Genting trip after MCO

The kids chose Genting for the school holidays. Even after I kept asking if they'd prefer a longer trip to Ipoh, Melaka or Penang instead.  Actually it turned out to be a good choice... I'd mistakenly thought these holidays were a week instead of 5 days it actually was.  While packing, I realised this would be my first trip in 1.5 years that I didn't have to bring my computer along - a very good feeling indeed!

First a stop in Goh Tong Jaya for lunch at Chuan Kie.  This was yummy and cheap! Totally over-ordered though. We had the signature pork belly, a huge pot of lala soup, sambal petai and tofu topped generously with enoki and shredded carrot.  Four dishes for 2 adults with 2 kids who didn't eat much.  Ended up stuffing myself (yes finished up everything) and having to waddle out of the shop haha.  

Nope I will stick to my half plate of food, thank you

We were in Genting in early March right before the MCO and this trip is our first one after MCO.  It  surprised me to find that restaurants belonging to the Genting group were closed, as well as most of its hotels and casinos.  Would have thought the priority would be to get these running ASAP?  Visitors-wise though, it was definitely way more crowded compared to our last trip.

Kids hit the bath-tub after a happy iPad session...

  

Check out our beards!

Our first night was in Genting Grand, the second in First World. Having stayed in the latter once before, I'd expected a tiny room again.  But it turned out pretty nice.

Our room is not too shabby, eh?

Met up with the cousins the next day.  JE and SE were excited to be going for rides together.

Hello! We are happy girls!

This isn't a good time for rides though. The crowd wasn't as bad as it was before Covid, but ride seats were alternately blocked off due to social distancing. Rides were also routinely stopped for 15-min sanitisation sessions. This overall brought to long waits for their turns.  Luckily closing time was extended from 10pm to midnight.

Sky Towers 

Power Surge

Our final day there, it was birthday lunch with my father at Steam Era restaurant.  Food was good and prices were reasonable.  Pictures of food didn't turn out well so not posting them here.  Erm no cake this time.  

Happy birthday to Ah Kong!

SE and Chinese homework

Last week SE was doing her Chinese homework.

*Pause on homework to watching TV unblinkingly

*Thinks better resume homework* Ah Kong, what does this all this mean? 

Ah Kong: Tell you again. That word means 'kite'

A minute later...Ah Kong what does this mean?  

Ah Kong: Told you already. The word means 'kite'

One more minute...Ah Kong I forgot what this means. 

Ah Kong: You must remember... the word means 'kite'

Ah Kong!  What is this word?

You must remember the word. How do you say 'kite'??

2 mins later...Ah Kong!

How many words are there in the Chinese language again??  *Faint*

Sleeping arrangements

Photo of our sleeping arrangements at home.  Hubby and me are awake and out of bed already.  JE is on her own bed.  But an arm, leg, knee or head often pokes into my area.  SE moves a lot.  Here in this pic, her feet are where my place is and her head is where hubby's place is.  The joys of having them young enough to still sleep together haha.

Various reasons we all still share a bedroom - no choice anyway in our 2-room weekday apartment, easier to monitor the kids, save electricity on the aircon hehe.  Also no particular reason for them to have their own room.  Hubby normally sleeps very late while I have about the same bedtime as the kids.

 

A pause

Just to mark a milestone... I finally finished off a tough project work-wise.  The project manager is known for his style of having to pick on someone in his team.  This was someone else at the beginning of the project - that person resigned and the next person was me.  His choice phrases were designed to be destructive as opposed to being constructive and I had these thrown at me a few times a day.  Call me fortunate but in my not-that-smooth career, I never had someone regularly shouting at me for matters whether under my control or not. I resigned once, in January, but was persuaded by my big boss to stay on.  I'd thought I could hang on until the project finished in March/April.  Unfortunately it was extended for 2 months and then 1 more.  An eternity when getting through each workday with all its verbal abuse was torture to me. 

MCO brought no relief as we had team status meetings 2-3 times a day where he would regularly find fault with me in front of the whole team.  I was working morning to night, weekends too, and totally stressed out.  

Some thoughts... while I'm convinced that this person who took such pleasure in being a bully was the main problem, could I have handled things better?  How could I have let myself be bullied like that at my age?  I did try different approaches to no avail.  Have my mental faculties slowed down?  This is a possibility, I have noticed I can take a long time to do things.  Should I look for another position with a more leisurely pace?  Still pondering on this.

I'm on leave for August, need to detox and regain some balance. 

Easter egg

We found Easter eggs at half price.  Well it has been ages since Easter!  Guess still not sold out due to MCO.  I had an egg ONCE before when a colleague bought me one in return for some help I gave him.  This time bought one for the kids to try plus to confirm for myself what these are like.  This Cadbury Bournville egg turned out to be the same  - just a hollow chocolate shell.  There was also a chocolate bar beside the egg itself (don't see any point of putting it there!)

We have an Easter egg!

Let's crack it...

One half for you one half for me. Ahmm

Hmmm  tastes like chocolate

...Continue eating

Not planning on buying any more Easter eggs.  

