLY begun the school session, and that was why I got away. Or perhaps the Principal thought I was doing some work for the Exams Board. He knew I was involved in the exams. Whatever it was, he should know that I did not play truant on purpose.

The first piece of work that I attended to was to complete a Form 6 data sheet which was requested by the State Education Department. I had to pore the master timetable to compile information, and as I scanned through the timetable, I had difficulty recalling names of colleagues. Really, filling in the form took me at least 2 hours. Sigh. I thought I was efficient.

The great part of school today was catching up - with the teachers, the support staff, the students, the parents. I really miss a former colleague, R**** who got transferred to Limbang. She was a good friend, and she was really fun to hang out with. I also miss my former fifth formers, in particular the best girl R****, who was quite a character.

Every year, I get to teach the best form five class. For 2 years in a row, the best form five classes were really enjoyable to teach. This year, however, I have my reservations. Other teachers have told me stories - attitude problems, segregation problems. So, I am prejudiced even before I step into the classroom.

A good news however, was that 2 sixth formers would be going off to continue their education elsewhere. Hallelujah! They'd both given me lots of heartache last year. And I really thank God that they would be leaving for good. Bye, kids! Go make nuisance elsewhere.

Well, I guess I cannot really concentrate on school as yet, for I have not wound up my work with the exams. They say that women are good at multi-tasking. For me, I prefer to do one thing at one time.

Fancy starting school work on the last day of the year. Anyway, happy new year 2010, people!

A Prisoner But Not Guilty

Enclosed
Four walls surround me
I'm trapped
There is no escape
For there is nowhere to go

I want to go somewhere
But I got to wait
For it is not my time yet

From within here
I hear the racket
I hear people talking on top of their voices
I hear the cheery laughter
Like a group
Of carefree children
Or rather
A group of insensible adults

Why are they here?
Again?
Haven't they been here often enough?
What for?
Nothing better to do?
Or
Is their sole objective to drive me insane?

To save my sanity
I try to block out the disturbing noises
But to no avail

From within here
My mind takes me to places
I want to go
To do things I want to do
To be with the people I want to be with

But when I open the door
Reality sets in

The intruders
Have reduced me to
Nothing
But a prisoner in my own home

Xmas Dinner Party

A group of friends gathered together to celebrate Xmas Nite. Food was abundant, wine and our favourite coffee liquor, Bailey's overflowing.

Most of my friends took the time and trouble to cook. So, eating home-cooked on Xmas evening indeed exuded warmth, especially for me, who is away from my loved ones.

HK and CH roasted the chicken themselves. It was well-marinated, and really juicy and tender. Yum.

Freshly roasted chicken

C*** cooked curry, which a lot of people liked. She used her secret blend of spices, and she did not use coconut milk. Instead, she substituted it with ideal milk and yoghurt.

Delicious chicken curry

Another chicken dish was prepared by L***. A*****, her husband, jokingly said was hangi. Lol. Well, anyway, the chicken and the root vegetables were baked in a slow fire. Really yum - the chicken was sweet and succulent, the vegetables soft and flavoured by the chicken juices.

Baked chicken

Uncle 3G baked this fish. Sweet and really awesome if eaten with a chilli padi and soy sauce dip.

Baked fish

LU cooked fried rice. It was flavourful and yum.

Fried rice

J***** cooked this sambal beehoon. Spicy and piquant. Yum.

Sambal beehoon

She also cooked mixed vegetables. Colourful and healthy.

Mixed vegetables

And blanched mustard leaves in sauce, which I really liked. It's my vege of the moment! Lol.

Blanched choy sum in sauce

A***** made fruit salad. Light and refreshing.

Fruit salad

So, other people cooked so much delicious food. What did I cook? Lol. I did think about what to cook. Unfortunately, I did not have the inclination nor the facility to cook. My kitchen was being invaded by Miss B**** and friends. Yet, I could not go empty-handed. And so, out I went to the nearest hypermarket and bought some ice-cream for dessert.

There were agar-agar and fruits too.

Colourful agar-agar

After dinner we were entertained by live music! The uncles took us down memory lane with popular renditions from the 70's, 80's and 90's. Lol. After their vocal chords warmed up, the props came out - namely the cowboy hats. See the hat on the floor? That's to collect coins from the audience. Lol.

