KL Weekend Getaway ... Day 2 (Part 1)

Today we had made a few plans on places to see and things to do. But first on the agenda was to go and get our tummies filled with yummy food. :P Breakfast was ok, i'm normally not fussy about my food. Darcy made a few comments on the scrambled eggs (again) and i understand that scrambled eggs is not the common Asian dish, so it probably wasn't done the way he is used to have it. Just like i probably and most likely will comment on how Asian food is prepared in Canada :)

After breakfast, we headed out to Tugu Negara (National Monument) before meeting Meiling to go to Petaling Street and Chinatown to do some shopping. Shopping. Now that's the word that is music to any woman's ears. :P *heehee* Since Sing dollars are slightly more than double the M'sian ringgit, shopping at Petaling Street will be fun and challenging cos prices can be haggled to something that both customers and sellers can agree on. :) I guess with this kind of shopping, the thrill is to be able to haggle the price down as low as you can and be able to seal the deal. :P Something Darcy pointed out as well.

BUT ... i digress.

So there we were standing at the hotel entrance waiting for a taxi to come by when a guy walked over from our left and asked us if we were waiting for a taxi. We said yes and i told him we were heading to Tugu Negara, he thought about it for a moment an then asked if RM$10 was ok with us. That's less than S$5. So yeah we agreed to his fare and hopped on.

(There are two ways the taxi drivers in Malaysia work in general...

they either go by the meter or they quote you a price,

you haggle, you accept and you get on.)

It was about a 10min ride from the hotel to Tugu Negara and as we got out of the taxi, the taxi driver mentioned it was hard to get a taxi out from here. But i figured that we would be spending quite a while here and i didn't want him to wait, come back and find out we're being charged for the 1hr he had stayed there waiting. So i politely declined his offer.

Tugu Negara or National Monument "was built to recognise and honour those who gave up their lives in the cause for peace and freedom, particularly during the nation's struggle against the threat of Communism (the period of Emergency)."


There was a class of students that were taking a day excursion.

Fine, hot morning.

Darcy doing some reflection in front of the "reflecting pool".

As we were walking around the monument and me snapping away with the digicam, Darcy pointed out that the monument looked vaguely familiar -

Ee : It looks Americanised, doesn't it?

Dar : Yeah, you noticed it too?



Ee : *smiling* Yeah i did as we walked in and i also know why.
*smiling at the screen of my digicam aimed at one part at the base of the monument*



Ee : *smiling at Dar as he walks over* I think it's designed by an American.

Not too sure if you can read the words here but this shows that i was right and that the monument was designed by an American sculptor. :) Which i found really really ironic and somewhat amusing. For obvious reasons. :P

We lingered around a lil while longer so i could take some more photos so here are some other shots i took around the monument ground.

Entrance to the monument ground.


The fountain just before you reach the monument.


The architechtural design the lined the entrance walls.


Kids playing.
Now how can i go on a holiday and not take photos of kids eh? :)


Man in Shades. :P


"To Our Glorious Dead"


Darcy trying to be intimidating? :P

As we walked out from the monument ground we noticed that there were some contemporary art sculptures. While looking at the sculptures, Darcy mentioned that some of the sculptures don't make sense to him or at least he couldn't see the significance behind the sculpture. Which was when i pulled out my favourite line when it comes to any art piece/ art work - "Art is very subjective. If it calls out to you or you can identify with it, then that is art to you. If not, then to you that is not art." *heehee*

When we decided we wanted to leave, i gave Meiling a call to confirm the time and place to meet her. This was while we were walking out and down to the main road and after i hung up with Meiling, i asked Darcy if he wanted to go to Lake Garden (aka Taman Tasik Perdana ) which was just across the road from Tugu Negara.

Dar : *thought about it for a moment* What's in there?

Ee : A garden. You take a nice stroll and enjoy the greens.

Dar : In this weather.

Ee : Yep.

Dar : No, thanks. I think i'll pass.

*giggles* Darcy wasn't used to the weather it's still too hot and humid for him. :) *heehee* So what did we do in the next 2 hours after we managed to flag a cab to Petaling Street? *giggles* We sat down inside an Internet cafe checking emails, chatting to one another on msn (even though we were sitting side by side) and just passing time. Of course, we didn't realise that there were two sections to the cafe - smoking and non-smoking sections. So for the first 1 hr we sat in the smoking section, not knowing that it was a smoking section. It was only when some guy came in and started smoking that we decided to leave and as we were walking to the cashier to pay, i noticed the other section of the cafe and a note that printed in bold the words "non-smoking section".... DUH me! *heehee* Anyways, this Internet Cafe has really good cheap rates cos for both terminals for 2 hours we only paid RM$12 which is equivalent to S$5+! Darn cheap! And the connection wasn't bad at all and i had to chase Darcy off the pc cos he was still typing emails and we had to meet Meiling soon. :P And Darcy is going to make a comment that i wanted to leave cos all the European cuties that were there had left and i had no more eye candy. :P

