Food , Glorious Food

Today I turn 24

2011-11-30T00:54:00.010+08:00

I remembered writing this meme a year ago and I realized how much I have changed since. As much as I wish to write this year's version as passionate as I did last year, I couldn't. Maybe because I have grown slightly older and well, slightly less emotional. But, here you go :

1. Was being 23 good for you?

I would say it has. I started being 23, securing a permanent position for a job that is paying me more than a decent pay when a lot of young graduates are struggling to get a job. Monetary wise, I was and still am very happy.

But being in the rat race has make me feel like I don't really care about petty things as much as I did last time. Maybe because I don't have time to sit, ponder and be sour over things.

2. What was your favorite moment when you were 23?

I think it was inviting my parents for my convocation. I remembered telling my friend while I was studying that on my convocation, I want to able to pay for my parents, from the transportation, lodging and everything. I wanted it to be like an invitation and I did just that. For me to be able to do that, was very fulfilling and I know at that point of time my parents, was very proud of me.

3. What was your least favorite moment of the year?

I'm the type that will always keep to my promises - the sole reason why I hardly make promises. I promised a friend that once I get a job I would fly to his place and visit him. So, on one very impulse weekend I flew to his place and flew back the next day. It should be a very romantic getaway - i mean it was, but that was also when I know, things are over and that we won't be seeing each other anymore, anytime soon.

4. What are your plans now that you are 24?

I'm looking into some investment and buying a hut for myself. *fingers crossed*

5. What date will remain etched in your memory?

November 11, 2011. I closed not only a chapter in my life but a book. and I'm very very proud of myself :)

6. What was your biggest achievement of the year?

I would say, walking up the stage in front of thousands receiving my scroll.

7. What was your biggest failure?

I've been working for almost a year now and I have yet to go for a real holiday. I promised myself a good beach break next year.

8. Did you suffer any illness or injury?

I remembered I fainted outside a restaurant in June. Other than that, recently I had a terrible allergic reaction to some alien insects and went to see the doctor four times a week. Non of those visits work, not even two jabs. I was then referred to a specialist in Gleanegles and hallelujuah, the amazing doctor give me magic medicine! :D

9. What was the best thing you bought?

My clark's leather loafers. I think that's the best RM 300 i spent on! And definitely my Titanium glassed Ray Ban. Since then I just wish everyday is sunny. Hahah.

10. Whose behaviour made you appalled and depressed?

Human. My job requires me to deal with people from all walk of life and being exposed to these makes me realize how status is just a word. These are the people that really, really give you shits.

11. Where did most of your money go?

I finally realize I'm quite a shopaholic after all. So a lot of my money goes to my shopping trips.

12. What did you get really really really excited about?

Every 25th of the month. That's pay day! :D

13. What songs will always remind you were 23 years old once?

Muse - Unintended

14. Compared to when you were 23, were you :

a) Fatter or thinner? Thinner! :D

b) Happier or sadder? Definitely, happier.

c) Richer or poorer? Richer. ^.^

15. What do you wish you’d done more of?
Patience, and to think more before uttering my thoughts.

16. What do you wish you’d done less of?
Putting a 'closed' sign in my heart. Haha

17. How will you be spending Christmas?

I have not have any plans in particular yet but we'll see how it goes. :)

18. Did you fall in love when you were 23?

I didn't. If you read my last year's version you know that I was head over heels in love with someone. The "deleting" process took much longer than I expected and for a very long time, I was not ready for a new relationship. While I really did move on, I was still very much clinging to the thought of "what if". I was not ready to let anyone in my heart, let alone love someone. But I woke up one day telling myself "enough is enough. cukuplah sampai di sini sahaja episod kita kali ini.". I would say I'm really happy at how things is going and all I wish is for the best.

19. How many one night stands?

I wish I could write like 100. hahhaha! but nah, no. :p

20. What was your favourite TV show?

Bachelor, Bachelorette and Bachelor Pad. And this Singapore soap opera - The inlaws. I remembered sacrificing my sleep just to finish watching the dvds.

21. Do you hate anyone now that you didn’t hate when you were 23?

Nah, I don't hate anyone last year, and I still don't this year.

22. What was/were the best books you read when you were 23?

What I wish I knew when I was 20.

23. What did you want and get?

iPad. Wish I got it much earlier! It's the awesome!

24. What did you want and not get?

Nothing. I pretty much bought everything I wanted. Yes, I know I'm blessed. :)

25. What was the best gift you received when you were 23?

A seiko watch. It's limited edition and there's only 2000 in this world. This is the 1087th.

26. What did you do on your 23rd Birthday?

Stuffing myself with lots and lots of pork. lol

27. What one thing would have made your year more satisfying?

I think it would be me doing the one day air tour on Cessna.

28. How would you describe your personal fashion concept when you were 23?

Pretty much the same. I really like the retro (or whatever you call it, I'm no fashionista.lol) so I have a number of those GAP and pull and bear's pants that I wear to work with a plain fitted shirt.

29. Who did you miss the most when you were 23?

For the longest time it was TL*, but now, it's someone else.

30. Did you treat somebody badly while you were 23?

I don't think I did. I hope I didn't. ;p

31. Did somebody treat you badly when you were 23?

I don't think so. I so nais one. Lol

32. A valuable life lesson you learned when you were 23.

Money can buy you happiness. It does not opens the door to happiness but it is the key to it.

Today I am 24. I look forward to many more good things that is in store for me this year.

Jalan Alor Bukit Bintang

2011-11-03T20:54:00.011+08:00

For many, Jalan Alor is just another tourist trap. For me on the otherside, this is a place that brought me plethora of good memories. I used to come here a lot when I was young for family holidays. My dad loved the place and still do! So coming back here (I know I am based in KL for almost a year now, but I spend most of my time working.) was a lot like walking back to a childhood story.The fact that we still order the same food makes the memory even more vivid.

This porridge here is from my father's favourite mee sua stall. They are famous for their pork mee sua and my dad worship this! They have it in the porridge version and taste as good! For RM5, this is worth every penny with the generous amount of pork and innards given.

Clams! How can you missed this when you're having street food? The clams was from the stall nearby but as much as I love clams, I didn't like that it was prepared too bloody for my liking. Chili sauce too lack the ooomph and spiciness.
.

Feeling rather guilty from the excessive order of greasy and cholesterol laden food we ordered a plate of sotong kangkung - just to fulfill the you know, vegetable quota. :p Not too bad, but not exactly something to shout about.

I thought the fried oyster was terrible. It was tasteless, the batter were not very cooked and the oysters were ...errm.. scarce. This costed RM 20 , definitely a killing price for a dish badly prepared. I remember it tasted really good, but back then I haven't been to Penang yet! Penang really does spoils your taste bud y'know? :)

and believe it or not, this place has the best fresh orange juice. It still taste the same after so many years! I never got to know what type of orange they use but I can assure you, not even a high class hotel could beat the taste! The moment I took the first sip I felt like I was deported 15 years back, where I was young and *cough*, very innocent. :P

My whole point of writing this is not really on Jalan Alor but how this place brought me memories and I miss my parents so much. Family holidays is something that is so hard to come by now. So if you had the privillege to work and still stays with your family, appreciate it. If you don't, make sure you call home. :)

TuneHotels.com Downtown Penang Review

2011-10-12T01:03:00.010+08:00

*If you're not interested in the long winded complaint, you might want to scroll down for disgusting pictures first and then, that might triggered your interest to read the whole post!

Just very recently, I stayed with TuneHotels in downtown Penang. I remember writing a very positive review for this hotel sometime back.

I love the hotel cause it provides me what I wanted when I travel - cleanliness and simplicity. I mean when we travel, we don't actually spent 24 hours in there. All we need was a place to lay our tired bodies after spending the whole day discovering a new culture.

So, last week was my convocation. Penang was a transit for us and knowing that we will only be in Penang for few hours for two stops, I booked the hotel. It wasn't exactly cheap but I like the hotel cause I stayed there multiple times.

For the first night I had accidentally booked the rooms for the wrong dates - it was supposed to be 2 rooms for the 2nd of October and 1 room for the 4th of October. Turns out I was booking all 3 rooms to be checked in on 4th of October.

The receptionist show no empathy or any courtesy at all but I was pretty cool with that - I mean, what do I expect? This is not a full service hotel.

However I just wish there was a slight flexibility - I made it clear to her " i don't mind the payment for the room being forfeited, can I just have the towels that I paid for that room on 4th of October, since I'm not taking the room after all." She gave no explanation but push me to dead end with a 'no.period' reply.

Of course, the main point for this post is not about me not given the towel that I paid. I returned two days later for another pit stop before I return to KL the next two days.

This time tho, was a horror of all. I arrived after a very tiring day of my convocation - I woke up at 3.30 am in the morning. Such an early morning and the day only ended 8.30 p.m - with no rest in between , when I arrive at 10.00 pm, needless to say I was exhausted.

I was given a room that made me feel like my car is a better place to sleep.

The toilet reeks of urine the moment I open the glass door , the toilet roll look like it has been re-rolled (if you get what I meant - you know, the fall off and the worker re-roll them) and the whole shower place was with yellow stain. I didn't take a picture of that cause I was really tired and the next day I just couldn't wait to check out!

And then after taking my bath, I also discovered one of the ugliest side. I don't mind the room not being maintained, scrapes of old paints - accepted. But the fact that the previous guest had spilled water and it leaves such an ugly stain and they didn't even bother to clean up just make me questioned the hygiene of the hotel. If they didn't care - one may wonder if they even wash the bed sheets!

My parents room on the other side had this leaking roof top - which we brush off the thought that it might be from the toilet above our room. This was like a night mare for all of us.

At that point of time, I seriously questioning why was I paying RM 180+ for Tune Hotels when that is exactly the same price Cititel - a prominent 3 star hotel in Penang is charging. Not to mention everything cost me more than RM 250 as I had another unoccupied room due to wrong booking. To begin with, I did not book the place cause it was cheap. I could afford a better place - heck I was bunking in a suite the night before! I book the place cause I like the hotel but these experience totally screw up everything.

I'm gonna be honest here. While I sound very frustrated since the beginning of this post - the only point why it triggers me to write this was the receptionist. I told the receptionist what happen to the room I was given, not only he did not respond to me, he did not even look at me! The quote 'talk to my hand' totally applies here.

Just typing this and just thinking back of the facial reaction of that receptionist make my blood boils! A quick check in tripadvisor.com shows that a guest experience the same of what I felt. Exact quote "Humanity is therefore kept neutral or none if you call it. Hopefully it can be improved - basic courtesy."

I tweeted, and the manager of TuneHotels.com called me two hours or so later. I didn't think the complaint ends from that call because that call was merely addressing my complaint, there was no solution nor an apology. I do not expect compensation of any sort but just by calling me to ask me 'what I have tweeted' is not the solution.

And, I am still waiting for the solution. My only conclusion for now is that the hotel is only good for stay when it's still new.I just recently stayed the one in Bintulu and it was beautiful cause it was still very new, but hell no will I be staying there another year later!

Donald and Lily Melaka

2011-08-27T02:17:00.006+08:00

wow, it's been a while since I last blogged and it's one luxury that I really, really miss.

Anyway, just last week I drove to Melaka with Huai Bin for a food trip!

The highlight of the trip for me was this place called Donald and Lily's. Huai Bin actually found the place while surfing for food while I was driving and wanted to go that night itself but it was a little late when we arrived. (Thinking back, I think we should have gone and try the ayam ponteh instead of the easily forgettable McQuek's satay celup).

I had a really good feeling the moment I enter the place. The whole place looks entirely like a home and it feels like dining at a friend's place. Whenever I enter a place that gives me this homey feeling, i'm almost 100% sure that a great spread of food is about to be served.

I wasn't wrong. The chendol we had was spectacular. I don't know if they had made the gula melaka themselves but it tasted like no other that Ive tasted. It was so good that Huai Bin had two bowls of it. Man, I wouldn't mind to pay RM 10 for this bowl of goodness if it's available in KL.

I don't think they have a specific menu though. The food options changes by days and the waiter would actually tell you what they have on that day. I love the hospitality though. The auntie who served us is really friendly.

I went for the mee siam. My mum made really good mee siam and she has set the bar so high that no where else could compare to the one she made. I didn't like that the sauce that came along was a little sweet. The fried beehoon too taste very mild. You can skip on this.

The curry laksa that Huai Bin had was nice though and he loved it. It was not too milky to the point that you'll feel "muak" just half way finishing that bowl of laksa but just thick enough to give the rich feeling.

I also ordered Tofu Rojak to share (but I ate most of it. Huai Bin doesn't eat much! T.T) . I don't actually eat tofu but since the lady recommended it and I wanted a side dish, I went for it. The rojak is a platter of fish cake, cucumber and pineapples served with rojak paste and homemade chili sauce. I don't know if it's a "Melaka thing" but the paste is really different, very distintive in taste a lot stronger on the prawn flavor. It goes really well with the fish cake. The only thing I didn't like about the rojak was the fact that the cucumber and pineapples is cubed.

