The Life Of A Somewhat Contended Being!

Tokyo Disneyland Halloween!

2010-11-01T15:48:00.007+08:00

The weather was kind to us on Friday, allowing us to make a visit to Disney Sea even with the typhoon warnings.

The place where dreams come true! I felt like a kid again at the Disney Sea Halloween themed park!

View of the house of terror!

We waited all day for the Mysterious Masquerade. where apparently, to secure seats for the show, you have to go through a lottery process!

Pictures speak for themselves. There really is nothing much to describe about Disney. Though we did not get to sit on most of the terrifying rides due to the super over hour long queue, I thoroughly enjoyed myself!

Pierre Herme Macarons!

2010-10-31T18:32:00.002+08:00

I was strongly recommended to try this out in Tokyo and did not think much about it until I found a branch by accident at Isetan in Shinjuku!

Brother bought 6 of them for me because I did not get a chance to buy them before I left for KL and I just popped one of them into my mouth. Seriously, they're worth the almost RM100 bucks for the 6 pieces (I was told by mom thats how much they cost) - absolutely beautiful!!!!

TOKYO TOKYO

2010-10-28T07:51:00.002+08:00

Ok, so it's been almost 4 days since I got into Tokyo. Having been here for the 4th time now, and not being too adventurous this round as it's a family holiday, I did not venture far.

Spent day 1 at Showa Kinen Park in a town calle Tachikawa- wandering the gardens, looking at greens and the 'Kosmos' flowers!

Stayed with mom's friend for a night before moving to the hotel to meet up with the rest of the family the next day. On the very first night, I had what would have been one of the best tasting unagi rice which can be eating just with rice, with some accompanyments or with o-cha soup base. And yes, they have the best deep fried eel bones! Yum! ( Will do a write up on this restaurant pretty soon - regrettably, I forgot to take the address only the phone no - but it's walking distance from the Takorozawa station)

I am rushing out for breakfast now and taking a long ride to Asakusa for the day and hopefully be able to get tickets to Disney Sea tomorrow for the Halloween special before I'm back home to KL.

More pics to come soon.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME

2010-10-20T22:06:00.002+08:00

One more year before i hit the big 3-0.

Spent this year in Jakarta. Nothing spectacular. Bought myself a nice dinner dress- which after conversion cost less than RM300.

Finally changed hotel rooms after 2 sleepless nights from the fuc**d up electrical wirings that would suddenly light up the floor lamp and door bell once the air con started making weird 'tak tak' noises!

I have made my wish. For the past 2 years - my wishes have come true. I am hoping this would too and last a lifetime!

In Jakarta

2010-10-18T18:56:00.006+08:00

Everytime I am super unenthusiatic when I have to work in Jakarta. This time is probably a little bit of an exception.

Had a 'interesting' Saturday checking out the so called POLO RALPH LAUREN in Jakarta with Jason and Mary and debating whether it's the genuine PLR shops with Sass - the ladies polo only cost abt RM40 after discount. Those who frequent JKT would know that there is a very similiar concept that goes by the brand POLO. Ventured down to Taman Anggrek -Noticed the shop design and layout is different but the the shirts look ..oh well can't really tell the difference. Heard that someone bought like 1/2 dozen and took it back to the shops in KL to verify and was told they are genuine!

Sunday, had a crazy shopping day out buying baby stuff (no not for me! no where near there) at Mangga Dua. First time there with Shirleen, my Indo friend and we had an awfully great time selecting all the baby stuff. Finally something for myself (oh well tee hee, minus the PLR Tee I got) at Grand Indonesia. Minus the afternoon crowd, it can be pleasant shopping, as almost everything under the sun seems to be sold there!

Really, all sorts of funny stuff can be found here - vanilla smell blackberry covers!

Yep, I'm too lazy to turn the photos - my bling bling doraemon cover. At only 25,000 Rupiah, no wonder the blings are dropping off fast ..

Just 4 more days to go. I can't wait to start the family holiday in Tokyo and have a in Taipei. Shilin Fried Chicken....HERE I COMMMMMMMMMME

Blogging should resume to it's normal mode once I get into my HO-LEE-DAY mooodd yeah baby..bring it on!

NASI LEMAK LUNCH!!!!

2010-10-01T13:43:00.003+08:00

His royal highness who loves nasi lemak would be sooo envious!

It's that time of the year after Raya...where our beloved Kakak from office makes us yummmmmmylicious nasi lemak...1 chicken wing, 1 drumstick, a lot of sambal sotong later, I'm stuffed and very satisfied.

Great way to end the Friday! Can't wait to meet my buddies tonight for a big feast!!

OMG

2010-09-30T13:33:00.002+08:00

I had completely forgotten to blog....

No excuses...just been too lazy and caught up with some personal stuff.

Blog will be right back on track next week!

Meiji Copan Garlic Toast

2010-09-16T18:37:00.003+08:00

This snack is soooo delicious you cant get enough of it. Found it at the little japanese snack place beside Madam Kuan in Mid Valley. They were doing a promotion RM9.90 for 3 packets (either garlic toast or chilli toast). I bought 1 while Jo got 2 with the chilli and reckons the chilli tastes way better, but to me, this garlic toast is already super addictive. Really have to get it if you're a fan of garlic toasts/ bread. YUMMMMMMMYYYYYY!!!!!

Anvien, Ho Chi Minh

2010-09-07T11:16:00.005+08:00

Of my 10 dinners in HCM, dining at An Vien must have been one of my favourites as I had dinner twice here. Prices are considered high here but nevertheless worth every single cent paid. An average person would probably spend about RM50 having a decent meal here. Do try to bring more people along to be able to savour more of their very delicious dishes. Pictures below are of dishes we tried the 2 times we were there.

Located in a little alley, I believe, it's not hard to get the taxi to bring you there.

The restaruant settings were nice and elegant - totally in line with the top notch food they serve!

Deep fried fish cakes. Superb!!! Dont know why they don't serve it with any chili sauce on the side but nevertheless deep fried till crispy brown.

The crab meat glass noodle - probably one of the better ones I've tried. Not too salty, just the right amount of crab meat and served with lots of greens.

This has got to be one of my favourties - grilled pork and accompanied with crispy rice cakes.

This is apparently the right way to eat it - make a hole in the middle, stuff the tender pork in between and bite into it. Yum!

Also indulge yourself in these rice cakes - topped with something that tasted like shrimps (I can't remember exactly the viet name for it), but do look on the first page of the menu and look for the last dish!

As mentioned earlier, back in KL, the sugarcan prawns never come with greens and rice paper rolls. In Vietnam, i was informed, it's a norm.

The soft shell crabs were juicy, meaty and just fantastic. I'm not too big a fan of soft shell crabs, but they're nothing like some of the scrawny, over fried ones we get here!!

We only had dessert once - which was the coconut caramel (can't remember if it's exactly what it's called) - it's taste's very similiar to chendol, just that it comes in a pudding form and good enough, it was not served too sweet!

Overall conclusion: I love this place. Both times I was stuffed after dinner! And a must visit if you're in HCM - even if you're on a budget trip...

Address: 178 Hai Ba Trung, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
Tel: 824-3777

Lemongrass, Ho Chi Minh

2010-09-03T09:51:00.007+08:00

Rated 9 out of 221 restaurants in Ho Chi Minh City and recommended by a client, we decided to give Lemongrass a try on our second last night (out of 10) in HCMC.

Nicely decorated, a little Victorian, was my first impression of this place as we made our way to the first floor as G was already packed. There's a lady on the G floor that entertains you with music from a instrument that somewhat resembles an er-hu.

Just 2 of us, there was really not a lot we could order, so we settled mainly for dishes from their special menu. Noticed that most dishes in special dishes would have some lemongrass in them.

The deep fried prawn cake was fantastic and fried till golden brown. Crisp on the outside - juicy and spongy (according to my friend Wely, this is the best word to describe good fishballs) on the inside. Very very good!!!

We had the lemongrass minced crab next. In Malaysia, we just eat it straight but in Vietnam, it's standard we wrap it in rice paper rolls, basil, meehoon, vegetables amongst other greens.

We had the mussels with glass noodle next. Rather tasty and they were very generous with the mussels. We thought a bit too generous ...

And ended our meal with 'water spinach'.

The bill came up to about 400,000 VND which after calculation about RM60 ++ including tea. Again, if you're not game for the road side stalls and dont mind paying a bit more for better quality food in a nice ambience......Lemongrass is definitely worth trying

Address: 4 D Nguyen ThiepDong Khoi Area, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

Phone No: (08) 822 0496

Nhien Spa, Ho Chi Minh

2010-08-30T12:56:00.003+08:00

Places like Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam - you walk around the streets you see plenty of spa and massage places. They may range from the uber cheap (approx RM20 per hour) to the downright high class poshy spas.

Picked up some spa brochures in HCM yesterday but was recommended Nhien Spa - not sure if the lady gets commission from recommending them, but she did mention that they are reasonably priced with excellent service and popular amongst the tourists.

I decided to give it a go anyway as they offer free hotel pick up from District 1. (Call: 091 8169043 for reservation and free pick up).

The spa is only about 5 minutes drive from the Sofitel. The spa on first impression - nothing too impressive or attracted by it, but you will be greeted by friendly staff as you step into their spa.

A range of services are offered - from facial to massages and packages. I wanted to try the 1 hr ginger massage (USD 16) but the lady there cautioned that it may be too hot and suggested the hot stone at USD15 (which is more or less like the prices of a decent massage in KL). Tea and ginger sweets are served while the lady recommends you one of their many services offered.

Strangely, they had 2 people in the room all times during my massage, one to position the stones and help around and the masseur herself. She did a good job the whole 1 hour and pressure was just right (they would ask you before hand). It's probably one of the better hot stone massages I've tried. The best - they have that hot little beanie case they put to cover your eyes, totally relaxing. And if you tell them to focus at problem areas (back, shoulders e.g - they actually do listen)

Overall, it was a really relaxing experience and would love to go again if I have the time. Truly recommended if you're willing to pay a bit more and not fussed about an average looking spa.

La Cantine, Ho Chi Minh

2010-08-29T17:23:00.006+08:00

Thinking that HCM would have a strong French influence, of course we wanted to try some nice French food. To my surprise, not many people can actually give you a name of a decent French restaurant. Nevertheless, after asking around for almost a week, we stopped by La Cantine (On the 6) on Dong Khoi for lunch after Cu Chi tunnels on Saturday.

You could opt for either ala carte or the set menu. We opted for the cheapest set (USD 15++) on the 1st floor. Ground floor serves Vietnamese food mainly, we were told whilst 1st floor is Western/ French.

A post looking place with professional waiters/ waitresses, we sure hope the food would be as good as the place looks.

Bread and butter was served before the set. Boy, was it delicious. Fresh from the oven .

The starter was a choice between some vegetable (brocolli if I remember correctly) soup or Chicken Caesar Salad. The dressing was not too rich, greens were fresh and chicken portion just right.

Then we could choose between sea bass or beef. Although, we had ordered the beef bedium rare, it came out a tad too cooked, but nevertheless, the gravy was delicious. Beef however, was not as tender as we'd expected it to be.

Frofiterols for dessert. Best of the lunch! Topped with chocolate sauce and accompanied by ice cream - the perfect way to end a delightful Saturday lunch.

If you're not extremely particular about food, this is a good place to spend a lazy Saturday afternoon in HCM after a city tour or shopping around District 1.

Pho 2000

2010-08-28T17:06:00.005+08:00

I've decided to put a post on Pho 2000 instead of Vietnam House as dinner last night turned out to be a bit of a disappointment. Have had much better stuff in HCM these few days and once I get around to it, will be putting up more stuff...

Pho 2000 - a franchise rest, should be one of A's must eat things in HCM....so as soon as we checked into the hotel, we rested for a bit and headed out to take a look around Ben Thanh Market just about 1 km from our hotel. Pho 2000 situated beside this touristy market place was where we decided to have a late lunch. (BTW, Ben Thanh market - I was told you can actually bargain even if they put up displays of 'fixed price' - things there are not cheap)

Looks like a local joint but food is not dirt cheap there - reasonable though - I hope you can roughly gauge the prices from the menu picture I snapped. (USD1 approximately VND19,000). Sauteed Beef and Vermicelli -40,500 VND.

As we already had brunch on the plane, we opted for a not-that-heavy lunch, 2 of us, which consisted of fried prawn spring rolls (yups, can't run away from em in Vietnam), beef Pho and curry chicken with bread. Apart from Jakarta, I've never really seen Avocado juice anywhere else. HCM prob is the other place...

Overall, I thought food was pretty tasty, spring rolls - way better than the ones we get in KL. The curry chicken, however - probably I was not used to the taste, but I found it a wee bit too sweet. The pho - nothing to shout about but it's a good place to go if you want to get a quick inexpensive bite in a decent HCM restaurant.

XoXo - coming up will be pics from Cu Chi Tunnel and some awesome lunch....

Greetings from Ho Chi Minh

2010-08-27T17:54:00.005+08:00

My very first pho meal at Pho 2000 in HCM - A's recommendation

It's been almost a week now in HCM and I have not had the time to blog because I have been so swarmed with work. A typical day includes work work work, lunch, work work work, dinner, back to hotel, work work work - ok throw in a little swimming, gym, sauna and steam at our very awesome Sofitel hotel (that Oh uses L'occitaine toiletries!)

TGIF. Probably may have to work over the weekend but it'd be great to check out Cu Chi tunnels, the Notre Dame and other local attractions - and of course locate a spa , desperately need that back massage, over the weekend. Have been having great food so far (very fresh seafood) but pictures will come later. We might head down to Vietnam House for some vietnamese food tonight and hopefully there'll be a foodie post soon.