As we walked down Petaling Street to meet Meiling, we got hungry and decided to drop by the nearest food place we could see within sight and had airconditioning - McDs! *giggles* I wasn't really hungrie for some reason, maybe cos i had a heavy heavy breakfast but Darcy was hungrie. Meiling joined us a while later and after filling our tum tums we headed out into the heat and our started the shopping adventure. Well i should say my shopping adventure cos Darcy didn't buy anything and it was just me and Meiling who were walking around actually buying stuff. :) heehee.

I felt really lucky to have Meiling with me cos she's local and she speaks cantonese. I understand Cantonese but i can't converse in it. So Darcy would see her asking how much the price was for an item after i have expressed interest in it, the store owner quote us a price in Cantonese which i understood and then i would tell her it's either too high or reasonable and offer a price i think it should be sold at. *heehee* Yes the art of bargaining is alway so much fun. Esp. if the store owners are guys and two females starts to haggle and bargain with him. :P *Heehee* Darcy kept getting asked if he wanted to buy watches and we kept walking by this stall selling Durians. :P Remember that one, Dar? :P *heehee*

Once i had my fill, we headed out of Petaling Street and i mentioned that it was getting crowded as the middle of this stretch of road was now occupied with stalls and booths as well. No more than 2 mins after i said that, the stall owners started to pack their wares so fast that in less than 5 mins all the stalls and booths in the middle of the road was cleared. It looked very much like it came from a scene in those HK movies in a police raid! Which was exactly what happened, the stall and booth owners received a tip off that the police was heading their way for a raid and hightailed out of there. :P It was interesting. *grin* *Heehee* All three of us had to duck into the stores on the side to avoid being run over by them as the flee the scene. I must admit it was such a rush, i've not seen a police raid before. :P *heehee* So yeah that was an experience for both of us. :)

We then took a short walk to another mall which sold all sorts of touristie barang barang (malay for goods and items) and bought some stuff for Darcy's friends and family and he even bought a chongkak for himself.

This is how a game of chongkak is played.

We first saw it at the tourist stores at Tugu Negara and it was hanging on the wall which made it hard for me to explain and show Darcy how the game was played. Over there at the mall, it was lying on the ground with the glass marbles in it so i showed him how the game was played and he was intrigued enough to buy it for himself. :) I don't remember the name of the mall... will have to ask Meiling again.

We then took a bus to Sungei Wang Shopping Complex to walk around and shop some more. *giggles* So yeah basically today's activity was :shopping: :eating: :walking:. At one point in time i was standing outside a store with Darcy while waiting for Meiling to finish her shopping. While we waited for her, Darcy mentioned that a couple of times he noticed that people we giving him weird looks and some were almost full on stares or glares. I on the other hand didn't care what they think as long as i was happy and i've not done anything wrong.

Next up : Continuation of the day of meet the aunts, my cuzzie Ellie, Dataran Medaka Square & The Hotel Bar of Corus Hotel.

KL Weekend Getaway .. Day 1

Well, mom had actually said dad wouldn't be happy if i were to go away again on another long weekend trip since i just been on one (even though it was as a "business" trip to cover up the fact i was with Darcy). But the tickets were paid for, the hotel has been paid for, and i really just want to spend as much time with Darcy as much as possible so wrath or no wrath from dad i was going.

Didn't help that mom sprung her "I need you to type this assignment for me and i need it by next week." line on me the nite before we were to leave for KL.So i was up till 2.30am then went to bed. Of course, had to wait till dad left the house at about 6.40am to get up and shower and take a cab to Grand Corpthorne Hotel where the bus was to depart at 8am. I took a cab by 7.15am. I told the taxi i had a bus to catch by 8am but i think the panic for driver didn't set in till Darcy called at about 7.35am to check where i was and i said i would be there in 10mins. By that time i was already in the Orchard area heading towards the hotel. I got to the hotel at around 7.45am, hurriedly ask the bellman where the Aeroline bus to KL was, he pointed me the direction and i ran WITH luggage in tow (mind you it's not those pulley on wheels type of luggage, i had to literally carry this). By the time i got to the bus, Darcy saw me running towards the bus as he was standing next to the bus where the luggage was being load onto. 10 mins later the bus departed the hotel for KL. Man, that was close.

Although, not as close as that one time many years ago when i had to take a train from my relatives place in Malaysia coming back to Singapore. I had just boarded the train, literally still on the steps, when it started to pull out from the station. Phew.

