AVANI Sepang Goldcoast Resort

My colleagues and I had a short get-away over a long weekend! We planned this months in advance but a few colleagues had to drop out at the last minute. So I got to sleep on a queen bed on my bed with an attached luxurious bathroom!

It was a long walk but there is free buggy service to help you get to your rooms!

View of the infinity pool against the setting sun. It was quite romantic but don't expect clear blue/white waters. It was actually muddy and brown in colour. However there wasn't a bad smell.

Once you stepped into the villa, you won't feel like stepping out! Most of the furniture are made of wood and the roof is a thatched roof. Thoughtful umbrellas provided.

We booked the family suite, so there are two rooms and a living room. There are two sets of sliding doors and they partition the two rooms from each other and the living room.

 Comfortable sofa to chill and when you draw the curtains, you are right in the middle of the sea.

Our view in the morning. Look at the glistening waters!

One room comes with double bed and the other (which was mine) a queen bed!

The glass sliding door opens out to a mini balcony where you can sit to enjoy the sea view and breeze. The bed was so comfortable I could lie there for the whole day. And my attached toilet looks like this:

The other attached toilet has no hair-dryer or the bath tub.

Buffet breakfast was provided but was super crowded and full of houseflies. Dinner on the first day was at its Chinese restaurant. On the second day, we walked out to the mak-mak stalls for our meals.

Some activities to do there are cycling, swimming and karting. You can also walk to the beach and have beach volleyball and sun-tanning. Don't forget to catch the setting sun! It was really nice!

Address: 67, Jalan Pantai Bagan Lalang, Bagan Lalang, 43950 Sepang, Selangor, Malaysia
Phone: +60 3-3182 3600

Website: http://www.avanihotels.com/sepang/

Phuket - By the Lake Villa

My colleagues and I had a short getaway to Phuket! My first time at Phuket! We stayed near Naiharn beach to be away from the crowd. It is about an hour's drive from Phuket International Airport. We rented a car (Nissan Selphy) at the airport so it was very convenient to get to places. Naiharn beach was just five minutes drive away.

Our luxurious villa was three-storey with two ensuite bedrooms and a pool. When we entered, we were all "ooohs" and "ahhhhhs" and "woooows".

Our car at our villa.

The door lock is electronically numbered lock so you don't have to bring the keys around.

The large dining area and work area.

  

The huge living room where the big sofa became bed for one of my colleagues. The glass door on the right opens to the pool. You can just jump right in!

The fountain can be switched off or on and the lights of the pool light up the pool so romantically.

The fully-equipped kitchen comes with pots and pans, utensils and even cooking oil and seasonings!

 

Two refrigerators and an oven. What more can you ask for?

The common toilet on the first level.

From the kitchen looking out to the parking lot and entrance.

Take a turn at the kitchen and go up the stairs to the bedrooms.

  

The two doors.

My bed... got to sleep on the whole bed myself!!! I love it when there are power sockets by the bed!

Each ensuite bathroom is so luxurious. The master room toilet has an additional bath tub.

Master bedroom toilet.

The spiral stairs lead to the rooftop!

No idea why but the wifi is strongest at the rooftop! I got a local SIM card but reception was bad in the villa but super good at the rooftop.

Love this luxurious villa to the max!!!! The beach was beautiful and enjoyed the company of my colleagues. Not to mention, food was AWESOME!

Till next time, Phuket!!!

Villa: By the Lake Villa - 2 bedroom, 3 storey with a rooftop and pool

Website: http://www.phuket-rentals.asia/

Snatched a Good Deal!

Been eyeing this for almost a year! Finally decided to get it as the SD card in my phone is getting old and laggy in my phone. Walked around Challenger and Courts but they didn't sell this. Chanced upon it in Popular and they were having this at a discounted price of $57! That makes it cheaper than any other brands of 64GB SD card! Plus it comes with a compact USB adapter! Feeling happy!

Getting Over U

Took a few months to finish these two books. I must say they are very helpful in healing the soul and heart.

The Villa, Siem Reap

This is the second time I'm in Cambodia after a work trip last November. We went for a 3-star hotel and I paid S$177 for a 5-nights stay (14th June to 19th June 2015) in a Superior room. They even kindly extended our check-out time to 1 pm cos' our flight was at 3:50 pm.

The room pictures were not the same as what I saw through Agoda's website. However, the hotel is quite clean, food and service were good. I had requested them to change my towels on the third day and I discovered they didn't change the bedsheets or floor rug throughout my stay. My aircon was either super cold or nothing. Every night I have to wake up to turn off the freezing aircon. And when I turned it back on after sweating through my sleep, water started to drip. That explained why the bed was a distance away from under the aircon. Just unlucky to get this room.

The hotel is situated within walking distance to the Night Market, Central Market, Pub Street and to many of eateries all around. TripAdvisor's Genevieve Restaurant, Haven Training Restaurant and Bugs Cafe are all nearby. If you are bored of Khmer food, there is KFC and Sarpino's Pizza. It is a very convenient and comfortable budget place to stay in!

This is one of the cheapest trip! My total expenditure was slightly less than S$800! 

Our food summary: Click Here

Address: 153 Ta Phul Road, Siem Reap Central Area, Siem Reap, Cambodia

First Violin Concerto

My first public performance of a violin concerto, or rather a double violin concerto. Me, on secondo, together with NTU Strings Orchestra. It also marks the graduating journey in NTUSO. We took about four months to prepare this on a weekly basis. There are many things which I learnt on playing together, for example, style, bow strokes and playing the trills. And my new bow came just in time for my concert!

It was quite nerve-wrecking in the first movement. I didn't know why my hands turned anxious but I was forcing myself to calm down by the second movement. Breathe, breathe, BREATHE!!! And I succeeded in calming myself down. Then it was just enjoyment besides a few scary high notes but I guess they sounded good!

I wished you were there to watch me as promised.

Presenting to you: Antonio Vivaldi - Concerto for Two Violins in A Minor RV 523. Hope you like this!

Paul Goh's Bow

I finally got hold of this bow after waiting for almost one and a half years! What a beauty, isn't she?

The pull is smooth and the bow is light. I bought the gem from e-bay. It is a 8mm round mystic topaz with rainbow green fire.

Still trying to get use to this! Lots of bonding time!