A Friend

A post going out for a friend called LINUS. Have you forgotten me? In the midst of your busy work schedule, we have stopped talking for ages. I wonder how are you doing now. Missed the times we chatted online. Take care, my friend.

Batam Trip

Went to Batam last Sunday! Reached HarbourFront and waited for stupid Von to arrive. Collected our ferry tickets from BatamFast and had Mac for breakfast. We had signed up for a $148 package with KTM Resort. It includes a set lunch, body mask, body scrub, hydrobath and massage that last 3 hours in total. And we had to give extra $21 for don't know what ferry or sea tax.

We went to the gate at 910am only to realise the gate for our ferry closed at 0905am!!! OMG! We were so mad that the lady that issued the boarding pass to us did not tell us about the gate closing time issue. It's only our first time taking the ferry to Batam! She should have at least pointed it to us, cannot assume all customers frequent Batam right?!

Inside Penguin Ferry

So in the end, we went back to BatamFast and asked if we could transfer to a later ferry. Yes... with a fee of $2. So we had to pay $2 to transfer to Penguin Ferry to take us there at 1040am.

The ferry was not bad. At least it's air-con! It took about 45 minutes to reach Sekupang Terminal. The residents there are a bit rude, keep pushing their way through. Nonetheless, custom clearance was easy and we were out not long after. I pulled out the KTM Resort sticker and the KTM Resort driver immediately directed us to the mini bus which will transport us to the resort. Very EFFICIENT!

Inside the Mini Bus to KTM Resort

The trip to the resort only took 5 minutes! The resort looked decent, and it has a very huge white Guanyin statue and a place for worship inside the resort! Something that is so unexpected in that place!!

The resort rooms

Facing the Reception Area

The dining area

We went to the reception, and the receptionist suggested that we take our lunch before the massage, otherwise it will end late and we will be hungry. Actually the people in Batam speaks quite good English! So we proceeded with our Set lunch, that comes in a tub of rice that you cannot finish, cereal prawns, fried fish slices in tomato sauce and mixed stir-fried vegetables.

The food was quite delectable and we didn't dare eat too full cos of the massage that was coming up. We were about to leave the dining area when a guy server walked towards us with 3 big coconuts! HAHA! We forgot there's coconut drinks! We only drank a little and ate some flesh, cos we were afraid of puking later! Sigh... if only we didn't miss the early ferry!!!!!!

We took some pictures around the resort. But didn't walk around that much either, didn't take photo with the staircase carved out of a big tree root.

The murky green swimming pool that Adults need to pay 20 000 RP and Children 15 000 RP to swim. So yucky.

The atap-looking rooms behind us

KTM Resort

The Place for MASSAGE

SPA Villa

We proceeded to the waiting room and waited for slightly more than half hour before it was our turn. We requested to do all the scrub and massage together in a room. Hence they prepared three massage beds for us. The SPA Villa faces the sea, so any boats that go pass can look in. Lucky they have got many curtains to block unnecessary stares.

Waiting Room

It started with a scrub on the back, totally so comfortable that I wanna fell asleep. Following was a mask. Then flip over to the front and the same thing repeated. 45 minutes for this. Then Von and I put on tube sarong, ready for Jaccuzzi!! Poor JH couldn't join us... must be the COCONUT?!?!

I was amazed at the size of the Jaccuzzi tub!! It was meant for three people. I had to climb two steps to climb into the tub. AND most wonderful of all, the water was BUBBLED! SUPER wonderful experience!! Von and I pitied JH who can't join us. 15 minutes for this.

We were served hot ginger tea after the Jaccuzzi. Then it was the last part - one hour massage.

We tipped each of our massager S$5. Haha, Von was afraid they might curse us if we didn't. We left the resort by Taxi ($15 per taxi) to Batam Center. The ride was about 20 minutes, and cars on the roads were a bit... dangerous.

First thing upon reaching Batam Center was to buy ferry tickets!! It was only 430pm and the 630pm ferry was already sold out. So we bought the 8pm one instead. That also gave us good time to walk in Batam Mall and in the ferry terminal. We first checked out on Ralph Lauren's Polo. There were three RP shops in the terminal!! The first look at the Polo, you couldn't differentiate which were imitates. So we only checked out the prices.

Later, we crossed the bridge to go over to Batam Mall. There we exchange some SGD to RP cos we had to eat dinner! The money changer gave me 100 000 RP extra. I wasn't that honest enough to return him. Hence this 100 000 RP was used to offset our A&W dinner.

Yummy curly fries!