It was a relatively uneventful journey, although Darcy had to put the photo card we took at cineleisure in between the pages of his passport. So when we were going through customs and immigration, when the officer flipped through his passport, he saw the photocard and was a bit surprised to see it in the passport. :P *BLEH* *L* He just had to do that. And the fact the line we chose to queue at took a really long time to clear for some reason.

This is the neoprint we took.
But i made the mistake of putting it into my wallet
and the plastic stuck to the card. *POUT*

The best part about Aeroline was that there was actually a bus steward to serve you some light refreshment followed by coffee and tea. :) Not only that, an hr before we got into KL city we were served with a packet of chilled drink too. :) Not bad service at all. :) The seats were comfie too and there was a lounge below that we could sit and relax and chat or write letters/postcards. There's also a toilet in the bus. The most important thing about this bus service? It DOES NOT stop at various stop points between Singapore and KL. *heehee* We got to KL at 12.30pm sharp, and this is in KL traffic congestion too! :)

The bus stopped right in front of Corus Hotel and that was why we chose to stay there as well. Not a bad hotel, simple and decent and we didn't need a fancy hotel to stay anyways. :) Paid 90 nett including 2 breakfast for a double room which was spacious. :) If you want you can check out the prices for hotels at a pretty competitive rate at accomline.com. Although, one thing i wasn't happy about was that they ran out of rooms on the non-smoking level and we had to put up in a room at the smoking level. Luckily, it wasn't bad at all cos there wasn't any ciggie smoke whafting around the level.

Once we checked in and dropped our luggage, i called my childhood friend of 20 years, Meiling, and arranged to meet up for dinner. Since we were 5mins away from KLCC, we decided to have her and her hubbie pick us up there. :)

So the whole afternoon was spent eating and shopping, eating and shopping. It's like a spoof of the visit Hong Kong tv ad that came out not too long back. :) Mai Dong Xi. Chi Dong Xi. Mai Dong Xi. Chi Dong Xi. :) Eating. Shopping. Eating. Shopping. :) *heehee* We had KFC for lunch, followed immediately by Dunkin Donuts (cos there's no more DD in singapore.. pout), walked a short while more and had coffee at Starbucks (bought a city mug from there for his mom), shopped for more touristie stuff for Darcy's friends and capped by ice cream by New Zealand Icecream. :P *heehee*

We also managed to catch the movie "The Jacket" starring Adrien Brody and Keira Knightly. It was a pretty interesting movie and a major part of its plot invovles time travel. :) Should catch it if you have the time. :)

The highlight of the afternoon had to be an argument that Darcy and i got into as we were walking and window shopping at KLCC. I mean we literally were doing serious window shopping and going into the stores and trying stuff or looking at stuff WHILE we were arguing. At that point, i was all huffed and puffed up and it was only when i looked back that i laughed at how sillie we might have looked. :) Darcy said i scared off a few salesgirls who were about to do their sales pitch on me, but backed off immediately when they saw and heard my tone of voice. :P *heehee* *heehee* Darcy on the other hand found the whole incident very amusing right from the start. :)

Finally, we met up with my friend Meiling and hubbie for dindin at a restaurant serving local dishes. And like Darcy said, this was a "lets see what can this Caucasian eat" experiment. Cos me and Meiling had ordered different dishes, and we spooned some of our food into a small bowl for Darcy to try. *heehee* *heehee* He had ordered Nasi Lemak and it was really spicy for him. Poor guy. Too much spices in his system as it is and now we're adding more into him. :) Then again who was i kidding, i was secretly enjoying this lil fun. :P *giggles* *teehee*

"Oh no! What have the got planned for me?"

I was looking at Meiling's camera & Darcy was looking at my camera. :P *heehee*

Double Dates!

When we got back to the hotel, we showered and climbed into bed to watch "Bridget Jones : The Edge of Reason" on dvd that i had bought the same afternoon. Throughout the movie, we kept agreeing on the fact that i act somewhat like Bridget in the movie. *L* The way i would react in similar situations was like her. :) Well, what can i say, i will always be fat but i have a very endearing quickie personality. :) *heehee* Although, if anyone could point me in the direction of where i could get the dresses that Bridget wore in the movie in big sizes i would be really really greatful! :) By the time the movie ended it was close to 2am and so after shutting down the laptop it was off to dreamland for us. *smile*

Next up : Americanized Malaysian Memorial Statue. Petaling Street Raid. And Meet the Aunts.

The Day of no Agenda

You know i have been thinking about this day all week long and for some reason i can't really remember what Darcy and i did throughout the whole day. It was one of those days we didn't really have an agenda for the day.

