Simply -簡單- Orion

Taiwan 2011 Food!

2011-07-20T23:12:00.004+08:00

Taipei 101 at downtown

Ah, Taiwan the land of good food, temperate climate and affordable shopping and...have I mentioned abundance of good food? Oops by now, you've probably guessed my main objective of the trip. Nevertheless, girls are still allowed to go GaGa over dresses, shoes and bubble teas though.

Assorted pasteries on display

Delicious looking cake

Fusion cakes

Tonkatsu set for only TW$200

Japanese have left a strong mark in Taiwan after a long 50 years rule. This is most evident in the selection of japanese food available.

Drinks corner in 7-11

Taking a short breather from food =) The drinks selection in 7-11 is a good place start.

Fried Dough Fritters (油炸傀)
and Roasted Soyabean drink
(侸乃)

This particular shop that sells fried dough fritters tasted different from what we get in Malaysia. It is less crunchy but more aromatic. The soyabean drink taste different as well as it has a lingering "burnt" aroma but which is intended after being reminded by my friend. When taken together, they are a delightful breakfast combo.

Food...

Set lunches in Taipei 101 food court

More food...

Squid Okonomiyaki..Yummy

Even more food...

Cold noodles with peanut sauce (涼麵)

涼麵 is a national obsession as you can get it almost anywhere. Eaten cold with peanut sauce, it actually reminds me alot of the satay sauce.

And more...

Stewed meat noodle(鲁肉麵)

鲁肉麵 is probably the extension of 鲁肉饭 (Stewed meat rice) but it tastes just as good. An interesting option is to have the noodles without the meat and to order, just shout Sha Gua Mian (傻瓜麵) which literally translates as stupid noodles.

Some more...

Instant Noodles

At the end of the day, we had instant noodles for supper.

Egg sandwich

Started off the next morning with - you guessed it - food.

Fried seaweed

Fried seaweed is a great snack to go around inYeliu. Whatsmore, the seaweeds are harvested locally. Get ready a bottle of water next to you because you'll need it since you'll be very thirsty after eating the seaweed.

This is actually an
ice-cream dessert

Local specialty dessert that consists of 2 scoops of ice-cream, chinese parsley and peanut flakes wrapped in popiah skin. Interesting huh? You can get this in Jiufen.

Taro balls in sweet soup

One last picture of food because if I don't stop, I can go on and on. Now that we have set the records straight, lets enjoy Taiwan in my next post!

Quickie - Milestone

2011-06-05T23:17:00.002+08:00

Almost there...

Achieved one of my driving milestone recently by passing the 100,000km mark. Time really flies!

Boom! I've passed it

Farmville in Bentong, Pahang

2011-03-06T10:44:00.008+08:00

Our base camp

Alright, so I have been slacking when it comes to posting new entries recently. However, I have perfectly legitimate reasons for this. Recently, I have been heavily involved in mantaining a farm

in Bentong Pahang. Bentong is located on the Titiwangsa montain range and is only 1 hour from KL city. Although just an hour away, Bentong is surrounding by dense highland jungle, fresh cool air and icy cold mountain streams. Anyways, more on Bentong on the later postings.

Flowers blooming in front of the house

I have posted pictures below in one of the many trips we have made to Bentong to work on the farm.

4wd is needed to access the farm

The shack is our only shade from rain

Green shoot

The green shoot shot symbolises growth and is very apt to describe this farm.

The sun is shining right
above our heads

Shades are abundant inside the farm

A narrow plateau provides a fine
meadow

Catching a view at the plateau

Scattering fertilizers for the trees

Scrapping out the fungus on
the skin trunk

The difference between the
scrapped area and not

This dragon fruit is really in need of
a trim

Setting up the hoe to use.
Not as easy as it looks!

This stone splitted while we were fixing
the hoe. The grains reveals an
interesting shot.

Me hard at work

Creating a creek from a baby
spring water

The stream is beckoning me

What a relief to submerge my piping
hot feet into the cool running
mountain water

Another view of the
stream

The past at background and
future at fore

A bunch of durians on the branch

One of the first two durians! Tiny.

Aww man the flesh is rotting

Tadaa..dragon fruit after the
trim

The setting of the sun indicates a good
time to leave

The sun is almost down so finally we call it a day after some good workout. Its about time to look for good food...yum yum.

White Water Rafting Gopeng

2010-11-28T21:18:00.007+08:00

Start of white water rafting adventure

Thinking of doing white water rafting? Perhaps you should consider Sg. Kampar in Gopeng, Perak. Kampar river is rated to difficulty level of 2-4 and is approximately 7km long depending on the rainfall. This means that it is very suitable for beginners to moderate rafters. For the more experienced rafters, they would have it easy but the scenery surrounding the river is well worth the trip as well.

If you're starting from KL, a good time to begin your journey is at 900am and that would allow you to reach Kampar by lunch time. But why Kampar and not Gopeng itself? Kampar is a good place to use as the base to get to Kampar River because it is only 1/2 hour away from there plus it has a 3 star hotel called Grand Kampar hotel which possibly is the only decent hotel within a 30km radius. Things can get a little complicated so let me recap: Kampar River is in Gopeng, but you should stay in Kampar to get to Gopeng which is only 30 minutes away . Phew..there, I got it out of my chest.

Hotel at Kampar

Nomad Adventure provides a very detailed service for outdoor adventures around Sg Kampar. I'm not their spokesperson nor do I get anything from them but they did do a great job in organising the trip which I think deserves recommendation. They do provide service to pick you from the hotel which was very welcomed indeed. From the hotel, we travelled to Gopeng, passed Gua Tempurung and finally to their base camp which they named it Earth Camp.

Walking towards Earth Camp

The walk from our drop point to Earth Camp brought us close to nature. The Earth Camp is basic but has adequate facilities including toilets, the tent, tree chalets and many more.

The tent at Earth Camp

Around Earth Camp

Tree chalets are an interesting accommodation

I got my "Kampung Adidas" slippers for MYR10. Highly recommended by the Nomad team, the slipper is made of rubber and slips on to your feet. It is light and water resistant which makes it very handy in river. Once I got it on, I put on the protective gears provided by them which includes hard hat and life jacket.

Safety Equipments are a necessity!

Earth Camp is located at the downstream of the river. Therefore to get to the starting point of our rafting adventure, we need to take a truck to go upstream of the river.

The starting point of our excitement

Inflatable boats stacked up

Once we were there, we get to choose our boats by the river on a "first come, first serve" basis. Typically one boat is reserved for four guests. Depending on the intensity of the river, usually there is at least one supervisor in the boat. For challenging rivers, there will be two, one in front and the other at the back.

Getting into our boats

As you can see Kampar River is not exactly docile.

This is the ominous river

The rafting journey is approximately 7km long. The exit point is approximately midway between Earth Camp and the starting point. However on very special occasions, you might be able to travel all the way back to the Earth Camp on boat for a total journey of 10+ km! This special occasion occurs only when it rains and thus bringing in extra flow to the river. On the flip side, the rain cannot be too heavy so much so that you're forced to evacuate the river due to safety.

The end point at Earth Camp

We were very lucky that day and had the privilege to go all the way as it was raining lightly. We disembarked at Earth Camp. Naturally the first thing I did after getting out of the river is to change into dry clothes in the open top toilet. The cubicle is spacious enough to only fit one person in and is equipped with rain shower facilities.

The open top toilet cubicle

While I was changing, our food is being prepared ala BBQ style. After changing into clean clothings, I chilled out with a can of cold beer while waiting the food to be prepared. At around 700pm the food is done. Chicken, prawns, fish, lamb are all on the menu together with fries, sausages, noodles and rice. While some of the food are charred, I was too hungry to be bothered although some might think otherwise.

Our dinner on BBQ tray

Food is served buffet style

Finally after a hearty meal, we bade farewell to Earth Camp and their friendly hosts. For the more adventurous, you can opt to stay a few more days in their accommodation as they have other activities to enjoy such as caving, absailing, hiking etc.

Leaving in a truck

Would have been better if......if I have brought mosquito repellent along with me.

Day out in IKEA

2010-09-05T21:15:00.011+08:00

IKEA at The Curve Damansara

I was looking for a new book shelf as the current one I have is long overdued. As usual, the very first place I look for a furniture would be in IKEA (Left), don't we all? I went there on a weekend but luckily it wasn't too packed. The trip was fruitful because I found something that catches my eyes and its name is Expedit.

What I am looking for in the book shelf is simplicity and be able to provide ample storage space for my books. My collection of books has been growing and without a good shelf, I am starting to find it difficult to look for a particular book. Appearance wise, I am subtly in favour of a shelf with thick outer frames because not only would it look classy but bold as well. Expedit seems to have both of these qualities. I did not, however, buy the shelf on that trip.

With the measurements of Expedit I collected, I took a few days to ensure that it can fit into the intended space in my room. Between the days, I also took the opportunity to clear off my current book shelf. Then on a week day, me and Julia visited IKEA again with the intention to purchase Expedit. Me at the warehouse's information counter (Bottom).

Warehouse of IKEA

Found my Expedit! (1st bottom). It consists of 3 segments A, B and C or was it 1, 2 and 3? Hmmm...nevermind. I am still wearing my office attires while unloading the boxes onto the push cart (2nd bottom).

Oooff.....they are definitely heavier than they look (Bottom). Thank goodness for the push carts.

Arranging the final box on the cart. Final check, 1....2....3 boxes yeap all done and set to go. We headed towards the cash counter for the last stop.

I like the final product alot (Bottom). Below is the assembled Expedit being utilised.

Standard Chartered KL Marathon 2010

2010-08-21T00:14:00.011+08:00

I joined the Standard Charted KL marathon 2010 that was held on the 27th of June. This is the second time I'll have joined a marathon, the first time being the Energizer Night Race. Previously I have ran the 10km and this time, I've registered for the 10km category again because I believe this is my current limit. The marathon has the usual categories of 42km, 21km, 10km and 5km. The difference between this marathon and the Energizer race is that I'll be running in the morning as opposed to at night.

Few days before the race, I collected the race pack in Stadium Titiwangsa, near Taman Tasik Titiwangsa. The race pack consists of a KL Marathon singlet (1st bottom), a BIB number, one timing device (2nd bottom) and sponsored goodies (not alot). The timing device is this cool gadget called ChronoTrack system. The device is a strip of plastic with some chip-like feature embedded on its back surface. By securing it to my shoes, the timing device is activated at the beginning of the flag off line and at the end of the race. This might sound like a minor issue in a major event like this but it clearly provides a huge advantage. Imagine this, it could take me as much as 10 minutes to get from the back row at the start of the race to get to arch that marks the beginning of the race due to the crowd. Therefore without a tagging system, this would encourage the quicker ones to rush and shove their way through. It does not help that there are slow coaches that hogs the front row at the beginning of the race. A little bit of comfort for the runners goes along way indeed.

The starting point of the marathon is at Merdeka Square. The 10km route covers Jalan Bangsar, KL Sentral, Brickfields, Lingkaran Syed Putra, Jalan Parlimen, Jalan Tuanku Abdul Rahman and back to Dataran Merdeka (Bottom).

The 10km race starts at 0700am. That's pretty early even for normal working day, whats more this is a Sunday! My biggest headache is to think of a way to get to Merdeka Square. Firstly, there is alot of runners participating in the event, possibly up to 16,000 people. Secondly, the entrance to the very limited car park closes at 0500am. In any case, there is no way I'll be waking up so early to jostle for a car park. That leaves me only with one choice and that is to catch the earliest train to Masjid Jamek. Fortunately for us, we managed to get on one of the earlier trains out of the station. Since we had time in the train, we went through the checklist again: Running shoes, checked. ChronoTrack system, checked. BIB number, checked. Singlet, checked. =) (1st bottom). It is quite empty inside the train so early in the morning but one thinbg for sure, whoever is in the train is definitely heading towards Merdeka Square (2nd bottom).

We arrived just 15 minutes before the race started and barely had enough time to pass our bags to the organisers for safekeeping. From then onwards, I was not able to take anymore photos since I don't have a camera. The first 5km was like training. However by the time I reached the 8km mark, my feet was already killing me but I kept on pushing ahead. After a torturous final stretch of 2km, I've finally reached the finishing line of the race. Thanks to the organisers, I managed to get a hold of a low quality (but free) photo of myself crossing the finishing line (1st bottom). Oh and please don't mind the wordings that are splashed across the photo. Two minutes later, Julia also crosses the finish line in style (2nd bottom).

Our finisher medals of the race (1st bottom). My final results: I finished the entire 10km in 1 hour 18 minutes (2nd bottom). Timing is not too bad but it ain't great either. I'll try to dip below 1 hour the next time. Anyways, here is a useless info that might be of interest, the top three men runners of the 42km marathon are from Kenya whereas for women are from Ethiopia. Speaking of domination by a single continent.

Krabi Thailand

2010-07-12T00:20:00.029+08:00

McDonald Thai Style

Sawadee-kap! My greetings to "Mr. Chairat McDonalds" from Krabi which I hope he will never ever greet me back. This is Krabi Thailand and it is absolutely one of the most amazing place I have been to with white sandy beaches, spires of limestone karst and turquoise seawater. Now, I've not even mention about the delicious food and the uber friendly locals. I couldn't possibly describe the beauty of this place without including many pictures because some scenery just can't be described with words. Once you have seen the pictures, then you'll understand why.

This post will be a long-winded because I'm compressing 3 days into 1 entree. We arrived at Krabi airport approximately 1 and 1/2 hours on Airasia from KL Low Cost Terminal (Bottom). We opted for an afternoon flight on Friday instead of a early morning flight since this is suppose to be a relaxing trip. The taxi trip from the airport to Ao Nang took us 45minutes. We were detoured to Krabi town by our taxi driver because he is a part-time spy for a travel company - or so according to my hunch. I was nervous at first for the sudden change of route and felt like we have been scammed. After giving second thoughts, it aint that bad after all because we are paying for one trip to Ao Nang but we get to sight-see Krabi town as well. On top of that, we got a steal for the price of Four Islands Tour tour at only THB550 per person.

We stayed at Ao Nang Cliff Beach Resort, which is not to be confused with Cliff Ao Nang Resort! Rest assure that both the resorts are perfectly wonderful although the former is much closer to the beach and the shops. The hotel has a very open concept therefore its lobby is not air-conditioned. One of the many stunning views that can be seen from the lobby (1st bottom). The hotel has a full frontal view of an amazing limestone cliff, hence the name (2nd bottom). We were privileged to have our room facing this beautiful cliff. Before I begin, I must mention that I take no credit in the beautiful pictures that were shown here. There were mostly taken by Julia.

