My little vainpot

Yiu Yiu is demonstrating typical characteristics of being an XX-chromosome-bearing being. At the tender age of one, she already know the importance of taking care of her skin. Whenever she's out from her bath, she will take the lotion bottle, tap at the top of the bottle and rub her hand against her body, imitating the action of applying lotion onto her body.

She also knows the function of a comb. Whenever she sees me holding her baby comb, she'll grab that from me and put the comb against her head. Of course she'll mess up her hair even more but it's just so fun watching her preening herself in the mirror.

Birthday celebrations

All along, I wasn't keen on having a big do for Yiu Yiu's first birthday as I've read and seen how other babies cry and fuss through their first birthday celebration. Dad's passing compounded my reluctance as I felt it just wasn't right celebrating so soon after losing him.

Nevertheless, parents-in-law suggested that we have a small bash just among relatives and I relented. We went back to Kuantan during the Deepa-Raya holidays and had an early celebration on October 24. Hubby bought Yiu Yiu a new dress for the birthday bash. We wanted to look for a white floral dress but as the selection in Kuantan was limited, we couldn't find a nice one that could fit Yiu Yiu's petite frame. We had no choice but to settle for a Kiko corduroy dress in orange, complete with a matching pair of baby shoes.

Mum-in-law, an excellent cook, dished up some fried meehoon, fried Hokkien mee, nasi lemak, curry chicken, fried chicken, yong tau foo, red bean soup, agar-agar, and of course, the ubiquitous red eggs. Her friend baked Yiu Yiu a cake for the celebration. Before the guests arrived, mum-in-law asked hubby to help feed Yiu Yiu some red egg. Apparently it's auspicious for the birthday girl to get first bite of the red egg. Something new I learnt that day.

Yiu Yiu was a little cranky that night, and just wanted me to carry her. Perhaps she was tired as she didn’t sleep much in the afternoon. But she perked up when we sang Happy Birthday and was happily smiling while hubby snapped away with the camera.

We had another small bash at home last Wednesday, with my side of the family and several close friends. I took a day off to help mum prepare the dishes. We cooked pretty much the same fare as we had in Kuantan. I ordered a mango sponge cake in the shape of numeric one from a freelance baker and decorated the apartment with some balloons. Yiu Yiu was a lot more cheerful this time, maybe because she's in familiar surroundings and among familiar faces. Our friends brought their babies along so she had plenty of company.

Mum bought Yiu Yiu a gold chain as her first birthday present. Several weeks before dad's passing, mum mentioned to dad that she was thinking of buying a gold chain for Yiu Yiu for her birthday but lamented that the price of gold is so high now. Dad had a gold chain which he hardly ever wore and suggested that they sell it in exchange for a smaller chain each for both Yiu Yiu and Yihao. In honour of dad's intention, mum bought a chain each for Yiu Yiu and Yihao last weekend as a memento from dad to them. The chain will be a commemoration of grandpa's love for them. I hope Yiu Yiu will cherish this last piece of gift from grandpa to her and it will remind her of the grandpa whom she doesn't have a chance to know.

Happy 1st birthday

Yiu Yiu turned one last Wednesday, November 1. It’s simply amazing how time flies. It's as if it was just not too long ago that she was this scrawny looking 2.5kg being placed in my arms, and now, she's this active little toddler crawling around all corners of our apartment. As with all young children, she never fails to amuse us with her antics. One of her favourite past time is playing hide and seek behind doors so we have to consciously close all doors behind us. Another favourite habit of hers is putting every single thing she picked from the floor into her mouth. Several occasions we caught her chewing on something and upon prising open her mouth (against her fervent protest!), we would find bits of paper stuck in her mouth. We realize that this is really no laughing matter and we ought to be really careful now to ensure the floor is clear of anything that could pose a choking hazard to our little darling.

