holiday Archives

Msclak December 31, 2018

My 2018 snippets and 2019 resolutions

In a blink of an eye, 2018 is bidding us goodbye. Every year I would “wah.. this year passed by so quickly..” In fact 2018 proved to be a memorable year for me. Following is what I feel to be the major milestones of 2018.

Happy New Year, Guys!

1. A major change in my life as I moved from a corporate lady to an entrepreneur. Entrepreneurship is harder than I thought. With daily challenges to the point that whenever some things were going smoothly, I would fear that some big hiccups were coming too. Because ever since taking on the role, I felt the word 一帆风顺 only happens in fantasy. But the good thing is each and every challenge gave me a positive lesson and I have changed a lot in my mindset and thinking 1 year into this role.

My new office- Executive Storage by Extra Space

2. Dedicated more time to my family. Because now I do not have to report to work at a specific time. I have had more time with my family. Lauren is no longer on the school bus and she is enjoying the fact she could reach home earlier and avoid the occasional teasing she received from other students on the school bus. I could also send mummy to her medical appointments without the stress of applying for leave from work too often.

“we” time with mummy

School Outing with Alexis

3. With eFresh being my full time job, my mind was working 24/7 on how to improve the brand presence. eFresh received its 1st beauty award in May. I was so touched by the nomination and awards that I sent it to my ex-bosses as they had nominated me as an award winners when I was working in other companies then. For those that are keen to try the award-winning products, here is the link.

The award winning products from eFresh Singapore

4. A year with lots of holidays (inclusive of work trip) I conquered a short Bangkok getaway, a dream cruise holiday with my family, explored Greece with hubby, went on the 10th year of friendship trip to Bintan Canopi with my neighbours, a fruitful Hong Kong business trip and a CLAK holiday to London! Of course, these were nothing compared to hubby’s hectic travelling or the times when I was a stewardess but all these are beautiful memories created with family, friends and important lessons for my work.

Family Holiday in London

Business Trip to Hong Kong

Short Getaway to Bintan Canopi

Celebrating the 10th year of friendship with my wonderful neighbours at Bintan Canopi

Catching the most beautiful sunset with hubby in Santorini, Greece

Picture perfect Santorini

The ones who are closest to my heart. Missing Granny in this photo. Family cruise holiday

Joining hubby’s business trip in Bangkok

5. We made one of the biggest purchase in our lives. We bought our new home. This happened too suddenly and honestly if I knew this was coming, I would probably have continued working. The house has been giving me some pressure. Although hubby has been asking me to take things easy, I want to do my part in the family and help with the contributions. The agony of home construction/ renovation is the owners always bursting the initial target budget. We would be saying, “ok la, a little bit more but it will be nicer..” but it will be a little bit of everything x the entire house. So it was 😱😱😱. Other than the budget part, hubby and I really enjoyed this process of creating our humble abode. The discussion on theme, the furniture, to the type of tiles and wallpaper. Woah.. it is alot of couple time here. 🤣

Our 1st family photo at the new house (before demolition)

Current stage of construction. Demolished and pending piling

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6. With the pressure from the house, I pushed myself more in a good way in my career. I took the leap of faith and realised a dream of many years. The birth of Glowfully. This was probably one of the toughest decisions in 2018. Because funds were all locked in the house construction, to create Glowfully had me knocking on the door of banks to take a loan to fulfil this insane dream of mine. I do feel crazy even till now but I told myself, I will only grow the fastest when I am out of my comfort zone. Glowfully is only a month old but I am thankful to hear all the wonderful reviews from the customers who had tried this creation of mine. There will be more products coming up in 2019 and I hope you are anticipating them as much as I do. Do check out the website and follow us on Glowfully’s social media for the latest news.

Glowfully Charcoal Beads Gel Cleanser

My 1st product from Glowfully.

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As I kiss 2018 goodbye, I am telling 2019, “Hey, I know this is going to be an uphill task but please treat us well… I promise I will be good.”

Good in terms of love and care to everyone around me. More time with mummy and family.

More care for myself by having an exercise regime.

More responsibility to the less fortunate by having a corporate social responsibility program for Glowfully. (Details to be announced in Q2 2019)

Have you done your reflection of 2018 and your 2019 resolution?