The entertainers

Well, thanks to D****** and J***** for hosting the dinner. Thanks for opening your home to all of us. I had a great time catching up with everybody! And of course, the food was superb!

Merry Xmas once again, everybody!

Merry Xmas 2009

A very merry xmas to all my readers.
Rejoice that Christ was born today
To save mankind from their sins.

The Brink Of Insanity

Your obsessed mind
Hooks upon a notion
Fervently
And will not let go
Stubbornly
Cruelly
It terrorises you
But you do not even realise
How it has consumed you
Filled your every conscious thought
Haunted your every waking hour
Even in sleep
It creeps into your dreams
Stealthily
And paints beautiful fantasies
Tempts you
Goads you
And thereafter leave you
Fitful
Bereft
Lost
And waking up
Even more driven
But trapped in a reality
That you cannot break free
It wrecks you
And it alarms you
That no one can help you
As long as
Your mind refuses to loosen its grip
And the notion lives in you
You risk being tossed helplessly into the abyss
Where there is no turning back

The brink of insanity
That must have been what it feels like

Hot Cross Buns : Korea QQ Bun

Over here in this part of the world, we are always late to catch on the fad. But, on a more positive note, it's better late than never.

I never thought I would find mochi bread in Miri. But this morning, I bought one from Hot Cross Buns @ Pelita Commercial Centre here.

For myself, I only tried the mochi bread recently in Singapore, even though it has been in existence since early 2008. It was recommended by Aunt A******, when we walked past a Sun Moulin Bakery at Orchard Road. She insisted that we gave the bun a try, saying that it was one of her favourites.

I'm not particularly fond of mochi, but upon trying the sesame mochi bread, I had liked it too. It was soft and chewy, the black sesame seeds added to the bite, and best of all it tasted all savoury and nutty at the same time. Yum. I regretted that I did not give the cheese mochi bread a try.

A few days later, Aunt bought some more mochi bread for breakfast. They were from Four Leaves this time. I was not very impressed with the sesame variety, as I thought it lacked that delightful savoury taste that the one at Sun Moulin had. The cheese mochi bread, on the other hand, was alright.

I had this mochi bread for breakfast in Singapore

It seemed to me that mochi bread was mochi wrapped in bread dough. But in fact, it is made of a pre-mixed mochi bread flour. It is supposed to be pretty easy to make, once you get your hands on the mochi bread mix. I don't know whether the bread mix is sold here in Miri, though. Avid bakers can check at the few baking ingredients shop we have here in Miri.

Hot Cross Buns aptly named their mochi bread Korea QQ Bun. It can be found, individually packed, at the shelves near the cashier. The bakery's version is not savoury at all. It is slightly on the sweet side. They got the texture right, though - chewy and nutty.

Hot Cross Buns' Korea QQ Bun

Cross section of Hot Cross Buns' Korea QQ Bun

I would have loved it if the mochi bread was more salty and savoury. I hope they will bake the cheese mochi bread soon, too. Hot Cross Buns' Korea QQ Bun sells for RM1.50 each.

This Christmas And Transition to 2010

I just sent one of my closest friends, S**** to the airport.

To her, Christmas is a big deal. It is a time when she and her family come together in joy and celebration.

S**** has gone back to Kuching to prepare for the occasion, and she will not be coming back to Miri till January 2010.

S**** and her family plan to have an open house this year, and that requires a lot of preparation.

Normally, S**** is very careful on her expenditure, but for the past 2 weeks, she went out on shopping binges.

I guess I was taken aback because for the last two Christmases, she had not been so enthusiastic.

There were plenty to buy. She had to buy cooking and baking ingredients and tidbits to bring home. Not only that, she bought new clothes for everyone at home. For herself, she bought a set of new clothes, new t-shirts, new shoes and even new ... ahem ... undergarments!

I do not celebrate Christmas at home. And so I will be so stuck in Miri till middle of February 2010. And so, I really dread this Christmas, as most of my friends will be away. Some are off to Kuching, and some to Sibu, and God knows where else.

Actually, I have been quite down since I came back to Miri from my brief holiday. Last week, I had this incurable ache in my heart. I felt empty, and I did not know if I could endure another year in Miri. I really feel like I'm wasting my youth away here. And so I really have the urge to do something drastic.

The irony is that people commented that I looked cheerful and refreshed. If only they can see right through me, where my heart is, to see that it is twisted in pain.

