A Love Letter To Victoria

My dearest Princess,

I have not written a love letter to you for a long time now.  As I sit here at my desk, after having potter around the kitchen for a bit this morning, my mind drifted off once in a while on you. I'm wondering what you are doing now at school, whether you'll come back chatty or moody.  You're only 9 this year, but my, how you have grown as you experience a growth spurt this year.

I know you don't like me teasing you about your size, but sometimes I do that just so we can have some crazy moments, not because I want to hurt you, dear.  I like to squeeze your thighs and compare them with mine, or smack your bum just because I still can, and sometimes wrap my arms around your neck.

We don't often shopped together for clothes and girly stuff.  I hope you understand that's because both our schedules don't allow such luxury of time, and neither does mummy believe that we should buy carelessly whilst daddy work so hard at work.  We don't always see eye to eye on fashion too.  Sigh.  But do you remember the last time we headed off to Paradigm Mall, just you and I, to grab some stuff and also pop in Lovisa to look at some cute ear rings?  I thought you'd like them, and it's nice that you asked me for my opinion.  Eventhough we were rushing to our next destination, I really wanted to get you something from this shop and I'm glad I did.

Now that you have those cute little ear rings, I hope you'd remember our short escapade everytime you wear them.  We should have more mummy-daughter doing girly stuff.

So, how are you at school?  Isn't great that you have made 3 wonderful friends you can call them your BFF?  I hope these friendships last, and most importantly I hope they will be good influences on you, just as you become a good influence to them.  Remember we don't have to be followers all the time, and we don't have to cave in to peer pressure ok?  It's normal to want to be the same, but it's ok to be different too, because that's what makes you special.  So your hair will grow longer, now that we've gotten them snipped off a few inches.   So what if people notice that your hair is shorter now, because that doesn't change who YOU are.

My girl, my precious girl.  You said you never liked to be the eldest.  How I wish you have someone to look up to, as a jie jie.  I know I have been hard on you most of the times, pushing you to do better, aim higher, smile more, talk more, etc and that's only because I love you.  I'm sorry when I've scolded you too harshly.  I'm sorry for not taking time off to hug you.  I'm sorry for always being too engrossed in my own things or work and just expecting you to accept that.

I love you.  I really do.  I hope you believe that.  My heart breaks when you talk rudely to me.  Growing up doesn't mean you are allowed to talk rudely.  My heart breaks when you don't listen to me, and choose to be stubborn and do things your way instead.  How many times have I said... or reminded... or threatened... but you don't hear me.  Because of this, Daddy and Mummy really pray that you don't fall into the wrong crowd because you're just round the corner to being a teenager.

Would be nice if you share more about your feelings and learn to express yourself more.  It's hard to keep persuading you to come out of your shell, girl.  But if I can assure you again and again, I'd like to say that I love you no matter what.

Looking forward to the school holidays so we can do some fun stuff together.  Last night, I told you the hard truth that life is not about having fun, but everything is about hardwork and perseverance. I hope I did not demotivate you.  Hang on to your piano lessons, girl, but if it really drives you crazy just to practice, then stop it.  (note to self:  better start to secretly record her playing so that I can listen to them next time)


Love you XOXO,
Mummy

UK Day 9 and Day 10: Greenwich and then it's Bye Bye UK... for now

Day 9
5th August 2014

This is our last morning here in London as our flight departs at 1010pm tonight from Heathrow Airport.  We cleared the last food stuff from our fridge for breakfast (ie last night's pizza from dinner) and packing was considered final.  We stepped out of our apartment close to 930am so that we can just nicely enjoy the off-peak train rates.

We topped up our Oyster cards once during this trip, and a day or two before my card somehow was not detected at the Touch Out machine, so I touched it a couple more times.  When we checked our balance later, we noticed that my card was over deducted instead. A visit to the Customer Service counter at the tube station corrected one trip with a refund, but charged me a few quid as "penalty."  Ah well.  Can't stomp my feet and scream and yell, right?  Just have to swallow my mistake and move on lor.,. Fortunately, Dad calculated if we take both to and fro train rides during off-peak times, I'd have JUST enough balance in my card without needing another trip to the Customer Service to request for a balance refund.  Dad donated a small unused balance in his card.

We arrived Greenwich which is not too far away, probably half an hour train ride including change of trains?  I can't recall exactly.  Some pronounce Greenwich as "Green itch" and some as "Gren idge" which some claim is the proper pronunciation (just like Yorkshire as "York sher" and not "York shy-er") but a quick check with Uncle Google claims its a recent pollution from the middleclass newcomers.

I personally think Greenwich is a nice town, albeit not a very big one but this first visit we discovered many international cuisine eateries, which shows there is an international community here - Vietnamese, Italian, Thai, French and of course Chinese!

