~Life in a Cocoon~

Blessed Mother's Day

2011-05-08T18:34:00.002+08:00

Music: 唐麼玫- 真实 Mood: Lazy Sunday afternoon

I'm not the neatest girl you hoped for,

I'm not the top scorer you wished I could've be,

I'm not the smartest daughter who could have owned her own business and supply you with pocket-full of money,

I'm not the most obedient child you would MOST probably wished for;

But, when you are getting from...

"Teresa Teng" and "Beatles" to "I can't hear you",

The personal chauffeur to wheelchair,

Size 5 shoes to walking cane,

The nagging to the babbling,

Underwear to soiled diapers,

Spectacles to cataracts,

"What time are you coming home" to "I can't remember who you are";

I'll be there to hold your hand till the end.

Your love and care have been tattooed in our hearts and can never be forgotten.

The Mother likes it :)

(Special thanks to Glad Tiding's Church-part of the beautiful poem came from their mother's day special prayers).

The Day When Japan Moved

2011-03-17T23:43:00.007+08:00

Music: 大橋トリオ-- Dancing in the moonlight Mood: multi-tasking

A magnitude 8.9 earthquake. A dumbfounding 10,000 death toll. The panic gripping nuclear plant explosions. Body bag and coffin shortage. Food, water and electricity shortage.

All happening within days in one of the most advance cities in the world.

And you thought Malaysia is horrible.

Two out- of- this- world-fortunate colleagues were in Yokohama for training when the devastating event occurred. For your info, the distance between Yokohama and Tokyo is about 130km- that’s about the distance between KL and Temerloh in Pahang. The newly named colleague- The MAN who lived never grow tired to share his ‘near-death’ experience.

(“How do I feel? I almost kissed the ground when I touched down back here!!”)

Day one- 9 Mar 11

Training room was wobbly, like placing a cup of water in a moving railway train. The Japanese Trainer was almost cool and experienced, as if it’s something that happens every fortnight, “Don’t worry!” He ensures participants from different parts of the world, “It’s very normal, happens all the time!”

So they went back to training, then shopped and drank sake through the night.

Day two- 10 Mar 11

Training room was shaking a little more aggressive than yesterday. The smiley Trainer still confidently reassured the class, “no problem! It will stop!”

So they continued training, then bought Burberry Gucci Prada and drank sake through the night.

Day three- 11 Mar 11

Training room was shaking violently at about 2pm. This time, it wiped the smile off trainer’s face to replace with a grimace.

(Credit goes to The Man Who Lived- Freddy who provided all photos.)

Everyone has to stand against the wall, away from the middle. Notice there is nothing hanging from the ceiling? All buildings across the Japan Nation is designed that way, especially new-rise buildings are engineered to be quake-proof.

Bay Quarter Shopping Centre before earthquake.

Bay Quarter Shopping Centre during earthquake at 11 March in the afternoon- shoppers gathered around the al fresco area.

Road outside Bay Quarter is in a terrible jam after closures of many other major road around the city.

…It never die down till late night.

See how swiftly notices were posted at the hotel lobby for any disrupted services including subway operating time. I once read the newspaper with a picture showing two foreigners waiting in front of a lift at LCCT, not realizing an insignificant notice by the side that says “ROSAK”.

The quaking persists through the night, hotel guests are required to open up all doors to prevent from getting stuck with a jammed door. Staffs were even nice enough to provide a complimentary supper to all guests.

The badly damaged streets of Yokohama

Frantic Japs and tourists fleeing to Haneda airport and out from the deteriorating nation.

During the entire quake episode, all shopping centres and hotels kept their doors open as shelters and call out to any wandering people on the street. Although food and water supplies are running short, citizens are still lining up to pay at counters. The needy are helping the deprived, how disciplined and helpful can these people be!

We are a generous bunch, but I can’t image if such disaster is happening here, how would the locals react under such trauma? I’ve seen an overturned lorry carrying caged chickens with injured passengers on the highway, passersby stopped their vehicles not to help the injured, but to risk their dear lives to run after chickens that ran amok on the highway. Same goes to another injured motorcyclist who was carrying bags of shillings, all the onlookers did was to seize the spilled coins, some even took off their shirts to carry more.

I have just ONE of a kind in my home:

“Is the Naruto’s author dead??? I heard bad news about the missing One Piece and Bleach authors!! I can’t take it GAAAAAHHHH!!!”

There goes the howling otaku who lives next to my room, IT eats drinks sleeps anime for survival.

The Land of Millionnaires- Here I Come!

2010-10-20T01:23:00.002+08:00

Music: T-Square- Morning Delight Mood: To Finish in 5 minutes!

This is the closest I can get to become a millionaire- I mean it, a real millionaire!

A Trillionaire!!

Hanoi, here I come!!

The Love That Counts

2010-05-23T00:50:00.004+08:00

Music: Kotaro Oshio - Rushin' Mood: The lazy Saturday mode

The Court Order

The Arrest Warrant

It is never a child's decision whether to relinquish her gratitude towards the hands that brought her up; there should never be a choice.

Mum's birthday and Mother's day are very close to each other, so it's always a combo from us - to celebrate Mother's Day and 'kind of' forgo the birthday that comes later.

She had a few celebrations at office- a green tea cake from a department, a decadent chocolate mousse cake courtesy from the Hotel, a cheese cake from another department, another chocolate cake from yet another department; then came home with some leftovers.

All of that aside, it was this "tiny, horrible looking cake" that mattered the most to her.

The daughters who came back for dinner and the Birthday song sang by us mattered the most.

If love is tangible, I hope the fat stack counts!

To the heavyweight of the family, it is an undisputed love.

Pain

2010-05-06T11:31:00.003+08:00

Music: None Mood: Blur

"Okay... We'll need to inject these medicine so your brain will appear clearer during the scanning process."

"Is this more painful or blood test is more painful?" I shrunk a little after seeing the bed of needles.

"hmm....you can tell me the difference in 5 secs later."

The young doctor routinely poked the needle in my largest floating vein while answering me.

"Please warn me when the painful part is... ouch. OUCH!" I twitched sideways unintentionally.

"Oh no don't move, DON'T MOVE," He quickly pressed my arm. "This is the painful part, if you move while I'm pricking." He sigh as he checked whether the needle has gone lopsided.

You'll be itching to move about when you are in the hospital from 11.30am until 5.30pm. I'm being scheduled to two tests, in the end only one has been carried out at 5.30pm, somemore not tentatively at 5pm. Rounding up, I'll just say let thy three parties, i.e. Company, Insurance and Hospital communicate properly before they decide anything, the suffering falls on you.

Took this picture outside the changing room while the young doctor prepared and explained the procedures to an old Belgian lady who doesn't understand English, whereas the persistent daughter demanded to stay in the testing room when the brain MRI is being carried out later.

I'm so cold my fingers turned purple with nothing but this orange jail robe.

Luckily the results were fine, nothing's wrong with my brain, probably a bit blunt for not working for the past two weeks. Now, my worst nightmare - liver and stomach.

Chinese New Year (Part 3) - The Office

2010-02-28T21:28:00.003+08:00

Music: John Legend - Sun Comes Up Mood: Hooot!

The lion dance troupe visits the company every year, which is a norm to most but to me it's an absolute first experience and I'm as excited as a kid on Christmas day.

Our very own Choi San Ye a.k.a Mister Potato~

The troupe will proceed to every floor to spread prosperity and good luck which started at 11.30 am and ended at 1.30pm, to each manager's room and any cubicle that places mandarin oranges on top. I'm lucky as the President's room is located at the same floor as I am, thus we are amongst the first to welcome the troupe before they lay flat of exhaustion.

The big shots must HUAT first. If they don't HUAT, we all no need to think of HUAT.

They were so nice to give me a red packet to put in between two of the oranges I placed on my cubicle, which is deemed as the 'correct' way. I got a fat black lion but I'm still as excited as I can be.

The Marketing people were so nice to invite HR over for a final round of Lou Sang session by the end of last Thursday, a freshly home made one somemore.

I swear I can only hear "Promotion ah!" and "Increment ah!" coming directly at our faces.

The Japanese Manager who joined us asked, "Ne, what's the meaning of doing this during Chinese New Year?"

..........................

I'm like the rest, bury my face to the paper plate and continue eating.

P.S.: There, I've Wiki it, go read how Yee Sang come about.

Chinese New Year (Part 2) - The Mexican Dinner

2010-02-28T20:22:00.005+08:00

Music: Jim Noir - I Met You Mood: Sticky

The Aunt from US is back for CNY celebration and volunteered to cook an 'unusual' CNY meal - a Mexican Dinner!

Women at work in their territory. You mess with them you don't get to eat.

They are baking gurus at home but totally clueless on how to melt the cheese using this microwave.

A table full of western goodies! Mashed potatoes, asparagus with mayo and anchovies, marshmallows, rasberry jam, crackers... sounds like a mixture of tea party and dinner.

The turkey to go with rasberry jam - I think the aunt brought it from US.

Tortillas with Salsa - I think she brought 70% of the ingredients from US as it cost so much lesser there. Imagine how much would a bag of taco chips that's equivalent to the size of a big bag of 2 kg dog food would cost here??

Fruit salad with loootsa greens. Mum said this is my ideal kind of dinner. Heh.

She taught us the correct sequence of savouring the 'unusual' meal: "we eat this every year during Thanksgiving, first you put in the asparagus, then the mashed potatoes, then the sauce that goes on top..." must STRICTLY follow the sequence!

"But...but... where's the meat??" Uncle whined after she plopped it into his hand. "You can have the meat after finishing this!" She commanded.

"No meat is just as good as not having dinner!" He scurried away with few big pieces of turkey after aunty turned to the kitchen.

This is Chloe! My cutest ever niece who called me "Aunty" (which by the way is being convinced by a group of evil brothers) until I buy her over by camwhoring with her.

Meet my mum's side's relatives from Johor!

Not forgetting a picture with the imported chef, the rosy cheek aunt who made us warm apple cider and cold apple pie in this hot weather ^.^

Chinese New Year (Part 1) - The Reunion

2010-02-28T17:25:00.003+08:00

Music: The Postal Service - Such Great Heights Mood: Rainy & hot at the same time

I once dug out an old local comic book, duly signed by the famous cartoonist himself, Lat to my dad. The cartoonist illustrated families would chase chickens all over the kampung for a sumptuous Chinese New Year feast; children used to stand on tables close to the pendaflour lights to guess their ang pow collections while the adults mah-jong away; young and old kids playing home made firecrackers as huge as lemang after dinner; everyone would stay up to anticipate firecrackers that will go off altogether at 12am.

Gone were the good old days. How to play firecrackers when you couldn't find it around pasar malam anymore unless you get them the illegal way? How to throw mandarin oranges into lakes when the government thought that this is mere pollution? How to let off sky lanterns (孔明灯) when the same group of loonies thought they are dangerous to aircrafts?

Bannings aside, how many posted and hand written new year cards have you received lately? It has been conveniently replaced by forwarded SMSes- Next time, count your friends by counting the SMSes you received that year. How many of us have decided to go travelling instead of troublesome visitations all over the country? I'll meekly put my hand up, mine started 3 years ago.

We used to drive up North to Parit Buntar on CNY Eve, stayed for two nights then back to KL, then drive down South to Muar for another one night. There used to be a merry number of us celebrating with grandparents. As all of them were deceased, families moved over to KL and gatherings seemed more and more like a mission impossible. From then on, our family celebrated CNY by going for short local getaways. We have promised the relatives up South for a visit this year, I think dad slacked off and I thought he even felt glad that he wasn't feeling too well to escape driving back in this hot spell.

Since most relatives down South have shifted to KL, we decided to host a reunion dinner this time.

It has to be the best way to test whether your cooking skills have excel or fallen backwards since our relatives were a brutally honest lot. They loved the black pepper chicken but pointed out the half cooked deep fried meat rolls (肉羹). The maid who cooks everyday made the former whereas mum who reduced cooking lately made the latter. Anyway she's able to find excuse by complaining she wanted to stuff the rolls with as much meat as possible but the skin was too thick and bla bla bla she went...

I love the CNY reunions, always amazed by how much the cousins have grown over the years. From cry-babies to matured working young adults.

First Day Of Chinese New Year

The usual on-the-road traffic can only be found at popular temples like Tien Hou Temple.

Parents pushing terrified kids to the lions.

The places to spend money without thinking: on candles and drawing lots.

The 'Fate changing' windmills.

See? It's easy to earn women's money. Just show them something that could bling like gold or diamond.

Chinese New Year Dinner @ Toh Yuen Restaurant, PJ Hilton

2010-02-17T02:41:00.002+08:00

Music: Swing- 让左脚先行一步 Mood: Relaxed

When all 11 heads decided not to go lunch and to save their appetites for the scrumptious dinner, then only I found out not everyone can do the ‘Kit Feat’.

Rule number 1 of ‘Kit Feat’: NEVER cry hunger. This was broken at 4 pm- people started rummaging for food, counting down the hours till dinner and not forgetting to complain how the hell did they got tugged in to do the ‘Kit Feat’.

“Can you serve at 6.30 pm?”
“Aiyo why you call so late? The chefs already got their orders ready la.”
“Just accommodate for one table laa, we are rushing, SERIOUSLY.”
“I’ll ask them whether can serve at 6.45 pm la,”
“OK better than nothing, please remember to serve at least 3 dishes at once!”
“OK OK, you want all to serve at once also can.”

Obviously, my negotiation skills were lousy yet enough to keep them busy earlier (They blocked the other patrons who came early but booked at 7 pm). The kitchen should have not been opened before 7 pm, they must have been trying to please the ‘very hungry like hungry ghost crew’ a.k.a us, therefore allowing us to sit ourselves before 7 pm. Nonetheless, 50% of the negotiation went down the drain, they still serve us after 7 pm and dishes came one by one until can zzzzz….

Salmon Yee Sang

Lou ah! Lou ah! Lou until everyone huat and no need to work ah!!

Happiness Shark’s Fin with Eight Treasure in Brown Sauce
The soup represents the ‘soul’ of the dinner, having good shark fin’s soup symbolizes good wealth- This is thick but not starchy, absolutely boneless and odourless.

Crispy Spring Chicken Served with Plum Sauce
The honey + sour plum powder were placed separately in two small bowls, it was completely overlooked until boss remarked why the chicken don’t have the slightest hint of plum taste. Well that happened when everyone almost finished their shares. Heh.

How do you enjoy good chicken in a posh restaurant?

Posh or not posh, use hand lah!

Home Style Steamed Cod Fish
Portuguese are long known for their love for cod fish, there is an exaggerated saying that they have a codfish recipe for every day of the year. The most famous ways to cook it are none other than bolinhos de bacalhau (salt cod fritters) and also the steaming method. This cod fish is thoroughly enjoyed by all- it was perfectly steamed where its meat flakes easily but not broken apart when served, whereas the light marinated sauce have brought out its mild taste.