Inside, the room is cleverly split into two tiers and exudes a cosy ambiance (1st bottom). The location of the hotel is to die for because foodie stalls are everywhere and 7-11 and 24 hours McDonald's are just downstairs. Once we settled down, we grab the beach bag and head towards the beach! (2nd bottom).

I could not resist my first touch of the soft sand at the beach (1st bottom). The seawater washing-out the shells and stones at the beach while leaving streaks of sand lines after receding (2nd bottom).

We left our trail at the beach too although not a permanent one (1st bottom). Amazing shot of a crescent-shaped coconut husk on the beach and the shadow it casted due to the evening sun (2nd bottom).

Me standing on top of wor..l.......rocks for a good vintage view (1st bottom). Some locals were fishing at a corner of the beach. Julia seated on a man made bank listening to the sound of crashing waves (2nd bottom). The seawater here is definitely clearer at this location.

Later, we walked back to our starting point. Sun sets at late evening (1st bottom) which also means time to leave the beach and start looking for food. We ate at the restaurant that specialises in BBQ seafood just across our hotel. After a sumptuous dinner, we walked along the main road and spotted painters in a shop working hard at their masterpieces (2nd bottom). The night ended after we have strolled through the streets and market.

Rise and shine on a Saturday morning! Its also time to be picked up by the travel company for our Four Island Tour. We have been notified that they'll be picking us up at 830am. But first we have to get our breakfast to get energized (1st bottom). There were only a handful of us which I've counted to 5 guests. Therefore not surprisingly, the hotel did not provide any buffet style breakfast for us. Instead, we ordered ala-carte from the breakfast menu. I've ordered real bacon, ommellete, tomatoes and potatoes. The travel company came to pick us up at 900am which made us worry for the first half an hour. The lingering thought of being scam was still there. Apparently, there are two types of boat for island hoping: speed boat and fish tail boat. The in-house hotel travel personnel has kindly told us that speed boat guests leave at 830am while the fish tail boat leaves at 900am. We were also told that travel companies are just middlemen and they will hire boat companies for the tour. That was a good piece of information to know. Nevertheless, the pick up truck came at 900am. What a relief. There were about 20 of us in the same fish tail boat. Half are locals, a handful of whites, tourist from other Asian countries including both of us and and an Iranian family of 4 that includes two babies of 1 year old! We were about to board the boat (2nd bottom).

On the fish tail boat towards the first island.

The first stop was Tup Island. It is a small island with white sandy beach and crystal clear water. Depth of the seawater is shallow and we were able to wade to another small island about 50m away. We took a dip at this second island (1st bottom). The picture of school of fish swimming around is a great evidence of the clear seawater (2nd bottom).

The next stop is Chicken Island (1st bottom). Look how the formation of rocks looks like a bobbing chicken head! Technically we did not step on the island. We were dropped off from the boat for snorkelling just at the fringe of the island. There are many beautiful corals and colourful fishes but not the best yet. The third stop and the most amazing by far is Poda Island (2nd bottom). This island has the definition of paradise written all over it. Stunning wide sand beach that stretches as far as my eyes can see. Speckless and cyrstal clear torqouise seawater thats changes shades of colour as the depth of water increases. Exotic millon years old limestone spires thrusting out of the sea that has been aged by weather.

Our boat was anchored at the beach right in front of a wooden hut. Its time for lunch. The package includes lunch but did not go far enough to specify what kind of food so this will be exciting. I'm just hoping they would not serve us too exotic of a food. Any guesses? *Drum Roll* we were served green curry pork with fragrant rice. We took our lunch box and sat at the hut for lunch (Bottom). They were very yummy or I was very hungry. We brought some fruits from the hotel to have it as dessert.

After lunch, its time to explore the island. What do you call this kind of place? (1st bottom). Pine trees, soft sea breeze, blue skies, cotton shaped cloud, turquoise seawater...

Later, can't resist the temptation to dip myself in the sea. (2nd bottom).

Oh while you're there, no feeding the monkeys on the island, please! (Bottom)

Time to leave Poda Island and head towards our last destination, Phra Nang beach (1st bottom). Technically this place is not an island but it is actually connected to the mainland although it is shielded from the 'ouside world' by the limestone cliffs. This place is more crowded than the other islands as there is at least one hotel here. It is also more crowded with tourists because of the rock-climbing walls available. As I have read, the limestones cliffs here are not only one of the best / challenging in Krabi but in the world as well. Nevertheless, the sight is still awesome and they are many corners that is worth the visit. I'm at one of the corners of the beach shaded from the sun under the limestone cliffs (2nd bottom).

The tour ended with Phra Nang Beach. We got back to the hotel in late afternoon. We bought a chicken pad thai for only 35 Baht. After snack, its time for the badly needed shower and nap. The last night we had street food which is very authentic. Whole fish 190 Baht, 2 chicken thighs 100 Baht at 50 Baht each, stir fried vegetables 80 Baht and 2 cans of Chang Beer 80 Baht. The night ended with the dinner and shopping.

We woke up late on the last morning as we do not have any plans to leave the hotel. Instead we will be getting traditional thai massage in the hotel. A view of the lobby from part of the hotel (1st bottom). The massage pavillion faces the simming pool (2nd bottom). The massage pavillion from the outside (3rd bottom). An hour of full body thai massage only costs 300 Baht! This was a great way to end the trip.

Day 03 Macau Two Temples and a Chapel

2010-06-04T21:15:00.011+08:00

This is the last day of our trip in Macau. After this, we will be heading to Hong Kong. The main agenda of the day is to meet up with my brother's friends from Macau. Of course the most appropriate place to meet them would be none other than a restaurant for breakfast. My brother's friends have recommended Jin Yue restaurant for dim sum (Top). Yippie, another dim sum treat for me.

Since the food was not ordered by us, I just happily sat there and ate whatever that came in my way. Some are easy to recognise, like char siew bao and har gaw (1st bottom) while others are not as easy (2nd bottom).

It was a nice catch up session for my brother and get-to-know session for the rest. After the sumptuous meal, we took a group photo (1st bottom). We left the restaurant and at the entrance, I managed to catch the view of Guia Fort and lighthouse (2nd bottom) which is another tourists favourite. From this far, it was only the size of my smallest finger so try to look harder in the photo =).

Before we depart, one of my brother's friend Ah Hang has offered to bring us around in his car eventhough he has an interview to attend later in the day! What a great privilege for us. The first place we went to is the Chapel of Our Lady of Penha built right on the top of Penha Hill (1st bottom). The hill is also the address for many prestigious residents including tycoon Stanley Ho. While its facade is not as impressive as The Church of My Lady Carmel, it makes up with a commanding view of Macau old quarters on its left (2nd bottom) and Cotai Strip on its right (3rd bottom), an advantage that the chapel has due to its elevation. From the open space, I was able to get the full view of the Macau Tower as well.

The next stop, which is not too far away from here is the A-Ma temple (媽閣廟) (1st bottom). This is probably the most important temple in Macau as it is closely related to the very first people who have landed in Macau and possibly how the name "Ma" of Macau was derived. The temple itself is not very big and is moderately congested when we were there (2nd bottom).

The temple was built at the turn of the 1st millennium, so this makes it more than a 1000 years old! Clearly many restoration has been done since then. The glossy coat of red paint was probably done very recently (1st bottom). This is boat model on display right in front of the temple (2nd bottom).

Our last stop is at the Temple of Lotus/Lin Fung Temple (蓮峰廟) so Ah Hang dropped us down and bid farewell (1st bottom). Lin Fung Temple is not on the radar of most tourists so I only saw a trickle of them strolling into the temple. To me this is actually the beauty of the place because you will instantly fall in love with its serenity. Passing through its main door is an open courtyard that is lined with trees and large incense burners (2nd bottom).

Lin Fung temple is intricate in its architecture and is not any younger than the A-Ma temple. Although less popular, it is by no means any less spectacular. I prayed in the temple that is dedicated to the Goddess of Mercy before leaving (Bottom).

For the very first time, we took a public transport in Macau back to our hotel. Once we arrived, we checked out of the hotel and headed towards the pier. The experience has been great and rewarding and now, I'm already looking forward to the next destination. Hong Kong, here we come!

Would be nice if....I have more time to visit Island of Cotai

Quickie: Sangria

2010-05-24T21:48:00.005+08:00

Sangria is simply a delicious cocktail, drank pre-dominantly in Spanish / Portugese speaking countries which includes Spain, Portugal and a large extend of South America during summer. Some of the restaurants in Macau, being an Portugese colony, shares a little of this tradition too. The most common type of Sangria is the original version although many different types have since been spawned.
I trust that Sangria is a suitable drink for many occasions including open house, small parties etc. The secret to Sangria recipe is that it is easy to make and it will only get better with your own additions!

Prep Time: 0 hours, 5 minutes
Ingredients:
1 Bottle of red wine (Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Rioja reds, Zinfandel, Shiraz)
1 Lemon cut into wedges
1 Orange cut into wedges
2 Tbsp sugar
1 Shot brandy
2 Cups ginger ale or club soda

Preparation:
Pour wine in the pitcher and squeeze the juice wedges from the lemon and orange into the wine. Toss in the fruit wedges (leaving out seeds if possible) and add sugar and brandy. Chill overnight. Add ginger ale or club soda just before serving.

If you'd like to serve right away, use chilled red wine and serve over lots of ice.

Day 02 Macau Taipa Village and Dinner at Galo

2010-05-01T15:52:00.014+08:00

We finally exited the glamour and glitz of Venetian Resort late in the afternoon. Just across the 6 lanes highway (Left) is another attraction waiting for us but this time for its culture and history, the Taipa Village. Though it is a highway, we walked across without any hassle because there weren't alot of vehicles that day. Didn't I mentioned earlier that you can almost get away without paying any public transports? Unfortunately, this is also the time when my camera's battery decided to play dead on me. Therefore, I had to reduce my photo counts severely and reserve the last bit of battery for very special moments.
Taipa village is filled with cobbled streets, blooming flowers and walls decorated with mini white and blue mosaics depicting their history (1st bottom). I was told by my brother that this area has the most Macanese of Portugese or mixed parentage descendants. Sure enough, we saw alot of them chilling out around the streets. We took a breather to enjoy the serene surrounding after arriving at the village (2nd bottom).

After this point, we decided to split. My parents wanted to wander around this area whilst my brother and I tracked further into the village. Not far from where we rested is the Temple of Goddess of Sea (天后廟). Unfortunately, no pictures were taken.
We tracked approximately for another 1km before reaching the summit of a hill. Along the way, we passed the main street of the village where we would later have our dinner. Perched right at the top of this hill is The Church of Our Lady Carmel (Bottom). The church is distinctively European and apparently very beautiful inside although I did not have the chance to have a look because it was closed for the day. I was told that this is a favourite spot for wedding pictures and I wasn't surpised at all. Judging from the angle of the sun, you can guess that it is already very late afternoon when I was there.

On the other side of the hill where I came from, lies the Taipa Houses Museum (Bottom). This museum preserved the charming colonial Portugese settlements. Facing the houses is a pond with flowering lotus. The combination of these scenery was very stunning indeed.

After exploring the area, we left the museum and scaled down the hill. When we arrived back at the point we started, my brother recommended me to try a Portugese dessert known as Serradura or Saw Dust Pudding (Bottom). I couldn't remember clearly but the pudding should have costs me MOP7.50. In the heat of the evening and after walking quite a substantial distant, the cold creamy dessert was really a welcome treat. It consisted of a few layers and the bottom layer has a cake-ish-like texture. The middle layer was like custard and the top layer was a generous sprinkle of crushed biscuits. The closest dessert I have tasted would be Tiramisu. I could easily had two more helpings but I restrained myself from indulging too much.

By the time we were done with the dessert, dinner time has arrived. We had our dinner in Galo restaurant (公鸡) (Bottom) which is highly recommended by my brother. My brother was right after all as the restaurant was consistently full with customers during the whole duration of our dinner. In fact many people, mostly tourists, were turned away because they did not make any prior bookings.

I did not have many photos to show on the food we ordered but I can assure that they are mostly delicious. The logo of the restaurant is a cock and it reminded me very much of Nandos. Perhaps the Portugese have an affinity to the symbol of a cock. The must-orders in Galo would be the Pork Salad, Bacahal and Western Fried Rice. However, the star of the night would be the Sangria cocktail because it complimented the meal perfectly (Bottom). I really wanted to have another Serradura but I didn't have the stomach for it anymore.

After a sumptuous meal, we left Taipa Island and called it a day. Yet another interesting day in Macau.

Links:
Day 02 Macau - Dim Sum - Venetian Resort

Day 02 Dim Sum Breakfast and Venetian Resort

2010-04-25T20:44:00.018+08:00

On the second day, we went to the renown Venetian Resort located in Cotai Strip, Taipa (氹仔). Although a relatively newcomer in Macau compared to Grand Lisboa, the publicity that it has been receiving is extraordinary. It definitely helps though to have a famous brother in the form of Venetian Las Vegas. In order to get a grasp of the location of this resort, a quick explanation on the background of Macau's geography is necessary.

Macau consists of two islands, Taipa and Coloane and a peninsular that is connected to the mainland. Due to reclamation, the two islands have since joined into a single large island (Bottom). Cotai was derived from "Co" from Coloane and "Tai" from Taipa. Up till now, all the landmarks I have mentioned in Day 1 are located in the peninsular.

Before we embarked on the journey to Venetian, I needed alot of energy so we had a hearty breakfast. I always have the desire to have dim sum everytime I am in this part of the world and not just any dim sum for that matter, but preferably from one of the best restaurant in town. Therefore early in the morning, we headed to Restaurante Tou Tou Koi (陶陶居) located just off the main street of Avenida de Almeida Ribeiro (亞美打利庇盧大馬路) at 6-8 Travessa do Mastro in the old part of Macau. The restaurant, Point B in the Google map is located 400m from the hotel, point A (Bottom). This restaurant offers one of the best dim sum around, if not the best, hence reservation is a must.

Besides ordering the typical dim sum affair of siew mai, char siew pau, har gaw and hor yip fan, we also had local specialties like Fried Fresh Milk with Almonds (煠鲜奶) - dun ask me how they did it (1st bottom), Custard Bun (溜沙包) (2nd bottom) and Cha Leong wrapped in Cheong Fun ( (3rd bottom). I liked all the three although the rest are just as delightful.

After breakfast, we hopped onto the free bus ride to Venetian resort. When we arrived the crowd was huge, so huge that the main doors never had a chance to close. True to its hype, the Venetian architecture did not fail to amaze me. The management has gone through great pains to deliver Venice in Macau. The facades and decorations were carefully designed to be almost identical to Venice although I feel that the scale is smaller than the real thing. I must say though they did a pretty good job since I have been to Venice. The loveliest thing is the ceiling of the resort has been painted to be sky-like (1st and 2nd bottom).

