A Day to Remember.....18-Oct-2008

Preview of our blissful collection

This are part of our pre-wedding photos taken in Avilion Resort, Port Dickson. Hope you like them !

ZENITH - Experiencing a Sheik's Life in Dubai - Feb 2008

At the invitation of Zenith, we were invited to this year's pre-Basel presentation in Dubai, UAE. Heard so much about this booming city and I was naturally excited. True to its luxury image, we were treated with luxury all the way from the flight (Emirates Business Class) till we land in Dubai (pick-up by a Lexus ES350) till we left. We stayed at Mina al-Salam Hotel at the Madinat Jumeirah, a 5-star resort city. Our rooms were splendid as you shall see in the pictures below and the cost - US$2,000 per night ! The resort was so huge that we travel within in small boats via a network of water canals. There were many F&B outlets including a Chinese restaurant, a Singaporean restaurant, a hip bar etc. The pool was huge. The view facing the Indian Ocean was stunning.

Our first day was for self discovery where we went about the resort grounds taking many pictures along the way. We also visited one of Dubai's most famous shopping mall - the Mall of Emirates, so huge that it even had its very own skiing slope complete with ski-lifts ! There were many familiar brands including a number of Malaysian and Singaporean brands. Prices were not much cheaper, in fact almost the same. There were many designer boutiques (Louis Vuitton, Gucci, Yves Saint Laurent, Armani, Bally, Salvatore Ferragamo etc.) including several watch boutiques (Audemars Piguet, Vacheron Constantin, Rolex etc.).

Our Zenith seminar started on the second day afternoon. It was 5 hours long showcasing all the latest novelties presented in an entertaining show comprising modern dance and music. Our third day was spent looking at the new watches and placing our orders. Everything was so beautiful and we bought almost everything!

The hospitality was so good that every little detail was looked into. We were given gifts over the days we stayed and it include a beach bag with a beach towel inside. Initially I didn't understand the meaning until we were reminded to attend our breakfast on the second day at the beach. The gift was actually meant to be used at the beach after breakfast. But as we went to breakfast late, we didn't enjoy the beach other than taking a few pictures for remembrance.

As the resort was so beautiful, I spent some free time in between meetings to take some pictures of the place. Don't think I will be able to afford going back to stay at the resort any time soon.

Have Jason, Have Surprises, Have Happiness - Happy Valentine's Day !

It's Valentine's Day again, our first as husband and wife. Instead of a romantic night out on our own, we decided to make it a group Valentine celebration. The venue of our celebration is Riblee's in Desa Sri Hartamas, a place well known for its baby back pork ribs ........ hmm .... yummy ! The place was actually suggested by Pauline as she had lunch there before and said the food was good. We trusted her choice and let her made all the arrangements. Dinner was at 8:00pm but we arrived slightly late. There we were, a whole group of us - Alex & Pauline, PJ & Lu, Yah Ching & Hen, (same table as us); David & Christine, Freemen & Chriss, Ken & Ellen, Rodney & Joanne (next table). Such merry!

Before food arrived however, there was a surprise planned for my beloved Chloe. The staff at Riblee's brought in a bouquet of red roses with a big card and I presented it to Chloe who looked surprised and pleased ! She had not expected to receive flowers that night as it was supposed to be just another gathering of friends. Furthermore, she knew I had a hectic day and she didn't saw me buying any flowers along the way. Needless to say, we all enjoyed ourselves indulging in an evening of pork ribs, gossips and picture taking.

Well, once in a while, we need to inject some magic into our lives - Have Jason, Have Surprises, Have Happiness - HAPPY VALENTINE's Day my dear !

Family Lo Sang feast - 6th Day of CNY, Feb 2008

It's Chinese New Year and we must do the " lo sang " or " lo hei ", whichever sounds better. It's a Malaysian tradition to usher the new year with good luck. It's our annual family CNY feast. This year we had our feast at Overseas Restaurant in Jaya 1, a newly opened location which is good coz there weren't many people. The food was good and everyone had a full sumptuous dinner.

A Friendly Lo Sang to usher a Prosperous Chinese New Year 2008 !

We had a pre-CNY Lo Sang with friends at the newly opened Overseas Restaurant at Jaya 1. It was such a joyous occasion to have so many friends gathered together to usher in the new year. Naturally, food was aplenty and was good. Post dinner, we can't wait to pre-celebrate CNY and what best way to celebrate then to gather together for some cards session !

Sabaai-dii ! Vientiane - Jan 2008

I was invited by a friend to visit Vientiane - the capital city of Laos PDR recently. Apparently, Air Asia just started direct flights to Vientiane last December. Only two and a half hours away, it's rather accessible. Being my first visit, I was excited that I'm going to see one of the most underdeveloped country in South East Asia. Laos as I eventually found out is actually bigger than Peninsula Malaysia alone. Landlocked among 5 other countries - Myanmar, China, Vietnam, Cambodia, & Thailand, Laos is situated just east of the Mekong River. It has a population of about 6.5 million people and Vientiane itself is a city of about 464,000 people.

We arrived around noon and stayed at the Don Chan Palace hotel, owned by a fellow Malaysian. The rooms were very modern and comfortable. At 14 storeys high, Don Chan Palace Hotel is the tallest building in Laos. There were actually quite a lot of cars besides motorcycles and bicycles on the roads, much more than I had expected given its reputation as a poor country. I was told that as recent as six months ago, there were mainly gravel roads but had since been paved with tar roads courtesy of China's charitable contributions.

Laos it seems is a very religious country although the government is Socialist. There were many Buddhist temples and monastery in Vientiane. There aren't many tourists sites in Vientiane, the famous ones are - Pha Tat Luang, the most important national monument; Patuxai, the Arc de Triomphe of Laos! I visited both sites. If I had more time, I will perhaps head north to the historic town of Luang Prabang, a Unesco World Heritage site. Was told the scenery was beautiful there and time stood still.........relatively untouched by development........no modern highrise hotels there, motorized traffic also minimal unlike Vientiane.

Meanwhile, walking around Vientiane, I have to say it's indeed very laidback. People here know how to enjoy life and they work at a very leisurely pace. Although the country is supposed to be poor, you never see any beggars here! Everyone has something to do and they all seemed contented. I was told the average monthly salary here is just a mere US$50!