Love, Charlene

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Msclak May 1, 2017

CLAK in Japan (Tokyo)

I love the land of the rising sun. Food had always been the top of my list, and not forgetting the hospitality in the Japanese culture and of course the nice weather. Bringing the girls to Japan for a holiday had been on my mind for the longest time. I worried a lot about the radiation to the girls but after speaking to a few doctors, I decided to just stop being worrisome and enjoy the destination. We planned 7 months ahead because we heard about rooms being sold out in popular ski resorts. We planned a 16 days holiday; 16 days also partly due to the fact that my helper is going for her home leave for 3 weeks and I thought being away would be the best way to avoid the chaos at home. We finally decided on Tokyo and Hokkaido. Tokyo for the Disneyland and Hokkaido for the snow.

Red eye flight into Tokyo. The kiddos slept throughout while Daddy and Mummy became their pillows. We arrived deadbeat and stiffed. Because of my prior experience of the teeny weeny rooms in Japan with Mum in May, we wanted bigger rooms because the kiddos would be running around in the room. We tried the Hilton at Odaiba City this time. We were very impressed with the size of the room given. It came with a nice view of the rainbow bridge. Due to its close proximity to Aqua City and Diver City, staying at the Hilton Odaiba was pleasant. Nice restaurants were 2 mins walk away and there were alot of kids’s activities in Daiba. Hilton Odaiba is a good neighbour hotel of Disneyland and thus there were free shuttle for us to and fro Disneyland and Disneysea.

Although we had a week in Tokyo, we planned our schedule leisurely. Daddy always liked his holiday the chillax way and with Alexis around, there was no way to be chillax. If I were to pack the schedule, I would end up with a grumpy Daddy. We are late risers and daylight in Tokyo was short during winter. With that, we basically had a few hours a day to walk around. Once the sky turned dark, the weather became too cold for all of us to stay outdoor.

LEGOLAND Discovery Centre

We were told that the LEGOLAND is small and we would probably be disappointed. However it turned out that we had to beg the kids to leave. The centre was indeed small but the kids were so engrossed into the activities. They had indoor playgrounds, 4D cinema, an interactive lego laser ride and a lego model building class.

LEGOLAND® Discovery Center Tokyo
Island Mall 6F, Decks Tokyo Beach,
1-6-1 Daiba, Minato-ku,
Tokyo 135-0091

Tokyo Disneyland

Initially we set aside 3 days for Disneyland and Disneysea. After visiting Disneyland for the 1st day, we decided to just keep the other 2 days to visit other places in Tokyo. Disneyland Tokyo was alright. Just that the feel we had was too similar to Hongkong. It was really crowded too, each ride took us at least 45min to queue. A few of the roller coasters were also closed for maintenance. The kids were disappointed with that. The restaurants were also jam packed with park goers. We had a hard time getting tables and queuing for food. Good thing was we all had the magical feel that was always given during a visit to the Disneyland. Get the tickets at Disney stores in the city Disney Store or online to avoid the queue.

Tokyo Disneyland

Tsukiji Fish Market

We were initially told that the fish market would be relocated by the end of 2016. Good news for us! The relocation has been moved back till further notice. Getting to the fish market was rather straightforward via the train. We brisked through the inner market. There was tuna auction on most days but limited to the 1st 120 visitors per day. The auction would start at 5am and queue could form as early as at 2am. We got our brunch fixed at the outer market, it was rather hard for us as we were walking around with the stoller. For mummies going there with your bubs, use a baby carrier instead. The streets were crowded and it was literally impossible for our stroller to pass through. Do check their website for the calendar and opening days.

Tsukiji Fish Market Website

Sensoji Temple

My 2nd time here in 2016. Visited the famous temple with the kiddos and soaked in the atmosphere of the busy streets vendors and rich culture. A brief stop before we headed over to Tokyo Skytree which was one train station away.

Pokémon Centre at Skytree

Add: 1-1-2 Oshiage | Tokyo Solamachi, Sumida 131-0045, Tokyo Prefecture

Do not expect much at this venue. It is merely a merchandise store that sells a lot of toys and souvenirs. However even though it was just that, that was enough to make the kids go crazy.