This week has not been any better. I hope that I will be up and going again next week.

My Being

I am too introspective for my own good.

Shattered

I build a beautiful castle in the air
So glorious and majestic
It glistens in the soft sunlight
Yet that castle
Is so fragile
That in the blink of an eye
It dives
From high up in the clouds
And shatter
As it touches the earth
Breaking my brittle heart
Into a million pieces

I scramble to my feet
Stoop low and
search frantically
Desperate to salvage the pieces

Then carefully
I put them back together
Like parts to a missing puzzle

Whole
Yet not the same
For it is wounded and scarred

I am so tired
When can this end?

iPhone Application : Kuala Lumpur Train Guide

Being a software engineer, bro has developed a few websites as a hobby.

Earlier this year, he showed me a website that he developed, about the KL train network. It integrates the LRT, monorail, and KTM commuter. The website can show you alternative routes and tabulate the cost to travel from one point to another.

Later in the year, bro decided to turn his website into an application for the iPhone. After working on it for quite some time (with siltb helping out), it was put up officially for sale via iTunes yesterday. Congrats, bro!

I guess it would be pretty cool to have the train route in your phone. Especially if you are a savvy tourist. Just tap away to find out how to get from one point to another. In fact, similar applications for many major cities other than Kuala Lumpur were already available on sale on iTunes. I suppose it proved useful. Otherwise, who would want to develop such applications?

The application only sells for US$0.99. I teased him mercilessly about it, as US$0.99 was hardly worth killing his brain cells for. Lol. Anyway, click here to read more about the product.

The Asian Kitchen

It was lunch time at Vivo City, and Aunt B** was terrified of the lunch crowd at the food court. Thankfully, Aunt A****** had in mind for us to have our lunch at The Asian Kitchen. No need to fight for vacant tables. Lol.

Aunt A****** had eaten at this outlet at Vivo City once, and she liked the food there. That was why she recommended this restaurant to us.

Not wanting to overeat, we ordered a side dish of tofu, a plate of vegetables, a plate of fried rice and a bowl of noodles to share.

Aunt A****** recommended Village Tofu. It was SGD4.90 per serving, with 4 pieces of tofu per serving.

I thought the tofu was quite special. It was soft, and yet the shape yielded. It had this smooth, melt-in-your-mouth texture and a milky taste. The tofu were topped with a sweet chilli sauce, julienned cucumbers, and chopped peanuts.

Village Tofu

Look at fine texture of the tofu

We ordered Stir-fried Kailan with Oriental Mushrooms. I did not like Kailan, but I did not mind this dish. The blanched vegetables were crispy, the mushrooms were tender and well-braised in brown gravy. They complemented each other well.

Stir Fried Kailan With Oriental Mushrooms

We ordered Fried Rice with Prawns. The rice was quite fragrant, the grains of rice were loose and not clump together. It was not too oily too. Fried Rice with Prawns is SGD7.90 per serving.

Fried Rice With Prawns

But for me, the best dish of the day was the Suan La Mian. It is a Sichuan style La Mian, cooked with the restaurant's original recipe. Aunt had recommended this dish as she had liked it the last time she ate it.

Well, the noodles were fiery hot, with the piquant taste of Sichuan peppercorns coming through. In addition, you could see ringlets of chillies in the thick broth. No wonder it was super spicy! The chillies aside, the other ingredients used were tofu dices, chicken dices, julienned black fungus and shitake slices.

I liked this noodle dish a lot, its flavour and taste deeply engraved in the recesses of my brain ;P!!

Suan La Mian

Delicious!! Makes me crave for it eve now ....

The bill came to about SGD33.00 and I thought it was fairly reasonable. I would go back to this restaurant, just for the Suan La Mian!

Tampines Round Market & Food Centre

Aunt A****** brought us to the Tampines Round Market & Food Centre, which was voted Singapore's favourite hawker centre for 2 years in a row.

The market is round!

We walked there from Aunt I****'s flat. The market was crowded as lots of people were having breakfast. Finding a vacant table was difficult.

There were a number of popular stalls here. You can tell by seeing the long queues at the counters.

Aunt A****** urged me to try the Yong Tau Foo as she heard that I liked it. 5 pieces of Yong Tau Foo and my choice of noodles for SGD2.50. Aunt said it was a steal!