She can now walk by holding on to furniture and we always encourage her to practise walking by pushing her high chair. Besides waving bye-bye when leaving the babysitter's house, she will also blow kisses to the babysitter and her family. And recently, whenever I sing the song "If you're happy and you know it you clap your hands…", she'll put her hands together and clap. She also moves her hands to mimic the action of twinkling star when she hears "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star". She will do that even when she hears the Mandarin version of the song! Another new exploit is pointing to herself when we ask her "Who's Yiu Yiu?" and looking up to the ceiling when asked "Where's the fan?"

Two days ago, she finally learnt to drink with a straw. Yihao has this plastic water container with a soft collapsible straw and she caught me by surprise when she took a sip from it while I playfully offered it to her. Hmmm…looks like it's time to wean her from the bottle. The next step is to train her to drink from a cup independently.

Physically, she's still rather small at only 7.3kg and about 70cm in length. That puts her in only the 3rd percentile of the WHO Child Growth Standards for Breastfed Baby Girls. Her head circumference measures 44cm, putting her at the 50th percentile. She does seem to be really petite for a one year old and many strangers have thought that she's only six or seven months old. Her paediatrician doesn't seem to worry about her petite size so I guess I shouldn't too. Anyway, she doesn't look thin but I guess she's got a small frame, just like mum. As long as she's healthy, I'm happy.

On the teething front, at the ripe age of one year old, she only has two front teeth on the lower gum. The two front teeth on the upper gum are only beginning to emerge. Some people said it's just as well, as the later her milk teeth develop, the later would they fall. This will also result in later development of her permanent teeth and hopefully, she'd have learnt to care for her oral hygiene by then and maintain a nice set of teeth.

I am eagerly waiting for her to be able to stand on her own and subsequently take her first step. As much as I look forward to her growing independence, I can't help but feel a tinge of nostalgia thinking about the times she depended on me totally to fulfill her every needs. But watching her grow day by day certainly brings lots of joy to our lives.

Dad, in loving rememberance

Dad was born in Kuala Lumpur on April 26, 1944 to a Special Branch Detective father and a homemaker mother. He grew up without a father figure as grandpa requested to be posted away to Mentakab to avoid the constant squabbles with grandma. Grandma then raised dad and his only sister in her maternal home in Tronoh. Despite the unstable domestic situation, dad had a happy childhood. He always regaled us with tales of his naughty antics of skipping school, stealing neighbours' rambutans, swimming in forbidden abandoned mining pools and getting a good beating from grandma for all these. Dad wasn't a particularly bright student and upon completing his secondary education in Batu Gajah, he took up a course in typing and shorthand.

He started his career with the Malaysian Mining Corporation (MMC), which owned many tin mines around the country back then. He had a short stint at Sungai Besi Tin Mines before being posted to Bidor Malaya Tin, where he spent nearly 25 years of his life. He married mum and brought up his four children in Bidor with his meager salary as a store clerk. I remember his last drawn salary, before he was retrenched due to the collapse of the mining industry in 1995, was only around RM800. We got by with mum chipping in by working as a canteen helper. It also helped that the company provided free housing and utilities for its staff. Because of the hardships, dad instilled in us the importance of education and from very early on, we excelled in our studies. We also knew that dad couldn't afford to send us for higher education overseas or in private colleges so we worked very hard to enter the local universities, with three of us securing scholarships along the way.

Dad was a good father to us. He would try to take us on trips most weekends in his old, trusty Datsun 120Y, which was upgraded years later to another old, trusty Nissan Sunny. We would either be splashing in the cool waters of the waterfalls in Kampung Poh or Kuala Woh, or sightseeing around Perak visiting the cave temples, Kellie's Castle, or the then famed Taman Tema Air of Batu Gajah. Or we could be found enjoying seafood dinner followed by shopping in the two departmental stores in Teluk Intan. Occasionally, we would go picnicking at Teluk Batik, Lumut or Pangkor Island with home-made sandwiches, chicken curry, fried meehoon and boiled eggs. We also made many trips to Ipoh, Menglembu and Tronoh to visit relatives. These simple trips and outings were so much fun for us children and I must thank dad for giving me such fond memories of my childhood.

