Off to Penang for the weekend

Prolly pics when I get back

Bye

Currently Reading Kafka on the Shore By Haruki Murakami see related

BKT is a weekend food

At least it is for me

Almost a ritual actually…along with Banana Leaf Rice or Dim Sum

Later than usual relaxed lunch sessions with friends over the weekends tend to be either Bak Kut Teh or Banana Leaf Rice

Leisurely brunch sessions tend to be dim sum most times

Not too sure if it’s just us or everyone else is like that too

It doesn’t happen every weekend but often enough

This weekend it happened to be Bak Kut Teh in SS2… the Teow Chew Bak Kut Teh place that’s the same row as the giant duck restaurant and our usual dim sum haunt (the row behind Savemart, facing the houses)

Most of the usual suspects, Henry, Hal, Phoebe, Pete and Me

Late lunch at around 2 p.m.

Weekends are great that way ... the only time you get to really catch up and really enjoy your food without any worries about where else you need to run too immediately after

An integral part of the meal; chopped garlic and fresh cut chillies with thin and thick soy sauce. As you can see, I prefer the garlic to the chili although I promise that there are some cut red chillies in there

Yau Char Kway ( Fried Crullers) and extra Bak Kut Teh soup to dunk it in.. yummy

An extra dish...pork leg stewed with ginger and vineagar. Apparently a lot of work to prepare and its a confinement dish, although I'm wondering why, maybe the ginger?

Mmmmm... the bak kut teh...pork ribs and meat, other bits of the pig, shitake and fresh enoki mushrooms in yummy herbal broth served piping hot in a claypot...

Time to dig in

To be eaten with your choice of white or yam rice

Blanched lettuce with oyster sauce, our concession to good diet and to make up for all that pig !

This is why we need longer weekends

Incongruity on a Sunday night

The website says The Macallan is recognized as the most precious whiskey in the world by discerning whiskey drinkers. It’s savoured and enjoyed around the world

So this might not be the best glass to enjoy it in

Although we did have it with water and ice

It also means that the guys lived up to their reputations on Sunday at the housewarming we were all at (the girls mostly sat, watched and laughed)

Not sure how many bottles were polished off in the funny blackjack drinking combo game courtesy of Hann where new rules were invented on the spot (that's him in the background of the picture. The one in the black tee )

Or how much went during the toasts with our host and other senior guests

Or even during the late night gambling session

But it was a Sunday night after all…with Monday looming by the time we headed home

Good thing most of the guys have flexi morning hours, cos I’m sure some went homw feeling much lighter than usual

All quiet by the time we left...only the whirring fans under the red canopies

Rites of passage...

When you turn 6 months old...your first haircut

Also applies to the two little munchy dogs

We decided to make the first proper haircut a little less traumatising for both the munchies by getting a very gentle groomer who made house calls

But still, on the fateful Saturday, both munchies knew something was up.. cos they didn't get their weekly bath in the morning and everyone was home just waiting... but for what?

Decidedly less boisterous than usual. Hiding in the doggie bed at different times of the morning (yes, its' 2 different dogs. It's just that they both kinda look like black mops)

The groomer arrived about 2 ish, with all his gear and an industrial fan to blow dry them after

We decided to start with Chubby Socks cos he's calmer and waaay more laidback than scruffy. He's a go with the flow kinda dog and protests with soft teddy bear like growls when he's been hugged or carried too much ( Scruff on the other hand, sturggles like there's no tomorrow)

Socks did quite well and mostly cooperated. He only had a problem with the nail trimming bit. A little squeak when it came to the back paws

Scruffy was next....and he was scared stiff and super nervous. He's a little more timid and high strung than his brother and this really came out during his haircut. Poor little doggie

I only managed one picture cos I had to sit with the groomer to soothe him cos he kept trying to run away

He also absolutely refused to have the nails on his back paws trimmed. Poor doggie. But it was finally done

Post haircut and grooming Socks. He has a bigger white blaze on his chest than SCruffy ( and he's chubbier )