I took 3 types of stuffed vegetables - green chilli, okra and brinjal, and 2 types of tofu. For my choice of noodles, I opted for bee hoon. Then I needed to decide whether I wanted to have my my Yong Tau Foo dry, or with soup, or with curry gravy. I opted for soup.

My bowl of Yong Tau Foo

Chilli sauce and sweet sauce were served in saucer.

The condiments

The stuffed vegetables and bean curd were all right. But, I found the soup to be rather bland.

We also ordered fried carrot cake to share. It was all right, too. It wouldn't be the best carrot cake that I'd ever eaten.

Fried carrot cake

Aunt I**** ordered mochi. The vendor auntie cut the mochi dough on the spot in a peanut and sesame mixture. I tried some, and was surprised that the mochi was warm. It was soft and chewy too.

Mochi

We walked around the market to see the produce that were sold.

The doggies' favourite : Japanese pumpkin

Poinsetta

Well, it was my first time to the infamous HDB flats, where Aunt I**** lives. It was quite interesting to walk to the wet market early in the morning, where the local community would go for breakfast and fellowship.

Ikea Restaurant Tampines

Ikea Tampines was the first place that Aunt brought us to when we landed in Singapore. It was funny, cause Ikea was also the first place that we went to in KL.

As usual, I did not buy anything. I would love to own a house full of stuff from Ikea. But the reality is that I do not own a house. And I cannot bring back to Malaysia anything more than my existing luggage.

And hence, I watched other people shop. ;)

In actual fact, Aunt A****** brought us there so that Aunt B** could try the Swedish meatballs. Aunt B**, however, failed to tell Aunt A****** that she had tried the meatballs during our trip to KL, and did not like them. Lol.

And so, Aunt A****** assured her that she could order something else. Lol.

It was about 8.00 p.m. The queues at the food counter were really long. And there were no empty tables. We waited quite long before we got a table near the kids' playpen.

Aunt B** was a bit flabbergasted at the noise and chaos! Obviously, she's not used to the crowds. Lol. She also voiced her annoyance about the people who stood by our table, waiting for us to finish our food even before our food arrived! Lol.

I wanted to try something different, and so I ordered a Salmon Burger. The plate came with a salmon burger, with coleslaw, boiled baby carrots & garlic-seasoning potatoes on the side.

Salmon burger

Well, initially, I was worried that the fish would be "fishy". I did not like cooked salmon. Fortunately, the lingering fishy taste was not there. The fish patty was soft and with a faint taste of salmon. I loved the potatoes as it was nicely flavoured with garlic and butter. The coleslaw was quite ordinary. And I did not like the carrots at all.

Aunts A****** and B** opted for the Christmas Hot Plate. It had roast turkey breast and smoked turkey ham with pineapple sauce, served with a plain sourdough bun, baby potatoes and baby carrots. Aunts liked the sauce. I liked the baby spuds.

Christmas Hot Plate

Aunt I*** had a Fish Fillet, with coleslaw, a sourdough Pave and unsalted butter. I did not taste the items on the platter, so no comment.

Fish fillet

After our meal, we cleared our own trays so that the next batch of diners did not need to go through the trouble of clearing our dishes.

3 Little Darlings

Aunts A****** and I**** have 3 little darlings. They are miniature schnauzers and they are very adorable dogs.

Of the three, Whisky is the cleverest. She knows a lot of tricks, and it is a joy to watch her perform. Aunt said she really enjoyed teaching Whisky an array of tricks as she seemed to learn the concepts very fast. The two boys, Shadow and Homer, know their share of tricks too, but of course, they are not as accomplished as Whisky.

These smart doggies have won a lot of prizes in the Singapore pet scene!

Homer, Shadow, Whisky posing for a photograph

At first the doggies look the same to me and I could not distinguish one from the other. After a few days, I could see that not only do they look different, their personalities are really different too.

Whisky is 7 years old. She is the cool, quiet and obedient one. You could speak to her, and she would seem to understand. Amazing!

Homer is the youngest, but the biggest in size. He eats really fast, and naturally, he won a prize for being the fastest eater at a competition. Homer is also the most enthusiastic and most playful. It was really fun to tease him and to play with him.

