Bangkok Day2

Day2 sightseeing day!  Our hotel was near both the river ferry pier and BTS station.  It was the former we headed to.

JE and SE with a tuk-tuk

Hit our first problem... I had planned this holiday after hubby had completed his radiotherapy sessions and was physically fine.  However since then he had taken a turn for the worse, feeling bad stiffness in his right arm and leg.  He was unsteady despite walking very slowly.  Hence he was totally unprepared for usage of ferries with floating piers, where there was urgency to board and disembark.  Fortunately there happened to be people (either operators or other passengers) available to help.  There were various points he could have had a bad fall.

Come, we help you

The fare was cheap, only 16THB or RM2 each.  But if lesson #1 was not to get scammed at the airport, lesson #2 was this:   You had to go and stand at the desembarkation part of the boat before it reached your destination pier, else it wouldn't stop.  With hubby so shaky on his feet, no way we were thinking of moving around a moving boat!  And that's how we ended up watching our pier go by hahaha.

Managed to find another boat albeit paying extra to get to where we should be, which was Wat Arun-The Temple of Dawn.   

With THB200 tickets  

Hello from Wat Arun!

Then we hit our second problem - the steep stairs to the temple.  Hubby could only manage the short flight up to take the photo below.  Even then he had to descend on his bottom, one step at a time, as there were no stair railings.

Hubby at his closest proximity to temple

Having paid RM100+ admission, we proceeded without hubby.

 

Up!

Wat Arun was beautiful, so intricately set with individual pieces of pottery.

Pretty huh?

Moomin wuz here

We loitered around (getting our money's worth) then headed to the opposite side of the river.  We then walked to Wat Pho, which was another major attraction, but kids weren't interested in visiting another temple.  Well, it was hot and hubby wasn't interested either so... we walked back to the pier.  

  

Heading back

A total of 3 boat journeys with 6 embarkation/disembarkation without any mishaps for hubby.  Phew. Rested in our luxurious digs then headed to 'our' restaurant (name is Nalin's Kitchen) for dinner.

Yums

Bangkok Trip 2025

Just realised it has been a month since my last post.  Work-wise I had been insanely busy as multiple independent things kept popping up for attention.  Plus had to attend to the household as we are still without a maid.  I couldn't wait for.... our holiday in Bangkok!  :)   

Throwback to a month ago when we were planning where to go for the school holiday: Melaka? Traffic jam. Ipoh?  Went there recently.  Genting?  Nothing much to do there.  How about Bangkok?  Heyyy.. why not?  Hubby and me had actually bought air tickets when I discovered JE was on the way.  Fast-forward to the present, JE is already 15 and we could now all go together.  Perfect. 

Arrived!

Then first thing we did was get scammed by the taxi from the airport haha.  While I was still puzzling the THB-MYR conversion rate, agreed to a rate over double what it should be.  Oh well.  Reached our home for 7D6N, Centre Point Plus Silom which was lovely and huge (183m2) with 2 rooms.  

Happily shopped for snacks at the supermarket below. 

Snacks!

We found a dinner place opposite the hotel and would return for the next few nights.  Even with dessert and drink, the bill would come up to less than RM120.

Let's eat

Our first day was as usual a designated "chill day".  :)

'Crybaby' Pop Mart

JE has been interested in Pop Mart since it arrived.  I don't get it... I find the products not nice, not cheap at RM50 for a small figure, comes in a blind box so you can't even choose the one you like.  Yet there is always a queue of people trying to get in.  And it's not a 'look-see only' type of queue as I see many people coming out with purchases.  Luckily for JE, hubby is more indulgent and thus she has acquired 3 'skullpanda' figures.

She started asking for a 'crybaby' figure.  Errm to me, a 'crybaby' is even worse than a 'skullpanda' in the esthetic area.  Also what's the point of getting these figurines when you keep wanting more??  She offered a deal - if she gets top 3 in class she gets one.  She got first. I suppose that in the grand scheme of things, yes, I'd much rather shell out for this than have her meandering lost somewhere near the bottom of the class.

Oo it's one of those I like!

Isn't it cute?

Erm no.  These 'crybabies' have weird 'tears' which are fat pieces of plastic. And I think this one looks like an old lady with its white hair.  But JE likes it so... oh fine. 

Fridays after Radiotherapy

Hubby had 30 sessions of radiotherapy at UMSC which worked out to 6 weeks minus weekends.  I would leave early from work on weekdays to pick him up, then we brave the traffic to get there, wait for his turn and then return to my parents' place where my amazing mum would have dinner waiting.  On Fridays the kids would come along so we could go back to our house directly from the hospital.  First, dinner .  :)  Checked out a different place nearby each week:

Week 1 - The Ship at PJ Centrestage for Western food.  Easy to get to but expensive parking at RM12.

Week 2 - Oishi at Plaza 33 for Korean food.  Even more expensive parking at RM15 

Week 3 - Malgudi's to expose the kids to Indian food. As expected they did not like. But I did :)

Week 4 - Pokok cafe for local-ish food.  Found Mahsa uni accomodation deco interesting.