I've always love how people Melaka (maybe cause I'm just a kampung girl at heart) is so laid back and you hardly see people rushing. Can't wait for my next trip to Melaka again sometime soon and yes, looking forward for that damn awesome chendol here again!

Life must be better than this

2011-07-09T23:35:00.006+08:00

Hi and Hello everyone. I hope there is still real human reading my blog. I'm sorry I no longer have time to devote myself to this blog, but I promise this is not good bye. I'm still trying to find time to start blogging again.

I'm feeling slightly a little emo today and ... I've been wanting to write this for the longest time.

Looking back at my personal photos, I realize now I look so haggered, tired and old. I mean I can be very bubbly, funny and cheerful at work but deep down inside of me I felt really empty.

True enough people would say when you work, you get to buy anything you want without having to ask money from anyone. I like this part of the freedom and having no commitment, I would say my pay has allowed me to shop happily.

But put aside all that luxurious lifestyle, (it's luxurious for me because before I started working I didn't spent so much on well, say for instance a piece of tshirt?) i pretty much felt like my life is meaningless.

I go to work, come back and sleep. This routine has been repeating for the past 6 months!

Can someone tell me how to make my life more ka-rer-ful?

Non Food

2011-06-17T23:31:00.007+08:00

Anecdote of the week :

- I fainted outside a restaurant after suffering from a bad gastric, and went for a shisha dinner. champion they say :P I told my friend to open the car door for me but before he could open, I fainted. The restaurant staff helped and massaged my head while my colleagues panicked (told by them when i sedarkan diri. lol) I woke up minutes later and first thing I asked was.. " what happen?" and my colleagues started to shout " Are you ok or not!! oi!! " It was a funny but very scary moment. Imagine if I passed out and never wake up. =s

- I cried for the third day now because my colleague resigned. I know it's lame, very lame - especially when I haven't cried for 8 months!! But it so happen that while I'm having one of the stress-est job that could really dry your brain juice up, I have a bunch of great friends. and by friends I meant genuine one. Not the kind who back stabs you and all the politics shit.

We go for trainings by batch for a month before we really started working hands on, all of us became very, very close. and this colleague who resigned is the one I'm the closest with. It felt like something is missing and for once I felt like I'm in an empty office. And I'm feeling this in a department (yes just one department!) that has 400 people ok! All of us actually cried (even the macho men!) when she left and this isn't something you usually see in office especially in a fast pace foreign organization! I'm still very much in an emo state btw. :(

Just let me end with something my colleague wrote on facebook :

"a stranger. it takes a stranger to make us realize that sometimes in real life you just cant change anything. no matter how hard you try. a stranger sometimes could make you feel so touched and lose control completely. a stranger that could make everything in the world feel less a bad place to live in. i guess a stranger can really bring colours in our life. a stranger."

My Firefly Experience

2011-06-01T21:24:00.008+08:00

Again and again, I've alwalys confessed how much I love plane rides and the aviation industry as a whole. Airports and plane rides thrills me and for me it's the best way of rejuvenating myself after working so hard. However that also meant that I tend to pamper myself and go for a full service airline. Don't get me wrong though, I have no problem on boarding a low cost airline or community airline, whichever way you may like to put it.

So just last week I was once again back to Kuching for a break and took Firefly for the first time. I won't say I bought it cheap tho. It was RM 198 inclusive of tax - without food and luggage check in. But again, regardless of how much I pay, a budget airline is a budget airline. I don't expect much from it. I'm not going to whine about the leg space or the fact that there's no inflight food served. (like how most people do - especially those who probably fly only once or twice and never boarded a full service airline before)

My parents took Firefly earlier this year and I did the check in for them and I was attended by two very rude staff. This time though, the ground staff were very polite and even willingly complied to my request of a seat exchange. I thought " wow, they have improved!" The flight was however delayed for almost an hour but it was a relieve for me cause I arrived the airport very late and I had wanted to get something from the airport.

The moment I entered the plane was when the bad experience started. I was welcome by cabin crews who looked very unfriendly, tired and errrr ... blur. I don't expect them to greet me with an ear to ear smile and guide me to my place or things like that, but all the cabin crews looked like they are untrained?

The major faux pas for me was when I reached my seat and have yet to even land on the seat, one cabin crew came to me and say - "Please tighten your seat belt." I gave her a dazed look and replied "what?" and even at this point I was not even seating! She then answered me like it was my first time boarding the plane - "You have to tighten your seat belt." It's ridiculous and pardon my words, stupid - because I have yet to even sit how the heck do I even tighten my seat belt!

When the crews have already armed the doors, I moved my luggage(just a small beg) up the seat next to me since I knew there wasn't gonna be anyone seating but one crew walked pass and said I couldn't put it on the chair. I thought ok, fine, I'll put it on the leg space of the seat and minutes later another cabin crew told me I have to put it "under" the seat. I was very irritated at that point, not only on the rules but the way I was told by the crew. I fly very often - and I do not have any crews from any airline telling me where to put my beg! No issues when I put my luggage on the seat either!

During the safety demonstration, I still thought they looked really blur and lacked the confidence a cabin crew should have.Thought the picture above could be an unlucky bad shot ? Let me show you another one below.

Seriously the facial expression from this particular crew totally amazed me. Speaking of the crews, Firefly really, really and must I emphasize again, REALLY need to train their crews on their language. Their English is bad, their Malay language is embarrassingly terrible.

Like any other budget airlines, they will start their inflight service once the seat belt sign is off. I was really tired since my flight was right after work and fell asleep minutes after take off. To my surprise, they actually woke me(and then every other sleeping customer) up to ask if I want to buy any food. Now, this is something I felt they should really improve on. I understand that they wanna make the utmost earnings from the inflight sales but you do not and NEVER wake a sleeping customer up just to ask if they would like to buy any inflight food!

I obliged anyway since I've already woken up and I was gonna write this review. Price wise it is almost similar to the other budget airline. I had tea (RM4) and Nasi Lemak(RM10). The tea was the 3 in 1 Lipton while the nasi lemak was nothing remarkable but edible. However as much as I have really high tolerance for spicy food, I felt like the nasi lemak is a tad too spicy for cabin temperature. I actually felt quite uncomfortable after that.

I think after this, I'm seriously gonna think twice or even thrice before flying with Firefly again. They gave me such a bad first experience that I have no plans to even want to put them as an option for flying domestic again.

Kuching, yet again!

2011-05-24T23:51:00.004+08:00

Wow, I always feel like time flies every time I blog. How did time passed? It's already almost the middle of the year!

The past one month I've been working extra hours just to earn slightly higher pay. Ok lah, not slightly but an amount that would made a difference. Haha. At some point I was working Monday to Sunday and then Monday again! For the past two days, I was actually working 12 hours a day.

I don't know what I was chasing but the feeling of making myself feel extra tired is quite addictive. It's hard to explain but it's like drugs. haha. I'm also glad to announce that my job is starting to blend in with my life that working everyday without a break feels like something normal to me. It has become a routine and every morning I wake up feeling like I need to go to work asap! It's a good sign right? haha.

Anyway, I'll be on a week break and I'm flying back to Kuching tomorrow after work! I'll have to really rush tho. My flight's at 8.45pm! Just pray that nothing goes wrong with the KLIA transit or the LRT. hehe.

Till then, much love from me.

p/s : any of my readers (i trust I still have a few :S ) is a member of the Original Bootcamp?

Double White Button Lamb Burger with Italian Rocket Salad

2011-05-10T22:30:00.011+08:00

I've been cooking quite a lot lately. Maybe cause work has settled in a little bit for me - can't deny that I still suck. lol. Complicated dishes are however very much restricted to only weekends. Not only because of time constraint, but they're quite expensive to cook =x

Ingredients are :

Darabif 4 x 100g Lamb Patties (RM9.98) and Heinz Mushroom Soup (RM 5.80)

Burger Roll (RM 2.20) and Heinz Sandwich Spread (RM 6.80).

Canola Spread *healthy mode* (RM4.60 fr six small tub)

Fresh white button mushrooms (RM 5.99)

This recipe is quite easy to prepare and it takes no more than 30 minutes since everything is literally "processed." First, pan fry the patties and once they're cook, put a slice of cheese over and let it melt on the patties and sandwich two patties together.

Put them aside and prepare the mushroom sauce. Heat up half the can of the mushroom soup together with the fresh sliced button mushrooms. Cook till they thicken up!

Then it's time to scoop them up and "spread" them on your patties. oh yeah, don't forget to toast your burger rolls with the canola oil!

In my effort to stay healthy, I've also added in the rocket salad. I got them pre-packed in a bowl with all the leaves and balsamic dressing. This thing are genius! All you need to do is tossed everything in the bowl and they even come with fork and spoon!

Serve the tossed salad with your burger. It's extremely filling and satisfying! Goes really well with a good pint of lager.

Can't wait for the weekends cause I've already got idea on what to cook! I've been having so much maggi, eggs and sausages. Food that makes me feel bimbotic. lol

Loves!

2011-04-29T00:18:00.003+08:00

Yay, after a much devastating, demotivating and all the tings last week, I'm flying back to my hometown for the weekends again!

Till then, take care for the long weekends and play safe :D

P/s : the picture above is one of the most beautiful sunset I witnessed on the plane. It's taken approximately 3000 ft above a beach. So pretty it touched my heart when I saw the sun set!

Bisou , Bangsar Village

2011-04-27T22:45:00.007+08:00

If someone were to ask me what is the worst days of 2011 thus far, I would give an instant answer. It was last week. I was going through an extremely hard time at work and it doesn't help that it was the last week before my pay is out. I was broke, demotivated and almost committed suicide. Heh, just kidding about the last one. :P

After much nicotine and alcohol infused to my body on weekdays, I decided that I'm gonna eat a high calorie lunch on Saturday to comfort myself and go back home to sleep.

Little did I know , instead of heading back home to continue sleeping, we en route to Bangsar Village. I wasn't very keen of going to be honest - I was too under dressed! Not that I'm always very well dressed, but I was in a worn out tee and it's Bangsar!

We were supposed to just go and get some pens in Cziplee but unfortunately it rained heavily so our supposedly 'banana leaf rice lunch' became a coffee afternoon. We chose Bisou solely because the Red Velvet cake looks very tempting. For the uninformed, Red Velvet cake is actually beet root chocolate cake sandwiched with cream cheese. It was quite dry and a little tasteless for me. RV cake in general are quite tasteless, I had the one in Delicious and it tasted as tasteless too.

Most would have known Bisou for their cupcakes but as jakun as this may sound, I never tried them before. Yes, you can go ahead and laugh but I don't see the relevance of paying RM 5 for a cupcake with fancy icing. I am not a fan of cupcakes so I find them tasting nothing above alright, but you're definitely going to get a sugar rush from the icing.

Moving on to the beverages side, I was very pleased with my cup of flat white. The coffee were very aromatic and what I really appreciate is that the coffee is served hot. Something most local cafe fail at.

The ice cappucino too was very good. I don't usually order cappucino but if I do visit the place again, this is definitely going to be my drink of choice. It was intense, thick and just very very comforting. Priced at RM 10++, this is definitely worth every penny! :D

We finished our drinks and but guess what, we didn't go back home! We went to The Curve and I did chakra reading for the first time. Haha, not that I actually believe in crystals and stones, but it was free so why not? :P

oh, the best part about confessing that you're broke? everything is paid for ;p

*all pictures taken with BB, hence the quality ;p

Sundays

2011-04-24T22:31:00.009+08:00

Ah, looking at my blog I feel so sad that there's hardly much updates from my side. I still do check my blog everyday though and I have like a gazillion pending posts. It's just that I can't find the inspiration to blog especially after a stressful brain crunching day at work.

On a happier note, my article was on The Star last week! It's posted under a pseunodym tho' and cause it's related to my work nature, I don't think it's safe for me to mention which article is it. But still really nice to have your article published on the local papers.

Anyway, in case you're wondering, I still do cook! Just not as often as I did last time, and my dishes are a lot simpler. Today I cook Spicy Seafood Belachan fried rice that tasted fucking A! :D

And the accompanying dish is Black Pepper Chicken with Potatoes. ;) I used to find cooking very therapeutic but of late, I avoid cooking if possible. Yes, it's weird bt all I wanna do on Sundays is stay in bed (preferably with a partner. oops.. what I did I just said again? No, no I didn't say anything ;p but partner can be a cat right? :D )

Oh, and have you all been dilliegently eating durian? hahaha. I love durian and I've been eating durian every night! Sinful yeah, I know but whatheheck. :p

On an unrelated note, whose with me when I say the new Starbucks logo is fugly? It's like some weird voodoo mermaid? and without the word Starbucks is just plain weird. Personal view - not meant to offend anyone. Please don't sue me. :P

Anyway, it's the end of another beautiful weekend again. Till then, have a good week ahead beautiful people :D

Retail Theraphy

2011-04-10T17:14:00.003+08:00

I'm gonna be honest with all of you, I still really suck at my job. So many days, I come home feeling so depressed about what has gone wrong, why am I making mistakes or am I stupid. I remembered the first two weeks on the job after one month of training, I was so frustrated, I was drinking every.single.night. It's a lot better now. Emotionally of course. But there's still so much for me to learn to make things right.

