Hong Kong 2

ZhuEn is coming over to celebrate her 25th birthday, and because of that, I have prepared a whole slew of surprises for her. Many preparation work was put in, and everything went smoothly and successfully. We had an extremely happy time spending time with each other. It was all in all, a blessing to see her again.

11 November 2016, Cloudy, University > Tsim Sha Tsui

Her flight lands at 10:05, I was very excited to meet her again after so long. I woke up early in the morning and made sure that her flight went smoothly. Went to office as usual. It was a cold morning, but I felt very warm inside. The morning was spent getting ready for a class presentation/discussion. At about 12, I took the train to ShaTin to meet dearie. Our time was so well coordinated that we didn't even need to wait for each other. The sight of her walking towards me made my spirit go over the moon. Her hug warmed my heart. We went to Maccha house for her favourite Matcha. It wasn't a super impressive meal. After that, we bought groceries and rushed back, slightly late for my lesson. The lesson soon ended. After borrowing a selfie stick from my good friend JiLong, we went back to my hall. There, I cooked dinner for her. The main course was steak, with mashed potato and cucumber.

Steak was a little too rare, but we both enjoyed it a lot. I was really pleased with how the steak turned out, really. The red wine was a great complement to the meal. After washing up, we made our way to GuangDong Hotel in Tsim Sha Tsui. She was really tired, so I made her lie on the bed and close her eyes while I set up the place to her surprise.

12 November 2016, Clear, Mongkok

Preparations were complete after the clock struck twelve. When she opened her eyes, she saw her birthday cake from Lady M. I sang her happy birthday very slowly, so that she can observe the candles, which actually spelled 'HAPPY'. She then made a birthday wish before blowing the candles. We decided to eat the cake the next morning for breakfast. Hence we turned in for the night. It was her birthday! I intended to bring her to Ocean Park to play, but since she was really tired, we slept all the way till nine. Breakfast was at a local restaurant. Actually, it was brunch already haha. There, we decided to change our plans and visit Ocean Park tomorrow. After lunch, we went back to the hotel and rested more. In the afternoon, we went to Jordan for milk dessert at The Australian Dairy Company. Since it was too rushed, we didn't enjoy it to the fullest. We then went to Mongkok to shop for sneakers, but to no avail. However, she found a very cute fashion shop away from all the crowd. There, she bought a nice shirt for herself. Dinner was at Dim Sum icon.

It was expensive, but highly interesting and entertaining. The dim sums have printed pictures on them, which made them very cute and entertaining. ZhuEn took videos of me making crayon ShinChan 'pee' and 'have diarrhoea'. After dinner, we went back to the hotel to rest early for the next day.

13 November 2016, Clear, Ocean Park

We woke up early and ate breakfast at the local Kam Wah cafe. We shared tables. The uncle sitting opposite us explained to us some of the items in the menu, and we were very grateful. At the same time, since we took too long to choose, we got scolded by the waiter. Haha, this is all so Hong Kong. Nice and 'not so nice' people living together harmoniously. The Polo bun is really amazing! Must try! We asked for a paper bag to take away some bread and egg tart, but got scolded again because she didn't understand our Mandarin Chinese. However, it didn't affect us as we just laughed it off. We reached Ocean Park at about 10:30 AM, a good timing indeed. We started our day exploration by visiting the Marine Exhibition.

It was actually pretty amazing because it is a theme park that also showcase exhibitions aiming to raise awareness for climate change. I am very impressed and touched at the same time. After that, we visited the Panda's den. We saw live Pandas, for the very first time in our lives. They're really cute indeed. We also visited a small aquarium where they housed very expensive koi. ZhuEn printed a commemorative coin here. After all the calm stuff, it is finally time for some theme park excitement! We took the 'submarine' up the mountain to the theme park area. We started with a ride that just goes round and round with increasing speed. Bad choice as it made us both very giddy haha. Next, we went to take the polar express ride, which was just fast. We also went into the North and South Pole experience, where we saw penguins, walrus, arctic foxes and more. At this point, we both had a headache and was getting tired. It was most likely due to weather and wrong choice of clothes. In one of the souvenir shops nearby, I bought a cute T-shirt for her. We sat down for a small lunch before resuming our rides. We bought the korean grilled squid and took a ride on a slow rotating gallery to go up and look at the beautiful scenery of the surroundings. We then walked for a bit and went down a long escalator to take the mine cart roller coaster. This one was really scary as there was a lot of acceleration felt. ZhuEn kept shouting for her mum and I was so worried that she was scared out of her wits. Truth is, she was really enjoying herself. After that, we went for a long queue for a river rush boat ride, wasn't worth the queue as there was only one part where it falls. We then slowly ascended the hill again, towards the ferris wheel. We took the ferris wheel during sunset.

It was such an amazing sight, we just lost ourselves in the orange glow of the sun and the surroundings. After that, we bought some fries and coke and sat down for a small break. Here, we decided that we need to try the scary roller coaster ride that goes 360 degrees, if not we might regret it. Gathering all her courage, we both went for it. Turns out it was less scary than it looks. We really enjoyed the ride, and can say that we have been to Ocean Park with no regrets! Seeing her smiling face, everything was worth it. After this, we went for the last ride of the day, a very long cable car ride down the mountain. After queuing for one hour, it was finally our turn. Some parts of the journey was actually very dark, but we still enjoyed the ride down. We found our way to the exit of Ocean Park and made our way to Kam's Roast Goose 1 Michelin Star restaurant for dinner. Alas, they ran out of goose! In the end, we went opposite the road for dim sums. The lady waiter in the stall was exceptionally friendly to us. On top of that, the dim sums are quite good as well. Really an enjoyable dinner.

14 November 2016, Clear, ShaTin > University

We woke up in the morning and had instant noodles for breakfast. We also got semi-addicted to the Taiwanese brand drink CunCuiHe. The earl grey milk tea is really fragrant. We then packed up and left the hotel for ShaTin. At ShaTin, we went to Yata Mall's food court for her favourite Fried Sotong and my favourite Cheese Baked Rice. Yummy stuff. We then made our way to my university so that I can prepare for my group presentation. ZhuEn travelled alone to TianRenHeYi because it was a really beautiful day and she didn't want to miss out.

