KL Work Trip, Dec 2012: Day Trip to KL

My perseverance finally paid off - for I'm now composing the last entry for 2012 work trips! Hooray to clearing another folder :) I went on a day trip to KL, meeting up with prospective clients for a quick catch up before they all head for their holidays. Dec is always a quiet period (in office) where out of 10 emails sent out, you will receive at least 6 out-of-office replies. Thus, I had to confirm schedule with my clients before I proceeded to book tickets for the trip.

 

I headed to the airport early morning to catch the 7am flight, which surprisingly was a full flight. Instead of passengers heading for holidays, I saw quite a lot of passengers dressed in their business/corporate attire on board. We were all busy typing on our laptops whenever we can #lastminpreparation, lol!  

Xmas period, my fave! (Psst ... mental countdown to another 6 months of Xmas this year)

My trusty dog tag that accompanied me during my travels :)

Anyway, I flew Silk Air to KL, as I had to get into town early morning to meet the clients. My 2nd time traveling Silk Air and it felt like an upgraded version of budget airlines. My usual routine - read the papers to catch up on the latest headlines first, then off to lala-land when the plane starts taxiing and wake up during touch-down. This time round, I was busy preparing for some materials for clients' meeting, so I spent whenever I can typing on the laptop instead. 

Upon landing, I immediately hopped onto a cab and headed straight to client's place. I had a late breakfast/early lunch at Starbucks, just below my client's office - needed the energy before the start of a long day. I even got 10% discount off for being a "staff", lol! 

 

 A couple of hours, I was back at the airport ready for my flight home. Before that, I needed some comfort food & the best place for junk food - McDonald's! McDonald's french fries and corn cup are my comfort food. 

I decided to walk around the main terminal instead of heading to my usual spot for "debrief" session. 

Xmas decorations all over the airport. Now, I really feel like jetting off to winter wonderland for Xmas this year! Somehow, Christmas feels more magical when snow is in the picture :)

        
Dinner as soon as I landed in Singapore - this pretty much wrapped up my business travels in 2012 :) Mission accomplished!  

2nd Wedding Anniversary at Alkaff Mansion

Last October, we celebrated our 2nd year of marriage. Gosh, I'm still trying to come to terms that we are married for 2 years and yet, we are slowly approaching our 3rd year soon. It felt like yesterday when we celebrated our first wedding anniversary. So, there was a bit of drama-mama courtesy of Leecher for forgetting our wedding date (as usual!). He certainly made up for it during our date :)

 

(pic credits to Alkaff Mansion website) 

Dinner venue was confirmed at Alkaff Mansion, a 2-storey bungalow turned restaurant located at Telok Blangah. This building dates back to 1918, where it was first built by the a member of the Alkaff family as a weekend house. Housed at the top of the hill, it offers a sweeping view of Keppel Harbour. 

 

We were shown to our table on the 2nd floor. Minutes later, the manager came over to our table and addressed us as Mr & Mrs Lim while giving us the menu. Wow, impressive service! I don't get addressed like this whenever I'm dining out, even when reservations are made beforehand. 

Leecher surprised me with a present, which made my day :) As you all know, Leecher is not very romantic and doesn't believe in showering me with gifts, apart from my yearly birthday present. So, I was extremely touched when he presented the gift to me ... very unlike of him! He actually remembered our conversation from months ago, when I caught sight of Pandora's new tagline "My Story, My Design". I'm a sucker for anything that tells a story, specially when it relates to special moment in life. So, I casually mentioned it to Leecher about buying a Pandora bracelet. Leecher gave me the DUH look (as always, whenever he thinks I'm spending unnecessary money on useless items) and said that this is all marketing, lol! 