Following his retrenchment from MMC in 1994, dad got a job in Ipoh and our family moved to Menglembu. I just started varsity then, as did elder sis. Several years later after the three of us elder siblings started working, we bought the family house. Dad had always worried about us buying the house as we had other commitments here in PJ. He always said that he would pay off the house loan if only he could strike the lottery.

Dad retired at the end of 2003 at the age of 59. Since then, he spent his time at leisure playing mahjong with friends, and helping mum take care of Yihao. Mum and dad had also taken several short trips to Bangkok, Haadyai, Betong, Langkawi and Pulau Ketam. They had also been to Guangzhou and Kunming together. We took a family to Phuket in 2004 and were planning another one to Hanoi in January next year. Dad was very much looking forward to the Hanoi trip as he had been talking about visiting Vietnam for the past two years but alas…

Dad was a simple man who enjoyed the simple pleasures in life. Among his favourite food were roast pork, stir fried bitter gourd with pork, stewed pork with salted fish, steamed ikan kembung with bean paste, steamed/boiled peanuts and ais kacang. He also loved the popiah sold at the pasar malam near our house every Friday night. What amuses us is that he would always buy two pieces even though he knew he wouldn't be able to finish. His rationale is that he felt awkward buying just one piece from the vendor. So mum would end up having to share the popiah with him even though she doesn't really fancy it. He also particularly loved iced cham (coffee plus tea with milk) and never failed to take it at breakfast at the neighbourhood coffee shop. Whenever I see these foods nowadays, it would invariably remind me of dad.

I'm glad I spent my confinement months at home after I gave birth last year. That was the longest I've ever spent at home since leaving to KL for further studies and subsequently work. During those precious months, I got to spend quality time with mum and dad, having meals together and just while away our time as we pleased.

I know I have not been as filial a daughter as I'd like to be. I can recall the times I got impatient with his nagging and sometimes seemingly redundant questions and requests. And each time, I'd feel guilty and promised myself that I'd make it up to him on the next trip home. I am guilty of taking him for granted and thinking that dad would still be home the next time. I am guilty for not telling him that I love him. I hope he knew that deep down in my heart, I loved him a lot and I hope he was proud and happy to have me as his daughter.

I shall keep him close in my heart, now and forever…

Coming to terms with our loss

It has been more than a month since dad left us. Everyone in the family has begun to come to terms with our loss. Mum has moved down to Petaling Jaya to stay with sis as without dad, she would literally be immobile as she can't drive. But I know she misses Menglembu and our family house a lot. She kept saying that if she were not babysitting Yihao, my nephew, she would be more than happy to stay put in Menglembu. She could make do with cycling out to the market and the neighbourhood coffee shop for her daily necessities. But with Yihao, that wouldn't be possible. Anyhow, we probably would not allow that to happen as we would be worried sick about her being alone in Menglembu, even though several of our close relatives are nearby. We've decided not to sell off the family house as we just can't bear losing it, at least not for the time being. With the family house intact, we promised mum we'll make monthly trips back to Menglembu, just as we usually did.

Life is beginning to return to normal for me too even though I'm probably not back to my jovial self. I still think of dad a lot and all the what if's. I still shed a silent tear once in a while and I've caught mum doing the same. Mum still blames the cardiologist in Ipoh Specialist Hospital for not noticing dad's paleness which could have rang some alarm bells. I guess that's just the way she's trying to cope with the loss.

Dad was cremated and his ashes are now interned at Nilai Memorial Park. We've made several trips there for prayers and will continue to do so to keep his memory alive.

Losing dad

I lost my beloved dad very suddenly on September 25, 2006 at 9.50pm. It's really difficult losing someone so dear so suddenly and the thought that I'd never see, hear, or touch him ever again is just too much to bear.

Dad died of heart attack precipitated by bleeding in the stomach. The doctor said he probably had underlying coronary heart disease and when he bled and his red blood cells count dropped, his heart tried to compensate by pumping harder and that tipped him over.