I did manage to bar hop a little on Wednesday night with one of A's friends living in HCM for a little over 5 years now. Kinda reminds me of those agogo bars we see on TV. It's pretty cool really to sit on those stool-like chairs (but with cushion padding and you get to rest your back comfortably) by the roadside drinking a draft Tiger, with Viet music blaring in the background (or maybe even some English pop music) and just guessing the nationality of people passing by.....

Can't wait to start the weekend...bring it on baby!

A Walk in FRIM

2010-08-17T12:47:00.009+08:00

Did my maiden visit to FRIM (Forest Research Institut Malaysia) last Sunday after being a Malaysian for 28 (and oh well, almost 29 years now) last Sunday.

I must say it did come as a pleasant surprise and I really enjoyed walking through the many trails - climbing up the stairs, balancing my way through those high ropes, almost slipping at times. I'm normally more into the gym, dance stuff. Got lost on the way out and spent 1/2 and hour walking under the drizzle to locate the car park.

At the end of 3 hours (including getting lost), I must say that it's really enjoyable minus the 3 mozzie bites I got on my arm. Seriously, being this close to nature and observing all these wriggly crawlys on the ground might not be the best way to spend a Sunday morning, but when you're with the right group of company, it really makes all the difference! And the best part, it took me less than 1/2 hr to get there from home.

Still nursing an cough, I've decided to remain alcohol free before I infect another with this dreaded itchy cough.

XoXo..ending my post with a recent pic that really cracks me up now - of my son 'Bert' in an oversized robe.

Till my next post from Ho Chi Min. Off for 1 1/2 weeks soon for work! Can't wait to do some great food reviews then!

BTW here's a really good link:

http://stuffnoonetoldme.blogspot.com

The Fail Food Guide

2010-08-13T11:34:00.001+08:00

Came across this site today..
Ha ha something refreshing...your guide to bad food!

http://thegutterfood.blogspot.com/

1-Altitude, Singapore

2010-08-11T10:18:00.005+08:00

Yet again, I had the chance to go try out a spanking new place in Singapore, 1-Altitude on the rooftop of the UOB Building. Occupying the top 2 floors of UOB - I had some finger food and beer on the 61st floor (282). I have not managed to take any pictures because

1) again, I never expected to go off to some fancy looking bar after work in my awful work clothes and messy hair

2) kinda rude to snap away when you're out with people you arent that close with

All I can say about this place is that they have really tasty finger food and a wide selection of whiskey/alcohol....

Just took a quick look around Stella, one floor up, which is a fine-dining concept and finally to the top 1-Altitude. Just a view from the top I managed to snap. Really reminds me of the Lebua State Tower in Bangkok, but of course the view ain't as gorgeous.

Just did a google search on this place and a pretty good write up can be found at

http://www.lifestyleasia.com/features/world-s-highest-al-fresco-bar-and-more/article-id/5137

OTTO Ristorante, Singapore

2010-08-06T10:13:00.003+08:00

Never took any pictures when I was here last night.

Never expected to go to somewhere like this too - so left my ever faithful LX3 in the hotel.

Awesome little place and check it out if you're in Singapore.

http://www.ottoristorante.com.sg/

They really have fantastic pizzas and super delicious cheese dips - and also guinness and erdingers on tap! Next time I'm in town, gonna head there for a decent meal and drinks.

Next stop Ho Chi Minh for work ...yeah baby! bring on those Pho!

Travels, Travels and Travels

2010-08-03T13:37:00.004+08:00

I have been so caught up with my 'activities' in Singapore lately and hanging out with 'da gang' back in KL that I've got no time to blog. ** more like the lazy bug strikes**

I've been pretty excited the last couple of days mainly due to a few reasons:

1) 9 days more till ... (let's keep this a mystery for now, k!). After all the hiccups and what is, what not, my wait's finally paying offffff!!!

2) a last minute self-invite brings me on a family trip to Tokyo in October. Yippieee I'm estatic but going to be very broke after that. Been sorting out the air flights, my hotels etc. A colleague recommended this http://www.31op.com/iruma/foreign/index_en.html over the Gotemba outlets. Planning a trip to the hot springs in Hakone too! Wauw!!!

3) Got round to confirming the dates and countries for our biggest trip so far - to Europe (out of Asia we go), with the YellowChimp of course. 2011!!! All that Enrich frequent flyer miles expiring in 2011 will come in to good use finally!

4) Someone's also getting married in Bali in June 2011! And I'm invited....ha ha. Bloody awesome! Giving me an excuse to go on a short trip.

No more bags, no more shoes, well, less clothes for the remaining of the year.

Adios! Just 3 more days and back to KL for the long weekend! And 9 more days till I'm finally back in KL and enough of Singapore!

Kazu @ Cuppage Plaza, Singapore

2010-07-28T18:09:00.008+08:00

Met up with more Uni mates last Sunday for Japanese - Kazu Sumi-Yaki Restaurant in Cuppage Plaza for dinner. Was told there are 2 seatings due to the small layout of the resuarant and never ending crowd. We opted for the 7pm one.

This place came highly recommended by Jules and a few other friends...

Starter off with cabbages with some miso sauce (on the house) as appetizers.

The lady recommended us to try their Kodai - i think it's sea-bream sashimi. Very fresh and the portion, a wee bit too little comparing the size of the fish. SGD 38.

Garlic Rice - sort of a must have in most Japanese meals.

This must have been one of my favourites for the night. A whopping SGD35 for this HUGE oysters to be shared between the 3 of us. Raw oysters topped with a tangy like sauce. Very appetizing indeed! The oyster must have been about the size of my palm or even bigger!

We had 3 sticks of Enoki Wagyu - yum yum. The Wagyu was grilled just right - not too tough, not too raw and definitely not stingy on the enoki.

Almost everything tasted just about right in the place. Here's the bacon wrapped with oysters. Now, this is something I've barely seen in KL.

Then we had the standard stuff people normally order in Japanese grills, pork slices wrapped with Asparagus but nevertheless, yummylicious!

Something which I would strongly recommend if you are not put off by the thought of having a cow's tongue in your mouth! Crunchy, lightly salted and grilled exactly to my liking.

Remember our Kodai sashimi from earlier on. Now here's what they did with the bones. Deep fried it till golden brown and you can then savour the whole damn fish!

We saw many tables ordering this and being the gluttony us, we had to have it too! It's a sort of meat and vege minced into a ball. Nothing special or maybe by this time I was already stuffed to my throat!

This, I think it's called Kamo Nasu Tori - brinjal topped with minced meat & gravy. I like eggplants, especially those grilled ones with the miso sauce in Jap restaurants, so this definitely was something I enjoyed a lot as well.

Ta-dah and of course the highlight of the night, something Jules raved about from the start of the meal till the end, the Foie Gras. Slightly crisp on the outside and very very juicy once you bite into it. Just awesome stuff- but not something everyone would enjoy, especially if you can't stand the smell of duck/ goose.

Bill came up to about SGD180. I guess considering our foie gras and wagyu, it's not too bad.

Here are my ratings for Kazu at 5, Koek Rd #04-05 Cuppage Plaza (+65 6734 2492)

Food: 8/10

Service: 6.5/10

Ambience: 6/10

Price: 7/10

Will I go back there again..definitely ..need some change from my staple beer and wings at Ice Cold Beer yeah!

Universal Studios - Singapore

2010-07-27T12:55:00.005+08:00

I had no plans whatsoever to visit Universal Studios in Singapore mainly because of the bad reviews they have been getting from my friends and their friends.

And of course I also felt that with the major attractions such as the Bettlestar Galatica Cylon and Human closed, SGD72 was not worth the money for a weekend. Nevertheless, last Sunday, I was still suckered to go there. Tickets were fully booked when I checked online, but thank god for awesome clients, they managed to secure 3 tickets for us.

I must say that Universal Studios Singapore is rather small - but many people have asked...compared to HK Disneyland? I really don't know -never been there. They have The Lost World, Far Far Away, Madagascar, Ancient Egypt, Sci-Fi Tour, New York, and Hollywood.

This is a picture in Far Far Away...

And my fav. character of all time...SHREKKKIIIEEEEE...the 4D show was pretty awesome. Totally worth to go expereince it!

Muhammad saw the picture below and said somehow I look like one of the penguins with my clothes and all.....!!!!

And here's one in Hollywood.

We went on most of the opened and more thrilling rides as well as managed to catch some shows...not those kiddies onesss.

Waited till 1pm for the Waterworld show. Pretty impressive I must say and rather action packed. At 2, we managed to catch a musical in Hollywood - with all the Universal Studio Monsters like Dracula and all that...

Although it is relatively small, I must say that they've done a pretty good job with it so far....and no complaints about that although few of the rides were not opened. My fav must have been the 'Revenge of the Mummy', where we had to queue for about 25 minutes. Roller coaster plunging into the darkness...reads the description on the brochure...

They give you a SGD5 retail voucher and SGD 5 meal voucher in the ticket package but trust me SGD 5 retail voucher almost buys you nothing. We had some burgers in 'Hollywood' - nothing to shout about but not crap either!

Overall the 4 1/2 hrs was well spent but once would definitely be enough for anyone cintemplating visiting US at this time....

To end the post, here's a picture of the 'people of universal studios'..

Till my next post folks!!

Tawandang Microbrewery @ Dempsey

2010-07-25T16:42:00.005+08:00

Did some research on food + beer places on Dempsey and decided to head to Tawandang
microbrewery with 2 others. Read from blogs and their website, that it is a Thai-German microbrewery with modern Thai food.

Got there around 8 and it was already packed for a Thursday night. Thank god we made a booking.

They had a pretty good life band I must admit - and it being a microbrewery, people get 'high' and 'drunk' fast and before 9, people were already dancing to songs like YMCA.

Always start off Thai food with fish cakes, one of my favourites and must haves in Thai restaurants. Not too bad for a starter.

Then, you always order Tom Yum Seafood Soup. It came in a rather large serving and 3 of us had 2 bowls each and big fresh juicy prawns + other seafood in our soup. Taste was just nice with a generous amount of seafood.

Next came the crab omelette. Nicely done and not too dry, topped with also a generous serving of crab meat.

Another very common Thai dish - pineapple fried rice. Did not really fancy it - somehow, just felt they overdid on some spice in the dish.

For some strange reasons, I have forgotten to take pictures of our Green Curry Chicken and Basil Leaves Beef. Wouldn't rate their tastes as spectacular but nevertheless pretty appetising.

I did come across many tables of customers having chilli crab, perhaps something worth considering if you're there next time!

Minus the beer tower we had (SGD45), food alone came up to about SGD40 pp including tax and all.

Service was a weeeee bit disappointing, either because we were seated in a sad corner of the restaurant or they were really short handed. Food came really quickly, but if u wanted other services - it'd take forever to flag the waitresses down.

Just love places with their own microbrewery - not sure what beer David ordered but it wasnt bad tasting.

Food wise - 7/10

Value for money - 6/10

Service - 5/10

Ambience - 7.5/10

p/s: last night, had dinner with uni mates, Lana and Jules at an awesome little Japanese restaurant famous for their grilled stuff, tucked away in a little corner in Cuppage Plaza. More pics on that too.

Right now..it's time for a good rest after a day under the sun at Universal Studios Singapore.

Address for Tawandang: Block 26, Dempsey Road, #01-01 Singapore 249686

Phone No: 6476 6742

PS Cafe in Dempsey

2010-07-22T10:24:00.005+08:00

Last Saturday, went to this little gem in Dempsey for dinner. I've ever only been to Dempsey once in the afternoon for Indian.

Liked the setting very much, very romantic, but 'sadly' (he he) I was with a friend from uni days so kinda defeats the purpose to be at such a romantic place for dinner yea! ha ha

Took out my LX3, ready to take some good shots after we were seated at our table when Eddie mentioned that it's a good camera and he used to have on, to which I said really loudly, 'But isn't it more of a girly camera.....'. Next thing I knew, guy next table whipped up his LX3 from his bag and showed me his, laughing at my remark. DAMN!!!!

Anyway, the menu did not have any risotto, usually my first preference in a restaurant like this, so I opted for their daily specials, steak with foie gras. Medium please!!!.

The dish came topped with mash potatoes and gravy. The taste was exactly to my liking and beef was very tender!

Eddie's super huge steak burger. Loved the sauce for the fries. Tasted something like mayo with a hint of thai spicy sauce. Wauw!!! Did not try the burger though..

2 glasses of water, 2 main courses and 1 latte later, bill came up to about SGD 100 or less - can't really remember. Not exactly cheap but food, I'd give it a 7.5/10, service 8/10 and ambience 8/10! Average dish costs about SGD25 for a main.

Good experience and would definitely go back there again. Gonna try Tawandang on Dempsey with the colleagues tonight. Wait for next post folks!

p/s...can't wait for universal studios on Sunday wah la la!!!

Paramount Hotel

2010-07-20T18:06:00.006+08:00

They say beggars can't be choosers. And that's exactly the type of shit you'll get when staying in a hotel that looks like 'something from the 60s or 70s': quote Daniel Chee -with a connecting mall that is lined up with dodgy bars at the G floor and GROs lined up outside smoking, at 7 ish in the evening.

So I was happily charging my BlackBerry, waiting for 'his-truly' to text and watching the last few episode of my TVB series on my laptop (running on batteries) when the switch tripped and my whole room was in darkness for a good 15 minutes. When I called the Operator, I guess she sounded just as shocked. 15 minutes later, Mr-Maintenance comes up, hear his ladder at the corridors and poof the lights came back on.

Heard a knock on my door...opened it. 'It's ok right now? What were you doing in the room?'

WTF...what was I doing?

Haha, I am amazed at the number of unfortunate events when I stay in Singapore Hotels. Why is this so?

p/s: went to a nice little restuarant on Dempsey on Saturday night. Will blog more about it when I am not too lazy. Can't believe that Universal Studio tickets are FULLY SOLD OUT for the next 2 weekends. Any other options what we can be doing apart from the Casinos and contributing to SG's economy by spending money at the Great Singapore Sales?

Singapore - Here I come!