In the midst of the stress-ness, I found a new passion. Shopping, that is! :D Above are paper begs I collected in less than a month! That is on top of some outlets that don't provide paper begs. In a way shopping is healthy. You see, food makes you happy but fat and broke. The after math of shopping is just broke! :D

This is just a filler post. I'm feeling exceptionally headache on a Sunday evening and my head is spinning... and spinning. :'(

Simply Chicken Rice

2011-04-06T22:36:00.011+08:00

Pardon me, but I'm gonna start with this - I'm super, super stress with work. I've been working 12 hours a day, sometimes more and seriously it's ripping my brain off! I really do enjoy the challenge. So much, that at some point I feel like I'm obsessed with my job. I come back at 10 pm, and at 1 am, I feel like going back to work. I don't know if it's a good or bad thing. I know it's totally unrelated but I just feel like ranting it out!

This post is by inspiration from Huai Bin writing about the last meal for death row inmates and what would be our preference. His first choice was chicken rice and yes, that would be my choice too! Not first on the list though, but second!

I love chicken rice! Simply Chicken Rice was discovered by chance when I was done doing my furniture shopping in IKEA. It's just beside the car park and you're definitely going to pass it when you're paying your ticket at the auto pay machine. Seriously the aroma is so good that when it goes through my nostril for the first time, I told myself I just have to try it! And then I fell in love with it.

I love steamed chicken and the one they have here is perfect! The silky skin that blends with the sesame oil and soy sauce is just orgasmic!The chicken is a burst of all the flavors steamed chicken should have. It's also tender, moist and ah, everything good! The roasted chicken too taste as good as the steamed one but I prefer the steamed chicken for the silky texture of the skin and meat. Something roasted chicken lack of.

The real parameter to gauge a good chicken rice however lies on the rice. If there's a grade to give for the rice, I'll give it an A1 ! In fact it is the main reason why I am waxing lyrical and singing praises for the chicken rice here. As guilty as this may sound, the rice must not only be fragrant - it MUST be oily. It's not exactly a statement approved by health connoisseurs but what the heck, I don't go for the concept of eating something you don't like. Eat anything you want, but in moderation! :D

The next criteria is the garlic chili. The one here is very spicy and being a fan of anything spicy I appreciate the fact that I can freely take the chili as much as I want. I usually have like 5 "plates" of this! Seriously, my tolerance for chili is something a lot of people find very amusing. Especially when I'm a Chinese. Haha.

The soup they have here is not something unusual or different. It tasted like any other place but I have to say sometimes the soup is not that good though. Since it's made from the chicken stock of the steamed chicken, I find that at times the 'chicken smell' is a tad too strong. There are also times where the soup is not served as hot as it should be. But ah, this is just a minor hiccup.

If you haven't tried this chicken rice, you really have to! Trust me and trust my taste! :D

But you know what's the saddest thing about chicken rice? It's rice. Something I refrain myself from eating. I only take rice on rare occasions, most probably three times a month. So even when I'm savoring the orgasmic chicken rice, I only allow myself to take half. Blame on my metabolism rate T.T

This post is dedicated to Huai Bin! Happy 30th Birthday! I've said this many, many times but your confidence to pursue your dream job inspires me. I believe you're working half way to it and I wish you all the best in everything! Don't forget me when you're famous ok? hehe.

hahah shall put a classic pic of HB. Sorry ladies, he's taken. hahaha!!

p/s : I'm writing this under the influence of alcohol and high nicotine. Who says they damage your brain? tee hee.

Happy

2011-03-25T00:05:00.004+08:00

I am going back to Kuching later! omgee :DD

I'll be heading straight to the airport after work! So excited. I just packed!

I'm hoping the workload I have is lesser tomorrow so me and my friend can go off to KLIA earlier and take the bus instead of the train. Cheaper by RM 20 :P

Will only be back for the weekends tho' but well, should be enough to rejuvenate. I miss Kuching so much.

p/s : Don't remind me that I'm working on Monday. bleks.

Loves. :D

Cafe Barbera, Main Terminal Building KLIA

2011-03-20T20:38:00.010+08:00

Airports has always been one of my favourite place in the world and I jump at any chance to be in the airport for the longest time possible. Everyone find it weird but airport gave me this soothing feeling that I find no words to explain.

Cafe Barbera is one of the newest establishment in KLIA taking over the previous Cafe Marche. I'm pretty sure I wrote on Cafe Marche before but I just couldn't find the link. Nevermind on that, we'll just talk about Cafe Barbera for now. I love the settings! It gives me this "leaving on a jetplane" feeling. :p

Cafe Barbera is less known for Malaysians but what we didn't know is that it has a history dating way back in 1870. That's 99 years before Starbucks is founded! Like how most brands started, the founder who hails from Messina, Italy roasted the beans in a small roaster and grew from there. Just looking at the year they were established makes me give them leaps of hopes even before I took my first sip.

The outlet in Bangsar have a longer list of menu but the one in airport is limited to light food and drinks. I find the snacks and sandwiches to be nothing above edible so I'm gonna start with the food first.

The Chicken Focaccia (RM12.90) is a tad too dry for my liking but i thought it was reasonably priced, considering the portion and the fact that this place is located in the airport. I gotta say the foccacia - the bread was very good tho, they just need to work a little on what's between it. :)

Beef Pie (RM10.90) was too dry as well that the beef fillings came crumbly and eating it can make a little mess - something I really don't favour. The taste of the fillings was not too bad, just having it more moist would make the whole eating affair a much more memorable one.

Banana Danish (RM8.90) was the best in the lot. However this pastry needs not much culinary skills to be prepared. It's basically just puff pastry and cooked caramelized banana.

The coffee drinks was disappointingly mediocre. It falls far from the bar I set. While it is noticeable that the beans were of a good quality, I didn't think the end result taste as good as how it smell.

Cappucino Freppe (RM9.90) is definitely one of the worst coffee based drink I've ever had. It was so thick that I felt like I was drinking coffee flavored egg white. Lol. I had to ask for ice to water down the thickness. Seriously, they could just give me spoon to scoop out the coffee instead of a straw.

The Espresso Machiatto (RM7.90) was quite good though. It was quite intense, almost similar to the espresso shots I make every morning before I go to work. The milk froth was also made perfectly.

Cappucino Shakerato (RM 10.90) is the best amongst all the drinks. The bitterly sweet dark chocolate blends really well with the coffee. It was strong yet at the same time sweet - but not overly sweet. I'm going to order this if I do go there again.

The Cappucino Italiano (RM8.90) was well, just ok. It's a very straight forward coffee drink. If you're one who wants nothing more but a cup of coffee, this is the drink for you.

I won't say I totally banned them from my food list because the chances of me visiting them is very high. Coffee joints in KLIA is quite limited and they're one of the good ones if you were to compare them with the rest of the places.

If you really enjoy airports and hotels like I do - as well as a little extra time to spare, try taking the buggy ride for a visit to the Pan Pacific KLIA. They won the Global Luxury Award last year and boy, were their service awesome. For a moment I felt like I was some Datin. The hotel's really pretty too! :D

Have a good week ahead everyone! Can't wait for the weekends again! =X

Warung Santai, Tesco Ampang

2011-03-13T22:21:00.010+08:00

Warung Santai is by no where close to any luxury restaurants but it is a place I frequent a lot for dinners. Of course, that was when I was still under my one month training. Now that i'm officially working, I can't remember when was the last time I actually had my dinner during a weekday.

Warung Santai serve normal Malay food. The kind of "masakan panas" stalls food that you can find anywhere in Klang Valley. The taste of the food tho' is a notch higher and since it's inside Tesco, it's air conditioned.

One of the dish that I order every single visit is their Tom Yam campur. I'm very particular about how Tom Yam should taste and if I sense it's straight from the bottled paste you get in hypermarkets, I won't eat anymore. The one here taste nothing like that and I like how the level of spicyness and sourness tally.

Call us weird, but telur dadar is one of the things we order in every visit. It's not that the omelets are different from any other place, it's just that these are the "normal food" to go with rice. I don't take them tho' cause omelets prepared any other place other than the back of my kitchen are usually drenched in oil. Not trying to be bimbo but just imagining the oil going through my esophagus always makes me giddy. Lol.

On days where we finish work slightly earlier - by that I meant 8pm, we usually go for "full monte" dinner. That's when we order dishes we don't normally order like the udang masak petai. It's surprisingly good and I'm extremely fussy when it comes to seafood. Their prawns are not fresh water prawns and that's a huge plus! The petai is also prepared well that it does not give that unpleasant after taste.

If you're into food from the family of Nemo, their Ikan Masak Pedas is worth trying too. There's a variety of fishes to choose from but remembering the names of fishes is something i'm still working on. hahaha. Heck, I can't even remember the name of the fish we chose. lol. The only complaint on the fish is that it is over fried, otherwise it's really not bad.

The only dish I don't recommend ordering is the Kerabu Mangga. But that's only because I didn't like the way it is prepared. I like kerabu to be prepared the Thai way, and the one they have here is the local way of preparing it. I find it a little tasteless and I don't like the fried anchovies. :P

Of course, never forget about your obligation to vegetables. lol. I usually go for Kai Lan Ikan Masin. It's well, errr, edible? Sorry, going on and on about vegetables is not my forte. Lol.

Moving on to the beverages. I usually go for teh o kosong but on days where I feel like going out the norm, I would go for their ais kacang. Not trying to be bias, but I personally prefer ais kacang prepared by Chinese. However the one they have here is worth trying and for less than RM 4, it's worth every penny.

They also have this special in-house drink that is served in an interesting sight. I cant remember the exact name for this drink but it's pictured in the menu so you would know which to order if you do dine there. It's a concoction of sprite, lime and cherry jellies Very refreshing.

Or if you really want the whole Malay food affair, pair your meals with air bandung. Not something I would drink everyday but hey, having something sweet once in a while won't hurt right? :)

Oh yeah, I'm pretty "well-known" there among the staffs as the first time I was there, I asked for so much chili and when the waitress asked me if it's spicy, i told her "not at all." The chefs were surprised how a Chinese like me could take spicy food so well that he personally walk out of the kitchen and ever since then I seem to be getting better service. So don't be jealous if you see me getting better treatment when you're there. :D

Appeared on AirAsia 360 Magazine

2011-03-08T00:32:00.009+08:00

I'm back from Bintulu! Sadly and Unfortunately. To be really honest, I miss the place. How soothing and calm it was as compared to the hustle bustle life of KL. But that'll be a story another day cause' I'm hitting the sack soon.

Anyway, as I mentioned in the previous post, I took the first flight out from KL to Bintulu and was really sleepy! Having to sleep only two hours, I was trying my level best to wait for the take off, a part of flying that I really love! So I flick through the magazine to stay awake. The first thing I saw when I open the mag (I have a habit of reading from the middle) was my name! haha

I submitted my comment via e-mail (got to know through fb) and yes, mine is featured! Even though they accidentally posted another person's picture, I'm still quite contented! hehe *syoks*

I'll blog about Bintulu when I have time.

P/s : It's such a good day today :)

East Coast

2011-03-05T03:12:00.002+08:00

After two months of entering the workforce, I'm finally going for a well deserving break!I'll be leaving for Bintulu, a part of Sarawak that i've never been despite being hailed from the state.

To be really honest, I'm really tired and I just packed 5 mins ago and my cabbie guy will be here in 30 mins! But i'm very much looking forward to be in the airport, a place where I find my peace.

I'll be back tomorrow afternoon tho. Yes, cause I'm working on Monday. :s

Macaroons from Harrods

2011-02-21T00:01:00.004+08:00

You know I've always secretly believe that I'm quite easy to please? No, not in terms of my sexual needs. ( I wouldn't be able to judge on that. *cough*) But more like, the route to my heart. I have sweet tooth and is absolutely a fan of desert. Bring me for desert and you get me smiling. :)

Latest obsession on my desert plate is non other than french macaroons! I love how it's so colorful, so detailed and so pretty!

I've been wanting to sample the macaroons from Harrods since .. err, I lay my eyes on these gems? hehe. I usually get the urge to try something when I read people waxing lyrical on it but to be honest, I never read about this one. Because well, it's Harrods! What could go wrong in Harrods? Lol. ( The rye bread there is really good too btw.)

I just got the chance to taste the macaroons a couple of days ago for a certain occassion but unfortunately after much anticipation, I wasn't swept off my feet. Hahah. Well, it tasted good and rich but I much prefer the one in InterContinenatal Hotel (previously Nikko Hotel) I find the one from Harrods a little too soft. It didn't fail to give me a good sugar rush tho'!

Yes, so buy me pretty macaroons or a slice of red velvet cake and you're hitting the G spot - figuratively of course ;p

xoxo *hearts*

Chinese New Year Reunion 2011

2011-02-10T22:17:00.002+08:00

I don't know if it's just me but time seem to fly even more faster this year. I'll be finishing my training tomorrow and will officially start my duties next week! Can't believe i've been training for a month already!