Week 5 - Bueno Brasa at The Sphere for Spanish food. Enjoyed because haven't had these for a while.

Week 6 - The Farm at The Sphere. The best for food as well as deco. 

Bueno Brasa - Chilli prawns, paella, ribs

At The Farm

My big girl

OK, enough of hanging around PJ now that the sessions are done.

Ah Kong’s birthday

Ah Kong is 83!  This year thankfully we were able to dine out which is an improvement from last year.  Dinner was at Extra Super Tanker - sis took pictures of the dishes so I didn't.  Generally the venue and presentation were nicer than the taste of the food itself.

I took pictures after dinner....

All together!

Grandparents and grandkids

Happy birthday to Ah Kong

While he continues to have health issues, may this improve in the coming days.  Happy birthday to my father! 

Badminton cousins

My brother took the GenZ-s for badminton recently.  Putting the group photo here.  I'm glad my kiddos have had their cousins around since birth and they are growing up meeting each other all the time.

6 out of 7

Rackets up!

 

All done!

Right, we are all done with the radiotherapy!  Picture of the warrior coming out with his 'mask' worn during the session to ensure his head doesn't move too much.  Yep, lost the hair on the radiation site - the neurologist says it will grow back after 6 months.

The neuro had informed he would feel progressively worse as the sessions went on, then improve 2-3 weeks after.  So I had been very anxious, hardly daring to think how bad it would be.  As it turned out, hubby fared really well. He did get seizures twice which were expected and controlled by additional medication. 

Survived!

After having to drive to the hospital daily for 1.5 months, it had become a routine already!  

Praying that hubby's health will be rosy from now on. 

First in class

JE was an average student at her primary Chinese school.  Hence she was streamed into an average class in secondary school.  However, she has since pulled up her socks, worked harder at her studies and steadily moved up.  Then finally for Form2 last year, FIRST in class!

Certificate and plaque

Mummy is so proud. :)

Drinks

I'm generally more willing to spend on the kids than on myself.  But I draw the line at things which aren't worth it.  Such as overpriced drinks at restaurants.  Say RM40 on food, fine.  When it comes to RM16 on a drink... we can buy half a meal already, this doesn't even fill the tummy, here I have brought water from home if you are thirsty HAHAHA.  Which doesn't sit well with JE as somehow drinks are the first thing she looks for on the menu.

Went out without hubby recently to a relatively-expensive place.  JE pointed to drinks, I said no.  Cue JE being moody for rest of meal.  Sigh.  I did consider giving in, but really didn't want her to take things like overpriced drinks for granted.  Maybe as a treat then ok.

*Grumpy

Anyway she can always order a drink if hubby is around - hubby would order them himself anyway.

Heh heh me gots a drink

Sip sip sip heh heh

Told her we can make 10 drinks like this at home for the same price. HAHAHA.

EDIT: Realised JE is wearing the same shirt on both occasions!

Radiotherapy

Since hubby's tumours grew again so soon, doctors recommended radiotherapy to kill off any cells which might develop into new tumours. It's a precautionary "better-to-have" step without any guarantee of success. The course would be 30 daily sessions with some associated side effects. Cost would be about 25k.  So this would be not simple, not pleasant, not cheap. What to do... evaluated the options and decided that doctors would know best.

Hubby had planned to take Grab for the sessions once our maid returned.  Since she didn't... I am taking him there even though the prospect of fighting traffic for 30 days straight was daunting.  I don't want to use up all my annual leave.  Luckily the timing is in the evening (5-8pm) so I leave work at 530pm and make up for the time at night. 

We have just passed the halfway mark. So far, it is going well.  I'm managing to get him there on time.  Even though half the time, the technician will call asking where he is and whether he will be coming HAHAHA. 

Waiting

Ok his turn now

On hubby's side, he feels fatigue after the session and his right arm/leg would be stiff.  Also having headaches and dizziness.  But he is holding up fine.

Workers

Been a while since the last post since (obviously) I have been busy.

The mode was previously just to survive a month until our helper returned, with cooked food stocked up. . Fending for ourselves knowing she was never returning is a different kettle of fish.  Yes yes I know, first world problems.  :)  Well, we had to adjust.  

The initial focus was on the essentials - cooking, cleaning, laundry.  We are slowly making inroads into other areas like keeping the garden tidy and looking into what the kitchen cupboards hold.

Worker #2 with mop

(Worker #1 chose to sweep the floor and was done)

Aloft Staycation

We didn't go anywhere the first school holidays after hubby's surgery.  These second holidays, we did.  :)  Just a staycation at Aloft in Nu Sentral.  I was apprehensive that at RM500+ a night for bed and breakfast, quality would be low.  Maybe room would be el cheapo?  Maybe breakfast would be simple one only?  

Reached at 4pm, our room wasn't ready.  We left our bags with the hotel and walked over to the nearby mall.  Not too interesting - still, a decent selection of shops.

All raring to eat

The room was nice, 2 double beds for us.  One worry down.

Room, ok

The next morning... breakfast was buffet-style with lots of variety!  Err no pictures because too busy hehe.  So yay, we can totally recommend this hotel!