Stir-fried Prawn in ‘Kam Heong Style’
At this point, I despised my prawn phobia. This dish smells terrific, Jess walloped the last few prawns, I think she scraped clean the dish too.

Braised Broccoli with Abalone Mushroom
I thought these were abalone at first, then only found out they are hugeass oyster mushrooms. It taste subtle, well done with the soft broccoli; I still think it will excel if they pair the mushrooms with scallops or meat.

Fried Noodle with Seafood
Luckily I didn’t ordered glutinous rice as I’m stuffed up till my throat already. The noodles were not oily and springy but I only had one spoonful. Kudos to the rest who are not wasteful like me!

Deep Fried New Year Cake
Looks like pisang goreng (Deep Fried Banana), they are corn flour with sticky new year cakes and sweet potatoes fillings.

Sweetened Sesame Dumpling Soup with Ginger
Ugh, should have requested them to drop the ‘sweetened’ part, the dumplings were quite rubbery too.

The bill came up to RM1212++, quite standard for a meal in a hotel restaurant. Lesson learned: NON-HALAL restaurants still win hands down, no wonder I think a CNY dinner is incomplete without any lap cheong (Chinese waxed sausages) or the secret ingredient- the lard which creates the smoky nutty taste.

Location: Toh Yuen Chinese Restaurant, PJ Hilton, No. 2, Jalan Barat, 46200 Petaling Jaya Selangor
Opening Hours:
12am – 10.30pm (Mon- Sat)
11am- 10.30pm (Sun)
Contact no.: 03-7955 9122 Ext 4073/4074
Map:

View Hilton PJ in a larger map

The Omen

2010-02-09T23:38:00.005+08:00

Music: None Mood: full

Last evening, there was this weird looking uncle who approached me all of a sudden in a hall. I guess he must be pretty drunk as he is flushed all over, from face to clothes. As he stood before me, he handed me a cookie and said, “Have a cookie and eat it,” then walked off to somewhere else towards another victim.

I have never accepted food from a total stranger and worst still, eat it too. I must have not been in my right mind that day; I tore opened the wrapper in a jiffy and obediently popped half the cookie into my mouth. The uncle did the same to the rest of his victim and surprisingly, they repeated what I just did moments ago as if they were being hypnotized.

As if this was not weird enough, two lions pounced out of nowhere all of a sudden and began attacking citizens in the hall. I was one of the unlucky people there; they brushed past me twice and bit me all over each time, the rest would look on without lending a helping hand.

Coming back to the weird uncle. Fortunately, I managed to snap a photo of him before he got away. Take a look at him and remember this highly Wanted face:

His attempt to choke me with a hidden paper in his cookie was unsuccessful too.

You think I so easy to die ar? He must have wanted me to dissolve it without knowing the killer message.

The man is out on a prowl now. If you see him, please catch and hide him in your home before he run amok again. He will work for you, will do OT everyday; kindly be duly warned about the sign that is about to follow you all year round, like this $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$.................

Bellygood @ Sunway Mentari, Bandar Sunway

2010-01-17T17:54:00.003+08:00

Music: F.I.R- 荆棘里的花 Mood: Youtube addiction

If eating can be translated to the same language as fashion, pork must be the ‘in’ thing now, like everyone swarming into Coach Outlets during the year-end clearance sale, a phenomenon that is unseen 6, 7 years ago. If you are resisting pork like avoiding the long gone J.E., you must be living in a cave since the outbreak.

Situated at the bustling site of Sunway, Sunway Mentari is famous for its wide variety of Steamboat restaurants. I, for one will feel surprised, how the odd one out can survive among giants like Tasty Pot and Yuen Steamboat. Bellygood was once called Wendy’s Bistro, perhaps to avoid answering repetitive questions like ‘who’s this Wendy fella?’, they changed the name to the current one for good, with two porky heads inserted into the O’s, brilliantly clarifying all queries once and for all.

We were there for dinner twice. First time, it was quite empty when we arrived at about 6 something, but they have reserved and combined a few tables probably for some gathering. Second round, we were the third occupants. In this tiny but homey restaurant, the conversation which I overheard from the old couple seated behind us was reassuring –
“I love their baby back ribs,”
“yep, that’s enough to bring us back here.”

Grilled Bacon Salad with Honey Mustard Dressing - RM23.90
I’m relieved to find the grilled bacon was not very oily as I couldn’t stomach too much of the substance. In fact, not a hint of oil can be found when you reach the bottom. The honey mustard must be home-made, so original and complementing.

Smoked Salmon Salad - RM23.90
The only meat on the menu that’s not pork. I enjoyed it as much as I enjoy eating sashimi, the serving is also more than enough for two.

Baked Portobello Mushroom with Garlic Butter and Cheese - RM12.50
I will label it ‘meaty’ as it’s so thick and juicy! This doesn’t have that sour aftertaste that mushrooms normally had, while the garlic butter give the mushrooms a fragrant finish.

Mixed Platter - RM23.90
A combination of grilled pork belly and grilled pork ribs, satisfying your crave for both parts at once. Their pork belly successfully defends itself as the signature dish everyone raved about. It was well marinated in pekin sauce, sweet and succulent minus the heavy porky odour.

Pork Chop Pan Seared with Pork Juice - RM25.90
This was not gamey, credit goes to the savory sauce that made the pork addictive. I absolutely love their mashed potato too!

Service is friendly and prompt as the owner’s daughter will be around to recommend dishes while her mother is one of the chefs behind all sumptuous dishes. Not ready to pay big bucks at German food Outlets? This is a place recommended for those who want to enjoy good pork at a very decent price.

Address: Bellygood, 20, Jalan PJS 8/18, Sunway Mentari, 46150 Petaling Jaya
Contact no.: 03-5630 1699
Opening Hours: Tues – Sun, 11am – 11pm
Website: http://www.bellygood.com.my/Home.aspx
Map:

Shannen’s Farewell Dinner @ The Ming Room, BSC

2009-12-27T13:20:00.002+08:00

Music: Joe Williams & Sarah Vaughan - If I Were A Bell Mood: lazy

I wanted to book Grand Imperial as everyone loved their dim sum but I couldn’t remember this restaurant’s name. So when I googled “BSC Chinese restaurant”, The Ming Room appeared and I trusted my instinct. I think I nearly killed myself when I found out it’s a wrong restaurant (Jess and Vanness marched confidently into Grand Imperial when I stood with mouth agape while spelling the restaurant’s name outside, luckily they didn’t barge into anyone’s pre-booked room). Good thing they just laughed off by saying Boss will only be the one feeling upset as he couldn’t see his Gong Li *wink*.

For those who haven’t already know, The Ming Room also belongs to Oriental Restaurants, the famous restaurant group around Klang Valley that specializes in fine dining Chinese Cuisine.

I have to shower praises to their PICs for being such good listeners. Why?

1) When I pre-ordered the menu over the phone, the lady Captain totally take note of our ten-pax headcount, and so the dishes served were for ten big eaters, not 2 males and 8 females.

2) When we requested the waitress who is in charge of serving us for the dishes to be served a little faster, she immediately called out in her walkie talkie , “Dishes for room XX, for ten-pax, must FAST, must FAST!”

3) Colleagues were so readily acknowledged of my photo addiction, they stopped the waitress from further dividing the dish into ten portion before the first dish was served until photos were taken. After that, this very same waitress took note and stopped her people from serving us before I sheepishly ran and snap EACH dish.

Even the tidbits were good.

北京片皮鸭 (Peking Duck)
The way of savouring a Peking duck is to slice out its skin, then place it with a piece of scallion wrapped in a thin sheet of pancake that is smoothen with a drop of sweet soy bean sauce. The skin is crispy and does not drip oil when eaten, the sweet soy sauce and scallion complements the whole package nicely. Boss thought the Grand Imperial serve better Peking Duck, I, too nodded in agreement.

味增炬白吞拿鱼 (Baked White Tuna Fish with Miso Sauce)
Everyone gets one big slice of this. Taste a little like the fried tuna found in bento sets, but this is not salty at all even it is served without rice, baked to perfection without any fishy aftertaste.

海鲜褒 (Claypot Seafood)
Rowena’s ideal pot of goodies. Everything was enormous, from prawn to sea cucumber, and very fresh.

菠菜鸳鸯豆腐 (Tofu with Bok Choi)
Since, we had claypot seafood, we opt for a different kind of tofu instead of the normal claypot tofu. They recommended this dish to me. The seaweed covered bean curd did not steal the limelight, but the soft spinach buried underneath was so tasteful, I think it might change a carnivore’s mind.

炭烧排骨 (Charcoal Grilled Spare Ribs)
Everyone had a jaw dropping moment when we were served a plate this each. Maybe it came from different pigs, the ribs’ quality varies. Jess’s one was tender, boss’s one however, was like chewing gum. I think he might have a stomach-full of indigested ribs that night!

生菜包鸭松 (Fried Minced Duck Meat with Lettuce)
Another duck dish. I didn’t try this but I thought most probably it is one of those not-too-bad creations – no one applauded or complained.

长寿面 (Longevity Noodles)
Longevity noodles, long enough to represent Shannen’s years of service in FX, and a happy long life ahead.

芝麻炸汤圆 (Deep-fried Sesame Glutinous Balls)
Like a finger food, these are made to satisfy one’s sweet tooth at two bites. It doesn’t spurt oil even though it’s deep-fried; fresh off the stove, this is crispy and light.

Talk to the finger; ask him how light the balls are.

野山雪梨炖白玉丹 (Double-boiled Sea Coconut with Snow Pear)
What a great appetizer to end the meal- refreshing, warm and unburdening.

The closing speech, swift and happy.

I know you fit in nicely at the new company now :) We wish you all the best, Shannen!

Address: The Ming Room Restaurant, T109, 3rd Floor, Bangsar Shopping Centre (BSC), KL
Tel: 03-22848822
Opening Hours: Mon-Sat- 11.30am-3pm, 6pm-11pm

Sun & public holidays- 10am- 3pm, 6pm-11pm

Click here for map to Bangsar Shopping Centre.

Lynn's Wedding @ Oriental Pavilion, Jaya 33

2009-12-13T01:27:00.003+08:00

Music: Dennis Lau - Prelude in F minor Mood: Tensed

Oh how happy a day it is to witness a couple of more than ten years to finally tie the knot in this lovely Saturday afternoon. Compared to their first wedding banquet back in Kelantan where about 700 guests attended the grand ceremony, this smaller scale luncheon was more like a warm get-together dedicated to their friends around Klang Valley.

I have to compliment the whole wedding package that included the wedding album, indoor and outdoor shots, 3 gowns and 2 MTVs (not sure whether this bunting is included or not). They look absolutely stunning!

I'm so glad to see them again, lovely lovely faces where I use to see daily.

Can you see a sea of purple?? There's me and uncle Kevin,

There's also Angie and hubby and of course the bride herself. It was purely coincidence!

For those who do not know, Oriental Pavilion is one of the restaurants under Oriental Group of Restaurants which specialises in Chinese fine dining (including Noble House, Noble Banquet, The Ming Room and Maju Palace). The food was without a doubt, tantalizing.

1)幸福四热荤 (Special Four Combinations)

2) 蟹皇鱼翅 (Braised Shark's Fin Soup with Crab roe)

3) 手扒鸡伴醉鸡卷 (Roasted Crispy Shatin Chicken with Drunken Chicken Roll)

4) 客家蒸河巴丁(Steamed Patin 'Hakka' Style)

5) 沙律鲜虾伴软壳蟹 (Salad Prawns & Deep Fried Soft Shell Crab)

6) 碧玉法海圃团 (Braised Assorted Mushroom Wrapped in Chinese Cabbage)

7) 潮酱银芽炒香饭 (Fried Rice with Bean Sprout & Teow Chew Spicy Sauce)

8) 千层马来糕伴酥皮窝饼 (Thousand Layered Sponge Custard & Chinese Pancake)

9) 红莲蜜影 (Double-Boiled Honeydew with White Fungus)

The duo who never fail to amuse. Dessert, anyone?

Since there's not many of us, 2 of our tables deemed to be the loudest during the toasting ceremony.

Again, I felt blessed to be among the happy faces.

No, I thank YOU! One big toast to an eternal tie and many little Weis and little Lynns to be hatched soon, Lynn ^^

One Chef @ Jaya One – Made With Love?

2009-12-10T01:04:00.002+08:00

Music: 旺福-鸟呗 Mood: Hot

I’m not going to blog about this place. Instead, I’m going to tell you three mistakes one should never make before your first visit to a newly opened eatery.

What brought us here? Because other restaurants were so full till it spills, then we notice this bright new café at the same time.

We settled down and the blur new waiter took our orders minutes later and left in a hurry.

Mistake number 1: The blur new waiter forgot to repeat our orders, so did we.

As tables started to fill after awhile, we notice the second mistake.

Mistake number 2: We forgot to survey whether patrons who were before us have started eating or not. Turns out almost NO tables were served with food yet. What a way to chase away your customers.

Boss challenged, “I bet food will only be served at least after 1.20pm.” He said this somewhere at 12.50pm, and damn right he is. Our first drink only came 15 minutes after the order, subsequent drinks came 10 minutes apart. Over the drinks counter, I noticed the new kitchen crew blended my carrot juice not in a loud continuous Rrrrrrrr, but a stop and go and stop and go, maybe still fiddling how the juicer works. He filled my glass half full with ice so the drink turned out to be totally tasteless, the same applies to Jess’s iced cappuccino.

The turnaround time per dish is so slow, almost all customers had their eyes fixed upon the kitchen. Only one miserable dish is being served every 5 minutes!

Suddenly, boss exclaimed, “I know why our food is so slow! Look!” He spotted a tiny clause spread across the back flap of the menu.

Why food is so slow? Because they don’t just prepare your food, they MAKE LOVE to it too! No wonder, since everyone is busy making love in the kitchen!

Mistake number 3: Read carefully all statements made by the restaurant before complaining. We all wailed, “We do good without love, just serve the damn food please!!!”

In the end, Jess’s order was being left out and we couldn’t care less about reminding them as it was already over 2 pm.

The verdict: Next time, ask first whether the food goes WITH LOVE or not and decide whether you want to pay 10% service charge to your added love.

Canton-i @ The Gardens & Sunway Pyramid

2009-12-05T01:53:00.003+08:00

Music: None Mood: Sleepy

After the widely successful Dragon-i, the investors did not waste much time but to continue on digging the Chinese cuisine gold mine – Shanghainese then, Cantonese now. If Kim Gary Restaurants are much too ‘novice’ to some, Canton-i would be your veteran level pick.

Their pink and white theme certainly is chic and inviting. Mirrors are designed all over its walls to give an illusion of a spacious compound. Too bad reality prevails, the tables are arranged so close to each other, you can even eavesdrop clearly what your neighboring tables’ discussions are. This may seem fine in Kim Gary that targets youngsters, but no so in Canton-i.