I usually reach home quite late on work days - pretty much explains the lack of updates. The limited time I spent online are usually to reply e-mails of people that is somehow, somewhere special to me and the social media. I'm straying away from facebook though - if you're working, you pretty much know how dangerous the social media can be.

It's getting late so I'm just gonna do a brief picture post just to keep up with the tradition of me posting pictures of my reunion dinner! I am not commenting on the dishes since it's home cooked and my judgment would definitely sound bias :p

My dinner this year was fashionably late - 9.30 P.M to be exact so I made the right decision when I said no to my friend when he asked if he could join my family for dinner. My parents are coming again next week so he might be joining me for Chap Goh Mey dinner. :)

It was rather special in a way too, as this was our first year of hosting our parents. And it's only then I realized how much my dad spent every year for reunion dinner! The cost pretty much went shooting up when we had to get new cutlery and serving plates as we didn't have enough.

A lot of dishes eaten on reunion dinner are eaten for the meaning it brings - like yee sang for prosperity, prawn for happiness and longevity noodles for a healthy life. I don't particularly like it though but as modern as I can be, I stay to my roots too. No harm following what your forefathers say right?

Like every other year, reunion dinner is followed by massive cleaning! Lol. When the clock strike 12, we played the floating lantern - as a substitute for fireworks :P The lantern is supposedly for you to write your wishes on it but mine has chinese words printed so I didn't write anything. I can't read mandarin but I got the nice uncle who was selling lanterns to explain to me each and every lantern available there. :P

Huat ah!

p/s : I know this post isn't as interesting as I used to write and I can do better than thisbut i'm having writer's block. :s I'll be back with a great post next! So much to share!

The beginning of the year of rabbit

2011-02-03T23:57:00.001+08:00

Happy Chinese New Year everyone yawww!

wow, it's been exactly a month since I last blogged. For the uninformed, I've just joined the workforce early this year and I guess the whole month of me being idle was the fact that my body is adjusting to a new body clock. I would say my body is pretty much adjusted to it now so i'll try to blog more often after this. I've got so much food posts to share! and, I even got a new semi-pro cam that takes f-awesome pictures!

I'm actually (and sadly) in KL for the Lunar celebration because it would be too costly for me to go back just for the weekends. I'm still in classroom training now so I'm not entitled to any leave other than the public holidays. Won't complaint about it though. I've already been blessed with a job so yeah, when you have one thing, you sacrifice another.

It's very different celebrating CNY in KL- or any festival for that matter because I somehow felt like the feeling would never reached it's climax (using a sex-language always helps in describing anything ;p) But after being away from my parents for more than a month, it didn't really matter where I was celebrating it. What matters most was that, I was with my parents. Yes, I know it's uncool to say this, but i'm really close to my parents. :)

I would say it's quite a relaxing CNY for me since my apartment here is only a quarter size of my Kuching house so the cleanings were very brief. The fact that I was also working full day on the eve of CNY also made me escaped from the reunion preparation. hehe. Our reunion dinner were very late though, cause my parents arrived from Kuching around 5pm and after my sis picked me up from work and all, we only reached home - and started preparing at 7.3op.m.

We went to Genting early this morning and met up with my extended maternal family there. I haven't been there for years! It was cold and misty outside but when you're inside the buildings it was rather hot because of the crowd. I skipped the theme park since the queue was crazy and spent the whole afternoon in casino and was winning quite a bit of money until I became greedy and lose all of my winning money. But it was all good and fun.

We ended the trip with a Starbucks session. Ah, it's good to be able to pay for your family. Satisfaction maksima! hahaha.

Anyway, Gong Hei Fatt Choy to all my readers that has been loyal with me! May the year of rabbit bring us all pools of moolah!

2 0 1 0 - In A Nutshell

2011-01-01T09:59:00.018+08:00

I've said this over and over again but 2010 literally flew by! Allow me to do some recap - just in case I suffer a memory loss in the middle of 2011! ;p

Nothing exceptionally interesting during the first quarter other than my visit to AirAsia Academy. If you've been a long reader of my blog, you would have read how I declare my love for aviation again and again so visiting the Academy was enlightening for me. They were one of those corporate people that are so easy to deal with. On the same trip, I also visited the Petronas sky bridge for the first time. Felt more Malaysian. Lol!

During the trip , I managed to stop by for coffee with my lecturer and the conversation went into things that were pretty private. It was refreshing to see views of "certain things" in the minds of people who are much older. He also still remained the best lecturer I've ever had!

One ritual I practiced during my university days was checking in hotel before my final examination. I re-visited Tune Hotels in April, after exactly a year from my last visit. It was rejuvenating! Ordered pizza and had a couple of beers while watching Couples Retreat!

In May, I bid goodbye to the lecture halls and sleepless nights. I don't miss going to lectures but as crazy as this may sound, I really missed doing assignments. It was a part of my tertiary education that I enjoyed.

I went to Penang in June for my internship and it was a new adventure of sort. But everyone who started their internship in June would agree with me when I say June was when time passed the slowest. It was as though as the clock stop moving!

In July, 23rd to be exact, I met TL*. It was one of the highlights of the year and I actually miss going gu gu ga ga over his text messages and how I would spent the whole night talking to him on the phone - only to end up like a zombie at work the next day. Haha.

August and September were pretty much passed by without me realizing. I do recall going on gastronomic journey searching for the best lunch place with my colleagues. It was probably the only part I enjoyed during my attachment.

October were somewhat an interesting month for me. Lets see! On the first day of October, I had the most amazing first date! It was nothing poshy. Just the two of us with a pint of beer each, resting on the couch and our hands never leaving each others skin, talking and enjoying the time.

I also made a trip to my alma mater after an early breakfast with TL*. A lot of things have changed and the teachers could hardly remember me! haha.

It was also in October, I bid goodbye to a friend I really care and adore. I don't think my feelings ever change but I made the decision - and I'm not one who grieve over my own decision. I've since been meeting new people.

I can't recall anything bizarre in November besides me having pork overdose on my birthday! Less than a week later when I had dinner with Huai Bin at Finnegan's, he ordered another pork knuckle and I swear at that point I don't want to see anymore pork knuckle ever! haha. Most of the nights in November were spent with me puffing shisha! Ah, i'm definitely gonna miss it! And of course the great company. Beng, I'm already missing you as I'm typing this!

I only started searching for jobs in December so three weeks was spent in KL attending interviews. I was lucky enough to secure a job after only going for interview in two MNCs. One told me I was too good for the job and another hired me. I'm blessed, really. Oh Oh, a female nurse also touched my breast in December. Lol!

My last hours of 2010 was spent having coffee with a friend before we adjourned for beers to usher the new year. It turns out to be a wrong decision because we were in the club of the wrong demographics and the whole atmosphere was a tad too weird - albeit an interesting sight. haha! p/s : Thanks for the company Christopher!

I'm leaving Kuching tomorrow and will start the beginning of 2011 stepping into the rat race. Hopefully everything works out well. :)

Happy New Year all!

Christmas 2010 Dinner

2010-12-30T02:15:00.005+08:00

Merry Christmas all! (There's 12 days, remember? :p) I've been meaning to write this earlier but unfortunately I fall sick, had meetings in between and some errands to run. I'm now back in Kuching for a short break!

I just did a full medical check up yesterday in Prince Court Medical Centre and boy was it weird to have my breast touched by a woman! Lol. I think I'll stick to men. Thankyouverymuch. Eh wait, I'm not supposed to know if it's not weird when touched by a man. Heh. *cough* :p

Back to the Christmas dinner! It was more like a supper for us. Hah! We were stuck in the jam and when we reached home, it was already 8.30 p.m. By the time we're done with the cooking, it was already 10 p.m! The food pictures didn't turn out so great cause I wasn't using my own camera and really, by then I was too hungry to even bother what setting the camera were at.

Despite our hungriness, we did prepare a plethora of food to feast on! First was the finger Vienna sausages which I pan fry them with butter and chilli flakes. The sausages were from Farm's Best, a local brand and it's quite cheap! Half the size of a normal sausage and make a great finger food.

Then we also had garlic bread. We didn't have an oven so we have to make to do with the frying pan! Well, there's a funny story behind the garlic bread. We were choosing the bread for about 15 minutes in the bakery before I decided that dinner rolls would do. When we came home, we realized it wasn't dinner rolls that we were getting, it was red bean bun! FOL! So we had to use bread instead. It was hilarious though. Lol

My favourite dish of the night was actually the stir fry Portabellos. I fry it with home made garlic butter and some parsley. That's all! But the mushrooms were really fresh so it tasted great despite the simplicity of the dish.

The main dish for the night was Lamb in Brown Sauce. We managed to get some nicely thick cut lambs and it was really delicious, tender and uhhh so good. I shouldn't be waxing lyrical about all the dishes since it was all home cooked but really, can't help it for the lamb. :P

As if all the meals weren't fattening enough, we also made potato salad. It's the easiest salad to do but also possibly the most fattening salad. And like they say, fat food are happy food :D

Like every other cholesterol and fat laden meals we have, we just have to have a plate of greens to make us feel better. hehe. That night, we prepared a simple Romano salad and added some smoked black pepper salmon. We also had butter broccoli actually but the picture is too blurry to salivate you. hehe.

For drinks, we made mojitos! There was a debate of whether the leaves we were using was the right one. We bought spearmint but apparently it was suppose to be peppermint. The spearmint leaves were rather mild but we didn't have any choice as a lot of places were out of these herbs. Everyone's making mojitos at home on Christmas eve! :p

The night ended with tequila shots, and tequila shots and more tequila shots! I got really tipsy - nay, more like quite drunk but I was happy! It was a bad idea though cause the next day I ended up nursing a terrible hangover.

I did however recalled myself saying 'I love you' three times before passing out. Even though it was said with me under the influence of alcohol, but I really meant it. :)

Hope you all had a great Christmas dinner like I did. And can you believe 2010 is coming to an end? This year totally flew man. Ahh.

Bing! Coffee - Kuching, Sarawak

2010-12-24T12:57:00.000+08:00

I always tell people I just met one thing, "I'm a very boring person by nature." Out of well, probably courtesy they would tell me, "No, No, you're not!". Haha. But it's true my normal daily activities involves me spending most of my time lounging in a coffee joint, either with friends or me alone.

Even my idea of a great date is boring! I just had a perfect date and would love to write about it - just so you would know how simple my expectations are and I can have more guys asking me out here. Hahaha!

Something I do acknowledge is that my readers are not usually from Sarawak and I feel very obligated to write about Bings!, a place I really enjoy back home. It's a famous local grown coffee chain (Yes, we do have Starbucks in Kuching in case you're wondering -.-) that is doing reasonably well in Kuching with three outlets under their belt.

Even though it is local grown and is not obligated to any franchise royalty, the prices here aren't exactly cheap. Well, they can't be charging half of what Starbucks is charging for one reason. Their coffee are brewed using illy's coffee beans, an Italian blend with qualities at par with the one Starbucks is using.

I can't possibly write and comment each and every drink I had there cause well to begin with, the knowledge I know about coffee is too little to be commenting and next I don't think I have a long list of adjective to describe coffee. But two of my all time favourite drink from Bings! are Ice blended Tiramisu served with a sponge finger and the espresso machiatto. (both pictured below)

The interior of all three Bing's outlet is of Balinese inspired and while I am not a fan of the Buddha paintings and the likes, I love the couches there. The dim lighting also made the place perfect for an intimate outing with close friends. It's nice to laze on the couch and I have a thing about reading in low lights - I know it's bad for my eyes. :p

All the hot drinks here are served with an almond biscotti and a cookie. The biscuits are nothing much to write upon - I usually just leave them.

If you're not a fan of anything coffee, fret not! They do serve non-coffee drinks. There's flavored tea if you don't mind paying RM 8 for a tea beg. It's obviously not ordered by me - hell, would I pay so much for tea. Lol.

The Ice Blended Chocolate Blueberry is good too for a change. Generous Blueberry! It's slightly sweet so if you're diabetic, this is not for you. :p

Their Tiramisu is by far the best I've tasted. It's very rich and I don't think it can ever be finish by one person! Best of all, it's only RM12.90! Beats Alexis' famous and expensive (RM 17 per slice, not to mention half the size) Tiramisu anytime!

I've also sampled their carrot slice. Having worshiped meat all my life, cakes made of vegetables are not something I am fond of. Lol. But this was ordered to share with my friend and If taken at small portion, it's actually quite nice. :)

The ironic thing is that I'm also writing this from a coffee joint! Was in Starbucks Great Eastern Mall (staying nearby, come visit me!) since 8 this morning. Finished reading Escape before I started blogging.

Ah, pleasures of life is to read a nice magazine (not Cleo please.yucks.lol) with a good cup of coffee. Love!

Winter Solstice

2010-12-23T23:30:00.003+08:00

How was your Winter Solstice last night? I cooked the balls with sugar syrup and it was served with jelly and soya bean. It was awesome, we're thinking of making them again tomorrow! :D

Was meaning to blog this yesterday night after dinner ended, but was too tired and dozed off.