2010-07-16T09:30:00.004+08:00

View of Tanah Lot from our hotel - Pan Pacific in Bali. Yes, that's where we stayed for 4 nights for our workshop from 26-30 June. An hours drive away from Kuta. Thank God for World Cup!!!

.. for a month - for work. No not for the Singapore sales. Trying to save up for a small trip before the end of this year. Any ideas?

How very 'exciting'!

Leaving a day earlier to join the boys at the casino, mabbe.

Gonna be craving for my wings!!!

World Cup Fever- finally over

2010-07-14T10:01:00.002+08:00

Raki & me at the Finals in Brussels Bar - Jaya 1

Yeah, the WC fever is finally over and suddenly we feel that life seems so empty, no more waiting for 10pm and 2.30pm matches - that to kill time, I made Cal accompany me to Mid Valley the other day. I only stayed up for three 2.30am matches (Nederlands Uruguay, Uruguay v Germany amd Nederlands v Spain..hehehe kinda obvious eh?).

The damned octopus was right - 8/8 and that gave me another reason not to blog earlier. Jo once said to me, men somehow become impotent for a week when they fav team crashes out of the WC. What about the women?

Gonna catch Eclipse with the girls tonight. Have been putting too many movies on hold - not even watched Triple Tap yet with the stunningly handsome Daniel Wu (sadly, no longer single and available).

I forsee a very packed travelling schedule for the remaining 1/2 year and hopefully by then, have more pics to post!

Till my next post from Singapore - wings, wings, wings here I come.

Lack of updates

2010-06-22T10:57:00.002+08:00

just being lazy and without my camera cable, which I stupidly left in Singapore, I have been too lazy to post anything. And well with the world cup fever going on, nothing really interesting has been happening in my life.

Off to Bali this Saturday for a workshop and back next Wednesday. More pics to come then!

Library, The Curve

2010-06-13T10:37:00.004+08:00

For the first time in a long long time, I've had a taste of f*****g bad service and unbelievably rude waiters.

Sad isnt it, when you have a great bar that serves Hoegaarden, a not-too-bad band and it's all spoiled by ridiculously horrid service.

Lin threw a surprise bday for her hubs at Library yest and got all of us there for what we would have expected to be a fun filled night out. Ok 2 incidences!

1) A lady came around handing over some questionnaires to fill in with regards to the new Mid Valley branch of the Library. Cal said to me to put in the other remarks column to 'get less arrogant' waiters to make the library experience more enjoyable. I completed it, forgot to return the pencil. Woman did not utter a single word to me, but tapped me on the shoulders and pointed to the pencil. Seriously??

2) Cal and Lin went to the washroom. So as usual, Lau, Jo and myself launched into a gossip session of I think would have been 'my dream guy', Jo's dream guy, Lau's dream guy or something like that. Deeply engrossed in our conversation, we did not realize that some waiter came and cleared everything on our table, including Lin's Kampai, which she had barely started on. When they got back, they were surprised. Called the waiter. He insisted he only cleared one bottle of Kampai and even had the cheek to empty the bin beside us to show only 1 bottle! He then walked off before even getting to the bottom of this. Got him back...he blamed it on the 3 of us for not telling the waiters when they came to clear our table. No apologies. Some argument ensued between Lin, her hubs and the waiter and they demanded to see his manager. Manager came, said would investigate as he had no idea who would have cleared the 2nd bottle. Never came back....(when I left at 1 ish, there was no sign of the dude). Hmm perhaps the bottle of Kampai has legs and sneakily walked away when the 3 of us were too busy chatting :)

Oh no.....late for my gym class.....! XOXO....

Love is one strange thing!

2010-06-07T20:57:00.006+08:00

Sometimes....

Love can be the strangest thing ever.

You may find this person to be the most amazing thing that ever happened to you and he's everything that you can think of (ok maybe, a bit of an exaggeration here). You probably can't find anyone else on the same compatibility level, that makes you laugh almost as much - that when you first met you think "damn seems like I've known you forever". But yet, the feelings are purely on a friendship level. You are totally emotionless to the girls he's ever been with. You listen and you sympathize with his love problems but never never get upset or hurt.

Then there's the guy next door whom you never thought about, but he made it seem as though it was all about you. You talk, you laugh, you feel comfortable around him but he never gave you that tingling sensation or any exceptional good vibes when you first met. Suddenly, before even realizing it, you get edgy when he doesn't call, you get frustrated when you don't hear from him and you get yourself thinking, are you already into him. Oh and don't forget looking at the dreaded blackberry 1000 times a day to see if u get his texts. But it looks like he may not be that into you after all?

Then there's the guy...alwasy at your beck and call. He's like your confidante, your best friend and he likes you! But again, your thoughts are so fixed onto mr-now-who's not-that-into-you that you overlook mr nice guy's quality.....damnn
Love can be one helluva roller coaster ride. Live with it and life goes on..........

Concorde Hotel Singapore - The Follow Up

2010-06-04T10:19:00.006+08:00

This is what real customer service is about.

So somehow, Concorde Hotel managed to track down my previous blog post complaining about their services.

The next day I got a little note slipped under my room that the Assistant Manager would like to speak to me...hmm weird....

Anyway cut the story short, I called him/ her and was asked about my blog complaints and anything they could do to make my stay better. Informed them that my room had already been cleaned and no fuss about that!

Last night got back to my room and found a big platter of fruit (very fresh!) on the work table with an apology note! Whoa...ok i'm kinda impressed at this stage.

Upon check out this morning, the very nice Mark, Front Office Manager was waiting for me to speak about the whole incident. After clearing the air, I made my way back to office before I'm off to airport at noon.

What can I conclude from this whole incident? Although Concorde Hotel is in a less strategic location as compared to Meritus Mandarin - our usual preferred hotel (now known as Mandarin Orchard Singapore), with the hotel rates and tip top customer service, it's definitely worth considering!

p/s: with my sleep problems in the last couple of weeks, I was rather surprised I managed very sound, undisturbed sleep in this hotel (free internet also!!!)! PLUS PLUS PLUS point! Now I'm refreshed and ready to start the weekend with a blast!

The Blur Taxi Man in Singapore

2010-06-03T10:48:00.002+08:00

Got a cab from Alexandra Road to Tiong Bahru yesterday for lunch.

Arriving at our destination 10 minutes later, uncle suddenly tells us 'Aiya, I forgot to turn on the meter!' WHAT!!! Originally I thought would have been a case of cabbie trying to cheat us.

But he charged us SGD 4.00 for the ride. Christee said it would normally be more, close to SGD5. Then, I asked for a receipt.

"Sure, no problem"

Barely 1o seconds later, he suddenly exclaimed, "Aiya, I turn off the meter" HUHHHHHH!!!

Fidgeting with his meter, he managed to print a receipt with no mileage, no change in time for me. Just a receipt that indicated SGD4.00...

Uncleeee...what happen-leh!

Concorde Hotel Singapore

2010-06-02T10:25:00.006+08:00

June 4 /2010 - Please read follow up post:
http://iamsiaoyue.blogspot.com/2010/06/concorde-hotel-singapore-follow-up.html

For some strange reasons, housekeeping services in most Singapore hotels suck. I don't know why. Every other day I get back to my room and find something is just not right. No towels, no this, no that the list goes on.

Due to the Great Singapore Sales, I guess, prices of hotels have sky rocketed around this period and I have to settle for a cheaper hotel further down Orchard Road. The Concorde Hotel Singapore looks awful from the outside but the rooms have been pretty much refurbished and I must say, in pretty good condition. No complains there. Minus point though, some of their staff standing at the entrance/ lifts area don't know how to even give u a proper smile as u walk into the hotel.

Oh ya..so I was about to bitch..I walked into my room yesterday and thought I felt something wrong. They'd forgotten to clean my room !!! I thought perhaps I'd accidentally pressed the DND sign but then I realized, the hotel was still running on the ancient system where you just leave a door card outside saying either 'please make up room' or 'do not disturb'.

So I called them ... ok a simple apology, no explanations given......and my room was cleaned while I went for my dinner and did some damage to my pockets. Seriously, why am I such a sucker for Marc by Marc Jacobs! They've finally got their own store in the Mandarin Gallery on Orchard Road! Damage done? Of course!

Jake Gyllenhaal in Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time

2010-05-30T09:55:00.008+08:00

(** Pictures in this post have been taken from the net**)

Given that I've been a fan of Jake Gyllenhaal since The Day After Tomorrow, it's redundant to ask if I'll be going to watch the Prince of Persia, after all that hype about the movie and how buffed JG had become....

Just will you check out those ripping muscles ...

Although imdb only gave it a mere rating of 6.8, I would still recommend it to everyone to watch (and no I'm not being biased here..I sincerely thought it was close to being awesome!). After all, it's the man's first attempt at such a film genre. Action packed till the last minute and I must say Gemma Arterton, spells HOT HOT HOT as Princess Tamina in the movie. (Bonus point: He's got an awfully cute smile!!). Cool graphics and I swear I was on the edge of my seat many times.

Cal looked at me at one point of movie when JG and GA shared their first kiss, towards the end of the movie and said "Are you sad?" Well, I might have just strangled her if the kiss lasted more than 5 seconds...

Replied A's text after the movie and told him I was done with Prince of Persia. He asked how it went. My reply, definitely awesome. He was skeptical. Sure? Yes! Sure? Ok fine...cause of Jake Gyllenhaal! HA HA HA

RM10 for a 2 hour movie, definitely well worth spent!

I would have rated it - 8/10

Off to Singapore in a bit. Finally!! After being homebound for a month. Definitely gonna miss some things around here but ... say hi to chilli crabs and Ice Cold Beer wings!!!!

In loving memory of Tan Se Jon

2010-05-22T17:06:00.003+08:00

A friend of mine asked if I have some unique stamps to give to him as he's recently into collecting stamps. Or rather has been. He has been asking me for weeeeekssssss to look around my house to see if I have any. I remembered in 97 I bought a set of Prince William's stamps and promised him I'll look for them.

Rummaging through my stuff for the stamps in my very cluttered room, I found some other Australian stamps (friends who sent letters from Aust after I'd graduated and back..those days la when letters were still the 'in thing..yes, that's how much I've aged) and more from the UK (yeah, also used to have this very very very sweet friend who used to send me postcards and letters from the UK - where he was studying, and used to get loads of postcards from his many Europe travels). We've kind of lost touch over the years, but I'm very happy he's found the love of his life and very happily married now. Looking at these pics, it suddenly occured to me..HEY I've seen those places during my recent Europe trip toooo!

Apart from those memories, I found a couple of birthday cards and some photos of Jon. A person whom I truly regarded as a 'brother' to me. We met when I was 16 (those IRC days) and throughout those years, he's never failed to take care of me like his little sister. His passing in 2004 was a big blow to me as not only have I lost an elder brother, a very dear friend, a confidante but also someone whom I really respected. One of my fondest memories of Jon was when he got pissed drunk one night in Melbourne, fell down the stairs, landed on his gf then ( or rather they rolled down together) and later of him puking (thank god) from my car out through the window. Oh the hours I spent getting ride of puke stains and the stench!!!!

Gor, you will always have a special place in my heart and I know that you will be very happy whever you are now.

Today has been a quiet Saturday for me and getting ready to pick granny and leave for dinner. XoXo till my next post

Happy Tuesday

2010-05-18T12:59:00.002+08:00

After a severe case of Monday blues, Tuesday started off much better with a cheery text in the morning! Work is piling up at work as I'm rushing to pull out from the client's this Friday.

Have to motivate myself to work harder. Have to also start hitting the gym more constantly just in case some unexpected beach holiday comes along right?

Anyway, here's a good funny read for a slow Tuesday before momentum really builds up tomorrow (hopefully). Why we can never get a good guy. Kinda reminds me of you, yes u...u got that email from me as well! hehe , hope all's well with my dear friend down south!

http://www.craigslist.org/about/best/lax/483318927.html

Since it's probably impossible to get a good guy nowadays, Jo and myself have resort to go on Project: Gold Diggers ! Wish us luck! he he

Dinner at Reunion - Bangsar Village 2

2010-05-15T11:25:00.004+08:00

Add: Lot 2F-17 & 18 , Level 2, Bangsar Village II, Jalan Telawi Satu, Bangsar Baru, KL
Tel: +603 2287 3770

I've only been to Reunion once before Thursday night's dinner for a bowl of wanton mee.

For Jim's birthday, the girls and I took him out to dinner (as he strongly recommended) to Reunion in Bangsar Village.

We started off with the pepper and salt 'bak fan' fish. Very crispy, lightly salted..not exactly a healthy option for a starter but who cares, we're all out for a feast!

We had the pig stomach soup next which was not hot enough but I have always been a fan of salted vege and pig stomach soup, so no complains if it's tasty enough...

The waiter recommended their house special black bean chicken which is undoubtedly one of the best dishes for the night. Steam chicken with soy sauce can get pretty boring but this really something unique.

Next we had long beans with roasted pork. The rest thought it was a wee bit salty and must have with rice.

Scallops with steam egg. Yum............!!! egg just steamed to perfection and with a generous portion of scallops.

Steam fish - I alwasy think that if a fish is fresh, irregardless of the taste, you can never go wrong. But this one had a good gravy on it....slightly spicy

The highlight of the night. Their hokkien mee. Absolutely generous with the pork lard (which I don't eat) --it's surprisingly very delicious for a restaurant standard. U know how hokkien mee are alwasy tastiest if cooked by those road side stalls or hawker stalls.

Bill came up to about Rm366 for 5 people but overall it's a good dining experience. Service, on the other hand has to be improved.

I will definitely go back there for their hokkien mee if I can get good dining company!

Westin Eest Dim Sum Buffet Brunch

2010-05-09T11:35:00.003+08:00

Joanna and I took the Starwood Voucher to redeem a free buffet dim sum brunch for ourselves yesterday at the Westin. We started at about 11.30am and only finished at approximately 2.30pm.