(Of course when i told Darcy this,
he managed to remember what we did this day and
of course teased me about me getting old. :P)

I was late for meeting Darcy at the hotel cafe where he would be having breakfast and after taking a walk around the cafe and since i didn't see him around i headed up to the room. Somehow, in the last few days of staying at hotel after hotel i can't help feeling i was jetsetting around the world and staying in exotic locations. :) Well just for that 10-20 secs ride up the lift to the 21st floor. :P *heehee*

Anyways, we kinda lazed around the room watching DVDs till we had to head out to Harbourfront Centre to help my mom collect something from a friend of hers. Had lunch at the McDs there and stuffed myself sillie. :P We did notice that there were two Internet terminals that were situated at a corner and wanted to use it to log onto the world wide web. However, there were two gentlemen who kept hogging the terminals. *pout* Oh well, i had much better company with me then some computers. :)

After that we took a cab to Orchard and wandered around town before heading to Lido to watch "Infection". Which like any other Japanese horror movie, you start out thinking you might be able to understand what the plot and storyline is about. But by the time you walk out of the theatre, your mind would be swimming with loads of questions that may not be answered about the movie and the weird twist and turns. Pardon me for saying this but the Japanese movie makers sure know how to f**k with your minds. :P

After the movie, we took a bus down to the Long Bar @ Raffles Hotel cos Darcy wanted to try the Singapore Sling from the one location that the drink was first concocted. He tried one when he was in Yellowknife having dinner at a steak restaurant. According to him the drink tasted horrible, but reasoned that the restaurant could have screwed up the recipe for the drink. So maybe it would taste different from the one at the Long Bar. Personally, i would prefer a frozen strawberry daiquiri anytime. :) Never fancied the locally-made, internationally famous cocktail. *shrugs*

Sling combi

After, we had our drink we decided to take a bus back to M Hotel from the Long Bar. *L* That turned out to be a lil adventure by itself. :) Don't remember which numbered bus we took, but we alighted one stop too late and had to take a 15mins brisk walk back. :) Then we had to rush down to Kenneth's place to drop off some of our stuff at his place before we take another weekend getaway to Kuala Lumpur. *heehee*

By the time that was done we were both exhausted and even though i had liked for Darcy to accompany me back home on the mrt, i saw how tired he was and decided it wasn't fair and we both needed to be up to catch the bus at 7.30am. So, giving him final directions on how to get back to the hotel from Bishan i kissed him goodnite and went home.

So yeah, that was the day before we headed off to KL. Didn't take many photos this day for some reason. :)

Next up.. bridget jones.. frightened salesgirls.. and non-stop snacking.

Jewellery Hunt & Sushi Feast...

After our trip to Bintan and spending 6 wonderful days with Darcy, time for me to go home and show my face to my parents. Well, least till i go to KL a couple of days later. :P *heehee* I was supposed to go back to work but decided to play hookie. *Shhhhhhhhhhhhhhh* I got up as usual for work and instead of going to to work i went to meet up with Darcy. *smile* The room at M Hotel was decent and the buffet breakfast spread wasn't too bad either. Even though i was slightly tired, i couldn't wait to show Darcy the note that was the bearer of good news and got me jumping up and down in my room for a good 10mins the nite before! *smile* As to what this good news really is, i will let everyone know in due time. :)

So what did we do on the first of my two days i played hookie? :P

I had arranged for Darcy to attend a Japanese cooking class at Shang-ri La Hotel this morning and after dropping him off i took a slow walk to Borders and kinda wonder around Borders reading books and deciding on which books i should purchase for my reading pleasure. :) So when Darcy was done with his cooking class he was too call me on my mobile to see where i was and i would give him directions as to how to get there. And i was right, i knew he would get lost and he did. :P *heehee*We had lunch at NYDC and for some reason i couldn't finish the pizza i had ordered and had to doggie bag half of it. On top of that i actually requested the waitress to hold on to the doggie bag for me and i would come by later to pick it up from them. Which i never did... *grin* i completely forgot about it.

A Taz look-a-like toy we saw at NYDC. Awww how sweet Darcy is sharing his drink with his new found friend. :)

Today was also the day we had to go hunting for opal earrings for his grandma and yellow-gold looped earrings for his friend. We've looked around for a bit and we have our eyes on a pair of opal earrings that we saw the week before but we didn't want to make a quick decision as yet. So we decided to look around some more and i decided to take a trip down to Centrepoint in the hopes that the jewellery stores there might have the earrings we were looking for. Well, the one i had in mind was closed for auditing or store stock check for some reason. So we walked around somemore and i walked into Goldheart just to look around. Not more than 5mins after walking in, Darcy quickly (and expectedly) excused himself cos i started looking at rings. *lol*

Anyways, i walked around the store for a bit and was about to walk out when one pendant caught my eye. It was a simple, slender heart-shaped pendant that was titled to its side. It had a blue string tied to it which meant it was on discount and the price was only $160. Not bad for a half white gold , half diamond studded pendant. I decided to try it on just for the fun of it, but this fun turned into serious purchasing consideration after seeing it around my neck in the mirror. I asked Darcy to come in to have a look and the sales girl kinda hinted for him to get it for me. *lol* So... there i was giving Darcy my usual happie goofie grin hoping he would but i also know he wouldn't. So it came as a surprise that not much cajoling afterwards he whipped out his wallet! *happie jig* I have the bestest and sweetest boyfriend! Of course i gave him a long long huge hug and had this sillie goofie grin on my face the whole day.