At the same time, I was giving my group presentation, which went smoothly, but dragged because many good questions were asked. When it finally ended, I rushed out of the conference room and brought her to the airport, stopping by 7eleven to buy bread and biscuits for dinner as we travelled. It was sad because we could not have a proper dinner together before she flies back to Singapore. The whole process of sending her back was painful. I will never forget this feeling of departure. Till the next time I meet you, my dearie. It isn't so far away.

Hong Kong

After moving to Hong Kong on 1st of August, ZhuEn is finally coming over to see me. This is also our second trip together as a couple. Since I was no stranger to Hong Kong, much of the planning was done by me. I am happy to fill the role as a good boyfriend to take her around Hong Kong, not as a tourist, but as a local enjoying a relaxed extended weekend.

24 September 2016, Sunny, Mongkok > Victoria Harbour

Her flight lands at 10:05, I was very excited to meet her again after so long, and I arrived at the airport at 9:30 to wait for her, with sushi that I made myself. Not long later, I found her walking towards me with a very very wide smile on her face. It was a magical moment when I felt her in my arms again. We cuddled for a while before I got her to sit down, took out the sushi and ate together. After finishing, we took the bus to Mongkok. There we went to Yahataya Japanese restaurant. She had something like a Chirashi don while I have saba fish. It was a very awesome meal together since it has been a while since we ate a meal together. After that, we checked into the guesthouse. We found the place to have a super strong Hong Kong flavour. We even needed to open the door to the lift! It was indeed a very interesting experience. After putting our luggage down, we made our way to SGI Hong Kong. There, we looked at the Environmental Conservation Exhibition, led by Andy, a member of SGI HK. I find it really pleasant that such exhibitions are held, and I really recommend people to attend it. It was not just about environmental conservation. It was also about empowering every individual. After that, we went to Lo Dim to have a dim sum feast. The dim sums here are improvised and unique. I really like the taste and enjoyed the food! After dinner, we walked the Ladies Night Market.

It wasn't very enjoyable, but we bought a Snoopy microblock set. We continued the walk towards the south, reaching Victoria harbour, and harbour city. ZhuEn was totally impressed by the night city skyline of Hong Kong. It really was impressive because it was a clear night. At Harbour City Shopping Mall, I showed her the Totoro shop. She really really loved it. We also spent some time looking around for the Onisuka Tiger shop, but to no avail. After that, we got so tired, we went back to the guesthouse and rested for the night.

25th September 2016, Sunny, Tsim Sha Tsui > Sheung Wan

We made our own breakfast in bed, which is instant noodles. After a lazy morning, we decided to go to a nearby noodle shop for lunch. Sun Kee Cheese noodles. ZhuEn had good eyes, because I was walking around a building trying to find the noodle shop, but she was the one who found the signboard that tells us to go inside. Both of us agreed that the noodle was only average and it it was just a hype that had died down. They sell roasted pork cheek though, which was super awesome. Not letting that dampen our spirits, we walked to K11 mall to shop for Onisuka Tiger sneakers. After spending some time there, we did not manage to buy the shoes because of the limited female version of the shoes. In order to boost our morale, we went down to try the yoghurt ice cream that we saw along the way. It really helped a lot! It was expensive, but tasty. After that, we went to the harbour to take the Star Ferry to Hong Kong Island. We made a stop at the clock tower in the day.

I really like this shot. Unique perspective. We didn't need to wait because the the ferries leave frequently. It was an enjoyable trip. On Hong Kong island, we took a little detour at The Central station to take a few more shots of the CBD area of Hong Kong. After that, we arrived at Sheung Wan. The chic combination of the old and the new was appealing. ZhuEn was particularly interested in the trams. We made our way to Sinmei Tea, where we got the sizzling matcha tea, something that she had her eyes on long since before we got together. However to our disappointment, we took too long to ready our camera and there was no sizzling when we poured the matcha over the hot stove. I was also disappointed with my choice of tea. The saving grace was the fat cat, whose only job was to roam around the tea house and let everyone touch her. She was really cute. After that, we went to Dim Sum Square nearby for more dim sums. The dim sums here were more traditional. It was more mainstream, but were still super yummy nonetheless. We over-ordered, so we took back the lotus leaf rice. After dinner, we had a short walk nearby to soak ourselves in the old British architecture. She commented that trams always comes with a brick building. Sure enough, we went inside one of them to find very interesting shops and dessert houses.

Old British feels indeed. After that, we went back early. We stopped by a GuiLingGao shop for a herbal recharge. In the guesthouse, we decided to fix the nanoblock Snoopy that we bought yesterday. It was really an enjoyable time spent. Very good quality time.

26 September 2016, Cloudy, The Chinese University of Hong Kong

After having breakfast in bed again, we packed up and left for my university, stopping by ShaTin for groceries. We went to my room first to put down our things. I introduced her to my room. It was a very emotional moment for her, because she is finally seeing how I have been living for the past month. I then began to cook lunch for her. She hid in my room while I cook. Although it was just simple fried rice and perfect sunny side up, she really appreciated it a lot a lot. It made me really touched, and I believe that we can go through thick and thin together. After the meal, I made fruit yogurt for her. When I went back to my room, I got a really pleasant surprise! She actually pasted many little stickers in my room, and I really like them! Next, I brought her to the piano room, and played 'Always with Me' for her. She really enjoyed it a lot, and was really impressed. I specially dedicate it to her because I want her to always be with me. After that, I brought her up to my office, and then further up to a special place in CUHK.

This place is known as TianRenHeYi. A super beautiful corner constructed on top of a building. The willow tree and the still reflecting water makes this place the most poetic and dreamy place in the school. I played around with the picture to make a painting of sorts. After that, we went to the top level of Mong Man Wai building for that very special corridor. She had a brilliant idea for a video here, and I really can't want to see how it turn out. We then went to New Asia canteen for a Red Bean Ice drink. We then head back to my room to pack her things. We took the train to ShaTin and then the bus back to the airport. At the airport, we enjoyed our last moments together by eating bread and instant noodles for dinner. I kept telling her to look into the future, at the long term. I sent her all the way to the gate and watched as she entered the gates at the departure hall. Mixed feelings. Till the next time we meet...