After dinner, we went to the basement to get some things from the hypermart. REALLY cheap stuff there! We bought many sanitary pads there... and toiletries. CHEAP CHEAP. JH and I got J.CO doughnuts which were so much cheaper! I bought 6 for only 30 000 RP, amount to about SGD4.

It was time to go back to the ferry terminal to get POLO tee. After much comparison, we finally decided on one shop. And it happens to be the REAL RL! People, the shop has original RL logo and it's quite easy to differentiate. You have to see that the colours of the POLO are consistent, and the logo is neatly embroidered. The imitates have running colours and the logos were ugly-ly machine-stitched. And they dare to sell at the same price!!! So don't get conned! BUY ORIGINAL!

We boarded the full two-tier ferry back to SG. We were so tired we slept. Just a distance to dock, we were stopped by Coast Guards. The ferry stopped for nearly 20 minutes! Some police came on board to check passports. We only managed to clear customs at about 11pm. SO MANY PEOPLE clearing customs.

It was late already, so we decided to cab back. There were SO MANY PEOPLE again queuing for taxis. Nearly 50 of them in front of us. But I was really lucky and a cab saying "TAMPINES" came by the minute we stepped out of Mac. And no one actually stayed in Tampines???? Wah... hence I took that taxi back. SUPER SUPER HENG.

Batam trip again? OF COURSE! The next time, we three will be in the Jaccuzzi tub. =)

SE Journey 2008 - Worst Concert Ever

Oh my goodness... my blog is as good as none! I miss those days where I just sit in front of my comp blogging! I have yet to type in ANYTHING for my June's Korea trip. How worse can I get?

So, I've decided to sit down and do a blog entry on this year's Journey concert. This year's repertoire is much much manageable than last year's. I always enjoyed Bach's string pieces and his Brandenburg Concerto No. 3 is my favourite. However, this year seemed to be very rushed. I felt that there wasn't enough practices and rehearsals were not very proper. Perhaps ZH felt the pieces were easier, and the increase in the number of better players this year, as such, even on the day of concert I was feeling really lousy.

What I hate most is those CXXXX people who come and go as they like, don't listen to conductor, don't attend sectionals regularly, and worse of all, LIE so innocently!!! But of cos not all of them are like that.

But in V1 Section, it was terrible. I even asked if they are playing V2 for Brandenburg, and they replied yes. When audience clapped and we started the piece, they were BLOODY HELL playing V1. WHAT THE F***!

Being the fifth stand, we can't even hear the front stands! In the end, our Sinfonia and Concertos, I just merely air bow! FEEL LIKE CRYING! All these years I've playing, even the most difficult John Williams pieces, I also never air bow loh!!

Hence that makes my determination to do Grade 8 in Violin in the next two years.

Want to thank my colleagues and their partners who came to support me. They commented that the band could not make it. Horns were OUT OF TUNE. And their entries were bad. Sigh. No budget, what to do.

One thing good about this concert was that YT came back to play with me!! My stand-partner I dearly missed last year. And some good friends made - YQ and WK! YQ is like 6 years my junior in MSE. HAHA! But he is a really funny guy. Without him, practices would be boring!

Some pictures to share:

YQ and I

KY and I

WK and I

YT and I

The V1 Section

Samantha and I

The Orchestra (not full)

Taken after the Concert

Hope next year's concert will be better!

April 2008

Hi Everyone! I have not forgotten the password to my blog. I'm just too tight-up with mostly - work. It has been so long you've never heard from me. I guess I have to start typing in my entries soon.

I managed to go for a good trip last December to Japan, namely at Tokyo to Osaka. It was fun! I have never been to such a cold country where I have to wear Winter clothings. Hence I prepared heat packs, turtle-neck cotton wear and a big black knee-length jacket from Winterland! However,my legs froze as the cold wind blew as I only have one layer - jeans. Japan is a really nice place. Its citizens are courteous and civilized. Their country is so clean and so organised.

I've had the tastiest RAMEN at ramen museum. Its soup is so creamy!!



For more photos you can log onto my Facebook. HEHE.

Cheers for the year ahead! School has been fine. I'm adjusting really well, and I've learnt to handle all the tasks we're given. There's just so much work, and multi-tasking is one BIG skill you have to have. I've also learnt to work more efficiently, and now I am able to spend more time on TV and sleep. =)

Next, would be spending time with my friends. There's just so many friends I haven't kept in contact, like Yuhua, David, Jiehui, Choon Pang, Yvonne, Meihui, my String friends, NIE friends. I miss them all! I have not forgotten all of you!!