Started off with their simple selection of sushi.

And a very interesting selection of salas. I specially liked the long beans with prawns which had a very Thai taste to it. There was also chili with cucumbers, jelly fish etc.

The spinach porridge was something different/ interesting and you can choose any of the few seafood ingredients for the porridge:- salmon, cod fish, squid, fishballs, prawns...

Of course we had our variety of dim sums from siew mai, chicken feet, chee cheong fun...nothing particularly interesting but it's good fun to sit down and catch up with a good friend on a saturday afternoon and sampling dimsum in a 5 star hotel..something which we normally won't do!

We also tried their sesame duck. I found it unique but the duck had a very strong 'duck' taste. HAHA in cantonese I think we call it 'sou'.

We ended our 3 hr buffet brunch with their desserts which we found really way tooooo sweet but to give them credit for it, they do have a wide selection and their ginseng tea is good to cool you down on a hot hot day!

Ended our lil outing by just making a round in Pavillion, just opposite. Found a Massimo Dutti belt which I really liked......but...have to exercise some self control if I want to materialise another Europe trip in 2011.

XoXo. Happy Mother's Day to everyone. Taking my family out to Sao Nam tonight for Vietnamese!

Malaysia Airlines (MH) more Ridiculous Stories

2010-05-07T19:44:00.004+08:00

I never stop hearing ridiculous shitzs about Malaysia Airlines (MH - Malaysian Horror)

Till today, I'm getting comments from my old blog on the services by MAS. Just last night having dinner with my uncle, he mentioned that he was on MAS once and they ran out of satay sauce for business class. Really!

I remember during my business class experience to Amsterdam, my TV screen did not work BOTH WAYS - going and coming back but on the way back, the steward was kind enough to compensate me with a RM100 voucher, which I later found out that it's really nothing. A dude once complained about MAS staff forgetting to load their planes with the food and drinks menu for the Busines Class passengers, he was offered a free flight. Damn, should have lodged an official complaint again!

If you go though my old blog postings, you'll find a long list of never ending complaints from readers/ me.

http://siaoyue.wordpress.com/2008/04/26/another-let-down-by-malaysia-arilines/

One reader posted this today, a link to another complaint on our national carrier:

"I have came accross to your blog, sorry to hear your story but this story even more seriously worse MH stands from Malaysian Horror http://www.simsonlai.org/mh-malaysian-horror-stay-away-from-this-company/ ".

Malaysia Boleh!

Grand Imperial Kitchen - Empire Mall, Subang

2010-05-07T19:27:00.002+08:00

I apologize for the picture qualities, as they were taken from my Blackberry. Crap pictures!

Stumbled across Grand Imperial Kitchen with Sarah when I went to Empire Mall in Subang for lunch. Just having had my dinner in their Plaza Damas branch, I still decided to give this one a try as I've always been a fan of Grand Imperial restaurant in BSC.

Lunch can be either their set menus or ala carte. I opted for Set no 10 ( if I remember clearly), which was minced meat and mushrooms with noodles. Very springy noodle and not lacking in the taste department. It also comes with a pork ball soup (3 pieces) only for Rm11.90 and another RM2 for drinks. The orange juice I ordered actually did surprise me a little as I did not expect freshly squeezed juice, a whole glassful of it. Come on, how often do you get quality juices in Malaysia that comes for only RM2.

HOWEVER, I must say that service is absolutely disappointing. When we got there, all tables were occupied and the captain told us that all customers had just arrived and there were no available tables for us. We left and 1 minute later, a very nice old man runs after us and tells us that he's about to leave and we can take their table. Just as we sat down, 4 other tables of customers settle their bills and leave! Urghh!

Tables were cleared pretty quickly enough but they were not set fast enough. Halfway through lunch, I tried to get the attention of a waiter to bring us napkins. Standing 10 feet away, he acknowledges me, shakes his head a little to ask 'what do u want'. I mean how do u tell a stupid waiter standing 10 feet away that you want napkins. Do that 'wipe your mouth' action loh! At least he understood! Damn it!

Overall, the dining experience was satisfying, as all Grand Imperial restaurants are up to a certain standard, but yet again, why can't their improve on the level of their service?

Something meaningful

2010-04-29T12:13:00.000+08:00

Got this in the mail today from my BFF.

錢多錢少，够吃就好。
人醜人美，顺眼就好。
人老人少，健康就好。
家窮家富，和氣就好。
老公晚歸，回來就好。
老婆唠叨，顧家就好。
孩子從小，就要教好。
博士也好，賣菜也好。
長大以后，乖乖就好。
房屋大小，能住就好。
名不名牌，能穿就好。
兩輪四輪，能駕就好。
老板不好，能忍就好。
一切烦惱，能解就好。
堅持執着，放下最好。
人的一生，平安就好。
不是有錢，一定會好。
心好行好，命能改好。
誰是誰非，天知就好。
修福修慧，來世更好。
天地萬物，隨缘就好。
很多事情，看開就好。
人人都好，日日都好。
你好我好，世界更好。
總而言之，知足最好。
説這麼多，明白就好。
這條短信，真的很好。
不發给你，是我不好。

Spring Cleaning my ROOM..again..

2010-04-29T09:20:00.002+08:00

A couple of months back, just before my maiden trip to Europe, I donated almost 3 garbage bags of clothes to make way for my Zara, H&M amongst others.

After another 3 weeks in Taipei, I came home and realized that my room is still cluttered with books, my collection of Berts from Sesame Street, little stuff I've bought from all my holiday/business trips, facial products, spa essentials etc etc. It's scary looking at the amount of stuff.

I seriously need to make some time this weekend for decluttering my stuff. Was reading Betty and Veronica where they had this chapter where Betty helps Veronica declutter and vice versa. end of the day, they end up taking each other's stuff because they realized they may actually had a need for those stuff.

I've got my first step all planned out nicely. The books shall go to charity/ second hand book shops and we'll take it from there!

Who knows, if the 'guy in the striped shirt' arrives at my doorstep one day, I don't want to be showing him a typical man's room!

Bert is back

2010-04-26T21:28:00.004+08:00

My 22 year old Bert is finally back from Melbourne. On New Year's Eve, my brother took him back to Robyn Bears in Melbourne to get his nose fixed and get some hair implants. She did an excellent job and I would strongly recommend her to anyone who would like to get their dolls fixed. And the best part is, because it was my second time bringing bert for repairs and my very very kind brother (who works there) went all the way to drop him off and collect him. She lives about an hour's drive from Melbourne.

He's finally back. Aunt brought him back today (hand carry) as I was too afraid to let them courier my favourite 'friend' back.

Fifi Taipei

2010-04-19T23:12:00.003+08:00

Since last week I have wanted to try out Fifi after it was recommended by a friend I just got to know in Taipei. Finally dragged Kennut along after he'd arrived from KL last night. We got a taxi to Fifi on:

Address: 2F, 15 Renai Rd, Sec 4, Taipei (臺北市仁愛路四段15號2樓)

Telephone: (02) 2721 1970; for reservations in English call (0939) 834 845

The restaurant is situated on the 2nd floor. It wasnt very full when we got there but maybe because it was a Sunday. The reviews stated that it can sometimes be packed.

My first impression - amazing deco. Modern yet comfy, classy and definitely fine dining style.

We started off with the sliced chicken and cucumber topped with something that tasted like peanut sauce. Very interesting but u can't have too much of it or risk not being able to finish you main course before getting overly stuffed.

A very guai lo dish - the Shanghai ribs. Sweet and sour flavours but very juicy and tender boneless ribs. Yums!

Every complete meal has to have vegetables in it. We opted for the long beans. What can I say - totally delicious with strong black pepper flavouring to it. I could not stop ...

When I googled Fifi for it's address, I saw that their Hunan Eggs come strongly recommended. I concur that! Very different than what I've ever tasted and yummy, no doubt.

After dinner, which should cost approximately NTD 500-600 pp (RM50-60 pp), we adjourned to their bar on the 3rd floor. Only upon settling the bill did I realize that there was a minimum surchage of NTD550. Not sure if it was for 2 person or something like that but yet, we had a total of 3 beers.

It's one of those chillout places and good for a quiet Saturday night with a reasonably good selection of alcohol.

I had this funny tasting passion fruit beer 3.6% alcohol called Floris from Belgium. It's a very fruity and girly drink that costs about NTD250 in the bar.

Overall, I loved the Fifi experience and apart from the typical Taiwanese street food and hotpot that I have been having for the past 2 weeks, this has got to be my favourite joint in Taipei so far. Second time? Definitely!

Taipei -2nd weekend

2010-04-17T23:45:00.004+08:00

I can't understand why I am still in such a lazy mood to do anything. I think age is seriously catching up with me.

Saturday night. Just chilling in my hotel room and trying to upload pictures from my weekend so far.

My activities in Taipei this weekend before my new audit assignment commences next week.
1) Freeloading the hot spring facilities in the hotel where my colleague checked into. Broadway Hot Spring Hotel in Beitou after work on a Friday.
2) Luxy (one of Taipei's hottest nightspot) at night when another colleague comes into town to celebrate his birthday. Before that, doing a little shopping and on the lookout for the perfect gift for my colleague, Kenneth who graciously reminded me that he'll be spending his birthday with me in Taipei when he gets in tomorrow.
3) Hot spring and massage on a Saturday morning. The best feeling ever when you need to get alcohol out of your system and in dire need of a good back massage
4)Taipei Zoo for a relaxing stroll and looking for the famous pandas.
5) Skinkeng for dinner with the client before proceeding to some very secluded area to watch fireflies.
6) Bumming around in my hotel room on a Saturday night as I need to rejuvenate before my new audit commences this Monday.

The public hot spring across colleague's room. Entry fee only NTD20 (RM2). I won't ever try it cause the place is literally swarmed with people at all times of the day.

Our very hopsitable client will also be taking us to YangMingShan for some 'wild vege' meal and a little sightsee tomorrow.

Right now, I'm gonna lie back on my chair after blogging and watch some TVB series.

More pics will be posted soon enough when the lazy hands and brain is ready to get back into action

XoXo. Goodnight

Yuse Spa

2010-04-13T09:30:00.008+08:00

I gotta tell you - going into the hot and cold spring, enjoying the steam bath and having a great massage on a Sunday evening, letting your mind wander and linger to those awesome, beautiful memories of the past has got to be the best feeling in the world! Really, nothing beats that! Plus point, what more if the spa is overlooking lush greeneries!

For the first time in my life, I experienced the hot spring in Yuse Spa. Well, if you ask me how great it is, I am not exactly the best person to judge cause after all, my virgin trip ma..but I guess it's kinda cool for a first timer for about Taiwan Dollah 200.

And you get to enjoy a scrumptious (well not exactly) Japanese meal after.

In total I spent about 1 hr plus in the hot/cold spring + steam room and about 50 minutes of massage ( of course you have to seperately pay for the massage but the masseuse was fantastic although a bit pricey for 50 mins NTD1000 for extra strenght on ur pressure points). Sheer bliss I tell u!

Just something I found from trip advisor on how to get there by public transport. Being the road and direction dummy me, I purely relied on my colleague to get me there.

From MRT Shihpai Station, take Bus 508, 535 or 536; alight at "Shing Yi Rd. 3"; from Shing Yi Rd., turn into Lane 300; Yuse Spa is a 3-min. walk from there. It's located in Beitou.

Will I try it again? Definitely. But maybe try a different place. I'm not too sure, but cleanliness wise, I wasn't too impressed loh, but experience wise - thumbs up all the way!

Hua Lien and Taroko Gorge, Taiwan

2010-04-11T09:39:00.004+08:00

Yesterday, the colleague and I went on a day trip to Hua Lien, which is situated on the East of Taiwan and approximately 2 1/2 hours from Taipei Train Station.

We arrived in Hua Lien at around 11 and was immediately whisked away by the bus driver/ cum tour guide to start our day tour.

Our first stop was to the chi sing tan beach. Somehow, in the past couple of weeks, I've seen so many lovely beaches (Costa Del Sol in Spain and Casablanca in Morocco), but never had the chance to stay long enough to enjoy the sea breeze and clear waters! This one is no exception.

This one had no sandy beaches but all rocks. But yesterday's weather, after all that rain in Taipei was just awesome for a day trip!

After spending about 1/2 hour at the beach, cam whoring, taking pictures of the surroundings, we made our way to lunch as a small little restaurant nearby the Taroko National Park (太魯閣國家公園), which will be the highlight of this trip. It was originally established, (the gorge i mean) in 1937 by the Governor General of Taiwan and till this day remains one of the most famous tourist spots.

After a very healthy lunch of 'wild' vegetables and meat/fish/ eggs, we left for the gorge at 1pm.

We were told that this place, the entrance into the gorge, is the perfect spot for pics, yeah, so u go, picture taking again.

Haha, it gets kinda scary when you see signs like this all over!

Amongst famous sights we visited were tunnel of 9 turns and swallow's mouth.

After a while, all that walk actually becomes a bit tiring and the sights get a bit boring. Nevertheless, it's a good experience and worth all that travel to get some fresh air, away from the busy city and be close to nature.

EZ Tour had some promotion going about and we paid about NTD2500 (RM250) for two people, which is kind of like a buy 1 free 1 for weekends! Great deal eh!

Oh well, it's 10 am on a Sunday morning and here I am in the mood for a little blogging. Thinking of today's plan for now..adios!

Taipei - 3 whole weeks!

2010-04-08T11:21:00.004+08:00

In case ur wondering, no, I'm not dead yet. The lack of posts is simply because I have been so tired after Europe I virtually did nothing except unpacking and then packing for my 3 weeks job stint in Taipei. Tried out Daikanyama twice in the past week and absolutely loved it. Yeah, no photos this time around as I was , well just too lazy! Also tried out No Black Tie over the weekend and it was a great jazzy experience.

