++------  Bintan Trip  ------++

Woot! My first trip to Bintan ever! But I didn't plan this one. My bro and his wife did, cause my bro had a company retreat over there for 3 days and his wife decided the entire family might as well 'join' him. This trip spanned across 25 ~ 28 May.

==================  Day 1  ==================

We took the 11.10am ferry to Bintan and by the time we arrived at our villa it was already 12+pm local (Indonesia) time. The villa was nice and located next to a pond with a balcony overlooking it. There're a total of 3 bedrooms and bathrooms and 2 TVs, which was mostly hogged by the elders. ^^; As nice as it was, though, you gotta admit there's nothing much to do inside.

We were gonna have lunch outside but we were told most of the restaurants were booked by my brother's company so we ended up cooking our own food back in the villa. Thank god my sis-in-law's cousin is a cook. XD! After lunch, I waited around until my sis-in-law was ready to go to the pool with me. It's kind of the only thing I could thing of doing. >_>;

So we played at the pool for a while, maybe an hour, I dunno, and then we moved to the beach. =D Yaaaay! Ze beach!! It's actually prettier/cleaner than I thought it'd be! My coworker previously kept telling me how it's almost no different from Singapore's beach (which is damn yucky) but turns out it's actually considerably clean! At the very least you can still see the sea bottom up to about 1.5meters deep (and prolly deeper). When the sun's real strong the water reflects a few pretty shades of blue/green, so yeah, it's definitely at least 10x better than Singapore's beaches and I'm happy. XD

After that we returned to the villa to shower and waited for everyone to get ready before we took a taxi to the "famous" Pasara Oleh Oleh for dinner, and to look around. The sad truth is, the place is hella disappointing. It's definitely not worth the taxi fare to get there, unless you specifically dine at a certain restaurant where they'd provide you with free transport from the hotel. We had dinner at that very restaurant, but I forgot to take pics of our food. =( They had pretty nice gado gado and calamari. =D Yumm~

Before we returned to the villa, my sis-in-law and I checked out a spa place called Martha Tilaar, which is supposedly Indonesia's most famous and best spa salon. We took a look around the facility and decided to give it a try the next day cos no matter how expensive, it's still twice cheaper than Singapore. Singapore's just too damn rip off.

==================  Day 2   ==================

I woke up in time to catch the taxi to go for our spa appointment at 10am. The session we got was 2 hours long and it consisted of a 50 minute full body massage, 20 minute body scrub, 10 minute steam bath and 10 minute milk bath. Something like that. The body massage is pretty nice, but it felt kinda short. Either that or the procedure was so slow it felt short. The body scrub was ok, and a steam bath is just a steam bath so all that's left is the milk bath."Milk bath". Sounds awesome doesn't it? But we gots fooled, man. Perhaps I was a little naive to think they might use real milk for this, but turns out it's not all that different from a regular bubbly bath. =_= Sigh...

Next, we had lunch back at the villa again and then lazed around until my sis-in-law was ready to go to the ranch that I wanna check out. The ranch was really quiet that day. I dunno if that's usually the case but there was seriously no one (tourist) there but us. I don't mind it of course, since there's no queue for everything. XD And so my niece and I went for horse riding, where the horses were smaller than expected and the course entirely different. =_=; I can't really describe what I expected it to be like but all I can say is that I didn't think all it was gonna be was have a guy walk you and the horse around in circles. *Facepalm* I feel bad for the horse too cos the path by the downslope is uneven. I could feel the horse trembling! :'<

 The next and last thing I tried was the flying fox and that's something new to me. =) My niece was scared (naturally) and my brother couldn't be bothered so I was the only one. It took a while to get all harnessed up and to climb the godarn stairs. It took a few more minutes of preparation upstairs before I finally flew the fox, which lasted 8 seconds. >_o; It kinda makes me miss parasailing.