I'm trained as a pharmacist and am seen as the "doctor" of the family. I can't help but feel responsible and guilty that I could have done something to have changed the outcome. I could have suspected stomach bleeding earlier coz he was complaining to mum that he looked pale, and was feeling giddy the whole week. And I know he's got all the risk factors - smoking, advancing age, taking low-dose aspirin. If I had paid enough attention to him when he was feeling unwell that week, things could have been so different!

Or when his stress test in May turned out equivocal, I could have insisted that the cardiologist do an angiogram to look at his coronary artery. The cardiologist said it was not necessary as dad did not have any symptoms at all such as chest pain, etc. If we had done that, we probably would have caught the blocked artery and did something about it.

That morning, sis who was back for the weekend took him to see a doctor after being unwell for a week. He was planning to see a physician in Ipoh Specialist Hospital who specialises in treating elderly patients but one thing led to another and he ended up going back to the cardiologist who treated him in May. The cardiologist didn't see anything wrong with him and he was sent home. If he had consulted the physician as planned, the physician might have just picked up the stomach bleeding and admitted him, and he wouldn’t have progressed to have a heart attack.

Mum and dad followed sis to KL that afternoon since all of us siblings are here and it'll be easier for us to care for him. That evening in KL after taking his shower, he fainted for a while but recovered moments later. I was still in office when sis called and told me about it and I asked sis to take him to the hospital immediately. He was still well then and insisted that there's no need to go to the hospital. We took him anyway and he was diagnosed with stomach bleeding at the A&E. He was still well then and could even ask questions and talk to us as usual. He was then transferred to the High Dependency Unit and the gastroenterologist was planning to transfuse two pints of blood into him as his red blood cells count was only half of normal. That was around 9pm. Before they even manage to do that, I saw dad breaking out in cold sweat, his ECG got worse and his blood pressure was crashing. He was progressing into heart attack. They immediately transferred him to the Coronary Care Unit (CCU) where he collapsed. The doctors tried hard to revive him but failed. And dad left us at 9.50pm. It all happened just in a matter of three hours! We didn't even manage to say goodbye as he was hastily pushed to the CCU and I could see he was in distress then. The only thing he managed to say to me was "I have difficulty breathing", and I can still remember his distressed face vividly.

People tell me he's in a better place now, a place where there's no more worries, no more suffering. I really wish to believe so but it's just too difficult. Dad was only 62. He retired just about 3 years ago. After slogging for so many years to bring four of us up, and now that all of us are doing pretty well and could afford little luxuries for him...it just seems so unfair. He had signed up for a trip to Shanghai and was supposed to leave on October 18. We have also booked a family holiday to Hanoi in January. And he couldn't even celebrate Yiu Yiu's first birthday! Yiu Yiu would never have him dote on her and it breaks my heart knowing that she would probably not remember Gong Gong at all.

The only comforting thought I have right now is dad didn't need to suffer, but even that sounds so hollow to me…

Swimming

The first time we went swimming, Yiu Yiu was quite wary of the pool. She clinged on tightly to me as I walked slowly into the pool with her in my arms. I introduced her slowly into the water by wetting her body and supporting her under the armpits and just walked around the pool singing songs. I also wet her hair and let water drip over her eyes and face, resulting in her gasping for air. After a while, she became more comfortable and started to splash the water with her hands. But I think she enjoyed watching other children more, as she kept craning her neck to watch what the other children were doing. Ah well! The intention is to get her to be comfortable around water, not to learn how to swim just yet.

For the subsequent times, she started to enjoy herself much more. I continued to carry her around the pool and whenever I carry her up into the air before splashing her into the pool, she would giggle excitedly. She's also more comfortable with letting water drip from her face and eyes. We bought a floater in which she could comfortable sit in and float around. I am contemplating buying her an arm band floater so that she can really learn how to float in the water but those that I've seen so far are just way too big for her tiny 7kg frame. Or perhaps I've not shopped enough…

The Philippines jeepney

The jeepneys are a common mode of transportation in the Philippines. The original jeepneys were modified army jeeps left behind by Americans after World War II. Modern jeepneys are built locally from durable aluminium and stainless steel, and closely follow the original design. The route of each jeepney is clearly painted on both sides of the vehicle, but it only indicates the two terminal points of the journey. It'll be rather difficult for a foreigner to get around on the jeepney as one has absolutely no idea what's between the two terminal destinations. Jeepney fare starts at six pesos, going up to a maximum of 15 pesos.