Ke Sana Ke Sini

Continuing our Sunway package.

Din Tai Fung was my pick for dinner.  (Dinner would have been sushi if up to the kids!)  It has been years since my last visit.  Decided to stick to pork chop with fried rice, which is what I order every visit.

This is nice actually

The next morning... due to Covid, breakfast was prepacked.  The process was fuss-free.  Take the lift to the cafe, walk a few steps to the staff who will note down your meal and drink choice.  Then walk over to the food station where more staff grab the correct trays out of the warmer and package them in a carrier bag.  Another few steps to the drinks station and then back to the lift and room.  It's rather nice eating in the comfort of the room.  Can eat in pyjamas, watching TV with one leg up... haha.  Don't have to wait for kids to finish or having to take them to wash hands either.

 

Mmmm

The package included 'vouchers for Sunway Pyramid'.  I thought these would be the usual 10%-15% off vouchers that I wouldn't have use for, but they were all for free - Tiger Sugar boba tea, Hazukido croissants, ice-skating, archery, bowling.  This package is DEFINITELY value for money!

Having boba tea like a boss

Next up was archery.  JE got her arrows onto the board.  SE didn't get the hang of it and her arrows went everywhere... mostly the floor.  

Hai

Aim, shoot!

With a local vacation like this, the kids could still go for their art class near our house.  Which was good since I could pop home to collect the socks and gloves needed for ice-skating and bowling.  The negative side about having 'surprise' vouchers is people wouldn't be prepared for them.  So I ferried them over and then back again for dinner (this weekend is turning out rather too activity-packed).  Chose another 'old friend' Ko Hyang for dinner - the kimchi fried rice was super-soggy though.  At least I don't feel like ever going back.

 

Can I leave my food?

Ice-skating we had only 2 vouchers.  Hubby didn't want to go so I didn't bother getting extra tickets.  Like he said, we can't skate anyway so we won't be useful taking care of them.  I didn't bother paying RM5 to go into the enclosure to help the girls get skates.  They managed this themselves, put on the skates and hobbled over to put their own shoes into the lockers provided.  This took oh, 10-15mins and I was beginning to think we might need to abandon this activity!  Finally they did come out to the ice.

One clinging on for dear life and one flat on backside

After a lot of falling, they requested for a 'bobby' which is this seal-shaped skating aid.  At least they were no longer stuck to the edge of the rink.  After a while they didn't really need the bobby.

Abandoned bobby

Rest on my bobby

The session was 2 hours and by the time it ended, the mall was closed.  No matter... just a short walk back to our room.

The next morning, we collected breakfast again and chilled in the room.  Checked out and then only walked around in Pyramid.  A final voucher to be used - bowling.

Get the ball

And home after bowling. Hubby was complaining he was exhausted after this holiday haha.  

Sunway Lagoon

Still thrilled with the deal I snagged.... Tickets to Sunway Lagoon would normally cost RM460 (hubby 'qualifies' for senior citizen rate) for the 4 of us.  This 'ke sini ke sana' package was RM499 including 2 nights stay at Clio hotel with breakfast, and some vouchers for Sunway Pyramid.   The kids and hubby had never been to Sunway Lagoon, I went once about, oh, 30 years ago?  Googling showed there are now 6 parks.

Hmm yes looks nice and big

Our plan was to hit the dry parks first, then lunch, then the wet parks. So first was the Amusement park...

Teacup ride!

Mr Frog

Walked on the bridge about 5mins before scaredy-cat kids wanted to go back.

Now can we go back?

Quite a few rides were closed.  Not sure whether that's a regular occurrence or due to Covid.  

Candy ride

Yay!

Ok we make our bird go high and bump-bump

On to the next, the Wildlife park.  This fared better with lots of animals to see.

Wait for me!

Hi there Mr Lion

Food is slightly expensive inside but not that bad.  Had lunch at Marrybrown before going on.  SE really wanted to be buried in sand and was so happy.

Am I covered yet?

Now?

We spent the most time at the Nickolodean park.  

Spongebobs everywhere

Kids wanted me to go on the slides with them.  I.... was scared hahaha.  These were kiddy-targetted rides and I was gripping at the sides trying to slow myself down.  Managed 3 and then gave up.  So I am the real scaredy-cat!  

Woo hoo! Again!  Again!

These days JE often wants to eat.  Works well for me - hope she can make up for the years of not being interested in food and being underweight.  The pizza was good, the chicken wings not so. 

Waiting for our food

Enjoyed our day... the parks open 10am to 6pm and we spent almost that long in there.  JE wanted to go on more rides but SE was too scared (and Mummy even worse).  A picture before we leave.

Say cheese!

The best thing about a package like this, we weren't sad to leave since we weren't going home but onwards to dinner and hotel.

Outstanding

When you are always busy playing.  And when forbidden to use the iPad due to too much outstanding homework, you do this...

And do this every time someone asks you to do homework....

Also this...

Then you will have loads of homework outstanding which makes you cry when you think about it.

This is what's happening to SE.  She has cried a few times since starting school (which has been... ONE week only).  We have a plan to catch up on homework tonight.  Will see how it goes.