Sunway Pyramid branch

I’ve combined two visits to two different outlets here: one at Sunway Pyramid, another at The Gardens which is the latest.

Honolulu Coffee (檀岛咖啡) - RM5.50
Originated from Honolulu Coffee Shop (檀岛咖啡饼店) at Central (中环), Hong Kong. A must-try for all coffee kaki-s.

Ngo Jie’s Steamed Mixed Vegetable Dumpling (娥姐蒸粉果) - RM8
Looks more on the greasy side, most probably done it on purpose to prevent them from sticking onto the paper. They said it tasted alright, with rich variety of fillings.

One may wonder how the name ‘Ngo Jie’ Fan Guo(娥姐蒸粉果) came about. In the early 40’s, a maid named ‘Ngo Jie’ worked in a rich family. One day, the family hosted a dinner and asked Ngo Jie to prepare a few special dishes. She came up with the idea of using grinded rice and water to make dumpling skins, stir-fried some pork, shrimp, mushroom and bamboo shoots as fillings, then steamed them into dumplings. The guests loved them so much, it was the talk of town soon after. Then, a restaurant owner though he would earn big bucks with this new creation, bought over Ngo Jie to work at the restaurant. True enough, the restaurant became more and more popular as a result of these dumplings. Till this day, the dumplings were named after Ngo Jie and were recreated in numerous shapes and with different fillings.

Steam Rice Flour Noodles with Chinese Dough Fritters (广东炸两) – RM7.80
The look of this popular Gwong Dong style snack speaks bluntly for itself: fried crullers wrap in chee cheong fun skin, eaten with hot dipping soy sauce. The sticky cheong fun skin is not too nicely done, but the crunchy crullers still saved the day.

Wonton & Char Siew Noodles (双拼捞面) – RM13.80
How can we leave this place without trying their self-proclaimed famous char siew? So we ordered this combination, the char siew were nicely covered in sticky sweet honey sauce, just nice to complement the ‘average’ noodles.

Stir Fried Rice Noodles with Sliced Beef (铁板沙爹干炒牛河) – RM15
Ordered this on a different visit at Pyramid branch. It’s a rather big portion and very aromatic. You will eventually have a hard time finishing as it is quite oily. Most probably it’s the hot plate that traps oil~

Fried Noodles with Shredded Pork & Mushroom (银芽花菇肉丝炒面) – RM14
An ordinary-looking dish but much less oily when it is served in a NORMAL plate. They go generous with shredded pork and were not rubbery, the springy noodles were quite tasty too. But then again, it is hard to mess up something ordinary like this.

Fried Turnip Cake with XO Sauce (XO酱炒萝卜糕) – RM12
A generous portion as well with good looking big prawns. This is great! They fried the cubes until a little charred, making the outer layer a bit crispy. Very flavourful and addictive!

Steamed Pork & Shrimp Dumplings (鲜虾烧卖) – RM9
Very pricey, but with four pieces per serving and a visible shrimp that topped each siu mai, I shall not complain.

Steamed Prawn Dumplings (状元虾饺皇) – RM10
I can see big fresh shrimps in each translucent piece… This must be devoured whole since the thin skin tears easily.

Steamed Prawn Dumplings in Soup (虾饺皇)
A different but common variation in soup - ordinary and forgettable.

Deep Fried Aromatic Duck Spring Roll (香酥鸭丝春卷) – RM9
Didn’t tried this but the others who did, have no complains or exclamations over it. I think the fried skin was too overpowering, making the duck fillings almost forgettable.

Steamed Egg Yolk & Custard Bun (香芋流沙奶皇包) – RM6
I’ve read and seen pictures of the oozing custard fillings. Yes, the violet buns are soft; but alas, where oh where is the wondrous overflowing picture?? This proves that there’s no QC around here. I’ll try this again at One Utama branch, MUST do so.

Steamed Fish Maw Stuffed with Minced Pork & Prawn (百花酿鱼肚) – RM13
This was included in their new menu. I totally enjoyed the texture of well minced meat with fish maw underneath. The fish maw was not gummy or tasteless but blends in nicely with good steaming techniques. Thumbs up for the innovative dim sum!

Sliced Fish & Lean Meat Congee (双拼粥-鲩鱼片 & 咸瘦肉) – RM11.80

Sliced Fish & Meatballs Congee (鲩鱼片肉丸粥) – RM11.80
A mixture of several types of rice and boiled for more than five hours – resulting these smooth-like-baby food kind of congee. Thick, silky and fragrant.

Red Bean with Black Jelly Sago Cream (红豆凉粉捞) – RM8
Ordered this for the sake of mum’s craving for sweet desserts. What black jelly sago cream… looked more like chin cau with melted cream. So tasteless and disappointing.

Sweetened Ground Peanut Puree (花生糊) – RM6
Looks sweet but to my surprise, it’s just nice and not gooey. I only took two sips, the next thing I knew, dad gobbled the entire serving in less than five minutes.

If price is not an issue, this is a good place for families to enjoy lunch before shopping. ACTUALLY, Canton-i’s main attraction is the so called famous roast pork but we did not try them as I think they were overpriced. I will revisit again, maybe to try the roast pork on one fine day if I ever come across with more recommendations!

Location: LG-202 & 203A, Lower Ground Floor, The Gardens
Tel: 03- 22846888
Website: www.canton-i.com

Popular Warehouse Sale @ The Summit, USJ

2009-11-28T01:34:00.006+08:00

Music: Olive- L.O.V.E Mood: Trying to relax

I remember my first visit to The Summit, it was in Form Three during a visit organized by the school's Unit Kemahiran Hidup to a Dinasour Exhibition. I could vividly recalled that their lifts wasn't functioning, so we took the escalators floor by floor from the top to lower ground floor. Then I swore that I don't want to set foot here anymore.

But then again... Here I am, TEN years later to check out this Popular Bookstore Warehouse Sale urged by Shannen, who claimed to be 'the most unbelievable warehouse sale' she's ever been.

Guess what? We parked at Level B3 and the lifts were NOT FUNCTIONING. This HAS to be some kind of joke! How could something happened twice after 10 years -_-||| So we clambered up to lower ground floor then use the escalators up to 4th floor. I already started cursing under my breath "This has got to be 'unbelievable' or else...!"

First look at this immediately reminds me of Big Bad Wolf Books Warehouse Sale early this year, only difference is 70% will be Chinese books. Most books are deducted up to 80%!

Recipe books that are normally priced at RM35++ are down to a mere RM7. This is a time you can see aunties jamming their shopping baskets with books instead of groceries.

Failed to find a traveling guide to Bangkok, I rummaged through a lot of China related traveling guides instead.

Fictions have at least 70% discount.

Some at 90%....

Some even at a durian runtuh price of RM1.

ALL Children books have 80% discount, this section is so long I couldn't even see the other end.

The minority English books have 20%~70% deductions.

Three of us bought no less than 30 books at the price of not more than RM130! What are you waiting for? It's up till next week!

Today is November 9, 2009

2009-11-09T21:16:00.002+08:00

Music: None Mood: Stomach ache

Today is 9th November.

Today is mah birthday.

Today I'm working.

Today I didn't go on leave.

Today I don't have birthday leave.

Today I worked until 7.15pm.

Today I reached home at 8pm.

Sigh.

On the other hand, I received many many birthday smses today.

I received many birthday calls today.

I received several email wishes today.

Colleagues belanja me to lunch at Kimchiharu today.

Colleagues gave me a surprise little gift today.

I just found out Cheryl is engaged last week by today.

I just found out priscilla is going on a business trip to Paris soon by today (way to go gal!!).

I have a birthday cheese cake today.

I just knew so many friends actually care and love me today.

Thank you... thank you all... I really, sincerely appreciate it :)

Aaanyway, I'll fight to propose to give out birthday leaves for all staffs. For sure.

Chai Hoon's Farewell

2009-11-01T16:01:00.006+08:00

Music: Boyce Avenue- Because Of You Mood: Ready for dinner

We had a farewell dinner for our dear colleague Chai Hoon as she's happily kidnapped by her heartthrob and moving further away from the company, that's why I'm here- filling such big shoes of a seven-year staff!

Here's a peak at my cubicle as I started to snap quietly away in the morning :P

The cabinet behind me that is always filled with food.

Dinner at Oversea Restaurant (海外天大饭店), Jaya One.

Vegetables with Fried Fish Cake (什菜炒鱼饼)

Braised Tofu (长平豆腐)

Salted Fish with Pork (咸鱼花腩褒)

Steamed Pomfret (清蒸鲳鱼)

Salad Prawn (沙律虾球)

Char Siew & Siew Yoke (叉烧烧肉)

Mini Steamed Chicken (迷你鸡)

Mixed Fruits Platter (什果)

Meet my all-female peers in HR Department.

The bosses in HR. They have been working here for at least more than 15 years. When boss mentioned one of the Senior Manager (he called her the Dean of Faculty of History ^^) who has been attached to the company since 1984, I can't help but exclaimed, "Golly, I'm just born that year!" My big boss is considered a new kid on the block since he only joined 4 and a half years back. Guess who's my big boss?

There he is! The one buying the bill...

Also the one who made everyone drink bottoms up before dinner...

...and the ones who clowned around the most.

See lah, made people laugh until cry!

This is the final lunch we had on last Friday at a new cafe called Simply Fusion@ Jaya One.

Chai Hoon with the bosses. (The insanely funny GM and made-of-steel HR Mgr)

Leng Lui posers!

Ice-Blended Apple and Pineapple Juice

Chocolate Drink

Club Sandwich

Sesame Chicken Chop with Salad and Rice

French Toast

Some Vietnamese Soup Noodles (I guess...?)

As a token of appreciation, we presented her with a photo-printed T-Shirt and forced her to frame it in her new house ^^.

It was a short encounter, but this one month is definitely a fruitful one. Thanks so much for being my mentor, I know I've missed out alot of fun but I'm going to miss you alot! May lady luck shine down your future path, let happiness be with you always~!

The Farewell- September 2009

2009-10-25T14:46:00.004+08:00

Music: Tony Bennett- Cold, Cold Heart Mood: Gloomy

Dulan customer representative- "Say no to C***i's!"

Famous for not taking reservations, we waited outside for another 3 to arrive. Sam asked the hostess of the day, "Can we go in since 70% of us are already here, the other 3 will reach anytime too?"

The cocky hostess just looked at 7 of us, held up a hi-five hand and said blandly, "wait."

Obviously unsatisfied with her answer, Sam continue, "We've already been waiting for 10 mins, and we have a pregnant lady too, we just need to know whether you are keen to take in all f us?"

Again, she stretched out that no. 5 and frown, "I'm not sure, you need to wait."

We don't want to be bitchy customers, but what kind of customer- first service is this?? Sam is furious now, she then did her 'thang', "Look, you need to let us know early too whether you have a table long enough to fit in 10 of us, if not, just tell us and we'll look for another restaurant right now!"

Rude hostess gave us as-a-matter-of-fact-I'm still- winning-answer,"I'm waiting for them to set up the table, so you still need to wait here."

Sam is already burning, "Did you told us you are setting up your table just now?? Can't you just tell us you are setting up the tables earlier instead of saying WAIT WAIT WAIT??"

Rude hostess doesn't know how to answer but to float again from fight scene.

After awhile, she ushered us to the tables. We stared at the tables and looked at each other: For the love of God, they gave us 2 tables at a corner with very limited space and impossible to fit in 10 pax. Look, we weren't exactly very tiny and there's a preggar too, we can barely move! We called a waiter and asked to shift to a more spacious vacant table right at another corner (I wonder why they didn't let us sit there in the first place). He replied with a dumb answer, "I need to ask the hostess first."

Then came the rude hostess again. She put on an annoyed face and asked, "How may I help you?" We repeated our request and she threw in the same reply, "Wait."

I feel like punching her at this point of time!! It's a weekday, the restaurant is half full, nobody is occupying big tables why not just move us immediately???

She came back after a few mins and say, " Sure no problem, you can change table now." Damnit, the entire waiting process took us more than 30 minutes to settle down in a half empty restaurant!

Of course need to complain lah!

Angry emotions aside, dinner still goes on, lucky to have good friends around to cool down the mood.

They just became the main attraction of the night :P

The other happy "graduate" of the night.

Ah? You taking my photo? Lemme sit properly first...

Yerr....!! That one not nice to eat one...!

Orange juice in 3 different colours- Where is the QC??

Thank God the rest of the food did not hold a grudge against us.

Triple Dipper.

Chicken Caesar Salad

I think this is Chili's Classic Sirloin?

Grilled Salmon with Garlic & Herbs

Monterey Chicken I think...

An extremely sweet dessert to end the dinner- Molten Chocolate Cake.

The lot can still scrap the last bit off the plate.

Thanks guys... I enjoyed the company :)

The last morning.

A final look at my desk:

The check-out form.

The final lunch:

See what see??

Sok Mei ah...

Too late to hide ^^

You all molded me into shape, I'm happy because of you guys, I sustained because of you guys. You all rawk!! Please remember there's a little Kit who will always miss your company :)

Hong Kong Trip, Day 5 (Back home!!)

2009-10-11T15:04:00.002+08:00

Music: Antonio Carlos Jobim- Corcovado Mood: Lazy Sunday Afternoon

As our plane departure is at 11.30 am, we need to arrive the airport 2 hours earlier. We settled breakfast in our rooms and checked out at about 9 am.

A last picture taken at Kee Wah Bakery (奇华饼家) before boarding.

Goodbye HK and hello AirAsia~

My prized booty! I think I spent less than RM1,300 on these.

The FMA set that is still unavailable in M'sia! Bought these originals for less than RM70 ^^

Shopping in HK is definitely more exiting than in Taiwan, IF money is not an issue of course since everything can burn a hole in your pocket easily. Time is too precious to Hongkies, everything is about speed and money and business, that's why friendliness is still left undesired. Even so, I'll be back again- for the shopping!

Hong Kong Trip, Day 4 (Central, Causeway Bay & Tsim Sha Tsui)

2009-10-11T03:27:00.005+08:00

Music: Norah Jones- The Nearness Of You Mood: Lazy

Here we are again at Jordan for breakfast at Australian Dairy Company (澳洲牛奶公司, 白加士街47號地下). Get out at C1 exit, the restaurant is just a street away at Parkes Street. Australian Dairy Company is one of the most sought after breakfast dining place voted by picky Hongkies at www.openrice.com .

The restaurant is jam-packed with people, we were seated at once when someone left their table, and being attended almost immediately in 30 seconds. Needless to say I placed our orders at top speed without thinking.

Buttered Bread with Double Fried Eggs (牛油方包＋西煎双蛋)
I REGRETTED for not using my brains before ordering- I wanted SCRAMBLE eggs!! !!Not FRIED eggs!!! This wasn't bad but there goes my legendary heard-it-all-about, melt-in-your-mouth scramble eggs *Pounds head on table*

Shredded Ham with Macaroni in Soup (火腿通粉)
The soup is a bit salty but I enjoyed the soft ham, at least the macaroni is cooked till al dente.

