Day 8: A Valentine’s Day to Remember — Flying from Seoul to Macau (14 February 2025)

 

From Incheon to Macau

 

Spending Valentine’s Day in the skies felt like the perfect way to start a new chapter of our adventure! 💕 We left Incheon International Airport in the morning, bound for Macau, feeling excited to swap the winter chill of Seoul for the bright lights of the casino city.

 

By the way, you may also check out my full summary post here for a day-by-day breakdown.

 

Unexpected K-Pop Encounter at Incheon International Airport!

 

What we didn’t expect? Our first encounter with an actual K-pop star airport moment! 😆 At the Air Macau check-in counter, there was a sudden flurry of excitement—journalists, fans with cameras, and airport security guards bustling around. We never found out exactly which star it was, but just experiencing the energy of a fan rush up close was thrilling!

 

 

The flight itself was about 4 hours, and surprisingly, the in-flight meal included kimchi! 😂 A little taste of Korea in the sky felt comforting as we said goodbye to Seoul.

 

Check out the photos on my Facebook page's album (Day 8: From Incheon to Macau).

 

Once we landed at Macau International Airport, figuring out how to get to Broadway Hotel was a bit confusing at first. Thankfully, we discovered the free shuttle service! The shuttle makes a loop from the airport to Galaxy Macau, then finally to Broadway Hotel. It was convenient once we figured it out, and soon enough, we were checking into our hotel, ready to start our Macau adventure.

 

Dinner at Broadway Food Street

 

For our Valentine’s dinner, we decided to skip the crowds and opt for something a bit quieter. Nestled along Broadway Food Street, we found a cosy restaurant serving Sichuan cuisine. The warm, spicy flavours of Sichuan peppercorn were perfect for the cool Macau evening. It wasn’t a fancy, candlelit dinner—but it was intimate, comforting, and exactly what we wanted after a travel-heavy day.

Check out the photos on my Facebook page's album (Day 8: Dinner at Broadway Food Street).

Exploring Macau at Night

 

After dinner, we took a leisurely evening walk from Broadway Hotel to The Venetian Macau. The night air was cool and breezy, making it such a pleasant stroll. There was a sense of quiet romance in the air, and we found ourselves just enjoying the moment, hand in hand. 💑

 

As we approached the Cotai Strip, the neon-lit skyline of Macau came to life in front of us. Bright lights, towering hotel façades, and dazzling digital billboards turned the skyline into a colourful masterpiece. The reflections danced across the water, and it felt like the whole city was alive and sparkling just for us. ✨

The Venetian itself was grand and full of life, but honestly, the simple joy of walking under the glowing Macau sky was more memorable than any attraction. It felt like the city was the perfect backdrop for our Valentine’s Day—glamorous, romantic, and just a little bit magical.

 

Check out the photos on my Facebook page's album (Day 8: Exploring Macau at Night).

A Beautiful Ending to Valentine’s Day

As we ended the night, I couldn’t help but feel grateful for this adventure. Here’s to many more Valentine’s Days around the world, together. 🌍💕💖

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List of Gifts I Don't Mind Receiving Any Day... and Happy Mother's Day Too!

 

Here's a list of stuff that I don't mind receiving as gifts for occasions such as Anniversary, Birthday, Mother's Day, Valentine's Day, Christmas, etc. I guess this can be an evergreen list and once the boys have their own income, I will show them this list if they run out of idea of what to get for their beloved mama. Hahaha!

#1 - Health Screening Packages

The example above is Women's Health Screening Packages by Pantai Hospital Kuala Lumpur.

#2 - Trip to South Korea

 

Image from Apple Vacations.

 

According to Klook, some of the must-do things in South Korea include:

 

• Dress up in a hanbok.
• Visit Seoul's 5 royal palaces (Gyeongbokgung, Changgyeonggung, Changdeokgung, Deoksugung, Gyeonghuigung).
• Eat local street foods at the markets such as Gwanjang Market (featured on Netflix).
• Feast on KBBQ - samgyeopsal paired with soju or makgeolli!
  
• Shop at different traditional Korean markets.
• Visit the DMZ.
• Take loads of photos in Busan's Gamcheon Culture Village.
• For nature, can go to Nami Island, Jeju-Do.
  
• A lot more lahhh - see what Tripadvisor says.
  

#3 - Salmon Sushi Cake

Image, description, and order link from Cake Rush.

The combination of Norwegian Salmon and Sakura Denbu with Chuka Wakame, Ebikko, Crabstick, Japanese Cucumber and Mayonnaise make this Sushi Cake a fresh seafood taste sensation.

#4 - Nasi Lemak Cake Sotong

 

Image, description, and order link from Cake Rush.

