Sunday, June 03, 2007
I was planning to follow up on my UK life entry a while back, and continue on about my years in London. But this entry will do just as well I think!
It had been about 11 months since I was last in London for graduation, and I really missed it. So when the opportunity to go on a family holiday popped up, and all at Nuffnang looked stable, I thought I'd better jump on the chance, as I was not sure when it would come again.
Off we were on Sat morning.
Thanks to my parents, we got to fly the comfortable way up. It's only on family holidays that we are afforded the luxury of flying raffles class instead of coach. And all the way till the last minute, we were waitlisted.
Seee ... very happy sister and me (my other sister stayed home due to exams, and my parents were up front).
On a 14 hour flight, raffles class is a god send. Not only is the seat so much wider, and you don't have to jostle for elbow space. It extends out to a bed, and you sleep like a baby. And the foooodd is a wholleeee lot better ... I never understood why they can't do the same in economy class.
For the appetiser, you get satay! Which is surprisingly really good. Especially their nuttyy peanut sauce.
Starters, are normally a salad with some sort of seafood. This one is smoked salmon with salad. The dressing is very tasty. And to top it off, fresh, hot garlic bread. Yum
For the main course, lamb chops! Purrrfectooo .... ok so it ain't exactly michelin starred cuisine, but its a hell lot better than normal airplane chow.
Deserts inclde Haggen Daz (Not enough for you Ewe Tiam, BYOT), cheese and fruits.
Touching down in London at 1800, and walking out of the plane into heathrow brought back a flourish of memories. The airport has this smell .... its hard to describe, but it smells of london.
Normally when I come in, I would take the train back to Paddington, where my flat is located. I lurrpeee my flat. 15 mins, a quickstep, and I'm at my door, another half an hour, I've got my favourite curry delivered and I'm watching Top Gear on BBC. Ahhhh ...
This time however, the family was going up to Northampton, about an hour away from London, where we have our family retreat. So we picked up our rental car, and drove up there.
Being summer, I had expected to be greeted by blue skies and sunshine. BUt all the way up ... it was pouring rain. At the time to be frank, I was soaking it in, and loving it. It was a sign I was back in the UK, and I was loving every moment of it. My mum, was like, "You siao lah!"
The nostalgic love din't last long tho. The rain continued all the way till tuesday. So for the next few days, I was basically doing what I always do! Staring at the screen and working on Nuffnang. Making sure all our bloggers are happy, my programmers and team know what to do, my client's campaigns are performing well, etc.
A slight pause here. I LURPEEE YOUUU WENDYYYYY!!!! Yes, that is a public declaration of love for
Ms Xiaxue! With her entry, the Nuffnang community has grown leaps and bounds in Singapore. We now have 1,000 bloggers in the community. And with that meant, when I opened my admin mailbox, I was getting a gazillion emails a day!
In case you're wondering. I reply to all these emails personally. I could very well leave it to one of my colleagues, but I believe, nobody knows Nuffnang better than the founders. And as far as possible, we should be accessible to everybody. From the smallest blogger to the biggest. Our offices are literally opened to any Nuffnanger. Come by for a coffee the next time you're in the area!
Anyway, we did get out a little bit. My mum was whipping up a storm. She is the queen of the kitchen, and reallly sets the standard! The wifey will have to take lessons.
Shopping for groceries at British supermarkets give me such a thrill, it worries me sometimes! Just pushing a cart around and picking up all kinds of great food, comfort food, and the like is so satisfying.
There is just so much more variety in the Uk than in Singapore. And its sooo big. I mean ... I don't quite get the same feeling when I'm shopping at Giant. The varieties of meats, the cuts, the way they're packed, veges, sauces, everythinggg!!!
Even ROSES! I mean you know how much trouble it is to get a date nice roses here. They come from China or something. You've got to go to a really posh florist to get roses like these!
In the UK, Tescos and 7.99 in your pocket will do. BRILLIANT!
This is our happy cart. Notice all the organic produce. My mum is also a huge fan or British supermarkets because she can buy organic.
The first 3 dinners in Northampton, we had Chicken Curry, Roast Pork (Siu Yok), and Chicken Rice. Hahaha, we weren't really in the UK.
There was also the trip down to Northampton town centre for lunch and shopping.
I'm about to reveal a secret .... ...
THE BEST FISH AND CHIPS IN THE UK IS IN NORTHAMPTON!
This is it! GLORIOUS!
My dad and me. About to wallop one of those!
Ok lah, enough about food for now. Let me give you a little tour around our family retreat in northampton. I've always been a country boy. I love taking hikes in the english countryside, and Overstone Park Golf Course where we have our home, is a wonderful place to do that.
So whilst my sister and mum were engaged in the kitchn preparing dinner, I decided to take a country stroll (hehe, ain't life grand!)
This is our humble abode overlooking the golf course.
The clubhouse, which has an indoor heated pool, sauna, gym, restaurant, aerobics room, etc.
The wildlife and the beautiful lake
Geese and their droppings ....
Duckling and mother duck
Bunny wunny, who was very good at evading capture by crazed singaporean ...with cute bunny lust.
Grazing horses
Horse riding
The ruins of a manor overlooking the golf course. Stunning.
The mascot of overstone park golf course.
MAJULAH SINGAPURAAAA ... majulah singapura!!!
There is nothing better, than a walk through the country side. The natural beauty of my surroundings had calmed whatever stress, and nerves I had, and I was at total peace.
My phone rang as I was nearing the house. My sister. Dinner was ready.
Next entry about London.