For a small fee, they have even provided the Gondola for a complete "Venice" experience (Bottom). After being awed for 15 minutes, the rest of the resort is just rather like a megamall with shopping and restaurants. They have super high-end stores selling products that are just way beyond ordinary folks like me. Example? Panerai watches for USD 30k. Like every resorts in Macau, the main meat of the place is still its casinos.

Since I was not really interested in gambling, I spent my time exploring the rest of the resort. My interested was piqued when I saw this poster (Bottom). "Wow awesome!...Tempting...but perhaps some other day."

Quickie: Blackberry Bold 9700

2010-04-25T17:48:00.009+08:00

I just got a Blackberry Bold 9700. I was fiddling with it for the past week and have fallen in love with its solid features and functions. Qwerty keyboard is a big plus for me due to my stubby fingers. Another feature that will help me tremendously is the personal planner function because I am forgetful person and reminders will be a big help.

The most enticing features of all though would be its Wifi / 3G features as soon I will be able to update this blog on the go. My next trip is coming very very soon and I can't wait to try it out. Signing off

Garbage Enzyme

2010-04-11T18:12:00.011+08:00

I decided to give garbage enzyme a try to get first hand experience on how effective it is. It took me quite awhile to get all the ingredients ready because I have been procrastinating on it. You can find the required ingredients here. The first item required is a good bottle because it has to be stored in this bottle for 3 months.
I chose a leftover Choya bottle from Chinese New Year because it looks good with its opaque walls and white cap. Besides, it is good for the environment to reuse items (Bottom).

The next ingredient is brown sugar (Bottom). This can be found in almost any hypermarket. I got myself a big pack in Jusco for just a few ringgit.

For the main ingredients of either vegetables or fruits or combined, I have chosen red chilies because of the striking colour effect (1st Bottom). Another reason I have chosen chillies is because I have a gut feeling that using them will make my enzyme more effective. I have also added two slices of lemon in because the enzyme apparently smells best when lemon is used (2nd Bottom).

Once I have all the ingredients set, firstly, I filled the bottle with brown sugar up to 1/14 of its volume (Bottom).

Next, I gently placed the lemon slices at the bottom of the bottle, one at a time (Bottom).

Then, I stuffed all the chilies into the bottle (Bottom). In total, the volume of veggies and fruities should only be 3/14 of the bottle volume. Although it might looked alot, the chilies were actually mostly hollow so the combined volume is probably within the the right amount.

Next, I tightened the cap of the bottle (Bottom).

Finally, I topped up the bottle with tap water which should amount to 10/14 of the volume.

Now that all the steps were done, I stored the bottle in cool and dry place (Bottom). The Garbage Enzyme should be ready in 3 months from now. It is a good idea to open the cap every week after the first month to released trapped gas. In the mean time, I'll wait for 3 months so check out this space in that time to find out how my Garbage Enzyme turns out.

Energizer Night Race 2010

2010-04-04T23:38:00.013+08:00

Energizer night race 2010 was a great first marathon experience for me. The race was held just a week ago on the 27th March at Cyberjaya. I've entered the 10km category which is the shortest distance available for the event. Golly, this is my first time so I am a complete noob. The other categories were 21km and 42km, the full marathon.

The route of the 10km race is pretty straightforward (Bottom). It is a circle, so we began and ended at almost identical location. Along the route at approximately every 2.5km, a station for drinks and sponging is provided. A week before the race, I have collected my marathon T-shirt at Melia Hotel Kuala Lumpur in Jalan Imbi. The only size left was XL and 2XL, but fortunately for me, I'm a big-size dude.

Huey did not take part in the race but instead accompanied me to the event as a spectator. She took many pictures of the event that made this post possible so I am extremely thankful. We went together with Ee Wen, who has taken part in the race as well and two of her friends. We arrived at Cyberjaya between 6:30 to 7:00pm which gave us a good 2 hours to explore the place before the race started. By the time we were there, the full marathon runners have started their race. We parked at P1, one of the many designated parking areas provided and took a bus to the starting point. When we arrived at the drop-off point 10 minutes later, the first thing we did was to collect our head gears. Further from the starting point, the organizers have set-up a stage and stalls to entertain runners and non-runners alike for the event. We chilled out at this area while collecting freebies along the way. The mascot of the race Mr.Energizer (1st bottom). Huey kissed Ms. Energizer at one of the stalls (2nd bottom).

I moved to the starting point of the race as the time ticks closer to 830pm. This is the reporting time for the 10km race although the starting time of the race was 900pm. I met one of my buddies here, Gary. He is a seasoned marathon runner so there is much for me to learn from him (1st bottom). At exactly 830pm, the lights on the streets were turned off in conjunction with Earth hour. The streets were darker than usual but good thing for us, we could switch on our head gears (2nd bottom).

As the time wound down to the last 10minutes, the atmosphere was electrifying. Runners were boisterous and excited. I was trying to psyche myself by stretching and warming up my leg muscles. Then, I heard people were counting down numbers 7.....6..... yes, I told myself it is almost time ....5.....4.....3......I was getting really excited ....2......1 then the horn gave a loud wail "weeeeee" to signal the beginning of the race. Due to the shear size of the participants, 2000 of us, the starting point was like a bottle neck (Bottom).

The first 2.5km was a breeze for me. In fact, I was at the same pace as Gary up to this point before I decided to stop for water at the first station while he kept on running. From this point up till 5km, it was a routine jog for me because I have been training consistently up to this distance. I looked at my watch, the time shows 925pm so that means I was very much within the qualifying time. The qualifying time for 10km is 90 mins. Again, I stop at the 2nd station for drinks and only water was provided although I was expecting Gatarode.

From here onwards was a new experience for me (and my leg muscles) because I have not ran this far before. The tiredness started to sink in between here and 3rd station, which is located at 7.5km from the starting point. My legs were getting heavier and breathing was getting harder. However, there were 2 factors that were working for me at this stretch, first the landscape was mostly flat / downhill and second the temperature was falling so my body was not getting overheated. After what seems like an eternity, I could see the 3rd station from my sight and it was such a great relief. This time, they provided Gatorade. I took two big gulps and rested for a short 10s. Energy rushed back to my legs and a short relieved from the burning pain of my leg muscles. I looked at my watch again, the time shows 945. Since the race started, it was just over 45 minutes for 7.5km, clearly I'll be able to qualify.

In the mean time back at the starting point, Huey was enjoying the performances being shown at the stage at this moment including cheer-leading performance (Bottom).

From the 3rd station up till the last point, it was purely gritty determination that got me going. I was totally out of breath and my movements were sloppy because my muscles would not want to listen to my brain. Worse yet, the temperature have fallen so much that I felt chilly because I was not working my body hard enough. However, the distance markers were doing a good job of informing me the distance left to the finishing line. When I saw the last 1km, my heart jumped for joy and to reinforce that, I could hear the noises from the crowd. At the momentous last bend, I miraculously managed to give a final burst of energy to complete the final stretch. After crossing the finish line, I stop to pull myself together. I repeated to myself, "I finally did it".

At the very end, I got my finisher medal (Bottom) and the bag of goodies with a time of 65 minutes. My legs were aching like hell and it would last for a few days but the sense of achievement would last much longer than that, if not a lifetime. Ciaoz.

Day 01 Macau at Night and Dinner

2010-03-28T21:45:00.021+08:00

We had our dinner in a restaurant called Ali's Curry House. Despite the name, they are famous for their Macanese and Portugese cuisine. Nevertheless, their signature dish is still their curry. However, I was delighted that this restaurant is very much accepted as Macanese and a must-try in Macau. Therefore during dinner time, reservation is a must. On top of that, we made sure that we were there on time for our reservation because large crowds are common and we don't want our table going to someone else.
Ali's Curry House faces the Praca do Lago Sai Van (Sai Van Lake) in a quieter corner of the city and beyond that would be the sea.
Most of the dishes we had are recommended by my brother, who has of course worked in Macau for a good few years. One of the most interesting dish was the Bacalhau Fish Ball (马介休球）(1st bottom). This is a favourite portugese dish and it is actually salted cod fish. The most famous Ali's dish is the African Chicken (非洲鸡）which is braised chicken in curry gravy (2nd bottom). Though it is good, it is still a common dish for me since I've been eating curry since young. The texture and taste is more similar to the rendang style i.e. it has coconut milk it in.

Some other dishes we ordered includes Sliced potatoes with Bacalhal fish （署絲马介休）(1st bottom) which is shredded potatoes fried with Bacalhau fish in an egg batter and Western Fried Rice (西人炒饭）which has portugese sausages in it (2nd bottom). I enjoyed the fried rice alot because the oil from the Portugese sausages gave the rice a fragrant aroma. Since the sausages are red in colour, the fried rice has a tinged of red colour as well.

The last dish I tried was the cheese-baked brocolli (芝士焗署菜) (Bottom) which I found it to be very tasty but too rich.

After dinner, we took a stroll around Macau at night. The main idea was to allow the food to digest so we pretty much wander aimlessly. Along the way, I managed to snap a picture of Crown Casino, another big gun in the ever increasing competition of the gambling world in Macau (Bottom left). Not long after that, we came upon the very first established library in Macau (Bottom right). The exterior looks like a two tiered pagoda, although it is single story inside, in an area that appears no bigger than 600sf. At that time when we were there, the library is filled up with elderly reading newspapers.

Further from the library and by chance, we finally reached New Grand Lisboa (新葡京). Grand Lisboa is the Grand Papa of casinos here in Macau because it is the first ever casino open many decades ago by tycoon Stanley Ho. The new Grand Lisbao is located just across the road of the original casino. The original casino is much smaller, with lightings similar to a nightclub (1st bottom) but the New Grand Lisboa is whole different animal. Inside its lobby, historical artifacts that mesmerised me filled the whole length of the corridor, including one of China's most profound national treasure, the bronze head of a horse. The horse head is one of the 12 bronze heads that were part of the water clock fountain (海晏堂) in the Summer Palace (圓明園). They represent the 12 animals of the Chinese zodiac. The Summer Palace was looted by the British and French soldiers during the Opium war. A quick search on the web reviewed that the Chinese government only has 5 of the bronze heads while the rest are either still missing or in some other country's museum. However, rest assure that the Chinese government is doing everything they can to retrieve them so that they can be at their rightful place again. Nevertheless, just the horse bronze head alone was really an eye opener for me. Some of the "lesser" treasures on displayed includes a peacock with golden feathers (2nd bottom).

The sight of Grand Lisbao at night from our hotel room:-

After coming out from Grand Lisboa's *ahem* casino, we headed home as it was getting late. On the way back, once again we passed Senado Square. At night, the square has put on a different light - literally and it looks splendid.

Finally after a tiring day, we got back to the hotel, showered and slept. What an interesting first day it has been for me.

Likes: Food and exotic artifacts
Would be nice if.... the weather is a little less punishing in August since it is still pretty warm to walk around. December would have been perfect.

Link:
Day-01-Macau-Sofitel

Day 01 Macau Sofitel

2010-03-20T13:09:00.011+08:00

During our visit in Macau, we stayed in the uber swanky Sofitel hotel at Ponte 16. We took a bus (1st bottom) for free from the pier to the hotel. Buses like this are quite common in Macau and they ply routes between the pier, town central, Venetian resort etc. This could very much be a community service provided by the casinos operator for the locals (and tourists). When we arrived at the hotel, we were greeted by this humongous and beautiful chandelier at the right hand side of the lobby (2nd bottom).

At the left hand side of the lobby is a long corridor that leads to the reception and beyond that, the elevators to the rooms (1st bottom). Sofitel even go through the pain of decorating their walls. In this instance, intricate flower-like glass patterns embellished their walls in the lobby (2nd bottom).

Even their elevators are over-the-top. For example a line of lightings surrounds the entrance of the lift which flashes everytime the lift arrives and accompanied by not-so-subtle background music (Bottom left). The interior of the lift is decorated in gold and black checker combination (Bottom right).

The room, on the other hand, is nothing like the lift's design. While the lift invokes the 70s disco feel, the room that we stayed in is plush and comfortable. The walls are padded with light cushion and adorned with artistic painting in golden-trim frame (1st bottom). Adding another nice touch to the room is the bed throw and small cushions which are satin draped. The windows covered the ceiling down to floor and full width of the room (2nd bottom).

The toilet is just as luxurious. The shower and toilet bowl are separated in smaller cubicles on the left while the bath tub occupies the main area on the right. For the more romantic, the bath tub has shutters next to it that opens to the bedroom. Sofitel provides toiletries from L'occitane and that itself says alot (1st bottom). Our room is on the 20th floor, giving us a panoramic view of Macau, including the Ruins of St. Paul and New Grand Lisboa (2nd bottom).

By the time we got out of the hotel, it was already time for dinner. At night, the facade of Sofitel hotel is spectacular with a huge glittering ball hanging at its ceiling. Typical of Macau, there is a resident casino at the ground level of Sofitel.

Likes: Sofitel's room

Would be nice if...the hotel decorations is not farfetch

Link:

Day-01-Macau

We:Recycle; Recycle a phone, Adopt a tree

2010-03-17T01:00:00.002+08:00

I have read about this great idea by Nokia to recycle old mobile phones.

They have a catchy phrase for this campaign which is called We:recycle; Recycle a phone, Adopt a tree. All you need to do is just drop your old phone in one of their many kiosk (Bottom) and they will do all the dirty work of disposing it for you.

If that is not rewarding enough, you'll get to adopt a tree as well. The adopted tree will be planted in Indonesia and the location (latitude and longitude) will be given to you so that you can use Google Earth to monitor its growth. You can even dedicate this tree to any of your love ones or pets and watch it grows! How awesome is that? You can read more from Nokia's website http://www.nokia.com.my/nokia-care-kiosk but I've kindly summarized most of it below.

Recycle your phone in 5 easy steps.
Drop off any make and model phone, battery, or charger.

Step 1: Select "Recycling" on the screen.

____________________________________________________

Step 2: Slot in your MyKad or input your personal details.

_________________________________________________

Step 3: Collect the printed Barcode sticker and apply it onto your phone or accessory.
_____________________________________________________

Step 4: Place your item with barcode sticker into the Recycling slot.
___________________________________________________

Step 5: Collect the receipt and have a great day!
____________________________________________________
Adopt a tree with Nokia
NEWtrees, a joint-venture between WWF, Nokia and Equinox Publishing, aims to replant trees in the Sebangau National Forest in Central Kalimantan. This innovative replanting project provides a novel way for anyone to participate by tagging selected trees with their names and monitoring its growth through geotags (trees labelled with precise map co-ordinates).
How can you be a part of this?
Step 1: First of all, you need to install Google Earth. Click here to install this software.