We had guest over and I cooked a feast! For the first time in my life I cooked a whole chicken! The Hainanese Chicken Rice were the main dish and to accompany the chicken, we had garlic fish and stir fry asparagus.

T'was a good night. But no pictures, cause I forgotten all about the camera when the guest came. ;p

How to prepare Christmas Turkey with Stuffing

2010-12-21T01:01:00.005+08:00

If you've read my blog long enough, you would know that I am one who is not fascinated by any festivals. The only one that I get really thrilled is the jolly Christmas! Partly because it comes with really awesome food and it's also the only time I get to eat to eat turkey. It's not that its of much difference compared to chicken but I love the preparation!

Last year was actually the first time I had a hands-on experience on preparing the turkey. My parents were away for holiday and they gave me the responsibility to prepare the Christmas dinner. :P

The turkey price ranges from RM 95 - RM 150 depending on size and has to be defrosted thoroughly before marinating it. The turkey is marinated overnight with minced/blended garlic, black pepper, worcestershire sauce, rosemary, thyme, salt and MSG. Marinating it overnight will also ensure the meat to be tender and moist.

For the stuffing, finely diced onions, fennel, button mushrooms and sausages. Try not to used the local frozen sausages as they tend to be quite soft. I used Vienna sausages where you can get it at Cold Storage for roughly RM 27 - a pack of five.

The diced potatoes and carrots are to be pre-boiled to cook. Let it cook for about 75% only though. You don't want them to be slimy and soft once the turkey is cooked.

Then you also have the streaky bacon. It's pre sauteed so that the caramelized fats of the bacon would add flavors to the stuffing.

Mixed all the above ingredients together with italian herbs, black pepper, salt and MSG.

Before you start cutting the vegetables and what not, remember to soak the bread in the milk first. White bread soak faster but I used wholemeal loaf so it take a while to fully soak. This is added to the stuffing so that the stuffing would be slightly creamy (not the liquid kind of creamy but you get the idea right?) and at the same time won't be all lose and scattered.

Once the bread is soaked thoroughly, mixed it with the other stuffing ingredients. It should look like this before being stuffed into the turkey.

There's actually no "engineering" to stuffing the turkey. Just stuff it till it's full, then stitch it. Remember not to cut away the skin at the upper breast - if you do, then you have nothing to cover your stuffing. I'm sure surgeons or doctors are good at this. Lol.

Rub butter on the turkey skin and arrange rolled streaky bacon the side. Bacon are like magic in cooking. They always add flavors to any cooking especially the fat streaky ones! hehe.

Roasting the turkey takes a long time so if you have guests coming, you should at least have five hours grace. The turkey should also be put on room temperature at least an hour before roasting.

To avoid it from being too dry - as it will be roasted for a couple of hours, glaze the turkey skin with butter and the oil that ooze out from the turkey itself every fifteen minutes or so.

Once the temperature thermometer is all popped up, your turkey is done! Serve it with sides of your choice. :D

If you're not too tired after all the turkey roasting, you can also prepare espagnole sauce to go with the turkey. It's very easy!

Melt about five tablespoon of butter (They say Christmas is when you put on weight :P) with about three tablespoon of flour.

Then add the turkey goodness - stock from the roasting! :P

Stir in a very low heat cause you don't want it to curdle, and you're done!

Serve the espagnole sauce with the roasted turkey. Bon Apetit!

This is actually a post I had been wanting to write for a year. I didn't wanna blog right after I prepare it cause I didn't see the relevance of writing about how to prepare turkey after Christmas. A year has passed and now Christmas is just less than a week away from today, so I hope this post comes in handy.

Feliz Navidad everyone! ;D

Nasi Kandar Pelita, Penang

2010-12-17T00:11:00.007+08:00

It's true when they say Penang spoil your taste buds. Anything you've tasted in Penang, you just won't find the same food tasting as good as it had in Penang. This especially applies for Nasi Kandar. I didn't actually visited much Nasi Kandar joints in Penang but just this particular one nearby where I used to stay in Penang is enough to make me think the ones in anywhere else is a joke. :P

For the uninformed, Nasi Kandar is very much like nasi campur except they consist of mainly curries. I love curries so this was actually one of my loyal dinner when I was still in Penang.

On top of the curries, most joints also usually have beef soup - from all parts of the cow to choose. They're usually ordered by men as it is believed to "make men stronger." I do think it's true in a way as it is really heaty but whether or not it makes your bed sessions better is something I cannot justify. I also don't know if it works on women and the few times I had it, I was alone. Plus, I don't have any bed sessions experience. *cough!cough!* :p

And of course, you have the roti-s. I am not a fan of any of the flat pastry though. Always felt like they're made too oily for consumption. :p

This is my usual plate of Nasi Kandar. One piece of ayam madu and one vege (usually go for the spinach), on top of a bed of rice with kuah pedas. Just typing this has got me salivating!

I also really enjoyed the tandoori chicken. Now, the picture doesn't really do much justice to the taste but I can assure you it's very good, juicy, well spiced and tasty! It's eaten with some lime juice and you would be surprise how the tangy lime could go so well with the slightly charred tandoori chicken! The naan was however just mediocre.

Funny how food like this only goes well with teh ais or teh O ais. :P I usually go for teh ais though.

On an unrelated note, my long time boyfriend - Lenovo is infected with spyware again. Our relationship has been on the rocks of late. T.T This entry is posted from an Acer - I couldn't wait as I was really excited to blog about this after coming across a number of "funny looking" Nasi Kandar in Klang Valley. :P

P/s : Lenovo is back and I am RM85 poorer!

Oh and and ... today's the father bear's birthday.

Happy Birthday, Dy. :)

Mr. Ho Fine Food

2010-12-03T02:02:00.011+08:00

It usually take a while for me to review a restaurant I visited but I had such awesome time on my birthday that I feel obligated to write it straight away! The initial plan was to have dinner at this Indonesian restaurant that I've been wanting to try but upon arrival, the restaurant was packed, a tad too noisy and the menu was just too disappointing. So we hopped on to the restaurant opposite.

Mr. Ho is a place I really liked but have not visited since I left Kuching for my tertiary education. That was four years ago! The interior didn't change much though and I was keeping my fingers crossed the food will be as good.

For appetizer we had Bruschetta (RM 7.00). Slightly soggy for my liking but taste wise, it was definitely above edible. The price is however on the higher end though. RM 7 for four slices of garlic toasted loaf and some tomatoes on top is not cheap. It was a good thing that the taste does justice for the price. A note of advice though - the garlic taste is really strong so if you're on your first date, this is not recommended. :P

The Spaghetti Aglio Olio (RM 14.90) With Chili Flakes was a very straight forward dish but at the same time very tasty! It has a hint of spiciness and the spaghetti was done al dente. I like! :D

Highlight of the night was the Pork Knuckle (RM47.90). It was orgasmic! Or if you like, ejaculation of flavors! Hehe. It was divine. The skin were oh so crispy and the meat were oh so juicy! It has enough ratio of both fats and lean meat. *high* However, the portion is enough to feed at least five diners and we actually had trouble finishing it!

I almost forgotten the fact that I am not blessed with a good metabolism rate and ordered German Sausage Platter (RM 30.90) even after knowing the large serving of pork knuckle. :p The platter comes with four sausages of different sizes (no pun intended. heh heh heh) and I find the biggest one to be the best. (heh heh heh. lol) I didn't like the accompanying sides of fried cabbage though. Felt like it degrade the whole dish.

Of course, after ordering all the fatty meat we felt a sense of responsibility (Lol) to eat vegetables and ordered Caesar Salad (19.90). The salad was a good complement to the rest of the fat-laden dishes. I love the salami and crushed garlic. Goes really well with the romaine lettuce.

Being a food lover, it was actually very therapeutic to see so much food lay before my eyes! Lol.

I have to give credit to the restaurant on the time frame (no more than 15 minutes!) used on preparing the food. We arrived quite famished - it was a wet night (the rain! *winks*) and everyone were driving so slow the whole night!

After all the food, it was cake time! My friend also made all the hostess and kitchen staff to sing along the birthday song! :D

We then adjourned for a good shisha session (and me being a regular there got it for free with extra nicotine to boot! :D) and of course by then we were so pork overdose that we ended up laughing just about everything! But it was all good, good, good and I couldn't ask for a better birthday night out.

Gracias much for the great time! You know who you are :D

Today I Turn 23.

2010-11-30T00:08:00.008+08:00

Yes, it's my birthday today! ... and I'm doing a birthday meme on my blog to celebrate it! Haha. Well, I thought this will be a great way to share with you a little of my emotional side - or the me, when I'm not a glutton. :P This is also possibly the longest non-food related post I've ever written! :D

1. Was being 22 good for you?
I would say it's a balance of good and bad. I completed a number of things. I graduated, I fulfilled one of my wish of being in a flight simulator, I effortlessly(no diet shit) lose 10 kg, discovered the goodness of shisha (God sent! lol) and I met a guy that left a huge impact in my life.

The bad part? Screwing up an interview, met a bitchy boss, put on 2kg after losing 10 kg (haha!) and I bid goodbye to the same guy that impacted me.

2. What was your favorite moment when you were 22?
It was my four months in Penang. I can still recall how happy I was. Not that I don't love Kuching (I do, very much!) but Penang gave me a feeling i couldn't explain in words. I did not live lavishly - just a medium sized apartment without air condition, no car and was constantly short of cash. But for once, I felt my mind and soul were entirely at ease. It was as though as I have lived in Penang my whole life.

3. What was your least favorite moment of the year?
Bidding goodbye to a friend I really, really care. It was bitter but somewhat a relieve because it was at a point where the only thing more unthinkable than leaving was staying; the only thing more impossible than staying was leaving (Elizabeth Gilbert, 2006). However, that doesn't mean I stopped to care. I still care, I always have and I always will.

4. What are your plans now that you are 23?
Drawing a clearer career path for myself, play less safe and living my life to the fullest!

5. What date will remain etched in your memory?
19 October. It was when I realized sometimes solutions aren't so simple. Sometimes goodbye's the only way.

6. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
Completing my degree.

7. What was your biggest failure?
Embarrassingly screwing up an interview with Malaysia's top 10 company. (based on year 2010's list) I was sleepless for three nights prior to the interview (had other commitments) and by the time I reached the office I was breathless, tired and brain dead.

8. Did you suffer any illness or injury?
I did! I got stung by a huge ant while working for a trade fair. My feet was swollen to two size for about a week and it was crazy itchy. I don't think I actually fell ill though. The funny thing was during the first month of my internship, I was really depressed. I hated the job and I wanted to be sick so I could escape. I walloped all sorts of "heaty food" including this really yucky thick peanut cream but still never got sick!

9. What was the best thing you bought?
There were a few : Lois Jeans, Hush Puppies Slack and Roxy Leather Belt.

10. Whose behaviour made you appalled and depressed?
My ex director! haha! She totally redefine the meaning of wicked.

11. Where did most of your money go?
My gastronomic food adventures and clothes. P/s : I'm 10 kg fatter when pictured side ways. Lol.

12. What did you get really really really excited about?
Meeting TL* , having him picked me up from the airport and spending time with him. Of course this does not mean when it happened, it was as good as the excitement was. :p

13. What songs will always remind you were 22 years old once?
Just A Dream (Nelly), Teriffied (Katherine McPhee), Teenage Dream (Katy Perry), This Kiss (Faithhill) and this old Malay song, Isabella (Amy Search).

14. Compared to when you were 22, were you :
a) Fatter or thinner? Thinner! :D

b) Happier or sadder? I would say, still the same.

c) Richer or poorer? Poorer. Haha

15. What do you wish you’d done more of?
Socializing.

16. What do you wish you’d done less of?
Thinking too much and taking unnecessary precautions. Playing safe is not exactly the answer to everything. This bad habit of mine made me lose a lot of things that should have been mine easily.

17. How will you be spending Christmas?
I've always believed that Christmas is reserved for family. So yes, like always I will be spending my Christmas in Kuching with my family.

18. Did you fall in love when you were 22?

*** This is quite lengthy but this is a part I owe me. I promised myself once I am fully recovered, this will be on my blog. I initially planned to dedicate a whole single post for it but decided not to as a lot of details will be too personal but here's a brief one.

Back to the question: Yes, I almost fell in love. He's extremely handsome, a pilot to be, romantic at heart and has a killer smile. However! He had nothing I would look for in a guy and was not someone I would actually date. You see, I'm a realist. Whenever I am with someone who I don't foresee a future, I waste my time no more. But with him, it was very different. It was almost similar to how I first fell in love eight years ago and I didn't wanna stop.

It could be that I was too engrossed in the fairytale he gave but everything felt so damn right! No, we didn't do anything out of the ordinary or too exciting. It was as simple as giving him a morning call or just watching him falling asleep on my lap. As cliche as this may sound, he made me feel like the whole world stopped spinning. It was like a dream - one that I don't wanna wake up.