Malacca, Malaysia

This was our very first trip together. It was planned by both of us together. I really appreciate all that ZhuEn has done, packing, driving around, booking the Nyonya restaurant, and of course, her local expertise. Special mention also to her mum, who packed water for us and lent us her car. Malacca city is littered with UNESCO heritage sites, and you can find evidences of its former glory in every little corner as you explore the city.

24 July 2016, Sunny, Chaah > Malacca

We set off from ZhuEn's house at about 9. She drove me all the way to Malacca. The road trip there was quite amazing: snaking roads in between lovely hills, a sight that you can't find in Singapore, a sight that I really miss. Upon reaching Malacca, we went straight to our first stop: Amy's Nyonya restaurant. We ordered assam fish, coconut milk veggies and otak. I like the way they serve the rice in a traditional nonya basket, very lovely. We had an excellent meal, despite the otak that turned out different from what we expected. Next, we visited A'Famosa fort, one of the heritage sites. Here, ZhuEn mentioned that the old walls make a very nice background for a portrait, hence I took a picture for her. We took many many pictures as we walked around the place. We slowly made the ascend up the hill to find St. Paul's church.

At the top of the hill, we found an amazing view of Malacca city. I took a picture of her eyes (yes, it is possible) because when I stare deep into them, I could see the reflection of everything around her. Simply lovely. After climbing down, ZhuEn convinced me to try to have a ride on the trishaw. I was amazed by how nice it feels to be in a trishaw! We just sat there and feel the wind in our face as we were taken around Malacca to visit the iconic landmarks, which include the water wheel and the first Portuguese ship. The trishaw took us to the shopping mall called Dataran Pahlawan. There, we ordered root beer float from A&W, a classic that every Singaporean will buy whenever they visit neighbouring countries. After that, ZhuEn drove me to the hotel, Bayview Hotel. The hotel looks old on the outside, but the inside is very posh. The room that we stayed in has been recently refurbished, and we really like the room a lot! We took a quick shower, rested for a bit, and set off for Pantai Klebang. There, we tried the famous coconut milkshake. It was extremely refreshing. They blend till the coconut flesh become bits, and together with a vanilla ice cream on top, a refreshingly satisfying drink was made. We then headed to the beach. This was the famous beach that looks like a desert. Admittedly, pictures can be deceiving. The beach only looks like a desert from certain angles, but largely, it looks like a beach with very white sand.

We also visited a nearby bustel, a hipster accommodation made by converting the interior of old buses into livable rooms. We spent the evening strolling along the beach and taking pictures together. It was really a lovely beach walk. ZhuEn then drove me to Jonker Walk. There, we had our dinner at Bistro Year 1673. The ambiance here was really romantic. The lights were dim and there was music playing in the background, a perfect setting for a lovely dinner. The asian food here isn't as good as the western, however. After the amazing dinner, we started our exploration of the Jonker Street night market. The night market was just average. We discovered some interesting shops. Finally, we tired ourselves out walking around and went back to our hotel to rest.

25 July 2016, Cloudy, Malacca > Chaah

We spent the morning visiting the pool in the hotel. The pool reminds me of Batam, it wasn't exactly clean. However, we had a fun time. I was teaching ZhuEn the free style. We really enjoyed ourselves in the pool. For lunch, we went back to Jonker walk. We ate chicken rice balls, but it wasn't the one that all the tourists were queuing for. A few shops before the famous SanShuGong, there is a shop called HeJi chicken rice balls. Here, we had very nice chicken. After lunch, we began our small city exploration!

One of the things that ZhuEn likes is to visit all the small shops along Jonker walk. Bringing her around, I can feel how happy she is. We stopped at places whenever I wanted to take a picture. She would also pull me into shops that she find interesting. We also compared prices to see if things were really worth buying. Our first cafe stop was at Calanthe Art cafe. The interior of the cafe has very interesting designs, however, the coffee failed to impress. I liked the coffee and japanese green tea blend that ZhuEn ordered though. After walking on for a bit more, we also found a local snack shop that sells local products, ran by an old lady. We went in for the chendol. The chendol in Malacca is excellent because the Gula Melaka used here is 100% pure and not sweetened with sugar. We ordered one serving of chendol and we shared with each other. The Gula Melaka is so fragrant, it is really amazing. We also bought a few types of snacks all thanks to the hard selling technique of the aunty here. Ps: The pineapple tarts here are bad although she kept saying they are nicer than the ones in Taiwan. After walking around for a bit, we visited The Daily Fix cafe. Both the atmosphere and the coffee here is nice! I was telling ZhuEn how you can already tell the quality of the cafe by taking a breath when you enter the cafe. The smell of roasting beans greeted us here at The Daily Fix.

ZhuEn really liked the affogato that I chose for her, and she really like coffee now. We really enjoyed ourselves in this cafe, soaking in the moment and enjoying the traditional old setting of the place. Plenty of caffeine kept ZhuEn awake as she drove us back to Labis, then to Chaah while the sun set, making the drive a relaxing night drive and ending our beautiful first trip.

Our Second Date

10 July 2016, Sunny, Marina Bay Sands

The day was started by ZhuEn going for her soka meeting and me going to my grandparents', both located around the same vicinity. After her meeting, her aunt fetched her over to my grandparents' and I met her at the void deck. We greeted each other with our arms. Coincidentally, we were wearing the same shirt and dress as the day we went to eat at Kiseki months ago before we became an item. Small things like these reminds us that our fate is cheering us on. I brought her up and introduced her to my aunt and my grandfather. We sat and talked for a bit, then we went down to the round market to have our lunch, where we met my grandmother. My aunt treated us Bualonglong juice. A light-hearted and enjoyable lunch despite the heat of the noon. After lunch, we bid farewell to my relatives and we went to Tampines One to check out the couple lab. There, we KIV'ed a couple keychain. I personally like that keychain a lot. We then made our way to Marina Bay Sands, Gardens by the Bay. This time, we came equipped with sun protection and umbrella.

Our tour of the gardens started with us walking on the boardwalk over the water. I whipped out the umbrella as it was really sunny. Here, we took pictures of the bench, the lake, and our unforgettable shadow shot. Since it was really hot, we did not waste time. Took some pictures and went for shelter. Soon, we were walking in the air conditioned cloud forest. Here, we were greeted by an amazingly tall waterfall. Here, I taught her how to take a waterfall shot. It turns out that her waterfall picture is better than mine! This was her shot, unedited.