Anyway, I'm pretty stressed out in Taipei atm and bogged down with work, therefore won't be blogging until sometime later in the week. Down with the flu bug due to the sudden change in temperature AGAIN. I'm trying my best not to overstuff myself with the ever-s0-famous Taiwanese snacks. So guess what my biggest motivation will be!

Will be making a day trip to the beautiful Taroko Gorge over the weekend. Found a really cheap package. Hopefully it's all worth it!

Adios!

My Europe Tour in a nutshell

2010-04-02T13:34:00.006+08:00

Here is my Europe tour in a nutshell.

Flew with MAS to Amsterdam for 2 nights on our own. - March 5, 2010

Hotel: NH Schiller via booking.com which comes strongly recommended by a friend. It's on Rembrandtplein next to all the bars/ restaurants and a 5 mins walk from Kalverstraat, the shopping street.

I do think they offer some of the most competitive rates around.

Day 1: Tour to Volendam, a fishing village famous for their smoked eels and went to some cheese factory with Lindbergh Tours, costing about E32 for a 1/2 day tour.

Day 2: Walked in Kalverstraat for a full day till the shops closed as it was too cold and mom was reluctant to do anything else.

Day 3: Start of our Spain, Portugal and Morocco 15 days tour with Tralfagar tours. Took the noon flight from Schipol Airport to Madrid and met with the rest of the tour in the hotel.

Day 4: Madrid Sightseeing & At Leisure. After the city tour, we opted for the E43 optional tour to El Escorial, a monastery palace. Very beautiful and definitely a must for everyone going to Madrid. Because of bad weather, we were not able to visit the Valley of the Fallen, which was originally part of the tour as well. An optional dinner was also available that night where we had a lovely 3 course dinner with wine and was entertained by an opera singer in the new city.

Day 5: Travelled south by coach from Madrid to Toledo, the ancient capital of Castille, encircled by the River Tagus, and if not mistaken a UN Heritage.

Day 6: Went southwards again to Granada to visit the Alhambra Palace. That night we went for the optional Gypsy dance night out which was relatively entertaining but I would not exactly call it value for money at Euro 28 with only 1 drink available.

Day 7: Again southbound for Costa Del Sol, the famous Mediterranean resort. I specially loved their very popular grilled sardines.

Again, we did the optional tour to Mijas , a small hill top village in the Andulasia region. I reckon it was more of a shopping stop for my mom.

Day 8: After almost 3 hr drive to the border, Tarifa and a 1 hour ferry ride, we're finally in Morocco. And then yet another, if I remeber clearly, 5 hr ride to Fes, where we spent 2 nights.

Day 9: Visit to the Fes Medina, the biggest in Morocco and you would definitely need some guidance or very well get lost. Truly an eye opener looking at the lives of the people in the Medinas!

That very afternoon, we did the optional tour to Meknes, once a Moroccan imperial city where we had a look at the royal stables, famous mosques and some local handicrafts. Well, I was not really impressed with the sights and sceneries in Meknes but if you have no other plans, why not? Otherwise, just spend your time exploring Fes.

At night we opted for the Belly Dancing as well. Food was great but the belly dancing..heheh, when they say belly dancers, u'd expect dancers with some great abs and flat bellies but....yeah, we're in for a shocker. (By this time, you would have noticed that apart from the city tour, everything else was an option and you had to pay for it! - however, I must add that the hotels we had we're pretty good and comfortable!)

Day 10: Spent 12 hrs on the bus due to some collapsed bridge from Fes to Marrakesh and we had a delay of 3 hrs, I reckon, taking the smaller roads. By the time we got into Marrakesh at 8 at night, I think my ass would have expanded 3 inches! Although on the good sight, the scenery along the way was pretty good.

Day 11: Morning optional tour to Ourika Valley. One of my personal favourites, visiting a Berber village and family where they made exceptionally good bread and mint tea for us. Just something pleasant to see after a tremendously long bus ride the night before.

At about 10 ish, everyone else in the tour headed to the Bahia Palace for more sightseeing and shopping at the Djemma el Fna Square. Hahha, this is where I realized that I actually 'found' my drinking buddy, Cathy.

Day 12: To Casablanca! No the pic below is not where Rick's Cafe from the movie was filmed. I reckon, we could have spent more time here exploring the beautiful beaches.

Day 13: Headed back to the capital, Rabat then to Tangier at the border of Morocco to board the ferry back to Sevilla in Spain. The pic below is where the Mediterranean meets the Atlantic.

Day 14: The ferry arrived in Tarifa and again we took a couple of hours to get to Sevilla, where we spent 2 nights. This has got to be by far my favourite place during the tour so far simply because it is so beautiful. We were treated to a splendid Tapas dinner in a typical bodega restaurant with Spanish wines. Yummmm!!!

That night, we again opted for the Flamenco - a must to see when you're in Sevilla. Priced at Euro 36 with one free drink, I would say this one is definitely worth the watch.

Day 15: A walk in the Maria Luisa Park on a chilly morning is the best way to start our tour of Sevilla. We then went to Christopher Columbus' tomb and very proudly, our guide announced that this is the REAL tomb! Since the afternoon was free ( or yet again some other optional), we went SHOOPPINNG. Cathy commented later in the trip, somewhere in Portugal, that she has at least gone into 5 different Zara with me. Oopppps! But with the Euro dropping everyday, it's kinda hard to resist right. From 4.74 to 4.46 when I left Amsterdam on the 27th.

That very night, we had a superb Andulasian dinner in some restaurant after a 1 hr cruise along the Guadalquivir River. The cruise had probably got to be the best way for us to see the city considering the time constraint.

That very night, we checked out the bars in Sevilla. There had to be at least like 100 bars along the river in some street which I forgot the name. But in case you're there and wanna check out the bars, tell the people the row of bars by the river. Should not be hard. It took us about a Euro 6 cab ride from our hotel to the street.

Day 16: 2 more nights in Lisbon before the tour ends. Time does fly when you're having fun. From Sevilla to Lison, the journey is about 5 1/2 hours with some toilet and a lunch stop in between ( 400++ km). We did the city tour thing again of course to Vasco Da Gama's tomb, Belem Tower, amongst others.

That night, we had an optional dinner and Fado (portugese entertainment), which I assure you probably had to be the most boring thing I've come across during the tour. Right after dinner, Cathy and myself went out of the restaurant and continued our nonsensical talks.

Day 17: Last day! Sad sad sad. Did the optional tour to Sintra, Cascais and Estoril Coast. Did the usual sightseeing of the summer palace, beautiful beaches, shopping ya da da!

That night, we had a farewell dinner in some Portugese restaurant, which was obviously way much better than the Fado dinner. Time to bid farewell to our fellow tourmates.

Of coz, the night was not over for some of us who continued round 2 at the Mariott, our best and last hotel.

Day 18/19/20: Parie......here I come! Staying at the Astore Saint Honore hotel recommended by Angeline. I never got a chance to try their breakfast although she was raving abt their croissants! Did the usual sightseeing for 2 days on the hop on hop off bus costing Euro 32. Had some French food and lots and lots and lots of shopping! I'm definitely paying through my nose when my bills arrive.

Day 21/22: Because we still did some last minute shopping, mom and myself, I nearly missed the damn train from the Nord to Amsterdam on the 25th. Thank god the train was delayed. A 3hr 20 minutes ride, lots to look see - passing by Antwerp, Brussels etc.

Met up with Cal and Yugin for the next 2 nights and had lots of fun walking past the red light districts (yeah, photo snapping was not allowed and u had to do it discreetly or get bashed!), almost falling asleep on the canal tour, touring the Heineken Brewery, boring ourselves at Van Gogh musuem and having a few drinks at the ice bar.

Day 23: Back to KL. I must say this has truly been the trip of a lifetime for me and I vow to shop less this year, save more money and hahahahaha go back visit Europe again in 2011. Let's just see!

Amsterdam - The last leg of my Europe tour

2010-04-01T10:24:00.006+08:00

So I was in Amsterdam in the last leg of my tour. 2 more nights before I headed back to KL. What a better way than to spend it with my GOOOOOOOOOOD BBUUUDDDDDDY who flew from Germany with her bf.

We toured the red light district as night. As photo shooting was forbidden in most places, we had to sneakily get Cal to pose and take a pic, hence the bad quality of pics here! It was truly an eye opener looking at the chics displaying themselves behind glass windows, calling out to potential customers.

The next day, of course the alchoholics us had to visit the heineken brewery, and I must say, it was prob one of the best things we could have done in Amsterdam. HAHAHAHAHAh!

Our Euro 15 ticket entitled us to 2 fresh from the tap Heinekens. In the brewery we had a glimpse of how beer is brewed, obviously and learned a bit about the history.

A glass of thirst quenching Extra Cold Heini.......

We also made a trip to the ice bar where the temperature was set to a negative 10 and with euro 16, you get 2 free drinks.

As mentioned in my earlier posts, at Euro 14.50 for a ticket to the Van Gogh musuem, the Louvre in Paris was better value for money.

had to be kiasu and make a trip to the hard rock cafe to get a t - shirt that shouts Hard Rock Amsterdam!

We also took a canal cruise for the sake of taking pictures around the city....slow but enjoyable ride on the hop on hop off canal bus although we did not exactly hop off cause we were feeling sooooo sleepy.

And...finally I have to totally recommend this restaurant to anyone visiting Amsterdam that boasts the best steaks in town and indeed, it is really good!!

visit torodorado.com for more information.

Spuistraat 3 C-D1012 SP AMSTERDAM, Netherlands020 4218695

There you go folks. That's it. Will be giving you guys a summary of the entire tour sometime before I wrap up the entire tour of my lifetime.

And it's back to sheer hard work next week in Taipei!

Paris

2010-03-31T09:41:00.006+08:00

At the end of our guided tour, I extended my trip to Paris and spent a very very rushed 4 days there.

I arrived into Paris city itself at approximately 6 ish in the evening and how else better than to spend the next 2 days on the hop on hop off bus, taking you to see the major attractions of the city.

Where the moulin rouge movie was shot..

The Paris Nord, busiest train station in the entire Europe....

And the louvre. I speat 1/2 a day walking inside as my mom was too busy shopping in LaFayette to want to accompany me to see some paintaings (which is definitely not enough- i only did the paintings). And of course, my first stop was to go check out the Mona Lisa which took me maybe 20 minutes to locate. And u had to push ur way through the crowd to take a decent picture of it. Tickets priced at E9.50, definitely more worthwhile than the Van Gogh musuem in Amsterdam!

The Notre Dam...

A view of some bridge from the bus...

The very famous shopping street, Champs Elysees - did not manage to shop here due to time constraint.

Don't think I need to explain further what the tower below is...when I saw the queue to go up the Eiffel, I just gave up!

On the last day, before taking the train to Amsterdam, I had breakkie in Fauchon Paris. All I can say is, for the price u pay, it's definitely worth every cent!!

Due to my last minute shopping, I nearly missed the train...hahah so my advice is, if taking the train and unsure of your way around the station, PLEASE DO GO EARLY! hehehehe..I got there 45 mins earlier to collect my tickets but the self service kiosks did not recognize my booking.......thank god for the 25 minute delay in the train!

XoXo, till my next post - final stop in europe...Amsterdam with Cal and Yugin where we started drinking at 12 in the heineken brewery!

Portugal

2010-03-30T11:23:00.009+08:00

The last of my 15 days tour in Spain, Portugal and Morocco ended with a 2 nights stay in Lisbon, Mariott Hotel. (After which Paris and Amsterdam was entirely on my own)

The magnificent Hieronymite Monastery with Vasco Da Gama's tomb. ( I hope I am correct with this as I was halfasleep when visiting our 1001th church/cathedral)

Belem tower....

The Fado - portugese singing and dancing. I found it sooooooo utterly boring I had to walk out halfway just after dinner, not even 1/2 into their performance!

At Sintra visiting the summer palace...

...and just will u look at this kitchen. Amazing....every housewife's dream!

On the way to Cascais...a stunning view from the bus on the Altantic Ocean

I have this thing for taking maccas pictures everywhere I go. The McRoyal in Portugal. Ok tasting only-la.

Yummy shroom tapas for our farewell dinner as the tour comes to an end.

And the best way to end a Sunday and the end of the tour is some tequillas and beer with some new found friends in the Mariott bar! whalalalala!

I have genuinely enjoyed my 15 days tour of Spain, Portugal and Morocco with Tralfagar and strongly recommend anyone with intention to follow a tour group. Although I must say that there were too many optionals that we had to pay for. The optional dinners however, are something we did not regret going to..cept the Fado of course! I will sum up the entire trip in the next few posts.

Xoxo..till my next post.....the romantic city of Parieeeeee!

The Medinas in Fes

2010-03-29T10:15:00.005+08:00

The biggest Medina (old city) in Morocco with more than 20,000 little streets inside.

We made a visit to this Medina and to make sure everyone in the tour got out safely from the narrow alleys, we needed a guide in the front and some 'usher' at the back.

The shops in the medinas remind you of life in the 14th century.

Here's a peddlar selling snails in a little shop.

People use donkeys in the Medinas to cart their wares and stuff around as as means of transport.

One of the bigger 'corporations' selling carpets.

..and shoes...

and this is the tannery..

3 guesses for what shop this is!!!

..and that everyone, is the real estate agent in the medina. Cool eh!

XoXo..coming up- Portugal

Sevilla

2010-03-28T19:22:00.004+08:00

My last Spanish destination before heading off to Portugal for the final of my 15 days tour with Tralfagar ended in Sevilla. Of all the places, I guess this had to be my favourite. The beautiful seceneries topped with shopping. Don't ask me why we did not shop in Madrid earlier on!

That night we were treated to a spectacular Flamenco. They say you have not come to Sevilla unless u have watched the Flamenco.

The famous bull ring in Sevilla.

Very very good food. Apparently the owner's son wanted to marry my friend, Cathy. I won't mind living in Sevilla but apparently it gets up to 45 degrees in the summer.