Unfortunately, the clock ruled us. He was three years my junior and while age was never a question for me, I felt like the gap was too huge and I was already a stage ahead in life. For him, he was at a position where he had two roads diverged in the yellow woods and could not travel both. We finally decided that it's a better choice for him to walk the other path and parted ways. It was mutual. No knifes, No fights, No blood. Just a lot of tears when we finally hugged and kissed goodbye.

While I did not feel very strongly for him, it stung more than I thought it would be. Maybe because it was unlike any other goodbyes, this particular one has nothing wrong at all. We were two friends happen to have feelings for each other at the wrong time. It has been more than a month. I have since fallen out of the love that I almost fell and him walking far along the road chosen. A huge part of me felt like I was the blame of to why we never progressed more than friends. I was too slow, I was too scared. I let it slip, and I saw it slipped.

Of course, I would be in denial if I said I didn't miss him. I do. I miss his company, I miss his voice, I miss our morning breakfast with his mother and how his mother would tell me stories about him, I miss his 8 a.m morning messages, I miss his smile and I miss the butterflies he gave. But it doesn't mean anything anymore. I have moved on and this is a story of yesterday! :)

19. How many one night stands?
If zero is a number than zero it is. One Night Stand is not my kind of thing. (I do many nights! :P )This kinda reminds me of something : 22 is the age where I have many people telling me I will be a good wife! Lol

20. What was your favourite TV show?

I'm a TV Buff! The Big Bang Theory, The Bachelor, The Bachelorette, Gossip Girls, The Amazing Race Asia, The Biggest Loser and for a while, Glee.

21. Do you hate anyone now that you didn’t hate when you were 22?
Nah.. I might not like a person but it never get to a point where I hate them.

22. What was/were the best books you read when you were 22?

I really like Elizabeth Gilbert's Eat, Pray, Love and I find Losing My Virginity by Richard Branson to be extremely inspiring. My real favorite is this book by a local writer. It was a great hindsight of what we do not see as a passenger on board.

23. What did you want and get?
A chronograph watch with black leather strap.

Sorry lah, I blurred the car logo. I drive lousy car ma :P

24. What did you want and not get?
Sony NEX-5!

25. What was the best gift you received when you were 22?
It was this wing pilots get when they completed their first solo flight. Priceless.

26. What did you do on your 22nd Birthday?
I celebrated it with some close friends in Hilton. My all time favorite coffee place.

27. What one thing would have made your year more satisfying?
Getting my dream job!

28. How would you describe your personal fashion concept when you were 22?
Slightly better. Haha. I think towards the middle of the year, I bought a lot of new clothes cause I no longer fit into my old clothes.

29. Who did you miss the most when you were 22?
I think it was when I was still (friends) with TL*. It was insane! I would wake up, heart pumping as fast as a Ferrari car on the track missing him like crazy. I loved waking up to his bed voice. Having said this, please note the past tense. :)

30. Did you treat somebody badly while you were 22?
I would say I didn't but who am I to judge myself? So whoever I did mistreat, I'm sorry.

31. Did somebody treat you badly when you were 22?
Yes, my ex boss. But thanks to her, I had an eye opening view of how working life is.

32. A valuable life lesson you learned when you were 22.
That when you truly care for someone, just seeing them happy means more than anything in the world - even when you're not physically there with them. :)

Yesterday was the last day of me being 22. I'm 23 today and I look forward to exploring and discovering many more great things ahead for the next 365 days. :D

AirAsia Mobile Check-In

2010-11-29T05:45:00.004+08:00

Since the previous post I wrote on AirAsia's Web Check in turns out to be one of the post that generates the most traffic to my site, I decided to do the same pictorial guide for the mobile check in for Android phones.

Either I do it wrongly but it works like Symbian phones - you still have to go to mobile.airasia.com via your browser first.

Step 1 - Once in the web, click mobile check-in.

Step 2 - Key in your booking number and your departure airport.

Step 3 - Then, select the guests you would like to check in.

Step 4 - This is the last step! Enter your e-mail and mobile phone number to receive the bar code.

Unfortunately, I did not receive the barcode sent to my phone. It was e-mailed to me though.

However when I reached the airport, there were no bar code scanners. According to the website, airports that does not have the scanner, passengers who had check in through their mobile can go directly to the counter to have it scanned and boarding pass printed. (Before anyone starts to think that Kuching's airport is on the trees and does not have the electricity to have a bar code scanner, here's a picture of our on-the-tree airport *sarcasm*)

I queued at the normal check-in counter and was told to go to another counter - which was quite a long queue. Ironically, it was also the queue for the web check-in passengers to have their printed boarding pass verified. The counter check-in queue actually has almost nil passengers.

All in all, it took me almost 20 minutes before I finally got my boarding pass. Taken into consideration that there were actually no one at the queue for counter check in, that's quite long! (and a tad frustrating when you're expecting it to be quick?)

My say on the mobile check-in? I personally think that while it's easier than any other check-in methods - and is supposedly to be faster, I didn't feel like it did serve its purpose. But then again, it might be because the bar code scanner so happen to be missing in action. Haha. I'll do another write up when I fly again. Might be next week! :D

Bacon, Ham and Avocado Sandwich : The Subway

2010-11-25T18:04:00.011+08:00

It's funny how i've been home for almost two months now but I have yet to cook for myself complicated meals or even attempt to. Somehow it always felt like the lack of time is the cause of it. Where did my time go? I don't know. I think the clock's moving way too fast! Sandwich seems to be a part of my daily meals of late though. It's quick, easy and I *cough* kinda love the idea of eating healthy now.

Yes I know, I just said eating healthy! But, but, how can you decline juicy and tasti-licious streaky bacon? Just eat in moderation and you'll be fine. :D I've also added sandwich ham and black pepper loin. Put all three in the oven and let them cook for about five minutes or so. (just to seal the juices)

Make sure you don't over cook your meat as you'll be putting them back on the oven for the mozzarella cheese pieces to melt all over it - together with the halved french loaf. Breads usually taste much better after toasted.

Then once, the cheese is fully melted, arrange the lettuce, avocado slices and amoroso truss (a type of tomato) on top of it. Squirt(sorry, this is the only adjective I can think of. Lol!) some mayonnaise on the avocado slices to "glue" them together so it wont get messy when you sandwich the two halves. That's pretty much all the steps needed to an awesome sandwich!

Here you go, Subway from the back of your own kitchen! :D

How to cook Beef Soup

2010-11-15T18:55:00.012+08:00

Ahh, it's been close to two weeks since I last blog! Time really flies, and I don't even know what occupied my time! and.. and I know I haven't post my cooking for a while but the chef in me is back! :D

All you need to prepare this beef soup is thin sliced beef, beef balls (as in the ones made from the meat hor.. not the testicles. :P) , salted vegetables, bean sprouts and chopped parsley + spring onion. If you want it to taste like the Vietnamese pho, add in local basil leaves.

First, boil the water together with tang choy, salted vegetables and half a teaspoon of garlic oil.

Then add in the chopped parsley and spring onion and let it boil for a while. Spring onion is to add sweetness to the soup while the parsley is to neutralize the taste of beef.

Later, add in the beef balls. Just when you're about put off the stove fire, put in the sliced beef and bean sprout. The sliced beef is supposed to be cooked just nice to maintain the tender texture. Bean sprout on the other hand must not be over cooked.

Eaten with chili vinaigrette. Super awesome.

Closer shot! Om nom nom nom.

and if you like, do it the Cina style! Have it with a can of beer!

Life couldn't be better eh?

Paddington House of Pancakes (PHOP) Queensbay, Penang

2010-11-03T13:13:00.016+08:00

You know how some eating establishment tend to give you this intimidating entrance? PHOP always gives me that kind of impression. Hey, I have a thin wallet mmkay? So when I saw their tea set promotion for only RM 7.90++ , I jump at the chance to dine there! The promotion came at the right time too - I had promised my friend for a meal here and I wanted to clear my "debts" before I leave Penang for good. hehe

I love the interior. Simple yet very classy with a slight Victorian touch. To top that up, it was a weekday afternoon so we pretty much had the place for ourselves. The only problem was that I am not (and won't be!) romantically involved with my dining partner! Lol

Their menu is extensive. Endless list of very tempting and alluring pancakes (sweet or savoury, you name it they've got it!) on this large and heavily colored laden book.

Since I was there for their tea set, my options were narrowed. If my memory served me right, there should be about five choices of pancakes and drinks to choose from.

For myself, I had the Pot of Gold and it was absolutely good! Dollar sized pancakes, with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, then top with marshmallows and crushed peanut on drizzled chocolate sauce. Nothing could really go wrong when everything sinful comes together eh?

My weakness is maple syrup and PHOP is definitely generous with it. Mad love!

My friend went for the Strawberry Swirl. It's basically just pancakes with added caramelized strawberries plus a scoop of ice cream as sides. Does not require much science to whip this up. Heh. Taste wise, it was just alright.

I've always love my pancakes coupled with a good cup of coffee so for drinks, I ordered the flat white for myself. It was nicely brewed with perfect ratio of micro foam milk. True enough, the coffee beans used was not of high quality, but who am I to complaint if taken into consideration the price I pay?

The friend went for ice lemon tea. Boring. haha!

I'm not sure when the promotion ends, but do drop by PHOP yea? On top of the good pancakes, they have excellent service as well! Chef Mel highly recommends!

p/s : Pancake never fails to remind me of ahbing!! Remember the heart shaped pancake I made for him last year? Haha. and so I am dedicating this post to him! :D

Kek Seng Kopitiam

2010-10-25T23:04:00.001+08:00

My four months internship was without a question not a bed of roses. But like they say, everything has its pros and cons. So, the pros was that my office was located in the heart of Georgetown, where good food are within reachable radius.

Above all the places we went, Kek Seng is one place that has captured my heart in many ways. I'm a sucker for coffee shop that gives me a nostalgic rush and Kek Seng, being one of the oldest coffee shop in Penang has just that. I thought I had the picture of the place but after going through all my folders, I couldn't find any. :(

The first time I came to this place was actually for their star item - the ice kacang with homemade durian ice cream. The home made ice cream was what they got their fame for - so famous that an Australian man wanted to have this before he die! However as good as the ice cream tasted, I didn't feel like it complemented the ice kacang. It's better eaten on its own.

The multi layered jelly on the other hand gave the ice kacang a nice touch. The taste of the jelly is not something unusual or unique but it made the ice kacang different from any other place in Penang. Other than the ice cream and jelly, the ice kacang is like in any other place. Comes in a bed of shaved ice covered in sarsi and rose syrup, then topped with red bean and cream sweet corn.

I don't usually eat rice for my lunch for fear that I will fall into post lunch coma but when my colleague ordered the chicken rice, it looks so good I couldn't resist ordering it. And I didn't regret! For me the pre requisite of a good chicken rice is the rice and they pass with flying colors! The rice was fragrant and each grain of the rice came as individuals while the chicken was undoubtedly well flavored and tender.

There was this afternoon where I was practically starving and ordered char siew to go along with the normal serving of chicken rice. The char siew is not like any of what i've tasted before but it is very, very good. Not overly charred, slightly sweet, tender and very juicy. Practically all the good adjectives of a well cooked meat dish!

The minor hiccups is that "chai buoy" soup they served is just slightly above par. I've had better one. But it's all forgiven! Really. Hehe.

The place is also famous for other Penang affairs - loh bak, assam laksa and popiah.

I wouldn't be able to do taste justification for the assam laksa and popiah tho'. Assam laksa to me is an acquired taste. Not everyone can take the pungent smell of "he ko" and noodles served in fish based broth. I don't take fish so naturally assam laksa is one food I stay away from.

Popiah on the other hand gives me no excitement due to the absence of meat in this dish. HAHA. But really, an all vege dish usually don't impress me a lot. hehe. That being said, I do have a very famous popiah in Penang in the line up post! :D

I was told that the loh bak here is quite famous back in decades ago. I personally think loh bak is "ze dish" for Penangites. Go to any place that serve loh bak in Penang and you can hardly be dissappointed.

The place is not very difficult to locate. Situated opposite Bee Cheng Hiang Komtar (the one along Jalan Dr Lim Chwee Leong) . Don't bother looking from Google Maps - for I once got lost using that as a guide. hehe.

Yet, another chapter closed

2010-10-09T02:06:00.012+08:00

Wow, I have so much to write, I don't know where to start! I usually try to stray away from being too personal in my blog, but i'll make an exception for today, kay?

Four months ago, I embark into what I call a "new adventure". I chose to do my internship in Penang, a city I have visited endless times but never once based at. A lot of people question my decision as to why I would want to be away from home just for an attachment. My answer is simple. I want obstacles! Doing it at home just make me less independent - a trait I forbid myself to instill.

I've grown to love Penang so much (as I always had) that packing everything and come back home was a little bitter. It wasn't the initial plan but after having seen so much drama during my internship, I decided I wasn't ready to work just yet. All I need is a break, and some time to think through what's in store for me in the future.