Step 2: Save this file to your computer.

Step 3: Double-click the file to launch Google Earth.

Step 4: In Google Earth, expand the NokiaTakeBack folder, and rename a tree to claim it.

Now you can monitor your adopted tree real-time, anytime.

Day 01 Macau Heritage Sites

2010-03-14T23:30:00.018+08:00

My family took a trip to Macau - Hong Kong (HK) last year. Macau was a Portugese territory up until 1999 before being handed over to China as a Special Administrative Region (SAR). Macau shares many traits with Malacca, for example they are both portugese overseas territory at some point, they have deep ports and both are a shipping towns. Together with Goa in India, Cape Town in South Africa and Cape Verde in West Africa, they form a chain for ships from Portugal to China. Of course, this was before Suez Canal was built later.

We flew to Chep Lap Kok HK from KL LCCT on Airasia and took a ferry straight to Macau. Two ferry terminals are available for departure from HK to Macau, one is at the Tsim Sha Tsui and the other is at the airport. We took the latter since we're already there and it happens to be a shorter journey. Waiting for the ferry can be a pain, especially when we have just landed from a 4 hours flight - it can even turn a coloured photo pale (1st and 2nd Bottom).

After a good 1/2 hour wait, we finally boarded the ferry. There are actually many types of ferry available to take, a fact which I only noticed later during the trip. The ferry that we took was the super-jet series which is pricier (HK$250++) but more comfortable. The ferry looks sleek and is painted red / white - No, it is not Air Asia's new venture (1st Bottom) while the interior is cosy and comfortable (2nd Bottom).

After 45 minutes, the ferry arrives at Macau pier. The evidence of the wet weather is palpable as rain droplets dotted the window panel of the ferry when we're about to dock (1st bottom). While exiting the pier, I managed to take a shot of the exit sign (2nd bottom). Yup, no English. It is in Portugese "Saída" and Cantonese "出路" only!

We took a dedicated bus from the pier to the hotel for free. There are alot of buses that plies dedicated routes for free in Macau. Now the only catch is that these buses mostly go to Casinos. Nevertheless, you still can visit the surrounding areas of the casino which is what I have done.

We stayed at the the old quarters of Macau which is just a stone throw away from the famous Senado square. We are walking along the shop houses corridor towards Senado (1st bottom). Alas, we arrived at Senado Square and were greeted by a huge crowd (2nd bottom). According to my brother, before the explosion of casinos in Macao, the tourists used to be very few but things have changed now.

Senado square retains the European Piazza charm that you can get in Italy, Portugal, Spain etc. typically, a fountain in the middle of the square and pebbled roads.

One of the quaint alleys at the square (1st bottom) and a mini fountain next to it (2nd bottom). I found an even more miniature angel statue in it.

Our first meal in Macau is in a Char Chan Teng (茶餐廳) just off the main street (1st bottom). I ordered the famous Macau's pork chop bun (猪扒包) and milk tea (奶茶) and they did not disappoint me. After the meal, I went scooting for dessert and voila! I found what I was looking for. In my palm is another delicious find, fresh portugese egg tart (葡撻) from the oven costing Macau Patacas (MOP)5. The exchange rate of HK$ and MOP to ringgit is approximately 2:1.

Queing up for the egg tarts:-

From the square to Macau's most famous landmark, ruin of St. Paul's Cathedral is only few hundred meters away (1st bottom). Next to St. Paul is the Macau museum and Monte Fort. Going into the museum will set you back for a small fee but since it was pretty late and the museum will be closing soon, I decided to give it a pass and head towards the Monte Fort instead (2nd bottom).

Walking towards the ruin of St. Paul from Senado Square:-

After climbing a few escalators, I was out in the open again in Monte Fort. The fort is spacious and does not really have much to remind me that it was once used to defend against invaders except for the ubiquitous cannon (1st bottom). One of the most interesting find here is the dungeon like chamber (2nd bottom).

This chamber house many artifacts that were once used in Macau. Some of them include teapots, chinas, cannons and also opium boxes shown below (bottom). One can remember that China has wars against the British Empire two centuries ago that is known as the Opium war and the opium was the catalyst.

Once that was done, we made our move back to our hotel. Our hotel is located just 10 minutes away from Senado Square at a place known as Ponte 16 (十六蒲) (Bottom left and right).

Like: Free bus ride

Would be nice if ...the locals has a better grasp of English but I kinda like the uniqueness of this here as well

Quickie: Energizer Night Race

2010-03-03T21:38:00.009+08:00

My first posting of the year so Happy New Year! Happy Chinese New Year! Goodbye to the decade of Noughties that has brought us so many naughtiness like dotcom bubble, sub-prime crisis, SARS, H1N1 etc. Hello year of the tiger and let me hear you roar!

I'm in the midst of preparing myself for the Energizer night race. I've registered in the modest (yet Herculean task for me) 10km run.

The race is on 27th March. On a usual basis, I'll jog 2km around the neighbourhood. However lately, I've been pacing myself above 3km and tonight, managed a distance of 3.4 - 3.6km in less than 40 minutes. My target is to get above 5km the next week and 7km the following week.

I'm curious if I have the required discipline to do that.

Link:
Energizer Night Race 2010

Sam Po Tong, Ipoh

2009-12-31T16:40:00.020+08:00

"Ipoh has breathtaking views" - that was my conclusion at the end of the excursion. Take Sam Po Tong (三宝洞) for example (Left), I was there a few weeks back and was pleasantly surprised by the beautiful landscape. The temple is unique because it is build into a limestone cave.

At the entrance of the temple, I was greeted by a fine looking pond (Bottom Right).
The most astonishing thing is that the fishes growing in the pond are huge! The biggest one that I have spotted would be the Patin (巴田) fishy, that have easily grown to 1m, if not more. I dread to think what would happen if someone falls into the pond. The surrounding of the pond is decorated with potted bonsai plants and statuetes of pagodas/gods/godesses, giving it a strong oriental features.
I walked through the caves in the temple and at the end of it, it opens into a natural "courtyard" (Bottom Left). Inside the courtyard, the surrounding is so picturesque that it could have easily been mistaken for a setting in "Romance of the Three Kingdoms".

Statuetes are ubiquitious in Sam Po Tong. (Bottom), Julia posing with a smiling Buddha statue. Some carvings of the Buddha are more serious. Although description-less, I can tell the this carved rock of Buddha with palms facing downwards and upwards could easily be a relic (2nd Bottom).

Another attraction inside the "courtyard", would be the tortoises square. The tortoises feed on kangkong vegetables that are purchasable at the entrance of the temple. I purchased a bunch for RM2 so that I can let the tortoises indulged. I need to throw Kangkong towards the hot spot (Bottom). Two tortoises jostling for a bite at the kangkong leaves (2nd Bottom). Some of the tortoises are so big that they are easily older than me and I am pretty old hehe.

Luang Prabang Map and Omellette Snack

2009-12-15T22:10:00.011+08:00

So far I have been sharing my experiences in Luang Prabang without giving much descriptions of the location of those places. Therefore, I have tried to sketch out a rudiment map of Luang Prabang town to give a clearer picture (Bottom).
Click to enlarge.

On a late afternoon of our third day in Luang Prabang, we were looking for light snack to fill our stomach. We did not want something too heavy to avoid upsetting our dinner plans which will be soon. Walking down Sisavangvong Road, we first walked pass this small alley on our left hand-side. Two foreigners were sitted on a wooden stool and snacking on something that they seem to be enjoying. They have ordered an omellete from a makeshift stall. Undecided, we went further down the road to buy two cups of fruit shakes, pineapple and mango. On our way back, we passed through this stall again (Bottom). This time, Huey and I agreed that we should stop here for the omellete.

We sat down on the stool and ordered an omellete which only costs 4000 kips (USD0.50) (1st bottom). The lady chef started cooking our omellete in the most peculiar way. Not only was she seated throughout the cooking procedure but was in fact twisting her body sideways to cook (2nd bottom). Naturally, I was skeptical.

The omellete came not long after we ordered (Bottom). The omellete was served in a plate, a pair of chopsticks and bowl gravy. I was amazed how well cooked the omellete was. The appearance is near perfect with its golden yellow colour with a tinged of brown on its surface. The aroma wafting in the air was mouth-watering with the smell of a wok-fried egg minus the burnt smell, the evidence of a great chef. Now the gravy is not typical gravy that I have seen. Visually, the gravy is transparent brown liquid with crushed groundnuts in it. I had a taste of it and it tasted sweet. I missed the fish taste but Huey said that it was evident and she was spot on. When we did a web check on it later, we found that fish sauce was used as an ingredient.

Firstly, we poured the gravy over the omellete and flipped the top layer of egg open. Voila! This revealed a generous portion of morning glory (Kangkong) and bean sprouts in it (Bottom). I took a mouthful of egg and the fillings, umm yeah it was really delicious. The vegetables were still crunchy. We swiftly finished up the omellete and left the stall feeling very satisfied which left me wondering if we have this wonderful food back home.

Laos Day 05-06 In and Around Vientianne

2009-12-13T16:48:00.025+08:00

Patuxay Vientianne

The last three days of our trip were spent in Vientianne, although I did not consider the last day as a sightseeing day because our flight back to KL was early. When we arrived on Sunday, it was already late afternoon. Unlike Luang Prabang which is further north and closer to nature, the heat in Vientianne is suffocating. The very first thing we did was to check into the hotel. We stayed in Ramayana hotel @ LanXang Avenue, which is a fantastic hotel although initially we did have some hiccups because Airasia did not notify our booking to them. However, they were kind enough to let us check-in before sorting things out. Thumbs up to them there! Besides, not to be biased, the hotel is definitely one of the better hotels in Vientianne.

We were out of energy on the first day we arrived so we just decided to rest so that we can start afresh the second day.
Early next day, the very first place we visited was the Lao National Museum (Bottom Left). Since we did not have the opportunity to visit the whole country, we decided that the museum would be a great opportunity to get more information on the rest of the regions, including Plain of Jars and Champasak from the museum.

We also visited other interesting places in town like Ho Prakeo (Top Right) where the once reverred Emerald Buddha was located, the Lao national symbol Tat Luang Wat (Bottom) and National Palace (2nd Bottom). After speaking to the tuk-tuk driver, I had the impression that the Lao people feels that the emerald Buddha was taken away from them by the Thais.

Talat Sao Mall (Bottom) is a place where you can shop in town and so is Talat Sao, a huge market just adjacent to the mall. I was told that the owner of the mall is a Malaysian Company...hmm..interesting. We did our bargaining here, buying handicrafts, clothes, souvenirs and even wood carvings. Laos probably has one of the best wood materials in the world, think teak, so their handicrafts are a good buy.

I was feeling exhausted by the time we made our way back to the hotel (Bottom). I needed a long cold shower and a quick nap desperately. After resting and just before we left the hotel vicinity for dinner, we took pictures of Patuxay (Top), the Lao version of Arc De Triomphe, as it is just a stone throw away from the hotel. People are allow to climb up the Patuxay for the splendid view of the city but it closes early at 4pm. The cement for this structure was actually donated by USA to build a landing strip for the airport but it did not materialise. Although feeling tired, we had the best possible choice for our last dinner by ordering sukiyaki, a plate of roasted pork ala Lao style and cold Lao Beer besides Mekong River while watching the sun set (2nd Bottom).

Like they say, "All good things have to come to an end". On the final day of our trip, we boarded the plane back home. I can't wait to get back into my comfy bed at home. Ciaoz.

Link:

Laos-Day04-Tree-of-life-and-Watermelon-Temple

Laos Day 04 Tree of Life and Watermelon Temple

2009-11-05T23:47:00.022+08:00

What has a tree and a watermelon have in common in Luang Prabang?

They are both related to the two most important Wats in Luang Prabang. Wat Xie Thong (1st bottom) which is the grandest and Wat Visoun (2nd bottom) which is the oldest.

See map here.
Since Luang Prabang got its Unesco status due to its Wats, I definitely would not want to miss the two most signifcant Wats in town. I took my last few hours in Luang prabang to appreciate, in my personal view, some of the most intricate and splendid artwork you can possibly get.

Wat Xie Thong is famous for its 'Tree of Life'. Beautifully tiled mosaic are lined at the back wall to replicate a tree and other smaller features surrounding the tree replicates animals. The 'Tree of Life' was so captivating that I spent half an hour looking and taking pictures of the art. Hardly any rival of the same stature. The interior of Wat Xie Thong is just as amazing. The golden Buddha statue and the murals on the walls really stands out due to the usage of contrasting colours of black and gold. After satisfy with enjoying the serenity , I left the wat and head to my last destination in Luang Prabang.

Wat Visoun or directly translated as 'Watermelon Temple' was my last stop in Luang Prabang. This just my guess, but the Wat was probably named like this because it resembles a watermelon. Do you agree?

Somehow making Wat Visoun as the final destination felt correct because its on the way to the airport. Finally, we took the last few pictures of the temple and left.

Adios...
Like: Stunning architecture.

Link:
Laos-Day-03-Pak-Ou-Caves-French-Cuisine

Laos Day 03 Pak Ou Caves & French Cuisine Delights

2009-10-04T01:15:00.025+08:00

My next journey will be an interesting one. I'll be visiting a place where the infamous giant catfish calls it home. These giants are known to grow to a mammoth size of 2.5m in length, thus earning them the title of the biggest freshwater fish. Coincidentally, they also share this very same place with the world's biggest stingrays, with the heaviest recorded being close to 450kgs, that's equivalent to the weight of 5 adult men! If that is not enough, it is also a place where many other giants roam including the giant river carp and giant Siamese carp, each able to grow to a size of 1.5m and 2m long respectively.

Now, how's that for a portfolio? If you think this is still not good enough, then what about this...

The Thai, Lao and Khmer believe that the mythical creature, Naga Queen lives underneath this place in a magical kingdom. She is described as a half snake and half fish with immense appearance. It is not uncommon to see statues of 9 Nagas surrounding Buddha in a meditation post in the wats. So have you managed to guess which place I'm referring to? Yeap! if your guess is the magnificent Mekong River then you got it right there.

See map here.
For starters, I got myself in the queue to board the boat to Pak Ou caves as early as 830am. The caves are located 1.5 hrs boatride upstream of Mekong River. A crowd of strong 50-60 tourists were waiting eagerly at the station that morning. This actually got me thinking if the crowd size is typical every morning or particularly for this morning. Nevertheless, only 6 persons are allowed in a boat per trip and it is based on first come first serve basis.

Ta-daa. I managed to brave the mud and rickety wood planks to board the boat.

Some ol' school docking system used by the fishermen to secure their boats. No, no what you are looking here is not the boat that I used to get to Pak Ou.