Scruffy hiding in his favorite corner. He was a little upset after and stayed upset for a couple of days after

2 weeks later with the new haircut nicely settled in. Blur pic cos its almost impossible to get them to sit still. Perhaps we'll try a different cut next time... but that won;t happen for at least 4 months more

I love the water

It balances me out and rejuvenates me

And life always seems a little easier to deal with when you can be near water

Which is why Redang last week was such a blessing

Helped clear my head and now I can handle a little more crap without the risk of snapping (for a little while)

It was a last minute tag along trip with Henry, Hal and his prospective Mum-in-law and some other friends I'd not met ( or don't remember meeting )

A good mix of divers and non-divers for a well rounded holiday

On top of that, we actually stayed in a proper "5-Star" resort... Berjaya Redang (cos Henry get's 50% off the rooms as part of his staff perks package ) and Berjaya Air flies from Subang airport directly to the island... all easy peasy and neat..

Halina and her aunty waiting for the plane. Subang airport is actually really grotty and not maintained at the moment but it's only 10 minutes away from home, vs 45 mins to KLIA so convenience wins out over appearance

Berjaya Air propellar planes

Wheee! Henry and Me going diving again... first trip of the year. Check out the bengkak, early morning eyes

We arrived in Redang and checked in to the Resort by 11 a.m. Then Henry, Kuan the Batty Boy (that's what Henry called him) went in search of diving

And nearly passed out in shock cos a boat dive with full gear at Berjaya cost RM118 a pop. Long Beach dive centers charge RM60 or so per boat dive so we headed for the jetty and got a boat to Long Beach (altho it did cost RM30 per person just for the boat ride there  )

And the boat dives there had gone up to RM100 per dive ( plus gear) and RM30 per day to get us to and fro the Berjaya jetty to Long Beach...

It was the %^&*#$@ fuel price hike again! The boat cost is what made the dive prices shoot sky high cos the shore dives were still RM40, just like it's been the past couple of times we dived in Redang

Ughhh... yet another reason to complain about the fuel price hike ( along with my RM6.50 plate of chicken rice from a coffee shop in section 17 that used to cost RM5 a week before)

Anyway.. we were still gonna dive anyway and since we were already at Long Beach, we did 2 dives. A shore dive to reacquaint super rusty Henry and a boat dive, before the dive centre dropped us back at the Berjaya beach

Henry and Kuan gearing up for the dive

And showing some manly looove

Post dive bug eyes from the salt water and canned air

More love, and a friendly pat on the bum for Henry. Kuan's a butt man apparently

Kuan and his super sexy-when-wet white rash guard

The view from our balcony...Lovely and the pond was full of fat koi

No Henry, your boobs are not bigger than mine...yet

Twilight and chilling. We had to wait for the Berjaya guy to unlock our door cos it jammed. The dude took almost half an hour to get it right

I checked out the resident spa the next morning. Ayura Spa. Wonderful pampering aromatherapy massage and facial for me

The path to pampering paradise

Ayura Spa

My pamper room

Post massage ginger tea, very yummy too

Kuan and his wife Amanda on the boat out to the dive centre (another one on a different part of the island)

Hal and Yin

Anticipation

Dive gear waiting to be used

Amanda, Hal and I suiting up

Henry's specially ventilated wetsuit

The squirrel we met there when we got back from our dives

Waterlogged, sunburned and tired after a whole afternoon of diving

Or not

Kuan looks like he got a touch or narcosis

Boats on the jetty and a hint of sunset in the sky when we arrived back

Post dive picture of Henry and Me

Halina attacking a coconut for her Mum at dinner in Long Beach

Zul and his wife, our lovely hosts of sorts

Sun, sea, sand, clear blue skies...heavenly

Happy Me

Happy Toes

Happy Amanda

 And more gorgeous beach

Salmon, prawn and brie pizza served by the beach

Sunset skies on our last day on the island

....was a beautiful close to a much needed beach holiday

I'm dreaming of the next one already