The first week of my homecoming totally flew by. It felt like it was yesterday I was counting hours (was hundreds of hours then!) till I am back and next thing I know, I was already waving goodbye to Ben from KFC in the airport and him walking to the terminal.

It's already been ten days since I'm back and only today I felt like I am starting to regain my consciousness and ..stepping on the ground.

I still have a very important assignment to rush, and i'm still trying to find the mood to do it!

p/s : Thanks for the e-mails and comments complimenting the blog! Appreciate it much and do keep it coming! I'll be back once I finish my practical report! :D

Kuih Bulan

2010-09-22T08:56:00.005+08:00

*updated!

This year marks the fourth year of me celebrating the 15th day of the 8th month in the Chinese calendar away from my parents. It's not that we actually have huge celebration back home but it's just nice to be home with your family during festivals like this.

I always make it a point to get myself a moon cake even though I don't really favor the taste of this sweet pastry. Somehow I always believe it was eaten for prosperity. Lol!

Legend has it that, moon cake was actually a way the Yuan (some say Ming?) Dynasty passed the messages around without letting the Mongolians know. The message is slipped in the moon cake! Not too shabby for a wedding proposal also eh! :P

Anyway, happy moon cake festival everyone!

****

I celebrated my Mid Autumn festival the truly 1Malaysia way. Lol

Had awesome Nasi Kandar with kuah campur for dinner (instead of you know.. stir fry pork?lol)! Huge piece of chicken! =D

And since it's Pink Day, i head over with my friend to Baskin Robbins for awesome Brownie Ala Mode (Chocolate Fudge with two scoops of ice cream topped with caramel, M&Ms, whipped cream and cherry!) Just look at the caramel. It was sex!! :D

Finally, a picture of the full moon I took on the way back to my apartment.

Hope you guys had a great night. I certainly did!

Thai Seafood Salad

2010-09-14T00:41:00.008+08:00

It's getting late now, and I'm working tomorrow so I i'm just gonna slip in a very short cooking post .. to tell you all, that I'm still alive and that I miss blogging a lot!

And, when I say short, I meant a dish that only require two steps to whipped up! This plate of goodness takes only 10 minutes to prepare and serve as an awesome appetizer.

You'll need prawns and squids as the main ingredient.

The rest of the ingredients are bean sprout (not pictured), coriander leaves, lime and sliced onion.

Boil to cook the seafood. Bean sprouts cook very easily so when you drenched the hot water from the seafood, let it run through the bean sprouts. It cooks perfectly this way.

Put together everything in a bowl and then tossed them with squeezed lime juice, thai chili sauce and fish sauce.

Voila! Ready to serve!

Simple right? Go get the ingredients now! :D

Don't fancy seafood? Try my Thai Bean Sprout Salad with seared rib eye instead. One of my favorite entry!

New Lane, Penang

2010-08-20T21:34:00.011+08:00

If you're coming to Penang for a short trip and do not have ample of time in hands, New Lane is the one place you can visit to savor all the good food the island offers. It basically has everything Penang is famous for in one street!

Patrons here consist of mainly tourist, or locals hosting tourists and such. It's a common thing to sight people with cameras snapping the food, the people and the place.

Even with so many stalls in one lane, business are generally good for all the vendors. Just look at the amount of eggs this particular stalls used! However, as the tables are limited by numbers, getting a table during the weekends can be a tedious task.

Fried chicken skin is something I've just started to be accustomed to eating. I've seen this on sale in many places in Penang but because I don't take chicken skin (not for health reasons, I just don't like it) it never occur to me that it could taste so good on its own! It's perfectly fried to crisp so you don't get the oil from the chicken skin squirting out. It's really, really good! :D

My friend also ordered fried tofu from the same stall he ordered fried chicken skin. Both friends gave thumbs up for it but i wouldn't be able to comment on that. Tofu.. errr , doesn't appear in my food dictionary. :P

I love pork coagulated blood and the vendors here are very generous with the portion! :D For only RM4 a bowl, I can have more than 10 pieces of that gem! *feeling vampire-ish* :p Taste wise, I find curry mee taste similar in most places. It's also not something you can finish by yourself if you plan to order a lot of dishes as the soup tend to be really rich and fills you up.

It took me more than 10 visits to Penang before I finally tried char koay kak - and I didn't like it. It's more or less like the Kuching version of char kueh but tasted very differently. It was in between salty and spicy with a sweet after taste. Apologies to char koay kak fans, I find it a little too confusing for my taste bud. hehe.

My weird friend ordered wantan mee in a place that has so many better food choice. Lol. I didn't try though, cause I don't really like the taste of egg noodles - hence making wantan mee my least favourite food to eat.

Satay in my opinion is not the forte of Penangites. I've had it a couple of times and non of it is remarkable. This particular one here is supposed to be pork satay but taste a lot more like chicken.

Guleng Peng! I don't know if this drink is a specialty in Penang but i first had it in Penang and love it! It's the Chinese version of air bandung and instead of using rose syrup, they used grenadine. Absolutely refreshing!

The vendors only operates at night. During day time though, there's a coffeeshop right beside this lane that has excellent fried pork intestine porridge - supposedly famous also.

Word of Advice : According to locals, this place has got very high snatch thief cases, so becareful with your belongings when you're there kay?

Birthday Greetings!

2010-08-16T00:10:00.008+08:00

Ben!

First thing first! I'm sorry I couldn't find a cheesecake without base, but this is still cheesecake - better still, with your name written on! =D I've already blew the candles and eaten the cake on your behalf tho. But.. but, I made a wish for you also! Something that you wanted, Something that you told me. Try guessing! :p

Just to show you that this was not from my pictures collection. But it obviously is not lah, since it has your name on it. :P

I hope the "bomb" arrives tomorrow.. and that the "chemical" I mixed works out.. Then I can get your insurance! haha! Call me before you open k? In case .. the chemical really worked and I don't get to listen to your voice anymore! hahaha!

Happy Birthday, handsome.

xoxo
Mel

Benny :)

2010-08-02T23:25:00.003+08:00

Since the ice cream you had just now was not satisfying, here's another one to make up for it. Doesn't exactly look very tempting, but this is the only photo with ice cream that I never posted on my blog!

Congrats on doing well for your LOFT. Told you, you''re awesome!

xoxo
Mel

Northam Beach Cafe, Penang

2010-07-18T21:43:00.014+08:00

First and foremost, sorry for the 3 weeks hiatus. My long working hours has totally sucked my creative juice dry! By the time I'm home, all I want to do is to stay in bed. I hope this 9 pictures post make you all happy though. ;p

Northam Beach is an al fresco food court over looking the sea that is supposedly very famous in Penang. It's a shame that I only got to know about it recently from my colleagues! Unlike the typical Penang food courts that are flooded with Char Kueh Tiaus, Pasemburs and Assam Laksas. 80% of the stalls here comprises of Western/Italian food and from what I observed, their patrons consist of mainly Caucasions.

I haven't eaten the whole day prior to my visit and I didn't want anything too heavy nor oily so I ordered a pizza to share. I thought it was quite cheap for the size - RM 16 for a large. Taste wise, It was definitely above edible but it was not very good to the extent that you want more.

I was told that the mua chee here is the best in Penang. I'm a sucker for "claims" like this so ordered I did! They have many flavors and me being the adventurous one, ordered all the flavors in one serving. It turns out tasting a little weird. Having said that, I have to agree that the mua chee is a class of its own, especially with the peanut butter sauce drizzled on top - Just don't order all the flavors at once. hehe

It's never complete if Honey Chicken Wings is not part of the menu when dining in places like this. The ones they had here were satisfactory. The chili sauce could be better though.

Another famous dish they have here is the Foot Long German Sausage. Taking into consideration my current peanut pay, I find RM 9 a little too pricey for a sausage (unless it's the other sausage you're talking about.lol). I wouldn't be able to tell if the price do justice for its taste though, cause it was my friend boyfriend's sausage...errr.. I mean order. ;p

I saw this stall selling something similar to Mille Crepe but it turns out to be Durian Crepe! Now I'm a durian lover - as in the fruit, but somehow my taste bud doesn't agree with "refined" durian. I end up ordering the other cake available, which was blueberry cheese cake out of courtesy. It was only RM 4.50 per slice, so there's really nothing much to expect out of it.

The rest of the pictures are food my friends ordered - and of which I didn't try.

Bak Kut Teh

Hokkien Mee

Porridge

Fried Rice

I really love the place! It's a lot more calm than any other tourist spot in Penang, and the breeze from the sea accompanying the dinner was quite therapeutic in many ways. Me love!

p/s : Thanks so much for dropping by despite my lack of updates!

Nasi Kandar

2010-06-24T22:49:00.004+08:00

I was reading The Economist a couple of days ago and I came across this article about beers. Can't remember exactly everything the writer penned, but one thing i find interesting was that he mentioned one of the greatest beer pairings is with Curry!

So, after work yesterday the first thing i did was to get a pint of beer, chilled it for tonight! And today after work, I went to Nasi Kandar Pelita. I clocked out at 8 p.m, only reached my place at 9.30 p.m so there wasn't much choice for me to choose.

The verdict : Perhaps I have a conservative taste bud but I still think teh tarik goes best with curry. Beer is a little too strong and it over whelmed the taste of curry.

p/s : this plate of Nasi Kandar costed me RM 9.20! Jesus Christ, can someone explain to me why Nasi Kandar is so expensive?

p/s* : I'm off tomorrow!!!! :D

Steamed Food

2010-06-18T11:23:00.000+08:00

My recent visits to the hypermarket has made me feel like a bimbo. A bimbo who can't cook to be exact! The long working hours totally sucked my energy and by the time I reached home, I'm literally vegetable!

Not only that I'm too tired to cook for myself, I'm also energy-less to even walk to have food take aways. So I've been relying a lot on frozen pre-cooked food.

Steamed paus!

Vegetable is not my ultimate choice for pau (and for food.lol) but since the other savory pau they have in Tesco was BBQ chicken and Curry Chicken, I went for this. I like the skin but they put too much pepper in it making it taste a lil medicine-ish. But still edible. Haha.

The sweet variant from Tesco taste quite good actually. I've tried both the pandan and kaya ones and they both got the Sirim Cop from me. ;p

I had gone days with the pau and realize I wasn't eating any meat so I got some Siu Mai as well. It's seafood but well, still protein kan? :P This is not exactly very nice. Not recommended.

So yeah, working has turn me into a "Is tuna similar to chicken?" bimbo. I eat this almost everyday!

It's my off day today - after working for 8 days! Feels so good to go to sleep after a pint of beer and wake up late. Why do human have to work?!

**My blog's getting boring hor? Promise my next post will be interesting!

Dragon Boat Festival

2010-06-16T23:09:00.003+08:00

At the time of writing - 11.10 p.m, everyone must have burped Bak Zhang!

This is my first time eating Bak Zhang in Penang. It tasted a little weird and different from what I used to eat back home. But of course, this Bak Zhang can't be make as a judgment since it was bought at random stall.

***p/s : can I not go to work tomorrow? :(

Black Pepper Lamb Sandwich with Chips and Lemon Dipping

2010-06-09T21:55:00.015+08:00

After working for eight days continuously, I finally have a day off ! Had KFC for supper yesterday and slept after that. Yeap, yeap. Sinful! Seriously, KFC should consider serving beers. Goes along very well! ;p

I'm usually very worn out after work so I usually just settle with Froot Loops and milk for my dinner. But with a day off today, I decide to cook myself a nice meal - black pepper lamb sandwich!

I went to the hypermarket the night before and got marinated lamb, onions and sweet pea shoots for my sandwich. Initially I wanted to add in the honey glazed ham in as well, but decided not to. Hehe.

Since the lamb is already marinated, all I need to do was to stir fry it with onions. There is no specific time as to how long you should cook this as it depends on how you would like your lamb to be.

I don't have a toaster in my apartment so I toasted my bread in the pan I used to stir fry the lamb earlier. Works well! I usually like to get either baguette or unsliced loaf of bread so that I can slice it thicker. Sandwich taste better this way!

Instead of using the conventional lettuce, I chose to be a little fusion and used sweet pea shoots instead. The shoots taste a lot better when it's raw and i've seen a lot of international chef using it in salad as well.

Of course, eating sandwich alone won't be enough. I bought some chips and made a simple lemon dipping to go with it. You can go for the easy way - sour cream. But because it won't be practical for me (i don't eat sour cream so often) so I got mayonnaise instead and tone it down with lemon and pepper. Awesome. ;p

Ready to serve! Black pepper lamb sandwich with chips and lemon dipping(served on red leaf lettuce).

I'm actually quite amazed with what I can whip up. I only have one pot, one bowl, basic cutlery of one each and one plate. Lol.

Ah.. noms noms. Can't wait for my next off day! For the time being, I shall think of what to cook again. Hehe.

Burger King's Comfort

2010-06-03T23:26:00.007+08:00

I know most people go for the burgers when they're in Burger King. Yes, the whoppers are awesome and the mushroom swirl is my ultimate favorite! But what people are not aware of is that beneath the great burgers varieties, they also offer pleasurable (*ahem*) comfort foods!