Ain't this pretty?! :)

We stopped by Ya Kun at Lucky Plaza and had some drinks then headed over to Far East Plaza to get his grandma's opal earrings that we saw the week before. Only to choose another design that i thought his grandma might like - a flower shaped pair of earrings. Found out from Darcy that she already has a few oval-shaped pairs so i thought she might like something different and it was within his budget. :) <>Stopped by at McDs at Shaw and got a message from my sis that she wasn't able to meet us for ice-cream. Wanted her to meet Darcy but i guess maybe next time. So we sat around McDs for a bit while having iced-lemon tea. Also took the chance to take some shots of Darcy



Of course a couplie-shot.



Darcy and his Popeye-look shot. *L*



Darcy reading 8-Days.


Later that evening, we took a bus to Miramar Hotel and on our way to Ikoi Japanese Restaurant to have our long awaited sushi buffet. The spread was FANTASTIC! I would recommend anyone to go there to get your fill of sashimi. As long as you can finish you can order and there is no limitation on what you can or cannot order from the menu! *grin* *heehee* It was nice really nice. :) Although, reservations are a must and please book a good few days in advance as they were packed even on a Tuesday nite! Cost is at S$30+++, it may seem costly but if you are a huge sashimi fan this is worth it. :)

Then the amusing part of the day started the moment we walked out of the restaurant. *lol* We wakled by the hotel lobby bar on the way out and Darcy imediately pulled me back in cos he wanted to see a band of asian singers sing country. *lol* Man oh man it was amusing. I noticed that the female singers of the band immediately unbuttoned their jeans jacket to exposed their bikini-bra tops the moment a group of burly, rugby-like men came into the bar. Darcy had a good time laughing at how they were butchering some songs. I on the other hand high-tailed out of there the moment they started to play The Corrs' "Breathless". Am not going to sit there and listen to them butcher songs from my all-time favourite band! *L*

Would attach a clip of Darcy getting-jiggy-with-it to some of the tunes played but too bad i don't know how to. :)

Next up, Long Bar at Raffles Hotel to have his Singapore Sling.

Hitting the beach ..... finale

Well, this is our last day in Bintan and guess what... it's fricking fine, sunnie, hot and clear BLUE skies! Argh! Why couldn't it have rained today instead of yesterday when i had the full day to stay out in the sun! *pout* We didn't really do much, had our breakfast as usual and this time round, Darcy finally decided to try the omelette. We had noticed the sign just in front of the kitchen offering omelettes and Darcy was skeptical about the way eggs are being cooked here. :P But after much "egg-ing" from my, he decided to give it a go.

This is his reaction when his order came.... *giggles*

His mom's reaction when she saw this picture was :
"See someone else doesn't make your breakfast perfect either
...mommy's not the only one..."

*laughs*

After breakfast, we went back to the room to pack since we had only 2 more hours before we had to check out. So we took one last walk along the beach enjoying the sun and the cool breeze. *sighs dreamily*

Feet Shot Clear Blue Skies & Crystal Blue Waters


Damnit, why couldn't we had fine weather and blue skies yesterday! *pout*

After we finished packing, we set up the table and chairs and sat out at the porch enjoying our fruit feast of longans and rambutans together with some chocies. It was just so nice and relaxing to just sit there enojoying the sea breeze and the sounds of the waves crashing onto the beach. *sigh* So nice and relaxing.

When it was time to check out, i said my good byes to the room and we ended up sitting at the sofas just outside the lobby waiting for the bus to arrive and pick us up to the ferry terminal. So while we were waiting, we both ordered a drink each and savouring the view in front of us.

The sofas outside the lobby.


Oh, forgot to add that we played a game of Scrabble the day before while we were for the rain to die down. For the record, i won a convincing 132 over 97. *giggles* *heehee*

I also took the opportunity to take some more parting shots.

Collage of Us Collage of Shots

This is probably the last time i will be visiting Bintan in a long long while to come. It really is a place for me to get away from everything and leave my bogged down mind in Singapore. All i want is some peace and quite and trust me Bintan offered me just that.