Sights not to be missed in Cebu

Our first stop was the Magellan Marker, erected in 1866 to mark the spot where the great explored died in the hands of Lapu-Lapu during the battle of supremacy and freedom on April 27, 1521. Adjacent to the Magellan Marker is the Lapu-Lapu Monument. It depicts the local hero holding a bolo in one hand and a pestle on the other. The weapons were believed to have been used during his combat with Magellan.

Magellan Marker

Lapu-Lapu Monument

We then crossed over the city of Cebu to the Heritage of Cebu Monument. The monument showcases the significant and symbolic events in the history of Cebu. Among others, it comprises sculptures of Magellan, Lapu-Lapu, Miguel Lopez de Legaspi, the Spanish who conquered Philippines and made it a Spanish colony for 333 years, Christianization of the people of Cebu, the three most important churches in Cebu and images of Cebu as a trading port.

View from different angles of the Heritage of Cebu Monument

Fort San Pedro is the smallest, oldest tri-bastion fort in the country. It has a total inside area of 2,025 sq meters and is built from a mixture of corals, crushed lime stones and sand, and held together by egg white. This served as the nucleus of the first Spanish settlement in the Philippines. It then became an American Warwick Barracks during the American Regime and a jail for the Japanese during World War II.

Basilica del Santo Nino, the only basilica in the Far East, was built by Miguel Lopez de Legaspi on the site where the image of Santo Nino (the statue of Holy Child Jesus) was found in 1565. Considered as the oldest religious relic in the Philippines, the image has been venerated by the Cebuanos as its Patron Saint. At present, the miraculous image is kept in the Parish Convent, and a replica, adorned with gold and precious stones, is enshrined in glass and housed in the side altar inside the basilica.

Image of Santo Nino

Planted in April 21, 1521 by Ferdinand Magellan, Magellan's Cross marks the spot where the first Christian Filipinos, were baptized. Natives began to take chips from the cross believing it had miraculous power so a kiosk like structure was built to protect the cross from total destruction. To protect it further, a hollow cross of wood was made to encase the original cross.

Our last stop for the afternoon is the Taoist Temple. Located at Beverly Hills, Cebu City, the temple preserves the teaching of Lao-Tse, the 600 B.C. Chinese philosopher. People climb the 81 steps representing the 81 chapters of Taoism scriptures to light joss sticks and have their fortune read.

Journey to Cebu

Friday, August 25
Yiu Yiu was extra clingy this morning, as if she knew I'd be away for several days. She refused to be carried by papa and kept whining softly as I smothered her with kisses. Hubby finally managed to persuade her to say goodbye to mummy as the KLIA taxi driver was waiting. After checking in at about 8.30am, I grabbed a quick breakfast at Café Marche, enjoying a cup of mocha with foccacia sandwich. I surfed a little as KLIA is now equipped with WiFi facilities. The flight to Manila departed at 10.50am, after a 30-minute delay. I spent the whole time on the flight reading the long overdue "What to Expect – the First Year". Yiu Yiu is approaching her 10th month and I'm just at the chapter of baby's 5th month!

After a pretty uneventful flight, my colleagues and I arrived at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport in Manila. The airport is quite old, and such a far cry compared to our own KLIA. We were then transferred to the new Manila Centennial Airport for our connecting flight to Cebu. While waiting, I made my way to the washroom to express breast milk, which I planned to cart home for Yiu Yiu's consumption.