The Mozarella Cheese sticks are fried and extremely sinful. Ah well, what food are there that gives us orgasm without having us committing any sin? ;p It's best eaten hot, when it's all gooey inside and crunchy outside. Slightly salty tho' so you might want to just order one servings even tho' it comes in only three sticks.

Another "diamond" that is hidden beneath the extensive burger menu is the Hershey's pie. It's extremely chocolaty and rich. I really, really love it. It's one of the food that I would describe as "food that makes me go to heaven for a visit." :)

Anyway, i'm writing this because I really need comfort food now. I'm mourning for my Great Dane who has been with my family for coming 9 years (this 13 June) and left us this morning around 5a.m. R.I.P Bruno. It's gonna be very different without you for sure.

Lorong Selamat Char Kueh Tiau

2010-05-29T10:01:00.008+08:00

I've read so much about this place before finally setting my foot here. Not that I have anything against the place, I just had problem finding the place. It was only during my last visit to the island (i'm now staying here already ;p) I found out that it was just a mere five minutes walk from Tune Hotels.

The 'goggles auntie" is pretty famous in the blogosphere with everyone writing about her foul attitude. She was alright when I was there tho'. Just that she look really grumpy. Hey, blame it on the high wok heat and the strong smell from the chili oil! Anyone would look grumpy in that situation. ;p

I went on a Monday so there was not much waiting. My plate of char kueh tiau reaches my table within 15 minutes! I arrived quite famish so that was very much appreciated! :D

After reading so much travelers waxing lyrical about the place, I had a mountain of expectations. I ordered the RM 7 plate out of the range of RM 6, RM 7 and RM 9. My verdict? I thought it tasted just average. The portion of the kueh tiau was really little. I guess the RM 7 goes to the three medium size prawns. It was fresh and something a lot worship upon. But from my puny knowledge of food, I didn't think prawns is the "correct" parameter used to gauge the taste of a plate of char kueh tiau. ;p

The char kueh tiau do have a very strong flavor of lard tho. Something I find quite different from other char kueh tiau places.

I heard the waiting time would go as far as more than an hour during the weekends and public holidays. The longest waiting time (to make it worth the taste) for this char kueh tiau is only 20 minutes. After that it'll be too long. ;p

Anyway, have a good weekend people! I'm back to blogging about food again. :)

Transition

2010-05-28T09:55:00.006+08:00

Sorry for the lack of updates ( and improper updates!). Been very busy preparing for my internship, moving to a new place and all.

I arrived Penang two days ago and had finally settled down with all the necessities. Haven't buy the pots and pans to cook though. ;p

Never thought I would say this, but i'm kinda lonely here. Lol. Well, well, true they say the grass is greener in the west. But the sky is blue-er in the east. And blue skies make me happy!

I miss homeeee. Grr.

Alternative? Not quite!

2010-05-23T19:59:00.007+08:00

In case you're a virgin reader (as in first time reading my blog lah. hehe) here, I'm currently in Kuching, enjoying my holiday! :P

I'm quite a boring person in nature (and also a very poor student if I may add) so my holidays are not usually filled with excitement. You know like how some rich kids go for holidays here and there. ;p What I usually do is, buy a lot of magazines.

I read all sorts of magazine with TIME, Shape and Female being my favourites. No, i'm not gonna talk about the magazines of course! Just wanted to share with you a snippet of an article. Basically this article talks about how to have substitutes for Malaysian food. Not exactly something new to read but there's something I find interesting. ;p

Alternative for Nasi Lemak = Toast! I can't see the significance of the two. One is pungent, one is fragrant.

Alternative for Satay = Chee Cheong Fun! I'm not a fan of Chee Cheong Fun, but last I check, they don't come in sticks. ;p

My point is that when you lust for something sinful, never look for the substitutes. Go for the real thing, but eat in moderation la!

I'll give you an easier example ok. If you wanna drink beer, but because of the calories, you go for apple juice. Not the same kan?

Food Paradise, KLIA

2010-05-19T01:17:00.008+08:00

If you're looking for a quiet and less packed place to grab a bite before boarding your flight in KLIA, drop by their Mezzanine Level where there's this eatery named Food Paradise.

The patrons consist of mainly the employees of MAB (Malaysian Airports Berhad) as it's where the offices are located. I came across this place when I arrive in KLIA a little too exhausted and needed a getaway from the hussle-bustle of departure level.

Unlike what the name suggested, the food isn't exactly a paradise. Lol. I ordered the set meal that came with a glass of coke and fried mee hoon. The food is prepared before hand so it came cold. However, priced at RM 8 per set, this is probably the cheapest meal you can get in KLIA.

While I would not recommend you to visit this place for the food, I would suggest this place if you wanted a more peaceful place to kill your time. The long faux leather bench is pretty comfortable for a quick nap too. ;p

The only problem is that, they have very bad music taste. So, be sure to have your ear phones plugged when you're there.

It's pretty secluded. If you're dating someone's husband/wife and sending him/her off, this would be the perfect place to .. errr.. kiss goodbye. =X

Nuffnang Payout

2010-05-11T00:25:00.003+08:00

Kaching Kaching! :P

It's slightly lesser than the previous payout, but should be enough to fund my yum cha sessions this holiday. :)

Four Points by Sheraton - Wrapped

2010-05-09T17:24:00.010+08:00

Normally when I want to get good cakes, Hilton is the one place that I really trust. (Merdeka Palace being the least reliable one) But since I am driving with a two months expired driving license and I already have a summon that the father bear has yet to pay, I decided to play it safe and drop by Wrapped in Four Points. It's just 10 minutes away from my house and even if there's police, I know the route to escape. :D

There's not much choice of "convincing looking" cakes to choose from so I ended up with two tarts. The one below is the mixed nuts tart. I don't really take much nuts (I wonder where the pimples from my face came from?!) so I didn't really like it. But quality wise, the pastry is quite good.

I chose the strawberry tart solely because it is the best looking tart there. Taste wise, it is nothing above edible.

I don't think I'll ever go back for any more cakes/tarts. They're just nice to the eyes but not really satisfying to the taste bud. :p

To the mother bear, Happy Mother's day! ;D

Winter Warmers - Gurney Plaza

2010-05-07T01:31:00.011+08:00

I first came across this place during one of my early visits to Penang but because it is always full, I always have to fore go my intention of dining/drinking there. One faithful evening though, I manage to get a seat!

I absolutely love the interior of the place. Vintage English roses wallpaper and the very homey setting totally capture my heart. This is easily one of the most beautiful coffee/tea house I have ever been.

Judging from the place and the people that patronize the restaurant, I have always thought that the drinks and food served would cost me an arm and a leg. Surprisingly though, the price were very affordable. If my memory serve me right, the drink should cost nothing above RM 15.

I always have a thing for drinks with "flamboyant" names. Thus I went for the Night Shadow Iced Coffee (RM 9.90*). It's very much like a cup of Affogato - the only difference is that the coffee is cold. Made perfectly with the right amount of caffeine to neutralized the creamy vanilla ice cream. Nothing to complaint at all! :D

My friend went for a more common drink, Green Tea Ice blended. (RM 7.90*) I think it tasted alright. After all, nothing could really go wrong for a cup of green tea ice blended. heh.

The cake varies everyday and at the day of my visit, it was black forest cake. No hu-has, just a simple vanilla sponge cake sandwiched with blue berry cream. I have no expectation for the cake as it was only RM 4.50*. Still edible though. :)

Winter Warmers is also the only local place I know that serve hot drinks and food in authentic Fine Bone China porcelain pieces. If you're a fan of those "things", then this is the perfect place for you. They have really, really nice pieces.(at least in my eyes lah ;p)

Oh, you might wanna go during weekdays though. It's forever full house during the weekends.

*Prices are subject to government tax and service charge.

Birthday Greetings

2010-05-05T16:25:00.006+08:00

Happy Birthday, Jess! Thanks for always helping me with itu dan ini. :D Play safe (with or without the thunder beads) on your birthday night. Lol.

She also share the birth date with someone very special in my life, Misha. :D

Say happy birthday to both of them!

How to Prepare American Breakfast

2010-05-04T22:06:00.013+08:00

I've been waking up no earlier than 3 p.m ever since I got back and yesterday, I made a point to wake up slightly earlier yesterday to prepare myself a wholesome breakfast - something I really, really miss.

It's strange to say that one of the things I yearn to eat so much when I'm away from home is a perfect sunny side up. I'm really peculiar about my eggs. ;p Oh, the egg above is a double yolk egg!

To go with the sunny side up, I pan fried some chicken frankfurters, baby potatoes, carrot and french beans with butter and a small dash of black pepper.

I also pan fried some potatoes and to add some extra fats to my meal, I let a small piece of cheddar slice melt on the done tomatoes. :D

What's American breakfast without fresh juice? tee hee.

Life's a bliss :D

Oh ya, today I had Hainanese breakfast. Hehe.

Home is the heaven on earth!

Honey, I'm home

2010-05-04T00:40:00.006+08:00

After spending most of my time sleeping for the past three days, I am back to update the blog! I have to be really honest though, I am still numb for the fact that I have finished uni (literally lah.)

Since I was to bring back my three years worth of junk , i was presented with the horror of having an excess baggage of 11kg! (That is even after me throwing boxes and boxes of things that still function perfectly!) It's an obvious decision that for a poor student like me, I chose not to pay for it. The nice MAS lady asked me to check in my initial hand luggage (it'll still be over by 3kg, but she said she'll give me grace for it) but since I didn't scan it, and the queue was so long , I decided not to.

I used to do weights so I didn't actually think the 14 kg hand luggage was unbearable. It was initially 18 kg - I had a 4kg dumbell confiscated by the customs. hmph! The real horror was when I was in the plane. I could barely walk in the plane with two heavy luggage! I was slowing the traffic and people were irritated by me! I know there are some travelers who travel with multiple luggage on board - but I don't do that. I am used to travel light so I really thought that was a bad experience and made up my mind that by all means, I am checking in my luggage when I touch down in KL.

and guess what, with a little sweet talk aka ass-kissing, I manage to check in all my luggages without paying for the excess baggage fee. Tee hee! :D

It's really, really good to be back home. :)

A chapter is closed

2010-04-30T06:08:00.009+08:00

"All my begs are packed, I'm ready to go... " John Denver's Leaving on a Jet Plane.

After spending three years up north, I'm leaving the place for good. Yes, i won't deny there is a tad of bitterness. Not that I like the place, but more like I have accustomed to the place and the people.

I'm still feeling a little numb of the whole i've pre-graduated thing. (still got four months internship!). But ah, it's all good, good, good.

Proper post when i get back home. I need to pack!

p/s : I need a place to stay in Penang for five months beginning June 2010. If you have any friends/relatives/boyfriend/mistress(es) that has a room in Sungai Dua, can you please e-mail me? Otherwise I will be homeless in June 2010 :(

Weekend Recipe : Lamb Cutlets with Potatoes and Vegetables

2010-04-24T03:38:00.000+08:00

Finally, had time to take a breather from the books! The whole studying-examination is really not my forte. I'm just glad it's going to be over in five days! Whee.

Since it's weekend and you'll probably have the time to sort the ingredients and prepare them for your friends or family - I thought it'll be nice to do a cooking post. Today we're cooking lamb!

The cutlets of lamb (from the rack) are marinated with Ina Paarman's rosemary seasoning, black pepper and Worcestershire sauce to taste.

Cut the potatoes in half an inch lengthwise. Add in Ina Paarman's potato seasoning to taste.

You can actually opt for any vegetables you like but I chose asparagus, carrots and brocoli. The asparagus aren't exactly of the best quality as I kinda "found them" in the fridge at the time of cooking. Hehe.

Boil the carrot and brocoli beforehand. This is to retain the color of the vegetables when you put them in the pan. (No need for the asparagus cause it takes only a short while to cook.)

Lastly, pan fried the marinated lamb cutlets. Add in the potatoes while you're pan frying the lamb so that the natural flavors of the lamb would caramelized on the outer layer of the potato. Once you're done with the lamb and potatoes, slightly saute the vegetables.

Then, it's time to work the art. :)

Viola! :D

Have a good weekend peeps! This is my last weekend in uni. Feels like I just finished a military national service in the jungle. :P

TuneHotels.com Facebook Fanpage

2010-04-20T06:09:00.007+08:00

I'm in the midst of having my final exams. Finale of finals! :D Oklah, not exactly widely smiling now thinking of the number of pages to cover in the least of time. :(

In the mean time, my favorite hotel just launched their fan page a couple of days ago! (they have a Facebook profile launched a year ago as well). Be their fan, ok? They have great people manning their social media networks. :)

I'll be back again for a week's stay next month. Will be alone though this time. Is there anyone who wants to accompany me? Hehe. We'll watch movies and... errr.. watch more movies. ;p The opposite sex will be prioritized. Underaged will also be considered. :p

Haha, Just kidding people. But if you happen to be around Penang in the last week of May, do drop me an e-mail. We'll have char kueh tiau! :D