Coming up, two days of nothing but shopping, eating, shopping eating in Singapore.

Hitting the beach .... day two

After the lil scare the nite before and finally being able to lie down in bed for more than 5mins without having to run to the toilet to pee, i managed to sleep at around 5am and woke up at around 7am and decided to throw away all cares and go back to sleep even though breakfast ends at 10am. Was just too damn tired.

And i don't think i thanked Darcy proper for staying up all nite with me and taking care of me. I basically ambled round the room getting a glass of water to drink, taking the medication, leaving the glass and the bottle of water next to me by the bed, snuggled under the covers and promptly fell asleep.

It wasn't until Darcy shook me up at around 9am and asked if i still wanted breakfast or if i felt well enough for it. It took me 30secs to wake up and said yeah lets go for breakfast even though i wasn't too sure if i was up for it yet. So we managed to quickly shower and get dressed and made it for breakfast at around 9.30am. While we were done with breakfast by i made a comment that it is awfully gloomy and not 5mins later it was pouring cats and dogs. So we just sat around the the comfy cushions they lined just outside the lobby and waited out for the rain.


View while having breakfast in the morning


Right i cheated, this was taken on the last morning we were at Bintan. :P *heehee*

But essentially, this was the view we had from where we sat for breakfast. :)

When we headed back to the room a while later, i was still tired out from the nite before. I believed Darcy felt the same, so we just snuggled up at the lil single bed-like sofa and soon i was drifting back into dreamland. This was also the time i found out i like snuggling up to him and falling asleep in his arms. It's very, very comforting and secure. :)


Sun doing a "peekie boo!"
Originally uploaded by e79.

By the time i woke up at around 3pm, the sun was peeking out from behind the clouds and Darcy had graduated to the bed and reading Dean Koontz. Since the whole purpose of the trip was to spend alot of time on the beach and getting a tan, we figured it is time to take a walk along the beach enjoy the sea breeze and enjoy the fresh air. :) I also took along my camera and tripod to take photos of the beach, the sunset and of course photos of us. *heehee*

And the model shots of Darcy begins... :P



Contrary to popular belief, Darcy was wearing his bermudas in this shot. :P But he just look so different here! Almost model like. :P
Originally uploaded by e79.


Subsequently, in some of the shots i made him take off his glasses for some of the shots. :)
Originally uploaded by e79.


This one was posed, had to ask Darcy to turn and look back like something caught his attention
Originally uploaded by e79.


I have short legs so i was walking a few steps behind him and hence was able to take this shot from behind.
Originally uploaded by e79.


Darcy taking a photo of me taking a photo of him. :P
Originally uploaded by e79.



Cute lil hermit crab that caught our attention and didn't budge even when i was squatting down close to it for a good 10mins!
Originally uploaded by e79.


Love the way the waves creates curves on the sand, thought the washed up coral was a nice touch. :)
Originally uploaded by e79.



Darcy deep in thought....
Originally uploaded by e79.



Our porch
Originally uploaded by e79.



View from porch
Originally uploaded by e79.



All lovie dovie on the porch. Awwwww. So Stweet. :P
Originally uploaded by e79.

The nite went by without much excitement. We had dinner at Nirwana Gardens and unfortunately we didn't get the buffet spread as it was an off-peak period and so no buffet was served. Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah! But we did sit at my favourite table - Table no. 23. :P *heehee* So that was day 2 of our time in bintan.

Coming up in the next entry would be the last and final installment of our Bintan beach trip. :)

Hitting the beach...day one

Well, after last nite's excitement i think both Darcy and i were looking forward to spend some nice quiet time by the beach. I was really looking forward to walking along the beach with white powderie soft sand running in between my toes. :) So yes we're going to a beach resort but it's not Sentosa. :P Heehee. We're heading to Bintan.

The last time i went there was last August with Ruth. We stayed at Nirwana Gardens when we were there but this time round i decided to try out Mayang Sari.

We woke up on Sunday morning pretty early and walked over to Suntec cos i had mentioned i wanted to dine at Marche but we haven't had the time to. And probably we should have known Marche didn't open forthe day till 11m and since we had to catch a ferry for 2pm and get to the terminal by 1pm. We didn't really want to sit down at 11am and wolfed down the fod and not being able to enjoy. Next best choice... *lol* McDs. *giggles* After that we wondered around, i was hoping the stores would be opened by 10.30am cos i forgot to pack non-sleeved tees for the trip. Ended up buying two tops from Dorothy Perkins for $20.80 which was really cheap. :) I should go back and get more of those tops cos they were soooooooooooo comfie!