Almond Steamed Milk (杏汁燉蛋)
The aromatic whiff of almond calmed my bad mood a little. Almost like a milk pudding, you can start singing praises to the smooth texture.

Hot Fresh Milk (热鲜奶)
What is a breakfast without fresh milk at ADC? The milk is so fresh, I almost forgot I’m lactose intolerance. (That explains how my gastric lasted one whole week)

First stop- Central (中环)
Take MTR and get off at Central Station, then get out at D2 exit, You will be at Queen’s Road Central (皇后大道中). Follow this main road to find Cochrane Street (阁麟街), then there will be signs that lead you to Central Mid-Levels Travelator (中环至半山自动扶梯). According to Guinness Book of Records, this is the longest outdoor covered escalator system in the world which consists of 20 escalators and 3 moving sidewalks. The escalator runs downhill from 6am to 10am and uphill from 10.30am to midnight daily. So be aware of your arrival time, if not you might risk walking all the way uphill if you arrived too early.

They call this tramcar "Ding Ding Car" (叮叮车).

Dr. Sun Yat Sen Museum (孙中山纪念馆)
We actually didn’t plan to come here, but dad insisted on ‘paying-the-great-man-a-visit’, so here we are~

Actually they forbid photo taking, this is the only place at the ground floor that they allowed for photos, or can we…?? They mentioned ‘only with the statue’, hmmm, I think we got it wrong :P

Spotted this animal hospital with a really adorable name along the way.

Man Mo Temple (文武庙)
This is Hong Kong Island’s oldest and most important Taoist temple, named after two gods- the God of Literature, Man Tai (文帝), Man Cheong (文昌) and the God of War, Mo Tai (武帝), better known as Kuan Yu (关羽).

These incense coils can burn up to 3 weeks.

We then proceeded to this famous street- Hollywood Road (荷李活道古董街). The place has no whatsoever connections with the Hollywood movies; instead, it was named after the Hollywood Trees (冬青树) that used to grow everywhere around this area.

Hollywood Road is filled with antique shops of all sorts from Chinese to Western or Japanese. They are VERY pricey but still, it’s an eye opening experience to stroll down the streets.

If you put up a sign that forbids photo-taking, we will gladly do as we are told. This stall did not hang a sign or whatsoever note anywhere, so I snap a few pictures outside and this is when the lady in the picture, the owner walked out and screamed like a mad woman at us, ‘CANNOT TAKE PICTURE!CANNOT TAKE PICTURE! YOU ARE ALL VERY RUDE!! NEVER ASK FOR PERMISSION THEN SIMPLY TAKE PICTURES!!!’ At the same time, another lady owner beside her stall also came out and joined the scream feast, ‘YA LOH!! YA LOH!! SO RUDE!!’

These HAVE to be the worst mannered Hongkies I’ve ever encounter. If you despise the photo taking act, just put up a sign and we will definitely abide, no need to scream as we are not deaf! And what the effing hell is the second one scolding for?? That bloody absent minded crazy woman! No wonder there is almost no business going on here! Serve them right >.<

Lunch- Lin Heung Tea House (莲香楼, 中環威靈頓街160~164號)
Luckily is lunch time and we headed our way to the renowned Dim Sum shop around the corner. Lin Heung Tea House is one of the most sough- after restaurants in Hong Kong to enjoy dim sum, mention ‘dim sum’, people will say ‘Lin Heung Lau’!

Tables are forever occupied with diners at any point of time, you will have to adapt to the table sharing culture here; if not, you may end up standing for hours without a seat. Just stand beside a ‘potential’ table, preferably the size that suits closely to your crowd size and LOCK your target- this is to avoid having too many unknown diners to share the same table with you. Once your targets stand and prepare to leave, SIT down immediately once you get hold of the stool.

Once you are seated, the waiter will give you card that marks your ordered foodstuff. You see, Lin Heung don’t practice the normal Malaysian dim sum culture. If you see the dim sum cart being pushed out from kitchen, grab your card and RUN AFTER the cart. You have to SQUEEZE your way through the crowd for your food. Don’t just stand and look at the lady sweetly and expecting her to serve you, GRAB your choice of dim sum as soon as you get a view of them!

Char Siew Bao (叉烧包)
Soft and generously stuffed, not the extra-sweet char siew fillings that may taste rather bogus.

Siew Mai (烧卖)
The minced pork is really good, not gamey at all and its skin does not tear easily when one removes it from the paper film.

Pig’s Liver Siew Mai (猪肝烧卖)
Didn’t tried this, but they thought it’s a little too ‘heavy’ for their liking.

Chee Cheong Fun (猪肠粉)
Ordinary level, the skin could be smoother…

Rice Steamed in Lotus Leaves (荷叶饭)
Too plain, not much fillings can be found inside.

Har Gao (虾饺)
This is awesome! It taste as nice as it looks- two shrimps can be found in one har gao, very fresh and tender.

Next stop- Causeway Bay (铜锣湾)
Travel via MTR and get off at Causeway Bay. Your shopping experience at Hong Kong will not be completed without stopping by this area. Causeway Bay gathers round some of HK’s most expensive, biggest and diversified shopping malls, also known to have one of the most expensive rents in the world.

The bustling streets of Causeway Bay, the never ending crowd.

Times Square (时代广场)
Voted as one of the top ten places to visit in Hong Kong, Times Square is also the biggest shopping mall in Causeway Bay.

Lee Theatre Plaza (利舞台广场)
Situated near Times Square, it used to be HK’s most famous theatre. The building was renovated in 1990 and serves a new purpose as a shopping mall since then. The nostalgic Plaza is also a must- go spot among HK visitors.

The anchor stores of the mall- Uniqlo, a Japanese chain superstore and MUJI.

Sogo (崇光百货)

Dessert- Hui Lau Shan (许留山)
You can never miss this dessert shop in Hong Kong, it’s at every corner of the streets! The shop started off in 60’s selling just Guai Leng Gou (龟苓糕), their popularity increased since the creation of Mango Sago (芒果西米露) during the 90’s and emerged as the most sought after dessert shop in Hong Kong since then. The crowd is unbelievable in every single outlet, especially popular ones like this at shopping hotspots.

Black Glutinous Rice with Vanilla Ice Cream + Fruits Platter (鲜果海捞黑糯米) -$38
I love ‘em mangoes sooo much!! The fruits are darn sweet, no wonder almost all tables ordered one fruits platter.

Mango + watermelon Juice (鸳鸯果汁)
This comes together with the set above. It is about 355ml, damn thick and stodgy!

Pudding with Pomelo and Mango (杨枝金捞布丁)- $32
Pomelo taste a little bitter, but the sweet mango totally overcome the bitter aftertaste.

Island Beverly Shopping Centre (金百利)
Looking for uniqueness, diversity and budgeted for spending money? I can assure your money will be well spent here. This shopping centre is made up of many small boutiques, sort of like a Sungei Wang of Hong Kong. One can find the trendiest clothes and accessories here and uniqueness is well assured since most owners designed their own clothes.

Dinner- Mak’s Noodle (麦奀云吞面世家)
This should be HK’s most well known Wonton Noodle. One may say ‘think of wanton noodle, you’ll get Mak’s Noodle’. Their main shop is located at Central (中环), which still serves the best wanton noodles compared to the rest of their branches.

This place has not only been recommended by famous food critics like Choi Lan, So-Sze Wong (the host of So Far So Good!) and being featured on countless magazines, Anthony Bourdain also contributed by featuring it on Discovery channel’s Travel and Living.

Mak’s Wonton Noodle (世家云吞面)- $28
$28 for one measly bowl!! No wonder the shop literary means ‘Mak’s Stingy Noodle’, means you can devour a bowl in a few mouths. The noodle taste too alkaline whereas the wontons were just so-so. However, they did presented their wonton noodles in the most original way: Noodles on TOP and Wonton at the BOTTOM.

Shui Gao & Wonton (水饺云吞) - $30
Too over-priced for something this standard- not bad but nothing to shout about.

Porridge with Sliced Fish and Lettuce (鱼片生菜粥) - $38
They were generous with the fish slices, too bad it taste fishy.

Judging from the ‘overly good’ comments I read online, I can only figure that the main shop at Central must have served much better quality noodles. The Favourite Food Award sticker should be stripped of its eligibility at this particular outlet!

Last stop- Avenue of Stars, Tsim Sha Tsui (星光大道)

“A Symphony of Lights” (幻彩咏香江) has been awarded the world’s largest permanent light and sound show by the Guiness World Record. It’s a thematic synchronization of lights and laser featuring 44 buildings along Victoria Harbour alongside with music. The show has been broadcasted since year 2004, every night at 8pm along the Avenue of Stars.

We are supposed to be at Harbour City (海港城) right after the light show but we were dead on our feet, can hardly feel them as we crawled back to hotel and into bed~

End of Day 4

Hong Kong Trip, Day 3 (Ocean Park, The Peak, Tsim Sha Tsui)

2009-09-25T00:59:00.007+08:00

Music: lily Allen- 22 Mood: Revengeful

We took MTR and get off the next station at Jordan, then go out at Exit A. Our designated restaurant is just a street away behind the Exit, along Parkes Street.

Tsui Wah Restaurant (翠华餐厅, 香港九龙油麻地白加士街77-81号地下)

We ordered a breakfast set that cost $25:

Abalone and Shredded Ham with Macaroni in soup (鮑魚絲火腿丝通粉) - $25
I’m not used to having pasta for breakfast, but this is quite appetizing- macaroni is not over or undercooked and they served thickly sliced ham and abalone instead of shredded ones.

Toast with double eggs (西煎双蛋+牛油方包) (Served in a set with Macaroni)
A standard serving of toast and eggs, at least the eggs are nicely fried without dripping oil.

Toasted bun with Butter and Condensed Milk (奶油脆豬仔包) - $12
A signature dish- they use the bun for Zhu Zai Bao (豬仔包) instead of the normal sandwich bread. The melted butter and condensed milk offered a sweet and savory taste, thumbs up for the thick, soft and crispy bun!

Vermicelli with fish balls, fish paste, fish spring roll and squid balls (自制鱼四宝面线- 有魚蛋、魚腐、魚春卷、墨魚丸) - $28
They ran out of fish paste, hence substituting with more fish balls. A bit pricey for a bowl of vermicelli but they are quite generous with the sides.

After breakfast, it’s a long hauling day ahead. We took the MTR to Admiralty (金钟站) and a bus to Ocean Park.

After getting down from Admiralty station, you can see clear direction signs towards the bus station. A one-way bus ticket cost $10.60, you can also buy Ocean Park tickets here to avoid the long queue at Ocean Park later. Better still, get your tickets from the Hong Kong Airport as most of them will have discounted prices. Too bad we touched down at Macau airport, so we got ours here.

Ocean Park tickets- $208 (adult)

You can take the same 629 bus back from Ocean Park later. Oh, please be reminded that Ocean Park opens at 10 am, you don’t have to reach there too early~

Here we are- a place meant for first time Hong Kong visitors and obviously, children. Sien also must visit at least once.

Sien also must take picture!

Hot also must take picture!

Tired also must walk!

The sea lion is ohmygawd scorching hooot! It could have burn a hole through my pants if I pose longer.

Soon, walking into any indoor places is like a blessing- anything that keeps us away from the sun. Did I mention that I FORGOT to put on sunscreen???

Quite a collection they have in here, but there isn’t as much as it seems because there are mirrors everywhere, reflecting a multiplying effect.

The dolphin show is the main purpose we are here- I’m glad we reached early as there are many who sat on the stairs.

The whole show is about 40 mins, quite worthwhile :-)

I’m so glad we need not hike all the way downhill. Their cable cars travel at a slower speed than Genting cable car, somemore there’s no wind on that day. Can die!

Skipped the hot air balloon ride- Too lazy to queue, snap pictures is enough.

This must be new- in we go for more pictures!

Two pandas are kept here, it’s either An An or Jia Jia or Ying Ying or Le Le (安安, 佳佳, 盈盈, 樂樂).

Nothing amazing to witness, no one is moving- this is what I would do too in a hot day.

Some would spend a whole morning and afternoon here, if you think amusement parks are not your cup of tea, then you can head back within 4 hours. Remember to wait for the same bus at the same bus stop!

Next Stop- The Peak
After getting off at Admiralty station (the same place we got on), head towards Queensway Plaza (金钟廊) exit, then to Pacific Mall (太古广场) where there’s an escalator that leads to Hong Kong Park (香港公园).Walk about 10 mins across this park to get to the other side and to The Peak Tram Station.

As a host for the upcoming East Asian Games 2009, they have set up pillars in the park in conjunction with the event.

Hongkies come here for their marriage registration; you might even see photo sessions on one fine day~

Getting lost is impossible as one can find helpful direction signs like this everywhere.

A Note of Advice: If you are coming here from another destination, remember to take 15C bus instead of 15 bus to this 15C bus stop. You must not miss the chance to ride on this open- top double Decker touring bus!

The Peak Tram Station is just opposite Hong Kong Park. I bought all my tickets here in a package: two-way tram ride+ Madame Tussaud’s Wax Museum +The Peak view= $190

Jackie Chan is here to promote the Wax museum~

When the tram moves uphill, we are in a steep 45 degree position!

Here we are at The Peak Tower after 10 mins tram ride.

The Peak Galleria is right beside Peak Tower, a shopping centre and a dining place with several top-notch restaurants.

Madame Tussaud’s Wax Museum- there are more than 100 wax figures displayed in the museum ranging from Asian and Western celebrities to sports icons and political leaders.

I think they have done a great job sculpturing Asian figures as they look almost the same! We had so much fun snapping photos here ^^

My ultimate aim- Gosh even his pimple scars are alike! The setting is taken from Infernal Affairs (无间道), his award winning role. Do you know you can hear his heartbeat??

The Peak Tower- Initially we wanted to wait until after sunset for the night city view, my parents already mengamuk and demanded we meet up for dinner at 7.15pm. So here we are, wasted our chance and took photos at 6pm. Perching at 396 meters above sea level, The Peak Tower has a 360 Degree view at Victoria Peak and the whole of Hong Kong. Hong Kong has one of the most beautiful landscapes in the world, one simple snap already looks this amazing.

A panoramic view of Hong Kong’s breathtaking city and landscape.

A note of Advice: To avoid the crowd at the tram ride, you should be travelling up before 5pm. When we came back down at 7pm, I kid you not, the queue was unbelievably long as if people were lining up for concert.

Final stop- Tsim Sha Tsui (尖沙咀)
Initially we planned to have dinner at Central (中环) and stroll around Lan Kwai Fong (兰桂芳); since our feet were failing us, we cut short our itenary and proceed to meet up with parents at Tsim Sha Tsui for dinner.