A wefie with the English postbox?  By the way, I realized a few days into this trip that Dad brought different caps to wear, it's like an accessory to him - how cute.

I didn't miss you out, little wild yellow flowers!  If my 6yo boy, William was here, he would not hesitate to pluck you and present a bunch of you to me. : )

Look what we discovered?  We chanced upon, and I say chanced upon, because we did NOT know it was market day here.  So yea... yippeee!!

Flea market... from trinkets, photos, gardening tools, clothing, to food and toys and antiques!

No close up photography allowed, so just a general, quick shot

Ok, this is where we'll be heading... 

As we headed towards the Royal Observatory we took mental notes of places to have a lunch later, as we learnt from our painful experience last night.  The prices of lunch here was very reasonable, and if you were on a string budget, you could get away with less than GBP5 lunch at the bar.  Of course, don't expect to down it with a beer ; P

We picked one or two places to eat near the train station, but as we walked along, we saw more choices and then by the time we were near the Observatory and Museum, I think we both decided to "play-by-ear"!  Haha... what a far cry from Oxford Street!

Everything about King William.  My boy was so happy to here that he's not just named after the future king of England, but also a previous King.  

Greenery.  As we left at lunch time, we saw many people having picnic, cycling, children playing and just casual outdoor activities.  I wish our Malaysian weather and park could allow us to have the same enjoyment

Can you spot my Dad?  Glad that he could walk well and not have any pain in his legs

This is the bottom of the small hill - leading the walk up to the Royal Observatory

Nelson's ship in a bottle

The Queen's House from up the hill, which now forms part of the National Maritime Museum

Errm... this is definitely NOT the time that we arrived. 

By now, I guess anywhere where there's grass and open space, the angmohs will just plonk themselves down and let time go by... a great way to destress - DO NOTHING

Not knowing what to order for myself, I asked the bar attendant to recommend a drink for me.  The Summer Berries mout cider surprisingly taste sweet with a tinge of soda to it. 

I had the Ultimate Hunters Chicken whereas Dad opted for the Prime Steak Burger

Lunch Venue.  A bar with an open garden in the yard called Kings Arms. We normally choose our makan venue based the look of the place and then glance through the menu if it suits our appetite or craving, then we'd walk in. 

On our walk back to the train station, we passed by the market entrance and I thought I'd take a photo of it, just to remember how inconspicuous it is.

The entrance is the beige concrete right behind where the two men are standing.  If you walk past and look right in, you'll see that it opens out to the market hall we were in earlier.

Queueing to check in.  There was quite a long queue in front.  Dad attempted many times to do a web check in from as early as 2 days before our departure but could not.  So this trip we had to wait in queue, and somehow the queue was moving so slowly.  Worse, as it neared our turn, a girl from a group of returning students a few numbers in front of us suddenly fainted and that held up the queue a bit

We had a quick dinner at Pret-A-Manger on the way to the gate.  I think it's a good meal to end this trip since we have seen so many PAM outlets in London but never tried one until now. The hot wrap was very delish.  Being Chinese I guess, we weren't too keen on the cold sandwiches for a proper meal 

On the flight, we were served food before lights were turned off.  I had a good sleep but whenever I woke, I kept my eyes on the screen, taking note on the location of our flight as I was still worried.  The flight was uneventful and I don't recall turbulence or crying kids or a snoring passenger.  I even managed to watch a couple of movies including a Filipino comedy.

                                           

Good bye UK, till the next time I step foot in this beautiful country, so so dear and special to me.  When I left in July 1999, I looked down from my window seat and wondered if I will ever breathe your air again, or step foot on your soil.  When we married, hubby and I did not have enough funds to have our honeymoon back in the UK where we fell in love, instead we went to South New Zealand and discovered another beautiful land.

11 years later in March 2010, we returned to the UK, not just the two of us, but four - two beautiful kids in tow.  This trip was planned very impromptu and I'm thankful that God had allowed this trip to materialize and for Dad to "game" on.  Right now, I realize what a miracle it was for him to have no severe pain on his legs despite so much walking and there wasn't a need to use the foldable walking stick that he packed along.

Our flight was delayed by half an hour, I supposed due to some Malaysian royalty on the same flight.  We arrived 15 minutes late as the pilot caught up on time.  But poor hubby who was waiting at KLIA with Vic and Will, did not get any updates from the ground staff and that worried him as they could not answer when our plane will arrive.  After MH370 and MH17 incident, I think they should be more sensitive and informed on questions on flight delays.

Oh well, all's well end's well.  All glory to God for this summer trip with Dad.  It sure was great to be back home with my loving husband and children.  My parents in law were also at home with dinner waiting and a happy maid ready.

