Purple's Diary: December 2017

Wednesday, December 20, 2017

My 2017 - An "Exciting" Year Indeed

The word "exciting" could have lead to positivity. For me, it was rather an excitement with ups and downs. I pretty know that many guardian angels surrounded me, thanks all for the kind support and encouragement helping me going through the year.

Work - Much busy and lots to learn. The year ended with well, though some emotion was caught off guard.

Baking @ Home - Panasonic Bread maker is my good friend. With very minimised failure rate, I will have my bread ready by Monday. To share with my colleague as Monday breakfast, a good start of the week.

I didn't explore many recipe this year. Continue making my bread loaf. Contributed a few recipe to the facebook community too.

corn bread

Assorted bread with my black coffee

Avocado Chia Seed bread

Cooking @ Home - Experimented some recipe, but I seldom cook these days. Partly due to less carbo meal we adapted. I would rather experience cook time and calculate efficiency.

Phillips Pressure Cooker has been my best companion. As well Cosway's Magic Cooker. Both serve well for slow and long soup cooking, and porridge meal.

I have even experimented baking a cake in my pressure cooker. Joined their facebook community of Phillips Pressure Cooking and contributed too.

Porridge with Magic Cooker

Sphagetti with Phillips Pressure Cooker

Pandan cake

Marble Butter Cake

Chocolate Cake

Gardening @ Home - Pretty happy with the return of many fruits harvested from the garden. Banana, Jambu Air, fig, Jackfruit (Nangka), chilli...

Our jackfuit was rather a disappointment, as the soil had been too wet. Causing the fruit wasn't able to sustain long on the tree. It cracked open even before it ripe.

Banana

Jackfruit

Black sesame plant

Figs pruning

Custard apple harvested

Exercises - Reduced outdoor cycling significantly this year. Signed up 2 events this year, neither one I attended. What a failure. Mood and feel has quite been disturbed this year, due to an unhappy incident in Taiwan earlier the year. Disappointment continued with a group of so called friends (past tensed).

Signed up gym with passport entry with Fitness First. Indoor cycling (RPM), Zumba and Yoga classes had been my recent companion.

My new show from Taiwan

Tried Ariel Flow Yoga

I chicken out from CFAL this year

New Gadget - Got myself an Underwater Camera. It's time to say Bye-bye to my GoPro ;)

New camera

Travel - One and only dive trip. Several local road trips. Two business trip cum visiting trip. An unfortunate overseas trip.... that's all for the year!

Gift from a dive master

Street Art Roaming in Singapore

Very colorful

Malacca - backyard hawker which full of mouse

errrrr...

Nice baked sotong

Ahhh... Lucky to attend Emil Chow's concert in Singapore

Singapore Indoor Station

A visit to Raub

Health - Hurt my left elbow, it was diagnosed as Tennis Elbow. On top of that, I twisted my left ankle too. :(

My Tennis Elbow

Friends - Not many gathering this year. Thanks to someone's wedding, that allowed us to have a mini-gathering.

Cheers for a newly wed couple

Greatest personal achievement of the year! - Turned my unnecessary stuffs into cash! With Carousell. Frankly, I have been procrastinating this for many years. Always wanted to sell or donate my stuffs to the "needy". I have been doubtful for some recycling event, if they are able to give away my pre-loved item to someone needy.

Thanks for the launch and hit of Carousell app. I was influenced by a friend who were able to turned her very old handbags into cash. I finally took a step to clear away some of my pre-loved items at home. It was indeed great experience, the accomplishment felt when I was able to clear out stuffs, and turn it to someone's excitement instead.

Happy in Selling stuffs

I would greatly hope to gain a smooth sailing year in 2018. All the best to myself and other readers who have been following my writings.

Sunday, December 3, 2017

My 2017 One & Only Dive Trip

Since this was the one and only Annual trip of mine. Nothing less, our visit was still Perhentian Island's Bubbles Resort.

As our trip was during fasting a.k.a. Puasa month. We discovered new food during the night. Colek-colek, something similar to fruit rojak.