Half way through the journey, the boat stopped at the rice wine village. The village itself is interesting but if you have seen one village in Indo-china, then you probably have seen it all. I took the opportunity to do the touristy thing - I tried the rice wine. It was alright. The taste is sweet and alcohol content is moderately high.

The boat is finally approaching the opening of Pak Ou caves. Pak Ou is divided to two caves, the lower and upper. The lower cave is the opening that can be seen from the river whereas the upper cave lies behind the hill. A short tracking is required to reach the upper cave and as the name suggest, upper cave is located at higher ground so expect steps - many steps.

The photos are taken inside the lower cave which is brighter. The main attraction of the caves is the old Buddha carvings of many shapes and sizes. I was awed by the sight of hundreds, if not thousands of carvings filling up every nooks and crannies of the cave.

The photo above is entrance of the upper cave. Torchlight would be thoroughly recommended here because it is very dark inside. Besides being dark, it is also damp and the combination really gave me the goosebumps. To make things worse, my torchlight can't seem to shine to the ends of the walls so basically I can't see what lurks at the corner. Burrrr. The upper caves would be the last place to visit before leaving. The ride back would be much quicker since we are going along the current of the river. By the time we reached town, it was already 230pm, a perfect time for a nap because I was dead tired.

That night we rewarded ourselves with dinner in a French restaurant after a day of hardwork. One of the best in town is the L'Elephant restaurant. Our first taste of the chef's food is the amuse bouche, a pastry with fillings and cheese toppings served on banana leaf (1st bottom). The next dish we had is Salade de Riz Frit à la Noix de Coco et au Porc en Salade or locally known as Nam tadieu. It is a great starter dish of mashed deep fried pork mince and peanuts served with fresh vegetables of mint leaves, rockets, spring onions, coriander and banana flower (2nd bottom).

For main course, Huey ordered the Estouffade de poisson du Mékong à la Moutarde à l’ancienne or Slow cooked Mekong fish with old-fashioned mustard (1st bottom) while I had the Braised pork chop with French Mustard (2nd bottom).

In the end, we both unanimously agreed that we enjoyed Nam tadieu the most. Nevertheless, I was not disappointed at all with L'Elepahant and would give maximum rating for it's food and close to maximum rating for its deco, service and price.

Likes: The cosy deco of L'Elephant.

Would be nice if ... if there are less Mozzies around

Link:

Laos-Day-02-Kuangsi-Waterfall-Lao-Cooking

Quickie: Cut Already?

2009-10-01T20:50:00.011+08:00

Cut Already!

Its been a long time since I have heard such a hilarious radio ad but P1 Wimax has done it very nicely.

Click on the link below and listen and you'll understand why...

I, too, have cut already hehe...

Laos Day 02 Kuangsi Waterfall & Lao Cooking Class

2009-09-13T23:37:00.014+08:00

Breakfast at hotel

We woke up late the next morning due to the tiredness from the activities we did the day before. Nevertheless, we helped ourselves to a hearty breakfast and my breakfast comprised of a baguette, scrambled eggs and hams (Left).

After breakfast, we explored the other parts of town that we have missed earlier. However by noon, we hired a tuk-tuk to bring us to another attraction that is Kuangsi Waterfall which is located 45mins away from town.

See map here.

Based on the reviews that I have gathered, the waterfall is beautiful with turquoise water flowing through layers of natural clay steps. My initial plan was first to visit the mini Zoo of Kuangsi that housed an Indochinese tiger and a few sunbears and then to take a dip in the cool refreshing pool. I was so looking forward to it that I have even brought extra clothes to change. Unfortunately things did not turn out as well as we have hoped because it was pouring heavily when we arrived ...darn. The swollen waterfall was practically roaring downstream when we arrived =). I was pretty disappointed for not being able to do any of the activities planned although that said, I still did enjoy the spontaneous experience.

While investigating the area, we found a river crab scurrying around the river bank. I've seen alot of sea crabs before but river crabs are quite new to me. My hunch is that she is probably taking a breather from the waterfall that is hammering her residence.

After the waterfall excursion, we went back to town to prepare for our next activity and that is Lao cooking class! There was alot at stake because our dinner depended on how well we gonna cook. The picture below shows some of the utensils that we have used during the class.

I was feeling a little proud to drab on the cooking class apron provided.

Yay, dinner is served. The cooking was not too difficult and we managed to churn out three dishes for dinner. We had the dishes together with sticky rice that has been prepared earlier. Authentically Lao. I would say that I am satisfied with the result only because I can't complaint on my own cooking.

Likes : The surrounding of Kuangsi waterfall and the air is so fresh and invigorating. The other thing would be preparing my own dinner.

Would be nice if ... there wasn't any downpour and I was able to dip in the turqoise water of Kuangsi.

Link:

Laos-Day-01-Sunset-Mt.Phousi and Dinner

Laos Day 01 Sunset at Mt. Phousi & Dinner at Night Market

2009-09-10T23:27:00.013+08:00

Luang Prabang is so "photogenic", I'm not even sure where to begin. One fine place to start would be its main attraction, Mt. Phousi. Located at the heart of the city, the peak gives a commanding view of the city and the picturesque surroundings including the Mekong River. However, scaling up the peak is no easy feat and it does not come cheap either at 20,000 kips a person. Nevertheless, the view is well worth it and sunsets will not get any better than up here.

See map here.

The Wat at the peak is one of the 33 (I think!) Wats around town. Situated at a perfect location, the Wat reflects the golden rays of the sun thus creating a majestic grandeur.

The sort of view that can be enjoyed at Mt. Phousi.

Already, the tourists have helped themselves on sought after seats for the best view of the sunset.

6.30pm would be good time to be up here in Mt. Phousi. This would give ample time to explore the Wat and to enjoy the view before securing a prime seat. Optionally, I would recommend having slow music while immersing yourself in the sea of gold.

Once the sun has set at the peak, another action is springing to live at the foot of the hill. I'm referring to the night market along the main street that is available daily. This market sells many things from jewelries, handicrafts to coffee beans and clothing. This is an excellent place to try out your bargaining skills too.

One thing not to be missed are the fruit shakes that are ubiquitous at the market because they are so cheap. It only costs 5000 kips (US 60cents) a cup. I was very ambitious below trying to take a mango shake and banana shake at the same time. I'm just joking, the banana shake belongs to Huey.

There is a variety of food to choose from the hawkers if you fancy including papaya salad, soo-moo (fermented pork), grilled fish / chicken on sticks and many more.

Likes : Nothing beats the market. It's not crowded and not hot.

Dislikes : I nearly exhausted myself with all the walking and climbing.

Link:
Laos-Day-01-Luang-Prabang-First-Meal

Laos Day 01 Luang Prabang & First Meal

2009-08-29T10:10:00.025+08:00

Luang Prabang (LP) is really beautiful and contradictory. The place is a collision of strict Buddhist lifestyle and chic French culture. Where else in the world would you get stalls selling baguettes in front of a Wat? (Wat = Indochinese temple)
Below is the view of the main street Sisavangvong Rd taken from the Luang Prabang Bakery and Guesthouse. Each building lined along this road has it's own character. Typically, their windows are tall with wooden panels and the tiles of the roof are meticulously laid to form layers after layers of protection for the house (Bottom).
See map here.

Inside the guesthouse, it is furnished with sturdy & dark red woods that add classiness to the interior deco (Bottom).

The shared verandah on the first floor of the guesthouse (Bottom). Lazy chairs and coffee tables are provided for chilling out and to observe the daily routine of people in LP. Perfect spot to write the travel log!

Our first meal in LP in this restaurant called "Garden..." or some sort. We were taken to backyard of the restaurant that has superb atmosphere (Bottom). Not too long after we have seated, it started to drizzle. The drizzle then turns to a shower. The sound created when the rain drums on the umbrella and splashes on the mini pool just besides us created a soothing symphony.

Usually on trips, the first meal would not be what you really expect but this time around, the choices turned out to be just fine. I have to take credit for bringing along the print-outs of the "must-try" local dishes in LP hehe. Clockwise from left: LP sausages (Deep fried fermented pork sausages), Or Lam (The best choice by far ordered by Huey), Lao green tea and love-shaped steam rice (courtesy of the friendly waiter).

Quaint alleys are ubiquitous all around the town (1st and 2nd bottom). Not only are the alleys clean and well manicured, they are safe too. The light shower just adds magic to the place.

The unpolluted environment and fertile earth is evident on the trees and flowers that dots LP. Fruits and flowers grow in abundant with vivid colours (Bottom).

Local kids enjoying a simple past time at the puddle of water after the rain (Bottom). Their "toy" is quite an engineering feat by just using sticks and straws to create a floating boat.

Likes : Quaint alleys, unique buildings, interesting food & fresh air.

Would be nice if ... there is electricity on our first day of arrival!

Link:

Laos-Day-01-Vattay-Airport

Laos Day 01 Vattay Airport

2009-08-27T20:58:00.019+08:00

Conveyor Belt in Vattay Airport

After close to 3 hours of flight time from KL on Airasia, I was so glad that I have touched down at Vattay airport, Laos. The first impression of the airport was good. The interior of the aiport looks clean and well kept.
After passing through the immigration counter, we are out at the waiting area. The immigration here is tight, as to be expected since this is a communist country . However, I do love the way they safeguard my luggages. The number of my boarding pass must match the number of my luggage tag before they allow me to leave. So no worries!

Just next to the international airport is the domestic airport. If I wasn't really looking for it, I'll definitely miss it. It looks like a warehouse more than anything else.

Earlier, we have already booked our tickets to Luang Prabang at the Lao-air website. Their tag line "You're safe to fly with us" raised my eye-brows. A real confidence booster I must say, what more could I ask for? The view from the plane during the flight was fantastic though.

Yippee, we have finally arrived at Luang Prabang airport 45 mins later. My fear was misplaced as the flight was excellent. The flight attendant was friendly and the journey was certainly safe.Just a random photo of the immigration counter. Right behind this, is the conveyor belt where at the time when this photo was taken, the arrivals have congregated to pick their luggages.A cab to the town would costs USD6. For the interested, USD1 = 8,500kips. Sa-bai-dee. We are finally in UNESCO heritage site of Luang Prabang, Laos.

Likes: The slow pace of life

Dislikes: Kerosene smell in the domestic airport check-in counter!

Malacca - UNESCO 1 Year Anniversary

2009-08-25T22:51:00.020+08:00

We are all familiar with the exterior designs of Malacca's heritage buildings, which are unique and beautiful. However, it can be such a joy as well to wander into the quiet alleys and inner areas of the courtyards to explore the more subtle art.

(Photos courtesy of Huey)

Quickie: "Danger Du Mort!"

2009-07-23T23:02:00.010+08:00

"Danger du Mort!"

I thought I just heard something.

"Danger du Mort!"

There, I heard it again.

Tilting my head downwards from the top of a flight of stairs, I saw a lady at the bottom pointing at my T-shirt and then she said it again "Danger du Mort!" in a heavy french accent.

I blushed. Here we are in Pak Ou caves in Luang Prabang, Laos soaking in the sights & sounds, a french lady is busy pointing at my shirt. I pulled the chest area of my shirt outwards to scrutinise the print. Yes, I remember vividly that it is printed as danger de mort. I nodded and smiled back politely, in a slight dismissing manner.

Then the lady asked,"Do you know francais..?". "Nope," I said.

Then she followed,"It means you're dangerous..grrr".

Oh Merci. What an awkward surprise to know this. I'm beginning to love this place even more now.

Journey Back from Lake Kenyir

2009-06-21T10:13:00.032+08:00

In this third and final write-up on the KB wedding trip, I would like to share our journey from Lake Kenyir to Kuala Lumpur. The route we took started from the coastal road of Terengganu through the East-West highway and onwards to the Karak highway and eventually home. A thick fog came to greet us on our last morning in Kenyir (Left).

Large billboard signs seem to be the norm in coastal roads (Bottom).

Alas, after more than 2 hours of driving, we're back in a town and in this case, Kuala Terengganu (KT), the capital of Terengganu state. We are approaching the entrance of Chinatown (Bottom).

We chanced upon a restaurant that whips up very interesting fruit juices. Name is the game for these cocktail juices and I can remember one being named "Green Green Grass by the River" which is happily taken from the title of a Taiwanese sob series. It has chinese parsley in it! Yikes, I'm ok eating parsley with chicken rice but to have it in a fruit juice cocktail? No siree. I ordered a mango cocktail instead.

A sample of cocktail juices available (1st and 2nd bottom)

After the short stop, we left KT. Not much later, we zoomed pass Kerteh. Kerteh is of course known as an Oil & Gas town due to it's oil refineries. I can't help but to request for some pictures of this town to be taken since it is my bread and butter. Even from this far, the photos managed to vividly capture the flaring of unwanted gas. Like it or not, this made Kerteh town much hotter compared to surrounding towns inlcuding the next one, Kemaman.

After approximately 45 minutes later, we hit Kemaman town. This would be the last town worthy of a stop before we moved on to the East-West highway. Before this, I only have scant knowledge of Kemaman. Nevertheless, Chn Hao introduced us to one of the best kopitiam in town, known as "Hai Peng" （海平）。

Being in a small town, Hai Peng managed to preserve most of the old charming deco (Bottom).

The food they served is very atypical from those you'll get in Kuala Lumpur. Some of the food we ordered include Chilli Tuna Bun and Cinammon milk drink and both are highly recommended. Yum yum our food has arrived (Bottom).

At last, our journey comes to end with the last stretch of driving that would take us to Kuala Lumpur and last for approximately 3 hours. Ciaoz.

Link:
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Lake Kenyir Resort and Spa

2009-06-14T21:51:00.039+08:00

The photos below are in chronological order of how I have enjoyed Lake Kenyir.
At the the lobby of Lake Kenyir Resort and Spa during dusk which provides a stunning view of Lake Kenyir.

The chandelier of the lobby. Traditional wooden architectures are used for the resort.
The view taken from the Chalet.

Boat trip in Lake Kenyir.

Fish pond at the lobby.

Infinity pool at the resort.
Chilling out with my friends at the pool playing something similar to water polo.

Other activities we did include taking a swim at the waterfall (1st bottom), visiting the Herb Island and had a cup of Tongkak Ali - yuck disgusting taste, playing table tennis (2nd bottom), darts and kayaking.

Another view of the two-tiered swimming pool of the resort.

Breath-taking view taken from the chalet of the resort.

Another view of the traditional design of the resort at night.

At the Ulik Mayang spa which provides traditional Malay massages.

Types of ointments on display.

Intricate wooden display at the spa.

The massage beds. Only two at a time.
The one-of-its-kind personnal sauna.

After a relaxing 3D2N in Lake Kenyir, it is time to part from this heavenly place.