The flight to Cebu departed at 5.30pm and I could see the skyline changing from yellowish to pitch black, and it was just slightly over 6.00pm then. The plane touched down at Cebu Mactan International Airport at about 7.00pm. It was drizzling then and traffic was bad. The things that struck me on the way to the hotel were the old and rickety houses and lack of street lights. Many of the roadside stalls still used the rather primitive kerosene lamp as their source of lighting. It appears to me as if Cebu is trapped in a 50s time warp. Amidst the relative shabbiness of the surrounding, we found ourselves at the very posh Shangri-La Mactan Island Resort & Spa. We finally checked into our rooms slightly after 8.00pm, almost 12-hour since leaving home. Needless to say, I totally crashed out that night.

Saturday, August 26
Cebu was discovered by the Spanish explorer, Ferninand Magellan who, six days after having sailed into the harbour of Mactan, was slain by Lapu-Lapu, the chieftain of Mactan Island. Mactan Island is part of the Cebu province, which is made up of 167 islands, of which only seven are bigger islands. It is connected to the main Cebu Island by two bridges, the Mandaue-Mactan Bridges 1 and 2. The Shangri-La Mactan Island Resort & Spa is located on the east coast of this small island of 275,000 people.

I had a full day meeting today and didn't have a chance to explore the beautiful hotel grounds at all. In the evening, we went over to Cebu City for some shopping and dinner. We went to one of the major shopping malls in Cebu City, SM City and bought loads of dried mangoes, a popular delicacy from the Philippines. I was also impressed by the range and quality of children's clothing at SM City. All the Disney, Barbie, Winnie the Pooh dresses were so pretty and reasonably cheaper compared to Malaysia. I was disappointed with the infant clothing range though, and I couldn't find something nice to buy for Yiu Yiu.

Dinner was at Café Laguna, reputedly one of the best restaurants in Cebu that serves authentic Filipino cuisine. It started as a labour of love for the Urbina family. Coming from a long line of fine cooks, Lina Urbina started Café Laguna and served Filipino food with the distinctive taste which brought memories of homecooked meals shared with friends and family. Filipino cuisine has Malay, Chinese and Spanish influences. We had lumpiang sariwa (palm shoot spring roll), bulalo soup (beef shank with bamboo shoot and fresh corn), crispy tadyang (deep fried beef ribs), pandan chicken, crispy crablets, camaron rebo sado (fried shrimp coated with egg, flour and cornstarch), tangigue steak (grilled fish), kare-kare with bagong (oxtail in peanut sauce with fermented fish; very much like our own curry but not spicy) and seafood paella. The thick, ice-blended mango juice I had was so refreshing and satisfying.

Lumpiang sariwa

Kare-kare with bagong

Seafood paella

Sunday, August 27
I only had a half-day meeting today and decided to explore Cebu. The half-day city tour costs US$16 but the operator has a minimum requirement of two persons per trip. Since none of my colleagues are interested to explore the city, I went ahead with the tour on my own but had to pay for two. Michael, my guide for the afternoon, picked me up from the hotel at 1.45pm in a Toyota Vios. The tour took me to the Magellan Marker and Lapu-Lapu Monument in Mactan Island, followed landmarks in Cebu City such as the Heritage of Cebu Monument, Fort San Pedro, Basilica del Santo Nino, Magellan's Cross and Taoist Temple. Michael was a great guide who patiently explained the history and story associated with each sight so I guess the US$32 was worth paying. The tour ended at about 4.30pm and I asked to be dropped off at Ayala Centre for some shopping. I couldn't believe what I ended up buying! Maternity blouses…just couldn't resist even though I don't need any at the moment. They are a steal at between 150 – 200 pesos (RM 11 – 15) and the quality was really good.

My colleagues joined me for dinner and again we went to Café Laguna. Again, we ordered lumpiang sariwa and ice-blended mango juice. We also had sinigang hipon (shrimp soup with tamarind puree; tastes like tomyam minus the spiciness), crispy pata (deep fried pork knuckles), grilled spare ribs, crispy kangkong and pinakbet (mixed vegetables with salty fermented shrimp paste). We went back to the hotel tired, but very much satiated.