Dinner- Macau Restaurant (澳门茶餐厅, 尖沙咀樂道25-27號)

This popular restaurant have 3 outlets locating at nearing streets. Lucky to have read reviews that are ‘satisfying’ about this restaurant, we settled our dinner here, cutting out the aimless wandering fuss.

Caldo Verde + Macanese Crispy Bun (澳葡薯茸青菜汤+牛油猪仔包) - $23
They blended potatoes and vege to make the thick soup, the sweet and creamy combination, served with a not-so-special bun can, nevertheless, fill a small eater’s stomach.

Portuguese Chicken (澳门焗葡国鸡) - $59
Like chicken curry, you got to have this with rice. Looks almost like chicken potatoes, this is not spicy but sweet, a signature Portuguese dish.

Fried Carrot Cake Special (澳门秘制萝卜糕) - $45
A new dish that was ordered off the menu. It may looked like cha kueh but taste nothing like it. We loved the slightly charred texture and aromatic spices that brought out the whole new taste.

One would normally purchase cosmetics and body care products at dispensaries (药妆店) in Hong Kong, something like SaSa. High end brands including SKII, Kose, Lancome, Clinique, Evelyn & Crabtree are sold at economic prices, Long Shing Dispensary (龙城大药房) is just one of the shops we visited in Tsim Sha Tsui after dinner. Another highly recommended retail store is Bonjour (卓悦) where 27 outlets can be found around Hong Kong, prices here are definitely cheaper than SaSa. I ended my day by splurging nearly $900~ ^^

End of Day 3

Hong Kong Trip, Day 2 (Yau Ma Tei, Mong Kok)

2009-09-16T00:44:00.005+08:00

Music: 蔡健雅-救生圈 Mood: Empty

Breakfast was included so we saved a little time and $$. The buffet served very standard and has limited choices of food, oh well... we did not place high hopes anyway~

Took the shuttle bus to ferry terminal and we are travelling via Turbo Jet Ferry to Sheung Wan HK-Macau Ferry Terminal (上环港澳客运码头). Total traveling time was about 30 mins. Surprisingly, mum was OK but sis had seasick and nearly threw up (It shakes like a boat when it's stationary at both terminals).

Once you cross the Custom, the terminal has a direct link to Sheung Wan (上环) MTR station. Buy an Octopus Card at the counter, it works something like Touch N’ Go and works on most public transports, all major convenient stores, fast food restaurants, Starbucks, supermarkets, bakeries, self-service vendor machines and major photo service outlets. The price of the Octopus card (HK$) would be HK$150 (Deposit $50 + Stored Value $100). The cost is HK$70 for children and senior citizens.

We took the MTR to Yau Ma Tei (油麻地) which is about 15 mins travelling time. They have obvious light indicators on route maps and also very clear reporting voices.

As there are no elevators, we lugged our luggage up the stairs out from MTR station, I’m mighty glad that Cityview hotel is conveniently located just 50 meters away~

They said they have upgraded our rooms. See how tiny it is and with no windows! I wonder how small it can go if we did not upgrade to our current interconnecting rooms (Maybe they upgrade by giving windowed room to my parents??)

First stop- lunch at Kam Wah Café, Mong Kok (金華冰廳, 太子弼街47号地下). It’s actually within walking distance, but we took the MTR instead as we still have not familiarize ourselves with the roads here yet.

I swear I did my homework but we still took pains in finding the restaurant, even though it’s just a few blocks away from MTR station. Just go out at B1 exit, follow Nathan Road (弥敦道) down the street and you will find the restaurant situated at Bute Street on your right across the other end of Tung Choi Street, which is Gold Fish Street (金魚街).

A note of advice: DO NOT ask directions from street vendors especially those at Lady street (女人街). They have absolutely no intention to help and would give answers like “I operate my stall here, I only know this street”.

Most customers visited the restaurant for its pineapple Bun (菠蘿包) and egg tarts, one look at the crowd during lunch hour says it all.

Milk Tea (奶茶)
My first sip of HK milk tea- v smooth and thick, I loved them being ‘KAO’! HK style restaurants will serve plain milk tea without sugar, so you need to scope in on your own.

Signature Pineapple Bun (招牌菠萝包) - $4
We ordered the plain pineapple bun instead of the one with butter (菠蘿油). I enjoyed the bun’s crispy top with a natural sweetness to the spongy yet solid dough. The waitress who served us is extremely friendly, knowing that I’m taking food pictures, she purposely cut the buns into smaller pieces so we could see the innards without tearing open.

Pork Chop Pineapple Bun (猪扒菠萝包)- $ 13

Although not one of the best sellers, this is so much nicer than the one we tried in 義順牛奶公司, Macau. The pork is moist and not greasy until it is dripping with lard.

Char Siew Instant Noodle (叉烧公仔面) - $24

This came in a set with hot milk tea. The pork is good but the instant noodle is, well... instant noodle la.

Bee Hoon with Preserved Vegetables and Shredded Meat(雪菜肉丝米粉) - $24

This also came in a set with milk tea. I think their bee hoon is a bit different from ours, a lil thicker.

Dad liked the waitress so much and requested to take a pic with her, she laughed sheepishly while the shop owners teased her along.

In Hong Kong, you must visit to their ‘specialty streets’ which are mostly around Mong Kok (旺角) area. One will not have difficulties in remembering these interesting street names, which are pretty much self-explanatory.

One end of Tung Choi Street (通菜街)- Gold Fish Street (金魚街). You can find all sorts of goldfish, tropical fish and a huge variety of aquariums and equipments around here.

Pet Street (宠物街)- made up of these 3 streets namely Victory Avenue (胜利道)、Peace Avenue (自由道) and 太平道. You can find an astounding amount of shops here selling mostly common pets, animal clinics and pet beauty parlors.

Fa Yuen Street (花园街)- better known as Bo Hai Street (波鞋街). As its name suggests, at least 40 shops selling mainly sport shoes can be found here, also an itty whitty bit cheaper than our local prices.

The other end of Tung Choi Street (通菜街)- Lady Street (女人街), probably the most recognizable street in Hong Kong. It is almost like Petaling Street but selling mostly female goods. Stalls open from 12 pm onwards until 10.30 pm. Don’t expect the people here to be goody-two-shoes, they will give you one kind of look if you just scan their goods and walk away without the intention to buy.

Mr Softee (富豪雪糕), an ancient brand of ice cream that has been selling in HK since 1970, plays the familiar “Blue Danube” as it rolls along. I’m lucky to spot the truck as it doesn’t have a fixed operating venue.

Sai Yeung Choi Street South (西洋菜南街)- There is a high concentration of electrical goods, pharmacies, apparels and restaurants around here. If you are an anime junkie like me, this is a street you must not miss.

Clusters of rather amazing hobby shops can be found along Sai Yeung Choi Street South, Dundas Street and Nathan Road; almost like a mini Akihabara (秋叶原) of Hong Kong. If you are on a tight shopping schedule, here are three major places to explore:

CTMA Centre (兆萬中心, 1N 西洋菜南街) has a good mix of stores especially female apparels, accessories and many other toy shops.

Anchor distributors like Superman Toys and Toy Hunter sits in the Centre.

Animate- this is just directly opposite CTMA but we are running short of time to explore. You can see eye-catching huge Gundam figurines being displayed at the glass windows.

Sino Centre (信和中心, 香港彌敦道582-592號)- Walk along Sai Yeung Choi Street South until you reach the end of the street and proceed towards Nathan Road, then turn right and walk a little again then you will see Sino Centre.

Variety would be Sino's selling point- one can find figurines, anime music, manga and even cosplay costume shops. As competition is stiff here, this would be my favourite hunting ground. There are more stores on the upper levels, so be prepared to cater a few hours here.

UML Mega Store (Shop 4, 香港彌敦道579號)- UML is situated at the corner of Dundas Street (登打士街) and Nathan Road (彌敦道), which is just across the main road after you have visited Sino Centre.

Universal Megastore Ltd., the largest hobby store in Hong Kong houses all kinds of models including standard hobby goods and in-house designed models.

We unloaded back in the hotel and headed out for dinner at Café de Coral (大家樂, 旺角太子道109-118號康寧大廈地下(Shop A & B)). This is the largest Chinese fast food chain restaurant in Hong Kong and it operates more than 100 outlets locally and overseas as well.

The system works like this: you choose your choice of menu, pay at the cashier and they will give you your number. Take a seat first as your meal will be ready in about 10 mins. The kitchen will announce your number then just collect it from the counter.

Wax Gourd in Soup and Claypot Spare Ribs (赤柱冬瓜蛊 & 宫廷酱烧骨) - $43

Like our Kim Gary Restaurant, everything here has a Café de Coral signature taste, which will never swerve far from excellent. The chicken was quite nice, and I’m quite surprised at the bountiful amount of fillings scooped from the soup.

Char Siew, Sliced Chicken and Soup Set(夜市烧味餐-叉烧，切鸡 & 中汤) - $35

Red Bean Float (雪糕红豆冰）
The char siew was juicy with adequate honey sauce, I did not try the chicken but they seemed satisfied with it too.

Temple Street (庙街)- also known as Men’s Street (男人街). The market place operates from 5 pm onwards till late and this takes less than 10 mins walk from Cityview hotel.

If you want to dine in at Temple Street, Hing Kee Rice in Pot ( 兴记煲仔饭, 油麻地廟街19號) will be a recommendation. (My verdict: This is a well-known shop but not necessarily great tasting~). Speaking about food, I wonder where the filming of “God of Cookery” (食神) took place ^^

I thought I could find many men’s clothes, instead, I see a very pasar malam style night market selling souvenirs, handicrafts, tea sets, Jades, feng shui accessories, antiques and cheap electronic products. You will be able to spot many fortune telling stalls around the street near to Tin Hau Temple (天后庙).

An entire row of shops selling porn movies and books, all AUTHENTIC stuff. Now I understand why Temple Street is being called Men’s Street.

End of Day 2

Hong Kong Trip, Day 1 (Macau)

2009-09-09T22:22:00.006+08:00

Music: Bob James- Feel Like Makin' Love Mood: Awaiting eagerly

I got these from MPH, the same day where I could have gotten them at a 30% cheaper rate at Bookfest 2009. SCREW IT…..%*$%(*#&$*#!@!

HKDs differ from one bank to another, hence the wide variety I get from each change. The $4000 shown here are kacang putih to them
Hongkies.

There’s an average of near- hundred H1N1 cases infection being reported every day, the last time I checked, Hong Kong: 11 deaths, Malaysia: 73 deaths. Means that we are on a more dangerous ground! Heck, it’s the best time to fly!

...coupled with a good read in hand.

I feel contaminated when people need to dress up like this to check you out and jumped 100 meters away if you ever brush pass them.

Here we are, the place to rest for the night.

It’s nice of them to upgrade our rooms to two interconnecting executive rooms. Nothing like what was being commented from online where rooms are so small until you couldn’t fit in more than 2 luggages.

See? The bathroom looks decent.

First stop of the day- Fisherman’s Wharf (澳門漁人碼頭). This area is called 新口岸(ZAPE), an area you would love to visit at night as it is called the Macau Lan Kwai Fong, filled with nice Portuguese restaurants and pubs. It’s less than 15 mins walking distance from our hotel and this is situated next to the huge Sands Casino. It’s Macau’s first theme park with
NIL entrance fees. Too bad it started to rain once we reached there!! I only managed to catch a few shots before flagging a cab to our next destination for lunch.

Next stop- Senado Square (议事亭前地). Damn it, it’s obviously not our day today, the famed fountain (喷水池) is under construction -____-

Walking around Macau feels like a walk around Melaka, a city of ruins. You can see most buildings in Macau looks something like 仁慈堂(Holy House of Mercy).

邮政总局 (Post Office)

St. Dominic's Church (玫瑰聖母堂), I forgot to proceed inside for more pics T.T

Lunch at Wong Chi Kee(黄枝记面家), a restaurant famous for their noodles.

Wonton Noodle with Cow's Flank(牛腩云吞面), $31
Looks nice? Taste fine too. Generously big, boneless chunks were served and they were not chewy.

Braised Noodle with Shrimps' Eggs(虾籽捞面), $29
I wonder why this is a best seller, it’s so dry and yet not crunchy.

Char Siew Wonton Noodle(叉烧云吞面), $28
Soup noodles definitely excel here, though the quantity of char siew is a bit less.

Sliced Fish Congee(鱼片粥), $21

The amount of fish slices were aplenty!

We proceeded to the famous Leitaria I Sun (义顺牛奶公司) which is located at the same row as Wong Chi Kee with our bloated stomachs.

Red Bean Double Layer Steamed Milk Pudding (红豆双皮炖奶)， $18

Original Double Layer Steamed Milk Pudding (驰名双皮炖奶), $16

These are very milky like a smooth pudding, but don’t attempt to try it if you can’t take lactose.

Pork Chop Bun(猪扒包), $14

As the shop charges extra for those who did not order anything, we chose their pork bun. Nothing particularly special about it, only remembered that it’s quite oily.

It's like an RPG game, signs like these are everywhere so getting lost is quite impossible.

Next stop- Ruins of St. Paul's (大三巴牌坊), the most iconic landmark in Macau.

This is the façade of what was originally the Cathedral of St. Paul which was destroyed by a fire during a typhoon in 1835.

Next stop- Fortaleza do Monte (大炮台). This is the historical military centre of the former Portuguese colony of Macau, a fortress built in the 16th century for protecting the properties of Jesuit in Macau.

We clambered like HELL up the hills, but it’s worth the effort as the scenic view up here pays it all.

Notice that this cannon aims directly at the Grand Lisboa Casino.

The Museum of Macau is located on the hill of the Fortaleza do Monte, a place that displays the history of Macau. We skipped the museum visit as parents wanted to shop BADLY, hence giving the excuse of “we need to save on paying too much admission fees”.

Na Za Temple (哪咤庙)

Here is an interesting street I’ve heard all about, called Travessa da Paixão (戀愛巷), a tiny 50 meter alley situated in between 大三巴街 and 大三巴左街.

‘Paixão’ means ‘indulgence and passionate’ in Portuguese. The pastel pink and yellow buildings suggested a mixture of classic and modernism expression.

Next stop-大三巴街 (手信街). This street that links directly to Ruins of St. Paul's consist of more than 15 shops that sell the famous Macau delicacies as souvenirs.

Do try this famous Dai Seng Gong herbal tea (大声公凉茶) on your way up to St. Paul’s. They’ll give you a packet of orange peels if you can’t stand bitterness.

This shop was made popular after the widely watched Korean TV series Goong S (宫S) shot one of their scenes right here. Trust me, these are not the best Portuguese tarts in Macau oh kay...

Another shop beside the previous one, also made popular by another Korean TV Series Boys Over Flowers (花样男子). It’s so overrated, tourists who lined up here mostly made up of young girls.

Koi Kei Bakery (钜记饼家), the top pick for tourists.