This treat is made of nasi lemak elements - rice, sambal omelette (between rice layers), hard-boiled Eggs, cucumber, fried peanuts, fried ikan bilis, 2 whole sotong - arranged in a shape of a cake.

 

#5 - Baileys Cake (Alcoholic Cake)

 

 

Image from Cake Tella.

 

#6 - Le Creuset

 

Image from Le Creuset Malaysia IG.

 

#7 - Recliner

 

Image from IKEA Malaysia.

This brownish-pink EKOLSUND recliner from IKEA looks so comfy! It's adjustable in three positions – sit upright, lean back or lie back fully for a nap.

#8 - Michael Kors Adele Leather Smartphone Wallet

Image from Michael Kors' website.

 

Oh my heart!

 

 

Anyway, I just want to end this post with this thought-provoking sharing about being a mother.

 

 Some women are good at full-time mothering, others are better moms when they have a career as well. Many more simply have no choice and do the best they can. All these are valid choices and those on the outside really have no right to judge.

By Kimberly Yavorski

Wishing all mothers and mother figures an early Happy Mother's Day!

 

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Bacon Maple Butter Cookies & Homemade Pork Burger - our Valentine's Day menu :)

Bacon Maple Butter Cookies

Bacon is the theme for our 5th Valentine's Day together. Hubby loves bacon. Me too. Who don't love bacon huh?

I've made some Melt-In-Your-Mouth Cream Cheese Butter Cookies and the forever-awesome German Butter Cookies earlier this month. So I adapt the recipe to make these Bacon Maple Butter Cookies. :)

Ingredients:
(Makes 30 small cookies)

125g salted butter, softened at room temperature
35g icing sugar
1 small egg
1 tablespoon pure maple syrup
200g all-purpose flour
65g fried bacon bits, with bacon fat

How to:

1. Use an electric mixer to cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy in a mixing bowl. Add egg and beat until well combined. Add vanilla extract and pure maple syrup and beat again.

2. Add flour and bacon bits. Use a rubber spatula or your hands to mix until a ball of dough is formed. The dough will be a bit wet but not too sticky.

3. Cling-wrap the dough and refrigerate for about 30 minutes until firm.

4. When it's time to bake, preheat oven to 170°C and line a baking tray with baking sheet.

5. Shape the dough into small balls and place them on the prepared baking tray.

6. Bake in preheated oven for 17-18 minutes. Let cool on the baking tray for about 10 minutes before transferring them to cool down further on a wiring rack. Store in airtight containers. Best eaten within 3-4 days.

These balls of goodness are ready to be baked.

After baking!

Cooling them down on my cooling rack.

Then, for our dinner, we have Homemade Pork Burger.

Homemade Pork Burger

The ingredients are actually pretty simple. Hubby likes simple meals - clean, easy to eat, anything with BACON. LOL. Armed with this "mantra" - keep it simple - these gorgeous burgers are born!

Just the three of us. :)

Ingredients:
(Makes 2 adult burgers)

Homemade pork patties (250g minced pork, 5 slices bacon, 1 clove of garlic, salt, pepper)
Cheddar cheese block, cut into slices
4 slices of bacon, fried
2 eggs
2 burger buns, cut into halves
Cherry tomatoes for garnishing
Bacon cookies for garnishing

How to:

1. To make the patties, cut the bacon into tiny pieces, chop the garlic finely, and mix them with the minced pork. Season with salt and pepper. Refrigerate the mixture for at least 2 hours.

2. To fry the patties, shape the minced pork mixture into four patties. Flatten slightly with your hand and make an indent in the middle. Heat up olive oil and butter in a frying pan. Pan fry the patties until cooked, about 5-6 minutes on each side, on medium heat. Leave to cool slightly on a plate.

3. Fry bacon in another frying pan, then fry sunny-side-up eggs with the bacon fat in the same pan. Then, melt a little bit of butter in the same pan and put the burger buns in the pan, cut-side down, to soak up the bacon fat and butter.

4. To assemble: bottom bun - pork patty #1 - cheese - bacon - pork patty #2 - cheese - bacon - egg - top bun with sesame seeds. Serve on a plate and garnish with cherry tomatoes and bacon cookies.

Ain't it gorgeous? :P

Yums!

This post is linked to Cook and Celebrate: CNY 2015 organized by Yen from Eat your heart out, Diana from Domestic Goddess Wannabe, and Zoe from Bake for Happy Kids.

This post is also linked to Best Recipes for Everyone Jan and Feb 2015 Event Theme: My Homemade Cookies organized by Fion of XuanHom's Mom and co-hosted by Victoria of Victoria Bakes.

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Baked Pear in Red Wine

Our belated Valentine's Day dessert was Baked Pear in Red Wine at Casa del Cocco, Taman Danau Desa.