Crispy pata

Grilled spare ribs

Pinakbet

Monday, August 28
I was holed up in the meeting room from 8.00am – 6.00pm today but managed to take a quick walk at the beach during lunch. The azure, clear water was just so beautiful. It's such a shame that I haven't had a chance to enjoy the beautiful beach. Mental note to self, wake up at 6.00am tomorrow to soak up the sun before meeting begins at 8.00am. Dinner tonight was at Buko Bar, which served a buffet spread of traditional Filipino food. There was also a traditional dance performance during dinner. Some of the dances are similar to those we see back home, not surprising considering Filipinos are descendents of the Malays.

Group photo with the dancers

Tuesday, August 29
Immediately after the meeting ended at 5.30pm, we quickly organized a taxi for a final trip to town. We had initially planned to do some shopping at Ayala Centre and grab dinner but one of my colleagues stumbled upon an ad for Thai massage, which only costs 200 pesos for one hour. Since we could not afford the spa at the hotel, we unanimously agreed that this is a viable alternative. We instructed the taxi driver by way of pointing to the map. We reached the massage shop at about 7.00pm due to rush hour traffic. Our initial plan of massage followed by shopping and dinner would not be workable as the lady at the counter told us that Ayala Centre will close at 8.00pm. So we changed our plan and headed to Ayala Centre instead, which is just 5 minutes walk away from the shop. After the shops closed, we had dinner at Café Laguna (again!). We ordered pretty much the same dishes we had previously with the new ones being tinola lapu-lapu fillet (soup with fish fillet), pancit palabok with puto (rice noodles with seafood sauce), and buko pandan (pandan jelly in coconut cream) for dessert. We took a leisurely stroll back to the massage shop and decided to indulge ourselves with the 2-hour package which includes one hour each of Thai and Swedish massage. The Thai massage was quite good, but still cannot compare to the real McCoy. The Swedish massage was quite a disappointment, but can’t complain as we only paid 380 pesos for the whole session. It was raining heavily as we boarded the taxi back to the hotel and we could see many of the roads were flooded. We heaved a sigh of relief when we safely reached the hotel at 1.00am.

Pancit palabok with puto

Buko pandan

Wednesday, August 30
I woke up at 6.30am this morning as I've made a pact with my colleagues to take a dip in the hotel pool and enjoy the beach before we head home. The sun was already shining brightly and we headed to the beach first. It was heavenly wading into the crystal clear water at the beach. Even near the shore, there were many fishes, albeit plain looking ones, swimming around feeding on bread given by hotel guests. We could also see many corals (dead ones, I assume, as they were all brown in colour) in the shallow waters. We decided to rent a snorkeling gear and venture further out the sea. Though the corals were still uninteresting, we were rewarded with the sight of different colourful fishes. I'm not an expert in marine life but could still recognize the sea cucumber, star fish, and many more. We also took a refreshing dip in the pool. Soon after, it was time to bid Shangri-La Mactan Island Resort & Spa a fond farewell.

Picture perfect

The inviting clear, azure, calm sea

Pool with a view

For the return trip, again, we had to transit in Manila. Nevertheless, the shoppers among us killed time by doing some last-minute shopping and frantically trying to spend off all our remaining pesos. Cebuanos are famed guitar makers so I bought a miniature one to remind myself of Cebu at the Cebu Mactan International Airport. At the Ninoy Aquino International Airport, I saw a handiwork of a traditional Filipino village scene assembled inside a glass bottle and thought it would look really nice in the display cabinet. The vain pot in me also couldn't resist the colourful woven clutch purse.

The entire journey was uneventful except that I practically slept the whole time. The plane landed in KLIA at about 8.15pm. As it was the Merdeka eve, I was told by the lady at the KLIA airport limo that the line for the taxi is very long as many drivers are stuck in the city due to numerous road closures in preparation for the Merdeka parade. As I braced myself for a 30-minute wait, I was pleasantly surprised that I got into a taxi after waiting for less than 15 minutes. As I stepped into my house, I was greeted by a very enthusiastic gummy grin. My little darling welcomed her mummy home with a big hug.