After the ranch, we returned to the villa, got into our swimming suits and hopped back to the pool. =D This time we went to the main swimming pool close to the resort lobby. It is fancier and has a nicer direct view of the sea/horizon but that means it's not as lonely as the one we went to the previous day. An hour later, guess what? We went to hang out at the beach/seaside again of course. =D

For dinner we ate at a restaurant called Spice. When we got there there was only one other table of customers, so you can imagine how lonely it was. Despite the lack of customers, it still took them a while to get our dishes ready. I suspect they only have one chef or something =/ Anyway, this is the only meal that I remembered to take a pic off. ^^;

==================  Day 3   ==================

In a few words, we did nothing this day but the expected pool + beach. For dinner we ate at a Kelong restaurant outside the resort. We had to hire a taxi to get there but turns out the food wasn't all that great, disappointing the whole family. =/

At night before bed, me and my maid watched the last few episodes of Prison Break season 2 (I brought the DVD along =P). Man I hate that Bill Kim dude. Don't you all too? And what's he supposed to be? Some Korean guy? Mr Kim? But like, he's 500% Chinese, not that non-Asians can tell, but whatever. Just remain dead. =)

==================   Day 4   ==================

Day 4 was just half a day cos we're leaving for Singapore in the afternoon. So once again we did nothing but walk along the beach for a bit before we go back, pack up and leave. Most of the rest of the 'day' was spent waiting at/for buses, ferries and immigration check points.

Conclusion, Bintan's worth it only if you have a serious urge to play at a nice beach at minimum cost. It's also best to go with a bunch of friends who share the same level of spirit/eagerness for outdoor activities. Also, all this works only if the weather cooperates, so be prepared to bring over a bunch of video/board games/DVDs to play in case of rain.

Cycling at East Coast Park

I went to East Coast Park to bike/cycle 3 times the past one week. o_o Typically I go there to cycle perhaps twice a year, sometimes even less so this counts as a surprise to even myself. This time, it happens that we did better/went further with every try so I thought I might as well write a short entry bout it. =D

16 May - 1st try
We were unlucky that day - it rained. At first it was just a small drizzle and even after waiting for 30 mins the drizzle never stopped so we decided to just go for it anyway and rented our bikes for 2 hours. So, we cycled in the drizzle for the first 30 mins, but then eventually it turned into medium-heavy rain for the next 30 mins and then pouring shower in the last hour. =_=;

Thanks to that we couldn't get far in our journey and had to turn around after getting little bit past the end of East Coast Park. The bike path doesn't end at the end of East Coast Park; it continues all the way past the Budget Terminal airport runway and to Changi Beach. The furthest I have previously gone (with a friend) was a little past the runway and I was looking to beat that record, but the rain ruined the plan... We returned to the bike rental shop in time but we were SO soaking wet. I actually don't remember when the last time it was that I've been completely drenched by the rain.

20 May - 2nd try
This time I went with my coworkers, which was actually the first time I've ever cycled with them. We started around noon and the sun was really bright and hot but we didn't exactly have a choice. The last time I went in the late afternoon it rained =/ We rented the bike for 3 hours but we took our time and biked rather slowly cos my coworkers weren't exactly looking to go fast.

We also stopped at a couple of spots to rest or take a few photos so in the end we were only able to get slightly further past my previous record along the airport runway. There is a shelter every 1km or so along that path so the only way I could tell how far I am along that specific part of the journey (by the airport runway) by counting how many shelters we passed. My previous record was at the first shelter. This time we managed to get to the third. I didn't know how many shelters there was gonna be, of course, until I fully conquer the journey.

The one thing I regretted most about this second trip, though, was to wear a tank top. At the end of the day all three of us got pretty bad sun burns, and I was the worst thanks to how much skin I was revealing. I wasn't able to sleep well the next two nights cos of my painful shoulders rubbing against the bed. x_X

23 May - 3rd try
Once again it was a beautiful day, thank you god of weather, and I've learned my lesson bout the tank top so this time I wore a regular tshirt as well as *gulps* arm warmers and gloves to protect my already sun burned/tanned arms. I ain't gonna have sun burns ON my sun burns.