We checked out of the room by 12pm and i started a routine of saying goodbye to the room before we walk out of the door that would last throughout the two weeks. *heehee*

On the cab to Bukit merah Ferry Terminal the cab driver a middle-aged malay man was listening to some kickass dance music. Sorry ah uncle, but you are way cool to be listening to that cd of dance track that has me bouncing in my seat. :P We had ALOT of time to spare when we checked-in and got our ferry tickets so i asked Darcy if he wanted to grab something to eat before we went through customs. And Darcy wanted to have some char siew baos (buns will BBQ pork fillings). *heehee*








The ferry was 3/4 empty so we sat in the front row only because there was this cute lil girl with her parents sitting next to us. *teehee* *grin* Which had Darcy rolling his eyes and laughing at me. *giggles* Anyways, we were warned by the captain that we might have a rough choppy ride, which was true as both Darcy and i felt sick. Sea sick. It hit him on the boat it hit me after i got off the boat.

While we were riding the chartered bus to the resort, that was went the events started to happen. The seat we were on kept creaking and it starts to sway if we went over a bump i took a turn like the seat was going to fall of it hinges. *lol* We kept laughing and smiling at our situation that once we stopped at Nirwana Gardens to let off the other passangers we switched seats immediately. *L*

Our home sweet home for the next few days was named Bumblebee 4. *teehee* The resort houses were in a row of 4s and each row was named a different sea creature or garden insect. I had a garden view resort hence bumblebee but we had a view of the sea from our porch which was good enough for me. :) *heehee* And oh service at Mayang Sari was pretty impressive since after we had done our check-in routine they actually had a buggy to drive us right up to the doorstep. :)

Home sweet home for the next few days.

After we cooled down a bit we decided to take a walk around the area and check out the beach in the Mayang Sari area. *heehee*

I have no idea why he had that expression on his face. :P

The rest of the day was pretty uneventful other than the quick walk along the beach. But the real adventure started after midnight.

At around 3am i woke up and had to make a pee break, then i realised something was wrong as when i headed back to the bed it felt like i hadn't cleared my bladder and i still felt the need to pee. And this running between the bathroom and the bed went on for a good 15mins before i decided to plonk myself on the toilet and just sit there. Over the next 45mins or so i was in soooooo much pain and the pain was excruciating and the type that would just grab you and it felt like someone had just twisted the inside of my bladder everytime i peed. By this time, i had the right mind to stand up and drink glasses of water so that i can prevent myself from getting dehydrated.

At around 4am i had to yell out for Darcy from the bathroom to call front desk to check to see if there are any doctors available at this ungodly hour. He did and no one answered so he decided to make a run to the front desk himself only to come back and tell me that the whole place was dark and no one was around. He then figured out that there was an operator he could dial to and managed to get someone on the phone, he explained my situation to her and we found out that there was a doctor that was available from 9am-5pm and there was also one available for emergency calls. When he told me about it, i said no to the emergency call it would cost us a bomb. So i decided to grit my teeth and bear with the pain till 9am... which i hope i could hold on till then. Darcy sat with me for a while but i had him go to bed cos i needed someone who could help me in the morning. And him being up and making him stay up was not going to make things better and the pain to go away. Although by this time i was begining to think that i might have urinary tract infection.

As he walked out to get back into bed i heard a knock and him opening the door and having him walk back to the bathroom saying that someone is here. I gave him a confused or puzzled look and he said lets not worry about the cost and just go. Which then only did i realised the operator must have alerted the staff at the resort and they sent someone over to pick us up to see the doctor. So we jumped onto the buggy which took us to the front desk and not more than 5mins later a jeep came by and drove us to the neighbouring binyan resort where i saw the doctor and she confirmed my suspicions and that i possibly contracted urinary tract infection. After giving some painkillers and antibiotics and having to interrupt the doctor in between the checks to run to the toilet to pee.

The bill came up to a total of S$70.00 for the medication and consultation and the transporation service...F.O.C! Wow, talk about service. I was really grateful for all the help and care that was shown to me and Darcy. By the time we were escourted back to our room, i was so tired out that i popped the pills drank a good two glasses of water and kinda fell right to sleep. Time check...5am.

Next up, i've got a treat for everyone. Model shots of Darcy. *giggles*

Initiation nite

Well, this was nite Darcy has been dreading all week long. The nite before he was looking forward to dinner at Hooters all week long. This time is it was the complete opposite. Why? Becos this nite was the nite that he will be officially introduced to my girlfriends.

ALL my girlfriends. *giggles*

When i told the girls about Darcy's upcoming trip to Singapore a couple of months back and i would like them to meet up with him for dinner, they quickily jumped to the chance of grilling him with a list of 1001 questions. :P *heehee*

Darcy was getting the jitters all day! Even though i have duly warned Darcy about it being a free for all when it came to the question and answer session, and i know my friends are just looking out for me, i was also getting worried for Darcy.