Colek-colek

Me & wall arts around Kuala Besut

It was colorful

Calmly waiting for our boat ride into the island

Beautiful Bubbles

One thing exciting about the trip was with our 6 sets of Dive camera. All set with the same Canon PowerShot D30 (Blue) Underwater No-Housing Compact Camera.

I ain't satisfied with the results from my first virgin UW camera shooting underwater. Well, practice makes perfect. Wonder when will I use it more with more dive trip?

Bat fishes

Better close up

This is clear

Nemo has been always our best friend UW

Which direction they went?

Turtle!!!

My dive buddies

But was hard getting them into the camera

Big Nudi was my friend this time

And it's egg??

Assorted pictures of the trip... (Picture by Huawei P9+)

Clear water with lots of ikan-bilis

I climed up the stone alone that morning!

Playing around with my pancake

I took this pic almost every year

Till next year....

Taiwan Annual Cycling Trip Down South - March 2017 (Part 2)

Second half of the trip, life goes on... despite many the major unpleasant moment plus other emotional circumstances I have to tolerate.

We continued our journey from Part 1.

Went into Man-Zhou (滿洲) for early lunch and longer break.

港口吊橋(情人橋)

had Kong-Ba (控肉飯）lunch

阿水衝浪

and a cuppa

海角七號-友子阿嬤的家

After lunch was a climb, up up to a hilly and windy area.

風吹沙 Fongchuisha

風吹砂 super windy area

Then headed to the most Southern of Taiwan. A must stop spot for cyclist, especially those doing Taiwan round island. It's near Kenting town.

臺灣最南點 Taiwan Southern Most Point

Most Southern spot of Taiwan

Here we were!

墾丁 Kenting

, the famous summer place and beach spot. It was low peak season, as the wind was still chilling cold. I walked towards the beach with shorts and singlet! OMG, freaking freezing. :)

Kenting Police Station

Dinner along the famous Kenting main street.

何家食堂

Local dishes dinner - sorry, forgot the shop name (nice)

Our stay - Oops.. I forgot to check in! and forgot the name. The stay was super clean and nice.

Along the street to our stay

That's how we spend our Yoyo card

Family mart selling coffee with Bailey

Local breakfast (even though hotel provided one) , we just like to explore. 肉鬆蛋餅

Good Morning cafe - 早安美

egg with floss crepe - local breakfast

Wonder around the hotel

Off we went... off from Kenting towards next destination. It was hot and sunny.

Towards SouthWest of Kenting

Found my favourite fresh dates 蜜棗

恒春古城南門 South Gate of Hengchun Ancient City

fresh dates 蜜棗 at historical gate

Checked out another local dessert - peeled green bean with garlic powder ? (direct translation)
Not bad. Though I don't like green bean. I guess their sago is into strip based, 粉條

黃家綠豆蒜粉條冰

Local dessert

豆蒜

Then a short visit to a local temple. Where they usually host some TV game show. Also called 城隍廟 if not mistaken.

車城福安宮

Temple visit

Local lunch. It was unexpected good, though it was at a small tiny township. A member left his jacket at the hotel in Kenting, our guide drove back 20-30KM to collect, we enjoyed our long lunch.

旭功飯店

Nice simple lunch

Our destination of the day. A local harbour.

枋寮漁港 | Fangliao Port

Evening walk at the port

Dinner treat by our homestay owner

觀海樓海鮮店

Huge bowl of seafood noodle! It was good

Our stay

Next day & our final leg. Towards KaoShiung.

Stopped by and relax by the sea side... before a last and heavy meal

東港鎮海公園

I rode alone along the sea

佳珍海產

Super seafood lunch

Arrived KaoShiung that evening. Summary of our cycling route.

Cycling trip route - Yuli to KaoShiung

Night market was just 2 blocks away from our stay. Had dinner there.

六合夜市 Liouhe Night Market

Frequent visit - papaya milk drink

Our stay - super like this hotel, very convenient and room was uniquely setup.

高雄佳適旅舍六合館 Jia's Inn

I like the furniture

Love KaoShiung

Next and last day... left behind for shopping.
First & most important stop... Giant Boutique flagship store. Got what I wanted, and spent quite a bit.