Surprisingly, this time we were able to arrive at the airport runway stretch in 45 mins (a personal record breaker). Determined to complete the journey, we went on and counted the number of shelters to find that the last one is the 6th, which is just a few hundred meters from Changi Beach.

And so we finally arrived at Changi beach, for the first time ever! There was a refreshments store so we stopped by to get ourselves a bottle of 100 Plus. My god we were so thirsty. XD But no that wasn't the end. We were only at the head of Changi Beach. We have to reach the end of Changi beach to consider it mission accomplished. Thank god Changi beach is small/shor and was only 3.3km to the end so it didn't take us too long to finally get there and yaaaaayyy!! Mission accomplished!!!

My friend was pissed to find that there was nothing at the end but a tree but to be honest I was expecting a concrete wall that says "Dead End" so I'm seriously much happier bout the tree. XD But OMG... the way back to the bike rental shop was pretty tough for me. I've used up all my strength for the first half of the journey that by the time we head back, my thighs were so tired I had to push myself so hard to barely paddle at a speed below normal. Man I suck.

Still, I'm glad I managed to return to the shop in 3 hours (just as we rented) and that's the end of it~ XD! So glad we completed the "course"! But that also prolly means I won't be coming back here to cycle for a while.... ^^;

This blog is written for an event on the 9th April 2010, Friday. I couldn't write about it any earlier cos I had a plane to catch right after this event on the same day!

++------  Universal Studios Singapore (USS)  ------++

A fellow coworker was leaving the team and this day was her last day, so the boss self declared the day to be a team outing and farewell day for her. XD! After much discussion, we decided to go to Universal Studios Singapore, which unofficially opened not too long ago. Whee~~!

The team met up at 11am at Vivo City before getting on the monorail to Sentosa, tho to put it accurately the 4 girls including me met up earlier at 10 to have breakfast together at Toast Box. Anyway, the boss and another coworker were a tad late so by the time we got inside USS it was already 12-ish. Frankly speaking I was surprised that Singapore actually managed to get/build itself a real theme park cos I had thought to give that up for life, so it felt great to see the place with my own eyes and go “Wow, this is for reals...!”

Of course, I had known to expect that the park is small. If they had turned the whole island of Sentosa into USS, then that'd be WOWTHISIZAWESOME-worthy but we knew that wasn't happening. And so in we went and the first thing we saw was Kung Fu Panda walking around with a bunch of people trailing after him. We can't possibly miss him out =D

We didn't know which attraction to try first so we randomly took a left turn at the start of the park to see where we'd land. The first area is “Madagascar” but it ain't open yet cos the park is still in 'beta-testing' hence the reason it's unofficially opened. I'm not sure what kind of attraction Madagascar would have but I'd leave it till next time to discover.

4D Shrek Movie
The next area we landed in was Far Far Away where the 4D Shrek movie is located, so that became our first 'ride'. I remember this attraction from Universal Studios Los Angeles so it wasn't new to me but it's always fun to witness my coworkers' laughter and screams. LOL

Enchanted Airways
Next was this junior roller coaster ride. This was officially my first roller coaster ride in godamn 10 years since Disney Land in Los Angeles. Then again, no ride in Disney Land is considered a true roller coaster so who knows how long it's really been since I rode on one. Man... I MISSED ROLLER COASTERS SO BAAADD!!!! ;_____;!!!

Anyway, Enchanted Airways is a small roller coaster but it's still not too bad. It runs at a speed faster than I thought and the curves and turns are pretty strong so it is relatively exciting. Of course, I think I enjoyed watching my coworkers' reaction more than anything (especially the girls). XD

Friar's
This is where we had our lunch. I think the team randomly picked it cos it was the next closest eatery (cos the food court was full) and there were empty tables. Our $10 food voucher fit the bill just nice too. I think I ordered a crispy chicken burger and man was it huge! It was impossible to finish it on my own (unless you're my boss)! I feel bad I'm wasting food :<

Water World
I remember this from Universal Studios LA again. I've seen it twice before;  it's quite hard to forget. What I did forget, though, was how the actors would spray lotsa water at the audience before the show begins. x_X We sat somewhat near the front so we got quite drenched, but I guess the laughs were worth it. XD

Jurassic Park

Now this is new to me, not becos the ride was new but becos it was closed or something both times I went to Universal Studios LA. We had to wait an hour or so for this and one of the girls couldn't ride on it cos she gets motion sickness easily. The ride isn't too bad, but it isn't super exciting either. The one and only (small) drop in the ride is fun if you're lucky enough to land on the top side of the float right before the drop cos otherwise, even with a raincoat I don't know how much water you can avoid. XD Of course, if you don't mind getting wet none of that matters.