Wonder why some people are turned off by the sight of hanging cured hams. They're soooooo yummy.

The Cathedral that houses the real Christopher Columbus' tomb.

And the tomb itself - already proven to have the real CC inside.

Nothing beats a stroll down Maria Luisa park on a chilly morning.

I have not been able to blog properly on my Europe trip for the past 3 weeks due to limited internet connection. Now that I'm back home, after my final post in Europe, prop another 3 more to go - Paris, Amsterdam and Lisboa, I will prepare a summary of the entire trip!

And here's signing off with a horse cart. XoXo

Ourika Valley, Marrakesh

2010-03-26T14:48:00.005+08:00

First of all, let me apologize for the lack of posts lately. It's because it's so difficult to get free wifi in Europe. Even when I'm paying Euro 8 in Amsterdam for 24 hrs, the connection sucks big time.

I'm finally going back tomorrow after 3 weeks away from home.

Now only do I get the chance to blog about my adventures in Marrakesh - Ourika Valley. We had the chance to visit a Berber family in the outskirts of town and get a feel of their humble lifestyle and taste freashly made bread and mint tea.

Berber kids!

The steam room! How much do you pay for gym membership and be able to use the steam bath. Here's a DIY one!

In this Berber house lives 4 generation of people under one roof.

The old lady of the house who's 70 graciously serving us mint tea. The frangrance and the aroma of the mint tea served here is something you will not be able to find in the shops outside.

Here's really yummy bread with olive oil and honey and homemade butter. Do u know they do not live with refridgerators!

Awww...so sweeeeet!

And the cooking area.

I'm keeping this post really short as I just came back from the Ice Bar in Amsterdam and doing some last minute packing before leaving for home tomorrow morning.......I will really miss my fun holiday.

XoXo till my next post!

Costa Del Sol & Mijas

2010-03-14T05:13:00.005+08:00

Before heading towards Morocco, we stayed a night at this Mediterranean Resort in Costa Del Sol (city of Terremolinos) - Melia Hotel overlooking the Mediterranean, which was just awesome!!! Too bad at 16 degrees it was almost impossible for any beach activities, let alone sunbathe!

This town is famous for their sardines grilled over charcoal and lightly salted. Delicious. A plate of 7 sardines cost about Euro 7.

With such chilly weather, no beach activities were possible. So we opted for a tour to the village of Mijas (located at the mountain side) for some sightseeing and shopping. A village famous for its donkey -taxis.

A mini bull ring in Mijas.

There is something really wrong with uploader in FB or could be the snail paced internet over in Morocco. Will try to upload the complete set of pics when I get better connection!

Till then XoXo

Granada & the Alhambra Palace

2010-03-14T04:08:00.006+08:00

Arriving at Granada, we were treated to some gypsy dance which was not that impressive but nevertheless something different.

This yummilicious guy made the whole show so much better!! HA HA HA

Thank god for great weather in Granada, we had a very enjoyable walking tour in the Alhambra palace.

And....a walk through the gardens just outside the Alhambra palace! Look at the view of the Nevada mountains!!!!!!!

Toledo

2010-03-14T02:25:00.006+08:00

Before I begin my next post, just wanted to post a pic of this shop with some really funny name I saw in Amsterdam. I mean come on who'd enter a shop selling clothes for sissies!

Too lazy to blog..so just gonna show u all some pics of Toledo...we basically travelled a couple of hours from Madrid to this UNESCO world heritage and spent a couple of hours walking the streets of Toledo. Simply amazing I tell u, the sights! With the crappy slow internet....i hope i dont have trouble uploading the rest of the pics into FB later..

XoXo more pics of Alhambra to come after my Moroccan dinner!

Famished! p/s: morocco hasnt been as impressive so far

Madrid

2010-03-11T22:46:00.010+08:00

I'm gonna make this post really quick and brief as I have approximately 1/2 hr before the battery on my laptop totally dies off. Imagine this..all the cables are loaned out and even the shop selling them is out of stock! BTW, I'm currently in this town called Costa Del Sol. Very beautiful place and our hotel is overlooking the Mediterranean sea. More pics once I cross into Morocco tomorrow and get my internet access.

Some palace in Spain..

Plaza Mayor..apparently the meeting point for most spaniards..

Where the March 11, 2004 Madrid bombing took place...

At El escorial...

Just check out the snow capped mountains at the back. Simply stunning!

El Escorial - the royal monasteries, I've never seen so many royal coffins in one place before! We had an excellent guide who took us through a very informative 2 1/2 hr walk across the monastery!

Pity that picture taking was forbidden everywhere inside...

At the point where picture taking was still allowed!

Outside the Opera house. Waiting for our 7.30 pm dinner at a nearby cosy and quaint little restuarant. For 51 Euros, they serve you bubbly, free flow of wines, starters, main and the dessert. Oh they even had some 'opera-ish' singer entertaining us.

Err...yeah my duck liver pate...YUMMMM...

All right, battery's almost dead. Adios folks......till my next post on the stunning and magnificient Toledo!!

Madrid

2010-03-11T06:37:00.005+08:00

This post will be updated when I am not dead sleepy. And if internet connection is FREEEE!!!

Currently in Granada. Finished our tour of Madrid and Toledo. Simply awesome!

Good Morning Amsterdam!!

2010-03-07T15:13:00.009+08:00

I got into Amsterdam about 6 am yesterday. Met a kind Malay dude on board who was nice enough to show us the way to board the train to Amsterdam Central. Weather was only at 1 degrees yesterday and expected to drop to a negative 3 today!

My very first impresssion of the Land of Heinekens!!

Our hotel for the first 2 nights before we leave to Spain, Portugal and Morocco to start our tour with Trafalgar Tours -NH Schiller, situated right outside the Rembrantplein Tram stop and very convenient to move around. Too bad Cal is not here to check out the bars with me. Jet lagged I slept from 8 pm - 7am this morning and hence, blogging at an ungodly hour on a Sunday morning.

The hotel did not allow check in before 3pm as it was also running on a 100% occupancy rate. Therefore, Mum and I began our 'adventures' in Amsterdam by trying out their McDonalds. Trying at least 1 burger from McDonalds in every coutry that I visit is a must for me. (McDees in the Netherlands beats the Maharaja burger in India anytime!!!)

Unable to check in, we took a 1/2 day tour with Lindbergh to Edam, Voledam and the Windmill Village about 1/2 hr from the city - showing us the Dutch polders, little canals, interesting windmills and so forth. Tour costs abt Euro 32 pp for a 1/2 day tour.

The tour also took us to a cheese farm where cheese is still made the traditional way. And yes. the shopaholic us came back with Euro 115 worth of cheese. Pesto, Herb & Garlic, Aged Cheese, Smoked Cheese, Cheese slicer/ cutter etc....Our guide recommended us to try cheese with the Honey Mustard. Which we did. Sampled the various cheese with the Honey Mustard. Yummmmm!!!!!! We also went next door to see how they make clogs.

We proceeded to the fishing village of Volendam for a quick lunch and sightseeing. (Cause mom's been bugging me to find the place that we can see eels. I have no idea why)

And yes, I did find some eels but smoked ones. Extremely yummy tasting and when asked, our guide mentioned that the vacuumed ones probably can only be obtained from the airport.

Last stop before the tour ends - the windmill village.

Feeling jet lagged, I slept from 8pm till 7 am this morning.....and this is the view from my hotel room at 8 am.

..and this marks the end of day 1 in Amsterdam.

More posts to come when I decide I am rich enough to pay for Euro 10.75 per day internet....he he!

2 more days!

2010-03-04T14:21:00.001+08:00

He he..have not really updated my blog cause I recently got the BB and it's so much easier to take pics real time and tweet / FB them.

I'm off to Europe and Africa tomorrow night. The trip of my life. Been counting down since months ago and finally it's happening!

Won't be brining the BB there as I will not have data roaming but will try to update pics as frequently as possible!

Till then!

XoXO

Blackberry 8520

2010-02-24T15:45:00.004+08:00

I got my this lil treasure over the CNY break. Celcom prepaid at RM2.50 a day. Can turn off whenever you want to and only RM998 for the phone. Never regretted it once. Joanna and Angel used to be BFFs, guess who's gonna take over her place with both of us having BB Messenger while she (Joanna) contemplates whether or not to get her iPhone . Tsk tsk tsk!!!

Now I can always see what my fav ppl are tweeting!

Blackberry rocks!

Despicable People

2010-02-20T11:19:00.006+08:00

I had a conversation with 2 close friends yesterday over a 'yum cha' session in Hartamas last night. I came to realize in this world, there can really be certain types of people that are realllllly despicable. As another friend terms despicable ppl a while ago, 'the worms'!

1) they are of course again, as mentioned in my earlier post, 'the backstabbers'. They take a keen interest in your personal life, pretending to be a true friend. Behind your back, not only do they take your problems and sufferings as a topic to gain new friendships but the story is twisted and turned. E.g You turn up at work the next day to find out that the reason you took a sickie cause you had a flu had fully blown into a rumour that you went for an STD checkup/ AIDS treatment.

2) and then there are those that take a keen interest in your life. Once again, twist and turn the whole goddamn story and are stupid enough to let you know they are guilty of being the rumour monger. But cowardly enough to deny it while pushing the blame to others. Of course, the less severe of these people are those that plainly deny it (which presumably, is probably not as bad).

3) Sometimes, a little lie will not hurt. E.g 'The reason I skipped the reunion dinner was 'cause I was down with the flu (but in actualy fact you're prob. too lazy to meet your old uni mates and prefer to stay in to watch American Idol Season 9'). But no, there are some people, again, who feel compelled to tell the truth to all your uni mates, making you probably the most resented person of the night. Or even worst, has not verified the truth to the little lie and start their own little version of why you skipped dinner, e.g. 'She was too busy having sex the whole night to actually attend the dinner and ACTUALLY successfully make this dumb F*ck theory of them seem like the truth'.

I sometimes wonder, what actually makes people behave this way? I guess a few of us have already seen this can of rotten worms in action.

Any views?

Roaring Tiger Year Ahead

2010-02-18T10:21:00.003+08:00

This year is gonna be good!!!

Recently did a clearance sale on our online shop - DressTalk
Clearance sales runs from first day of CNY till the 15th day i.e February 28 and the response has been just overwhelming!

There has been a lack of posts lately simply because my brain is not functioning properly during this long break and I've been busy managing the sales with Stanley.

More to come after the CNY break....can't wait to be off to Europe for 3 whole weeks in March!

Happy Year of The Tiger!!!

2010-02-14T01:46:00.002+08:00

HAPPY CNY everyone....

While this should be a happy post, I'm sitting and staring at my laptop screen and screaming at myself on my stupidity in my selection of friends all these years.

Although you may take your heart out to treat some whom you regard as your true friends, you realize that people don't return the favour.

1. There is the type that can't stop telling you about your flaws on a daily basis. I'm not sure if it gives them the ego brush thinking they're way better by degrading you or they simply like to piss the SH*T out of you. They tell you via msn and if you don't respond, they take it to tweet or FB to let the whole world know how fat you are or how flabby your arms are or how ugly you look today.

2. Then comes the worst of the lot. The hypocrites. They backstab, criticise and spread rumours about you yet deny it or push the blame to some one else. You don't even waste your time confronting them cause it'll end up with them blatantly denying it. You take them as your confidante but your secrets are all leaked before you know it.

Therefore, 2010, my friends, it's the time to really filter out the 'toxic' ones and start anew!

Nicholas Teo

2010-02-10T13:32:00.002+08:00

My favourite boy endorsing 'Zheng' tea!!!!!!

Day 4 - Siem Reap (Tonle Sap & Dinner at FCC)

2010-02-06T09:09:00.011+08:00

On our 2nd last day we made a trip 10km away from Old Town to the Tonle Sap lake.
My first reaction of the river leading to the lake when I arrived ,' OMG...so dirty and muddy'

After paying USD10 pp, we hopped on a little boat that took us right to the lake.

..and check out the cigarettes sold by the street peddlars...Alan Delon ..hmm I always thought was some clothing line..

During the entire trip, I felt a bit ripped off, cause i was expecting some floating village like Bangkok's floating market, but we only made one stop to this floating 'farm' where we could feed the catfish (just like 2 miserable ponds) and see some crocodiles (even the little croc farm which can be seen from KC's hotel room - re: day 1 had more crocs). Check out the satelite dish for the farm!!!...

here's me at the top deck...

..and here's a very brave KC holding on to the snake at the floating 'farm'..

..where the children study..their school..

...and a floating church..

..here's our young boat boy playing with the water in the lake..

After the Tonle Sap lake visit, our guide Rottana, took us to the nunnery where he grew up after fleeing his village during the civil war where he lost touch with his mom for 12 years!

...our last stop for the day was to the Silk Farm..where we observed how silkworm were bred, fed and how silk comes about...

..feeding the worms with Mulberry leaves..

...after the 4th day and 3 meals daily, we have had enough of Cambodian Amok, Lok Lak...so we opted for Western food for our last dinner in Siem Reap. FCC - a restaurant famous those days for the French journalists. Something like fine dining in Siem Reap...

Very good ambience, a bit on the pricey side...service- average. Be prepared to pay approximately USD15 without wine at this fancy restaurant.

they serve superb appetizers....this is the crab cake we ordered..

and...dumplings....

..ending my meal with a lovely coconut creme brulee

So yeah folks..that sums up my Siem Reap trip...

Enjoy your last minute shopping this weekend before Chinese New Year!!!

Day 3 - Siem Reap

2010-02-04T11:28:00.009+08:00

Before I forget, lets introduce our guide from day 2-4, Mr Rottana, who speaks good English and is very knowledgeable on the places that we visit. Very friendly, obliging and alwasy ready to take a good shot of you! Strongly recommend him to anyone wishing to tour Siem Reap. He can be contactable at (855)12 878 531 syrottana@yahoo.com.