She sure has talent for photography as well. We really took or time here, exploring the place and making turns that other people did not. I really enjoyed the cheerful company of hers. We took a lot of pictures here while walking around the route. Time flew quickly while we were having fun and we didn't realize it was already four. We schemed quickly through the climate change part because we want to make time for the flower dome. We went outside for a short rest. Gave her some neck massage to perk her up a little. At the flower dome, we first walked to the cactuses, then to the different gardens of the world. Today was Lilytopia, so there were a lot of different coloured lilies on display. I find the white lilies the most beautiful. White represents purity. We walked around and took many macro pictures. I must say, ZhuEn is pretty good with my camera! This is my favourite picture today, taken using timer, as usual.

As we walked, our stomachs grumbled. We still wanted to walk around the free gardens, and so we did. Took a few more beautiful shots of the outdoor garden and Marina Bay Sands. At the lake, we took a picture of us walking on water. We finally arrived at Marina Bay Sands shoppes. We went down to TWG for fine dining. We ordered Barramundi and Black cod, both of which tasted simply amazing. It was really really awesome. The flavour leaves a lasting impression on the palate, and the mixture of the ingredients used goes very well with each other. We had sweet moments feeding each other fish. I love the food, but I love the company of the beautiful girl even more. We however, did not know how to enjoy the tea. The food here inspired us to infuse tea into our cooking, and also motivated me to become even better in cooking. I really wish to achieve their standard, but one step at a time. I need a kitchen.

After dinner, I brought her up to the ground level. We walked past the light and water show, towards the rows of trees, to the viewing gallery in the vicinity of the Arts Science Museum. Here, we soaked ourselves in Singapore's quiet and peaceful night scenery. Every magical moment here was treasured and will be remembered.

It was getting late and I had to send her home. When we reached Bishan, we went up the overhead bridge and relived the moment ten days ago. I spent almost the entire day with her, but yet I still want more of her company. Time and time again, I remind myself how lucky I am to have met her, how strong our fate is intertwined together. I wish these moments last forever...

Our First Date

2 July 2016, Overcast > Sunny, East Coast Park

It was an overcast morning, but my mood was not dull. In the morning, I was so excited that I woke up early in the morning. We met at Bedok MRT station. I was early, so I went around to hunt for flowers. It is a first date after all, so I want it to be memorable. After looking around, I decided I shall save the money for a better use. When ZhuEn arrived, we went to the Yakun at Bedok Mall for a simple traditional breakfast. I ate my favourite half boiled eggs. We then took a bus to my Junior College. We glanced into VJC, because entrance was no longer permitted. I shared with ZhuEn how I always walked to school, just like how she shared with me when I was in Chaah. We then entered East Coast Park after that. I took her to the beach for a walk by the beach first. I was enjoying every single second of it. I have been dreaming of beach walks with a loved one. We finally decided to go to the rental. We cycled all the way from the bike shop to my secondary school. There, I described again how I used to go to school, and imagined how it is like, when we're both at that age, we were attending secondary school, though at a different school. After the short detour, we resumed our journey to Marina Barrage. We created a really loving scene when we cycled near to each other and held hands while moving on two wheels. I really couldn't have enough of that, though it was slightly dangerous. The sun slowly peeked out of the clouds as afternoon passes. We are getting a lot of sun, but at those moments, nothing seemed to matter. We took many selfies and pictures along the way to Marina Barrage. When we reached, we took a long rest. There, I learnt about the history of her black watch when I took a picture of us holding hands. I also taught her the pose for a beautiful picture. I love that picture I took of her. After a few more pictures and a good rest, we drank up and began our journey back, where we took my favourite picture, a bench shot.

At this point, the sun is becoming really hot. I was worried about sun exposure, but we had to ride back, and we couldn't ride that fast. As a result, we still got pretty sunburnt. Note to self: we need sun protection next time we want to go under the sun. We finally reached the place to return our bikes. I suggested to walk to the hawker centre nearby. I THOUGHT it was nearby, in the end, I think we walked for about 45 minutes. Though we were having very nice conversations, it bothered me that I had to make her walk for so long, even after a long cycle, and be exposed to more sun. Thankfully, she was a kampong girl, and she really didn't mind at all. We finally found the hawker, and I bought a large cup of sugar cane, each. We then sat at the hawker and continued our long conversations. Spending time with each other really never made me sick of her. Time passes fast when we're having fun. I realized I need to go back. Before we left the place, we walked to the wavebreaker to remove a bad memory. After a long moment of consideration, she allowed me to help her, to throw the black watch away, to throw it into the sea, ridding herself of good and bad memories. With all my might, I threw it in the direction of the water. We watched it fly and enter the water, disappearing from sight. I held her hand tightly. She told me I am the one... This moment reinforced my notion that my decision is correct, now and forever. She accompanied me to go back to Pasir Ris. That was when a whole strange of unfortunate (or fortunate) change of plans happened, allowing us to spend a whole lot of time together, taking buses back to Pasir Ris, and then to Bishan, while keep changing bus services. Originally, ZhuEn needed to go Boon Keng, and I needed to go Serangoon, but in the end, it was me who needed to go to Boon Keng, and she needed to go back home. It was strange, and we kept laughing at our fate. The bus rides just allowed us to spend more quality time with each other. In the end, I bid her farewell when Bus 88 reached her home. I kissed her hands goodbye.

As I was going home today, I received a text invitation for dinner. I immediately agreed to go, but she seemed to withdraw the offer. I was pretty adamant to go, and had actually stepped out of the train to go to the opposite platform to take the train back to the city. The sisters have invited me to eat Chir Chir Chicken fusion at 313 Somerset. Since I went there early, I can queue for the sisters. We ordered two different flavours of chicken and two different drinks. The sisters seemed to like the garlic flavour a lot more. I really did want to treat all the sisters, but since she insisted that I should not treat, I became unsure. At the end of the meal, I took the receipt, and looked at the sister's reaction. They were reacting and asking their elder sister to quickly go pay, and were awkward. I guess it was right to let her pay so that the rest of the sisters won't be too awkward. Again, I insisted on sending her home. She told me to go take train, but I really wanted to send her home. While walking to the bus stop, she told me she had a gift for me, and also, a reply for my question yesterday. Feeling super nervous, I opened the letter containing her reply. I held my breath and flipped open. There was a large YES! printed on the paper, in a handwriting so beautiful, so familiar. Happiness filled me in overwhelming amounts. There was a large crowd at the bus stop, but I didn't care, and flung my arms around her. Time seemed to stop as we enjoyed that moment. It really was fate that I got to know her. After I released, I held her hand for the rest of the journey home. On the way back to my home, I couldn't resist and opened her present for me. It was a cup, a gift of a cup that carries a strong meaning. Thinking back, she really planned everything very well, and understands me very well. From today onwards, I will not address her as 'she' or 'her' in my blog. She has a beautiful name for her beautiful personality. Her name is Chan Zhu En.

