Got home just in time for Christmas!

For most, Christmas is the time to spend with family and friends, cooking up a storm, having feasts and exchange presents. What better way to come home after a long trip to friends who decided to go across the causeway for a night of food, fun and loads and loads of karaoke!

We rented a nice chalet for a night in Kukup, Malaysia. It was a little fishing village about 1.5 hours drive away from Singapore. Peaceful and rustic, it was a perfect getaway from the cosmopolitan city we're so used to. 

We played with firecrackers, launched fireworks (almost on par with the National Day fireworks), and wrote our wishes and resolutions for next year on paper lanterns before releasing them. We had wishes written in English, Tamil, Hindi, Mandarin, Malay, Tagalog and French! It was one multi-cultural, international lantern sent up to the sky.

Retreated into the karaoke room for the rest of the night, belting out songs. We were surprised to find so many updated English songs in the database. No Malay songs though, much to the irony of us being in Malaysia. We also had a little gift exchange among ourselves, and it prove to be a challenge because we didn't know who our gifts were for till that very moment. It's the thought that counts, really. Plus, they were all lovely gifts.

Vada to Puneet: A notebook, keychain and a stamp. 

"Girly stuff," as Vada put it. 

Puneet to Miao: Face paint. 

We should have used it on her while she was passed out drunk that night. Sigh.

 Puneet to Manoj: A handset you can connect to your personal electronic devices... in pink no less.

"Call me maybe?"

Ming to Jess : An Eiffel Tower keychain

Ming is French, it's only fitting. 

Manoj to Ming: Froggie cup

Practical AND cute.

Me to Vada: A bag of treats

Rather than giving something impractical, sweets worked best.

Jessica to me: A universal travel adaptor

Perfect gift, I swear. 

The next day, Christmas day, we took a short boat ride to a kelong (floating fishing village) to see huge fish that had been bred from tiny little fishies. We were introduced to sea urchins, starfishes, huge oysters zilch pearls and crabs (nicknamed 'ketam bodoh' which literally means stupid crab because when it topples over, it can't get back up by itself).

Ended the trip with more food! We've been doing nothing on this trip except to eat good food NON STOP! We were treated to chilli crabs and freshly caught fish and a jug of chinese tea to wash them all down.

It was too short a trip, everyone complained as we hopped on the van that would take us home. I used to go on weekend Malaysian trips with 30 other people too, and this trip was waaaay different. Small, intimate and peaceful. Loved it. We will definitely have more of this in the future with more people being free to join us.

Glad to be home for Christmas.