The moment the "glorious" pear was served, both of us almost laughed out heads off. It looked like a lump of poop, right? So, here's to a "shitty" Valentine's Day! :P

Don't be fooled by its inferior outlook. This poor-looking pear was very, very delicious!

The pear's succulent middle was stuffed with grated lemon rind and juice. Caramelized sugar was drizzled generously over the pear. A few chunks of walnut and a sprinkle of cinnamon powder gave this dessert an unforgettable appearance and taste.

Note: Casa del Cocco is a new outlet replacing Cafe Libre.

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Project: Reflect 52 #7 - 5 lovelies of the week

Vintage necklace
 
Bought this lovely vintage necklace with a yellow rose from the flea market at Amcorp Mall.

A real man does carpentry in the house
 
So proud of the fiance! He does wonders with wood, nails, and stuff like that. *beams* Well, we're practicing frugality and practicality. When things are broken, fix them rather than buying new ones! :D

Pit droid
 
This fella, especially the way he stands, makes me smile. He has just joined our family of astromech droids and other Star Wars stuff. :)

The fiance's Valentine's Day pressie
 
Gotten him a Star Wars novel. Happy Valentine's Day!

Gorgeous sunflowers
 
Every time I see sunflowers, my heart soars. The fiance knows, so every time he sees sunflowers, he takes a shot and sends a virtual bouquet to me. :P

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Happy Valentine's Day 2012

I kept this tag from Valentine's Day 2011. Now it's time to use it for Valentine's Day 2012.

Love with practicality prevails.

^_^\/

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I wanna drive a KIA Forte Koup this Valentine's Day!

My heart melted the moment I came to know about this contest by KIA Malaysia.

All you need to do is to share your love for KIA on your blog or Twitter or Facebook or YouTube and tell KIA Malaysia about it. If they love it, the winner (ONE ONLY) gets to drive the KIA Forte Koup from 11th February (Saturday) till 15th February (Wednesday) in conjunction with this year's Valentine's Day!

Photo from nazakia.com.my

Love the Forte Koup's tagline:
Leaves you Speechless

******************************

Now, let me tell you why I'd love to have the Forte Koup as my Valentine's Day drive.

In January 2010, I met a motoring journalist at a gathering. He mentioned that he would be giving the KIA Forte a test drive during one of the weekends.

Not a week later, he tweeted that he had gotten the KIA Forte for review. It all started with a simple question of me asking him about the color of the car. And wouldn't you know it! He replied me, asking me out to take a spin in the car with him!

So, destiny had it that the KIA Forte became the first car I was driven around by the editor whom, two years later, is the one I'd be marrying in June this year. As a note, we just got engaged in December 2011. :) 

******************************

You see, since the KIA Forte sealed the deal and set the stage two years ago, it'd be lovely to drive a KIA Forte Koup with my fiance this Valentine's Day...

:)

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The Royal Spa Treatment @ Jari Spa, Solaris Dutamas

Tagline

Healing Technique. Indigenous Traditions. Release Stress and Pamper Yourself with Us. 

Spa Coupon

 Two months ago, I bought a spa coupon from Jari Spa for our Valentine's treat. After calling up Jari Spa to make an appointment, the only available slot for couples was on 22 April 2011. Well, it was a little bit belated for Valentine's Day but we still went ahead with our spa treatment escapade. :P

Jari Spa

A2-U1-5, Solaris Dutamas 
10am - 8pm (Mon - Sun)
Website | Facebook | Twitter

Here's an introduction from their website: "Nestled in the middle of prestigious area in the city, the natural and authentic Balinese rituals are formed and await you in the setting of JARI. JARI means finger in the Malay language. Fingers that will sooth you, awake you, invigorate you to the whole new experience. JARI is a true sanctuary of tranquility that promises you the best in relaxation, a most rewarding experience with a true sense of inner-self, well-being, and beauty ensuring results and benefits."

This is the elegantly and artfully decorated walkway that leads the customers to their respective spa rooms. Soothing and relaxing Balinese music plays softly in the background.

This is another angle of the walkway.

Treatments

There are a few series of treatment offered by Jari Spa: The Body Senses, The Body Elements, The Beauty Senses Touch, The Body Amazing Rituals Spa, The Beautiful Bridal, Post Natal, and The Signature Rituals Spa. More info on their website.

The coupon that I bought was for The Royal Spa Treatment (in The Body Amazing Rituals Spa series), originally priced at RM280 per pax for 2 hours. Treatment includes (in sequence) Foot Bath, Herbal Steam, Body Massage, Javanese Lulur, Whitening Mask, and Milk Bath.

First of all, we had our Foot Bath for five minutes.