Chaah, Malaysia, a Home Visit

This trip was decided in the spurt of the moment, when I gave a comment on how I wanted to go home with a special friend. Permissions were then granted from both sides quickly and off I go! Special thanks to her and her family for making this entire trip possible, and helping with the extra housework when I was there. It was indeed a memorable trip. A heartwarming trip full of strong feelings and emotions. Memories were shared and shall be kept with us forever.

26 June 2016, Sunny, Singapore > Chaah

Spent the morning at home listening to my brother and parents helping me decide how to go over to Malaysia. After packing my bag, I embarked on the long journey towards her home. I listened to my brother's advise and took the train over the causeway, then followed her instructions to find the bus that will take me to Larkin Bus Terminal. Special thanks to her detailed instructions and her attentiveness on the phone that allowed me to find the correct way to Larkin, then to Chaah. At Larkin, I had to wait for an hour before the earliest bus leaves for Segamat (passing Chaah), so I went into MacDonald's and bought an interesting flavour of sundae. It didn't fail to impress. Larkin bus terminal was a messy and noisy place, but my adventurous spirit was active and I enjoyed the trip to and away from there. Finally, I got up the correct Malaysia coach. One look inside the coach and was reminded how the coaches here are always super comfortable and spacious. It was exactly like how it always was in the past when me and my family sat in one to go to Genting. After a 2 hour ride (was too excited to fall asleep), I finally reached Chaah. Chaah is a small town of Malaysia in Johor. It is not very well developed, the population is quite low and it is smaller than Pasir Ris. It however has a very quaint and peaceful feeling to it. She drove out with a manual car to fetch me. It was a happy moment when I saw her. When we reached her house, I met her parents for the very first time. It was a bit awkward as I was quite shy, but slowly, I began to have a normal chat with her mother. My friend showed me around the house and I slowly began to feel at home. I was allowed to sleep on the second floor, something like an attic. In the evening, her father drove the entire family to the only hawker centre in Chaah for a nice complete dinner of pig stomach, vegetables and fish, all for a very economical price. We then drove around town a bit so that I could know the town a little better, before returning to her home. Before I slept, she came up to the attic, which caught me a little by surprise. We had our very first pillow talk, and I enjoyed every second of it.

27 June 2016, Sunny, Chaah

Today was a day of cooking. After eating breakfast brought back by her father, I began first to make cheese baked rice for lunch. Together with my wonderful assistant (who to my delight, was a super great help), I made the fried rice and the two different coloured sauces with much less difficulty than when I did it alone in Australia. The bechamel sauce failed once, but the second time was the charm. It was a semi-success. I was really rusty with my cooking skills, but thanks to my assistant, we managed to make pretty good dishes of baked rice, which I think the pictures impressed her sisters. After lunch and a short nap, I began to put my family's secret recipe on the line, because I was going to make our chicken rice! I let my assistant sleep a while more and I began on the chicken rice. Using pandan from the backyard and ingredients her mother bought yesterday, we started on the chicken rice. After spending the entire afternoon in the kitchen, we successfully cooked everything, the chicken soup, the black sauce, the chilli and of course, the rice. To me, it was a major success because I replicated the taste of the chilli and the black sauce exactly like how my aunt made it. The only drawback was that there was not enough pandan flavour, but that is totally fine. Her youngest sister returned with two of her friends for dinner with the family. Combined with her mother's vegetables and pig stomach soup, we had a super awesome (and very full) dinner!

We then watched the last episode of the drama that she have been watching the past few weeks. I watched while having the baby by my side. Her father went out and bought satay for all of us, an action full of fatherly love. At night before I slept, she came up to the attic again and we had a really really long pillow talk, until we forgot the time.

28 June 2016, Sunny, Chaah > Bekok > Chaah

It was only until about 1:30 AM in the night before we realized we need to sleep. Due to the fatigue, I slept in until 9 plus. When I went down, her family and friends were already busy preparing LeiCha. Breakfast was buns bought by her father. It was just a lazy morning spent doing almost nothing. I learnt how to bathe the baby from her. Don't know why, but I still cannot forget her two word instruction when I was sitting in front of the baby while I stared at her. I got the fortune to try her mother's famous LeiCha. It tasted very different from how I expected it to taste, but it was really yummy and healthy. It is a hakka dish consists of many different vegetables chopped into small pieces, and topped with the special LeiCha sauce. It does not taste like tea, but I cannot really describe the taste either. I just like it a lot. In the afternoon, we drove around a bit for graduation pictures for her. Places we visited include her childhood village clinic, a small town called Bekok, and the waterfall. Her youngest sister drove us around. The name of the waterfall place is Hutan Lipur Sungai Bantang Bekok.

Okay, it isn't exactly a waterfall, but more like small rapids, where people can listen to the peaceful sounds of water flowing over rocks and falling slightly, and play inside the water. We took an extremely dangerous graduation picture where she was standing on a large rock surrounded by fast flowing water! However, that few pictures didn't turn out that well. After the pictures, we then threw off our slippers, and went into the water! Being super cheeky, I distracted the sisters with a comment about the surroundings, then took the chance to splash them first when they were not looking at me. Mischievous me hahaha. Then the water barrage came. I lost because it was two against one and I had no extra protection (I lost my glasses after ReLeX Smile!). The water greeted out skin very well. We had a super extremely soothing and relaxing time soaking ourselves in the mountain water. We moved around the place, trying to find a comfortable spot. I just love nature. Even her sister, who was a little more reluctant, began to enjoy the mountain water. I was also extremely happy to see how playful she is, and how much she loves nature. When we had enough, we just changed clothes and went back home to bathe. At night, I helped to bathe the baby. I tried my best to be as gentle, but yet firm and protective as I could. We rode a motorcycle out to buy ice cream before I began to make caramel. She was so impressed with the caramel (and I have got my past to thank for this). At night, we did our pillow talk as usual, and I fell asleep immediately after that, due to the combined fatigue of travelling and playing.