Widely publicized and made famous even more by the endorsement of renowned food critic Choi Lan. They have successfully made more than 70% of total sales in Macau! You can even find 3 outlets here along this street alone.

Free samplings were freshly made like these and were given out like it doesn’t cost a thing. They practically FORCE the cookies into your hand even if you already had countless servings.

One piece of this equals to the thickness of 2 pieces of our local meat jerky. Their sides are charcoal-less and amazingly tender.

A note of advice: although Koi Kei may have the best selling cookies, it doesn’t mean that the rest of the shops around here don’t fare well. Take one example: we stopped by this shop called 大三巴饼家 and tried their almond cookies. You can find coarse bits of almonds in each cookie and IMHO, they taste even BETTER than Koi Kei’s! Moreover, they cost much cheaper as they sell without fancy packaging unlike Koi Kei’s.

Pun Weng Kei (潘荣记)- located along the road beside 仁慈堂 (Holy House of Mercy), the shop stood for many years and sells Macau’s famous 金钱饼 (loosely translated to Money cookies). They use an old furnace to bake these cookies that are made from egg yolks, flour and sugar, hence it’s particularly highlighted as ‘减蛋’金钱饼 (egg yolk money cookies).

They will only open their shop in the afternoon and they have already sold out all pre-packed cookies by the time we reached there, which was only about 4.30 pm.

Next stop- Cafe e Nata Margaret's (玛嘉烈蛋挞店). The hunt for this shop was gruesome. Although the locals have been kind enough to help us, but different people have given different directions pointing at the same way which is near Casino Lisboa, so we actually walked up and down the same street a couple of times.

Spotting the shop finally was like finding gold (Turn right after 玫瑰聖母堂, go straight up then turn left after you see the white cathedral in front, hike uphill and downhill following the street and you will reach a busy main road. Cross this main road into another small lane, then turn right. You can spot the shop at the corner immediately after you turn right.), I could almost cry
with joy. I can only say I score full for patience and determinacy after dad shouted and complained throughout the way to find ‘the- useless- shop-and-nobody-is-going-to-eat’.

I told the owner we went through hell looking for their shop, she smiled and replied that there’s a tourist who took THREE days to reach here. Har-de-har.

We took a cab back after I bought three of these. These are nothing like the best egg tarts from KL, this is the cream of the crop, OMG, they are THE Portuguese tarts. They were still piping hot even when we had it back in our rooms. Its crust was multi-layered and crrrispy, but stay attached as you savour through the entire piece; the custard is not sickeningly sweet and melts in your mouth. Simply heavenly!

Next destination- The Venetian (威尼斯人). We took our hotel shuttle bus to ferry terminal and took The Venetian shuttle bus to get across the island. There are many different hotels’ shuttle buses that dropped by to pick up people from this ferry terminal, you can just board on any bus that takes you to their hotels/casino for free.

The huge Sands casino viewed from the bridge.

Lotus Bridge (莲花大桥), the other bridge that links Macau with Zhuhai , the other bridge we are travelling on now is called Sai Van Bridge(西湾大桥) that links Macau Peninsular with Taipa Island.

The side entrance of The Venetian, too bad it’s not the main hotel entrance where you could view the awestruckingly big building.

We went straight to their Food Court for dinner.

That’s the wondrously painted sky ceiling. See the hardly visible tiny roundish marks? Those are nails.

Our good o’ cuisine and Singapore food sits next to one
another.

Beef Flank Rice(牛腩饭) from Ci Gei (池记）
Ci Gei (池记）is famous for their Wonton Noodle but dad ordered rice instead.

Fried Bee Hoon Special(特制炒米粉) from Ocean Empire Food Shop (海皇粥店)
Big portion but rather oily.

Garden Salad from North Border
Hah! I regretted ordering these, they put too much balsamic vinegar. >.<

Fried Carrot Cake(萝卜糕) from Ocean Empire Food Shop(海皇粥店)
This is the most decent one although it doesn’t look as appetizing. It taste different from our normal carrot cake, light but not dry.

My verdict: If you have limited time at Macau, go have your dinner at any Portuguese restaurants at ZAPE (新口岸). Don’t regret like me for missing out the chance to try Portuguese food while I’m still there. If you have more time, there are plenty of good choices at Taipa Island.

The Venetian is the largest building in Asia and second largest building in the planet and houses a 15,000 seat stadium, 350 shops and 3,000 rooms.

The $2.4 billion dollar complex features stunning replicas of Venice’s key landmarks such as St. Mark’s Square, the Doge’s Palace, Campanile Tower, and three indoor canals with gondolas and singing gondoliers.

Anyone watched the popular HK TVB series 家好月圆 (Moonlight Resonance AKA Ga Hou Yut Yun)? They made the show especially for Kee Wah Bakery’s 70th Anniversary. Of course Kee Wah is the main sponsor behind the entire drama.

Final stop of the day- Grand Lisboa (葡京娱乐城). We left The Venetian at 9 pm and took the shuttle bus to Grand Lisboa. This was built in 2007 but Casino Lisboa and Hotel Lisboa actually existed long time ago. My parents were here during their honeymoon more than 25 yrs ago ^^

We walked back to hotel from Grand Lisboa, which was within 15 mins walking distance. Notice these shops? They are gold shops and second hand shops selling expensive watches like Rolex and Cartier. I supposed they serve good purpose by opening near casinos and operating 24 hours?

End of day 1

I'm coming!!

2009-08-23T14:25:00.002+08:00

Music: Candy Dulfer- Ambiente Mood: Getting Excited

Can't...hardly...wait!!! ^^

Fong Lye Taiwan Restaurant @ The Gardens

2009-08-17T20:59:00.004+08:00

Music: Jeff Kashiwa- Meet You There Mood: Looking forward

We kinda settled down in this restaurant last minute when the initial plan of visiting the new Taiwan Steamboat restaurant at Bukit Bintang was called off (Coz we girls wanted to find a shop-able place before Ah Sam arrive :P)

Look at the Friday night faces: worn-out but still happy.

"my bei bee cute leh?"

"Huh? You should look at my Michellin bei bee~~"

We pay service tax for uncle's tea service!

地瓜球 (Sweet Potato Balls) RM5.30- Didn't try this. Sam said that those from Petaling Street taste much much better. First dish is a miss then.

番茄蛋焖鱼套餐 (Fresh Tomato Fried Egg with Sliced Fish Fillet Set) RM19.80- A 'Chef's Recommendation' from the menu. This may look ordinary at first, but its sweet and subtle taste will stimulate one's appetite to finish it like a good ol' home cooked dish.

五更肠旺套餐 (Pork Intestines Set) RM17.80- The Glorious inards, may the sour and spicy gravy flood your craving tastebuds. However, Thou shall not touch the treasure chest should you NOT enjoy eating intestines.

葱爆牛肉套餐 (Fried Sliced Beef in Claypot Set) RM19.80- Not smooth enough to melt in your mouth, but thin enough not to be in a rubbery state. Scores a passing mark where it can be eaten even without rice (the set comes with rice la of course).

猪脚面线 (Pork Trotter Mee Sua) RM14.80- A dish that makes you say, 'Aiyo, so FAT! But I like it ~'

'THESE are the essences! You people don't know how to savour real food!' Uncle finished off the fattest parts like a Piranha attacking its prey.

Other tables order one or no desserts, we surveyed, and order TWO of the best:

台湾丘冰(Taiwan Snow Mountain) RM9.30- A mixture of green bean, red bean, yam, sweet potato and vanilla ice cream. Soothes your sweet cravings all at once.

花生泡泡冰(Peanut Snow Mountain) RM8.30- This is just like frozen version of chinese peanut paste, taste great!

I don't like taking photos unless there's someone to cam whore with me ^^

Did I remind you of someone?

How's my Arnie impersonation??

Location: Lot T208, 3rd Floor, The Gardens (near Sushi Zanmai and Flying Chillies)

Opening Hours: Daily till 10 pm

Tel. no.: 03- 2282 8699

The Apartment Downtown @ KLCC

2009-08-06T21:02:00.005+08:00

Music: Jeff Lorber- Come On Up Mood: Glad to be home early

I don't smoke, neither do I take brisk walks around the KLCC park. The last time I saw The Apartment was during its initial renovation way back in year 2008, then The Apartment of The Curve gave me a complete mindset whereby people don't sing much about their food, or rather just a place to hangout. Fast forward to one fine day in 2009, I suddenly craved an uncongested dining place before proceeding to the high-risk-germs-prone PC Fair and I thought no place in KLCC can be THAT bad, right... Hence, we ended up in this rather forgotten (by me obviously) restaurant beside Chinoz.

The Apartment, defined by its name, is a thematic restaurant that portrays a contemporary layout that resembles a cozy home with surroundings and furniture like house kitchen, sofas, library, bedrooms, cabinets and even wardrobes. It is one restaurant that has that laid-back easiness but musters enough attention and energy necessary to produce food that doesn't burn a hole in your pocket. Unlike other chain outlets with uniformed designs, this one at KLCC has a modern and chic touch that suit to the trendy shoppers and frequent foreigners around this area; whereas the one at The Curve resembles an ideal spot to laze over a Sunday afternoon with a book from their quaint little library.

"Do you want me in your picture?" Quipped the friendly supervisor.

Baked Aubergine (RM9.90) - Oven-baked aubergine topped with mozzarella, parmesan and parsley crumbs on a bed of rocket with tomato salsa. We settled with this from their wide array of tapas menu. It taste average despite the over generous serving of cheesy and nutty toppings. Furthermore, the bed of rocket leaves was bitter >.<
Apartment Salad (RM19.90) - Avocado, spring onions, green chili and coriander drizzled with whole grain mustard dressing and sprinkled with toasted spiced almond flakes. The creamy dressing balances nicely with the fresh greens and buttery avocados. Those crispy almond flakes were addictive!

Lemon Sole (RM 27.90) - Fillet of pan fried lemon sole with chili and black olive tapenade served with thyme, mash and rocket. I liked how the chili, thyme and black olives conjuring to match its mains. The zest of lemon was a level-up move to smarten up the already fresh fillets. Mash potato was a teeny weeny bit dry, perhaps some gravy, no?

Baked Chocolate Pudding (RM11.90) - Moist chocolate pudding with a burst of coffee in the centre, served with vanilla ice cream. The taste of coffee was vague, but I could almost dive into the pool of piping hot, fluffy chocolate. Just Lovely.

Yes, a return, yes... Looking forward to sample more tapas and that mind boggling peanut butter and kaya crepe already!

Location: Lot G48 & 139, Ground Floor and First Floor, KLCC (beside Chinoz On The Park)

Opening Hours: 10 am-12 midnight daily

Website: http://www.atheapartment.com/

Tel: 03-2166 2257

Fruits Fiesta!

2009-07-29T20:56:00.002+08:00

Music: 椎名林檎-ありあまる富 Mood: floating

Some people from some department in some part of the building was so nice to organize a Fruits Fiesta at the car park last Friday.

It started at 4 pm, what a great time to cabut right after ^^

Emails have been sent beforehand to notify that a great variety of fruits, including Durian D24, Udang Merah, Raja Kunyit, Teka, XO, Kampung;

...mangosteens, bananas,

...duku langsat, longans, rambutans,

...and coconuts will be served.

Whether it's a D24, Raja Kunyit or XO Durian, almost everyone attacked the durians first, completely neglecting the rest of the fruits. Some even ran off with one whole durian.

Our dispatch guy, the Durian Opener of the day!

Do feast yourselves on local kings and queens when the season is still in full swing!

Here's To Being Honest

2009-07-27T11:21:00.004+08:00

Music: Paolo Fedreghini & Marco Bianchi- Stay Mood: food poisoning

I was at Mid Valley Jusco shopping for groceries. While heading towards the cashier, a guy promoter handed me some chewing gum samples, and there was another one who approached with some mentos samples as well. So I took, thanked and queued at my line.

Then a girl whose queuing at a line beside me saw these free samples I'm holding, presumely longing for them, told her boyfriend:

"*points at me* What's that she's holding? I want them too!"

"Then you go take lah."

She proceed to walk towards the two promoters, purposely slowing down for their attention. Neither of them moved. She made a U-turn, then strut slowly towards the two again, this time flinging her hair and pushed a fingertip into her mouth while trying to make eye contact with either of them. Again, neither of them bothered to make a move.

Girl pouts and complains to boyfriend:

"Yeeerrrr, I walked to and fro twice but nobody wants to bother me... *twisting her body like a 4-year-old kid* "

"Then you go ask them to give lah."

"Dooowaann... why they give her *points at me again* but doowan to give me?"

The boy replied dryly, "maybe they think you are not pretty enough so they don't want to give you loh."

Two failed attempts to seduce for sweets and ended up getting a cold shoulder. I nearly burst out laughing. I paid for my things and hustled off. I think I could hear the girl pounding on the poor boy.

So much for being honest XD ~

Win Soon Café / Restoran Ah Soon Fish Head Mee @ Jalan Kuchai Lama

2009-07-22T21:15:00.005+08:00

Music: 陈奕迅-今天只做一件事 Mood: blank

Kuchai Maju, better known as Kuchai Entrepreneurs Park was developed several years ago that consist of several rows of shops. Since then, this fast growing township has more and more shops, especially restaurants sprouting out like mushrooms. Popular outlets around this area include Station One Café, Wings Musicafé and not forgetting Win Soon Café.

Win Soon Café has already been a popular spot by Kuchai dwellers; I supposed it has been made famous again after being featured in 8TV food programme Hochiak! early last year. Customers never cease to flock in especially from 12 pm onwards until 9 pm for a late dinner.

We arrived at 10.30 am, purposely avoiding the peak lunch hour at 12 pm and found a table immediately.

There are several combinations of fish head vermicelli shown in their menu, where prices range from RM6.80 to RM13.80. The upper case goes to a helping of vermicelli with fish head meat and one fresh water prawn.

Honey Lemon (RM 2.80) & Honey Sea Coconut (RM 2.50)- my honey lemon was half finished, I could have die from sweetness if I ever drink up everything, ditto for honey sea coconut.

Fish paste and fish head vermicelli (RM 7.50) - A generous portion came. I’m not sure was it just me or did it taste a little too milky? Even though they weren't fishy, too bad the evaporated milk was overpowering, making the fish head meats taste very ordinary. However, the vermicelli was decent and their famous fish pastes fare better, pretty smooth in the mouth.

Fish paste, sotong balls and fish head vermicelli (RM 9.80) – These are packaged sotong balls. The owner to this bowl had to agree with me where they taste too commercialized. It wasn’t bad, but our high expectations were brought down by the lack of home-cooked element.

Conclusion is: Woo Pin Fish Head Noodle still wins hands down. Would I be back again? Hmmm...I'll put my last bet on their fresh water prawns.