UK Day 8: Hop On-Hop Off London Sight Seeing

Day 8
4th August 2014

Before our trip, Dad had made booking with The Original Tour bus company for their Hop-On-Hop-Off sight seeing. With a printed booking confirmation, we needed only to wait at the designated stop to have the QR code scanned.

After a simple breakfast at home (I can't remember exactly what, but it was definitely clearing off whatever food stuff we had in our fridge).

We were at Canary Wharf slightly passed 9am, and the scene here was a typical working day whereby men and women were in their work attire, solemn faces and hurried steps.  For a split second, I have to admit that I kind of miss my work life, but that thought quickly went poof, as I am loving where my life is today.

Just a slight note for those looking at properties around or in Canary Wharf - this is definitely a bustling place and worth considering.  Readers' own discretion and research adviced as yours truly hold no responsibility in any investment decision making.  ; )

Rush hour on Monday slightly past 9am at Canary Wharf.
                         

I wonder what does these pictures mean... are they depicting a story, history or random expression of creativity?

This map is probably too small to read, but you can view the bigger version here.  There are all together four routes to choose from, but in my personal opinion, it would be unwise and unreasonable to be exploring all four routes unless one just prefers to sit passively in the bus

                         

From on top the bus, a picture of souvenir shops which are mainly run by the Middle Eastern folks

Praise God for yet another beautiful day with good weather, albeit after being up on the deck of the double decker bus, I was kinda feeling tortured under the heat of the summer sun, and wishing I had put on more sun block.  But sitting on the top deck was definitely a better choice, in order to take clearer photos.

As I don't have much to write about today, this post will be mainly pictures:

The first Hard Rock Cafe was opened in London

I forgotten where I took this lion picture, possibly in the area of Westminter.  My son William has always thought this animal powerful and majestic.  I think he is quite right, even as Aslan in the famous C.S Lewis movie, Narnia represents our Lord Jesus

Another picture of the Clock Tower aka Big Ben

Souvenir shop selling sweaters ahead in the middle of summer?

On the Bridge Walk on route to our cruise on River Thames

Left:  Wellington Arch on Hyde Park Corner, Right:  The London Eye

On board our cruise on the River Thames.  We boarded at Westminster and cruised towards Greenwich Pier.  We sat inside, protected from the heat outside.  I bought two snacks to enjoy on this half hour cruise.

                           

St Paul Cathedral from the River Thames

This, my friends... is the underneath of the REAL London Bridge (remember the nursery rhyme song?)... there's nothing attractive about this bridge, honestly.  

The Shard, is home to some best offices, Shangri-la Hotel, restaurants and bars

Dark clouds hovering above.  Don't expect heavy rain here though.

The River Thames cruise headed towards Greenwich Pier where we were required to hop off and boarded the next ship back to Westminster.  For lunch, we returned to St Stephen's Tavern

Later in the afternoon, we hopped off the bus near Regent's Park to explore Queen Mary's garden this time.

I was captivated by the smooth carpet of green moss on this lake, so smooth they look almost fake!  Picture taken from York Bridge in Queen Mary Gardens

Another view - this green, green lake look more like a well manicured ground

White roses - my favourite!

A cafe hidden in the midst of the rose garden

This would be a nice spot for a picnic or even duck feeding

Beautiful roses in Queen Mary's garden in Regent's Park

Brown english ducks

Part of the Boating Lake

We didn't stay long in Queen Mary Gardens.  Our next stop was back to Oxford Street to see if I missed out anything in the previous visit.  Hehehe... this time Dad decided to just sit outside along the concrete extension of Primark, where most other men seem to be waiting too.  It was a lot more crowded, and the cashier lines were easily more than 30 metres long!  I bought two more big bags of clothing for the children and only a couple of pieces for myself (dare not buy more, because I wasn't game to queue for the fitting rooms).

Oxford Street after 5pm

After shopping, we decided to look for dinner before heading back to our apartment.  Which one would think it'd be pretty easy to do, since we were on Oxford Street - this is where retail rules but alas... eateries were limited on this part of the street.  We didn't want to walk too far off as we were already near Bond Street tube station.

Pret-A-Manger was packed with after-work office workers and we couldn't find a table.  Other than the Italian restaurant that we had lunch at on Day 2, there was only Pizza Hut fast food.  So we ate there.  Secretly I thought, why not... it's a change from the usual bar settings and maybe fast food in London offer a different experience.

We ordered two regular pizzas and salad came free - helped ourselves at the Salad Bar.  Variety was impressive.

Fast food is fast food... nothing great here unfortunately and we over ordered.  Oh well, we asked a packing box to take away the remaining pizza which we will have for our breakfast the next day.  

At night after bath, I did a final round of packing and weighed my check in luggage and handcarry.  Yes, I was still within the allowable limit!