Meiji Jingu

Love the tranquillity of this place. Lauren left her wishes here.

Owl Café Harajuku

This small café exceeded our expectation. 60 min session was truly educational and highly recommended. Lauren had the chance to interact with all the owls and even handled them on her arms. Booking is required so make sure you reserve your slot at the link above before you head down. If animal café is your cup of tea, there is another cat café down the road. Mocha Cat Café

Off to our next destination, Hokkaido!!

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Msclak July 27, 2016

CLAK in Hong Kong

June holiday would not be complete without a overseas holiday for the girls. Hong Kong was a last-min decision between Kel and I; I had taken too many leave from work for the past few months and Kel’s work schedule in June looked crazy. A short getaway to Hong Kong seemed like the best option for us.

This was also the 1st time we were bringing Alexis on our own. The last time we went Bangkok with the girls, Alexis was only 6 months old and we had Aunty Siti with us. This time round was a dry run for us to experience the Feisty Alexis for 4 days before the real deal of 16 days at Tokyo and Hokkaido with the girls in December.

In love with the giveaways by Singapore Airlines

Watching Zootopia!

Thank you SIA for making my flight a breeze.

Alexis squeezing into the basinet to catch some sleep

Kid’s Meal

The flight experience was better than expected, probably I was expecting scary moments but Alexis did well. The bulk head seats helped a lot by allowing Alexis some space to walkabout. We took it easy on the 1st day, some walking and dining nearby the hotel. Dining was bad due to the fact that Hong Kong’s eateries were not really that child friendly. There wasn’t child seat and I had to carry Alexis on my lap. Alexis was throwing everything on the table onto the floor and I couldn’t really finish my food because she was screaming to get off my lap. In the end, I went out without eating much. Lauren was a sweetheart, knowing Mummy wasn’t in her best mood. She was constantly trying to get Alexis’ attention so that to give me some “me” time.. Lauren also helped me a lot to ensure that Alexis was safe when I was attending to some other stuffs.

Taken by my sweetheart Lauren.

Queuing for Taxi

We went for the Star Ferry ride on day 2. A nice way to view the beautiful harbour of Hong Kong. Walking around Tsim Sha Tsui, window shopping (because it was impossible to shop with Alexis) and dining at Cha Chang Ting. We walked to the famous Australia Diary Co and had some eggs and sandwiches before heading back to the hotel to rest. Part of the plan was to go the The Peak via the tram. Unfortunately , the queue for the tram up to the peak was way too long, We were told it could take more than 1 hour to queue. The unbearable summer weather also made it impossible for us to queue an hour with a screaming Alexis strapped in an ergobaby. We ended up taking a taxi up to the peak and had dinner at Wildfire. It was part of Father’s Day celebration but I seriously thought Kel did not find any part of that day a celebration. LOL.

Day 2, here we go!

Wan Chai Pier

Beautiful harbour view

It’s also my 1st time taking the Star Ferry

Have to credit Kel for this amazing shot

Trying my luck to go shopping with Ms Feisty

Finally here after walking a good 35min! Australia Diary Co

Not really resting in hotel when you have these 2 super energetics jumping around

Hong Kong’s beautiful skyline view from The Peak

Happy Father’s Day!

Dinner at Wildfire The Peak

We braced ourselves for Day 3, Disneyland. Summer in Hong Kong was no joke. The sun was scorching hot and most of the rides were outdoor. The heat made our trip to Disneyland the most unpleasant theme park experience ever. Honestly I preferred our previous trips to the Universal Studio Singapore. The quality of rides and the pricing of the tickets were much more competitive. The fact that there were no express pass offered in Disneyland (there was a Fast Pass but it was not like our USS’ express pass) also lowered the satisfaction level we had.

Disney MTR to Disneyland Hong Kong

So bright that Lauren couldn’t even open her eyes.

She was not very cooperative

Family photo!!

Queuing for their rides

CLAKs with Buzz and Jessie!

I love you Ms Feisty

Going back all tanned and sweaty.

