Bintan Getaway - 1st to 3rd January 2009

first thing of the new year...

i started off with a holiday!

guess that was the holiday i really needed after such a hectic later half of the year. mentally, physically, emotionally tiring.

to beachy sunny Bintan!

took a boat to Tanjung Pinang terminal, and then a coach to Nostalgia Yasin Resort.

our resort and the hut we stayed in. back to basics. mosquito net, mosquito coil, with no flush system, and no heater. but there was still a charm about those huts lingering around, with its serenity, the sea, the coconut trees, the beach chairs, the beach bar.. i love the sea.

at the wooden bridge leading to the huts on the sea.

we look like we became 3 vietnamese women with shaw hats. hee.

had lunch@ the resort, and slacked alot before deciding to move our butts over to the sister resort to check out the water activities, but coz the tide was down alr, the water activities were already closed, so we just swam ard and played games in the pool. pool games! juz like union camp. haha. synchronised swimming.

the transport back to our own resort. the van wasnt big enough, so we left the couple to sit on this trishaw-like transport.

the night view of the resort hut on the sea. thanks to wenyong's pro cam, that could capture this. and we started playing games like no mercy and saboteur!

2nd day: woke up early to catch the sunrise, but it was too cloudy to see anything. =(

then, went for our water activities!

had snorkelling @ a small island nearby. luckily snorkelling activities were still open, because jingfen told me it was closed at e other end of bintan. 2nd experience snorkelling. think tioman seas are nicer for snorkelling though, but overall it was still nice to b able to see e corals, and the fish swimming around the corals in front of you.

then it was time for FLYING FISH!

jiemeis in life jackets. think it will be like quite rare to see such a photo again.

flying fish is a water game, where you get pulled by the speed boat, and the flying fish float inclines upwards. and you grab hard and try not to fall off. good game to practise your arm and thigh muscles, in the midst of the bumpy ride, the speed, the wind, the splashing cold sea water. fun! some of us couldnt take it and fell into the water.

nice group photo! shan says feels like union camp! friends tot we went sentosa. haha

hc's self-shot skills again. managed to capture the kayaks. so ppl knew at least we did some water activities. haha

group photo at the Sun&Moon restaurant at Bintan after lunch. think the guys juz didnt bother to wear their shirts back after they took it off, since the sun was good.

then it was massage time!

the massage room and the aromatherapy oil. it was too comfy until i fell aslp. oops.

then, some of us lounged in the beach chairs while some had a volleyball game. and had a walk out at sea. =P

it was really quite a good feeling, lounging at the beach chairs, under the straw huts. with the sea stretching out in front of us. if only we didnt have to go back to work.

the water was just at our ankles or max up to our knees. you could see the sea bed properly, like the seaweed, the crabs, the gong gong. and capture the sunset on the seaside.

the sea at low tide. only 5 of us walked out - hc, xintian, hk, wenyong and me. which explains why we could walk. could just throw our slippers on the sea and it doesn't sink!

jumping time! decided to try jumping... feels a little like my first jumping shot at sentosa.

when we got back to the resort, decided to take another walk to e mini island across the resort. and when we turned back, this was e view we got.

grp shot of us on e rocks on e island. it was actually quite dark already but with a professional cam, we managed to take this!

so at nightfall, it's back to chatting, drinking and games! got a chance to play "last word". even an english intellectual game can become a drinking game, where the forfeit was to add drinks! the more cards you have, the more you drink. though we didnt do tt in the end. and we played sparklers and lit up the gazebo!

had a sleep-in the next day since it was our last day, while some of us still managed to get up relatively early and had breakfast at the beach bar. ever-ready for photo shots. haha

the guys at their hut. the girls stayed in the neighbouring hut.

jiemeis! taken at a real resort. after like two previous shots with a resort feel. haha

its tougher to do jumping shots in a group than two people. bleah. higher chance of not capturing someone or higher chance of knocking ppl.

guys turn! can you guess the word they are forming?

final group shot. everyone looks radiant and refreshed for work/school term. =)

and that marks the beginning of 2009 for me.

everyone always like to make new year resolutions during the new year, but i guess not for me. coz if u want to do that, and not keep to it, there's no point in making resolutions.

though new yr is really a fresh start.

but can we really do it?

2009 marks the beginning of my toughest pre-reg times and the beginning of my pharmacist life (if i pass the exam). or even marks the step where i think about my career as a pharmacist.

looking forward to the next holiday.