29 June 2016, Sunny, Chaah

We basically did nothing today, but also did so many things today. A simple text message sent in the wee hours of 00:53 changed everything. I only read it in the morning, and I knew she saw that I saw it. Shortly after, she brought the little baby up to the attic. We just lied there, and admittedly, I have no idea what to do. Many things were going right through my mind although the attic was quiet. I just played with the baby a little, who was in between us. After a while, she brought the baby down. Looking at her go down, I realized something. It could be a combination of everything, I am not sure, but at that moment, I made up my decision. A life decision.

I went down the attic. Entering the kitchen, I helped to make Yong Tau Foo pieces. With guidance, I made pumpkin sago dessert. The atmosphere was a little tense between me and her. No matter how I try to tell myself it is going to be alright, it won't. With my own empathy, I can tell that she is troubled, and the longer I drag, the more horrible she will feel...

While we were seated on the sofa while I attempted to take a nap (of course I can't), she sat beside me. She asked me if I saw the message. Gathering all my courage, I confessed my feelings. She immediately smiled. It was then, I know my decision is not wrong.The awkwardness went away quickly. Shortly after, we went out for a second round of graduation picture taking, this time just nearby her house within Chaah. We went to the swing, and her secondary school. I told her to do jump shots and pictures of her throwing her square hat. Shortly after, we returned home and went for a ride on the motorcycle to drive around the village. She was my pillion on the bike. Although the bike was old and could only go till about 30 km/h, we enjoyed it a lot. We rode to a small playground to play the swing. She must have a lot of childhood memories here. There, I held her hand for the very first time. I could feel my heart race as I grabbed her hand. It was a moment that I will never ever forget.

We then rode back, this time with her hugging me from the back (I told her to). It was sweet how she can just speak normally and I can hear her giving me instructions where to turn to go back. At night, we had our usual pillow talk again. We just lied on the bed and kept looking at each other. While gazing into her eyes, I saw there was a lot of things going through her mind, but I don't know how to reassure her that everything will be alright. The occassional smile did not hide the troubles that is bugging her. After she left the room, I know that she is still extremely troubled. Later, I found her still reading a book in the living room, and consulting her mother. I really want to help to reassure her, but I just didn't know how.

30 July 2016, Chaah > Yong Peng > Johor Bahru > Singapore

Today was actually a leave that was extended. I was fortunate and thankful to be able to extend the leave while applying while overseas. I woke up early to wait for her so that we can start making breakfast, which is dumplings and siew mai. We took quite a while, and it did not turn out like how I wanted it to... but her family ate them anyway. I helped to clean up the place a bit. We set off out at about 2 PM. One thing I noticed was the large amount of baby items on board. Moving around with a baby sure isn't easy, but she fell asleep so easily while inside the car (Science: A lower oxygen concentration induces drowsiness). A short drive by her sister brought us to Yong Peng. There, we ate a famous fishball noodle and bought some local snacks for my mother before continuing the trip down to Johor Bahru to find her other sisters who are living at her aunt's place. At her aunt's place, all four of them sisters were reunited. It was a very family scene. All the sisters were very close with each other and they do not hide their personalities at all. We just rested for a while and had some fruit. After the short break, we decided to go to EcoSpring, a condominium project that aims to create a high standard living community in Johor Bahru. We were after pictures for her graduation. We drove there, but to our disappointment, the guard did not allow us in because the weather is bad and they are closing. What luck, what pity. We then drove back a little to find Palladium Cafe. The surroundings of this place is simply a charm.

We then decided to have Japanese food for dinner. The sisters then brought us to Warakuya Japanese Restaurant. The food here was super awesome. I tried the salmon don, and the salmon was super good! After the meal, it was time to go home. I was glad that she chose to go back to Singapore. This allowed me to do many things. Her sisters are really kind to send us back to the customs. Before we crossed it however, we went into City Square mall so that I can buy something for her. We then crossed the border together and I insisted on sending back to her home in Bishan. There was a lot of awkward tension on the way home as I tried to find a topic to chat with her. She says she is troubled, which made me nervous and question myself. Finally, at the bus stop near the void deck of her Singapore house, I took out my gift for her, showed it to her, and asked her. I was filled with strong emotions as I asked, and I actually teared a little. She did not give me the answer straight, but requested for more time to consider. I granted her that because I am willing to wait. She offered to wait for the bus with me, so I held her hand and crossed the overhead bridge. In the middle of the overhead bridge in the white box, I hugged her, really really tightly. For me, it was a magical moment. Feeling her in my arms, all my instincts tell me that she is the one, and I need to protect her. The bus finally came (which I half hoped it didn't come). I waved goodbye in the bus, and the bus took me home.

Taiwan

After planning for a family trip with my parents for so long, we finally managed to find a time when all four of us are free, and it happened in Taiwan! Special thanks to my father for taking leave to fly back, and my brother who was the main planner and coordinator for this trip! Taiwan is the perfect blend of natural sceneries, urban and traditional architecture, and delicious food! It also doesn't lack couple spots, for couples who are interested in travelling Taiwan together.

25 May 2016, Cloudy, Singapore

After coming back from work, my brother and I did some final edits to the itinerary, and then we left home for the airport. We ate burger king for supper before boarding. My mum seems to be really hungry! We were pretty early, so we did a lot of window shopping hehe. Flight got delayed, ah, what's new.