Link:
Kelantan -Kota Bahru

Kota Bahru, Kelantan

2009-05-31T22:52:00.021+08:00

Back in November 2008, I attended my friend, Tiong's wedding in Kota Bahru (KB), Kelantan. Prior to this, I have only been in KB once so this would make it the second time that I have been to KB. However, this would mark the first time I have driven up to Kelantan and I must say, the furthest I have driven thus far!

My first visit to KB was short so I didn't have much time to explore. I only managed to see Khatijah Market (1st bottom), Yati's ayam percik - delicous and had air nyiur (coconut drink). The heat then was bordering unbearable so it slowed me down to go full steam ahead to explore. This time though, I have taken the opportunity to visit KB thoroughly. But first thing first, my priority is still on the wedding. Inside the bride and groom's room which is decorated in sea of red (2nd bottom).

We have a healthy bunch of bridesmaids (Chee Muis) and bestmen (Hengdais) helping out. In the morning, the Hengdais, which include me, have the task to "steal" the bride from Chee Muis who will provide a little resistance. Not to be taken in the literal sense, our job was to take on a few challenges on behalf of the groom as proof of his love. The venue for this challenge was in Renaissance hotel. The Chee Muis dress code was girlie pink (1st bottom) while the Hengdais are dressed in white shirt and black suit (2nd bottom).
After successfully stealing the bride, the yamcha session for the bride / groom family began. The wedding dinner was held at night in Renaissance hotel grand ballroom. The must have "Yam Seng" (toast) session at the dinner in Renaissance Hotel, KB (Bottom).

The dinner was a typical chinese wedding affair i.e. 8 courses and lots of alcohol consumption. During the the dinner, the Chee Muis and Hengdais accompanied the bride and groom to toast with each individual table. The reason is that we have to absorb all "ammos" intended for the newly-wed couple from being drunk. I think we did a pretty decent job that night.
When the dinner ended, we headed back to our rooms, tipsy and called it a day. We have to be in tip-top condition the next day because we'll be driving to Kenyir lake. Kenyir Lake is approximately two hours drive away from KB through snaking roads.
The next morning, we started late on the journey. On the way there, we met Chuo Ming's parents who were asking us to stop at a stall selling baulu and akok. Baulu and akok are malay desserts and distinctively Kelantan / Terengganu. I highly recommend these desserts, particularly akok, because it is very delicious especially when it is still piping hot. Besides, it is not easy to look for these delicacies in Klang Valley.

Tok Khamis stall

Akok is on the left, baulu is on the right.

More pictures of akok.

Coconut husks are used to cook and smoke the food, hence giving them a fragrant aroma.

We bought 3 big bags of akok and baulu, which eventually would last us for the next 3 days!

Likes: The rooms in Renaissance are superb. Plush pillows and larger-than-king-size bed. The location is to die for too, being on the same building as the wedding dinner.
Dislikes: It was raining for 3 days continuously.

Quickie: Swine Flu

2009-05-19T23:01:00.007+08:00

Swine Flu? What Swine Flu?

Looking at the photo below, you probably would not have guess that swine flu is a concern here.

hmm...I know I'm suppose to say something now...hmmm...Oh yeah! By the way, those people went all the way to Taiping to just rub their lottery tickets on the wild boar's back to get lucky.

Interesting? You betcha!

Bamiyan Buddhas

2009-05-17T11:09:00.019+08:00

Last week was Wesak day, a day to commerate the birth, enlightening and death of Lord Buddha. This year also happens to be the 8th year that the two Bamiyan Buddha statues were bombed and destroyed by Taleban in Afghanistan, due to fanaticism and intolerance. The monumental statues were carved out from a sandstone cliff in the beautifully stunning Bamiyan Valley and its still a shocker to see the huge voids that the statues once stood for more than 1500 years. Funny enough though, Bamiyan still has enough precious ruins to make it into the Unesco heritage list but now has losts its marvel without its most significant wonder. The valley is located along the silk route, drawings its heritage from the ancient west Asia and China.

The larger of the two statues was 55 meters high or approximately 12 stories high while the smaller one was 37 meters high or 8 stories. They have always been an awesome sight to behold before the destruction. The current Afghan government has proposed to restore the statues because they wanted to cash-in on the tourist revenues but it might just proved a little too late. Not everything that has been destroyed can be repaired, especially not historically steep heritage sites. Sri Lanka has offered to buy the rubbles of the statues to build a replica of it in their country so that the history will not be completely lost.
As for now, 2001 will be year the Bamiyan Buddha status ceased to exist after 1500 years of overlooking and protecting the people of Bamiyan Valley. The only chance for us to appreciate the statues will only be in photos and posters.
The photos below are extracted from http://www.npr.org/
Taleban on the offense against the defenceless statue (Top)After the destruction...(Top)
Location of Bamiyan in afghanistan (Top)
The rubbles from the statues (Top)

The Stunning View of The Bamiyan Valley with the void on far left and right (Top).

The Hype That is Garbage Enzyme

2009-05-03T10:04:00.017+08:00

Lately, there has been an increased of news regarding the miraculous usage of the Garbage Enzyme. Since reading it in the Star newspaper not too long ago, I have been trying to understand the science behind the forming of this enzyme.
The simple steps to prepare the garbaze enzyme is shown in the illustration below.

To put it in words, the initial steps required are to prepare a plastic bottle and fill it up according to this ratio: 10 parts water, 3 parts organic waste and 1 part brown sugar. Apparently, a plastic bottle is necessary as oppose to a glass bottle to allow the content to expand as gases will be formed during the fermentation process. I'll point out in the coming post why I dislike this. Besides this, fruits waste are preferred over the vege waste as the scent of the product will be more pleasant. Last but not least, the sugar is necessary food for the fermentation process and during the first month, it is recommended to open the cap intermittently to release some of the trapped gases. After 3 months, the garbage enzyme (fluid) would be ready and the residues (solid) in the bottle can then be used as fertilizers.
As a conclusion, I would say that I am neither in the anti-camp nor in the advocate-team, although I am definitely sceptical on many of its functions and effectiveness. Hence, I'll take the opportunity to try it hands on to understand the function of Grabage Enzyme in the coming post of "Garbage Enzyme Experiment" Hopefully in this, I'll be able to run thru some of chemical equations to better explain the process.

Quickie

2009-04-26T22:48:00.004+08:00

Tick Tock Tick Tock Tick Tock
Time is almost up to fill your income tax form.
Have you done yours yet?

Earth Hour 2009 and the Way Forward

2009-04-05T22:09:00.030+08:00

So how did you spend your Earth Hour? Did you contribute anything?

Click on the link for cities at different location in the world contibuting to this wonder cause during Earth Hour. Its captivating. Link to Earth Hour.

Yes, I know that Earth Hour is overrated and trust me, I've been told that many times for the past month now. However, I still believe that this is one of the best way to increase awareness. Awareness is the crux of preserving our environment and promoting sustainable developement.

If you have not done anything during this years Earth Hour yet, there is always chance the next year and many subsequent years.

Quickie: To Recess or not to Recess?

2008-10-01T10:58:00.012+08:00

With the failed $700bn bail-out plan in the US, we can expect the recession to hit some (many?) countries really fast and very soon. Economists define recession as two straight quarters of economic decline. A quarter here means 3 months. The US share market, Dow Jones plunged 770 points or 6.9% of its value on the 29th September, its biggest drop in a day ever recorded. Although since then it has rebounded slightly, somewhat. The ripple-to-tsunami effect of this can be felt elsewhere including the drop of oil prices below $100 per barrel and of course stock markets in many parts of the world. As they say, “When US sneezes, the world catches a cold.”
I really like this paragraph that was used to expressed the gravity of the situation of this failed plan and I quote, “So grave are the consequences of this decision, our correspondent says, that the speaker of the house paused for several long minutes after the vote was taken before declaring it official. The legislation has failed, the crisis has not gone away.” The speaker of the house mentioned above is Nancy Pelosi, the Democrats speaker.

Anyways two ‘western’ countries have already moved into recession mode now. One of them being Ireland and the other is New Zealand (not exactly to the west of us!). Further readings can be found here:- Both links are extracted from BBC News because I’m a regular there.
It doesn’t help either that the economic growths of many first world countries including the Eurozone and Japan only hovers around 0-2% range. To put it bluntly, they are barely breathing above the water. Just a mini shove would do the trick to tilt their economy over into recession.
I don’t think that the grass is much greener on our backyard. In fact we are also currently dealing with another big problem that is politics. With talks of transition of power going on, it’s hard for the economy to be strong. I just hope that we’ll not be whacked with a double Whammy!!!

Quickie: Macha VS Matcha

2008-06-12T18:43:00.010+08:00

“Hey Joe!”, “Hey Macha!!”Bet you have heard of these sentences many times in the mamak or an Indian restaurant or etc.
The word Macha is very ubiquitously used among us especially among Indians as it is coined from the Indian Language anyways…
However I realized how wonderful and handy this word can be to get you out of tight situations.
Imagine this:-
You were sitting down with your mates having a drink and all of a sudden someone appears from the corner and calls your name,
“Hey ________” <- fill in whatever your name is but for argument sake, let’s just say Andy. “Hey Andy!”You’ll be damned, it’s your old friend from secondary school and you can certainly recognize his face but when you tried to call back….
“Hey ……..”
Words just refuse to come out because you can’t remember his name.
This is the perfect time for you use the word Macha to safe yourself from embarrassment.
“Hey Macha! How’s life?” <- awesome isn’t it? Now you can proceed with the conversation without any guilt feeling. No no, no worries about his real name. You can always look for it later. Now that we have found ways to avoid embarrassments, this is actually not the Macha that I wanted to talk about in the first place;
The real Matcha that I really wanted to talk about is the green tea ice cream hehe.

One of my favourite food is the Green tea ice cream or just Matcha in Japanese and the best tasting one is none other than Häagen-Dazs brand.
Picture speaks a thousand words so here are some pictures of the tantalizing Matcha ice-cream.

Quickie: My Political Inclination

2008-04-19T17:24:00.014+08:00

ACCORDING TO YOUR ANSWERS,
The political group that agrees with you most is...

LIBERTARIAN
LIBERTARIANS support maximum liberty in both personal and
economic matters. They advocate a much smaller government; one that is limited to protecting individuals from coercion and violence. Libertarians tend to embrace individual responsibility, oppose government bureaucracy and taxes, promote private charity, tolerate diverse lifestyles, support the free market, and defend civil liberties. The RED DOT on the Chart shows where you fit on the political map.
(http://www.theadvocates.org/quiz.html)

The 3 most libertarian countries in the world in 2006 per State of World Liberty Organisation are Estonia, Ireland and Canada.

Chakana - The South American Connection

2008-03-23T22:07:00.025+08:00

Recently, I've received a souvenir from Mel who just came back from South America. The souvenir is a necklace with a Chakana symbol. Interestingly enough, I had very little idea what it is. However after a brief explanation, I had a better understanding now. Chakana or also known as an Inca Cross is an Andean symbol.

To digress a little, the Inca civilization begins in Cusco or our present day Peru between 13th-16th century. Unfortunately, the civilization was devastated when the European settlers started plundering them. The only remains left from the Inca civilization is the world famous Machu Pichu.
Back to the symbol, Chakana is a three stepped cross which represents the snake, puma and condor. Being almost godly, the Incas decided to construct something for these symbols / animals to show their large (in fact very large) respect for them.

If you look at the photo above closely, you should be able to spot the shape of a condor. This place is known as Nazca. By any chance that you're not convinced that this is really big, the photo is actually taken from an aerial view on a plane. Whilst all this is extremely intriguing, I can't help but to feel that I have seen this formation before when I was young. So I did a little digging and lo and behold, I found my clue. Hehe this snapshot was taken from Shining Force II, a game that I used to play on Sega Megadrive when I was much younger and what an enjoyable game it was. Who says you can't learn anything from playing games!!!? For those who still insist it is true I have three words for you.....

Hello!

Bugger Off!

By the way, that's a Llama - pronouns as ya-ma. Beware, they'll spit on you if you're not careful.

ClubMed Cherating 2007

2008-03-17T23:04:00.007+08:00

Club Med Cherating is located in Pahang bordering state of Terrengganu. Located at beachside, the resort is facing the beautiful South China Sea. It is about 3 1/2 hours drive away from KL city centre. This is the second consecutive year that my company has organised a company trip to Club Med Cherating. After one full year, we are back at the same resort except we are bigger contingent this time. It was definitely a fun-filled trip.

不想懂得歌词 Lyrics

2008-02-08T23:18:00.005+08:00

最近过年来，我天天都听988因为要吸收多点气氛吗！
反倒我就时时听到 Angela 张韶涵的新歌。。不想懂得。
听下听下都不错哦。所以我就借此机会翻译这个歌。
Gonna try to translate this song to English to see how far I have improved in my mandarin.

*Updated*
當世界　不知不覺的變了
dang shi jie bu zhi bu jue de bian le
When the world starts to change
有時后　我懷念以前的我
You shi hou wo huai nian yi qian de wo
Sometimes I missed my old self
作的夢雖然遠遠的
zuo de meng sui ran yuan yuan de
to make my dreams very far to achieve
想像是一種快樂
xiang xiang shi yi zhong kuai le
to wish for it is already a kind of happiness
擁有了　同時也失去什麼
yong you le tong shi ye shi qu shen me
rushing for it but what could be the consequence
而眷戀　原來會帶來軟弱
er juan lian yuan lai hui dai lai ruan ruo
Being sentimentally attached brings vulnerability
你讓我在霧里成熟
ni rang wo zai wu li cheng su
you allow me to grow
心開始曲折
xin kai shi qu zhe
my heart starts to get confused
我不想舍得　不想懂得
wo bu xiang she de bu xiang dong de
I don’t want to give up don’t want to know
是誰惹誰　言不由衷
Shi shui re shui yan bu you zhong
Who irritated the other, words did not express what's in the heart
說謊傷害　都是不安犯的錯
shuo huang shang hai dou shi bu an fan de cuo
Lies and hurt are wrongs committed by unsettled feelings
怕抱不緊什麼
pa bao bu jin shen me
afraid to embrace and not care about anything
我不想舍得　不想懂得
wo bu xiang she de bu xiang dong de
I don’t want to give up don’t want to know
誰說割愛　才更深刻
Shui shuo ge ai cai geng shen ke
Whoever who says to part will have a deeper effect
彼此依賴是愛不是負荷
Bi ci yi lai shi ai bu shi fu he
Depending on each other is love not a burden互相照顧就是幸福的
Hu xiang zhao gu jiu shi xing fu de
To take care of each other is happiness
當世界　不知不覺的變了
有時后　我懷念以前的我
作的夢雖然遠遠的
想像是一種快樂
擁有了　同時也失去什麼
而眷戀　原來會帶來軟弱
你讓我在霧里成熟
心開始曲折
我不想舍得　不想懂得
是誰惹誰　言不由衷
說謊傷害　都是不安犯的錯
怕抱不緊什麼
我不想舍得　不想懂得
誰說割愛　才更深刻
彼此依賴是愛不是負荷
{看上面啦，一样的。。}

能握著手就是感動的
neng wo zhe shou jiu shi gan dong de
able to hold hands is heart moving
我愿意一秒鐘放棄全宇宙
wo yuan yi yi miao zhong fang qi quan yu zhou
I’m willing to give up every second擠在只有我們緊靠的小星球
Ji zai zhi you wo men jin kao de xiao xing jiu
There’s only us to rely on the stars
我不想舍得　不想懂得
是誰惹誰　言不由衷
說謊傷害　都是不安犯的錯
怕抱不緊什麼
我多不舍得多不懂得
wo duo bu she de duo bu dong de
I don’t want to give up don’t want to know
誰說割愛　才更深刻
彼此依賴是愛不是負荷
能握著手就是感動的
(是誰惹誰　言不由衷)
說謊傷害　都是不安犯的錯
怕抱不緊什麼
我多不舍得多不懂得
誰說割愛　才更深刻
彼此依賴是愛不是負荷
能握著手就是感動的
{其它根上面还一样}

Quickie: Happy Chinese New Year!!