 

When we alighted from the car, Leecher went to open the car's boot while I stood in front of the car, waiting for him. When he opened the boot, I blurted out "Are you getting a present for me from the boot?" In fact, at this moment, I only said this sentence just to tease him & see his NAH reaction. Since we didn't exchange presents on 1st anniversary, I was 100% certain that there won't be any present this year. He closed the car's boot with a slightly shocked expression on his face and a paper bag hanging on his fingers. LOL - his jaws-dropped expression was soooo funny. 

 

Presenting my own customised bracelet, from the hubby! He picked the wedding couple charm & topped it up with a couple of other charms in my fave colours :) I must admit I was really caught off-guard by this surprise - I actually felt guilty for not preparing a gift. Heh.

 We were quite famished by the time we placed our orders. Thankfully, the appetizer appeared swiftly on our table. We had Carpaccio di Salmone - marinated Scottish Salmon carpaccio with yellow frisee salad and salmon roe. This dish was light and refreshing; a perfect start to our evening :) 

 

Honestly, I can't recall the name of this dish. However, I do remember liking this so much that I stole several spoonfuls from Leecher's plate after finishing mine, lol! Leecher was on his no-carbo diet, so I was more than happy to finish it for him. 

Us, with our main courses :)

Leecher ordered baked sea bass, while I went for sliced beef tenderloin served with roast potatoes & grilled vegetables. Beef was absolutely juicy and wonderful (I had mine at medium-well) & exchanged vegetables with Leecher for sea bass, lol! Old habits, heh. 

 

We got another surprise for the night, courtesy of Alkaff Mansion!

We ended the night on a sweet note - in the form of 2 desserts :) The surprise was definitely memorable, given that Leecher doesn't pull this kind of stunt. Hmm, should I start praying for another surprise this year, heh?

Alkaff Mansion Ristorante

10 Telok Blangah Green,

Singapore 109178

Tel: 6510 3068

Email: enquiry@alkaff.com.sg

BKK Work Trip, Nov 2012: Erawan Shrine & The Garden Lounge

 

 {Continuation from Part One} Leecher was sick over the weekend and he decided to recuperate at  home. His method of recuperation? Planting himself across the sofa in our living room and watching Apple TV. We watched a couple of dramas and variety shows - extremely unproductive, but we find it enjoyable that we share each other's interests in life :) Since I have spent most of the weekend doing basically nothing, I decided to switch on the comp and finish my last bit of blogging for BKK work trip.

Grand Hyatt Erawan is situated close to the famous Erawan Shrine, which housed a statue of Phra Phrom, the Thai representation of the Hindu creation god Brahma. I have walked past this shrine a couple of times during my previous trips, but this is the 1st time that I stepped into the compound.

I didn't pray, but just stood at the sidelines to observe the surrounding. At a small pavilion next to the shrine, there were performances by resident Thai dance troupes who are hired by worshippers in return for having their prayers answered at the shrine.

Street vendors selling flowers as offerings are clustered outside the temple.

I even managed to do some shopping within that short walk from Central World to the hotel #shopaholicatheart
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Breakfast of scrambled eggs + salmon + bread before I begin my morning. I piled everything onto the bread and munch on it while packing my luggage + sorting out my work stuff.
 
After my round of clients' visits + meetings, I went back to the hotel for a late lunch and also, to pick up my luggage. I decided to check out The Garden Lounge, housed in the beautiful Atrium Lobby. 
 
 Fresh flowers are placed on every table :) Doesn't the glass of orange juice complements the flower?

  Lunch :) Over the years, I have gotten used to having meals by myself. At times like this, my trusty iPhone is my companion, not to mention the dramas that I have stored on the phone. 

The Garden Lounge

Grand Hyatt Erawan, Lobby

Tel: +66 2254 6250

Operating Hours: 6am till 1am daily, Afternoon tea from 2.30pm to 6pm

I was stuck in a jam on the way to the airport. The jam was so bad that even the driver had time to read his newspapers!

I was famished by the time I reached the airport. I quickly ducked into a cafe and ordered a plate of basil chicken with steamed rice + thai ice tea before boarding the plane back to Singapore.