26 May 2016, Cloudy and rain, Taipei City

We arrived at TaoYuan airport in the morning hours. We cleared the customs and went to terminal 2 via skytrain, where the phone shop opens earlier at 7. I tried some bottled milk tea bought from a 7-11. It was extremely sweet haha, but nevertheless nice. We then took bus 1819 and left the airport. The bus ride there provided the first urban impression of Taiwan. The highways are built high above ground, such that they are literally high ways, very impressive. Upon arriving at Taipei Main Station, I had my second awe. The train station is really huge! It is the interchange station for the high speed rail and the city metro. We had to walk for 5 minutes in the train station before actually reaching the boarding place for the metro. We took a ride to XiMen, where we had our breakfast. I had LuRouFan. It is really soft and fragrant. The rice that they use are the short grained pearl rice, and they serve wasabi with soy sauce. This is noteworthy: Japanese influence! We topped up our breakfast with AhZong MianXian. I bought my first real milk tea here, but it was a disappointment! (Ps: It is called Pen Land, probably not a good idea to buy from them.) We explored the area for a bit before checking into our BnB. After throwing down our main luggage, we made our way to LongShanSi, a very traditional Chinese temple. Nothing much to see here, to be honest, just here for a picture or two. Next, we went to ChiangKaiShek Memorial Hall. This place really should be visited. The scale of everything here is just crazy! The area is so insanely huge! 

You'll never find a place at this scale in Singapore! The traditional Chinese architecture is simply classy and beautiful. Our next destination is Taipei 101. After eating a light lunch in the food court, we went up to the viewing gallery at the top. The view is magnificent, but since the air is not exactly clean and we are looking through the glass, the pictures did not turn out to be impressive. Nevertheless, it is still pretty good to see all of Taipei by walking round the viewing gallery. Something interesting to note is that this tall tower has a large circular damper somewhere near the top of the tower, open to public for viewing. When the tower is hit by strong winds, the damper serves to reduce the shake experienced at the top of the tower. Engineering at its finest! It rained at this point, and we had to cancel our Elephant Mountain hiking trip. We simply rested at the food court since our legs are already very tired at this point. Next, we went to Q-square and the underground shopping street. Q-square is just like another mall in Singapore, but the underground street is very interesting. It is really really long. Imagine Orchard road, but underground, away from the sun (in summer) and the cold (in winter). An underground shopping street is really a good idea. Singapore should have more places like Citylink. After my brother added some Tomica cars to his collection, we exited the shopping street and hitched a ride on a taxi to NingXia night market. This is also our very first Taiwan night market experience.

The smell of the smelly tofu is quite a turn off. However, we still bought a lot of food from the night market! Our loot included Taiwan sausages, meat kebab, random sorts of kuehs, muah chee, thick fish soup, some oysters and fruits. We entered one of the shop there to sit down and enjoy all the food. After finishing the food, we bought even more food (glutton us, the food is too tempting not to try), and went back to our BnB to finish them up and rest for the night.

27 May 2016, Cloudy and rain, Taipei outskirts

We booked a taxi to travel around the outskirts of Taipei today. It was simply awesome and totally worth it! After eating a simple western breakfast at XiMen, we went to meet up with the taxi driver. Our first destination is YeLiu. We made a few stops as recommended by the taxi driver. One of them is the large rock near YeLiu, and looks like a turtle. We climbed to the top for some daredevil pictures. After that, we went inside the Geopark. The rock formations here are very unique indeed. The combination of large alternating tides, strong typhoon winds, the salty waves and atmosphere created the most amazing landforms indeed! Not just the queen's rock, but the entire natural landscape here is beautiful! You can choose to walk all the way to the end of the cape for an awesome scenic lookout (and get some beautiful pictures), but we turned back because it was too hot in summer. You can find a cover photo worthy shot down here. We went to Keelong city for lunch. The driver recommended a seafood restaurant to us, which charges more reasonable prices. My dad chose a fresh fish, which made him very pleased since the freshness of the fish cannot be found easily now. After lunch, we drove down to ShiFen. Here, we visited the widest waterfall in Taiwan, ShiFen Waterfall. In Chinese language, ShiFen means ten marks, or 'very', so this waterfall has many many nicknames such as 10 mark waterfall or 'Very Waterfall'. Enough of the naming! This waterfall is extremely beautiful, amazing, awe-inspiring, and everything!

This is probably the first time I am able to see a large waterfall up close. Too bad we are not allowed to go into the water. Next on the bucket list in ShiFen is releasing sky lanterns. We made our way to the old street along railway tracks. It is so classic! For the sky lanterns, I wished for world peace, good health for my family, and a successful PhD (very standard stuff I think), though most Singaporeans will wish for $$$ by drawing a huge dollar sign. I wonder if the locals will draw a huge NTD, haha. After writing up our well wishes in Chinese, we got the staff to help us light the lantern and take pictures as we rotated the lantern so that all 4 sides are captured. It was a heart touching moment, as all our well wishes rise up and disappear into the sky. We then took more pictures of the train and the old street before going to the next destination: YinYangHai and JinGuaShi. YinYangHai was supposed to be beautiful, a beach where the golden waters (due to mineral deposits) mix into the blue sea. We only saw greyish blue waters. Not wasting time, we went to the Golden Waterfall. It was named because of the shiny mineral deposits on the rock, which will reflect the sunlight, creating a sparkling waterfall. However, it was not as impressive as 10 mark waterfall because there was too little water. JinGuaShi was not very impressive as well. We took a stroll around the area and tried the lunch box that the miners will eat during their work shifts. The lunch box is very Japanese, metal container wrapped in cloth, but the food inside is Chinese. Didn't touch the large rock of pure gold. Funny that nobody was worried people will steal it because it was simply too heavy to carry away. Our next destination is JiuFen Old Street, the place which inspired the setting of anime cartoon 'Spirited Away'. Our driver was very nice and he walked the streets with us, telling us about street and shop histories, and which are the stalls that we should go to. He recommended a dessert shop, where we sat for a while to eat hand made rice balls, very chewy and yummy! He also recommended a place where we should buy pineapple pastries because they make it and sell it on the spot. We tested it ourselves and it was true to its reputation. Price was a little expensive, but it was so good that even the locals buy it! (Unfortunately or fortunately, they don't add preservatives and the quality deteriorated quickly.) We saw the Ocarina shop. The owner was playing 'Always With Me', one of my favourite pieces. His hairstyle really looked like the dragon boy in the cartoon. As night fell, the red lanterns along the streets began to lit up one by one. We walked on until a familiar building came into sight.