Location: 46, Jalan Kuchai Maju 9, Off Jalan Kuchai Lama, 58200 Kuala Lumpur

Opening Hours: 9 am- 10 pm (9.30 pm last order)

Contact no.: 03-7981 9287

Map:

View Larger Map

Pan Heong Restoran @ Batu Caves

2009-07-14T20:52:00.008+08:00

Music: Michael Bolton- Missing You Now Mood: Good Life ahead??

Pan Heong's owner started their operation since 1988 from a little rundown shack, to the extended corner shop lot we see today. Although they possess a huge following and still growing, the owner choose to run his business in this only shop at Batu Caves, hence the sign "只此一家，别无他分行" (This is the sole outlet, no other branches available) hangs proudly in their premises.

It was 11am on a Sunday morning and the crowd was naturally overwhelming, workers controlled the crowd by giving out number tags on a first-come-first-serve basis. We were lucky to get our table after a ten-minute wait as a smaller table was cleared and catered just nice for four of us, jumping queue ahead of many big families.

The four walls of fame are enough to make them stand on firmer ground.

Sang Yu (snakehead fish or ikan haruan) Porridge (生鱼粥)- other than sang yu, you also get to choose from choices of frogs, pork ribs, prawns, century egg and canned abalone. This must be the best porridge I’ve ever eaten- it was stirred and cooked to a point where one can literally swallow it- almost as smooth as baby's food.

Braised Pork Belly Bee Hoon (扣肉米粉)- I was skeptical of this dish at first having to know that they are using canned braised pork belly. Then it got me- it doesn't taste can-like at all! Although these jingling layered meats made one's mind scream “DIET!!” in dismay, your chopsticks will always react faster than your brain. They were not stringy and complement the vermicelli well by adding a savory, meaty taste to it.

Steamed Fish (蒸鲫鱼)- The fish was steamed in an unfamiliar but pleasantly light soy sauce, garnished with coriander, cili padi and black Chinese fungus. It was fleshy and its freshness was preserved by good steaming techniques.

Sang Har (fresh water prawn) Hor Fun ( 生虾河粉)- This is a highly sought-after dish in the shop as nearly all diners were having it. Even the smallest portion will have two huge generous servings of fresh water prawns. The dish really taste as good as it looks-I liked the idea of substituting fried noodles with Hor Fun as they absorbed the eggy gravy better, making the rice noodles taste even thicker. We absolutely ADORE the prawns, each bite was so juicy, springy and succulent that we walloped everything within minutes till the last dollop of gravy.

Other than the slightly pricey Sang Har Hor Fun, the rest were fairly reasonable. The food was top of the crop, definitely worth revisiting.

This place will be terribly packed during lunch hours on weekdays and there is also a primary school nearby. To avoid the crowd on weekends, do plan for an early lunch or breakfast as mostly bigger groups of people will swarm here.

Location: No. 2, Jalan Medan Batu Caves 2, Medan Batu Caves, 68100 Bt Caves.

Opening Hours:

It closes twice every month (every first and fifteenth in Chinese calendar). Do call to avoid disappointments.

Map:

Michael Jackson Memorial Service @ Staple Center, Los Angeles July 7, 2009

2009-07-08T21:16:00.009+08:00

Music: Michael Jackson- Butterfly Mood: mourning

Celebrities including music legends, sports figures and politicians gathered with some 20,000 mourning fans at LA, not forgetting millions of witnessing fans around the globe bade farewell to the greatest entertainer ever lived. It was an emotional and remorseful 2-hour event, a historical moment not only to be marked by social network history, but also to be engraved in the hearts of every single human being whom he had touched.

Mariah Carey sang "I'll Be There" with 1992 original song partner Trey Lorenz. She seemed to be more subtle, as if reminding herself to keep a very low profile today.

Jennifer Hudson with "Will You Be There", the most choreographed performance for the day. She has her larger-than-life voice, backed with gospel-like song arrangements.

Lionel Richie belted out "Jesus is Love", very much like a preacher singing on a Sunday morning service, warm and classic.

People might wonder, 'where's Slash?? How about Van Helen (Anyway Van is on honeymoon vacation with newlywed wife)?? John Mayer just let his guitar do the talking. His Jazzy version of "Human Nature" never fail to impress the crowd.

Stevie Wonder brought a 10-minute version of "Never Dreamed You'd Leave in Summer". Although his voice croaked towards the end, it was nevertheless mesmerizing.

Everyone went on stage and contributed in "We Are The World", a beautiful song co-written by Michael.

Brooke Shields gave the most heartfelt eulogy speech for the night, recalling a true friendship from an unforgettable childhood friend.

Usher sang "Gone Too Soon" while moving towards Michael's casket. He become so emotional that he took off his sunnies and choked towards the end of the song.

From left to right, Rebbie, Janet, Randy, Tito, Marlon, Jackie and Jermaine Jackson sit as they await the service to begin. The boys wore a significant white diamond glove to pay their last respect to their most famous brother.

Prince Michael Jackson I, Paris Michael Katherine Jackson and Prince Michael Jackson II.

Jermaine Jackson performs Michael's favourite song, Charlie Chaplin's 'Smile,' a tear-jerking moment when he threw a rose from his lapel onto Michael's casket.

It hurts to watch Paris fighting back her tears, telling the world that "Ever since I was born, daddy has been the best father you could ever imagine".

Tito and Randy Jackson embraced by the side of Michael's coffin, covered with beautiful large red roses.

Far from sight but never far from heart. The king never actually left us at all, he still lives and grows in everyone.

To the most celebrated man ever lived- You can never be forgotten.

Chow Yhang Restaurant @ SS2

2009-06-29T20:36:00.008+08:00

Music: Dreams Come True- A Little Prayer Mood: Bloated again

Initially I wanted to bring family to a new age vegetarian restaurant at Jaya One last Sunday, but they mentioned that we could only order from their Father's Day set menu, which is about RM268++ for a 4-person set. Dad said he will not hesitate to kill me if I bring him there.

Hence, here we are at this very popular neighbourhood restaurant at SS2, situated right behind Pulau Pinang Kayu Nasi Kandar. This place has been a favourite among residence around this area, so there is definitely a need to call in for reservation. We were there at 6.30pm, all tables were fully reserved for 7 pm onwards and there are even people stream lining in and out of the restaurant with the unlikely hope of getting a table.

黄金炸豆腐 (Fried Tofu)

A little salty but blends in well with rice. The tofu was crispy and the minced pork and shrimps topping complements it nicely.

招牌蜜汁肉排 (Braised Pork Ribs in Honey Sauce)

A tad on the sweeter side, but I think the elderly would enjoy this. You need not worry about grinding your teeth on tough meat as the ribs were braised till soft and succulent.

炒豆苗(Stir-Fried Snow Pea Sprouts)
This is almost as soft as Yin Choi (chinese spinach) but it's nicely cooked without loosing its crunchiness.

亚三咖哩非洲鱼(Asam Curry Tilapia)
Star dish of the night. The asam curry has a tinge of sourness and quite flavourful, not overpowering the tilapia, which on the other hand, was cooked just right to retain its firmness.

Him and his goofy faces.

The bill is a cheap RM62.40. It's the "Thanks for the satisfying dinner, I enjoyed the meal very much." that made my day.

Opening Hours: Monday - Sunday (11:30 am - 2:30 pm and 5:30 pm - 10:30 pm). Close on Thursdays.

Location: 135, Jalan SS2/8, 47300 PJ (right behind Pulau Pinang Nasi Kandar Kayu)

Tel. no.: 03-78773850, 012-2963523

Map: view driving directions Here.

Café Café @ Jalan Maharajalela

2009-06-23T14:18:00.008+08:00

Music: Morcheeba- Undress Me Now Mood: on MC with a swelling chipmunk cheek

Though located around the hustle and bustle of KL city, one could easily overlook this unassuming quaint restaurant at Jalan Maharajalela, a hidden gem in town. Café Café remained as one of the most highly acclaimed restaurants over the years and more to come.

With a bevy of awards under its belt, food can hardly go wrong in here.

The moment we reached its doorstep, the door flew open and we were immediately greeted and ushered to our table by 3 warm-smiling faces.

Walking through the door was like being teleported to another place— dangling crystals, huge chandeliers, dimly candlelit tables and lavishly decorated surroundings, we almost forgot where we were.

We surveyed the Parisian restaurant after the captain took our orders. I couldn't help notice that their chairs were dissimiliar from a table to another!

Since we ordered from their six-course menu, portions are bound to be smaller. Do order ala-carte off their Frence Italian menu if you fancy a heftier main course.

Starter for the night- Chef of the day- Consommé. A cold, clear but richly flavoured soup to whet our appetites.

Sourdough with olive oil and vinegar- I like them being served crispy and hot.

Niçoise salad- As I only managed to finish half of it, the concerned waiter explained that the garnishing anchovies were indeed too salty.

Pan seared Foie Gras- It's my first time having Foie Gras and nearly fainted in delight. It was crispy on the outside, melts when it touches your mouth. They should serve this as the final dish as it's so perfect and aromatic that makes you think dinner just end here. Nothing can ever beat this.

Clams in White Wine- fresh clams that smell faintly of wine. I could imagine the Chef cooking it in flames.

Wagyu Beef Cheeks with Risotto and Mushrooms- This is literary meat from the cow's cheeks, a self-explainatory to why it is so tender. On top of that, they braised it to make it even more tantalizing.

Lemon Sorbet- I'm already salavating by the look of it. Reminds me of the fresh Lecka-Lecka ice cream that I once tried.

Original Chocolate Cake- We didn't get to try their famed tiramisu, instead, this turned out to be a favourite among diners for the night. I still can remember piping hot chocolate syrup flowed out from the cake once it's being cut open, and I mean really WARM! This is undeniably the BEST dessert I've ever had!

The dinner definitely lived up to our expectations, even exceeding it. How could anyone NOT love café café?

Pin said I looked so happy in all pictures.

Thanks for the wonderful meal and Happy 5th Anniversary :)

Juice @ Bangsar-- 20th June 09 Launching Day

2009-06-22T00:47:00.009+08:00

Music: None Mood: Toothache

We just HAPPENED to drive pass Bangsar and it so HAPPENED to be the launching day of Edison Chen's first overseas outlet streetwear store- Juice, at Jalan Telawi 5.

The Superstar himself left before 4.30pm but the crowd is still overwhelming come 5 pm.

Did you see what I see? The ratio of Male to Female is 5:1, age ranging between 18- 25.

Perverts. Hmmmph.

Read more about the store launch Here.

Ichiban Boshi @ Pavilion KL

2009-06-14T20:26:00.009+08:00

Music: Vamps- I Gotta Kick Start Now Mood: Empty

You do not need to spend a fortune to savour good Japanese food these days. I know lotsa foodies out there dig Sushi Zanmai but believe me, this is a whole lot more better!

The one and only Ichiban Boshi outlet in Malaysia is located at Pavilion, just next to the food court area.

Food from the kaiten belt is priced at RM 2 (beige plate), RM 4 (red plate) and RM 6 (brown plate). You may think the quality might be equivalent to S***i K**g, but you will be pleasantly surprised.

First off, they are darn huuuge! The unagi sushi were lip-smacking and the nori (seaweed) wrapped around these sushis were fresh.

They have an extensive ala-carte menu to choose from.

I forgot the name of this bento set. It may looked pricey but hey, it only cost us about RM34++.

Yasai Salad- nothing special, just greens served with sauce.

Maguro Sashimi- fresh, but nothing to shout about too.

Kitsune Soba- means double meat Soba. The soba may be a little soft but the soup is flavorful as it's cooked with minced beef and beef balls.

Fried Salmon Skin- a little salty but nevertheless a crunchy side dish.

This place is definitely worth re-visiting! No harm sampling everything in the menu since it's reasonably priced.

Location:

168, Jalan Bukit Bintang,

Lot 1.14, Pavilion

55100 Kuala Lumpur

Opening Hours:

Mon-Fri: 11.30am- 10pm

Sat-Sun: 11am- 10pm

Kim Lian Kee @ Petaling Street

2009-06-02T20:49:00.005+08:00

Music: Green Day- 21st Century Breakdown Mood: bloated

After dwelling in KL for more than twenty years, this is my first time trying out the best Hokkien mee in KL, most said Malaysia. Even Choi Lan (蔡澜) couldn't sleep without having a serving of this whenever he visits to Malaysia.

With Choi Lan's art on one wall, Ah Xian's banner on the other end, the food can never go wrong in here.

福建面 (Hokkien Noodles)

What makes this taste so great? One ingredient: Lard. They will add in some generous amount of lard cracklings (猪油渣) that makes you flip with happiness. Sure it's unhealthy, but this just brings out the best in Chinese cooking.

姜酒面线 (Ginger Wine Rice Noodles)

I regreted ordering this. It's definitely not the shop's popular dish. The noodles taste very normal and the soup is just too oily, but it sure keeps you warm after consuming just a quarter serving.

Do you know the original stall (which is just a street across) started its business dated as far back as 1927? The Chinese owner initially opened his stall in Petaling Street selling something very different- Soup-based Noodles. He then thought that Malaysian's taste buds were distinctively heavier than his mainland origins due to the hot weather. So, he created something that suits to the locals here, something drier, thicker and of course, unheard of. Therefore, Hokkien Noodles were born.

Today, Kim Lian Kee Hokkien Noodles is one of the must-try food in Petaling Streets for tourists around the globe. Up till today, his third generation is still running the tiny stall under that dusty old shop sign. On 2007, they expanded their business to a bigger premise in a shoplot situated at the opposite road (which is the one I just visited). However, if you don't mind a cramp dinning place, I would recommend you that good ol' stall.

Location: New Kim Lian Kee- 49-51, Jalan Petaling, 55100 KL (Under Reggae Bar)
Opening hours: 11 am-11 pm

Location: Old Kim Lian Kee- 92, Jalan Hang Lekir, 55100 KL (which is opposite the famous Lo Hon Gor stall)
Opening Hours: 5 pm- 5 am

Adam Lambert- the next Queen frontman??

2009-05-24T20:22:00.003+08:00

Music: Robin Thicke- Can You Believe Mood: mixed up

Rumours has it where Queen Guitarist Brian May is interested in the Season 8 Runner up Adam Lambert as their upcoming frontman.

Click here for further reports: http://www.upi.com/Entertainment_News/2009/05/23/Queen-interested-in-Lambert-of-Idol/UPI-66861243095165/

For those who missed the Season's finale, here's the amazing collaboration between Adam, (sheesh) Kris and Queen.

Rumours don't just come if he's just a useless faggot.

Adam Lambert- THE American Idol

2009-05-22T01:50:00.002+08:00

Music: None Mood: hollow

Apparently Americans were blindfolded. I think David Archuleta's fans took revenged by breaking the 100 million vote record last night to Krystal Allen. Steve Allen. Christian Allen. Whatever.

So what if everyone do care about a bisexual Idol? Let's just wait and see who's the crowd wower.

Adam Lambert, the revived Elvis Presley. Queen's next best choice. Slash's best frontman. American's REAL Idol.