Shadow is the most timid. We were saying that he should not be named a Shadow as he was just shadowing the other two. Aunt said Shadow was a "dumb dumb", implying Shadow was a bit slower compared to the other two.

Aunt's dogs are well-trained. They know they are not to pee nor poo in the house and in the car. They know they are not to disturb anything in the house. Only Whisky is allowed on the sofa and on the bed. The other two know the sofa and bed are out of bounds. I tried to tempt Homer to come up to the sofa, but he did not relent! Lol. Such good dog.

Every day when it is time to go out, the dogs have to fetch their own leashes. Reaching home, Aunt will leave the leashes on the floor, and the dogs will have to fetch them by themselves. At meal times, the dogs will sit quietly by their bowl and wait for Aunt to say the magic word, "Okay". And only then will they wallop their food. As an observer, I was really amused and amazed!

Aunts A****** and I**** put in a lot of love and effort in taking care of the dogs. They walk twice a day and are cleaned every day. Aunt A****** takes good care of their diet, measuring the exact amount of food served using a weighing scale. The dogs eat fruits too!

Aunt firmly believes that dogs can be educated to co-exist harmoniously with human beings. But the doggies are such a lot of work, and I know I will not be able to take care of even one, what more to say three.

Not A Cinderella

My friend and I met up recently. Initially, I did not know whether I should look him up or not. After all, we had not been communicating for a few months.

I finally sent him a text message and an email. It was up to him to reply. He could choose to ignore it for all I care, but at least I tried to contact him.

However, I forgot to include my name in the text message and he thought I was somebody else. Hmn.

After he got my identity sorted out, he agreed to meet up. Surprise, surprise!

Anyway, we arranged to meet at Borders. Minutes before that I was consumed with anxiety, having not met for years. Would I still recognise him? Would he recognise me? What would he think of me? Would he be happy to see me?

He said he'd browse at the Economics section. So I located the shelves and made my way there. And there he was like he said he would be, browsing amongst the Economics books indeed. He still looked the same, except that his hair was peppered with wise strands of white now.

I'm glad there was no awkwardness at all. It felt like meeting an old, old friend - we'd after all known each other for 7 long years.

It was sure good to catch up over dinner. It was much better, of course, than communicating via email, when exchanges seemed to get so mundane after a while that it was upsetting.

I wanted the night to last. But all too soon, it was time to go home. I had a curfew. So it felt a bit like Cinderella. ;))) Except that I would be leaving my crocs behind, instead of some fancy glass slipper. ;)))

Anyway, I enjoyed myself lots. I hope he did too.

Thanks C*******, for meeting me, and for a jolly good time. See you again soon.

Absorbed In Science For A Day

I am not particularly fond of Science. I really have no head for Science. So when Aunt B** suggested to go to the Science Centre, I was not really keen. However, I decided to accommodate her. And since I had never been there before, I agreed to go with her.

Aunt B** and I went there by ourselves as Aunt A****** was working. Aunt B** appointed me the novice tourist guide. Lol.

So, we took the MRT right up to Jurong East. Then we took Bus 335 which brought us to the Science Centre, which was only 2 bus stops away. Easy as a pie.

Entrance
Singapore Science Centre

Upon entering the centre, you will be greeted by a T-Rex.

Tyrannosaurus Rex

We paid about SGD21.00 per pax, for the entrance to the Science Centre, and Body Worlds & The Cycle of Life Exhibition.

Almost all the displays at the Science Centre are interactive. You really need a lot of time to go through each and every one of the items. By the end of your visit, I'm sure you will learn a whole lot more about science and technology.

Though Aunt B** and I spent the entire day there, we did not have the time nor interest to go through every exhibit. Nor do I understand some of the explanatory notes placed near the exhibits. Lol. I'm just not a Science person.

I enjoyed The Mind's Eye which had optical illusions displays, the Sounds Exhibition where you can tinkle with all the exhibits and learn about levels and projection of noises, the Climate Change Exhibition, and the Human Body Exhibition.

Gunther von Hagens' Body Worlds & The Cycle of Life is an entirely new experience for me. I could not believe that the exhibits were authentic human specimens!! However, it did not feel morbid at all! It felt more scientific and informative.

Body Worlds & The Cycle of Life

The Science Centre Annexe

Through a method called plastination, the post-mortal human body is preserved and positioned to reveal its inner anatomical structures.