2008-02-03T22:19:00.004+08:00

This is my feeble attempt to contribute to the decorations in my house.

When I took this picture I was really busy and my hands were a little bit shaky, so in real life it should look a little bit better than this =).

Anyhow have a great new year ahead!!

新年快乐！！

Cambodia Siem Reap Le Grand Café

2008-01-24T17:18:00.017+08:00

The most interesting thing about the Indochinese countries of Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam is the three major influences in their country. The first stage happened many centuries ago. During this period, Kings and Queens ruled over the land, wars and slavery are common and many grand buildings were built. The most dominant empire that arose during this period is the Khmer empire which resulted in the construction of Angkor.

The presence of Khmer spanned as far as northern Thailand to the west and Laos to the north. Until today, many small (smaller only compared to Angkor) wats are found spread throughout the land and are often visited by tourists. These includes Preah Vihear in northern Cambodia (Bottom) and Champasak in Southern Laos which both are Unesco heritage sites.
(Picture borrowed from Google)

The next phase of influence came from the west. In Indochina, they were conquered by the French and fought in a war with the Americans. The final stage, which is still happening now is the liberalisation of the country and followed by strong economic growth. Hordes of tourists and companies are now going back to these countries, bringing much needed development.

I was pleasantly surprised when I first stepped into Siem Reap town and found many French colonial style buildings. It certainly gives an additional facet to the town. However, what I love the most about the town is fusion of food. Whether if its French fine dining or Khmer cuisines, the food is just terrific. One restaurant to look out for at night would be the Le Grande Café. Tuck quietly in a corner just off the main streets of Siem Reap, the restaurant has beautiful deco (1st bottom) and memorable food. I ordered the pork chop with French mustard which was delicious but the best thing of the night was the rum and raisin flavoured ice-cream which was magnifique! (2nd bottom)

Cambodia Siem Reap Pub Street

2008-01-24T10:00:00.018+08:00

Pub street is without doubt the most happening street in Siem Reap. As the name suggest, this is the street to get your booze and to party! In the afternoon, the street is relatively quiet (Left) but at night it springs to life.
Some of the restaurants name in Pub Street are really suggestive for instance Karma Sutra (1st bottom) while others are just plain silly like Angkor What?

We had dinner at one of the restaurant in Pub Street called Le Tigere de Papier or Paper Tiger. Like most restaurants here, this restaurant has two levels so we sat in the 1st floor. One of the favourite Cambodian cuisine is amok style cooking. This can be seen in the menu of the Paper Tiger Restaurant (1st bottom). I ordered the amok au poulet avec riz or amok chicken with rice which is a safe choice. There is also a choice for amok degustation with rice which we refused to order because we just do not know what is in the ingredients. Some of the bigger restaurants even offers cultural dancing if that is your liking. In fact, just right across our view is Temple restaurant which is having apsara dance performance (2nd bottom).

My night ended with the must-have Angkor Beer (Bottom) which is a good way to end the night.

Cambodia Siem Reap Old Market

2008-01-24T09:00:00.004+08:00

The old market is where you do most of the shopping and bargaining. The market sits on a triangular piece of land and surrounded by shop lots. You can find all sort of things to buy in the market.

The most prominent stalls are the souvenir stalls as they occupied the outer perimeter lots (1st and 2nd bottom). However, if you take a step inside, then you'll find a stretch of wet market stalls selling vegetables, chickens and fish. Watch your steps here as the path is muddy and wet especially if it just rained. Just around the corner are shops selling gold and silver accessories like earings, bangles etc. They are cheap although I cannot tell if they are legit.

If you're hungry, there are stalls selling food and drinks in the old market as well. Most common on the menu is fried rice and noodle and they usually costs you less than USD2 depending on the variety. The surrounding of the old market is interesting too. Some of the unique decorations that can be seen around the old market (Bottom). The infamous "Red Piano restaurant and guesthouse" is also within sight (2nd bottom). The Red Piano is of course the place where Angelina Jolie and her Tomb Raider crews stayed and dined. In fact, you can even order a cocktail named after the movie in the restaurant (3rd bottom) which is what I did.

The back alleys of the shop lots surrounding the old market (1st bottom). Don't you just love the quaintness and tidiness? Bars are abundant here in Siem Reap so no worries about getting your pine of beer after a hot day out at Angkor. I found one Irish bar just around the corner (2nd bottom).

For the less faint-hearted, not far behind me just across the bridge is the new market of Siem Reap (1st bottom). The new market is mostly for the locals so this is were you should go if you are interested to experience the real cambodian lifestyle. In this market, you can expect things like fried cockroaches purchasable as snacks. However, if you feel you had enough of exploring for the day and would like to go somewhereelse, don't fret because getting a tuk-tuk is just as easy as waving your hand (2nd bottom).

Cambodia Siem Reap Phnom Bakheng

2008-01-24T08:00:00.079+08:00

Behind us is the view of Phnom Bakheng (Left). Phnom Bakheng is the favourite place to watch sunset in Angkor. This is probably the first place most tourist will see in Angkor as well. The reason is because a day pass of USD25 (Year 2007) is valid from 5pm the day before and therefore to get your money's worth, watching sunset in Phnom Bakheng makes prefect sense.

The best time to watch sunset will be from 6pm till 7pm local time. Hordes of tourists will start congregating at the area from as early as 5pm. There are 3 ways to get to the summit of the structure (1st bottom), 1st by ridding an elephant - orange path, 2nd through the dangerous steep path which is probably sealed off - red path or 3rd by foot - green path. For those who opt for the 3rd option, a short walk of 10-15 minutes on the dirt path is required to get to the foot of the structure (2nd bottom).

After the short walk, you'll arrive at the foot of the structure. From here, another climb on the stairs will be required to get to the summit (1st bottom). When I arrived, many tourists were already making their way to the top. If crowds are not your liking then you can circle around to the sides and make your way to the top as well. The side stairs are less crowded because many people are just too excited to climb the very first stairs they see (2nd Bottom).

Yes, the steps are very steep and there will be many people struggling to get up the stairs so you have to be extra careful when making your way up there. Warnings are in-place as a soft reminder of the risk involved (Bottom).

A large contingent of tourists have already made their way to the summit (1st bottom). Take your time to look around and explore the area as it is very interesting (2nd bottom). At the back of Phnom Bakheng, tourists who took the elephant rides arrives (3rd bottom).

You'll probably enjoy exploring the area until you'll lose track of time. However, once the sunset begins, it will hit you and you'll be captivated by the beautiful golden hue (Bottom). Also in the view of the photo is a hot air ballon which is another great way to enjoy the scenes around Angkor. The strains of walking and climbing will all be forgotten.

Laos 老挝

2008-01-15T22:42:00.004+08:00

Happy New Year! Ah my wanderlust bug is back again!!
新年快乐！！我又很想要旅游啦！！
This time around I’m aiming to go Laos. Now is probably the best time to visit because not only Airasia has just started flying to Vientianne beginning from mid of 2007, but also I have to be quick before the country gets too touristy.
这次我要去Laos。现在是最好的时间出去那边玩，因为Airasia 刚刚开始飞到Vientianne。另外我要快过其它的旅客去，如果不抓紧机会，Laos会缓缓越贵。呵呵。

I can give a hundred more excuses to visit Laos but just to name one, Laos has two of all the 14 Unesco Heritage site (Cultural) located in South East Asia.
Besides Laos, Indonesia has three (Borobudur Temple, Prambanan Temple & Sangiran Site), Philipines has two (Baroque Churches & Town of Vigan), Thailand has three (City of Ayutthaya, Town of Sukhotai & Ban Chiang Site), Vietnam has three (Hue Monuments, Hoi An Town & My Son Sanctuary) and Cambodia (Angkor Wat). Yes you've probably noticed it as well, Malaysia has none of course!
我还有很多很多的借口给我自己的，其中一个理由是在东南亚的十四个Heritage site (Cultural) 有两个是在Laos 里面。我想翻译每一个字但是我尚未够班。算了吧，你可以读上面的英文字，哈哈。

The sites located in Laos are Town of Luang Prabang & Vat Phou in Champasak Cultural Landscape. The former will be the place I’m looking forward to visit for now. Sure, I believe that Luang Prabang will not be able to upstage Angkor’s stunning beauty and imposing monuments but I have the whole town as a heritage site!! And apparently, it's an extremely laid back country as well. What more could I ask for??

After doing some quick research, a short summary of the travel plan will be flying Airasia from KL to Vientiane before taking a bus from Vientiane to Luang Prabang. The distance between Vientiane to Luang Prabang is approximately 350km (roughly from KL to Penang) but it takes about 10 hours by bus -_-”.
目前我想飞Airasia，在KL开始到Vientiane然后搭巴士到Luang Prabang。虽然Vientiane 和 Luang Prabang 的距离有350km，需要差不多10个种头。。。

So I figure the route taken must be something like this…
我猜测它用的路程应该跟下面的线很似。
I’ve benefited a lot from reading other bloggers travel experience so I thought I might as well share my travel experience. Hopefully they might end up helping someone else in return.

Quickie: Favourite Local Drink

2007-12-10T22:51:00.003+08:00

Just came across this term from uncyclopedia.com which I find it quite hilarious.

Apparently our local favourite drink is a mixture of Horlicks, Milo, Coffee and Tea; also known as 'LickMyKoTeh'.

What do you think?

Lucky Charm

2007-12-02T23:17:00.008+08:00

This mini pendant is really special. Just how special is it? The white speck you see enclosed in the glass is a grain of rice. If you look closely, it has my name engrained on it!! (Bottom).

On the back surface of this same grain, it also carries a wish "工作顺利" or loosely translately to "smooth sailing with your job" (Bottom). Just the thing that I needed right now since I've just recently changed my job.

Although its small, I find it very meaningful, sweet and thoughtful.

Quickie: Imperial Rankings up again 2007!

2007-11-11T22:19:00.005+08:00

Well good news Imperial College chums! Our university went up the rankings again, at least according to the THE-QS survey.
We are now top 5 in the world!! Well done Imperial College and keep it going.

Another Chapter in Life

2007-10-25T22:27:00.001+08:00

Have you ever reached a threshold in life that making the next decision will be extremely difficult?
Well I have one now, and I made a decision that will be important to me but will surely dissappoint them. One thing for sure though, they will still be closed to me now more than they have ever been.
I just want to dedicate a short paragraph straight from my heart to them.
-If you happen to think I'm describing you then you're right!-

To him, for being like a brother and stood there endlessly,
To her, for being my hands and feet and organizing things restlessly,
To him, for guiding me with work since as far as I can see,
To her, for being the only one who shares the same dialect as me,
To him, for firing me up with animes and games since joining definitely,
To her, for making Japanese cuisine so magnifique!
To him, for accompanying me for lunch daily,
To her, for the same reason as above mainly,
To him, for being the most conspicuous in the company,
To her, for distributing my drawings busily,

And to everyone else that I have failed to mention miserably,
But yet does not mean that they are less significant to me….

I want to thank you all for being there for me.

专属天使 Lyrics

2007-09-26T22:54:00.004+08:00

Very meaningful lyrics translated into English

我不会怪你对我的伪装
wo bu hui guai ni dui wo de wei zhuang
I’ll never blame you for your disguising cause to me
天使在人间是该藏好翅膀
Tian shi zai ren jian shi gai cang hao chi bang
The angel must hide her wings on Earth人们愚蠢鲁莽而你纤细善良
Ren men yu chun lu mang er ni xian xi shan liang
Humans are stupid and careless but you are small and kind
怎能让你为了我被碰伤
Zen neng ran ni wei le wo bei peng shang
How can I let you get heard cause of me
小小的手掌厚厚的温暖
Xiao xiao de shou zhang hao hao de wen nuan
Small hand with great warmth
你总能平复我不安的夜晚
Ni zong neng peng fu wo bu an de ye wan
You can always sooth my restless nite
不敢想的梦想透过你的眼光
Bu gan xiang de meng xiang tou guo ni de yan guang
The unthinkable dreams through your eyes
我才看见它原来在前方
Wo cai kan jian ta yuan lai zai qian fang
I only realized its right in front of my eyes
没有谁能把你抢离我身旁
Mei you shui neng bao ni qiang li wo shen pang
Noone can snatch you from my side
你是我的专属天使
Ni shi wo de zhuan shi tian shi
You’re my angel
唯我能独占
Wei wo neng du zhan
Only belongs to me
没有谁能取代你在我心上
Mei you shui neng qu dai ni zai wo xin shang
Noone can replace you from my heart
拥有一个专属天使
Rong you yi ge zhuan shi tian shi
I’ve my angel already
我哪里还需要别的愿望
Wo na li hai xu you bie de yuan wang
I don’t need anymore other wishes
小小的手掌大大的力量
Xiao xiao de shou chang da da de li liang
Small hands yet with great strength
我一定也会像你一样飞翔
Wo yi ting ye hui xiang ni yi yang fei xiang
I’ll definitely fly like you
你想去的地方就是我的方向
Ni xiang qu de di fang jiu shi wo de fang shang
You destination is also mine
有我保护笑容尽管灿烂
you ni bao hu xiao rong jin guan can lan
you’ve my protection just carry on with your radiant smile
没有谁能把你抢离我身旁
Mei you shui neng bao ni qiang li wo shen pang
Noone can snatch you from my side
你是我的专属天使
Ni shi wo zhuan shi tian shi
You’re my angel
唯我能独占
Wei wo neng du zhan
Only belongs to me
没有谁能取代你在我心上
Mei you shui neng qu dai ni zai wo xin shang
Noone can replace you from my heart
拥有一个专属天使
Rong you yi ge zhuan shi tian shi
I’ve my angel already
我哪里还需要别的愿望
Wo na li hai xu you bi de yuan wang
I don’t need anymore other wishes
要不是你出现我一定还在沉睡
Yao bu shi ni chu jian wo yi ting hai zai chen shui
If not because of your existence I’ll still be asleep
绝望的以为生命只有黑夜
Jue wang de yi wei shen ming zhi you hei ye
Desperately thinking that my life is all darkness
没有谁能把你抢离我身旁
Mei you shui neng bao ni qiang li wo shen pang
Noone can snatch you from my side
你是我的专属天使
Ni shi wo de zhuan shi tian shi
You’re my angel
唯我能独占
Wei wo neng du zhan
Only belongs to me
没有谁能取代你在我心上
Mei you shui neng bao ni cou li wo shen pang
Noone can snatch you from my side
拥有一个专属天使
Rong you yi ge zhuan shi tian shi
I’ve my angel already
我哪里还需要别的愿望
Wo na li hai xu you bi de yuan wang
I don’t need anymore other wishes

Quickie: He's from Mars and She's from Venus

2007-09-25T21:28:00.005+08:00

I've read alot of jokes before but this one below really has class, so I thought I should share it, if you happen to have not read it yet.
Remember the book "Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus"? Well, here's a prime example offered by an English professor at an American University.