Then, we went into this shower room attached in the spa room for Herbal Steam. The five minutes spent in that "oven" of 36-37 degrees Celsius was quite unbearable for me.

For the next 1.5 hours, we were given Body Massage (whole body), Javanese Lulur (scrub), and Whitening Mask (whole body). It was indeed a relaxing experience. The kneading and rolling loosened up unwanted knots in our muscles and pent-up stress from all-day's work.

Finally, we went into the shower room again for our Milk Bath. The bath tub functioned like a jacuzzi and we were being massaged by spurts of warm, milky water.

Before we left, we were given gift vouchers. :)

Good News!

Enjoy Aromatherapy Massage / Balinese Massage for RM89/hour OR Body Scrub and Body Mask at RM79 during Happy Hour (11am - 3pm). Also, take note of the Ladies Hour, every Friday 12-2pm.

I'd love to come for treatment again! :)

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Project 365 2011 - Photo #57

The month of February, the Valentine's Day month is coming to an end but Friendscino Bar & Restaurant still has colored paper hearts hanging all over its place.

In the second photo, the bigger, darker heart shape on the ceiling is the shadow of the big, red paper heart. Perhaps, this quote goes with it: Love casts a shadow in your heart.

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Project 365 2011 - Photo #48

Bought the "79% off The Royal Spa Treatment (2 hrs) incl body massage + body scrub + whitening mask + milk bath + mysterious gift worth RM65 @ Jari Spa, Solaris Dutamas for RM59 instead of RM280" coupon from OrangeDeal last week for our Valentine's treat. However, no slots are available in February till end of March. So, we booked our slot on 22 April 2011, evening.

I guess a belated Valentine's treat is better than none. :)

Update: The Royal Spa Treatment @ Jari Spa, Solaris Dutamas

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Valentine's Day Special (Part V) - Lunch: Euro Deli Delicatessen

 
Euro Deli Delicatessen is one of our dining choices during our early dates. So, David suggested to revisit this restaurant again for our Valentine's Day lunch. It's sweet that he remembers such details. :)

Address: No. 41, Jalan SS20/11, Damansara Kim, 47400 Petaling Jaya, Selangor.

 
Schweizer Kaese Hamburger (Cheese and Mushroom Burger) 

This monstrous looking burger is served with french fries, mushroom sauce, and coleslaw. We love the succulent pork patty and scrumptious gherkins and greens. Priced at RM22.50 at the moment, it's not one of the cheapest pork burger we've eaten, but I guess that's more or less the price you'll get for fine pork burgers. :)

 
Emmenthaler Wuerste (Emmenthaler Sausage) 

I'm really delighted with this dish. There are two pork sausages with cheese served with a dollop of mustard sauce, egg and potato salad, and my favorite sauerkraut. The combination of the creamy potatoes, sourish sauerkraut, and chewy sausages makes my Valentine's Day lunch a blissful experience. It's priced reasonably affordable at RM22.90 at the moment.

Overall, food quality is great. Coupled with a great companion, you shall find dining a bliss. :)

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Valentine's Day Special (Part IV) - Movie: The Green Hornet (2011)

The Green Hornet (2011) is an action-comedy movie based on the iconic radio serial, comic book, and television show of the same name in the 1930s.

Synopsis: Britt Reid (Seth Rogen) inherits the "The Daily Sentinel" in LA after the sudden death of his father, James Reid (Tom Wilkinson). Clueless and bored with his life, Britt assumes the personality of a crime-fighting masked hero at night known as "The Green Hornet" and teams up with his assistant/sidekick, Kato (Jay Chou). With the help of his new secretary, Lenore Case (Cameron Diaz), Britt and Kato begin their crime-fighting "career" and get into real trouble when their existence begins to threaten Benjamin Chudnofsky (Christoph Waltz), LA's underground crime lord.

I don't like Seth Rogen and I find him childish, over-reacting, irritating, and annoying as "The Green Hornet". Perhaps that's his style but I don't buy it at all. Also, Jay Chou really needs to brush up his English or he should be given less lines to speak in the movie and stay mute as the super kick-ass sidekick. Another thing, I'm not sure what's the main contribution of Cameron Diaz's Lenore in the movie, perhaps just as a pretty tomboyish helper.

However, I think, one thing that saves this movie is the paranoid Chudnofsky. I love the way Christoph Waltz looks completely unassuming and benign and yet gives shivers down your spine when he starts to go crazy and kills people with his awesome double-barrel gun.

Not a very good movie but if you've read lots of good comments about it, just go ahead and watch.

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Project 365 2011 - Photo #46

The first three cars we used during our early dates. Love the way he mentioned about his girlfriend. :)

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Project 365 2011 - Photo #45

Belgian Chocolate & Macadamia Nut. Thanks Baby! :)

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