Full of his touching life stories, he will never fail to make you bored throughout the tour.

We started off Day 3 by waking up at 5 am in the morning to be able to reach Angkor wat by 6am to watch the sunrise, approximately at 7 am.

Little Cambodian kid at Angkor Wat...

Our local breakfast at a nearby coffeeshop which serves delicious pork/chicken/seafood/beef kueh teow/ porridge and other types of 'dim sum'.

and 8 people can eat this much!!!!

Our next stop was to Banteay Srei...40km away from the town. Good time to take a quick nap before we start the afternoon.

After the temple, we made a quick stop by the roadside to see how the local villagers process palm sugar.

...and we made another qucik 20 minutes stop at the temple with no records or whatsoever of its history.

and finally at Banteay Samre, a temple built by the King for his father...

This was a picture I took at one of the temples in Day 2 - likely bayon. If u see between the roots, there is a carving.

XoXo....more day 4 pics to come before I sum up my Siem reap tour.

Day 2 - Siem Reap

2010-02-03T09:44:00.006+08:00

At the Gate into Angkor Thom City......after a well rested night.

..and at the famous Bayon temple..one of the few must see in the Angkor Thom city.

Apparently if you take a picture from this angle of the Bayon, the tip of your nose touches the tip of the nose of the 4 faced god.

The big Buddha statue outside the Bayon temple.

..and here we are at Ta Prohm, where Angeline Jolie shot Tomb Raider..

As seen from the poster of Tomb Raider minus a 'chun chic' and the gun..

the last temple visit before we called it a day on Day 2....

XoXo..more sunrise pics of Angkor Wat to come on Day 3

Day 1 - Siam Reap

2010-02-01T10:51:00.007+08:00

So our 5 days in Siem Reap, 7 of us has come to an end. 4 fellas came back with diarrhea/ food poisoning.....

I've never been on a more tiring trip than this, but it was fun nevertheless. Waking up at 4 to catch a 7am flight with Air Asia is not exactly my idea of a relaxing holiday though.

Here's sporty bert peeping through the seats at Horse playing his games on his iPhone on our 2 hr plane journey.

Our comfortable little hotel, Encore Angkor. Service was tip top and staff were very friendly. At only USD30 per night, it's a good place to stay, excellent location. However, breakfast is minimal with only your choice of eggs and 2 pieces of toast and croissant, juice and tea/coffee.

The view from KC's room. Scaryyyy!

Our first stop on day 1. These kids are orphans and make a living producing handicraft apart from their daily studies. The condition of their living and study area will make you feel appreciative of what we're blessed with living in Malaysia.

The first temple we visited. Can't remember the name of the temple, but according to our guide, this was the first temple built and much of it has been restored. (Throughout the trip, we realize that a lot of the temples have been restored by UNESCO).

2nd temple visit. And a group picture

Here's me playing around with paint.net.

And finally, to the much awaited Angkor Wat on Day 1. (more pictures to come on Day 3 when we got up again at 5 am for the sunrise)..

Our guide made us pose like this..

A 10 minute bus ride from Angkor Wat and 20 minutes walk up the hill to watch the beautiful Siem Reap sunset.

And this folks, ends our very fruitful but extremely tiring day 1. More pics to come for the remaining of the trip.....

On the first day, we had the services of Cambodian Guide Sowanna Yun. A very experienced and humourous guide (and from what I saw, highly recommended on Trip Advisor).

http://www.cambodianguide.com/

Back from Siem Reap!!!!

2010-01-31T13:30:00.003+08:00

More pics to come in the next few days. Need to get my beauty rest, facial, pics all sorted first...

Siam Reap, here I come

2010-01-26T11:35:00.001+08:00

Will leave for the airport very early Wednesday morning...so no blogging as I've decided not to bring my laptop around with me.

Pictures of the trip will come once I'm back in town!

XoXo

Food on Board MAS

2010-01-24T15:40:00.003+08:00

Will you just look at this crap served on board our national carrier, Malaysian Airlines.

This is apparently chicken with steam rice!

Taken from my flight from Bangkok to KL last Friday.

T&K Seafood, Chinatown, Bangkok

2010-01-22T17:00:00.000+08:00

We spotted this really busy seafood restaurant off a lane in Chinatown after our roadside 100 baht fish maw soup snack last weekend. Had to wait approximately 20 minutes, but just look at the seafood on the grill and you'll immediately decide it's worth the wait!

(Address and phone number as obtained from Trip Advisor) 49-51 Soi Phadung Dao Chinatown, Bangkok, Thailand
02-2234519 )

Because it was so crowded, we had to settle for 'tatami' styled seats on this litle area between the 1st and 2nd floor. Not a very comfortable experience I would say.

Will you just look at those prawns being grilled. If I am not mistaken, they cost only around 30 baht per prawn. (RM3 ..tell me, is this possible in KL???)

And those crabs....yum!!!

Tangy and fresh...

Omelette with oysters. Again, look at the size and generous servings of oysters compared to the scrawny looking ones we get here. Not to mention that the taste was not too bad too!

My fav, CRABS!!! Although there were a bit small in size and not as meaty compared to those we saw on the grill.

...additional stuff we ordered, after we did not get enough - stuffed crabs.

and the fish baked with salt.

and what better way to end your dessert than with bird's nest! Yummmm at only 100 baht per bowl

BTW, they have very delicious crab fried rice too!

Price came up to approximately 1900 baht for 4 people which is pretty reasonable for the amount of seafood we had.

Ambience: 5/10

Price: 7/10

Service: 6/10

Food: 7/10

Yet another scam in the market

2010-01-21T12:18:00.005+08:00

Today I received a call from +60321788888.

Picked it up (yes roaming, damn - cause the number looked horribly like the HSBC card centre chasing me for my credit card payments).

Funny sounding voicemail from a lady with strong Chinese accent telling me I owe Am bank RM3800 for some transaction. Strange, I thought since I did not have an Am Bank CC.

It mentioned something like press 3 to confirm, and 9 to speak to an operator. I pressed 9 and the phone immediately got disconnected. I then googled this number and found out there's another scam going around. Damnit, just wasted my phone bill picking up calls in Bangkok!

So if you receive a call from such a number and DO NOT HAVE AN AMBANK CC, don't bother picking up or u could, just to have some fun with these buggers!

Hmm, even Sporty Bert (my latest addition thanks to a kind friend who got me this knowing that my one and only original 'old' Bert has been sent to Melbourne to fix up his nose, which I won't be seeing him for at least 3 months) is frowning at my stupidity for even taking my time to press 9. With such a heavy Chinese Accent, first instinct should tell you it's one of those scams.

AVATARIZE YOURSELF

2010-01-20T23:28:00.004+08:00

This is me

Michael Ruslim

2010-01-20T14:17:00.002+08:00

Condolences to the family of Michael Ruslim, President of PT Astra International who passed away this morning in Singapore from dengue fever.

This is really shocking news for all of us.....

Random Pics Of Bangkok

2010-01-20T10:42:00.008+08:00

I got a comment recently that the sole purpose of the LX3 is to take foodie pics. Well, that is not exactly true but it's just that I've had the chance to taste some really fantastic stuff lately, it'll be a waste not blogging about it!

Just to proove the above statement ain't exactly all true, here are some other pics (not many though).

Before I moved into the Westin hotel, I stayed a night in a boutique hotel on Soi 8, Sukhumvit, the Salil Hotel. Really nothing to shout about, but it's a clean, small, comfortable hotel in what I would call, a relatively 'dodgy' area - with the stereotype old white men with young thai chics walking along the 1km path leading to our hotel. Plus point though, free shuttle service is provided to the main road, saving you the torture of walking that 1 km stretch under scorching Bangkok sun. (Although I have to admit, I did not see any white men with their 'escorts' in our hotel as compared with the Dawin Nana, which I stayed at couple of months back)

What's my alien card no?

Made a trip to RCA this round. Never really heard of this place until my last trip down here in September. And chanced upon this rather new premium blond beer, Federbrau (literally means 'feather brew', translated from German). Not too heavy, and somehow I felt like it had a sweet aftertaste, most suited for the ladies. Stangely enough though, I thought the draft and bottle had totally different tastes. (with the taste from the bottle much better)

XoXo, one more foodie post from Bangkok and that would sum up my Bangkok work trip. Much, much poorer after many dresses later from Chatuchak and Suan Lum, shopping spreeeeeeee at Boots, Robinsons, (no shoes, thank god)...I'll be back on Friday night in time for Sugus' wedding on Saturday.

My girlfriends can't stand the smell of Jasmine, commenting it smells too 'Indian'. The last trip in September, they forbade me to get the Jasmine moisturizer. Haha, without them this round, I'm coming home with 3 tubs of Jasmine moisturizers, something I have never seen in KL!!

p/S: If you happen to be at Sukhumvit area, drop by Suda Restaurant at Soi 14 for affordable yet very delicious Thai food. Can't be taking pics when you're lunching with your client! The shop looks like our local 'dai chao' shops 'cept they serve authentic Thai cooking!

Som Tam Nua

2010-01-19T11:00:00.008+08:00

A little gem in Siam Square. This restuarant, located in Siam Square Soi 5 mainly caters to the local palate and it's so good, I had to visit the restaurant twice, despite the queue. Although I went at rather odd hours both times, after 1.3-pm on a Saturday and after 8pm last night, we still had to queue for at least 20 minutes.

Almost every dish in this place is mouth watering, spicy enough and needless to say, very delicious. The dishes do not come in big portions, so there's a variety you can try even with 2 people, although there's not really a very wide variety to choose from.

Some of the thai food in Som Tam I can't get enough of:

Spicy Chicken Soup. Sour and Spicy - great way to start the meal and build up a huge appetite.

Pork Neck Salad. Tender slices of pork, laced with coriander, peanuts, chilli, lime, fish sauce and onions.

Minced pork salad.

This is an absolutely MUST HAVE. Almost every table we saw on both nights, had a basket of fried chicken. (I found the next best thing after Ice Cold Beer Wings in Singapore). Topped with a generous serving of fried garlic, if it were not for the fear of a ever increasing cholesterol, I would have finished the whole basket alone.

Glass Noodle Salad - very spicy, but taste wise 8/10!

Another salad dish. Papaya with preserved egg. The taste of the lightly salted egg together with papaya salad, tomatoes, onions are the best combination you could get.

And last but not least, Crispy fish! The picture says it all, there's no need for further description. Fresh, and deep fried not till its too dry.

Although I won't say that it's dirt cheap for a local restaurant, but the quality and taste of food is definitely well worth the price paid and the long wait.

Next time you're in Bangkok, make sure trying out this restaurant is on you to-do list. Note though, if you're not a spicy food eater, ask them to go easy on the spicyness or be sure to order at least 3 glasses of drinks.

Ambience: 6/10

Food: 8.5/10

Price: 7/10

Service: 6.5/10

Considering I was just here 3 months ago for Lin hen's night, not many new pictures to come, but I will post some when I have more time.

Piece of crap emo writing from me...

2010-01-15T00:27:00.004+08:00

He smiles, you smile.
He speaks, you grin.
He sleeps, you dream.
He teases, you blush....

He takes a step forward, you take one back.
He persists, you give in.
But when things start geting warmer,

He no longer smiles, you don't think too much,
He gets cold, you become confused.
He ignores, you worry.
He goes without conversations, you almost come down with a heart attack.

You wonder, is it me, or is it him.
The cycle repeats.
You tell yourself, 'That's it', but it's never 'Really that's it'

Oh well, that's life.

XoXo..goodnight folks! Last night in Hong Kong. Back to unpack and pack again for Bangkok.

View of Hong Kong

2010-01-11T23:04:00.004+08:00

I apologize for the lack of posts lately as I have been really busy/ lazy since the Christmas Break.
Currently in Hong Kong for a week for job training (only able to access my internet and mails at night) and above is a picture taken from the 44th floor of the Edinburgh tower in Central. Have a hectic week ahead before I'm off to Bangkok to start my very first job assignment in 2010.

Had a great weekend shopping spree for thick clothings with Lin Lin for my upcoming Europe trip as almost all my fav shops here are on 50% sale. Ahhh...the shopaholic strikes again!

..And the best part of it all, I have satisfied my craving for a good, warm and satisfying hotpot dinner in Hong Kong with friends. Yummmm!!!

Another long day tomorrow...so I'm off to look for Mr Zhao now.....ZzZzz. Good Night Folks.

XoXo....much love!

Frank in Zhongshan, China

2010-01-05T16:54:00.001+08:00

Frank sent me these earlier just to stress how thin he's gotten after he went back to his hometown for 12 loooong days over the Christmas and New Year break!

iPod

2010-01-05T10:14:00.002+08:00

I can't seem to download any new games onto my iPod toch 32 Gb. Everything requires an iPhone v.3.0 something like that or higher. No Puzzle Bubble..nothing.

Is this 'the calling' to upgrade my Nokia E66 or get a PSP??? Errrgghh!!!!!

Happy New Year

2010-01-01T14:31:00.003+08:00

May 2010 bring you more wealth, joy and the things you've always longed for.

May all the unhappiness in 2009 be washed away and let 2010 be a good start to a brand new you!

Be good, be wise and treat others like how you would like to be treated.

Fireworks ..as seen from Weik's house

The moon
Just remember, if you feel down, a nice. yummy dessert should be able to lift up your sprits. So let go of all the sorrows, unhappiness, forgive and forget the no-so-good things that happened in 2009!

Have a splendid long weekend. I'm gonna spend the day finishing my TVB series!!!

1/2 day trip to Melaka

2009-12-31T10:25:00.008+08:00

Went to Melaka for a makan-makan and jalan-jalan trip yesterday with the family.

We got into Jonker street at about 12.30 and were famished.

And to our horror, the famed Chung wah coffeeshop which serves one of the best Chicken Rice Balls in Melaka was soooooo crowded. That's us at the back of the queue (picture 1).