In-class Assignment for Wednesday "Today we will experiment with a new form called the tandem story."
"The process is simple. Each person will pair off with the person sitting to his or her immediate right. One of you will then write the first paragraph of a short story. The partner will read the first paragraph and then add another paragraph to the story. The first person will then add a third paragraph, and so on back and forth. Remember to re-read what has been written each time in order to keep the story coherent. There is to be absolutely NO talking and anything you wish to say must be written on the paper. The story is over when both agree a conclusion has been reached.
"The following was actually turned in by two of my English students:Rebecca - last name deleted, and Gary - last name deleted:"

STORY: (first paragraph by Rebecca)
At first, Laurie couldn't decide which kind of tea she wanted. The chamomile, which used to be her favorite for lazy evenings at home, now reminded her too much of Carl, who once said, in happier times, that he liked chamomile. But she felt she must now, at all costs, keep her mind off Carl. His possessiveness was suffocating, and if she thought about him too much her asthma started acting up again. So chamomile was out of the question.
-------------------------------------------------------
Meanwhile, Advance Sergeant Carl Harris, leader of the attack squadron now in orbit over Skylon 4, had more important things to think about than the neuroses of an air-headed asthmatic bimbo named Laurie with whom he had spent one sweaty night over a year ago. "A.S. Harris to Geostation 17," he said into his transgalactic communicator. "Polar orbit established. No sign of resistance so far..." But before he could sign off a bluish particle beam flashed out of nowhere and blasted a hole through his ship's cargo bay. The jolt from the direct hit sent him flying out of his seat and across the cockpit.
-------------------------------------------------------
He bumped his head and died almost immediately, but not before he felt one last pang of regret for psychically brutalizing the one woman who had ever had feelings for him. Soon afterwards, Earth stopped its pointless hostilities towards the peaceful farmers of Skylon 4. "Congress Passes Law Permanently Abolishing War and Space Travel," Laurie read in her newspaper one morning. The news simultaneously excited her and bored her. She stared out the window, dreaming of her youth - when the days had passed unhurriedly and carefree, with no newspapers to read, no television to distract her from her sense of innocent wonder at all the beautiful things around her. "Why must one lose one's innocence to become a woman?"she wondered wistfully.
-------------------------------------------------------
Little did she know, but she had less than 10 seconds to live. Thousands of miles above the city, the Anu'udrian mothership launched the first of its lithium fusion missiles. The dim-witted wimpy peaceniks who pushed the Unilateral Aerospace Disarmament Treaty through congress had left Earth a defenseless target for the hostile alien empires who were determined to destroy the human race. Within two hours after the passage of the treaty the Anu'udrian ships were on course for Earth, carrying enough firepower to pulverize the entire planet. With no one to stop them, they swiftly initiated their diabolical plan. The lithium fusion missile entered the atmosphere unimpeded. The President, in his top-secret mobile submarine headquarters on the ocean floor off the coast of Guam, felt the inconceivably massive explosion which vaporized poor, stupid, Laurie and 85 million other Americans. The President slammed his fist on the conference table. "We can't allow this! I'm going to veto that treaty! Let's blow 'em out of the sky!"
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This is absurd. I refuse to continue this mockery of literature. My writing partner is a violent, chauvinistic, semi-literate adolescent.
------------------------------------------------------
Yeah? Well, you're a self-centered tedious neurotic whose attempts at writing are the literary equivalent of Valium. "Oh shall I have camomile tea? Or shall I have some other sort of FUCKING TEA??? Oh no, I'm such a air headed bimbo who reads too many Mills &Boon novels."
-------------------------------------------------------
@sshole.
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B*tch.
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Wanker.
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Slut.
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Get f**ked.
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Eat shit.
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F**K YOU - YOU NEANDERTHAL!!!

The End

Footie!!

2007-08-21T09:34:00.006+08:00

Wow couldn’t believe I played futsal with my colleagues last weekend.
I haven’t played football for ages and definitely not good at it. Somehow I feel that I’m so slow ‘cos I can’t seem to catch up with the ball. However, I really did enjoy myself and am really looking forward for more sessions in the future.

My colleagues in action (Top)

Me warming up (Top)

Gwen Stefani: Live in KL

2007-08-20T22:30:00.008+08:00

Yippee....I'll be going to Gwen Stefani's Sweet Escape concert tommorow night. I have spent a small fortune on it so hopefully it'll be a blast.

Post-Concert Review

.....smashing

Ironically, I've bought her tickets less than a week before her concert. I was on the brink of giving up as purchasing the tickets through their hotline number proved futile.

Luckilyy Huey mentioned that I should check out the tickets in Rock Planet Cafe (Hard Rock & Planet Hollywood) since they are selling the tickets seperately.

The stars were shining very brightly on me that night as I managed to get tickets for the RM175 seats, smack right in the middle of stadium. Not a bad deal at all considering that it was close to selling out online.

Initially, there were so much pre-concert drama that it was almost unbelievable. *Hint* Protest by certain bodies for Gwen to cover up. To prove that this is a practical joke, most of the people turned up showing more skin than Baywatch. Well, ok exaggeration but come on even I was wearing less than a dolled up Gwen that day.

Fortunately the concert manage to proceed as scheduled. It is stated in the ticket that the show starts at 830 but 10 mins before the start, still less than half of the seats were filled. Sigh~~ Malaysia Boleh! People were still taking their on sweet time however by the time the show starts at 915 it was filled almost to the brim. All and all the show was slightly short, less than 2 hours but what the heck, I have no complains as Gwen had sang all her songs and very well at that indeed.

She bursts into the stage along with the Harajuku Girls singing Sweet Escape, followed by her other big hits including Rich Girl, 4am, Hollaback and Wind-it up. The climax of the show would definitely be Cool where she ran all the way to the back of the stadium climbed on to the retracted seats and shook hands with the RM260 audiences. The whole stadium were hysterical and Gwen just shrugged off her bodyguard when he tried to get her down again haha. Of course, I could only look at the 260s with envy.

No concert would be complete without the obligatory Encore! session and so we did and rather persistently I might add. She came back out sang more of her songs before finally wrapping it up with "What are you waiting for?" I knew that this will be last song because there were already people leaving the stadium in a rush. WTH! How'd these people know!!??

Anyhows since we, like the majority of the other concert-goers, left about the same time, we're stucked in a slow crawl out of the parking area. I've notice that were still alot of delighted audiences who were singing & humming to her songs. swt.

I wrapped up my night in Steven's corner since it is the closest mamak stall there. The only reason I got to do that was because I took leave the following day. (I borrowed a few photos from the blogger below. If you have the time, go read his review about the concert cos its more elaborate & interesting).
Outside the Putra Stadiun just before the concert begins (1st bottom) and the entrance to our seatings (2nd bottom)

View of the stage from our Seatings (1st bottom) and Gwen running to shake hands with fans at the back of the concert hall (2nd bottom)

Thinking back about the concert, never in my dreams that I thought I would go to Gwen's concert as the average audience and left her concert as a big fan.

The only thing I'm regretting now is that I have not bought the more expensive ticket so I can be more up-close to Gwen.

Quickie: Ghost Festival (鬼节)

2007-08-13T07:36:00.004+08:00

Suppose to join my friends for a camping trip towards the end of the month but I'll have to pass this time around. The reason is that the Ghost festival will be coming soon!

Every year when the Ghost Festival arrives, I'll have to miss something.

Last year I had to postpone my Siem Reap trip.

鬼节一到我就不可以到处玩! 原因是我的父母担心我的安全.
因为这样, 我宁愿不去 lor....真是不恨心让他们担心.
My parents will be extremely worried if I venture out this time of the year. I can't be that selfish rite?
Today marks the first day of the 7th month in the chinese calendar in a series of 30 days.

So how much do u really know about the Hungry Ghost Festival?

One thing for sure is that there'll be an overshare of ghost stories during this time.

Coincidentally, I too do have a few stories to share though none of them are first hand experience *phew*

Disclaimer: Dun blame me if you can't sleep tonight!!

1st story:

Picked this story up from the internet but is suprisingly chilling. Maybe because it just so close to being true.

It revolves around a famous advert in Hong Kong of 6 young children playing the choo-choo train. Its famous because many ppl saw something was amiss in the ad before it was quickly removed. When the directors reviewed the ad, they discovered that supposedly only 6 children should be playing the game but somehow there was an 'extra girl' at the back of the train-line who kept her head ducked around the 27s.

I've attached the clip below so that you can make your own judgement. Try to pay attention around the 20+ seconds till the end. Keep count on the children and take notice of the kids, perhaps you might see something that I don't.

2nd storyNow finally the pace starts to pick up. The next story came from my cousin.

He told me that he once rented an apartment. The rental for this apartment was unbeliveably cheap, but yet he rented it. After staying there for sometime, he noticed the neighbours started looking at him in a funny manner, some were even whispering behind his back. Finally one day he got hold of the guard and asked him for answers.

The guard told him: "Before you moved in, there lived a couple in the apartment. They were very loving, but one night the couple had a big argument, after that night the girl was never seen again. The guy vanished as well after having the apartment renovated." The neighbours noticed that the guy would always scrub the walls late at night, and so they suspected that the gal had been murdered by the guy and was buried inside the wall.

After hearing the story, he was terrified. Upon returning to his room, he searched the place thoroughly, finally he noticed and peculiar wet spot on the wall. It looked more and more like a human shape, and the position the shape was in appeared to be a person trying to struggle out of there. He had a dream in the middle of that night, he dreamt the couple were having a big argument, and in his rage, the guy strangled the gal to death, he later buried the corpse inside the wall.

He saw the gals eyes were bleeding terribly, struggling inside the wall and screaming: "Let me out! Let me out!!!!" He was so terrified that he awoke from his sleep, he couldn't stand it anymore and so he started drilling at the wall with a modified drill. He finally made a small hole in the wall, after which he saw a pair of eyes staring at him....... Oh my god, so it was true afterall...... Suddenly the pair of eyes turned into a mouth and started talking:

>> Hey neighbour, why are you making a hole in my wall!!? =)

Kakaka scared you didn't I? If u have any of your stories to share dun hesitate to comment.

我很fai leh？如果你有stories要分享，你都可以post ga...

Simple?

2007-08-12T20:57:00.000+08:00

Alrite the title is definitely misleading 'cos blogging is anything but simple.
The time taken to blog is one thing, but to have my grammar & spelling checked by someonelse? Ouch! feels like I'm back in school again.

But simple is me.

Anyways I'll be switching my language between english and 中文 as I'm trying to improve on my chinese.
Fed-up of being called a 'banana' all the time.

要blog 用中文更加不简单。我今时的中文比五岁小lou ko 更坏！haha。
所以我欢迎你 correct 我写过得东西。

I'll await for your kind replies.

Simply -簡單- Orion

Taiwan 2011 Food!

Quickie - Milestone

Farmville in Bentong, Pahang

White Water Rafting Gopeng

Day out in IKEA

Standard Chartered KL Marathon 2010

Krabi Thailand

Day 03 Macau Two Temples and a Chapel

Quickie: Sangria

Day 02 Macau Taipa Village and Dinner at Galo

Day 02 Dim Sum Breakfast and Venetian Resort

Quickie: Blackberry Bold 9700

Garbage Enzyme

Energizer Night Race 2010

Day 01 Macau at Night and Dinner

Day 01 Macau Sofitel

We:Recycle; Recycle a phone, Adopt a tree

Day 01 Macau Heritage Sites

Quickie: Energizer Night Race

Sam Po Tong, Ipoh

Luang Prabang Map and Omellette Snack

Laos Day 05-06 In and Around Vientianne

Laos Day 04 Tree of Life and Watermelon Temple

Laos Day 03 Pak Ou Caves & French Cuisine Delights

Quickie: Cut Already?

Laos Day 02 Kuangsi Waterfall & Lao Cooking Class

Laos Day 01 Sunset at Mt. Phousi & Dinner at Night Market

Laos Day 01 Luang Prabang & First Meal

Laos Day 01 Vattay Airport

Malacca - UNESCO 1 Year Anniversary

Quickie: "Danger Du Mort!"

Journey Back from Lake Kenyir

Lake Kenyir Resort and Spa

Kota Bahru, Kelantan

Quickie: Swine Flu

Bamiyan Buddhas

The Hype That is Garbage Enzyme

Quickie

Earth Hour 2009 and the Way Forward

Quickie: To Recess or not to Recess?

Quickie: Macha VS Matcha

Quickie: My Political Inclination

Chakana - The South American Connection

ClubMed Cherating 2007

不想懂得 歌词 Lyrics

Quickie: Happy Chinese New Year!!

Cambodia Siem Reap Le Grand Café

Cambodia Siem Reap Pub Street

Cambodia Siem Reap Old Market

Cambodia Siem Reap Phnom Bakheng

Laos 老挝

Quickie: Favourite Local Drink

Lucky Charm

Quickie: Imperial Rankings up again 2007!

Another Chapter in Life

专属天使 Lyrics

Quickie: He's from Mars and She's from Venus

Footie!!

Gwen Stefani: Live in KL

Quickie: Ghost Festival (鬼节)

Simple?

不想懂得歌词 Lyrics