Revenge of the Mummy
The only indoor ride in USS. It's special in the sense that it's the only roller coaster ride I've ever been on that actually goes both forwards and backwards. It has good speed but I'm disappointed that there are no real drops so it's not scary. Instead, what I'm most glad about was that one of the girls who refused to try this ride did ended up giving it a try, and she loved it. ^__^!! I really gotta convert more people into roller coaster fans, seriously.

Canopy Flyer
This is a short ride. The vehicle carries 4 people (2 facing forward, 2 backward) and hangs along a course that goes one round around the Lost World area. It's generally a relaxing ride except for a few short bursts of speed, in which only the 2 facing forward would experience a bit of 'airtime'. One other odd thing is, you are required to hold onto your sandals in your hands instead of leaving them at the boarding platform. o_O;

Battlestar Galactica
We wish this was open. This is USS's highlight, the only thing that makes Universal Studios Singapore worth visiting at all cos apparently it's the world's tallest dual coaster, but some technical glitch just had to happen in the first week of opening and it's been 'temporarily' closed since. Who knows when it'd be ready again. FYI, the red and blue tracks are two separate rides which operate at the same time. And oh, the coasters aren't really all that tall ^^; They're just tall for a 'dual coaster', emphasis on dual.

Cyclone
Basically a 'spinning teacup' ride. The 'teacup' is so small and squeezy tho and we had to squeeze 5 adults in it. x_X

Lights, Camera, Action
I recall something similar in Universal Studios LA but they turned out to be different. Basically this is demonstration of how film makers can create a soundstage as a setting for a major hurricane about to hit New York. No actors are involved, so it wasn't particularly spectacular to me.

And that's pretty much it. Small and dad eh? But it's still better than nothing. ^_^ Well okay there were actually a few more small rides but they were either for kids or generally too mild for us. The park closes in the evening too so it wasn't like we had a lot of extra time.

Anyway, hopefully Battlestar Galactica would re-open soon, and hopefully *fingers crossed* it won't be disappointing. =) After all, it's the first step to my True Roller Coaster Conquest!! ^o^~~!!

Japan Trip Day 9 (Last Day)

Day 9 is up! - Japan 2010 Day 9. Yay! The blog's finally complete! Pheww!! *pats self* Now I really can't wait to go on an insane roller coaster trip! Wahahahaha!! <33333

Japan Trip Day 8

Day 8 is up! - Japan 2010 Day 8.

Japan Trip Day 6 + 7

Days 6 and 7 are up! - Japan 2010 Day 6 and Japan 2010 Day 7.

Japan Trip Day 5

Day 5 is up! - Japan 2010 Day 5.

Japan Trip Day 4

Day 4 is up! - Japan 2010 Day 4. Sorry it took a while. Weekend was play day so I didn't have enough time to continue with the blog. My computer at home has also been giving me the blue screen of @#$%^&* AGAIN the past few days so it will most likely hinder my progress. Urggh... I hate technology sometimes.

Japan Trip Day 2 + 3

Days 2 and 3 are up! - Japan 2010 Day 2 and Japan 2010 Day 3!

Japan Trip Day 1

OMG long time no seeeeeeee!! Sorry I haven't been updating the blog for a long long time cos' I've been either lazy or busy with things and such that some of you prolly don't even know I went to Japan for a trip!! ^__^! I have just two words to describe it - Friggin' Awesooooooomeee!!!!!!

Anyway, the report/blog for day 1 is finally ready and you can view it here - Japan 2010 Day 1!