But nonetheless, it came the time for us to meet the girls and the girls were a lot easier on Darcy than i had expected. We had dinner at Far East Plaza at the Malay eaterie on the 5th Floor (near the elevator). Poor Darcy had a difficult time with his nasi pattaya and this was even after i had told the guy who took our order not to add the chilli padi and make it less spicy so that Darcy wouldn't have a hard time eating the dish. Still, it didn't really help him and he would be subjected to more spicy food throughout his trip here. And i know pay back is a bitch and i will be getting the similar treatment when i am in Canada.

Yani was late, as usual. *giggles* We were all done with our food before she showed with Ben and Sophie. *heehee* Anyways, i kinda ignored Darcy good for the next 30-45mins cos i was carrying Sophie and feeding her iced water and just goofing around with her. :) So now he has fully fully experienced what it is like to be ignored by me becos there is a lil kid or baby that i can hold and carry and play with. :P *heehee*

<>After dinner we decided to walk down to Alley Bar to have a drink or two. Along the way we passed by Marriot hotel and took the opportunity to introduce Darcy to the King of Fruits.... DURIANS! *grin* It was a seemingly harmless durian puff with chocolate pastry cover on the the top. But to Darcy it was simply revolting. He took a small first bite and kinda nodded his head and mentioned it was not that bad. (We've been telling him stories about what non-durian fans have to say about the fruit.) Yet for some reason on his second bite he kinda just spat out the whole mouthful and basically said "Oh god!" *makes a face* "Noooo!" and threw away the puff. *giggles* So yeah that was his initiation with the King of Fruits in Asia. :P *hehe*

When we finally settled down at Alley Bar and ordered our drinks, the onslaught of questions finally began. To cut a long story short, Ruth mentioned the issue of family and parents and the Asian traditions. And up till that point, all the questions and the answers that were coming from Darcy... honestly, i knew all the answers that Darcy would give to the questions asked. But when it came to the issue of family and my parents... well it took Darcy by surprise, it took me by surprise cos as he was trying to answer the question pertaining to "What happens if Ee's parents wanted you to go to ROM and get married legally, would you do it for her?" it finally hit me that i want Darcy to be liked by my parents, if not at least they need to acknowledge that he is the man i chose. They might not like it but they won't ignore his existance and ignore him completely in family outings. At least they would be cordial and polite.

Things were getting stressed out at least for me and i was really really thankful that Shywing pulled me aside for a breather and away from the group for a while. When we walked back to the group a while later, things seemed to have lightened up but my mind was still on the question about family. After sitting down for a while, i kinda had to pull Darcy aside and just had to talk to him about the whole issue. Didn't turn out the way i had expected, but it got to a point where it literally hit me that it might be the end of the relationship. And i was at a loss for words and my mind was racing in all directions. So i did what i always do best i guess.... i teared up and almost burst into a sob fest.

I am sure i would have if Darcy hadn't tried to comfort me by hugging me close. And being the thoughtful guy that he has always been asked if i wanted to go back to the hotel to talk things through. I nodded and he offered to go apologise to the girls and collect my bag. Looking back it was just thoughtful and sweet of him but at that point in time all i could think of was that i might have just killed the relationship. One, i wasn't sure what level of commitment Darcy was putting into the relationship although i was sure he is very very fond of me. Two, i didn't know if i could handle it if Darcy were to say something to the effect of 'lets enjoy the rest of the trip and agree to stay as friends'. I have fought so hard for this man that i wasn't willing, able or wanting to let go.

As usual, not more than 5mins into the discussion i was already tearing up and choking on my words. Darcy never fails to surprise me sometimes, and this time was no exception. He said that he cares deeply about me .. once he said that in my mind i was going "uh oh there is a but here somewhere"... and that when i first said that i loved him in person well he has never said it to any of his gf unless he is ready to spend the rest of his life with her. And i told him i was not expecting a response from him in return when i said that. I just wanted him to know. I also told him again and again that i don't want this relationship to end and almost pleading to him not to give up or let go. And here's when the surprise came... he actually said he does not want to end the relationship or let go either and that the last one year being in this relationship with me was one of the happiest times in his life knowing that someone was out there always by his side and alway being there for him.

Finally, he said "Now what can i do to make you stop crying?" Just a couple of day ago, he made me laugh so hard that i was literally crying becos i was laughing so hard. So he was getting uncomfortable seeing me all in tears and visibly upset and was trying to make some smart ass comment to make me smile like he always does when i am feeling down.

Was a rough nite, but i am glad that things worked out well and that i finally saw his commitment to the relationship. I've really fallen for him and i've never felt this strongly about someone before.