Dreamy December

December has mostly been "Out of Office" for me; I took a total of 3 weeks off, which is practically my whole leave quota for the year.  The pace has slowed down a lot for sure which is a very welcome change, although I can't say the same for Kuta Kute in Batam.  

After I returned from our Japan holiday this year, we had a team lunch at M Hotel City Centre.  My lady boss arranged a Nonya buffet lunch for the team which turned out quite nice.  

At M Hotel Looking at The Lobby - Galaxy S23+

I also shared some sweets to my colleagues in office from our Japan trip.  

Treats For Buddies - Galaxy S23+

We then went to watch the Beauty and The Beast musical at MBS; we being me, the missus and Lindsay.  For some reason I didn't find this one as exciting as the first one, but the dancing was amazing and the actor who played Gaston this time around certainly can sing.

Waiting For The Musical to Start - Galaxy S23+

We also received the dreaded secondary school posting result for Lindsay which as I had anticipated, she failed to get a place in Gan Eng Seng secondary school.  But we're appealing the result and really hoping she can get a place there.  Tomorrow we'll be picking up her textbooks and uniforms from Queensway Secondary School which she got posted to.  But we kept on reminding her, this is only temporary, she could try to go to Crescent at the end of the year.  Today, Lindsay just got the good news we've all been waiting for and she's finally enrolled in Gan Eng Seng.

She Didn't Notice Me At All When I Took a Photo of Her - Galaxy S23+

Just earlier this week we returned from Batam.  The new Balinese restaurant Kuta Kute is now in full swing after we invited many influencers to promote the restaurant.  Over the days we were there we saw the kitchen struggling to adapt to the sudden crowd surge, which I hope has been taken care of by now.  This month the restaurant could possibly earn 150 million rupiah from the ala carte service alone, which is its best performance to date.  

Nasi Campur Kuta Kute - Galaxy S23+

For our Batam trip this time we stayed at Grand Mercure in Batam Centre.  It's a nice change of scenery although I find the hotel overpriced.  With what I paid I should have gotten breakfast and at least capsule coffee machines in my room.  

Our Grand Mercure Room - Galaxy S23+

Anyway, it was a good stay to steal some tricks from a 5 star hotel.  

We also tried eating in Suan Cai Yu restaurant in Harbourbay, which was very expensive for Indonesian standards.  

Also Trying Something New in Harbourbay - Galaxy S23+

And on the last day we went to Muso Art Cafe, which was a big meh....  The food was nothing to rave about although the filtered coffee was quite something.

First Few Customers of The Day - Galaxy S23+

As the year winds down to a close I'm thankful for the happy moments in 2025 and look for more amazing things to come in 2026. 

A Different View For a Change - Galaxy S23+

Here's a closing shot for the last entry of this year: 

The Missus & Lindsay After The Musical - Galaxy S23+

~ Photos Taken With Samsung Galaxy S23+ ~