After day 3, I was very determined that Hong Kong is only possible for year end holiday. Hong Kong in June will never happen again. The shopaholic Papa and Mummy attempted some shopping after our lunch at Lei Garden. Unfortunately we realized it was not possible with Alexis screaming to get off the Ergo carrier. The moment I let her down, she was scrambling all over the place. That was the mere 5 mins of walking experience Alexis had on Day 4.

Things we liked this holiday:

Hotel- We stayed at Parklane Hong Kong. Conveniently located right next to Causeway Bay MTR station. Tons of eateries at your door steps. Sogo and Times Square are just a stone’s throw away.
Food- It’s not wrong to name Hong Kong a food paradise. We were never disappointed with any of the eateries. We especially like the Mun Fai Chiu Chow noodle at Causeway Bay (22-24 Jardine’s Bazaar Causeway Bay) and the Eggs at Australia Diary Co (47 Parkes Strret, Jordan). The girls were in love with the food too which took 1 obstacle off the list.
The Peak- The last time I was there was during my Pak Tor time with Kel. Its like a walk down memory lane but this time round with our 2 gems along with us.
Family Support- Because it’s our official 1st CLAK holiday, I am super grateful and appreciative of Kel and Lauren. They helped in every possible ways. Great Teamwork! Psst.. Kel was the one washing the bottles and packing the diaperbag daily.

Things we learnt from this trip and hope to improve or avoid in future:

Never attempt Hong Kong in Summer with kids and no help. Hong Kong’s summer is hotter than Singapore, IMO. Sweaty and frustration were the main descriptions for this holiday. Things might be better if we were in a cooler weather.
Eat at a restaurant rather than a eatery if you have young children. Restaurants have higher chance of child seat and a table to yourself thus you are probably not as embarrassed when your child starts throwing tantrum.
Use an ergo carrier rather than a stroller when you are exploring Hong Kong. Streets are not that stroller friendly. We only used the stroller to Disneyland, the remaining of the time we conquered the island with Ergobaby.
Taking a taxi up The Peak might be an easier option as the queue for Tram can take more than an hour.
Get your Disneyland Tickets online here. I realized there were some promotion but we were not offered that when we bought the ticket on site.

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Msclak May 23, 2016

Impromptu Bangkok trip

After coming back from Sydney, Kel got to travel for work. Because he had to stay behind while I was away to look after the girls. He pushed all his trip behind. Me being the super super sticky wife, could not bear the thought that I had to be away from him for so long. After enduring 5 days, I booked a last min flight on Tigerair to Bangkok to spend the weekend with him. I left on a Saturday 8am flight but my 1st experience with Tigerair was disapointing. My flight got delayed for 5 hours and I only reached Bangkok at 3pm in the afternoon. My original ETA was 940am. 🙁 I reached the hotel at 4pm and rushed to Platinum to do some shopping as Kel was with customers at that time. I bought quite a few apparels within an hour and headed back to Grand Hyatt to meet Kel for dinner. Had his favourite MK Gold at Paragon. Walked across to Siam and found a nice dessert joint, Mango Tango. Very nice mango and smoothie.

Siam was lively at night, I continued my shopping at the roadside stalls and ended the night with a nice foot and body massage. I plan to stay at Siam Novetel for my next trip. This area seemed to suit me better.

We stayed at Grand Hyatt this trip, the hotel has the very luxurious upscale feel. A very different feel from my usual hotels in Bangkok. Although not as convenient for me to shop, I still enjoyed the experience because it gave me a very different feel.

We went for the must have breakfast in Bangkok. Soi 19 Wanton Noodle. Long queue as usual and we needed 2 bowls of noodle. each bowl was 100 baht. Not cheap for the amount they are serving. (You can finished with 2 mouthfuls) Actually did not see locals eating there. Mostly tourists and Singaporeans. Located at Soi 19 Petchburi Road,
Pratunam, Bangkok. If you are around that area, do make a trip to try. Ermmm actually there is also a stall in Singapore where they serve similar Wanton Mee. They are not related to the stall in Bangkok but the taste is quite similar. It is located at Blk 151 Ang Mo Kio Ave 5 Coffeeshop, Singapore 560151

Spent some time drinking coffee and people watched before Kel sent me to the airport. 24 hours in Bangkok but felt so accomplished. Chop Chop and get to see my love. Nothing to complain except the disappointing experience on Tigerair.