AhMei ChaLou, the building which the bath house in the cartoon was drawn after! The building architecture totally stands out from the rest, and was truly beautiful with the iconic red lanterns of JiuFen! There was no suspension bridge and bath house in the area though. This is one place where I actually enjoyed the entire feel of the place despite it being crowded. With the many stuff we bought along the streets, we left JiuFen for Keelong night market in front of a temple. We had more of the night market street food. Rain made it a little difficult, but it didn't completely stop us. We sat down in front of a seafood shop and ordered crabs, oysters and sea urchin, which I was extremely excited to try. The butter crabs were pretty good, but the other seafood was not as fresh as we expected them to be. After buying more food for supper, we headed back to our BnB, bidded farewell to our excellent tour guide driver, put down our loot, and headed out to XiMenDing for another round of walking and shopping. Bought a few more snacks here despite being pretty full.

28 May 2016, Cloudy, Taipei (YangMingShan > DanShui)

Today was an exceptionally tiring and damaging day. After eating Taiwan instant noodles for breakfast, we set off to YangMingShan. We took public transport all the way there and began our light hearted bush walk along the nature trial. This is my style of travelling, and I enjoyed it. Unfortunately, the sun was already out and has caused a lot of skin damage to my family. The next destination is ZhuZiHu. We waited for the public bus at the bus stop. There was a LED display that claimed that the bus (small 8, small 9) will come in 25 mins. It was a long wait, but we decided that we can save money by taking that bus. When the timer slowly dropped to 5 min, it suddenly says that the service no longer operate! Most likely, this was caused by bad frequency combined with too many people wanting to board a small bus. Cursing our luck, we decided to get a taxi up instead. After waiting for so long, we were hoping to find something nice at ZhuZiHu, but it was actually a slight disappointment. It is a beautiful mountainous farming area nonetheless.

We just walked around to look at the natural mountainous scenery and bought some food from the shops. There is a section where people can pay to enter a place with LOTS of ball-shaped hydrangea. The flowers were really pretty, but there were too many people inside. My family didn't enter because we think it wasn't worth it. Many people, tourists and locals alike, came here to take their graduation and cosplay pictures, with the mountainous and flowery scene as backdrop. This place would be a lot better to appreciate if there was an orderly way to walk around, like a nature trail. Getting out of the place was another nightmare (crowd and bad bus frequency). We just called the previous taxi driver to fetch us to the nearest metro station, BeiTou. Since we skipped lunch, we needed some food, so I bought some cheap sushi at the metro station. The salmon sushi was pretty decent :). We then took the metro and went to DanShui. We went to the old street and settled for a late lunch, trying the two famous food there, the TieDan (iron egg) and the AhGei (arcade). To me, TieDan is just very extremely overcooked tea leaf egg and AhGei is just beancurd skin with more special filling. We then walked down the old street and bought some stuff, including the famous egg cake. We missed the park walk along the river side, and I regretted this because I think it would be a lovely walk. Slowly, we found ourselves at the pier, so we decided to buy tickets to take the ferry to fisherman's wharf. It was a good decision, other than the fact that the ferry ride there was like a mini roller coaster ride. The fisherman's wharf and Lovers' bridge is an excellent place to chill out. The entire pier is 2 storeys, with shops on the first and open air walkway on the second, connecting to the Lovers' bridge. We caught the sunset here. It was simply, beautifully amazing.

Our last destination of the day is the all famous ShiLin night market, the most famous and commercialized night market of Taipei. It sure lives up to its name! The food here is really nice and the entire street is very long, not to mention it having a basement section (which is a rather bad idea since all the oil fumes stay indoors). The air quality here is not good, and the entire atmosphere is loud, smoky, messy and fast paced. Nevertheless, we bought a lot of food and sat down at the basement, ordering coffin bread to go with the multitude of other yummy snacks we bought. I really like the fried milk cubes, and the coffin bread! The milk is frozen, then rolled over batter before frying. The coffin bread is thick fried bread with additional fillings, covered by a thin piece of bread cut from itself, making a... coffin. Really enjoyed the food here. After eating, we continued to walk around the area, looking at the games that the locals play. Apparently, bursting balloons carnival style is very popular in Taiwan, because their weapons can range from guns to darts to arrows. After being really beat up from today's itinerary, we went back to our BnB, stopping by XiMen's red house, only open during weekends for a cultural exhibition.

29 May 2016, Cloudy, Taipei

Since we had a rough day the day before, we decided to sleep till a bit later. We first visited the very first Din Tai Fung in the world for brunch. It is a 4 storey building along YongKang street. We ordered XiaoLongBao, which is a must, along with other food such as noodles, GuoTie (pot stickers), noodles, chicken soup. The quality of the food is roughly similar to the one that we have in Singapore, but what made this main branch stand out is the hospitality. Even before you order your food, the waitress would bring a whole tray of appetizers for you to choose from, and they keep refilling your tea. The quality of the service here is just unparalleled! We then walked along YongKang street to find the famous mango dessert shop. It was too crowded, so we settled for an air-conditioned mango dessert shop nearby. We made the right choice because the quality of the mango ice dessert is not all that different. The ice cream and the mango ice are all extremely flavourful. Then, we just spent our whole afternoon hopping around shopping malls. We took the train around to go to different malls to find that all their malls have a common and interesting similarity. All of them are pretty small in area, but very very tall. Ten storeys of shopping, all served by escalator! It is unique because nearly all the malls are like that. There are lifts, but people usually don't use it. The toilets were also very clean. We went back to the Taipei main station to walk the rest of the underground shopping street, partly to escape the hot weather too. We went to RaoHe night market early. RaoHe night market turned out to be one of my favourites. The stalls are arranged orderly in 2 lines and is close to a river park and the rainbow bridge of Taipei. You will not get lost.

You can imagine how wonderful it would be like to eat good food while strolling down the river park or walking across the bridge. My top favourites in this night market were the fried squid and some cheese prata thingy. Just really like this night market. We then made our way back to the BnB to have a final shower. My mum was still not satisfied and she urged us to take her down to XiMenDing for a final round of shopping, haha! And so we did. We bought our very last JiPa fried chicken, bubble milk tea and AhZong MianXian. We walked around the area, then reluctantly went back to our BnB to take our luggage, then meet up with the prearranged taxi driver to take us to the airport. Flight was past midnight, and most of the duty free were already closed by the time we were there. Very reluctant to leave Taiwan, really, but every thing good still comes to an end. Taiwan, I will be back to visit you again, this time to explore your entire island from north to south!