Sakura shrimps

This post chronologs our experience of keeping Sakura shrimps. One evening, my husband returned home sharing enthusiastically about a shrimp tank he saw at a friend's place. After doing some online research, he decided to keep shrimps as well, despite their reputation for being 'challenging' to rear. And they prove to be difficult to keep!

The pH of the water has to be right, the water must not have any hint of chlorine and must be free of sediments, the temperature has to be appropriate, etc. Needless to say, it was difficult to maintain the optimum conditions in the tank! The shrimps died within a week. We were disappointed initially but decided to try again. The 2nd batch of shrimps lasted slightly longer than the first, though not for long. Our shrimping adventure was short-lived. The tank has been empty since, but my mother in law decided that it was a waste of electricity to keep the tank running without any living creature inside. So she returned with a bag of fishes one afternoon, and they have been surving well ever in our tank since then...

Waiting to transfer the shrimps to the tank

Transferring the shrimps to the tank

Little shrimps exploring the tank

Khaolak (8-11 Nov 2013)

One evening, T and I were discussing how we should celebrate his 30th birthday. We didn't want to splurge on a fancy vacation and wanted to visit a quiet destination. Finally, we decided to return to Khaolak, Thailand (the place where we had our honeymoon)

Via expedia.com, we obtained an excellent deal - flights and accommodation for approximately SG$350 nett. This time, flew via Airasia and stayed at Fanari Khaolak Resort. 

Fanari Khaolak was a 5 minutes walk to the beach and 10 minutes to Bang Niang market. The facilities in Fanari weren't great, but it has a convenient location and was relatively inexpensive. The other reason for choosing this place was because it was near Enzo Japanese Restaurant.

Khaolak with 'Gao luck' (pun intended)

Fanari Khaolak

Fanari Khaolak

Fanari Khaolak

Fanari Khaolak

As shallow as it might sound, Enzo Japanese Restaurant was the decicing factor for our trip. While planning for this holiday, we made a unanimous decision to return to Bang Niang because of this place. Enzo is owned and managed by Toshi-san. The restaurant offers exquisite Japanese cuisine made from both imported and local produce. The quality of the food is impeccably fresh and palatable.

Enzo Japanese Restaurant

Onsen egg (yums!)

Gyoza and Edamame

Yakitori

Fresh sashimi

Yasai and ebi tempura

Temari sushi

Handmade chocolate and mango ice cream

As a tradition, we returned to Bang Niang market to twist balloon sculptures for the children. The last time we went was more than a year ago, but we were surprised that some of them actually recognise us!

 

T sculpting balloons for a child

The only roti-prata stall at Bang Niang

Bang Niang market

Fried finger food - Bang Niang market

Dessert - Bang Niang market

Fresh fruits - Bang Niang market

 The fruit seller was actually slicing toddy palms at the back of his pick-up truck! Toddy palms (Hai-di-yeh) is one of our favourite food!

Fresh chicken - Bang Niang market

Fresh vegetables - Bang Naing market

During the trip, T and I also learnt how to ride a motorcycle with the help of a Thai instructor. In Singapore, you can only ride a bike if you have a Class 2 license. Obtaining that license is certainly on my bucket list!

Kuantan, Malaysia

My company planned a staff retreat this Oct and graciously invited spouses and families to join the team. The location of the retreat was at Kuantan, Malaysia. Kuantan is a 6 hours drive from Singapore. Prior to this trip, I knew very little about this quaint town except for its reputation for producing the best salted fish in the region. Kuantan is indeed a little gem! There are numerous sightseeing locations that are very different from the usual cityscape in other major cities in Malaysia.

First stop was Lake Chini. It was a vast lake with beautiful flora and fauna. We took a 1 hour boat ride in the lake and visited an Orang Asli village in the precinct. I was enthralled by the serenity of the lake and the vast skies.

Lake Chini

On the 2nd day, the guide brought us to Lembing town for light breakfast and to visit Sungai Lembing museum. The museum exhibits the history and artefacts obtained from tin mines during the peak of tin-mining in Malaysia. We spent the rest of the morning strolling in the town and crossing the infamous wooden bridge which led to shophouses that sold local produce and hand-made noodles. In the afternoon, we visited Charas caves. It is a place that I would not recommend visiting, as there wasn't anything in particular which I found interesting.

Quaint town

 

Local Yong Tau Foo

Local Yong Tau Foo

Public library

Alley of Lembing town

Sungai Lembing Tin-Mining museum

The museum

Vehicle used during tin mining

Wooden bridge at Lembing town

Wooden bridge at Lembing town

Shop that sold local produce and hand-made noodles

Stuffed crab shell at a local restaurant

Seafood at a local restaurant

Seafood at a local restaurant

Seafood at a local restaurant

My favourite place in Kuantan has got to be the Chrating turtle sanctuary. It is located just beside Club-med Kuantan. When we arrived at the sanctuary, we were ushered into the video room to watch a short clip about turtle conservation. Thereafter, we went to see the hatchery and the ponds which held the baby turtles. The guide told us that the turtles were usually released in the night, to hide them from predators. Also, the gender of the turtle is determined by the temperature of the sand that the eggs were burried in! After the trip, I went read up more information on this which can be found here. (Information retrieved on 11 Dec 2013) The turtle sanctuary was the highlight of the entire trip and I absolutely love it!

Hatchery

Hatchery

Baby turtles

Love Nest

T and I joined the ballotting of a Built-To-Order (BTO) flat from Singapore's Housing & Development Board (HDB) in 2011. It was our first application and by God's grace, the application was successful and we received a 'queue number', and a pretty good one too. We applied for a 4-room HDB flat for the price of SGD270,000. The size of the flat is 92 m². It is a corner unit that we wanted on the 10th floor (The highest level is 13th) with a relatively nice view.

From the HDB website we were notified that the house will be ready in the 2nd quarter of 2014. I look forward to that! Some of our friends had been asking us about the type of decor we would like for our house. We are undecided, but will probably go with a nautical style since we love being at the sea.

Floor plan of our house (courtesy of vincentinteriorblog)

Sembawang beach

Last weekend, I joined T for an event at Sembawang beach. It has been ages since I visited the place after it was closed for renovations. To my delight, the newly revamped park-beach is lovely and tranquil. We arrived at the park around 7:00AM, just in time to catch the sunrise. While T was preparing for the event, I had time to explore the park-beach! The jetty looks pretty much the same, along with the iconic dice-looking gazebos. However, I noticed additions to the natural flora and fauna. More trees were planted, new BBQ pits and public toilets were added. It was pleasant just taking a walk along the beach front or in the park behind the beach. I wished there were more eateries though, apart from the seaside restaurant, Beaulieu House. I loved Beaulieu House. My dad used to bring me there for lunches. I remember the signature dessert which they served back then - longan almond jelly. Ahhh that brings back so many fond memories.

Another new feature in the park is a pirate-themed playground. I absolutely adore the design. The fixtures were unique and it was fun roaming inside the 'pirate ship'. It's a great playground for children to develop their gross and fine motor skills. It also has a sand-play area where children could build sand castles or bury pirate treasure! However, some of the fixtures were not designed well. There were a few minor accidents. The surroundings had numerous seating areas for parents/guardians to watch their kids while enjoying the idle chat or picnic. There was even a Jeu de Boule court for elderlies. 

New seating areas & BBQ pits

New toilets

Sunrise @ the park

Good old jetty

Pirate-theme playground

Swing

Cyclist with her jack russell