Attack Of The Swine

2009-05-18T20:52:00.003+08:00

Music: JUJU- あこがれてた関係 Mood: Nothing Special

This is the 2008 Beijing Olympics medals tally. Malaysia ranked at 71 with one miserable silver medal.

http://swineflutally.com/

This is the Swine flu tally. Malaysia is among 39 countries that was hit with the disease, with TWO confirmed cases somemore.

There are zillions of people on earth, the probability of one getting the flu is nearly 1: 100 million.

It so happened that USA is the country with highest confirmed cases.
It so happened that it managed to reach a tiny town called Newark, New Jersey.
It so happened that there's a Malaysian Student staying in this lone town.
It so happened that this lone-town-Malaysian caught a cold.
It so happened that he is coming back here at this point of time.
It so happened that his friend caught the cold too.

We are sooo standing in the eyes of the world now. Memang boleh.

Big Bad Wolf Books Warehouse Sale @ Section 13, PJ

2009-05-17T01:10:00.004+08:00

Music: Matt Wertz- Everything's Right Mood: Heavy

I've been to three books warehouse sale my entire life, this has to be an eye opener. It started from 14 May (Wed) until 18 May (Mon). Guess I've missed out quite abit since it's already Saturday.

The minute I step into the hall, all I can see is people mountain people sea and book mountain book sea.

What's so amazing about this sale is:

No. 1:

Book prices ranging from RM3 to RM8!! I kid you not, this applies to 99% of the books. That's why you can see people carrying cardboard boxes and made-in-China blue plastic bags. I saw an uncle dragging three cardboardboxfull of books to the cashier.

No. 2:

I believe them completely when they claim to have more than 100,000 books. There are still cargo- full of unpacked books at a corner.

What looked like rubbish dump at the 'Do Not Enter' corner were actually untagged books waiting to be arranged by the tired young workers.

I bought all of these at only RM55.

Do visit Big Bad Wolf Books' homepage for any updates or if you are still on time, check out the warehouse sale's location map!

Woo Pin Fish Head Noodle @ Taman Danau Desa, Old Klang Road

2009-05-16T01:06:00.003+08:00

Music: Paula Cole- Where Have All The Cowboys Gone? Mood: Wasting away

Originated from Cheras, this has been one of the highly blogged about fish head noodle stall for quite some time. Despite the fact that I'm staying just 3 minutes away, I'm rather embarassed to say that last week was my first visit here.

This shop sells only fish head noodles, nothing else; and yet one needs to wait for at least 30 minutes during peak hours for their orders to arrive.

腐竹薏米白果水 (Fu Zhuk Yi Mai Bak Go)

This is so nicely boiled that the Fu Zhuk has dissolved into the drink.

炸鱼头+鱼滑米 (Fried Fish Head + Fish Paste Beehoon)

Although they open from 7.30 am till 2.30 pm, after Wong Chui Ling from "One Day Five Meals" recommended this place, it's most likely to be sold out at about 12.30pm. I guess I'm really lucky to get mine served in less than 10 minutes.

This has to be the BEST fish head noodles I've ever tasted. We ordered fried fish cutlets and fish paste to go with the bee hoon. Garnished with mixture of tomatoes, shallots, spring onions and salted vegetables, the broth tasted milky and thick. The fried fish cutlets were in generous portions that it's still enjoyable to consume though one still have to pick out troublesome fish bones. If you still don't fancy fried fish, you can replace it with fish paste instead, it's equally smooth tasting.

Price: RM6(S),RM7.50(B)

Address: Jalan 1/109F, Taman Danau Desa, Kuala Lumpur

Opening Hours: 7.30 am- 2.30 pm

Map:

View Makantrip.com - Klang Valley in a larger map

Krispy Kreme @ Berjaya Time Square

2009-05-13T02:49:00.004+08:00

Music: None Mood: Serene

Joining the Krispy Kreme craze, I decided to check out the world renowned doughnut at our very own first outlet at Berjaya Times Square.

I'm not an avid fan, but I'd like to know how American cops' favourite late night snacks taste like.

The best seller- Original Glazed and Hershey's Dark Chocolate.

Pin walloped a total of 450 calories for the tasting... I guess we didn't like it THAT much. The Original Glazed was too sweet for our liking but luckily Hershey's taste good. Comparing to J.Co, Krispy Kreme is crispy whereas J.Co donuts are soft.

Krispy Kreme targets to open another 20 stores within the next 5 years all over the country; whereas J.Co Donuts is planning to open 5 more in 2009, excluding the current 4 outlets. On the other hand, Big Apple Donuts, the notorious 99% copycat of J.Co, already has 33 stores operating nationwide; of course not forgetting the nearly neglected Dunkin' Doughnuts.

I wonder when will this doughnut franchising trend end? When will this niche market turn into a mass market? What would the next franchise be? Let me guess, Ben & Jerry?

Mother's Day@ New Formosa Restaurant, PJ SS2

2009-05-11T02:37:00.006+08:00

Music: Juju- Wish For Snow Mood: Well fed

I can't believe my parents have been here before I do. I mean, FINALLY, they know where I'm trying to bring them.

Dad: "We've been here 20 years ago with Ah Sun ah gu's family for dinner~!"

TWENTY years earlier somemore!

This Taiwanese restaurant has been here since 1980, no wonder I'm damn sua gu.

金菇腐竹海带苗角瓜豆腐(Fried Golden Mushrooms with Japanese Seaweed Sprout Bean Curd Skin and Loofah)

芝麻鸡(Deep-fried Sesame Chicken)

黄梨排骨(Spare Ribs with Pineapple)

清炒油麦(Stir-fried Lettuce)

银杏芋泥(Ginkgo Yam Paste)

She's definitely going to strangle me if she sees this.

We are small eaters, (RM76.50 for the meal) see how easily we can be fed.

If you don't mind the terrible service, this is a must-try Taiwanese restaurant that suits to Malaysians' taste buds.

Calling It A Day

2009-05-09T21:21:00.004+08:00

Music: Lupin The Third- Funky Junky Trip Mood: full

I was at USJ branch office on Friday for a DI session, chaired and attended by a few other big-shot bosses (I have no idea why they are being assigned to chair the session!). It's supposed to start at 9.30am, last for about 2 or 3 hours and end in the morning. We started late at 10.30am as a result of 2 bosses' late arrival, as they went to a wrong branch at Subang Jaya (I also dunno how they can be so dai tao har).

So the DI ended at 12.30pm and we went lunch together. I was thinking of tumpang-ing the bosses' car back to office since some of them are based in my office. Then one began:

Boss A: Yesterday I kena full day from my Ah Tao. Today if see her face again, I cannot tahan!
Boss B: Nevermind what, we still have the DI report to complete and print out. See ah, after lunch it's about 1.15 pm. You check slowly-lah, probably will be done at 3.00 pm.
Boss A: Ya lor, then all of you need to verify somemore. I think will be done at least at 3.30 pm.
Boss C: Then traffic jam back to KL. Once you reach office, it's at least 4 pm! (FYI, we can leave at 4.45 pm on Fridays)
Boss A: That's right!! That's why I told my Ah Tao yesterday I'm going to be here WHOLE day!
Me: *jumps into conversation suddenly* er... then are both of you going back to office, at all?
Boss A and B: *stare at me wide-eyed* Are YOU planning to go back later???
Me: hmm, my boss normally will let us relax abit on Fridays...

Boss A and B: *Rejoicing* Then mah no need to go back already looooh!!

Boss C and D: * laughing uncontrollably*

That's the most amazing, heart-warming feedback I have ever heard. From 4 big-shot bosses.

Lee Hom Music Man Concert @ Bukit Jalil, 2 May 2009

2009-05-04T18:51:00.018+08:00

Music: Delta on the Main Street- Chinese Moon Mood: Blessed

Tis' my second time watching Lee Hom Concert since 2004, a much fitter, talented, strikingly good looking and of course, better selection of songs this time.

My terror company- one with a terrible backache, another one whose husband failed to put their baby to sleep until 12am. Both die die also want to come.

Thanks to the darn policy, I could never sneak in my Dumbo camera. This is the only clear photo taken by my N95 before lights out.

The rest of my collection are horrible, terrible and vegetable.

Courtesy of Sam's cam, stolen from her facebook :D

He is not Spiderman, Batman, Superman, X-Man or Cicakman, he is MUSIC MAN!

That's his Euro 20K Bahamut!

On the piano playing 你不在，唯一, 爱的鼓励;

On the violin playing "When You Wish Upon A Star" and 落叶归根。

Hope you don't mind these few horrible, terrible and vegetable videos taken by my N95.

Forever Love

心跳

落叶归根

When You Wish Upon A Star

唯一

Song lineups:搖滾怎麼了、W-H-Y、花田錯、龍的傳人、心跳、Forever Love、安全感、第一個清晨、流淚手心、如果你聽見我的歌、竹林深處、女朋友、愛得得體、改變自己、落葉歸根、一首簡單的歌、你不在、唯一、愛的鼓勵、大城小愛、Can you feel my world、我完全沒有任何理由理你、在梅邊、蓋世英雄、心中的日月

Encore: 放開你的心、愛你等於愛自己、KissGoodbye

It's over a girl

2009-04-26T21:27:00.003+08:00

Music: None Mood: Deadlines T.T

Harley fought over a girl...

and lost.

But he look so man now ^.^

Daiso @ IOI Mall, Puchong

2009-04-24T13:06:00.007+08:00

Music: 谢安琪- 祝英台 Mood: On leave...

I wonder what was the craze over this famous 'One Coin' shop from Japan. So I decided to pop over to check out the new outlet at IOI Mall new wing last Sunday.

It's like 100 Yen shop, only with a much wider variety.

Everything cost a very affordable RM5 here, including plasticware,

containers,

gardening appliances,

all sorts of vacuum bags,

baskets of all sizes,

lunch boxes,

Japanese merchandises,

party deco,

personal care,

and also DIY items, cosmetics, electrical appliances, car accessories, pet stuff and apparels.

Guess what? I think I left my arms at home... I didn't spend a cent here!! Seee, I'm so proud of meself XD

Probably too proud until we need to get home in a tow truck.

Dad: Adik, biasanya tow kereta apa?
Tow guy: Biasanya kereta Proton macam Kancil, Kelisa...
Dad: Pernahkah angkat Honda?
Tow guy: Jarang oo uncle, ini kali pertama...
Dad: malunya, macam tak ade wang bayar installment.
me: XD

Review: Shinjuku Incident

2009-04-18T17:41:00.008+08:00

Music: Mika Nakashima- Venus In The Dark Mood: Relaxed, for the mo

Caution: DO NOT watch this movie if you are not in a good mood, it will make you feel bleak from begining till end.

Inspired by real life incidents, the story took place in the early 90's when Chinese struggled to make ends meet by immigrating illegally to Japan and were measley paid to do manual labouring jobs. Jackie Chan plays Steelhead who immigrated illegally to Japan in search of his girlfriend Xiu Xiu (Xu Jing Lei). He met up with Gao Jie (Daniel Wu) and stayed with a host of illegal Hongkies in Shinjuku. Steelhead then found out that Xiu Xiu is in fact married to a powerful Japanese Yakuza leader Eguchi (Kato Masaya) but saved his life by coincidence when he was targeted to be murdered. To consolidate power, Eguchi build an alliance with Steelhead to take revenge. Soon after, Steelhead was so deeply involved in the Yakuza ways that he did not realized it is impposible for him and his gang to return to the right track.

This is a breakthrough role for Jackie Chan as you are not going to see perfectly designed kungfu moves from him. Instead, he poured in much more acting skills and portrayed a character who don't joke around his life. Finally, he's a dirty bad ass.

Ignore the ABC slang, Daniel Wu can really act here. Without fancy clothes, he can still pull off this timid character rather well. In fact, he scares me when he became a hopeless drug addict who donned a gothic punk look later on.

This is my favourite man of the movie. Naoto Takenaka (竹中直人) plays Inspector Kitano who owe his life to Steelhead who saved him from drowning in the sewage. He is one of the most versatile Japanese actor I've ever seen. He is darn hilarious when he played Franz Stresemann, a pervert German conductor who speaks Japanese (yes, with a weird foreigner's accent!) in Nodame Cantabile (交响情人梦).

See what I mean?

Highest credits goes to Director Derek Yee (尔东升) who prepared the movie 10 years ago (!!) and console information since 1995. He has gathered the best actors around the region and even got his brother Paul Cheng (秦沛) to act a rather kalefe character here.

Oh for some of you who didn't know, Paul Cheng, Jiang Da Wei (姜大卫) and Derek Yee are real-life brothers.

TVB drama followers will definitely recognize these famous brothers.

I find that people get killed too easily here. Some big shots can be murdered as easily as swatting a fly, or flying stones can kill a person immediately. Well actually, this is initially a three-hour R-rated movie. It's being reduced to a little less than two hours after much gory scenes has been taken out. So Daniel Wu actually died a very horrible death and so did other perished characters.

This is a turning point for Jackie Chan even though he's ten years late on the road. Quoted by him: "Help me to change! I'd rather be late than never. If you can't accept me here, then I think I better go back to shoot Rush Hour 4 lo..."

小人

2009-04-14T21:24:00.004+08:00

Music: Morcheeba- Living Hell Mood: Can't breath properly

Go ahead and read this. I don't care whether you are going to come across this or not (which I doubt so) but I dare you to.

I HATE you. I DESPISE you like I've never been before or towards anyone else. I LOATHE how you can be a hypocrite and act normal at the same time.

Nobody has a problem with you if you want to be the boss's favourite pet. Nobody is going to give a hoot on how good your shoe shining skills are. You take your wax and go play far far, fine by us. We can all feel the wind of your invisible wagging tail. BUT, if you step on someone's head, no wait, I need to rephrase. If you step on EVERYONE's head to get yourself to the top? When you successfully took credit of someone else's hard work until that person couldn't stand it anymore and resigned?? When all of us (except for you of course) need to stand in a war with a damaged bulletproof vest for so many times?? Woman, you have crossed your line.

You know Puss in Boots from Shrek 2?

I really thought this is just a fiction character, never knew it will come to life. Picture this: your face + your gigantic torso+ your routine self-pitying tactics leads you to something like this:

Like a T-Rex asking for mercy. *covers mouth and run to toilet*

I have only one thought in mind now. (Sorry Ah Wai need to borrow your picture):

Nah, KNNBCCB!!!!!!

Waste

2009-04-12T15:38:00.002+08:00

Music: Maliq & D' Essentials- Untitled Mood: bloated

Shoes

Bags

Clothes

Makeups

Restaurants

Concerts

Put me around shopping malls I'll spend as if Francis Yeoh is my father.

Restrict me near my house, I'll spend at the neighbourhood boutiques.

Lock me at home is even worst. I'll click away and shop uncontrollably online.

Somebody needs to dig my eyes out or tie me up in chains!! >.<

*~Life in a Cocoon~*