Overheard some Hong Kong tourists asking, ' Why is this shop soooo crowded? Is it the location or the food is that great?' While saying this, he was looking at the uncle chopping the chicken behind the glass (see picture 2), which obviously did not seem very appetizing and hygenic.

Check out my post from last year on this shop for more pictures http://iamsiaoyue.blogspot.com/2008/09/work-work-work-and-eat-eat-eat.html

I do think somehow that quality of food has deteriorated from then.

Taking a stroll down Jonker street under scorching sun is not exactly my idea of fun.

Found my favourite 'ting ting' sweets. 3 street smart kids selling them at RM3 a bag.

We went to Melaka for 3 reasons:- chicken rice balls, nyonya food and pork satay of which we only managed to accomplish 2 due to time constraint.

According to couzzie WF, this pork satay shop has moved 3 times during her last few visits and we had trouble locating it again. (Now, it's situated opposite some school)..ask around for directions!!

The workers hard at work, preparing the skewers.

Mouth watering pork satay with lard that you can't get enough of. But a bit pricey for the price of RM0.55 you're paying for these mini lil skewers. 5 of us had about 40 sticks.

Yeah, so that was it folks.

And....with this I end my last post for 2009 and a link to the world's best airline letter.

http://www.smh.com.au/travel/travel-news/the-worlds-best-airline-complaint-letter-20090130-7tgo.html (have a good laugh -it's hee-la-rious, I swear)

May 2010 be full of wealth, joy and happiness for everyone. Say goodbye to a sucky 2009.

HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE..and enjoy a beer on behalf of me tonight!

The Christmas Long Weekend

2009-12-28T14:55:00.006+08:00

The Winter Solstice festival was also mom's birthday. We had the honour of having cousin WF over to make her special roasts (beef & lamb). You can't get better outside especially here in Malaysia.

Christmas Eve dinner at Noble House in KL with the family. (For posting this picture, I'm afriad the animal activists group will come for my head). Succulent and very crispy roast suckling pig on top of glutinous rice was one of the dishes served.

Countdown at WK's house. Jo and Cal having a bit of fun by the pool area.

Christmas day celebration with friends at WIP Bangsar. Yeah, playing Indian Poker. Very unrefined but great fun nevertheless. (Jack and Jerome)

Jack obviously had lots of fun cause the missus was not around.

Ended the long weekend with a dessert treat at MOF (Ministry of Food) Pavillion yesterday - same level as the food court.

The macha shake, a tad too sweet for my liking, but very rich in taste.

Oooh, I love this green tea ice cream that came topped with fruits, mochi, red bean and jelly.

I can't have a full dessert meal without any savoury dishes. Ordered the wasabi tuna and egg sandwich. No regrets. Generous with toppings, tasty and reasonably priced at RM7.00, accompanied by a lil salad at the sides.

Bill came up to about RM32 for the meal after a 10% discount using the Citibank credit card.

Yeah so folks. That was my Christmas. Special thanks for Cal for the lovely Christian Dior lip gloss, Yogi for the Body Shop lovelies and Joanna for the L'occitaine hand cream.

Let's get ready to usher in 2010 in a few days time! Wooohooooooo!

Merry Christmas!!

2009-12-24T14:23:00.004+08:00

Here's wishing everyone a Merry Christmas!

Again remember, don't drink and drive!!!!

What's your secret Christmas wish???

p/s: finally got my Europe trip finalised! Soooooo excited! It will be my maiden trip to Amsterdam, Spain, Portugal and Morocco!!!!! Kev (ex BFF), I'll be sending you a postcard from each country to return the favour. Buzz me your address!!!!!

Hit Man Breaker of theye

2009-12-22T15:58:00.003+08:00

OMG I love this dude.... haha he's just awesome !!!! A filipino aspiring to be a singer!

http://www.youtube.com/user/hitmanbreakeroftheye

http://nickdreamerhitmanbreakeroftheye.blogspot.com/

Just a preview of his many, many, many covers

Tiger Woods Condom Anyone?

2009-12-21T11:20:00.001+08:00

Wanna get condoms as christmas pressies this season?
What other brand better than to get Tiger condoms.
Available at www.tigercondoms.com at only USD3.95 for 1.
HA HA HA H AH HA

When somethings are just not meant to be...

2009-12-21T10:41:00.002+08:00

when you thought all was going well,
until things took a turn for the worse.
what do you do?
and you realize you're all alone and helpless,
with nobody to listen to your whines and whinges......

Hmmmmmm!

Seribu Rasa

2009-12-17T15:48:00.004+08:00

10 great photos to show you why you should dine at Seribu Rasa in Jakarta apart from its excellent food. (Note b/h: Pics not taken by me as I forgot to bring my faithful LX 3 out for dinner 2 nights ago).

Note: Must try - their steamed fish.

猜不透 - 丁噹

2009-12-14T18:38:00.004+08:00

Ahem...this song is dedicted to someone who still owes me a debt! muahahah

Miitem - Last foodie post in Jakarta

2009-12-14T13:10:00.009+08:00

Trying a new font for my blog.

Lunch yesterday at Miitem in Plaza Indonesia will be the last foodie blog of my trip this round. Caught up with Daniel and his wife, a friend from Melbourne whom I've not seen for about 7 years!

So they tell me that this place is famous for its naturally coloured black noodle cooked in various styles. I have no idea where the black comes from!

Restuarant logo taken off travbuddy.com

The restaurant is a cozy little thing which serves excellent food (either that or I have really low standards for food).

For starters we had cheesy bread.

The flaky mushroom pizza was something really different with of course crunch, flaky crusts (like those pastry crusts). I loved it so much I had 3 slices on top of my noodles.

Then came our black noodles. Seriously, the taste well exceeded my expectations. We opted for the fried noodles. Guaranteed, no disappointment, rich in taste and plenty in ingredients.

To finish off our meal, we had the flaky fruit pizza, similiar to our mushroom pizza but topped with fruits and very rich in egg taste. Yummmmm...

Food: 8.5/10

Service: 6/10

Price: unavailable ...did not see the prices but would have been reasonable

Ambience: 7/10

Lara Djonggrang

2009-12-13T13:10:00.006+08:00

I enjoyed a lunch out with my high scool mates and their other halves yesterday afternoon. Sass who married Fel, now lives in Jakarta and Jason (+Mary) who were recently posted to Jakarta. Was a great catching up session, seeing how everyone was getting on with their lives, gossiping about people you never liked or what other people are up to now.

Sass brought us to Lara Djonggrang, which serves authentic Indonesian cuisine.

The restaurant and its very unusual deco.

We left the ordering to the experts (Sass and her hubby) who fed us with....

Some deep fried fish cakes

something called Gurame fish if I remember clearly. Something I enjoyed very much!

..and of course the sambal kankung, the usual stuff you have in Indonesia, I reckon

..beef ribs

..and what's considered a complete Indonesian meal without sate. Mutton sate...

meal came up to abt Rp175,000 per pax. We had some other stuff like chicken and fried calamari, which I did not take any pics of.

Overall, a satisfying experience for a lazy Saturday afternoon catching up with some of you oldest friends.

Service: 6.5/10

Food: 7.5/10

Price: 7/10

Ambience: 6.5/10 (I thought some parts of the restaurant was pretty spooky with its rather 'unique' deco)

Han Yang Kagaya Restaurant

2009-12-11T14:49:00.010+08:00

Things out of the norm do seem to cross my path whenever I am in Jakarta:- terrorist attacks, guns and last night was no exception. As I was happily dishing into my appetizers at the Korean restaurant (which BTW was fantastic), I heard a loud 'Thhummp' and all the waiters and waitresses rushing towards the stairs with wet tissues and serviettes.

We then found out that a really drunk (Korean) man had fallen and rolled down the stairs and hit on something, he started to bleed. When I managed to catch a glimpse of the man, had 2 ppl carry him out of the restaurant in his blood stained shirt, was that drunk, I think he was unaware of his fall!!!! He obviously looked oblivious to his surrounding.

And...back to my korean feast last night at the Han Yang Kagaya Restaurant. I had chosen Korean simply because there's already a pretty good Jap rest in my hotel and kinda sick of Indonesian food, so William (ex unimate, project mate, study mate at Monash) suggested Han Yang.

I read in a review that it's one of the best Korean BBQ restaurants in Jakarta and very generous with their FOC appetizers. They were right. We had salad, baby corn, clams with salad, tofu, fish cakes, spinach, kim chi (2 plates), steam eggs, marinated cucumbers, pan fried eggs with (something)....

My favourites, the kimchi and the clam with salad dish..

(I won't be able to remember all the Korean names as I left the ordering to William) We started off with our first main, the beef soup with glass noodles. Very rich in taste and generous with their portions.

Other than my regular Jap / Korean rest in Hartamas, I've not found any other place in KL which serves better Cow/ Ox tongue. This is the first time I'm having it in Jakarta and I just have 3 words for it. Just as awesome!!! :)

We had another beef and pork dish and that was all we had for dinner!

For the price we paid for dinner (RP605K ++ for 2 pax), they served us free drinks, appetizers and dessert. Not something you can and would eat on a daily basis but definitely worth the try if you're down in Jakarta, and if you're feeling pretty sick of Indon food.

Address: Jl Senopati No.43C, Kebayoran Baru, Jakarta 12190, Indonesia
Tel: +62 21 5212522

Food: 8.5/10

Service: 7/10
Ambience: 6.5/10

Price: 6/10

p/s: 'AwfullyChocolate' is just beside this restaurant and they serve the best banana chocolate cake. (Better than Zang Toi's signature banana choco cake). Can't wait to try the 6 dark chocolate tartlets I got from there.

Delightful Dinner at Kembang Goela

2009-12-10T11:27:00.009+08:00

For good peranakan Indonesian- Dutch peranakan cuisine, we made our way to Plaza Sudirman in Jakarta to dine in style at Kembang Goela last night.

The trio to serenade the guests the whole night long.

Don't you just love the setting of the main dining lounge. The lighting and composition just makes one feel like noble member of the Indonesian colonial society attending a social gathering.

I left the ordering to my colleagues who have been here before.

Our first dish, the Sosis Om Yance - the amazing metre long chicken sausage. We also had the Otak Otak Meja which was delicious, but in my haste to sample this appetizer, I forgot to take any pictures.

I loved their mixed satay (beef and chicken). Tastily marinated, tender meat and grilled to perfection with peanut sauce toppings.

Something different, the cripy beef - but nothing to shout about.

The other main dishes we had include fried chicken, grilled fish, fried rice, fried noodles and vegetable.

And they have durian creme brulee for dessert. Yum!!!! Although the durian taste is not that strong, it is a good pick nevertheless. (you can also opt for the conventional vanilla creme brulee)

I'm normally not a fan of Indonesian food as I find it too oily/ too dry. But Kembang Goela is definitely worth a try for those of you in Jakarta. Food is reasonable priced for the quality of food and ambience. Bill came up to about RM100 pp.

Address:Plaza SentralJl. Jend. Sudirman Kav. 47-48Jakarta, Sudirman

Tel. (62-21) 520 5651

Food: 7/1o

Ambience: 8/10

Service: 7/10

Price: 7/10

Section 498 of the Penal Code

2009-12-09T16:53:00.003+08:00

With all the hype on the Daphne Iking case, I am amused to find out that we have such a law:

Section 498 of the Penal Code states: “Whoever takes or entices away any woman who is and whom he knows, or has reason to believe to be the wife of any other man, from that man, or from any reason having the care of her on behalf of that man, with intent that she may have illicit intercourse with any person, or conceals, or detains any such woman, shall be punished with imprisonment for a term which may extend to two years, or with a fine, or with both.”

For those of you who are unaware of this case, our local celebrity, Daphne Iking's illicit affair with Choy Khin Ming, MD of Adidas Malaysia has garnered nationwide interest as husband is now suing Choy for enticing his wife. Read here for full story.

http://themalaysianinsider.com/index.php/malaysia/45921-daphne-iking-seduction-case-moved-to-high-court

I wonder if there is a ruling that applies to women who entice your husbands.

The Mandarin Oriental Experience

2009-12-08T13:22:00.003+08:00

I've always been amazed at the level of service provided by the Mandarin Oriental group. (I love MO Tokyo!)

So here I was having dinner at the MO Jakarta last night and ordered a pot of hot water. The waiter disappeared with my pot of hot water. And I decided to get an orange juice.

Someone (cant remember which colleague of mine) jokingly mentioned to the supervisor that I wanted my hot water replaced with hot orange juice. So the guy confirmed the order again with me and while laughing, I told him yes, hot pls.

He smiled and walked off. 10 minutes later, the waitress brought my OJ ( a little more foamy than the one my colleague had). I took the glass to have a sip. It was HOT OJ.

Crowne Plaza, Jakarta

2009-12-07T14:17:00.003+08:00

So I checked in to this so-called 4 star hotel last night. The front desk dude, Sugit explains that my hotel and breakfast are borne by the company and the rest on my own expenses. So I nod my head.

I then ask him for the Japanese restaurant in the hotel (strongly recommended). He stresses to me, 'Only your hotel and breakfast is paid for by XXX company. The rest are charged to your credit card'. To which I replied, 'Yes, I know. I just want to know where the Jap rest is.'

That's a major insult. As*h*L*.

And as I was about to tuck into my bed nicely, I noticed a few strands of tangled hair on one of the pillows. Eeeeuuuuuuu.

My PERM

2009-12-06T23:16:00.004+08:00

Greetings from Jakarta. I finally collected my second Delft Miniature Houses from KLM. (out of 90)

When will I ever complete collecting 90 houses! Meaning I'll have to take a KLM (Amsterdam - KL- Jakarta) flight for 45 times to collect all 90! They provide you one of those little booklets on the plane to mark which houses you have. Today I took no.71.

Blurred pic of my new hair perm!!!!!

That's it folks! Sleep tight!