(Pic source : http://www.bodyworlds.com/en/plastination/method_plastination.html)

This particular exhibition in Singapore is about the cycle of life, and traces the body living from conception to old age.

For me, it is very interesting to see the anatomy of the human body, and it certainly made me more aware of my own being.

I'm so glad I went to this exhibition. Highly recommended.

Interesting Sights : From The Harbour To The Quay

During my last trip to Singapore, Vivo City did not exist. Now, it is a sprawling shopping mall, the largest in Singapore.

VivoCity from the outside

Aunt A****** brought us to the rooftop where there were many cute and interesting structures to see. In addition, wading pools were available for children to play. I am not a kid, but even I was tempted to wade in the water! ;)

Wading pool

I loved the scenery of the harbour front from the rooftop. At a distance away is Sentosa Island, now having a major refurbishment.

I did not do any shopping at Vivo City. But my aunts bought a some household items from Daiso, the Japanese discount store. Everything in the store sells for SGD2.00. Quite interesting, but nothing that I need.

After VivoCity, we took the MRT to Chinatown. Chinatown itself is an old establishment which offered lots of interesting things to see and do. We walked along Pagoda Street, there were many souvenirs and trinkets for sale. I would love to visit the Chinatown Heritage Centre, but it was just too bad that we did not have the time.

A Chinese garden @ Chinatown

From Chinatown, it was only a quick bus ride to Clark Quay. I was fortunate to watch 2 bungee jumps that afternoon. Lol. The riders screamed their hearts, out while we chuckled in amusement.

Colourfully-painted shoplots

Interesting structures

Cute fish structures

A short walk to the City Hall MRT station brought us home.

Interesting Sights : East Coast

Aunt A****** told me that Changi is the "ulu" or rural part of Singapore. People won't normally venture out to this part of the country, unless they have a car.

We visited Changi Chapel and Museum, which was only a few minutes' drive from Aunt's condominium.

The Changi Chapel and Museum is dedicated to all who suffered during WWII. It showcases various artefacts, including photographs, drawings, personal memorabilia belonging to Prisoners of War and civilian internees during their years of captivity.

Changi Chapel & Museum

Main entrance

As soon as you stepped through the entrance, you will see the chapel. This chapel is a replica of the simple churches and chapels that internees built as a place of comfort and solace.

Changi Chapel

A section of the Museum showcase the replica of the famous Changi murals, a set of 5 biblical paintings painted by the late Stanley Warren, a British POW who was interned at Changi Prison at the time of WWII.

After the museum, we went to the Changi Point Coastal Walk. These are long stretches of boardwalks. We did not plan to walk, so we just admired the beautiful scenery and snapped a few photographs of the place.

Signboard

Pretty view of the coastal point

We had our lunch at the Changi Village Food Centre. It has hot and stuffy at noon, and yet all the tables were taken.

Aunt A****** recommended this deep-fried yam stuffed with pumpkin paste. So, we ordered some to try. Well, the crust is really thin and light. The yam was savoury and the pumpkin was sweet. Seemed like a good combination. Quite yum, indeed. Aunt B** loved it a lot.

Yam & pumpkin ball from a stall named Mei Xiang

Next, we ordered some fried noodles from Wong Hing Kitchenette. The noodles were fried to crispy perfection and then ladled over with sauce. Aunt ordered the bitter gourd and pork ribs noodles in black bean sauce. Now, it's my first time eating such combination.

The bitter gourd was not bitter at all. Sliced thinly, it was soft and crunchy at the same time. The serving of pork ribs were quite generous too. The black bean sauce was flavourful and not too salty. It complemented the crispy noodles wonderfully.

Bitter gourd and pork ribs noodles

From the same stall, we ordered seafood noodles. I thought the ingredients used were really generous. Again, this dish was not too salty. The taste and the consistency of the gravy was just right.

Seafood noodles

However, we asked for 2 empty saucers, and the vendor lady glared daggers at us. Grrrrr. Her face black black. ;) I was surely amused.

After lunch, we made our way to the East Coast Park Beach. Many little tents were pitched along the beach, where people relax amidst the cool sea breeze. There were many people cycling and roller-blading along the pathways. Picnickers were also bbq-ing at the barbecue pit facilities provided there.

East Coast Park Beach

Crossing the expressway brought us to Parkway Parade. We had a quick browse there before returning home.