A change in latitude, does wonders to my attitude.

Feeling super confident of the city of London as I have been there many times before, I let my guard down and carried a leather backpack on my back.. where else? We boarded the Eurostar train from Brussels Midi station (Zuid Station), leaving at noon and arriving in King Cross/ St. Pancras about 2hours later. Easy Peasy. I had booked us into the St Giles Hotel, just off Tottenham Court Road. An old hotel that has been around a long time with a fantastic location and newly refurbished. Location wise, this is tops. I would stay here again. After settling in, we got into our rooms but the noise from the renovation works were unbearable, so we insisted on a change of rooms despite the front desk promising us that the work will stop at 3pm. Aaah, seasoned travelles we are, I was not falling for that ruse. We insisted and the duty manager put us in a spacious triple bedded room in the newly renovated wing. We walked down Tottenham Court Road, towards Charing Cross and past Shafest...

I signed up for a tour package by Dutch budget airline Transavia, which in turn farms out their holidays to another company. In the end, you deal with Transavia airlines for plane tickets and a tour company for hotel stay vouchers. As a first time traveller on a European budget airline, I was pleasantly surprised by the routes Transavia offered within Europe. There were plenty of destinations in Greece which made me drool.. But I wanted to take my mum and Ray to Seville, Spain instead. We boarded the Transavia flight at Zaventem Airport via the tarmac and stairs. The plane was a slim bodied aircraft, with 3-3 seating configuration and not much else. Clearly just a point to point kind of flight.. and for 450 euros per pax for 5 nights and flight included. I guess you can't really top that. We arrived in the evening at Aeropuerto de Seville (SVQ) and boarded our pre-booked taxi to the Seville Central Hotel. There are airport-city buses but I wasn't too keen on locating the b...

It has been a while since making a new entry.. the last entry was in 2023, pointed out my friend when we met at a CNY reunion gathering in 2025. Spring heralded new beginnings and along came my niece to spend her college spring break with us in Belgium. Excited and eager to show her the sights, sounds, food and culture. I introduced her to fries, mussels, cheeses, ice creams, chocolates, delectable pastries and breads. Pain de Quotidien was a hit with her, as she loved the Atlantic Smoked Salmon and Quinoa, with a side of artisanal Nordic rye bread. My forever favorite is the Warm Goat Cheese salad, not to be passed over if you like cheese. We also introduced her to fine dining at De Normandie, our go-to restaurant for top-notch cuisine. Unknown to many, Belgium has one of the most Michelin-starred restaurants per person in the world. That puts Belgium ahead of France, Netherlands and Singapore. It is no wonder then, that eating well is important to Belgians, whether at home or ...

Changi Point Beach I still recognise pockets of old Singapore amidst the modern urban development that has shaped this island city. Growing up in the Malay kampung of Lorong Engku Aman, which is now Eunos / Geylang Serai estate, I was immersed in the Malay culture and heritage,  even though I am of Straits -Chinese descent. Living in the eastern part of Singapore meant being close to the beach. I remembered Changi Point beach vividly where rambunctious extended family beach picnics were held and teenage BBQ parties. Today, a lot of the beach has been spruced up with park benches and designated BBQ areas ( permission must be applied in advanced to use a BBQ pit ). Camping is also allowed and many local families and foreign workers take advantage to set up tents over the weekends. With the balmy sea breeze blowing against my skin and the sight of greenish -blue waters, I could not help but to stand on the sea shore as waves rushed up my feet.  As a teenager, I used to wind surf ...

What is there to love about Johor Bahru?  Asian Koel Blue collared Kingfisher 1.  NATURE   Never far from vast swathes of forest. Great for bird watching and spotting other insects. Just the other day, while on a morning walk, I spotted a blue collared Kingfisher. And as if on cue, the incessant calls of the Asian Koel pierce the tranquility of every early morning. Irritating for a city girl like me, whose idea of being woken up is by my alarm clock.  2.    FOOD  Nasi Lemak everyday is great. I love the anchovies and peanut crunch, they make such a lovely protein snack. Especially perked up with delicious sweet tangy sambal sauce. There's crispy roti canai or prata, nasi biryani, fishball noodles, roasted duck, chee cheong fun, curry laksa, assam laksa and much more. Sweet desserts like durian chendol, durian ice-cream and durians! I've come to love Raja Kunyit aka Tumeric King because of its resemblance to the orange flesh of turmeric. Introduci...

Philippine Mangoes After a gruelling one year of MBA studies and having finally succeeded in my     thesis defence, I  made my long awaited trip to the Philippines. Happy to renew friendships forged 6 years ago.  It was a fruitful trip having met up with my work partners, family friends and former bible-study group.  I had forgotten how easy it was to be  pampered in the Philippines where housemaids, nannies and drivers are easily available. Manpower resource is just abundant, making Filipinos a much sought after human capital worldwide.  Cheese Ensaymada I had also forgotten how delightful Cheese Ensaymada tasted: pillowy soft, smothered with butter, sugar and grated cheese. My friends indulged me with Pinoy dishes that I missed: sweet desserts like Putu Bumbong, Bibingka Espesyal and Palitaw. Main dishes like Seafood Sinigang,  Pancit Luglog and Lumpia Ubud.  Like any cosmopolitan city, Manila boasts of a wide repertoire of cuisines. I...