Our plan was to take MRT to TRX mall since we'd never been there.  But when hubby decided to come along (initally planned to just stay in the room), I changed transport mode to Grab.  No regrets - definitely more convenient and actually cheaper than 4 MRT tickets.

The largest Apple store

MPH still lives!

Artsy

The mall wasn't as high-tech as I'd expected (I had worked at the building some years back before the mall was up, and the lifts/toilets were super advanced even then) but it was nice and there were shops different from the malls we normally frequent.  We had an early dinner then took Grab back to the hotel.  Supper that night rounded up our day.

The next, buffet again for breakfast before checking out.  I'm already thinking of doing this same staycation later in the year and checking out a different mall!  

Hubby's first pick

We continue our weekend routine of going out for lunch.  It had been me, JE and SE taking turns since hubby always says 'up to you' when asked to choose.  Surprise surprise.... now he wants a turn as well.  Asked him about the places he was considering, turned out I liked all of them and so decision was made that he gets a turn now haha.

His maiden pick: Palbok Korean BBQ.

Ball is the soup seasoning - here it's kimchi 

The crew cooks and not us (yay!) 

Dragon belly - how do they cut it like this??

Happy diners

While it isn't a place for frequent visits, we were all pleased with this choice.  Took home the extra kimchi soup, added meat/tofu and it became another meal for us.

Prep frenzy

With our maid Jane not returning, I had to step up.  Hubby was still having mobility and health problems.  The girls were basically not used to chores and would take time to learn. 

That first shell-shocked weekend, I cooked meals.

Pasta lunch

And I prepped for SE's school lunches.

Beans to add to soups and salads

Slow-cooked soups with meat. Carbs and veg to be added 

Meat for salads, stews, sandwiches

I remarked to hubby that after a lot of effort, I hadn't produced many lots of results.

The food for SE is going further than expected though.  Some days there were additions eg extra food from eating out.  I had earlier prepped a few lots of cooked chicken.  SE has lunch at home on Fridays which means one day less a week.

Inspired by the food list idea, I have set up a spreadsheet to track stocks and usage.  Now to do this for a few months until a replacement maid can arrive.

No more Jane

For the first time in the 9 years she worked with us, our helper Jane did something she had not done before... she let me down.  She did not reply my message in the last week of her holiday whether things were going well there.  She did not respond when asked whether she would be able to take the flight back, or needed to postpone, or would not be returning at all.  The day of her flight... yep she did not board the plane.  She informed my sister's helper that she couldn't return - her mother had suddenly fallen ill and there was nobody to take care of her kids.  

I couldn't believe it.  There had been trying times before but she had always found a solution.  

This particular trip had been the most stressful.  She was set on returning home in April so I had bought the plane ticket to Manila.  However her work permit renewal was in 'awaiting approval' for ages.  I kept calling and writing in, MYEG advised me to submit a cancellation.  Which took ages again.  The permit was finally approved after 1.5 months instead of the usual 2 weeks.  Next was the contract which also encountered hiccups - the authorities weren't happy she was renewing so close to her flight date and initially didn't want to approve.  Documents were ready ONE day before her flight!  We were so relieved.  I bought the return ticket from Manila.

And now... I had to cancel all those hard-obtained documents.  Which hadn't come cheap - the contract RM2000, the permit/insurance/medical over RM1000.  I had to make a police report that she had run away and pay a compound of RM750 to cancel her work permit.  

 

Money was one thing.  Of course we had accumulated various things waiting for her to return and handle.  On top of that, my emotions were all over the place.  She had been part of our lives for so long.  She was my main partner/implementer/enforcer when dealing with SE's eating disorder.  Over the years we had spent many hours chatting.  Everywhere I look in our house or apartment, I am reminded that she was the one who organised that area.  I find it hard to accept that we will never see her again.  I am just SO SAD.

Plant arrangement by Jane

Mother's day

A quick post to pre-empt future queries on 'What did we do for Mother's Day ar??'  We had dinner at Pantai Seafood - ordered a set plus additional dishes.  Food was good and no I didn't take any photos after the first dish.  

BIL provided quality service of bringing food to my parents' plates.  

First dish

Definitely ignore the attention-hogger

This time we remembered to take photos of all of us.

The whole family

And one more at the fish tanks.

Happy Mother's day!

Happy Mother's day to my mother, and the next-generation moms!

SE’s birthday

SE is 13! My little one is officially a teenager (but she will always be my little one!).  She chose this 'lemon jasmine' cake from TK bakery - love how classy it looks!  Yummy too. 

I will do a short comparison with her birthday a year ago.  Back then, the eating disorder meant it was difficult for her to eat something like cake.  This year was better although she actually didn't want any either.  Less persuasion was required and she ate a more respectable slice.  The goal is to be able to enjoy things like this at celebrations, doesn't have to be part of a daily diet.

On her actual birthday, went for a nice dinner at a nearby cafe.  

Nice food and nice person :)

Then Japanese food for lunch over the weekend...

My birthday, my choice of food

And of course a picture with family.

One for the album

Happy 13th birthday!  Kiddo is in a much better position now to take on the world.  :)