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Msclak May 12, 2016

My Sydney Incentive trip

I am very lucky to be part of a company that brings their employees for yearly incentive trip. This year we went Sydney! That was also partly dued to the fact that we did really well last year and our big boss fought to have us travel a little further.

We did a red eye flight into Sydney and arrived the next morning. I would not bore you with the details but lots of photos. Touching a little at the interesting places we went.

Day 1 was basically letting our body get use to the time zone, there was only 2 hours difference but the fact that we did not rest well on board made us all zombies on the first day. We took things light and lunch at Darling Harbour. Lunch was at Nick’s seafood. I love their calamaris.. Ok I love any calamari. Nothing too fanciful but you know when you are half zombie, you do not really bother about the food.

We went to the Opera House and took lots of photos. More like I took alot of photos for my colleagues.. So here is the only one that someone else took for me.

We had dinner at Aqua hosted by our Sydney’s colleagues. The dinner was fantastic. Really really good and I heard it wasnt cheap too. Really good food. But my camera was flat so I did not get any photos of the dinner. Worth a try if you are in Sydney.

Day 2.

We went for the Sydney Harbour Bridge Climb. I was half hearted on this itienary because of my acrophobia. I am the type who cant even look over the shopping centre railing so when I heard that the bridge climb is going to be climbing all the way to the top. I almost fainted. You know you cannot really reject your boss’ proposal so I gritted my teeth and went ahead with the rest. I found out that the climb was very costly at AUD$278 per person. Woah…. The experience was scary but I was really proud of myself that I overcame my fear and climbed all the way. Some tips for those who are keen to try. You CAN bring your sunglasses along so dont listen to people who tell you that you cant. You will be given a strap to hold the sunglasses. No cameras, no phone actually nothing except sunglasses and emergency medications are allowed. Wear shoes with shoelaces and comfortable attire. (You will be given an overall to wear) Here are some photos taken by the crew.

Day 3

We went to the beautiful Blue Mountain! The name Blue Mountains is derived from the blue tinge the range takes on when viewed from a distance. It took us 2 hours ride on a coach from central Sydney to reach Blue Mountain. We visited the 3 Sisters; the Blue Mountain’s most spectacular landmark; an unusual rock formation representing three sisters who according to Aboriginal legend were turned to stone. Strolled along the amazing bushwalking tracks in the reserve and also had lunch at the breathtaking Echo Point. We spent half the day and left for our Sailing experience from Darling Harbour. I took motion sickness pills before the ride and it really helped. I truly loved the sailing experience and of course all the photos onboard were fantastic!! We even got to steer the boat! Although not as steady but with all the encouragements and guidance, I was seriously considering to continue on a boat trip back in Singapore.

Day 4

Hunter Valley and horse riding day. Ok when they mentioned horse riding, I thought was those in Singapore Zoo where someone will lead the horse and you ride slowly. I was shocked when they placed me onto the horse, told me 4 simple instructions on how to Go, Stop, Left and Right. Then I was off to go with Charlie (my horse) into the wild, yes wild as in out in the field where you can see Kangaroo jumping beside you and a hare popping out from the tall grass in the middle of your path. Honestly it was not easy at all. My horse was always hungry, he would stopped and eat as and when we walked pass any grass patch. He would walked right into bushes and tress and all the branches would swept all over me and I had to scream for help. Charlie would gallopped when he realized he was too slow and needed to catch up. Ok the gallopping was scary. Firstly I felt as though I was going to fall off. Next my bum was super sore from the slamming when Charlie gallopped. (Now I understand why Jockey has to stand when they are riding). Finally after a 45 min or so of riding, we got back to the stable. One of my colleagues fell off her horse because another colleague’s horse went to irritate her horse. Omg… she got a cut on her arm and face. But even so… everyone agreed that this horse riding was a fun experience.

Last day

Sydney Fish Market. For really really fresh seafood breakfast!! Lots of Sashimi and Oysters( I dont take Oysters). Then we headed to Paddey’s market nearby before going Home Sweet Home…